#penny is an overworked wreck

[astrafortune]

Yippee circus gang pre-circus

Bonus:

[haruhar-u]

the first chapter of that book thing I’m talking about

CWS for this chapter: None

CWS for the series:

Series summary:

Falling From The Stars is about the band Ametrine’s rise to fame and their fall from it.

A/N: wrote this in February so the writing style will be slightly different

Beta read and edited

That’ll be 12.50.” An obviously overworked woman who looked like she worked multiple jobs by the look of her eye bags says from behind the counter. 

   I rummage in my jeans pocket, pen cap without a pen, crusty pennies, old candy wrappers, then finally crinkled 20 dollars bill. I must’ve looked like a disorganized train wreck to any passerby. Luka you’re 22 put yourself together. You probably look like a fucking train wreck. I put the 20 dollar bill onto the counter and the overworked woman hands me the food I ordered.  

   “Uhm keep the change.” I say just loud enough for her to hear. This was my friend’s dad’s  restaurant, I want to help out somehow. 

The food felt warm in my hands as I walked through the busy streets of Manhattan. There was a mix of tired locals and overly excited tourists.  Then I drove about 5 minutes back to my apartment to give my fiancé the food I brought. 

 He’s so studious that he barely takes care of himself enough. I went up, opened the door and threw the leather pouch I carry to the side. 

“Oh hey Luka.” Rui glances up from his work, eye bags quite noticeable (probably his pharmacist school stuff) then looked back down and continued working. I lean over him to take a look at what he was studying, his jet black red streaked hair was greasier than ever. Do you even wash it anymore?. He had recently overworked himself to the point where he caught a cold. He still wasn’t fully recovered, I could tell from him sniffling and the amount of tissues he had surrounding him. It was exhausting looking after him then to say the least as he would never stay in bed without study material for more than 5 minutes.

I put what I had brought him on the table. “I think you should take a break and eat, plus you’re still sick aren’t you?” 

“I’m fine, I swear, thanks for the food I guess.” He doesn’t even look up. His voice sounded deeper which usually is a tell tale sign to attempt to convince him to go to bed early tonight. 

“Explain the tissues.” 

“I just still have a runny nose.” 

I nod, I guess I believe him, his explanation lines up with the timeline. I just hope he learns that A grades aren’t everything, because they aren’t. My friend Tian basically lives by that saying. I think should point out that Tian and Rui are pretty much opposites when it comes to that though. 

 “I think I should probably head over to Micah and Tian’s. I told them I’d be there at noon and it’s half past now.” 

“Alright, bye. Love you.” Rui mumbled, again not glancing up. 

“Love you.” I gently placed a kiss on the top of his head, grabbed my small leather pouch —which I keep important stuff in such as my keys, inhaler, credit card—  and headed out.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･

I pull into their driveway. It was a pretty nice house, a garage where we keep our instruments, decently sized, 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms I think. Micah brought it when he was only 18. I’ve always wondered how the hell he was able to afford it right out of high school and after moving from Australia to New York City. Then again I presume he’s quite rich from his posher Australian accent, one of the ones that sound almost British. 

Tian moved in with him 2 years after Micah originally bought the place and I think Micah likes the company since he seems a lot happier now. 

I walked up the front door and opened it with my key. To us it wasn’t weird that I had their key and they had mine, it’s like when you’d give your key to a close relative. The house was half messy and half clean due to Micah messing up the house and Tian’s attempts to clean up after Micah. I walked into their garage where we said to meet. 

Micah looks up at me from tuning his bass. He had his shoulder length hair dyed amethyst purple which was different from his previous colour “You’re a bit late.” I was almost an hour late. 

I sheepishly ran my hand through my hair, embarrassed. “I had to run an errand.” 

“Ah! Understandable, have a nice day!” Micah had that goofy grin on his face that he was quite known for. “Also you forgot your guitar here since last time” 

“Oh that's where it was. Also, did you dye your hair again?” 

“Mhm. I thought the amethyst colour  would suit the band since it’s called Ametrine” 

“It suits you, also, where's Tian?” I glance around the garage, his drum set was still there. Wait no that’s stupid he wouldn’t carry that thing out, he wouldn’t even attempt it, he’d rather leave it here and play video games upstairs later. 

“Hmm.” Micah puts a hand on his chin, “probably asleep behind his drum kit. I think he was playing Valorant all night. Wait,  actually I think I heard him aggressively drumming along to Chop Suey at 3 am. ”  He then put his bass back onto its stand. 

  Both of us looked behind the drum kit to see Tian  sitting on a pillow, playing something on his Nintendo switch with noise cancelling headphones.

“Tian!” Micah calls as a weak attempt to get Tian’s attention. “Tian Wu!” He even attempts using his full name as if that’d change something 

Somehow that works and Tian looks up at Micah, “What is it Micah Torres” he said with a smirk, probably deciding to humour Micah using his full name. “Oh, Luka’s here.” He nods his head as a greeting which I nod back. “Give me a sec. Gotta save”

“Luka, I tuned your guitar for you already, fyi. Thank me later!” Micah tells me, literally saying FYI. 

“Alright, thanks. I’ll tune your bass for you  next time.” 

Micah put a hand on my shoulder and grinned again. “No worries! Run your errands instead!” He grinned again. 

“Are you sure?” I felt like I was in debt to him. He definitely didn’t need to tune my guitar for me but, he did anyway.  

“Yeah! Of course mate!”

“Alright, are we just jamming today or recording a cover?” Tian asks, standing up then plugging in his switch which he had in the corner.

“Uhm..” Micah goes over to the wooden table in the corner and grabs a black notebook off of it and flips to a page somewhere in the middle “We have Under Pressure on our cover list, Luka do you think we’re ready to record yet?

“Hu-huh why are you asking me!?” In my opinion just because I’m the lead vocalist that doesn’t mean I get to make all the decisions. I was texting Tian earlier and we both agreed Micah has the best judgement out of the 3 of us and should be leader anyway. 

 “You’re our front man and lead vocalist. That's why!” Micah declares, handing me my guitar and picking up his bass again.  “Also, Tian what is ‘Those Three Words Unsaid’? You wrote it under ideas.”

Tian turns slightly red in the face, “Oh it’s nothing really…I uh yeah.” He glanced the floor and wouldn’t even look Micah in the eye.  “I uh I-I was drunk when I wrote that.” 

“Uh huh.” Micah’s expression shows he’s quite skeptical (Tian doesn’t drink) however I think he could probably tell Tian was uncomfortable with answering, and decided not to question him any further  “Luka? Your thoughts on whether we should record or not?” 

I attempt to remember what our last practice sounded like I can’t completely remember, thanks to me having the same memory as  Dori the fish. “I suppose we should practice it once and see where we’re at from there.” 

“I don’t think we should record today.” Tian pipes in. “I mean I’d have to bring down the camera and all the mics from upstairs and then we’d have to repeatedly reshoot to get it perfect , I also don’t think I got the drums correctly yet.”

I nod in agreement, “I think our 300 YouTube subs  can wait a bit.”  I’m fine with just our 300 subscribers, they didn’t really comment other than the occasional thumbs up emoji usually from Micah and I’s parents . I can tell Micah on the other hand wants the attention, he wants to be famous and he wants to perform for large crowds he deserves it too, meanwhile I feel like I’m holding him back, he’d be able to live out his dream if he wasn’t stuck with me, but oddly I can’t bring myself to leave either. 

“We could run through a few songs then go out to eat or something?” Micah suggests

“Sure, where?” I ask

“How about Tian’s dad’s restaurant. Maybe Tian can get us a discount.” Micah chuckles 

“No. I uhm I had too much Chinese food recently…” Tian responds nearly instantaneously. This usually happens whenever his dad is brought up. I don’t bring up his dad anymore because of it.

“The last time you had non-western food was when my Abuela came over from Australia and made you tamales. That was a month ago.”  Micah points out

Tian looks up at Micah with widened eyes  like a puppy begging for a treat. “Maybe she can—“ 

Micah laughs “Abuela went down to Mexico to visit more relatives so no, she cannot come over and cook for us. She did tell me she thought you were a very nice boy, so I think she’d be willing to cook for you again though.” 

Tian looks dejected once Micah says his Abuela cannot come over and cook but perks up again after he said she’d be willing to cook for him again. Typical Tian, on occasion he acts a lot  younger than his age from what I noticed anyway . “Can you tell her I think her cooking tastes very good.” 

“Yeah sure! I’ll ask her if Luka can come  next time as well!” 

“Also, Luka, do you think Rui would want to join us tonight?” Tian asks

“He already ate I think, plus exam season is coming up so he’s been shutting himself inside. Hikikomori as his siblings call him.” 

“Wish him luck for us!” Micah says. 

I nod. “I think we’re getting off topic now.” 

Micah laughs “Shit.” 

Then without any communication we start to play, we mess up more than once, Tian missing a beat, my voice not getting as high as I need it to be —in my defence I didn’t warm up—. Hours fly by like minutes as we were getting off track and instead of practicing only Under Pressure, we play an assortment of songs such as Clumsy, Lithium, My Hero, Famous Last Words, S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W  and Somebody told me. It'll be a miracle if my throat isn’t sore tomorrow, since I didn’t warm up at all. 

“Can we stop to get some food..” Tian’s  the first one of us to speak up. 

“Actually, I think we should stop for the night, Luka could injure his voice.” Micah points out, agreeing with Tian. He probably knows that I wouldn’t speak up for myself otherwise.  I feel like I’d be letting them down if I did. 

I nod and put my guitar back in its case with my amp right next to the case, making a mental note to bring it back home and not just leave it here again. 

