#weekend complaining that her other friend had got her a shitty present and it was obviously because she was jealous of how men liked | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

notchesandbullets · 3 years

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A Soft Confession Draped in Ivory and Silk (Pro-Hero!Bakugou x Pro-Hero!Reader)

Warnings: cursing, sort of domestic fluff in the snippet of the future Bakugou sees with you, mentions of alcohol, Aged-Up!AU, suggestive themes, implied smut, mutual pining, there's a lot of fluff in this one.

Synopsis: It’s been a few years since you’ve graduated UA. This was supposed to be a trouble-free reunion, except your reservations got screwed up and now you have to room with someone else while you're staying for the entirety of the trip. The weird thing is, everyone seems to have some kind of excuse as to why they can't let you sleepover in their room for the night. So, you decide on Bakugou's, the only person who can't say no because he hasn't arrived yet. But your actions have consequences and now you need to deal with all the feelings that you've been frantically suppressing as they resurface.

Words: 19.2k

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" Bakugou seethed hotly, vastly annoyed with the sight that greeted him.

He had kicked open the door to his allocated hotel room, exhausted from the long drive and wanted nothing more than to flop on the comfy bed and just fall asleep but that couldn't happen if you were here.

Of course it had to be you. Of all the shitty extras, it had to be you.

Fuck.

Rolling your eyes at his angry exasperation, you continued stirring the pot on the stove without paying him any attention, which you knew irritated him greatly. Free hand planted idly on your hips, your brow scrunched up as you caught a whiff of burning potatoes and quickly turned off the fire.

Alright, so you weren't the best at cooking, but that wasn't going to stop you. A girl's gotta eat.

In hindsight, you could've just picked up some food on the way or been smart and packed a lunch before you left but in your defense, you were running late. You blamed being completely unprepared on Mina, who failed to inform you in time so you would have enough time to appropriately pack and not panic about seeing all your old classmates from your UA days.

By the time she told you of this little trip, you had exactly seven hours to get everything in order and head up north to the high-end hotel Iida and Yaoyorozu, the old class representative and executive officer, reserved for the group of 22.

They had decided to hold a reunion of some sorts since it had been a number of years since you guys all graduated. Really, you suspected it just to be an excuse for all of you to get drunk but you weren't complaining.

Hero work was taxing.

Even Aizawa, Present Mic, All Might and Midnight had come along for the weekend getaway. Though they were stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it until the next morning.

"The reservations got mixed up when Midoriya called in." You said over your shoulder to the grumpy man pouting in the corner, scooping out the soup in the pot into bowls and you ignored how Bakugou growled when the name of his rival passed through your lips. "It was either share a room with you or Mineta, so..."

Bakugou glowered at you from the other side of the room but he didn't argue. That little pervert might've grown up a bit since he actually transformed into a decent hero who was a feminist and advocated for women all the time instead of trying to touch them constantly without consent, but that didn't mean he wanted you to sleep in the same bed as the fucking grape head.

Weirdly enough, everyone you asked seemed to have an excuse as to why they couldn't let you sleep over with them for a night until the mistake was sorted out. The guys you could understand but the girls?

Something was kind of off there.

So then it was just down to Mineta, who was an absolute no in your book, and Bakugou, who was the only one who hadn't arrived yet.

Knowing that you'd be completely screwed over if he said no too, you made a choice, figuring he could kick you out if it really was too much of a bother.

At least the accommodations were nice.

The room was a luxurious suite, more than big enough to hold you both without getting in each other's way.

Rich, velvet curtains hung from the valances and a small crystal chandelier hung above the mahogany table. The kitchen was fully equipped with the latest line of appliances in Japan and stocked with utensils and stainless steel cookware. The room even came with French doors that separated the bedroom from the cozy living area and kitchen parts of the suite, giving it a secluded but romantic feel.

You ignored the latter portion of that vibe.

The two of you were friends at best and you were still wondering if you could even call him a close friend when most of your interactions happened on the job in joint operations that required both of your quirks.

It was hard to ever find to get out and see your friends, let alone even consider dating. You had given up that dream after some sleazebag tried to get into your pants after one date. When your team figured out he was after your fame, that put the nail in the coffin and you hadn't tried to see anyone else since then.

For a time there, you had thought you had some potential for a relationship with Shindou since the two of you held mutual attraction for each other but that was over when he started seeing one of his old classmates.

You were happy for the both of them but it didn't dull the ache in your heart for someone who understood the life that you lived.

And not in a platonic way.

Shindou being in a relationship honestly didn't come as a surprise to you, he had feelings for her since the provisional licensing exam and besides, your heart was set on someone else.

Someone you could never hope that they would return your feelings.

Breezing out of the kitchen with two portions in hand, you passed one to the grumpy ash-blond's way.

Bakugou scoffed haughtily as he left his luggage by the door and threw himself down into the sofa positioned behind the TV, completely ignoring your peace offering. "What the fuck makes you think I want to eat your shitty cooking?"

"Suit yourself."

You shrugged your shoulders and set it down on the coffee table, undeterred by his crude yet muffled language. Something things never changed, you could still read him like a book. His temper was all a front.

Had been since high school. Now you both were pros, constantly out on the streets and saving the day. It was rewarding work but it was also exhausting.

You couldn't put into words how much you were looking forward to this getaway trip, where you didn't have to worry about appearances or the media catching you off guard.

You don't know exactly how, but somehow Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Iida managed to pay them off or something to get them to leave you alone for the blessed three days this reunion was going to span.

And you have to say, you had never been more grateful to have rich people as friends.

Leaving to go change so that you were ready for the dinner tonight with all of your old classmates while simultaneously chowing down on your delicious (somewhat burnt) food, the corner of your mouth quirked up in a smile as you heard the bowl scrap against the table as the grumpy hero begrudgingly pulled it toward him.

Unable to resist, you tossed a lighthearted jab over your shoulder without looking at him. "Aw, you do have a heart~"

"Fuck off, dumbass." Bakugou spat from around a mouthful of potato, yet making no move to set down the food you had spent so much time making before he arrived.

Even though it was a little overcooked, it tasted better than any of the shit he had been forcing himself to eat recently.

Being a pro was no fucking joke, not that he ever treated it like one before, but it sure as shit seemed a lot easier when they were students and had fucking adults to rely on.

It was still fucking weird to him to think of his old homeroom teacher as a colleague.

Bakugou lazed around for a couple hours after he finished eating your food. He wasn't ever going to admit it, but your home cooking hit the spot. His own cooking was still better but yours wasn't shit. At least, not compared to that fucking Dunce Face's.

He still remembered when you and Sato would make dinner back when they all lived in Heights Alliance. Of course, Emergency Exit had a fire extinguisher handy anytime you were in the kitchen because you had a habit of lighting things on fire.

A lot.

Flipping through the channels on the TV boredly, Bakugou blankly stared at the screen with moving pictures that he couldn't care less about as his mind wandered back to you.

When Kirishima first told him about the trip, he flat out declined coming with.

There was no fucking way he was going. Why the hell would he want to see all their annoying faces and shit?

At least, that was all that was running through his mind until the idiot slyly mentioned how you were going to be coming along.

Bakugou honestly didn't think you would be one for all this shit. According to his agent, you had been so swamped with work in your district that you hadn't been taking proper care of yourself. Not that he cared or anything.

But it was going to be a fucking inconvenience for him if you suddenly fainted on the job and was rushed to the hospital, leaving him to pick up all your damn slack.

Because your agencies were sort of near each other, he thought he couldn't take the time off if you were going, but his PR team had insisted, practically shoving him out the door so he could pack seven days early.

He had a sinking suspicion that his absence would allow them to curb the damage done after that stunt he pulled last month at the middle school they made him talk at.

It wasn't his fault!! Those damn kids had too many fucking questions!!

Alright, so that wasn't really it. He had overheard one of the teachers spewing shit about heroes and how useless they were so of course he was fucking angry. To have the fucking nerve to not even lower their voice in front of him was a trip but the last straw was when they carelessly brought up your name in the conversation, haughtily claiming that you didn't know how to do your job properly.

And he fucking lost it.

The entire security team had to pry him off of the wailing teacher when they arrived and once the facts were cleared up, no one could say that they really blamed him for reacting the way that he did but still, the press was going to have a field day when this got out.

Bakugou had clicked his tongue angrily and stormed the other way while the police got the situation sorted out.

He would own up to what he had done, he wasn't fucking afraid. He would kill them any day of the week.

But he halted in his tracks down the dreary and empty hallway when he saw a little boy sitting alone outside the classroom. He recognized him. He was inside during the meet-and-greet but the teacher that he had just got into a verbal battle with had sent him outside for some reason.

The child whimpered and curled into a tighter ball when he came closer and Bakugou cursed himself for not having the same calming effects on kids like Deku had.

"Oi, brat. What the hell are you doing sitting out here?" He asked abrasively, crouching down a little ways away to give him some space.

The kid sniffled loudly and raised his head, his eyes swollen and bloodshot from how hard he had been crying and Bakugou's heart twisted painfully.

"M-Mister?" He stammered out in a small voice. "Wha...?"

"You're crying."

Since no one else was around, Bakugou's guard dropped a fraction and his eyes softened slightly.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?"

After six minutes of the kid stuttering to find his voice in front of his idol, he managed to tell him a little bit.

And if Bakugou was mad before, he sure as hell was livid now.

Because this kid was being punished by his teacher and his peers for something he had no control over. His quirk.

His teacher hated him and would often send him outside because it would go off at random times and distract his classmates. And while everyone pointed fingers at him and laughed, he was left all alone to deal with a power that was too big for him to control.

Labeled a villain, he was cast out and even though the pro-hero could clearly see how kind his heart was just in the few minutes he'd interacted with him, no one else seemed to care enough to give him the time of day.

Bakugou offered out his hand and demanded that he get up. Timidly, the little kid did so, exclaiming out in surprise when he dragged him towards the direction of the classroom.

The hero could sense his rising fear and anxiety so he stopped just outside of the door where the police had been filing out of a minute ago and turned to him, squatting down to his level.

"Listen, brat." Bakugou barked out, but not unkindly. "Those extras don't mean a damn thing. You're fucking strong and you're going to be a great hero when you grow up."

He rapidly blinked his eyes and they sparkled. "Really?!"

Bakugou snorted. "Yup. Now, come on. It's storytime."

When he entered, he was disgusted to see how the teacher and the kids recoiled back from the boy hiding behind his legs. And while he couldn't necessarily fault the kids as much as their teacher because they were being taught that this little guy was a monster, to see a grown-adult grooming them to judge people like this was fucking wrong.

He would know.

Sitting down, he patted his thigh once to invite the little boy to take a seat on his lap. When the boy finally scrambled on and got comfortable, even though he was still clearly nervous about being in front of his class like this, Bakugou started his tale.

The few security officers who were standing by the teacher for safety should he launch at them again and his own agent were wary of his intentions, but all that diminished when he opened his mouth.

The calm hero told the wide-eyed kids how he was a bully to someone who had the true heart of what it took to be a hero and how he was able to grow by recognizing his mistakes and taking action. He told them that it was hard to change but that it was a good thing even though it felt weird and felt like the world was against him at times.

He told them that it didn't matter whether they had a strong quirk, a weak quirk or no quirk at all, at the end of the day, they were all the same: imperfect humans just trying to live and find happiness. And that everyone was deserving of respect.

Even the little boy they had casted out from their social circle.

Bakugou could see some things start to click in their minds and while he knew that most of this would fly over their heads for now since they weren't at an age where they had to think about all these things on the daily, he hoped that it would stick with them and come back to them when they needed it most.

The teacher's jaw had gone slack in shock and Bakugou glared at them, sending them one last pointed remark about how it was important to ensure the future generation had the tools they needed to thrive in this world and they gulped, averting their eyes as they were thoroughly intimidated by the way his burning eyes scorched into them.

Throwing his head back with a heavy sigh, Bakugou closed his eyes.

He needed this weekend to get the fuck away with everything that was wrong in this world and accept that he could only change the things he could control one at a time.

But patience was never his strong suit.

Growling, he pushed himself off of the too-comfortable couch and stormed his way to the front door to grab his luggage he had discarded to the side earlier before heading to the bedroom. He paused at the closed door for a second, briefly debating if he should knock or not but shook his head.

Fuck it. It's my fucking room.

He kicked open the door despite it being made of glass and he froze in place as his eyes landed on your form standing in front of the full-length mirror with your bare back to him.

Your eyes shining in the reflection of the polished mirror snapped to where his figure was still frozen in the doorway and you rolled your eyes, not even bothering to cover yourself up or anything.

It honestly wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, your hero costume had your back exposed all the time but you were damn annoyed that he had burst in when he did because he startled you and dropped the thing you had been playing with for a good half an hour now.

You were halfway to getting that tricky zipper to cooperate with you when he interrupted you. His timing literally could not be worse.

Sighing, you motioned him in, a bit confused why he cleared his throat and looked away from you as he set down his suitcase and strutted over without a fight.

"Make yourself useful and help me." You demanded with a slight pout. It was his fault the stupid thing was now all the way down again. Who made these things?!

You didn't have enough hands for this task.

In order to zip up the complicated dress, you needed to simultaneously hold together all the lace that crisscrossed near the neck while your other hand tried to wiggle up the zipper.

All while defying gravity and attempting not to twist your arms off.

Bakugou came to stand behind you and he exhaled frustratingly at the mess you made. The whole thing was tangled in the back, there were too many pieces for him to know what was supposed to go where.

"What the fuck did you even do, dumbass?" He muttered, more to himself than to you as he crossed over and pulled through the complicated design to get it to lay flat, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

You giggled, gathering your hair in one hand and sweeping it to one side so that it was off the nape of your neck and wouldn't get in the way.

You swallowed when his fingers brushed over your skin as he undid the damage you dealt to this fancy article of clothing and tried to ignore how your heart skipped a beat.

Honestly, you hated parties and fancy gatherings like the one tonight was going to be, but Mina and Ochako had begged you to wear something nice for at least one of the days, hence why you were now in this predicament.

Because you had absolutely no idea how to put on a dress this fancy.

Yaoyorozu had bought it for you last year when all of the girls from the former Class A and B went on a shopping spree, claiming it brought out your eyes and was such a perfect fit for you that you had to have it, regardless of how many zeros there were on the tag at the time of purchase.

You thought your eyes were going to fall out of your head the second she swiped her platinum credit card without so much as batting an eye.

You haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet. It really was a special occasions gown since it was floor-length and wouldn't be appropriate for any modern day clubs or work parties. So when the girls told you the dress code for this weekend, you were secretly a little excited, the inner child in you skipping around in circles at the notion of getting to play dress up.

According to Mina and Tsuyu, the ballroom that dinner was going to be served in tonight was supposed to be extravagant and you couldn't wait to see what it looked like.

The Solaria Hotel was one of Japan's finest and most exclusive establishments and had a five star rating from over hundreds of thousands of pro-heroes.

And you could certainly see why.

Just the size of the bedroom itself was already twice as big than your apartment that you rented out.

The king-sized bed was ridiculously huge and you were pretty sure the comforter was lined with genuine velvet. Silk sheets for the mattress and the pillow had your heart jumping for joy at how soft and silky it felt against your skin.

Aside from the bed, which also had a sheer white canopy draping down, the ceiling was ten feet high and rose petals were scattered around the huge room.

If you didn't know any better, you would think that this was a love hotel instead of one that they geared towards a resting spot for heroes. But you supposed you could understand why they had set it up the way they did.

Even heroes needed that kind of relief.

But luckily, the hotel business was slow this time of month and you didn't see many other guests when you came in, so the lack of bustle was a nice change of pace from your everyday hectic schedule.

Twisting around to see what was taking Bakugou so long to figure out the lace back, you yelped when he harshly pushed you back so that you were facing forwards.

"Hey!!" You protested indignantly and you swayed on your feet. It was a good thing you weren't wearing your heels yet.

He scoffed, deft fingers continuing to work at the knots as he repeated his earlier words. "What the fuck did you even do?"

"I didn't do anything!!"

This time, he snorted in disbelief. "Yeah right. This shit looks worse than Deku's hair."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" You shrieked.

After arguing back and forth for a few minutes, you began to grow anxious as the time started to tick by. You had to be down there for dinner in less than an hour and you even though you had already done your hair and makeup, mostly, you still weren't really prepared for this.

Crowds weren't your thing, which made being a pro hard sometimes, but the work you did was worth that particular downside.

Your eyes widened and you hopped in place when Bakugou finally zipped you up. Spinning around and being careful not to trip, you beamed at him as you threw your arms around his neck.

"Thank you!!!" You squealed gratefully.

He clicked his tongue and huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Get off me now, dumbass."

You clambered off of him albeit ungracefully since this gown was pretty heavy thanks to the many layers of fabric and you flailed your arms like a baby bird as you lost your balance.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch you before you fell but before you could thank him, he was already turning away and going to his side of the room.

But tried as he might, he couldn't stop staring at you even as you turned away.

As soon as he collected his luggage once more and dragged it over to his side of the bed that wasn't claimed by you, his thoughts drifted back to you once again as you twirled in the mirror, giggling to yourself as you remained completely oblivious to the vermilion gaze burning into your back.

He swore in his head. It was much harder to stop them from going rampant with that intoxicating scent of banana and citrus that came from a specific kind of lotion he knew you always put on ever since he got it for you.

It was a gift for the last Christmas your class shared in your third year in high school. And the only reason he bought you that was because fucking Raccoon-Eyes thought it would be a good idea to put a limit on the gift giving since Iida had gone all out last year and nearly flooded Heights Alliance with an obscene amount of presents.

Shinsou might've had a hand in helping deliver them.

But of fucking course you would be wearing it right now. He could smell it so clearly, it was so fragrant it was making his head go foggy.

Bakugou tried to concentrate on something, anything really that would get his mind off of you but to no avail.

Everywhere he looked, there was evidence of you and your light.

Your clothes folded neatly in the walnut dresser on the top drawer, your books on the nightstand, even all those bottles on the vanity in the joined bathroom that was connected to the bedroom that he didn't really think was necessary unless you were trying to scrape off your skin.

In the small walk-in closet, if it could even be classified as such, was filled only with your empty luggage and the hanger in which probably hung up the dress to prevent it from wrinkling before you put it on.

And now that he wasn't fucking fighting a battle with your stubborn zipper, Bakugou really got a chance to take you in.

The layers of pale green chiffon flowed around your ankles when you moved. Paired with billowy sleeves made from that same sheer material, it made you look ethereal. The bodice flattered your figure and the sweetheart neckline skimmed just below your collar bones, making you appear soft and pure, like a fairy who could bend nature to her will with just a kiss.

The lace back was beautifully intricate and the golden zipper was barely noticeable when you let go of your hair.

It cascaded down, the soft curls brushing against your shoulders and a glass butterfly clip was nestled in your hair to keep most of it away from your face, save for a few curled strands that framed your face.

You were breathtaking.

You raised an eyebrow curiously when Bakugou suddenly started to cough violently and worried that he had somehow managed to choke on his own spit, you gathered up your skirts and rushed over to him.

You weren't insulted when he brushed you off, shouting at you that he was fucking fine, but you didn't push the issue.

He grabbed his things from his suitcase and stomped off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and you were left wondering what all of that was about.

Shrugging to yourself, you figured that he would either deal with it himself or go to Kirishima if and when he needed help.

Now, you were faced with a completely different dilemma.

There was about fifteen minutes before the scheduled time to report downstairs and you still needed to put on your shoes. But it was nearly impossible to see over the poofy skirts of this dress.

Groaning in frustration, you threw your hands down exasperatedly from trying to get it on for the fourth time. This was getting old.

Then, your whole face lit up when you got an idea.

Practically throwing yourself face-down on the bed, you squirmed and wiggled around on the king-sized bed until your back was flat against the cushiony mattress and you huffed, blowing the hair out of your face as you stuck your legs up in the air, grabbing for the shoes to put on as you bent your knees.

It was an awkward position as your skirt obeyed gravity but it worked.

Two minutes later you had both of the heels on the right way and did up the laces properly.

Inwardly, you were wondering why you were even bothering to teeter on these stilts for the entirety of the party but they completely the look. Besides, you were almost sure that you guys were going to take pictures later, even if Bakugou would only join you guys for one.

You hummed to yourself, standing up and smoothing out your skirt. You were in the middle of fixing your hair when the lock to the bathroom clicked and out stepped Bakugou.

Your eyebrows shot up to your forehead. Damn that man can clean up nice when he wasn't busy murdering villains.

A pressed suit adorned his broad frame and you had to swallow to stop yourself from drooling at how good he looked.

The suit was a classic black, with a crisp white shirt on the inside and his pants were clearly ironed before coming here. A red handkerchief peeked out from where it was tucked into his breast pocket and you swooned.

He had gotten everything right, right down to the shiny black dress shoes. You didn't know how it was possible to not have any wrinkles or a hair out of place as he slid up his embroidered tie with an irritated scowl, making the lapels lay flat with an aggressive swipe at the offending material.

You barely noticed his rising aggravation as they kept popping back up and he adjusted the cufflinks before jerking at the collar again.

"Here," You giggled. "Let me help."

Bakugou grumbled but lowered his hands and let you do as you pleased as you tucked it in further to get it to straighten out without popping back out.

"Thanks." He said gruffly and you flashed him a bright smile.

"Anytime!!"

Bakugou groaned quietly as you flounced out of the room. "You're too fucking cheerful."

You threw a charismatic smile his way as you skipped to the front door, making sure to grab your clutch on the way out. You didn't necessarily need your wallet tonight as you weren't planning on getting drunk but you weren't exactly comfortable leaving it in the hotel room.

Years of training had taught you that there were flaws in even the most advanced security systems.

"I didn't think you were going to dress up tonight." You commented casually as you waited for Bakugou to finish grabbing his wallet and phone before locking the door behind you two.

You were leaning against the glass barrier that surrounded the halls.

The Solaria Hotel was more than 100 floors, reminding you of the tower at I-Island that time you guys had to beat those villains to save the professor and restore order to the island. Bakugou's room was on the 80th floor, so you could see everything.

The layout of the circular building had basically ensured that it was hollowed out, rooms circled each floor and had an elevator on the north and south points of the building. In the empty space that you could see below as far as the eye could see, they had crystals suspended in the air that changed color periodically.

He scowled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he fell in step beside you and you tore away from your admiration of the ingenuity of the architecture.

"Shitty Hair made me fucking wear this shit." Bakugou said through clenched teeth as he recalled Kirishima begging him to wear it so they could match tonight. He wasn't going to cave but then fucking Raccoon-Eyes threatened not to feed him.

That wouldn't bother him except for the fact that he wouldn't be able to see you and all the shitty extras would be free to hit on you.

Not on his fucking watch.

Of course, this was decided before he knew you were going to be crashing in his room. He could cook for himself just fine, he didn't need to eat that overpriced shit that Ponytail Girl and Emergency Exit fucking paid for but now he was going anyways because there was no way in hell you were attending alone.

Covering your smile behind your hand, you teased that no matter what he said, he would do anything for Kirishima if he asked and Bakugou exploded at you, right there, in the middle of the hallway.

You shrieked as he launched himself at you and you ran for your life, panting hard as you reached the vacant elevators in the nick of time, frantically pushing the button to get it to close before Bakugou caught up.

Hope swelled in your chest when the doors started to close but it plummeted when a hand stopped it just before it shut completely.

Bakugou licked his lips as he pushed them back open and you backed into the corner to get as far away from him as possible as he advanced.

You gasped when his hands slammed on either side of your head, the soft ding of the elevator doors closing lost on both of you as his eyes bore into yours.

"Time to fucking pay, dumbass." He smirked, leaning in close.

You glanced over his shoulder, quickly concluding that you wouldn't reach the first floor for a good minute and decided you needed to come up with a distraction to ensure you would live to eat at least a morsel of the heavenly food that awaited you.

Bakugou's eyes flew open as you boldly took a step forward, pressing yourself against him and he swallowed hard when your finger teasingly trailed down from his shoulder to his chest. He swore that even though he was wearing two layers, he could feel your touch as though there were no clothes between you two.

The glass of the elevator was transparent and if anyone were looking closely enough, they would be able to see how he was pinning you to the wall with no space between the two of you.

"Aw~" You cooed, batting your lashes at him prettily. "That's such a shame... I was really looking forward to tonight."

He fucking knew you were toying with him, making it sound like a implication that you wanted him to take you back to his room but he fucking knew that you loved food more than any other shit so you had to be messing with him.

But it was pretty hard to believe when you looked up at him so innocently.

Bakugou's mouth pulled back in a heated snarl and it took everything in him not to close the distance and crash his lips onto yours, claiming you for himself tonight, tomorrow, and every other night that was to come.

Your expression cleared as the elevator came to a halt and Bakugou, who had been bracing himself over you, was thrown off balance.

"We're here!!" You announced excitedly, skipping past him for the second time that night.

He slapped a hand to his forehead and rushed out of the elevator into the lobby to catch up with you.

Fuck, what was wrong with him tonight?

The layout of the first five floors were a bit different than the residence area since those were designated for recreational activities and an extensive training gym.

The lobby was beautiful, even though you had skimmed by it earlier just to figure out where you were going to stay since the reservations had been messed up but now you got a good look at it.

A huge crystal chandelier sparkled from the ceiling and your heels clicked as you walked across the polished marble tile.

Everything was gold and white, clean and shining so bright that you could see your reflection in all the surfaces that you looked in. The golden edging along the wainscot and the Victorian details in the carvings along the panels of the ceiling were incredibly well done.

It branched off into several sections, the ambiguity of the lobby enabling them to have several private rooms covered with a heavy velvet curtain to maintain complete privacy.

The only thing that distinguished this floor from looking like a private establishment altogether was the very noticeable front desk in which the staff were stationed.

You were told that there was minimal staff to ensure the utmost respect and privacy but you were glad to see human faces as opposed to all the high-tech the hotel had ingrained into it to make the stay as pleasant as possible.

You didn't know why but it was nice to have a human touch in a world advancing so fast that artificial intelligence and robots were becoming more and more prevalent.

At least you could soak in that hot tub later to forget about anything and everything, relaxing in a blissful state until they kicked you out.

You could sort of recall Mina telling you about it over the phone but you were busy packing so you couldn't pay too much attention to her. But you were pretty sure she said something about a state-of-the-art pool and made another mental note to check it out later once you got out of this ridiculous getup.

Your confidence and schoolgirl excitement that came from dressing up dwindled bit by bit until you were left standing outside of the ballroom in a nervous wreck.

Judging by the music you could hear inside and all the lively chatter, most if not all were already there, and now you were having second thoughts as you anxiously played with your sleeves.

It wasn't that you didn't think you looked good, you really loved how you looked, it was just... you were feeling a bit self-conscious now that you were about to go in.

It was the same feeling that you had right before you had to try out for the hero agency of your dreams right after graduation. You were a bundle of nerves that day but at least then you could prove yourself by using your quirk to fight and take out bad guys.

You highly doubted that Yaoyorozu or Mina would be amused if you took on that same attitude and ripped the dress to shreds.

Regardless of the fact that it was expensive, you really wanted to follow through with this despite the anxiety you were feeling right now.

Bakugou hung back once he caught up to you, chest heaving slightly. You were faster than he remembered. But as he noticed that you were fighting with something internally, he arched an eyebrow and argued with himself about whether or not it was a good idea to ask what shit was stopping you from going in.

By the time he told himself to fuck off and just do it, you had straightened your shoulders and opened the doors yourself.

A wide grin split across his face and he shook his head, in a mixture of begrudging admiration and a hell of a lot of disbelief.

You were fucking strong. No doubt about that.

He knew how much shit you had been through in high school. Your social anxiety was no fucking joke, you had real reactions to situations that stressed you out, but you were dealing with it time and time again just to push through and do what you loved.

That wasn't to say that you didn't fail at times but he was so fucking proud of you for asking the shitheads for help when you needed it.

Because you deserved it.

None of them judged you for it. Hell, Shoji had anxiety just like you, Ponytail Girl still had issues with her self-esteem frequently when her ability as a hero was being called into question by the press who often brought up her revealing hero costume as though that was the only thing that defined her, Icyhot was still dealing with the aftermath of his own trauma when something triggered him and Deku wasn't perfect either.

Your class had been through everything together. You guys were each other's family and were there for each other. Always.

You guys trusted each other with your lives and it was safe to say that you would go to bat for any of the others should they ever be in danger.

Bakugou was broken out of his thoughts as an all-too-cheerful voice shattered his trance.

"Bakugou, lookin' sharp!!" Kirishima called out, cupping his hands over his mouth so that his voice carried further.

Unfortunately, it caused a lot of other people to look his way and Bakugou's face twisted into a scowl.

"Fuck off, Shitty Hair."

Kirishma laughed, the bright sound relaying just how much his language never bothered him and he skipped over to loop his arm through the grumpy ash-blond's.

"Aw, what's got you so angry?" Kirishima teased with a grin, coming around on his other side to sling his arm around his shoulders when Bakugou threw him off.

Bakugou scowled, refusing to reply and his best friend's grin grew.

"So..." He drew out smugly. "I see you arrived with Y/N. Does that mean you finally manned up and told her how you feel?"

You whipped your head around in shock, breaking off your conversation with Jirou when you heard the explosion, and fell into a fit of giggles as the smoke from Bakugou's quirk cleared. Iida and Midoriya were doing damage control to a pent-up Bakugou and Todoroki was standing off to the side for moral support.

As for Kirishima and Kaminari, who had happened to be on his way to greet the pomeranian when the explosion occurred, were slapping their thighs and howling obnoxiously, tears leaking out of their eyes from laughing so hard.

Yaoyorozu shook her head. It was too early in the night to deal with all of this.

She sighed, gracefully putting a hand over her heart. "It seems like Bakugou-san's temper has not changed."

You snickered along with Jirou, who was covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop the fit of uncontrollable laughter that had taken over her body when she saw Kaminari's hair sticking straight up due to the fire.

"Oh no, that definitely hasn't changed." You giggled, biting your lip to curb your smile when Bakugou glared at you as if he had heard you even though you were too far away to be within his earshot.

His vermilion eyes narrowed accusingly and you held up your hands in surrender, an innocent expression painted on your features.

Your giggle came out muffled when your teeth clamped down on your bottom lip and you ducked to hide behind Yaoyorozu when Bakugou started stomping over in your direction.

"Hide me!!" You yelped and Jirou rolled her eyes.

"He's already seen you." She pointed out, forgetting her earlier uncomfortability when you first sought her out upon your arrival.

The two of you tended to stick together for these kinds of things, since you both were equally out of your element when it came to formal wear and all things classified as girly.

And the dress code for tonight was a strict one. Girls had to wear dresses and guys a suit. The only exception was Shoji and that was only because no company could ever tailor a suit right to accommodate his dupi-arms.

You hunched down further, trying to make yourself smaller but it didn't do any good as a firm grip encircled your wrist and yanked you out from your terrible hiding place.

"I can still fucking see you." Bakugou seethed, sparks popping in the palms of his hands and you smiled nervously.

"Uh... Ah!! Wait—" Your objections were cut short when he dragged you away from the others. "Where are we going?!"

Yaoyorozu and Jirou exchanged a sympathetic look with each other.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked softly, her eyes worried.

Todoroki appeared beside her and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "They will be fine but perhaps we should give them a minute so Bakugou can collect himself."

"Iida-kun, is dinner ready?" Midoriya asked to take the attention off the two of you as the prospect of food was brought up and the former class rep vigorously nodded.

"Affirmative!!" He shouted, thrusting his hand high in the air to gather everyone as his old classmates started to drift towards him. "Let us sit in groups of four to make it easy for the staff to clean up, Class A!!"

Kaminari elbowed Shinsou in the ribs, interrupting his conversation with Tsuyu. "Do we still have to do what he says even though he's not the boss of us anymore?"

Shinsou sighed, running his hands through his hair and Tsuyu had a suspicion that it wasn't the first time he had asked this. "Yes, Kaminari. Because if you don't, you probably won't get to eat."

Kaminari's jaw dropped all the way to the floor but he recovered in a second, racing to his seat.

Tsuyu tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully as she and Shinsou began to follow the overzealous blond to the tables that Iida was seating everyone at. "Do you really think Iida-chan would stop him?"

Shinsou chuckled, giving her one of his rare smiles as he pulled out the seat for her before sitting down himself at the table that held a fidgeting Kaminari and nervous-looking Kirishima.

Crooking a finger, he motioned her to come closer so he could whisper it without him hearing. "Nah, but it's fun to mess with him."

Tsuyu giggled, waving at Ochako and Mina from the other table since the six round tables were set up relatively close to each other in the huge ballroom, forming a circle.

They were currently towards the front where all the appetizers on tables lined with white cloth were served before the main course. Then, there was some kind of game set up on the adjacent side that looked like beer pong and the empty space at the back took up the majority of the ballroom was left alone as a dance floor for the upbeat music that would resume later on.

With a flick of her earphone jack, Jirou changed the playlist to classical and lowered the volume just as the food was coming out.

Mineta complained that the music was too slow and boring for his taste but he didn't argue anymore when Jirou silently threatened to electrocute him. Shoji coughed into his hand and grinned at the girl's spunk while Yaoyorozu just smiled.

Koda was signing to Aoyama. Even though he had gotten more comfortable talking with all of them, everyone's chatter was making it hard to hear, so as he relayed details about his latest mission, Ojiro was engaged in a discussion with Sato about whether or not food coloring was necessary in modern day society when more and more ingredients were being revealed to be unhealthy in nature.

Sero was trying to teach Hagakure how to fold a napkin into a swam while Todoroki and Tokoyami talked about the latest hero news after exchanging pleasantries.

And Midoriya, Ochako, Mina and Iida filled up table five. Which left just the one for the two who had yet to sit in their seats.

Iida shook with restraint before abruptly standing up to shout for you and Bakugou who were still talking in the far corner about something he couldn't hear but Midoriya caught his arm and eased him back down.

The food had just come out and it was hot. He had helped Iida order food for tonight so he knew it was going to be good.

Each table got five different kinds of entrées to share, hence why they could only fit four people at each table instead of five like Iida had initially planned since the piping hot food coming out from the kitchen was monstrous and would take up a ton of space.

Wagyu beef, fugu, kujira, basashi, otoro, fresh-steamed vegetables and even yubari melon for a refreshing taste was set down on gold-rimmed platters and left to be ravished by the hungry people eyeing it like some sort of animal.

