#so i managed to get myself onto the table okay but then i got massaged

[fingertipsmp3]

I fell off the massage table 🙃

[opalesense]

oh my god Your 'a sight to behold' work was mhmfmmsmamzx, i love it. im sosososoossosoo curious as to what graphic details you have in mind 😏

lose control

zhongli, childe, diluc, kaeya & f!reader (NSFW)

3.5k words • ~22 min. read

summary: a part two to this where the boys are unable to fight their urges when they see you helplessly stuck in a wall.

warnings: slight dubcon, choking, cunnilingus, facefucking, a bit of zhongli favoritism oops!

notes: omg hehehe thank youu i’m so glad you liked it <3 i wrote it at 2AM and was so surprised it turned out decently well for my fuzzy brain HAHA anyway as for the graphic details... i only left them out originally because i wasn’t sure if anon wanted straight up full nsfw or not >////< but since you asked you shall receive... <3

zhongli

 Zhongli effortlessly took the rocks off of you, waiting and watching your slight movements for a few moments before your eyes finally fluttered open. A throbbing pain in your temple sent one of your hands to gently massage it, making you wince quietly in pain. “Zhongli...”

 “This is the result of carelessness and insufficient planning,” he crossed his arms and studied your curves as he calmly scolded you. “Next time, let me take the lead.”

 As you laid there massaging your head, his eyes traced up and down your body, fixating on the way your legs were helplessly spread in front of him, parted in such a way that he knew he would fit perfectly if he sat between them. Following that train of thought, he uncrossed his arms and slowly climbed on the bed of rocks, letting his body hover over you and supporting his weight with a hand planted above your head.

 His free hand crept up your shirt, pulling it up in the process. The way he suddenly exposed your torso made you gasp and simultaneously wince again from the sudden movements. You weakly placed a hand on his forearm, initially in instinctual protest but then relaxing as you knew this was not just some stranger from the outside, but a man you trusted. “Z-Zhongli, what are you-“

 “Checking for injuries, of course,” he lied with a coy smile which made you softly giggle. His hand slowly caressed your bare hips and waist, noticing the way your skin formed goosebumps at his touch. You watched as his gloved fingers hovered over your bruises and scrapes, making their way up your torso then finally pulling your bra up to reveal your breasts. You swore you could hear the hunger in his low growl as his eyes were desperately fixated on your half naked body.

 “Zhongli, at least take me home first–“ you attempted to speak up but he interrupted you by wrapping his hand around your throat, applying pressure while his knee wedged itself in the empty spot between your legs. As you choked, you finally got a good look at his face. The amicable yet stoic expression Zhongli usually had was replaced with something more sinister, more lustful. With heavily breaths and shaky hands, you could sense he was getting needier by the second.

 “Right now?” you managed to whisper as you stared into his glowing amber eyes. Unable to form coherent words now, all he could do was press his forehead against yours and let his lips quiver as he fought the thoughts that flooded his mind. He knew he shouldn’t do this. He knew he should help you get home and ensure that your wellbeing is secured. A war raged on inside his head, the logical side of him trying to fight his urges, but he knew he couldn’t uphold this for long. His body couldn’t help but latch onto yours, grinding against you in desperation. You two didn’t need to say much to each other to know when Zhongli was craving you like this. Looking down at his knee slowly rubbing against you, you already knew what was going to happen. From the sight of you so vulnerable under him, your legs spread out in a perfect position for him to take you, all he wanted to do in this moment was chase his release. And yes, he needed to do it now.

 You tilted your chin up to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, slightly catching him off guard. He let go of your throat as he gave you another short kiss back, letting out what sounded like a whimper once he pulled his face away. You sighed contently as you glanced down at his growing bulge. “Well, make it quick, okay? Then we can continue this at home–“

 Immediately after hearing your approval, Zhongli wasted no time to lean down and wrap his lips on one of your nipples, immediately biting and sucking, causing you to arch your back and gasp at the sensation. He simultaneously freed his already hardened cock from his pants, slowly pumping it with his hand and letting out a low groan, sending vibrations to your nipple. You whimpered in pleasure, instinctively trying to pin your knees together in an attempt at modesty which only squeezed him closer to you.

 He let go of your nipple and lifted himself up, now standing in front of you and slowly pumping his cock as he looked down at the sight of your lewd position. “Please tell me if this is too much,” he managed to tell you before he lifted one hand towards a boulder and crushed it into a peculiar shape with one swift movement.

 Before you could process why he was now hovering the large rock over your body, you felt the earth rumble below you and push you upwards, straightening your spine as if you were laying on a table. Your legs began to dangle off the edge of the newly made platform as he locked you in place with the boulder he had shaped, which you noticed had a space carved into it only large enough for your waist to be pinned down. It was all adding up now as he grabbed both of your legs and pulled you closer to him, ensuring that you couldn’t escape his cleverly built trap.

 Lifting your knees over his shoulders and pulling your underwear to the side, you felt his erection prod your slick entrance before he slowly pushed himself inside of your cunt, groaning in pleasure as he grabbed ahold of your thighs for stability. He began to rock his hips back and forth immediately, leaving you breathlessly moaning at the little time you had to adjust to his size.

 “Only you make me feel this way,” he muttered as his grip on your thighs tightened. He leaned forward to pound into you at a better angle, his hips slamming into yours with each powerful thrust. “Only you can make me lose control of myself so easily...”

childe

 “...I’m sure I can make all the pain go away and replace it with pleasure instead.”

Childe’s words echoed in your head as he yanked your underwear down and firmly gripped your ass, spreading your folds apart and making you shiver at the sudden exposure. You tried to wiggle your way out of the pile of rocks in protest, but that only pushed you further into his grasp, making him laugh at your pathetic attempt to escape. You didn’t want to admit that this was slowly turning you on, but looking down at the damp stain in your underwear, Childe knew regardless.

 “You make it so easy for me,” he traced a finger over your already wet folds, eliciting a whimper from your throat. “You make it so easy for me to conquer you and remind you that you’re mine to play with.”

 Even though you weren’t eager to get toyed around with, given the current circumstances of being completely locked in with nowhere to go, you weren’t completely opposed either. You couldn’t help but mewl at the feeling of Childe suddenly pushing one gloved finger inside of your trembling cunt, slowly curling his digit to massage your walls. “At least... take me home first...” you whined cutely, he thought.

 “Why should I when you’re already enjoying yourself here?” he pulled his finger out momentarily only to push back in with two fingers, “Look how wet you are when we’ve only just begun...”

 Childe could hardly contain himself either, but he didn’t want to verbally admit it. If only you could see how hard he was getting by the second just by staring at your vulnerable holes and the way your underwear hung around your knees, or the tiny squirming of your legs when he pushed the right spots inside you. If only you could see the way his eyebrows knitted together, breath stuttering as he fantasized about railing you into next year in this position, fucking you into the wall for hours until you cried for him to stop.

 But for now, he decided he’d show you some mercy and make it quick. As he used his free hand to unbuckle his pants and unsheath his cock, he was determined to hear your screams echo around the walls of the cavern first before letting you go. “Hold still for me, okay? It’s not like you can go anywhere, anyway,” he chuckled then pulled his fingers out to grip your ass and position himself behind you, “I’ll make you feel so good...”

 “Childe, wait–!” was all you could say before moaning in ecstacy as he began to drive his cock into your aching hole, each inch pushing apart your walls so deliciously that he couldn’t help but moan too. He stayed still for a moment, bottomed out inside of you, head pressed up against the rocks as he relished in the feeling of you clamping around his cock. But before you could relax and bask in the delightful feeling of being stuffed full, he squeezed your ass with both hands and began pounding into you with no second thought.

 Whatever pain you might have had before was surely gone by his penetration alone. He knew how good he was screwing you by the way you whimpered out his name in between moans, or the way you subtly pressed up against him with the limited movement you had, matching his rhythm. “You better pray that I don’t lose control and fuck you here until the sun rises,” he said with a dubious smirk that you wish you could’ve seen, “But I bet you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

diluc

 To say Diluc was nervous as his eyes were pinned on your thighs rubbing together was an understatement. He could feel himself getting more aroused by the second, staring at your underwear and noticing a subtle wet stain that had developed beforehand. Your words were completely drowned out in his mind. All he could focus on was resisting his urges and maintaining his composure like a true gentleman.

 But surely a gentleman could be a little self indulgent now and then, right? Especially since you were tempting him so badly wiggling around like that, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing this to him on purpose.

 He took a few steps closer to the wall and adjusted his gloves before reaching into his coat pocket for a hair tie. “Could you repeat that again for me, dear?” he tilted his head as he gathered his long strands into a ponytail, never taking his eyes off of your glistening skin.

 You happily obliged, listening to him kneel down behind you, assuming he was just picking up another rock. “I was just saying how – Diluc?”

 Your assumption couldn’t possibly be more wrong. He interrupted you by pulling your underwear down to your thighs, licking his lips as his hungry gaze traced your wet folds, imagining what your face must look like by how he took you by surprise. His grip on your thighs tightened as he fantasized about you, the straps of your underwear still wrapped around his fingers to keep his hands on you no matter how much you squirmed underneath him.

 He leaned down to press a sweet kiss on your clit, eliciting a gasp from you in response. Smirking, he stuck out his tongue and began slowly tracing the wet muscle around your folds, savoring your taste and savoring the sweet moans you gave him at the same time. “Keep making those pretty sounds, my love,” he whispered, his hot breath against your cunt driving you crazy.

 His slow and sensual kisses on your cunt was only the start of his feast. Each kiss was accompanied with small circles he rubbed into your thighs with his thumbs and low periodic groans that sent vibrations through his tongue, making you whimper in ecstacy. But as much as he loved taking things slow and steady, he wanted to hear you cry out his name. He wanted to see how far he could take you to the edge by his control alone. He wanted to make those pretty legs tremble violently under his touch.

 In one swift motion, he began to prod his tongue against your entrance, stretching your folds by drawing circles with his eager muscle. If only the rocks weren’t holding you down along with his hands pressing your thighs into place, you surely would have been thrashing around at the way he teased you with his tongue alone. Slowly, he began to extend his tongue into you more, inching his face closer to your aching hole and stopping once his nose met your skin. The sensation of his tongue gently quivering inside you made you melt, even more so when he started to fuck you at a steady pace with his mouth, eyes fluttering closed as he relished in your taste.

 Soon, his movements started to reflect how hungry he really was for you. He bobbed his head steadily, stifling his moans so he could listen to yours. He took one hand off of your thigh to gently rub your clit with his thumb, still fucking you with his tongue and making you subtly rock your hips back and forth to match his rhythm. It hadn’t even been very long since he laid his hands on you, but your body couldn’t help but react to how worked up he was making you.

 And of course, he would notice these reactions. Your shaky rhythm against his was an indicator to hold you down firmly and quicken his pace, and surely enough, the heat in your core was starting to build up. You buried your head in the rocks, flustered and blushing more than you ever had before. “D-Diluc...! More... more, please!”

 When he pulled his tongue out, you figured he was just going to be mean to you and deny your orgasm but you were pleasantly mistaken. To your surprise, after a moment of rustling as he took one of his gloves off, he pushed two fingers inside of your needy hole and began to hit your sweet spot immediately as he fingered you, almost as if he had memorized what makes you cry out in pleasure. His eager lips began to suck on your clit as well, his heart set on making you cum on his fingers.

 Soon enough, you couldn’t contain it anymore. Your legs quivered as you reached your peak, your mewling and whining sadly muffled by the rocks but loud enough for him to hear you clearly enough. The sound of his name being echoed throughout the cavern as your orgasm exploded on his bare fingers was enough to make his cock throb. With heavy, warm breaths, he pulled his face and fingers away from you to let you calm down from your climax, his face flushed red and nose shining from your wetness. “So beautiful... I can never get enough of you, [Y/N].”

 You whined as he slowly let go of your thigh after giving you one last kiss on your sensitive clit. He licked his lips once more, lapping up all your wetness and wiping the excess that had dribbled down on his chin with his sleeve. With a chuckle, he stood up and placed his hands back on your ass, squeezing your curves and pressing his hips against yours. His clothed bulge fit so perfectly between your cheeks, snuggling comfortably in your wetness to leave a stain on his pants. He grinded himself into you even more at the sight of this, teasing you just for the fun of it. “Don’t worry love, we’re not going anywhere just yet...”

kaeya

 “Now that I think about it, I do deserve a prize for saving you, don’t I?”

 Kaeya’s hands travelled from massaging your scalp to scaling up your jaw, one thumb tracing your bottom lip gently asking to let him in. You pouted stubbornly, losing your patience – you had been stuck here for a while and wanted to get out, after all. “Quit running–“

 But alas, he used this moment to stick his thumb inside your mouth, letting the pad of his finger massage your tongue. He let out a hum of satisfaction as your eyes softened, slowly submitting to his touch. “You’re being awfully defiant to the one person who can get you out of here. I ought to teach that naughty mouth of yours a lesson while I claim my prize, hm?”

 This man never knows when to shut up, a voice in your head complained. But admittedly, the way he stared at your mouth so longingly had your core light up a tiny bit. You whined in response at first, looking down (or up?) at his thumb disappearing inside your mouth then deciding it would be best to comply. With a small hum you opened your mouth wider, letting your tongue stick out as your eyes darted to meet his. He grinned contently, pulling his thumb out of your mouth to pull his cock out of his pants. No matter how many times you’ve seen his length, you never understood how he managed to fit himself inside you.

 “Good girl,” he tucked his hand under your neck to offer support as he pressed his tip against your awaiting tongue. He started rocking his hips slightly just to tease you, grinning evilly as he stared down at your eyes. “You’re so cute like this. So vulnerable and eager to please whenever I want you...”

 He began to slowly push himself into your mouth, letting out a groan of relief as he buried himself inch by inch. You sputtered a bit at first, not completely used to his length just yet, but secretly he loved whenever you choked on his cock. He let you ride out your choking a bit more as he nearly bottomed out, watching as your throat slowly relaxed around his bulge.

 His other free hand found its way on your cheek, caressing it as he started to rock his hips back and forth very slowly, basking in the feeling of your throat clamped around his cock. “Such a good girl, making me feel so good whenever I want... You’re doing very well, sweetheart,” he quietly praised, opting to listen to your muffled whimpering whenever he pushed in.

 A bit of restlessness started to kick in after awhile of fucking your mouth so slowly, and with a naughty smirk, Kaeya took both hands to grip both sides of your head. He started to thrust into your mouth at a quicker pace, occasionally pulling out to give you a breath of air only to bury himself in your throat again. He found himself unable to contain his moans at this point, letting his sweet, raspy praises for you ring through your ears. Your legs started to twitch in excitement the more he praised you for being so obedient and good for him that despite your initial defiance, you hoped he would take care of your needs later.

 Your thoughts were interrupted by his fingers running across your scalp then suddenly taking a tight grip on your head as he fucked your brains out quite literally. He began to get lost in the feeling, ignoring your pleas for air as you tapped his thigh repeatedly through tears. Even when he snapped back to his senses for a moment to pull out, he whined desperately as he quickly pushed himself back in, wanting to chase his orgasm so badly using your mouth.

 “S-So good for me... I’m gonna...! F-Fuck, no..!” Kaeya quickly and quite nervously pulled himself out of you, leaving you immediately coughing and gagging in your own spit and his precum. He grunted in frustration, leaving you confused and concerned as you continued to choke for air. He suddenly tucked his cock back into his pants haphazardly and went straight back to work on getting the rocks off of you.

 “W-What was that all about? Are you waiting until we get home or something?” your voice was clearly defeated as you watched him work. He only glanced back at you for a moment before chuckling and pulling one specific rock out of the pile to send the rest tumbling down, finally revealing your trembling body, exposed in all of its glory. You gasped in a mixture of relief and excitement as he hungrily climbed on top of you and pulled you towards him so your head wouldn’t hang off the edge anymore. You giggled at how disheveled and horny he evidently was, his movements ragged and needy. Who could blame him for looking so desperate when he was staring up and down your vulnerable body, waiting to devour you like a hungry beast?

 His hands worked with urgency as he ripped your underwear off and unsheathed his cock again, manhandling your hips to meet his. You gasped as he quickly pushed himself inside of your cunt and began pounding into you mercilessly, not letting you adjust to his size since you were already so aroused for him anyway. Your cute whimpers and gasps made him even more feral, and it was at this point that he decided to lean down and whisper the answer to your question earlier.

 “Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t just wait until we get home, I need to be inside you right now...”

[dreamescapeswriting]

SKZ Reaction | They Want Sex In Same Room As Members [M] [Request]

[SKZ X Fem!Reader]

Chan:

This evening had started out so wholesome, you were just watching movies with all of the boys since you and Chan hadn't seen one another in a while and now Chan's hand was running up and down your thigh to try and distract you from the movie. He wanted something else and you knew what he wanted but he wasn't going to get it, not in a room full of his best friends,

"Let's go to my room," He whispered in your ear as his fingers played with the outline of your underwear, your breath hitched in your throat as he touched you.

"We can say you're tired." He mumbled, biting down on your ear lobe because he knew it was one of the many ways you would give into him faster. He'd missed you over the last week and he was desperate for your attention, you sitting on his lap in nothing but one of his jumpers and some shorts wasn't helping him.

"Babe I wanna watch the movie," You whispered back to him trying to get off his lap but his grip on you tightened and he cleared his throat,

"Felix, can you pass me a blanket?" A blanket was tossed in your direction and for a second you thought it was over, that he'd stop touching you but the new privacy the blanket had given him only fueled his fire. Your eyes locked with his as you felt his hands wander into your shorts and down to your clit where you'd needed him all day,

"Someone needs me too," He whispered smirking at you as you opened your mouth trying not to let out a moan, he winked at you as he slowly began to sink one finger into your aching core you hated him so much for doing this in front of all of them but you didn't want him to stop. He kept his finger buried inside of you not moving it until you gave him the all-clear so you just nodded at him desperately.

"Good girl," Those worlds had you melting for him as he slowly began to pump his fingers in and out of you while he watched the movie as if the rest of the guys weren't there and this was just a normal occurrence. Another finger slipped into you right as a jump happened on the movie, you hid in his neck to act as though you were scared but you were just trying to muffle the moans slipping from you.

"Y/n's scared, look at her curled up in Chan's arms." Jeongin laughed turning back to the movie when the music became ominous again, your hand gripped onto Chan's wrist as you felt yourself getting closer to your release, he frowned at you.

"Tired, sleep." He knew you didn't want to sleep but he nodded,

 "You guys finish the movie, Y/n's tired." He picked you up from the sofa and hurried you over to his bedroom where you then pushed him down onto the bed begging him to finish what he started in the living room.

[No one touch me i’m not okay from this gif]

Minho:

The dance practise you were doing had been going on for what felt like hours, Minho was sitting on the sofa watching you with his coat laid over his lap to hide his boner. He'd been watching you for the last hour with Hyunjin, Jisung and Seungmin trying to go over some more dances before the shows would start this week.

"You guys got it? Show me," You walked over to Minho who pulled you to sit right next to him, you continued watching the boys in front of you while they did their dances but Minho wasn't watching them anymore. His hand was on your lower back drawing circles into your skin as he began to whisper into your ear what he was planning on doing with you when you got home or when the boys left, you smirked at him.

"Boys do you want to come to dinner with me and Minho, we're going to that new place down the road from my apartment." Minho's grip on you tightened and you gasped feeling him pull you closer to his body, the boys were so lost they'd barely even noticed what was happening.

"Do you think that them being at the dinner table will stop me?" You knew it wouldn't, nothing stopped Minho when he was in the mood and you knew that,

"No, I'm going to have an early night, and Seungmin's helping Jeongin with a test." Hyunjin answered going back to the computer and restarting the song for them again, Minho took your hand and placed it under his coat,

"Do you feel that? That's all you'll be getting fed tonight, do I make myself clear?" You nodded at him and licked your lips now desperate to get back to your apartment with Minho but you still had half an hour left with the boys.

"Shall we call it a night?" You yelled standing up from the small sofa and looking at the boys who seemed confused by your sudden urge to get home,

"I'm feeling sick," You lied looking at Minho who got home and started to play the role of the kind and caring boyfriend who was going to take you home. Leaving the studio first you made sure the boys weren't following you when you pushed Minho into one of the supply closets and started making out with him roughly inside,

"I can't make it back to the apartment." You whimpered kissing him as he smirked at you,

"Oh baby if you think I'm going to fuck you in a supply closet you're sorely mistaken, you're going to get edged at home until I say, then and only then you'll get to cum." He smirked as he walked out of the closet leaving you to try and catch your breath as he grabbed his car keys from the bottom of his bag, he had you running after him to hurry him towards his car desperate to get tonight on the road.

Changbin:

Chan just had to come home early tonight for the first time in months, didn't he? Changbin held you close to him so you could feel what was wrong with him, he'd been acting needy all day but you'd never been alone long enough to do anything about it. Then when you went to bed together you thought you were finally going to get some alone time but Chan came strolling into the room right as you were about to make out,

"Don't even think about it," You mumbled when you could feel Changbin's lips on the bottom of your neck but he couldn't help it, he'd needed you all day and by now Chan was passed out asleep.

"He's asleep," He grumbled coming up behind you and kissing you, you could feel him on your ass which made you whimper feeling how hard he was, he was practically pulsating at the touch of your ass.

"Changbin-" You gasped as he took your hand and ran it down the front of his boxers just rubbing himself with your hand and he let out a choked groan as he finally felt something he'd needed for a while.

"S-Shit," You covered his mouth with your free hand as you took over from him, starting to pump him slowly while squeezing your hand around his length just slightly, smirking as he let out small moans into your other hand.

"Is baby needy?" You whispered in his ear, kissing him softly as you began to make your way down his body, pulling down his shorts and smirking as his length hit his stomach making a small smacking sound.

"B-Baby no- Ugh fuck," He rolled his head back as soon as his dick touched the back of your throat, you wasted no time in teasing him more than he'd already been teased enough today so you began to bob your head around him, swirling your tongue around him while your other hand massaged his balls. He was whimpering and moaning into a pillow he was holding over his face so he didn't wake up Chan, lord knows that boy didn't sleep enough as it was he didn't need this image in his head.

