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jayflrt · 2 months

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𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝟕𝟖𝟔 04. the world of the elite

THERE WERE ABOUT THREE THINGS GOING ON IN JAY PARK'S HEAD WHEN KIM SUNOO CAME TO PICK HIM UP.

The first was the chilling realization that he was actually going to a Yale party. He hadn't been to a party in over a year (save for Jungwon's birthday party where they had to call the fire department when Jake almost burned the kitchen down), so Jay wasn't expecting to end up at this scene again in his new, fake school. (Could he even call this fake if he was actually earning a degree while his tuition was paid for? He could hardly tell what was real and what was fabricated anymore.)

Secondly, was it really wise for him to get close to his target like this? He hadn't dealt with assignments where he had to follow people around, so this was all rather new to him. He realized, however, that he managed to befriend you, his mission could get a lot more complicated.

Third—he had no idea how to talk to rich people.

There were times when Jay had to entertain particularly wealthy guests when his parents brought coworkers home. But it was so excruciating even then because wow, how shallow could someone get? The depths of his conversations with all the rich people he had met were not promising at all, so he didn't have much hope for his social battery tonight.

But Jay was probably on par with some of them now, so he had to adjust to this new lifestyle. There was no way he could lie about his upbringing, though, so he framed a story of him having a rich aunt that was over-the-moon when he got into Yale.

Moreover, he was so confused as to why Shin Yuna approached him. It wasn't like he looked well-off with his clothes that he thrifted years ago. Jay couldn't tell if Yuna was just being nice, or if she had other intentions that he was supposed to be concerned about.

"Whoa, nice jacket," Sunoo complimented once he let his eyes sweep Jay's outfit. "You'll be lucky if Yuna lets you out of her sight."

His eyes grew wide. "Is she expecting me to be by her side the whole time?"

"Probably. You still have time to back out, if you want."

He was conflicted. This was the perfect opportunity for him to get close to the people around you and get some information out of whoever was the most drunk there; at the same time, if Yuna was going to keep her perfectly-manicured claws on his shoulders the whole time, this whole night would be counterproductive.

In the end, Jay decided to go. He figured that if worst came to worst, he would just find the right time to ask Yuna some questions about you.

"Is Heeseung's place close?" Jay asked. The truth was that he already looked up all possible routes to the location when Sunoo sent him the address earlier; he just needed to ask as a formality.

"Down the block here," Sunoo replied. "His dad bought him an entire penthouse. Isn't that sick?"

He fought down a bitter remark and said, "Man, that must be nice. What do his parents do? You said Sunghoon's dad owns Park Pharmaceuticals, right?"

"Yeah, and his older brother, Sungjin, is taking over the company. And Heeseung's dad is a hedge fund owner," Sunoo answered. "They only made it big recently, like four or five years ago. I remember Heeseung used to be way different back in freshman year. Now he's more... subdued. I guess he didn't know how to handle being rich back then."

Jay could see the flashing of blue and purple lights from the windows of the penthouse down the street. He carefully watched the two figures on the terrace talking by the railing. At first, it seemed as if they were just talking normally. As he got closer, though, Jay realized from the faint sounds he picked up that they were, in fact, arguing.

It was you.

Jay had been looking at pictures of you all week, but seeing you up on the terrace was different. It seemed to just sink in that what he was doing was real, and seeing you in the flesh was all he needed for cold reality to seep into his veins like poison.

The man next to you must have been Park Sunghoon. Even from how high up the two were, Jay could tell that the man next to you exuded an overwhelming presence.

But he wondered what they were arguing over.

"C'mon," Sunoo said grimly, clearly having taken notice of the commotion above, "it's just up these stairs."

Jay felt his stomach sink deeper and deeper with each step he took. When they reached Heeseung's door, there was a bouncer guarding the entrance—probably some freshman Heeseung paid to keep watch. Jay stopped in his tracks, wondering if he was even allowed in since he had never met Heeseung, but his friend simply opened the door and walked right in, as if his arrival was expected, and the bouncer paid no mind. (Perhaps it was expected? Jay was starting to believe all these people had history that he didn't even understand the extent of.)

"Jay!" came a shrill cry from across the room. Jay turned to see Shin Yuna all but tackle him, draping her arms across his shoulders. He could smell the alcohol on her breath already. "I'm glad you made it."

"Thanks for the invite," Jay replied, gently prying Yuna's hands off of him, which she allowed him to do but grabbed his hand again right after.

Jay sent Sunoo a help me sort of look, but his friend seemed to greatly misunderstand the message he was sending across. Sunoo gave him a sideways grin and a thumbs-up before signaling that he was going to catch up with some friends in the kitchen.

Great.

"Come on," Yuna slurred, dragging Jay over to a sectional couch in the corner. "I'll introduce you to my friends."

He recognized some of the faces while he was looking into you—Karina Yoo, whose mother owned a private jet company; Choi Yeonjun, who landed a few minor movie roles with the help of his Golden Globe award-winning mother; Giselle Uchinaga, whose father was an investment banker and mother owned a nightclub; Kim Chaewon, whose mother revolutionized stem cell research; and then there was Lee Heeseung in the corner, who had his arms folded across his chest as he sized Jay up.

From what he gathered, this was most (or all) of the people in your inner circle. Heeseung and Sunghoon appeared to be more than that to you, though; childhood friends had a bond more special than the rest, he supposed.

Jay then wondered how Heeseung felt about his two childhood friends dating and now arguing on the balcony.

"Guys," Yuna started with a grin, motioning to Jay with a dramatic flair of her hands, "this is Jay, the new transfer student."

"Hey." Jay waved to the group, his mouth suddenly feeling extremely dry.

His greeting was returned by a few tight smiles from the rest and a chorus of unenthusiastic words of acknowledgment that he didn't feel too great about. Maybe he had to give up on his chance of entering your circle.

"Don't mind them," Yuna whispered to him as she pulled him over to sit on the couch with her. They were seated exactly across from Heeseung, whose stare made Jay feel even more uncomfortable. "They're all in a bad mood 'cause Y/N and Sunghoon got in a fight before you came. God, why do they always kill the vibe?" She was talking awfully loud, causing Karina and Giselle to shoot her warning glares. Jay had a sinking feeling that she was making the situation worse if she kept opening her mouth. "Seriously, I mean, we're here to party!"

Not that Jay was particularly avoidant with physical touch, but being touched and fawned about in front of everyone was slightly unnerving, especially when he didn't know Yuna all that well. Nearly half her body weight was on top of him, and Jay was pretty sure she would end up sitting fully on his lap if she took another shot.

"Are you... drunk?" he asked her warily.

She gave him a strange look before giggling. "Uh, yeah? Did you want a drink, too?"

"No, just—"

"Hey, so you've really never seen me online before?" she asked, tilting her head in a way that Jay had to admit would've been rather cute if he wasn't so overwhelmed and put-off by everything else. "I'm, like, TikTok famous."

"Oh, that's nice," he replied, sort of distracted as he tried to catch a glimpse of you out on the terrace. He saw a flash of your glittering silver romper, but then your boyfriend stepped in front of you again.

"Transfer student," Heeseung called out. He had his elbows on his knees, but once Jay looked at him, he started to stand up. "Let's get you a drink since the rest of them are being miserable."

Jay assumed it was a joke, but only he (and probably Heeseung) seemed to think so. Karina let out a sound that sounded partly like a laugh and partly like a scoff.

"Way to make it awkward, Heeseung," she sneered.

"He's the one who probably feels so awkward with you all being so quiet," Heeseung said, patting Jay firmly on the shoulder to get him to stand up. Jay had to gently peel Yuna off of him before he got up to follow Heeseung. "We'll be back."

While Heeseung and him were making their way past groups of students packed together, Jay couldn't figure out what the hell to say to him. When he first walked in, the look in Heeseung's eyes made him think he was a piece of trash stuck to the bottom of his shoe, but now he was just lost.

"I haven't heard of you before," Heeseung said once they reached a long table with bottles of alcohol strewn about.

"I didn't expect you to. Today's my first day, anyway."

There was a bartender on the other side of the room, but Jay figured that Heeseung brought him here for a private conversation. Without even asking Jay about his preference, he let his hand glide over the handles before he picked out a bottle of tequila. Jay wasn't much of a drinker but he let Heeseung pour him a shot.

"What do your parents do?"

Jay couldn't stop himself from barking out a laugh, shaking his head fervently. "Oh, no, they're"—he shook his head again—"they're no one."

"They can't be 'no one' if they managed to get their son into Yale."

"They didn't get me into Yale."

"They still raised you, didn't they?" Heeseung raised a brow. "My mom's a preschool teacher, and my dad was unemployed up until my sophomore year of high school. Not the professions you expected, huh?"

Jay's brows raised in pleasant surprise. Here he thought that Heeseung was judging him, but maybe it was the exact opposite. He really didn't expect a sincere response from someone like him, but perhaps he just misjudged the junior.

"My mom's an office worker, and my dad used to be a firefighter before he got into an accident," Jay answered. "Now he has a corporate job."

"And you're..."

"I'm what?"

"What're you trying to be in the world?"

Jay took the plastic shot glass that Heeseung handed out to him. Before downing it in one go, he answered, "Someone."

Heeseung laughed. "At least you have more of a story than most of the people in this room." He shot one of the cluster of students a sideways glance and said, "Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people here bought their way into Yale."

