#yes I did type this all out on a phone! begrudgingly!

[purplekoop]

So Marvel Rivals, that's an interesting surprise from nowhere! A new hero shooter with emphasis on the "Hero", but with a 6v6 format... huh. Interesting.

I'd do a full breakdown of everything shown so far but that feels like a job for someone with a usable computer. For now I'll just give my quick thoughts as a fan of both the genre and the IP.

On the Marvel side of things there's a good bit to be excited for already, with an interesting roster of picks already. Got a lot of obvious staples along plenty of choices that don't feel like cheap MCU tie-ins. Glad there's already a few X-men in, and genuinely very happy to see some characters I've literally never heard of. Again this mostly feels great because of how the MCU dominance has been overtly a hindrance to games like Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, where if a character didn't have a movie already out or in the works then they had a fat chance of getting in, even for series staples like Doctor Doom and literally any X-men characters.

On the gameplay side I can't say too much on the finer details, but it looks like individual characters bring a lot of interesting mechanics to the game. Doctor Strange can make portals, Hulk has his iconic leap and even has a transformation mechanic where he seems to need to spend some time as Banner before he can do the real work, and Loki has some sort of copycat technique. So... teleporting teammates, leaping and getting angry, duplication... yeah maybe these aren't as unique as they sound when tied to characters with a history of using those abilities outside of games.

There does also seem to be some sort of unique "team up" mechanic, like Hulk can lend Iron Man some gamma energy to power up his big laser blasts, or Rocket can scamper onto Groot's back in classic fashion. Not sure if these are unique interactions based on specific synergies, or if it's a more modular system, like first example coming to mind, Kirby Star Allies. Either has some balance or mechanical concerns, but it certainly sounds interesting.

The third person camera is also unique for a hero shooter, which makes me anticipate a less aim-intensive game and one more about movement, ability usage, and team play. Definitely a fair choice given the cast, plus I imagine it's compelling to actually see the iconic character you're controlling.

Now a big point I wanna address:

Will this be the Overwatch killer??

...no, probably not, sorry.

I think regardless of how much this game succeeds or OW2 fails, I don't think it's going to be much of a competition. Not as in Overwatch is gonna curb stomp it, but I just don't see the two games butting heads that much. Marvel Rivals seems to be going in its own direction with the finer details, even something as simple as first versus third person camera seems to inform pretty sweeping differences.

Plus, in the past I think calling any game the "killer" of the previous big thing in the genre. Looking to Overwatch specifically, people tried to call it the TF2 killer, which... I mean TF2 kinda killed itself trying to be like Overwatch, so bad example, but even with Valve's shortsighted incompetence TF2 never totally died, it's still got a solid playerbase and plenty of fans in spite of its rough post-2016 history, and with Overwatch existing completely fine alongside it. And "Overwatch killers" have come in the past, but never really meant much to OW besides some players deciding they preferred the other game more. Apex and Valorant are more just other subgenres with a "Hero" twist and not quite the same kind of game as OW, but Paladins was undoubtedly trying to fill that more specific niche. And... it didn't totally fail. No seriously, any game that still has its fans and active players, however few, is worth respect in my book.

I think that's the beauty of it, that multiple teams are willing and able to make their own approach to the same concept! That's how we get interesting new ideas, and move the subgenre forward in cool ways! To be blunt, ideally for me OW2 AND Marvel Rivals go on to coexist and both be great! If people prefer one over the other then that's fantastic, but the fact multiple options exist with their own ideas and approaches is so cool to me.

It's like with a similar subgenre developing over the past few years: platform fighters, or "Smash clones" for the outdated term. In the release downtime after the three most recent Smash games, we saw more and more teams try their hand at that uniquely accessible and interesting subgenre of fighting games, and it's been so exciting to see progress over time. We saw a good number of indie attempts after Smash 4, but after Ultimate we've been seeing bigger and bolder teams take serious attempts at a quality contender to challenge Smash. And while each new one garnering the title of "Smash Killer" is more and more of a meme, we're now seeing games that genuinely reach that level of polish and quality. Rivals of Aether 2 is personally the one I'm SO excited about in this respect. But I also can't help but think of the one platform fighter in recent memory that genuinely did Fail, at least in temporary dramatic fashion:

...Multiversus.

Yes, the hellish concept of a free to play fighting game, which prided itself on its grind culture. Now the utterly bizarre mess that is/was/will be Multiversus is sort of a unique disaster, but I can't help but imagine the worst for Marvel Rivals just because it shares that dreaded "f2p" label. Maybe it won't be too bad, but considering early screenshots imply characters need to be unlocked makes me assume the worst.

Frankly my biggest hope, however unlikely it is, is that these two games pressure each other to fix their individual shortcomings. Have OW2 Season 10 making heroes free make Marvel want to do the same, and have Marvel's 6v6 format make OW2 bite the bullet and revert to the same to fix its otherwise impossible to solve balance mess.

...no that's a lie, my biggest hope is actually that Wasp makes it in as a support and gets a skin based on her Earth's Mightiest Heroes look. Or better yet make that the basis for her default design, the designs are another promising point for this game so I have hope they can recognize quality.

[cameronspecial]

Mrs. Cameron All But In Name

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: N/A

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 0.7K

Summary: When Y/N has to burrow Wheezie's phone to text Rafe, she notices something interesting about her contact name.

A/N: Inspired by this post.

Masterlist

Y/N and Rafe have been dating for three years now and it is clear they are meant to be together. If it weren’t for their young age, Y/N is sure they would be married or at least engaged by now. They practically act like an old married couple anyway, so when they do tie the knot, it would only really be for legal reasons. With dating Rafe, came a close relationship with his sisters. Sarah and Wheezie have practically become her own siblings and she loves to spend time with the girls. In fact, it’s why she has a bi-monthly girls' night with the pair. Yes, every time they have it they have to chase Rafe out of the house, but Y/N thinks it is important to foster the bond between them, so he always begrudgingly leaves to hang out with Kelce and Topper. “How are things with you and John B?” Y/N questions while tracking the nail polish brush along Wheezie’s nail. Sarah shrugs as she files her nails, “We’re fighting right now. He doesn’t want to go to the Nassau house with us and I want him to go.” “Aww, that sucks, Sweetie. I’m sure he’ll come around. Do you want me to have a talk with him?” Y/N offers. Sarah shakes her head, “No, it’s okay. We’ll make up eventually. We just need to cool off a little.” Y/N nods and finishes off the last coat of Wheezie’s nails. She releases the hand, “There you go, Beautiful. What colour do you want, Sarah?” 

Sarah places the nail file on the table and examines her options before picking up a salmon pink polish from the collection. Y/N gets to work on doing the older Cameron sister’s nails, “How about you, Wheezie? Anyone on your radar you want to tell us about.” Wheezie lips pucker as she squints her eyes. “Nahh, I am happy being single. I see what you and Sarah go through with John B and Rafe. I do not need that type of problem,” she informs. The other girls giggle. Y/N checks her phone to see it is dead, “Amen to that, Wheeze. I mean look. My phone is dead, but how much do you want to bet that your brother is blowing up my phone right now asking me when he can come back home? Can I please borrow one of your phones to tell him my phone is dead while I charge mine?” “Of course, here,” Wheezie says, unlocking her phone so that Y/N can use it. 

She places the nail polish on the table and scrolls through Wheezie’s messages to find the texts with Rafe. A certain contact name second down the list catches her eye. Y/N Cameron. She freezes at the sight. Her eyes flick toward the younger girl, “Why do you have my last name as yours?” Wheezie’s cheeks redden and her gaze falls away from her brother’s girlfriend. “Rafe did it. He said that it’s going to be your name eventually, so what difference does it make,” Wheezie states. Y/N chuckles with a shake of her head, “That doesn’t surprise me at all.” She types out her message and hits send. My phone is dead, so don’t freak out if I don’t respond. I’m charging my phone rn. -Mrs. Cameron.” 

———

His phone chimes and a massive grin crosses his face. He checks his text, feeling his heart flutter at the message. So she found out what he’d been saving her name as in everyone’s contact. He chuckles. It took her long enough to find out. He’s been ordering everyone to change her last name in their contact for years. His smile doesn’t wipe off as he responds. Come on, Baby. You know you are my Mrs. Cameron all but in name. You can’t blame me for wanting to make the process easier for everyone else once we do take the next step. 

Smh. You really are something else, Mr. Cameron.

But I’m your something else, Mrs. Cameron, but you know you love me.

You are lucky that I do. Now, I’m going to end this conversation here before you start dirty-talking me. I’m not subjecting Wheeze to those texts.

You know me so well, Baby. 

Goodbye, Rafey. I love you.

I love you too, Baby. I’ll see you when I get home.

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @wickedlovely121 @thepatriarchykeychain @drewsmusee @starkowswife @maybankslover @forstarkey @loving-and-dreaming

[bloodykora]

I Meant It

I finally wrote an actual one shot for Buggy :)

Summary: You 'babysit' Buggy while he's only a head.

No use of y/n however reader is referred to gal and very feminine pet names (I normally write gender neutral but this was very self serving). I had to write this on my phone so if the format is different from my norm, that is why.

“I think his nose is cute.” A voice breaks out for the first time in the conversation, the other two slowly turning towards you in shock and judgement.

“I beg your pardon sweet thing?” Sanji is the first to break the moment of silence, you raise your shoulders at him.  “I don’t know, he's like. Okay, you know those cats who have a limb missing and they go to scratch with that limb and everyone’s like ‘awww’. That’s kinda how I think I am with him right now, look at him. He’s just a head, a little kitty who can’t scratch behind his ear and needs some help.”

“You seem to forget about the village he destroyed, the one that offered us the rest of their food after we saved them because of what him and his crew did.” “Zoro, you out of everyone has no right to judge considering you took that random dude’s brother’s head.” You stare at the Buggy in front of us with a cloth in his mouth, watching this whole conversation about him go down.

“I do not need to be around this.” Zoro states before leaving, huffing to himself right before he goes out of ear shot. 

“I never knew you out of everyone would be into the clown type but then again, all women are a mystery.” A laugh comes out and you shake your head at Sanji’s words before replying. “I think I just like them to be outgoing.” You slowly and dramatically look Sanji up and down before connecting gazes with him. 

Before he has the chance to respond, a loud bang erupts from a part of the ship which catches both of your attention. Sanji sighs before looking at me. “Things can never be calm around here can they?” A smile appears on your face as you nod. “You go check that out, I think Zoro has had enough of me today, I’ll stay here with him.” You cock your head to the side, pointing at Buggy. Sanji nods and begins to walk away. “Be safe sweets, holler if you need anything.” He looks back to say before continuing on. 

You look back at the clown, his eyes wide watching. Taking a few steps in his direction, nearing him before bending down to him. “Don’t make me regret this.” You quietly say out before gently removing the gag in his mouth. “Ahh toots, that feels so much better." He states while stretching his mouth and licking his lips. “You have no idea how dry my mouth was getting, I was almost debating having a sip of sea water!” You roll my eyes before sitting beside the barrel he was on.

“I think that would not be beneficial cause then you’d have the opposite problem of having too much water.” You pause for a second before questioning. “Can you drown? I mean like now, as just a head? You have no lungs attached to you currently.” “I’ve never tried, I would assume yes though.” “Well, don’t do it then. I wouldn’t wanna have to be the one to save you, or maybe I’d send Sanji to do it for me.”  “That blondie would let me die, I’d be a lot better, mentally and physically, if it was you.” He winks at you. “Mmm, I think anyone of us would do it begrudgingly. For Nami.” He huffs beside you, it was a little funny as just a head. You could imagine his body’s chest moving along with it.

“What is with you and that cook anyway? It’s like you two wanna jump each other, I say just get a room and do it for the sake of me and the crew.” A snort comes out at his words. “Buggy, I don’t think Sanji is actually attracted to me. Yes, he is good looking. However, he flirts with every woman he sees. In front of me too. Ya know, you two kinda remind me of each other in that regard.”

“Oh darling, I would treat you so much better than he ever could.” His words are filled with honey, sweet and dripping. You look at him, face in a ‘really?’ gaze. “I don’t know, he is French. And you know there is a kiss named after them.” He scoffs at the retort. “My head detaches, do I have to say more?”  Your face drops in realization and your cheeks begin to heat up at his words.

“Slut.” The word flew out of your mouth before you could process it. He sits expressionless before breaking into laughter. Your hand raises to your forehead, half covering your face as you laugh.  “I never admitted this but I think I like spending time with you more than Zoro.” “I don’t know, it’s hard to compare his death threats to your sugary laugh.” He flirts again,  You shake your head at his faux forwardness. “If you do that again I’m going to flick your ear I swear to god.” He grins ear to ear like a cat luring in its prey, his face then slowly rests like he was actually thinking for once.

“Earlier, you called my nose cute.” “Yes I did.” “Did you actually mean it or were you poking fun like the others?” I glance at him, his tone serious and his eyes almost pleading. “I meant it.” It’s silent, for the first time ever since you've met Buggy. It seems he takes a breath before speaking up.

"You know, you'd be a good second in command. I could pay you handsomely, far more than these schmucks are."  "They aren't really paying me." His eyes bulge out a bit at the answer.  "You won't realize it yet, considering how they have treated you however," You pause, choosing your words carefully. "They are the closest thing to family I have gotten in forever, meanwhile your crew feared you. That is all the swaying I need." 

"Its cause that Sanji is taller than me isn't it?" You scoff and crack up at his wit. Laughing to the point of your shoulders visibly shaking.  "Oh yes, that is absolutely it." You respond teasing, laughter still in your voice. He shakes his head in disappointment. The pair of you continue to stare out as the sun goes down over the horizon, the warm orange creeping into an umber and then its usual royal blue. The stars peering down at the pair. 

"I think it might be time to head in." You say out loud, mostly to yourself while your hands rub over your arms to retain some heat. You could hear the buzzing begin of the mosquitos.  "What doll, can't handle a little breeze?" You shake your head, you could begin to feel the tip of your fingers cool.  "I've never been good with night time on the water." Buggy sighs beside me as I sit up.

"Let's head in then." He looks up at you, a small smile on his face. You pick him up, avoiding uncomfortable placement of your hands or a tight grip. His skin was warmer then expected, that was the stereotype though. The men being hot blood and bodied creatures.

"Where am I staying tonight? Barrel, in a window, random box?"  "I think you're gonna stay with me." Buggy's eyebrows furrow in confusion. You begin to walk quickly to your small corner of the ship, descending down a small flight of stairs. The blue haired head clutched in your arms almost like the way you'd hold a newborn. 

The blue cot you were well acquainted with was already strung up, ready for you to rest in. You put Buggy up there in it before talking up to him.  "I'm changing so don't try anything okay?" The jester was already too shocked and flustered to speak. Making a mental promise to himself not to break your trust. 

You take a bit of time before he sees your arms come over the side and lift yourself into the hammock. You settle yourself, pulling up the blanket that laid at the end over mostly you. There's a few thuds down the stairs before Sanji appears before you both. 

"Ahh, just the gal I was looking for. How did babysitting go?" He asks, putting an arm over the side of the bed. Standing on a piece of board under you to boost himself up.  "Still here cook boy." Buggy's voice bellows out, you smile at the cook while he gives you a confused glance.  "I got worried that the mosquitos will affect his brain and stuff." You put on your best innocent smile and Sanji shakes his head.  "You are the most mad pirate I think I've ever laid my eyes on." He gets a shrugged shoulders and rolled eyes back.  "So, what was it that happened earlier?" You lean up to peer over the side at him. His face was always a comfort even when it felt the most safe.  "Apparently Usopp knocked something over and then Luffy couldn't remember if it was Nami's or something else. You know him, if its not food related then he's not fully paying attention." You nod, agreeing with the blond. Sanji leans in close to you, looking over your shoulder at the head eavesdropping. 

"Are you going to be okay with him? Cause you know I can very much find a different spot for him." He says in a hushed tone to you, a small smile appears on your face. 