Everyone was hungry, and Midoriya knew you wouldn't mind if you guys started ahead so he opened it up to his fellow heroes, and even though he knew Kacchan might say something about it later, he still clapped his hands together and dug in.

Some of them, like Kaminari, Aoyama and surprisingly Tsuyu followed his lead and tore in right away, while others like Tokoyami, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were too busy with their own conversations to be bothered with the food at the moment.

Kaminari stopped stuffing his mouth long enough to glance at Kirishima out of the corner of his eye.

"What's the matter?" He asked and with his cheeks stuffed full it was a little hard to hear him but Kirishima got his point.

His brow drew together worriedly. "They kind of look like they're arguing."

It was true. You did look like you were engaged in a heated spat with Bakugou, but Kirishima was way off.

Ten feet away, you planted your hands firmly on your hips and glared at him as your voice rose an octave. "Excuse me?!"

Bakugou barely stopped in time from snapping his teeth at you. At this point, he was going to rip out his hair if you didn't concede and admit that he was right. "You fucking heard me."

Your mouth pressed in a hard line. "I can't believe you would say that."

A beat of tense silence passed and then you exploded.

You threw up your hands in frustration. "Aizawa's would clearly beat All Might in a battle, he can erase his quirk for crying out loud!!"

"All Might was the Number 1 Hero." Bakugou ground out angrily through gritted teeth. "And he's as strong as shit even without his quirk."

"Not everything is about strength!!" You fired back but he wasn't done.

He continued to go on a rant just to prove to you that All Might would be the one to fucking beat your old homeroom teacher if they ever versed each other in a one on one battle.

How you got here, you had no idea.

It started with him dragging you away and before he spun you around and backed you into a corner, demanding to know just what was being said about him.

After dangling tease after tease at him, the stiffness in his shoulders wasn't lost on you and you told him flat out that you three had just been commenting on his temper when he looked your way, making the timing seem like he had heard you and you found it hilarious.

Bakugou's expression crumpled as he realized he had gotten it wrong and let insecurity get the best of him, to which his eyes shot open when he realized he had said that last part out loud.

You were faster than him though, as you reassured that it was okay to be feeling that way and apologized for teasing him before he could even say a word to amend his mistake.

It had then transitioned to him quietly asking why you stopped outside of the door before you went inside and you paused before hesitantly revealing that it was because you had a fleeting thought that you didn't actually look as good as you thought you did and he frowned.

Your eyes rounded as wide as saucers as he went off on you, fucking you over for thinking that and telling you straight up that you were fucking stunning.

It was doing bad things to your heart as it flopped pathetically in your rib cage and your hands automatically went up to cover your cheeks which you were sure were bright red.

Bakugou didn't touch you but his eyes scorched into you with such conviction that you eventually lowered them yourself and thanked him softly for saying that to you.

To which he scoffed and said it was obvious and that he'd have to be fucking blind not to see you.

Cue more blood rushing to your face.

From there, the conversation went from insecurities to a short story you brought up when Aizawa had helped you boost your self-confidence and Bakugou retorted with his own story of All Might when he stopped him from annihilating Deku in Ground Beta in your first year of high school.

Things only got more competitive as you shot back that Aizawa had helped him too on countless occasions, the hothead countering by bringing up the time All Might saved you single-handedly when you had gotten captured in a fight.

Knowing your hands were tied for that particular instance, you shifted it back to Aizawa's strengths and Bakugou retorted with All Might's own.

And that's where you ended up. Having a staring contest while the rest of your old classmates watched raptly from the sidelines and wondered just what had got you both so worked up.

"Admit your defeat, dumbass." Bakugou grinned cockily, sticking his face in yours. "And then you can fucking get your shit."

Your eyes flickered up to his since even though you were wearing heels, you were still shorter than him. A hint of mischief glimmered in your eyes as a smile played upon your lips.

"Actually, I think you lost this round, Boom Boy."

Before he got a chance to open his mouth and object to that ridiculous nickname you had given him from your youth, you ducked under his arm and made a break for it towards the tables.

"Fucking— GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!!" He yelled after you, breaking into a sprint but you were too far ahead of him.

You ducked behind Iida for protection and he stood up tall, unwavering as Bakugou skidded to a halt.

"Bakugou!! That's enough!!" Iida shouted, holding his hand out for him to stop as he tried to get around him.

The whole class watched and waited to see what he would do, slurping on food obnoxiously while they all waited.

"Tch." Bakugou smirked, grounding his fist into the palm of his hand as it lit up. "Is that a fucking challenge?!"

"NO!!!" Iida thundered, clearing his throat and repositioning his glasses as he collected himself. "Now, the two of you need to sit down and eat. We are behind schedule."

"There's a schedule?" You whispered to Bakugou as you crept out from behind the safety of Iida's back. "Did you know about this?"

He snorted, putting out his explosion with a huff. "Damn right."

You tilted your head but followed him obediently to the only available table piled high with food that had luckily not gone cold.

Bakugou hid a smile as he saw you wiggle in your seat out of the corner of his eye, clicking his tongue in annoyance when you happened to look his way.

Of fucking course you would still look so damn cute when you were excited.

Since he was fucking starving, he ate with gusto, but only after he made sure you were actually going to eat.

Due to the side effects of using your quirk, it sometimes made you nauseous and you have had trouble keeping food down ever since you threw up on the first day of school.

He knew that most heavily seasoned dishes you had more of a difficulty keeping down so he wasn't surprised when he saw you go for the soup out of all the things you could've picked from.

Lively conversation filled the air, gossip and talk about the latest modifications to your hero costumes all the rage as topics blended into everyone's tables since they were all in close proximity to one another.

At least, most of them.

Since you had come late to dinner, you had a gut feeling that your classmates all ganged up on you and Bakugou, shoving the two of you here together.

The girls knew of your crush on him. It came out one night when you guys were playing truth or dare, like everyone did back in the day, and Hagakure and Mina hadn't let you forget it since then.

But what you didn't know was that the same could be said for Bakugou.

Fucking Shitty Hair did this on purpose. Bakugou raged inwardly while you remained blissfully unaware of the rampage going on beneath the surface. I fucking knew it was a bad idea to tell him about it.

He had asked his best friend for advice on what to get you for your birthday when you were in your second year and to say the very least, it wasn't hard for Kirishima to piece it together.

Fucking hell. The shit he gave him for it made him instantly regret it and he stormed out with pink cheeks, determined to find you the perfect gift on his own, thinking that this year would finally be the year that you noticed him and saw him in the same light that he saw you in.

Nope.

You had gotten sick on your birthday and by the time you healed, your birthday had come and gone and nobody said anything about it so he never gave it to you, throwing it away after another week passed and it was clear he didn't have the courage to give it to you.

You looked up at him, mouth resembling a chipmunk's as you chewed on the food you had been looking forward to all day. "Whasthematferwifyu?"

Bakugou choked. "What the fuck?!"

When you opened your mouth to speak again, he snapped at you, "Fucking finish chewing or you'll choke, dumbass!!"

"You mean like you just did?" You asked cheekily as you swallowed and he glared at you.

"Shut the fuck up."

"M'kay~" You sang.

Banter between you two was few and far in between since you two had bickered already for a good portion of the evening. The fight was called a draw for the time being as it was put on pause to fill your bellies with good food and you had to say, you were glad you came.

Dinner wrapped up after another hour and one by one, everyone started to trickle onto the dance floor.

Everyone except for Bakugou, who was at the drinks table and glaring at each bottle of alcohol that he picked through, and you and Kirishima, who had halted you when you moved to join Ochako and Tsuyu, was breaking it down to Jirou's EDM music she put together for tonight.

Kaminari was already drunk. You didn't know how that was possible but based off of the way he was playing with Ojiro's tail, refusing to detach from it even after he politely asked him to let go, you could conclude as such pretty confidently.

You followed Kirishima curiously as he led you away from everyone else, interest piqued when he brought you to where the appetizers that were previously were being replaced with desserts and your confusion grew when he inched as far to the wall as he possibly could.

"Kiri?" You questioned. "Why are we—"

"Shh!!!" He shushed quickly, waving his hands frantically, his eyes darting everywhere as though he was about to tell you something that could land him in jail.

Or worse.

He motioned you to come closer so that nobody else would hear and you scooted towards him, until his mouth was right by your ear.

And then, your jaw dropped in shock.

"WHATTTTT?!?!" You shrieked and Kirishima hushed you hurriedly, smiling apologetically at a skeptical Bakugou who looked your way due to your volume.

You took a hint but your outrage didn't fade. "What the fuck, Kiri?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"

Red Riot had just oh so kindly informed you that it was in fact, Bakugou's birthday.

Today.

If what he told you was the truth, which at this point you really didn't know, Mina, Sero and Kaminari were the only other ones who knew. You wouldn't put it past Midoriya to also be included in that group, seeing as how they were childhood friends who moved past their intense rivalry stage and developed a decent amount of healthy competition as pros.

But that still didn't explain why he was telling you this now.

Oh wait.

Shit.

If that was true, then you had barged into his room uninvited because you didn't want to sleep in the same room as Mineta, on his birthday.

You cursed yourself under your breath and without another word, you tore past Kirishima with a hurried apology and a half-assed excuse to pardon your abrupt exit and sprinted towards the elevators, your heart pounding. You didn't stop running until you reached the room, grabbing all your things and throwing them in your suitcase, thoughts running wild at how stupid you could be.

You hadn't even bothered to take off your dress before gathering your things hastily, you were that distracted.

As you stuffed the last of your things in your bag, you circled the room, realizing you now didn't know the next step to this plan of yours.

You really should've thought this through before you came upstairs and talked to one of the receptionists downstairs to see if another arrangement can be made. Or maybe you could persuade one of the girls to let you crash for one night until you could figure things out for the next day.

You were sure Yaoyorozu would concede if you begged hard enough.

But you didn't want to take a chance of Bakugou seeing you so you didn't linger in the lobby, which was in clear view of where the party was being held.

This was bad, you didn't have anywhere to go. You would need to go talk to someone for another room which means you have to go back downstairs.

Well, maybe not. Maybe you could call downstairs and have them—

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

You froze at the temperamental voice seething with fury and dropped the hotel phone you had grabbed in the heat of the moment, squeaking when you saw how livid Bakugou looked and tripped over your feet, falling backwards onto the bed.

Your body bounced as it hit the mattress and you covered your face as he strode toward you, and you bolted back up to your feet, mumbling through your fingers.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was your birthday today!!!" You squeaked, mortified you had been acting so casually on such an important day. You didn't even have a present for him and you gave him overcooked food after trampling on his privacy!!

Leaning against the doorway, Bakugou raised an eyebrow and scoffed irritably as he put the pieces together for himself. "Shitty Hair should've fucking kept his mouth shut."

"I didn't know!!" You cried out, mistaking his rage geared towards his best friend for barging in on his personal space even after he so clearly told you off when he first saw you. Like an idiot, you had thought that he really didn't mind.

Maybe you couldn't read him as well as you thought you could.

"I don't care." Bakugou snarled, annoyed that you didn't seem to get it after all this time as he stomped forward, closing the door behind him and clicking the lock with finality as you tried to scramble past him. "Where do you think you're going, shithead? I didn't say you could fucking leave."

You did a double take and blinked slowly, unsure you really heard him right. It was true you hadn't considered that a possibility, this was Bakugou you were talking about. He hated everybody.

Well, not really, but close enough to make it so that you were sure that he wanted his privacy.

Especially on his birthday.

"I-I—"

Bakugou rolled his eyes irritably. You didn't get it. Fucking fine.

Your eyes shot open as he smashed his lips onto yours but before you even had a chance to do anything about it, shove him off or pull him closer, though it was more likely the latter, he was gone.

Standing with an indifferent expression on his face, he loomed over you and your heart leapt in your throat.

"Holy— Is this real?" You asked breathlessly, fingers tentatively reaching out to run over his tie and make sure you weren't dreaming.

Bakugou smirked at the awe in your voice and it only grew bigger when he noticed how glassy your eyes looked. So he did have the same fucking effect on you that you did on him.

Good.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He declared, crowding you closer as he stepped forward, hot breath puffing out against your lips and you shivered.

You blinked slowly, looking up at him from under your lashes. "... And if I don't want you to?"

"Fuck—" Was all Bakugou got out before he was surging forward, grabbing your shoulders so you couldn't escape.

A muffled squeak tumbled from your lips before it was smothered and you gasped into his mouth as your knees hit the edge of the bed.

As you fell, Bakugou climbed onto the bed and pinned you to the mattress, never once breaking the kiss as he cushioned your fall. His hands fell to your waist as the other entwined in your hair and he let out a groan as you playfully nipped his bottom lip.

"Shit," He breathed when you broke away first, lungs burning with the need for oxygen but you had barely taken a breath when he tilted your jaw back towards him and connected your lips again, harder this time.

It was hot, too hot and he moved languidly in a way that contrasted so starkly with his short-tempered personality that it made your head spin.

"W-What?!" You exclaimed in shock as soon as he drew back to let you breathe, your hands covering your flushed cheeks despite the fact that he could still see you due to the proximity. "Where did that even come from?!"

You were all flustered now and your dress had slipped down a bit further, giving him a peek of what was to come if he didn't stop soon.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. If you didn't get it now, you were even more of an idiot than he thought.

"You can stay." He mumbled gruffly, dropping his gaze from yours.

It took a minute to understand what he was saying.

Coming to your senses, you grinned as you processed his words. He didn't say no outright to what you asked directly so you would take it. The hesitance had all been reduced to a trickle as it caused a hiccup in your thoughts but you tried to see it in a different light.

Maybe he really didn't mind, he wasn't one to lie, especially for no reason. Maybe he was feeling lonely and wanted company for tonight.

Maybe... he liked you too? Was that too far-fetched to believe?

"Really?" You smirked as you waggled your eyebrows at him. "You want someone to keep you warm tonight?

Bakugou flipped you off and you burst out laughing. Wiping tears from your eyes as you calmed down after a few moments, you grinned.

"I had no idea you could be so soft, Bakugou." You teased lightly.

He scowled angrily and sat up, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at you. "Shut up, you don't make it fucking easy."

You were being such a fucking nuisance. He regretted saying anything in the first place. Who had so many questions after somebody kissed them?

Your eyes glinted mischievous. "Oh yeah?"

He did something you didn't expect.

"Yeah..." Bakugou trailed off quietly, something resembling fondness flickering in the depths of his vermilion eyes.

Your heart started to beat faster and you swallowed. His face was a millimeter away from yours and it was getting harder to breath. His body temperature was so high that you could feel the heat emitting from his form and engulfing you like a warm hug.

"When did it start?" You asked softly, curiosity winning out against the flutter of embarrassment you felt in your chest.

He didn't say it out loud but he didn't have to. You could see it in his eyes that same love that you held for him. How you went all this time without seeing it, you didn't know.

Bakugou's throat bobbed as he dodged your inquisitive gaze, his eyes only darting back to you when you sat upright and smoothed your dress as best as you possibly could to prevent it from wrinkling.

"I dunno." He mumbled quietly. "Since high school or some shit."

"High school?!" You shrieked in disbelief, nearly falling over as you realized it had started around the same time your feelings for him developed. You expected him to say within the last few months when you’ve been working together more frequently, not that he started liking you back at UA!!

He groaned at your grating volume against his ears. Too loud.

"Well hell if I know, shitty woman." He growled loudly. "I can't fucking remember everything."

You grin widened. "That sounds like denial~"

His mouth twisted back in an irritated frown. You were crazy. But somehow, that didn't put him off as much as he claimed to believe.

"It was after the training camp."

You bolted upright at that. You were not expecting him to say that.

After you two were stolen by the League right out from underneath your classmates' noses, you two were put in separate rooms until it was clear you refused to listen to what you had to say until you saw that Bakugou was okay.

He knew, the second they brought you in all chained to the chair and shit just like he was, that he was going to raise hell and murder every single last one of them.

He couldn't go ballistic yet, because as your tired but alert eyes met his from across the room, he knew that this setup increased your chances.

All you needed was an opening.

Shigaraki and Dabi had turned their attention on your first, trying to recruit you and you had tricked them, pretending to sympathize with their cause and got them to trust you by feeding Shigaraki's dark nature and Dabi's sadistic side.

You took their attention off of him and damn it, if it wasn't the bravest and baddest fucking move he'd ever seen.

The both of you had your own nightmares from that terrifying experience.

You couldn't stand to be restrained after that, even if it was only for a second, and Bakugou hated having anything touch his neck.

After he finished telling you all of that, you tackled him in a hug.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch himself as the two of you toppled over before you crashed to the ground and he muttered a curse into your hair when you nuzzled into his chest.

"Dumbass." He remarked under his breath, hoping you couldn't hear how fast his heart was pounding. "What about you?"

"Hmmm?" You hummed, momentarily forgetting what it was that you were talking about since all you could think about now was how his eyes shone with unshed tears as he relieved that terrible memory. But the fact that you were able to give him some small sense of comfort even though you were truthfully freaking out on the inside at the time, was the best thing he could've ever told you.

Well, right next to the depth of his feelings for you.

Bakugou scoffed and scooted forward so that the two of you were teetering on the edge of the mattress. A concussion was not how he wanted tonight to end.

"Tell me when all of your shitty feelings started." He demanded with a blush present on his cheeks and you bit your lip to contain a giggle.

Laying your head on his chest, you idly traced patterns on his shirt since he had shed it outer jacket. "I don't know exactly when it turned from a crush into actual love, but when you got hospitalized, I supposed I realized it then."

Bakugou jerked, stiffening as you mentioned the incident no one ever brought up.

Taking note of his reaction, you affirmed quietly. "We don't have to talk about it, but that's when it started. When I saw how close I could've been to losing you."

Bakugou's heavy breath eased up bit by bit as those words fell from your lips and he closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to talk about it now, but he thought that he would like to one day. If you were still by his side.

The next twenty minutes were spent entangled in each other's embrace as you two made up for lost time, talking about anything and everything came to mind.

Your old infatuation with Shindou that was short-lived because of your feelings for him and Bakugou couldn't help gloating that you were his even then.

How much he longed that he had confessed sooner. Maybe then you would've had those years together.

But he didn't dwell on it, he knew that it would become one of his demons if he lived in the past instead of the present and instead focused on combing his fingers through your hair, reveling in your closeness.

He hummed lowly as he caught a whiff of your fragrance. "Banana and citrus, huh?"

You beamed up at him, twisting around to look at him properly. "You gave it to me!!"

Bakugou smirked, hooking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Damn right I did."

After realizing that the two of you couldn't cuddle forever in your formal wear, you reluctantly untangled from him and started to take off your dress, only to find out that you couldn't do that without his help.

Your breath caught in your throat when he came to stand right behind you, just like before, only this time he was much closer to you, fingertips ghosting over your bare skin in the zipper's wake as he trailed light kisses down your back until he reached the curve of the small of your back.

You whined when he stopped and a smirk curved against the juncture where your shoulder met your neck and you swatted at him playfully.

Bakugou made you sit down so he could take your shoes off before you fell and broke something.

You pouted but did as you were told, quite liking how his calloused hands skimmed over your shins and ankles, and you gasped when he pressed a chaste kiss to your knee.

"Stop teasing me." You whined and he flashed you a grin, tossing your shoes somewhere else.

Bakugou relished in your flustered state, loving how he could make you like this with barely any effort. "It's your fucking turn now, shithead."

"Hey!!"

It was only until after Bakugou had gotten dressed in comfy clothes of his choice, a pair of sweatpants and a tight-fitted long sleeve that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, did you realize it was getting colder and colder by the minute.

The heater was broken and after multiple attempts of tinkering with the settings to get it to start, Bakugou was about to set the thing on fire, but you stopped him just in time.

"Shitty heater." He muttered frustratingly, his palms still popping with sparks. "Fucking five stars my ass."

He threw a tantrum for another minute before giving up, not even bothering to call downstairs to get them to fix it because he didn't want anyone in his 'personal space'. Oddly enough, you felt kind of happy that he was letting you in his personal space without any a fight.

You giggled and he raised an eyebrow at you after throwing you his hoodie, begrudgingly, but he still did it so you weren't complaining about the temperature. "It's just, I never imagined you'd be the one to confess."

He turned to you, a mix of irritation and poorly suppressed puzzlement on his face. "Hah?"

You bit back a smile at his tamed reaction. How cute.

"It's just in all the scenarios in my head," You drew your knees up to your chest and rested your chin on top. "I was always the one confessing to you and then getting rejected."

Bakugou scoffed, stomping over to you with a slight pout that would've been unnoticeable if the light was any dimmer. The curtains had been drawn, basking the room in a warm glow that came from the fairy lights strung around the room that had you failed to notice earlier.

"Yeah, well, now fucking look what happened." He grumbled, flicking a piece of lint off your head. "You invaded my room like a cockroach or some shit."

You were sitting upright against the headboard on top of the velvet comforter without a care in the world as your sweater paws flapped playfully. In such a high-end hotel room, the two of you in casual attire looked sorely out of place but it didn't matter.

You were happier than ever before.

"Uh, excuse me, I take offense to that analogy." You teased back with a cheeky grin, shoving his shoulder when he crawled on the bed with you, abandoning his quest to fix the heater. "And I do recall mentioning how it was either this or Mineta's room, so it's not my fault."

Bakugou's mouth twisted into a scowl as you said the pervert's name and he huffed before looping his arms around your waist and laying flat on your legs. His head buried into your stomach, your eyes softened and you brushed the hair back from his eyes, his eyelids closing at the soothing sensation of you carding your fingers through his hair.

You hummed to yourself as he started drifting off. "Soft..."

"Fuck off." He mumbled into your waist but there was none of the usual venom to it.

Your chest shook with laughter at his unusual response but when you moved to stop just like he had ordered, he caught your wrist. You raised an eyebrow as he looked away from you, the red tint adorning his cheeks giving away what he wanted you to do and without a word, you obliged without so much as a hidden smile.

Bakugou sank into you, his broad shoulders going lax as all the tension melted from his body and he sighed peacefully. He hated socializing. The only good part of that reunion Raccoon-Eyes had coordinated was seeing you all dressed up.

He didn't tell you at the time, he honestly couldn't say it. He was fucking speechless the second you stepped out of the room.

But you looked like a vision underneath those flashy lights that hurt his eyes in the ballroom. You were absolutely stunning and put all of those other extras to shame. He didn't even spew an insult he was going to when he overheard Raccoon-Eyes squeal and proclaim how gorgeous you looked because she wasn't wrong.

You were beautiful. And way out of his league.

It was all he could think about all the way down the elevator and into the party, even after you broke off from him. At least, it was all he could think about until Dunce Face decided to make a move on you, being all suave and slick.

At the time, he was ready to storm over there and break it up until you laughed at something Kaminari said and he was painfully reminded of how you weren't his.

He then proceeded to drown all of his sorrows at the bar but cursed his inability to get shit-faced due to his high tolerance.

Exploding in a fit of rage over the culmination of how dazzling you were, how some guy was probably going to get lucky tonight and it wasn't going to be him, and how fucked up the situation was that you were going to be staying with him while he had a raging boner for you 24/7, he stalked upstairs to go pout in the corner only to find you stammering out apologies and packing your suitcase.

He vaguely remembered something about you saying something about his birthday and that's when he snapped.

To put it bluntly, he had never been a fan of celebrating useless holidays. People ate food and used it as an excuse to all gather in one place and socialize with all their fake friends, he hated scenes like that.

Which is why he was against this reunion at first but something in the back of his mind convinced him to come. Something that said that if he showed up, there was a good chance that you would be here too and it would make all of this worth it.

And that was only confirmed when Kirishima slipped that little tidbit of information in his invitation via text.

Bakugou couldn't believe his luck when he walked into his hotel room and you were standing right there. There was something so soft, so domestic about it that had him dropping his bag instantaneously and he fought to rein in his instincts to stride over to you and hug you from behind. He would rest his chin on your shoulder and ask what you were cooking, his fingers toying with the hem of your shirt as he hinted at what he wanted to do before the kids came home.

That was the type of future he had always envisioned with you. The one he always thought would be unobtainable. The one that he constantly dreamed about anytime he got a break from the nightmares and darkness that plagued his thoughts constantly.

And now you were all his. All of that was suddenly possible. He had a chance with the best thing that ever walked into his life and he wasn't going to screw it up.

Realistically, and he was a very realistic person despite being short-tempered, he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Take it slow, he had to tell himself to take it slow.

You hummed, bringing him back down to reality. "Where's that head of yours at?"

"Fuck off and die."

But his threat came out muffled as his face was currently nuzzled into your stomach and you couldn't stop the fit of laughter that burst out as you giggled uncontrollably, laughing even harder when he looked up to glare at you, only for his eyes to be so glazed over from how relaxed he was that you would've mistaken it for subspace if not for his mouth twitching irritably.

"Aw, is baby maybe a little comfy?"

He hissed and untangled himself from you, pouting like a little kid as he created some distance between you two. "I'm not a fucking baby."

You cooed and pinched his cheeks, pulling them apart slightly and giggled at how squishy he looked in that moment. "Dummy."

Bakugou snorted arrogantly but didn't shove you off despite his hard glare. "The only dumbass here is you."

"I didn't say dumbass, I said dummy." You corrected matter-of-factly. "And besides, it's a term of endearment, Katsuki."

He rolled his eyes but his heart trembled dangerously as he heard his given name fall from your lips so sweetly for the first time. He would never get tired of hearing that.

Bakugou cleared his throat and removed your hands from his face, your forlorn pout not passing by unnoticed.

"Fucking idiot." He mumbled under his breath, bringing a hand up to rest it on your head briefly as he leaned his forehead against yours for a second.

You grinned, a full-blown smile that caused his heart to skip a beat at how radiant you were. And then, he got an idea.

But you were surprised when he suddenly got up and tilted your head curiously when he exited the room.

Unlike before when you were so quick to jump to a conclusion, you assumed he had a reason for leaving so abruptly without explanation.

The gears turned in your head as you followed him out, bringing the blanket with for good measure because you were freezing. Until the maintenance could get here, you would have to deal with the chill. Apparently this was an issue that didn't just pertain to you.

Todoroki had texted you and said he was having issues with his too, along with some others who had filed out from the ballroom to crash in their own rooms for the night.

But waiting wasn't too hard. Perhaps you could persuade your new boyfriend to cuddle you.

You poked your head around the corner, growing even more puzzled as Bakugou stomped around, grabbing his keys first before hunting for something else.

"What are you doing?" You asked, unable to quell your curiosity and bewilderment.

He threw an embellished pillow back down on the couch as soon as he checked under it. "I don't know where I put my fucking wallet."

You laughed at his grumble and patted his chest with a wink. "Wait here."

Bakugou eyed you suspiciously as burrito-you darted off back towards the bedroom but his expression cleared up when you came racing back with the slim wallet in your hand, thankfully leaving behind the blanket as you caught onto what he was doing. He took it silently, frustrated with himself for not checking his coat pocket first to save him of this embarrassment.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he turned away. He felt like he was ten again, that's how damn shy he was when it came to you.

A broad grin spread from ear to ear on your face.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked cheekily and he scowled.

"I didn't fucking say anything!!" He exploded, grabbing your wrist and stomping towards the door. "Hurry up, we're leaving."

"Eh?!" You protested but didn't fight him. "Where are we going?"

You were only wearing shorts and his hoodie over your thickest thermal. Since it was warm outside, you hadn't bothered to pack any extra layer and you shivered as a chill ran down your spine. Yup, definitely couldn't wait to go back outside.

"None of your damn business." Bakugou spat as he dragged you out of the room and locked the door.

You continued to pepper him with questions, increasing your pitch when you saw how his nose twitched every single time you annoyed him.

Adorable.

By the time you got back down to the first floor, you were clinging to his arm, teeth chattering from the air conditioning, and he was facing away from you in a manner that clearly stated he regretted bringing you along.

"You love me~" You teased.

"Shut the fuck up. Like hell anyone would like a dumbass like you." He seethed but still didn't pry you off despite him claiming all those things.

You giggled, skipping on ahead. Once you got outside, you spun around on your heel, jutting out your hip. The warmth of the night air was refreshing and you took in a deep breath, smiling widely.

"Where are we going?!" You asked excitedly, trailing behind him as he started walking away, catching up and almost tripping in the process.

Bakugou caught your arm in a flash as you tipped forward, an angry frown etched on his face but you merely beamed at him and thanked him for catching you.

He turned away with a scoff but grabbed your hand to make sure it didn't happen again. "You're fucking clumsy."

Your smile widened as you detected the tiniest bit of worry underlying his sharp tone and you squeezed his hand, heart skipping a beat when he tucked you underneath his arm.

For safety purposes, you assumed.

You snuggled into his side with a blissful sigh. He was so much warmer than you were, it felt so good.

Bakugou spared you a glance out of the corner of his eye and his chest swelled with pride at the eyes that turned, undoubtedly seeing how unashamed you were to be with him. Holy All Might, you were perfect.

The Solaria Hotel was only a five minute walk away from Lunchrush's Grocery Store, a rather huge chain store that had establishments all over Japan, owned by the hero himself. The same hero whose delicious cooking you guys had lived off of for a blessed three years.

"What are we doing here?" You quipped as your eyes widened the moment you strolled in and took in the vibrant colors of all the produce and many packages that lined the shelves.

"I'm not paying shit for that overpriced room service." Bakugou stated flatly as he tossed you a bundle of carrots he just selected.

Your eyes widened as you quickly caught on. "We're going to be cooking?!"

He snorted, sifting through the produce section to find what he was looking for, weeding out the ones that were no good. "No shit, dumbass."

"Hey!!" You protested but carried on without complaint.

The kitchen in your room was fully equipped with all the amenities. Top of the grade appliances and sterling silverware made you feel like you were going to break something initially but that faded pretty fast as your excitement won over. The only thing it was missing was the food.

You had bought ingredients to make a simple stew on the way to the hotel and stored the leftovers in the large fridge.

The Solaria Hotel did offer pre-organized food boxes that came with various delicious ingredients to make it easy on whoever bought it but they were outrageously priced. Hence why you were now browsing the aisles with a disgruntled Bakugou instead of just purchasing one of those.

But you were definitely not going to complain. One of those boxes could drain your entire month's rent in one go and you were told that the portion sizes weren't very big either.

Definitely not worth it.

You would think that since he was the one to bring you here, he would be more enthusiastic, but no. He was more interested in having a staring contest with the brat at the end of the aisle who was making faces at him as soon as he grabbed the last of the things he needed.

You tugged on his arms, trying and failing to get him to break eye contact with the little boy he was glaring to death.

"Katsuki, c'mon," You begged, losing a battle against that ridiculously fit physique of his. You guys were attracting all kinds of unwanted attention from other shoppers and the mom of the little boy was getting a little curious as to the silent competition going on. "Let's just go."

"No way." He gritted out, never once looking away. "This damn brat needs to learn his f—"

He didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence as you forcibly dragged him away to the cash registers. You shook your head as he scowled and crossed his arms stubbornly. He was such a child sometimes.

Bakugou was so busy pouting that you had dragged him away and made him lose by default that he didn't notice you were already paying for the groceries.

"Oi." He barked at you as you hustled outside with the sky painted dark as night. Only the street lamps and lights hitched up outside the strip mall illuminated the area. "Oi!!"

You flashed him a grin. "Yes, Katsuki?"

He rolled his eyes at the innocent lilt in your voice, acting as if you didn't know exactly what you did. You weren't supposed to pay for anything, he was supposed to be treating you.

"But it's your birthday~" You sang. "And I wanted to!!"

"Tch." He whipped his head around, dodging you as you followed him around playfully.

You were like a dog and he was the bone. He wasn't sure he liked that analogy as much as what it implied.

As soon as you pushed through the grand doors of the lavish hotel, you bumped into someone and sent them crashing to the ground.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry— Wait," You gawked in astonishment at the wasted man before you. "Kirishima?!"

He groaned and rubbed his head. He was sent sprawling after you bumped into him, catching the attention of Mina who was strolling by with a half-conscious Sero on her arm.

"Kirishima, what are you doing?!" Mina exclaimed as she bounded over just as you were helping him up after setting Sero down and making sure that he wasn't going to move. She looked the most awake out of all of them. "Don't run off ahead like that!!"

Bakugou didn't do a thing, choosing to only tap his foot impatiently while he waited for you to be done attending to his shitty best friend.

"L/N!!" He slurred and it was then that you realized he was more than a bit tipsy. "I'm soooooo sorry for not telling you about Bakugou's birthday earlier, it was totally my bad."

You raised an eyebrow at hearing him speak in such an unusual way. Alcohol certainly did things to the brain.

Kirishima clapped his hand on your shoulder, ignoring Sero's whining for him to come back as he peeled Mina away from you three, telling her that he was fine.

Lowering his voice, Kirishima wiggled his eyebrows at you comically and caused you to giggle.

"So... how did Bakugou react when ya told him?" He asked in a whisper that was a lot louder than his drunken mind probably intended.

You flushed as Bakugou's inquisitive gaze fixated on you.

"I'm right here, Shitty Hair." He droned, completely uninterested in the way that this conversation was going.

Kirishima's head snapped up at hearing his voice for the first time and though his dilated pupils had a hard time focusing, he eventually managed to do it and a wide, toothy grin spread from ear to ear.

"Bakubro!!" He drunkenly cheered, throwing his arms out and running towards him.

Bakugou scowled, shoving him away as he went to hug him. "Don't fucking call me that."

Kirishima pouted and whined sadly.

"Awwww but you call me Weird Hair all the time." He complained.

Bakugou grinned. "That's because your hair is a shitty color."

"Hey!!" Kirishima's eyes watered and his lower lip trembled. He burst into tears, clinging to you as you drifted back to Bakugou's side.

Mina's golden irises glinted. "Sooooo, does this mean you guys are together?"

You blushed at the brazen implication and sheepishly nodded, unsure of what else to do.

Bakugou stepped in. He slung his arm around your shoulder, uncaring that he now had a much larger audience now that Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, Tsuyu, Shinsou and Shoji decided to venture outside, others coming out in a steady trickle as the night wrapped up.

You huddled closer to his side, hiding your face in his shoulder, growing nervous at all your friends gathering for reasons you'd rather not voice. You weren't sure how Bakugou would take this, if he would deny you in front of all of them.

He didn't seem like the type but a previous ex had been ashamed of you before so now you were wary. Rightfully so, the guy was a complete prick.

You hadn't dated for very long but it was impactful. The guy hadn't gotten close to your heart but the fact that he wasn't big on physical affection and never wanted to hold your hand in public sent the message that he didn't want to be seen with you.