Jay swallowed hard. He couldn't say anything when he was technically one of those people, too. All his life, he slogged harder than anyone else for a place in the world. He worked at restaurants illegally since he was thirteen, studied tirelessly to get free rides to universities, and gave up a social life just to balance multiple jobs to get bills paid. It felt strange to be one of the people who didn't have to lift a finger for extraordinary opportunities.

For a moment, he wondered if he would get in if he tried applying on his own. There was no use in pondering, though; this was all simply for the assignment—nothing more, nothing less.

"You made it here on your own, didn't you?" Jay asked with a flickering, newfound respect for Lee Heeseung.

"I didn't even think I'd be able to pay for college when I was in high school," he answered. "Of course I needed to work hard. Getting a full ride into an Ivy League isn't something you get by fucking around. Even though Hoon and Y/N were set their whole lives... I couldn't just be the only one who didn't make it in."

Jay wondered why Heeseung was telling him, a total stranger, all of this. He didn't bring it up, though, in case the question sobered him up to the point of not revealing any further information.

But he had to ask, "So why'd you drag me out here for a drink?"

It was a fair question. There were bottles of alcohol on the table next to the sectional couch. If Heeseung really wanted to just pour him a drink, he could've done so then and there.

"Thought I'd save you from Yuna," he said. "She gets a little messy when she's drunk."

"Oh." Jay almost shuddered at the thought of what could've happened if he was still sitting on the couch.

"Sorry. Are you interested in her?"

Jay's eyes grew as wide as saucers as he shook his head firmly. "N-not at all. I just met her today."

The alcohol started coursing through his blood, making his limbs feel less like muscle and more like jelly. Yet, he strangely felt more comfortable in his body.

"Good." Heeseung leaned against the table and crossed his arms again. "I would've felt bad for you if you were actually into her. She definitely thinks this'll make me jealous somehow." He suddenly stiffened up. "Don't mention this to the others, though. I don't think Y/N would be happy if she found out."

He arched a brow at Heeseung. So you didn't know about your own friend's feelings toward your childhood friend? Even though you were in a relationship yourself? Interesting.

But even more interesting because Jay swore he saw pictures of Heeseung and Chaewon together on his Instagram. Pictures that seemed to imply that they were a couple. Their little inner circle seemed to be more convoluted than Jay initially thought.

"Haven't even met her," he told Heeseung. "I'm not the kind of person to spread people's secrets like that."

Unless I'm paid to do so, he thought bitterly.

Heeseung smiled slyly, and Jay wasn't sure if it was one of friendship or as if he had just heard an enticing business proposal. "I hope my feeling about you is right." After grabbing the handle of Clase Azul on the table, he added, "Let's go back before they accuse me of scaring you off."

Jay followed after him, wondering if he had just accidentally gotten himself in Heeseung's good graces, or if he just made a grave mistake.

Jay decided to ask, "Hey, by the way, do you know about the Order of Kryptos?"

Heeseung stopped in his tracks immediately, spinning around so fast that Jay nearly stumbled over his feet.

"What about it?"

"Well, I just—I don't know—I was thinking of, uh, joining."

"You can't just join. You have to be invited." Despite the shame that burned under Jay's skin for sounding like an idiot in front of the junior, Heeseung's eyes twinkled. "But... I know someone you could talk to if you wanna get your foot in the door."

"You do?"

"This isn't like a frat where you have to rush. See, all these people here just target members of the current class and suck up to them until they get tapped. For example, Hoon's practically guaranteed a tap since his brother's in the Order right now."

"Then do you think I even have a chance?"

Heeseung shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. There's only fifteen seats, so it all depends on how much you impress them." He grabbed Jay by the shoulder and pointed out one of the seniors laughing with a couple other boys in the kitchen. "That's Jeong Jaehyun. He's probably the chillest in the Order—doesn't really give a fuck about prestige and background, or whatever. I'd talk to him when you get the chance."

Jay, wildly amazed with how big of a help Heeseung was being, returned the gesture by patting him on the back firmly. "Thanks, man."

"No worries. You should work fast, though. They start giving up their seats next semester."

Next semester. Jay was certain he could get on someone's good side by then.

This whole thing was rather frustrating for him, though. All Jay wanted to do was lay low and carry out his assignment properly, but to do so he needed to get close to you and your friends somehow. Impressing you meant impressing a senior to get into the Order. There seemed to be far too many hurdles he needed to cross just to uncover some dirt on you.

When he and Heeseung returned to the sectional couch, everyone seemed a smidge more lively. Yeonjun waved Jay over to introduce himself properly, claiming that he couldn't say anything earlier because Yuna was hogging all the attention. Yuna, on the other hand, seemed to have already blacked out on the couch, but none of her friends were exactly paying much attention to her. Jay wondered if this was a frequent occurence with her.

While Jay was in the middle of telling Yeonjun and Giselle about the school he transferred from, you came out from the terrace with Sunghoon, but there was an icy distance between you two.

Jay had spent the past week looking at pictures of you every single night. Almost every picture you had on your Instagram was burned into his brain.

But seeing you up close in the flesh was almost earth-shattering. All the details your camera couldn't capture were like the missing pieces that made you glow even brighter. Jay was almost amazed that Park Sunghoon could even fight with you when you looked like this.

"Y/N?" Karina called, but you were crossing the room in the direction of the bathroom. She threw a nasty glare at Sunghoon, who sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

Giselle raised a brow. "You're gonna let your girlfriend walk away?"

"She needs space," Sunghoon answered curtly.

"Oh, I bet she gets plenty of that from you."

"Watch your mouth, Giselle."

Jay wasn't sure if Heeseung was making the right decision when he stood up and offered, "Hoon, chill. I'll go check on her."

Chaewon was quick to grab her boyfriend's hand, frowning as she said, "I think one of the girls should."

Heeseung pulled his hand away, and Jay noticed the crumbling look in Chaewon's eyes before he pretended to be more interested in a loose thread in the couch. He felt bad for her; she was practically being humiliated in front of everyone else.

"I'm the host," Heeseung replied. "I should check on her."

Karina shot Yeonjun and Giselle a withering look. "Our Uber's almost here. I don't think she wants to go home with"—she motioned to Sunghoon with a jut of her chin—"you know."

"I'll ask Ryujin to take her home, but we should probably tell her before we leave," Yeonjun said. He lowered his voice to add, "Yuna's wasted. You know Heeseung's gonna get pissed if she crashes here."

Giselle snorted. "That's probably what she wants."

Jay looked down at his lap. So everyone was aware of Yuna's semi-hidden feelings toward Heeseung except you? Why was it a secret from you, anyway? This friend group—if Jay could even call them that—was messier than he had anticipated.

Jay, who was seated in the middle of the trio, started to feel rather awkward. Surely, they must have known he could hear everything they were saying.

"Uh," he started because he was starting to feel like he was obligated to chime in, "I can call an Uber for your friend, if she needs one."

"Aw, Jay, you're too sweet," Giselle cooed, but then her face of adoration turned completely serious. "But you're a man. We don't trust you."

"That... that's fair."

"Oh, but he's Sunoo's friend," Yeonjun added. "Sunoo would get her home safely."

"Just ask Sunoo or Ryujin—whoever's still here," Giselle said.

Karina, who was on her phone for a majority of the conversation, spoke up to confirm, "Yeah, their locations are still here. I'll text them to make sure Y/N's taken care of." She stood up. "Let's just get going and check up on her later in the group chat."

"God, how are we gonna drag Yuna out of here?" Giselle whined. She gently maneuvered the unconscious girl to make it easier for them to lift her up. "Yeonjun, you get her other arm."

After much effort, they were finally able to get Yuna barely stumbling forward as her arms were around their shoudlers. They said their goodbyes to Jay and Chaewon, but Sunghoon only got one from Yeonjun.

Sunghoon rolled his eyes and moved to sit next to Jay. Chaewon was completely sidelined at this point as she picked at her nails and waited for Heeseung to come back.

"Sorry for that mess," Sunghoon said. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Park Sunghoon."

"Jay," he greeted. "Nice to meet you. Heeseung told me a bit about you."

"Oh, really?" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I hope it wasn't too awkward."

Jay grinned. "All good things. Don't worry."

"Great, uh..." He fumbled for a moment, reaching into his pockets and then handing Jay a pink iPhone. "Do you think you could hand this to my girlfriend? She should be somewhere in the house."

Although Jay took the phone from him, he grimaced. He didn't even know you, and he felt bad already. Your own boyfriend was sending a stranger to give you something when he could very well do it by himself?

And why did he have your phone in the first place? Jay wondered if Sunghoon had taken it from you during the argument, and the very idea made him feel cold.

"I really think you should give it to her."

His small smile stretched into an awkward grin. "I don't think she wants to see my face right now."

"Oh... sure—will do."

This time when Jay crossed the room and pushed through the packs of students, it felt slightly more intimidating. He felt like a lone fish amongst schools of them, and the few shots he took had definitely worn off by now. Not to mention the recent turn of events were incredibly sobering.

Heeseung's penthouse was nice. Nothing he could ever dream of affording before his anonymous client sent him more money than he would've ever made in his life.

When Jay stepped into the narrow hallway that led to the bathroom, he could hear Heeseung's gentle voice echoing.

"—talk to me, please," he pleaded. "I don't know what Sunghoon said to you, but—"

"Heeseung, just leave me alone." Your own faltering voice was treading on desperation. "You don't have to be here to comfort me. You're not my boyfriend."

