#then she told me about a cousin she knows who already has a n internship

[brainrotdotorg]

oh today is just going to be a problem huh.

[xx-narcissa]

Friend of a Friend II

warnings: horrible aunt, mental breakdowns

a/n: i’ll most likely make a part 3 if y’all are still interested in this series <3 let me know how you like this part

Tony Stark x mixed!daughter!reader, Peter Parker x mixed!reader

summary: Years after the death of your mother, you finally come face to face with the truth.

masterlist

part 1 part 3

(not my gif)

“Are you sure? Like really really sure?” Peter asked, not understanding what he was hearing. “You mean Tony…our boss…Iron Man? Is your dad?”

“I’m sure but I’m not really really sure. Talia’s defensiveness basically confirmed it for me.”

“Well whatever happens, you can stay here as long as you need to. May won’t mind, she’s basically already unofficially adopted you. Just not in a weird adopted cousins dating each other kind of way. Well would that be weird because technically-”

You cut his sentence off with a kiss, “I really appreciate it, but shut up. I don’t want to hear about your adoptcest theories. But what about Talia? She’s gonna probably start freaking out soon.” After a second you burst out into angry laughter. “Who am I kidding? She’s probably ecstatic that I’m finally gone!”

The laughter soon turned into sobbing. “It’s okay. Let it all out.” Peter consoled as he pulled you in closer to him. “Trust me, as shitty as she is, I know she’s worried sick. She still loves you even if she’s really bad at showing it. How could anyone not love you?”

“Do you?”

You and Peter hadn’t gotten to that point yet despite being together for a little under a year. As soon as the question came out of your mouth you regretted it and expected him to hesitate or change the subject, but he said his answer more confidently than he’d ever spoken before.

“Of course I do. I always have and I always will love you. So I’m going to help you with this and stand by whatever decision you make. If you want to tell him I’ll support you and if you want to beat the crap out of Talia for what she said then I’ll support you with that too. But I won’t help because it’d be an unfair fight. I mean, I’m Spider-man…soooo.”

As always, he never failed to make you laugh, even in the most horrible situations. “Shut up, you’re dumb.”

It was quiet for a minute, you two just enjoying each other’s company. Until Peter ruined the comfortable silence. “I don’t think May’s gonna let us sleep on the same bed, so I call top bunk.”

-=-

Despite the situation, you still had to go back to work if you wanted to keep the internship. Although it’d be awkward considering you ran out yesterday. But you’d simply avoid questions and avoid Tony. Which will be a little more than difficult considering he’s your whole boss.

“There you are, kid. What happened yesterday? Your little boyfriend here was worrying me to death about you.”

Of course. It hasn’t even been five minutes and Tony has already spotted you. Good thing Peter was still with you but he’d be no help. Not only was he nervous around Tony anyways, but he always became a blushing mess when anyone referred to him as your boyfriend.

You came up with a quick excuse hoping Tony would get off your case. “I’m on my period. It’s just I get these horrible excruciatingly painful cramps that come out of nowhere and so I had to run home to get medicine. So…yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say something? If you want, I can keep you some medicine in my office so you won’t have to go all the way home next time.”

The one time a man isn’t grossed out with periods is the one time you actually wanted him to be. Damn it. “No, no, it’s fine. The cramps are usually just on the first day so I’m fine now!”

But that didn’t stop him from bothering you about it all day. And the worst part was it felt like more than just a boss caring for their employee, it felt like a dad caring for his daughter.

That’s obviously nonsense, though. Because you haven’t told him about your suspicions. And sure he’s a millionaire or billionaire or whatever but he’s not a mind reader. Maybe it was dad intuition, if that’s a thing.

He even hugged you! What boss hugs their employees? Well, maybe nice bosses. But still. There has to be another motivation behind his kind actions. From what you know, Tony, like all other middle aged rich white guys, is an asshole to everyone. Especially employees. Why are you different?

Unless…no. That’s just gross.

-=-

For the past week you had been staying with Peter and May. And Talia hasn’t even called or texted you not once. You’re starting to get worried but you know it’s all part of her mind games. She’s trying to get you to worry enough that you go home to check on her where she’ll be waiting to ground you for eternity.

So you stayed put. The only time you left the apartment was for work, afraid that somehow Talia would find you and make you go back home if you left the apartment. That was the main reason you never gave her Peters address, so that you’d always have a Talia-free space to be in.

Yet they always warn and say that life is ‘unfair’. That people who deserve the best still have to suffer the worst at some point. Even the good people living their oblivious lives need to get hit with the truth sometimes.

Today you were getting your dose of truth.

You were at work, following Tony around and writing down things he had to get done so that he’d have a list. Then you were going to go sort files just for fun. His phone started ringing, which wasn’t unusual. Him being Tony Stark and Iron Man and all those other important titles.

But then he turned to you and motioned for you to follow him, which you did. Maybe it was so important he was going to take you to a top secret room where you’d finally be able to see all the Avenger stuff that Peter gets to see.

Alas, he was only taking you downstairs to security. Where your insane aunt was cussing at and threatening the officers. “You better bring me to her right now! That sick man has kidnapped my niece and none of you give a fuck! You’re all disgusting pieces of shit and it’s a damn shame that you’re supposed to be protecting people. If you value your life and your job you’d tell me where the hell she is!”

Tony went over to her to try and stop the commotion so she wouldn’t disturb people trying to work. You of course followed since it was your fault she was here anyways.

“You!” Her tone was so angry and her eyes were so shifty that you couldn’t tell which one of you she was directing said anger and shiftiness towards. “First you try to take away my Isabella, then you try to take away my (Y/N)?! You’re sick. She’s been missing for a week probably because you have some sick and twisted fantasy of trying to get Isabella back. Well you can’t. Come on, (Y/N), we’re leaving and you’re grounded for at least a year.”

Talia tried to grab you and take you with her but Tony didn’t let her, instead stepping between the two of you and shielding you. “I don’t think so. You come in here and interrupt my day, which I should add is a very busy one, to yell at me like it’s my fault she’s been missing. She’s obviously safe, probably safer where she is now than she was with you. I remember you Talia, you were just as bitter back then.

You hated me for loving Isabella because you loved her too but were too much of a coward to say anything. It’s not my fault I was there for her whenever you were off with some fling to take your mind off of her. And let me guess, you still didn’t get the girl because otherwise this would be your daughter, not your niece, that you’d treat with dignity and respect like a mother should. Please, you’re pathetic.”

From the look on Talia’s face you could tell she was ready to pounce and tackle him to the floor, then beat him bloody until the entire security department would have to come down to rip her off of him. But for once, she used her words.

“Anthony Stark, I’ll have you know that I’m not a coward. After your dumbass knocked her up I told her I’d runaway with her and help her put the baby up for adoption so we could finally live the life we always wanted. But apparently the life she always wanted consisted of a child and a husband, not just a wife who would’ve done anything for her. Yet I stayed and took care of the little devil. And this is how I get repaid? For her to runaway to her no good, deadbeat father? You can keep her for all I care, I’m done.”

She began walking away, and Tony chased after her. Meanwhile, you were frozen in place. Your brain and your feet were not in agreement. Your brain wanted to beat the shit out of Talia while your feet still needed time to process it all before going anywhere.

Tony and Talia got into another small screaming match, until Talia finally left. Not before slapping him across the face though.

After a minute had gone by since she stormed out, the gravity of her words finally hit you and sent you to your knees. Tony, who had been standing still and also trying to process this, immediately ran to your aid.

You flinched as soon as he touched you and ran out the same door that Talia did. Only you went the opposite way, heading for May’s apartment instead.

As soon as you were outside the door and about to knock, you felt as though you had exhausted her enough for the past week, and decided against bothering her anymore.

-=-

“What do you mean she’s not here? I already checked Talia’s house and she’s not there. And I know she didn’t go back to work because Tony would’ve called me!”

“I’m sorry, Peter. The last time I saw her was when you two left for work this morning.” May said quietly.

Peter began pacing back and forth and talking to himself. He had no idea what he was going to do. At this point you had been gone for an hour and could just about anywhere in New York.

He had to come up with a plan. There were a bunch of places you could be hiding, and knowing you, you’d pick the most complicated.

“She’s not with you, is she? I don’t even think she has your address but she could find a way if she wanted to.” He asked Ned over the phone while roaming the streets searching for any sign of you.

“No, I haven’t seen her. I’d come help you look if I wasn’t being basically forced to do the dishes right now. I’m probably not supposed to be on the phone right now.”

Before Peter could respond, he heard a door being thrown open and yelling coming from the phone, then Ned quickly hanging up. So he was going to be no help.

Peter was quickly exhausting his options. It’s not like he could think of any special place you two had that you could access without him bringing you up there. All those places were too high up.

The only place on the ground that Peter could think of…would be that overgrown playground in the park. He remembers when you first encountered it you were obsessed with watching the bugs and small animals interacting with it as if it had returned itself to nature.

As suspected, there you were, watching a lizard running up and down the moss and weed covered slide.

“I named it Georgie. I love Georgie.”

You said quietly when he sat down next to you. Peter wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close to his chest, allowing you to hear his steady heart rate. He had calmed down now that he knew you were safe and alive.

He heard you sniffle a little and assumed you’d been crying this whole time, which was true. “She called Tony my deadbeat dad and said she was done with me. Now what? I can’t stay with you and May forever. You guys would get tired of me eventually. So am I just supposed to accept the fact he’s my dad? I’ve only known him for a few weeks and even then I’ve only known him as my boss. What if he wants nothing to do with me either?”

“For one, that’s not true. We could never get tired of you. Sure you kick in your sleep and you always eat all my apples but you’re like family to us. Family is bound to get on each other’s nerves sometimes.” Peter explained before continuing, “And I promise you, Mr. Stark wouldn’t just throw you out like that. I think he’ll take you in and let you stay with him. If not you’re always welcome with us. I promise.”

-=-

The next day you returned to work to speak with Tony. You had planned on avoiding this conversation for as long as possible but the truth got out and now it’s time to face it.

When you got to his office you contemplated just turning around and going back to May’s apartment to sleep your problems away. Just as you were about to put your plan into motion, someone came out of his office and greeted you, alerting Tony that you were there.

“(Y/N), let’s talk.”

tags:

@alohastitch0626 @breadglasses

[nanaminokanojo]

BLOOM | Sukuna X You | Part 3/3 [COMPLETED]

CHARACTERS: Sukuna X You | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Maki | Fushiguro Toji | Baby Megumi | Megumi's Mom (OC) CHAPTER COUNT: 3/3 WORD COUNT: 10,900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc sukuna | female reader | modern au CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity/strong language | alcohol use | age gap | smut/sexual intercourse SPOILERS: N/A

collection masterlist

one two three | Bloom Masterlist

“You up for it?”

You were sitting at your usual spot at Maki’s. It was still quite early so the pub wasn’t as crowded as it usually is, and it was a weekday. You were there to meet Sukuna but the owner suddenly started chatting you up like she usually does, beating around the bush for a bit before she finally asked you a favor. Apparently, they’re under-staffed and is in need of another waitress but hiring a new one was out of the question since it was a temporary post, just until the person who really works for her recovers from a broken ankle.

“It’s just from four in the afternoon to eight on weekdays, and since you’re usually hanging around here during those times, I thought of asking you. We’re just really short of hands for the next week,” she said, flashing you a rueful smile. “I asked Ieiri but she’s in the middle of her internship.”

Maki had been there for you before, talking to you when you had issues you couldn’t share with your friends and always giving you free non-alcoholic drinks during your exams, and you didn’t see anything wrong with helping her out for once. You’ll earn from it, too. “Sure. When do I begin?”

She clapped her hands excitedly which took you aback. She’s always so tough, barking orders here and there or putting rowdy customers in their proper places, that you didn’t really expect her to be all giggly and excited all of a sudden. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah, why not?”

She hugged you then. “Oh my god, Y/N. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

You waved her aside, chuckling. “It’s fine. It’s for a week anyway. No big deal.”

She sighed in relief. “You don’t know how much weight you’ve taken off my shoulders, so it is a big deal. Okay for you to start on Monday?”

You nodded.

“I’m giving you all the cherry blossom tea smoothie you want.” She grinned cheekily at you then. “And speaking of cherry blossoms, I noticed you and Sukuna coming here together. Are you together now?”

You felt your face heating up at the mention of the man's name but you shook your head. "Not yet."

"Yet?"

You chuckled awkwardly. "We're working it out, I guess. We're not exclusively dating though and he isn't my boyfriend..." You felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought. It's the first time you're saying it out loud, what Sukuna isn't to you, and you had to admit the notion was kinda disappointing. But the problem was with you. "Yeah...just that."

"He likes you though. I see the way he looks at you." Maki smiled knowingly at you. "Does this have something to do with your no dating policy? It's ridiculous if you ask me. Sukuna is a good man."

Ah, straightforward as always. "I know that. That's why I'm letting him have a go at changing my mind."

"And is he successful so far?"

"He's almost there." You frowned then, catching her comment about him. "You seem to know him well."

"We go way back," Maki explained. "My old man still owns the pub when he was a student and he came here all the time listening to me and that old geezer fight."

"Oh. That must have been a sight."

"Plus he's friends with my cousin, Toji."

You tilted your head in question. Sukuna never really talked about his friends, and he has never introduced you to any of them. It’s the first time you’re hearing about that side of him. “Really? What was he like back then?”

Maki snorted. “He was an idiot who had too much time in his hands. He’s smart, but had a penchant for mischief. I mean, I guess you already figured that out just looking at him. Nobody really thought he would end up to be this big-shot architect.”

You laughed. “Really?”

“Toji’s influence, I guess. That one’s a bigger idiot.” She looked deep in thought for a moment then said, “Why his wife chose him instead of Sukuna is a puzzle.”

You were confused. You did not know what she was talking exactly, and why her cousin’s wife should have chosen Sukuna was beyond you. For some reason, you didn’t have a good feeling about it, then you remembered what he told you before about dating just one person.

Could it be… “No…” You didn’t even realize you said that out loud until Maki held onto your hand, squeezing gently.

“I’m sorry. I said too much.”

“Well, don’t stop now,” you found yourself saying, unable to help it. “Is the situation what I think it is? Your cousin’s wife…He told me before that he only ever steadily dated one girl. Is it…?”

Maki nodded, grimacing. “They cheated on him six years ago.”

“So, he lost his girlfriend and best friend?” You felt your heart break at the thought. You might not have known him back then, but you couldn’t help but feel bad on his behalf.

“Yes. I’m not saying it’s his fault, but he’s hardly ever there since he was busy.”

“It’s not enough grounds for them to do that!” you stated loudly, feeling genuinely hurt for him. Damn, if he dated just one woman ever and never had a relationship again before you – for six years – then that spoke volumes of how much it affected him afterwards. You caught yourself and flashed Maki an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”

“Understandable.” She sighed. “He went overseas and didn’t come back until just two years ago. Guess why he came back.”

“Why?”

“To attend their wedding.”

You didn’t know what was more messed up, but you also know Sukuna to be a genuinely good person. If he disappeared for that long only to come back to attend his best friend and ex’s wedding, then it only meant he totally forgave them. If he was giving another relationship a chance, particularly with you, then it also meant he has healed. How he could be so caring and affectionate towards you despite what he went through astonished you, but maybe that’s just how he really was as a person.

“Are they okay now?”

“Yes.” She laughed slightly then. “You should see how he dotes on Toji’s son.”

Maki ruffled your hair, seeing how you’ve reacted. “Just one piece of unsolicited advice, Y/N. If you decide to be with him, be certain about it and don’t ever hurt him.”

You only nodded, taking her words to heart. She was right. Just as you were afraid to be left alone, nobody deserves to be hurt like that. You wanted to be angry at the fact that his own best friend did that to him but at the same time, you were proud of him for coming out of it while maintaining a good view about the whole concept of relationships and perhaps love. It radiated in the way he treated you, and all the effort he is putting into making things work despite your hesitations.

He arrived a few moments later, showing you that crooked smile of his. You both had one beer, and over that, he asked about your day and he told you about yours. When you were finished with your drinks, he said, “Mind going out for a drive? I wanted to tell you something.”

“Okay.” You couldn’t meet his eyes after what Maki told you, and several times, he asked if you were okay to which you responded affirmatively, trying to keep your emotions at bay.

Sukuna took you to the cliffs just around the city limits, parking his car a few yards from the edge enough to have a good view of the sea of lights below. When he killed the engine, you disembarked from his Jeep, walking closer to the edge when you felt his hand on your arm.

“Not too close to the edge,” he said, looking at you with concern written all over his face, but before he could ask what was bothering you, you said, “You were going to tell me something.”

At that, he sighed as if in long-suffering. “Yes, that.” He looked at you seriously as if he was going to tell you something grave only to end up saying, “I’m going to be away for two weeks starting Monday. I’m going to London.”

Momentarily forgetting about your conversation with Maki, you blinked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Why did you have to look like you’re about to tell me you’re going to be executed or something? Jesus, Sukuna.” You laughed despite yourself.

“Don’t laugh. I’m annoyed.” He pouted. “Aren’t you sad? Two weeks is a long time. I won’t get to see you, and I have to check for time zones if I want to talk to you over the phone.”

You held his hand, twining your fingers with his before raising it to plant a kiss on his knuckles. “I will miss you, but you don’t have to be so upset about it. I’ll be right here when you come back. Stop being all dramatic.”

“I’m not!”

“You’re funny.”

He rolled his eyes, but then said, “So, before that, I was planning to take you to meet my best friend and his wife on Saturday. I’ve been telling them about you…”

The rest of his words faded, the only thought registering in your head was how he mentioned his best friend and his wife. You were going to meet them. You couldn’t say no to that given that they seem to play integral parts in his life despite what happened. “Okay.”

“You’re gonna love their little boy,” he said excitedly.

“Sure…”

“But really, Y/N? You won’t have a whirlwind romance with some college brat while I’m away?”

You let go of his hand, stepping back. You didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit. Not when he was speaking from experience. “What do you take me for?!” The words came out a little harsher than you intended, the resentment you felt for his previous relationship resurfacing.

He arched a brow at you, puzzled at your outburst. “Y/N, I was kidding.”

Not able to hold back anymore, you turned away from him as tears started flooding your vision. You didn’t even know why you were crying over the whole thing, and you just felt like an idiot as you faced him again, frantically drying your tears.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He looked alarmed as he held onto both of your hands, stopping you from wiping harshly at your face. “Why are you crying? Is it because of what I said?”

You shook your head. “No…no. Can I hug you though?” you asked and he almost laughed as he himself drew you closer, wrapping his arms around you. “You never have to ask.”

You did the same, holding onto him tightly, hoping it was enough for you to get rid of any feeling of hurt left in him if there was any to begin with; that it was enough for him to be at ease where you were concerned when he goes away. Still, you wanted to make sure. You stayed like that until you’ve calmed down, thinking you were doing it more for yourself than for him.

“What brought this on?”

“You won’t get mad?” you asked between hiccups, looking up at him.

“Why would I?”

“Promise me first. I just don’t want to hide anything from you and it’s been bothering me.”

“Okay. I promise.” As if to emphasize his words, he pecked you on the tip of your nose. “Now what is bothering you?”

“Since you mentioned your best friend,” you began, “Toji, right?”

He eyed you, nonplussed. “How did you know?”

“Maki told me…” You started tearing up again. “She-she told me w-what happened. Everything…so I know…Please don’t get mad.”

He clucked his tongue. “That woman. Seriously.”

“I’m glad she told me and I’m sorry if I pried, but I can’t…”

“Is that why you’re crying?”

“Y-yes.”

“Why?”

“Because they hurt you.”

His expressions softened. “Silly.”

You pulled him close, wrapping your arms around him. “It’s not silly. Nobody deserves that, least of all you. You’re always so good to me, and I can’t imagine anybody doing that to you, least of all your best friend.”

Sukuna’s hug tightened a tad, placing his chin on top of your head. “No sense crying about it anymore, Y/N. I’ve forgiven and forgotten. It wasn’t their fault if they felt that way when I went away. They found common ground, I guess. Toji thought he was losing his best friend and she felt the same way.”

“Okay.”

“If it isn’t too much to ask, I want you to get to know them, too, just like I want to be close to Satoru, Suguru and Ieiri. They’re important to me.”

“Okay.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes.” You met his gaze. “If they’re important to you, then I will do that for you and meet them.”

He wiped away your tears then. “Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it,” you mumbled, breathing in deeply. “Sorry you had to see me like this.”

“You don’t have to hide anything from me.” He shrugged then, snickering. “Maki’s timing sure is impeccable.”

And so, Saturday came and you held onto Sukuna’s hand as he helped you out of the Jeep after parking in front of a two-story house with pale yellow walls and white shutters. Before it was a small, well-tended yard surrounded with white picket fences, very much like the house you grew up in under the care of your grandfather. A small, plastic slide and swing set was placed on the grass along with a tiny bike and some toys in the sandbox.

“You okay?” he asked, interrupting your reverie. When you nodded, he said, “You’re not gonna cry, are you?” making you smack him on the arm. “Ow?”

“Serves you right.”

Just then, the door opened revealing this couple you assumed to be the Fushiguros. They looked good together, both with raven hair with their equally dark-haired little boy who looked about eighteen months old, all chubby cheeks and pudgy cuteness.

Toji was this big, hulking man with a vertical scar on the right side of his mouth which oddly added to his charm instead of marring his handsome face. He was carrying his little boy in his muscular arms, taking the edge off his tough looks. He was the first one to approach.

"Hi. Y/N, right?"

"Yes, hi." You shook his hand, smiling genuinely despite your previous notions regarding him and his wife who also stepped forward, taking your hands in hers. She was beautiful, too, and she gave you this feeling of coming home with her bright eyes and kind smile. You couldn’t blame Toji for falling for her, then again, Sukuna used to be in love with her, too.

"You're so pretty!" she said as a way of greeting. "I'm Mirai. It's nice to meet you."

Toji glanced at Sukuna, the gesture injected with meaning. "It's nice to finally meet you. Typically, he's quiet, but he won't shut up about you."

"Shut up," Sukuna muttered.

"It's nice to meet you both." You chuckled. "He isn't quiet around me either." Then your eyes shifted to their kid. You weren't exactly enamored with the idea of children, but you understood what Sukuna meant. "Hi, little angel," you couldn't help but say to the boy who was looking at you with wide, sparkly eyes framed with long lashes. "Your son is lovely."

"Thank you," Mirai returned happily, watching her son reaching for you. "Aww, Megumi likes you."

"Megumi," you repeated. "Blessing?"

"Yes," Toji said proudly and you gathered from his statement that he named the baby.

You looked towards Sukuna as if for assurance as you reached out. "May I hold him?"

"Sure." Toji handed Megumi to you and you followed after them as they led you and Sukuna into their home, marveling at how well-behaved he was, just leaning against your chest and sucking on his thumb, all warm and smelling like baby powder and everything that reminded you of happiness.

The two men went to the living room to catch up while you went to the kitchen with Mirai who was curiously asking you one thing after the other.

"Sukuna told us you're a student. What are you studying?" she asked as she stirred something in a pot.