“I’m going to order a pizza.” Tian mutters, pulling out his phone from his bag, then glances at Micah who gives a thumbs up and gestures somewhere  for some reason. “Pineapples or no, this is very important.” 

That turned into a whole debate between Micah and I over pineapples or not. Pineapples do great on pizza, I have no idea what he’s talking about. Honestly that was the stupidest debate I’ve been in ever. I stay over at their place, (Micah and Tian just got Just Dance, how could I say no to that even though I absolutely suck) until about midnight. 

Tag list: @xen-blank @edith-is-apparently-a-cat @krenenbaker @the-banana-0verlord

[just-a-creep-babe]

HABIT nsfw please

~Requests are closed~

Masterlist: x

Part one

Eheheh I would’ve edited this further but it’s been in my drafts for sooo long I kinda just wanna release it 😅

Warning: contains dub-con

You stumble through the threshold, clutching your stomach, feeling the wet warmth of your own blood staining your shirt

You’re alive

Exhausted and nearly mortally wounded but very much alive

A cough rakes its way up your throat and you spit out the taste of pennies on the floor

You need a shower

Your body’s slow and sluggish, and everything hurts as you take it one step at a time up the stairs

Down the hall you go, all the way to the bathroom

You close the door and lock it behind you, an early morning sun peaking through the windows so you’ve no need to flick the lights on

You reach out to turn on the shower but your legs buckle beneath you, muscles sore and overworked, and you collapse in a bloody, filthy heap on the ground

You can’t help it anymore

You break down crying

•••

A few hours later, after a warm shower that’s left you with some semblance of normalcy, you’re clean and snug in bed

You fall into a deep, blissfully empty sleep

When you wake up, your room’s drenched in darkness

You must’ve slept through the whole day

But then you feel it—a pressure on your eyes, wrapping around your head, and the taste of something foreign in your mouth

Your ankles and wrists are subjected to an identical force tying them down

Panic flitters through your sore body, mind reeling, seething with one word, one name

Habit

Thinking of the devil; you hear him chuckle

His touch meets the bare skin of your leg, and you have to hold back a shudder

“I have to say, I’m impressed, little (y/n)~” he purrs

Your heart jumps as he glides his hand up, up, all the way to your thighs, fingers fanning out, feeling the smooth goosebump-ridden flesh of your skin

“I didn’t expect you to survive. You’re stronger than I thought,” he continues

You jerk in your bonds as he reaches the hem of your tank top, slowly bundling up the fabric

His mouth is warm, breath hot as he grazes his teeth just below your navel

You whimper and whine beneath him

This can’t be happening

“I respect that, little rabbit,” he murmurs, “But it doesn’t change what you did… and I don’t like keeping dishonest pets”

You’re breathing heavily through your nose, chest shuddering, heaving with muffled gasps

His thumb rubs circles into your hips, touching you almost unbearably softly

“The only reason…” he brushes a finger between your legs, “I’m letting you stay…is because you still have some use to me”

You yank against the ties around your ankles but you’re utterly helpless

He hushes you, tutting

You‘re a prey beneath a predator

A stronger, faster, hungry predator

You loathe how fitting his nickname is for you

Your heart’s beating a mile a minute, breaths short and frantic as you uselessly writhe in your restrains—pathetic little rabbit

“And I think, with the right training, we could easily fix that little disobedience streak you’ve got going, hm?”

You shake your head, swallowing thickly, nearly trembling beneath his touch

His fingers return to stroke through the damp fabric of your panties, and you hate how your body’s betraying you, your sex already warming in anticipation

“Mmh, and look at that, already nice and wet for me~”

His voice is deep and gravelly as he cups your heat, rubbing the pad of his thumb over your clit

“So here’s the deal, little rabbit. You give me what I want when I want it, and in return, I’ll still let you stay here, with that pretty little head still attached to your body—lucky you~”

You bite back a mewl as he tugs the material of your panties to the side, revealing your glistening cunt perfectly on display for him to sink a finger between hot, puffy folds

“In fact, I think I’m feeling so generous—“

He sharply twists his finger and your back arches, hips bucking as a sickeningly filthy moan slips from your gagged mouth

“That I’ll even give you a chance to leave all of this behind, (y/n). All you have to do is say the word, and I’ll let you go. How does that sound, hm?”

You know he’s just toying with you, and it’s absolutely aggravating, but you’re desperate and hopeless and you fall for the bait anyways

Squirming and jerking, you try to beg through the gag, but all that comes out is a muffled jumble of words

He chuckles at your naïveté and pushes another digit into your welcoming heat

“What’s that? Are you trying to say something? Speak now or forever hold you peace, little bunny~” he snickers

Your walls pulse around him, legs tensing as your incoherent pleads grow louder and more frantic

He nestles his thumb against your pearl again, slowly rubbing side to side and your body reacts infuriatingly well to his ministrations

“Aw, it looks like you wanna stay with little ol’ me after all. I’m flattered~”

He jams his fingers into you and it has your toes curling, muscles seizing with a scream bubbling from your throat

Your eyebrows knit together as he pumps his fingers out before cramming them back into you in one harsh motion

You squeeze your eyes shut, tears welling as you try to withhold countless scattered moans because he feels so fucking good

“Atta girl~” he breaths huskily, and just the sound of him has you clenching madly again

He doesn’t hold himself back from fucking you on his fingers faster and harder

Every push of his digits hits something magical inside your drenched spongy walls

Your back arches again, legs and arms tensing against the restraints, trying to kick yourself free from the overwhelming stimulus he keeps forcing into you

With your sight taken from you, every little touch is so much more intense

It’s like your nerves are burning—a mind-numbing ecstasy taking command of your entire form

You can already feel your orgasm encroaching, the sensation building like a heady drug completely consuming you

“Good little bunny~ I can already feel you tightening up around me. Surely, you won’t cum that fast, will you?”

Much to your chagrin, his mocking coos somehow only make you warmer

The chorus of whiney moans and desperate mewls dripping from your gagged lips become a symphony blurred by the adrenaline pounding in your ears

When all of a sudden, the wet warmth of his mouth tugs at your nipples, and it becomes too much to handle

Your body lurches—toes curling, hands balling into fists—but even throughout the bliss of your orgasm, he doesn’t stop slamming his fingers into the depths of your drooling cunt

Your thighs shake either side of him, a pathetic scream wrenching its way from your throat

You want to tell him to stop—dear god, he has to stop, it’s way too much—but even if you weren’t bound and gagged, with the way he keeps fucking you so thoroughly, you can’t seem to do anything but jerk and cry out ceaselessly

His fingers brush against a spot and your entire form goes rigid, like you’ve lost complete control of your body

You scream

You’ve only ever heard of what it felt like—never once did you think you’d actually experience it

But there’s no mistaking the way your cunt gushes out with a surge of unimaginable pleasure

All of your senses are taken over all at once by the same deafening sensation crashing through you

You don’t know how long it lasts, but by the time he finally pulls his fingers free, you’re breathless and utterly wrecked

Part of you is thankful for the blindfold now; you’d be mortified to see his arms and chest glistening with your arousal

“Mmh… not bad, bunny~”

You cringe, trying to drown out what sounds like him lapping at your slick on his fingers

“Looks like I made the right decision in keeping you alive after all”

Your heart drops at the unmistakable clanging of a belt being unbuckled

“Don’t think I’m already done with you for the night. After all, it’s only fair that you owe me”

[marvels-writings]

Overworked

Requested by anon: When Maria runs her hands through your hair to calm you down and rubs your back? 🥺 Good old fluff where your tired and Maria lays your head on her knee stroking your hair. 🥺🙂 Maria’s trying to find reader then sees her working until midnight and Maria just looks sadly at her and comforts her. I’m a wittle depressed :) pls help

A/N: anon, you need to take care of yourself and this is a threat

Maria Hill Masterlist

There should be a word for being so tired you aren’t sane anymore. If there was such a word, it would describe you perfectly.

Fury had decided to assign you to cover at least five compensations for missions. Each one took you over an hour, you’d barely gotten through three when you realized it was already 11:39 and your girlfriend was still out on a mission.

“She was supposed to come home sooner.” You muttered into your fifth cup of coffee, writing down values for the Range Rover an agent wrecked during a car chase.

You rubbed your eyes, forcing yourself awake as you continued. The pen you had been using ran out, you threw it angrily against the wall and took out another pen, writing with it before searching up more values. 

In the middle of your work, you didn’t notice your front door opening and someone stepping in. You continued scribbling down values, dark circles under your bloodshot eyes highlighted by the lamp on your desk. Your body was slumped as you leaned your head on one hand.

Maria came into the room, frowning when she saw the light was still on at midnight. She saw you overworking yourself, rubbing your eyes every once in a while to prevent them from closing. You were the love of her life, but you needed to stop overworking yourself.

“Hey,” She greeted softly, resting one hand in the middle of your upper back, you flinched away violently and turned to face her.

“Oh, it’s you,” You breathed a sigh of relief, giving her the best smile you could before returning to your work, but the brunette easily took your pen away.

“I need to finish this babe,” You muttered, trying to take another pen out of the drawer which Maria shut.

“You need to sleep, come on.” She gestured to your shared bed, you looked at it longingly before sighing.

“I will lemme finish this, you can go shower meanwhile.” You negotiated, trying to smile up at her.

Maria sighed and caved, she kissed your forehead gently, you melted into her touch. The brunette took some clothes from the closet to take a quick shower. You sighed and continued the last compensation, the noise of the shower distracting you from your tired state.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A hand on your shoulder woke you, you lifted your head off of your arm and groggily waved the pen in front of you to fend off whoever it was. Maria laughed sadly at your sleep ridden state before taking the pen away and placing it on the table. You looked up at her through droopy eyelids, she ran a hand gently through your hair

You relaxed instantly and let her pick you up and gently drop you on your side of the bed. She pulled you up to the headboard gently and laid your head in her lap. You smiled sleepily up at the brunette as she ran her hands through your hair. 

