#the tom in my brain wanted a cuddle and by damn i gave him one

[sassenach082]

writing update

me: alright brain chapter 18 let's get 'er done

my brain: but snuggles

me: but the angst-

my brain: no. snuggles.

[mlmxreader]

Hello, my dear! NEVER apologize for taking time to get through the asks!! Like I said, I'm very patient and I'd rather you look after yourself first, the requests come second, ALWAYS 💕. And I hope you're doing alright and that your animals are well 🖤. I'm glad that writing is able to provide you with a much needed distraction, hopefully the muse stays with you and continues to provide a reprieve. (As always, let me know if you would like requests, and I would be more than happy to send some in 🥰)

I'm not gonna lie, my brain has been so scattered lately that I cannot remember which was the last request I replied to 😓 um so apologies for that. So if you don't mind, I'm just going to start with Power Cut and work from there. If I missed others, I'm so sorry, just know that I honestly do love everything you write for the Tom Hardy characters and that I am forever grateful to you 🙏🏽. Also, some of these may be short replies but I love them all equally, I'm just a little laggy (is that a word?!) lagging at the moment (I'm so sorry!!) but I really don't want to leave you hanging for all the tremendous work you put into these so here we are.

×Power Cut×

[...] a lot of things just weren't the same when they weren't handled by you. But he couldn't bring himself to admit it, even when you pressed the mug into his hand and smiled so warmly at him. He never really felt home anywhere, but your smile always brought him there.

🥹🥹🥹

I'm sorry? Hello, cuteness overload? Yes. They make him feel like he's being rough home? ROBERT SAGINOWSKI!!!! And they cuddled in the bed 😫🫠🥰 and he's adding that to the things that wouldn't feel right if it wasn’t with them? What an unbelievably sweet and wholesome piece!!! I'm freaking gushing over here. It's beautiful!!

×Overworked×

The scent of your cologne confirmed it all immediately. He was real. Everything around him was real. It wasn't some dream. He relaxed a little, until your voice came out slightly muffled and distorted to his ears.

😟 My sweet baby Eames! My darling no!! Cobb you bastard! But I love that he has reader and that they atleast provide him with some form of grounding. The detail you put about Eames being able to discern (a little, at least) that he is in fact real when he feels them close, feels their presence, their scent just beautifully illustrates that point. I really do hope this poor man is able to find someone he can talk to that may be able to help him.

At least you knew that he wouldn't be treated like shit for going through something that seemed to be pulling apart the seams of his brain, picking away at the stitches and snapping the knots. At least you knew that he was somewhere he was loved.

😫😭😭😭😭 fuck. Let me give him a hug.

×Dream a Little Dream of Me×

My love, my life

🫠🫠🫠

Grabbing the chain around your neck, you gave it a firm tug to release the pendant from beneath your shirt; a sharp wolf's tooth, wrapped in strong metal and hanging from the chain. "Always. Do you have the chip?"

Eames patted his breast pocket. "Always."

Listen, listen... y'all are flipping cute as hell.

You nodded, holding onto him tightly as you sighed and closed your eyes. "I've missed you, y'know. Nowhere feels like home without you."

🥹🥰🥰🥰

The comment about the sides, hehehe! Listen, babe, we'll push it and you'll fold because you love us so 💕.

×Appointments×

"I won't," Bane hummed. "I'll be there every second of every day if that's what you want, little one."

Supportive and caring Bane..... yeah, he also has my heart 💓. Poor reader though! Honey, you did absolutely nothing wrong and quite honestly, I don't think you could do anything that would make him love you an less. But they'll have Bane there and hopefully they'll be able to get the help they need.

×Auguries of Innocence×

Bane quoting a poem to reader has me swooning. Big bear man, speaking ever so softly, lilting the sweet and soft sounds of prose... like damn. Holy shit, damn. That in and of itself is art.

You couldn't help but to laugh. A pink outline had formed around the contours of his mask. You made him blush; so long being together and you could still make him blush.

Ehehe! We made him blush!!! My darling, are you okay? Do you need some air?

Okay. For this one, I had to actually search this up because I was not familiar with either the poem nor the poet but let me tell you.... their prose is so fascinating! Thought provoking and it really hits you with some of these lines like:

He who replies to words of Doubt

Doth put the Light of Knowledge out

[...]

He who Doubts from what he sees

Will neer Believe do what you Please 

If the Sun & Moon should Doubt 

Theyd immediately Go out 

To be in a Passion you Good may Do 

But no Good if a Passion is in you

🤯, and also, I feel like I'm being called out right now😂!

The poem recited by Bane is: Song: Memory Hither Come by William Blake

And Robin Red Breast is a reference from Blake's poem: Auguries of Innocence

(I think I got all the references 🤔)

And yes, I will definitely be checking out more of their work, thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

And now onto the works concerning my BELOVED!!!! (I love them all but only ONE of them rules my heart and that is Alfie Fucking Solomons)

×One Look×

Okay first, I freaking love the warnings you put for this chapter 😂. Yes thank you for letting me know that this would concern a very possessive bear man!

Did he appreciate you at all?

Umm. Of fucking course. Why the hell else would we be so fiercely loyal to this man. I also love that Alfie made sure that his s/o would now exactly how to take someone out if they even thought to touch them. Like fuck 😳😳 that's hot.

Luca fully ogling reader, scripting verse in his head about their beauty...

👀👀👀 My sir, how have you not been cut down by Alfie already?!?!? Like the man can see exactly what you are doing with that gaze of yours. But I love it, because being the man of actions that he is, Alfie will SHOW him, yeah, he'll show Mr. Changretta that in this house we only see, breathe, and live Alfie Solomons.

"My partner," Alfie barked out. "You touch even a fuckin' hair on their head - I will cut you down."

HAHAHAHA. YOU'RE KILLING ME! HOLY FUCKING SHIT 🙃🫠🥵 MY BLOODY WORDS!!! HI BABE. FUCKIN' HI BABE. OMG!!!!! Fuck.... I'm sorry but Alfie.... that's fucking hot. That kiss, ohhhohohiiiiiooo, I'm dead. Fucking obliterated. I hope you know that, you've bloody killed me. In the wise words of A. Solomons: fuck me. And also FUCK ME.

×I Want You to Stay×

You would snuggle into his side - always denying it the morning after - and he would hold you [...] and Alfie would feel you fall asleep almost instantly while he smiled and, for a moment, watched you sleep.

JSLSKSBFJKSKXBDKSJXBSLSJXHS!!!!! What I would give to be snuggled up to that little shit of a bear man....

Alfie groaned, daring to open one eye. He grinned. "You were watchin' me sleep."

Cheeky bloody bastard! We fucking love him!!!

"Fuck off, I was not," you huffed. "I was just making sure that you were still breathing… unfortunately you are."

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm a broken record but I don't care, I BLOODY LOVE THEM!! THEY HAVE MY WHOLE ASS HEART!

"I fucking hate you," you muttered, your gaze going to his lips. You swallowed thickly, unable to stop yourself, your body acting quicker than your mind as you closed the distance.

FUCK ME! YES, FINALLY!!!!! Oh my and the kiss was so soft and tender and the little "Please, give us another kiss, please." Oh lords. Oh gods. Holy fucking shit. Oh my words. Hahah🙃😳🫣🫠😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰. I imagine he whimpered a little too and I'm..... I'm totally fine 🙂...

Okay, but when I tell you that I desperately needed Alfie for like this whole month, I'm not even exaggerating. My sweet murder bear!!! And for it to be the Feisty pairing ... come here, I know you don't like hugs, that's why I'm giving you several virtual ones 🫂 🫂 🫂 🫂. I absolutely adored how you had their relationship being build up from the small aspects (reader ensuring the puzzles were in place for Alfie when he got there) to Cyril, and the little dinner dates (cause that's what they were). I just love, love, loved it oh so very much!!!

Like literally, not gonna lie, if you're up for it, at this rate, my requests for Alfie may end up building an entire series around this, and some of your other Alfie pairings (AKA, the pairing where Alfie gets jealous of Cyril, definitely the My Lieutenant, maybe the Shock Troop pairing) bevause I literally CANNOT get enough of them!! I've gone feral with your Alfie writing, if you couldn't tell from before (but obviously creative liberties are always with you, if the pairing doesn't work out with the prompt, don't sweat it 💙) but yeah, i love the breath you give to the character of Alfie as well as the reader. Seriously, you are an actual gem, never forget that.

As always, I loved, loved, loved each of these so very much!!! Cannot express how grateful I am that you continue to write them, they are literally everything! Never fails to put a smile on my face. Thank you again and I saw your requests were up, so expect me on those soon, my darling! Probably tomorrow I'll have some time to gather up a list and spam you but until then, much love, stay safe, stay as well as you can be and I'll talk to you soon, my lovely writer! (Sorry for this ask turning into a miles long essay 😅)

🖤🖤🖤

🐍anon

hi!!!! thank you 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 genuinely, thank you for being so patient and understanding 🫶🏻 I'm doing as well as I can be, tbh, there's been developments but I'm not at liberty to discuss anything rn bc idk if it's gonna last, tbh. but hopefully if it DOESN'T, then I can update everyone on what's going on bc it's a lot and I'm tired bc I've been working as much as possible in order to get money 😭 writing is VERY MUCH proving to be a useful distraction from most of the shit going on rn ngl, so I'm thankful for what I can get. so you can always send more if you want to tbh.

I'm p sure the last one you read was the one before Power Cut, I THINK!!! I'm not 100% sure tho 😅 but the good news is that I updated my masterlists so if you want to, you can go through and see what takes your fancy!!!

Power Cut

THEY'RE SO CUTE TOGETHER 😭😭😭 Bob is literally so head over heels it's SICKENING, but reader feels the same so he's fine dhgkskfks they're happy, bless em.

Overworked

Cobb fucked up this time, massively. Eames is always so confident (bordering on cocky), and now he's second guessing almost everything except for the ONE THING that's always given him a reality check. reader is aware how people who experience dissociation can be treated and is gonna make DAMN SURE that Eames doesn't go through that.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

THEY KNOW EACH OTHER'S TOTEMS, THEY'RE SO ENTWINED THAT IT DOESN'T IMPACT ANYTHING 😭

Eames: don't push it

reader: hold my beer. I'm gonna push.

Appointments

SOFT!BANE!!!!!!!!!!! reader has had something happen to them that's completely fucking turned everything on its head, but BANE IS STILL THERE. he'll always be there. he loves them, he's LOYAL to them, if Dr. Frank talks shit, Bane will make sure that he gets his due for it.

Auguries of Innocence

BANE LIKES POETRY IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS, THAT MAN LIKES POETRY, especially stuff by, like, Wilfred Owen and William Blake. anything along those sorts of lines. HE IS A POETRY FAAAAAAAN

Bane might be a big, beefy, "talk shit get hit" commie w the brawn AND the brain, but HE IS A SOFTIE AT HEART 🥺

YES!!! IT'S WILLIAM BLAKE!!!!

you're spot on w Memory Hither Come and Auguries of Innocence, BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT also Broken Love. 👀

I love Blake's work, if I'm honest, I love his poetry more than his art, but honestly, he was such a beautiful poet; London is one of his most famous for good reason, it's fucking great and if you're only JUST checking out William Blake's work and you're not familiar w his style, it's a WONDERFUL introduction to it!!!

One Look

"did he appreciate his s/o?" man, you tell me lmfao his s/o is so loyal that they don't even acknowledge Luca 💀💀 let alone acknowledge the fact that he is BLATANTLY checking them out.

Luca is in a really shit situation, bless him; his enemy has this magnificent s/o, and Luca clearly wants them and he's gotta sit there and just TAKE the fact that they won't even talk to him directly dhfosjfksjg rip my man Luca Changretta but Alfie won. big time.

Alfie doesn't give a single fuck who's in the room - if they even THINK about his s/o in a way he don't like, he's gonna make sure that they know who belongs with who.

PLEASE DON'T DIE, I STILL WANNA WRITE DHGKSJGKSKGJ AND YOU'RE FUELLING ME W THE REQUESTS!!!!

I Want You To Stay

"I hate him" my brother in Christ, you literally snuggle into him at night 💀💀 what kinda backwards hate is this

Alfie's cheek and the reader's snark is literally just the best thing. they're made for each other!!

something something intricate rituals that they're lying to him about, etc etc

Alfie was incredibly down from the SECOND reader burst into his office creating a direct challenge and basically going "you fuck around, you find out". and now he's FINALLY managed to get it out if them that they like him too 🥺🥺 brown bear and Bengal tiger vibes

shfksjfiajfjakfjak I'm so glad you enjoy it!!!! and that you love the pairing so much!!!!! it's all about the little signs of intimacy, baby!!!!! the little things that add up to SO MUCH bc it's the intimacy of being *known*, and being *seen* 🥺

honestly?? I wouldn't mind that AT ALL :D especially if you're gonna throw an excuse or two to write about the trenches in there dhgksjfksb I'd love it!!!

as always, I'm so, so glad that you enjoy them so much and interactions like these are what keep me inspired to keep posting my writing 🥺🫶🏻 tomorrow works for me, tho, I've got a day off so I can sit down and write!!!

[lilliagradiewrites]

go get her, kid. (peter parker)

Summary: Peter Parker is hopelessly in love with Tony Starks’ teenage daughter, and Stark encourages him to shoot his shot.

WC: 7.4k (holy shit)

Warnings: Bad language, , really nothing else. A lot of cute peter and a painful amount fluff. A tiny bit of angst too.

A/N: I found myself watching Tom Holland interview clips today and I just couldn’t help myself. Here we are: my first peter parker/ spiderman one shot! I have some Harry and Jj pieces in the works, so keep eyes out for that!

LET’S DO IT!!!

--------

Peter  found himself in this position far too often. Staring at you shamelessly while you worked away at whatever was on your desk, usually a school assignment or some tech project. His crush had been going on for quite some time, but it was getting more and more difficult to hide.

You and Peter had been best friends ever since your dad first recruited him. Something clicked between the two of you, causing an instant friendship. As time went on, you grew closer and closer to the superhero, and he quickly became your best friend. You began surrounding yourself with his friends without even realizing it, becoming close with Ned and MJ almost instantly. They were great people, and you loved being around them, but something about Peter was just different. Your energies matched perfectly for some reason. He got your humour, liked the same things as you, plus he was a great conversationalist and an even better listener. Some of your favorite memories were made with Peter.

Despite knowing practically everything about the boy, you were completely oblivious about his huge crush on you. Ned was the only person who truly knew, though many other people had their suspicions. The Avengers had an idea about it, considering you were what he talked about 90 percent of the time. MJ could tell because of the way he looked at you. When he looked your way, his pupils enlarged, his cheeks went pink, and the look on his face was entirely lovey-dovey. It was so obvious just in the way he gazed at you when you spoke.

He was looking at you in that way now, though you weren’t aware. He was meant to be studying (it was the whole reason he came over to your house, or at least that’s the reason he told you), but he couldn’t bring himself to care about chemistry homework when you looked so damn beautiful. Your hair was pulled back into a low ponytail keeping it away from your face as you worked. Your hands flew across the keyboard on your laptop, typing out something Peter probably wouldn’t understand. He was smart, sure, but you were intelligent in a different way. You were insightful and observant, you got things other people couldn’t begin to process. Your brain understood things in a different capacity than most. Peter assumes you got this trait from your father, who was the exact same way.

“What’re you typing? Something for school?”

You nodded, your attention not wavering from the laptop screen. “Yeah, an assignment for AP Lit.”

“Oh, that one project you told me about? With the essay and the powerpoint?”

You nodded again. “Mhm.”

Peter furrowed his brows, moving off your bed to come stand near you at your desk in an attempt to get a better look at what you were working so eagerly on. “I thought that project wasn’t due for another month.

“It’s not. I had an idea for the essay, and I figured if I get started early, I have more time to edit and perfect it.”

“You’re such a perfectionist.” Peter says with a light chuckle, looking at the state of your desk. It was both chaotic and organized at the same time. Pens, highlighters, pieces of paper, a book with annotations scribbled in the margins, notebooks with neat class notes printed inside of them in your pretty handwriting. They were all scattered about the surface, but Peter knew you well enough to know that there was always a method to your madness. As you observed longer, he realized that all of the items were in different sections on your desk, based on categories and subjects. He smiled lightly, realizing that this messy but technically neat surface was probably a very accurate representation of what goes on in your mind.

You finished the paragraph you were typing with a flourish, a satisfied smile resting on your lips. “There. I have a basic outline done for the essay portion. Obviously, I’ll have to go back and add a little more and elaborate on the points, but the basics are there.”

Peter glanced up at your laptop screen. His eyes were met with a never ending sea of typed out words. He smiled; this was so you. Your ‘outline’ is another student's essay doubled.

“You’re gonna write more than that?”

You looked back at him, and he saw your face for the first time during the encounter. His cheeks went slightly pink at the sight of you, and he prayed that you didn’t notice.

You didn’t, or perhaps you just didn’t say anything. You continued on with the conversation without skipping a beat, and relief washed over Peter because of this.

“Of course I am.” You stated with furrowed brows, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “This is so boring and basic, and has no detail whatsoever. Anybody who reads the summary of the book online could write this. I want my teacher to know that I thoroughly read and understood the novel, you know? I don’t want to submit some surface-level shit, I want to really pick apart the undertones of and the meaning behind the story.”

Peter nods, pretending to understand what you meant. He’d barely been paying attention to the words you were saying, too encapsulated with your beautiful eyes to do so. You turned back around towards your work, causing your best friend to snap out of his trance-like state.

“Do you wanna watch a movie or something? I’m bored.”

You had now picked up a pencil and a highlighter, working on the chemistry notes he was supposed to be taking. “Don’t you have work to do, Pete?”

“...No.”

You paused your writing to gaze at him skeptically.

“So you did your book report for english?”

“Yes.”

“Your worksheets for pre-calc?”

“Mhm.”

“You read the assigned chapters for Pschycology and finished the quiz you had to take on them?”

A nod was your only answer.

“What about chem? We have notes, essay questions, assigned reading, and a formulas worksheet due next tuesday. Have you done all of that?”

Peter hesitated for a moment. “Yes, I have.” It was a clear lie. “Can we watch a movie now?”

“There’s no way you did all of that. Go finish your work, and then we can watch a movie.”

A groan escapes Peters lips as he turns, resting against your desk. “But that’ll take forever. Your dad kicks me out at 11:00. We’ll never have time to watch one.” He whines.

You smile slightly, unable to fight it. Not replying to your friend, you spin around in your chair, raising your voice slightly, “FRIDAY, connect to dad please.”, the command directed to nowhere in particular.

“Connecting to Mr. Stark.” The familiar robotic voice echoes throughout your room.

“What’s up, Y/N/N?”

“Hey, Dad? Can Peter stay a bit later tonight?”

“Why?”  Your dad’s voice replies through a hidden speaker, his tone almost accusatory.

“Because he wants to watch a movie but I won’t let him until we’re done with homework. We won’t have enough time to finish the movie if he leaves at normal curfew? Pleeeaseee, Dad?”

You can hear your father sigh. “Fine, but only because it’s not a school night and I’m feeling generous. He’s gotta be gone by one though, no exceptions.”

Both of you smiled widely, and you erupted in cheers. “Thanks, Dad!”

“Kid, be ready for training at eight. A later curfew doesn’t mean an exception from your early morning saturday sessions.” The statement was directed at Peter, who nodded, despite your father not being able to see him.

“Got it, Mr. Stark.”

“FRIDAY, disconnect.” You heard Tony’s voice from the other side.

“Disconnected.” The sound of the AI confirming the command filled your room, and the space fell into a brief silence once again.

You spun in your chair, turning to face Peter with a smug smile on your face. “There, now we can get our work done, and watch a movie. Satisfied?”

Peter nodded, giving a roll of his eyes and heading back over to his workspace on your bed, plopping down and continuing his assignments.

An hour and half later, Peter gave a heavy sigh, finally closing his textbook with a smile. “All done!” he announced proudly.

“With everything?”

“Yes, everything.”

You closed your notebook you’d been working in, standing up. “Great. I’ve been done for half an hour, I’ve been working on future assignments while I waited for you to finish up. Ready to watch that movie?”

Peter nodded excitedly. He loved watching movies with you, because you always cuddled up close to him on your bed while you watched. Peter loved being in close proximity to you, even though it made him a little nervous.

“What do you wanna watch?” He asked, beginning to clear his things off your bed.

“I don’t know. We can discuss while we go make popcorn.”

Peter’s eyes lit up; he loved popcorn.

“Okay!” He tossed the rest of his things in his school bag, zipping it up quickly and dropping it in the corner of your room. “Lets go!”

You chuckled at his childlike behavior, following him out of your bedroom door towards your kitchen. The entire journey down the stairs, down the hall, and to the kitchen was filled with Peter going on and on about movies he wanted to see.

You grabbed the microwave popcorn from the pantry, unwrapping it and tossing it in, starting up the machine.

You continued to listen to Peter as soft popping sounds filled your kitchen.

“Oh, you guys have Disney plus, right? What if we watched that new star wars show thingy? The mandalorian?”

You smiled at this statement. Though you didn’t see the boy in any way but a friend (at least that’s what you told yourself), you found Peter’s Star Wars obsession very cute.

“I mean, I would watch that, but I don’t think I’d understand it.”

Peter’s brows furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because I’ve never seen the movies.”

You watched in amusement as Peter’s jaw dropped, his eyes widening in shock. “You’ve NEVER seen the Star Wars movies? Are you kidding me, Y/N?”  

You laughed at his reaction, moving to fetch the fully popped popcorn from the microwave and transfer it into a bowl. “No, I’m not kidding. I’ve been meaning to watch them forever, but I guess I never got around to it.”

“I can’t believe this!” Peter exclaims in disbelief. “We’ve been friends for a year and a half now, and you’ve never seen the Star Wars movies? This is insane! I talk about them so much… did you just never understand what I was talking about?”

You shook your head, chuckling. “Nope, I never have. I kinda just let you talk about it, because I planned on watching the movies. I figured I’d understand what you meant when I watched them.”

“Holy shit… we’re watching the first one tonight, Y/N. No arguments, we’re doing it.”

You grabbed the now prepared bowl of popcorn, smiling at your friend. “Alright, let’s do it.”

You headed back up the stairs, the sound of your footsteps accompanied with the sound of Peter murmuring in disbelief as you made your way to your room.

Once the two of you arrived at your destination, you closed the door, placing the bowl of popcorn on your still cluttered desk.

Peter climbed into your bed, while you rummaged through your drawers in search of comfy clothes. “I’m gonna change into pj’s before we start, i want to be comfy.”

Peter nodded. “FRIDAY, put Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on Y/N’s TV.” He spoke out in a slightly raised voice. The movie appeared on your screen, waiting to be started as you changed.

A few moments later, you emerged from your bathroom, now wearing a pair of Nike shorts and a slightly oversized t-shirt.

“Y/N, this is about to change your li-” Peter’s voice trailed off as he looked at you. The oversized shirt you were wearing… was his.

He choked on the piece of popcorn he’d been eating. “I-is that my shirt?”

You looked down on what you were wearing, realizing that it was, in fact, Peter's. “Oh shit. Yeah, sorry. You left it at the lab once, dad gave it to me to give to you, and I guess it just got mixed in with my clothes. I’ll wash it and give it back.

Peter shook his head, coughing again. “No, it’s okay. You can keep it. It looks better on you anyway.” his cheeks went pink as he realized what had just left his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say the last part.

Your cheeks went even pinker at the compliment, which you couldn’t deny made your stomach flutter a little bit. “Okay, thanks.” You smiled at your friend, climbing into the bed beside him. You cuddled in close to him, probably closer than need be, but Peter didn’t seem to mind.

“FRIDAY, start the movie.”