"Comprehensive literature," you answered, untangling Megumi's hand from your hair.

"Are you sure you're okay carrying Megumi?" Mirai threw you a rueful smile.

You nodded, beaming warmly at the child. "I don't mind. He's so adorable."

Mirai smiled lovingly at her son. "Isn't he? I was so happy when I first had him and saw how much he looked like his dad."

"Yeah, he's like a mini version of Toji. He has your eyes though."

“Thank you.” She grinned. "So, how long have you known Sukuna?"

"Just almost half a year. Around that."

"Guy's whipped for you, Y/N."

"I heard that!" Sukuna called out from the living room. He suddenly entered the kitchen, plucking Megumi off your arms saying, "My turn. How's my favorite boy?"

You just snickered, your thoughts elsewhere. It got you wondering if you would even have met Sukuna if things didn't turn out the way they have. You were picturing Sukuna standing beside Mirai instead of Toji but you just couldn't and it got you contemplating that maybe things ended up the way they did because that's what's meant to be.

As opposed to your resentment to what they did to him, you were now glad, perhaps even thankful and more understanding of Sukuna's reasons for letting things go and remaining friends with them. Because if those things didn't happen, you won't have him. Because if they didn't turn out that way, you wouldn't be watching him being all silly and adorable with Megumi, giving you a picture of what kind of father he would be when he did have kids. Because then, you wouldn't be considering the possibility of a future with anyone…with him.

Then you froze as your feelings for him became clearer. Because why else would you be spending all your time with him, being close to him and getting to know him? Why were you so keen on making sure he was happy? Why were you hurting on his behalf? Why was the world suddenly a better place despite the fact that you're supposedly alone?

It was simple. You're in love with him.

"Y/N?" you heard his deep voice resonating from inside your head then louder as your vision began to focus. He was standing in front of you with Megumi in his arms.

"Huh?"

"You okay? You were spacing out."

"Just thinking." You bit your lower lip, looking apologetic.

"Getting lost in your own world again, I see?" he teased.

"Getting lost in yours is more like it."

He and Miriai looked at you at the same time, the latter giggling pretty much like Ieiri whenever you told her about Sukuna. "You two are so cute."

You brushed the comment off, approaching her. "How can I help?"

You set the table with Toji's help, listening to him talk about Megumi and Mirai with such profound fondness and pride. Just like Sukuna, his appearance was an irony to his funny and soft personality it was disconcerting.

"It's great to have guests over. We rarely do this but Sukuna comes here every Saturday, and well, he isn't a guest anymore," Mirai said as she fed Megumi.

"Thanks for having me then," you replied, still fixated on their kid who was babbling about with his mouth full while he repeatedly knocked a plastic spoon on his high chair.

The conversation was light, circling on their old days, but you knew they were trying to skirt around the ugly things. Mirai regaled you of how Toji got the scar on his mouth. Turns out he and Sukuna were street racers at some point. "Easy cash," as the former had put it. "I mean who wants a part time job if you earn thousands a night?"

"So, what do you plan to become after you graduate?" she asked you again.

"A writer, maybe?"

At that, Sukuna started telling them about your date at the fancy restaurant and how you pretty much nailed the story of the lone old woman who gave you wine. "She's amazing like that," he said fondly, absently patting you on your thigh.

"I'm sure Y/N here finds you impressive, too," Toji teased. "Right, Y/N?"

"Yeah, he smells awfully great it's making my thoughts incoherent," you sallied, "But jokes aside..." You let your voice trail off on purpose, gauging his reaction.

"What?" he prompted.

"That's for me to know," you finally stated, making the couple laugh.

"No fair!"

After lunch, you helped Mirai clean up. Megumi was asleep in his crib after his meal and the guys stood by the backdoor, enjoying some beer. You dried the plates quietly while she washed and told you about Toji.

"It's like raising two kids, really," she told you. "He doesn't pick up after himself and our Megumi is more considerate than he is."

"But you love him," you teased.

"With all that I am." Her eyes strayed to Sukuna then. "Cherish him. Don't let that one get away."

At her words, you felt the same hurt you did when you first learned what the real deal was with them from Maki. You blood boiled out of the blue as thoughts started racing in your head a hundred miles per second. How dare she say that to you when she herself let him go? How dare she hurt him like that and yet keep him as a friend?

The sound of something breaking brought you out of your trance, and you realized the plate you were wiping had fallen onto the floor. But your attention was on her, your steely eyes hard and intense as you said, "You're the last person I expect to be telling me such things."

"I..."

You stepped away from her only to be met by Sukuna's disappointed expression, but you ignored that as well as you turned away. "Excuse me,” you said, bowing slightly as you walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, grabbing your bag before walking out of the house.

The crisp autumn air blew coldly against you, ruffling your hair and your dress as you stood there, not really knowing where to go or what to do. Suddenly, you felt stupid for saying something like that to Mirai when she had been nothing but nice towards you, her and Toji. You also liked their son. And judging by how Sukuna looked at you, you had this niggling feeling that you've ruined it all, eating at you from the inside out.

Just then, the door opened and closed behind you. You didn't have to turn around to know it was Sukuna who followed you out. You've grown so accustomed to his presence that at times, he only had to look at you and you already understand what he wants to convey.

"Y/N, sweetheart, what's going on?" he asked, trying hard to keep the edge off his tone.

You didn't turn to face him, afraid of what you will see. "You heard what I said. Do I really have to explain?"

He walked around you, grabbing you by the shoulders, shaking you slightly. "I thought we're over this. I thought I already explained this to you."

That doesn't cut it, you thought but opted not to say it. He might have told you that he has forgiven and forgotten, and although you weren't involved in it, you still felt displeasure whenever you remembered it. It wasn't as if Mirai and Toji did you wrong, and it wasn't as if you had the right to say shit but she didn't have the right to tell you anything either knowing to herself what she had done. You didn't want to hear anything from her about what you ought to do and decide where Sukuna was concerned. It just didn't sit right with you.

"I know. I'm wrong. I get it," you snapped, shrugging his hands off you. "I wanna go home." You started walking away from him, but you stopped when he said, "What is wrong with you?"

You turned back, breath snagging as you let out a mirthless chuckle. "What is wrong with me?" you repeated, your voice coming out soft but with a bitter edge to it. "I know I am wrong for blurting out the things I did, and I am sorry."

"Y/N –"

"But don't strip me of my right to be angry when Mirai tells me to cherish you and not let you go as if she has any right to do it," you cut him off. "I didn't have the right to call her out on her transgressions to you, but don't tell me I can't cry or be mad at the fact that you had to go through all that because I care too damn much for you!"

Your eyes started to fill with tears as you regarded him, seeing the world come alive with blossoms dancing in the wind while in reality, the world was at its last legs, leaves falling all around you. Whenever you looked at him, you felt like everything was flourishing, filling your existence with beautiful things in an abundance of colors. "I'm so in love with you that I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt. I hate it when I know you're tired but you still smile for me anyway. I hate it when you look disappointed whenever I hesitate and couldn't make up my mind."

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I was being a jerk, but that's how much I love you. I love you, Sukuna, more than I can possibly tell you. I can't pretend I don't."

"Say that again," he murmured.

"What?" you demanded gruffly, too caught up in your emotions to comprehend.

"You said you love me. Say it again." Now he looked like he was about to cry, eyes glistening even as he smiled wide with joy, drawing nearer and taking your hand in his.

You sighed in relief, feeling your chest loosen up. It felt great saying it out loud. Beyond just great. "I love you."

The moment you let go of the words, you were wrapped up in his warmth, his arms tight around you while you listened to the thundering beats of his heart. He held you at arm's length, looked deep into your eyes as he cupped your face and leaned in to claim your lips in a brief kiss. Spring has come in the middle of autumn, filling your senses and making you feel like you could fly. He held you in place, eyes closed as he touched his forehead to yours, letting out a shaky laugh.

"Do you mean that?" He opened his eyes slowly and you were lost in their depths as you nodded. "Yes."

"You haven't asked, but I happen to be just as in love with you if not more."

"I already knew that. How can I not when you show me every day? It's comforting to hear you say it out loud though." You smirked at him. "You know, when you don't think I'm asleep."

He stiffened against you. "You heard that?"

"God, it was so hard to keep my eyes closed and stop myself from reacting when you told me you're in love with me."

He clucked his tongue. "You waited this long to respond to me?"

"I told you I didn't wanna give it to you half-assed. I’m giving you my heart just as I want yours, and if you’re ready to entrust it wholly to me, I can’t just reciprocate with pieces of mine."

“You had it since the first day we met. I didn’t have to see everything else to know you’re the one who owns it.” Sukuna kissed you on the forehead, hugging you to him and just standing there with you, watching cars pass by the road, reveling in his proximity and his warmth. You didn’t need much of anything if you had him.

But then you broke out of his hold, realizing the mess you’ve made.

"What is it?"

"I have to apologize to our hosts. Stay here," you stated, walking back to the house to find the couple in the living room, standing there as if they were expecting you to come back. Without hesitation, you bowed before them. "I sincerely apologize for what I said. I should not have said that to you, Mirai. And it isn't my intention to indirectly hurt you, too, Toji. I'm sorry."

"What is this girl saying?" you heard Mirai say as she approached you and hugged you tight. "You silly girl. We deserve that and we don't deserve Sukuna. Everyone just gave us a free pass, and we were glad you were brave enough to say it to us like that. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Still..."

Toji shook his head. "No, Y/N. Thank you. For loving Sukuna and for giving us the chance to finally forgive ourselves, too."

At that, you smiled, nodding in understanding.

When it was time to leave, Megumi woke up and you had the chance to say goodbye to him, too, holding onto him until you had to get out the door.

"Visit us anytime, Y/N," Mirai said, winking. "Sukuna doesn't have to be with you."

"So, you're throwing me away cause you have Y/N now? Some friends you are," he sniped, causing another round of easy laughter.

"I'll come by soon," you promised, pecking Megumi on the cheek. "See you, angel."

***

"So, you're officially together now?" Suguru asked, helping you pack for the trip to the mountains Sukuna had planned, scheduled immediately after his return.

"Two weeks ago, but he had to go to London," you said, and in the next second, Ieiri and Satoru both brought out their wallets, handing bills to Suguru.

"I knew there was something different when he drove you home that afternoon."

"I can't believe you three are betting over my relationship with Sukuna," you muttered, zipping up your small luggage.

Suguru won fair and square though. He had been right to ask from the start when he walked in on you and Sukuna making out on the porch when the latter dropped you off. The drive then was quiet but you had the shut the guy up for teasing you about that "one hell of a confession," as he had put it. But he immediately took control, shoving you against the wall beside the door and kissing you stupid.

"What did I say about raising her on my own?" Suguru gloated, slinging an arm over your shoulder much to the annoyance of your supposed two other parents.

Satoru scoffed. "I was the one who did the hardest job of interrogating him the first time he came and brought our little girl dead drunk!"

"Yeah, he said you're intimidating," you told him, chuckling, and he positively glowed until you said, "But he said you apologized afterwards so..."

Suguru and Ieiri laughed hard at him.

"On a more serious note, Sukuna isn't gonna be as lucky the moment you get hurt, Y/N," Satoru stated calmly and the other two nodded in agreement. "Just putting it out there."

You would do the same for them, too, so you also agreed. "And if I'm the one causing him shit?"

"That's on him, too," Suguru said, ruffling your hair. "You're our princess, Y/N. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong when the time comes. You'll probably get an earful from us, too, cause we like the guy, but you will always have us first."

You clucked you tongue. "You're all being dramatic, but thanks. Much appreciated."

"It's the first time you're going steady with anyone. We're just making sure we've covered all the bases," Ieiri stated.

"Yeah, and before we forget..." Satoru took something out from under your bed, handing it to you.

You eagerly looked into the bag, thinking it was a present but you wanted to throw it at his face the moment you found out what it was.

"I got the bigger sizes cause Sukuna looks loaded in that department. Special edition, ultra-thin in – wait for it – mixed berry flavor." He winked. "Wrap it before you tap it."

"Ha ha, Satoru. You're really funny." You motioned to hit him, but laughed with him nonetheless as you rummaged through the bag. "Where the hell did you even get these?"

"Ordered them in from Amsterdam. You're welcome, princess."

"You're fucking weird for handing me rubbers, but thanks, dad." You handed the bag back to him. "You're giving them to Sukuna yourself though."

"Fine!"

And that he did when Sukuna arrived to come pick you up, strictly telling the man to open it in private much to the latter's confusion. Still, he accepted graciously.

"Don't open that thing," you said the moment you were in his car.

"That makes me want to open it now," he said.

You clucked you tongue, and shook your head. "Do that when I'm not looking." You tilted your head to have a better look at him, reaching over to make him face you. You frowned at the dark circles under his eyes. "What have you been doing in London?"

"Not sleeping enough is one of them, and I'm jetlagged." He took your hand in his and started planting butterfly kisses on your fingers. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." You cupped the side of his face and leaned over, pecking him on the lips. "You're going to sleep the moment we get to our destination."

"But –"

"No buts." You took the key off the ignition. "And I'm driving." You got out of the car, rounding it to the driver's side, opening the door. "Scoot."

Sukuna grinned at you. "Is being bossed around what it entails to be your boyfriend, sweetheart?" he asked, swinging his legs towards the door.

You moved closer, standing between his legs. "And if I say yes? Do you want out?" you asked, flashing him a sultry smile as you drew closer to him, your breaths mingling.

"I can't say I don't like it." He kissed you, deeper than the peck you gave him earlier.

"It's safer if I drive," you spoke against his lips. "Move."

"Just this once," he acceded, moving towards the passenger side while you climbed behind the wheel, gunning the car out of the property. But opposite to his words, he was asleep not an hour into the drive.

You never really realized how long two weeks could be until you had to wait for Sukuna to come back safe and sound. Though your time had been occupied by your studies and every other thing you did, you were always distracted by your phone, waiting for his messages and calls that you had to find yet another distraction in the form of a new video game you've gotten over the mail just two days after he left. But that was just momentary as you finished it in three days of continual gaming. You even went to visit the Fushiguros the weekend prior much to Mirai's delight just to have a semblance of familiarity where Sukuna was involved but it just made you miss him more.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, indeed. You could just laugh at yourself over the past days, thinking yourself selfish at the thought of not wanting him to go anywhere you couldn't easily reach him. But now that he was back, you are back to normal, and you knew you have to come to terms with accepting that it is a part of his job to be away from you every now and then if things are going to work out for the two of you.

You're whipped, and you know it. You've accepted that. Now, it's just a matter of not allowing yourself to become too dependent on his presence.

Sukuna woke up when you stopped for gas three hours later. Why he had to choose such a far off place to bring you to was beyond you, but you weren't complaining in that you'd go wherever he was, but it was more for the fact that he came straight out of the airport and yet he was traveling again and by car, too.

"You okay?" he asked while you munched on gummy bears, standing against the Jeep as you filled it with gas. "We can switch."

"I go on farther road trips with the boys and Ieiri every time we have the chance. Stop worrying about me."

He whined sleepily, his voice coming out thick, trapping you against the car with his body. "You're crabby today. It doesn't feel like you miss me."

"Oi, I had to order a new game just so I won't send stupid texts telling you to come back home. How dare you doubt that?"

He burst out laughing. "So you were nerding out while I was away?"

"Pretty much. Don't run away when one day, you walk into my room and find a monster holding onto my controller in the middle of pizza boxes and a whole lot of other mess. That's me needing to be brought out of my hole."

"Hey, don't do that when I go away for business trips." He looked seriously worried now. "You should do your normal routine."

"So don't say I didn't miss you because I was nearly that monster nerd I was telling you about." You popped a green gummy bear into his mouth. "And I'm still driving."

The drive continued for another two hours with you reaching the foot of the mountain at the side of the highway where you really had to switch with Sukuna since you didn't know the way.

"You didn't bring me here to murder me, did you?" you quipped, seeing how thick the forest was on the one-lane road going up the mountain. It was such green world that you almost wanted the feeling of being lost

"Probably. You're too bossy today."

"Hey, that's me being nice."

"I won't. I have other things in mind to do with you." He grinned mischievously at you, winking to which you just shook your head.

Soon enough, you reached a small, traditional village which was pretty much turned into a hot spring resort. Sukuna stopped at the largest building in the vicinity, telling you to wait in the car as he disembarked, returning very shortly later with a key dangling on his thumb. The drive continued for another twenty minutes until he parked in front of this old-style house which didn't look old at all, located at a much more secluded area of the resort. He handed you the key, telling you to go ahead while he unloads your stuff.

Yup. There was nothing old about the facilities at all with the south-facing side made entirely of glass that looked over the private hot spring and a view of the mountains beyond that. The kitchen was as modern as it could get, and judging by how Sukuna was carrying bag after bag of things into the fridge, he planned to cook during your entire stay there. You took over the job while he carried your luggage into the house. Poor thing did the shopping before coming to pick you up without telling you.

"Go shower and sleep. I can handle it from here," you told him when he entered the kitchen again, muscular arms crossed over his wide chest, eyeing you appreciatively.

Instead of doing as he was told, he came up to you, standing behind you, hands fastening onto your waist as he drew your hair to one side. He nuzzled your neck, slowly making his way up your jawline where he pressed his lips and lingered there for a bit. You smiled, reaching up with your hand to place it on his cheek.

"You need to rest, my love."

"Say that again," he whispered.

"You need to rest?" You teased, feeling him nip at your ear. "My love?"

"You keep annoying me today."

"You keep commenting about how I'm behaving today," you countered, facing him. "Come on, let me boss you around for now. You really need to get some shuteye."

"You'll let me boss you around later then?"

"Deal."

***

"Back already?"

You looked over your shoulder as you combed through your hair when you heard the sliding door open. A smile graced your lips seeing as how Sukuna looked better, more well-rested and more like himself after a long sleep, only coming to at nightfall. He took a dip in the hot spring after dinner and was returning from it.

He came in wearing that dark blue yukata provided by the resort, feeling your face grow hot when you realized you were ogling him yet again. How can you not when the garment hung loosely over his shoulder. He didn't bother tying it properly, and from the partition of the robe, you can see the broad expanse of his chest, the smattering of inked patterns following the sinews of his form.

It wasn't the first time you were seeing his tattoos, the artistic floral and tribal patterns making themselves known to you that day you woke up to him naked from the waist up. However, you did not realize they expanded all the way down the right side of his body, all the way down to the outer area of his thighs. Since he was just wearing a pair of boxers underneath the yukata, when he stepped forward, you were able to see it, and as curiosity won over you, you didn't look away even when he raised a brow at you, the ghost of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth.

You stood up, walking slowly towards him, stopping when you were less than a foot away. Your eyes shifted hesitantly between his face and that area of his anatomy silently asking for his permission to see more of it but your hands refused to move midway.

"What is it?" he asked, not exactly sure as to what you were trying to do.

Biting your lower lip. "M-may I..." You couldn't say it out loud so you pointed at his tattoos, feeling a lump forming on your throat when you realized how bold you were being.

"You don't have to ask," Sukuna whispered, taking your hand and placing it on his chest, warm and alive underneath your palm, while he drew his robe apart, eyes intent on you as you followed the expanse of skin that served as a canvass to the artfully-made representation of the four seasons in a single branch of a cherry blossom tree, meandering downwards. From his chest going down the length of his side, your hand traced over the colored patterns of smaller branches that progressed from summer to winter. Your fingers lingered over his iliac crest where new buds of the familiar pink blossoms that promised spring were immortalized on his skin.

Sukuna's breathing had deepened the moment your hand reached lower, and you relished the fact that you had that effect on him, too. You could feel heat behind your eyes as your blood rushed up to your head at the realization that you could do that to him, and even greater than that, the reality of just how much you wanted this man in front of you, how much you wanted to make him yours in every sense of the word and how much you wanted to be his and his alone.

In the dim light of the moon that was filtered by the mist rising from the springs through the open sliding doors, you looked up at Sukuna, the man you love with every single fiber of your being, leaning your head on his chest, listening to his beating heart that mirrored the thrumming in your chest.

You brushed your lips onto his bare skin, trailing kisses across his chest before looking up at him and letting yourself be devoured by those deep, hooded eyes as you stepped even closer.

"You're beautiful," you breathed out, pulling him down towards you, tears pooling in your eyes when he finally kissed you, taking your breath away.

Sukuna's large hands roamed your body as he continued to mold your mouth against his, his tongue pushing between your lips which you welcomed with your own, loving his taste, hot and wet and stirring you alive. His hands were warm and nimble as he kneaded the flesh of your hip through the fabric of your kimono, traveling lower to where the garment parted so he can slide his hand underneath. They made their way to your ass, squeezing hard before he slid lower, hooking both of his hands under your thighs. He lifted you up, urgently maneuvering your legs to wrap around his waist.

Neither of you came up for air even as he walked deeper into the room where the bed was, pawing and hungrily devouring each other, what began as a gentle kiss turning into a scorching show of dominance as you both took from each other, not quite getting enough.

"I love you," he rasped, breathless as he nipped at the shell of your ear. "I want all of you."

He then continued kissing you, seizing you at the back of your neck, roughly nibbling on your lips then progressing towards the columns of your throat, spreading the V that formed the collar of your robe. You ran your fingers through his hair, intoxicated by his scent, your toes curling as his hands travelled to outline the sides of your body possessively.

Sukuna then returned to your lips after leaving open-mouthed kisses all over your chest and collar bones, and you kissed him back just as fervently as he pressed you down against his clothed crotch, making you shiver as you felt stirrings at the pit of your stomach. You gasped at the feeling of him poking against your thigh but before you could recover, he entered his hot tongue into your mouth again, gently luring yours to mingle with his. You just let him have his way, not quite believing what was happening as you felt your skin bursting into flames wherever he touched you.

Sukuna lifted you slightly off the bed, putting you down so that you were facing away from him. From behind, he guided you towards the pillows and snaked his hands around your waist, reaching for the sash of your robe and tugging on it. When he was successful, he tossed it somewhere on the floor and reached over your shoulders, slowly feeling for the lapels of the robe, making sure his fingers brushed against your skin, sending jolts of electricity all over your body as he peeled the garment off you in deliberate and calculated slowness, coupled with his mouth following the train down your nape to your shoulders before he pushed you face down on the bed.

"Oh god," you whispered, fighting for air as he gathered your hair to your left shoulder and licked the shell of your ear. "What are you thinking about? You're too stiff. Relax," he said in that deep, sensual voice that turned your legs to jelly.

You grabbed onto the pillow, anticipating what he was gonna do next when you felt his febrile tongue making a trail on your right shoulder, the action morphing into sloppy, wet kisses going down your bare back until you could not feel your robe anywhere near your body anymore. He has already undressed you.

You were on edge and just hyper aware of everything he was doing and every single touch he left on your body made you feel like it was leaving a mark and being absorbed by every cell in your system. It felt good being this close to him, being touched by him and you wouldn’t really mind if he marked you everywhere. You wanted to be his and you wanted the world to know.

His hands travelled everywhere it could touch, pushing you to the edge and making you feel like you were burning slowly, the kind that made every corner of your body tingle with anticipation. What you didn't realize was how tight you were holding the pillow to yourself until he suddenly mentioned it.