That had never really sat well with you.

You didn't mind at first. After all, you understood that people had different love languages but he put in absolutely no effort to understand yours. But after a while, it was tiring contributing to a relationship that wasn't reciprocated.

You glanced up at Bakugou as he pulled you in tighter to his side.

"Listen up." He stated roughly, making sure everyone was paying attention. "She's my girl now, so don't you extras try any shit."

Bakugou practically smirked proudly as he stared pointedly at a sheepish-looking Kaminari hiding behind an indifferent Jirou. He was rubbing it in his face for the balls he had to flirt with you earlier.

But that didn't make his declaration any less true or genuine. He was proud to have you by his side, even now more than ever as the two of you explored this new part of your life together.

Hagakure and Ochako squealed at his declaration of love and if it was possible, you reddened even further. But you couldn't kid anyone. You felt like you were flying.

Hiding your face in your hands, your embarrassment came out muffled. "Katsuki..."

He snorted at your shyness, then steered you towards the elevators with you tucked under his arm without so much as a wave of farewell to your friends. He saw your knees knocking together, he knew you were fucking cold, so time to go.

You wiggled, shooting the girls an apologetic smile and laughed loudly as Sero and Kaminari obnoxiously whooped and hollered after you two.

Bakugou flipped them the bird, hiding a proud smile when their drunken cheers only grew louder as Kirishima and Shinsou joined in.

"Oi." He poked you cheek as you didn't lift your face away from your new hiding spot to spare you of any more mortification. "Wake the fuck up, shithead."

A cheeky mumble emerged from where your cheek was ordered up against his shirt. "Is that any way to treat your girlfriend?"

"It is when you're being a dumbass." He retorted flatly.

"Hey!!" You cried out indignantly.

You rode the elevator up, squabbling incessantly the entire way there, drawing odd looks from a few of the other guests that you passed but that paled in comparison to your wide smiles and the satisfied smirk permanently plastered on Bakugou's face.

You were having way too much fun to care about anything else.

Once you made it back to your room successfully, you got to work right away.

Giddy over the fact that he had shown you off and high on the endorphins him claiming you in front of all your friends and fellow colleagues brought you had made you extremely hungry. Keeping up with all of Bakugou's newfound love that he was expressing had zapped your energy far more than you were willing to admit.

"Oi, you're shit at cooking." Bakugou said after a minute of watching you wreck everything in the kitchen.

"Don't yell at me!! I already know I suck at it!!" You whined childishly, throwing up the spatula in frustration.

Bakugou chuckled, plucking the wretched thing from your fingers and took over. You had managed to make soup earlier and not burn down the place in the process so he wasn't sure why stirring the pot was now such a big deal.

But he shook his head as he caught the glint of mischief in your eye. He knew that look. You knew exactly what you were doing to him.

Fuck, he was screwed. He never should've told you how long he had pined after you. But it was no use, he was too weak for you.

You balked at the soft expression on his face. He had never looked at you like that before.

Before you knew what you were doing, you were blurting out how him declaring that in front of all of your friends had made you so happy and at the downward curve of displeasure on Bakugou's face, you elaborated that you had someone who didn't make you feel very loved in the past.

You weren't sure why you were telling him this. It wasn't like it was exactly easy to say all of this out loud but after years of knowing him, you knew he was the last person who would judge you for feeling the way you were feeling.

So you spilled it all.

You squeaked in surprise as he caught you off guard once you finished, crushing you to his chest. Your hands lifted up and automatically looped around his neck, stumbling a bit as he backed you up against the counter.

"Katsuki?!" You exclaimed in astonishment at the sudden display of affection from the normally so standoffish guy.

"I will never be ashamed of you. You're stuck with me for fucking forever and I'll kill you if you say any other shit." Bakugou muttered into the crook of your neck.

You were moved at his expression of the feelings he had for you and clutched onto the back of his shirt, hugging him tight.

He stayed there, in the same position, pinning you to the counter of the kitchen in the hotel room you had come to share and embraced you until you peeled away.

Bakugou's eyes softened when you looked away from him and sniffled. It could be classified as very unladylike, the way you wiped your nose with the back of your hand, but he didn't give a damn.

You were his.

After all these years of pining after you, thinking that he would never be enough to have you, thinking that he would never amount to someone who deserved you, you were finally his.

His heart was going to explode but if he let that happen, he would have to deal with Shitty Hair, Dunce Face, Raccoon-Eyes and Flat Face for the rest of his fucking life and like hell he would put up with those irritating extras.

Even if they did kind of manage to bring you two together.

The table for two at dinner, your messed up reservation that left you without a place to crash and that dress Ponytail Girl had bought for you, it all added up. They had been planning this for years since they knew of the feelings you both held for each other.

All you needed was a push.

Whatever. There was no way he was going to give them credit for this. They would probably use it as blackmail at some point and he was not going to tolerate that.

He quickly finished up the home cooked meal, flipping open the cap to the soy sauce you bought and drizzled it on top, adding a few drops of sesame oil to complete it and shoved a plate in your direction to bring into the bedroom while he quickly did the dishes.

The midnight moon's light spilled into the room as you danced around Bakugou, carrying two plates full of warm food to the bed after you were done goofing around and pretending to drop them. Sheer silk curtains hanging from the canopy of the bed swished in your wake as you breezed by to open the french doors, setting the plates down on his nightstand before gliding across the balcony that you had missed upon your initial exploration of the room.

This place was so big, you wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of secret passageway in the closet that led to the other rooms.

The night air was pleasant and a welcome change of temperature as it soothed your chilly skin.

You smiled to yourself as Bakugou came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck and inhaled deeply. His heat encompassed you as he hugged you from behind and lightly kissed the spot just below your ear.

You giggled at the ticklish sensation and gasped when he pinched your side in retaliation.

"Katsuki~"

His given name still felt foreign on your tongue but you'd be damned if you didn't get used to it with the flustered reaction he never failed to give you.

"Don't fucking start with me, dumbass." He smirked, growling lowly. "I don't have a fucking problem with putting you in your place."

You cocked your head to the side, playing dumb, pretending you didn't know what that insinuation meant. "Oh?"

Bakugou groaned as the mood suddenly vanished. "Piss off."

Bakugou cracked a smile though when your easy laughter rang out. Yeah, it wasn't fair that he was left in a now uncomfortable situation but it was worth it to endure if he could hear that sound again.

Fuck, you were so precious.

The late night room service dished out by yours truly was served on the bed while you giggled underneath the covers, hiding from him and shrieking when he found you.

It was warm and fuzzy, the atmosphere easy and relaxed as you cuddled up to him and ate the food he made for you specifically so that it wouldn't make your stomach hurt.

Initially, he had declared that eating on the bed was going to be fucking dirty and messy if you spilled anything, which he was almost 100% sure you would, but gave into you when you transfixed your wide eyes on him, pleading for this one thing.

The two of you didn't look at each other while you ate, you didn't need to. The stolen glances between bites of food were enough as you shared idly and informal conversation to get to know each other better now that your feelings had been aired and returned by the other.

The quiet confession that rang out from you both was almost tear-jerking as he confessed he never thought he would get a chance to be with someone like you and you pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, telling him that he deserved the world and more, and if one day you could give it to him, you would.

The heater had yet to be fixed but that didn't bother him anymore as he used the opportunity to gather you in his arms and hug you tight.

Yeah, you two needed to make up for lost time but for now, he was more than content to just let it be. Tangled with you, under the moon and the stars as he kissed you, he swore that he would never stop fighting for you, to protect you always and cherish you with all that he fucking had.

Because Bakugou Katsuki, the man who didn't need anything or anyone to go up against the toughest villains to date, fell to pieces when it came to you.

Bonus:

"I still can't believe you told me that so late. I could've gotten him a gift!!" You complained to Kirishima on the second day when he was hungover and groaning, throwing pillows at you to get you out of his room.

You managed to dodge every last one.

"I mean, I don't get it." You tapped a finger to your chin coyly as you smoothly sidestepped and twirled around two more he launched in your direction. He was going to run out of ammo at this point. "Why tell me so late? And if you guys already knew, then I'm surprised you didn't get anything for him or throw a party or something."

Sero groaned painfully in the corner, his head felt like it was going to split in two and he was quite certain it would if you didn't stop talking soon. "Y/N, it's so early."

"It's noon." You deadpanned, only for Sero to slap a pillow over his face and promptly fall back asleep.

"Y/N!!" Mina called out as she bustled back into the bedroom with a tray of tea. "Where did that boyfriend of yours run off to?"

You blushed as she said it so bluntly and coughed to hide it. "He's trying to get the heater thing sorted out."

Last night, you had been shivering so much that he had taken to warming you up other ways just to get your teeth to stop chattering. And let's just say it was a little harder to walk today because of it.

This morning when you woke up, he had been yelling into the phone that they needed to bring more blankets up right fucking now or else he would explode off their arms since they couldn't do the most fucking simple of tasks and you swiped the phone from him, rapidly and profusely apologizing for his brash language on behalf of the angry pomeranian simmering beside you.

You threw in that you would be grateful if they could spare more but if others needed it more than you told them you two would be fine and could make do before thanking them for their time and hanging up.

And since Bakugou insisted that the heater needed to be fixed today or else you were going to get sick, he allocated you to Kirishima's room, one of the only ones not having any problems while he demanded some answers from the hotel staff and got someone to fucking fix the shitty thing.

So now, here you were. And you had a score to settle with Kirishima anyways, so you weren't bothered.

Mina had already told you everything. Everyone had been in on it.

You weren't shocked by Kaminari and Shinsou and most of the others' involvement in this little scheme but you were surprised to hear it had been Iida's idea to make both of you sit at the same table with no other company.

You'd have to thank them all later.

An hour and several more pillows thrown later, you and Mina had managed to drag down the two sleepy boys just in time to greet your old teachers alongside the rest of your peers as they stepped through the door.

"Aizawa-sensei!!" You cheered, launching yourself forward so that he'd have to catch you.

He did so without much difficulty, his tired eyes brightening up a little bit as you hugged him tight. Out of all his students, he had the closest bond with you.

"Hey, kid." He greeted tiredly, tugging along his sleeping bag and you lifted an eyebrow when you realized that while Midnight and Mic rolled in their luggage, he only brought his trademark yellow sleeping bag. All Might was parking the car and would be come inside within the next few minutes.

"Where's the rest of your things?" You asked just as Yaoyorozu and Iida greeted Midnight and Mic was tackled in a hug by Jirou.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before yawning. "You really think I'm going to do anything else besides sleep this weekend, kid? Nah."

You frowned at him. "You can't just sleep the whole day away."

"Uh uh," He tutted, wagging a finger in your face for a second before yawning again. "Not day. Days."

You pouted at the correction and he rolled his eyes, resting a hand on top of your head to let you know that he was just kidding and you smiled brightly.

"Here, at least let me help bring it upstairs." You bargained, taking it off his hands.

A smug voice stopped you dead in your tracks.

"Hey, Y/N, why you walking funny?" Kaminari said with a shit-eating grin and it took every fiber of self-control not to freak out.

"Uh, I'm not?"

But your high pitch due to your embarrassment and mortification at being called out won over and Shinsou sniggered in the background.

"Classy." He teased, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't peg you for the type to do it on the first date."

"Oh hush, show some respect!!" Yaoyorozu chastised but your dignity was long gone.

Your face broke out in relief though when the elevator in the lobby dinged and a disgruntled Bakugou stepped out, his vermilion eyes widening a fraction when you sped over to him.

"Whoa— What the, why the hell are your eyes red?!" He rushed out, gripping your shoulders and pulling your close to make sure he saw that right. His eyes narrowed angrily when you sniffled. "Tell me who the fuck made you cry."

"Oh shit." Kaminari and Shinsou swore under their breath as your enraged, extremely protective boyfriend stormed over to them with a deadly aura rolling off him in tsunami sized waves.

Midnight held up her hand, stopping him dead in his tracks at the authority his former teacher held. "Hold on please, just a second."

Everyone waited with bated breath to see what she would do. Would she defend you? Tell off Kaminari who had embarrassed you? Or would she let the hothead hell bent on vengeance regain your honor?

She didn't do any of those things.

Instead, Midnight smirked and held out her hand with the palm upturned to Aizawa with a sly smile. "Pay up. I called it."

Your mouth dropped, along with everyone else's as Aizawa forked over 10,000 yen. Even Koda, Sato and Tokoyami looked shocked, which was so rare, it scared you.

Todoroki was the only one who looked confused but Midoriya was right there to explain what was happening and why the sum of money so significant as you shrieked, shrill and high, thoroughly put off.

"What?!" Your embarrassment long forgotten, thankfully, by everyone else as this new revelation hit them like a truck. "You bet on us?!"

"Just you." Aizawa yawned nonchalantly, blinking his eyes wearily. "C'mon L/N, I thought you would turn him down."

"What?!" You screeched as Bakugou narrowed his eyes at his former homeroom teacher, taking that as a challenge.

Aizawa rolled his eyes as Bakugou got all up in his face, demanding to know just what he meant as Mic threw his head back and announced for all to hear.

"Y/NNNNNNN'S GOT A BOYYYYFRIENDDDD!!!!!!"

Clapping your hands over your ears as every single glass thing within the vicinity shattered, you grinned as the tremors passed by within a few seconds. One perk of having time as a teacher who used his quirk so often on accident, all of you learned how to mitigate the most damage he dealt to your surroundings and deflect it.

Jirou shook her head at you in amusement as Bakugou, who was the closest to Mic aside from Kaminari who had taken up refuge from behind Midnight, flatly stated that he could no longer hear.

To which, Mic screamed even louder.

"I CALLED IT FROM DAY ONEEEEEE!!!!"

"That's enough, Mic." Aizawa said, rubbing his temples to ease the headache that had just come on and offered up a slightly reassuring smile to Tsuyu who hopped over to check on him.

Mic pouted dramatically. "But Shouta—"

"Stop it, you're embarrassing them." He sighed, reining in the energetic blond. "And you embarrassing them is embarrassing me."

Midnight cooed. "Awww, he's happy for them."

"Shut up, Nemuri."

You giggled as the three of them began to bicker amongst themselves, who called it first, who saw the chemistry you two had, who was the first one to realize that it was more than just a school crush, all of it.

After beating up Kaminari and Shinsou behind their backs, Bakugou made his way over to you, wiping his hands on his pants and he smiled at you cockily.

"Heater's fixed."

You raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He hummed. "Mmhm, so wanna get out of here?"

You laughed lightly, being careful not to draw too much attention to yourselves as you slipped away when Mic let out a particularly piercing shriek that he should've gotten the money because he paired the two of you for a project when you were in his English class.

Classic Mic.

"What about breakfast?" You asked as you two took the emergency stairs, at least, just for the first couple of floors until you were clear. You weren't sure your legs would survive the 80 flights just to reach your room.

Bakugou smirked and his mouth ghosted the shell of your ear. "Don't need that shit, I got something better."

Something told you that you weren't going to be leaving the bed for the rest of this trip.

Oh well.

You supposed this was one way to exercise.

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floralguccistyles · 3 years

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epilogue

...he probably loves you

After four months of dating Niall, our families and friends still couldn’t believe it.

Apparently, Niall’s feelings had only been apparent to my sisters, because when we told our parents that we were dating, they had stared at us with supportive confusion. Niamh had mourned the loss of the five hundred dollars four our Jamaica trip, but she had thrown an arm around my shoulders and congratulated me. And then, in a surprising turn of events, had started crying when Patrick announced he couldn’t contain himself anymore and proposed to her shortly after Niall and I had made our announcement.

Niall had just smiled his beautiful smile at me and pulled me closer into his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“I’ve just realized!” His mom shouted in the middle of our movie. It was Greg’s pick tonight, so naturally he had chosen a Disney movie that Theo would actually be interested in. His wife had already dozed off to sleep, pregnant with number two and according to Greg, “unable to stay awake for more than five minutes.”

“Christ, Mum,” Greg complained, jumping from her loud exclamation.

“We can get Rose and Niall couples gifts for their birthdays!”

Niall raised his brow. I was curled up against him, my own eyes falling shut every couple of moments. The new job working for Eric’s brand was exhilarating and exciting, but it was a lot of work getting a start up business off the ground. Often, I would come home late and simply collapse on my couch while Niall took pity on me and made me dinner.

“Mum, our birthdays are five days away. Have you not gotten us anything yet?” he joked, his thumb running back and forth across my arm.

“You’ve always been hard to shop for,” his mum said simply, waving us off, her brain looking like it was going a million miles a minute with the new possibility of a couple’s present. “Not you though, Rose. You’re an angel to shop for.”

I grinned up at Niall. “I’m an angel,” I whispered.

His nose wrinkled. “Whatever.” But he quickly kissed my nose, ignoring Violet’s protest against PDA.

Violet was sitting on the floor by my feet, her nose buried in her phone as she waited on a text from the cute guy in her summer anatomy class she had a crush on. She had been hesitant to tell me about him, but three weeks ago, at one of our weekly-Thursday lunches, she confessed that he’d asked her to study with him. After hearing that, I had pushed and demanded she show me a picture and tell me his name.

He seemed nerdy and sweet. His name was Arjun, and he had helped her study for the final, where he stammered his way through the entirety of their study session before blurting out that he thought she was pretty and wanted to take her on a date.

They had been texting each other back and forth since.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this,” she had told Lily and I while we gushed over how cute it was that she had a crush on someone, especially after her good friend started dating the last guy she’d had feelings for.

Lily, on my other side, was leaning on the arm of the couch, her eyes slowly blinking in and out of sleep. She officially had her law degree and was going through what her coworkers lovingly called “Hell Year.” Her first year of being a lawyer and dealing with all the shitty cases was getting to her. However, she still managed to drag herself to our weekly lunches and had even mentioned that she had decided to go on a weekend getaway to London with Carmen, her coworker.

Violet caught me looking at her phone and shielded it from my view. I just playfully kicked her side.

After the movie, Niall drove us back to my apartment. It was nothing special, just a one bedroom, one bath. But it was mine. And while I still didn’t sleep all the way through the night except on the nights when Niall stayed over, I was working on it. I unlocked the door and let the both of us in, kicking off my shoes and flipping the light switch on.

Before I could take another step, Niall’s arms were around my waist and his mouth was on mine. I would never get tired of his kisses, of the way his hands would tease under the hem of my shirt and touch my heated skin. He always kissed with an eagerness, the kind of happiness that only someone who had been in love for a long time possessed.

“It’s so hard to sit next to you at family functions,” he sighed out against my lips. I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Unlike my mother, I already got your birthday gift.”

“If you say my birthday gift is sex with you, I might actually have to hit you.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “That would be your birthday gift to me, Rosebud.”

I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. We hadn’t taken that final leap into our physical relationship yet. He was cautious and I was still unsure it was something I was ready for after my incident with Kent. The group I had been attending had been a huge help and I got coffee with Wendi and Carlos (two sexual assault survivors I had met and befriended at group) occasionally. Still, there was a small part of me that wondered if I would ever truly get over it.

And I wondered if Niall resented that.

He saw the look on my face and his smile melted away. “I didn’t mean it like that, Rosebud. You know that,” he said softly, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear.

“I know,” I replied, “I know. I’m sorry I’m a piece of work.”

He shook his head, his arms encircling me and pulling me into his body. “You are not a piece of work. You’re the girl I love and will continue to love, no matter what boundaries you set. You know that. Nothing could make me love you less.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. Every time he told me he loved me, I got butterflies in my stomach and my lungs stopped working properly. “You staying over tonight?”

“If you want me here.”

I rolled my eyes. “I always want you here, Niall.”

He kissed me again, his lips soft and gentle. “Mind if I shower really quick?”

“Go ahead. I’m gonna make some hot chocolate.”

I watched him walk up the stairs, a smile on my face when he turned back to wink at me. When I heard the shower start up in ym small bathroom, I turned towards my kitchen and grabbed two disposable coffee cups and a Sharpie. Niall liked his hot chocolate made with the little chocolate sticks I bought at the store, so I poured milk into the saucepan and heated it before depositing one of the little sticks inside. He was also a big baby who demanded the little marshmallows, so I grabbed the bag from my pantry and set them on the counter to add to his drink later.

My heart was pounding. I had been planning this for a while, but just tonight felt confident enough to do it. So I poured his hot chocolate into his cup with shaking hands and raised the Sharpie to the side of the cup, scribbling down the message. I still had pictures of all the notes he’d written me, including the one from this morning, when he had written “love you more than you know, Rosebud.”

And he did. He loved me more than I could ever comprehend. The four months being with him, he had never failed to show me just how much. He held me when I woke up with a nightmare, kissed me on the forehead when I was frustrated with work, held my hands when I got home from group. But I’d realized the things he’d done for me before, too. Like picking me up when Lily couldn’t, staying on the phone with me when I asked it of him, always making me laugh.

Niall Horan truly loved me. More than I’d ever been loved.

And I needed him to know that his feelings were reciprocated.

I heard him before I saw him. He was loud as he walked over my hardwood floors, chattering on about some thought he had in the shower. I should have been a better girlfriend and listened properly, but my hands were still shaking and I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest and run away. I turned, catching sight of him in his comfy black sweats and a white tee with that signature grin on his face.

“I forgot my shampoo at my place, so I used yours and now I smell like a lovely lilac spring.”

Just like that, my nerves evaporated. I didn’t know how Niall did that, make me so sure of myself, but he did. This man loved me. And I loved him. He deserved to know how much and not have me chicken out at the last minute.

I walked over to him, giving him a little sniff. “Very nice, very manly.”

“Nothing manlier than using my girl’s shampoo. Just shows how much I love her.”

“Is that what it does?” I asked playfully, reaching his cup out towards him. He took it in his hand, bringing it up to sip at it.

“Hey, you put in the little marshmallows this time,” he commented happily, taking another drink before he pulled the cup back. His large thumb covered my small writing, but he caught the tail of the ‘y’ and maneuvered his hand so he could read it. I saw the moment the words caught up with him, the moment he registered what I had written.

I love you more than you know.

“Rosebud…” His voice was delicate, like it could shatter in a single moment. “Do you mean it?”

In lieu of a response, I took the hot chocolate cup out of his hands and set in on the coffee table. I grasped his face in my hands, giving him a watery smile. “Thank you for being patient with me. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” he breathed out. I felt honored and cherished when I saw the tears in his eyes just from my simple confession. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you too. So much.”

The earth could have collapsed around us. The ground could have opened up and swallowed us whole. All that mattered was Niall as he surged forward and kissed me hungrily, his tongue delving into my mouth to tangle with mine. His hands were tightly wound in my hair, but didn’t pull or tug. He just held me there, like if he let me go I would dissipate. He’d never kissed me like this, but I’d never kissed him when he was a Niall who knew how much I loved him. And he’d never kissed the Rose that had finally stopped running and admitted her feelings to him.

“My birthday present to you feels shitty now.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled to the surface. “This wasn’t your birthday gift.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “This was more. So much more.”

He kissed me again, his touch sure and unwavering. “Thanks for loving me, Rosebud,” he whispered, repeating my words from so many months ago.

So I decided to repeat his back. “It’s the easiest thing in the world, Niall.”

Oh my god. Wildflower is over. I cannot believe this. This started as a random thought in my head one day because I needed a good friends to lovers but with a twist, and suddenly Rose was born. This is the first story I’ve finished on this blog and will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you to everyone for reading this little story and for all your support. I refuse to let go of Niall and Rose forever, so don’t be surprised if I write little drabbles for them, but I’m excited for what the future holds in terms of my writing.

I give one big giant virtual hug to all of you. You don’t know how much you guys mean to me.

#wf #wildflower #1dff #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan au

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venicebitch1999 · 4 years

Text

Late Night Confessions

Pairing: Fezco/Reader

Summary: You and Fezco spend some time stargazing. Who will make the first move?

Warnings: Profanity, mentions of underage drinking and drug dealing.

A/N: Hey, y’all! This is my first writing I’ve actually posted, so bear with me. I love Fezco so much, he’s my fucking cinnamon apple and deserves more writings. Let me know what y’all think though! Feedback is always appreciated. ❤️ Much love.

You were currently driving out to your favorite weekend spot, the cliff about three miles out of town that overlooked the city. You and your best friend, Fezco, had made plans to meet up and stargaze. Every once in a while, when you two needed an escape, you would go to your favorite spot and observe the night sky. It wasn’t often that you did this, but you never passed the opportunity up. You loved these little moments with him.

Fezco had been in your life for close to seven years. You had met him the first day of seventh grade, and although people came and went throughout your school years, Fezco stayed by your side. Fezco, eventually, dropped out to help take care of his grandma. When money became tight, he started drug dealing. He thought this would scare you away for sure, but no. Best friends stuck together no matter what.

Eventually, you grew to love him, beyond just friends. He was charismatic, polite, soft-spoken, and protective. He would take a bullet for you. Because you didn’t want to risk your friendship, you kept those feelings to yourself. He had enough on his plate already.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Fezco’s car parked near the cliff’s edge. You were so in love, even the sight of his car had you feeling giddy. You parked your car next to his and unbuckled your seatbelt. You knew he was already waiting for you at your usual spot, a grassy area farthest away from the road. You both thought this area was the best place to see the nighttime skies, as no trees or dirt were present.

You walked towards your spot and saw that he was already laying down on the blanket, looking upwards. You could hardly make out his figure, but you knew he looked just as good as ever. Hearing your footsteps approach, he turned to look at you. You smiled at him, placing your backpack with the radio you both used to play your tunes down, and greeted him with a shy “Hey, Fez.”

He moved over, giving you some room on the blanket to get comfortable and replied “What’s up, Y/N?”

Yep, you were right. He did look good. He was dressed in a simple long sleeved black shirt, gray sweatpants, and his favorite duo, socks and slides. How the hell did someone manage to look so fucking amazing in something so plain? You had no idea, but he did it with ease.

Fezco thought you looked amazing too. Your attire consisted of a cropped red sweatshirt, black leggings, and black high top converse. He couldn’t help but stare at you. You always looked beautiful.

Fez had had a crush on you for as long as he could remember. Before he had even officially met you, he’d seen you at school and thought you were one of the prettiest girls on the planet. The day he mustered up the courage to talk to you was the best day of his life, because that was the start of your friendship. Over the years, Fez watched you grow up. He was there when your first boyfriend broke your heart at winter formal sophomore year, even threatening to beat his ass afterwards. He was there when your parents separated. He was there when you graduated high school. He was there when you dropped out of college to help take care of your younger siblings after your dad’s alcoholism reached its peak. He was there for it all. Your friendship meant everything to him, so he never told you about his true feelings. He couldn’t lose you.

“Oh, you know, just getting ready to hang out with some loser.” you answered, with a wink.

He laughed sarcastically, “Ha ha ha, you think you cute or something, huh?” he said while he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, or something.” you sassed, pulling your speakers out of your backpack and connecting your phone to it before turning it on shuffle and laying down. The sounds of “Ribs” by Lorde started playing.

“No lie, I fuck with this kinda music.” Fezco admitted.

You smiled and looked up at the trillions of tiny, twinkling stars. “Yeah, I know. You haven’t complained once about my music.”

“It’s nice to hear new shit. I like all kinds of music, like that one chick. Uh, I think her name is Lana? Ion know, but she kinda fire.” he commented.

You gave him a little side-eye. “Del Rey?” you asked causing him to look at you.

“Oh yeah! Her. Yeah, she got some hits. Some of her shit got me sad as hell.” he said.

You laughed loudly, “More like all her shit.”

Fezco smiled and you both fell into a comfortable silence. Gazing up at the thousands of twinkling stars, you let your mind wander. You thought about your relationship with Fezco. Did it have the potential to be anything more? You wondered what it felt like to kiss him, to have his hands on your thighs, to feel his arm around your waist. You wondered what it felt like to be called his.

“So.. Rue told me something today.” Fezco said nervously, still looking upwards.

You quirked your eyebrow up, and looked at him. “What’s she gossiping about now?” you asked with a joking twinkle in your eye.

“Ion know if it’s true or what. She said she overheard it at last night’s party or some shit.” he claimed.

Fuck. Last night’s party was a trip, you hardly remembered it. “Spit it out, dude.” you pressed.

“Ight. Well, she said you was fucking around with Cameron Gates. She said someone saw y’all making out? Ion know, that’s just what she heard.” he finally said.

Your eyes widened. “Fuck, I was so drunk last night. I don’t even remember that. I mean, Cameron always tries to get with me at parties and shit, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” you admitted, feeling embarrassed.

“Cameron is a dick. I didn’t wanna believe it, but I mean, you do you.” he said icily. He could feel the jealousy creeping in. He didn’t like knowing other guys were into you.

You looked at him, a little confused at his tone. “Uh, okay? I mean, I’m not into him like that. I was just wasted. Besides, I’m 20. I’m allowed to make out with people if I want to,” you snipped. “I’m not even into guys like him anyways.”

Fezco snorted. “Whatever you say.” he said sarcastically.

“The fuck? We were just having a good time. What’s with you?” you asked him with a glare.

“I mean, you’ve only ever dated guys like him, so Ion know why you lying.” he pointed out.

Yeah, Fez was right. You dated a lot of guys that ended up being really shitty boyfriends who only wanted one thing. In your defense, the one guy that you did want to date had friendzoned you, so you had limited options.

“Yeah, well if I could date who I wanted to, I would’ve never dated those guys.” you said while sitting up. You didn’t like this conversation, you felt defensive.

Fezco followed your actions and looked at you. You looked angry, embarrassed, and hurt by what he said. He instantly felt bad for making you upset. You were right, you were having a good time. He just wanted to confirm what he’d heard. It was selfish, but he was bothered by it.

“I’m sorry, ma. I just don’t fuck with that Cameron guy. He only wants to fuck you and dip. You deserve more than that shit.” he said softly as he grabbed your hand and observed the rings on your fingers.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach. “Oh yeah? And what is it that I deserve?” you asked, with a little smile playing on your lips.

Fezco’s eyes met yours and he placed a tiny kiss on your ring finger. “You deserve everything good in life, Y/N. All the shit you’ve ever dreamed of having, you deserve it. You too good for all these dumbass guys around here.” he declared.

You looked at him and gave him a shy smile. You felt lost for words. Nobody had ever told you that before.

Your thoughts were interrupted by Fez letting go of your hand to trace the small tattoo on your exposed waist. “Can I ask you something?” he inquired.

You hated when people asked that question. Your anxiety heightened immediately. “Um, yeah. Go ahead.” you answered.

“You said you wanted to date someone earlier. Who was you talking about?”

Fuck. Should you tell him? It was always hard to lie to Fez. He knew immediately when you were bluffing. Lying would be obvious, no matter how hard you tried to mask it.

You stumbled over your words, trying to come up with a vague answer. “Um, I mean- Well, I-.. He’s uh- Fuck, I can’t talk right now.”

Fezco raised an eyebrow at you. “You about to lie,” he chided. “Lying ain’t ever get you anywhere with me, mamas. Might as well tell me the truth. I ain’t gonna tell nobody. You and Rue the only people I fuck with.”

You sighed loudly. “Okay. Fine. I’ll be honest, but like you gotta promise this won’t be weird, alright? You’re my best friend. I don’t want us to be awkward.”

He looked at your serious expression and nodded. “Ight, swear on my life.” Fezco was feeling nervous now. Why were you so serious?

You hesitated before speaking. “Um, okay. Uh. Well, the guy I like may or may not be you.” you finally managed to say.

Your face was beet red and your palms were sweaty. You watched as he looked into your eyes for any signs of a joke. He thought for sure this was a prank. There was no way you felt that way about him.

“Like deadass?” he asked, feeling nervous.

“Deadass.” you replied simply.

Wow, he never thought you’d felt that way about him before. He was for sure his love would always be unrequited.

“But it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I love our friendship. We can pretend this never happened.” you stated, feeling a little defeated by his silence.

He laughed. “Y/N, what the fuck? I been having a crush on you. Like ever since you walked onto the fucking playground that day at school and punched Nate Jacobs’ brother in the face for trying to kiss you.”

You were shocked. Holy shit. Fezco felt the same way? No fucking way. All these years, and neither one of you said a thing. How could you have been so clueless to one another?

“Oh my god. We seriously been having secret feelings for each other all these years? What kinda soap opera shit?” you laughed.

Fez laughed with you before taking your hand and kissing the palm. “Come’ere, ma. I wanna give you a kiss. I been waiting like ten years for this.” he admitted.

You moved closer to him and let him grab hold of your waist. You put your arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. “Then kiss me.” you said.

He moved his head downwards and locked lips with yours. The fireworks that people claim to feel in movies? Yeah, that feeling is real. You had never been kissed with such passion and love before, and you definitely didn’t mind it. His hands moved to your lower back as he pulled you closer. He moved his lips from yours down to your neck, where he placed a chaste kiss to the spot behind your ear, before looking into your eyes with a smirk.

“How about we make this official, huh?” he said.

You laid back down, pulling him over your body. “Okay then, boyfriend.” you winked.

He leaned down to give you another kiss. “I like the sound of that, mamas.”

#euphoria #fezco #angus cloud #imagine #fezco euphoria #fezco x reader #fezco imagine #fez

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renaerys · 4 years

Text

PPG One-Shot: Mall Santa (Boomer/Mike and Brick/Blossom)

Summary: To earn a little extra cash over the holidays, Brick, Mike, and Boomer agree to help out their buddy Todd at a Mall Santa gig. Shenanigans ensue.

This one is for @snailbutters, @genovah, and @hanaokm. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Enjoy some Boomike, Blossick, and Capri Sus on me.

[Cross-posted to AO3]

xxx

There were a lot of things Todd needed: a haircut, for one. His black hair was getting too long for gel and it was really pushing the boundary between greaser sexy and sad trash hobo. Money, for another. But like any other 21-year-old townie with a high school education and two restaurant jobs, he always needed money.

A new best friend, for yet another.

“I’m not your best friend,” Brick snapped as he tied a black tie around his neck. He needed to leave in ten minutes if he was going to be early for his dinner meeting with Oliver Morbucks.

Todd put a hand over his heart like it might fall out of the wound Brick’s words had stabbed there. “Dude, of course you are. I’m totally sorry if I ever gave you the wrong idea.”

Brick grimaced so hard he was sure he’d end up constipated. “No, you idiot. I know you think I’m your best friend. You’ve never shut up about it, even after we graduated high school. I’m pretty sure the whole fucking Peninsula knows it the way you go around shouting it when you’re blasted.”

