#the shit I'm on the second finals get out

[taeyongdoyoung]

cherry

summary: you are looking for danger to distract you from your dark thoughts but you find something you weren't even hoping for... pairing: seungcheol x reader genre: strangers to lovers, smut warnings: stranger danger, mentions of alcohol, spiked drink (not by cheol !), lying, swearing, non-consensual touching, bar setting, morally grey characters, unsafe drinking practices, danger/risk kink, threatening, brat!reader/brat tamer!cheol, kissing, unprotected car sex, pet names, attachment/abandonment issues, lowkey angst with a happy ending, roleplaying as strangers author's note: okay so...my initial idea was a fun night out with cherry-flavoured kisses but i got carried away and delved more into the realm of troubled psychology, proceed with caution & please stay safe out there! 🍒 word count: 2.3k playlist

Seungcheol watches the situation from afar, somewhat concerned for a total stranger. You are staring at your third cocktail for the night, absent-mindedly playing with the maraschino cherry on top of it. The guy talking to you looks sketchy from a mile away but for some reason, you keep entertaining his advances. Or rather…you feel unsafe to outright reject him?

For now, Seungcheol decides to observe only. Maybe he's making an assumption based off the guy's looks, which isn't very nice of him. Then, he notices you excusing yourself to go to the bathroom. He wonders if the alcohol is starting to affect you. Seungcheol is about to go back to his own glass whiskey when he notices something even more suspicious. He swears he sees the creepy guy putting something white in your drink! Seungcheol's grip on his glass tightens.

Everyone seems to be lost in their own business. Should he intervene? Would things escalate? Should he attack the weird guy trying to drug you? But then again, he has no proof for what he saw other than his honest word. You come back from the bathroom and Seungcheol is on the verge of approaching, when he overhears your conversation.

"I don't wanna drink more," you mumble dizzily. "I've had enough."

"Come on, don't be such a party-pooper," the creep tries to convince you.

You shake your head in disagreement and that total shithead of a man has the audacity to bring the spiked glass towards your lips in an attempt to force you to drink.

Oh, hell nah! Seungcheol can't watch this any longer and dashes in, gripping the guy's wrist mid-air, causing the drink to spill.

"The lady said no," he hisses.

"Yah, why are you butting in our business? I know what my girlfriend wants," the beast grunts.

"I'm not your girlfriend," you say in a slightly louder, more confident voice.

"Pfft, babe, don't be like that," the guy loops an arm around your neck, but even in your drunken state, you attempt to get him off you.

"We literally met tonight. Leave me alone already," you reply, obviously emboldened by Seungcheol's presence.

"You heard what she said," Seungcheol insists. "Leave her the fuck alone."

His fiery gaze seems powerful enough to burn holes in the wicked guy's soul. Wanting to avoid a physical confrontation, the creep finally gives up and leaves the bar.

You breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for your help," you mumble nervously. "I was trying to get rid of him all night."

"He spiked your drink," Seungcheol informs you suddenly. "I probably wouldn't have intervened otherwise."

"Shit…" you drawl but you don't look particularly worried about that discovery.

"Why did you drink alone if you didn't want attention? And why did you leave your drink unsupervised?" Seungcheol can't resist asking all these questions.

"Apparently, it wasn't unsupervised, if you were watching," you respond only to the second inquiry.

"You shouldn't do that. It's…dangerous. What if I hadn't seen it? Do you have any idea what might have happened if I wasn't here on this particular night and if I hadn't decided to step in?" Seungcheol is starting to get angry.

"Do you want a reward or something?" you scoff sarcastically. "You don't know me. Maybe I was looking for danger."

Oh, you were like that. Self-destructive tendencies. A bit of a brat. Nothing he hasn't seen before. And yet…

"There are better ways to feel an adrenaline rush," Seungcheol explains patiently.

"Do you want me to buy you a drink?" you ask out of nowhere. "Will that get you to stop fucking lecturing me?"

Ouch. Nobody speaks to him that way. Ever. Nobody who knows him anyway…

"I can afford my own drink, thank you very much," Seungcheol rolls his eyes. "But no more drinks for you."

He doesn't know what possesses him to do that but he grabs your wrist and leads the way towards the door. He usually isn't like that but your ungrateful behaviour is so frustrating he feels the overpowering urge to teach you a lesson.

"What are you doing?" you whisper in a small voice, as he opens the door to his car and pushes you inside, locking the door. What the fuck?!

"Showing you what happens when you drink alone and leave your drink out of sight," Seungcheol growls.

"W-what?" you mumble and the actual fear in your eyes stuns him.

"Are you scared?" he laughs maniacally and leans in, facing you from up close. "Imagine what might have happened if you actually got drugged by that guy. Imagine if-"

"P-please, s-stop, I g-get it," you cry out, eyes tearing up in terror.

Seungcheol realizes his point was driven home and lets go of you, unlocking the car door.

"Get out of here," he orders.

You blink in shock and drunkenly stumble out of his car. No goodbyes are exchanged. The encounter so unusual, intense and emotionally charged that a goodbye would only mar it with its trifling nature.

A couple of nights pass and Seungcheol can't bring himself to go to his favourite bar. What was once a relaxing activity after a long day at work now seems like it would be a stressful ordeal. What if he sees you again? Drinking alone, purposefully putting yourself in danger?

He tries to convince himself that it doesn't matter. You're just a stranger he'd probably never cross paths with again. And yet…his curiosity gets the better of him.

Seungcheol returns to his favourite bar. Dreading (or perhaps hoping) that he'd find you there. And just like that, as if his thoughts manifested your appearance, he sees you.

Only this time, you are not alone, but with a girl friend who seems very happy to be spending time with you. Another major change is that you are gripping your drink tightly, not letting it out of sight. Good. Even though you're with a friend, it looks as if you learned your lesson from that bittersweet night.

Seungcheol wonders if he should approach you. Despite the fact that his intentions were noble, his behaviour back in his car was near abominable. He decides against ruining your fun night with your friend and tries to focus on his own drink, slowly sipping from it.

However, you seem to have a different plan.

"Long time no see," you greet him, as if he's an old friend and not a complete stranger. "You haven't been here recently."

"I didn't want to catch you getting yourself into trouble again," Seungcheol reminds you.

"I've been good," you promise, but for some reason he can't fully believe you. "And besides, what does it matter to you? We don't even know each other's names."

Are you asking for his name, then?

"Seungcheol," he introduces himself calmly. "I would say it's nice to meet you but I don't lie."

"Harsh," you chuckle. "I'm Y/N. I love lying, so…nice to meet you."

"Where did your friend go?" Seungcheol suddenly notices, not paying attention to your little jab.

"She went home to her boyfriend."

"So, you're drinking alone again?" he points out.

"I'm here with you, aren't I? So, I'm not alone," you explain logically.

"You don't even know me," Seungcheol shakes his head, as if to convince you that he's not trustworthy enough.

"I know your name, though. Doesn't that count for something?" you tilt your head to the side, taking a bold sip of your cherry-flavoured cocktail.

"You haven't changed," he groans bitterly. "You're just pretending to be more responsible to grab my attention."

"I thought I already had your attention," you grin flirtatiously.

"You do," Seungcheol admits reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean I'll act on it."

"What if I want you to?" you bat your eyelashes at him.

"You're insane, you know that?" he laughs.

"Aren't we all?"

And Seungcheol loses every last ounce of self-control he prided himself in usually possessing. He kisses you savagely, conquering your mouth with his own. The need to have you, to wipe that bratty smile off your face is overpowering.

You kiss him back just as eagerly, ravaging his lips.

"Let's get out of here," he suggests. Only this time, the words carry a different meaning from when he kicked you out.

Seungcheol leads you to his car again, too impatient to bother with finding hotels. It's so dark outside and he's parked at a place so empty and hidden that it gives you goosebumps. Not a soul in sight.

Perhaps, he is right. Perhaps, you are acting up, no self-preservation instinct in your body. But who cares? You've spent too long not feeling anything. This is the first time in a long while you've felt something so real.

There is no tenderness in the way he fucks you on the backseat of his car. It's as if Seungcheol makes it his mission to corrupt you even further, satisfying your reckless need for adrenaline.

"You're so sick, letting a stranger do this to you," Seungcheol grunts in your ear, as he rubs your pussy.

"You're not a stranger," you stand your ground, fully convinced this is normal behaviour.

"Knowing my name doesn't make this any better," his words are drowning in anger, but his actions are overflowing with the desire to pleasure you.

"What does this say about you, though?" you fight back verbally. "You're just as irresponsible as me."

"I. Need. To. Teach. You. A. Lesson," he punctuates with each thrust.

"Too bad I'm terrible at learning," you confess, scratching his back with your sharp nails.

"Say my name," Seungcheol demands.

"Seungcheol," you mumble obediently.

"Again."

"Seungcheol. Cheol. Seungcheol-ah," you repeat mindlessly.

"Good girl," he whispers.

"No, I'm not," you argue, biting his neck, while he's still fucking you viciously.

"I'll make you," Seungcheol promises and you are stunned by the assuredness in his deep voice.

"I'd like to see you t-" you fall apart beneath him before you can finish the word "try".

He truly ruins you so deliciously, making you forget everything that ever bothered you.

The only thing that remains in your mouth is the taste of whiskey mixed with the flavour of cherries.

Your first instinct is to run away. Every time you meet someone decent, you do that. Because if you don't, they'll leave you first. And you'd never let that happen again.

You start to put on your clothes hurriedly, attempting to flee the scene.

"Chérie..." Seungcheol pleads tenderly.

Fingers on the car handle, you hesitate upon hearing the gentle French endearment.

"What?" you ask despite yourself.

"Where are you going?"

"Doesn't matter. Did you think I'd stay?" at this point, being mean is a defense mechanism. Looking for danger, finding it and then running away.

Only Seungcheol is more dangerous than danger itself. Because you can see in his eyes that he cares.

A total stranger, you don't even know if you have anything in common. And yet...he cared enough to intervene that night. He cared enough to discipline you. He cared enough to give you just what you need.

But you are so afraid. That he'll start to care too much. And one day, he'll stop.

"I'm not done with you," Seungcheol stands firm, gripping your wrist. "I told you I'll make a good girl out of you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," you confirm weakly. Too weak to fight him on it. Too weak to escape...

"Well, I'm a man of my word."

"And if I want to go?" you still try.

"You don't," Seungcheol pronounces with certainty.

"How do you know what I want?"

"Because we want the same thing."

He doesn't say what that is. But he's right.

You bury your head in his chest, allowing him to hold you tightly.

Somehow, this turns out to be not just what you wanted. But what you needed.

"I'll take care of you," Seungcheol vows. "I'll be so good to you."

And for some reason, you believe him.

You let him consume your darkness with his own. And bring your shared light to the surface.

Bonus:

~ A year later ~

That same bar where you met. A cocktail in hand. Your red dress. The dim lights.

"What's a bad girl like you doing in a nice place like this?" Seungcheol teases you, pretending to be a stranger.

Oh, how times change.

"Looking for love," you joke, as you slide the maraschino cherry into your mouth.

"You seem like the kind of woman who already has that," Seungcheol reminds you of the reality of your relationship.

"And how would you know what kind of woman I am?" you play along, enjoying this game far too much.

"Because of the ring on your finger," he points out.

Oh, right! You never take it off. You completely forgot how about you'd explain it in such a scenario.

"Careful, there. My fiancé is a very jealous man," you poke fun at Seungcheol.

"Is he, now?" your fiancé leans in. "What would he do if I did that?"

Seungcheol kisses you warmly but possessively. What starts as innocent turns more heated and passionate. Never before have you felt so safe and wanted.

"He'd probably kill you," you shake your head, gasping for air. "Lucky for you, you're him."

"I must be the luckiest man in the world," Seungcheol announces proudly.

"Not really," you jest. "Your fiancée is a bit of a brat."

"A bit?" he quirks an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe a lot. But she loves you very much," you admit honestly.

"Then, it's a good thing I love her, too," Seungcheol hugs you strongly.

You don't get the urge to run away anymore. Because this? This is better than any adrenaline rush.

"Watch me dance," you request mischievously.

"Oh, I will," he promises.

Seungcheol watches you at a close distance. Always concerned. Only this time, you're not a stranger. You're dancing freely, feeling protected from danger. Not keeping an eye on your drink. It's okay. He's here now to keep you out of harm's way. You allowed him to use his darkness to devour yours. But there is light, in this world, too. And light will always prevail.

The End

[littlelovelunette]

could you write some aftercare for filthy troublemaker?

Filthy Troublemaker (3)

Ambessa Medarda x Fem!Reader x Sevika

[Part i] [Part ii]

Aftercare, post smut.

Word count: 1.1k. . .

You were at the verge of passing out when you felt Sevika pull the dildo away from your mouth finally. Your jaw was hurting, slack. Ambessa wiped her hand away carelessly before she gave your thigh a comforting, warm squeeze.

“You're gonna take those provocative pictures down,” Sevika said firmly before she dropped onto the bed beside you.

“You'd think we enjoy doing this to you,” Ambessa kissed your forehead and got up, heading for the bathroom.

“Where are you going?” You slurred out, your words barely coherent from all the mouth fucking. Ambessa didn't answer and disappeared in the bathroom for a bit before she returned with a soft wash cloth and a bowl of warm water.

“Just treating my princess well,” Ambessa said, sitting between your legs and wiping away your juices, her touch so light and so gentle. You smiled.

“You did well, today,” Sevika remarked almost begrudgingly after Ambessa gave her the ‘look’.

“Oh?”

You giggled, your tone teasing as you leaned your head against Sevika's frame. Sevika hummed softly, running her fingers through your sweat-dampened hair. Ambessa finished cleaning you up a bit later and stood up, putting the bowl on the bedside table along with the cloth.

“Get up, the both of you,” she said, “Get in the bath.”

Sevika got up first, grunting and going to the bathroom to run a bath for you. You stayed there, legs almost numb from all the fucking. You managed to sit up, hearing the water running from the bathroom. Ambessa smiled, leaning down, her muscular arm hooking behind your knees easily and picking you up without even breaking a sweat. You felt so small compared to her, you blushed.

“You never skip a moment to show off.” you said playfully.

“Would you rather I dropped you right now?” Ambessa said, matching your energy.

You shook your head, hand resting against her chest as you giggled at the playful banter. “Nuh-uh.”

Ambessa walked to the bathroom with you in her arms, you saw Sevika testing the temperature of the water out with her hand before she stood up straight. “Alright, you can put her in, I'll get the towels and shit.”

Sevika exited the bathroom leaving you and Ambessa in there. You felt your body being lowered in the warm water, a wave of comfort washed over you as you relaxed in the bath.

“It feels nice…”

“Yeah?” Ambessa got in the bath with you, pulling you flush against her own now naked body. Your back was against her chest, you smiled and leaned your head back against her shoulder.

Sevika returned, putting the towels on the bathroom counter before she got in the bath herself.

“We missed you,” you said, pulling her against your body and giggling. You were now sandwiched between the two.

You stroked Sevika's hair, “You've been so incredibly mean to me today, y'know?”

“Oh yeah?”

Sevika smirked a little, grabbing your jaw and pulling you in for a kiss. You squealed a little in the kiss, your cheeks turning rosy. Sevika parted, a thin string of saliva connecting her lips to yours.

“Well, that's how a punishment is supposed to be,” Sevika said before she pulled your face closer and gave you a forehead kiss. “But I'm sorry, sweet angel, I'll take good care of you now. We will take good care of you.”

Ambessa nodded. “Yes, we will.”

You sank further into the warmth, eyes fluttering shut for a second before a lazy smile spread across your lips. “Mm… this is perfect.”

“You better not fall asleep in here,” Sevika muttered, though her hand was already trailing along your thigh underwater in soft, absentminded strokes.

“I’m just… resting my eyes,” you mumbled sleepily, your voice a faint slur. The heat of the bath, their closeness, the comedown from everything, it was too much in the best way. Ambessa shifted behind you, adjusting her arm so it was wrapped snug around your middle.

“Let her rest a bit. She’s been good.”

Sevika raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. Instead, she leaned over and kissed your temple. “You always push it, you know. Those pictures you posted… Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”

“I didn’t think it’d piss you off that much,” you teased softly, cracking one eye open. “You two already have me.”

“That’s not the point,” Ambessa said. Her tone was low, serious, but her fingers were still brushing slow circles over your belly. “You belong to us. And when you forget that, we remind you.”

Your thighs pressed together a little at her words, a heat different from the bath water starting to pool low in your gut again. You didn’t respond right away, just let out a shaky breath.

“I like it when you remind me…” you admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

Sevika chuckled darkly, her hand sliding up your chest, cupping your breast underwater with easy possessiveness.

“Yeah, I figured that out about five orgasms ago.”

You let out a breathless laugh, squirming faintly between them. “Sadists.”

“Only for you,” Ambessa murmured into your neck, planting a kiss just below your ear.

The bath remained quiet for a moment, just the faint sound of water lapping against the sides, your breathing, and their bodies holding yours. Then Sevika reached over and pulled a bottle of shampoo from the shelf, popping it open with a flick of her thumb.