"Y/N?"

"Hmm?" Your voice came out at a higher pitch, making you want to smack yourself. This was that you wanted and yet you were being all jittery.

He chuckled softly, stopping his ministrations. "What are you doing?"

At that, you pushed yourself off the bed a bit and turned your head sideways to meet his gaze from over your shoulder. “Sorry, I’m just…”

“Yes?”

“Overwhelmed,” you whispered, chuckling slightly. While it wasn’t your first time, everything felt new with the added sensations that your deep emotions for him were throwing into the mix. “How do you want me?”

He turned you over on your back, chuckling. "For starters, cut out the pillow hugging." He pried the thing off your arms and chucked it against the headboard. Sukuna then hovered over you, pinning your hands on either side of your head then began his assault on your neck going lower and lower until he reached your left breast and started licking and tugging on your nipple, his other hand busy kneading the other.

“You are beautiful,” he said, mouth moving against the swell of your flesh while his other hand took possession of the other hand, tentatively squeezing with his long fingers.

You let out a moan, craving for more but not certain whether you could take it or not with your heart feeling like it was going to burst out of your chest. You wanted him to touch you more and as if he read your mind, he returned to kissing you intensely until you thought you couldn't breathe, well aware of how his other hand was taking off your panties. Your heart was beating erratically in your chest as you anticipated the moment, but halfway down your thighs, he raised himself a bit and laid himself on top of you, burying his face into your hair.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked cautiously as he raised himself slightly, looking into the depths of your eyes as if he was looking right through you.

Cupping his face, you rose slightly on your elbows, pressing your lips at the corner of his mouth. "A hundred times yes. I'm yours," you said with all the conviction you could muster in your hazy state – love drunk, kiss drunk, Sukuna drunk.

At your response, he latched his lips onto the skin of your neck, kissing lower and lower, passing over your breasts where he lingered, biting and sucking gently. You hissed as you watched him progress downward, his mouth doing all the magic from the valley of your chest down to your stomach, his hand reaching for the garment he had taken off you halfway down your legs, discarding it. The rough pads of his hands brushed over your thighs, pushing them apart as he lowered himself between them.

You let out a sharp cry when he licked a long stripe on your nether lips, his hot tongue swirling over your sensitive nub. He hummed in approval upon tasting you while he teased your folds with two of his digits. Without a warning he simultaneously pushed his fingers into you and sucked on your clit, building a rhythm that had you seeing stars with every thrust, coaxing out whimpers from your slightly parted lips. Your hips bucked towards him when you felt him reaching deep enough to touch your sweet spot again and again.

Sukuna anchored his arms around your thighs, his elbows on the mattress as he held you steady, continuing to lap at you and move his digits inside you as you felt that familiar sensation of coming undone, guiding you through it until you released so hard your juices squirted out despite his fingers still inserted in you, making a right mess of his mouth, chin and hand.

You spasmed against him but he didn't let go, continuing with his ministrations. He removed his fingers from inside you and started eating you out like a starved man, catching all of your essence from your initial orgasm and cajoling you into another one as he shoved his tongue right into you.

Your hand reached down, fingers tangling with his cherry blossom locks, not knowing whether you want to push him or keep him right where he was. He moaned as he felt your walls clenching, the vibrations caused by his voice stimulating you further, and in no time, you were releasing into his mouth again, your high hitting you like a speeding truck, slamming onto you and leaving you a shaking mess.

Your chest heaved up and down as you tried to calm down, chuckling in between each intake of breath when you felt Sukuna planting ephemeral kisses on your feverish skin, working his way up this time, worshipping your body before catching your lips in his where you tasted yourself on him.

"Can I eat you forever?" he asked with a groan. "You taste exquisite, my love."

"Alright," you panted, "But before that..." You looked him in the eye, running your hand down his chiseled abs until you reached the band of his boxers, excitement filling you as you palmed his crotch over the fabric. You snickered when his whole body seized on top of you, but you were just as out of breath feeling how massive and warm he was against your palm. You bit your lip as your hand moved, rubbing him slowly. Sukuna's eyes drooped a little as he drank in the clouded look in your eyes.

Satoru wasn't wrong about the condoms, and it further got proven to you when you pushed Sukuna’s underwear down and he rose up to his knees, finishing the job. You swore your eyes were going to pop out of their sockets when his length was released from its restraints, slapping against his stomach, thick, long and standing proud, its pink tip leaking precum that dripped down, following a prominent vein on its underside. You never wanted to put anything in your mouth as much as you wanted his dick, but the idea of it stretching you and ripping you apart from between your legs was more intriguing.

Sukuna smirked down at you. "Like what you see, sweetheart?"

"That's an understatement." You swallowed hard, taking you herculean effort to look at his face instead. "I don't just wanna look at it though."

He reached over to the nightstand, taking out that familiar bag from Satoru, quickly rummaging through it. "I'd be insulted if that's all you wanna do." He said as he took out a packet, about to rip it but you shook your head, taking it away from him.

He arched a brow at you. "You don't...Are you –"

"Stop asking me if I'm sure. I'm certain as I'll ever be." You smiled at him. "Or maybe I'll change my mind if you keep asking."

Laughing, he bent down, positioning himself between your legs as he took possession of your lips once more. You took a deep breath when you felt his tip nudging between your folds, teasing you while he busied himself with tracing the topography of your body as if committing it to memory.

Watching him now, you wished you've met him earlier in your life, loved him longer than you have at present. If you knew someone like Sukuna would come to care for you as much as he does, even in acts that are mostly governed by sheer instinct and senses, driven by need and lust, you would have combed the earth to find him. He cares so damn much for you that you knew he will find it in him to stop if you just said so even at his own expense.

"Sukuna..." his name spilled from your mouth, wanting him all for yourself, body, heart and soul. "Baby, please..." You were pleading, but for what, you didn't know exactly.

"Yes, my love?" he questioned, a smug grin playing at the corners of his mouth as he watched the mess that you are beneath him. "Tell me what you want."

"You," you whimpered, raising your hip to meet his cock, hard and burning on your skin. "I want you," you breathed out, the delicious torture in your voice coming to a crescendo when he thrust in agonizingly slow, making your wish his command.

He stretched you, gradually, gently as if he was afraid to break you, but your breath hitched for a different reason entirely. His girth left a slight burn as he pushed in, the rapturous feel of him invading your space and being wrapped in your flesh making a heated mess out of you as you grabbed everything you can get a grip on – the sheets, his shoulders, the pillow nearest to you – trying to anchor yourself from the sudden high of knowing he was inside you.

Your eyes watered at the sheer thought of being connected to him so deeply, and you found yourself falling to blissful surrender when he finally bottomed out. You felt him twitch inside you, but instead of moving as he wished, he cupped your face, delicately brushing his fingers over your flushed cheeks. He had that look of disquiet as he examined your expressions.

"You okay?"

You nodded, beaming in your state of stupor. "Please…move."

Sukuna begins to do as he was told, sliding in and out and acquainting you to his rhythm, his intense eyes hooded yet intense as he regarded you, aware of every nuance of your expressions with every single thrust. He started picking up the pace when he felt you wrap your legs around him, hitting you deeper every single time.

Pleasurable groans elicited from Sukuna's lips as he held himself up, driving his hips against yours repeatedly. "You're so tight," he rasped, his snagged breaths hot on your ears. "You feel so good."

"So good," you repeated, completely going out of it when the mere brushing of his rod against your walls drove you over the edge. You clenched tight around him and he let out a groan, eyes rounding when he realized you were close.

"Let go, baby. Cum for me," he said between pants as he pounded onto you unrelentingly.

You spoke broken syllables of his name as you came around him, riding you through your high. Acid white flashes started to flash behind your eyelids, your back arching from the bed as you keened loudly, too enraptured and absorbed in the pleasure that he was giving you.

However, before you could even recover, Sukuna lifted you off the bed, holding you against him so that your breast were rubbing against his taut chest. You wrapped your arms around him, gripping onto his shoulders while you sat astride him on your knees.

"You'll give me one more, won't you, my love?" he said, thrusting up to you whilst he gripped your waist so tight you knew you will have bruises after, making you meet every single push of his thick length.

Both your moans filled the room along with skin hitting skin, the friction between you two kept at bay by the sheen of sweat that covered your bodies. He held onto the back of your neck, roughly kissing you, your tongues dancing the lovers' minuet. Your lungs begged for air, but you were reluctant to be released from Sukuna's wild kisses while he fucked you senseless.

"Fuck," he growled through gritted teeth. "I love you," he whispered repeatedly like a mantra.

You felt him getting harder inside you as he hastened his pace, ramming into you faster and stronger, and in no time, you were screaming out his name as you came undone again with him following shortly after you did, a deep groan falling out of his mouth in a dragged out note when he spilled his seed inside of you, making you feel even fuller, your walls throbbing around his softening length.

Spent, you both fell back on the welcoming softness of the mattress with him still inside you. He landed on top of you, catching his breath while he rested his head on the crook of your neck while you wrapped your arm around him, your fingers carding through his damp locks.

“You’re amazing, Y/N,” he purred in hushed tones once he caught your breath.

Your brows furrowed in perplexity. “I didn’t do anything.”

He shook his head, pulling out and rolling away, his eyes between your thighs, watching as your mixed juices dripped down on the sheets. “I’m not just talking about your body and how you felt. That in itself is amazing, but I’m referring to everything that you are.”

You felt heat creeping up your neck, all the way to your scalp. Abashed, you covered your face with your hands. “Don’t say things like that. You’re making me a shy mess. Geez.”

“Hey, look at me.” He clucked his tongue when you didn’t move, taking your hands off of your face. When you finally did as you were told, he said, “I mean it. Sometimes, I can’t believe you’re real.”

“I should be saying that. You’re so kind to me, and I feel how much you care for me every single time you say or do something. And I’m just selfish, really.”

“No, you’re not?”

“I am, Sukuna. I want you all to myself from that time you first kissed me, but I didn’t really do much to make that happen because I’m also a wimp, so thank you for going the extra mile for me.” You smiled slightly, feeling your eyes fill with tears.

“Stop saying that.”

“But it’s true. You’re always the one putting in the effort.”

“Because I want to.” He suddenly sat up, pulling you by the arm to lift you up when you gasped, feeling a sudden jolt of pain at the base of your back and the joints on your thighs at your sudden movement. “What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.

You raised a finger, moving on the mattress on your own while you held onto his arm for support. “Give me a moment.”

Sukuna regarded you with wide eyes. “Did I hurt you?” He sat beside you, wrapping arm around your shoulder and soothingly rubbing your arm. “Are you aching anywhere?”

“A bit, but it’s the good kind.” You smirked at him. “You’re amazing,” you said, imitating his tone earlier when he said you’re beautiful, your eyes traveling to his crotch. “You wrecked me, my love.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or be upset. “You say the most outrageous things and it doesn’t help that you don’t hold back either.”

“Too shocking?” you offered.

“Scandalous!” he quipped, chuckling and you joined in on the laughter, the merry sound breaking through the stillness. “Can I carry you now?”

“Sure.” You lifted your arms, latching onto his neck, letting him take you to the bathroom.

“Let’s wash up and take a dip.”

You nodded and let him have his way around you, standing on the shower stall with him as he did everything while you just held onto him, your legs still wobbly. He kissed you on the cheek, the action soft and delicate, filling you with happiness. You can’t believe he is real.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he spoke against your skin.

You pulled away from him, placing your hand on either side of his face, and with a triumphant smile, you said, “I’m not. Never will be.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more. Don’t argue.” You pecked him on the lips.

Sukuna beamed at you toothily. “Alright, sweetheart.”

He carried you out of the bath and out of the sliding doors that led to the hot spring, setting you down into the water carefully as if you’d break if he didn’t take caution. The hot water felt glorious on your skin, immediately melting the knots of your muscles as you sat between his legs, both of you submerged chest-deep.

“Damn, that feels good,” you sighed, mollified as you leaned against Sukuna’s broad chest, closing your eyes in bliss. “I can stay here forever.”

“Are you talking about the hot spring?”

“Yes and no,” you said without hesitation. “The water feels nice, but it wouldn’t be complete without you holding me.”

“You’re being sweet now after bossing me around earlier?” He wrapped his arms around you, placing his chin on your shoulder. “We can always come here when we both have free time. And I’ll always hold you like this.”

“I like that.”

“I love you,” he mumbled, nuzzling on the spot below your ear and breathing in deeply. “You smell divine.”

“I know. I smell like you.”

“Thank heavens then cause that’s what seemed to lure you to me,” he kidded.

You just smiled, reaching blindly to place your palm on his cheek, trying to get a semblance of reality although it was already staring you in the face, the emotions and sensations he has making you feel very much real, but you seem to be in a dream state, unable to come to terms with the fact that spring has finally come for you in the person of the man whose arms held you tight and close to his heart.

“Sukuna…”

“Yes, my love?”

“Thanks for existing."

-THE END-

So, I made Megumi's mom's name here "Miriai." I made her an OC because I can't just keep referring to her as "she/her." It's quite confusing. I hope this doesn't bother anyone. I cringed, too, trust me.

Okay, Toji is also OOC here. Haha! I went all the way with conjuring these characteristics and since Sukuna, my love, is super soft here (he has cherry blossom tats XD), why not Toji, too?

Anyway, I would like to say thank you to everyone who read this fic! Stay tuned for more. Love you guys :)

Additional notes are available in the masterlist, particularly on the reasons why I wrote some things the way I did.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20210630]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART SOURCES FULLY CREDITED TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[petersnya]

SOMETIMES PT.3

PETER PARKER X FEM!READER

Warnings: Angst (alotttt. I’m sorry lol)

Word count:1873

[A/N] So that there’s no smut in this part but it is SO worth it (trust me I hate when there’s no smut but this part is so SO GOOD)this part kinda like, BROKE my heart… ok it DID break my heart…  SEND ME YOUR FEEDBACK AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST FOR EACH CHAPTER! ENJOY… (send a request for anything you want me to write or if you have any ideas)

-J.T.S xxx

PART ONE  PART TWO

Ever since the incident at the drive-in theater, Y/N has been avoiding Peter. Whenever MJ, Peter, and Ned would walk out of school together, Y/N wouldn’t be leaning out of the window of the car smiling and waving at them. She would have the window rolled up and looked either straight out the ahead or down at her phone. 

Peter told Ned about the whole situation but didn’t tell MJ. He knew she would kill him because Y/N is her cousin and their like sister towards each other. 

“Peter I don’t know what your gonna do, but you gotta do it fast cause sooner or later MJs’ gonna find out and your not only gonna lose the girl you have a major crush on but also your best friend,” Ned pointed out to Peter. Peter didn’t want to admit it but he was right. He had to come out with the truth to Y/N one way or another. He had to tell her that he does like her and that he lied about the stark internship. 

He had to tell her that he was Spider-Man.

“Yeah Ned, I guess you right.”

“I am right Pete. Now go get your Princess Leia,” Ned teased as the bell rang, signaling that it was time for them to leave. The two boys made their way out of the building, talking about their project they still had yet to finish. They didn’t see MJ around like how she usually is until they heard familiar voices coming from behind them. 

“Here’s your schedule and your and the supply list. You can also sign up for clubs if you would like,” an administrator said.

“I’ll think about it. That you so much.” there it was. That voice. It was Y/N talking to the administrator. But I thought she was homeschooled? Peter thought to himself, trying to wrap his mind around what was going on. It’s not like it was a bad thing that Y/N was coming to Midtown, but MJ told him that she really wasn’t the type to go to school. She hated big crowds of people and was never really good at making friends. 

“Ok well, I can’t wait to have you as a new student at Midtown!”

Peter and Ned looked at each other with wide eyes then turned fully around to see who was behind them, even though they already knew by the voices. “Peter…”

“Ned,” he said to the tan boy next to him. They were both in shock by what they just heard.

“Y/N’s going to Midtown?” they said in sync. 

“Yes, she is,” MJ added as she and her cousin walked over to stunned boys. Ned sent them both a smile and Y/N sent him one back with a small ‘hi’. Peter couldn’t help but notice that something was different about her. 

She’s not wearing her glasses.

The four of them walked out of the building together, telling Y/N about all the teachers and classes at the high school. She also explained that she was tired of being homeschooled and wanted to have something to do outside of her one personal bubble. This new information didn’t make much sense to Peter. She seemed so happy when she was at home from what he could see. 

Ned said goodbye to the two girls before heading over to the bus, beckoning Peter over. 

“Later MJ, b-bye Y/N.” 

“See ya, Parker,” MJ responded before getting into the passenger side of the car, kicking her feet up on the dashboard. 

“Hey! Feet off the dashboard dude,” Y/N yelled at her cousin. MJ mocked her expression before chuckling lightly- keeping her feet on the dashboard. “Goodbye, Peter,” she said coldly, turning back to Peter before getting into the driver’s side, pulling away from the curb before speeding off down the road.

“I miss you.” 

The brown-eyed boy whispered to no one, but it was meant for Y/N. He truly did miss her. Even if they had met only one week ago, that same surge of energy raced through him. Peter knew this wasn’t an ordinary crush- he didn’t know what it was. But he knew he couldn’t afford to lose it. He felt like he was falling apart without her. He didn’t intend to be that rude to her that night at the drive-in, it just happening and he regretted it the second he did it once he saw that heartbroken-hearted look on her face. But instead of apologizing to her, he just sat there.

“Sup penis Parker!” a kid named flash yelled and he sped by him, causing Peter’s brown curly hair to fall into his face. Great. 

“Hey kid, I ain’t got all day. Ya getting on or not?” the bus driver said to Peter. He slumped his shoulders and lugged himself into the bus, taking his seat next to his best friend. “It’s gonna be ok man,” Ned told Peter, trying to comfort him. 

I hope so.

///

Peter was late-night patrolling as he usually did and spotted MJ’s place. Not being able to restrain himself he swung over to the building next to it. He noticed that that same room light was on that was on the first time he stopped by MJ’s on a night patrol as Spider-Man. 

Looking through the window to the lit room, he saw Y/N. she was sitting on her bed, her legs crisscrossed as she wrote something down in a thick, brown, leather-backed journal. 

He smiled at the sight before him. Y/N was wearing the glasses. She pushed them up on her face with her knuckle and continued them to write. Someone must have called her name because she got up from her position on the bed and left her room. 

Curiosity took over Peter as he swung over the ledge of the fire escape that was right at Y/N’s window. He peered into it and used his mask to focus closely on the open journal sitting on the bed. It was a letter:

Dear dad, 

I can’t do this anymore. I miss you so much. You were what made me smile every day, and you still do. But I thought I had found someone who could make me smile even more. He’s beautiful dad. He has amazingly curly brown hair and the brightest brown eyes I had ever seen. His smile made me smile just like how your smile made me smile. He was the one that convinced me to wear my glasses… your glasses. Not MJ. not mom. He did. I thought he liked me as much as I liked him, but I was wrong. And now I can’t stop thinking about what you told me: some people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes. I think he was the one dad, the wrong one. The one I wasn’t supposed to be with. But why does it hurt so much? I’ve been preparing for this to happen to me ever since you told about false love. But now that it actually happened, I cant take it. I cant let him go. But I-

The letter stopped. And anyone could tell that Y/N had been crying as she wrote it- there were tear strains covering the page. 

Peter felt lightheaded. Tears flooded his chocolate eyes and he unfocused his mask from the page. He slumped down, his back not facing the window. He was hurt. It felt like everything in the world had stopped, as time had frozen. He couldn’t bear to know the fact that he hurt Y/N so much to the point she thinks it’s her fault. 

He yanked the mask off of his face, his cheeks burning a shade of crimson just like his eyes. Peter ran a shaky hand through his hair, gripping it as he grounded out in frustration. 

Letting go he slammed his fist against the brick behind him, yelling out in pain. But not physical pain. He felt like someone just ripped out his heart and stomped on it. 

“Hello?” Peter jumped at the voice coming from inside of Y/N’s room. Nows your change Peter. Just go tell her the truth. That’s what one side of Peter said, the other side was the opposite. You cant tell her now, she’ll just hate you more. You have to wait for the right moment. 

But when was the right moment?

“MJ, did you hear that or am I fucking crazy?” Y/N asked as she exited the room. Peter took this chance to get away without being seen. He made his way but to his shared apartment with Aunt May. Entering his room and sitting on his bed, tears ran down his face as he silently sobbed.

///

“Students, I need your attention,” everyone quieted down their own conversations to hear what was about to be said. “I would like to introduce you to our new student, Y/N,” Peter’s head snapped but to look to the front of the class. His eyes landed on Y/N. he couldn’t help but admire her outfit. She was wearing high-waisted but loose, flared jeans with a grey Slytherin sweatshirt and black converse- ones like MJs. her fingers were covered in rings and she has a small necklace. There was a bag draped over her shoulder and her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail. She was holding her glasses in her hand, not daring to put them on.

Not in front of all these people. More importantly, in front of Peter. 

Her head hung and she stared at her feet, twisting the ring on her thumb. The teacher told that she could take a seat at an empty chair, and just to her luck, Ned wasn’t at school that day. So she was forced to sit next to Peter. She didn’t want to argue so she took her seat and sat there quietly not daring to even glance at the boy next to her. 

Half an hour went by and Peter noticed Y/N fidgeting next to him. Her hands were shaking, her ears were turning bright red and she shook the table from how much she was bouncing it. She was taking notes but the handwriting was illegible she was consistently squinting at the board, trying to read what was being written. 

“Hey Y/N, are you ok?”

“Fine,” she let out shakily, avoiding eye contact with Peter. He grabbed her hand, causing her to look him in the eye. Y/N’s eyes were red, tears swelling in the corners. 

“We’re going to the bathroom. Now.” 

“No Peter I’m f-fine.”

Peter grabbed Y/N’s arm, pulling out of the chair and into his arms, picking up their belonging with his free arm. They snuck out the back door to the classroom he and Ned used to sneak out of. 

Walking through the halls, Y/N’s breath became shallow. “Peter, peter I wanna go home. Please take me home. There are too many people in there. They were all looking at me a-and I didn’t want them to look at me. MJ. Peter where is MJ. I need-” 

“Ssshhh, relax Y/N. I’m gonna take you home,” Peter said, rubbing her back. She nodded her head at him as they walked through the back doors of the school. 

SORRY THAT THIS PART WAS SHORT BUT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONG AND I HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD SURPRISE COMING IN THE NEXT PARTS. I LOVE YOU GUYSSSSS

-J.T.S xxx

@love-granger

@moonlightbaby10

@oakiedokie

@hallecarey1

@tomhollandreader

[happytsukki]

boyfriend material

k. bokuto

in which you inquire bokuto to act as your fake boyfriend for a weekend, but you’re the one acting like you don’t have real feelings for him.

a/n: so you’re telling me i have to accept the fact that bokuto isn’t real?? real heartbreak 😔 anyway i love the fake dating trope hehe i hope u enjoy!! idk how i feel about the end ummm

“be my boyfriend, taro.”