"G-Gonna-" When you didn't stop Changbin began bucking his hips up into your mouth, grunting as he hit the back of your throat, you felt him twitch inside your mouth before hot streams of liquid hit the back of your throat, you waited until he was done before you swallowed all of him and cleaned him up using your tongue,

"Now can we sleep?" You whispered to him, wiping the corners of your lips with your fingers and licking them clean, he nodded blissfully and smirked as you laid down beside him.

Hyunjin:

Hyunjin smirked to himself as he ran his hand up your thigh under the table, you'd all gone out to dinner to celebrate Chan and Minho's birthday but you were too focused on the fact that your boyfriend's fingers were dangerously close to your core.

"Not here," You managed to stutter out to him as you watched him looking at Seungmin from across the table, Hyunjin was good at acting like nothing was happening when in fact it was. He did this before, made you cum right in front of the other boys by making you ride him on the tour bus.

"You alright Y/n? You look worried about something," Chan mentioned your name and now all eyes were on you as you stared at the wine glass in front of you as you nodded at him.

"Fine." You squeaked out, staring at Hyunjin who retreated his fingers and carefully brought them up to his mouth where he then sucked them clean as if he didn't care that the other boys were right there in front of you.

"Two can play at that game," You whispered running your hand over his trousers to feel him already hard, you smiled at Seungmin as you began talking about the recent cover he'd been working on for STAY but Hyunjin bucked into your hand, as soon as you felt him start to undo his jeans you moved your hand away and began talking to Jisung about something, ''accidentally'' spilling your drink down yourself so that you and Hyunjin could get out of the dinner quicker than the rest of then, the dorms were empty meaning you could be as loud as you wanted without holding back if he took you home right now.

Jisung:

Your head was laying on the desk while Jisung continued to work with Chan and Changbin in the room, he'd called you in here an hour ago with the promise of being together for the first time in days and now you were stuck with 3racha in the room.

"I wanna go," You whimpered running your hands up and down his thigh as he tried to concentrate on the song he'd been working on for what felt like forever now.

"Soon," He whispered when he felt your hand grace over his crotch, you smirked you knew he was just as needy as you were right now.

"You sure it's not now?" He bit down on his knuckle as you slipped your hand into his sweatpants, rubbing him through his boxers while the others were too busy to notice.

"Stop it," He warned you but you weren't going to stop not when you knew he was just as needy as you. Your hands slipped into his boxers and you took him into your hand massaging him slowly just to annoy him since he hated when things were too slow with sex,

"You called me for a reason," You whispered slowly starting to squeeze him just enough so he would groan about how tight it was,

"B-But I didn't-" He groaned into his hands as you began to rub faster, your arm starting to pull attention from the guys,

"Lunch?" You questioned pulling your hand out of his trousers and turning to look at the boys,

"Sure," You smiled handed Chan your card telling him and Changbin to get you whatever they were and they left the room, as soon as that door shut you were pinned down to the desk with your ass up as Jisung growled about how unfair it was to tease him like that.

Felix:

Felix was under the desk in front of you when Chan walked back into the room, you thought you were alone which was why your legs were spread and your wet cunt was on display for Felix.

"C-Chan? I thought you were going to the dorms." You whimpered as you felt Felix smirking against your thigh as he kissed it. He'd wanted you all day and now he had you all to himself,

"I needed to get something finished," He was on his laptop on the sofa behind you as he worked but Felix was right in front of you, if Chan looked up he would see you being eaten out by Felix right in front of him.

"Oh god," You mumbled into your hands biting down on your hand as Felix slipped two fingers into you sucking and licking your clit not caring if Chan heard him,

"Everything okay?" You nodded at Chan,

"H-Headache." You felt yourself getting closer with each thrust of his fingers, he was curling them in just the right spot, dipping his tongue into you occasionally and humming softly to cause vibrations on your clit.

"I'll go and get you some meds." He walked out of the room but Felix continued, sucking on your clit and moaning as he felt you clenching around his fingers.

"Holy fuck!" You cried out holding onto the desk as you bucked your hips up as you came around his fingers and on his tongue, panting heavily as he came out from under the desk and smirked at you.

Seungmin:

Seungmin chuckled at something Hyunjin had said to him but you had no idea what it was, you weren't paying attention to anything except for his dick inside of you in front of everyone. You were sitting on his lap in the dorms watching a movie with them all, they'd all began to file in one after the other and your sex had been interrupted.

"C-Close." You hissed as you began to feel your edge being brought closer to your release, you'd been desperate all day and so had Seungmin which was why this had started out on the sofa instead of his bedroom.

"Did Y/n say something?" Jeongin questioned but you shook your head looking at Seungmin who kept softly thrusting into you, you whimpering knowing it wasn't enough to get you to cum so you pulled off him putting the blanket on him and going to the bedroom to wait for him.

"What's up with her?" Felix questioned but Seungmin gave him some random excuse before he followed you into the bedroom where you began kissing him roughly.

Jeongin:

Jeongin's hands kept trailing all over your body as you danced together the boys were having a small party in their dorm to celebrate the ending of the backdoor era, all of the boys were with you except for Minho who was in bed where you wanted to be with Jeongin. He'd been acting needy all day and now he was trying to get you to go somewhere with him but all of the rooms were busy and you couldn't go to the bathroom together either.

"Stop it," You whimpered as he grabbed onto your ass squeezing it and growling when you protested, he knew you wanted him as well.

"I know you need me too," You looked over your shoulder, Chan had his eyes on both of you to make sure nothing was happening, he was the reason Minho was in his bedroom to stop anything from happening.

"I will take you right here in front of them," You grew wetter at the thought of it but there was nothing either of you could do right now so you just began grinding against him in time with the music whimpering every time you felt him grind against your core. It was going to be one hell of a long night.

Tagline: @peachyhan​ @taestannie​

[loveislattes]

Everything Comes at a Price (Demon!Dark/Fem!Reader) Chapter 2

You can find Chapter 1 here!

Commission prompt: Reader is really depressed, and Dark decides to roughly Fuck the depression out of them.

Important: Reader has female pronouns and is a vagina owner!

Warnings (For this chapter specifically): Depression, talks of death, smut, dom/sub, rough sex, Demon!Dark, demon-like anatomy, shadow tentacles, oral (male receiving), very minor breath play, teasing, pet names, dirty talk, minor degradation, praise kink, unprotected sex, primal/power play, and multiple orgasms!

A/N: Other than the kink warnings, this one is safe to read! No gore/death. No beta- there may be a few errors.

As always, if you would like to support me, I have a Ko-Fi (here) for donations and I usually have a few slots open for commissions (unless life gets in the way)!

Tags: (If you want to be tagged in my writing, just let me know!)

@when-the-sun-goes-dark

@underthedark13

@fruitypieq

@another-thirsty-blog

@hcrystal02

@just-a-little-bat

“You’re sure? The doctor is sure?” you questioned earnestly.

“Yes! Yes! They say it’s like some kind of miracle. They expect her to make a full recovery after some physical therapy. Isn’t it great, Y/N?!”

You could feel your lips twist up into a bittersweet smile as tears poured from your clenched eyes. The taste of salt was bitter on your lips as you nodded asininely into the phone.

“Yeah, that’s- that’s amazing,” you whispered, “Listen, auntie, I’ve got to get ready for work but please keep me updated if anything changes.”

The phone fell into the fluffy blankets across your lap and you let out the choked sob that you’d been holding back. Wish number four had been a success. You’d done some actual good with your imminent death.

Despite the good news, the oppressive cloud around you didn’t dissipate; Unsurprising but disappointing nonetheless.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” you hissed, smacking your cheeks a couple of times.

Suddenly, a terribly wonderfully awful idea popped up and there was a modicum of relief in your chest. You snagged up the coin from its perch on the bedside table and clutched it to your chest close.

“Dark, I think I know my last wish. Is it possible to wish for death?”

There was no immediate answer, nor did you die immediately. A tremor in the atmosphere of the room was the only sign that something had changed and you brought your head up in surprise. The sight of the debonair demon standing amongst your depression room instantly filled you with shame. Great. Just what you needed to be added to your already heaping pile of negative emotions.

“Hello, darling.”

You managed a weak little hello in reply as he began to stroll your way. You weren’t sure whether you should stand up to greet him or just allow him to come to you, but he quickly made that decision for you as he came to a stop at your side.

“I regret to inform you that you’ve managed to find one of the three types of wishes I’m unable to grant. Is there something els-”

“Please, Dark!”

He leveled you with narrowed eyes and stated factually, “I can’t kill you. Killing you negates the contract. That includes putting you in any imminently dangerous situations, so don’t try it.”

Finally, you found the power to stand and glared up at him through tears.

“Can’t you break the rules, just this once?! I give you permission to keep my soul after I die if you do it! I just- I can’t take this anymore! Maybe you don’t understand it because you all Mr. Powerful Demon but I’m so fucking tired. I’m tired of being alone! I’m tired of hurting when there’s literally nothing wrong! I’m tired of not being able to do a damn thing to make it better or change anything or- or-”

You fell into a messy pile of limbs and blankets on the bed, wrapping yourself up as best as possible, sobbing into your hands to keep a modicum of your dignity intact. Much to your surprise, you felt fingers brush against your hair as sharp nails began to massage through your strands.

“I must say, you’re definitely one of my more interesting clients,” he hummed lowly, “Even so, I’m unable to bend the rules, even for you. There’s a lot at play here that you’ll never understand but the short of it is that even I do not play with Death’s dealings, darling.”

As he spoke, you could feel the first peek of daylight glimmering through the shadows of your mind. Whether it was from his odd praise or the sensations his fingers were provoking, you weren’t sure, but it was nice. Ever so slowly, you found yourself leaning into his touch, chasing the dopamine rush he provided.

He let out a humored chuckle as you nearly fell off the bed in the pursuit and you could only manage a subdued apology in reply.

“Don’t apologize for being adorable, pet,” he teased.

Cheeks warming harshly under the sudden pet name, you buried your face in your hands and groaned slightly.

“Now that that’s sorted, I will leave you be. When you’re ready to make your last wish, you know how to reach me.”

There was a strange catch in his voice that you couldn’t quite place but it was enough to put you into action.

“Wait!” you called out when he turned away.

Carefully wiping the tears from your face, you stood up and took a steadying breath before reaching out to him. It was such a simple request but you could see the curiosity and confusion plain on his face. Nonetheless, he took your hand and allowed you to pull him in close. It had been so long since you’d even held someone else’s hand. More of the demons in the back of your mind were backing down, the sudden influx of serotonin of skin-to-skin contact turning them away.

“Okay, I get it, you can’t kill me,” you murmured, licking your lips nervously, “But you said you find me… interesting, right? Erm, do you think you would be able to do something else for me instead?”

It was like you had flipped a switch, the way his eyes clouded over with the devious smirk that curled up his lips and how his head tipped to the side in obvious inquiry.

“I’ll need you to be more clear on what you’re asking for, pretty little pet,” he cajoled, “It would be quite remiss of me to act without being completely sure what you want from me.”

Oh, the asshole! He was going to make you say it out loud! It was obvious in his gaze that he knew he had all the power here, in every sense of the word, and he was using it to his advantage… and you couldn’t deny that you loved it.

Face hot with mortification, you chewed on your lower lip before whispering, “I- I can’t. I can’t ask.”

Fangs peeked out in a grin as he leaned down, tipping your head up until you were nose to nose with him.

“Do you want me to kiss you? Touch you? Fuck you?”

Gods, he made it sound so dirty, so sensual. Shivers rolled through your bones as he teased the apex of your jaw and throat with his sharp claws.

“I need to know.”

You gathered every last drop of confidence and finally stammered out, “Fu-Fuck me, please?”

“With pleasure, darling,” he hummed softly, “But first…”

Fingers tangled in your locks once more, jerking your head back and his mouth slammed against yours. A choked sob passed from your mouth to his as he guided you back onto the bed, following with the grace and ease only an inhuman being could manage.

“If it gets too intense, just tell me to stop,” he breathed out as his lips fell to your jaw, “It’s been some time since I’ve allowed myself to indulge with a human and you are just so damn breakable.”

A sick thrill shot through your body at the warning. Why did a part of you want that? It was terrifying, thinking of a demon losing themselves and going feral on you, and yet it sounded so deliciously taboo.

“Okay,” you finally replied when you realized he was waiting for an answer, “I will.”

“Good girl.”

Oh. OH. It felt like all the air left your lungs and you couldn’t stop the tiny little noise that escaped your lips in embarrassment and desire.

His lips curved up against your throat as they slowly moved. Nibbles and kisses blazed a path up the sensitive column of your neck until teeth toyed with your ear lobe and he let out a little chuckle.

“You are going to be so much fun, pet.”

Your hands found his hair and held on for dear life as his fangs dug into your neck; not deep enough to draw blood but rough enough to tear a pained scream from your lips. Throbbing agony blossomed through your skin and still, you found your body arching into his, silently eager for more of what he could give you. Oh and the endorphin rush! The moment he released your abused flesh, it was like your body was on fire.

Moving without thought, you guided him by the hair into a frantic kiss, hoping to convey your need without words. Thankfully he didn’t seem offended by your little takeover of power and allowed you to soak in all you needed until he finally put a stop to it with a nibble on your lower lip.

“Enough, it’s time to prove that you really want this, darling,” Dark purred as his fingers dug into your cheeks symbolically.

You nodded the best you could and followed his lead as he pulled you to your feet. With a snap of his fingers, suddenly his clothes were gone and you were left staring at him in awe. While he looked incredible in the suit, it did a complete disservice to the glorious form hidden beneath. Black tattooed tendrils encircled his arms and legs, tapering out somewhere on his back, creating the most tantalizing contrast of shades against his toned limbs as he flexed them teasingly.

As your eyes traced the designs down his solid form, he suddenly gripped your shoulders and pushed you down onto your knees, tossing one of your pillows down after.

“If you’re going to worship me in such a way, you might as well do it from in your rightful place on your knees,” he purred.

Lips parting in surprise, you felt your insides curl up with embarrassment as you slipped the pillow under your knees and nearly apologized, but then he was stepping closer and you lost all thought.

Fuck, was he ever right; It was akin to staring up at a god! Not only were you given the best view of his body, but the way he stared down at you with desire and complete superiority had you trembling with need.

“Now, show me what that pretty mouth can do, pet.”

Oh, that, that you could do. Scooting in closer, you reached out to grab his cock but your hand was smacked away instantly. It stung more than hurt but it was surprising nonetheless.

“What-”

“Hands behind your back,” he demanded.

Cautiously, you did as he asked and were rewarded with a much softer smile.

“Good girl.”

Those words again. It was like they had a direct line to your cunt. Clenching needily around nothing, you let out a soft whine and let him pull you back in. As his cock neared your lips, you were finally given the chance to look it over closely. Despite being only half-hard, he appeared average length and a bit thicker than most you’d encountered. It was also darker than the rest of his skin but what set it apart the most was the ridges encircling it. Every inch or so down his cock were these ridges, smooth but creating quite an obvious size difference.

As you pondered over the way it would feel inside you, you let your tongue tentatively trace the tip and moaned at the familiar taste. He let out an encouraging sigh and tightened his hold, subtly pulling you closer until you threw away hesitation and took him in your mouth as far as possible.

“Mmmm, that’s it pet,” he praised huskily, “Get me ready to fuck you.”

Clenching your thighs in hopes of relief, you shifted higher onto your knees and followed the pace he set. Another difference you began to notice was the massive vein on the underside of his cock, the way it throbbed against your tongue with every swipe quickly became an addicting sensation. It was like his body was praising your efforts in its own way.

“Take a breath,” he warned.

You barely got a lungful in before he arched into your face, hastily fighting back the urge to gag as he slid into your throat. Tears welled up in your eyes as saliva pooled in your mouth. You were mortified as both spilled out the instant he began to fuck your mouth. Embarrassing noises escaped your throat, far beyond your control with each thrust of his cock, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit.

“Look at you,” he rumbled out huskily, “What a good little pet you are, swallowing my cock like you were made for it.”

As suddenly as he had started he stopped, releasing his hold on you so fast you nearly toppled over as you coughed for breath.

“Impressive, now get up here.”

Once you felt you were stable enough, you climbed to your feet with his assistance and were immediately thrown back on the bed. As your skin rubbed against the cool sheets, you were suddenly made aware of your lack of clothes.

He apparently sensed the shock in your expression and offered you a sly grin.

“What can I say, pet? There are some things I am impatient over.”

Dark kneeled on the bed and gripped your ankles, spreading your legs so he could easily fit between them. Rather than climb over you as you had expected, he instead traced gentle lines up and down your legs, slowly bit by bit growing closer and closer to your cunt but never actually touching. It was maddening. You could feel yourself quaking and twitching uncontrollably under every pass of his claws; your silent pleas coming out louder and louder each time until you were nearly sobbing with need. Teeth soon joined in the effort, searing bite marks into the meaty parts of your thighs while his tongue lavished the wounds fondly after.

“I haven’t even touched you and you’re dripping wet for me,” he groaned quietly as he traced the crease between your sex and thigh, “Imagine what a mess you’ll be once I’m finally inside you.”

Desperation tore from your chest in the form of a whimper at the mental images burning in your mind. Your heart nearly flipped on itself in pleasure as he finally moved up the bed.

“You look like you’re struggling, darling,” he teased, “Is there something you need?”

You nodded frantically and whimpered out, “Please!”

Tantalizing shocks ran through your core as his fingers oh-so-tenderly ran over your lips, ghosting just where you needed him the most. Frustration began to well up like the sweat beading your forehead and you couldn’t help the huff that escaped.

“Tell me that you need to be used,” he breathed, ghosting sharp canines along your throat, “And I’ll give you what you want.”

“I- I need to be used,” you gasped out.

His responding moan was pure ecstasy as his fingers finally found your clit; the way his cock twitched again your leg an overwhelming aphrodisiac. The scrape of his facial hair prickled against your chest as his head ducked down and his lips pressed chaste kisses along your breasts. Swallowing hard, you bit back the overwhelming urge to demand him for more and were rewarded with the gratifying sensation of his tongue across your nipple. Pain and pleasure coalesced into one as he mercilessly sucked and bit into your flesh, drawing louder and faster moans from your chest by the second. When he finally pulled off with a pop, your entire body felt the bombardment of endorphins.

“And who do you want to use you?”

Pride shone through his playful teasing as you attempted and failed to whimper his name multiple times, ruined over and over again with each pass over your clit.

“Hmm? I can’t seem to understand you. Who do you want to ruin you?”

Thighs shaking and heart pounding, you fought through the onslaught of pleasure coiling in your belly to gasp out, “You, Dark! Please, fuck- fuck me!”

It was too much, not enough: The ache in your throat, the rawness of your lips, the imprints of his teeth burned in your flesh, the throb of your cunt under his fingers.

When he finally slipped his fingers in your core, you cried out. Relief! It didn’t take more than a few seconds for his stretching and thrusting to put you right on the edge of no return. Unfortunately, he jerked away before you could fall and, before you could even complain, you were tossed over onto your stomach with a sharp slap to your right cheek.

“Perk that pretty ass up for me, pet,” he demanded, gently guiding your hips up.

As you came to rest on your knees, you let your face rest on the pillow and arched your back until you could feel his cock brush against your cunt. Instinctively you pushed back against him with a little moan and were immediately rewarded with fingers to your clit.

But… his hands were on your hips…

“How-?”

When you stilled in thought, he let out a husky chuckle behind you.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he crooned lowly, “Sometimes they just have a mind of their own.”

Lifting up just enough to peek under your body, you were both startled and aroused to find black shadow-like tentacles where you expected fingers to be, and in turn, his legs were now free of those pretty tattoos. Realization hit hard and a pathetic moan fled your lips as you buried your face in the pillow.

“Glad to see you approve, darling.”

In the next breath, he slammed forward and yanked you back simultaneously. You were immensely grateful that he had taken the time to prep you as he sunk in, inch by inch, stretching you open like none ever had before. A wicked thrill sent a tremor through your body as you realized you could feel each and every ridge as it pushed into you.

When his hips finally came to a stop against yours, the noise he let out had your hair standing on end. Animalistic, inhuman, primal. You wanted to hear it time and time again.

He finally started rocking his hips, taking his time with deliciously languid strokes, until you begged him for more. It was with a cruel laugh that he gave into your desires.

“Oh fuck!” you whined, fingers snarling in the blankets for balance.

There was no more hesitation in his movements, gentleness abandoned in exchange for all-out fucking you in a way that made your toes curl and tears fill your eyes.

“You are so fucking wet,” he snarled out between breaths, “Taking me so well.”

A noise of agreement escaped your lips as you arched back to meet his thrusts. You couldn’t form words even if you wanted to, too focused on the raging storm brewing in your core.

Pain blossomed through your hip as one of his hands squeezed tighter, his growls and panting growing in volume to rival your cries, while the other found your hair and yanked your head back. Your body reacted instinctively, clenching down hard around him and startling a moan from you both.

“You feel so good! You going to come for me, pet?”

Reaching back, your hand found his and your nails found purchase, returning a sliver of the savage pain he bestowed upon you. All the while you bounced back harder on his cock, chasing the edge that was just out of reach. The tendrils between your thighs suddenly came back to life once more, their cool touch contrasting so perfectly with the heat of your bodies as they swirled around your clit in time with his thrusts.

“A-Ah! Dark, yes, pleeaaasse! Fuck- Fuck!”

“That’s it. That’s my good girl. Come for me and let me claim you, pet.

As if mimicking the hold on your hip, another tendril slithered up your back and encircled your throat. The unexpected pressure elicited a tantalizing response, your body suddenly feeling both free and trapped in the best of ways as he bound you to him

“Mine. All mine. My filthy little slutty human whore.”

Something in your psyche broke at those words and ecstasy rushed forward like a tidal wave. Every inch of your body trembled with pleasure as you screamed his name, voice cracking under the duress of it all. You could feel the proof of your indulgence dripping down your inner thighs, the sounds of your debauched pleasure growing louder with every slap of his hips against yours.