---

A few hours later, the credits were rolling, and Peter was red in the face. You had fallen asleep halfway through the movie, and had moved even closer to him in your slumber. You were now full-on cuddling the boy, and he had no idea what to do. Your leg was moved over his, your head lay on his chest. One arm thrown around his waist. He liked having you this close, but his stomach was in a constant state of butterflies, and he was worried that the sound of his heart beating loudly in his chest would wake you.

He didn’t know what time it was, but it must’ve been close to one, because a knock sounded from the other side of your bedroom door.

Without waiting for an answer, Tony entered the room. “Alright, kids, it’s almost curfew, time to wrap it up…”

His eyes landed on you and Peter, cuddled up in your bed.

“Kid, what the hell is going on here?”

“Mr. Stark! Um, Y/N fell asleep while we were watching the movie and she kinda… I don’t know.. Ended up like this? Nothing’s going on, I swear, it’s just… I didn’t want to wake her up…”

Peter’s face was the color of a tomato at this point. Stark still had his suspicions about the boy’s intentions, but had a feeling that Peter was telling the truth. “Alright, then. You’d better get your ass home and get some sleep. Like I said, you don’t get a free pass from training because you were cuddling with my daughter till one am.”

Peter’s eyes went wide. “No, Mr. Stark, I- We weren’t… I Wasn’t…”

Stark chuckled at the boy’s flustered state. “I’m screwing with you, Kid. Now get the hell out of my house. I’ll see you at 8 AM sharp at the compound”

Peter nodded frantically. “Yes, sir. 8 AM. Got it.”

Tony turned and left without another word, leaving Peter slightly panicked. Did Mr. Stark think that something was going on between him and Y/N? Would he be mad if there was? Peter didn’t know what to think, but he knew that he should probably leave before Tony decided to come back.

Peter climbed carefully out from underneath Y/N, setting her head gently on her pillow. He tried his very best not to wake her as he moved out of the bed.

“Goodnight, Y/N. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Love you lots.” Peter whispered to his ‘best friend’, planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. With that, he slid your window open, climbing out of it and swinging his way home.

Peter was completely oblivious to the fact that Tony had been standing quietly outside your door when Peter said his goodbyes, and Tony saw the entire encounter. The ‘goodnight’, the ‘i love you’, the sweet forehead kiss.

Tony had his suspicions, but that night it was confirmed: his newest recruit had it bad for his daughter.

Strangely, Tony didn’t find himself terribly angry over it.

The next morning, you awoke to the sound of your alarm blaring frustratingly loud. You groaned at the noise, picking up your phone to turn it off. The time on your phone screen read 7:00 AM. Groaning again, you pulled yourself reluctantly out of bed. As much as you hated getting up out of bed, you knew you had to if you ever wanted to complete your training. Your father had promised you that you’d get a spot on his team if you trained hard enough, and you were extremely determined. It had been your dream for years to become an Avenger, so you had been training your ass off for months to earn your spot.

This is how all of your Saturdays had begun for many weeks. An alarm going off at seven in the morning, waking you up to get ready for training at eight. It was a normal routine for you at this point, but for some reason the early wake up never got easier.

You moved about your regular morning routine, heading straight for your bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face. Once your basic hygiene was done, you brushed through your hair, changed into some clothes (your training uniform was at the compound), grabbed your phone, and headed downstairs.

You made a beeline for the kitchen, where your father was already making his morning coffee. When he noticed your presence, he gave you a tired smile.

“Morning, Y/N/N. Sleep well?”

Still half asleep, you gave an exhausted nod. “I shouldn’t have stayed up that late last night. I’ll yell at Peter when I see him. He always manages to convince me to let him stay late.”

For some reason, your father gave a light chuckle at your words. “I bet he does, sweetheart.”

Your brows furrowed at his statement. Something about his tone of voice didn’t sit right with you. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You ask, making your way over to fix yourself a cup of coffee.

Your father smiled smugly at you, passing over the coffee pot and a mug. “Nothing, honey. Be ready in fifteen.”

Still suspicious, your eyes followed him as he placed his coffee mug in the sink and moved from the room. Why was he acting like this? Did Peter do something last night? You remembered falling asleep halfway through the movie, not being able to make it through the whole thing. Had something happened while you were sleeping?

Deciding not to let it bother you, you pushed the interaction from your mind, focusing solely on fixing your coffee. You were barely functional without it, and you knew you needed to be fully aware for training. You had to prove to your father that you could keep up with the Avengers, and that you’d be a useful asset to their team.

You downed the coffee quickly, knowing you had only a few minutes left to get ready. When your father gave you a time warning, he always meant it. And, you knew all too well, he would leave you behind if you were going to make him late.

He’d done it twice before.

Once you had finished chugging the remnants of your coffee, you placed the mug neatly in the sink, right beside where your father had left his. The drink had been an instant pick-me-up, and you automatically felt more awake. You found yourself getting more and more excited for the day ahead of you. Though waking up early on saturday mornings was a pain in the ass, you did enjoy training. You got to exercise, learn about cool technology, and screw around with your best friend. What wasn’t there to like?

Now that your best friend had crossed your mind, you pulled out your phone to text him. You sent him a message every morning, or he sent one to you. It was just a thing the two of you did. Over the past year the two of you had been close, it became some sort of routine.

Y/N/N: morning spidey. u awake?

Within moments, he was typing out a reply. He always answered your messages quickly.

Spidey: yes i am :) ready for training? I’m gonna kick ur ass in sprints today

You chuckled lightly at his response. You and Peter had always been insanely competitive towards each other, and it really jumped out during training. Unfortunately for you, Peter usually won the challenges. You always blamed it on the fact that he had more experience and super strength; he blamed it on the fact that ‘you suck’ and ‘he’s just that awesome’.

Y/N/N: u can try, but idk how that will work out. I’ve beaten u in all of the other sprints for weeks.

Spidey: doesn’t matter. I’m showing out today

Spidey: bring ur a-game, irongirl.

You smiled at the message.

Y/N/N: always do, spiderboy

He started typing back immediately, and you knew exactly why. He called you irongirl to screw with you, so you had begun calling him spiderboy to get on his nerves. It worked every time.

Spidey: Y/N!!! It’s spiderman!!!

Y/N/N: spiderboy!!! It’s nova!!!

Spidey: ugh. Ur impossible.

You grinned widely. Your playful banter with Peter has always been one of your favorite parts of the friendship.

Y/N/N: but u love me anyways :)))) see u soon

Spidey: u better be glad i do. see u soon

You reread the texts, unable to fight the smile on your face. Everytime you interact with Peter, you remember how much you truly love him. Being an avenger, and the daughter of one of the smartest and most famous men on the planet, wasn’t easy. Peter was the only one who had a taste of the madness that was your life. Having him around was having a sense of normalcy, and so were incredibly grateful for him.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of your voice being called from the front door of your house.

“Y/N! Time to leave!” Without hesitation, you locked your phone, slipping it into the pocket of your sweatpants.

You hurried towards the front door, not wanting to be left behind again. When you arrived, your father was already standing there, holding the door open. You gave him a smile and a quick thank you for holding the door, then made your way out. The driver was already waiting patiently in front of your house. This was one of your dad’s six drivers.

“Morning, Bernard.” You say kindly to the driver, climbing into the back seat of the range rover. “How are you today?”

“I’m doing wonderful, Y/N. How are you?” The older man replied. You really liked Bernard, he was one of your favorite drivers. He was an older man, in his mid seventies, and you found him to be the sweetest person in the universe. Sometimes, he’d bring you your favorite candy when he used to pick you up from school, and he was always so considerate and kind.

“I’m good. Tired, but good.”

The man smiled at your reply. By this point, your dad had finished locking up the front door of the house, and he climbed in the backseat beside you.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark.” Bernard said professionally to his new passenger, and your dad nodded as a reply.

“Morning, bernard.”

The conversation ended there between the two men. Your father wasn’t a very social person with people he didn’t know, and Bernard was aware of this fact. He mostly talked to you when you were in the car, and Tony went on his phone and did Lord knows what.

“How is Dorothy doing? Is she feeling better?” You asked the man as he began pulling out of your driveway. Dorothy was Bernard’s wife, and she’d gotten sick the week prior. Given her age, Bernard was very worried about her.

Bernard smiled at your question. “Much, much better. They released her from the hospital yesterday, she’s back home and doing great. Thanks for asking.”

“Of course!” You grinned back. “Did you ever find out what she had?”

“Pneumonia, just a very bad case of it.”

You nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m glad she’s better! I was worried when you first told me.”

The conversation continued, talking about anything and everything as you drove to the compound. He told you about his wife, his four kids and what they’re doing. His granddaughter had a baby a few days before, and he was extremely excited about it.

After a 20 minute drive, you pulled up to the building you knew so well. Bernard went to the normal procedure of getting through the front gates, and then pulled up to the front of the compound.

“Well, here we are.” Bernard announced, parking the vehicle. You and your father began climbing out of the backseat.

“Thank you, bernard. Tell your granddaughter I said congratulations!”

He wished you a kind goodbye, and then you were gone, leaving the car and heading towards the compound.

When you walked into the main section of the building, you spotted your best friend in the kitchen. You had to admit, he looked incredible, standing near an open window in the early morning light. He was already dressed in his sleek, black training uniform. It was tight against his body, showing off his muscled body. Sometimes, you forget how beautiful Peter is.

“You’re staring…” A singsong voice came in your ear. You whipped your head towards the voice to see your father walking away from you, smirking. You stood there, feeling slightly confused. Had you really been staring at Peter?

At times, you forget that Peter is only your best friend. The two of you act like an old married sometimes. You spend all of your time together, and you know each other so well.

Strange feelings you couldn’t understand had crept up on you before, especially recently. You couldn’t deny Peter was attractive, and he was a great person, too. How could you not love him? The issue is, you found yourself loving him in a different way than before…

You shook your head, clearing your thoughts. You couldn’t be thinking about this right now, it’s not the place or time. Peter was standing right in front of you, and you needed to be focused for training.

You could process your feelings and emotions at a later time.

You began walking up to Peter, who was leaning up against the counter holding a cup of coffee.

“Morning, loser.” You said teasingly, greeting your friend. His head snapped in your direction, and he smiled when his eyes found you. (You thought you could see his cheeks go pink, too, but you forced yourself to ignore it.)

“Hey! How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good.” You replied, leaning against the counter beside him. “I didn’t even notice that you left last night, I was really out. Did my Dad come in and tell you to leave?”

The pink in Peter’s cheeks darkened at your statement. Of course, this was the perfect time for your father to reenter the room. “Yeah, I did. He seemed very comfortable, but I kicked him out at one.”

Peter and your father were making direct eye contact. Your dad had that stupid smirk on his face, and peter was bright red.

You looked between the two of them, not knowing what to think. Before, you were just suspicious, but now it was confirmed: something happened last night between the two of them, and you were determined to find out what.

Hours later, you’re completely exhausted from training. You worked your ass off, and had successfully beat Peter in sprints.

“That’s right! You lost! How amazing is spiderboy now?”

Peter rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. “Whatever, Y/N. I let you win.”

Your jaw dropped. “You did not! I won because I’m better!”

Peter just smiled at you. You took a swig of the water bottle in your hands, turning around to look at your friend as you did.

The sight you were met with was very sweet. Peter stood there, smiling at you with a look you could only describe as adoration. You looked back at him, a small grin resting on your face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” The brunette boy says cheekily.

“Why are YOU looking at ME like that, Parker?”

You took a step closer to him, his eyes widening slightly at your movement. He said nothing in response to your question (though it felt more like an accusation), and you smiled again.”Got nothing to say?” Your voice was barely a whisper.

“Parker!” You jumped what felt like 20 feet in the air at the sound of Natasha’s voice, breaking up the little moment between you and Peter.

You stepped back away from him, and you couldn’t help but notice the sadness flash across his face before he turned to the other woman in the room.

“Yeah, Nat?”

“Tony needs your help in the lab. I believe his exact words were ‘he needs to be here in five or I’ll kill him.’ A few minutes have already passed, I’d start running if I were you.”

Peter’s eyes widened for the second time. “Oh, shit, okay. Thanks, Nat.” He turned his head quickly in your direction. “I’ll meet you in your room when I’m done, okay?”

You nodded with a smile. Peter planted a quick kiss on your forehead before jetting off in the direction of the lounge.

Grinning to yourself, you turned towards the sink, your back facing Natasha. You begin cleaning out your now empty water bottle, thinking over the previous interaction with Peter. You loved when he kissed your forehead.

“So, how long have you liked him?” You were so deep in thought, Natasha’s voice made you jump once again. When you’d fully processed her words, your cheeks went pink.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh, don’t give me that. I know you like him.”

“Like who?” Play dumb. That’ll throw her off your trail… right?

“Peter! Come on, you’re caught. Just admit it, Y/n, you’re making things harder on yourself.”

Finally, you sighed. Drying your hands on a towel, you turned reluctantly back towards Nathasha. “Is it really that obvious?”

The woman broke out into a grin at your words. “Of course it is! You two are hopelessly in love with each other. It’s almost hard to watch.”

Your cheeks went pink at her statement. “With each other? Oh, no. You mean I’m hopelessly in love with him. It’s not mutual. I’m just his best friend.”

Nat rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh, come on! ‘Just his best friend’ my ass. He loves you, Y/N. He’s even more obvious than you are.”

You shook your head quickly. “No, I promise you’re wrong.”

She looked at you pointedly. “I was right about you, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, but…” Your voice trailed off. You couldn’t argue with that. Nat grinned smugly at your reaction.

“That’s what I thought. Please confess to him when he meets you in your room later. It’s painful to watch, I can’t do it any longer.” And with that, Natasha was gone, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Was it really thought obvious? Could everyone tell how you felt about peter? You could hardly even tell how you felt about him; the line between best friend and crush had been blurred for so long. If everyone could tell that you were hopelessly in love with your best friend, you would be incredibly embarrassed.

Even worse… what if Peter could tell that your in love with him?

You shook your head, as if clearing your thoughts. No. You couldn’t think like that. Of course he didn’t know; he would’ve said something.

Right?

Sighing, you walked off towards your room to take a shower, pretending you weren’t going to think of him while you were in there.

---

While Natasha was exposing your feelings, you were completely oblivious to the fact that Tony was doing the same thing to Peter in the lab.

When the boy walked in, Peter fully expected that he was being called for one of three reasons.

One: Tony had a new mission for Peter.

Two: Tony needed help with an experiment.

Or, three (the scariest option): Tony wanted to scold him for (albeit unintentionally) cuddling with his daughter the night before.

Peter could only be described as apprehensive as he walked carefully into the lab, where Tony was hunched over a table, working on something that Peter couldn’t see.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter spoke nervously, a timid way of letting Tony know of his presence. ���Nat said you needed me. Is that true, or was she just trying to get rid of me?”

“No, no, I called for you.” Tony replied. He made a few last touches on whatever he was working on, then turned around towards peter. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Okay, option two is eliminated. Now, the question at hand is: will it be option one or three?

“Oh, okay. What about?” Peter said casually (or at least, that's how he hoped it came across.)

Tony gave a pointed look to the boy before speaking again. “My daughter.”

Peter’s eyes widened slightly.

Shit, shit, shit.

Option three it is.

“Is this about last night sir? I swear I can explain-” Peter was quickly speaking.

But, before he could finish, Tony was cutting him off.

“This isn’t about last night, kid. I mean, it kind of is, but not really.”

Peter’s brow furrowed.

Unknown option number four?

“What do you mean, sir?”

“I saw what happened before you left last night. The forehead kiss, the ‘I love you,’ all of it.”

Peter was bright red in seconds. “Oh…”

“Do you love my daughter, Peter?”

The boy’s cheeks somehow managed to go a darker shade of pink.

“I-I uh.. O-of course I do, she’s, uh, she’s my best friend.” Peter stammered out.

Tony narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what I mean, Peter.” The man says, his tone borderline accusatory. “Do you love her, love her?”

Silence. Peter didn’t know what to say, so he opted for nothing at all.

“I already know the answer, Peter, so you might as well just come out and say it.”

Peter pondered his next move. If he played his cards wrong, this conversation could end in him losing his life. Tony Stark was not one to be messed with, especially when it comes to Y/N.

On the other hand, Tony Stark was not one to be lied to, either.

Peter sighed, accepting his fate. “How did you know?”

Much to Peter’s surprise, Tony gave a small smile. “I see the way you look at her, kid. I’ve looked at many girls like that in my day. That enamoured look. You're in love with my daughter, and I have some questions.”

“Questions?”

“Yes, questions, kid. Keep up.”

Peter nodded. “Alright.”

“How long?” Tony asked.

“How long…?” Peter didn’t understand what Tony was aking.

“How long have you been in love with Y/N! How long have you known?”

Peter looked away, breaking eye contact momentarily out of nerves.

When did he begin loving you? Now that he’s truly thinking about it, he can’t really remember.

Maybe it was the first mission that the two of you did together, back when you still known as irongirl. It was a bank robbery, an easy task that Tony had given for your very first mission.

Maybe it was that one time when you dragged him out of bed at 6 AM so that you could show him your favorite coffee shop.

Perhaps it was when you took that faithful mission to Asgard, when you gained your powers accidentally, earning your new title as Nova.

Or, it could be the time that you and him stayed up late binge watching a show he couldn’t remember. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you that night. You looked so beautiful that night, getting excited as something cool happened in the show. Your hair was tied back, wearing an oversized shirt, your face makeup free. He couldn’t help but smile as you laughed, and didn’t think he’d ever heard a more beautiful sound in the world.

Yeah, he thinks it was that night.

“Um… about ten months ago, I think? That’s when I realized, but I think I’ve loved her for longer. I just forced myself not to acknowledge it, I guess.”

Tony nodded in understanding. “I get that. What is it about her?”

Another question the boy had to think about.

“There’s a lot of things, I think. Like how excited she gets when she talks about things she’s passionate about. Oh, and the way she laughs when something’s funny in a movie or a show or something. And the way she sends me memes or videos that she thinks are funny. They’re usually not very funny, but of course I think it’s hilarious just because she sent it to me. And she always listens to me when I talk, even if I’m talking about something stupid and boring like science stuff I think is interesting. She talks back to me like she cares what I’m saying, and I know she probably doesn’t, but she acts like she does, and that’s enough. She always drags me out to go on adventures, or, at least, that’s what she calls them. Usually it’s just going to get coffee or try out some new restaurant she heard about but it’s still fun. She’s just so amazing, and I think she makes me the best version of myself.”

The rant ended, and for a moment, Peter forgot that Tony was even in the room.

“Damn. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m impressed, kid. To be honest, I expected some shallow answer like ‘she looks hot in her suit’ or something like that.”

“No, sir. Of course, she’s beautiful, but Y/N is just so much more than that.”

Tony gave another sweet smile to the boy in front of him.

“She likes you, too, you know.”

Peter’s head snapped toward Tony again.

What the hell did he just say?

“What?”

“Y/N. She likes you.”

“No way. She just sees me as her best friend. I’m probably like a brother to her. She doesn’t like me like that.”

“But she does, kid. I know my daughter better than I know myself. She is head over heels for you, spidey. Which is why you should tell her how you feel.”

“Tell her how I feel? Why would I do that?”

“Because she likes you, too, and then you two will be stupid kids in love.”

“Are you serious?”

“Aren’t I always?”

Peter paused for a moment. “I thought you’d kill me when you found out I liked your daughter, not convince me to go talk to her about it.”

“I’m gonna be honest with you, kid. I brought you in here with the intention of killing you, or just telling you to stay away from my daughter. But after you went on that little rant about why you loved her, I just couldn’t tell you to keep away from her. You really love her, kid, I can tell. So go talk to her.”

“You’re sure you won’t be mad if I ask her out?”

Tony shook his head and smiled.

“Go get her, kid.”

-------

Freshly clean and feeling a significant amount better, you sat on your bed scrolling on your phone. Thoughts of Peter had begun to fade (mainly because you forced them out of your mind) and that helped to keep you from stressing about what’s to come.

You had decided to confess how you feel to Peter.

True, this plan could ruin everything. Today could be the day you lost your best friend, and that thought made you want to cry.

But today could also be the day you finally get to kiss the boy you’ve loved forever, and that thought also made you want to cry.

You didn't have much time to think about it further, however, because Peter was knocking on your bedroom door.

“Y/N? It’s me. Can I come in?”

You paused immediately, your heart rating speeding up.

Oh, shit. This is it. This could be the beginning or the end of you and Peter Parker.

You took a deep breath, steadying yourself. It was now or never.

“Yeah, Petey, come on in.”

The door opened, and the boy you loved so much walked in. His cheeks were pink, you noticed. His cheeks only went pink when he’s nervous. Why was he nervous?

You could tell by his damp hair that he had also showered before coming to your room.

“I need to talk to you about something.” He rushes out.

Oh.

“Same.” is your reply. What else are you meant to say?

“Oh, really? Well, uh, you can go first. I’ll wait.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, you first. You said it first, so it’s only right that you go.”

Peter’s hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it. Another nervous habit of his.

“Can I sit down?”

You nodded. Why was he even asking? Usually he’d just plop down whenever he pleased, no questions asked. This behavior was very out of character for the boy you knew so well.

The boy sat down on the edge of your bed, and then took a deep breath. “Okay. I don’t know how to tell you this, but I just have to. I don’t want you to hate me, and I really hope this doesn’t affect our friendship, but…”

Peter paused for a moment, and looked into your eyes. They were brimming with concern, and he just couldn’t hold it back anymore. He broke the eye contact you’d been maintaining, mustered up all the courage he could, and then blurted it out.

“I’m in love with you. I have been for I don’t know how long. I wasn’t planning on telling you, because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but it was starting to get physically painful and I just- I can’t hide it anymore. I love you and I’m sorry.”

Peter clenched his eyes shut, unable to look at your face. He waited (very anxiously) for a reaction, but it never came. Eventually, he opened his eyes, gaining the burst of bravery it took to look at you.

Your jaw was dropped, the expression on your face unreadable.

Oh, no. No no no no no. He’d fucked up. He fucked everything up and now you were never going to speak to him again. He’d lost you. Damn you, Tony Stark.

“Y/N…” He began his apology solemnly. “I’m-”

But he never got to finish his sentence.

Because you were pouncing on him before he had the chance to.

You were on him within seconds, kissing him with so much intensity that he fell back on the bed. He was taken aback for a moment, but quickly kissed you back.

For a moment, the two of you just lay there, wrapped in one another, kissing like there was no tomorrow.

A kiss that made up for all the ones both of you had longed to have in the months before.

You pulled away gently, looking into Peter’s eyes.

“I have loved you for so fucking long, Peter. I was going to tell you that I loved you today.”

“Are you serious?”

You laughed lightly. “Of course I’m serious, you dumbass.”

“Hey!” Peter feigned offense.

You pecked his lips. “You’re a cute dumbass, though.” And then you were kissing him again, and it’s all you could’ve asked for.

----

After a while, the two of you had finally tired each other out, and now you sat cuddled against each other on your bed. No movie or show was playing; it was just you and Peter, listening to each other’s breathing and the sound of your heartbeats.

You looked up at the beautiful boy you were cuddling with, only to find he was already looking down at you.

“Aren’t you going to ask me out, Parker?”

Peter’s eyes widened, and his cheeks went red (for the millionth time that day.)

“Oh, yeah, I- I just thought- nevermind, uh- Y/N, will-”

“Yes, of course I’ll be your girlfriend, Petey.” You cut him off, saving him a few extra minutes of nervous stammering.

He smiled sheepishly at you, then leaned down to bring you into a kiss.

You cuddled back down into his chest, smiling warmly.

You can confidently say that right now, in this moment, you are the happiest you’ve ever been.

[thatasianstereotype]

Damn, You’re Looking Fine.

To my utter delight, my crack writing Fuck. I’m Gay. got a good reception. I was not expecting to write more for this AU/pairing. But why not? I got some ideas and a computer to write them down on.

So this fic is the took-a-while-to-put-together sequel. It’s focused on the downfall of one certain Liar-la, Damian wooing Adrien with all the flair and romantics as his Chaton deserves, and Adrien being a blushing hot gay mess. 

