#that’s why all this stuff (you know what stuff!) is seriously freaking me out. in a good way ofc. makes life more exciting

[ohmerricat]

i would spiritualise anything

[pears-trinkets]

.

[icepopstar5105us]

“Hey. Uh, Johnny?” Danny said awkwardly, “What does it mean when one of the older ghosts calls you their favored and why does it freak people out?”

Johnny 13 gave the halfa a bewildered look, “Dude. Didn’t you listen to Death? At all?”

“Death?” Danny scrunched his face, “What do you mean? I don’t…”

“Wait.” Johnny straightened, “You’ve talked with Death, right? She explained-?”

Danny shook his head, confused, “Was I supposed to?”

“When you first died, she’s supposed to appear. She gives a whole spiel and then transfers a bunch of information.” Johnny frowned, “She did it for Plasmius, so it’s not a halfa thing.”

“Oh.” Danny looked down, “What if… What if someone died and came back a few times very quickly? Would that… Would that cause any problems?”

Johnny stilled, horrified, “Ok. Look, do you want to talk about your death? Because I’m not asking if you don’t, but...”

“I guess…” Danny said, “So you know that my parents made the portal, right?”

“Yeah.” Johnny said.

“They’d been trying to do it for a long time. Plasmius actually worked with them for a while back when they were in college. It’s why all of their tech is similar in design.” Danny explained, “They built the thing, plugged it in, turned it on… and nothing.”

“But it works now.” Johnny frowned.

“Yeah. It does.” Danny nodded, “But remember my friends? Sam and Tucker?”

“The edgy emo and the computer geek?”

“As Sam’s friend, I am obligated to inform you that she is goth not emo… but yes, those two.” Danny smiled sadly, “My mom and dad were upset. They left the house and Jazz was working her shift at a library. The whole house was empty and I was… you know. A normal teenager home alone.”

Johnny snorted at that, “Ah yes. A completely normal teenager

“Yeah, yeah. The point is, the first thing I did after being left home alone was call my friends over.” Danny rolled his eyes, “Told them what happened and… It was Sam who suggested we go down there first — she’s always been into ghost and occult stuff — and look around. Tucker was down, because it was tech even if we didn’t think most of the tech would work. He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to mess around with it. Jazz had given me some lectures on lab safety — my parents don’t usually follow it themselves — and I had a bad feeling so I put on the Hazmat suit.”

“That’s not a superhero costume you came up with?” Johnny asked, eyes widening.

“No, um. It’s a hazmat suit. The only way I changed my form was the insignia and even then that was Sam’s idea.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, but um….” Danny paused, “We wound up standing outside the portal. It wasn’t working or anything, but there was a big spooky metal hole in the wall. You know, the kind of thing you’d expect in sci-fi movies. Sam dared me to go in and I was nervous. That bad feeling just intensified, but again — fourteen. I wasn’t being smart about it. So… I went into it. I kept going and it was dark. I was turning back when I tripped and I flailed. Accidentally hit some button that was on the side and it turned on.”

Johnny took a sharp breath.

“And um. Did you know that the portal takes a lot of electricity to start up?” Danny joked weakly, “Took three blocks worth. Um, lots of ectoplasm, too — from both the zone and the artificial stuff my parents use.” He shuffled, “So um, turns out both those things can revive and kill people. So I just kind of — died and revived a lot until it turned on and basically spat me out into the lab.

“That’s - Kid…”

“So um, maybe since I was dying and reviving so much death didn’t have a chance to fill me in? Honestly, would have like the heads up.” Danny said sheepishly, “I didn’t even understand what had happened until ghosts started coming through the portal.”

“Seriously?”

Danny shrugged, “I mean, I kind of suspected. I was falling through floors. It was hard to ignore, but I didn’t know - My parents are good inventors, but not the best scientists and it made things hard to figure out.”

“What? You bought that whole non-sentient BS?”

“No.” Danny shook his head, “I just didn’t buy any of it — and I mean none of it. I wanted nothing to do with the whole thing. The whole town thought my parents were crazy, they were always in the lab working, and I only ever saw them briefly once or twice a day. Don’t get me wrong. They’re still my parents and I love them, but… they have two big priorities. Their work and their kids. Their work is just… a higher priority to them.”

“Oh.” Johnny cringed, “Oh. Kid…”

“So yeah. Life sucks. Death sucks… but I really need to know what to do and why Ember is freaking out over me being called ‘favored one’.”

“Uh, right.” Johnny paused, “Well, it’s like old ghost language. Um. Basically, it’s like being called a really, really close friend or adopted family. Kind of like… ‘hey, this is my person that I love and protect’. It’s platonic unless they specify otherwise.”

“Huh, okay.” Danny blinked, “That makes sense, but why would Ember freak out?”

“Well… who called you that?”

“Oh! Clockwork and Pandora call me that when I visit.”

Johnny blanched, “What?”

“And now you’re freaking out, too.”

“You’ve been just- Kid! Are you just casually talking to them?”

“Um, yeah? They said it was okay?”

“Do you know nothing about the hierarchy of the- Wait. No. You didn’t get to talk to Death. Of course you don’t-“ Johnny sighed — covering his eyes, “Okay, so do you know what the ancients are?”

“I thought that was just a saying.”

“No, it’s not-” Johnny pinched the bridge of his nose, “The Ancients are the most powerful spirits in the Zone. They’re ghosts, but they resemble ideals more than they do a person most of the time. Practically gods. The ancients are Undergrowth, Frostbite, Nocturne, Pandora, Clockwork, Vortex, and Pariah Dark. Thing is… where most ghosts plateau at a certain power level the ancients can just keep growing in power. Clockwork is one of the strongest — so strong, the Observants bound him to their will.”

“Yeah, I heard about that, but he’s really nice, you know.” Danny smiled, “And he makes really good cookies really fast.”

Johnny stared at Danny for a long moment, “Danny. Do you not hear yourself right now? He’s basically the god of time.”

“Yeah, but if he didn’t want me to visit, I wouldn’t be able to find him.” Danny shrugged, “So he told me if I can see the clocktower, I’m welcome to come in.”

“Kid…”

“Besides. I’m friends with half of those guys and they’re cool.”

“Wha- How many ancients do you know?”

“Um… All the ones you just listed? I’m friends with Frostbite, Pandora, and Clockwork. I fought Undergrowth, Vortex and Nocturne before, but Nocturne likes me now. Um, Undergrowth doesn’t like me, though. Loves Sam, though… Um, obviously I know who Pariah Dark is after the whole thing in Amity-“

Johnny stilled, “Wait a minute… Kid. I need you to answer me honestly here… Did Pariah ever mention a challenge when you fought him?”

“Well, um. I guess? He was all formal speak, though, so…”

“Kid.” Johnny said very slowly, “Did he ever issue a challenge or accept a challenge from you?”

“… Um. He did say that he accepted my challenge or something, but wasn’t that just fight-talk or…”

“I think I get it now.” Johnny sighed, facepalming, “Just… maybe don’t tell people about this and consider asking one of the ancients allies you have about what Pariah accepting your challenge means for you.”

“For me? What-“

“Just… give it some thought.” Johnny paused, “And- Well, I can talk to Ember for you, yeah?”

“Thanks.”

—

Danny curled up on a sofa as Pandora embraced him with three arms and ran her fourth hand through his hair.

“Pandora.” Danny said softly, “Some of my friends say you, Frostbite, and Clockwork are ancients.”

“They are correct.”

“I didn’t know what ancients were.”

“I noticed.” Pandora laughed a bit, “But you’re a sweet child. You helped me get my box back and did not demand my favor. Perhaps it was selfish not to tell you, but I didn’t want to distress you. You are a kind and humble soul. Is it such a surprise I wish to continue seeing you?”

“You thought I would stop if I did?” Danny asked, confused, “I mean, sure my other friends were shaken up by it, but they don’t know you. Why would I be afraid when you’re so nice?”

Pandora blinked and then smiled warmly — a little laugh pulling from her throat. Oh, the innocence of such a young spirit, “Why, indeed? I suppose I didn’t give you or myself enough credit, did I?”

Danny shrugged, “I don’t have room to judge people for being different anyway. I’m a halfa. Pretty sure that’s even rarer than being an Ancient, right?”

“I suppose that is true.” Pandora smiled, “There are only a few halfas and none are quite like you. There will only ever be one of you.”

“Does this have something to do with why I never got to meet death?” Danny asked, confused, “That’s the only thing I can find that seems all that different-“

“In a way… Yes, but there are many more differences. The main one is that you powers have grown beyond Vlad Masters and they continue to do so.” Pandora said, “You are what we call a ‘Juna Potenco’. Most realms will never have heard of such things, but us ancients do not forget and when faced with a gift like yourself… well, you’ll only see more of us with time.”

“What does that mean? Is it bad?”

“No, no. It is a gift, not a punishment.” Pandora promised, “You are an inspiring soul, favored one, and it seems the realms themselves have seen that.”

“That doesn’t sound right.” Danny pulled away and sat up as he shook his head, “I’m a halfa, but that’s what I am. It doesn’t say anything about who I am. There isn’t anything special about who I am.”

“Everyone else disagrees with that last statement.” Pandora shook her head, “But I will let you in on the secret.”

“Yeah?”

“These are not due to your half spirit nature, but something truly special.” Pandora cupped his cheek, “Danny, do you truly wish to know? As amazing as this is, I am not sure you will be ready for the truth just yet.”

“I’m - I’ve been debating what colleges to apply for, but… I don’t know if any of them will take me now with my grades. I still look fourteen — fifteen at the oldest… and I still feel fourteen.” Danny looked at Pandora with pleading eyes, “So if this would impact my future, I think I’d like to know. Before things get complicated.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, everything froze.

Danny looked up to see Clockwork putting a medallion on Pandora while Frostbite gave him a smile.

“I presume you’re here to assist in informing him?” Pandora asked.

“Indeed.” Frostbite nodded.

“Informing me of what?” Danny asked, confused.

“When you went to face Pariah Dark, you stated your intention to fight him.” Clockwork said, “And he accepted your challenge. You fought in single combat, removed the Crown of Fire from his head, and then managed to get him into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.”

“Vlad-“

“Plasmius might have locked the Sarcophagus, but you have repeatedly bested him and even when he has gotten the best of you, it has not been in single combat. However, Plasmius at one point claimed your fight was a ‘fun challenge’. You agreed — officially accepting it as such. When you defeated him, he lost any fragile claim to the throne.”

“Claim to the- Wait. What are you saying?” Danny glanced between them, “What? No. No… you have to be kidding me. I’m just me. I was trying to help, not-“

“Child, your soul was always going to be tied to the zone one way or another.” Pandora said, “Mortality is already a fragile thing, but someone so surrounded by ectoplasm at a young age all while experiencing the struggles you did with your parents absence… it was inevitable that you would be a powerful ghost.”

“But, then, Great One.” Frostbite continued, “You stood fully emerged in the space between worlds and thought of protection and forgiveness — mercy. You did not even consider vengeance or desires of your own. Only the wellbeing of others. It is an act of great sacrifice and not one many can complete so fully.”

“To put it simply, Danny.” Pandora said, “You’re one of us, Juna Protenco. New and young power that will grow infinitely. Though you are far from ancient, you will be with time.”

“An ancient to be.” Danny said distantly.

“The Ancient of Protection, Space, Mercy, and Matter.” Clockwork turned into his newborn form, “The best candidate for king we’ve had in a long time. Though, perhaps I am a bit biased.”

“Does it have something to do with space-time?” Danny guessed, “Because Matter, Time, and Space…”

“Correct.” Clockwork smirked, “Matter tells spacetime how to curve, and curved spacetime tells matter how to move. I guide you and you make changes that I will use to guide you again.”

Dannu blinked, “Oh. I get it.”

“You do?” Pandora blinked.

“That’s domains for you.” Frostbite chuckled and then quickly explained when Danny gave him a confused look, “We all innately understand our domains and their meanings. My domain is progression, society, and advancement.”

“Mine is responsibility, hope, protection, and perseverance.” Pandora revealed.

“Indeed.” Clockwork transformed into the middle aged man again, “But now that you know of your future, we must prepare.” He put his hand on Danny’s shoulder, “Your coronation must happen by the time you turn eighteen. As Ghost King, you will need to learn some diplomatic skills. We will teach you while you finish your human schooling.” Clockwork promised, “You can tell your parents the truth or you can say you are simply leaving for college, but Maddie and Jack Fenton cannot move to the Zone with you. Your sister is welcome. Your friends are welcome, but unfortunately…”

“I understand.” Danny lowered his head, “I don’t think I’ll tell them just yet. Maybe I’ll leave a note or a video, but…”

Clockwork’s eyes glazed over briefly — clearly checking the timeline.

“That is a good idea.” Clockwork nodded.

“Okay.” Danny swallowed, “I can’t -”

“No.” Clockwork said, “Honored as these two would be, they have their duties and people. They cannot. I am both bound by the Observants and a little too prone to acts of selfishness. It is too much power for me. No. It must be you.”

“You’re not selfish. You helped me.” Danny tilted his head, confused.

Clockwork chuckled guiltily as Pandora made a face and Frostbite shifted awkwardly.

“There is a reason people fear me, Danny.” Clockwork seemed more amused than anything by the sudden awkwardness, “I appreciate your trust in me, but I was not so good or kind in life. I hold domain over regret and retribution as well as time. It is a position I earned after giving and getting both in equal measure. I am not a protective spirit by nature. I am one that seeks justice and sometimes revenge.”

“I don’t get it.” Danny frowned, confused.

“Soon, you will.” Clockwork said grimly, “But for now… Trust me when I say all is as it should be.”

“Okay.” Danny said, “I trust you.”

“Now, time in.” Clockwork said. When Danny tried to give him the medallion he shook his head, “No, hold onto it. I believe it goes without saying, but do not lose it.”

“I know. I won’t.” Danny promised.

“Good, now… I believe you have some friends to talk to?”

“Er, right!” Danny said and rushed off.

“He doesn’t know who you are?” Frostbite turned to Clockwork, “And you haven’t told him?”

“… He’ll learn during his studies.” Clockwork admitted begrudgingly, “And it’s best that he come to me after he processes the information than during.”

“Just remember, Kronos.” Pandora glared as she handed over her medallion, “One wrong move-“

“Yes, yes, I am very aware of your opinions of me, Keeper of Hope.” Clockwork held a hand to Frostbite, “Shall I take you back to your people?”

“Er, yes.”

“Good, then-“

“Hey! I was not finished-“

“TIME OUT!”

Pandora sighed as they disappeared, “Ugh. He is always such a petty menace. One of these days…”

[felinecyan]

Meddle About

[Katsuki Bakugo x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: When something… intimate happens between you and the explosive boy, you seek out the comfort and advice from your fangirl best friend.

WC: 6832

Category: Fluff, Slight Spice/Lime, Mixed Signals

Might be ooc (I blame Chase Atlantic for this one), but I wanted to post something… interesting since it’s OFFICIALLY my birthday 🗣️🗣️

『••✎••』

Here you were, pacing back and forth in your best friend's dorm room. You hadn't said a word, only muttering incoherent thoughts to yourself while your eyes flitted around the room as if you could find the words written on the walls.

Mina watched you from her bed, leaning forward on her hands, which were planted on her mattress. She had her legs crossed beneath her, and she was rocking herself slightly. Her mouth was agape with excitement and confusion, and her eyes were wide as she watched you.

You felt bad for disturbing her sleep, but you were too overwhelmed to wait until morning to talk to her about what had happened. When it happens, you can't even wait an hour to tell someone about it, much less eight hours. So, with your impatient nature, you hunted her down after five minutes of attempting to calm yourself down and failing.

Mina, who had been sleeping soundly at the time, was jolted awake when you burst into her room and slammed the door shut. It wasn't until she heard the lock click that she realized the situation.

You were freaking out, and it had something to do with a boy.

When you first started at UA, the two of you had promised each other that you would never keep a crush a secret from the other so you could gush and squeal over the boys together. Of course, it had always been Mina with a crush, and you were giving advice. She had had her eyes on several guys throughout the year, but you had remained unfazed.

Until...

"Okay," Mina began. "I'm not even going to ask why you were walking around the dorms at one in the morning. But, seriously, tell me what happened!"

Your hands, which had been tangled in your hair, fell to your sides as you turned to look at her. Your cheeks were flushed, and your heart was racing. You didn't know how to begin. You wanted to just blurt it all out, but at the same time, you were afraid.

"I... uhm... well..." you stuttered, wringing your hands nervously.

"C'mon, I'm dying here!" Mina whined, bouncing in place. She reached her hands out and grabbed yours, tugging you forward until you were sitting next to her on the bed. "You're acting as if you had your first kiss or something."

You stared at her, blinking slowly as you processed her words. Then, without warning, she froze. You were afraid she had short-circuited. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were as big as saucers. Her grip on your hands tightened as she gasped loudly.

"No," she whispered. "No way."

"Mina..."

"You did!" she exclaimed, her voice rising to a volume that could probably be heard throughout the dorms.

"Keep your voice down!" you hissed, grabbing a pillow from behind her and smacking her across the face. She didn't react, her mouth still open.

"Tell me everything," she demanded, her voice lowered. "How did it happen? When did it happen? Who did it happen with? I want to know all the details, so spill."

"Mina..."

It was rough to have her pressuring you. She was always good at doing that. It was part of the reason why you ran straight to her. You knew that she would force you to talk about it, and you needed to talk about it. You didn't want to stop talking about it. You didn't want the night to end, and you didn't want to forget about it.

"I'm listening," Mina told you, squeezing your hands once more. "Don't be afraid to get all the gushy details. You know I love that stuff."

You couldn't stop your eyes from rolling as you took a deep breath. You decided to spill her favorite part first.

"I can't get it out of my head, Mina," you whispered. "I didn't even realize he could do that. I didn't know he was capable of it. I was so dazed by his actions that I didn't know what was going on. It felt like I was dreaming. I don't even know how it escalated so quickly. I just found myself against the wall, and he was looking at me, and his eyes... oh, his eyes, Mina, his eyes."

"Who the hell are you talking about?!" Mina interrupted. She looked like she was going to burst from anticipation, and you were slightly enjoying keeping her in the dark. Especially since she had no idea it was the guy who she least expected it to be.

"Do not yell," you warned her, pointing your finger at her face. "You won't believe me, but I swear it's the truth."

"What?" she asked. "Who was it?"

"Promise me you won't freak out."

"Okay, now I'm nervous," Mina said. She moved backward on the bed so her back was pressed against the wall. You watched as her fingers dug into her blanket, her knuckles turning white. "Now you have to tell me. I'm terrified, so you have to. Who was it?"

You took another deep breath, your heart beating loudly.

Now or never.

"Bakugo."

You were ready for your ears to bleed. You were expecting her to scream bloody murder, and you were ready to clamp your hand over her mouth to shut her up. But, instead, she broke out into laughter. And it wasn't her usual laugh, either. It was loud and obnoxious, and she threw her head back and cackled.

"Yeah, right," she breathed out, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, that was a good one. I almost believed you. Now, really. Who was it?"

Your jaw dropped, and you could feel anger boiling inside of you. She didn't believe you? I mean, yeah, it was completely unbelievable with how he acts with everyone, but you didn't joke around like this. And you were honestly offended that she thought you were.

Mina laughed again and again and again. Every time, it became harder for her to breathe, and her laughs turned into snorts. Her face was bright red, and her shoulders shook violently as she giggled. It wasn't until she finally opened her eyes to see the glare on your face that the laughs eased up.

"I mean, it's a good joke," she chuckled. "But, seriously, tell me who it really was."

You didn't say a word. Instead, you just gave her the most deadpan stare you could muster, which still took her a moment to register. Once she did, however, that smile of hers fell off her face faster than you could blink.

"Wait... you're not joking?"

"Do you really think I'd come here in the middle of the night if I was?"

She stared at you with a shocked expression on her face. She was speechless, and you were waiting for the reaction you expected. You were sure her brain had exploded.

"You mean to tell me," she said, her voice shaking. "That Bakugo... the hot-tempered, vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, explosive asshole just kissed you? He kissed you?! Are you serious?"

"Mina, please, not so loud!"

"Are you serious?!" she screamed, leaping off her bed. "You have got to be joking. There's no way that happened. No way! It had to be a dream or something. I can't even see him doing something like that. Of all people, it's him? I even see Mineta before him! He's like... not capable of showing any emotion that isn't anger."

"Mina!"

"What the hell happened?! I want to know all the dirty little details!" she yelled, rushing forward and grabbing your arms. "How did you get that maniac to do something so... un-Bakugo-like? What did he do? How did he kiss you? Was it nice? I can't believe he kissed you! He's never kissed anyone before!"

"Mina, shut up!" you hissed, covering her mouth with your hand. She kept mumbling against your skin, and you felt her tongue swipe across your palm. You grimaced, pulling your hand away from her and wiping it on your pants.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" she squealed, jumping up and down. "How did you do it? Oh, I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!"

"Mina, please. It's late," you told her. "Be quiet; he can probably hear you."

"Wait... how long ago was this?"

"Uhm... maybe twenty minutes or so."

She stopped bouncing, and her jaw dropped.

"You kissed Bakugo twenty minutes ago," she said. "And you just came to my room?! Why the hell are you even here? You should be with him! Get your ass back to him and make sure he kisses you again!"

You were taken aback by her sudden outburst, and your cheeks flushed. The thought of going to him now sent a wave of anxiety through you, and you were beginning to regret waking Mina up.

"I can't go back there," you told her. "Not yet. I can't... I can't look him in the eye."

"Why the hell not?" Mina questioned, furrowing her brows. "This is a huge! He still hasn't even called me by my actual name. But, he kissed you? That's insane. He's gotta be a secret softy or something. I need details."

"Mina, you don't understand," you said, sighing. "I- I never felt like this before. I'm... I'm stuck. My mind is blank. I can't get him off my mind. It's driving me crazy. I didn't realize someone could affect me like this."

Mina stared at you for a moment before a smirk appeared on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at you with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "How did he do it?" she asked.

"Mina," you said. "I just told you that—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but did he just walk up and kiss you or what? Like, how did it happen? You have to start from the beginning."

You rolled your eyes but obeyed her orders.

And the truth was, you honestly still didn’t know how it happened. You were yelling at each other over something dumb, as usual, but then the conversation took a strange turn. You had no idea where it had come from, and the memory was hazy, but you remembered what he had said.

"You wanna know what I fucking think?" He was seething, his fists clenched at his sides. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were burning holes into your head.

You didn't remember what you had said, but you remembered what he replied and the way he walked towards you.

"I think," he growled, and you were backing away from him. "You're so fucking desperate for attention that you're willing to do anything. Just admit it. You're so lonely that you'll try to make friends with anyone."

The scoff you had given him was followed by a few insults that you didn't remember. In all honesty, the things that were said weren't worth remembering. It was always the same old fight. But, for some reason, it was the actions in between that had caught you off guard this time.

You didn't realize how much you were trying to create space between the two of you, but every time you took a step back, he took one forward. You were trying to keep your voice steady and strong, but your hands were shaking, and your legs were weak.

It was only a matter of time before you were backed against the wall, and you could feel his breath hitting your face. Your eyes were wide, and your breathing was heavy. You couldn't focus on his words because his body was too close.

He noticed, too, because his insults were slowing down, and you could feel his eyes studying your face as it was turned away from him. When your gaze met him, the room became still. You were frozen in place, unable to move. He just... stared at you.

Neither of you said a word, but there was something in his eyes that changed the atmosphere of the room. It was like a flip had been switched. He was no longer angry or irritated. His eyes were gentle, and his gaze was intense. You had seen his gaze before, but you couldn't figure out why it felt so different.

Until you saw the flicker of his eyes. A millisecond change that anyone could've missed, but you didn't. You caught it as you caught the next one. You felt him move forward, and your mind went blank. Your senses were overrun by him. You could feel the heat from his skin.

He could probably hear your heartbeat; it wasn't very subtle. Your mind was racing, and your vision was hazy. All you could see was... him. And maybe you were just imagining it, but there was something in his eyes that showed you he wasn't mad anymore.

He looked different now, and it scared you. It scared you how you started counting his eyelashes. It scared you how much you wanted to reach up and run your hand through his hair. It scared you how badly you wanted to know how soft his lips were.

And he could tell because he leaned closer. Closer than you didn't think possible. Your breaths mingled together, and your noses brushed. He wasn't there yet, though. His mouth was just barely touching yours, and the feeling sent tingles down your spine.

His gaze was intense, and he looked like he was holding back. You could feel his chest pressing against yours, and he was taking shaky breaths. It was so strange, seeing him like this. Your eyes locked onto his, and you were sure he saw the curiosity behind them.

And then... his gaze fell into a look you've never seen before. Something was swimming behind those crimson eyes, and you found yourself drowning in the intensity. He was staring into your soul, and somehow, you could see the meaning in his eyes.

He was giving you a choice. He was asking a silent question. His eyes were pleading. They were begging. His face was so close to yours, and you were frozen. The way he was looking at you, you could see it. You could see what he was thinking.

He was waiting for you to do something. To push him away, to smack him, or to speak out. He was waiting for the rejection, the denial, the refusal. But you did none of those things because, for some reason, you didn't want to. You were enjoying the closeness, the intimacy, the... vulnerability.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe you were just insane, but the way he was looking at you made your stomach flip, and a strange warmth filled your chest. It was the way he was holding himself back, the way you could see his fingers trembling, the way his breath was unsteady.

For some reason, seeing him so weak, so open, so defenseless made you feel... something.

He was waiting for a response. It was up to you. You were the one in control, and if you had said the word, he would have walked away. But that's not what you wanted.

You didn't want him to go.

And, so, you had tried to speak out, but the words were caught in your throat. They wouldn't form, and the air was thick. Your tongue was tied, and your fingers were shaking. You were afraid. Afraid of the unknown.

He was patient. His gaze never faltered. His eyes were still looking at you with the same intensity, and you were getting lost in it. He didn't move closer, but his breath fanned across your lips. Your mind was blank, and you had no idea how long the two of you stood like that.

All you knew was that you needed him to do something. You needed him to know he was allowed to, but you couldn't bring yourself to speak. You were terrified, and the anticipation was driving you insane.

So, you used another way to answer.

You grabbed him, jerked his body forward, and pulled him as close as you could. He wasn't prepared for your sudden movement, and the air was forced out of his lungs. His hands found the wall, and his arms caged you in. You could feel his muscles flexing against you, and his eyes widened as they looked at you.

He didn't expect it. He wasn't prepared. It was a shock, but he wasn't about to deny himself the opportunity. Not when you were offering it to him. So, his eyes fell back into that look, and his head moved closer. He hesitated, and his lips grazed yours. You could feel the way his heart was beating.

The first kiss was chaste and barely there. You could've missed it, and you might've imagined it. But then he did it again, this time with enough pressure to make you aware. To make your eyes fall shut and a small sigh escapes your lips.

The next one was a little deeper, and he lingered a bit longer. His movements were slow, and he was giving you plenty of time to push him away, but you didn't. You couldn't. Because the moment his lips met yours, you lost all self-control.

Your body melted against his, and you found yourself falling into the kiss. You were sure you'd end up a pile of mush on the ground if his hands hadn't shifted to your hips, holding you up. The grip he had on your sides was gentle but firm, and the tips of his fingers were digging into the flesh of your hip bones.

Your hands had found their way into his hair, and your fingers tangled themselves in the blonde locks. You were always curious about his hair in that regard, and you were pleased to find it softer than you'd expected. With its jagged spikes, you'd expected it to be sharp and stiff, but it was just as smooth as silk. You really needed to get a hold of his hair products.

But you didn't have time to dwell on the subject because his mouth was moving against yours, and your entire being was focused on the feeling of his lips. Damn, he knew exactly how to use them.

You were already lightheaded, and he barely did anything. It was only a matter of time before you couldn't even think anymore. All you knew was his scent, his taste, his touch, and his breath. He was overwhelming all of your senses, and you could feel your mind shutting down.

But, before you could, you gathered enough sense to do something that caught him completely off guard. When he pulled you even deeper, your teeth grazed his bottom lip, and your hands tightened in his hair. He froze for a second, his movements stopping completely, and you were terrified that you'd crossed a line.

However, that fear was quickly erased because he let out the most guttural sound you'd ever heard. It was low and deep and... fuck. It sounded like a growl, but it was filled with need. It was hungry and rough and sent a jolt straight down to your core.

A moment later, he was kissing you harder than before. He was practically attacking you, and you were glad he still had ahold of your hips because those legs of yours would have given out long ago. His mouth was moving so fast that it was hard for you to keep up, and your lungs were burning.

It felt like a dam had been broken.

He devoured you like a starved man. There was no hesitation, no fear, no nervousness. It was pure desperation, and you weren't doing much better. His kisses were hard and bruising, and his grip on your waist was tight.

When he went to your neck, that was it.

Your head fell back against the wall, painful, but you couldn't care. You couldn't focus on anything except the way his mouth was working its magic on your throat. Your nails were digging into his scalp, and you could hear his sharp breaths.

If all kisses were like this, then you have no idea how people survived without them. It was addicting. The feeling of his lips and tongue and teeth against your skin was euphoric. Your mind was swimming, and your heart was pounding.

Mina was squealing in front of you, but you were too lost to care. You were back in the moment, and the memory was flooding through your body. The feeling of his fingers gripping your hips. The warmth of his mouth. The heat of his body. His hair was so soft. The sound of his breath. His lips. His tongue.

"I... don't remember much after that," you told Mina, your eyes unfocused. "The next thing I remember is me leaving the room and going straight to yours."

She was grinning at you. It was a wide, Cheshire-like smile, and her eyes were gleaming. She looked like she was about to explode, and she was holding herself back.

"This is insane," she said, her voice cracking. "Actually, I take back what I said earlier. This is better than the best day of my life. The fact that it was him—I mean, I'd expect this from someone else, but the thought of him being that good is... wow."

You sighed. "Mina, please. What am I going to do? I'm... I'm..."

"Lost in the clouds?" she offered. "A mess? Unable to function like a normal person?"

"All of the above," you said, running your hands over your face. "I just... I don't understand how someone could make me feel like this. He's a dick, Mina. He was literally insulting me just a few minutes ago, and then... this."

She hummed, tilting her head and looking at the ceiling. Her smile never left her face. "So, what now? Are you guys dating, or...?"

"I didn't ask," you told her. "I just ran out."

"Wait, I thought you meant running away, as in after talking it out and stuff?"

"I mean, running away, as in pushing him and sprinting down the hall to your room."

Her eyes widened. "What?!" she exclaimed. "You're telling me that after he gave you the best kiss of your life, you ran away?!"

You nodded.

"Are you insane?!"

"Maybe a little," you said. "But I was so overwhelmed, and it was too much. I couldn't stay there, or I'd have done something embarrassing."

"You mean something more embarrassing than leaving? Girl, you need to get back there and find out what the hell is going on between you two. I can't believe this. I just..." She let out a frustrated groan. "He's probably pissed off. And confused. And, honestly, I can't blame him."

"What? You think he's regretting it?"

"Oh, honey," she said, her expression changing. "You've got it all wrong. How do I know more than you about this situation? That boy doesn't show anyone this kind of side, I mean... shit, and you're telling me he was the one to initiate it?"

You nodded. "Yeah, he was."

"Well, then... damn. You're special. If he didn't want it, he would have punched you or something, but the fact that he went and did that... then there's no way he would ever regret it. Hell, if I were in his position, I'd have taken you right there, too."

"Mina!" you shrieked, smacking her shoulder.

She laughed. "What? I'm your bestie. I gotta have your back. Now, listen, you've done messed up by running away. There's no way he wouldn't take it as an insult; his ego's too big. So, what you need to do is get back there and tell him what's going on. Be honest. Don't lie, and don't sugarcoat. Just tell him the truth."

