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#the more angst the better 😉
fistfuloflightning ¡ 5 months
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Just for the funzies of it. What is your favorite Shen Yuan trope?
Personally I like Huli Jing SY (there isn't enough words to convey how much I want to eat and gnaw on that trope)
I'm also a fan of "competent but chooses to be stupid" SY
Oooh idiot savant Shen Yuan is a favorite—not obfuscating stupidity to hide his competency but only competent in certain areas—beasties, puzzles, anything his brain can gnaw on, but anything else he’s lost at sea.
And Runaway Bride Syndrome is my other favorite—even in aus where he acknowledges his feelings for the other person, the moment he’s forced to act on them, boi’s gone. Not sure if his commitment issues could stem from his subconscious still telling him ‘this world is impermanent’ or his fear of growing attached only to die all over again (and get transmigrated to a different world and being forced to start the nightmare (and a new life) all over again)
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pickingupmymercedes ¡ 11 days
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Happy you're home - Lewis Hamilton
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request : "their son is like 2/3 y/o and reader obviously pays more attention to him, even after coming back from work, so lewis is a bit 'jealous' and very clingy, needy with his wife." - fluff anon ✌🏽(gonna call you that because you were so lovely even with the confusion)
pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Wife!Reader!
wordcount: +2k
a/n: There's a bit of angst , I know the request was for something fluff, but I just had to. It's worth it though, promise😉.
As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!
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"So, special dates?" Lewis asked casually as he leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Y/n stir the sauce simmering on the stove.
Y/n glanced over her shoulder at him, catching the hint of something beneath his tone. "Yeah, just little outings after I pick him up from nursery" she replied lightly, sensing where this conversation was headed.
"Outings?" Lewis repeated, pushing off the counter to walk closer, his eyes following her every move. "You make it sound so... exclusive."
"Well" Y/n teased, turning to face him fully "It was our thing while you were away. Just me and him. You know he's a little creature of habit."
Lewis crossed his arms, feigning nonchalance. "And what, he's not happy I'm home now?"
Y/n laughed softly, moving to grab a couple of plates. "He's thrilled you're home, Lew. But he's also two, and he's gotten used to our routine."
Lewis hummed, but there was a slight edge to his expression. "I just thought he’d be excited to see me. I mean, I picked him up, and he barely smiled."
"He's not used to you picking him up, that's all. Give him time." She set the plates down on the table and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "He missed you. We both did."
Lewis softened at her touch, pulling her closer. "I missed you too. I just feel a bit... left out?"
Y/n tilted her head, studying him. "Left out?" She smiled, though she could see the seriousness in his eyes.
"I mean…" he admitted, a bit sheepishly. "It��s like every time I turn around, he's glued to you. And I get it, you're his mom, but..." He trailed off, his hand resting on her hip, thumb brushing absentmindedly against the skin he found just below the waistband of her jeans. "I guess I'm just a little jealous."
"Of him?" Y/n raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her amusement.
"Maybe," Lewis muttered, his voice low. "Or maybe of the fact that you two have all these moments when I'm not around."
Y/n's smile turned into a gentle laugh, and she leaned up to kiss him softly. "You know, you could join us on our little dates."
"Could I?" Lewis' eyes sparkled with the challenge. "Because it seemed like he wasn't too happy about me crashing those special times today."
Y/n chuckled. "We'll make it our thing—all three of us."
Lewis seemed to consider this, his hands tightening around her. "I don't want to just be the guy who shows up between races, Y/n. I want to be part of all of it."
"You are" she reassured him, kissing the corner of his mouth. "And trust me, he adores you. He just doesn't know how to express it."
He sighed, nodding slowly. "I know. I just hate missing out."
Y/n cupped his face, making him meet her gaze. "You're here now. And that's what matters."
As the rest of the evening went by the tension from earlier slowly dissipated. But Y/n couldn't help but notice how clingy Lewis was, not just with their son but with her too.
Every chance he got, he was touching her, keeping her close. When it was time to put their son to bed, Lewis lingered, his hands on the small of her back as she tucked the little boy in.
As they got ready for bed themselves, Y/n couldn’t contain herself anymore. She slipped into her nightwear, watching as Lewis pulled back the covers.
"So" she began, trying to sound casual, "you’re a little... possessive tonight."
"Possessive?" Lewis looked up; one eyebrow raised. "Is that what you call it?"
"Handsy would be a better word" Y/n teased, slipping into bed beside him.
Lewis smirked, leaning closer. "Maybe I missed you more than I realized."
Y/n rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress the smile forming on her lips. "Or maybe you're still a bit jealous of a toddler."
Lewis didn’t deny it, instead pulling her into his arms, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Maybe I am. But can you blame me?"
Y/n laughed softly, running her fingers tips on his arm. "You’re ridiculous, you know that?"
"Um…" Lewis murmured, his lips brushing against her neck.
Before she could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of their son's cries coming through the baby monitor. Y/n sighed, moving to get up, but Lewis held her back for a moment.
"Does he really need you every time?" he grumbled, clearly frustrated.
"He's two, Lewis," Y/n reminded him gently, though there was a hint of impatience in her tone. "And yes, he needs me because that's all he’s got."
The words were out before she could stop them, and she immediately regretted them. Lewis’s expression shifted, something like hurt and understanding mixed on his features. "Y/n..."
"I’m sorry," she quickly apologized, her voice softening. "That’s not what I meant."
Lewis nodded, though the sadness lingered in his eyes. "We'll talk later, okay?"
Y/n nodded, leaning down to kiss him briefly before slipping out of bed.
She hurried to their son's room, finding him sitting up in his crib, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.
"Dada?" he asked through sniffles, looking around as if expecting to see Lewis behind her.
Y/n’s heart melted a little, and she leaned into the crib, brushing his curls back. "Dada's asleep, sweetie. Do you want me to tuck you in?"
But their son shook his head, determined. "Dada."
Before Y/n could respond, Lewis appeared in the doorway, his expression softening as he saw their son. "Hey, buddy" he said quietly, crossing the room to pick him up.
The little boy immediately settled against his father’s chest, his tiny arms wrapping around Lewis’s biceps.
Y/n watched as Lewis sat down in the recliner, cradling their son with a tenderness as she have them some space, slipping out of the room and back into bed.
When Lewis finally returned, his footsteps were soft as he approached the bed. He slipped in beside her, pulling her close and leaving a kiss to her exposed shoulder.
"Has he been waking up like that a lot?" Lewis asked, his voice tinged with concern as he settled into bed beside Y/n.
Y/n nodded, resting her head on his chest. "For the past couple of weeks mostly. The change in routine really got to him."
Lewis sighed deeply, his hand gently tracing circles on her back. "I should’ve been here for his first days at nursery."
Y/n lifted her head slightly, about to reassure him, but Lewis's hand on her back stilled her.
"Y/n, don’t" he began, his voice thoughtful. "It’s not just about missing his first days. It’s the time you’ve had with him, but also the time he’s had with you."
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Lewis let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "I missed you, too. Not just the way I always miss you when I’m away, but I missed being a part of this routine. The bedtime, the little 'dates,' the way he clings to you... I missed seeing you with him, and I missed having you to myself after all that."
Y/n's heart softened at his words, a tender smile tugging at her lips. "Lew, you’re always part of those moments, even when you’re not physically here."
Lewis’s eyes met hers, full of emotion. "I know I was stupid earlier, but it's because I love being with you—both of you. And when I'm not, it feels like I'm missing out on so much. As his dad and as your partner."
Y/n’s smile widened as she shifted to lie more comfortably against him. "I missed you too. More than you know. And trust me, our little guy missed you like crazy, even if he didn’t show it."
Lewis chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. "He’ll come around. I just have to remind him that I'm part of this whole 'special date' thing too."
"You will," Y/n assured him, brushing a soft kiss against his neck. "And as for us, we’ll make up for lost time."
He kissed the top of her head, his voice filled with affection. "You’re stuck with me, Mrs. Hamilton."
And as Y/n began to drift off to sleep, Lewis leaned into her hear, whispering almost to himself "I really did miss you. And I’m not going anywhere. Not for long anyway."
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kookslastbutton ¡ 4 months
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Those Eyes Chico ༓ myg (m) | chapter two
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✑ Summary: As the new marketing director for Min Yoongi’s upcoming D-Day album & tour, you’re expected to bring your expertise to the table. This shouldn’t be a problem—you’re the best in the business and you’re used to drawing a strict line between your professional and personal life. But what happens when the lines you’ve fought to keep as separate blur for the first time?
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pairing: idol!yoongi x plus size!poc!reader
genre/AU: angst, fluff, smut, slowburn, coworkers2friends2lovers, winter setting, forbidden love
word count: 6.1k+
warnings: This chapter in particular is written from Yoongi's perspective, oc is 28, Yoon is 30, oc is not originally from South Korea, oc has light brown eyes, swearing, mentions of alcohol consumption, smoking, mentions of body shaming by Hybe executive, bestie!tae is wonderful support 🥹, light fighting between members (literally crack), Namjoon has a little crush, Oc being a total boss at work bc she is amazing at her job, and cute & meaningful Yoon and OC interactions that make them finally start bonding (a little flirty too, hehe) 😉
now playing: Sweet Dreams by The Last Shadow Puppets
a/n: CHAPTR TWO IS HERE! GOD...the slow burn exists outside the series too with me not updating for two months. I'm sorry guys but TYSM for your patience! I'm VERY excited to release this chapter bc I think Yoon & Oc are super cute, hehe. Okay anyway, this series is dedicated to my wonderfully crazy friend and sorta beta, Gloom @theuselessdaydreamingidiot, and to all our fellow Yoon lovers bc we miss our sweet man SO MUCH 🥺 Enjoy! 🥰 Also huge thank you to @itaeewon for designing this beautiful series header! Love it!!
Series Masterlist | next chapter >>
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Yoongi stands with his hands placed loosely on his hip, chest heaving as he attempts to catch his breath. The seven of them had been practicing choreography for their new RUN BTS song nonstop when Jimin called for a much-needed, fifteen-minute break. There’s a part of him that’s thanking the younger for it and another that’s wishing he hadn’t, as every moment left alone with his thoughts is spent decoding his last encounter with you at the cafeteria.
Why had you made such a beeline for the exit the moment he was waved over by his member?
You also completely ignored his attempts to greet you on your way out. He only stopped by the cafeteria to slip an orange in his pocket before returning to his studio. He didn’t mean to intrude or incite that you had to leave with his sudden presence.
Taehyung assured him that you merely left to tend to work matters, which he’d typically sum as hyper-fixation with one’s work as he’s prone to do the same, but this felt different at its core. Your behavior seemed more intentional than that. The last thing he wants to do is misread the whole situation, but he must’ve done or said something to cause your uneasiness.
“Hyung, how did the album meeting go this morning?” A clear voice comes from Yoongi's left as his fellow band member, Namjoon, strides next to him, water bottle clenched in his fist. Like himself, large droplets of sweat dots around the man’s brow. The minor interruption shakes Yoongi out of his slightly dazed state.
“Went well.” He takes a big swish of his own water before screwing the cap back on. “We reviewed everything in three hours and the album looks better than I anticipated. There are a couple of promotional strategies that still need finalizing, but I’m pretty confident about it overall.”
“That’s great, man. __-nim’s been doing good work with TXT for the last few years, so she’s definitely suited for the job. I thought about requesting her help to promote Indigo but the timing of it all didn’t work.” Namjoon’s voice drops an octave at the last part, as if remorseful for more than a missed professional opportunity.
“Ah, maybe your next album hyung,” Jimin suddenly chimes in, slapping the taller man on the shoulder from the side. “I have a feeling you and __-nim would work well together. Think about it, you’re both natural born leaders and you’re smart too. I bet __ -nim has as high of an IQ as you.”
Namjoon’s cheeks flush with the faintest tint of rose as Jimin flashes a knowingly cheeky grin. Yoongi, of course, witnesses the entire exchange, the slightest part of him feeling uprooted by the thought of his band member and new marketing manager suddenly hitting it off. He decides not to comment on the matter, choosing to remain in ignorance instead. This is all speculation, right?
Now that they’re all on the subject of his album though, it gets him thinking that maybe he’s been too narrow viewed regarding the reason for your off putting behavior at lunch.
D-Day’s release has become a consuming priority lately, with everyone involved worked to the bone. Aside from himself, you’ve been bearing the brunt of it. He’s appreciative of course, considering the album holds a deep sense of meaning to him, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want it to be perfect. A little pushback during the first proposal is natural, yet he did get more resistant toward ideas during this morning’s meeting than anticipated. Perhaps some of his nitpicking was unnecessary, adding to your already heavy load.
Yoongi’s head feels worse the longer he entertains the possibility. He doesn’t want to make the first time working together a complete whirlwind, especially this early. A strong, healthy partnership starts with trust, safety, and mutual respect. The same philosophy can be applied to relationships of varying natures. That reminds him—since when did Taehyung and you become so close? He’s been ruminating over it all afternoon, like a jigsaw puzzle he can’t solve.
It’s odd how little he knows.
“I heard someone mention __-nim over here. I want in.” A small grumble leaves Yoongi’s lips as Jungkook pushes next to him, displeased by how tiny his space bubble has gotten due to the huddle his members have formed around him. Just why the hell is everyone so interested in his new marketing director? That's what he wants to know.
“Can you introduce me to her sometime hyung?" Jungkook pleads. "I’m thinking about releasing an album in the next year and it’d be great if you could hook us up…yknow?”
Oh, Yoongi knows. He knows exactly what this young buck is insinuating, but it isn’t mating season yet and even if it were he will do no such thing as to “hook them up”. Besides, his conscience tells him that you wouldn't be interested in the company of a younger man anyway—not that your dating life is any of his business or anything.
“Get in line Jungkookie, behind Namjoon. He needs her for his album first.” Jimin squeezes down on Namjoon’s muscular shoulders with both hands, shaking him just enough to hype him up. His hands are removed seconds later when he’s told to knock it off.
“That’s enough about this, okay? I’m pretty sure Yoongi-hyung is the only one who actually needs __-nim right now because, in case you dumbasses have forgotten, D-Day is set to release in April,” Namjoon scolds the two with a commanding tone. Jungkook, per usual, remains persistent in his original request and keeps his full attention on Yoongi.
“Anyway hyung, as I was saying, I know your album takes priority so I’m in no hurry to meet her. I can be pretty patient as you know-“
“Heh, that’s a lie.”
“Shove it Jimin, no one’s talking to you.” Jungkook’s eyebrows scrunch together as Jimin snorts helplessly next to Namjoon.
“You shove it Kook,” Jimin counters. “And stop trying to date __-nim! Find your own woman!”
“I’m not trying to date her! She's my noona for gods sake! Do you think I’m oblivious to how the public reacts to idols dating? Also, __-nim is a Hybe employee, not an idol. I can only imagine the type of scandal the media would spin it as.”
“Right, we all know you actually just want to take her to your bed instead,” Jimin interrupts for the umpteenth time. “Our handsome leader, on the other hand, is interested in her professional abilities. We can learn a lot from him.”
“Why are you always trying to start a fight with me Jimin? Is it because I can take you, now that I've been building up more muscle?” Jungkook’s accusations earn him nothing more than a sea of eye-rolls until Jimin lunges himself towards him, puffing out his chest the best he can to size him up.
Namjoon rubs his face with a hand, a clear visual display of his exhaustion. He’s been moderating these stupid squabbles for nine years now. “Alright very mature, biggest boy band in the world and this is what it’s come to? Amazing, congrats to everyone for winning the award for most-”
“Woah, woah, woah,” Seokjin interjects, effortlessly shouting over everyone while waving his hands. “My brothers…why are we fighting over here like a couple of peacocks? We are all beautiful in our own, individual ways. Mine, for example, is my handsome face.”
“For the love of god hyung, we’re trying to settle something. Go take your inspirational pep talk elsewhere!” Jungkook bends his knees, swooping down to throw Jimin over his shoulder but he misses when the man starts tickling him ruthlessly.
“St-ah-stop it Jimin!"
“You stop it, you frickin’ brat! Trying to take advantage of our hyungs for your own selfish gain.” Jimin then slaps Jungkook on the ass which does not go unappreciated as Hoseok cackles from the other side of the room. Up until this point, he’s been scrolling on his phone, completely unbothered by the chaos. As Hoseok nears the action, Jungkook delivers a swift kick to Jimin’s rear end.
“Ow, what the fuck Kook?!” Jimin tries soothing the sting by massaging it with his hands. “You little prick!”
“Oh come on, I barely hit you. Gaining sympathy points won’t help this time, plus I see you trying to hide a grin. You think this shit is funny. You’re sick you know that?”
Jimin makes a move to return the kick to his youngest member but ends up hitting a far taller, and leaner subject instead. Taehyung, who just returned from the bathroom, throws a hand over his abdomen and grunts from the sudden impact.
“What is—shit Jimin that really hurt!” Taehyung’s baritone voice echoes off the walls as he winces from the pain. He takes a few deep breaths, then viciously eyes the two brawlers followed by the rest of the room. “What the hell is going on? I heard you all talking about __-nim from the hallway. Yoongi-hyung here is trying to kick off his album and tour, which we are supposed to be celebrating over drinks this Friday, but here you are arguing with each other and who has the biggest dick. Well, you can all put it away because as __-nim’s best friend, and number one wingman, only I’m allowed to set her up with someone and it won’t be with any of you! Sorry hyung…” he looks at Namjoon who appears to have brushed the comment off.
As soon as Taehyung ceases his mini-speech, eery silence sets in. Hoseok is the first to dare say a word.
“Uh, so what’s this about being her best friend Tae?”
“Yeah, I had no idea either.” Jimin quirks his head to the side, awaiting the details.
“Same,” Namjoon adds in a short breath.
“What happened to us, man?” Jungkook pouts at Taehyung, a total 180 from moments ago when he was in an unsolicited sparring match with Jimin. “You used to share everything with me. Now you’re holding out on me. Since when did you and __-nim start hanging out?”
Yoongi’s ears perk up for the first time since all the commotion began, curious to hear Taehyung’s response. He only recently discovered the blossoming friendship hours ago and even then, it was a brief inside look.
“I didn’t think to mention it but yeah, we started talking since her first day at Hybe. I bumped into her on the way into work, early morning for both of us. I expected her to be a bit on the reserved side, considering she was a new hire, but she was quite friendly. The more we talked, the more I felt like I knew her as if a childhood best friend I’d reconnected with.” Pausing, he wets his lips before continuing. “We share a lot of our meals together now, like our lunches during the weekday. Her food tastes amazing by the way. I think she missed her calling as a chef but it’s more than food— it’s a love language, a labor of love.”
“Wow, you two sure are connected,” Hoseok speaks first again, seeing the rest of his members working to process the new bit of info.
“Platonically, yes.”
“This’ll be good for Yoongi-hyung and his album then! No bad blood exists here!” Hoseok shifts his gaze between Taehyung and Yoongi, pleased with the outcome. The older of the two remains speechless, yet it’s far from a dazed expression. Yoongi is instead deep in thought, the wheels turning in his head.
So maybe it’s true that birds of a feather flock together, he hums to himself. The two of you seem to be social butterflies with a vase full of commonalities. He, on the other hand, prefers his solitude. That’s not to say he’s a hermit or anything though. Hybe hosts a company-wide New Year’s Eve party every single year and he’s made his best effort to attend them all. He mainly mingles with his members, but he still makes sure to small talk with other coworkers. Come to think of it, did he even see you at last year’s New Year’s Eve party?
He can’t remember much from the night except Seokjin scolding him for not wishing him a happy birthday the minute the clock struck midnight. He was a bit tipsy at that point. Taehyung disappeared soon after to make his usual rounds, stopping to chat with everyone in his path. Maybe he took off to talk to you during that time.
Okay, he really needs to stop thinking about you.
"Just to confirm, is everyone still on for Friday night to celebrate D-Day?" Jimin pipes. "I booked us a good place to have some food and drinks.
Taehyung nods, "I am, as long as it's not the same place we saw our CFO and his much younger date feeding each other. I couldn't eat for the rest of that night."
Jungkook fakes a gag before replying. "I'm sorry but does anyone know how is he still working here? Guy creeps me out."
"I swear, I couldn't agree more. Just yesterday he made an egregiously body-shaming comment toward __-nim to someone else on the board. She kept a brave front when she told me, but I'm damn tempted to get him removed from his position myself!" Taehyung's nostrils flare as he shares his frustration, fingers digging into his hips.
Yoongi takes a final chug of his water before abruptly tossing the bottle on the floor. A sharp crack resounds through the space, instantly commanding the authority of the room. “Fifteen minutes is over,” he gruffs. “It might be twenty minutes with all the bickering earlier. We don't have time to be talking about this anymore.”
“Come on now," Hoseok says. "Didn't you hear what Taehyung said? Our CFO really is a class-A jerk. I feel so bad that __-nim has to put up with his bullshit, she doesn't deserve it." His eyes frantically search the room, hoping to rally support.
"Don't worry about that asshole," Yoongi assures, "I'll handle it." He strides over to his choreographed position on the dance floor as if a leader in his own right, the rest of the members following in his steps.
"Just don't kill him, hyung," Namjoon says, resting a hand on the older's shoulder from behind. Yoongi merely snorts lightly in reply.
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Yoongi is dead tired, his feet feeling heavier the minute he stands from his studio chair. He could have left hours ago, but here it is nearly 9:30 at night, and he's only just leaving the office.
As he shuffles down the hallway towards the elevator, he notices the eerie silence. It's thick, almost palpable. There's not a soul left in the building this late at night. When the elevator doors open, he leans casually against the metal rail, closes his eyes, and mentally retraces his day.
Overall, it was a decent day, he thinks, productive at best. Skipping dinner to work on his album tracks was an easy decision, but he might be paying for it now given the intense growling of his stomach. Despite his songs being considered perfect by his members, he can't help but tweak each one a final time. It's as if his gut tells him there's still a piece missing from the whole.
All at once, the elevator comes to a sudden stop. Yoongi's eyes shoot open, anticipation flooding his senses. Is someone still here? He listens intently, straining to hear any sound over the faint hum of the elevator. After a few moments that feel like an eternity, the elevator doors slide open to reveal an empty, dimly lit hallway. It's the 16th floor. He hesitates for a second, peering into the shadows, but there’s no sign of anyone. Strange.
Just as the elevator doors begin to close, Yoongi hears a distant, unmistakable voice. "Please hold the door!" you plead, your voice strained with urgency. He responds immediately, stretching out an arm to block the door. "Thank you so much," you say, slipping in beside him, your bag thrown over your shoulder.
Yoongi watches as you enter, curiosity in his eyes. It seems you were of like mind tonight, working late and likely burdened by the extra work he caused for you. The feeling of tension is as clear as it was yesterday, lingering as a reminder of the unspoken discomfort between you both.
But then again, there's that issue Taehyung mentioned, looming in his thoughts. He hadn't realized you overheard the horrendous comment his CFO made about you. No wonder you hurried away from him like a bat out of hell yesterday; you knew he knew. He wouldn't dare shine a light on the situation and risk embarrassing you further; no one needs to relive such a belittling experience. Yet, he's wrestling with the right words to say.
"Heading home, Min PD-nim?" You surprise him by speaking first, voice firm with a touch of gentleness.
Yoongi allows a faint smile to tug at the corners of his lips, hoping it'll relieve some tension. "I am, it's been quite a day. What about you?"
You nod, shifting the bag on your shoulder. "Same here. Just had to wrap up a few things before heading out."
He hesitates for a moment, noting how you speak as if it were only a few minutes past five or six in the evening. "I understand. I was working in my studio up until now. I should be back up there tomorrow too," he says, then chuckles lightly, "Sometimes I feel like I should just live up there."
You return the subtle laugh and smile softly at him, your light brown eyes catching his dark ones. It feels like the same prolonged gaze you shared upon first meeting, yet now, it's somehow become easier; perhaps a hint of familiarity.
"By the way," he continues, seizing the opportunity, "feel free to call me Yoongi-ssi. I'm not that formal in case you didn't know." He playfully gestures to his casual attire; tan cargo pants, grey plaid button-down, and sneakers.
You seem hesitant towards the request at first, evident from your delayed response. "Are you sure?" you choke. "I don't want to over step my boundaries."
"There's no need to worry about that," he assures. "We're on equal level aren't we? If we're going to be working side by side for the next eight months give or take, I want us to feel comfortable with each other. Please, call me Yoongi-ssi."
"Okay, I might need some time to get used to that," you say, head nodding, "I'll try calling you Yoongi-ssi from now on."
"There's one other thing too," he pauses, "since we'll be working on D-Day's promotion from start to finish, I'll have many of my own opinions. It's a natural instinct for me, but I don't want to be a hinderance. I don't want anyone else giving you issues either, so I'd like to hear your full thoughts on matters, especially when it comes to important decisions."
"That means a lot Yoongi-ssi, thank you. I'm very grateful that you'd allow me to be a part of this and I'd very much like us to have an equal partnership. This is your album though, so I want to make sure it gets the recognition it deserves in the way you'd prefer."
Yoongi glances at the floor numbers displayed to the right of the elevator doors. Any second now and you'll reach the lobby. He wouldn't mind talking longer, but letting you both get a decent night's sleep is the far better idea at this point.
"I trust that D-Day is in the right hands with you, __ssi," he replies. "It's why I recommended that we work together to promote it in the first place. Bang PD was also confident in the idea. We don't doubt your expertise for a second." He pauses when the elevator doors slide open and allows you to be the first to exit. "Have a good night, okay?"
For the first time, you reciprocate the wish with a full, illuminating smile. It's not a professional one, Yoongi notes, its a real one—as genuine and sincere as his words. He takes it as a sign that the tides may finally be turning for the better. "You too," he hears you say before you push through the large revolving doors and step into the cool night air.
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In the evenings that follow, Yoongi finds himself back in his studio as promised, a glass of whiskey in hand. He ultimately decided that if he was going to be here until all hours of the night, he might as well have a cold beverage to keep him company.
As he leans back in his chair, swirling the dark amber liquor in his glass, his mind inadvertently wanders to you. Were you downstairs again? Were you here with him? It would seem that given your unexpected late-night encounter in the elevator, the validity of the idea wouldn't be all that wild or far-fetched.
With each passing minute, as the clock inches closer to the late hours, he finds himself circling back to the same thought. It's as if the possibility of running into you has become a highlight of his night.
Just then, a deep and familiar voice interrupts. "Burning the midnight oil again, hyung?"
Startled, Yoongi looks up to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, a sympathetic smile on his face. Despite it being almost 9 at night, his younger member is nothing short of flawless in appearance.
"Yeah, working on my tracks," Yoongi replies, offering a small smile in return. "What are you doing here?"
Taehyung steps further into the room, hand tucked in his pocket. "I wanted to stay late to keep __-nim company, but I'm not sure how much longer she plans on staying tonight. I was on my way out when I figured I'd stop by to see you too."
"Well, thanks for thinking of me. Want a drink?" He offers, nodding towards the nearby whiskey bottle.
"No, thanks," Taehyung declines politely, shaking his head. "I'll let you enjoy your whiskey in peace. Although, __-nim might take you up on that same offer one of these days. She has a strong taste for it, as you do. Anyway, I'm heading out. Don't overdo it with your music, hyung, they're already perfect."
Once Taehyung leaves the studio, Yoongi's previous string of thoughts return to him tenfold.
So you really are here, he muses, and you happen to like the same throat-burning alcohol. Should he venture downstairs and offer a drink? No, that would probably be too much, and he wouldn't want to interrupt you. Maybe if Taehyung were accompanying him, but not alone; he doesn't share enough rapport with you to merit such a spontaneous drop-in yet.
No, he takes another sip of his whiskey, he'll see you tomorrow morning instead; during your morning meeting. But that gets him thinking—he's still yet to decide on whether or not he'll make an appearance on Fallon's show. He’d done it with his members numerous times, but this would be the first time doing it alone. His album would indeed benefit from the exposure, though.
"Damn it," he curses, raising from his seat. "I work my ass off. I work my ass off for it all!" He then sits back down, finishing off the rest of his whiskey in one gulp, the burn soothing his frustration momentarily. With a resigned sigh, he turns his attention back to his music. "Damn it, I guess I'll do it."
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If it weren't for his phone notification reminding him of his 10 am meeting on Friday, Yoongi would have missed it entirely. Normally, he never forgets important events, but several late nights in the studio had predictably caught up with him. He feels extremely sleep-deprived today, his memory more prone to blanking than usual. Waking up with a throbbing headache at 5 am, which hasn't dimmed in the slightest, doesn’t help either. Nonetheless, with only ten minutes to spare, Yoongi has no choice but to pull himself together and head downstairs to the conference room.
"Good morning, Min PD-nim," you greet him as he walks through the door. "We're about to start."
Yoongi drags out a chair and takes a seat. You look nice today, he notes quietly to himself. He makes sure to send a small smile your way before returning the warm greeting. "Good morning __-ssi," he says. "I told you we can speak informally didn't I?"
He waits for your response, easily tuning out the startled reactions from the rest of the team. Most high-ranking officials in the organization expected to be addressed formally by those in lower positions, but here he was, openly requesting you to speak as equals. It was almost unheard of during work hours. He was Min Yoongi, after all.
"Right, of course," you reply, "You'll have to excuse me, Yoongi-ssi. It slipped my mind for a moment."
Yoongi watches as you shuffle a few papers in your hand before continuing. "To get us started, I thought we'd discuss the decision to schedule a spot on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Will we be proceeding with this?"
"After mauling it over I think it's a good idea for the album. Do we have an idea of when this would happen?"
"Ideally after the album releases and around the time the U.S. tour begins April 26th. I say we aim for early May. Given Fallon's show's high demand, we'll need to get a jump on this as soon as we can." You shift your attention to your digital marketing and promotions team. "So-hyun, can you reach out to the producers and see what strings we can pull?"
She nods, scribbling a quick note on her writing pad. "We'll reach out today. I'll let you know as soon as we get a response."
"Excellent, thank you. I'm glad to hear you're on board with this Yoongi-ssi. It'll be a great way to promote D-Day and attract a global audience. The more smartly we utilize our resources, the better your album will be positioned in the current market." You take a brief pause to flip through your notes again. "Speaking of resources, we'll need to start booking magazine shoots and interviews. I'm proposing we run cover pages with Marie Claire Korea and Vogue Japan."
Yoongi would be taken aback by the flood of ideas and schedules you're firing at him, all within the first fifteen minutes, if he weren't already aware of your level of competency. This is exactly why he chose you, he hums to himself, your preparedness is impressive, but not surprising.
"I presume this will take place next year?" he asks. "During their spring issues?"
"Absolutely. We'll submit inquiries soon to get the ball rolling, but having the shoots completed now would be premature. Plus, it'll take some time before there are any openings with the companies. I think we should be consistent with tour dates and have Marie Claire go out in May and Vogue ready in August of next year."
"Okay, I'm fine with all that but we'll need to have something exciting released now, don't we? I know I start my weekly lives tonight, but shouldn't there be something more we can do?"
"I agree," you reply. "That's why I wanted to propose a brand new idea that came to me a couple of nights ago while I was drafting promotional content. Anytime idols release a new album or music, it gets published on YouTube, right?"
He nods, curious on where you're heading. "Right."
"Why don't we start a talk show with you as the host Yoongi-ssi? It can allow your fans to see another side of you, as well as the general public. We can invite your BTS members as guests where you can discuss music or past challenges that you've had to overcome—the choice is yours. To make it more interesting for viewers, you can have these frank conversations over a glass of whiskey or soju."
"I like the idea," he says, weighing it in his mind. "What would the timeline look like for this?"
"If we move forward with the idea, I suggest December 5th and we continue it for a max of two months. I know that only leaves us with just under two weeks to get started, but creating the set shouldn't take more an a day or a day and a half. We can also easily shoot a 30 to 60-minute video in an afternoon and publish it on YouTube the following week. Of course, a preview of the show will need to go out beforehand."
"Would we be able to invite other guests to the show? Outside of my members, I mean."
"Yes, feel free to invite whoever you'd like. We can start with the member for the first several episodes but ultimately, welcoming a variety of guests from the same or differing industries would be the goal."
"If I may." A member of the social media team suddenly joins the discussion, "I think Kim Namjoon-nim might be a good person to feature first since Indigo releases December 2nd."
Yoongi nods in agreement. "I can ask him."
"That would be fantastic, actually. If his availability is limited, we could have him guest star for the second or third episode instead," you add. "Hoseok released Jack in the Box this summer so we could have him be the first guest as well."
"Do we have a name yet?"
"Suchwita," you answer without hesitation. "It's a play on words with Daechwita."
"Suchwita..." Yoongi repeats, "Time to get drunk." He chuckles at the last few words, amusing the room, but you remain contemplative.
"How about Suchwita...time to drink with Suga, instead? It's simple and has a slight whimsical nature."
"Sure, let's use that," he answers, noticing that you've already begun jotting down the idea. "Yours is better."
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Despite the adrenaline from the productive meeting with you and your team, Yoongi still feels the weight of his sleepless nights bearing down on him. His headache remains relentless and he is in dire need of a moment to himself. Once the team disperses, he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way outside. The crisp, early morning air should offer him some relief, along with the pack of cigarettes tucked in his pocket.
When he reaches the building's designated smoking area, Yoongi takes out a cigarette and lights it, taking a deep drag as he leans against the cool brick wall. As he exhales, watching the smoke dissipate into the clear sky, his thoughts drift back to the meeting. The idea of hosting a talk show, "Suchwita...time to drink with Suga," still lingers in his mind. It’s an intriguing concept, and he can already envision the relaxed, candid conversations that could come from it.
His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps crunching on the ground nearby.
"Oh, Yoongi-ssi," you say with alarm, obviously startled by his presence. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll come back lat-"
"There's no need for that. Join me if you'd like." Yoongi watches as you hesitate to accept his offer, your feet already positioned to head back inside the building. "Seriously, there's plenty of room, and no matter what they'll tell you, I don't bite."
He allows himself to smirk as you carefully move beside him, only stopping when there is at least two feet of space between you both.
"Thanks," you say, pulling out your own pack of cigarettes and lighting one. "I needed a break too."
"Rough morning?"
"Just busy," you reply, leaning against the wall next to him. "But the meeting went well. We should be able to get the ball rolling now that we have a more finalized plan. I'm glad you liked the idea of starting Suchwita, by the way."
"I do," Yoongi says, nodding. "It has a lot of potential and I'm sure Namjoon will be more than happy to help us out. He's a natural at this kind of stuff. I guess it's why he's our band leader."
"You know you're good at all of this too, don't you, Yoongi-ssi?" You pause, taking a puff of your cigarette. "Even when you have a lot on your mind and a packed schedule, you have a knack for making people feel at ease. It's why I think producing Suchwita will be such a great way to connect with fans and other artists—you'll be the host."
He chuckles, appreciative of the remark. "You really think that? That I make people feel at ease? It's not what a lot of people assume."
"Nah," you reply, tilting your head up toward the clouds. "They're just on the outside looking in. Those who know you, who are around you and talk to you, will agree that you're a pretty calming presence."
"Well, I think we're not so different then." Yoongi shifts his eyes to your face, still looking up at the sky, and smiles softly. "So, what made you come to BigHit? Didn't you say you worked for Atlantic Records? That's a pretty good gig."
"Yeah, it was. I learned a lot there, and man, I was thrilled when I got offered the job as a brand manager. I've always loved music, ever since I was a kid. I could connect so intimately with the lyrics. Music is one of the few things that could soothe me during rough times, and it still does today. I'm sure you can understand."
Yoongi nods, intent on listening to your every word, intrigued by your story.