P.S. Damian’s formal way of talking is an utter pain to write but hilarious to read.

P.S.S. Creative liberties were taken. Again. I just feel this needs to be mentioned. 

.

.

.

So Status Update:

Adrien and Damian are definitely dating (It is totally official. Told you ya boi got game).

Adrien still calls him Hot-And-Sexy from time to time much to his utter mortification (He can’t make himself stop. Please send help). And Dami gets amused by it every single time, that arrogant smug jerk.

Marinette still puts the fear of god in Damian and he is wary of her. She feels very proud about that. Adrien wants to facepalm.

Fuck Gabriel Agreste.  

And Lila Rossi is still a bitch.  

Adrien and Marinette were made aware about Damian’s alter ego —well mostly because he is utterly terrified of Marinette’s seemingly sweet (icy) smile she gave him when she politely asked how he obtained the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous and partly because of Adrien’s pouting kitten eyes. 

They truly were a pair to reckon with. 

.

“I am not sure why the Justice League dismissed your concerns and pleas for assistance. So I am taking the initiative. My name is Damian Wayne, the son of Batman and the current Robin and leader of the Teen Titans.”

He’s a superhero too?! And it’s Robin!!! One of his favorites!! Can you hear him internally squealing in excitement?

Adrien bit his lip to keep from fanboying right then and there. But a slight pink hue spread across his face. 

“You’re not lying.” Mari has gotten pretty good at deciphering through people’s bullshit. Whether it’s because she is now a Guardian or because Lila’s bitchiness made her a human lie-detector remains unknown.

Damian took it in stride. “I am not.”

“Paris is still our city.”

“I am only offering my assistance.” He won’t barge in on their superhero duties to the city. He has more class than that.

Mari didn’t have to look at Adrien to know his decision.

She smiled, a bright genuine smile. “Then we’re allies.” Before her eyes gained a spark of mischief and her smile turned teasing. “Hot-And-Sexy.” 

“Marinette!” Adrien immediately covered his blushing bright red face with both hands, utterly mortified. 

His sister was evil. E. V. I. L. And why is Damian smirking and looking so smug? Fuck! He even makes that look completely hot. Curse his Adonis genes. And curse his teenage hormones. 

He regrets introducing the two of them together. What a pair they make. Truly a couple of fur-midable terrors here. 

.

Back to the matter at hand, Marinette is able to ensure that Hawk Moth and Mayura will never be out again and another akuma won’t be made. She already made sure that the miraculous were better protected. 

Damian has enough evidence to put them behind bars for their crimes but Marinette wanted to go through it and make sure that Adrien won’t suffer the repercussions of having a villain for a dad so they held onto it until they figure out how best to protect their sunshine. 

.

Ah Shit. 

“Duusu? Where are you?” 

Did Gabriel lose the miraculous again? 

But when he looked into the last place he left it, he groaned. Fuck. His brooch was a fake again.

He knew he shouldn’t have made a miraculous fashion line and had replicas of the miraculous jewelries made. It was his most popular items to date. He has gotten lot of praises for getting the details just right and capturing the essence of each miraculous holder. No surprise there. He deals with them on a daily basis. He should get the details fucking right. 

It’s a wonder he only came up with a line because there was talk that he was becoming obsolete with no new ideas coming forth and if there is one thing that Gabriel Agreste isn’t, it is being obsolete. 

The line was just a joke, a parody of the heroes and villains if you will, but apparently people like it. Ladybug and Chat Noir were the most popular obviously (he should’ve seen that coming to be honest). Hardly anyone buys Hawk Moth or Mayura and he is left with boxes of fake brooches. 

It is annoying.

Especially since he keeps fucking misplacing his miraculous. 

.

Adrien felt like he could be a Disney princess and just skip his way to school and sing for the world to hear. 

Now that the Butterfly miraculous were safely with Marinette, he doesn’t have to worry about another akuma. He could just die happy right now. His dad doesn’t have a hold over him anymore. He doesn’t have to put up with Liar-la anymore. But if they put up a fuss? Well, worst case scenario is he becomes a Dupain-Cheng. 

And he doesn’t mind. He’s already an honorary one. 

And if that somehow doesn’t work out (which he highly doubts), Damian offered to make him a Wayne. 

.

Françoise Dupont High School experienced a shock that morning. Specifically Ms. Bustier’s class. 

When they saw Adrien and Marinette walking in class with arms intertwined, laughing and smiling together. 

What the actual fuck?

Did they cross into an alternate universe? Marinette is a nasty bully and Adrien’s a pure sunshine child. Why would they be acting like they were the best of friends? 

Lila glowered darkly when she saw them walking towards the back and sitting at the same table. Didn’t Adrien care about what his father thinks? Doesn’t he want to still be able to go to school? 

She bit her lip and turned on the waterworks, her eyes close to bursting into tears. She made herself be the very picture of a pitiful woe-is-me victim as she cried out in a hurtful and betrayed tone. “Adrien, what are you doing with her? I thought we were close friends.” 

The sheep class instantly catered to Lila, pointing their fingers at the pair. 

Alya, her biggest supporter, led the charge as always. “Adrien! What do you have to say for yourself? How could you cheat on Lila like this? And with her?” 

Adrien narrowed his eyes at his former friend. Bitch, how dare she implies he was in an actual relationship and had feelings for that harlot. 

Wow. 

He has been spending way too much time around Damian. 

"Yeah, bro!” Kim said, raising his voice. “How could you do her dirty?” 

“Okay guys.” Adrien cut in. “I don’t know where you heard that but me and Lila are not dating. Like at all.” 

“Please.”Alya waved him off like he didn’t know what he was talking about (he was highly offended at the notion he didn’t know what his heart yearns for). “We all know you have feelings for Lila. You’re just in denial over them.”

Bitch, what?

Is no one catching onto his chaotic gay vibes here?  

And oh, how his fragile little heart was betrayed yet again when he saw Nino supporting his girlfriend. He still couldn’t believe the first friend he made all by himself was a part of their rabid pack. He deeply mourned the loss of such a great friend in the midst of that deceiving fox’s claws. 

“How many times do I need to say it?” At this point, Adrien was about to throw hands. “I don’t like Lila like that. I feel nothing but pure spite for her. Also, me and Marinette are not dating if anyone’s wondering. We’re just really good friends.”

“But Marinette’s a big bully.” Alix piped up, a hard edge in her voice. “She treats Lila horribly.”

“Marinette didn’t do anything to her. Rossi is lying.” 

“Oh Adrien.” It was Mylene of all people who spoke up. “Did Marinette get to you with her lies?” 

He was done. 

Completely and utterly done. 

He looked over at Marinette who shared his exasperation at the class’ antics. 

Adrien already said it before. But it bears repeating.

Lila Rossi is a bitch.

Luckily (or maybe unluckily), that was the moment Ms. Bustier chose to step in the room and class started. 

When the teacher’s back was turned, Adrien pulled out his phone and proceeded to spend the rest of the time alternating between taking notes and texting with Damian. 

They were currently at the stage of their relationship to be sending animal pics and memes back and forth, with a few puns added from time to time. 

He really does have the perfect boyfriend. 

.

They cornered him after school. 

One: Rude. 

And two: Double rude. 

He was excited to meet Hot-And-Sexy (daMn iT! It’s Damian! Get it right brain) at the bakery and spending time with his two most favorite people in the world (Tom and Sabine don’t count because actual parents don’t have a ranking). 

His former friends were looking all concerned and everything because they somehow collectively came up with the idea that Marinette actually brainwashed him to believe Lila was evil. 

The fucking irony. 

They actually had the audacity to say that Marinette —sweet and honestly badass Marinette— was no good and just wanted to use Adrien to get ahead in the fashion industry (as if Mari actually needed him for that). He shouldn’t be around her. Lila was a much better person to keep as company. 

Adrien laughed in their faces and left. 

.

Onto happier events, Adrien was having a blast hanging out with Mari and Dami. His boyfriend (he still can’t believe he managed to score such a hottie!) fit right in the everything-that-matters siblings’ dynamics. 

They were in Mari’s room. Adrien was cuddling with Damian on her bed. And Mari was at her desk working on fashion designs. 

“So what’s your family like?” He played with Dami’s hair. It was so soft. Like what the fuck. It is so unfair. 

Damian thought about it for a few seconds. “My family is a bit...crazy. We drive each other insane every other day but at the end of the day, I have no doubt they have my back as I have theirs.” 

“You guys sound close.” 

“We were not always. We had an extensive amount of issues to work through before we actually bonded as a true family.” 

It was quiet for a minute until Damian casually said. “I would appreciate it a great deal if you can make time to visit Gotham for the summer.” 

Adrien stopped playing with his hair to look at him with wide incredulous eyes. “Summer’s only two months away.” 

“I am aware.” 

“You really want me to meet them? Isn’t it too early?” 

“I met yours the day we started dating.” 

True but....

Adrien averted his eyes. “Do you think your family will like me? You guys fight criminals and my dad’s a villain.” 

Damian put his hands over Adrien’s and gave them a light squeeze, making his Chaton look back at him. 

“My mother is a villain and I was raised as an assassin. Yet despite of that, my father accepted me. And I am fairly confident he will do the same to you. Mon amour, you have a pure and selfless heart. You are a better person than I am. I have no doubt that my family will love you from the start. 

“Are you being fur real right meow?” Adrien tried to lighten the atmosphere but he could feel his eyes tearing up. 

"I wouldn’t lie to mew.” 

He let out a small laugh, wiping his eyes. How did he ever get so lucky to land such an amazing guy? “You always know the purr-fect thing to say.” 

“We get it you’re in love. It’s amazing. Now stop it with the puns.” Mari rolled her eyes, utterly exasperated at these idiots who just ignored her and pulled out even more cat puns. “You have got to be kitten me.” 

Before she noticed what she said and groaned in faux despair. “Oh you two are so dead.”

Adrien stuck out his tongue playfully. “You can’t catch me. I got a handsome knight in shining armor to protect me.” 

Damian interlaced their fingers. “Always, mon amour. I’ll protect you from everything like your wicked father.”

“Does that make me the dragon here?” Mari joined in. “Cool. I can breathe fire and torch people. Too bad I can’t do that to a certain liar.” 

“Liar-la is totally the witch here.” Adrien said before thinking for a few seconds. “Does this make me the princess?” 

“Well, knights always have to save the damsel in distress.” Mari said. 

He frowned before crossing his arms indignantly. “Dami, I love you more than Plagg loves his stinky cheese, but I’m no damsel in distress.” 

Damian rolled his eyes. “Tt. Of course not. You can destroy things with a single touch. It would be not be in my best interests to downplay your abilities.”

Adrien relaxed and beamed a sunny smile. “Good. Remember that.” 

“Mon amour, I look for an equal as a partner, not some weak spoiled harlot that can not defend their self.” Damian placed a flower crown (that was just sitting on Marinette’s nightstand, must be one of her projects) on Adrien’s head. “Having said that I do believe you are a prince that deserves all the love and care in the world.” 

And oh my. 

Adrien can feel his face burning scarlet and his heart almost bursting at how sweet this incredible, conceited Adonis was. 

He was falling in love with Damian over and over again each time they meet up. 

“You deserve love too, Dami.” 

And sweet, caring Hot-And-Sexy (Ah, fuck it. He will never grow out of that) placed a soft kiss on his cheek. 

Oh dear, he didn’t know his face can burned any redder. 

He could almost hear Mari cooing in the background. 

And in case anyone was wondering, Tom and Sabine adores their everything-that-actually-matters son’s boyfriend. Damian Wayne seems like a responsible young lad. And he makes Adrien really happy which is a major plus. Anything that makes their son happy is good in their books. 

.

Lila was not at all pleased. 

Why was Adrien suddenly hanging out with Marinette? Yeah, he doesn’t buy into her lies but she was confident he will be lured into her charms. Why wouldn’t he be? She was young and way more beautiful than a baker’s daughter. He was supposed to be hers. 

She and Gabriel are going to have a talk about his rebellious son. 

Except when she arrived at the Agreste mansion, Gabriel was apparently too busy to see her. 

He was too occupied with searching through boxes of fake miraculous to find Duusu to bother with her. 

“I don’t have time for you.” 

“Excuse me?!” 

She was aghast. How dare he speak this way to his biggest supporter —well, besides Mayura and Nathalie. 

“You’re excused. Now leave the premises.”

Before the door shut in her face and she was left fuming, her face an unflattering angry red. 

.

Being Damian’s boyfriend, Adrien has come to learn that Damian does nothing by halves. Including asking him out on a date. And the actual dates themselves. 

Today as the sun fell down and night came about, Damian and Adrien were taking a stroll in the park. It was relaxing and it was nice. They talked about everything and anything. 

Adrien did not think Damian planned anything more. 

But he really shouldn’t underestimate the son of Batman. 

Because when the last of the sun’s rays were gone, Damian led him to a gazebo strung up with beautiful lights giving the whole place an ethereal feel. And with the bright moon out tonight, it looked like fairies dancing in the garden. 

He didn’t notice Damian pressed play on his phone and classical music filled the air. 

He definitely noticed Damian bowing with a flourished and holding out his hand with a charming smile. “May I have this dance, Chaton?”

Adrien would have to be a huge fool to say no. 

“I’ll loved to.” He placed his hand in Damian’s and let the Adonis lead him in a simple waltz. 

This was his life. 

His life was one big sappy romance novel. And you know what, he doesn’t care if it is. Between dealing with his shitty father and Liar-la, this kitty deserves some happiness. 

.

It was a scene from one of those Disney fairy tale movies Adrien used to watch as kid. The magic. The love. The romantics. He felt like Cinderella and wished this night will never end, that the clock will never strike midnight. He just wanted to stay in his Prince Charming’s arms forever. 

Under the starry night sky, the lovebirds danced to their heart’s content and when another song ended, Damian tilted his head down to place a tender kiss on Adrien’s lips. 

“I harbor a great deal of non-platonic affections for you, mon amour.”

“I love you too, Hot-And-Sexy.” 

.

What the fuck?!

Seriously. 

What the actual fuck? 

Lila was simply walking home after her disastrous meeting with Gabriel (She was still not over how he simply dismissed her like she was nothing. How dare he). 

When she saw them. 

Adrien and some guy (she’s pretty sure that was a guy) dancing in the park. She can feel that disgusting jealousy just burning in her veins, a cold anger thrumming underneath. 

Things were not at all going her way. 

First, Adrien is back to being friends with that Mari-whore. Then, Gabriel ignores her. Her. And now, she is seeing her Adrien in the arms of someone else. 

Oh this will just not do. 

She took out her phone from her pocket and snapped a couple of pictures, making sure Adrien can clearly be seen. She didn’t care too much about the other guy. He’s probably just another pretty airhead Adrien knew through his father. He’s not important. 

A cruel smirk appeared on her face at the thought of the perfect revenge. Adrien was going to have a rough time at school tomorrow. After all, he should’ve known better than to make a move against her. 

.

“Seriously?!”

“Wow.” 

“I’m sure there’s an explanation for this.”

“Yeah. Adrien is obviously gay. That’s the only explanation.” 

“....Maybe not? There could be another reason.”

Lila had watery eyes and a sad frown on her face but inside, she was fucking smiling like a Cheshire cat. She made sure to be at school early so she can show the class the picture of Adrien’s little date last night. Who —predictably— were shocked at their sunshine child being with a guy and made plans to confront him about his supposed sexuality. 

She glowed at the thought of her plan working. This will teach Adrien to know his place or become a social pariah like his little friend Marinette. 

“I thought Adrien had feelings for me.” Lila wiped the “tears” from her eyes. “How could he lead me on like this when he’s been gay all along?” 

Alya —predictably— comforted her. “I’m pretty sure he’s just confused. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling.”

“I’m sure that’s it.” 

The pair didn’t notice Juleka and Rose glaring at them. 

.

Damian was not at all pleased. 

He was rightfully angry. 

How dare that poor sense of fashion taste trollop tried to shame his mon amour for being gay. How dare she try to say he was simply confused and didn’t know any better. How dare she defame his reputation because he holds nothing but spite for her person. 

How dare she. 

As Adrien’s boyfriend and future husband, it is his duty to correct this travesty and defend his Chaton’s honor. 

.

When the Damian Wayne, youngest son of Bruce Wayne, appeared at Françoise Dupont High School, you know that people are gonna stare and talk. 

When he headed towards the courtyard where Adrien and Marinette were sitting at, boy are things going to get juicy. 

Lila and her followers who were sitting a bit father from the outcast pair were utterly confused. They could possibly get Adrien knowing such a super hot celebrity but for him to be on good terms with Marinette too? How inconceivable. Absolutely flabbergasted. 

“Hey Lila didn’t you tell us you knew him and his family?” Max brought up. 

“Uhhh....” Lila knew she dug herself in a corner here. She never thought that the Damian Wayne would ever visit here. At this second rate school. 

“Well, let’s go, girl!” Alya exclaimed. “I’m sure Damian just hasn’t seen you. That’s why he didn’t walk towards you.”

Before proceeding to practically drag Lila to where Damian was talking with Adrien and Marinette. 

Lila, on the other hand, was cursing out Alya in a bunch of different languages in her mind while trying to come up with something to dig herself out of this mess. If they talk to Wayne, the class will realize she was lying all along. 

She was not going to lose control of her kingdom like this —well, not without putting up a fight. 

But when they and the rest of their classmates walked close to the trio, they were shocked when they saw Marinette playfully punching Damian in the arm. 

“Okay. How the hell are you so close with Damian Wayne?” Straight off the bat, Alya was on the offense as she glared at Marinette as if it was Mari who did something wrong. 

Damian answered before the bluenette could. His face was impassive and his glare cold. “I’m Ms. Dupain-Cheng’s top model for her fashion business.”

What? 

Even Lila was taken aback at the news. She knew that goody two shoes likes designing but she didn’t think anybody would actual buy her stuff. She didn’t think a Wayne would like her stuff. 

She could feel her fists clenched. How dare Marinette steal the spotlight again. 

“I’m also Adrien’s boyfriend.” Damian continued casually as if that wasn’t a huge bombshell. 

Everyone’s minds screeched to a halt. 

They knew about the possibility of Adrien being gay since Lila showed him on going on a date with an unidentified but clearly male person yesterday. But they didn’t think there was actually something there. 

Lila could feel her anger clouding her mind. Adrien was supposed to be hers. He was her ticket to fame and fortune. 

“And what about Lila? Aren’t you guys best friends?” Alya put her hands on her hips. How could Damian just ignore someone he is close friends with but give Marinette all the attention? Lila deserves better than that.  

Damian was unamused. “I don’t know her.”

“Yeah, you do.” Alya ignored Lila’s gestures to stop talking. Lila was too shy about her achievements and she was going to have her amazing best friend’s back. “She’s the one who helped your family out multiple times.”

“She did not. And I am appalled that you believe I would know a harlot like her in the first place.” Damian’s face twisted with disgust as he glanced at Liar-la like she was a mere insect. “Please. I have class and dignity.”

“Take that back!” She screeched. “You are so rude.” 

“Are you honestly going to lecture me on my rudeness when you plebians are being hypocrites?”

“What? I’m not a hyprocrite.” 

“Lila Rossi is a pathetic liar who begs for attention like street dogs beg for scraps. She never once saved Jagged’s cat nor does she help out with green charities. Lastly, she is not on close terms with myself nor with my family.”

“No! You’re lying!”

He raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Ok then. Look her up on the internet. If she is as grand as you lot seem to think, she should have articles dedicated to her. Show me proof of her actions that isn’t your subpar blog and I will give you an exclusive.” 

Alya’s eyes gleamed at what should be an easy challenge. But when she pulled out her phone and typed Lila’s name and what she did in the search engine, her smile disappeared. 

She spent the next few minutes scouring the net for anything, any mention of a Lila Rossi that wasn’t on the LadyBlog. 

She found nothing. 

Lila Rossi was a fucking liar all along. And Alya and the rest of the class believed her. 

“We tried to warn you.” Marinette said in a soft voice. But anyone who knew her knew she was trying to hold back her laughter. 

“Marinette,” Rose cried out as she realized the class has been total jerks to the one person who always had their backs. “We were horribly wrong. Can you ever forgive us?”

She shrugged. “I forgive you. But this doesn’t mean we’re friends again. Because we’re not. Seeing how easily you drop me for that liar without even looking for any kind of proof hurts and I’m not eager to be friends again. Maybe in the future but not right now.”

“That’s goes ditto for me.” Adrien added his two cents. 

Their former friends classmates wore gloomy expressions, utterly devastated at ruining their friendship with their Everyday Ladybug and Sunshine Child. 

And with that, Adrien and Marinette left the courtyard, with light hearts and heads held high. 

Damian shot the class a razor sharp grin. “Well, it’s been nice to meet you.” 

Everyone knew he meant anything but. 

“I always knew teenagers were prone to be foolish imbeciles. But seeing the collective stupidity of you people today made me realize that the bar can in fact be lowered.” 

.

Adrien was fucking ecstatic. 

Elated. Overjoyed. Jubilant. Drunk on happiness. All the synonyms associated. 

Because Lila was finally exposed. The class realized what utter assholes they have been. His father will receive his due (soon according to Mari and Dami). 

He was happily humming a tune as he swung his and Damian’s intertwined hands back and forth. 

He was entirely grateful that Damian showed up to school today. Although he was a bit mean for Adrien’s taste. 

But oh man. Payback was so sweet. 

He smiled giddily. 

Mister Hot-And-Sexy definitely earned himself a kiss. 

Previous

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[cherrytdatt]

Sadness Ritual

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Word count: ~3.5k

Summary: that same old best friends falling in love concept we all know and love.

A/N: so this is the first fic i decided to post in here and it is just angst, i’m sorry. i don’t think this has any physical description or gender description.

Yep. You did it again. You stalked him and saw what you didn't want to. And now you were about to cry while drunk in wine, listening to Cigarettes After Sex. But you couldn't help. You needed to know. You needed to see with your own eyes.

"It's okay. Everything is okay," you said to yourself clicking to see the next paparazzi picture. "I'm gonna be okay," you were smiling, almost laughing at your stupidity. You really thought that Tom, your best friend, your childhood friend, could fall in love with you. You were laughing at how much of an idiot you felt.

Your phone rang for the tenth time but you didn't care to see who was calling or texting. Whatever. You drank another sip of wine, going to the next picture. "Fuck" you mumbled. Of course, she is beautiful. He's a movie star. He would never go out with someone who doesn't look like a fucking model.

'Pick up your damn phone or I'm going to broke into your damn house!!!!' it was your best friend, Anna. Your female best friend. Because your male best friend must’ve be on some date he didn't tell you about with a girl who looks like a model 24/7.

'What do you want?' you texted her back, trying to sound normal so she wouldn't break into your house and force you to go out to forget about this damn crush you had on your best friend who was now dating.

'Are you okay?' she said and you knew she knew. You knew she knew about the pics, about your crush and about how you were probably drunk and crying right now.

'Sure. Why wouldn't I be?' you faked.

'Haz told me. I'm sorry,' you could see the pity look in her face typing that while she cuddled with Tom's male best friend, Harrison.

'Told you what? I don't know what you're talking about,' you lied.

'I'm your best friend. You don't need to lie to me,' you couldn't talk to her anymore. It was making you sick.

'I need to go now. I'm seeing a movie and I'm already lost because I'm talking to you,' you lied again and turned your phone off. You really couldn't handle anyone right now.

"Fuck!" you rolled your eyes looking at another pic. They were holding hands. You thought about all the times he refused to go out with you because someone could take a picture and that would be awful. God forbid anyone thinking you two were dating. You laugh, a humorless laugh thinking about the time he asked a fan not to tell anyone he was eating McDonald's at 3 a.m. just with you after you two binge watched 'The Office' for 5 hours non-stop.

Three loud bangs at your door made you jump and almost drop the glass of wine you were pouring yourself.