"But--"

"No, no buts. No ifs, no ands, or anything. Bakugo is the type to appreciate honesty. You can't be wishy-washy with him. I've learned that after seeing him treat everyone. He doesn't hold back, and neither should you. The good thing is that you know he really likes you; otherwise, none of this would've happened."

You bit your lip.

"Even as sudden as it was, it was a choice," she told you. "He knew exactly what he was doing. That kiss wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing. He knew what he was doing and what he was feeling, and there's no way he would have done it if he didn't want to."

You thought about her words. "You're right."

"Damn right I am," she said, leaning forward and grabbing your shoulders. "He doesn't regret it. At least, not in the way you're thinking. If he's regretting anything, it's letting you run away without saying anything. So, what you're going to do is march back there and kiss that boy senseless. Got it?"

"But it's almost two in the morning," you said.

"If you think you both are sleeping anytime soon, you're delusional," she stated. "The guy is probably pacing in his own room right now, trying to figure out why the hell you rejected him. He's a wreck, and I'll bet you anything that his thoughts are just as bad as yours."

You frowned. "I guess, but..."

"But what?"

"It's just... he's Bakugo, and I'm... well, me. There's no way this could ever work out. He's too focused on being the best to date anyone, and I'm not the kind of person he'd go for. We're complete opposites. We fight all the time, and he's always yelling at me over something. Even now, I'm still wondering what the hell he was thinking when he kissed me."

"You need to stop doing that," Mina said, her tone firm. "You can't think like that. I told you he wouldn't have done it if he didn't see anything. Sure, you guys don't get along all the time, but that doesn't mean it's a lost cause. The fact that he's showing interest in you is enough to prove that he's attracted to something."

"Okay, fine, but what is it? What does he see in me? Why did he choose me? Why did he—"

"Girl, shut up. I can't handle any more of your doubts. This is a waste of time, and it's just making your brain more and more confused. Stop. Thinking. Go get him and just talk. I swear, you're gonna give yourself an aneurysm if you keep this up."

"Fine," you relented, throwing your hands up. "I'll—"

Then, there was a knock on the door.

You paused, staring at Mina. She stared back, her eyebrows furrowing. The two of you were quiet, not moving, not breathing. Then, another knock came, this time a bit louder.

"Iida?" you asked, your voice quiet. "We were pretty loud, weren't we?"

"Probably," Mina replied. "I hate that guy sometimes. What the hell does he have against us having fun? It's not like we were causing trouble."

"He's just being a good student," you said. "We should probably—"

Another knock and this one was harder. And something in the back of your mind was telling you that it wasn't him. It was different.

You and Mina shared a look before she shrugged and got off the bed. She went to the door, and you stayed seated. You were nervous. The tension in your stomach was building up again.

The thought was already in your mind, but it wasn't until Mina's face fell that you knew for sure.

She turned to look at you, her expression unreadable, but the emotion was clear in her eyes. It was the same look you'd given her before when you talked about the kiss.

And, you knew.

He was here.

"Where is she?" His voice held annoyance, but you could detect the change in tone.

"Bakugo," Mina said, trying to cover for you. "Why are you here? Is everything okay?"

"Cut the crap," he said, his voice a growl. "I know she's in there, Raccoon Eyes. Just... I need to talk to her."

You were frozen.

You were afraid.

You didn't know what to say or do.

Your heart was pounding, and your palms were sweating. You couldn't breathe.

"Send her out here," he said. "...Please."

Mina looked back at you. The pure shock in her eyes told you she'd heard him use the word, and you couldn't help but think the same. Bakugo wasn't a person who asked nicely. Ever. But the way he said it made it sound like it pained him.

You both stood there for a few moments. It was a stalemate, and neither of you could speak. Now that he was here, all the confidence Mina had built up was gone, and you were back to square one. You felt helpless.

Then, there was a sigh, not from him, but from her. It was the sound of defeat and the sound of surrender. She turned back to the door, opening it up to reveal those damn eyes of his.

His expression was hard and unreadable. It was blank, and his eyes were cold. They were the same ones you were used to seeing, the ones that held no emotion, the ones that only held anger. But they weren't as harsh as usual. They were softer.

He looked past Mina and saw you on the bed. The moment his gaze locked on yours, you knew you were going out in that hall whether you wanted to or not. His stare was strong, and it was demanding. It was like the world would crumble if you didn't follow his order.

So, you did.

You got off the bed and made your way to him. Your feet were heavy, and your heart was racing. With every step, the pressure got worse. When you were close enough, Mina shoved you towards him and then closed the door.

It was just you and him now.

You didn't know what to say. He was quiet, and the silence was killing you. It was making your head spin. You felt nauseous, and your stomach was in knots. It was too much.

"You..." He spoke, his voice low. "You're the most annoying person I've ever met."

You didn't respond. You couldn't. Your throat was dry, and your tongue was like sandpaper.

"Do you have any idea how frustrating you are?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're such a fucking mess."

Back to this.

"Yeah, I get it," you told him, finding your voice. "I'm a mess. It's been established. But you know what, Bakugo? So are you. You're an asshole."

"Me?" he laughed. "You think I'm the asshole? You're the one who ran away. I didn't do shit."

"You're the one who cornered me," you shot back. "What the hell was that, anyway? Insulting me into a corner, and then—"

The pause of your sentence spoke louder than any words you could have said. It was a statement, an unspoken accusation, and the meaning was clear. It was obvious.

His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened. "You know, if I had a dollar for every time you pissed me off, I'd be richer than All Might."

"If I had a dollar for every time I had to hear your rants about being the future number-one hero, I'd be able to retire," you retorted. "You're so fucking arrogant."

"Well, at least I know what I'm good at. You made that much clear, didn't you?"

Offended, you stepped closer to him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

You knew exactly what he meant. It was obvious. He was calling you out, and the fact that he had the nerve to even use those words after the incident in the common room made you see red. So, you might've done something that would get you in house arrest, but it was worth it.

You slapped him. Hard.

He didn't seem fazed, though. In fact, the only thing you did was piss him off even more. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, towering over you. "Are you that much of a dumbass? How the hell did you make it this far in UA with that stupid brain of yours? Do you have any idea how dumb you are?"

"I'm not an idiot," you said through gritted teeth. "I have my strengths, too. I'm not weak."

"Oh, really?" He was mocking you, his voice a challenge. "Then, why did you run away?"

"That's—"

"What? It's not because of weakness? Then, why did you leave?"

You didn't have an answer.

"Exactly," he said. "You're a fucking coward. You ran away from your problems, and that's all you do. That's all you're capable of. You don't know how to deal with situations, and you just run."

"I'm not—"

"You are," he said. "Every damn time. You ran from me. From arguments, from training, from everything. It's all you ever do. And you don't seem to care, do you? You don't care how much it pisses me off. You just do it anyway."

"Bakugo—"

"Tell me, damnit," he interrupted, his eyes flashing. "I... I let you in. I let you see something, and this is what I get? A slap and an escape? How the hell is that fair?"

"I didn't—"

"Yes, you did," he growled. "And it fucking hurt, okay? You don't know how much I..."

The silence was back, and it was more deafening than before. The tension was thick, and the air was heavy. You could feel the heat rising, the pressure building.

You had no idea what to say.

He was right. Mina was right. You had messed up, and you knew it. You knew you had hurt him. The pain was evident in his voice. But it didn't excuse him for being an ass about it.

"Why'd you come here?" you asked. "What did you expect to get out of this? Was it just to yell at me and make me feel bad?"

"No, moron, I came to ask if I fucked up. If I had crossed a line. I know what it looked like, but with your stupid ass, I don't know."

You rolled your eyes, but he made sure to keep them locked on him.

"You pulled me in. You returned it," he said, his voice dropping. "You even deepened the damn thing. What was I supposed to think, huh? You're not telling me anything. You're not giving me anything. If anything, you're taking. So, I'm asking. Stop running away, damnit. Talk to me."

The sincerity of his words struck a chord in your chest. He was right. He was absolutely right. You were running away. You were avoiding him.

You were a coward.

"I'm sorry," you said, your voice soft. "I shouldn't have done that. I... I didn't know what to do, and I was scared."

"What the hell are you scared of?"

"This," you told him. "Of you. Of the kiss. Of... what it meant."

"You're acting like you're the only one involved here," he said, his voice holding an edge. "What about me? Do you have any idea what I'm feeling right now? I'm just as confused and scared as you are, but you know what I'm not doing? Running away."

"I didn't mean to, it's just—"

"You did," he said, interrupting you. "You did, and you knew it. You were running, and you didn't want to deal with the consequences. That's what it was, wasn't it? You didn't want to face the truth. You didn't want to face me. You wanted to run. Like always."

"It's not like that."

"Then, what is it?"

You paused.

"Exactly," he said. "Nothing. You don't have an excuse. You were just being a coward. That's all it is. So, tell me. Tell me why the hell you ran. Tell me what the kiss meant to you. Because if you don't, I'll—"

"It meant everything!" you cried out, only to remember the late hour and quiet down. "It... it meant everything, okay? And I didn't want to lose that. I couldn't. It was... It was everything. It was so much. Too much. I didn't want it to be ruined. I didn't want to ruin what fucked friendship we had."

His expression was unreadable, and it made your stomach sink.

"So, I ran. I didn't know what else to do," you confessed, your voice quiet. "And... I didn't want you to find out the truth. Because if you did, you'd... I'd... Everything would change, and I didn't want that."

"We changed the moment that damn kiss happened," he said, his tone firm. "I'm not blind. You're not subtle, and I can tell that you've had feelings for me. And I think... I've had them for a while now, too. But if you're gonna act like this, if you're just going to run from your problems, then there's no point in doing anything. I can't have a relationship with someone who's just gonna hide and run away. It's not fair to either of us."

"Bakugo..."

"Don't 'Bakugo' me," he growled, his eyes burning. "What are we gonna do about this, huh? Are we gonna keep dancing around each other and pretend it didn't happen? Are we gonna pretend it doesn't exist? Because if we do, I'm not wasting any more time. It's not worth it. I have better things to focus on."

"It's not like that."

"Really? Because it seems like it."

"But—"

"Tell me, damnit. What the hell are we gonna do? What's it gonna be? I can't wait around forever, and I won't waste my time. I don't have the patience for it. If you're not willing to do anything about it, then there's no point in trying. It's just a waste of time. So, decide. Now."

He didn't ease up, and his gaze didn't falter. He was staring straight at you, waiting just as he had said. But you didn't know what to say or do. He was putting the ball in your court, and he wasn't budging. He wasn't backing down.

"Well?" he asked, his voice harsh. "I'm waiting. Make your choice."

"I—"

"It's not that hard," he cut in, his eyes narrowing. "Either we try this, or we don't. So, make a damn choice. If not, I'm walking out, and I won't look back."

You knew the decision was easy. It was obvious. It was obvious, but your mind was spinning. It was hard to concentrate when his hands were on your arms, and his eyes were burning holes into your soul. It was impossible to think.

But, you knew. You knew the answer. You knew what you wanted.

"Do it."

The words left your lips without hesitation, and for a moment, he faltered. His expression changed, and his eyes widened. His grip on your arms loosened, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. He was silent, and his eyes were focused on yours.

"You don't want me to run?" You asked, your voice barely a whisper. "So, make me stay."

The words were simple. They were easy. But they were enough to see the twinkle in his eye. It was enough to see the shift in his demeanor and feel his grip tightening. His body was pressed against yours, and his hands were on your arms. He was leaning forward, his face inches from yours. His breath was hot, and his eyes were dark.

In an instant, you were flung back into the same position you had been in hours ago. His lips were on yours, and the intensity was there, stronger than ever. The kiss was rough and passionate. He was pushing against you, his grip firm. He was in control, and he was demanding.

You kissed him back, and the emotions were overwhelming. They were consuming. His hands met the small of your back, pulling you into him. He was firm, his touch strong and his kiss powerful. It was rough, but it was gentle. It was intense, but it was loving.

The kiss was everything.

The moment his lips left yours, you found yourself wanting more. You couldn't help but pull him back in, kissing him deeper and harder. He met your desire, his movements matching yours. You didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but the moment it broke, you knew.

You knew that this was right. You knew that this was what you wanted. You knew that he was the one.

"Katsuki," you whispered, his name leaving your lips in a breathy sigh. "Katsuki, I..."

"I know," he breathed, his voice husky. "Me, too."

Then, he pulled you close, wrapping his arms around you. He held you tight, his warmth enveloping you.

You knew this feeling now; you understood it. This was the love that Mina had been talking about. This was the emotion she had been describing. This was what it was like.

It was the best damn feeling in the world.

[greaseonmymouth]

I saw this shared around on Threads (why do I go there, I hate it) and commented on as 'this article is so good' and 'must read' including by a few people whose opinion I normally respect, and seeing as monsterfucking and monster everything is like a special little interest for me, I of course instantly clicked through to read it

and I have to say

what the everloving heterosexual fuck is this

two fat paragraphs about omegaverse that don't even mention its origins - I mean - I just - gaze upon this phrase, and despair:

During estrous, Omegas’ vaginas ooze with “slick,” responding to the Alpha’s intoxicating pheromonal perfume.

IT'S CALLED "SLICK" BECAUSE IT'S FROM SELF-LUBRICATING ANUSES. THE REASON THE OMEGAS NEED SELF-LUBRICATING ANUSES TO BEGIN WITH IS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE VAGINAS.

I. have been rendered figuratively speechless. the straights don't know what slick is. the. i. how. how did we end up like this

their dicks swell at the base, creating a “knot,” which lodges them inextricably in the Omega’s slick-soaked (I am so sorry) vagina.

"(I am so sorry)" girl you're writing an article about monster smut and then you have the gall to be embarrassed by the this tame ass (or should i say vagina?) heterosexual omegaverse?

okay, okay. deep breaths. we've only just got started. we started by covering Morning Glory Milking Farm, a minotaur/human erotic romance novel, which well - I've read it, and it's not a bad book by any means, it was actually very very good, a solid story with a great cast and perfectly paced and satisfying romance and loads of sex - is very straight. it's just a minotaur. it's a big guy with a big dick. it's your standard gentle giant/normal sized girl romance. it's not very freaky, but you know, I don't blame the average reader for coming into this thinking this is some out there stuff. gotta start somewhere, right? we didn't all come up through draco/the giant squid crackfic in 2005, you know? and now we've covered Sarah J Maas and we're entering omegaverse territory, this is getting knottier now, right, freakier? this article is going somewhere, right?

you can imagine the intrigue, enemies-to-lovers, and other story lines involved as each captured female eventually finds the member of the barbarian tribe who is destined to worship and fuck the living daylights out of her for the rest of their lives. Oh, and their dicks have a sensitive spur on top designed for clitoral stimulation. It’s just as blue and velvety as the rest of their big alien bodies.

okay so the minotaurs aliens are blue now, i guess.

It seems, also, like the romance genre as a whole is being pushed by monster romance to make things in human-human books as freaky as possible.

ohh?? are we finally getting a proper freak on now??

This genre, “why choose?” or “MMF” (or sometimes even MMMF or MMFM), and also known as “reverse harem,” always features a heroine who is showered with sexual attention by men who are also sexually involved with each other.

having a thousand yard stare moment over here

this author seriously thinks that all these heterofied monster romance tropes are paving the way for the real freaky stuff that is, checks notes, "two hockey players fucking each other while the heroine calls the shots"

this author is positing that human queer erotica/romance are freakier than monster erotica/romance. like. she said that. with her whole chest. black on white.

on one hand a monster, an inhuman being, and on the other, a queer person, a human being. and apparently the real freak is not the minotaur or the blue alien. it is the queer human.

is this satire? it has to be, right?

because if it's not satire, this article is an entire case study in itself on the monstering* of queer people. stunning.

*academic term

[cult-of-husbandos]

yami ai [yandere] - Hot Yandere Singles Near You

synopsis: you click on a random pop-up ad and are visited by weird smiling man in suit.

genre: pure crack (like fr), fluff, tbh there's not really a plot

word count: 4.4k

warnings: implied stalking

Isn’t insomnia just the worst? Like, seriously? What’s the point of being a human being with antiquated thoughts and impressive cognitive and motor skills when your brain fights you on the most basic stuff. For example, like sleeping!!

You must’ve refreshed YouTube and Twitter over a thousand times. Over 8 billion people in the world and there’s no new content anywhere? You groaned and jumped back over onto Twitter, silently praying and pleading for something new to show up on your feed. Maybe a wacky billionaire got eaten by a mob of homeless people or maybe a news article about a Floridian doing something gross and outrageous and virtually impossible.

But nope. Nothing.

Not a single thing piqued your interest. You groaned again and looked at the time on your dimly lit phone. It was past 2 a.m. and you were bored out of your mind. You then lazily clicked on Google and sighed.

‘Maybe someone posted a new fanfic over something…’ you hoped. And even if there wasn’t a new fic uploaded you’ll just read the old ones you favorited. Perhaps reading something might put you to sleep.

As you were scrolling through your favorite ship tags, you were startled by a pop up ad covering up 90% of the screen and flashing emojis.

“Ugh… seriously?” you groaned. “They should make ad-blockers on phones for this shit.” You squinted at the bright lettering emanating from your phone even though it was at the lowest brightness setting.

⚠️(99+) Hot Yandere Singles NEAR YOU⚠️

Yandere’s…? Singles? Near me?

The pop-up ad had flashing peach, cherry, and eggplant emojis with a water splash emoji at the end to signify… well, you’re not sure what it was trying to signify. On the sides of the ad, it showed pictures of very gorgeous men and women, all striking suggestive poses. Underneath the title was a small summary that read. ‘These lonely desperate yanderes wanna meet you! They’ll most likely find you anyway, but wouldn’t you rather be the honey to a bee instead of a fly? Try it NOW for FREE!! No hookups! No catfishes! No sign ups!’ Then below that were a few empty boxes to fill out requiring your personal information.

"..."

Was this a porn ad?!

No way at 2:45 in the freaking morning did you just get a porn pop-up ad while googling mafia au fanfiction. This has to be some kind of joke. Maybe it was prank and someone was just fucking with you. And how and why would there be 99+ yanderes in your area?! You couldn’t be surrounded by that many psychos. Could you? Whatever the case may be, it was now past 2 a.m. and as the rule of life states ‘Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.’. You don’t know if it was the lack of sleep or just reckless curiosity, but you gave your shoulders a shrug and mumbled a ‘fuck it’ as you put in your information. Your name, number, gender, age, preferred sex, email, and mailing address. As you clicked submit and continued scrolling, you gave very little thought about how this would go down.

On one hand, the ad turns out to be real and you get a partner out of this. Or

You get quartered, stalked, doxxed, and murdered like the dumbass you are for putting your personal info into a sketchy porno-like pop-up on Google.

Or, it turns out to be a prank and some asshole sitting in a basement has a good laugh at you.

Meh. You’ll deal with it in the morning.

*****

You were jolted awake with the sound of rapid knocking coming from your front door. You groaned into your pillow as you tried to ignore the person desperately wanting your attention from outside your apartment. You finally got some sleep only for it to get interrupted. Only minutes and minutes of continued knocking without any signs of letting up, you decide to get up and shoo away whoever it was. You wearily grabbed your phone to check the time.

8:02 a.m.

You huffed as you stormed towards the front door.

“If this a fucking Jehova’s Witness, I swear to god…” you grumbled. You swung open the door and threw the person a harsh glare, only to be met with popping sounds as confetti flew in your face.

“Good morning, my dear darling~!! Are you ready to begin on the road to happiness and love?” the stranger shouted a far too happy tone for 8 in the morning.

You took a step back in shock, fully awake as you waved and dusted the confetti from your face and hair. You looked the strange man up and down. He was smiling ear to ear and wore an expensive looking suit to warm for the summer weather. A briefcase stood right beside him along with dozens of other party poppers and a white plastic bag filled with brown bottles with oddly enough no labels on them. You looked at the man’s face. He was surprisingly attractive and without a single flaw anywhere. His hair was jet black and shined a very prominent gloss. You were honestly kind of embarrassed to be seen by him when you looked like such a mess. The man let out a chuckle.

“Oh my.” he said, gently putting his hand over his mouth with vague concern. “I hope I didn’t startle you too much. I probably should’ve sent you an email notifying you of the time I was coming. I’m sorry that must’ve been a troubling awakening.”

You quirked your eyebrow and took another step back, grabbing onto the doorknob so that you could slam it right in his face if things got too weird.

“And… you are?”

“Oh my, oh my. Where are my manners? How careless of me to assume.” The man bowed with a curtsy. “I am the ‘Matchmaker’. My job is to pair two people with their fated soulmate and give each of my clients their happily ever after. It’s very nice to meet you, (Y/N) (L/N).”

You felt a chill crawl down your spine. How’d this weirdo know your name?! You tried to close the door as fast as you could, but the ‘Matchmaker’ was even faster. He clicked his tongue at you, his smile unchanging, but his eyes seemed to harden his gentle tone.

“My, how rude. Is that any way to treat a guest?” He let out another chuckle. “You’ll never find love that way.”

“H-How did you know my name?” you stuttered.

Again, another chuckle. What was so funny? “My dear~. You gave it to me.”

What the hell was he talking about? How could you have given this creep your name? Was he a stalker? A junkie? Noticing the confusion on your face, the man spoke up again.

“Oh my dear. Do you really not remember?” he asked, tilting his head in feign innocence. “You filled out an ad to meet singles in your area. And here I am, coming to fulfill that ad.”

You eased up on the tension you had on the door and tilted your head in surprised confusion. “That was a real ad?”

The man stood up tall and smiled earnestly again. “Of course. However, you are the first person to actually fill out that ad. Really, this is more of a celebration to both of us.”

Huh, so the pop-up ad was real.

Not a prank.

And now there’s a psycho standing at your front door promising you a partner from an actual yandere.

“I honestly thought it was a prank. I mean… yanderes? Isn’t that just an anime thing?”

“Oh, I assure you my darling.” he said with a snide smirk. “Yanderes are real. And when they heard about signing up, it was like tossing chicken in a sea of alligators. All clamoring to be the first person to take a bite.”

Okay, gross but kind of sweet.

“May I come in?”

“Huh?”

“Well, my dear. It would be easier to come in and talk through the process of how this goes instead of standing here.”

“Oh, um… Suuuree-”

“Great! My my darling~. What a lovely home. Very well decorated.” The man quickly strided into your house and made himself comfortable in your living room, looking as if he was analyzing every detail about your house.

Richard Chase would’ve loved your dumbass.

You shut the door and followed him into your own apartment and offered him a seat on your couch. Might as well, right? You’ve gone this far and you're still alive.

“Umm…” you hesitantly shifted from one foot to another. “Do you… um… want some coffee maybe? Or tea? Maybe a glass of water? If you haven;t eaten breakfast yet, I whip you up something.”

Yeah, sure. Feed the man with only a title for a name and waltzed right into your house after showing up after you put in your personal information into a random pop-up ad at 3 a.m. promising you a happy life with hot single yanderes in your area. You are the pinnacle of human genius. The apex of natural selection. The creme de la creme of common sense. Charles Darwin would be so impressed.

“How thoughtful. Just coffee would be fine. Thank you.”

After brewing a quick pot, you sat across from the man facing him heads on and gently slid him his steaming cup. After a while of taking little sips in weird silence, he spoke up again.

“Before we continue, I’d just like to say: Thank you so much for applying for this wonderful opportunity!! Not many people would click on an ad requiring doxxing information to meet their soulmates! Again, congrats on being our number one willing client!”

“Willing client?” you asked.

“Well, of course! For some reason, humans seem to really love the idea of a yandere until there’s one standing on their front porch!” he laughed.

“Humans? I’m sorry. Are you not human, Mr…?”

“Ah ah! No need for formalities! Just ‘The Matchmaker’ or simply ‘Matchmaker’.

“Oh, so… you don’t have a true name? Or is that just a title?”

“Oh darling~.” he sang sweetly. “That’s none of anyone’s fucking business, is it?”

Your eyes widened and let out a nervous chuckle. “Okay, got it! Just Matchmaker. Lovely name. Adore it. In fact, I love when strange mysterious men only give a title for a name.” What the hell does that even mean? You had no idea what you were saying anymore.

“Heh, smart cookie.” He winked. “Shall we begin?”

“Um, yeah, so… how does this work exactly?” you finally asked.

“Simple, my dear darling. Think of this as an ordinary matchmaking appointment. I have a stack of potential soulmates all ready to meet you. I have the same information about them that I also have of you. Each potential soulmate also has a picture so if you don’t really feel up to meeting face-to-face just yet you can look over the picture and see who captures your heart.”

“Face-to-face? So these guys have my picture too?” “Of course! And might I say, those pictures don’t do you justice. In all my years in this business, I’ve never seen such an obsession and overload of potential soulmates for just one person.”

You lightly blushed. “I-I don’t know about that… I barely got any sleep last night so I probably look like a zombie right now…”

“Au contraire, Darling. You look absolutely stunning. If I weren’t such a professional I would burn all these forms and claim you as my one and only~.”

You felt your entire face flush red as the Matchmaker pierced your soul with his longing gaze. It felt like he was staring into your very essence – like he could read you like a book. You nervously cleared your throat and shifted your eyes away, hoping to bring down your blush.

“S-So! Um… should we get started?” you stuttered, internally kicking yourself for being so easily flustered by a couple of smooth words. Ted Bundy would’ve had a field day with your dumbass.

“Ready whenever you are, my dear.” The Matchmaker set his briefcase on your coffee table and pulled out a single form and slid it over towards you. “Let’s start off with an easy one.”

You looked at the form along with the picture of a very attractive man paperclipped to the paper. According to the form, his name is Hamazawa Akita. He was in his early 20’s, had a varying array of hobbies from hiking to scuba diving, and was very much in love with you.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Hm, well, he’s very cute. And very active.”

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Um, sure… is there a number I could call or…?”

“No need! We can bring him in right now.” The Matchmaker snapped his fingers and you whipped your head towards the front door where Akita strolled in, all smiles. You looked back over the Matchmaker. “Did I not lock my door? Wait. More importantly, how’d he get here?!”

The Matchmaker smiled. “My dear, when you’re in this business you pick up a few tricks.” He then turned his attention towards Akita who now stood in the middle of the living room. “No. 1 would you like to introduce yourself?”

Akita stood tall and his eyes seemed to beam directly at you. “My name is Hamazawa Akita. Ever since I saw your picture I’ve dreamed about sweeping you off your feet and claiming you all to myself!”

“So, like 8 hours ago?”

“Yes!! But those hours feel like years when being away from you.”

“Hmm.”

“So, what do you think? Are you feeling the butterflies?”

You looked up Akita up and down and your face twisted as if you’re deciding on whether or not to buy a car or a piece of clothing.

“Um, to be honest my guy. I’m not feeling it.”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me, my darling?”

“Weeeelllll…. I mean, don’t get me wrong! You’re very attractive and your words are sweet, but I don’t think I believe any of it. Like, you just admitted to wanting me all to yourself only 8 hours ago, but I don’t really feel anything. Not even a shiver.”

The Matchmaker and Akita both looked at each other like they weren’t really expecting that. With a quick wave of his hand, Akita slumped his shoulders and headed towards your front door. You shouted out an apology as the dejected suitor walked out.

“Well, I didn’t expect that. I don’t normally get such competent clients. At least those that get past kicking and screaming.” The Matchmaker grinned. You shrugged.

“I guess I just know what I like. All the anime I’ve watched kind of gives you that high standard of what makes a yandere a real yandere, y’know?”

He nodded. “I cannot agree more. Well, we have plenty more where that came from. Shall we continue?”

*****

Papers were strewn across your coffee table in an unorganized fashion as both you and your estranged guest were tired beyond belief. You had no idea how many hours had passed nor how many guests were in and out of your apartment. You’re honestly surprised none of your neighbors complained or called the police. Your apartment would’ve looked like a clown car if anyone had been watching from the outside. You honestly lost count after No. 256. You let out another yawn and laid on your side trying your best to keep your eyes open. Maybe 2 hours of sleep wasn’t enough for the multiple interviews you had to conduct today. Maybe your 9th grade biology teacher was right. Maybe you are going to die alone. A weary sigh brought you from your thoughts.

“My, my. You are definitely the most high standard client I’ve ever had. I didn’t think we’d get to the triple digits in just one day.”

You also sighed and sat up in your seat. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… All these guys are cute and all, but they’re all lacking something. They’re either too forceful or not forceful enough. Too wimpy or too strong. Or too obsessed or just incredibly so lovesick that I feel like they’d fall in love with just about anyone who’d be willing. Ugh, why can’t this be simpler like adopting an animal?” You groaned. You also hadn’t thought this would take this long. You didn’t really think of yourself as having high standards until today. Until today, you’d be happy with anyone close to you in age and with a heartbeat. Who knew picking out a yandere soulmate would be so challenging. And who knew that there’d be so many willing participants! The Matchmaker reached into his briefcase and pulled another stack of forms and slid them over to you. There must be at least over a hundred papers in front of you. How did he have so many?!

“How about we switch things up, hm? You’ll look over the papers and when you see someone that catches your eye, I’ll bring him in.” He made it sound like you were adopting a dog or a cat. But if this made it go any faster, you were willing to try.

After about 3 more stacks of papers, you were starting to lose hope and patience. When you got to the last few papers, you stopped dead in your tracks. Woah baby!

“Woah baby!” you exclaimed.

“Did you find someone you like?” The Matchmaker asked hopefully.

“Oh yeah. This guy.” You showed him the paper. He furrowed his brows a little.

“Are you sure? I don’t think I remember this man. His name and face don’t seem familiar.”

“Really? Maybe he’s a late entry or something?”

Matchmaker stroked his chin in thought. “I’ll go check it out. Be right back, dear. I’m very sorry for this inconvenience.”

You waved off his apology with a smile and he left your apartment. You then leaned back with a groan. You just wanted to find your ‘soulmate’ or whatever and move on with this day. You closed your eyes for a second and waited patiently for Matchmaker to come back.

Tap tap tap

Just like deja vu, you were awoken by rapid knocking. Except this time it wasn’t coming from your front door.

Tap tap tap tap

It sounds like it’s coming from… your window?

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

You quickly got up and walked towards your window and opened it.

“Woah!” You jumped back a little as you were met face to face with the man that you had picked out and that the Matchmaker went to go find.

‘Wow… he’s even cuter in person!!’

He let out a delicious chuckle and gave you a charming smile.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, darling~. Hehe, though I think that fear in your eyes was worth it. So adorable~.” For the second time today, a complete weirdo stranger has made you blush. Wait…

“Wait! I don’t have a balcony and I’m on the third floor. How’d you-?” You peeked over the window to see if he was pulling a Criss Angel.

“I have incredible grip strength~.” he winked.

“Oooh I’m sure~.” you swooned. For a weirdo, he was a smooth talking weirdo.

“Oh, I got these for you, sweetheart~.” He pulled himself up and sat on your windowsill and pulled out a bouquet of roughly cut flowers from behind him. You gasped and grabbed them, giving them a smell.

“These are my favorite!! How did you know? I don’t think that was one of the pieces of info required for the Matchmaker.” you asked.

The stranger chuckled. “Easy. I never filled out that stupid application.”

You looked up from your flowers and titled your head like a confused puppy.

“I already know everything about you. I don’t need a stupid piece of paper to tell me what I already know about you. Like, how I know that you have secret sweets hidden all throughout your room. Or that whenever you have a good day you love to sing Stray Kids.”

He inched closer to you as you backed up further into the room.

“You won’t eat frozen pizza, but every so often you eat a lobster roll from a food truck from Gary on Main St.. You have life destroying evidence of your boss that you’re planning on using on your last day. You’ve seen the Barbie movie 5 times. And…”

You felt your legs hit the couch and tried to keep yourself from falling onto your back like a defenseless turtle.