"I'll be okay Sanji, he's just a head. The most he could do is bite me and I think I'd wake up before he could cause real damage. However, if anything goes sour. You will be the first one I call to come help." You place your hand on his shoulder, rubbing it quickly before putting it back under the blanket. Sanji nods at you before he steps down.  "Well sweet, you have a goodnight. Don't dream of me too much okay?" You wave to him and wish him a good night. 

"God he's annoying." Buggy says as you cuddle into your bed, eyes closed in a peaceful manner. "Just look at it like this, you're in my bed. He's not." That shuts him up fast, you peek an eye open at him. He seems speechless and you let out a quiet giggle.  "Please do tell me if you snore." "I should be saying that to you, you can roll over or move. I'm just stuck here." 

You let out a mhmm, the luring sleepiness now very present in your body and brain. Buggy stares at you, blanket tucked up to your chin and face relaxed.  He laid there and listened to you breathe for a bit. Making sure you were well into your slumber before muttering out.  "Sleep well love."

[giuseppe-yuki]

I feel like Pierre's gf would be bffs with Esteban's gf and it woulf be them going on double dates and the guys going: i will pinch u if my gf doesn't notice it but she will and deprive me of fun stuff grrr

And then both of them have a heart attack when skysports show a video of snakey!gf cuddling with flying squirrel!gf

- 🐺

yessss most definitely! they absolutely refuse to be in a 2 meter radius of each other, but of course they ultimately begrudgingly give in each of their girlfriends' request to have a double date. (but not without complaining about it hours beforehand)

a lil blurb below (i altered your thought a little bit though):

you just had about enough of your boyfriend's whining and groaning about spending time with esteban. whenever you mentioned having a double date with esteban's girlfriend, it was always, "yes, sure, mon amour! whatever you'd like!" and "sounds good to me, baby!" but when it hit the hour mark before the scheduled date, it turned to "how about we go somewhere else, just us?" and "do we really have to go?" it was exasperating, really.

when complaining didn't work, he tried to persuade you by buying you the latest designer jewelry.

"look!" he exclaims, gesturing excitedly towards his phone. "there's this brand, van cleef, that sells pretty nice bracelets! there's like a green ones and a blue ones that you can match your outfits with." pierre glances up to find you with your arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. "or i can get both?" he offers desperately.

"pierre gasly," you say, enunciating each syllable. "we are going, no matter how many van cleef bracelets you try to buy me."

"OH MY GOD REALLY???" you gasp, clutching your chest. "no way he did that!"

"exactly!" esteban's girlfriend says, giggling. "i was shocked too!" she then takes a bite out of her bouillabaisse, and daintily taps her mouth with a pressed white napkin.

the restaurant that you had chosen was more on the fancier side, where even the water was poured out of chilled glass bottles. ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and beautiful arrangements of flowers adorned all the tables. both of you girls were dressed to the nines in fancy clothing and jewelry.

pierre and esteban sat face to face next to you both, looking out of place in more casual-type wear. they obviously looked like they didn't want to be there.

your boyfriend shoves an escargot into his mouth, all the while glaring at esteban.

you and esteban's girlfriend purposely ignore them both, continuing your conversation and sharing the latest tea.

mid-conversation, you see esteban softly start to tip his water glass in the direction of pierre. without missing a beat, his girlfriend snatches the water glass before it tips.

"esteban!" she chastises, softly placing the still-full glass away from her boyfriend. "i know you did that on purpose! if you do that again, i am returning those marvel funko pops i got you."

he huffs, crossing his arms, but stops trying to tip anymore glasses over. your boyfriend smugly smiles at his teammate.

the waiter comes by, offering some dessert options, including crème brûlée and profiteroles.

while enjoying some of the cream puffs, you see pierre reach out his hand out of the corner of your eye. it inches towards esteban's knee, ready to pinch him. you softly slap pierre's hand before it reaches its target. he jerks back, probably surprised you caught him when he was trying to be so secretive.

it is like talking to a child who doesn't listen. "keep your hands to yourself, pierre," you snap, shaking your head.

your boyfriend points at esteban, eyebrows furrowed. "he started it! he literally flicked me first- you just didn't see it!"

esteban furiously shakes his head. "i did not! he's lying!" he nudges his girlfriend, who looks annoyed at the scene playing out in front of her. "tell your bestie that pierre is lying!" he exclaims.

you and esteban's girlfriend exchange looks of pure exhaustion.

several days later, you find yourself in esteban's girlfriend's company again. you both are snuggled on the couch with a movie playing. a bowl of fresh popped popcorn sits between you both, its scent filling your apartment.

suddenly, your phone explodes with texts. the girl next to you glances over, concerned.

"umm... is everything okay?" she asks, pausing the movie.

you flip over your phone, only to find 15 messages and 3 missed calls from pierre. clicking through your phone, you select the contact labeled "pierre 💋"

your boyfriend's voice echos out of the speakers rapidly. "whatareyoudoingwhydidyoupostthatpictureonline???"

"huh?" you say, amused. "what did you say?"

esteban's girlfriend covers her giggles with a hand in front of her mouth.

"i said, why did you post that picture online?? my girlfriend cannot be seen fraternizing with the enemy's girlfriend!"

"ohhh!!!" you exclaim, realization dawning. you and esteban's girlfriend had a little photoshoot before starting the movie, with you posing in your snake form curled protectively around your bestie's flying squirrel shapeshift form. "baby, she is not an enemy!! if you guys would just get over your feud, you would probably see that esteban is a nice person like he was back when you were kids!"

a pause comes from the other side of the phone. pierre lets out a long exhale, thinking about it.

"no!" he finally decides.

[cookie-crumblr]

Chubby F! Housewife Reader X M!Yandere Streamer OC Jasper

Part 2!

Next part

Part 1 Here!

MINORS DNI!

CW: F!reader, reader referred to as she/her, reader has a vagina, reader in a dress and bra(so has breast, dw not described! :3) noncon implications, violence against reader (not by ML), STILL NO SMUT!? WHO AM I ?? XD luv y’all have fun!

*Smack!* *Thwack!* *Smack!*

“Don’t slip up now!” You giggle slightly out of breath already.

“Hah! Speak for yourself, be careful not to trip!” Jasper retorts.

*THWACK!* You hit another tennis ball this time with all the oomf you can muster.

His indoor tennis court is in its own area of the house, the floor and walls are a black and white spiral that add to the trippy illusion of his entire home.

You’re both opposing a machine that is spitting out balls at you at the speed of fucking light. You haven’t done anything like this since highschool maybe, but for the most part you’ve kept up perfectly!

He’s impressed. Not to mention he keeps almost missing hits because of your dress barely covering you, and your jumping and moving around exposing more and more of yourself. He can’t help but get a little distracted.

*Smack!”

He gets a little closer to the middle at the same time that you dove for the ball and miss, and you start falling. You see the strange floor coming closer and hold your arms out to try and catch yourself, until it stops suddenly and you’re hanging there in the air.

He caught you in his arm, and threw away his racket to support you with his other.

He presses a button on his keyring, stopping the onslaught of balls, as you stare up at him, a growing warmth spreads across your face.

You’re both out of breath and bust out laughing now.

“Thanks! That was fun, really got my mind off… Stuff hah!” you say and look away while getting your barings back.

“you’re always welcome here. can i see your phone?” He asks while fixing his shirt. You hand it over, you had it in your bra, and pull it out without much thought, and when you turn back his pale face is red. “Ahem, uh just text when you wanna come over and give me a minute, i’ll most likely be ‘round” he coughs.

“Thanks so much Jasper! I really appreciate this!” excitedly, you thank him again.

~

“Where the fuck were you!?” Edward sprays spit as he fumes and interrogates you.

“I went for a walk…” You answer, and before you can say more he continues to barrage you.

“At this time of night!? are you fucking stupid?”

“No! I was just chilly on the deck, so i-”

“Why not just come back inside? Gods why did i marry a brainless fucking imbecile,”

“Sorry…” You try to end the argument, maybe if you just apologized you can get out of it.

“Prove it.”

Your brows knit, “Wh-what?”

“Prove. It. Are you that fucking stupid? on your knees.”

you swallow and get down, turning your head away from him, even though you know in your sickly feeling bones what’s coming.

“Look at me.”

Fuck… Don’t. regardless of you’re marriage, you hate that you’re turned on in this circumstance.

“Look. At. Me, Darling~” he fumes.

Begrudgingly, you look up, and give him your best smile, feeling like the sludge building up in your veins will spill out any second.

You love Edward… Yes.

~

He punched you that night, you don’t even remember why. Now you have to try and hide your black eye before the employees see. or anyone else for that matter. You didn’t sleep after that either… You were just dissociating and going in and out of waking night terrors that felt so real, as if all night he was tormenting you, while really, he simply slept next to you.

“Jasper, can I come ove—” you erase the text message almost as soon as you typed it. You probably shouldn’t even go outside in the sunlight with this shiner.

“Hey Y/N! hope you’re alright, what’s been up?” Jasper sends you a text that you don’t reply to… You don’t feel like it. Who even is he? just your neighbor that kinda flirts with you even though you’re married.

“Homewrecker!” You surprise yourself, and cover your mouth. Ops… You haven’t really spoken to anyone in at least a day.

You wait a few more days when at least the swelling is all down and the colour is almost a skin tone again, at least it isn’t purple anymore.

“Howdy Jasper! sorry i went on a mini vacation! what have you been up to?” You lie. You haven’t even left the sunroom except for the bathroom. Hopfully he just didn’t notice that you didn’t actually leave to go anywhere…

He did. He knows you’re lying too. You think he couldn’t see you through all those windows? Just because you have sheer curtains and we’re surrounded by big plants. He watched you.

He edged himself to you. Never letting himself actually cum.

He didn’t see your eye, but he knows something had to have happened, he just doesn’t know what.

Before he can reply you send another, “Actually can I just come over?” You decide to risk it. The makeup you ordered, and that came in yesterday, should cover the rest of it at this point at least.

Maybe you were a bit dramatic… All he did— No. We’re not going down any of those roads.

“Yes, I just cleaned up actually :)”

“Scared of me seeing your place a little messy?”

“Would you blame me?” You weren’t expecting that answer. You don’t know what you expected, but that answer just wasn’t on the list.

You hop over to hedges between your yards and don’t even look back as you pass through the gate. It latches behind you.

He answers the door as soon as you ring the bell, he must’ve been waiting right there! The thought makes your heart flutter.

“Hey Jasper!” You try to keep your eye out of direct sunlight until he lets you inside, and you feel like you can breathe again.

“Howdy neighbor! What’ll ya have to drink t’day?” He asks going to his retro looking fridge.

“I want what you’re having!” You pout a little, and he chuckles in response.

“You’re so cute,” he reaches into a drawer and pulls out two silver and pale blue cans.

While he’s reaching you notice something that looks like a splotch of blood on his side. You gasp, “Jasper! are you okay??”

“What? Why? ‘m fine?”

You rush over to him and point to the blood, you almost grabbed at his shirt to look for any injury, but managed to stop yourself, he’s still a stranger… kinda.

“Oh shit! jus’ a Second” he runs off presumably to change, so you sit at the bar, and admire his interesting design style.

i when he finally returns he’s in a black, even more ripped up shirt, that’s covered in safety pins, and has some metal looking band logo.

“Sorry, I don’t know where that came from” he laughs nervously.

You laugh, a brow raised in unspoken question, but move on, “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

“I have a pool—”

“No! Thank you, ahah, um sorry no thanks,” You apologize profusely for your outburst.

“You don’t gotta apologize, no pool, gotit,” he holds up a thumb and smirks with his head tilted, his black hair falls at an angle covering even more of his face. His teeth poke out like fangs over his pulled up lip.

Your face feels hot, “Okay, sorry,”

He lightly laughs, “I have a few gaming setups, and a PlayStation”

“Okay! I don’t really know any games you’ll have to teach me! is that okay?”

His grin widens, almost too excitedly, but you’re excited too, so you think nothing of it.

He picks a shooter first, you can’t even keep your head in a forward position, you keep aiming either up in the air or down at your feet. Before you start to actually get frustrated, Jasper scoots closer on the couch, and puts his hand over yours on the controller.

His thumb gently guides yours up and foreword, his body brushes up next to you.

You feel hotter in this proximity, and his hand is warmer than the other night, but still chilled. His long, slim fingers are pale with black nails and a few silver rings.

You feel his breath in your hair and turn your head, accidentally putting your lips right in front of his, you both look speedily at each others, and then up into each other’s eyes.

Pale, icy cold blue orbs stare deeply into you. He licks his lip.

You stand up too quickly and get slight vertigo, “S-sorry! I forgot I had some-things to do today! Um, Groceries! yes. ahem. bye!”

“Y/N.” Something in the sound of his voice freezes you to your bones, you don’t quite turn to look, but you turn to show you’re listening. “What happened to your eye?” He asks.

[kookieskookiejar]

Alpha! Jeongguk x Omega! Reader

This is a part two of Don't Blame Me, but can be read as a standalone as well :))

Synopsis:

It's been two years since you've moved in with Jeongguk, and since then, the global tour your dance academy was on has since ended long ago, allowing you to have more time to spend with your boyfriend. However, Jeongguk still feels like the two of you have been going around in circles in terms of where your relationship is at. Should Jeongguk make a move to ask you about it? Or is he just being worried for no reason and should just let the relationship grow at its own pace?

Warnings: unprotected s*x, upcoming rut mating, marking, knotting, bre*ding k*nk, really fluffy.

A/N: sorry this took soooo long, mental health has not been looking good lately so...yeah, I hope you guys like this!

Everyday Jeongguk wakes up feeling like the luckiest man in the universe, he can’t believe it’s been two years since you’ve moved in with him.

Your job hasn’t gotten any less busy, and Jeongguk respects that, he’s gotten busier lately too, and recently he just wrapped up a long term project, and now they’re out to celebrate with his friends, and that consists of you, his sister, Jihyo, his Namjoon hyung, and his girlfriend of two years now, yes, the resident third wheeler of the friend group is finally dating, Jihyo’s still doesn’t want to settle down yet, and that’s perfectly fine, in Jeongguk’s opinion, she needs some growing up to do before she sends someone to therapy.

To put things in perspective, he feels like everyone around him, other than his sister, have started the next chapter of their lives, okay maybe that’s a stretch, he’s just feeling a bit stagnant with you after hearing Namjoon talk about how he and his girlfriend are planning on getting a matching couple tattoo after sealing their mating mark.

Is it considered quick to seal the mating mark after two years? Maybe, but they are planning to get married next year, so it wasn’t a hasty decision, Jihyo even chastised them for making the decision only after two years, to which she deemed, too impulsive, so maybe two years is seen as hasty in this time and age, but that doesn’t make Jeongguk feel all that much better about the pace between you and him, not that he’d ever voice that out, he knows you want to take things slowly, you’ve always been a build the foundation type of person.

However, you and Jeongguk have been dating for four years now, and you haven’t brought up about the mating marks before, you did talk about it briefly, but it wasn’t even a serious conversation, although you sounded very much sincere.

So now Jeongguk’s sulking in the pub where all his friends are laughing about something they’re reading on Jihyo’s phone, absently, a pout is on his lips, and his hyung notices it immediately, snapping Jeongguk’s attention away from staring at the rustic decor of the pub.

“Hey, you’re tired, aren’t you? You haven’t been talking all that much tonight,” Namjoon points out, his brows furrowed, he’s always seen Jeongguk as his little brother, brothers from a different mother.

“Nah, I’m okay, I was just spacing out,” Jeongguk dismisses, finishing his drink.

“We can leave if you want,” you say, immediately, preparing to get up from your seat, grabbing your purse.

“Yah, he said he’s gonna buy us drinks with his bonus, don’t you try skimming out on us,” Jihyo complains, arms crossed.

“He’s tired, Jihyo ah, I’ll buy you drinks next time okay,” you promise with that sweet voice you use to get things out of both the siblings, something that Jeongguk can never say no to, to which his sister sighs, nodding begrudgingly.

“Be grateful she loves you, can’t believe my brother stole my best friend,” she says, obviously joking, and Jeongguk nods absentmindedly, letting you lead him out of the pub.

Jeongguk heads home to sleep off the fatigue, but it was probably due to his bad mood and the alcohol that made him sleepy.

