#the deep breath he lets out after he's holding mickey and sets his head down???

[astaraels]

Day 6 — Femslash February — Cigarette Smoke

Mandy/Svet, playing with fire. (ao3)

@holymurdock @m4ndysk4nkovich @lovekenney

Svetlana had always known not to play with fire. It was one of the first lessons she learned as a girl, when her mother would put logs in their fireplace and set a cheery fire blazing in the hearth. The warmth of the flames always seemed to drive away the cold, and Svetlana had always looked forward to the first day every autumn when they brought in wood from the shed outside.

She didn't remember the first time she'd tried to touch the flames, exactly; just a sudden searing pain and her mother shouting. The lesson was still there, even if the memory had mostly faded by now. Play with fire and you'll get burned. She'd learned from that experience, made it part of the mantra she used to get through her life. Do what you have to in order to survive, but don't play with fire. Don't get burned. Smart girls lived another day, and Svetlana's mother always said she was a smart girl.

It was a hot summer evening, sticky with humidity and where they were all in as little clothing as possible so they could keep cool until the window unit could be fixed. Her piece of shit rainbow husband was on the couch, holding onto his orange boy with one arm and Yevgeny with the other. He'd taken her words to heart from their talk the morning after the christening. They had an understanding now—he did not give her bullshit about the baby, and in return she did not bother him or his boyfriend. Shit, she'd even found she liked the boyfriend well enough, once he'd managed to get out of bed and didn't act like a corpse anymore.

She found her carton of cigarettes and her lighter, grabbing them on her way out to the back porch. Even though she couldn't quite kick the habit completely, she had quickly put a rule into place that there would be no smoking or drugs done around her Yevgeny. The baby books had said it was bad for them, and Svetlana agreed. Rum was still the best for teething, though, no matter what the books said.

“I am going to smoke,” she told the boys. The orange boy—Ian—looked over at her and gave her a smile, which she returned. “Yevgeny is asleep?”

“Like a fuckin’ rock,” Mickey said. “Best part about the kid.”

Ian messed with Mickey's hair, grinning because he knew his boyfriend couldn't retaliate while holding the baby. “Yev is adorable all the time,” he said, and Svetlana kissed the top of his head in thanks.

“Carrot boy is right—Yevgeny is good baby. Put him in crib if you want, I will take him to room when I come back.”

She walked outside to the back porch, the sounds of the city at night growing louder as she opened the door. The shouts and sirens were familiar to her now; not even the occasional pop of a gunshot fazed her as she lit her cigarette and brought it to her lips. Svetlana took a deep drag, letting the nicotine burn her lungs. The red cherry of her cigarette was bright in the last light of the sunset. As she sat down at the top of the stairs, the door opened behind her, closing with a soft bang.

“Hey,” came Mandy's voice. “Mind if I sit?”

Svetlana breathed out the smoke into the sticky night air. “Not a problem.” The stairs were narrow, so the two women sat with their shoulders and hips pressed against each other. Not that Svetlana would complain about it; Mandy was beautiful, and after things had fallen apart with Nika—Svetlana wanting more than Nika could give her—she didn't mind being squished in next to a pretty girl on a night like this.

She passed the cigarette over, and Mandy accepted it quietly. Their fingertips brushed against one another's, sending a small shiver up Svetlana's spine. Mandy took a drag off the cigarette, exhaling slowly, eyes fluttering closed in the faint traces of light. She was indeed very beautiful, Svetlana mused, the sharp lines of her features still soft in a way that made Svetlana a little curious. It made her wonder what it might feel like to tease out her secrets. They were two alike, Svetlana felt certain of that, and just because you were damaged goods didn't mean someone else couldn't find value there.

They continued to pass the cigarette between them until the cherry glow dimmed and there was nothing left but a bit of ash at the tip. Svetlana crushed it out and tossed it into a nearby ashtray. Then she turned, and found Mandy already looking at her.

“Shit, I-” Mandy started to say, but Svetlana was quick, pulling her in close with a gentle touch to her chin. Their lips met, the taste of nicotine from the cigarette smoke still lingering in their mouths. Mandy was soft and pliant, nothing like her usual harsh and sharp demeanor that Svetlana admired so much. Her lips parted and Svetlana let her tongue press into Mandy's mouth, wanting to take as much as she could get.

A small sound made its way out of the back of Mandy's throat, her hand coming up to cup Svetlana's jaw. Svetlana slid her own hand into Mandy's long, dark hair, beautiful and fine between her fingers. There were a few moments of push and pull, back and forth as they explored each other's mouths; Svetlana let her free hand trace across the front of Mandy's tank top, cupping one breast and earning her a short, cut-off moan in return. It made Svetlana grin, and she wondered what other sounds she could get this beautiful girl to make for her.

Finally they pulled away, Mandy's expression like that of a deer in the headlights. “Holy shit,” she breathed. “I didn't—but you-”

“I like choice,” Svetlana told her, brushing back some strands of hair in Mandy's face. “My husband is rainbow boy. He and orange boy rub dicks together, I do not care. We are not married like normal couple. Freedom to be him, freedom to be me. And you are too beautiful not to kiss.”

Even in what little light there was left outside, Svetlana could see Mandy's cheeks turn red with a blush. “I didn't, uh…I'm not gay—well. I don't think I am.”

Svetlana chuckled, tracing her fingers along Mandy's jaw. Mandy bit her lip and looked at her with a dark, almost hungry gaze. “Your eyes, they tell different story. Maybe you just never have had chance to find out.”

“You're fucking gorgeous,” Mandy blurted out. “I always thought so. I just…” But words seemed to fail her; instead, she leaned forward and kissed Svetlana again. There was the faintest trace of mint gum that mixed with the taste of cigarettes, and Svetlana smiled against Mandy's lips.

“Stay with me tonight,” Svetlana offered. It was a leap in the dark, and maybe it was another way of playing with fire. Maybe it was a chance for happiness, too—a chance for her to carve out something for herself in this life. She hadn't had much of that before, not since she was ten years old. America was a land of choice, a land of freedom. Freedom to choose—and she wanted to choose this beautiful girl.

She pressed Mandy up against the railing of the staircase, a hand on her hip; their position was somewhat awkward, but Svetlana didn't care, and it seemed Mandy didn't, either. She ran a hand through Svetlana's hair, twirling its waves around her fingers as her other hand cupped the back of her neck to pull her in closer.

“Yeah,” Mandy breathed, once they'd finally broken apart. “Yeah—I want that, too.”

Svetlana grinned, pulling them both to their feet. They stumbled inside the door, Mandy laughing even as she nearly tripped over her own feet. The boys had fallen asleep on the couch, Yevgeny in his bassinet on the floor—safe and sound. Svetlana turned to Mandy, taking her hands and kissing her fingers. She caught Mandy's gaze, saw her breath hitch at the gesture, and felt an ache throughout her whole body.

If this was playing with fire, maybe it wasn't the worst thing to get burned.

[you-show-me-love]

Gallavich Kinktober 2022 Day 25 - biting X “I love the sounds you make when you come undone.”

For @gallavichthings and our favorite undead redhead (contination of Day 19's prompt)

Read on Ao3 or below the cut

Ian smirked, he had sensed Mickey's heartbeat at the end of the block twenty minutes ago and there it remained. Sometimes he came closer, maybe in view of the house, but he quickly turned back. That's okay, Ian had all the time in the world to wait.

He could tell the moment Mickey had opened his eyes while they were fucking to find only himself reflected back that he had him. His pupils had blown until his irises were only a thin blue ring and he had tightened around Ian like a vice. He had liked it, he had enjoyed getting fucked by a vampire. Ian didn't bite him that night, keeping their connection below the belt, taking the risk that the sex alone would be enough to bring him back.

"Ian, go get your man." Debbie's auburn head popped into his room, a snarl exposing her fangs.

"He's setting my teeth on edge."

Ian rolled his eyes, brushing past Debbie and heading down the stairs.

"Finally!" Carl called out as Ian passed him and Liam on the couch, controllers in their ageless hands.

"He's making me hungry."

Ian hissed, a warning. Mickey was his and his alone. He wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the night, following the rapid pulse still hovering at the edge of the block.

–

Mickey glanced at the time on his phone, he'd spent 30 minutes waffling like a pussy at the end of the block. Two nights ago he had left Ian's house fucked out and satisfied, but when blood returned to his brain the next morning he was left with the knowledge that he had let a vampire fuck him, and he liked it.

So Mickey had spent half an hour at the edge of the block stuck between saving his skin against a blood sucking fiend and giving the same fiend another chance at his ass when said fiend appeared out of nowhere making Mickey choke on air.

"Jesus fuck!" He coughed out. Ian's fangs caught the light from a streetlamp when he smirked and Mickey lost his breath all over again.

"Were you planning on standing here all night?"

"No!" Mickey shot back, immediately on the defensive. He could only hope Ian didn't know how long he'd been out here.

Ian chuckled, circling Mickey like a predator circles prey. Mickey shivered then straightened trying to appear unaffected. Ian chuckled again and grabbed hold of his human's waist from behind.

They moved so quickly Ian had to keep holding Mickey up after they stopped moving, not that he minded the way Mickey leaned heavily against him even after the dizziness had subsided.

"I knew you'd come back." Ian whispered in his ear. Mickey's breathing picked up as the vampire's chilly palms glided up Mickey's warming chest.

"Why did I come back?" Mickey asked, genuinely curious to know if Ian had an answer. He blinked and found himself pressed into the mattress, the undead redhead pinning him down. Cold fingers stroked down his cheek as green eyes bore into his very soul.

"We have a connection." Ian stated simply, like that would put a halt to Mickey's racing thoughts.

"Oh is that all?" Mickey scoffed, Ian bending down to mouth at his neck. "The only connection we had was your dick in my ah!"

Mickey bucked and struggled as Ian's teeth sunk deep into his throat. His body knew it was in danger, fighting to escape, but his mind was calm.

"Mmm." Ian broke away, licking a drop of blood, Mickey's blood, off his bottom lip. "I knew you'd taste amazing."

Heart pounding and body shaking Mickey's clear mind wanted one thing and one thing only. He fumbled with undoing Ian's belt, the man above him smirking as he let it happen.

"Fuck me. Fuck me again. Please!" Clothes were torn away from his body, leaving him skin to skin with his vampire lover. With superhuman strength Ian flipped the smaller man onto his hands and knees, making Mickey groan and arch his back. Ian draped himself over his human lover, licking at the trickling blood stemming from the fresh wound.

"Bite me." Mickey urged, rocking his hips, catching Ian's hard on with his rim. Ian smiled and instead turned his head to kiss him long and deep. Mickey may not understand their connection, but it was there, drawing them together, vampire and human, predator and prey.

He entered the man in one sure thrust as his teeth punctured the bite wounds, breaking through to the warm rush of blood beneath. It was intoxicating, filling Ian's senses and overwhelming him. The first time was good, but adding Mickey's blood to his belly sent a line of fire straight to his dick and back into Mickey's hole. They were a cycle, an endless loop, connected.

Mickey couldn't close his mouth, the noises leaving him animalistic, winding higher and higher in pitch the harder Ian slammed into him.

“I love the sounds you make when you come undone.” Ian said, coming up for air finally. With his belly full of the essence of his lover he focused on making him cum, making him fall apart, marking him from the inside, keeping him coming back for more.

He smiled as Mickey's groans and moans murated into a sharp cry of release, his own release spilling into the man soon after. Mickey collapsed onto the plush bed, exhausted from the rough sex and loss of blood. Ian lay beside him, stroking his face lovingly as his blue eyes struggled to stay open.

"Sleep." Ian urged him, hand still stroking Mickey's face as it relaxed into unconsciousness. He moved Mickey quickly under the covers, keeping his recovering body warm, wrapping his cold arms around him to keep him safe.

[5sosxqueen]

Michael

< Part 1 , ~Part 2~ , Part 3 >

Hmmm... seems to be getting better already. I still used text lingo, though.

Warnings: depictuons of illness, asthma attacks, fainting

Written in 2018

Word Count: 1913

Updates are every Tuesdays and Thursdays

Also Available on Wattpad and AO3!!!

Part 2:

Michael's p.o.v:

I opened my eyes and I was on the couch on the bus. It was dark so I know it has been quite a bit of time since I had gotten here. My head was pounding, my stomach was cramping and it actually hurt to breathe. I was having bit of trouble breathing as well. I don't have asthma anymore mind you, but I used to have it as a child. Even still I was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

I looked around and saw the sick bucket next to me and some Gatorade and meds on the coffee table. I reached for the Gatorade and took some sips and took the meds praying they would stay down. It was getting harder to breathe. I needed someone in here with me. "Luke!"

Luke came running in a few seconds later. "What's up bud? How are you feeling?"

"Awful. Do we have... the spare inhalor... Matt left here just in case... any of us needed it? ...I can't seem to catch... a proper... breathe." I felt my chest tightening more and more by the second. I was shocked at how out of breathe I was and how choppy my sentences were.

"Yes I'll grab it. It's in the med kit." Luke sprinted over to the med kit and pulled the red device out. Matt had written instructions since none of us even have asthma and it's been around 17 years since I've had it. He quickly read those over and started vigorously shaking it and briskly walked back over to me. He handed it to me and helped me sit up. He told me to push down on the metal tube and breathe in as deep as possible simultaneously and that it has to be done twice. I nodded. I vaguely remembered having to do this as a kid.

I took a puff and once the medicine was in my lungs, I was breathing a bit better. Only problem was that I had to get past the taste and having a very sick stomach and a currently overactive gag reflex made that difficult. I gagged and reached for the bucket, but I paused and focused on letting all of the medicine work. I grimaced as my stomach flipped, sending vomit up my throat. I swallowed several times and shook my head. Luke put his hand on my shoulder blade and rubbed my back. "Michael if you need to puke, puke. I know you're trying to let the meds work. I do see that you ha e taken the other meds, but if you feel like you're going to throw up don't force yourself to hold it down." I felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of my face and instantly felt the vomit come rushing back full force. I quickly lifted the bucket to my face and all of the meds I had just taken went right into the bucket. I gagged again sending more stomach acid to the bottom of the bin. "There you go Mickey. Let it out" I heaved as more vomit rushed up my throat making an unwelcome reappearance. This wasn't helping the breathing problems any.

Once I felt like I was done, I set the bucket down and Luke went into the bathroom and grabbed some mouthwash and a washcloth to wipe my face. "Thanks. That's vile and this doesn't help." I said holding up the inhalor. "It's a vicious cycle you know? I can't breathe so I take this, which upsets my stomach, causing me to vomit, which makes my breathing worse. Ugh." I shook the inhalor after swishing the mouthwash and spitting it out and Luke wiped my face for me. I put it to mouth one again and pressed the tube, taking a deep breathe. Again it caused me to gag, but it didn't cause me to get sick again thankfully.

"You good?" He asked and I nodded, taking another sip of my Gatorade. "I'm going to go grab the thermometer. Do you need anything? Meds, crackers, soup?" I thought about it. I knew I needed to eat eat something so I agreed on the crackers and a small amount of broth.

He came back 5 minutes later with the thermometer, broth, and crackers and handed the food to me. I dipped the crackers into the broth to make them more pleasing to the pallet. I love how it melts in the mouth, though I didn't know how much I could actually eat. "Ok I'm going to take your temperature now." He stuck the thermometer in my ear and I grimaced. I have always hated that feeling, but at least this method worked in only a couple seconds. It beeped and he looked at it. "Hmmm, 103.6 is quite high there buddy." He went back into the bathroom and cane out with a new wet rag and placed it onto my neck.

I ate about 5 crackers and drank some of the broth before putting it down. I felt my stomach trying to reject the food. I leaned back and closed my eyes, taking several deep breathes willing the nausea to pass. I felt my stomach lurch and my eyes shot open. My breathing quickened and I quickly leaned back over the bucket. "Hmmmmuh..." Luke rubbed my back and I gagged. I dry heaved a couple times which caused my head to hurt worse than before. I spit bile into the bin and carefully sat back up. "God I feel awful. What time is it by the way?" I asked.

He looked at his phone. "It's about to be midnight. You slept for a good 11 hours buddy."

"It definitely doesn't feel like it. It feels like I've only gotten an hour at most." I said shaking my bead in disbelief.

"I believe it. Considering how sick you've been, I'm not surprised you are still tired. Come here." He leaned back on the couch and held his arm out for me. I smiled and leaned into him and closed my eyes and fell into a fairly peaceful sleep.

I woke up a couple hours later in Luke's lap. He was watching tv with the sound on low. I groaned when I felt my stomach flip. "You ok?" I shook my head, sat up and leaned over the bucket again and to my surprise, it was cleaned. I looked over to him. "Ashton came by and cleaned it out." I nodded, quickly snapping head back to the bucket as I gagged. He rubbed my back. I started hacking up a lung and I started feeling the now familiar feeling of my chest tightening up. I looked over to Luke with tears in my eyes and he reached for something on the table.

His rubbing turned to smacking as he was trying to ease the coughing fit that seized my body. The coughing became harsher causing me to choke which in turn caused me to gag and wretch. Just as the coughing let up slightly my stomach lurched finally send up what my body was trying to expell for several minutes. I was reduced to coughing again as I tried to catch my breath. I held my hand up as if I was holding the inhaler and shook it looking at Luke and hoped he'd get the message. When I looked down I noticed he already had it in his hands and he shook it for me. He put it to my mouth. "1... 2... 3..." He pushed it as he said three and I took a deep breath. It caused me to wretch harshly and I slapped a hand over my mouth. He reached for the bucket and I quickly grabbed his wrist. He looked at me confused and I shook my head. I didn't need it. "Ok." He put the inhalor to my mouth again. And the process repeated. Only this time I did need the bucket sadly.

Just then Ashton walked in the room and looked towards us sadly. He had been up for a couple of minutes listening to me dying. He walked over and rubbed my back causing me to jump. I looked over to him when I felt it was safe. "Jeez Michael, first you pass out on us, then puke all over the photography studio floor, now you're having asthma attacks. You can't get a break can you." He said sadly, brushing the hair out of my eyes and wiping stray tears I hadn't even noticed had fallen. "Breathe Mickey, breathe. In... Out... In... Out." I shakily followed his breathing until all the hacking and my quick breathing calmed down. He wrapped me into a hug and I breathed in his scent. I was happy I was breathing.

It was 4:36am Calum had heard everything and decided to call Matt. He felt horrible for waking matt up, but he was worried that they would need to make a trip to the hospital soon.

"If this happens again we are taking you to the hospital. This shouldn't be happening." Luke said comforting me as I sobbed into Ash's chest. Ashton nooded and Calum walked in with a sleepy Matt on the phone.

"Ok, you're on speaker." Calum told him. He set the phone on the coffee table.

"Michael." He said in a groggy voice. "Mate I think you need to go get seen. When you blacked out yesterday was it from the heat or we're you feeling sick before?" I panicked slightly.

"It-" I swallowed against rising bile. "It was a mixed of both." All the boys looked at me in disbelief.

"Why didn't you say anything Michael?" Calum asked raising his voice slightly, making me flinch.

"I didn't want to worry you... I guess I still did just that though I'm sorry." None of them we're mad once I said that. They all felt a twing of guilt actually. I grimaced and groaned as more bile shot up my throat. I put my hand on my mouth wide eyed and heaved Ashton rushed the bucket under my chin and removed my hand just as I started vomiting again.

"Ok... Ya I'm on my way Calum go tell the bus driver to stop and tell me where you are. I'll be there as soon as possible." Calum went over to the bus driver and told him what Matt said. I felt the bus come to a stop.

Calum came back into the room and sat down next to Ash on the couch. I was hovering over the bucket feel extremely gaggy. "I hate this..." I said gagging.

"I know buddy. I know." Luke said as he kissed my head. I lifted my head out of the bucket a couple minutes later. And leaned back onto the couch as I started getting dizzy again.

"I think I might pass out." I said closing my eyes. Just as I said that Matt walked through the door.

"Come on buddy. Let's go out to the car." I reached out my hands and he grabbed them and gently pulled me up. The boys told him what I said before he came in and he immediately wrapped one of my arms around his shoulders. We took a couple steps before my dizziness peaked and I fell limp in Matt's arms. "Shit guys help me get him out to the car!" That was the last thing I heard before everything faded.

[jeonsjiddies]

little things | jhs (m)

⏤  Pairing: single dad!Hoseok x reader ⏤  Genre: smut, fluff ⏤  Word Count: 6.1k ⏤  Warnings: very brief mentions of abortion (that didn’t happen), breast play, daddy kink, impregnation kink, cream pie, dirty talk

⏤  Summary: The best things in life are often unexpected. Like the two year old girl who ran up to you for comfort, and her devastatingly handsome father. 

Thank you to @excusemin​ and @sugaflake​ for beta reading. I love you.