Todd looked like he’d just received news that his favorite nana wasn’t dying of cancer after all. “Oh, cool. For a second there I thought I really hurt your feelings. You know you’re kinda sensitive, right?”

Oh god.

“What do you want, Todd? I have a really important meeting and I’m not missing it for your bullshit.”

Brick checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror in his one-bedroom apartment in downtown Townsville. It was a shitty hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but Brick was used to squalor. His break was coming, he could feel it. If tonight’s meeting went over well, he’d have a more steady revenue stream and, more importantly, the connections and clout the Morbucks name brought to open doors. All the long days at Red’s Auto Shop saving and scraping by would finally pay off, and just in time for Blossom to graduate from college. It was perfectly planned, meticulously manipulated, all down to this last pivotal dinner.

“Cool, no big deal! I just need to know if you’re free this weekend.”

“Free to do what?” Brick indulged him, because Todd was one of the few people on this planet who wasn’t 100% intimidated by his very presence.

“To help me with this Mall Santa gig I got. Harry Pitt was supposed to be my number two elf, but he ate some bad prawns and they had to, like, airlift him to Citiesville General.”

Brick stopped everything he was doing and glared at his second-to-best friend, which was a key fact because second was not the same as first. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

“I know, right?” Todd knew his way around Brick’s embarrassingly small bathroom, opened up the hair wax, and fixed Brick’s styling job. “Dude always had a weak stomach, you remember. But you don’t fuck with bad prawns. I mean, obviously.”

Brick swatted Todd’s hands away and checked his reflection. It was definitely an improvement. “Not that; the Mall Santa thing, obviously!”

“Oh, yeah. So you’ll help me out?”

“Fuck no.”

“Aw, Briiiiiiick,” Todd whined.

Brick grabbed his dinner jacket from the closet barely big enough to fit a small, starving child. Todd, who had latched onto Brick in the seventh grade like a goddamned barnacle and never let go no matter how hard Brick tried to push him away, followed. “Not if you paid me.”

“You’ll get paid! It’s $20 an hour!”

Brick hesitated over the threshold. “That’s higher than minimum wage.” It was higher than his hourly rate at the garage too.

“Seasonal gigs, man. That’s how you win.”

“It’s seriously fucking not.”

Todd, one of three people in the universe who actually cared about Brick on a personal level even though he wasn’t obligated by blood, made his blue eyes big and wide in a way that reminded Brick of Puss-n-Boots from Shrek, Todd’s favorite movie. “C’mon, bruh. Do your bestie a solid? Just this once? I really need the money and they won’t let me keep the gig without two elves to fill in. So please? Pleeeeeeease?”

And Brick, former scourge of Townsville, a Super with the power to literally raze the planet if it so much as tickled his fancy, and the dictionary definition of the boy every father dreads his perfect, pretty little girl falling for against her better judgment, cracked like an egg.

“For fuck’s sake,” he groused. “Just text me the time and place and get out of my face already.”

Todd punched the air with both fists. “Yes!! Oh, hell yes! I love you so much, dude.”

“Blow me.” Brick checked his watch. Shit, now he was merely on time.

“I’d consider it an honor,” Todd said, probably literally serious.

xxx

Boomer rolled glitter on his cheeks and around the edges of his dark blue eyes with the help of a compact as he huddled behind the North Pole set on the first floor of the Townsville Mall. When he was satisfied that he sparkled like the tinsel-festooned Christmas trees in Santa’s twelve-by-fifteen-foot “forest” themselves, he discreetly re-emerged just as the latest child slid off Santa’s lap.

“Merry Christmas, Dan!” bellowed a red and white-clad Todd behind an enormous, curly beard. “Remember to brush your teeth!”

The little boy ran back to his parents, who were having a word with the photographer about purchasing a picture of their son on Santa’s lap. Before Boomer could follow them, Brick was quick to cut him off.

“Where the hell were you?” he demanded. Sour as an un-sugared plum in his festive, candy-striped elf costume, Brick may have absolutely intimidated the seven-year-olds waiting in line with their parents for a turn on Santa’s lap, but Boomer only allowed him a bemused smile.

“Why, I was making toys for the good little boys and girls who came to visit us here at the North Pole,” Boomer said in a raised voice. He looped his arm through his brother’s and let his power surge with enough force to turn Brick around and face the crowd that was definitely within hearing range. “Isn’t that right, Elf Mursten?”

Brick pushed back with inhuman force, but Boomer held his ground with a smile as bright as the glitter on his cheeks as a little girl in overalls trotted forward.

She giggled. “I like your hat.”

“Thank you!” Boomer gushed, and he tipped his pom-pom-topped cap. “And what’s your name?”

The little girl giggled again. “My name’s Alynn.”

“Well, Alynn, why don’t you step right up and take a seat on Santa’s lap? I’m sure he has a great present for a cool girl like you. Right, Elf Mursten?”

Brick glared medieval torture at him, and he managed a smile that showed too many teeth to be anything other than life-threatening. “Of course, Elf Buller.”

Boomer’s smile tightened.

“Ho ho ho! Come on over, Santa doesn’t bite,” Todd said.

“What a psychotic reassurance,” Brick said soft enough for only the Super brothers to hear.

“Hey, Brick?” Boomer said, just as softly. “Cheer the fuck up.” He gave his brother a bone-crushing squeeze around the arm and broke from him. Brick could be a sourpuss when he wanted to be (all the time), but he wouldn’t mess up Todd’s Mall Santa gig when he’d bothered to show up and actually put in the effort at all. Complain as he might about Todd’s exuberance, Brick had always come through for his best friend since the seventh grade.

Boomer, on the other hand, had been very happy to accept Todd’s offer to work the two weeks leading up to Christmas. The hours were reasonable, the pay was good, and Boomer loved children. It was easy money in between local shows he and his garage band had booked over the holidays.

Plus, the photographer had a nice rack.

“Okay, Santa, Alynn. Look over here and say ‘jingle bells’!” A flash went off, and Mike Believe stood to his full height behind the tripod he’d set up for the day’s pictures. Even in reindeer antlers and a bright, red-painted nose, Mike filled out every fold of his brown Rudolph outfit almost to the point of popping a button. His broad chest puffed out when he put his strong hands on his hips and grinned brightly like he wouldn’t pick anywhere else to be right now.

Their eyes met, and Boomer flushed and smiled like a fool.

When Mike winked back at him coyly, his heart leaped into his throat. Mike had gotten home from college just two days ago, but the three weeks he had off for Winter Break would surely fly by like they did every year, and Boomer was determined to spend every moment together.

A tug on Boomer’s green tunic drew his attention. “Can I take a picture with you? Please?” the little girl asked.

Boomer beamed and scooped her up onto his hip. “Of course you can. Hey, Mike? Can you take one of us, please?”

“You bet! Get in close, now.” Mike readied his camera.

“Oh, wait a sec. Why don’t you take this too?” Boomer removed his festive hat and put it on Alynn’s head. It was big on her, but she laughed happily.

They posed for the picture, and Boomer hugged her cheek to cheek.

“Thanks!” The little girl tried to give him his hat back, but he pressed it to her chest.

“You keep it. Merry Christmas. Remember to be good, okay?”

Alynn’s father was waiting with a hand for her to take when she ran back to him, yammering about how she’d met Santa and his super cool elf friend, and Boomer watched them go.

“You know you’ll have to pay for that hat,” Brick said.

Boomer sighed and ran a hand through his cornflower hair. “You know I look better without it.”

Brick frowned deeply. “Uh-huh.”

“If you keep frowning, your face will stick like that.”

“Moron.”

He always had to have the last word. Brick went to stack the empty boxes wrapped in bright, shiny paper, which was probably more productive than blowing up the entire display. Boomer left him to it. It was time for their mid-morning break, anyway.

Todd got up to stretch. “Man, who knew sitting could be so tiring, huh? Whack.” His phone buzzed, and he grinned when he saw the caller ID.

Boomer, however, had eyes only for Mike as the latter turned off his camera and put a sheet over the tripod to protect it. “Working hard, I see.”

When Mike smiled, his dark eyes crinkled in the corners. He had a face made for smiling. “Oh, you know. Just helping out some friends.”

Like Brick, Todd had asked Mike to help out behind the camera for this gig. Mike didn’t exactly need the extra cash given his lacrosse scholarship that covered his college expenses, but the three of them had been as thick as thieves all through high school no matter what Brick said when he was annoyed. No way was Mike going to bail on the chance to help out a bro.

“This is cute,” Mike said, running a thumb over Boomer’s sparkly cheek.

“If only I could convince Brick to wear some,” Boomer said, lacing his fingers in Mike’s as they shuffled to the side of the exhibit behind a blinking Christmas tree for a bit of privacy.

Mike chuckled. “That’ll take a Christmas miracle. But anyway, I don’t want to talk about Brick right now.”

Their kiss was soft and mostly chaste, considering the venue, but Boomer didn’t mind at all. He rose up on his toes to lean into his boyfriend’s superior height and smiled into their kiss. Even in the middle of the Townsville Mall with shoppers mere yards away, for a few seconds Boomer got lost in the fantasy of the forest and the snow drifts, bright lights and magic that came around only once a year and had always touched his heart in a way nothing else quite could.

“Babe! You got here quick!” Todd’s excitement and a small commotion around Santa’s throne drew the lovers’ attention, and Boomer reluctantly broke the kiss. His Super hearing quickly picked up on what was going on.

“What is it?” Mike asked.

Boomer smiled wryly. “That Christmas miracle you wished for. Come on.” He took Mike’s larger hand in his and pulled him back toward the front of the display, where Todd had scooped up a very small, very fashionable Asian woman in his arms.

“Oh my god, don’t do shits in front of the innocent children, Toddy.” Hana patted her high bun and smoothed out her oversized black jacket once Todd released her.

“Hey, I just missed you is all,” Todd said with a genuine smile like he had really, truly missed his girlfriend since this morning when they had last seen each other.

“You guys are too cute,” said Bubbles with a giggle. As usual, she was adorable in blonde twin tails and a holiday-appropriate sweater dress. Shopping bags hung from both her arms, also as usual.

“Right?” Hana said, her deadpan façade melting completely as she beamed at her closest friend.

“No contest.” Bubbles set down her small nation of shopping bags. “Oh! Hi, Boomer!” She dashed to hug him in a flash of blue, and he caught her easily. “Oh my gosh, I love your glitter. You look like a supermodel!”

Boomer laughed and hugged her back. “Thanks for letting me borrow it. I really owe you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Oh, but you definitely need some touching up. Here, let me just…”

Mike had wandered over to Todd and Hana. “Hey, Hana. Are you staying for the holiday?”

Hana shrugged. “Yeah, my art show isn’t until after New Year’s. You know, I’m always looking for more models.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Mike laughed. “I’m honored, but I’m really nothing special, honestly. You might try Butch.”

Todd guffawed. “Oh man, Butch is, like, one of her top models! She painted him for what, six weeks last summer, babe?”

“Seven,” Hana said, dead serious.

Mike smiled nervously. “That’s a lot of inspiration.”

“He is very inspiring,” Hana said, deader and more serious.

“That dude is goals,” Todd said, totally unironically.

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” Mike said.

“Aaaaand done.” Bubbles stepped back to admire her handiwork. “Honestly? You’re the most beautiful elf the North Pole ever employed.”

Boomer snickered. “Don’t tell Brick that.”

“Don’t tell me what, now?” Brick emerged from his useless empty box stacking task, glitter-less and severely lacking in Christmas cheer.

Bubbles gasped, right on cue. “Brick! Where is your glitter? Get over here.”

Brick made a weird face. “What are you talk—hey!”

Bubbles all but accosted him with the glitter pen. Hana cheered and applauded, and Todd joined in because he liked to cheer and applaud in general.

“What are you—get off!” Brick shoved Bubbles hard, but a flash of pink caught her before she could crash into anything.

Blossom peered around her totally unfazed sister, a tray of lattes in one hand and her perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. “Brick,” she said.

Brick swallowed. “Blossom.”

She looked nice in leggings and a sweater dress that matched Bubbles’ style, except where Bubbles’ was white, Blossom’s was a scarlet that rivaled the shade of Brick’s eyes.

“I brought you guys coffee,” Blossom said, her eyes trained on Brick even as she held out the tray.

Mike took the tray before it could become collateral damage in whatever was going on between the two of them.

“Here you go.” Mike offered one to Boomer, who gratefully accepted it.

“Thanks!”

“I thought you weren’t getting home until tomorrow,” Brick said, as if he and Blossom were the only two people there.

“Change of plans,” Blossom said. “Problem?”

Brick seemed to remember what he was wearing and snatched his elf hat from his head. He bunched it up between his hands like that would hide his imagined shame. “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine, clearly. But it wasn’t Boomer’s place to intrude. He would have been extremely happy for it to end there, but sadly Blossom, like his brother, had a flair for the dramatic and an affinity for the center of attention.

She sauntered up to him and smeared the bit of glitter Bubbles had managed to draw on his cheek before he’d shoved her off. “Good,” she said, half an invitation and half a challenge.

Brick didn’t bend easily. Boomer knew his brother as well as he knew himself, and he knew Brick didn’t relent, never gave in unless he was well and truly beaten, which was rare. But he slackened now, lips parting and eyes falling. Even though his arms stayed stubbornly at his sides and he didn’t do something as scandalous as hold his girlfriend’s hand in public, he melted under her touch and attention.

“All right! Bloss, you’re back early! This is massive, like, supernova massive,” Todd said. “Hey, I know! Let’s throw a party at mine tonight! Brick said you weren’t coming back for another couple of days, so this is like a cool early Christmas present to all of us.”

Bubbles gasped. “Oh my gosh, yes! Let’s all go to Todd’s tonight, just like we used to. I’m calling Robin right now.”

“We can make it a real Christmas party,” Blossom said. Somehow, she’d gotten ahold of Bubbles’ glitter pen and now smeared a generous amount on Brick’s cheeks until he gleamed without suffering a nuclear meltdown. A Christmas miracle, indeed.

“You’ll wear the Santa suit,” Hana said. Demanded.

“Ho ho ho! You got it, babe.”

“That thing’s a rental,” Brick said. “And it’s, like, 75 degrees outside.”

“If he gets too hot, I’ll hose him down,” Hana said.

Brick smartly decided not to press her on that one.

“I like your elf costume, Brick,” Blossom teased. Maybe.

“I’m burning it as soon as I get paid,” Brick said.

“I thought it was a rental like Todd’s?”

He hesitated, trapped by his own logic, and she laughed softly and kissed the side of his mouth. Brick froze and played it off like it didn’t affect him, but his eyes were drawn to Blossom’s lips for the next six whole minutes. Boomer really didn’t get why he had to make everything so damn complicated.

“Hey, hombres, our break is up and I see a super cute kid waiting to sit on the softest lap in Townsville,” Todd said, sinking back onto his candy cane throne and patting his lap.

Brick visibly cringed.

“It could be worse,” Mike whispered to Brick. “At least this time we get to keep our shirts on.”

Boomer smiled at the memory of Todd’s last seasonal gig he’d roped Brick and Mike into over the summer. The shirtless carwash had admittedly been one of his more rewarding part-time jobs, and Boomer had the photo evidence to cherish the memory extremely fondly.

Blossom and Hana retreated behind Mike while Bubbles finished up her phone call with Robin and Brick admitted the next child on set.

“Welcome to the North Pole,” he said with all the cheer of an old tire. Nonetheless, his cheeks dazzled. “What’s your name, kid?”

She looked up at him but didn’t say anything. Boomer noticed her shyness and decided he better intervene.

“Hey there,” he said, taking a knee so he could be on her eye-level. “Merry Christmas.”

That alarmed her even more, and she hugged Brick’s leg.

“What the—” Brick put his hands up like he didn’t know what to do with them. “Great.”

The girl’s parents were busy talking to Mike about the picture packages and didn’t seem to notice what was going on.

“Uh,” Boomer said, ready to flag them down before the little girl got scared or started to cry. They’d been lucky this morning with only one child throwing a temper tantrum out of the tens they’d seen.

“All right, kid. I hope you have a good grip.” Brick floated off the ground with the little girl clinging to his leg and flew over to Todd’s throne.

Boomer was so flabbergasted by his brother’s gross disregard for this child’s safety in front of her parents that he was momentarily stunned where he kneeled. It was over in about two and a half seconds, with her parents none the wiser and the little girl still in one piece, miraculously. Brick peeled her off him and dropped her on Todd’s lap.

“Name,” Brick demanded. And then, reluctantly: “…To check you off the Nice List.”

The little girl looked up at him with wide-eyed wonderment, or maybe fear. “Morana.”

“Morana. Super. Tell Todd—I mean, Santa—what you want. And smile for the camera.”

Todd didn’t miss a beat and wrapped his arms loosely around her to hold her safely in place. “Morana, that’s a pretty name. Wanna tell me what you want for Christmas?”

Morana pointed at Brick. “That one.”

Brick turned as red as his messy man bun. Todd wheezed.

“Oh, yeah? Well, that one’s taken, but I bet I can get you a picture together. How ‘bout it?” Todd asked.

Boomer was up and moving in a blue flash. “That can be arranged.” He shoved his brother with a healthy burst of Super strength, and Brick all but fell on his knee next to Todd’s throne. Boomer waved back at Mike for the picture.

“Big smile now!” Mike said cheerfully, and snapped the picture.

“What the hell is up with these kids?” Brick asked when Morana skipped back to her parents and started chattering at them in a language Boomer didn’t recognize but assumed must be all good things from the way she grinned from ear to ear. “They get bolder every year.”

“Or you’re just getting softer,” Boomer teased.

“Yeah, right.”

Blossom laughed at something Hana said on a nearby bench, drawing both their eyes.

“Whatever you say, man,” Boomer said.

xxx

Todd’s party was a nostalgic and long-overdue affair later that evening. Unlike Boomer, who had to make do in a small studio apartment on the outskirts of Citiesville where the rent was more manageable and his commute didn’t matter when flying anywhere took only minutes, Todd lived in a big house he took care of for his often absent, globe-trotting parents. Blossom, Bubbles, and Robin had taken the initiative and strung up Christmas lights, while Boomer created and managed the playlist for the night. They had a good crowd with old friends from high school and new ones from work and college gathered for no excuse other than to have a good time.

Butch, Buttercup, Mike, and Todd had set up beer pong in the basement, where most of the festivities were taking place. As usual, the shit talking and macho bravado had soared to ludicrous heights.

“Come on, BC,” Todd goaded. “Money shot, right here.” He fluffed his Santa beard, the ends of which were damp with beer. Buttercup had one cup left to hit.

“I’m about to straight-up tea bag you with this ping pong ball, Todd, I swear to god.” Buttercup tried to focus on her aim after too many beers and the distraction of Todd’s stupid Santa beard.

“Do it, fucking do it,” Butch said, bobbing on the balls of his feet and slightly manic with the competition and holiday cheer, probably.

“I’m gonna fucking do it!”

“I don’t think you can fucking do it,” Mike said.

“Ohhhhh!” Butch hollered when Buttercup lost her temper and threw the ball too hard. It bounced off Todd’s beard and fell on the floor, leaving the last cup untouched.

“Mike, you cheater!” Buttercup shouted.

Mike burst out laughing.

“All riiiiight, the Toddster’s final shot. You filming, babe?” Todd asked.

Hana, across the table from Boomer, had her phone out and poised. “Kick their asses, Toddy.”

“Yeah, bring it on, Toddy,” Butch jeered.

“Oh, it’s about to be brought.”

“Oh god, please, you peaked in high school,” Buttercup said.

“Hey, he plateaued,” Mike said. “There’s a difference.”

“Just take the damn shot!”

Todd shot, hit the rim of the solo cup, and missed. Buttercup and Butch threw up their hands and whooped. They were still in the game, and the stakes were even higher now.

Boomer squeezed Mike’s arm in a silent excuse and went to change the music…only to find Brick and Blossom making out in the hallway like it was their last night on Earth.

The music was fine, he decided. No need to interrupt Brick and Blossom trying to fuse with the wall and face his brother’s cock blocked wrath. Discreetly, Boomer snapped a picture on his phone and texted it to Bubbles.

[Boomer: Shooketh]

Bubbles’ reply was lightning fast.

[Bubbles: More like shattered!!]

[Bubbles: Better get out of there before they catch you lol 💀]

After another hour (and Brick and Blossom’s reemergence from the wall in one piece with not a hair out of place because god forbid), Boomer and Mike decided to head out early. They went back to Boomer’s apartment, where a very excited Pomeranian welcomed them home.

“Hi, Pumpkin!” Mike brightened like the sun and scooped up his favorite girl, left in Boomer’s care while he was away at college. “Who’s ready for a walk?”

They walked Pumpkin and let her tire herself out running around the suburban neighborhood where it was too late at night for any cars to be out. A half hour later, they were curled up on the loveseat with Pumpkin snoozing in her fuzzy bed at their feet and an old black-and-white Christmas movie playing on low volume on the television.

“Hey,” Boomer said, lifting his head from Mike’s chest to look at him properly.

Mike set aside the hot chocolate he’d been drinking and pulled Boomer up by his waist. “Hey, you. What is it?”

Boomer smiled. It was silly, really. “It’s nothing.”

“Oh?” Mike returned his smile and leaned closer. He smelled like soap, a hint of chocolate, and something else that made Boomer want to bury his face in his neck.

“Just happy,” Boomer said.

“Really? I can’t tell.”

Boomer sat up a little higher. The neck of Mike’s old lacrosse jersey he wore dipped down his shoulder, too big on him and softer than a cloud. He pressed a chaste kiss to the underside of Mike’s jaw. “How about now?”

“Hm, nope, I don’t think I quite got that.”

Boomer threaded his fingers though Mike’s short, dark hair at the nape of his neck. Feeling coquettish, he gave his ear a nip. “How about now?”

Mike shifted on the couch and pulled Boomer’s bent legs onto his lap. His voice was as warm as the hot chocolate he’d been drinking. “I think I’m starting to get a vague understanding.”

Boomer laughed and painted a trail of kisses along Mike’s jaw, up his chin. He pressed a strong hand to his chest and put a little power behind it. Centimeters apart, he could taste the lingering heat of the hot chocolate on Mike’s breath. “And now?”

Mike’s eyes drooped and darkened. His hands slipped around Boomer’s waist, under the jersey, a silent entreaty. “I think you can do a little better than that, Angel.”

The secret nickname broke Boomer’s resolve, and he kissed his boyfriend full on the mouth with all the confidence and shamelessness he couldn’t give him that morning at the mall surrounded by children and their parents. Mike’s shirt soon found its way to the floor along with Boomer’s borrowed jersey. The loveseat was too short to accommodate Mike’s height comfortably, and after a few moments Boomer held him close and flew them to the bed in a flash.

“I’ll never get over how hot that is,” Mike said, breathless.

Boomer blushed, unable to help it. He was careful with his strength around Mike, but sometimes the X bonded to his bones pushed him to the raw, carnal boundaries of humanity. Mike’s hand on his cheek drew him out of those spiraling thoughts.

“I mean it,” Mike said. “I love that part of you. And I trust you completely.”

Words did not come easily, nor did they seem appropriate in that moment. Boomer bent to kiss Mike again and pull him as close as he could get. Wrapped up in the warm sheets and each other, Boomer’s silly little thought that he had never been happier grew and swelled to heights he never could have imagined before Mike. They lay there together, lazy and sleepy, as the credits of their forgotten holiday movie played on the television.

“One more semester,” Mike said, “and then I graduate.”

“I can’t believe you’re almost a college graduate,” Boomer said. “It feels like you left ages ago.”

“Four years is a long time, but it’s not forever. And you should get ready.”

Boomer looked up at him. “Ready for what?”

“To move, of course.”

“Move?”

“Hey, I love how cozy your apartment is, but I’m pretty sure Pumpkin would appreciate her own room once we’re living together full time.”

Boomer sat up properly. “You… You want to move in together? With me?”

“Of course! The only question is, where do you want to go?”

Boomer covered his mouth. Of course he had thought about getting a place with Mike, but that always seemed like the distant future. What if they didn’t stay together? What if the long distance was too hard? What if Mike met someone else at college? Brick didn’t talk about it much, but after a few too many drinks one night the year Blossom and Mike both left for college, he’d confessed how afraid he was that he would lose her forever. How can the old be exciting and fun compared to the amazing, new adventures she would be having?

But from the way Boomer had caught them all but absorbing each other at Todd’s tonight, Blossom seemed perfectly happy to keep him. And Mike…

“You’re serious,” Boomer said.

“I’ve never been more serious.” Mike took his hand and kissed his knuckles carefully. “I can’t wait to start our lives together.”

Boomer could have cried. He almost did. Life was hard, even for a Super like him. With endless bills to pay and the occasional monster to dispose of, sometimes he felt like he was being pulled in too many directions without anyone there to help pick up the slack. But this… This was his.

“Me too,” Boomer said. “And I don’t care where we go, as long as it’s together.”

“Well, cool. In that case, if you’re not opposed to it, was thinking farther north, like Metroville. There are some great photography jobs there that I want to apply for, and the music scene is bigger than it is here—”

“Yes! A hundred percent yes, let’s do it. When do we leave?”

Mike laughed. “June 1st, as soon as they hand me my diploma.”

Six months. It had a date now. Unthinking, Boomer threw his arms around Mike’s broad shoulders and hugged him tight. “I’ll mark my calendar.”

“It’s a date.”

Incidentally, they did not get much sleep the rest of that night.

xxx

I told myself I wasn’t going to do a ton of fluff, but damnit all, Boomike is SUPER CUTE and I couldn’t help myself. Let them have the happy ending they deserve. Thanks for reading!

#PowerPuff Girls #powerpuff girls fanfiction #powerpuff girls fanfic #Blossick #PPG Reds #Boomike #Capri Sus #Todd x Hana #Brick #Boomer #Blossom #Todd #Mike Believe #february fic prompts

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now-im-a-belieber · 4 years

Text

dinner and diatribes

a/n: Hello! I put it off as long as I could but I just HAD to start writing. So, Here it is, my first BoB fic! Any and all feedback is appreciated.

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After graduating and settling into the swing of the life you wanted to live, the universe seemed to actively work against you.

You did not get accepted into the college of your dreams. And the underfunded local university you wasted away at was the bane of your existence. You could barely land a job with all the hours you were required to stick to campus, and only made enough money walking dogs and watering plants to pay for tuition and the occasional new outfit.

When you started to see the light at the end of the tunnel, with a few hundred saved away, and some time opening up to find career opportunities, the chatter about war turned from gossip to gospel.

In fact, you'd made it all the way to the opposite side of a fine mahogany desk for your first full fledged interview when your dreams were promptly crushed. The man meant to interview you rushed in with flustered news he'd only just found out himself. He told you the company was shutting down. All the nation's money was being sorted to aid in the war. The president had called for rationing to start.

The man was near tears when he asked you to leave, replacing a goodbye with a hopeful wish you might be able to come back again one day.

You marched home at a loss. And the worst thing of all, was the fact that you didn't seem to have anyone to talk to about it all.

The best of your friends had moved away one by one, well meaning phone calls only coming from a couple now and again. Some weekends you managed a stroll through the park with Janice Dean. And you hadn't missed a single one of Rudy Delacroix's card parties. But the one friend you'd always been able to call upon seemed ever less interested in being a part of your life.

Joe was busy as everyone else, you knew. But when he started canceling long standing plans, and forcing smiles when you skipped up to ask him on a last minute adventure, you realized something must have been very wrong.

Over breakfast you'd prod him for answers. He'd joke about the state of the world and steal what was left on your plate. So, nothing could have been too wrong. Right?

Joe always entertained your random stops by, and offered you drinks and listened to you complain about uni. He’d curse the place and drag you to pubs and sneak you into films and waste hours by the waterfront laughing about nothing with you. He’d go great lengths to help you forget your dreary days, even if just for a moment. But lately you noticed Joe had stopped trading his own complaints- the kind he claimedvno one else would tolerate hearing besides you.

And then… he stopped talking at all. Right when you figured it was time to ask what the hell the matter was. Joe wasn't at his place last you swung by, like you so often did. He didn't come around yours like he so often managed. He didn't answer his phone when you rang, and a real worry sprouted through you when the next time you tried, the line went dead.

And then you did see Joe. At the local grocer. You spotted his profile across the aisle and moved to meet him. And he clearly saw you too. When he did, he moved the other way, and disappeared from the stall all together, leaving you to panic over what you might've said or done to upset him so.

You went about your mundane week with a heavy heart. While you seemed to lose hope in the very near future, the world spiralled out of control outside of your windows. And you had no one to talk to about it. Until Joe's mother called.

"Come round for dinner, won't you love?"

"Of course, ma." You'd been calling the woman by her motherly title since you and Joe first fused at the hip some odd years back. Since then his family had included you in most every occasion they could manage. Until a certain someone up and broke tradition a week or so ago...

"Great! Joe didn't want a big send off but we all know he'll want you to join in the last big family meal before he goes.”

His mother chirped through a sigh that crackled from the other line. And in her all too casual remark lied a clear answer to the impasse you'd been facing.

"He what?" You asked low, through your teeth, with a sense of urgency you'd never felt in life, till now.

"He didn't tell you did he?" Joe's mother seemed to ask less more than she seemed to realize; and before you could think up the right thing to say, you slammed the phone down, grabbed your purse, and flew out the door.

Of course this was happening. How had you failed to realize? You shouldn't have had to realize. Joe should have told you he was shipping out. Everyone seemed to be. But he should have said so. He'd always told you everything. From the embarrassing to the inconsequential, Joe hadn't held back from droning deadly details to you since he'd started. The fact that something this detrimental had been hidden away sent smoke from your ears as you marched toward his family's home.

The windows across the little brick cottage were all opened, the late day breeze blowing you up the porch steps. You traded knocking for bursting in the door. There wasn't time left to waste. And the realization hit you all at once… but you had a mission to complete before becoming all too overwhelmed.

Joe's mother ducked out of way, a tray of warm food in hand. She did not try and stop your storm through the kitchen. The only one you’d taken by surprise was Joe, who turned from the sink with eyes as wide as empty dinner plates.

"You didn't tell me?" You seethed, heading straight for him. Joe started to back away, moving toward the patio doors with his hands held in a pitiful defense.

"I'm sorry-"

"Sorry?!"

He kept moving. So you marched after him, out into the yard; shouting all the way asking how the hell he could've kept this from you. How you were supposed to cope with all the worry you’d feel the longer he spent storming the front lines. Asking, flippantly, if he’d tell you what it was all like, or if you’d have to find out from a soldier who'd come knocking to tell the last of Joe’s news.

"I said I'm fuckin' sorry." Joe boomed, stopping near the trees that lined his family's property. You didn’t regret your frantic interrogation but you wished voicing your worst fears of losing him for good hadn’t been what finally got Joe to say something like he meant it.

You halted when he did, stunned to silence. But only for a beat. You watched Joe sigh and bring his hands to his face.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" You pressed, much quieter but with disappointment ever present in your tone. You stepped a little closer, willing your friend to speak up. At least now you could see he was trying too. Joe tossed his head back, and shifted his weight to lean against a dying tree.

"I don't know." He shrugged finally. It wasn't what you wanted to hear, but it was more than you had in awhile.

"I-I guess I didn't know how to." Joe spoke in a tone you'd never quite heard him use before. A terribly hopeless croak.

"Didn't know how to tell me?" You had to laugh a little. All you ever did was tell each other things.

"Didn't know how to leave you." Joe pointed, like it was obvious. You watched his jaw clench as you were baffled into silence once more. But only for a second.

"Well it seems like you've only got one night left to figure out how." You wanted to cry. "Thanks for wasting all the time we could've spent figuring it out together."

You started to turn, only to hide the tears stinging your eyes. But as you stepped aside, Joe wrapped his hand around your wrist and yanked you to face him again.

"I'm an idiot but I am not stupid enough to let you go." He said, still keeping his hold on you.

"I panicked." Joe admitted, speaking softly all of sudden. "And I’m sorry. And I don't ever want anything like that to ever happen again. I won't let it."

You studied Joe and the look on his face and the way his eyes searched yours so easily, so acutely. Part of you wanted to keep shouting, to really drive home how abandoned you’d felt. But you could see how he'd withered under the weight of knowing so. But you couldn't even begin talking about what was meant to happen next... it was all too overwhelming. For as long as you could remember, you'd never not been near one another.

"I wished I never had to find out how shitty a day without you felt. I'll always regret bringing it on.

As your mind raced and your heart ached, your brow furrowed when Joe started to move away from you. His spare hand latched onto your other wrist. And he knelt.

"I didn't mean to leave you out. I never want to again." Joe emphasized each word as he strung them together. And after a long pause he spoke again. "So...marry me?"

You wanted to laugh. A good hearty nausea inducing laugh. You could admit to yourself that over the years, in the very depths of solitude, you'd secretly wished for a moment like this, with Joe. But never in a zillion years, least of all now, had you seen it coming.

You felt Joe's grip tighten as you blinked, bending ever so slightly closer to meet his eye.

"You're fucking crazy." You said, a montage of this week playing through your head.

"Please." Joe desperately whispered. He wasn't begging you to be with him. He was only hoping that the two of you might make your always being together official. How could you say no?

"Yeah. Yes, of course, Joe-" You finally let a small chuckle escape as your tears started to bubble over. And before you'd finished stammering acceptance, Joe sprung to his feet and lifted yours off the ground in a long overdue embrace.

He set you down and caught his breath and you started to lean in with a new, unabashed desire to press yours lips to his. But the guy spoke up with a gasped realization.

"Oh, I have got some good news." He grinned, mischievously. You only rose a brow and waited for the penny to drop.

"I don't leave for a week."

You understood every possibility that came from his news, and found despite every grim reality closing in around the two of you that the future was full of blindingly bright silver linings.

Joe lifted you off the ground again, this time as he moved to start back inside. You bargained for him to put you back down, as he carried you toward the kitchen.

"We're getting married!" Joe called to whoever might've been around to listen.

"That was quick. And just in time for dinner." His mother chirped, as you were returned to solid ground.

"Quick? I've been tryin' to do that since sometime after highschool." Joe pointed, following as you sauntered further in the room, smoothing your clothes and hiding a blush.

"I meant the two of you have spatted longer over the color of the sky." His mother held a whisk your way, while fixing her eyes on her son. "I'm glad you worked this one out in record time."

Joe reached for your hand as you stood, listening best you could, all of your senses entirely preoccupied by the man at your side.