And then it grew quiet. Jay was afraid that he was about to walk in on an uncomfortable situation.

Seconds later, the door opened and Heeseung was stony-faced, walking past Jay without even noticing he was there. You didn't even close the door after he left, so Jay inched closer to make sure nothing bad happened to you.

There you were, sitting on the edge of the bathtub and crying into your hands. There was an odd, disconnected feeling in Jay's chest. He had seen so many pictures and posts of you looking like you were having the time of your life, but the sight before him caused all of that to come crashing down, catching on fire.

Back outside, looking up at the terrace, you were so high above him, as if he would never reach you. Now, you were shattering to pieces before him, leaving broken shards scattered around you that Jay was hesitant to tread on.

Once you took notice of his presence, your head lifted up slowly, and Jay really felt bad for you now. Streaks of mascara were under your eyes and your red lipstick was smudged.

"Can I help you?" you asked flatly, sniffling every now and then even as you tried to act like you hadn't been caught crying.

Jay simply held your phone out, and you grabbed it from him once you recognized it was yours.

"How'd you—"

"Your boyfriend told me to bring it to you," he answered, and your eyes welled up with tears again. Jay sighed as you started breaking down in front of him, but he really wasn't all that annoyed as he sounded. He grabbed a tissue from the box on top of the toilet and ran it under water for a brief second. "Here."

Jay leaned down in front of you and blotted the tissue gently under your eyes, wiping off the residue of your mascara that stained your skin. You tried to resist his gesture at first, but when you realized what he was doing, you relaxed. If his eyes weren't tricking him, maybe you were even slightly embarrassed?

Then, he moved to your lips, using the other side of the tissue to carefully dab at where your lipstick was smudged. Jay tried especially hard not to stare at the curve of your lips, wondering what dark secret you could possibly be hiding behind the corners of your mouth. After he was done, he tossed the tissue aside and stood up.

"Thanks," you murmured.

"No problem," he said, backing up to the doorway. "You should probably keep the door closed if you need some alone time, by the way."

But one look at your expression, and he could tell that you were hoping that someone else would come looking for you.

"Y-yeah," you stammered out, standing up to close it yourself.

"Also," he continued, pressing his lips together in a thin line. Just walk away, Jay. This is none of your business. Just turn around and keep walking. "Your friends are worried about you, so..."

There's people out there who wouldn't make you cry like this.

He couldn't get the rest of the words out. Who was he to speak on a relationship he had only seen for a brief moment, anyway?

Before Jay could turn on his heel, you called out, "Wait! What was your name again?"

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Jay Park. I just transferred here."

"Jay... oh, the transfer student." You said his name so gently that it was almost like you were handling glass. Then, he saw the first smile on your face tonight, and oh, he had never seen someone smile so bright. "I'm Y/N. See you around."

After you closed the door and Jay had headed back to where everyone else was, the loud, booming music grounding him back into reality, his heart sank with the realization that he had already been thrown into a world that he wasn't sure he liked very much.

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SUMMARY ▸ private investigator jay park just wants to complete his mission quietly and move on with his life. you, his new assignment who keeps consuming his thoughts, don't make that very easy for him.

TAG LIST ▸ @zdgx1 @smouches @heesdazed @teawithbucky @leep0ems @peachpie4you @niniissus @kgneptun @jaeyunluvr @hooniesuniverse @zerasari @enhalov @sophiko22 @iselltulips @hoondiors @baekhyunstruly @jays-property @woninluv @heerinnie @fakeuwus @yizhoutv @en-happiness @theothernads @y4wnjunz @dammit-jjk @en-happiness @mari-oclock @enhypens-baby @soonyoungblr @jakeslvt @taetaenic @jebetwo @fairysungx @hsgwrld @shmooooo @ineedsomezzz @mrowwww @enha-stars @isawritesss @seongclb @lockburn-castle @alyssajavenss @enczen @calumsfringe @w3bqrl @luvyev @uhsakusa @luvnicho @wildflowermooon

#now the slowburn officially begins 🙏#enhypen #enhypen imagines #enhypen smut #enhypen smau #jay smut #jay smau #jay imagines #enhypen social media au #jay x reader #enhypen x reader #enhypen scenarios #jay scenarios #jongseong smut #park jongseong #jay park #jay hard hours #enhypen hard hours

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thetriumphantpanda · 9 months

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i'm not the only one | joel & tommy miller

Summary | You have your baby. You have your family. But can you really have everything you want? Can you really have your cake and eat it too?

Warnings | Fluff, mentions of breastfeeding, small children (in my world they need to come with a warning because ew), let's say it one more time for old times sake: TOMMY GETTING CUCKED BECAUSE HE LOVES IT, dirty talk, fingering (f) and allusions to other smut.

Word Count | 1.9k

Authors Note | Wow. I just wanted to take some time to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read and supported me through this little fic. What started as a filthy little one-shot has become something super special to me. I'm so proud with how this turned out and I really hope that you love this ending as much as I do. I need to say a massive thank you to the JFC - @cavillscurls @dinsdjrn @morning-star-joy @cupofjoel @tightjeansjavi @sinsofsummers for continuously losing their mind over this fic with me and helping me come up with the ending where no-one gets their heart broken, I love you girls more than I can express 🧡 Thank you to each and every person who has read this, has given me their love, interacted with me and generally just made me the happiest girl for deciding to come back to fic writing. You're all awesome and I love each and every one of you. Please let me know what you thought of this, either by commenting, reblogging or sending me some love in my ask box, and if you'd like to support me with a donation, you can do so over on Ko-Fi.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

The late September sun is still warm, even as it begins dipping below the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful mix of pink and orange. The beer in your bottle is lukewarm, but you finish it off anyway, attention dropping to your son, sat on your knee, as you bounce it up and down to keep him occupied at the table. He’s just turned two and is a much better table companion at Joel’s birthday cook-out than he had been last year. He’s starting to show a little personality, babbling along when Sarah tried to talk to him, teasing Tommy when he hands his son a toy, throwing it to the ground because he already knows he’ll pick it right back up and play along.

Everyone else has long gone by this point in the evening. This year’s celebration of Joel’s birthday being held at your house because he’s having his garden landscaped. It’s just the five of you, the people who matter most to you in life, sat around, finishing drinks and just enjoying each other’s company. Sarah yawns to your left, the day finally catching up with her.

“You tired, bug?” Joel asks, smoothing a hand over her hair.

“I’m not tired.” But she yawns again, chuckles erupting from the table.

You poke at her arm, “Your room is ready whenever you are.” It had already been agreed that Sarah and Joel would stay here tonight, so he could have a drink and enjoy his birthday without worrying about driving home.

To her credit, she lasts another hour sat at the table, but once Joshua starts fussing as well, it’s clear it’s time for everyone to call it a night. Joel kisses Sarah on the forehead, wishing her a goodnight as she heads inside. Tommy takes Joshua from your arms and presses a kiss to the top of your head, leaving you and Joel together for the first time that evening. You reach out your arm across the table, palm up to the darkening sky, Joel’s own, much larger hand, slipping into it.

“Shall we go?” You ask, the smile across your face mirroring his own.

“I think we should.”

As you’re walking through the neighbourhood your mind drags back to this time last year and the conversation with Tommy as Joel’s birthday loomed on the horizon.

“What do you think we should get him for his birthday?” Tommy asked, flipping through the catalogue of construction gear that comes through the letterbox every few months, “He was saying his toolbox is too small these days, maybe we can get him a bigger one?”

Joshua is cradled against your chest, suckling as you feed him. You’d always wondered how the other women you knew could multitask before he’d been born. One of your best friends could breastfeed her child, cook dinner and talk to her older daughter all at the same time. Now, standing in the kitchen feeding your son, two pans on the stovetop as you cook, holding a conversation with Tommy, you realise it just came naturally.

“I mean, we can,” You throw over your shoulder, “But I think that man deserves more than a toolbox for his birthday.”

Once Joshua has finished feeding, you hand him to Tommy, along with placing a rag over his shoulder – you fed him, Tommy gets to burp him, that’s the deal.

“I just feel bad,” You comment, going back to pushing the steak around the pan, “Do you not feel like you’ve kinda just abandoned him a little?”

“What do you mean?” Tommy asks, patting his son on the back.

You sigh, trying to focus on cooking as you speak, “I just mean that he did this for us, gave us this life we have now, and what are we going to do to thank him? Give him a toolbox? Just seems like we don’t care.”

“Well, what would you suggest?” He asks, you're quiet in response, trying to think of how best to put this, "You miss him, don't you?" He finally asks.

You turn around, leaning against the counter to the side of the stove, “I do miss him,” You say simply, not afraid to admit it, “You said before Joshua was born that you understood the connection we have, I just want to give him something good.”

Tommy has Joshua cradled in his arms now, trying to get him to go to sleep so he can lie him down and enjoy dinner with you in peace, "You wanna fuck him for his birthday?" There's a smirk on his lips, just like there was when you'd needed Joel before Joshua was born.

“Hey, language!” You chastise, pointing to his son in his arms, “Don’t say it like that either, you know you come first, you always have, I love you Tommy, but can’t we just give him one time, once a year, where I can really show him how grateful I am for what he gave us?”

You can see him mull it over in his mind as he bounces his son in his arms before he relents, “Okay,” He’s smiling, and it reaches his eyes, so you know he really means it, “If that’s what you want, I’m happy.”