“Fucking hell!” Dark bit out harshly, “Good girl. Good fucking slut. Who do you belong to?! Say it!”

“You! Only you, Dark! O-Ooh, f-ffu-fuck!”

With inhuman speed, he slammed into you, over and over until the smack of your bodies was almost continuous. His choked roar filtered through your senses but it was was easily washed away with your second climax teetering on the edge. There was a sudden torrential shift of energy, pulsing eerie screeches filling the room as his voice echoed off the walls when he finally buried himself as far as possible inside of you. Any pain was quickly washed away by the thunderous roll of pleasure brought on by the touch of his tendrils mixed with the throb of his cock releasing deep in your cunt. Claws trailed down your spine as he practically purred your name, leaving behind five raw lines that stung under the combined sweat of your bodies, and somehow you found yourself okay with it; loved it, in fact, knowing that his marks would be on you for quite some time.

Quaking with bliss and exhaustion, you collapsed to the bed the instant he slipped out of your core and let out a little delighted whimper. You reached out blindly for him and were appeased when he laid down beside you, pulling you against him so your face was resting on his chest.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed that,” you murmured, fingers tracing up and down the little scar in his abdomen, “It goes without saying but that was fucking phenomenal, so thank you.”

Your head bobbed up and down with his laughter and you couldn’t help the grin that turned up your lips in return.

“I have to say I’m in agreement, pet,” he hummed back, “It’s been far too long since I’ve been able to let go in such a way.”

With a hand on your bicep and the arm under your head, he pulled you up and shifted you over his hips until you were perched on quaking knees. You almost questioned him but were silenced when he leaned up and captured your lips in a stinging kiss. It started out rough and slowly devolved into a passionate tangle of tongues.

It wasn’t until he pulled back for a breath that the reality of what was to happen started to sink in; the serotonin in your veins being replaced with anxiety.

“So, does this mean I die now? You have to take my soul, right?” you asked softly, “Since I made my last wish?”

“Hmm? I never heard you make a wish, pet,” he replied as he stretched back languidly.

Eyebrows furrowing, you let your confused expression convey your thoughts as one of his hands began to travel down your curves.

“But I asked-”

Your words were cut off by your own gasp when you felt his cock rising between your thighs. Wide-eyed and warm-faced, you gaped at him in shock. Apparently, a very short cool down period was also a demon perk?!

He smirked at your awe as a thumb traced your lower lip seductively.

“You asked and I gave freely,” he explained, fingers dipping to trace sharp claws along your throat, “You still have one wish remaining. Although, I’d suggest you save it for later. I feel like we have much more important things to attend at the moment, darling.”

[moonslove7]

Hi :3 Can I request a post Hogwarts (both married) reader cooking with no magic and running a bubble bath for professor Remus after he goes back home from his first day of teaching classes at Hogwarts.

Istg Professor Remus is my ultimate soft spot so yeah, just know I am blushing the entire time while writing this. Also Imma pretend you have like a family inherited cottage thing somewhere near hogwarts for this and remus doesnt like staying at hogwarts bc he would miss you also idk how to cook so you can just make up the food.

“(Y/n)! I’m home!” 

The sound of your husband Remus announcing he had finally come home, you were in the kitchen, cooking dinner, the smell louring him into the kitchen while he held his briefcase and had his robes still on, he watched you for a second as you kept looking at the oven making sure nothing was being burnt and then you turned around and smiled at the handsome professor.

“Hey Rem, how was the first day?” You asked pressing your lips to his gently, he put his briefcase down on one of the chairs at the table, took your hands in his, your fingers interlocking as his smile matched yours. “It was pretty good surprisingly, it’s good to be home though.” He then pecked your lips with a kiss this time, making your smile grow, you let go of one of his hands to check up on the food.

“Here, let me help.” Remus mumbled and started to put all the ingredients you had chopped up into a pan, turning the stove on. “ Why don’t you go rest love? You’ve been at work all day.” You asked him, he shook his head ‘no’. “ I’m fine pup, I can help you finish making dinner and then we’ll both relax, you’ve been working too.” You never felt like what you did was an actual job, you helped people with divination, or sometimes they payed you to find out if someone they loved was cheating or liked them back, Remus knew how emotionally exhausting it could be, to him it was a real job.

“ You look so good in those robes by the way, I didn’t know you becoming a professor would somehow make you even more attractive but here we are,” You joked and giggled while Remus, said “Hey! Are you calling me not attractive ?” He started to walk slowly towards you to tickle your sides making your knees buckle, “No Sir, course not Sir,” You joked making Remus crack a smile and a giggle, he continued tickling you, “NO REMUS PLEASE- THE FOOD-” You tried to yell between the giggles until you were laying on the floor, Remus on his knees as he continued his torture. 

“You’re a Menace (Mr/Mrs Lupin).” He said quietly but loud enough for you to hear, he stopped tickling you to kiss you, leaning down he brought his right hand to your face to hold you while he pushed his lips onto yours making you stop giggling and instead you sighed into the kiss, bringing your hands up to play with his messy dark brown hair, before he could deepen the kiss though you mumbled his name on his lips, getting him to lean back a little so you could speak without his lips smothering yours. “Food first, that can wait my love.” You said while standing up, leaving him pouting on his knees, he stood up following you, the pout now joined with his puppy eyes. 

“Jesus Christ, people will think I married a man-child.” You sighed as you noticed his face, he smiled his pout dropping as you leaned in close to him, kissing him once more, “You love me though,” He said teasingly, going back to the stove to check on the food, you replied, “that is true, I love you very much Moony.” At your words Remus smiled while turning the stove off and took the plates out from the cupboard with you gathering the food up and placing it on the table, then putting it on the plates, Remus went to the fridge, opening it to retrieve wine he remembered you brought, he grabbed two glasses before sitting down next to you, he poured you a glass and then himself. 

“Congrats on your first day.” You held the glass up to him, to do a toast as this job seemed the best one he had managed to find in a long time that complimented him in everyway, he had history there, unsealed wounds, and he was smart enough to be a professor any day. He brought his glass to yours making a clanging noise, you both took a sip of the wine and then started to dig into the food, unconsciously yours and Remus’s hands had found each other while you ate one handily, you both held hands the entire time.

When you had both finished Remus insisted on taking the plates to the sink to wash, you both were still drinking your wine, you got up with Remus anyway, “Hey, don’t look at me like that, I’ll put away the plates and cutlery while you wash them okay?” You asked while he looked a second away from pouting again. “Okay, deal.” After ten or so minutes everything was cleaned and put away, so you took Remus’s hands in yours and pulled him towards the bathroom, the Sun had began to set as you closed the bathroom door, and Remus closed the toilet seat to sit down on it. 

“Thank Godric, I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” He says when you put the plug into the bath and began putting in relaxing bath salts and of course bubbles, turning the taps on you smiled at him as he just watched the water fill the bath. “I know Rem, that’s why I got you an extra treat.” You walked over to the cabinet that you kept the clean towels in to use and move the first towel to reveal two chocolate frogs you had managed to get during the day, you showed him the chocolate making him smile lovingly at you, “You didn’t have to do this pup, you really are too good for me.” He says while you put the frogs on the bath table at the very bottom of the bath, when the bubbles were made and the bath was full you turned the taps off and started to strip making Remus stand up and do the same. You also played a song on your phone, the one you had your first dance as a married couple to, Let’s Go Home Together by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan.

Both standing there nude you went into the bath first, laying down and then opening your arms to invite him to join you, he stepped into the bath, grabbed the chocolate frogs and leaned back, you sat up, letting him rest his arms on your knees as he opened your chocolate and fed you it, you doing the same for him, you both closed your eyes enjoying being so close to each other while the song played quietly in the background.

‘you seem like someone I could pick a fight with, dance all night with,

Maybe you’ll like me the way I am,’

All of a sudden you felt Remus kiss your nose, then your cheeks, opening your eyes you saw the giant of a man looking at you with so much love in his eyes it made you melt, you violently kissed his face all over making him laugh. 

‘Feels like I know you so well,

You could be everything 

That I’ve been missing,

I’m coming out of my shell,

And I never do that,

How did you do that?

It feels like I’ve known you my whole life.’

You both looked at each other with pure love and affection, this song reminded you both of yourselves, how everyday you help him learn to very slowly love himself and believe maybe he is allowed to be loved the way you love him, and he helps you grow confident in yourself and realise you also deserved to be loved too, and you both always knew what the other needed without words, finding neither of you could properly relax anymore unless you were cuddling.

For Remus he fell in love with you instantly, he met you through the order, the first time you two met he would stumble over his words as he learned you had managed to predict some of the death eaters attacks saving a few people including fellow members of the order, you radiated such warmth and comfort as you talked to him about your life that night and he did the same leaving his little furry problem alone for now, he even saw Sirius grinning at the two of you, knowing you two instantly clicked and connected. He didn’t need a tarot deck to figure out you both were drawn and comforting to each other.

‘I’m never that good in a crowded room, 

But everything stopped when I first saw you,

You seem like someone I could, 

Be myself with, 

No defences,

Maybe you like me the way I am,’

After Remus had told you about his condition, the full moon after that brought him to tears, because he didn’t expect you to stick around but you had gone above and beyond, helping him to his room, running a bath for him, massaging his shoulders and bandaging any wounds, you even made him some food and a quick drink, you would say it was nothing but to Remus it meant everything, to him it was a sign that you liked him just as he was, and he loved that a lot. It was probably at that moment he fell deeper than he thought possible in love with you.

I hope you enjoyed! Sorry it’s kinda short 

[ragingpancake]

The Drought

A/N: Hello again! So, trying to get back into the swing of things so I searched for some fic prompts and came across this one! Prompt at the end. Feel free to drop prompts into my ask! I'd love to write more! Here’s what’s frustrating: out of the entire Atlantis expedition, approximately three quarters of them are ATA gene carriers, all thanks to Carson’s finely tuned gene therapy. Awesome. Great. They now have an entire plethora of people to pick from for ‘light bulb duty’ down in the ancient labs, but the problem is, while there are plenty of people to choose from now, Atlantis and her ancient tech just refuses to work for anyone as well as she works for John fucking Sheppard. It’s infuriating, honestly, but Rodney supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Captain Kirk has managed to practically sleep his way across the Pegasus Galaxy and if Atlantis was a person, of course she would be a she, so of course she would line up with the rest of hussies and--. Hmph. Maybe it’s John that’s the hussy. Lieutenant Colonel Hussy. Okay, that’s almost funny.

“What are we doin’ here again?” Sheppard asks in that nasally, whiny voice he has and it brings Rodney back to the present where they’re currently testing out what very well could be the galaxy’s version of a blood sugar monitor but it only wants to work with John. “I want you to put your finger under the little…. Thing there and think it on,” Rodney says, like it’s the most self-explanatory thing in the world. The duhis left unsaid but it’s there, hanging in the air. He’s also trying very hard not to think about where else he might like Sheppard to put his finger and-- “Why?” It’s infuriating, not only that John Sheppard is the only one that Atlantis responds so easily to, but that he doesn’t even seem to care. Rodney can feel the tips of his ears go red at the annoyance, but there’s that almost smug smile that touches Sheppard’s lips and God, he’s so annoying. And handsome. And smart (not as smart as Rodney of course, but then--) Right. Ancient tech. “It’s not working,” John intones and Rodney frowns down at the tablet. “Well, you aren’t trying hard enough.” “Trying hard enough at what? I’m doing exactly what you said, Rodney.” “Think harder then.” “Can’t we just try something else? Somethin’ cool?” And John honest to God whines and Christ, why is this Rodney’s life? “I just need you to think it on, Colonel,” Rodney snips mostly because they’ve been down here in this lab for the last hour or so and it’s just a couple of them and for the last fifty eight minutes and thirty two seconds, Rodney has been acutely aware of just how close Sheppard is sitting to where he’s working and he just wants to be done. John sighs and screws his eyes shut for all of three seconds before he opens one slowly, glancing down at the machine. Nothing. “I don’t wanna say I toldja so, but--.” “Not another word,” Rodney huffs and he drops the tablet onto the table, lifting a hand to massage his temples. He’s over this. He’s really, really over this and when he glances up at Sheppard to dismiss him, he’s slightly embarrassed to find the Colonel already looking at him, an unreadable look on his face. “I guess that’s it then,” he says, and he sounds annoyed. “We’re done for the day.” “Well, I guess I’ll see ya later then,” John says, standing from his stool and waving lazily at the crew before he slouches out of the lab, Rodney looking after him as he does. It takes all of two seconds before Zelenka speaks up. “Ahem,” he says, feigning clearing his throat. “Perhaps you would like it if I got you a glass of water?” “Not near the ancient tech,” Rodney answers automatically before he realizes exactly what Radek said. “What?” “Clearly, you are incredibly thirsty.” It’s not just Rodney’s ears that go pink this time, but his cheeks burn too. “I have no idea—” “Oh please,” Radek smirks. “The tech works just as well for any other gene carrier here on Atlantis, you know that. We all know you just pretend it doesn’t to give you an excuse to get Sheppard down here and ogle him for an hour.” “First of all, there is no ogling anyone here and second of all, you knowthe city responds best to him! We can’t all be natural gene carriers with the stupid hair and that stupid slouch and--.” “Relax, Rodney,” Radek says and he’s still teasing but maybe there’s something else there too. “For what it is worth, Miko, Simpson and myself believe that the Colonel is just as… parched.” “Wait, wait, wait, you’re saying—No, no. You’re wrong. It’s not possible.” Radek shrugs. “If you say so.” He’s content to let it go and go back to work, and Rodney thinks it really sucks that Zelenka would put such a thought in his head and then just goes back to pretending he hasn’t completely melted Rodney’s brain. Well, what the hell is he supposed to do about this now?

He gives it a few days, lets himself ruminate on it and he’s still pretty certain that Radek is full of it. But then they’re back to the labs, Sheppard back on lightbulb duty, except this time they’re alone and Rodney cannot… well, he can’t quite look away from the Colonel, no matter how hard he tries. Not even when the blood sugar monitor turns on at the slightest thought from Sheppard and--. “Rodney? Something on your mind, pal?” “No,” Rodney answers, perhaps just a little too quickly, eyes snapping down to the tablet in his hand as he catalogs the response the tech is giving John. “Why?” Because he can’t leave well enough alone. “IS there something on yourmind?” John’s response is just as defensive, an emphatic no, and Rodney knewthat Radek was full of shit, that little--. There’s a shrill alarm that sounds for a fraction of a second before the sprinklersthat Rodney didn’t even know existed come on, immediately soaking them both. John curses and stands up from the stool quickly and Rodney very nearly slips in an attempt to get the tablet out of the water, only managing to keep from busting his ass when John reaches for him and suddenly, they’re standing there so close and--. Thirsty. Yes, perhaps he is. “Sheppard, I--.” He doesn’t get a chance to say what he is when John leans forward and crushes their lips together and oh. Oh. This is… this is nice. He relaxes against it, perhaps leaning into it a bit more than he means to and it seems to continue for an eternity before John finally, perhaps reluctantly, pulls away. “Didn’t think you’d ever get with the program, Rodney,” John mutters and he looks a little embarrassed but a lot proud of himself and--. “Sorry it took so long to get the tech workin’,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck and Rodney realizes he should probably figure out how to turn the sprinklers off, but he’s a little dumbstruck right now, to be frank. “I was hopin’ that if we had to try again, no one else would be here so I could--. Well. So I could see if you were maybe just as dehydrated as I am.” Sonofabitch. Zelenka was right. “Absolutely bone dry.” “Well,” Sheppard says, and there’s a hint of an almost devious smile touching his lips. “Let’s see what we can do about quenching that, huh?” Definitely Lieutenant Colonel Hussy. But this time, Rodney’s more than okay with it.

Your prompt: Person B staring admiringly at Person A from across the room. A friend whispers into Person B's ear: 'Why are you so thirsty?'

[miyaniacs]

Christmas Eve

a/n: I wish you all of you who celebrate Christmas a Happy Christmas and I hope event this year was horrible, you all find at least a bit of joy and peace. If any of you needs to talk because they have to deal with some family or personal issues during this time, I'm here for you. At those how don't celebrate it: It isn't, besides Bokutos, really themed about religion, it’s just to hopefully make all of you laugh ❤️ 

form: total shitpost

characters: Atsumu, Osamu, Sakusa, Oikawa, Kuroo, Bokuto x gn!reader

warnings: lowkey nsfw (just some suggestive stuff I’d say 16+), bdsm mentions (but in a funny way - there’s nothing really sexual), mentions of sex toys and Bokuto’s is just wholesome

masterlist

Atsumu

Let’s set the atmosphere okay?

The tree is lit up, the decorations are sparkling, all the other presents are illustrated by the lights on the tree, it’s dark outside, soft snowflakes can be seen, in the background you can hear some beautiful old Christmas songs being played

The little bell rings calling you in the room 

Yet, you prepared a small surprise too 

With you, his family is walks into the room 

They originally couldn’t make it in time and it was visible for you that this really saddened Atsumu - he’s used to spend Christmas Eve with his parents and his brother - playing silly card games, him and Osamu almost knocking over the tree etc

Well 

Surprise. 

You all walked in saying a loud : SURPRISE 

Which turns into a loud scream as soon as they see Atsumu laying under the tree with a sexy present costume

it’s literally just a big red band wrapped around his body with the bow right over his thingy 

Head rested on his elbow, one of his legs swung over the other in a rather sexy way 

The screams of you and his family mix together with his screams 

The only one who was still able to think fast was Osamu - that’s why now a video of the whole thing is sending to the MSBY groupchat (also to the chat they got with their old Highschool team) 

While trying to escape the whole situation Atsumu got also caught in the tree

Now there’s a red fabric hanging in the tree and a naked Atsumu running upstairs 

Osamu

Osamu was stressed the whole time before Christmas 

He got so many jobs for some big companies to deliver his onigiri 

Besides that his shop was full af with all the friends that met up again due to them being back home during the holidays 

He was a mess 

So you managed all the household: cooking, cleaning, making sure he at least relaxed a bit, decorating etc

You’ve barley seen him anyways

Fast forward to Christmas Eve:

You received an emergency call from Atsumu, so you’re on your way to his, mentally cursing him since you still have to make the last preparations for tonight

At his - it was just some : how do I clean this or that emergency 

Annoyed af you make your way back home

Unlocking the door, you’re greeted with some ‘all I want for Christmas’ and the apartment being all dark, just illuminated with the sparkling Christmas lights 

“Osamu?” You call out for him walking through the apartment, the music getting louder and louder 

Opening the door to your living room, you’re greeted with the sight of Osamu, dressed in a sexy butler costume, his torso completely revealed, and a bow around his neck 

“Sit down my love.” He says and pulls out one of the chairs for you 

You sit down and look over the beautiful decorated table, filled with all kinds of mouth watering food

Looking back at him, your eyes rest on his toned chest “Was... was this all planned?” 

“Yes, I thought I’d give you something back for all your support the past weeks”  he smiles and leans down to give you a kiss 

“Then I’ve been a bitch to Atsumu for no reason..” you mutter 

“ There’s always a reason to be a bitch towards him” he laughs, “now, my dear - what can I serve you?” He bows

Sakusa

You in a maid uniform with lots of cleaning utensils that are sex toys Dom reader like 

As soon as Sakusa enters his home on Christmas Eve, a big black fabric is pulled over his head and he’s dragged into the living room and pushed onto a chair

“Only good guys get presents right?” You say teasingly  and your hands run over his chest , starting to unbutton his shirt 

Slowly you pull the blindfold off his head

His eyes widen, then darken and then he looks at you with an eyeroll 

“Are you serious right now?” He huffs

You’re wearing a sexy maid costume, the feather duster in one hand and the other one placed on your hip 

“Nahhhhh - dirty boys aren’t allowed to talk.” You lean forward and place your finger on his lips, “how are we supposed to celebrate and enjoy Christmas when we’re both not clean?” 

Leaning to the right you grab a bottle tilted “Mr Clean - hand sanitizer” rubbing it on your hands, you walk behind him and start massaging his shoulders with the body oil. 

After that, you walk back around him and bend down, the skirt moving upwards, exposing everything to him 

“You’re pretty clean now, but could you help me cleaning myself?” You ask and hand him a little present. 

Unwrapping it, he rolls his eyes yet s smirk appears on his face 

“For the really stubborn ones” he reads out looking at the lube in his hands 

You look at him innocently “Yes,..., we can’t let any dirty germs touch our preciously wrapped gifts, can we?” 

He nods in response and gets up, walking over to you

“No, no we can’t... let’s get you all cleaned up now ... shall we?” He asks in a husky voice and throws you over his shoulder carrying you to the bedroom 

Oikawa

Getting tied up he’s exited a male dom getting into the room destroying 90% of his closet while degrading him and his style => presents a whole new closet from you and his friends and family 

His clothes are horrible 

Besides sports wear his taste is ... a whole catastrophe

so together with his friends you planned a surprise for him

Oikawa knew something was up- but he expected a different kind of surprise- he hoped you’d be his present tonight and that you’d strip for him, since he’s basically begging you to do so the past weeks

When it rings on his door that evening, he opens the door fully expecting to see you standing there 

Quickly his smile drops when he’s got pushed back inside by a man wearing a leather mask 

“Go to your closet.” He demands and makes the whip in his hand more visible 

With a small Wimper oikawa hurries to the room

The man towers over him 

“Open” he underlines his words with a loud whip and oikawa does as he’s told to 

“Now put all your clothes in this here!” He throws a black plastic back to oikawas feet 

“Strip and put them into it to.” Another whip echos through the room and oikawa whimpers again, eyes wide open and he slowly begins to pull off his hoodie 

“Faster!” 

“Now put this on!” He hands him a collar with a leash on it

Grabbing the black bag and the leash he drags oikawa back to the front door

“Wait wait - what are you doing !!” He finally complains 

The man stops and takes out a gag and quickly fixes it around oikawas head

“MH- MHHHH HHMMM” he cries out

“QUIET!” 

Opening the front door, the man drags Oikawa outside where a few people are already waiting, filming the whole thing

“Here.” The man throws the bag to the ground and hands you the lash 

“Have fun.” 