"Why can't people leave me the fuck alone?" you asked yourself placing the glass on the table and going to the door already knowing you wouldn't open up not even for Jesus. You looked at the peephole and if you wouldn't open for Jesus, the person standing outside wouldn't have a chance of seeing your face. "Fuck," you mouthed trying to make no sound so the person would go away.

"I know you're in there. Let me in," he said with a serious voice. You tried to stay still to see if he was bluffing. "I can see your shadow moving under the door," you looked at your feet checking if he could really see your shadow and your drunk brain got to the conclusion that yes, he could see you.

You rolled your eyes thinking about a good excuse. "I'm not feeling so good. I talk to you later. O-or text you." you lied.

"Please. I know you're lying. Your second best friend told me you were upset," he said the last part with a joking tone.

"Yeah... well, I'm upset cause I'm feeling sick," you said leaning against the door.

"You can't lie to me. I'm hearing that awful band you listen to whenever you're sad... and by your voice, I can tell you are drinking wine. No one who is feeling sick drinks wine," he said and you could hear the laugh in his voice. You really couldn't see him right now. You were too sad and you knew he wanted to know why and there was no way in hell you were gonna tell him the real reason.

"Please, Tom... just leave me alone. We can talk tomorrow," you whined hiding your face in your hands.

"No way. I'm your best friend. I'm here to take care of you and I'm not gonna leave until you let me in," he said and his voice was concerned now. "I'm gonna spend the entire night on the floor and all your neighbors will talk about how you let a cute movie star spend the night on the floor and you will be a villain and they will hate you forever," he joked and you heard him shuffling on the other side of the door. You looked for the peephole again and saw him sitting on the floor just like he said he would do.

"You're so idiot," you said almost too low, but he heard it.

"But you love me," you saw his smile saying this and your heart was happy and hurt at the same time.

You moved away from the door, closing your computer and turning down the music you knew he hated. You heard him shuffling again. "I know you gonna let me in cause you turned off that awful music," he laughed.

"I didn't turn it off, I just turned down," you said holding the doorknob.

"By the way, why do you listen to such depressive music..." he started "...when you're sad?" he finished with a breathe when you opened the door.

"Do you want me to listen to a Barney song?" you quipped.

"First of all, tell me why you are sad?" he asked hugging you.

"No specific reason," you said trying your best not to melt into the hug.

"Why are you so difficult sometimes?" he let you go, invading your apartment.

"I'm not difficult," you protested.

"Sure," he sat on your couch and drank the wine from your glass. "And this awful cheap wine," he whined making a face and putting the glass on the table again.

"Are you here to criticize me? Cause I didn't ask you to come," you said a little more bitter than you needed.

"I'm joking, okay?" he said putting his hands in the air in defense.

"Okay," you mumble sitting by his side. "I thought you were out with friends today?" you started sitting by his side and trying to make him tell you about the damn girl you saw him with a few minutes ago.

"Who told you that?" he asked confused looking at you.

"Anna," you lied.

"Yeah... she was wrong," he said turning his eyes to the TV who was still playing some Cigarettes After Sex sad song.

"I thought so... since you were out yesterday," you said knowing, because of the pics, that he went out the night before.

"How do you know that?" he asked not looking at you.

"Anna?" you said but it was more like a question. He hummed neither denying nor confirming it. "Did you had fun?" you asked picking up your glass from the table and drinking almost the entire content, preparing yourself for his answer.

"It could've been better if you were there," he said fidgeting.

"Well, if you had asked me I could've been there," you said in an annoyed tone. He went on a date, with a girl he never told you about, and now he was telling you, you should've been there. Is he that stupid? He hummed again just making you more annoyed.

You got up, picking up the glass and the wine bottle and going to the kitchen. You didn't want to talk anymore since he was being an idiot. "You can sleep on the couch if you want," you said getting out of the kitchen and seeing him in the same position, looking at you.

"Can I sleep with you?" he asked taking you by surprise. You two had shared a bed before but only when you were too drunk to realize what you were doing. You were almost that drunk now, but you were pretty sure he wasn't.

"Sure," you shrugged trying to keep a cool tone. "I'm gonna... brush my teeth," you tried not to stutter.

You went to the bathroom with your mind all fuzzy and you didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or because of his question. You brushed your teeth wishing that your tipsy state would help you to fall asleep fast and smoothly. You looked at the mirror and took a deep breath. "Why am I so stressed about this? If something happens you can say you were drunk," you whispered looking at yourself in the mirror. "Something happens??? What the hell are you talking about? He's dating someone," you debated with yourself. "You are crazy!" you said, finally, pointing to yourself in the mirror. You proceeded to brush your teeth and try to sober up washing your face with almost frozen water.

“Can I use the bathroom?" a voice sounded on the other side of the door after a few minutes.

“Yeah. I'm almost done," you said drying your face in the towel and opening the door to find Tom standing by the door, waiting for you to get out.

"What took you so long?" he asked with a smile and you felt your stomach turn. Maybe it was the wine, not the smile.

"I-I'm going... to bed," you said pointing to your room. Maybe you weren't so drunk.

"I'll meet you there," he said nonchalantly going into the bathroom.

You hopped on the bed, wishing you could fall asleep before he got back from the bathroom. You laid there, staring at the ceiling, not a drop of sleep in your brain, that was running a thousand miles a second with the idea of sharing a bed with your crush and best friend, Tom.

"Do you still have that sweatpant I gave you a couple months ago?" Tom asked going back to the bedroom.

"Yeah, I think it's somewhere in my closet," you said. Of course you knew where they were. You fell asleep in them whenever you missed him. "Maybe... the second drawer," you finished seeing he was looking in the wrong place.

He opened the drawer finding the sweatpants and the shirt he gave you a few months ago when you passed out in his house after drinking an entire bottle of wine. "Lucky me I gave you this," he smiled taking off his pants and you forced yourself to look at the ceiling while he undressed. "So when are you gonna tell me why you're sad?" he asked putting the pants on.

"Uh-hum... I just told you, no specific reason," you said remembering the pictures again.

"You know I know you too well to believe in that, right?" he said taking off his shirt and you looked at him, your eyes lingering on his abs a little too long. He coughed catching your attention. You looked at his face and his lips were pressed together, trying to hide a smile.

"I think it's that time of the month," you lied.

"Sure," he said rolling his eyes, knowing you were lying. Your time of the month wasn't for another two weeks if he did the math right. "Do you mind if I sleep shirtless?" he asked holding the shirt in his hand.

"No," you said already knowing it would be a difficult night.

"Thanks," he smiled jumping on the bed by your side and you mumbled a 'your welcome'. Why was he doing this to you? First, go out with that girl. Then come to your house. Ask you to sleep in your bed. And now, lay down, shirtless, by your side, like that was nothing. Did he want to torture you?

He, turning on his side and holding your waist, cut your internal rant short. He pulled you closer, closer enough for you to feel his breath on your neck. If your brain could work, he would think 'why is he doing this?' You took a deep breath and, gathering all the strength in your body, you turned, staring at your white wall, with your back facing him.

"You know I would never hurt you on purpose," he whispered on your neck, out of nowhere. You closed your eyes, not answering him, and hoping this night would end soon.

You don't know when or how but you were able to fall asleep and that was before Tom placed a kiss to your neck, wishing he could end all your sadness with his presence.

At 3 a.m. you woke up like you always do when you drink wine. Your mind was still a little fuzzy and you felt a weight over your body. You grumbled rubbing your eyes, not knowing exactly what was going on. Tom breathed heavily on your neck and you turned your face quickly, a little confused. "Fuck," you mumbled to yourself. He was a heavy sleeper, thank God. You looked down, seeing his hand on your waist and his leg over your leg. Okay, this is less than ideal. How would you get up without waking him up?

You lifted his arm carefully, freeing your waist. Then you put the leg that was free from him on the floor and pulled the other one gently. You sighed satisfied, you were free. It was not that difficult. You rolled the rest of your body slowly out of the bed, kneeling on the side of your bed, trying not to smash your face on the floor. "Jesus," you murmured getting up and looking at Tom's motionless body on the bed. You blinked a few times, focusing on his bare back, his movements almost imperceptible. He looked like an angel. But when didn't he look like that?

He moved his arm scratching his nose. You ran to the door before he could recover his conscience completely and left the room. Your mouth had that weird taste of alcohol and your head was pounding. You slowly closed the door and leaned against it, trying to remember what happened before you went to bed. You weren't that drunk so it wasn't that hard. 'You know I would never hurt you on purpose,' Tom's last words before you sleep echoed in your mind. You closed your eyes, holding the tears that started to form. Did he know?  Well, that didn't matter now. You didn't want to think about it now. You went to the kitchen and downed a glass full of water. The feeling of the liquid giving you temporary relief. You drank another one, knowing that that one would make you feel better. You leaned against the counter, staring at the dirty wine glass in the sink. "You're an idiot," you said to yourself. "Why did you let him in?" you rant to yourself putting the glass in the counter and walking around the kitchen. "He's your best friend and now he's dating. He'll hate you forever if you ruin this," you sat on a stool, hiding your face in your hands.

"Who are you talking to?" Tom said entering the kitchen and looking around.

"Jesus!" you said putting your hand in your chest. "A warning would be good."

"I'm sorry," he chuckled picking the glass you just used to drink water and pouring himself some water too.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," you said after you recovered from the shock.

"No problem. Are you okay?" he said with a concerned look, drinking the water.

"Great," you lied.

"Can you stop lying to me?" his voice was louder and a little angrier than he used to be with you.

"I-I'm not lying," you said looking everywhere but him.

"Are you serious?" he said putting the glass away and running a hand through his hair. He was pissed and that’s what he did when he was pissed.

"I'm s-sorry. I don't know what you want me to say. I'm good... everything is good... I'm sad because..." you stopped not knowing what to say next. "I don't know. Maybe PMS or whatever," you blurted out.

"Okay," he laughed humorlessly. "So, tell me something..." he looked in your eyes and you felt yourself getting smaller. "Why were you looking at pictures of me with a girl that I went out yesterday?" he asked in a deep voice and your entire body froze. "Tell me, Y/N," he took a step forward. "Why were you in your 'sadness ritual' looking at those pics?" he was so close you could feel his body invading your personal space and taking all your air away. "Do you have something to tell me?" he asked placing a hand on the counter by your side and trapping you against it. You closed your eyes, too dizzy to have this conversation now. "Anna thinks you do. And Haz too," he said.

"Tom I..." you started and noticing his glistering eyes on you. "I..." you blinked and the pics from hours ago took your entire mind. You cleared your dry throat. How was your mouth so dry? You just drank a lot of water. You hold the counter behind you. "I think you should go," you finally said.

"W-what?" he said, a confused look on his face.

"I really think you should go," you said more firmly. "I need to be by myself tonight. I'm really not feeling okay and I need some time," you pushed his arm, freeing yourself.

"I can't believe you're doing this," he said with a low and hurt voice. You just fucked up the only good thing in your life.

"Please..." you turned away from him, avoiding his look.

"You know that's not what you really want to say. You know you'll regret this. Don't do this," he reached for your arm and you pulled away from him. "Y/N."

"I don't know what you want me to do," now was your time to raise your voice. "Really? What do you want me to say?" you looked at him, you could feel your eyes burning but you were determined to keep the tears away. "Do you want me to tell you what I felt when I saw the pictures of you with a girl you invited out and didn't tell me about, God knows why. Do you want me to tell you why I felt so sad that I had to do my 'sadness ritual' to keep myself from screaming at you or broking my computer?" you said a little bitter. "You know what I have to tell you. You can pretend you don't know, you can mess around all you want, but you know that you are not ready to hear what I have to say," you rubbed your eyes, drying the tears that started to form in your eyes. "What I don't know is why are you doing this?" your voice was calmer now. You were really asking him this time. You were confused. "Why are you here? You seem to have a good thing," you said. "Go enjoy it and... let me be, please," you finished the last part in a whisper.

"You don't see it, do you?" he said and he was a lot better than you in the crying thing. He just cried, not afraid at all to show himself like that.

"What? What I don't see?" you asked crossing your arms. You were really tired of that talk.

"I don't wanna be with nobody else. I'm trying to tell you this for the last year and you keep ditching me. You don't listen to me," he said with a sad voice. "I love you. I want you. Please, don't make me go."

His words took you by surprise but you knew this wasn't as easy as it seemed. "You can't say that one day after you went on a date with another girl," you felt the hurt all over again.

"Please, Y/N. Don't do this," he reached for your arm, pulling you closer.

"I love you, but I need some time to think," you held your breath avoiding his gaze.

[isa-ghost]

hbomb, bbh, philza, optional antfrost?

hbomb: a stream you find yourself rewatching all the time

I don't USUALLY rewatch streams BUT I think if I got hit with enough nostalgia I'd go to Wilbur's YouTube and just rewatch the whole L'Manburg arc up until the Manburg-Pogtopia war. I miss the independence war. :( It was just really satisfying to watch Wilbur be so quick thinking and good with his words as a General. Revivebur and Villbur are pretty and all but like. [Yells in crimeboys enjoyer]

badboyhalo: what piece of cursed lore is your favourite?

The Samsung fridge. Its obligatory. I was there for that stream. And was hilariously afk for it. And that resulted in this clip of me making Phil lose his shit because I was SO CONFUSED when I came back to the stream. .... Oh my god according to the clip that was 7 months ago.

philza: who on the smp would you like to be best friends with?

BENCHTRIO. But also Wilbur. And Eret. And Puffy is so sweet and fun too- *deep inhale*

Tommy and I are super similar and I THRIVE on the rare glimpses of Genuine Tom Simons we get in Q&As and such. He just seems so fun and sweet.

Ranboo is so damn funny. And also seems like the type of friend you could just sit and quietly exist with and it's perfectly chill. But also I'm one of those feral gremlin friends and one of my best friends is just like Ranboo where you're off the shits and he just "WHY" and its so funny to watch them try and deal with your crackhead ass.

Tubbo is a blend of Tommy and Ranboo WITH BONUS FERAL and so much goddamn creativity and spontaneity. Tubbo seems like the friend that when my energy is low, he knows exactly how to rile me back up no matter how crappy I'm feeling, and something about the way He specifically riles me up would genuinely make me feel better, rather than reluctantly scraping up energy to keep up.

Wilbur I could fucking listen to for HOURS. His voice is lovely, he's such an interesting, smart, funny person and he's super knowledgeable about things I can't retain to save my life. I'd LOVE to get into deep hours long conversations with him OR watch him devolve into an absolute goblin as he plays Geoguessr or something else. And friendship activities aside? I feel like he's that friend that- if he isn't Also feeling shitty -could say just the right thing to swat away a bad mental health day with the perfect words every time. He just has such a confident, reassuring energy to him when he's not being our loveable little crime man.

Eret is a chill, down to earth, fun person and also FELLOW QUEER. :D I could 100% see myself hanging out at a mall with him or staying home if going out isn't the vibe and platonically cuddling while we fuck around on YouTube or binge a show. They have the Range(tm) and I love that.

Puffy same as Eret honestly. With the chaos cranked up a little. I would GLADLY hang out inside or outside with her, or just screw around in a game and do whatever. I love her voice, I love her energy, and I love her affectionate pranking.

Genuinely, I admire like 90% of the SMP members so much, I'd die to spend a day with any of them. I'd lose my mind if I got to actually befriend any of them. Fuck the clout that'd probably bring with it, these people made quarantine bearable for me, and gave me a new hyperfixation that has driven my creative muse INSANE in the best way. If I got to verbally thank them and then have the time to get past all the appreciation and praise that'd pour out of me to talk about other things or do something fun with them? I'd fuckin ascend tbh.

antfrost: be honest, who do you simp for?

In character? L'Manburg independence era Wilbur 1000%. He's what REALLY roped me into hyperfixating on the SMP. Also Eret, Puffy, and on/off Sam n Niki. Idk man they may not be who we see rooted DEEP in the ""main"" lore but those four get on some Hot Girl Shit sometimes and my pan ass goes 👀. Like Warden Sam when we saw him the first time Tommy visited the prison? HOLY FFFFFUCK DUDE. I got OC INSPIRATION from that shit! MMM. Honestly I bet there's more people not coming to my mind right away too.

Out of character? I mean. Almost the same answer tbh. Wilbur, Eret, Puffy, and Niki make the pan brain go brrr. They're SO PRETTY. Like not even an "I would hypothetically date them" pretty, just *inhales and claps* PRETTY. Like,, would I date them if that was a thing I could do? Hell yeah. They're all lovely people both physically and in a social sense.

And I don't feel comfortable saying a lot about Ranboo because he's a minor and I am Not, but I think he's a very handsome boy too. Definitely aesthetically speaking. >_> No "would I date" type shit there. Nuh uh, that's Yikes. But I would like to hug the crap out of him. I am Very Short and he is Very Tall and I want to hug the noodle man.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: The Rebellion of Adrien Agreste, ch. 11

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Lila Rossi/karma, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/aneurism, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Plagg & Tikki

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Lila Rossi, Jagged Stone, Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine, Penny Rolling, Anarka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire, Chloé Bourgeois, Wayhem, Nadja Chamack, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Tikki, Fang, Principal Damocles, Caline Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev, original minor character, Alec Cataldi, Lila Rossi’s Mother, Sabrina Raincomprix, Roger Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste’s Bodyguard, Nino Lahiffe, Nooroo

Tags: Lila Rossi salt, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Teenage Rebellion, Swearing, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Crack Treated Seriously, Lila Rossi’s Lies Are Exposed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Luka Couffaine Needs a Hug, Paparazzi, Parentification, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Gabriel Agreste Needs an Aneurism, Uncle Jagged Stone, we’re all queer here, the spirit of punk is sometimes just being allowed to be yourself, Kagami Finds Her Groove, punk rock fashion, Savage Kagami, Marinette protection squad, Good Parent Sabine Cheng, Good Parent Tom Dupain, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Protective Luka Couffaine, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pansexual Luka Couffaine, Sharing a Bed, Pet Names, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Instagram, Bullying, Social Media, Anxiety, Makeover, Hugs, will cure your acne, Face Punching, Bad Ass Juleka Couffaine, Rumors, Protective Juleka Couffaine, Protective Adrien Agreste, Lawyers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holding Hands, accountability, mental health, Jagged Stone’s well-paid pet shark, How to Make the Evening News, Sexy eyeliner for days, one fish two fish Lila is a screwed fish, How to have fun and piss Gabriel off, Fuckery, sweet litigious karma, Alya sugar, lawyer shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, Schadenfreude, Bad Ass Alya Césaire, Gaslighting, abuse denormalization, Jagged likes his lawyers like he likes his pets: toothy af, Blood in the Water, Everything you didn’t know you wanted and some things you did, Gabriel Agreste is shark bait, Denial, Consequences, Principal Damocles salt, caline bustier salt, the impotence of Gabriel Agreste, snarky Nooroo, lies and the lying liars who tell them, Lila’s brain is a narcissistic hellscape, Lila’s mind is built like an Escher piece, Alec Cataldi salt, Adrien Sugar, wholesome salt, Fu Salt, Kwami Shenanigans, Nooroo is a little shit

Summary: Snuggles and Pastries: An Interlude

Notes: Jagged ships it.

AO3 link

Chapters 1-2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

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Adrien woke to find that he’d moved close enough to Luka in the night that they were snuggling, one of Luka’s arms over his chest, and Adrien’s head tucked against his chest. Their legs were tangled together. He’d never experienced this sort of thing before.

And it was wonderful.

Luka was warm and soft, and while Adrien was worried he’d be offended or embarrassed, he wasn’t inclined to move.

He was halfway back asleep when Luka’s phone alarm went off, and the other boy stirred.

Adrien felt him grope for the phone and the alarm silenced… but Luka didn’t move further, just settled back with a soft sigh.

Adrien figured it was only a matter of time before Luka woke further and pushed him away. He felt selfish as he stayed still and tried to enjoy the closeness.

Nino had once called him “touch-starved,” referring to how he liked being close to people, and he wasn’t wrong; having been starved of people and with an unaffectionate father did that, apparently. He craved it. An arm around the shoulder, hugs… anything, really. This, though, was a special sort of torture—accidental instead of on purpose, the sensation without the meaning.

“Why so tense?”

Luka’s voice was so unexpected Adrien couldn’t stop himself from jerking back, gasping.

“Shit.” Luka propped himself up on one elbow. “Didn’t mean to startle you. You okay?”

Adrien nodded. “Y-yeah. Sorry. I guess I snuggle in my sleep.”

That got a soft chuckle. “You aren’t the only one. Don’t worry about it.”

“I know, but…” he sighed. “I don’t want to cross your boundaries.”

“Hey, I like cuddling. It doesn’t have to mean anything sexual unless the participants want it to.” Luka smiled. “And anyway, it’ll give everyone the idea we want them to have.”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. I just hope I’m not inconveniencing you. I mean… I know you’re interested in Mari, and if you’re fake-dating me, you can’t real-date her.”

Luka sighed softly. “Marinette’s heart is elsewhere, Adrien. And she may never see me the way I see her. And, anyway, I want to help you.”

“I know… but last night you said Mari does what you do—hides her feelings,” Adrien bit his lip. “I just… let me know if anything bothers you. Your feelings matter, too.”

The soft look Luka gave him made his heart flutter a bit.

“Thanks, mon étoile,” Luka murmured, pulling him into a warm hug. “It’s… not easy, but I’ll work on letting you know.”

This snuggling was real, and Adrien let himself relax, snaking one arm around Luka. He was drifting off again when Luka’s phone alarm went off again.

“Secondary alarm,” Luka told him. “We’ll have to get up if Jagged’s going to have time to do your kohl.”

Adrien grumbled, but grudgingly extracted his limbs from Luka’s. “Do you think it’s okay to wear the jeans I wore yesterday for photos?”

“Probably not. Wear one of the distressed pairs—it’ll piss your dad off more, you wearing clothes with holes in them.”

That got a giggle from the blond. “‘We are not paupers, Adrien. You will dress appropriately,’” he mocked, using an approximation of Gabriel’s voice. “That’ll be perfect for the media frenzy.”

After they’d gotten video of the three of them jamming and posted it to social media, Jagged had sent hotel staff to get pajamas for the two of them. Fortunately Chloé hadn’t started pounding on the door until after those were delivered, so they had all ignored her. Adrien hasn’t been ready to face her, or to put Luka through that. She could see him in the morning like the rest of Paris.

It didn’t take either of them long to dress, and then an espresso-chugging Jagged demonstrated on himself how to apply kohl before doing it for Adrien.

“Decided less is more for you,” the rocker said. “Just enough to make your eyes pop. Makes you look like… I dunno. Otherworldly or whatever.”

In the mirror, Adrien could see what he meant. The kohl lining his eyes contrasted the green in a way that made them almost gem-like, giving him a fey appearance.

“I like it,” he said. “Should I wear the leather today, or the hoodie?”

“We want to sneak you into school, so the hoodie might be better,” Luka said. “So we don’t get intercepted.”

Jagged grinned. “You’ll both be in the limo and we’ll pull right up to the school. The leather gives a bigger statement.”

Adrien pulled on the leather.

“And we’re picking up Marinette, as well,” Penny added. “I’ve called her, and asked her if she’ll dress up for effect.”

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked. “Father might go after her.”

“He does, he has me to contend with,” Jagged muttered. “And anyway, we gotta get you in some of her designs. Even if your bullshit underage contract—which I bet wouldn’t hold up in court given the fact that it was forced on you by your shithead dad—says you can’t model for anyone else, Instagram isn’t a modeling gig.”

Luka patted his shoulder. “And she wants to, anyway. You know how stubborn Marinette can be.”

Adrien smiled, thinking about that. “She really is. It’s endearing.”

“Sometimes. Other times you just want to help her, but she won’t let you.”

He felt his smile fade, reminded of what Lila had done, how Marinette had shouldered it all herself.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “Definitely. She does do that.”

Luka offered a wry smile. “We’ll help her. And we know Jagged and Penny will too.”

“Damn straight,” Jagged said. “And we best get going.”