Part of my Milestone Celebration Event! Check out the other fics here.

The weather was absolutely perfect. The sun was bright and shining but it wasn’t hot enough to make you sweat. The wind was gentle and rustled the leaves on the trees with a tender caress, the birds were singing, and for the first time in a while, you felt good. You had taken a walk to the nearby park, making a few laps around the walking trail before settling yourself against a tree to soak in some sun and relax. You had promised yourself you’d get out more after being holed up in your apartment alone with only your red wine and oreos to keep you company. It had been a few weeks since you’d broken up with your boyfriend of the time, and you were finally ready to become a productive citizen of society again.

It was the perfect day to do so in your opinion, everything around you seemed so tranquil. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the warm air to soothe you. That was, until you heard a shrill shrieking and your eyes popped open seconds before a girl who couldn’t have been older than two, catapulted herself into your arms. She was screaming, crying, clinging to you for dear life, one hand pointing behind her and you looked up to see a disgruntled goose hissing at the two of you, stalking closer with a threatening posture.

You slowly stood and backed up behind the tree, holding the small girl close to you, ready to use your body to shield her own. The goose hissed a few more times, but thankfully did not advance any closer. You waited, watching quietly, and it seemed to decide you weren’t worth it before hissing in warning once more and stalking off towards its nest. You let out a breath of relief, and tried to set the little girl down but she clung to you and made it clear she wasn’t letting go, so you rubbed her back soothingly.

“Where’s your mommy and daddy?” you asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” she sniffled into your neck.

“That’s okay, I’ll help you find them.”

You carried her closer to the playground section of the park, looking around for someone who might be looking for her. Soon you heard a frantic male voice booming through the air.

“Yeona! YEONA!”

The little girl’s head popped up at the sound, her head turning towards the voice.

“Daddy?”

You looked up and followed her line of sight, your gaze landing on a hunk of a man. He was tall, well-built but not bulky, with thick, black hair and lovely tan skin. The man’s eyes locked with the child in your arms and he visibly melted in relief seeing his daughter alive and unharmed. He ran over to the two of you quickly, guiding the fluffy dog on the leash with him. He reached the two of you almost instantly, and Yeona slipped from your arms into her father’s embrace easily, snuggling up to him.

“Thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried!” he fretted, smoothing down her hair and fretting over her, causing her to let out the cutest giggle you’d ever heard in your life.

His gaze turned to you after he’d calmed down enough to pay attention to anything but the little girl in his arms, and it was then that you noticed his perfectly straight pearly white teeth, soft lips, and eyes that shimmered like diamonds. Your breath caught in your throat as he watched you and then he began to ramble.

“Thank you so much, I am so sorry! Mickey got his leash tangled around a pole and I turned my back for two seconds and she was gone! I was so scared I thought I was going to throw up, I kept thinking about all those stories I heard about little girls getting kidnapped and sold into slavery and I think I almost passed out. Thank you so much for keeping her safe, I don’t know how I can ever repay you. She is my everything I don’t know what I’d do without her, she’s all I’ve got left and I…” he sighed, taking a deep breath and opening those shimmery eyes to meet yours once again, “thank you.”

“It’s really no problem, I get it. Kids can be a handful.” you smiled reassuringly.

“Thank you so much. For helping. For not judging. Oh! I’m Hoseok.” he extended a hand to you and you shook it gently, feeling sparks racing up your arm and down your spine but you shook them off.

“Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

You both heard Yeona’s stomach growl and Hoesok laughed.

“Time for lunch, little one?”

She nodded and pouted adorably.

“Say bye to Y/N.”

Her little face scrunched up in displeasure and she started crying, reaching out desperately for you, and Hoseok almost dropped her from the unexpected shift in her weight. Taken aback, you allowed her to jump into your arms once more, cradling her close so she didn’t fall. She buried her head in your neck and you looked at Hoseok in shock.

“I’m so sorry, Yeona come on we have to go.” he tried prying her from your frame but she only wailed in response, clutching tighter.

“NO.”

“Yeona please, Y/N must want to go home.”

“No!” she sobbed.

You rubbed her back soothingly, rocking from side to side a bit to calm her down.

“Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry. Look at me, okay?”

She pulled back slightly to look at your face and you smiled.

“There’s a pretty girl!” you smiled, smoothing down some hair that had gone awry. “How’s this? If you go get lunch with daddy, I promise we can play together at the park soon. Okay? Well, if that’s alright with you?” you looked up at Hoseok.

“Of course!” he agreed quickly.

“But… I want you to come too.” she pouted, looking up at you with  pitiful puppy dog eyes.

You looked up at Hoseok for some direction and he watched the two of you carefully.

“Would you like to join us for lunch? My treat. As a thank you.” he offered, scratching the back of his neck nervously, a shy smile gracing his lips.

“I don’t want to impose-” you began but Yeona whined loudly.

“Please!”

“I mean, if you’re sure…” you trailed off.

“Yay!” Yeona grinned, hugging you tightly then wiggling out of your grasp and taking your hand, pulling you along with her towards the car.

Hoseok laughed and followed the two of you with Mickey on his leash. Yeona insisted that you sit with her in the back so she could show you her collection of stickers. You gave the appropriate excited responses to each one, even gifting you a shimmery mermaid, pressing it into your shirt, telling you it was her favorite but she wanted you to have it.

Hoseok pulled up to a local cafe that had outdoor seating, saying he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Mickey in the car alone, a fact that warmed your heart. You helped Yeona slide onto the bench, Hoseok sitting across from the two of you. You ordered something cheap, not wanting to burden him, and made small talk while you waited for your food.

“Thank you again, so much, for keeping Yeona safe. I don’t know what I’d do if something had happened to her,” Hoseok sighed.

“No problem at all, thank you for lunch!”

Hoseok smiled, and turned to watch Yeona draw something on one of those kids menus they give out with crayons, her picture depicting the day at the park.

“So is your wife at work?” you asked, sipping on your soda, attempting to avoid the silence.

“I, uh, don’t have a wife,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize - your husband?”

“I’m single.” Hoseok laughed.

“Oh. So it’s just you raising Yeona?”

“Yeah, it’s been just us since the beginning. Her mom… it wasn’t a permanent thing, and when she realized she was pregnant, she wanted to…” he glanced over at Yeona, and though she was busy messing with Mickey, Hoseok still imitated the scissor motion with his hands, rather than saying the word.

Your eyes grew wide and you glanced over at Yeona.

“I mean, I believe in choices, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t imagine that happening to my child. I begged her to reconsider and promised I wouldn’t ask for anything if she let me keep Yeona, and here we are.”

“Wow, I don’t know what to say,” you watched his face for a reaction.

“You don’t have to say anything! I just wanted to thank you again.”

“Anyone would’ve done the same, I hope.”

“You would hope, but oftentimes I just get judgemental looks or scowls. People aren’t very kind to single parents, apparently,” he sighed, twirling the straw around in his drink, “so your kindness is appreciated.”

“Of course. I’m sorry you’ve been treated that way. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to raise a child alone. If you never need anything, you can call me? If you feel comfortable?” you offered, holding out your phone.

“Really? You wouldn’t mind?” Hoseok’s eyes widened in shock.

You shook your head with a smile, handing over your phone for him to input his number and texted him so he had yours. Hoseok looked star struck, and you wondered why someone so bright and happy could receive such backlash. You couldn’t focus on that thought for long, because Yeona jumped up excitedly, clapping and pointing to the waiter who was bringing your food.

You helped her cut hers into smaller bites and entertained her throughout the meal whilst eating yours so Hoseok could relax and enjoy his food, and you didn’t miss the appreciative smile he sent you.

Throughout the next few months, you spent more and more time with both Hoseok and Yeona. You’d meet them at the park, accompany them on little adventures, video chat with them before bed. You began hanging out at their house, spending your days nestled in the crook of their couch with Yeona snuggled up against your side while you watched Frozen 2 for the six hundredth time, or conducting a rather elegant tea party in which you’d convinced Hoseok to wear a tiara for.

You spent so much time around the pair, their home had begun to feel like a home away from home. You often found yourself crashing on the couch after playing too hard and staying too late. You searched YouTube and learned how to french braid since Yeona couldn’t stop talking about “princess hair” and Hoseok was… less than talented with her hair. You would sit behind her on her bed, braiding her hair and telling her silly stories and jokes, and began to love the little girl as your own.

Hoseok would sneak up behind you and attack the both of you with tickles or start a bubble fight. Sometimes it was hard to forget you weren’t a family, especially when strangers in public mistook you for one. You’d blush and look away, while Hoseok would gently correct them… at first. Slowly, Hoseok stopped correcting them, saying they could think whatever they wanted.

You tried not to read too much into that, but you couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered when he would just let other people think that you were together, that you were a family. Sometimes, he’d even play it up, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you in close, purposefully giving people the wrong idea with a mischievous smirk on his face.

You’d try to hide the heat on your skin, the way your heart pounded, the way your breathing seemed a little uneven when he got too close. While you’d just seen Hoseok as an attractive man and a wonderful father at first, the more time you spent with him, the more you had begun to fall for him. He was so sweet and funny and kind and cared about Yeona so much it burned your insides with joy.

The nights when you’d stay, you both had a habit of sipping on a glass of wine while you chatted, just enjoying each other’s company, and enjoying the peace and quiet. You’d never trade Yeona for anything, but sometimes she was so energetic the both of you couldn’t quite keep up, needing to unwind and relax after she’d fallen asleep.

You’d met his friends and parents at Yeona’s third birthday party, and they loved you as much as Hoseok did, a fact that caused his bright smile to glow to the point he rivaled the sun. You’d become a staple in their lives, a constant, someone they could rely on. It was crazy to you how one fateful day had changed the course of your life, and these two unsuspecting strangers had grabbed onto your heart and refused to let go. You couldn’t say you were complaining though.

Not when you were the cause of Yeona’s adorable little giggle, her tiny hands coming to cover her face while her entire frame shook from the force of her laughter. Not when you’d look over and catch Hoseok watching the two of you with a wistful, joyful expression. Not when he’d join the fun and you’d both chase her around the yard, Mickey following and barking while his tail wagged a million miles an hour.

There had even been a few nights you’d awoken on their couch to find Yeona crawling up next to you, whimpering pathetically as she mumbled “bad dream” and reached to you for comfort. You’d hold her close and stroke her hair, humming gentle lullabies to soothe her weary young mind. There were nights when you weren’t there and you’d get a FaceTime call at an unholy hour, Hoseok apologizing, saying Yeona wouldn’t go back to sleep without speaking to you.

You’d comfort her and assure her everything was alright, and you would visit her soon, and the two of you would have so much fun she wouldn’t even remember why she was sad in the first place. Hoseok would thank you, apologizing that he couldn’t convince her to leave you be, and you’d shrug him off, telling him you were available anytime. You loved her and would do anything to make her happy. What you didn’t tell him was that the same applied to him...

It was almost embarrassing how badly you wanted him, how badly you wanted to be a true part of their little family. You knew you had a special place in their hearts, that you were an honorary part of the family, but you couldn’t stop yourself from imagining what it might have been like if you were to be with Hoseok, if you were to accept Yeona as your own. Would you be able to make them happy? Or would you just be trying to fill a void meant for someone else? You’d shrug those thoughts away as soon as they came and focus on living your life as normally as you could.

That’s when your other thoughts about Hoseok would set in. To say you wanted Hoseok would be quite the understatement. Yes, you wanted to be a part of their family in the simplest ways, to be there for them and love them unconditionally, but there was also that lingering attraction. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of him some days when he laughed, when his shirt rode up and accidentally displayed the trail of hair leading down to the promised land.

When he’d display his strength by helping you move something, or when he’d wrap his arms around you just a little too tightly, allowing your bodies to press against each other. If you weren’t cooing over how cute the two of them were, you were thirsting over Hoseok and trying desperately to think innocent thoughts, lest your arousal get so potent he would notice.

Once, you’d gone to the pool with Hoseok and Yeona, thinking nothing of the invite until you’d shown up in your bikini, ready to swim. Hoseok had physically ceased moving and his gaze had slowly trailed down your body, drinking in the sight of you so scantily-clad. His gaze had your skin burning more than the hot summer sun and you squirmed under his undivided attention, unable to stop yourself from also peeking a glance at his shirtless chest. Smooth skin, abs that weren’t too defined but were definitely there, that drool-worthy v shape that disappeared into his trunks…

You’d both snapped back to reality when Yeona had whined loudly, asking you to play with her under the waterfall station. Heat had flooded your cheeks and Hoseok had looked down with a guilty expression, scratching the back of his neck with a chuckle, saying he’d find a chair to place your items at and would meet the two of you over there.

There was also the time you’d come over for movie night a little earlier than planned and Hoseok had answered the door in a towel, loosely hung low on his hips and you’d been mesmerized by the water droplets that slowly traveled down his almost naked body. You’d audibly sucked in a breath, your mouth parting just slightly, and Hoseok had apologized, then rushed off to get dressed, but you hadn’t gotten the image out of your mind since.

On Friday night, you’d just arrived home after a long day at work, flinging yourself onto the couch with your amazon package in hand, a cute JoJo bow you’d picked up for Yeona after seeing it on the app during your late night scrolling. All your targeted ads were now centered around items for young girls rather than women your own age from you spoiling the young girl so much. You smiled to yourself and just as the thought had left your mind, your phone rang.

“Y/N!” Hoseok gasped, sounding panicked.

You immediately sat up, “what’s wrong?”

“I have this event for work tonight that I absolutely can not miss and my babysitter just cancelled. I tried calling the guys, my mom, everyone! No one’s available and I hate to ask this, but do you think you could watch Yeona? I swear it’ll only take like, two hours! Tops!”

“Hobi, calm down. I’ll be there in ten, okay?”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?!” he sighed in relief.

“You ordered me pizza for tonight.”

“You got it. The usual?”

“You’re the best, I’ll see you soon.”

You hoisted yourself up from the couch and trudged out the door, making quick work of your drive to Hoseok’s place. The door swung open before you could even knock, and Yeona flung herself into you, wrapping her arms around your legs, then reaching up for you to hold her. You leaned down and picked her up, snuggling her close to you as she wrapped her arms around your neck.

“Daddy said you’re going to play with me! By ourselves!” she bounced excitedly in your arms.

“It’s true! Are you excited?”

“Yes!”

You giggled and placed her on the ground, turning to Hoseok who was slipping his jacket on. He leaned in to give you a tight, thankful hug that allowed you to smell his intoxicating aftershave. You swooned silently to yourself, hugging him back.

“Thank you so much, Y/N! The pizzas on the way, I already put the tip in. I will be back by 8 at the latest!”

“Take your time, I love hanging out with Yeona.” you reassured him.

He shot you an appreciative smile before leaning down and kissing Yeona on the cheek, then absentmindedly doing the same to you before rushing out the door. You stood frozen in place, staring at the closed door Hoseok had just exited from, shell shocked until Yeona tugged at your tights, forcing you to avert your attention to her and not your racing heart.

“Y/N, come play.”

“Oh! Right. I got you a present,” you dug into your purse and pulled out the shimmery bow, clipping it into her hair.

“Jojo!” she shrieked excitedly.

You giggled and followed along as she tugged you towards the mirror, surveying her new bow and twirling around like the diva she was.

“I look like a princess!” she said in awe, her eyes shining.

“You are a princess!”

Her chubby little cheeks tinged pink with glee and she pulled you into her room, deciding she wanted to play dress-up with her princess dresses and find the one that matched the bow the most. Mickey lay on her bed, looking up at you with curiosity and wagging his tail. You sat beside him and gently stroked his head, causing him to nuzzle into your touch.

You watched with amusement as Yeona tore apart her closet to find the best dress to go with her new bow, absentmindedly picking up the used dresses and hanging them back up for her. If she drug out her toys though, you’d make her pick those up. But she was just having so much fun you didn’t want to interrupt, and the clutter bothered you so you picked it up in between your choruses of “ooh I like that one” and “you look so pretty!”

The doorbell rang, causing Mickey to let out a protective bark and you soothed his fur down before standing to open the door. The man on the other side greeted you warmly, asking you to sign the receipt for the pizza, which you did, before wishing him a good night. You drooled a bit, smelling your favorite toppings that Hoseok had remembered to order.

“Yeona! Dinners here!” you called, grabbing two plates and setting the table.

Yeona came skipping into the kitchen, and you helped her climb into the booster seat on her favorite chair before placing a bib on her so she didn’t ruin her dress. You cut the pizza slice into more manageable pieces for Yeona to eat before sliding into your own chair, biting into the heavenly food. You groaned happily and Yeona giggled, eating hers with her little cartoon character utensils.

Putting the leftovers in the fridge to ensure Hoseok had a snack later, knowing he didn’t eat before rushing off to work, you continued to play with Yeona for about an hour or two before she started yawning and you checked the clock, realizing it was almost bedtime. You helped her clean up the toys and mess you’d both made before pulling out some pajamas for her and assisting her with brushing her teeth.

You tucked her into bed and she pulled on your sleeve, looking up at you with the sweetest puppy eyes you’d ever seen.

“Are you going to read me a story like daddy does?”

“I can! What do you want to read?”

“If you give a mouse a cookie!”

You grinned and grabbed the book off the shelf, leaning against the headboard next to Yeona and began reading.

“If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim…”

About halfway through the book, Yeona’s eyes started drifting closed, but her little hand reached out to hold onto your free one, and you looked down at her, setting the book down in your lap.

“I love you, Y/N,” Yeona mumbled, snuggling closer to the warmth of your body.

“I love you too, sweet girl,” you cooed, smoothing her hair out of her face with a tender touch.

“Wish you were my mommy.” she sighed, barely awake.

You didn’t move, didn’t breathe. You didn’t know how to respond, but thankfully she didn’t seem to be looking for one, her eyelids fluttering shut before you heard her soft, even breathing.

“Baby girl, I would never leave you behind if I were,” you whispered, knowing she couldn’t hear as you continued to stroke her hair, “I would take care of you, my love. I wish I was your mommy too.”

You watched her sleep for a little while longer, her precious face looking so peaceful and pure. You wondered how anyone could ever walk away from such a beautiful little girl. Stroking her hair one last time, you stood and placed the book back on the shelf, exiting the room with Mickey on your heels and slowly shutting the door.

You let him outside to use the bathroom and gave him a treat before settling into the couch with him in your lap, petting him absentmindedly as your thoughts raced with the events of the night. How Yeona had been so cute dressing up, had been so entertaining with the little tea party you’d both held, how she’d told you she wished you were her mom… How Hoseok had kissed your cheek, clearly not thinking about it, and doing it out of habit, but how it had sent your heart lurching out of your chest. Just as the thought of Hoseok had crossed your mind, the door opened and Hoseok rushed inside, quietly but profusely apologizing for being late.

“I am so sorry, the function ran over and I was on the cleanup crew so I couldn’t leave.” Hobi whisper-shouted.

“It’s fine, I had fun, I barely realized what time it was. Yeona’s asleep.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Hoseok gushed, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet and hold out some bills for you to take.

You looked up at him with one eyebrow arched, a sassy look on your face, and that had him putting the money away.

“Are you sure? I can pay you, I know you probably had other plans, it is Friday night after all.”

“Hobi, there is nowhere I would rather be, no matter what day of the week it is.” you smiled.

“You’re a god-send.” he groaned.

“It’s late, I should get going.” you smiled, seeing how exhausted he was and wanting to get out of his hair.

“Nooo, it’s too late for you to drive home alone. What if you fall asleep at the wheel? You should just stay. You can take my room, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not going to kick you out of your room. I can take the couch.”

“Are you thirsty? Want some wine?” he offered, walking backwards towards the kitchen.

“Sure.”

Hoseok grabbed two glasses of wine and the bottle, setting the objects on the coffee table in front of you and easing himself into the seat beside you, and you both sipped on the dark red liquid as you talked.

“I really am so thankful for your help tonight, all your help with Yeona. It’s not easy doing everything on my own. I know I have my parents and the guys, but sometimes I wonder if I’m giving her the best life or if I’m holding her back from having a happy family,” he sighed.

“Hobi, that little girl adores you, there is no one she’d rather have as her father.”

“I know, but is that what’s best for her? Doesn’t she need a mom?”

“She needs people who love her and support her, and she has that,” you comfort, rubbing his back soothingly, “she has you, the guys, her grandparents, me…”

“You’re right, thank you. I just get insecure sometimes, thinking she deserves better than… well, me.”

“Hobi, you’re an amazing dad! You’re so good with her, you’re raising her so well. She’s sweet and smart and well-behaved. She is so loved and it shows, because she displays love. You are a wonderful father, and you are more than enough.”

“Thank you, really. You always know just what to say. I’m so glad I met you, you’ve been so good to Yeona and I.” he smiled.