“Your favorite anime is… Dar-” You quickly covered the stranger’s mouth with a furious blush.

“I only watch it ironically!! I don’t love it! It’s not my favorite!” you quickly clarified. The gravity of the situation was made perfectly clear after that. This man really knew all about you. Honestly, you’re so loud that you’re pretty sure that people on the ground outside could hear you singing. And you don’t really pay attention to your surroundings so it's easy for someone to know that you eat from a food truck every other week at specific times. But, knowing your favorite secretly watched anime?

“W-Who… are you?” you stuttered. You’re pretty sure you already knew the answer.

He laughed and you felt his lips brush against your fingers. You blushed and tried to pull back, only to be stopped by his hands.

“Sweetie~. You already know who I am.” He grabbed the paper from the stack and put it next to his face. “See? I’m Yami Ai. Your soulmate.”

Before you could even process what was happening, you were gently pushed onto the couch with Yami hovering over you holding your hands beside your head. You couldn’t stop the blush erupting from your neck to your face. Your heart was beating way too fast and your stomach felt jumpy and queasy. Butterflies.

You cleared your throat. “Um… so, if you didn’t fill out a form then how come The Matchmaker had your profile and picture? And why didn’t you use the front door?”

Yami smirked and leaned in closer. “It’s pretty simple to pull off when your apartment does security checks on new guests entering the building.”

“But, my apartment doesn’t–” you stopped. “Ooooh… So you impersonated a security guard, slipped your profile and info into his briefcase, and were planning on showing up as one of the potential singles? That’s… convoluted. But, smart.” You shrugged. “And since you obviously knew which floor I was on and which window was mine, I assume you’ve been watching me for a while and were watching me last night when I couldn’t sleep?”

Yami laughed again. “You are so smart~. You really catch on quickly, don’t you?”

You shrugged again with a nervous smile. “W-Well, obviously not smart enough to not put in my personal info and have strange men come in and out of my apartment.”

Yami was quick to turn his gentle smile into a hard, harsh frown. His grip on your wrists grew tighter and you winced under the force he placed in you.

“You know, my darling. It’s partially my fault. If I hadn’t backed out and taken you that night, you’d never be in this situation. With those men eyeing you up and down like you were theirs. Having that smiling freak calling you ‘dear’ and ‘darling’ when only I can call you that. I was planning on getting rid of the competition, but you did that for me.”

Yami loosened his grip and lifted you up, staring into your eyes. You blushed again.

“Rejection after rejection. Some guys didn’t even get 2 words out before you turned away. Of course my darling would only want the most perfect man. Isn’t that right, darling~?”

“Hehehe~” you leaned in with a giggle. “You’re so sweet~.”

You are such a baby for flattery.

*****

“My dear darling, I’m so very sorry for the inconvenience. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long, but I could not find this person you–” Matchmaker explained, rushing in and stopping dead in his tracks when he saw both you and Yami, the man who left 30 minutes ago to go find, eating breakfast in the living room.

Sitting in his lap.

And feeding each other.

“Oh! Matchmaker!” you exclaimed, quickly swallowing your food. You didn’t notice Yami tightening his grip on your waist nor did you notice the cold glare and tense atmosphere enveloping the room. “Look who I found~.”

“I see…” he said hesitantly.

“He climbed up the building and came in through the window.”

“My~. How romantic~.” he sang. “So, I take it that you are satisfied with your soulmate? Or… do you wish to continue searching?” he asked teasingly. Before Yami could say anything, you quickly spoke again.

“Yep! I’m sure.” You ruffled Yami’s hair and nuzzled up against him. “I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.” Yami hugged you closer to his chest as you giggled. “Plus, he makes the most amazing breakfast in the world, so extra points!” you cheered. You reached out towards the Matchmaker’s briefcase.

“Here you go! I put all the papers back in for you.”

Matchmaker quickly walked over and grabbed his briefcase along with your hand. “Well, my dear. It’s been an honor. You are truly the most remarkable and memorable client I have ever had.” he said with a bow and made his way towards the door. However, before leaving he chuckled and looked back at the both of you. “Although, it’s a shame,” he sighed. “Maybe if I had stayed, I would’ve snatched you up myself.”

And with a final loud laugh, The Matchmaker disappeared, but not before Yami stood up to lounge and attack the fleeting man like a guard dog. You snorted and caressed his face to calm him down. “Relax, Yami. He’s just joking.”

“Well, I hated his joke. Fuckin’ freak…” he grumbled. “And it’s Ai. You’re mine now. You should get used to calling each other by our first names.”

You smiled and leaned against him. “Okay, Ai. Whatever you say.”

“And if a man comes to the door, never EVER answer it, got it!”

“Mhm.”

“I’m serious, darling. I’ll gouge their eyes out right in front of you.”

“Yes sir.”

The rest of your life was going to be very interesting. Suck it, Ms. Braxton. I guess you’re the one dying alone. Because you have a yandere boyfriend! And she has gonorrhea. Bitch.

---

a/n: this is so shit. i'm so sorry that i've been MIA for a while. work has been pretty crazy and i haven't really felt much motivated to write. however, i'm trying to get back into it now. with this goofy shit. kind of a joke piece, but i needed to write something silly and not serious at all to relax. (also i've been writing since 4 a.m., so...) anyways, i'm going to try and update regulary or at least post something.

Here's my YouTube. I make anime playlists.

[lovebugism]

Im a very indecisive person but I guess I'll go with “Surprise, I have feelings and you just hurt them.” with Eddie, if you have any inspiration for this prompt 💕

ty for requesting!! — you get mean when you like someone, so eddie thinks you hate him (grump!reader, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, shameless succession reference, 1.9k)

“Please, tell me you’re joking,” you mumble through the melting vanilla shake on your tongue.

Robin grins at you across the table and shakes her head. “Nope,” she says, popping the p. “You are officially looking at Vicki Carmichael’s latest odyssey.”

You and Eddie look over your shoulder at Steve. He stands at the front counter and fumbles with the straw dispenser — hitting the lever repeatedly, with an increasingly rougher touch when nothing comes out. He flounders when they all spill out at once. 

He’s lucky he’s so pretty.

“Wait, I’m confused,” Eddie announces from beside you after stealing a sip of your milkshake. He squints and fights off a brain freeze. “Why didn’t he just tell us? He’s screwing the hottest girl in town— it feels like something he’d brag about.”

“I’m sitting right here,” you scoff, mostly kidding.

“‘Cause he knew you guys would totally ream him for it,” Robin answers and pinches fry crumbs into her mouth. Through a mouthful of them, she says, “It’s not like you’re usually supportive about this kinda stuff.”

“I’m all for Steve being a slut, okay?” you defend with your hands up in surrender. “But I do draw the line at my best friend fucking the girl who bullied me in high school.”

“What’d she do?” Eddie asks. You can’t tell if he really cares or if he just wants something new to laugh at you for, but you decide to humor him anyway.

“She cut out the boobs of my gym shirt before class because she knew if I dressed out again, I was getting detention,” you explain, smiling when it makes the table laugh. “I had to run the mile with my bright pink sports bra showing, but at least my record was clean.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Steve wonders aloud when he returns to the table, carrying the only straw that hadn’t fallen to the floor. He slides into the booth next to Robin and looks at the three of you expectantly.

“Nothing.” the brunette girl chirps.

“You,” Eddie deadpans.

You squint. “Real smooth, Munson.”

“Wait, what?”

Eddie laughs. “I mean, Vicki Carmichael? Seriously?”

Steve gapes at Robin, features yawned in betrayal. “You told them?” 

The girl shrugs, taking a big bite of her burger and playing coy.

“She’s hot and everything, but she’s really not your type, man.”

Steve’s eyes narrow across the table. “What’s that supposed to mean, freak?”

“She likes bad boys,” you answer for him, shrugging like it’s obvious. “You know, the Billy Hargrove types. With tattoos and leather jackets and long hair. And, no offense, but you’re the furthest thing from that.”

“I think you just described me, doll,” Eddie laughs.

“Weren’t you screwing around with Billy Hargrove a couple months ago?” Steve wonders with a knowing, honeyed squint.

“Shut up, Harrington,” you bite.

Eddie grins with all his teeth, pink and boyish and proud. “Oh, so you’re screwing guys that are just like me now, huh? I’m flattered.”

“If anything, you’re the dollar store version of Billy Hargrove, Munson,” you retort with a roll of your eyes, turning your attention to the milkshake in front of you. You stab holes in the thick ice cream and try to ignore the sudden attention.

All the eyes on you make you nervous. You were never good at being the butt of the joke. ‘Cause when you get embarrassed, you get mean. Like some kinda hurt dog.

“You have everything but the looks.”

“Fuck off,” Eddie snorts and snatches the frosted glass away from you. He slides it over to his side of the table and sips from the straw that has your lipstick stained on the tip of it. “You can’t insult me—”

“Can’t I?”

“—Not when you’re fucking a carbon copy of me,” he scoffs and tries to ignore the jealousy burning wildfires behind his ribcage.

“He’s nothing like you,” you insist.

“He’s exactly like me. Just blonde. And watered down,” Eddie argues, face twisted with disgust. He smiles when it makes everyone else laugh but you. “I mean, it’s kinda sad, actually. I turned you down, so you had to try it out with Hargrove?”

“I didn’t try it, first of all, I fucking conquered it,” you retort, not exactly joking but grinning when it makes Steve and Robin chuckle to themselves. “And second of all, I never wanted you, Munson. So there was never anything to turn down.”

Your words sting somewhere deep in his chest. Like there’s a knife lodged deep in his heart that aches every time he breathes. He doesn’t know what to do with this hurt other than hurt you back. 

“So that night you told me you liked me after my show— that was all a lie?” he asks, smirking to hide his ache.

Robin’s eyes go wide as she bites into her burger. “What is this? A sleepover?” she scoffs with her mouth full. “Why is everyone telling each other’s secrets?”

“You started it, Buckley,” Steve quips before stealing one of her fries.

Your answer is immediate. A total lie, but instant nonetheless. No one’s gonna out-insult you. Rarely ever do you come out of petty arguments without having drawn the most blood.

“Yeah! You bombed, and I felt bad, and I wanted to make you feel better,” you confess with a sinister giggle. “What I really wanted to say is that I wish your mom had given birth to a can opener because at least then it might be good at something.”

Eddie meets your smirk with a glower, something genuinely pained that makes your chest sting. You refuse to show it, though. Not even when he slides out of the booth. “Yeah, okay. Fuck you,” he mumbles to himself as he goes.

“What?” you scoff a cynical laugh.

“C’mon,” Steve murmurs quietly to you. “That was a little too far.”

“Oh, so he can make fun of me, but I can make fun of him?”

“It’s different. You know that.”

You roll your eyes even though you know he’s right. Eddie’s a clown, but he means well. He’s a dumbass because he doesn’t know how to be serious about anything, but he’s hardly ever outright mean. 

You’re made of something more hardened than that. You set fires all around you, and only when a person walks through it do you know they really care. You don’t mean to be so mean half the time. It’s a defense mechanism more than anything. A time-bomb you never really learned to defuse.

“It was a joke, Eds!” you shout as he storms the short distance to the entrance of the diner.

“Well, surprise. I have feelings—” he grins, though there’s little emotion behind it. The door dings over his head when he shoves it open. He reaches for the crushed packet of cigarettes in his pocket. “—And you just hurt them.”

The diner feels strangely silent with him gone. The air feels noticeably heavy, too. 

You reach for the milkshake he left on his side of the table and slide it audibly back over to you. You don’t sip from it, though. Your stomach’s too much in knots now. You just busy your fidgeting hands with it, holding the frosted glass in your delicate palms until they ache.

“Stop staring at me,” you mumble, not meeting the silent looks Robin and Steve give you across the booth.

“Go talk to him before you give him a complex.”

“Yeah,” the boy hums with a knowing smile. “Go kiss and make up.”

“Shut up,” you bite with a scrunched-together face. You deflate with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll go— but not because you told me to.”

You hear them laugh quietly to themselves as you walk out behind Eddie. 

He leans against the corner of the old building and blows smoke from his lungs. He looks relatively unfazed despite the circumstances. You swallow down the worry that you’re embarrassing yourself by being out here at all.

Your shoes scuff against the sidewalk as you near him. “Eds—”

“I’m fine,” he interjects before you can say anything real. “You don’t need to apologize.”

“Well, it’s too late. Steve and Robin already kicked me out here, so…” You trail off in a monotone, despite having already declared that you were out here not because you were told to be. He doesn’t need to know that, though. “…I’m sorry.”

He takes a puff of the cigarette between his fingers, then shrugs on the exhale. “Okay.”

“The can opener thing was stupid— I mean, it wasn’t nice either, but it was a really dumb joke,” you ramble without taking a single breath. You cross your arms over yourself in a makeshift shield. “You didn’t even bomb that night. At your show or whatever. I lied. You were… You were actually really good.”

Eddie turns his head slowly. He blinks at you with chocolate eyes sparkling with amusement.

You cower under his stare. “What?”

“I know what you’re doing,” he insists with a crooked smile.

“What?” you repeat, forcing a laugh.

“You’re fucking with me,” he chuckles and brings the cig back to his mouth. He mumbles through the stick. “But it’s cool, you know? I can cope.”

“I’m being serious, Eddie,” you argue. And then, when your chest starts to sting, it becomes impossible not to make a joke. “I think you’re a… super-talented superstar—”

“You’re such a fucking bitch,” he interjects with a sincere laugh, like honey and gunpowder.

You giggle, and the foreign tension ebbs.

“I’m just kidding,” you assure and prop your back against the wall beside him. “Well, I mean, I’m not, but I…” You stammer when you can’t find the words. You gesture wildly with your hands. “I do think you’re talented, it’s just— It’s hard for me to be serious, okay? But I am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he assures, tossing the cigarette to the ground and snuffing the ash with his sneaker. “Trust me. I know what you mean.”

You swallow hard. “And I wasn’t… What I said to you that night, in your van after the show… I wasn’t lying.”

Eddie’s head snaps up. He blinks at you with a gaping gaze, even though you’re not looking at him to see it. You’re much more focused on the dumpster across the street, lest you meet his eyes and get embarrassed all over again. 

This is the realest you’ve ever been with him, you think — since you told him you liked him and he all but turned you down.

Being vulnerable has been impossible since then.

“Then why’d you never talk to me about it again?” he asks, then stammers over himself. “You acted like it never even happened— I thought I fucking— like, dreamt it or some shit.”

“Because you didn’t say anything back! I thought you didn’t feel the same way!”

“I was just— I was just shocked. You always act like you hate me!”

“Because I like you, you idiot!” you blurt before you mean to, then huff with impatience at yourself. “Fuck. Sorry. I don’t know… I don’t know how to be nice to people I like.”

“It’s okay,” Eddie laughs, shifting on the brick wall until his shoulder rubs against it. He looks down at you like he’s seeing you for the very first time — glittering with the hope of finally getting close to you, of finally having something real.

“Don’t laugh!” you argue. “I’m trying really hard here!”

“I know,” he murmurs lowly, leaning in until you can taste the nicotine on his breath. In a honeyed tone, he confesses, “It’s a good thing I like you mean, then, huh?”

Your heart lurches into your throat. He smirks when you freeze, and knocks his shoulder against yours when he heads back into the diner.

The game of cat and mouse continues.

[papercorgiworld]

I pretty please request a little fic abt Enzo being jealous, you write him so well 🙁

“I’m your brother’s best friend, I'm allowed to be jealous.”

A jealous Enzo Berkshire x Nott!reader imagine 

Cedric asking you out has innocent Enzo freaking out.

Warning: a little bit of smut, little bit

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Blaise asks as he looks at Theodore who stares at you and Enzo entering the great hall laughing. “What?” Theo asks lazily. “That Enzo’s drooling over your sister?” Theodore snorts. “No, it doesn’t bother me. Rather Enzo than Matt.” Mattheo’s brows furrow as his eyes roll to Theo, raising his hands offended with his mouth still stuffed with food. “What’s wrong with me?” Mattheo says after quickly swallowing his food, but is quick to add: “On second thought, don’t answer that question.” Blaise chuckles but returns his focus on Theodore, asking silently to answer his earlier question seriously. “Enzo’s a good guy.” Theo explains. “I kinda hope they’ll end up together. He’ll be good to her and she’ll be good for him. Enzo doesn’t get into fights and he’s not a possessive psycho. He’ll treat her right.” Mattheo’s eyes knit together again. “Why do I feel so attacked?” Theodore ignores him and continues with a hushed voice since Enzo and you are approaching. “I kinda hope he’ll finally make a move.” Blaise raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. “Don’t hold your breath mate.” Enzo plops down next to Blaise. “Hold your breath for what?” Theodore smirks. “For Dumbledore to give slytherin points for something.” A soft laugh leaves your lips. “Never happening.” Enzo’s eyes focus on your smile as you fill your plate. That smile. 

Enzo was madly in love with you, but you were Theo’s little baby sister so he assumed you were off limits for him. However, Cedric Digory wasn’t friends with Theodore so there was no reason for him to stay away from you. You and Cedric had been good friends for years, much to Enzo’s dismay and every year you got prettier and every year Cedric showed more interest in you and every year Enzo ended up hating Cedric more. 

***

“Oh all bowtruckles in a tree! He asked you out!” Luna's eyes go wide, not believing what she had just heard. You nod and smile, leaving the classroom. “Yes, I know, crazy, right?” But your joy instantly disappears when you see Enzo approaching, his soft demeanour changing with every step he takes. Enzo was the best, but every year you noticed how he got more and more annoyed with guys showing interest in you. He also had made it very clear that nothing would ever happen between you two because bro code and stuff. Honestly, the most ridiculous thing ever, especially since your brother had the hottest friends ever. Right now, you were seriously getting annoyed with Enzo, what did he expect of you, to stay single forever? Not happening. “Who asked who out?” Enzo forces a smile as his eyes move between you and Luna. You sigh. “Cedric asked me out.” You say, bracing yourself for whatever irrational argument Enzo was gonna throw at you. “Ah, yes, that ‘good’ friend of yours that I’ve been warning you about since forever. I told you that guy is only after one thing-” You make eye contact with Luna and raise your eyebrows, before interrupting Enzo. Leaning a bit his way you whisper: “Well, I hope so, because honestly Enz, I’m only after one thing as well.” Your voice sounds bittersweet to Enzo and he watches you and Luna walk away giggling. He clenches his jaw as he considers his options. Talk reason into you, impossible. Punch reason into Cedric, not my style. Or be a tattletale and spill the news to your brother...

***

“She’s going on a date with Digory!” Enzo yells as soon as he enters the slytherin common room and spots Theodore. Theo looks up to see a fuming Enzo approach. “You should do something.” Enzo says, calming down a bit, but also annoyed by the lack of response from Theo. “Like what?” Theodore asks eyebrows knitting together as he folds the newspaper he was reading before Enzo stormed in. “Tell her not to go. The guy’s bad news.” Theodore lazily stares at Enzo. “The guy’s a Hufflepuff, he’s barely news, let alone bad news. And tell her not to go… You obviously don’t know much about siblings, but let me tell you this: they don’t listen.” 

“What! You’re just gonna let her?” Theodore was getting a little frustrated with Enzo’s tone and Mattheo could barely keep himself from laughing at seeing Enzo so upset. “Yeah, as long as she doesn’t date Mattheo I’m good with it.” Theo says with a bit of a sterner voice and Mattheo frowns feeling offended a second time today, but Enzo’s clearly angry with Theo and shakes his head. “You rather have her date someone like Cedric than one of your friends?!” There’s silence but Enzo’s just so terrified of you going out and falling in love with someone while he’s left pining, that all his feelings boil over into anger. “What kind of a shit brother are you!”  At those words Theodore gets up in a second, almost pressing his head against Enzo’s to make sure Enzo gets the message. “I’m not a shit brother and I never said that I'd rather have her date Cedric than one of my friends, just not Mattheo but trust me Berkshire if you keep this crap up then you’ll be out of my sister’s life in no time.”

Enzo’s so angry that he can barely process what Theodore is saying, but he’s sane enough to walk away and not pick a fight with his friend and the brother of the girl’s crushing on. 

“Why always use me as the definition of trouble?” Mattheo complains, making Theodore roll his eyes. “Cause you are, I just hoped we had at least one sane friend in our group, but apparently Enzo’s just as dysfunctional as the rest of us.” Theodore sighs, unclenching his fists and sitting back down.

 ***

You leave your classroom to find a shaky Enzo pacing the hallway. When he spots you he immediately walks over to you and you can see the nervousness in his eyes. “What's wrong?” You ask as his hand firmly wraps around your arm. “We need to talk. Now.” His voice is urgent and his eyes avoid yours. “Enzo calm-” “No, it’s important.” Enzo snaps at you and pushes a door open, shoving you into a broom closet. “You can’t go out with him.” Enzo states as soon as he closes the door behind him. There’s a dim light that lights his pained face just enough for you to see. “Enzo-” Your voice is soothing, but Enzo’s too afraid of what you’ll say so he continues to rant. “It physically hurts when I think of you being with someone else, loving someone else. So just, I beg you, just don’t go out with him.” He sighs and moves a hand over his sweaty forehead. “I almost had a fight with your brother, because I’m freaking out and I’m freaking out because I know Cedric is a good guy and you like him and you’ll love him and forget about me and I- I-.”

You grab his face and place an urgent kiss on his lips, hoping you’ll keep Enzo from spiralling any further, but to your surprise he suddenly spirals into a whole different direction. Eagerly kissing back, one hand finding the small of your back as he takes a step towards you pushing you against the wall of the small closet you’re in. “I need you.” Enzo breathes lips only inches away from yours and his eyes piercing you, silently begging you to let him love you. “Let me have you.” His husky hungry voices make your knees go weak. “Have me, Enz.” You whisper, meeting his lips with an equal amount of hunger. What took you so long. He kisses you until you're out of breath then he leaves sloppy kisses on your jaw, before sucking at the flesh of your neck like you taste divine to him. His hands lustfully trace every inch of your body, squeezing the flesh of your thighs and ass. “I’ll make you love me.” Your eyes roll to the back of your skull at the sound of his determined voice. Not that you needed him to do anything, you had already fallen for him before he had even seen you as someone more than just Theo’s sister. However, you were more than enjoying Enzo working for your love. 

***

You straighten your skirt and do your best to comb your hair with your fingers to look as decent as possible after what Enzo had just done to you in that tiny closet. “You look fine.” Enzo ensures smiling at you adoring your beauty as you stand there nervously watching if anyone has seen you two leave the broom closet. You force a weak smile and Enzo can’t help but get nervous as well. Though not about getting caught with you, but about whether or not he had convinced you to not go out with Cedric. Even having you moan and cry his name wasn’t enough to reassure him that you were his. He needed to know. “Are you still going out with him?” Enzo blurs and your eyes meet his. Is he for real? “Was this really all because Cedric asked me out?” Enzo shrugs, a bit embarrassed about how he had acted. A soft chuckle leaves your lips. “Really Lorenzo Berkshire you got jealous?” His hands sink into his pockets and he stares at the floor, thinking of a good response. “I’m your brother’s best friend, I’m allowed to be jealous.” 

You frown at his silly excuse. “Pretty sure Matt’s my brother's best friend and even if you were that’s not an excuse at all. Neither does it excuse what you just did to me in that closet.” Enzo takes a step closer to you and meets your eyes. “What do you want me to say?” Your eyes drown in his. “The truth Enz.”

He takes a deep breath, before confessing. “I’m so incredibly jealous, because I’m in love with you.” A happy smile tugs on your lips and Enzo’s delighted at how happy you are with his confession.

“You know… I never said yes to Cedric.” Enzo’s eyes widen and his mouth almost drops. “What?” A sweet laugh escapes you at the view of his shocked face. “I only ever said that he asked… I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t because I’m in love with you.” Within a split second Enzo’s lips crash onto yours. You had just made this man the happiest in all of Hogwarts.

Word count: 1771

Picture link: https://pin.it/2LVDPbwNS

[merlucide]

POOKIE I CUT MY HAIR AND THIS SOUNS STUPID BUT CAN I PLEASE HAVE A RIN, CHIGIRI, OTOYA , REO, HIORI AND KURONA REACTING TO READER CUTTING HER HAIR AROUND SHOULDER LENGH AND DOING CUTE LIL HAIR SLYES WITH PINK BOWS AND STUFF AHHHH WHEN SHE USED TO HAVE LONG HAIR?!!?

(If it’s too much characters just do a few 😭💀)

BLLK BOYS REACTION TO YOU CUTTING YOUR HAIR

Notes: OFC POOKIE🤩🤩 and hair slays so hard omg 🤭 slay the house downs boots Houston I’m deceased😍😍

characters: Rin, Chigiri, Otoya, Reo, Hiori, Kurona

warnings: cursing

Edit: oh my god I freaking misread this. ARE U KIDDING ME?!?! IM SO SORRY OMG. UH??? IM SO PISSED RN

ITOSHI RIN

He was stopping by your house to give back your hair tie (yes that is his excuse to see you)

He did not expect you have cut your hair and NOT tell him

Bc girl who do you think you are for not telling him?? 🙄 

He likes to feel involved😔

“You cut your hair.” No shit Sherlock 😐

lmao he kinda glares at you for not telling him. 

When yall cuddle (only way he’ll be in a better mood) he twirls you hair around and mumbles ‘it’s looks pretty on you’ 

And you’ll be like “what did you say?” 😯

“I didn’t say anything moron.” 😡

damn bro chill🙄🙄

Anywho he totally tries to do your hair, he’s not bad but like he’s not good

He can do basic braids, he tried French braiding and he got so pissed he couldn’t do it.

He went home and YouTubed how to French braid so next time he can’t do it 😘

CHIGIRI HYOMA

He thinks you look so pretty!! He really loves this look on you

He of course loved your hair before, but this one in his opinion, suits you better

He totally does your hair bc come on.

You want French braids? On it. Dutch? Ofc. Fishtail? Rope? Infinity? Carousel? Mermaid? Check, check and check mf 🤩

Beware, he yanks you head back if it’s tilted. He’s like a mom getting you ready for picture day 😭

He makes you do his hair after lol

OTOYA EITA

He looks at you hair and then back at you

“Your hair looks fire bro”

Bitch I’ll strangle you

Please, please don’t let him touch your hair.

He make make it look horrendous.

It will be full of knots when he’s finished. 

Seriously, don’t let him near your hair.

He’ll try to do piggy tails and they will be so uneven and wonky looking 😭

He blames his mistakes on you cus it’s “not the right kind of hair” 

🙄🙄

MIKAGE REO

He gets so excited to see your new look

Makes you do a spin and all :3

He’s literally fangirling you lmao

“Y/N-san you look amazing! This haircut suits you wonderfully!!”

He insists on buying you new hair accessories.

I’m sorry I know I use the ‘he’d buy u stuff’ sm 💀 

He’s actually pretty decent at doing your hair.

Puts a big ass bow in you hair lmao

HIORI YO

He loves you new look!

He tells you that it was time for something new and he loves it (not in a negative way)

he ruffles you hair lmao

like it was so pretty 🥲 why

he fixes it dw

Puts you hair in piggy tails and then y’all take those cute aesthetic couple pictures

KURONA RANZE

AH HE THINKS YOU LOOK JUST SO PRETTY!!! 

he’s so blushy and gushy cus he thinks it looks really good on you.

He flicks the bottoms out and spins you around so he can see everything.

Obviously he braids your hair🤭

he does like small braids into a jumbo braid

It looks weird but he just likes braiding lmao

you braid his hair after :3 

seriously idk why this took so long for the low quality that this is 💀💀

Made April 7th 2024

[unfinishedslurs]

gay bar (steddie)

“Well, well, well,” says a voice from behind. “Steeeeeeve Harrington. I must be dreaming.”

Steve turns around to see a guy, dressed in black and chains. Rings decorating his fingers, studs in his ears, curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. He’s hot, yeah, but something about him has Steve squinting, trying to figure out why he looks so familiar. 

“I know you from somewhere,” he says, pointing out the obvious. The guy knows his name.

The not-a-stranger snorts. “Of course you don’t remember me. Why would the likes of King Steve stoop to—“

As soon as the nickname leaves his mouth, Steve’s brain lights up. “Munson!” He exclaims, snapping his fingers. “You used to climb on the lunch tables to give speeches.”

It was so obnoxious, too. The kind of thing that had him and Robin reminiscing late at night, celebrating some of the weirder shit about Hawkins that didn’t come from monsters, or Russians, or government conspiracy. Remember that one asshole? Yeah, he stepped on my lunch one time!

Condolences to Robin’s pb&j. She never sat at that table again.

Munson’s whole face turns pink. “Seriously? That’s what you remember?”

“It was pretty fucking memorable, dude. Like, gross, doesn’t this guy know not to put his feet where people eat? Dustin thought you were so cool for it too. I had to nip that in the bud before he started imitating you or some shit.”

“Oh,” he says, voice gone flat. “Because God forbid some poor kid try to immolate the freak.”

Steve gives him his bitchiest, most deadpan stare. “Feet,” he says slowly. “Nasty, fifteen year old boy feet. On my kitchen table. He almost slipped and cracked his skull, and I would have sent you the hospital bill.”

He had to get creative to make him stop, too. Stood there, hands on his hips, and made Dustin tell him exactly how many germs he thought were on his shoes. Then when he tried to do it barefoot, decided the only course of action was to stuff Dustin’s abandoned sock in his mouth and ask if he wanted that shit with every meal. Erica still has the photos. 

Munson has the decency to look embarrassed, face flooding an even brighter red that wouldn’t be out of place in a tomato patch. “What are you even doing here, Harrington?”

What does he think Steve’s doing here? It’s a fucking gay bar, it’s pretty self explanatory. “My friend is here somewhere,” he says, waving out at the crowd of people. “She’s going through a dry spell, so…”

“Right,” Munson says. Steve squints at him. Does he look disappointed?

Eh. Doesn’t matter. 

“You gave my kids the best freshman year of their nerdy little lives,” he tells him, because he knows Dustin would want him to. Plus, the guy was Mike’s gay awakening. He should probably get some credit. “So thanks for that.”

He lights up. “Yeah! How was Hellfire in my absence?”

“I had to hear them bitch and moan for months about how it ‘wasn’t the same,’ but it’s doing pretty all right. Erica Sinclair is running it now.”

“Erica Sinclair…” Munson mutters, snapping his fingers. “Lucas Sinclair’s little sister? Lady Applejack?” He beams when Steve nods. “She kicked ass. Best finish to a campaign my entire high school career. How’s Lucas, anyway? And the rest of the runts.”

“He’s doing great,” Steve says. “College basketball at Yale. Pretty sure he’s dying under the workload, but that’s what you get for majoring in physics. Dustin’s at MIT, and Mike’s taking a gap year.”

He whistles lowly. “Yeesh, I don’t blame him. How about Byers?”

“Which one?”

“Zombie boy.” Steve’s hackles raise, but Munson just grins. “God, that nickname was badass.”

“How do you even know about that?”

Munson taps the side of his nose. “A magician never reveals his secrets. Besides, all it took for you to remember me was calling you by your high school nickname.”

“That wasn’t my nickname.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Literally three people ever actually called me that, and you were one of them.”

He has a feeling it was Tommy who started it, bitter and vicious. Told himself Steve was self possessed, high and mighty, above it all. That’s why he left his old friends behind. Not because he was in love, or because he wanted to be better. No, King Steve just sits alone in his castle, looking down on the peasants with contempt. 

Billy must have taken his angry ramblings and run with them. After all, what better way to get a start in a new town than declaring yourself royalty? Never mind that Steve hadn’t cared about anything like that for almost a year by then. 