“Lean back, baby,” she said. “Let me wash your hair.”

You obeyed without question, your head cradled in her hands. Warm water poured gently down from a cup Ambessa passed to her. Fingers moved through your hair, massaging your scalp with care that almost made you tear up. It was so different from how they'd treated you hours earlier.

“You always take care of me after,” you whispered, eyes closed, voice soft and thick with affection. “Even when you’re mad.”

“We’re not mad,” Sevika said after a moment. “We were… worried.”

Ambessa spoke next. “People look at you. They want what’s ours. You know that.”

You swallowed and nodded, this time more firmly. “Okay. I'll be more careful.”

Ambessa kissed your wet cheek, and Sevika leaned in too, pressing her lips to your collarbone. You were sandwiched between strength and fire, yet wrapped in so much love

“Let’s get out before the water gets cold,” Ambessa murmured after a few minutes, brushing your shoulder. “Come on, pretty girl.”

She stood first, pulling herself out of the tub with ease, her glistening figure a tower of power and grace. Sevika followed next, then reached down to help you up gently. You stood shakily, both of them instantly bracketing your sides with hands on your waist, keeping you upright. Wrapped in warm towels, they led you back to bed, laying you down in the soft sheets as if you were something sacred.

And maybe to them, you were.

[dameronspector]

Challengers: Avengers Edition (Part 3)

Pairings: Joaquin Torres x Fem!Stark!Reader (Established Relationship); Bob Reynolds x Fem!Stark!Reader

Summary: Sam decides to sue, Sam and Bucky are being angsty for no reason, Bob finally talks to Yelena and Bucky, you get invited to a gala and and Joaquin is a lil upset.

Warnings: Fuff, Banter, Angst, Cameos, Joaquin loves Reader a LOT, Joaquin being a cutie, Poor Bob suffers :(,CAUTION: Mentions of Bob’s Addiction, Drugs and Mental Illnesses, Graphic discussion of Bob's withdrawals from drugs and his past, the Void demeans Bob, I am NOT romanticizing pre!serum Bob. He is depicted to have an unhealthy/codependent attachment and that is NOT romantic. Valentina is a piece of shit, SO much Yearning and Longing from Bob, SamBucky are dads and cough best friends, Jealous!Joaquin, Jealous!Bob, Reader is oblivious as hell because she has eyes for Joaquin only, Reader is mentioned to have hair long enough to be let down loose, thats all i think! Let me know if i should add something else!

Also, sorry if the timeline is a lil confusing :(

AN: just watched Ironheart, you guys, PLS WATCH THE SHOW! its sooo good and riri my girl is just amazing! please support dominique! <3

"So...we're definitely suing."

Sam announced as he entered the living area, where all of you were lounging around.

Kamala and Kate were sitting on the bean bags, huddled over a laptop as they watched a show, Scott was scavenging in the pantry for something to eat, Carol had decided to busy herself with digging up some more dirt on Valentina, sitting at the dining table, while Joaquin laid his head on your lap, your soft hand buried in his curls, other hand holding a book. His eyes were closed, hands folded on his chest, light snores leaving his mouth.

All of you, minus Joaquin, looked up in shock.

"What...do you mean?", you asked nervously.

Sam rubbed his eyes.

"Well, they're not ready to expose her themselves. He said their hands are under a rock and that they really cannot do anythin'."

You bit your tongue to avoid blurting out that you and Joaquin knew this already.

"What's next?", Kate asked.

"We'll contact our lawyers right away. I'm not letting that woman think ahead of us for even a second. I've talked to Jennifer already, said she'll meet me tonight. Carol, you're comin' with me", he sighed.

Carol simply nodded her head.

"I feel like I'm getting a deja vu", Scott quipped with his mouth stuffed with Oreos.

"Did Mr. Stark and Steve fight like this, (Name)?", Kamala asked you in curiosity, side eyeing Sam nervously.

You looked at Sam who shook his head in dejection.

"Yes, but worse, because they wouldn't hear each other out", you answered her lowly. Sam sighed.

"Alright, It's nearing 6, so you", he pointed at Kamala, "need to get back, before your mom calls us all."

Kamala’s eyes widened before she pulled up Kate, and they left in a hurry, throwing a quick ‘Bye’ over their shoulders. Carol was staying back because she had to go meet Jennifer with Sam, while Scott left shortly as he had a date with Hope.

Now that the base was empty, you decided to finally have a talk with Sam.

You watched him walk around the sofa and join Carol at the dining table, discussing something with her. Dog-earing your book, you laid it on the couch next to you, gently lifting Joaquin’s head off your lap and putting a pillow under him. His eyebrows scrunched up a little before he curled on his side, crossing his arms sighing sleepily.

You pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before standing up and approaching Sam.

“Guys?”

He turned around, frowning at the nervous look on your face, “Yeah?”

“Um-Carol, I’m so sorry, but I need to talk to Sam about something. Would you mind if I steal him for sometime?”, you requested her, not wanting to make her feel left out.

She smiled, “Yeah, of course. Please, go ahead. I need to read this file anyways.”

Sam and you walked over to his personal office, where he stared at you like he’d already read your mind.

“Spit it out, Stark”, he quipped, a small smirk tugging at his lips. You looked at him and covered your face with your hands.

“You’re gonna hate me”, you groaned.

“What?”, Sam stood up straight.

You removed your hands from your face and put them on your hips instead, chewing on the inside of your cheek before spilling everything.

“Uh-Joaquin and I went to the Tower yesterday.”

Sam paused, his eyes wide in disbelief, “You did what?”

“…yeah”, you grimaced.

And Sam spiralled, just a little, out of worry for you two, his eyes wide and face slack.

“Kid, I told y’all not to do this one thing, specifically. What goes on- why did ya’ll even go there? And did anybody see you? Hold on, did Valen-”

“Hey, relax. Nobody saw us, I promise, Sam. We went through the launch pad, so, no security or media people saw us. And no, Valentina wasn’t there either, so don’t worry”, you consoled him.

Sam rubbed a hand down his face, “That doesn’t make it any better, what if they use this against us? What if they’re all going to provoke Valentina against us? This changes everything about the case and now the two of you are caught in the between-”

“Sam-Sam!”, you called him out loudly, holding his flailing hands in yours to ground him.

“I know, we don’t know the team properly, but I swear, they all want Valentina to fall, just as much as we do.”

Sam frowned, “What?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what Bucky told you but he’s right, they’re all lost. She’s holding them hostage and manipulating the Bob guy, who was responsible for the whole black out thing”, you squeezed his hands earnestly.

“That’s…yeah, he did say that. What else do you know? You talked to all of ‘em?”, he murmured.

You released his hands and tugged your cardigan sleeves over your hands.

“Most of it was just her manipulating and threatening to expose them. She’d reintroduce all the omitted information from their files, that could turn them into convicted criminals again, if they disobeyed her.”

You swallowed thickly before continuing, “And this Bob guy…Sam, he’s got a heavy past. Drug addict along with a long history of mental illness. Which is why he’s been so unstable and she’s been using him as a weapon. That blackout thing? That was due to a depressive episode that Valentina forced onto him”, you solemnly relayed the information to Sam, who just frowned harder.

“Has she lost her damn mind? She should be put behind the bars for abetting someone, add the scammy stuff later”, he muttered in disbelief.

You pursed your lips, “I know. She’s a fucking leech.”

Sam furrowed his brows. He couldn’t believe this woman had the audacity to groom a mentally ill person to be an indestructible weapon and worsen their condition.

“And no, we didn’t get to talk to them properly, but they seemed pretty over it. Bucky said he’ll talk to them. Did he tell you anything about it?”

Sam snorted humourlessly, “It was just a whole lotta ‘I don’t know, man’, ‘I’m sorry, Sam’, ‘I can’t do anything except wait’”.

That tracks. He’d said the same to you.

“Yeah. He said the same to us. Honestly, you guys are worse than my dad and Steve”, you huffed.

“Excuse me?”, Sam quirked an eyebrow.

“At least those two fought and yelled at each other. You guys don’t even do that. It’s just endless pining and yearning”, you quipped, pretending to look at your nails.

Sam sputtered, “Wh-Wait. No. That’s not what’s happening-”

“Okay, okay, Cap. I got you”, you chuckled, choosing to go easy on the man. Sam glared at you, his face could radiate steam if it could, because he was positively flustered.

“Alright, listen. Here’s what we’re doing next. We have to get the team on our side first. Build the rapport and trust, and then, make them testify against Valentina. She’s holding them hostage anyways, so it’s not like we are lying about it”, you suggested.

Sam nodded solemnly, “Yeah. I was thinkin’ of meeting the rest but I dunno how, without raising a few eyebrows.”

You folded your arms across your chest, “Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure something out. Valentina loves the whole parade. She will probably arrange a gala or a party for the team so that all the big shots visit her.”

“You think she’ll invite us?”, he raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m sure she will. She wants you to see all of this, rub it in our faces and all that crap. But before that happens, we need to file this case, Sam.”

He nodded, “Yeah, of course. Gonna insist Jennifer and might even meet up with Murdock. We need all hands on deck.”

“That’s good”, you nodded before perking up, “Would you mind, if I suggested you to meet up with her at a different place?”

Sam frowned, “I mean, no, but why?”

You chewed on your lip, “I don’t trust her. At all. If you’re gonna meet at a bustling place, she’s probably gonna keep an eye on you. You’d have to take a trip but, it’s important.”

“Yeah, okay, go on.”

“So, dad had this hide out kinda thing. In Virginia. It’s fully surveilled with high tech security, I’ll manage it myself and FRIDAY has access, too. It’s better if all the meetings related to this case take place there. I don’t want you, Jennifer or Carol risking your own assets or lives for this.”

“That makes sense, yeah. Sure”, Sam nodded.

“I’ll send a car to pick up Jennifer. You guys will be okay?”, you inquired.

“No no, we’re good. Virginia’s not that far from here and I know a route, so we’ll be fine. Thanks, kid”, Sam patted your shoulder, a soft smile tugging at lips because he couldn’t help but see your father in you. They had their differences, but Tony Stark was always the first in line to help his team.

You flashed him a sincere smile before turning serious again, glossy eyes looking up at him with so much trust.

“Sam, if there’s any two people, in this whole world who can get through this, it’s you and Buck. You’re not like my dad or Steve. What you have is special. You’re each other’s family. It doesn’t matter that you’re the leaders of two different teams, the two of you will always, always find a way. Please remember that. We need you two to come together for this. And it will happen if you guys just..talk.”

Sam tilted his head, eyes shining with longing and something else.

“I asked Bucky the same, and now I’m asking you the same thing. Promise me, that the two of you will fix this, together”, you croaked.

Sam looked at you for a moment before brushing his hand across your back soothingly, a wet smile spreading on his lips.

“Yeah, sweetheart. I promise.”

You exchanged sad smiles, bringing up a hand to wipe your eyes when there was a knock on the door to the office.

“Bet it’s your clingy boyfriend”, Sam teased.

You snorted, wiping your eyes on your sleeves before Sam walked over to the door, revealing a half awake Joaquin, his hair was mussed with sleep and plaid shirt wrinkled from the tossing and turning.

He looked so warm and cosy, it took everything in you to not tackle him in a hug.

“Good morning, sunshine”, Sam boomed, wrapping an arm around Joaquin’s shoulders and hiding you from his view.

You pursed your lips to stop yourself from laughing out loud.

“Hi….where’s-where’s (Name)”, his sleepy voice cracked as he spoke, a hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“She went back at her apartment, man. Said she’d let you sleep for sometime”, Sam teased further. He knew exactly how Joaquin would get clingy and snappy after he woke up and how he’d relax only if you were with him.

That seemed to have snapped him out of his sleep, his back suddenly straightened up in attention, a sad little pout tugging his lips down. As if someone stole his candy.

“Wait, she left? Without me? I was supposed to drop her home, bro. We were gonna go on a grocery run and I was gonna help her with dinner, and I—”

You giggled loudly, both of the men whipped their heads behind to look at you.

Sam in amusement, Joaquin in disbelief.

And then Joaquin grumbled, Sam shaking his shoulders while cackling.

“Oh man, you’re so whipped. I’m never letting you live that down, by the way. You should’ve seen your face!”, Sam wheezed, leaning against Joaquin, who was still grumbling, a whine leaving his mouth.

“Stop it. You guys are the worst”, he groaned loudly and rubbed his face with his hands. You pouted.

“Alright. Alright. I gotta go. You guys can stay if you wanna. It’s too late to go back, anyways. (Name), please look into picking up Jennifer, yeah?”, Sam instructed and squeezed Joaquin’s shoulders.

You nodded and Sam murmured a ‘Bye’ to Joaquin, before leaving.

Joaquin scrunched his nose before bee lining towards you, strong arms going around your waist and head buried in your neck. Letting a smile pull at your cheeks, you bring your arms around his back, smoothing your palms over the wide expanse, feeling his muscles move underneath them as your head leaned against his temple.

“Good nap?”, you asked quietly.

His warm breath hit your chest, soft curls tickling your jaw as he nodded in affirmation.

“Missed you though. Why’d you leave me alone”, you could practically hear the pout in his scratchy voice. You sighed.

“Sorry, baby bird. I needed to tell Sam about everything that happened yesterday.”

That got his attention, pulling back from your neck to look at you, arms still caging you in his embrace, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Oh, damn. How’d it go?”

You busied yourself with straightening his collar while filling him in.

“Well, Bucky called him. Said the same things he said to us. They must’ve had a disagreement because the first thing Sam said after the call, was that we’re definitely suing. So he’s gone to meet Jennifer Walters right now, with Carol. I decided to tell him everything before he found out from someone else.”

Joaquin’s eyes widened, “Please tell me he’s not grounding us.”

You huffed a laugh, rubbing his chest soothingly, “No, I handled it and told him that we had it in control.”

Joaquin breathed a sigh of relief, before you continued.

“So now we gotta wait till Valentina announces a gala or a party or something, which she will definitely do because-”,

“She’s an attention seeker”, Joaquin deadpanned, squeezing your waist, jaw clenched in annoyance.

You snorted, “Exactly. And she’ll definitely invite us, or Sam, at least. I’ve requested him to keep in contact with Bucky and sort out whatever they’ve got going on. We need all of them on our side, and to testify against that woman. Sam has agreed to all of this, thankfully.”

Joaquin smiled in relief.

“That’s good. You’re good. You’re so smart, baby”, he praised, brown eyes oozing with love and pride.

You blushed, ducking your head to avoid his intense eye contact, “Shut up.”

Joaquin laughed and pulled you closer, leaning forward to press a kiss to your forehead, enveloping you in a warm hug, both of you unaware of the storm brewing back at the Tower.

-

Yesterday

Bucky and Yelena speed walked towards Bob’s room, the only place where he could be in their absence.

The conference had taken longer than expected, all of them were a cranky and tired mess by the second half. Now they just couldn’t even bear to see each other’s faces or talk to anybody.

But Yelena reminded him of Bob. The events that took place during the day, your arrival, Bucky’s emotional conversation with you and Joaquin, and Bob’s sudden attraction to you, and they immediately got to work, leaving behind the other three to quickly check on the golden boy, who was still in his room, they assumed.

They exchanged a worried look before Yelena opened the door carefully, making sure to make minimal noise so as to not freak the boy out.

The room was dark. The only light that came in, was the moonlight, coating the room in a dark blue hue, highlighting a large lump on the bed, curled up in a fetal position.

For a second, they worried that the Void was out again, both of their hearts thundering against their ribs. Bucky slowly made his way towards the side table, flicking on the lamp that perched on it.

The lamp coated the room in a golden glow, finally shedding some light on the large form resting atop the bed—Bob. Just Bob. No jet black shadow covering him.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Yelena rounded the corner and sat on the opposite side, observing Bob’s sleeping face closely.

“Just asleep”, Yelena murmured, making Bucky unclench his fists.

“Should we wake him up?”, he rasped.

Yelena thought about it for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

“Yeah. It’s been a while since we left, anyway. If we don’t talk now, we’re gonna keep delaying it and he’ll keep avoiding it.”

Bucky pursed his lips before nodding in approval, letting her do the job of waking Bob up.

Yelena gently placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him carefully like she was handling a bomb waiting to go off.

“Bob? Wake up, c’mon”, she shook his arm.

A breath left his nose, eyebrows twitching before he suddenly jerked, eyes whipping open in a sudden manner.

Yelena jumped, raising her hands in a surrender manner, Bucky made himself more visible to Bob so as to not scare him further.

“It’s okay, it’s just us. Yelena and Bucky. You’re okay”, Yelena’s raspy voice soothed him.

Bob blinked a few times before sitting up, hands rubbing his eyes to clear his vision of the bleariness. He swallowed thickly, trying to forget the very realistic memory he’d had of you, before clearing his throat.

“H-hey guys. You’re back. That’s..that’s nice. What’s the time?”

“It’s past 9pm, kid. Did you have dinner?”, Bucky asked softly, his voice coated in concern.