"Anyway, sorry about getting long-winded here" you chuckle. "I ultimately decided to move on when Bang PD reached out and offered me the marketing manager position for TXT. It gave me the chance to be a more integral part of bringing music to individuals who need it most. It's like we say, 'music for art and healing.' I'd never had the opportunity to manage a completely new set of musicians before either, let alone a group. Plus, being on the global marketing team? I couldn't turn it down."
"It makes sense why you joined us then, and I have to say, it's a blessing you did too. Music is a way of communication for me, a way I can best express my story. That includes my past, present, and hopefully future. After hearing all you shared, I don't think there's anyone else I'd trust with handling my album promos." Yoongi pauses a moment, unsure if he should ask the next thing on his mind. "How come we never met before? I mean really meet and talk?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. But things have a way of falling into place when the time is right, I suppose." You're now looking at him, the intensity of your gaze mirrors his own. A gentle breeze tousles a few strands of your hair and for a split moment, Yoongi begins to understand what Taehyung meant earlier when he said it feels like he's known you his whole life, like a childhood friend he'd reconnected with. While it may not be to that extent for himself, there's a comforting warmth emanating from you that leaves him feeling strangely tranquil.
"Given the circumstances, I feel like we should have at least met through Taehyung by now," he slips out. "Or even at a company-sponsored event."
"Why, do you like me that much, Yoongi-ssi? After five days of working together?" Your playful tease catches him off guard, revealing a side of you he hadn't seen before. It's kind of cute-wait, what?
"I-"
"Sorry," you quickly interject, feeling the need to backtrack. "I shouldn't have said it like that."
"Don't worry, there's no need for apologies. And to answer your question, I like you enough." He hopes you can hear the tease in his own tone as he responds.
You both lapse into a comfortable silence for the next few minutes, the only sounds being the distant hum of traffic and the occasional chirp of a bird. He finds all of it soothing in a way he can't quite explain.
After a few minutes, you turn to him, your expression thoughtful. "You know, if you ever need to talk or just need a break, I'm here. We're teammates now."
Yoongi looks at you, his tired eyes softening with gratitude. "Thanks, __-ssi."
You give him a reassuring smile before pushing off the wall. "I'll let you finish your cigarette. See you later? And by later, I likely mean at 9 or 10 pm in our company elevator."
"Yeah, see you later," he laughs, watching as you walk back toward the building. He takes one last inhale, extinguishing the cigarette and letting the remaining smoke escape his lips slowly.
Yeah, he likes you just enough.
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a/n: Hope you enjoyed it! Lmk what you think 🥰
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builtbybrokenbells ¡ 4 months
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Poolsides & Pizza Boxes | JTK (1 of 2)
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A friendly hangout and an innocent drinking game turns into a troublesome affair.
Read part two here.
Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader
Word count: 13.5k
Warnings: sexual situations, mentions of sexual frustrations, lots of sexual tension, like one smidgen of dry humping, embarrassing crushes, kissing/making out, awkward situations, play fighting, lots of friendly teasing, drinking, smoking, partying, swearing, a touch of angst, lots of fluff, sorry if i miss any! (stick around for part two for the rest 😉)
hi lovelies, I had a blast writing this! part two obviously is the more climactic part, but I hope you enjoy this for now. The next one should be out soon 🤍 as always, be kind, enjoy, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes!
The summer sun was blinding, irritating your eyes as you shielded them with your hand. Your skin was warm, the cool pool water long forgotten and the droplets dried into a distant memory. The drink sitting in the cup holder of your patio chair was condensated, the ice inside melting the longer you sat, and the music blaring through your speaker was playing a song you hadn’t heard in a long time. The moment was perfect, the summer day exactly what you had dreamed of in the slump of work that only ever seemed to grow larger. What made it even better was the crowd of boys sitting poolside, their feet in the water and beer bottles in their hands.
As you sipped at your straw, you watched as one of them stood, the water running from his legs onto the brand new concrete panels on the ground. You looked upwards, your eyes settling on his face as he turned away from his brothers and took a step in your direction. His brown hair hung over his shoulders, framing his face and blowing softly in the barely-there breeze. You couldn’t help but feel your lips turn upwards into a smile as he continued on his path, standing in front of you and casting a shadow over your chair.
“The sun looks good on you, you know.” He said, his hands anchored on his hips as he gazed down upon your lax position in the chair.
“What does that mean, Jacob?” You raised an eyebrow, looking over the top your sunglasses at him. There was a hint of a smile on his lips too, and you could see his skin of his chest and shoulders beginning to redden from the constant sunlight touching it.
“It means you look better in the sun than you do behind an office desk.” He continued, pushing an identical chair closer to you with his leg. He stopped when the arm collided with yours, sending the ice in your drink clinking against the plastic cup. He sat down, turning his head to look at you before speaking again. “It means we have to do this more often.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” You sighed, pushing your glasses back up the bridge of your nose. You rested your head against the wooden back of the chair, taking in a long breath. The summer air was sweet, lingering with the scent of the blossoming flowers Jake had helped you plant by the doorway just a few days prior. When the wind blew just right, you were hit in the face with his cologne still lingering on his skin, mixing with the last bit of sunscreen that refused to wash away after his pool escapades. The scent was familiar, it was comfortable, and it made you think of home.
“Makes me think you’re forgetting about me, sometimes.”
“Forgetting about you?” You scoffed, chuckling at the idea alone. “As if I could do that even if I wanted to. And how does that make any sense? You’re here every fuckin’ day anyway.” At that, he let out a laugh, one that shook his shoulders and echoed through the air.
“Yeah, but hanging out with you is much different than listening to you talk on a boring conference call from across the room.” He brought the cap of his beer to the edge of the arm on his chair. After a few seconds spent positioning it correctly, he slammed his hand down on top of it. The cap popped off, clanging down on the concrete, and bubbles overflowed from the neck of the bottle. With a mischievous smile, he flicked his hands towards you. You jumped in surprise as the cold liquid hit your warm skin, sending him a glare that spoke louder than any words. “You moved halfway across the country so you could be near us again, and all you do is work.”
“Mhm,” you let out a hum, your lips pressed tightly together as you wiped away the droplets of beer from your chest. “You travel all over the world for months at a time, but you don’t hear me complain about it.” He shot you an incredulous look, shaking his head in disbelief that you would even say such a thing.
“Yeah, I do actually. Every minute of every day that I’m gone.”
“Now you’re just being dramatic.” You dismissed him, closing your eyes as you fought back a smile.
“I can pull up the texts if you’d like,” he said, reaching for the patio table on the other side of you to grab his phone. As he did, you grabbed his wrist, holding his hand back so he could not proceed any further. “And the phone calls.” He let out a long breath, upping his extravagance to bring extra attention to his point. He didn’t cower under your hold, but he didn’t try to move again. “It always goes something like—‘oh, Jake, when are you coming home? I miss you so much’ or ‘only three more sleeps!’” He put on an airy, high pitched voice as he recounted the things you said to him most often.
“Oh, so that’s how we’re going to do this?” You asked, sitting up in your chair and turning towards him. “You don’t want me to start.” You warned, still holding his wrist tightly in your hand.
“Oh, yeah, whatever.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Uh-huh,” you hummed. “What about you? Calling me at three in the morning ‘cause you couldn’t sleep, or when you have a little too much to drink and you miss the sound of my voice?”
“Yeah, like I’d miss the sound of your annoying little ‘Jacob Kiszka’s’! You’re worse than my mom when you call!” He put an extra flair on his voice as he imitated you, striking a flame of annoyance within you.
“Maybe if you’d behave yourself when you’re gone, I wouldn’t have to—“
“Hey!” Josh shouted, turning his head back towards the two of you. “Stop fighting with each other. You’re ruining the vibes.” He motioned to the still, blue water of the pool, illuminated with sun rays.
“He started it.” You grumbled, letting go of his arm and pushing it away from yourself at the same time.
“I don’t care who started it, I’m finishing it!” Josh snipped, taking a sip of his drink. “Worse than children, the two of you.” He let out a disappointed tsk.
“Yes, mom.” You hung your head low with faux shame.
“Sorry, mom.” Jake joined, copying your actions. When Josh turned back to the pool, you could see Jake peeking over at you through the strands of his hair. You bit down on the inside of your lip, stifling the laugh that was rising in your throat. Then, in a hushed whisper, you could hear a grating sound coming from his lips. When you strained to listen, you could he him muttering words, mocking his twin brother for his inability to have fun.
The laugh that tore from your chest was loud, irritating, and disruptive to everyone sitting in the immediate vicinity. Your shoulders shook and your stomach ached from the laughter coursing through you. Josh whipped his head back around, his eyes settling on Jake with a scowl on his lips.
“Is he making fun of me? I know he’s making fun of me.” Josh huffed, ready to argue worse than what the two of you were doing moments before.
“No, Josh. Pinky promise that nobody was making fun of you.” You gave him a sweet smile, sipping at your straw.
“You always take his side!” Josh accused, still joking but spewing some truth about the situation.
“I’m not taking anyone’s side!” You defended, raising your hands in the air.
“F’course you are, ‘cause your in love with him!” Josh grumbled, frustrated at your constant insistence on having Jake’s back and not his.
“I am not!” You exploded, looking to the chair beside you. Jake was unbothered by the thought, amused by the situation unfolding before his eyes, and happy the attention was off him and on you, instead.
“Are too!” Sam joined in, using his foot to reel in one of the pool floaties. As he did, he slid from the poolside on top of the tube. After he situated himself, he pushed himself away from the side and floated to the middle of the water.
“Do you hear yourselves? Are you insane?” You fought off the accusations like your life depended on it, your cheeks burning red and your stomach twisted with embarrassment.
You weren’t sure why it was such a sore subject, but every time they spoke the idea into existence, your whole body felt like it would explode if you didn’t get yourself out of the spotlight.
“Look at her, she’s blushing.” Daniel cackled, his head turned just enough to see your face.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Jake cut in, realizing that you were more uncomfortable than they thought. “Josh, you’re just mad she broke up with you in the third grade. Let it go, man.” Jake said, watching as Josh’s expression dropped into one of great confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. His lips dipped into a frown, then he turned back towards the pool, lifting himself off the ground by his arms and sinking into the water.
Even if the other three knew they were in the right, they were never a match for the two of you when you joined forces against them.
When everyone distracted themselves with drinks and swimming, easily moving on from the moment of torment, Jake reached his arm out to you. He brushed the hair away from your shoulders, letting his hand rest on the back of your neck. The touch was calming, and when his fingers slipped into the hair at the nape of your neck, gently scratching over your head, you nearly forgot what had you upset in the first place. Your eyes fluttered closed and you leaned back into the chair.
“They’re just being assholes, trouble.” The nickname fell from his lips, smooth like silk and sweet as sugar. You could listen to him call you that all day and you were certain you would never get tired of it. “They don’t mean it, they just like to get under your skin.”
“I know.” You hummed, lost in the feeling of his hand on your neck. “Just don’t like it when they team up on me, is all. I know they’re just joking.”
And you did; they had been joking about the same thing since the summer before freshman year of high school, when you had spent every single day following Jake around like a second shadow. It would have hurt you more had he not been doing the exact same thing to you, and it would have been unbearable if you actually did feel that way about him. Back then, you laughed it off, and so did he. Both of you knew the notion was incredibly incorrect, and neither of you were too concerned about the constant teasing that came along with having a best friend of the opposite sex in a small town during your high school years.
In fact, nothing really bothered you much. There was nothing in the world that seemed to be able to tear the two of you apart, and no rumors or suspicious whispers ever changed the dynamics of your relationship. He was your best friend, and to this day, the simple fact remained the same. After a fateful encounter at the soccer field at the school on a warm July morning, the two of you got to know each other beyond what’s expected of familiar faces. You realized you had a whole hell of a lot in common, and within seconds, you realized that friendship with Jake Kiszka was a prized possession you never wanted to give up.
You knew each other beforehand, seeing each other in class and of course, the disastrous heartbreak of his twin brother in the fall of third grade (the relationship only lasted two weeks, but he really liked you), but never explored the possibilities of friendship until that summer.
Since then, you had never known anything else.
You spent days in his bedroom, watching him (poorly) play the new guitar his dad bought for him and watching movies that would quickly turn into memories that served you great comfort. He would walk your dog with you, and occasionally get ice cream with you at the corner store down the street when you both managed to scrape together enough change. When the school year started, you were his crutch for academics, and he was your’s for anything social. Before him, you didn’t have many friends, and the idea of high school always struck a sensitive nerve within you. With him by your side, you never felt like you had to worry about a thing. He held your hand through your first (real) heartbreak, and you helped him practice asking out girls to the school dances.
As you grew older, life changed, but never your friendship. Summers were the same, only with a little more freedom. You went on road trips when you felt your third-hand car could survive it, and got your older brother to buy you booze for house parties. You dated plenty of people, but none of the relationships ever lasted. Plenty of tears were shed, lots of memories were made, and one thing forever remained constant; his presence in your life, and his unwavering support. He wiped away the tears, shared the bottle of vodka, and always knew where to find you when a slow song came over the loudspeaker so he could get at least one dance in at the parties.
It was a relationship everyone yearned for, yet not many got to enjoy. It was a love that was never broken, and one that was never misused. It was the knowledge of never being alone, and knowledge that you never had to fall, because there would always be someone to catch you. More importantly, it was knowing that even if you did fall, and if you fell as far as rock bottom, he would wait beside you until you were back on your feet. You loved Jake for many things, but his support was unlike anything else. He always let you feel your way, figure it out yourself before he tried to fix it for you. He encouraged you to stand, rather than picking you up. It allowed you to learn, to make mistakes you needed to, but you never had to do it alone.
Jake Kiszka was the kind of person everyone wanted in their life, and you were the one lucky enough to have him around. It was a constant reminder to appreciate him, but it was also a constant question of what you ever did to deserve him.
The love carried you through to the very end of senior year, and all the way to a bittersweet goodbye. All of the support you had given to each other encouraged you enough to follow your dreams. The only downside was that your dreams could not happen overnight, and you could not complete them alongside each other. You loved each other so much that it forced you away from each other, but you both knew that staying together in fear of losing would only make you lose even more.
With teary eyes, he stood outside your car that was packed with your whole life, holding you in his arms until the very last second. With a kiss on the head, he sent you across the country with a reminder that he would always be your biggest fan, even if he was not there to tell you. You drove for hours, remembering the sight of the four boys waving you off at the end of your driveway, and did not stop until you landed in front of a dorm room and you were too exhausted to shed another tear.
You drive home on holidays, spending as much time with him as you could, but time was a thief, and you never had as much time as you wanted. Every visit home, and with every road trip across the country he took to see you, things were different. Never love, but life. He was older, his hair longer and his face prettier (how, you did not know). He watched as university tried and failed to beat you down, and you watched as his biggest dreams began to come true. As beautiful as it was, the distance was a killer. You hated seeing him show up at your door, just slightly different than he looked the last time. You were tired of going home and realizing how much had changed.
When you graduated, he was living in Nashville, just signed on by a bigger label and preparing to travel the world. Still, despite his growing popularity and never ending excitement, he never forgot about you. He showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a single suitcase, RSVPing the invitation as soon as he received it. He spent four days with you, laughing and crying, staying up until odd hours of the morning in an attempt to cling to the memory just a little longer. He told you he was going to start touring, and that he was scared he would lose you. You laughed and shook your head, knowing you would call and text him every spare minute you had.
Distance tried hard to tear the two of you apart the first time, and was determined to do it the second. Thankfully the two of you were strong enough to withstand it, and you knew that no matter how hard the years tried to change you, one thing remained certain; Jake would always be your best friend, no matter how far away he was.
You settled in Oregon for a few years, working outside with the environmental science degree you had bled for. He continued to travel the world, playing stages for thousands of people and releasing music he’d dreamed of writing since he was old enough to walk. You called, texted, and every now and again, visited each other. Life was good, simple and fun, but it didn’t feel right.
You had no idea why it felt that way, until you broke down on the phone with Jake as you confessed how badly you missed him.
That’s when things began to change.
He showed up, 85 hours later and running on zero sleep. With little plans and no real answer to your problems, he appeared at your front door, willing to do anything he could to take away the ache in your chest. It was a night full of tears, both of you drunk off wine and the feeling of being together again. In your bed in a run-down one bedroom apartment, he asked you to move to Nashville. After years of keeping silent, he admitted to how bad it was to be away from you. He offered you a place to stay and help looking for a job, and anything you could ever possibly need so long as you were living in the same city as him.
At first, you laughed.
Three weeks later, he flew back to Oregan with his brothers in tow and helped you pack up your life all over again.
This time, for good.
His brothers flew back to Nashville after the brunt of the work was done, but he stayed so he could drive with you. Standing in the driveway of the apartment complex where you had spent the last two years of your life, things seemed the same as they always did. You and your best friend against the world, ready to face a whole new and exciting chapter. As soon as he got behind the wheel of the car, assuring you he would drive the first half of the way, it was different.
Jake was not your childhood best friend who you shared scraped knees and melting ice cream cones with. He wasn’t the boy who used to play guitar for you in his parents basement, nor was he the one who walked your dog with you on those hot summer days. He was a man who was willing to drop everything in his (extremely) busy life to travel halfway across the country to make you happy. He was a man who was more beautiful than you could remember, and he was a man you were willing to drop your entire life for just to be with him again.
He was the same person, and so were you, but this time, everything changed.
You were in love with him, and so impossibly so that it made your head spin and your stomach sick.
You made a vow to secrecy, knowing if he ever found out, the world would never be the same. Losing him was not something you were ever willing to consider, because he was the only constant you ever had in the ever-changing world. For six months, you bargained with the feelings while sleeping in his spare room (some nights) and ate dinner with him at his kitchen table. Most of the time, especially at the beginning, you fell asleep in his bed while you watched terribly filmed and scripted YouTube documentaries in his bed, and you woke up with his arm slung across your waist and his head buried in your neck. You tried to tell yourself that with time, the fleeting feeling would pass and you would consider yourself ridiculous for ever thinking you felt that way about him, but that time never came. When he left for tour, gone for weeks at a time, you missed him more terribly than you ever had despite living in his home with his memory seared into every corner.
The reunions were sweeter, the hugs longer and the warmth in your heart larger than ever before. It was a dangerous game to play, because it was so hard to keep it to yourself. You knew that if things continued the way they had been going, you’d be forced down on one knee with a ring in your hand, begging for marriage.
So, a reluctant conversation surfaced after the third night in a row you had fallen asleep next to him. It was not the conversation you wanted to have, but it was one you needed to have. You sat him down, telling him with faux happiness that you had enough money to put a down payment on a house a few blocks away. You expected him to rejoice, to celebrate the victory of home ownership with you and jump to help you move out, but he did none of those things. Instead, he forced a tight-lipped smile on his face after he cleared his throat. He gave one, firm nod and reached across the table to grab your hand.
“I didn’t know you were looking.” He said, his sadness equal to a punch in the stomach. “I would have let you live here forever, you know. I never wanted you to move out.”
You had so many questions, ones that you did not know if you wanted an answer to. You looked down at his hand in yours, wondering how you had gotten yourself in such a position. You had fallen for the one person you knew you shouldn’t, and you couldn’t bear the thought of the consequences, which is why you forced yourself to buy the fixer-upper, anyway.
Had you gotten it wrong? Did he feel the same as you did?
You were too cowardly to ask, and a month later, you had enlisted the help of the four boys to renovate a house you weren’t even that keen on living in. With five of you, the work was pretty fast, but that was the worst part of it all. After seeing Jake’s reaction to you telling him you were moving out, you wanted to stay, to drag the renovations out for as long as humanly possible, but you knew they would catch on. Instead of dwelling on all of the things you should have said, you focused on what you were going to have. Luckily, the house renovations were mostly aesthetic, and it was done within a few weeks. By the end of it, you were excited to have something of your own to do whatever you pleased with.
Then, Jake had to suggest a fucking pool.
You were happy, content with having everything finished and being moved in (and more importantly, moved out of his house). Things finally seemed to go back to normal, no waking up next to a boy who made your heart beat a little too fast, and no dinners bordering too close to romance.
But it was boring, and you made the mistake of complaining about it.
“It’ll be a great housewarming gift, y/n.” He said, his arms outstretched as a shit-eating grin encased his (infuriatingly) beautiful face.
“Jacob, I don’t need a pool. Besides, I spent all of my money tearing out the carpet and buying the ‘real’ wooden panel flooring that Sam insisted I needed.” You argued, looking down at the expensive flooring with a scowl on your lips. “Stupid fuckin’ wood.”
“That was your fault for listening to Sam in the first place!” He exclaimed, looking around the empty living room. “And besides, do you even know what a gift is? It means someone gives it to you, because they bought it.”
“You’re not buying me a pool, Jacob Kiszka.”
“You’re right,” he gave a slow nod, looking at the fenced in backyard through the large living room windows. “I’m not going to buy you a pool. I’m going to pay a bunch of men to build one!”
Turns out that building a pool is much more costly than he previously anticipated. You figured he would scrap the idea entirely and just buy you an inflatable kiddie pool on your birthday to keep true to his word. You would have been fine with it —no, you would have been more than happy with it. You weren’t sure you could accept such a grandois show of affection from a man you were trying so hard not to have feelings for, but you knew better than to expect the bare minimum from Jake. In the ten or so years of knowing him, he had never stooped as low as the bare minimum.
So he suggested the two of you do the brunt of the work together, then he would pay someone to do the rest.
The issue was, neither of you had any idea how to build a pool (or start to, for that matter) and that entailed a surplus of quality time that you moved out specifically to avoid.
But, you had never been able to say no to Jake, especially when his eyes grew soft and his bottom lip jutted out into a small pout. Puppy dog eyes were your kryptonite, and from him, you were sure it would be your demise.
After a few weeks of digging up ground and clearing your backyard, the area was finally sufficient to hire someone to finish the job. Not long after that, the concrete was poured and set, and soon enough, what used to be a grassy patch had become a pool that was much more expensive than you ever could have afforded.
“This is too much, Jake. I can never even begin to repay you for this.” You said, a hand on your head as your facial features twisted with stress. It was stunning, inviting, and your favourite part of the entire home, and it was all thanks to him.
“You don’t need to repay me, trouble. I wanted to do it.” He said, slinging an arm around your shoulder as he pulled you into his side. The action made your heart flutter and your stomach fill with butterflies. “Do you know how fun it’s going to be? We can get Sam some arm floaties and Josh a life jacket, then we can have so many pool parties.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” You sighed, resting your head on his shoulder as you looked out at the blue water.
“I ask myself the same thing about you, every day.” His hand on your upper arm tightened ever so slightly as he spoke. “You dropped your entire life to move to Nashville, Y/N, just so we could be together again. Do you have any idea how much that means to me? Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?” You turned your head upwards, looking over his face. His head was already turned down and he seemed to have been staring at you for some time.
“I love you, Jake.” You mumbled, giving him a smile. If only he knew how true the words really were.
“I told you a pool was a great idea, trouble.” Jake said, clearly trying to take your mind off Josh’s teasing. You crossed your arms over your chest, the still-damp material of your bikini top sticking to your dry skin as you did so.
“I’m not going to say it, Jake.” You huffed, standing your ground. He’d been trying to get you to tell him he was right since the day the pool was finished, but you had bit your tongue and held back every time. “Your head is big enough as is. No need for me to inflate your ego even more.”
“Oh, so that’s how you want to be?” He asked, sitting up in his chair. His eyebrows were knitted together as his eyes silently begged you to retract the rude statement.
“That’s how I’m going to be, yeah.” You nodded, unwilling to back down. “What’s it to you?”
“You know, I’ve always been so nice to you, and I’m just supposed to take this abuse?” He continued, making a move to stand. He sat his beer on the table on the opposite side of you, raising to his feet with a slight sway. You could tell the summer heat was mixing with the alcohol in his system, and he was feeling good. In truth, you weren’t far behind him in the drunken race.
“Yeah, I’m just the worst, Jake. I’m so mean to you.” You laughed, looking up at him as he stood over you. His shadow casted a chill over you, making you realize you hadn’t moved from the sun soaked seat in hours.
“You said it, not me.” He said, his hands on his hips as he continued to tower over you. “Are you going to take it back?”
“Fuck no!” You laughed, placing your drink beside you in case he made any sudden moves that caused a spill. “I’m not going to tell you that you were right, and I’m not going to take it back. You have an ego problem, Jacob, and I think it’s time you realized it. You don’t have to be right all of the time.” The sass in your tone was completely humorous, used only to irritate him further.
Even as you two found yourself in a mock-fight, you couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the picture before you. His sun-kissed skin was glowing under the rays, and his dark hair was tousled perfectly after it had dried from his pool escapades. There was a slight wave to it, and the wind was blowing it away from his face. His shirtless chest was catching your attention, but not nearly as much as the peek of a v-line from his swim trunks, and the patch of hair under his belly button leading to the hem of the fabric. Your heart sped as you remembered what it felt like with his chest pressed to your back and his hand resting on your hip while he was sleeping away the earliest hours of the morning.
Either he did not notice your staring, or he did and he opted not to call you out on it. You were happy either way, because not even being caught staring at Jake was an embarrassment anymore. It happened so often that you felt odd when your eyes weren’t on him. Before you could digest his eyes on you in the same way, he was leaning down with outstretched arms. With ease, one of his arms slid around your lower back. He shifted to the side, hooking his other arm under your thighs. With a swift motion, he lifted you off the chair. You let out a shriek of discontent, knowing exactly where his mind was as he straightened himself up. Now that he was holding you, he seemed all the more steady on his feet, almost as if he was terrified to drop you.
“Jacob Kiszka, do not throw me in that pool or I swear to god—“
“Or what?” He mocked you, cutting you off as he took two steps away from the chair. Your arms slung around his neck, holding on tightly as he clambered closer to the poolside. “What are you gonna do, trouble?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t be good!” You fought against his hold, trying to shake out of his grasp and land back on your feet.
“Oh, I’m so scared!” He laughed, his feet now at the very edge of the pool. “Say it, trouble! Last chance!”
“Never!” You fought back, feeling your body already tense in anticipation of the cold water on your skin.
“Throw her, Jake!” Josh cheered in the background, lingering in the deep end by the side so he avoided the splash zone. He was laughing at the sight of the two of you, always amidst some kind of argument. Jake looked over his shoulder at his brother, smirking at the encouragement.
Josh had a knowing look in his eye, his feelings completely unspoken but apparent to the boy standing over the pool. He knew, just as well as Danny and Sam did. Even as Jake tried to play it cool, and as you deflected every accusation, love completely surrounded the two of you wherever you went.
“Josh, what the hell! You’re supposed to be on my side!” You pleaded, frantic for someone to stop him before he let go.
“Do it, Jake!” Danny yelled over the sound of your voice, laughing as he watched your head whip towards him.
“You guys fucking suck-“ before you could finish your angry sentiments, you felt Jake’s arms move upwards. You took in a sharp breath, holding it as you prepared yourself for him to follow through with throwing you in the water.
But, you had always been the one to get the last laugh.
As he tossed you forward, you tightened your arms around him. As your body pulled away from his, your arms stayed locked behind him, causing him to stumble with the force he’d thrown you with. You heard a laugh leave his lips as your ass touched the surface of the pool, and not long after you were fully submerged in the water. You were barely able to contain your laughter when Jake fell into the water on top of you. When you swam to the surface, you noticed that he did not join you. You looked down into the water, nervous that you might have hurt him, but you did not have to think of it for very long; his hands reached for your thighs as he swam towards you, and with one strong motion, he pulled you back under the water again.
Smiling and holding your breath, you tried your best to fight his hold. After a few seconds of a futile attempt, he loosened his grip and the both of you resurfaced. With his arms still around you and his hair covering his face, he guided you towards the shallow end before he pulled you into his chest. His breathing was ragged, still recovering from the minutes underwater. You relaxed against him, finding yourself breathless for a whole different reason.
“Good one, trouble.” He muttered, pushing his hair away from his face. The water droplets streaming down his cheeks only made him all the more inviting, and his hand on your barely clothed hip was driving you crazy. He reached out, brushing the stray hairs away from your face, in no hurry to move away from you.
“The pool was a good idea, Jake.” You whispered, smiling at him. His lips parted slightly as he tried to process what you were saying to him, and after a few seconds, you saw his eye twitch as he held back a grin.
“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.” He said, turning his head to the side so his ear was closer to your mouth.
“Don’t make me say it again.” You groaned, but you were still smiling despite your annoyance.
“Just one more time?” He pleaded, his fingers tightening on your hip as he asked. It was absent minded, almost as if it was natural for him to touch you so intimately. He didn’t even seem to think twice about it, and he certainly didn’t seem keen on breaking the hold.
“Fine,” you huffed, unable to deny the man of anything he asked for. “You were right about the pool.”
“Sorry, trouble. Can you speak up? I really can’t hear you.” He said, a laugh stuck in his throat as he continued the bit.
“Oh, fuck you, Jake.” You grumbled, rolling your eyes at him.
“—I’m not paying a delivery fee when I have two working legs!” Your attention was drawn to the poolside yet again, and as you looked past Jake to see what the commotion was about, you could have sworn you felt Jake move to be just a little bit closer to you. “Can you think? Do you ever use your head?” Sam continued, flicking Josh on the forehead to solidify his stance on the matter. Josh swatted his hand away, clearly annoyed with his actions but trying to keep his composure.
“Ten dollars is really going to kill you? Ten fucking dollars?” Josh fought back, his eyebrows knitted together similar to how Jake’s looked when he was upset. Jake turned fully, sliding his arm around you so he did not have to lose contact while he watched his brothers argue. You couldn’t help but feel the familiar swarm of butterflies overtake your stomach once again.
“Maybe it is, ‘cause it’s ten dollars I don’t have to spend!”
“You’re cheap, Sam.” Josh responded, his lips turning down into a frown.
“It’s okay. We can walk, it’s not that far.” Daniel said, breaking the tension with a hand on both of their shoulders. “We can stop at the corner store and grab another case of beer on the way back.” Danny offered. “They won’t deliver that, anyway.” With a huff through his nose, Josh eventually gave a nod.
“Fine, we can walk, but that’s not my point.” He said, stepping away from the two to grab his wallet and his shirt. “You know I’m right, you just won’t admit it.” He pointed a finger at Sam, his tone grave.
“God, you two really are twins.” You whispered, looking sideways at Jake.
“What can I say? We’re stubborn.” Jake gave a slight shrug of his shoulder.
“That’s putting it lightly.” You giggled, turning back to the three standing together.
“We’re going to get pizza,” Josh announced. “And we’re walking, because ten dollars split five ways is just too much for Sam.” You stifled a laugh, biting down on the inside of your lip so you did not further the tension in the air. “And we’re going to the gas station, I guess. Care to join?” Josh asked, looking suspiciously between the two of you. You glanced at Jake, waiting for him to answer first. When he realized all three of them were staring at you, he slowly removed his arm from your waist.
“No, I’ll stay, I think.” He cleared his throat, looking at you as he awaited your response.
“Yeah, me too.” You nodded, forcing a small smile despite your anxiety about the situation you’d found yourselves in.
“Figures.” Josh gave a cheeky smile, slipping his shirt over his head. “We’ll be back, please don’t forget that.” He continued as the other two boys stepped towards the fence gate. You felt your cheeks burn, looking down towards the water to avoid the staring. “You guys want anything? As long as Sam doesn’t deem it too expensive to buy?”
“Shove it, Josh.” Sam muttered, unlatching the metal lock as he pushed open the wooden door. “Be back soon!” He called over his shoulder as the other two followed him out. When the gate slammed closed, the lock clicked itself shut, sealing the two of you alone inside your backyard.
You shook your head, chuckling at the scene that had just unfolded before looking over to your best friend, who already seemed to find himself staring at you. Without a word, you took a few steps forward in the water, reaching out for the floatie Sam had abandoned when pizza was mentioned. Jake followed closely behind you, likely scheming another way to disrupt your day of relaxation. You pulled the brightly coloured tube towards you, steadying yourself as you centered it with your body. With one strong push, you pulled yourself up out of the water and lurched forward, heaving a sigh of relief as you landed on the tube. You turned around, careful not to fall off, and settled your ass in the middle. With a small smile, you relaxed and let your arms hang over the side, your fingers grazing the surface of the water as you looked up at the sky.
Jake was beside you, smiling to himself as he watched you. “You look comfortable.” He noted, propping his arms on the side of the floatie and resting his chin on it as he gazed up at your face.
“I am.” You agreed, looking at him through the corner of your eye. “And I’d like to stay that way, if you don’t mind.”
“You always think the worst of me, sweetheart.” He laughed quietly to himself, seemingly lost in thought about something other than the topic at hand. “Do you remember the year we bought that cheap inflatable pool? We put it in your backyard and sat in it all summer.”
“Yeah,” you laughed at the thought, closing your eyes as you recalled the memory. “It was that summer before senior year. My car broke down on the way to Walmart. Took us all damn day to even get the thing.”
“We got it though, after Josh came to the rescue.” He reminded you.
“That pool was like four feet wide, max. I have no idea how the two of us even fit in it.” You grinned. “And it looked like a watermelon. The cashier thought we were idiots.”
“Because we are.” He laughed, turning his head to the side so his cheek was laying on his arm and his eyes were stuck on you.
“Yeah, we were.” You nodded, bringing your hand to his face and brushing the stray hairs away from his eyes. You knew you shouldn’t, and that the touch was too intimate for a friendly relationship, but you couldn’t help it. You wanted to touch him all of the time and never have to worry about anything else.
“Did you ever think we would end up here, in a real pool, living as sort-of neighbors almost ten years later?” He asked, reminiscing on the years of memories shared between the two of you.
“No.” You shook your head, only telling him a half-truth. You didn’t think you would end up like this, but you had always hoped you would. Actually, you always hoped you would end up like you were months before, living together in the same home, sharing a bed every night. Although you had what you once dreamed of, it wasn’t in the way you wanted it to be. As much as you enjoyed your brief stay at Jake’s house, you knew it was for the best that you left. You couldn’t keep hoping for love when you knew it wasn’t possible. You couldn’t open yourself up to the idea, because you couldn’t stomach the thought of losing him.
“I miss you living with me.” He confessed, his cheeks rosy from the liquor coursing through his veins. He would never have harnessed the courage to admit it sober, but he felt like he needed to get it off his chest, just in case you felt the same. “My bed is weirdly empty without you in it.” You felt frozen in place, his words hitting you much harder than they should have. You didn’t want to speak, fearful that the moment meant more to you than it did to him, so instead you sat, staring at him with parted lips and surprise in your eyes. “Sorry, that was weird. I didn’t mean—“
“S’okay, Jake.” You smiled, letting your hand fall from his face to his bicep. You gave his arm a small squeeze, reassuring him that it was alright. “I miss it too. I think I jumped the gun with buying a house. It’s nice, and I am excited, but it’s lonely, I guess.”
“Why did you leave?” He asked, the words coming out too quick for him to possibly stop them. As you looked over his expression, you realized it was a question he’d been dying to ask since you told him that you were moving out.
“Oh,” you breathed, swallowing hard as you tried to come up with a quick lie. “I, uh, I didn’t want you to get sick of me. I felt bad, like I was a freeloader and you were doing charity work.” You forced a smile on your face, trying to make the situation lighter by joking, but he didn’t seem to take it as such. His eyebrows furrowed, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes.
“You know I would never feel that way, Y/N. I waited for you, you know? Till you were finished school, for when you had a job and you knew what you wanted to do… I waited for you to call me and tell me you wanted to be with me again.” Your heart sped and your stomach sunk. As sweet as the sentiment was, you couldn’t help but feel yourself grow defensive over the idea. He was being far too romantic for a man who never once seemed keen on being more than friends.