Munson had just been a drama-loving asshole. 

“That can’t be right.”

“I stopped being popular in junior year. Why the hell would anyone call a sophomore King?” Steve points out. 

“You were Prom King.”

“Again, in junior year. Pickings were slim. Who else would it have been? Tommy?” He has to laugh. 

Luckily, Munson takes the hint and swerves the conversation into new territory. “You know, I always figured you’d be homophobic.”

Steve snorts. “What, and get kicked out for nothing?”

Munson stares at him, and Steve furrows his brow, looking into his glass like it will have the answer to why the hell he said that to this guy he barely knows. He just decided he wasn’t going to spill all his daddy issues to a near-stranger in a dingy bar, dammit. Is he already on his fifth drink?

Actually, this might be his sixth. That tracks. 

“What?”

“My dad caught me kissing a boy,” he says. If he’s going to give Munson his life story, he might as well commit. “Can you believe that boy ruined my life in three different ways? Two of them didn’t even have anything to do with the gay thing.” 

Maybe four ways, if you accounted for the way he broke his goddamn heart, but everyone and their mother saw that coming a mile away. Even Steve. Especially Steve. 

No offense to Jonathan. None of those things were really his fault. Or actually life ruining, but it sure fucking felt like it at the time. 

He should give him a call soon, actually, see how he and Argyle are doing. He misses the guy. Maybe he and Robin should save up for a visit to Cali. Get Nancy on it. They could see San Francisco while they were there, that’d be cool. Apparently it was the queer capital of the country. 

He’s thinking about asking the bartender for a napkin and a pen to write down the plans he’s forming when Munson speaks up again. Steve honestly forgot he was here. 

“I thought you said you were here for a friend.”

What?” Steve blinks, confused, and then catches on. “Yeah, to get her laid. I’m not in the mood right now.”

Munson cocks an eyebrow. “Wearing that? Could’ve fooled me.”

Steve looks down at his Springsteen T-Shirt that Robin cropped, and picks at the frayed hem of his shorts. Okay, yeah, they’re on the skimpy side, but in his defense it’s summer and even if he’s not cruising Steve likes being looked at. “Yeah, yeah. What about you? Here for anything in particular?”

“Just to talk to some pretty boys,” Munson says, leaning on the bar to flag down the bartender. Steve smirks, reaching out a hand to tug at the hanky in his back pocket. Pinned, damn. 

Munson whirls around, a flush starting to crawl onto his ears. 

“Wearing that?” Steve echos snarkily. “Could’ve fooled me.”

He swears that for a minute Munson’s eyes darken. 

He’s almost tempted to follow through, high school reputation be damned, when someone crashes into his side and nearly sends him careening. 

“Steeeeeve,” Robin yells happily into his ear. “This is Bernie, she’s gonna take me home, see you la—oh, hi!” She says, noticing Munson. “I know you from somewhere.”

“Eddie Munson,” Munson greets. “Steve and I went to high school together.”

“Munson! That’s it, you climbed on tables and had shit music. I’m Robin. Okay, I’ll call the apartment and leave a message when we get there. Bernie’s waiting on me, it’s-nice-to-meet-you-bye!” Just like that, she’s gone. 

Munson’s mouth has dropped open. “You told her I had shit music?” He demands. “Wait, you talked about me?”

“She went to school with us, dumbass,” he says, as if he can talk. He still barely remembers her as more than a vague, glowering figure in his peripheral. “It’s not my fault you blasted your screamy music for everyone in the parking lot. Such a fucking headache, God.”

Munson turns his nose up. “Sorry for having offended your jock sensibilities.”

“Oh, I don’t play anymore,” he says, and knocks on his head. “Concussions, yanno. Apparently brain damage will fuck you up. Who knew?”

“What, like the fight you had with Byers? He did you that bad?”

“He did me just fine,” Steve blurts out, before he can stop himself. Munson chokes. “Shit, sorry, I’m kind of a horny drunk.” Weird thing to say, Steve. “Also, I cannot stress enough how much I needed to be punched in the face. It was a monumental moment for me, you know. Started me on the path for changing my entire worldview. Plus, he was my first guy crush.” He swirls his empty glass, lost in thought, before brightening up. “I should call him!”

Munson is staring at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish. 

“What?”

“You’re drunk.”

“Well, yeah. Duh.”

“I should probably stop you from booty-calling the guy who punched you in the face.”

Steve wrinkles his nose. “It wouldn’t be a booty-call,” he says. “He and Argyle are happy together, man. I’m not gonna ruin that.”

“Oh, so you’d call him because…”

“I call him all the time,” Steve says, confused as to why this is such a big deal. “We’re friends.”

“Jonathan!” He yells happily into the pay phone. Munson is standing to the side, looking on in annoyance. Whatever, it’s not like Steve asked him to do this. “Jonathan, man, how are you?”

“…Steve?”

“Yeah!”

“It’s like…” he hears something clatter in the background, like Jonathan is looking for something, “two in the morning there. You okay?”

“I’m doing great!” He exclaims. “How about you? It’s been ages, man, I miss you.”

“This is so fucking weird,” Munson whispers behind him. Steve ignores him. 

“Are you drunk?”

“No,” he says. “Well, maybe a little. Do you not miss me too?” He pouts, and Jonathan sighs loud enough he hears it over the phone. 

“I just talked to you yesterday.”

Steve frowns. “Yesterday? That can’t be right, it’s been, like, forever. Oh, hey, have you heard from Nance lately? How’s your mom? I love your mom, she’s so fucking cool. Does she know I think she’s cool? How’s Will? It’s been so long, is he taller than me yet? How’s Argyle doing with his degree? I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too, Steve.”

“Awww, Byers, getting soppy on me? Gross, man.”

“You literally just—yeah, okay. Are you alone?”

“Nah, I’ve got this guy with me, he’s walking me home. Oh! Dude, do you remember Munson?”

“Munson?”

“Yeah, Eddie Munson! From high school! The one who used to climb on tables and shit, remember him?”

“Jesus Christ,” Munson groans. “Please let that die.”

“No one is dying,” Steve informs him seriously, and turns back to the phone. Munson sighs. 

“Wasn’t he a drug dealer?”

“Yes! Yeah, drug dealer Munson! Did you ever buy from him?” He turns to where Munson is looking around furtively. “Did Jonathan ever buy from you?”

“How about we not talk about this here,” Munson says through gritted teeth. Steve sighs and turns back to the phone. 

“Never mind, he says he doesn’t want to talk about that. Not like we can judge him, but whatever. Maybe the guy’s turned into a prude—“

“Okay, give me that.” Munson wrestles the phone out of his hand, and Steve whines at him. “Hey, Byers,” Munson says. “Yeah, it’s Eddie. Or Munson. Whatever. Listen, I’m getting kind of sick of standing here watching Harrington slobber all over the receiver, can he call you tomorrow? What? No, I don’t sell anymore—yeah, total bummer, whatever. Listen, I’ll get him home safe—no, I’m not going to serial murder him. He’s gonna be fine, he’ll call you tomorrow—Nancy Wheeler? Like that girl he dated? Didn’t you—shoot me? Jesus, okay! I’m not gonna kill the guy, Christ. He’s gonna be fine, oh my God. He’ll call you tomorrow. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah, okay. Bye.” He slams the phone into its holder with more than a little contempt. 

“Hey!” Steve protests. “You didn’t let me say bye.”

“You can call him tomorrow and apologize,” Munson says. “Now c’mon, Harrington. I’ve been tasked with getting you home safe, and if I fail, apparently Nancy fucking Wheeler is going to shoot me in the balls.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s really hot when she does that,” Steve says fondly, and Munson splutters. 

“What, does Wheeler just go around shooting people? Does she even have a gun?”

“Of course Nancy has a gun.” Steve frowns. It was one of the sure things in the universe at this point. The sky is blue, Hawkins is fucked up, and Nancy Wheeler has a gun. “And she doesn’t shoot people, stupid. Well, she shot at Billy, but he deserved it.”

“Billy?” Munson mutters, starting to usher Steve in the direction of home. “Who the fuck is Billy?”

“He was trying to kill her first!” Steve defends. “I hit him with a car before he could, so she was okay.”

“Okay, yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t you hit some guy with a car? 

“It wasn’t some guy,” Steve says. “It was Billy. He was, like, possessed or some shit. Oh, and he beat me up. Total psycho.  And that was before the melted flesh monster.”

Munson stops and stares at him. “You know what, sure. Demonic possession. Yeah, okay. Some guy named Billy kicked your ass—wait, are you talking about Billy Hargrove?”

Steve lights up. “Yeah! You remember that? That’s one of the concussions I was talking about. I gotta wear glasses 'cuza that shit. Man, fuck that guy.”

“Didn’t he die?”

“Oh, yeah,” Steve frowns down at the ground. “Shit, I’m, like, speaking ill of the dead, aren’t I? Max wouldn't like that. Unfuck him, or whatever.”

“You wanna come up?” He asks. “For old times sake?”

Munson stares at him like it’s the craziest thing he’s said all evening. “‘Old times’ was your asshole friends calling me a satan worshiper and pushing me around in hallways, Harrington.”

“I know.” He grins. If he was sober he’d definitely feel worse about that, but as it is he’s pretty single minded. “Don't you kind of want to make me cry about it?”

Deer in headlights isn’t usually a good look, but Munson’s got the eyes to make it work. Or Steve is drunk. Either way, it’s kinda cute. 

“You’re drunk,” he finally says, stumbling over the words a little. If Steve pays close attention and ignores most of reality, it almost sounds like he’s trying to convince both of them. “You’re so incredibly drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk.” He totally is. 

“I just had to supervise you calling Jonathan Byers so you didn’t say something you’d regret in the morning.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asks, offended. “I love Jonathan! I tell him all the time. Just because I said he ruined my life—“

“That was him?”

“Did I not say that? Huh. Whatever. Point is, I’m not that drunk.”

“You’re definitely drunk,” Munson says. “I’m not—yeah, no. I’m not coming up.”

“Damn.” Steve shrugs, not too put out about it. It’s a bummer, sure, but he handles rejection like a champ. Just ask Robin. “Worth a shot. See you ‘round, Munson.”

“Don’t kill me,” Steve says. 

“Oh, god, did you punch him?”

“No, I, uh.” Steve rubs the bridge of his nose. “I think I tried to fuck him.”

He has to hold the phone away from his face so Dustin’s screeching doesn’t break his eardrums. 

“Your exes are weirdly protective of you,” Munson says blandly. “Also, didn’t they date?”

“Yeah,” Steve shrugs, not exactly eager to start spilling his life story again now that he’s sober. Munson doesn’t need to know more about his dating history than he already does. “We’re all a little weird about each other, sorry.”

“Weird about your exes,” he hums. “No wonder you’re single.”

“Oh, fuck you. It’s not like that.”

He raises an eyebrow. “No?”

“Are you always this nosy?” Steve asks, a little waspish. 

“Absolutely,” Munson replies without hesitation. “I’d say sorry, but I’m not. When did you even date him?”

“Dude.”

Munson just cocks an expectant eyebrow, hip resting against the bar. He can’t imagine why someone would be so interested in the romantic lives of their old high school classmates. It’s not like Steve is about to ask what was going on between him and Chrissy Cunningham. 

“Well, Harrington?”

“First grade,” Steve answers, deadpan. He grins when Munson chokes. “Nah, it was actually after he and Nancy broke up. Fall of ‘86.”

Arms squeeze him from behind, and Robin slides into view, leaving one hand wrapped pointedly around Steve’s waist. She gets clingy when she thinks someone is bothering him, or when she’s just on the side of drunk that she gets possessive. She told him, embarrassed and hungover, that it’s because she registers someone he’s getting along with as infringing on “her Steve time.” Steve thinks it’s hilarious and kind of sweet, an obvious lesbian trying to pretend he’s her date. Especially because he gets the same way when he’s tipsy and feels like he doesn’t have enough of her attention, so she can't yell at him for being a cockblock. Cuntblock. Whatever the lesbians call it.

He wonders what category she thinks Eddie is. Of guy, that is. Not block-anything.

He'd actually be pretty damn happy if the guy miraculously changed his mind and decided to sit on his cock instead.

“What’s going on here?” She asks, almost cattily. He loves when Robin gets bitchy. It brings him back to their Scoops days, except he gets to see it turned on someone else. 

“I’m telling Eddie my life story,” Steve says blithely.

“Ugh. Who would want that?”

Eddie grins. “I’m curious about the adventures of a former king.” He dips his head in a bow, waving his hand in a flourish. “I don’t know if you remember me from last time, I’m Eddie—“

“Munson, I know. You stepped on my lunch in junior year.”

Eddie turns beet red in record time. 

“Aww, Robbie,” Steve almost coos. “Leave him alone. I wanted to be the one who made him blush like that.”

“It’s not my fault your boy’s easy.”

“Not my boy, clearly,” he mutters under his breath. “And if he were easy, I’d have gotten fucked by now.”

Eddie’s mouth drops open with a choked little sound. Whoops. Steve forgot volume control again. 

Robin takes one look at Eddie’s face and bursts into cackles. 

“He was asking about,” he waved a hand in the air, “the whole Nancy-Jonathan thing.”

Her eyebrows jut up. “You told him about the threesome?”

“The what?”

Steve sighs. “No, Robin. I did not tell him about the threesome.”

“…oops.”

“When?” Eddie demands. 

Robin gives him the evil eye. “Why are you being weird about this? It’s not gonna make him fuck you.”

Steve wisely keeps his mouth shut. 

Eddie does not. “Your boy here already asked,” he smirks, leaning closer. “I said no.”

Then, as an added punch to his ego, he twirls a strand of Steve’s hair around his finger and tugs slightly. Steve’s too stunned to protest. 

Robin watches the exchange. “Oh, no thank you,” she says. “Nope. I’m out. I don’t want to see whatever this is. Ugh, stop making me hear about your sex life.”

Hypocrite. “We have thin walls, Buckley,” Steve reminds her. He turns to Eddie and stage whispers, “She likes her girls loud.”

“Steve!”

“You do!”

“Oh, because you’re so quiet,” she snaps, smacking him. “How many times have I had to bang on the wall because you couldn’t keep it down? You wanna talk about loud? I know more about you than I ever wanted to.”

His mouth drops open in mortification. “You know it’s rude to be mean to the man who told you how to eat out,” he hisses. 

“I’m not dying without fucking Eddie Munson,” he declares. “I mean, his high school nickname was literally ‘The Freak.’ He’s got to be good in bed, right?”

“I think that was mostly because everyone thought he was communing with the Devil or something.”

“Maybe the Devil gave him sex magic.”

“Of course he thinks I’m cute.”

“I do?”

“Do you not?” Steve turns to him, widening his eyes in the same pout that always has Robin throwing something at his face, or the kids reluctantly agreeing to do what he wants. He’s found it’s useful for guys too, especially if he ducks his head to seem smaller and looks through his eyelashes. Makes them imagine him looking like that on his knees. 

Munson is no exception. He melts faster than Steve can say gotcha. “You’re very cute, Harrington,” he purrs, and Robin snorts into her drink. 

“You’re a weak, weak man, Eddie Munson,” she tells a blushing Eddie. Then she kicks Steve. “Stop bringing out the ‘fuck me’ eyes when I’m around, I’ll gag.”

“You could leave.”

She gasps, affronted, and kicks him harder.

“So you would fuck me if I wasn’t drunk?”

“Uh…” he looks everywhere but Steve’s face, which is just rude. He has a very nice face. He’s been called dreamy before. 

Which made Robin laugh so hard she fell off the couch when he told her, but he’ll take the lesbian’s opinion with a grain of salt. 

He makes his way onto the dance floor. He’s not a particularly good dancer, but he shakes his ass like he means it. Gets up close with a guy, stares at Eddie the whole time. Keeping eye contact as the guy puts his hands on his hips. 

Look, he means to say. This could be you. You could lose your chance if you’re not careful. 

From the burning in Eddie’s eyes, he gets the message. 

The message is a bunch of bullshit. It’s been over four months, he’s in too deep to go fuck off with someone else now. Still, he enjoys the way Eddie’s hands flex on his thighs, like he had to stop himself from reaching out. 

The thing is, Steve’s not an asshole. He can take a hint. No means no, and all that jazz. If Eddie really didn’t want him, he’d fuck right off and find someone who did. He even started to.

Except Eddie pouted up a storm when he flirted with someone else. Got even clingier when Steve tried to back off. At this point, he’s accepted that Eddie does want to fuck him, and maybe even be more (no one flirts with someone as long as they’ve been doing without wanting something like a relationship out of it. At least, he hopes there’s something more on the horizon), but has some weird hang up about Steve being even a little bit buzzed when it happens. Even though they only ever see each other at this fucking bar.

The problem is Steve has no idea when Eddie will be at the bar. He’ll stay sober one night, hoping to see him, and then go home alone only for next time to be when he sees telltale curls and a wide smile. It’s driving him up the wall. 

Robin has been similarly affected.

“It’s been six months,” she growls as Steve looks eagerly around. “Six fucking months of you two dancing around in the worlds most annoying mating ritual. I’m going to kill both of you.”

“We’re not that bad,” he says absently. 

“You don’t even have his phone number. It’s pathetic. I swear to God, if you see him again and don’t get laid I’m reviving the scoops board. I will go out and buy a whiteboard to keep track of all the times you strike out with a man who used to walk on tables. He stepped on my lunch, Steve. Do I need to keep bringing up the fact he stepped on my delicious, nutritious PB&J? I can’t believe that’s the guy you decide to be obsessed with, that’s so fucking embarrassing for you.”

“Embarrassing? You mean like your crush on my ex girlfriend?”

She screeches wordlessly, pulling her keychain off her belt loop and attacking him with it. 

Naturally, that’s how Eddie finds them. 

“I swear you guys get weirder every time I see you.”

Steve grins guilelessly at him, holding a flailing Robin in a headlock. 

“Eddie! Hey! It’s been a minute.” He hasn’t been able to come in a month, and it’s been longer since he’s seen him. It’s honestly one of the deciding factors on whether it’s a passing fancy or a full blown crush. He still went to sleep every night thinking about Eddie. It didn’t even have to be about sex. 

Although maybe not sleeping with anyone else for half a year should have tipped him off sooner. 

“Sure has, big boy. I was starting to think you were getting sick of me.” It’s a joke, but Steve catches an undercurrent of insecurity. 

“That’d make my life easier,” Robin snorts. She finally wiggles her way out of his hold. “I saw Arty somewhere around here, I’m gonna see if I can crash at her place tonight.” She levels Eddie with a look. “He hasn’t had anything to drink. If you don’t put him out of his misery, I will. And it won’t be the good kind. It will be the bad kind. With bad screams. Lots of screaming, and someone will call the pigs, and I’ll be arrested and jailed for life. Do you want me to go to jail, Munson?”

Eddie shakes his head dumbly. 

“Good! Then do something about it.” She slaps Steve’s back, a mocking echo of his jock days. “Go get ‘em, slugger!” 

With that, she’s gone, disappearing into the crowd. 

“She is,” Steve remarks with amusement, “the worst wingman on planet Earth. Mars too, probably.”

“I dunno, I think it might be working.”

“I’m not doing anything without a condom,” he says, eyes narrowed like he’s waiting for an argument. 

“Me neither,” Steve agrees. “Robin has, like, this big fear of diseases. Totally got me with it. She pulled out the library books, those pictures were fucking disgusting. Shit showed up in my dreams, man. Neither of us do anything without protection.”

“I’m going to be totally honest with you, because I haven’t been and it’s starting to eat at me,” Eddie says, hovering above Steve. 

Steve wrinkles his nose. “What is it? Are you a spy or something? Are you Russian? Do you have superpowers? Is your name not actually Eddie?” He pauses. “Oh, God, you’re not even Eddie Munson, are you? I’m just some asshole who’s been calling you by my old classmates name and you were too embarrassed to correct me. Shit, we made so much fun of you for walking on tables too—“

“What?” Eddie covers his mouth, expression hovering between amused and baffled. “What the fuck, why would I go along with that? No, Jesus, I’m Eddie Munson. Moved to Hawkins when I was eleven, took senior year three times, walked on the fucking tables, could you let that go?” He moves the hand covering Steve’s mouth to play with his hair, looking annoyed for a minute before it smoothes to trepidation. “No, I, uh, I just felt like I needed to tell you that I used to have a hate-boner for you in high school. Like, I used to jack it to the thought of kicking your ass and making a mess outta you. In more ways than one.”

Steve stares. 

“Also, that’s kind of why I approached you in the bar in the first place,” Eddie blabbers on. “And then you said you were just there for a friend, and I was disappointed but it’s whatever, yanno? And then then you told me about your dad, and threw my expectations to the fucking wolves, and then you asked me to come up to your apartment except you were drunk and you probably didn’t mean it. But then the next time I saw you, you kept flirting with me, which you were not supposed to do, and I kept pretending that wasn’t the reason I even talked to you in the first place, and, uh, yeah.” He smiles nervously. “Surprise?”

“I mean, not really.”

“You’re such an asshole, fuck off. At least pretend to be shocked.”

“It’s not my fault you stare at my legs all the time,” Steve says, affronted. “I know I didn’t do too good in school, but I’m not dumb enough to miss that. Like, hello, my eyes are up here.”

Eddie lets his arms give out, flopping on top of Steve heavily. Steve wheezes. “Am I really that obvious?” He whines into his shoulder. 

“You got sad and pouty when I even looked at another guy.”

“You could’ve fucked him,” he mumbles. “The guy you were dancing with. It wasn’t any of my business. I’m a big boy, I can deal.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to fuck him,” Steve says. “I wanted to fuck you. Can we go back to that please?”

“Thought I was fucking you.”

“Someone’s getting fucked or Robin will kill both of us. I’d like to live tomorrow morning. And not have to deal with any more of her teasing for having no game.”

“You have unfortunate amounts of game,” Eddie sighs, tracing the side of Steve’s neck. It tickles. “It’s kind of embarrassing for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, are we using those condoms or not, Moodkiller?”

“Oh, I’m the mood killer?”

“Yes,” Steve says matter of factly, and pulls him in for a kiss before he can protest.

[catastrophicalcat]

Reasons Valmont Sucks (Catwoman 2018)

Valmont was a terrible character. And I really want to dissect why and how he is terrible - not just to get it off my chest and onto the collective Internet, but also because I think that Howard made some questionable writing choices that doomed him.

A quick intro - Valmont is Selina's love interest from the 1st two arcs of Tini Howard's Catwoman (2018) run. Inspired by some version of the Dangerous Liaisons character, he is a quasi French assassin who appears in Selina's life when she is trying to take on the Five Gotham Crime families, stalks her a bit, gifts her a stolen cat, fucks her, and eventually get murdered by her while he's trying to kill Batman. BatCat are on a poorly defined break during these events (with Bruce clearly thinking that they're somewhat committed to each other). Valmont is a dork. He looks like this:

More stuff under the break since I don't know how to write succinctly...

Valmont is a possessive stalker. It's obvious that Howard wanted to create a character who is different from Batman. Just look at him - Batman wears black, Valmont wears white. Batman strives to be a good person, while Valmont is an unrepentant murder. Bruce tries to be a gentlemen, while Valmont.... Almost immediately, Howard is in a pickle - how can she recreate a 17th century romance about assholes when, at the moment her run begin, Selina has no reason to be into this guy? And, this phony goth poser, by definition, cannot be upfront and just ask Selina out. Bruce would have done that. He's not Bruce. Solution? She gets rescued by him. A lot. Some examples:

While getting rescued frequently may be a way to fall in love, it makes Selina just so incompetent. Like I think that almost every single issue where Valmont appears, she needs to gets saved by him in some fashion. I don't think that Bruce rescued her that often, at least not in her own run! I went from reading about a savvy cat-burglar to an eternal damsel-in-distress.

Maybe I missed it, but I literally just read through all of his issues to find these screencaps, and I can't find any reason for him to be there other than to stalk her....

2. Making sexy French man is hard, OK! Prior to this run, I did not realize just how hard it is to write a sexy man instead of a creepy man. But seriously, this guy is GROSS, and Selina being into him makes her come off as dumb floozy. Who in the world would get turned on by lines like:

Maybe I'm fascinating, Catwoman. (Spoiler - he isn't)

I consider myself a citizen of the world. (Is he "my parents live in Ohio, I live in the moment" Ted Mosby?)

I wanted to help. But I did not want to chase you, or do what those boys had done. So I simply waited, where I knew you could find me. ("Those boys" - Tim & Dick, who tried to offer reasonable assistance and advice).

Fascinating? Interesting? Dangerous? (Describing himself.)

But I won't assume that just because a cat has sat in my lap once, it will do so whenever I call. (He then proceeds to bang her on the roof).

Have you ever had anyone encourage you to chase your desires? Just for your own pleasure? (Yeah, this is like a famous trait of hers...)

The sharp pleasure of waiting until I see you again is enough. (See, normal Selina - or a normal woman - would just never see him again).

Related to the above - their sexy times? Not sexy. First, they try and fail to hijack a cannibal's plane and parachute jump. Maybe adrenaline got their heart rate up, but still - poor planning! Second, and more egregiously: multiple characters comment on how Selina is deliriously tired. Valmont is one of those characters! He then bangs her on the roof. I don't want to kink-shame, but sleeping with someone when they're falling off their feet from exhaustion is like, not great?

3. He's a freaking murderer! This guy kills people and drops their bodies in the harbor. He's friends with Flamingo, a cannibal who tried to eat Robin (Damian, but still!). And yet, this is how Selina feels about him:

What happened? Really, what happened? Selina used to be smart and not boy crazy. Sure, she has a wide variety of unfortunate love interests despite these traits (post forthcoming!). But never has she fallen so fast, so quick, so off the deep end for someone who deserves it so very little.

I have other substantive issues with this run, but wanted to start by dissecting Valmont. A non-Bruce love interest is already an uphill battle in a Catwoman comic. Burdening him with all of these negative traits did not lead to a good story. Instead, Selina came off as stupid and immature for ever liking this guy in the first place.

I know that this post was super negative - these are just my thoughts, and I'm open to critique. If folks feel positive about Valmont, or other things I touched on here, I would be really interested to hear it.

[fullsunstrawberry]

Dirty little secret

Synopsis: Childhood best friends' relationship is strained when you drunkenly sleep with his new best friend. Chenle’s panic about y/n regretting their one night stand turns into a secret relationship. Just as you think everything is fine, you're faced with the ultimatum: “It’s either him or me.” or in other words: A small silly little pinky promise will destroy a friendship

Genre: friends to lovers, hidden romance, forbidden (not really) lovers??

Content Warnings: swearing, dreamies getting drunk, mention of getting blackout drunk, one-night stand (not described), turned more, ANGST with fluffy end, Jisung is a little shit in this, very vanilia and sweet smut.

Word count: 7k

a/n: sorry this was a bit later than i expected for it come out! a lot of stuff popped up this weekend :( ALSO I HAVE TO TAG @lowkeychenle IN EVERYTHING CHENLE RELATED SOOOO LOVE YAH <3

Teaser Taglist: @haechansbbg @bunnychui @theandypark @bigjugz03 @babbymochiiii @xrminarlert34

"Come on! You never miss a hangout," Jisung whined into the phone.

“They always end up with me getting drunk and sleeping on the dorm couch, no thanks,” you replied.

“This time it’s at Chenle’s house. You can even sleep call dibs on his spare bedroom!” Jisung reasoned.

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?” You already knew the answer.

“Nope, see you later!”

Once Jisung ended the call, you had a moment to think. Great, you got yourself into another hangout. It’s not that you hate hanging out with the guys, but you've started to develop a little crush on Chenle.

He’s been extra flirty with you lately. It’s not because he likes you. He's been playful with everyone! Well, that's what you try to tell yourself.

But you can't like him! Jisung would go nuts. He was the one to introduce you to all the guys, promising you wouldn't like any of them when you were twelve. But it seems like Jisung has held you up to that silly pinky promise.

One time you told Jisung that Renjun's new haircut looked really good on him and he freaked out, claiming you were falling for him and it was against the “Bro code.” This made you confused because you’re pretty sure that's not what bro code is, but he looked very upset, so you didn't question it.

Now there is no way you will ever admit to liking Chenle. If he got upset with Renjun, you know he would be furious if you even flirted back with Chenle. That’s his best friend! He’s not the type to be happy about his boy and girl best friend dating. You're sure he’s told Chenle so you never took his flirting too seriously. But that didn't stop your heart from beating after every time he looked at you.

A group of guys yelled as soon as Chenle opened the door. “They’re already this rowdy,” you sighed, already coming up with excuses as to why you had to leave.

Chenle laughed at your disapproval written all over your face. “Stick by me, I swear I'm not as bad as them.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing that he was literally the loudest one. You let out a “mmh” before walking around him to be greeted with a bunch of “Y/NNNNs.” You could definitely tell they started drinking without you by the way Donghyuck reached out to you with grabby hands.

“Already starting without me!” you grabbed an already-opened beer on the table and took a swig out of it.

“It's not our fault you're always late,” Jaemin teased.

“Sorry, I have a life.”

“Reading fanfiction?” Renjun giggled.

“Can’t believe I'm already getting attacked, I just arrived!”

“I told you to stick by me,” Chenle laughed.

“You're right. It’s me and you now… Let’s get drunk!” You smiled, grabbing another beer to give to Chenle.

You're glad you didn't have to wake up on a couch hungover. Waking up in a bed surrounded by the comfiest blanket wrapped around you felt like heaven. Not ever wanting to wake up.

You stretched to feel the coldness of the other side of the bed. But your leg hit another leg that wasn't your own. You don’t remember anything after Donghyuck’s karaoke challenge. Did someone sleep over too? Mark was supposed to pick up the guys and bring them back to the dorm… Maybe he forgot?

Moving your head to see who ended up passed out with you, you froze.

“WHY DON’T I HAVE ANY CLOTHES ON?!?”

Should you look? Should you not look? You slowly turn your head to check who you fell asleep with. Maybe you didn't hook up with one of your friends… Maybe you were just overheated and took off your clothes.

Turning over, you yelp in shock. Chenle is still sleeping next to you. Even worse, he’s shirtless, and you don’t really want to check under the sheets to confirm your suspicions.

But before you could panic any further, you noticed that Chenle was still sound asleep, a peaceful expression on his face. You took a moment to calm yourself down and gather your thoughts. Maybe there was a logical explanation for this situation.

You carefully wiggled out of the bed, making sure not to disturb Chenle. As you grabbed your clothes scattered across the room, memories of last night started to flood back. The drunken laughter, the friendly banter, and the way all of the guys left. All you could remember was cleaning up the kitchen because you felt bad leaving it such a mess. Then Chenle's hands grabbed yours in protest and said he would clean it up in the morning. But instead of agreeing you tried to pull his hands away which caused him to press into you.

Shaking your head to bring yourself back to reality you quickly threw your clothes back on and made your way downstairs. Needing some water because of how dry your throat felt. You didn't want to even think about why your throat hurt...

Once downstairs you can finally think about what the hell just happened. But no, life hates you. Instead, you were met with Mark washing dishes.

"Finally you woke up" Mark laughed before turning around and being met with a face he did not expect to see.

"Why did you come down from Chenle’s room?" 

You blinked at Mark's question, trying to come up with a plausible response. "Oh, I just woke up and wanted some water," you stammered, attempting to act casual.

Mark raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Water? Really? Because it looked like you were in quite a rush to get out of there."

You felt the heat rising to your cheeks as you fumbled for words. "I just... didn't want to disturb Chenle. He's still sleeping, and I didn't want to wake him up."

Mark's eyes narrowed, studying your face. "Uh-huh. Sure." He seemed unconvinced, but he didn't press further. Instead, he went back to washing the dishes.