“Thank you,” You whispered, voice laced with sleep. Maria chuckled softly, wiping the hair out of your face as her eyes glinted in the soft moonlight.

“Anytime, never let me catch you overworking yourself again.” She chastised gently, you gave her a sleepy wink.

“No promises.” You smirked, she laughed and flicked the top of your shoulder.

“Sleep,” She instructed, you shrugged and let exhaustion slowly drag you to sleep.

You fell asleep as Maria moved to hold you in her arms as she fell asleep, she shushed you when she felt you start to wake up.

“Love you.” You whispered automatically. Maria instantly grinned when the words tumbled from your mouth, she kissed the back of your neck.

“I love you too, idiot.” She murmured in the back of your neck, feeling you chuckle softly as you fell asleep, even if you were the love of her life, you needed to take care of yourself better.

Tag List: @capcarolsdanver​, @versdan​, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught​, @lovebotlarson​, @dhengkt​, @5aftermidnight​, @hstoria​, @natasha-danvers​, @veryfunnyal​, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx​ , @ophelias-heart​  , @never-didbefore​ , @justarandomhumanhere​, @the-most-unicorn-of-them-all , @thatssocamryn​ , @lesbian-x-blackwidow​ , @marvelbbyx​ , @wlw-imaginesss​ , @hcartbyheart​​ let me know if you’d like to be in any of my tag lists!

A/N: Penny for your thoughts?

[jisungsjheekies]

𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸𝚗 𝙼𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚗𝚍

Genre: Soulmate!au, fluff, slight angst?

Word count: 6k

Warnings: swearing

Requested: Yes, for my friend Kenz ♡

*****Important note before reading: when words are italicized during conversations, it is Mackenzie’s thoughts //// when words are italicized and bolded in conversations, it is Changbin’s thoughts*****

In this world, everyone has their ‘person’. Someone to spend the rest of their lives with. Someone to love them forever. Someone chosen specifically for them. In this world, everyone has a soulmate. But no one knows who they are until they discover them through certain abilities. Some soulmates share matching tattoos from birth. Some are able to communicate through the writings on their arm. Some even see in black and white until one day, they meet their soulmate and finally see in color. There is a wide variety of connections that people share with their soulmate. 

In Mackenzie’s particular case, she can hear her soulmate’s thoughts. It all began when she turned twenty last month. She’d woken up during a nap because she kept hearing a voice. Thinking someone was outside her apartment. However when she opened the door, nobody stood outside. That’s weird. She shut the door before she heard the voice again. Where the hell is that voice coming from? she thought to herself. Terrified that someone had broken into her apartment, she began to panic. I’m about to die aren’t I? The voice rang out again, making her stop in her tracks.

Calm down, it’s just me, the voice spoke out. 

Turning her head all around, she looked for the source. Nothing. “Who’s there?” she whimpered. 

Will you please relax? You’re giving me a headache, the voice spoke again.

“What’s going on?” Mackenzie rubbed her face in distress.

It’s me. Your soulmate.

After the confession, she went silent. Afraid to speak. Afraid to think. Was this really her soulmate? It’d been five minutes and she’d already annoyed them. This was not how she wanted her first interaction with her soulmate to go.

________________________________________________________________

1 month later...

Even as the days passed, she’d been too scared to acknowledge them. Too worried she’d only annoy them further. Still, they could hear her thoughts as she could their’s. She began to wonder just how long they’d been able to hear her. Had it been for a while or had they only started hearing her recently too?

Suddenly the voice rang out, acknowledging each other for the first time since that day. I’ve been able to hear you for a little over a year now.

Her eyes grew wide as she apologized, Oh god I’m so sorry. I know I'm annoying.

She could hear them snicker, Relax, it’s cool. It’s been quite interesting.

Immediately she groaned. I don’t even want to know the type of things you’ve heard. She recalled all the times she complained about period cramps and the stress from school to quoting vines and fangirling about boys on a regular basis. At this point, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die alone from the embarrassment.

I’ve heard it all. Especially your little fascination with Stray Kids. 

Okay. For one, it’s definitely not little and two, we’re absolutely not going to discuss that. You’ve already heard too much.

That I have Mac.

Exac—wait what? How do you know my name?

Do you not realize how much you talk to yourself?

Point taken. What’s your name?

Bin.

Cute.

Please don’t.

Damn okay.

I’m off to work now. I’ll talk later.

Bye Bin.

Bye.

“Well they seem like fun” Mackenzie pursed her lips together as she got in her car and drove to work.

________________________________________________________________

2 days later…

“Don’t forget your paper is due Sunday night at 11:59 pm” the professor announced. Everyone gathered their things as they exited the lecture hall. Mackenzie sighed heavily. She had two days to complete a paper that she hadn’t even started. Between her other classes and work, she didn’t really have time for it. Now her busy schedule was catching up to her as she would more than likely have to pull all nighters to finish it. Walking through her apartment door, she tossed her bag on the couch before grabbing a couple snacks from the kitchen to get her through the night.

“Only the power of god and anime will get me through this paper” Mackenzie groaned as she opened the bag of chips and her laptop before beginning her paper. About four hours later, she’d gotten a little over half of the assignment done before she had to take a short break. Looking at her phone, the clock showed, ‘11:46pm’. Yeah, it was probably going to be a long night but she was determined to finish the assignment before work tomorrow night. Resuming her work, she spent another hour typing away at the laptop when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

You’re literally making ME stressed out and I’m not the one even writing a paper.

I’m sorry.

Are you okay?

If I say yes, will you leave me alone so that I can work?

I would but that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. Now what’s wrong?

I’m stressed and exhausted.

Why don’t you stop and finish it later? You shouldn’t overwork yourself.

Because I have work tomorrow and the next day so I literally have no other time to do this but now.

Just don’t overwork yourself please.

Why? Are you worried or something?

Considering you’re my soulmate, yes I am.

Mackenzie’s heart skipped a beat. Sometimes she forgets that the voice in her head wasn’t hers and that it was the person she was destined to spend the rest of her life with.

Okay. I won’t.

Good. I’m going back to work now. Good luck Mac.

Thanks Bin.

Afterwards, Mackenzie set her mind to finish as soon as she could. Closing her laptop not too much later. She checked her phone again as the clock struck ‘2:00am’. She lifted her tired limbs from the couch to tread to her room. Changing into something more comfortable, she collapsed into bed and immediately knocked out.

________________________________________________________________

3 hours later... 

A voice stirred Mackenzie from her sleep. Was she dreaming or----?

Bin?

Yes?

It’s 5am, why are you awake?

Because it’s 6pm for me.

Oh. So he lived across the world.

Did I wake you?

Yeah but it’s okay.

I’m sorry.

You sound stressed. What’s wrong?

It’s nothing, go back to sleep.

Do you really think I’m going to buy that? Spill.

I’m just stressed about work and took it out on one of my roommates.

Why are you stressed?

My project’s deadline is in a week and I’m still not finished with it.

What kind of project?

They hesitated for a moment. Mackenzie waited patiently for an answer.

Producing a song.

You work in the music industry? That’s pretty cool. Mackenzie could hear them sigh, slightly relieved.

Yeah. It’s fun but stressful most of the time.

Understandable.

What do you do?

I’m in college but I work part time at a clothing store.

That’s--

Not exciting I know. Look, as much as I’d like to learn more about you, it’s almost 6am and I have to work tomorrow, so I should probably go back to sleep.

Okay, sorry again for waking you.

It’s cool. Goodnight Bin.

Goodnight Mac.

________________________________________________________________

1 week later…

Over the past few days, Mackenzie had more interactions with her soulmate. Granted, it wasn’t very many because they both had very different and busy schedules, especially with the time zone difference. However, they’d managed to learn a few more things about each other. So far, Mackenzie had learned that Bin was a twenty one year old boy from Korea who worked in the music industry and lived with several obnoxious roommates (his description, not hers). Bin learned that she was a twenty year old girl who lived with her best friend Allie in New York and was in college. 

“You know the tickets go on sale in a month right?” Allie asked the girl, bringing her back to reality. The two girls were currently trying to pass the time at work as they folded clothes and reorganized the racks.

“I know. You’re still going with me right?” Mackenzie asked, holding a shirt in her hands. Allie looked at her dumbfounded.

“As if I’d ever miss it. I’ve been saving up for like four months now” Allie laughed.

“I’m just worried that we won’t be able to get tickets. You know how fast they sold out last time” Mackenzie expressed worriedly.

“I don’t care what I gotta do. We are seeing Stray Kids and that’s final” Allie huffed in determination. Mackenzie just laughed at the girl, moving behind the counter to help the customers in line.

God please let us get tickets, Mackenzie thought to herself, wanting the day to be over with.

I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, Bin’s voice startled her.

With what?

The tickets. Who are you trying to see?

Stray Kids.

Holy shit.

Don’t tell me your a fan of them?

And what if I am?

Omg. Who’s your bias?

Who’s yours?

Changbin.

Eh, mine’s Felix.

Are you going to see them?

Would be kinda hard not to.

Exactly. I hope I can get tickets. Allie and I have been saving for months.

Good luck. I hope you can get them.

________________________________________________________________

30 minutes before the ticket release…

“I’m so nervous I might vomit” Mackenzie announced. In front of her, laid both of their laptops and phones with the ticket website open.