When Jeongguk woke up the next morning, he was feeling hot, but it wasn’t out of the ordinary to him, it is summer after all, but what had him questioning was the fact that you were cooking breakfast in the kitchen instead of going for your morning run with Jihyo.

Jeongguk clambers out of bed, messy hair and everything, hurrying to wash up, eager to have your cooking as breakfast.

“Hey. you’re up earlier than expected,” you joke when Jeongguk wraps his arms around your waist, his nose buried in your neck, lips almost slobbering near where your mating mark should be.

“It’s 9.30, of course I’m up,” Jeongguk says with a whiny voice, you just love to tease him, says that he sounds and looks cute when you do, so he indulges you.

“I don’t know, I thought you’d be more tired when you’re near your rut.”

Jeongguk freezes up at your comment, he was so busy that he hadn’t even noticed his scent had some minor changes over time, and he doused himself in cologne last night, craving for the scent of fresh laundry over his natural scent, so that’s probably why his friends hadn’t noticed.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I know you’d tell me to sleepover at Jihyo’s,” you say, turning around to run your hands over Jeongguk’s arms comfortingly, the act so sweet, but it instantly has Jeongguk hard.

“But, we, what if I accidentally mark you? What if your heat gets triggered? Then we’d have to-

“Hey, I’m ready, and I’m ready to have our mating marks now, I think it’s time, if you think you’re ready,” you reassured, you know he’s wanted this for quite some time now, but you were nervous, it isn’t an easy decision, choosing to be connected to someone in the closest way possible.

“But you’ll go into heat a bit later, don’t you have any performances lined up?” Jeongguk asked, eyes darting to every corner of your face to make sure you weren’t doing this out of obligation.

“I called out of work once I realised you were going into rut, and I’m really ready, Jeongguk, unless you’re not,” you look at him quizzically, but both of you know there’s no malice behind your tone, and the slight bossiness of your tone is certainly waking him up in more ways than one.

“How long till the brownies are done?” Jeongguk asked with a fluttering heart, he loves your brownies, and making it for breakfast is weird, but you love how weird he is, and you actively indulge in his quirkiness.

“About 20 minutes, think you could make me cum before they’re done?” you ask with a challenging tone, quickly taking off your apron.

“You bet,” Jeongguk says before he wraps his arms around your thighs, carrying you back to the bedroom where he emerged from not too long ago.

Jeongguk throws you on the bed lightly, getting a giggle out of you at the bounciness of the bed.

“Let’s see if you’ll be laughing in a bit, baby,” Jeongguk teases before he captures your lips with his, his lips still taste minty fresh from brushing his teeth.

Jeongguk breaks off the kiss to take off his shirt, his abs looking like they’re sculpted by greek gods under the morning rays.

Jeongguk manhandles you onto his thighs, he’s not a horny teenage alpha who can’t control his urges, but he just enjoys the process of having your cute butt grinding on his clothed cock.

You got the message quickly, rotating your hips in circular motions, arousal dampening Jeongguk’s sweatpants once his length starts to grow under your ministrations, getting turned on by the fact that you’re the only one with this sort of power over him.

“I need you fuck me, Jeongguk, 20 minutes, remember?” you remind him after having caught a whiff of the scent of chocolate mixing with your scents.

“Yeah, sure, baby,” Jeongguk promises, tugging your shirt up to reveal your bare breasts, your nipples pebbling up from the cool air of your shared bedroom, the AC still lingering in the air after you turned it off before leaving the room, catching the attention of your boyfriend, who quickly envelopes the closest nipple he could get to, sucking diligently, his other hand occupying your other boob, twisting, sucking, and licking, your back arching off into his hold, his free hand’s fingers dipping into the curve of your back, he tightens his hold on you before he ceases all actions.

“Present yourself, baby,” Jeongguk says, his voice dropping into a lower octave, his eyes flashing red, he’s not using his alpha voice, Jeongguk would rather chop off his dick than force you into having sex with him, he just knows you get your panties drenched whenever you hear his ‘sexy voice’, as you often call it, which is why you’re quick to get into position, hands and knees on the bed with your ass perched high for Jeongguk’s taking.

Jeongguk mutters curses under his breath at the sight of you, your pretty pussy shining with arousal that flows down to your smooth thighs, Jeongguk is definitely a lucky man.

When he starts dipping his fingers into your core, you whine.

“Just put it in, Guk, I’m ready,” you complain with a whine as you wiggle your butt enticingly, and it worked like magic, his hands smacking one of your cheeks, that recoil is going to kill him.

Then you feel it, the blunt tip finally breaching your walls, if your heat hasn’t started, it definitely has, with the way you get wetter with every inch Jeongguk feeds you, your omega accommodating to your alpha naturally.

When Jeongguk finally sinks his entire length into you, your toes curl at the feeling of being full.

“Can I move, baby?” Jeongguk asks, he knows the two of you are in a time crunch, but he’d rather let his favourite dessert burn than hurt you in any way.

“Yeah you can move,” you say breathlessly, Jeongguk steals your breath away at any situation, whether it’s because he’s fresh out of the shower, dressed up for a date, or merely cooking, he looks flawless executing what he does, especially in bed.

Jeongguk starts off with shallow thrusts, biting on his lower lip at the way your walls hug him right back deeper at every movement.

When Jeongguk feels your walls finally accommodating his size, he increases the pace of his thrusts, groaning when he feels you clenching onto his length when he finally hits that sweet spot that has you whining and body coursing in pleasurable ecstasy, your back arching into his touch, the sight of your round ass catching his attention, smacking your ass, hands grasping for a bit before he lets go, choosing to make his way to your pretty little clit.

Jeongguk knows you’re close, it’s written in the way you’re gripping him in an almost death grip.

“Cum for me, baby, need you to drench this cock so I can pop my knot inside you, fill you up with pups,” Jeongguk says with a groan by your ear before he feels his knot swelling, the added girth pushes you over the edge, your body spasming as you feel your breath being knocked out of you.

Soon after, Jeongguk’s knot starts to deflate, gushes of cum spilling into your womb, and that feeling kick starts this carnal need inside you.

“Need you to mark me, Guk, I’m ready, ready to be your mate,” you confess, still clenching onto him.

Jeongguk halts his movements, but the jerk of his cock gives him away.

“Please, your omega needs you,” you plead, stretching your neck to reveal the tempting expanse of your neck.

“Baby, we should talk about this-

“No, please, I’ve thought about this for a long time now, I’m ready,” you reassured.

“O-okay,” Jeongguk finally agrees, his alpha growling in agreement.

Jeongguk continues on with shallow thrusts while he rubs your clit in quick circles when he finally bites down on your neck, sealing the two of you together, and you would’ve never imagined this feeling.

The feeling of a weight lifted off, your omega that used to feel so restless, now being a part of you and your alpha.

Jeongguk quickly laps up the wound, easing the healing process before he pulls you sideways, wrapping his arms around your figure.

You curl up next to him seamlessly, sighing in contentment.

“When we’re done eating the brownies and your heat strikes again, you have to promise to give me my mating mark too,” Jeongguk says with a slight whine to his voice, the alpha image dissolving right before your eyes.

You weren’t surprised he asked for his own mating mark, the last time you guys discussed about mating marks, he had insisted on you marking him.

“I promise, now hurry up and deflate your knot or my brownies are really going to burn,” you say with a huff.

“Hush, there’s still 9 minutes left, we can just waddle to the oven together,” Jeongguk teases, which earns him a playful slap on his butt that’s conveniently within reach.

You definitely won’t regret being Jeongguk’s mate.

[17020]

ᥫ᭡ CAMPUS CRUSH GALORE! NO PRNDL?

# CRUSH 003 — YOICHI ISAGI, 20. KINESIOLOGY MAJOR.

Because learning how to drive is a one-of-a-kind experience, right? Yoichi Isagi’s side hustle includes being a driving instructor. 4.4k crack and a hint of fluff, yn is an idiot and doesn't know how to drive, isagi is an idiot,,, idiots in love !!! word vomit ahoyyyyy!!! ending is a bit rushed srry. NOT PROOFREAD I DONT GIVE A FAWK LET ME SLEEP.

Truth be told, university life had drained YOICHI ISAGI's pockets dry. Whether it was lunch, memberships, or football, his constant spending had set his bank account back to single digits.

He had little to no reaction at first, as he came to realize that yes, perhaps he did have the luxury experience of buying lunch too often, as his backpack slowly became a wasteland for all the long receipts from the restaurant across the street.

And yes, perhaps he had been a tad picky when choosing where to work out, preferring to pay a monthly membership for the gym a few blocks away than to use the free gym at his university, because according to him, 'it feels like sardines in a can, and I would very much rather put my major's knowledge to use and walk a few miles. Very useful for joint health, y'know!'

The football club did not help either, as he had to invest in clothing, shoes, and even supplements to maintain himself in good health. His vitamins had cost him a pretty penny, and his constant ruining of his t-shirts ended up in him scouring different shopping malls to replace them.

In his head, he thought everything would be just fine. He could wake up earlier and cook for himself, or even have yesterday's leftovers for lunch, thus saving on food. Begrudgingly, he accepted the fact that he would have to work out at his university, which would make his workouts longer due to the unavailability of every machine he ever desired to use.

'Everything will be alright' was the phrase which spun around in his mind. It brought him stability, a sense of peace. It distracted him so much, in fact, that it kept his mind clouded while training for his upcoming match against a team from Kanagawa. But cloudiness can lead to blindness, and blindness to disaster.

His right leg sprung, the ball on top of his foot as he hungrily aimed for the goal. The loose fit of his shoe went unnoticed as he kicked, with his foot suddenly feeling a lot... lighter than it should have.

"Yo, Isagi! Was that yours?"

Yoichi's jaw was on the floor, no sound coming out of his mouth. His teammates burst into laughter, with the image of his shoe flying across the field and into the roof of an unknown building stuck in their minds.

"If you don't find it, you're gonna have to get a new pair" his redheaded friend, Chigiri, exclaimed. His teammates nodded, with one of them, a white-haired man named Nagi, speaking up.

"You don't have a job, Isagi, what'll you do?"

"It's not lost" Yoichi shook his head, "I just need to get to the roof and get it."

He was not aware that it would take him around two hours to get to the building, because even though it was right behind the field, he couldn't directly cross over to it, and he got lost. He was also, unaware of the fact that he needed permission to enter the building, as well as the roof, which he did not have. His angry insisting towards the security guard had gotten his request denied, with a quick picture of his face being printed in front him, along with the words "NO ENTRY."

He sighed in desperation, as he unlocked his phone, his thumb swiping over the screen and opening an app, it's icon resembling that of a dollar sign. He typed his user and his password, and he let out an embarrassingly loud whine.

$0.59.

Single digits was him being too delusional.

He closed the app, opening his messages and texting his group chat, consisting of some of his friends from the club.

Isagi It's lost.

Nagi see i told you he'd need a new pair @ reo :x

Reo You need to get a job man

Chigiri You wanna join me at the coffee shop? The shifts aren't that bad imo

Bachira SELL SOMETHING I sell paintings and business has been BUZZING :3

For once, Bachira had given him some good advice. He did not necessarily have to sell something tangible, he could sell his services. Football lessons for little kids are what came to mind, yet quickly faded after he realized he would be biting off more than what he could chew as there were no kids in his residency, and if he were to travel that far into other parts of Tokyo, he would have to spend a lot on gas.

Wait. Gas?

It was then when the idea struck. His dad had gifted him his old car, which was manual, and had taught him how to drive. He did not use it much, as he mostly walked or used his bicycle to get to places.

Having obtained his license at 18, with his father always discussing tips and tricks with him every evening, Yoichi Isagi was certain of what he could do as a side hustle to earn some extra cash. Driving around his neighborhood would make for a investment in gas, but there was nothing that a quick loan from his father couldn't fix.

LEARN TO DRIVE QUICK. THREE DAY COURSE !!! I'm very patient, have a manual car (yes we will use my car), and it's only $150 !!!! Three hours daily!!! For more info please text Yoichi Isagi (that's me) at xxx-xxxx-xxxx

Yoichi smiled at the screen in front of him, seemingly proud of his 'advertisement'. He opened the messaging app and selected all of his contacts from campus, pressing 'send' as his desperation left him to reach out to his group chats for different classes, as well as people he did not even have class with.

He set his phone down on his desk, anxiously staring at it in hopes of receiving a notification. His phone buzzed multiple times, and excitedly, he unlocked it, only to find out it was his friends who had replied.

Bachira Sorry dude I cant, I already have my scooter I'll share it tho

Chigiri "I'm very patient" why do you lie??

Reo It looks like this took you 5 seconds to write

Isagi You judge my ad so bad why don't YOU buy my cleats then.

Reo I have better things to do

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, when a sudden notification popped up at the top of his screen, catching his attention. The number had not been saved on his phone—it was an unknown number! He jumped out of his seat from the excitement, quickly opening the message.

xxx-xxxx-xxxx Hi, is this Isagi? I'm interested in the driving lessons! Are you free next week? Also, do I pay at the end of the course or like every day?

Isagi Hi, yes this is Isagi! I'm totally free The lessons are held in my neighborhood, I'll send location. 𖡡 Location Don't worry about the payment, you can pay me at the end of the course!

xxx-xxxx-xxxx How funny, I actually live like 10 minutes away! My classes end at around 2, is it okay to pop up at 3?

Isagi Of course! Mind giving me your name so that I can know who I'll be teaching? :)

xxx-xxxx-xxxx Yn Ln!

His eyes read the name on the screen over and over again, making sure to remember it. Why wouldn't he, though? You were his first of many clients. Well, at least that was what he hoped..

The week went by in the blink of an eye, and Yoichi was nervous. He stood outside his home, his back leaning against his car door. He looked down at his wrist, checking his watch. 2:58. A figure slowly approached him, and as he looked up, the tip of his ears quickly turned pink as he straightened his posture and fixed the collar of his shirt in an attempt to make a good first impression.

"Hi! Isagi, right?" you questioned, your footsteps coming to a halt as you now stood in front of him. He nodded in response, stretching his arm and his hand meeting yours in a handshake.

"You must be Ln. Let's get started, okay?"

Yoichi guided you to the passenger seat, opening the door for you and closing it once you took a seat, with him reminding you to put on your seatbelt, and quickly walking towards the other side and sitting in the driver's seat.

After asking if you had any experience driving (and to Yoichi's relief, you answered a 'yes'), he gave a short recap of what one could find when getting into a car: a steering wheel, break, turn signal indicators, accelerator, and most importantly, the clutch and shift stick.

You stated you were a bit taken aback, as your family had owned an automatic car, meaning you had no experience with a clutch, and worse, switching gears. Yoichi let out a chuckle, reassuring you that it was totally fine. He explained how learning to drive manual was much better for you in the long run, as it turned driving automatic into a breath of fresh air. Plus, 'automatic cars give a kind reminder'.

"PRNDL."

"PRNDL?"

"Please Rest, No Dozing, Lad."

You giggled, watching how his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm serious, Ln! If you fall asleep on the road, something bad could happen."

Yoichi slipped in the key, his foot on the clutch as his hand turned the key, which was followed by the revving of the engine. He showed you the clutch, his foot on top of it, pressing it down as a demonstration on how to use it. Consequently, his right hand got ahold of the shift stick, moving it around to show you how you can let the stick be in neutral, different gears, or even reverse, and how to change them at any moment.

"If you want to drive, you need to be in first gear, then slowly remove your left foot from the clutch, then place your right on the accelerator. Like this..."

As he reenacted his words, you found yourself attentive to his every move. The way his left foot pressed the clutch, how his right hand oh-so-delicately handled the shift stick, moving it left then upwards to first gear, how his left foot slowly took off from the clutch, and how his right foot pressed the accelerator, how his eyelashes fluttered with each movement of his eyes, how his ears were now completely pink, how his lips were slightly parted—

You could not fuck up your first driving lesson because your instructor was cute. No fucking way.

Your thoughts were interrupted by your instructor, who had turned off the car, handing you the keys. "You ready to try it out?" he questioned, a glint of passion evident in his ocean blue eyes. Nervously, you nodded, Yoichi stepping out of the car and opening your door in return.