Bob furrowed his brows, “9 pm? Damn, I-I don’t know when I dozed off…and no, I didn’t have dinner yet”, he sheepishly admitted, hands playing with the edges of his sleeve.

Honestly, he was still out of it. He wasn’t sure when he’d fallen asleep, half expecting to have an episode but surprisingly his body had fallen into a slumber.

“That’s okay. We’ll order somethin’ for you”, Yelena offered, exchanging a look with Bucky, who was already ordering some burgers and fries for Bob, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Oh. That’s nice of you. Thank you”, Bob gave them one of his crooked smiles, one that was teetering between a frown and a smile.

Yelena gave him a tight lipped smile before deciding to ask away.

“Bob, we need to talk.”

He tensed up, eyebrows shooting up in fear, a few strands of brown curls framing his eyes, “Wait, what-what did I do? Did the-did the other guy show up again? I’m sorry, it’s just, not been a good day and I-”

“Hey, hey, hey. Relax. It’s nothing like that”, Bucky placated, a hand held out to stop Bob’s ramblings.

Bob’s mouth fell open in disbelief, glassy eyes switching between the two figures in front of him.

“So-what is it..?”, he asked hesitantly.

Yelena gave him a sympathetic look, deciding to ask him directly in that straight forward way she does, “Bob…what happened with (Name)? Why were you acting so…weird?”

Bob froze. Blood rushed to his ears as everything came running back to him. Your face. Your voice. His sudden possessiveness. His jealousy towards Joaquin.

You and Joaquin together.

Bob clenched his jaw, leaning away from Yelena and averting his gaze from both of the assassins in shame and anger—towards himself and towards the situation.

“Nothing”, he simply murmured, closing his eyes tightly to get rid of the voices and images of Joaquin’s hands on you.

Yelena frowned, Bucky shook his head.

“It’s not nothing. You were practically staring holes into Joaquin, I saw your eyes glow golden as well. You looked at her like-like she’s some kinda ghost. Or a god. And you’ve been asleep for what? Almost 8-9 hours? Don’t lie, kid”, Bucky conceded firmly, his voice taking the shape of a tired and worried father.

At hearing Joaquin’s name, Bob’s jaw clenched tighter, somehow. That same green monster clawing his way up his throat.

“Yeah, well, it’s not like he wasn’t being a dick to me”, he scoffed, looking at Bucky incredulously, a strange attitude overtaking him.

Bucky quirked an eyebrow while Yelena’s mouth fell open.

“This! You’re being aggressive, again! What’s with this attitude, Reynolds?”, she cried out, folding her hands across her chest.

Bob narrowed his eyes, those golden tendrils shimmering behind his irises again, “So I shouldn’t defend myself when someone’s being an asshole to me?”

Her eyes widened, looking at Bucky for help, who just scoffed in disbelief.

“Not when you’re ogling said person’s girlfriend like he wasn’t standing in front of you. Not when you’re poking at him for simply standing next to his girlfriend, Bob.”

That struck Bob straight, wincing as if the jab had hit him directly in the chest, shrinking into his skin once again, blue eyes focused onto his fingers picking the skin around his nails in nervousness.

He knew he was acting strange. He knew he was provoking Joaquin for no reason. And he knew he had no right to feel so possessive over you. All of it was wrong and shameful.

But he just couldn’t help it.

Not when you were no less than a god, as Bucky had mentioned, to him.

As damaged as he was, he had feelings too. Real, raw, human feelings.

“S-sorry. I just…I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry. Really sorry”, he whispered with his eyes shut tightly, making him see stars behind his lids as his hands kept picking at each other.

“See? You’ve once again managed to ruin everything….”

That voice was back again. Bob shook his head in denial.

Concerned, Yelena put her hands on his fidgeting ones, separating them before holding them tightly to ground him.

“It’s okay, Bob. We want to help you. But we can’t if you don’t tell us what’s happening. Is there something you’d like to share?”, she gently prodded, bending slightly to look at him.

He still wouldn’t meet her eyes, lips quivering with the sob he was holding in.

Bucky sighed sadly, “Bob…do you like (Name)? If that’s the case, then, I’m sorry to tell you but, she’s already-”

A few tears escaped Bob’s eyes, face scrunched up in pain before he decided to correct Bucky, unable to hold it in any longer.

"You don't get it", he whispered, cutting off Bucky, who paused.

"What do you mean?", Yelena asked from his right, a hand coming up to rest on his shoulder.

They were going to find out someday. It’s not like he wasn’t obvious or anything.

“…I love her”, he finally answered, his voice a weak and tired variant of itself.

The room was suddenly too quiet. Bob swore he could hear the rustle of the mattress and the traffic below. Bucky's mouth hung open as he stared at Bob blankly and Yelena decided to break the silence by blurting out, "What?"

Bob winced again, removing his hands from Yelena's grip.

"That's-you don't even know her, Bob. You just met her. That's not possible", Bucky reasoned, a frown tugging at his already stressed face, the lines next to his eyes more prominent due to the low light in the room.

Bob's jaw ticked, a bitter taste lingering in his mouth as he mulled over Bucky's words. Even though he was right, he didn't know how you were an anchor for Bob. How he'd decided to get his shit together after learning about you. How Angela would convince him to get better by talking about you and your philanthropy. How he'd seen all of your speeches and talks on his friend's borrowed computer and on Angela's TV, who purposefully set it to your interviews when he would stumble into her shop.

Did he know you personally? No.

Had you changed his life? Yeah. In more than one way.

When he had nobody who stuck around in his life, your face and voice was a constant. You were The (Name) Stark, with a face as radiant as the sun, who was incredibly resilient and courageous and with a heart made of gold, and yeah, you didn't even deserve someone like him. But he was sure that if he ever tried to talk to you, just as a friend, you'd never disappoint him like the others did. The others who left him when it got tougher.

Maybe he was being parasocial. But how would he know the answers to his questions, if nobody gave him a chance to even talk to you? Even a 'thank you' would suffice, he thought. But he couldn't deny the pull he felt towards you any longer. Even being in your orbit was nothing short of an honor for him.

"You don't get it, Bucky. She's-she's saved me. When I had no one, I had her voice to keep me grounded. Even before reaching the lab, I had borrowed a phone, from someone. I used to listen to her speeches every day. On repeat. I'd throw it aside when the withdrawals would start. But I'd feel this...this hole in my chest, craving her voice just as badly as the drugs. And sometimes...sometimes I'd cry my eyes out while I withered on the ground. But my earphones would always play her voice", Bob's voice cracked as he confessed.

Bucky and Yelena were stunned into silence.

The fact that Bob was aware of you before coming here. And unknowingly, you'd played a vital part in his life and where he was today, was so shocking that Bucky stared at Bob's tearful face dumbly while Yelena felt her own eyes water, head turned towards the side to hide her tears.

"I told myself, if I get to meet her, I'm thanking her. For just…being there, even if she wasn’t there physically. For her speeches and work. But...when I saw her, in person today...I realised that...it wasn't just a stupid crush or-or some weird codependent attachment. Her entire energy, the way she holds herself, it's so powerful. I-I haven't been with someone in a long time", he scoffed humourlessly, "Not that anybody wanted a fuckin' mess like me. But, maybe that's why I sort of, fell hard for her. She's been the only constant in my life for the past 5 years."

Bob wiped his tears with his sleeves, nose tinged red and eyes swollen.

"That's why I was also being an asshole to...to Joaquin. The whole 'I know her longer than he does' shit. Even though, as Bucky said, I don't know her, technically", he croaked shamefully, red dusting his cheeks.

Yelena sniffled and Bucky opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to take in all of this.

It was a lot. He's getting too old for a love triangle in his own family. And his heart also breaks for Bob. If you and Joaquin weren't, quite literally, each other's soulmates, then maybe it would've worked out. You'd get along with Bob just fine.

But that wasn't the case, and now there were two separate teams as well, so Bucky wasn't sure how to handle this without further breaking Bob's heart.

Because Bucky was sure that Joaquin, being as stubborn and steadfast he was, was absolutely not going to let Bob try anything. Let alone talk to you. Especially not after the intense show down between the two men. Bucky almost groaned at the fact that this was just going to worsen the situation between the teams even more.

Letting out a big sigh, he sat down in front of Bob, elbows braced against his knees as he carefully chose his words.

"Look, Bob...I understand. You knowingly or unknowingly imprinted on her, and you were so used to being the only one who listened to her, that you feel a little disoriented now that your bubble is burst. I get that. But...", he sighed again, "Kid, it's just, not gonna be easy, I'm not gonna lie to you. At least, not as peacefully as you're hoping for it to go. Joaquin is...he's very protective of her and vice versa. And they're literally made for each other."

Bob clenched his jaw harder, the lump in his throat making it harder to swallow. Why was Bucky cutting a deeper wound into his already broken heart?

"So, whatever you do, don't go around picking a fight with him unnecessarily. We're already in a sensitive situation, yeah?", Bucky softly added, trying to be as gentle as he could be.

Bob's vision blurred with tears before he nodded tersely, bringing a hand up to wipe at his eyes and push back his curls.

"Bob", Yelena's scratchy voice brought his attention back to her. He looked up at her hesitantly. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"We know this will be difficult for you. Maybe in ways that is beyond our understanding. But, please, for your sake, talk to me or Bucky next time. Or...maybe we can start your therapy sessions soon? If that's okay with you?", she offered carefully, eyes trained on his every move.

Bob bit his lip, mulling over her words. Therapy didn't sound that bad, honestly. At least, he'd use all the free time to work on himself instead of withering away.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. I-I can go to therapy", he admitted, nodding in agreement.

Yelena let out a sigh of relief and Bucky gave him a rare, kind smile, one that Bob had only ever seen on the super soldier's face when he was with you.

The thought almost made him smile. You had a way around making people comfortable.

"I'll talk to my therapist. She might recommend someone fit for you. You can take a trial session and the rest is your decision. That okay?", Bucky suggested.

"Yes. That's okay. Thanks, guys", Bob finally gave them a weak smile, cheeks glistening with tear tracks under the yellow light of the lamp.

Maybe, Bob could get over this. And he prayed he wouldn't see you anytime sooner, either.

-

Minutes after he'd finished his meal, Valentina had called for an emergency meeting. At 11 pm.

Why? Because that attention seeker had decided that she wanted to throw a Gala for the team. 'For the team' was just an excuse, she just wanted to show off. Show off her wealth, show off her so called team and her nonexistent efforts and how she's the new 'saviour' of the American people.

It was all a load of crap, honestly.

But she wanted to host a Gala and she was going to host it by the end of this week. And guess whom she wanted needed to attend this gala?

Sam Wilson. And you.

"We're not doing this", Bucky seethed, fists clenched tightly in anger. He still hadn't talked to Sam, like he'd promised you. And now, Valentina wanted to do this?

He couldn't imagine how betrayed Sam would feel, if he found out that Bucky had purposefully kept information from him. As if he wasn't on thin fucking ice already.

Valentina smirked, "Listen up, Barnes. I don't remember asking for your permission. It's my money. My team. I can do whatever the hell I want to."

Bucky clenched his jaw, the rest of the team glared at Valentina, except Bob, who had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Anyways, there's gonna be investors, shareholders, some of the richest people in attendance, including a real Captain America and our resident billionaire Stark heir. You guys better behave and keep up my reputation, hm?", she announced absently while flicking through her Ipad, Mel looking at her in confusion.

John scowled at the Captain America jab, Alexei's eyes kept jumping between Bucky's tensed body and Valentina's unbothered one like he was at a tennis match, Ava and Yelena exchanged glances before Yelena looked at Bob, who was restlessly moving around in his seat, itching to correct Valentina on her comment on you.

Yelena grabbed his arm firmly, tersely shaking her head 'no'. Bob bit the inside of his cheek to keep quiet.

"And oh, don't you dare invite them on my behalf, Bucky. We will be drafting a sweet and sophisticated invite, okay?", she gave him a sickly sweet smile. Bucky sneered.

"I'm not listenin' to-"

"You want me to release that footage from 10 years ago? Where you almost killed your best friend, who was also Captain America, on that helicarrier?", she narrowed her eyes.

Bucky froze, his vibranium arm whirring from how tightly he was clenching his fists, a mist covering his eyes.

Valentina smiled in victory.

"That's what I thought. Anyways! We'll keep you updated on the group chat. You'll get a phone soon, Robert, do stay active on the chat. Don't miss any texts and we'll have stylists over to give you all a makeover. I don't trust you all to turn up decently", she grimaced.

John yawned while Alexei was already napping on the desk, burly body leaned over his arms entirely, snores leaving his mouth. Valentina rolled her eyes at this.

"Yeah, fine, Jesus. You're dismissed", she waved them off, walking out of the room with Mel in tow.

"It would take one swipe. That's all. Then she'll be gone", Ava casually mentioned.

"Count me in on that. Anyways, I'm heading to bed. I don't have the energy for this", John announced before yawning loudly, trudging away to his room.

Bucky, Yelena and Bob didn't move from their spots, at all. A strange silence and tension seizing their body as they exchanged worrying looks.

Ava noticed, quirking an eyebrow, "What's going on with the three of you?"

Bucky cleared his throat, "Nothin'. Just...fed up with her", he referred to Valentina.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't really like social interactions, so", Bob laughed nervously.

Yelena simply hummed in thought. Ava narrowed her eyes in doubt.

"Uh- I'm going to sleep. Yep. I'm really tired. Yelena, you should wake up Alexei", Bucky coughed, quickly making his way outside, Bob following closely, while Yelena shook Alexei awake and walked out of the room hastily, leaving behind a perplexed Ava, who was not going to live peacefully until she finds out what's up with these three.

So, basically, Bob was not getting over this anytime soon.

Because you would definitely attend the event. And you'd be with The Captain America this time. Just the thought of being around you, dressed in fancy clothes, with the Cap next to you, was enough to make him hyperventilate.

All he could do was pray for a miracle. And that he didn't have one of his extremely high episodes.

But, god, he'd lying if he said that he wasn't excited to see you again.

-

It was the weekend, Sam had surprisingly decided to take a day off, you and Joaquin joining him for lunch at a staple restaurant, catching up with the recruitment process and other life updates over some pasta and drinks.

Sam, was currently telling you all about Riri Williams and her suits, how she'd worked under Princess Shuri and how she just needed some exposure to update her suit.

"I'd love to meet her", you admitted while taking a sip of your cola. The fact that she had benefitted from your dad's grant at MIT and hearing about her potential and intelligence was enough to encourage you to meet her.

Sam gave you a smile, exchanging a look with Joaquin, who was sitting on your right with his shoulder nudging you every now and then.

"I knew you'd say that. Great, I'll ask her to-", he cut himself off as your phones went off at the same time with a text notification.

Furrowing your brows, you looked down at your screen, an unknown number flashed on top of the chat bubble. Joaquin spared a glance at you phone before leaning over to look at Sam's.

"Wait. Is that the same number?", he murmured, cross checking once more.

Frowning, you opened the message and read it out loud for the two of them:

Valentina Allegra De Fontaine and OXE Group invites you for a Gala night to celebrate the New Avengers! Saturday, 7:00 pm, The Watchtower, Manhattan, New York Dress code: Formal PS: Please do not carry any suits or weapons. Invitation limited to you and Sam, exclusively. - Mel Vishwanathan, Secretary to Miss De Fontaine.

"Holy shit", Joaquin cursed.

"Did you get the same text?", you foolishly asked Sam. Sam quickly opened the message and sighed.

"Yep. Copy and paste."

You scoffed, "Knew this was gonna happen. She's too smart for her own good", fiddling with your phone for a moment, furiously typing away.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?", Joaquin asked in curiosity.

You turned your phone to show it to him, "Because it's up on LinkedIn. This is basically an investment and sponsorship event, alright."

Joaquin read the post, which had over 130k likes already, his eyebrows raised in surprise before he passed it to Sam, who whistled lowly.

"Damn. Look at all these people glazin' her up. There's gonna be media and shit too, it'll be a pain in the ass. We'll never get to talk to any of 'em", he shook his head.

You pursed your lips in thought, "Maybe. Not if we separate, though. You take three, I'll take three", you continued before he cut you off, "And you're taking Bucky. I don't care how, but the two of you are talking. That's it."

Sam narrowed his eyes, "You bossin' me around, Stark?"

"That's right, Wilson. This is the only way how a Stark and Captain America team up can work out, remember?", you teased him.

The two of you stared each other down before erupting in giggles.

"Alright, alright, I will. But the moment he's being immature, I'm callin' you in", he proposes.

"I got you, I promise. But he loves you too much to brood for longer, Sammy", you gave him a knowing smile. Sam coughed to hide his.

Next to you, Joaquin was way too quiet. Silently observing the entire conversation with a distant look in his eyes. You quieted down, nudging him to get his attention.

"You good, babe?", your voice took on a soft lilt that it did, whenever you talked to Joaquin. Sam watched him closely.

"Yeah. Just, I'm not invited", Joaquin muttered with thinly veiled irritation, his brows creased, brown eyes looking like pitiful pools of honey as he looked at you knowingly.

You paused, a flash clip of the events that transpired at the Tower playing in your mind, causing you to close your eyes in realisation.