You took the opportunity to escape the awkward situation and headed towards the kitchen table “What do I do Mark, I fucked up.” 

Mark sighed, turned off the water, and dried his hands on a kitchen towel before looking at you with a serious expression. "Well, it depends on what you want. Did something happen between you and Chenle last night?"

You hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest with Mark. "I don't remember much, but I woke up in his bed, and I think we hooked up. I have no idea what went down, and I'm panicking."

Mark sighed again, his expression softening. "Look, Y/N, shit happens. People get drunk, things get blurry. Maybe nothing happened, or maybe something did. The important thing is to communicate with Chenle. Figure out what both of you remember and how you both feel about it."

"But what if he thinks it’s gross or something?" you worriedly questioned.

Mark shook his head. "Chenle is a good guy, and he knows how things can happen when everyone's been drinking. Just talk to him. Honesty is the key here."

Taking a deep breath, you nodded. 

• ──────── •

Before you could process the situation, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. Chenle, struggling to pull on his hoodie and hastily reaching for his keys, descended in a rush of movement.

"Easy there, you going to hurt yourself" Mark teased, chuckling as Chenle glanced up with an expression of sheer panic.

"Mark, fuck! I messed up big time. Y/N's going to hate me, and she'll never want to see me again. I genuinely like her, and I've messed everything up," Chenle exclaimed, the urgency in his voice evident.

Mark raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with you. "Well, you might want to talk to her about that instead of assuming the worst," he suggested.

Chenle's eyes widened as he finally noticed your presence. "Y/N, I... I'm so sorry if I did something wrong. I don't really remember what happened, but I know we something did happen, and now I'm just freaking out," he rambled, looking genuinely distressed.

You took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension in the room. "Chenle, let's just talk about it, okay? I don't remember much either, but panicking won't help. We need to figure out what actually happened and how we both feel about it."

Chenle nodded, relief washing over his face. "Yeah, you're right. We should talk." He looked at Mark, who gave him an encouraging nod. 

“This is something you two have to figure out.” Mark grabbed his jacket and left. 

As Mark left, you and Chenle sat down at the kitchen table, exchanging nervous glances. The awkwardness in the air was noticeable, but both of you knew that avoiding the conversation wouldn't solve anything.

"Okay, so, let's try to piece together what happened last night," you suggested, breaking the silence.

Chenle nodded, his eyes focused on the table. "I remember the guys leaving, and you were helping me with the dishes. Then... things got a bit blurry."

You sighed, realizing that your memories matched his. "Yeah, I remember that too. But after that, it's all a blur. I woke up in your bed, and we're both... well, you know."

Chenle ran his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated. "I don't want things to be weird between us. I genuinely like you, Y/N. I just hope I didn't mess everything up."

You reached out, placing a comforting hand on his. "Chenle, I really like you too. Maybe we can start over?"

Chenle's eyes brightened at your words, a genuine smile forming on his face. "Yeah, let's start over. How about I take you to a restaurant and we can finish this conversation.” 

“Are you asking me on a date!” You smiled.

Chenle grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, I am. I think we could both use a fresh start. We can go right now!”

You laughed and shook your head ‘no’ “We can go later, I have to get ready for it.”

“Oh…yeah ops” Chenle laughed standing back up “How about tonight?” 

“Can’t wait a little longer?” You teased.

“Hell no! Not when it comes to you.”

You couldn't help but blush at Chenle's enthusiastic response. "Alright then, tonight it is. I'll make sure to be ready for our date."

Chenle grinned, his excitement contagious. "Perfect! I'll pick you up later. 

• ──────── •

As you got ready for the date, you took extra care with your appearance. You wanted to make a good impression, to show Chenle that you were genuinely interested in exploring this connection further. You could already feel the butterflies in your stomach

The hours crept by slowly, each minute feeling like an eternity as anticipation filled the air.

 Finally, the moment arrived. Chenle looked exceptionally handsome in his casual attire, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He smiled warmly as he handed them to you, his eyes filled with genuine affection.

"You look…beautiful," he said softly, causing your cheeks to flush with a rosy hue.

"Thank you," you replied, feeling yourself becoming more at ease in his presence. "You look pretty amazing yourself."

Chenle chuckled and offered you his arm. "Shall we?” 

You linked your arm with his, nodding with a smile. "Let's go."

The date with Chenle was everything you’d hoped for and more. The restaurant was a familiar place, a small little shop that you once mentioned wanting to visit before. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting, with wooden tables, soft cushions, and flickering candles that cast gentle shadows on the walls. Soft music played in the background, a soothing blend of piano and strings that set the perfect mood for the evening.

Chenle was charming from the moment he sat down, his eyes sparkling with excitement and if you didn’t know him well you could have missed the nervousness he expressed through his body language. He pulled your chair out for you, a sweet gesture that made your heart flutter. 

“You remembered?” you asked, trying to sound casual.

“Of course I did,” he replied, a smile playing on his lips. “I’ve been looking forward to taking you here.” You tried to keep your blush in check, but his smile made it impossible. 

His earlier jitters seemed to fade as the night went on, replaced by genuine enthusiasm. He asked about your day, listened intently, and shared stories that made you laugh, his laughter infectious. It was clear he had put thought into every aspect of the evening, from the restaurant choice to the easy flow of conversation.

Throughout the evening, Chenle’s attentiveness and charm were evident. He complimented you effortlessly. “I know I already told you but you look absolutely beautiful,” he said sincerely.

“Thank you,” you said, feeling your cheeks warm. “You’re not looking too shabby yourself.” You joked, earning a small laugh from him.

As the waiter brought your dishes, Chenle made a toast. “To a fantastic evening and getting to know each other even better.”

You clinked glasses. “To new beginnings.”

You both laughed together, “Was that too cheesy?” Chenle asked. 

You shook your head no, “This is just crazy, I didn’t expect all of this from you. You know? Being so romantic!”

Chenle chuckled, his eyes softening as he looked at you. "I wanted to make sure our first real date was special. I know things got off to a confusing start, but I really like you, Y/N. I want to see where this can go."

Your heart fluttered at his words, feeling a warmth spread on your cheeks. "I really like you too, Chenle. And I appreciate all the effort you've put into tonight."

The conversation flowed easily. You shared stories, jokes, and dreams, discovering things you never knew about each other. Chenle's eyes never left yours, his gaze soft.

“You know,” Chenle said, leaning in slightly, “I’ve been really looking forward to this. It’s been a while since I’ve had a date where I felt this comfortable.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” you said, your heart fluttering at his words. “I am too.”

During a brief pause in the conversation, Chenle reached across the table and took your hand. “I’ve been thinking,” he said softly, “I really enjoy being with you. I’d love for us to spend more time together, if you’re up for it.”

Your heart skipped a beat. “I’d like that a lot.”

Chenle smiled, a mix of relief and happiness on his face. “Great. I was hoping you would.”

As the night drew to a close, Chenle walked you to your door. The night air was cool against your skin, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves overhead. 

“Do you think we can make this a regular thing?” Chenle asked, his voice hopeful.

You smiled warmly. “I’d like that a lot.”

Chenle’s face lit up with a bright, genuine grin. “Me too. I’m really glad we talked things through.”

He leaned in, and for a brief, breathless moment, you thought he might kiss you. But instead, he pulled you into a warm hug, holding you close.

When you finally pulled away and said goodnight, you closed the door with a smile on your face, feeling like you were floating on air. Chenle had gone beyond all your expectations, and as you leaned against the door, you couldn’t help but replay the night in your mind, already missing him. 

Reaching into your bag you grabbed your phone and called Chenle. The phone rang a couple of times before he picked up. 

“Hey, you miss me already?” Chenle’s voice came through the phone. 

You chuckled at his playful tone. “Maybe… only just a little bit.” 

“What’s on your mind?” Chenle's voice held a teasing lilt as he waited for your response.

You hesitated for a moment, mumbling “Just wishing you would have kissed me” 

Chenle went silent for a moment, and you could almost hear the smile in his voice when he spoke again. "Well, I can fix that."

Before you could even process his words, you heard a light knock on your door. Confusion filled you as you made your way back, wondering if your mind was playing tricks on you. As you opened the door, there stood Chenle, breath heavy.

"Surprise," he said softly.

Your heart leaped in your chest as Chenle closed the gap between you, cupping your face gently with his free hand. Leaning in, Chenle pressed his lips against yours in a soft, tender kiss.

As Chenle pulled back slightly, his eyes searched yours for any sign of hesitation or discomfort. But all he found was a dazed smile on your face. With a chuckle, he leaned in again, deepening the kiss.

His hands found your waist and he pressed you further into your house. With one foot, he closed the door behind him, never breaking the kiss between you two.

Chenle pulled away, a small whine leaving your lips in the absence of his touch. He chuckled before making sure your door was locked and turning back towards you. 

Without a word, Chenle lifted you effortlessly into his arms, carrying you towards the living room and towards your bedroom. He set you down gently on your bed, his eyes never leaving yours as he caressed your cheek with a tender touch.

The tension filled the room. Chenle's gaze was intense, you could feel your heart racing.

"I've been thinking of you," he confessed, his voice husky with emotion. "I can't hold back anymore."

You reached up to cup his face, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath your fingertips. "Then don't," you whispered, barely able to believe this was really happening

Chenle’s lips met yours again in an instant, this kiss deeper and more urgent. His hands roamed your sides, pulling you closer, each touch sending shivers down your spine and making you dizzy with desire.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against yours as you both caught your breath. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice soft, breathless, but filled with genuine concern.

You nodded, your fingers brushing through his hair. “Yes, I’m sure,” you whispered.

Chenle smiled, his expression softening. “Good,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. He trailed kisses down your jawline, his touch igniting every nerve in your body. You tugged him closer, and he responded eagerly, deepening the kiss once more.

Chenle’s movements grew more confident, more assured, as he felt your response. He gently guided you back against the couch, his body hovering over yours. His kisses grew more passionate and demanding as his hands continued to explore. You could feel the tension building between you, the air thick with anticipation of what was going to happen.

In one swift motion, he pulled away just long enough to remove his shirt, tossing it aside before his hands returned to you, now with a new urgency. You mirrored his actions, discarding your dress and pulling him back down, feeling the sensation of his skin against yours. The closeness amplified every touch.

Chenle’s lips trailed down your body, leaving a path of kisses along your collarbone and down to your chest. His hands were everywhere, exploring, teasing, learning every curve and contour of your body. A soft moan escaped your lips as his kisses became more insistent, his mouth and hands working together to drive you wild.

You pulled him closer, needing to feel him, to have every inch of him pressed against you. Your hands roamed his back, your nails lightly scratching as you both lost yourselves in the heat of the moment.

“God, I’ve been wanting this for so long,” Chenle murmured against your skin as he pushed into you. His words sent a fresh wave of warmth through you, and you responded by wrapping your legs around his waist, drawing him even closer. The sensation of him against you, the weight of his body, the heat between you—it was almost too much.

Your breaths mingled, rapid and uneven, as the rhythm between you quickened. Chenle’s hands moved with purpose, guiding your hips as you moved together, a perfect and desperate synchrony that had you both gasping. You could feel every beat of his heart, every shiver of anticipation as you inched closer and closer to the edge.

“Fuck, i’m so close” Chenle groaned, picking up his pace. You couldn’t even respond, only broken moans leaving your lips.

As both of you hit your climax together, moans and gasps filled the room, giving way to an intense wave of pleasure that washed over you both.

Chenle pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against yours as he met your gaze. He wanted to say something but he didn’t instead his body collapsed against the sheets next to you.

His arms wrapped around you tightly, his fingers tracing soothing patterns on your back as you both lay in a comfortable silence. “I don’t want this to end,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your temple.

As you drifted off to sleep in Chenle’s arms, the events of the night replayed in your mind, leaving you with a sense of contentment you hadn’t felt in a long time. You didn’t know what was going to happen next.

• ──────── •

Over the next few weeks, your bond with Chenle grew stronger, despite your attempts to keep things under wraps—especially from Jisung. But it was becoming harder to hide. Chenle’s growing affection was obvious, and your friends were starting to pick up on the subtle changes in your behavior.

Chenle conviced the guys to start doing movie night at the guy’s dorms instead of his house. Telling everyone that his house was a mess and he didn’t want to clean it. Hiding the real reason. That they started catching on to you staying later than everyone else. He wanted to be able to hang out after, just the two of you. 

“What are we watching tonight?” Mark asked, plopping down in the middle of the couch.

“Avatar,” Renjun suggested.

Donghyuck groaned. “Not Avatar again!”

“We watched *Top Gun* last time, so let’s watch the sequel,” you offered, taking your usual spot at the end of the couch.

Mark nodded and started searching for the movie.

Chenle slid in beside you, so casually that you didn’t think much of it. But in hindsight, you should have known it would cause some tension.

When Jisung finally joined with the popcorn, he automatically moved to sit next to you, just as he always did. But when he saw Chenle already there, he hesitated before sitting down beside him, hiding his confusion. If you hadn’t been so focused on Chenle, you might have noticed the brief furrow in Jisung’s brow. Instead, you were caught up in the excitement of being close to Chenle, hoping to sneak a few quiet moments together.

As the movie began and Jeno turned off the lights, you tried to relax, but Chenle’s presence beside you made your heart race. When his arm brushed against yours and his fingeres brushing against your thigh. Each small touch sent a shiver down your spine.

Jisung, sitting just inches away, stared at the screen, his face unreadable. He usually laughed along with everyone, throwing in his own jokes, but tonight he was unusually quiet. Occasionally, his eyes would drift toward you and Chenle, only to snap back to the movie when you glanced his way. If any of your friends noticed his unease, they didn’t mention it.

Jaemin, oblivious to the tension, tossed a piece of popcorn at Donghyuck after another snide remark about the movie. The usual banter continued, but you could feel a strange tension in the air, something you couldn’t quite understand.

A few scenes into the movie, Chenle’s hand found yours, his fingers lightly brushing yours before intertwining them. The simple gesture felt both comforting and thrilling. You knew you should be more careful, especially with Jisung so close, but it was hard to resist Chenle’s attention.

Jisung shifted uncomfortably. Though you were focused on Chenle, the small movement caught your attention. You turned to look at him just as he glanced away, his expression closed off and distant. It was so unlike him, and it tugged at your conscience.

Suddenly, Jeno, who had been relatively quiet, cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “So... anyone notice how cozy these two are getting?” He nodded toward you and Chenle, a smirk on his face.

The room fell silent for a moment. Your cheeks burned as you pulled your hand from Chenle’s, hoping the dim lighting hid your embarrassment. Chenle chuckled softly, trying to play it off, but you could feel the tension building.

Jaemin snickered. “Took you long enough to notice, Jeno.”

You tried to laugh along, but the awkwardness was overwhelming. Jisung’s face remained unreadable, though you noticed his jaw tighten slightly. You wanted to say something to ease the tension, but the words wouldn’t come.

Mark, always the peacemaker, tried to steer the focus back to the movie. “Alright, let’s just watch the movie, yeah?”

But the mood had shifted. The lighthearted atmosphere was gone, and the weight of unspoken words hung in the air. Jisung’s silence was the most noticeable, and you had a sinking feeling that this wouldn’t end well.

As the movie played on, you found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Instead, your thoughts swirled, questions nagging at you. What did Jisung think? Is he mad at you and Chenle? And more importantly, why did it matter so much?

When the film ended, everyone scattered—some headed to the kitchen for snacks, while others stayed on the couch, chatting. You felt a strange mix of relief and anxiety, glad that the movie was over but nervous about what might happen next.

As you stood up to stretch, you noticed Jisung was still on the couch, his eyes fixed on the screen as if deep in thought. You hesitated, feeling an urge to talk to him, to address the tension. But before you could do anything, Chenle leaned in close, his voice soft.

“I’m sorry,” Chenle whispered in your ear.

You couldn’t help but smile a little. Turning to face him, you whispered back, “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Squeezing his hand lightly, trying to comfort him.

But you quickly pulled your hand away when you heard Jisung yell, “What is going on?!”

The room fell into a tense silence as Jisung’s voice echoed, his sudden outburst freezing everyone in place. All eyes turned to him, but his gaze was fixed on you and Chenle, a mix of confusion and hurt etched across his face.

You felt your heart drop, panic rising in your chest. Jisung rarely lost his cool, and seeing him like this made the situation all the more real. Chenle, who had been so calm and collected moments before, shifted uncomfortably beside you, clearly taken aback by Jisung's reaction.

Mark was the first to break the silence, his voice tentative. "Jisung, hey, it's just a movie night. Let's all just—"

But Jisung wasn’t having it. "No, it’s not just a movie night, Mark," he snapped, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Chenle. "Something's been going on, and no one's saying anything!"

You opened your mouth to say something, anything, to calm him down, but the words caught in your throat.

Chenle, sensing your distress, took a small step forward, placing himself slightly between you and Jisung. "Jisung, listen, it’s not what you think—"

"Then what is it?" Jisung demanded, his voice laced with frustration. "Because it sure looks like you two have been hiding something from all of us. From me."

The hurt in his voice cut through you, and guilt twisted in your stomach. Jisung wasn’t just angry; he was hurt. And you knew why. He’d always been open with his feelings, always the one to bring everyone together, and now, he felt left out—betrayed, even.

Donghyuck, usually the one to defuse any tension with a joke, stood awkwardly to the side. Renjun and Jaemin exchanged worried glances, while Jeno just stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

You took a deep breath, finally finding the courage to speak. "Jisung, I'm sorry. We didn’t mean to keep anything from you."

"Then why did you?" Jisung’s voice was softer now, but the hurt was still there, raw and real.

"Because we didn’t even know what was happening," you admitted, your voice shaking slightly. "We didn’t want to make things weird or hurt anyone’s feelings. Especially not yours."

Chenle nodded in agreement, his expression serious. "We weren’t trying to keep secrets, Jisung. It just…happened. And we’re sorry for how it’s affected you."

Jisung looked between the two of you, the anger slowly draining from his face, replaced by something sadder, more vulnerable. "I just don’t get why you didn’t talk to me. You always talk to me."

You felt tears prick at the corners of your eyes. Jisung had always been there for you, always ready to listen, to help, and now you realized how much your secrecy had hurt him. "I’m sorry," you whispered, stepping closer to him. "I should have talked to you. I just…I just I didn’t want to mess up our friendship.”

For a long, tense moment, Jisung said nothing. His eyes were fixed on the floor, his thoughts clearly in turmoil. The room was thick with tension, everyone holding their breath, waiting for his response.

When he finally looked up, his expression was calmer, but there was a guardedness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "You promised me," he said softly, the words tinged with quiet betrayal. "We promised never to keep secrets from each other."

Suddenly, his calm facade cracked, and anger surged through him. He pointed sharply at Chenle, his voice rising with emotion. "YOU PROMISED ME!"

Chenle looked down, guilt written across his face as Jisung continued, his voice trembling with a mix of hurt and frustration. "You promised me that you would never go after her. She was supposed to be off-limits."

The room seemed to shrink, the weight of Jisung's words hanging heavy in the air. Everyone else was too shocked to speak.

Chenle flinched at Jisung’s accusation, his expression one of regret and confusion. "Jisung," he began, voice barely above a whisper, "I didn’t plan any of this. I didn’t think I’d—"

"That’s the problem!" Jisung cut him off, his voice shaking. "You didn’t think! You just… acted. Everything is a joke to you."

You could feel the tears welling up, your heart aching at the sight of Jisung so broken, so unlike his usual self. This was the Jisung who’d been your rock, the one who always made you laugh when you were down, and now, you were the one who’d hurt him.

"Jisung, please," you pleaded, your voice cracking. "I didn’t know how to handle this. I never wanted to hurt you."

The room remained silent, everyone acutely aware that they were intruding on something intensely personal. Jeno shifted uncomfortably, Renjun bit his lip, and Donghyuck looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

You finally broke the tense silence, your voice trembling. 'What can I do...?'

“Stop,” Jisung interrupted, his tone firm and unyielding. You frowned, confused by the sudden command.

“Stop this right now,” he said, frustration clear in his voice.

Before you could reply, Chenle spoke up, concern in his tone. “Jisung, what are you trying to say—”

“It’s either me or him,” Jisung interrupted, his eyes fixed on you with intensity.

Chenle glanced at you, waiting for your answer, but you found yourself unable to speak.

Before you could gather your thoughts, Chenle stepped back from you. “She chooses you.”

As he left, he murmured, “I’m not going to force you to choose.”

When the door closed behind him, an uneasy silence fell over the room. You looked around, noticing the apologetic expressions on the other guys’ faces.

You got all your stuff before looking at Jisung one more time and let out a small “I’m really sorry.” before leaving. 

• ──────── •

Days turned into weeks before you were able to hang out with the boys again. When you finally did, it was clear that Chenle wasn’t himself. The atmosphere felt strained and uneasy.

Chenle's usually cheerful demeanor was not there, and he seemed distant, lost in his own thoughts. The conversations among the group felt forced, and laughter that used to come easily now seemed rare.

As the day wore on, you found yourself increasingly concerned. When you finally got a moment alone with Chenle, you decided to address the issue. “Hey, it’s nice seeing you again.”

Chenle smiled a little bit, “It’s nice seeing you too.” A moment off awkward silence settled between you two. 

“Y/n, lets start over…For everyones sake.”

You nodded, a smile on your face. You’ll finally get to see Chenle again. Hopefully the group hangouts would go back to normal. 

As you were clouded with hope, Chenle’s emotions were different. He didn’t want to pretend to be fine. But he would do anything for you.  As the guys returned Chenle put a small on his face and started being like his old self. The guys all started to brighten up. You couldn’t help but smile. Everything was going back to normal…Finally. 

• ──────── •

You were worried to have another movie night. Every movie night seems to be the cause of something bad.

But you didnt want to let it affect you. Chenle has been working very hard on restoring the peace. It had been weeks since the fight between you, Jisung, and Chenle. However things started to improve, you couldn’t shake off the worry that it might all go wrong again. But Chenle had been putting in a lot of effort to smooth things over, and you hoped the peace would last.

When the night finally arrived, the atmosphere was lighter than it had been in weeks. Chenle was trying his best to act like his old self, and it seemed like he was succeeding— at least on the surface. The guys were chatting and laughing, and you couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope.

Mark, Renjun, and Jaemin were debating which movie to watch, and you joined in with a smile, trying to enjoy the moment. Donghyuck was making jokes, and the room was filled with a sense of normalcy that you hadn’t felt in a long time.

Chenle, sitting next to you, seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. He threw a playful glance your way and nudged you with his shoulder, trying to break through the lingering awkwardness. You appreciated the effort and responded with a smile, though a part of you was still on edge.

Jisung sat down on the floor, across from you. “Oh Y/n, I met a guy who I think you would get along with.” 

You glanced sideways and noticed Chenle stiffen next to you. His casual demeanor from earlier seemed to waver, and a flicker of discomfort crossed his face. You tried to keep your expression neutral, though you were tense.

“oh um…” You didn’t know how to react. How could Jisung even ask that? Let alone around everyone else. 

Jisung not understanding or not caring about your discomfort continued. “He’s really into music and literature, and he’s got this great sense of humor. I think you two would get along really well.”

Chenle shifted slightly, his hand moving to rest on his knee. You could feel the subtle change in his body language, his usual act replaced by a subtle unease.

Jaemin, noticing the tension, lightly shoved Jisung on the shoulder “Come on, stop that.”

Jisung shrugged, “I’ll send you his number.” 

This was the final straw for Chenle. His demeanor shifted suddenly, his earlier attempts at playing civil were gone.. He stood up, unable to mask his frustration any longer.

“You’re cruel,” Chenle interjected, his voice tighter than usual, “Don’t act like im not right here.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. The casual banter ceased, replaced by an awkward tension that hung heavily in the air. Chenle’s outburst had caught everyone off guard, and even Jisung looked taken aback.

You quickly turned to Chenle, trying to offer a reassuring smile, but it was clear that the situation was beyond the point of acting like everything was fine. You felt a pang of guilt for not dealing with the situation better. 

“I’m sorry, Chenle,” you said softly, reaching out for his hand. 

Chenle took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. “It’s not your fault, It was never your fault.”

“You know,” Chenle turned to Jisung, “I don’t care about your feelings! I love Y/N and im not going to let you hurt her anymore.” 

Jisung’s expression morphed from surprise to defensiveness, his features hardening as he stood up to face Chenle. The room was silent, tension crackling in the air as the two boys locked eyes in a silent battle.

“Hey, calm down,” Mark interjected, attempting to diffuse the escalating fight. But Chenle was not going to back down again, his gaze unwavering as he continued to address Jisung.

“You think you can just come in here and act like everything’s fine after what happened?” Chenle’s voice rose with each word, his frustration and hurt pouring out. “I’m not going to stand by and watch you hurt Y/n again.”

Jisung’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. “Im not hurting Y/n, you are hurting her!” he shot back, his own anger bubbling to the surface.

Renjun stepped forward, speaking calmly but firmly. “Guys, let's all take a step back and calm down,” he suggested, his voice cutting through the charged atmosphere. “This isn't helping anyone.”

Chenle and Jisung both paused, their eyes locked in a silent battle. 

“We need to talk this out calmly,” Renjun continued, his gaze shifting between the two of them. “We're all friends here, and we can work through this together.”

“Shut up Renjun! I’m tired of everyone acting like nothing happened!” Chenle’s frustration boiled over. “Y/n deserves better than this.” 

Chenle stormed off again. Reminding you off what happened at the last movie night. 

Everyone’s eyes were on you now. “Did he say he loves me…” you whispered to yourself, still stuck on Chenle’s words.

You stood there, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. The room was filled with a tense silence as everyone processed what had just unfolded. Jisung's expression softened, a flicker of realization crossing his features as he glanced at you.

But before anyone could even say anything you got up from your seat and ran out the door in search for Chenle. 

But the door to the elevator was already shutting before you could say anything.

You sprinted towards the stairs, heart pounding in your chest. The thought of Chenle, hurt and upset, fueled your speed. As you reached the stairwell, you hesitated for a moment before taking the steps two at a time.

When you finally got to the ground floor, you scanned the area frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of Chenle. His words kept echoing in your mind. You couldn't let him walk away like this, not again.

But he wasnt in the lobby.

You pushed open the glass doors of the building, stepping out into the cool night air. The street was quiet, with only a few scattered passersby making their way along the sidewalk. You glanced left and right, unsure of which way Chenle might have gone.

Your heart raced as you spotted a figure sitting on a bench in the park across the street. You knew it was Chenle. Without a second thought, you hurried across the road towards him.

"Chenle!" you called out, your voice echoing in the stillness of the night. He turned to look at you, surprise flickering in his eyes before he quickly averted his gaze.

You reached his side, breathless from your sprint down the stairs. "Chenle," you whispered between deep breaths reaching out to touch his arm.

Before you could go on a rampage of apologies, Chenle couldn’t help but laughed. 

"I can't believe you ran all the way down here just to chase after me," Chenle said, a small smile playing on his lips. His eyes met yours, the tension that had filled the air was gone.

You couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh, relieved to see a glimpse of the Chenle you knew and cared for. "You’re worth it." 

Chenle's smile widened as he shifted on the bench, making room for you to sit beside him. You settled down, the cool night air wrapping around you both as you sat in comfortable silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry for running off like that," Chenle began, his tone softer now. "I just... I couldn't stand seeing you upset, especially because of me."

“Can you stop blaming yourself!”

Chenle looked at you, his eyes softening. He reached out and gently took your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I just want you to be happy, Y/n," Chenle said sincerely, his gaze searching yours. "I don't ever want to be the cause of your pain."

Taking a deep breath, you started, "Chenle, you have never been the cause of my pain," you said, turning so your body was facing him. "You've always been there for me, always caring and understanding. I appreciate you more than words can express."

Chenle's eyes widened slightly, before a soft smile spread on his face. “So what now?”

Chenle's smile was always contagious, and you found yourself mirroring it as you gazed into his eyes.

 

"Now," you began, your voice steady as you spoke, "you kiss me."

Chenle's lips curved into a smile. “You’re such a romantic.” Chenle joked, causing you to roll your eyes as he leaned in closer. His lips met yours in a gentle kiss. It was soft and sweet. All of your worries melted away. As long has you have eachother, everything is going to be okay.

© 2024 fullsunstrawberry all rights reserved — please DO NOT translate, take, nor repost any of my works on other social media’s. reblogs and comments are appreciated a lot!

nct dream taglist: @lostinneocity @naqkja

general taglist: @haechansbbg @haolovre @talkingsaxy @chenlesfeetpic

[sugrhigh]

FIRST OF MANY - ( m.s )

REQUESTED**

summary- you and matt have been dating for over a month now, and you’ve never had sex. his curiosity gets the best of him while you’re watching a romcom, and you find out he’s actually a virgin.

warnings- swearing, virgin!matt, technically unprotected sex, smut at the end (lmk if i missed shit)

virgin!matt x fem!reader

a/n: this is my first req that i’ve ever done, so THANK U TO THE ANON WHO LEFT IT i hope it lives up to your expectations ❤️ if u have ideas drop them in my inbox ! all da love

there is literally nothing matt likes more than spending the night in with his girlfriend, as corny as it might sound. it’s been well over a month of dating now, and he still can’t get enough of you.

the warmth of your body is comforting as you lay beside him on the sofa, dressed down in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. he has one steady arm wrapped around your shoulder so he can hold you against his chest.

he breathes you in as his fingers skim absentmindedly up and down your exposed bicep, a familiar mixture of laundry detergent and citrus shampoo.

“that feels nice.” you mumble into his shirt, eyes still glued to the tv.

you’re forcing him to watch friends with benefits, since he picked the last movie and you were in dire need of a romcom fix. it’s one of your favorites, mainly because you loved mila kunis so much in that 70s show.

it’s only been on for roughly thirty minutes, but matt’s been enjoying it way more than he expected considering this genre is not his norm. he’s even let out a couple laughs at the scripted jokes.

the main characters are in bed together again, rolling around as they banter back and forth about sleeping with each other. it sparks a fire of curiosity inside of him as he continues to stare at the screen.

“is this really what it’s like?” he asks without thinking, and he immediately regrets his words as you tilt your head to look up at him curiously.

“what, the sex? don’t act like you don’t know.” you say, playfully smacking him with the back of your hand.

matt isn't sure why he brought it up, but he figures now is as good a time as any to have this dreadful conversation.

“how could i know if i’ve never done it?”

he feels you tense up slightly under his arm, which scares him. the last thing he wants you to think is that he’s some sort of loser. he just hadn’t found anyone that he really wanted to be intimate with before he met you.

it’s not like you guys don’t fool around sometimes. he’s perfectly capable of using both his hands and his mouth; this is a fact you’ve been made well aware of.

you two just haven’t gone all the way yet, especially considering you hardly ever get real alone time together.

“you don’t have to lie about the girls you’ve been with just because we’re dating now.” you finally respond, quieter than before.

“oh my god, i’m telling the truth, so please don’t make me say it again.” he can’t look at you anymore, because he’s too embarrassed.

this makes you fully sit up in shock, no longer focused on the premise of the film. he can feel you staring at the side of his beet red face, clearly confused by this revelation.

“wait, are you seriously telling me that you’re a virgin?” you question.

matt glances back at you and crosses his arms defensively, because it suddenly feels like he’s under attack. “you’re making me seem like a freak or something.”

he watches your eyes soften as you put a tentative hand on his shoulder, trying to let him know that you weren’t making fun of him.

“shit, i’m sorry, i swear i didn’t mean it like that. it’s just…really surprising, that’s all.”

“surprising how?”

you pull your lips between your teeth, exhaling through your nose as you try and find the right words.