“woah woah woah, slow down y/n. technically you haven’t even confessed to me yet,” stuttered bokuto, his eyes darting around the nearly empty library just to avoid your gaze. heat rose to his cheeks and the tip of his ears, showcasing a pink hue that he was embarrassed to let you see.

sure, your friends loved to giggle about how good you and bokuto looked together or how you two were basically soulmates because you shared the same music taste and movie favorites. and you two would shyly refuse, believing that you were simply friends. right?

but nothing would’ve prepared bokuto to hear something so bold come out of your mouth. wasn’t he supposed to be the bold one? but why was he suddenly the one being flustered and feeling knots grow in his stomach?

you shook your head profusely. “shut up taro. not like that, what i mean is that my parents think i have a boyfriend to bring home this break—which obviously i do not.” you placed your hands together and pouted, “so please be my fake boyfriend.”

the boy scratched the back of his head in confusion. “wait, why exactly do your parents think you, of all people, have a boyfriend? and besides, why can’t you just say you don’t?” questioned bokuto.

he was right. you were never really adept at dating, and who knows why your parents fell for your silly lie but you knew one thing for sure: if you didn’t go to the family reunion with a boyfriend, you would be disowned by your entire family.

“well it started with a small lie— for a good reason of course! see, we have a family reunion around this time, but my snotty cousin loves to show off every year and i was fed up.” you huffed and rolled your eyes just at the thought of her, “so i told my parents that my boyfriend and i had a date planned for that day so i couldn’t go, but no. they refused to let me miss it and insisted on introducing him. now i have to see my annoying cousin again and bring my nonexistent boyfriend.” you sighed heavily and threw your arms up in frustration.

“okay. i’ll do it. but first, you have to tell me why you picked me.” he crossed his arms and stuck his nose up, waiting for your response. ah, it was bokuto’s daily need for validation that you were expecting.

“you’re obviously the best candidate to not only make my parents proud of me but also to rub it in my cousin’s face. i mean who else can i bring that was one of the top 5 aces in the nation, now part of the msby black jackals and just as scrumptiously fine and hot as y–“ bokuto’s eyes widened at your last statement and his hand quickly went to cover your mouth. you almost doubled over in laughter, shy bokuto was a rare sight so this was quite enjoyable to watch.

he laughed nervously, “woaaah, okay i get it now. thank you y/n....or should i say girlfriend.” winked bokuto. though it came off as a joke he could feel his heart race so fast that he felt like he was high on cloud nine, a feeling foreign till now.

desperately seeking a breath of fresh air from the situation, bokuto scrambled to gather his books and bid a short farewell but not before giving you an awkward pat on the head and a high-five. yes, a high five.

“bye y/n!” smiled bokuto, dashing out of the library like it was a 100 meter race.

but bokuto failed to realize that his exuberant heart seemed to beat in rhythm with someone else’s, yours.

your two years of friendship seemed to suffice for a decent cover story, or so you thought. but once you stepped foot onto the front lawn of your home, the growing tighteness in your chest would say otherwise.

maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

your mind was spiraling out of control causing you to be paralyzed with a million thoughts on your mind.

“earth to y/n— are you okay?” asked bokuto. he waved his hand in front of your face, snapping you out of your frozen state.

“i-i think i’m stupid for thinking i could pull of this crazy plan. maybe you should just go home kou,” you admited. your eyes wouldn’t dare look into his eyes, instead redirecting your attention on the hem of your sweater.

bokuto wasn’t a quitter and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let you go into there alone. he grabbed your hand and gave it a small squeeze, his other hand raising your chin up.

“i’m not letting you admit defeat, y/n. besides, i’m wearing the perfect sweater.” beamed bokuto.

“sweater?” you puzzled. “check it out, it’s made out of boyfriend material.” he joked, earning a simple smile out of you and washing away your doubts.

you couldn’t help but marvel at the look of pure determination on his face. you’ve seen it plenty of times, mostly during tough volleyball games. the way you could look into his eyes and see a fire set ablaze made you feel strong and fearless. bokuto just had that effect on people. without a second thought, one hand interwined with bokuto’s, you pushed open the door.

unfortunately, your rush of adrenaline was cut short by the disgusting sight of your cousin, chiyo. her eyes immediately landed on you but soon shifted over to the mysterious attractive man to your left.

chiyo was vile, cruel, judgemental, rude, bossy, selfish and the list goes on. since you were children, she made it her life goal to be better than you in everything. you were usually able to tolerate her childish attempts to make you feel inferior but ever since she got an internship with alexander wang while you were still stuck in college, she just couldn’t stop tearing apart your life.

“oh my, look who it is. hello y/n, is this your friend?” questioned chiyo, her eyes running bokuto up and down like tiger finding her next prey.

oblivious to her true intentions, he offered her his usual friendly smile. you rolled your eyes, anger stirring deep within you.

you wrap your arms around bokuto’s waist and lovingly rest your head onto his chest.

still in his embrace, you turn your head to face chiyo again “no, this is my boyfriend bokuto. but i don’t think i see your boyfriend, is he around?” you retorted. chiyo gasped in response, and after failing to find a snarky rebuttal she stomped away in annoyance.

while cheers of victory rang through your head, you peered up at bokuto. “did you see that taro? we really showed her” you laughed.

but bokuto didn’t laugh. he nodded trying to keep his calm but inside he was screaming hysterically. he felt like absolute jelly in your touch, wondering why he wanted to play this role forever.

“come on, you should meet my little cousins!” you say as you drag him to the backyard.

needless to say, the kids absolutely adored him.

“hey hey hey!” boomed bokuto, his voice resonating through the yard and catching the attention of the horde of children.

your five year old cousin yuta gaped at his towering height “woahhh mister— you’re a giant!” another boy began climbing his body, tugging at his white-grey streaked hair, causing bokuto to yelp in pain.

it was a sight that made your heart swell with happiness. the way bokuto sat on the grass, surrounded by children ooo-ing and ah-ing at his stories while he showcased a huge grin made you appreciate the little things. and of course you just had to snapping a quick picture of bokuto before he could even notice. after the initial excitement died down, he returned to your side with the same grin painted on his face.

“excuse me, y/n-chan. is that your husband?” a tiny voice whispered, tugging at the hem of your cyan-colored sweater. the girl, small and doe-eyed, pointed a shy finger towards the boy.

oh my god. you were mortified, completely frozen in your spot. you couldn’t believe she just said that, why would she say that? suddenly you hated children. but at that moment you just desperately wanted the earth to open up and swallow you whole.

before you could awkwardly announce that he was just your boyfriend, bokuto already had the situation under control. he placed one knee on the grass, now eye-level to the girl. with a hearty laugh he said “not yet...but would you like to be a flower girl at our wedding?” the girl’s eyes lit up with pure bliss, nodding her head aggressively to his suggestion.

for a split second, you thought bokuto deserved an oscar for his exceptional acting skills.

because at that moment, you were beginning to fall for him, wondering if one day you would be lucky enough to walk down the aisle to meet a teary-eyed bokuto at the altar.

“oh y/n i’m so happy you’re dating bokuto!!” your mother exclaimed, clapping her hands together at the dinner table.

you’ve been dreading dinner time the entire day, and of course your mother just had to prove your point exactly.

“y/n has always been gushing over him, i’m so glad she finally made a move— how did you two finally get together?” your mother questioned, placing her chopsticks down, leaning forward to give you her full attention. the rest of your family turned their heads towards you and eagerly waited for your response as they continued eating.

“oh, i-um” you stuttered. why didn’t you prepare more? you thought, mentally facepalming your poor decisions.

luckily, bokuto interrupted, “actually i confessed first, at my last game..” he offered you a small smile, and placed his hand over yours. it was a gesture that made you let go off the breath you were holding, it meant “i got this.”

“i thought she was perfect from the first time we met..”

you laughed. what a lie. the first time you met bokuto was far from elegant. you still remember it vividly, you standing on the sidelines chatting with kageyama when suddenly bokuto’s hard serve accidentally hits you in the back of the head. lets just say you weren’t exactly pleased to meet the perpetrator.

“and i thought she hated at first. we had mutual friends so we hung out more, and the more i got to spend time with her, the more i fell for her. i loved how she greeted me with a congratulatory hug after every match or how she would constantly sends me random songs that reminded her of me. i’m glad she’s mine..” professed bokuto.

he had the entire room swooning over every word, the story stringing together like it came straight out of your typical romantic movie.

oh how you wished bokuto wasn’t such a good actor. you wished he was the terrible fake boyfriend that all the kids loathed. you wished he was the terrible fake boyfriend that your mom didn’t look at with complete and utter adoration. you wished he was the terrible boyfriend that didn’t make your entire world stop on its axis with one look, one touch or one word.

falling in love with bokuto kotarou was easy; it’s admitting to yourself that it happened that was hard.

“mind if i join you?” asked bokuto.

after a long and tiring dinner, you decided to lay down outside, gazing at the blanket of stars that lit up the pitch black sky.

you longed for peace and quiet, away from your crazy family and your fake boyfriend. but you couldn’t escape from the feelings you harbored for bokuto.

“no.” you said, not daring to even glance at him. he laid down beside you, so close that his warmth radiated and his hand lightly grazed yours. silence filled the air, begging someone to say something, anything.

“thank you taro.” you whispered. “you’re suprisingly a good actor.”

“you ever heard of method acting?” he asked. you shake your head in confusion and he continues,”its when an actor completely embraces his role by developing sincere and genuine emotions..”

he sat up abruptly, diverting his gaze from the stars to your face, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. his fingers lace through yours, your hearts thumping joyfully in a familiar unison.

“what i mean is— acting isn’t hard when it’s real. none of my feelings were fake” expressed bokuto. “i don’t wanna be the fake boyfriend anymore.”

and for once, neither you or bokuto question your feelings, everything became so clear.

“because, frankly, i think our hands fit perfectly and i wouldn’t mind holding yours forever.”

[writing-appreciation]

Faked and Faited

-I know the title sucks, forgive me.- 

SYNOPSIS: Latina!Reader's family keeps nagging her about getting a boyfriend. One day when she was ranting about her upcoming family reunion, Peter jumped in with an idea that was muy loco. 

 WORD COUNT: 2885 

 WARNINGS: Lots of spanish, for obvious reasons. (It's mostly translated, so don't worry!) ((Also bad spanish grammar because I was never taught it as a kid). 

.......................................................................................................................................

 Don't get me wrong, my family's fine. Great even. But when a bunch of the extended family comes it can get a little hectic too quickly. For example, ever since my 13th birthday, they've all been trying to get me to date. It was worse at my Quince when all my tias tried to set me up with boys I invited that they didn't even know. Potential boyfriends now have a fear of my family. It was infuriating sometimes.

"So then, just don't go." MJ threw out boredly, causing my rant to stop. 

 The boys nodded in agreement and made some comment about not going not being a big deal. 

 "Guys, yes it is. Trust me, mexican families are constantly gossiping. If I don't show up, it will cause some big family drama. They'll hold it against me for years. Not to mention..." 

"When is it?" Peter interrupted. 

 "Next weekend." I replied as I absentmindedly played with my food with my fork.

 "I'll go with you." He smiles. 

"You'll what?" Ned and I both asked in surprise. 

 "Yeah, I get a weekend off from the Internship once a month and I'll go with you to keep you sane. Besides, if your family sees you have a boyfriend, they'll lay off of you." 

 I felt bad. I didn't want Peter to use his monthly weekend of relaxation for me. Especially because I knew my family would eat him and his little Spanish II self up. But also I didn't want to go into the lion's den alone again. Besides Peter always asked me to speak to him in Spanish so he could get better, so maybe this could be a learning experience for him. It would come with the added benefit of not being pestered about getting a boyfriend. 

We didn't have much time to discuss the matter further as the bell rang, signaling us to get to class. 

 I walked to class with Ned. We both had a coding class together. He still didn't understand how important a family reunion could possibly be. But he let it go when we sat at our computer stations. 

 Suddenly a vibration in my back pocket pulled me from class boredom. I unlocked my phone and saw Peter sent me a photo. I clicked it open and saw that it was a screenshot of his calendar. It had next weekend marked as "(L/n) Family Reunion." The photo was accompanied with a message: 

 Your reunion is penciled in :) .P. 

I quickly texted out a response before my teacher could see me: 

Peter, seriously, you don't have to go if you don't want to. . (F/I). 

He responded almost immediately. 

 Come on, (N/n), it's not a problem. I love mexican food 🌯🌮 .P. 

I didn't reply because I knew my teacher was watching me. I placed my phone face down on the table. But another vibration slightly shook the table. Once the teacher turned away, I grabbed it again. 

 You're probably gonna have to translate the whole weekend, just a little fyi. Also should I get a crash course in your family, or is that too much? .P. 

Typical Peter Parker. He liked being prepared in advance. If he was going in as my fake boyfriend, then he would definitely need to know a thing or 30 about my family. 

I'll make you a colour coded cheat sheet of my family. .(F/I).

Lmao. You can't have that many family members. .P. 

You'll see soon enough ;) . (F/I). 

 And so the next two weeks were dedicated to making a huge, elaborate story about how we started dating. It wasn't too far off from how we actually met. We decided that we should stick to real life events as much as possible so as to not confuse ourselves. 

The story went like this: We were both called out of class to a meeting about which high school we would be going to. We were 8th graders on a STEM pathway. Naturally, we'd be sent to a STEM focused school. MidTown Tech did group interviews that day. Peter and I were in the same group. We noticed each other from classes, but never really spoken before. Turns out we were quick to become friends. But high school is where the story starts to go off the rails a bit.

 Peter decided his story would be that he developed a crush on me freshmen year. Mine crush wouldn't spring up until the beginning of Sophomore year. By the end of Sophomore year, we found out from our respective friends that we both had crushes on each other. Then that summer, the dating began. First date was simple: a tour of a museum. We're nerds. It's definitely believable. So we had all of our kinks smoothed out, now it was just time to put our plan into action.

 "Alright, who's my Tia Esperanza?" I asked while pulling away from the curb.

 "She's the pregnant one. She's married to Armando, and she's your favourite."

 "Okay, you can leave out that last part." I laughed. 

 "Explain to me the difference between your Nana, Abuela, and your grandmother. I'm still confused." 

 "You and I both Pete." I joked. 

 Truth be told, IT IS SUPER CONFUSING. My nana is my mom's mom. That's simple. But my grandma  (I think) is my Nana's mom. Leaving my Abuela to be either my Grandma's mother or her sister. Our family doesn't just say 'grandma, great-grandma, or Great-Great-Grandma,' so everything is confusing. 

 As we approached the reunion building, it struck me on just how bad this idea was. Peter seemed to catch on to my newfound doubts in the plan. 

 "Hey, it'll be fine. I'm going to be the best fake boyfriend your family has ever seen." He put on a big goofy smile that made me feel better, but the smile fell slightly when I looked away. He almost looked nervous. That's helpful. 

 When I parked, Peter rushed his door open and ran over to my door. He opened it for me. I slyly looked around and noticed family members were already looking at us. 

 "Thanks, Babe." I said a little too loudly and gave him a small peck on his cheek. 

Bad choice. That's how his cheek got redder than the car parked in front of mine.  

"I'm so-rry, are we d-oing PDA now?" He stuttered out. Instead of responding I laced our fingers together and began walking to the building. 

 "(Y/n)! ¿Cómo estás?" A familiar voice called to me before we entered the building. I turned around to see my primo, Carlos. 

 "Quien es?" He gestured to Peter. 

"Mi novio." I smiled and held our interlocked hands up. Peter, little innocent angel Peter looked so lost; but he did smile and wave.

"Sup. I'm Carlos." He introduced as he held out his hand. 

 "Peter Parker, mucho gusto." Peter shook his hand causing my cousin to slightly flinch. 

 "Strong grip." He turned to me, "Un gringo? Estas sería?" He asked with a smile. 

 I pushed him away and pulled Peter into the building. 

 "Okay, wanna translate that whole thing?" Peter said while we were out of earshot. 

 "That was my cousin, he asked who you were, I told him my boyfriend, and he asked me if I was serious." I explained.

Peter had a bit of offence written on his face, but recovered quickly when he saw the back table with food. 

 "Calm down Mr. Speedy Metabolism, we'll eat later." I patted his back. 

 He let out a grumble and a small pout. I ignored him and found us a relatively empty spot at a table and sat us down. I sat on the opposite side of him. I still looked around, anxious that people would put two and two together. Once again, Peter seemed to feel my doubts and placed a hand on mine on the table. 

 "You good?" He asked. I stopped looking around and settled my gaze on him. He had such calming eyes. They looked so full of concern at the moment. Which I'm almost certain was for me. 

 "Maybe some food will make you feel better?" He offered, already standing up.

 "No, dammit Peter. You're so food driven." I laughed and pulled him back down. 

"Oh, and who is this, hija?" 

 Tia Mari. Oh God. I didn't think she was going to come this year. Her son had a recital. But if she's here, then her son is too. 

 "Peter Parker? (Y/n) (L/n)? What are you guys doing here?!" Robert Delmar. 

Fellow classmate and renowned tattle tale. This night just got a whole lot more complex. 

 "Why is Peter here? Aren't you guys just friends, or did Peter finally confess his undying love to you?" 

 What? I'm sorry, what? I looked to Peter for an answer, not presently caring if I blew our story up. My tia also seemed invested in my response. He looked just as terrified and unprepared to answer. 

 "Yeah, he asked me out over the summer and we started dating. We wanted to keep stuff private in case it didn't work out." I quickly explained while trying to remember our cover story. 

"Well, it's about time. Peter's only been pining after you since freshman year. You guys look cute." Robert said. 

We both just nodded and smiled. My tia was eating this up. 

 "Y Peter, ¿Sabes español?" She asked, now focusing on him. 

"Un poco." He cleared his throat. 

She turned to me, "Hablas a él en español, or es un gringo completo?" 

 "Yes, sometimes I speak to him in Spanish." I replied so Peter could understand the conversation. 

 "Well, then you wouldn't mind if I introduced him to some of your tias, no? They will love him. Sabes que ellas le gustan gringos!" She added the second part quickly. 

 Before I had a chance to save him, Tia Mari grabbed Peter's available hand and dragged him away. Once Peter's hand left mine, I noticed how cold my hand got. Robert was about to follow his mom, but my pulled his shoulder back. 

 "Hey, what do you mean Peter's been pining after me?" 

 He laughed, "Seriously? You guys are dating, clearly he likes you." 

 I smiled nervously and nodded. But I was internally screaming. Robert wasn't in on this plan, unless Peter told him, but that's definitely unlikely. So, Peter actually liked me? Since Freshman year according to Robert. I would know though, right? I mean, Peter and I literally hang out all the time. There's no way I've gone through three years of high school and not noticed this. But here we are. 

 The rest of the night went on pretty quickly. Peter was being fawned over my every single one of my female relatives. When  I tried to steal him back one of my tias made a comment about him being nothing but bone. Of course, my abuela was the first to offer him a heaping plate of food. Peter accepted it without a beat. She also said once we were married, I'd have to stuff him right. This was my tipping point. 

 "Perdon." I excused myself from the female crowd Peter had. If I were to hear the phrase, "Cuando ustedes están casado, necesitas...." one more time I was actually going to start ripping my hair out. 

 I decided to talk a brief walk outside the building. The sun was still out, but was obviously starting to set. Today wasn't a complete waste. I guess my family wasn't busy trying to set me up, but now they were busy babying Peter. The only downside was what Robert said. I still couldn't shake the thought of Peter liking me out of my head. If it was so obvious, why hadn't I seen it? 

 I pulled out my phone and decided to text Ned about it. 

 Hey, apparently Peter's liked me since Freshman year. True or False? . (F/I). 

 I hit send and waited. I figured I could pass the time by skipping stones in the lake nearby. 

 "Hey, why'd you leave?" I turned around to see none other than Peter Parker himself. 

 I hummed in acknowledgement. "How'd you even know I left? My tias were busy feeding you."

"I felt your heartbeat wasn't there anymore." He approached and sat on a stone bench beside me. 

 "You can feel my heartbeat?" I asked, now very red. 

 "What? No, not feel. Hear. I heard your heartbeat was gone." He said quickly, rubbing the palms of his hands on his jeans. 

 I didn't know much about Peter's powers. Only that he could stop a bus with his bare hands, he was constantly hungry, he was sticky, and his senses were abnormally good. Good enough to know what my heartbeat sounds like apparently. 

"When everything happened I was freaking out at 3:00 a.m and I could hear a thumping. I thought it was May, but she wasn't home. So I was confused. The next day I found out it was your hearbeat. Everything can be overwhelmingly loud, so I just focus on your rhythm and it anchors me." 

 I don't think Peter realized he switched to the present tense. This implies he still does it. 

 "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. To not one particular question, but to all of them. I wanted to know why Peter didn't tell me about his crush. I wanted to know why Peter never told me about my heartbeat being his anchor. I want to know everything. 

 "Because I'm pretty sure it's not normal to listen to your friend's heartbeat." He laughed as he skipped a stone. 

 I made a face at how far out the stone went. It made it clear across the lake.

 "Cheater, but that's not what I meant."  

"What did you mean?" He turned serious. 

 "Freshman year, Pete, seriously?" 

 He sighed and stared out to the lake. 

 "I didn't want to lose our friendship." He replied blankly, shifting his shoes to mess with the gravel below us. 

 "Well judging by how well received you are by my family, I just may have to date you, Pete." I joked in an attempt to cut the tension between us. 

 "(Y/n), please don't joke about this." 

 I looked up to see the desperation in his face. He appeared to be holding back tears. 

 "Peter, I don't know. I haven't had a good track record with dating…" 

"I know, I've seen. Your family always chases them away, but I'm still here aren't I?" He quipped. 

 Well damn. He's right. Peter was accepted relatively quickly to the family. Some family members even inviting him to hang out outside of the reunion time. I'd also be lying to myself I said Peter wasn't attractive. He certainly is. But not only physically or as his superhero alter ego. He's attractive in the way he is so incredibly kind and forgiving. Flash has literally been a dick to Peter since 6th grade, but Peter still manages to act kindly towards him. Peter truly is a warm and welcoming person. Everybody who's met him can confirm that he's just so nice. He also is extremely loyal to his friends. Even with his heroic responsibilities, he still tries his best to find a balance for us. His eyes crinkle when he's smiling widely, he taps his pencil to his leg during a tough test, and is a killer dancer with such kind and loving rich, deep brown eyes. And oh shit do I like him too? 

 "I think giving this an actual try could be great." He pulled me from my thoughts. 

 "I think I do too." I said, now gazing at him. 

 "I know you do, your is beating nervously fast." He smirked and settled an arm around my shoulders. 

 "Peter! Donde estas! Necesitamos fotos!" I cringed at the heard of women who were all looking around for Peter. 

 "Vamos." I grabbed his hand and lead him back into the lions den. 

 Many photos were taken, phone numbers exchanged, and affectionate insults thrown around as the first might rounded down.

When Peter and I managed to get out of the building, he was carrying a carton of food. Particularly Tia Vani's zucchini tamales. When nobody was looking he snagged 14 of them. We put them in the back seat of my car and waved my family off. My parents and siblings would be staying the night, but we had an academic decathlon tournament the next morning, so we were needed back. 