“I’m glad I met you too, you two are so important to me! I couldn’t imagine a life without you both in it.”

“...really?”

“Of course!” you immediately replied with conviction, holding onto Hoseok’s hand without realizing it.

Hands still in yours, Hoseok’s gaze lifted to meet your own, and you didn’t shy away like you’d immediately wanted to, wanting to both comfort him, and also look into his beautiful eyes for a moment more. You couldn’t believe Hoseok was insecure about his abilities to raise Yeona, he was the best father you’d ever seen,  one of the million things you’d come to love about him. His eyes flickered from yours to your lips momentarily, and he slowly leaned closer to your now-shivering frame.

“Tell me to stop, and I will. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll back off,” he whispered as he closed the gap between your lips.

You didn’t say anything, instead opting to close the remaining distance yourself, pressing your lips to his in a sweet, chaste kiss. Hobi scooted closer to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and bringing you against his body, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck. The kiss was sweet and tentative at first but quickly lit a fire inside your core, and somehow, you found yourself straddling his lap, grinding your core down on his semi-hard erection.

“Fuck, Y/N…” he groaned, moving his kisses down to your neck, muttering into your skin, “I’ve wanted this for so long.”

“Me too.” you admitted through breathless exhales, working your hips against his while he worked his lips against your skin.

You slipped your fingers under his shirt, feeling his stomach up to his nipples, grazing your nails gently across the buds, causing his body to jerk towards you. You smirked to yourself, lifting the shirt which he aided you in removing. Your mouth watered at the sight of his smooth, tan skin. You gently nudged him backwards until his head rested on the arm of the couch, and kissed your way down his torso until you reached the hem of his jeans.

Hoseok’s breath hitched as you undid his belt, looking up at him to make sure it was okay and he grinned at you, running his hand through your hair to gather it into a makeshift ponytail. You took that as an okay and slid his jeans and boxers down just enough to reveal his throbbing length, precum, leaking from the tip. You licked along the slit, gathering the precum on your tongue and swallowing, making a pleased noise in the back of your throat.

Hoseok shivered, biting down on his lip and watching you lick a bold stripe along the underside, your hand reaching to cup his balls while you sunk down on his length, hollowing your cheeks around his throbbing member. Hoseok gripped your hair a little tighter in an attempt not to buck up into your mouth. You took him as deep as you could, letting the tip hit the back of your throat as you sucked him for dear life.

“Fuck, I’m not gonna last long if you keep doing that,” he moaned helplessly, his grip on your hair loosening.

In response, you simply bobbed your head up and down faster, sucking harder on his length, using every trick you had to get him to his orgasm. Hoseok groaned, probably a little too loudly, before tapping the side of your cheek to warn you, but you didn’t pull away. Hoseok groaned, his back arching off the couch as he spilled his seed down your throat and you swallowed it all, licking your lips once you’d pulled off of his softening cock.

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

You giggled and leaned up to peck his lips, which he returned with fervor, licking along your bottom lip and deepening the kiss, pulling you closer , letting your hips settle atop his while his mouth worked against your own.

“I really want to be inside you,” he groaned.

“Fuck me, Hobi,” you pleaded, grinding yourself on his length, and you felt it stir to life once more.

“Need to prep you.”

“No, I’m so fucking wet for you, I’m ready,” you groaned, lifting yourself off of him to shed your panties from under your skirt, bunching it up around your hips and lining your entrance with his now-erect penis.

“Are you sure?”

You nodded, sinking down on his member and groaning at the way he stretched your walls, the slight burn being aided by the amount of arousal that had pooled in your cunt, allowing his length to slip into your inviting heat with minimal resistance. Hoseok bit down on his arm, holding in a moan at the feeling of your wet cavern wrapped around his cock so perfectly.

Hoseok’s hands came to rest on your hips, guiding your pace as you bounced on his cock, riding him with enthusiasm, your walls clenching around him each time the tip of his cock kissed that special spot inside you. Hoseok lifted his hips to meet yours, keeping time with your thrusts and you bit down on your lip to hold in a moan.

“Fuck, you feel even better than I imagined.”

“You thought about this?” you wondered, swiveling your hips down on him.

“Every night since I met you,” he admitted.

“Fuck, Hobi. Me too. Want you so bad,” you whimpered.

“Yeah? You want Daddy to fill you up? Want me to fill this pretty pussy with my seed? Fuck a baby into you?” he growled and you clenched at the words.

“Yes, fuck.”

“Mmm, you like that? Wanna be filled with Daddy’s cum? Wanna see it drip out of that tight little pussy.” he groaned, speeding up his thrusts.

“Hobi, yes,” you whined, his dirty words spurring you closer to your release, “close.”

“Me too, baby. Come on, cum for me,” he urged, leaning up to bring one of your nipples in his mouth.

Your orgasm crashed over you the moment his tongue ran over the sensitive bud. You held your breath to keep from crying out as Hoseok worked you through your high, reaching his before you had finished yours, the feeling of his warm seed filling your battered hole making your orgasm even more intense.

Coming down from your highs, you lifted your hips to allow his length to slip out of you, watching as his cum dripped out of your sex, running down your leg and his. Hoseok groaned at the sight, pulling you into his chest. You snuggled up to him for a moment before you both got up to clean up, him assisting you by gently running a damp rag along your folds and you running it along his leg to clean up the mess you’d both made.

You pulled your clothes back on and Hoseok grabbed your hand, leading you to his bedroom and offering you a t-shirt to sleep in. You weren’t sure he would want you to stay, but you were thankful he did. And not on the couch. After changing into Hobi’s clothes and cuddling up to him, his arm wrapped around your middle, you felt at ease. Hobi was the first to break the silence.

“Please tell me this means you’ll be mine,” he whispered against the skin of your neck while placing little kisses along the skin there.

“I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine,” you answered, leaning down to capture his lips with yours.

One year later 

Pushing the key in the lock of your brand new house, you opened the door and looked around the foyer, and heard little footsteps running through the hall, a sweet giggle echoing.

“Mommy! You’re home!” Yeona grinned, launching herself into your arms, and you spun her around, holding her close to your chest.

“I’m home, baby girl. How was your day?”

“It was good! I missed you though, you and my baby sister!” she grinned, her tiny, chubby hand caressing your plump belly.

“We missed you too, pumpkin. Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s in his office, he’s been boring today, but he did take a break to play with me. He doesn’t play dress up like you do, you’re more fun,” she whined, clutching at your neck.

“Hmmm, how about we play a little before dinner then?”

She squealed excitedly, wiggling out of your grasp and running to her room. You followed behind her, leaning up against Hoseok’s office door on the way.

“Hey, handsome.”

Hoseok looked up, immediately standing and walking up to you, his hand gently caressing your baby bump while he pressed his lips to yours.

“Welcome home, baby. And baby,” he grinned.

You rolled your eyes with a smile on your face, pecking his cheek.

“Yeona says you’re boring and don’t play dress up the right way,” you smirked, mocking him.

Hoseok groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes dramatically before his smile reached his eyes as he softly said, “Well, it’s a good thing we have you.”

[1994sunflower]

Hi, I absolutely love your writing and I think you're amazing! Could you do something where y/n has a nightmare and Mickey is there to comfort her, maybe with some cockwarming.

in which you have a nightmare

It was like your mind had found the perfect torture. A mix of horror and stress that combined just perfectly to at once scare you and leave your mind in scrambles of what-if scenarios that just seemed to heighten the fear.

When you finally snapped your eyes open, it was like a bubble popping. Sudden and jolting. You even took a breath that sounded dangerously close to a scream as you sat up, jerking away from the strong arms around your body that had held you tightly into a sleeping Michael’s chest.

Taking in your surroundings with a relief that it was a dream - it wasn't real. But still, you were shaking and breathing heavily. You didn’t even realize you were crying until you heard your gasping breaths in the silence of the night.

It was still dark, you could only see the light of your clock on the nightstand and the outline of Michael’s body next to you in your bed. But the dark didn’t help you in the situation where your mind seemed to remind you of every terrifying detail of your nightmare that refused to be forgotten.

It was almost like you were frozen at it. Until you heard Michael groan groggily before slowly leaning up on his elbow. He yawned cutely. “Baby, what are you doing?”

His voice was deeper than usual, sleepy. And it wasn’t until he took hold of your wrist, as if to push you back down to lay down and go back to sleep that he became more alert. Specifically, when you flinched away from him. That’s when he noticed you were trembling and saw the glint of tears on your cheeks.

It wasn’t his fault. You were just sensitive right then. You were glad the dark hid your face, how pale with fear you had woken up.

Michael sat up then, quickly forgetting his sleep and letting the cover fall down to his waist as he moved closer to you. He would always put you before anything else. His hand moving gently to your cheeks, only touching you when you didn’t pull away. He was still tired, you could see it now that he was closer but he suddenly had an intense look in his eyes. Worry was held there, along with the protectiveness you were used to feeling from him.

“Y/N.” He said seriously, “What happened?”

Your bottom lip stuttered as you shook your head, “N-nothing. I just had a bad dream.” It sounded stupid when you said it out loud.

But Michael didn’t roll his eyes or laugh. But he did push you closer to him. Until you were close enough to hide your face in the crook of his neck and for him to rub circles gently into your hips.

You weren’t sure if it was the early morning that had him being so gentle and comforting like he usually struggled so much to be. But you were thankful nonetheless. Your breathing was still fast and your heartbeat even more so, but you felt your trembling start to subside. Taking in a shaky deep breath, you couldn’t help the comfort he brought you or the gratefulness that he was there tonight, with you.

“What was it about?”

But you shook your head even before he finished his question. You didn't want to talk about it. You were already embarrassed on the effect your own mind had on you, let alone repeating your deepest fears.

And Michael didn’t push you. “It was just a dream. I got you.”

He was right. You both knew it. But it didn’t stop the very real reaction the dream caused you. The intranquillity, the anxiety. And it didn’t even long after your physical symptoms stopped.

Nearly half an our later when you were still in his arms, sat up, but you were no longer trembling or crying. Your mind was still wandering, your body still tense. Even as he littered sweet kisses on your face and whispered sweet nothings under his breath. You were as far from sleep as you would have been in the afternoon. A part of you was scared of what you would be confronted with if you closed your eyes again. Would it be the same nightmare or even worse this time? You were already betrayed by your mind once, what’s to stop it from happening again?

Sure you’d be in Michael’s strong arms just like you were when you went to sleep in the first place. But even his comfort was gone when you were in dreamland. You didn’t want to stop feeling the safety and warmth you felt right then at all.

Part of you felt bad, especially when you could feel Michael wanting to go back to sleep. So you let him slowly move you two down back to laying on the mattress. He was on his side and collected you against his chest and you stayed there, still and evenly breathing. But your eyes were wide open.

For so long you lost track.

And you felt alone. Even with him right in front of you. It felt like the dark was just taking advantage of your fragile state and prickling your skin.

You squeezed Michael for a moment, head resting on his chest, your body suddenly feeling colder until you whimpered. “Mikey, I can’t sleep.”

You weren’t sure if he was asleep by then but he was right there when you needed him either way. And he would always be attentive to you, forgoing anything he was doing to tend to you.

His arms tightened around you, protectively. “Still scared?”

You didn’t answer him, just nuzzling further into him. But you wanted more. You needed more. To feel so fully surrounded by him that he could physically repulse away any straying negative thoughts and memories. You just wanted to feel him.

His fingers played with your hair, moving from your back to your scalp in a way that was soothing. You felt your eyelids droop but your shoulders were still tout and your mouth set in a frown.

“Tell me about it.” He said, referring to your dream and though you hesitated, somehow his calmness in his tone led you to giving in. You trusted him and though you were crying by the time you were done telling it, somehow sharing in your feelings made them feel a little less overwhelming.

But also somehow more real. More possible now that you brought your dream world into the real one.

“I just-I just want to feel you, right now."

Michael never stopped running his hand up and down your figure, humming as he listened, as if there was nothing more important he could be doing; he cared. He held you closer when he felt your emotions start to overtake you. His delicate little girl. He wanted nothing more than to protect you from whatever bad thoughts were plaguing you. Bringing back the bright, happy girl he loved.

That’s why he tugged you up, though your eyebrows furrowed at him in confusion, you knew he couldn’t see your expression. Until he moved you completely on top of him. Your head was right below his chin and he held his arms around your waist, keeping your tiny form on top of him.

You inhaled, this close to him you could smell his comforting scent and you couldn’t help but close your eyes in content. It felt good to be so close to him, felt cocooned in his arms. Your sigh was bittersweet and somehow, your boyfriend picked up on that.

One of his hands left your body and you weren’t sure why until you felt him tug at your pajama shorts. Even if you wanted to spring up in surprise, as if you weren’t used to his hands removing your clothes, he kept you pressed against him.

“Just gonna fill you up.” His voice was sleepy and relaxing, “Let you feel that I’m right here.”

He said it as if it was the most logical conclusion. It wasn’t what you meant when you said it. But you didn’t stop him either as he got rid of your shorts and panties, tossing them to the side of the bed into the darkness that was the floor.

You were reminded of how you felt in the many - many - times he had been inside you. The way your mind focused solely on him and how full you felt with him. Rarely did you ever even want to think of anything else, let alone anything negative. It put your mind is a calm state. Because it was such an intimate moment with him. With your other option seeming to be to wait until your calmness in the moment finally tires you out, hoping nothing else triggers your mind, it couldn’t be so bad to try.

So you nodded and stayed still as he lifted his hips to pull down his own basketball shorts and took out his dick with his hand. He was only semi-hard but still, he had no difficulty with guiding himself into you.

You heard him groan under you as he spread you open, even half soft he was still so big, and felt you hug him tightly. You couldn’t help the breathy moan that you let out either, never opening your mouth but closing your eyes as he filled you up.

It was everything you thought it would be. You felt the same fullness, the closeness, as you two were connected. The unity had you so lost in how good it felt and how, on top of him, you felt more balanced and rational. You were okay. You were with Michael - of course that meant you were okay. You felt loved and taken care of. You didn’t have to worry when Michael was with you - he would take care of you. And there was little more you believed in other than your big, strong boyfriend.

It still felt so good. It was a feat for you not to wriggle in his grasp and attempt to make more friction between your bodies. You weren’t used to doing anything else when he was inside you other than enjoying the pleasure. He was the same way, you could feel the tautness of his body as if trying his hardest to hold back the urge to pound into you like he always did when he was in you. But he stayed still for your sake. This was about you and making you feel better in an intimate way only he could, nothing more.

You clenched around him without even meaning to and he let out a grunt under you, “Fuck, don’t-this is not going to last if you do that again.” In the cold of the night, he felt so warm inside you.

You weren’t used to having him inside you and having that lead to nothing more than that. Part of you wasn’t satisfied with just this. But for a larger part of you, it felt nice to have such intimacy - it felt romantic. And you felt as if you could stay there for hours. You tried not to move much because of the jolt of need that would creep into you if you did.

You only reached slightly below his chest in the new position but his body felt so much better than the mattress had in that moment. And maybe when you snuggled your face into his chest, you knew that because when you heard him mutter something to you, you just nodded even when you weren’t exactly sure what he asked.

You only heard a low, "I love you."

Your mind a little fuzzy, not even sure what you were so scared of earlier. You were finally relaxed - completely and totally. Nothing but Michael was entering your mind. He was overtaking every single one of your senses. And after all the tenseness of the night, it felt good to be unable to think of anything else. That just helped mask of sleep to slowly overtake you as the two of your remained connected.

Listening to each other’s breaths and enjoying each other’s company - the safety and comfort that company brought. You weren’t alone and you felt stronger knowing he was there, he cared about how you felt and wouldn’t let anything touch you. Especially as he was slotted between your thigh, reaching your every crevice as he filled you up completely, like the missing puzzle piece to your body. Even with how much smaller you were compared to him, you fit so perfectly.

It was something you could feel, even when your mind slowly drifted off.

[chefdoeuvre]

For Good

Jay Halstead

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Fem!Reader

Description: Who knew coming back to US soil would feel this good?

Words: 1,207

Requested: yes by anonymous; hi, can u writing Jay Halstead x Reader where reader back to Chicago after the last mission in Afghanistan? she decided stay in chicago, jay stayed so happy for this news and they confess that are in love with each other?

Warnings: fluff (I think it's obvious at this point), mentions of war, I know nothing about serving if it wasn’t clear enough.

A/N: Jay Halstead deserves happiness. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

—

Finally getting off your flight back to Chicago you took a deep breath and headed to get your bags with a wide smile. You had finished your last mission with the Rangers and finally decided to retire. Your best friend of course knew of this and offered to pick you up. You graciously accepted his offer given you hadn't seen him since your last deployment together. Mouse had given you the idea to surprise Jay and obviously, you went along with it, much like every idea he came up with. Mouse obviously knew of the not-so-small crush you had on the detective which is the reason why he was excited to set this up. You two had gone back and forth on trying to decide on how you would finally admit your feelings for him. After many lengthy debates, you had given in and agreed to admit your feelings only to get Mouse off your back.

Your eyes caught sight of his lanky figure in the crowd and bounded toward him. He had on a patterned button-up and dark wash jeans and sported a new haircut since the last time you saw him. You all but launched yourself into his open arms and wrapped your arms around his shoulders tightly. His arms wound around your waist and he lifted your toes off the ground. Once he set you down you pulled away to look at him with a large smile.

"Wow, who are you and what have you done with Mouse?" You giggled taking in his appearance.

Mouse chuckled at your facial expression and shook his head dismissively, "just wait until you see the love of your life." He poked you in the side eliciting a giggle out of you.

He threw an arm over your shoulders and began leading you out of the airport. It seemed like only a few seconds of the two of you bantering had gone by until he pulled up in front of your apartment building, which he had so graciously kept in line for you while you were stationed in Afghanistan. His oh-so-great plan gave you enough time to get showered and changed before the two of you would head to Molly's, a place Jay and the others in Intelligence, along with the other first responders, would usually frequent.

After, pulling on an outfit that didn't consist of green camouflage you got to work on unpacking your essentials. Eventually, Mouse was at your door rapping his knuckles against the dark wood.

Mouse took in your appearance with a wide grin, "he's not even gonna know what hit him." Mouse chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, Mickey." You shook your head and pulled him by the hand.

"You're still gonna use that nickname?" Mouse questioned with a pout.

"Of course, what else are best friends for if not for pure embarrassment?" You quipped with a smirk.

"I definitely did not miss your snarky responses." Mouse scoffed playfully.

"You know you love them." You poked him in the side as the two of you continued down the street towards the bar.

"Yeah, whatever." Mouse rolled his eyes, draping his arm over your shoulders.

The two of you walked up to Molly's, Mouse pulling open the door as you continued to tease him playfully. What you didn't notice was Jay sitting at the bar turning to look at who walked in. His eyes immediately widened when his gaze fell on your figure. Since when were you supposed to be back in Chicago? And why the hell did Mouse not tell him? He stood up from his seat abruptly and beelined toward you and Mouse who were too busy teasing each other to notice his nearing figure. He stopped to stand in front of you a few feet away with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Y/N?" Jay questioned.

You snapped your head up at the voice you would no doubt recognize in a crowd. There he was, in all his glory standing in front of you. He looked good, to say the least. Without letting another moment go to waste you bounded toward the taller man and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. His arms went around your waist as he lifted you up and spun you around. The sound of your giggles made his smile widen. Mouse stood off to the side with a wide smirk, you could call him your fairy godmother. Jay stopped spinning the two of you around but he still had his arms locked around your waist while your feet dangled above the ground. You buried your head in the crook of his neck, holding onto him as if he would disappear if you let go. It felt like it was just the two of you even though there was the usual crowd around the bar.

Setting you back down Jay leaned back slightly and took in all of your features. Your bright smile remained the same and your hair stayed in the same style you loved. He was clearly still infatuated with you and the only person who didn't have a clue was you. It was so painfully obvious that he was in love with you, but like in any cliché love story you were too blind to actually see it.

“I- wow you look great.” Your cheeks heated up as you all but drooled over the detective in front of you.

“I could say the same.” Jay laughed with bright heart eyes.

“All right you two, just kiss it out already.” Mouse rolled his eyes walking toward the bar.

The two of you blushed furiously and look at each other with matching wide grins. Not knowing who was going to make the first move you took a step toward Jay. You were now chest to chest, well technically chest to face, and you tilted your head up to look at him. You cupped his cheek before pulling him down to your lips, kissing him softly. He was quick to reciprocate the kiss and his hands found your waist pulling you flush against him. The two of you pulled away breathlessly with timid smiles while Mouse began clapping in the background.

You chuckled at your best friend and leaned your head forward onto Jay’s chest. His hand instinctively came up to the back of your head as he held you there. Pulling away you looked up at his blue eyes that made your stomach do backflips.