"And have you finally come to this joyous conclusion?" His mother softened, abandoning her dishes to shuffle toward the two of you. She gave out hugs and squeaks of excitement and gasped before taking off around the corner. She beckoned the two of you to follow her, and after a shared chuckle you did.

His mother was stood at the vanity in her room, waving the pair of you in. And after only a second of pilfering through draws, did she pull out a ring. She gave it to Joe and said it was his grandmothers. The spritely woman shot you a beaming wink before creeping out of the door she'd only just invited you into.

Then it was just you and Joe. Like usual. At fucking last.

He said nothing as he reached out to pull you nearer. He bit back a smile as he slid the diamond on your finger. Joe broke your admiration of the thing by placing both his hands on either side of your face. And he kissed you like you always dreamed of being kissed. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back like you always secretly longed to do.

You spent the rest of that night squished between him and his family at the dinner table, like usual. They celebrated your news. And there was very little talk of where Joe was headed. But when he brought up the war and his leaving, he held your hand under the table and you felt the hug of the gold band around your finger and couldn't find reason to worry too much. You’d have time enough for that later. You'd miss him. You already did, a little.

But you'd gotten through the worst yet, and come out of it hand in hand. But before he left, till heaven only knew when, you’d officially and always be together.

#joe liebgott imagine #joe liebgott x reader #joe liebgott #band of brothers

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kaalamarii · 4 years

Text

Three Day Weekend

Summary: MC’s been partying and summons Mammon when things get out of hand.

Pairings: Mammon/Unnamed female MC

Word Count: 2018

Warnings: drug use, brief sexual content, drug overdose, set after the game, angst with a tiny tiiiny bit of fluff at the end.

It both felt like several hours and only a few seconds since she had been at the party.

The pounding bass of the music, rattling the floor and the walls; the pulsating lights that alternate color and made everyone look as if they were stop motion animated; the feel of the high, invincible and floating; the sweaty bodies grinding against each other and running their hands all over each other. Her pupils were dilated, round and black like buttons, matching the circles under her eyes. She had been up for days, consuming basically nothing unless she could smoke it or snort it.

MC laughed as a random guy came up behind her and gripped her hips, pressing his groin into her. “Who the fuck are you?” she asked through her laughter.

He mumbled something in her ear but she couldn’t hear him over the noise of the party. She simply nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to, but not really caring either. He grabbed her hand and led her away from the dancing bodies and up the stairs. She grinned at her friends, shrugging. They all cheered and hollered.

MC and the guy found an empty bedroom. He went to kiss her but she stuck her hand out, a dopey smile on her face. “You’ll get what you want if you’ve got some party favors.”

The guy smirked. “Alright, what you want?”

“Whatcha got?”

He dug in his pocket, pulling out baggies of pills, a couple with white powder. She pointed to the powder. He nodded, opening it and emptying it onto the side table. He separated the powder into sloppy parallel lines. The two took turns snorting the lines.

“We gonna fuck now?”

She chuckled, lying back on the bed. “Sure. Just don’t cum in me.”

MC felt the familiar tingling running through her face and body. Every touch of the stranger on top of her felt like heaven, but thoughts of hell ran through her mind. She remembered the seven demon brothers. And Diavolo. And RAD. She remembered the angels, Solomon.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the memory of her year in Devildom out of her brain. It hurt too much to think about how she left it behind. The demons who had become her friends and their dark yet comforting house.

She missed late night snacks with Beel, and weekend long gaming sessions with Levi. She missed Asmodeus doing her hair and makeup and gossipping as if they were teenage girls. She missed playing pranks on Lucifer with Satan, and how Belphie would fall asleep whenever they all tried to watch a movie together.

And Mammon.

Her first.

The two of them did everything together that year. Shopping trips, delicious (and some questionable) meals at Hell’s Kitchen, skipping class together to fuck in the empty classrooms. Mammon would sneak out most nights and join her in her room, where they’d cuddle in bed together and talk until morning time.

They were both upset by her leaving, and although she missed them immensely, she couldn’t bear to text them back or pick up her D.D.D. when they called. It was too painful, knowing she’d probably never get to go back. Not to mention, she was so busy all the time. She worked two jobs while trying to support herself through school. Between working, school, and homework, she didn’t have time for much. The pressure had proved to be too much, however, as she forced herself out of her dorm room to go to this party, a party that was now on day three. A party that she had neglected both jobs for, and her classes were shaping up to suffer the same fate.

She looked at the random guy grunting on top of her. He wasn’t amazing at what he was doing, but the drugs made it feel like he was. She wished he was Mammon. Mammon, who was a surprisingly sweet and caring lover, always taking his time with her and eager to please.

The guy didn’t even notice that she wasn’t present, wasn’t reacting to him being inside her. She didn’t mind that he didn’t notice; she knew she was simply a body to get off on and that was okay with her. It’s not like she was looking for love. She knew whatever she had with Mammon couldn’t and wouldn’t be replaced, and she didn’t want anyone else. It broke her heart to know she’d never have that again. What was she going to do? Have a long distance relationship with the demon? Go visit Devildom and move in with him? It’s not like she expected to get married and have babies with Mammon...it’s not like he could grow old with her.

So she had to move on. And drinking, getting high, and fucking random strangers seemed to at least help it not be so painful.

She was quickly starting to get annoyed with her current partner. She figured the drugs were screwing up his ability to finish, and she knew she wasn’t going to climax anytime soon. She couldn’t anymore, not since Mammon.

The effects of the drug were starting to become overwhelming to her. The room was spinning, and she was starting to feel really warm. Her heart was beating at what felt like a mile a minute. She felt sick to her stomach.

She pushed the man off of her. He complained, though his words went through one ear and out the other as she stumbled out the room and through her dancing peers. It was getting warmer and warmer, and she was now sweating. She pushed through the crowd, desperate to get outside into the cool air.

She made it, somehow, and fell onto the driveway pavement. In moments of panicked luicidity, she figured she was dying. What a sight, she thought, me naked, lying in some random driveway. If she was going to die, she had to see him one more time...

“Hear me, denizens of the darkness,” she spoke, her voice shaky and barely above a whisper.

“You who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it. Hear me and do as I command.”

She was slipping out of consciousness.

“I, MC, call upon you to send second of your number... I summon... the avatar of greed…

“Mammon…”

She smiled to herself as she said his name, and shut her eyes, slipping away.

“G’aaah!” Mammon cried out. “What the...where am I? Who summoned me?” he asked, grumpily. “Better not have been those witches-” He spun around to see MC lying on the pavement, in a puddle of vomit, her whole body shaking violently.

Mammon’s face fell. “MC?”

He changed to his demon form so he could use his wings, and gently yet quickly scooped MC up in his arms. She didn’t look well. Bags under her eyes, her nose leaking blood and her hair matted with vomit. She was a lot lighter than he remembered, feeling like a feather as he held her.

He took her to the first hospital he saw, changing back out of his demon form and rushing her in. They took her in, leaving Mammon out in the waiting room, more anxious and scared than he had ever been.

He shakily pulled his D.D.D. out of his pocket to message his brothers.

The seven brothers sat in silence in the waiting room, all of them melancholic and uncomfortable. Mammon was the only one not sitting, instead pacing the room.

“What if she doesn’t make it?” he asked, slowing to face his brothers.

They all exchanged sad glances.

“You can’t talk like that, Mammon,” Satan spoke, uncharastically quiet and gentle. “MC made it through a year in Devildom...She’s escaped death before. She’s not going anywhere.”

They all glance at Belphie who sighs, throwing his head in his hands. Beel pats his back.

“What did she say when she summoned you?” Asmo asked.

“Nothing,” Mammon replied, picking his pacing back up. “Nothing! She wasn’t conscious. She was just...lying there on the ground, shaking. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.”

A nurse came by to tell Mammon-who had told hospital staff that he was MC’s boyfriend-that he could go see her. The rest of the brothers smiled at him, trying their best to be there for their brother and for MC.

“She’s very lucky you brought her in when you did,” the nurse told him. “You must be her guardian angel.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. Something like that.”

She smiled at Mammon and opened the door to MC’s room, letting him in and closing the door behind him.

He took in the sight of MC, seeming so small on the hospital bed, as she looked up at him with barely open eyes.

“Hey…” he said, standing awkwardly at the door and staring down at her. He was almost too afraid to get close, as if that would somehow make it worse.

He was surprised when she chuckled. “I was wondering who they were talking about when they said my boyfriend was here.”

Her voice was hoarse. He shifted uncomfortably and ran his hands through his hair, a movement she had come to recognize as nervousness. “You summoned me.”

“Did I?”

He nodded.

“Shit. I don’t even remember.” She pushed a button on the side of her bed that made it rise so she was sitting up. She put her hand on her head. “My head hurts so much. I guess I really fucked up, huh?”

“You almost died,” he said simply, but he seemed to be saying it more to himself, in disbelief.

“Yeah…”

He finally sat on the chair beside her bed and took her hand in his. “I haven’t heard from you in almost a year.”

“I’m sorry, Mammon. I wanted to call. It’s just been so busy.”

“Ya sure have been,” he said, harshly.

She frowned. “I took one weekend off.”

“One weekend? You look like you haven’t slept or ate in weeks.”

“Like I said, I’ve been busy. It’s not like I meant to overdose. I was just trying to have a little bit of fun, forget about how shitty things are.”

Mammon let go of her hand. He was furious with her, she knew that.

“Why are you pissed at me? I’m alive. I’m okay.”

“But you’re not okay, are ya?” Mammon said, his blue eyes starting to water. “Like, you’re fucking not okay. You’re going on weekend long cocaine benders.”

“Occasionally,” she said with a shrug.

Mammon scoffed, standing up and throwing his hands up. “How are you not getting how serious this is!”

“Look, I know you’re mad. I know I scared you. It’s just...it’s been rough.”

“Rough? Seeing you naked in the middle of a driveway in your own puke was rough. Holding you while you were having a seizure was rough. Wondering if you were going to die was fucking rough!”

His demon form had come out, and he didn’t realize at first, until her eyes went wide. He quickly went back to normal, his eyes watering up. “MC, you need help.”

“I’m fine, Mammon.”

“Look, I’ve had my days of partying. And that’s rough on a demon body. I can’t even imagine what it’s doing to yours.”

MC sighed.

“Just please...promise me you’ll get help? And I’ll come up and visit you more often.” He grabbed her hand again, pulling it up to his lips and planting a soft kiss on her. “And you know, you can summon me whenever you want. Not just in an emergency. Maybe I can talk Lucifer into letting you come back and stay a while. Ya know, like old times. He’s pretty worried about you too.”

“You know, for a demon, you’re pretty sweet.”

He grinned. “Shaddup, human.”

He bent down, kissing her on the head. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, nuzzling into his neck. “I missed you so much, Mammon.”

“I missed you too, human. I love you.”

MC smiled wide. “I love you too, Mammon.”

#obey me fanfiction #obey me shall we date #obey me #obey me mammon #mammon x mc #mammon fanfic #angst #obey me imagines #mammon x oc

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editorialsonlife · 4 years

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The really inconvenient thing about this time of year is how everything happens in such a. Compressed timeframe. We cancelled our wedding, we got married 5 days later, my birthday happened, this day a year ago I was on the phone to mum who was trying to say happy birthday but I was crying and asking why the fick they didn’t just shut the country down and sure enough five hours later they did. Thursday was the first day of level 4 lockdown and like, I just cannot wrap my mind around the year that has been 30-31. Fortunately the day has been so busy I haven’t really had time to stop and think because to be honest, I just want to cry it’s so bloody big. There has just been so much going on and it’s all a bit crazy.

And this week is a bit mental too. I have to present at an international conference, next week I’m presenting to a panel of CFOs and then there’s project work and all the usual stuff and managing our shitty grad as well. Plus the wedding is now less than a month away and my sister has started planning hers too and I’m trying to put that on hold until ours is done 😂😂 she was complaining about how stressful it was after two weeks I was like excuse me friend, wait until it’s been three years and you’re on your third set of plans then try and talk to me about how stressful it is.

Mum stayed overnight but seemed to be in good form which was a novelty. Glad about that. Still just stressful having her around because you never quite know what you’re going to end up with but anyway. That’s a fun time. Glad we’ve sorted them not staying with us for the wedding though which is a relief. Also sorted the accommodation for waiheke which is great. Looking forward to 12 days off work as well - bring that on ASAP. The weekend in palmy was good though to just hang out and enjoy each other’s company and chill for a while with nothing to do and no where to be.

We were discussing exchanging rings for the ceremony, I told Dave we should exchange puppies. He did not agree which was incredibly selfish tbh. I think exchanging puppies is a solid idea and a concrete statement of our future together 😂😂😂

This has been a v nonsensical, non structured ramble.

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1159

survey by -egocentricity-

Describe the last time you...

Went swimming: It was in Nasugbu with Angela, Sofie, and Gab nearly a couple of years ago. We wanted to go to a nearby beach before the semester started, so we planned the trip at the last minute and literally just right after we enrolled for our classes.

Went on a date: It was at BGC at this nice, romantic French restaurant. Then as we headed back to the car we spotted a jazz bar that had a live band performing, so we took a detour there to have drinks and nachos.

Were hurt by someone you love: My mom says a lot of hurtful things all the time I’ve stopped keeping track of them and letting them affect me too much, but I’m sure she’s done it recently.

Did something nice for yourself: I got myself a night lamp to improve the ambience in my room and make it feel even more homey. The lamp I had before it was just something I borrowed from my parents and it had white light, so it didn’t feel the most calming. The one I have right now emits this soft yellow shade that makes me feel infinitely more relaxed.

Did something nice for someone else: I ordered KFC at like 1 AM last Wednesday because I was feeling hungry and there was nothing at home that could meet my cravings, and aside from getting orders for my parents I also got a Zinger for my delivery driver as a way to thank him and lift his spirits for working that late into the night.

Were injured: I always sport some sort of scratch or gash somewhere on my body these days from playing with Cooper. This morning I got a new wound on one of my knuckles since he was pulling on his leash way too hard when I was walking him.

Went to the hospital: I had to take blood and urine tests last May to figure out what was wrong with me since I had been sick for a week by that point. That was also during the peak of the pandemic, so there was a lot of anxiety about me catching Covid. It turned out to be a UTI, and even though that technically sucks the whole family was relieved it wasn’t Covid.

Understood something that previously confused you: I had my dad explain to me how buying and bidding for houses works. Hahaha I am sooooo not equipped to be a fully-functioning adult.

Faked sick to get out of going to class: I don’t think I ever did this. If I had wanted to skip class, I just skipped it.

Hung out with your friends: I went to Perfy’s with 7 friends shortly before it shut down for good as a result of the pandemic. We had some beer and bar chow, and to be completely frank it felt quite nice to have that one night where things felt normal again, as ignorant as it was. We vaped until we were dizzy and some of them smoked too much that the smell ended up clinging to me and my clothes, but luckily I got home when my whole family was already in their rooms so no one was able to smell me.

Met someone new: There’s this girl who recently got onboarded to one of our client brands and we started working with her about a week or two ago. She’s honestly been a bit over the place, but I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt because she’s fairly new at a particularly hectic time in her workplace. My first impression of her was that she gave such a strong UP vibe so I looked her up on Facebook, and it turns out we went to the same college and the same high school.

Did something that you were afraid to do: A couple of months ago I had a one-on-one video call organized by the CEO of my employer so that she could get to know me better. She was super nice and listened attentively to my answers to all her questions, but it was easy to tell she wanted to see what I could bring to the table and how well I could mesh with the team especially since I’ve never met her and everyone else in person, so I made sure my social game was maxed out for those 15 minutes haha.

Did something you promised you would never do: I vaped literally half an hour ago. I never expected to form a habit out of it especially after being vehemently against any form of smoking for most of my life. Not particularly proud of it but then again I’m here for a good time and not a long time lmao.

Regretted something: Lazada had this huge app-wide sale last week and their Hydro Flasks were like ₱600 cheaper, but I didn’t buy it because I was feeling stingy that day haha. Now the products are back to their normal price and they’ll probably never get to be that cheap again :( There’s another sale happening tomorrow but the discounts aren’t as big, but I’ll probably place an order this time.

Went shopping: I went to H&M last January to get Andi a late Christmas present. I asked Leigh what they would appreciate as a gift, and she told me they’d wanted to start experimenting with feminine clothes so I got them a nice black skirt and this really elegant dress (that I honestly wanted for myself). I heard they cried once they opened the paper bag, and making people cry with the gifts you get them will always be one of the best feelings ever haha.

Asked someone out/were asked out: Idk, it was 5 years ago and nothing I want to remember anymore.

Broke up with someone: I’ve never broken up with someone.

Had someone break up with you: It was terrible and the stuff of all my nightmares combined, and it happened in the middle of an already-shitty month to boot so I had little hope for myself to come out of it alive. I had everything planned and ironed out and all that was left was for me to leave.

It’s been 7 months and I’ve never felt emotionally and mentally better and healthier.

Were heartbroken: I follow this animal rescue NGO on Facebook and they regularly post about dogs who’ve lived through awful situations and need urgent care and forever homes to live in. Fortunately the page has a wide reach and regularly gets support, and I try to donate to their bank account as often as I can.

You were angry with someone: Haven’t directed my anger towards anyone in a while.

You felt "in love" with someone: It was during the time I was still reeling over the breakup and was caught in an endless loop of still being in love with them and forcing myself to finally detach.

You wanted something unrealistic: I was at the rooftop this morning and I could feel the temperature getting warmer every hour, and when I finally couldn’t tolerate the heat and was forced to go back indoors I felt super annoyed because all I want is to live somewhere with a chilly climate all-year round hahaha UGH

You made someone angry: It was when I spilled a tiny drop of soup onto the dining table and my mom had a complete meltdown about it. After 89457843957 years of her getting mad at First World Problems I wasn’t intimidated by her anymore, but it still irked me at how something so little can piss her off so I just decided not to speak a word for the rest of the night.

You made someone's day: I hope I made my delivery driver’s night when I got him his burger as a surprise. I hold so much respect and appreciation for them considering they’ve been working very hard to get people’s goods to their doorsteps in the midst of a global pandemic.

Tried something new: When I bought my lamp it was the first time I got something to decorate my room. I usually spend all my money on food, so that was a nice change to try out.

Tried your best: I always try my best at work and to make each day more improved than the last.

Didn't try at all: A couple of nights ago I asked my dad to light up my scented candle and he challenged me to try lighting up a matchstick by myself for once. I was all primed and ready to go, but backed out at the last second :(( I told him there was a big chance I could freak out, drop the lit matchstick. and set something in the dining room (where we were) on fire, and that’s when he gave up and just lit it up himself hahaha

Got nothing for your efforts: I’d gladly refer you to my big waste of a 6-year relationship.

Had a serious talk with someone: I always have deep conversations with Andi and they’ve been about various topics over the last few months.

Told someone how you really feel: It was when Bea scheduled a quick one-on-one catch-up call with me to check up on how I was doing with work and if I was doing okay with the everyday craziness of it all. But I didn’t say anything grave; I just told her I honestly like the work we do and that it’s nice that it keeps me excited everyday, so there’s little to complain about.

Hid what you felt from someone: One of my co-workers, Denise, is honestly a little challenging to work with. I always have to pick up after her and remind her of stuff we need to do together, and even Bea has let a few comments slide between us about how difficult she can be. But considering I’m a lot newer than her and we’ve never met each other I’ve stayed quiet for now.

Took something that didn't belong to you: I got the matchbox from my parents’ room to ask one of them to light up the aforementioned scented candle I have.

Borrowed something from someone: I borrowed one of my sister’s cords the other evening to charge my vape pen.

Lost a game: This was when my orgmates and I played a couple Jeopardy games over Zoom about a month ago and I lost to Robin.

Won a game: Not sure, I don’t really play a lot of games.

Told someone you love him/her: Jo, after she shared that she tested positive for Covid.

Went on vacation: It’s been a year and a half and the world has changed a lot since then, but my family and I went to Tagaytay and Cavite for a quick weekend getaway; it was Tagaytay on Saturday then we drove to another hotel in Cavite the next day. We played Heads Up, ate Jelly Belly jellybeans, had a lot of nice food, took some walks, but then I also had to work on a Powerpoint in between because I had a presentation that was due that Monday lol.

Went on a roadtrip: Last January we drove to Tagaytay (again) for my dad’s 50th birthday. Before heading to our accommodation we had brunch at La Creperie where we happened to be seated beside Larry Gadon – bleck – and his wife. Then we headed to the condo unit where we stayed the night at, ordered a samgyupsal set, and I watched GMM’s Let’s Talk About That into the night until I fell asleep.

Flew on a plane: That would be over two years ago and it was during our vacation to Bicol. That also marks the last time I ever spoke a word to my brother, because on our way home my family got into a heated argument and he ended up slapping me in the face. I don’t tolerate physical acts of violence, and especially not from someone younger than me, so I was more than glad to cut ties with him moving forward.

Were annoyed with a family member: My mom is politically incorrect 24/7, and it grinds my gears 24/7.

Took something too far: Idk, maybe cutting off ties with Gab. A part of me wanted to reconnect at some point, once I’ve healed; but I’ve reached a point in my life where that doesn’t seem so necessary anymore. Life just works funnily sometimes, I guess. I haven’t completely cut her off; we’re still mutuals on Twitter (though she also never uses it so it barely counts), and also still Facebook friends (though I’ve unfollowed her and I’ve also blacklisted her from seeing my posts – thank god for that feature), so now it’s really just a matter of pressing some buttons and finally disconnecting for good.

Gave up too soon: I wanted to learn riding a bike during the early days of the pandemic last year, but I gave up after like two days of being unsuccessful.

Listened to a band you had not heard before: I started exploring some of BTS’ music earlier this week after weeks of just knowing Dynamite.

Judged someone: Some of the bloggers that I regularly correspond with for work, and who’ve recently added me on Facebook, have opinions I don’t necessarily agree with.

Asked a "stupid question": I ask a lot of newbie questions at work that maybe some people would consider dumb, but I’d rather get answers to do my work correctly than take guesses and end up doing the wrong thing.

Got "a stupid answer": Not sure.

Took a picture of something/someone: I recently took a photo of my work desk setup so I could show off my new pretty lamp, hahaha.

Told a lie: I told my mom my Hydro Flask is still with Angela and that I should be getting it soon, but I really lost it a few years ago and would have to buy a new one.

Told the truth: Idk I tell the truth all the time.

#survey #surveys

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antique-teacups · 4 years

Text

sunshine in L.A.

A/N: kind of an original character piece but also not entirely. i just was having a great time writing! hope you folks enjoy!

word count: 3k

There was something about her twenties that never felt quite right, worn like a sweater a size to large. She watched as her friends floated from relationships and friendships seamlessly, while she felt caught. In what exactly, she wasn’t sure. Part of her hoped with time that feeling would fade, become background static instead of pumping along with her heartbeat. Going with the current, she did exactly what was expected of her. Attended college, albeit a community college, but college none the less. Part time work covered what financial aid wouldn’t, even scraping enough together to buy a beater car.

Time drifted on and the feeling stayed, haunting and hollow. Avoiding the problem didn’t lessen its size but it never grew. In the back of her mind constantly. Social media was the worst part, watching her friends flourish and flower, while it took everything in her to remain sane and present. Two years flew by in the blink of an eye and she were left with a tiny degree she was not sure she really wanted. When the opportunity did present itself, she knew it was one she could not possibly pass up.

She knew that even in L.A these demons could surface but maybe the constant sun could choke them out. Packing her meager belongings into the back of her car, she pointed it in the direction of L.A. Whether she actually ended up in the sunshine state wasn’t the point, but rather, it was to get out. Stop the cycle before it became the only focal point of her life. It took longer than it should’ve, she passed the days slowly. Each spent behind the wheel simply heading west.

L.A. was a zoo. She worked your way through the city with fascination and hopefulness. She was certain of one thing and uncertain of many. She hoped to write but was willing to do just about anything to make money. Well, just about anything, she still harbored some self-respect.

L.A. had of a way of worming its way into your heart, no matter how shitty people made it seem. Each self-respecting L.A citizen hated the city as much as they loved it. She found a decent studio apartment, managed to get a job as a barista quickly, and spent the first month slinging caffeine in the daytime and writing into the wee hours of the morning. Cash was always tight, considering she did live in one of the most expensive cities, but there was semblance of happiness. It was clawing it’s way in on the edges of her life.

The customers were not particularly strange, at least not always. There were a couple of memorable moments, but most days passed by in monotony. She knew customers by their orders, not names. These small moments between the register and picking up their coffee offered she a small window into their world. These hints they dropped left her wondering about their lives outside their order and these four walls. Who were these people who flocked to the shop like cattle to slaughter?

She certainly played favorites, every barista did, with both customers and coworkers. There were those who made the days a little brighter. The first was her coworker James. Somewhere in his twenties like her but an old soul. He came to work in sweaters, cooper rimmed circular glasses, and disheveled hair on the daily. He was welcoming and warm and chased away some of the darkness.

The two of them became instant friends. He would wait after work to hang out, get drinks on the weekend, and spend Sunday brunch complaining about his hangover. At first, she was confronted with the concern that maybe he was worming into her life in hopes of it ending in a relationship, but as soon as she met his boyfriend Scott, that fear was put to rest. In a way, she chose the two of them as family. She spent countless hours with them, at ease with the way things were.

In James, she confided most of her fears and a lot of her guilt. The backstory of her life surprising him but explaining the front she put up. Tragedy often bores the strongest soldiers. In the year she had been in L.A, James helped her pick up the pieces and put herself together, an unrepayable favor. Thanksgiving was right around the corner and she were destined to spend it with James and Scott.

“James, I’m running to the grocery store after work and if you play your cards right there might just be a bottle of Prosecco with your name on it.” she joked over the espresso machine, a sly smile on her lips. James and her always bantered at work, often to the amusement of the customers and other coworkers.

James matches her smile, “Oh honey, you act like I would actually need to play my cards to get it, I’ve got you wrapped around my finger.” He chuckles and turns back to the drawer. The day was getting late, closing time just mere hours away. She was practically counting down the hours till she could curl up on his couch and binge “New Girl”, the new obsession for the two of them.

“I like to pretend it’s the other way around, but I would admit you are right, James. But besides that, anything else?” she asked, hardly looking at him. There was unspoken communication between you two most days, a glance could tell a story. “I was thinking pizza this fine Wednesday night. But I’m certainly open to suggestions.”

“And break the Wednesday night pizza tradition, how absurd!” James feigns hurt, a hand over his heart and concerned expression painting his face. “The table is already set, we can’t go making changes now, silly girl.”

“Then pizza and prosecco it is. Perfect.” She giggled and sent a curt nod in his direction. The entire conversation was an open invitation for him to change the plans, but he never did. Wednesday night was always reserved for the two of them. They devoured pizza and whatever show they were working on. It was sacred to them both.

The rest of the day passed quickly, the sun just barely setting when she and James locked the shop doors. A brief hug and a quick exchange of words and the two of them were off in opposite directions. A pit stop at the grocery store and then to James’ place. He would order the pizza in, as per tradition. Tasked with grabbing the drinks and whatever bits she needed, she would be to his place shortly.

Her car sat tucked in the back lot, warm from sitting in the sun. Cranking the window open once she had climbed inside, turning on the radio, she set off to the grocery store. It was smaller than most that scattered around L.A, which is why it was her favorite. She did not have to fight the yoga obsessed mothers to get through the aisles or hope the hipsters didn’t pick through the all the good stuff before she got a chance to be there. The old man, who she assumed owned it, knew her by name. Often, he would gift products just a day out of date to her. He did save your ass more than once.

“Charles, what’s the good word for today?” She asked, swinging the door open and nabbing a basket.

Smiling, he gushed, “I beat the finalist in Jeopardy today, but I’m here and he’s there,” shrugging he went on, “I put some of those cookies you like in the back, they went out of date yesterday, Dandelion.” Charles had been using the nickname since she had started coming here. She was totally convinced he had to be her guardian angel. When she asked him where it came from, his response surprised her. “Like the weed, you always come back. You are full of fire and strong. I can see it.” She felt partial to this grocery store. She ended up here for a reason.

“Great, I was craving something sweet all day. Remind me, I have got something for you in my bag before I go. Don’t worry, nothing poisonous.” Jokingly she added.

Charles had a love for Jim Harrison. Often when she was browsing at old bookstores or garage sale’s she would stumble across one for him. He probably owned nearly every single book published by Harrison, but always acted thankful and surprised when she presented him with another. She wanted to make sure he knew how much she appreciated him in a way of more than just saying thank you.

She scanned the aisles looking for the familiar packaging of her favorites. She hardly noticed the boy till she had practically run into his back.

“Another one in Charles good graces, a rare species.” He teased.

Chuckling, “That must mean there are people on Charles bad side, which I highly doubt.” He was home strung, as far as she could tell. Clean cut and not looking for a lot of attention, judging by his all black attire. “I’m assuming you’re one of the lucky ones, too.” She implored.

“Thankfully, I have managed to make my way into one of his chosen few. Even without it, I would still come here. This is the only grocery store where I don’t have to cross my fingers and hope all the good stuff isn’t picked over. Charles seems to have a force field to keep this place hidden. Certainly, the best kept secret of L.A.,” he pauses, searching your face, “you work at the coffee shop on Sunset, Eight-Fold Coffee, right?”

“Guiltily is charged, Mr. iced latte with almond milk,” tapping your temple, “steel trap. I only know people’s drinks, not their names, sorry. I was wondering if you looked familiar or if it was just the lighting.”

Extending a hand, cheekily responding, “David. The name’s David Dobrik, or iced latte if you please.” His smile was easy and charming, you couldn’t help but stare. His entire posture oozed ease, you couldn’t quite decide if he was trying to flirt or simply be friendly. Of course, that wonderful friend called self-doubt started to crawl its way into your chest, so it was time to go.

Flashing him what you hoped was a friendly parting smile, “Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N. It was nice finally meeting in more than just an ‘iced latte with almond milk’ kind of way. I’ll see you around. I have promised the roommate a night in and if I don’t come through, the world might stop turning.” Turning on her heel, tossing David a small wave, she headed for the register. All the things she needed forgotten.

She set the single bottle on the counter and wait for Charles to ring it up. Silence elapses, you lost entirely in your own thoughts.

“Dandelion?”

“Huh, what?” she missed what he asked, cheeks flushing at him catching her in dreamland.

“Lots on your mind today?” Charles inquired, a knowing look on his face.

Smiling and rolling her eyes, “I respect the fishing for a morsel of mind but maybe when inquiring minds aren’t near.” she winks. Digging in your bag, she pulls the book for him, Returning to Earth, out. “I found it at a garage sale this weekend and thought you could add to your collection. But this one, is to expand your horizons.” She pulls The Pleasures of the Damned by Charles Bukowski out. “I’ll need it back but keep it as long as you need, I know where to find you. See you around Charles.” She pays and get ready to go, sneaking one last glance in David’s direction. Grabbing onto her bag with the prosecco and cookies tucked in, she heads for the doors. One last look to the aisles and she can see David still tucked amongst them, scouring for something in the sea. A shake of her head and she is out the doors.

Tossing the bag in the passenger seat, she meanders down the streets towards James. A stampede of thoughts about David comes and goes. It was just mutual acknowledgement that the two of them did in fact kind of know each other. Yet, she found herself wondering if she should tell James about him, see if he had any insight on the guy. The thought felt foolish considering it was just a run in at the grocery store, nothing more.

Charles knew more about her then he let on. He knew her heart was kind but had been through a lot, he knew you were loyal and strong, but he knew also knew when her heart would tell you who to let in. David did not need much from that grocery store, mostly some alone time. His inquiring mind also wanted some more information on the barista who stole his breath away. As he left that day, Charles told him something he would carry with him for a while. “People like her, they guard their hearts, but hers is golden. It won’t always be shut.”

Opening the door to James and Scott’s apartment, she could smell the pizza. Her mouth was already watering. James rounded the corner into view between the small kitchen and living.

“I was beginning to wonder if you bailed.” He poked.

“On you, never.” Rolling her eyes.

“I am almost flattered.” He made for the bag in her hand, noticing the cookies right away. “Charles treats you like your one of his own grand kids. One of the people placed on that golden list.”

“About Charles coveted list, I ran into a guy from the coffee shop. David? Iced latte with almond milk, dresses like an unemployed ninja. Do you know anything about him?” She asked trying to keep the hopeful tone from her voice.

James searches her face before continuing. “A sudden interest in a customer, more like prominent interest. I’ve noticed the favorites you play with him.” He flashes you a joking grin. “I don’t know much about him honestly. I’ve heard whisperings from the other baristas that he has some youtube channel, not much else. He seems nice.” Bumping his shoulder with hers, “It wouldn’t hurt if you tried to be friends with him. It’s not a crime to branch out. I would not be insulted if you did. I worry that maybe you don’t because I take up a lot of your time.”

“Certainly not, you take up a perfect amount of my time. I just, remember how hard it is for me to be friends with people, I guess. I am a lifelong hermit. Plus, if he’s doing that whole ‘social media career’, he might not be the kind of friend I want.” Socializing was never her strong suit and if David’s preferred choice was blasting his life across the platforms, maybe she would take a pass.

The two of you vegged out on the couch way past what was a reasonable time, both scheduled to open tomorrow. He was on her mind all night, the little she knew about him had her mind doing circles. He seemed innocent enough, a good guy if Charles liked him.

The sun shown through the windows all morning, bringing a warming light to the coffee shop. All day you hoped he would pop in, yet, it went unanswered. Clocking out, she nabbed her notebook and a mug of coffee, making her way to the bank of windows along the window. She tried to keep her mind from wandering, yet it seemed impossible. Perhaps she scared him off.

“I figured you were a writer. Nobody suggests poetry books, Bukowski especially, unless they are a writer. Or terribly sad, but judging by the notebook, I’d say the first.” David said, standing next to you bathed in the afternoon sun. He looked as though he just woke up but in a delicious way. His hair was messy and his eyes warm. She could not help but bath in the light emanating from him.

A small smile spread on her lips, “You’re a fan?”

“I saw it on Charles counter on my out yesterday. A simple Google Search did the trick. Guy seems kind of dark for you.” A blush plays on David’s cheeks. “I was hoping to run into you today. Listen, me and my friends are going to this party tonight, would you be interested?”

“Uh,” glancing behind the counter you see James shaking his yes vigorous, “sure, why not?” It seemed in David’s presence, the hole in her chest seemed to lessen some.

