#we make dinner together like every night. i stay at her apartment on weekends. she brought me flowers

[iloveyoumorethansoup]

So like technically I’m not dating her but yeah I think I do in fact have a girlfriend

[lady-ashfade]

Silly Darling

—£ Yan!Izuku Midoriya x Gn!Reader x Yan!Ochako Uraraka.

—£ In this the reader is used as They/them. They also live in a apartment and work as a waiter/waitress.

—£ Warnings: Stalking, Killing, Knifes, Blood, Possessive, Obsession, Short stories.

Deku & Ochako already have a relationship, secret to the public, but they stayed together through it all. They were in a rough patch of the relationship with all the work loud, nothing was threatening the relationship but it was hard for them. Pro hero life was stressful and they were working their way to get somewhere.

Then they finally have free time a whole weekend to themselves and they decided to go out for dinner at a restaurant. This is where you come in, their darling waiter! How you smiled at they and welcome them when they came in. You treated them normally and not like a fan.

You were attractive, so much that they fell for you instantly. The kindness you showed them was making them go crazy that it started to bug them when you didn’t make a big deal. Are they not popular enough? Don’t you know who that are?

“Me and girlfriend here are just off hero patrol, it’s our night off.” Deku replied when you asked if it was a special night.

“Oh, that’s amazing.” You hummed and smiles at them, not giving them enough praise for their liking. “You must be hungry then, should we get started?”

Oh boy did they never forget you. The moment they got in the car they both started to talk about you.

“They were too perfect, I mean I love you deku. But they- I don’t know.” She played with her thumb nervously in her seat.

“I understand what you mean. They’re too kind for their own good.”

They start to come in more to see you often and they sit in your section. It was a way to see you close and have you talk to them.

And not just from watching you from a window or following you home. No, this was your attention. Way better.

Having two pro hero’s follow you around is more scary then you think. They have train in not being seen, how to find someone and have many connections. So it’s easy for them to find out every detail of your life. You’re first day of school pictures, who your friends are and family, and your ex’s.

You hated the feeling you got in your apartment. The feeling of constantly being watched and no matter how many times you checked around you couldn’t find anything.

After a few weeks they ask you out while they get ready to leave the restaurant. Making you flustered that both of them want you but you say yes and run away, after giving them your number.

They are always texting you. About your day or their’s, if something reminds them of you, where you’d like to go out next. After the first date it is hard to get away from them. Next thing you know, you’re in the a relationship with them out of the blue. Even if you felt hesitant about it they convinced you.

Then the yandere behavior really starts to take over.

They are aways near you. They are either staying at your place or you over at theirs. They also start to control your time out without them and even if they are working. You start to see less and less of your friends and get less calls from your family. And they try to talk you into quitting your job since they have money to take care of you.

“Don’t look so sad darling,” she twisted her hair and leaned on your body, “You have us and you need no one less!” She chirped happily as you cried over missing your family.

Then you are stuck. They made you get fired and now staying at their place and aways sabotage your job interviews. Making them your only hope in having money.

It wasn’t until you saw them beating up a man that hit on you at the grocery store in the alleyway. Blood drilling from his mouth as they continued to hurt his limp cold body, making it send a shiver down your spin and a ill feeling in your stomach.

“Guys?” You call out and clinch your chest and take a step back in fear.

They turn to you with blood on their face and glowing red eyes, “Baby, we told you to wait inside.” You swallowed to try and restore the dryness in your throat. “Tsk tsk, never do as you’re told.” Ochako pulls the knife from his corpse.

“You guys are sick! I thought you were heroes?” Screaming you tear up and grow angry. “We are through, I can’t believe I ever-” your breath hitches when wind blows on your skin and you see green lightning flash in front of your eyes. A hand wraps around your mouth, and breath hit the base of your neck.

“Don’t be like that love. We just do what’s best for you, this man was disgusting and touched what belonged to us. It’s only fair he pays the price,” his other hands wrap’s around your hips and his lips give you a soft kiss on the upper neck. “You’re our doll after all. The others had what was coming to them, and so did he.”

The others….There were more? How many people have they killed. How long have you been dating murders. You saw the flags before but you didn’t think they were this crazy for you. How in the hell could you get out of this?

“Silly baby, you disobeyed us. When we get home you’re going in time out, even more because you saw this.” She cupped your cheek as you stare fearful at the girl you once loved.

“Don’t be afraid, doll. We would never hurt you.”

[creedslove]

HEARTLESS 💔 - PART SEVEN

Agent Whiskey (Jack Daniels x f!reader)

Summary: You and Jack have a real conversation for the first time and you find out he's more vulnerable than you thought

(This is the seventh chapter of the HEARTLESS 💔 series)

• PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX

Warnings: hurt, angst, hurt, angst, talk of past trauma, asshole!jack (but not really), mom!reader, and fluff because Wyatt is too cute

A/N: besties, I gotta confess 🥺 that I teared up writing this one, I don't know how you will all react, but my heart is broken for jack and reader 🥺

3.2k words

It was only evening when Wyatt finally showed signs of being tired. He loved Silver Pony so much and no matter if Jack showed him the other horses, he was hooked to your favorite girl, always clinging to her and stroking her soft fur. Silver Pony also enjoyed the affection, always hovering around the two of you gently, making your son giggle and reward both you and Jack with his sweet laughs. 

The cowboy didn't interfere, he just watched the two of you having fun, his mind wandering through his thoughts. For once, he didn't think of his late wife and their unborn son, instead, he kept thinking of you and Wyatt, wondering and picturing what life would be like if he hadn't made you go away, if he'd taken care of you while you were pregnant, he was sure you were glowing and looking gorgeous, he thought of what would it be like holding you at night, stroking your pregnant bump and talking to the baby in your womb. How he would shower you in presents and you two would get the baby's room ready together. He liked imagining taking care of Wyatt as a newborn, how he would probably be afraid of holding him and you would soothe him. You two would be so happy with your beautiful little family. He thought of all the celebrations and parties that could have happened on his ranch, your engagement dinner, your wedding party, Wyatt's first birthday and so on. It shattered his heart to think he had missed out on an entire life of happiness only because he was a bad person. 

He watched as the sun was setting and got up, gathering the basket and walking towards Silver Pony "I think we should head back, the sun is going down and Helen made us dinner…" he swallowed "it's your favorite sugar" he looked at you with his puppy eyes and you controlled the urge of rolling your own. It baffled you his ability of being a real dick and pretending nothing was happening, you were going to ignore what he said, but Wyatt smiled big "mommy happy?" He asked and you nodded, turning to Silver Pony "I'm very happy because I have you, my beautiful son, and also our gorgeous Silver Pony" she caressed down the mare's face and Wyatt whimpered as he couldn't reach it, so Jack quickly joined them, lifting him up and he imitated his mommy's gesture 

"I wove Silvew Pony… can we take hew home, mommy?" He tilted his head in such innocent way your chest tightened and you laughed softly at him "we can't fit her in our apartment baby, otherwise I'd love to take her with us, so for now she has to stay here" 

Wyatt pouted and nodded and then his face lit up as he had an amazing idea "can we wive hewe? With cowboy, mommy, Wyatt and Silvew Pony" he said happily and clapped his hands excitedly. Jack swallowed sadly and looked at you, you glanced back at him and licked your lips. As much as you wanted to punch him, you couldn't help but feel your lips tingling every time you remembered the kiss he forcefully imposed on you. 

"I would love for you and your mommy to live with me, big guy, but I think mommy likes the city, but you two are always welcome here, to spend the weekend or as long as you would like" he said and rubbed Wyatt's arm, seeing his skin was cold and they should probably get back inside. 

"Y/N… Wyatt is a little cold…" he said as he gently placed his big hand on your arm, startling you as you didn't expect his warm touch. "You're cold too. Here…" he told you, carefully handing you Wyatt as he took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around your body. 

You didn't say much as Wyatt snuggled you, clinging to your body and yawning as your warmth spread through his body. You also tried not paying attention to Jack's scent lingering all over it. It smelled like pine, a little bit of cologne, whiskey and him. It used to be your favorite smell in the whole world, but now it only left shattered pieces of your heart behind. You nuzzled Wyatt's curls and kissed his forehead, making him giggle as you two rushed inside as Jack stayed behind to take Silver Pony back into the stable. 

Helen greeted you at the door, you knew Saturdays evenings she went back to her home and would only come back on Monday, she was ready to go, but not without showering Wyatt and kisses and hugging you tight, telling you once again how happy she was to see you and how she wished you would come more often to visit them, you nodded and said goodbye, feeling happy to have seen the woman and placed Wyatt down. You took off Jack's jacket just in time to see him walk through the door and handed it back to him "thank you" you said in a low voice and turned to your son "now you're gonna get a nice warm shower, okay? So we can have yummy dinner" she told him, but he pouted and hugged his dad's legs, who knelt in front of him and stroked his cheek "mommy is right, buddy, you gotta do what she says, it's time for shower because no one likes a smelly cowboy" he winked and tickled his tummy making his son laugh. 

You nodded, surprised at Jack's reinforcement as you expected low of him after he displayed his true character towards you so many times. You just assumed he would always take the easy road in order to be Wyatt's favorite, but it was good he knew you should work as a team and not as rivals. 

You took Wyatt back to the guest bedroom you'd be having through the night as you would help him shower in the bathroom. He was excited to put on his horses PJs after showering, so he could show his cowboy friend how much of a cowboy himself he was. You chuckled, finding it amusing while Wyatt already got undressed by himself and got under the shower wanting to be over with it as soon as possible; though you tried starting it, no stream of water came out and you sighed, as you had no idea how to fix it, you wrapped a towel around your son and went to the stairs, calling Jack so he could assist you. He ran up the stairs as quickly as possible, excitement rushed through his veins as you were addressing him "what's wrong?" He licked his bottom lip and watched you intently

"Shower's not working" you informed him and he nodded and followed you into the bathroom. Wyatt giggled as he saw the cowboy, he shyly hid under his mommy still in his towel, waiting patiently while Jack took a look at things. 

"Seems like this cowboy will have to shower somewhere else and you too sugar. You can take the bathroom in my bedroom, you know where it is and you can use the tub as well" he said with an excited smile at Wyatt "how's that buddy? Would you like to be a water cowboy tonight?" He cooed at Wyatt who nodded excitedly "pwease mommy, i want to pway watew cowboy" he pouted and you agreed, heading towards Jack's bedroom - the one that used to be yours too. 

"I'll warm up dinner while you bathe him, sugar, unless you want my help…" he offered but you quickly dismissed. 

After Wyatt had a blast in Jack's tub and begged you to brush your hair to the side just like the cowboy's, the three of you had dinner together. Helen had been so kind to make your favorite dish, along with some nuggets for your son, who enjoyed every second of it completely oblivious to the tension between you and his daddy. 

Wyatt didn't take long to fall asleep on the couch after the amount of fun and activities he had during the week. He was so happy and enjoyed every single minute of the day and, though Jack sighed a little disappointed as he saw him already fast asleep

"I wanted to show him the bedroom I set up for him… Y/N please, I want Wyatt to keep coming here, you too, of course, so you can visit Helen and Silver Pony, but I know you hate my guts so I won't force you to come any longer, but I want my son around" he said as he sat on the edge of the couch and caressed his hair gently. 

"Why did you come back after so long? I don't understand… I know you've been providing us with money here and there and that you also watched us from afar, but why now?" 

You saw how tense Jack got as he looked down and took a deep breath, ready to speak but then changed his mind as Wyatt whimpered in his dream "this ain't something we should talk about in front of a kid, Y/N… go relax, take your shower and I'll tell you later" he said firmly and very gently picked up Wyatt, asking you to follow him down the hallway where he stood next to a door, which you remembered really well it was another guest bedroom, but apparently Jack had made it into Wyatt's room. He waited for you to open the door as his own hands were busy with your son and your heart warmed at how beautifully he had it made. 

It was of course, all farm themed, with paintings on the wall, all kinds of animal plushies and matching furniture. You knew your son would go crazy once he saw it and you couldn't help tearing up at how thoughtful that place was. Even if things were ruined between you and Jack, maybe he could be a good father after all. 

He covered Wyatt gently and pecked his forehead, turning to you and giving you another sad smile "you should go shower now, we can talk in a little while" 

                           •••

Jack waited for you to exit the bathroom in his master room with a glass of scotch in hands and sitting down in the armchair. He felt anxious at the same time he wanted to get things done with you as soon as possible. He knew you deserved the truth, as well as his apologies though he was sure you wouldn't actually accept them, still he had to try. He wanted his son around and he could only get it if you could stand him at least a little, because even if he had blackmailed you, he didn't want to bring lawyers into the game, he didn't want to take things to the court and cause you and Wyatt more distress. He hoped he could make things civil between the two of you and he knew the way of getting into it was being honest with you. 

He could hear the shower running and wondered why you hadn't bathed in the tub, as you loved doing it and very often invited him to join in with you. He felt a wave of lust hitting him, as he thought of all the time you'd spent there together, how you touched each other's bodies, your lips on him, your taste in his mouth, he was so happy and wasn't even aware that would end some day. 

He was so caught up in his thoughts he barely noticed the shower went completely silent and a few minutes later, you opened the door and walked out only in your underwear, completely unaware of him at first. He gasped and felt his mouth getting dry, not expecting such a beautiful sight for his sore eyes, he licked his lips and wasn't sure if he should make his presence known, though his presence was completely explicit as he was sat there a few meters from you, under the bright lights, you were just too distracted, and he knew exactly what had caught your attention: the picture frame he had in one of his shelves. It was you and Wyatt, on his first birthday. 

You didn't know how you missed it the first time you'd been into his bedroom earlier, taking your son to be bathed, but now you saw it: it was a picture of you and him. You didn't know how Jack managed to get his hands on that picture, but it was also quite shocking as you analyzed the rest of the furniture and the wall and you didn't find any pictures of his late wife. Why did he keep your pictures and not hers? It was another Jack Daniels mystery you weren't sure you wanted to find out. 

You knew you would have to put up some clothes and find him, he managed to make you curious and you didn't know until what extent he needed to tell you something serious or if it was one of his games, but once you turned away and walked to his bed to get the clothes you'd left there, you finally spotted him in the armchair. Your heart nearly stopped at the sight of him there, you didn't expect to see Jack and he looked almost as shocked as you did, not believing you were flashing him your body like that. 

"Fuck Jack, what are you doing here?" You raised your voice at him, anger and embarrassment formed a wave inside of you, as you immediately grabbed your towel and covered yourself. 

He swallowed hard and finished his whiskey, looking embarrassed himself and rubbed the back of his neck "I didn't know you would come out of the shower without clothes, well, technically you're covering your… body" he said choosing his words carefully "but I thought you'd be fully dressed and well, you look gorgeous, even better than what I remembered, if it makes you feel any better. 