“I just… I had to, Jake, okay?” You rushed out, scared he would back you into a corner and make you confess the one thing you wanted to keep secret. The pain on his face made you regret the words immediately, and you knew that fighting was the last thing you wanted to do. “I’m sorry.” You breathed, trying to focus and understand the jumble of words plaguing your brain. You wanted to be honest, to tell the truth, but every time you came close, you thought you might be sick. “I loved living with you, Jake. I think it was the happiest I’ve ever been, but I don’t want you to get sick of me, and I think that being roommates with someone you love so much is a tricky thing. I… losing you would be the worst thing in the whole world.”
“You’re ridiculous, Y/N.” His words were harsh, but his lips were upturned into a smile. “In all of the years I’ve known you, I’ve never been sick of you, and I never will be.” He said, the certainty in his tone making your head spin. “But hey, we got a pool. That has to count for something.” You liked the sound of his words, making it seem like you two were more than best friends. If not a couple, then definitely a team.
“We did get a pool.” You grinned, only slightly guilty that you had such a hard time returning his sweet words.
As always, you were terrified that it would mean something different to him than it did to you.
“You know what the best thing about a pool is?” He asked, his eyes scanning the still surface of the water.
“Hmm?” You hummed, naive to believe his question was innocent.
“It makes it so easy to annoy you.” He answered, giving you no time to register his words before he backed away from the tube and dipped his hands below it. With a strong push, he flipped it over and sent you tumbling into the water again.
You were so shocked at the suddenness of his actions that you forgot to hold your breath, finding yourself choking on water as you forced your way back to the surface. When your head popped back up, you were too busy coughing to notice Jake’s echoing laughter. When he noticed your distress, the amusement disappeared and concern replaced it. He pushed the tube out of the way, swimming towards you as you continued to clear your lungs of any water that remained.
“Hey,” Jake said, now in front of you as he reached out to hold you. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking over your face as you took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, trouble. I was just messing around.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.” You nodded, noticing the closeness of his body as his hands lingered on your arms. “You’re a dick.” You snipped, fully recovered as a grin blossomed on your cheeks.
“Seriously, you’re okay?” He disregarded your insult completely, still concerned with your well-being.
“Yeah, I’m good.” You nodded, reaching out and placing a hand on his side under the water to reassure him of the fact. He was so close, so comfortable and alluring. You couldn’t seem to pull yourself away from him, remembering how nice the physical contact felt with him. He didn’t seem to be in a rush to part ways with you, either, his eyes locked with yours and his hands anchored in position.
Instead of dwelling on the yearning of your heart, you took advantage of the moment and used all of the force you could muster to push him. He lost his footing under the pressure and stumbled backwards, his upper half crashing into the water as he sank below the surface with a splash. With a laugh stuck in your throat, you watched him fight his way above water as he suffered through your revenge. When he was back on his feet, there was a fire in his eyes and a devious smile on his face.
“No, Jake, we’re even now.” You pleaded, pointing a finger of warning in his direction as he began to move towards you.
“Uh-huh.” He nodded, clearly in disagreement with you.
“Seriously, stop!” You exclaimed, backing away from him as he closed in on you. Before you could get away, he was in front of you and his hands landed on your hips. In a moment of desperation, you locked your legs around his waist as he lifted you off your feet, cementing the idea in his head that if you went down, he was coming with you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, clinging to him as closely as you could to deter his attack. “I swear to god, Jake, stop!” You let out a shriek of laughter, preparing for his unforgiving nature one last time, but it never came.
Instead, he seemed frozen in place, immobile from the position you had forced upon him. When the adrenaline faded and you understood he was making no further effort to dunk you under the water, your sanity returned and so did your self-awareness. In your desperation to avoid his shenanigans, you had clung to him in such a way that his face was settled on your chest, and your legs wrapped around him so tightly that you had put him in a very compromising position. If that wasn’t enough to embarrass you, your actions not only seemed to cause a short circuit in his brain, but a growing problem in his pants. A problem that was so imminent you could feel it.
You were certain he could feel your heartbeat through your chest as his chin rested on top of your breasts, propped up by the padded material of your bikini top. Your hands tangled in the hair on the back of his neck did not make the scene any less explicit than it already was, and perhaps the worst part of it all was that shame seemed like a far away feeling, covered completely by need for him. For a moment, you weren’t lifelong best friends, nor were you afraid of any consequences. You were a woman consumed with desire for the person below you, and it seemed as though he was a man gone mad. You feared you had the signal mixed up, that you were so lost in your own feelings for him that you were confusing his feelings for you. Then, his hands on your hips slid backwards, cautious and careful as his grip settled on your ass.
You took in a shaky breath, the touch electrifying your entire body. In reaction, without thinking, you shifted downwards on him. Somewhere deep in his chest, a low groan sounded as his fingers tightened on you. The skimpy bikini bottoms left little to the imagination as he pulled you down on him further, his cock pressing against your clothed core. Your eyes fluttered closed, wondering if you were dreaming or if the euphoric feeling of being so close was actually a reality. You turned your head downwards, finding him already looking up at you with an unfamiliar look in his eye. He straightened his upper half, his face lifting from your chest and advancing unusually close to your own. You could smell the alcohol on his breath as the tip of his nose brushed against yours, and it was driving you close to insanity.
You wanted to taste him, to feel his lips on yours and explore the possibilities that were presenting themselves. You could feel how hard he was, how badly he needed the relief similar to yourself. Your mouth was watering at the idea of feeling him, and you were aching at the fantasy of finally having him in a way you only ever dreamed of.
The tips of his fingers traced the outline of your bikini bottoms, curious and eager to go further. Why wasn’t he pulling away? Why was he letting this go so far without saying a word to stop it? Could he really feel the same way? There were too many questions, and you did not care much for the answer as you lowered your hips on him a little further. As you did so, the friction from the movement gave you a sense of relief. A quiet whine forced its way through your teeth, and you were unable to stop it before it reached his ears.
“Careful, trouble.” He whispered, his voice husky and the vibration of his chest rattling your own. His lips were so close to yours, nearly brushing yours as he moved them to speak. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.” His tone of voice made it hard to decipher if his statement was a warning or an invitation.
“Who said I can’t finish it?” You challenged, desperate to keep him there for a little while longer. You weren’t ready to give him up just yet.
“You know better.” He said, the words forced like he hated to say it. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” You challenged, your face inching closer to his own as you awaited a proper answer.
“God,” he hissed, sucking a sharp breath in through his teeth. “You always make it so fucking hard to do the right thing.” This time, he pulled you down on him, unable to resist the temptation of feeling you on him.
Before you could get to the bottom of his ambiguous words, voices filled the air through the screen door of your kitchen and a rush of fear filled you. The grating sound of the tread on the door against the frame caused you to recoil away from Jake, pushing yourself backwards as if you had never been in the confusing situation at all. As bodies filled the patio, laughing and completely unaware of what they interrupted, you looked to Jake to see what he was thinking. As if it was some kind of sick joke, his face was plastered with undeniable disappointment, and behind his eyes, there was a glimmer of hurt.
You thought you might be sick. Your head was pounding and your stomach was twisted with anxiety. To make matters even worse, you were still aching for relief, aching to be back in his arms with your body pressed against his. Surely there was no way in hell that he wanted it too, and you tried to convince yourself you were crazy for thinking so, but the sadness on his face told you a completely different story. His lack of care about the position and his enjoyment of the moment was obvious, but it was too much to process all at once.
Instead, you decided to pretend that it never happened at all. Of course, it was the most painful thing to do, but in his own words, it was the right thing to do.
“Jesus, what happened? You both look like you saw a ghost.” Josh asked, his voice booming and breaking you both from the storm of emotions consuming you. There was a smile on his lips and clear ignorance to what the group had interrupted. You cleared your throat, shaking the emotions away as you noticed the group had doubled in size since the three had left. The boys partners had been planning on joining after work, but in lieu of the whirlwind of events, the knowledge seemed to slip your mind.
“No, all good.” You assured him, glancing at Jake to see he’d made a quick recovery, too.
“Hope you don’t mind the extra company.” Josh grinned, setting a pizza box down on the patio table.
“No, f’course not. The more the merrier, right?” You forced a smile, but you knew everyone could tell that it wasn’t genuine. You hoped that they didn’t misconstrue the dishonesty behind it, because it had nothing to do with extra bodies surrounding the pool, but rather the boy stuck in there with you.
“Right.” Josh nodded, smiling at his partner beside him. “Come and eat, trouble.” He said, nodding his head to the chairs you and Jake had sat in not long before.
“Yeah, okay.” You breathed, giving a curt nod. “You coming?” You asked Jake, feeling guiltier by the second.
“Yeah,” he nodded, his voice hoarse as his eyes connected with yours. “Just give me a minute.” He whispered, just loud enough for you to hear. Your cheeks burned at his words, realizing what he meant and why he had to stay. “Please?” He pleaded, knowing that having you in the pool beside him was not helping his situation.
“Yeah, okay.” You nodded, nervous as you repeated the same words as earlier. In a rush, you swam towards the ladder and hoisted yourself up. You climbed out of the pool, shuffling towards the group as you tried to pull yourself together. You grabbed a towel from the back of a chair as you approached the group, drying your hands before quickly wiping the water from your limbs. Sam seemed enamored with his partner, barely noticing anything that was happening around them, and Daniel was amidst a painful bout of flirting with the girl he’d been talking to for weeks now. You felt good, confident that nobody was suspicious of you and what happened while they were gone, until your eyes locked with Josh’s.
He cocked his head to the side, a playful smirk on his lips as he raised an eyebrow. Plagued with guilt and embarrassment, you cowered under his stare, giving him all the answer he needed. In true Josh fashion, he couldn’t have cared less about what happened so long as he knew for a fact that something happened. He was selective with his need for gossip, never caring about the details but desperate to know that his suspicions were correct, especially when it came to you and Jake. Thankfully, the intensity of the moment dissipated as people began to fill the chairs around the table. Paper plates were passed around as pizza was served, and Jake had recovered enough to get out of the pool and join the rest of you.
Sam’s girlfriend was in his lap on the chair, and Danny was sitting next to his new fling, taking up two seats. Josh, seeing the opportunity to further his torment of you and Jake, took one of the two remaining chairs and offered it to his boyfriend. Then, he threw a folded towel on the ground and took a seat in front of him, between his legs. With a devilish smile, he looked to you and Jake, awkwardly glancing at the only available seat left with plates of food in your hand.
“You take it, trouble.” Jake said, motioning his head towards the chair. “I’m fine sitting on the ground.”
“No, Jake. You take it.” You shook your head, unwilling to make him sit on the ground after you had hurt his feelings.
“Come on, don’t be like that.” He frowned, too stubborn to take it from you.
“Here’s an idea,” Josh pitched in his two cents, sipping his drink before continuing. “You could both sit on the chair so neither of you have to sit on the ground?” He offered, raising an eyebrow. You shot him a glare, expecting nothing less but hoping to be proven wrong. “What? You guys shared a bed for months, but sitting on his lap is too much?” Josh was desperate for a reaction, desperate for the two of you to fess up about how you felt for each other, and he was playing devils advocate to get his way. “Unless there’s a problem, trouble?” He pushed a little harder, but you stood your ground in hopes of silencing him.
“No, no problem at all, as long as you’re okay with that.” You looked at Jake, who gave a shrug. He knew just as well as you did what his twin brother was trying to do, but arguing with him never got you anywhere.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” He nodded, taking a seat on the chair. He outstretched his arms towards you, inviting you in with great pleasure as if the awkward moment in the pool never happened at all. He had a paper plate clutched in one hand and a beer in the other with a dopey smile on his lips and rosy cheeks. Despite all of the days strange events, you could not seem to refute the fact that he was adorable.
You stepped towards him, careful as you placed your drink on the table. You sat, mindful not to hurt him as you shifted into a comfortable position in his lap. You twisted to the side, throwing both of your legs over his as you leaned back on him. He put his beer bottle into the cup holder in the arm of the chair and hooked his arm around your waist to hold you in position.
“How’s that?” He asked, just loud enough for you to hear.
“Good.” You squeaked, unable to confess how much you truly enjoyed it. He placed his paper plate on your leg, and within seconds, the awkwardness dissolved into nothing.
You ate, laughing at the topics the boys were discussing (and arguing about), pretending like it was just another normal day for you, but your mind couldn’t help but wander back to the incident in the pool. You couldn’t stop thinking about his hands on you, testing his limit as they travelled over your skin. Your mind only wanted to remember how close his face was to yours, his warm breath on your skin and his nose brushing your own. More than that, you couldn’t seem to forget the way he felt underneath you, worked up from the position alone and nothing else. Over and over again the memory of him pulling your hips down on his filled your mind, and it didn’t take long for the incessant ache began between your legs yet again.
Truth be told, it was not the first time the two of you found yourselves in a compromising position—in fact, it happened more often than not, but this time, it seemed intentional. There was no shying away, and both of you seemed content with progressing further had there been no interruptions. Back when you lived with him, finding yourself sleeping in his bed more often than not, compromising positions were the only way you ever started your day. Whether you woke up, your face resting comfortably on his chest and his hand on your hip to hold you in place, or if you were on your side with his chest pressed against your back and his hand nestled under your shirt on your stomach. Closeness was not foreign to you and Jake, and unfortunately, neither was sexual tension.
Most mornings, more so when he found himself as the big spoon, your ass pressed against him did little to help keep things platonic. It was always a struggle to force yourself out of bed, to pretend you didn’t notice a thing so he did not feel ashamed or embarrassed about his own actions, because you wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and take care of the problems for him.
In fact, you were certain there was not a problem in the world you wouldn’t take pleasure in solving for him.
But today, you were conscious, both aware of the consequences and uncaring of them. He was willingly holding you there, testing his limits in the process, and he was sad when you pulled away. That was something you did not expect from him, and it was the very thing that was causing all of the overthinking in the first place. Did he really want you, or was he just being a guy, desperately infatuated by a woman no matter who she was? Was his sexual frustration your doing, or a result of a sexual draught he’d been caught in for months? You and Jake had always dated other people, but it usually never extended beyond hookups and talking stages. Since you’d moved in with him, neither of you even bothered to search for a date or a person to bring home after the bar. At first, you thought you were doing it out of respect for him and a dislike for the idea of having sex with someone else in his house, but you quickly understood that it was much more than that.
You didn’t want to date or hookup with anyone, because you wanted to do it with him. It had nothing to do with respect, and everything to do with your feelings towards the one boy you shouldn’t feel that way about.
You were confused, anxious, and worried that the instance might change the dynamic of your friendship, especially if any of your previous questions were answered with something undesirable. You wanted him to want you. You wanted him to love you, in the same undying and relentless way that you loved him, but it was far too much to ask of him. You didn’t want him to sleep with you because he was in a dry spell; you wanted him to sleep with you because he wanted you, rather than just for sex. The longer you thought about it, the more you realized you had been feeling this way for much longer than you ever realized it.
“Y/N?” Jake asked, shaking you slightly. You snapped back to reality by the burning feeling of his palm on your bare thigh. You turned your head towards him, wondering what he wanted and how long you had been zoned out for. You gazed around the circle of friends, realizing that all eyes were on you. The embarrassment began to eat you alive as you mustered out a hum of acknowledgment. “Josh was wondering if you wanted to play Pizza Box.” He repeated, his hand still lingering on your skin.
“Yeah, I love Pizza Box.” You nodded, looking down at his hand. You couldn’t help but think of how good it looked, decorating your leg and holding you as if you were his.
“What’s Pizza Box?” The girl sitting next to Daniel spoke, laughing nervously as Josh began to break down the cardboard box on the table.
“You see, my dear friend, it’s a game of great strategy.” Josh began, shaking off the crumbs onto the concrete.
“It’s a drinking game.” Jake corrected, rolling his eyes at his brother.
“Yes, a drinking game of great strategy!” Josh continued, finding a quarter at the bottom of his bag.
“It’s not, Sierra.” You cut in, reassuring her of the fact. “It’s super random and it’s really fun.”
“Okay,” she breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Danny and giving him a smile. He reached out and placed a hand on her knee, giving it a small squeeze.
“There is a science and I will not take any further arguments on the matter.” Josh snipped, fishing around in his bag for a sharpie. You played the game so often that he never left home without one.
“I learned about it at a frat party in my first year at college.” You shut him down once more, enjoying the frustration on his face. “We play it every time we drink. Basically, we’re going to write everyone’s name on the box and circle it. We take turns throwing the quarter, and if it lands on someone’s name, they have to take a drink.” She nodded along, following your instruction carefully. “If it lands in an empty space on the box, the person who threw the quarter gets to write a rule, as big or as small as they’d like, and if the quarter lands on that, we have to do whatever it says.”
“Oh, that’s not too hard, then.”
“No, it’s not, and it’s really fun, I promise.” You smiled. “Be prepared to get drunk, though. There’s a lot of drinking in this one.” You warned. Your eyes turned back to Josh, watching him as he wrote everyone’s name down and tried to keep them the same size. He circled his own name last, then pushed the table to the center of the circle.
“Alright, Lena. You want to start?” Josh asked, looking at Sam’s girlfriend. She gave a nod, holding out her hand. Josh tossed the quarter in her direction. She caught it, focusing for a moment before tossing it down on the table. The coin landed on Sam’s name, almost perfectly in the middle, and she let out a laugh at the sight.
“Hey!” Sam complained, furrowing his eyebrows. “You’re supposed to be on my team!”
“Not a team game, Sammy. Drink up.” You smirked. With a huff and an eye roll, he did as he was told. Lena leaned forward and grabbed the quarter, handing it to the boy sitting on the chair underneath her. He gave it a lazy toss, landing on a blank spot next to Roman’s name. Josh’s boyfriend let out a sigh of relief, knowing he narrowly avoided the sentence to drink.
“Uhm,” Sam hummed aloud, trying his best to think of a rule. “Players who land on the spot can’t swear for the rest of the game. Every time they do, they have to drink. You can write it for me.” Josh nodded, leaning forward and circling the words ‘swearing = drink’. Sierra grabbed the coin, sitting back in her chair as she looked around the board. With a targeted throw, she landed on Danny’s name. Without complaint, he sipped at his beer, then took his own turn.
By the time the circle was complete and Lena was ready to take her turn again, mostly everyone had been sentenced to drink with the exception of you. Now, the group had a pact to shoot for your name. Lena tried, but missed entirely, which came a new rule of ‘boys drink’. Sam missed and hit Jake’s name, and Sierra landed on Josh’s name. Danny made the new rule of ‘girls drink’ to counter Lena, and Roman landed on it when he took his turn. The board filled quickly, now including rules pertaining to shenanigans rather than drinking. Jake added one, stating that if the player landed on it, they had to swim a lap of the pool. Sienna added one in which the player had to attempt at a cartwheel.
The board was filled enough that the rules began to slow, and the fun began. With a reluctant round of clinking beer bottle necks, the boys took a drink. Josh tried (and failed) to do a cartwheel on the grass, and Jake had to swim a lap in the pool, grumbling about his own rules being used against him. When he returned to the chair to sit, you refused to let him back on it, giggling as you reasoned with him.
“I just dried off! It’ll be cold and wet and gross, and it’s starting to get dark out!” You complained, anchoring your hands on the arm of the chair.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, trouble.” He bargained, sopping wet as he stood before you with his arms crossed over his chest.
“My chair, my rules!” You cried, hooking your legs around the legs of the chair. He chuckled to himself, leaning down and snaking his arms around your midsection.
With ease, he lifted you from your spot, the chair lifting with you. You held on for as long as you could, but eventually had to loosen your grip. It clattered back against the concrete and Jake let out a sigh of relief. He hooked an arm below your knees to hold you bridal-style as he sat back down, placing you on top of him. You tried to scramble away, but he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you back on him as you shrieked with laughter. Now just as damp as he was, you knew the fight was a fruitless endeavor. You relaxed against him, your skin littered with goosebumps from the chill of the night.
“What was that about your chair?” Jake asked, the vibration of his chest ringing against your back as you leaned against him. His chin was resting on your shoulder, and you could hear the smile in his voice.
“Shut up, Kiszka.” You muttered, mumbling a thanks to Josh as he handed you the coin. The alcohol and laughter did wonders at easing the tension between you and Jake, and you were barely thinking about the pool incident any more. Even as you sat atop of him, closer than usual, things felt normal, and it felt good to know that the situation did not change anything between you.
You tossed the quarter, and it landed on the corner of the box, right atop a little blank space in the corner. You leaned back, turning your head towards Jake so you could whisper something in his ear. He leaned forward, catching on to your intent as he waited to hear what you have to offer.
“I’m thinking skinny dipping?” You whispered, your nose brushing against his cheek as he turned to look at you. At first, he was surprised at your words, his eyes wide and his mind running at a mile a minute, but he looked to the box and quickly realized what you meant. Before he made his misinterpretation too obvious, he gave a nod.
“Good one.” He hummed. You leaned toward, grabbing the marker and writing the words down before encasing it in a circle.
“Ah, so that’s how we’re playing this tonight.” Josh announced, an evil grin taking over his face. At the sound of his words, your stomach plummeted, realizing what you had opened the door to in your moment of mindlessness. “Sounds good to me!”
“What does that mean?!” You whispered to Jake, nervous about what the future held.
“I wouldn’t worry, trouble. It’s just Josh.” He assured you. He had his hand on your hip, holding you close as he reassured you, and it felt good. Almost too good as you tried to bargain with yourself not to cross any boundaries.
The circle went around a few more times, and the night began to take over. The stars glimmered in the black sky and the moonlight casted a white light over the group. You were all long last tipsy, and growing more intense as the game progressed. Roman and Josh had been whispering amongst themselves for the past few turns, clearly planning something grand. Roman carefully aimed when his turn came around, making sure he landed on one of the few empty spaces left.
“Couples kiss.” He said, smiling as Josh reached for the coin. He took his time, and landed on another empty space.
“Singles kiss.” He announced, writing the words much larger than necessary. Your stomach twisted with unease as Josh sat back in his original position, turning his head towards you as he slid the quarter across the table. You gave him a scowl as you reached for it, knowing exactly what he was playing at. Carefully, in hopes of avoiding the biggest circle on the board, you threw the coin. It slid as it landed, making your heart speed, but stopped on Jake’s name.
“Hey,” he complained, a frown on his lips.
“Drink up, buttercup.” You smiled, still too on edge to be relieved. You knew that nobody else would take that much caution in avoiding the space, which made it all the more frustrating for you. Josh had you in stalemate, and he wasn’t backing down until he finished the whole thing.
The circle went around, and with every coin toss, you felt yourself relax into Jake a little bit more. So far, you were in the clear, and you worries began to ease. Perhaps you were a little too comfortable in your assumptions, because when Roman took his turn, his quarter landed suspiciously close to the new rule Josh had added moments before. When Josh took his turn, he was carefully positioned and calculated. As his quarter landed on the board, he tried to keep the frown from forming.
“Couples kiss!” He announced, forcing a fake smile. With that, Josh and Sam both turned to their partners, keeping it sweet and simple. Your turn gave the girls a round of drinks, and as you handed the quarter to Jake, you prayed he would have the same caution as you did. Of course, you couldn’t expect anything from Jake when he was drunk, and as soon as the coin was in his hand, he tossed it without a second thought.
You watched in horror as the coin landed on its side and began an agonizing roll towards the exact spot you wanted to avoid. As if the world was in slow motion, you felt like you could feel every second pass as the coin hit a divot in the box, halting its rapid roll and wobbling in its path. Eventually, it pathetically dropped to its side, and your blood went cold. Below it, the word kiss was covered by the shiny silver, and the only word visible in the circle that surrounded it was the word ‘singles’.
Through his own carelessness, Jake had sealed his own fate, and you knew Josh would never let it go, at least not without a good fight.
what do you guys think will happen in part two ☺️ I can’t wait to hear your thoughts 🤍
298 notes ¡ View notes
hazashiovo ¡ 7 months
Note
korra (legend of korra) x reader angst to fluff 🙏🏻
I gotchuuu 😉👍
Korra x reader
+slight Kuvira x reader cause I have a huge brain rot for her🥲
Angst to fluff,mentions of trauma,long fic because it has plot in it.
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Korra has been...distant.
Ever since Zaheer and the red lotus poisoned her and forced her to fight in the avatar state she's been different,to you and to her family.
She doesn't eat,when she sleeps she has nightmares, she doesn't talk to you...and it's worrying you so much,your heart aches each time she sends you away with her deafening silence.
You try talking to her about Asami's accomplishment or Mako's new job,even how Bolin made a name for himself.
But each time she'd have that empty look in her eyes,as she sits in that wheelchair she despises so much.
Sometimes you wish you could read her mind,chase away the memories that are tormenting her.
"Please Korra,I'm begging you,try...for me,just...I know you can do it." You sit on your knees,hands on her knees. Eyes looking at her pleading.
"I'm not who I used to be, (Name). Stop trying to save me." She turns her head away, avoiding your pleading eyes.
"That's not true,and you know it!" You cup her cheek, bringing her face closer to yours,yet your eyes hardly connect with each other.
She grabbed your wrist, pulling it away from her face."I don't need you and your pity, so find someone else to nag and leave me alone already!" Korra snaps,anger running trough her body.
Your eyes whiden in shock and you feel like she squeezed your heart with her harsh words.
"Do you even love me?" You bite your lip, waiting for an answer you know you won't get.
You avert your eyes from her face. Disappointed with her lack of will to be with you.
"That's what I taught." You get up and turn around ready to leave. Ready for a new start away from here,from Korra.
"(Name) i-" she wants to get up,run after you ,hug you and tell you she loves you more than herself. But she can't even gather her words properly.
You stop for a second , wishing to hear those words,only fooling yourself further.
.
.
With time Korra started getting more ambitious. She wanted to return to the person everyone knew her as. The avatar.
Her wish to prove to you that she can do better was growing by the day. Even so,the last time you spoke to here was the day you left, a day she still regrets even now.
Sometimes she would just feel like giving up,but you reminded her who she was doing this for,giving her the will to fight.
It's been a year since you've left the south pole. Being there with the shell of your lover was too much for you to handle.
Since you returned to Republic city you've been reunited with Bolin, helping Kuvira restore order to the earth kingdom.
It really took your mind off Korra. Now that you joined Kuvira, you got stronger. Unlike someone,you didn't let your trauma and past tragedies hunt you anymore.
"Well done (Name), you're getting stronger by the day." The dark haired woman smiles, hand laying on your shoulder proudly.
You wipe some sweat of your forehead, smiling back at her. "That's the goal I'm reaching for." She nods, looking at your form.
"I remember the first time Bolin introduced you to me and my cause." She wraps some bandages on her wrist, preparing to spar with you, "You were so lost." You watch her moves carefully, getting in a fighting stance.
"Im not the person I used to be." You speak,words giving you a sense of deja Vu.
Kuvira lounges , throwing some big stones at you. You grin, dodging them.
Once you find your opening,you make some ice disks and throw them at her.
Kuvira bends herself an earth wall,then throws it at you.
You make yourself a wave of water,going around Kuvira's wall, your water wave is circling the older woman. Once water is all around her ,you let it fall,and freeze, traping her in ice.
You move towards Kuvira's frozen body. "You cold in there?" A smug smile adorns your face as you slightly bend down to meet with her face. Your hands lazily lay on your knees.
She smirks,your metal collar suddenly pulled towards her. "Don't get to cocky now. It's just the first time you finally got to beat me. Let's try it with metal bending next time hm?"
You roll your eyes, releasing Kuvira from the Ice cage that kept her down. "I'm confident in myself,but not that confident yet." arms crossed as she rubbed some sore spots on her cold hands.
"Can't you have some faith in yourself?Keep going like this and you won't be far from becoming my second in charge." She smiles.
You smile proudly, happy you can finally accomplish something more for yourself.
.
.
Another year passed,with you growing stronger and smarter every day,but the taught of your former lover never ceased to fade. Even now ,her return growing closer by the day. You wonder how she's doing, from what Tenzin has told you,she's having a great recovery.so far. Finally able to walk again.
You worked hard to become Kuvira's right hand,and you're now closer to your goal than ever.
So many cities you helped bring back order and balance , so many lives you saved while being part of this cause.
Unfortunately, Kuvira soon has to step down from her spot,the council finding a new king for the earth kingdom while your boss brought peace wherever she went.
.
"Oh and Flying monkeys!" You blink, looking at Bolin. "Isn't that what Avatar Aang had ?" You raise a brow,not remembering how this conversation even started. "That is so incorrect." Bolin crosses his arms. Looking ready to give you a lecture. "Avatar Aang had a flying Lemur AND a bison as his animal companions. Not a flying monkey, (name)." You roll your eyes. "Whatever you say rock brain." You smirk noticing his anoyed expression. "Hey! How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" He pokes you in the waist,making you joilt up. "Stop that!" You glare at him,poking him back.
The two of you go on like this for a little while, attracting a few stares to yourself.
Until someone clears their troath.
"Am I interrupting something?" Lin stands towering over you and Bolin, giving you a bored look. "Chief Beifong!" Bolin is quick to bow down, dragging you with him.
"You little-" you stop yourself, locking eyes with the police chief, now giving her an awkward smile.
"If the two of you are done acting like monkeys,could you follow me?" You and Bolin now stand straight, noticing Lin's mood is lower than usual.
"I can't stay for chit chatting,maybe (Name) could solve this? I remembered I was supposed to meet with mako,like 30 minutes ago." The brunette boy gives you a sorry smile as you glare at him. "How convenient." Your comment followed by narrowed eyes,sent chills down his spine. Bolin took a quick look at chief Beifong,then left.
"Good. I wanted to speak to you anyways." You raise a brow curiously at the older woman's words. "You did?I mean ,you do?" She nods,not saying another word until you get to a remote Cafe.
The two of you sit down in a corner, quite remote from the rest of the people in the public space.
"So ,what did you want to speak to me about Chief?" You start, looking at the window.
"It's about Kuvira." Your face turns to Lin as she got your interest.
"What about Kuvira?" You tilt your head.
"I'm worried she won't step down and allow the prince to rule the earth kingdom." Lin stops,as a waitress brought the two of you two cups of tea,"Kuvira seems to take great pride in what she accomplished,but I don't think she's willing to stop there. People of earth empire call her The Great Uniter." The chief looks at her mug, waiting for you to respond.
You fiddle with your fingers, searching for the right words to describe Kuvira's wishes. "She has done so much for the earth kingdom,and she's a strong woman,in combat and in mind,the name fits her ,if km honest."
You stop to drink a little from your (chosen) tea, "And I know it's not my place to talk but...ever since Korra is gone,the people see Kuvira as their savior."
Lin sighs, "Kuvira is forcing people to do labor work for her , threatening them with their lives." You whiden your eyes at the words spoken from her.
"I know how she can be..harsh,.but she wouldn't do such a thing." Your gaze moves to the window.
"She is manipulating you (Name), because she knows how strong you are. Should I also remind you how you used to date the avatar?." You close your eyes tightly, trying to push away the taughts of Korra. "Why do you think she chose to have you so close to her? If Korra ever becomes a problem for her,she'll have you as leverage." Lin's fist tightens, looking at your expression.
"It's not true. If you saw the way she acts...you wouldn't say that.Kuvira wouldn't just use me like that." She sighs at your way of defending Kuvira. How could you defend such a woman?
"Everything Kuvira does is for a reason,keep that in mind (Name)." Lin gets up and leaves some money on the table.
You remain there , trying to piece together your racing taughts.
.
And just like Lin said,once it was time for Kuvira to back down and allow the prince to rise,she made the announcement that from then on the earth kingdom would be under her rule.
The rule of The Great Uniter.
This got you contemplating ever joining her,it doesn't feel right with you.
Bolin chose to stick around,but you wanted to leave. Being in a situation like this was too much for you.
"So you planned to just abandon me?" The person you didn't want to see the most right now was behind you, leaning on your door frame.
"This isn't right,Kuvira." You stated, covering your arms as you turn to see her.
"This is exactly what's right for the earth kingdom. I can't let that spoiled Prince destroy everything we accomplished." She pushed herself of the door way, moving closer to you.
"It doesn't feel right,I can't fight for something that doesn't feel right with me." Kuvira sighs. She places a hand on your shoulder. "I know what I'm doing,but I can't do it without you by my side. We accomplished so many great things together." She starts slowly guiding you towards a window. "Just look at how much good we did" her hands point at the window. "The land is safe again, raiders are not attacking innocent people or stealing. What more could you ask?" you look at one of the cities she got back and supplied,it looks at peace. What if she was right?
You bite your lip, "What happens with the people after we leave?" Her eyes meet yours,
"We give them a job, something to do to make the earth kingdom a better place,even the raiders."
Even if your gut tells you not to trust her,your mind reminds you of the great things she did so far. Kuvira never left you down.
"Are you telling the truth to me?"
She smiles, holding eye contact with you.
"Why would I lie?"
.
.
This is getting out of hand, Kuvira wants to attack Zaofu, Suyin's home simply for not obeying her terms.
"Kuvira this is madness,you can't do this!" You enter the command center ,she dismisses the people that were in the room, leaving you two alone.
"No. It's necessary for me to do this. Once Zaofu finally surrenders to me I get total control of the earth empire."
You scoff at her words.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Pacing around the room,you can't help but glance at her troops just outside.
"I thought you were with me on this, remember everything we fight for." Her armor slightly clangs as she walks towards you.
"I fight to make this world a better place,you fight to take control and rule and empire, excuse me but there's a difference." You move away from her,scoffing at the taught of helping her bring Zaofu down.
Kuvira glares at the back of your head.
"I'm doing this because no one else was willing to. And I have to make some tough choices that many wouldn't,why can't you see?" The tall woman runs a hand trough her hair, trying to calm herself down.
Now it all makes sense,Lin was right and you were stupid for doubting her.
"I'm leaving and you can't stop me. Not this time." She sighs, once you start moving towards the door, two of her metal bands parts push you to the wall,hands stuck above your head.
"Let me go."you glare at her trying to get away from her metal.
"I expected better from you." She shakes her head disappointed. You look around the room, trying to find a water source, yet nothing in sight.or reach
"Lock her up tight. Make sure she gets no visitors." Kuvira calls for two of her guards.as they take you away,you see the shrinking image of Kuvira's disappointed face.
.
.
.
You watch as Korra fights with Kuvira for your life,and Suyin's.
She got so much better,but there's still something wrong with her you just know it.
Kuvira seems to have the upper hand,until Korra knocks her down. She was so close,but she hesitates suddenly, giving Kuvira the opportunity to trap Korra.
"No!" You scream,Kuvira turns her head to look at you,a smile adorning her face. Looking around desperately,you see a little source of water, hopefully close enough to you.
You move your hands that are tied behind your back to use the water,creating a razor form to slice trough Kuvira's metal.
You take off running, attacking Kuvira with spikes of ice.
The metal bender pushes herself away from Korra , creating a shield for herself.
Kuvira Is pissed,how could you escape? Are her soldiers good for nothing at all? More importantly,what are you going to do?
You create a big ice shield that goes all around to fit you and Korra trough,finally getting to touch her after so long.
"Korra please get up!" You cradle her head in your arms as her upper body lays on your thighs (Kuvira is jelly~~) she opens her eyes,bright blue eyes you would lose yourself in.
"I came back for you." She smiles touching your face lightly,fearing you might be another one of her illusions. Your eyes whiden, smiling at her words
"I shouldn't have left you in the first place." A tear falls on her face (imagine Kuvira trying to break the ice while those two have their moment ☠️)
"I didn't mean anything I said that day,I'm so sorry,I didn't mean to send you away." Korra gets up,now on her knees ,face to face with you. Her hands cup your face, staring at you lovingly." I Love you." Hearing those words,you jump on Korra,giving her a big hug.
You sniff, smiling at her. "We should really focus on getting out of this situation now." Your voice cracks as you joke.
Korra stands up,ready to fight once more, her will stronger than ever.
.
.
.