Of course he was apprehensive about this. This meant you'd be around Bob again, and you'd be alone this time, since Sam would be busy with the task at hand.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you wanted to attend Valentina's gala so bad, Joaquin", he joked lightly. He observed your tensed body and Joaquin's clenched jaw, neither of you responding to his joke and that's when he knew there was more to it.

"Okay, one of you better tell me what's goin' on? I feel like I missed a few chapters?", he asked with narrowed eyes.

You glanced at Joaquin, who was still brooding, before letting out a sigh, "Well. Y'know, the Bob guy in their team?"

Sam furrowed his brows in confusion, "Blackout guy? Yeah, Why?"

Joaquin let out a humourless chuckle, "Yeah, he has a damn crush on my girlfriend. That's what happened."

"Joaquin..", you pinched the bridge of your nose.

"Oh, and, he was trying to challenge me or some shit, bro. His eyes were all golden and stuff, as if I was being a hindrance for touching my girlfriend, like, have some class, Jesus", he seethed, getting worked up again.

"And you know what, Sam? He was lookin' at her like I do. Fuckin' stars in his eyes and shit. I can't-"

"Okay, okay. Relax, bird boy. Drink some water", Sam cut him off, an amused smile on his face.

Joaquin almost pouted, leaning back into the seat like a grumpy toddler. You pursed your lips. This was going to be really difficult.

"Guys, c'mon, it can't be that serious. We're not in high school! It's just stupid crush, I bet. And Joaquin, you can stop pouting, it's not exactly her fault that she's a star!", Sam laughed, trying to reason with him. You gave a wary smile at his joke before turning serious again.

"I truly hope it's just a crush. It's going to be a mess to deal with, otherwise..."

Sam gave you a close lipped smile, "Nothing's gonna happen. We'll figure somethin' out if it escalates, yeah?"

"Not before I handle him myself", Joaquin grumbled his breath.

Your eyes widened and you whipped your head around, "Jay, what the hell?"

Sam scoffed, "Easy, tiger. No need to go guns ablazin'. Unless you want another timeout", he warned Joaquin, arms folded across his chest, like a father scolding his son.

That sobered him up. Joaquin sat up straight, glancing at you and Sam briefly, feet scuffing against the floor in embarassment.

"Okay. I'm sorry", he murmured in shame, turning to the side to press a kiss to your shoulder, a soft "'M sorry, baby", spoken into the fabric of your shirt.

You softened up, rubbing a hand down his back. A smile tugged at Sam's lips.

"We'll put you in our comms so that you don't freak out, okay?", Sam suggested. Joaquin nodded in agreement, a hand coming up to rest on your thigh, free hand absently twirling the pasta around his fork.

"Alright, we should inform the team as well. And...maybe I'll call Buck. Let him know beforehand about our plan. That okay?", he asked you.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll gather some discreet comms that'll stay concealed", you agreed.

"Good", he lowered his voice before continuing, "Also, Shulkie has suggested not to tell them about the entire case just yet. Just to request them to testify. If they ask anything further, we've to ask them to meet personally."

Shulkie was a code name for Jennifer Walters in public, you'd decided.

"Yep, got it, Cap", you affirmed.

"Alright, I need to bounce. I have a meeting with Leila. You guys will be okay?", he glanced at Joaquin, before looking at you knowingly.

Joaquin and you gave him close lipped smiles, Sam taking his leave before clearing the tab. He always treated you two like you were kids on a summer vacation.

You stared at Joaquin's sulking face, hyperfocused on his plate. He did look cute when he was jealous.

"Stop lookin' at me", he grumbled, the natural light filtering through the window making his skin glow, his curls were loose today, falling in ringlets on his forehead and his arms flexed in that gray t shirt he was wearing.

Although his pouting made him look like a chipmunk who had stuffed too many nuts into his cheeks. The thought made you giggle. His nose scrunched up in embarassment.

"Whaaaat, babe, stop", he whined, closing his eyes.

You wordlessly shifted closer, a hand cradling his chin, lips pressed to his cheek lovingly and free arm slinked around his neck.

"You're too cute when you're jealous", you mumbled into his skin and he finally hugged you back, leaning his head into your touch.

He hummed, "I love you, you know that right?", his lips moved against your hair as he spoke.

"Yeah. I know", you reassured, rubbing his shoulder gently, a frown tugging at your lips as you tried your best to hide the sense of dread filling your stomach at the thought of going to the Tower again.

-

Part 4

AN: please let me know if it's still making sense and like and reblog!❤️

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[hencheri]

▸ 18+ mdni. | warnings. size kink, implied loss of virginity (depends how you see it), kun's disgustingly in love <3 this was requested, so that's why i'm writing cute stuff.

at the start of your relationship, kun was careful. a small sensitive thing like you couldn't get injured, and surely not by him—not yet, at least. he was patient, telling himself that it was worth it to wait, to not rush things. he knew you couldn't handle someone like him, and even less take him, but with a little bit of training, you would eventually be able to.

he thinks you look the prettiest underneath him, wide eyes looking up at him, fully trusting him. it's endearing, really, how you let him take care of you, not even asking him questions. nothing matters, you just want kun.

with a silent nod of your head, he finally pushes at your entrance, stretching you out on his cock. he doesn't stop at the tip like usual, he instead continues his way in despite hearing your little whines, clearly not used to the sensation.

"you're fine, baby, you're fine," he reassures you, leaning down to softly kiss your temple. he feels your hands closing around his biceps and your index finger barely reaches your thumb. "just a lil' bit more," he says.

"okay," you breathe out, biting down into your bottom lip to hold back a whimper.

he bottoms out and lets out a hiss when you clench around him, realizing you have the entirety of him inside of you for the first time. it hurts, but you're relieved that you finally can feel all of him.

"i'm gonna move now," kun warns you, "hold onto me, baby."

your grip tightens around him, and if kun didn't think you were hurting, he'd maybe complain about your nails digging into his skin. he moves his hips back, waiting a few seconds for you to take your breath before slowly bottoming out again. your pussy gushes around him and it slightly reassures him to know that you're literally soaking wet. makes things a lot less painful and much smoother.

after some time, his pace grows faster, and you're extremely whiny, but kun can clearly see that pain slowly fades into pleasure. "doing so good f'me," he praises, panting heavily, mouth open to let the air out. "your tiny cunt is squeezing my cock so tight, fuck," he says, almost moaning out from how heavenly you feel.

"so big, kun," you cry, eyes wet and glossy. you feel him so deep, and for a reason, because when you look down where you both meet, you see the bulge of his cock through your stomach.

when kun hears your quiet gasp, he follows your gaze down. "shit," he curses under his breath. he never thought he'd ever see such a cute, yet so arousing sight. it only amplifies the possessiveness he has over you, his desire to protect and ruin you at the same time.

"i love you so much, baby," kun moans out, his thrusts becoming sloppy, his skin slapping against yours. "so fucking much. all mine."

[wishing-on-a-staranise]

Driving lesson.

(best friend!s.h. x gn!reader)

summary: Your best friend Steve offered to teach you driving but the lesson led to him learning a bit more about you.

warning: use of y/n, best friend!Steve (can be interpreted as either platonic or romantic), hurt/comfort, mention of past sa when r was a minor, quite possibly inaccurate description of cars

word count: 2k+

a/n: oops we're getting vulnerable! I'm so sorry to anyone who relates to this, wish I could hug y'all <3

this was almost going to be in my desi!reader series but i changed my mind. Havent been able to get any sort of writing done so i consider this a win. 

bro i dont know shit about cars and im also guessing how miles work so sorry if this doesn't make sense :( I spent way too long trying to figure out what the oh shit bar is actually called and let me tell u grab handles is an awful name

masterlist

the neighborhood is practically empty this time around save for the occasional person every now and then. but Steve reckons this is as safe as it gets.

he's not in his usual driver's seat, right now it's occupied by you. you're grinning a little, excited and nervous. he's helped adjust the seat so it is more comfortable for you, with the seat pulled much closer to the steering wheel. you'd already put your seatbelt on and adjusted the rearview mirror atleast four times already. 

it was your suggestion. you had pointed out that he must get really tired always driving everyone around. And although he wouldn’t say that he was tired, but he wouldn’t mind someone sharing the responsibility with him every now and then. 

You’d told him that you were already aware of all the basics– the accelerator, the break, the clutch, the gears, the entire thing.

“wait, how do you know all that?”

“I tried learning at around 16 but… i gave up”, you'd shrugged.

“yeah, that does sounds exactly like you”, he'd teased with his signature smirk.

“ha. ha. fuck you”, you deadpanned smacking his bicep before you both fell into giggles.

He decides to still tell you everything from the start. “Because I don't trust you.” And you proceeded to roll your eyes through it all. 

By the time he actually let you turn the ignition, an hour had already passed. 

Though the shifting of gears is a little janky, and the way you push the brakes has him grabbing the 'oh shit' bar beside him. He has to admit, you are not too bad.

“How am I doing?” you ask about a few minutes in, glancing at him once before your eyes fall back on the road.

he makes a sort of 'meh' sound, “Not awful”

“Should I shift to the third?”

“Sure”, he shrugs. but all that non-chalance fades away when your hand moves to the gear, “now, lift the clutch slowly”, he warns.

you suppress the urge to fully give him a glare and rolling your eyes again, “I know”

he clicks his tongue, “Do you?”

“don't tempt me to crash this car, harrington", you threaten jokingly before shifting the gear.

“Hmm,” he hums as if surprised at the smoothness of the action, and you can't help but grin in pride, “not bad this time”

a few minutes pass and Steve can tell you're getting confident, maybe too confident. You're nearing a 40mph. which first, is too fast for where you're driving and second, youre not good at controlling the car at this speed yet. and you're not awful, but you're not amazing either, “Easy buddy, slow down, you’re swaying”, his hand flies to the steering to adjust.

“shit– “, you readjust your grip, knuckles tightening around the wheel, “Ok, ok, i got it.” you lift your foot from the accelerator and the car slows down to a speed that doesn't give Steve severe heart palpitations. 

he sighs as his grip finally loosens as his palm slips down to your knee, squeezing to still reassure and ground you, “Lets not go more than 35 for now.” he doesn't notice you stiffen underneath his palm.

“you're swaying again”, you hear him say as his other hand moves to readjust. his left hand still on your knee. but it all sounds so far away. 

your throat dries up, you gulp. fingers tighten around the steering wheel so hard they hurt.

you know it's not him. this is Steve. your best friend, Steve Harrington. but suddenly this is all too similar. and you freeze up.

you two have been way closer than this. you've given each other spine crushing hugs, piggyback rides, even literally play fought, but for some reason the hand on the knee is too close. too much.

your heart plummets and you can't fucking breathe.

and you know Steve would not mean it that way. you know Steve like the back of your hand. He’d never hurt you. He'd never hurt anyone. you try to push it away, you really do. But it consumes you. all of you. because wasn't he also never supposed to hurt you?

and suddenly you're alone in a car with a man you were supposed to trust. and though his hand stays on your knees, suddenly you feel a phantom touch riding up your thighs and suddenly you're 16 again. and suddenly you know nothing. 

“Can you move your hand?”, your words come out all rushed, your brain barely even registering that you said anything.

with his eyes still on the road ahead of you two, he realigns the car, “I'm adjusting the–”

you don't even realise that you're not even looking at the road anymore, you're not looking at Steve either. you don't know where you're looking, all that exists is the hand on your knees and that sinking feeling, “move your hand Steve–”

“hey woah, WOAH!” it's Steve shouting that finally pulls you out of your stupor and when you look up, you find the car actively veering towards a tree, “LOOK OUT!”, he pulls up the manual handbreak, your own feet slamming down on the brakes as well as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt.

it's quiet. 

your eyes start stinging. and it's not because your almost crashed the car.

you can't breathe, you can't fucking breathe. you need to leave, you need to–

“jesus, what are you doing? we could've crashed into the–” you unfasten your seatbelt before scrambling to get out of the car as Steve calls after you, “hey, wh– where are you–?” with shaky hands, you slam the door behind you.

Steve's brows scrunch before he runs his hand through his hair. he watches as you pace by the sidewalk. he turns off the car before he glances at you again and he finds you sitting under the same tree you almost crashed into with your head in your palms.

when he climbs out of the car and comes closer to you, he hears the muffled sound of you hyperventilating through your hands.

gravel crunches under his shoes as he makes his way to you.

“hey”, he starts, unsure, lightly tapping your shoe with his to make you look up at him. You take one last deep breath in before swiping the back of your hand across your face but it does nothing to hide your tear stained cheeks. You still don’t look up at him though, your red eyes trained on his shoe that had tapped yours. 

he lets out a sigh himself before sitting down by the roots of the tree beside you. you wrap your arms around his knees. it's quiet for a while that way with the leaves rustling in the wind above you, chirping of a bird and your sniffles that you try your best to quiet down. Steve nudges you with his shoulder when you have quieted down, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted. but you gotta keep your eyes on the road okay?”

you nod meekly, “okay”, the word comes out thick.

“hey, c’mere”, he tries shifting to engulf you in one of his warm hugs. and any other moment you would've welcomed that warmth with literal open arms but right now, you're afraid it'd suffocate you so you get up.

“... can we…”, you lick your lips, still stiff, still avoiding his gaze, “can you drop me home? please?”

he gets up as well, brushing dirt off his jeans, trying to catch your gaze but when he couldn't, he nods, “yeah, yeah sure.”

the drive back is silent, you wordlessly sit on the backseat. throughout steve tries to meet your eyes through the rearview mirror only to find your eyes trained either down on your lap or out the window.

when he stops in your driveway, he finally breaks the silence, “we're here.”

you only sniffle in response before stepping out of the car. he has his window rolled down when you shut the car door.

“hey, are you okay?” he asks unsure.

“yeah-", you clear your throat, turning around and your gaze finally meeting his. your eyes aren't red anymore but they still look puffy and if he didn't know you as well as he did, he would notice that you're trying to put on a smile, "yeah I'm okay.. just–”

“what happened back there?”

“nothing, I got too nervous", you shake your head. not knowing what to do with your hands, they fidget with your sleeves, "I think I'll stay away from driving”

“you're fine, it was a one time thing. you didn't mean for it to happen–”

“i wasn't looking at the road”

“trust me, I've done a lot worse, while driving this thing”

“ew”

“what? I didn't even say anything, you're minds in the gutter, bud." he says lightly to soothe your puffy eyes. his finger drums against the steering, "'ll see you later, yeah?”

you nod your head quick, offering another unsure but genuine smile, "mhm, movie night tomorrow?”

“yeah.”

…

it's been nearly a week since that driving lesson. it's also been as long as you've abandoned your designated front passenger seat. 

everything else is the same, you still laugh at his jokes so hard you tear up, lean on him when watching a movie. have movie nights at his place. he still picks you up from work. you still give him snacks for his shift. everything is the same. except you have given up your unofficially default seat. if the car is packed with the party and robin, you take the back seat but even if it's just the two of you, you still take the back seat. 

Steve doesn't know how to bring it up. but he has to. he doesn't know what's going on with you but he knows you all too well. he knows how you are when something is bothering you. he just doesn't know how to bring it up.

“i was thinking..”, he starts as you two walked around your neighborhood.

“that's never good”, you chuckle, kicking a pebble as you walk.

“yknow, I'll be free after work tomorrow. maybe we can, yknow do that driving lesson?”

you stiffen up beside him before stopping in your track. “Steve, I told you–”

“did I do something?” he questions, stopping as well.

“what? …no-”

"is it because I shouted?”

“no, you were right, I almost crashed the car”

“I don't care. you made one mistake, that doesn't mean you've fucked up forever. you wanted to learn”

“yeah, and– and now I don't”

“why?”

“I–”

“give me a reason, any reason”

“I don't know”

“why don't you sit on the front seat anymore?”

“I–", you start but stop when your voice cracks. fuck, why is this getting to you so much lately? it's been fucking ages. “I don't know”, you complete your sentence, frustrated, before sitting on the curb near your house.

you're looking down at your nails, picking at the skin with your legs splayed out in front of you when steve wordlessly sits beside you. you sniffle, “I'm sorry”, murmuring as you put your head on his shoulder.

he tries to put a reassuring hand on your knees but you tense up again. you almost squirm away from his warm palm before taking it in your hand instead.

you have to tell him. you know you should. you should tell someone. doesn't matter how long ago it happened.

it's like a lump stuck in your throat, can't swallow it, can't cough it out.

But you have to start. where do you even start?

“I... I don't like that”, you say, eyes still trained down.

“oh”, you wonder if you should say more, if you should tell him, hell, you're surprised it took so long in your friendship for it to come up.

you lick your lips, wondering if you should explain more. "when I was 16--" but the lump in your throat stays persistent, your tongue tied. you blink back tears, biting your lips.

in the way he holds you at this moment, you wonder if he just knows somehow, whatever it is that is in your mind. maybe not the details or maybe not even your situation but he knows you're hurting. somehow he just knows.

“M’sorry”, you say again, burying your nose into the crook of his neck.