“Please don’t” Allie paced around the room, biting her nails anxiously. They’d both been a nervous wreck all day due to the concert tickets going on sale tonight. After several months of working their ass off and saving every penny possible, the moment had finally come. If they didn’t get tickets, they’d be absolutely devestated.

“Holy shit. Only 5 more minutes Kenz” Allie threw herself on the ground next to Mackenzie, ready to spend all her money.

“Just stay as calm as possible” Mackenzie told the girl, also trying to do the same for herself.

5……..4….….3……..2….....1

The clock struck 7:00pm as the girls refreshed the websites. The website immediately crashing due to all the people trying to do the same as them. Quickly after, the website recovered as they searched for tickets. In a matter of six minutes, Allie turned to Mackenzie and she did the same, both girls speaking at the same time.

“They sold out.”

“I got them.”

“WHAT” Allie choked as her eyes doubled in size, shock spread across her face, “Kenz don’t play with me like that.”

“Al, we got VIP” Mackenzie grinned at the girl as she showed her the purchase confirmation on her laptop. ‘2 VIP tickets for Stray Kids in New York on December 16th’

“Holy shit” Allie began to tear up, “WE’RE GOING TO SEE STRAY KIDS HOLY SHIT!” The girl tackled Mackenzie into a hug as tears streamed down her face.

“I’M GOING TO MEET BINNIE” Mackenzie all but screamed as the girls jumped up and down in excitement. Immediately, Allie froze in place.

“Oh my god I’m going to meet Jisung” Allie began screaming again, as if she just realized they’d be meeting them. After their excitement died down, the girls watched netflix while they ate dinner together before splitting off into their own rooms.

Congrats Mac.

Thanks! Did you get tickets?

No. Sold out immediately.

Oh no, I’m sorry.

It’s cool. I’m at work now, I’ll talk later. Bye Mac.

Bye Bin.

Three months until her and Allie would be seeing the boys in concert for the very first time. How is she supposed to sleep now?

________________________________________________________________

2 weeks later… 

Mackenzie sat in class, bored out of her mind as she listened to the professor ramble on and on about whatever topic they’d been discussing. Completely zoned out, she started humming I am You to herself.

It’s 3am. Please stop singing.

I’m bored, sorry.

Are you in class?

Yep. I don’t even know what the professor is talking about.

Maybe if you paid attention.

Maybe if you stanned Loona.

Um what?

Nothing. Go back to sleep.

I can’t.

Why?

I want to talk to you. Mackenzie’s heart fluttered at the thought. How sweet.

About what?

Are you excited for the Stray Kids concert?

YES. I’m going to meet Changbin!

Why do you like him so much?

Isn’t it obvious? The boy can fucking rap better than anyone else. He’s pretty badass but he’s also a cute baby.

Cute baby?

The cutest. I also admire his love for music and his members.

That’s…..really sweet.

It’s the truth. I have to go now, class is over. Bye Bin.

Bye Mac.

________________________________________________________________

1 month later…

Mackenzie and Allie wandered around the department store, looking for the perfect outfits for the concert that was two months away. They were currently in the fifth store today. All the others proven to be unsuccessful.

“What do you think of this?” Allie held a dress up to her body. Mackenzie gave it a glance before shaking her head.

“Too bright. Find something darker” Mackenzie recommended, looking through the various racks of clothes. An item caught her eye as she grabbed it from the rack, walking around the store to find something to go with it. Quickly finding what she had envisioned, she found Allie holding up two jackets to her front, comparing them. She turned to her friend.

“Help” Allie asked, internally struggling as she couldn’t decide which jacket she liked more.

“The green one” Mackenzie said without hesitation as she walked towards the dressing rooms. Allie placed the other jacket back before following Mackenzie. The two girls walked into the rooms next to each other. Prepared to show the other their selection. 

“Are you dressed yet?” Allie asked the girl. Tying the laces on her boots, she answered the girl by opening her door. Stepping out of the room at the same time, the girls looked over each other before Allie clapped her hands excitedly.

“You look perfect!” Allie shouted in glee. Mackenzie adjusted her hat. She’d chosen an oversized black and yellow flannel paired with a black t-shirt dress, black knee high socks and black combat boots.

“You don’t think it’s too bland?” Mackenzie asked worriedly. It’d already taken most of the day to find something and if this wasn’t it then she didn’t know if she’d ever find the right outfit.

“Omg no. Changbin’s gonna freak when he sees you” Allie stated confidently, making the girl smile. Mackenzie then took notice of her friend’s choice of clothing.

“Did we really get the same shoes?” Mackenzie stifled a laugh. Allie had chosen a pair of black denim high-waisted shorts with a black top, an oversized olive green jacket (Mackenzie’s choice from the two), black combat boots, and a cheetah print beanie.

“Soulmate things” Allie replied as if it wasn’t already obvious. 

________________________________________________________________

2 weeks before the concert… 

The day couldn’t get any worse for Mackenzie. First, she’d gotten back her history test, finding out that she’d failed it. Then her car wouldn’t start so she had to get it towed and because she was short a car, she had to walk home. Just when she was ten minutes away from her apartment, rain had begun pouring down as it soaked through her hair and clothes. Once inside her apartment, she was met with silence as Allie was working the night shift that night, leaving her home alone. Peeling the wet clothes from her body, she took a warm shower to ease her stress before climbing out and getting dressed. Mackenzie sighed as she crawled into bed.

The stress of the day had finally hit her as she broke down, sobbing into her pillow. She was pretty good about controlling her emotions but after the events from today, there was no way that was happening. Fifteen minutes had passed when a voice broke through Mackenzie’s sobs.

What’s wrong? Bin asked you after hearing your upsetting thoughts.

I’d say nothing but you’re not stupid.

Do you want to talk?

It’s just been a really shitty day and I want to forget about it.

Alright then. Ask me something.

Ask you something?

Yeah ask me a question. I’m trying to change the subject.

What’s your full name?

Okay anything but that.

But… 

You know I can’t answer that.

Okay then. When will we meet?

A lot sooner than you probably expect.

What’s that supposed to mean?

It means we’ll have to wait and see when that day comes.

Are you kidding me? Mackenzie groaned, earning a laugh from the boy.

Sorry Mac. Just be patient. 

Yeah yeah, like I have a choice.

I know it’s late there, you need to go to sleep.

I don’t wanna.

Omg go to sleep.

Okay damn I will.

Goodnight Mac.

Goodnight Bin. 

________________________________________________________________

The day before the concert… 

Work had been slow as Mackenzie and Allie tried finding any little task to pass the time. Mackenzie had been staring aimlessly at the people walking past the store just as Allie sat next to her.

“Can you fucking believe it? We’re seeing Stray Kids tomorrow night!!” Allie hollered in excitement.

“Could you be any louder? You’re scaring the customers” Mackenzie apologized to the customer walking by.

“Actually I could but you’d slap me” Allie retorted. 

“I’d slap you regardless” Mackenzie snickered, making Allie roll her eyes.

“I hate you sometimes” Allie groaned.

“Likewise” Mackenzie winked playfully at her friend.

“You’re pretending to act cool but I know you’re freaking out on the inside” Allie commented.

“Of course I am. We’ve waited forever for the moment” Mackenzie started before adding, “I just have this gut feeling like something will be different.”

“What do you mean?” Allie questioned her friend.

“I’m not sure. Something in me just feels different” Mackenzie answered, confused as well.

“Good different or bad different?”

“Definitely good” Mackenzie grinned brightly.

“What if one of them falls in love with you!!!” Allie all but screamed, once again scaring the nearby customers. Mackenzie threw her hands over her face as she groaned.

“As if that would ever happen” Mackenzie quickly shut her friend’s idea down.

“You never know” Allie winked at the girl before assisting a customer in need.

Alone with her thoughts, Mackenzie couldn’t help but wonder what was causing her to have this feeling. Maybe it wasn’t the concert that was giving her this feeling. Maybe it was the fact that Bin said they’d meet sooner than she expected. How soon was soon? She was afraid that she’d never meet him considering he wouldn’t share his name. Mackenzie understood that he kept it hidden for safety precautions, just as she did her own identity. If only she could shake this feeling so she could focus on the excitement of the concert with her best friend.

Why are you always so stressed?  Bin thought, making Mackenzie huff.

I could say the same to you, Mackenzie retorted.

Touche. So…what’s on your mind?

Too much.

Do you want to talk about it?

Not exactly. I’d rather just not think about it at the moment.

What DO you want to think about?

The concert tomorrow night.

It’s tomorrow night?? Bin asked, somewhat panicked.

That’s what I just said.

Wow. I didn’t realize it was so soon. Are you excited?

Of course I am. I’m just extremely scared to meet them, especially Changbin.

Why especially him?

You know how it goes, everyone wants to be remembered. He’s my favorite so of course I’d like for him to remember me. I just don’t want to embarrass myself or for him to be disappointed.

Why would he be disappointed?

There’s plenty of other girls who are much prettier than me so I can’t be that exciting to meet.

I know for a fact that’s not true.  You’re a beautiful girl Mac.

Bin, you’ve literally never seen me before.

I don’t have to see you. I know your personality, how kind your heart is, how hardworking you are. Looks aren’t the only thing that makes you attractive.

You really think that?

I don’t think, I KNOW.

Thank you for cheering me up.

Anytime.

I have to go back to work now.

Let me know how the concert goes. Bye Mac.

I will. Bye Bin.

That feeling in her stomach only intensified after the conversation came to an end. Instead of thinking about it more, Mackenzie focused all of her attention into little tasks at work, hoping for the day to come to an end as soon as possible. If only she knew what would happen to her the next day.

________________________________________________________________

Concert day… 

“I’m so glad we have seats because there’s no way I could stand in that line all day” Allie commented as they’d arrived at the venue with only five hours to go until the concert.