“If it wasn’t clear enough already, I’m kind of in love with you.” You confessed with a small smile.

“Only kind of?” Jay questioned in mock hurt.

“Take what you can get, lover boy.” You teased him.

“Fair enough. So are you back, for good?” Jay asked with hopeful eyes.

“For good.” You smiled widely as he pulled you back into a breathtaking kiss.

“Finally, I was getting sick of having to shove you two together!” Mouse exclaimed from the stool he resided on by the bar.

The two of you smiled into the kiss before pulling away with loud laughs, “still the same old Mouse I see.” You mused before placing a loving kiss on Jay’s lips and pulled him in the direction of the bar.

[y0itsbri]

shameless summer series - lifeguard au 🥽🩲🌊

debbie has her eye on the new lifeguard at the public pool. unlucky for her, said lifeguard already has his eye set on a different red-headed gallagher.

(think like s2 era)

also happy a.u.gust! @gallavichthings

words: 1.7k

"Debs, why do I gotta take you to the pool again this week? I thought you already fixed whatever was the problem with that blonde bitch," Ian whined, shoveling cereal into his mouth. Two tubes of sunscreen sat on the table in front of him.

"It's not about her anymore." Debbie retorted, like it was the simplest thing.

"Okay. Then what is it about?"

"Nothing!"

"Ask her boyfriend." Carl yelled over his video game in the living room, taking any opportunity to embarrass his sister.

Ian and Debbie's voices overlapped with a "Boyfriend?!" and "He's not my boyfriend-- Carl I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Debbie tossed a fork at Carl's head.

"Oh, now I'm definitely in," Ian laughed and winced before Debbie could throw a fork his direction.

--

The walk to the pool was relatively quiet aside from the rhythmic smacking of their sandals against the gravely pavement.

Debbie leapt a few strides, trying to outrun her shadow and failing each time. Ian chuckled, pulling the towel around his neck and swinging his keychain with the other hand.

Now that it was just the two of them, he tried again.

"Soooo," he drawled. "What's with this secret boyfriend?"

Debbie sighed. "He's not my boyfriend. Well, not yet."

"Hmm?"

"He's one of the new lifeguards since Justin got attacked by that dog last week."

Justin still owed Lip a beating for something or other so Ian was glad he didn't have to deal with Justin today, at least.

"You think this new lifeguard is a little too old for you?" Ian wondered.

Debbie shrugged. "Not like it matters much."

Ian couldn't argue with that logic. "I'll kick his ass if he bothers you, yeah?"

"Please. He doesn't even look at me. Even when I was fake-drowning." She skipped down the sidewalk, nearing the pool entrance.

Ian shook his head. His sister was something else.

--

After they set their towels down, Ian's eyes scoured the lifeguard chairs immediately. Too-tan-Toni, shrimp-speedo-Sam, and holy-fucking-shit. Was that Mickey Milkovich?

Ian hadn't let himself think about Mickey since he left town. But it was hard not to now that he was right in front of him again. Shit.

Mickey spread out across his chair, sunglasses low on his nose, watching the newcomers and he smirked before glancing back towards the pool. He blew his whistle and yelled at some kid to 'slow the fuck down unless you wanna bust your ass -- and I ain't fixing you up!'

Ian was brought back to the moment by Debbie's hands waving in front of his face. "Helloooo, earth to Ian! Sunscreen?"

Ian could've sworn he heard a chuckle coming from the direction of the lifeguard chair as he dug the sunscreen out of his shorts pockets. No. He was just being paranoid. His cheeks blushed regardless.

"Is that...?" Ian nodded his head towards the raven-haired man.

"Shhh!" Debbie slapped him on the arm. "Don't make it obvious!"

Ian rolled his eyes at her ridiculousness.

He covered Debbie's back and shoulders in the high resistance sunscreen before she took off towards the side of the pool with the diving board, eager to show off her skills.

He yelled after her. "Wait, fuck, Debs you forgot..." He glanced around.

His eyes definitely locked with Mickey's now.

Fuck.

Mickey hopped off his chair, waving his hand to dismiss his crowd of moon-eyed preteen girls and middle-aged women in scandalous bikinis. Ian would have shuddered at the thought if Mickey wasn't making a bee-line directly towards him.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuuuuuck.

"'Sup, man? Been awhile..." He smirked. "Raggedy Ann run out on ya?" Mickey bowed his leg out on his final step towards Ian, a little closer than he expected.

"Uhhh...." Real smooth, Ian. His words were bound to fail him again with the man in such close proximity to him, so he simply held up his bottle of sunscreen and shrugged.

"Toss it here," Mickey coolly demanded.

Ian was thoroughly confused, but threw it anyways. "What?"

"You heard me, Red. Turn around, I'll get your back."

"Protecting and serving the local ginger kids at the pool?" Ian joked weakly, finding his voice again.

Mickey huffed a breath. "Fuck the pigs. The only thing I'm protecting is your ass from a sunburn."

Ian was still confused as to why Mickey was offering to rub his back at a very public pool when he would have literally beaten his ass for looking his direction before.

All of Ian's thoughts subsided as he felt sturdy hands push the warming liquid around his shoulder blades, up his neck, then down his spine. Mickey's thumb digging deep into his muscles. He suppressed his urge to shiver despite the rising temperatures of the hot Chicago summer.

At least he thought he had suppressed it. A huff of air on the back of his neck said otherwise.

Mickey started pulling his hands away and Ian leaned back into them again. Mickey whacked the side of his head before tossing the bottle of sunscreen onto the chair in front of them.

"No free massages, man. Just sunscreen." Mickey licked the corner of his mouth and looked from the ground up to Ian's eyes.

He had to know how devious he looked. Ian didn't want to be presumptuous, but he just held eye contact.

"Unless," Mickey veered, slowly backing away, "the favor was returned in one way or another." He winked.

Ian stood, mouth agape as Mickey turned and waved again to the group of girls who still hadn't taken their eyes off of him. He hopped up onto his chair, whistle in mouth in no time like nothing had ever happened.

What the fuck was going on?

--

Ian spent the next few hours very much Not Looking At Mickey despite feeling a heated stare on him.

Even when he was having a breath-holding competition with Debbie, his brain couldn't stop the endless stream of Mickey Mickey Mickey.

After Debbie's third win, Ian felt like he was on the verge of passing out, so he returned to his towel, chugging his water bottle.

In a moment of weakness, he glanced at Mickey, only to find him already staring. Mickey tilted his head towards the main building and quietly dismissed himself to go on his break.

Ian knew.

He wasn't that stupid. He knew Mickey wanted him to follow. And he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. All the while, his feet took him closer.

The building felt even hotter than the outside, the AC must've gone out and no one bothering to replace it.

This was a bad idea.

Ian was just about to turn around and leave when he heard the click of a lock.

"'Bout fuckin' time," Mickey stalked forward, eyes raking up and down Ian's body appreciatively.

Ian was putty.

He groaned as he let himself be pulled forward by the hips. "Didn't know you were a lifeguard?"

He sighed as Mickey toyed with the band of his shorts in between his tattooed fingers. His nails scraping dully against his sides.

"Dad got shanked. Family business went under. Had to go legal." Mickey's hands moved upwards as he raked his fingers through the sides of Ian's still-wet hair, gripping onto the back of his neck. Ian slid his own hands up Mickey's back, pushing his red tank top up with it, exposing his pale skin.

"Missed this." It was a whisper.

Ian attached his lips to the side of Mickey's neck briefly, tasting remnants of salt, chlorine, and sunscreen, before Mickey sunk down to his knees. Ian's hands were now gripping dark hair, and he was sure that the rocky pavement of the unfinished building had to be digging into Mickey's skin, but he made no sounds of discomfort.

Sure, he missed this, but he missed him more, not that he could say that.

--

On the walk home, the sun was hanging low in the sky and both Gallaghers' cheeks were sunburnt pink.

"Did ya have fun?" Ian asked, knocking his empty water bottle against the top of Debbie's head.

She scrunched her face up, but replied with some pep in her voice. "Yeah! Today the hot life guard actually looked at me! Maybe bringing you around was good luck."

No way in hell Ian was going to out Mickey to his little sister, let alone out himself. He put on a big-brother reassuring smile and changed the subject.

"Good luck for you maybe. I lost literally all of our competitions today!"

She giggled, "That was all skill, not luck. Frank's been helping me practice!"

Frank? Maybe Ian needed to spend a little more time at home. On the other hand, maybe it was a good thing Ian hadn't been spending a lot of time at home.

--

Ian left after dinner unannounced, taking his well-worn trail to the baseball dugouts.

When he approached the field, he noticed a small orange flame illuminating the man's face and a cloud of smoke fog through the chained fence. He smirked.

"Couldn't get enough the first round?" Ian taunted, announcing his presence as he leapt over the fence, an old habit.

"Fuck you, man," Mickey scoffed and blew his smoky breath in Ian's grimacing face.

"Oh I think you plan on it." He stepped closer.

"Is that so?"

"Mmhmm," Ian plucked the cigarette out of Mickey's fingers. "Can't have you with bad lungs, then what will all the poor defenseless swimmers do without a capable lifeguard?"

"Let 'em drown," Mickey smacked Ian's cigarette out of his hands and closed the distance between them.

"It would crush your groupies to know you care so little," Ian murmured against his neck.

"This is a bad idea," Mickey breathed, tugging at Ian's crumpled shirt.

"The worst," Ian yanked his shirt fully off.

Mickey pulled back, eyeing Ian's now-bare back.

"Mmm, no sunburn. That would've ruined my plans." Mickey smiled smugly.

Oh shit.

Ian swallowed. He was already way too far off the deep end. Luckily for them both, Mickey knew how to swim.

[arrowflier]

Drunken Shenanigans

Daily speedwrite, done entirely on my old decrepit phone so have pity on any errors.

"And a...another thing," Mickey was slurring when Ian got back from the bathroom.  "Freckles," he finished triumphantly after another sip from his pint glass, pounding the bar with one hand and staring down Ian's little brother like he had just won an argument.

Thoroughly entertained, Ian stopped a few feet away, raising his eyebrows at Carl over the back of Mickey's head.  Carl just rolled his eyes, then gave him a look that said 'watch this'.

Setting down the glass he had been polishing, he leaned on the bar.  "Freckles, huh?" he prompted Mickey, eyes never leaving Ian's face.

"Yeah, fucking freckles, man," Mickey started again, Fuck hand waving wildly and almost smacking Kermit in the face where he sat next to him.

"Hey, " Kermit whined.

"Piss off, Kermit," Carl, Ian, and Mickey said in unison, and Mickey turned around at the sound of his husband's voice.

"Heeeey," he drawled, eyes lighting up. "Why you over there?" He beckoned with the hand holding his drink, letting it slosh over the rim and frowning when it wet his fingers, then smirking in Ian's direction.

"C'mere and clean me up." He waggled his eyebrows, trying to look sexy and only succeeding in looking like the drunk skunk he was.

Ian came closer and took the glass from him, sniffing it and rearing his head back as it hit him.

"The hell are you giving him?" he asked his brother, who shrugged.

"Found some old recipe of Frank's in the basement, thought we'd give it a try. Apparently it used to be a hit."

"It smells like poison," Ian pointed out.

Carl shrugged again. "Sells well though."

"Give tha' back," Mickey demanded, making a grab for it, and Ian relented with a sigh. Mickey took a deep swallow, grimaced at the taste and then grinned.

"Where was I?" He asked the room. No one answered, too busy watching him try to pull Ian into his lap.

"Something about freckles I think," Kermit offered, ever helpful, and more than just Carl groaned.

"Shut up, Kermit," someone said behind them. "We don't need to hear this again."

Ian disagreed. "I don't know, I think I kinda do need to hear it," he said.

"Yeah," Mickey agreed. "Yer a good man, Kermit," he declared, slapping him hard enough on the back to almost send his head into the bartop.

"Like I wass ssaying," he lisped out drunkenly, "fuckin' freckles, like, you ever looked at 'em? There's like, it's like, hidden messages or some shit." He gesticulated wildly. "Connect the fuckin' dots."

He took another drink, coughed as it went down. "Tried that once, you know," he continued in a stage whisper. "Did it while he was...was sleepin'."

Ian grinned. It was no secret that Mickey had a thing for red hair, pale skin, and freckles, as most of the usual Alibi patrons could already attest too, but he never tired of hearing it.

Then Mickey kept going, and he reevaluated.

"You know he even had freckles on his--"

"Whoa, okay," Ian interrupted loudly, abruptly standing from the half-leaning perch he had taken up against Mickey's stool. "Time for us to go!"

He tried to pull Mickey up by the arm, but he resisted, mumbling a protest and grabbing for his drink.

"Tried to count those ones once," he added as he got one more slurp in. "But then he put it in my--"

"Nope!" Ian said brightly, slamming Mickey's arm into the edge of the bar until he dropped the beer again, sending it rolling.

"Carl, call us an Uber?" he asked as he pulled Mickey backward to the door with a hand over his mouth. A hand that Mickey licked, and when that was ignored, promptly bit.

"Fuckin' ouch, Mick," Ian groused, shaking it off.

"What we need a...a...a youber for?" Mickey slurred. "Le's go in the back so I can...can try the counting thing again," he tried with a leer.

But Ian manhandled him out of the bar, and everything was quiet until Carl started laughing. The rest of the bar joined him.

Then Ian poked his head back through the door, face stern and determined. "No one breathes a word of this again," he demanded lowly.

"Or what?" Carl challenged. "You'll let Mickey loose on us? He'd be way too fucking embarrassed."

Ian raised one eyebrow. "No," he said simply. "I'll let myself loose on you for taunting my husband."

That shut them up right quick, and he ducked back out to pile a handsy Mickey into the car that pulled up. He might secretly love how open and chatty Mickey got when drunk, he thought as Mickey tried to pull him into the back seat with him, and he's definitely tease him in the morning, but no one else was allowed to say shit.

[bangtanloverboys]

found again // jhs

summary - forever was a very long time to be alone, but it was the safeest way to save yourself the heartache of losing loved ones. despite that, you still find yourself falling in love with hoseok

pairing - hunter!hoseok x immortal female!reader

genre - fluff, angst; reincarnation au

word count - 5.0k

warnings - strangers to lovers, hisorical inaccuracies, reader is centuries old, takes place in late 1700s, “i can fix that”, falling in love, kissing, proposal, mentioning of harming self, major character death, dogs die, im sorry everything i write of hoseok is sad but happy ending!!

author’s note - another fic inspired by ABC Forever, because i love the concept and i miss it

After nearing three centuries of life, one would think they’d get used to being alone. To the quiet still air of an empty home, void of a family. But it never did, you could never get used to it. It wasn’t that you purposefully chose to live a life of solitude, but rather found it the best way to live. If you were alone, you couldn’t get hurt. With no roots, it made moving from place to place easier. The only thing that got you through it all was thinking back on your family.

They were long gone by now, but that didn’t change the fact you still thought of them often. More than once, you would dream of what they would have thought with each place. How your mother would move every bit of furniture until it looked just right, how your father would go on about how far it was from the village, or how your little sisters would run about the cabin entirely, claiming it was perfect. 

Several times you would get so caught up in your daydreams, you would even call out to them, only for your voice to die out before their names could even fully fall past your lips. Each time you’d wince at your own foolishness, before sighing, returning to the task you were doing. 

That was simply how you lived until the day that Hoseok arrived. 

You were deep into the woods, picking wild berries when a rustling was heard from across the clearing you were in. Cautiously, you made your way over to the rustling bushes. Right as you were about to peek behind them, a young man popped out from behind them. You let out a scream as you stumbled back, tripping over your skirt and sending you tumbling into the dirt.

“Oh my- I’m so sorry!” The young man spoke as he rushed over to you, helping you back to your feet.

“What were you doing? Were you watching me?!” You exclaimed, pushing him away from you as soon as you stood up.

“No! I promise. I was hunting when my dogs stopped.” It was then you were suddenly aware of the two dog heads that poked out from the branches. “I thought they caught a scent of maybe a deer but uh, seems like they found you,” he chuckled nervously, before his eyebrows shot up. “Where are my manners, I’m Hoseok,” he said, holding his hand out for you.

You stared at it for a moment, before you gave him your name, placing your hand in his. Your hand in his grip, he raised your knuckles to his lips for a kiss.

“Pleasure to meet you.” You swore your face grew hot at those words. It had been years since any man had shown you any sort of affection, even if it was the smallest bit. “What are you doing out here?”

“I- uh, berries.” You gestured to your basket that you left across the clearing. “Collecting some for a pie.” You’re unsure why you felt nervous all of a sudden, but with Hoseok’s gaze on your, it made it difficult to not feel shy.

“Berry pie? Oh that sounds delicious.”

Before you could even comprehend what you were thinking, you found yourself asking, “Would you like some?” 

“Pardon?” He furrowed his brows at you.

“I mean,” you cringed at yourself before you started over, “would you like to come over? It should only take a few hours?”

A smile lit up his face, and you swear you don’t think you’ve ever seen a more beautiful smile. “I would love that.” The both of you walked across the field, picking up your basket as you reentered the forest, heading into the direction of your cottage. Glancing behind you, you saw the two bloodhounds following close on his heels. No doubt noticing how you kept glancing behind him, he introduced them. “Their names are Mickey and Ann.”

“They’re beautiful,” you complimented.

The rest of the journey back to your cottage was in silence, but it was not uncomfortable. Reaching your small little property, you felt uneasiness wash over you as you motioned to your small cottage. It was already several years old by the time you moved into it, windows didn’t shut right and it took a couple nudges to fully close the door; but it was home. If Hoseok thought any less of it, he didn’t say anything, besides ordering the two dogs to stay put at the front door.

Once inside, you began to prepare the pie crust. On occasion, you’d glance up at Hoseok who was staring at the small things you had collected over your life, mainly assorted coins from each country you visited and a few books. Picking one of them up, he began to flip through it.

“Do you actually understand this?” He asked, gesturing to the words on the page.

“Italian? Yes.” No doubt it was probably one of the first languages you learned when you discovered your affliction. Over the past few centuries, you found out you had quite the knack for picking up languages. 

“You must’ve had some fancy schooling,” he whistled as he set the book down.

“Not really,” you flushed as you kneaded the dough. “Just knew someone who taught it to me.”

“Family?” He asked.

You shook your head no. A small Italian artist took you under her wing for a handful of years, deeming you her muse. In return for being the source of her inspiration, she taught you her language. 

“Where is your family?” 

The question had you cease your kneading. You should have known the question would’ve been asked at some point or another. Not to mention, you were somewhat of an enigma to the nearby village. A young well read woman from far away living in a small abandoned cottage, what could you possibly be doing all the way out here? No one ever said anything to you about it, but you knew they certainly thought something of it, judging by the stares you received when you’d walk into town. If he’d ever been, there was a strong possibility he knew of you already.

“Gone,” you answered, resuming your kneading. “Just me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that.” His voice was soft as he apologized, like he regretted asking.

“Not your fault, they’ve been gone for a while.” A long while.

The comfortable silence was gone, replaced with an air of tension. Like a string held so taught that the smallest movement would cause it to snap. The topic of your family always stung, no matter how much time had passed. 

Quite possibly wanting to ease the awkward atmosphere he created, Hoseok quietly made his way over to you in your small kitchen. Standing beside you, he smiled.

“What can I do to help?”

Pushing down the butterflies that had erupted in your stomach, you stepped to the side and handed him the basket of wildberries you collected. “Make the filling?” 

The rest of the afternoon consisted of both of you struggling to make the pie. Hoseok apparently wasn’t all that good with following directions as whenever you turned your back to do something, he would try and sneak a nibble at the filling. On occasion, he’d inquire about your knowledge of languages; curious to learn different phrases. It was only when you put the pie in the oven did Hoseok finally cease his linguistic questions. Sitting on a stool, you allowed yourself to catch your breath as you watched the young hunter, who’s gaze was fixated on your roof. 

You were well aware of the shape your cottage was in, due to its old age it was in constant need of repairs. The most important one being the leaks in the roof, thankfully it was the dry season so you didn’t have to go about fixing them just yet, but you knew you’d have to get to it eventually.

“I can fix that.” He gestured up to the roof.

“Can you really?” You raised a brow at him.

“Consider it my way of repaying you for the pie.”

And that was the beginning of your friendship with Hoseok. He’d stop by every other day, tools in hand and work on sealing up your roof. A few times, he’d even bring in a few of his kills, offering it to you to make some dinner. Each time you refused, but he always insisted. 

“A lady needs her food.”