I originally wanted to write something else,but this plot came so I just rolled with it. ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠˘⁠_⁠˘⁠)⁠┌
519 notes ¡ View notes
buckyshoneybunny ¡ 2 months
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Beautiful
 Bucky Barnes + Curvy!Female!Reader 
Summary- Bucky proves to you that you are beautiful. 
W.C.- 2623 
Warnings- Fluff, tiny bit of angst(?), smut, 18+ Mdni! Oral (female), fingering, P in V sex, unprotected sex (don’t do that) 
A/N- First time writing smut, hope you like it. This got a little personal 😬 but to all my fellow curvy + plus size girls you are beautiful 😘. I’m thinking of writing a series, with either Alpha, roommate, neighbor, or biker Bucky, I can’t pick. Any suggestions or ideas, I will gladly listen. Also, thank you so much for all the love on my first story!! Please don’t post or steal my work, feedback is welcome. Hope you enjoy!  
Masterlist
You took another deep, shaky breath as you studied your reflection for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. Tonight was the big night; you and Bucky were going to be taking the next step in your relationship. After many dates and late-night talks, you were finally ready to take the next step. Bucky, the ever so perfect guy he is, was patient with you, assured you that he was perfectly fine waiting until you were ready. 
You and Bucky were making out on your couch, you straddling his lap, when you pulled away with a gasp. Bucky starts kissing down your neck, as his hands start to slide up your shirt you freeze.  
Having noticed this, he immediately stops and pull back to look at you. “You okay, peach?” You look away. 
He gently cups your face, his cold, metal hand soothing your burning cheeks. “Talk to me Babygirl, what’s wrong?”  
You bite your lip. “I don’t think I’m ready yet,” you whisper. “I know I should have said something sooner instead of waiting until we’re both worked up but I-” 
“Peach, breathe,” be cuts off your nervous ramble. He rearranges you both so that you’re not positioned over his bulge. “It’s okay, if you aren’t ready then we wait, okay?” He says softly. 
You glance down at his lap feeling guilty. “But what about-” 
“No, don’t worry about that. It’ll go away shortly. How about we cuddle and watch our show? I’m dying to see what happened to Angela,” he suggests. 
You nod after a moment and hug him. “Thank you, Bucky,” you mumble into his neck.  
“Anything for you, peach” 
It wasn’t because you were a virgin or wanted to do things the ‘proper’ way, although you never told Bucky why, he guessed it was because of how insecure you are of your weight. Okay, yes, you were a little curvy, yes multiple guys had laughed at you when you tried to get their attention or looked at you in disgust whenever you tried to wear something that showed a little skin. 
Yes, you were insecure about your weight, but that wasn’t the reason you wanted to wait. Bucky had made sure you knew he loved your curves, no matter how hard you tried to hide them. You often chose pants over shorts and never wore tank tops, but it wasn’t because of your weight- the team made sure you knew they loved you for you, you felt comfortable around them- no, it was because of your skin. 
See, you weren’t one of those girls who had smooth, shiny skin, and that’s why you never showed off anything more than your arms. You had cellulite, bumps everywhere, and pimples in places you wished you didn’t. Not one spot on your body was smooth or clear, it didn’t matter where you shaved or moisturized, every time you slide your hands up your arms or down your legs it was bumpy. You tried everything under the sun but nothing helped, only few things made it a little better, you couldn’t even use your favorite scented lotions that often because it only made them worse. The tan on your skin helped hide it, but it was still there. 
A ding from your phone pulled you back to the present, you picked it up and noticed Bucky had texted you. 
💖My love- Hey, peach! I’m really excited for tonight, and since tonight is a very special night, I got you a little something (with the help of Nat of course), check your closet 😉.  
You walk into your closet to see a long, white, plastic bag hung up with your other dresses. When you unzip it, you can’t help but gasp.  The dress is a long, V-neck red satin dress with double slits. Phone in hand, you text him back. 
You-This is gorgeous Buck, but I don’t know if it’ll look right on me. 
💖My love-I know it’s way out of your comfort zone but believe me, you’ll be the sexiest woman to have ever existed, you already are but you’ll look even more gorgeous. You don’t have to wear it but I hope you do, see you soon, peach 😘. 
Trusting Bucky, you decide to wear it. You put on some plum scented lotion, damn your skin- at least it’ll be soft-, and put the dress on. It fits perfectly, your tan hides your skins secrets and the dress hugs your curves, for once you actually feel sexy. You take your hair out of the French braids and spray on some watermelon scented perfume. Right as you finish putting on your heels, there’s a knock at the door. You grab your clutch and look at yourself in the mirror one last time. Taking a deep breath you open the door. 
Bucky’s eyes widen as he takes you in, you do the same when you see him. He’s in a perfectly fitting suit that shows off his defined muscles, it’s cotton and black, he has a white button up under the jacket with a red tie.  
“How do I look?’ You ask nervously. When he doesn’t answer you start to overthink.  
“God damn,” he mumbles under his breath. His eyes sweep over your body again. “I don’t think I have ever wanted your thighs wrapped around my head more than I do now,” he says distractedly, staring at your thighs.  
“Bucky!” You gasp and playfully smack his chest. He grins, grabbing your wrists, he puts them around his neck as his hands settle on your waist.  
He chuckles. “Seriously though, you look absolutely gorgeous.” He kisses you then slides over to kiss your neck; he breathes in deeply and groans. “Mmm. You smell delicious,” he mumbles against your skin. He slides his hands up your sides.  
“Cut it out, we’re gonna be late,” you giggle and move before his hands can reach the bare skin of your arms, avoiding his touch. He notices.  
“Alright, alright, come on, peach.” He grins and leads you to the elevator, his hand in yours.  
As the elevator closes, he asks, “When the hell did you get that tan?” 
“When everyone was gone on that one mission.” 
“Damn, I missed this gorgeous body half naked in the sun?” He playfully pouts.   
You snort and shake your head. 
Once you both get to the restaurant, the hostess takes you to your table. It’s the fancy Italian restaurant that takes months in advance to get a reservation.  
As the waiter leaves with your orders you ask, “How did you get a table here? It takes months in advance.” 
“Tony called in a few favors,” he grins. “I want tonight to be special,” he adds softly. His hand covers yours on the table. You smile at him and interlace your fingers together. 
“How come you won’t let me touch you?” He blurts out.  
You give him a confused look, “What do you mean? You’re touching me right now.” 
“No, I mean, you won’t let me touch your bare skin. At first, I thought maybe you had scars or something, that maybe that’s way you never wear shorts. But seeing you tonight, in that dress, I can’t fathom why you would hide your body.” He pauses for a moment. “Is it because of me?” He whispers, you can see the vulnerability in his eyes. 
You quickly cup his face, “God no Bucky” You take a deep breath. “It’s just...” you trail off, unsure of how to put it. 
“What, peach? Please, tell me. I understand you wanting to wait for this long, I respect that, but every time we kissed or got a little handsy I could see that you wanted to keep going but you always stopped.” 
You sigh. “Part of it is my weight-” he goes to cut you off but you keep going. “But you’ve helped me feel more confident in my weight, but the insecurities are still there. The main reason is my skin...” 
“Your skin?” He deadpans. 
“The bumps everywhere, cellulite, and pimples everywhere Bucky. I don’t have that smooth clear skin like Wanda or Nat. That’s what I’m afraid of, that you’ll see the marks, feel the bumps on my legs, stomach, hell even my ass. That you’ll see the pimples in places that shouldn’t have any and you’ll break up with me or be disgusted,” you rant.  
“Okay, Y/N, deep breath. First of all, if I ever look at you in disgust, HYDRA must’ve taken over me. I love you and a few bumps and pimples won’t change that.” He holds your hands in his.  
“It’s more than just a few Bucky.” He narrows his eyes as he studies you. The waiter brings your food, Bucky starts to shovel the food into his mouth.  
“Eat,” he says around a mouthful of garlic bread. “I need to get you home to prove to you how beautiful you are.” 
Once you both are done, he pays and all but drags you out to the car. He pushes you up against the side of the car, smashing his lips to yours.  
“If you’ll let me, I want to show you how much I love you and this body.” He says breathlessly. “Please,” he adds, almost whining. You nod.  
On the drive back, you get a burst of confidence. You glance over at Bucky, he’s tense, barely maintaining the speed limit, desperate to get home. You look down and see a very large, very noticeable bulge. Fuck he looks huge. 
You reach over and place your hand on his thigh, slowly sliding it up. Bucky glances at you from the corner of his eye. “Peach,” he warns. You cup his bulge and he inhales sharply. You trace your finger over him, teasing. You cup him again and squeeze, right as he stops for a red light. He groans and bucks his hip up into your hand, his reaction sending a shoot of arousal through you. 
Once you finally reach the tower, he drags you to his room, once inside he shoves you against the door and devours you mouth with his. He spins you around and grabs the zipper of the dress.  
“You sure you’re ready, peach?” You nod. “I need words baby,” he whispers against your neck. 
“Yes Bucky, I’m ready.” He, painfully slow, pulls the zipper down. The dress pools at your feet, he turns you back around. 
His knees almost buckle. You’re standing there in nothing but a baby pink lingerie set and black heels. “Fuck peach,” he moans. He drops to his knees and kisses your stomach. “These curves” he grips your hips, “This ass,” his hands move to squeeze your ass, bordering painful. “This body, baby, I’m never letting you keep it from me again.” His kisses his way down your stomach. “You many have bumps and pimples, and cellulite, but that just add to the uniqueness of the gorgeous body. Y/N, baby, you are perfect, so fucking sexy, just looking at you I could cum in my pants.” He throws your right leg over his shoulder.  
“Bucky,” you whimper. He noses your panty covered clit, inhaling deeply. 
“Fuck, you smell so good.” He pauses, “Do you have plum scented lotion on?” 
“Yeah...” You answer hesitantly. 
He shoves his nose in the crease of your thigh. “Fuck, I didn’t know they made that,” he groans.  
“You like it?” You giggle. 
“I fucking love it, peach.” He licks your cloth covered core, making you moan. He pulls your panties to the side and growls. “This has got to be the prettiest pussy I have ever seen Babygirl.” That’s the only warning you get before he’s eating you out like a starved man.  
He swirls his tongue around your clit before sucking it into his mouth. He brings his metal hand up and slowly inserts his pointer finger. You buck against his face, you lace your fingers through his hair, him being the only thing keeping you upright.  
“Fuck you taste so good, so fucking tight,” he moans into your pussy, sending vibrations through you. He slowly adds a second finger, then a third. Curling them to hit that spongy spot, making you see stars.  
“I-I’m close... Please don’t stop Bucky,” you moan.  
“Wouldn’t dream on it Babygirl, cum for me.” 
You go limp against the door as you cum, gripping his hair tighter, almost to the point of painful, but it only makes him harder. He continues to fuck you with his fingers, helping you ride out your high. Once you come down, he pulls away and stands up. You yank him down by his tie, crashing your lips to his, moaning at your taste on his tongue.  
“How ya feeling, peach?” He whispers against your lips. 
“I want you inside me, now,” you answer. 
He chuckles, “Yes ma’am.” He quickly sheds the rest of your clothes and shoves you on his bed, not before smothering your chest in open mouthed kisses though.  You lean up on your elbows to watch him undress, gasping as his cock springs free from his boxers.  
“Don’t worry, it’ll fit,” he winks and joins you on the bed. Siting on his haunches, he wraps your legs around his waist and shoves his knees under your thighs. He rubs the head of his cock through your folds, teasing you.  
“Bucky please,” you whine. 
“I like the sound of you begging,” his voice deep and rough. In one smooth motion he enters you. You gasp and he moans once he’s fully sheathed inside you. 
“Fuck you’re so big,” you moan and dig your nails into his back. He stays still, letting you adjust. When you buck your hips up to let him know you're ready, he just groans and buries his face in your neck. 
“Fuck, give me a minute,” he mumbles, already pussy drunk.  
You giggle and card your fingers through his hair. After a second, he pulls almost all the way out and sets a punishing pace.  
“God damn you’re tight, almost made me cum like a horny teenager.” You moan at his words. With atilt of his hips, the tip of his cock pounds into your g-spot.  
“James!” You moan, nails dragging down his back.  
He shivers. “Fuck, say my name again.” 
“James harder! I’m gonna cum, James, please let me cum.” You whine in his ear.  
He groans and fucks you harder. “Cum for me baby, cum all over my cock like a good girl.” 
Your thighs squeeze his hips. Back arching, head thrown back, nails digging into his sides you cum, squirting all over his cock.  
“Holy shit,” he moans as he watches you. He continues to fuck you through your orgasm, just barely hold his off. His thrusts grow sloppy. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum baby, where do you want it?”  
You lock your ankles on his lower back, your hands grip his ass, nails digging into the plump flesh. “Inside, please, James, I want your cum in me” 
“Fuck! Y/N!” He roars as he cums. He buries himself as deep as he can as ropes of cum shoot into you. He collapses onto of you, panting. You rub his back and scratch at his scalp as you both catch your breath; he places open mouthed kisses on your neck. He sucks a hickey on your neck, you shiver.  
“Believe me now when is say you’re gorgeous?” He picks his head up to look at you. 
You lean your forehead against his, “I don’t know, I think I might need some more convincing.” He grins, already getting hard again thanks to the serum.  
“My pleasure.” It was going to be a looong night. 
Needless to say, you were much more confident in your looks after that. 
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vendetta-if ¡ 7 months
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Chapter 7 + Ash Hangout Early Access is now Live! 🎉
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Hey, guys! First of all, I'm so sorry for not being active here for the past month. I've been really sick and spent the latter half of January recovering and on bedrest. And as soon as I felt better, I decided to solely focus all my free time and energy on catching up on lost progress and finishing the update before the end of the month. And I did it! 😁
The update is now up for early access on both Patreon and Ko-Fi. Finally, we are starting to get into the ROs' first hangout sessions. Of course, to start us off, we'll have Ash's hangout session 😁This update adds around 31K of new words, bringing the total word count so far to around 356,701K words!
I've also implemented the autosave/reload function to each chapter, so you should be able to have some freedom to go back to the beginning of the chapter and try out different options 😉 Also added another skip-chapter point: Chapter 3.
What you can expect in this update:
The set up to the ROs'  first hangout sessions
Ash's first hangout session
Go down the memory lane and see snippets of MC's most cherished memories.
Some more Viktor 😔
A mix of angst, wholesome, and even potential fluff 🤭
🔥🧡😉
For those waiting for the Public Update, it'll be available on 7th March, 12 AM (GMT +8) 🎉 So mark your calendar!
[Patreon] | [Ko-Fi]
443 notes ¡ View notes
jedi-hawkins ¡ 4 months
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Flower Sniping
The Clones all deserve flowers! Or maybe they think you deserve flowers 😉 Either way, love is in bloom this week for the Clone Flowers Fic Event!
Throughout this week, May 20th-25th, certain participants will be posting their own fics of Clones and different flower themes that were selected! The participants as well as the Clones and flowers they will be writing for are listed below and links to each fic will be added as they are posted! 💐 Follow the tag #cloneflowerficevent to see them all as they come!!
Event Masterlist
Written for an event with
@arctrooper69 - Tup, Rex, Gregor
@photogirl894 - Hunter, Wrecker, Fives
@nahoney22 - Fox, Tech
@totallyunidentified - 99, Cody
@dragonrider9905 - Hardcase
@l-lend - Wolffe
Make sure to go check out their entries too, we'll be posting throughout the week!
Pairing: Crosshair x f!reader
Chosen Flower: Lilies, Forever Lily
Word count: 8.1k (don't look at me like that)
Warnings: Brief mentions of war struggles and death, suggestive fluff, some swearing, reader has hair, frienemies (briefly) to friends (idiots) to lovers, mutual pining, a bit of angst, Crosshair is somewhat bad at expressing emotions
Beta-read by @photogirl894
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"So, why are you putting me on babysitting duty, Argus?" You grumble, rolling your fingers over a knot in your shoulder. 
"You're one of my best agents, Lieutenant, and this is important. I need your eyes on it." Your commandant says plainly, glancing over a few things on the holotable in front of you. 
You cock an eyebrow. "Seriously? The war has been going on for a year and a half. What's so important that the Republic is taking an interest in Scarif now?" 
Argus rolls his eyes. "Look. I didn't ask. It's some sort of deal that the Prime Minister struck. In exchange for food and medical supplies, he's letting a single squad come and scout Western Sector 14." 
"You've got to be kidding me." You scoff. "Sector 14? There's nothing out there, I would know, it's where I spent most my childhood." 
"Another reason why you're the perfect person for the job." Argus says with a smirk. "You know as well as I do, Scarif has been struggling. The trade routes rarely reach all the way out here to us. If the Republic wants to send some supplies our way for showing a few tourists around, why not?" 
You fold your arms across your chest. "How can I argue with something as logical as that?" 
Argus lets out a chuckle. "Then get ready to play nice, they'll be here soon." 
"When do I ever not play nice?" You tease back. "How long are they staying?" 
"Six weeks." 
A laugh escapes your lips. "The Republic better be sending the good stuff, then." 
"They're some elite team, Squad 99, I think. I've been told they're one of the best." Argus retorts.
Smiling, you roll your eyes. "That's not what I meant. If they don't have a bottle of Corelian whiskey, this won't be worth it."
Argus just shakes his head at you and exits the command center. "Outside. Ten minutes."
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The squad's ship touches down gently and you adjust your rifle on your shoulder slightly, sinking your weight into one hip. As much of a front as you put up for Argus, you really didn't mind this assignment. It was pretty cut and dry; serve as an escort for Squad 99 while they sniff around the western sector for a few weeks. It would give you a break from the frequent relief missions you were usually running. 
Scarif hadn't seen any true action from the war so far, but the effects still reached the outer rim. Argus was right, the steady trade that once flowed from the core worlds had weakened to a trickle and now many of Scarif's provinces were riddled with conflict over the little resources the planet had left. That meant you were more often out running supplies, assisting in makeshift medical camps, or dissolving scuffles than anything else. 
Your interest in this squad increases as you realize their ship is a heavily-modified Omicron-Class attack shuttle. The ramp lowers and four men stride down, coming to a stop in front of Argus. The man in front removes his helmet, revealing a mess of long dark hair pulled back by a bandana. He holds his hand out to Argus. "Commandant, I presume?" 
Argus takes the man's hand. "Yes sir. Welcome to Scarif." Your commander turns and waves his spare hand to you. "This is my First Lieutenant, and the one who will be hosting you on your mission." 
"Sir." The soldier acknowledges you with a curt nod. "I'm Sergeant Hunter, Galactic Army of the Republic." He looks to the man on his right, who removes his helmet to reveal striking silver hair. "This is Crosshair, our sharpshooting specialist and my right hand." 
The Sergeant turns to his left, "This is Tech, engineering and data analytics." The soldier with goggles barely glances up when his sergeant claps a hand to his shoulder. "And Wrecker, weapons and demolitions." Hunter finishes, jerking a thumb behind him to the soldier towering over his comrades. 
"Right. Well, good to meet you all. The command center is right this way" Argus says, turning to lead the group deeper into the yard. 
"So, Lieutenant. How are the military operations going here? The Prime Minister easy to work with?" Sergeant Hunter asks you in a husky voice. 
"Hm," You have to stifle a chuckle. "I wouldn't really call us a military, Sergeant. We operate as a Coalition dedicated to the service of Scarif's people. The Prime Minister has his own division of special forces for ‘keeping order.’ We work with him, not for him." 
The soldier in goggles, Tech, takes a few quick steps forward to get level with your shoulder. "You use military ranks, do you not?" 
Argus steps aside to let you lead the group into the Command Center. "Mainly for ease of identifying our hierarchy of command." 
You gesture for the soldiers to circle the main holotable. "Argus is our main point of coordination and connection to the Prime Minister-"
"And the Lieutenant here is my first pair of boots on the ground." Argus says proudly. "You boys are in good hands."
A fond smile crosses your face at Argus' praise as you flip the holotable on, but you could swear the silver-haired sniper muttered something under his breath. Straightening up, a red pin highlights the command yard. 
"Alright. We're here." You say, pointing before motioning for the map to rotate and zoom. "Western Sector 14, where you all have requested to scout, is here. The base camp will be a few hours’ ride."
"We can't just fly in?" Tech asks pointedly.
"If you want to jump out of the ship and drop in with chutes, sure.” you say, shaking your head. “The jungle is too dense to make a landing with anything bigger than a one-man fighter anywhere near where you want to be." 
Sergeant Hunter glances at his men. "Alright then. Thank you, Commandant." He says pointedly at Argus. "The first wave of supply ships will come in tomorrow." 
"Fantastic, thank you." Argus replies. He moves to lead the group out the door and back out into the yard, but falters when he notices the squad's sharpshooter, Crosshair, sizing you up. "Is there a problem?" Argus asks, tentatively.
The soldier smirks, swishing a toothpick between his lips. "I just don't want to have to pull a civvy out of danger. We were told this planet was hostile." 
Argus' brow furrows. "I already told you, the Lieutenant is my best agent, and you'll respect them as such-" 
"No, Argus, it's fine." You cut him off, keeping eye contact with Crosshair. "If the soldier doesn't trust me, he doesn't trust me and nothing you say will change that." You take a few steps around the table to stand in front of the sniper. "By definition, yes, the planet is hostile, but they're bandits, raiders; people that have been driven to desperation. I can assure you, soldier, I've had my fair share of run-ins with them and I'm just fine." A smirk spreads across Crosshair's face and you narrow your eyes. "What?" 
"You called me 'soldier,'" he responds. 
You tilt your head to the side. "That's not what you are? Soldiers of the Galactic Army of the Republic?" 
His comrade with the goggles, Tech steps forward. "Technically, you are correct, but not many refer to us as such." 
"Well, what do they call you?" You ask, curiously. 
Wrecker, the tallest soldier is the one who answers this time. "Eh... Most people just call us 'clone.'"
You run your eyes back over the squad, each of them so different from the others. "You're- you're clones?" 
"You know we're GAR, but you don't know what we are?" Crosshair remarks.
"I didn't want to assume, the GAR does have a few divisions of enlisted nat-borns." You say simply with a shrug. "It’s not like you’re carbon copies of each other. Besides, it doesn’t matter how you came into this galaxy, you’re men, soldiers first before anything else." 
With that, you step past the sniper and back out into the yard. 
"We're packed and ready to go, Sergeant,'' you say to Hunter, gesturing to the group of gorsets standing tied nearby. 
Tech adjusts his goggles. "We're using equine species?" 
You shrug again, moving over to yours and stroking its face. "Only the rich can afford speeders out here. Plus, who can say no to a friend. Get your stuff loaded on the spare cart and we can head out."
Hunter leads his brothers back over to their ship and before you know it, they have their supplies all packed up. 
Argus grasps your forearm just before you mount up. “Be careful, okay?” 
You give him a reassuring smile, “You worry too much, Argus. My job here is easy. I’ll see you in a few weeks.” 
With that you slip your foot into your saddle’s stirrup and throw your leg over your gorset’s back. With a click of your tongue, it moves to the front, Hunter’s following closely behind. 
The first part of the ride goes pretty smoothly. You make small talk with the soldiers, or three of them, at least. Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker regale you with stories of their life and training as soldiers of the Republic and in return, you tell them your story as a nat-born. 
About an hour in, you come to a stop at a stream and let your mounts rest. You watch intently as the four brothers, take in their surroundings. You’ve always liked Scarif. You’d certainly seen a few other planets in your line of work, but Scarif and its dense forests always meant home. Crosshair settles on a fallen log while Hunter checks over their gear on the carts and Wrecker begins making friends with the gorsets. Tech, however, is wandering around with his face buried in his datapad. 
“Find anything interesting?” You say, approaching him. 
He looks up at you, his wide inquisitive brown eyes filled with excitement. “All the flora on this planet is fascinating. So many native species are unique to this biome. Of course, I researched them before our arrival, but to get to document them personally is a wonderful opportunity.” 
You smile at his curiosity. The clones’ homeworld, Kamino, probably left much to be desired. “Those ones are my favorite,” you say, motioning your chin towards some striking burgundy-orange blooms nestled in the undergrowth. 
“Ah yes,” Tech remarks. “Liliaceae Lilium Asiata. A fairly ordinary species though, not that remarkable.” 
You smile. “Their common name here is the ‘forever lily’ and while they’re not a rare species, they are special.”
“What makes them so special?” Wrecker asks loudly. 
“Here on Scarif, they’re often given as a sign of admiration or partnership. They bloom in early summer and also represent new beginnings. My father actually gifted my mother one when he asked her to dinner for the first time.” 
“That’s…actually quite romantic,” Tech replies. 
“And obviously it went well,” Hunter adds. 
A laugh escapes your lips. “Oh no, the date apparently went horribly wrong. My father made a complete fool of himself and accidentally tripped, knocking my mother into the fountain in the center of the village. There were probably thirty witnesses to the whole thing. My father’s family never let him live it down. When he asked my mother for a second chance, he brought two lilies. For their third date, he brought three. By the time they got married, he decorated the entire gathering hall with them.”
Crosshair hops up off his perch. “So why are you out here and not with them picking flowers, sweetheart?” He jeers. 
You cock an eyebrow at him. “They’re dead.” 
Crosshair stiffens at your response, but doesn’t retort. His brothers look at you with wide eyes. 
“Bandit raid,” you say plainly. “I was seventeen. Took less than a day for our village to be cleared out. Those who tried to hide food or resist were laid out in the street. A number of us survived and we made our way to the capital for refuge. That’s where I met Argus, and he gave me a chance to do more with my life.” 
Silence settles among you, the brothers unsure of what to say. 
You clear your throat, breaking their stupor. “Ready to move out?”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s go.” Hunter says, jerking his head at his brothers.
As you swing your leg over and settle into your saddle, Hunter catches your eye. “The color. I like it.” 
A soft smile crosses your face. “Thanks. I do too.” 
Once again, you take the lead, but this time your group travels in silence. The next couple hours are uneventful. Occasionally, Tech or Wrecker would point something out and you’d give a few words on it. A couple times, Hunter called for the group to stop, and you reassured him whatever noise he heard was probably just a kybuck. ‘Bandits haven’t been spotted in this sector for years.’
As you round a bend in the trail, your mount slows out of instinct. You can hear Tech mutter under his breath when the old buildings make their appearance. 
“Fascinating… Did you know this was here?” he asks. 
You glance around at the familiar ruins of your past life. “This used to be my home.” 
You pull your mount to a halt outside the largest building. “And it will be our base camp for the duration of your stay here.” 
“Do you come back often?” Wrecker asks hesitantly.
“Mm-hmm,” you answer as you dismount. “Once every few moons. It’s quite peaceful out here.” 
Crosshair’s brow furrows. According to your story, you all are currently standing at the center of the greatest tragedy of your life. He’s drawn to ask about your response, but his twin beats him to it. 
“You said raiders destroyed your village, yet you continue to return. That’s very brave.”
You smile at Tech’s words, pulling your bags off your gorset. “I wouldn’t say brave. It took me a while to be able to come back, but look at this place,” you say, gesturing to the buildings overgrown with flora. “You can’t even see the scars of the raid any more. No people, no conflict, no pain. With a little bit of time, nature came back and healed, same as I did.”  
Your response hits Crosshair in a peculiar way, but if you had asked him to describe it, he wouldn’t have had the words. Instead, he moves over beside you and gently takes a few bags from your shoulders before moving inside. 
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The next few weeks pass with little fuss. The boys tend to leave at 0700 to go about their scouting missions and return around 1800 for dinner. Every few days, you’ll go along to lead them to a new part of the sector or provide information on the area. Most days you’re left to your own devices. You spent your first few free days setting a trap line along you r well-known foraging routes. Hunter had protested your hunting and gathering. He tried to explain they had brought enough GAR rations for everyone, but you were happy enough to prepare warm meals for the team. 
It didn’t take them long to crumble to your mouth-watering camp cooking, leaving the rations to be quick dinner solutions after long days. Hunter offered his talents once or twice to help you get a nice score, or Wrecker would help haul firewood back to camp. Tech even provided you with some new recipes you fused with Scarif-style dishes. 
Hunter took quickly to you, as did Tech and Wrecker, but the fourth member of the team always kept his distance. Any words exchanged between the two of you were more often than not snarky comments. Hunter would chastise him for it, tell him to stow the attitude, but you knew Crosshair didn’t mean it. And it’s not like you didn’t dish it back.
On this particular day, you were on your own. Crosshair had been particularly grouchy the last couple rotations, so Hunter had benched him for the day. Crosshair’s excuse had been a migraine, so you left him sleeping at base camp with a blanket gently draped over him and a canteen of water within reach when you started out on your own hike. 
It doesn’t take long to reach your shooting range. Your sniper’s roost is up on the crest of a hill that looks over a small hollow. Wooden targets are scattered from the undergrowth up into the branches of the dense forest around you. 
After taking a few practice shots in a crouched position, you lower yourself down onto your stomach. Just as you shift your weight onto your side to pull an extra mag out of your belt pocket, something catches your ear. A twig snapping, and it was from something much bigger than a kybuck. 
You freeze, waiting. After a couple seconds, you start creeping your hand down your thigh and gently grasp one of the throwing knives strapped there. The wind changes and something hits your nose, a scent - the camp soap. Smirking, you roll back onto your stomach like normal, keeping the knife tucked underneath you. You act like you're checking over your rifle, still intently listening. A couple seconds more and another twig snaps. Fast as lightning you roll over and send the knife flying. It buries itself into a tree - right next to his head. 
“Are you karking crazy?!” 
You sit up, a cheeky smile on your face. “That’s what you get, trying to sneak up on me, soldier.” 
He rolls his eyes. “You did pretty good, sweetheart, but Hunter would’ve noticed sooner.” 
“Hunter has been engineered with enhanced senses, that’s cheating,” you say, standing up and brushing the dirt off yourself. “Good to see you’re feeling better.”
Crosshair rolls his eyes. “I would’ve noticed sooner.” 
You smirk. “You are also enhanced, that’s still cheating. When do you think I noticed?” 
“Right before you threw the knife, when I snapped that twig on purpose,” he says, crossing his arms. “They’re stashed in your chestplate, you acted on instinct.”
“Wrong. I heard you when you stepped on that first twig, but I knew it was you when I smelled the camp soap. Very distinct,” you say with a wink. 
Crosshair gives you a look, maybe one of awe, but he glosses over the moment, looking out onto the shooting range. “What is this place?” 
“A shooting range. Never seen one of those, Crosshair?” You tease back, bending down to pick up your rifle.. 
He scoffs. 
“My father built it and taught me to shoot here,” you explain. “Part of the reason why I come back every so often. Here the rest of the world just melts away.” 
Crosshair steps closer to the crest of the hill. “Where are the targets?” 
Gently, you heft your rifle up off the ground and hold it out to him. “Have a look.” 
He hesitates. “Oh no, I-” Crosshair knows a sniper’s rifle is sacred. In the similar way as the Jedi and their lightsabers. 
“It’s okay,” you reassure him. “I trust you.”
Crosshair’s eyes stay latched to yours as he gingerly lets you place your rifle in his waiting hands. “Not as fancy as your firepuncher, but I've made a few modifications,” you say proudly. 
Crosshair turns your weapon over in his hands with a sense of reverence before taking his stance. His form is perfect, though that’s no surprise. Hunter and the others had told you all about their enhancements. You watch as Crosshair sweeps the scope over the range, taking inventory of the targets camouflaged in the greenery. One particular mark catches his eye. 
“That one down there, how do you get to it?” He asks, pointing to one suspended in a tree and swaying gently in the wind.
You smile, that target in particular is placed at an odd angle relative to the sniper’s nest. “Take the shot and you’ll see.” 
The sniper braces in his standing position and lets a blaster bolt fly. He nearly growls in frustration when the bolt barely hits the edge of the target. “What the-”
“Good shot,” you say, impressed. 
“That’s not the center.” Crosshair sneers, lowering your rifle.
“You still hit it. I don’t think anyone else could have made it at that angle,” you reply. 
“You show me then if you’re so good, sweetheart.” 
Paying no mind to his snappy remark, you take your weapon back from him and lower into your crouched position. You center your sights on the target in question and wait a moment for it to stop bouncing as much. Once you’ve got its steady bouncing rhythm down, you move to focus on a shiny chunk of quartz sticking out of the hillside. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
Your shot flies perfectly, hitting the quartz and ricochetting up into the dead center of the target. You look up at the Crosshair, making no effort to try to hide the smug look on your face. 
“Tricky girl,” he says, his eyes narrowing. 
“Got to consider all the angles,” you tease as you straighten back up. 
Crosshair reaches to his belt and holds up a couple shiny discs. “I prefer these.” 
“Smart,” you respond, shifting your weight into one hip. “And yet you still took the straight-on approach.” 
He smirks at you as you stand up. “Thought it’d be best to be direct with you.” 
“Oh yeah, what about?” 
“I don’t get you,” he says plainly. 
Your brow scrunches as you lean your rifle against a nearby tree. “What’s there to get?”
“Everything about you.” He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his silver hair. “I saw you when those scavengers came up on us scouting last week. You stared down the barrel of their weapons and tried to negotiate our way out. Then when they turned, you didn’t even flinch. You’re a good hunter, you’ve been feeding us this entire trip; yet you cleaned the wound on that kybuck’s flank and let it go instead of taking the easy score. Even with me, I- I can’t figure you out, nothing gets to you.” 
It takes you a second to realize that’s the most words Crosshair has ever spoken to you, and they didn’t even come with a childish jab. You just shrug. “I learned it's best to make the most you can with what you’ve got. I try to give everyone a chance, no matter how we meet and I don’t take more than what I need. I don’t have time to let things get to me; there are much more important, more worthwhile things to be taken care of. And if I can’t let something go, I bring it here,” you finish, glancing out at your shooting range. 
Crosshair looks you up and down a couple times, then turns his back to you to face the range. Then he speaks, so softly you barely catch it, “Do you mind if I let some things go here?” 
A soft smile crosses your face. “Of course. Here.” You reach back over and hold your rifle out to him, which he takes without looking at you. 
You can see his muscles shift as he lowers himself to the ground. Not wanting to intrude, you take a few steps back up the trail. 
“Where are you going?” 
“Oh, uh I was just going to go get some water from the stream, check my snares,” you respond, covering your true intentions. 
“You won’t have your rifle,” Crosshair mutters. 
“I have my side arm, I’ll be fine,” you reassure him. 
A soft sigh drifts from his figure laying on the forest floor. “Please… stay. I can check the snares with you later.” 
You try to hide your smile as you gently lower yourself to the ground, resting your back against a tree as Crosshair brings the scope of your rifle into position. And there you stay. 
At first, Crosshair doesn’t say much. He just takes his shots at your range, adjusting things here and there. After a while, you lean your head against the tree trunk behind you and let your eyes close. The sun is filtering through the trees as it rises higher in the sky, and birds are softly chirping. It’s peaceful, like always, and the rhythmic pattern of Crosshair’s shots roll through the forest like a heartbeat. 
You don’t know how much time has passed when you hear him shift.
“Here.”
Straightening up, you open your eyes and see he’s sitting cross legged, holding your rifle out. 
You take it back from him and move to stand up. 
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks, still sitting on the ground. 
You tilt your head at him, for him saying he couldn’t figure you out, he seems to be the odd one. “The snares?”
“It’s your turn to shoot.” 
“Oh it’s fine,” you say, waving your hand.
You shift your weight again to stand, but this time Crosshair reaches out and grasps your bracer. “That’s what you were coming out here to do anyway, right? I interrupted you.” 
His words are so different from the ones that normally pass between the two of you. Not gentle, necessarily, but less defensive. You take a breath before nodding your head, just barely. Crosshair scoots out of your way. If you weren’t so focused on making the space between you a place where he could be open, you might have giggled at the way he moved, still in his cross-legged position. 