You fixed the seat and rearview mirrors, adjusting them to your liking. Putting on your seatbelt, you slid the key in the keyhole and placed your foot on the clutch. Yoichi cleared his throat, making you turn your head to look at him.

"Forgetting something?"

The knowing look in his eyes, as well as his raised eyebrow should have given it away, but to his surprise, you shook your head in response. He gave a disappointed smile, his index finger pointing to his chest.

"You didn't tell me to put my seatbelt on."

Your mouth made an 'o' shape as he slid the seatbelt across his torso, the clicking sound that followed assuring you that now you were ready to begin.

It was a slow start, with the engine turning on and your left foot on the clutch. You did as told, with Yoichi making sure that you applied the right amount of pressure on the pedals. Despite his car being a tad old, it was well taken care of. The pedals weren't stiff, and neither was the clutch. Its interior was clean, with the exterior carefully polished. You could tell it was his pride and joy.

After going around the neighborhood and practicing turns, you were surprised as to how quickly you had progressed. Sure, the car shut off while driving numerous times, but Yoichi's warm smile and his verbal reassuring that yes, this is very normal when it's your first time driving kept you from freaking out.

Three hours went by like three minutes, and you soon found yourself being Yoichi's passenger, as he had offered to drive you home. It was, for the most part, a quiet drive, with Yoichi initiating small talk here and there.

"So, how'd you find out about my lessons?"

"Oh! Bachira sent your message to our Ethics class group chat, since there's a bunch of different majors in there."

Yoichi's lips curled into a smile as he remembered his friend's promise to share his 'advertisement'. You asked him why he was offering a three day course, and he explained how he was in desperate need for new cleats for his upcoming match, which ended up in him rambling on about his favorite shoe brand, his problems with sizing, and how he would definitely need the money for a good pair.

You stared at him in complete awe. How could you not? The fiery look in his eye as he described his passion for football was captivating, enough to make you interested in what he was talking about, hanging on every word that left his lips.

Unfortunately for him, his train of thought had been interrupted.

"Uhh, Isagi? You just drove past my house."

Embarrassed, he tried to play it off. "I know, it's because you haven't learned how to drive in reverse yet" he stated, his attempt at being nonchalant being in vain.

You giggled as he turned his head to the back, his right hand moving the clutch to 'reverse' and then finding its way to your seat, holding your headrest to position himself into getting a better view. Slowly, he drove back, waiting for your signal to stop.

"I had fun" you smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, teach."

"See you tomorrow" he chuckled, "Hey! Don't forget about PRNDL!"

Yoichi was patient. Just as promised. Even though your classmate Bachira had warned you that Isagi may have lied about it on his ad, a part of you had faith that Bachira's friend would find it in his heart to be patient. You convinced yourself that these driving lessons would be nothing short of fun.

And they were!

Until you found yourself wanting to be swallowed whole by the ground, cheeks boiling hot from how embarrassed you were.

The second day was... eventful. The car turned off, you accidentally knocked a trash can (which according to you appeared out of thin air) while driving in reverse, and your instructor found himself using the emergency brake quite a few times. It was too eventful for your liking, leaving you unable to muster up courage to make a move.

It was safe to say you left your driving lesson feeling dispirited. Especially since you had 'practically ruined your chances with Isagi after making a complete fool of yourself.'

Unbeknownst to you, the smile that was plastered on Yoichi's face once he arrived home was unlike any smile he had ever flashed before, as he rambled on and to the phone laying in front of him, the name 'Chigiri' sitting at the top of the screen.

"So Ln doesn't know how to drive."

"Yeah."

"And they almost crashed your car?"

"Yes!"

"Why do you sound so happy about that?"

Yoichi wasted no time in explaining how adorable you were in his eyes. Each movement of your face was carefully studied by him (when he was not looking at the road, of course), finding your expressions nothing short of cute. Your eyebrows raised in confusion as to why you couldn't switch gears, your eyes closing shut as the trash can mysteriously appeared (which earned you a scolding from him, but he felt very bad while doing so), and the way your face lit up in excitement as you finally mastered parallel parking.

Yoichi's heart skipped a beat.

"So, when're you gonna ask Ln out?"

"Dude I'm not even sure if Ln likes me."

"Do it tomorrow."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, his thumb pressing the red button on his screen. "Yeah, yeah. G'night, princess."

Yoichi Isagi almost didn't sleep that night, his mind racing as your image popped by every few minutes. He just wanted to be helpful, is what he thought at first, thinking of techniques he could teach you, his cute pupil. The more he thought about it, the more entangled he was with his own thoughts, the thought of possible rejection making his heart sink.

At the same time, you laid in your bed, heart thumping as you buried your face in your pillow in an attempt to sleep. At one point, you and him thought the same thing:

I have three days to prove myself, so let's make it count.

Yoichi had planned ahead. Your comfort was his priority, and after seeing how frustrated you were the day before, he knew he had to cheer you up somehow.

So when you sat in his car's driver's seat on the third day of the course, Yoichi asked you for your favorite artist, playing their music at a low volume so that you would still be able to concentrate while driving.

"I want you to feel comfortable, and to not fear the wheel. If you feel nervous, chances are you're not gonna do well, Ln. So trust, okay?"

You nodded in response, turning on the engine. The ride was much smoother, and it seemed like Yoichi's plan had worked! You were much calmer, the car didn't shut off as much, and you had practically mastered driving up to third gear. As you drove around the neighborhood, you tried to downshift, finding yourself unable to do so properly, bringing the car to a halt.

Yoichi suggested double clutching, a technique he had learned from his father. After some back and forth, you agreed to try it, failing after the first try and shutting the engine off yet again, your face turning red in response. Your instructor took notice of your puffy cheeks and irritated expression, which meant that it was time to move on to the second phase of his plan.

He explained how, in order to practice shifting gears, you had to drive another lap around the neighborhood. You did as told, confused as to why Yoichi started giving different directions and telling you to turn towards streets you had not driven through before.

"Turn right at the next stop. Park, then wait for me 5 minutes."

Turning on the parking lights, you carefully parked the car where Yoichi explained. Looking at your surroundings, you noticed that Yoichi had made you stop outside a convenience store. He stepped outside of the car, his hand waving goodbye at you as he sprinted inside. A few minutes later he walked outside of the store, a bag in hand. He opened his door and sat inside, taking a packaged ice pop from outside the bag.

"It's for you" he smiled, handing you the ice pop. "Your face was red, so I figured we could cool off with a snack."

You thanked him, taking the ice pop from his hand and opening the packaging. You would be lying to yourself if you said the ice pop did not help with your frustration, as its delicious, juicy flavor calmed your senses. It was then when Yoichi struck up a conversation.

"So, how are you liking the driving lessons so far?"

"I like them, it's been fun! I mean—it's hard, but I'm hoping to get used to it, y'know?"

Yoichi smiled, exclaiming he was glad that you managed to find enjoyment in driving. He seemed as if he got lost in his own thoughts, the smile quickly fading and falling into a pout.

"Have I..."

He pauses, unsure of whether or not he wanted to ask, or if it was even worth asking. A part of him already knew the answer yet he slowly became doubtful, a small drop of insecurity staining his once confident train of thought.

"Have I been a good teacher?"

You loudly giggled, which concerned Yoichi even more, thinking that perhaps his worst fear actually came true. Fortunately for him, though, the words that left your mouth after were reassuring to him, his nervous expression changing into a joyful one.

"Are you kidding? Isagi—you're a great teacher. I don't think I would've learned to drive if I had anyone else as an instructor" you smiled, moving your hand with the ice pop so that yours could meet his. "You teach so good, I could honestly take you out to dinner."

You froze in your seat, wondering if your senses were playing games with you, or if you actually let that slip. Yoichi's whole face was a warm shade of pink, his lips slightly parting as if he was going to say something.

"...when?"

"What do you mean when?"

"When will we go to dinner?"

"Uhh... when do you want to go to dinner?"

The corner of Yoichi's lips curled to form a smirk as his gaze met yours, "Let's do this instead. If you pass your driver's exam with me, I'll pay for dinner. If you fail, you're paying."

"So yesterday you gave him a high-five with your popsicle, told him he's a great teacher, and asked him out to dinner?"

"...yes?"

"Did something happen today???"

"Not really. I mean, he was a bit awkward at first, and so was I! But we tried double clutching and the car didn't turn off!"

"And you called me because...?"

"Because I need you to meet up with me at the mall, Bachira" you smiled. Oddly enough, his voice was nothing but a comforting sound to you, distracting you from the fact that tomorrow would be your last day seeing Yoichi. Wanting to make it memorable, you hit up your trusted friend to act as your sidekick.

After explaining your idea to Bachira, he seemed more excited than you were. Perhaps it was the nerves, seeing as you would either be a star in Yoichi's eyes or a total embarrassment.

"You sure he's a nine?" you asked.

"Positive! I'm a nine and a half, and his shoes don't fit me. Just keep the receipt in case they don't fit so that he can change the size."

"And you're sure that these are the ones he likes?"

"Yup" he replied popping the 'p'. "Look, Yn, if he spent a good amount of time ranting to you about how he loves these, then I'm sure those are the ones."

"Are you really sure?"

"..."

"Bachira?"

"..."

"BACHIRA!"

"Sorry! Isagi texted me."

"What did he say?"

He laughed, "Nunya—I'm not a snitch. Gotta go, see ya in a few!"

Who knew shopping for cleats would be... such a hard ass procedure?

Heel slippage, playing surface, playing position, type of cleats, materials, size, weight, and more. The chunks of information swarming your brain all at once eventually made you dizzy. If it weren't for Yoichi's ramblings and Bachira's guidance (and what he knew from playing alongside Yoichi), you managed to find the perfect pair.

The odds were in your favor, because the same exact pair of cleats Yoichi lost were on sale.

After a sleepless night from the nervousness, and constant doubting of whether or not you made the right choice of purchasing cleats for a guy you met four days ago, you were ready for the final day. That is, if "ready" could be defined by letting your eyes close shut in an attempt to sleep as Yoichi explained his 'test', with him constantly asking if you're okay.

Yoichi was worried, with him even suggesting that you reschedule the test free of charge, but you shook your head in response, sliding in the key and turning the engine on.

Sure, it would have been nice to reschedule and see Isagi one last time, but your ego itched at the fact that you would be unable to drive at this moment.

Safe to say, the test was... alright. It started off as a few twists and turns, switching gears, double clutching, and parking parallel, perpendicular, and angle. Reverse parking was the biggest pain, though, as you almost knocked over a light post that "magically appeared", with Yoichi quickly pulling the emergency brake. After that teeny incident, though, things were smooth-sailing, with you parking outside your home and switching seats with Yoichi.

"So.. how did I do?"

"I mean..."

His expression was concerning, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze so concentrated, it brought chills down your spine. Did you fuck up that badly?

"Light post aside," he stated, his expression suddenly changing into a cheerful one "I think you did a pretty good job! Congratulations, Ln!"

You sighed in relief, lips curling into a smile as you remembered the item you bought yesterday. Getting out of the car, you told him to wait there, quickly going inside your home and stepping out with a gift bag. He tilted his head to the side in confusion as you opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, a huge grin on your face.

"What's the bag for?"

"Just a little something for ya."

He carefully peeled the bag open, his eyes widening and his mouth falling agape in disbelief. Taking the box out of the bag, he opened it, only to find a brand new pair of cleats, the exact same pair he had lost a while back.

"Did you really..?"

You nodded.

The amount of "thank you's" that escaped Yoichi's lips were far too many to count, eventually becoming some sort of slurred, unrecognizable chant. You giggled as you watched him trace his fingers around the cleats, utterly enamored by them.

"About the payment, Isagi, I don't have cash so I was wondering if you accepted wire transfer—"

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"Huh?"

"Yeah there's no need! The cleats are enough."

Yoichi grinned as he took off the emergency break and fastened his seatbelt, waiting for you to do the same. His hand was on the shift stick, and his foot was on the clutch.

"Where are we going?"

"Dinner" he smiled, "You passed, so I'm taking you out to dinner."

You smiled as you relaxed in the passenger seat, your eyes naturally closing from exhaustion.

"Sleepy? You can doze off, it's a long way to where we're going."

You sighed pleasantly as you felt your body slowly falling asleep as Yoichi softly mumbled to himself.

"...please rest now, dear lover."

[taboo-delusion]

So, I just discovered something interesting.

This is a bit of a long one, so bear with me. It's important. Seriously.

I just woke up a few hours ago. My meds are starting to kick in. I was having a very serious and genuine, deep conversation (in-head) and it was... beautiful. It wasn't happy, but it was beautiful. Not the point.

Point is:

I had not had a single fucking intrusive thought today until someone made a noise in the other room.

I am so fucking PISSED OFF

Why my brain refuses to realize that intrusive thoughts CAUSED the good feeling to go away, I have no fucking idea. I've known that for almost a year now, yet my stupid fucking subconscious refuses to change anything it's doing

Before I snap my fucking android phone in half and yeet somebody's face into neptune, I thought I'd share the discovery!!!!

Basically:

MY INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS DID NOT START UNTIL SOMETHING STARTLED ME OUT OF FOCUS

AS I TYPE THIS, I REALIZE THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS -AT LEAST FOR ADHDERS- ARE A SURVIVAL TACTIC.

Elaborating:

When you fall asleep and your heart slows too much, your body does the falling thing to make sure you're still alive.

It's not that intrusive thoughts are *Just* because your brain gets too quiet, It's because your life has never been completely quite before, or -like me- the few times it is quiet, something interrupts. And even if it doesn't piss you off, even if you don't jump like I do, your brain still registers it as not safe.

--

Falling asleep, heart slows a lot-

Body: *Sends adrenaline just to make sure it still actually works.*

Drowning, even mostly unconscious-

Body and brain: *Hold onto that last half-breath even if it feels like you're head is going to explode.*

Going grocery shopping or talking to someone you think is cool-

Brain: *Remembers what it felt like the first time your guardian was indifferent or mean about something that made you happy or calm.*

Things around you actually get quiet-

Brain *Sends a thought you hate just to make sure you're prepared for a sudden problem.*

TDLR 1: Your brain isn't mean on purpose, It's just paranoid and still has a will to live.

Listen. I know I'm just some random dude from a weird blog. But I'm trying to translate, to assist. Maybe somebody else needs this realization as much as I do. I apologize for the yelling earlier. I'm still just as upset, but only at my dumbass subconscious. Now some time has passed, and I have regained self-control.

(I also apologize for the above paragraph, my brain nags for me to do this, but I can't remember why. So:)

I am no psychologist. Here are my qualifications (why you should listen to me):

As my friends call it- "Disturbingly self-aware at all times."

Paranoid Schizophrenic with actual (unrelated) OCD, with years of experience dealing with it- more healthily in recent years.

Philosophy and deep thinking is simply my default. I use metaphors, but everything in this post is entirely literal, ...except the angry threat. (*begrudgingly accepts disappointment*)

I am a fiction writer. I don't know about healing people/first aid, but I know a LOT about how anatomy works, with many deep-dives on the psychology/evolution side.

People irl generally consider me a genius? Idk how to gauge that, IQ tests are irrelevant with this type of... smart?. I've been compared to both Da Vinci and Einstein. So, ...actually that's pretty fuckin' cool- (I AM NOT TRYING TO BRAG! I APOLOGIZE IF IT COMES OFF THAT WAY! I've never put it all down like this, and I'm just surprised and questioning my reputation.)

(Also, I love playing detective, so naturally I call myself Batman XD.)

Autistic; I experience the world, and every situation, from a view without any context.

ADHD: My brain automatically -As a guardian I hate describes- "Can watch three different movies at the same time, all in fast forward, and can keep up with all of them." ... Well, yes, but technically no. Idk if other ADHD people do this, but my brain "connects the dots" so quickly, I end up laughing at jokes I've never heard before the 'punchline', because I've already figured out what you're going to say next.

Now combine all that. I am kicking depression's ass and now I want to help you do the same.