A little over a week had passed and Hoseok finished the roof. It was then you realized how badly you hated being alone. You’d missed having someone to talk to, to cook for. Having grown so used to his presence in that week, you pointed to the old busted chicken coop that resided on your property. It had been empty since you’d moved in and you thought having fresh eggs from a nice chicken coop would be nice. Without hesitating, he agreed to fix the coop. And your front door, and your windows, and your fence. Each time he completed something, you found something new for him to fix.

While he worked on repairs, you’d either read or cook up dinner, not only for you and him, but for his dogs as well. Mickey and Ann were complete sweethearts, waiting patiently by the front door for their owner to come in and join you all for food. When he was working on your windows, more than once you saw him peeking through as you sat at your kitchen table reading  as Mickey laid his head on your lap. 

Eventually, the cottage was practically brand new. There was nothing else to be fixed and you had to prepare yourself to say goodbye to Hoseok. Your heart ached as he walked away from your home for the last time, his dogs trailing behind him. The following morning, you resumed your usual chores and activities; tending to your (new) chickens, work in your garden, and reread your books. 

You’d been fighting off tears all day, and it was as you were preparing supper that the tears began to fall. Perhaps it was foolish of you to get attached to him anyways. No matter what would have happened, it would’ve turned out the way it usually did: with you disappearing. 

A knock on your door, pulled you from your thoughts. For a moment you were confused, no one ever from the village ever came up to visit, you wondered what could’ve happened. Quickly, you wiped the tears from your eyes and made your way over to the door, where the unknown visitor knocked away. 

“Coming, I’m coming!” You called as you swung the door open, revealing- “Hoseok?”

The young man was at your door, a handful of freshly killed quails in hand, and both hounds standing behind him, panting happily. “What, I’m not late am I?”

“No, no,” you shook your head, “that’s not it at all. I just- I wasn’t expecting you?”

“Why wouldn’t you be expecting me? I thought we had a nice little arrangement going on?” He questioned.

“We did, but I have nothing else for you to fix so I assumed-”

“Y/N,” he cut you off. Cupping your cheek, you had no choice but to look up into his sweet, adoring face. “I thought it was pretty obvious you wanted me around for some other reason besides being your handyman.”

Feeling your face grow hot, you slowly nodded. 

He chuckled at you softly, his eyes never leaving yours. “So is it alright, I come over for supper?”

“Of course,” you breathed out. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so happy in so long. 

So the two of you fell into a routine of sorts, he would stop by some meat for you to cook for your supper. Over the meal, you’d catch up on your day to day activities. By the time the food was gone, and you were with full bellies, Hoseok would excuse himself. 

“Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning,” was what he would say as he left your cottage for his own home, somewhere in town. A few times you’d stayed up so late that it was well past midnight, so you offered him your place for the night. Purely because you didn’t want him out so late, but each time he refused; saying it wouldn’t be right.

Slowly, your dinner meetings would begin happening in the day time. The last few days of summer were upon you and you wanted to spend it with Hoseok, having a picnic with him. 

You dragged him up a tall grassy hill, basket full of bread, cheese, and jam. He laughed as he allowed you to pull him up towards the top, Mickey and Ann trailing behind at his heels, barking happily. Hoseok allowed the dogs to wander around the area, occasionally calling them back if they went too far. 

All set up, you both sat down and enjoyed your lunch. It wasn’t long after you finished that you scooted closer to him, and closer until your hands were almost touching. You were about to slip your hand underneath his when Hoseok’s hand moved, taking your’s and placing it in his. His hands were rough to the touch, small calluses riddled his palms. A smile playing on your lips, you rested your head on his shoulder.

Neither of you moved for hours as you watched the day go by from that little spot on the hill, relishing in the late summer sun. Out of all the years you lived, you had to think that that moment there was the most peaceful. There was no need to run, no overwhelming sense of loss, just you and Hoseok.

“What was your family like?” He questioned.

Taking a deep breath, you began talking about your late family. “My father was a miller, he’d often take me on his runs to deliver flour, giving me a little sack to carry as well,” you smiled fondly at the memory, the villagers chuckling at you as you teetered behind him. “When I was even younger, I used to lay down by the fire and watch my mother sew. . . scolding me for growing up so fast.”

“Did you have any siblings?”

“I had two younger sisters, parents weren’t able to have anymore after the youngest,” you sighed, remembering how hard your parents tried. “They adored flowers, wanting to cover the cottage we lived in with honeysuckle and wild flowers.” Your vision started to get blurry as tears welled up in your eyes.

“They sound wonderful,” Hoseok murmured.

“Yeah, they were. . .” You sighed, blinking back the tears.

“Hey,” he pulled his shoulder away to look at you. “You’re okay, it’s okay.” Hoseok’s hand moved to cup your cheek, brushing the stray hairs from your face. “Your parents are looking down on you, so proud of the woman you are today.”

Meeting Hoseok’s eyes, you’re overwhelmed with the love and adoration pouring from his gaze. Never in your three hundred years had a person ever looked at you that way. As much as you wanted to give into his love, you were scared of the inevitable. One day Hoseok would begin to age and he would notice you still look the same as the day you met. He would grow old before your eyes, leaving you no choice but to leave him broken hearted. To love him would be selfish of you.

The sound of his voice calling your name pulled you from your spiral. You watched as his eyes flickered down to your lips for a moment, before he slowly leaned in. For the first time ever time felt like it stood still. There was no inevitable ticking clock, no fear or thoughts of the future. Just you and Hoseok, on that grassy hill on a late August day. 

You should’ve known better than to have let him kiss you, as you knew as soon as you felt his lips on yours, there was no way you’d be able to let him go. Being alone for so many years, perhaps this time you could allow yourself to be selfish. One day you’d tell him about your curse, but until that day came, you were going to let yourself be with him. 

As the seasons changed, your relationship with Hoseok only grew stronger. He’d visit you daily, bringing gifts of flowers, baked goods, and other assorted courting gifts. The two of you would spend all day together, reading or he’d help you take care of your chickens. Each night, he would leave, despite your insistence on him spending the night.

“I’m courting you, let me do this right,” he whispered once as he kissed you goodnight. 

While you appreciated the sweet sentiment, he should’ve known your relationship was anything but orthodox. If your mother was still around, she surely would’ve been scandalized to hear you kissed him before you even married him. In fact the more you thought about it, the more horrified your mother would be at what you’ve done before marriage. But despite everything you may have done in the past, everything with Hoseok felt like a first.

Whenever Hoseok was with you, never did it feel like time was passing. Like it was only the two of you in your own little bubble of the world, frozen in time. Thoughts of your curse were far from your mind, but each time he left for the night, you knew you had to tell him eventually.

As the days grew colder, that ache you felt in your heart only became more apparent. Soon, you’d think to yourself, I’ll tell him soon. But it couldn’t come soon enough.

Snow soon covered the land, leaving you and Hoseok nothing much but to huddle yourselves inside your cottage. Both of you were huddled in front of your fireplace, desperate to keep warm. Hoseok’s dogs were curled up beside you as well, Mickey’s head resting on your lap as you lazily stroked his fur with one hand. You were rereading one of your novels, simply enjoying the warmth of the fire when you could feel Hoseok’s eyes on you. It wasn’t uncommon that he would stare at you as you did any sort of task, but there was something different about him. Behind his eyes, there was a particularly soft warm glow, making your body feel a thousand times more warmed than the heat of the fire in front of you.

“What are you staring at me like that for?” You finally asked, setting your book down. 

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

Within an instant you felt your cheeks warmed by his words. “Yes,” you responded shyly, avoiding meeting his eyes. 

Scooting closer to you, he took the book out of your hand, placing it off to the side. Both hands now free, he took them in his as he said your name. “I don’t know how else to say this but, I love you. I don’t know exactly when I fell for you, but I don’t think I ever want to stop.” Removing one hand from yours, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a delicate copper band. 

A gasp escaped your lips as he held out the ring for you. 

“It would give me the greatest pleasure, if you were to be my wife.”

“Yes,” you whispered. “Yes, yes!” You repeated as he slipped the ring onto your finger. Not even looking at it, you threw your arms over his shoulders. Unprepared for your sudden movement, you both went tumbling to the floor, the dogs whined as they rushed to move away from your colliding bodies. You pressed your mouth to his, smiling into it as he returned your kiss.

Until that moment, all your kisses had been brief. Fleeting kisses of hellos and goodbyes, never lasting more than a second. This kiss was different. His hands held your gently at your hips, keeping you in place on top of him. A fire ignited deep in you as you kissed him, you didn’t want to let him go now, not tonight. Keenly, you began peppering Hoseok’s entire face with kisses. His grip on you tightened as your lips traveled lower along the side of his jaw, nibbling at his neck.

“Wait,” his words came out in a groan. Calling your name, you only responded by moving back up to his lips, wanting to kiss him again. “No, not yet.”

“Hoseok, please,” you whined, breathless from the kiss.

“I know, I know, my love,” he panted as his hand came up to cup your face. “It’s getting late,” he sighed, noticing how dark the sky was outside once you were both sitting up again. 

“You could stay the night,” you offered once again. Before he could protest, you continued. “Besides, we’re engaged now. What difference would it make?”

Hoseok rolled your eyes at the logic. “The difference is I would like my first time with you, to be with you as my wife.” 

“You’re such a romantic,” you huffed as he stood up, gathering his things for him to leave.

Once all his things were together, he lowered his head down, kissing you one last time. “Goodnight, my love. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, Hoseok and his dogs left just like they would any other night. 

You stared at the door, waiting for the faint crunches of his footsteps in the snow to disappear. Now alone, you knew you had to tell him. Hopefully his love for you would trump any doubts he would have. While you could try to hurt yourself as proof, you doubt he’d want to see you harmed. Death was a jarring thing, no matter if you were to come back or not. Regardless of the outcome, you knew you’d tell him tomorrow. 

The following day, you got up like you would any other. You got yourself dressed, and began your daily activities. Everything was the way it normally was, but something felt off. You couldn’t place what was, but you knew deep down that something wasn’t right. 

Covering yourself with a thick shawl, you made your way over towards your chicken coop. Picking out the eggs from your hens, ready to make something for breakfast. Once you had enough, you made your way back over to your house. It was then you heard barking. 

Turning your head, you saw the familiar faces of Mickey and Ann, but there was no Hoseok. Setting the basket down, you lowered yourself to the ground, ready to greet the hounds. 

“Hey, hey,” you cooed as you pet the dogs, both of them clearly very distressed. “What’s going on? Where’s Hoseok?” As the mention of his name, Mickey barked at you while Ann whined, pulling at your skirts. 

“Excuse me, miss.” A new voice called from across the way. Looking up, recognizing the face as the innkeeper. You’d seen him a few times in town and Hoseok spoke of him often, as he had been renting one of his rooms the past few months. “You knew Hoseok, correct?”

“He’s my fianceé,” you responded cautiously as you straightened up. You hugged your shawl tighter around you as the innkeeper’s eyes saddened at your words. “Why? What happened?”

“I’m very sorry for your loss, miss.”

“What?” That moment, you could’ve sworn your heart stopped. Deep down, you wish it did. No, Hoseok couldn’t be gone. It couldn’t be. You wanted to accuse the innkeeper of lying, or perhaps he mistook someone for Hoseok. But the look in his eyes was clear: Hoseok was dead.

A ringing started in your ears as you stumbled back into your cabin, the dogs following after you. Barely able to hear any other word the innkeeper might’ve said, but it didn’t matter anyways. Hoseok was gone. There couldn’t be anything else to be said. 

Alone once again in your home, you collapsed onto the ground. Opening your mouth, a deafening wail passed your lips. You had died a number of times by now; you’d been poisoned, stabbed, hung, shot, drowned. You’ve felt almost every measure of pain there was, but nothing compared to the pain you felt when you’d lost your beloved Hoseok. 

You became a ghost of yourself after that day. Simply going through the motions of each day. Your only company was Mickey and Ann, who too missed their late owner. They were your only comfort, knowing that taking care of them was something Hoseok would’ve wanted you to do. Every night, they slept on your bed, curled up beside you as you lazily pet their aging bodies. 

Ann was the first to die. 10 years have passed since you lost Hoseok. You’d moved out of that cottage a few years prior, knowing it was only a matter of time before the village had caught on to your affliction. The move was particularly hard on the two hounds, not wanting to move far from the only town they’d ever known. But you had no choice. It became very apparent that Ann wished to return, always sleeping by the door, hoping you’d change your mind. That’s how you found her one spring morning, lying quietly by the door, having passed in her sleep.

You buried her in your garden, under a bed of roses.

Having lost both his sister and Hoseok, Mickey followed soon after. He rarely left your bed, only getting up to eat or to go outside. It was only three months later did you bury him beside Ann. 

The only reminder you had left of Hoseok was the ring on your finger. You rarely took it off your finger, fearing that one day you might forget it or Hoseok. Often you’d find yourself staring at the copper band. It was simple, bearing no special engravings or jewels, but it became your most prized possession.

Unfortunately, time didn’t stay still for you to wallow in your misery. You had to keep moving forward. But as time moved on, so did the world around you. It was strange how fast technology advanced, but as helpful as it was to the people around you, it became your worst nightmare. It became harder and harder to disappear, small towns and far away cabins no longer felt like the safe haven they once were. Which was how you found yourself deep in the city.

It was strange how easy it was to disappear, to simply become another face in the crowd. No one spared you a second glance, no matter how many times you may have seen them over the years, no one recognized you and your lack of aging. As long as you kept to yourself, you managed to stay hidden in plain sight.

Off the corner of 3rd street, you had your own little hole in the wall bookstore. You purchased the store from a sweet old couple a few years back, it was a quaint little bookshop, already having its own group of loyal customers. On occasion, you would get a few new faces, but it was usually the same ones everyday. 

Until today when you saw a face you hadn’t seen in almost 300 years.

Per your usual morning routine, you were taking inventory of the store when you heard the bell over the front door ring. “I’ll be with you in just a moment!” You called out, trying to finish the last few rows of books. Finished, you made your way back towards the front of the store, dusting your hands off. “Well, is there anything I can help you with-” You stopped dead in your tracks as you saw the man you had entered your store. His eyes were cast downwards and he looked over the titles of the front shelves. Hearing your arrival, familiar dark eyes faced you.

“I’m just browsing,” he said, lips curling into a smile you swore you almost forgot. 

In front of you, was Hoseok. It was, had to be. He looked every bit the same as that cold winter night when you last saw him. Your mouth opened and closed several times, before you finally gained your senses.

“Well, just, let me know if there’s anything specific you had in mind,” you responded, smiling as you spun around on your heel, wanting to make a break for your back office.

“Actually, there might be something.”

Swallowing thickly, you turned back to face him. “Oh?”

“I’m thinking of getting into cooking, do you have any cookbook recommendations?” He asked.

“Y-yeah, follow me.” Quickly, you walked over towards your cookbook section, feeling his eyes on you as you walked him over to the shelves. Dragging your fingers over the spines, you pulled out the one you were looking for. It was an older copy, you recognized from the late 80s. Inside were recipes of different types of baked goods and other dishes. “This one, I think I’ve made just about everything in it twice,” you said, pulling it off the shelf and handing it to him. 

As the man flipped through the pages, you found yourself fiddling with the ring that now hung around your neck. Long ago, you strung a chain through it, nearly losing it down the drain. You stared at him in front of you, still not able to wrap your head around it. After nearly six hundred years, you don’t think you’ve ever seen the same face twice. Maybe this was your second chance with him, to start over again. But at the same time, you knew it would be foolish. The man in front of you was a complete stranger, not Hoseok. For all you know, he could be completely different than your long lost fianceé.

Shutting the book, he nodded. “This is perfect.”

Shaking you from your thoughts, you nodded. “Great. I’ll ring you up over here.” Walking back towards the cash register, you both fell into a silence as you rang him up. “Alright, here you go,” you smiled, handing him the book.

“Thank you so much.” Cookbook and receipt in hand, he made his way towards the front door. He couldn’t go just yet, there was something you needed to know.

“Wait!” You called out right as he placed his hand on the door. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

That brilliant smile played on his lips again as he responded. “Jung Hoseok.”

[writing-makes-me-human]

Starving House Mouse

Mickey Milkovich X Reader

Pairing: Mickey Milkovich X Reader

Tv Series: Shameless

Summary: You visit Mickey after work at his house and playfully tease each other as you search the place for food, this is more of a set-up one-shot so I can get a feel for the characters.

★━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★

Mickey was flicking through the Tv channels with a beer in his free hand as his brothers Iggy and Colin sit either side of him passing a bong back and forth between each other that was barely being held together by a single piece of duct tape, it was beginning to piss Mickey off since they were leaning forwards and blocking his view of the screen.

"Hey asshats, you're in the way of the screen", Mickey jerked his hand that was holding the remote forward to gesture at the Tv, the two brothers that were spaced out from the high watched as Mickey leaned back and finished the last drop of alcohol from the can, he was fine with not getting an answer from either of the dimwits he shared DNA with.

Mickey finally found a sports game and let the remote fall beside his thigh as the three boys watched the game, it would be a few minutes until you got back from work so Mickey tried to make the most of the silence.

It had barely been ten minutes before the door creaked open and you stumbled in, tripping over a few trash bags that hadn't quite made it out to the sidewalk which made you roll your eyes and thank god that you didn't live here.

You quietly walked into the living room and smiled as you looked at the three heads emerging above the couch which belonged to the three boys who were slouched over, eyes glued to the Tv.

You thought about disturbing the peace but decided against it and walked to the fridge in the kitchen to grab a beer for yourself.

You stood in the doorway to the living room and cracked open the beer which finally got Mickey's attention as he looked over with a scowl at whoever the unknown disturber was, he raised an eyebrow as you leaned against the doorframe and nodded to the Tv.

"Who's winning?" You asked as you playfully tried to stare at the Tv in deep thought.

Mickey put the empty can on the cracked coffee table that was barely standing on its legs before he picked himself up and walked over to you with a half-smile on his face that was disguised as his usual frown, he looked at your checkout register uniform and gave a nod of approval.

"How was work, you get to pepper spray, anyone?" He pushed past you into the kitchen but you followed anyway with a hand in your front pocket of the pants you were wearing.

"Nah, all the pervs know I'm taken by the hottest guy in Chicago so they don't even waste their breath", you watched your boyfriend rummaged through the cupboards as he scoffed and finally found a box of cereal to put to good use.

"You been coming up with that one all day?" He looked around the bomb site for a clean bowl as you picked up a half-eaten chicken sandwich from the bench with a grin.

"Oh yeah I was thinking about it non-stop as I scanned half a dozen frozen dinners for a newly-widowed pregnant woman, I even tried a couple out on her as she stood there sobbing", you sniffed the chicken sandwich and put it back down.

"Hey! You get paid good money for working in that shit hole, don't complain!" He yelled as he finally found a usable bowl under a newspaper from two weeks ago.

"Oh I'm not complaining, I love being the money maker in this tie-in, it means I get to wear the pants in this relationship", you smartly replied as you stuck your head in the fridge looking for food which gave Mickey a nice view of your ass.

"Yeah well I ain't getting a job so don't try that shit", he was now patiently waiting for you to move so he could get the milk.

You pulled your head out of the fridge with an unopened packet of baloney in your hand that sparked a victorious grin on your face, however it was short-lived since Mickey grabbed it from your hand and checked the use-by-date with a smug smirk on his face.

"Dead by four months, must have been hidden at the back moron", he threw it against your head and took your place as you stumbled back and put a hand to your head as you chuckled.

"I'll have you know I'm the breadwinner in this house", you crouched to pick up the packet which made Mickey scowl since you didn't bend over for him.

"Pay for new fucking food than you big provider", he smiled as he picked up the carton of milk that barely had enough in it to use on a coffee let alone a bowl of cereal.

"Hey, animals! you use all the milk then you buy more dipshits!" He yelled past you into the living room but nobody replied.

"God I can't wait until those fuckers move out", Mickey grumbled as he finally gave up and used his arms to clear a spot on the counter where he could sit with his bowl of dry cereal and no spoon.

It was silent for a while as you took a sip of your beer and watched as Mickey finally gave into the silent promise he had made himself and decided it was time to go outside and get groceries since nobody else was going to do it in this damn house.

He pushed himself off the bench and walked to the living room, you swapped your beer for the bowl of dry cereal and shrugged to yourself as you picked up a pinch of the cheap-rip-off brand that someone had no doubt bought because it was cheaper and popped it in your mouth, it was crunchy and served its purpose of being food so you walked into the living room since you could now hear Mickey yelling.

"You're tellin' me that neither of you assholes even have a fucking quarter?" Mickey was standing in front of the Tv, blocking the view for his brothers as he crossed his arms and stared them down with a bone-chilling judgmental stare.

Colin and Iggy looked at each other silently before looking back at Mickey who scoffed and walked over to you as he tried to think of the quickest way to get cash without drawing too much attention over to him.

You stood there munching on the dry cereal as Mickey looked down to the bowl and then up to your face.