You slowly lower yourself onto your belly and bring your scope to your eye. Crosshair had adjusted things slightly, but strangely you didn’t mind. Usually it would irk you if someone had moved things on your rifle, but you had handed him your weapon of your own volition. It was nice to know that he felt so comfortable with you and had handled your rifle with such care and reverence. You take a few shots, aiming at various targets over the range. 
As you sit up to replace the mag, you notice Crosshair is studying you intently. You smile. “What?” 
The corner of his mouth twitches. “You’re a skilled sharpshooter. You even pace with your breath, impressive.” 
You rock back on your heels. “Took me some time to get it, but practice makes perfect.” 
Crosshair smirks at you, but not unkindly. “And that you are, nearly. Perfect- I mean…” He trails off. Again, You might have giggled at this newfound temperament, but you simply dust off your rifle a bit. 
“Oh yeah? Got any pointers for me?” you reply. 
The sniper moves closer to you. “If you’ll actually listen,” he jabs.
You chuckle. “I’m always listening.”
He gestures for you to take your prone position again and makes a few adjustments to your limbs. The time flies away from you as the two of you pass your rifle back and forth along with small conversation and stories. Crosshair doesn’t exactly soften, but he does open up to you a bit more. 
In giving you some pointers, he’s the most comfortable you’ve seen him the whole mission. Instruction and leadership are clearly his elements. You’re surprised at how attentive he is, continuously checking in that the adjustments he makes feel correct for your body. 
‘Every marksman is different.’ He had said. ‘Even if it’s the ‘correct’ way, if it doesn’t feel natural for you, then you’ll be tense or unstable and then it’s all pointless.’
You learn more than just that. Before you know it, Crosshair is telling you about his brothers, more than even Tech had told you. ‘Hunter’s helmet is specially modified to dampen his senses when needed.’ - ‘Although Tech is the smartest at basically everything, Wrecker beats him with weapons and explosives.’ - ‘Tech and I came from the same tube.’ - ‘Wrecker can tell you every ingredient in a ration pack just by tasting it.’
Some facts surprise you, like the fact that while Hunter has enhanced eyesight across the whole spectrum, Crosshair is actually farsighted and he has his holopad on the biggest text size to avoid wearing the reading glasses Tech made him. Other facts aren’t as much of a surprise, like the scar on Hunter’s chin was a gift from Crosshair when they were roughhousing as cadets. 
Crosshair even tells you what it was like growing up as ‘special’ clones on Kamino. ‘Clones are outsiders among the nat-borns of the galaxy. We were outsiders even among the clones.’ - ‘The advanced growth rate meant that for a few years from bio age 7-18 our joints always hurt. The bumps and bruises from training just blended it all together.’
You had no idea Crosshair could be so much of a talker, and he even chuckles a few times at his own stories or your side remarks. The conversation was far from annoying, though. You sat and listened intently, basking in his sudden willingness to share. Without warning, your chrono beeps, cutting one of his sentences short. You glance down and gasp at the time. 
“Everything okay?” Crosshair asks, his brow furrowing.
“We’ve been here all day.” You say. “We have to hurry if we’re going to walk the traps and get back to camp to meet the others.” 
Crosshair shoots to his feet, his jaw tense. 
Guilt settles in your stomach. “I’m sorry.” You look up at him, but he refuses to meet your eyes. “I was enjoying it here, but-”
“We have to go.” He says in a gruff voice. The walls are back up.
You solemnly gather your gear and the two of you walk your snare lines in silence. You’re tempted to respark the conversation you two had been sharing, but you can tell the moment is lost, and pushing would be futile. 
When you arrive back at base camp, the others are already milling about preparing the dinner rations. Hunter glances between you and Crosshair as you enter the camp, but says nothing. Not even when he notices Crosshair is the one carrying the score from your traps. 
Dinner is served as normal, but Crosshair takes his into the building serving as your bunk house rather than eating around the fire with the rest of you. You try to keep that sinking feeling out of your stomach to no avail. Had you pushed him? He was opening up to you, being receptive. Why did your chrono have to bring you crashing back to reality?
Your thoughts continue to swirl in your head as you wash up after dinner and you barely notice when Hunter appears beside you at the basin. 
“You okay?” He mutters, picking up a dish and swirling it in the water. 
“Mm, yeah,” you mutter. 
A chuckle rumbles deep in Hunter’s chest. “I saw you two today.” 
You can feel the Sergeant’s implication pressing in on you. “Oh yeah, he just got bored and wanted something to do.” 
Hunter shakes his head. “No, that’s not it. He likes you.” 
“He has a funny way of showing it,” you jab back, shoving the memory of your day at the range deep into the back of your mind. 
“He’s just...” Hunter sighs. “Figuring it out on his own terms. He takes patience. You’ve been doing well so far, just hold out a little longer and he’ll open up to you.” 
‘He was…’ You think to yourself. Instead you finish wiping the last dish and flick the water off your hands. “Well I don’t have forever,” you say shortly, turning to walk into the bunks. 
Grumbling nonsense to yourself, you turn the corner to your room and your breath catches in your throat. On your bed lies a single item. 
A bright orange and maroon lily.
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After that day at your shooting range, little changes in your interactions with Crosshair. His snarky comments return, but his demeanor towards you does begin to shift. His morning jab was now accompanied by a cup of caf complete with a splash of milk, just the way you liked it. His hand was now the first to reach out when unloading gear to lighten your load, though it still came with some iteration of a sly ‘sweetheart’. There was even a time you had fallen asleep by the campfire and you woke with a blanket draped over you. Hunter swore up and down that Crosshair had been the last one to bed that night.
With two weeks left in the squad’s mission, you make your way to the range alone, lost in thought. At 0400, your comm had beeped with a message from Argus: you would be immediately moving on to your next assignment upon your return to the Coalition Command Base. A scuffle on Scarif’s opposite pole needed your attention, and reportedly the territory was still severely hostile. 
Though you didn’t want to admit it, your time hosting Squad 99 had been little short of a vacation. Just last night, Hunter had pulled you aside and offered you a spot on the team as a ‘Civilian Consultant.’ 
‘Even though we’re supposed to be a clone squad, it’s a way of skirting the rules.’ He had said with a wink. ‘It wouldn’t pay much, but you’d be taken care of.’
You had told him you’d think about it, but you couldn’t imagine leaving Scarif. Your people need you. As your thoughts tumble in your head, you nearly step on something as you break the treeline into your sniper’s nest. Not something - someone.
“You’re very observant today,” Crosshair groans as he stands up. 
“Sorry,” you say, shaking your head trying to clear it. 
Crosshair looks down at you, his brow furrowed. “Hey,” he says, his voice soft. “What is it?”
The moment your eyes meet his, the words start tumbling from your mouth. You tell him everything. The comm from Argus that arrived before the boys rose that morning. The stress that’s been on your shoulders as the First Lieutenant of the Coalition. 
You tell him about the pit in your stomach that grows every time you see a starving child, or a family ripped apart by raiders. Even about the pity you feel for the dying light in the eyes of bandits you arrest. How your homeworld was dying and there was little you could do about it. 
You find yourself telling him about Hunter’s offer, and your temptation to take it. How the allure of staying with the squad you’d grown fond of was near irresistible, but the guilt at your eagerness to leave your homeworld behind was clawing at your chest. 
Before you know it your breath is rising in your throat, your pulse quickening, your head beginning to spin, when suddenly your world becomes dark. It takes you a second to realize that you didn’t pass out, but your face is pressed to something… warm. Something solid and stable. 
The scent of the camp soap surrounds you as Crosshair presses you to his chest, one arm curling around you, the other cradling the back of your head. Your breathing begins to steady and your heartbeat slows to match the steady beating of his heart under your cheek. 
After a while you find it in yourself to mutter “Cross-”
“Shh.” He cuts you off, ruffling your hair slightly. “Don’t speak, just breathe for a second.” 
Another couple minutes like that and you feel your body begin to relax. Crosshair releases you from his grip and you feel your weight on your own two feet again. Again you try to speak. “I’m so-”
“Don’t say you’re sorry.” He cuts you off again. “You have a lot going on and a lot to think about. Let the rest of the galaxy melt away for a bit. That’s why you’re here, right?” He says with a smirk. 
You let out a breath. “I suppose.” Then you realize. “Hey, speaking of - what are you doing here?”
Crosshair rubs the back of his neck. “Ehh. Needed some time to think?” 
“You don’t sound so sure.”
He just shrugs. “I’ve never been… good with talking.” 
You smile but take a step back from him. “You don’t have to be. We don’t have to talk at all.” You say, your words gentle.
Crosshair’s deep honey eyes look down at you. “The thing is… I want to. I just don’t…” He sighs, then leans over to pull something from his pack laying nearby. “Here.”
You look down at what he’s trying to hand you. It’s two maroon and orange lilies. Their bright colors stand out against his dark gear. You take them from him, delicately and look back up. His eyes are searching your face for any sign of caution. 
His shoulders relax with relief when you take one of the flowers and tuck it behind your ear. “How’s the practice going?” you ask with a smile.
Crosshair’s face brightens a bit at the mention of sharpshooting. “Good. I was hoping you would be here today. I wanted to show you something new.” 
Gingerly, he takes one of your hands in his and eases your rifle off your shoulder. Rather than handing you your weapon, however, he leans it up against a nearby tree. 
“Cross, what-”
“Shh” He hushes you gently, taking the second lily from your other hand and dropping the stem into the barrel of your rifle. He guides you over to the sniper’s ridge and picks his own weapon up off the ground. “Here.”
Your eyes widen when you realize what his intentions are. He’s giving you his firepuncher.
Ever so carefully, you let him release his prized rifle into your grip. “Hmm,” you hum as your hands dip with its weight. “I assumed it would be heavy but… wow.”
“Start on the ground, then we’ll work you up to standing.” Crosshair says, his voice steady. “Adjust the scope how you need it.”
You get settled and with him crouched beside you, you bring the scope up to your view. The sounds of the forest start to melt away as you zone in on a target. 
A little puff of air hits your ear as Crosshair leans close. "Be prepared for the recoil," he mutters in a low voice. "It’s strong, but don’t fight it. Whenever you’re ready."
Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
The blaster bolt is nearly silent as it flies home to the center of the target. 
There your day melts away again as you and Crosshair pass a weapon back and forth. Fewer words accompany his rifle, but it feels as though more is said. 
The last two weeks of Squad 99’s mission pass uneventfully, but there is another shift. There’s a shift in how Crosshair treats you. After your first day at the range, he had warmed more to you, but now he’s like a tooka always at your heels. He’s not overbearing, just always present. 
You’re catching yourself smiling at his little quirks more and more. The way he can fall asleep almost anywhere, curled up in a tight ball. The way he claims he drinks his caf black, but you spot him sneaking sugar into it out of the corner of your eye. The way he’s always watching, even if his back is to you. 
He also seems more physically drawn to you. Of course, he never crosses a line, but in subtle ways. He tends to brush against you more when moving about your daily routines. His hands seem to linger on your body when adjusting your sniping form, and you could feel the heat of his palm on your lower back when he steadied you after you stumbled on a trail. His voice seems to drop and soften when he speaks to you, he nearly sounds like Hunter - it’s definitely genetic. 
Of course Hunter noticed too. After your second day with Crosshair at the shooting range, Hunter had pulled you aside again. You expected an ‘older brother talking to’ where he either would grill you about your intentions or warn you to stay away, but the first words out of Hunter’s mouth had shocked you. 
“You’re good for him, you know.”
“I beg your pardon?” You had instinctively said back.
Hunter placed his hand on your shoulder, you knew it was a gesture of his affection. “You’re good for him. With you, he can just exist.” 
“You’re imagining things, Hunter.” 
“I promise you I’m not. I know he can be difficult, but it’s not because he’s apathetic. It’s just a challenge for him to put words to what’s going on in that head of his.” 
“There are more ways to understand someone than with words.”
Hunter laughed at your remark. “Like I said, you’re a good match for him. In more ways than one.”
Hunter left the conversation at that. He didn’t push, but he would tease you under his breath about it. You hated to admit it, but Hunter was right, you had grown soft on the sniper and you would come to see the effect you had on him. His shoulders were less tense, his brow furrowed less, he turned his face to the sun more. Maybe there was something growing between you and him, maybe it was something worth exploring.
‘Karking Siths Hells. Collect yourself, woman.’ You scold yourself. You shake your head to clear your thoughts as your gorset moves around a group of trees. 
Here you are. The day had finally come for Clone Force 99 to ship back out. You didn’t want to admit it but it was hitting you harder than you thought it would. You were trying to keep that armor up, but you were sadly failing. 
When you reach the Coalition’s Command Base, the brothers immediately start moving their things back to their ship. Sadly, Argus had been called to the Capital so he wasn’t there to welcome you back. As you helped the brothers repack, each made sure to say their goodbyes.
Tech held his hand out, and you moved to return the handshake. Instead you found him grasping your forearm in a much more meaningful gesture. “It’s a physical form of farewell from our mother culture of Mandalore. It’s a symbol of respect and honor. You have been a wonderful host, and I will miss your company. You do not know how much it means that you not only answered my questions but returned them with some of your own.” 
Wrecker was next. Your hands seemed to dance in the intricate handshake you two had created. “I’ll miss having ya around!” He boomed. “I think you ruined the ration packs for me forever with your camp cooking. And Lieutenant? Thank you, for seeing us as more than clones, it’s been refreshing.”
Hunter pulled you into a tight hug like many times before. “I know I don’t need to say it, but take care of yourself. Keep in touch, I need someone to chat with that hasn’t thrown up on me.” 
This made you laugh for the first time today. “That could be arranged,” you tease back.
Before Hunter replies he looks at something behind you. Turning around you see it’s Crosshair walking towards you. You meet him halfway, searching his face for any sign of what mood he’s in. 
“Where did you disappear off to?” You ask trying to ease into a goodbye.
“Nowhere important.” He curtly replies, shoving his helmet on his head.
You bite your lip. “Okay… Best of luck, Crosshair. Stay safe out there.” 
“You too.” He holds his hand out, but unlike Tech he just gives you a simple, firm handshake. Only he doesn’t let go. 
You want to say something, but what would be the right thing? The two of you always seemed to communicate through actions more than words. There you two stand for a moment, awkwardly holding your handshake, and your eyes drift for a moment. 
When you look back at Crosshair he’s moving. Before you can register what’s happening his helmet is smacking you on the forehead, causing you to cry out and clap a hand to the sore spot.
Did he just headbutt you? Or was he trying to kiss you and forgot his helmet was on?
He lets go of your hand like he was shocked, standing straight as a pole. “I uh… I’ve got to go. Keep practicing, stay alive.”
Without another word he walks, more like runs, away from you and up the Marauder’s ramp. 
Hunter appears at your side obviously trying to contain his laughter. “That was interesting.”
“What exactly just happened?” You grumble, rubbing your forehead. 
“A very Crosshair farewell.” Hunter sighs. “Look, I know that we aren’t exactly built for relationships or even plain friendships outside of the GAR, but… don’t be a stranger. We’ve all come to like you and Crosshair, he won’t say it anytime soon, but he needs you.” 
Hunter squeezes your shoulder and jogs up the Marauder’s ramp, leaving you standing alone in the ship yard. 
Sighing and shaking your head, you turn and walk to the Command Center to gather the intel for your new deployment. After sitting through a painfully redundant briefing meeting with a couple squadron leaders with sticks up their asses, you stop by the cantina for dinner. The food weighs heavy on your tongue like glue. It doesn’t taste nearly as good as beans and rice Scarif stir fry around a campfire with a choice four troopers. 
The supply depot is your next stop to restock your personal supplies and check that your shuttle was loaded correctly. You still have a half hour before your crew is due for deployment, so you head over to the base stables to see a friend. 
Your gorset has his nose on the ground of his stall, snuffling around for remnants of his evening grain, but he raises his head at the sound of your footsteps. 
“Hey there, boy.” You coo softly at him. “What are we gonna do, huh?”
As you scratch behind his ear, your gorset turns his head for you to get to the other side and a gasp leaves your lips when you see his mane. 
Woven into your gorset’s thick locks are three bright orange lilies.
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Your back aches as you make the hike from the ruins to your range. Your last assignment had been far from comfortable. The relief mission was supposed to be non combative, just transport of supplies and giving aid to the rebuilding effort in Northern Sector 7, but of course you weren’t that lucky. A band of storms blew through while you were there, sending refugees into the town you were based in. 
Your forces were already spread thin and the influx of people hadn’t helped. Then of course the raiders came. You were able to deescalate the situation the first time they showed up, but the second time they stormed the town with ballistics. The stockpile was pretty depleted at that point so at the very least the Coalition didn’t lose much. 
Argus had taken pity on you and said you had a week before he’d even think about shipping you out again, so you decided to go home for a few days. You hadn’t been back in months, much longer than usual, not since them.
The peaceful ruins of your village had felt emptier that morning when you’d arrived. You half-expected Wrecker to come barreling through the brush asking about dinner, or for Tech to appear beside you with some obscure question about your home world. 
You had to admit you did miss Hunter, he had his way of knowing what was going on with you without even asking. Though the temptation was there to take his offer and join the squad, you just couldn’t leave Scarif and her people. Hunter didn’t blame you though, he knew the pressure you were under as the Coalition’s First Lieutenant. Who would’ve done the job if you left?
You had exchanged comm frequencies with Hunter, but hadn’t heard anything from them, about anything. Not that you were expecting to. The fourth member of Squad 99 lingered on your mind more than the others, but it’s not like you were pining after him. 
Crosshair had made you no promises, nor had you him. You just wondered where he was, what his missions were. You wondered if he was okay, not just physically, but under the armor he put up around himself. 
The sun is already high in the sky when you reach your range. You take a couple minutes to go over your rifle, then take your standing position.
Your sore muscles shift as you bring your rifle up to your view and set the barrel on the rest you added to your shoulder plate. You sweep the range, checking the status of your targets, but stutter when you notice something nestled in the foliage.
 A bright orange lily.
Shaking your head, you keep sweeping the range, then you spot another lily. Then another, and another. Your mouth drops open as you lower your weapon. It couldn't be, could it?
The undergrowth behind you rustles and you know it’s him before he speaks. "Good to see you're practicing. We need you again. I need you again."
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257 notes ¡ View notes
eimids ¡ 11 months
Text
Don’t care about them
Alexia Putellas x reader
i’m gonna keep writing to annoy that rude anon😉
this is inspired by this whole situation going on in my blog!! enjoy nonnie i know you are reading this😚😚
warnings: bad body image, rude comments, angst
You and Alexia had dated for a year before your relationship became public. It wasn’t ideal but you were happy that now you were able to show to the world your girlfriend.
The press was having a field day after your relationship came out with the one and only, Alexia Putellas. They were writing about your life and every single thing you ever did.
That wasn’t the worst part. It was the fact that they were talking about your body and looks. Giving their opinions on your posts on instagram. Judging and criticizing if you are worthy enough for Alexia, the star player of Spain and Barca.
The articles weren’t all that bad but the comments were.
Under a photo with you wearing heavier makeup than usual.
“She wears way too much makeup, i bet she’s actually ugly and just maskes it behind that makeup”
If you weren’t wearing makeup.
“She’s so ugly, look at those eyebags. she doesn’t deserve Alexia”
Then there was a photo of you in a bikini.
“🤢 look at those things and that stomach. she should be a lot skinnier. alexia deserves much better than that”
“She’s trying so hard to suck her stomach in it’s pathetic”
“I wouldn’t be posting bikini pictures with that body”
You quickly decided to turn off the comments on specific posts. Not wanting to hear the mean words they said about you.
You went through the rabbit hole of scrolling and reading through every single comment before deleting the comments. It wasn’t good for you but you couldn’t help it. Just needing to read what they said about you. Some comments were actually nice. Telling you how cute you and Alexia were together. Probably most of them were nice but they went to blind eyes. You were only able to see the negative ones.
It quickly became too much for you. You actually started to believe the comments about Alexia deserving better. You started to isolate from her and from everyone. It was easy since Alexia was in the Spain women’s camp during international break.
It started as you just not replying to her texts so often and missing some of her calls but it quickly escalated to you completely ignoring her. You thought she wouldn’t care about your absence in her life but she did.
In fact she was stressing the whole camp about it. She didn’t perform as well and you were in her mind constantly. She thought she did something wrong. Luckily for her there was only one more day of camp and then she would see you again and solve this situation. She knew that whatever it was, you could work through it. You always did.
When Alexia came back home finally she found you in your shared bed. She noticed the dry tears on your cheeks and your phone in your hand. She decided to unlock it to see what it was.
She was horrified when she saw all the comments about you. How could anyone say those things about her precious girl. The girl who wouldn’t hurt or say anything bad about anyone. She hated that this was somewhat her fault. Her being a public figure, it was hard to avoid those comments.
She closed your phone and took her own in her hands to post quickly on her instagram. After that she cuddled close to you. Not wanting to wake you up but also wanting you as close as possible. She stayed like that for a while before falling asleep herself.
The next morning you woke up to the soft hands caressing your body. So gently touching every part of your body while whispering sweet nothings into your ear.
“Should we break up?”
That wasn’t at all what Alexia expected from your mouth and she tensed up immediately.
“What, why” She asked breathlessly.
“I don’t deserve you. They all say it. You deserve much better than me” You said while looking into her beautiful eyes. Tears creeping in your own.
“Absolutely not. You are more than enough and i love you more than anything my beautiful girl” She answered then quickly followed “You don’t actually wanna break up, right?” She asked nervously.
“No” You said and shook your head. You started crying to her about all the mean stuff in your comments. She listed carefully and assured that none of them were true.
The rest of the day she showed just how much she loved you and you stayed in bed for the whole day. Just before you went to sleep you checked your instagram. To your surprise there was a post from Alexia made the day before.
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Liked by yourinstagram, Lucy Bronze and 1, 456, 789 others.
alexiaputellas: my beautiful, amazing, kind and loving girlfriend 🩷 te quiero mi niña
the comments you been writing about this beautiful soul are horrible and i disagree with them all. i couldn’t ask for anything better and if we are being honest, i don’t know how i deserve her but i’m so lucky to have her in my life<3
so for anyone who has been sending those comments, just stop. if you’re own life is that boring then maybe get some help 🙂
me and my girl will enjoy our life together 🤝
no me importa lo que piensen los demás✨
—
hehee
588 notes ¡ View notes
hgfictionwriter ¡ 4 months
Text
Maybe This Time - Part Three
Jessie Fleming x Reader
Summary: Jessie and you finally get some 1:1 time together (thanks Janine!). You work to build new memories together, but hurt from the past needs to be addressed.
Warnings: None. Temporary, very light angst, but mostly sweet fluff.
A/N: Part two and one.
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"What do you think? Should I go for it?" 
Jessie smirked as she saw the screenshot you sent her of her jersey in the Thorns' site shopping cart. 
"I don't know. I thought you said that was too big a commitment." 
"I did. But I was rather impressed at the last game. And we went for drinks after, I finally got to meet Janine – so you know, points for that. And if I think about it, I'm like an OG fan. But if you think I should get a different jersey..." 
Jessie laughed under her breath, her smirk now a full blown smile as she read your message while she ate lunch. The conversation she'd been on the periphery of carried on as she ate another bite before typing out a reply. 
"Oh yeah? Post-game drinks were a hit, huh? And you know, my stats are only getting better with each game 😉 And let's be honest, I'd be pretty offended if you got someone else's jersey. Except Sinc's. Because, you know, GOAT." 
"Oh, well, say no more. You had me at 'stats' lol. Done. I'll pick it up before next game." 
"Lol I figured. My plan all along – I know how much you love stats." 
"You know me so well. I have to say, I'm kind of tempted to modify the jersey. Add some sort of patch or stitching, 'Yay sports!'" 
Jessie laughed out loud, less discrete than before.  
"Don't you dare lol. I've taught you better than that. But hey, if you ask nicely, I could actually sign it for you 😎" 
"I'm sure I have an old group paper kicking around with your signature on it. I need to be able to wash this thing lol. What else can you offer though?" 
Jessie swallowed her food hard, the bite getting caught temporarily in her throat with a wince. Okay, no signature – how humbling. However, there was an opening. 
She stared at her phone temporarily before a loud clearing of someone's throat caught her attention. She lifted her gaze with a curious frown on her face to see Janine staring expectantly at her. Jessie instinctively tilted the phone inwards towards her body. 
"I don't even have to spy to know who you're texting," the blonde said rather self-satisfied. Jessie looked around, heat building in her face already as she hoped Janine was the only one focused on her.  
"Yeah?" Jessie retorted, attempting to appear as unfazed as possible. "You should be pleased. You keep pushing me to text her." She cracked a smirk. "Now that you don't think she's the devil incarnate for 'stringing me along' in university." 
"Oh I don't think you need to be pushed," Janine teased with a wicked grin. "And I never said she was the devil incarnate." She lifted a hand to her chest in exaggeration. "I merely questioned things. But you're right," she relented, "she's quite lovely. And she gives you butterflies, and she makes you blush - more than usual - and you try to act all nonchalant and it's just too adorable for words." 
"Uh huh," Jessie muttered with a flat look. Janine leaned in excitedly. 
"And I have to say, I got the sense that she and I could riff off of each other and just tease the heck out of you, so that really sealed the deal for me." 
Jessie rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that's exactly what I need in my life." She'd never admit that it actually excited her that her best friend and you could get along so well. If – and it was a huge 'if' - anything evolved between you two, it was key that you got along with her friends and family.  
She started thinking about how well you got on with her parents and sister – you'd met before during your days at UCLA and they loved you. She also remembered how disappointed they'd seemed when she eventually told them that you two didn't speak anymore.  
"Well, since you're so invested," Jessie went on, rolling her eyes facetiously once more as she opened her phone again and turned it to Janine, "what should I say?" 
Janine squinted as she leaned in to read and it only took a moment for her expression to light up. Before Janine could say anything, Jessie snatched the phone back and placed it on her lap with a frown.  
"I don't want to hear it," she pre-empted the girl. 
"What?" Janine said innocently with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I am totally supportive of the flirtation between you two." She ignored Jessie's look of complaint and cut off her protest. "Her shutting down your autograph is pretty hilarious, by the way," she said with a marginally apologetic look. "Not smooth on your part – you know she's not impressed by your elite football skills. Don't lean on your Jessie the Footballer identity." 
"I wasn't," Jessie nearly hissed, trying to keep her voice down and avoid drawing attention. "I was joking. Half joking." 
"You were flirting, or at least attempting to. She left you an opening here though. So, you should ask her out." 
"I'm not asking her out," Jessie pouted, her shoulders rounding as she scooched closer to the table. She huffed upon seeing the scrutinizing look her friend gave her. "We're still getting to know each other again." 
"Fine. Don't define it as a date, then," Janine dismissed with a wave. She leaned in, folding her arms on the table. "Ask her to go for dinner." 
"Basic," Jessie remarked as she sat up and crossed her arms in disapproval. She frowned. "Plus that's too date-like." 
"Fine," Janine said curtly. "How about a hike?" 
Jessie hummed and hawed, unconvinced. "Maybe someday. Doesn't seem right at this point though." Janine rolled her eyes in exasperation.  
"Well, what did you two used to do back at UCLA?" 
Jessie shrugged. She saw the frustration Janine was telegraphing at how unhelpful she was being and jumped in. "We went to drop-in art classes sometimes." 
Janine held a hand up to the sky. "Thank you. Finally – something I can work with. Okay! Let's find a drop-in class for you two to go to then." She pulled out her phone and started browsing before shooting a look at Jessie as an aside. "Oh, and dinner's too date-llke, but an art class isn't? Okay." 
Jessie grunted and pulled out her phone as well to look.  
"Here," Jessie announced after a couple of minutes. "This'll work. She enjoyed painting." 
Without further consultation, Jessie began to type out a message to you. She bit back a laugh at how Janine's head was bobbing around periodically trying to peek at the message from across the table.  
"Don't send it yet! I want to see it," Janine pouted.  
"You are not writing my messages for me," Jessie told her pointedly, but gave a heavy sigh as she turned her phone for the blonde to see. An affronted look crossed Jessie face as Janine let out a guffaw and snatched the phone out of her hand.  
"No," Janine simply said with a wag of her finger before she started typing. Jessie reached out for the phone, but Janine turned her body away. Jessie clamored more, but stopped as soon as she noted some of their teammates glancing their way. She shrunk back into her seat, a hand rubbing the side of her face as she spoke in a harsh whisper.   "What are you doing." 
"Jeff. Relax. I would never lead you astray," Janine assured her. "And this is so very satisfying for me since I never got to help you with any of this during uni. Cause let me tell you, if I had been involved, you two definitely would've been living happily ever after." 
Jessie breathed in exasperation. "Please. Give me my phone back." 
"Okay, okay. Here," Janine said, all humour from her tone gone as she now offered Jessie a sincere smile. "Read it over, but I think this is good." 
Jessie gave her a lingering stare as she took back her phone and let out another withering sigh before reading.  
"Funny you should ask. I was thinking about how much I missed art classes together. How about I take you to one of the drop-in painting classes across town when I'm back from Houston?"  
Jessie lifted her gaze to meet Janine's and she studied the blonde for a few moments before relenting with an inaudible sigh. It was better than her original "I don't know. Paint class?" reply. She hit send and released another heavy breath as she tucked the phone away once more.  
"You're welcome," Janine said with a saccharine smile. Jessie gave her a fake smile in return, pulling a laugh out of the girl. "Hey, let's remember which one of us is engaged and which one of us is perpetually single." 
"Ouch," Jessie said with a light laugh.  
"I'm just teasing," Janine went on. "I genuinely hope this turns into something for you. Considering you've only come back into each other's lives, what, like a couple months ago? You two seem pretty solid already. And you seem happier." 
Jessie wanted to give a dry retort of some kind, but Janine was right. You two talked every day now and the chemistry you had in university was still very much present. And the depth you once had in your friendship was something that was quite easily and naturally being broached again. Even if you'd both grown and changed, the cores of who you were still aligned well and fit together. Too well. 
She'd more or less dismissed the spark of emotions that came up during your initial interactions as some sort of emotional muscle memory, but the feelings were proving to not be fleeting or diminishing.  
If anything, her feelings for you were growing. And this time they felt different, too. Heavier, deeper in some way. She was a more realized person now, as were you, and it made the connection between you more substantial. Less juvenile.  
Her phone buzzed. She opened her lock screen.  
"That sounds like a lot of fun! Let's do it." 
————
By the time your paint date night came around, Jessie was nearly buzzing with anticipation. It wasn’t an official date, of course, but she hadn’t seen you since that night after the game, and truthfully, it felt like it had been too long.
She was early - as usual - but as she rounded the corner to the building, she bit back a smile upon seeing you waiting. You were always early too, which she appreciated.
“Hey.” Jessie greeted as she approached. Again, she had to tamp her smile when you beamed back at her.
“Hey, good to see you,” you said as you stepped in for a hug, which Jessie reciprocated. “I love your shirt,” you continued when you stepped back.
“Oh,” Jessie said with a slight frown and a mild laugh as she looked down at herself in question. “Thanks,” she said as she gave a shrug and fought off a blush. She looked you up and down, not entirely discretely. “I like your outfit.”
You rolled your eyes affectionately and gave her a look. “You don’t need to reciprocate my compliment. But thank you.”
“I legitimately like your outfit,” Jessie retorted, her pitch rising and pulling a laugh out of you as you both walked towards the building. Jessie took a few quick steps and grabbed the door, holding it open. “After you.”
“Such service. Thank you,” you said, both teasing and appreciative. Jessie didn’t wink, but she did give a teasing lift of her eyebrows as you passed.
As the instructor gave their directions for the lesson, Jessie found herself distracted, glancing at you out of the corner of her eye. The whole lesson carried on like that, really. Jessie had to make a point to not fall behind as she’d uncharacteristically lose concentration. The worst, well, best, moments being when she'd lean over feigning critical assessment of your work when really she just wanted to be close.
By the end, she was decently satisfied with the forest landscape she’d painted. However, she felt it paled in comparison to the ocean sunset you’d crafted.
“I love your colours. And the little cabin you added is great,” you told her as you were both leaving, canvases in hand.
“Well good,” she said as she got to a clearing on the sidewalk and stopped to turn to you. “Consider it my gift to you,” she went on as she held it out to you.
“Jessie,” you said sweetly with a smile as you took it and looked it over more thoroughly. “That’s really sweet. Thank you. It’s beautiful. And bonus - I get my Jessie Fleming signature, but on a far rarer painting as opposed to a jersey,” you laughed. “And what a coincidence. I painted this for you.”
Jessie looked at you for a moment before a smile broke out across her face as she belatedly took the painting you held out.
“Thank you,” she said softly as she studied the image. She frowned in realization as she lifted her eyes to you. “Is this the same beach from our photo?”
You nodded. “It is. Nice eye.”
“Who knew you were so sentimental?” Jessie teased.
“Apparently not you,” you replied with a roll of your eyes, but gave a small laugh. “Come on. It’s been a while, but you know me better than that.”
Jessie was quiet for a moment as she took you in. She eventually nodded. “I know.”
A small lull fell over you both before you asked. “So, what now? Do you have to leave?”
“No.” Jessie spoke quickly with a shake of her head. “I don’t have anywhere to be. How about you?”
You shook your head in return. “Same. Well, it’s beautiful out tonight. Want to just go for a walk? We can drop these off at my car first,” you proposed as you held up the painting.
“Sure. Sounds great.”
After a short detour, you both began your stroll along the quiet, tree-lined street.
“Thanks for suggesting that class,” you said. “I don’t really get to paint or pursue creative hobbies as much anymore. It was nice to make a point of it. I can’t imagine you have much of an opportunity to focus on things like that anymore, hm?”
Jessie sighed quietly in contemplation and gave a shrug.
“Not extensively, no. But we do lots of team building, so sometimes we’ll do artsy things. And I can do hobbies and such in my down time, whether during the week or between seasons.”
She looked over to see you giving her a soft smile.
“What?” She asked.
“Nothing really. Just kind of crazy how everything turned out. You’ve achieved so much and your life is so impressive.”
Jessie was about to interject with a compliment for you, but you carried on.
“Are you happy with how things turned out?” You asked with a slight cock of your head.
“I-um, yeah.” Jessie stammered slightly, caught off guard by your question. “I mean, yeah it’s been incredible. More amazing than I could’ve ever pictured. And I know I’m very lucky.”
“You’re not lucky, Jess. You’ve worked exceptionally hard.”
She huffed lightly. “Yes, but luck is involved too. Lots of people work hard and still don’t get half the opportunities I’ve had.”
“I suppose,” you relented. “But you’ve made the most of those opportunities and haven’t taken them for granted.”
“That’s true. But look at you. You’ve worked so hard. And I know what you’ve been up against, but you’ve risen above and built a great life for yourself,” Jessie emphasized.
“Thank you,” you accepted with a half smile. Jessie knew the ins and outs of your family dynamics - something few people truly knew. You smiled more fully at her. “And look at us now. We both left LA and then found ourselves in the same city again and got to reconnect,” you finished with a laugh. "It sounds strange, but it really feels like in some ways like no time has passed. Not really, anyway. Like you and I were able to pick up where we left off."
You let out a quick sigh, giving a deep shrug as you did so. Your eyes remained trained on the ground as you two walked. "I mean, we talked the other week about my family and it just felt so different. Like, I've told recent friends or girlfriends my history and everything, and they listen and they 'get it', but it's not the same. That conversation with you – via text, no less – had more depth and weight than any comparable conversation with my exes or current friends. You were there. You know it – and me, I guess - inside and out. And even if I retell things, it's just not the same." 
Jessie nodded, watching you. It did feel like yesterday when she was sitting next to you on your bed, sobs wracking your body after one confrontation too many with your family. Normally, Jessie was so analytical and tentative about her physical contact with you, but the second you started crying she put her arms around you without hesitation and you leaned in, resting your head on your shoulder as she held you. That was the first time, but it wasn't the last.  