“well we’ve done stuff before, and you were just naturally good at it, so i assumed you’d learned from hooking up with other people. and i know girls must have liked you with a face like that.”

this boosts his ego, and he’s already in a much better mood knowing he’s at least made you feel good in the past. that doesn’t mean he’s not still terrified, but he’s a little more confident than he was before.

“nope, not really. you’re the only one i’ve ever done that kind of thing with, aside from a little making out.” matt admits with a shrug.

your lips part, and it’s making you feel all fluttery.

“wow.”

he smiles a little bit. “i don’t know what that means.”

“it doesn’t mean anything really. i’ve only had sex a few times, and it doesn’t change anything either way.” you move your hand up and down his arm a little bit.

the tv plays in the background, and your mind flits to his original question.

“are you curious? is that why you asked?” you tilt you head toward the screen, though you keep your focus on him.

his eyes go a little wide, and the feeling of your hand on his arm suddenly becomes overwhelming.

“yeah, i—uh, i guess i am.” matt stumbles over his words, and your fingers travel higher to run through his hair slowly.

“you don’t have to be nervous. you can ask me anything you want, i’m not gonna judge.” you say softly.

your fingernails raking along his scalp makes him shudder slightly, a response that you both enjoy.

“i’m…more of a hands-on learner.” he rasps.

you let your fingers travel to rest on the back of his neck, drawing him in for a soft kiss. it’s short and sweet, and his eyelids flutter a bit as you pull away.

“what do you want to do?”

he pauses for a moment before deciding to give in and say what’s on his mind. “nick and chris aren’t home. maybe we should go to my room?”

you grin, nodding your head like you’re in a trance. you’re both trying to hide your giddiness as you scramble off of the couch, carelessly tossing the blankets aside.

you can feel him staring at your ass as you lead him through the hall, and he gives it a little smack of appreciation.

“matthew sturniolo!” you laugh, turning the doorknob to his bedroom.

it greets you warmly, and you always love it because the whole place smells like him. the overhead light is off; it’s just the singular lamp casting warm rays across the mattress.

“couldn’t help it.” he says, smile prominent in his tone as he locks the door behind you.

you slow to a stop at the foot of his bed, and he stands at your side, hand intertwined in yours. it makes your heart swell as he admires you with those charming eyes.

“are you sure? we really don’t have to, there’s no rush.” you squeeze his palm reassuringly.

matt lets go just so he can hold your head, kissing you hard as an answer. you literally can’t help but beam into his lips, and you put one hand on his chest to push him against his silk sheets.

he falls onto his back, propping himself up on his elbows so he can keep looking at you. you crawl on top of him, slowly settling on his hips.

he sucks in a shaky breath as you shift against him to get comfortable. you can feel matt growing harder beneath you as you lean down to give him another swift kiss, letting his mouth melt against yours.

then you move to his earlobe, pressing your lips to the hollow part of his neck. you swipe your tongue against his skin, biting down just a bit so you can suck on the area slightly.

he groans, laying down now so he can move his hands to grip your ass, pushing you against him harder to feel a little more friction. the thin material of your sweatpants doesn’t hide a whole lot, and he’s straining against you now.

“you’re so cute, baby.” you say against his skin, and his hands go to the bottom of your shirt, pulling it up over your hips.

you lift your hands from his chest so he can fully remove it, leaving you in your stretchy black bralette.

“god, you’re unreal.” he breathes, and you guide his palms to cup each of your breasts, still rocking against him slightly as you straddle him.

you can feel him squeeze your nipples between his middle and pointer fingers, whimpering below you as he starts to get worked up. you’re growing wet by the second, the delicious feeling of his clothed dick rubbing against you sending shocks of satisfaction right to your core.

“do you wanna keep going?” you ask, just to make sure he’s still on board.

“please.” he begs.

you move his shirt up his chest, and matt sits just high enough to rip it over his head. you trace the tattoos on his arm faintly, trailing a finger down the center of his stomach till you hit the waistline of his sweats.

“you’re terrifying.” he smiles as you slip your hand under the band of his boxers, slowly scratching the area gently.

“why?” you ask.

he grabs your waist and flips you so you’re the one on your back, feet hanging over the edge of the bed as he stands.

“because everything you do is perfect.” he says, and this time he’s the one that goes to your pants, grabbing the soft material and looking at you for permission.

“that is so not true.” you grin as you lift yourself up to help him.

he strips them off your legs and tosses them away blindly, so you’re left in your matching thong. the spandex-like material hugs your sides, the last layer standing between what you both truly want.

“i mean look at you.” he sounds dumbfounded as he gazes at your body, and you feel your face flush from the attention.

“trust me, i’m the one who’s punching.” you reply as he strips down to his boxers, dick clearly pressing against the plaid cloth. you’ve seen it before, on two occasions to be exact.

both of those experiences were great, and you didn’t know that was the first time a girl had ever given him head. now you know this is the first time he’s having sex, and even though it’s not the same for you, you’re still a bit nervous.

matt’s a little above average, and the last and only person you’ve ever done it with is your ex, so it’s been a minute. even so, you’re so enthralled with your boyfriend that you can’t help but pulse in excitement.

he pushes your legs apart with his palms, and air rushes across the wet spot that’s already formed over your panties. two fingers press against the fabric covering your heat, which shocks a gasp out of you. he moves them in a little circular pattern, applying more pressure so he can really feel you.

“love your fingers,” you rock with his pace, speaking through a moan, “but i wanna make you feel good too.”

“oh, okay. so i should…” he stops his motions to go for his own underwear, finally sliding them down so his hard length springs free.

you’re already working your own bottoms down your thighs, and he finishes the job for you once his hands are free.

“do you have a condom?”

“uh, shit…” you can tell by the solemn look that crosses his face that he doesn’t, and you let out a short laugh.

“it’s okay, it’s alright, i’m on birth control. we’ll be more prepared next time.”

his eyebrows shoot up before he can help it. next time. just the confirmation that this will happen again makes him disgustingly happy.

you wiggle up on the bed a little bit, so he has enough room to hover on top of you. he leans down a few more inches to give you a kiss, and you can tell he’s unsure what to do next, so you take control.

“don’t put it inside yet, just slide it against me a few times.” you try and instruct, and he follows well, dragging the base of his shaft up and down your wet cunt.

you let out a little noise of pleasure, and he wants to save it as a sound bite in his memory.

“okay, slowly, go ahead.” you say after a few more seconds spent enjoying the feeling, and both of you make sure he’s lined up properly.

matt looks you in the eye as he pushes inside, taking his time as you adjust bit by bit. he lets out a moan when he’s fully filling you up, shocked by how fucking amazing you feel.

you know he’s stretching you out, but the small pinpricks of pain subside as you get situated.

“you can start moving now, just keep it gentle at first.” you guide him, voice all choked up.

he nods, his long hair almost tickling your forehead as he starts to pump in and out at a leisurely pace. you’re both groaning messes, and your hands go to claw at his back as he keeps pace.

“fuck, you’re doing so well matt.” you mutter against his chest, pressing open-mouth kisses to his collarbone.

he’s getting into it now, finding a good rhythm and relaxing his hips slightly so he’s not as stiff. your bodies are molded together as you move back and forth, and matt can feel you clutching against his cock with each stroke.

“m’not gonna last much longer, angel.” he confesses, clumsily stumbling over his words as he tries to calm himself down, to keep it in just a bit longer.

“that’s okay, babe. tonight is all about you.”

he’s growing sloppier, and matt leans in to kiss you passionately as he gets closer and closer. surprisingly enough, you can feel the pressure building in your own stomach, and you’re both whining into each others mouths as your tongues mesh together.

“right there baby, i’m close too.” you breathe, and you can feel his body trembling against yours, one hand slipping underneath your bra so he can run his thumb over your nipple.

matt holds it all back, drilling into you as hard as he possibly can with the energy he has left. he loves the way you’re scratching at his back, pulling him as close as possible as you both reach your peak.

“i’m—fuck, oh my god.” he tenses up, and you feel him twitch inside of you as he comes undone.

his own reaction is what sends you over the edge, and you ease into the high, letting yourself finish all over him as he slows to a stop.

“yes, matt, holy shit.” you sigh, and he pulls out carefully moments later.

matt flops down beside you, rolling to press his lips to your cheek. you turn your head slightly to look at him, capturing his mouth with yours for another real kiss.

“i think i could get used to that.” he says with a small grin as he pulls away, and your ruffle his hair lightheartedly.

“lucky for you that was just the first time of many. so how was it?” you ask him.

he’s just opening his mouth when a loud pounding erupts on the door, and you both nearly jump out of your skin at the disturbance.

“hey! open the fucking door, we brought you guys mcdonald’s!” chris screams through the barrier.

you both look at each other, still grinning, and matt can’t help but roll his eyes.

“well, being alone was nice while it lasted.”

[starsinthesky5]

you are in love IV || joe burrow x reader

description: you and joe are embarking on a weeks long trip to France for work, Cannes being your first stop

a/n: okay so this was way longer than planned but i could not stop adding to it LOL. hope you guys love it ;)

also, I tried something new and added a little instagram bit to the fic at the end! not sure how I feel about it yet, but I’m kinda digging it? that kinda thing will be in the next few fics but it’s not a regular thing :) just for the upcoming bit

word count: 17.1 k (i genuinely didn’t intend for this to be this long oh my god)

warnings: language, smut, you both are HORNY

you are in love series masterlist (has all previous parts)

———————————————————

“Did you pack everything?” you asked Joe for what felt like the 100th time as you grabbed your phone and tote bag before leaving the garage. 

“Yes, I packed everything,” he rolled his eyes as he closed the car trunk. You had been on Joe for the past 4 days making sure that everything was settled for your week-long trip to France and although he loved you and your mom-like antics when it came to trips, he was getting a bit irritated with the constant ‘are you packed?’ and ‘did you get everything?’ questions. 

“I just want to make sure we have everything since we’ll be gone for a week,” you smile as you place your stuff in the car’s passenger seat.

“We have everything, I promise,” he chuckles as he punches in the code to close the garage before walking closer to you and wrapping his arms around your waist. “You’re the one that is used to all the international traveling, so why are you the one that’s stressing out?”. 

“Because this trip is important for you,” you say as you wrap your arms around his neck. “I just want to make sure everything is perfect,”. 

“It is perfect. The fact that you’re coming with me makes all of this even more perfect,” he says as he kisses your lips.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” you smile. “We’re going to have sooo much fun at the events and around the city,”.

“Around the city? Absolutely. At the events? Probably not,” he sighs, his smile faltering, 

You watched as his smile dropped a bit, most likely because of the fact that Joe was not a fan of these types of things. He didn’t particularly enjoy public speaking, media events, or anything that required him to be out there. His anxiety would skyrocket in these kinds of situations but he still managed to put on a brave face and do what he had to do. This whole week was going to consist of that, and he was not looking forward to it. He was, however, looking forward to spending time with you in the beautiful French Riviera (which even you haven’t been to) and then the City of Love a few days later and you being with him was the only thing keeping him going. 

“Hey, I know this is not the most fun and ideal situation for you, but I’m so proud of you for putting yourself out there like this. I know talking in front of an audience is overwhelming but you’ve gotten a lot better at it and I know you can do it. Branching out is never easy, but you’re doing amazing so far. Getting to walk the freaking runway in Paris is absolutely insane and I am so fucking proud of you. I’ll be with you every step of the way, so if you need anything, I’m here,” you say as you brush a few of his curls out of his eyes. 

“Where have you been all my life,” Joe says as he slides his hand up and down your lower back. “I seriously could’ve used you in my corner back when I first came into the league because then all of this wouldn’t be so hard,”. 

You let out a soft laugh, “I’ve been right under your nose,” you say as you press a kiss to his nose. “The universe brought us to each other at the right time,”.

“I still can’t believe how many events we went to at the same time but never met until the White Party,” he chuckled. You and Joe had been around each other many times before the White Party, you just never knew that since your paths never crossed. You called it the “Invisible String Theory”. You could have walked past each other, you could have mutual friends, or even have been complete strangers and never had heard of each other, but the universe wouldn’t have you both meet until the exact moment that you needed each other in your lives.

“The universe knew when we needed each other,” you blushed. 

“The stars all aligned just for us,” he said as he tucked your hair behind your ear. 

“I love that we have the universe on our side,” you said. “It’ll be good to get away from everything together, I think we deserve a break,”. 

“Damn right we do,” he laughs. “Can’t wait to be done with all the boring stuff and get to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my gorgeous girlfriend,”. 

“Oh yeah? What fruits will we be enjoying?” you say as you raise your eyebrow. 

“Hmm, I was thinking a boat day plus private sunset dinner on said boat, walking around the city with you without any crazed fans hounding us, and my personal favorite, the massive bedroom suite they’re hooking me up with that has a gigantic bed and a jacuzzi tub,” he winks. “If you’re picking up what I’m putting down,” he adds as you feel his hand fall down to your butt. 

“Ohhh,” you replied, a smirk appearing on your face. “It’s a great thing I packed extra Advil in my bag. I have a feeling I’ll need it,”.

“Oh, you will. I don’t think I’ll be able to contain myself since we have the big suite with nobody else on our floor. No neighbors in a foreign city is just an invitation to be as loud as we want” he whispers into your ear before moving past you to open up your door again, leaving you with a stunned expression on your face and butterflies in your stomach. Joe always kept you on your toes, something you needed in your life. He was equal parts affectionate, genuine, and lustful; the perfect lover and best friend at the same time. 

“Shall we Mon Amour?” He asks, squeezing in a bit of French that he memorized earlier.

You turn around and smile at Joe calling you ‘my love’ in French, “Oh, so we’re going full France now?”.

“It’s only fitting,” he shrugged. 

“Well then, we shall Mon Amant,” you grin, surprising him with a bit of French you picked up last time you went to France. 

“Hm?” he said with a confused look as he moved aside to let you in the car. 

“It means ‘My Lover’,” you giggle as you sit inside.

He leans down and meets your face, “Well then, Mon Amant, I can’t wait to do this trip with you,” he says before pressing a sweet kiss to your lips and then closing your car door. You fell back into the seat, your cheeks a shade of red that only Joe could bring out.  

An hour later

After driving to the airport and loading everything onto the private jet, you get settled into the plane and are now on your way to France. You change into some more comfortable clothes since the flight is about 12 hours, Joe doing the same. 

“I hope you’re prepared to be on a plane for 12 hours,” you say as you sit down across from Joe. 

“If I go to sleep it’ll go by pretty fast,” he shrugs.

“And how do I keep myself entertained then?” you scoff as you lightly kick his foot. 

“There is a bed back there for a reason you know,” he winks as he points back to the small bedroom. “We can both go to ‘sleep’ for a bit,” he says as he makes air quotes around ‘sleep’.

“We’ve been on here for 20 minutes and you’re already horny,” you laugh. 

“Can’t help it when I’m around you,” he says with a smirk on his face. “You’re the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever seen so naturally the level of testosterone will skyrocket”. 

“Anywayyy,” you say, trying to change the subject before you fold because of his words and end up in the bedroom. “I’m excited to come with you to the Sport Beach events. I can’t wait to see you on the panels all professional and social,”.

“Really? I thought you’d be bored of sitting there listening to me talk about branding and media for god knows how long,” he said.

“It may be a little boring, but I love watching you do your thing,” you smile as you pull out your water bottle to take a sip before handing it to Joe.

“My thing is playing football, not sitting at a panel and talking to strangers in front of an audience,” he says as he takes a sip of water. 

“I know you hate these kinda things but I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. I know how overwhelming it can get when you have a thousand eyes on you dissecting every little thing you say”. 

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I guess this is the price of what we do,”.

“At least we have each other now,” you say as you reach for his hand across the table between you both. 

“Thank god,” he groans, making you laugh at his facial expression. “Having someone that gets me and understands the kind of spotlight on me really makes all the difference,”.

“I feel the same way,” you say as you kiss his hand. “You get me and I get you,”.

“We’re like two peas in a pod,” he smiles.

“Precisely,” you nod. You understood the pedestal that Joe was on and everything that came along with what he did, and he understood the same for you. Although what you both did was extremely different, you still had a deep understanding of one another on that level. 

“Did you think more about how we’re going to make ourselves official as a couple to the public?” he asked, his face scrunching up as soon as the words left his mouth. “That sounds so fucking weird,” he laughed.

“Tell me about it,” you giggled. 

Before your trip, you and Joe had talked about what you would do if and when people started to spot you around Cannes or Paris. You weren’t expecting a lot of attention since you were in a foreign country, but you were sure you were going to get some since a lot of athletes & industry people were going to be in France this week. You had a pretty big international reach as well, but still weren’t expecting people to notice you that much since nobody usually bothered you. The public already saw you at a few games in January but there was no real confirmation as to what was going on between you two, just some rumors and speculation. You had been together for about 9 months now and it had been 9 months of pure joy and love. You had been lucky enough to have the leisure of getting to know each other and building your relationship away from prying eyes, and now that you two were at a point in your relationship where you were okay with letting people in (only a little bit though), you had to figure out a way to do so before that right was taken away against your will.

“I don’t really know to be honest. I haven’t really ever had the comfort of ever sharing my relationships on my own terms,” you say as you roll your eyes, remembering how the public was so invested in your private life that it was incredibly difficult to keep things such as your relationship a secret. “This is new territory for me,” you say as you smile again as you think about how you and Joe’s relationship was different than any other relationship you’d been in before. 

This relationship was private. For once it was just yours. 

It wasn’t placed on a silver platter like every other relationship and presented to the public for them to pick at it or dissect every piece of it. You and Joe had kept your love away from all the interloper’s glances and unwanted opinions so that your relationship could flourish naturally, which it was. It was more than flourishing, it was blossoming into something special. 

The fact that you two were in a spot in your relationship where you didn’t mind willingly opening the window a little bit was exciting. You’d never had the opportunity to do it on your own terms, and now you had the chance to. You both were ready to share it with others. 

“I say, just wear a shirt that says Burrow’s Girlfriend, and I’ll wear one that says Y/N’s Boyfriend,” he laughed.

Joe’s laughter was the greatest sound you had ever heard. The way his nose would scrunch up and the crinkles would form around his eyes when he laughed was the most adorable sight in the world, and you got to see it whenever you wanted. 

“That would be hilarious,” you said as you started imagining it. You couldn’t really come up with any real ideas on how to approach the subject of going official, the only one really making sense was to just be spotted together.

“I mean, I’ll be at your panels in Cannes and with you during Fashion Week, that should be enough for people to get a hint,” you smile. “I’m sure we’ll get a good amount of headlines and front cover photos when they get the hint,”. 

“That’s true,” he nodded. “Maybe an Instagram Post too? So that they understand that it’s not just a fling, a Hard Launch is what they call it I guess. Unless that’s a lot for you,”. Joe didn’t want to pressure you into anything, knowing how your past relationships were so public and what the negative effects were for them being so open. Posting each other on Instagram was a pretty big deal since everyone could see it and since you two were pretty private. Joe had always been private with his personal life and you had started to as well over the past few years once you realized what being open truly means. 

“It’s not too much for me,” you grin. “I know how I feel about you and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it,”. 

The fact that those words were coming out of your mouth was insane, but it was true. Joe brought out that side of you that you tucked away most of the time. That side of you that’s carefree, loose, and alive. 

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said as he felt himself melt away from your reassuring smile. 

“Thank you for making me feel that way,” you wink.

Joe gave you a lazy smile as he felt his tiredness settle in, his eyes feeling a bit heavy. 

“You can go back there and take a nap if you want,” you say, noticing his sleepiness. “I’ll join you in a bit. I just need to call my manager for a bit to talk about the Grammys next month,”. 

One of the biggest nights of your career, the illustrious Grammy Awards, was next month and you were up for 3 awards. You were nominated for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year for your last album's lead single ‘Is It Over Now?’. Turns out people loved an album about the most gut-wrenching breakup you’d ever experienced and related heavily to a song about an on-again off-again relationship that never had any clarity in it. 

“Ooo, fun,” he yawned as he stretched his arms out. “Isn’t this when you said you’d announce the new album?”.

“Hopefully. If all goes to plan and I win at least 1 of the 3 categories I’m nominated for, I’m going to announce ‘reputation’ then. If I don’t win, I’ll just drop the Instagram post announcement and leave it at that,”. 

“Reputation,” he says, the word rolling off of his tongue so nicely. “I’ll never get over that name, it’s so sick,” he says. “I better still be getting one of those wristbands with the album name on it that you're selling for the album merch. I want to add it to my stack,” he said, pointing at his stack of wristbands he had on his wrist; all of which had a special meaning to him. Now he wanted to add another one, one for you. 

“Actually,” you smiled while reaching into your pocket, pulling out a black wristband that had the album name in white stamped on it with a green snake on the other side. “I got this a few days ago. First ever one,”.

“This is so sick,” he said as he looked at the band, taking it from your hand and slipping it onto his wrist. “Fits perfectly with the rest and now I’ll always have you with me. And I’ll get to rep the best album in the world every day,”.

“Aww, Joe,” you blushed. “I’m glad you like it since you were my muse for about 95% of it,” you say as you get up from your seat to grab your laptop to video chat with your manager. 

“The other 5% kills me,” he sighed. 

“I know, but to tell the story I had to add the not-so-happy stuff into it for it all to make sense,” you said as you opened your bag. 

“Fair point. I will say that even though ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ is about someone and something I’d rather not talk about, it’s one of the best songs you’ve written,” he said, referring to your ex-boyfriend or situationship as you liked to call it. 

“I knew you’d like it,” you smiled.

“I mean you really came for his neck with the bridge,” he shrugged. “Badass behavior,”.

“Being a badass is fun sometimes,” you nodded. “Besides, I don’t care what he thinks. He knows what he did and deserves to be called out for it,”.

“I love it when you get petty,” he shakes his head out of admiration, a soft laugh leaving your lips. “Wait so does this mean I get to go with you to the Grammys? Since I’m your muse?” he asked.

“You want to? Like for real?” you ask him as you start to play with your necklace, the letter “J” pendant Joe gave you for your 1 month anniversary. 

“Absolutely. I want to support you just like how you support me,” he said as he got up from his seat and walked over to you. “Besides, I want to see everyone’s reaction when you sweep all 3 categories and announce next year's album of the year all in one go,” he said as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

“We’ll see about that. I’ll be lucky if I even win 1 category,” you replied as you stared at your feet. “Having you with me would mean the world though,”.

He moved his hand under your chin, lifting your face up so that you were looking into his eyes. “You’re going to win, trust me. And now that I’m going with you, I’ll make sure of it,”.

“What are you going to do? Swap the names?” you giggle. 

“Something like that,” he winked. 

“I can’t wait to see you try,” you say as you lean in to kiss him, your arms wrapping around his neck and his around your waist. 

After holding the kiss for a few moments, you pull away. “You go take a nap and I’ll be there in a bit,” you say as you turn around to grab him a plush blanket from your bag. 

“You better hurry up,” he said as he grabbed the blanket, kissed your cheek, and started walking to the mini bedroom. 

“I will but no funny business, Burrow,” you warn him.

“We’ll see about that,” he mumbled before closing the door, leaving you with a radiant smile on your face and a serene feeling inside of you. 

A Half Hour later 

You wrapped up your exciting call with your manager before falling back into the seat and taking a deep breath. You had just finalized your album’s tracklist and release date and now it was starting to feel real. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt so excited to release music since both times you had in the past were not very enjoyable. The release of your debut album had your stomach in knots for weeks before it came out as you were terrified that people wouldn’t enjoy it or that it wouldn’t do well. The release of your second album had you petrified at the thought of how the public would react to what the album was about. All you could think about was if what you wrote was too much and if people would resonate with your feelings or turn on you for trying to ‘push a narrative’.

When writing and working on both albums you were also second-guessing yourself every step of the way. Maybe it was because of the company around you, or maybe it was because of the things you were experiencing while working on them. This time, however, you were fully confident in what you were doing, not caring about what others thought or letting people’s opinions of you define your work. You were relaxed, enthusiastic, confident, and happy, it was the ‘Joe Effect’. 

You placed your laptop bag in your bag and then had a nice stretch before you walked over to the bedroom. You carefully opened the door, trying not to make any loud noises that would wake Joe up. You saw him sprawled out on the mattress, his mouth slightly open as you heard faint snores leaving his lips. 

You turned around and closed the door and when you looked back at Joe, his eyes were open and he was looking over at you. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” you softly said as you crawled into the bed next to him. 

“I dozed off for 5 minutes, it’s fine,” he said as he opened up the blanket and covered your legs with it. 

“Can’t sleep?” you asked him.

“Can’t sleep without you,” he smiled as he moved his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his chest. “What did you and your manager talk about?” he asked while he rubbed your shoulder.

“Tracklist and Release Date,” you smile as you tangle your legs with his and place your hand on his neck, rubbing his soft skin.

“Ah,” he nods. “How's it looking?”.

“Well, tracks 1-8 are all the unhappy things and stuff that led up to us meeting, track 9 is the start of the songs about us,” you beamed.

“Track 9? Real subtle,” he blushed.

“Track 9 deserves its time to shine which is also why it’s a lead single,” you smiled. 

“I feel so special,” he said, batting his eyelashes and fanning himself.

“Okayyy your majesty let’s come back down to earth,” you joked. “After that, there’s a long stretch of 9 songs just about us, then there’s like 3 songs about some other stuff and then the final 6 are about us as well,”.

Joe nodded and squeezed your hand, “What about the release date? When does the world get to hear the best album ever made?”.

You close your eyes and push your head into his neck, hiding the smile that Joe put on your face by once again complimenting you. 

You pull your head out a second later, butterflies in your stomach as you think about the release date. Not only was the release date the day you were releasing what was basically a diary of memories from the past 9 months, but it was also a special day for you and Joe. 

“July 4th,” you say as you meet his eyes. 

“The anniversary of the day we met,” he said to you, his eyes softening as he felt his heart gush.

“Mhm,” you blush. “One of the most special days of my life. Only fitting since I wrote so many songs about you and about that day,” you said. 

He gazed into your eyes for a few quiet moments, unable to come up with any other words to express his feelings other than, “I love you,”. 

And that was fine. You didn’t need him to say anything else because you knew how he felt about you. After all, he never failed to show you. Although it was just 3 words, he knew those 3 words meant the world to you, especially if they came from him. 

“I love you more than anyone in the world,” you say to him before you feel him lean in and kiss your lips. 

You pull him closer as the kiss quickly turns heated, Joe moving you down flat against the bed so that you are lying on your back and he is on top of you. You pulled away and laughed at how Joe looked like a child who just got candy taken away from them. 

“Hey, what was that for?” he grumbled.

“I said no funny business remember,” you said proudly, knowing the hold you had over him. 

“I didn’t think you were being serious,” he said as his eyes widened. “We’re on this plane for 12 hours and you really expect us to not have some fun,”.

“Watching movies is fun,” you grin. “Playing games is fun. Eating the snacks I bought is fun,”. 

He looked at you for a few seconds, a smirk on his face as his hand started rubbing your hip. “I could eat,” he said. 

“Okay, perfect. I brought Oreos, Fruit, Pretzels…” you start to say before he interrupts you. 

“None of that sounds good,” he said, his hand slowly moving down to your thigh. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” you laughed. “I have more stuff in my bag. I’ll go get it,” you say, trying to get up from the bed but Joe doesn’t let you. 

“I don’t think you have what I want out there,” he said, his face moving closer to yours. 

You rolled your eyes, “Then what do you want to eat because I got a lot of snacks, many of which you love,”.

“You,” he purred, his eyes turning a darker shade of blue, a familiar shade of blue though. “I want you,”.

You searched his eyes for a few moments, your body feeling hot at the thought of what Joe was implying. “Joe,” you whispered, his hands now cupping your mound. 

“I want to make you feel good,” he said as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your ear. “If you’ll let me,”. 

There was nobody on the plane but you two, the pilot, and the flight attendant; both of which were all the way in the front while you were in the back. If you did something, they would most likely not be able to hear you. 

“We have to be quiet though,” you said, easily giving in to his words.

“You have to be quiet. I’m just here to have a sweet treat and make my girlfriend feel good,” he said as you felt him slip his hand inside your shorts.

You rolled your eyes before pushing his head down and crashing your lips against his, both moving against each other in a sensual tango. You felt his fingers teasing your folds through your lace panty, your wetness seeping through. 

“Already so wet?” he smirked after he pulled away.

“Shut up,” you said as you pulled him back down to the kiss.

He took his hand out of your shorts and rested it on your waist, using his other hand to grab your leg and wrap it around his waist as he deepened the kiss. The combination of his fiery touch and addictive lips was making you restless. 

“Joe, please,” you whimpered as you pulled away from his lips. 

He gave you a smile before moving down, pressing wet kisses along your inner thigh before sucking on the skin of your left thigh.

“Mm,” you whimper, stuffing your hand into his soft curls. 

He wastes no time as he pulls down your shorts and panties all in one go, immediately stuffing his face between your thighs. “Ohh,” you hissed, the feeling of his scruff between your legs was to die for. 

You feel him lap at your folds, his tongue then thrusting inside of you as he set a rhythmic pace. He moved his hand to your clit, carefully teasing the sensitive bud with delicate flicks and swirls.

“Fuck, Joe,” you whispered, trying to stifle your moans by throwing your head to the side into the pillow. His other hand slipped inside your shirt, slowly inching towards your breast as you pulled on the strands of his hair. 

His tongue felt like fire, lighting every nerve in your body. The expert flick and swirl of his tongue sent waves of pleasure throughout your withering frame. 

“Joe, you’re so good, fuck right there,” you whimpered as you used your hand to grip the sheets, then feeling him slide his hand out of your shirt, returning his finger to your heat. He starts to rub your clit again, the bundle of nerves just begging to reach its pleasure.

You toss your leg over his shoulder, gliding your foot along his muscular back as you feel Joe moan into your core, sending vibrations throughout your body. You moved your hands back into his tousled curls, pulling on the soft golden strands again as he continued to use his mouth to send you to heaven. “Mm, you taste so good,” he groaned.  

“Joe, I’m so close,” you rasped, feeling your arousal building up. He started to toy with your clit even harder and moved his mouth up to it, replacing his fingers with his mouth as he started to suck on the bud.

You started to shake under him, your breaths getting shorter as you felt the tension in your belly snap and a wave of ecstasy come over you. “Fuck, Baby,” you moaned as you felt yourself reach your high, your hips jerking and your eyes rolling to the back of your head at the intense shocks of pleasure. Joe’s mouth moved back down to your folds and his hands massaged your thighs, trying to calm you down as he lapped at your folds again, cleaning up every drop of your arousal. 

A few minutes later, he cleaned you up with some napkins and was now lying on your chest, your hand playing with the strands of his hair as he pressed kisses on your chest through your shirt. 

“You still hungry,” you lazily chuckled.

“Nope. Dessert was extra delicious today and I'm stuffed,” he yawned. 

“That’s good because I’m about to pass out,” you said as you pressed a kiss to his forehead.

He craned his head up to look up at you, “Nap time?” he mumbled before pressing a kiss to your chin.

“Nap time,” you nodded as you wrapped your arms around his body and closed your eyes. 

After your lengthy nap, you two spent the rest of the flight watching movies, playing various games, eating delicious foods, taking another nap, and going over the schedule for the week. You’d be in Cannes for 4 days (not including today's travel day); tomorrow and Monday would be for you two to explore the city and have a boat day. Tuesday and Wednesday would be panels and the latter half of Wednesday would be when you both would travel to Paris. Then the rest of the trip would be spent in Paris for Fashion Week. You and Joe were incredibly excited to explore the sights and sounds of the city together when he had time off from attending the shows and events. He was walking the runway at the end of the week, which you couldn’t be more proud of him for doing, and he would be attending quite a few shows for various brands throughout the week. You were debating on going with him or not to at least one show, deciding to feel it out depending on how this whole ‘going official’ thing works out. 