You smile, walking over to kiss him, “I don’t deserve you,” You murmur against his lips, “I love you so very much, Tommy Miller.”

Joel thinks, as he walks hand in hand with you back to his home, that he really didn’t need this. He didn’t need thanking for what he’d done. He remembers walking into your hospital room with Sarah after Joshua had been born – she’d insisted on picking the biggest and brightest bouquet of flowers for you and had been so excited to finally meet her nephew. He’d pushed open the door for her that day and had been overcome with a strange sense of satisfaction.

You were propped up in bed, Joshua cradled in your arms, his tiny hand clutched around one of your fingers, Tommy stood, hand brushing your hair as he looked down at the both of you with pure adoration. He knew he’d given you everything in that moment, that he’d managed to make the two of you the happiest people ever, and that was enough. A fleeting moment in time between you and him, that had created the most beautiful baby boy he’d ever laid eyes on, he’d been happy to let it lie, to wait and see if you wanted more and came back to him down the line.

He hadn’t expected that on his birthday last year, you’d have cornered him and kissed him with such passion that he wasn’t sure he’d survive once he pulled away from you. Then you explained, one night a year, he could choose when, where you could show him how thankful you were to him. A night just to yourselves, without Tommy’s eyes trailing over you both. Secret and sacred between the two of you.

Once Joel has unlocked his front door and brought you inside, he wastes no time. He craves this, has spent the last year thinking of the moment he gets to fuse his lips with yours. It’s soft, as his mouth opens against yours, slow as your tongues meet, he doesn’t have to rush with you anymore, he gets you to himself for the whole night. He pulls away, pressing his forehead to yours.

“Hey.” You smile softly.

“Hey, pretty girl,” He’s smiling, palms resting at your hips, “You want me to take you upstairs?

You bite at your bottom lip and breathe out, “Yes.”

He leads you up the stairs, your hand clutched in his own, through the threshold of his bedroom. He settles himself on top of his sheets, head propped up on his pillows as he motions you to join him. You clamber onto the bed, crawling up his body on your hands and knees until you’re straddling his hips with your mouth back on his.

As you grind your hips down onto him, his hands coming to cup your ass under your dress, you can feel him growing hard for you. All you want is to strip him down and put your mouth on him, but it seems he has other ideas, and since this is all for him, you let him take the lead. He slips his hands under the waistband of your panties, warm hands on your flesh as he pulls them down as far as they’ll go in this position.

“Lie down for me, babygirl.” He whispers against your lips, you oblige, settling yourself down on your back as he pulls your underwear off fully, shucking the hem of your dress up to your hips.

He’s got one of his arms under your head, his lips at your ear as you spread your legs for him, letting his fingers slip through your folds to gather the slick that has slowly been gathering there all evening as you both watched each other, knowing what was coming.

“So wet for me, pretty girl,” He breathes into your ear, taking the lobe between his teeth to nibble as he slips two of his fingers into your tight pussy, “Been thinking about me?”

He drags those fingers from your core, up to your clit where he begins to play soft circles across it, it’s so gentle that your breath catches in your throat as you arch yourself into his hand, “Couldn’t stop,” You admit, turning your face to kiss his lips, “Thought about you all day.”

He dips his fingers back into your cunt as he kisses you, you can feel him smirk against your lips when you grind down to meet his fingers, “I’ve been thinking about you all year, hot mama, couldn’t wait to get my hands on you.”

He brings his slick fingers back up to your swollen bundle of nerves, showering it with attention as you whimper for him, arching your back and bucking your hips, fingers gripping at his arm as he works you to the crest. You come for him, moaning into his mouth as he kisses you, his fingers making sure they work you for every ounce of your orgasm.

Joel has you more times than he can count that night. He brings you over the edge over and over again until you can do nothing but sob, beg for a reprieve but beg him not to stop. You let him put you in positions you didn’t know possible, his cock thick and heavy inside you, brushing that spot within you that makes you sing and scream for him. He fills you up with his cum, protected by the pill you take each morning, and then, when the sun is rising and the beginnings of the day break through his drawn curtains, you lie on his chest, fingers drawing patterns on his skin, slick with sweat. You’re both sore, both spent, and both happy, most importantly. You know that within the hour you’ll have to start the walk back to your own home and it’ll be like nothing ever happened. Sarah will think her dad slept on your couch and you were in your rightful place, in bed next to Tommy, and that's how it will continue to be for another year, happy with the man you love, but safe in the knowledge that you still have this slice of heaven each year. The play will continue for another year – the doting uncle and niece, the happy family with their growing son, and you’ll be happy, because this is all you’ve ever needed.

“I love you.” Joel whispers, lips pressing a kiss to your forehead as he brushes the sweat slicked hair from your face, his eyes mapping every inch of you, claiming this scene as his own, committing it to memory so he has one thing he can think of, in the depths of his nights, when he feels the loneliest. To remind him that he’s not lonely at all, because even if he can only have you once a year, at least he can have you. He’s a simple man and he’s happy to take this one moment with you, until you decide you want more from him, if that’s ever the case.

“I love you too Joel.”

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whorekneecentral · 5 months

Text

Sous Chef

Yuki Tsunoda x Chef!Fem!Reader

Warnings: yuki's got a crush, daniel plays match maker, cooking lessons, sexual tension, sex in the kitchen, oral (f!receiving), penetrative sex (p in v), cum play, finger sucking.

Word Count: 2,323

Author's Note: this is a random one, I won't lie to you. it's not very holiday based but it fit yuki so here we are :)) - also a very happy birthday to the queen of audios @2-fast-2-curious thanks for always being unhinged with me <33

merry smutmas series

Yuki finds himself more fascinated by the woman cooking than the food on his plate for once.

The holiday season was underway and Alpha Tauri was hosting their end of season holiday party for all of their staff.

Anyone that knows Yuki, knows his love and appreciation for food. If there wasn't any room in the budget, they got rid of some things to make sure they could fit in a chef. They didn't cater, everything was made to order - something Yuki greatly appreciated.

The younger driver could see into the kitchen from the little cut out they had, the same spot that the waiters would pick up their dishes. She was young, she moved quickly around the kitchen and it seemed as if she was in there alone. He never fully saw the woman behind the doors, just a glimpse of her here and there.

Dinner had wrapped up and thankfully for the woman behind the closed doors, dessert would be a spread, something she could take her time and work on.

Everyone was mingling and Yuki left his seat, making his way to his teammate, Daniel. "Hey man," Daniel smiled at him.

"Hi Danny," Yuki returns the smile, "do you know who the chef was tonight?" He asks, straight to the point.

Daniel nods, "that's y/n, she's a friend of mine. Why?"

"She's fantastic, the food was really good." Yuki tells him, a smile on his face. Daniel glances over at the opened window before looking back to his teammate. "Yeah it was, wasn't it? You know you can go back and tell her that yourself."

"No," Yuki shook his head, "I don't want to disturb her."

"Oh please, y/n cooks at my place with my niece and nephew running circles around her," Daniel slings his arm over his teammate, "I promise you won't be disturbing her, c'mon."

The Aussie walks his teammate towards the kitchen, bumping the door open with his hip as they walk in. You were in the middle of pipping the custard into the tart tins, not bothering to look up and see who was there.

"Don't even think about it," you say, not looking but you do see Daniel's fingers reaching for the Christmas cookies you had set out to cool.

He tsks, making a face at you when you finally look up. "You're no fun," he says, pulling you into a hug. You squished into your friend's side, the man kissing your forehead. "Dinner was great," Daniel says, letting you go.

"Thank you, Danny."

"I've bought a new admirer for you," he raises his brows, looking over at Yuki, the younger driver waving shyly to you. "I'll leave you two to chat," Daniel says, snatching a cookie off the tray before running out the kitchen.

You shook your head at your friend's theatrics, looking at Yuki now. "Please, help yourself," you tell him, nodding towards the cookies on the counter.

He smiles, picking one up and taking a bite. You had gone back to filling the custard tarts when you hear a soft moan. "Everything okay?" You looked up, brows furrowed.

Yuki blushes, "this is so.. wow. I don't have the words."

You chuckled, "thank you."

"I'm Yuki, by the way." He says, sitting on the bench as he eats his cookie.

You smile, "I know, Daniel talks about you all the time." You set the tarts in the fridge, turning around to face him again. "I'm y/n."

"I know, Daniel also talks about you."

The two of you share a laugh, the man watches as you move about the kitchen and set up the last pieces of dessert. "I just wanted to give you my compliments, the food was amazing."

"Yuki, thank you." You smiled, your hand pressed to your chest. "That's a massive compliment coming from you."

"I can't really cook but I do appreciate a good chef when I meet one."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to teach you a few things if you'd like. I'm in London until Wednesday, then we're closed for the holidays so why don't you come by on Tuesday ?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to disturb you if you've got things to do."

You shake your head, "I'm inviting you, it won't be a disturbance. Please say you'll come by. I have a new recipe I want to test out, so I could use the feedback."

"If you insist," Yuki smiles. You nod, "I do, otherwise I will have to fatten up Daniel again and I won't hear the end of it."

"Okay," he nods, "just send me the address and the time."

"I will," you smile.

It's late, the restaurant's lights have already been dimmed and the chairs were stacked up on the tables when he walks in. The hostess was on her way out but she let him in, knowing you were expecting him.

"Y/n?" Yuki calls for you, making his way to the back of the restaurant. "Kitchen!" You shout back, you back turned to the door as you stirred something in the pot.