"Don't fucking eat that, come on", he whacked the bowl out of your hand, sending cereal everywhere across the carpet that had seen better days, he then grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the door so you two could leave the house.

"Micky! Where are we going?!" You yelled as he lead you around the room and picked up a gun off the table that sat in the dining room before letting go of your hand and opening the front door for you as he tucked the handgun behind his back under his jean waistband.

"Calm down mother Teresa we're just gonna go shopping", he grinned with a devious smirk on his face that might very well scare the devil.

[tamiettitami]

"Yo," Ian shouts from across the hall of he and his husband's apartment, "the shower is open if you wanna hop in." Ian stalks over to their dresser and grabs a fresh pair of navy blue boxer briefs before dropping his towel. He shimmies into them with ease, turning around once they are halfway up his thighs; all of those years of sneaking around with Mickey has made Ian lightning-fast at hiking up underwear. 

Mickey shakes his head, setting his phone next to him on their bed. "Nah, there's something else I'd rather do," his eyebrows raise twice in quick succession.

"I just got out of the shower, Mick, I don't have have another round left in me—"

"Fuck, Ian, I just wanted to cuddle. My asshole is still on fuckin' fire, anyway,” Mickey scolds, smacking his lips together for dramatic effect. “It's gonna burn like hell tryin’ to take a shit in the morning.”

“Well, in that case,” Mickey pulls back the covers allowing Ian enough room to slip through, grinning wide. Once Ian is situated, Mickey grabs the hem of their quilt and tucks himself as well as Ian in, tangling their legs together beneath the sheets.

Ian props himself up on his side using an elbow to face Mickey head-on. Instinctively, Mickey reaches out a hand to brush the few loose strands of hair out of Ian's eyes. "You're not my mom," Ian chuckles.

"Damn right, I ain't your mom," Mickey rests his palm on Ian's cheek, lightly cradling his husband's face. "You are my husband, though, and we vowed to take care of each other," Leaning down, Mickey softly presses his lips against Ian's forehead letting his mouth ghost the pale skin briefly before pulling away fully.

In his previous relationships, and even with his own family members, Ian has been scared by physical affection. With Mickey, however, it comes so naturally, it's hard to be upset. This is all Ian has ever wanted, to feel loved and appreciated, like all the shit he's been through with Monica, Frank, and the rest of his fucking family doesn't make him broken. Sure, Ian still feels broken with his bipolar disorder (though, he's gotten better at controlling these thoughts after years of taking his medications), but, to Mickey, Ian is... Ian. That's it, he's Ian Gallagher, and Mickey has never expected anything more from him, nor does he now.

"Hey," Mickey's voice is smooth, like a freshly cleaned silk sheet, "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"Nothing, I'm okay, just thinking," Ian shakes his head.

"Bullshit."

"It's not bullshit—"

Mickey rolls his eyes, "Yes, it is. Now, tell me what's wrong."

Ian takes a deep breath in, steadying himself by shifting his weight onto his back again. He laces his fingers together and places his hands on his stomach before answering Mickey's question, or more so demand. "I love you," he declares to the ceiling.

"How's that a bad thing, Mr. Milkovich?" Mickey asks, tone teasing.

"And you love me," Ian adds.

Mickey half-heartedly laughs. "That's why we got married, idiot." He can sense the tension practically radiating off Ian's skin, and the thought of his husband being uncomfortable is Mickey's least favourite thought the bare. Consequently, he slugs an arm across Ian's torso where his hands lay, and Ian latches onto Mickey's wrist like its life or death with Mickey as his lifeline.

Ian sighs. "Nobody's ever done this for me before; tucked me in, kissed me goodnight. It's nice."

"What, you think I'm just gonna sleep next to you and not do all of that shit?" Ian scoffs; Mickey always does this during sincere conversations, or at least during conversations that are supposed to be sincere and would be sincere if he wasn't dodging every fucking sentence of raw, honest emotion pouring out of Ian's mouth.

Mickey's eyes flicker over Ian's, and a wave of guilt washes over him, like this isn't the time for his attempted tough guy shit even though Ian believes there's never a time for a Milkovich's mock macho.

"Hey, hey, hey," Mickey tightens his hold on Ian, "I don't do all of this shit because I have to, I do it because I want to; you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Gallagher." Ian grins, the corners of each mouth practically touching their respective ears. "But, if—"

"—I tell anyone you said that, you'll cut my fucking throat, I know, Mick, we've been over this plenty of times," Ian finishes. "For what it's worth, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, too."

"I fucking love you," Mickey leans in, connecting their lips in a soft, yet passionate, kiss.

"I know," Ian smirks, turning onto his other side this time to wrap himself around Mickey to situate them both in their usual spooning position.

[mamanabeille]

I Don't Want to Be Reasonable

This week's @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers sprint fic. I chose the "If we both want to fit, we will have to cuddle" prompt.

“I’m going to kill her,” Luka all but growls under his breath as they stare at the single bed in the center of the room that seemed to be taunting him. He should have known. He shouldn't have expected anything less from his conniving little sister and her soon to be wife.

Juleka and Rose were getting married the next day in the little inn that Rose had fallen in love with when Juleka booked it for their first vacation away together years before. It was tiny, but somehow seemed to perfectly mesh together the two of their personalities and neither could imagine being wed anywhere else. So when they had asked Luka if he minded sharing a room with Marinette, due to a lack of enough rooms for the wedding party to each have their own, he had willingly agreed without so much of a second thought. He would do anything for the two women. He loved them both larger than life, even if in this exact moment he was fighting the urge to tear the mickey out of them… and himself for not catching on sooner. When she asked, he assumed she meant sharing an actual room… not the bed.

“So,” Marinette breaks the silence hesitantly as she looks around the tiny room, her cheeks flushed a light pink. “I’ll go back to the front desk and make sure they gave us the right room or if there’s another.” She knows it’s pointless, but she feels like she should at least offer to try.

“There isn’t,” Luka sighs, setting his bag down and taking Marinette’s off her shoulder to do the same. “They’ve booked up the whole inn.”

“I know,” Marinette nods, her voice seeming to catch in her throat. She was the one that unintentionally offered to bunk with Luka when Rose had called in tears because there just weren’t enough rooms for anyone and no other local hotels. Marinette had suggested some of the wedding party sharing rooms, not thinking in the moment that she and Luka were the only members of the party that were still single and not sharing a room with their spouses and families.

“I’ll take the floor,” Luka offers. “Or I’ll crash with Ding and Bri.”

“You will not,” she protests, glaring up at him as if he’d personally offended her. “This is the first time they’ve gotten a night away from the baby. I’m also not letting you sleep on the floor the night before your sister’s wedding. That’s absurd, for one. Besides, you get grumpy when you don’t sleep well and you will not be a grouch on their day. We are grown adults, Luka. We are more than capable of sharing a bed for a few nights.” She makes her way over to the full size bed, and plops down, patting the spot next to her as if to prove a point, even though her voice catches a little on the last few words.

Luka feels his face and neck burn hot, pushing out the thought of sharing a bed with her in a very adult way. He knows that wasn’t what she meant. That’s not what they are. They are friends. Good friends. Best friends. Best friends that both have feelings for each other, but just friends. Period. They had to be. Still, something in her phrasing, and the fact that he’d been in love with her for as long as he could remember, sends images of leaning her back against the pillows and kissing her senseless until neither of them could breath. He shakes the images away and takes a deep breath before walking over to the foot of the bed, but not laying down next to her. “Marinette. I could barely fit in the bed on my own,” he chuckles weakly, trying to keep his tone light. The woman frowns and glances between him and the bed, taking in his over six foot stature. “Well,” she offers up slowly with a growing little grin. “If we both want to fit, we will just have to cuddle.” She holds her breath as she locks eyes with him. Usually it takes a few glasses of alcohol to get her to flirt openly with the man, but something is different tonight. She knows she shouldn’t be playing this game with him. It always ends with one of them hurt and wanting more, usually both of them if she’s being honest with herself. She can’t seem to stop herself though. “Come cuddle, Lu? Please...” Waiting for his response seems to last an eternity. She watches Adam's apple bob as he nearly choked on his words, and her sudden burst of confidence falters. “You're killing me,” he groans, sinking down on the bed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and bury his face in his hands, his fingers tangling into his hair. “You’re supposed to be the reasonable one here, Nette.” Marinette smirks, and slinks down the bed to wrap her arms around his middle, resting her chin on his shoulder as she curls around him. “I don’t want to be tonight. I’m always the rational one.” “Because they are your reasons. Our schedules are still crazy. We are rarely even in the same hemisphere We are too important to each other to fuck this up.” He says the words as much to himself as her, but she can feel his posture softening under her. “Fuck, Nette. We can't do this,” he huffs out, straightening up slowly to not knock her off the edge, and gestures between the two of them. “And just expect for everything to stay the same.” “I know,” she nods softly, turning her eyes downward to where her hands were now slowly twiddling in her lap. The two of them sit in a strained silence for a few minutes, backs barely brushing against one another. Luka lets out a few audible deep breaths, trying to recompose himself, while Marinette bit her bottom lip trying to fight of the tears stinging her eyes. “I’m sorry,” Luka sighs, just as Marinette whispers out a barely there “I don’t want things to stay the same.” Luka’s head shoots up at her words, and he turns to face her so quickly she nearly does topple off the bed this time. His hand instinctively reaches out to steady her and he leaves it there grasping her arm as if she’s his only life line. “What?” he questions, his eyes begging her to repeat the words, praying to whatever gods would listen that he heard her correctly. Marinette looks up at him, just as vulnerable and swallows down the nerves that are stuck in her throat. “I don’t want things to stay the same anymore. I know they’re my reasons. I know I’ve always been the one that’s pushed back against us for so long. I know that it’s probably not fair for me to be saying any of this, especially not right now, but I’m tired of fighting it, Lu. I want you. I want us, and I know it’s going to be hard with how crazy our lives are, but I lov-” Luka cuts her off, capturing her lips with his own, pouring every ounce of love, longing, and joy he can into the kiss. It’s like opening the floodgates after years, and built up tension and desperation deeps the kiss. When neither can resist the need to breathe any longer, and they slowly pull away from one another, he stays hovering over her, so close he

can feel her rapid breaths against his kiss bruised lips. Her expression falls and she catches her bottom lip in her teeth again. “I’m scared, Luka,” she whimpers. “What if we hurt each other?” “I’m not,” he whispers, afraid to ruin the moment he’s waited so long for. “I’m willing to do whatever is needed to make sure we work, Marinette.” He pulls back just enough so that he can look her directly in the eyes a little easier. “I think if we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve been hurting each other but not giving us a chance.” Marinette lets out a shaking breath and nods. Luka presses a soft kiss to her lips before rolling over next to her. She doesn’t hesitate to curl into his side, resting her face against his chest. His arm wraps around her, and he places a soft kiss to her head. Her fingers lightly trace up and down his arm, down his chest, over his torso then back. They stay there in each other's embrace, stealing little kisses, a few giggles and declarations of love until there’s a knock at the door reminding them the rehearsal dinner had started ten minutes ago.

Luka decides to ignore the blatant smirk of a compliment on his sister’s face once the two of them do make it to dinner, hand in hand with matching lovestruck grins.

[daised-daisy]

Our Happily Ever After

One last quick thing for the first day of @loginceweek2022! I had this on my old account and I decided to repost it here since it fits with the proposal theme.

Ship: Logince (Logan x Roman)

Word Count: 759

Summary: Logan has a special surprise for Roman during their trip to Disney World.

~

Taking Roman to Disney World was the best decision Logan had ever made. This was the happiest he’d ever seen his adorable Disney-loving boyfriend. His green eyes were constantly wide and filled with wonder and amazement, and always complimented with a bright, excited smile. And of course, Roman being Roman, was dressed incredibly stylishly and in a Disney theme. He had a gray Mickey Mouse shirt that was slightly oversized tucked into red shorts, and some Minnie Mouse Ears that had a red bow with white polka dots. Those ears have already almost fallen off multiple times when Roman got bouncy from his excitement.

“Mmph.” Logan looked down when he heard a noise and something touching his side. Roman was pressed against him with his arms around Logan’s waist and his head buried in Logan’s side.

“You alright, Ro?” Logan asked, bringing his hand up to rub Roman’s back. Logan could see a peek of a smile at the corner of Roman’s lip. He nodded and looked up at him.

“I love you,” he said. Logan smiled back at him.

“I love you too,” he said. As he stared down at Roman, he felt an urge. He was going to wait until later when the sun was just beginning to set, when the sky was painted with Roman’s favorite colors—red and pink and orange and yellow. But as Roman pulled away from him and started talking about what they could do next, rocking back on his heels and forwards onto the balls of his feet over and over as he spoke, Logan knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

“Roman, let’s get a nice picture by the castle,” he said. Roman looked at him, a little surprised, glancing over at the semi-long line behind the photographer. He scrunched up his face with pursed lips skewed to the side. “And we’ll get some lunch afterward. Come on.” He took his hand and led him to the back of the line. Roman wasn’t really pumped about waiting in this line for a photo when he could be waiting for a ride or looking through the shops, but he knew this trip wasn’t all about him, so he waited as patiently as he could next to his beloved boyfriend.

Logan knew Roman was bored as soon as they stepped in line, but luckily, he had planned for this. He took off his small backpack and pulled out a Mickey themed fidget spinner he had secretly bought and handed it to Roman, who immediately perked up.

“It lights up if press the buttons,” he said. Roman happily busied himself with it while also talking to Logan about things like what their favorite ride was so far. Roman thought himself to be quite funny when he first answered ‘you’. Logan had done a lot of carrying that trip when Roman’s feet got tired.

After surprisingly not that long, they reached the front of the line. Roman gave Logan the fidget spinner and he put it back in his bag, discretely taking something else out as he did. He quickly whispered something to the photographer while Roman got in the spot in front of the castle. Logan stood by his side with one hand around Roman’s waist.

“Three... two...” the photographer said. Roman felt Logan’s touch disappear. Confused, he turned to him and found him down on one knee beside him. He gasped. “One!” Click.

“Roman, before I met you, I didn’t believe in things like true love’s kiss or happily ever after. I thought my life would remain dull and repetitive and consistent because that’s the way I thought I wanted it,” Logan began, holding up a ring with the Tangled sun on it. “But then you came into my life and I realized just how wrong I was, because, Roman, you are my happily ever after.” He smiled and took a deep breath. “So, will you marry me?”

Roman was already crying, and had been fanning his face with his hands as he listened to Logan. He nodded enthusiastically, smiling even brighter that he had been before from just being in the parks.

“Yes!” he said. Logan took his hand and put the ring on. Roman then pulled him up and kissed him, and they got a few cheers from the people who had been waiting in line behind them.

Logan paid for the picture, then quite literally swept Roman off his feet, carrying him to Pinocchio’s so he and his dream come true, his everything, his fiancé could get something to eat.

[unbridgeabledistances]

some ian/mickey prompts! (this is not a demand, just some ideas☺️)

• waking up/going to sleep

• cuddling

• domestic scenes in general

• hurt/comfort scenarios

• being in each other’s company (like ur recent fic) and falling in love with each other again

I really don’t know how to describe but I hope these are enough?

<3 ah thank u so much for these ideas anon! i couldn’t fall asleep last night bc i was stressed about a bunch of stuff, so i started to write this little bit of nighttime fluff that seems to fit with your requests:) i hope u enjoy!!

a drabble where ian can’t sleep, and mickey comforts him (can be set as a little coda to 11x05)

--

It was the dead of night at the Gallagher house— Ian was staring up at the ceiling, his eyes trying pierce through the blanket of darkness to count the cracks in the crumbling plaster above him and listening for something, anything, to distract his mind and finally get him to go the fuck to sleep. But it was no use— it was so late that even the usual summer chatter that bubbled up from the South Side street corners into open windows on wafts of summer air had stilled, leaving Ian sweaty and tired and restlessly laying in bed. Ian was more than tired; he was fucking exhausted, his eyes red-rimmed and scratchy and his muscles tense and rigid. Most nights Ian slept well, or slept okay at the least—he kind of had to learn to sleep in any situation after sharing a room with Lip and Carl and Liam for his entire childhood, always plagued with slamming doors and shouting voices. It wasn’t noise that usually kept Ian awake on nights like tonight, it was silence— a deafening, pounding silence that felt like it was crawling under his skin.

He looked over at Mickey, curled tightly on the opposite side of the bed, facing the wall with his arms around his chest and the covers practically up to his chin, the only really visible part of him the sliver of pale skin at the back of his neck that reflected the gauzy moonlight that was streaming in through the blinds. Ian noticed how comfortably Mickey’s face was pressed into the pillow, with even breaths escaping his half-open mouth, and instantly felt a pang of envy. That was the thing about Mickey—he never really had trouble sleeping. Mickey could always drift off the second he hit the sheets, whatever voices that lived inside his head easily quieting when the lights were dim and the world was still. Ian didn’t get it—the voices in his head always ramped up when the lights turned off, always churned and swirled and made him question his entire existence in the stagnant, pitch-black silence— and usually Ian could quiet them, after a little while, but on a night like tonight Ian knew he’d be stuck in the spiral, with his heart racing, until the sun came up. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to will his body to relax.

Ian could feel an odd sense of panic bubbling up in his throat as he laid there unmoving, feeling suffocated by the heat of the deep, dark night pressing in on him. His legs felt tingly and restless, and his head was throbbing because of how tired he was but the static in his mind kept whirring, like a broken radio set to the wrong frequency. He sighed loudly, letting the air burning in his lungs fizzle out of him, just wanting to penetrate the thick silence. He just wanted to be asleep—he was supposed to get up early to put the coffee on before Lip had a job interview, and then he wanted to go for a jog before he and Mickey had a shit ton of weed runs to do that would jam-pack the entire day tomorrow…

Beside him, Mickey shuffled beneath the covers. Ian froze. Fuck, he did not want to wake Mickey up right now. Mickey was crabby and groggy on the best of mornings, but when he didn’t get enough sleep he was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, Ian’s prayers went unanswered. Mickey drew in a deep breath, rustling under the sheets once more.

“Okay Gallagher, what’re you sighing for?” Mickey’s flat, muffled voice piped up from under his blanket cocoon, low and throaty and full of sleep. He sounded exasperated and deflated, and definitely not fully awake.

Ian let out another long breath, more quietly this time. “Nothing, Mick. Go back to sleep.”

But of course, instead of listening, Mickey aggressively yawned and turned over, stretching to shift his body weight and turn onto his opposite side to face Ian. Ian just remained where he was laying, his head lying limp and heavy on the pillow while he stared up at the ceiling.

Mickey dazedly rubbed his eyes, noticing that Ian was fully awake. Immediately, Mickey shook off the sleep that was clouding his eyes. He stared at Ian for a moment, his eyes wide and searching. After a moment, almost on reflex, he carded a quick, gentle hand through the front of Ian’s hair as he leaned in closer.

“You feeling okay?” Mickey’s voice was distant and drowsy, like he was still half-asleep but trying to will himself to wake up.

Am I feeling okay? There was so much latent meaning wrapped up in that question, and Ian felt a cavernous gratefulness bloom in his chest that this was the way Mickey asked—he wasn’t assuming that Ian being manic was the reason that he couldn’t sleep, but he didn’t rule it out either. Mickey was just waiting for Ian to tell him what he was feeling, what he needed, without assuming anything about Ian’s brain before Ian did.

Am I feeling okay?

Ian swallowed, his glassy eyes still fixated on the cracks in the ceiling that he could barely make out in the dark.

“Yeah. S’not anything to worry about, I’ve been taking my meds. I’m just… stressed out I guess.” Ian could hear the fatigue dripping from his voice as it glided across the darkness.

Mickey was still staring at Ian, his gaze piercing and concerned.

“Stressed out?” Mickey questioned lowly, like he’d never heard the two words before.

“Yes, Mickey, stressed out. I don’t know, it’s fucking stupid, just go back to bed.” Ian sighed in frustration.

Instead, Mickey shifted again, propping himself up on his elbow and leaning fully on his side, looking like a teenage girl at a sleepover who was ready to hear some juicy gossip.

“Well I’m awake now, mouth-breather, so why don’t you tell me what you’re worried about?”

Ian gave a quiet, strangled chuckle. What the fuck was he supposed to say? It just fucking sucked to not be able to sleep, to lie there frustrated with dry eyes and a parched throat, grasped tight in the clutches of whatever worries were lying hollow and dark in the pit of his stomach and not being able to do anything about it.