“no, no– is– is this okay?” he carefully moves to hug you.

“yes”, you say quickly before wrapping your arms around him as well. you sniffle again, “sorry, I don't know why I…”

“it's okay, you're okay”, his warm palm rubs your back as he holds you as if he's protecting you from any further harm. your fists clutch the fabric of his polo shirt, you're fucking shaking in his arms.

“y/n, you could've told me”

“it-it's not that easy”, you stutter out.

“well… I'm glad you've told me now”

you nod, trying your best to gulp down anymore sobs, “I might never learn how to drive.”

“that's okay, I'll drive you. wherever you need to go, I'll drive you”

…

[bambiens]

LIKE A TATTOO .☘︎ ݁˖ – 02 lucky me

─────────────────────

previous | next chapter | masterlist

[word count: ~1.1k, 7 screenshots] ignore timestamps!

to say you were too embarrassed to even step foot in this place again would be an understatement. yeonjun arguing with the receptionist suddenly became background noise to you.

you became so engrossed within your own thoughts that you hadn't even seen heeseung hastily walk up to the desk, trying to mediate the situation going on in front of you.

it wasn't until you heard a familiar voice start speaking that you decided to look up at the scene, "riki, stop terrorizing our customers seriously – listen i'm so sorry about the inconvenience–"

it was him. you were sure of it – okay, maybe only about 75% sure it was him. you could barely make out what that guy looked like the night you drunkenly tried to get a stupid tattoo. but there was no doubt about it that this was the place.

all you could do was stare at him while you try recollecting the events of that infamous night.

when he finally looks up to meet your gaze, he stops talking and just squints his eyes at you for a second – well, at least that's what you saw before you frantically turned around in shame.

yeah, that is definitely the same guy.

facing the other way, you hurriedly took your phone out to make yourself seem busy; just pressing random shit and going on different apps.

"hey, you back for your free tattoo already lucky?"

the room followed with silence – and then a simultaneous, "huh?" from both yeonjun and the receptionist.

that sentence alone made you shudder completely. you froze for a second before you slowly turned to face everyone again.

you look at all the faces around you; amusement, confusion, and even more confusion.

all you do is let out a sheepish laugh.

grinning, heeseung turns and asks, "riki, could you prep – sorry what's your name again? my bad."

"oh um, yeonjun – it's yeonjun."

"ah yeah, i remember now, jay mentioned you'd be coming today," heeseung looks back at riki, "could you go prep yeonjun for his tattoo?"

riki nods and leads the way to yeonjun, both walking in complete silence, leaving you and heeseung alone.

heeseung quickly breaks the ice, "so, you made your mind up lucky?"

"why do you keep calling me that?" you interject, tilting your head slightly.

he twirls his finger in the air, "your back."

you place a hand on your exposed back, oh. you often forget that you got this tattoo in the first place.

the tattoo was freshly two years old now, but you remember it like it was yesterday.

after getting broken up with by your then boyfriend, you decided to commemorate the start of a new era by getting your first tattoo. your ex-boyfriend was always so over-protective and territorial of you, but you hadn't thought much about it then – you simply listened to him because you trusted him. he was your first everything: first kiss, first boyfriend, and even lost your virginity to him.

so, like any normal human being would, you crashed the fuck out after he brutally ghosted you the day of your first year anniversary. that was essentially the end of your first and only relationship.

from then on, you decided to live your own life, refusing to ever let a man be able to control you – refusing to ever let a man get so intimately close to you as he once was.

so ultimately, you got a cheeky tattoo on a whim to declare independence from men (for the time being). and now you're stuck with "lucky you" carved on your lower back. it's almost a laughable situation, really.

heeseung clears his throat, "hello?"

"oh, sorry, got lost in thought." you blurted, "listen, about that night, i'm sorry. just forget all about it please. i was pretty drunk and didn't know what i was doing."

he raises an eyebrow, "oh really? could have fooled me," letting out a devilish smile afterwards.

you don't know whether to laugh out of embarrassment or anxiety, but thankfully, you didn't have to choose after you and heeseung both hear a loud bang coming from the other room.

"guys, i think he fainted," echoed riki.

.☘︎ ݁˖

the energy in the store shifted when heeseung scolded riki for quote, "provoking yeonjun with the tattoo gun," – making him faint.

the atmosphere was quiet, and especially awkward now that yeonjun was sitting in fetal position in the waiting area, sipping his juice box while holding a cookie in his other hand.

all you could do was lightly pat his back as if it was any consolation.

when riki gets sent to the back for "time-out," you slowly walk up to the reception desk.

"um," you begin, "sorry about my friend collapsing in your store."

scratching the back of his neck, heeseung replies, "don't worry about it, i should be the one sorry. i'm pretty sure riki was trying to scare yeonjun on purpose."

you hold in a laugh.

"yeah," you look back at yeonjun, whose still staring at the ground traumatized, "i don't think he'll be able to get a tattoo today."

"that's no problem at all. sorry for the bad experience," heeseung reassured with a grimaced smile.

"well, i guess we'll get going now," you begin walking back towards yeonjun.

"wait," heeseung shouts.

you look back at heeseung, who is now jogging towards you with something in his hand, "the offer still stands – the tattoo i mean, if you ever want to get one," he hands you his business card.

you accept it, brushing against his hand lightly where you notice "luck" tattooed across the knuckles of his right hand.

you take a quick look at the card; lee heeseung, independent tattoo artist at black heart ink, the store's website, and his personal phone number.

"thanks," you look back up at him before putting the card inside your purse, "i'll think about it."

he nods and watches you pull yeonjun up, dragging him towards the door.

before stepping outside, you look back at him once more, "bye heeseung."

and for the second time, he watches you leave.

"lucky me, indeed," he thinks to himself.

─────────────────────

author's note: if heeseung and yn’s encounter this chapter didn't make sense it’s bc u prob didn’t read the PROLOGUE!!!😾 also does anyone wanna guess which idol will faceclaim yn’s ex (yes, he will make an appearance in the story at some point)🫣 + everytime i start writing like a tattoo i have to play lucky by riize🍀

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copyright © bambiens 2025.

[magicaldice]

Synopsis: Y/n goes to a party with her bestfriend without telling her toxic boyfriend. She unexpectedly meets Chris sturniolo & things start to unravel overtime.

⚠︎ : read at your own leisure.

any feedback, likes, comments or shares, are appreciated!

pt 1 pt 2 pt 3 pt 4 pt 5 pt 6 pt 7 pt 8 part 9

pt 10

It's been a week since the whole incident happened. I hadn't talked to Chris or Katie since. And honestly it's kind of concerning especially since I live in the same house as Katie.

But I had finally gathered enough courage in me to try to talk to Katie. I prayed she wouldn't slam her door in my face as I walk towards her room.

"Katie" I said, knocking on her half open bedroom door. I open the door fully, seeing Katie at her vanity. "Hey" she said. "Can we talk?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Look im sorry for the way I acted at the party, you didn't deserve to be accused of anything. I was so careless and I'm sorry" I said. Katie looked at me nodding her head.

"It's okay girl, you just kind of hurt my feelings. But all is forgiven as long as you figure out what's going on between you and Chris" she said. "Nothing's going on between me and him" I lied.

Katie gave me a "are you serious right now?" kind of look. I shrugged my shoulders, my face couldn't possibly scream more "guilty" than right now.

"I don't know why you think you need to lie to me, but it's not working" she said. I sighed, she's right. "Ill figure it out" I said.

I had tried texting Chris, but I was left on read every single time.

I feel like every time I think of Chris my heart crushes into shambles. I should of never agreed to go to that party with Jackson. I wanted to reach out to Chris. But I didn't know how, what was I even supposed to say?

I saw the way he looked at me. He looked like he had been betrayed, backstabbed, broken. And it was my fault. "You said he wouldn't get to touch you like that" were the last words he said to me. And they haunted me.

What have I done? How could I be so careless. Chris had opened up to me, he had trusted me and I ruined it.

That night at the party I had drank a little too much. More than I intended. But it wasn't an excuse. I had promised Chris that I wouldn't let Jackson touch me like that. And that promise shouldn't have been broken no matter if I was sober or not.

I needed to apologize to Chris. I needed to show him I cared, to show him how sorry I truly was. I just needed time to figure out my shit. I knew I needed to break up with Jackson. I knew that.

But it was hard, Jackson and I have been together for over a year now. I had cared about him so much at one point. I was struggling to decipher how I should go about this.

I was scared of change, I was scared of taking risk. I was scared of what the outcome to any of this would be. I felt like my heart was deteriorating from my thoughts.

What if I just let things unfold by themselves? But then again I hated not knowing if I could repair my relationship with Chris. There was no way to escape this.

So I decided to take a chance. I grab my car keys and put my shoes on. I'll show up in person, he'll have no choice but to face me.

Once I arrived to his house I took a deep breath. So many thoughts ran through my mind at once. But I continued to walk up to the front door.

I knocked, my heart and thoughts racing. And in a couple seconds Madi had opened the door. "Y/n" she said, looking surprised at my unannounced arrival.

"Hey is Chris here?" I asked. "Yeah come in" she offered, letting me into the house. "He's been kind of distant with me and Matt. But he should be in his room" she said.

I walked to his room, feeling so anxious I could throw up. I knock on his door, despite wanting to run away. No answer. I knock again. No answer. I turned the door knob, opening the door slighlty.

"Chris" I call out and then open his door fully. His small lamp on the desk is the only lighting in his room. I walk over to his bed, seeing him sleeping.

I didn't know If I should wake him up or not. I decided to take off my shoes and sit on his bed. I debated on just waiting for him to wake up. But instead I crawled underneath his bed sheets and held onto him.

I felt him move, and then watched as he fully awakened. He rubbed his eyes and then realized I was in his bed. He didn't say anything at first, just looking at me with confusion. And then he pulls me into him.

I feel relief as he holds onto me. "Chris" I said. "Hmm" he hummed his response. "I'm sorry" I said quietly. I hear him let out a deep breath.

"I'm gonna break up with Jackson" I whispered. Chris didn't respond right away. He pulled me into him closer. "I don't know if I can believe you" he whispered.

His words hit me harder than anything. "I know. I need you to trust me" I respond. "I'm going to break up with him, because-" and as I was letting my emotions flow out of me the words had almost came out my mouth.

The words that I dreaded the most, simply because I was scared Chris didn't feel the same way. I was scared that what was going on between us was just "casual" for him. I was scared that he didn't love me. I was scared the feeling wasn't mutual.

"-because I care about you. so so much Chris. More than I've ever cared about anyone else and it scares me so much" I continued.

Chris stayed silent, seemingly in deep thought. "I'm sorry Chris" I said.

Chris had shifted his position. He sat up, back against his bed headboard. "Come here" he said in a strained tired tone. I crawl onto his lap, straddled on top of him now.

"He doesn't see what I see. He doesn't care like I care" Chris said quietly as his hands hold onto my hips. "I know" I admit truthfully.

Chris moved positions again. He removed me off of him and let my back lay against his bed.

As he towered over me my heart beat picked up pace. He layed his body in between my legs, his head had moved closer to mine. His face inches apart from mine. And then he leaned in to kiss my lips.

As our lips moved against each other, my body started to heat up. And within seconds our bodies were moving with desire. With need. With passion.

He kissed on my neck, then started to suck lightly. "Chris! Don't leave any marks" I warned. He rolled his eyes, wanting to mark me up but obeying to my words.

He had taken my shirt off, revealing the simplistic bra I was wearing. He moved some of the fabric just enough to leave a dark purple hickey on my breast. And even though I had told him to not leave marks, I let him leave a mark on my breast anyways.

I loved his lips, they were my favorite body part of his, but his blue eyes came first.

Chris's hands were running all over my body, every inch. He stopped in the middle of his movements, analyzing my face. "Can I take these off" he asked softly, pulling on my jeans. I nod my head.

And I lifted up my hips, making it easier for my jeans to come off. His body laid against mine after my jeans were completely off. Our bodies grinded against each other.

His hand lowered to my clothed entrance. The only thing separating his hand from touching bare skin was my panties.

Truthfully, I was scared. Not because I didn't like what was going on. But because nobody had ever touched me besides Jackson. I had never done anything sexual with anyone besides Jackson.

I started overthinking, my body subconsciously tensing under Chris's touch.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked noticing my energy shift. I didn't want to tell him, I felt self-conscious. Chris removed his hand from my body.

"Did I do something?" he asks. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. Its just- I don't know. I haven't done anything with anyone besides Jackson. Just nervous" I confessed.

"We don't have to-" he starts but I quickly interrupt. "No I want you to touch me" I stated. "Just nervous" I said. Chris leaned in to kiss me. "Don't be nervous pretty girl, I got you, okay?" he reassured. I nod my head.

His hand wandered back down to my entrance as we continued to kiss eachother with need. "Can I take these off?" he asked, his fingers running across my panties. "Mhm" I hum my response.

And my hips were lifting off the bed again, this time to take off my panties. Once they were fully off Chris had went back to kissing me. Our tongues intertwined, while his hand lowered.

"If you want me to stop at any point just tell me okay?" He said. "Okay" I said, his fingers tracing patterns on my skin before dipping his hand lower.

His finger rubbed over my middle, feeling the wetness between my thighs. My body immediately reacted, becoming more eager. I grabbed onto Chris's bicep.

"So beautiful" Chris praised against my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut as he dips his finger inside me. "Chris" I whispered, trying to steady my breath.

His finger started to penetrate my hole. I tried my best to hold in my moans, considering Matt and Madi were in the same house as us. My back arched, needy for more.

Chris's eyes kept switching. He couldn't decide on whether to watch his finger penetrate me, loving the way my body moved against his finger. Or watch my face, loving how my pleasure showed very clearly in my expressions.

He added a finger, he drooled over the entire scene happening in front of him. My breath became shaky, Chris smiling against me as I gripped onto his bicep harder.

"You okay pretty girl?" he asked, more than amused. I whimpered as the pace of his fingers fastened. "Let me hear you baby" he coaxed. And the simple nickname "baby" alone had me falling into pieces.

He watched me struggle to keep quiet, to keep myself intact. He admired the way I fell apart. He loved seeing me in such a vulnerable state, he wanted to see me in pieces, in the most intimate way.

Chris loved when you rocked your hips, fucking yourself with his fingers. He loved seeing you so needy for him, he knew this moment would replay in his head over and over after it was done.

"Come on pretty girl, you got it" he whispered. Quiet whimpers fell from my lips, feeling so much at once. "Fuck" I cried out feeling the knot in my stomach begin to form.

"Your doing so good" he praised repeatedly hitting my g spot with his fingers. I leaned my head closer to his, needing his lips on mine. Our lips quickly found one another, his fingers keeping a steady pace.

I couldn't keep it together anymore, everything felt so good - too good. I was in such a state of euphoria, moans escaping my mouth. And within seconds my legs were shaking from the breath-taking orgasm I was experiencing.

Chris continued to penetrate his fingers just a little longer before pulling them out, sucking on them and then giving an innocent smile. I saw through the "innocent" facade he was trying to pull.

He watched me try to steady my breath, enjoying every moment of this he could. "So beautiful" he said, staring straight into my soul. As I started to find my breath I put the blanket over my body, feeling extremely exposed.

I rolled over onto my side, extremely tired. Chris spooned me, rubbing his hand on my stomach and his other hand running his fingers through my hair.

"You good?" he asked. I nod my head "tired" I spoke. Chris chuckled. "Let's take a nap yeah?" Chris said. I flipped my position, making him lay on his back so I could rest my head on his chest.

And before falling asleep, I raised my head to kiss Chris. "Do you want me to do something for you? Like give you head or anything?" I asked. Chris looked at me like I was crazy.

"I don't need anything in return, I just wanted to make you feel good" he said. "You sure?' I questioned. "Go to sleep pretty girl" he said. And within minutes I was falling asleep on his chest.

2 hours later

I wake up to Chris playing with strands of my hair. What a beautiful feeling this is.

"Well hello sleepy head" Chris said smiling. "Hey" I responded matching his smile. He played with my hair a little longer before reaching for my clothes.

I had slept without them on. And I was okay with it, I was okay as long as Chris was next to me. I put my clothes back on, feeling an indescribable emotion.

My phone started to ring, Jackson on the caller ID. I looked up at Chris who had looked extremely displeased.

I answered the phone call. "Hey" I said. "Hey where are you. I just went by your place and you weren't there" Jackson said. My heart dropped. Shit.

"I'm at my friend's house, didn't know you wanted to hangout today" I said, trying my best to not sound suspicious.

"What friend?" He asked. "Madi's" I said, looking at Chris who was in front of me. "Okay well can I come hangout with yall or something?" he asked.

"Um" I said, struggling to come up with a quick response. "I was just about to leave, I can come over to your place though" I said. Chris looked annoyed at my words.

"Okay see you soon" Jackson said before hanging up the phone. I put my phone on the bed. "Im sorry" I said, knowing Chris was upset that I had to leave.

"It's fine" he lied. "Gonna miss you" he said, pulling me in for a kiss. I kissed him back.

And shortly after I had left Chris's house.