Adrien blinked. “Um… Shouldn’t M. Dupain and Mme. Cheng also be part of this?”

“Penny called them earlier, while you two were still cuddling, and they are. They got part-timers who’ll cover while they go to the collége with us. Lawyer’s at the bakery already. Tom and Sabine have breakfast waiting for us, even.”

Jagged chuckled. “Oh, and I’ll send you lot the picture I took later. Cute as hell, you two are. Might be good for Instagram, eh?”

Adrien felt his cheeks heat, and Luka had a blush that he was sure matched his own.

“Anyway, Penny’s waiting in the limo with Fang. Got André to clear the route through the hotel to the limo, so we’re good.”

He handed each of them a pair of sunglasses—replicas of the ones Marinette made for him. “Ready to do this in style?”

They made it to the bakery without issue, and were joined by Marinette, Tom, Sabine, and a stern-looking woman in a skirt suit.

Marinette was wearing ripped fuchsia leggings and a pair of black high-waisted shorts with two rows of silver buttons. Her top was a crop-top, a long-sleeve black fishnet over a pink sleeveless shell that matched the leggings. All were obviously her own design.

She blushed when she saw Adrien and Luka staring. “Um, I designed this but hadn’t had a reason to wear it yet. Though I put the rips in the leggings last night before bed. Figured it was more rock ‘n roll, and I can make another pair later.”

“Definitely,” Jagged told her.

Tom handed out pastries from a large box while Marinette passed around coffee. Jagged showed Sabine how to pet Fang—who was pleased with the attention.

“Kagami’s meeting us in front of the collége, too,” Marinette told them. “We’ll be able to greet her and then she’ll confirm our story to the press.”

Jagged turned to Luka. “After your public goodbye to your boyfriend, the limo’ll take you home. Anarka knows what’s going on, too. Been harassing the paparazzi—she’s good at that. Bet she’s run some of ’em off.”

Luka nodded, then pulled Adrien and Marinette in for a hug. “We can do this.”

A flash surprised them, and Sabine lowered her phone. “You do. And we have your backs, kids.”

Adrien took a bite of his pain au chocolat, glad Marinette had thought to bring his favorite breakfast. He was ready for this—as ready as he could be.

It was time to meet the press.

[cola-fucking-losers]

as promised heres the stupid thing-

Edd was definitely chubby, he can't deny that. In fact, he's pretty sure there's a lot of times where he feels bad about it, before he starts to get over it. Not until there was an afternoon he and Matt got into a heated debated about the meaning of 'Thicc' and why is it a trend.

Matt of course lost, seeming that he lacked the braincells to really process everything. It brought satisfaction to Edd, but he did start to wonder if he was considered 'Thicc'

No, he wasn't talking about having large hips and an ass so curved you can search for its equation. He was wondering if he, a grown man who probably has diabetes, can look nice wearing tight clothes. Specifically, ones for below that always bring out the curves on people.

Tom pointed this out first, joking about it before Edd's brain started to overanalyze it. So now Edd has to go through a phase where he's angry at Tom for that.

Matt decided to say "Why don't you try some on?" Before shoving some clothes onto the brunette's face. He huffs, and tosses them away, refusing to participate.

He cringes at the shorts he was given, it looked uncomfortably tight. And the stockings were no good either because there's no way in hell he was gonna wear fishnet stockings. He picked up a tight pair of jeans, and he was pretty sure those belonged to Mark, so he tossed them away too. He picks up....he picks up a piece of underwear that he quickly deleted from his memory.

Everything looked either uncomfortably compact, or looked like something you'd find in an adult-themed clothe shop. Edd tossed them all away.

Matt had to pick them up, offended. "Why won't you put them on?"

And before Edd could explain why you can't just suddenly recommend someone to wear something uncomfortably explicit, Mark explained it himself. "Those look like they're for stripping rather than making Edd feel nice."

It's times like these Edd forgives Mark and the times he was rudely sarcastic.

Matt hums, before he dashed back into his room. And once the Red-head returns, he was carrying a smaller stack of clothes. He sets them down, and lets Edd examine.

And finally, he finds some clothes that looked nice and comfortable, without making him look like someone who's about to work in a strip club.

Edd's fingers traced the outside of a piece of shorts. "Well-...I guess I'll try them."

He wasn't really the type to even consider wearing something that even tried to hug his skin. He'd rather wear large clothes that were loose. But trying wouldn't hurt...right?

Actually it did, a bit. He first wanted to try some jeans. They didn't look TOO tight, so he figured he'd try that first on. And he regrets it.

It took what felt like hours to even properly shove his whole left leg in. He had to stop to catch his breath, and then he struggled again just so he can lift up the hem up to his waist.

Though the battle tested his patience, he won. He successfully put on the jeans. He felt like he deserved a price, so he steps out his room. And walking unto the kitchen, he passes Eduardo who was busy cooking and grabs a can of cola from the fridge.

After chugging the whole can down, he hears a curse word. Edd raises an eyebrow. The Hispanic dropped a plate, but it thankfully landed on a rug. He quickly picks it up.

Eduardo to gulps as he forced his eyes to not move. Ironic, because he usually tried to avoid anyone's gaze at all, but right now was a crucial moment for him to not even spare a quick glance at whatever the fuck was hugging Edd's legs so tightly.

He turns back to cooking, And Edd shrugs whatever happened and walks back to his room. And once the door closes, he curses internally. He completely forgot to ask Eduardo if he looked okay.

He ignores the thought, because he's pretty sure Eduardo is just gonna throw an insult at him.

That was proven the next morning when he put on a pair of shorts. They were tight, but with a hoodie on he felt...cute?

Whatever it was, he felt nice, and his legs felt less warm.

He walks in the kitchen that morning, hoping to make some cereal. And as soon as he did, Eduardo drops a plate. "SHIT!"

Edd was thankful he decided to stack up on plastic plates instead, because if that was glass he could've brought wrath on the Hispanic. Eduardo quickly picks up the plate, and frowns. "Damn it- I just washed this-" He curses, before he places it in the sink again.

"You okay?" Edd casually asks, walking up to the Hispanic. The man was stiff. If looks could kill, he's pretty much trying to melt the plate he was holding with that scowl of his as he aggressively scrubs it.

"fine."

That was not fine. He wouldn't even look at him.

"cool- uhm.." Edd fixes his shorts a little "Does this look okay on me?" Eduardo turns, but quickly focuses back on the plate.

"Looks terrible."

Edd frowns, mostly because that's such an Eduardo thing to do, but also, ouch. The confidence he had earlier had long disappeared, so he just throws whatever comeback he had and goes back to his room. He tears the shorts away, and shoves his normal brown pants on.

But still, Edd can get pretty heated too. He didn't spend thirty minutes trying to shove clothes on just to get insulted like that.

So the next morning, he still placed some shorts back on. And while it took him awhile, he forced himself to force doubts away, and puts on some white socks that reached past his knees, just a few inches away from the end of his shorts.

He stomps to the kitchen, and was going to prove that he does NOT look terrible. Edaurdo gives him one short look, before he turns away..again.

Edd almost looked childish when he huffed angrily. "L o s e r."

He whispered loudly. Just to grab Eduardo's attention. And what better way to grab it than calling him that? It always gets on his nerves quickly.

The Hispanic turns back again, fuming. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Edd grins. Eduardo just shoots a glare, and turns away again. Nope, nuh uh. Edd ain't taking that.

"losersayshuh" "Huh?"

Edd laughs, while he lets Eduardo slowly process what just happened.

"Motherfucker- how dare you!" He finally got his full attention "That's not fair!" "Yes it was." Edd replies. "No it wasn't! I want a rematch!" Eduardo demands.

"Okay-" The Brit had his chance "Loser doesn't say these shorts looks good on me." The Hispanic stares. Then blinks.

"Are you seriously upset about yesterday." "You were upset for years over a painting."

Eduardo nods, closing his eyes. He lets out a frustrated sigh.

"That's fair."

He finally looks at Edd's legs. The Brit swore, the longer Eduardo looked, the more he begins to look sweaty. Then before staring back into his eyes, "Your shorts looks okay."

It wasn't what Edd exactly wanted, but whatever, he'll take it. "HAH! Not so terrible now huh?"

Eduardo smirks. "I said 'tear-able'. I feel pretty bad for the poor shorts." He crosses his arms. Edd starts pouting again. "It's not my fault I'm Dummy Thick!"

The Hispanic chokes on his spit. "Dummy what now-"

Edd was just joking, but the way Eduardo's face flushed made him want to go further.

 "I'm dummy thick, and you can never achieve the peak physique of having these babies." He slaps his own thigh. Which was like- a bit painful. He can see a light red mark on his pasty skin, but that was his fault.

"How dare you- I might not have an ass but at least I've got legs to make up for it!!" Eduardo kicks up high, causing a plate edging off the counter to get flipped up before landing on the floor loudly. "Geez-" Edd picks it up himself "that's the third plate you dropped this week." Eduardo just grumbles something in another language as he snatches the plate back. Edd simply hummed, and slaps his thigh again.

"Ow-"

Why did he even do that? "Why did you even do that?" Eduardo repeats.

"Good question!" Edd finger-guns "I have no idea."

Eduardo rolls his eyes as he kneels, just so he can inspect the mark on Edd's thighs. The Brit blinks, before he subtly drags his eyes somewhere. Looking down currently gave him...suggestive ideas of how else the view could look.

The Hispanic snickers at the mark. "It looks like what happens if dalmatians were white and red-" He pokes, then he pauses. He pokes again. Edd looks back and gives him an odd look.

The Tan brunette stares a little longer, before full on grabbing Edd's thigh.

"Oh my fucking god?" Eduardo whispered, squishing a bit. Edd squeaks, slapping the hand away. "Holy crap- I knew you were soft- not that soft-....?" Eduardo almost laughs.

"It was like holding a pillow! I was right! You really are just a marshmallow!" Edd flushed pink a little. "What? Were you expecting me to feel like a cracker?"

Eduardo shrugged "It's not easy to have an idea if you barely show skin. All I ever seen you wear are long sleeves and pants. I've only seen you shirtless once." He stands up and pat's the Brit's shoulder. "It's okay, pudgy. Maybe one day you will gain SOME muscles."

Edd slaps the hand away, offended. "At least I'm SOFT and good for cuddling." Eduardo gives a manic grin. "So like..a tEDDy bear?"

The Brit starts hitting Eduardo while he laughs, trying to back away. "That was a pun!!That's my job! I'm gonna break your kneecaps!!" Edd yells. "Oh come on- At least it wasn't an insult."

He stops, and huffs. "I mean..okay. I guess." He sighs "You wanna cuddle my thighs next and call them shitty leg pillows?" Eduardo replies with "Really?"

Which was the least expected thing Edd heard- because as far as he knows, he was just joking.

"...Yeah- sure. If you wanna nap on here, then go crazy." He says. Because who is he to complain? It's free cuddles. Plus he never really had someone place their head down there, so this is a first.

"Okay- but- Breakfast—" "Breakfast can wait. Thigh Snuggles" "that sounds very suggestive." "And comfy." "But the fucking breakfast Eddie-" "It can w a i t."

The Paler brunette was already dragging Eduardo to the living room. Edd sat comfortably on the floor, and pats his lap. Eduardo stared awkwardly before he glares sideways. "Really? Now you're gonna be a tsundere?" "I am NOT-..!"

Eduardo just pouts more. Edd gives a stoic look.

"Just get over here."

The Hispanic grumbles, and reluctantly sits near. All what's left was him lying...his head...down..there.

It just sounded so...something a couple would do. And as far as Eduardo was aware, they aren't one. Edd didn't seem to care though, because he took the liberty to gently pulling Eduardo down, and set his head down on his lap.

Oh god- he's doing it. He's resting his head on someone's thighs, and it's Edd, out of all people. Not that he was complaining, it's just not what he really expected. The Brit starts to play with his hair, humming a little.

Eduardo let's his eyes shut. Edd found It adorable. Not that he's gonna say that out loud.

"Are you fucking humming despacito-" He growls, and starts to rise up. The Brit laughs and tries to keep Eduardo back down. "I didn't notice! I'll just sing something else.." He ponders a bit.

"When you try your best but-" "NO."

Edd laughs as Eduardo tries to scramble away like a cat again. "But It's a good song! Come ooon-" He tried to sound upset, but he just snorts.

"You just wanna sing memes!" "Maybe so- but come on. Is it NOT a good song?"

The Hispanic grunts as he crosses his arms. But he did let his head fall back to Edd's lap again. "Fine- But only sing the other parts." Edd shook his head. "Nuh uh- I can't hit those notes." "You don't even have to- you just have to sing it-" "Says the guy who's been blessed with a good singing voice!"

Eduardo turns to glare at Edd. "Pillsbury- I want you to shut the fuck up and sing. I've heard worse, and It took me years to even speak fluent English, so don't give me that shit." Then he smirks. "Unless...you're too much of a pussy to do it?"

Edd frowns. "You're not helping. I am NOT gonna sing it." "Come on- It's just the other verses." Eduardo reaches up to pinch the Brit's cheeks. "My singing isn't even good...!"

There was pause. Before Eduardo takes a deep breath. "..If you never try you'll never know, Just what you're worth.." "Did you just-" But Edd gets cut off..

"Lights will guide you home.." "I'm not gonna sing Eduardo-" "And ignite your bones.." "You can't make me continue-"

Eduardo just stares up, waiting for Edd to continue the lines. And what seemed to be a good minute, Edd frowns, and sighs, giving in.

"And I will try..to fix you." Eduardo shoots Edd with a grin, and they both continue the song.

"Tears stream down your face, When you lose something you cannot replace-" Edd tries to not laugh, but he did find it a bit ridiculous. Still, they moved forward.

"Tears stream sliding your face, And I--...." Wow- They actually sound pretty good. The Brit watches as Eduardo's eyes shut close again. But he was still smiling, and singing along.

"Tears stream down your face, I promise you I will learn from all my mistakes." The paler brunette also lets his eyes flutter close.

"Tears stream down your face, And I--..." The same line was repeated, but Edd was pretty sure he let himself get carried away, and he tried to be extra while singing that part. But hey- who cares?

"Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones..."

Edd opens his eyes, and Eduardo does the same.

"..And I will try to fix you.."

They gave each other a small smile, until of course, one of them have to ruin it. Edd noticed this pattern.

"Sappy." "I sang better."

They stare a little longer. Then Edd breaks into a fit of giggles. "Yeah, you did." Eduardo only beamed.

[calpalirwin]

BUB

Summary: What’s better than your best girl and best mate getting along? Well, nothing really. If you knew the rumors were false, that is. 

A/N: You’ve heard of enemies to lovers. You’ve heard of fake-dating to real dating. Might I introduce a new trope called hostility turned platonic friendship turned stand-in boyfriend? Aka my brain child with @here-for-the-uproars​

Content: Swearing, general tom-foolery.

DISCLAIMER: NOT A poly!Cashton or poly!5sos fic!!!!

Need to catch up? Part 1 Part 2

And away, and away we go!

Part 3

“Oh, I’m never gonna be able to get up there,” Sam said, eyeing the bunk beds in the tour bus. She graduated with her doctorate and as a graduation present, her boss was letting her take the summer off to go on tour with Ashton. “You’re only young once, Sam,” the older lady said with a knowing wink. “Go enjoy yourself. Your job will still be here when you get back.”

“There’s a ladder right there, baby,” Ashton told her, pointing.

“I’m gonna bang my head so much…”

“Yeah you are,” Ashton winked, grabbing her ass.

“Fletch,” she laughed, turning in his arms to face him. “I’m serious. Can you switch with Cal?”

“If I do that, then I can’t do this,” he pouted, spinning her back around and lifting her into the bunk with fluid ease.

“Hey. Hey!” Sam squealed as she landed on the soft mattress pad. “Oh, this is cozier and bigger than I pictured,” she commented, laying down in the bunk.

Ashton giggled as he rested his arms against his bunk. “Yeah, we had to do some remodeling of sorts when Luke decided to become six and a half feet tall!” He said the last part a bit louder so Luke could hear.

“I’m 6’2” at best!” came the retort from the living room area of the bus.

Ashton and Sam laughed. “Anyway, now they’re long enough for GIRAFFES and wide enough for when the girls come along.”

“And still too tall for me,” Sam finished.

“Again, there’s a ladder right there.”

Sam wrinkled up her nose. “Nah, I like it better when you lift me.”

“Me too,” Ashton agreed with a flirty wink.

“You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself,” Sam giggled, playfully swatting at his hands.

“Can’t,” Ashton said simply. “One, I always gotta be doing something with my hands. Two, you’re way too hot, baby.”

“You’re right about the first part,” she agreed with another giggle. The drummer had the worst case of restless hands she’d ever encountered. A restlessness she was more than happy to take full advantage of. “As for the sec-”

“Also true,” he cut her off, leaning into the bunk to kiss her.

~~~

“Ugh, my head,” Sam whined, hands pressing to her temple. At two weeks of tour life, the loudness mixed with the bright lights were beginning to make her head spin. Even when it was dark, it wasn’t dark enough.

“You okay, baby?” Ashton asked, concern written across his face as he tugged her closer to him.

“Whoa, don’t do that,” she said, pushing at him, feeling the pain slosh around in her skull.

Ashton frowned. “Do you wanna go lie down in the bunk?”

“You won’t be mad?” Sam asked, her eyes squinting. Some Motrin and a quiet tour bus sounded like fuckin’ heaven. 

He shook his head. “No. If you don’t feel good, you don’t feel good.”

“I can lay down in here, Fletch,” Sam protested, feeling bad anyway. She had come to watch his shows, not get sidelined by a damn migraine.

“Nope, bus, c’mon,” he said standing up and gently tugging her to her feet.

“Okay, okay,” she laughed weakly. “But, I can go to the bus myself. You’ll be late if you walk with me.”

Ashton was about to protest, but he thought better of it. He knew hoisting her into his bunk would make it hard to focus and he definitely couldn’t cause his band to miss their cue because he got handsy with his girlfriend ten minutes before they were supposed to go on. “Alright then,” he said, kissing her forehead. Get some rest if you can. I’ll be there as soon as I get done and shower.”

She nodded her head barely. “Mmkay. Love you. Break a leg.”

“Love you too, baby,” he smiled, placing another kiss on her forehead.

“Oh, fuck this…” Sam muttered as she stared up at Ashton’s bunk on the bus. She reached on tiptoe to pull her blanket down, but no way in hell was she climbing up there with her head pounding like it was. She swallowed the Motrin with a swig of water and pushed back Calum’s curtain on the lower bunk before crawling inside and trying to get some sleep.

Ashton was the first one on the bus after practically sprinting backstage to change and shower, wanting to check on Sam, Calum on his heels. 

“Baby?” Ashton called out softly, drawing back his curtain. “What the fuck?” he muttered when he didn’t see her there. He could hear her snoring softly, but where the fuck was she? He frowned, crouching down to the bottom bunk and pulling back Calum’s curtain. He smiled when he saw her curled up and fast asleep. “Baby?” Ashton whispered, nudging her gently awake. “Baby, I’m here.”

“Shh, sleeping,” Sam mumbled at him, a hand swatting him away.

“Baby, you’re in Cal’s bunk. C’mon, gotta move ya up a floor.”

“No!” She rolled further into the bunk. “Too high. Couldn’t reach. Didn’t listen.” The broken sentences fell from her lips, a charming characteristic she only did when she was dead tired.

Ashton chuckled. “I’m sorry, baby. But I’m here now. C’mon, I’ll lift you in.”

“Too warm. Bed cold.”

“Hey, mate can you move? I’m exhausted,” Calum’s voice sounded.

“Trying Cal. Someone won’t move, though.”

Sam smiled at Calum’s voice. “Bub bed warm. Fletch bed cold. I stay. You shh,” she continued to speak in broken sleepy sentences.

Ashton and Calum shared a glance. Both men knew that moving a sleepy Sam meant death. The woman may sound cute when she was in a sleep state like this, but she was also mad as hell if you dared disturb her. Calum shoved passed Ashton and crawled into his bunk. “Night, mate,” Calum told Ashton, drawing the curtain closed. 

Ashton drew the curtain back open with a sharp pull. “So, I’m supposed to sleep by myself? In my cold bunk?”

Sam nodded, already curled up against Calum. “Should listen. Sam smart, ‘member? Sam doctor.”

Ashton rolled his eyes playfully. “I can’t believe I just got bubbed in my own relationship…”

“You Fletch. He bub. I’m baby princess,” Sam explained.

“Well, move over cuz Fletch is coming in,” Ashton said definitively, crawling in the bunk.

“What?! No!” Calum protested as Ashton’s body pressed into his. “It’s too small for three people!”

“Shut up and pass me my baby,” Ashton muttered, pulling Sam across Calum’s chest and onto his. “There, we’ll sleep side by side, and she can sleep right here on top of me.”

“If you start fucking, I’m shoving you both out,” Calum grumbled. “Now, close the damn curtain, and let me sleep.”

“Mmm, Fletch,” Sam mumbled happily, nuzzling her face into Ashton’s neck. “And bub,” she added, a hand patting Calum’s chest affectionately. “Love my boys.”

“And we love our girl,” Ashton murmured into her hair. “Go back to sleep, baby. We gotcha.”

In the morning, Calum was curled up in Sam’s blanket, his own blanket still trapped underneath him and Ashton. “Hey!” Sam said, snatching back her blanket. “Blanket thief.”

“Bed thief,” Calum retorted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I was cold.”

“So was I!”

“Bullshit, you slept on a heater!” Calum told her, pushing Ashton’s shoulder. 

“He was right next to you all night! How were you cold?”

“How were you cold?!”

“I wasn’t. I just want my blanket.”

“Shut up!” Mike grumbled from further down the row of bunks. 

“Sorry, Mikey. Want me to make pancakes?” Sam called out.

“Yes, please.”

~~~

“Yeah, um how much fabric do you think it would take to make a blanket for two people in love and one blanket thief?” Ashton asked the lady at the counter. “Say they’re all about this big?” he added, gesturing at himself, Calum, and Sam.

“He’s joking,” Sam put in quickly as the lady gave them all a weird look. “Can you point us in the direction of your king sized blankets?”

“Aisle 4,” the lady said, pointing. 

“Thank you,” Sam smiled brightly, skipping off in the direction of the pointed finger. 

~~~

“Okay,” Mike said, his green eyes worried as he eyed Sam sandwiched between Ashton and Calum on the couch. “Real talk. Are you a throuple?”

“We’re not judging,” Luke added. “We just… the nightly cuddling… we’re your friends. You can tell us.”

Ever since her migraine two weeks ago, all three of them had been sleeping in Calum’s bunk. Sam on the premise that it was easier to get into, despite Ashton buying her a collapsible stool; Calum on the premise that it was his bunk and he wasn’t switching; and Ashton on the premise that he slept where Sam slept. And with the king sized blanket solving the blanket thief problem, all three had come to enjoy the new sleeping arrangement more than they cared to ever admit out loud.

The not-a-throuple laughed at the blondes before Sam answered, “It’s just nice to be held. I mean, I’ve personally never slept better. It’s fun too. Like a fort almost.”

“And there’s a strict no funny business in Fort Hood,” Calum interjected.

Sam rolled her eyes. “It’s Fort Rhythm, bub. Fort Hood is already taken.”

“I like cuddles and forts…” Luke pouted.

“Focus!” Mike told him. “So, not a throuple?” The attention was back on the three on the couch.

Three head shakes with a uniform, “Nope.”

“So, can we build a fort?” Luke asked.

~~~

“Who needs mattress pads when I can do THIS!” Sam laughed, sprawling across all four men after Fort Luke Sucks Balls was manifested in the living room area of the tour bus. “Oh, damn partner… I knew you were broad shouldered, but damn, you are an actual giant.”

“Watch that mouth of yours,” Ashton growled playfully, grabbing at her chin as her head moved to lay on his chest.