“Seats or not, I still can’t believe we got VIP. Like, we’re gonna meet them in less than eight hours” Mackenzie remained calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside she felt like she would vomit any second now thanks to her anxious nerves. Allie, however, was a different story as she grabbed ahold of Mackenzie’s arms and started jumping excitedly.

“I’m gonna meet Jisung and you’re gonna meet Changbin!!!!” Allie squealed loudly. There wasn’t any point in shushing her as she wasn’t the only one acting this way.

“Promise me when we do that you won’t scare the poor boys” Mackenzie begged, making Allie laugh.

“I promise…maybe” Allie grinned. That girl really had no shame. Mackenzie figured that’s why they made such a great pair. They were both similar and different in every way. Mackenzie shook her head.

“After we get our wristbands, let’s grab some food at across the street and hang out there until it’s time to get in line again” Allie pointed at the cafe, Cozy Cup,  in front of the venue as Mackenzie agreed. Both of the girls proceeded to get in line for their wristbands, only having to wait around thirty minutes before they walked to the cafe. Cozy Cup was a small cafe that’s menu consisted of coffees, smoothies, and baked goods. Mackenzie ordered an iced caramel coffee and a scone while Allie ordered a pineapple smoothie and cookie. They’d both eaten a large breakfast so they weren’t in the mood for much at the moment, waiting until after the concert to pig out. Food on a nervous stomach was never a good idea. Sitting down with their purchases, they spotted a few other fans sitting around the cafe, probably doing the same thing as them.

The two girls chatted for the next couple hours, having to get refills on their drinks, before the clock struck ‘6:30pm’ signaling that it was time for them to get back in line as the concert would begin in an hour and a half. Throwing their trash away, Mackenzie and Allie headed back across the street towards the venue, noticing how the lines had grown at least three times in size. After forty five minutes of waiting, the two girls were finally ushered inside the venue after going through security and getting their tickets scanned. Even though they had seats, they made sure to get as close as possible to the stage, scoring seats in the front row.

Watching as more fans continued to pile into the venue, it was now five minutes until the concert would begin. Suddenly, Mackenzie’s head filled with anxious thoughts as her soulmate had begun to freak out over something.

Bin are you okay?

I will be soon, don’t worry, Bin rushed out before adding, Enjoy the concert.

Talk to you later.

Oh you have no idea, Bin accidentally thought. Mackenzie furrowed her brows in confusion.

No idea about what?

Nothing. Have fun, Bye Mac.

Bye Bin, Mackenzie thought just as the lights when down and fans began to scream.

In one moment the stage was empty and then the next, nine boys filled the empty stage as the noise from the fans intensified. Mackenzie and Allie would, without a doubt, have sore throats the next day as they joined the rest of the cheering. Never in her life did she believe she’d ever get the chance to see these boys live, much less with her best friend next to her. It really was a dream come true. The odd feeling still remained but she pushed it into the back of her mind as she focused on the boys on stage. Halfway through the concert, they took a break to talk to the fans before Changbin spoke up.

“Who’s ready for the next song?” He asked as fans screamed in response.

“This is….. Voices.” The moment he announced the title, that feeling in the pit of Mackenzie’s stomach grew stronger as she grew silent. All she could do was listen and watch as they performed the song. She wanted to sing along but something told her not to. She started to feel overwhelmed, having to sit down for a moment. Her actions caused Allie to glance over, asking if she was okay. Mackenzie reassured her that she was fine and Allie turned back to the boys. The moment Mackenzie lifted her head, she noticed Changbin searching into the crowd, looking slightly worried. I wonder why, she thought. Changbin quickly recovered, continuing with the concert as he searched the crowd. 

Sooner than anyone wanted, the concert came to an end as the boys bowed goodbye on stage before exiting, probably going to get ready for the hi-touch event. Mackenzie watched as the fans who didn’t have VIP exited the venue while the fans who did remained in their seats, waiting to meet the boys. Everyone was split into three groups, Mackenzie and Allie being in the second group. As the first group was called to enter, the next group stood to go next. A few minutes later and then it was their group’s turn to go. Allie was in front of Mackenzie as they followed through the halls, security directing the fans the right way.

And then she saw them. First up was Seungmin. Everything happened so fast, she couldn’t process it quick enough. The order of the line went: Seungmin, Felix, Woojin, Minho, Jisung, Changbin, Jeongin, Hyunjin, Chan. While greeting the first few members, Mackenzie watched as Allie stood in front of Jisung, the girl freaking out when Jisung winked at her. The line continued to move as it was Mackenzie’s turn to greet Jisung. The boy flashed her a bright smile, thanking her for coming before moving to the next fan. Mackenzie looked up at the next boy, heart dropping in her stomach as she noticed Changbin already looking at her. She moved closer, smiling nervously at him.

Holy shit it’s really him, Mackenzie thought excitedly.

Time seemed to freeze as Changbin’s eyes went wide, “Mac?”

The smile that once painted Mackenzie’s face, dropped instantly after hearing the nickname fall from his lips. “Bin” Mackenzie gasped, watching as the boy panicked when security rushed Mackenzie to greet the remaining members. She couldn’t help but glance back at the boy the further she moved down the line, catching his eyes on her more than once. 

Please don’t leave.

No response.

Let’s talk after I’m done. Please Mac.

Okay. Meet me across the street at Cozy Cup.

After one final glance, Mackenzie followed behind Allie as she moved out of the boy’s sight. Stopping just outside the venue, Mackenzie dropped to her knees in shock as everything finally hit her.

“Kenz what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Allie continued throwing questions at the girl as she crouched down in front of her.

“No” was all Mackenzie could get out before looking up at her friend in horror.

“You’re scaring me” Allie panicked, grabbing Mackenzie’s hands.

“I need to tell you something” Mackenzie rushed out, “but it needs to be in private.”

Allie nodded her head, helping the girl up as the two walked across the street to the cafe. Choosing a booth near the back, away from other customers, Mackenzie took a deep breath before beginning.

“I met my soulmate” Mackenzie admitted for the first time to anyone. Allie’s eyes grew wide in shock.

“You WHAT? Omg!!! Who is he????” Allie sat on the edge of her seat, waiting for an answer.

“Changbin.”

“What? How? When? WHAT?” Allie threw questions at her left and right before Mackenzie stopped her.

“I’m trying to explain woman! It started a month after my birthday. I started hearing things. I thought I was being crazy but turns out that was my connection with my soulmate. I could hear his thoughts and he could hear mine. At first I was freaked out because he’d been able to hear me way before I could him, but then we started to warm up to each other. We didn’t share names, only nicknames, just to be safe. I knew a few things about him like how he worked in the music industry or that he lived with several of his friends in Korea. He knew I lived in New York with my best friend and that I was still in college but that’s all we shared.”

Allie looked at her friend confused, “Wait, so how do you know it’s Changbin?”

“When I got to him in the line, the first thing he said was ‘Mac’” Mackenzie announced, still in shock from it all.

“Mac?”

“He called me Mac and I called him Bin. That’s how we knew.”

“Holy shit” Allie leaned back in her seat, also in shock before smirking, “I fucking called it.”

“What?” Mackenzie stared at her friend dumbfounded.

“You said you had a weird feeling about something happening today and I said, as a joke, that one of them would fall in love with you and now look” Allie grinned excitedly.

“I---”

“Hold up. Are you going to meet him?” Allie wondered.

“If it’s actually him, he’ll be here soon.”

“He’s coming here? To the cafe?”

“Yes.” Allie squealed quietly, excited for her friend. “After you start dating, introduce me to Jisung.” Mackenzie smacked the girl’s hand playfully as she laughed.

“Take the car and meet me back at the apartment. I’ll find a ride home” Mackenzie stated, handing Allie the car keys.

“I can wait for you” Allie offered.

“No don’t. There’s no telling how long this will take. I’ll call you after” Mackenzie promises, pushing Allie out of the booth.

“Be careful” Allie told her as she exited the cafe. Mackenzie remained in the booth, alone with her thoughts as she waited for any sign of the boy’s arrival. Maybe he wasn’t coming. Maybe he’d forgotten. Maybe this was all some sick trick that her mind was playing on her. So much had happened in the past hour, she felt overwhelmed. Laying her head against the window, she watched as people walked by. So consumed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the person slip into the booth in front of her. After a few moments, Mackenzie sighed to herself before turning her head forward, jumping in her seat.

“Holy shit you scared me” Mackenzie gasped, earning a laugh from the boy in front of her.

“Sorry” he laughed. Both of them stared at one another, waiting for the other to speak.

Is it really you? Mackenzie thought, watching the boy closely.

Changbin removed the mask from his face, before nodding his head, “It’s really me.”

Tears welled up in Mackenzie’s eyes as Changbin hesitantly reached for her hands, holding them in his own.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you” he apologized, all the guilt weighing down on him, “I just didn’t know how you’d react.”

“No it’s okay, I understand” Mackenzie nodded her head. Then it dawned on her.

“Oh my GOD I talked about you TO you!” Mackenzie wailed in embarrassment, throwing her head into her hands.

“I thought it was cute” Changbin smiled at her. Mackenzie lifted her head, giving him an ‘are you kidding me’ look.

“Cute? I probably sounded so stupid” Mackenzie whined.

“No you didn’t. I appreciate everything you said about me” Changbin mentioned, “The way you said you admired me for my dedication for music and the way you always helped me when I felt stressed. I got to know the real you, not just the side of you who’s a fan of Stray Kids.”

“I knew I picked you as my favorite for a reason” Mackenzie grinned making Changbin laugh. A comfortable silence washed over them as they gazed at one another.