You scoffed at him and shook your head 

"Gorgeous? You said I looked rough this morning, Jack… you don't have to pity me. Besides, don't forget you're older than me and with the way you drink, you can start kissing your pretty face goodbye real soon, so you will definitely look rougher than me" you spat at him, not caring if that was pretty at all. You caught a hint of hurt in his eyes and that made you feel really proud even if it shouldn't have, but he immediately shook his head and stared at you. 

"I deserved that" he chuckled dryly "but I didn't mean that, and I also didn't mean anything bad I told you before… I am a dick I know, but I knew you hated my guts after I made you leave and I thought to myself it would be easier for me if I just pushed you away, you hate me Y/N and you got all the right to do so, and I thought it would be less painful if I forced myself to believe I hated you too, maybe if I tried hard enough, I'd stop loving you and it would be easier to handle your rejection" he said feeling ashamed and looked down. 

You sat in the other armchair, the towel covering your body as you listened to his words 

"You don't look rough at all, you're as gorgeous as you were the day you walked out of my life, Y/N, you're not a bitch, and I won't get any lawyers, I promise you" he said with a small voice "I've been hurting you so you hate me more, because I will never be worthy of your love again, I lost you, but I don't wanna lose my kid, Y/N, please" he said honestly and watched as you just had a hard expression on your face 

"You know Jack, the first time I saw you, I was already head over heels, you were on a mission and I had no idea, but I saw you approaching that woman and throwing your charm and she refused you. It was kind of funny, but all I could think of was that if it were me, it would've worked, you would have me wrapped around your finger…" you said "and only at the end of the night you saw me… and then when we started dating, I found out you'd been married before, and that's the problem with you, I'm always your second option, and I will always be" you shrugged "it hurts… to know I'm not the woman that's on your mind, that whenever we do something special to know you are thinking of how much you'd like to do with her instead… I don't want my son to grow up knowing he is only here because you couldn't have your first option… I don't want him to feel he has to compete with a ghost, because that's how I felt… that's even how I feel Jack, because do you even hear yourself? You would never do this to your wife…. You would never try to push her away by being cruel like you are, if it were her, you would get on your knees and beg for her forgiveness" you said and got up walking to his bed and getting your clothes. You didn't want to talk to him anymore, you were tired of being that hurt, as you tried leaving, he got up and held you by your wrist, firmly, making it clear you were only leaving that place when he wanted you to 

"The reason why I wanted you and my son back in my life, is because I was shot on my last mission. I tried sabotaging the mission, but the other agent got suspicious and shot me. They took me back to Statesman and Ginger fixed me right, but she still needed to trigger my memory, so she showed me a picture of my wife, God bless her soul, and nothing happened" he licked his lips and stared into your eyes "so Ginger decided to show me a picture of you and Wyatt, and that was when everything came back all at once. Us, our relationship, our life here on the ranch. I was able to relive my memories once more, and when I got back to my senses, Champ forced me into therapy, and you know what the therapist concluded?" Your jaw dropped the moment you saw Jack had tears in his eyes, you had never seen him show that kind of emotion, he was really good at controlling his feelings and he didn't show that kind of vulnerability in front of anyone. You realized he'd asked you a question and as you swallowed hard, you shook your head, answering him. 

"The therapist said I replaced one grief with another; I finally let my first wife and son rest in peace and I was grieving the loss of you and Wyatt, because I couldn't handle the guilt of making you two go away, but he reminded me you two were very much alive and I didn't want to waste any more time, I just knew I wanted my family back, and that's why I beg you for a second chance, sugar"

_____

A/N: besties, I hope you have liked this chapter and let me know your thoughts, does this cowboy deserve a second chance?

[rustedhearts]

Turn Me Loose (Steve Harrington x Fem!reader)

summary: steve has a hard time committing—you have a hard time letting him go.

uses she/her pronouns and female anatomy.

♡ all out 80s: short fics based off 80s hit classics ♡ based off the song ‘turn me loose’ by loverboy

warnings: infidelity, loveless relationship (on steve's part), angst, break-up.

w.c: 2.2k

hawkins, indiana august 1987

Before you, Steve had a reputation.

Golden-boy, stellar athlete, peaked-in-high-school Steve Harrington was constantly surrounded by women. They rotated through the passenger seat of his BMW like a revolving door. Caroline on Monday, Heather on Wednesday, Natalie for the weekend. Word spreads quickly in a tiny town like Hawkins, and in no time, Steve Harrington became Hawkins' resident man whore.

But then he met you—and for the first time, he was hooked. He stopped going out of his way to chat up other girls at the mall, started calling you once a day. He was eager to take you out to dinner, overjoyed by every kiss and minuscule affection. There was something so enticing about you, and every moment spent with you felt like electricity in his veins.

At the five month marker, you decided to move in together—a small apartment on the outskirts of town. You fell into a normal routine, maneuvering around each other in the kitchen, falling asleep in each other's arms. You spent nearly every moment together, and it only took a few weeks of constant attention for Steve to feel suffocated. He quickly realized that your glittery charm wasn't enough to keep him satisfied.

It lasted a year before he cheated.

The first whiff of infidelity had you crumbling. Steve started coming home late, stopped answering the phone when you called him at work. His friends assured you he was just busy, stressed with the new role he took on at work as manager. But you could see it in the strained pull of their smiles—they knew, just as well as you did, that he was being unfaithful.

He came home one night drenched in sickeningly sweet perfume with lipgloss smeared on his collar, and you broke down. You spent hours screaming at each other, throwing anything in your reach at his stupid pretty face. He slept on the couch, and you cried yourself to sleep.

The next morning, he crawled into bed with you and wiped your face clean.

"Baby...baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid. I just...I don't know how to have a girlfriend, honey. I love you, you know I love you. I'm just not good at all this."

He promised it was the first and last time. A stupid mistake. He'd never make it again. He'd be better now. And you swore that if you heard he was unfaithful again, you'd pack your bags and be out of the house before he could even beg you to stay.

Steve lied.

But so did you.

♡ ♡

"Hi, honey."

You came flouncing into the room dressed for work, pencil skirt neatly ironed and blouse buttoned to the collar. You breezed past Steve at the kitchen island, hunched over a bowl of cereal, stopping only to press a kiss to his cheek. His reply came in the form of metal against porcelain, his spoon clanking into the bowl.

You pulled a mug from the cabinet and reached for the coffee pot, glancing at him over your shoulder with a raised brow.

"You okay?"

Steve's eyes barely flickered your way as he hummed, eyes empty and face blank. "Yep."

You swallowed, putting the coffee back. After a small sip of the bitter drink, you leaned back against the counter and flashed him a small smile.

"I was thinking we could have dinner together tonight after work? I'll cook—"

"—M' goin' out with Eddie."

Your cheeks warmed, heart sinking. You placed your coffee mug down and cleared your throat.

"Oh. Okay...I'll see you after then?"

Steve huffed, brushing his ruffled hair out of his eyes. "Maybe."

You smoothed your hands over your skirt, looking at anything but the bored expression on his face.

"Okay...have a good day, honey," you cooed, crossing the kitchen to stop next to his stool and press another kiss to his cheek.

He tipped his head away, and you pulled back with a frown.

"I love you."

Steve flashed a tight-lipped, toothless grin. "Mhm, you too."

You stomped down the stairs to the parking lot and slammed your car door closed, willing hot tears away before they soiled your makeup. Steve had been like this for weeks now. He was there, but he acted like it was inconvenience to him. His annoyance was always a little too evident. You wished he'd try a little harder to hide it, or at least keep it tucked away until he went out with Eddie Munson. You knew every time they 'went out,' it was to pick up girls at The Hideout and complain about you.

But all you did was love him. Why couldn't he see that?

Back in the apartment, Steve shoved his head into his hands at the kitchen island. His cereal was soggy, his head was pounding, and the kitchen still smelled like your perfume. It was the same one you'd been wearing for years, and it used to make Steve woozy and lovesick. Now, it just made him plain sick.

You were gorgeous, no doubt. Sweet, funny, loving, and kind—but Steve just didn't love you. He wasn't sure he ever really did. But you were always there, promising him happiness and looking at him like he was the best thing in the world. You fueled his ego, at least for a little while.

Now, it wasn't enough. He was bored. And no matter how many times he cheated, how many times he left you waiting or wondering, no matter how many times he flaked on plans you'd had for months—you always stayed. He didn't know how else to drive you away.

"She just won't break up with me," Steve groaned to Eddie that night.

They were sitting at a sticky, wobbly wooden table at The Hideout. The crowd was sporadic, the hour still a little too early for most. But Steve's beer glass was already half empty, and two shots had already been thrown back. Eddie chewed on a toothpick and rolled his eyes.

"Crazy idea, Harrington," he droned, tearing the took pick from his mouth, "why don't you just break up with her?"

Steve winced and grimaced, gazing down at his frothy beer. He gave his glass a shake on the table, sloshing it around.

"I can't. I can't do that to her."

Eddie shook his head, reaching over to punch Steve's arm. "Oh, sure you can, champ."

Steve pushed him away, eyes drooping.

"Eddie, I'm serious, I can't."

Eddie leaned his elbow against the table, cupping his hand over his forehead. His patience for dealing with his best friend's relationship had been wearing thin for a while now.

"You dip into a new pussy every night, but you can't cut this girl loose?"

Steve's cheeks burned at the admission, but he concealed it with the rim of his beer glass, gulping down the tangy liquid eagerly. He slammed the empty glass down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I don't want to hurt her."

For a moment, it was quiet, the void filled only by the low hum of the jukebox playing a KISS song—until Eddie cackled so loud heads turned. Steve's own snapped up to glare at his friend, who had fallen into a hunched over fit of laughter.

"Alright, shut up," Steve scowled, scratching at his hair.

Eddie clutched his stomach, gasping in air.

"You cheat on this girl regularly, shove it in her face, but can't break up with her be-because you don't want to...hurt her?"

Eddie giggled again, waving his hands as if in a plead to make Steve stop amusing him, but the latter could only glare at his friend across the table.

"Oh, now that is rich, Harrington," Eddie chuckled.

Steve snatched a pretzel from the bowl between them and gnawed on it anxiously. He looked off toward the bar, where a familiar long-legged redhead perched on a stool. She waggled her fingers at him, a sideways smile painted on her red lips. Steve sighed, shoving the rest of the pretzel in his mouth.

"I gotta break up with her, don't I?"

Eddie eased back into his chair, following Steve's line of sight toward the redhead. Eddie crossed his arms, head shaking again slowly.

"Someone's gotta put an end to this shit."

Steve tore his eyes away from the girl, nodding in agreement toward his friend. He motioned toward the tequila shot sitting in front of Eddie.

"You gonna drink that?"

Eddie held his hands up in surrender, and Steve quickly snatched the glass and threw it back. He groaned at the sting, stood to his feet, and clapped Eddie on the shoulder.

"Thanks, buddy. I'll see you later, yeah?"

Eddie opened his mouth for a reply, but Steve was already off. Eddie watched him stagger toward the pretty girl at the bar, and snickered when she immediately began to giggle as he leaned against the bar beside her.

"Stupid bastard," Eddie muttered.

♡ ♡

That weekend, Eddie hosted a party at his trailer. You always tagged along with Steve when Eddie had a party, and tonight was no different. You sat on the bathroom sink and smudged eyeliner on your lash line, mouth hanging open as you applied mascara. You called to Steve to toss you your lipgloss on the dresser, and when he came into the bathroom to hang it to you, he paused in the doorway.

"What?" you asked, turning to take it from him.

He shrugged, head shaking. "Nothin'. You look pretty, s' all."

You broke into a smile, heart thumping hard in your chest. He hadn't given you a compliment in a while. Steve realized, as you thanked him sweetly and giggled to yourself, that he hadn't seen you smile in a while, either.

He trudged into the living room to wait for you with a lump in his throat.

At the party, Steve excused himself to get a drink, and immediately cornered Eddie in the kitchen.

"I'm doing it tonight," he declared quickly.

Eddie pushed Steve back by the shoulders, tossing him a look. He dipped into the cooler on the counter and pulled out a beer for Steve.

"Doing what?"

"Breaking up with her."

Eddie tossed his head back with an incredulous groan. "Dude, seriously? Don't fuck up my party with your drama."

Steve snatched the beer in his hand and scowled. "I'm not gonna fuck up your party, man. Just don't let any of the hot chicks leave. Thanks, buddy."

Eddie glared at the back of Steve's head as he rushed off, shaking his head to himself again. What a tool.

You were waiting for Steve in the living room, smile slipping when he came back with only one beer. Seeing the change in expression, he handed it off to you.

"You didn't want one?"

Steve shrugged. "I'll get one later."

You accepted the sweating bottle gingerly, flashing a smile. You hated beer, and after over a year together, you figured Steve would've remembered. But it was the thought that counts.

"Thanks, honey."

Steve sank down beside you on the small couch, hands clasped together dangling over his knees. You took a tiny sip from the bottle and winced, clearing your throat to combat the taste. Steve ran a hand through the front of his hair, scratching at it frantically. You frowned, reaching over to rub his shoulder.

"You okay, Stevie?"

Steve sighed, hooking his chin over his shoulder to look at you. Just one last time, he wanted to look at you and know you were his. His heart squeezed at your eyes blinking up at him, your lips pouty and glossed. He felt terrible, but it wasn't right. He couldn't let this go on.

"Actually, can we go talk somewhere? Just us?"

You pulled your hand away, searching his eyes. They were softer than you'd seen in a long time, round and doe-like. He looked sad.

"Yeah, okay."

He took your hand to guide you toward the hall. His touch was soft and warm, and you could only peer at your intertwined fingers longingly as he pulled you into Eddie's room. Steve gently nudged you toward the bed, and as you sank down onto the edge and watched him pace, you suddenly knew exactly what he was going to say.

Steve's hands found his hips, head hanging toward the floor to watch his feet stride back and forth. You sighed, pulling at the soggy beer label with your fingernail.

"I know what you're gonna say, Steve."

Steve came to a halt, eyes wide on your deflated figure.

"You do?"

You nodded, grinning solemnly. "Yeah, honey. Yeah, I know."

Steve sighed, and when he sank to his knees in front of you on the carpet, he felt like the world's biggest loser.

"We should've done it a long time ago, baby. I just...I can't be anybody's boyfriend, you know? I don't know how to...be good to you."

You nodded, and this time your smile was sarcastic. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Your fingers were cold and damp as they swept across his forehead, brushing his hair aside. For the first time, you could see the guilt wading in those big hazel eyes. It seemed in that moment, Steve realized what he had all along.

"Good luck, Steve. I hope this makes you happier."

But it was too late. Slumped on his knees, Steve watched you walk out the door, and never look back.

[thehandthatleads02]

can you describe what a typical day looks like for you and your girls?