“You know what?” she asked, readjusting herself across her human pillows. “Just for that, you get stuck with my feet,” she giggled, wiggling her toes in his face.

“Bad idea, baby,” Ashton said, gripping her ankles in one hand and tickling her with the other.

“No! Stop!” she squealed, her weight constantly shifting on the other men-earning protested groans- as she lunged forward to try and pry Ashton’s hand off her feet. “Stop! Please!” She continued to fight between laughs, tears falling down her cheeks as she fought for breath. “Fletcher!”

At the full middle name usage he stopped immediately. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

“Tickle me again and you’re out of Fort Rhythm.”

“You can’t kick me out of the fort that you half named after me!”

“Hey, bub, wanna teach me how to play drums so we can kick Fletch out of Fort Rhythm?”

“Can you replace him in the band, too?” Calum smirked.

“Alright, I won’t tickle you,” Ashton relented. Then, with a dangerous smirk, “Fellas?”

Three pairs of hands started ticking Sam’s feet and ribs while she screamed and squirmed. “No! Stop it! Someone’s gonna get hurt!” Sam’s voice echoed around the bus and almost like her words willed it to be true, she smacked Ashton straight in the face. 

“Motherfucker!” Ashton winced in pain, a hand cradling his cheek. “Alright stop!”

The tickling ceased and Sam scrambled to Ashton. “Shit, Fletch, are you okay?!”

“Fuck, I’m glad that wasn’t a fist,” Ashton grumbled, removing his hand from his bright red cheek. 

Sam’s blue eyes went wide before her lips were on his cheek, feeling the heat from her unintentional slap. “Fuck, Fletch, I’m so sorry!”

“Duly noted. No tickling in Fort Luke Sucks Balls,” Ashton continued to grumble. 

“Or sex,” Calum added. 

“Anything else?” Mike asked, getting up and moving to the kitchen area, rummaging around. 

“Name change!” Luke shouted. 

“Admit you’re 6’4”!” was the unison retort before Sam went back to apologizing profusely to Ashton. 

“Baby, I’m fine,” Ashton assured her.

“I’m so sorry!”

“It was my fault.”

“You’re right, but I’m still sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I’d hate to have you hit for me real. Damn, woman,” he said with a proud small smile. His girlfriend kicked ass.

“Alright, here,” Mike declared, waving everyone over to him. “Sign,” he instructed, handing Luke the bottle of mustard. 

“What the fuck?” they all laughed, looking at the tortilla that had the following written in ketchup:

Fort Luke Sucks Balls Rules

No sex of any kind

No tickling 

The makeshift contract already bore Mike’s initials in mustard. The bottle of mustard got passed around as they all added their initials to it.

“Can we all watch a movie now or something?” Sam asked once the aptly named Tortilla Treaty was signed. 

“Mean Girls?” Luke suggested. 

With the fort named at his expense, they all agreed that watching the movie of his choice was more than a fair arrangement.

“You know there’s plenty of space in here, Fletch,” Sam whispered once they all got comfortable in the fort. “You don’t have to be shoulder to shoulder with bub.”

“I know. Just gotten used to it I guess.”

Sam moved so she was lying on top of Ashton. “Me too,” she agreed, her face nuzzling into Ashton’s neck, a hand resting affectionately on Calum’s chest. 

“Hey, no sex,” Mike’s voice piped up before a piece of popcorn flew in their direction. “And not a throuple my ass.”

“Look, if you want Sam cuddles, just ask. You don’t gotta be rude about it,” Sam joked, tossing the piece of popcorn back at Mike who caught it in his mouth.

“Okay, I want Sam cuddles,” Mike relented, holding open his arms. “Get over here, queen.”

“What about me? I want Sam cuddles,” Luke put in, crossing his arms across his chest in a mock-pout.

“And none for Luke Hemmings!” Sam laughed at him, before sandwiching herself between both blondes.

The bunks weren’t slept in for the rest of the tour and monthly fort cuddles were added to the BUB Accords when they all got home.

_____

Tag List (Wanna join? Just ask)

@goeatsomelife​ @flameraine​ @cashtonasff5sos​ @here-for-the-uproars​ @cxddlyash​ @1-irwin-94​ @baldcalum​ @sparkling-chaos​

[spacyparker]

Mad Situation

MASTERLIST - PROMPT LIST

Summary : Maybe you shouldn’t have let Tom take the wheel after your friend’s wedding, or maybe getting lost at 4am wasn’t that bad.

Characters : Tom Holland x reader

Word count : 1.6k

A/N : I haven’t written in a while, this sucks but I wanted to give it another try tbh

 ------------------------------------------

Across the Universe was playing in the car, as Tom was driving you home from your best friend's wedding you've both just attended. It was almost four in the morning, Tom had a few drinks back there but you trusted him enough with your life to take the wheel. And above all, you were tired as you've never been before, eyelids already closing from all the dancing you've done. That is why Tom had insisted to drive though you'd drunk way less than he did, he wanted you to rest, being all quiet during the trip. Tom was always this gentleman, understanding what you needed without you even telling him a word.

  “ Fuck. ” He muttered.

  You were half asleep, or maybe even up to three-quarters, but you still managed to hear him. It woke you up, immediately, adrenaline pumping in your body. You had this kind of instinct, the one where you needed to control everything, being all mommy about anything. Tom had always found that cute, but it also bothered him in some ways, like when you insisted on him not wearing his white shoes or else they'd get dirty considering how carefree he could get. “ I know what I'm doing ! ” he would always say, before asking you hours later to help him clean up his mess. You loved that about him, the fact he thought he was being all independent but really couldn't survive in this world without you.

“ What's wrong ? ” Your voice was more raspy than how you thought it'd be, seemingly in a deeper rest than you expected. You rubbed your eyes to try to get a better sight, but everything was dark outside. Too dark. “ Where are we ? ”

He stopped the car, and you immediately frowned. That wasn't normal, nope, not normal at all. Where were the lights of the streets, and all the people coming back from the bars of London ?

“ That's what the 'fuck' was about... ” He pinched his lips, turning towards you. You could feel with his facial expression he was sorry, but also tired, maybe even more than you were as alcohol must had left his body now. Even his curls were lowering to his forehead. You should have had looked for an hotel.

“ You lost us ?! ” You didn't want to raise your voice, but you were too tired to stay calm in that situation. You wanted your bed, cuddles, and you wanted it right now.

“ Technically, we're not lost ! ” Suddenly a light smile stretched his lips, making you deepening the frown you were inflicting your brows.

“ So you know where we are ? ” Maybe there was a little hope, and he just wanted to talk or something, maybe he wanted to say it was your turn to drive because he couldn't take it anymore.

“ Absolutely, love. We're in the car ! ” There was a moment of silence where Tom contained himself from laughing, feeling all proud of himself and his not so perfect rhetoric. You deepened that damn frown which would end up giving you wrinkles before you'd even turn thirty.

“ I'm not kidding ! Tom, please, I wanna go home... ” And now it wasn't about your brows anymore, but this cute pout on your face he was fond of.

He rolled his eyes, his smile disappearing as you hadn't laugh, not even to boost his ego. “ Yes, yes hun, I know... Let me just put the GPS. ” And he stretched his arm to get his phone.

You put the side of your head on the window, looking outside to try recognize anything. The only things you saw there were trees, trees everywhere. That was weird since you didn't pass into any forest coming to the wedding. Tom was a really bad navigator, such a chance he was an actor.

“ Okay, good, good. It just found us, not lost anymore. You happy now, love ? ” He gave you his phone, so he didn't have to look at it and could concentrate on the road. But when he started the car, it wouldn't move. Uh, actually, yes, it moved, a little forward, and then, it sinked. SINKED.

“ Thomas, what have you done ? ” You said in a frustrated tone. But you weren't just tired and mad, no, now you were also freaked out, because you didn't want to stay the night in the car in that freaking forest.

He tried again, pushing the accelerator pedal harder until it hit the floor. Nothing. Nothing but more sinking. “ Fuck ! ” He said in a muffled scream. “ Wait in here, I'm gonna see what's wrong, ok ? ”

You just nodded. What else could you do anyway ? Tom hopped off the car, you saw him switching the light of his phone on and he soon came back with a bothered face. A face you didn't want to see at this exact moment.

“ We're stuck in mud. ” He scrunched up his nose.

“ Stuck in... Are you kidding me ?! ”

“ Look, I know, you're tired, that you wanna go home, but me too, Y/N. ” Tom sighed. He wasn't in the mood for any fight, you could tell he only wanted to get in bed as soon as possible just like you, which made you realize screaming at him wouldn't help. “ C'mon, I need your help. Take the wheel, I'll push the car.” And if Tom allowed you to take the wheel, it meant you really didn't have any other solution to get out of here, and most of all, you were in some big shit.

You complied without any hesitation, just the thought of your silk sheets giving you enough force and courage to finally move from your seat. Tom disappeared behind the car, told you to accelerate, and just a few seconds after you did, you could hear his scream.

“ Stop ! Stop ! Oh my god, Y/N STOP ! ” He was almost begging you. No, he was totally begging you, in a voice even more pitched than his usual.

You stopped. Of course, panic starting to control your blood once again. What was wrong, this time ? “ What ? What ? I hurt you ?! ”

“ No... ” He went to the side of the car, just before you and... That was when you finally discovered him with all this mud, covered from toes to face. “ Send help. ”

And this time, this time you laughed, because he looked so desperate, and because you were glad he was the one dirty while you just seated there. But this time, this time he didn't want to hear your laugh, he really wanted some help. “ Don't ! ” He shouted with a pouting face. But you didn't stop. So Tom bent down, grabbed some mud in his hand before throwing it to you.

“ Ah ! ” You screamed as it hit your chest. “ You ! You fucker ! ” But you kept smiling as you heard his own laugh. All the stress from the “we're lost” thing had vanished now, and you felt like two kids playing in the snow, unless… Unless it was mud. Whatever, you were just dirty kids.

Your brand new dress was ruined you'd never see its bright yellow ever again, and you were sure Tom's stylist would blackout once he'd see his suit. But when you sent loads of mud to each other, all this did not alert your minds, you just heard your laughs, and felt how good the moment was. There was no place for tiredness, no place for stress or tension. It was just two kids in love, happy to know they weren't alone in this messed up world.

And suddenly you fell, a gasp falling off your lips as your butt hit the slippery ground. “You okay ?” You heard Tom's voice. When you looked up with a pout stuck on your face from your defeat, he laughed again.

“Well, time to get home, I guess.” You crinkled your nose, taking Tom's hand to help you get back  on your feet. But instead of letting your hand go once you were, he pulled you against his chest.

You wanted to kiss him, you oh so wanted to kiss him, but all this mud was too gross for you to kiss. You loved him, but his lips wasn't worth the bacterias. “I bet you 10 dollars you won't kiss me.” Fuck, you forgot how good he knew you.

You blushed, glad the mud covered your skin and he wasn't able to see it though he sure figured your cheeks had changed colors. Because he knew you too well, and could anticipate much of your reactions. Sometimes, it even drove you crazy, and not in the good way. Tom was a prick, and he used this to his advantage, bothering you on purpose. But you could play that game too.

“I bet you 20 dollars you didn't think about what I am going to tell you.” You smiled in a playful way, pride taking place in your brain.

Tom frowned, curious about what was on your mind. “Go on, love.” He said in a sweet voice, once that always made you melt under its sound.

“There's going to be mud all over your car, now.”

Tom's jaw dropped. No, he hadn't thought about this. “Shit.” He muttered.

You laughed, pulling him off of you to go back before the wheel, just waiting for him to try to push the car once more. As great as this moment felt, you still wanted to go to sleep, but now most of all, take a long warm shower.

[courageous-she]

“Hot RA Tom” Part II- T.H.

Summary: An early morning fire drill leads to warm cuddles and some ‘official’ business.

Word Count: 1794

Warnings: Complete fluff with one or two swears

a/n: This was a random idea that ironically popped into my head during a fire alarm at 2:00AM. Hope you enjoy :)

All you wanted to do was get some rest. Was that too much to ask? Your residents had been crazy the entire week, having been home for more than a month they were definitely taking advantage of their renewed freedom. Classes had been more stressful than any syllabus week should and you just started a new internship. So, you truly didn’t think that getting some rest was too much to ask for. Especially on a Sunday night. But apparently, the freshmen in your building had a completely different idea as to how Sunday night should go.

You woke up at God knows what time to the fire alarm blaring in your room. Caught in a sleep induced haze you scrambled around your room trying to remember what you needed to do in this situation. You almost went to turn your light on but your sleep-deprived brain made you think that since the fire alarm was on your lights wouldn’t work.

Really good logic there.

Anyway, in your haste to leave the building, you grabbed your throw blanket off the foot of your bed and slid on some slippers. Just barely grabbing your phone and room key, you made it out of the building with a crowd of residents.

You made your way over to the courtyard, standing on a bench to yell at freshmen to move when you’d realized you left your retainer in. There was nowhere for you to put it now so you just let some of the other RA’s do the screaming for now. A few minutes later you saw a groggy Tom make his way out of the building in his sweats and a sweatshirt. He made his way over to you, laughing quietly at the state you were in.

“Are you wearing any pants, Y/N?” he asked, stepping up next to you on the bench. You giggled at that being the first thing he asked before pulling your blanket to reveal your pajama shorts.

“They have llamas on them!” you spoke with a slight lisp due to your retainer. Tom only laughed noticing the retainer around your teeth before continuing to yell at the freshmen to get out of the way. You weren’t standing outside long before you began shaking.

It was 2:00 AM in February, you definitely should have grabbed more than your blanket. Maybe if you were in a more solid state of mind you would have thought to grab your jacket laying on your chair.

Tom noticed you shaking and he moved a little closer to you, wrapping his two arms around you. He moved his hands quickly up and down on your arms in an attempt to warm you up.

“We shouldn’t be out here too much longer, love,” he said, looking around for campus security. They had rushed to the building when the alarm went off and were now presumably looking for the source. These freshmen were really testing their limits though in the limited time they’d been outside.

“Is this a drill?” one kid yelled.

“Drill’s don’t happen at 2 in the fucking morning.” One of the RA’s groaned from beside you causing both you and Tom to chuckle. Soon after, campus security shut off the alarm and the freshmen began moving.

“You can’t go inside yet!” An RA yelled, groans erupting from the mass of residents.

“Yeah, because we want to be out here just as much as you do!” Tom yelled, still rubbing your arm. You chuckled, resting your head on his shoulder for some additional warmth. “What time is your first class?” he now asked you.

You looked up at his warm eyes, almost forgetting to answer. “Uh, I have a 9 AM tomorrow.” Tom nodded and then began looking around in all directions. “What are you doing?” you asked.

“Trying to find campus security to see if we can go back in the damn building.” He said when he noticed an officer walking through the courtyard. Tom immediately jumped down from the bench to approach the officer. “Excuse me, are we clear to go back in the building?”

The officer looked around at the mass of people in the courtyard, almost confused as to why everyone was still outside. “Yeah, everything is clear go back inside.” Tom turned toward you, offering a hand so you could jump down from the bench. As soon as the two of you made your way toward the doors, the freshmen quickly followed.

“Thank fuck you asked if we could come back inside! Who knows how long we would have been standing out there for.” You said, shaking off the cold once you got back into the building. Tom chuckled from beside you, walking side by side down your hallway.

“Wanted you to be able to get some sleep before your class tomorrow morning.” He said, stopping in front of your door as you unlocked it. He followed you inside as you quickly kicked off your slippers and jumped back into your bed, cocooned in your blanket.

“mph, I’m so freaking cozy now.” You laughed, moving to plug your phone back in. Tom walked over to your bed, standing beside you. He patted you down, pretending to tuck you in before leaning down to kiss your forehead.

“G’night darling, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Your eyes were already closed, having gotten comfy in your bed again you were quickly falling back asleep. You barely heard what Tom had said to you, but you felt his lips on your cheek. You heard his footsteps and then heard the door being opened.

“Wait, Tommy?” you asked, only sitting up slightly in your bed. He turned around, backlit by the hallway lights from the open door. He gave you a confused look before you continued, “Can you stay with me tonight? I’m still cold from outside, I need someone to warm me up.” You smiled goofily.

You know you didn’t need a reason to ask Tom to stay, that he would stay simply because you wanted him there. He chuckled slightly at your excuse anyway before moving to close the door. “Anything for you, love” he smiled.

He left his shoes by the door before placing his sweatshirt neatly on the futon. He quickly took his sweatpants off and placed those with his sweatshirt. You shifted over in your bed, making room for him. He pulled back the comforter before sliding in next to you, immediately warming you up.

“C’mere,” he said, moving his arm around your shoulders. You placed your head on his chest, once again being lulled by the rhythmic beating of his heart. Whether he knew it or not, this boy had your whole heart.

--- You woke up the next morning a little before your alarm, sure to turn it off before it woke Tom up as well. He didn’t have class until later and with the fire alarm happening at such a ridiculous hour you wanted him to get some rest.

You began to slowly make your way out of bed without disturbing Tom but he shifted next to you, tightening his grip around your waist. “Mm, darlin’ don’ leave me” he whined, refusing to open his eyes.

Chuckling you removed his arms from around you and eventually made your way completely out of bed. You placed the covers back on top of Tom, leaning down to kiss his temple. “Sorry bub, I can’t miss class but I’ll be back soon with some breakfast.”

“mm, food. Okay.” His groggy morning voice made it all the more cute as he turned himself back into your bed. You got yourself ready for the day, only throwing on some leggings and a sweatshirt before quickly packing your bag and walking to class.

Sitting through class should have been a form of torture that morning. Not having enough rest was really hitting you hard, making it extremely difficult to focus. Luckily it was only a 50-minute class and it was over before you knew it. You’d quickly made your way to the dining hall to grab some muffins and cereal for you and Tom. You were already looking forward to crawling back in your warm bed.

You made your way back into your room, being sure to be quiet so as not to wake Tom who was most definitely still asleep. Sliding off your shoes and bag, you placed the food on your desk. Tom was cuddled up close to the wall, leaving room for you to slip in next to him. You hugged his back from behind and placed a gentle kiss to the back of his neck.

You heard him groan and he turned around in your arms, moving his to circle your waist. “Missed you.” He hummed against your lips, leaving soft and sleepy kisses against them.

“You didn’t even know I was gone,” you chuckled. You felt him laugh as well, squeezing you tight as he stretched himself awake. He made to sit up in the bed before noticing the food sitting on your desk.

“What’d you bring me?” he asked in a childlike tone. You rolled your eyes jokingly and quickly made to grab the food from your desk. Tom grabbed one of the muffins, taking a bite out of it. He looked content like there was nowhere he’d rather be in that moment. He held the muffin out to you letting you lean in to take a bite.

The two of you stayed like that for a while. Snuggled under the blankets and picking at the food you’d brought. You were content, happy, and overall comfortable at that moment. Eventually, Tom made his way out of bed and threw his clothes back on. You pouted jokingly in your bed not wanting him to leave, but knowing he had to shower and get ready for class.

Before leaving, he made his way over to you, hugging you close to his body. “So, we’ve been on a couple dates now, yeah?” he asked. You looked up at him smiling and nodding lightly. “I was thinking, maybe now’s a good time to make things official? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” You could tell he was nervous because you could feel his heart pounding against your own chest.

“I’d like that” you smiled, leaning up to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Damn, that was easier than I thought!” Tom replied, letting a sigh of relief escape his lips. He stepped back slightly, loosening his grip from around your waist. “That just means duty with you will be more entertaining.” He replied with a wink.

You giggled, smacking his chest. “Whatever Holland, see you tonight for check-in.” He left with a big smile on his face, winking again before shutting your door softly.

[nomiliy]

The Devil’s Holed Up in Redcliffe

Darren Shan shot back the first half of his second Rob Roy. He had asked the bartender to pour boozy, be generous with the scotch, and cheap with the bitters.

But he wasn’t feeling a damn thing.

The night was still young by university and baby-alcoholic standards, but he desperately wished his tolerance was lower. Maybe then he’d forget the absolute hellscape this day had become.

He found himself in a musty corner booth of Seven Star Pub in Redcliffe. It was Saturday night, approximately 11:15 pm —peak pub crawl hours—and not even the bar’s basement lighting and thick, cancerous clouds of Newport smoke could hide his crumbling disposition. Smashed between grimy leather upholstery and Steve Leonard’s grimy leather jacket with barely legal freshers from Bristol University and Chelsea fans screaming their heads off over missed goals was not how Darren envisioned his Valentine’s eve.

But what can you do when the love of your life is an arsehole?

Honestly, Darren was more surprised by the fact that Tom Jones and Alan Morris even wanted to go out tonight. It made sense for Tom since this was the first Valentine’s in two years that he’d be alone. But Alan was so married to his studies at Bath University he barely had time for anything that wasn’t lizard scale samples.

But when the redhead texted Steve and Darren about cheering up their mate, Steve being the good friend he rarely is, answered for them—as if they didn’t already have plans!

Darren cursed Tommy’s superstar status. If not for Tom Jones, the four would have never gotten a table. But as the star goalie for Bath’s football club, Jones and company enjoyed pseudo-celebrity perks after rumor got round that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham were scouting him.

Darren wanted nothing more than to go home to their little flat and roll between the sheets with his handsome Jewish boyfriend. Instead, he sipped on weak cocktails and silently glared at said handsome prick.

Steve sat on the outside of the booth with his arm spread over the back. His legs mirrored the care-free stance and took up most of the real estate underneath the table as well. His face held a gentle flush that colored the top of his broad chest. He was already intoxicated; the fact that he chose stout drinks only hammed up his low tolerance.

Darren occasionally felt his thigh rub against his own, as if to say “sorry, babe” without having to out themselves to Tom and Alan. Or without having to apologize or admit he was a jerk.

Darren sat closer than he knew he should for public outings. He found himself, at times, resting his head atop a built arm or leaning into the partly open embrace despite Alan and Tom chatting across from them. But Seven Star was so crowded, and the February winds stuck to his bones in a perpetual chill. How could he not cuddle up with that platinum blond devil?

He told himself that the guys would think it a consequence of too many drinks, the cold, and the fact that Steve had virtually no sense of personal space.

With how Tom barreled through his third pint of Guinness and Alan nursing his watered-down rum and coke, he doubt they’d notice.

Darren and Steve had managed to keep their friends and family out of the loop for the past few years. Not by fear of rejection from the community at large, but more so by anything interrupting their routine. Steve was convinced that Alan and Tom wouldn’t treat them the same if they knew; they would tiptoe around the subject, give them glances every time they did something remotely ‘cute,’ buy them those stupid ‘His & His’ coffee cups and towels that Steve just loved to pitch a fit about every time they popped up in his recommended search history.

“Are you searching for this shit, Dare?!”

They had their fair share of rows, but whether to tell their friends was always an all-out battle. Usually, it would end with Steve storming out of the flat to cool off with a smoke. He’d come back after an hour or so, curl up with Darren in bed, and give a quick apology shag before passing out for the night. Honestly, it was a routine that Darren thoroughly enjoyed.

The platinum blond terror had calmed down quite a bit since they got together, mellowed by domestic bliss and brain-frying university life to cause much trouble. He didn’t throw things like when he was a teenager, he talked his feelings out (for the most part), him and his mum were on wonderful terms, and he kept up with his aggression therapy after all these years.

But Steve was still, as Officer Crawley put it, ‘a bloody menace.’

Now, Steve didn’t do anything to get himself arrested anymore (like attempted arson, public battery, and joyriding) but he was still a royal git. Which was particularly infuriating with Steve being so bloody charming. The way he belted Black Sabbath and Metallic in that crooning baritone on the train, how he didn’t give a rat’s arse about the sideways glances, how he re-enacted whole scenes of An American Werewolf in London right down to the American accent and blood-chilling howl in the dead of night stalking Kings Street.