A few hours later

You landed about an hour ago and were now on the way to the hotel, both of you wide awake from your naps even though it was currently the middle of the night in Cannes. You looked out your window and watched the lamposts pass by, the streets empty and almost haunting because of how peaceful it seemed. 

“We should almost be there,” he said as he looked out the window. “I think that’s it,” he added as he pointed out the tall massive building in front of you. 

“Holy shit, they really went all out,” you said, your eyes widening as you got closer to the hotel. The impressive architectural structures of the building stood out beautifully as well as the the fact that it was beachfront.

“Beachfront too?” you gasped. “They must really love you,”.

“Told you they hooked me up,” he said as he rubbed your back. 

A couple of minutes later the car stopped in front of the main door, the bellhops loaded your luggage out of the car while you and Joe made your way inside. 

He held your hand as he led you through the lobby, the inside of the hotel just as grand as the outside. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow that highlighted the carefully crafted pillars and impressive ceiling designs. The earthy tan, white, and green hues of the lobby provided a sense of comfort and luxury. 

Joe looked down at your face, your mouth agape and your eyes sparkling. “Wait till you see the room,” he said as he bumped your shoulder. 

“The fact that I’ve never been here is wild,” you say as you feel Joe pull you into the elevator, not allowing you another moment to take in the design of the lobby. 

He pulls you in, quickly presses the button for the floor you are on, and then hits the button to close the door. Before you could say something else, he spun around and backed you up against the elevator wall, his face just inches from yours. 

“I love how excited you get over these things,” he said before he crashed his lips against yours, one hand gripping your waist and the other cupping your face. He found it endearing how you would easily get excited over things like this even though this was your life. The luxury and leisure was something you had been around for quite a few years now, but each time you were exposed to it you would still be mesmerized.  

You try to pull away but Joe doesn’t let you, deepening the kiss as he slides his hand down to your thigh, giving it a soft squeeze that makes you moan into the kiss. A few breathless seconds later, you manage to pull away, a look on his face that tells you he needs more.

“You’re a little worked up,” you blushed as you pressed your forehead against his, your arms around his neck. 

“The thought of us, just us, on what I would consider vacation the whole week is making me feel some things,” he purred. 

“I guess it being the middle of the night isn’t stopping those feelings,” you said as you rubbed his neck.

“Oh, I think that it being the middle of the night is making them way worse,” he said as he was leaning in for another kiss but stopped as he heard the elevator ding, hearing the door behind him open, prompting him to let out a disappointed sigh. 

You gently pushed him off and gave him a wink, “Guess you'll have to wait, this is our stop,”. 

He gave you a slow once-over before reaching forward and picking you up bridal style, his hands wrapping around your waist and legs; the sudden movement making you let out a squeal.

“Joe, put me down, someone will see,” you laughed as he walked out of the elevator with you in his arms.

“Did you forget?” he said as he made it to your suite door. He pulled out the keycard and unlocked the door, “We’re the only ones on the floor,” he whispered into your ear as he brought you inside. 

You stared at him for a few seconds before moving your eyes around the room, the very big and very glamorous room. You were standing in the doorway, in front of you was the living room with a nice dining table that was set up with a bunch of goodies such as wine, champagne, snacks, and chocolates for you and Joe. He walked further into the room, to your right was the passageway to your bedroom, and to the left was the mini kitchen and another seating area. 

“Wow,” you whispered as you looked around the room. “They really love you,”. 

“You haven’t even seen the best part,” he said as he slowly placed you back on your feet. He put his hand on the small of your back and guided you across the room to what looked like patio doors. He opened the door and motioned for you to go out, your eyes widening as you walked out onto the very large and lengthy private patio that had the best view of the beach and city below you. 

“Oh my god,” you said as you walked closer to the railing of the balcony. You looked up and saw the stars in the sky twinkling while the city below you was absolutely still; distant sounds of the waves crashing on the beach in front of you echoed throughout the streets below you. The patio was decorated with various flower arrangements, a day bed, and a little bistro table. 

“This is perfect,” you whispered as you felt a shiver run up your spine. The shorts and short-sleeved top you had on were not meant for this evening weather and you were feeling it. You felt Joe move closer to you, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind and settling his chin on your shoulder, then turning his head to the side to press wet kisses along your neck; his warmth immediately heats you up. 

“Are you happy?” he mumbled against your skin.

You smiled and turned your head to look at him, his head moving out of your neck as his eyes met yours. “I think if I was any happier I would spontaneously combust,” you giggle before you kiss him again. “I’m glad we get to do this together. This is a big week for you and I am lucky to be a part of it,”.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else with me,” he said as he turned you around and leaned down to kiss you again, this time the kiss was a bit more heated than before as his hands slid down to your ass, pushing you closer to him. 

“Mmm, maybe we should go inside,” you say in between the kisses.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he mumbled as he pulled away and grabbed your hand, yanking you back inside and pulling you to the bedroom. 

“Slow down,” you giggled as he rushed you into the bedroom, not even giving you a moment to take in the vibes of the room as he was eyeing the massive bed waiting in front of you. “Wait, what about our luggage? Shouldn’t we wait for them to bring it up?”.

“They can come by when we wake up tomorrow,” he said as he backed you up until the back of your knees hit the bed. 

“What about our Pj’s?” you frowned. 

“We probably won’t need them,” he said as he started pressing kisses along your jawline, another shiver running down your spine. 

“As much as I'd love to continue this, aren’t you tired?” you asked him as you patted his shoulders.

“Not at all. It might be 2 am here but I am wide awake. Maybe this will make me tired again,” he said as he returned to kissing your neck. “Sex is natural melatonin,”. 

“I won’t argue with science,” you said as you pulled his head back to yours, kissing his lips a little rougher as he gently pushed you down onto the bed and crawled on top of you.

A few minutes later, both your clothes were in a pile next to the bed and Joe was spending some time pressing kisses around your body and nipping your skin. He pulled his head up from your chest and looked deeply into your eyes, leaning down to press a loving kiss on your lips before thrusting into your wet heat, the sudden movement catching you off guard and making you pull away from his lips. 

“Fuck, Joe,” you moaned as he set a ravenous pace. With every thrust he moved deeper inside of you, igniting a fire within you that only burned for him. 

The Next Morning 

The sound of the bathroom door opening woke you up the next morning, your head turning to see Joe walking out with wet hair and no shirt on. You watch as he walks over to the closet, pulls out his suitcase, and opens it to find a shirt, meaning that they must have dropped your luggage off. You slowly sit up, covering your naked body with the sheets as you stretch your arms out. 

“Morning,” he smiled as he turned around while buttoned up his shirt. 

“Gooood Morning,” you yawned as you made grabby hands towards him, motioning for him to come over to you. 

He walked over and sat down next to you, first pressing a sweet kiss to your lips and then pulling you into his chest.

“How long have you been up?” you asked as you ran your fingers along the fabric of his tan knit button-up beach shirt. 

“About two hours or so. I got our bags from the bellhop, ordered us some breakfast, scoped out the beach club downstairs, and took a shower,” he said as he ran his fingers through your messy hair. 

“That’s great,” you said as you tilted your head up to examine his neck, noticing a few purple marks. “Remind me to cover those up,” you laughed as you ran your fingertips along the love bites.

“You can try but I think the makeup would wash off once we get on the boat and decide to go in the water,” he chuckled.

“Oh my god, I forgot today was the boat day,” you gasped, your hand moving to cover your mouth, realizing that he would have the marks on his neck completely visible to the public eye. “I got a little carried away last night,” you said as you moved off his chest and sat up, the sheet falling and your bare chest on display.

Joe’s eyes navigate down to your chest, his eyes widening and a blush snuck up on his face. “I think I did too,” he said as he reached out to rub the love bite on your chest. 

“We’re so horny,” you laughed as you dropped your head into your hands.

“But that’s good for us, keeps us on our toes,” he said, repeating one of the thoughts you had yesterday about him as he pressed a kiss to your cheek and got up from the bed. 

“I’m probably going to shower first and then eat breakfast if that’s cool,” you said as you got up from the bed and grabbed the robe Joe had laid out for you. 

“Yeah, that’s cool. It should still be warm since they have those fancy warmer things under them,”.

“That’s good,” you wince as you start walking over to your suitcase. 

Joe raises his eyebrow at your slight limp, “Sore?”.

“Just a tad,” you blushed as you reached down to open your suitcase. 

He walked over and picked up your suitcase before you could fully zip it open, “I’m gonna put it on the bed so you don’t pull a muscle or anything,”.

“Thank you,” you say as you lean in for another kiss.

“It’s the least I could do for giving you a limp,” he said as he placed the suitcase onto the bed and turned around to face you. 

“You already do enough for me by just existing,” you say as you open up your suitcase and pull out a matching black bikini set with a pink sundress to wear on top of it. 

He wrapped his arms around you from behind and swayed you back and forth, his heart fluttering at the thought of how lucky he was to have you in his life. “I love you,” he said as he kissed the sweet spot on your neck. 

“I love you too,” you said as you turned your head around to see him, pecking his lips before reaching down to grab a change of clothes for after your boat day. You would be having dinner on the boat as well so you decided to pick out something more fitting. You pull out a strappy white dress and pair it with some gold accessories and heels. 

“I love this dress on you,” Joe said as he ran his fingers along the soft fabric. “I found the beach bag and put my change of clothes in it, left it on the foyer table,”.

“Perfect,” you smiled as you pulled away from his embrace, closing up the suitcase and making your way to the bathroom. 

“How’s the water pressure?” you asked as you stood in the doorway.

“Better than our house,” he nodded. “I also checked out the jacuzzi tub. It has quite a few settings and we will be having some fun in there tonight,” he winked. 

“Looking forward to it,” you said as you twirled around and closed the door to begin your morning routine. 

About an hour and a half later, you’re washed, dressed, moisturized, and finishing up breakfast at the table with Joe. 

“This food is so good,” he groaned as he took a final bite of his muffin. 

“We’re going to gain at least 10 pounds by the time the trip is over,” you joked as you took another sip of your orange juice. 

“We can brush it off as healthy relationship weight if someone says something,” he joked. 

“Healthy,” you smile as you lean your head back to relish that feeling. Your relationship with Joe was so incredibly healthy. Both of you knew each other’s boundaries and respected them, had the best communication possible, and were completely and irrevocably in love with each other. 

“Healthy unlike this breakfast,” he laughed as he loaded your dirty dishes onto the cart to leave outside your door for the staff to take away.

“So, what’s the plan for today,” you said as you turned around in your chair and watched Joe.

“Well, I was thinking we take it easy. We can go down to the beach club downstairs and walk around for a bit since our boat is at the docks there so we can check it out and drop off the bag but we won’t be going on till a little later. If you want we can also go shopping around Rue d'Antibes and La Croisette,” he said as he opened the door to leave the cart outside.

“Nice pronunciation,” you giggled. 

“I’ve been practicing. I asked the receptionist downstairs how to pronounce the street names,” he smiled as he turned around to close the door. “Then we’ll just be on the boat and in the water until our sunset dinner on the boat,” he said, walking back over to you with your beach bag and sunglasses in hand. You packed your bag with various types of sunscreens, both your change of clothes, your film camera, and any other personal care items you’d need on the boat.

“Sounds perfect,” you smile. “After dinner, we should walk to the bakery around the corner from the hotel and pick up some sweet treats,”. 

“Whatever you want,” he said, holding out his hand for you to grab. “You ready?”.

“Mhm,” you smiled, placing your hand in his and getting up from your chair. “Wait, let me take care of these first,” you said, pointing at the love bites on his neck, a laugh escaping his lips as you dragged him to the bathroom.

A little later 

You and Joe walked around the beach club for a little while, taking in the gorgeous sun and crystal blue water and checking out the boat before sitting at one of the beachside tables for a few drinks. You weren’t usually drinking this early in the day, but a few Mimosa’s didn’t hurt, especially if you were going to spend a few hours shopping. 

Now you were in maybe the 4th or 5th store on your little shopping expedition, Joe picking out some pieces for the upcoming season and you helping him while also doing your own bit of looking. 

“I wish Kyle was with us since he is your stylist for this trip. He might’ve been able to give some opinions on these game-day outfits,” you said as you looked through the rack in front of you in the Saks store, all your favorite designer clothes in one spot. 

“Are you saying I’m incapable of picking out my game-day fits on my own?” he scoffed, his mouth wide open as he was slightly offended. 

You stopped rummaging through the racks and spun around, “I’ve told you multiple times that your game-day outfits send me into orbit,” you say as you give him a look that needs no explanation. “You don’t need anyone’s help, but I feel like a new person’s opinion might add some pizzazz,”. 

“You are the new person. You didn’t shop with me last off-season too much so I mean,” he said as he put his hands in his pockets. “The floor is yours,”. 

You raise your eyebrow and flash him a big smile, “Oookay, but you asked for this not me,”. 

You picked out various new pieces for Joe to try on while he insisted that he pick out some things for you as well. Joe liked more street-style outfits so you decided to follow that idea but add your own flair to it. You chose some more trendy but “Joe-like” shirts for him, new types of pants (so he would finally stop with the grey jeans), and some other things such as jackets and accessories he’d like. 

When Joe came back to you, he had absolutely nothing in his hand, making you let out a laugh as you looked over to the pile you and the assistant had set aside for him.

“Couldn’t find anything?” you teased as you pulled him closer.

“Actually, I found too much that they couldn’t carry it over,” he winked. 

“We haven’t even made it to Paris yet and we already shopped so much,” you said as you dropped your head onto his shoulder. 

“We get a free pass this one time,” he said, rubbing your back before giving your butt a soft pinch which makes you pull away.

“Joe, if someone sees,” you laughed, giving him another look that needed no explanation. 

“We’re fine. The staff knew us and didn’t say anything to us the other people in the store seemed to be minding their business, although I did notice a few stares and whispers but it is what it is,” he shrugged. “It’s just you and me. Pretend that nobody’s here,”. 

“I guess this is what we wanted to happen anyway. Only a matter of time before a picture of us pops up online,” you smiled, feeling comfortable with the thought of people seeing you out together.  

“Good thing we look good today,” he said, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Now, come see the stuff I picked out for you,” he said as he grabbed your hand and led you to the other side of the store. 

An hour later, you were walking out with a concerning amount of bags and were on your way back to the hotel to drop them off; the rest of the stuff from the other stores was delivered to your room so you didn’t need to worry about those. 

“Wait, can we go in there for just a sec,” he said, stopping and pointing at the Cartier store. 

“Don’t you have enough sunglasses,” you say, rolling your eyes and walking towards the store. 

“Not going in here for those. I actually have something to pick up,” he said, acting mildly suspicious as he opened the door for you.

When you walk in, a worker immediately greets you both and leads you back to the Jewelry Counter, Joe walks in front of you and whispers something to the assistant before turning around and grabbing your hand. 

“Joe…” you say as he pulls out a chair for you.

“Yes, ma copine parfaite et chaude?” he smirked, squeezing in some more French he learned the other day. 

“Hm?” you asked, incredibly confused as you sat down in the velvet red chair. When did he have the time to learn all this French?

“Yes, my perfect and hot girlfriend,” he whispered in your ear before sitting down next to you. 

A blush crept up your face and you felt yourself get hot from his words, trying to keep your composure and figure out what you were doing here. “Um, why are we here?” you struggled to get out. 

“I told you,” he said as he looked forward at the Jeweler walking in with 2 trademark red Cartier boxes. “I had something to pick up,”. 

“Welcome Mr. Burrow and Ms. Y/LN,” the man smiled as he sat down in front of you. “I hope you have been enjoying Cannes so far,”.

“We’ve been having a lot of fun,” Joe smiled at the man. “Thanks for doing this Roger,”.

Roger, his name was Roger. Why did Joe know Roger? And what was in those boxes in front of you?

“Ah, no problem Mr. Burrow. Anything for the best Cartier-wearing Quarterback in the NFL,” he smiled as he turned the boxes around to face you both. 

Joe laughed at his response and threaded his fingers through his hair before looking over at you, studying your stupefied facial expression. 

“Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?” you asked.

“I think he should show you,” Joe said, Roger grabbing your attention as he unhooked the clasp of the boxes, opened them, and showed whatever was inside to you.

Your mouth dropped as you looked at what was in front of you. It was two bracelets, 1 of them having a black braided band and the other being a gold band, like a bangle you could clasp on. The bracelet had a gold letter “J” and “(your initial)” attached to it, one on the left of the bracelet and one on the right. In the middle, holding both letters together, was a gold infinity symbol decorated with diamonds. 

“Joe..” you whispered as you felt your heart flutter at the jewelry in front of you.

“Custom made to Mr. Burrow’s liking using our finest gold and jewels,” Roger added.

Joe was looking at you the entire time, taking note of how your eyes softened when he opened the boxes and how your cheeks turned pink when you realized what you were looking at. 

“When did you…How did you..,” you said as you turned your head to face him.

“Mhm, I think I’ll leave you two alone for a moment,” Roger said as he got up. 

“Thanks, Roger,” Joe nodded as he turned back to you. 

“When my agent told me about this whole Cannes and Paris thing. I wanted to do something special for us and I wanted to make it memorable so we’d remember this week. I thought about just surprising you with another necklace or something but that didn’t feel special enough,” he said.

“Joe,” you said, choking up a little as you felt tears forming in your eyes.

“Sooo, I found a Cartier store closest to where we would be staying and talked to Roger here, pulled a few strings, and designed the bracelets with him, and well,” he added as he picked up your bracelet, opening the clasp and grabbing your hand to put it on your wrist. He closed the clasp and turned your wrist around, running his fingers over the initials and infinity symbol before pressing a kiss to it. “This is it. You and Me. You know how I feel about you and I know that it hasn’t even been a year yet but I couldn’t imagine doing anything of this without you. I’ve never felt this way about a girl before and I’ve only felt it for you, and I intend for you to be the only girl that can make me feel like this,”. 

How was it possible that you were falling even more in love with him? You thought that you’d already reached maximum head over heels-ness, but here you were feeling your heart grow and the amount of love you had for him increase. 

“I love you. I love you so very much, Joe,” you sniffled before leaning in and kissing him, keeping it innocent since you were around quite a few people. 

“This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You literally keep beating yourself every time you do something like this,” you laughed as you wiped the few tears falling from your eyes.

“And I plan to keep doing so for the rest of my life,” he said as he grabbed his bracelet. “I chose the braided black band for me because it felt more like me. The gold band is definitely you,”. 

“I don’t plan on ever taking it off, just like the necklace,” you smiled, referring to the initial necklace he gave you for your one month anniversary. You never took it off, not because he ‘owned’ you and needed people to know, but because he really knew you and you wanted people to know. “Wait if you got the braided band..Please tell me you don’t plan on wearing that in a game,” you gasped. 

“No, definitely not. I would never risk it getting damaged out there. I will however be wearing it as much as I can when I'm not on the field or doing anything physical that could damage it,” he said as slipped it onto his empty wrist. “Wait, I almost forgot. Take your bracelet off real quick,”. 

“Okay?” you chuckled as you unclasped it and handed it to him.

“I got something engraved on the inside. Here, look,” he said as he opened it up a bit more for you to read the text on the inside of the band. 

⋆｡°✩ The Stars All Aligned ⋆｡°✩  - J.B.

Didn’t he say that to you this morning? How long had he been waiting to say that to you?

“You’re perfect. Quite literally crafted by Cupid and the Angels. I don’t know what the hell I did to deserve you but I'm so glad you’re mine,” you said as you looked back up into his love-struck eyes. 

“I love you,” he said as he kissed your cheek. 

After a few more moments of fawning over the bracelets and his adorable romantic gesture, you both found Roger and personally thanked him for helping orchestrate the surprise, especially since Cartier rarely did anything custom like this for clients. After a few moments of chatting and wandering around the store, You and Joe walked out of the store with two more bags in your hands, one with the boxes for the bracelets and the other filled with stuff Joe bought. 

“You and them damn Cartier shades,” you said as you shook your head. 

“Listen, I couldn't resist. They looked really good. The pink ones I got for you are going to look so good on game day,” he shrugged. 

“Whatever you say,” you laughed as you spun around and started walking backward, still facing him. “I can’t wait to get on the boat and be wearing minimal clothing. It’s hot as hell right now,”. 

“Forget Minimal, you don’t have to be wearing any clothing on the boat if you don’t want to,” he winked.

“Joe!” you gasped as you stopped, causing him to bump into you. 

“What? I’m sure everyone would enjoy the view. I know I do,” he teased, your mouth hanging open as he was standing so incredibly close to you, his face just inches from yours.

You were about to say something but saw a group of girls and guys stop a little bit behind you, their hands seemingly over their mouths. “Oh my god. Is that them?” one of the girls gasped. 

You looked at Joe, a smile on both your faces as you listened to the group, acting like you weren’t eavesdropping by turning around to face the buildings in front of you. Joe nonchalantly snaked his arm around your waist and whispered into your ear, “I think we’ve been caught,”. 

“Dude I think it is. Holy Shit I didn’t think the rumors were true,” the other girl said. 

“Damn, Joey B is really winning at life,” one of the guys laughed. “Y/N is hot as hell,”.

Your eyes widened when you heard the teenage boy, probably somewhere around the age of 17 say that. “Oh my god,” you whispered as your cheeks turned pink. 

“You know what? I’m not even mad that he said that. You are hot as fuck,” Joe whispered into your ear, prompting you to bump into his shoulder. 

“Wait because this is insane. I would’ve never thought they’d end up together but I’m so here for it,” the other girl whispered, or tried to whisper at least. 

“I mean she was at the games in January. What’d you guys expect? I heard she liked football before she went to the Bengals game but that wasn’t her favorite team,” the other guy added. 

“Well, it definitely is now,” the first girl cooed. 

“I guess the cats outta the bag. Oh well,” you whispered into Joe’s ear, no other thoughts in your mind. You didn’t care if people saw you together. You were happy and that’s all that mattered.

“You wanna keep going?” he asked, softly squeezing your hip.

“Yes, please. I’m melting right now,” you laughed as you placed your hand around his waist. 

After reaching the hotel and dropping off your bags inside your room, you walked back down to the beach club and had a quick bite to eat before making your way to the docks where the boat was waiting.  

Joe got on first, extending his hand to help you on. “Thank you,” you said as you reached up to kiss his cheek. While Joe was talking to the captain, you slipped into the bathroom to take your dress off, the lovebite from last night fading but still visible making you blush. While you were in there you clipped your hair back and put some sunscreen on your frontside and legs, not being able to reach your back so you’d ask Joe to do it. 

After freshening up, you went back out to the boat, noticing that you had departed the docks and were now out on the crystal blue Riviera waters. 

“You look incredible,” Joe said from behind you. You flipped around, your heart skipping a beat as you saw him in just his swim trunks and sunglasses, his chiseled chest on display and his muscular arms making you feel hot all over. 

“Not too bad yourself,” you purred as you sat down on the tanning chair. “What’d the captain say?” you said as you pulled out the sunscreens from your beach bag.

“He said we’d be circling around the Riviera but stopping at a good spot if we wanted to get in the water. Then I told him for dinner to stop at the docks a little further down from our docks because there’s a good beachfront restaurant that said they can serve us on here,”.

“You really planned everything out,” you smiled at him.

“That I did,” he said as he sat down next to you.

You pulled out the lotion and put it in front of him, “Can you get my back, and then I can do you?”.

Joe raised his eyebrow at the offer, his mind wandering to some other things that this innocent task could lead to.

“No funny business, Joe,” you said as you sent him a look. “I mean it this time,”.

“I got you,” he laughed as he sat down on the chair next to you while you lay flat on your stomach. He squeezed out a good amount of sunscreen before placing the bottle down. You felt his big hands start at your shoulders, rubbing the lotion into your skin before sliding down your back. His fingers expertly massaged your skin the way you loved, a few innocent moans leaving your lips making Joe laugh.

You turned your head to the side and looked up at him again with the same look, his face going back to seriousness which made you let out a little laugh. He then slid his hands down to your butt, softly squeezing it as he worked the last bit of sunscreen around your skin. 

“You’re good,” he smiled as he moved his hands off of you. 

“Thank you, Joey,” you said as you sat up. “Now lay on your stomach so I can get your back,”.

“I think I’ll be fine. I want a nice tan,” he said.

“Absolutely not. You burn too easily and there’s a big difference between tan and burnt,” you said as you got up from your chair and grabbed the bottle. “On your stomach,” you motioned. 

“Fine,” he sighed, admitting defeat as he turned around.

You placed a leg on each side of his waist, straddling him as you squeezed out a dab of sunscreen before tossing the bottle to the side. You started at his shoulders, working your way down as you gave him a nice massage at the same time, a few groans leaving his lips as he closed his eyes. You smiled at the sounds leaving his lips, Joe loved a good massage. 

“This would be nice with no clothes,” he joked.

You rolled your eyes as you moved your hands to his arms, first grabbing the bottle to squeeze out more sunscreen, “Why are you extra worked up this week?”.

“You tell me,” he said, turning his head around and giving you a good look up and down. 

He never failed to make you feel extra good about yourself. His looks, his touch, his comments. All of it made you feel like a diamond. 

“You’re sweet,” you replied as you sent him an air kiss as you quickly rubbed the last bit of sunscreen on his arms. “Flip over,”. 

You sat up on your knees so that he could turn around underneath you, then once he got settled sat back down, still straddling him. “This is all too familiar,” he said as he pushed his sunglasses down. You on top of him like this was a little too risky but you had to make sure he didn’t burn in the sun.  

You shook your head as you squeezed more sunscreen onto your palm and spread it along his perfectly crafted chest and torso, pressing a few kisses to his chest while you were at it. His hands settled on your hips, kneading your plush skin as you made sure to get every corner of him protected by the sunscreen. 

“If you put any more on I think I'm going to turn the same color as this chair,” he joked.

“Okay,” you said as you dropped the bottle in the bag. “I’ll stop but at least now you won’t get burnt,”.

“Thank you,” he said as he moved his sunglasses to the top of his head. God, he looked so good right now. His hair was in the perfect position, his skin was glowing, his eyes were twinkling, and he was all yours. 

“You’re welcome,” you mumbled as you leaned down to kiss him, his grip on your waist tightening as your hands cupped his face. 

You were all over each other for what felt like an hour, not caring about anything since you were out on the open waters, just the two of you. You don’t even remember when he picked you up and laid you down on the daybed because you were so lost in his lips you had zero coherent thoughts in your mind. 

Suddenly, he pulled away, a cheeky grin on his face. “What’s got you so worked up?” he said as he raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been on my lips for almost an hour,”. 

“Really funny, Joe,” you laughed as you turned to lay on your back, the sun now covering your body. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean to stop,” he said, sadness creeping up on his face.

“Mmm, I think we need a second to breathe so that we don’t die from heat exhaustion and lack of oxygen,” you joked as you threw your leg over his.

“Fair point,” he said as he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you into his chest, your bodies fitting together naturally making you both instantly comfortable. 

A few quiet moments later, Joe spoke up. “I still can’t believe this is real life,”.

You moved your head up to look at him, his eyes looking off into the sky. “I’m playing football in the NFL, people know who I am, I’m in fucking France right now, and I’m dating the most extraordinary and talented woman to grace the earth and I get to spend all of my time with her. Literally, what is my life,” he mumbled. 

“Joe…,” you cooed. As crazy as his life was, he could never be able to comprehend that this was his life.

You turned to lay on your stomach again, resting your chin on his chest which made him look down at you. “You know what the one thing that really stuck out to me and made me fall in love with you was?”.

“What?” He smiled.

“The fact that you’re such a softie. You’re such a sappy softie in there,” you said as you pointed to his heart. “But on the outside, you’re this calm, cool, collected, smoke show Quarterback. You can do both and that’s what made me fall for you. And you let me see that sappy part of you, which makes it even more special,”. 

As you were talking, you saw how his cheeks turned a little red, something that would often happen when you started talking like this. 

“I know I’ve said it at least 15 times today, but I love you,” he said while picking up your hand and kissing the bracelet on your wrist. 

“I love you too. Like a lot, if that wasn’t clear,” you giggled. 

“Oh, it’s clear. Very clear,” he nodded as he started to get up. “Since you love me so much, you wanna go make some drinks with me and lay out in the sun so I can get a little tan?” he asked like a little kid. 

“Sounds like a plan,” you smiled as you got up with him, the smile on your face the biggest it’s probably been in a long time. Joe made you happy, truly happy and everything that came out of his mouth just made it better. 

Two hours later 

You spent some time lounging on the chairs, tanning, and sipping on some cocktails you whipped up in the mini bar inside while talking more about what the rest of the week would look like. You also spent some time taking in the distant view of the City, seeing all the beautiful architecture and scenery from a distance, making a note that you should come back here at some point but spend a whole week here rather than a few days 

Then, the boat stopped in the middle of the Riviera; they also brought out a few floaties and water mats for you both to use out on the water. Joe dragged you in with him, insisting that you take a dip in the cool water for just a bit, but you insisted on using his body as a floatation device the entire time.

After swimming around for a bit, or well, letting Joe swim around while you were stuck to his back, you were sitting on the floating water mat. Joe was sitting criss-cross and you laid across his legs on your back, soaking up the sun as he was absentmindedly rubbing your thigh. 

He looked down at you, seeing how peaceful you looked with your eyes closed when an idea popped into his head. He carefully slid his hands underneath you, almost as if he was picking you up bridal style. You didn’t say anything because you thought he was just re-adjusting you in his lap, but then you felt him lift you into the air. 

“Joe..What’re you…Ahhh!” you screamed as he gently dropped you back into the water.

You swam back up to the surface, wiping your hand across your face as you watched him laugh and your disheveled appearance. 

“That’s not funny,” you frowned, trying hard not to give him the satisfaction of laughing at the situation. 

“Aw, does someone not like the water,” he laughed as he watched you try not to laugh, which you were struggling to do. 

“I don’t like not being told when I’m being thrown into the water,” you huffed. 

“You’re so cute when you're mad,” he grinned.

“And you’re cute when you're not throwing your lovely girlfriend into the water without warning,” you said as you batted your lashes at him, purely out of teasing.

“Fine,” he sighed as he extended his hand out to help you back onto the mat. 

You put your hand in his, getting an idea while gripping it tightly. You use all of your strength to pull him down into the water with you, “Y/N, what are you-,” he said before his big body made a splash into the water next to you as you broke out in a fit of laughter. 

You laughed for a few seconds, expecting him to come back up a few seconds later but when you don’t see him come back up, you get worried.

“Joe? Where’d you go?” you said before you felt two hands wrap around your legs underneath you and lift you into the air, sending you backward into the water. Joe came up, another grin on his face as he watched you come back up from the water again.

“Two for Two,” he winked. 

“No fair,” you laughed as you splashed him with water. “You’re like 50 times stronger than me,” you said as you swam closer to him. 

“Join me next time I’m in the gym and we can buff you up more,” he smiled as he pulled you closer.

“Us, in the gym, with nobody around, sweaty, and all worked up? I don’t think I’ll be getting buff, I think I’ll be burning calories doing something else,” you purred.

“And I’m the one that’s worked up,” he said as he raised his eyebrows, you shook your head as your hands found their way into his hair and you pulled him in for another sweet kiss.

“You wanna go back inside and make some more drinks?” you asked him.

“Sure, but we’re going to be so drunk by dinner time,” he said as he swam you both over to the steps. “Those tropical rum margaritas are strong as hell,”. 

“I think we’ll be fine,” you smiled.

Evening Time (Around the Sunset)

You, in fact, were not fine.

You both had one too many drinks after you got back onto the boat that you could barely stand up in the shower when you went to freshen up for dinner. You got lucky and managed to do your hair and makeup without any mishaps occurring, but you were still very tipsy and the drinks being served with your dinner tonight were not helping.