I'm always up first, usually around 5:30. mercy's a heavy sleeper so she doesn't wake up, but she is sensitive to light so I keep them low. softgirl has her own room because she is a very sensitive sleeper, but even then I do my best to stay quiet as I get ready for work. (TBH, I think I wake her up every morning but she's too polite to tell me). I am out of the apartment before either of the girls wake up and off to work.

mercy wakes up after me and gets herself to work. She's not much of a morning person so her mornings are a little slow, but I do encourage her to edge before work. She doesn't always have the energy, but we are working on ways to make that easier. She's started transitioning to a hybrid work from home, so that adjusts the schedule a bit. (I also work from home two days most weeks). softgirl is usually the last up, she has a fairly involved morning routine she does most days. Getting ready for work, getting her morning Overwatch game in, getting food. (if it's a good day). She typically gets to her store to open around 11:30, and fortunately it is close enough she can walk.

I'm usually off around 4, and if softgirl doesn't close that day she's usually ready to be picked up by the time I get to the store. Once we get home I make sure she gets a shower, get her dried off, and I pick out one of my shirts to wear for the evening. (She gets grumpy if I forget this.)

mercy is typically home by 6, and whoever is responsible for dinner that night will cook. We eat dinner on the couch, and we have to have something on the TV because softgirl can't handle the sound of people eating. After dinner we usually play a video game together, for a long time that was Overwatch but lately it is branched out to Borderlands and some other stuff.

Around 8 we pile on to the couch to snuggle and watch TV. The girls get grumpy if they don't get good snuggle time. Lately we have been going through The Legend of Korra, but we watch a lot of Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen too.

Around 9 we usually get ready for bed, and then snuggle together in my room for a bit. This is usually tiktok time. When softgirl gets tired she heads to her room for bed, and I usually make sure the door is locked, the lights are out, and softgirl has water to drink overnight.

There's some variation in there depending on softgirl's schedule, if I have to work late, if mercy has her yarn club, but that's the general gist. We try to do something fun together on the weekends, Sunday is the only day we are all off work right now.

I imagine none of this sounds exciting or terribly sexy, I imagine most people picture regular orgies, lots of Dominance and submissive procedures, or perhaps a lot of edging. To be perfectly honest, life gets in the way. This week I am trying to buy a new car, get taxes done, get some pictures hanged on the wall... We have a vacation coming up in a few months we have to plan, we're trying to buy a house this year.... It's all really much more normal that most people assume.

There is a lot more I want to do. I fit in more where I can. I'm trying to build a streaming channel over on twitch and youtube so we can get some extra income in, give us some more options. (That's the shameless plug, follow those channels from my pinned post to see my non-kink content) I'd love if both of my girls didn't have to work, but right now the finances just don't work that way.

I want to help softgirl manage her chronic pain and her stress. I want to help mercy be a better bimbo and handle her stress better. I want my girls to be happy. There is so much I want to do, but for now I am making my plans one step at a time.

Not sure that was the answer the anon was asking for, but that's what life looks like at the moment.

[phenomenalgirl9]

Comfort: Kwon Soonyoung x Reader

I'm ready to love, 내게 말해 줘

Can we stay together? Can we stay together?

Soonyoung has been very busy for the past few months and it’s nothing out of normal but you do feel lonely at times. So you have also been taking up more work load to kind of fill the void. You and him still text every moment of the day though. You were kind of shocked when you returned home to Soonyoung making Ramen for the two of you. “You’re home?” he said with the cutest smile and you wanted to squish his cheeks. “Hey, baby” you cooed at your boyfriend. “You go get freshen up and we can eat” he said and you nodded. The two of you finally sat down to have dinner together after a long time and like always conversation flowed like a river. “How was your day?” “Did your boss give you a hard time” “The weather is really getting cold” “Did you see that video I sent you”. Suddenly you remembered something and you told Soonyoung, “Soonie I won’t be there this weekend, we have a conference in Busan so I’ll be leaving on Friday and I’ll be back by Sunday evening” you said and Soonyoung’s face fell. “I-I thought we’d spend the weekend together” he said with a pout, “It’s okay work is important” he immediately said and stood up to clean the table and you helped him. You didn't think much of it. You had to do packing as you were leaving the next day. 

It was Saturday evening when Mingyu opened the door to a pouty Hoshi. “Hoshi hyung, are you okay?” Mingyu asked as Hoshi simply walked in and took a seat on his and Wonwoo’s couch. “Wait I’ll get Wonu hyung” Mingyu said and pulled the Game boi out of his den. “What happened Hoshiya?” He asked. “I brought drinks and snacks” he said and the three sat down with their glasses discussing their daily life and anything and everything in general. They were 3 pegs down when Mingyu realized that Hoshi is in fact very upset and he seemed to be lost in thoughts as Wonwoo told them about the new update in animal crossing. Wonwoo noticed it too, “Soonyoung-ah, are you okay?” he asked and the tiger boy started sniffing and tears started rolling down. “Y/n and I are drifting apart” he said, “Where is she? Weren’t you going to spend the weekend with her” Wonwoo asked, completely invested. “Yes, but-but she’s in Busan. What if she doesn’t love me anymore?” He cried into Mingyu’s shoulder. “Did she say something?” Wonwoo asked and Hoshi shook his head no. “Did she know your plan?” Mingyu asked and Hoshi again answered a no. “Then how could you come to this conclusion, dummy” Mingyu said and Hoshi sat there pouting. “When will she return?” Wonwoo asked, “Tomorrow evening” he said, “Then you talk to her when she returns” and the three decided to call it a night. Mingyu went on to cook something, as Wonwoo told him to call when he’s done, while Hoshi was lying down on the couch. 

It was around 8 and Seungcheol was about to call it a day and sleep early when he received a call. “What?” he said, “What do you mean you lost Hoshi!” he said and left his shared apartment, closing the door, leaving a very confused KKuma, waiting for him. “Should we call Y/n?” Seungkwan said and Wonwoo shook his head a No. “She’s out of town, let's call her when we’re sure we can’t find him anywhere” he suggested and the others agreed. “Why isn’t he picking up the calls!” Seungcheol said in frustration. 

You just returned to your room after the dinner and sat on your bed, ‘Mingyu calling…’ you looked at the time, it was past 10:30pm “Hello?” you answered the call and you heard his voice. “Umm.. Y/n, did Hoshi hyung contact you?” he asked and you said “No. Why?” you asked. “Um.. we were drinking and he was drunk, and we kinda might have lost him” Mingyu said and you stood up. “YOU LOST MY BOYFRIEND! Mingyu IT’S A HUMAN BEING, that TOO DRUNK!” you exclaimed, when your phone indicated another incoming call. “Wait a second Mingyu”. You received the call “Soonie?” you said and you heard his voice “Baby…. I-I’m so sorry….” You heard his voice which appeared to be a crying one. “Babe, where are you?” you asked. “…in the Busan station” he said. “You don’t move an inch, I’ll go find you” you said, and hung up. You immediately called back Mingyu “He’s here in Busan” you informed them as all of them sighed in relief. You took a cab and rushed into the station as soon as the car came to a halt. You found him sitting with his head down on a bench and you rushed and hugged him, he immediately hugged your waist. “Babe! I would have returned tomorrow, why did you rush in this situation and that too without telling anybody” You told him and he was mumbling something. You shot Mingyu a quick “found him” text. “Babe? Are you okay?” you asked as you watched him sitting silently with his head down. Suddenly he almost jumps you and hugs your bed and starts sniffing loudly. “Babe, why are you crying?” you asked and he started sobbing loudly. You know Hoshi gets emotional when he is drunk but this seems a bit different. “Please don’t leave me” he suddenly said and then you realized what Wonwoo meant by that text “He thinks you two are drifting apart”

“Babe, are you crazy? I’d never leave you” you said, bending down to his level and cupping his face. “I am so sorry that I didn’t realize that I was hurting you” you said and he shook his head vigorously “No. It’s not your fault! I’m so sorry” he said and hugged you again. 

That was when you realized, Hoshi always needed your comfort. It doesn’t matter who or what hurt him. Even if it’s you, he still needs to be comforted by YOU. 

----------------------------------------------------

You laughed as Hoshi opened his eyes, groaned and shut them again. “Wake up tiger, we’re gonna spend the day together” you told him as you stood beside the bed where he was lying down. He immediately wrapped his arm around you and pulled you into him. “I missed you. I’m sorry” he murmured. “I love you too, my Horangi” you said and pecked his lips. “HORANGHAE!” he screamed and the two of you started laughing. 

All I wanna do is run away 'cause you are my escape,

Love has no limit 대답을 원해, hey

----------------------------------------------------

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[rayslittlekitten]

Let It Out

“Dad Will” Masterlist

A/N: So, I kinda want to wrap this arc up and it was tricky in how to navigate this into a direction I wanted to go but I think it mostly turned out the way I wanted.

Rating: E (18+ ONLY)

Word Count: ~2,032

Pairing: Dad!Will x Wife F!Reader

Plot: You and Will have a bit of a breakthrough.

Contains: hurt/comfort, angst, make up/angry quickie sex, face slapping, lots of yelling and shoving, Will taking a lot of shit from his wife

When you get home after a long day at work, happy that it’s Friday so you have the next few days off, you kick off your shoes and start unwinding. You notice that the house seems a bit quiet. Too quiet. 

“Hello? Lucy? Will?”

You make your way through the house and find your husband in the kitchen.

“Hey!” Will greets. “Why don’t you settle down? Dinner’s gonna take a little while longer. You want something to drink?”

“Hey. Where’s Lucy?” you ask him as you look around.

“I dropped her off at Benny's. She’s gonna stay over there for the weekend,” he replies.

“Uh… when did we decide that?” you cross your arms while turning your attention to him.

“We didn’t. I made that call.”

“You should have run it by me first. We always make a decision together when it comes to her,” you huff.

“It’s just Benny,” he shrugs. “She’s gonna spend all weekend with Gary and we get to have time and space to ourselves.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Okay, do you want me to go pick Lucy up and bring her home?” he asks calmly.

“For what? She’s already there, probably having the time of her life getting into trouble with Gary. Why would you take that away from her?”

“Okay, do you want a glass of wine while waiting for dinner to be done?“ he offers again, ignoring the snarky question.

“I got it,” you answer while heading over to pour yourself a glass.

The table is already set with a brand new bottle of red in the middle. You pop it open and pour yourself a healthy serving.

“Do you want a cup?” you ask him before taking a big gulp of your own.

“I’ll have some after I’m done, but thank you. How was work?” he asks as he pops something into the oven, changing subjects.

“Very long day,” you simply answer, swirling your cup as you lean back against the table.

“I’m sorry you had a long day. I can give you a foot massage later if you want,” he offers. ”Hope a little wining and dining will help you unwind. We haven’t had a date night in a while.”

“Well, who’s fault is that?” you jab.

Will lets out a heavy sigh.

For the last few months, you’ve admittedly been lashing out at him and he’s been taking all of it without any resistance or push back. There've been some good days but a lot of bad. Each day surprises both you and Will. Turns out things only appeared to be better when you both were apart because you were able to compartmentalize it. Out of sight, out of mind. But you’re both now finding out that there’s a lot more work than you thought that’s needed. 

You hate the person you’ve become towards Will but you don’t know how to let it all go. Despite the fact Will has been putting in effort and showing he’s not just completely committed, but also prioritizing you and Lucy, the betrayal and resentment has festered inside you. He’s kept a simple routine and accounted for every second of his day. If he’s not at home, he’s at work. If he’s not at either, he’s running errands including picking up and dropping Lucy off at school or practice. He’s even put a hold on hanging out with the guys, especially considering they kept the secret close to their chests as well. Around Lucy, you’re civil with Will, but when you’re alone, it can go either way.

“I’m trying to do something nice for you - for us. Can we please try to have a nice time this weekend?” he pleads.

“I can try, but I can’t make any promises,” you shrug.

“Can we please not do this?”

“You think I’m enjoying this? You think I want to feel like this? This, this… ugly feeling inside me? This bitterness and hate?”

“No, and I don’t either,” he shakes his head.

“That you’re not enjoying this or you don’t think I am?” you ask with a curious head tilt.

“Okay, we need to really sit down and figure this out,” he declares. “What do you need from me to make this okay again? For you to fully trust me again?” he asks, stepping closer to you. 

"I don’t know,” you shrug again. “You got us into this mess, you figure it out. I'm still figuring out if I'm more angry at you for lying to me or for you selfishly doing what you did. Was it for the thrill? Was it all your hopes and dreams?"

"No, ma'am." Will shakes his head and drops his eyes down to his feet. He's not sure if those were rhetorical questions or not, but answered anyway. His subordination instincts kicked in.

“Are… are Lucy and I not good enough for you that —“

Will frantically shakes his head. 

“-that you needed to do something that would risk what you already have? With me? With Lucy? Was it worth it?”

“You and Lucy are enough. More than enough. I promise you. I know I made a huge, huge mistake and you don’t even know how much I regret it. You and Lucy are the two most important things to me. I know I royally fucked up. I said I will do whatever it takes even if it means I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you and Lucy, but I also need to know how I can make this right.”

He knows he deserves everything that you’ve been throwing at him, but it’s wearing him down a bit. He’s been walking on eggshells around you and every time it feels like he’s taking one step forward, you push him two steps back. The guilt still weighs heavy inside him and knows these things take time, but he’s tried nearly everything under the sun to try to fix this and he’s running out of ideas. If there isn’t any progression this weekend, marriage counseling might be the next step.

“Do you regret doing it or regret getting caught?”

“Of course I regret doing it,” he answers. “Even if you never found out.”

When you were still naive about what was going on, Will was more affectionate and needy. At the time, you admittedly enjoyed the extra attention and Lucy clearly did as well, always wanting to be around her father, but once you understood where it came from, it made you question everything he ever did.

“Sometimes I really wish I never found out.” 

For a second, you go back to the moment you accidentally saw the text messages on his phone and your heart breaks all over again. 

“As they say, ignorance is bliss,” you throw him a forced smile and take another sip of your wine. “But instead, here we are, just… I don’t even know what we’re doing anymore. Every time I see your face, I-”

You pause to put your glass of wine down on the table and to take a deep breath, taking a moment to keep your threatening tears at bay.

“I don’t know whether I want to hug you or punch you. I’m happy for Lucy that you’re here, but I’m also scared that at any time, we could lose you just like that,” you snap your fingers. “Because of something so stupid that you did! That’s why I’m so fucking pissed at you! So much so that sometimes I just wanna…ARGH!” A loud guttural noise escapes you as your hands crush the invisible objects you’re holding.

“You wanna take it all out on me? Go right ahead.”

“What?” you ask, confused.

“Get it all out now. Hell, if it makes you feel better, hit me, slap me. I don’t care,” he spreads his arms, offering himself.

“You think that’s going to fix all this?” you scoff.

“I’m just about ready to try anything right now, even if it gets us just a tiny bit closer to repairing this.”

“Is that your fucking solution?”

You push yourself off the edge of the table and shove Will, knocking him off balance a step back and he goes back to the same position he was before, unaffected by your move. 

“If I told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?”

You shove him harder and his reaction is the same.

“If it meant you having absolutely no autonomy, would it be worth it? Huh? Is that the life you want?”

Each time you shove him, he returns to his previous position, stepping back up in front of you, ready for the next move. It frustrates you more that he’s just taking all of it and not giving you anything to work off of, like this is going to absolve him of his actions.