Darren always thought Steve would’ve made a spectacular actor. He had the face, the smooth vocals that were damn sinful in Yiddish, the body—Lord, his pecs and arms!— a flair for melodramatics, a sharp grin, but yet a soft smile, a real smile that he’d toss over the kitchen counter while nuking a box of hot pockets at 3:00 A.M. or when he’d roll over in bed and pull Darren tight to his chest just to smile into his neck and grind his morning wood into—

“Think that girl’s got the look on you, Steve,” Alan noted over his straw before sucking down the last of his rum and coke.

Darren’s blood flared through his cheeks in a rolling boil. He didn’t even try to hide behind his jumper sleeve.

Tommy’s perked expression and sharp, goalie-box trained eyes revved on him. “Oi, what’s with the face, Darren?” he asked with some frothy head caught in his baby-stache.

His ex Sharona hated that fuzzy upper lip, but now that she was gone, Darren noted, Tommy let that, and a multitude of other things, slip. His ash-brown crew cut had gone shaggy along with his untrimmed whiskers. He reeked of the field, he developed dark bags under his eyes, and he never seemed to have a clean shirt.

Steve glanced at the flush on Darren’s cheeks, then made a clipped, rolling cackle low in his throat. His shoulder lazily bumped the black-haired Irishmen, and Darren just knew he was bloody smashed.

“That iron tolerance failing you, Shan?” Steve cackled again, losing nearly half of his third Old Fashion over the rim with each jerky sway. “Or you jealous?”

“Oh, definitely,” Darren snapped, “just positively green over here from all the jailbait they were too stupid to card drooling over your Jewish prick.”

“Deepest apologies, mate,” he grinned, “maybe while I’m shaggin’ one of ‘em you can swoop in and comfort their poor, cryin’ beaus with your arse.”

Darren went about nine shades of red ranging from ‘embarrassed’ to ‘furious.’

Then the absolute evil laugh that rumbled out of Steve’s chest added the shade murderous.

He saw Tom go red from secondhand embarrassment, and Alan wouldn’t make eye contact over the rim of his glass. On top of the guys not knowing about their relationship, they also had no idea that Steve wasn’t completely straight. Darren could gather what this looked like: Childhood best friends having a go at each other and one going way over the line. But if they knew what this was (a closeted bi-man hamming up his straight-schtick) then maybe they’d feel a bit of pity.

But all Darren could feel was rage.

“You’re sloshed, Steve,” Darren downed the last of his Rob Roy in a smooth toss. “Maybe you should slow down before you get yourself killed.”

“Think I’m a shot away from that,” Steve said with a shake of his now empty glass. “Hey,” he called over the throngs of people, “in the Megadeath jumper!”

The waitress, a thin woman with fake tits that could double as floaties when the breeze knocked her imbalanced arse into the Thames, glanced the boys’ way.

She nearly dropped.

Darren gave himself an aneurysm suppressing an eye roll. Yes, Stephen Ezekiel ‘The Leopard’ Leonard was bloody fit; get it together and take the damn order!

But he couldn’t really blame the girl. When a Jewish bad-boy with a shocked-blond undercut, two-day stubble, suped-up glamour muscles busting through a (lifted) leather jacket, and a deadly grin leers at you over several empty cocktails, what else can you do?

Frankly, despite the waitress having no fault in this, she was kindly welcome to go drop her arse on someone else’s boyfriend.

“Hi there, love,” his voice dropped another octave when the waitress slid between the booths.

She leaned over the table right into Steve. Her band jumper was torn up and distressed around the neck, letting her ample cleavage spill through and work for those extra fivers. Her name tag said ‘Gina,’ but the occult tattoos rolling up her arms in complete sleeves, splotchy dye-job, and vampy, silicone plumped lips screamed ‘Sex-Metal Barbie.’

“What can I get you, boys?” she asked out of politeness. Darren could see that her attention sparked only on Steve.

“Can I get another old fashion here? Still a bit thirsty,” he jingled the ice cubes in his glass with a wink.

Darren rolled his eyes, shoved his empty glass to the end of the booth, and willed the goth centerfold out of existence.

“An’ a Rob Roy for my mate here,” Steve quickly added, “Famous Grouse scotch, light on the vermouth, three black cherries.”

Gina giggled at the order, possibly finding the specificity endearing. “Wish my girlfriends knew me like that,” she said with an effortless smile. She wrote it down far too quickly on a loose napkin. “I’ll have those right out.”

When she stepped away, Darren saw her hand smooth over Steve’s shoulder.

He bristled at the sight. Her fingers gripped at the taut muscle, massaging the stress knots drilled in by his engineering course load.

Then she left the napkin there, right in front of Steve. Clear as day, for all the table to see, was her phone number and her name with a little heart over the ‘i’ in ‘Gina.’

Tom clapped his thick-bottomed glass on the table with rounded out laughter. “On the prowl already!”

Alan roused back up from his one-drink stupor, jostled his tragic bowl cut around looking for the waitress. “Did she take our drink order? I want another rum and coke,” he asked in a sleepy tilt, sprawling flat on top of the table once more.

Steve looked over the booth, and Darren just knew he was watching her walk away in those skin-tight jeans. But then, the blond tossed a sly smile to Tom and Alan. He slipped the digits right inside his jacket pocket then tapped it with a knowing look.

And that was the final straw for Darren Shan.

Read the rest on AO3~!

[melodramaticfanatic-blog]

Window to your soul(mate) - Ch. 4

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x reader

A/N: originally this chapter was WAY too long so I divided it in half...now it’s shorter than I’d like...but the next section became longer anyway so maybe it evens out? (Plus the next chapter is my FAVORITE so far!!)

Warnings: Fluff and slow burn. It’s safe to assume that all my stories are going to have at least a little NSFW, 18+ and language. Just how I write.

Summary: 3 months after moving to New York City, Y/N feels like she has finally found her footing. She has a great apartment, is making friends and has a steady enough job to pay the rent. She’s even gotten used to the empty apartment across from hers…but all that changes when a handsome film star returns home after months of being away.

Master list

Ch. 1   Ch. 2   Ch. 3

Gif not mine, credit to owner

Sebastian stood in his kitchen putting together a small tray of appetizers. He didn’t really cook but he could at least manage to assemble some easy bites for friends. The actual meal was being delivered by a catering service, thank goodness. If it had been left up to his culinary skills, it would have been sandwiches all around...and not even particularly good or creative sandwiches at that. Still anyone can manage to skewer a grape tomato, a piece of mozzarella cheese and a basil leaf before topping it with a drizzle of oil. 

“Mini caprese salad bites!” he said proudly as he held one up to inspect it. “I’m ready for my cooking show Food Network. I am the fucking god of appetizers!”

Just then a soft knock drifted over the low music humming in the background of the apartment. Sebastian quickly rinsed his hands free of the oil and then proceeded to the front door of the apartment, grabbing his wallet from the end table near the couch as he passed by. 

“That was really fast, thanks so much,” Sebastian said as he opened the door. He was looking down at his wallet and leafing through the bills inside. “How much do I owe you?”

“Well, in ‘Pretty Woman’ Julia Robert’s character got paid $3,000 for the week, but as you only wanted dinner, I don’t think I can get away with asking for quite that much.”

His head shot up in surprise when he recognized the teasing voice of his neighbor, Y/N. She stood in the hallway outside of his apartment with a taunting smirk on her face, holding a large tray covered in foil. She had dressed casually as he had stated the get together was nothing fancy but still managed to look incredibly beautiful in her floral romper dress. The outfit fit as though she had had it tailor made for her body and the shorts beneath the draping fabric of the skirt put her long legs on display. He couldn’t refrain from dragging his eyes along the slender lengths, studying the curving design of the tattoo that danced along her right leg. 

“Although, you keep looking at me like that and I may decide to start charging you by the minute, mister.”

Sebastian let out an easy laugh and gave his lips a quick lick before smiling. “Depending on what you decide to charge, I think it would be worth it.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at him and huffed out an exasperated laugh. “Yeah, except you’ve already seen the whole package, remember? Our rather unconventional first interaction?”

“I have no idea what you’re alluding to,” Sebastian retorted with conspiratorial wink before stepping out of the doorway. “Come on in, you’re the first to arrive.”

“Am I early?” she asked uneasily as she lingered on the threshold of the apartment. 

“Not at all, my friends are all chronically late. You’re probably just more polite than the rest of them. Can I take that tray from you and pretend to be a gentleman by the way?”

Y/N glanced down as though surprised to see the tray filling her arms. “Oh, right! I forgot all about this due to our negotiations over my hourly rate.” She let out a wry chuckle as Sebastian grinned lasciviously at her. “I made dessert. I wasn’t sure how many people were going to be here so I just went with big.”

Sebastian stepped forward and scooped the tray from her arms. “That was too kind, you shouldn’t have!”

“My mother raised me right: never go to someone’s house empty handed.”

“You really shouldn’t have but since you did, I’ll happily enjoy dessert. What’d you make?”

“Tiramisu. I figured it took care of coffee and dessert all in one fell swoop.” Y/N gave an easy shrug and followed Sebastian as he led her into the kitchen to set the tray down.

“Wow...you hit on two of my weaknesses simultaneously. Tell me...how much would you judge me if I just kept this whole tray to myself and didn’t mention dessert to any of the others?”

“A lot,” she deadpanned in return. 

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips as though debating whether or not it might be worth it to have her judge him. The performance got a few chuckles and an eye roll from Y/N, which was reward enough for Sebastian. He really enjoyed her laugh. 

“It’s very different actually being in this apartment as opposed to looking into it through the windows.” Y/N wandered a few steps away from him looking around the spacious residence. 

“Spend a lot of your time peering into my place, do you?”

She turned to look over her shoulder at Sebastian and scrunched up her face while sticking out her tongue at him. “You’ve never even been in here since I moved in months ago; it’s not like I was spying.”

“Of course not; your mother raised you right after all,” he replied with a mockingly serious nod, his face a mask of solemnity. 

“I cannot even deal with your sass, Sebastian. When do you leave again?”

Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Y/N had jumped in and cut him off. 

“Not soon enough, that’s right!”

Her words would have been cruel if not for the clearly teasing tone she used and the innocently mischievous expression playing across her face. As it was, Sebastian couldn’t help but respond to her the way all young boys respond to teasing: he stuck out his tongue in retaliation and reached out to tug a lock of her hair gently. 

“I’m rubber, you’re glue,” he mocked childishly.

Y/N laughed and strolled over to the windows that looked out onto her apartment. “I think your view is nicer than mine.”

“Oh?” Sebastian walked over to stand next to her. “Why’s that?”

“Because you get to look at me, obviously!” Y/N struck a cheesy pose before shaking her head jocularly and continuing in a more serious tone as she gazed outside. “You look out of the city. If you gaze far enough, you can start to see water in the distance. I look further into the city. Beyond your place, all I get to see is more and more buildings.”

“You don’t like the city?” Sebastian had turned his head slightly to study Y/N as she spoke. 

“It’s not that,” she replied with a shrug. “The city is fine, even beautiful. I really enjoy people watching here. You can create whole life stories for the people around you and never even meet them. But...” Her voice trailed off and she gave another noncommittal shrug. 

“But you’re used to open places.”

“I guess.” For a moment, Y/N seemed to slip into a headspace that made her sad. Before Sebastian could decide what to do about it however, she had turned to look at him again, her face hitched back into a broad smile. “Can I try your couch?”

A bright laugh rumbled up from Sebastian’s belly. “What?”

Y/N looked down as she shuffled her feet and gave him a bashful smile. “I’ve been staring at that couch for months now and I’m a naturally curious person. You don’t know how crazy my brain can make me with questions.”

“Help yourself,” he replied giving a broad gesture around the room as there was another knock at the door. “Feel free to roam as your curiosity demands while I get that.”

Sebastian strolled to the door, throwing an occasional glance over his shoulder as he walked, while Y/N went around to the couch and settled herself primly onto it. 

“You haven’t been waiting months to sit at the edge like some debutante,” he chided. “Make yourself comfortable!”

Y/N gave him a roguish smile and then squirmed against the couch, cuddling herself deeply into it. “It’s even better than I guessed!”

Sebastian tipped his head back, laughing at the absurdity of it all, before opening the door to reveal his catering delivery and another two guests. 

“Dude, you didn’t even get the food here before the guests? Weak, Seabass,” Anthony Mackie stated, standing in the hallway and shaking his head. 

“Considering how you guys are always late, I wasn’t too concerned,” he quipped back, ushering the delivery and guests inside. 

“I’m very sorry,” Tom Holland gushed sincerely. “I asked Anthony if he could give me a ride since I hadn’t been here before and I’m not terribly familiar with New York. Are we incredibly late?”

“Tom, down boy.” Mackie said with a smirk. “He’s joking. It’s no fair teasing him, Seabass. The kid’s a damn puppy.”

“Don’t worry about it, only one other person beat you here and she had a short commute,” Sebastian soothed Tom’s frazzled nerves with a gesture to Y/N. 

Her face was peering over the top of the couch where she had been balled up, suddenly incredibly aware that her famous actor neighbor probably also had famous actor friends. “Hello,” she said shyly. 

“Hello yourself, Gorgeous,” Mackie responded with a smile that would put Prince Charming to shame. “Seabass, who is this incredible creature?”

“Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, this is my neighbor, Y/N,” Sebastian said as he waved his hands between the members of the group, making introductions. “Y/N, this is the Mack Attack and...Tom.” His brows furrowed for a moment and he seemed more puzzled than the situation warranted. “I guess I don’t have a nickname for Tom.”

Y/N laughed and shook her head at his expression. “Very nice to meet you both.”

“He’s only been back a couple of days and he already hooked you, huh, Y/N? That’s how irresistible my boy is! Way to go Sexy Seabass!” Mackie was thumping Sebastian on the back as he spoke and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Not quite,” Y/N said with a laugh. “Just neighbors. And what on earth is a Sexy Seabass?”

“Oh, come on now,” the dark man chided as he waved his hand along Sebastian’s body the way Vana White would present a new car. “Look at all this!”

Sebastian had begun to blush furiously as Mackie teased and by the time the man had finished speaking, he had put his hands over his face to conceal it. “Alright, well, I’m going to go check on the food and maybe put my head in the oven. Drinks, anyone? Mackie, beer? Tom...glass of milk?”

The two men and Y/N laughed as he left the room, the back of his neck glowing a bright red. Less than five minutes into introducing Y/N to his friends and he was already regretting it. This might turn out to be a very long night. 

Next

WTYS tags: @ajosieface  @lolabean1998  @shynara51 @secretoktober  

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Winter Formal

Summary: That cheating bastard thinks he can be with you again?

Yugyeom X Reader

Not requested but this is for my secret Santa job :) for @gyeomdrop

Prompt: 24. “I gave you my all, but our love hit a wall, now. I'm jingle belling and everyone's yelling, we'll drink 'til the bars shut us down, ain't that just what Christmas is all about?” (All Time Low)

You know they say when you break up with someone you never have to see them again

Yeah this isn't that kind of deal

You see, Yugyeom and you had been dating for all four years of high school

It seems he didn't think it was that serious

With him going behind your back and dating chicks

Even your own best friend, well ex-best friend

Behind your back the whole time, maybe not the first two months but the whole time he was with someone else

You found out the night of winter formal

You two were dancing the night away all night

He left to go get punch for the two of you

You assumed he was talking to one of his friends so you ventured over to punch bowl and he wasn't there

Maybe he was coming to bring them to you

But you couldn't see him at table, on the dance floor, or anywhere

Huffing you went over to the bathrooms maybe he had to pee…

You guess he had more than peeing to do

As you see him standing with his hand on the wall and his other under her dress, making out with her like he nothing better to do on a Friday night

Something took over you in that moment, your fuse blew, and you marched over to him

Spun him around and with all your glittering rings socked him right in the nose

It almost pained you when he cried out in pain, but your heart was hurting worse than it ever will

“I gave you my all, but our love hit a wall, now. I'm jingle belling and everyone's yelling, we'll drink 'til the bars shut us down, ain't that just what Christmas is all about?” (All Time Low)

Became your anthem that year, you were so pissed, he could kiss your ass and he still wouldn't be worthy of a simple hello

You gave him your whole heart and this is how he treats you? He never ruined your trust in others, but he ruined the trust you gave him.

You were willing to date others and give them all your love if only you could find someone worthy of it

You found out from your friend that he ended up with a broken nose that's why he didn't return to school the next day or the day after that

You got your classes changed around for next semester not wanting to see the cheating bastard

You would just have to suffer sitting with him until finals happened, which you did you stuck to your guns passed the classes with his nose recovering, you knew you packed a punch, but it made you feel good about yourself, and you would do it again

After that you never expected to see him again, of course you forgot you two were going to same college

Who would have guessed as you were unpacking your bags Yugyeom would be your roommate

When he came in your heart stopped, “You gotta be kidding me” he muttered “no way”

To say the least you guys didn't talk for the first few weeks just scoffs and glares

The memories of your relationship ringing around as you slept on your side of the dorm and him on the other, what it could have been like if he didn't cheat but here we are

The fact your best friend even went and slept with him behind your back dead shocking the only thing you're surprised about is you never got STDs or mono

It's a blessing but also makes you mad because he had the audacity to cheat and the risk he put you through made you pissed to the point where you were ready to punch him in the nose again

As the days went on you started talking to your partner in Chemistry names Mark, he's gorgeous, sweet, and caring, all that Yugyeom wasn't

One thing led to another and Mark and you were going out for the weekend, Yugyeom was out with Bambam a friend he made who was enjoyable when he wasn't around Yugyeom at least, has the best fashion advice

You were cuddling all night, watching movies and your heart felt a bit amended but it still stung seeing Yugyeom's bed just a foot away and for some sick reason you wished it was him holding you and not Mark

Yugyeom isn't worthy of being even compared to Mark, nowhere close, that what brings you to snuggling closer into Mark and falling asleep in his arms

You wake up and Mark is looking at you with adoration and it warms you heart and he says, “You want to get coffee?” You agree, as he gets up and you watch him put his shoes back on and grab his coat, “I'll meet you there?” You nod

Yugyeom comes into our dorm and you roll your eyes pulling on my shoes

“I thought we were still dating” He says with poison dropping from his voice as Mark leaves “You're a different kind of fucked up, and I'm pretty sure we ended it that night if you don't remember you were with more than just me-” The door closes and you hope Mark doesn't get the wrong impression.

“But I loved you!” he growls

“What a way of showing it. This isn't no Daisy and Tom Buchanan relationship, I was through with you the night I found out and broke your nose”

“Everyone has those lover quarrels”

“You don't understand it do you, kissing someone is a mistake, sleeping with someone is more than one mistake, I know for damn well you slept with my best friend she was bragging about it one night at a party, when she got drunk. I can only imagine how many else you have slept with-” You start to leave him, as he stutters over his words, “I-I didn't sleep with her!” he yells, “Ah so you slept with someone else?” And he has nothing to say for himself, his shoulders slump, “See” you growl at him

“So that's why you didn't talk to me… I'm so sorry” he puts his head into his hands, “Sorry doesn't make up for it. No if you don't mind me I'll be with Mark, a guy who actually cares about my feelings, bye bitch.”

You throw on your trench coat slip on your shoes and leave to the coffee shop where Mark said to meet, “Are you and Yugyeom a thing?” You shake your head quickly, “The fucker thinks that after he cheated on me that I'm still his. He cheated on me in our senior year and probably more than that, and he still thinks we're dating after I socked him in the nose?”

“Probably got a pretty nasty punch, maybe you knocked a few brain cells out of him?” You laugh, “I don't think he had to start with”

“Yeah especially cheating on someone as special as you.” You smile at him, “Thanks I can't believe out of all people he had to be my roommate, I tried to avoid him this whole time-”

“Maybe you need to stop avoiding the problem and solve it?” he asks you softly grabbing your hand, you squeeze his hand, “Maybe you're right”

That night after we had a night on the town, a memorable time, you couldn't believe you  would have to deal with Yugyeom when you got back but you knew since you had Mark everything would fall into place.

You arrive home to hear music playing through the dorm, you pull off your coat and put it on the rack behind the door to see Yugyeom laying on his bed to say the least you were shocked you couldn't believe he wasn't dancing to it rather he was crying “I fucked it all up” You knew what he was talking about

But if he really wanted you to accept his apology his actions would have to prove it

He thinks you'll forgive him for all the love you wasted on him? For the time you wasted being with him when you could have been with some else enjoying life and being happy with someone?

No, you had to deal with him, you pull the covers over your head, reach your arm out and turn the music off and go to sleep.

As the weeks come and go you find the two of you doing small talk a little more by the day, him bring me coffee when you’re having late nights

He may be an okay person but if he thinks for a second that he's going to win your heart he's dead wrong

You text Mark about a study date at your place and you two study not without a few kisses

He comes up with an idea that if we get an answer right we get a kiss, that motivated you and you were surprisingly getting them right, not that you had been studying for weeks now for this final or anything

Yugyeom comes in, and you look over at him as Mark says the right answer to your question and place a kiss on his lips

“I forgot my… uh… my sneakers…” he tells us and leaves us quickly shutting the door

Mark asks you a question and you must have been stuck in your head after seeing Yugyeom because he waves his hand in front of your face, “Are you okay?” You nod numbly, for some reason he still managed to make you forget about your surroundings

You ask him what he asked you, “What is an isotope” “Different amount of neutrons” he nods and kisses you, and you forget that Yugyeom even entered the room and you’re back to studying and kissing

When you looked at his eyes for that second before you kissed him you could see his eyes no longer had the shine they used to. Maybe it was just you, yeah it was, this isn't a Buchanan relationship and won't be either.

Mark leaves with a call from Jackson screaming about a big bug, you laugh and wish Mark luck. You continue studying when Yugyeom comes in and he sighs

“(Y/n)... I was wondering if you wanted to talk, I'm not asking for a relationship or even a friendship but maybe an ease of tension?” You agree to it and you put my books down and talk the rest of the night

We don't bring up anything from the relationship that happened but just what was going on our daily lives like an unspoken rule about not speaking about what happened or anything

We got along fairly well that night, and it surprised you, but it did ease the tension in the room and things moved more smoothly around the dorm

We started telling each other good morning, good night, hi and bye and small talk became more common

Tension left the room, and Mark was right you do have to try to work out a problem

Mark and you went to lunch when day and he looks at me sincerely, “(Y/n) I think I'm love with Jackson…” it broke your heart, “I'm sorry I realized it to late… I think you're a great person, a swell kisser, and I've never met a person like you, you're truly unique,...” You nod, “I understand, don't worry about it. I hope Jackson loves you back and he treats you well. You let me know if he treats you wrong, once” He laughs, “I know you'll punch him in the nose if he ever crosses any bounds with me.” You laugh

Man, you can't even make it long in relationship before they find someone else better than you… it sends you into a whirl of depression and you throw myself into your bed crying

You feel someone rub my back and you twist around ready fight whoever is touching you

It's Yugyeom, “I saw you were crying when I came back so I bought some ice cream, you wanna talk about it?”