As soon as Peter hit the passenger's seat, he was knocked out. It left me to my thoughts for a bit. When I pulled up to his apartment he gave me a sleepy smile and grabbed his food from the back. After a tired, quiet "goodnight" he was entering the building. 

I was about to drive to my parking spot, but a vibration from my phone caused me to pause. No cars were around, so I decided to check the notification. A next from Ned. 

 Yeah, he likes you. And you obviously like him. It's about time you guys confessed already. We're so talking about this tomorrow..goodnight. .N. 

I smiled at the text like an idiot. Things were certainly going somewhere. Huh, who could've guessed I would have went into my family reunion with a fake boyfriend, but would be leaving with a soon to be real one? 

[artificialqueens]

Extra Credit: Part 8 (Shalaska) - Rosie

A/N: Not going to lie, getting back into the Extra Credit swing of things was hard, especially because I wasn’t ready to write such a climactic chapter that I’ve imagined in my head for honestly over a YEAR. I don’t want to dwell on how long it’s been since I’ve updated this fic, but thank you x a million for sticking around and staying interested. I started Playing Cupid during the break and adore it (read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 here! I like it more than Extra Credit! And that says a lot!), so when I’m not writing this, I’m writing that. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it has… like, every emotion. Also this was meant to be for @purecamp’s birthday! I’m late but her special day was the biggest motivator for me to finally get back into this so thank you very much for helping me get my ass into gear and turn this out. Please send love notes here or at @aqrosie xx

Summary: University Professor Sharon Needles hooks up with a slamming hot blonde at a bar who may or may not be one of her students.  

Chapter Summary: Tears! Drama! Thanksgiving! A healthy 6.3k words.

Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven

I GOT THE JOB, Courtney wrote.

Alaska froze, completely forgetting about the makeup tutorial she was watching on her phone as Courtney’s message lingered at the top of her screen, only to be replaced with more capitals.

I GOT THE JOB I GOT THE JOB I GOT THE FUCKING JOB SLFHKDSLHV I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS, Courtney wrote again.

Sitting up, she rapidly opened her messages.

I’M SO FUCKING PROUD OF YOU I’M FUCKING CRYING OH MY GOD, Alaska wrote back, completely straight faced.

This was monumental.

Courtney, her best-friend, whom she loved to pieces, who worked harder than anyone she knew, who was constantly knocking on doors, organising internships for herself and maintaining her GPA and part-time waitressing gig, had just gotten the entry level marketing position no doubt a hundred other applicants also jumped at.

Of course Alaska was happy for her, of course.

She just… had this sudden sick feeling in her stomach, like all her guts were twisting and pulling her to the ground from the inside.

But she was fine. Really.

“Ooh,” Sharon commented from the kitchen, completely pulling out of her thoughts. “This smells so good.”

Alaska murmured in agreement from her spot on the couch, watching as Sharon pottered around, cooking their roasted cauliflower enchiladas while sipping on a glass of wine. She lifted herself up before joining her girlfriend at the stove.

“Aw,” Sharon smiled as Alaska’s arms wrapped around her from behind. “Come to help?”

“Yeah,” Alaska said quietly into Sharon’s soft sweater, wanting a cuddle more than anything.

As Sharon stirred with her left hand, she placed her right on top of one of Alaska’s arms wrapped around her waist, trying to stroke her before giggling.

“I can’t stir and pat you, it’s like that rub your tummy and pat your head thing.”

Alaska frowned. “What?”

“You know that thing,” Sharon attempted. “You can’t do both at the same time. Like, it’s hard. I’ll show you later.”

“Okay,” Alaska snorted, pulling back from Sharon, only to stay and play with the soft fabric of her sweater, like a kitten wanting attention.

“Can you grab me the salt and pepper, bub?” Sharon asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

She knew Alaska would tell her whatever was bothering her when she was ready, but when not even a warm dinner, glass of wine and two episodes of The Golden Girls while wrapped in Sharon’s arms on the couch didn’t return her back to normal, she couldn’t help but probe.

When Alaska exited the ensuite that night after her shower and dedicated skincare routine, she snuggled up against Sharon’s side, already back to anxiously picking at her nails.

“What’s on your mind, pumpkin?” Sharon asked, her book in one hand as she softly scratched Alaska’s head, right at that spot near the nape of her neck which always relaxed her.

“Mm… Corm job…” Alaska mumbled, her voice muffled.

“Mh?” Sharon encouraged, before Alaska couldn’t help but sigh.

“Courtney got a job,” she finally said. “This graduate marketing thing.”

Albeit slowly, things started to make sense. “That’s so good! Where at?”

“Some health food place, not her dream job but it’s something.”

“Yeah, exactly…” Sharon agreed. Much softer now, she gently cracked Alaska open. “Talk to me, Lasky.”

It was like a time lapse of a river breaking its banks. Sharon could only watch as tears instantly welled in Alaska’s eyes before a sob bubbled out of her, her features scrunching up as all her insecurities and worries overwhelmed her before finally spilling over.

“Oh no baby don’t cry,” Sharon whispered urgently, grabbing a tissue on her bedside table and sliding her reading glasses off.

Alaska dabbed at her eyes, instantly soaking the tissue with her tears as she blubbered.

“It’s just… all just… hitting me now…” she hiccupped, “how everything is changing and I’m not going to be a student forever and I need to get a job and everyone is getting jobs and I haven’t even started applying because I’m so fucking scared of everything and my resume is shit because I didn’t do any internships and and and—“

“Breathe,” Sharon told her, squeezing her hand before grabbing her more tissues and retiring her book to her nightstand. She needed to go into damage control.

Alaska breathed in deeply before continuing, still at her same hurried pace but with slightly less tears. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life, but at the same time I know this is the happiest I’ve ever been, with you, with us. But graduation is only a couple of months away and I’m expected to leave Pittsburgh and get a job and I don’t know what that means… for us, and I’ve been so good at ignoring all of this until it comes but when things happen like Courtney getting a job… it just hits me all over again.”

A fresh wave of tears streamed down Alaska’s cheeks, and all Sharon could do was pull her onto her lap, into her arms and rock her like a child.

“Shhh,” Sharon whispered, rubbing her back. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

She gently rocked Alaska until her tears subsided, not caring how long it took or how damp her pyjama top was becoming.

Alaska’s tone dropped. “Also Thanksgiving is soon and my mom is going to be so annoying about this all.”

Sharon laughed.

“Aw, love,” she murmured, brushing her cheek against Alaska’s. “I promise you everything will work itself out.”

Alaska couldn’t help but pout, her bottom lip quivering.

“No,” Sharon said firmly. “Look at me. Everything you’re feeling is perfectly normal. You’re going to apply to everything and anything, and you’re going to put yourself out there. You won’t be alone, I’ll help you. Okay?”

Alaska nodded, like Sharon was her life couch giving her a game plan.

“As for us,” Sharon continued, before exhaling. She had been thinking about this herself a lot recently. They never felt their age gap until moments like this, when the stages of their lives didn’t quite line up as neatly as they would have liked.

“We’ll work it out. We can’t plan what’s going to happen, where we might end up. But please know I never want you to base your decisions around me, or where I’m at in life. Don’t say no to something if it’s in another city. We’ll make it work. We’ll do long distance. I’ll fly you out—“

Alaska giggled. “You sound like a rapper, ‘I’ll fly you out.’”

“I will,” Sharon laughed. “And I’ll come see you.”

Alaska nodded, fiddling with the ends of her hair as she let her girlfriend’s words sink in. Sharon wiped the moisture from her cheek, and Alaska leaned into her warm touch.

“I know a lot of things are changing,” Sharon said softly, “but we’re not changing, and if we do, it’s only going to be for the better.”

Alaska sighed, the weight on her shoulders lessening and the knot in her stomach loosening. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Sharon smiled, pecking her on the lips.

They reclined back down to their previous position, Alaska curled up against Sharon’s side, who continued to stroke her hair.

“You never showed me that tummy rubbing thing…” Alaska said quietly.

“Oh, it’s this,” Sharon sat up, moving to see herself in their floor length mirror opposite their bed as she tried to demonstrate. She rubbed her head with one hand while she patted her stomach with the other. “Ugh, this fucks with my head, every time I think I’m doing it right I realise I’m patting my head in a circle, like now. Alaska?”

With her hand over her mouth, Alaska held back laughter until she couldn’t anymore.

“I knew what it was,” Alaska wheezed, “I just wanted to see you do it.”

“Oh my god,” Sharon whined, rolling to bury her blushing face into Alaska’s neck.

That night, Sharon fell asleep first. Wrapped in the older woman’s arms, Alaska focused on her deep, even breathing and willed herself to do the same, all the while ignoring the knot in her stomach which began to tighten all over again.

*

“Aw, she loves you Sharon!”

Standing in the middle of the crowded living room, amongst her boisterous uncles, already tipsy aunts, eccentric cousins and their overly energetic children was Sharon, cradling the newest edition to their growing extended family to her chest.

“She’s gorgeous,” Sharon beamed, admiring the chubby baby in her arms, who matched her gaze with big blue eyes filled with wonder at this stranger holding her. “How old is Farrah again? Five months?”

“Four,” her sister Max replied, smiling at her baby daughter.

Sharon couldn’t help but moan, resting tiny Farrah on her chest and inhaling her indescribable baby scent as Farrah’s stubby legs kicked with excitement.

Sharon was happy. So happy. She couldn’t picture a Thanksgiving in her adult life she had enjoyed as much as this.

When she had arrived at her parent’s place, not even her suitcase with its broken wheel, which forced her to lump it up their concrete driveway, or her delayed flight, or the bitterly cold weather could dampen her mood.

When her mother Michelle had excitedly opened the front door and welcomed her inside, it was like the sun itself had entered their home.

“You look good,” Michelle had said as Sharon had slipped off her coat, taking her daughter’s cold cheeks in both her hands, as if she couldn’t quite believe the extra light in Sharon’s eyes. “You’re practically glowing.”

“Oh, you know,” Sharon had waved her off, smiling ear to ear. “I’m just ready for a little holiday.”

Michelle knew her daughter, and something had shifted inside of Sharon. She wasn’t depressed, but over the years Michelle felt like her light had dulled, like the bulb was covered in a thin layer of dust. It wasn’t visible, but Michelle could feel it. Now, Sharon radiated happiness from every pore.

Carrying a tray of snacks into the living room, she spotted Sharon bobbing little Farrah, catching the moment she calmed the baby down by kissing the top of her head.

*

“Oh, no no, go upstairs and change, quick smart.”

Alaska scoffed.

“But I bought this top specifically for Thanksgiving,” she pointed to her chest, where her white shirt read WHY BE RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC OR TRANSPHOBIC WHEN YOU COULD JUST BE QUIET?

“And I bought you that gorgeous emerald Sherri Hill dress lying on your bed for Thanksgiving as well,” her mother Merle replied, raising one of her eyebrows in a way Alaska always tried to do herself but couldn’t.

“Change.”

Forcing herself to unclench her jaw, Alaska retreated back to her room, her feet tempted to stomp up their wooden staircase and scuff their perfect polished floors because she knew it made her mother livid.

Alaska didn’t want to be a brat, but being around her mom made her defensive hackles go up. Maybe it was the end of the year, or the stress of hosting Thanksgiving, or the fact that every single time they saw each other, Alaska felt like they were actors in a scene just going through the motions of how a mother and daughter should act.

Naively, when Alaska had returned home the day before, she hoped her mother had… changed a little bit. Her father Andrew had answered the door, throwing his comforting arms around her before hauling her “bloody heavy suitcase Alaska jeez it’s only two days” up to her room.

She had walked through their grand home, which was decorated Thanksgiving style, and had found her mother in the dining room, rearranging their dried leaf centrepieces to a Merle Ginsberg-Thunder level of opulence.

“Mom,” Alaska had called, her footsteps not enough to pull her mother from her focused task.

“Lala!” Merle had cried, using the nickname Alaska had given herself when she was little and thought she was pronouncing her name right.

Alaska had hugged her mom, taking in her signature Chanel no. 5, the pearl necklace that always adorned her neck and the orange dress she wore, which hung off her tall, slender frame.

For a moment there, Alaska believed things this year might be a little different.

But then the hug finished, and Merle went back to her centrepiece before ordering Alaska to help her Dad carry down the special glass wear from the attic, leaving her own daughter to feel like another one of her seasonal props. It didn’t help that Alaska had no way to escape, and no valid answer to, her mother’s relentless questions as she helped decorate: What jobs have you applied for? What do you mean none? And internships? None at all? What do you think is going to happen? What’s gotten into you, Alaska? No, don’t put that there, that’s all wrong.

Alaska knew the reason for their unspoken awkwardness, as all it circled back to when she was 19, drunk and feeling lucky, coming out in the middle of their kitchen to who she assumed were accepting parents, before her mother’s explosive reaction had made her backtrack, walking right into Merle’s ‘I’m sure it’s just a phase, Alaska,’ trap.

There was so much Alaska wanted to say to her, but the words never left her mouth, instead building up as resentment inside of her. She glared at the emerald dress in question, another reminder of how poorly Merle knew her own daughter, or how determined she was to make her something she wasn’t.

It was a pretty dress… if you were 14, not 22. It was a short halter neck style number, with a bodice covered in sequins and an organza skirt that flared out. Begrudgingly, Alaska slipped it on, before looking in the mirror and feeling like a complete fucking idiot. The strap around her neck felt suffocating, the fabric felt itchy, and the entire thing was slightly too small, another symbol of how she had grown out of the mould Merle had made for her. She wanted to rip the bloody thing off.

Instead, she pulled it over her head, left it in a passive-aggressive pile on the floor and changed into a backup option she bought along, a seasonally appropriate burgundy dress.

Feeling more like herself, Alaska left to join the guests she heard arriving downstairs, ignoring the lump in her throat and the prickle in her eyes.

*

“And what colour is this?” Sharon said, pointing to her own dress.

“Black!” Brianna replied excitedly, hanging onto Aunty Sharon’s every word.

“Good girl, Cracker, and this?” Sharon pointed to the onesie Farrah was wearing, who was snoozing against her chest where they both laid on the couch.

“Pink!” Brianna smiled. “My favourite colour.”

Alaska’s too, Sharon thought.

“Correct! And what colour is Blair wearing?” Sharon pointed to her 18-month old niece sat on the play mat, completely entertained by the plastic block in her hand.

“Yellow!” Brianna shouted, knowing she was right.

“Yes! Can you show me your paintings?” Sharon asked, watching Brianna wobble over to the pile of artwork all of Sharon’s toddler aged nieces and nephews had made together in the designated kid’s corner.

Sharon slipped out her phone, opening Snapchat and capturing a picture of Farrah asleep on her chest, before writing IM SO CLUCKY!! over the top and sending it to the only contact she had.

They had just finished their early Thanksgiving dinner, and while they waited to digest before dessert was served, Sharon had slipped away from the adults for some better company.

“Look!” Brianna held up her art. “This is mommy and grandma.”

Brianna’s mother, Max, was a tall stick figure with a huge smile on her face. Her grandma, Michelle, was the shortest of them all, Brianna’s artistic decision to make a green blob her body making Sharon crack up.

“And this is you,” Brianna said, pointing to the final woman. Sharon couldn’t stop smiling at the medium height stick figure on the side, the blob of yellow on her head being her hair.

“Aw, it’s so gorgeous Bri!” Sharon beamed. “We need to put that on the fridge.”

“And this is Farrah,” Brianna said, pointing to a small blob of pink floating near Max — that Sharon originally thought was a mistake — which represented her baby sister.

Sharon chucked loudly, causing Farrah to wake up. She cried once, before her chubby fist grabbed at the material of Sharon’s dress.

“Here, let me take Farrah off you,” Max said, walking over to their little gathering on the couch.

“Aw it’s okay, I love holding her,” Sharon smiled, looking down and seeing Farrah press her little face into Sharon.

“Yes, but right now she thinks you’re going to breastfeed her.”

“Oh,” Sharon replied, sitting up and passing the grabby baby back to its mother.

“You’re a complete natural though,” Max smiled. “I can’t wait until you have a little one.”

In the past when people would mention children to Sharon, she would react awkwardly, a bunch of reasons making her believe the whole concept of motherhood was not destined for her.

But now, for once, she agreed.

“Me too,” she said softly.

She hauled herself up from the couch before making her way into the kitchen to scope out a PBR from the fridge.

When she shut the door, Michelle had appeared behind her.

“Those pies in there look yum,” Sharon said, about to ask when they could be dished out before her mom cut her off, a giant smile on her face.

“You’re in love,” Michelle said in a hushed tone.

Sharon couldn’t deny it even if she tried. Her face broke into a smile as her mom took her hands in hers.

“You’d love her, mom,” Sharon whispered. “She’s so funny, she’s got our type of humour, because she’s so smart, and gorgeous, god, she’s so gorgeous.”

“Baby,” Michelle squealed quietly, pulling her daughter in for a hug. “This is so huge. Is it… you know, serious?”

Sharon pulled back, nodding. “I told her I loved her.”

Michelle gasped, making them both giggle.

“And she said it back,” Sharon smiled, leaning against the kitchen counter, the love in her heart making her mind spin.

“Oh, you don’t know how happy I am to see you like this, Sharon,” Michelle said, her eyes misty.

They hugged, Sharon burying her face into her mom’s neck as her loving arms wrapped around her, all the while imagining Alaska in this very kitchen, laughing and bonding with Michelle.

“Grandma.”

They both jumped slightly, looking down to see Brianna tugging on Michelle’s dress.

“Can I have some pie? Please.”

*

“So then I said…”

Alaska rolled her eyes as her mother repeated a story from her glory pageant days to the whole family, one she knew word for word. Alaska picked at her food, lip-syncing perfectly with her mother.

“…I was Miss Erie Pennsylvania 1992, and don’t you forget it.”

Their table roared with laughter while Alaska shoved a piece of potato salad into her mouth.

Expectedly, this dinner had been hard work.

It started when her mother had pressured her in front of everyone to put turkey on her plate, forcing Alaska to announce yet again she was a vegetarian, fully knowing it’d spark another debate.

“I just don’t understand vegetarians,” her mother had sighed, “the animals are already dead when they get to the supermarket. You can’t do anything to save them.”

Alaska wanted to crawl into a hole.

In the middle of dinner, when her Aunty Bebe had leaned across the table and genuinely asked Alaska how she was going at university, and what her plans were for afterwards, Merle had completely cut her daughter off.

“She’s thinking of moving back home, who knows, maybe you could do the marketing for Crowns and Gowns,” Merle had interjected, referencing her pageantry training business.

“What? No,” Alaska had snapped back, the thought alone infuriating her.

While Alaska loved makeup and clothes and talented women, her mother’s overwhelming involvement in pageants her entire life had made her detest them. They were so old-fashioned and conservative and stuffy.

And so was Merle.

Alaska wouldn’t still be thinking about this moment if her mother hadn’t leaned into her Aunty Nina seated next to her and whispered, “she doesn’t know whatshe wants.”

Alaska wanted to scream.

I want Sharon, she had thought blinking back the moisture in her eyes as she stared at her food.

“And what about your love life,” Aunty Bebe had said in her usual vivacious manner, attempting to brighten her niece’s deflated mood. “Breaking any boy’s hearts?”

Alaska’s eyes darted to Merle’s, which widened in a comical way. However, with her mouth full of turkey, Alaska jumped in before she could utter another word.

“Oh, no boys on the agenda,” Alaska smiled at her Aunt. “But who knows.”

“Lovely,” Bebe replied, taking a sip of her wine and missing the smirk on Alaska’s lips, and Merle’s anxious gaze.

Towards the end of the dinner, when Alaska was her most bored and alone as she was wedged between her younger cousins who were discussing PewDiePie, whatever that was, and her older aunts and uncles, her phone had lit up in her lap.

snoodles sent you a snap!

Alaska had excused herself to the bathroom, momentarily putting her angst on hold while she tapped open Sharon’s picture. She whined when she saw the chubby little baby sleeping on a very happy Sharon’s chest, and her heart filled with joy reading how clucky she felt.

She took a screenshot, replied with what felt like millions of love hearts and crying emojis, before going back to staring at the picture again. She stared at it until she calmed down, reminding herself that she wasn’t a teenager anymore, that her life was so much more than what her mother wanted for her, and that there was so much ahead of her.

*

“Well, I call that a success,” Merle said, walking into the kitchen after waving off the last of their guests.

With her back to her, Alaska rolled her eyes from her spot at the sink where she was rinsing dishes. She could describe their Thanksgiving as a lot of things, but a success wasn’t one of them.

Merle took a seat at their marble granite breakfast bar, pouring herself another glass of wine.

“Of course, it would have been even better if you hadn’t been in such a mood all day, Alaska.”

Heat prickled up Alaska’s spine, reaching her brain before spiking through all her nerves. She scrubbed the plate in her hand, the old bristles of the brush leaving tiny scratches in its wake, just like her mother.

“I mean, what’s gotten into you? I feel like every time I see you you’re on the defence, and—“

Alaska couldn’t take it anymore.

She threw the plate into the sink, not meaning to shatter it, but God, it did, and it felt fucking good.

“Alaska—”

“No!” she whipped around, fury in her eyes as words after words poured out of her. “You think I’m in a mood? You wanna know what’s gotten into me? You. You! It’s like you’re suffocating me. And I know why you’re like this but you never bring it up which is what makes it worse—“

Alaska’s body took over. She choked up, tears welling in her eyes as her throat tightened. But she needed to finish, looking at her mother’s shocked expression across the island bench top.

“I’ve put up with so much shit from you ever since… ever since I… came out,” Alaska said, a pang of hurt in her heart as her mother rolled her eyes. “No! Listen to me. Or don’t. I don’t fucking care anymore, because it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to know how you feel, but I know when I came out, you weren’t happy, and I freaked out and told you I might be bi, or that I wasn’t sure, because I knew that’s what you wanted. Well now I’ve found someone.”

She caught the moment Merle’s lips parted in shock, the moment her breath hitched.

With wet cheeks and red eyes and a frame shaking with emotion, Alaska continued, feeling both terrified yet electric.

“I’ve found someone and she makes me so happy, the happiest I’ve ever been. And if you don’t want that for me, that’s fine. But that’s what I want. I want her, and I’ve never been more sure of something in my life.”

She placed her hands on her bench, the coldness of the marble shocking her hot skin as she leaned towards her mother, repeating the words Merle had said to her aunt. “That’s what I want.”

She didn’t catch Merle’s reaction, because as her mother sat in shock for mere moments, Alaska was already gone, leaving the kitchen before running up the stairs to her room and closing the door. She didn’t need to slam it, she wasn’t throwing a tantrum. But she needed to be alone.

In the dark, she made it to her bed, breaking down as a sob racked through her whole body. She clutched her pillow to her chest, pressing her face to it and not caring about her makeup as she cried.

It felt liberating to flush everything out. But above all, everything just felt real. It made Sharon feel real. It made their relationship even more real. And it made her relationship with her mother, which she had ignored, avoided and agonised over, feel real.

Without knowing how much time had passed, Alaska eventually felt around for her phone, the brightness of her lock screen blinding her as she pried off her phone case. Out fell her favourite polaroid.