Jackson and I had gone out to eat at a local diner. I tried so hard to not reminisce on Chris's touch that I had felt just a couple hours prior.

After dinner we went to his place, where unfortunately he was being extra touchy.

I should of known what was about to happen. Even with me dodging his kisses, he always had a way to get me underneath him.

I was breaking Chris's promise. I felt bad, knowing I was risking it all. But I felt as if I needed to make Jackson feel good one last time before breaking up with him.

I felt like I owed Jackson.

I knew this wasn't a good idea. But it didn't stop me from following through with it.

He had taken off my jeans, and then my panties. And everything was going as usual.

Until he took my shirt off.

His face looked confused, very unreadable as he stared at me. "What? Why did you stop?" I asked. Jackson got up off the bed and started dressing himself.

"What? What is it?" I asked watching him put his sweatpants back on. "I knew this was going to happen" he said under his breath.

I was genuinely confused, we were about to have sex. But now he wants to stop all the sudden. Very abnormal behavior for Jackson.

Then my heart dropped. The hickey. The hickey Chris left a couple hours ago, above my right breast. Jackson had saw it.

I took a deep breath. Fuck.

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[lush-escape]

The Vigilante's Guide to Grief

pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader wc: 1.3k a/n: sorry for the slow update - work was crazy. being a stand in hotel housekeeper is no joke. i cleaned up a LEECH. if you or anyone you know leaves their hotel room looking like a pig sty? your mom's a hoe. also I messed up on the last chapter's title - ignore that, I fixed it. prev: shock

Stage two: Denial

Hey,

It's Friday the 13th. We should be watching scary movies right now like we do every year. The classics. Halloween, scary movie, Friday the 13 obviously. A new final destination came out. You always loved watching those stupid movies, making fun of everyone's stupid choices. Christy (the stupid therapist who's not that stupid) told me it can be “healing” to keep traditions like that alive. I think it's dumb. No one will ever have commentary like you do. No one else in the family can handle horror movies like you do. It wouldn't be the same. Besides - that was our thing. You and me. Ever since we were kids.

Jason can feel those heavy emotions weighing down on his chest. For a second it's harder to breathe. He takes a second to breathe, to let his mind relax. And then his phone dings. And then again. And again.

With a sigh he picks it up. An influx of messages from the Batfam group chat. Playful warnings to stay safe this Friday the 13th.

“Jay!” You let out an excited little laugh as you curl up into your favorite corner of the couch with a blanket draped over your lap. “Hurry up, you're wasting valuable movie time.”

Jay chuckles lowly from the kitchen of your shared apartment, “‘m almost done in here, baby. Start the movie - I'll be there in a second.” He's in the kitchen getting together snacks on a tray. Popcorn, your favorite candy, cookies.

“No way, I'm not starting it without you. I've been waiting all week for this.” You look over the back of the couch and catch sight of him with his back turned to you. Big, hulking Jason looking soft as ever in your top cramped kitchen getting sweets and snacks. You let out a small sigh, your smile turning soft. There's a warmth that spreads from your chest to your stomach as it hits you just how much you do love him.

“Stop it.” He finally speaks up with a tone of amusement. He knows you so well he doesn't even have to look at you to know you're staring.

“No.” You tease him back, your smile growing more playful. “I can't help it, you're too hot to ignore.”

And even though you can't see his face you know he's blushing.

“Shut up,” You hear him mutter, bashful. “Don't say stupid shit like that.”

You laugh at him, “What? It's true.” Your voice is more loving, adoring, and it makes Jason falter for a split second.

“Whatever, you're crazy.” He teases with a shake of his head before he's in the living room with you.

“Yeah, crazy in love.” You exaggerate batting your eyelashes before popping a piece of popcorn into your mouth.

“God, you're obnoxious.” Jason smirks with a roll of his eyes as he's sitting next to you. He props his feet onto the coffee table in front of the two of you and slings his arm over the back of the couch. A silent invitation for you to cuddle into him which you happily accept.

With your head on Jason's chest and your arm around his stomach he pushes play on the remote and pulls you even closer to him.

“Ready to watch some people die?” He asks and you snort a laugh in response.

part of me hates that they don't get it.

Jason is sidetracking now, putting his every thought down.

They haven't lost anyone like I have. I know they lost you too. They all loved you love you. But they don't get it. Normal things like today? It's just another Friday to them. To me it's one of the days I can't even turn on the tv or look at my phone without thinking of you even more than I already do. It's fucking hard baby. So fucking hard

Jason stops to blink away a tear, “Dammit…” he can hear himself sniffle and he hates it. He clears his throat and continues writing.

Some days I don't want to believe you're gone…

The manor was eerily silent that day. An official two weeks after your death, one after your funeral service. It was a small gathering; the Wayne's, the Kent's, Roy and Lian and your best friend. Your parents didn't show up, blaming Jason and the Wayne family for your “mysterious” death.

Jason doesn't like to think about it. So he doesn't.

As Jason walks through the manor he already knows where everyone is, where to avoid. Duke is on patrol, Damian is doing homework in the library, Tim and B are in the cave working a case, Dick is in Blüdhaven, Steph and Cass are training in the gym.

Except Dick wasn't in Blüdhaven. Jason rounds the corner to the kitchen to find him sitting at the island staring at a cup in front of him.

Jason doesn't greet Dick, not verbally anyway, just gives a grunt of acknowledgement. Dick looks up and he can see how tired Jason is. It makes his heart ache for his little brother. There's stubble on his face, the bags under his eyes are deep and purple.

“Hey,” Dick speaks up. His voice is quiet, a little tired. A sign that he's struggling just a bit. He watches Jason pull a beer from the fridge and he sighs. For once in his life he's <I>nervous</I>. He knows Jason stopped drinking a long time ago for you. It started as a bet that turned into a habit. He's scared to bring it up but there's something nagging at him in his brain to do so.

“Thought you stopped…” Dick mumbles. He sees Jason stiffen.

“Whaddya mean?” Jason asks, he's refusing to look at Dick as he takes a long swig.

Dick hesitates, “The bet… you both-”

“Look,” Jason forces a laugh, it doesn't even sound like him, “what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Just don't say anything and I won't get in trouble.” He jokes.

There's silence. It's heavy and tense and awkward and Dick audibly swallows. He stammers for a second. While still dealing with his own grief he was having to handle Jason's as well. He felt a pit open in his stomach.

“Jay…” Dick's voice is so soft and so tender that it makes Jason turn to face him. And when he does finally turn around Dick can see how hard he's fighting to hold it together.

“What?” Jason asks in a shaky voice.

“She.. there's no one…” Dick doesn't know how to navigate this. “She's not coming back, Jay…” the words came out thick and choked one.

Jason shakes his head and forces on another smile, it doesn't even look human at this point.

“You've always been pretty funny, y'know that.” Another drink of beer. “‘course she's coming back. She just- she's just.. not,” Jason clears his throat “, not here right now. It's fine. She'll be back soon.”

Dick wonders how long Jason's been feeling like this, how long he's been in denial or if it's a new thing he's going through. But part of him is afraid to call Jason out on it, to burst his little bubble of happiness in the midst of his despair. And honestly? A small part of him also wants to believe that you're gone, that you'll be back soon from some little trip or something.

“Oh… yeah, okay. I won't say anything, Jay.” Dick is almost whispering now as he chokes on the lump in his throat.

The part of Jason's brain that knows this is just a defense mechanism is relieved.

“Thanks, Dickie.” He claps Dick on the shoulder as he walks by.

But I know you are. I hate it. I hate accepting it. This

Jason pauses his writing before finally sighing in defeat.

this isn't how it was supposed to be.

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[r473n]

BLEACH SMUTFEST

DAY 4 : FAVORITE SHIP -> KENMAYU!!

Crash mid-air

I know, shocker.

Anywayz MDNI, TW: Modern AU, Enemies to lovers, high school bully, lots of tropes, you'll be sick of me, trans man Mayuri, smut, oral sex.

6k word count

Link to Ao3

“This is an announcement for passengers on flight number 2245 to London. The flight has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions. New departure time is 9.35 pm. We appreciate your patience and understanding.”

A communal groan reverberated from one tired person to the next in the crowded sitting area at the second delay of the evening.

Sitting alone at the bar, lazily stirring his martini, Mayuri rolled his eyes.

It was predictable. The blizzard could still be heard, strong wind charging against the windows, heavy sleet falling hard on the roof.

What were those people expecting? That they’d magically come up with a way to fly planes through such horrendous weather in the last two hours? Although, if the complaint was about the patronising tone, then he was on board.

“This seat taken?” A man asked him, as he waited to be served.

“No.” He replied, not lifting his gaze from the mesmerising twirl of iridescent liquids of different densities mixing inside his glass.

“All flights are grounded, it’s chaos ain’t it? Blizzard was supposed to be over by now.”

“Predictions of the weather are famously unreliable.” He muttered cuttingly. If there was anything worse than having to wait for a plane to finally take him home after a long week working away, it was having to do it whilst engaging in small talk.

“Yeah.” The man chuckled.

He had a great voice, Mayuri thought, low and husky... very sexy. He surreptitiously glanced at him and had to do a double take - he knew that man... he knew that man very well.

Taller, older, hair much longer now, a nasty scar down the side of his face. Casual outfit of jeans and a shirt that struggled to wrap itself around a thick, muscular chest and broad shoulders. He had changed so much, he was... attractive? Well, he had always been Mayuri’s personal reminder that life just wasn’t fair...

But the issue was - had he recognised him? Mayuri shuffled uncomfortable in his chair. Surely not, he looked nothing like he did at sixteen. He simply needed to inconspicuously slide off his seat and disappear into the multitude.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be as simple as he had hoped, for the man kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye and tapping his fingers nervously on the bar. He was just about to snap at him to mind his own business when the guy stood up, chugged his drink in one go and left. Mayuri let out a slow sigh of relief, the tension slowly leaving his shoulders.

Another hour had gone past and his flight was still no closer to boarding, he was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever leave that cursed airport.

On his fourth martini, down to his waistcoat, sleeves rolled up for comfort, he tried to distract himself by revising the notes from his last case. Akon, his assistant, had done a tremendously good work, he needed to reward him in some subtle way when he got back... wouldn’t want it to get to his head too much.

“Oi, can I get another whiskey? Ain’t looking good for us, is it? You know anything?” The six-foot-seven giant had come back and was now asking the waitress, who shook her head no with a sympathetic smile.

Shit, Mayuri thought, I knew I should have just left this bar.

“Hey...” the guy tapped him on the shoulder! What fresh hell was this?? “I'm sorry to disturb you, but I can’t help myself.”

“Oh, I'm sure you can, make a little effort.” Mayuri retorted in a scathing tone.

“I just... we know each other. Do you not remember me? Not at all?”

Mayuri pierced him with a withering stare. “No.”

“Uh... I'm Kenpachi, Kenpachi Zaraki, we went to high school together.”

“I have my doubts you attended any secondary school at all, let alone my own. The chances of two students from that hellhole meeting in the lobby of a remote international airport are astronomic.”

“Yeah, I know! But we definitely went together.”

“Hmm... be that as it may, high school was full of forgettable faces, I'm afraid.”

“I remember yours.”

“It’s a big world, I'm sure many people look like me. You have me confused with someone else.”

The man let out a chuckle. “Ain’t no way, Kurotsuchi, I know who you are.”

Mayuri clenched his jaw, the jig was up. He peered at him with annoyance. “Very well, we do seem to be acquaintances. Satisfied yet?”

Zaraki slid onto the stool he had precipitously abandoned before, facing him. “Shit... How long has it been? Ten? Twenty years?”

“Eighteen.”

“Yeah... that’s a whole life time.”

“A very short one. Like this conversation.” He began to tidy up his belongings, determined to put an end to that ridiculous charade.

“Wait! Where you going? We're stuck in here, ain’t we?”

“Doesn’t mean we must wait together.”

“No... but we could. Want a refill?”

Mayuri stopped before putting his jacket back on. Zaraki was right, where else was he supposed to go? There was no other bar in the area he was restricted to, and he wasn’t going to wait another however many hours dry...

“Tsk... very well, as long as you’re paying.” He grumbled, annoyed.

“Fair. Not that you need it, I see life treats you well... fancy suit, tailored, big fat Rolex... nice shoes too. Guess you did become a doctor?”

“Lawyer.”

“Huh, not bad!” Zaraki looked truly impressed. He ordered another round before resuming the conversation. “You got a card? Wouldn’t mind some friendly advice if I ever get in trouble.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’d want me in your corner.”

“You gonna tell me you ain’t that good?”

Mayuri stared at him, was he really that oblivious? Did he really not remember? “Conflict of interests.” He responded tersely.

“Oh, yeah, never work for a friend and that, uh?”

“Not how I’d put it.”

The server placed their drinks carefully in front of them. “Did you stay in the country?”

“Moved down south, more money.”

“More expensive too. I still live home, same town, same house. My folks died a few years after graduation, I... uh, never moved out.”

“Can’t say I'm surprised.” Mayuri took a sip of his cocktail and allowed himself to properly look at him. There was something odd, something different. The boy he knew could still be seen in the cheeky smirk, the chipped front tooth, souvenir from one of his many mischievous adventures, the twinkle in his grey eyes. But there was something else now, a maturity, a manliness that went beyond the handsome square jaw, the curly hairs peeking through the loose top buttons of his shirt, the strong hands, gently holding that tiny cup... there was a confidence, a self-assurance, an openness that had Mayuri feeling weirdly relaxed, something he couldn’t have predicted in a million years. “What is surprising is you stepping out of the door, let alone traveling to Europe.”

“Yeah, not my thing really, planes. But I do this trip often.”

“How so?” Why did he feel so curious?

“Oh, uh... I have a daughter. She lives here, with her mum.”

“You got married?” Why did he feel so disappointed?

“Yeah, Retsu Unohana, remember her? She was two years above us.”

“Yes, of course I remember her!” Mayuri worried his lip, Zaraki’s eyes immediately stuck to it, pupils dilating minutely. “Divorced?” he asked on a hunch.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Freshly divorced men riddled with guilt are my speciality.” He grinned irreverently, not expecting Zaraki to catch the double meaning of his words. “Living almost fifteen hundred miles away from each other tipped me off... Plus the way you sheepishly answered the question whilst fidgeting with your wedding ring. It was either that or the prelude to it. I guess it’s recent?”

“Uh, not really... it’s been a few years. I- I should just take it off, to be honest.”

“I see... So, you haven’t moved on. Is it because you’re still as emotionally stunted as you were as a teen, or is it an attempt to manipulate your ex into feeling sorry for you and taking you back?”

Zaraki recoiled and stared at him in shock, a flicker of anger in his eyes. Mayuri gulped hard, internally cursing his tongue. A sudden surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins, readying him to jump out of the way if he lunged, but after a couple of seconds, Zaraki just burst out laughing.

“Fuck me, Kurotsuchi...” he wheezed, banging his fist on the wooden bar. “I forgot how much of a witty bastard you were. Shit, it’s refreshing.” He took the ring off and pocketed it before brushing a stray strand of jet-black air away from his face. “It’s neither, by the way. I have moved on, I'm just used to wearing it, that’s all. Feel kinda naked without it. Plus, it’s easier to avoid being hit on.”

Mayuri let go of the breath he’d been holding and took a swag of alcohol to steady his nerves.

“She’s remarried... to a woman by the way.” Zaraki explained casually. “Can’t blame her, Isane is much prettier than me, less angry too.”

“Kotetsu?” he exclaimed, almost choking on his drink. He grabbed a tiny napkin and dabbed the dribble off his chin.

“Yeah.”

“Wasn’t she the one who had a massive crush on professor Ukitake? Always tripping over herself to assist him?”

“Nah, that was the younger one, whatever her name.”

“Oh, yes, Kiyone. Isane was the older one... very quiet, almost blended with the walls. Who would have thought... opposites do attract, I guess.”

“Well, Retsu is much... milder now. She calmed down after we had Yachiru.” Zaraki said, reclining on the bar, closer to him. “They’re quite alike now, if you can believe it.”

“I’m struggling to.” He admitted, feeling a tingle run down his spine at the way Zaraki smiled at him. It was nice... No! What was he thinking? It was reckless and stupid. Like betting your life on a rollercoaster that probably never passed a health and safety check just to obtain a few seconds of intense trepidation, hanging at the highest point, awaiting the imminent drop and wondering if you’d be the unlucky bastard that meets their end when statistics determine that the thing must malfunction.

“But, enough about me, what about you?” Zaraki's interrupted his mental ramblings, “Married? Kids?”

“I... No, to both.” He lied. He wasn’t interested in being quite that honest. “Nothing much has changed for me.”

“Huh, that ain’t true... you’re a dude now...” the brute stated matter-of-factly. “Maybe you always were, but it weren’t as obvious.”

“I suppose something did change.” He admitted, a little stiffly. “My name is Mayuri now.”

“Mayuri...” Zaraki let the name sit on his tongue as if to savour it. “I like it, suits you better.”