I have only mentioned the relevant things. Please keep in mind that ALL of these have both advantages and disasters. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I am running on four hours of sleep. For the love of whatever, I hope this actually helps someone other than me.

Qualifications are noted because: This is all stuff (and stuff like this) that I am just always casually aware of.

TLDR2: Even if I wasn't trying to help people feel better, Apparently I was born with a nat 20 perception/insight check, so please don't argue that I truly understand what I'm talking about here.

[aflame4goinghome]

Part Of The Band

j.t.k x f.reader

part two

part one

a/n: here's our much-anticipated part two! things are really starting to heat up... but now what? enjoy :)

word count: 5.8k

warnings: swearing, flirting, kissing, strong sexual language, shameless nicknames lol, some fluff- Jake is very sweet, some pining i guess? SMUT, minors DNI: oral sex (f. receiving), fingering, choking, groping, slight dom/sub action, begging, sir kink (of course), unprotected p in v sex (wrap it before you tap it!!), slight biting if you squint

You wake up to the loud blaring of your alarm clock in your ear and a pounding headache. You sit up in bed and press the off button on the clock, looking over to see the time: 10:00. It’s not even that early, but your hangover says otherwise. “Fuck. Why did I ever agree to stay out and drink so late…” you say to yourself, shaking your head and holding your hands over your eyes. You stay like that for a few minutes before begrudgingly getting out of bed and dragging your feet to the bathroom to get ready.

You shut the bathroom door and then look at yourself in the mirror. You didn’t have the energy to take your makeup off the night before, your mascara is smudged and your eyes are puffy. You take a quick shower, wash your face thoroughly, brush your teeth, and then pull your hair back into a low ponytail. You open your bathroom cabinet to pull out a bottle of Tylenol, take two of them, and then head out back into your room to get dressed. You dread the thought of having to get dressed for class today, so you throw on some sweats and a band tee then head out into the living area.

You enter your small kitchen to find Sophie hunched over the dining table, in a very similar state. “Morning, Soph,” you say with a half-smile, to which she looks up at you with utter regret and just groans in response. You can’t help but laugh, “Pleasant as always this morning, huh?”

She rolls her eyes and says, “Y/N, we are never going out on a school night ever again. I’ve never been this hungover in all my life,” she throws her head back and groans again. “It was your idea, remember?” you say, reminding her. “Whatever. Go to class so that I can wallow in self-pity in peace, please,” she says. You chuckle to yourself, grab a granola bar and a Celsius, then pick up your backpack and head out the door for the day.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

You finish your exam just in time then breathe a long sigh of relief. You feel pretty okay about it and hope that all of your studying paid off. You decide that you need more caffeine to get through the rest of the day. You head over to your campus coffee shop and wait in the unfortunately long line, scrolling on your phone while you wait.

You open up Instagram and, against your better judgment, type in Jake’s name. You hit the follow button and scroll on his page for a minute, admiring the layout and aesthetic of it all. It felt very… him. You decide to shoot him a text to see how his morning has been going.

You: morning :)

Sir Jacob ⚔️: Good morning… sleep well?

You: as well as i could, i guess lol. i’ll definitely not be drinking that much during the school week again for a while, that’s for sure

Sir Jacob ⚔️: Ah yes, you had class today. You said you had an exam, right? How did that go?

You: oh, it was alright. i think i passed, i’m just glad to have it over with. now i can just look forward to tonight ;)

Sir Jacob ⚔️: Well, I’m glad that you did well. And I’m even more glad to know that you’re looking forward to seeing me…

You: hmm, are you looking forward to seeing me?

Sir Jacob ⚔️: Oh, I’m looking forward to more than just seeing you, sweetheart. Your beautiful face will be my good luck charm tonight. Who knows, perhaps you could even get rewarded.

You: i’ll hold you to that…

Sir Jacob ⚔️: That’s a promise, baby. I’ve already coordinated your ride to pick you up at 6. Our guys will take you both up to the front when you arrive… though I might like it if you could come back to see me before we go on.

You: i think i’d like that too. i’m sure Sophie can hold our spot on her own for a little while

Sir Jacob ⚔️: Good, that can be arranged… I’ll see you then, beautiful.

You: see you then ;)

You catch yourself smiling at your phone as you end your conversation with Jake and near the front of the line. You can hardly believe that this was actually real and that you were being brought backstage tonight. You grab your coffee and head home to rest a bit before you have to get ready for the show.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

After sitting on the couch with Sophie for a while watching tv, you two decide it’s time to get ready to go. You look through your closet to find something cute to wear and come across your favorite skirt- it’s black, pleated, and a bit short. You decided to pair it with the Greta Van Fleet shirt that you bought at the merch table last night, which you think Jake will particularly like. You step into the bathroom to do your makeup and then loosely curl your hair to give it some volume.

You meet Sophie out in your living room, throw on a pair of black Converse, and then the two of you head downstairs to wait for your ride. It arrived right at 6, just like Jake had promised. A black car pulls up in front of your apartment building and you both get in. You expected an Uber, but it appears that Jake went a step above and hired a car service for you, which feels so insane to you. You’ve never been exposed to this level of fame before.

The car arrives at the Greek and you and Sophie walk up to the venue. There are security personnel waiting there for you, and they take you both up to the barricade. They’d managed to keep a small space in the front open for you, just like Jake had said he would. They help Sophie get situated in the pit and then take you backstage to the dressing rooms.

Security brings you to one of the dressing rooms and opens the door for you, and you’re greeted first by Josh’s face smiling back at you right by the door. He’s wearing his jumpsuit already, adorned with a beautiful silky robe over top of it. “Y/N! Hello! It is so fantastic to see you again, I’m so glad you could make it again tonight. You look absolutely radiant,” he says, taking both of your hands in his and squeezing lightly. You smile at his enthusiasm, “Josh, hi, thank you… I’m happy to be here too.”

Your eyes look beyond Josh and find Jake sitting on a loveseat in the back corner of the room. He’s already dressed as well, and he looks so good that it’s sickening. His hair is still brushed and neat since he hasn’t performed yet, lying wavy over his shoulders. He has a closed-lip smile on his face that’s almost devious-looking.

You make your way over to him and you watch as his eyes travel down to your bare legs, then back up to your face. “Hi,” you say, with a shy smile across your face as you sit down next to him. “Hi,” he replies, snaking his hand around your waist, “You look gorgeous this evening, sweetheart. Absolutely breathtaking.” His other hand raises up to your face, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. You blush at the compliment and lean into his touch as he keeps his hand there, holding your cheek.

“I’m so glad that you’re here. You’ll be my muse for the night, I plan to put on quite the show…” he says, looking into your eyes. You smile up at him as he speaks again. “Here, I want you to have something,” he says, taking his hands away from your body. You mourn the loss of his touch momentarily as you watch him remove a bracelet from his right wrist. It’s a white sailor knot bracelet, seemingly old considering the visible wear and tear.

He places it in your hand and says, “I want you to wear this tonight. To help you remember how much I want you here, and for me to see you in the crowd and know that you’re here for me… and only me.” Your jaw drops slightly, in shock at Jake’s romantic gesture. You smile at him and slide the bracelet onto your wrist, “Thank you, Jake. This is so sweet… You know I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.” He leans into you and whispers in your ear, “Oh, I know you will. I’ll make sure of it.” You let out a sharp breath, feeling absolutely overtaken by him, then manage to quickly compose yourself before you melt for him entirely right there on that couch.

“I should get back to my spot… have to make sure that I’m front and center for a certain handsome rockstar…” you say, standing up and straightening out your skirt. Jake stands up with you to walk you out of the room, placing his hand on the small of your back. Once you reach the door, Jake gets close to you and whispers, “See you after the show, gorgeous,” sending shivers down your spine.

Before you can react, security guides you back to your spot in the pit. Sophie looks at you with a cheeky look, but you just brush it off and get ready for the opener’s set. This is going to be a long night…

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

The openers have finished their sets and you’re all anxiously awaiting for the band to come out. The same intro plays as last night with the film videos, and then suddenly, you hear a string of beautiful chords coming from the organ as a bright spotlight points down upon Sam. Danny approaches from behind to sit at his set and then… out walks Jake. His stride is confident and relaxed as though he belongs there, which he so obviously does. He waves to the crowd quickly before he turns around to adjust the settings on the amp behind him. He then walks up to the front of the stage and locks eyes with you, blowing a kiss straight to you. You smile at him, blushing, as he strikes a few chords on his guitar to add to the suspense of the start of the song.

They amp it up a bit, Danny begins pounding on the drums, and then Josh walks out, greeting the crowd with a wide smile. The guys lead into the start of the song and Josh begins to dance around and feel the music. He looks over and sees you, reaching out both of his hands and then bringing them to his heart. You’ve only known him for a day, but you absolutely adore Josh. His kind heart radiates the brightest energy you’ve ever seen and it’s impossible to not be happy right alongside him, he just draws you in.

Your eyes travel back to Jake as he settles into the rhythm of the song. You can just tell how much fun he has up there, playing the song with a smile on his face and moving with the music. You can’t help but admire him, it’s so clear that he’s living his dream. It’s quite wholesome, but this wholesome moment doesn’t last long.

As the band heads into the next song, the energy begins to change. Every time he looks over at you, his eyes seem much darker. He’s playing his riffs with ease and going crazy for the crowd, though you wonder if it might be just for you. When it’s time for his solo, he steps closer to the front of the stage. His eyes meet yours as his hands glide up and down the frets with ease and you watch as he slightly lifts his hips into the guitar.

Oh, he’s putting on a show now, you think. This must be what he meant earlier about making sure that you think of only him during the show. It was certainly working- you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. More specifically, you watch his hands as they move on the strings and his face as it contorts while he plays; in pain or pleasure, you couldn’t be sure. Either way, you start to feel extremely aroused, your eyes glued to him.

Jake puts on this same show for the rest of the set, including the encore. He would occasionally turn his attention to the rest of the crowd and go to the other side of the stage to play to them, but he’d always come right back to his spot in front of you, with his eyes burning through you with lust. You start to imagine what Jake has in store for you tonight, and just the thought of it has you feeling anxious with desire.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

The band exits the stage and it’s time for you to head backstage to find Jake. “I’m gonna go call my Uber,” Sophie says, turning toward you, “Be careful, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and text me when you’re on your way home, okay?” You smile at her and say, “Soph, there’s not much you wouldn’t do. I’ll see you in the morning.” Security goes to help you out of the pit to take you backstage as you hear Sophie yell back to you, “Have fun! Don’t get pregnant!” You roll your eyes and shake your head, she sure does love to embarrass you.

The security guards take you back to the same room as earlier and knock on the door. You’re greeted by Josh once again, who has already changed into more casual clothing. “Hello, darling!” he says, smiling from ear to ear, pulling you into a hug. You can tell he’s a hugger with how tight his grasp is, as he rubs his hand slightly on your back.

“Jake’s just taking a quick shower to cool down, I was just about to head to the hotel myself. Did you enjoy the show?” he asks. You smiled back at him, “I enjoyed it very much, you were incredible. I expected nothing less, you’re a natural Josh.” His cheeks turn a bit pink at the compliment as he brushes it off, scoffing. “Please, no more, or else my ego is going to get inflated.” You burst into laughter together and then you hear the water in the bathroom turn off.

“I’d better go, my ride is waiting for me. But you two have a good night,” Josh says, smirking slightly. “I hope to see you again soon, Y/N.” He places his hand on your shoulder and rubs it as a goodbye and then heads out the door, closing it behind him. You decide to take a seat on the loveseat in the dressing room, where you had been sitting a few hours earlier, and scroll on your phone for a moment while you wait.

You raise your head as you hear the door open and see Jake walk out of the bathroom. He had gotten half-dressed in the bathroom, wearing the same old tattered jeans from last night. His hair was still wet- long and dripping onto his bare chest. You can’t help but stare as he walks over to you with a smug smile on his face.

“I thought that you might be here waiting for me,” he says, leaning over you and placing his hand on your cheek, “I’m glad I was right.” He brings his mouth down to yours, encompassing it in a ravenous kiss. It’s hurried and desperate; you know that he’s been waiting all night for this. He lays you down on the loveseat as he hovers over you, taking total control. He places his right knee on the couch next to you as he plants the other between your legs to steady himself then holds your waist with his left hand. His right hand has moved from your cheek to rest lightly on the back of your neck, pulling you into him.

The kiss is so deep that you pull back a bit to catch your breath. “Do you know what you’ve been doing to me all night, looking like that?” Jake says, looking down at you with his long, wet hair framing your face. His left hand leaves your waist and travels under your skirt down to your thigh, gripping it tightly. “That skirt has been making me crazy, baby… Seeing how sexy your legs look. You didn’t leave much to the imagination, huh? Did you wear that just for me?” he asks, his eyes dark and filled with lust.

You hardly feel like you can answer him, your body almost numb from desire, your mind filled with thoughts of him and only him. You manage to nod, looking up at him, begging for him to continue. He shakes his head at you and brings his hand back up to cup your face. “No, sweetheart. Use your words. Did you wear that tiny little skirt for me?” You whimper slightly at his dominance and the feeling of his hands on you. “Yes Jake, yes, I wore it for you. I knew that you would like it,” you answer hastily, desperate to feel his mouth on yours once more.

“That’s what I thought. Pretty little thing wanted to look good just for me, hm?” he says, his mouth just inches from yours. You lean up to try and catch his lips when he pulls away from you. “I shouldn’t let it go to waste then, should I?” he says, placing his hands on your hips and pulling you up, then flipping you over to lean over the armrest. “Is this okay?” Jake whispers with his lips on the shell of your ear, keeping his hands planted on your hips. “Yes,” you answer, almost whining. You couldn’t hide your arousal now even if you tried, your body is calling out to him.

He leans back to kneel on the couch behind you and flips your skirt up to reveal more of you to himself. He sucks in a quick breath and groans to himself as his hands explore you, tracing along the shape of your ass and then taking a handful in his right hand. He brings his other hand to slide a finger under your black lace underwear, snapping it against your skin and making you wince in pleasure. He then slides it to the side, revealing your already dripping wet folds. He brings his hand up to run his fingers through them, collecting the pool of wetness that’s sitting between your legs. You whine quietly at his touch, entirely at his mercy.

Jake leans back over you, still running his fingers over your sensitive core, and whispers into your ear in a deep, raspy voice. “Is this what you wanted, baby? Did you want me to take care of this pretty pussy just like I do with my guitar on stage? Is that it?” You whine again, louder this time as he starts to circle your clit lightly. “Yes,” you breathe out. “Yes, what?” he says, putting more pressure right where you need it most, peppering light kisses on your neck. You let out a quiet moan and throw your head back, “Yes, sir, this is what I wanted, please.” He kisses your neck once more, sinking his teeth in a bit, causing you to whine again.

He then leans back and removes his hand from you, placing both of his hands on your ass, spreading your cheeks wide, and letting out a harsh groan. “Fuck, sweetheart, you look so delicious. I need to have a taste,” he says. “Please, please,” you mutter out, begging. He stops holding himself back, leaning down and finally attaching his mouth to you. You gasp as his lips encompass your folds, his tongue teasing your entrance repeatedly. You grip the arm of the couch harshly, holding on for dear life as he licks at you relentlessly.

His fingers find your clit and press tight circles into it as his mouth continues to explore your needy pussy. You struggle to hold back your moans as he gets you closer and closer to the edge. He can tell you’re getting close from your noises and detaches his mouth from you. His arm pulls you up against him and he’s now using both his hands on you to get you to your release. His left hand is still pressing into your clit as he inserts his middle finger into you. You lean back against him and moan loudly as his finger takes a relentless place inside of you and he inserts a second finger. “That’s it, baby, are you gonna come for me? You gonna come all over my fingers?” Jake says with his lips against your neck, sucking marks into it as he grinds his hard dick against you. “Yes, yes, yes,” you say, struggling to get any words out at all. He rubs your clit faster and keeps a steady pace of pounding his finger inside of you, making you come undone for him.