“Y/N MHLNG Y/N!” Oikawa ‘says’ shocked

“You didn’t listen to us ... so we had to force you.” Iwaizumi says, standing next to you

“Your clothes were horrible.” Mattsun complains 

“New ones are already laying under the tree , love.” You smile and pat his head, the leash still in your hand 

“Well... have fun with him - I think we should go now.” Iwaizumi laughs

Bokuto

Yes. Yes Bokuto still believes in the Christkind (just look it up - the translation is so ugly so I’m using the German word)

And it’s way too precious so non of you ever told him the truth 

So here you are, getting dressed, putting on a white loose dress, white wings, soft golden eyeshadow and curling your hair / putting on a blond wig

Akaashi, Kenma and Kuroo - who will celebrate Christmas with you two - enter the house, together with Bokuto 

Kuroo is talking EXTRA loud to make sure you hear them coming back 

“Huh? Why is there light in the living room?- Y/N shouldn’t be home by now.”  You hear Bokuto ask confused 

Grabbing the small bell, you take a quick glance into the mirror and ring it 

“A BELL??? OMG AKAAAAAAASSSHHHIIIIIII IS IT - OMG OMG OMGGGG!“ Bokuto screams and runs to the room 

Opening the door his eyes lay on you, the angel standing next to the tree, about to place a small gift under the tree, ready to ‘leave’ again 

Bokutos eyes shine like the stars, his mouth wide open, whole body shaking 

“You ... you ... you’re real!?!” He mutters 

‘Shocked’ you spin around, the gift still in your hands and look at him 

You smile softly and walk towards him 

Your hand takes his and you place the gift in his hand, get on your tip toes about to give him a small kiss on his cheek, but he moves away

“No, I’m sorry, but I got a beautiful s/o.” Your heart melts at his words, the real angel in this room truly is Bokuto himself 

You smile and look at Akaashi, telling him to distract Bokuto so you can leave again - which he does 

A few minutes later you open the front door, dressed as usual 

“OMG Y/N - YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT!!! THE CHRISTKIND WAS HERE !!!! HERE AND IT GAVE ME THIS PRESENT!!!! ITS A PICTURE OF US ON OUR FIRST DATE!!” He rushes over to you and shoved the framed picture into your face

“A REAL ANGEL - AND YOU MISSED IT!” He pouts

“I’m sorry Bo” you mutter and give him a quick kiss 

“But ... I have to admit ... besides all their beauty, you’re way prettier than them... I can’t call you angle anymore knowing that your beauty outshines them.” A soft smile forms on his lips and you feel tears forming in your eyes. 

Kuroo

Kuroo saw your google history 

He saw that you kept on looking for videos of a sex swing and how it works etc

So he knew the perfect present for you for Christmas 

On the box it only said Swing - red, silk

So no biggie 

Well... your parents invited themselves over to yours for Christmas Eve. 

Together with your little cousin

Before it comes to opening up the gifts, traditionally you had dinner first. 

Michale Buble was playing, your parents and his dad ( who got invited by your parents ) already had too much to wine, your little cousin bouncing on the chair, waiting to finally  open up the presents. 

If Kuroo knew, that your family’s would come, he wouldn’t even placed the swing under the tree, but they just appeared on your door with food and presents 

So now - the swing was the biggest present 

“Y/n... Y/NNNNNN” your little cousin asks you while already sitting under the tree eying all the presents

“Yes?” You laugh

“Can I open your presents????” She asks

“Sure.” You smile, knowing how much she loves opening them 

Next to you, Kuroo’s heart stops, cold sweat running down his neck 

Your cousin hands you the two small presents on top of the big one

“Here I just want to open the big one” 

“Are those yours?” You ask and look at Kuroo, who just nods

“Babe... what’s wrong?” You ask him, but before he could answer, the ripping sound of the wrapping paper is heard 

“OMG Y/N HE GOT YOU A SWING?! I’M SO JELLY!!!! AND A RED ONE TOO... OMG IS THIS A SWING OUT OF THOSE MOVIES??? THE ONES WITH SILK AND NOT WOOD???” 

(Insert : oh no- Oh NO - OH NONONONOOO)

Your eyes widen.

All blood  leaves yours and Kuroos face 

Your mum takes a big sip out of her glass

Your dad glares at Kuroo 

His dad looks ashamed at Kuroo 

While your cousin opens the package and fiddles with the red silky stuff 

“At least the color fits in the room.” Your mum laughs taking another sip of her wine 

tagging: @kenmasgameboy

[badapricot]

Lovely Writer: Count 23, 24 & 25

These are the chapter summaries for chapters 23, 24, & 25 of Lovely Writer which should encapsulate episode 10. Keep in mind that they often cut scenes, change minor details, or move things around.

Count 23

It’s a holiday and Gene is still staying at Nubsib’s condo. He’s writing on the couch when Nubsib comes to sit beside him, only wearing a towel. He massages Gene’s hand while he talks.

He’s dripping wet but he’s on the phone so Gene doesn’t disturb him. He just gets up and starts drying his hair.

Nubsib says that Gene is being nice today. Gene says he’s nice everyday and Nubsib asks him to dry his hair everyday then. Gene says that Nubsib’s not crippled.

Nubsib tells Gene that it was Tum on the phone, telling him about a photoshoot with a summer concept.

Gene goes to return to his writing and TV binging but then he realizes Nubsib’s been with him all weekend even though it’s a holiday and Gene hasn’t done anything interesting.

He asks Nubsib if he’s bored and pushes him to go out with his friends. Nubsib says he’s not bored as long as he’s with Gene.

They end up kissing and Nubsib bites Gene’s lip. Gene tells him not to.

They make out with Gene laid out on the couch and Gene asks him if they’re going to do it. Nubsib asks if that means Gene is saying he can do him...but the doorbell starts ringing.

Nubsib says he’ll save it for tonight then. Gene tells him to go get dressed and goes to check whose at the door.

He freaks out when he sees that it’s Auntie Orn—Nubsib’s mother. He yells for Nubsib and tells him that his Mom is outside. Nubsib tells Gene to let her in and sit with her in the living room and Gene says she hasn’t let her in yet.

Gene says he’ll hide in the bedroom or the closet.

Nubsib asks Gene why he’s leaving his mother waiting and then assures him that it’s fine. If Gene tells his mother that he lives next door then she won’t suspect anything romantic between them.

Gene lets Auntie Orn in and lies saying that he’s just visiting for the day, and that he lives next door. She says she’s happy that they’re so close.

She asks Gene why Nubsib didn’t let her in and Nubsib appears, saying that he was in the shower.

Gene goes to the kitchen to give them some privacy but eavesdrop on Auntie Orn asking Nubsib about his new condo.

Gene is happy to hear Auntie Orn say, “Still attached to Gene like you were back then, you haven’t changed at all.”

Auntie Orn asks them both to come back and stay at home for a night. Gene tries to make up some excuses, but they end up agreeing.

Nubsib interrupts Gene while he’s packing and tells him not to worry too much.

When Gene goes home he finds out that his parents are gone until Monday morning for the holiday, and Jap isn’t home either.

Nubsib comes by from his house and when he finds out Gene is alone, he says that Gene should stay at theirs until his parents come home. Gene agrees.

Nubsib shows Gene the rooms and then asks if he wants to sleep with him. Knowing what he’s thinking, Gene turns him down.

Two hours later, Uncle Wat and Neung arrive.

Uncle Wat finds out that Gene and Nubsib are neighbours and tells Gene to punish Nubsib if he’s bad, like back then. Gene says that Nubsib is too big and strong for that now.

Nubsib gives Gene a shrimp and asks if he needs help deshelling it. Gene says he’s fine and stops him from helping.

Uncle Wat asks if Gene has a girlfriend. Neung says, “Gene already has a partner, Dad. If you want to recommend girls you should recommend them to your son.”

Auntie Orn and Uncle Wat start asking Gene if his partner is beautiful and if his parents knows.

Gene is freaking out but Nubsib makes eye contact with him and calms him down. Gene manages to say, “I haven’t told them.”

Nubsib gives Gene a deshelled shrimp and says, “For you, Gene.”

Auntie Orn yells Nubsib’s full name suddenly, and startles Gene.

Auntie Orn scolds Nubsib at the table and tells him that he should call Gene “P’Gene”. She won’t have anyone think she doesn’t raise her children with manners.

Gene is affronted because Nubsib was just helping him, and he knows how much Nubsib hates calling him that.

Gene is about to tell her that it’s fine but Nubsib says, “Yes, P’Gene” in a soft voice. It’s the first time Gene has heard him seriously call him “P’Gene” as an adult and it feels off. 

Count 24

After dinner, Gene has showered and is lying in the guest room.

Nubsib comes to Gene’s door and tells him to come sleep with him. Gene turns him down because it feels bad to sneak around with Nubsib in his parent’s house. Nubsib says he’ll go back in the morning and no one will know. Gene still turns him down.

Nubsib says, “Fine, then can I ask you to get a drink as friends?”

They go down the kitchen and Nubsib warms them up cups of tofu soup.

Gene asks Nubsib when his semester is finished and Nubsib says he’ll be finished with school in a week. Nubsib asks if that means Gene is inviting him on a trip after, and says he’ll invite himself if Gene doesn’t.

They go back upstairs and Gene holds onto Nubsib because it’s so dark that he can’t see.

Nubsib held my hand back. I didn’t mind the silence around us.

“Are you sleepy?”

“I’m sleepy, so I’ll probably sleep later.”

“Then let me stay with you for a little while,” he said. When he opened the door, he entered with a blank expression.

I turned to look at him but couldn’t see anything. I figured everyone was already asleep and was too lazy to say anything, so I lay back down into bed.

Nubsib stretched his arms before going under the quilt.

“I’m sleepy so hurry up and go to sleep. Oh! Come wake me up tomorrow when you leave the house.”

“No, you don’t have to force yourself to wake up.”

“It’s okay, I think I’m going to buy some snacks. If I don’t wake up, shake me vigorously.”

“I’ll give you a strong kiss.”

“Shake me.”

“It’ll be a kiss.”

“Never mind, I’ll set an alarm.”

“So stingy,” he replied in a low voice.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“...”

I frowned, hearing a sudden knock at the door. It went straight into my ear and disturbed me so much I had to squeeze the person next to me.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There was a voice. This time, the tall figure next to me moved. The weight around my waist disappeared. My eyelids stayed closed, and the drowsiness remained.

“Sib...go open the door for me,” I said, in a low voice.

“Wait.”

“Hurry up,” I mumbled, because I wanted to sleep longer. I felt cool when the warmth beside me disappeared but he wrapped it back around me.

I almost fell asleep but the voices seeped in. I was pulled back by the sentences, “I stayed up all night” and “I didn’t go back to my room.” I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw were brown curtains that covered the bright sunlight from the sliding glass windows. I squinted and turned my eyes to the door of the room...

My eyes widened.

I jumped up immediately. “Uncle...Uncle Wat.”

At that moment, I felt cold.

Across from Nubsib was Uncle Wat in a suit. His face and eyes were calm but they moved back and forth between me and his son.

“Get yourself dressed, go downstairs, and we’ll talk.”

“...”

The sound of the door closing rang in my ears. Uncle Wat walked downstairs. But I still looked at the door, not knowing what to do with myself.

I felt a warm hand touch my cheek and Nubsib’s familiar handsome face leaned down to my height.

Looking into each other's eyes, I felt my pounding heart begin to calm a bit.

"I...you...not. How did Uncle Wat know? ” I could hardly compose myself.

Even if he didn’t scold or speak directly about it, I knew Uncle Wat knew. His face was still, which was even more depressing and more terrifying than an angry rebuke.

"He might have known since last night."

"...last night."

Nubsib was sleeping here last night.

I didn’t have a reason for not sending Nubsib back to his room. Because usually we talked all the time and I asked Nubsib questions for fun. About his studies abroad and his colleagues. We were both careless.

"It's okay. Gene, you know that my father is reasonable. "

"I don't know, I..."

“It's okay,” Nubsib repeated the same words. His palms lightly rubbed my cheeks. They moved to my forehead, my hair, and finally, he moved to hug me for a while, and slowly used both arms around my waist and raised myself to stand on the floor. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth. We’ll talk for a moment, then it will be over.”

"..."

"I will always be with you. Don’t worry.”

Uncle Wat asks how long they’ve been together and they both say two weeks. He then asks if they’re both gay and both of them say no. He asks how this could have happened then and Nubsib tells him about how he loved Gene as a kid. 

He also tells him that his Dad was always asking why he was single. Uncle Wat asks if that means Nubsib has loved Gene for that long and Nubsib says yes.

Nubsib is so calm and collected, Gene is envious. Uncle Wat asks Gene how they got together. Gene tells him about how Tum is a friend of his from college and he didn’t know who Nubsib was.

Uncle Wat asks why they didn’t tell them or Gene’s family and Gene says he was scared of what they’d think.

Uncle Wat admits that he cares a lot about the reputation of the family but he isn’t mad. Him and Auntie Orn suspected after seeing how they acted during dinner. He saw how Nubsib took care of Gene and how he moved Gene’s room next to his. 

They have a family business and a lot of that relies on the sons. A son is the eye of the family, and Nubsib being with a man could affect business. But he knows that he’s going to be gone one day and Nubsib (and Neung) will be the heads of their own families. So what they choose to do is their own responsibility. He just wants them to tell Gene’s parents.

Uncle Wat tells Nubsib that if Uncle Teep isn’t okay with it then it’s not okay, and Nubsib says that they have vacant land in Pattanakarn, right? If Uncle Teep doesn’t approve then Nubsib will go get the deed for that land (and him and Gene will live there).

Uncle Wat says, “...behaviour like this. Who are you?” and Auntie Orn laughs.

After the discussion is over, Gene is very relieved. He thanks Nubsib but tells him that he wants to tell his own parents himself.

Count 25

Gene’s parents come home and he tells his father, with Nubsib by his side.

His Dad asks if he’s gay and Gene says no, he just likes Nubsib. His Dad says there’s no difference, and Nubsib says there is, because Gene wouldn’t date another man. He’d only date Nubsib.

Uncle Teep (Gene’s Dad) tells Gene to go upstairs. He yells at him when he doesn’t move, and Gene is startled because he’s never seen his Dad so mad. Nubsib nods at Gene and tells him it’s okay to go upstairs.

Gene goes upstairs and leaves Nubsib and his Dad to talk.

He texts Nubsib while he’s talking to his Dad and Nubsib doesn’t reply.

Later at night, he tries to talk to his Dad in his office and his Dad says he understands Gene, but he’s not ready to talk.

He goes downstairs and see his Mom. He tells her that he knows his Dad has reasons and he’s not opposed to listening to them, but how can his Dad understand him if he doesn’t talk to him?

Auntie Run (Gene’s Mom) tells Gene to calm down and makes him tea.

He asks her if she’s mad that he’s dating Nubsib and she says no. She’s always let Gene do what he wants, chose his major, chose his career etc and it all worked out. She trusts Gene’s choices.

Gene crawls into his mother’s arms.

In the morning, Gene and Nubsib text. Nubsib tells Gene that him and his father talked but Gene shouldn’t worry. Because Nubsib won’t give Gene back to Uncle Teep. Gene is reassured by this.

Later that night, Gene calls him and Nubsib says that he misses him. Nubsib urges Gene to eat but he’s hiding in his room because he’s scared to see his father.

Uncle Teep knocks on the door and asks Gene if he’s really not going to eat because he doesn’t want to see him.

Gene hides his phone because he doesn’t know if his Dad will be mad that he’s talking to Nubsib.

His Dad pulls up a chair and pets Gene’s hair. He asks what he thinks and Gene says, “I think I like Sib.”

“The story of two people—love is not enough. People have many lovers in their life that in the end don’t survive. Because it’s not just love, there are other things. The career of Nubsib, the eyes of others, criticism of a same-sex relationship.”

“...”

“I told you, that’s what I think will happen if you keep dating. So why not break up?”

“...”

“I’m not worried about Nubsib. For him, love is enough. He’s smart, and he can handle everything. But are you strong enough to handle that?”

“...”

This...is what my father thought?

Gene is shocked because he agrees with a lot of what his father is saying. He’s being logical, Gene just never thought about how hard it would be to be gay and in a relationship with Nubsib as a celebrity.

His Dad tells Gene that he’s his son and he understands him better than anyone. That’s why he worried about these things and wanted them to break up.

Gene apologizes to his father for jumping to the worst conclusion.

Gene tells his Dad that it might be hard, but he wants to date Nubsib and he knows if he breaks up with him he’ll regret it.

His Dad tells him that Nubsib also said he wouldn’t break up with him and pets his hair. He says Gene is so spoiled at his age, to have his father and Nubsib petting his hair like this.

He leaves and Gene yells THANK YOU out the door.

Gene picks up his phone with Nubsib still on the line and is surprised when Nubsib tells him to come outside.

Gene goes outside and Nubsib is outside his gate. He immediately hugs him.

Gene asks why he’s here and Nubsib says he wanted to hug Gene because he heard the conversation on the phone, and Gene made him really happy.

Nubsib says he wants to kiss Gene, but he won’t at his parents house. He’ll wait until Gene returns to Bangkok.

Nubsib comes inside and Gene warms them up some food.

"Will you come back tomorrow?"

"I think I'll stay a night or two. I still want to be with my parents. You go back first and stop coming back and forth. This place is far away. "

"I'll just go back with Khun Jean then, that's good."

"...spoiled.”

"Uncle Teep didn’t say anything, right?"

"Well, you heard him on the phone."

"…"

Nubsib smiled as I looked at the handsome face. I scooped another mouthful of rice into my mouth when he didn’t say anything, and chose to speak first.

"What were you going to do if my Dad didn’t approve?”

“Uncle Teep is a reasonable person. I already knew that he’d approve.”

"No, I mean assuming that he really didn’t want to approve, what deeds were you planning to exchange with my father?"

After talking to Uncle Wat, I knew that Nubsib had land. I knew he’d do anything to get the approval of my father.

But Nubsib shook his head and smiled. “None.”

"Huh?"

"If I brought something to exchange for you, doesn’t that mean I think Uncle Teep would trade his son?

"…"

"I have the same mentality as your father.”

"…"

"You’re much more valuable than that.”

[kyungwonrp]

+ ... // STUDENT PROFILE ... LOADING

NAM KIYONG, also known as AXEL, is 20 YEARS OLD and currently enrolled in kyungwon university. he is in his 1ST YEAR of the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, with an UNDECLARED MAJOR. he is notably part of the ICE SKATING CLUB TEAM and the ICE HOCKEY TEAM. he is also a NATIONAL ATHELETE. you may find him in the WEST WING (ROOM #4).

                           + ... // LOAD STUDENT BACKGROUND . . .

rule one: money is power

ice skating is an expensive sport, he’s known this since he was a child, having had to learn how to fundraise for his first pair of ice skates. but dang, why is ice time so expensive? he feels his head is about split from all the numbers he’s had to crunch out so he could afford to go for the junior grand prix happening soon.

sure, kim yuna sunbae’s success as a figure skater has injected more funds into the sport but with great popularity comes even greater competition. kiyong loves competing with the best of the best, always looked forward to seeing them skate during trainings. the downside is that it’s harder for him to get funds when there are other people as good, or hell, much better than him.

he sighs as he tosses the hotel and flight quotations back on his desk, tears about to erupt from his eyes. from his peripheral vision, he spots the contract one of his potential sponsors had drafted for him to sign.

the sponsor’s terms and conditions were stuff of nightmares, not only did the legal jargon confuse the hell out of him but he had a strong suspicion some of the clauses were borderline unethical and most likely illegal.

“i’m only 15. how the fuck am i supposed to understand all of this shit,” he whines to himself. the older he gets, the more he understands why his parents have worked continuous long hours the moment he stepped onto the ice, swearing to become an olympian.

-

rule two: just smile

podium finish. silver medal.

he should be happy but he’s not. well, he is internally happy, but the korea skating union isn’t. they wanted him to win gold, and had expected him to win since his usual opponents were injured (boo, kiyong hates when there’s no tough competition). he’s definitely going to get an earful during the post-mortems later.

but this is russian land he’s competing on, so to no one’s surprise his errors caused points to be deducted unfairly. his heart had sank the moment he saw the change of judge lineup the week before he flew to moscow. you could perform to the best of your ability but when someone is out for you and money's been exchanged, it’s hard to change their mindset.

“how do you feel about the silver medal, axel?” a microphone is stuffed right infront of his face.

“i’m happy i’m on the podium, but not pleased with the placing. i know i can perform much better. however, what matters is that i’m one step closer to the olympics. my goal is to qualify and as usual, enjoy myself.”

classic sportmans-like answer. his PR manager must be so proud. oh, how he wished he could cuss out the judges for being bribed so easily. but then, he did sign up for a subjectively scored sport and not objective. (he should have stuck with speed skating, at least people couldn’t sabotage his finishing time that easily).

-

rule three: prioritise?

“you sure you want to study in korea? and not elsewhere?” his parents ask again. “if you’re worried about the tuition, we’ve got it covered. you should move back to canada and join the others. or move to japan.”

“no, it’s okay. i want to stay here,” kiyong replies firmly, accepting the tea his mom has poured for him.

“you can always come back here when you’ve retired,” his mom says earnestly, placing a plate of sliced fruits onto the round table.

“yeah, but it’s not the same. i want to experience the korean university life,” he whines, pouting.

“you’ve watched too many korean dramas, haven’t you?” his sister snorts from behind, where she’s been busy massaging her sore calf muscles with a foam roller. he throws a pillow at her, sticking out his tongue.

“maybe. can you blame me? anyways, it’s not like i won’t have access to good training facilities here. coach said he’s willing to move here in order to train me.” and that marks the end of discussion on his next course of action.

"so, kyungwon university, huh?"

[cartoonsaint]

Try Not to Use the “F-Word,” Okay?