Mayuri let out a nervous puff of laughter, unsure what to do with the small silence that came after. Zaraki’s beady eyes were scanning him, watching every little twitch, every micro expression. It was making him feel like a gazelle about to be pounced on by a predator, his hands were clammy, his stomach fluttery.

“You still dye your hair blue, that ain’t changed.” Zaraki pointed out, shifting slightly closer.

“True.” Mayuri looked down, their knees were touching.

“I like the style, sharp, elegant... broads will be all over you.”

“I'm not in...” Mayuri trailed off, unsure if he even wanted to finish the sentence.

“Not into women?”

“I didn’t say that, I'm not into anyone.” His heart was beating savagely, he was sure it might break through his ribcage if Zaraki got any closer.

“Oh, you ace?” the man raised his eyebrows. “So is my kid.”

“No, I’m not ace, I'm just... busy.”

“Uh... you gotta have fun, Kurotsuchi, life ain’t worth much otherwise.”

“My work is fun.” He countered, defensively.

“Hah! Sure, a nerd to the end, uh?” Zaraki smirked, amused by his angry scowl. He patted him on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “I'm only joking...”, so close that Mayuri almost swooned.

He smelled so good, sandalwood, cedar, something spicy and warm. Mayuri shook his head, trying to clear it of less than appropriate thoughts and shrugged Zaraki’s hand off.

“What- uh... what do you do for a living?” he asked, hoping to divert the attention from himself.

“Me? Same old, same old – security. Started as a bouncer, then got my old man’s business when he croaked it and made it bigger. Bit boring now, got so many folk working for me I don’t really get much action. They know to call me when the big guns are needed,” he winked, flexing his massive biceps. “When things get serious, ya know? I get bored with the easy stuff. Yumi and Ikkaku work for me, remember them?”

“Clear as day.” Mayuri muttered, eyes still glued to his arm, now resting on his thigh.

“You ever come back? To see your folks or anything?” Zaraki queried, taking a sip of his whiskey.

“Occasionally, not often.”

“Shame... well, if you do, drop by. I'll fire up the barbie, put a few steaks on... you ain’t vegan, are you?”

“No...”

“Good! A few bears... just the guys, it’ll be fun!”

Just the guys... It was extremely bizarre that the man that ruined his teen years, was the first and only person to accept his transition without skipping a beat, so naturally. “Yeah, maybe.” Even more bizarre was the fact that he was considering his offer.

Another charged silence fell around them, time seemed to stand still, until the sound system broadcasted:

“This is a general announcement - all flights are cancelled overnight and until further notice, due to unforeseen weather complications. We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your cooperation and understanding.”

“Shit, guess we gotta rough it tonight, uh?” Zaraki turned around, his back against the bar, elbows resting on it, and surveyed the area. “You think we can drag a few of those chairs together? Shitty makeshift bench beats cold floor, right?”

“I made a reservation at the airport hotel when my plane was delayed a second time.” Mayuri informed him, finishing his drink in one gulp and sliding off his stool.

Zaraki let out a husky laugh, “Of course you did. Plan B Kurotsuchi! Always has an ace up his sleeve, always thinking ahead, uh? You were right, you haven’t really changed much.” He put his hand forth for a shake. “Well, it was nice seeing you, catching up.”

Mayuri politely accepted the gesture, a thrill shooting up his arm at the warm touch. “Bye.” he breathed, his voice catching in his throat.

He grabbed his briefcase and made for the escalator, feeling strangely weak at the knees.

-

His room was pleasant enough, on one side a large bed and a door to the en suite, on the other, a small sitting area with a tv, coffee table and two-seater couch. The mattress was comfortable, the room clean, quiet, cool... all the criteria conducive to a good night's sleep. Yet, no matter how much he turned and tossed, he couldn’t doze off. He needed another drink.

-

He expected to find Zaraki’s massive frame curled up in an uncomfortable foetal position, half hanging off a long bench, but instead, he found him exactly where he’d left him.

“May I have a bottle of vodka, please?” He ordered at the bar, startling him.

“Hey, you’re back!” the man locked his phone screen - not before Mayuri caught sight of the logo of his firm’s website - and took off his reading glasses, a little embarrassed.

“I am.”

“Throwing a party?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Yeah, same. Used to be able to fall asleep standing up, you know? Age doesn’t forgive.” He tipped his glasses, pointedly.

“Yeah.” Mayuri frowned his brows, convinced he was going to regret it as soon as the words came out of his mouth. “Would you like to spend the night with me?” Shit, what did I just say???

Zaraki’s mouth fell open.

 “There is a couch!” He rushed to explain, his ears burning. Aren’t I right at predictions! “The- there is a couch in my room, you can use it. It’s far from ideal but it’ll be softer than hard plastic.” He nodded at the chairs.

“You don’t gotta do this. I just like to moan, I'll be fine.”

“Suit yourself, but I wouldn’t offer out of obligation. It doesn’t matter to me, with this...” He gestured at the unopened bottle the server had just pulled down for him. “I’ll be asleep in no time, even if you snore.”

“I actually do, but I don’t think it’s that bad.”

“Great, then my offer stands.”

“Wow, I really appreciate it, I owe you big.”

“Yes, you do.” He grumbled, looking to the side, his cheeks still on fire.

“Ok, let me get this, at least.” Kenpachi offered, taking out his wallet. “Can we have a bottle of whisky too, please? Ta much.”

--

Back in the room, Mayuri did his best to ignore the excited mix of feelings swirling in the pit of his stomach. He had put his Egyptian cotton pyjamas back on and gotten into bed, propped up on some pillows, and was carefully sipping vodka out of a paper cup while he tried to finish Akon’s report. Alas, his brain refused to take in a single word, no matter how many times he re-read the same paragraph.

Why? Oh, that might be one riddle we may never unravel... In a completely unrelated subject, Zaraki had gone for a shower...

He had been singing ‘I feel good’ slightly off key in a low baritone while the water ran, to then come out encased in a puff of mist, still humming merrily and wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Mayuri's eyes kept darting to the round muscles of his back, the coarse hairs peppering his still damp chest, the thick happy trail that descended down the valley of his abs into...

He swallowed around the lump in his throat, his mouth literally watering.

With his back to him, having finished answering whatever messages on his phone, Zaraki untucked the towel and let it crumble in a heap on the floor, giving him an unobstructed view of his perfect, hard ass.

“Zaraki!” Mayuri squealed, covering his eyes – and flushed cheeks - with his hand. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

“What?” the man turned around, oblivious or intentionally, Mayuri couldn’t tell, too busy trying not to have a heart attack. “We’re both dudes, right?”

“Please, tell me you have appropriate nightwear.”

“You’re lucky I even brought these.” He laughed, grabbing a pair of black boxers out of his rucksack and slipping into them.

“You have no decency...”

“I ain’t the one peeking through my fingers.”

Mayuri dropped his hand and gasped, outraged. “How dare you? I wasn’t peeking!”

“Shame, might have enjoyed it...” Zaraki pierced him with a leering stare, still grinning. “Sorry, not everyone can sleep dressed up like Scrooge McDuck.”

“Scrooge Mc- These are just normal pyjamas, there is nothing wrong with them!”

“You are only missing the little top hat.”

Mayuri scoffed with annoyance. “You haven’t changed at all, have you? I should have never shown you kindness.”

“I’m just joking! Man, no wonder kids used to pick on you, it's so easy to rile you up!” he laughed, taking a swig of whisky straight from the bottle.

“Of course, I'm to blame!” So the asshole does remember.

“Well, if you weren’t so stuck up and learnt to take yourself less seriously, you wouldn’t be such easy prey.” Zaraki plopped himself in the middle of the sofa, directly opposite to him, his arms on the headrest, slowly man spreading while smiling like a smug bastard.

“There is absolutely no point in arguing with you.” Mayuri made absolutely certain to keep his eyes trained on Zaraki’s, so they wouldn’t stray to his crotch.

“Huh... Killjoy.”

“Do you think this is fun?”

“Yeah! Don’t ya?”

“No! It's maddening!”

“Tsk, fine.” Zaraki huffed, sliding a cushion over to cover his lap and deflating a little.

“You can’t possibly have thought that your constant teasing was in any way enjoyable for me?”

“I... dunno, I thought we were... you know, reminiscing about the old days.”

“The old days? You mean school? Oh, sure, because we had such great times back then.”

“Yeah, we did! We were always together, laughing, having fun!”

“YOU were having fun, moron, I was miserable!”

“No, you weren’t.” He argued, suddenly angry. “Why did you talk to me before, then? Why did you invite me up if you hate me so much?”

“I don’t know! For a moment I thought you’d maybe grown up and that you were different, mature. Obviously, I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“You're lying.”

Mayuri got out of bed and stomped towards him, gesticulating angrily as he spoke. “When exactly did you think I was enjoying myself? When you and your gang of misfits followed me around making vulgar noises every time I tried to speak? When you hid my homework right before it was due? When you made hurtful jokes about my looks? When you stole my hearing aids and made me beg for them? When you came up with a new nickname, more humiliating than the one before? Huh? Should I go on? Write you a damn list?”

“No, that’s enough.”

Mayuri crossed his arms over his chest, fuming, chewing the inside of his cheek to stop himself ranting any longer - it would only serve to raise his blood pressure, Zaraki was never going to see the error of his ways.

The man had gone silent for so long that Mayuri just turned around, ready to switch off the lights and go to sleep. He couldn’t wait for the night to be over.

“I'm sorry, Kurotsuchi.” Zaraki’s whisper stopped him in his tracks.

“What did you just say?”

“I'm sorry, I didn’t think... I thought we were just messing around... You pranked me too!”

“I exacted revenge, there’s a difference.”

“Huh... so you really hated me?”

“Yes!” He seemed so upset that Mayuri’s rage fizzled a little. “I did... But that’s not relevant anymore, water under the bridge.”

“Yeah... but it ain’t really, is it?” Zaraki sighed wistfully, staring off into the distance. “Shit like that... it fucks you up for life. I'm sorry if I made it worse, if I pushed you into... changing.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, I don’t care about you that much. Transitioning was the best choice I ever made for myself, you don’t get to take that joy and freedom away from me.”

“Good.” Zaraki nodded, looking relieved. “You don’t gotta believe me but I really thought we were friends, I really liked you... I wasn’t smart like you, I didn’t do well in class, I would have never caught your eye otherwise.”

Mayuri scoffed, incredulous. “Oh, bullshit. Do you really want me to believe that you had no clue? I avoided you like the plague yet you targeted me relentlessly.”

“I swear! I was an idiot and clearly went at it the wrong way, but I’m being honest. Ain’t got no need to lie to you, Kurotsuchi.”

The man had a point... and if there was anyone stupid enough to confound bullying with camaraderie it was him. “You are ridiculously dim-witted, you know?”

Zaraki flashed him a lopsided smile, “Yeah... sorry.”

“Stop apologising, it’s pathetic.” He complained, petulantly. He grabbed his vodka bottle and slumped next to him on the couch.

“Huh, this didn’t go the way I imagined it at all.”

“Excuse me?”

“Seeing you again after all them years... Didn’t think for a second that we’d argue so much.”

“What did you think?”

“Thought you’d be happy to see me, for a start. I think about you loads.” Zaraki admitted, brushing an invisible speck of dust off his ‘modesty’ cushion.

“What?”

“No-not in a creepy way!” He quickly explained. “Just, dunno, I wondered where you’d be, what your life would be like, stuff like that.”

“How so? Why the interest?” Mayuri queried impatiently, annoyed at himself for caring so much.

“Guess just... dunno... Think about most folk we went to school with.” He mumbled, a pink blush spreading across his high cheeks.

“Right...” he was being so cagey, it was obvious he was lying, but Mayuri didn’t want to push his luck. Not yet.

Zaraki rummaged inside a small side pocket of his bag before producing a tattered old piece of metal. He brought it to his mouth and blew through it, producing a high pitched, horrible sound.

“Oh, god... what in the name of hell is this?” Mayuri asked, lowering the volume on his hearing aids.

“Harmonica blues.” Zaraki replied casually before resuming the auditory torture.

Mayuri rolled his eyes and took a long sip of vodka, hoping the alcohol would dull his suffering. “You just won’t stop punishing me, will you?”

The first few notes cut the air like a blunt knife, but once he had warmed up, Zaraki seemed to actually be decent at it. He began playing a catchy bluesy riff, his large hands cupping the instrument almost lovingly as he marked the beat tapping his foot on the laminate.

“So, you seeing anyone?” he queried between notes.

“No, told you, I'm a busy man.” Mayuri observed his long fingers move, mesmerised.

“Hmm... You know, there was a rumour that you and Urahara were doing it.” He stared at him and played another bit, a smirk brightening his eyes.

“Oh, really?” Mayuri laughed, amused. “Not in a million years, I hated him.”

“Huh...”

Zaraki’s lips glided side to side over the harmonica, Mayuri couldn’t pull his eyes off of them , beginning to feel a little jealous. “He ended up doing Yoruichi in her dad’s Merc, though.” He mumbled, stupidly.

“Wait, what?” The man stopped suddenly, “I thought her and that tiny dyke... what was her name...”

“Sui-Feng.”

“That’s it! Yeah! Thought they were dating.”

“I didn’t say they weren’t...”

“Ooh...”

“She was unbearable too.”

“Huh... she was loud for how small she was.” Zaraki furrowed his eyebrows and went back to his music, getting lost in the melody for a long minute.

Mayuri found himself starting to miss the gruff sound of his voice. “I heard once that Kuchiki was getting blown in the toilets by Abarai, but I never confirmed it.” He commented, hoping that revelation would keep the conversation going.

But Zaraki didn’t seem impressed. “Yeah, they did that a lot. They are married now.” He muttered quickly, returning his mouth to the harmonica as if there hadn’t been an interruption.

“I hated him too... Byakuya, what a prick.” Mayuri muttered under his breath.

Zaraki chuckled, his chest gently shaking. “You hated a lot of folk, Kurotsuchi, I’m starting to wonder if the issue weren’t us... How d’you know so much stuff if you weren’t friends with anyone?”

“I’m very observant.” 

Zaraki maintained eye contact with him while he finished the song. “What about you then?” he asked inquisitively, setting the small harmonica aside. “Who did you fancy?”

“No one, you all disgusted me.” Mayuri replied sincerely.

“Oh...”

“What about you? Or did you have eyes only for Unohana?”

“Erm... yeah.” Zaraki lowered his gaze, blushing prettily again and stirring Mayuris's predatory instinct.

“Oh... now, this is going to be a juicy piece of goss, isn’t it?” he scooted closer to Zaraki, who hugged the cushion reflexively.

“What?”

“You’re lying, you got flustered... you’re ashamed of something. Oh, yes, this is going to be good!”

“I’m not... Stop looking at me like that.” The man squeezed himself against the back of the couch.

“Come on, I'm a lawyer, there is no way you can lie to me.” He said, licking his lips and leaning closer. “Come on, tell me.”

“I... I can’t.”

“Why? I'll grant you client confidentiality, come on...”

“N-no, you really don’t wanna know, trust me.”

“Yes, I do!” Mayuri exclaimed, losing his patience. He never liked being told no. He got closer still, almost on top of Zaraki’s semi naked form, trying to coax the truth out of him. “Who was it? Why won’t you tell me?”

“I... you won’t believe me anyway.”

“Was it a teacher? Was it Ms Hikifune? You always had a thing for older women... Did you have sex with her and that’s why you can’t say?”

“No! Wasn’t a teacher...”

“Aw, come on, don’t leave me like this, I need to know!” he shook the man by his brawny shoulder, feeling the muscles tense under his fingers.

“Quit it!” Zaraki finally shoved him away. “Geez, you’re annoying!” he peered at Mayuri out of the corner of his eye, calculating. “Fuck it, we ain't ever gonna see each other after this, I guess... But don’t freak out, ok?”

“Sure.” He promised, excitedly.

“It was you. I had a massive crush on you.”

Mayuri blinked twice, stunned into silence and then threw his head back and burst into a mad fit of laughter. “No, you didn’t!” he wheezed, hugging his sides.

“Told ya you wouldn’t believe me.” Zaraki grumbled, clearly irritated.

“You didn’t like me...” He argued between giggles, trying to calm down enough to speak. “You thought I was a weirdo, a freak!”

“Nah, I only said that to piss you off. Always liked your eyes, that honey colour, almost golden... You were real pretty. Smart, too.”

“Oh, well...” Mayuri chuckled breathlessly. “Must have been a disappointment to meet me again after all these years of unbearable yearning... and find I’d changed so much.”

Zaraki simply huffed noncommittally.

“So, all those times you bullied me... to your incredibly slow mind... you were flirting?” Mayuri queried, wiping the tears that had formed at the corner of his eyes.

“Yeah, maybe... Badly.”

“Oh, certainly.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Zaraki spoke again, in a low voice.

“If I hadn’t... you know... would I- would you have- uh... did I ever have a chance?”

“A chance?”

“With you. Would you have considered it?”

“Back then? Absolutely not. You were the most obnoxious boar I ever met.”

“Uh...”

“However, now... I might reconsider.”

Zaraki’s eyes darted to his at the speed of light. “You- you would? Are you messing with me, Kurotsuchi?”