#david x reader #david dobrik #davids vlogs #david dobrik imagine #david dobrik x reader #vlog squad #vlog sqaud #i mostly write vlog squad

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btssmutficslovingfan01 · 5 years

Text

A Little Love for Tae

Summary: Taehyung somehow is still alone. And single. Despite having a bunch of friends around him in relationships.

Happy Valentine’s day! @yoonia this is for you! Here’s the link to her tumblr go read her amazing works! This is for the ‘Made With Love’ project by @bangtansmutcentral

Genre: Smut, Fluff, & Angst

Warnings: Implied relationships with OC, Bartender Tae AU, References to Undo, Replacing the reader from Yoongi’s story as OC for the sake of another x reader story, really a spinoff or a side story but this is completely original I swear I didn’t steal it, I hope my valentine and readers like it as much as I do!! Drinking, swearing, oral (f receiving), masterbating, etc.

Story takes place in Second Person POV.

Words: 10k+

Paring: Taehyung x Reader

_______________________________________

“Hey it’s me, Taehyung! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out this weekend, maybe have some girl time since we haven’t had any late night heart-to-hearts since high school-Oh you have a date with your boyfriend of two years? Okay. That’s fine, yeah maybe next time.” Taehyung hangs up his phone before listening to his best friend go on and on about her perfect relationship with her perfect partner. He’s frankly tired of seeing all of these lovey-dovey couples, especially when it’s so close to Valentine’s day. He saw the way Yoongi looked at Freya with nothing short of love in his eyes, and how Namjoon looked at his fiancé, he has plain jealousy in his heart, and nothing close to love.

‘The first time I fell in love, I was in high school. Unfortunately, the girl was a bitchy cheerleader that only wanted to get with me because of my reputation as the school’s “dumb blond.” She was also blonde, so what the hell did she mean?!’ Tae thinks to himself, making the job easier for the author so that she doesn’t have to guess what’s going through his brain. ‘The second time I fell in love, I was a freshman in college. I was taking a short break from girls only to fall hopelessly in love with my best friend, who was also in a relationship at the time. With another girl. Yeah, my love life isn’t exactly the best.’ Somehow he still has hope in his heart, and with that hope he steps out into the sunlight only for a second. Taehyung has been running longer than he can remember, and working out was a perfect de-stresser. He nearly vomits in his mouth when he sees five different couples trying to eat each other alive but he simply jogs on straight ahead.

After his morning jog, he takes a quick shower and changes into his work clothes. He’s a bartender, so he always has to look a bit presentable. Not to mention, the tattoos on his arms make him look less than qualified but he thought he looked like a badass. And honestly, he could complain? He did look really cool with those pretty tattoos.

“Can I get a Daquiri please?” A woman dressed in a golden gown with a flower in her dark brown hair sits down on a stool in front of him. Tae whips up the drink, and places the cocktail in front of her. He watches as she gulps it down in one go, and nervously draws back, pretending to clean a glass. “Listen to me very carefully,” She sets the empty glass down on the counter. “Your luck is about to change, and if you don’t play your cards right, you may end up being depressed forever.” She leaves quickly, only placing a $10 bill on the counter. Taehyung grabs it and shrugs to himself.

‘I don’t trust any of that fortune teller bullshit. My luck isn’t gonna change and I’m gonna stay single forever.’ He continues on with his job, and just as his shift is about to finish, a woman wearing a long white dress runs into the bar, and as she gets closer, he sees her smudged lipstick and runny mascara, as she cries into a handkerchief.

“Whoa, whoa are you okay?” Taehyung tries to calm her down as she blows her nose into a handkerchief.

“Can I borrow your phone?” Tae nods, quickly pulling it out and handing it to the woman in distress. He gawks at her as she makes her phone call, and eventually he slides a box of tissues towards her. “Yeah, the dress is fine. Just know that I’m really happy for you and Ryan. You deserve it, yeah, mmhmm, bye.” She hangs up, and Taehyung takes his phone back.

“Would you like something to drink?” He asks her in a soft voice.

A couple of shots later, his shift is over, and he knows this woman’s entire backstory. A simple girl from a normal family that fell in love with the CEO of a company and after their cliché of a love affair, she finds out that he has an arranged marriage to her best friend. Normal stuff, really. But he’s not interested. It’s not like he has a book series or an amazing life like those drama characters. Seeing her porcelain skin, and her pink lips, and piercing green eyes, anyone can tell that she’s the main character.

“Eliza!” Tae hears a man calling out to someone.

“Ryan?” The woman in the wedding dress responds to him, and they both run into each other’s arms. Tae doesn’t bother sticking around. He just fled the scene as fast as he could.

“Ah fuck-” He doesn’t get that far as he runs into you. Yes you, the reader, the fated reader who now has crossed paths with your fave.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there because of all these boxes I was carrying,” You do a double take, recognizing that beautiful curly hair anywhere. That familiar face, that you had seen so much on twitter, the gifs you used on a daily basis, this man was your savior. “K-Kim Taehyung?!” He stumbles back a bit, in surprise.

“How do you know me?” He asks, his eyes as wide as the full moon. You raise your eyebrows, confused by his question. First of all, his bodyguards were nowhere in sight, and second of all, how is no one trying to mob him right now?! You knew of his presence in America (Yes we all live in the United States here) but you didn’t know that he would be so close to the building you’re interning in!

“You’re famous, duh.” You spit out the answer, and he immediately shoots back a couple twenty questions or so. You were ecstatic that you met your idol, but continuing idle chatter meant losing precious time, and at your office, time is money. Especially since you’re the only paid intern there. “I’d love to continue our chat, but if I don’t get going right now, my boss is gonna kill me.”

“Oh, of course, I’m so sorry for holding you up. Do you need any help with those boxes?” You simply smile at him as he takes two of the five heavy boxes and carries it with his strong, muscular arms. When you reach your office, he sets them down and looks up at the building. “I didn’t know you worked at my brother’s company.” “What? I didn’t know your brother was the CEO of Gunderson’s Inc-Holy shit that’s not my office.” You drop some of the boxes you were holding in shock, and Taehyung rushes to catch them. “What happened to Gunderson’s place? This...this is not supposed to be a fashion company.” Taehyung recalls meeting you, how running into you was so strange. He didn’t see anyone in his path, and when he crashed into you, it was as if you appeared out of thin air. It was even weirder when you recognized him like he was a movie star or something. “Are you okay?” He asks. You shake your head, tears blurring your vision as he holds out his hand for you, waiting patiently for you to take it before the breakdown hits.

“No.” You whisper, and he crouches down next to you, in the middle of the sidewalk, allowing you to cry for as long as you need.

“What was the point of that?” He asks you, and you are just as confused as he is.

“I’m sorry, I just released all of my feelings that I was holding in all at once. It wasn’t you, or this situation, my life has just been shitty as of late.” The realization dawns on you as you look up at Taehyung’s perfect curly brown hair.

“Oh my god, I think I know how I got here.” You wait for the flashback but it never comes. Perhaps the author got lazy, or it was too simple to flashback to. All you know is that earlier that day, you walked into the attic of your company, and encountered a strange looking device. You were wishing to be anywhere but at work, and for BTS to save you, but particularly your bias because you love him. Then you black out due to all the dust and you wake up in the same place. You then walked out and went on an errand run. It wasn’t until you got the boxes that you really made the switch. The company was the same even after you went through the machine, so how would you have teleported there in the first place? Maybe it doesn’t matter how you got here after all. Your luck may have finally changed.

“Are you just gonna sit there, in the middle of the sidewalk with your skirt hiking your thigh?” You gasp, covering yourself as you stood up, a little embarrassed at being in front of Tae.

“Sorry. Um, are you busy right now, or something?” You ask, hoping for the best answer.

“Not at the moment, no. Why don’t we grab a coffee or something?” You nod, following him to your next destination. You both left the boxes in front of the building, happily bouncing away with no care in the world. “So, how do you know me?” He looks at you with that familiar gaze amd you can feel your heart thudding against your chest, delivering blows as if it is trying to break out from your very body.

“You see, I think something happened and I ended up being transported to your world.” I explain.

“Can you please just tell me? I’m a little bit scared.” Of you? Your bias was afraid of you?

“So, in the place where I'm from, you’re in a famous boy band with your friends, and you guys have these amazing concerts and a HUGE fanbase, which I’m apart of, and I was just confused because there weren’t any bodyguards following you…”

“Me?” You look up at him, in awe. His hair is just marvelous, curly and naturally brown, and his mole is visible on his left cheek. You can’t help but stare, as the human before you is just too beautiful. “Sorry, but did you say my f-friends?” You sip your coffee, snapping yourself out of your trance. “Might I know these people?” You shrug, secretly hoping he did. Slowly, you start reciting the fanchant.

“Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook….BTS.” You choke out the last part, coughing violently after.

“Whoa...you just recited the names of my lifelong best friends.”

“Knew it.” You smile, knowing that they’d be together, somehow. Even if they weren’t brought together by bighit, fate brought them together, as lifelong friends.

“Who exactly are you?” He asks, amazed by your presence. Tae had never met someone as bodacious as you. To say he was stunned was an understatement.

“I’m just a fan.” You, on the other hand, were not just a fan, you were their number one fan, you’ve been following them since their second album, and stanning them was absolutely worth it.

“So I’m famous, along with my six friends….from singing and dancing?” You nod eagerly, sipping my coffee. ‘Maybe I can form BTS here.’ You thought.

“Can you take me to meet your other friends?” There’s no harm in asking, so you just go for it. Then again, it’s not like you’re running into Kim Taehyung on the street, so it works itself out.

“Maybe, but I don’t think they’d want to be bothered.” You bite your lip. That was a possibility your forgot to consider. Tae seems the same, but what if the others have different personalities? That’s the problem with alternate universes. Also, you don’t even know how you got here in the first place. Was it the button? Was it wish-activated? You have no clue.

“You’re right. Sorry for intruding.” You waver, between getting up and never seeing him again, or asking for an autograph. “Oh, can you sign this real quick?” Tae looks at you with that intimidating stare. Oh, but you already know what he’s thinking as his frown turns into a charming smile and he asks for a pen.

“I’ve never given an autograph before, so this is my first time,” Your eyes fill up with tears. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” You wipe the corners of your eyes with a tissue as Tae looks at you with worry. “I’m honored to receive your first autograph. You are so amazing and you don’t even know it,” He sighs sadly. That was the first and last time any woman would look at him. And to top it all off, you were cute. It was as if fate was trying to tell him that his luck really would change. He hasn’t felt this good about himself in years. Maybe you were the answer to his self-doubt. ‘Aish, what am I thinking? A woman can’t magically fix all my problems. The only person I should love is myself...but she makes me feel happy. Is it such a bad thing to be happy?’ As he’s wallowing in self-pity, you make your escape, dusting your skirt and formal attire. “I’ll go first.” He wants to grab your hand and say something, but really, what can he say?

“Wait!” He squints at his own actions, confused as to why he did that. “You came here from somewhere else, so that means you don’t have a place to go back to, right?” A look of grief flickers onto your face before you smile again, reassuring him that you’re okay.

“That is pretty spot on. Whew, I thought I’d have to rent an expensive hotel room or something.”

“I know a place.” Taehyung guides you to his apartment, and since his family pretty much owns an entire company, he can afford the penthouse.

“Whoa, you live here?” You spin around, breathing in the fresh air as he simply throws his coat on the coffee table.

“It gets pretty quiet here sometimes, since I have this entire floor to myself.”

“Yeah, I bet.” You’re distracted by the pretty garden, all the different flowers overwhelming you with emotions.

“Tannie, have you been a good boy?” You almost trip and die when you see the tiny black and brown pomeranian. You thought this world was different, but at least Yeontan is still here.

“Wait, lemme pet him!” The puppy yips before jumping and licking your hand.

“He likes you.” Tae takes a moment to admire your beauty. You have soft pink lips, shining eyes filled with determination, and a cute nose. Your hair falls around your face perfectly, creating almost a heart shaped look. You’re totally his type.

“I’ve been dying to meet him since I found out you got him. But it’s really unlikely, since you’re always guarded and busy. Even back in my world, you barely have the time to take care of your own dog.” You regret telling him, as his face immediately falls.

“Sounds like I gave up a lot to become a performer.” You hold Tan in place, looking at Tae with morose.

“Yeah. You did.” He takes a deep breath in before changing the subject.

“What do you want for dinner?” He asks.

“Depends on what you have.” You have a face off, and Tae pulls out a package from his fridge.

“Frozen steak.” You stick it in the microwave.

“Already ahead of you.” You both dance in the main room as the food cooks, and you throw some toys to Yeontan as you both twirl around like idiots. You listen to good old american pop music, and when senorita comes on, you become a stripper. Or at least, you dance like one.

“Whoa...whoa! Whoaaa.” Tae watches you with wide eyes as you move to the floor, your body humping the air as you dance. He’s really just concentrated on the curves of your body, and he notices how lean you are, from the way your clothes cling to your body, and how you can move with ease. It’s impressive how you can look like a pro dancer even without taking any classes.

“Sorry about that,” Your cheeks are flushed a little from embarrassment but that doesn’t stop Tae from following your lead and doing a booty drop. “Yes, fuck it up Taehyung!” You cheer him on, completely oblivious to the way he was checking you out.

A week passes by and you’re already dreading that it’s February. You didn’t think it was possible, but after spending so much time with him in a short period of time, you think you’re in love. Or at the very least, you have a crush on him. On Valentine’s day, you don’t make a big deal of it, since Tae came home late and you both had some cup noodles. He seems tired, so you don’t bother him as heads directly to his room.

“I know, Tan. Something is bothering him.” You hold the dog close to you as he slams the door shut, and you slowly crawl to your couch, which you have made into a bed.

The next day, he doesn’t have work, but he seems busy as he starts working in the kitchen. “Whatcha doing?” You ask as he slices some onions.

“My friends are coming over today.” He informs you, and your heart drops. From his grave tone, you could tell he didn’t want you there.

“Oh, need any help?” He wipes his tears away with a sleeve.

“No, I’m fine. Just take Tan out for a walk, I don’t want him to whine after my friends get here.” You still want to ask him if it’s okay for you to be present, but he sounds too stressed. Maybe it’s better if you don’t ask. You can just stay away from him.

“Oh shit-are you okay, miss?” Why are you always running into strangers like this? You take the hand of the man who bumped into you, and you rub your eyes to see that it’s none other than Jung Hoseok.

“I’m fine.” You nearly struggle to breathe, taken away by his glow in broad daylight. The sun is making him shine! Literally.

“Is this your dog?” You nod shyly, looking down at the playful pup as he barks. “That’s funny, my friend has a dog just like this one,” The puppy barks again, and then Hoseok finds the collar. “Wait a minute, he has the same collar, and the same name!” You blush, perspiring heavily and itching the back of your neck. “Who are you?!” Your heart falls. Of course he wouldn’t have told his friends that he was living with you. You’re too weird and gross and everything a guy could despise, he was probably embarrassed by you.

“No one. I’m no one.” You walk away from Hoseok, staring at the ground as Tan runs ahead of you, chasing after a squirrel. After you get home, you see Taehyung is still cooking.

“You’re back, great. Listen, I’m gonna need you to-”

“It’s okay, I’ll go somewhere else.” You sigh heavily before pressing a kiss to Yeontan’s head. “Bye bye Tannie.”

“Wait, Y/N-”

You yawn and walk back outside, hoping that you don’t see any other members. After walking for a bit, you reach a dance studio. For some weird reason, it reminds you of Jimin. You go inside, bored and completely tired, hoping for an energy boost.

“And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.” Your eyes fill with stars when you see the third member, and how well he works with little kids.

“Oh, are you here to pick someone up? Lucy, is that your big sister?” He asks a little girl.

“No, no, I’m just here to watch. Don’t mind me.” You sit down on a bench and watch his graceful movements, thankful that you were close enough to see him live. He’s an amazing dancer.

“Now, what can I do for you?” He wipes his forehead with a towel and looks as angelic as ever.

“Nothing. I was just feeling a little down, so I thought coming to the dance studio would make me more energized.” He kneels down, since you are very short while sitting down.

“How are you feeling now?” Your heart is racing, since Jimin being close to you is like a dream come true.

“Like shit.” You laugh, really just not in the mood for anything.

“Com’ere.” He pulls you towards the dance floor and plays “confident” by Demi Lovato.

“This song is overplayed noooo.” He raises an eyebrow.

“You think I care?” He wiggles his shoulders and you laugh, slapping his chest playfully. “Your turn.” After dancing for a couple more minutes, he dips you and lifts you up in the air, letting you fly for awhile. You both stare intensely at each other, an instant connection between the two of you. After putting you down, he starts leaning in, and you do the same.

“Chim, come and help me read these-you!” You both pull away from each other at the same time, and you see Hoseok standing there, with a look of anger on his face. “Why did you run away from me earlier?” He shoves a couple of folders at Jimin.

“N-no reason, it was just hot.”

“No, you had Yeontan. That’s Taehyung’s dog. Did you steal him?” Hoseok sounds snarky but you don’t blame him.

“No I-”

“He never even told me about a girl...I wonder if you’re even that important.” You burst into tears right at that moment, running out of the room while Jimin tries coaxing you to stay.

“He’s right, Jimin. Taehyung is disgusted and repulsed by me. No man like that could ever like a girl like me!” You sob into your hands, pouring out your heart to him.

“How do you know my name? And why was Hoseok so mad at you?”

“I ran away from him like I run away from all my problems.” Instead of reacting badly, you look up and see that he has a tender look in his eyes, one that comforts you. Why can’t every man treat you like this?

“It’s okay,” He lets you hug him for a minute, squeezing you gently in his arms. Maybe Tae wasn’t the answer, maybe it was just you. “Pretty girls shouldn’t cry. You should be happy, and I don’t mean in a fake smile type of way, either.” He wipes your tears. “Yesterday was Valentine’s day, did you get a present?” He asks. You shake your head meekly. “My girlfriend baked some cookies for me yesterday, here you go.” Your heart breaks at the word ‘girlfriend.’ Jimin was the sweetest angel, of course any girl would go for him.

“Thanks.” You lean against the wall, at a loss for words as you stare down at the little bag of cookies in your hands.

“I gotta get going now, if you want you can-”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just go somewhere else.” And so you do, you leave the studio and you walk towards a bar.

Taehyung is stressed. More than he usually is, because you’re not there with him. You’re in an unfamiliar world and it’s his fault for letting you go so easily. He also feels like a jerk because he hasn’t been able to tell his friends about you. He just hopes you come back soon and everything will be fine.

“You miss her too, pup?” The dog seems to want to scramble out of his hands as the doorbell rings.

“Happy late Valentine’s day!” All of his friends greet him and he smiles back.

“Hey guys, glad to see y’all here.” Jimin suddenly steps forward and grabs his hand.

“We followed her, she went to the bar downtown, go find her and bring her back home.” Those words are all it takes for Tae to grab his coat and he rushes downstairs, leaving the rest of his friends in shock as he leaves his own party.

“Y/N!” He calls out for you. He finally finds you, shoving your tongue down some stranger’s throat.

“I don’t want to-” He can hear you struggle, but his fist acts faster than his thoughts.

“She said she wants you to stop!”

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

“Taehyung, what the hell is wrong with you?” You scold him for acting like a child.

“He was making advances at you that you didn’t like.” He was telling the truth, and that just infuriated you even more.

“Well, it’s up to me now, choosing which guys I flirt with.” He crinkles his nose in disgust.

“He was practically devouring your tongue.” You huff and stand up.

“I hope you have a nice rest of you night, I didn’t wanna ruin your party either, but I guess that didn’t stop you from finding me, did it?” He looks at you, feeling like an antagonist. Right then and there, all six of his friends burst into the hospital room, chattering away worriedly as they oversee their friend.

“Ohhhh, now I know why he was in a rush.” Jin pervertedly comments, making you blush but also more confident in yourself, as you weren’t feeling the best after putting on a little bit of makeup.

“Pretty lady, what have you done to our Tae?” Jungkook climbs into the bed with his best friend, and you smile to yourself at the “Taekook” ship sailing off.

“I didn’t cause this. Luckily, the guy he punched let him off with no charges, you would’ve been screwed if he sued.”

“That’s so American.” Namjoon scoffs at your comment. You take a bit of offense, as he used the term in a negative manner.

“Moving on...I will no longer be living with you, since I cause so much trouble wherever I go. Bye bye, BTS.” That was your first mistake.

“BTS?” Hoseok echoes you, looking around for an explanation.

“I wonder why she called us that.” Another man thinks out loud.

“Hey, worldwide pretty girl, what’s a BTS?” Jin screams from the hospital room. You shrug, turning around and facing him.

“It’s you guys. What you will be, anyways.” You still have faith in them.

You didn’t know how lonely life could be when you’re living on your own. First of all, no Yeontan, so you aren’t occupied by a needy pup the moment you step foot into your house. Second of all, the space, the apartment is tiny, and covered in dust. It took you an entire day to redecorate. The entire morning was a mess. Last of all, you missed Tae’s warm presence. Even when he was cold towards you, you still felt the warmth of his soul. He’s inherently good.

A knock on your door signals the start of your day.

“Hey neighbor! How are things going down in the pit?” You’re surprised by how Jungkook can keep his cheerful attitude up despite living in a sucky apartment like this one.

“Terrible, but I’m just gonna pretend everything’s fine and ask you if you found me a job?” He nods, his two front teeth jutting out as you close the door behind you and step into the common rooftop, where you two have been meeting to discuss potential job openings. Jungkook has been a sweetheart with taking you in and not prying into what happened between you and Tae. You’re thankful for him, but it’s not quite the same.

“I did. Seokjin is actually hiring and he needs an assistant.” He explains. Oh, of course, the universe you get dropped into is one of those cheesy Seokjin CEO aus with an equally kinky side as the objective changes from a simple romance to something deeper and more physical. You’ve only heard about it, but you doubted that Jin would make you do unprofessional tasks in the office just to relieve his stress.

You could only overthink it, though, as you wait for Seokjin in a hallway and then a couple minutes later you and Jungkook spot a woman fixing her skirt walking out of the room with smudged lipstick and runny mascara. Seokjin’s in the middle of adjusting his tie as he calls you into the office. You gulp. Hopefully, he doesn’t make any moves.

“So, I heard you were working in an office before?” His demeanor is very professional, and the way he sits in his chair is just so...powerful. You feel the urge to just sit and listen to him.

“Uh...yes.” You have no idea what lies Tae may or may not have fed this man as he moves onto the next question.

“Last of all, if you found out something about an employee, whether it is a personal or business matter, would you report it to me?” I’ve watched too many crime shows to know how this one goes. You shift in your seat and you face him head-on, looking at his piercing dark green eyes as he folds his legs towards you.

“Yes.” After pausing for a moment, he unfolds his legs and slams your file down on the desk, standing up and congratulating you, suddenly.

“Welcome to Kim Enterprises, it’s a pleasure to have you on my team,” It takes you a moment to register what’s happening as he hands you a pile of papers. “Now be a dear and stamp those for me, would ya? It looks best in pink.” Again, you are not surprised. Back home, Seokjin’s second most famous nickname next to ‘Worldwide Handsome,’ is ‘Pink Princess.’ And Somehow, while looking handsome at the same time, he works a subtle feminine tone very well, completely changing the game for male kpop idols. And it’s not just him, but all of BTS. They break gender roles, stereotypes, and connect better with their fans than any other group out there, that’s why you were so drawn to them in the first place! Now, being in an unfamiliar world, depending on one of the members as your only means of survival is...ironic. You expected to be rewarded for being a fan, but instead, you had to sacrifice more, to help him. It’s fine, though, as long as you’re getting paid.

“Hey babe. Yeah, got it. Oh, is your boyfriend doing okay? Alright, see you at the family dinner. Bye.” You overhear Jin on the phone as you finish up, and he looks a bit...bored. “It was my fiancée. As you can tell, neither of us want this marriage.” Oh, an arranged marriage au?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” You awkwardly breathe as Seokjin stares at you, fascinated by how quickly you managed to finish your assigned task. Normally it takes most employees about 30 minutes, but you got it done in 15, definitely noteworthy.

“Nah, it’s okay. It’s what I was born to do. Marry a girl from another wealthy family, run the business, let my children take over, and die. Maybe I won’t be happy, but at least I’ll die being rich and comfy.” You gawk at him with wide eyes. How could such a gentleman be subject of a fate most cruel?

“That’s a horrible way to die,” You walk over to his desk and dump the pile of papers in his work space. “If anything, you deserve to be happy. Marry the one you love, grow old together, die knowing you lived a life of fulfillment and content.” He peers at you with curious eyes. Why do you keep looking at me like that? You wanted to ask but he clears his throat, alerting you of your next task.

“Next task, go to the bar. The one where my brother works. I can tell you need to tell him something important.” Brother? Who could Seokjin’s broth-wait a damn minute. Taehyung is…? Wow, that was unexpected.

“But don’t you nee-”

“I’m the CEO, I get paid the most even though I do only half the work that my employees do. Go now, find lil TaeTae and tell him whatever’s on your mind.” He puts his hands behind his head and kicks his feet up on the table.

“At least let me talk to him at home-”

“No.” Jin’s as stubborn as a child. You groan inwardly as he pushes you out the door, making your coworkers look at you strangely. You wave back at them and they simply shrug, ignoring you as they had been before.

“Kim Seokjin I am going to kill you when I see you outside of work.” You grumble as your boss towers behind you.

“I’d rather have a coffee or something later.” You roll your eyes. Did every BTS member have an obsession with coffee or was it just a Kim thing?

As you make your way down the street, Taehyung is busy working at the bar. He sees a familiar woman in a golden dress, and he begins to prepare a Daquiri, a drink that is almost as yellow as her dress.

“Did your luck change?” She asks, sipping the drink slightly. He sighs, thinking about the events that have happened thus far. In a way, since he ran into you on the street, his life has been better than it ever was.

“Yeah. I guess it did.” He begins wiping glasses, and then one of his coworkers come running in.

“Tae, I am so sorry man, but my wife is having a baby, and I can’t miss it.” Tae shakes his head, reassuring his friend as he hands him his black apron.

“Don’t worry about it man. Things are gonna turn out just fine.”

“Are you sure you can do this alone?” He feels the nerves building up inside, but he doesn’t dare let it show. He nods at Antonio as he leaves the bar.

“Ah, I felt the wind change again. Looks like your luck is gonna change again.” The woman’s words stun him, and just as she had appeared, she disappears into the crowd.

“Taehyung!” He hears your voice calling out to him and he shoots up. Were you a phantom or the real thing? He couldn’t concentrate at all today, since you were the only thing on his mind.

“Found you.” He sees your figure and recognizes you immediately. “What are you doing here?!” Tae’s deep voice makes you feel a sense of comfort and gives you the familiarity that you needed. Sure, Seokjin was a kind man, but Tae is your first friend in this weird world. On top of that, you live together, so you’ve had a lot of time to bond and grow closer.

“Jin sent me here. But he was right, seeing you now I definitely have to tell you that I-”

“Hey, bartender, are you gonna give me a drink or not?!” His body shrinks as he looks at the buff man with tattoos decorating his body from head to toe.

“Y-yes sir, be right there. Just a second, Y/N,” You watch as he swiftly pours some whisky and adds ice to the mix. He slides the glass in a professional way to the customer, as if he’s been doing this for years. “Okay, what did you want to talk about?” He asks. You get lost in his eyes, forgetting how handsome he was for a minute and getting sucked in.

“Waiter!” Tae scrunches his nose. He hates being called a waiter when his job description is clearly bartender, that and he’s the only one working in the bar right now. Looks like he’ll have to become a waiter as well.

“Gotta go fast.” Tae gets away from you and you watch as he runs around in circles, disappearing into the kitchen and juggling numerous trays and balancing it on his head, arms and knees. You quickly grab the one that’s about to fall off his knee, and then the one on his head. He looks at you, gratefully.

“I have to ask, are you the only one working right now?” He sets down two plates of food at a table and then turns to you, taking the next two.

“Yes.” He sighs, and you can see how tired he must be from running around so much.

“Do you need help?” You finally ask the question, eyes twinkling at him. Working alongside your bias was always a dream of yours, but you never thought it would become a reality as he hands you a black apron and you get behind the counter. He gives you a tutorial on preparing drinks, and you find out that you have a knack for it! Just as a large crowd appears, you and Tae get to work immediately, preparing drinks and conversing with customers for tips.

After his shift is supposedly over, you make him a drink. “Take a break, you’ve earned it.” You wipe a glass and place it on the shelf, and he sips his alcohol, watching you as you skillfully pour another drink for a customer.

You notice him staring, and your cheeks flush as he walks towards you with swagger, the same Kim Taehyung power you’ve seen plastered on articles all over the internet as a swing of his hips is all he needs to kill his audience.

“You are amazing. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” His eyes nearly pop out of his skull as he shakes the tips jar, and you greet him with a simple smile. He knew you were pretty but he didn’t know you were that good looking that people would tip more. He examines you more closely this time, seeing how you’re dressed in business casual, and how your makeup is done so it’s noticeable that you’re wearing some. You gulp when you see him licking your lips and staring at you, and Tae’s too caught up to even notice that you’re staring right back.

Taehyung was checking you out. He is checking you out and you have no clue how to react. Change the subject….!

“On another note, wasn’t there supposed to be another person here?” Tae blinks twice before snapping out of it.

“Yes, but his wife is delivering a baby so he had to leave early.” The flow of customers is a lot less now, and you both just ended up drinking yourselves and conversing as it got closer and closer to closing time.

“So Antonio is like the owner?” You ask, coughing as your throat burned from the last three drinks or so.

“He is, that’s why I’m getting paid for working overtime.” Tae is on his feet, and as customers leave, he is closing the blinds.

“Oh, that’s cool. But why don’t you just stay at home? Don’t you have a lot of money since Jin is the CEO of a company?” You twirl a glass in your hand, inspecting the little carvings a bit closely.

“I do, but I wanna do more than be a rich kid. So I started working on my own, and I made enough money to buy that penthouse that we live in. And now I want to save that money, hopefully one day I’ll be able to travel to France and start modeling.” You tuck your hair behind your ear. Of course, Tae would be a model. He has the perfect face and body for it. You feel a little sad, though, since BTS doesn’t exist here.

“Why France?”

“There are just more opportunities. I feel like I can’t fit in at Seoul’s top agencies. They’ll say I’m ugly or too fat, or something,” You fall face flat on the table, and Tae runs over to you in worry. “Are you okay?!” He shakes you and you come to your senses, feeling very dizzy.

“I think I drank too much.” In a daze, as he carries you back to the penthouse on his back, you start singing the chorus of Dionysus, “Da masyeo masyeo masyeo masyeo nae suljan ay, Da ppajyeo ppajyeo ppajyeo michin yesulgae, Han jan (one shot) du jan (two shots), Yesure chwihae bulleo ongheya! C’mon Tae sing your part!” You ruffle his hair and he cringes as he sets you down on the couch.

“I don’t know it.” He says, sitting next to you and taking Tan into his arms.

“Da masyeo masyeo masyeo masyeo nae suljan ay, c’mon.” He takes a deep breath and your eyes widen as you hear the familiar chorus.

“Da masyeo masyeo masyeo masyeo nae suljan ay, Da ppajyeo ppajyeo ppajyeo michin yesulgae….what comes next?” Just with two lines, you’re mesmerized.

“Mama, I’m in love.” And the next thing you know, you’re fast asleep.

“You’re so bad at drinking.” Tae laughs to himself as he tucks you into the bed, making sure you’re comfortable before moving onto the couch. He hates to admit it, but he thinks this February might’ve given him someone special.

The next morning, you don’t feel too good. You vomit into the toilet bowl, and you remove the makeup you were wearing all night. You sigh and check your phone to see some messages from Jin. You have a meeting in 30 minutes! You quickly get your shit together and run out of Tae’s bedroom. He already left for his work, and you see some waffles on the counter with a note on it.

“Here are some waffles, I made you some Tea too, in case you might be hungover - Tae.” You happily eat the food and down the tea before work. Today you are wearing something a bit more informal, since your closet is very empty and you are in need of some money. Hopefully Jin will agree to be your sugardaddy, seeing how sexy you look in this outfit. Wow, a little self-confidence goes a long way.

Just as you are about to open the door, Seokjin comes out by himself, fixing his tie again. You roll your eyes and you help him, as he stares at you with awe and surprise.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here so early.” “Why’s that? I work here now, don’t I?” You bat your eyelashes just to seem more appealing to him, as he gulps and explains the problem to you.

“Well, my past assistants ran away or quit relatively early because I’d slept with them or done something naughty that causes them discomfort.” You raise an eyebrow. Some women are weird. Unless they completely spelled it out that they didn’t want a relationship, Seokjin wouldn’t have acted that way. Honestly, some people are stupid. You say people because you aren’t entirely sure if Seokjin is limited to girls. Wouldn’t you like to know?

“Well, I’m a lot more clear-minded when it comes to stuff like that. I’ve hooked up with my boss at a job before in highschool, but that was just a one-time thing and we never talked about it. A couple months later, he got arrested because the cops found weed in his trunk.” You finish fixing his tie and you look up to meet eyes with him. “So trust me when I tell you that I want a professional relationship. Even if we fool around or end up sleeping in the same bed, I promise you that I won’t let that get in the way of work.” Jin licks his lower lip and then something shifts in his eyes, but you can’t tell what it is exactly because of his aura. He looks very boss-like and you wouldn’t mind if he flirted with you. I could honestly use the attention, since Tae is terrible at reading the mood.

“That is very mature of you, I understand that you must really want to keep your position?” You nod, replying with, “Yes, sir.” He nods approvingly and motions you to follow him into the office. Inside, you notice that his desk is covered in papers, files to be specific. Upon closer inspection, you find that those are the names of famous criminals, who are the most wanted in the whole of South Korea.

“These people are not to be messed with. Unfortunately, someone (ahem not naming names but Betty from HR cough cough) decided it would be a good idea to prank call all of these bastards, and now I am in charge of cleaning up this mess. I will need you to head the project and make peace with these people. Seeing how you stood up for yourself, I can tell that you are quite the wordsmith. I know that you can do this, that’s why I’m giving you such a hard and complicated task on the second day.” You blink twice, still taking in everything he said.

“And do I know these people?” You ask. He nods, and motions you to step forward.

“They are an infamous group of Bandits, who have a strong relation to each other, known as BTS.” You gawk, as Seokjin slides over his own file.