She held it in her hand, which still shook slightly. Staring at it again, she couldn’t help but smile at her and Sharon’s laughing faces, at how happy and carefree they were.

Dabbing her eyes, she tapped the contact at the top of her messages.

*

“That’s her,” Sharon squealed quietly, getting up from the couch where her and Michelle sat after dinner.

“Oooh,” Michelle whispered back, her eyelids heavy as she looked about three seconds away from falling asleep after a hectic day.

Sharon escaped to the spare bedroom of her mother’s new house which was hers for the holiday. She shut the door behind her before answering the phone and laying down on her sheets.

“Hey baby,” Sharon smiled. “Happy Thanksgiving! Even though we called each other this morning. How was your day?”

“Hey,” Alaska croaked, her voice muffled, before Sharon heard a sniff that made her heart sink.

“Are you okay?” She said seriously, and the concern in her voice made Alaska well up again. She just wanted to be in Sharon’s arms.

“Yeah,” Alaska said, shamelessly letting a sob slip out.

“No!” Sharon worried, immediately standing up, as if she was about to run out of the house and defend on girlfriend on foot. “What happened? Talk to me, it’s okay, where are you? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alaska breathed in. “I’m fine, I’m in my room. I just… had a fight with mom. Well not a fight, I don’t know, I just… came out all over again, and I told her I found someone and how happy I am, and that I don’t care what she thinks, and then I went upstairs.”

Sharon was silent, her eyes wide at what she was hearing.

“And like,” Alaska continued, her voice becoming clearer as she settled down. “I’m not really crying out of sadness, I don’t know, it’s more like, just a lot of emotions, and relief maybe, because I just didn’t think I was about to do that, and then I went and did that, and I’m like, kind of shocked and surprised by myself. Does that make sense?”

“Oh, Alaska,” Sharon’s voice was thick with admiration as her moisture prickled in her eyes. “I’m so proud of you! I’m so proud of you. Fuck me, no wonder you’re crying. Now I’m crying.”

Alaska laughed, Sharon’s voice filling her heart with joy. She had made her girlfriend proud.

“What you did right now was huge,” Sharon told her. “When did you try last time? 19? You’ve made 19-year-old Lasky so proud. I always knew you were brave, Alaska, but now you know, and it, ugh, I don’t even have the words.”

Sharon was silent, and Alaska sensed she was about to keep going.

“I wish I could have come out when I was younger…” Sharon said softly, sitting back down on her bed. “But I just… couldn’t. It was so hard. It was a different time. And I know things are still just as shit at times now, but you’re incredible, baby. I’m so proud of you. I love you. I love you so much, Alaska.”

Alaska wanted to reply, but Sharon’s words had left her speechless, so she nodded fiercely.

“Baby?” Sharon attempted.

“I’m nodding,” Alaska laughed. “And crying again. I love you, you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

They fell silent, hearing the sounds of each other breathing, finding comfort in just knowing someone was there.

“I wish I could be with you right now,” Sharon whispered.

“Me too,” Alaska whispered back. “Well, I’d rather come to you. Oh! That baby on your snap was so cute. Please tell me more about said babies.”

“Before I do, because there were a lot of babies,” Sharon laughed, “are you feeling okay now?”

“Yeah,” Alaska said honestly. “I feel a lot better. I feel calm. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I’m leaving after lunch. So I think I’m just going to shower and pass out tonight.”

“Call me tomorrow if you need anything, okay?” Sharon said, making Alaska promise before recounting her day. “Right, so the little baby is Farrah, she’s my sister’s new baby, whom I will be of course stealing. Oh my god it was so cute she was like pressing her face into my boob and I didn’t realise it’s because she was hungry. Max already has an older girl called Brianna, she’s almost 3 and is very good with her colours right now and has the cutest little brown curls…”

Alaska nodded along, the love in Sharon’s voice for her family the perfect distraction.

*

The next morning was difficult to describe, mostly because Alaska couldn’t believe it was happening. To the surprise of everyone, it didn’t feel like the aftermath of a war, or even a storm.

It was more like passing of heavy, much needed, rain.

Dry dead grass hadn’t turned a vivid lush green overnight. Birds weren’t chirping in the trees.

But the air felt different — fresh, and everything felt clean, washed away with the hope of something new about to grow.

When she descended the stairs, the smell of coffee and toast luring her out of her room, she found her Dad reading the paper as always, and Merle in her pyjamas squeezing oranges for fresh juice.

Alaska never worried about her easy-going father. Andrew’s much gentler demeanour meant he always played Switzerland in her arguments with her mother, bringing to the table a rational, level-headedness.

But with her mother, some of the tension that had lingered for the previous few years, that Alaska never got used to, that Alaska never wanted to get used to, had somewhat melted away.

Alaska knew her mother, and she knew words weren’t her strongest suit. But Alaska noticed her actions. She noticed how she made Alaska’s coffee absolutely perfectly, even after not making her one for months due to her living away. She noticed how she let their dog Poundcake jump onto the furniture to be with Alaska, even though Merle winced whenever Cake’s little claws pricked at the upholstery.

Above all, when it was time to leave just after lunch, she helped haul Alaska’s giant suitcase down the stairs. When she lost her grip slightly, its hard corner scuffing their perfectly polished floors, Alaska’s heart had stopped, already imagining her mother’s reaction.

But Merle couldn’t care less.

“It’s just one scuff, Alaska,” she said genuinely. “It’ll be okay.”

When it was time to say goodbye, her father already in the driver’s seat ready for the almost two hour road trip back to campus, Alaska turned to give her mom a hug.

“Have a safe drive back,” Merle had said into her hair. “Not long to go now until graduation, how exciting!”

Alaska had smiled and nodded, crouching down to kiss Poundcake goodbye before moving to hop in the car. But her mother reached out and caught her arm, immediately loosening her grip slightly after seeing Alaska’s shocked expression.

“I want you to be happy.”

Alaska could have cried. She nearly did. Her mother’s voice was so even, her words so genuine.

“Thank you,” Alaska whispered, but Merle nodded vigorously, as if Alaska had shouted it from the rooftops.

Merle blinked quickly, so quickly Alaska didn’t see the moisture bubble around her lash line. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alaska rushed out, realising just how desperately she needed to hear it from her mother, and just how badly she had been wanting to say it back.

She felt both little and older at the same time, like she was a child again, viewing their relationship as perfect, but also like a woman, as if her mother was speaking to her as an adult, an equal.

She’d never know it, but her mother felt the same. As she loosened her grip and let Alaska’s sleeve slip through her fingertips, it didn’t feel like she was waving her baby daughter off again into the world, but instead finally meeting the person she had grown into.

*

When Thanksgiving was over, and the students returned to their dorms, Alaska returned to Sharon’s apartment. She hit ‘submit’ on an internship application, watching her resume and the cover letter Sharon had helped her write get sucked into the internet. The application process was quick, so quick that Alaska couldn’t believe she had procrastinated it for so long, and so easy that she was now a little bit excited instead of so dreadfully scared.

Then, they fell into each others arms and onto their sheets.

But this time was different.

It was like Alaska’s skin was air, and Sharon’s lips were lungs.

She took control, praising Alaska’s body and showering her with a new kind of love that Alaska didn’t have words for. Sharon didn’t have the words for it either, but they knew what they were thinking. They were both proud of Alaska.

When she came once, twice, three times, Alaska finally fell back against the sheets, completely spent. She pulled the older woman on top of her so her tongue could taste the sweat that had began to form in the hollows of her pale collarbones. Her fingers tangled in Sharon’s hair as their heavy breathing slowed and their nerves continued to jolt with aftershocks.

“I don’t care how cheesy this sounds,” Sharon whispered, her voice deliciously raspy from sex. “I’m thankful for you.”

Alaska’s heart did a summersault.

“I’m thankful for you, too,” she whispered back.

Their lips met, and suddenly Alaska’s breakdown in this exact bed over her future felt like an entire lifetime ago, when it was only last week.

They cuddled, Sharon knowing she’d have to eventually get up and turn all the lights in the apartment off and brush her teeth while she was up anyway, but she wanted to savour the moment for a minute longer.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

She peaked her eyes open from where her naked limbs were tangled with Alaska’s.

Maybe it was because she knew by the chime that it wasn’t a text tone, but instead an email. Maybe she knew it was weird for someone to be emailing her work account at 11pm at night, still around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Whatever the reason, something made Sharon check her notifications, and as soon as she saw it, she wished she hadn’t.

Alaska knew something was wrong when Sharon had rolled over to check her phone, only to stay staring, frozen at the screen, not moving.

“What’s wrong?” Alaska said sleepily, holding her head up from the pillow, her hair tousled from sex.

Sharon forced her dry mouth to swallow.

“It’s Chad,” she said, clearing her throat because the words were barely audible the first time. “It’s Chad, from… from work. My boss. Telling me… this meeting… with Bianca…”

Her eyes darted from one word to the next, not processing phrases like ‘urgent meeting’ or ‘sensitive situation’.

Sharon tore her intense gaze away from her phone, the light from the screen casting eerie shadows across her frightened face as she looked at her worried girlfriend — one of her students —in her bed.  

“I think they know.”

[sparkleeemarkleee]

Take Me Home Prologue

Prologue: So Am I

Ok so I didn’t really intend for readers to listen to the playlist while reading the story, but you can definitely do it if you’d like to! I was simply using these songs as prompts. Enjoy lovelies!!!

P.S. Idk how to make page breaks so um I’m just gonna use lines for now lol

Also this story will be written under y/n’s POV :)

💙 Song prompt: So Am I by Ava Max ft. NCT 127 💙

Masterlist

Playlist

Introduction to Main Characters

Prologue

Dozens of little kindergartener boys and girls waddled down the hills shrieking and giggling. As per usual, I watched the entire scene unfold. By the time the sun’s intensity felt like the glowing eyes of a phoenix their parents would stroll into school grounds.

It seemed customary for the kids in your class, division 21, to have play dates right after school. I never really understood why they enjoyed it so much or why they would rather be away playing in dirt, sand, and rocks when they could’ve just stayed home with their parents. I watched closely as a pretty aunt with short black hair call her nephews: Jaemin and Jeno. Pretty Auntie had her arms out to embrace them and the boys moved towards her—without taking a breath, Jaemin ducks under her arms with Jeno and they skittishly move across the field back into the big blue slide that they fondly hid inside. Another girl named Lami, who always wore sparkly tiaras, was currently savouring a sundae with her dad. As if she was sparkling, her dad’s eyes seemed to dissolve under her loving gaze. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. I wondered what it would be like to twinkle like that.

I could only gawk from afar. It got hard sometimes because everything here was family oriented; the parents of all the kids in your class knew each other; before kindergarten even began, everyone made friends and clustered into their own group. Leaving you to sit on the sidelines, if it weren’t for your only two friends.

“Y/N, do you want us to drive you home today?” Dana, the second friend you’ve ever made, asked with mud all of her white dress. Her mom smiles at you as she hastily wipes the brown splatters off her daughter.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just wait for my family,” I said sheepishly. You watched them as they exited through the green gates of your school. I watched them all one by one slowly making their way back home as you sat on the swings patiently letting time roll by.

It began to get cold and your bare legs from under your dress started to prickle under the coolness of the air.

“Y/N,” He huffed. I spun around quickly to see a black haired first grader in a grey hoodie giving you his hand.

I didn’t know it yet back then, but here was my hero—my first friend and first love.

“What took you so long, Mark?” My voice sounded screechy from holding back the tears.

“I’m sorry, but something confusing happened with Hyuck earlier so I had to deal with that and your sister—”

“I know. She had her dance recital today. How’d she do?” I said as I brushed off the tears and any trace of sadness in my voice.

“I dunno. I haven’t talked to her about it because of Hyuck.”

“What happened to Hyuck?” I wondered aloud.

***

“Mom! I didn’t mean to!” He screamed as Mama chased him with a broom in her hand. Instead of watching Tom and Jerry, Sara, Mark, and I comfortably sat on the leather couch and were genuinely amused at Hyuck’s fiasco.

“Answer me again,” she said sternly. “What were you doing hiding in Cecil’s garden?”

“I was admiring her petunias,” Hyuck said with a cheeky smile followed with more chasing until he gave in to Mama’s threats. Sara stifled a laugh, but you and Mark couldn’t help but explode at the hilarity of the entire situation.

“I’m sorry, mom! I was just waiting for his son Rio to come.”

“Why were you missing for 5 hours then? You could have at least called me if you wanted to meet with your friend,” Mama huffed out exasperated. Her busy hands and legs could finally sink into her comforting rocking chair.

Mama might have been sold on the story but you didn’t buy it—neither did Sara or Mark. Being Mama’s eyes and ears, the two acted like parents and were very aware of the many abilities and tricks Hyuck could have up his sleeve. You on the other hand grew up with your younger cousin’s devilish antics that you knew better than to trust his impish smile. One time in preschool, he tricked you into walking into the boy’s washroom and accidentally ran into Mark and his best friend (that you at the time thought was dreamy).

Mama abruptly stands up before her heavy eyes could shut and blurts, “Ms. Kim next door has been patiently waiting for me! I’ll be gone for about 10 minutes, but when I come back make sure to be ready,” she rambles while grabbing a thin jacket out the door.

Once Mama scurried away, you three swarmed around Hyuck practically bursting with excitement to prod at what real business he had to do at Cecil’s.

“So I was kinda dared to steal a petunia from her garden,” he starts off, already making Mark annoyed and Sara to roll her eyes. Sara had an important dance  and couldn’t afford any additional stresses that specific day; Mark on the other hand carried most of the responsibility for Donghyuck and I because of Sara’s recital and nearly jumped Donghyuck at his explanation.

“I didn’t do it though!” he defensively continues, “because I know Mama would kill me, but I made a new friend...and she’s really pretty,” he then breaks off into fits of giggles. You share a look with Sara and burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Mark swats him for causing so much trouble. 

After Mom forgave Hyuck, she brought us out to our favourite diner. Like always, Sara would get herself a grilled cheese sandwich with a milkshake, Mark and I got burgers and split a sundae, Hyuck got fried chicken and lemonade, and Mama would get herself a salad.

Life was simpler back then. Whenever we had a problem, a simple sorry would suffice, we would go out to celebrate, and the atmosphere was always blissful and filled with laughter. It always washed away any pain you felt from school or anything really.

“Y/N, stop taking all my chocolate ice cream,” Mark whines as he tries to scoop off the ice cream on my spoon.

“This is for leaving me alone at the school until 9:30!” You say sticking out your tongue.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he said while ruffling your hair and earning a dirty look from my five year old self. “How about...I treat you out to ice cream to make up for it?”

I could never really stay mad at Mark. I pouted a little to pretend that I was thinking about it and finally decided: “Only on one condition.”

*****************************************************************************************************

“The signature chocolate ice cream with green tea cheese cake, only for you, madame,” Mark jokes as he brings out my favourite ice cream.

“With oreo drizzle?” I perked up from the pages of my exam studying. The wave of anxiety from finals cramming just started to hit me now. “You know that I refuse to eat any ice cream without it.”

“Oh, c’mon, Y/N. You’ve been begging for this combination since you were five. Just because I’m older now doesn’t mean I lost my memory,” Mark laughed as he passed me a spoon and slid the bowl of ice cream on my desk. He sat himself down on a stool beside my chair and leaned forward into our conversation.

“Mark, I’m kind of stressing out because I need to do really well on these exams,” you ranted while digging into your ice cream. “Last term, Sara nearly got 98% as her academic average and I only had around 92%. My parents are going to kill me!”

Your parents worked abroad so the only way they really knew you and your sister were through report cards and occasionally video chats. You barely spoke to them, but the only thing they ever told you was to try harder. Even after spending countless hours applying for internships, working on your part-time jobs, and studying to build up your resume, work harder was always their feedback. It wasn’t easy; you were always being compared to the undefeated competition of all time: Sara.

Despite having similar aspirations and work habits it all seemed to come to her naturally. If you spent 6 hours self-studying, Sara could manage with just 2 hours. Every single time, she seemed to effortlessly have new talents appear like magic tricks and she always had one up her sleeve. How could you ever compare?

You hated crying, but you couldn’t help the tears that began to slip from your eyes. 

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that,” Mark said softly. You try to turn your face away from the embarrassment of having him witness everything. He gently brushed his thumbs over your eyes to wipe your tears.

You never fully told Mark about how you felt about your own sister, but thank God he understood. You never had to tell him; he always knew. He wrapped an arm around your back and his other arm carefully bringing your head to rest on his shoulder. You shut your eyes and let your troubled mind just unwind.

[royalnightoutphff]

Chapter Twenty One

A/N: I go back to school tomorrow so I wanted to post this now in case I don't get another chance soon. As always, feel free to leave any feedback :)

“What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t gotten the chance?” Harry asked her on the night before they’d be departing. Not only from the south, but also from each other. Lexy was taking a flight back to Newark and Harry was driving to Charlotte and then getting a direct flight to Heathrow.

  They were laying on her bed, it having just passed three am. Lexy had sent the kids home for a few days, with promises to see them again before she left. She hadn’t seen much of her sister, or much of her father, but she knew he was again gone. Lexy had tried to steer clear of him since she and Harry had gotten back from their rendezvous. But Sara had, of course, decided to host a dinner for the entire family before Lexy went back.

  But just lying beside Harry, her feet propped against his pajama clad legs, inhaling the scent of his body wash, had her on some sort of high. It was exactly the kind of life she had envisioned for herself in her younger teenage years. And that night, Lexy was definitely a fan of life.

  “Ice skating,” Lexy told him after thinking about it. “I’ve always wanted to go but I haven’t really had a chance. I mean, I’ve never even seen an ice skating rink.”

  “You’re quite clumsy,” Harry added. “Are you sure that’s what you’d pick out of everything?”

  Lexy lifted a shoulder and moved closer to him. “Yeah. Either that or meeting Harry Styles. I always wanted to go to a One Direction concert. I’ve never been to a concert.”

  “You’ve never been to a concert?!”

  “They’re expensive. And I thought for the longest time that they weren’t my thing, but I don’t really think that’s true. I’m a big fan of music.”

  “Hmm, who would you say, that if you got to have your own personal concert, you would want to sing?”

  “Harry Styles,” she answered, without a pause.

  “Besides him.”

  “Um, probably Ed Sheeran.”

  “So you’re obsessed with a man named Harry and a man who’s ginger. Care to explain yourself?”

  Lexy rolled her eyes and then rolled over so that she was leaning on his chest, looking into his eyes. “You can flatter yourself all you want, Haz. But if either Harry Styles or Ed Sheeran made an appearance in my life, I’d drop kick you all the way to Australia.”

  “Oh? Would you now? I’d like to see you try. I bet you don’t even know what a drop kick is.”

  “I totally know what a drop kick is.”

  “You can’t know everything, babe, no matter how smart you are. Give it a rest.” He wrapped his arm around her, holding her to him. Lexy could feel his heart beating and wondered if he could feel hers too. “So what about your grandparents? I haven’t met them yet.”

  “I haven’t exactly met your grandparents either,” Lexy pointed out with a smirk.

  “Yeah, but you know of them. What about yours?”

  “I don’t have any. One of my grandmas died before I was born, the other the year after my mom died.”

  Harry’s eyebrows pulled together. “And your grandfathers?”

  “Dead too. Well, my dad’s dad walked out on them when he and his brother were really young, so I never met him. He died in a car accident when I was five I think. The other died when I was twelve.”

  “So you don’t have much family then?”

  “Just my dad and Sara and the kids. Well, I have my Uncle Billy, that’s my dad’s brother, and a few cousins I only talk to once a year. But that’s it.”

  “What about friends from home?”

  Lexy shrugged. “I only talk to a couple people still. And the ones I do have different spring breaks than me. But what about you? Do you have a lot of friends?”

  “I have a lot of friends,” he told her. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped being around a lot of people, much the same as you, I think. But I think while I’ve been here in America, I’ve only texted one or two people besides family. That should tell you something.”

  Lexy frowned. “You’re so social though.”

  “Yeah, and like I said, I have a lot of friends. But I’m not as close with people as I used to be. I always have people when I need them, which I’m grateful for, but my best friend is and always will be William. And he’s family, so I don’t think that counts.”

  “I think it counts. I think your best friend can be anyone you want it to be. I think for a good portion of my life I was my best friend.”

  “And that,” he touched her nose, causing her to wrinkle it. “Is adorable. I really don’t think you understand how cute you are sometimes.”

  Lexy narrowed her eyes at him. “That was a really fluffy statement.”

  Harry tilted his head, not entirely understanding her terminology. “I mean it though. And I think, one of my absolute favorite parts of being with you, is just watching you grow and realize how much power you possess. Imagine if I told you on that night that I met you last October that we’d be where we are now. You’d have gone running as far as you could go.”

  Lexy shrugged. “Probably.”  

  “And yet here you are. Lying on top of me.”

  Lexy huffed. “You don’t have to make it sound like that.”

  Harry laughed. “As if who’s gonna hear me?”

  Lexy childishly looked away from him, pretending to ignore him. Harry grabbed her face with both hands and tilted it towards him. Then he kissed her forehead, and then her cheek, and then her other cheek, and finally her lips. Lexy smiled and pulled away from him.

  “You know, that first night we met, you did hug me. I had no idea you were so shy.”

  “You had me worried! You seemed so sad to be alone. You literally offered to let me write my Spanish essay in an actual palace! And then the next day I go for a run and just happen to bump into you?”

  “And then,” he continued for her. “I give you my number and you wait a week to text me! You’re lucky I’m a patient man.”

  “Oh please. I had no idea you even wanted to talk to me. And then you just search my name on google and send me an email? What a creeper.”

  “I was worried about you! I knew you’d mentioned that your mum had died in December and I wasn’t quite sure when. You’re lucky I thought to google it before December started. If not for me we wouldn’t even be here. And then you up and decided to go to London for a day! By yourself, right before Christmas.”

  “Don’t even. You thought handing me off to your brother was a good idea!”

  Harry pursed his lips. “They loved you. Kate wouldn’t stop talking about you on Christmas to me. I had to drag her outside in fear that someone was going to hear.”

  “Kate was so cryptic. She almost gave me nightmares.”

  “You almost gave me a nightmare when I told you how I felt in that restaurant. You just started yelling at me about children’s television programs and shit.”

  “Because you didn’t understand my Princess Sofia reference! She’s Liza Belle’s favorite princess of all time. I’m surprised she didn’t ask you if you knew her.”

  “Whatever,” Harry muttered, with an immense amount of sass. “Either way, I am glad we are where we are right now.”

  “Me too,” Lexy murmured. “Although, I do kind of hate myself for wasting all those nights we were together in Kensington and even Oxford. Especially since we leave in like a day.”

  “Yeah? Me too. But it happened the way it was supposed to. That’s the thing about life, Lex, it happens how it should. We can’t question it.”

  And in that moment, Lexy really wanted to look into Harry’s eyes and tell him that she loved him, because she really was feeling it. But every article she had read had told her that on average couples didn’t say it until six months in, and they were almost at two. So she settled for smiling and reached up to brush his hair from his forehead.