He smirked. “Of course I am.”

“Oh...” he averted his gaze again, deflated.

Mayuri felt electrified, bold, he placed his hand on his chest and caressed it softly, relishing the surprised gasp that escaped the man’s throat. He flung the cushion away and straddled his lap, Zaraki’s hands immediately finding his hips to bring him closer.

“Fuck, Kurotsuchi...”

“Shut up and kiss me before I change my mind.”

Their lips clashed in a steaming-hot, open-mouthed kiss, hands roaming and exploring each other’s bodies. Mayuri began grinding down on him, feeling high at the way Zaraki’s cock quickly filled up with blood.

The over the clothes caresses didn’t last long, Kenpachi tried to undo his top but ended up losing his patience and ripping it open, buttons scattering in all directions. Mayuri couldn’t bring himself to be mad at him, the gesture had been so damn hot he had somehow lost control of his unruly throat. He was now releasing breathy moans as Zaraki mouthed his exposed skin, leaving tingly pecks down the slope of his neck, biting down on his pulse, a hand at the back of his head to keep him in place.

He moved to lie on the couch, bringing Zaraki down on top of him and sneaked his legs around his waist to dry hump him, Kenpachi’s hard cock rubbing all the right spots with perfect precision.

Zaraki kept kissing a trail down his chest, along his faded scars, sucking bruises on his ribs, his hands slowly lowering the hem of his trousers.

“Do you wanna top or bottom?” he murmured against his damp skin.

Mayuri harrumphed, his throat dry from moaning. “I’m... I don’t carry a functional dick with me to work trips, I can’t top you.”

“That’s ok, next time.”

“Isn’t that optimistic of you...”

With a chuckle, Zaraki continued worshipping his body, licking and nibbling the inside of his thighs and calves - as if he had a map of his most sensitive spots - until he had removed the garment completely. He then made his way back, slowly teasing Mayuri into insanity, and settled against his heat, where he was most needed.

Kurotsuchi let out a filthy groan and fisted a handful of his mane without quite pulling yet. The feeling of that scorching tongue lapping at his core, sucking on his Tdick like it was the most delicious treat, was enough to make him almost lose his self-restrain.

It wasn’t until he had turned the lawyer into a moaning, sighing mess, that Zaraki stood up and took his boxers off. Mayuri chewed his lower lip, staring unashamedly at his cock this time - he needed it stuffing each and every one of his holes.

The man stroked himself a few times, spreading the precum gathered at the reddened tip up and down his shaft as he greedily took in the view of Mayuri’s perfect body.

“Do you want me to fuck you?” he questioned.

Whether he was simply obtaining explicit consent or testing the boundaries around Mayuri dysphoria, the answer didn’t change. “Yes!”

“Yes... fuck, ain’t you eager.” he lined himself up with Mayuri’s entrance and slowly drove his hips forwards until he was fully inside him. Both men exhaled in unison, overwhelmed with just how good it felt. Zaraki set up a nice rhythm of slow thrusts, sliding out a few inches before ramming himself back inside him, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Mayuri wasn’t idle himself, he let his needy hands travel up and down that muscular back, digging his manicured nails into it when the pleasure became too much to endure and sucking hard on the flesh of his shoulders, keen to leave his mark somewhere visible.

“Ah... fuck, Kurotsuchi you feel so damn good...”

“So do you, shit I knew you would be big, but not this big- Hmm... oh, yes, right there, don’t move... aaah...”

The pressure in his lower belly tightening into a ball of fire, Mayuri felt himself falling into a spiral of ecstasy, impossibly intense surges of pleasure numbing his mind, turning him blind and deaf to the world outside their little bubble of lust.

“Ah... fuck! You are driving me mad, Kurotsuchi, shit, you’re cumming all over me...” Fighting the urge to follow, Zaraki kept rocking his hips at a steady tempo, trying to prolong Mayuri’s climax for as long as he was able, before slowing down.

The man had an enviable stamina. Once Mayuri had recovered a little, he carried him to the bed, there he flipped him from one position to the next for hours on end, as if wanting to practice the whole book of Kamasutra until he’d turned his brain to mush one orgasm at a time.

Face down on the bed with Zaraki straddling his legs, his fat cock pounding his insides without mercy, Mayuri came yet again, making an absolute mess of the sheets and muffling his moans against the pillow.

“I’mmmm... n- more... no m-more, please.” He babbled, completely spent.

“Is that it? That all you got, Kurotsuchi?”

“All I got? As... as en-ticing as death by overstimulation may ss-sound, I... I want to live!”

“Tsk... weakling.” Zaraki chuckled.

“How can you last... so damn long?” he panted.

Zaraki’s erection hadn’t faded in the slightest despite the many hours they’d been at it. “I don’t want this to end, you feel too good.” He said, kissing his upper back and slowly pulling out. “Fuck, you have a sexy ass.” He commented, pinching it as he stroked himself, Mayuri’s slick acting as lubrication.

“Hmmm... maybe next time.”

“Oh, really? Next time, uh?” The man kept fondling his ass, gliding his cock between his cheeks to bring himself back to the edge. “Shit, I'm going to cum. Turn around, I want you to watch me.”

Mayuri rolled onto his back with a groan, feeling weak as jelly, but the view was certainly worth it. Zaraki’s hand flying over his length, his chest heaving up and down, beads of sweat adorning his temples. His breaths ragged, his eyes roaming all over Mayuri’s body.

“Come in my mouth, don’t make a mess.”

Shuffling forwards just in time, Zaraki brought the head of his cock to his lips, hissing with pleasure at the contact and immediately losing it, he gushed thick, milky cum into his open mouth, groaning and grunting and twitching with every spurt. “Fuck... you’re so fucking handsome Kurotsuchi, even better looking covered in my cum...”

Mayuri wanted to argue that it wasn’t a very nice compliment, if only to hide the fact that he was hoping to be covered in his cum every day for the rest of his life. But before he could say anything, Zaraki had lunged to kiss him, stealing a taste of himself before collapsing next to him on the bed.

“Fuck me... that was insane.” He muttered breathlessly.

Cleaning himself with the corner of the sheets, Mayuri hummed his agreement. “Tell me the truth... this wasn’t your first time with a trans guy, was it?”

“Nah, why?”

“I knew it! I knew you were a damn chaser. Why else would you pretend to have a crush on me? All that ridiculous nonsense about my eyes and how smart I am...”

“Pretend?” he cut him off, offended. “I ain’t pretending and I ain’t a chaser. Not that it’s any of yer business but with the first guy... I didn’t know about it until I was balls deep inside him. And you... you jumped me!”

Mayuri narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. “Yeah... be that as it may, I still don’t trust you.”

“Tch, fine!” Zaraki stared vacantly into the distance. “Wanna cuddle?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Holding Mayuri’s thin body snug against his chest was a whole new level of bliss. And when the scientist’s breaths became heavy with sleep, Zaraki began to feel a kind of melancholy he didn’t quite understand. He wanted to stay awake, to talk to him again and figure out a way they could see each other again, but after musing and pondering many scenarios in his head, where Mayuri always scurried away, he fell into a deep stupor.

When soft rays of sun filtering through the blinds roused him, he was completely alone.

He sat up on the bed and looked down at his empty hands. He supposed he should be happy with what life had gifted him, not everyone had a chance to reconnect with their long-lost love interest but he couldn’t help but struggle to focus on the bright side. Mayuri’s absence already felt unbearable and he’d only been awake a few minutes... he didn’t know how he was going to cope with it for the rest of his life.

He walked into the en-suite to splash some cold water on his face and there, stuck on the rim of the mirror, a little frayed around the edges as if the man had been fidgeting with it for a while, was Mayuri’s card, on it three words – call me, maybe.

[huckingitup]

in honor of the jdtz reunion im posting this fic rec list i sent to my friend back in 2023 I may post a part two with fics ive bookmarked since then but this is a good start for anyone wanting to dive in to their tag or revisit some faves

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45105727 - Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Linsky

Summary: Jamie’s not gonna lie, it throws him a little when he realizes Trevor is gay.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33301879 - ain't going down without a fight by countthestars

Summary: Trevor may not be patient, but he is persistent. (Werewolf au)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30566318 - any excuse to stay awake with you by andthreequarts

Summary: "Bro," Trevor says, fake hurt in his voice, hand placed dramatically over his heart. "You're going to leave me to sit this out alone? What if I'm afraid of the dark?"

"You're not," Jamie responds, dry.

--

Jamie and Trevor handle a blackout.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29790633 - my blood is red and unafraid of living by clementiae (lovesicker)

Summary:

Jamie Drysdale is nothing if not polite to Trevor, but when the team asks them if they’d be okay with living together, a muscle in his jaw twitches, blink and you’d miss it.

“Fine with me,” Trevor shrugs. A gauntlet, thrown.

Drysdale’s eyes flicker over to Trevor, almost involuntary, before he looks back at the team realtor. “Me too,” he says quickly.

(Or: Jamie Drysdale is the epitome of a nice Canadian boy, all slicked-back hair and a picture-perfect smile, but Trevor can fix that. Just give him some time.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36205570 - no more hesitations by blamefincham

Summary: “It’s not a curse,” Jamie says when they’re in the car.

“What? Bullshit, it’s totally a curse, I dunno know how I didn’t see it before,” Trevor says. “Not being able to make any decisions is exactly the kind of weird shit magic makes people do. Or, uh, not do, in your case.”

“It’s magic,” Jamie says, leaning his head against the window and closing his eyes. “But it’s not a curse.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38757903 - caught up in circles by countthestars

Summary: Jamie pauses. This feels like a test, or maybe a trick. (Time loop fic)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33007714/chapters/81927247 - California, dude. So sick. By dilangley

Summary: Jamie’s indignant expression is priceless. It makes Trevor want to annoy the shit of him every minute of every day just to watch him try to hold back that smile.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32061001 - steal the air out of my lungs by andthreequarts

Summary: It’s not just that Trevor wants to be choked by his medal. It’s that he’s actively asking Jamie for it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30649481 - What's The Over/Under On Getting Over/Under You? By neerdowellwolf

Summary: "Can we just, you know, pause for one second here," Jamie says. "Five minutes ago you were straight and now we're making you a Grindr profile?"

Trevor does stop. He sets his shirt on the bed next to him and fixes his gaze on Jamie. "I'm still straight. I just want to suck a dick. It's called coping."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36108415 - no pleasures here on earth i found by crawsley

Summary: “Z,” Josh says, and he can’t help the way it comes out kind of exasperated. “Will you just shut up and let me fuck you? What is your deal, man.”

“I don’t have a deal,” Trevor says, immediately, even though he has his face buried in the pillow and Josh can barely hear him. “Why would you think I have a deal?”

“Well,” Josh says, cautiously, slowing his thrusts to a deep grind, which actually feels good enough that Trevor muffles another moan into the pillow. “My first clue was that you called me Jamie just now.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42281415 - There's Gold in Them There Hills, or Alchemy for Dummies by CitrineDaydream

Summary: Jamie Drysdale is a witch. Well, a witch-in-training, out on his final journey to prove himself-- a pilgrimage to put himself through the seven steps of Alchemical Process. His contentious spirit guides have sent him across the continent from Ontario to California to find something that they refuse to reveal to him. Trevor Zegras is a rookie ranch hand, leaving New York for the freedom of the West. Far from home, he's still kept up with his families traditions and the ways they work with nature for prosperity and protection. He is absolutely, definitely not a witch.

Jamie is at least intuitive enough to know the gold he seeks isn't literal metal, but that's about as far as he trusts his instincts, and that's the majority of the problem. When his spirit guides freeze him out in an attempt to foster his intuition, the goofy cowboy seems to be the best bet he's got to unlock his path to growth that he can't seem to find to on his own.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34974916/chapters/87103744 - Thinking about making a comeback by theaa

Summary: “Going once. Going twice. Going three times — to — would you like to let everyone know your name, sir?”

Dylan leans over the stage and to the right, where the dude’s voice had been coming from. The mic squeals for a second before he cuts through.

“Trevor. Trevor Zegras.”

There’s some collective murmuring from the audience.

Jamie doesn’t know a Trevor Zegras. Does he?

- or Jamie signs himself up to a charity date auction, against his better judgement.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42605811 - bide your time by fiveandnocents

Summary: When Trevor finally gets his arms around Jamie’s neck, content to grind against Jamie’s thick thigh until he comes, Jamie shifts away.

“No,” he whines, trying to pull Jamie back in.

Jamie lets himself be dragged down, but only to press placating kisses to Trevor’s jaw as he runs soothing fingers through his hair. “You have two days to go.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41069556 (this one and the next work in that series r both decent Trevor/Jamie content) - Jamie All Over! By Anonymous

Summary: Trevor Zegras really needs to get over The Jamie Problem.

(Or: Jesus Christ, are these two ever stupid. I say this affectionately.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47797258 - Short Sleeves in December by makeit_takeit

Summary:Outside the windows that look out into the gym, is a guy.

He’s got dirty blond hair, sun-bleached ends curling shaggy and disheveled around his ears, sticking out from under a flat-brimmed hat. He’s wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cut out, sides hanging open down past his ribs, and athletic shorts that are hiked up to stretch around the considerable width of his upper quads. He’s standing there on the wooden floor of the basketball court, barefoot and sweaty and tan all over, looking like what California would look like if it was a person.

And his pale blue eyes (of course they’re blue eyes) are narrowed, laser-focused, and they’re staring right at Jamie.

(High school AU)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38598030 - take a bite of my heart tonight by bropunzeling

Summary: Jamie stands in front of the meat section in Vons and considers his options.

He knows he’s kind of—okay, make that an extremely—shitty cook, but fortunately the requirements for tonight are pretty simple. Meat, raw. Preferably red. Even Jamie can manage that.

(Werewolf au)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46697140/chapters/117608428 - still on my way to the top by Lewsy

Summary: “I didn’t realize you wanted me to leave you alone in the car so you could jack off.” Jamie’s eyes are wide, and he looks a bit panicked, but he still hasn’t budged from the passenger seat. “I thought you had started some weird visualization exercise or something, like the trainers always say we should do.”

“I don’t even know what visualization means,” Trevor says. “And I have to jerk off before games because it’s good luck.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32186563/chapters/79754521 - Checked Swing by dilangley

Summary: Every morning, Jamie walks out into the kitchen of the little team-provided apartment and sees Trevor Zegras in his kitchen. And it ruins his fucking day. Every fucking time.

(Baseball au)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45401050 - in the honey by donderwolk

Summary: In the club, with Trevor hanging over him, Jamie says, “It’s not really my thing, bro.”

“What do you mean?” Trevor knocks his forehead against Jamie’s, talking kind of obnoxiously loud even if he does have to raise his voice to be heard over the music. “She’s hot and blonde, babe. That’s everyone’s thing.”

“Yeah, hot and blonde isn’t the problem,” Jamie replies, at a slightly lower volume. “But like, the girl thing is. I’m gay, dude.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34128502/chapters/84909955 - We're the heirs to the glimmering world by theaa

Summary: It could rain the whole time they’re in Michigan and Jamie doesn’t even think he’d mind.

[brummelliana]

In honor of 1967, here are some of Paul's favorites from the year. (worn often)

This tan grid overcoat. He wears it into 1968.

Vests grid and MMT

Pink and blue tunics.

This shirt makes it's first appearance, he wears it during get back and well into the mid 70s.

Green shirt

This fuckass scarf.

This sports(?) T-shirt. The jacket is also worn during Our world live prep.

Ancor shirt from 1966 (first pic 66). Is there a red one, or is it colorized? The colors look pretty natural if so.

Stripey blazer, also worn during Sgt. Pepper press release.

1966 tour jacket. (First pic 66) not to be confused with the similar Apple Jacket (below) which he begins wearing late in the year.

Honorable mention to this gray sweater he wears once, I like to think it's the same one from 1963.

Another thing I've noticed is that the Beatles either share clothes (All of them!! Its not mclennon uwu as some claim), or buy matching sets, which is also possible since I've seen them match.

[lilybug-02]

Eimmet High...temmiE high. OMG!

Part 28 || First || Previous || Next

--Full Series--

Next update may take...much longer! I have finals and an internship and not to mention I have to draw- A LOT :')

[gravitasfalls]

me watching more and more people call out this fandom's ableist victim blaming garbage takes that's probably at least a little attributable to that mile-long autistic!Ford meta I wrote as a sleeper agent psyop for sanity/a final Fuck You

[quitedisastrous]

i wish i could just do nothing for a few days straight. maybe even just sleep for a few days straight. sooo excited for constant misery over the next 20 days

ranting in the tags. i would just scroll past if i were you

[post-abhumanism]

well, finally got my first win in a sparring match!

[vaguely-concerned]

I was just ambushed within the turbulent halls of my own mind by some headcanons about rye ingellvar's childhood that did 15000000 points of psychic damage to me and my heart personally and also made me almost sure of how I want to play it all at the end (very very differently from how I imagined going in!). some 'oh holy fuck this changes everything' rocking my own world bullshit going on in my neurons right now I'm reeling