"Hey," he smiles, walking in.

"Hi," you waved, not turning around just yet. "Can you pass by that jar, the one with the gold lid?" Yuki picks up the jar, opening it and passing it to you. the contents were red, and liquid, he read the label; chilli oil.

"What are you making?"

"It's a new recipe, I told you I needed a taste taster," you smile, setting the jar down as you let the sauce boil on the stove. "How was the drive over?"

"Fine." He smiles.

"Good," you wiped your hands on the towel, "I have a few things to finish up and we can eat. Do you mind helping?"

"That's what I'm here for," he gives you a smile, walking over to the sink to wash his hands before returning. In the meantime, you had set up a few things to cut. "Just the peppers and celery." You tell him, cutting a piece of the celery to show him how big you wanted it and you cut a bell pepper, showing him how to do it.

Yuki starts cutting the celery while you turn the stove off, stirring what was in the pot. You watched as he moved onto the peppers, struggling to get them to the same size you had shown him.

"Like this," you stood behind him, your arms wrapped around him as you held his own hand, showing him. Holding the pepper with one hand, you helped him move the knife slowly, up and down as he cut the peppers.

Yuki can't focus on the peppers, he should - to avoid chopping off a finger but he can't help it. All he can feel is your body pressed to his.

Your cheek pressed to his to watch as he cuts them, finally finishing. "Good job, Yuki."

The simple phrase shook him. "Thanks," he whispers as you let go of him, picking up the chopping board as you add the chopped veggies into the sauce.

Yuki sits, asking if there's anything else he can help with but you assure him that you've got the rest. It takes you a few minutes but you finish up, sliding a plate over the counter to him.

"What do we think?" You asked, handing him a fork. Yuki nods, looking down at the food on his plate. "Smells good."

You stand across from the driver quietly, elbow propped up on the counter with his chin in the palm of your hand, watching as he cuts the piece of chicken sitting on top of the pasta. Yuki takes a careful bite, his face going through 6 different emotions, you aren't able to gauge what he was feeling.

Brows raised as you wait for the final decision. "Well?" You asked, eager to hear what he thought.

Yuki wipes his mouth on the napkin, a smile on his face when he moves his hand, nodding. "Holy fuck.. that is.. wow."

"Yeah?" You smiled, and he nodded. "So good."

"Okay good, I wanted to make sure. It's a new recipe and I wasn't sure."

"It's perfect.. more than perfect." He says, mouth half full as he takes another bite.

You let Yuki finish eating as you tidy up. The man asks if you'll sit down to eat and you let him know that you already ate; you had a bad habit of eating bits and pieces there, never actually sitting down for a full meal.

Despite not helping to make the mess, Yuki offered to help you clean up. You two cleared up the trash and the leftovers, taking them into the fridge and making a bag for Yuki to take home. You decide to wash the few dishes left over from dinner and Yuki decides to hang around for a bit.

Yuki standing behind you, leaning on the counter as he watches you wash the dishes. Your hips bouncing from side to side along to the beat of the music you had playing

There's a tension in the kitchen, you wouldn't be able to cut it with your sharpest knife.

You ignored it, hoping it would go away but it doesn't. You know where it's come from but you aren't sure how to go about it.

Turning to face the man, he reacts before you could.

The man pins you against the counter, his lips find yours as his hand cups your jaw. Yuki's hands wandering across your body, tugging on the shirt you had on.

Pulling and pushing, little by little the clothes end up on the floor.

He lifts you onto the counter, your legs on either side of him as he steps between them. Rubbing up your thigh with one hand, the other pulls you by your chin to look at him.

Your eyes find his, watching as he sinks to his knees in front of you.

Your hands are flat on the cold counter as you feel his tongue against you. His arms hook around your thighs, pulling you closer to him. Your hips jut forward when you feel his tongue against your clit, your hand gripping on his black hair.

He glances up at you and you’re like an angel on earth to him right now; head tossed back, skin glistening under the white light of the kitchen, his head buried between your legs.

Yuki mimicked his actions again until he can feel your legs shake, your grip on his hair tighter than before, his name strung along with the explicits leaving your mouth.

He gives you a minute to catch your breath as he kisses his way back up to your face. He smiles as he stands, kissing you and you're even more ready than you were before.

“This is wrong,” you whisper to him, eyes fixed on his hand that was wandering across your chest at the moment.

His lips follow his fingers, kissing and leaving little marks as he goes along his way. His tongue brushes over your nipple, your back arches involuntarily; your body betrays you.

“We can stop,” he says, a hand slipping between your legs.

You stop talking and pull him closer, kissing him once more; your way of telling him yes. He pulls you toward the edge of the counter a little more before he pushes into you. One ankle is over his shoulder and the other hooked around his hip.

And once again, you were a sight to see; back arched off the counter, eyes closed and your head tilted back, his name tumbling from your lips for what felt like the millionth time.

Yuki has never seen a prettiest sight.

He feels you clench around him, the hand on his shoulder digs in, your nails leaving behind their own set of marks. His hand reaches between the two of you, his fingers finding your clit once again.

“Oh my god,” your hips bucked, his fingers matching the pace of his hips, your body rocking back and forth to get the most out of him.

“Yuki,” you groaned, eyes pleading with him, “please.” You beg, your hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Hold on baby, patience.” He tells you, hooking your leg on his hip instead of resting it on the edge of the counter. His lips met yours, a hand resting on your hip to keep you up as he fucked you. The further he pushes, your body just keeps welcoming him like he belonged there.

He can feel you squeezing his cock, your eyes fluttering closed. Yuki smacks your jaw lightly, “look at me,” he tells you. “If you want to cum, open your eyes.”

You give in, your eyes opening a little and Yuki's thrusts are sloppy, you know he’s just as close as you are. A few more thrusts and you’re over the edge, calling his name as you do.

“Where?” He asks, his head on your shoulder and you know it’s not gonna last.

Your chest is heaving, barely able to hold yourself up, "anywhere."

It’s not long after, followed by a few sloppy thrusts, that Yuki cums too. The tip of his cock brushing between your folds, spreading his cum all over your pussy. He pulls away, smiling at the whimper he gets from you. His fingers replacing his cock, covered in his cum when you roll over, he sticks his fingers in your mouth and he doesn’t have to tell you what to do.

“Good girl,” he hums, watching as your tongue laps over his fingers. Yuki pulls his fingers away, leaning down to kiss you. A mess of the two of you, not sure where one of you starts and the other ends.

You take a minute to catch your breath, falling back against the counter. Yuki smiles, kissing you once more.

"I should cook you dinner more often." You whispered in the quietness of the kitchen.

Yuki laughs, "I'll thank you like that every time."

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#yuki tsunoda #yuki tsunoda smut #yuki tsunoda x reader #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 x y/n #f1 smut #merry smutmas xoxo

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haechwrites · 1 year

Text

sugar, butter, & the royal crown - L.DH

prince!lee donghyuck x baker fem!OC (no name!)

synopsis: prince donghyuck only has one princess on his mind, but she's not actually a princess. she's just the royal baker's granddaughter.

wc: ~17.1k

warnings: pet names used only so i don't have to namedrop lol. no other warnings tho!

A/N: this is my second longest fic i've actually finished hehe i'm really happy with this one and now i wish i had a prince haechan lol

-- some things to note first:

THIS FIC IS WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON. if you see ♔, that means it's in haechan's pov written in third person!

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

As a child, life is all about the simple pleasures. It didn’t matter that I’d come home to a dark house carrying the faint snores of my mother. I was still reeling from the sweet taste of mangoes on my tongue, the slight dusting of sugar in my hair, and the lingering soreness from laughing in my cheeks. I’d quickly wash up, give my mom a quick peck on the forehead, and tuck myself in bed. Before I know it, the sun greets me again and I meet my grandma outside as she leads me to the palace. This was my routine and for my young brain, there was nothing ever wrong with it.

My grandma is the head baker at the palace. Since the separation of my parents, I have spent my days with my grandma at work. It was all I knew and I was content with it. Every sunrise, I’d have 30 minutes before I had to meet her outside. Together, we’d walk to the palace’s servant entrance and my grandma would give our favorite guard, Doyun, a warm smile and a promise to slip an extra pastry in his meal for letting me tag along. I’d walk past him with a finger to my lips asking him to be sworn to secrecy. He’d always return it with a wink and a small laugh. It was our little promise, though I’m sure no one would actually mind an extra guest on the grounds – especially a mere 7-year-old.

Once inside the kitchen, I strap on the apron that the palace’s tailor secretly made specifically for me. Grandma told me that the busiest times in the kitchen were the mornings, so I always sit in the corner to let her start the day. I occupy myself for at least an hour before my friend comes to play with me. His entrance is always the same: a secret knock on the side door and a gleaming smile when I open it for him.

Today he’s dressed up in a super fancy garment, almost like a uniform. I had never seen him in anything other than his casual button-up and pants, typically covered by an extra adult-sized apron we’d find laying around.

“Donghyuck! What are you wearing?”

“Princess!,” He’d squeal, pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s my special outfit.”

“Is it your birthday?” My nose scrunches in confusion, looking him up and down. Even if it was his birthday, I can’t imagine his servant parents could afford such expensive fabric.

Donghyuck laughs before yanking a spare apron off its hook and pulling it over his head.

“Nooo. I have something important to do today. That’s why I’m wearing this,” He explains, looking a little nervous.