“Are you feeling any better?” he asks.

You slap him across the face and he doesn’t even flinch. You hit him again, this time hard enough to make his head swivel. His jaw ticks and he turns back to face you, taking a step closer. After a few moments, you suddenly grab him by the collar of his t-shirt and pull him in to crush your lips over his. He freezes for a second but finally responds by kissing back, slipping his tongue between your teeth and you welcome it.

“You really want this now?” he asks between kisses.

“Shut up and fuck me,” you breathe out as you fumble with his belt.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He grabs the back of your thighs and hoists you up onto the dining table. His lips return to yours and you continue to devour each other as he helps you with his jeans. As you reach into his boxer to stroke him, he slips his hands underneath your dress and hooks his fingers inside the front of your panties and shoves them aside. A finger slips inside you and you moan into his mouth. You drag the bands of his boxers and jeans down until his hard cock springs free.

Will breaks the kiss and hikes your skirt to your waist. You spread your legs for him and scoot closer to the edge of the table. While holding your underwear to the side, he aligns himself with you and pushes in. You let out a sigh of relief as he fills you up. His mouth slots over yours as he moves in and out of you, grunting and groaning feeling you so wet and snug around him. 

You can’t remember the last time the two of you had sex and this feels almost new to you. It surprisingly doesn’t actually take long for your orgasm to start building up. You wrap your legs around his waist and grab onto his upper arms for a better grip as you thrust with him, rocking the table as you both fuck each other. His lips now occupy your jaw and neck as his hips punch up into you and your thighs tighten their grip, wanting him to go deeper, drawing a mewl out of you.

His triceps flex under your palms and strain against his t-shirt sleeves as he pushes down on the table to get more leverage. The table shakes so hard, your wine glass gets knocked off and shatters, staining the tiles purple. He drives into you harder and faster until you both fall apart. Your limbs wrap themselves tighter, pulling his body right up against yours and his arms mirror yours, holding you close. With your face resting in the crook of his neck, you remain in the same position, holding each other. 

Feeling your body shaking, he finally pulls his head back a bit and you follow suit. While still remaining inside you, he rests his forehead against yours. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers while holding your face as tears spill down your cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

You try to shove him away but he firmly envelopes you in his arms.

“Shh, I know, I know,” Will says as he holds you close to his body, soothing your back as you cry into his chest. “I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

[k-evans-reads]

In Living Color

Chapter 18

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 2,618

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

January 7th, 2022 

‘Can you call me when you have time? I need to talk to you.’ 

Chris’ brows furrowed as he saw Nat’s notification pop up on his laptop, leaving him with little to go off of as the simple message disappeared just as quickly as it’d appeared. He frowned as he thought over the message, hands itching to at least text her back, but before he could, Mark joined the Zoom call, his smiling face doing little to distract Chris as they prepped for the quick call with the others involved with the project. 

Nat’s text lingered in his mind throughout the whole call, never leaving the forefront of his focus even as they planned out the next several months’ worth of interviews for the website.  He’d only been back in Boston for a few days, having gone back to Los Angeles for a few days with their whole group after skiing in Washington over the last chunk of the holiday. Chris had planned on staying in Los Angeles a bit longer, but he had quickly found out that Nat’s suggestion had proved to be a good one when he realized just how busy she was with two projects overlapping at once. 

What had been a manageable schedule for her in the summer and fall, allowing them to spend nearly every evening and weekend together interruption-free, had been spun on its head. Nat was in her office from early in the morning to late at night, barely pulling her attention off of work long enough to text Chris that she was too swamped to come over for dinner or make game night, and what little time they got with each other during the week was then reduced to only a quick kiss before bed, if he was lucky. Her point was true, that him being there would only stress her out more and force her to sacrifice something to make his presence worthwhile, and so with that in mind, he packed himself and Dodger back up and took a flight home the previous day. 

But now with that ominous text looming in his mind, he couldn’t help but let his anxiety spiral, wondering what it could possibly mean. He hoped that it was just Nat feeling stressed and needing to process it or her asking when he was coming back to Los Angeles, but he knew deep down that it was something else otherwise she wouldn’t have asked to have this conversation over the phone versus just texting him about it as it popped in her brain…. Especially in the middle of her hectic work day. The minute his meeting was over and his laptop closed, he sat there for a long moment, debating on whether it was better to put off whatever bad news this would be until later or if he should just get it over with. 

After a nervous few minutes, he grabbed his phone and clicked on her name, his leg anxiously bouncing as he sat at the table waiting for her to pick up before he directly asked, “Hey, what’s up?” 

“Is this a good time? Like do you have a few minutes?” She asked Chris, her voice a bit distracted as she moved around on the other end of the call. 

“Yeah I just finished my meeting,” he assured her, his brows furrowed as he listened and heard a door shut on her end. “What’s going on, Nat?” 

She hesitated, quiet for a moment before she began, “I just um, I wanted to talk about Palm Springs…” 

Chris stared up at the ceiling above him, eyes moving over the smooth white paint on it. He had a sinking feeling inside of him, one that had settled in his stomach nearly an hour and a half ago when she’d texted him. “...You can’t go, can you?” He asked her, voice low and soft. 

“I technically can but I just don’t see how I’m going to be able to,” Nat confessed, apologetic as Chris’ lips downturned and he listened to her explanation. “That week is the official last week of Lightyear and then I also have meetings with the higher ups for Inside Out so it’s going to be really busy already let alone with me taking off on Wednesday afternoon to go to Palm Springs.” 

Although Chris knew where this was headed from the first moment she mentioned Palm Springs, it didn’t take away the sting of disappointment. He had been looking forward to the little getaway with Nat, just the two of them, before he was launched into thousands of miles separating them as he went from filming to press and then more filming for the rest of the year. It'd been planned from the moment he'd gotten his filming schedule for the early part of the year and had seen that the first week started on Valentine's Day. He and Nat were looking forward to hiding away from the world to celebrate the holiday early together, just before work pulled them apart. That was going to be their last bit of quality time together, not a thing in the world distracting them before he had to leave and now it was taken away. 

The line was quiet for a moment before Nat’s tentative voice asked, “Chris? Are you upset?” 

“No, of course not,” he rushed to reassure her. He was dismayed of course by the change in plans, and upset that they wouldn’t get that time just to themselves, but he knew Nat was needed in Los Angeles… maybe a little too much. “I mean, sure I’m disappointed but I understand.” 

“This is just crazy right now with both projects overlapping,” she admitted to him, and he could hear her on the other end of the line as she began typing at her computer, a chiming notification sounding to alert her to a new email. 

“Nat, if I’m bein’ honest, I’m a little worried about you,” Chris began delicately. He knew she’d been working almost non-stop since Monday, only leaving to eat whatever cold leftovers Chris had packaged away for her from what was supposed to be a shared dinner, then to fall into bed and repeat the cycle the following day. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t even sure she’d done any of that the previous night while he and Dodger flew home. He had no way to know if she’d eaten, or gotten a solid night’s sleep, or if she’d drank enough water and wasn’t surviving off of over-caffeinated cups of cold brew. It wasn’t sustainable, and his concern was evident as he asked, “Are you doing alright with all of this?” 

“I’m fine,” she brushed off the concern, her voice sounding distant as she continued typing. Chris pushed Dodger’s wet nose off of his lap as he listened to Nat dismissively explain, “It’s just until mid February, and then things will be better.” 

But his frown grew deeper as he listened to her, not seeing an end to this workload. She was moving from one project to the next, one with a lot more moving parts than this, including the initial stages. “Are you going to be able to make it until then, though? That’s a long time,” he tried to tell her. 

“I can handle it, I know how to do my job,” she defensively shut him down, her words sending alarm signals to Chris’ brain. He knew that. He knew she was amazing at what she did, but she was to a fault. And all of this career-driven stress and running on empty was the exact opposite of what she’d shared as her goal the previous month, wanting to give herself more time outside of the Disney Campus to dedicate to self-care, to fill her bucket by creating more outside of work. But now she was barely even stepping foot outside of her own office, let alone having time to develop her own creative passions and delve more into her own personal wants. 

“I know you do… that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to,” Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. His eyes watched Dodger as the dog looked out the window at the large yard and the sunset before he made his way over to his bed and laid down. Chris’ voice was quiet as he admitted to her, “I’m just concerned about these long hours.” 

“It sucks, but it’s temporary so I can do it,” Nat stubbornly insisted. She sighed deeply before he heard her computer chime with another email’s arrival. “It’s been a big deal for me to be the lead character designer for Buzz and now for Inside Out so I don’t want to throw that away in this final stretch.” 

“I get that, I just love you and I get worried about you, ya know,” Chris shrugged, feeling helpless all the way out in Massachusetts as she ran herself ragged back in California. 

“I know you do and it means a lot to me,” she assured him, her voice sounding much more honest than it had only moments ago. She sighed, hesitating before she murmured, “I’m just sorry about Palm Springs.” 

“It’s okay Nattie, don’t stress about it,” Chris reassured her. He knew she felt awful, canceling the trip that’d been her birthday present from him, but he knew she had to look out for herself. Having that pressure of the trip looming over her and not wanting to have anything to do for work that weekend likely would’ve hurt her more had she not canceled, and he had to be a little proud of her for recognizing that much. But he was disappointed, and he could admit that much. “Maybe we could do something, a little weekend trip or something like that one weekend coming up when you aren’t as busy.” 

He could almost see the sad smile on her face as she quietly admitted, “I’d love to but I’m just not sure when that would be.” 

“Okay… well just let me know,” he whispered, struggling to know just what to think at all of this. He missed her, he missed her more than anything each time they were separated, but right now… he was confused. He was worried. And he wasn’t sure how to help her, especially when she had all-but bitten his head off for a small sign of concern. “I really want to spend some time with you.” 

“I know, I want to be with you too. Maybe you could come out in the middle of the month, I might not have to work as late in the evenings then,” she suggested, just as her typing resumed. 

He nodded to himself, making a mental note to look at what he had scheduled then. “I’ll plan on that then,” he assured her. 

“Okay, hey I’m sorry but I really need to go. I have so much work I need to get done,” she whispered, her voice back to sounding distant as she kept working. 

“Alright,” he whispered, biting his lower lip as he listened to her. 

“Chris?” She asked, almost at the very last moment. “...I really love you.” 

He smiled at those words, feeling some confidence and hope again. “I love you too Nattie. So fuckin’ much,” he promised her. 

And Chris knew how painfully true that was. He loved her more than anything which is why moments apart made this so much harder. His brain kept jumping back and forth between feeling the frustration at Nattie prioritizing her work over having time for their relationship and then feeling hypocritical with his own job taking him away for sometimes months on end. Chris really had been looking forward to that long weekend away and at first thought maybe his frustration was more at that than anything, but once he had gotten up move over to the couch where he could scratch Dodger more easily, he started sorting through his thoughts a bit more and realized that wasn’t it at all. At the heart of his frustration was concern for his Nattie. 

All that was happening just felt… off. 

After her art show she had talked about wanting to pursue more of her own creative passions, not having her whole creative career being created for Pixar. But now here she was nearly giving up her whole life for her job and although he knew that it was true what she said, that it was temporary, part of him wondered if it really was. He had come to see how conflicted Nat could feel when it came to her career. She was so different from her family, not being the cerebral career women her sisters were working in healthcare and tech. Nat was creative and sensitive, with so much passion and emotion in everything she did. He knew how much her single father had given up to send her to art school and how hard Nat had worked at Pixar to move her way up and when he even thought about it, he was so fucking proud of her. But there was something about this that just didn’t feel sustainable or even quite right for Nat. 

He remembered being in those meetings last year and just falling in love with the way Nat spoke about things being visually communicated in Lightyear and how good she was at figuring out how to convey emotion and stories through art. She was practically gushing with passion every time she spoke about an aspect of her job and although he knew that she still loved it, most things recently had been more about what she felt she needed to do for her job or about the path she felt pressured for her career to go. 

Chris felt like there was a piece of his exuberant and uninhibited artist that was falling into the corporate part of her job and although he knew from being in a creative industry himself that some of those things went hand in hand, he didn’t want to see her throw all of it away. She’d shared with him before how for so long she felt like there were so many things wrong with her personality from wearing every emotion on her sleeve to not wanting success in the normal sense that society viewed it, but here she was devoting herself completely to her job and taking on more than he thought any one person would be able to handle. He knew Nat felt like she had something to prove, in his observation more to herself than anyone, that she could make art a worthwhile endeavor and wanted to prove she could handle all of this, not realizing that it didn’t make a difference to anyone if she couldn’t. 

He knew Nat was determined to a fault, that she’d never put anything before her commitments and promises to others, but he was hopeful he could open her eyes a bit more. She’d seemed to have a realization in December, and despite slipping back into the grind of her career, he knew that deep down, they’d get through this. He’d already been a bit worried about how much of a toll this year could take on them, between his schedules with three projects and two press tours and Nat’s busy calendar at Disney, and that this trip was supposed to give them both some time to connect and be together before that all started. But despite losing that weekend together, he himself was determined, not to solve all of Nat’s problems overnight, but to brainstorm on how to help her and most of all, support her through every step of the way. 

A/N: We'll be back next week with a new chapter!

[rinneverse]

ㅤ.ೃ࿐ 𝐎𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐄'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒 ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝ yeah, i'm indulging myself. idc if not a single person cares because I CARE!!! here are all my selfships in no particular order, hehe

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒚𝒖 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x chifuyu matsuno

highschool sweethearts, fleeting kisses and passing notes, lipstick stains and oversized hoodies, cuddling by the fire and sharing a hot cocoa, pressed flowers and polaroids, co-parenting a whole zoo of animals together, learning basic first-aid in a panic when chifuyu comes home beaten and bruised after gang activities...

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x bladie

partners in crime, bandaging eachother's wounds, "i would die for you" taken very literally, grumpy x sunshine, two wrongs will sometimes make a right, pestering blade so much he can't help but fall in love, somehow a wolf and bunny fall for eachother and make it work, she falls first but he falls harder

જ⁀➴ 𝒉𝒂𝒋𝒊𝒐𝒂𝒌 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x iwaizumi hajime

childhood friends to lovers, princess treatment, brother’s best friend, home cooked dinners and staying in to watch a movie as a date, morning kisses and sleeping in on the weekends, those pushups where every time you go down, you get to give your partner a kiss; going to the gym together and pushing eachother to be better

જ⁀➴ 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒌 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x suna rintaro

couples who talk shit together stay together, team manager!oak x pro player suna :>, expensive gifts and glittering necklaces, an anklet with his initials, cheering for him at games and getting dicked down in the locker rooms after, being private but not secret on social media

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒋𝒂𝒙 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x tartaglia

looks like could kill u, is actually a cinnamon roll x looks like a cinnamon roll, could actually kill u; found family, a princess and her bodyguard, he would genuinely kill for me i'm not even kidding, dumb and dumber, stupid idiots pining to stupid idiots in love, scary dog privilege galore

જ⁀➴ 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒂𝒌 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x alhaitham

getting put on a research project together and reluctantly becoming friends, forced proximity, eventually falling in love when i realize hey.. this guy really isn't so bad (maybe just a little bit haughty, but when you're alhaitham it's a little bit deserved to be that way), reading books together by the fire, always getting third-wheeled by kaveh, alhaitham is emotionally constipated but with me, he slowly learns that opening up is okay.