Looking back on it, maybe your girlfriends did have good reason to dislike her. 
"I know what you mean," she told you. "It's different. I mean, it's the same with you in a lot of ways. You were there for me during some critical points – big decisions in my life and you understood who I was and who I wanted to be." 
You smiled at her fondly. You looked ready to say something and Jessie waited. A moment passed and you exhaled, saying, "It really meant a lot – having you in my life and the support you gave me back then. I hope you know that." 
"I know," Jessie accepted with a smile of her own. "And likewise." 
Her mind drifted. She should probably just leave things be, but not speaking her mind is what held her back all those years before. She needed to share her thoughts and feelings if things were going to be different this time. She took a breath.  
"You know, I was really shocked when we saw each other here." She paused briefly. "I don't know. We hadn't talked in so long. I think I'd relegated myself to assuming we'd never see each other or ever talk again. Despite how important we were to one another at some point." 
Her statement seemed to give you pause, the mild surprise evident on your face. You eventually glanced down at the street as you two continued to walk. 
"Yeah. That's true, I guess," you conceded, your voice soft. 
Jessie studied you, unsatisfied with the response you gave. She pushed.  
"I knew we wouldn't be able to stay as close as we were. That was inevitable with us living so far away from one another, but I don't think I expected contact to fall apart as quickly as it did." You didn't reply right away and she went on with an ironic laugh. "We went from talking all day every day, to a few times a week with a video call scattered in there, to the odd message every couple of weeks, then just texts on birthdays and at Christmas, to nothing at all." 
She wasn't sure what she was anticipating, but she didn't expect you to turn to her with a perplexed frown.  
"Yeah. It did taper off pretty quickly."  
Despite the time that'd passed, Jessie still knew when you were telling half-truths. She gave a bit of an empty chuckle. "What else are you thinking?" 
You returned her laugh with a mild look. "I don’t know. I'm just kind of confused, I suppose." Jessie frowned.  
"About what?" She questioned. Faint alarm bells went off in her head when you stopped walking. She stilled her movements as well and you turned to one another on the sidewalk.  
You took a moment to gather your thoughts. You spoke with a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes. 
"I know it was me who stopped replying right away to messages – I don't deny that – but you weren't exactly giving me a lot to work with." You took a breath, dropping your shoulders before you spoke further. "Honestly? It was kind of feeling one-sided. Yeah, you replied, but a lot of your replies were brief and noncommittal. And when I asked if everything was okay you just told me you were busy. Which," you let out a slightly rueful laugh, "is absolutely fair. You were building this brand new, big life. Which is exactly what you were supposed to do. I don't begrudge you at all. I don’t know." You shrugged and averted your gaze momentarily. "I guess things just started to feel off." 
Jessie exhaled quietly as she processed your reply. What you were saying wasn't false. It had been so long it was easy for Jessie to just recall the end result – that you'd stopped replying altogether. That you'd given up on her; on the connection you'd both built for years. 
Standing here now though, if she was honest with herself, it was true that Jessie grew distant in her messages - purposefully so - knowing it would drive you away. What was she supposed to do? You two were never going to be together. And being friends was so incredibly hard sometimes because it was never just friendship for her. There was always this bittersweet feeling to everything and now that you were on completely different paths, there was an inevitable conclusion. Yet, she struggled to cut herself off cold. So instead, she took the coward's way out.  
Jessie scratched the back of her head. "I was busy," she repeated. She contemplated doubling down, but thought better of it. "And I guess I was finding it hard. We were building two very different lives." 
There was so much more she wanted to say, but she couldn't. What would be the point? Her chest panged when you gave her a sad smile.  
"I know," you accepted with a sadness in your eyes. "And I really wanted that for you. I just - it was hard to not feel like a nuisance. Like some obligation. So I just stopped writing."
Jessie's frown deepened. She knew all those years ago that she had to be hurting you, but she could lie to herself about it and focus selfishly on herself. Seeing you talk about it in front of her wasn't something she'd anticipated.
"I didn't mean for that," Jessie said. "And I never stopped caring about you," she compromised. 
"Yeah. I never stopped caring about you, either," you reciprocated in a subdued manner. Despite her role in everything, Jessie was still harbouring hurt from all those years prior and she felt compelled to push on. Sure, she'd pushed you away, but you'd let her. She erased you from her life little by little, day by day and you allowed it.
"Funny how quickly things change sometimes," Jessie went on. She didn't mean to scoff, but she did. "You didn't even tell me when you and [y/ex] broke up. You didn't even tell me you were having problems."  
In years past, Jessie was your sounding board for all your girl troubles. She remembered it well – it was painful. Having to hear you either swoon or – more often – complain about your girlfriends. Hearing how they disappointed or frustrated you when Jessie knew she could love you better. Just thinking back to it stoked a fire in Jessie's chest again. While she had genuinely loved you and cared about your well-being, she'd vowed to never get stuck in that dynamic again.  
You cracked a smirk. "It just seemed frivolous to bother you with something like that at that point." 
Another pang in Jessie's chest. "Well," she kicked idly at the concrete beneath her, "I would've been there for you if you ever needed me. I hope you knew that." 
You sighed and gave a hollow laugh as you pushed your hair back, causing Jessie to get momentarily distracted by the way the rays from the street light hit your face.  
"I know," you said quietly before meeting her gaze. "And I hope you knew the same about me. I know you're surrounded by people who love you, but," you shrugged listlessly, "I'd be there for you, too." 
Before Jessie could respond you gave her another smirk. 
"Besides. Though you never said anything explicit, I know you didn't like her. And by the end I could see why, too. No point wasting any of our limited conversation talking about her." 
Jessie bit back a smirk, but knew her eyes betrayed her. "Well, I guess that's poetic. Your girlfriends never liked me and I never liked them." 
Despite the mounting tension in your conversation, you laughed and gave her a nod. Jessie didn't return your laugh though. She gave you a solemn look. 
"You always deserved better than them. I know some of them were just fine, some of them even good, but they didn't seem earnest enough and they didn't love you enough." 
You were taken aback by her sudden proclamation. You opened your mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.  
Jessie never understood how they didn't worship the ground you walked on. She practically did, even if she didn't show it. While those girls showed they cared through superficial acts like a generic bouquet of flowers, Jessie listened. In many ways. It was obvious to Jessie that they didn't really get you – not the way she did. And if they were so in tune with you, then why was it her you came to when things were hard or you were scared or even hopeful. If she'd been your girlfriend, she would've given you everything you needed and more. They clearly didn't. 
You eventually gave a soft huff and offered Jessie a quiet smile. 
"You've always been very observant. And very thoughtful. I get it now. There's a reason I'm single now. I don't want to settle anymore," you told her. 
Jessie was quiet before giving a nod of acceptance.  
"I'm glad to hear that." 
You both started walking again, though neither of you spoke right away. There was still a heaviness in the air, but it felt different now; hopeful.  
"I'm sorry for how things ended," you said as she glanced over at Jessie as you two strolled through the quiet street. "You've always been really important to me – regardless of whether we were in contact or not. I don't want to say that I wish things had been different, because I really don't see the point in regretting anything, but I will say I'm very grateful that we've had this chance to reconnect and rebuild." You paused. "I've really missed you. I didn't realize how much." 
"I'm really sorry, too," Jessie said, a smile spreading across her face. "And I agree – we can't change the past, but I also appreciate the chance to be friends again. I've missed you, too." 
She swallowed as she contemplated whether to add more. The lull that naturally formed told her to forge ahead.
"And you were never a nuisance or an obligation. I'm really sorry it came across that way."
"Awww, Jessie," you said in a teasing voice, lifting your conversation up again. You paused your steps and Jessie stopped and turned to you in question. "Come on," you beckoned as you waved her over and brought out your phone. "We need a new photo together." 
Jessie didn't fight it. Instead, she smiled at you and walked over to stand next to you. You leaned into her and Jessie found her hand naturally gravitated to your waist. It rest there before Jessie could even realize it, but before she could fret, you looked back at her with a smile before facing forward again. 
You took the photo and immediately opened up your messages with Jessie to send it to her. Jessie belatedly realized her hand was still on you and she pulled it back, holding her hands behind her. 
"There," you announced. "Now we can start rebuilding our collection. Portland memories – not just UCLA anymore." 
Jessie laughed and held up her phone, pointing the camera at you. 
"No, come on," you whined immediately and she laughed further.  
"Hey, this is part of the deal," she countered. You huffed, but eventually smiled for her. "Just remember. This goes both ways. I get new photos of you, too." 
She found herself giving you a wink. "I'll allow it."  
A/N: Part Four is available here.
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thisonegirl ¡ 5 months
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Yes yes, a lot are Feyd-Rautha. I can’t help that I find bald, buff and psychotic attractive (ONLY FICTIONAL MEN THO). I’ve been looking for more Duncan Idaho fics to balance this out tho, so please let me know if you have good ones😉
⚠️WARNING⚠️quite a bit of these (most) are not safe for work content. Some include dark themes such as dub-con and non-con and some are very sexually graphic. Symbols will be used to distinguish them.
MINORS DNI —> ALL OF THIS CONTENT IS +18 ONLY
main masterlist
❤️‍🔥 - nsfw 🖤- dark ❤️‍🩹 - angst 💕- sfw 🏆- favorite
PS : for series, I am linking my favorite part/chapter (please let me know if it would be better to link the first part or the master list if it’s available)
duncan idaho | We Made An Agreement | one shot | by @missjadesfics - ❤️‍🔥
duncan idaho | In the Stillness Of Remembering | one shot | by @charnelhouse - ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥
duncan idaho | The Sword Master and The Ward | one shot | by @missjadesfics - ❤️‍🔥
paul atreides | The Knife of Muad'dib | series | by @ofsappho - 💕
paul atreides | The Emperor's Wife | series | by @kteezy997 - ❤️‍🩹
paul atreides | Death Of A Star | two-part | by @nonpoppin - ❤️‍🩹 (🏆)
paul atreides | Angel Lips | two-part | by @nonpoppin - ❤️‍🩹
paul atreides | Holy Crowns | series | by @fastlikealambo - 💕
paul atreides | Do You Believe In Us? | one shot | by @murdrdocs - ❤️‍🔥
paul atreides | Gilded Lily | two-part | by @nonpoppin - ❤️‍🩹
paul atreides | Beginning Of The End | two-part | by @nonpoppin - ❤️‍🩹 (🏆)
leto atreides | I'm Not The Only One | series | by @nyrasproblm - ❤️‍🩹
feyd-rautha | The Little Death | series | by @sebastianswallows - ❤️‍🔥 (gets dark 🖤)
feyd-rautha | Feyd Fantasy | series | by @austinbutlerslovers - ❤️‍🔥 (🏆)
feyd-rautha | Thrown To The Wolves | series | by @sansaorgana - ❤️‍🔥 (🏆)
feyd-rautha | These Destined Ends | series | by @houserautha - ❤️‍🔥
feyd-rautha | Damaged Goods | one shot | by @sansaorgana - 🖤
feyd-rautha | Unheavenly Creatures | series | by @luminnara - ❤️‍🔥
feyd-rautha | Savage Bonds | series | by @foreverdolly - 🖤
feyd-rautha | Veil of Deception | series | by @lovetwist - 🖤
feyd-rautha | Play with Fire | one shot | by @perlelune - 🖤
feyd-rautha | The Rage Of A Harkonnen | one shot | by @aviawrites - ❤️‍🩹
feyd-rautha | Right Hand | series | by @kasagia - ❤️‍🔥
feyd-rautha | Boadicea | one shot | by @perlelune - 🖤
feyd-rautha | The Void Calls | series | by @e1dritchjackal0pe - ❤️‍🔥
feyd-rautha | Stranger | series | by @space-mango-company - 💕 (with a hint of ❤️‍🩹so far)
243 notes ¡ View notes
caribbean1989 ¡ 4 months
Text
Stage Fright - a Baby Lasagna fanfiction
Who: Marko Purisic / Baby Lasagna Request: maybe smt where you work for esc and marko has a panic attack before going on the stage and your there for him calming him down and stuff. just angsty with lots of comfort. Requested by: anonymous. Word count: 2010 Warnings: contains descriptions of panic attack / anxiety / stage fright. Lots of angst, but also some comfort 😇
A/N: I usually write footballer imagines and fandom whump, so writing something like this is quite new to me. Hope you'll like it, let me know what you think of it 😇 If you want me to write more like this, you can always make a request through my Asks 😉
This story can also be found on my AO3 account, here. For more information on my Baby Lasagna fanfics, see this masterpost.
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At your job working backstage at concerts and events, you were one of the people making sure everything went smoothly backstage, and that the performers had all they needed. This month you would be working at the Eurovision Song Contest. 
Today was the biggest day of all: the final.  You felt confident. Everything had been rehearsed endlessly, the semi-finals had already gone well, and you had built up a good relationship with most of the performers and their entourages. 
It was a nice group of artists this year, but one still was your personal favourite: Baby Lasagna. At first you were drawn to the Croatian candidate because of the rather unusual name, but you quickly learned he went by Marko off-stage, and was somewhat different from the other participants. He was a flamboyant personality on-stage, which proved to be the complete opposite of how his personality was off-stage. 
You didn’t need long to see Marko was actually rather shy, could be very insecure, and was humble and polite. There was a cheeky side to him as well once you got to know him better. You liked that about him, and, without actively trying to, you already formed a rather close friendship with him in only this short time of working together. 
That was why you immediately knew something was wrong when you found Marko sitting alone on the day of the final, huddled away from everything and everyone.  He sat amongst crates of sound equipment, on the floor, in a dark corner of the backstage maze, hugging his knees. His hands were clamped so tightly around his legs that his fingers had turned white, and he trembled like a leaf in the wind.  Marko had chosen a spot far from the foot traffic from and to the stage, hidden even from his own entourage, and it was a small miracle that you stumbled upon him like you had. 
"Marko?" You lowered yourself onto your haunches in front of him, but mindful to keep enough distance between yourselves so not to frighten him or make him feel more uncomfortable.
He looked disheveled, only vaguely aware of his surroundings, and surely not in control of his emotions.  In this moment he was not the extroverted Baby Lasagna, he was introverted Marko. The eccentric costume he wore on stage was replaced by regular jeans and a black hoodie. The make-up wasn’t applied yet, which might be a good thing, because you saw the tears on his face. The haunted look in his eyes scared you, worrying you even more about his well-being. 
Suddenly your mind went to a line from the song he was performing with here this week. 
My anxiety attacks.
Whilst Rim Tim Tagi Dim had people dancing all over the world, you couldn’t help but notice its darker meaning, too. And it clicked into place for you now. That line about anxiety wasn’t just a line. It actually held truth for Marko, and the proof of that was right in front of your eyes with him having a serious panic attack. 
"Marko?" You repeated softly.  His gaze flickered to you, but he didn’t acknowledge your presence in any other way.  "I need you to talk to me," you nudged carefully.  Marko swallowed hard. He made every effort to get himself to speak, but couldn’t. The words he meant to say got involuntarily silenced on their way to his mouth, and, finally, he just sadly shook his head. Fresh tears fell as he rested his forehead on his knees, shrinking even more into himself. 
Your heart broke for him. It was hard to believe you only met him a week and a half ago, with how much you already cared for him. 
Marko shivered in his hoodie. His breaths became even more rapid and shallow, accompanied by the occasional wheeze or whimper. He was losing more and more control over himself with every heartbeat of his racing pulse. Where first maybe only his hands had shook, there now wasn’t a muscle in his body that wasn’t shaking. He raised his head and looked up at you again, this time really seeing you. 
Marko’s lower lip trembled, and it took effort, but finally he got some words out. "Help me…" "I’m trying," you answered helplessly. You wanted nothing more than to help him, take him out of this panic attack, but you really had no idea where to begin. "Do you need me to bring someone from your team over?" "No!" Marko nearly jumped a foot into the air at the mere idea of that. "They don’t need to see me like this. I’m a mess, I…" "Calm down, calm down," you tried to ease. "We can do this. You and I, we can get you through this."
Having suffered from panic attacks yourself, you suddenly remembered what your sister used to do for you to get you to calm down. "Marko." You got his attention. "I want to try something to help you calm down. Are you okay with me touching you?" He still was in the height of his panic attack, with fear wild in his eyes, but he still nodded his head. He wasn’t sure what you had in mind, but he trusted you.
You scooted closer to him, fully sitting down on the floor by his side. Marko trembled heavier than ever and he was truly hyperventilating now. Tears sparkled in his eyes, but he gave in to you. He wanted for you to offer comfort and take him out of this anxiety. 
"Close your eyes," you said softly.  Marko hesitated for just a second, but slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t know you for that long, yet you felt secure and safe to him. "Whenever you’re no longer comfortable with anything I’m doing, you need to tell me," you insisted, "and I’ll stop immediately." Marko gave you a strained nod, but he surrendered to you. 
You moved slowly, making sure not to make any unexpected movements which would cause Marko any more fright.  You placed one of your hands flat on his chest. Only now you realised how heavy this panic attack actually was for him. His chest heaved and trembled under your hand, and now that you were closer to him, you heard the whimpers that were hidden in the wheezes of his breathing.  With your other hand you picked up his wrist, gently pressing two fingers against the pulse point. As you had expected, his heart was racing. 
"I need you to focus on my hand on your chest." You kept your voice as calm and serene as possible. Marko dipped his head once, eyes still firmly pressed shut.  "Whenever I press into your chest, I need you to breathe in through your nose, and try and press my hand away with your chest," you instructed, "when I release the pressure, you exhale slowly through your mouth." Marko wanted to speak, show you he had understood, but he found his words once again stolen from him by the panic attack. Instead, he dipped his head once again, but it was all the confirmation you needed. 
You slowly and gently pressed the palm of your hand a little firmer into his chest.  Marko took a shaky breath. He did his best to get his lungs to fill properly and get his chest to give counter-pressure against your hand, but couldn’t quite manage.  "It’s alright," you eased him, "take your time. Just focus on the rhythm of the pressure of my hand and try to breathe with that." You felt how Marko was really trying to, but also how he wasn’t succeeding yet. His inhales were broken by shudders, and his exhales disrupted by sudden and involuntary gulps.  "That’s it," you encouraged anyway, "easy does it."
Your hand never left his chest as you gently applied pressure and released it, with Marko doing his utmost best to get his breathing to fall in sync with it. You spoke soft encouragements, yet the silent moments in between were filled with Marko’s quiet whimpers.  It didn’t matter to you how long it would take, you would help Marko through this. 
---
Eventually, you sat with Marko like that for well over 30 minutes. There was no reason to rush anything. Soundchecks for the grand finale of tonight wouldn’t be starting for another few hours, so you gave him all the time he needed to pull himself out of this panic attack.
Marko’s pulse had returned to a regular, calm rhythm, as had his breathing. His trembling had subsided, but he sat beside you looking worn out from everything he had just gone through. 
You gently let your hand fall away from Marko’s chest for the first time again. You kept a close eye on him, but he was able to keep his breaths calm by himself now. "Open your eyes," you said softly. Marko slowly did so. Even though the area where you sat was dimly lit, he still squinted at the light. He ran slightly trembling fingers through his silvery hair, before he finally looked up at you sitting next to him. 
"I’m sorry about that." Marko sounded tired. "No need to apologise." You shook your head. "May I ask what happened?" "This happened." Marko chuckled wryly, motioning his hands to the area around you. "I’ve never performed at an event of this magnitude before. And… well, my stage fright took the better of me, I guess. It does that sometimes."
The airiness with which he spoke of his stage fright was pitiful, almost like it was the most common thing in the world for him. "But it doesn’t often get this bad, I reckon," you said sympathetically.  "No." Marko sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair once more. "It doesn’t usually lead to a full-blown panic attack, and certainly not like this one, but, apparently, big stages lead to big anxiety." A dark chuckle followed. "That’s not even remotely funny," you scoffed. Marko gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I’m used to it by now."
He shifted his body, grunting softly as he stretched his cramped legs out in front of him. He leaned his head back against one of the crates behind him and glanced up at the ceiling for a moment. 
"But what you did really helped me." He spoke after a few seconds of silence. "I’m not quite sure I would have gotten through this one on my own, so I’m really grateful." You shrugged. "I’ve got a bit of experience with panic attacks as well, I’m afraid. So I know how bad they can get."
Marko’s gaze slowly shifted back to you. "Yourself or helping someone deal with it?" "Myself, unfortunately." You sat back into a more comfortable position, too. "Some events in life leave more scars than you can imagine," you added darkly.  "I’m sorry." Marko shortly rested a hand on your arm in support.  "What I just did with you, my sister used to do that for me whenever my anxiety flared up," you explained, "it always helped me through it, so…" You let your voice trail off.  "Well, tell her it’s a good technique." Marko winked lazily. "And I’m glad you’re the one who found me just now. Thank you." The sincere thankfulness was in his voice and in every fibre of his being. 
The two of you talked for a while longer, before Marko slowly hoisted himself back onto his feet. He looked steady again, ready to go, and a glimpse of the extroverted Baby Lasagna shone through the cracks again. 
"Will you be alright?" You stood back up, too.  "Yes." Marko nodded confidently. "I know it sounds strange, especially after what you’ve seen just now, but it feels like I needed to get this out of my system in order to be ready for tonight." You chuckled, glad to see the sparkle of joy back in his eyes, instead of the sparkle of tears and panic. "Come see me if anything threatens to overwhelm you again." Marko nodded gratefully. "I sure will."
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163 notes ¡ View notes
surshica ¡ 1 year
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RUMOR HAS IT..
: CL16
genre: fluff,angst? (if you squint),social media (smau) + written
warnings: translated french and korean,cussing
A/N: imma just add angst just in case i forget but if you squint maybe it’ll be there? also broken humor here i made this in the morning soo excuse any typos..not proofread btw!
synopsis: charles is in a new relationship with a runway model and fashion icon reader—all is well until a rumor comes around saying he is cheating on you with your bestie.. (fc: tingting_lai)
yourusername
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liked by charles_leclerc,yourbestie,lilymhe,pierregasly and 828,927 others
yourusername yacht trips with you are always wonderful <3
tagged charles_leclerc
yourbestie y’all are so cute it makes me wanna puke <3
alex_albon werent you there with them…
yourbestie yeah but that doesn’t mean i wasnt third wheeling half the time…
yourusername you literally invited your bf..
yourbestie he fell asleep 😒
arthur_leclerc …slanderous.
ďżźcharles_leclerc everyday with you is a wonder day mon ange <3
liked by yourusername
pierregasly i think imma throw up
maxverstappen1 me too
landonorris me three
charles_leclerc go away.😐
f1wags beautiful as always!!
user5 check your dms bestie…
user3 drop the workout routine.
user2 okay BUT how does he bag someone like you. TELL ME THE SECRETS
user4 right the math isn’t mathing !
user1 he fr must of bribed her with like a castle in monaco or smthing
liked by yourusername
yourusername i wish 🫤 i kinda just got stuck babysitting him
charles_leclerc that’s not true and you know that…
view 67,223 commentsďżź
f1wags
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liked by pierregasly,yourusername, and 30,743 others
f1wags was dmed a photo of what looks to be yourbestie and charles staring at eachother lovingly while yn is away! is this the case of playboy charles returning after years of being in a relationship with yn 👀😉🫣
user1 doesn’t yourbestie have a bf…
user6 yeah and it’s charles’ brother!!
user5 SOMETHING DOESNT FEEL RIGHT
user1 nah..she a brother hopper😭, yn and arthur deserve better
user8 idk where yall seeing the love like eye contact because i for-one do not see it!!
user9 RIGHT like it doesn’t make sense, it was yourbestie who introduced charles to yn so why would she want to get with him now when she had all those years ago to get with him? ppl making stuff up.
user8 it’s like you were reading my mind!
user10 it shouldn’t be our business too!
user3 PIERRE LIKED THIS?!:!he probably knows something we don’t…
user5 @pierregasly spill the beans mister; i know you know all the f1 gossip
user4 okay but why did yn like it too? does she know something too?
user2 yn liking this is definitely giving hot girl revenge arc!!
yourusername now wtf is this?
user13 SHE REPLIED. OMG SHE KNOWS.
user4 YN REVENGE ARC YESSS
user3 charles gonna regret he hurt this girls feelings
user9 we love a good villain arc!
user10 her replying is iconic
view 8,628 comments
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yourbestie
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liked by charles_leclerc,yourusername,lilymhe, arthur_leclerc,lewishamiliton and 682,167 others
yourbestie cheers to an 14 year friendship! you truly are the world to me, you are like the sister i’ve always wanted. i cherish every memory with you, i am greatful for everything you do for me! i can’t wait to see what the future leads us too~ 너무 사랑해요!! i love you so much
yourusername YOURE SO ADORABLE. :( i wish you weren’t busy so we could hang out today, 나는 당신을 더 사랑 !!! i love you more
yourbestie I KNOW IM SORRY something came up last minute but i promise to make it up to you in a girls day<3
yourusername yeah you better.
yourbestie anything for you!
yourusername @charles_leclerc take notes!
charles_leclerc you two are literally just flirting with eachother in the comments…what more do you want me to do:(
arthur_leclerc feel my pain
user3 aint no way she posted this while quiet literally fcking her bff’s bf behind her back..
user7 THIS IS SO CUTE IM SOBBING
user12 not until you find out she flirting with charles.
user9 can y’all take these negative ass comments somewhere else and just enjoy the fact ITS AN 14 YR FRIENDSHIP.
liked by yourbestie,arthur_leclerc,charles_leclerc
user13 i want what they have.
user4 brother hopper!!!😂
view 32,296 comments
yourusername just posted a story
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f1wags
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liked by arthur_leclerc,yourusername and 29,628 others
f1wags charles leclerc and your bestie spotted roaming around monaco ‼️ charles and your bestie were reported to go on a shopping spree and they looked very happy and giggly. reportedly they came out of cartier with two bags, both were holding a bag. maybe this a sign that these two are actually together 👀🔥
user1 no fcking way..
user3 ON THE FRIEND-VERSARY ??
user6 didn’t she tell yn she was busy..
user13 busy fcking charles..thats for sure
user5 this is more disgusting than i thought
user9 imma give them the benefit of the doubt maybe we weren’t supposed to see these photos!!
user10 we should fr respect their privacy, idc if he is cheating on her or not this is fr creepy.
user7 okay but coming out of Cartier with bags?! now i’m even more suspicious..
user11 i feel so bad for yn and arthur, the fact they liked this too. they need to find better bf and gf fr😭
yourusername 진심이야, 이거 진짜야? 🫠 seriously, is this real?
arthur_leclerc lets not get ahead of ourselves, you guys don’t know what’s going on..
user6 arthur you know what is going on between these two? and what they are doing together?
arthur_leclerc yeah, i know the plans but i don’t like that you guys are jumping to conclusions like this
yourusername 🤔
view 11,278 comments
a small pout formed onto your lips, ohone in hand screen frozen on the f1wag page. a part of you wanted to be in disbelief of what you saw. charles had told you that he something important to do and bestie name had said she was busy as well. the dots were slowly connecting as if it was a game of squares.
the thought of your boyfriend of almost two and a half years cheating on you with your best friend was not a pleasing thought, scowling at the idea of it. you were sitting down on the couch knees tucked into you, your head resting on them staring down at the phone screen. dozens of thoughts flooded your brain.
is he cheating on me? how long? does arthur know he is being cheated on? are they for sure cheating on me? they’re childhood friends i don’t think he is cheating on me! bestie name doesn’t even like charles like that! am i being played? the thoughts had flooded your brain you had completely forgotten to get ready. the vibration of your phone had broken you out of your dazed state. looking at the caller id it was him. it was charles, the words in bold “lover boy<3” had popped up with a cute picture of him. pressing the accept button you put it on speaker,
yn : hello?
lover boy<3 : mon ange! are you ready?
yn : ..uh yeah im almost ready!
lover boy<3 : okay i’ll be there to pick you up in 15 minutes~
his voice sounded deeper through the phone, a small smile formed onto your lips
yn : where did you go charlie? you’ve been out for a while..
lover boy<3 : have i? dĂŠsolĂŠ chĂŠrie je devais faire quelque chose d'important, sorry honey i had to do something important why? are you worried about me? how sweet
charles had a small smirk formed on his lips, he just dropped off your bestie name at her house as he called you.
yn : who said that? no i was just curious, thats all.
yn’s smile slowly formed back to a pout. he didn’t tell her but rather just said something important, it didn’t make her feel any better.
yn : (sigh)
lover boy<3 : what’s wrong mon-
yn : 꿀 honey i’ll you back i need to go to the bathroom.
you quickly ended the call ruffling your hair taking in a deep inhale before getting up to go get ready quickly.
after rummaging through your closet you found a cute brown pleated skirt, to match with it you grabbed a white tank top and black and white cardigan with a black beret. looking at the mirror you smiled at the outfit heading to the bathroom to do some quick makeup. nothing too fancy
charles furrowed his brows at the erupted ending of the call. he didn’t think much of it shrugging it off. maybe you were just tired was a thought he had, not once did he think you found out he was with your bestie name.
you had just finished in time, charles texted you that he was outside. grabbing a small purse putting your wallet and phone in there pranced your way to the front putting on a pair of brown boots you had just bought. the walk to the car felt dreadful. the more you stepped closer more thoughts flew over your head, you were starting to convince yourself that maybe he was cheating on you with her.
you needed to shake the idea out of your head and you had to do it now, your hand was on the car door handle but you hesitated. charles noticed your hesitation, his brows furrowed some more as he leaned over to the other seat opening the door for you. “mon angé are you alright?” he watched you climb into the seat buckling up. one thing about charles, he is a person who is very expressive from the body language to the faces to the voice itself. yn looked at him placing a small peck on his cheek, “yeah im just a little tired that’s all”
charles stared you down he was trying to see if you were lying or not, “well tu sais tu peux toujours me dire n'importe quoi mon ange, si ça te dérange tellement dis le moi. you know you can always tell me anything my angel, if it bothers you so much tell me.” he tucked a piece of your hair behind your exposing your cheek that got what felt like a genuine kiss. the ride to wherever you were going was suffocating, both of you hated it. you cleared your thought brushing your hand against his free hand. “so mister charles where was this important place you went to today?” you wanted answers so you kept pushing for him to tell the truth. 
charles quickly looked and you before looking back at the road, “if i tell you where i was and what i was doing it wouldn’t be a secret mon ange!” he was being very smiley, your lips formed an o shape. “why do you wanna know? are you trying to stalk me?” charles snickered his shoulders slowly bouncing up and down. you shook your head clearing your throat, “i don’t need to do that i already have someone for that..” your tone was bitterly.
you were staring out the window, you didn’t want to bare the sight of him. what if questions flew everywhere you got more upset with yourself you didn’t want them, charles noticed the shift in attitude; “mon ange seriously tell me what’s wrong,” concern laced his voice as he grabbed your hand placing mini kisses on them “, i don’t like seeing you upset. i can any questions you have just talk to me..”
a sigh escaped your lips looking at the pouty monegasque, “why were you with bestie name today? she said she was busy and you said you had an important thing to do today. are the two of you you kn—” your throat throbbed as each word managed to escape your throat, “what?” was all charles could reply with, he quickly parked the car before facing yn.
“rumor has it you were with bestie name today at a mall together..there of pictures of the two of you together charlie” his grip on your hands tightened as each word flowed out of your mouth. “chérie im not cheating on you with bestie name, i would never.” his heart broke seeing you think of all that, “okay but what was important that the two of you had to go to the mall together?” you just wanted to few reassurance.
“well..fuck i cant say it but its a surpise. you weren’t supposed to see those photos seriously, im not cheating on you when i went to the mall with her earlier. we went to go get some gifts for arthur you can even ask him mon amor!” he watched as her shoulders that were tensed up became relaxed. “oh. i’m sorry that i jumped to conclusions so fast it wa—”
charles chuckled letting go of her hand, “it’s okay mon ange. its those stupid fan accounts fault for making you think that.” he said getting out of the car to go open the door for you.
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he had taken you to a nice small cafe, it wasn’t very popular but it was one of your favorites. the honey outside atmosphere was definitely to die for, the way green plants coated everywhere. the two of you sat at what was a four person table. pointing at the two empty seats charles just smiled, “two people will be joining us but they’re running a little late..”
“i didnt get to say this but you look beautiful my love” charles who grabbed your hand the table fiddling with it. “am i never beautiful to you?” you scoffed playfully—charles was taken aback from that comment “no no you’re always beautiful you just look extra beautiful!” charles justified or well he believed. “so you don’t think i’m extra beautiful whenever?” you pouted playfully. charles who was lost for words “no you are just so—you know what i mean mon amour!!” he sighed frustratedly causing you to giggle at his frustration.
“you’re so mean mon chérie~” he scrunched up his face to make it look like he was upset, “i’m not mean you are just easy to pick at!” you justified, “mean.” “no” “mean” “no” “charlie we sound like children..” “well you started it” he smirked making you roll your eyes at him. a comfortable silence fell between the two, you started to believe the other two were just not going to come at all.
“you have pretty eyes charlie” you blurted out without a care, a blush crept onto his face. he didn’t know if it was the compliment or if it was the fact you were staring at him as if he was the only thing that mattered in the world, maybe it was both. “you think so chérie?” he felt the grip of his hand that had been interlocked with yours tighten. “i don’t think so i know so” she had such loving stares it made charles weak to his knees. the stares she gives him make his heart flutter like a teenage boy seeing his school crush, he was always lost for words, he was little butter melting in your touch and stares.
the truth is, he was upset with himself finding out that you had these thoughts, these thoughts that he was cheating on you with your best friend. he wanted to get you a gift and he didn’t want to fuck it up; he believed bringing someone who you held dear to your heart and who knew you best would’ve been the right choice—he didn’t think once you would take it as him cheating on you with her bestie. it hurt him inside.
he had always wanted to show you how appreciative he was of you, he never had the time but now he does. you do so much for him and he wants to thank you for that, the states you give him; they were loving and warmly. the way you love him throughout his career taking time to visit his races it did something to him. from how you looked at him, touched him, smiled and laughed at his jokes, how you talk about him so much to family, how you make playlist about him, and even made sure he felt like he was the priority in everything—it did something for him. since the first day he met you he knew you were the one for him.
the way you made sure you’re there for him after the races and that you were okay made his heart skip beats. he had always felt like the knight in shining armor in previous relationships but with you he felt like the princess and you were the knight. he loved everything about that; it was something new to him something he never would’ve thought he would love. the small cartier box warmed in his pockets. you are always doing stuff for him he just wants to do one simple thing for you, is that too much for him to ask for? he knew he had to wait for arthur and bestie name to get here but he seriously couldn’t.
he thought any longer he waited he would spill the beans about everything, “chérie you know how much i love you right?” his lips parted as his hand slowly made his way to his pocket grabbing the small cartier box. “always know, you tell me like every hour even on the race track” you had teased a smile evident on your lips. “tu sais à quel point je t'aime mais sais-tu à quel point je t'aime ? Je te chéris tellement, j'aime tout ce que tu fais pour moi, j'aime la façon dont tu es toujours là pour moi, peu importe à quel point je fais mal sur la piste de course ou je suis contrarié. tu fais tellement pour moi, c'est vraiment comme un cadeau! you know how much i love you but do you know how much i love you? I cherish you so much, I love everything you do for me, I love how you are always there for me no matter how badly I do on the racetrack or how upset I am. you do so much for me, it's really like a gift.”