You just stay up talking with Yugyeom about Mark and how you thought you were getting your life finally together

You were making amends with him, finally got a boyfriend everything just seemed so right

And how you were worried that you weren’t good enough for anyone, and Yugyeom looks at you and tells you, “Don't ever think that, you are worthy of love. Just the people you've been with haven't realized your worth. You're worth billions upon billions, you are worth love, don't ever think you aren't” You sniffle and thank him

You tell him that you’re worried that it'll go back to how we were refusing to talk to each other or even be next to each other

You know our past is rough but maybe we can start being friends

And that's the night we became friends

Talking, helping each other study, dancing together, reading each other stories when we can't sleep

You felt close to him

Bambam, Yugyeom, and you became a trio of friends

Us dressing fancy as Bambam designs us new clothes to wear around campus and show off, his models

Sophomore year of college and you’re happy with how things are turning out, you’re passing all my classes with A's, with your study buddies Bambam and Yugyeom, sometimes Mark and Jackson

I'm still friends Mark and Jackson, actually all of us go out to dinner as a group and we've added a few new friends to the group

Named: Youngjae, Jaebum and Jinyoung

You've made some good friends and everything is amended, the past no longer lingers in the back of your mind, you start living in the present

Things have changed but your starting to feel things for Yugyeom again, we started going on friendly dates, to study and get coffee

Maybe it's just you thinking it could be something more

You've asked Mark about it since he's the only one that knows our past at least to your knowledge to let you know if he sees Yugyeom with anyone

Mark flat out tells you he hasn't seen him with anyone other than us it shocked you to say the least

You guess it's possible he changed

Your just scared so you'll let the friendship ride, you like it the way it is now

Bambam yells that he has a new outfit for me us to try out as he comes in, but we have to model for the class

Yugyeom and you groan but oblige, and it's this really cool piece, that is half black and half white, the seam on the white side is black and the seam on the black side is white with a gray belt fashioned around it

What you didn't notice until we got dressed was that Yugyeom's and yours were matching, depending on which side were walking on we complement each other, the black side matches up, the white sides match up as well

Quite cute if you ask me, you thank Bambam and we head to his class and he got 2nd place sadly the professor liked the blue and orange complementary couple

We took Bambam out to eat, for putting his best foot forward, and not letting the others get him down for getting 2nd place when he is an amazing designer

He thanks us and we get him ice cream, Yugyeom and you splitting the bill

We know Bambam will try his hardest and become number one next time, we encourage him

Bambam leaves with a smile on his face ready to design new clothes

Yugyeom asks you if you wanna go look at Christmas lights you agree and hop in his car and drive around the neighborhoods we look at the pretty lights when he parks us in front of a big interactive light show, and we start talking about the lights

“You know I'm sorry I cheated on you. That's the last thing you ever deserved. You deserved a man that would treat you right and then there's me treating you like a piece of garbage, which you're anything but… I really messed up the whole time we were dating and I own up to it,” he lets out a sigh, “and I found myself falling for you all over again, when I realized I lost you I knew I had no chance. And I've worked on my attitude, I never want to hurt you again, or anyone. I acted like a fool, and I'm surprised you've even let me be friends with you”

You watch him as we make it to a bench and you sit down gesturing for him to sit down, “I know I can never fix the past, or change it… but I was wondering if I could start anew with you. I know you won't believe me but I've changed”

You sit there just absorbing his words, and he gets back up and holds out his hand, “I don't need a reply right now, I'm okay with just letting it off my chest.” You grab his hand trying to think of the words to tell him to let him know your true feelings. And you can't think of words he left you speechless.

You just point out the lights you like and he agrees, when it hits you, you may not have the words to express you wanna give him a chance, so you grab his hand and look up to him and nod as lacing your fingers together

He cautiously pulled you closer, and walked the rest of the lights off together

When we get back into the car you finally figured out what you were going to say, “I'm willing to give you a chance, but I want you to know if I find out you're cheating that pretty little nose won't be the only thing broken… I've seen how you've changed and became caring and sweet…”

The thing is he never cheated again you have six eyes watching him after all, you never thought you would reunite with him but you did. And you're glad to be with him, he showed you how someone should treat a person and went above and beyond that

He never stopped his constant care, he notices when you're frowning he grabs you and dances around the room til your face is bright and shining, laughing with happy tears springing to your eyes as you dance around like fools

Or his teasing when you can't reach something at the grocery store and he has to grab it for you

His laughter and yours always loud and boisterous in the dorm and never quiet moment inside the dorm

And when there is it's usually because you're both too tired and cuddling and making out embraced in each other’s arms

There is rarely a time when you too are apart there is always at least a pinky locked with pinky as you two walk around

Or hanging onto each other, swinging arms back and forth screaming and being joyful

Bambam became the third wheel of the trio but he is so happy about it because his two best friends finally got together

Mark and Jackson go on double dates with you two

You're glad you gave him a second chance because he changed for the better, loving you with his whole heart and you did the same

This year or the next or the next one after that he never did you wrong, because he loved you, like the Grinch's heart grew three sizes, and became a different man for you

[caroline18mars]

Into the night - Chapter 133

When he didn't hear anything anymore, Shannon had to go and check and quietly opened the door on a pivotal moment, “why did aunt Jordan get a bad heart? Do you think it's because she had to look after me when Mommy and Daddy died?” Noah looked Jared straight in the eye. Jared was torn between his logic and his rage, he didn't want to betray his lover's trust that he would never tell Noah the truth about this, but on the other hand he was so damn angry at Noah's father, he was the reason they were here now..and his rage won “it's not because of you, Noah, don't you ever think that, your aunt didn't want to tell you the real reason because she wanted to protect you but I think you need to know the truth..” he took a deep breath when Noah stared back at him with those beautiful big eyes that were all shades of sad right now. “..You see, your Dad and your Aunt were really young when they lost their parents” Jared started explaining, trying to carefully choose his words so not to upset him even more, “Grandma and Grandpa London” Noah nodded. “Exactly! So your father had to take care of his little sister for a long time because they had nobody else to look after them..and right before your grandparents died, your aunt Jordan had to see a doctor because she had a problem with her heart..” he checked if Noah was still following but he listened breathlessly “and so the doctor sent a couple of letters to your Dad because the problem with Jordan's heart needed to be fixed..but your Dad..never took his sister to the doctor after that..and so the problem just get worse and worse..and that's why she needs a new heart now”. Jared combed his fingers through Noah's hair, he could see the boy's brain working overtime “so it's my Daddy's fault that aunt Jordan is so sick?” Noah said with a quivering lip, “your Dad was really young, too young probably to be able to take such a decision at that time, but he could have told your aunt about her situation when she was a little bit older, he could have tried to help her, but he never did, your aunt Jordan had to find out all by herself and that just isn't right”.

To his surprise, the boy shuffled closer to him “why did aunt Jordan never tell me about that?” he whispered as he buried his little face against his chest, “she didn't want to upset you, she knew how much you love your Dad, so she thought it was better if she kept it all to herself”. Noah wrapped his arms tightly around Jared's neck “I hate my Daddy! He left aunt Jordan alone and he left me alone..and I said some really horrible things to aunt Jordan too” he hissed all determined, “don't say that, the last thing your Dad wanted was to leave you behind, I just thought you needed to know the truth about the situation between him and her, and as far as your aunt goes, you heard her when she said how much she loves you and that you'll always be her number one, remember that, she's fought so hard for you to keep you safe,  there's nothing she wouldn't do for you, nothing or nobody can break the bond between you two, not even your Dad” Jared soothed. “Who's gonna look after me when..” Noah whispered, “Me, I'll always look after you, I'm never gonna let you go, I love you as much as your aunt does, do you understand?” he kissed the boy's hair, Shannon who had heard and seen it all happen, pushed himself away from the door and walked up to the bed “and so will I, and Grandma too, we'll all look after you, buddy!”

”Everybody concentrate, we're going to take out the defibrilator first and see how the heart will react, that's the tricky part, so I need everyone to work as efficiently and quickly as you can, we don't want her to stay on life support too long, is that clear?” the surgeon briefed the team. “Brenda, what's the ETA on the donor heart?” he didn't want to cut her open and then run the risk of having to wait for the donor heart, every minute wasted could mean the difference between life and death, “Team 2 has started removing the donor heart right now, ETA should be around 3AM” his assistant looked at the screen above her head where the surgery a few floors down had started. “So that gives us 4 hours, ok excellent! Standby for VAD-team to remove the defibrilator implant once we cut to get a clear view?”  the surgeon looked at his team as he took the large scalpel and put it on Jordan's skin, “good luck, everyone” he nodded before he pushed down for the first incision. Jordan plummeted right to the ground after what felt like falling for a lifetime, she couldn't scream, she couldn't move, she could only lay there, there was no pain, there was only a silent darkness as she opened her eyes, was she dead? Was this what it felt like? No, no, no this couldn't be it! In a panic she tried to move but she couldn't even lift a finger, she seemed to be locked up inside of herself, somewhere in the distance she did hear some strange noises though, bleeps and blurred out voices or her own deep, rattled breathing? She couldn't tell, she just wanted to give in to the suffocating darkness that overpowered her again but before she let it, the ground underneath her trembled and split open, swallowing her whole as she fell and fell again. “Food!” the nurse pushed the trolley with food inside, only to find the room empty, the muffled voices coming from the other room made her breathe a sigh of relief as she walked up to the door, opening it slowly she found them all cuddled up together. “There's plenty of food if you want” Jared's head shot up, his heart started racing the second he saw her “Jordan? Is there news about Jordan?” he breathed all nervous, quickly letting go of Noah. “The first part of the operation, where the defibrilator is being  removed has started” she said calmly “so far everything is going well”, Jared took a deep breath, they were at the foot of this mountain but he already felt exhausted “ok” was all he could say, not wanting to worry Noah, but he knew how delicate this operation was, that defibrilator was what had kept her heart going the last months and it made him realize that from here on there was no turning back. “Has aunt Jordan got her new heart already?” Noah sat up too, “Uhm no sweetheart..not yet, they've just started the operation so it might be a while before we have more news” the nurse tried to keep his excitement under control but when she saw his mood change, she quickly changed the subject “I was thinking that maybe you would like something to eat while we wait? A little birdie told me that you really like chicken”. Noah nodded but not as enthusiastically as he normally did about food, he knew his aunt would worry if he didn't eat, so he pushed himself off the bed and grabbed Jared's hand and looked at him “are you coming?”. Jared shook his head “I'm not hungry, maybe later, ok?” he smiled while he ran his hand through the boy's hair, “I'm sorry, I can't eat while..” he paused while Shannon guided Noah out of the room, “I understand..and I know you're worried but all we can do is wait, she's in the best possible hands” the nurse touched his arm “why don't you go for a walk to clear your head? I have your number and I'll call you the minute there's more news”.

”Hello again” someone said while she struggled to open her eyes, she recognized that voice from somewhere, if only her eyes would open so she could see where she was. “It's ok” there was a touch of a hand that urged her to concentrate and finally her eyes opened, “Char..Charlotte” she stammered “where am I? Am I..”. Charlotte shook her head “dead? No, you're not dead..” she gave her a tired smile and swallowed the 'yet' she wanted to add, “wanna take a walk with me?”. Suddenly Jordan didn't seem to float any longer, she just sat up into a sitting position and grabbed the hand that Charlotte stuck out to her and held onto it as they walked silently in the darkness for a few minutes.  “That's one massive black rock” Charlotte held up Jordan's hand, their fingers still intertwined, “have you thought about a weddingdress yet?” her voice didn't betray any emotion, “what..oh..uhm, no..” Jordan mumbled, feeling a little caught in the act. “I see..well, at least he finally had the guts to follow his heart this time around, something he's never done when we were a couple” Charlotte sighed, getting lost in the memory,  which was hard for Jordan to watch, being overwhelmed with guilt. “He misses you every single day, he wakes up with you and he goes to sleep with you, you know that..” she heard herself comfort Charlotte, the only woman that had been the biggest menace to her relationship all along. Charlotte nervously wiped the tear from her cheek and shook her head “Tom..you need to talk to Tom, just tell him 'velvet ice', he'll know what to do” desperately trying to get a grip on her emotions “come on, there's something I need you to see” she whispered as she squeezed Jordan's hand.

”Careful..oh my..the heart is in a much worse state than we thought..I don't know if we'll have enough time” the surgeon hissed as he watched the frantic lines on the heartmonitor while the defibrilator was taken out of her chest, two hours had passed and the donor heart still hadn't arrived “where the hell is that donorheart? Do I actually have to walk all the way down there and get it myself?” he knew how unreasonable that sounded but if they didn't start the transplant really soon, it wasn't gonna be just the donor's family in mourning but the recipient's family as well. It was only her first break at the beginning of this double shift and she already felt like she had run a marathon, maybe a bit of fresh air would do her good, so she hurried out the backdoor and into the crisp evening air where the calm of the hospitalgardens greeted her as well as Jared who stood there lost in his thoughts. “Mr. Leto?” her voice startled him and he spun on his heels “yes..what? is there news?”, the nurse shook her head “not yet..I just thought you could use some company, wanna take a walk with me?” and gave him another one of her warm smiles. “Yeah..I'd like that, and it's Jared, not Mr. Leto, alright?” he took a step back to let her lead the way, “you've got a beautiful little family there, I think Jordan is so brave to put her own life on hold so she could look after Noah” she tested the waters to start the conversation, glancing up at him. “Brave doesn't even begin to cover it, she's saved Noah..she saved me..” he dug his hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie “I'm forever in debt to her..what she did for me after Charlotte died..I just..” his emotions got the better of him, “Charlotte..she was the designer, right? She was absolutely stunning, she had such vision, I loved her work” the nurse distracted him from his grief, it was obvious that he still loved her and still loved to talk about her. “Oh she was, she was so beautiful, so pure..so intense..so..so Charlotte.., I loved that she never walked in anyone's shadow, she was so intelligent, so fascinating, so driven in everything she did, when she walked into a room, every head turned, you just had to look at her, it was like watching a goddess walk by..looking back, it's sad to say that she was the first woman I fell head over heels in love with, I was in my late thirties but my life only began the day I met her, I loved her more than life itself..I still do..” every word he spoke about his dead girlfriend was laced with a love so intense it was almost palpable.

“How does Jordan feel about that? I mean, she has to know about all those intense feelings you still have for Charlotte” her question had Jared stop in his tracks “she knows..it's difficult for her..” he whispered as he gazed at his shoes, uncomfortable with the answer he was giving, the endless stream of fights they had about Charlotte on endless repeat in his head. “Well Jared, to be brutally honest I kinda get where she's coming from..the way you talked about Charlotte just now..if I didn't know any better, I would never believe that you just got engaged to Jordan, let alone love her” she knew she was walking a fine line here, but someone needed to tell him. “What?!” Jared's head shot up like he had been stung by a bee, “what? Of course I love Jordan, how can you even suggest that I don't? She was the one that saved me when I was completely messed up, she helped me get back on my feet, she listened to me when nobody else would,  I love her and I'm gonna marry her, ok?” he suddenly exploded at the nurse. “Ok! Alright! If you say so! It's just that..I never heard you talk about her like you did about Charlotte just now, there seem to be a lot of unresolved issues for you as far as Charlotte is concerned! I'd hate to see you marry her because you feel it's the right thing to do, you know, like you owe her something after what she's done for you..she deserves better than that Jared, so much better..” she  turned to walk away again, leaving him to stew, glaring at her back for a few seconds before he decided to follow her. “So you think I'm not good enough for her, is that it?” he caught up with her, grabbing her arm so she had to stop again, “of course not! She thinks you're absolutely perfect, she adores you” she slowly pulled her arm out of his grip “listen, I think we can both agree that life hasn't exactly been kind to her, so what I'm saying is that she doesn't deserve to be in a relationship where she's gonna have to fight for her spot, she deserves your undivided attention, Jared..It's time to put Charlotte to rest, she was your past and you'll always love her, I get that, and so does Jordan, I'm sure of it, but Jordan is the future, and you can't have a future if you keep dwelling on the past..”. Jared took a deep breath, letting her words sink in but then her phone rang, “hello“ she quickly picked up recognizing the OR's phone number, Jared could barely hear what was being said but her sudden nervous behaviour didn't predict much good. “What? What is it? Is it Jordan?” his voice croaked when she ended the call, “yes..the defibrilator is out, but her heart is not doing so well..they're still waiting for the donorheart” the nurse nervously bit her lip. “Wait, what? Why? I thought the donorheart was ready, what's going on?” Jared was crumbling, “I don't know, I need to go check, let's hope there are no complications with the donorheart, because this can't go on much longer, if she doesn't get the heart in the coming hour, it's..” she  swallowed hard “it will be all over”.

[strangerthings-nstuff]

Sneeze-Monster

Steve Harrington x Reader

Request - If you are still taking requests can you do one where y/n gets sick or hurt and Steve takes care of her? Thanks !

Word Count - 1653

A/N - I chose the sick route! After writing so much angst for Distance I wanted to go pure fluff for this one. Also idk what a sneeze-monster is I just got it in my head and couldn’t get it out, so I used it in the imagine and now it’s made it as the title. I’m sorry. You weren’t too specific so this is where my mind took me I guess. I read it over a few times, but it’s late so I could’ve missed something, just let me know if ya spot any mistakes. Other than me being silly (and stupid) I hope you enjoy!!! (If your not satisfied go ahead and request another, be as specific as you want!)

You leaned against the wall of your kitchen, twirling the phone cord between your cold fingers. “Hello?” Mrs. Harrington answered, catching your attention.

“Hi Mrs. Harrington, it’s Y/N, do you mind putting Steve on the phone?” you questioned, trying your best to hide your scratchy throat. The last thing you needed was one more person doting on you for the minor cold you were experiencing. You didn’t want to tell Steve, knowing he would treat you like you were dying, but you had to explain to him why you were canceling your date. “Of course, dear! Give me a moment.” You heard her yell Steve’s name, telling him you were on the phone, then there was shuffling followed by Steve’s voice.

“Hello this is Steve Harrington speaking, may I ask who’s calling?” You smiled softly as his mock formal tone.

“Hi Steve.”

“I’m sorry, who is this?” He asked, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Steve.”

“I’m gonna guess it’s Y/N because of the attitude. Hi, Sweetheart.” Your heart fluttered at the nickname, and you silently cursed this damn sickness for ruining your date with Steve.

“Hey, listen... I’m really sorry babe, but I have to take a raincheck on our date tonight,” you said, hoping he would just go with it and not ask why.

You should’ve know better.

“What- Why? Are you alright?” he flooded you with questions, and you took a moment to think of the best response without making him freak out.

“Yes, Steve, I’m fine,” you sighed, “but, I have a minor cold, really no big deal, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to g-” you cut yourself off with a fit of sneezes, holding the phone away from your face. You took a deep breath and continued, voice raspier than before. “I was saying, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go out.”

“A minor cold, huh? Why don’t you tell that to the sneeze-monster that just gave you a visit,” he said, voice threaded with sarcasm.

“The sneeze-monster?”

“Yes, the sneeze-monster, Y/N. It’s a monster that-” he paused for a moment, “No, forget that, it’s not important. What’s important is making sure you’re taken care of. So, tell me what you need, all I’ll be right over.”

You took a tired breath before speaking, “Steve, really, I’m fine.”

“If you’re not going to tell me what you need, I’m just gonna go with my instincts and bring you some good movies, warm soup, and lots of cuddles.”

You smiled softly, “That does sound nice, and I do want to see you... but I don’t wanna get you sick.”

“Nope! Not hearing it. I’ll be over soon, don’t worry about me, cupcake.”

“I’m serious! One of us being sick is eno-” you were cut off by a monotone beep, signaling that Steve had indeed, hung up. You let out a frustrated sigh before pushing the phone back into it’s place on the wall.Your head began to feel dizzy from standing up for too long, so you lazily stumbled over to the couch, collapsing on it once you were close enough. You were feeling colder than usual, despite your mom turning up the heat for you before going to work, but you couldn’t bring yourself to get up and find a blanket. Trying to make up for a lack of warmth, you pulled your hands into the sleeves of your sweater before tightly wrapping your arms around yourself, curling up into a ball. The Jetsons played on the TV and you mindlessly watched, blowing your nose into tissue after tissue.

You were half-asleep when you heard three loud knocks on the door, followed by an unclear words that could have only belonged to Steve. The door twisted open, Steve letting himself in after being faced with no response. “Hello?”

You sat up slightly, managing to let out a croaky “In here” to get Steve’s attention. You smiled fondly at the sight of him as he entered the living room. His hair was messy, and his arms were full of bags filled with things he thought would make you feel better. He placed the bags on the floor, making his first priority to greet you properly. He walked over to you place on the couch, and sat next to where you were curled up.

“Hi, sweetheart,” his voice was a soft whisper, as if anything louder would somehow break your already fragile body. He rested his hand against your cheek, and you leaned into it, closing your eyes with comfort. You felt his lips ghost over your forehead before placing a delicate kiss, then pulling back to look at your flushed face. Your skin was pale, and clammy, despite feeling so cold, and your nose was tinted red from blowing it into tissue every other minute. Nonetheless, you never managed to stop taking Steve’s breath away.

“Thanks for coming, you really didn’t have to,” you said, voice cracking from the chest rattling coughs that had been taking over your lungs periodically through the day. He let his hand run through your tangled hair, shaking his head at you.

“Of course I had to come.” You smiled at his sincere tone, reaching your hand up to rest on his that was cupping your face. His eyebrows furrowed, and he removed his hand from your face, taking your hand in both of his. “Holy shit, Y/N, you’re freezing- why the hell don’t you have a blanket?” His deep brown eyes filled with concern as they gazed at you, and you gently shrugged.  

“I dunno… too lazy to get one.” He shook his head disappointingly, leaving his spot next to you in search of something to warm you up. You heard shuffling until he returned with two blankets, quickly returning to your side. He laid them over you, tucking them into your sides, making sure you were fully covered.

“Steve, you don’t have to swaddle me like a baby. I’m fi-” again, you were cut of by rough sneezes. Steve grabbed a few tissues, handing them to you.

“What did I say? Tell that to the sneeze-monster,” he said, as if he was proving a point. You grabbed the tissues and blew your nose loudly, not breaking eye contact with Steve.

“Jesus, Y/N, get enough snot out? Be careful not to blow any brains, will ya? We don’t need your IQ dropping any lower than it already is.” You let out a dry ‘ha ha’ at Steve’s comment, and reached your dirty tissue towards his face.

“Do you want some, Babe? Maybe you could use my brain cells, actually, you definitely could use them. I can only imagine what all that hairspray does to your poor mind.”

His face twisted in disgust, pushing your hand away. “Alright, alright. No more playing. This is operation make-Y/N-feel-better.” You pouted, throwing your tissues on the sad pile forming on the table.

“But teasing you does make me feel better.”

“You can tease later, okay?”

“Fine,” you replied, watching him stand up to rummage through the bags he had brought. He found what he was looking for, and popped a movie into the VHS, revealing the title screen to Risky Business.

“As much as I don’t support your obsession with Tom Cruise, because let’s be real I’m much better looking than him, I’m trying to make you feel better.”

“How noble of you,” you mocked, earning a smile and a nod in agreement from Steve.

“I know,” he said, returning to his bags. He pulled out a pair of socks, and you gave him a giddy smile.

“Are they fuzzy?” You questioned, hoping the answer was a yes.

“Extra fuzzy,” he said, pulling your legs from under the blanket to put them on your cold feet. “Now, let me go heat up your soup.”

“Steve- wait!” He was almost out of the living room before you stopped him. He turned to face you, waiting for you to speak.

“I’m not hungry right now, just… just come here,” you said reaching your arm out for him.

“Y/N, you need your energy back. Plus it will help your scratchy throat,” he retorted.

“Later- I’ll eat it later, I promise,” he sighed ready to turn down your offer in concern for your health, before you spoke again. “Steve, please. Come cuddle?” Your voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Steve’s heart melted as you gazed at him with begging eyes. He swears that you could convince him to do anything with those damn eyes.

It didn’t take long for him to position himself behind you on the couch, arm draped around you, squeezing you not too tight, but tight enough. You laughed as Steve hummed along with the movie while Tom Cruise danced to Old Time Rock and Roll, forgetting about the pounding in your head from the constant coughing and sneezing. “You know,” Steve started, “for someone who was telling me not to come over, you sure do seem to be enjoying my company.”

You turned around to face him, nose brushing against his from the close proximity. “I didn’t need you to come over, but, now that your here I might as well get some good cuddles out of you.” He smiled and began giving you an eskimo kiss, earning soft giggles out of you.

“How about some good kisses too?” He wiggled his eyebrows at you.

“No, Steve. We’re already close enough, I don’t need to get you sick.”

“I’m invincible, sweetheart.” With that, he softly pushed his lip against yours. You let it continue for a few seconds before feeling a familiar tingle in your nose. Pulling away abruptly, you shoved your face into the crook of your elbow and let out a few sneezes. Steve gave you a comforting kiss on the forehead when you had finished before whispering, “That damn sneeze-monster.”