જ⁀➴ 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒌 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x scaramouche

i hate everyone but you, enemies/rivals to lovers, we may be broken but we are still capable of love, healing together, late night study dates and far too many coffees, being haters together, dumbass used as a term of endearment, very intense fights and even more intense love, two freaks who don't know how to handle their emotions learn how to do so together

જ⁀➴𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x aventurine

two lost and weary souls finding a home in eachother, holding aven and comforting eachother through our nightmares, making bets on silly little things (and lets be real: i lose, majority of the time), luxurious gifts and constantly being spoiled with extravagant dates, beating the shit out of him constantly for gambling his life and having no regard for his self-preservation (but not telling him i was worried because my pride. he knows, though).

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒌𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒖 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x yuta okkotsu

two bumbling flustered idiots in love, everyone around us knows we like eachother EXCEPT for us, i'm so serious the entire friend group has to shove us together for us to realize, being eachother's first (and last) everything, cafe dates and sharing the sweetest of desserts, constantly gossiping together

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒊 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x aki hayakawa

princess treatment galore, long late night drives together, being taken care of after years of being the caretaker (and it goes both ways), aquarium dates and shark plushies, lounging on the balcony of his apartment and smoking together, being a happy little hayakawa family because nothing bad ever happens in chainsaw man. trust.

જ⁀➴ 𝒐𝒂𝒌𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍 ₊˚ෆ

— oak x boothill

this is truly my good girl x bad boy fantasy im so serious, shy girl x boldest boyfriend in the west, boothill teaches me how to shoot, more tba im tipsy rn but i wanted him in here NEOOWW

જ⁀➴ 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒂𝒌 ₊˚ෆ

— dr. ratio x oak x aventurine

arguably my most selfish selfship yet, but that’s the name of the game baby!, once again princess treatment galore, stay-at-home dates and (reluctant, on ratio's end) cuddle piles, aventurine lowkey becomes a sugar daddy basically, babysitter x dumb x even dumber, being their trophy girlfriend is a full time job (but i wouldn’t have it any other way), late night deep talks nestled together, reading in bed with ratio while aventurine yaps away about his schemes

there's so many. i'm not sorry. find my selfshippy blog here!!

[snelbz]

Starting Over {One}

Collab with @theladyofdeath.

Summary: Elide Lochan thought she had met the love of her life only to find out that he was not the man she thought he was. After her world starts falling down around her, she makes a move back to her childhood home in hopes of starting over. Although it’s the last thing she expected, she meets a man the exact opposite of her ex. With his help and that of her best friend, Aelin, she learns how to stand on her own two feet and take control of her life.

——————————

Chapter T/W: Abuse and domestic violence.

——————————

Elide Lochan was exhausted. She’d stopped at the gym on the way home from work and as she climbed the steps to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, she wanted nothing more than to take a long bath, have a glass or two of wine, and curl up in bed with a movie.

But she knew Roland would have different ideas, since it was officially the weekend. She loved him, even though they’d only been together for about nine months. He was fun and spontaneous and made her ridiculously happy, but he didn’t understand the need to decompress after a long week.

Unlocking the door, she braced herself and opened it, letting it fall shut behind her. “I’m home!”

He appeared from the hallway leading to their bedroom, a dazzling smile on his face. He was so handsome, with blue eyes that mesmerized you and blonde hair that fell in soft waves. Elide often wondered what he saw in her, how he had picked her over all the other beautiful girls they saw at the club every weekend.

That was how they’d met, at a nightclub off the old square in Perranth. He’d asked to buy her a drink, asked her to dance, asked her to come home with him. She’d said yes to all of it.

Nine months later, here they were.

“Missed you,” he said as he sent a text and shoved his phone into his pocket before meeting her at the door. “I was hoping you’d be here soon. Get ready.”

Elide snorted as she kicked off her shoes and dropped her keys on the entry table. “Get ready for what?”

“We’re going out,” he said, slowly. Apparently Elide should have known that, judging by his tone.

“Why?” Elide asked, and as she walked toward the kitchen he caught her in a hug.

“Because it’s officially the weekend,” he said, smiling. “Weekends are for going out.”

Elide closed her eyes, hating to tell him what came next. Roland was many things, both good and bad. Everyone had their faults, of course, but many of Roland’s came from his childhood, where he grew up wealthy and got everything he wanted.

Everything.

“I was hoping we could just stay in,” Elide said, hesitantly. 

Roland frowned.

Elide quickly tried to make it better. “Come on, we never do Friday nights in. It could be so nice. I can make dinner and we can snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie…”

Her words trailed off suggestively as she ran her palms up his long, strong arms.

“Everyone is already on the way,” he replied, leaning back, even as his arms wrapped around her waist. “You know we don’t have to stay all night.”

She knew well that they would stay all night. Her feet hurt, she had a headache forming, and she had little interest in putting on the high heels he liked her to wear and listen to pounding bass for the foreseeable future.

“Just tell them I’m sick and I asked you to stay here with me,” she suggested, since it wasn’t completely false, but it also wasn’t completely true.

He raised one perfect eyebrow. “Are you asking me to lie to them?”

Elide hesitated, because yeah, she was, but she was also asking him to put her first, for once. His friends almost always came before her. It seemed like tonight would be no different.

With that thought, she sighed and pushed from his embrace and headed for the fridge, knowing she had a full bottle of wine in the door. “I don’t want to go out tonight. You go, have fun.”

There was silence for a moment, but as she opened the door and pulled out her cool bottle of wine, he scoffed. “So you can stay home and drink but can’t go out and drink?”

She calmly took a wine glass from the cabinet before opening the bottle. “I’m not going, Roland. I don’t feel like it and that’s okay. Go if you want to go.”

Another minute of silence passed before she heard him walking back down the hall and disappearing.

She told herself not to get too mad, that this was just how he was, but her vision still blurred red. She had the right to say no, and it pissed her off more than anything when he thought otherwise.

Twenty minutes later, Elide was seated on the couch, half her glass gone, when Roland came back in ready to go.

“Last chance,” he said, grabbing his keys and wallet off the table.

“Have fun,” Elide muttered, although she didn’t mean it in the slightest. There was a bathtub and romance novel calling her name and she had no shame in that fact.

Shaking his head, Roland headed for the door. “I’ll be home later. Don’t wait up.”

The front door slammed shut, harder than she expected it to and she got up, aiming for the kitchen. “Didn’t plan on it,” she answered, refilling her wine glass, regardless of the fact that he was long gone.

Silencing her phone, Elide left it in the bedroom, not wanting to hear it if Roland called to try and pester her into coming. She was fairly certain he was pissed off at her enough that he wouldn’t, but just in case, she wanted to enjoy her bubble bath in peace and quiet.

And for the night, that’s just what she got.

<.>

It was just after two when she blinked at the clock, just barely able to make out the numbers as she heard their front door open and close. Her anger had dissipated by the time she finished off her bottle of wine and her bath water grew cold. She wasn’t mad at him, just frustrated with his inability to understand that not everyone could handle a night out after a long week.

It didn’t mean she didn’t love him and it didn’t mean she wanted to fight.

Even if he thought otherwise.

Roland walked into the bedroom just as Elide rolled over to face the door. She could already smell the liquor on him as he approached with bright eyes.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, plopping onto the bed with a sloppy grin on his face. “Thought you’d be sleeping.”

“I was,” Elide mumbled, as he toppled onto her. “Your entrance wasn’t graceful enough to keep me asleep.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, then laughed. 

Elide sighed, eyelids fluttering shut as she attempted to go back to sleep with her boyfriend splayed out across her. “Goodnight.”

He was so quiet for a moment that she thought he may have already gone to sleep, but then he quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

He was drunk. She knew he was drunk. Yet, the apology was nice to hear.

“About earlier,” he went on. “You had a long day. I was an ass.”

Elide didn’t bother telling him that he was right. He knew it already.

His apology wasn’t done, though, not as his hand swept up under her shirt and explored the many inches that he had already explored countless times. Five minutes later, he was deep inside her and she was right back to feeling that charming, wholesome feeling that she had felt every day for almost a year.

She awoke the next morning and silently snuck out of bed, letting Roland sleep off his hangover. She knew it’d be a couple hours before she saw him, so she planned to finish the rest of the book she’d started the night before and maybe even cook him breakfast. He’d well and truly made up for their fight the night before and she didn’t actually want him to be miserable all day. There was a festival in the square that afternoon and she thought it would be fun to stop by. There would be games and rides and messy, fried foods. Exactly what she didn’t need, but craved.

She compromised with herself, promising to put in an extra half an hour at the gym for each food she knew she shouldn’t have.

Going straight to the kitchen, Elide turned on the coffee pot and leaned against the counter as it brewed. After pulling down a mug, she silently padded back into the bedroom, snagging the book off her nightstand. She gave Roland a quick glance and smiled, loving the way his hair ended up messy as he slept. It was nice to see him like that, instead of the polished, unruffled look he was usually fond of.

The coffee pot beeped from the other room and Elide audibly sighed as she hurried back into the kitchen and filled her mug. As she crossed the room to settle into the pile of pillows on the couch, Roland’s phone caught her eye, face down on the coffee table, with his keys and wallet. 

With an affectionate chuckle, Elide shook her head and reached for his phone. Roland must have been just as drunk as she suspected he was, if he’d forgotten to plug his phone in to charge overnight. She wondered if it was already dead and pressed the side button, lighting the screen up.

Elide’s smile fell as she saw what was on the screen. She blinked once trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

A text from a number he didn’t have saved.

Hope you made it home okay. Goodnight.

It was punctuated with three heart-eyed emojis.

She hesitated as her thumb hovered over the text message. On the one hand, this was Roland’s phone. She had no right to go through it, even as his girlfriend.

But. She was his girlfriend.

Convincing herself that it was likely just a text from his grandmother or an old friend, she was almost to the closed door leading to their bedroom when her steps slowed. She knew his password, he knew hers, they used each other’s phones all the time, but to look through his texts? It would be an invasion of privacy.

But Elide wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else until she knew who had been texting him goodnight.

Knowing she shouldn’t, she tapped on the unread message and thumbed in the password to his phone.

The message was the last in a short thread, starting around one in the morning. He’d sent the first text.

Justine?

Elide blinked. Who the hell was Justine?

Bathroom boy?

Her stomach roiled and she was thankful she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

I prefer Roland, but if that’s what you want to call me, so be it. She hadn’t replied immediately and he sent another text. I don’t usually make a habit of giving my number out, but you were too hot not to. I figured I could make an exception.

Justine replied much quicker that time.

I don’t usually make a habit of hooking up with strangers in club bathrooms, but here we are.

There were more texts back and forth, flirty quips and explicit requests for the next time they saw each other.

Roland had…cheated on her.

And then he had the audacity to come home and climb right back into their bed, right back between her legs.

And she’d let him.

Elide felt nothing, saw nothing, as she sat his phone on the arm of the couch, leaving the message thread open. She quietly opened the door to their bedroom, not even looking over to where he still slept in their bed, and reached the closet, pulling out a duffel bag from her college cheerleading days. Little by little, she filled the bag, opening drawers as silently as possible, until she was having to pick and choose things she’d have to leave behind for now.

Just as she was zipping the duffle, the bed creaked behind her.

“What are you doing up so early?”

His voice was rough with sleep and usually, that would have been all it took to have her crawling into his arms, to raise goosebumps along her skin in anticipation.

Now all it did was raise the hair on the back of her neck.

When she didn’t reply or move, he tried again. “Come back to bed, baby. Let’s have a lazy day.”

Elide tossed the bag over her shoulder and started toward the door.

“Elide.”

The bed creaked once more and Elide stiffened as Roland stood behind her. She slowly turned around to meet his curious gaze. He looked from her eyes to her bag, and when he met her stare again, his lips were tight.

“Where are you going?” He asked, in a deadly calm.

“None of your business,” she said, unable to stop the bite in her voice even though she had no idea where she was going. Away. That’s all she knew. “Don’t worry, though, as soon as I leave, you can call the girl from the bathroom to come amuse you in my absence.”

She let her words sink in, knowing they were pity, and watched as realization lit his eyes. 

“You went through my phone.” It wasn’t a question, but he still watched Elide as if he waited for an answer.

“You cheated on me,” she breathed, hands shaking at her sides. “Is there always someone else? When I don’t go with you? Every time I’m not around, do you find someone to take my place?”

Roland’s jaw locked and rage consumed every inch of his body. Even as his muscles went rigid, as he took a step forward, those words of his remained eerily calm. “What you did was an invasion of privacy.” 

“An invasion of privacy?” She barked a laugh. “You were balls deep in some whore—”

Roland’s hands were on her and before she could let out another word, he had her pinned up against the wall, duffle bag tossed to the side.

She could feel how tightly his grip was, couldn’t stop the sharp gasp of pain as her head cracked against the wall. Idly, she wondered if the plaster had busted on the impact.

“I can’t believe you would do that,” he growled, in her face. His teeth were bared and Elide barely recognized him. “I trusted you. Would you want me to go through your phone?”

Her head was still reeling and his grip tightened further as he shook her. Her head counted against the wall again. “I have…nothing to hide,” she bit out.

It happened so fast, she never could have seen it coming. The sharp sting against her cheek jerked her head to the side and her eyes welled with tears.

“And you were going to, what?” Roland asked, tugging her towards the bedroom and throwing her inside. “Leave me?”

She grunted as she rolled across the floor, crying out when the side of her head came into contact with something solid.

“Where were you going to go, Elide?” His words were soft as he crouched in front of her. “You don’t have anyone. Your parents are gone. No friends. Your uncle?” A harsh laugh brushed against her skin. “He’ll just bring you back to me.”

Her eyelids were feeling heavy and she swore she could taste something sharp and metallic in the back of her mouth.

Whoever this man was in front of her, he was not the man she had come to know, had come to care for, had come to love.

He approached her slowly, chuckling quietly, the sound unhinged, as he watched her struggling against the floorboards.

She had escaped abuse before, had escaped her uncle and the hell he had unleashed upon her in her teen years, after her parents had died.

She did not leave that situation only to get stuck in one similar.

Maybe it was her, she thought. Maybe she attracted the worst of the worst, maybe there was something about her, given to her naturally or by the gods, that drew men like her uncle, like Roland, to her. 

She closed her eyes as he stopped at her feet and took a deep breath. She knew she was crying, she told herself to stop, but she couldn’t. He had blindsided her. Cheating on her was one thing but this? This was something else entirely.

She did not know Roland.

For months, she had been living with a stranger, had been loving him and fucking him and creating a life with him.

The realization of wasted time, of being made a fool of, of falling in love with a man who treated ger like a crumpled up piece of trash scattered across the floor had a jolt of strength flooding her body.