“Oh wow. You look like the King. Or like a prince,” I say jokingly, but Donghyuck freezes. His eyes are wide like the time he accidentally ate the last mango tart I was saving.

Then he breaks out into an awkward laugh and smiles wide at me, “I am a prince… because you’re my princess.” He says with utmost confidence, before grabbing my hands. We’re standing the way I position my two play dolls during a pretend wedding ceremony.

I quickly turn the shade of freshly baked cherry pies and I tear my hands out of his hold.

“Donghyuck-ah! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?” I huff, crossing my arms.

He snickers, “Hmmm… maybe one hundred more times.”

“One hundred more times?!”

“Yes, if you can even count that high,” he smirks, instantly easing the tension from earlier. He plops down onto my stool and looks up at me. “So what are we playing today? Or should we read? Or does Baker Grandma need help?”

I aimlessly kick the leg of the stool, thinking about what we could do today as I can see him anxiously bounce around in his seat. He looks like he’s running on limited time today. Sometimes Donghyuck disappears on me in the middle of our hangouts or doesn’t show up at all. I just assume his parents need help with their tasks just like how Grandma often calls me to help her bake. He’s never told me where in the palace they work despite the years we’ve been hanging out.

“What if we help your parents today?” The minute the question leaves my lips, I hear a snort from the kitchen staff and Donghyuck goes into a coughing fit as if the flour seeped into his lungs.

I begin to feel myself turn red again and wondering what was so wrong till I feel a familiar warm hand on my shoulder.

“Ah Donghyuck, you’re here today?” My grandma looks at his attire with a suspicious gaze. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Her hands are on her hips and it feels similar to the times she’s caught me using the oven on my own.

Donghyuck starts shyly giggling while fiddling with the oversized apron my grandma is reaching to remove. I stand there in confusion as he looks like a puppy that was told he wasn’t allowed to play or have a treat. I want to help him but the look on grandma’s face is too scary to fight.

She’s slowly ushering him out the door and I’m holding his apron in my hands, watching him pout.

“Bye Hyuck,” I mutter, sad that our day was cut short before it even began. This was the quickest that one has ended.

“Byeee Princess,” He says with as much despair in his voice. He always has to be a little more dramatic than me. I giggle and wave him goodbye, spirits lifted by his antics. I see a smile grow on his face at the sound of my laugh before my grandma closes the door.

My loneliness returns as I stare at the wooden panels of the side door.

“Did he have to go?” I ask, slumping back onto the stool he was just on.

My grandma turns to me with a quizzical look. I can’t tell if she’s angry, sad, or disappointed and then she’s crouched down in front of me. Her flour-coated hands are resting on my lap.

“Donghyuck got called by his parents. They’re very important people,” She starts slowly. Grandma has never talked about Donghyuck’s family or personal life before. It was never brought up in the past because I assumed he was just like me. Now that we’re finally beginning to talk about it, the hesitant look on her face makes me not want to know anymore.

“Guards?,” I ask. To me, Doyun is the most important worker in the castle as he freely lets me in and out. Maybe guards earn enough to adorn such fancy clothes I saw Donghyuck wear.

“No, honey,” She glances back at her staff, and I notice they’ve been watching. They give me a reassuring smile, but there’s uneasiness quivering on their lips.

“Donghyuck… Donghyuck is the Prince.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♔

They found him. Donghyuck’s personal guards find him where they usually do when he escapes his tasks, and that would be at the palace kitchen. This time, they find him outside the door, rather than inside scarfing down mango tarts.

Without any hesitation and with no room for him to trick them and run, they grab the tiny prince and bring him to the meeting he was meant to attend with the King. It was meant to be the first glimpse of his life as a future ruler, attending meetings with fellow diplomats and other boring princely things. Donghyuck does not understand why he can’t spend his day playing like a regular 7-year-old with his pretty friend from the kitchen.

Despite having complained and whined his way out of most duties, Donghyuck had reached the level of maturity to know that this one he couldn’t fight. I mean, the tailor adjusted his royal attire just for this one-hour meeting. After having come to terms with sitting in boredom for an hour, Donghyuck did not expect to be dragged into more as he was about to skip his way over to the kitchen once the diplomats left.

“And where are you off to now, Donghyuck?”

He freezes in his tracks and a shiver ripples down his spine at the sound of her voice. He’s been caught again.

He spins around, plastering the biggest smile possible on his face. “Nowhere, Mother. Just strolling around until my tutoring session.” He hopes she doesn’t recognize this path to the kitchen.

“And is your tutoring session located in the kitchen today?” She asks, words dripping with a patronizing attitude. Nothing Donghyuck isn’t used to.

“Oh! I wanted to see if I could get a quick snack before. My brain needs food, right?” He hides his crossed fingers behind his back, praying she doesn’t call his bluff.

“And you’re not just going there to see that girl, are you?” She takes a step closer and Donghyuck is scared she can see the drip of sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead. How did she know about Princess? He wonders if his guard ratted him out… even after Donghyuck gave him half of his tart. The betrayal, he scoffs.

“There’s no girl, Mother.” Donghyuck decides it's best to deny it and stare straight at his feet.

“You are correct, there will never be a girl. Instead, there will be a future queen. A princess for now and you need to begin meeting our potential suitresses,” The queen firmly states, grabbing his shoulders to steer him towards the library. Before he could stop himself, his chest bubbles with heat, and his brain is fogged with confusion. He can’t imagine anyone by his side but her.

“Why can’t she be my princess?”

The words spill out from his royal lips before he could catch them. There’s no missing the instant look of rage and disgust on the Queen’s face when her son’s true desires are revealed. Desires of the heart, but a complete disgrace to his duties as the Prince. Her eyes grow colder and her skin pales till her blush is the brightest hue on her cheeks.

Donghyuck feels his throat go dry and the crossed fingers behind his back unlock. No luck can help him now.

“No more kitchen visits, Prince Donghyuck.”

The queen’s words are final. His shoulders slump lower and his feet are heavy as he drags them across the cobblestone trailing toward the library. It feels like there was a wall that slammed into the ground behind him, forbidding him from seeing her again.

“Yes, ma’am. No more.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

^ FIFTEEN YEARS LATER ^

The only memory of my childhood that lingered was the heat of the oven. Like I did every day at the age of 7, I continued to bake to keep that fire alive. There were days where the warmth was cooler than normal and my urge to bake waivered. Days like when my grandma stopped showing up outside my house every day a half hour after sunrise. Days like when my mother decided I was too much to raise when I stopped spending my time at the palace. And days like the one when I moved out of the city to live with my dad.

However, there were also days where the flame was ablaze. Days like when I got my own personal baking set. Days like when I got accepted into a baking school. And days like today, where I return to the city that pushed me out fifteen years ago to open a bakery. Despite the dismal circumstances of the day I left, I always felt the urge to return. It never felt right that I moved in the first place. Confusion still envelops my mind when I think about how my grandma stopped taking me to the palace for unsaid reasons and how my mother was incapable of taking care of me due to it. There had to be something more going on.

Outside of this mystery of my childhood, my main goal was to return with my own bakery specializing in my soon-to-be infamous mango tarts. I had visited the city for the first time since my move before to scope out bakery locations. But today was the day that I officially move in, to both my home and bakery, and kickstart my business. My first task was to put up a sign displaying the bakery’s name.

“Oh my goodness… so it is true!”

Warmth blooms in my chest; I would recognize that voice anywhere. I flip around and I’m greeted with her same sugary sweet smile. My grandma looks just as she did before but her hair is dusted white like the flour she worked with. But she still smelled like spiced apple pie, my eyes watered in disbelief.

“Grandma!” I ran into her open arms and I could feel her chuckle.

“Oh honey, it’s been much too long. Look at you now… a beautiful woman before my eyes,” She’s smiling widely and I can see her eyes take in my features. Fifteen years worth of change and growth.

“I’m sorry we haven’t been in contact much. I could barely find the time to tell you I was coming back.”

“It’s alright. All that matters is you’re here,” Grandma rubs my arms reassuringly. “And are you here alone? Or have you moved back with a lover?” The childish gleam on her face makes me giggle and I quickly correct her that I’m single and focusing on my baking.

“Ah, I see. In that case, you must have more time than I anticipated. You must come with me to work one of these days. Just like old times. Consider it research for your bakery.” The way she sways with excitement makes it hard for me to turn it down, and I can’t deny the flutter in my heart at the idea of stepping foot onto the palace grounds again. It was where it all started for me. I agreed with a smile.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

After a week of prepping the bakery, I decided to visit my grandma. To be completely honest, outside of the work I had to do, my nerves did play a role in keeping me from going earlier. But now that I’ve decided I’ve run out of excuses, I’m walking to the servant entrance of the palace a little before noon to give my grandmother the morning to solely focus on work. It makes me smile knowing I still remember the schedule of the palace kitchen.

The streets surrounding the castle are quiet at this hour. I can still remember the hustle and commotion of the staff in the early morning, lining up to get inside to start their days. It was never daunting to be a young girl surrounded by a diverse array of people. It was thrilling and almost comforting and it was much better than staying home alone.

When I reach the gates, I feel like I’ve traveled back in time because blocking my path is a young guard who looks eerily like Doyun, the guard I knew from before.

“How can I help you, miss?”