Ian knew it was stupid, but for the last few months he had been pretty much the only one worrying about keeping things together— getting steady money, putting aside fucking savings, trying to keep the house intact and fill the gaping hole Fiona left behind that Ian still just didn’t fit into right, for the sake of Liam and Franny and Carl now that Lip had moved out. Ian had never really given a shit about money, until he had to start caring about everyone else—and it didn’t bother him, it really didn’t, but now that Ian was caught in this fucking sticky silence, he realized how much worrying about taking care of everyone else was actually wearing him down, grinding away at him bit by bit without him noticing.

He exhaled a heavy, trembling breath.

“Just. I don’t know. Worried about money, I guess? And worried about our job. I know we agreed on guns, and I totally fucking get that now, but I’ve never done a job that’s so… dangerous? And then I’m panicking because what if we make total asses of ourselves with this business bullshit and fail and lose everything, and then we’d be back to square one…”

Mickey just sat there perched on his elbow, listening. He wordlessly reached to press the pad of his thumb to Ian’s forehead, above his eyebrows, smoothing the worry lines and creases that started to bloom there as Ian spoke.

“And I just… I don’t know, my heart’s just fucking racing for some reason tonight and I can’t make it stop.”

Mickey continued to silently run his thumb gently on Ian’s face, tracing above his eyebrow and the side of his temple in a soothing pattern that made Ian’s eyes want to flutter shut for the first time in hours.

“S’there anything I can do?” Mickey’s gravelly, sleepy voice cut through the darkness.

Ian peeled his eyes from the ceiling, and shifted them to meet Mickey’s. He was still staring down at Ian with searing concern, like Ian’s stupid fucking worries were a big deal if they were making him feel this distressed.

“It’s fine, Mick. Just get some sleep.” Ian held Mickey’s gaze for a moment, expecting him to turn back over and wrap the blankets around himself.

Instead, Mickey curled closer, draping a heavy arm over Ian’s waist, followed by a thick and heavier thigh between Ian’s legs, his nose nuzzling into the side of Ian’s neck. Ian froze, just for a moment—Mickey definitely usually wasn’t the one to initiate tender touches of intimacy, but he was half-asleep and he knew how much Ian needed this right now, knew it would calm his racing heart down to a steady beat. Instantly, Ian felt something, some heaviness that was burrowed deep in his chest, dissipate at Mickey’s touch.

“Mick,” Ian said. There was something in his lungs, in his throat, on his tongue. He didn’t know what it was. All he knew is that his heartbeat was slowing, his blood was running through his veins at a normal speed again, and the pressure building in his head starting to dissipate.

“This okay?” Mickey was almost asleep again, and mumbled the words into the crook of Ian’s neck, his breath tickling Ian’s chin.

Ian breathed out with relief, curling a hand over Mickey’s shoulders and drinking in the feeling of Mickey’s warm skin nestled against his, a grounding, solid weight holding him at bay. “Yeah, this is good.”

[apolloloki97]

“Gay Judas” Mickey Milkovich x Ian Gallagher

Summary: When Mickey hears about Ian’s Gay Jesus bullshit, he decides it’s time to intervene.

Word Count: 2235

Warning: Swearing, Bipolar Disorder

Song I Wrote To: “Heat Waves Stripped-Version” by Glass Animals

Note: I really needed Mick to show up and shut this shit down and so I wrote this.

--------

Mickey Milkovich had uprooted his life for Ian Gallagher and he was happy to do it.

That is until it involved Ian being a complete moron. 

Mickey had been at a random bar somewhere outside the main city he was staying in while in Mexico when he had caught a shot of his ex-boyfriend’s face on someone’s phone nearby. All it said was Chicago’s Gay Jesus and Mickey knew something was very wrong. It didn’t take him long to find the articles about Ian’s new crusade and that was when he had risked a call to Svetlana.

Hearing that Ian had become some kind of gay symbol was one thing, but the way he was doing it told Mickey another: Ian was in a manic stage and nobody was helping him. That was how he found himself back on the streets of the Southside with an angry Russian hooker by his side. “This one,” Svetlana said as she pointed to a church on the corner. 

Both Svetlana and Mickey paused as they stared up at the banners that hung on the outside of the church. “Fucking hell, Ian,” Mickey swore as he saw the ridiculous illustrations of the ginger on banners and even t-shirts. 

“What’s the plan? Punch moron till he stop?” Svetlana asked. 

“Depends on if his little cultists swing first,” Mickey said as he scratched at his nose with his thumb before taking a deep breath. “Alright, Svet, take me to church.” 

Ian was in the middle of a sermon, sort of, when Mickey burst into the room, Svetlana following right behind him. “Alright rainbow warriors, take a fucking seat!” Mickey yelled, announcing himself. Ian stared at the man in front of him, unable to think clearly. Trevor, who had begrudgingly gone to this specific meeting was looking between the two in confusion. 

“What the shit!” Ian exclaimed, unsure of what else to say. 

“Svet, grab him,” Mickey ordered and then all five-foot-seven of pure Russian confidence was charging down the aisle towards a surprised Ian. Mickey watched as Svetlana grabbed Ian and nearly tackled him to overpower him. Ian was strong, always had been, but Svet was just as pissed at him as Mickey was.

“You idiot,” Svetlana said as she grabbed Ian by the back of his neck and took his arm, dragging him off the dais. Ian stumbled after her, still trying to get the right words out. 

“Hey! Let him go!” one of Ian’s disciples said as they moved to follow them. Svetlana pulled her knife and leveled it at the girl. Trevor stood then, ready to intervene. 

“Fucking hell, Svet! Put the damn knife away, we’re in a fucking church,” Mickey said as she lowered the blade and continued to push Ian towards the door, but Gallagher was starting to resist.

“Come, Orange Boy, we need to talk,” Svetlana said, hooking her arms around Ian’s biceps. 

“No! Ian! You can’t just take him!” Another girl said as she cried out for her "savior". 

“Ah, don’t worry your little gay heads about it, I’ll bring your pariah back in one peace,” Mickey said, flipping her off before going to follow Ian and Svetlana. 

“Who the hell are you?” a younger man said, trying to step into Mickey’s path. Mickey just grinned at him before punching him in the face. The guy fell amongst the pews and Mickey turned to the rest of the room, splaying his arms wide. 

“Just call me Gay Judas,” Mickey said with a wink.

“Mickey!” Ian screamed, causing Mickey to roll his eyes. Trevor began to move toward as Mickey’s name fell from Ian’s lips. He knew immediately that this was the Mickey and Trevor was not about to let the convict take Ian away from him. 

“Svet, get the bag!” Mickey said as he ran off after them. Trevor followed, bursting through the front doors just to see Svetlana throwing Ian into the back of an SUV with a black bag over his head. Mickey slid into the front seat and started up the engine. He gave a salute to Trevor as he hit the gas and sped off.

Ian swore from the backseat as Svetlana kept him contained, holding down his arms. “You fuckers!” Ian yelled. “Let me go! What the fuck ever happened to Mexico!” Mickey ignored him, not wanting to answer any questions just yet. Not until they were alone. Mickey didn’t have a lot of time and he needed to make the best of it before his deadline. 

They arrived at the Alibi soon after and Svetlana helped Mickey drag Ian into the basement that Kev usually used to store weed for his and Lip’s “ice cream truck”. Now it was mainly used for interrogations or in Ian and Mickey’s case, interventions. 

Svetlana and Mickey threw Ian down onto a chair and then tore the bag from his face. “Again with the fucking bag!” Ian shouted, nearly growling at Mickey. 

“Shut up, Red,” Mickey said with a warning look. Ian looked around and began to settle down as he realized where he was. Still, it didn’t comfort him to know that his ex had essentially kidnapped him.

Again.

“Thanks, Svet, I owe you,” Mickey said. Svetlana leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before sending another glare at Ian as she turned to leave. As soon as the door closed and locked behind them, Mickey walked forward and landed a punch to Ian’s jaw. 

“Fuck!” Ian yelled. 

“You’re lucky that’s all I did, you fucking idiot,” Mickey said. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ian asked. 

“I’m here, you moron, to shut this shit down,” Mickey said, grabbing at Ian’s Gay Jesus t-shirt. “Do you know how many fucking busses and trains I had to take to get back here? Fuck, Gallagher… what the fuck are you doing, man?” Mickey said, lowering his voice a bit more as Ian also began to settle. 

“I’m helping,” Ian said, still trying to grasp the fact that Mickey was in front of him, that Mickey was home. 

“Helping who, Ian? The fucking loons who want to lick your boots? What about being an EMT?” Mickey asked. 

“It wasn’t enough,” Ian argued. 

“Says who?” Mickey countered, but Ian just remained quiet. Mickey swore again, rubbing at his temples as he began to pace in front of Ian. He had planned out this whole speech he was going to say, but now he could barely get the words out. He couldn’t look at Ian without thinking about how the man had left him at the border, alone and heartbroken. However, he knew that Ian was always going to be dealing with bullshit like this. “You’re off your meds, aren’t you?” Mickey asked though he didn’t really need an answer. He knew what it looked like when Ian was manic. 

“Fuck you,” Ian said. 

“Uh, no,” Mickey said, crossing his arms. “I didn’t get back across the border for this shit or for you to be all dismissive when I ask about your fucking well-being. Nobody has fucking noticed have they?” Mickey asked, knowing damn well the Gallaghers forgot Ian existed half the time. Ian didn’t respond, but that was an answer in itself. “Fucking Gallaghers,” Mickey swore causing Ian to look at him with recognition, seeing his Mickey again was making his heart ache. “Get it together, Ian,” Mickey said. 

“Right,” Ian scoffed and Mickey began to lose it. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you? And don’t give me all this 'woe is me bullshit', you’re smarter than this.” 

“These kids need my help!” 

“There are other ways to help them, Ian! Social workers, cops, hell a fucking walk-a-thon, but not this! This is unrecognizable.” 

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” Ian challenged.

“That’s a bunch of bullshit and we both know it,” Mickey said. “I know you inside and out. I know your soul like the back of my fucking hand. Don’t you tell me that I don’t know you, Ian Gallagher. Don’t you say that shit to me.” Ian was quiet then, trying to keep it together. “You want to mean something? Start by setting a decent example for these kids that are following you like a bunch of gay ugly ducklings.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Ian said. 

“Stop,” Mickey said, approaching Ian. He leaned over and braced his hands on either side of the man below him, his hands digging into the armrests. “You mean something to this world, Ian, but you don’t need to go off the rails to prove it,” Mickey said with a desperate tone to his voice. 

“Why do you care?” Ian asked, staring up into Mickey’s eyes. 

“Why do I care?” Mickey echoed. “Did you forget everything that fucking happened at the border?” he asked as he pushed back from Ian. “I fucking love you, you idiot and I’m worried about you.” Ian was quiet for a moment before he finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

“It got out of hand,” Ian admitted. 

“Yeah, no shit,” said Mickey. “Fuck, where the hell is your family?” 

“Busy,” Ian said with a shrug. That also didn’t surprise Mickey. The time Ian left to join the military, Fiona had barely looked for him. In fact, Mickey couldn’t remember anyone actively looking for Ian until the Army came looking for Lip. That had pissed off Mickey to no end, even if he never told the Gallaghers that. 

“And what about that boyfriend of yours?” Mickey asked, remembering Ian talking about his relationship when Mickey had escaped. 

“He saw me losing it,” Ian divulged with another shrug. 

“And he didn't do anything like drag your ass to the clinic?” 

“No,” Ian said. 

“Fucking hell, Gallagher, you need better friends,” Mickey said, running his hands over his face. His stubble was growing out again and he desperately needed a shave. “This shit stops now, okay?” Mickey urged and Ian nodded, trying to keep it together. Mickey kneeled in front of him and from his jacket, produced the familiar orange bottles that held Ian’s meds. “I picked these up on my way.” 

Ian stared at the pills with disdain but didn’t shove them out of Mickey’s hands to the latter’s relief. “You broke into my house…” Ian said. 

“I still have a key, moron,” Mickey said and then softer, “Come on, baby.” Ian stopped at the use of the pet name. Mickey never tended to use anything but the more insulting nicknames, but there were times when they just slipped out and the gentler side of Mickey was revealed. A side that Ian loved the most.

Ian opened his hand and Mickey doled out his dosage before grabbing a bottle of water from the storage crate and handing it to Ian. With a deep sigh, Ian took all his stabilizers and antidepressants in one go, following up with a few swigs of water. Mickey relaxed as soon as the meds were in Ian’s system, feeling exhaustion weighing on him from all the days he had spent worrying about the love of his life. “Stop trying to fuck up this life you have, Ian,” Mickey said, reaching out to hold Ian’s face in his hand. “You’re so much better than this.” Ian leaned into his palm, savoring the small moment. 

“I missed you,” Ian said, closing his eyes. 

“Missed you, too,” Mickey whispered. Leaning in, Mickey rested his forehead against Ian’s and tried not to let the tears that threatened to spill cascade down his cheek. He didn’t need to get emotional now, he didn’t have much time left. 

“You better get back to Mexico,” Ian whispered. 

“I ain’t going back,” Mickey admitted. Ian pulled back just enough to see Mickey’s face. 

“Why?” he asked. 

“I made a deal,” Mickey said with a sad smile. “I rolled on a cartel back in Mexico. Told the Feds I’d finish my sentence here as long as they gave me the afternoon to finish something up. I took down some pretty fucked up dudes so they agreed. I gotta turn myself in in about twenty minutes.” Ian seemed to deflate then as realization set in.

Mickey was going back to jail because he came to save him. Again. 

“I’m sorry, Mick,” Ian said. Mickey was shaking his head already as he ran his hands over Ian’s shoulders and up to his neck, relishing in the feel. 

“Don’t apologize,” Mickey said, “but fucking visit me this time, will you?” 

“Every week,” Ian promised without hesitation. 

“Soft,” Mickey teased, and that caused Ian to laugh finally. He then turned serious. 

“Thanks, Mick,” Ian said. "Thanks for coming to get me.”

“I always will,” Mickey promised. “Especially when you’re going all psycho-ginger on me.” Ian laughed again and then surged forward to kiss Mickey, crushing their lips together. Mickey savored every taste and feel of Ian’s lips on him, knowing it was going to be a while before they had another moment like this. He didn’t think Beckman would offer conjugal visits anytime soon. When they separated, Ian smiled again. 

“Stop kidnapping me, Milkovich,” Ian said as he kissed Mickey quickly again. 

“What can I say?” Mickey said. “I’m a whore for the dramatics, Gay Jesus.”

“Oh, shut up, you fucking convict,” Ian said as he grabbed him again.

Regardless of what the future held, they still have twenty minutes. 

[chemist-ana]

Chapter 13 The Morning After— Sams POV

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Sam, Ana Schuyler (MC), Vivan and Mason Dalton

Pairing: Sam Dalton (male) x Ana Schuyler (MC)

Rating: 18+

Content Warning: NSFW, Sexual Language, Adult Language, Sexual Situations

A/N I know there are a lot of people that do not like Sam Dalton- that being said, this chapter was especially difficult for me to write, because I am trying to give him a redeeming character arc. As a person that is involved with the family business, I can understand to a degree where he is coming from with the guilt and what he chooses some of the decisions he does. BUT please do not forgot that MC is culpable and definitely at fault as well. There are definitely some cringe worthy things in this chapter- but I hope y'all love it! Also a super big thank you for @txemrn for talking me through some of these ideas and for being the queen of angst. Love you p.

Summary: In the cold light of day, will you and Ana be able to face the consequences of your actions?

Word Count: 5800

Tag List:  @txemrn @secretaryunpaid @lifeaskim @aussieez @pixie88 @thefrenchiemama @sfb123 @mainstreetreader @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @lady-calypso @choicesficwriterscreations @somersetmummy @melalicious8383 @chrissythadon @shannonwrote @jerzwriter

The sound of my footsteps, my labored breathing, and the early morning traffic are the only sounds in my ears, as I push my legs faster through Central Park. I reach up and wipe at the sweat that is beading on my brow, silently cursing the wretched New York, humid, summer mornings.

I usually run with music blasting in my ears… but I decided this morning to torture myself, and I can’t decide whether its working. The sounds of Ana’s moans echo through my mind, as steady as my heart beats. I see a gorgeous blonde running towards me and I give her a crooked smile as our eyes connect. She just about trips on the pavement before composing herself mid stride and continues past me, avoiding my gaze.

Well that didn’t help.

I push myself harder in the last few hundred yards of my run, and when my building finally comes into view, I slow down to a walk, reaching my arms up to catch my breath.

“Good morning, Mr. Dalton.” The morning doorman greets as he opens the door to the lobby for me.

“Thanks, Felix.” I nod as I breeze past him, waving my keycard at the scanner to my penthouse elevator.

When the door dings open, I hold my breath as I walk quietly through the still living room, everyone is still sleeping. I stop outside of Ana’s door. Resting my hands on her door frame and closing my eyes. I take a deep breath, what the fuck happened last night… I walk into my master bathroom, turning the shower water on cold.

My brain delves into the guilt that is sitting heavy on my shoulders. The guilt that I have for the years I spent fucking off in college instead of setting myself up for my future. The guilt I have for losing Eva. The guilt I have for hiring Ana… And now to add more… the guilt that I have for fucking her last night. What the fuck were you thinking? I tilt my head up into the cold water, letting the shock send a shudder down my spine.

My life has revolved around this family business… watching the countless hours my father has spent building it from nothing into this global conglomerate. The knowledge that one day, this would all be mine. The endless chiding from my father to fit into his mold of what the perfect CEO would be. Married with children. I have truly never been in control of my life… even when I married Eva. I thought she was the one… but now that I have Ana… stop it you fool, you don’t have Ana… she deserves better than your spineless tricks. Fuck, fuck, fuck, what am i doing? I reach up and rest my hands on the shower wall, letting my head lull forward.

What the fuck happens next?

***

“Good morning.” I greet the twins and Ana as I round the corner into the kitchen.

“Morning, dad.” The boys look at me with defeated looks, I’m guessing it has something to do with the beige mush in their bowls.

I cast a quick glance at Ana as a blush creeps up her neck.

“Ana? Are you alright?”

She shakes her head slightly before looking at me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about last night.” Her eyes linger on mine.

The all too clear memory of her moans and the feel of her body come flooding back into my mind again, but I quickly shove them away as I stare back at her.

“Yeah! Carter said you went to that fancy party thing with Dad!” My eyes flick to Mason as he sets his spoon down.

“Did you pull any pranks?” Mickey asks with a smile.

“Not this time. Maybe we just needed someone to show us how it’s done.” I look between them.

“I’d rather stay home and eat pizza, thanks!” Mickey’s eyes grow wide as he takes another bite of his mush, god that doesn’t look good at all.

I grab a cup of coffee and turn to walk towards my office.

“Can we talk later?” Ana whispers as she leans in close to me.

My stomach drops and I feel my body stiffen. I don’t spare her a glance before answering. “… Yes. Later.”

Without another word I head to my home office, leaving a stunned Ana behind. I can feel her gaze as I round the corner and close the door quietly behind me.

I don't know what to say to you yet, Ana…

I sit down in my Wegner chair, switching the Tiffany Lamp on. I rub my hands down my face with a sigh. The silence is broken by the ringing of my cell phone, I glance down and my fathers name is flashing on the screen.

“Hey, dad.” I set my phone on my desk and turned it on speaker.

“Sam, things in Italy are not clearing up. I need you there to fix this mess.”

I let out a sharp exhale through my teeth and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“This is pretty short notice.”

“After what happened in Milan, LEMA is having some hesitations as to our abilities to run a company that handles sensitive medical information. I don't think I need to tell you how important this deal is. We need to take care of this ourselves, unless you want me to send Robin?” I can hear the challenge in his voice as my chest constricts.

“How long do you think I will be there?” I ask, avoiding his antagonizing, my mind flashing to the boys… and then to Ana..

“Does it matter, Sam? As long as it takes. I already spoke with Sofia, she is going to go with you. I have some briefs and copies of all the contracts being sent to your office now. You will need to read them all to get caught up. I also scheduled you the jet for tomorrow morning.”

My head falls back as I close my eyes.

“Sam?”

“Yeah, yeah, dad, I heard you. I will be there soon.”

“I’ll be in your office at noon.” He ends the call.

I glance down at my watch, it's already 11.  FUCK.

I look at my office door, time to do whatever needs to be done.

I walk quietly through the penthouse, running over the words in my head. I hear the twins in their room, and I decide to start with them. When I see Ana putting their laundry away, my breath gets caught in my throat. At least you only have to say this once…

“I’m about to go into the office, but I wanted to talk to you first.” I say as I walk into their room.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Ana turns towards me. I move further into the twins room and take a seat on the edge of the lower bunk bed. Mason and Mickey stand in front of me.

“What’s wrong, Dad? You look sad…” Mason’s face drops when he notices my crestfallen expression.

“I’m not… sad. I just know you’re not going to like what I have to say.” I take a deep breath and clear my throat.