“Bin?” Mackenzie whispered.

“Yes?” 

“What does this mean now?” Mackenzie wondered. She’d waited her whole life to find the one she was destined to be with. And now that she’d found him, she wasn’t sure what would happen next considering her soulmate was a member of one of the biggest boy bands in South Korea.

“I’m not gonna let you go” Changbin mentioned as Mackenzie gave him a confused look. “Just because I’m in front of you doesn’t mean I can’t still hear your mind.”

“You’re an idol Bin. How is this going to work?” Mackenzie worried. Changbin grabbed ahold of her hands tightly.

“It’s going to be hard but we can do this. You just have to trust me… do you trust me?” he asked her. Mackenzie held his stare for a brief moment before nodding her head.

“I trust you.”

“Good” Changbin smiled brightly, “How do you feel about moving to Korea after you graduate?”

“And live with you?”

“I don’t see why not” Changbin answered. Mackenzie felt the familiar feeling in her stomach return as the butterflies erupted in her stomach.

“On one condition” she bargained. Changbin quirked a brow at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Allie comes too.”

“She was the one Jisung winked at, right?”

“How did you--”

“You were thinking about it” Changbin replied immediately. “Considering Jisung wouldn’t shut up about her, I don’t think either of them would have a problem with it.”

“Wait” Mackenzie realized something, “Do the others know about me?”

“Of course. They were the ones who helped me figure out why I was hearing voices in my head that didn’t belong to me.”

“Lucky you. I thought I was getting robbed the first time I heard you” Mackenzie shuddered at the memory.

“I know” Changbin snickered, causing the girl in hit his arm. “So” he began.

“So” Mackenzie repeated him.

“Do you want to meet the guys?” he asked.

“You do know I just met them less than two hours ago, right?” she giggled.

“Yeah but they didn’t get to meet you as the girl who’s also my soulmate.”

“It’s so weird hearing you say that” Mackenzie commented.

“Why’s it weird?” Changbin wondered.

“Because you’re you” Mackenzie announced as if it was the most obvious thing. Changbin just laughed in response.

“So do you want to meet them?” he asked once more. Mackenzie just nodded in response, watching as he rose from the seat in front of her before extending a hand her way. She grabbed ahold of his hand as he helped her from the seat. She followed behind the boy as they exited the cafe. Waiting to cross the street, Mackenzie could sense the nervousness radiating from the boy as he turned to face her.

“Can I ask you something?” Changbin gazed into her eyes as the girl nodded.

“Can I kiss you?” His question made her freeze in shock. She remained silent as Changbin began to panic, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have--”

“Yes” Mackenzie interrupted the boy, taking one step closer to him. Placing his hands on either side of her face, Changbin gave the girl one last moment to back out, but seeing as she only moved closer, he took that as his chance. Gently placing his lips upon her own, the kiss could only be described in the way they do in movies. It was like a spark was ignited the moment their lips connected. In that moment, everything felt right. Changbin knew she’d felt it too as she smiled against his lips. Shortly after, the two parted as they tried to catch their breaths.

“I’ve wanted to do that the moment I laid my eyes on you” Changbin confessed. It’d only lasted for a few seconds and yet she was already addicted. Already craving for more. 

“Do it again, the boys can wait a little longer” Mackenzie encouraged, making Changbin smile as he leaned in again.

Or maybe they can wait until tomorrow.

________________________________________________________________

Mackenzie’s concert outfit:

Allie’s concert outfit:

[romansleftshoulderpad]

Barren: Chapter 17

Words: 1,728

Ship: LAMP

Warnings: Roman is such a horny bastard, sex mentions, implied orgy, food mentions, crying, Roman overworks himself a lot

Previous / Next

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Virgil had been different, to say the least, after having been reunited with his mom. He seemed surer of himself. He stepped up more than usual with chores around the bunker, even offering to help Roman with the final paperwork after Elliot had left. In some ways, he was a lot more like Patton, in others, he seemed more like himself.

The guilt of eavesdropping had stayed in Roman’s gut bubbling and boiling and threatening to escape him at any moment. He watched and waited, wondering if Virgil could sense the fear coming from him. He wondered if Virgil could tell that his feelings were returned.

He had been sitting at his desk for nine hours. Elliot was already gone but that only seemed to increase that amount of work he was stuck with. His back was stiff and he had a headache from staring at his computer screen in the dark room for so long. He wanted nothing more to lay in bed with his head on Patton’s chest while Logan played with his hair.

He relaxed back into his chair, eyes closed as the scene played out in his head. He thought of the warmth of being pressed between two bodies. Patton’s chest moving gently with each breath. Patton would likely be falling asleep as he always did when he was relaxed at Roman’s side. Logan, however, would be wide awake. He would stay focused, calculated as he massaged Roman’s scalp. Then his hand would move down to towards his neck and he would notice the knots and tension stuck in Roman’s muscles. Then Logan- Sweet, gentle Logan- would meticulously press his fingers into Roman’s skin, letting his boyfriend relax as his stress fades away.

And then a new idea popped into his head.

Perhaps Virgil is also there. He’s cuddled up against Patton with one hand on Roman’s cheek. He leans in ever closer and catches Roman’s lips in the gentlest of kisses. His hands are calloused and his lips are chapped but his movements are smooth and caring. He slips his tongue into Roman’s mouth and then-

There was a knock at the door, quickly pulling Roman from his thoughts. He turned back to his work and tried to calm his blushing face. “Come in!” he yelled weakly, but when he saw Virgil his blush only grew worse.

“How are things?” Virgil asked. “You must be hungry.”

“I’ll eat when I’m finished,” he quickly dismissed. “Busy, busy, you know how things are.”

Virgil moved towards the desk, leaning over to read the computer screen. Half of his weight was pressing into Roman’s back and Roman forgot how to breathe when he felt Virgil’s hair tickling his neck. Right then and there he wanted to confess everything to Virgil and see if his imagination could compare to Virgil’s real kisses.

“You seem to be at a good checkpoint,” Virgil said.

“I really can’t-“

“And the lunch I made us is going to go cold.”

“I can’t- I- You made me lunch?”

“I made us lunch,” Virgil said. “Patton told me if I made food for two you’d feel too guilty about making me eat alone to refuse.”

Damn him, Roman thought to himself. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to ask me on a date.”

“If it gets you to stop working and actually eat for a few hours, I’ll even wine and dine you,” Virgil said. He interlocked his and Roman’s fingers.

Roman’s heart almost stopped beating.

Guilt ate him alive. “I think we should talk to him,” he said one morning, laid between Patton and Logan.

“Talk to him?” Logan asked. “You mean about... Oh.”

“What if we scare him off?” Patton asked.

But we won’t, Roman wanted to argue. He loves us, he said it himself! He sighed as the monster in his stomach chewed on his heart. “Wouldn’t you rather be honest with him?”

“Do you have any sort of plan?” Logan asked.

“YES!” He yelled, sitting up so quickly that the bedsheets almost revealed his full state of undress. “We could make dinner fancy right, obviously we can’t go to a five-star restaurant so this is the second-best thing, get all dressed up and make the proposal while surrounded by roses and candlelight!”

“And why weren’t we this special?” Logan teased, pressing his chest against Roman’s bareback.

“One day, when we get out of this bunker, I swear to you I will take you to the fanciest restaurant available and wine and dine you both to your hearts’ content.”

“Aww, Roman,” Patton cooed.

“And then we’ll fuck.”

“Ever the romantic,” Logan teased.

“Fine, I’ll make long and slow, six-hour sexual love to you while-”

“If you don’t shut up right now, I’m breaking up with you.”

“Make me.”

Logan hummed, turning Roman’s head towards his. “Gladly,” he said, kissing him softly.

“How about I go into town, bring home some Chinese food and you two can get a movie night set up,” Patton suggested. “We’ll talk to him then.”

Roman smiled, his heart racing in his chest. “Sounds perfect.”

+++

When Roman had gone to retrieve his laptop, he found Virgil blocking the door into his office. “You’re not working today,” he said sternly.

“Is that so?” Roman laughed. “Move, I gotta get my laptop.”

“No,” he repeated. “I refuse to let you in there.”

“Virgil, this isn’t funny,” he said, laughing.

“I’ll fight you, Roman,” Virgil said. “I’ll kick your ass for your own good.”

Roman smiled and pressed a kiss to Virgil’s forehead, unfolding his arms. They swayed in silence for a few seconds, hearts beating nervously together as Roman smiled against Virgil’s hair. “Then kick my ass.”

“I- uh-“

“Too much of a coward?”

“No, I just don’t throw the first punch.”

Roman smirked, slowly moving one of his hands up, dragging his fingers across Virgil’s skin and leaving goosebumps in his wake. He kept his eyes on his hand and adored the way Virgil gasped when he caressed his neck. “So you want me to make the first move?” he flirted, growing ever cockier as Virgil’s eyes went wide. He nodded. Roman tilted Virgil’s head upwards and leaned down, moving as slowly as possible. He wanted to see the tension wreck the man in front of him; he wanted to make Virgil fall apart. Their foreheads pressed together and he could feel Virgil’s heart racing. Their noses brushed and he could feel Virgil’s breath against his mouth as his eyes fluttered closed. He smiled, brushing his thumb over Virgil’s eager lips. “Maybe later. I have work to do.”

As Roman left he smiled at the whine that escaped Virgil (and the embarrassing squeak that quickly followed). Out of his peripheral vision, he could see Virgil running towards his room.

“Oh, Roman,” Logan sighed, “what have you done to that poor boy?”

Roman smiled and leaned into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I have a feeling he won’t say ‘no’ tonight.”