“Hi.” I’m inspecting his face. He has the same colored hair, but it’s parted differently. He has the same warm light brown eyes and his face is a little softer than Doyun’s. My mind can’t help but ask, “I’m sorry if this is a strange question but do you know Guard Doyun?”

His stiff demeanor drops like a curtain and the young guard’s eyes light up, “I’m his son, Yunseo! How do you know my father?” Suddenly I don’t see a guard in uniform, but instead a bright, inviting individual in his place.

“No wonder! I’m the granddaughter of the head baker. I used to greet your father every morning when I was a child.”

“Oh yes! Yes, she told me you were coming. You can go right along in, just make sure she knows to sneak me an extra sweet treat.” He opens the gates for me.

“Ah like father, like son,” I giggle, slightly bowing to him as I enter.

“Do you remember how to get to the kitchen?”

I stare at the familiar worn cobblestone paths and nod, “I think so.”

The walk to the kitchen is shorter than I remember but the smell wafting from the windows is all the same. I reach the side door and I’m about to knock when I notice it’s creaked slightly open. I hear a voice above all the kitchen noise.

“Gran, please sneak something in my food today so I can get sick and stay in bed for the whole week. I do not want to court these women.” I peek my head in further to take a look at the man speaking. I let out a soft gasp when my eyes land on him.

Outside of his stunning beauty, he looks familiar. His tufts of chestnut brown hair are slightly waved as they curl around the nape of his neck. He often shakes his head to get the bangs out of his face, exposing his tan skin. If I look close enough, he has distinguishable moles on the plush curves of his cheeks. His rosy lips are wrapped around a piece of pastry and even when he’s talking with his mouth full, he’s still attractive. My eyes instantly widen when I notice his outfit: the royal attire.

A squeal escapes my mouth and before I could hide, the door is swung open by my grandma.

“You’re here!”

At the announcement of my arrival, the young man is dusting the crumbs off his hands, and looks like he’s about to make a quick escape.

“Hi Grandma,” I give her a hug, not minding the flour sticking to my sweater. “I was just about to knock.” I let out a small laugh to hide the fact that I was definitely eavesdropping not moments ago.

“Grandma?” I hear the man say behind her. He decided to stay after realizing it wasn’t one of his guards coming to get him, but instead a pretty woman. An oddly, familiar, pretty woman.

My grandma bites her lip to keep from smiling any bigger and she grabs my arm to present me to the man.

“Oh my. I forgot you guys know each other! It’s Donghyuck, do you remember, honey? You used to play with him every day as I worked.” The glint in her eyes is something more than just happy nostalgia and I give her a look.

“Pri-... Princess?” When the old nickname leaves his lips, I gasp and feel my cheeks bloom pink. The layers of the handsome man in front of me started to peel and I could see the little boy I spent my early life with. Most of my warmest days were spent with him. But I’m also brought back to one of the colder days of my childhood. The day I found out my childhood best friend was the Prince.

At first, I didn’t understand why my grandma was so fearful of telling me who he really was. I was ecstatic to hear that Donghyuck was royalty. I was fascinated and curious to see what his life was like and how it compared to being the granddaughter of a palace worker. I soon learned that what I wanted to discover was not so glamorous. Because apparently, his life excluded me. I didn’t piece that together until a few years after my move. Why else did Donghyuck stop showing up and why else was I forbade from going to the palace with my grandma? When I came to the realization, I began to resent him and eventually, completely forgot about him.

“Prince Donghyuck,” I bowed, trying not to show any expression. He had his arm slightly raised like he was about to reach for me but his body stiffened at my curtness. My grandma even looks at me with confusion. “It’s… It’s nice to see you again.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be so polite. You guys were friends!” My grandma squeezes my arms, urging me to get closer. I stay in my place.

“He’s the Prince, Grandma,” I whisper through my teeth and I can tell he hears me by the dejected look on his face. I can’t get myself to look him in the eyes.

“It’s quite alright. I actually have to get going. Prin-... Sorry, It was lovely to see you,” The Prince ducks his head and leaves the way I came in. He looks back at my figure once more, thoughts churning, before he disappears.

My feet remain still and I’m staring at the place he stood. Staring at the pastry he bit into. He’s real and he’s back. And the door he walked through was the same one he used to leave me 15 years ago. The alarms rang in my brain and I quickly shook my head, grabbing a bowl and mixing whatever contents are in it. The faster I stirred, the more I begged my mind to stop thinking about Donghyuck.

“You’re overwhipping the cream.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♔

On every page he turned to, the words blurred and all Donghyuck could see was her. She was more beautiful than he remembered. She’s much taller now, and he naturally smiles remembering when she used to argue that he was only taller than her by a centimeter. Her hair was also longer and not bound in her classic two braids. Though he didn’t get to see her smile, he was sure that it’s brighter than before. After all, everything about her seemed to have grown more beautiful than before. Donghyuck wonders if he should be calling her “Queen” now with how wonderfully she’s aged.

A delicate tap on his shoulder forces Donghyuck out of his lovestruck haze. “Prince Donghyuck, are you enjoying your book?”

He remembers that he’s in the library with one of his potential suitresses. He turns to her and almost wants to laugh. For the years that his childhood friend has been gone, it was the memory of her that invaded his mind whenever he was forced to go on these dates. But now that Donghyuck has seen her again in the flesh, he realizes how doomed he is and how these other princesses definitely don’t stand a chance.

During the fifteen years apart, Donghyuck’s gloom exacerbated the Queen’s determination to find him a future queen. Out of all his regular royal responsibilities, his courtships took the most time. He excels in all areas of his duties, but the one he can’t manage to succeed in is getting a wife. From playdates to formal dates, Donghyuck aged and remained single. And both he and the head baker knew why.

Despite the Queen’s warnings to never enter the kitchen, Donghyuck found himself there every week whether it was to steal extra mango tarts or ask about the baker’s granddaughter. It was usually after failed dates when he’d trudge into the kitchen, completely drained of energy, and beg the baker to talk to him about his first love. Questions about where she is, how she’s doing, and whether she thinks of him spill from his mouth, and the baker would entertain him every time. Even if he only knew and could only remember the child version of her, Donghyuck still managed to compare her to every suitress he met. None of them stood a chance against his princess. And though with time he could recognize how silly this infatuation had gotten, he grew fatigued of courtship and this was the easiest way to go about it. The grandmother was wary of this long overrun connection as well, but at the same time commended him for his commitment to her granddaughter. She also didn’t have the heart to tell him to move on.

And now Donghyuck’s here, on another date and he actually has an image, a real person, to be thinking of.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think this is going to work out.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“So you are hiding from me?”

“Oh Jesus Christ,” I drop the bowl of frosting at my feet and scramble to pick it up. A pair of far too expensive shoes enter my vision. I shoot up and my heart races, knowing exactly who it is.

“My prince,” I bow, meeting the ground once more. I stand upright and give him a passing smile.

“I like hearing you say that,” The Prince smirks. He swiftly scoops a finger of frosting before popping it in his mouth.

“Formalities,” I respond and I move the bowl out of his reach.

He chuckles and he starts to fiddle with an apron left on the counter.

“So you’ve been visiting at nighttime. Are you actually avoiding me?” He looks at me like he’s challenging me to say no.

Yes. “No, I just prefer the kitchen at night.” I clutch the frosting bowl tighter and focus my attention on what’s salvageable.

“You mean my kitchen… which you’ve been sneaking into with the help of my guard.” I can feel that he’s moved closer and I wince.

“Yes… I’m sorry. My grandma said it’d be okay and my kitchen at the bakery isn’t finished being built. If you’d like me to stop coming, I can.” I start to untie my apron and his hand catches my wrist.

“No,” He blurts out. “There’s no need. Feel free to use the kitchen.” The Prince raises his hands in the air as if to give me permission. I politely nod and go back to fixing my frosting, ignoring the tingling I feel on my wrist.

He doesn’t make a move to leave. Instead, he puts on the apron from the counter and leans in to watch.

“Um, what are you doing?” The Prince is tapping the table and humming as he stares at me.

“Hanging out,” He says matter-of-factly.

“I see,” And that’s all that I can say because who am I to kick the Prince out of his own kitchen? So I just mix and continue doing my thing.

“Just like the old days. You do remember, right?” I make the mistake of looking up and meeting his eyes. He’s looking at me like his question meant more than just a test of my memory.

“Vaguely… It was a long, long time ago.” A time I don’t wish to relive.

There’s a short pause before The Prince replies.

“Well, I remember. I think I’ll always remember. You were my best friend… And those were probably the best days of my life.” He doesn’t look at me when he says this. In fact, he looks nervous to be admitting it in the first place.

All I can do is nod, not knowing what to say to his confession. Especially when the feeling I get when I look back on those times is not as positive.

“Anyway… I’m planning on recreating those times.” Without thinking, I meet his eyes and he’s smiling hopefully. “So don’t try to hide from me next time. I’ll be here whenever you are. Think of it as your payment for using the kitchen.”

The uneasiness and warmth in my stomach are hard to decipher. The thought of spending more time with him is thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I try to ease my nerves by mixing even harder and he notices before laughing.

With my unspoken agreement, we spend the rest of the night in silence, just in each other’s presence. Every now and then he steals a bite of my makings and tries to lighten the air with a poorly made joke. And I don’t hold my laughter back.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“And then, once the frosting is on, you can add the strawberries.” I demonstrate by putting the nicely sliced strawberries on in a thin layer.