“tu es un cadeau que je dois protéger de tout ce qui arrive, je n'ai jamais été doué avec les mots mais chaque fois que tu es avec moi, je fond. tu as sur moi cet effet que je n'avais jamais ressenti auparavant dans les relations que j'avais. you are a gift that i have to protect from everything that happens, i have never been good with words but every time you are with me i melt. you have this effect on me that i have never felt before in the relationships i had.” charles titled his head to the side closing his eyes taking a deep breathe, “charlie what’s this about?” you had questioned sitting up properly instead of slouching. “just promise me something mon amour. promise me that you will be with me no matter how hard times are.” charles slowly pulled out the red velvet textured box from his pocket.
it was a small rectangular box with gold like lettering saying “cartier”. charles had placed it into your hands, “you do so much for me so the least i could do is buy a promise ring.” his voice turned soft, it was silky soft. the box on the other hand was in your grasp you were staring at it, a prominent smile rushed to your face, “charlie..” you had opened the box to see a singular gold band with jewels graves into it, “its a promise ring, a promise that i will love you endlessly.” charles held up his hand showing how he was already wearing his.
“its beautiful…charlie. i love it” you took the ring out of the box putting it on a one your right index finger, “and i promise to love you endlessly.” a blush creeped onto your cheeks, “thank you 아기. 사랑해요 baby. i love you” charles wasnt fluent i.n korean that’s for sure but he knows how to say he loves you, “i love you too mon ange.” he grabbed your hand with the ring on it placing a soft kiss, smiling to himself.
“CHARLES I TOLD YOU WAIT TILL WE GOT HERE.” you heard your bestie name’s voice boom near you, it startled you but it made you giggle. “well you two were taking too long and i got impatient…hurry up next time” he scoffed, your bestie name didn’t let that slide and she started to punch him lightly. “i hope you didn’t fuck it up. be glad i went with you to get the proper ring size!” your bestie grabbed his ear and the two started to fight.
it truly did feel like home with them, “i’m guessing he gave you the ring?” arthur said standing behind you with his hands in his pockets, “you knew?” yn looked at him your lips forming an a line. “of course i knew thats why i tried to defend them but it was no use at that point, people jump to conclusions too much” he shortened a chuckle. “yeah you’re right they do.”
charles_leclerc
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liked by yourusername,yourbestie,lewishamiliton, alex_albon,pierregasly,maxverstappen1 and 1,827,289 others
charles_leclerc its always rumor charles is cheating on his gf but never rumor has it that charles is still and forever madly in love with his girlfriend of two years.
user8 SEE YALL WERE WRONG ADMIT IT.
liked by charles_leclerc
user9 they’ll forever be happily in love yall are just haters!!
liked by charles_leclerc and yourbestie
user10 my cuties ㅠㅠ
user15 charles yn defender till i die.
user4 SO CUTE OMG
user1 is that a promise ring?? that’s so..i’m melting
yourusername 나는 내 아름다운 소년을 너무 사랑 !! <3 i love my beautiful boy so much
maxverstappen1 soo i dont get to yell at him for cheating on you?:(
yourusername LMAOO NO
charles_leclerc HUH WHATD I MISS MAXIE?
maxverstappen1 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️
user13 get me someone who looks at me the way charles looks at yn.
liked by yourusername
pierregasly listen if charles was gonna fumble this one i would whole heartily become a homie hopper‼️
lewishamiliton agreed
charles_leclerc i know where the both of you live…
lilymhe stop i was ready to fight him after what i saw. the two of you are so cute !
charles_leclerc WHY IS EVERYONE TRYING TO FIGHT ME OR STEAL MY GF??
yourbestie okay where is my thank you? i helped you 😒
charles_leclerc do you not see these comments??
yourbestie i agree tho if you fumbled her i would’ve ended you🤷‍♀️
landonorris we need you on the grid more
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yourusername
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liked by yourbestie,danielricardo,charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1 and 926,518 others
yourusername 기다리는 자에게 좋은 일이 생긴다<3 good things happen to those who wait<3
tagged charles_leclerc,arthur_leclerc,yourbestie
arthur_leclerc SEE THEY CAME OUT GOOD!
yourusername thank you my little photographer!!
charles_leclerc i thought i was your photographer?
yourusername you were busy fighting bestie name…
yourbestie so beautiful they grow up so fast ㅠㅠ
charles_leclerc the loml truly is beautiful ❤️
liked by yourusername
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@ surshica | rb & follow.
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foreverisntenough ¡ 7 months
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- YOU’RE MINE -
Summary: While you daydreamed about his face an ocean apart, he had no idea what yours was about to do to him. With a twist of fate and the heat of summer, a new relationship would completely ransack his heart - Everyday heavy with the thought of one another, neither of you were going to let the unexpected love of your life go. You were going to be his, you were his, and you were going to stay his.
Warnings: This story will contain fluff, suggestion, smut and angst- not sure yet!
Note: I was planning on keeping this just for myself so please be nice. I hope you like it! There will definitely be more parts (don’t know how many just yet though)
Chapter 2 - ‘You’re Mine’
“Any notes on what I should wear?”
A few hours had passed when you received another message. It was cute he cared. You cared about what you were going to wear and had been thinking about it for what felt like forever. It made you feel better he wanted to be dressed right too.
“You’ll look good in anything. Not worried”
“Wasn’t my question”
“Seriously, anything is fine. It’s just a regular restaurant...”
Trent rolled his eyes at the concept of a ‘regular’ restaurant. What did that mean to you? He was beginning to get nervous. He paced around his room as his friend laid across his hotel room’s couch pestering Trent with questions about you he didn’t know the answers to yet. This shouldn’t be that hard but knowing nothing about you made him both curious and terrified.
You finally landed on a pair of denim shorts… your sister would definitely say they were too short to wear on a first date but you weren’t upset about Trent getting some ideas. You pulled on a white cropped tank top. In the mirror it was hard to tell how sheer it might have been. Was it just this specific light in your room highlighting your nipples through the material? You stared hard but decided you were okay with that. You wanted him to see. You wanted to tease him and push him to the edge. If you were going to go on this date at all you wanted him to want you. You couldn’t risk him thinking you weren’t down. You picked out a pair of black heels that wrapped and tied around your ankles. Your legs looked long and toned in them. You were happy with the look but it felt like a lot, maybe a little too obvious, to just be bare in a tank top. In an effort to ‘cover up’ you opted for an oversized blazer on top. You grabbed a black Chanel flap bag from off a shelf filling it with essentials. You felt comfortable but hot and that’s how you wanted your night to go.
Trent took a car to your apartment that night after you gave him the address. It sunk in further how little he knew about you. It was more terrifying than it was a curiosity now. The driver opened the door for him and he thanked him politely. Trent stood in front of your apartment building apprehensively. He felt the breath leave his body, relieved. He wasn’t sure how he felt about himself that he was suddenly evaluating you based on where you lived. The luxury building with white marble floors, chandeliers, and a suited doorman made him relax in a way that he almost felt disappointed in himself. He didn’t like to imagine or assume that people were trying to use him but he couldn’t always shake it. The building brought him level that you two maybe would run in the same circles should you ever been in the same place before this. You more likely didn’t have an agenda to use him so he calmly texted you, hands still shaking a little
“Here 😉”
Your heart began to beat faster now he was downstairs. You locked your door behind you unsure what kind of night you were about to have. Unbeknownst to you, you were considerably less nervous than Trent. But your assurance about your outfit and the date fell to pieces the second you saw him. You felt small as you approached him from behind. He didn't see you yet as he stood facing the street. You could smell him as you got closer. The amber scent you liked early made you feel warm, the images you saved of the sun on his hand as it stroked your arm flooded back. You snaked your hand up his arm squeezing at his bicep. He raised his eyebrows as he turned around with a sly smile. Alternatively, he completely cooled finally at the sight of you. He felt calm; like this was meant to be his normal.
He pulled you into a hug without a word. He engulfed you. You were surrounded by him and couldn’t have been happier. He tucked you under his chin. He could feel your long nails and ring adorned fingers drag around him. His heart beat faster at the sensation. His hands slowly slid down your back towards your ass but he managed some restraint. It was the most perfect hug you ever received. He felt so good like you were supposed to be in his arms and he thought so too. He hummed at your embrace. He liked you this close to him. He wanted you in his arms all day after you met. He reluctantly began to pull away not wanting to weird you out. You softly closed your eyes at the idea of his body coming off of yours. You wanted the exact opposite from him. He took a small step to back away and smiled sweetly at you.
“Told you” he spoke into the crisp summer night.
“Hmm?” You looked at him for a moment trying to workout his words.
“I told you I’d see you” he put his finger under your chin raising it to look him in the eye. You felt butterflies being so close, his hand back on you.
“You were right. To my defense though, you’re quite famous and.. “ you paused as he smirked. “..I’m only just me so I thought this was pretty far fetched” you turned your head away from his gaze self conscious because he wouldn’t break his stare.
“The word ‘famous’ is also pretty far fetched” he joked using your words. “I needed to see you though” he moved his head to be in your new line of sight.
“Needed?” You questioned the word choice.
“You drove me mad the rest of the day, you know that?” He confessed honestly in an effort to make you more comfortable but it only made you more nervous in front of him.
“Sure” you agreed facetiously looking at him skeptically even though his words sounded heartfelt.
You both couldn’t look away from each other now.
“So the subway…” you muttered out a transportation suggestion for dinner. Trent’s breath hitched a little. He was trying to remember if he’d ever been on the subway. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go on the subway to be honest. His face was evident of his growing anxiety.
“I’m kidding, we’re going to walk. That okay?” You soothed his racing mind. He sighed relieved but reluctantly.
“You’re not as funny as you think” he quipped. You walked next to him up to the corner of your block towards the restaurant.
“No one has ever told me that. That’s so mean.” You feigned being hurt by the comment.
“I’m obviously kidding” he stopped walking, nervous he had somehow messed things up already.
“And so am I” you snapped and giggled stepping into the road to cross.
“..so this is my little world; my dry cleaner, where I get my bagels when I’m hungover, my friend lives a few blocks that way..” you kept talking filling the void. Trent was entranced, he wanted to listen to you give a tour of the entirety of Manhattan. He nodded and hummed at your remarks starring blatantly at your face. As you approached the restaurant you looked at him, catching him. He wasn’t embarrassed though he just winked back at you. The ruse that he was shy now was crazy to you. How did he often present so meek in the media.
“Hope Italian is okay. I feel like it’s sort of a neutral ground” you sung as your eyes remained locked on his.
“It’s regular” He was making fun of your text earlier and it made you smile that he was so light with you. He wasn’t afraid.
“You’re not as shy as everyone thinks you are huh?”
“Do people think that” he looked at you inquisitively as you pointed to the door of the restaurant.
“I mean I did. You kind of give off that vibe….online at least?” You raised your voice with question at the end because you thought that but on what ground. You’d never met the man till today. Your basis was just off how you wanted and assumed him to be in your head.
“Hmm, didn’t know that. I guess I’m reserved around new people but if im comfortable, I’m comfortable. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m cocky but I back myself in most situations.” You watched his lips move slow. His honest reveal had your heart fluttering, he was so real. So human, which seemed odd because he solely existed behind a screen and in your dreams before this.
“New people?” You repeated... “doing pretty okay so far with me” he just laughed. You went up to the hostess for your reservation and she ushered you to a small two top table tucked away in the dimly lit restaurant.
“All good?” He asked you as he held onto your hand to help you tuck into your seat against the wall. The contact had you overwhelmed but you nodded at him.
“Feels like it’s just us in here” he spoke again softly.
“that an okay thing?” You asked nervously trying to read his face. He reached over the table and traced around your open palm with his finger. The touch had you screaming inside. He was so pretty. God, in the low lit room he was glowing. It felt unfair. Who looked like this.
“A really good thing” he interrupted your thoughts and kept talking. He aimlessly looked around the restaurant, easily flowing through conversations about everything. It felt energizing to be with him. Vibrancy came naturally to him. He was effervescent in his appearance, his words, his actions. You smiled in the middle of one of his sentences. He stopped talking and looked at you.
“Sorry” you giggled “you are actually just so beautiful” he rolled his eyes shutting them.
“I’m supposed to say that to you.” He quipped.
“Yeah, if you think it. If you don’t.. don’t get my hopes up please” you continued in your fit of giggles. Completely lost in your juvenile crush trying to ignore the idea that he might very well be into you.
“I like that little laugh.” He cooed. You slowed and composed yourself. You smirked pulling your glass to your lips trying to hide the blush coming over you. He swallowed at the look of your lips pressed flush against your water.
“Do you drink? I don’t even know?” You changed topics. He laughed quite hard at your segue.
“Yeah, I do. What do you like though?” He asked you.
“You pick. I’ll get what you get. Happy with anything.” You were trying to be relaxed.
“That easy to please?” He inquired giving you a cheeky look.
“If you’re asking..” you paused.
“I’m asking” he filled in the gap.
“I’m a tequila girl butttt honestly I’m happy with anything.” He grabbed the waiter and ordered two drinks politely. You asked what he picked but he withheld and wanted you to guess when they got there. When they did you rattled off guesses on what was in the cocktail in front of you.
“Agave” he hummed at your correct guess. He watched you scramble with a puzzled look on your face he liked. You kept staring at the drink hoping for some visual clues.
“You know you’re gorgeous, don’t give me that shit” he cut your train of thought again “if I think that..get your hopes up” he mocked your tone
“Huh?” Your puzzled face stuck
“Come on baby, don’t be coy. You know exactly what you do to people, me in particular now.” He said sternly. The pet name had you internally freaking out. It was so seamlessly woven into his words. You loved it. You wanted to hear it again and again.
“No, no it’s not like that” you shyly retorted
“You don’t see the heads turn?” He pried
“It’s not something I ever thought about I guess. It doesn’t register that it might be because I’m anything special I just assume it’s like one off.”
“A one off that happens every single day?” He joked with a smug look. His argument was ironic coming from someone millions of people adored yet shied away from the word ‘famous.’
“You’re very” he slowed his words trying to tame his eagerness “very beautiful… like just unreal baby”
You felt the word hit your ear again. You could listen to it all day.
“Yeah, yeah. Okay I’ll take your word, baby” you stressed the word. Wanting to give it a go and see his reaction. You weren’t sure if he even knew he had called you baby but your emphasis pulled a smile from him.
“Yeah?” He questioned at nothing. You just hummed smug with the situation.
“I like your little world” he reminded you of your earlier comment walking to the restaurant “it’s nice, like you, you’re nice” his eyes trailed from the table up your body and onto your face.
“Please stop” you quietly mumbled. You placed your thin manicured hands over your face hiding from him in embarrassment. He seemed amused at the child like action.
“Honestly” he moaned out. You peaked through your fingers to look back at him.
“What are you being shy for now, huh?” He cooed pulling your hands from your face with his. Your hands lingering in his. “Seducing strangers on the street… but now you can’t take a compliment, yeah?” He shook his head but you were quick with your words.
“Okay, seducing is a strong word” you laughed.
“Come on just let me tell you how much you’ve been running through my mind” he pushed.
“Sorry” you apologized to which he seemed confused at.
“For…” he paused.
“Being in your head I guess” picking up your drink to hide your flushed cheeks. He hummed.
“yeah, I don’t exactly mind you in there” he said suggestively.
“stoppp” you quietly cried out laughing a little. “Why are you like this” moving your drink to hold it directly in front of your face now.
“I’m genuinely not doing anything but talking. Do you want me to stop, turn around, talk to you with my eyes closed or something” he joked
“you’re ridiculous” you pushed your chair in, needing to be closer to the table, to him, accidentally brushing your smooth leg over his. It wasn’t intentional but the touch gave you both a buzz. He pushed your drink down away from your face.
“Don’t hide that face from me baby” he continued raising his eyebrows. You playfully rolled your eyes in return.
You had no idea what time it was now but you didn’t want your evening with him to be over. You had finished your dinner and you hadn’t looked at your phone once, neither had he. You can’t remember the last time you went out to eat without resorting to it.
“You want dessert?” you asked him hoping to prolong your date. He contemplated in silence before speaking.
“Might get little something later, don’t know… still seeing if it’s an option.” The growing cheek this boy had developed since you first spoke was surprising you.
“Hmm it could be, never know.” You said lying through your teeth. Your answer to literally anything he would ask you to do would be yes tonight. You would do absolutely anything but you couldn’t have him know that.
You fumbled over a few more conversations, your legs rubbing intertwined beneath the table like you were keeping it hidden from the other that you were doing it.
“You want to split it?” You asked as the bill came.
“Is that a joke?” He coughed out. Shocked at your seriousness.
“No, what do you mean? We ate together… I’m not expecting you to get it.” You emphasized the word together. He laughed at your answer.
“No, absolutely not. That’s absurd. This was a date baby.” He continued laughing. He stopped when he had to speak again. “What’s the normal tip percentage thing here again?”
“Let me see, I’ll do it” you went to pull the pen from him.
“Stop, I got it baby.” He shushed you. He was so rattled by the fact you were adamant about assisting in this process “I can’t even recall the last time someone asked to split a bill with me. That’s really sweet honestly.” He cooed at you and he meant it. All he wanted to do was take care of you, show you that he could, he just needed you to let him.
“Whatever you say” you retorted unamused with a grin.
He pulled the table a little letting you stand up in the tight space. You adjusted your shorts and top. You were quick to remember just how bare you were without the blazer over you now. You felt confident when you had left your apartment but under his gaze you weren’t so sure how you looked. You wanted his approval so badly, you wanted him to want you.
“You look so good” he whispered to the back of your ear sending shivers down your spine. You walked in front of you him, unable to turn around hiding how flustered you were by the comment. He pushed his chair back in. He stared up and down your body as you walked away. He felt his mouth water. The tequila was not helping how desperate he was for you. He quickly caught up to you and placed his hand on the small of your back. His touch was warm. It made your head spin. You wanted his hands everywhere but you were too nervous to push for something. He got the door and held it open for you. You uttered a thank you unsure what to do now that the possibilities were endless. One very real one being you going home separately.
You were looking down the street when he placed himself in front of you. He tucked a piece of your hair the wind had blown misplaced behind your ear. Keeping his hand next to your face, he stroked at your cheek. You smiled up at him, analyzing him, trying to memorize every single fleeting feature. This was so surreal. Every time you looked at him you felt the need to pinch yourself to wake up but he was here, real, in front of you slipping his other hand low around your waist. You purred at his touch. You felt yourself crumbling in front of him. He sensed that you weren’t totally present; he just didn’t know if it was good or bad.
“Have an okay time?” He quizzed you
“mmhmm” you shut your eyes at the dream unfolding in front of you. The tequila was racing through your blood. You were having a hard time suppressing your obsession for this man. You took your hands and slid them up his chest. He almost moaned at the touch but tried to remain calm. Your hands grazed over him slowly wrapping and entangling around his neck. Your nails scratched at his soft skin. It felt so intimate to be so close, touching him.
“I don’t want to go home yet” you spoke shyly avoiding his eyes.
“I definitely dont want you to go home unless im… uh” he trailed off insinuating but not wanting to say what he was hoping for. You giggled a little more. You probably could’ve been pushy and maybe a little sluttier with him and got what you wanted but it felt wrong. He was so nice to you. He was so soft and open with you. You wanted a little more time to get to know him. You wanted to try to imprint yourself on him before reducing yourself to some random girl he fucked on holiday. It broke you a little bit that that was the ultimate outcome of this. You leaned into his chest speaking into his shirt.
“Any interest in going somewhere else for a little? A bar?”
“Thinking I’d follow you just about anywhere” he whispered. Your heart warmed at the sentiment. You pulled away from him and you watched his eyes flutter closed trying to hold the feeling of you to him.
Trent knew it. He didn’t know if you felt it or not yet but he did. Something was different. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t the run of the mill first date. He couldn’t put it down as one thing or another but this worked. It really worked. Despite your dramatically different lives you had a lot in common. You had similar interests and values. He needed to know you intimately. He wanted you to read him a biography about yourself. He hated that there wasn’t a Wikipedia page that he couldn’t sneak a look at to know more. He kept his hand low wrapped around your waist as you led him up a couple blocks to a new destination.
“Okay, come on. Just trust me” you grabbed at his hand and squeezed it before releasing. He was confused to say the least but comforted by your touch. He was sure you said a bar but now he was thinking he misheard you. You walked into a diner. It was very quintessential New York to a degree it was almost comical like a movie set. Trent’s eyes darted around the place. He noticed you smiled at the men behind the counter. Did you know them? You walked towards a utility closet door. He had to say something, he just couldn’t not know anymore.
“Soo…” he dragged. You turned around smiling at his impatience.
“One second! Trust me okay.” You reaffirmed. Pushing the closet door open only to reveal a staircase. You glided up the stairs illuminated by a neon sign atop simply reading ‘bar.’ You were a few steps ahead of Trent. He watched your legs stretch up the stairs, your ass hanging out a little from your shorts. He had the filthiest thoughts running through his mind; it was hard for him to focus on the task at hand.
“God, your ass. You’re so hot” the words fell out of his mouth. He almost slapped his hand over his lips as he heard it echo up to you. You turned around with a smirk and just stared at him content with the compliment, finally feeling a little better about your outfit. You stood at the door now waiting for him. He stopped you there though and slipped both his hands around your waist leaning into you.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything it just came out” he was embarrassed but something about the lack of control he was feeling about you had you dripping. You brushed your hand on the side of his face, gripping onto his hair a little bit. You leaned up closer to him. Your noses now touching.
“I don’t mind if you want to talk about me or to me like that” you whispered. He could almost feel your lips movement they were so close to him. He just hummed at your suggestion, slightly afraid at what he might let slip. You made your way in, to Trent’s surprise to a rather crowded normal bar, it just happened to be upstairs hidden above a diner on the Upper East Side. You both sunk into two chairs at the bar. He pulled yours closer to him by the back of the seat.
“C’mere” you swooned at his words.
“What are you thinking?” he asked you sweetly trying to initiate an order but you stopped him.
“I want to play a game” the giggle he loved before, squeezed between your words, came flooding back.
“Yeah? Alright, go on” He liked the idea of being competitive with you.
“Alright, only if you want”
“ I do” he restated his interest.
“Okay, so” you began to ramble on but he was stuck mesmerized at how he had gotten into this situation. Here. With you.
“Got it?” You finished up.
“Wait, no, I have no idea what you just said I’m so sorry”
“Distracted?” You inquired smugly as his eyes were stuck on your chest. Anyone else you might be a little annoyed with but he could have whatever he wanted. He could look anywhere he wanted. You stuck your chest out a little more as you leaned to order a few shots. Trent was overwhelmed at the liquor appearing before him and your tits in his face. He rubbed his hands over his head snapping back and smiling at your hand now on his thigh.
“Essentially you make an assumption about me and if you’re right I take a shot, if you’re wrong…”
“Not likely but go on” he confidently interrupted your sentence smugly. You huffed, squeezing his thigh in feigned annoyance.
“Like I was saying..You can either take one. Or not. Up to you. Not sure how many shots you want to be ripping through” you laughed a little more, continuing to press your palm further into his leg. He took a deep breath
“Yeah, sound” he said. You smiled to reassure him it would be fun.
“You go first, you’re visiting and all that” you said leaning a little closer to him. His smile dropped and he looked serious. He didn’t know how far he wanted to push this but felt if you were being cheeky in the hallway then he could here.
“You purposely wore a see through shirt so I would stare” he blatantly threw out in the open. Your mouth was left open but you gathered yourself more excited than anything by his words.
“Stare at….” You wanted to push your limits with him to see where he was at and he was happy to indulge.
“Baby, you wanted me to see your nipples” a chill ran down your spine. You would do anything to have this man but wanted to keep playing to hear more from him. Maybe this would help him make a move.
“To be fair” you started and he cut you off. His hand coming to grip around your ribs. You were thin and his hands were massive around you. His finger grazed under your boobs. You couldn’t think straight when he spoke again
“baby… come on it’s the game, answer honestly” you smiled at his press.
“Fine, fine. Sure. I wasn’t exactly trying to put them on display but I’m also not hiding I guess.” You poured the shot into your mouth and whined dropping your head in your hands after being called out. Trent bit and pulled at his bottom lip knowing now that you really wanted him see you. It was your turn.
“You want to see more?” you stated and stared cold back at him. If he wanted to go this route, you were going to as well. He laughed, throwing his head to the side. He looked away and grabbed at the shot glass.
“At least make it hard for me to get out of. I think I embarrassed myself on the stairs I'm so eager to see more.” His hand moving down your ribs to sit on your waist. He made a face as the tequila went down.
“Nah” he moaned.
“You’ve thought about fucking me” the word stung as it left his lips. God did you ever but hearing him say it made you panic. Is that all this was to him? Did he just entertain your foolish naivety at dinner to get you to go home? It seemed like a lot of effort at this point for something he could’ve just asked for blatantly earlier.
“Baby, I’m asking you if you’ve ..” pausing slowing he was quick to notice the drop in your face. His hand moving again on your body off your waist up to your face. He swiped his finger over your skin. You weren’t going to let yourself but you felt like you were going to cry. Why did you care so much if he was genuinely interested all of a sudden.
“Hey” he was quietly whispering close to you. “Sorry I took it too far, I don’t want you to think… You know I maybe could’ve..” he stumbled around his words. Your hand came up and laid over his on your cheek. You blinked your eyes a few times, readjusting in your seat before looking back at him. You softly smiled and he felt slightly relieved.
“Sorry” you laughed “you caught me off guard in my own game” you shook your head back and forth at how silly you felt. “I mean it’s hard not to think about.” You finally answered him. You removed your hand from his, placing it back on his thigh, higher up this time.
“Oh yeah?” He felt better with your admission and touch.
“Mhhhm” you confirmed, staring back into his eyes, swallowing the tequila.
“Me too” he whispered coming close into the crook of your neck. His hand on the bar pushed the tequila away from you both.
“I don’t want you drinking anymore” he told you. It was commanding and hot. His lips ghosted over your skin. You could feel your core go hot and wet.
“Yeah” you whispered back to his ear. Your voice was breathy and he couldn’t help but imagine how it sounded in bed, what you would say underneath him.
Trent wasn’t sure how to navigate this now. It was obvious and out in the open that you were both interested but he wanted to be nice to you. You felt sensitive and soft to him. He felt an overwhelming amount of affection for you. He wanted to protect you. He wanted to take care of you. He swiftly grabbed the check from the bar. Pulling your chair out. He stood behind you wrapping his arms around your small waist tucking his head back into your neck once you got up. You leaned back into him pressing your ass against his crotch, tilting your head giving him more space to nuzzle into as your hands ran over his arms in front of you. He could smell your perfume circling around him. It was fresh and clean. He grunted softly in desperation.
“Baby… you’re killing me” he let out quietly. You smiled that he was starting to get wound up. You pulled at him to let go to leave but he didn’t let go of you, instead just moving with you pressed to him out of the bar. He held onto you in the street as you stared at each other trying to decide who was going to have to be brave first. It felt inevitable but someone also had to actually say it.
“I don’t really want to sleep alone tonight” you whispered as your head tilted back further against his chest.
“You’re not sleeping alone tonight” he cooed back at you. Suddenly his phone rang, cutting the soft moment directly in half.
“Sorry it’s my brother. He wouldn’t call if it…”
“You’re fine” you told him. He then put a little space between you. You could hear another thick accent on the other end of the phone call and it made you laugh.
Trent stepped back into you. Arms around you again, resting his lips on your temple. He didn’t know if he could kiss you yet but regardless he just wanted to be that close. The feeling of him on your skin had you fantasizing.
“Everything okay?” You asked him, nuzzling back against his body.
“So.. I kind of forgot I have to go to this club tonight with my friends and brothers. I have to go in order for them to get this table and …it’s all very stupid” his words were discombobulated. You turned your face away from looking up at him now. Sadness washed over you. Your eyes sank, your lips falling. Trent didn’t know how to handle the look on your face and he definitely did not like being the one who put it there.
“No, no, I totally get it. Go ahead! I’m so sorry I kept you so long” you felt the tequila buzz leave your body so fast you were shaking at the sobering thought he was going to go.
“Thank you so much for tonight though. I really had a good time. Sorry if it was too much.” You stumbled over your words panicking that you had over done it. An international footballer was in the US with boys to have a good time at clubs and here you were making him tell you about his childhood over a dinner. You wiggled away from his body now running your hand through your hair.
“Oh god this was so stupid” you muttered looking further away from him. He watched you pick yourself apart for a moment. He couldn’t let you keep spiraling.
“Was going to ask if you wanted to come with me… but you seem adamant that you’re going home” his sarcasm was not appreciated but you walked back up him still. Your hand reached for his and he felt his heart stop.
“I’d want to go” you said more confidently than you were feeling.
“Good, I told you I wasn’t letting you sleep alone tonight anyways” he smiled walking with you to the curb. You grabbed a cab sliding in across the leather seat, Trent followed you like a love sick puppy.
“Errmmm 59th and 5th please… right?” You cocked your head at him. He shrugged, not sure of the exact location of his hotel. Trent looked at you with such admiration it confused you. .
“What” you asked him. The smiling getting bigger on his face.
“That was cute.. you just know all the streets and that.��� He was babbling.
“I live here, it's not something to be impressed by” you laughed at him. Trent groined and jokingly strained his voice
“Just let me compliment you. Oh my dayss!” You laughed at the drama and rolled your eyes at him. Your hand was back on his thigh. You liked it there and he liked having it there. He slid his arm behind you around your waist and pulled you closer to him. You pulled your lips in a tight line trying to not be awkward about the sexual tension filling the cab due to your proximity and the touches exchanged but also the idea that you were going to be with a bunch of guys you didn’t know, crashing their trip.
“They’ll like you, I promise.” He quieted your thoughts like a mind reader.
“And what about you.. you like me?” you pressed into him. Trent grabbed gently at your chin tilting you up to him forcing you to lock eyes with him. You took your hand off his thigh and snaked it up and around his neck meeting your other arm.
“If you don’t know the answer to that…” he paused, just losing himself a little in your stare. He jumped ahead, his desire reaching a head “are you going to kiss me tonight or are you going to just tease me till I black out?” You smiled at how dramatic he was still acting about things but you liked that he was expressive with you.
“You could’ve kissed me, you know?.” You whispered quietly to him. He leaned in to you more
“Yeah? You’re not going to stop me?”
“Definitely not”
“Good, because I can’t take it any longer” he said, licking his lips. You were in the same boat. You were itching for him to kiss you. You pulled at his neck as he finished his sentence.
His lips met yours in slow motion. Your entire body relaxed at the contact. He wasn’t just what you wanted but he was exactly what you needed. It was slow at first but heated up quickly. Your lips pressed hard against each others. He pushed his body into yours, his adoration for you had threatened to spill out of him the longer he kept waiting for this kiss. You drew a subtle breath, your emotions started to pool behind your closed eyes. You were so attached to him. Something about him made you absolutely melt. It was the most magnetic pull you ever felt. You couldn’t let go even if you wanted to.
You let out a soft moan as his hand moved to grab your ass. He palmed at it and grabbed firmly onto you. He slipped his tongue into your mouth while he had the chance. It was erotic. The buildup over the night was too much. Whilst you were trying to be considerate of the taxi driver, you also needed Trent now but he soon pulled away a little to breathe as you arrived. The smile spread across his face was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.
“God, thank you” he exhaled. Trent’s mind was racing with thoughts.
“You’re thanking me?” You questioned his unexpected innocent words. He laughed realizing how down he was as he paid for the cab, then slipping out and holding his hand out for you to grab. You stood up next to him and he grabbed your face, he pressed another kiss to your lips as you opened your mouth to push for more. Your hands were all over each other.
“You still want to come upstairs right” he wanted to check. He liked tonight but ultimately you were physically strangers, he didn’t want to assume. You looked at him with a disapproving look for the silly question.
“Alright, alright, I was just trying to be nice but if you want to act up” he jokingly brushed the attitude aside walking into the hotel lobby. The staff greeted him personally. It felt like a lot of pomp and circumstance but he was more than polite.
“Yeah, you alright?” He asked one of the men working who seemed thrilled at the simple acknowledgment. Trent held you so close and so tightly. You could feel a sense of possessiveness but you weren’t sure if it was authentic. It was hard to deduce if this was how he was with every girl or if this was specific to you. You got into the lift and he pressed PH. You weren't surprised so you jokingly rolled your eyes at him to poke fun.
"I wasn’t the one who booked it" he tried to unnecessarily explain.
“Uh huh” you joked. You paused though to shuffle your body “You said I had an attitude outside…"
"You did" he hummed looking down at you curiously as you moved around him pushing yourself up against his body now. You leant towards his ear. You were feeling a little more confident that you got him to take you back to his hotel. Your lips kissed at his ear, your teeth grazing his ear lobe pulling at it as he groaned tightening his grip on you.
“I promise I can be a good girl for you too” you whispered. He let a strangled breath out. His eyes widening and then shutting tight. The unbelievable urge to just rip your clothes off in this lift was tearing him apart.
“Come on” he moaned lowly at you. Sliding his hands all over you inching towards your bare breasts. You were so wet already and if you weren’t so needy for him you might be embarrassed.
“Need to get you to my room now” he whispered, stepping out of the lift but he didn’t return back to your touch. He just walked to his room's door, opening it. You curiously followed under the false pretense that maybe he was leaving you untouched. You stepped into the room after him eyes begging to find him again. Your voice broke the silence. It was meek but a wholesome comment slowing the advances made in the lift.
“I’ve never actually been in one of the rooms here, I’ve only ever been at the champagne bar downstairs” you told him. He turned to you with a soft smile. The innocence of what you were saying sounded like you were his friend. It felt comfortable but he wanted so bad to do things friends never did with you.
He sat himself on the edge of the big white bed. He leaned back onto his palms. His eyes glued to you.
“and you think…. What now?” He asked about your objective opinion on the room.
“yeah, really nice” you answered his question sweetly. Avoiding him a little, you needed to distract yourself from completely undressing him with your eyes. You began to walk slow around the room inspecting his stuff. You looked at all his shoes neatly lined against the wall. It made you giggle a little. He seemed so detail oriented. Thoughtful. You brushed your hand over some things guiding yourself through the room. It shouldn’t have been but it was turning him on. Knowing you’ve touched absolutely everything of his. Your fingers dragging over the materials, your scent drifting along. You let out a small giggle again at a bag he had left on the table. You had been obsessed since the Louis Vuitton bag was released. It was funny to you, seeing it in person. It was funny he might’ve had a similar taste to you but also the means to buy absurd items like this. His cheeks flushed hearing your laugh.
“Find anything good, baby?” He tilted his head. You swirled around on your heel. You nodded and explained how much you would’ve killed for the bag.
“Take it” he said casually.
“Um, no” you replied sternly.
“Why not?” He asked. You went back and forth. You were oblivious to the fact that Trent was throwing himself and literally anything else at you to get you to like him. He felt like a little boy. He had a massive crush on someone he just met and right now he also had a massive hard on.
“I can’t, but it was sweet to offer” you walked away to one of the windows pressing your hand against it looking out into the darkening night. Your hand steadied you on one leg as your other hand pulled at the tie of your heels.
“C’mere” he said smoothly. “Let me help you take them off baby” hearing him talk about removing anything from you had you throbbing at the idea. You walked over to him. You had lost your smile due to the nasty direction your thoughts had gone in. You were getting to a point where you were desperate for his touch but also absolutely terrified of the implications.
Trent’s hand pulled your leg onto the bed making you shiver. It was silly because you both wanted the same thing. You were adults but you felt childish in front him. You couldn’t find the courage to tell him you wanted him. You felt good about it in the lift but seeing the bed, the distressing thought of getting dressed and going home after made you upset. Why were you so attached to this person? He didn’t owe you anything close to what you now wanted. You wanted him to fuck you like he wanted to, because he liked you, not just because he could.
You felt his hand grip under your knee. You flinched. “Alright?” He questioned starting to feel your energy shift. You weren't sure if you should be honest about your emotions or just suck it up and chalk tonight up to something that would be physical only.