Your orgasm is so harsh, hitting you like a massive wave, taking you over. You can’t control the sounds coming out of you as you moan his name and several expletives as you come down from your high. He slows his fingers inside you, but still moves them, helping you through it. It’s nothing like you’ve ever experienced before. You’d expected him to be good considering how skilled he was at guitar. You fantasized a lot about it as you watched his fingers move along the frets, but this was even better than you’d imagined.

Jake removes his hands from you and places a soft kiss on your cheek. You watch as he pops his fingers into his mouth, sucking them clean, and groaning slightly. Then he pulls your panties back to their place and fixes your skirt. You step off of the couch and turn to face him, kissing his lips softly. You feel him smile against your lips and let out a quiet moan, taking your cheek in his hand. He leans his forehead against yours and asks, “You coming back to my room with me?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you answer, smiling at him. He steps back from you to grab the rest of his clothes and finish getting dressed. You watch him grab a black button-down shirt, very similar to the blue one you saw him in yesterday, then he slips into the same brown Chelsea boots. He looks into the mirror and brushes his fingers through his hair slightly, still wet from his shower and a bit messy after your steamy exchange. He slides on his dark sunglasses, despite it being dark out, then reaches his hand out to you. “Alright, ready to go?” You take his hand and you walk out, hand-in-hand, to the back entrance where your ride is waiting for you.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

The car pulls up to their hotel, Jake gets out of the car and then goes to the other side to open your door for you. You blush as he takes your hand, helps you out of the car, and holds your hand in his as he walks you inside. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife as you both enter the elevator and take it up to his floor. He keeps his hand on your lower back as he walks you to his room and opens the door, letting you enter first, following behind you, and closing the door.

You watch him turn the lock and then turn around and walk toward you. He snakes his arms around your waist and pulls you close. You lean up to kiss him and he groans into your mouth, backing you up until the back of your legs hit the bed. He then lays you down on the bed and leans over you, deepening the kiss. His one hand is grasping at your ass while the other moves up to your neck. You reach down to grasp at his bulge, still hard and throbbing since he went down on you back at the venue. He groans into your mouth and thrusts lightly into your hand, needing more. You pull down the zipper and reach into his boxers to take him in your hand, but it’s clear that he’s feeling impatient because he leans back to completely undress.

Jake unbuttons the remaining three buttons on his shirt and tosses it on the floor, then pulls down his jeans and removes his briefs. You take this time to truly admire him, with nothing covering him. You’re mesmerized by his defined v-line and the way his necklace lays on his bare chest, then you finally look down to see his hard dick, starting to feel slightly nervous. It’s larger than you’d expected for his height, and girthier too, so much so that you worry about it fitting. He leans back over you and slowly pulls your skirt and panties down as you lift your shirt over your head to match him. He kisses you ferociously as his hands find your breasts, still covered by your lacy bra. He kneads them in his hands for a moment before reaching behind you unhooking it with one hand and throwing it to the side of the bed.

He detaches his lips from you and leans back for a moment to look at you, completely bare in front of him. “Fuck, baby… you look absolutely delectable…” he says, leaning back in to kiss you and teasing his tongue into your mouth, which you welcome willingly. Your tongues are swirling around each other as he brings one of his hands down to grab your breast and his finger pinches your nipple teasingly. You moan into his mouth and he smirks, bringing his mouth down to suck it into his mouth. He then moves his hand to your wet and needy core, bringing his fingers through your folds before inserting his pointer finger inside. You’re writhing in his touch, whining, and slightly overstimulated by all of the different feelings pulsing through you.

“Jake please, I need you,” you whine, needing more than just his fingers now. “What, sweetheart? Tell me what you want,” he says, looking down from above you with fire in his eyes. “I need to fuck me, please, I need it so bad,” you plead with him, taking his dick in your hand. He groans into your mouth and teases you more, “Yeah? You want me to fuck you, baby?” “Yes, yes sir, please, please,” you beg, unable to wait anymore. He moans again, hearing you call him that making him throb in your hand.

“Honey, I’m gonna fuck you so good that all you’ll be able to say is my name…” he says, taking himself in hand and pumping it a few times, forehead pressed against yours. He lines himself up with you, his other hand gripping the back of your neck, and presses in just the tip. You whine at the feeling before he takes it back out and then slides back in, gripping his hand tight on your hip and he pushes all the way to the hilt. He lets out a deep groan from the feeling of being all the way inside you, his eyes glued to where your bodies meet as he moves his hips to take himself out and then slam back in again.

His lips crash into yours then, licking into your mouth recklessly as he sets a steady pace. Your fingernails are digging into his back as you moan into his mouth at every thrust, in absolute euphoria. His hand moves from the back of your neck to the front, grasping just tight enough that it wouldn’t restrict your airflow. He removes his lips from yours and looks down at you, his hair framing your face and his eyes boring into yours. His necklaces dangle into your face at every thrust, the cold metal smacking your face to keep you in reality. His other hand reaches down to lift one of your legs higher and he’s now fucking into you at a new angle, so much deeper. You let out a loud moan at the feeling and you feel yourself clench around him, which makes him go faster.

“That feel good, baby?” Jake asks you in a deep whisper and moves his hand from your leg to your stomach, pressing down. “Do you feel me right there? You feel me so deep?” You can tell he likes to talk, and you like it too. His words are getting you closer and closer to the edge as you feel his tip brush past your g-spot over and over again. You nod ferociously and spill out a string of yeses, unable to form much of a sentence. His hand on your stomach moves down to your sensitive clit and starts pressing hard circles into it. “I feel you clenching around me baby, I know you’re so close. Be a good girl and come on my cock,” he says, his eyes locked right on yours, watching as your face contorts with pleasure. It’s not long before you’re reaching your second orgasm, this one even harder than the first as Jake pounds into you incessantly.

As you come down, he puts your leg down and leans down to kiss you passionately, moaning into your mouth. You can tell that he’s close too, though he’s held it together well. You place your hand tightly at the back of his neck, gripping some of the hair there and deepening the kiss. A few more deep thrusts and he pulls his mouth away from yours and pulls out of you, pumping himself as he finishes on your stomach. His forehead falls onto yours as he breathes in your presence for a moment before placing a light kiss on your forehead and walking to the bathroom to get a towel to clean you up.

He returns from the bathroom with a wet washcloth, sits down on the edge of the bed, and helps clean you up. The aftercare is honestly quite sweet, which was to be expected. Despite his tough exterior in bed, Jake is a gentleman first and foremost. He finishes wiping you off and you both take a quick shower to clean more thoroughly and cool off. Even the shower is sensual, he washes you off slowly and delicately, and then you both dry off and get back into bed.

Jake turns the lamp off and then lays down and turns to face you. He reaches his hand over and brushes a piece of hair out of your face and caresses your cheek lightly. You take his hand in yours and kiss the top of it, smiling up at him. You still feel a bit unsure that any of this is even real. But nonetheless, you scooch closer to him and lay your head on his chest, close your eyes, and drift off to sleep as he brushes his fingers through your hair.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

Your eyes flutter open and you see the light of the morning peeking through the blinds. You turn over to see Jake still fast asleep, mouth wide open and snoring slightly. You smile to yourself, it all seems quite innocent. You go to grab your phone from the nightstand and check the time: 9:17 a.m. Okay, that’s not too bad. You wanted to be back at your apartment before noon to catch Sophie after her class was over, so the timing seemed good.

You brush some pieces of hair out of Jake’s face and smile down at him, rubbing your thumb on his temple. His eyes open slowly, a little out of it. “Mmm… morning, sweetheart,” he mutters, his voice deep and groggy. “Good morning… I have to go soon, I think…” you reply, which causes him to jolt awake a bit more, sitting up. “Oh…” he says, his face showing signs of disappointment, “Okay, yeah. I can get a car to take you back to your place.” He grabs his phone and sends a text to who you assume is his manager, then he turns back to you.

“Hey,” he says, placing his hand on your cheek. “I’ve had a really great few days with you, Y/N. I won’t forget it, ever. I hope you won’t either…” You look up at him and frown, you hate this goodbye more than anything. “Of course I won’t forget it, Jake. I don’t think I could ever forget you,” you say as he pulls you in for a soft kiss. He keeps his forehead on yours, trying to memorize this moment before it’s gone forever. “Keep my number, okay? If you ever need anything, or if you’re ever in Nashville… you can call me. I’ll answer. I promise,” he tells you, pulling back and rubbing his thumb on your cheek before getting up to get dressed for the day. You nod, staying in the comfortable silence and doing the same.

You both get ready and Jake walks you downstairs to the front of the hotel where the car is waiting for you. He gives you one more kiss goodbye on the cheek and opens the door for you, sending you off. What a whirlwind, you think to yourself as the car takes you back to your apartment.

After answering the much-expected 20 questions from Sophie about your adventurous night with a famous rockstar, you retire to your bedroom. You get changed into something more comfortable and then look down at your wrist, realizing that you’re still wearing his bracelet. You sincerely doubt that you’ll ever be able to give it back to him, so it can be a sweet keepsake. You take it off and place it on your vanity with the rest of your jewelry, and then go to sit in your bed.

You think back to the events of last night and part of you truly doesn’t believe it actually happened, especially to you. Well, you only live once, you suppose. It isn’t like anything like this would ever happen to you again in your lifetime. You’re likely never going to see him again and one day this is all going to be a distant memory. Right?

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

i hope you all enjoyed the second chapter of POTB!! comment or message me if you want to be added to the taglist!

the next chapter will involve a small time jump to the present day, so buckle up my loves!! see you soon! <3

part three

taglist:

@writingcold @josh-iamyour-mama @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @sinarainbows @gvfmelbourne @jaketsguitar @swiftiepanda21 @itsafullmoon @thetroublegetssoloud71 @vanfleeter @gretasfallingsky @dem0litiondan @dixonbrainrot

[prettiestboyev]

FAN ( 1 ) super-rude idol!

You texted the groupchat, after being a bit lost at the ceremony you were at with your group, walking fast to your table, not looking at where you're walking and instead at your phone - waiting for one to respond, - causing you to bump into someone.

"Aaah- I'm so sorry!" You said quickly before looking up at the person with intentions to apologize.

Your heart froze.

It was THE Lee Felix. (Yeah, the one from Stray Kids.)

He laughed sweetly, his usual friendly smile bright on his face. "It's fine, really. S/N, right?" He waved at you, even if you were close to him.

"I- Uh.. yeah." You nodded quickly. "I- I have to go- Nice meeting you!" You said with nervousness in your voice, going fast to your table.

Holy sh*t. You so screwed that up.

You sat at your table, face in your hands as you sort of beat yourself up mentally, before a notification slaps you out of your trance.

You sighed, setting your phone on the table as the homescreen flashed "7:56", letting you know the speech for the awards were going to start soon, the ceremony itself.

Minsun, Hwan and Zai arrived that same minute, sitting at the table next to you.

"What happened, Y/N?" Hwan asked first, as you slowly explained what had happened beforehand, beating yourself up for it. "Gosh, I probably sounded like such a b*tch."

Zai laughed. "Yeah, you really did." She repeated.

Minsun slapped her arm playfully. "Zai! Not the time!" The eldest scolded their maknae, which simply stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"Gosh, Y/N, don't worry about that. It's not like he's the type hold a grudge. A simple apology would fix it." Zai said, drinking out her glass.

You sighed. "But what if he thinks I'm one of those idols who act all friendly on camera but off-camera they're actually super rude?!" You panicked.

"Y/N, Zai's right. You should just go and talk to him!" Hwan agreed, and you did aswell after a short moment, but the moment you stood up, a"Welcome everyone!" was heard comimg from the mic.

"Fuck." You said underneath your breath.

"That's what you get for overthinkin' so much, now sit down, Y/N, It'll be fine." Zai said, as you begrudgingly agreed, sitting down.

previous | masterlist | next

a/n everyone sigh its a written chapter! but no actually i kind of like the mix hehe anyway yes y/n overthinks please let this one slide my girl just saw one of her idols and freaked

taglist @luvyeni @tenmii

[oceanwithouthermoon]

OKAY im posting this crappy wip kubosai one-shot because ive been lagging severely on writing... sorry if its cringe, its completely unedited rn</3

this is roughly 1800 words.. the actual wip is about 4000 LOL but i skipped a couple parts so this is about half the wip i guess..

Kusuo was sitting at his desk with his legs curled to his chest, glaring at nothing, when his phone dinged next to him. Already not in the best mood, he sneered as his eyes snapped over to the device. The noise had disturbed one of his favorite pastimes; being moody for no reason and doing nothing, and the bright light was equally disturbing. When he looked over, it also shone the time as "1:36am" which ruined his blissful unawareness of how long he'd been brooding. His unusually accurate internal clock could have told him that, really, but Kusuo would never pass up an opportunity to be mad about something stupid.

His eyes softened significantly when he caught sight of what the notification actually was. A text from contact name "Kuboyasu Aren" with no contact picture. Yeah, that was how Kusuo kept all his contacts. Super boring and super normal.

He clenched his teeth, trying to bring his anger from before back after realizing how much and how easily his mood lifted just reading his classmate's name.

His phone had gone back to a black screen before Kusuo could read the actual contents of the message, so he begrudgingly unfurled himself from his position with a heavy sigh. He planted his feet back on the floor just a bit too aggressively and swiped up his phone as he stomped over to his bed to flop himself down on it.

When he finally turned his phone back on, the notification read “3m ago” and he clicked on it.

The message read, “hey princess when u wake up do u wanna hangout ??!? could i come overrr tomorrow please”

Annoying lack and misuse of punctuation, but Kusuo has learned that this tends to be the norm in texting, especially with other teenagers. In all fairness, the way Kusuo texts isn't very conventional either. He made fun of Toritsuka’s severe overuse of emojis once, and then immediately got ganged up on by all of the self proclaimed ‘PK psychickers’ because he tends to overuse emoticons in the same way. He doesn't know how else to express himself over text, alright? He learned to text only from his mom, Akechi, and Aiura and this is just how it turned out.

And for your information, the stupid princess pet name was just some silly thing Kuboyasu had gotten in the habit of doing lately. Trust Kusuo when he says it's much more embarrassing when he says it out loud, especially at school, than when he texts it, though knowing that his name in Kuboyasu’s contacts was “My Princess :)” was probably even worse.

Anyway, Kuboyasu had clearly made the assumption that Kusuo would be sleeping at this hour. Well, usually he would be. Kusuo LOVES getting his sleep in, but he just so happened to have taken a very long nap earlier that day, so he had a late dinner, and subsequently a late dessert. So, his usually abnormally fast metabolism hadn't quite been rid of all the sugar and caffeine he'd consumed not long ago. A series of unfortunate events, really, which culminated in him not being tired enough to sleep yet. At least he got to get in his usual ‘angrily staring at nothing for no reason’ time that he accidentally skipped because of his nap, although that did just get interrupted too.

So finally, he responded to Kuboyasu with, “I'm awake. (-.-;) Sure, I guess.”

Kuboyasu read the message and began typing unnervingly quickly after it was sent. “really ?!?!? also y r u awake lol i thought u would be asleep hours ago”

The poor guy probably wasn't expecting him to say yes immediately. Kusuo usually would argue about it for a bit before giving in to the teasing and pleading of his self proclaimed friends. It was way too late (/early) to play that game right now though, he knew he would just say yes in the end anyway. It had nothing to do with him actually wanting to see the dumb former punk who he had been unusually close with lately.

The taller boy just GOT him in a way other people never did. His undying loyalty and honesty was a refreshing contrast from many of the other people the psychic was often forced to be around. Loyal, honest, strong, romantic, protective. Not that those last few things affected the way he interacted with Kusuo or anything…

Kusuo replied again, “Yes. And I usually would be, but… too much caffeine. (￣^￣)”

Another quick response, “lol thats totally something u would do.. since ur up, r u down to call right now ?”

“To call? It's almost 2am. ಠ_ಠ Why are YOU awake anyway?”

“lol i know i know but im so bored… i just cant sleep.. we can be quiet on the call, but id like to hear ur voice right now :)”

Good grief, ew. How disgusting. “Hm… okay. ∩(｡-_-｡)∩”

(Don't you dare ask Kusuo why his internal monologue is so different from what he actually replies with. It's definitely not because he's an unreliable narrator who doesn't want to admit to himself or anyone that he actually wants to talk to a boy. Why would that be the case? Don't be dumb.)