He leaned over her now, his breath hot against her jaw as he said, “An apology would be nice. Apologize, and we can get on with our lazy Saturday morning.”

His tone sent chills down her spine.

With all the strength she had left in her body, she jerked up her knee, hitting him right where she had hoped she would.

Roland cursed, dropping to his knees and Elide took the opportunity to scramble into the other room. Her head was spinning, but she managed to get on her knees and then her feet unsteadily. She knew there was a choice to be made. There was no way she was making it out the door with her phone, keys, and the duffle bag on the living room floor. If she didn’t get out of the apartment now, she wasn’t sure when she would.

Or if.

Her phone was on the low table in front of the couch, next to her still steaming cup of coffee. Her keys hung by the door, and in the split second decision, she pushed all of her strength into her legs, willing them to stay steady as she ran. Elide swiped her phone off the table as she heard Roland getting to his feet. She reached the door, throwing it open to the morning sun as his tall form filled the opening to the hallway.

She didn’t stop.

The second she was out into the hall of her apartment complex, she screamed, hoping it would at least make him think twice before following her out.

It did.

She slowed, her legs giving out, but she did not stop. She kept moving, yelling like a madwoman to let her neighbors know that she was there. Letting Roland know that they knew where she was. 

She didn’t stop until she was in the parking lot, throwing open her car door, and falling behind the wheel, safely locking herself inside. She looked around as she began to hyperventilate, that panic settling in, the shock wearing off. 

Roland was nowhere to be found.

She unlocked her phone, the world around her spinning and she started the ignition.

Aelin picked up on the first ring.

“Elide, do you have any idea what time it is?”

Her voice was thick with sleep, but she knew she wasn’t angry with her.

Elide couldn’t form words, the adrenaline wearing off and her world reeling. Everything was catching up to her. All at once, she felt the pain in her body, her head. Reaching up, her fingers grazed her temple and she hissed as they came into contact with something warm and sticky. She pulled her hand back and found blood on her fingers.

Roland had… He’d hit her. He’d done more than just hit her, he’d thrown her across the room, had slammed her against the wall hard enough to make her head bounce. Multiple times.

And he’d wanted her to apologize for catching him cheating.

Aelin’s voice floated over the line, but this time, worry coated every word. “Elide? Are you okay?”

A sob tore from Elide as she threw the car into reverse and started to back out of the parking spot.

“Elide, what’s wrong?” She could hear Aelin speaking to someone on the other end of the phone.

“I need somewhere to stay,” she rasped, looking in the rear view mirror and seeing a familiar form standing in the breezeway.

Gunning the engine, Elide pulled out of the parking lot as quickly as she could.

He didn’t follow now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t chase her.

“You’re always welcome here,” Aelin replied, and Elide could hear the sincerity. “What happened?”

“He…” She stifled a sob. “I just need somewhere to stay. To…lie low.”

“Elide…”

“Please, Aelin.” She was on the verge of losing it, of having to pull over and risk him catching up to her. “I’ll tell you when I get there, just—”

“I’ll be waiting for you,” she interrupted. “I don’t work today, I’m sending you my address. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you,” she cried, unable to catch her breath, eyes blurred as she tried to focus on the road ahead.

She said her goodbye and put the address Aelin sent into the GPS. Without another thought, Elide drove as quickly as she could to the interstate, and didn’t look back as she drove to her childhood best friend’s house, two hundred miles away.

From Perranth, to Orynth. 

[iloveyoumorethansoup]

Ok so life update I fly back for break Friday and I’ve got 3 total assignments left 2 of them being finals and I don’t get to come back until the 5th🫠

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi cas! Swiftie anon here! I’ve been kind of having a shit week, in general. A few days ago my throat started hurting, and my nose started crying, so that’s been fun, and school feels like it’s taking fucking forever every day. last night, my sister was talking, and I asked my brother to get a coaster for me, since I was holding a hot bowl, and he was standing in front of the drawer, but my sister was talking, so I wanted until she was done to ask again.

my sister is great btw. I’d never say that to her face, but she’s my younger sister, and she’s always been so…happy, and I want it to say that way, she started middle school this year, and I was scared she’d go through the same things I did, and idk that freaked me out. She’s annoying as hell, but I want her to say happy, as long as she can be, so I haven’t been like putting pressure on her, or getting as mad at her as I did when we were younger. And like we’re only a year and a half apart, but ever since I got depressed I feel a lot older, which is sad because we were so close when we were younger. People used to think we were twins, and I miss being that close to someone, trusting someone that much, whispering things under the blankets, and playing games only the two of us know.

anyway, I asked after she was done talking, which was just few seconds, and I got the coaster, and set it down, and then my mom said, you need to talk louder, you’re mumbling again. and l got probably unreasonably angry when she said that, because I’ve always been quiet, when we were younger, my sister talked for the two of us, I hate talking and I’ve never been very loud. And maybe I like being quiet, not only because it’s in my nature, but you always yelled at us for being too loud and interrupting people, and maybe I’m scared to make you angry? Maybe I remember that shit? Maybe I don’t like being noticed because you always get pissed at my older brother, and that’s the only way I ever see you talk to him?

and then that night (after dinner we all go watch tv, play games separately, go to my parents room, pray and then sleep) she got mad at us saying, we’re not a community, we’re just people living together the three (me and my siblings) of you are cocooned in your rooms all the fucking time. You’re on your fucking phones all the damn time, melting your brains, you could be doing better things with your time. And why the hell wouldn’t I want to be in my room instead of with my parents, they stress me the fuck out, and make me feel like I’ve already ruined my chances at everything, and maybe that’s why I need to escape, because they made me believe everything fucking sucked.

and I know being on your phone and sitting down for like 4-5 hour periods isn’t healthy, but that’s a habit I’ll deal with after all the other issues they’ve caused me. I had a bit of a breakdown after that, my arms got red and puffy from my nails, but I didn’t bleed this time so…is that a plus?

I got my at my sister last weekend bc she like, dropped my instrument and didn’t pick he up and I almost smacked her, and my dad saw me like, about to, but I stopped, and got so mad at me? He said, and I quote, “apologize, how would you feel if I got you and ten years later I never said sorry?” and then I was like wtf are you talking about, you hit me when I was in like preschool (10 years ago) and never apologized. I vaguely remember him hitting me, like before kindergarten, I somehow forgot that he did until that moment. I know he and my mom got into fights about it (bc calling us stupid and staying is so much better).

and then this morning we woke up late, and my dad said “you’ll end up all alone bc no one wants anyone who never shows up on time.” And my mom started fucking monologuing about how we’re “wasting our intelligence” and we should on things better, and I started fucking bawling, bc I went to preschool far from home, so when I started going to elementary, I didn’t have any friends, and I had like, a singular friend, I made and she moved at the end of first grade, and so on and so forth until 3rd grade when the pandemic happened, so like ending up alone has always been a fear of mine, and they know this, bc back when I trusted them I literally asked them why do all my friends move away? and school has fucking sucked, pe isn’t so bad, we’re fishing in a lake across the street and I caught one today and almost killed it bc it swallowed the hook, and everything else, besides like my friends has been miserable. I had a dentist appointment today (I have them all the damn time), and they numbed the right side of my face, 3 injections, they’re so sore, and I still can’t feel the lower right part of my mouth, so that’s fun. Sorry for the rant, hope you’re having a better week than me cas! Have a good day/night

Hi hon! <3

It sounds like you're dealing with a LOT of negativity right now, especially at home, and that absolutely sucks. Are there ways you can find some positivity on your own? Things that make you happy even when others are being shitty?

I'm so proud of you for dealing with life even when it's hard <3 You're doing so great, truly! <3

[minjiwritesstuff]

Mistaken Love

Pairing: (non idol!)Xen x Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Words: 2701

#####

You and Jinwoo have been friends for a long time. You two met in high school when you were assigned to make a science project together. You didn't like him much at first because he was cold and kind of rude, but as the weeks went by you came to like him. So you started being friends, and soon enough you were pretty much inseparable. You followed him everywhere you went, he pretty much did the same.

When it was time for you two to start college, you decided it would be nice to get an apartment together, as neither of you wanted to live with strangers. And since you were always together you thought it was a good opportunity. And it was, until he got a girlfriend.

Jinwoo explained to you that they met at the cafe near your school and that she was working there until she moved to her dad's place in about a month, where she would be staying for a year as she needed to help him with important family stuff. And now suddenly she was his whole world and everything else, and mostly everyone else was put aside.

You were happy for him, you truly were, but at the same time you were also sad that he didn't spend time with you anymore. And not to mention she was sleeping over every night, and spending every weekend.

It went on like this for about three weeks: during the day both you and Jinwoo were busy with college, then when classes ended, you went back home and not even an hour later his girlfriend showed up. They would spend all of their time in his room laughing and being happy while you were alone trying to keep yourself busy. It was hard for you, because you had no time to ask Jinwoo to spend time with you instead of being with his girlfriend, and at the same time you felt it would go wrong if you asked him to spend time with you instead of her, because you knew she was going away for a long time in not even two weeks.

But today, while Jinwoo was driving the both of you home from college, he started talking about how his girlfriend had a week off of work before leaving, and he asked if it was ok with you for her to spend it at your apartment. You were uncomfortable to tell him you'd prefer not to, but at the same time you needed to let your feelings out as you've been bottling them up for way too long. So you went for it

''Well to be honest Jinwoo.. I'd prefer if she spent a couple days instead of a full week.. Because we haven't spent any time together in three weeks and it's been hard on me. And I don't have time to ask you otherwise because when we finish school she comes over and she's always there during the weekends..'' you took a shaky breath before adding ''and i need to spend time with you..''

Jinwoo looked at you as he stopped at a red light.

''I understand.. I've been wanting to spend time with you too and I realized I didn't split my time right, I'm sorry'' he said before looking back in front of him.

You were happy to hear those words, because you needed to hear them and have been needing to hear them for a while now.

''I don't want you to think I'm being selfish, but it's just that you're my best friend Jinwoo, and not being able to spend time with you hurts me''

He looked back at you for a split second before turning his head back forward as the light turned green. He didn't say anything but instead nodded. He kept driving and when he got home, you two walked inside your shared apartment and Jinwoo called his girlfriend. You went to the kitchen to start preapring dinner and didn't hear the conversation he was having with her, but you knew he was on the phone with her as you heard him say her name.

You kept cooking and brought the food to the living room as it was ready and found Jinwoo sitting on the couch playing one of his favorite video games.

''I told her I'd spent the evening with you'' he said while putting the controller away on the coffee table.

''That's nice of you, thank you''

Jinwoo smiled some and grabbed his plate, thanking you for preparing dinner. You two ate and talked, having fun like before which made you happy. You could feel something was off with Jinwoo, but you didn't know if it was because of you or not. As you finished eating, he received a notification from a text and as he read you could feel his mood go down even more.

''Jinwoo?''

He looked at you and hummed.

''Is everything okay?''

He sighed and put his phone away.

''Yeah.. It's just [girlfriend name].. She didn't react well to me telling her I'd spend time with you''

''Oh..'' you said, a wave of regret and guilt hitting you.

''She said that she's been wanting to spend time with me ever since this morning''

You felt even more guilty and looked down.

''I'm sorry.. It's my fault..''

Jinwoo looked at you and shook his head.

''No of course not, I'm the one that made the decision'' he said.

''But if I didn't ask this wouldn't have happened..''

Jinwoo shook his head again and reassured you that it was in no way your fault, which of course you knew but you couldn't help and feel guilty.

''She didn't have to react like this anyway'' he added.

You nodded and watched as he put his phone away again.

''Let's watch a movie? We can watch your favorite~'' he said, making you smile.

You grabbed a blanket and put it on you, staying where you were. You normally would've cuddled Jinwoo but with the situation you thought it was best not to.

''Why are you so far away? Come here'' he said while opening his arm to give you room.

You smiled and got closer to him, laying your head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around you. You put the blanket on him too as it was big enough for you two to share and watched as Jinwoo pressed play on the movie. You spent the evening as you normally would've and it made you happy. Because you finally had your best friend back.

Or so you thought. The next day, which was a saturday, you got up and made coffee as you usually would do. Jinwoo woke up not long after you and joined you in the kitchen to make himself a coffee. The two of you spent the afternoon together and you thought that with the talk you had yesterday that he would spend all weekend with you, but oh, how wrong you were. Around 4pm, his girlfriend came over. You were defeated. You were also sad. Because was all that talking from yesterday meaningless? Did he think spending one day with you was enough? You had all those questions in your mind and you couldn't find an answer to it. And neither could you ask for one as she was around. But you figured that Jinwoo knew better and that she was only gonna spend a few days, and that then he'd spend a few with you before she came back for the remaining days before leaving to her dad's.

3 days went by and she was still here. You were desperate to ask Jinwoo if she was gonna stay the week but never had the occasion. Until that day you were in the kitchen doing some dishes and he came to get snacks.

''Jinwoo?''

He hummed while searching the pantry for something to eat.

''Is she spending the week or not?''

''I don't know'' he said kind of on a rude tone.

You were a bit taken aback and added kind of silently.

''Oh, cause well as you know I'd like to spend time with you''

He grabbed his snack and walked off. You sighed to yourself, feeling like you ever talking about it was a bad idea. You should've just kept it to yourself and wait until she was gone for good.

The next day, you were surprised to see Jinwoo get out of his room and actually spend the afternoon with you. You two gamed together and had fun, it made you happy. And it was all you got.

This time 6 days went by, this was now her 11th day at your apartment and you couldn't take being pushed aside anymore. It got so bad that you were silently crying in your room as the two of them were laughing. You felt like you weren't wanted, because the only time you spent with him was when you told him, otherwise he would've stayed with her. And it was painful.

But later that evening, she left for good. You were still sad and in your room. You stopped crying but you felt like it could start back at any moment. And you were right, cause the tears started falling down your cheeks a few minutes later.

At first you were crying silently, but the sobs quickly followed. And as much as you tried to be silent, it didn't work. And Jinwoo heard. There was a knock at your door followed by his voice.

''(y/n)? are you okay?''

''Y-yeah, I'm fine'' you said in between two sobs.

Jinwoo knew you too well and knew you were lying.

''Come on, tell me please?''

''I'm fine Jinwoo'' you lied again, this time being able to control your sobbing.

You heard him sigh.

''I'll be in my room if you want to talk''

You considered not saying anything but the words were stronger than you.

''It's not that i don't want to talk, but it's not easy to talk about''

You could tell he was confused because he didn't say anything and you heard him take a couple steps to his room.

You laid down in bed and started crying even more, not even trying to hold back the sobs at this point. You cried under the blanket while hugging a plushie he got you for your birthday last year. Jinwoo couldn't stand to just hear you cry without doing anything and so he walked back to your room and opened the door without knocking. He walked to your bed and laid beside you, pulling you closer to him. You simply kept crying, and he stayed silent, knowing you'd open up if you wanted to.