“Mmhmm” you nodded sheepishly. He didn’t believe you but he kept his hand on you to hold you there. It was soft and caring. He slid it from your knee down to your ankle. He pulled at the bow holding together the black leather tie of your heel. He pulled your shoe off, placing it down gently on the floor. There was something so calming about his movements. He wasn’t rash, he was methodical. He undid your other heel. You stood in between his legs now at the edge of the bed. He stared up at you. His angle was everything he could have wanted. Your face softened from the glowing lamps behind him, your tank top cut and hung just so he could see a good amount of your boobs from underneath. Your abs were taut. The waist of your shorts gaped a little due to the contrast between your small waist and full behind. His hands wrapped around you, unintentionally but happily landing directly across your ass. He just wanted to look at you for hours but his dick was getting impatient.
“Do I only get the one kiss?” He looked up at your face feigning innocence to see the reaction to his question.
“Hmm” you pretended to think your hands sliding over his chest, up his neck to grip his hair. He hummed at the sensation of your fingertips on him.
“No” placing your knee on one side of his thigh. He stared intently at it as it pushed the bed down.
“Did you think I only wanted one kiss?” You said asking him to initiate despite you wanting to be all over him. Even though you were falling apart for this man like you’d never before, it was no different logistically than any other hook up you’d had. You hated the feeling of throwing yourself at someone. You’d do it for Trent but you didn’t really want to give yourself the room to embarrass yourself.
He pulled at your other leg; still straight, up to the side of his other thigh. You straddled over him looking him in the eyes with lust but you were overthinking every single movement you made. He brought his face and lips into your neck. He was bold and slowly licked up it. The feeling of his tongue on you was excruciating delicious.
“Relax f’me” he spoke into you as he kissed and nibbled at your sensitive skin. What had he done to you. You were practically quivering. You exhaled at his command. Sinking down on his lap. You felt him hard beneath you. You snickered a little after finally feeling him.
“Y/N” he pulled away from your neck. It was short and a bit harsh. Was he mad? Had you drawn this out to far?
“I don’t think you want one kiss at all. I think you want me and you aren’t doing anything about it and it’s driving me crazy. Please” he was begging you. You pulled one of his hands from you guiding it with your own up your body. From your ass, around your hip, up your stomach, racking your ribs, under and over top of the side of your boob, over your collarbone. Your hands moving painfully slow for Trent. He just wanted to ravage you. He wanted to protect you, love you but destroy you at the same time. He needed to know what you were like in bed. Now.
Trent licked over his lips and pushed his covered cock up into your hips. You pulled at his hand again and slid two of his fingers between your lips. You sucked around them. The warmth of your mouth had Trent dizzy. Your tongue drew around and under his fingers. Some of your spit pooled at the corner of your mouth. Trent had never seen someone so perfect.
“Jesus” he mouthed. He couldn’t imagine anything but your tongue all over him now. He closed his eyes at the thought as you popped his fingers out of your mouth.
“Trent” you spoke getting closer to him. He held you tighter. His fingers gripping harder into your skin. You were so scared of him. You felt like he was going to break your heart after this but you needed to know him physically. Curiosity and desire coursing through you.
“Come here” you said slow before your mouths clashed into each other. A small gasp escaped Trent when he felt you grind yourself against him. His hand on the back of your neck crept upward, grabbing at your hair. With the tug of your hair, you moaned. Trent felt his whole body light up. He was asking the same question you were. What had you done to him? Just the sound of you had him crumbling. You pushed him backward onto the bed. There was nothing he wanted more right now than you on top of him. It felt heavenly. You could feel the anticipation building.
•
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think.
Moving slow but we’re just getting started xx
Next part is up - Chapter 3
219 notes ¡ View notes
bisexualiteaa ¡ 5 months
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Hi honey, I just discovered your Cooper fics today and oh my gods. They're incredible, I love the way you write him ❤️. I was wondering, if you're still taking requests that is (no pressure like), if you could do a sub! Cooper x reader? Preferably male!reader or with male genitalia, but fem is totally okay if you're not comfortable with that 😁. I just think Coop with a taller, more muscular partner is neat.
I'm thinking the reader was secretly married to Coop and Barb beforehand, but lost part of their memories after they became a ghoul and one of the best bounty hunters around, wearing a mask. And all they remember about Coop is how beautiful his eyes were (Walton Goggins has the most gorgeous eyes ever, I swear 😫) So the reader wants the head too and tags along with the gang, eventually getting closer to Cooper. During a fight, reader gets hurt and Coop comes over to help them, but reader is finally close enough to properly see his eyes and realises it's him. Coop takes off the mask, reader remembers, there's tears, kisses, and eventually super soft, subby sex.
So, really just really angsty, then fluffy when they find each other after 200 years. Reader taking care of our baby girl Coop, and him just accepting the love and being a pillow princess. Maybe a little overstim and edging if we're feeling spicy 😉.
I'm so sick for this man, it's unhealthy. Thanks again for your amazing work, love. I absolutely made my day better! (Sorry for how long this ask is 🙃).
It’s Been a Long, Long Time
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Cooper Howard x Ghoul Fem Reader (angst-fluff!)
CW: pre-ghoul Cooper, established relationship, reader and Cooper were married and had a child together, character death, cursing, angst!! But don’t worry, it’s a happy ending, slight OOC Cooper, slight deviation from the TV series
AN: not me posting this at 3am before I leave for a trip for the weekend, I feel like I’ve depraved y’all! 😂 I wanted to post this to give y’all some good Cooper Content ™️ before I go on a three day hiatus for vacation! 🥺 Thank you all to the people who have submitted asks, I promise I am still working on them/towards getting to them! ❤️ In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this one! @kinatanhi I hope I did your request justice! I know it’s a little tweaked from what you sent in and forgive me, I wrote this literally an hour ago at 2am because it finally came to me what I wanted to write, but seeing as it was written at 2am, y’all please forgive me if it isn’t my best work, I tried my best lol. 😭❤️
You smiled happily as you danced with your husband in your shared, quaint little kitchen, his hands coming to rest at your waist as they always did, and your arms looped around his neck. You were thankful that the producers on set of his movie, as well as his agent, allowed him to come home early in order to celebrate your birthday with you. You stood smiling up at him as you two danced- well, more like swayed, to the slow music playing from the radio. You lay your head against his chest, smiling as your eyes set on the gorgeous flowers that were lying on the kitchen counter that he brought home just for you. You smiled up at him when you caught him staring down at you with nothing but love and adoration in his gaze. “What’s that look for, hmm?” You asked with a playful smile, making him chuckle and flash that gorgeous smile of his that you loved so much, almost as much as his eyes that you swore you could be lost in forever. “Nothin’, just that I’m lucky enough to have married the most beautiful woman on this earth” he said, making you hum appreciatively at his cute answer. “Oh stop it, you charmer you” you replied, making him scoff in fake offense, making you giggle at his dramatics. “I’ll have you know I don’t go throwin’ that ‘round willy-nilly, little lady” he assured, making you smile wider at him as you laughed. “I know, I’m a lucky woman to call you my husband” you replied sweetly, getting up on your tip toes to kiss him as you looped your arms around his neck once more.
Those were better days, days when things were so simple, times where all you had to worry about was nothing more than how long the pie was in the oven, or how your baby was doing. It was a pleasant memory, one you’d never forget as the last time you’d seen your husband since the war. That night flooded your memories each time you’d lay down to close your sunken in eyes, they were the only thing about you now that remained as human as they were back before you became a ghoul. You swore to yourself that you’d find him one day, swore that you would kill the bastards that started all this, that took your baby girl away from you before she had a chance at a good life and separated you from your husband. You prayed each and every night that he was still out there, still alive somewhere, roaming the wastelands like you were. You knew it was doubtful at best, maybe it was better if he wasn’t alive to live through the shit you have, to see the way you look, but one could only hope for the better things. You no longer looked the same way you used to back then. Your soft, nearly perfect skin was now marred and leathery, your teeth yellowed from radiation exposure, poor diet and lack of ability to actually care for them, and your nose was now missing completely from your face, a deep hole sitting where the cartilaginous appendage once did. You wondered if he would even love you still in this state, if he’d even recognize you. You couldn’t blame him if he didn’t, you weren’t that same woman anymore physically or emotionally. Anger and vengeance had a hold on your heart like a vice death grip, you were kind to those who deserved it sure, but to those who crossed you? Those who hurt you? Let’s just say there’s a reason you’re a feared bounty hunter out here in the wastelands and not in a vault somewhere.
You were walking into Filly one late morning, coming to pay a visit with Ma June to see if there was anything she needed, any bounty she may have had for you for some extra caps. Your supply of chems to keep you from going feral was running low, you were down to your last bottle in your inhaler, and in desperate need of more. As you strode into town, you pulled your bandana up over your nose, effectively covering your face below your eyes, your large hat casting a shadow on the rest. You weaved your way through the vendors as they were trying to shove goods at you and anyone who was behind or around you. As you waded though, your ears caught the sound of a deep, southern accent that sounded awfully familiar to you. “I ain’t interested unless you got RadAway” he spoke harshly to the vendor haggling him, and you had to do a double take. He sounded just like your husband. You turned in the hopes to place a body to the voice but by the time you could, he was already lost into the crowd, impossible to find amongst the sea of people now that he wasn’t speaking to anyone anymore.
You huffed to yourself, wondering if maybe you were just hearing things, or maybe you were just plain out delusional at this rate. It wouldn’t shock you, between the years of radiation exposure, radiation sickness, and everything in between, you wouldn’t be shocked to find out you’d gone mad. However you wanted ever so badly for it to have been him that was speaking. To run up to him, arms outstretched, tears down your face but a happy smile as you called his name. But you couldn’t, you couldn’t even find the man attached to the voice anymore so why make a fool and draw attention to yourself. No one took kindly to ghouls. So with a heavy heart, you pushed on, making it to the doorstep of Ma June’s shop when you heard him again. “50 caps? That’s just plain ridiculous. 30, take it or leave it” he bartered, making you turn around again, only this time you caught him. You spotted a man that was tall, around the same height as your husband, clad in a wild western style cowboy outfit. You thought it was familiar, from the hat all the way down to the boots, it reminded you of him but a lot of people out here in the wastes wore Wild West themed clothes, deeming themselves cowboys and cowgirls of the wild wastelands. You wished he would turn around, you needed to see his face, hell just his eyes would be enough to sate the curiosity that was eating away at you. You’d forever recognize those eyes, they were so unique, so him. So beneath the shade you stood, observing him from a distance to be safe. That was until Ma June saw you standing there through the window of her shop, and she had a job for you that was important so she couldn’t wait for you to be done with whatever it was your were doing before she drug you inside. “What are you standin’ around out here for? I got a job for you!” She exclaimed, grabbing you and pulling you inside right as the man turned to walk away. You groaned in frustration as your only chance at an answer was stolen from you, but little did you know that your commotion made him stop to watch curiously as you went inside. Something about that dress you were wearing looked awful familiar to him but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he just kept walking.
As the next couple of days passed by, the curiosity was absolutely eating away at your mind. You wondered if you were on the brink of going feral with how your thoughts were screaming that it could have been him. You wished she would have waited until you could have gotten a better look at him than just his back and his clothes, though they felt familiar, akin to something he would have worn on the set to his movies, you just couldn’t be sure. So you continued on, traveling with a random person’s head in your bag, wrapped up in an old T-shirt that was soaked through with blood now as you were on your way back from your bounty for Ma June. It was a particularly hot day outside, one of those days where no matter how much water drank, you just couldn’t keep the heat away or the dehydration at bay. So as you sucked down the last of your water in your canteen, you did your best to stave off the coughing fit that was bubbling in the back of your throat like a horrible itch you just could never scratch. Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t enough, and seeing as you hit your inhaler for the last of your supply yesterday, you were shit out of luck. Damn it, you were so close too, you felt it. You couldn’t go like this, not without finding him, not without avenging your child and going after those Vault-Tec bastards that stole her and your husband from you. “Damn it!” You choked out as you clutched your chest, your coughing fit sending you to your knees in the sand where you laid in the hopes that it would let up sometime soon and you could continue moving. This couldn’t be the end for you, it just couldn’t be. You wouldn’t let it.
As you laid there, throat burning as you were hacking up your lungs, you saw a figure walking along the horizon in the distance. You wondered if maybe this was what they spoke of when people said their loved ones come and take them away right before they pass, or maybe it was just another hallucination, all you knew is that they were coming closer and closer to you. You reached for your gun with all the strength you could offer through your coughing fit and weakened state, unsure of whether they were a raider or someone with just plain ill intention. As they drew closer, you looked up to see another ghoul stabbing before you, his cowboy hat casting a slight shade over his face but even through the tears in your vision you could see his eyes. They were gorgeous, they looked just like how you remember your husband’s looked the last time you had a chance to look into them, making you look him over but it was so hard to tell. He was a man who had succumbed to the same fate you did, leathery skin, no nose, ruined ears, but his eyes…god they were so familiar. You saw him cock his head while looking at you, investigating your features, you could tell there was something about you that he was intrigued with.
“I feel your pain there, sister” he said, that southern drawl coming out sounding just like him, and god how it made your heart ache. He bent down to see you better, taking a better look at you. “I’ll be damned if somethin’ ‘bout you ain’t familiar though” he said, making you look up at him, and in that moment as he looked into your eyes, he could have sworn it was you, his long lost wife. He held hope it his heart, but it was a cruel world out here, he couldn’t be sure. “Your eyes, they look a lot like my wife’s did” he said, and you took that as your chance to see if it was really him. “C-Coo…per…?” You rasped out the best you could, needing to know if it was really him, needing to know if he was alive or if you were just going crazy. His eyes went wide for a moment before reaching for his gun, making your heart jump in your chest with anxiety. “How do you know my name?” He asked coldly, his eyes looking angrily upon you and it made your heart wrench in your chest but beat fast all the same to know it was him. “Tell me! How do you know my name?” He said angrily, making you raise your hands up to show you weren’t dangerous, you cursed your inability to speak properly or else you’d have answered his question already. “Be..cause…we were…Mar…ried” you rasped out once more, showing him your wedding ring that he bought you that rested on your ring finger, making him soften up for just a moment. “After two hundred years… could it really be?” he asked softly to himself in disbelief, but once again, he reminded himself that this world was a cruel place where people stoop to things lower than they ever did before. To him, you could have been anyone, maybe no more than a random stranger who pick pocketed that precious ring off of his wife, a total stranger playing as his beloved to get to his weakness. He pointed his gun at you once more, making tears come to your eyes even more now, had you said something wrong? Why was he mad at you? You hadn’t left on bad terms last you remember, but then again it’s hard to remember as far back as two centuries. “How do I know, huh?” He asked aggressively, and you figured it was a valid worry, you knew how awful this world was now, you couldn’t blame him for needing the reassurance. He needed to be sure it was truly you. “How do I know it’s really you?” He asked, waiting for you to stop coughing long enough to give him an answer. “What’s…that look…for?” You asked, something you always asked him when he stared at you in awe, or when he looked at you right before you two went to bed, it was like your signature phrase. You weakly removed the bandana covering your face, trying your best to show him any bit of your features left that you could use to show him it was really you. “It’s me…Coop. Y/N…” you rasped as saliva began to well in your mouth at the sight of him, slowly losing control over yourself as time passed. He’d never dropped his gun so fast, or fell to his knees so quick in his entire life than in that moment, the only other time was the moment he found out you were pregnant with his child, dropping to his knees to kiss your belly and place his hands on it excitedly. “Oh my god…Y/N” he said in utter shock and disbelief that you were here, you were alive. You were a ghoul now which hurt him to know you suffered the same pain as him, but you were alive and that’s what mattered most to him, finally having found you after all the years spent hoping you were still alive out here.
“Here baby, here, hold on. I gotchya” he said, quickly grabbing his inhaler with a vial of the chems you’d run out of last night, never needing it more than in this moment to keep you from turning feral on him. He pressed it to your lips, pushing the plunger on it to get the chems in your system. You inhaled it like a breath of fresh cool air, sending you coughing once more but that itch was slowly fading away, you could breathe again. You looked up at him as you laid there weakly, your head in his lap. “My hero” you said weakly, trying to be funny but he was too caught up in looking into your eyes, getting himself to believe what was right in front of him. “Two centuries I’ve spent looking for you…” you said, your eyes scanning him and his features to assure yourself too that this was real, that he really was sitting here before you, alive and well. Or as well as one could be as a ghoul in the wastelands. You smiled as you teared up, seeing the tears in his eyes as he looked down at you, pulling you up and into a hug. “Oh god…I can’t believe you’re alive” he said, hugging you tight and you did the same, burying your face into his shoulder. “I could say the same to you. I always knew you were stubborn, too stubborn to go out the way the rest of the world did” you said, making him chuckle as stray tears ran down your marred cheeks. “I’ve been dreaming of this day…dreaming of the day I’d get to see you and B/N again…” he said, making you grip his duster as the tears flooded down your face even more when he said your baby girl’s name. “Cooper…” you said, making him pull away from you but you weren’t far, he made sure of it. “She…she didn’t make it, honey…I’m so sorry. I tried everything, believe me I did, but it was too late…” you said, making his heart absolutely break in his chest knowing his baby was gone and that he would never have the chance to see her again.
“What was she like? She was so young when it all happened” He asked, holding your hands in his as you two shared in this moment together. You smiled as your hand cupped his cheek softly, your thumb rubbing along his skin that shared the same texture as your own. “Just like her daddy. She had your gorgeous eyes, your beautiful smile and that same stubborn attitude” you said through a laugh, making him chuckle with you as his hand came to hold the back of yours as it touched him. He missed your loving touch, and that beautiful smile that he swore could light up even the darkest rooms. He could hardly believe that you’d still even touch or speak to him now, with the way he looked. He knew you likely held a sympathy for it, knowing all too well yourself what it was like but the fact that you weren’t scared or hateful like others were towards him for it. “She was smart, funny, kind…she was daddy’s baby girl. You’d have loved that about her. It was like a little slice of you was there in her, keeping me going. She gave me hope when it felt like there wasn’t any left in this world to hold onto” you said, seeing a few stray tears stream down his cheeks as you spoke of her. His stomach was in knots, his heart filled with anger and pain to know the wastelands claimed one of his own. “I wish I coulda been there, for both of you. Maybe she’d be here if I was” he said somberly, guilt lacing his tone as he leaned his forehead against yours, not caring if your hats would come off. He needed this, he needed you. “Hey, don’t blame yourself for what happened, you had nothing to do with it. It’s those vile people at Vault-Tec who did this. They took our baby, not you. Don’t you ever think this is your fault” you assured him, holding him close to you as he expressed the most emotion he’s felt in nigh on two centuries.
“We made it pretty good all things considered, held our own well for ten years. I taught her how to use a gun when she turned eight to keep her safe should anything happen to me, did everything in my power to keep her safe, fed and hydrated even on the hard days where supplies were sparse” you explained. “The radiation just became too much for her little body to handle. She was ten years old, I could hardly believe it. It was like I woke up one day and she wasn’t a baby anymore, our little girl had just grown up so fast” you said, remembering those days as tears clouded your vision, streaming down your cheeks like small rivers, watching the droplets fall into the sand beneath you. “I’m sorry Cooper, I’m so sorry…” you apologized, making him hold you tight and hush you as you did. “I shoulda been better…if I was better maybe she’d still be here now” you said, taking the blame for something you knew you had no control over, but it left you guilty all the same. “Shh, don’t go thinkin’ like that. I’d say from the sounds of it, ya did a damn fine job managin’ that long out in this shit hole just the two of you. You always were a great mom, and an equally great wife” he said, making you sniffle as you smiled at him at that reassurance. “I did all I could, there was hell to pay for anyone who stood in my way, that’s for sure” you said, making him chuckle because that was exactly how you were before the war too. You always wanted what was best for your family, and you were willing to go great lengths to keep your husband and child happy. “I know you said you been lookin’ for me for a long time…but I ain’t the same man I was back then” he started. “But I got a feelin’ you ain’t exactly the same woman anymore either, so maybe we can still work this out, you and me” he said, making you chuckle. “No, I’m not. And if that means you don’t love me anymore I-“ you spoke but you were cut off by the feel of his lips against your own. They were thinner now, dry and marred by radiation just like yours were, but you could still feel the passion behind it, the love in it. No amount of radiation could ever take that away. “You lettin’ all the radiation get to that brain of yours? Of course I still love you. I lost ya once, I ain’t losin’ you again, that’s for damn sure” he said, making you laugh as more tears fell, only these ones were happier ones now. You squeezed his hand that was in your own as your heart raced in your chest. “You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear, Coop” you replied, kissing him once more with all the passion two hundred years of separation could hold behind it. “I love you, and I’ve missed you so damn much” you said, pressing your foreheads together once more as you fought the tears that began to turn into a sob. “I love you too darlin’, missed you like crazy. The world ain’t been the same without you” he said, making you sniffle as you felt the same way. “And if you’ll still have me, I’d like to make that a world of the past” he added, making you chuckle tearfully. “Of course I will” you said, allowing his heart to rest assured that you were still his girl, making him smile as he looked down at you, his thumb rubbing along your cheek to wipe away your tears.
You smiled back up at him, your hand coming to the back of his as you remembered the moment from your birthday again all those years ago, slow dancing in the kitchen with him. “What’s that look for, hmm?”You asked, just like you did that day, making him grin as he thought of the right words to say. “Nothin’ just that I’m lucky enough to have married the most beautiful person on this earth” he replied, making you chuckle. It was just what you’d been needing to hear all this time. “And how lucky I am to have her back in my arms where she belongs” he added, making you giggle before kissing you once more. Desert be damned, Cooper had his wife back after so long spent searching for her, and he was going to make damn sure she knew how much he missed her all these years.
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tkaulitzlvr ¡ 1 year
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Hiii can you please do a Tom Kaulitz smut where him and the reader have been friends for a long time and they just do it for pleasure and then maybe some feelings get involved 😉 TYSMMM 😘
MORE THAN THIS - T. KAULITZ
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synopsis: you and tom have been friends with benefits for a while. but, you soon begin to realise that you have caught feelings, distancing yourself from him as a way to disguise them. it doesn’t take him long to realise this, and he is determined to find out why.
content: smut, angst and fluff all in one.
a/n: thank you for requesting, i hope you like it!
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tom had been sending me suggestive glances the entire night from across the table, his eyes basically undressing me, scanning the way my figure looked in the small white dress i was wearing, leaving little to the imagination - not that he had to imagine anything anyways, he had seen it all before.
we weren’t dating, no. we were quite good friends actually - friends that fucked, all the time. i couldn’t remember when or how this thing had started, but once it began, it never stopped. at first, i enjoyed it, the sex far better than i had imagined, and i liked that it was just sex. but lately, i couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that i wanted it to be more than that, more than a quick hookup when we were both horny, the convenience of it all meaning that tom came to me more and more, wanting the same thing each time. whenever he was inside me, whispering sweet nothings into my ears in the heat of the moment, my mind tricked me into thinking he actually meant it, causing me to fall deeper and deeper, my feelings now far beyond my control.
i had started to distance myself from him, which pissed me off a little, angry at myself for letting me catch feelings in the first place. we had a strong friendship, and i didn’t just miss the sex, i missed him. but, i had to put my sadness aside to try and get rid of these feelings, knowing that it would only end in upset, declining all of his offers to fuck these past few weeks. it didn’t take him long to grow suspicious, having never saying no to a quick hook up before. it was easy to reject his offers over text, but i knew that tonight, now that we were face to face, i wouldn’t be able to say no, our group of friends all at a random club bill had suggested. the fact that i hadn’t spoken to him all night confirmed that i was avoiding him, and judging by the way his eyes wouldn’t leave mine, it was obvious that he planned to get to the bottom of it.
i had missed tom. it was impossible to deny the way my heart ached when i saw him walk through the doors, secretly glad that he was here, silently screaming with excitement when bill had told me he was coming. it was strange to go from seeing someone all the time, fucking them basically everyday, to being lucky to see them once a week. but i had no one else to blame but myself, and the way i couldn’t pull away from his gaze, the sexual tension between us so thick it was almost visible, made it totally obvious that the distance i had forced between us didn’t work, my feelings for him still as strong as they were - if not stronger.
he looked good. i had always thought he was attractive, long before we had started hooking up. i couldn’t tell if it was the fact that i hadn’t seen him in so long, or the alcohol in my system, but tonight, he looked better than ever. his face was stern, jaw clenched and mouth shut, decorated with his usual black lip ring, eyes hooded as they stared into mine, filled with lust. his black braids resting on his shoulders, a black bandana tied on his forehead, dressed in all black, his baggy jeans almost falling from his figure - i wanted nothing more than to see what was underneath, craving him. and i could see that he wanted it too, shuffling every so often and adjusting his jeans.
he looks directly into my eyes, using his head to gesture towards the bathroom, knowing exactly what he was getting at. i quickly shake my head, wanting nothing more than to feel him inside me, but the more rational part of me reminds me that i should stay strong, hooking up with him in a random bathroom never a smart idea, especially when i am trying to get over him. he furrows his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side, repeating his motion and once again signalling towards the bathroom, knowing that i will give in eventually.
he stands up, clearing his throat, quietly muttering that he is going to the bathroom, sending a final glance in my direction before heading off. i wait a minute or so, not wanting to cause any suspicions, before adjusting my dress and standing up.
“i’m getting another drink, anybody want one?” i ask, watching everyone shake their head and mutter a small ‘no thanks’, silently glad that they have declined, knowing that they wouldn’t be getting that drink.
i turn around quickly, making sure that nobody is watching me, before pushing my way through the drunken crowds, until i reach the bathroom, pushing the heavy door open. it only takes a few seconds for me to be spun around and pressed against the wall, tom harshly connecting his lips to mine, locking the door whilst he does so. his hands knead the flesh of my thighs, pushing me into him repeatedly, grinding me against his clothed dick, lifting me up and hoisting me against the wall, all whilst his lips continue to work against mine.
he pulls away, only to attach his lips to my neck, planting rough and open mouthed kisses to my skin, ragged sighs escaping from my mouth, an aching feeling spreading through my inner thighs as my need for him only grows, any determination to resist him now lost as the only thing on my mind is getting him inside of me.
i feel him harden against me, confirming the need as totally mutual, tom wanting me as much as i do him. after all, he had asked to fuck multiple times, it was me that had declined lately. but he holds out, getting me a little more riled up, taking advantage of the way he has me under his control, his hands hungrily roaming my body, having not done this for so long, completely thanks to my stubbornness. his lips remain at my neck, leaving no part of it untouched, biting harshly at the skin before running his tongue over it, soothing the stinging pain that his teeth leave.
“so…” he trails off, continuing to attack my neck with his lips, sucking on the skin after, leaving marks as he clearly doesn’t care how rough he is being. “wanna explain why you’ve been ignoring me, hm?”
he sucks on my neck between each word, his tongue smoothing over the skin as he awaits my response, not slowing down his motions.
“i wasn’t ignoring you-” i breathe out, a small moan cutting off my speech as his lips hit my sweet spot, his mouth curving into a smirk against it once he hears my response.
“don’t lie to me.” he begins, moving my panties to the side and inserting one finger into me, watching my mouth fall open, a low whine emitting from my lips. “you’ve been avoiding me, why?”
he reiterates his question, staring directly into my eyes, waiting for me to respond. a satisfied smile rests on his face as he watches the way i try to speak, failing miserably once he adds another finger, curling them both slightly. he is satisfied with the way he messes with my mind, teasing me as my face contorts in pleasure, his eyes scanning my features, my mouth hung open, eyes squeezed shut.
“why do you care?” i moan out, feeling a knot begin to form in my stomach as he knows exactly how to get me there, his fingers curling in the right place, finding my g-spot and hitting it repeatedly, my walls instinctively clenching around them. he picks up on this, removing his fingers and staring into my eyes as he brings them to his mouth, licking the juices on them and smiling at my response. he removes them from his lips with a pop, dragging them down my own mouth as all i can do is watch him, the wetness between my thighs increasing as i know that i can’t handle being teased like this for much longer - becoming more frustrated than anything.
“changing the subject, hm? just tell me, why are you trying to stay away from me?” he asks, also clearly done with teasing me as he grabs his belt. my eyes fall to his hands, watching the veins in them flex as he roughly pulls the belt from the loops in his jeans, wanting nothing else than his fingers inside of me. he undoes the button of his jeans, letting them pool at his feet, not even bothering to fully take them off as his boxers soon follow.
his hands reach for the zipper of my dress as he pulls it downwards, letting the material fall to the ground, his tongue finding its way to his lip ring as he plays with it, scanning my body with eyes full of lust. he takes me in his arms, placing me on the counter, the coldness causing me to shiver a little. he messes with the hem of my panties, his fingers dipping in and out of them, eyes glued to mine as he watches me try to hold back small moans, before roughly pulling them down and throwing them on the floor somewhere. he spreads my legs with one hand, giving him space to move in between them, wasting no time in positioning himself at my entrance, his head moving to my breasts as he buries it into them, kissing and biting at the skin.
“maybe i didn’t want to see you.” i respond, lying through my teeth. i feel him smirk against me, a small laugh escaping from his lips as he pulls his head from my breasts, looking into my eyes and shaking his head, knowing that i am not telling the truth. he knows me way better than most people, the fact that we have been friends long before this often stabbing me in the back, this a perfect example of him being able to read me like a book, able to easily decipher the fact that i am lying.
he slides into me, my mouth falling open as my walls stretch to accustom to his size, forgetting how good he feels inside of me, wondering how i had lasted this long without him, his touch a drug, making me act out in ways i cannot explain, my mind far past seeing him as just a quick fuck. no matter how much i lie to his face, i know that i can’t escape the way i feel, completely hopeless, unable to stay away, the way he strokes in and out of me showing me exactly why i need him. his head falls back as he drags his teeth into his lips, a low groan coming from him as he bottoms out, his dick fully inside of me.
“bullshittt.” he drags out, a small smirk still tugging on his lips. “you and i both know you enjoy this as much as i do. so tell me, what’s the real reason?”
he starts out slow, his thrusts strong, building up a steady pace as he waits for my response, expecting me to continue the conversation as if his dick isn’t inside me. he knows that i am unable to respond, high-pitched moans the only thing spilling from my mouth, his name a mantra, pouring from my lips as he hits all the right places, knowing that he is the only one that can fuck me this good.
“cat got your tongue, huh?” he mocks, his hand finding its way around my neck, applying enough pressure for small whines to leave my mouth, but not enough to hurt me. he laughs at my silence, any confidence i had now lost as i am willingly a puppet attached to his strings, allowing myself to be at his mercy if it means that he will carry on fucking me this good.
i try to respond, but each attempt comes out as a choked moan, tom giving me the benefit of the doubt, speeding up his pace and deciding to pleasure me, saving the questions for later, partly because he is desperate himself, chasing his own release.
“fuck- missed this pussy. missed you so much baby. you feel so good.” he moans, lips finding mine in a sloppy kiss.
my heart twists at his words, butterflies dancing in my stomach as him saying he missed me is almost enough to make me cum on the spot, telling me that my distance wasn’t completely for nothing. but, it doesn’t take me long to come to my senses, soon realising that he didn’t miss me at all, this is his way of sweet talking me, keeping me coming back to him - it is his words that stop me from leaving, addicted to his utterances of praise, knowing that they are nothing but lies.
“no you didn’t.” i moan out, accidentally speaking my mind.
i don’t think he processes what i say, managing a small ‘huh’, his pace never slowing down as he continues to hit the places where i long to feel him most.
“you didn’t miss me- fuck! stop lying.” i groan, struggling to speak properly, high off of the feeling of his dick.
“i did. needed you so bad- but you wouldn’t give in. drove me fucking crazy.” he confesses, placing both his hands on my ass and pushing me in and out of him as my body now meets his harsh thrusts, only intensifying the feeling as his words send me into oblivion, the things that he is saying exactly what i want to hear, yet i am reluctant to believe them.
“tried so hard to forget about you. nobody else feels as good as you do baby- just wanted you.”
he continues to feed my delusions, thrusting in and out of me, his pace much faster as i can tell he is close. but, behind the pleasure, i somehow feel sad, longing for his words to be true, my eyes welling up as i become angry, tired of him making me feel like he actually wants me, just for us to go back to being friends until he is horny again the next night.
“stop saying shit like this, you know you don’t mean it.” i breathe out, my voice shaky as the tears spill out of my eyes.
he looks upwards, noticing my sad expression, his eyebrows furrowing as he stops thrusting, staying inside me as he catches his breath.
“woah woah, what’s going on?” he asks, repeatedly pecking my lips whilst the tears continue to fall, the moment of intimacy completely lost as i start to feel nothing but embarrassment for breaking down, becoming so vulnerable in front of him. but, before all of this, he was and still is my friend - his look of concern reminding me that he does care about me, but not in the way i want him to.
“is this why you’ve been avoiding me?” he starts, pulling out of me and grabbing his jeans, quickly putting them on, not bothering with a shirt yet. i sit naked on the counter, sobbing my heart out, a complete and utter mess. i can do nothing but nod my head, tom looking even more confused than before, unable to connect the dots. “talk to me, seriously, you’re acting so strange lately, what’s going on with you?”
“just- forget it. it’s stupid.” i mutter, hopping down from the counter, grabbing my panties and slipping them on. i find my dress, picking it up; just about to put it on before tom’s hand is placed on my shoulder, turning me to face him.
“it’s not stupid. we went from fucking everyday to not talking for days, so there’s clearly something wrong. i’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.” he states, moving his body so that he is against the door, leaning against it and basically trapping me in.
“it really doesn’t matter tom-”
“you’re upset. you matter to me, so stop downplaying this and just talk to me.” he softly says, another lie pouring from his lips, anger surging through my body as he unknowingly carries on hurting me.
“there you go again! stop fucking lying to me!” i quickly shout, my emotions getting the better of me as he looks back at me, confusion evident on his face.
“what do you mean lie to you? when have i ever lied to you?” he asks, totally oblivious, pissing me off even more.
“you can’t be fucking serious - literally every time we fuck! you tell me all this shit, that you miss me, that i’m your favourite, no one makes you feel like i do, but it’s all just bullshit!” i pour out my feelings to him as he listens, taking in every word i say, his expression becoming even more puzzled. “you say these things to me, then you go back to treating me like a friend, and i can’t take it anymore tom. i just- i can’t.”
he stays silent, a breathy sigh escaping his lips as he leans his head against the door, looking upwards at the ceiling.
“who says it’s bullshit, hm?” he finally says, his eyes meeting mine. he looks a little hurt, offended at my words.
my eyebrows furrow, lips parting slightly as i try to comprehend what he has just said. “what do you mean?” is all i can ask, my eyes glossy as tears threaten to fall.
he says nothing, deciding actions speak louder than words. instead, he steps forward, cupping my face in his hands, softly colliding his lips with mine. it is not filled with lust, no sexual intent behind it, like the kisses we share usually are. it is filled with passion, warm and comforting, unlike anything he has ever shown me before.
“i mean that nothing i’ve ever said to you is a lie.”
i stay quiet, in disbelief of his sudden confession as it is totally unexpected, not sure what to say in response, still hesitant to believe he is telling the truth.
“why do you think i always come back to you? you know i’m not one to stay with one girl. but i stuck with you. i know that we were just fucking, but to me, it’s more, it’s always been more. i care for you more than those girls i hook up with. you’re so much more than that.” he speaks slowly, stroking the skin of my cheek with his thumb, letting each word sink in, meaning every single one.
“i don’t know tom- do you mean it?” i ask, still hesitant.
he nods his head, kissing my forehead gently before pulling me into a hug, resting his chin on my head, his embrace providing me with all the security i need as he confirms the truth of his words, holding me tightly, his next sentence causing my heart to swell.
“i want to be with you.”
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