Kusuo forgot to turn his ringer off before Kuboyasu could call him, so despite entirely expecting the phone call, the loud ringing startled him into dropping his phone on his face. How embarrassing, all-powerful psychic drops his phone on his face at almost 2am.

He scrambled to pick it back up and answer it so that the noise wouldn't wake up his parents. It would be really easy for him to just lull them back to sleep with his telepathy the second they wake up, but it would be inconvenient and his dad might complain in the morning. About either remembering waking up or just about not getting a good night’s sleep.

He finally clicked the answer button, luckily before his parents could wake up, and held back a sigh as he held the phone up to his ear.

“Hey, princess!” Kuboyasu was speaking in a whisper yell, probably also a room away from his sleeping parents.

“Hello.” He tried to speak in a way that wouldn't give away the fact that he was recovering from a smack to the face. Phone calls were a bit awkward for Kusuo, since microphones didn't pick up on his telepathy so he had to use his actual voice to speak over the phone. He always just hoped people wouldn't notice the extra rasp to his voice, but the late hour might work in his favor in this situation.

“So what have you been up to?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Up at 2 am and you're just sitting there, doing nothing?”

“Yes, that's exactly what I've been doing. What else is there to do at 2am?”

“Well, I've been making the most of MY time, personally.”

“And how have you been doing that, exactly?”

“Thinkin’ about you.”

“...”

“...”

“... *snort*” Okay, how could that NOT make him laugh? He took the phone slightly away from his face and laughed into his hand.

“What?? It's true!” The idiot couldn't hold back his laughter either.

“Yeah, yeah, okay… whatever, you're such a pain…”

“Yeah? Am I?”

“Yes.”

“And yet, you're here talking to me at 2 am just because I asked you to? Admit it, you love it.”

“Tch. You really need to get over yourself, you know that?”

“Well. Humor me for a bit longer, will you?”

“You're desperate.”

“For you.”

Kusuo muttered into his hand, “Oh my god.”

“I wish I could see your face right now, I know you're blushing.”

“Yeah, right. Not like you can prove that.”

“You want me to?”

“What do you mean?”

“You want me to come over there and check?”

Kusuo could hear the smirk in Kuboyasu’s voice. The jerk knew Kusuo couldn't say no to him. They both knew this game. Kusuo would deny him just for show, even though they both know he wants to say yes, and Kuboyasu would tease the truth out of him. Well, fine. Kusuo could play this game.

“You want to sneak out of your house and into mine at 2am just so you can check how successful your teasing is?”

“Mhm. Not just that, I would do anything to see my pretty princess’ face right now. I'm bored, you're bored, the only solution is for the knight to rescue the princess from this ailment, obviously.”

“You're an idiot.”

“You want to see me, I know it.” And he did. Kusuo could hear shuffling over the phone. That asshole was probably already putting his shoes on, knowing Kusuo would say yes. “What, you scared to prove me right? You don't want me to see your pretty pink face right now?”

… Kuboyasu was good at this game. He knows that husky voice is fucking irresistible. To Kusuo, at least. “... Okay, okay. Only so I can prove you WRONG.”

He knew Kuboyasu was smiling, but then the mood settled a bit. “You serious, Saiki? I know I'm messing with you, but I won't pressure you if you don't wanna sneak me in. I mean, that's kinda a lot to ask now that I'm thinkin’ about it. I really wanna see you, but I wouldn't make you do that.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up, I've already made up my mind. Are YOU sure? You realize how late and dark it is, yeah? You can't just stroll the streets at 2 am, you're gonna get hurt.”

“Awee, you worried about me, princess? No need, your knight in shining armor can protect himself just fine.”

"... Fine. Just stay on the phone with me."

"Hm? While I walk?"

He figured Kuboyasu wouldn't want to have a conversation over the phone in favor of paying attention to his surroundings, but... Kusuo couldn't help but be nervous about his friend's safety at this hour. He just wanted to make sure he was fine the whole walk.

"We don't have to talk, just... stay on the phone with me..."

Kuboyasu snorted. "What, you gonna miss me in those, what, ten whole minutes?"

Kusuo scoffed quietly. "Don't be so full of yourself. I'm just making sure you don't trip and fall or something at 2am on the way to my house. Wouldn't want the blame to fall back on me." He somehow still managed to convey snark in his almost monotone voice despite his whisper.

Kuboyasu chuckled softly, as he snarked back teasingly, "You know I can take care of myself. Can't believe you're still worried about me~."

Kusuo did know that. It didn't change anything. And he WASN'T worried, he just knew that his various nuisances tended to get into trouble when he wasn't there to monitor them. He was always getting them out of trouble even in broad daylight, so there was absolutely no reason to think that walking alone in the middle of the night would prove to be an exception.

"Just shut up and don't hang up, alright?"

He heard the quiet creak of a door closing and shutting, barely drowning out Kuboyasu’s attempt at muffling his laughter. "Alright, sweet boy. I'm right here."

-

EWWWW CRINGEE EW THEY HAVE COOTIES

[stayandot8]

Birthday Gifts

Genre: fluff

Relationship type: established boyfriend/girlfriend

Important Contents: Happy birthday Light of My Life 🥰 You have changed me and my life for the better and for that I will never be able to thank you. Tis short but sweet.

WC: 1.07k

masterlist

“Why is there a photocard of Seungmin in your phone?” I froze, stopping the packing process. My eyes went wide. 

“Because he’s my…”

“Bias?” His tone was light, not upset at all. Chan rarely got truly upset. “Baby, why am I not your bias?” He was pouting, I could tell.

“I was told that your boyfriend can't be your bias!” I picked up one of his favorite sweatshirts to fold and drop it in his suitcase. 

“Who told you that?” He started towards me, his toiletries bag forgotten in the bathroom and his hand outstretched so I could see what I already knew. I pretended I was busy picking out the rest of his clothes from his drawers to hear him. “Hey! Who told you your boyfriend couldn’t be your bias?!” He followed me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’ll tickle it out of you if I have to!”

“Nooo nononono! Okay, fine! Minho! It was Minho!” He didn’t let go. Instead he only tightened his grip on me as he hauled me over to his bed and threw me down. 

“His bunny teeth are gonna get it when we get on the plane.” 

“Don’t hurt him.” I swatted at him still behind me, laying with my back to his chest. The rumble of laughter was just the glue needed to put my soul back together again. I would need all the healing I could get since he wasn’t spending his birthday with me. 

“You have no control over that.” He squeezed his arms around my middle and kissed the back of my head, burying his nose in my hair. “Did you change your shampoo? I like it.” 

“Stop changing the subject. I mean it, don’t do anything to him. Now let me up so I can finish packing so you can have clothes to wear when you leave. I don’t think Seungmin can take you being naked all the time.”

“Caring so much about what Seungmin thinks now, are we?” He released me and I stood up and walked back over to his dresser, straightening my pajama shorts and top that he messed up. 

“Lord, I won’t live this down, will I.” Shaking my head, I picked up a t-shirt and folded it the same as I did with his sweatshirt. He strode back to his bathroom and continued his own packing. “Hey, what movie should we watch tonight?” 

“I dunno, whatever you want to watch is fine with me.”

“Libra man can’t decide, what a shocker. No sir, you’re choosing this movie, it’s your birthday tomorrow. You pick.”

“Ugghh fine. Something from Marvel then. Maybe the first Avengers movie?” He called from the bathroom, pausing and listening for my honest reaction. Lucky for him, I would’ve said yes to just about anything but this choice was actually a good one in my opinion.

“I’m down. Hurry up in there so I can brush my teeth and bury myself in your covers. Your suitcase is all packed.” He zipped up the small black bag and placed it on the outside pocket of the huge black suitcase. 

“I’m done, I’m done.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he returned the favor, chuckling as I walked by. 

“What time does your flight leave tomorrow?” I asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.

“Eight AM.” I spit it out and rinsed. “I don’t have a lot to do on this trip though so I should be back soon.” I turned out the light and stood in the doorway, just watching him turn on his TV and flip through the choices until he found the one he wanted. 

I thought this year would be the year that I convinced him not to work on his birthday. I had gotten close, but his drive had won out in the end. At least he was going with friends he didn’t get to see very often, even if it was the other kids. They wouldn’t let him work on his birthday. If I had to fly out there myself and throw his laptop out of the plane, he wouldn’t work on his birthday. I had half a mind to hide it in my closet at my house when he started asking for it, looking frazzled. I begrudgingly handed it over. 

Next year, I thought. Next year, I’ll spend all day with him, no matter what. Nothing would stop me. 

“Baby? Am I watching this movie by myself or are you coming to cuddle with me?” I rolled my eyes, my answer obvious. I practically leaped into his bed and shuffled over next to him as he pressed play. I made sure to check the clock on my phone before turning it over to the side, smirking to myself. 

“Chris?” I whispered. 

“Yeah?”

“I had something made. Let me go get it, hold on.” I scrambled back out of the safety of his blanket to my bag, pulling a small box out. He furrowed his eyes and pouted. 

“I told you I didn’t want anything this year.”

“And if you thought I was going to listen, you really don’t know me.” He took the box from me as I climbed back in with him.

He pulled back the bow of the wrapping and slowly opened it to reveal a tiny golden heart pin with my initials on it.

“You can pin it to the inside of your sweatshirts. So you’ll always have my heart on your sleeve.” I took my time to look back up at his face, scared of what his reaction may be. I don’t know why, because he looked like he was going to cry. 

“I-” He spoke softly. “Baby, I love it.” 

“You do?” He nodded and pulled me in for a soft kiss. 

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever received. And I’ll make sure-” He pulled me in by my cheeks so he could look straight into my eyes. “To take the best care of it.” He kissed me again and placed the box next to his phone. “So I don’t forget to put it on first thing tomorrow.” When he turned back over, his hands found themselves anywhere but by his side. He squashed me into him until I didn’t think I’d be able to breathe, which had us in giggles as the movie started. 

“Happy birthday, Chris.”

“Thank you, baby.” He kissed the top of my head once more. “Even if I’m not your bias, you’re still my favorite.” I clung tighter to him and he whispered in my ear. “And I’m so trading out Seungmin’s photocard for mine before I leave.”

[the-banana-0verlord]

 Speechless (Sebek Zigvolt x reader)

Note: Gn reader, Sebek birthday special.

***

Putting up with Sebek was impossible for most people. He was loud, arrogant and annoying. You had your difficulties with him too, but you were one of the only ones who actually hangoud out with him. On his side, he tolerated you, at best.

You were also in the same class, facilitating your contacts. Today, you were taking Alchemy class and you have been designated as partners. The assigment was a simple potion that made you understand languages you couldn’t normally.

“Luckily for us, he boasted, my mentor Lilia has told me all about this elixir, as he had used it many times! The ingredient we need to add is an alligator scale!

-Uhm, I’m pretty sure the textbook says a crocodile scale...

-Nonsense, Human! It is the word of Lilia, it certainly wouldn’t be wrong!

-If you say so.”

Begrudgingly, you put the scale in the couldron. Few minutes later, the potion was ready. You read a phrase in old Scalding Sands, a phrase he was supposed to translate to you. But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

“Sebek, are you okay?” You asked.

He was too busy panicking and gripping his throat to respond. The professor Crewel, noticing the distress, approached the two of you.

“What is going on? He slapped his whip against his hand.

-Sebek seems to have lost his voice, sensei, you answered while the boy was silently screaming in frustration.

-Go to the nurse’s office. It’s probably nothing but it might be a symptom of something worse.

-Yes, sir.”

***

“Upon inspection, the nurse announced, it’s just an effect caused by a potion created by the Sea Witch. It should be gone in about three days. But I’m curious, how did you manage to create it? The recipee was lost ages ago.

-We put an alligator scale instead of the crocodile one in our polyglot potion.

-Ah, rookie mistake.”

Sebek looked like he was going to jump at the trhoat of nurse Gothel.

“Well anyways, there’s nothing I can do for him. I’ll write him a note exempting him of animal linguistics class.”

***

The path back to class was very akward. You were used to his constant blabbering, so it was strange.

“So, I was thinking you might need someone to help you translate things to others, so if you want I can do it.”

He opened his mouth, but closed it when he remebered he couldn’t speak. Instead, he got his phone out and typed something at the speed of light.

I don’t need a human to tend to me! I’ll be fine by myself, thank you very much!

“Oh, okay then.”

At that, you parted ways.

***

The next day, you were eating lunch in the cafeteria when Sebek sat loudly next to you. He presented his phone to you, looking away.

If your offer still stands, I’m taking it. Mind you, I’m doing this because I pity you, not because I need it.

Turns out, communicating without speaking was way harder than he thought. He was forced to admit he needed your help. His face betrayed his offense when you burst out laughing.

“Of course, Sebek the Great, I will help you.”You teased.

Malleus is the great one, not me!

***

With your assistance, the three days went by fast. By being his translator, you were able to smooth his behavior towards others.

And truth is, he began to appreciate you more. Before, he saw you as just a lonely human who stuck to him because they had no friends. Now, he respected you, and even develloped some sort of... Fondness for you. One that he wouldn’t admit over his dead body.

He was also able to have a heart to heart with Lilia about the potion ingredient confusion. The latter admitted it was a prank and didn’t think Sebek would take his word for it.

Few days later, you found the boy at your doorstep, flowers in hand. Before you could utter a word, he shoved them in your face.

“As a thank you for helping me when I was incapable of speanking, I will treat you to a restaurant. And don’t interpret it wrongly, Master Lilia made me do it!”

You carefully took the bouquet.

“Oh, they’re lovely. When is it gonna be?

-Tonight at seven. Do not be late!

-I won’t don’t worry.

-Very well, I will await for your presence!”

***

You approached Sebek, who was waiting for you in front of the Monstro Lounge. When he heard your footsteps, he turned to face you.

“Ah, Human! Do you know you’re one minute and 35 seconds late?! Of course, as I am kind, I will let it slide,but-”

He stopped mid-sentence, staring at you while a pink tint spread across his face. For the occasion, you had worn the prettiest thing in your cupboard.

“Sebek? Are you okay? Does the potion still affect you? You asked worriedly.

-N-no, everything is fine. You look... Not bad, for a human.

-I’ll take it as a compliment. Shall we go in?

-Of course!”

Together, you entered the restaurant. Feigning like he was looking the other way, he enterwined your fingers with his.

***

Have a good day/night!

[aidoriimu]

"A Mixer..!?"

---

— This is a reupload of something I did for his birthday! It's mostly based from an old draft I had in docs, so it's not a 1:1 recreation of the first upload, but it's still mostly the same..

“A mixer... This kind of event isn’t really my thing, is it?”

Tsumugi stood by the entrance of a karaoke place, letting out a sigh. There weren’t any new notifications as he scrolled through his phone while he waited.

He was dressed pretty casually, some dark pants that complemented his light shirt and matched with his blazer. Hopefully this didn't seem too overdressed... his current wardrobe has been more suited to fit with his position after all. 

He was going to wear a much comfier shirt, but it seemed like all that time in his closet made it so that the moths got to it first. What luck, he seemed to have...

Recently though, an old friend of his had contacted him, talking about inviting him to a mixer along with a few acquaintances. He's never been one to turn down an invite so he accepted it almost immediately, even staying up far longer than he should have trying to finish work due for the week.

It was an early leave for a Friday afternoon such as this one at least, and Natsume did begrudgingly lend him some concealer while simultaneously scolding him for his sleeping habits... How cute, he reminisced when he would do the same for him as well back in the underground library.

He checked the last message his friend sent him, saying that the would meet up at around 3pm but it was already a few minutes past that.

"Maybe I was too early or I was sent the wrong time..." He murmured to himself as he reread the message. "

Now that you were here anyway, might as well book the room in advance, it was the weekend after all and other highschoolers would probably come by later. 

———

Ah, your friend was going to be late again, wasn't he? He has to learn that he has to be on time with events he’s hosting sooner or later. Then again, you were always a bit critical of him, you probably just got here way too early seeing as your place wasn't too far from the meetup spot.