''I just wanted to spend time with you Jinwoo..'' you said while crying. ''But instead she spent so many days here''

''She spent those days because she was gonna leave..'' he took a small break and continued ''you both are jealous of the other, it's hard on me you know''

You raised your head, getting a little mad. Did he really just say that? You pushed him away a bit and sat up, leaving the plushie on the bed.

''I'm not jealous of her Jinwoo, I'm just saying that for a month, even more, I was pushed away. I told you i wanted to spend time with you, you said the same so I thought we were on the same page and yet I was still pushed away. Do you know how sad it made me Jinwoo? I've never felt more alone than these past weeks''

You felt something, a new emotion. It was pain, but it felt different.

''I thought you'd be happy for me..'' he said while sitting up too.

''I am! That's not the issue''

There it was again, the same pain.

Why did you feel it? You were happy for him.. really...

''Then what's the issue?'' he asked.

''Did you not hear me speak a few seconds ago? I said I was sad and hurt to be pushed away and not being able to spend time with you. It doesn't have anything to do with me being jealous or not being happy for you''

You teared up again, but this time for a different reason. It was the same reason as the pain. You never realized it until now. But you had feelings for him.

''I'm sorry, I didn't think it was gonna make you feel like this''

You shook your head, not being able to let any words out. You couldn't believe you had feelings for him. Jinwoo looked at you and put a hand on your arm gently as he felt bad for making you feel like this.

''Look at me'' he said softly.

You did as he said and looked at him. The pain was showing in your eyes, and Jinwoo hated it. He especially hated it because it was his fault.

''I'll make it up to you, I promise'' he said.

You didn't say anything still. Jinwoo wiped your cheek as a new tear fell down and you looked at him.

''Do you want to cuddle..?'' he asked.

You nodded tiredly and watched as he laid back down. You laid beside him and grabbed the plushie back as Jinwoo wrapped his arm around you. You buried your head in chest and closed your eyes. Jinwoo puts a hand in your hair and softly plays with it to relax you, which worked like a wonder.

After a while of being like this, Jinwoo looked at you.

''Are you feeling better now?'' he asked.

You shook your head.

''Is there anything I can do to help?''

You shook your head again, which made him sigh.

''I know you're hiding something.. Can you tell me?''

''Even if I tell you Jinwoo it won't change anything''

''You don't know that, please..''

You sighed, looked at him, and said quietly.

''I love you, and you pushing me away made me realize it..''

Jinwoo stayed silent for a bit.

''See? I knew it wouldn't change anything''

''I'll fix this.. I promise I will'' he said.

You nodded, trusting him, even if you didn't know what he coud do to fix it.

But about two weeks later he came back with the solution. He asked if you two could talk and you agreed. You put your pc aside as Jinwoo sat on your bed, facing you.

''I broke up with [girlfriend name]''

You looked at him, a bit shocked as you weren't expecting it.

''I'm sorry..''

''No, don't be. She woudn't stop being jealous of you over no reason and I didn't like it so I broke up with her''

''Thank you for standing up for me..'' you said a bit sadly.

''I have to''

You looked at him as he said that.

''So now we can go back to what we had?'' you asked on the same sad tone as earlier.

''Well yes.. But I might have better'' Jinwoo said, which left you confused.

He noticed and smiled.

''Look, I've been thinking since we talked and what you told me made me realize thing. First that I really wasn't nice for pushing you away even after we talked, and second..'' he sighed and looked down for a few seconds before looking back at you ''Well.. I realized i have feelings for you too..''

You were too stunned to speak. And it took a few seconds before you were actually able to say words.

''But you were dating her..''

''And as bad as it sounds, I think I needed to date someone else to realize I liked you.. Because I mistook it for friendship'' he said, hoping you wouldn't get mad.

''It does sound bad.. But I understand, because I confused my love for friendship too..'' you said looking down.

Jinwoo took your hand and you looked back at him.

''So.. Do you want to go back to what we had or go for the other option?'' he asked.

You smiled.

''I wanna go for the other option''

Jinwoo smiled too and got closer before kissing you. You kissed him back and smiled, happy that it turned out the way it did.

[aajjks]

*bunny!noona goes and picks up her son after school* hey baby, how was school? i have a surprise! mommy took the next two week off so i can stay with you! yes baby, mommy is going to e with you your whole vacation! we can put the christmas tree up tomorrow, does that sound nice? you made a christmas ornament? can mommy see? oh baby…is that you and me? it’s beautiful buddy..

*noona notices that noah didn’t add jungkook to the painting of their little family. although jungkook hasn’t been a very active father recently, let alone husband.. him and their son use to have a very special bond.. jungkook was the perfect husband and father. everything they did, was together. the spent weekends at the park, made dinner together, movie nights and important thing. everything was perfect.. that was until jungkook got a new job, a job noona didn’t know much about. for a while after he became a full time employee, everything was perfect. she cut back from a full time job to a part time clothing store so she could drop off and pick up their baby boy as he started kindergarten. jungkook would come home the same time and spend the rest of the day bonding with his family. seven months after starting his job, he slowly stopped coming home on time, no longer no more playing with his son, no longer slept in the bed with noona, there was no more reading to his son before tucking him into bed, there was no more making love to his wife at night, everything just stopped. after noona was turned down every time she were to ask jungkook if he was okay or suggest couples therapy.. she gave up.. she no longer has anymore fight left in her heart when she sees how much jungkooks absence has affected their son.. so noona started making a plan..*

hey noah, mommy went and talked to the lawyer today, the one that’s going to help you and mommy leave daddy.. how much longer? well i don’t know baby, mommy’s is saving up her money. i was looking at apartments today, i think i found a great one for you and me. you’ll still have your own room and mommy will have hers but the living room is huge. ill take you this weekend and i’ll see what you think okay? if you like it mommy with put the money down for it. uh oh.. daddy’s already home? that’s unusual.. okay baby listen. these papers right here are the papers daddy can’t see okay? theses are the divorce papers mommy has to fill out. mommy is going to fill these out soon but i need to hide them until daddy isn’t around mommy. i’ll probably do it tonight, i’ll put them in my room somewhere since daddy has been sleeping on the couch.. i’ll just put them in my purse for right now.. i need you to promise me you won’t tell daddy about us going to see the apartments this weekend. pink promise? good. okay, grab your bag and let’s go in yeah?

you’re home early, normally you don’t come in until 12 at night, everything okay? hm, okay. well noah, baby, go unwind a little bit while mommy makes you and i dinner. chicken strips, friends, and maybe.. cookies for dessert sound good? you really are my baby.. i love you. now go on, i’ll call you down. no i don’t want help, i just want to get this done so i can get him ready for our movie night. no, he’s out of school for the next week or so for christmas. well you took the living room over so we’ve been having our movie nights in my room. you have work tomorrow and he’s really excited so he’ll probably be up for a long time tonight so i’ll make sure he keeps it down. jungkook, i need the counter, move you papers to the dinner table or something.

“Noona… he’s already going to sleep?? OK well do you need help? I could!!!! But what’s wrong with you? After so long I finally got to come home early… work has been hectic to say the least.. but I did miss you and Noah a lot.. can I have some dinner too I’m pretty hungry? So.? I’m sorry I know about the movie nights… what if we have a movie night tomorrow? I’m free actually it’s holiday season so I got a few days off… and I’m planning to spend them with you and our son, of course- no I don’t have work tomorrow, but I don’t need to finish these papers.. but I can always do the later go and spend some time with Noah? I miss him a lot! And can I sleep in the bedroom tonight?”

[atths--twice]

Chapter Six

An impromptu movie night seems like the perfect thing for a Thursday evening.

“Any big plans for this Thursday evening?” Fox asked Dana as she held a cup of coffee and joined him when her shift was over. 

“No. Not really.” 

“No more of the book to read?” 

“Oh, there is that as I certainly didn’t read it all last night. I couldn’t and I also forced myself to go slow.” 

“Any of the special treats left?” he teased and she smiled behind her coffee cup. 

“Two.” 

“I’m impressed. I would have eaten all of them.” 

“Well,” she said, setting her cup down and sighing. “I almost did, but then…” She sighed again and looked around the diner. 

“What?” he asked. 

“I’m hardly ever on my own and for the past two nights, I have been. It’s been nice, don’t get me wrong, but… I miss Ivy so much.” She looked at him and he nodded, understanding completely. “Usually when I buy those treats, we share them and… it felt wrong to eat them all on my own. So, I’m saving the last two for her, for when she comes home. Or, actually until tomorrow night. My sister got me a train ticket to go up after work tomorrow and I’ll be staying with her for the weekend.” 

“That’s great. For both of you. Well, all of you, I suppose.” He smiled and she nodded. 

“What about you? Any plans? Or more writing to do?” She picked up her coffee cup and took another sip. 

“No plans,” he said, shaking his head. She nodded as they stared at one another. “Would you… would you like to come over to my place and watch a movie? Anything you like.” 

Her eyes widened and she cleared her throat, licking her lips as she set down her cup and clasped her hands together. 

“You don’t have to,” he said hurriedly. “I don’t want you to feel you have to do anything you don’t-”

“I’d like to,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I… I like spending time with you.” She raised her eyes to his and he smiled slowly. 

“I’d say the feeling is mutual,” he said and she drew in a deep breath, biting her lower lip and clasping and unclasping her hands. “How about we get some dinner and bring it back? Not sure if you’re hungry now, it’s pretty early, but… Or we could order in? Your choice.” 

“Could we… could we get Italian? Something super rich and heavy?” 

“Sure,” he chuckled. “Whatever you want. There’s a great Italian place a couple of blocks from here. But it doesn’t have an Italian name… it’s called um… 

“Fiona’s,” she said and he snapped his fingers, pointing at her with a grin. 

“Fiona’s, that’s right. Let’s call it in and pick it up on the way.” 

__________

“This is your apartment?” Dana asked, standing in the entryway and looking around. “It’s…” 

“I know. It’s… not as homey and warm as your place,” he apologized, setting the bags of food onto the kitchen counter and turning back to look at her. “I uh… I’m not here much.” 

“Not at all, it’s beautiful. So… oh my God, look at your view.” She stepped further into the apartment and then glanced back at him. “A balcony? Can I… can I go out there?” 

“Of course,” he said, setting his things onto a dining room chair, but keeping his coat on, he followed her to the balcony. She opened the door and stepped out, taking in a deep breath. 

“Wow… it’s… it makes the city seem so peaceful and calm.” She stood at the railing and looked down at the city lights below, smiling as she did. “You must sit out here all the time with a view like this.” 

“Uhh… no, not really. I’m not here much, like I said. Truthfully, I see more of the diner than this place.” He shrugged when she looked up at him. 

“You don’t find it inspiring? The crisp air, the view, the furniture you have set up out here, and the quiet around you?” 

“Funny thing about that…” he said, standing at the railing and leaning on his elbows. “I find the quiet and lack of people around me to sometimes be a hindrance. I get distracted when I’m here on my own. I’ll… reorganize the linen closet or clean out the fridge and then wipe down every shelf. Oh, one night I spent hours, hours, arranging my cd’s according to my music preference and then I had to get out of bed to put them in their proper alphabetical order because it was not sitting right with me.” She laughed and nodded, looking back out over the city. “I’m a menace to myself sometimes when I’m alone here.”

“It’s a beautiful view.” she said, laughing again. “But, I can see why you need to be away from it. Or you’d never get any writing done.” 

“It’s the truth.” 

“Hmm,” she hummed. “I wanted a place with a balcony, but with a child… I was worried for many reasons. I’ll have to visit you again when I have a hankering for relaxing on a balcony and gazing out at the city.” 

“Anytime,” he said hurriedly. “You can come over anytime.” She looked at him and he began to stammer. “I… I mean… if… it’s just…” She laughed and he exhaled loudly. “I just meant, I’d… I’d like that.” 

“Save you from alphabetizing your spices?” she teased and he looked away from her as he cleared his throat. “No! You haven’t!” She giggled and he smiled, glancing back at her. 

“No. But see what you’ll be saving me from?” They both laughed and then headed inside, taking off their coats and laying them on the back of the couch. 

He gave her a tour and she shook her head at the sight of the washer and dryer in the apartment. 

“That would have been handy for me to have a few days ago,�� she said with a sigh and he nodded in understanding. 

They sat down to eat, the massive amount of food shared between them, along with a bottle of red wine. 

“These are nice glasses,” she said, holding up a stemless blue wine glass. “I like them like this as there’s less chance of them being knocked over.” 

“IKEA,” he said with a nod. “Most everything in here is from there.” 

“Really?” she asked in surprise. 

“Oh yeah,” he answered. “Makes it really easy to move when everything comes apart.” 

“You move often enough to have that as a prerequisite for your furniture?” she teased, taking a sip of her wine. 

“Not exactly,” he laughed. “But it comes in handy. Plus, it’s inexpensive and it all looks good together when you add pieces here and there.” 

“You know,” she said, setting her glass down and reaching for a breadstick before looking around. “Now that you mention it, this room does look nearly identical to page 127 of the catalog.” 

He let out a huge laugh and shook his head as she smiled and took a bite of her breadstick, after dipping it into her extra container of alfredo sauce. 

They cleaned up, putting the leftovers in the fridge, when her phone rang and she excused herself to the balcony. He watched her through the glass door, smiling as she spoke to Ivy. She showed her the view from the balcony and though he could not hear her words, he saw the love for her daughter expressed on her face. 

Not wanting to push his way into her call, he went to his bathroom, used the toilet and washed his hands. He considered changing his clothes into something more comfortable, but knowing Dana did not have that option, he vetoed the idea. 

Hearing the toilet flush from the other bathroom, he felt it was safe to assume she was no longer on her call. Leaving his bedroom, he went to the living room to turn on the television and find a movie for them to watch. 

She joined him and smiled as she refilled their wine glasses and brought them over to the coffee table. 

“Ivy says hello and to tell you that she’s made more pictures to add to your fridge,” she said as she sat down cross legged on the chaise section of the couch. 

“Excellent. I’ll take all I can get,” he said, picking up his glass and sitting down, smiling happily at her. 

Settling on a movie, he jumped up to pop some popcorn and grab a couple of blankets. 

Twenty minutes into the movie, he turned his head to ask her a question and found she had fallen asleep. Shifting somewhat, she was now half sitting, half lying down, her head on one of the large couch pillows, the soft gray blanket covering her. 

He smiled as he watched her sleeping, his question forgotten. Turning the movie down slightly, he continued watching it until the credits began to roll and he picked a new one. Crossing his arms and setting down the remote, he exhaled and got more comfortable on the couch. 

“Oh!” she said, about fifteen minutes later, stretching under the blanket. “I fell asleep.” 

“You did,” he said with a soft chuckle. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, burrowing further into the pillow and sighing as she continued to stretch. 

“No need to apologize.” 

“It’s not even that late, so I can’t use that as an excuse,” she whined, her voice muffled and he laughed again. “I’m a terrible movie watching partner.” 

“No,” he said, smiling at her and pausing the movie. “You’ve had a lot going on the past few days. It’s understandable that you’re tired.” 