[Ao3]

was reading about @doodledrawsthings​ ‘coffee shop au’ and thought it was interesting that from the jump Luka uses “peck” as a swear. told myself not to overthink it... so naturally here’s nearly three thousand words about the idea that Luka used to swear a LOT. not sure how in keeping it is w his character, but it certainly is in keeping w MY experiences of unthinkingly swearing around a toddler ahahah.... fuck 8)

Summary: three snapshots of luka that are definitely only about swearing (coffee shop au) Characters: Luka, Vanessa, baby Hattie, Luka’s parents. Rating: T (features swearing, implied unhealthy relationship, post-birth scene, minor bleeding) Length: 2878 words

One evening during dinner, Luka loses his grip on his fork and drops it under the table with a clatter. “Fuck,” he says mildly.

Dad gasps, which is a poor choice since he was mid-sip of water. He sputters and coughs, face turning alarmingly red, while Mom throws her head back and laughs. It’s even louder and longer than usual; even by the time Luka crawls back up from under the table, errant fork clutched in one hand and brow wrinkled in confusion over his weird parents, his mom is still laughing. His dad, though, has managed to get his breath back.

“Luka T. Princeton!” he says hoarsely, looking both absolutely scandalized and absolutely soaked from the water that escaped his mouth and cup. “We do not say that word at the dinner table!”

“What word?” Luka asks, before a metaphorical lightbulb goes off. “Oh, ‘fuck’?”

“Don’t—!” his dad says, then goes “hrng” and looks to his wife for help. 

Luka’s mom, now face-down at the dinner table in stark contrast to her usually flawless manners, just smacks the table with a fist and laughs harder. The water in Luka’s cup ripples with it, which in itself is pretty funny, but his dad still looks so uncharacteristically thunderstruck that Luka is unsure whether to join in. Plus he pulled out the full name, so… 

Luka bites his lower lip, suddenly worried. Did he do something bad…?

“Where did you even hear that word?” Dad is massaging the bridge of his nose now in the way he only does when dealing with a tough client or a call that he doesn’t want Luka to overhear, and Luka finds he has to bite his lip even harder because it wants to wobble and he’s a big kid, he’s not going to cry.

“M-Mom said it the other day, when she cut her finger,” he admits, fiddling with his fork. Dad turns to her with such a look of betrayal, even as Mom tries to stifle her continuing giggles. “Um… is it bad?”

“Yes,” Dad says, just as Mom catches her breath and says, “Well, sort of.”

Luka’s parents glance at each other in surprised confusion, but Luka barely notices. He said a bad word… Does that mean he’s bad? Despite his best efforts, his vision starts to go blurry with tears as he stares down at the fork in his hands. He doesn’t want to be bad.

“I don’t think it’s that big a deal,” his mom says.

“I do,” replies his dad, sounding baffled. “I just assumed we were on the same page with this.”

Luka sniffs, trying desperately to hold it together, but he said a bad word — but he didn’t know — but does it matter if he didn’t know? He’s still bad, right? Hot tears start to trail down his cheeks and he sniffs again, harder and louder.

“Oh, Lu,” his dad says softly and crosses around the table to kneel by Luka’s seat. Luka wipes at his eyes fruitlessly as his mom reaches across and takes his smaller hand in hers. “I’m sorry, kiddo, I didn’t mean to get upset. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It’s okay,” his mom tells him, giving his hand a squeeze. “It’s alright, Luka. We’re not angry — it is a, ah, a ‘bad word,’ but you didn’t know. It’s alright, sweetheart.”

Once Luka starts crying, though, it always takes him an embarrassingly long time to stop. He can’t help it. His frustration about unwillingly acting like such a dumb little kid makes his tears come faster and harder; he has to scrub at his face for a while, his dad handing him tissues, and so he doesn’t pick up on the silent conversation happening over his head between his parents.

They are a matched set in so many ways. To Luka they seem to move in perfect tandem, one picking up the tasks of the other with seamless grace. It seems so natural, so unpracticed and easy, and indeed some of it is — but as Luka cries, they communicate in a series of small expressions each has long-studied in the other: We will talk about this when Luka goes to bed. And, Well I thought it was funny. And, Alright maybe it was but I still don’t want him swearing. And, We’ll discuss it. We’ll figure it out together. I love you.

Luka never realizes. He just assumes that perfect couples are never out of sync with each other — and if they are out of sync, then they must not be perfect.

***

“Fuck, Ven, she’s perfect,” Luka breathes.

He couldn't get close enough sitting in one of the chairs, so he had been leaning against his wife's hospital bed when Vanessa passed him their child — their child, their baby, theirs — and his knees went weak. Now he’s kneeling on the tile floor, barely aware of his surroundings because in his arms he holds a truly, beautifully perfect little baby girl.

She has… a nose. He couldn’t say whether it’s more like his or Vanessa’s because this perfect bundle of joy is a scrunched up little pink newborn so mostly she looks like a lot of wrinkles that a sleepy face got on, but fuck, he loves that little nose and everything attached to it. Honestly through the tears he can barely see her right now but she’s perfect, perfect, perfect… even if she is, objectively speaking, not actually that appealing to look at. “Shit, Ven. Ven. Look at her goddamn little face, fuck.”

Vanessa makes a sound and reaches for him, touching his hand. “You don’t like her face?”

“I fucking love her face,” he says hoarsely. “I love her so goddamn much, Ven, I don’t even know how to say it. Fuck. Fuck.”

“Good,” Vanessa says tiredly. Luka doesn’t want to put their daughter down for a second so he does his best to wipe his eyes on the shoulder of his shirt sleeve. He gets to his feet only to sink right onto the bed beside his wife. His perfect, wonderful wife who has given them the tiny creature he never wants to look away from. “You wanted to name her Harriet, didn’t you?”

It’s like there’s a thread pulling his gaze directly to their daughter but he resists it for long enough to look up at the radiant woman he loves. She’s watching him, eyes glittering. “Do you mean…?”

She gives him one of her luminous smiles, even exhausted as she clearly is. “If it’s what you want, my love.”

Luka’s heart leaps as he looks down at their daughter — at Harriet. “Harriet,” he whispers in wonder. “Little Harry.”

Vanessa’s grip on his arm briefly tightens. “No,” she says.

Luka can’t help the wet laugh that comes out of him, though he tries to keep it down for the sake of his exhausted wife. “No,” he agrees. “How about… Hattie? Little Hattie?”

Hattie sleeps on, a teeny tiny person wrapped up safe in Luka’s trembling arms. He’s probably going to get dehydrated from all this crying and his face already hurts from how hard he’s smiling but, fuck, he doesn’t care about that at all when their perfect daughter is right here. “Hm? Hattie? How’s that sound, princess?” And he presses a gentle, wet kiss to Harriet’s brow.

Luka doesn’t notice Vanessa’s stung shock. He doesn’t notice the shadow of fear, anger, and confusion that darkens her face as she looks between her husband and the daughter she’s given him. It will take him a long time to realize his assumptions about their mutual goals as a unit are different.

For now, he loves Vanessa with all his heart — and loves their little Hattie just as much, if not more.

***

“Fuck,” Luka hisses, jerking his hand out of the hot, soapy water to check his fingertip. Blood wells up from its soft pad, mixing and diluting in the dirty dishwater. “Fuck,” he sighs again, and turns the squeaky nozzle of his shitty sink to run clean water over it. What kind of a fucking fool leaves a sharp knife in the sink like that, anyway.

Obviously, he does. This god awful apartment is just his, after all — he’d run here as soon as he could manage to pull together both the separate funds and distance necessary to prevent Vanessa locating it. This place is safe: Vanessa has never been here, and as of today she never will. So it’s safe, that is, from her — not from Luka’s own inability to keep track of where the goddamn sharp objects are.

“Stupid,” he mutters to himself as the water rushing over his cut starts to run clean. “Shithead.”

It’s been a weird day — a weird week — shit, a weird few years, if Luka thinks about it. When Vanessa came into his life, she seemed to him so bright that nothing else was worth looking at. It took until their daughter — his daughter, now — for Luka to start looking into the darkness she brought as well. Then the divorce proceedings, custody battles, the restraining order — for so long it had seemed that the legal system would fail Luka and Harriet, that Vanessa’s long shadow would follow them wherever they went.

Until earlier this week, that is, when Vanessa used magic in the courtroom.

Things had happened quickly from there. The paperwork barring Vanessa in his and Hattie’s life was just signed and made official today; his copies are still set neatly on the junky, second-hand kitchen table until he figures out exactly where to put them. After so long, it’s finally over. He and Hattie are free.

The old pipes complain as he turns the water off. The cut isn’t too bad, but he probably ought to bandage it anyway. He wipes away the spilled water with a ratty towel, turning to —

“Ffffpffpffpfpfpflllffff,” says Hattie from right by Luka’s feet, which is also outside of her playpen.

“Fuck!” Luka yelps, leaping about a foot in the air. Hattie stops blowing air through her lips to smile up at him, totally angelic. Luka presses a hand to his chest, staring at his little girl. “Kiddo! You scared me! How did you—?”

He looks across the small, open floorplan into the den, where he’s set up several different brands and varieties of baby gates to keep Hattie out of the kitchen when he’s occupied with cooking or cleaning. Her many toys are left behind, the gates apparently untouched, but somehow she’s escaped them — again — to hug Luka’s leg and smile up at him.

He smiles back, of course — he couldn’t deny her anything. And even if it is a problem that his little girl can’t be contained anywhere, he feels a swell of pride at her continued and baffling ingenuity — as well as a slight prickling in his eyes because even with all her toys she always just seems to want to be close to him. “No one’s gonna keep you trapped anywhere, huh, sweetheart?” he asks, squatting down to ruffle her light brown waves.

“Fffpllfpllfff,” Hattie replies importantly, graciously accepting the affection.

“Ah, I see. Your jumping abilities are unmatched, are they?” Luka says in return. His daughter started moving early, her curiosity about the world apparently unable to be sated with just looking even when she was just a few months old. She has always wanted to touch, to crawl, to walk — just the other day Luka could swear he caught her trying to climb the couch. His little princess is unstoppable, and his pride in her every step has gotten him teary-eyed more than once (more than once this week, even).

“Fffflpllplflffff,” Hattie tells him, eyes bright. She smiles hugely in between blowing air through her lips. What she lacks in the ability to form words (she’s a little late, and Luka’s not worried, exactly, but he is watching that with hawk-like eyes) she makes up for in expression. She turns her big blue eyes to the hand Luka isn’t using to brush back her wavy locks, curious. “Fffllllllllflflplf?”

“Oh, your dad cut himself,” Luka explains, showing her the slim red line of blood beading up on the pad of his finger. “Pretty stupid, if you ask — oh, sweetie, don’t—!” She’s grabbed his finger in a little fist before he can stop her, smearing blood all over it. He quickly scoops her into his lap, frowning down at her messy hand. “Fuck. Alright, we’ll just—”

“Fffffffuck,” Hattie says clearly.

Luka blinks once. Twice. He looks down at his daughter, who is beaming up at him with clear pride.

“...what,” Luka says.

“Flffflpplf.”

“A-alright, okay, that’s — sorry, princess, your dad thought for a second there you said—”

“Pllllfffflllplflflfff. Fffuck!” Hattie says again. Then she claps her little hands together in delight, further spreading the blood between them.

“Ha,” says Luka, voice unusually high. “Hahaha I? You??? …Alright! Alright! This, ah, this is fine, kiddo, we’ll just—”

“Fuck! Ffplplffuck fuck fuck?”

Luka takes a deep breath. Then he takes another one.

When Harriet was first born, he’d made an effort to cut back on the swearing. He had the ability to turn it off, after all, in the courthouse and with clients, so presumably it should have been easy to transfer that back home, too. But changing the way he’s spoken for years in his own space turned out to be quite difficult; with the stress of the past few months, that effort had been one of the many things to fall by the wayside in favor of more immediate concerns.

So Luka has been swearing a lot lately. And his sweet Hattie has been quietly soaking it all up, patiently biding her time until she could attempt to communicate with her dad in his own language.

“Ffffuck?” Hattie asks, eyes concerned. She presses one dirty hand to Luka’s face, as though attempting to stem the flow of tears. “Fffpllppff?”

“Oh, princess, I’m sorry,” he tells her, rubbing his wet face on his shoulder to clear his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have — I—” He sniffs, then exhales hard. “Alright. Daddy’s been saying some bad words lately, but he’s gonna stop now, okay?”

“Fuck!”

A part of Luka really, really wants to laugh, actually, because damn is Hattie cute with her big, sparkling eyes, her chubby cheeks uplifted with a smile, the absolute adoration on her face as she looks up at him for approval. The contrast between how sweet she looks in her bird-patterned onesie and the foul language coming out of her mouth is almost —

“Fuck?”

“Nope!” he says brightly. “We’re gonna try something different! Okay, kiddo?” Hattie tilts her head adorably and Luka’s chest squeezes — fuck he loves her. “Hmmm…”

She watches him silently as he thinks. In the dozens of parenting books he’s read there was never anything explicitly about what to do if a toddler started cursing (because no one else has this problem because only he is this bad a dad, holy shit), but he can recall a number of chapters about encouraging them in pronunciation…

He’ll need something that sounds like “fuck,” but definitely isn’t. He laces his fingers together, tilting his head at Hattie. She pats his hands, looking solemnly back. He sticks his tongue out at her; delighted, she does the same. What word to use?

He notices that her orange onesie has penguins on it. 

“Alright, kiddo, this is going to be a little silly,” he says, and goes, “fllpppplffffpeck.”

It might be easier to just let this go, to let Hattie say and do whatever she wants, and part of Luka is tempted. But he knows now how important it is to talk in a family, to put in the work to understand one another. This situation might be a minor instance of it, but he wants to make sure he and Hattie never have a problem talking to each other. He’s willing to put in the work, as much as it takes.

It takes an hour or so to convince her that “peck” is superior to “fuck.” The process is complicated by the continued desire to laugh every time she swears, but eventually they manage, and Hattie goes toddling off merrily chanting, “peck peck peck peck.”

Luka painfully hauls himself up (shit, his tailbone hurts) to finally finish doing the dishes in water that has long gone cold. This is a good start, he thinks, but he’ll need to watch his own language as well. Maybe he can encourage Hattie’s positive association with the word with a bird toy or something? He considers this as he reaches into the water to unplug the drain —

And jerks his hand back as the same finger grazes probably the same goddamn knife. “Fff—!”

“Peck!”

He glances over his shoulder. Hattie is painstakingly tugging at the baby gates, trying to get back into the playpen he knows she knows he prefers her to be in. Her eyes are solemn, watching him for what he’ll do.

“...peck,” he agrees weakly. She smiles brilliantly and goes back to her toddler work.

God, he fu— he pecking loves her.

[ghost-in-haunting]

A Kiss On The Hand

Ha Haaa, this is fanfiction. I’ve only gone through this once, so suffer. I might go through it a few more times and repost it, but for now, I’m feeling impulsive and this is all I can do with it. I might also add more to it, so it’s sort of unfinished for now.

This has spoilers for the new Simon Snow book, Any Way The Wind Blows. It was fantastic, and if you have not read it yet, you should.

Warnings: Panic attack

Word Count: 1860

Simon

Baz is cold next to me. I don’t know if he’s hunted yet, or if he’s waiting for me to fall asleep first. Lately, he’s not let me come with him. I wish he would let me help.

It’s strange sleeping next to Baz every night. In the same bed. Cuddling. Sometimes we kiss. It makes me wish I had figured everything out in Watford. We could have done this a lot sooner. I wish I had tried the first time around. We could have had a real relationship.

I’m starting to realize there’s no point in wishing and thinking about what could have been if I had been different. It’s my fault we had to wait so long to be able to do this with each other. It’s my fault Baz thought I wanted nothing to do with him. 

I lift my head to look at him through my eyelashes. He looks down at me and smiles. I look back down. It’s hard to look at his face when I know that it’s my fault. That everything is my fault.

Why couldn’t I have realized my feelings sooner? Why didn’t I try when I had the chance? Why was I so stupid? This is all my fault. I’m the reason we took so long. I’m the reason we couldn’t figure anything out. I’m the problem. 

Baz takes my hand in his and squeezes it. I hold my breath for a second. How can he hold me when he knows it’s all my fault? When I look down at our hands, I realize just how dark it is in here. I know there’s an obvious difference in our skin tones. I know Baz’s skin is grey. Darker than mine is. Colder than mine is. 

I try to move closer to Baz. It doesn’t do much, we’re already pressed up against each other. He brings our hands up to his mouth, then kisses mine. His lips are cold on my hand. I want to kiss him. I want to warm him up with my mouth. He kisses my hand again. And again. And again. 

I pull my hand from his and push it underneath his waist. I wrap my other arm around him, then push my body up to settle on top of his. We’re face to face. He grins at me, but I can’t do the same. Instead, I kiss his mouth. I’m trying to push into him. Push my warmth into his body through every point we’re touching.

But it’s not enough. It’s never enough. I’m never enough.

Baz has one hand in my curls, the other at my tail. I wrap it around his arm as he grips it tightly near the base. His hand moves down from my hair to my neck, my shoulder, my wings. He massages the point were the lethery skin of my wing meets the soft skin on my back. Then he moves his hand down to my waist and keeps it there. 

I think I might be crying.

“Simon.” Baz pushes my shoulder back. 

I’m still trying to kiss him. To warm him up.

“Simon, wait.”

I open my eyes. Baz looks worried. A tear falls from my eyes to his cheek. He’s holding me up by my shoulders, but my hands are still under him. I move them so I can hold myself up over him, then fall to my back beside him. One of my wings is folded so I don’t hit Baz with it, but the other is open and half hanging off the bed.

Baz sits up and faces me. He reaches a hand to my face to wipe my cheek. I sniffle and turn my face away from him. 

“Sorry,” my voice almost cracks. There’s a lump in my throat I can’t swallow down.

Baz sighs. “Simon. It’s okay.”

I wonder if he’s tired of all my bullshit. I wonder if he’ll ever be.

“All right, Simon?” He asks.

I huff and turn to face him. His brows are furrowed. It’s too dark in the room to see his eyes, but I know he can see me perfectly. I wish I could do that. I wish I had an advantage over Baz like he has over me. He’s tall. He can see in the dark. He’s stronger than me. He has magic. All I have is wings and a bloody tail. I’ll never be enough for him. He’s got everything. He deserves a boyfriend who has everything, too. I’m nothing compared to him. I wasn’t even anything when I had magic. All I could do was go off and kill whatever the humdrum sent after me. Now I’m just a normal. I’m nothing. I don’t even have my sword.

“Simon.” Baz takes my hand. “It’s okay to need time. I can wait. All I need is you. We don’t have to do anything.”

I sit up and hang my feet off the edge of the bed. 

I don’t need time. All I need is to be enough. To be good enough to be Baz’s boyfriend. But I’m not. Nothing is ever enough. I will never be good enough for Baz. 

Baz puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “I love you.”

His words take me by surprise. He’s said it before. I’ve said it before. So what’s different this time? Why does it feel wrong? 

I stand up and leave the room. Leave Baz. I can’t be in the same room as him. Not right now. I need to do something. Something. Everything is too loud. Too loud, too loud, too loud. Why is everything so loud? Too loud, yet so quiet. Quiet, quiet quiet. No. No, no, no. This is wrong. It’s wrong, it’s, wrong, it’s wrong.

The air is too thick. I need to breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe. But nothing happens. I’m hyperventilating. The air is too thick. I can’t breathe. 

I put my hands on the counter to keep myself steady. To hold my body up. Everything is too much. Nothing is enough.

I have to get out. 

I have to get out. 

I have to get out. 

I can’t move. I’m stuck, holding onto the counter. No. I’m on the ground. How did I end up on the ground? What’s happening? 

I can’t breathe.

It’s too loud.

It’s all wrong.

It’s too much. 

Not enough, not enough, not enough. I’m not enough. I’m not enough.

I’m not enough.

Baz

I don’t know what happened. Simon wont talk to me. He could hardly look at me. He was trembling. Crying. 

I put my hands on my face. There’s a wet spot on my cheek from Simon. My lips feel swollen. Warm. He was so warm. Simon isn’t okay, but when is he ever? I don’t know how to soothe this kind of not okay. It felt like he was going off, but without the magic. Without the destruction.

Should I go check on him? Should I give him some space? Let him come to me when he’s ready? I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what he needs. 

Maybe I should check on him.

When I open the door, Simon’s on the floor. He’s breathing quickly, and his knees are pulled up to his chest. He’s still trembling. His hands are on his ears, and his tail is whipping around wildly. I rush to him. What do I do? What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? 

“Hey, hey, Simon.” I hold his wrists, “Can you hear me? Can you breathe?” I can’t tell if he’s registering anything I say, but I continue anyway. “Deep breaths, okay? Can you breathe with me?”

He nods.

I take a deep breath, and he breathes with me. I breathe in through my nose, and out through my mouth. He follows my directions. His eyes are still wide, but he seems like he’s calming down. Our eyes are locked on each other’s.

“Can you speak?” I ask.

Simon shakes his head.

“Okay, that’s okay.” I let go of his wrists and put my hands on his knees. “I’m going to make you some tea, okay?”

He nods.

I stand up and look for my wand. I don’t know if I can cast a spell. I don’t know if I should in front of Simon, especially when he’s in this state. I don’t even know where my wand is. The apartment’s a mess, and I don’t keep track of it when I’m here. 

I figure that it’s probably with my clothes. I walk over to the room and search. I find it under a pair of pants near my duffle. 

I go back to the kitchen. Simon’s picked himself up and sat at the table. It makes me glad we finally put it together yesterday.

I take two mugs down from the cupboard and rinse them out.

“Rosie Lee!” I cast.

The mugs fill up with tea, and I take them to the table. I set one in front of Simon, and the other next to him, where I sit down.

Simon still looks like shit, but significantly better than he was five minutes ago. I look at him. He looks down at the steaming mug and wraps his hands around it. 

“All right?” I ask.

He twitches, but otherwise doesn’t do anything to acknowledge my words. That’s fine. I’ll do whatever he needs. If he doesn’t want to talk, then that’s okay. I’ll stay quiet. 

We stay like this for a while. Me watching Simon, Simon watching his tea. He occasionally takes a sip, but I don’t drink mine. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in this situation. Should I wait for him to speak first? Should I take him back to bed? I don’t know what he needs. 