+++

They were booting up the second movie of the night whilst filling their mouths with rice and potstickers. The lights were low and all of them were covered in blankets. (They all sat a good distance away from each other in some attempt to not overwhelm Virgil.) They were watching some Netflix movie about soulmates who live halfway across the globe trying to find each other.

Logan groaned as he bit into a dumpling. “This is ridiculously heteronormative,” he complained.

“Aww, I think it’s cute!” Patton said, covering his mouth as he spoke.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he said. “You’ll choke.”

“Virgil, penny for your thoughts?” Roman asked with a smile.

“It does have its charm,” Virgil said slowly as if afraid one wrong word might break him, “but it does rely too heavily on the idea that the only compatible qualities they need are their genitals.”

And then Logan laughed. An explosion of pure joy and giggles he rarely let anyone see. It was magical. Roman and Patton glanced towards each other, looking between Virgil and Logan. Patton nodded.

“Virgil,” Roman said, moving towards him and gently pressing his hand against the other’s thigh. “There was something we wanted to talk to you about.”

“Is everything okay?” he asked, heart pounding in his chest.

“More than alright,” Patton said, snuggling up against Logan.

“I suppose this is something I really should have mentioned a while ago, but-“ He tried desperately not to break eye contact- “I overheard your conversation with Elliot. I didn’t hear much but... I heard enough.”

Tears pricked at Virgil’s eyes as his heart raced. He wanted to run away and cry, perhaps never be seen again, but Roman’s hand stayed heavily on his knee feeling like an anchor. “I- I’m so sorry- I- I didn’t-“

“Please don’t be sorry,” he whispered. “We’ve all talked many times about us, about our feelings, about you.”

“I- I don’t understand.”

“We love you, Virgil. We want to be with you.” Roman moved closer, his legs pressing into Virgil’s as he caressed his cheek the way he had earlier. “Can I kiss you?”

A stray tear fell from Virgil’s eye as his heart raced. He was horrifically aware of the fact that Logan and Patton were watching. Regardless, he nodded anyway. Over a year ago, Virgil wouldn’t have even expected to live long enough to have a first kiss, now he wasn’t even sure he was the same person.

Yet, the taste of Roman’s lips made all those thoughts blur into nothing but static.

Roman guided him through each tiny movement until he began to get the hang of it. Roman’s fingers moved through his hair while another hand was pressed against Virgil’s hip. Roman pulled away but stayed pressed against him. “So,” he asked lips ghosting over Virgil’s own, “what do you say?”

“Yes,” Virgil said quietly. He cleared his throat and spoke a bit louder, “I say yes.”

Patton let out a squeak of celebration as he continued holding onto Logan’s side. Roman glanced towards them with a smirk and elicited a small chuckle from Logan.

“I think you should sleep with us tonight.”

“Isn’t that a bit fast?”

Roman chuckled softly, pressing more pressure against Virgil’s hip. “Oh, Honey,” he purred into his ear, “we can go at any speed you like.”

[outlawbounded]

😷

       Send me 😷 to find my muse sick and overworking themselves | @primedspecimen

        The heat was beating down for overhead. Frankly, she felt like she was in a fucking oven more than usual. It probably didn’t help that she was sick and out in the heat. She’s been planning this for far too long to call it off due to an untimely cold. So yeah you bet your ass she was going forward with it despite not being completely there health wise. 

        B.O.B was sticking closer to her side than usual. Mostly for her protection from her own stubbornness. After all, she probably wasn’t going to make the best judgement calls for dodging if it came down to an actual fight in the end. Yet he also knew she was far too stubborn to stand back on the sidelines. This wasn’t the first time she had done this, not by a long shot. Perhaps it was some level of control she wanted to maintain. Or was it the fact she didn’t want to seem useless in the end. Like something that was so easy to toss away when it lost its value. 

       She raised a hand up, giving silent cues to those that followed. Their cargo was in tow behind them. A variety of omnic part’s that was being delivered to a buyer. She had her finger’s in a couple different pies other than weapon’s dealing. She bought, sold, and traded parts. A lot of what she kept was for those in her gang that needed them. Upgrades for B.O.B, repairs for Bars, and anyone else that needed them in the end. What was useless was then sold off for a rather pretty penny considering the illegality of it all. 

       But. . . as they went along their path there was a FAR too familiar face that showed up. 

                              ❝ You again? Are ya tryin’ t’ make runnin’ into me a habi- ❞

        She didn’t get the finish as an arm was brought up quickly over her mouth as a coughing fit wrecked through her. Body lurching a bit forward with each one. The weight of B.O.B’s hand resting against her shoulder in concern could be felt, only to soon be gently waved off when the fit was done. 

                                                                 ❝ -Habit? ❞

  ��     Smooth Ashe. 

[itsallavengers]

oh oh can you do a quick little one about Peter's first date and he's all nervous and Tony is trying to calm him down and like Peter's all insecure about everything idk I just need tony&peter anything

“Tony?”

Peter heard the yawn down the line in response, and immediately checked his watch. He’d been sat around stewing for so long now it may well have gone past midnight.

God, he was a wreck.

“The one and only,” Tony answered once his yawn came to a close, and there was a shuffling down the line, “what’s the occasion?”

Peter blew out between his cheeks, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Uhhhhhh- well- you see-”

“Have you accidentally blown something up again?” Tony asked wearily.

“What? No-”

“woken up in a foreign country?”

“No! I just-”

“If you’re calling at 2:15 in the morning to tell me you’re minutes away from death, I am going to be so pissed, Parker-”

“I got a date!” Peter finally got a word in, saying the words a little loudly and then immediately pulling his head up, trying to hear if Aunt May had been woken up from it. The walls were fairly thin, after all.

“I got a date,” he whispered again, when he was sure his Aunt hadn’t been disturbed, “but… I don’t know anything about dating, and I’ve been sat here trying to think about how to go about it for about seven hours now and-”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said, sounding irritated, “are you saying that you called me, at 2 in the morning, to ask me how to take someone on a date?”

Peter shut his mouth with a clack. Okay- so maybe he should have checked the time before interrupting what had to have been Tony’s first proper sleep in a few days now-

“good night, Peter,” Tony said, and the last thing Peter heard was the beginnings of a tired groan before he hung up again.

(Read more, mobile users!)

Peter stared at the phone, a little surprised, before throwing it back on the bed with a huff. Tony had been in a bad mood the past few days; trying to put out fires and soothe the Government Officials after the Avengers over in Wakanda had almost levelled a(nother) building- the man had been spread thin for almost a week now, no wonder he’d snapped.

Peter felt guilt pang in his heart at waking him. He really had to stop taking Tony’s availability for granted- the guy was busy enough as it is, of course he couldn’t worry over Peter’s stupid date when he barely even had time to sleep.

“Idiot,” he mumbled, falling back on to his pillows and staring at the ceiling, frown plastered over his brow.

Was it even a date? They’d never actually said the words, per se- but it had felt like it was. Maybe? 

What if it wasn’t? What if he just made a fool of himself? What if it ruined everything because they were just meeting up to hang out, as buddies?

Oh God.

His phone chimed, and Peter shot up, half expecting a text saying ‘I take it back I’d never go on a date with you, come on, what were you thinking-

Hey asshole, was all it actually read as. And it wasn’t from his date, either. It was from Tony.

What’s their name, asshole, another text popped up a few seconds after.

Do you have smart clothes to wear, asshole, came the third.

Go to sleep, Tony- I’m sorry for waking you, peter answered quickly, unwilling to keep the man up any further.

Peter was about to shut his phone off and get back to brooding, but it chimed again. Too late now, asshole. Just answer my questions, and maybe I won’t be as mean to you.

Peter bit his lip, unwilling to distract the man further. It was 2am, Jesus, what had he been thinking-

If you don’t answer in the next 10 seconds I’m going to fly over there just to drop you out of the sky.

He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head before he got another barrage of texts:

asshole

asshole

asshole

hey asshole. reply asshole

asshole

asshole? Thats you!!

asshole

Okay Okay I’m here, Peter sent back quickly, before adding: and yeah, I got some smart clothes to wear

But is it an occasion in which to wear smart clothes? That is The Question

Peter groaned. Not helping, he sent off grumpily.

Don’t care. I’m allowed to be a bitch to you. You were a bitch first. Also- what’s the setting. Where are you going. I’ll tell you if it’s smart dress or not.

Dinner and then catching a movie. 

Shit. Just typing the words made him feel nervous.

There was a short break, and then: what sort of place? Can’t really be turning up to Macdonalds in a tux.

Just a restaurant around the corner from the move theatre.

Cool. Open the door pls.

Peter’s eyes widened, and he gasped in disbelief. “He didn’t,” he said incredulously to the empty room.

Before you ask, yeah, I fucking did. Open the door & all your questions will be answered.

Asshole.

Rushing off the bed and trying his best to be quiet, he hurried out of his room and moved toward the door, pulling it open with one hand and holding the phone in his other.

Tony leaned on the opposite wall, fingers tapping against his phone.

Hi. You’re an asshole, Peter’s phone read.

“Tony- what the fuck,” Peter whispered, “go to sleep! I’m sorry for waking you, I didn’t even realise it was this late, please, you need to-”

“Language,” Tony mumbled absently, stepping under Peter’s arm and into the room, “hey- did you know I can get from Manhattan to Brooklyn in under thirty seconds in my suit? I think that’s pretty fucking awesome.”

“I...yeah, okay, that’s definitely awesome,” Peter admitted, before shutting the door and turning around, “but really, you didn’t need to come. It’s fine, I can handle this-”

“whether I did or didn’t, it seems like I’m here now, Although fuck only knows why,” Tony muttered quietly, flopping on to the couch and curling up in a little ball. Peter felt horrible- Tony was obviously exhausted. 