“But-how can? And Tae told you? B-BTS?” Your mind is blown, as he greets you.

“Welcome to our lair, my name is Seokjin Kim, aka “The Chef.” I like to kill clean and quickly, my style of assasination is the sword. The outer world thinks that I am a simple CEO and it is a simple coincidence that I have the same name as a Worldwide criminal,” You’re shook. “As for my six cohorts, no one suspects them either because we’ve never been caught, ya know?” It makes sense, as their pictures are slightly blurry and their faces are hidden.

“This is crazy. But that explains why Tae goes missing sometimes.” You yawn, suddenly feeling the urge to lay down.

“Here, have a snickers. Look, I’m not a bad guy, I just have a lot of money and I like making more. What do ya say? Would you like to join?” You shrug.

“Meh, I have nothing better to do anyways.” Jin starts chattering away as you both head down to the meeting room, where Jin is about to explain a huge operation to the team of hackers disguised as office workers.

“So, as of right now, we are going simply prepare a heist. No killing, just a simple jewelry store robbery.” You bite your lip in anxiety. Jin notices, so he asks you, “What’s wrong?” You lean and whisper back to him, “Aren’t they going to find out it was you, though?” Just as those words escape your mouth, every single person in the room starts laughing, and so does Jin. You were concerned about his safety and wellbeing but now you’re being ridiculed? Wow, that’s great.

“Honey, our boss never loses. He always gets in and gets out undetected, and if someone does notice, his knife’ll take em out.” Someone explains it to you.

“Wow, that’s cool.” As the team begins to brainstorm creative ideas, you wonder what Tae is doing at the moment. You never thought he was apart of a mafia or something, much less the boss’ younger brother. But it makes sense as to why he’s so rich.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“And stay away from her.” Taehyung shoots down the man that was once his father, and he hugs the girl he calls his sister.

“Thank you, big brother.” He shakes his head, wiping her tears before guiding her out of the filthy apartment. It was about time before the bastard got what was coming to him. He has always been abusive, and Tae just barely made it in time. Just before the father raised the final hand on his sister, Tae shot the shit out of him, making sure he was dead before leaving. His sister followed him blindly, as she had nowhere to go. Jin may be their oldest brother, but he rarely even had time for Taehyung. How was he supposed to take care of Taylie when he couldn’t even take care of himself? It was because of Y/N he changed his ways. He loves himself now, whether he accepts it or not.

“Tae, I told her.” Is what he hears when he answers his phone. His eyes widen as he moves in a frantic manner. The confused 15 year old follows her brother, her footsteps picking up as Tae got closer and closer to the building.

“What’s wrong?” He stops. How was he to explain Jin’s condition to his sister? She’d probably faint or die from a heart attack first before that happens.

“I need to tell you something about Jin.”

The more time you spend with your boss, the more you understand how insane he is. He went as far as sending teams to stalk these criminals and keep tabs on them. All for the good of the company. But at the same time, you can’t ignore the rumors. The people in the office talked about his nervous habits and how he is crazy. You don’t want to believe them. But do you really have a choice?

“Jin!” Tae runs into the room, pushing the door wide open and greeting his older brother with worry.

“Tae, there you are. I was just explaining our little-”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Y/N, will you please come with me?” You follow Tae outside to the corridor, and he explains everything to you slowly. “Jin is ill. Ever since our father started abusing after out mom died he made up these crazy fantasies in his mind, all of which helped him create the company in the first place. He’s very very sick in the head, but he’s so smart! And that’s why he succeeded and heading the company. All while living out a fantasy that he is close with the most dangerous criminals in the area and that our friend circle consists of hackers, spies, and other super-minds.” You adjust your sleeves, rolling them up as the air suddenly becomes warm around you. “So you don’t go on huge heists or kill people?” You were right with one thing, but Tae couldn’t reveal his other truth to you.

“Not exactly. The workers here know about Jin’s situation, even deep down inside, Jin himself knows, but he pretends because this is his turf. And everyone plays along, because they get paid for it.” You look down and let out a bitter chuckle. Tae raises an eyebrow at you and you just can’t help but feel pathetic.

“That’s messed up,” You open your eyes and you look away as you walk towards the exit. “I’ll be leaving first. Let Jin know for me.” You don’t think you can face him now. He’s caught up in another world of make-believe and Tae just makes it worse by encouraging him. But damn, you understand because you would do the same for your sibling if you were in that position. Taehyung is a good brother.

“Tan-Tan, do you want the bone?” You lazily play with the puppy as he chases the toy in circles, following you with short stubby legs.The dog lets out a bark, giving up and panting, wagging his tail eagerly as you prepare to toss the chew toy in the air. “I’m so glad you can’t talk. If you could, you’d drive me insane.” You sadly confess it to the dog, as he walks around you, mindlessly searching for food. Sometimes, you just need someone to listen to you, without talking back, or telling you that you’re wrong.

“Hey, can we talk?” You sigh as you hear the familiar deep voice resonate throughout the room. Not left with much of an option, you turn and face him head-on, a small blush forming on your cheeks from your close proximity.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” You trudge towards the sink and start doing the dishes, a dull routine that you’ve grown accustomed to with your time alone.

“I know it’s a terrible thing to do, but Jin is a lot better off this way! And-”

“Is this your place?” You raise your brow as a girl who looks to be a little bit younger than you stumbles into the penthouse, admiring the beauty of your home.

“Shit-I totally forgot. Taylie, meet Y/N, she’s my roommate.” She excitedly jumps onto one of the barstools, spinning around before reaching out to shake your hand.

“Um...who’s this?” Throughout all the chaos that happened between now and then, Tae totally forgot to explain the situation between his kid sister and dead father.

“I’m his sister.” She lazily jumps down and runs towards Yeontan, scooping the pomeranian in her hands and showering him with kisses. The poor dog struggles within her grip, trying to free himself from her tight hold.

“You never told me you had a sister.” You set down the dry dishes on the counter, walking out of the room and shutting the bathroom before Tae has a chance to say anything else.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

It had been a few days since you came out of the room. Grief took over your life, and Seokjin had stopped calling. It was the third day, and finally, someone had to pick the lock on your door to check in. You were miserable when he found you, none other than Hoseok, the dance studio owner. Under normal circumstances, you would’ve been overjoyed to see him but things are much different now. You’re in a completely different world, with nothing else. Only BTS can help you, and now you’ve lost the chance after ditching Seokjin. The look of surprise on your face when Jin follows closely behind him is humorous, as the first thing he does is shove a cheese platter in your arms and demands you to eat, instead of being angry or upset that you missed work.

“Jin, why are you doing this?” Hoseok leaves you both alone for privacy, as you eat in peace.

“Before I am your boss, I am your friend, and hopefully your future brother in law.” You blush a little at his words, as he shoves a fork into your mouth again. You chew with all of your remaining strength.

“Okay, that’s not good enough. I was mad at Tae, for lying to you about something so important-”

“It’s a part of the game Y/N, if I’m happy, so is he.” You blink twice. Just a game, huh?

“I need to talk to him.” You try standing up but you fall on your face.

“You haven’t moved in three days, you’ll need to ease yourself back into it.” Then next time you will.

After working hard to get back into shape, you are finally able to talk to Taehyung. You finally saw things from his perspective, after talking to Jin. You understand, and you never want to let go. It wasn’t the plan, for you to fall into a depression that almost cost you your life. You’re glad Jin and Hoseok forced themselves into your room, and that Jin shoved cheese down your gullet. You’ll have to repay him, someday.

“Taehyung?” You call out for him. The apartment is seemingly empty, Yeontan is already fast asleep in his dog bed, and Taylie was on a cruise with Jin. You were supposed to volunteer at the dance studio with Jimin and Hoseok, but unfortunately due to an accident involving poop, the studio was temporarily shut down and everyone had to go home. Your phone had also died, so you couldn’t text Tae.

“Y/N…” You hear his voice, finally. He sounds out of breath though.

“Tae, I’m home.”

“F-fuck, I’m so close Y/N,” You freeze in your tracks, right outside of his room. Was he fantasizing about me? You feel a strange warmth spreading throughout your body. “Y/N!” With one long moan of your name, he cums, feeling oddly satisfied. It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but you were the only person who could make him feel this way. But it’s so dirty and sinful, because you don’t even think of him like that. You’re lost in your own thoughts so much that you don’t even notice the door opening until it’s too late.

“Y/N?” You focus on the wall behind him. You can’t look into his eyes, the damage has been done. You can’t control yourself.

“Mmm?” He waves a hand in front of you.

“How long have you been standing there?” You shrug. Tae is sweating from nervousness, but then something within him snaps. His self-confidence creeps up on him. “Perhaps you heard me while I was having some fun on my own?” There it is again, the weird warmth in your stomach.

“It’s none of my business.” You push it away, since you can’t feel this way about the guy you’re living with.

“Awww, is my poor Y/N feeling left out?” You feel so powerless against him, like he’s controlling you.

“Y-yes.” Before you know it, his soft pink lips are on yours, moving in a syncopated rhythm that feels almost unnatural. But it feels so good.

“Did you know how much of an effect your tight little skirts had on me? God, I just wanted to push you onto the counter and fuck you right there for everyone to see.” Your cheeks flush a reddish pink color as he kisses down your neck. “And your tits, damn they look amazing in everything.” You mewl as he bites down, leaving a small mark on your collarbone.

“T-Tae…” He lets go, finally giving you everything your heart could desire. As he strips off the last few barriers between you, you feel more and more further away. He’s making you a wreck. It feels so right, though. Your brain is screaming for you to stop but your heart wants it.

“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.” You let out a small puff of air before groaning and letting your eyes roll back into your head.

“I want-no, I need you to fuck me Tae. Do it however you want, doggy, missionary, cupid’s, I don’t care! I need this.” He stares at you for a moment before deciding his next move.

“You sure?” His deep voice is unsure, and for a moment it causes you to doubt yourself.

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Get against the headboard. This is gonna hurt,” You feel the rush of adrenaline as he pins your hands up against your head and then lifts your legs. “I’m gonna prep you first, you’re gonna fee-”

“I know how sex works!” You blush slightly as he is taken aback by your outburst. “J-just do it.” You find yourself relaxing under his warmth, and his digits find their way inside you, right where you need him the most.

“Open up, let me see how pink you are,” You obey, feeling more flustered than before. “Ah, so beautiful. You’re so obedient too, tell me pet, do you like it when your master touches you like this?” A soft gasp escapes your lips as his fingers dive deeper into your folds, digging inside your pinkish cavern, looking for something more. The sensation is overwhelming, and you feel like you’re floating on a cloud.

“M-master?” You snap back into reality as Tae’s words strike a chord within you.

“That’s right.” He looks so perfect, so ethereal, you’re once again lost in his beauty.

“If that’s how you like it, then I guess I have no choice but to submit, am I right?” His lips turn upward as he nods in approval.

“Now you’re getting it. How about letting Master have a taste, without cumming on my tongue, please?” You nod, parting your legs wider for him as he explores your throbbing bud again. You want to please him, just as much you are scared of what the consequences might be. After living with him for so long, it feels so natural and that is what really frightens you. How normal this feels.

“T-Tae, please, I have to c-”

“What’s my name?”

“Master.” You correct yourself, feeling more submissive towards him now.

“Good. Since you’ve been such a good girl, I suppose you shall have your reward,” You almost pass out from excitement as he pushes you against the headboard, and then he places his hands on your thighs, looking for a comfortable position with you on his knees. You’re surprised by how big his dick is, but it’s proportionate to his body, so you don’t have any complaints. It’s the perfect size, with a pinkish tip and hairless balls. The entire length is hairless, and upon closer inspection, you can’t find a single flaw on his body. “Can’t take your eyes off me, pet?” You catch yourself as you realize you were staring at him, with your mouth wide open and your heat is on fire. You won’t be able to hold out much longer, your body recoiling from being denied an orgasm.

“Sorry Master, you’re just so...perfect.” You smirk, as he prepares you for his cock. He grabs a bit of lube, before rubbing it down his length, and then he slowly slides into you, ever so gently, murmuring words of praise before being completely inside.

“You can move now.” With your permission, he starts. Slowly at first, but then the friction builds up, everything is hot. As he starts thrusting fully, stretching you out to your maximum capacity, shrieks and moans of pleasure reverberate through the room, and you’ve never felt so full in your life.

“Best fucking pussy I’ve had all year.” He groans, gripping your thighs tightly as he slams into you repeatedly.

“You’re so big!” You grip his back, holding on for dear life as he destroys your pussy.

“Your cunt takes me so well, I’m surprised I held off you for so long. What was I trying to achieve, by convincing myself that I didn’t love you?” He realizes his mistake as your shocked eyes meet his.

“You...love me?” He gulps, slowing down and reaching dangerously close to his climax.

“Y-yes.”

“I love you too.” You smile, feeling something being lifted from your chest.

“I’m close.” He kisses your nose, an intimate gesture he wouldn’t have thought of doing with you earlier.

“Me too.” You both release your knots at the same time, and as he lies down next to you, in the bed of sweat and sex, he feels true love. For the first time, Taehyung isn’t alone. It looks like he has a little bit of love for himself now.

#bts smut #taehyung #smutcentralnet #madewithlove #fluff #angst

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derryhawkins · 5 years

Text

Life is a Highway [CH 1/49]

summary: The seven of them made a plan in middle school: use the months between high school and college, and take a road trip through all of the states. Their twelve year old minds didn’t think it would actually happen, but six years later with enough saved up money, they’re going on an extremely long trip together in a large van. pairings: reddie; benverly; stanbranlon word count: 7.49k

AO3 Link

chapter one: maine

Derry, Maine is a small town with barely anything to do. Sure, there's the theater, but it's run down and the only time the group of seven want to go there is if there's a movie premiering that looks extremely interesting; then there's the drive-in theater they go most of the time, but unfortunately it's closing because the owner sold the property to some land-hungry dick. (In about five months time, they won't be able to there anymore - or, rather, a few hours time, considering what they are about to do.) There's not even a mall in Derry; only a lame and tiny grocery store on a corner every once in a while, a few clothes stores, and that one tiny thrift store at the edge of town they all love. There aren't any big chain restaurants, either, other than McDonald's which hardly counts considering how shitty it is, and if you want to go to a big shot supermarket like Walmart or something, you'll have to drive a town or so over.

So, to put it simply, Derry sucks. It's a bum-fuck of a town that the group hates with varying degrees, and that's the exact reason they're all high tailing it out of there the day they graduate before heading off for college, because they don't want to stay in this town any longer.

The Losers Club - a name they gave themselves in middle school - are going on a road trip through every state, excluding Hawaii and Alaska for obvious reasons. It's something that they never thought they would be able to do, but something they dreamed of since they were just shy of thirteen during the summer they all first met one another. The seven of them made a plan in middle school: use the months between high school and college, and take a road trip across the states. Their twelve year old minds didn’t think it would actually happen, but six years later with enough saved up money, they’re going on an extremely long trip together in a large van.

No one can exactly remember how the plan came to be - it could have been when Bill was talking about taking an adventure, or when Eddie exclaimed he wanted to leave the town, or when Mike stated that he wants to visit the national parks at some point - but either way, that fateful day in the barrens ended up with them having a just out of reach plan to go on a road trip together. At first, they all forgot, but not even two weeks later Richie brings it up again and that's when they started saving money the best they could, slowly starting to ease their families into the plan as well.

Now here they are after graduation in their separate homes, getting ready to leave later that night. Each of them have a good bit of money saved both in their wallets and in their savings and checkings accounts, and they're all more than ready to leave Derry behind and not come back for another two to three months, only to leave again for college right after.

The road trip either going to end terribly or amazingly, though; they've been stuck together for seven years now. At any chance they got, the group of the would hang out. Sometimes it would be all seven of them, other times it wouldn't be, but that didn't matter at the time and it still doesn't because they're stuck like glue. From the moment they became friends in '89, it's always been like that. But they've never been stuck in one place all together at a time for more than three days thanks do various weekend sleepovers. For the next two to three months, they're going to be basically living in a van, staying in cheap motels, and being surrounded by one another nearly 24/7.

Bill Denbrough just hopes it doesn't break their close friendship.

A smaller body ramming into him brings Bill out of his thoughts before he has the chance to dwell more about the road trip. He stumbles a bit at the impact and quickly looks down to see his twelve year old brother, Georgie, and lets go of the handle of his suit case, giving a small laugh. The laughs dies out quick though at realizing that his little brother is holding a bit too tight, and the front of his shirt is slowly becoming wet. Bill sighs and hugs Georgie back. "I'll b-be back in no time, Georgie," Bill assures the kid. "S-S-Summer's gonna f-fly by!" He inwardly winces at his stutter. It's been getting better, but every once in a while he still can't go more than a few words without stuttering.

"But then you're leaving for college," Georgie cries, spitting out the word as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Bill frowns and moves his hands to Georgie's shoulders. He slowly pushes them apart from one another to where he can comfortable squat down and look at his little brother in the eye. "I promise to be back in t-time so we can have a w-w-week together before I go, alright?" He wipes away the tears on the kid's cheeks, and he suddenly feels thirteen again, smearing away tears off of seven year old Georgie's face after a bad nightmare. But this isn't a nightmare. It's Bill leaving. And he hates it, really. Sure, he's excited to be with his friends, but he hates having to leave behind his brother even if it is for a couple or so months. At the thought, he can feel his own tears start to form but he blinks them away and smiles. "We can p-p-play that vuh-video game you like as much as you want. Hell, you might not want to hang with me b-buh-b-by the time I get back. You might have your own friend group."

Georgie sniffles, wiping under his nose with the back of his hand.

As he witnesses that, Bill can hear Eddie clear as day in his mind complaining about germs and what-not, followed by Stan's offer of some tissues paired something inappropriate from Richie.

"What if I don't?" Georgie asks. "Have my own friends, I mean."

"You will, trust me. So long as you go outside."

He rolls his eyes but Bill does and says nothing about it, because at least Georgie isn't crying anymore.

"Help me bring my stuff to Dad's car?" Bill asks. He stands straight and reaches for his suitcase again, vaguely gesturing to the pillow, blanket, and backpack on the couch. Georgie hurriedly nods and grabs the pillow and blanket while Bill reaches for the backpack full of books, papers, pens, a few games, his polaroid camera and film for it, and snacks that will probably last him one day. Together, the brothers leave the living room and walk outside, putting all of Bill's stuff in the trunk for the time being. He then looks at the watch on his wrist - a graduation present from his parents - and smiles when he realizes he still has a few hours to kill before he needs to rush to Richie's house. "Hey, wanna play a video game before I g-?"

Bill doesn't get to finish the question, because Georgie is gasping, interrupting his big brother, and quickly saying yes before latching a hand onto Bill's wrist and dragging back inside.

+++

Mike Hanlon, as much as he is excited, is equally nervous. He’s never been outside of Derry, Maine before other than the occasional trip out of town to the next one over for a giant shopping spree with a few of the other Losers. But other than that? He’s been stuck in the same, boring town. Now, in a few hours time, he’s going to be hightailing out of here with six best friends to 48 different states. He can believe it, honestly. This road trip had been but a simple dream and out of reach want for a lame group of kids six years ago. Fast forward, and now it’s really happening. He’s packing for two and a half months. He has a debit card with hopefully enough money and cash in his wallet that he promises his parents that he won’t waste on unnecessary things. He’s got snacks in his backpack, along with some deck of cards and things to keep him entertained when he’s not the one driving. He double checks everything to make sure he isn’t missing anything before dragging his things to his parents’ car.

The nerves won’t go away but the excitement over powers them. Mike shuts the trunk once putting everything in, and goes back inside and ventured to the kitchen to find his mom with two Tupperware boxes of chocolate chip cookies and two more of brownies. Mike can only stare for a second. They just had a family dinner. Cookies and brownies had been no where in sight then, yet suddenly here they are.

“Uh. Mom?” He questions, gesturing to the four boxes. “Where did this come from?”

The woman looks up with a bright grin. “Oh! I made these yesterday but hid ‘em so they wouldn’t get eaten too soon. They’re for your trip – a gift for your friends graduatin' and somethin' to snack on.”

Mike can just smile. His mother’s cookies and brownies are the best, and the Losers think the exact same thing. “Thanks, Mom. They’re gonna love them,” he tells her.

“Who doesn’t love your mother’s cooking?” Mike’s father questions as he walked into the kitchen. His eyes quickly land on his son. “Ready for your trip?”

He sucks in a breath and nods. “Most definitely. I am nervous a bit, though.”

The man rolls his eyes. “Don’t be. Only the parents are allowed to be nervous here, got it? Have fun and don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t," Mike promises.

His dad continues on, “And if anyone gives you shit, threaten them with a gun under their chin. Works like a charm.”

“Will,” Jessica Hanlon speaks in a warning tone to her husband.

“What? Want me to tell him to not stand up for himself and his friends?” Will asks.

Mike smiles as his eyes flit between his parents. “If it comes to that, I’ll try things nicely at first, promise.”

Jessica Hanlon looks pleased with that. “Good. Now, let’s get these in the car and get you to Richard’s, okay?”

“We’ve still got-.”

“If you wanna leave on time, you gotta get there early to pack everything in that van.”

She’s right. Of course she is, she’s Jessica Hanlon, a mom; and somehow mothers always know best – good mothers, that is. Not someone like Sonia Kaspbrak. Mike, after nodding in response to his mom, makes a face at the thought of his best friend’s mom as he helps carry the brownies and cookies to the car. Mrs. Kaspbrak is an overly protective and anxious parental figure with a giant irrational fear of her son being sick. She had made her child believe that he had tens of different sicknesses, making him take placebo pills, and inhaler for his very not real asthma that he now uses for panic attacks.

Mike carefully hands his mom the thing of cookies after she sets the brownies carefully in the backseat. She takes them with a smile and a thank you.

Thankfully though, Mike doesn’t need to worry much about whether or not Eddie’s mom is going to go crazy and lock him up in his room and keep him from going on the field trip, because the anxiety ridden teen made afternoon plans with Beverly Marsh. So, he stops worrying about Eddie, keeps himself from worrying about any of the others, and makes sure that he hasn’t forgotten anything before saying bye to his grandparents. He’s then climbing into the car beside the sweets, his parents up front, pure excitement coursing through him now.

+++

Beverly Marsh’s giggles mix with Eddie Kaspbrak’s loud laugh as they lean on one another for support. The radio is on, some pop song neither of them care much for playing softly in the background in the girl’s room; their suitcases and belongings that they’re taking on the road trip are in a neat pile in the living room, excluding the nail polish kit that’s currently sat on the messy bed with the two high school graduates. Neither of them know what they're laughing at anymore, having gotten into this fit of laughter and giggles minutes before hand, unable to stop once they started. Bev and Eddie sit across from each other, but as the laughs continued, Bev found herself leaning forward to where her forehead is resting on Eddie's shoulder, and as he leans back to catch his breath, it causes her head to drop down nearly face first into his crotch, eliciting more laughter after a beat of surprised silence.

Bev shrieks with laughter as she falls backwards with her knees in the air and arms around herself. "I almost face-planted your dick," she gets out through the laughter, wheezing.

Eddie wipes under his eyes, careful not to mess up the royal blue nail polish that's still drying, and he tries to calm himself down but giggles are bubbling up once again. "Oh, my God, that's the closest any girl will ever get to it." And the words just add to the fuel. Because, fuck, if that isn't the truest thing in the entire fucking world. Eddie is very much gay and Bev knows it, along with Stan and Richie, so the chance of a girl ever getting close to his private parts are in the negatives.

"Shit," Bev breathes out, a few more chuckles leaving her lips. "Fuck, Ed. My sides hurt." It comes out a vague whining tone but a smile is on her lips, so Eddie doesn't jump to serious conclusions about his best friend's health. His sides are hurting too, so he knows it's just from their laughing fit.

"That's the most I've laughed in days," Eddie admits, and Bev can only nod because she hasn't either. Between the stress of finals and getting ready for graduation, none of them have been stress-free enough to laugh that much. Hell, the seven of them haven't even spent much time together in the past couple of weeks because of school. Now, though, that's about to change. They are stress free, too, meaning laughter is coming easy. Maybe too easy for Eddie and Bev.

"Okay. Alright, we need to calm down," Bev says. She sits up, eyes glassy from tears of laughter, a dopey look on her face. But then her brows are lowering and she's become serious all of a sudden, nearly taking Eddie by surprise. "You didn't mess up my artwork did you?"

"Uh..." Eddie lifts his hands to look at the dark blue nails and then shows them to Bev. It certainly isn't the first time she's painted them; but back then it was either a thumb, or a piny, or one of his middle fingers just for shits and giggles. Never a full hand or both. That isn't the case this time around. Eddie won't need to worry about his mother seeing the color on his nails that'll then cause her to worry about her suspicion of her precious, delicate, baby breathing in toxic fumes of nail polish. He just has to worry about possibly messing the nails up while they dry, and he hopes that he hasn't done that.

Bev smiles, satisfied, serious expression gone. She takes her nail painting seriously. "Good. I actually think they're dry, honestly. Wanna do mine?"

Eddie's wide-eyed at the question. "Dude, what?"

"Dude, yeah," She mocked him, deepening her voice but not much. "It's not hard, Eddie, and it doesn't matter if it's messy."

He eyes the colors skeptically. "I dunno, Bev," he says slowly. "I don't wanna be the reason you have shitty nails."

The scoff that escapes her is paired with an eye roll. "I literally don't give a shit, man. Paint my nails fuckin'...shit brown, for all I care. This is about having fun and nail polish remover is a thing, need I remind you?"

"Fuck off," he mumbles and reaches for a dark green nail polish. He holds the bottle up, asking a silent question of if that color is okay. She nods enthusiastically with a bright smile, and soon enough Eddie is twisting the cap of the bottle off after shaking it and carefully starts to paint Bev's nails the best of his ability. They talk while he does so, avoiding anything that might cause them to break into a ten minute fit of laughter again, soaking in one another's company. Eddie sits cross-cross apple sauce, his knees touching Bev's since she is sitting the same way. He concentrates hard on making sure he doesn't mess up. Their conversations dwindle down to Bev simply telling him stories of funny situations he hadn't been around for at school.

It's when he's on her right ring finger when she asks, "Have you told Rich yet?"

Eddie freezes, the brush of the polish halting halfway across the nail. He blinks and shifts. The question is nowhere close to the same topic of Betty Ripsom downing milk mixed with hot sauce. Or, maybe it is, because it wouldn't surprise Eddie if Richie has done that before. A sigh escapes him and he goes back to painting his friend's nails, frowning. "No," he says quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't like me like that."

Bev lets out a one syllable laugh.

Eddie glances up at her from his slouched position. "I'm serious, Bev," he says.

"So am I," she tells him. "He likes you back, Eddie, believe me."

"Okay. If that's the case, so does Ben."

It's her turn to frown. "You heard what he said at the New Years party," she speaks quietly. "He used to like me. In middle school."

"Well, I don't believe that," Eddie tells her. She gives him a look, the exact same one he gives her when she insists that Richie likes him back. "I might even say he loves you."

"Oh, shut up," she exclaims. "He doesn't- the hell, Eddie?!"

He shrugs innocently, and finishes her right hand. "Well, he does. As friends, for sure. We all love each other. But I also mean he's, like, in love with you."

"If he did, he would've done something by now."

"He wrote you that poem," he points out. Eddie then brings her left hand closer, starting at her thumb. His dark eyes glance to her other hand; its messy as all hell but, like she said earlier, she obviously doesn't mind it. He blows a strand of hair from his forehead. Or, well, he tries to; it just ends up tickling him, making his nose scrunch up. In the end, Bev picks the strand carefully and easily moves it without messing up Eddie's work.

"We don't even know if that was actually him. I never figured it out," she says after a beat of silence.

The corners of his lips tug down. "Oh..."

She sighs. "Yeah." Then, "At least you have hope."

He rolls his eyes. "I do not-."

His protests got cut short by Beverly's aunt. "Bev! Eddie! Ben is here, so we gotta leave!"

Eddie raises a brow. "Speak of the devil."

Red dusts Bev's cheeks instantly and she moves to get off of the bed. She hisses a shut up at him. Then, "We're coming, Aunt Freya!"

"I haven't finished your nails!" Eddie complains as he closes the green polish, putting it with the others in a rush as Bev carefully opens the bedroom door to leave. He grabs the nail polish kit once its all together and hurries after Bev, nearly running into her.

When they enter the living room, he spots Ben talking to Freya, the eighteen year old towering over the woman with ease. It hit Eddie then how much Ben has truly changed over the years; he isn't that chubby kid anymore thanks to working out, joining Derry High's track team, and eating healthier, and it shows. He's more muscle now than anything. A sharp jaw. Long legs. Broad shoulders, too. But he's still Ben, with a kind smile and sweet blue eyes and straight dirty blond hair.

He leans close to Bev at realizing she is standing in place, too. "Ben looks extra hot today," he whispers just loud enough for only Bev to hear.

The look he gets in return is one of pure agreement.

+++

Richie is quite literally vibrating from excitement.

For the life of him, he can’t keep still. All throughout dinner, he had been jittery and talked faster than ever before about one thing or another, rambling nonstop. He only stopped as he went to his room when dinner was over. Still, an hour has passed by since then, and Richie’s motormouth is still going as he packs last minute things into a backpack, two suitcases on top of his bed.

Stan Uris leans against the door frame with crossed arms and a stoic expression as he listens to his best friend ramble on and on about how excited he is for the road trip. The Jewish boy has been there for approximately five minutes and he’s already heard more from Richie than the past week. Not that Stan can complain though – okay, he actually could, but won’t for now – because he’s excited too. His stoic expression doesn’t last long at all and soon enough he’s butting in with his own excitement filled words, leaving the door frame to the chair at Richie’s desk, occasionally mentioning things that the dark haired teen might want or, more importantly, need on the trip.

It goes like that for the next hour until Wentworth Tozier is shouting for the boys to bring down Richie’s belongings so they can start filling the twelve passenger van’s trunk up with suitcases. Stan’s is already there since his things had been neatly left in the living room, so all they have to currently do is put Richie’s in there. They toss their backpacks and pillows and blankets in their claimed seats – Richie gets the passenger’s seat, and Stan is sitting directly behind him. Either Bill or Mike are driving first; that situation has yet been affirmed. Went then puts in three of those red gallon things for gas in the very last row of seats where none of the Losers will be sitting.

They finish packing up the car with their things – including a cooler of drinks, tons of mixtapes Richie had made that he puts messily in the glove compartment, and the handy-dandy map Stan brought - and while Maggie and Went head back inside, Stan and Richie stay outside, climbing to the top of the van. They just sit there, legs dangling off of the edge as they converse with one another, watching for their friends.

"I can't believe this is happening," Richie says for probably the millionth time that day, and he continues as Stan nods. "I mean, dude, we were twelve and bored and so tired of the town already. Not to mention we probably each had, like...two cents to our names. How the fuck did we save up enough money? This is a fucking dream!" He throws his arms up in the air and nearly smacks Stan in the face, the light curly haired boy blinking wildly as he leans back, a bit stunned.

Stan grabs Richie's wrist and moves it up and away from his space somewhat harshly. "I’m more surprised our parents agreed,” he admits. “We aren’t exactly the best behaved group around.”

“I mean, we’re eighteen; all of us. What can they do now? We’re legal adults, Stanny!”

“Well, we do still technically live in their homes, meaning we should live by their rules-.”

Richie groans and flops down onto the roof of the van, arms spread out. “Rules smules, Stanny. They agreed, man, just be happy.” He then puts his sunglasses over his eyes despite darkness having settled over them a bit ago.

The only thing lighting up the driveway is the lamppost not too far away and the moon and stars above them. Richie pushes the sunglasses to his forehead to get a proper look at the stars, thinking of the stick-on and glow in the dark ones on his ceiling in his bedroom. Eddie helped him put the stars up their a few years ago; both boys were bored and Richie wanted something added to his chaotic mess of a room. Hence the glow in the dark stars. It became a mess, to put it simply. Eddie had attempted to copy real constellations; some were put too close together causing random clusters and others seem to be too far apart. Eventually the boys gave up on making it seem like an actual sky and just plasters the stars randomly. Later they made up their own constellations. And looking at the sky with actual stars with real constellations makes him want to head up to his bedroom, lay on his bed, and look at the made up ones.

“—ike’s here.”

Richie blinks and turns to look at Stan, brows knitting together as he watched his best friend climb off of the van carefully. It takes him a moment to realize that someone is driving up to is house and that Stan already knows who it is. Richie sits up and smiles wide at seeing the familiar car that belongs to the Hanlons, and he catches Stan’s eye as they pull in beside the van, winking. Stan’s cheeks turn pink for the slightest second as he subtly flips off Richie.

“Mikey!” Richie shouts as their friend exits his parents’ car. The lanky eighteen year old is now standing on top of the van with arms spread out and a wide smile adorning his features.

Stan rolls his eyes at Richie but smiles at Mike. “Hey, Mikey.”

“Hi, Stan,” Mike says, pulling him into a tight hug. It takes Stan by surprise, eyes widening for a split second before he’s hugging back. All the while, he’s trying to not freak out, and hopes that Mike can’t feel his quickened heartbeat.

“Oh, alright. Ignore me for Stan the Man – I’m just chopped liver, aren’t I? Well, fu- uh. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hanlon, how are you on this fine night?” Richie chuckles nervously and stuffs his hands into his shorts’ pockets. He moves back and forth on his feet as he looks down at Mike’s parents, acting as if wasn’t about to cuss out his friends.

Will Hanlon politely smiles at the teen. “We’re doing good, Richie. How are you?”

“I’m great. On top of the world, one could say!”

“You be careful up there now, understand?” Jessica Hanlon says after greeting Stan with a hug and a kiss on the cheek; Stan just waves at Mike’s dad, who smiles and waves back.

Richie nods. “Yes, ma’am, I will.“

“I’ll be sure to push him off the edge,” Stan jokes.

Mike laughs. “Hey, we don’t need Richie being injured just yet.”

“Yet?” Richie echoes, offended. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?!”

Neither boy gets to answer, because Jessica is speaking again. “Are Maggie and Went inside, Richie?”

“Yes, ma’am, they are. Probably canoodling, or something, or crying about their favorite child leaving.”

“You’re full of it today, Rich,” Stan says.

“Mike, don’t forget the brownies and cookies,” Will reminds his son as he and his wife walk to the front door, his words keeping Richie from blurting out anything remotely sexual back at his best friend.