“Then you gotta just rip it off. Like a Band-Aid.” Mickey smiles.

“Right, like a Band-Aid.” I keep my eyes fixed on the twins but I can feel the heat from Ana’s gaze. “I have to go to Italy for a business trip… as soon as possible.”

A silence settles over the room as the twins look between themselves..

“What? You’re fleeing the country, just like that?” Ana breaks the palpable silence.

“I wouldn’t call it ‘fleeing’. Dalton Enterprises has been in negotiations for months, and after the Milan breach… well my dad just doesn’t trust anyone else to handle it.”

“What about us?” Mason murmurs sadly.

“Aunt Sofia isn’t staying here, is she?” Mickey's eyes are wide.

“No, she’ll be in Naples with me. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone. You’ll have Ana.” I turn to  face Ana and her gaze is focused on the twins, but I can see the hurt in her emerald eyes.

“Let’s not overreact here. It’s just a flight and some meetings, right? I bet your dad will be back before you know it.” A smile trains on the corners on her lips as she tries to brighten the mood.

I wish that was all…

“Actually… depending on the negotiations, I could be gone a couple months.”

“A couple months?” Mickey shouts.

“But… that’s the rest of summer.”  I look at Mason and see only one thing: disappointment.

“Seriously, Sam? That’s so long! For the boys I mean.” Her eyes fall to the floor.

“My parents were often overseas for months at a time when I was younger. They’ll survive.” I hate the words as they leave my lips.

“But don't you want them to do more than just survive?” She looks up at me in concern.

“I’m trying to not let emotions cloud my judgement here. I don't have a choice in the matter.” I clench my jaw.

“You always have a choice, Sam.” Her eyes hold mine.

I take a deep breath turning my attention back to the twins.

“Can we at least come visit you while you’re gone?” Mason is picking at a piece of string that is fraying from his blanket.

“Of course, buddy. I’m sure we can work something out. In the meantime, why doesn’t Ana take you two out for the day?” I rest my hands on the twins' shoulders. “I’ve got to prepare for my trip, but we’ll have a special dinner tonight before I go. Promise.” I wrap my arms around them and bring them tight to my sides. I wish I didn't have to leave you… someday you will understand. I hope.

I walk out of the twins room, avoiding the heat from Ana’s gaze as she watches me.

***

The words all run together as I sit at my desk and try to read the briefs from Italy. My office door opens and my eyes meet my fathers’s as he strolls in and sits in the leather chair in front of me.

“Did you read all of those?” He asks gruffly, his eyes flicking down to the papers that are strewn across my desk.

I collect all of them into a stack as I avoid his gaze. “I got the jist.”

A silence settles between us and I can feel his eyes trained on me. When I finally raise my gaze, he narrows his eyes and his mouth sets in a thin line. “What’s going on with you, Sam?”

“Nothing, Dad, I’m just tired. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Don’t insult me, I know you better than that. You are distracted, you have been since your mother and I got back from Italy. Have you been drinking too much again?”

I raise my brow at him incredulously. “Dad.”

“Is it that pretty nanny of yours?” He says mockingly.

My eyes fall to the stack of papers.

“Oh, son. Really?”

“No, dad, it-it’s not her.” Boy that wasn't very convincing.

“Yes it is. I know that look.” A long silence stretches and I avoid his gaze. “Remember Pam?”

I meet his eyes.  “Aunt Pam, your old secretary?”

He purses his lips and nods. He takes a deep breath, clearly warring with what he wants to say next. “It only lasted a few months, and your mother knows nothing about this.”

“Wait, you had an affair?”

“It’s not something I am proud of. But let me tell you something. Women like her, and your nanny…” He waves his hand dismissively. “Are only good for one thing, son.” He leans forward in his chair and arches his brow. “And it’s not making you the man that you need to be to run this company.” He leans back, steepling his fingers on his knees. “Now, a woman like Sofia, that is who is going to take you far in life, and bring you where you need to be.”

I’m fucking speechless. I can’t defend my honor, or Ana’s.  Because what if he’s right?

***

My phone dings with a text, Ana.

Ana: Heading back, ETA 20 min

Ana: You need us to pick anything up on our way?

Ana: Or do you have the special dinner all planned out?

Fuck. I’m not getting out of here for at least another hour.

Sam: About that…

Ana: Why am I not surprised? This is becoming your MO.

I clench my jaw.

Sam: What’s that supposed to mean?

Ana: You’re a smart man. Figure it out.

I whisper a quiet fuck and I see Robin’s head snap up.

“Trouble at home?” He asks, as a cocky smile spreads across his face.

I ignore him.

Sam: Ana…

Ana: I’ll take care of dinner for the boys sake. But you’d better come up with an AMAZING apology dessert for them.

Sam: I am sorry to bail on this

Sam: I will bring something home for dessert.

Sam: Okay?

She doesn't respond, and I pinch my eyes closed in frustration.

I turn back to the final pages of the contract with LEMA before sighing and throwing it to the table.

“Find anything?” Robin asks.

“No. And I need to go home. I need to spend what little time I have left in the city with the boys.”

“Go, I will make sure all of this makes it onto the jet tomorrow morning.” Robin leans back in his chair. “You know dad wants me with you tomorrow, right?”

I stop in my tracks and slowly turn to him. “No. I was not aware of that.”

He shrugs his shoulders and crosses his leg over his knee. “Now you do.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, and decide against saying anything else. Can just one thing go my way today? I grab my keys and phone, stuffing them into my pocket. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See ya.” He waves as I walk out of the door.

***

I walk into the foyer with my suitcase, setting it next to the elevator doors just as they ding open and Ana, Mason, and Mickey step out.

“Welcome back. Did you three have fun at the museum?” My eyes are locked on Ana, sadness filling her emerald eyes. My chest constricts as my thoughts are haunted by my fathers confession.

“The museum was alright but dinner was even better! We stopped at a food truck festival on the way home.” Mickey chimes.

“I tried a poke bowl!” Mason is vibrating with excitement.

“Really? Did you like it?” I ask him, surprised.

“It was amazing!” Mason cheered as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“And we got something for you!” Mickey gestures to the bag in Ana’s hands.

“That was thoughtful of you.” I look at Ana as she hands me the bag, not meeting my gaze.

“It was their idea.” She murmurs looking down at the boys.

I look inside of the paper bag, Kung Pao… god it's my favorite. “I love Kung Pao. How did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess.” Her tone is even and neutral. Distant.

“Right.” I take a breath, clearing my throat and turning back to the boys.

“Why don’t you two wash your hands, then head into the kitchen for your special dessert?” The boy's eyes widened.

“On it!” They race toward the bathroom, leaving Ana and I alone in the hallway. Still avoiding my eyes, she breezes past me into the kitchen. I follow her slowly, watching the soft sway of her hips.

“Ana.” She stops in her tracks and I see her shoulders tense.

“Yes?” She slowly turns towards me.

“Thank you for dinner, for both me and the boys. I shouldn’t have backed out of my promise to have a special meal with them.” My apology comes out even and measured as I watch her carefully.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” She says matter of factly, her eyes finally rising to mine. She sighs softly. “And you’re welcome.”

“It really looks delicious.” I set the container on the counter, taking a big bite with a fork. My eyes are trained on hers and I can see her face soften.

“You’ve got a little…” She grabs a napkin, stepping up slowly and reaching up to wipe at my lip.

The smell of jasmine and Ana fill my senses as our breath mixes in the air between us.

“Oh…” I whisper in surprise at the intimate gesture.

“... All better.” She smiles softly up at me, her emerald eyes piercing. An electric charge lingering in the space between us.

The moment is broken when we hear the boys running towards us in the kitchen. She takes a step back, turning away from me.

“Dessert time!” Mickey cheers as he slides into the kitchen.

“What’re we having?” Mason shifts from foot to foot.

“I thought you’d like to make some s’mores…” I know they are your favorite.

“With the mega-big marshmallows?” Mickey’s eyes grow wide. God, I am going to miss these kids…

“Of course.” I match his smile and gesture towards the platter of s’mores supplies laid out on the counter.

“I’ll, uh, leave you three to it.” Ana says softly as she slowly backs out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going? You haven’t even had s'mores yet!” Mason turns to Ana.

“I don’t want to intrude on father-son bonding time with your last night together.” She smiles softly at Mason.

“You wouldn’t be intruding.” I say hopefully. Please stay…

“Still… you should have some privacy.” She holds my eyes for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the room. What have I done?

***

I am sitting in the dim lighting of my office. My fingers wrapped around a glass of Eagle Rare Bourbon as I gaze out of the window. My thoughts are a jumbled mess as I bring the tumbler to my lips.  I hear the door open slowly and I glance over to see Ana enter quietly, clicking the door shut behind her.

“I thought I might see you again tonight.” I say as I turn my focus back towards the city lights outside.

“Sam, we need to talk about us.”

I can sense the sadness behind her words.

“Ana…” I sigh as I look at her with regret.

I see her shoulders tense as she balls her hands up into fists at her side. Red hot color rising on her cheeks.

“You owe me this, Sam. Don’t pretend like you don’t.” Anger drips from her every word.

I take a deep breath and give her a small nod, but I have no words. I get lost in my own thoughts again... You’re right… but I have no idea what to say to you. There is nothing I can do about this fucked up situation I put us in… I am so sorry that I dragged you into this mess. I am a selfish man that longs to be with you… but I have no control.

“We had sex last night, Sam.” Her voice cracks.

My chest tightens.

“I haven’t forgotten.” My eyes still trained on the city lights outside.

“It feels like you want to. In fact, it feels like you’re running halfway around the world because of it.”

My breathing gets shallow as she takes a step towards me, the anger rolling off of her in waves.

“You’re a lot of things, Sam, but I never took you for a coward.” Her voice laced with contempt as she stepped in front of me.

My eyes flick to hers as a new emotion bubbles to the surface: anger.

“A coward?” I whisper as I lift to my feet and we stand face-to-face.

“You heard me.” She tips her nose in the air. “You could have walked away last night.”

I can't help the humorless laugh that escapes my lips. How does she not understand that I cannot control myself around her?

“I wish that were true.” It would make my life a whole hell of a lot easier. God help me, I can’t resist you.I reach up and run my fingertips down her cheek, watching her shudder at my touch, but her expression remains guarded and angry.. “I’ve been trying to walk away from you since the moment we met. Yet somehow… I always end up back here.”

She steps back out of my reach, crossing her arms in front of her chest. My eyes scan down the length of her body.

“That’s not good enough, Sam.” Her eyes bore into mine.

God Dammit woman.

“Let’s get one thing straight here, Ana. The timing of this trip may seem suspicious to you, but I don’t want to go. I have to go.” I take a step toward her, narrowing my eyes. “And every time I look at you, it’s a reminder of what I’m leaving behind.”

Her eyes widen as her anger starts to slip. “Really? You aren’t relieved to have an escape?”

“No! This is so much worse.” I take a deep breath, trying to reign in my anger. My urge to control her and have her bare before me is making my cock twitch.  I watch as Ana turns and steps to the window. The war inside of my head battles on before I finally give in. I step up behind her, running my nose along the sensitive skin below her ear before grabbing her hips and pulling her against me. I feel her body melt into mine. She turns to face me, and I place my hands on either side of her head, the cold glass a welcome reprieve from the heat coursing through my veins. I press my desire against her and I watch as her eyes darken.

“Sam, you should fire me now.” She whispers. “Neither one of us has the strength to resist. Stopping cold turkey is the only answer. You go to Italy, conquer the business world, marry Sofia. I’ll move out and find something else. We both walk away, hands clean. Well… as clean as they can be.”

I can see it in her eyes that she doesn’t believe the words she is saying, but it doesn't stop them from stinging my heart.

“My hands aren’t clean, Ana. How can they be, when I think about you every time I touch myself?” My eyes flick down to her plump, pink lips. “Or when I want to murder the next man who touches you?”

“Then what’s the endgame here? What do you want?” She pleads, her eyes shining in the dim light.

“I want you, dammit.” I confess.

She grabs the lapels of my suit and pulls me even closer to her curves,

“Prove it.” She challenges, her eyes dark.

She brings her lips to mine and our lips ignite into a frenzy of heat and frustration. I bring my arms around to her lower back and pull her hips snug to mine. A sudden feeling of regret passes through my mind and I pull back, a question in my eyes.

“Ana…” I warn.

“Don’t think. Just feel.” She purrs as she pushes my jacket off of my shoulders. She runs her fingernails across the back of my neck softly before pulling my lips down to hers again. I grab her hips, spinning her around and pinning her back against the cold glass of the window. She gasps at the sensation as I grab her wrists and pin them over her head. I use my free hand to roam the planes of her curves, her body igniting under my touch.

“Sam...” She moans as her eyes flutter shut.

I find the hem of her shirt and dive underneath, finding the lace of her bra, I run my fingers along the gentle curve of her breasts. Her chest heaving and pushing her perfect body into my eager hands.

“Has it really only been a day since I last touched you like this?” I whisper against her lips. “Already feels like a lifetime ago…”

She arches her back, pressing deeper into me as I let out an involuntary moan. God the things this woman does to me…

“Can you really go the rest of the summer without this?” I can feel her smile against my lips.

“I can’t even go the next five minutes without it.” I admit as my cock hardens uncomfortably in my pants.

I reach down and cup her ass, picking her up and carrying her to my desk. I sweep everything off of my desk and lay her down. Her emerald eyes dark with desire as she watches me remove every article of her clothing, throwing them haphazardly around the room. Her chest rises and falls, and her lips are swollen with our kisses. I kiss each piece of newly exposed flesh, the soft moans coming from her lips a sound of pleasure and surrender.

“God, I want to eat you up…” I say against her hip. She looks down at me and takes her bottom lip between her teeth.

“You’ve gotta earn that privilege.” A challenge in her eyes as she sits up and places her hands on my chest, pushing me away from her. Her nearly naked body glowing in the colored light from the Tiffany Lamp.

“Ana?” I ask.

“You’ve been a naughty boy, Sam.” She purrs. “And you know what that means, I’m going to tie you up.”

“Fuck.” I whisper and her words send another surge of heat and desire through me. I watch as she gracefully slides off of the desk, motioning for me to sit down in my chair.

“Wait. Undress first.”  She leans in and skims her fingers across my chest, then tugs lightly on the flap of my shirt. “I don't want to have to deal with this later.”

You naughty, fucking minx.

I quickly strip off my clothes, my eyes never leaving hers as I take a seat in my chair, resting my arms on the armrests. I watch her carefully as she digs through a drawer in my desk, pulling two spare computer cords out. I watch as her steady hands tie my forearms and wrists to the chair. My eyes travel across her barely clothed body and I think of all the things I wish to do to her perfect ass.

She steps back, a look of pride flashing across her eyes.

“Aren’t you a sight?” She smiles as she looks at me hungrily.

“Ana…” I murmur.

I tried to move my arms, but she did a damn good job tying me down.

“This isn’t fair. I want to touch you.”

“Oh… You want to talk about not fair?” She clenches her jaw as she saunters up to me, the movement of her hips accentuated by the delicate fabric. “Everything that’s happened today hasn’t been fair.” Her eyes narrow at me as she leans towards me. She is careful not to touch me but I can feel the electricity crackling between us. Her perfect breasts are right in front of my face and I know she can feel my hot breath against them. “And now you’re being punished for it.”  She stands up and gracefully hops back up onto my desk.

She leans back, spreading her legs wide open, revealing every single perfect inch of her perfect body to me. I watch her fingers slide down her curves until they come to rest between her legs, slipping underneath her panties to rub at her center.

Fuck me.

“Ohmygod…” I moan as my cock hardens more than I even thought possible. The throbbing is almost unbearable as I watch her fingers spread the moisture that is pooling in between her legs. Her head lulls back as moans escape her lips.

“Ohh, YES!” She cries out, her body tensing.

My eyes are trained on her perfect cunt as she worships it with her fingers. My breathing is growing labored as I think about all the things I want to do. Her hips are bucking as she nears her edge.

“Ana, please…. Let me touch you.” I beg, my voice husky. I can’t help but lick my lips as I think about her sweetness.

Her eyes open and her fingers slow as she considers me.

“I don't know… Have you been punished enough yet?” She smiles.

“No… but I can’t make it up to you properly unless you let me touch you. Please.” I am not above begging at this point.

She leans forward, and I watch her untie the cords from my wrists. As soon as I can tell that I am free, I reach up, grabbing her body and hauling it into mine. I bring my lips to hers and kiss her deeply, tasting her, reveling in the feel of our tongues together. I stand up, pressing her back down on the desk and I grab the delicate lace of her panties and push them down her thighs.

“I haven't been able to think about anything else all day…” I whisper against her lips. I can feel her smile. “You drive me to distraction even when you aren’t spread out in front of me…”

“And now?” She asks as she arches her back up off the desk.

I trace a delicate line up her bare legs, slowly teasing my way to her center.

“And now… I can barely control myself. I want to devour you.” I growl.

She leans back and spreads her legs wider.

I stand up and run my eyes slowly over every single piece of her exposed flesh, she blushes that delicious color.

The most beautiful thing I have ever fucking scene.

“Yes… I love seeing you open like this for me.” I murmur as my eyes scan her body over and over again, lingering on her exposed cunt.

I drop to my knees, and lower my mouth between her thighs as I lap up her pooling moisture. I watch as her eyes flutter closed, her eyelashes laying like fans across her cheeks. Her breathing intensities and her moans echo around the room. She calls out my name in ecstasy.

“If you want me to make this up to you properly, then you can’t come yet.” I challenge her. “Can you do that, Ana? Can you hold back until I tell you?” I punctuate my question with a devilish twirl of my tongue and she gasps.

“Yes! Sam… bring it on. I can take whatever you have to give. Don’t hold back.” She is panting and her perfect cunt is dripping for me. Her eyes find mine and I can see the challenge accepted. Good girl.

I trail kisses back to her center, dipping and tasting her pooling wetness. So fucking sweet. Her body shivers as I continue to flick my tongue against her. I reach down and grab my aching cock, running my hand up and down the throbbing shaft.

“Oh god… I’m gonna…” Her body starts to tense and my pumping increases.

“Already? I thought you said you could take it.” I say, my lips moving against her.

I feel her body tremble as she moans.

“Ohmygod, that feels… Sam, don’t stop.”

Never, beautiful. I will never stop doing this to you.

I groan out her name as the pleasure in my body nears the edge, my tongue continuing to flick at her exposed flesh. I call out her name as I find my release and I feel her body tense as she cries out mine. We ride out each other's orgasm, ecstasy blinding me.

Eventually her body sags against the desk, her breathing rapid. I stand up and wrap my arms around her body, bringing her tight to me as our breathing slows.

I untangle myself from her and we both stand and get dressed in a silence that is thick with tension.

The reality of what just happened hits me hard as I watch her button up her silk blouse.

Fuck. Again. No fucking control, Dalton, you total fuck up.

Without a word she moves towards the door, lingering with her hand on the door knob.

“Sam, I-”

“I’m sorry, Ana. I didn't mean to get so carried away. It won’t happen again.” I interrupt her, saying the only thing I can think of at this moment… words I regret as soon as they escape my lips.

I watch as confusion spreads across her face and she gives me a silent nod.

“My flight leaves early. I’ll be gone before you wake up…” I say softly.

“Oh. I see. I guess this is… goodbye.” She looks down at the floor, her fingers playing at the hem of her shirt. She wraps her arms around herself and slowly begins to slip out of the door.

“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess. You deserve so much better than me.”

My words halt her in her tracks. She looks over her shoulder at me, and I see her eyes shining.

“I can decide what I ‘deserve’ for myself.” She walks out of the room without another word, and I am left even more pissed with myself than I was this morning. I sit down at my desk and run my hands through my hair.

She’s right… you are being a coward. I am avoiding this shit storm I created for myself by running away…

I sip another glass of bourbon as I come to the only solution I can think of: postpone my trip to Italy, and even though it will probably bite me in the ass… Ana and the boys have to come with me. My stomach sours at the thought of Robin getting a hand on this before me… but I shove the thought aside.

That's it.

***

I nurse my second cup of coffee as I watch the sunrise through the windows. I hear soft footsteps walking down the hallway and I swallow my nerves. Ana rounds the corner and stops short when she sees me, a glimmer of hope and surprise flashing through her eyes.

“Sam?! What’re you going here? I heard you leave this morning…”

“I did a lot of thinking last night, but I didn’t come to a conclusion in time to cancel my car earlier.” I try to control my excitement.

“What conclusion?” She asks carefully.

“That you were right. I was being a coward and running away from my problems. I sent Robin ahead and postponed my meetings to next week so I could do this right. I’m turning this business trip into a family vacation for all of us.” Her face lit up.

“You mean…” A smile playing on her lips.

“Pack your bags, Ana. You’re coming with me to Italy.”