Tony saw the look, and waved a hand, voice softening a little as he said “don’t worry about it, kid, I wasn’t sleeping properly anyway, if you know what I mean. Insomnia’s a bitch- it’ll come when it comes. Now,” he began, rubbing his hands together, “tell me all about this date.”

Peter took a deep breath, subconsciously straightening out his shirt before sliding down on to the couch next to Tony. “It’s tomorrow. In the afternoon. At 2. And by my calculations, considering the rate at which we both eat and the amount of customers in the restaurant, we should be done by around 3. Seven minute walk to the theatre, and then the film itself will be about-”

“Okay, I’m gonna just stop you right there,” Tony slapped the hand Peter was moving out of the air, pushing it back down to the couch, “the one most important thing about this sort of thing is that you can’t overthink it. Honestly, you’ll try plan every action and then they’ll do some freaky shit which messes up your calculations and makes you have to try and rework the math when you should be starting conversation- not a good idea.”

Peter gulped. “But if I don’t plan, it might all go wrong.”

“And if you do plan, it’ll definitely go wrong. Trust me, kid, I’ve been there,” Tony told him, before looking around, “do you have a notepad? I feel like you should be taking notes. The words coming out of my mouth will undoubtedly be invaluable. They usually are.”

Peter rolled his eyes, shoving lightly against Tony’s shoulder. “So if I don’t plan, how am I supposed to...work?”

Tony’s hands came up and began tapping on his chest, where his scars were. “Remember what I told you when you had to do that speech?”

Peter frowned. “Uh- yeah.”

He shrugged, “follow the same basic rules. Engage the audience, which is, in this case, your date. Eye contact- but not too much, You’re not a psychopath, merely an enamoured individual. Talk about relevant subject matter. You know this person well?”

Peter nodded, wondering if it would be weird if he actually did go and fetch a notebook.

“Okay, so you know them, which means it’ll be easier to talk to them about relevant subjects. Classwork, memories, funny stuff that probably wouldn’t be appreciated by anyone else. Oh-” Tony grabbed his arm, looking down at him through furrowed eyebrows, “but don’t do that thing  where you get nervous and start singing the periodic table song really loudly. That’s a big no.” Tony shook his head.

Peter blushed. “That was one time- you can’t just put me on the phone with the Bruce Banner and expect me to just...not freak out.”

Tony looked at him for a second before shrugging in defeat. “Good point. He is spectacular like that. But still- no periodic table songs.”

“No periodic table songs,” Peter agreed, nodding seriously.

Tony cocked his head, looking at Peter up and down for a second before saying “you’d probably look best in something that isn’t too fancy, but still smart. A cool jacket, some slacks- oh, and get them flowers. I don’t care what gender they are. Get them flowers you pussy.”

Peter looked confused at the sudden change in conversation flow, but nodded his head. Smart but not too fancy clothes. Flowers. No singing.

This sounded easy.

If only he could tell his overworking brain and his damn shaky hands that.

Tony looked at him, eyes narrowing. “Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, tilting his head a little.

Peter sighed, blowing out through his mouth and burying himself a little further into his couch. He wasn’t all too sure of what his thoughts were himself, and he was the one thinking them.

“I just...” Peter lost the trail again and paused, trying to pull it back. “What if- what if it all goes wrong? What if I’m terrible? What if...what if they don’t like me?” Peter whispered, clutching a pillow tight against his stomach and looking over to Tony with wide eyes.

Tony looked back; face unreadable for a moment before it broke into a fond grin. He poked Peter in the side with his foot, eliciting a whispered yell of surprise. “Don’t say stupid stuff, Peter, you’re supposed to be a genius. Of course they’ll like you. They’ve put up with you for this long, so they’ll almost certainly be ready for whatever crazy shit you undoubtedly end up flinging at them.”

Peter huffed. “Eloquently put.”

Tony made a face. “Have I ever been known for being anything but?”

They both laughed quietly, and Peter looked over to Tony, curled up like a cat on his couch, slowly accumulating more and more pillows as the conversation went on. “You know- you don’t really give off the vibe of an experienced dater when you look like that,” he commented mildly.

Tony looked offended, but then then seemed to accept it, shrugging lightly. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re even getting the ‘experienced dater’ vibe off me at all. I’ve been on like-” he broke away, looking into space for a second and counting on his fingers, “-five? Five dates in the past ten years. Four of them were with Pepper, who ended up being unable to handle my me-ness and left within a couple of months. So yeah- I’m not exactly an expert.”

“What?!” Peter squeaked suddenly, pushing himself forward, “you mean... you mean you don’t know?”

“No no!” Tony assured him, also sitting up, “I know what to do. I just haven’t had a lot of practise lately-”

“When was the last date you went on?” Peter asked.

Tony raised his eyebrows. Looking a little thrown for a moment. But then he replied quickly, “uhm, about 6 months and 13 days ago? Roughly.”

“And how did it go?” Peter asked, “did you do everything you told me to do? Did it work? Did they want to see you again?”

“Uhhh,” Tony ran a hand through his hair, looking slightly awkward, “it went...well. I did do everything I told you to. So I mean- proof that it works.”

“Then why was there only one date?” Peter asked sceptically. “Were they an asshole? Did they like...steal shit, or something?”

Tony did a little head jerk; shutting his eyes and jutting out his chin. “What? Why do you automatically jump to him being a thief? Couldn’t he just have, I don’t know, moved away or something? Why do you assume the people I date are criminals?”

“I never said the people you date are criminals, I said he might have been a criminal-”

“I’m not assuming your date is a criminal, am I, even though there’s a higher chance, considering you seem to automatically go for the ones with some sort of criminal affiliations-”

“Hey hey, how the hell was I to know that Liz’s dad was the God Damn Vulture-”

“I’m just saying,” Tony shook his head, raising his hands defensively, “you have a worse track record than I”

Tony paused, giving it a thought. “Okay, well, in all fairness, my last date is now actually a war criminal, so I mean I guess we’re equal.”

Peter stopped, eyes going wide. He opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed Tony didn’t want to discuss it further, because he steamrolled ahead. “Anyway- like I was saying before I was rudely interrogated- your date is gonna adore you. And if it all goes tits up, just ring me, and I’ll pick you up. We can go grab burgers or something. I won’t even laugh when you cry,” Tony told him, grinning.

Peter huffed, rolling his eyes at the older man as he poked Peter with his foot again. “I don’t know why I ever call you when I have problems. You’re entirely unhelpful.”

Tony gasped loudly, before pouting. “You’re an ungrateful little cretin, aren’t you?Honestly, where is the respect these days-”

“Aunt May tells me respect is a two way street-”

“Aunt May didn’t sit her ass on a nuke and fly it through a portal into an alien hellscape,” Tony told him, and it was true, so Peter just nodded in defeat.

There was a short silence where Tony shuffled a little and sunk further into the cushions. Peter watched him in the half-darkness, and wondered absently if the man had ever been in a home like this, with worn-out couches and threadbare rugs and rooms which spanned the length of your arms.

He seemed to like it here, though. He came over a lot. Maybe it wasn’t a mansion, but Peter guessed Tony liked that. It was home. Tony didn’t really have one of them right now.

“If they don’t like you at the end, I’ll kick their ass,” Tony mumbled, eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds before he forced them open again.

This happened several times, until finally they shut and didn’t reopen. Peter grinned, taking out his phone and snapping a silent picture as Tony hugged tight to one of Aunt May’s favourite dog pillows, socked feet digging into the cracks between the couch.

“Night, Tony,” he whispered, before silently getting to his feet and making his way back over to his room.

Peter woke up to the sound of Aunt May screaming. Closely followed by Tony screaming, and then a thud, like someone had rolled off the couch. 

Tony- can I ask you a favour?

Aren’t you currently on your super duper important date right now? I swear, Parker, if you make my 2am wakeup call for nothing just so you can ask me for reactor-grade plutonium again I’m going to throttle you.

No, it’s to do with the date. Only if you’re free though.

.....go on.

 “Okay, so I gotta admit, this really is cool,” Michelle said, nose brushing against the scoop of icecream and painting it white as she took a lick.

Peter nodded with a laugh; looking out over the view and kicking his legs against the wall as they dangled over the ledge. “What can I say- I have connections.”

Michelle shot him a look. “See, it hurts me, because I can’t physically make fun of you for that, seeing as it’s actually true,” she shook her head, tucking a kinky strand of hair behind her ear, “Iron Man, though? You got Iron Man to pick us up and drop us off here? You know he’s my favourite- this was obviously a manipulation.”

She paused, and then smiled, jostling his shoulder a little. “It worked,” she said quietly.

Peter beamed, sparing a glance over to her as she looked down upon New York from their spot, tucked into the ‘A’ of the Avengers tower.

The night had gone brilliantly, with barely any awkwardness at all, and then when Michelle had looked up to the evening sky and told him her favourite time of day was when the sun started setting over New York-

Well- Peter figured there wasn’t much harm in showing off a bit, was there?

Tony had delivered rather marvellously, too. Michelle had whooped and told him to do flips as they’d flown, and he’d performed them effortlessly, and then entered a wonderfully boring discussion with her over the current political situation, which she’d contributed enthusiastically to.

By the time he’d landed them on the side of the tower and warned them not to fall off, Michelle had been almost ecstatic with excitement. Which was always good, date-wise.

Peter pulled out his phone as she stared out ahead of her and smiled into the sunset.

Thank you, Tony.

There wasn’t a reply for a moment, and Peter filed it with a lick on his icecream, but then his phone buzzed and he looked down.

Have fun, kid.

You’re still an asshole, though.