Finally, he says, “I’m sorry.”

It takes me by surprise. 

“You didn’t do anything,” I reply.

He looks at me, right into my eyes. “Don’t you see? That’s the problem!” His wings jolt open. “I haven’t done anything! I haven’t been enough for you! I’ll never be enough for you!”

My mouth hangs open. I don’t know how to respond. I don’t know how he’s come to that conclusion.

He huffs and looks back at his tea, closing his wings again. We’re silent for a moment.

“That’s bullshit,” I manage to say. “You’re everything to me. You’re all I’ve ever needed, and all I ever want. Simon . . .” I don’t know how to continue. How do I express how much I’ll always need him? How much he is to me?

I look down at my tea and take a sip, but it’s cold now. Simon sniffles. I think he’s crying again. I look at him and take his hand in mine. He looks over at our hands, then up at me. 

“Baz, I . . .” 

I lean over, waiting for him to close the space. He does. I pull back and lean my forehead against his. He’s looking down, but I look into his eyes. 

“Simon, You will always be enough for me.”

He looks into my eyes, then kisses me. 

[mingkily]

｡☆✼★━ dream come true | c.sn ━★✼☆｡

navigation

starring: san x reader

fsk-0: fluff | the tiniest bit of insecurities | requested !

volume: 1.7k words

vip access: @midnightseonghwa​ & @barsformars​ & @treasure-hwa​ !

“how was work?” 

his expression fell, no longer able or wanting to hide the exhaustion he felt in that moment.

“bad?”

“just tiring.”

“let’s eat and you can tell me what’s up, okay? or if you don’t want to i can tell you about mrs. schuster and her obsession with erotica novels. she’s convinced she’ll find herself one of those cover models even though she’s like seventy-five and looks like a dried plum.”

you had to admit that, no matter how hard you tried, you never managed to fully understand your boyfriend’s work. not in the way that you couldn’t understand why he’d chosen to work as a dance instructor - you could most definitely understand that, his passion for dancing was as obvious as a massive red sign saying “no entry”, there was no way to miss it if you weren’t entirely stupid -, it was more that you didn’t understand what all he had to do, so even when in the beginning you’d asked him to explain things to you after a while you just gave up and instead did your own work while he planned another choreography, or watched him dance if you had the time, even when you didn’t understand why this move was a perfect follow-up for that move or why the footwork needed to be improved when it seemed perfect to you.

“it’s not perfect yet”, san would often tell you, but you’d just roll your eyes at him, sappy and in love as you’d counter: “everything about you is perfect, including your footwork.”

he’d roll his eyes back at you, but you knew he secretly enjoyed the praise. after all the hard work it had taken for him to be where he was now it was always a nice feeling to have someone tell him that he was doing well. that it had been worth it.

because sometimes things were still hard. sometimes work was exhausting. sometimes he saw someone that had less passion than him but, in his eyes, was a better dancer, or the opposite, someone that had all the passion in the world but wanted to give up because they felt like they’d never be able to make it. that reminded him much of himself when he was younger, and when those students would drop his classes was when his work would get really draining, was when he needed that extra care when he got home.

and today was one of those days.

you noticed as soon as he got home, your happy “hey sannie!” eliciting a fake-happy “hey!” from your lover, but when you asked “how was work?” his expression fell, no longer able or wanting to hide the exhaustion he felt in that moment.

“bad?”, your arms immediately wrapping around his waist as you held him close, starting to stroke his hair when he hid his face in the crook of your neck, trying to shut out the world and the exhaustion he felt.

“just tiring”, his arms wrapped around you now too, holding you tight as if he needed to make sure you weren’t going to run away, or maybe he wanted to squeeze all his frustrations out, much like as if you were one of those anti-stress balls in xxl, or maybe it just calmed him down to hold you. either way, you really didn’t mind in the slightest, would never mind receiving his love.

“let’s eat and you can tell me what’s up, okay? or if you don’t want to i can tell you about mrs. schuster and her obsession with erotica novels. she’s convinced she’ll find herself one of those cover models even though she’s like seventy-five and looks like a dried plum”, trying to make him smile with a story about your work and it seemed to work because you felt his breath tickle your skin as he chuckled, staying where he was for another few seconds before he pulled away, making his way to the kitchen with your hand in his and not leaving you a choice about which chair to sit on because he pulled you down to the one next to him.

“what’s for dinner, love?”, reluctantly letting go of you so you could go fetch the food for the two of you.

“nothing big, just some ramen. but i bought ice cream”, smiling even when he couldn’t see it because your back was turned towards him.

that was enough to satisfy the exhausted man, especially when you decided to feed him after you’d noticed that even moving his arm to bring the food to his mouth seemed to be too much already.

“thank you”, mumbled out between two bites, earning him a small pat to his stuffed cheek before you continued your meal, finishing it soon after and moving to clean up before san could get all the love and attention he craved and then some.

he’d already freed himself from the constricts of his clothes when you joined him in your bedroom, offering you direct skin-to-skin contact as soon as you settled in his arms because there was no way you were keeping your bra on either, not when you wanted to be comfortable, the two of you enjoying a moment of silence before you turned to half lay on top of him, elbows on his chest as you looked down at his face with an expression of gentle worry and absolute adoration.

“do you want to talk about work? or would you rather not?”

he sighed, chest moving up and down underneath you and lifting your upper body as a consequence, his hands roaming your back as he started telling you about how one of his favourite students had quit despite his constant words of encouragement because she’d felt like she’d never be good enough, deciding to opt for a “safer” career path instead.

“and that just reminds me so much of myself back then, you know? and how if i hadn’t had you and my family i’d probably ended up the same way, and it breaks my heart because there’s nothing i love more than dancing and i know the same counts for her, but i wasn’t enough to convince her that she can do it if she tries.”

“love”, you started, changing your position a little so you were now fully laying on his chest rather than propped up on your elbows, “it’s not up to you to make sure everyone follows their dreams. i know you want to, but just because someone doesn’t believe you doesn’t mean that you aren’t enough. for every student that drops out you’ve made another couple reach their goals. i’m proud of you and i want you to be proud of you, too.”

he hummed, not convinced but a little comforted, holding you tightly because there was nothing better to him, really.

“i love you, sannie. how’s your back?”, half to change the topic (you knew this wasn’t really going to lead anywhere right now), half because it was no secret that some of his choreos killed his back, yet he’d usually just ignore it and hope his back had magically recovered by the next day. you, however, had a different tactic, one that was, in all honesty, more effective than his would ever be.

“it’s okay”, he said before changing his mind right after, knowing that with you it was okay to admit that it hurt.

“actually, it hurts. not too bad, but it hurts.”

“do you want a massage?”

as if he was ever going to say no to that, even when he wasn’t in pain. and now that he was he was most definitely going to take you up on that offer - it sounded heavenly.

you rolled off him, staying beside him only for a moment as he turned to lie on his stomach instead and you climbed to sit on his butt, your hands roaming his back and pressing lightly to see where it hurt the most so you could focus on those spots when you massaged him. he groaned quietly every now and then, obviously not happy about the way it felt when you pressed onto a spot that was particularly tense, but whenever he did you’d lean forward and press a kiss to his shoulder as if to apologise for having to hurt him.

“you’re always so good to me”, he sighed out when you’d managed to massage one of the most tense spots away, feeling himself relax more and more the longer you went on, almost ready to fall asleep, really, because it just felt so good. for the first time since he’d left that morning was he actually comfortable and calm, all worries momentarily dissipating.

“i try my best. how’s your back now?”, you asked, the care obvious in your voice and san wanted to just turn around and hold you tight and never let go again, but this massage was so nice too, so he didn’t want to give up on that yet, choosing an ambiguous hum as his reply before saying: “much better. but can you continue anyway? please? it feels nice to be pampered every now and then.”

you smiled at his words, glad that he was being so open with you, leaning down to kiss his shoulder again and using the opportunity of being close to his face to kiss his cheek, too, telling him: “of course”, making him smile contently in return.

you didn’t know how long you sat on his butt like that, massaging him while he lay with his eyes closed and his expression one of pure bliss, but it had to have been quite a while because when you asked him how he was feeling the next time he seemed to have fallen asleep, no reaction to your question even when you repeated it another two times.

it was endearing, though, and made you happy. he’d been exhausted when he’d come home and you were glad he got some good sleep now, even when he’d missed saying goodnight to you. you knew he hadn’t meant to and would apologise for just falling asleep on you with about a dozen kisses as soon as both of you were up again. and you were tired, too, if you were honest, getting off him carefully so you wouldn’t wake him up and wrapping yourself around him just as carefully once you’d turned off the lamp on your night table, covering the both of you with your blanket before placing a small, gentle peck on his lips.

“goodnight, sannie. sweet dreams.”

you didn’t expect any reply, were convinced san was still asleep, and while he was too tired to react in any way at all a happy, loving smile appeared on his face at your words.

goodnight to you too, angel.

[jpegjade]

I’m not a cynic - Spencer

so i finally finished this one. it was supposed to just be a song blurb but i got a longer idea for it and ended up writing it over a period of a few days. so yeah! here’s the song it’s based on: 

i’m not a cynic - Alec Benjamin

warnings: none just angsty fluff. (not really angst, just upset spencer for a sec)

__________________

“Oh my god.” Spencer groaned, dropping his keys on the floor of the hallway.

Spencer Reid was having a bad day. It started when he woke up on the wrong side of the floor, literally. He turned over one too many times and fell out of bed, directly onto the floor. You had left to go to work early so he had no body compass in relation to where you were in the bed. He wasn’t used to you leaving early so this threw him off quite a bit. 

Despite being abruptly woken up on time, he was late to work. The 10 am briefing hadn’t started when he got to the office but he was too late for coffee. There was no time to make more so he was grumpy in the briefing, hardly saying a word. 

Spencer had a ton of case files to look over, in addition to their current case, so he already felt overwhelmed. Morgan wouldn’t stop talking about how quiet he was and when Spencer snapped at him, Hotch gave him a stern talking to about his attitude over the past few days. The result was pairing Reid with Garcia, meaning he didn’t go into the field. He didn’t mind working with Garcia but he wanted to be out with the rest of the team. He always felt like he was missing out when he wasn’t there with everyone else. He felt like that for most of his life, he didn’t want to feel like he was missing out at his job too. 

Spencer pushed the door to the apartment open and found you dancing in the living room with your headphones in. 

“Hey love!” You said, loudly. 

You took out one headphone to hear Spencer but he didn’t look at you. He was looking down at his Converse as he unlaced them. Pulling off his satchel, he put it on the table and walked past you without saying anything, sitting on the couch. He put his hands in his hair and let out a deep sigh he had been holding in for a while. 

You could tell by the way his shoulders slumped and the curve of his back that something was wrong. When Spencer got quiet, something was always wrong. And when he didn’t immediately smile at you when he got home, it had been a hard day. A hard day and something bothering him meant you probably should start running a bath and the two of you could just talk it out. 

Turning down your music, you began running the bath water so it could warm up as it filled the tub. From there, you grabbed your matching comfy robes and his favorite face masks, laying everything out with your matching pajamas. You weren’t going to shower until after dinner but you figured that you could change your schedule a little bit tonight. 

Turning off the water, you walked back into the living room to find Spencer with his hands still propping up his head. He was muttering something but you couldn’t hear it. You gently sat down next to him and softly called his name. 

“Spencer?” It was barely audible but he heard it. 

“What?” He snapped. 

“Do you want to take a bath with me?” You said, trying not to be defensive. 

“No.” He said, shaking his head. 

“Oh, well. I ran the water if you change your mind.” You said, leaning back on your heels. He wasn’t normally like this. Usually, he was more reserved and stoic when he was thinking but now he seemed… Angry.

“I didn’t ask for you to run the water.” Spencer let out a large sigh of frustration. He had been building up all of this energy all day and he couldn’t take holding it in anymore. 

“I know you didn’t ask but you always want a warm bath and to relax when you have a bad day.” You said, trying to keep your own frustration with him at bay. 

“Does anyone ever think that they don't really know me or what I’m going through?” Spencer snapped. 

You paused for a moment, unsure what to really say so you just let him continue. 

“I’m not a cynic but it’s beyond not my day. This isn't my life. And it’s hard to process that no one even seems to acknowledge that I’m struggling.” Spencer said. “You all seem to think that just because I’m smart, life just goes my way. Well, newsflash, it doesn't. I can’t fix anything by being smart. I can’t fix anything by being smart and none of you get that.” 

You watched in shock as Spencer looked up at you with tears rolling down his face. It wasn’t often that Spencer snapped at you. It always had the initial stinging effect that he intended but not too long after he snapped, he always softened up because you weren’t trying to hurt him and he knew that. It was just the stress from the day getting to him. The stress from everything was getting to him. 

“Come on.” You said, holding out your hand. 

Spencer took it and you led him to the bathroom with the now warm bathwater. Spencer got undressed while you mixed more hot water and a bath bomb in the water. Once Spencer got in, you got the shampoo out of the cabinet and sat on the edge while he got comfortable in the colorful bath water and bubbles. 

“Is this okay?” You said, massaging his shoulders. He was a bit tense to the touch but he slowly loosened up the more you worked on his shoulders. 

“Yeah.” He said, nodding. “I’m sorry I snapped.”

“I forgive you. Was it a hard day?” You asked, trying to open the door for a more gentle conversation. 

“Yeah…” Spencer began detailing his day to you, piece by piece. Every frustration, every nuance, everything that made him pent up and slowly, his shoulders started to lose tension. You could feel it under your hands. 

“Have you talked to your mom today?” You asked, knowing that seemed to cheer him up. 

Instead of the reaction you hoped for, his shoulders completely slumped. You heard a couple water drops hit the bath water before Spencer’s body started shaking. 

“Y/n, she forgot who I was for half of the call.” Spencer sounded so broken. 

You rubbed his back as he cried. It was a wonder how he held that in for so long today, that pain. You didn’t say anything as a tear rolled down your cheek. Seeing him in pain always managed to hurt you more than anything else. A few more sobs and some sniffles later, Spencer was calm again. You got out the shampoo and started washing his hair in silence. You wanted to give him room to express himself in any way he felt was helpful so you figured being silent was the best thing. 

Spencer closed his eyes as your hands worked through his hair. It was one thing for him to wash it. It was another for your magical fingers to move through it. You just had a calming effect he didn’t have on his own. But that could be said about most things. You were his better half, his support system. He was a different person with you and you both knew it. He was a better person with you in his life. 

“Do you know why I married you, Spencer?” You asked, washing the shampoo out of his hair. 

“Was it for my stunning good looks?” Spencer sadly chuckled. 

“Yes. But also for your heart. Mainly for your heart. You’re smarter than I’ll ever be. You’re more beautiful than an angel. But your heart is made of gold and that’s why I fell in love with you.” You started the conditioner, the true secret to his silky soft hair. 

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Spencer chuckled again. 

“Wait, you potato brain.” You said, smiling. It was nice to hear him chuckle. “Your mom raised you with a pure heart. A heart so pure and a brain so intricate that no one will understand. Baby, no one will ever understand you. I married you and I don’t understand you. But you can’t hold that against us because we’re trying our best.” 

“I know…” Spencer sighed. 

“But at the same time, you have a right to be frustrated because you can’t help or fix the person that matters to you most. It’s hard to lose someone to something so misunderstood right now and incurable. It’s hard to watch that transition. I know. But you’re not alone, okay? It hurts me that Diana is going through this but you have to trust that she’s getting the best care to make her life easier and so are you.” You said, washing out the conditioner. 

“So if you need to cry,” you continued, grabbing him a big towel for his hair. “Then you go ahead and cry. If you need to throw things, I’ve got starburst you can fling at the wall. If you need a hug or a cuddle, you married an amazing cuddler, if I do say so myself. But please don't hold it in and blow up on me, okay?” You said, drying his hair before wrapping it.

“I think I’ll take you up on that cuddle and a good cry.” Spencer said. 

“Okay, Mr. Reid, I will see you in the bedroom, then.” You repositioned to stand up but Spencer gently grabbed your hand. 

“Can we stay here a little longer? There’s something soothing about the water.” He said, looking up at you with those big puppy eyes. 

“Sure, Spence. Whatever makes you happiest.” You smiled, sitting back down on your little bathroom stool. 

“You make me happiest, y/n.” Spencer smiled. 

[mermaidsneedwater]

you take care of him

⇒ jaebeom

As Jaebeom got up from your dining table he winced. His lower back had been bothering him for the past few days, but he refused to say anything being the stubborn person he was.

You stood up and took the plates out of his hand, “Okay, that’s it. Go to our room.”

“What?” He asked, confused at your reaction.

“You heard me, go and wait. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

Surprised at your commanding tone, he complied with your order and headed to the bedroom.

Soon, you entered with what looked like oil. “Take off your shirt.”

Raising and eyebrow he smirked, “Yes ma’am.”

“Easy there old man.” You said holding a hand out against his bare chest. “We’re not doing anything. I’m going to give you a massage.”

“For the record, I’m not old.” He responded, laying on the bed.

“Says the twenty-five year old with back problems.” You teased.

You moved to the side of him on the bed and poured a little lavender oil in your hand. “I read that this relaxes the muscles.”

You rubbed your hands together before spreading the oil on his back. Your hands working the area affecting him. You started with his shoulders before working to his lower back.

“Ahhh, that feels so good baby.” He said laying his head on the bedsheets. “Why didn’t I ask for a massage sooner?”

“I know,” you said, continuing to massage his back, “it’s almost as if sharing your problems with your girlfriend can actually help.”

“Ha ha Y/N.” Jaebeom said rolling his eyes. “I know I should’ve told you earlier.”

You tapped his shoulder to indicate you were done. As he rolled over on his back he propped himself on his elbows.

You crossed your arms, “Why didn’t you just tell me your back was bothering you?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t want to admit I needed help.” He said, playing with one of his rings.

“I can’t keep playing guessing games with you. If you don’t trust me to help you with your problems then why are we even together?” You asked, hurt that your boyfriend couldn’t rely on you.

Moving himself closer to the end of the bed, Jaebeom brought you in between his legs, taking your hands in his. “It’s not that baby, it’s just me. I’m not used to having someone who cares about me so much in my life. I guess I’m still new to the whole relying on others thing.”

“Okay, just promise you’ll tell me if your back keeps bothering you.” You said, looking up through your eyelashes.

“After that massage? Absolutely.” He smiled.

“I’ll go draw you a bath.” You said shyly. You left his hand to go to the bathroom.

Quickly Jaebeom followed you to find you starting the bath. “Join me?”

“Fine.” You smiled slowly.

⇒ mark

As Mark turned on the light in your shared apartment, he was startled to find you sitting on the couch in the dark.

“Jesus, Y/N are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He said placing a hand over his chest. “You scared me, what are you doing up so late? It’s almost two o’clock.”

“I could ask you the same thing,” you replied, arms crossed. “Jinyoung told me what’s been going on.”

Oh crap. Groaning, Mark ran a hand through his hair.

“You’re barely eating Mark,” you stood up. “That’s why you barely have any energy. It’s why you fainted at practice today. Do you have any idea how scared I was when Jinyoung called me from the hospital?”

Mark made a mental note of killing Jinyoung after this conversation was through.

“I’ve just been–“

“So busy? Stressed? Why would you think that not eating was a good idea?” You finished his sentence teary eyed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to eat, every time I think I’m going to eat something I get anxious thinking about our comeback and I don’t feel hungry.” Mark said.

Walking over to him you took his face in your hands, “I don’t want anything bad to happen you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me babe.” He rested foreheads against yours.

“Why wouldn’t you call me when you were at the hospital today,” you looked at him, a tear rolling down your cheek, “did you think I wouldn’t care?”

“Oh baby,” His thumb wiping your tear away, “I just didn’t want you to be worrying about me.”

“I’m always worrying about you. I love you.” You replied.

“I love you too. And I’m sorry.” He said, as he hung his head. “I won’t do that to you ever again.”

Wiping your face with your hand, you let out a breath. “Good. Now come here.”

You took his hand and lead him to the kitchen.

“I made you food for the rest of the week. You can take it to work.” You said. “And I made you food for now, it’s not the most nutritious but I know you won’t be able resist.”

You took Mark’s favorite ramen out of the microwave and showed it to him.

“I want you to eat. I know I’m not the best cook but–“

You were cut off by the feeling of Mark’s lips against yours.

“I love you so much,” he whispered.

⇒ jackson

“Y/N.”

You turned to see Jackson with his crutches in front of you in the kitchen.

“Jackson! You need to sit on the couch. The doctor said you have to keep your foot elevated.” You scolded, turning the stove off.

“I know, I know, but I feel lonely all by myself on the couch.” He said shyly. “I want to be with you,”

“Well, couldn’t you have waited 5 more minutes?” You said.

You walked towards him, taking his arm over your shoulder and helping him sit back down on the couch. You walked back to the kitchen to bring his crutches.

Recovery for his broken leg had taken longer that expected and Jackson was at his wits’ end. You did your best to take care of him physically, but mentally he was frustrated and drained.

“I hate this!” He groaned, frustrated at his lack of mobility. “I can’t even lay down without needing help.”

Silently, you helped him move his back on the couch so he could achieve his desired position.

“Thanks Princess,” He grumbled.

“Move over,” you told him.

You squished your way onto the couch so you could cuddle him. You watched him as he frowned, looking up at the ceiling.

“I love you.” You said sweetly. You didn’t outwardly express it to Jackson very often, so you knew when he heard it he’d melt on the spot.

Silence.

“Hey!” You lightly whacked his chest, looking up at him frowning.

“Ow! I just broke my leg woman, are you trying to break a rib too?” He exclaimed.

“You didn’t say it back!” You whined.

He looked at you blankly.

Shocked, you turned on your side to leave. “I can’t believe you, I’m goin–“

That’s when Jackson trapped you in his arms, laughing into your neck.

“Let me go.” You said, annoyed that he didn’t say it back to you.

“No.” Jackson held you harder.

“Jackson!” You replied agitated.

“I love you too.” He said, breathing into your neck. “Kiss me?”

Turning around you stuck your tongue out at him before slipping away and leaving the couch. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

Shocked, he struggled to sit up, “That’s just cold.”