  “When do you think we’re going to see each other again?”

  “In May, probably. If you want to come, that is. I haven’t actually secured an internship for you yet but I don’t think it’ll be that difficult. If nothing else you could work in my office. That would still be foreign affairs right?”

  “Probably. It all depends on how I write it on my resume anyway.”

  Harry nodded and took a deep breath. “The only downside to that is if the press do find out about us, it won’t look so good for you that you’re working for me. It’ll seem as if I got you the internship because I’m your boyfriend, and not because of how brilliant you are.”

  “Do you think they’ll find out about us?”

  “I think,” he sighed. “That it’s only a matter of time. Especially if you do come to London this summer. I mean, a handful of people already know. All that has to happen is one of them blurt it out and then someone sees me where I’m not supposed to be, like Charlotte. Then it’ll be all over the news.”

  Lexy thought about it, Carrie’s words coming back into her brain. She wasn’t as worried as she thought she would be. She felt strangely okay with it. “I think I can handle it. When it happens.”

  “They’re going to say some awful things about you, Lexy. You can’t let them get to you.”

  She nodded again.

  “But honestly,” Harry looked up at her ceiling in thought. “I’ve been running it over and over in my head, trying to figure out what they’re going to say. They can’t use the element of class in a negative light, at least not anymore. I mean, they could say something about you being American, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem either. I’m not William. But other than that, you work hard, go to Princeton, and are an accomplished person.”

  Harry took another deep breath and looked at her. “I probably should’ve asked you this a while ago, but do you have social media?”

  “Just Facebook, snapchat, and Instagram.”  

  Harry nodded. “So yeah, I can’t really figure out what they’re going to say, but they’re going to say something. I’ll try to prepare you for it as best I can, but honestly, it’ll just take time.”

  “What’s the worst experience you’ve had with the press?”

  “Well, there was my mother of course,” He raised an eyebrow. “And during the bulk of my later childhood, a lot was run about my parents. I think that was particularly difficult as a child. But in my own personal years, probably Vegas. Have I told you about Vegas yet?”

  Lexy shook her head

  “I took this vacation with a few close friends to Vegas right after my Grandmother’s Diamond Jubilee. That was for her sixtieth year as Queen,” Harry explained. “But it was a personal vacation, so the only people I had with me were my POs. And you know yourself they don’t go in places except to make sure I’m not in any immediate danger. Well, we invited some girls up to our room to play billiards and someone took pictures. The media had a field day with it.”

  Lexy frowned. “What’s wrong with you playing billiards in a hotel room on vacation?”

  “It was strip billiards. I was naked in the photos. My bare arse was on the cover of a few magazines.”

  Lexy narrowed her eyes and frowned. Then it hit her. “Oh!” She exclaimed, sitting up. “I did actually hear about this. You know, you mentioned this a while back, like being naked on a magazine cover or something, but I just connected it. Yeah, that was a big deal here when it happened. I forgot that was you!”

  Harry rolled his eyes. “Jesus. Thanks, Lex.”

“Well, I knew it wasn’t William, because that was the year after the wedding I think? And even though Sara was pregnant with Liza-Belle at the time, she still made a big deal out of it. I guess I thought it was Channing Tatum or something.”

  Harry snorted. “I’m honored that you thought I was Channing Tatum for a moment. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? The most embarrassing, I mean.”

  The first thing that hit Lexy’s brain was what had happened with her father a few nights before. But then she thought even harder about it and decided to tell the most embarrassing story she could think of. “My freshman year of school I was taking my final exam in a lecture hall with about two hundred people. It was really easy, or either I had just studied enough for it. But whatever the reason, I went to turn in my exam at the front of the hall. And on my way down there, I fell. Like in front of all two hundred people.”

  Harry laughed. “And you want to go ice skating?”

  “It’s been on my bucket list since I was like, eight. That and singing Baby It’s Cold Outside with someone I find attractive.”

  “I can’t sing.”

  “Did I say I found you attractive?”

  “Oh whatever, Marks. You can’t deny that you find me irresistible.”

  Lexy kicked him and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her tighter and kissing her, neither minding that it was well past the time they should be sleeping. Lexy was tired but she knew that in a few short days there would be no Harry to talk to late at night, for they would be in different time zones again. And truthfully, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to get through it.

  **

  The night before Lexy and Harry were set to leave, Sara had told Lexy she was cooking up a feast. She told her there would be chicken and dumplings, Lexy’s favorite food and a southern staple, and enough fried chicken for everyone to have two pieces. She claimed she’d been cooking all day and that Chase, Sara’s husband, would be cooking hamburgers outside.

  Lexy had taken a shower and was blow-drying her hair, desperate for it to look nice. She had an ulterior motive for the night, and that was to finally get a picture of her and Harry together. She was wearing a navy blue dress and had actually decided to put on makeup. Lexy actually didn’t have an idea of who all Sara was going to invite.

  She sprayed a bit of some body spray she’d been given for Christmas two years before, a tangy, flowery sort of smell. Finally, she took a look in the mirror and liked what she saw, so she grabbed her purse and left the room.

  “Yeah, it’s a brilliant movie!” Harry was saying to her father as they stood in the kitchen, apparently in a deep conversation. Harry was wearing a button down and jeans and looked incredibly well put together compared to her father, who was also wearing jeans but a t-shirt that had at least two visible holes in it. “I used to be obsessed with it when I was a kid.”

  “Boy, that movie came out right after I got married! I asked my brother to get it as a wedding gift. Luisa May couldn’t stand it. That was Lexy’s mom.”

  Harry nodded at the information and Lexy wondered why he didn’t tell her he already knew, why he was just standing there being so nice to her father. Lexy felt a surge of anger run through her once again but tried to push it back down, desperate to make the night a good one.

  “I’m ready,” she told them, walking into the kitchen. She watched Harry run his eyes over the length of her entire body before he smiled.

  Lexy’s father nodded. “I got a six pack of Blue Ribbon out in the truck. I’ll meet you there.”

  Lexy took a deep breath that she tried not to show and grabbed Harry’s hands, tangling their fingers together as she pulled him out of the house.

  “You look lovely,” Harry told her, stopping to kiss her check as they descended the steps. Lexy smiled at him and then threw a hand up to wave at both Mitch and Max who were already in the SUV behind them, ready to follow their car. Harry opened her door for her, something Lexy had always thought to be unnecessary, but she had to say, that when it was Harry providing the gesture, it was more than welcome.

  Harry shut her door and then went round and climbed into his seat, shutting his door and then running a hand through his hair. “That American beer your father drinks is awful. Well, to be honest, all American beer is awful.”

  He buckled his seatbelt and put the car in reverse, backing up swiftly down her driveway. Or, as swiftly as he could manage, with the dirt crevices surrounding the car.

  “I hate all beer.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  The drive to her sister’s house was quick like usual and rather quiet, as neither had bothered to turn the radio on. Harry parked off to the side and turned the car off, glancing in the rearview mirror at the POs who were parked directly behind him. Lexy saw Chance, the big tall, overweight, lumberjack looking man standing behind a grill. Lexy had always thought he would be attractive, if he were her type. But thankfully he wasn’t, and she pulled a face at the sight of him.

  “What’s that face for?”

  “Chance,” Lexy muttered as she pointed at him. It was dusk, and it was too dark for Chance to see them in the car. Lexy could only make him out because he was standing near the lights. “That’s Sara’s husband.”

  “Right. You told me you don’t like him?”

  “I hate him.”

  Together they watched him as he occasionally flipped the burgers and would go back to doing something on his phone when he was done. Then she heard her father’s truck, the old rickity sound of it, and sat cross-legged in the seat.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  His eyes sought hers. Lexy loved his eyes. She’d seen blue eyes before, of course, but his eyes were a particular shade of blue that reminded her of the curtains in her parents’ room when she was younger. Her and Sara would play for hours around them, playing hide and seek, and pretending to be models, and often, pretending that they were in charge of the world. They would take turns playing who got to be queen and who was the princess.

  “You know you don’t have to ask.”

  Lexy had wanted to, anyway. “Why do you like my father?”

  He frowned, his eyebrows pulling together. “Did I say that?”

  “Well, no. But you’ve been nice to him.” Anyone else would have cut her off the moment she said no, but Harry wasn’t usually one to do that. He would listen until she had finished her full statement before saying anything. It was one of the things she admired most about him.

  Harry took a deep breath. “I’m just being respectful. That has nothing to do with my opinion of him.”

  “Oh.” Lexy looked back out the window. It was harder to see but she thought she could see Liza-Belle running around.

  “Lex,” he said softly. He intertwined their fingers, causing her to look back at him. He moved their tangled hands up to move some of her hair from in front of her face. Taking his finger, he pulled at her bottom lip repeatedly until she finally smiled.

  “You are such a child,” she told him, shaking her head and grabbing her purse, shutting the door. She could already hear the sound of country music playing and with the late March air hitting her, she felt a surge of happiness.

  Harry followed after her, shutting his door behind him. “Your shoulders look awfully nice in that dress,” he called after her.

  Lexy threw back her head and laughed. She was still laughing when she reached Sara’s door, pushing it open to reveal a myriad of scents and Deacon on top of the couch, heavily absorbed in his tablet.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Sara asked, taking a step back from the kitchen sink so she could see her.

  “Harry,” she said, just as he stepped inside. “Harry is what’s wrong with me.”

  Sara rolled her eyes. “I still have a lot to tell you.”

  Sara’s hair was in a messy ponytail but Lexy still thought she looked nice. Lexy only hoped that when she had her own children she could manage to look as nice.

  “Lexy!” Levi yelled, running down the hallway, his eyes zeroing in on Lexy’s phone in her hand. Lexy laughed and swung him up to her arms. Harry tickled his cheek from behind her and Levi laughed, leaning back and trying to get away from him.

  “Is Daddy here?” Sara asked as she put something in the oven and then walked into the room. She sat down on the couch beside Deacon, pulling her own phone out of her pocket.

  “He pulled up. I don’t know where he is now.”

  Sara nodded. “Well, a lot of people are already out in the back if you want to go see them? Liza-Belle’s out there with Uncle Billy and the Parker woman.”

  Lexy frowned at the mention of her father’s old girlfriend, wondering what in the world had possessed Sara to even invite her. But she looked back at Harry who was already looking at her and they went outside to the back, Lexy feeling grateful that Sara had bothered to straighten up the house.

  Levi reached for Harry and Harry took him, smiling at the toddler. “He really likes you a lot,” Lexy nodded as she opened the backdoor and led the way outside.

  Harry smirked. “You know what they say about kids and their judgment of character. I’m a great person.”

  Lexy couldn’t help but laugh at him, hearing the sounds of country music amplify as they stepped out onto the porch.

  Sara’s backyard was huge, with trees cradling the far side of it and the children’s swing set in the midst. There was a pen to the far left that was full of chickens and to its left, a pig. Some of Lexy’s cousins were already dancing around to the music.

  “Is that Lexy-loo I see?” Her Uncle Billy called. He was a military man through and through, but over the years his demeanor had softened, and Lexy had never met a soul kinder than him. His hair was almost all gray then, and he was more like a grandfather to her than an uncle. Uncle Billy knew about her father all too well and used to do whatever he could to make it easier on Sara and Lexy.

  Lexy grinned and skipped down the steps, feeling much like a child again. She threw her arms around him and he held her tight. Lexy breathed in his scent of cigarettes and cheap Walmart cologne.

  “I missed you, baby. How’s school going? How was England?”

  “It’s going good,” she said, noticing her own grammar error but too much in her element to correct herself. “And England was amazing. It’s probably my favorite place.”

  And she wasn’t lying—she missed the scenery, the short drives, Oxford and her friends. And even from her two weeks in London, she missed the buzz of the city.

  “I don’t doubt it. I was stationed there for about two years back in the day. I haven’t travelled since, but there’s nothing like the history.”

  Lexy smiled at him and then looked back to see Harry standing a couple feet away, talking to Levi. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards them.

  “This is Harry, my boyfriend. And Harry, this is my Uncle Billy.”

  Uncle Billy gave her a stern glance. “Boyfriend? When’d you get so big?” Then he squinted at Harry before holding his hand out. Harry shuffled Levi into his other arm so he could shake his hand and after about fifteen seconds, Uncle Billy finally cracked a smile. “You’ve got a nice handshake. Your name’s Harry?”

  “Yes, sir. I hear you were in the navy?”

  Uncle Billy looked at Lexy. “You met him in England, didn’t you?” When Lexy nodded, he looked back at Harry. “I was. For over thirty years. I’m retired now but I’ll never forget those long days. They were probably the best of my life. You in the military too?”

  Harry nodded.

  “Air force?”

  “Army.”

  “That explains the handshake. Where are you stationed?”

  “I’m retired now but I did two tours if Afghanistan.”

  “Retired? How old are you, boy?”

  Harry had the decency to look uncomfortable for a moment. “Thirty-two.”

  Uncle Billy whistled, looking down at Lexy. “You didn’t tell me you were into the oldies, Lexy-loo. I could’ve hooked you up real good.” Lexy laughed, throwing her head back. Harry cracked a smile and Uncle Billy shook his head. “Why are you retired so young? When I was thirty-two I had just made it to Wales!”

  “Harry’s a prince,” Lexy explained for him. “So he does a lot of charity work too. He retired to spend more time on that.”

  Uncle Billy looked impressed, smiling at Harry. “Well, it’s real nice to meet you. Even if you are an army boy.” Harry laughed. “And you best treat Lexy right, you understand? I’ve got quite a few friends who are still in service. I don’t care if you’re a prince. She’s worth more than all that.”

  Lexy’s face got all hot but she did feel happy at her uncle’s words. No doubts about it, she had missed him.

  Harry nodded seriously at his words. “I will. You have my word.”

  Uncle Billy nodded, satisfied. Then he looked at Lexy. “And your momma would be real proud of you, kid. We used to talk about how you’d be the one to get away and make something good of yourself. And while I am pleasantly surprised that you’re dating a prince, I don’t think your momma would be surprised at all. Now, give me that baby and go get some of Ms. Parker’s pie. She made your favorite.”

  Harry handed him Levi and then put an arm around Lexy, watching as Uncle Billy began to talk to him. They wandered over to the dessert table, trying all of the treats there first. The music seemed to get louder as they stood there.

  “I like him,” Harry said, in between bites of some cookie he was eating.

  Lexy nodded. “When I was a kid, I used to wish he was my dad. I’d tell my mom that all the time and she would just always tell me that there was a reason for everything, and that if Uncle Billy was my father, I wouldn’t be me.”

  “She’s right,” Harry nodded. “You wouldn’t be Lexy.”

  He was just about to finish his statement but they were interrupted by one of Lexy’s neighbors coming up to greet her. And when she left and Harry made an attempt to keep speaking, they were interrupted again. It only signaled what the rest of the night was going to be like.

  They spent the next two hours in conversation with what seemed like everyone in attendance, everyone interested in Lexy and what she was doing, and overjoyed to meet Harry. It wasn’t as bad as Lexy had thought it was going to be and she was feeling happy to see everyone again. Finally, as the night was coming to a close and all of the adults had settled down drinking beer and the kids who were too young to be awake were in bed, Lexy and Harry were seated away from most of the commotion, alone again, in pleasant conversation.

  Harry had refused any of the beer but Lexy had had two of them, and they were seated in two different chairs but Lexy had her feet on Harry’s lap, laughing every time he ran his hands over them again and again.

  “Tonight has been so much fun,” she said, as Harry clasped her ankle. “I had no idea people actually missed me.”

  “Yeah? I happen to think you’re a very miss-able person.”

  “That’s not even a word,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. She grabbed one of his hands and played with his fingers, loving the way that they were calloused but smooth just the same.

  It was the kind of perfect evening she had always wanted, her family happy a couple feet away from her. Sara and Chase were getting along for once, Sara sitting on his lap, whatever divorce she was talking about still up in the air. Lexy’s father and Uncle Billy were laughing a couple feet away, neighbors sitting in a circle all around them. There were about twenty people still there and everyone seemed to be in good moods, either from the alcohol, or the food, or the company.

  And the mosquitos weren’t out yet. That was definitely a role in the happiness.

  “I love this song,” Lexy mentioned, her voice quiet as the song came on. “I used to listen to it over and over when I was missing home.”

  “What is it?” Harry murmured, his eyes on hers, like that’s where they were supposed to be.

  “I’ll never settle down, that’s what I always thought. Yeah, I was that kind of man, just a skinny one. I don’t dance, but here I am, spinning you around and around in circles. It ain’t my style, but I don’t care, I’d do anything with you anywhere. Yes, you got me in the palm of your hand. Cuz I don’t dance,” Lexy sang along, not even caring about her voice. She’d been told she should never be a singer but she was too happy to care.

  Harry’s smile was soft when he set her feet on the ground and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “Let’s dance?”

  “I can’t dance!” Lexy exclaimed but laughed anyway.

  “Well, I can, so come on,” Harry reached forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her up against him.

  *Love’s never come my way, I’ve never been this far. ‘Cause you took these two left feet, and waltzed away with my heart.*

  There was just two of them in the yard for those three minutes, eyes on each other’s, bodies close together, smiling and stepping back and forth to the soft rhythm of the song. Neither realized that everyone was watching them, or that Mitch, who was standing in the corner of the yard, took a picture, with flash.

  When they climbed back into the car that night, the last to leave, and drove back to Lexy’s house, both were on some kind of high that Lexy hadn’t thought she could get anywhere except the marijuana that she’d declared she would never try again. They were inside before they knew it, laughing like there wasn’t any time left to do anything else.

  And while Harry was brushing his teeth, Lexy checked her phone to see a text from Mitch, who she hadn’t even known had her number. Attached was the picture of her and Harry.

  Harry’s arms were tight around her and she was looking up at him, smiling, eyes closed. And Lexy was overjoyed, because she had wanted a picture, so she saved it to her phone and kept staring at it. She was amazed at how much they looked like equals in the photo, as if they were from the same place and status, and there was nothing stopping them.

  So when Harry came back in the room, she threw her phone and looped her arms around him, sitting on his lap and kissing him. When he held her tighter, she thought about how it was the best possible night of the break and how, if she could only relive one night of her life, she would pick that one.

[cyberdelusionphilosopher-blog]

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I am a 21 year old women, healthy.. And I am in need of health insurance that wont cost me an arm and a leg. Does anyone have any suggestions.. I looked online, and every site suggested that united health one.. Does anyone have,or has had this insurance. Thanks""

Car insurance for a japanese import?

I am looking for car insurance for a japanese import car and I am trying to find companies which will deal with imports and are cheap. I am only 18 so I know that the insurance will be pretty expensive but if anyone has had any experience with imports at this age and can tell me some companies to try that would be great. The car I am looking at is a Mazda mx-3 1.5i . If anyone knows how to get cheap insurance for this I would like to hear from you. It would be cheaper if I was a named driver and could earn no claims discount but I don't know if any of the companies who do that accept imports. Any help or advice anyone could give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks

""I'm 18, I have a question about finding car insurance........HELP!?""

I'm 18. I currently drive my parents extra car, and I am on their insurance. Right now they pay for all the insurance. Ok, so here's my question. I want to buy a car sometime later this year. I know it will be kind of a lot because of age (I'm female btw) and I just am confused about how I find insurance. Do you have to buy the car and then find insurance or should I be looking for insurance BEFORE I even buy the car ( I know what car I'm going to buy, it's just a matter of saving enough money and finding one available) Anyways, do I find an insurance company willing to cover me or do I put it in my parents name under their insurance? I'm so confused, I just want to be prepared and know all the facts for when I do buy my first car. Thanks for your help!""

Can anyone help me regarding a huge fine for driving without insurance.?

Man, Im screwed. A few years ago I let my insurance lapse on my vehichle and didnt hand the license plates in. Failure to do so means an instant 150 dollar fine for the first month and 7$ a day afterwards. Ok, I was being a complete jackass at that time in my life and figured I would deal with it when the time comes. Well, its that time. I finally got my license back and went to buy a cheap used car. The dealer told me he cant get me plates for it cause I have a violation due to a fine for driving uninsured. The fine is off the charts, $4,455.00. Has anyone ever gotten the MVA to reduce this fee or waive it. I havent tried yet. They offer payment plans at 20% down and the rest must be paid within 2 years. I dont want to do anything illegal per say but just wanted to know if anyone has any ideas. I know, im a jackalope for letting this happen. anyone, let me know""

""What is the cheapest insurance for a teenager in alex,la for a motorcycle?""

What is the cheapest insurance for a teenager in alex,la for a motorcycle?""

How much does your teen's (19 y.o.) car insurance cost?

My dad's been footing the bill for my car insurance the past few years. Now that I've been driving for a while and got an internship, he wants me to pay. I'm not complaining, but I'm just want to compare how much you pay for your insurance (if you're a teen) or how much you pay for your teen. Also, I've not been involved in any accidents at all.. and no tickets as well, including parking tickets. For three vehicles and a travel trailer, my portion of the insurance is about 55% of the entire bill with a brand new car on the list.""

Insurance for teen when borrowing parents car?

My parents and i are very confused on whether I need to put on my parents insurance policy since i am technically borrowing their car. All of the people my parents have talked to have said that i don't and that they never did for their kids and it was fine. When my mom called about my sister they told her that she HAD to be put on their policy and that I could not receive my license until I was put on the policy. I am 16 and my sister is 18 and it would cost around $750 per month more to insure us. Do we need it if we are borrowing my parents car? Thanks:)

How much will my insurance be?

If I am a 16 year old male, and I want to get a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6.... About how much should insurance cost?""

Average motorcycle insurance?

how much is average motorcycle insurance in Louisiana, if 23 years old bike with 500cc have never crash or get ticket pretty good credit bike use only for leisure and to college help me y'all""

How much will my car insurance cost me?

I am 18 years old, and live in Northern BC. I have had my N license for just over a year, I have had NO accidents or tickets. I have a 1995 Honda Civic 4 Door. I am a very safe driver and I have been unlucky to find a good quote. Do you think it would be around $100/month?""

If I cancel my car insurance will my rate go up later?

I'm going to sell my car and use public trans and my bike to get around. I'm wondering if/when I get a car again will I have high rates because it will look like I had a laps insurance.

Is There A Way Of Finding Insurance Prices Without Owning A Car In The First Place?

Ok ill explain it better here. I'm after a car but i will need to know how much the insurance is for different cars. So for example if i wanted a car in insurance group 2, could i find out how much that specific car and insurance group would be for me? I know there's go-compare and all the other comparison websites but they are expecting you already have the car and just need to insure it. I need to know the prices before i get a car so i know i will have enough! Help please? Cheers""

What is title insurance?

I will like to know more about the title insurance and how is it that important when we buy a propety. Can you please help me with the information. Thanks

Violations that show up on insurance quotes in nj?

About 2 years ago i got a ticket for not stopping at a stop sign. I went to court and they knocked it down to something so i wouldn't get any point and just pay a fine. I don't remember what they knocked it down to. But why is it still a concern on my auto insurance. I didn't get any points so should it matter?

What does it take to commit a minor and how do you afford it if you don't have health insurance?