As you kneeled down to get your drink from a vending machine, you noticed a peculiar figure in the window's reflection. You turned around to open your drink, squinting slightly when you saw that it was a guy.. ? with long, messy dark hair and glasses. He was just idling around like you were, with a defeated look on his face. 

Hm, wait. 

You weren't exactly an avid fan of idols but one of your classmates was and they would tell you all about them. One of them in particular was...

Tsumugi Aoba from Switch!?

You didn't want to get your hopes up nor interrupt him, maybe he was just here to practice since this place was a karaoke spot. It did look like he was meeting with someone too with his casual getup, but it's not like you get to meet an idol everyday. 

Asking for a picture probably won't be much, huh?

- - -

Your approaching footsteps caught Tsumugi's attention and he looked at you with a smile. "Uhm, can I help you with anything?" He asked as he put away his phone into his pocket.

"Excuse me, are you 'Tsumugi Aoba'?" You asked back, clutching your own phone tightly. 

He looked at you with a sheepish expression, rubbing the back of his head. "How may I help you? " Tsumugi then noticed the phone in your hands. “Are you a fan, perhaps?”

"Yes.. sort of, my friend is, mind if I took a photo with you for them?" 

"Oh sure!" 

At first he was surprised, not expecting to meet a fan at a time and place like this but he supposed that it happens when he's out in public for a casual occasion. Tsumugi wasn't the type to worry about his appearance anyway and as you opened your camera app and set it selfie, he posed with a peace sign right next to you. 

"Ah, may I see it? We could redo one again if it turns out I blinked..." 

"Let me go see.." 

As you checked the photo, it looked pretty fine. 

Though just then your friend's chat bubble popped up and said, "on my way there!" There was a flash of recognition in Tsumugi's face when he saw your screen, noticing how similar it was to his friend's chatname. He said your friend's name aloud, which made you widen your eyes.

"...You know them?" You asked. 

"Oh, they invited me to a mixer today, are you also part of that?" He replied with a closed-eye smile, a sigh of relief left his lips as he realized that he wasn't alone in this. 

"Well they did mention something like that.." You trailed off, not sure how to take in the fact that your friend never mentioned that they actually were acquainted with Tsumugi.Then you pointed to the karaoke rooms. “He said he’ll be here in a bit, maybe we could practice before everyone?” 

“I’d love to!” Tsumugi clasped his hands together, his eyes almost sparkling with admiration as he looked at you. “I guess my luck has turned around for today, I didn’t have to wait for too long.” 

[seka1-k0k0ro]

CRYS OMG.

bf kei taking care of u when ur sick omgomg and maybe kageyama n kuroo too? omg.

(i'm currently sick rn and this idea just hit me AHAHAHAHHA)

-🍙

OMGGG awww this is so cute; yes ofc onigiri! also get some rest and drink lots of water, hope you feel better and get well soon!! 💓

bedridden.

*post timeskip!*

tsukishima kei, kageyama tobio, kuroo tetsuro x gn!reader

cw: lots of fluff, mentions of sickness, some cursing

[i will format this better later + lower case intended]

tsukishima kei:

this man is the type to complain at first and silently take care of you until you feel better

and whenever you do end up feeling better and thank him he would have the worst blush on his face and pass it off like its nothing

you both live separately, but he has a key to your apartment

so when you didn't pick up your phone and text him back, he got a bit worried

after his uni classes, he raced to your apartment, mind running wild as to why you weren't responding to him

he unlocks and opens your door, confidently. he takes his shoes off and dumps his bag on the ground while calling out to you.

he hears you cough and his worry only worsened

he beelines to your room, and opens it harshly to see you coughing while laying on your bed, underneath the blankets.

"so you've been sleeping all day, huh?" he got no response from you besides a cough. he lifted a brow, confused as he slowly made his way over to you. he saw your cheeks were flushed and you let out another cough. his hand grazed your cheek, in a lazy attempt to check your temperature. "shit, y/n, you're burning up. why didn't you text me for help?" you melted into his hand as an apology and relief. that he was there.

kei got up and immediately searched for a glass of water and a cold compress. he found medicine on his journey as well and brought it back over to you. he made sure you were fed (he ordered it, he's not that good) and stayed by you until you felt better. he ended up sleeping on the floor in case you needed anything.

~.~

kageyama tobio

mans is clueless however he's not dumb

he rarely takes care of himself but when it comes to you, he'll bend the universe to make sure you're okay.

you'd text him you would be able to have your weekly breakfast date (put in place due to busy schedules) because you were sick and he cancelled everything except volleyball practice to help you.

def the type to call him mom or sister while he's at the store for help

"i just don't know how this is going to help."

"just listen to me and you'll be good," answered his sister. they bickered about getting too much or too little and which food he had to bring you. he stood in line of the store with thirty things all variations of other items in the case you reacted badly, or didn't like it. he checked out and headed immediately to your place.

he got back and saw you were walking to the kitchen. he gasped, "what are you doing out of bed? i told you to stay there." you looked him up and down as he looked also more disheveled than you with five plastic bags in his hands.

"i wanted a water."

~.~

kuroo tetsuro:

def the type to scold you the minute he found out

you're his personal assistant, and when you called in sick he laughed and said some stupid ass shit like "damn i did you that good huh?" even though literally nothing happened the night before.

you hacked out a bad cough and said you were really sick, and his entire mood changed.

trying to be professional, he said "alright, take the day off, and keep me updated."

yet he would send you emails, text-after-text, of him keep you updated.

he would send pictures of him throughout the day captioning it like "picture of my beautiful face to instantly make you better"

you're usually the one that takes care of him, so he's at a loss but he sends you flowers and your favorite takeout in the mail.

'dingdong check your front door,' said the millionth text from kuroo that day. you begrudgingly got up and made you over to the front door, and when you opened it, there it was. you smiled as you smelled the fresh roses and still warm takeout.

'thank you, my love,' you texted back with a picture of it. you took everything inside and downed your food. halfway through eating your phone started buzzing uncontrolably again.

'are u better yet? i'm bored.' you rolled your eyes as he was literally a busy ass businessman, and you only juggled half the work.

'stfu kuroo, im trying to eat then sleep.'

'gobble gobble that shit up, babe!' you questioned everything then and there, with a smie.

feel better lovely! inbox is always open. 💓

[poledancingdinos]

You’ve Got Me Hooked - Chapter 1

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Riley McKenzie)

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: Sex work, Stripper, OnlyFans

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @peaches1958​ @identity2212 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond​ @amberangel112​

A/N: I finally found a title for the fic! If you want to be added or removed from my taglist, let me know!

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Masterlist

Sy

"Holyshiet,” I blurt out, catching my friend’s attention, “that's fucking cheap. How is that room not taken?" I turn my phone screen towards Jared so he can look at it from across the table.

Jared only shrugs, turning his focus back to the laptop in front of him. "Maybe the guy rentin’ it out is a freak. Or maybe he just didn't bother takin’ the ad down. What’s it say? Posted over 30 days ago?"

I read the ad again, scrolling through the pictures. "The place is nice but the ad doesn't say anythin’ about this Riley guy so ya might just be right ‘bout him bein’ a freak."

At this point, what do I care? I’ve been looking for a place to stay for the last three weeks and so far I’ve found jack shit. Not a single one bedroom is available anywhere in this town or in the two neighboring ones which means I had to start looking at rooms for rent. There were a couple of other places in my price range but all of them involved sharing with a couple of college kids. I’m a thirty-five year old retired army captain. It’s bad enough that I gotta bunk with a roommate again, I put my foot down at sharing with party-loving frat boys who just want me around to buy them cheap beer.

Yeah, this guy might be a freak but the place is about a hundred dollars less per month than I was expecting to pay and there would only be the one roommate. It beats sleeping on Jared’s couch and constantly being a third-wheel to a married couple. I feel like I’m one of those man-child characters on a TV show where the married people set up an apartment over the garage because the husband’s best friend can’t live on his own or hold down a job for shit.

"Only one way to find out," I begrudgingly say, copying the phone number into a blank text and typing up a message.

"Riley?" I ask as I approach him. 

I step down from my truck to find an older man standing near the back entrance of the building. He holds a cigarette to his lips, taking a long drag before pulling it away and stamping it out on the brick wall. 

The man shakes his head, extending his hand for me to shake.

"I'm Clayton, the landlord. I'll be showin’ ya the apartment."

"I thought I'd be meetin’ Riley today.” That pisses me off. Either the guy isn’t reliable enough to hold his appointment with me or he just didn’t give a shit and blew me off.

Clayton unclips a packed keyring from the buckle of his jeans and unlocks the door to the building.

"Riley is out of town for the week. It was a last minute thing."

I follow as we climb to the fourth floor landing. Oh the guys are gonna love dragging my mattress up these steps. If I end up moving in here, I’m going to owe them more than pizza and beer that’s for damn sure.

"How long has this room been available?"

"Oh, 'bout, three months or so."

My eyebrows fly up before pulling together in a frown. I had guessed it had been a while but three whole months?

"This is a steal for the market right now, how has no one jumped on this place?"

We reach the top floor and Clayton moves to the door on the far left. He flips through his keys until he finds the one engraved with the number 401.

"The girl who rents it gets the final say in the matter.” He turns the knob and pushes the door open. “She filters the people who text her then we do the visits together 'cause it lets me get a feel for who might be livin' in my property. If I approve, she does an actual interview."

Did I just hear that right? "Wait, the person livin’ here is a woman?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

Is it a problem?  It’s not what I expected but I’m desperate. Would living with a woman really be worse than with a guy? Maybe if I planned on taking girls home every night but after how shit went down with Lisa, that won’t be happening any time soon. Hell, none of the girls in this town will even look me in the eye anymore. They’re all too afraid to invoke Lisa’s wrath.

Who am I kidding, of course it’ll be a problem.

"No, Sir. It's not what I expected but I'm not against it."

I step through the threshold, taking a few steps before stopping behind the worn gray couch in the living room. One of the reasons I assumed that a man was living in the apartment was the fact that it was completely devoid of any personal touches or decorations. There is a large flat screen television and coffee table but an empty space where a dining room table and chairs should be. Instead there is a pair of barstools at the kitchen island. 

"The last three men I met were all outta here before I’d even had time to finish a cigarette after leavin' them alone for their interview so I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

Oh great. This girl is sounding more and more frustrating by the minute. If she doesn’t want to room with a guy then why the fuck not put it in the ad?

"And what about the women?"

"There haven't been any who came 'round for a visit.”

Huh. That was an unexpected answer.

“She lived alone for almost two years before decidin’ on gettin’ a roommate. I get the feelin’ she's usin’ this as a substitute for that Timber business."

I almost correct the man but I get the feeling that having a strong knowledge of hookup apps might not be the best way of selling myself to a potential landlord. I follow as Clayton steps further into the apartment, leading me down a hallway with three doors and opening the last on the right. "This right here would be your room, the bathroom in the hall would basically be your private bathroom since the master on the other side has its own. The old owners had a shower and toilet added into the laundry room for their son which is why you’re lucky enough to not have to share."

Clayton's cell phone rings and after checking the caller ID, he excuses himself to answer it out in the hall. I take the opportunity to check the plumbing in the kitchen and the bathroom, flushing the toilet and making sure the hot water works well everywhere. The place appears well looked after and the bedroom is more than big enough for the few belongings I took with me after splitting up with my ex. I threw it all in storage while I crashed on Jer’s couch. I wanted to get out of my old apartment so badly after the breakup that I didn't fight for any of the things we bought together — scratch that, the things I bought at Lisa’s request — only taking what I already owned before moving in. Luckily for me, that included the bedroom set with the king bed. 

By the end of my inspection, I’m convinced that this would be the perfect place for me. It’s close to my work, in the same part of town as most of my friends and far enough away from Lisa that the possibility of running into her on a day to day basis is relatively small. Plus, I saw a nice communal yard in the area between the four apartment buildings in the collection which would be great for letting Aika out to run.

"Sorry 'bout that. There's a heatin’ problem at another one of my properties so we may have to cut this short. If ya don't mind, I've got a few questions for ya before I let ya go then Riley can be in touch herself to reschedule a meetin’."

Maybe this time she’ll actually show up.

"All right, shoot."

"Why don't ya have any references from previous landlords? Ya look to be in your thirties but there ain't one person listed on your application."

"I've been in the army for the last decade. With me bein’ overseas a lotta the time it was easier to either let my ex or my previous roommates take care of that stuff. My name has never officially been on a lease."

The man hums, nodding his head.

"My son was a Marine. He never spent much time at his apartment either."

I notice how Clayton is only using the past tense but I know enough not to bring it up. After a moment of silence Clayton clears his throat.

"Ya said ya got a dog?"

I can’t help but smile when he mentions Aika.

"I do. A German Shepherd."

"We got a lotta little dogs in the buildin'. I don't like their odds ‘gainst a hundred pound Shepherd."

"That won't be a problem, Sir. She's incredibly well trained, the army saw to that."

Now, if any of my potential neighbors are fixing pipe bombs in their apartments, that’s a whole different story, but somehow I think he might just forgive a bite in favor of keeping his building in one piece.

Clayton seems satisfied with my answers. "I got no objection to ya movin' in here but, like I said, Riley will make a decision after she meets with ya. She'll be in touch."

I follow the man out of the building then say a polite goodbye before climbing into my truck and making my way back to Jared's house. I really wanted this place to work out but after what I heard about Riley, I’m far from sure I would meet up to her standards — whatever those might be — and I’m even less convinced that she would meet up to mine but beggars can’t be choosers. 

The corner apartment was nice and bright from the big windows. The high ceilings and open floor plan made it plenty big enough for hosting a football night but the kitchen, living room and dining room being open also means there would be no privacy save for our bedrooms. The place was spotless but that could have simply been due to the fact that she was out of town. Mostly, I wonder what was said between Riley and the three other guys for her to turn them away less than five minutes after sitting down with them.

Riley

This past week in Vegas has left me absolutely exhausted. The blisters on my feet have blisters of their own, I have more bruises than skin and I’m sure that once I go to sleep, I won’t wake for at least a week but I agreed to meet Sy tomorrow and I’ve already blown him off once so my prolonged nap is gonna have to wait. The first thing I have to do when I get home is rinse off the damn glitter that I somehow keep finding everywhere despite my multiple showers since my last performance. Let’s just hope the increase in subscriptions and followers is worth spending the last of the emergency fund I had saved up.

I’ve been looking for a roommate for over three months but so far, I haven’t gotten along with the few girls who showed interest and the men, well… All of those I agreed to meet have recognized me as soon as they’ve seen me. One even thought it was completely sensible to ask for a private show right there on the spot. Thank god none of them said anything in front of Clayton.

The process hasn’t been fun but I really need someone to split the bills with me. After I lost my job, I started waitressing. When that didn’t cut it, I started working at a strip club two towns over. It was good money considering I worked four nights a week but it still wasn’t enough to pay for my living expenses and my stupid student loans. At first I still tried to find something — anything — in the business or marketing field but when I ran out of places to apply to, I gave up and started running an OnlyFans page instead.

I get to the strip club early most nights to film while there are fewer customers around. I even partnered up with a few girls who have popular channels, taking every bit of advice they have to offer and even filming content with them to post once a month. In the brief time I’ve been running my page, I’ve used more of the skills acquired during my marketing degree than I did in the two years at my old job. Maybe if they had given me greater freedom to execute the projects I pitched to them they wouldn’t have had to downsize… or close altogether.

I originally chose a club two towns over to avoid being recognized; only it seems that many of the clients have the same thought. Luckily for me, my landlord is not one of them. He hasn’t questioned my reasons for bringing in a roommate, only asked that he do the same checks he would for any new lease. I normally meet the girls at a coffee shop or something before setting up a visit at my place but with the guys, I prefer the extra safety of having Clay there for the first meeting.

He doesn’t know how badly I need money. He’s been kind enough not to increase my rent since I got here because I always pay early but who knows what he would do if he knew I was barely hanging on and that bringing in a new tenant would make at least three-hundred bucks more per month. So what if I haven’t had a proper meal this week. Ramen noodle packets are a food group right?

Chapter 2