⇒ jinyoung

“Jinyoung are you okay?” You asked, concerned he was still in bed. “Don’t you have work?”

“I asked if I could come in late today,” he explained, “come lie down with me sweetheart.”

“You’re feeling awfully snuggly today,” you remarked.

Shrugging, he patted the empty space on the bed next to him. You climbed in and snuggled into his chest. But when you put your head over his heart you noticed it was beating quite fast.

“Woah, your heart is beating so fast.” You sat up from your spot. You placed a hand over his heart, his hoodie obstructing the movement.

“You have that effect on me,” he smiled cheekily. His fingers softly trailed up and down your arm. As he watched you, you noticed he looked frail, his eyes weren’t crinkling like they usually did when he smiled like that.

“No this is different,” you frowned. Trying to get a better feel of his heart you moved your hand under his hoodie. “Yeah, it’s definitely fast. Do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine.” He tried to convince you, “don’t worry about me.”

Raising an eyebrow, you moved your hand to his forehead, “You’re warm. I’ll call JB and let him know you’re sick.”

“Y/N–“

“No, you’re not going in today.” You said sternly, getting out of bed you headed to the kitchen, “I’ll start making you some soup.”

A little while later you came back into your bedroom to find Jinyoung napping. You set the tray of soup down on his bedside table. Placing a kiss on his forehead, you slowly moved his shoulder to wake him up.

“I want you to eat something. Just have some soup and then you can go back to sleep.” You said softly.

Slowly, he sat up in bed as you moved the tray in front of him. With his hood still over his head, you fed him some soup. As he swallowed you waited for his reaction.

“Is it any good?” You asked.

“It’s perfect.” He replied. “Thank you Y/N.”

He leaned forward to tuck some stray hair behind your ear. His hand lingered on your cheek, “I love you. So much.”

Smiling, you left the spoon in his bowl for him to finish. “I love you too. Now hurry up and get better so I can kiss you.”

As he watched you leave, Jinyoung felt lucky. Not that he was sick, but that someone loved him so much to know when he was feeling under the weather, even when he wouldn’t admit it to himself.

⇒ youngjae

Youngjae was spiraling. That was the simplest way to put it.

“I can’t get the steps right. I’m in a senior group and I can’t get the steps right, I don’t deserve to be here. JYP has been wanting to kick me out for a while, I can feel it. And now he’s got the perfect opportunity to do it because I suck at the dance for this concept. I’ve let everyone down, the team, our managers, our fans, even you! I’m worthless absolute tr–“

“Darling? Just take a breath.” You tried to calm him down.

“In and Out.” You instructed him. “Just stop talking and breathe with me.”

Slowly he stopped talking and just focused on breathing with you.

“Good. This spiral is not you. It’s just your anxiety. You are talented and capable and worthy..” You said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Youngjae took a deep breath in, “you’re right.”

“Okay, now you’re going to back into the studio and you’re going to work with the choreographer and Yugyeom until you’re perfect. And don’t worry. You have time.” You said slowly.

“Okay, okay.” He said closing his eyes. “I’ve got this.”

“Yes you do,” you kissed his cheek, “now get in your car and get to work!”

⇒ bambam

“Can you stop doing that? It’s so annoying.” Bambam snapped at you.

In your entire relationship, Bambam was never the type to get angry, he was simply too carefree and young to be angry. So when you found him snapping at you on his day off, you knew something was up.

Wordlessly, you got up from the couch and headed to your room. When Bambam was feeling this way, most of the time it was best to give him space. Most of the time.

As you sat on your side of the bed and plugged in your headphones your heard a large crash. Quickly, you threw your phone on the bed and headed to the living room.

“Fuck.” Bambam cursed. You watched as bent down to pick up the pieces of the mug he’d dropped.

As he picked up the broken pieces of ceramic, you slipped on some shoes to avoid cutting your feet. You bent down and gently placed a hand over his.

“I got it.” You said.

Ignoring your statement, you watched as he kept picking it up, wincing at one piece.

“Oh damn.” He said holding up the finger he’d nicked.

“Let me help you.” You slowly stood up weigh him and had Bambam sit on the couch.

Leaving him there, you headed to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Silently you came back to the living room and began sanitizing his finger before putting on a band aid.

Bambam watched you as you carefully patched up the cut.

“Thank you baby.” He said. “I’m sorry.”

Saying nothing, you leaned forward and engulfed him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around you, and you could feel something wet on your collar bone.

“I’m so sorry,” Bambam cried in your arms, “I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve you.”

Shushing him, you just let him cry. “It’s okay baby, I know you’re stressed.”

He pulled away from you and you sat on his lap. Holding his cheek you softly kissed him.

“Don’t push me away Bam.” You said, “I’m here for you.”

⇒ yugyeom

“Yugyeom this is the third time this week they’ve called you back! You’re supposed to be done with this.” You said as you watched your boyfriend gather his stuff to head back to work.

“I know but they keep having problems with my vocals. One of the producers accidentally deleted the files I recorded and now I have to go back to re-record.” He replied calmly.

“At 11 pm?!” You said, annoyed that your boyfriend was being overworked like this.

“Our comeback is scheduled for next month, if I don’t re-record this, everything will be pushed back.” He said. “I’m sorry jagi, I’ll make it up to you.”

You watched as Yugyeom headed out the door frazzled. This was so unfair.

The next night you heard Yugyeom’s phone ring at around 10 pm, as he laid sleeping in your lap you decided to see who was calling.

“Hello? Yugyeom? You need to comeback to the building, we’re trying to teach the back up dancers some of the moves and they just aren’t getting it.”

“Yugyeom is sleeping now, he can’t come.” You replied simply. You were not going to back down this time. No one worked harder than Yugyeom. There was a time and place for work and when he left the studio Yugyeom shouldn’t be required to go back in.

“Can you wake him up? It’s urgent.” The caller responded. “He needs to come here.”

That was enough to send you over the edge.

“What he needs is to rest. You guys have been calling back to work overtime for a quite a few days now, and he’s exhausted but he can’t say no. If you’re having trouble with the dance, call the choreographer.” You snapped. “If you guys call him back to work one more time after this, we’ll file a harassment case against you, got it?!”

“Understood.” The line went dead.

Looking at the phone you smiled to yourself, running a hand through his hair.

Unbeknownst to you, Yugyeom had woken up hearing you get upset on the phone. As you ran your fingers through his hair he smiled, he was so lucky to have you in his corner.

I love you Y/N, he thought to himself.

return to masterlist

[soshesighs]

Fic: Careful

Fandom: @mindblindbard

Pairing: Gray/Button

Word Count: ~6,200

Summary: Soulmate!AU in which when two fated people first touch, their names appear tattooed on the other person's wrist. In five years, Button and Gray have never come in contact with each other, until one day... they do.

Note: In this story, Nick and Sally are already in a relationship/are soulmates. Also, my (f!)Button goes by Stevie (her full name is Stella Verbena Wiseman, because I had to follow the flower middle name Nick got; she's not crazy about her full name, though, so she uses a portmanteau of her first and middle name together), though Sally has been known to shorten that even further to just V. There's a longer note at the end, explaining why one aspect of this might seem familiar, if you're so inclined to read it!

---

(11:48 am): STAY AWAY FROM 7TH AND ELM.

Stevie blinks down at her phone. It isn’t unusual to get random warning texts from Sally whenever the two are apart - eventually, after being away from the mental shielding that Stevie grants her, Sally’s visions always return with a vengeance - but usually there’s a bit more to go on, some follow up texts that explain a bit more about whatever it is that Sally has seen. But not today, apparently.

Cocking her head to the side, Stevie types her reply.

(11:54 am): I thought your dads said no phones on vacation. Did you get it back?

As she sits there waiting for a reply, Nick plops down on the couch next to her with a groan, dropping his head into her lap and following it up with an (overly-dramatic, if Stevie has any say on it) hacking cough. “Button, I’m dying.”

Stevie almost manages to avoid rolling her eyes. Almost. But she still starts stroking her hand through his hair in what she hopes is a comforting way anyway. Her brother may be an absolute dork, but he’s her dork. “You’re not dying, Saint Nick,” she says fondly. “You have a cold, which I tried to warn you was going to happen after your last mission left you drenched, but did you listen to me? Of course not.”

Her phone buzzes where it sits on her thigh. She swipes to unlock it, glancing down to quickly read Sally’s latest text.

(11:56 am): NO, I STOLE IT BACK. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Her brow furrows, and she stops petting Nick long enough to grab her phone and reply once more.

(11:58 am): Okay, okay, I’m listening. Any more you can give me to go on?

(12:01 pm): NO DETAILS, JUST STAY OUT OF THE STREETS. BE CAREFUL, V.

(12:01 pm): P.S. IS NICHOLAS OKAY?

Nick’s heard the last bit of their conversation in her mind as she thinks over the texts, and he looks up at her with trademark puppy dog eyes. Tell her to stop worrying, I’m fine. Or, alternatively, let me talk to her and I’ll tell her myself?

She frowns, hating to be the bearer of bad news. She technically can’t have her phone yet, sorry. She snuck it from her dads to give me a head’s up on something.

Nick’s sighing really becomes dramatic then. Apparently a week away from his girlfriend, even with his sister and best friend there to keep him occupied, is too much for him to handle. Stevie decides to answer quickly so that she can go back to giving him her full attention.

(12:05 pm): He’s a bit worse today, but nothing awful. A bit of a temperature and a cough that doesn’t want to go away. Gray and I are keeping an eye on him. And by that I mean that Gray forced him to take some PTO, and I’m keeping him fed and hydrated.

(12:06 pm): He, however, claims he’s dying, so if you have any last words…

Sally’s replies arrive almost instantaneously, and Stevie can’t help but chuckle to herself.

(12:08 pm): TELL HIM TO SHUT UP AND TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF

(12:09 pm): ...ALSO TELL HIM I MISS HIM

Nick cranes his neck over to see what his sister seems to find so funny that it steals her attention from his complaining. “Tell Salome that I-” he begins, only to end up with a face full of throw pillow.

“Tell her yourself later, you nerd. I’m your sister, not your secretary!” Stevie quips, following it up by sticking her tongue out at him. (Nick responds immediately in kind.)

One final text comes in from Sally, letting them know that her dads found her and took her phone back. Stevie hopes she doesn’t end up in too much trouble for texting her; after all, she was only trying to help her and keep her safe.

Before she can decide if she should call Sally’s dads to explain and plead on her behalf, a voice drifts in from the living room doorway, making both her and Nick sit up straighter to turn around and see.

"Is Nick being demanding again?"

Nick flops back into her lap as Gray walks over, putting his hands on the arm of the couch and leaning in as he talks to them. He makes sure to still stay a safe foot or so away from Stevie so as not to invade her personal mental space - so careful, always so careful. (She wishes he weren’t, has tried to tell him so, but he always smiles his careful smile and stays a few steps away.)

His presence interrupts and breaks apart the ridiculous fight between the siblings, and he knows it. He quirks an eyebrow, waiting for a reply. Stevie says, "Always" at the exact same time that Nick chimes in with a faux offended, "Never! And aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

He tries not to smile at their lovable bickering, but Gray’s affection for them both wins out. He shakes his head fondly at their antics, a common expression for him; the movement jostles a strand of his hair free, and he reaches up to attempt to push it into place, off his forehead and behind his ear. (It’s short enough that it won’t really stay, though, almost immediately falling back down. He tries twice more in vain to fix it before eventually accepting his fate. Stevie tries not to notice. Nick’s quiet snickering, complete with projected cartoon eye roll, in her mind tells her she fails.)

"Sorry, not this time, Nick,” he begins. “Stevie's only trying to help you get well, you know. You should be thanking her.”

Nick mumbles out something that sounds very distinctly like ‘Of course you take her side.’

“What was that?” Stevie asks, poking him in the side. Gray, meanwhile, has taken another step backwards, hands off the couch, which makes her prod Nick even harder in frustration.

Don’t say things like that! You make him even more distant.

Her brother looks up at her, genuine apology written clear across his features. Sorry, Button. There’s only so much pining a man can take in silence before getting lost in the woods! If you’d just tell him-

I tried that, remember? He very gracefully turned me down.

Because you were a kid, and he was in his 20s! You’re on an even playing field now! Wait, I lost the forest metaphor somewhere along the way...

With a sigh, Stevie tries to push the memories away before a flush can creep onto her cheeks. And I’ve told you a million times before, it’s not worth messing up what we have now. I’m glad he and I are good friends. Besides, Gray keeps his wrists covered for a reason, Nick. There’s probably already a name there that he’s trying to keep safe.

Nick begins to make a mental noise of protest, but Stevie quickly cuts him off by blasting the first song that comes to mind in her head, effectively screaming ‘We’re not talking about this anymore!’

Gray clears his throat, nervously shifting his weight ever so slightly on his feet as he realizes the siblings had been talking telepathically, and tries to make a graceful exit. “Well, I should start getting ready to go. I have to report in for a meeting at 2.”

“Sorry,” Nick says, between more coughing fits. Stevie hands him her bottle of water from the coffee table, which he drinks from gratefully. “You know how it is; it’s just faster sometimes.”

His partner nods, but still takes another step backwards as he makes to leave, one hand idly twirling the cuff on the opposite arm. Nick’s eyes dart down, clocking the action, and he frowns.

“Grayson,” he starts, his full name use and serious tone somewhat belittled by the fact that he’s still lying down with his head in Stevie’s lap. “I’ve told you a million times that you don’t need to wear those here. Nobody in this house - and nobody who Button and I would let in this house - would betray you.”

Gray sags a bit, exhaling a small frustrated sound. “And I’ve told you a million times that it isn’t either of you or any of our friends that I don’t trust, it’s myself. The second I start taking them off is the second I forget to put them back on.”

Stevie swats at Nick’s chest, scowling at him a bit when he looks up at her in mock anger. “Leave him be, Nick. You of all people should understand why he doesn’t want to risk it, what with both of you having some... slightly overzealous fans.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Nick says with a groan. “But Salome and I have managed fine! Sure, it was breaking news for a while when we decided to stop hiding our marks, but people got over it.” He rubs a hand over his chest, pretending to massage away the ache of his sister’s (very light, she thinks pointedly at him) slap, then grabs her arm and gestures at it. “Look, Stevie doesn’t cover her arms!”

“I’m not in the public eye anywhere near as much as you two are,” she protests, snatching her arm free. “Besides, it’s... different for me. People have other things to try to use against me besides my bare wrists.” Stevie taps the side of her head with a wry, sad smile.

“And you think people wouldn’t focus on other things about Gray? His devilishly good looks? The oh-so-charming accent? The way his-...”

Holding up a hand, Gray cuts off the conversation there. “We’ve talked this over in circles, Nick. I’m afraid you won’t change my mind. Public marks are dangerous in our line of work.”

It feels like a punch to the gut to Stevie, like someone reached their hand straight into her chest and squeezed her heart tight in their first, like someone stole the breath straight from her lungs. So he does have a mark, she thinks, squeezing her eyes shut tight. I should’ve known.

Nick blindly grabs her hand, giving it a squeeze that one might even generously consider a death grip, though his eyes are locked with Gray in a silent (intense, from her observation of their expressions) conversation. She has no idea what they’re discussing, but it clearly doesn’t involve her. She returns Nick’s squeeze, but then carefully begins to pry her hand free and shift out from underneath him, needing to extract herself from the situation. She needs air, fresh air - maybe someplace far away where she can let out the pained scream wanting to burst out of her; she needs out.

Her movement seems to break into their conversation, and Gray shifts his regard to her. “Heading out? I thought one of us was staying with Nick.”

“I don’t need to be babysat,” the aforementioned sick man protests. “I’ll be a good patient, I swear.”

“He’ll be fine,” Stevie says, voice wobbling. She pulls herself up straighter, as if her posture could hold her together entirely. “I’m just going to go for a walk, get some fresh air. We’ve all been cooped up in here for the last few days.”

She can actually see the moment that a lightbulb goes off in Nick’s head, making him sit up quickly from the couch. But the sudden change in equilibrium seems to leave him dizzy; he brings a hand up to his forehead with wide eyes, causing both Stevie and Gray to reach out towards him should he start to fall. Nick shakes his head after a second, though, and rights himself. He tries to reassure them that he’s fine, but his sister and Gray both wear twin expressions of concern. At least now her focus is back on Nick and not on her own crushed heart.

Stevie sets her hand on his shoulder once he seems to finally be steady. “You should lay down. You need to rest, Saint Nick - and really rest, not stay up all day and night playing video games. You’re sick, not on a vacation.” She bites her lip before quietly confessing, “I’m worried about you. Do it for me, okay?”

Nick looks over at her and moans. “You know I can’t resist that face, Button.”

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, an uneven, tilted smile. It’s a small thing, her own feelings and worry still winning out, but it’s there. “I know. So what do you say?”

“I say… if you’re already going out, can you guys do me a favor?”

---

Within a few minutes, Stevie and Gray are on their way to go pick up a takeout order for Nick - some soup that, hopefully, will both fill him up and bring him some comfort. But Nick, being as particular as he is about foods and flavors, wants them to pick it up from a specific deli on the other side of town. Stevie hasn’t been there before, but she’s grateful that she at least won’t have to find it alone.

The fresh air does wonders to calm her down as well. She takes in big gulps of it, arms spread wide to feel the sun and wind on her skin, and gives a small twirling hop step as they start heading out. Sure, her heart feels like it’s been shattered into tiny pieces and is rattling around freely in her chest, but at least now she doesn’t feel trapped and contained. Besides, if Stevie Wiseman has gotten good at anything over the years, it’s burying her emotions and putting on a brave face - and she knows if she wants to retain her friendship with Gray, she needs to act like she’s fine around him.

Gray, on the other hand, looks outwardly uncomfortable. He keeps tugging on the brim of his hat, pulling it further and further down over his eyes (which seem to be darting around constantly to keep an eye on their surroundings, if his ever-moving head is any indication). He’s also making sure to stay on the far opposite edge of the sidewalk, giving her most of the pathway to herself. She can’t help but wonder if it’s lingering discomfort from whatever that last conversation with Nick had been.

“You didn’t have to come,” Stevie finally says, breaking their mutual silence. “That is - I mean… not that I don't want you here! I just mean, well... I know you have a meeting soon, so if you don’t have the time, I understand.”

Smooth, Wiseman. Real smooth, she thinks. He’ll never notice a thing.

He freezes mid-step and looks over at her, and she wonders exactly what expression he’s making under that cap and sunglasses, what’s going on in his head - one of the many times she’d kill for Nick’s abilities. “I wanted to,” Gray replies, voice barely audible over the busy sounds of the surrounding Chicago streets.

She turns away before (she hopes) he can see her blush. He doesn’t mean it like that, she tries to remind herself.

“Well, thank you for the company, then,” she settles on saying, trying to remember how to convince her feet to start walking again. Hopefully her voice sounds more calm and collected than she feels. “And thanks for the help keeping Nick contained this week. I know it’s hard for him to step away from work and rest, and I also know enough to recognize that he wouldn’t listen to just me about it.”

"For a man who constantly proclaims you the smartest person he knows, he doesn't listen well, does he?" Gray teases.

Stevie can’t help but groan. “You’re telling me. It’s not like I know him better than anyone else or anything,” she says sarcastically, then immediately shooting a glance at him and wincing a bit. “Sorry, I didn't mean-"

He holds his hands up, shaking his head. “No offense taken. I’m sure you do. I can’t compete with a sibling bond, or certainly not like the one you two have, at least.”

They pause at a light, waiting for the sign to give them the okay to cross. Stevie can feel Gray’s eyes on her back, and it leaves her itching to turn around. If the world were slightly less cruel, if the physical space between them weren’t a constant upkeep and if fate had consented to match them together, she might dig deep within herself and find the bravery to reach out and finally grab his hand, thread their fingers together, tug him out onto the crosswalk with a teasing smile and a playful “Let’s go, cookie monster, we’re running out of time.”

But that’s not them. He has someone, she has to remember that. And the two of them? They’re a constant mindful dance around each other, a deliberate six inches at least (usually a foot, if not more), always careful.

(She hates that word.)

Stevie glances back for a split second. “Fidgeting,” comes the mumble, and she doesn’t even fully realize that she’s spoken aloud.

Gray makes a questioning noise, immediately bringing his gaze to meet hers.

The light changes, so she steps out to continue their journey and tries to keep her voice even. “When you’re nervous, you fidget, especially if you’re all… incognito. When you're uncomfortable, I should say. You tend to readjust your hat, push up your glasses, fix your hair. ” She clears her throat, suddenly nervous. “Rebuckle your cuffs, whether that’s these separate ones or your shirt sleeves. Twist them around, like earlier."

The deli that they’re heading to is at most only a couple of blocks down now; Stevie can see the sign from here, a bright neon thing blinking in perfect rhythm. She times her breathing to it in an attempt to quiet her pounding heart.

He tries to smile, but Stevie knows by now what a real smile from Gray looks like and what his plastered-on media smile does, and this is most definitely the latter. She took it too far, she knew the moment the topic changed to even skirt the edges of his mysterious marks that she’d said too much, but something about being around him makes her lose her filter.

“Well,” he begins, clearing his throat around that fake expression, “You’re quite observant. But unfortunately, not all of us are as brave as you are, Stella.”

Her head whips around then, because Gray never uses her full first name - nobody around her does really, aside from her parents - and she finds herself frozen right in front of the door they should be entering.

“You called me Stella.”

He rebends the brim of his hat. “Apologies, Stevie." Shifts his feet. "I know you don’t prefer it.”

"It's okay," she hears herself saying, so soft even to her own ears that she thinks the words may have been lost to the wind. "From you, I don't mind."

Stevie winces internally; it’s going to take a while to build up a better filter around him. She tries to meet his eyes, but only sees her own (bright red) face in his mirrored lenses; she dimly hopes that he might not notice, or perhaps chalk it up to the day's warmer weather. After a moment, she shakes her head, breaking free of whatever spell hearing Grayson Black quietly say her full first name had put her under. "Anyway, this is the place. Shall we?"