“The infamous Mrs. Hanlon’s sweets!” Richie shouts. He rubs his hands together and Mike is half reminded of a fly. “Give me one, please, Mikey?”

Mike shakes his head as he grabs two tupperware boxes. He gives them to Stan, who lifts them up to try and look at the contents through the somewhat see-through plastic. “Not until we get on the road. Sorry, man,” Mike says, looking genuinely guilty. He’s then getting the other two boxes and shits the car door with his foot.

“Buzz kill.”

“Lay off him, Rich.”

“Two buzz kills!”

“Eddie’s here.”

“Where?” Richie spins around to look down the street both ways. He nearly trips over his own two feet but steadies himself, not noticing how both Stan and Mike hurry forward in case he doesn’t. A soft breeze passes by them; it ruffles up Stan’s and Richie’s curls, and makes Richie’s ugly bright green Hawaiian shirt sway. There’s no car, though. No sign of their hypochondriac or fiery redhead or their favorite clubhouse builder. He visibly pouts and looks down at Stan through his glasses. “Fucking rude, dude.”

“Whoops. Sorry.” But he’s not – at least Stan sounds and looks; a flat voice and amusement in his eyes.

Mike softly chuckles. “Everyone will get here soon, man, don’t sweat it.”

Richie moves to sit back down on the top of the van as the other two situate the sweets, and then together the maneuver Mike’s luggage in the trunk, leaving his backpack and all out until they decide who’s driving. After that, Mike and Stan climb to the top of the van and sit on either side of Richie as they wait for the remaining four. The conversation between them flows easily, sharing what they’re excited about and making plans to have a prank war at some point.

+++

“This stupid potholes.”

Ben turns around from the passenger’s seat and looks at Beverly and Eddie, the two facing each other in the back of Freya’s car as the boy attempts to finish the girl’s nails on the car ride to Richie’s. Ben shifts around to look easier and peers at Bev’s nails on her left hand.

“Doesn’t look bad, Ed,” Ben tells his friend. “Considering how many potholes we’ve gone over in the past two minutes.”

“I’m trying to avoid them, I swear,” Freya speaks from her spot in the driver’s seat, sounding just as annoyed as Eddie. “Stupid Derry won’t repave any of the roads!”

Eddie sighs in frustration as they hit another pothole. Both him and Bev attempt to stay as still as possible to avoid getting green nail polish all over her fingers. “They look like crap,” he mumbles.

“They look good!” Bev assures. “Better than what I could’ve done in this situation, honestly.”

Eddie gives her a look of disbelief but doesn’t say anything.

“Certainly better than me, that’s for sure,” Ben tells him.

“You’ve painted her nails before,” Eddie states.

“Not in a moving car on a pothole filled road.”

The short teen rolls his eyes. Ben notices that he tried to hide a smile, but he still sees it anyway. Ben looks over to Bev, and blinks as she quickly turns away from having been caught looking at him. Ben bites back his own smile as some pink fists across her cheeks, red curls touching her chin and hiding part of her face. All he really wants to do is push the strands out of the way to get a better look at her.

He doesn’t. Instead, he focused back on Eddie concentrating hard. Just as he finally finishes, Bev’s aunt is stopping the car. Ben turns around properly to see that they are stopped on the side of the road just before the Tozier mailbox. It doesn’t take long at all for him, Eddie and Bev to scurry out of the car and up to where the van is parked.

“Told you they’d be here soon,” Ben hears Mike say to Richie, who flicks Mike in the forehead. That earns Richie a slap in the back of the head from Stan. Ben smiles fondly at them as he stops at the side of the van.

“Why are you on top of the van?” Ben asks.

“Why aren’t you?” Stan retaliates.

Ben nods, his smile growing. “Good point,” he laughs.

“My Eds!” Richie suddenly shouts and stands, arms thrown out.

Ben spins around to see the end of Eddie flinching at the sudden shout from Richie.

Eddie turns around from pulling out his things from Freya’s car and flares at Richie. “I’m not your anything, and that isn’t my name! And what the hell are you doing standing on top of the van?! You could break something if you fall, dipshit!”

Ben walks back to the car, passing Freya on the way as the woman goes inside, and gets his stuff out, tubing out Richie’s and Eddie’s loud bickering as he does so. He freeze though, glancing beside him at Bev leaning against the car with a vague pout.

“You okay, Bev?”

She lifts her head and looks at him. “Hm? Oh, yeah! Just... Can’t get my things because of my nails.” As if to prove it, she lifts up both hands, wiggling her fingers.

Ben gets his pillow last and carefully sets it on top of his suitcase. “I’ll get yours, don’t worry about it.”

“What? No, I- my stuff is heavy, Ben, and if I’m careful I can lift it on my own.”

He shakes his head and starts getting Bev’s things. “It’s really no problem. I did help you put them in the car, by the way. Plus, you don’t want to mess up Eddie’s hard work, do you?”

“Damn right she doesn’t,” Eddie butts in to grab his own pillow. “I’ll have your head if you do, Marsh. Oh my God, Richie stop acting like you’re gonna jump off of the van or I’ll push you myself! Stan, don’t you dare actually push him!”

Ben and Bev glance at each other as Eddie rushes over to the van. They share a silent look – idiots, that’s what Richie and Eddie are – and let out small laughs.

“Thanks, Ben,” Bev says a few minutes later when her, Eddie’s and Ben’s luggage are placed in the trunk, backpacks and pillows in their claimed seats inside the van.

He shrugs. “No problem, Bev.”

“I’d totally give you a hug but...” She lifts her hands again.

“You can just give me one later,” he finds himself saying. It surprises him, and he quickly tries to backtrack. “Not- not that you have to! Just, uh, y’know, I- it’s just a hug, I mean, and obviously you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t- don’t really need one, either, but- fuck, I’m not saying I don’t want a hug, because hugs are nice! They’re really nice! Um. I-.”

“Ben.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s okay,” Bev tells him with a small smile.

“Oh, alright. Good.” He relaxed then, and nods, and smiles back.

Then she’s turning around and is demanding help from Richie and Mike to get on the roof of the van - Eddie's already up there - and Ben stays by the closed trunk in attempt to stop his fast beating heart. A few months ago, he genuinely believed that he was over the crush on Bev. At the time, he thought it was true. It hit him rather quickly that it wasn’t. That it isn’t. And now, with Bev under the moonlit and starlit sky and a single street lamp casting an orange glow that causes her red hair to stick out beautifully and sits on her skin wonderfully, he can’t help but think that he might even be falling in love.

He shakes his head at the thought. He can’t be in love with Bev; can’t date her, either. She’s Bill’s ex. Sure, they’re friends – best friends, all of them – but a part of him still feels bad for even bringing up a possibility of dating her.

Then, he’s pushing those thoughts away and gets on top of the van, too, staying clear of the middle where Richie stands, holding Eddie hostage in his arms as a form of a hug.

“Bill’s officially late,” Mike announces as he catches a glimpse of the time on Stan’s watch. “It’s two minutes passed nine.”

“Just say nine-oh-two, Mikey, it’s simpler,” Richie says, still holding onto Eddie, albeit not as tightly and neither are standing anymore. He’s sitting down with Eddie between his legs, back to chest, Richie’s long arms around the smaller teen. And Eddie doesn’t look annoyed; rather comfortable and content, and Ben is reminded of the hundreds of times they shared the hammock in the underground clubhouse. His eyes move between the two and then finds himself looking back to Bev, who’s sitting near the back. They both look back at Richie and Eddie before meeting eyes again, sharing another look.

Mike flips Richie off, turning his head to smile sickeningly sweet. “No.”

Richie returns the gesture. "Fuck a cactus," he says, sounding equally sickeningly sweet.

"Ladies first, Tozier."

Stan rolls his eyes and reaches behind him to slap Richie's foot, and then gently backhands Mike's shoulder. No one gets a chance to say anything else, because right then the familiar Denbrough car is coming down the road and parking behind Bev's aunt's car. A small figure jumps out first, which causes Richie to rip himself away from Eddie and get down from the top of the van.

"Georgie!" Richie exclaims as he runs over, passing Bill completely to get to the youngest Denbrough brother.

"Richie!" Georgie shouts back equally excited.

Even from the top of the van, Ben can see Bill's offended look; and by the laughs of the others, they can see it too. Everyone gets off of the van then to greet Bill, and help pack the things into the trunk. Mike gets to Bill first, pulling their friend into a hug and pressing a friendly kiss to the top of his head before pulling away. Then Stan and Eddie trap Bill into a hug sandwich as Mike explains how Bill is late - "By three fucking m-minutes, dude!" - before they step away and let Bev greet him. Ben looks else where in that moment, and finds himself watching Richie as the lanky guy runs around the yard with Georgie on his back.

"P-Pretty sure he loves Georgie more than me," Bill jokes as he walks up to Ben, a soft smile on his face as he looks at the two as well.

Ben looks at him. "Honestly, that's possible," he teases.

Bill scoffs and rolls his eyes, and pulls the taller eighteen year old into a hug. "Shut the fuck up," he says fondly.

+++

Stan watches through the windshield at the parents saying goodbye to their children. (It’s nearing nine-thirty, meaning they've got to leave soon if they want to get to their destined motel before two in the morning). They situated all the seating arrangements for the time being once the Losers all had their fair share of Georgie Denbrough hugs and loving; Stan and Richie ended up switching spots for the only reason that whoever is driving needs someone to check the map - something of which Stan has and isn't letting any of the others keep - so, really, they had to switch.

After making sure that no one is forgetting anything, the goodbyes to the families have started, and Stan is honestly glad that neither of his parents are there. They already had their tearful goodbyes and hugs; he actually urged them to head back home after they dropped him off at Richie's. He watches as the Toziers try not to cry in front of one another, and Freya hugging Bev; both are wiping tears from under their eyes as they pull away. Then there are the Denbroughs; Zach and Sharon are rattling off important things that Bill needs to remember, the teen comforting Georgie the best he could. Then there are the Hanlons - dry eyes but bittersweet smiles and words of good luck. The only others who aren't saying goodbye to a familiar member is Eddie, who's in the middle of the row of seats right behind the driver's and passenger's, and Ben, who went inside earlier to use the bathroom.

"I wish my dad were here," Eddie suddenly blurts out, yanking Stan away from people watching.

Stan turns his head to Eddie with a frown. The boy doesn't talk much about his dad at all, meaning none of the Losers have really heard much about Frank Kaspbrak. All they know is that the guy really liked cars, and because of that Eddie got into liking cars, too. "What makes you say that?" Stan asks. And, well, the answer is kind of obvious but it's better than saying I'm sorry or nothing at all.

Eddie shrugs and leans back against the seat, brown eyes moving over their friends still outside of the van. "I don't know," he whispers. "Just...wish I had a cool dad, I guess."

"All dads are lame," Stan says. "Horrible humor, sometimes emotionless, terrible fashion taste. But, hey, you can borrow my dad sometime. He'll force you to listen to jazz, though, just a warning."

At the small smile that comes from his friend, Stan lets himself smile too. "I don't think borrowing dads is a thing."

"Should be," Stan says. "Imagine borrowing Went for a day."

Eddie's smile grows. "A dentist? No thanks, the guy'll force me to floss after every meal! Imagine borrowing Mr. Hanlon?"

"He'd just put us to work. Endless dad jokes, too." He pauses. "Mr. Denbrough?"

"I love him, but he's boring. Bill says he just watches sports."

"Okay, so maybe borrowing dads shouldn't be a thing."

As they both laugh, the back doors are sliding open and Ben is going to the row of seats behind Eddie. "You guys excited?" He asks, leaning on one of the head rests in front of him.

Eddie nods quickly. "Definitely. I can't wait until we pass that 'Leaving Derry' sign."

"You can say that again," Bev's voice meets their ears as she climbs in to sit beside Eddie, smiling kindly at Ben. She sits criss cross apple sauce in the seat and holds her pillow to her chest. "Why are we leaving at night again?"

"Because we wanted to leave as soon as possible but also didn't want to cut time with family too short," Stan answers.

She just nods, and then soon enough everyone else is getting into the van. Bill gets into the driver's seat; he refuses to let anyone else drive on the first night, and Mike gets into the back with Ben while Richie sits on the other side of Eddie. After making sure that everyone is situated with their seatbelts buckled, they leave the drive way, hands sticking out of the windows to wave by their parents, and Bill drives them out of the neighborhood at a safe pace, only to speed up the moment he's out of it and Richie unbuckles his seat belt and leans up front, eliciting shouts from almost everyone.

"What the fuck, Richie?!" Eddie yells.

Richie doesn't say anything back, and instead points to the glove compartment while looking at Stan. "We need music, buddy," he says to him.

Stan gives him a look. "Will you put your seatbelt back on if I help you?"

"Maybe."

He smiles - a small one but a smile nonetheless - and opens the glove compartment, eyebrows raising at how many homemade cassette tapes and protected CDs. "Uh... Which one?"

Richie leans forward more and points to one of the cassette tapes. "The mixtape that says, 'Finally leaving Derry'."

Stan nods and swats Richie away like a fly. He grabs the desired mixtape and holds it up until Richie's sitting back properly with the seatbelt on, and Stan chuckles when Eddie whacks him upside the head for unbuckling it in the first place. He finally puts it in. Bill then turns up the music as the familiar guitar riffs of 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' by The Clash fills the van, foot pushing harder on the pedal as they get closer to leaving Derry.

Finally, they pass the Leaving Derry, Come Back Soon! sign, and the graduates all share matching grins of excitement.

They all seem to simultaneously breathe out a breath of air, relieved to finally be leaving their hometown. Richie soon starts to dance in his seat as he belts out the lyrics to the song with Mike and Bev, and Ben gets out Bill's camera after asking for permission and takes a photo that's destined to be blurry as shit once it develops properly. Eddie's vaguely annoyed at first but soon joins in, and Stan just bobs his head along to the music as Bill does his best to not wreck the van within the first ten minutes of getting on the road; but he's still smiling and laughing at his friends. He can already tell that the trip is going to be filled with fun times. And, well, he hopes that's all there is.

taglist: @snapmyneckandcallmeloki @eddiekazier

#reddie #benverly #it fic #it 2017 #road trip au #my writing #the losers club #richie tozier #bill denbrough #eddie kaspbrak #stan uris #stanley uris #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #life is a highway #*

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amarauder · 5 years

Text

the burdens of reality - sodapop curtis x reader

PAIRING; Sodapop Curtis x Reader

DATE; May 23rd, 2019

WORD COUNT; 4831

WARNING; angst, lots of triggers, mentions of anxiety attacks, heartbreak, death, lack of self-confidence-but this is only in the first part. Also, bad words.

A/N; You know those Authors Notes that talk about how this is a horrible one shot and they apologize but then you read it and you're like 'what the hell were they talking about earlier? i'd kill to write this good?' I'm sure you've all stumbled upon at least one of them-even if you don't know it. I hate to break it to you though, this is not one of them. This One Shot is actually shitty, like laughable shitty. I originally actually had a plot for this one shot but i don't even know what the hell happened. Also, Sodapop's personality is so screwed up and nothing like him.

I would rewrite it but if I look at this damned thing one more time I might punch myself. So, I hope you don't judge my writing on this one one shot because i promise i am usually better at this and i want you to actually enjoy reading my works.

TRAILER; in which the love of a boy's life returns to their hometown.

College was always busy, the corridors always bustling with students either rushing to get to class or dip before the bell rang. The occasional teacher would sometimes be thrown into the mix, the most commonly seen teacher was Professor Hatwell. He was Y/N's Psychology Professor as well as advisor. By far, the man was Y/N's favorite professor there, he always seemed to know what to say or what to do whenever she would talk to him about whatever was stressing her out.

Most people thought it was weird to have such a close connection with a teacher, but Y/N didn't worry about it too much. It wasn't like they were the ones discussing different topics with the Professor.

However, the one thing Y/N didn't like about Hatwell was his tardiness. The man never seemed to be on time ever. He didn't seem to care much about how late he was either. But it drove Y/N crazy sometimes, crazy enough that she had ranted about it to her friends.

"I don't understand why you are having a cow about it, Y/N. I would kill for my other professors to be late every class. Majority of mine get there an hour early! Who has time for that?" Tammy said as they rounded the corner. The girl had always been lazy in her academics, but she was usually understanding about most topics Y/N would bring up to complain about. She didn't understand why Tammy would always clam up or shut the conversation down whenever she brought up her Psychology's teacher's name.

"I'm not having a cow about it! I'm just annoyed! I had to wait an entire half hour outside his office yesterday!"

"What were you doing there?"

"I needed to talk to him."

"About what?"

"Why are you being so nosy?"

The girl sighed before stopping in her steps so abruptly Y/N would have kept walking if she hadn't been apprehensive about her next sentence. Tammy quickly looked over both of her shoulders before pulling Y/N closer to the stone walls of the building, "Look," she said, looking at Y/N so seriously it almost worried her, "You know I'm not one to listen to gossip-"

She already knew where this was going, Y/N wasn't deaf either, she heard the whispers about her relationship with the professor, "Tammy-"

"No, you need to listen. I'm not one to listen or give a shit about what anyone says but rumors can get deadly. Take it from me, my reputation was ruined by some insecure prick who got rejected one too many times. But this, this could end up a lot worse than some snotty comments and snide. Professor Hatwell could lose his job and you could get expelled. So, tell me honestly, are you screwing him?"

"Tammy, come on."

"Answer me."

"No, I would never. I just like to make good relationships with my teachers."

"I know," Tammy sighed and looked guilty for a second, "But we aren't in Kindergarten anymore, we can't go around hugging and hanging out with our teachers like we used too. It raises suspicion." Y/N looked away from Tammy for a while, letting all of the new information sink in. It was hard to hear that Tammy didn't trust her, she was her best friend afterall. But, the more rational side of Y/N, also knew it was just because she was concerned for her well-being. "I just... Be careful, okay? I don't know what I'd do if you left me in this hell hole."

Y/N cracked a smile at her friend's antics, before rolling her eyes, "You're paying a lot of money for this hell hole."

"I know. that's why it's called school, not jail."

Snorting at her last comment, Y/N pushed away from the wall and continued onto her way to class. They both had Psychology together, one of the only classes they shared. Thanks to Y/N's whining and begging Tammy to take a class that didn't have anything to do with Politics.

"You know, I think when I become President of the United States, the first thing I'll do is eliminate schools."

"Is this all part of your plan to take over the world?" Y/N asked as they walked through the door. The whole time after the talk, she had grown nervous. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but she had a feeling that Tammy really put things in perspective for her. If people's gossiping out of hand, she could get sent home and Y/N never wanted to go back to Tusla ever again.

She needed to nip this in the bud as soon as possible.

She needed a boyfriend.

"Hey," Tammy whispered bringing Y/N back to the present, "Look at the front."

Following her friend's orders, she looked down to see a collection of Professors conversing with each other, with Hatwell in the middle. "I can't believe he's early. Something must have gone very wrong."

She started to get even more worried. She wasn't worried about Tammy's last comment or the coversation they had earlier, or the reasoning behind Hatwell's earliness. What she was worried about was the fact that they kept looking back at her, repeatedly. Almost like they were discussing about her.

The first thing Y/N noticed was the buzzing of the air conditioning. Her face felt white hot even though she knew she must be as pale as a ghost. She was shaking like a leaf, judging by her facial expression, she knew exactly what Tammy was going to say next

"They were talking about you."

The noise got louder. Her ears picked up some voices that didn't belong to Tammy's.

"Actually, they were discussing more about your brother than you."

The buzzing got louder, along with the voices. She could hear them clearly now, along with a faint screaming coming from a young girl.

"They want to send you home."

Y/N felt dizzy, so dizzy that she had to grip her arms on her chair to keep the world from spinning.

"They said that there had been an accident."

There was an iron taste in her mouth, and from the stinging pain coming from her bottom lip, she realized that she had bit some of the skin off.

"A bomb went off where your brother was stationed at. He had gotten out alright, thanks to a friend who saved him. But he had passed away later on at the hospital."

The buzzing was unbearable now, along with the shouting voices. The screaming had deafened slightly, but that was only because the voices seemed to have over-powered it. She wondered who it was coming from, they certainly didn't have anything to scream about-not like Y/N did. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt like sandpaper, a stark contrast to her bleeding lip.

"They are having a funeral service next weekend, but your Mother wants you back early. Golly, Y/N, I'm so sorry. "

The world suddenly came back into focus, like strobe lights blinking brightly, blinding her momentarily. The buzzing and the voices diminished within seconds. Her dizziness went along with it. But the pain from her lips and dryness of her mouth didn't. They seemed to never go away-not after what happened in Tulsa all those years ago.

Although, the screaming had gotten worse, she had to cover her ears in an attempt to save her hearing. But that didn't help at all, she had a feeling that even the earplugs her Mother used to wear to block out her Father's snores.

She realized soon later, who had been screaming. It had been herself.

Liveliness was a curious thing. It seemed to have developed a habit of disappearing when she most desired it, but reappearing when Y/N didn't notice it.

It was funny how she seemed to only treasure things once they were gone.

Her room looked the exact same when she had left. Her pictures hadn't moved, dust had even collected onto them. There was the same red thread on the comforter that only got bigger and bigger every time she picked at it. Her robe still hung at the hook on her wall, along with her slippers sitting next to the bed.

The only difference was the feel of her room, it wasn't the same as it felt previously. The room had lost the homey feeling and instead had been replaced by an eerily stillness.

She sighed and sat up in her bed, she had arrived late last night. It had been a hard night, the second she walked into the house she was reminded of why she had left. Her Mother was sitting on the counter, a glass of whiskey in her hand, as she cried her eyes out. Her Father stood next to her staring into space, he had a tick in his jaw that hadn't been there the last time she saw him.

That day she left for college was also the day they had taken Gary away for war.

Blinking her thoughts away, she looked down at the thread in her hands and played with it some more. She tried to ignore the way her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't even tie a knot, but after a few tries she let out a sound that was in between a whimper and a sigh of annoyance. She dropped the string and instead gripped and pulled on her hair as she tried to get her emotions in check.

She took in the shakiest breath she had ever taken before taking her hands out of her hand and instead put them into fists and pressed them against her closed eyes. Her lip trembled as she felt the aching in her heart return, worse than ever. The following day after finding out the news, she had been in denial. It was hard not to expect for things to not be the same as they always were when she got home.

She could still see her brother wrapping her inside a warm hug the moment she walked through the door. She had been just a child then, the ripe age of sixteen. She would expect a small scolding from him before asking how Sodapop was. Then, he would make them both hot chocolate or lemonade if it was a warm night and they would talk until there was nothing left to say.

He had been her very best friend and she missed him more than ever. A gasp escaped her lips as she tried to catch her breath after trying to hold in sobs, "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she whispered to herself in a hoarse voice, "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry."

The words had become a mantra over time, she used to whisper them to Sodapop when he would come over in tears and gasping for air. She had realized pretty quickly that her best friend suffered from anxiety attacks and it broke her heart, more so than when they had broken apart.

"Y/N!" She heard her Mother call from down the hall, "Breakfast is ready, darling!"

She nodded her head, before clearing her throat and yelling back once she realized that she couldn't see her nod. She took in a deep breath and stretched, she needed to ignore her thoughts and if getting herself distracted required rollerskating around town while juggling three balls then so be it.

Thoughts were deathly in times like this.

Hopping off her bed, she put her robe over her nightdress and started to take out her curlers. Once they were all out, she took a quick look in the mirror to run her fingers through the tight curls to turn them into soft waves.

She walked down the hall, sprinting past her brother's old room. She was thankful that her Mother had shut the door. Just as she finished bounding down the stairs with one foot-it had become a tradition of her brother's to do that on his first night back from College. Now that he was gone, she took the liberty to do it for him-the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Y/N hollered. She swung open the door wondering who on Earth would be at her house this early in the morning.

There, standing in the doorway, was the last person she wanted and expected to see. Sodapop leaned against the wall of the doorway, swinging her Father's keys in one finger. He hadn't seen her yet, and Y/N took that time to school her features into a normal expression.

His face was ashen as he stared at her, the look in his eyes almost made her whimper. His lips were parted slightly and she heard him take in a sharp intake of breath. His eyes took in her appearance greedily, she took the time to do the same. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him.

Though, when he looked up and she saw his facial expression, she almost wished she had kept her own. Maybe then he wouldn't be looking at her like she was dog shit, though she was dog shit. After what she had done to him, the girl had sometimes believed she was dog shit.

He cleared his throat and looked away. She must have been staring. Blushing and copying his actions, she waited for him to speak up, "Umm, I need to speak to Mr. L/N."

Y/N scoffed, her mind was screaming at her to bring out of the stubborn part of her and demand to know why he was talking to her this way, but her heart, her poor, poor heart. It hadn't been made for this kind of pain all in one day. It just wanted to either run from the pain or ease it. She didn't want to know what it had in mind to help ease the pain.

"Sure, I'll go grab him." Y/N turned around quickly and took in a deep breath, she needed to calm herself down. She could already feel the tears starting to gather, the aching and throbbing of her heart was starting to get unbearable, "You can come in, the drawing room is open. You still remember where it is?"

She saw Soda nod out of the corner of her eye. Quickly walking into the kitchen and slamming the door behind her, she took in a deep breath while sliding down it.

She didn't know how long she had sat there for, but by the time her sobs had finally condensed into sniffles she saw her Father walk into the room. She opened her mouth to tell him to go address Soda in the other room, but she missed her chance when she saw the devil himself walk in the room.

"Are you alright, darling?" her Father asked, then turned to Sodapop who was staring at her with such a such an obvious confusion, she almost wished he could try to hide it. "She took her brother's death pretty hard. They used to be best friends you know."

"He is," she whispered to him, "He still is my best friend. He will always be my best friend." Her Father walked right past her, not even bothering to discuss the words she had finally relieved to the world. Sodapop, ever the gentleman, had instead offered a hand to help her get up. Her eyes furrowed as she stared at the hand, wondering what was the catch behind his change of attitude. Her limp hand took his own as she lifted her up. She quickly brushed her tears away and muttered a weak thanks, she almost wanted to kick herself for thinking about Sodapop's supposed 'double sided actions', the man had always been too kind for his own good.

"Now, Mr.Curtis, would you like a beer or a" her Father hesitated for a second and Y/N almost blurted out the well known joke, "it seems like we only have beer or water."

"A water is fine, sir. Thank you."

"Daddy," Y/N called and tightened her robe around herself. "Theresa has already made breakfast and Mother is expecting me, may i excuse myself?"

"Yes, yes, just a moment." He said and handed Sodapop a water before side-hugging the man, "I would like you to meet Sodapop Curtis. He was the hero who saved Gary."

Y/N wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Of course it had to be him. He couldn't have let anyone else save her brother. Golly, she even would have preferred one of the men her Mother tried to set her up with. Smiling polietly at her Father she said, "We went to school together, Daddy. It's nice to see you again, Mr.Curtis. How do you do?"

Placing her hands behind her back, she dug her nails into the palm of her hand. It was the only thing keeping her grounded. "Good, thank you for asking. Nice weather we are having aren't we?"

Staring at him silently, she narrowed her eyes before looking away. When they had been good friends, she remembered running into Soda plenty at the Gas Station and dealing with rude girls. But one thing that had always stood out to her was him mentioning how he had developed a habit of asking people about the weather when he hated them.

Ignoring the sickening feeling in her stomach, she gave him a small smile that she was sure looked more like a grimace and left the room.

The voices wouldn't leave her head even after she had left the room. She felt like a mindless robot, she hadn't realized she had entered the dining room until she felt an arm snake around her waist. Looking down, she was surprised to see Timothy grinning up at her. She gave him the smallest smile, feeling only her cheeks rise she forced herself to bring the corners of her lips up. Her Mother's stare dug into her side profile but she didn't care much. Her mind was occupied with other worries than her Mother's desperate attempt to get her married as early as possible and stop the independence she was learning-thanks to college.

"What do you think you are wearing?" She heard her Mother's voice, but it sounded distant as if she was listening to a record but she was in a separate room. It wasn't until she felt a tug on her nightdress did she look to her Mother, "Why don't you go make yourself decent?"

Pursing her lips, she left the room with quick but short steps. She was exhausted, leaning on her last bit of ferocity to keep her going. Feeling trapped was never fun, especially with her least favorite people on Earth keeping her inside the cage they called a home.

"Y/N!" She turned around to see Sodapop walking towards her.

Scoffing quietly and wiping her disgusted expression from her face she turned towards him, "If you're here to lecture me, I don't want to hear it."

"I just wanted to say that I hope you know I didn't save him because of you, I saved him because he was a good man."

"Thanks for that, Curtis. Everything is so much clearer now."

He made a face at her comment, one that she knew only meant he wasn't finished yet. "Listen, Soda, I will be forever thankful you saved my brother. But why tell me that?" Pausing for a second she waited to hear any words from him. But when none came, she continued, "It's just, it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me."

"The whole world doesn't revolve around you."

"I'm not stupid. I'm just wondering why you are acting so defensive."

A flash of hurt washed through his features and Y/N wished she could take that comment back. They both knew he had every right to act however he wanted and deserved no harsh words from her. If anything, she was jealous of his self control. If she had been in his position, she would have refused contact with him, no matter the consequences. But Soda had never been like her, something she admired about him greatly.

"I'm just wondering why you are acting like nothing happened. Why you are acting like you never cheated on me? Are you really that ashamed by your actions?"

She choose not to answer and instead put her attention into the man poking his head out the front door, "Hey, Pepsi Cola! We gotta hit the gravel before-Oh. Well, nevermind the devil has already arrived."

"Nice to see you again too, Steve." She said before turning back to the man beside her. She wasn't in the mood to receive any crap Steve would give her. "I just thought you would be a little more understanding after you received my letter. But no matter, I don't blame you for behaving this way. Lord knows how I would act." Watching the boys stare at her blankly, she choose to make her leave. It was already too awkward inside her home, she didn't need them to make it worse. "Well, goodbye boys. I hope you have a good life."

"Wait! Y/N!"

"Yes?"

"What letter?" Sodapop asked, his hand reached out to touch her own before retracting after realizing what he had been doing.

She stared at him for a few seconds as if wondering his sanity. She knew she sent the letter out to him, she had taken plenty of time drafting out the letter an planning how she could mail it out without her parents witnessing it. Except she hadn't been successful, she knew her Mother had seen her. But Y/N had thought that her Mother hadn't even known she was near the mailbox. The woman had been driving into the driveway right when the envelope slid through the slit.

But what if she had saw?

What if she knew and somehow got the letter before he could receive it?

"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, feeling dizzier and dizzier as her thoughts raced through her head. She reached out for a chair to sit in but missed and instead fell into someone's arms instead. Her Father stood above her, holding her armpits with disdain.

"I will be right back," he said directing it to Soda and Steve, "Take care of her until I come back."

They nodded and gently set her down in a chair a few feet away form where her Father had been holding her. Steve had been a little more rough, but she had expected that. "Y/N," she looked to Sodapop, "What letter?"

"If you didn't recieve it, you never will read it. I'm sorry."

"Yes, he will." She looked over his shoulder to see her Father walking towards them and holding a yellow box.

Her breath hitched as nerves shot through her. She found herself wildly shaking her head, "Father, no. Please, no. If you have any respect for me, any at all, please, please return the box to it's rightful place."

He handed it to Soda without a word or a glance her way. She felt dizzy and overwhelmed and so so out of control. Y/N wondered why now, of all times she had finally lost it. She could name more memories she had of watching her life be ruined in front of her eyes, thanks to her parents but she had kept her mouth shut.

Sodapop hesitated before opening it, looking at her pleading and begging form. She had begun to walk towards him with tears streaming down her face before she stopped herself. He had already opened the box and knew it was no use to snatch it out of his hands now.

She walked towards him and peeked over his shoulder with her hands wrapped around her waist as silent sobs escaped her lips.

The first thing she saw was a picture of her and Sodapop dancing together. It had been taken by Steve, Sodapop had grabbed her in the middle of the DX and started to dance with her. Customers had been in the store, walking around and shopping but he didn't care and had instead twired her around the store.

She remembered writing a poem on the back of the picture, and reached out to grab it. She flipped the picture around and saw that it was still there.

There's a boy with sun-soaked eyes and the smell of gasoline around his collar. his laugh shakes you like running barefoot through a pine forest. you trade kisses for dreams before you realize it. he fades, like the dreams of yesterday and you realize you were recklessly in.

sunshine looks good on him, golden sun and bronze freckles, arrogant but strangely alive, like half healed scars, reminders of the stars that you love so much.

a broken mess of human bones and you feel home, you feel safe because you know that feeling all too well. he speaks to you in poetry, all soul aching until you curl up into your bed and shut the world out, ignore his calls.

a red-stained mouth that tastes of cherries and wine, shocked gasps from frozen fingertips on your warm skin, he's dangerous and his smile is razor-sharp, peaked white teeth glimmering in the mid-summer sun.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She turned to Sodapop who had tears streaming down his face, he had always been one to show his emotions. Something she both loved and hated, hated only because she had developed a habit of crying whenever he did.

She took her lower lip between her teeth and fought her tears, she couldn't cry again. Not now, she hadn't even realized she had stopped crying. Taking in a deep breath she remembered all that she had written in the letter. She had written about how she loved him with all her heart and how much it hurt her to hurt him this way. About how she didn't have a choice. They were evil, her parents were evil. They were either going to send her off with some boy or push it back and let her go off to college and follow her dreams-as long as she made her non existent love that she held for Timothy look real. She told how that she thought it would be less painful for him, but she was selfish and had to tell him the truth. She couldn't bare the thought of him looking at her the way he looked at her now but she also needed the freedom.

She didn't have a choice, she never got a choice.

"I did, I tried. But, I never get to make a decision in this house and-"

"It doesn't matter," he whispered, she hadn't realized how close he was until now. His eyes gazed at her the way they used too and suddenly she was on cloud nine again. Far, far away from everyone else, just him and her in their own little bubble and she loved it.

His reciprocated love had been the one thing she had been thankful during the time she had it.

"Yes, it does." she whispered back, she didn't know why they were whispering. But she didn't really care either, reality was fake. It all was fake, except for him.

A/N; I hate the ending, I hate the start, I hate everything about this one shot. But I am just so done with this stupid thing. Ugh, hopefully the next one will be better. I am sorry about this. It was supposed to be better and I was supposed to write an aftermath part. Maybe I will later, but not today.

#sodapop curtis x reader #sodapop x reader #sodapop curtis #The Outsiders

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