They had set up a nice spread of food on the little dining table on the boat, Joe sat across from you as you spent a few spare moments taking pictures of him on your treasured film camera. “The sunset looks good behind you,” you giggled as you tried to take a picture of him, but the alcohol in your system made it hard for you to focus.

“Oo, get a picture of the food too,” he said pointing at the delicious spread in front of you.

“Part-time food blogger. I like it,” you nodded as you pointed the camera at the food, snapping a few shots before putting the camera down. 

Joe grabbed his phone, opened the camera, and snapped a few pictures of you. "You look so beautiful," he smiled as he continued to snap some pics.

"Love you," you said to him, a rosy blush on your face that wasn't from sitting in the sun today.

You grabbed your glass of wine, taking a nice gulp before placing it back down, Joe doing the same before you started to dig into the food in front of you. You don’t remember how many glasses of wine you went through with your food, all you knew was that by the end of the dinner, you could barely remember why you were in France in the first place. 

Joe got up from his chair, almost stumbling back down into the chair as he shook his head. “Whew, I am so drunk,” he laughed as he helped you out of your chair and brought you back over to the day bed. 

“Join the Club,” you giggled as you plopped down. 

“Do you think the Aliens like France?” he asked you as he dropped down next to you, grabbing your legs and placing them in his lap.

“Hmmm,” you thought as you twirled your hair. “I think they’d like it if they came here,”.

“You don’t think they’re already here?” he drunkenly asked you.

“Nope. I think they like to stay over where we are because we don’t bother them. I think French people would freak if they saw an alien and probably throw macaroons at them,” you mumbled as you played with the wristbands on Joe’s wrist. 

“I mean, we did try to storm Area 51. I think they were probably pretty mad about that,” Joe nodded.

“Trueee,” you gasped. “I hope they aren’t lonely in there. They should be free and get to live life like we do,” you frowned. 

God, you were so drunk. 

“What if they are? You remember the farmer aliens in that one Spongebob episode we watched last week?”. 

“Yeah,” you giggled.

“What if we have farmer aliens out in the midwest and just have no idea since we never go out there?” he said, being 100% serious about what he was saying.

“Oh my god, you’re probably right,” you gasped. “I wonder if they play instruments like the ones in SpongeBob,”. 

“We should go farmer alien-hunting when we get back,” he smiled as he pulled out his phone. 

“Oh, 100%,” you nodded as you watched him tap some things on his phone.

“I need your opinion on something,” he said as he looked back up at you.

“Shoot,” you said as you leaned back. 

“Should I get these?” he said, turning his phone around to show you the very expensive Lego Eiffel Tower and Milky Way set he had added to his cart.

“Joe,” you laughed as you grabbed his phone. “This Eiffel Tower one is 10,000 pieces and 700 dollars and the Milky Way set is 3,000 pieces and 200 dollars,”.

“So,” he shrugged. “I’m rich remember,”.

Normally you’d shut this down real fast because you knew he didn’t have the time to put these together so it would be a waste of money, but you were so drunk that all your logic and sense went out the window.

“Okay!” you chirped as you handed him back the phone. “Order them now so we can build them when we get back,”. 

“Great idea,” he nodded as he quickly purchased the Lego sets. 

It was a terrible idea. You should pray for your future self when she comes home to 900 dollars worth of Legos at the front door that neither of you had enough time to build.

While he was tapping away on his phone, you looked out onto the peaceful open water, lost in a trance before you saw the boat lights turn on, brightening your once-dark surroundings.

“The lights,” you gasped as you looked up and the fairy string lights and lamps, the soft music playing in the background adding to the scene. You got up from the day bed and started twirling around, dancing to the song in the background as Joe sat there and watched you, his eyes watching your every step, his heart growing bigger every time you looked back at him. 

He was out of his mind drunk right now, but he was sober enough to mean what he was just about to say.

“Let’s get married,” Joe said, making you flip around with your eyes wide open. 

“What?” you giggled, the alcohol in your system in full effect so whatever he was saying wasn’t really registering in your brain.

“I said, let’s get married,” he mumbled as he got up. 

“Joe, we’re drunk as hell,” you laughed as he grabbed your waist.

"I'm totally, absolutely, not at all drunk at all. Like... at all,” he said, stumbling over his words.

“Mhmmm,” you nodded. “And I’m a princess,”. 

“I’m serious, Y/N. I know we’ve only known each other for a year, but marry me. It doesn’t have to be today, it doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but marry me,” he said. “You’re the best thing that could’ve happened to me and I never want it to end. I need you,”. 

Although he was drunk right now, part of you knew he was being serious when he said that. Everything he did for you and said to you made what he was saying right now absolutely genuine.

“It’s you and me for infinity,” he said, looking down at your bracelet. “I love you in this life and in every lifetime after,” he smiled.

“I love you too, Joe. In every universe and every…uhh..dimension? Yeah, dimension,” you nodded, making him laugh at your drunken expression. 

“So what do you think? Would you want to marry me one day?” he asked you, his face absolutely adorable and sincere. “Unless this is too much for you. I don’t want to push you into an idea that you’re not ready for even if it is a bit into the future,”.

“If you asked me the same question 2 years ago, I would’ve thrown a drink in your face and bolted like hell. But you’re asking me now,” you said as you looped your arms around his neck. “Me now is happiest she’s ever been in all aspects of her life, in love love, comfortable, and is pleased with where she is,”.

“So to answer your question, Okay,” you smiled. 

“Really?” He said, his heart fluttering. 

“Mhm. As long as we get to have a bigggg cake and we get to invite allll our friends and family,” you say as you break free from his grasp and spin around to the music. “And for reference, I like princess cut,”.

“I’ll make you the best damn ring money can make,” he whispered to himself. 

“Oh my god,” you gasped as you stopped dancing.

“What?” He asked.

“Can we get a dog? We should get a dog,” you said as you moved back closer to him.

“Only if I get to name it ‘Gary’,” he said, a throaty laugh leaving his lips as his pupils dilated from the alcohol in his system. He was sooo drunk right now and neither of you would probably remember this conversation tomorrow morning. 

“Deal,” you chirped. Another gasp left your lips and your eyes lit up.

“Now what?” Joe chuckled as he pulled you closer.

“Can we have kids?” you pouted. “Pretty Pretty Pretty Pleaaaseee,”.

“Uhh, duh. Obviously, we’re going to have kids,” he agreed. 

“Yayyyy,” you squealed as you jumped up and down. 

“We’re going to have a mini quarterback and a mini musician running around at some point,” he smiled.

“I wonder if they’ll get both sets of talents. Mini QB can be an expert guitarist and vocalist while Mini Musician can kill it in sports just like her daddy,” you beamed. 

“We have one hell of a genetic pool,” he joked. 

“That we do. Like I said, you’re Troy from High School Musical,” you said as you bit your lip, knowing how he felt about that since he discovered his piano talent.

“Not again,” he said, dropping his head.

“Okay, I’ll stop..for now,” you said as you stumbled back, almost bumping into a chair and falling over, but Joe grabbed your hand and pulled you back forward.

“How did we get so drunk?” he sighed.

“I blame the aliens,” you huffed.

“Oh, so the aliens were the ones who kept making the margs?” he questioned.

“Duhh. It obviously wasn’t me,” you denied as you looked out to the water again, this time seeing your hotel and dock get closer. 

“How did we already make it back?” you said as you walked over to the ledge.

“I didn’t even notice when we left,” Joe said, joining you.

“It’s probably a good thing. We’re so far gone right now we need to be on land,” you said as you looked up at him. 

“Oh, I can’t wait to get back on land,” he said as he looked back down at you with his intense eyes, his hand slipping around your waist. “Have I told you how stunning you look right now?” he whispered into your ear.

“Have I told you how sexy you look in this baby blue button-up?”. He was wearing a blue button-up shirt with white shorts, the buttons on his shirt all the way open exposing his broad chest. 

“We’re a hot couple,” he laughed.

“Very hot,” you say as you lean in to kiss his cheek. 

After the Boat reached the dock, you and Joe thanked the captain for taking you around today. You grabbed your stuff and started to walk to the exit of the boat, but again you were so drunk that you were stumbling around and the heels you had on were making it worse. Joe slid his hand around your waist, firmly holding you as he helped you down the boat and onto the dock.

“Thanks for that. I’m one wrong step away from face-planting,” you said as you held onto him.

“Honestly, me too but at least we’d fall together,” he smiled as you both stumbled back to the hotel. 

“Oh wait, did you still want to go to that dessert shop you were talking about this morning?” he asked as he stopped.

“Hmmmm,” you thought as you looked at Joe, feeling a flutter inside your belly when you looked at him up and down. He looked so good right now, a literal piece of art. 

“We can wait until tomorrow. All I care about right now is getting back inside our room,” you winked.

“Oh really?” he said, squeezing your waist before dropping his hand to your ass.

You were about to say something else before you felt your phone buzz, pulling it out to see a text from your manager.

“Who is it?” Joe asked as you two reached the door to the Hotel. 

“Oh, it's my manager. She said..

There are photos of you and Joe online from earlier, reaction looks pretty positive and a lot of people are confused but pleasantly surprised! Glad to see you two having fun :) Enjoy the trip! 

“Well I guess everyone knows now,” he said as he opened the door for you.

“Hm, I guess they do,” you said as you tucked your phone away, then pulled Joe toward you by his arm, crashing your lips against his and backing up against the wall. 

“Y/N, what if someone sees?” he asked as he pulled away. 

“Let them see then,” you smiled against his lips, watching his eyes scan yours for a few seconds before feeling his lips against yours, this time harder than before.

You felt him move down, pressing kisses down your neck to your chest as you threaded your fingers through his hair. “Joe,” you whimpered.

“What?” he looked up at you with heart eyes.

“Room. Now,” you urged as you felt him grab your hand and pull you over to the elevator, luckily nobody was inside so you could get up to your room as fast as possible. You pushed the button for your floor, Joe’s mouth going back to your neck as you tilted your head back to give him more room. 

His other hand grabbed your ass, softly squeezing your plush skin through the tight fabric of your dress as he left another purple spot on your neck.

“Joe,” you moaned loudly as he touched your sweet spot, your cheeks turning red at the sound that left your mouth.

You then heard the elevator stop, the doors opening as Joe moved off of you. “Thanks for the preview,” he smiled as he pulled you out of the elevator, once again picking you up bridal style just like last night.

“I could get used to this,” you smiled as he walked over to your door, quickly unlocking it and rushing you to the bedroom without giving it a second thought.

He gently placed you down on the bed, your eyes looking over at the bathroom. “What about the Jacuzzi Tub?”. 

“We can save that for tomorrow night. I need you, now,” he said, desperately flinging his shirt off. 

“Okay,” you smiled as you sat back up, Joe walking out of the room without saying a word.

“Hm, weird,” you said as you started to slip the straps of your dress down and untie your heels.

A few moments later, he walked back in, a little silver bucket in his hand. 

“What’s that,” you said, his eyes looking back up and seeing you in your matching white lace bra and panties, one of his favorites on you.

“Ice,” he said as he placed the bucket on the side table next to the bed, heat rising up your body at the mention of that. 

“Cool,” you smiled as you grabbed his bicep, not bothering to ask him about the ice, pulling him onto the bed and on top of you as you fell back against the pillows, your lips on each other again. 

Joe reached behind you, unclasping your bra and gently slipping the straps off your shoulder before returning back to kissing your chest. He wrapped his lips around your nipple, swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud causing soft moans to leave your lips. While he was doing so, he reached his arm out to the table, sticking his hand in the ice bucket to grab a cube. 

He pulled away and brought the ice cube into your view, your cheeks turning another shade of pink because you knew what he was going to do. He pressed the cube to your collarbone, the icy cold touch making your breath hitch.

“Joe,” you whined, feeling the ice cube travel down to the valley of your breasts, his lips returning to your skin, pressing feather-light kisses as you squirmed under his touch. 

The cool wet trail the ice cube was leaving behind was making you even more needy, wanting nothing more than to feel Joe in every way possible, but he was taking his time. 

He grabbed another ice cube, this time pressing it against your nipples, “Fuck,” you cried out.

“You good?” he asked, making sure you were okay.

“I’m…great,” you whimpered, the ice sending jolts of pleasure throughout your body, 

He then moved the ice cube down your stomach, your hips jerking at the feeling of the sudden coolness, your core feeling slicker as he continued to work his way down your body. The ice makes your skin tingle, and the feeling of coldness intensifies your already heightened thoughts which creates a numbing sensation.

“Mmph,” you moaned as you bit your lip, feeling the ice move down to your core, a cheeky grin on Joe’s face.

You then feel him press the ice cube against your folds through your lace panties, another moan, this time a little louder than before, leaving your lips.

“Joe,” you moaned, immediately covering your mouth with your hand because of how loud that was. The alcohol in your system mixed with the feeling of ice on your bare body was making you feel like you were floating on a cloud of ecstasy. 

“No need to be quiet,” he said, popping the remains of the cube into his mouth. “Remember, it’s just us,” he smiled as he grabbed another ice cube, popping this one into his mouth as well. 

He leaned down, gazing into your eyes for a few seconds before pressing his cool lips against yours; the taste of alcohol was still evident, mixing with the coolness of the ice.

You put your hands in his hair again as you pulled him in closer, the ice cube slipping in between his lips and entering your mouth. 

“Mm,” Joe hummed as he smiled into the kiss, the shared coolness between you feeling like a breath of fresh air. The feeling of the ice between your lips which were pressed against his was unlike anything you’d felt before, and you loved it. 

You pulled away from the kiss, both your cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, “Joe, I need you,” you rasped. 

You didn’t need to say anything else for Joe to get off of you, kick his shorts and boxers off while also sliding your panties off. He settled on top of you, giving you another kiss as he slid his fingers through your drenched folds.

“Damn,” he laughed.

“Joeee, please,” you pleaded as you pulled on the strands of his hair.

He moved his head down to press kisses along your jaw as he guided his cock through your folds, pushing into your core without warning. 

“Fuck,” you moaned as you threw your head to the side. Joe set a hungry pace, thrusting into your core with no interest in slowing down, sending you further into the bed each time. 

“Oh,” you moaned loudly as he pounded into your slick core, no coherent thoughts in your head at the moment as he was focused on sending your body to its pleasure point.

You moved your hands to his back, scratching his soft skin which would surely leave a few red marks. “Y/N, you feel so good,” he hissed as he cupped his hand behind your knee, lifting your leg and opening you up more. 

“Baby,” you screamed as he continued to fuck you senselessly, his cock hitting every single sweet spot with each thrust. 

You looked down, watching where you two were connected, the sight of his cock slipping into your wet heat making your eyes roll back to the back of your head, “F-Fuck,” you whined. 

He moved his head back down to yours, his sweet lips finding their home against yours as you moaned into him.

After a few more rough thrusts, you felt your pleasure building up inside your body. Joe always did most of the work when it came to sex, not because you didn’t want to, but because he always wanted to make you feel good but now you wanted to let him sit back while you did the same for him. You pulled away from his lips, “Joe, let me ride you,” you whimpered.

“Are you sure?” he panted as he slowed his thrusts. 

“Mhm,” you nodded as you took a deep breath, your core gently clenching around his cock. 

He pressed a final kiss to your lips before sliding out of you and falling back against the sheets next to you. 

You quickly got up and straddled his waist, giving his cock a few pumps before guiding it back inside of you, “Shit,” you moaned as you threw your head back. 

Your hands settled on his chest as his hands settled on your hips, guiding you back and forth as you slid down his length. 

“Y/N…god,” he moaned as he looked up at you, watching you take control and letting him relax. His hands moving up to cup your breast, giving it a soft squeeze as you let out another moan.

“Joe, I’m so close,” you panted as you picked up the pace, digging your nails into his skin at the same time. Soft moans and praise came from his lips, making you smile and feel more confident each time.

“I’ve got you,” he said as he gripped you tighter and started to thrust up into you.

You felt the tension in your stomach increase, your breaths coming out in short gasps, and your cheeks heating up. “Oh, Joe,” you moaned as you fell forward, your lips crashing against his as you continued to move against him, the sounds of your wetness filling the room.

A few seconds later, you felt your orgasm rip through your body, almost feeling like you were about to black out by how your walls were convulsing around his cock, which was still moving inside of you. 

“Mm, I’m close,” Joe moaned. 

You used your hand to move his messy hair out of his face before kissing him again, picking up the pace again even though your knees were about to give out. Your walls were still clenching his shaft and you were still trying to come down from your intense high, but you had to make him feel good. You sucked on his bottom lip as you ran your fingers around his neck, a few seconds later feeling him coat your walls with his cum.

“Oh my god,” he moaned, his hands running down your sides as you peppered kisses along his jaw.

“You are a dream,” Joe said as he squeezed your waist, grabbing your hand and pressing kisses all around your palm.  

“Fuck, Joe,” you panted as you carefully slid off of him, then fell forward onto his chest as he wrapped his arms around your body, pressing a few kisses on your cheek while you both tried to regain your senses.

“I love you,” you whispered into his ear. 

“Je t'aime,” Joe said to you, saying ‘I love you’ but in French.

You pressed another kiss to his face before feeling your eyes flutter shut, your heart exploding from love and happiness.

An hour-ish later 

You both took a power nap for a little bit to recover from your activities before hopping in the shower to rinse off. Right now, both of you were in your robes in the kitchen, trying to beat the morning hangover by drinking a glass of lemon water.

“I’m never drinking this much again,” you said as you leaned against the counter. “I don’t feel the hangover yet but I already know it’s going to be bad,”.

“I’m just glad the panel isn’t tomorrow. I’d actually be screwed,” he said as he placed his glass down on the table.

“That would for sure be the biggest headline. ‘Joe Burrow has a massive hangover during a Rare public appearance at a panel in Cannes’,” you mock. 

“Bigger headline than our relationship? I peeked at my phone and it’s blowing up with texts from people that don’t know about us and notifications from news articles talking about you and me. People apparently think we just started dating or that we’re just hooking up and it’s not serious,” he laughed. “We should probably make our Instagram post soon,”. 

You nodded, “Ohhh, are they in for a treat when I drop this album,” as you turned around to put your empty glass in the sink behind you, Joe doing the same. 

You turned back around and were standing in front of him, face to face. Although you were still drunk, you felt a bit more in your senses than you did on the boat and Joe’s mention of wanting to marry you was still lingering in your mind even though you said yes. Was he being serious? 

He studied your facial expression, instantly knowing that you were thinking about something that was bothering you.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he placed his hands on the counter on each side of you.

“Nothing,” you smiled as you met his eyes.

Joe tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, “Joe, seriously. I’m fine,” you deflected. 

He continued to look at you with a quizzical look, eventually your front breaking. 

“Fine,” you give in, making him smile. “Were you being serious earlier?”. 

“Being serious about what?” he asked. 

“About wanting to marry me?” you asked him, your voice a little quieter as you felt a little nervous asking him. If he brushed it off, that meant he was drunk and wasn’t being serious. You felt like he was being serious, but that doubt was still in your mind.

He looked deeply into your eyes for a few quiet moments, your stomach churning as you were waiting for him to speak up. 

“Of course, I was being serious,” he said. “I told you, it’s you and me. That’s all it is and all that there needs to be. You’re what I’ve been waiting for my entire life and I don’t ever want to let go, I don’t need anything else,”. 

You felt your eyes well with tears at his words. He wanted to marry you. One day, he would be your husband. You’d dreamed of meeting your prince charming one day and living your fairytale, and each time you thought you did, you’d end up living a nightmare instead, up until you met Joe. 

He was your real life Prince Charming and you were living your Fairytale. 

“You’re everything to me,” you said as you cupped his face. “I love you more than you can imagine, Joe. Thank you for changing my life,” you said to him, seeing his eyes become a little glossy because of your words. 

"No, Thank you for changing my life," Joe smiled.

He leaned forward, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips which quickly became heated as you stuffed your hands into his hair. Your lips moved against each other in a beautiful rhythm as you felt him cup your ass and lift you up onto the counter, his hands messing with the ties on your Robe as he moved down to your neck.

“Joe,” you moaned as you threw your head back. 

You felt him untie your robe, your nude body now exposed to the cool air of the suite. “Round 2?” he asked as he ran his big hands down your hips and to your thighs. 

“I’d be mad if we didn’t,” you smiled as you grabbed his robe tie and yanked it so that it came undone, his nude body now on display for you. 

You felt him thrust into you, hard and fast, as he peppered kisses on your bare shoulder. “Jesus, Baby,” he moaned into your ear, making you lean further back which gave Joe access to your breasts. His lips attacked them with gentle kisses and nips as he sank deeper into you, sounds of skin-hitting skin filled the room along with the noises coming from your mouths. 

“Fuck, Joe,” you whimpered as a smile rose onto your face. There was no place you’d rather be right now. You were truly the happiest you’d ever been, and Joe was the reason for it, and now you had the comfort of knowing he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

—The End—

(instagram post bit below)

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tagged: joeyb_9

y/n_y/ln: we heard a rumor 👀

comments:

joeyb_9: i heard from a friend of a friend

——— y/n_y/ln: actually i heard it from aunt susan’s coworkers ex girlfriends sisters fiancée

lahjay_10: about damn time

fan_52: IT’S TRUE?

fan821: oh my god the albums going to be about him isn’t it.

——— fan 9822: it’s over for us.

y/bsf: heyyy lovebirds 😍😍

fan453: i’m so happy for her! joe is an amazing guy 🥹

fan662: this makes so much sense.

fan6227: JOE BURROW? WHAT THE FUCK?

fan18811: OH MY GOD OH MY GODDDDDD HOLY SHIT

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liked by y/n_y/ln and others

tagged: y/n/_y/ln

joeyb_9: 🚀

comments:

y/n_y/ln: launched straight into the stratosphere

——— joeyb_9: 👩‍🚀🧑‍🚀

y/n_y/ln: this caption is perfect for you

——— joeyb_9: you’re perfect for me

————— fan4: not them already flirting online 🤭

lahjay_10: yall are too cute

fan98: OH? OHHHH????

fan11: cincys royal couple 👑

fan197: see i knew i wasn’t crazy when i said we saw her around town these past few months

fan272: she’s gonna look great in stripes 🧡

fan8: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?? AHHWUFUEHF

sam_hubbard_: nice 😎

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[xoxoladyaz]

AU-gust, Day 6: Domestic

Eddie Munson was a rockstar. Eddie Munson was a renegade. Eddie Munson was a bad boy, living life on the edge, destined for wild nights on the open road, for success and fame and riches. Eddie Munson was – 

“ – ridiculous.”

“Excuse me?” Eddie whirled around from psyching himself up in the mirror to glare at Jeff. Jeff, who had the utter nerve to roll his eyes at him.

“You’re being ridiculous, man,” Jeff repeated.

“He’s not being ridiculous, he’s being a baby,” Gareth cut in with a snort.

Eddie gaped at his two best friends, his musketeers, his brothers in arms. “What – I – how dare you! I am not being a baby, I’m Eddie fucking Munson, I’m a high-rolling freak on the streets and in the sheets - ”

“Dude, gross.”

“ – who’s ready to rock across America!” He finished emphatically.

Jeff just quirked his eyebrow at him. “You’re literally pouting right now.”

“No, I’m not!”

Jeff and Gareth shared a look before sighing in tandem. “You’ve gone to bed before eleven every night the last few weeks. The rest of us aren’t even out of the venue by the time you’re asleep,” Gareth started.

“Not to mention the fact that you can’t do anything in the morning until you’ve called and talked to Steve,” Jeff continued.

“And if you can’t talk to Steve during his lunch break then you’re grumpy for the rest of the day.”

“You keep complaining about the fact that none of his shirts smell like him anymore - ”

“ – seriously, you threw a temper tantrum until Stu stopped and bought a bottle of his shitty cologne for you to spray on your pillow - ”

“ – and you keep making super long and sappy speeches about missing your ‘sweetheart’ every single performance before we play ‘Faithfully’ - ”

“ – it’s embarrassing dude, we’re a metal band!”

“ – and to top it all off, you literally can’t go more than three minutes without talking about Steve or what Steve would think of what we’re driving by and God forbid you make any sort of decision without talking to Steve first.”

Eddie stood frozen, paralyzed by the heat rushing towards his face. “I – I do not!”

Phil walked in from the back of the bus and chuckled. “Dude, you literally called him to ask if you should order ketchup or mustard with your burger last night.”

“I - ” Eddie sputtered before crossing his arms. “I – he was having burgers too and I wanted us to match!”

“Awww,” Gareth cooed mockingly, fluttering his eyes back at Eddie. “That’s so sweet.”

“Ignore him,” Jeff said, shoving Gareth off of his chair. “For the record, it is really sweet, man. So why are you trying to hide it with all this ‘bad boy of rock and roll stuff?’”

“What do you mean ‘hide it?’ I’ve always been a bad boy.”

Silence. (If they weren’t on a moving bus and had their windows open, it would have been the perfect moment for a symphony of crickets to kick in.)

Eddie squeezed his arms against his chest and pouted (and yes, he knew he was pouting this time, thank you very much.) “Rude.”

Jeff rose with a sigh and crossed the tour bus. When he reached Eddie he threw his arm around him in a half-hug. “Eds, my man, I love you, but you’ve only ever been scary looking.”

“Seriously, you’re the sappiest guy I know,” Gareth added unhelpfully.

“And before you say that’s not metal,” Jeff kept going (and yeah, he knew Eddie pretty well to head off that train of thought), “that’s what sets us apart from the rest of the bands on the scene.”

“What does?”

“You being a super loving guy, man,” Phil nodded with a dazed look in his eyes. “Truthfully, I think love is the most metal thing of all. It can change the world.”

“Wow,” Gareth snorted after a few moments, “have you gotten up close and personal with Mary Jane already today?”

“Well, yeah, but - ”

“What Phil is trying to say is that you’re made of love, dude. And it’d be a real shame if you lost track of that, especially because that’s what we love about you, and that’s what Steve loves about you,” Jeff finished. He squeezed Eddie’s shoulder comfortingly before letting go.

“You’re right,” Eddie rubbed his hands against his arms. “I know you’re right, it’s just – this was supposed to be what I wanted, you know? Touring and fame and the open road. But - ”

Jeff prodded him gently. “But?”

“But I miss Steve,” Eddie sighed. “I miss seeing him come home every day. I miss waking up next to him every morning and falling asleep next to him every night. I miss his delicious pasta dinners and his burned pancakes because he always burns them and I just – I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this. I just miss him. But I don’t want to give up what we have either.”

The boys were silent for a moment, looking amongst each other and back at Eddie, who was wilting in on himself.

“Well,” Phil started, “we don’t have to tour like this. We could just do weekends maybe?”

“Or summers,” Jeff hummed thoughtfully. “That way Steve can come with us.”

“And Will!” Gareth perked up, grinning. “He doesn’t take classes in the summers, he’d be able to come with us then.”

“And that way by the time we’re done touring, Steve will be headed back to work and you can be home with him,” Jeff nodded, like it was decided. “We can definitely make that work.”

Eddie’s voice was small and quiet when he spoke. “You’d really do that for me?”

“I mean, it wouldn’t be just ‘for you,’ it would be good for all of us, but yeah, man. We just want you to be happy. That’s way more important than any tour.”

Eddie nodded once, twice, and then he was throwing his arms around Jeff and tackling him to the floor. “Thank you thank you thank you, you guys are the best, Steve’s gonna be so excited I gotta go tell him RIGHT NOW - ” and then Eddie was off, whooping happily into the back of the tour bus.

Jeff sat up from his spot now on the floor and exchanged looks with Gareth and Phil. “You’re good with that, yeah?”

“Dude, if Eddie wasn’t going to say anything, I was,” Gareth shook his head. “Eddie’s way less of a slob when Steve’s around.”

“And he’s a great cook! I’m getting tired of all this Taco Bell.”

“Speak for yourself, Phil!” Gareth growled, affronted, and the three remaining Corroded Coffin members began arguing about the nutritional benefits of Taco Bell.

(When they finally went on tour again the following summer it was a much better experience for everyone involved. Eddie was almost constantly in a good mood, Gareth didn’t feel the need to strangle Eddie for hogging the phone, Phil ate his weight in homemade – or hotel-made – pasta, and Jeff? Jeff got to enjoy himself without any worries about his best friend losing his way, because anytime Eddie got a little stressed or in his head, all it took was one look at Steve and he was okay, and that was more than worth the crowded tour bus.)

[brucewaynehater101]

I'm so glad you like it! Honestly, I'm pretty jealous as well. Though, I don't doubt he has the white noise generator and uses it on more than just those trips. Could you imagine Bruce and the other Bats going to the Supers, Clark, Kon, Kara, and Jon (who if I remember correctly has the best ears out of all of them) and when asked to track him down by sound, all of them are just like, "Red Robin? Oh no we can't do that." and when asked why, Clark gets nervous and says, "well. None of us have ever been able to hear his heart beat. We don't know what tech or magic he uses but *none* of us have ever been able to hear his heart. Not since he was 15. I asked you one time why I couldn't hear him and you just hummed at me!"

Meanwhile panic is rising in not just the hero community, but also the villain one. Red Robin has a *lot* of connections and if someone took or heaven forbid killed him? The Gothem Rouges remember what happened when the second Robin died, they know how bad Batman got. Now the Robin who saved them from him is gone? And now Nightwing and Red Hood and Spoiler and all the rest are on a Hunt, getting more violent like Batman did? Oh no, they are all going into hiding until this blows over.

Then there's also the villains connected to members of Young Justice. The Flash's Rouges Gallery hears that one of the Mini Speedsters is in a grief spiral and could end up seriously hurting them because one of his best friends has gone missing and is presumed dead? Fuck No. They are keeping their noses clean until it's done. So are the people who tend to antagonize Metropolis because Kon is *not* holding back. He grabbed Matallo and used his TTK to make him fall into thousands of pieces and then just stared down at him with a cold look of anger before leaving. Dr Light when to the ER when he tried to mess with the Teen Titans while both Dick and Damian were still on call and Tim was missing.

On day four of Tim being missing, Damian's head suddenly snaps up and he says, "I need to check a tracker." and the rest of the Bats follow him to the bat computer. When asked what he is doing, Damian admits, "a few years ago when I still hated Timothy, I put a tracker inside of his favorite camera, which he just so happened to bring with him on his trip. It may still be there and if he has his camera-" a few moments later, there is a ping on the screen showing the tracker is o the move, currently crossing the boarder from Kentucky into West Virginia. Tim has no idea what hell is coming for him, mostly because he figured that the Bats knew he did this every other month to unwind and relax. Traveling on a train for 4 to 6 days is his version of a vacation.

Glad for the add on. However, I think the angst reason for Tim "not having a heartbeat" would be because Kon died.

After Kon died, Tim created the machine to make sure no one else could hear his heartbeat (especially because Kon wasn't around for that anymore). When Kon came back, it was still a rough time for Tim. He was practically a feral and distrustful raccoon. Since he's still working on trusting people again, his heartbeat is still hidden (plus Kon hasn't brought it up, so Tim kind of forgot).

The stuff about the rogues is so true! That's why a few fanworks call Tim the "heart" of the batfam. I think all members play important roles and will similarly be missed. The heart comment is a cute nod to his role as a bridge and leash (he helped B obtain a larger support group and prevented him from killing people).

I like that this has Damian being the one to find out. Though Tim is grateful there's was a way for his family to find him while they were freaked out (he thought they knew about it), he's also exasperated at the tracker's existence. He probably pulls a prank on Damian for it.

Also, Tim 100% brings this incident back up with Bruce whenever the man complains about Tim's habit of overworking. He looks his father in the eyes and says, "The last time I took a vacation, you freaked out and mobilized the entire hero community to find me." They both know that's not what happened, but Tim is also not wrong.