---

Gray follows behind her, having held the door open to let her enter first, and it closes behind them both with a soft tinkling of bells. The first thing Stevie notices is that it isn’t an incredibly busy place; there’s only two tables occupied out of the entire restaurant floor, both up against the windows on the other side of the room and seemingly taken up by one big group. The second thing is that it smells amazing. Her stomach growls in agreement almost immediately, and she throws her hands over it as if that could make it quiet down.

She chuckles, trying to downplay her own embarrassment. “I think I’ll grab something while we’re here to take home for myself as well.” Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she asks, “What about you? Going to grab anything to-go before your meeting, or did you already eat?”

He opens his mouth to reply, but instead seems to quickly glance past her, a frown forming. Stevie’s about to ask what’s got him so upset when someone slams into her with a shoulder check, making her stumble backwards - almost right into Gray, but not quite, as he manages to bounce back a step in time.

“Out of the way, freak,” the person mutters at her, before shoving past her again and immediately out the door.

Gray acts like he’s going to follow, pivoting on the spot, but Stevie tosses a hand out towards him. “Don’t,” she pleads. “They’re not worth it. It’s fine, Gray. I’m used to it.”

He turns back toward her, and his anger softens in a second, seeming to fade off his features the moment he looks at her. “You shouldn’t have to be.”

Stevie swallows hard, fingering the strap of her crossbody bag, readjusting it very deliberately and meticulously to avoid meeting his eyes again. “I know. But it’s how it’s always been. Can we just… get the food and go?”

It takes him a second to answer, and Stevie knows he’s still considering going out after the guy and - and what? He wouldn’t ever retaliate against him; Gray’s too good a guy for that. Maybe give him a stern talking to? But that would give him away entirely, ruining his already flimsy disguise. He’d be surrounded in minutes; Stevie’s seen it happen enough times to know it’s true. They both know that no good could or would come from it.

“Okay,” he finally agrees. “But I’m walking back with you. I’ll leave for the meeting after.”

She won’t admit it outloud, but the relief that floods through her knowing that she won’t have to make the walk alone is palpable for Stevie. What she said is true: she’s fairly used to people making comments under their breath at her, but it doesn’t often escalate into anything physical. And while Nick, Gray, and all their friends had made sure that she knew how to defend herself if push comes to literal shove, she’d always rather not fight. Admitting that the (fairly innocuous, she realizes) interaction has shaken her up a bit (she blames her already fragile emotional state) isn’t something she’s keen to do. So she just nods in reply, grateful, before turning to walk up to the deli counter.

“Picking up an order for Nicholas, please? I have the order number and confirmation right here on my phone. And I’d like to get a second entrée while I’m here as well.”

---

Stevie leaves the restaurant before Gray. While he’s still waiting for his order, she grabs the bag with her food and Nick’s and says she’s going to wait outside, that she needs the air. She can tell that Gray is uneasy about it, but he relents and nods, saying he should be out in a minute or so. She gives him what she hopes is a reassuring smile, and pushes out the door.

But the moment she steps outside, she knows something is wrong.

A shadow blocks her path, despite it being midday, and a pair of shoes is suddenly right in her line of sight. Recognizable, perfectly shined, name-brand dress shoes.

Shoes she’d just seen as her classmate shoved into her and left the restaurant in a huff. Shoes that had just as often tried to trip her up in the halls of Aeon.

“Going somewhere?”

She snaps her head up, and - in the most deadly calm voice she can manage - says, “Move out of my way, please.”

The guy pretends to think, tapping his fingers on his chin, before a wolfish grin starts to spread on his face. “You know, I don’t think I will.”

“What’s your problem with me?” Stevie snaps, rolling her eyes. “If I bother you that much, then leave.”

“Like your little boyfriend did? Not here now, I see. Who is he?” he asks, taking another step closer to Stevie. She knows she can’t let him box her in, so she fakes to his left before pivoting around his right, trying to get around and away from him. Her momentum, however, is slowed due to the weight of the bags of food in her arms. Before she knows it, he has her backed against a streetlamp. “Obviously no one important, since he didn’t stick around. He sick of your noise already?”

His eyes glance down at her full hands, noting her empty wrists. “Or maybe he got tired of playing pretend? I notice his wrists were covered. He kick you to the curb to go after his real soulmate?”

Stevie grits her teeth, turning her head away; she doesn’t want to rise to this asshole’s provocation, doesn’t want to give away how painfully close to the truth he might be.

“Even fate doesn’t think anyone could put up with you forever, Wiseman.” He reaches out then, making to wrap his hand around her wrist, and on instinct she kicks her knee up - and she knows instantly that she’s accurately found her target as the guy stumbles back and doubles over.

“You’ll pay for that,” he pushes out past a groan.

Four things happen then in quick succession:

The first being that the door to the restaurant pushes open with a light chiming of bells, a sound far too cheery for Stevie’s current situation. She snaps her head up, meeting the fixed, shocked stare of one Grayson Black, just as he tucks his sunglasses onto the neck of his shirt.

The second thing is that the guy - who also glanced behind him quickly to see whether the newcomer to their situation was one of his friends or someone to worry about - mumbles a shocked, “Oh shit,” before turning back around towards Stevie with wide eyes, realizing that Gray is indeed ‘someone to worry about.’

The third is that he shoves at Stevie as hard as he can before making a beeline out of the situation, running off down some side alley and disappearing almost as quickly as he’d slid into Stevie’s line of sight earlier.

And the fourth and final thing is that she goes tumbling back - arms still full and totally unable to stop her fall - causing her heel to slip off the curb and sending Stevie sprawling into the intersection at the corner of 7th and Elm Street.

---

Stevie’s heart drops.

Her arms pinwheel as she tries to regain her balance, the takeout bags flying somewhere off to her sides, and after a second she squeezes her eyes shut tight, resigned to whatever serious injury is about to befall her. Somewhere in the distance, she hears someone laying on their horn, blaring down Elm towards her.

But the impact never comes.

Before she stumbles completely, before she can fall flat onto her back, before the oncoming traffic can slam into her flailing body, Gray crosses the concrete path between them, grabs her arm, and pulls. Her center of gravity flips on a dime, sending her instead tumbling forward to crash hard into his chest; the impact knocks them both backwards, but he immediately wraps his arms around her and spins them around on the spot, baring his back to the busy street to take whatever blow might come in her stead and placing her once again on the relative safety of the sidewalk.

Both their eyes are still clenched tight, breath coming in ragged, choking gasps, as some random pedestrian comes up yelling, asking if they’re okay.

She manages to nod, but she’s not sure it’s very convincing, given that she’s still attempting to stave off the panic threatening to overtake her and sucking in huge gulps of air.

“Careful! Breathe, Stevie,” a calming voice says. She’s fairly certain she recognizes the voice, but right now the only thing she registers is the slamming of her own heartbeat in her own ears. “Try to match me. You’re okay, look at me - look at me, okay? You’re alright. It’s okay.”

Someone lowers her to the ground, the two of them falling into a graceless heap of tangled, trembling limbs. Gentle hands smooth down her hair, pulling it back from her neck and helping her lean forward as she continues to hyperventilate. She vaguely registers someone asking if they should call for paramedics, another quiet voice saying no, disclosing that she doesn’t like doctors.

She covers her eyes with her shaking hands, trying to block out the chaos around her so that she can focus on calming down. Usually by now, Nick would’ve interrupted her panic attack with a series of unimportant, unrelated questions, but he must have finally fallen asleep.

Good, some tiny part of her mind chimes, but her focus can’t remain on her sick brother for long before another tidal wave of adrenaline crashes over her, taking any and all external thoughts with it out to sea.

A hand rubs up and down her spine, silently reassuring her that she’s not alone. Somewhere, a voice - the same person? - is counting softly into her ear. It takes her a moment, but in time she realizes they’re counting breaths.

She struggles to fall in line with their tempo, but little by little she does. The edges of her vision start to clear, the gripping sensation around her chest starts to loosen, and her limbs become stiff and heavy as she slowly, so slowly, stops shaking like a leaf.

“Are you with me?” the kind voice asks, and her mind finally reconnects that it’s Gray - that he’s the one that pulled her back, that he’s sat with her in the middle of a busy sidewalk for the last five minutes as she comes back down, that somehow he’s gotten the tiny crowd they’d gathered to disperse and give her air.

Her forehead comes to rest on her knees, but eventually she nods. She mumbles out a continuous stream of thank yous, seeming to be the only words she can form at first.

At long last, she croaks out, “You saved my life.”

Gray’s hand still massages up and down her back, trying to help her stay grounded. “It is kind of my job,” he jokes, though his voice is strained with the attempt to turn their afternoon into something lighthearted.

Stevie leans back, resting her head against his chest with a soft chuckle. “That it is, superhero.”

It takes a moment for his words to fully sink in. A couple of deep breaths later, though, and she springs back from his hold, eyes wide. “Your job! The meeting, you were supposed to-” she starts.

He holds his hands out towards her, like one might in an attempt to comfort a startled animal, obviously hoping she doesn’t work herself up into a frenzy again. When it appears she’s not going to run at his touch, he sets his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Stevie, don’t worry about it. Unity will have already heard what happened by now. I’d be surprised if someone hasn’t contacted Nick as well.”

She groans at that, dropping her head into her hands again. “Great, now he’ll never let me out of his sight again.”

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Gray asks around a deep laugh, sounding utterly disbelieving. “Nevermind that you only narrowly avoided falling victim to a pedestrian accident, of course.”

“You know how overprotective Nick is. Of course that’s what I’m wor- ahh!” she cuts herself off with a hiss of pain, pulling her arms close to her chest with a wince.

Gray’s hands tighten on her shoulders as his eyes dart over her entire form. “What is it?” he asks. “Are you hurt?”

But Stevie doesn’t answer, she just stares down, eyes growing wider by the second. Gray pleads for her to answer him, asking again if she’s okay, but she can’t find her voice to respond. Her breath feels caught in her throat - not dissimilar to how she was previously feeling, but for an entirely different reason.

This can’t be happening, she thinks, mind racing at what feels like a million miles a minute. It’s not possible. There’s no way.

“What’s not possible, Stevie?” he finally asks, voice desperate, neither of them acknowledging that he reads her mind before the question.

Slowly - and looking back, she’d genuinely say it feels like the tiny movement takes her a lifetime, as if the moment stretched itself to encompass its enormity - she lowers her arms from her chest, holding them out in the space between them. His hands wrap around her forearms, desperately trying to find the source of her injury, before he freezes; she feels his heart skip a beat through the tight grip he has on her.

Staring back up at him is his own name, written plainly across both her wrists, raw as a new tattoo.

He blinks. Blinks again. At first, he doesn’t manage to say anything, just rips the cuffs off his own arms, right there in the middle of the sidewalk - and sure enough. Her name is there in the same small writing as his own was, bright red, inflamed skin around it. As if in a trance, he brings his fingertips to the writing, mouth silently forming her name.

“It’s you,” he whispers reverently, looking up to once more meet her gaze. The look on his face is pure adoration and… relief? A shaky hand comes up to rest on her cheek, as if he can’t quite believe she’s really sitting there in front of him still.

Stevie swallows hard, leaning slightly into his touch. “I - I thought… I always assumed you already had a name,” she confesses. “You made it sound like you did. In interviews. At home even.”

“I wanted the questions to stop. To have more of a sense of privacy, to stop answering the same question over and over again,” he says, shaking his head. “I eventually realized that if I was vague enough, people would make their own assumptions and run with them.”

“Well, it worked,” she jokes weakly. “I had no idea.”

The light behind them turns green, and someone honks at another car in annoyance when they don’t start moving fast enough. As if whatever spell they were under breaks at the sound, Gray looks around and seems to finally realize they’re still just… sitting in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the deli. He stands, dusting off his jeans, and offers a hand out to her.

Stevie starts to bring her hand to his, but stops halfway, hand halting in mid-air. “Are you sure?” she asks, hating how small her voice sounds. He’d been casually touching her ever since the almost-accident, yes, but emotions had been running so high that neither of them had really noticed in the moment. Doing it on purpose would be - should be - different. “You’ve always kept your distance, for as long as we’ve known each other. It’ll be… loud.”

He nods - a subtle, gentle thing - but he brings his hand no closer, leaving the ultimate decision up to her. It’s her mental privacy that’s in question, after all.

Who knew your whole world could change in one afternoon, she thinks.

And then, she takes a deep breath and slides her hand into his: a leap of faith.

---

They arrive back at the house right as Nick is flinging the door open, shoving his arms into a jacket, keys dangling from where they’re stuck between his teeth.

“Excuse me, I have to - Button!” The keys clatter to the ground, and he barely manages to stop his down-stair momentum before slamming into her. As it is, Nick’s hands fly up to cup her face, wide worried eyes looking into hers.

It’s okay, Nick, I’m okay. She thinks rather than says the words out loud, not trusting her voice. Tears pool in her eyes, and she gives him a watery smile. I almost wasn’t, but I’m okay.

Nick looks her over, as if he needs to see for himself that she’s in one piece and whole to believe her, but freezes suddenly in his mother-henning when he spots it.

Stevie and Gray’s hands are clasped between them still, Gray standing a step down behind her, no wrist cuffs in sight.

And Nick? Nick just rolls his eyes, falling into an exhausted slump on the stairs.

“Well it’s about damn time!”

---

Later that afternoon, Stevie takes a picture of her hand intertwined with Gray’s, both of their marks fully on display, and sends it off in a text to Sally.

(4:43 pm): Thanks for the warning, but everything turned out better than expected.

(4:47 pm): (p.s. I’m sure it goes without saying, but please don’t tell anyone else yet!)

Two days later, when Sally apparently gets her phone back, Stevie receives six straight texts in a row full of exclamation marks, the messages only seeming to stop when her phone begins to ring.

---

End Author's Note: Fun fact! This was supposed to be around 1,500 words, and that's it. Turns out, Stevie's an anxious worrier like me and had a lot of emotions to work through in a short period of time. Anyway, speaking of being a worrier, part of this might seem vaguely familiar. I fully recognize that Gray's route in the Cupid Calamity side story involves a "moment" between Button and Gray in which one of them keeps the other from being hit by a moving vehicle. (If we're counting a Segway as a vehicle, that is.)

I in no way intended to copy anything from Jo's story or step on any toes or anything. I've had this story in the works for over a month now - in fact, it's just been sitting there untouched for the last week or so because I was considering scrapping the whole thing, because all I could think about was if using a similar plot device was too similar. I hope it isn't and that this was enjoyable all the same. My sincerest apologies if it comes across as anything other than me attempting to express my pure love and adoration for Jo's story and characters!

(Also, apologies for the sheer amount of italics in this fic, haha. Between texts and telepathic communication and emphasis, it feels ridiculous even to me.)

[kaimelia]

Homage (Pt 2)

a/n: hi, super sorry for the delay with this. this ended up being more amelia/link centric than I intended it to be, but I hope you enjoy anyway

------------------

"Hey, let's just take a moment to step back and take a deep breath." Amelia turned around to face Link, feeling his hand on her shoulder in the motion of comfort he often made. "Whatever happens, I'm going to be right here, and you don't have to worry about losing me."

"Until my Mom tells you about every mistake I've ever made in my life and scares you off," she muttered, rolling her head to each side. Link brought his fingers up to press under her jawbone, lightly massaging the skin as he worked up to her temples.

"Relax. I've seen enough of your crazy to know what I'm getting myself into." She rolled her eyes at him.

"It's not funny."

"You're really worried about this? Amelia," Link lifted up her hand to stop her from picking at her nails, "I genuinely don't think that there is anything your mother could say to make me think differently of you. You've got me pretty hooked."

"When she and I talked about her coming to visit, it seemed so far away, and I was half-convinced it would never happen, so I felt fine talking to her about it, but now she's twenty minutes away in a cab, and I feel like I'm going to throw up." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing a slow kiss to her forehead. She sighed and leaned into his chest.

"If you're actually going to throw up, just let me know, so I'm not in the line of fire," he whispered, resting his head on top of hers.

"Why are you so calm? Shouldn't you be like, freaking out now that you're meeting my Mom as my boyfriend?" He pulled away and shrugged, holding her shaky hands in his.

"I don't feel much of an expectation, especially considering the relationship you have with her." She rolled her eyes again, dropping her hands from his and walking over to the table.

"Scout's asleep right now. Which means that he'll be awake just after she gets here, which means that he'll be fussing, and my mother will think that I'm incapable of calming my son down." Link raised his eyebrows and stifled a laugh, following her to where she was standing.

"Okay, can we just take a breath?" She met his eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling as he did. "Your mother raised five children and has dozens of grandchildren; I'm sure that she has plenty of experience with babies, and she's not going to judge you if he cries."

"She might hate the apartment and think that we're raising our son in a space unfit for a baby."

"Hey, I love this apartment. It's very homey, and we have our own plans. We're not going to be living here forever; this is just a temporary space while we look at houses." She glanced around the space, eyeing the pile of toys in the corner of the living room. Link seemed to follow her gaze. "Kids play with toys. He's 16 months old; of course, he's going to have way too many toys."

"How do you manage to talk me down from every thought?" He shrugged again casually, moving over to organize the toys.

"I get used to living with you and your brain and how quickly it moves." Link held out his arm, motioning for her to come to join him. "Cleaning something will help you relax. Make you feel like you're fixing something, something you can touch and make better." She sighed dramatically and joined him, putting Scout's blocks away into the carrier neatly. Link continued to busy her for the next while, pointing out the minor things in the apartment that could be fixed. She froze at the sound of a knock on the door, her eyes widening in fear.

"She's here," Amelia muttered, straightening her appearance. "Crap, she's actually here."

"I'll get it-"

"No, I should." He watched as she stood still, and he placed his hand on her shoulder, lightly pushing her forward. "Okay, here I go." Link trailed behind her to the door, his hand settling on her back as a reminder he was there. She let out a deep breath and pulled at the door handle, straightening her posture. "Hey, Mom, oh-" The older Shepherd pulled her daughter into a tight hug, quickly muttering some complaint about her flight.

"And you too, come here," Link's body tensed as she pulled him into a hug, Amelia nearly laughing as his eyes widened comically. "Don't be shy; you're family too now, Atticus." He leaned back, nodding his head tentatively and cringing.

"Just Link. No one calls me Atticus." He offered his hand out, and Carolyn shooed it away.

"No need for formalities; where should I put my bags?" Link moved past her to grab the suitcase, groaning at the unexpected weight of it.

"Link will take you to the guest room. How about I go get Scout? He's been napping, so he might be a little grumpy-"

"Oh, don't wake him. If he's anything like you were as a baby, I'm sure he needs his nap time." Link rubbed his girlfriend's shoulder before motioning towards the guest room, leading the older woman to the space. He set the suitcase on the ground and let her know he'd leave her to unpack before exiting to join his girlfriend in the living room.

"First five minutes went well," he muttered, collapsing onto the couch. "Why am I already exhausted?" She looked back at him.

"We've got two more days of this; you can't be exhausted yet." Amelia walked over to the couch and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I am, too, though." The couple sat up simultaneously as their son called out. Amelia quickly pushed herself off the sofa and speed-walked down the hallway, stopping at the sight of her mother holding her son. "Oh, I can get him," she muttered, placing a hand on the doorframe.

"He's my grandson; I can handle him, Amelia." The neurosurgeon bit her lip as she watched her mother rock Scout back and forth.

"Momma," Scout muttered, holding his arm out towards where Amelia was standing. She grinned and walked over, taking him from her mother, placing a kiss on the baby's head.

"Did you finish unpacking?" Carolyn waved her hand down.

"I'm only here for two days; I didn't bring too much." She sat down in the rocking chair against the wall, watching her daughter. "You know, your sisters keep complaining that you don't talk to them enough."

"Yeah, well, when I do, they're not exactly the nicest people." Amelia placed Scout down on the ground at took his hand, helping him to gain his footing. "Let's go out into the living room; he'll find something to play with." They left the nursery, Scout immediately picking up his pace and speeding towards his father, who lifted him and hugged him tightly.

"What're you doing awake?" Scout giggled as Link tickled him, his attention soon diverting to his mother, who was pulling out blocks.

"Block!" The boy hurried over to Amelia and sat down across from her on the carpet in the living room, pulling out different colored blocks.

"So, Link, tell me about yourself. I feel like I barely know who you are; Amelia keeps hiding you away."

"Mom," she protested, placing a block down.

"I'm just being honest, Amy." Amelia rolled her eyes and turned back to her son.

"It's fine," Link laughed, clasping his hands together. "Uh, I'm from Seattle, I'm an orthopedic surgeon, my parents live in Denver, I lived in L.A. for a while before coming up to work for the Mariners, and then I ended up at Grey-Sloan, which is where Amelia and I met." Carolyn raised her eyebrows and nodded, sitting down on the loveseat beside the couch.

"So, should I be expecting a wedding sometime soon? Because I promise we will come, as long as you give us proper notice."

"Mom! Please."

"Amelia, you have a habit of not telling us things and then expecting us to show up when it's convenient for you." The neurosurgeon rubbed her forehead and made eye contact with her boyfriend, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Link, could you bring Scout to his room, please?" He raised his eyebrows, standing up slowly and lifting Scout, quickly leaving the room. Amelia looked over at her mother and sat down on the couch. "Mom, I gave you over two weeks' notice of the wedding. That was plenty of time for you to fly out and come be there for me, and now that we have Scout, I need to know that you're going to be there if you want to be involved in his life," she muttered, folding her hands over each other. "And I know I haven't made the most effort to be a part of the family; I'm still not exactly keen on the idea of spending Christmas in New York and Thanksgiving with all of my sisters, but I told you about Scout for a reason."

"Is Link the one?" Amelia smiled and nodded her head, feeling her cheeks warm at her immediate, subconscious reaction.

"He is. And we're going to get married someday, and I'll want you there."

"You realize that you're going to have to let me spend time with him, yes?" She rolled her eyes.

"I know. Just promise not to embarrass me too much, okay?" She watched as her mother nodded sternly before sighing.

"Can I hug you?" Amelia grinned and leaned forward, shocked at the unfamiliar comfort she felt in her mother's embrace. "You know, even if I don't do a great job of showing it, I am proud of you, Amy."