My uncle and aunt are struggling with my 16 year old cousin who suffers from anorexia and she will go up to 3 weeks without eating anything. I am not kidding she only drinks water and then she will slowly puree some fruit into her water again for about a week or two before she binges for a few days and then goes back to this cycle of starvation. She looks pale and has no energy. Her eyes are sunken in and she hides in her room. My aunt and uncle are immigrants and they don't speak english that well. They don't have a lot of money or health insurance and I have no idea what to do but they are asking me to help! I've never dealt with this type of situation before and I'm just thinking they should call an ambulance and maybe they'll commit her to some state institution? I've been googling this and I come across all kinds of conflicting information. How can she get help in the state of California and is there any way if they are not insured to pay for her treatment? Is there any state aid related to extreme cases of anorexia?

Car Insurance questions for quotes?

on insurance websites where they do lots of quotes from different insurers, the question they ask bout your licence is what type is it, ie full or provisional or full or automatic etc and how long have you had your licence. On the norwich union website, it specifies that it wants you to say how long you have held a licence from the time you got your provisional licence. The others dont say whether this is what they are asking or not. Ive had a provisional licence for 18 years, but when I pass my test (hopefully this month) I will then have had a full licences for less than a year. What answer should I give for the question, how long have you held a licence? Its not clear on the websites....""

How much would a car insurance agent in alberta be expected to make?

How much would a car insurance agent in alberta be expected to make?

Is the Honda civic si considered a sports car with insurance companies for a new young driver?

I was wondering if a 1995 1996 1997 Honda civic si would be CONSIDERED A sports car with the insurance company? I'm 16. Thanks

Can you get motorcycle insurance in NY with just a learners permit?

Can you get motorcycle insurance in NY with just a learners permit?

2008 Toyota Camry Insurance?

I much am I looking to pay for insurance on a 2008 Toyota Camry. I am 18 years old with a clean driving history.

How is the health insurance subsidies calculated?

Just wondering how the affordable care insurance tax subsidies are calculated? Is it based on last years wages or estimated wages of the year you are applying for the health insurance. Let's say I made $100,000 last year and retired this year and applied for the affordable care insurance. Say my estimated taxable income for 2014 was $40,000 with family of four, can I get government subsidies?""

Part-time job enough to pay car insurance?

Would a part-time job at a mall store or movie theatre pay enough to cover an 18-year-olds car insurance? How old are you and how much does your car insurance cost monthly?

Health insurance?

if I wanted to buy my own health insurance (dental. medical, vision) not though my job. Where would i look online?

""Can you get cheaper insurance, if you are driving on behalf of a disabled family member?

i am currently 19 and just passed my test - my friends of same age - pay 500-700 a year on car insurance and they say they get cheaper because they are acting as carer driver (e.g of grandfather or disabled brother)- basically you say to insurance companies that i am caring for them and need me - my dad just had a eye operation - just got blue badge and had heart attack 3 times - and yeh he gets mobility allowance - (because he had some other problems - not surely no what) - do you think i can use him to act a carer of him - he is driving at the moment so do you think he needs to give up driving is this possble or they mis-understood

Cheap car insurance in ontario?

I am thinking of getting my own vehicle this summer... Does anyone know of any plqce where there is cheap or reasonably priced insurqnce for teens?

""Does your car insurance go down when you turn 25? If so, how much...?""

Does your car insurance go down when you turn 25? If so, how much...?""

Is my son covered on my car insurance?

If I get Insurance on MY car, and my son drives it sometimes, if he has a wrek in it with him not being on the policy, will my insurance cover the damages?""

Which of these cars are cheap on insurance and also reliable?

1995 Audi A6, 1992 Nissan 240sx, 1995 Acura integra(2 door), 1992 Nissan 300zx, 1996 Bmw 318i, 2001 Lexus IS300, or 1992 Mustang? I'm looking at these kind of cars and was wondering which of these will have a cheap insurance and also a reliable car. Thanks for info.""

Homeowners and health insurance?

We have Nationwide homeowners insurance, which is just added to our mortgage. If we get health insurance through them too, do you think they can just add it to our mortgage also?""

""How do I obtain cheap, good health insurance in South Carolina?""

I currently live in Conn. but I am moving to SC in the middle of Oct, but I won't have health insurance when I get down there because I am currently on state insurance, which is up at the beginning of Oct. But I really need insurance because I have monthly prescriptions that I need. So does anyone know how I can get insurance just intil I get a job with benefits.""

Car insurance question?

I have been driving for three years and am looking to upgrade cars. I drove a Vauxhall Agila for 2 and a half years and the last six months iv had a Pegeuot 206. I am 22 and my partner is 21. I have one years no claims and she has 0. The smaller the engine the cheaper the car is there a list some where that I can look through to find the cheap insurance cars? I want a 1.6 Astra but the insurance for the two of us is like 3k and I dont want to pay more then 2 really. As well as this, she had a bump not long back. She is on my insurance and if this guy claims do I lose my annual bonus or is it just her who loses it?""

How much insurance costs for Yamaha YZF-R125?

for 21 old male as a learner in uk ..

How would limiting expenses in the health care sector assist with making health care affordable?

and increase accessibility to care, while reducing the need for insurance?""

Why do car insurance companies do credit checks?

I have just renewed my car insurance and made a massive saving from 162 per month to 79 per month. But the first few wouldnt let me pay monthly because of my credit history. Why ...show more

AIG car insurance in west coast?

hi i recenlty moved from east coast to west coast...i used to have car insurance with AIG while at eastcoast....does any one know if AIG serves car insurance in westcoast also.....especially in Los angeles

Will my parent's car insurance go up if I get my drivers license?

Ok I am 17 years old and will turn 18 soon. I have a lerners permit at the moment. My parents have Geico auto insurance and they will not let me get my drivers license because they said their rates would go up as long as I live at home and they can't afford to pay for my insurance. I called geico and they said it would go up,and they asked me what vehicle I would be driving. I told them that I don't have a car, and they said you have to be assigned to a car as a 'part time driver'. But the problem is, I don't need a car right now, I can drive a motorcycle. In the state of florida, motorcycle insurance is not required, but a class e drivers license is required to operate the motorcycle. So if I get my drivers license, why should my parents car insurance go up if I were to drive a motorcycle that does not require insurance at all?""

Legal question about car insurance.?

My son was at a party, an aquaintance asked for his car keys to get some drink out of the boot. He then stole the car and crashed it. Only a provisional licence. The car, which is a company car, is a right off. The insurance company are saying that they may not pay out. Who ultimately is responsible.""

New truck insurance business law?

THE NEW TRUCK David Simpson purchased a new truck and titled it in his name. City Bank loaned David money for the truck. City Bank is named on the title and kept the title to the vehicle. David went to National Insurance and paid to insure the vehicle. The agent at National gave David a paper to prove the truck was insured until the policy issued. One day, when the truck was parked at Davids work, vandals slashed the tires. David had the following coverage on the truck. Bodily Injury Liability $ 100,000/300.000 Property Damage Liability $50,000 Uninsured/Underinsured $100,000/300,000 Medical Payments $2000 Collision with $500 Deductible I. Comprehensive with $50 Deductible 1. What is the contract between National Insurance and David called? 2. David is what party to this contract? 3. National Insurance is what party to the contract? 4. Why did National keep the title to the truck? 5. When will David get a clear title in only his name? 6. What is the paper that David received from National? 7. What is the money David paid to National called? 8. The insurance is expensive. Why does David insure the vehicle? 9. Why does David have the right to insure the vehicle? 10. What factors determine the cost of Davids truck insurance? 11. David called National to tell them about the accident. What is this called? 12. David expected National to pay for the damage to the truck under which coverage? 13. Will David have to pay any money for fixing the truck? 14. Will points be charged to David? 15. David gets the insurance check to pay for the damage. Why is the check is payable to both David and City Bank? 16. A friend tells David that he can make money off the insurance company if he exaggerates the damage to include a scratch made when David swiped a mailbox. Can David legally include the minor scrape too? 17. A hit and run driver sideswiped David. Which coverage will pay for the damages? 18. The owner of the mailbox got Davids tag number and called the police. When David called National to report the damages, which coverage will pay for the damage?""

Where to get car insurance quote?

Where to get car insurance quote?

Does one speeding ticket affect your insurance rate ?

i got my first speeding ticket , i live in Utah , and i have state farm insurance so will it affect my rate ?""

Cost of insurance for minor with acura rsx-s?

oh fyi I am not trying to get my own insurance plan I am adding on to my family's

Affordable Health Insurance in California?

We're TTC and having a bit of trouble so I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good health plan that covers maternity and possibly specialists.

How much would car insurance be under my dad's policy? Or by itself under my name?

I'll be 21 in September and I'm getting a car really soon. I just have no clue how much the premium is going to cost me. I'm getting an older car. 100,000+ miles. So my question is, if I insure my car under my dad's policy and put it as one of those cars that is occasionally/rarely used , how much would a premium cost? If I decided to not join my dad's insurance and just get my own, how much would it cost? I'm not looking for sure good insurance because I'm a very safe driver- but I'm also not looking for crappy shady insurance either. Thanks!""

How do you find an insurance quote for a car you may get?

I am looking to trade my Car, which is just a Sedan for what would be considered as a sports car. The car is older, but I'm certain the price will go up because of the fact of it being a sports car, I can't find anywhere that will give me a quote on what to expect insurance price wise if I were to complete the trade. Does anyone know of a place to find this out? I am trading a 2003 Ford Taurus SES for a 1997 Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse GST Convertible""

How does car insurance work?

Ok well im 16 i just bought a car and i have a job so im going to be paying for my car insurance.... i also paid half of the car.... so anyways i want to know how it works? Does it go underneath my dads car insurance? and make his go up... ? he pays 600 for every 6 months. i think.. How much will my car insurance be around what price rang??? i have a 1996 pontiac bonneville SE.

""Question about McCain's $5,000 medical insurance plan?""

I want both sides of the story. Is $5,000 the only thing McCain is going to do for medical insurance? I mean is that the bulk of his plan? Is that the only direct change you will see in medical insurance? P.S only talk about this issue. I don't want you to blabber on about the war or about anything irrelevant.""

How much will 1 point affect my car insurance???!?

I got a right turn violation about 8 months ago and i took traffic school so im assuming that my insurance won't penalize me. Now i got another ticket(stop sign violation), how much would you estimate the percentage of my insurance? I live in California btw and im 20 years old.""

Can someone help me find car insurance for my dad?

my dad is looking for a car insurance company that insures anyone who drives his car, ie. his children. is this possible? what insurance companies offer this type of insurance?""

Health insurance?

if I wanted to buy my own health insurance (dental. medical, vision) not though my job. Where would i look online?

How can I get some insurance?

I received a brand new bike a week ago but I dare not give it a try because I have not got it covered by insurance yet. I have tried multiple insurance companies online but every one I tried there would be a snag. Mainly it would be, 'what kind of driving licence do you hold'? I personally hold a clean driving licence for a car, but in the drop down list of different driving licences 'car' was not among them, so I could not go to the next section to continue trying to insure my bike. I live out of the city so applying for insurance and paying for it online would be the easiest option.""

Factors that determine the price of insurance?

i would like to know how certain factors determine the price of insurance. 1) how does costs affect the price of insurance 2) how does amount of claims affect the price of insurance 3) how does risk levels affect the price of insurance 4) how does predictability of risk affect the price of insurance 5) how does return from investments affect the price of insurance 6) how does level of interest rates affect the price of insurance 7) how does profit margin affect the price of insurance 8) how does competition affect the price of insurance 9) how does goverment regulation affect the price of insurance

Should I buy earthquake insurance in california?

I've lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and never purchased earthquake insurance for my home. I heard rates were going down, and AAA quoted me a rate of nearly $1200 for earthquake coverage- there is 75,000 deductible, and they will cover up to $525,000 to rebuild. What is the consensus on this issue?""

Can you get car insurance for 1 day?

Im 18 years old and i have 1 years no claims. Is there a company that will insure me on a car for one day?

Car insurance coverage question...?????

I have state farm. there's an expectation of a severe storm with softball size hail heading our metroplex. I'm in the middle of switching car insurance. The coverage will expire april 10, 2008. Will state farm covers me if I have hail damage on the same day it's expired?""

Are older cars cheaper to insure?

I'm going to be 17 soon and are looking at cars, and was wondering if older cars would be cheaper to insure than newer ones, i'm quite a fan of old skool cars.""

Will my insurance be raised because someone else got a ticket in my car?

My boyfriend was driving my car and got a texting ticket. Will my insurance rate increase?

Cheapest car insurance company?

im switching car insurance companies. where will i get the cheapest price?

Car title and insurance question?

If my name was put on the title of a car (I'm 18), would it affect the insurance rates even if the car was insured under my parent's policy as a occasional driver? Does the insurance company have the right to change the rates on a car depending solely on whose name is on the title?""

How much does it cost to add a teenager to a car insurance policy?

Teen in question has a 4.3ish GPA and is involved in many extracurriculars.

How much does car insurance cost in a month?

How much does car insurance cost for inexperienced driver? I'll be a newcomer in Winnipeg. I'd like to buy used car to drive to college. Can I buy a car and get a drivers license with a student visa? Thank you.

Do you need auto insurance in florida?

Do you need auto insurance in florida?

I am 16/m and looking for a cheap car insurances?

Im currently living in nyc, I am 16/m and looking for a cheap car insurances. Does anyone know of any?""

Insurance questions?

Insurance questions? I got into an accident yesterday but my insurance was cancelled because i missed the last Three month's payment. Do u think they will cover the other Guy damaged vehicle? if not would he come after me , or would he be able to sue me?, it was my mistake to cause the accident.?""

Is my life insurance cheap or expensive?

I pay $4 a week and I get $30,000 insurance and I'm 22 years old, male, is this a good or bad deal?""

Which is cheaper car insurance in newjersey?

Which is cheaper car insurance in newjersey?

Paying car insurance annually?

I want to pay my insurance annually. I read something about rates being subject to change for many reasons. If this happens, will i receive a bill saying i owe more money? or if it goes down do i get money back? Im confused lol. Someone help?""

Health Insurance claims in LA?

How long must health insurance claims be kept on file in Louisiana hospitals and healthcare facilities?

Car insurance for adult first time driver?

Hi there! I am 29 and still don't have a car and car insurance of almost 4 yrs of living in states. I think my husband is scared of the cost since I have never driven before even in my country of origin since we don't really need cars there. I just want to ask how much does it cost for an insurance for first time adult driver, i mean any idea? thanks! I just want to take my child to the park or somewhere since we just stay almost all our time in our house.""

Car insurance help in northern ireland!!!?

i am a 17 year old living in northern ireland and i am practicing for my driving license but i hav had quotes on cars and they are in the region of 2000 pounds which i cannot afford. my dad has 30 years no claims on his insurance but he will not let me on his insurance in case som1 claims against me and he loses his no claims bonus. can someone please help me because i really want to drive a car of my own that i can afford the insurance on???

Car insurance?!?!?

last week i crashd my car =( and its pretty much a write off ... just got to wait for my insurance to confirm that it is. anyway im wonderin if anyone knows on avarage how long it'll take for insurance to pay out?? cheers

AAA Insurance In California & Speeding Tickets?

Does AAA insurance allow you to go to traffic school so your insurance rates don't go up? it's my first time offense

Inestment in Gold or Life insurance ?

it is better to invest in gold or invest in life insurance / same amount

Car Insurance discrimination?

I was filling out a car insurance quote form online , I put my mother as the main driver and me as additional but accidentally put me as a spouse , the quote came back as 400 pounds. As i reviewed the quote i notice my mistake and changed it to Other ( Spouse , Partner , Other only listed ) and then my quote came back as 2000 pounds. I am 18 years old and getting car insurance is hard but my question is how does being married make me a safer driver and is it possible to take insurance companies to court because of there overlooked age discrimination""

17 year old getting insurance in NY?

I am planning to buy a car in a couple of months. Probably a Honda Civic/Accord from 1994 and up. I dont have more than 3500. How much will insurance cost to pay by myself? Added on my parents?They currently pay 130 a month. I have 90 average in school and a 10% discount fot compleating a drivers ed program.

Health insurance?

if I wanted to buy my own health insurance (dental. medical, vision) not though my job. Where would i look online?

Can my wife and I have a joint car insurance when we are in two states?

Hi, I am at MI and my wife is at DC (I think DC will have a high insurance rate. I'll move to DC after a year). We have two cars. Could we have a joint car insurance if one car is registered at MD and one car is registered at MI? Thanks for your attention

How does the good grade discount work for auto insurance?

I am a teen and going to be driving soon, but i was wondering how does the good grade discount work im asking two questions: What does your GPA need to be? (generally, i know maybe ...show more""

How long does car insurance process take for collision?

So my mother was involved in a collision several days ago and actually hit a police car on the highway. Her car has some serious damage and had to be towed. Now we're left wondering how long it will take before the insurance company determines whether it's totaled or fixable. It's an '09 Nissan Sentra and the passenger side airbag went off, the front passenger door's damaged, and the front right tire looked to show some axle damage. She was definitely at-fault but the the officer was kind enough not to cite her since she lost control of the car. Now we're left wondering how long it will take before the insurance company notifies us what they've decided. I was informed an appraiser went to look at the car two days ago though. Any comments on what the process will be like from now on? Thanks.""

INSURANCE QUESTION ?!?

18 year old, male, 2010 camaro ss with 4000 miles on it. had a few speeding tickets, no wrecks LOOKING FOR INSURANCE QUOTES PLEASE""

""What is the definition of a total loss car by the insurance company?, Is it possible to get my car back?""

Florida-A couple of months ago I was involved in an car accident that my insurance said they would not fix, due to certain circumstances. The insurance company told me the car was a total loss. The buy here Pay here who financed the vehicle told me to bring in the police report info and that was it. you have to get a new car is simply what I was told, I asked about payments and he told me to call him in a few days- few days turn into weeks and he is never available to discuss with me payments. Almost 2 months and there is still noone willing to talk to me?, looking through some car ads yesterday I saw the car listed at a different location owned by the same Buy Here Pay Here it was all like new, Fixed and being sold? If my car was fixable couldnt I have just paid out of pocket to fix it? what is the definition of a total loss from the insurance's view? Is it possible to get my car back? BTW I have no issues with paying the finance company- I just cant get anyoone to talk to me. Please try and answer all of the questions here, so I dont have to repost separately Thanks in advance for the advice.""

Will my car insurance go down when i turn 18?

I got my license when i turned 16. I was driving a 2001 mustang. Within 6 months i got into a car accident. Long story, but wasn't my fault so don't judge me because i'm not some stupid teen who was handed a mustang and went around speeding and wrecked. I'm not like that. I was raised way better than that. Anyway... Now i'm about to turn 18 and i'm still under my parents insurance. I was wondering if my insurance will go down when i turn 18.""

Why is mandatory auto insurance to make sure other drivers can be reimbursed for my actions ok?

But mandatory insurance to make sure doctors and hospitals can be reimbursed for my healthcare is considered socialism?

The longer you have your motorcycle license..the cheaper your insurance is going to be?

I'm 18 and if I get a motorcycle license right now....but not ride a motorcycle till say....20? will my insurance be cheaper because i've had it for 2 years?? (i live in los angeles california by the way)

If I get car insurance will my parents' rates go up?

If I get my own car insurance with my own policy from a completely different insurance company than my parents', but use the same address, would that cause my parents' rates to go up?""

2008 Nissan GTR Insurance/Maintenance?

I'v been saving up some money now and want to get a used car when i turn 21. had my license since 16 I'm debating heavily whether to get 2008 bmw 335i coupe or 2008 nissan gtr. i'm sure nissan gtr insurance and maintenance would cost a lot but about how much should I be expecting? iv been searching around and this is the number i got to guess but iono 4000 a year for insurance and 2000 a year for maintence...is that a good estimate? if it's more than that, i don't think i should really get one. should i just keep saving and buy a 335i and treat myself with a nicer one after college? or should i just go all out right now?""

""2012, 17 Year Old Insurance?""

Looking to pass my test in Feb. (3rd) And all threads and posts I have looked at are from 2010 or something. Just wondering what the best sort of car is for my age and insurance provider and any tips to lower my premium as the lowest I have come out with was with elephant.co.uk at 2900, third party fire and theft on a citroen ax. Which is above my budget... Any Clues Anyone ? Thanks""

What is the average deductable on car insurance?

What is the average deductable on car insurance?

""I need cheap car insurance, which company would be best?

I'm a freshman in college getting a car and I have a tight budget. Please help.

Can you be insured by more than one auto insurance company?

I am thinking of buying a car and currently I am under my dad's plan for his car. I want to have a different insurance company for my car. Would I need to go off of my dad's insurance policy for his car for this? I am thinking the only problem would occur would be if there was an incident that didn't involve the insured car itself but where my auto insurance would cover whatever it is (e.g. as a pedestrian I am hit by a car in a no fault state). Thanks

Does State Farm auto insurance round the GPA for good student discount?

I have a 2.998 GPA and need a 3.0 for good student discount. Will they round up to a 3.0?

Car insurance companies?

with low or 0% interest if paying monthly? is 8.5% too high or average? can they increase the interest or does it have to stay the same? does it matter if all your paying is 35 per month with interest? please help

Do I need public liability Insurance ?

We are starting a service that matches companies to website designers. Its an online service. Theoretically there could be issue between the companies meeting through our service. Would we require some sort of public liability insurance to cover us for such issues ? or maybe some other sort of insurance.? regards Ashley

Fully comp car insurance?

Hello wondering if I am covered to drive another car if we both have fully comp car insurance and if engine sizes have to match thanks

Car insurance spouse dui?

how can i get affordable car insurance after my spouse has DUI ? What if he choses to never get a license again? Do I have to kick him out so I can afford car insurance? I have a great driving record. HELP !!!!!!

What would be the car insurance group for a renault megane cabrio dymanique 1600cc?

I am selling my car and have been asked what insurance group it is please.

What is the cheapest auto insurance in california and can you please tell me the monthly rate for liability?

What is the cheapest auto insurance in california and can you please tell me the monthly rate for liability?

How much would insurance be for a 16 year old with a Honda Civic coupe?

I live in California and wanna know about how much the insurance would be

Affordable Health Insurance Florida Question:?

So I'm looking up affordable health insurance florida sites for more information. Found nothing useful so far. Can anyone help? I just need the best or most reliable site you can share.

Car Insurance in CA with AZ vehicle?

Ok so I have a multi part question. My dad is about to get his car reposed. He lives in Phoenix AZ and obviously bought the car there. Its not under his name yet cause hes still paying for it. So he wants me to take over the payments and give me the car. I live in Los Angeles. So my question is, can I get insurance here in Cali even though its a AZ car and its still under the peoples name? If not, he can get insurance there. Also, isn't there a period of time an out of state car can be here being out off state still? What should I do? I don't want to get all sorts of fines or tickets. Thanks in advance""

What is the cheapest car insurance for 25 year old female in Florida?

What is the cheapest car insurance for 25 year old female in Florida?

Health insurance?

if I wanted to buy my own health insurance (dental. medical, vision) not though my job. Where would i look online?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/budget-insurance-car-quote-frank-larson/"