“No,” she said, sitting up and yawning. “I’m notorious in my family for doing it.” She smiled sleepily at him and sighed. “I don’t suppose you would want to rewind it?” 

“This is a completely different movie,” he told her and her eyes widened. 

“Jesus. I missed the whole thing?!” She whined again and shook her head as he laughed. 

“I think you saw about twenty minutes of it. Maybe?” 

“Oh…” 

“I wouldn’t mind watching it again.” 

“Fox, no. I was joking,” she said, looking at him and scoffing. 

“Dana. Yes,” he replied, already going back to the previous movie and getting it ready. She sighed and he smiled at her, not minding in the slightest that he had just watched it. 

Glasses were refilled again, the bottle now empty, and the leftovers were brought out. They finished them off as they watched the movie, talking and laughing. 

She took her hair out of the bun, placing a small pile of bobby pins onto the couch, before then unbraiding the two braids. Running her fingers absentmindedly through the long soft waves they had created, the sweet scent of coconut hit his nose and his mouth went dry. 

“Oh, he’s in love with her. I knew it,” she said in a singsong voice and he felt his cheeks burn, quickly looking away from her. 

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat. “I knew that already, having recently seen the movie.” She laughed, glancing over at him as she twisted her hair around her fingers. 

“Touché,” she said, smiling at him before looking back at the movie. 

When it was over, she sighed happily and stood up, leaving the blanket on the couch as she stretched. Her pale blue sweater rose up her back slightly, a thin bit of her skin showing, and he forced himself to look away. 

“Now it is late, hmm. I should be getting home.” She started gathering up the bobby pins, glasses and containers. He stood up to join her, leaving his own blanket on the couch. 

A few minutes later, they left for her apartment as snow began to fall. 

“Oh, I hope it sticks around. Just enough to be enjoyed, but not to be a nuisance,” she said, smiling as the flakes fell on her, clinging to her hair, hat, and coat. 

“Supposed to have a storm soon, I think. Maybe you’ll get your wish,” he replied, smiling at the happiness on her face. 

“Hmm, a storm that’s not too inconvenient. That’s what I wish for. One that stops the city for like a day, but no one is hurt or affected too much by it.” 

“A good wish, indeed.” 

“Yeah,” she said, sliding her arm through his and bumping against him. He smiled as he once again smelled the scent of her hair, closing his eyes briefly as he breathed in deeply. 

People hurried past them, cursing the snow and she pulled closer to him, laughing at their annoyed words. 

“How can people not love the snow? Especially when it’s just falling and things feel peaceful?” 

“People are idiots,” he answered and she hummed in agreement. 

Too soon, for him anyway, they had reached her apartment building. She wiped snow from her face and smiled at him. 

“Thank you for dinner and the movie. I’m sorry you had to watch it twice.” 

“Nah. It was better the second time.” 

“Sure,” she laughed. “I’ve watched and immediately rewatched enough movies with Ivy to know that’s not exactly the truth.” 

“I got to spend more time with my new friend, so it was worth it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling. 

She looked down and then up at him, her blue eyes shining and a crooked smile on her lips. Nodding, she took a deep breath and quickly kissed his cheek, her own cheeks rather flushed when she stepped back. 

Was it from the cold or her bold actions? He did not know and he did not care. 

“Goodnight, Fox,” she whispered and he smiled with a nod. 

“Goodnight, Dana.” 

She took another deep breath and stepped toward the door. Another resident was leaving and held it open for her. She caught it with a quiet thank you and then looked back at Fox. 

“See you tomorrow,” she said softly and he nodded. 

“You will. Goodnight.” 

“Night.” 

She stepped through the door and waved goodbye as it closed. He waved back, turning to leave once she started towards the stairs. 

“This snow,” a woman grumbled as she passed him. 

He smiled and shook his head as he lifted his face, the cold sting of the flakes unnoticed as he could only feel the warmth of Dana’s lips as she pressed them to his cheek. 

[missywritesfor7]

🌺 Promise Flower | PJM 🌺

Synopsis: Jimin is a popular dance student and the best one at his university. Mina is a photography student and has known Jimin since high school. An idea for a photo project finds Mina getting closer to him than she ever has before. She learns how big his heart is, but also learns how closely he guards it. Every time she thinks he'll let her in, he pulls away again. Is it even worth the trouble?

Pairing: college student!Jimin x fem!oc

Warnings: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism

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|| Ch. 13: Green Eyes ||

We’re not a couple.

Jimin and I are not a couple.

We just spend every moment we can with each other. I take him to physical therapy and we watch dramas together. We have lunch together on the days our class schedules allow, and we have dinner together on most days.

We’re not a couple though.

I can tell he still gets jealous when Tae is brought up.

“You have to answer him right away every time?”

“Why isn’t he at his apartment?”

“How long have you known him? Not as long as you’ve known me, right?”

It’s like he has a Tae-radar or something. Every time my phone goes off he instantly starts pouting. Even if he doesn’t say anything I know what he’s thinking, and I know he’ll be vying for my attention if I spend too much time looking at my phone.

He’ll lean over and rest his head on my lap to get me to run my fingers through his hair. He’ll nestle his face into my neck to get me to wrap my arms around him. At times he’ll even pull me into his lap and he’ll begin running his fingers through my hair, knowing how much I enjoy it.

He’s never over the top about it, and he doesn’t directly say that he has a bit of insecurity when it comes to Tae, but he doesn’t hide it very well either.

The end of the semester is near and my photo project is due at the end of the week. After that I’ll have a week of studying endlessly before finals week. Once that’s over I’ll be able to breathe and I can’t wait.

With that, Tae and I have been spending more time at my place working on finalizing our projects. We give each other feedback and make adjustments so we can make sure everything is perfect. This project counts for a lot and could mean the difference between passing and failing the entire class, so we’re a bit stressed.

Jimin texts me a lot when I’m not with him which is great because Taylor is constantly texting Tae, and watching him smile at his phone every two seconds can get a bit sickening. But it’s also really cute.

The two of them seem to be made for each other. They haven’t made themselves openly official just yet, claiming to enjoy the anonymity of their relationship, but they’re adorable. I just wish they didn’t come to my place for refuge so much. They promise to pay me back in their own way once they’re able to get their own place together, which won’t be until the start of the new year. They both have awful roommates so I’m happy for them to finally move out.

Thursday night Tae stays over at my place, this time without Taylor who’s been stressing about finals. Tae felt that they would just stress each other out if they were together right now. Tae is stressed as well and says he doesn’t want to pile his stress onto Taylor’s. I ask why he’s at my place piling his stress onto mine and his response is because I have good snacks. He’s such a pain in the ass and he’s lucky I love him.

The next morning we gather all of our things to turn in and head to class. We’re both a ball of nerves, but once we give our presentations and turn everything in we breathe a sigh of relief. I’m sure we did fine and have nothing to worry about, but I guess the nervousness is natural when it comes to classes.

We celebrate by having lunch at our usual table in the cafe. We still have a lot of studying to do for our other classes, but right now we just want to take it easy. I’ll study next week, I just want to enjoy this weekend.

As we’re chatting and eating, Jimin enters the cafe and notices us at the table.

“Hey,” he says walking over and taking a seat next to me. “What are you guys up to?”

“Nothing, just having lunch and breathing a little relief now that we have our projects turned in,” I reply. “What are you up to?”

“Getting a bite to eat.”

I can’t help but notice his hand making its way to my thigh. And caressing it softly. He’s positioned himself quite close to me and with a cheeky smirk he snakes his arm around my midsection taking me a bit by surprise.

He’s never openly shown any type of physical affection towards me in public. I don’t know why he’s suddenly doing it now, but I can see Tae raise a suspicious eyebrow and I know exactly what he’s thinking.

“Shouldn’t you go order then?” I ask with a smile, but also giving him a look of what are you doing?

“I’m going,” he chuckles, making sure to run his hand across my entire back before getting up to go to the counter.

“Not a couple?” Tae says still holding his eyebrow high.

“Don’t start,” I say trying to avoid the conversation.

We’ve been going back and forth for weeks about Jimin and I not being a couple. No matter what I say, Tae is convinced that we are even if Jimin and I haven’t even discussed the topic.

“You know this isn’t helping your case of denial,” he says cocking his head to the side.

“Shut up.”

“He was practically all over you just now.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I just watched it with my own big eyes, Mina!”

“Ugh!”

“Why won’t you just accept it?”

“We haven’t even talked about it. I can’t go around saying we’re a couple without talking to him first.”

“I don’t think he needs you to talk about. He just made it clear as day.”

“Taehyung, I will throw a fork at you if you don’t hush.”

“Ok fine. If he comes back and he doesn’t put his hands on you then I’ll never bring it up again. I’ll even let you throw your fork at me.”

“Deal,” I say holding my fork menacingly and giving him an angry but playful scowl. He gives me a smirk as if he’s already won and nods.

Jimin returns to the table with his food and instantly rests his hand on my thigh while digging in to his salad with his other hand. Tae smirks in amusement and I’m considering throwing my fork at him anyway.

“So do you two have any plans for the day?” Tae asks.

“She’s taking me to my physical therapy appointment later,” Jimin answers before I can open my mouth. He turns to me with a big smile. “Maybe we’ll watch a movie later and I’ll get us something nice for dinner.”

“Um yeah,” I say trying to read his face. He’s looking at me like he wants to eat me more than any type of dinner. He turns back to Taehyung and leans his body closer to mine.

“Do you have any plans tonight?” Jimin asks with a bit of sass in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Tae hesitates. He twists his face a brief moment and then raises his suspicious brow again.

“Hey!” Taylor enters the cafe and greets us causing a big smile to creep across Tae’s face. “Having a party without me?”

“We’re just having lunch,” Tae says. “Sit. Chat with us.” He pulls out the chair next to him and looks at me with a smirk. I can just hear the gears turning in his head. He’s up to something.

“How’s your therapy going?” Taylor asks Jimin.

“Great,” he answers with enthusiasm. “My flexibility is getting better.”

“That’s good,” Taylor smiles. “We miss having you in class.”

“I miss it too.” Even with Taylor at the table, Jimin doesn’t put any distance between us. His hand is still caressing my thigh and he feeds me a few bites of his salad periodically.

“So, how long have you two been together?” Taylor asks with a shit eating grin much to Tae’s amusement. I’m going to need another fork to throw.

“Well we-“ I start.

“We should all go out for dinner tomorrow!” Tae says cutting me off.

“What?” I ask caught off guard by his sudden suggestion.

“All four of us!” He looks at Taylor and then Jimin. “It’ll be like a double date!” He’s way too enthusiastic about this.

“A double date?” Jimin asks seemingly confused. “You two are together?”

“Yup!” Tae and Taylor say in unison.

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Well we haven’t actually announced it to the world,” Taylor laughs. “But we kind of like it this way. Something about being mysterious makes it more exciting.”

“Oh,” Jimin says processing the information he just heard. Then he smiles. “I’m really happy for you!”

“So tomorrow night. All of us. Double date. Fun times.” Tae says winking at me with that big boxy smile. He’s a menace and he knows it and if he didn’t reach across the table to remove my fork from my hand I would have hurled it at his head.

“Sounds good to me,” Jimin says looking at me with a big bright smile. I guess I can’t back out of this now.

Tae and Taylor continue chatting with us a little longer before heading off to Taylor’s place. Jimin and I go back to his place until it’s time for his therapy appointment. I won’t say that I’m bothered by his sudden public show of affection, but I’m definitely confused.

“What was that about?” I ask laying on my stomach across his bed and cuddling with Blossom.

“What?” He asks laying next to me.

“The…” I wave my hands in the air. “Everything? The touching and affection. In public. In front of Tae and Taylor.”

“I didn’t know they were together,” he says avoiding my question.

“Yeah, and they’ve been driving me crazy,” I chuckle. “They’re cute together though.”

“Yeah they are,” he agrees.

“You didn’t answer my question though.”

“Dinner with them tomorrow should be fun.”

“Jimin!”

“Mina,” he smirks. He knows what he’s doing and he’s enjoying it.

“Dammit, Jimin, come on!” I whine.

“Sorry,” he chuckles. “If you don’t want me to I won’t touch you anymore.”

“Well no, that’s not what I said. I’m just confused.”

“So you want me to keep touching you?” He scoots closer to me pulling Blossom out of my arms and sliding his hand around my waist to pull me closer.

“You’re still not answering my question. You’ve never shown affection towards me like that in public before. Why now?”

“I thought you looked cute today.”

“Jimin.”

“And I haven’t seen you much this week.”

“Jimin!”

Before he can say anything else my phone goes off. I start to roll to my side to pull my phone out of my pocket, but he tightens his grip and pulls me closer to him.

“Is it important?” He asks with a low growl.

“I don’t know,” I say suddenly nervous. “It’s probably Tae.”

“He can wait.”

“Jimin,” I whisper trying my hardest to maintain my composure under his suddenly dominating gaze. “What are you doing?”

His intense stare makes my heart race. The longer he hesitates to respond the less I’m able to breathe. He thinks a bit while biting his bottom lip. I would love to say fuck it and just kiss him right now.

“I’m just enjoying your company,” he says loosening his grip on me.

“But earlier…”

“We should get ready to go soon.” He jumps up from the bed and steps into the bathroom leaving me there with more questions than I started with.

He’s just enjoying my company? What does that even mean? Is he trying to take things further with us? But then he pulled back as if he changed his mind. He was just all over me at the cafe, what was that all about?

I pull my phone out of my pocket and as I figured it was Tae texting me.

[Tae]: Now that he knows Taylor and I are together maybe he won’t be so jealous of me anymore 😌

[Me]: Jealous of you?

[Tae]: Come on it was so obvious!

[Tae]: I thought he was being weird at first but then I could tell he was just jealous.

[Me]: You’re crazy.

[Me]: But I think you’re right.

[Tae]: I’m taking a screenshot of this moment 📸

[Me]: 🖕

The way he left little to no space between us. The way he seemed to try making it incredibly obvious that something was between us, though I’m not entirely sure what. The way he spoke to Tae with a bit of sass in his tone. The way he looked almost as if he was bragging when he mentioned us having dinner and watching a movie tonight.

It wasn’t until Jimin realized Tae and Taylor were together that he started to lighten his tone a bit. He was still physically affectionate, but his sass disappeared.

So why did he pull away just now? He acted like he was trying to make a point, as if he was letting everyone, Tae especially, know that I belong to him. Why won’t he just make it happen? Why put up that front but then act like it’s nothing when I ask him about it?

After all he’s told me, I don’t believe him to be the type of person to just toy with me for shits and giggles, but he still leaves me so confused. I thought when he opened up to me about his past that he wouldn’t close himself off from me any longer, but he always comes just short of taking that next step. He has a way of skirting around the subject when I bring it up. I’ll admit I’m not that great at being direct with him about it, I thought I’d be able to ease into the conversation somehow but apparently not.

I don’t seem to have a choice anymore. I’ll have to be direct with him. I don’t know how much longer I can go on without having a clear definition of what our relationship is.