“When are you going to teach me how to make the mango tart?” The Prince pouts and bites the strawberries instead of putting them on the cake. I scowl and move the bowl away from him.

“When are you going to stop eating my ingredients?”

He smirks and taps the counter, “When are you going to stop using my kitchen?” He tilts his head to the side to goad me.

I roll my lips into my mouth and stuff another strawberry in his face when he laughs.

“Eat up,” I say sickeningly sweet.

Completely out of my control, my hangouts with Prince Donghyuck have returned. However, this time, I know he’s the prince and instead of every day in the morning, it’s 2 to 3 times a week at night. My excuse is that my kitchen in the bakery isn’t done being built, but to be completely honest, I could have it done by the end of the week. Maybe it’s because I enjoy my time with the Prince or maybe it’s because I actually do want the extra amenities I asked to be installed last minute… who knows? The end conclusion is that I find myself in the palace’s kitchen more often than I intended, and I find myself enjoying the Prince’s company more than I intended.

“Okay, your highness. Do you think you can stack these layers evenly?”

He gives me a playful salute, mouth full of cream, as he hops off the kitchen counter. He stands by my side and takes the cake from my hands.

“You know… as much as I like hearing you call me ‘your highness,’ why don’t you ever call me by my name anymore?”

“Because now I know you’re the Prince.” And I don’t know how it feels to have your name roll off my tongue as it did before, I think to myself.

The Prince lets out a low whistle. “Do you see me differently?” He trains his eyes to the level of the cake to get it precisely right. I watch him from above.

“It’s been fifteen years… so yes, I do see you differently.” I move to mix more frosting to coat the cake with.

“Okay,” He nods, thinking about my response. “So me being the Prince isn’t part of it?” He glances at me quickly with what I can assume is worry before he goes to add another layer of cake.

“Mmm… It is. Not a big part, but definitely a part. I think it’s mainly because you’ve grown up, We’ve both grown up. Maybe me more than you,” I tease. He sticks his tongue out at me and I make a face back. “Example number one.”

He finishes putting on the last layer and stands up straight to admire his work.

“What makes me different than before?” He takes the frosting bowl from my hands and begins icing the cake like I’ve taught him a couple of days ago. I take this as a break and I lift myself up to sit on the counter, dangling my feet.

“You’re taller than me, for one,” he gasps in fake shock and I hit him on the shoulder.

“You’re dressed nicer.”

“That’s not a compliment for me, that’s a compliment for my stylist,” He corrects me.

“True, okay. You’re smarter than before, I can see you’re not skipping your tutoring sessions. And… you’re not as cute.”

At that, he perks up, frosting is long forgotten. “What do you mean I’m not as cute?” And with the face he’s making, I almost take back my words.

“Well, your highness, you were a boy before. Of course, you’re not cute now. You’re a man.” I roll my eyes as if that were the most obvious thing.

“If I’m not cute, then what am I?” He squints at me and I can tell I’ve fallen into a trap.

“You’re… You’re handsome. Now,” I mutter out. I quickly clear my throat and point to a bald spot on the cake. “Hey, you missed a spot.”

Without even looking at him, I know he’s smiling. “You think I’m handsome.”

“Alright,” I drag out the word. “You’re the Prince. Aren’t you supposed to be handsome so you can woo and marry a pretty princess?”

“Not exactly. Being ridiculously handsome isn’t a royal requirement.”

I let out a scoff, “When did I say ‘ridiculously handsome’?”

“You didn’t have to, I see it on your face.” He taps my cheek and I suddenly notice how close our faces have gotten. Before I know it, my face is blooming pink again and I can feel the warmth shoot from my head to the rest of my body. I launch myself back and adjust my apron. And he stares at me like he’s won.

“Okay, your turn. What’s different about me?” I look around the kitchen to get my heart to settle down. What is happening?

The Prince doesn’t hesitate. “Well, you’re just as beautiful as you were before. Maybe even more.”

I gasp at his words and look him in the eyes. There’s no hint of his typical teasing attitude; he looks completely genuine. My mind goes blank and my ability to respond is rendered useless. He seems to notice that so he brushes off his comment quickly, thinking he’s overstepped.

“Anyways, since we’ve discovered that the only thing that makes me different from before is that I’m exceptionally more handsome-”

“Didn’t say that.”

“-Then why don’t you just call me ‘Donghyuck.’ Like you did before.”

Maybe it’s because he called me beautiful. Maybe it’s because I like the idea of exclusively calling him ‘Donghyuck.’ Or maybe I’m excited to eat the cake we just made, but my heart is fluttering quicker than it ever has.

“Okay. Donghyuck.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“FIRE! DONGHYUCK! FIRE, FIRE!”

“OH SHIT!”

Watching the medium sized fire bursting from the top of the pot, I run to the fire extinguisher. I’m scrambling to grab it, swift to squeeze the white dust all over the burning stove, despite the dough covering my hands. I hear Donghyuck’s screams in the back and he’s grabbing my shoulders to hide. Once I see the last flame get coated, I drop the extinguisher on the ground, exhausted.

I feel his hands digging into my shoulder blades and I grab him by the jacket, turning him to face me. Knowing how to cover his ass, he smiles in shame, rubbing my arm.

“I swear I was watching the stove,” He whips out his baby voice and try my best not to smack the side of his head. He’s the Prince. He’s the Prince. He’s the Prince, I repeat to myself.

“Your looks distracted me.” I slap him anyways.

He groans in pain, even though I could’ve slapped harder and I cross my arms to look as threatening as possible.

“You burnt the caramel,” I whine, staring at the black tar in my brand new pot. “And my pot!”

He immediately attacks me with a hug, shaking me around, mumbling apologies. “I’ll buy you a new one, I promise! I’ll buy you three! Four? Seven!”

“Make it eight,” I huff, tearing his arms off me, only to weirdly miss them.

He gasps, hands against his head in shock. “You definitely dressed prettier today just so I could set your pot on fire and buy you twenty more… You’re evil,” He looks at me like I’ve masterminded the biggest robbery of the century.

I narrow my eyes at him, lifting my hand to smack him again. “And you’re on timeout. No more baking today.” I start putting away the dishes I had ready.

“Hey! Who’s older here?” Donghyuck begins helping me sort the supplies into the pantry.

“I’m pretty sure I am,” I say, trying to remember if we told each other our birthdays back then.

“When were you born?”

“May.”

“Shit,” He mutters. He tosses the burnt pot into the trashcan, wincing at the char. “Okay, let’s keep the ball rolling. What’s your favorite color?”

I laugh, “Really? Also should I save this dough for tomorrow when we try again?” I hold it up to show him and inspects it.

“Yeah, why not? Just wear a trashbag or something tomorrow.” I kick him in the foot and he chuckles. “But yes, really. What’s your favorite color? I like red.”

“Purple,” I play along while saran wrapping the dough. “Favorite food?”

“Kimchi jjigae,” he spits out, with no hesitation. I nod along, remembering all the times he’s requested it as a midnight snack while we bake. “What do you like to do besides baking?”

“I like to go on walks. When I moved out of the city and with my dad, we lived near the beach. It was nice to just walk on the shore only five minutes away from me. I miss it sometimes. I should probably visit soon.” I tap the bowl mindlessly, trying to figure out my schedule.

“You should take me,” Donghyuck says. He’s right next to me now. “I always wondered where you went after I stopped seeing you. I assumed you were still in the city, until your grandma told me you moved-moved.”

“Ohh, no, yeah. I moved. It was hard leaving everything I knew, but at the same time, I learned so much when I was there with my dad. Come with me next time, and we can hangout on the beach. Nothing should be too flammable there.” I tease, bumping his hip with mine. He laughs with me, but I can tell his mind is somewhere else. His eyebrows are furrowed, and he looks almost guilty.

“You know, when I found out you were the Prince, I wrote down a list of questions. I was so excited to see what your life is like.”

This grabbed his attention and my heart eased seeing his eyes light up a little more. The kitchen was relatively clean now, so I decided to prop myself up on the counter. Donghyuck always gets mad at the sudden height difference, but I can tell he loves it when he naturally wedges himself between my thighs like he does right now.

“Yeah? Do you remember any?” His hands were pinned on either side of my hips, forearms pressed against my outer thighs. It’s comfortable. I’m not sure when we got so comfortable. “This is kind of like ‘Princess and The Pauper.’”

I snort trying to remember my list. “I think I wanted to know how many crowns you had.”

“Classic question. I’m pretty sure I have three. My head’s kinda small, so it actually takes awhile for them to make it.”

I hum, investigating his head. “I can tell.”

“Mean.” He lightly pinches my thigh and I stop staring at his skull.

“I also wanted to know if you had any royal pets.”

“A cute, small, white dog. Yep.” He nods, like he’s impressed with himself for having such a basic dog and I have to laugh.

“Any cool cars?”

“Tons,” He brags. “Okay, what does ‘Adult You’ want to know?”

There’s always been a question I wanted to ask him since I started hanging out with him again. It nagged in the back of my mind as I watched him, always happy, always cheering everyone on. Despite his bright facial expressions and body language, I could tell it was tiring, it must be. I never imagined the royal life to be hard, or as hard as my own, until I met him again.

I look at his face, checking for any signs that I shouldn’t be asking him. But he looks at me with such softness and openness, that I don’t hesitate to ask.

“Are you happy? Like… do you like being the Prince?”

His eyes widened at my question and he looks down at my lap to think. He takes longer than I expect, and I assume no one has ever bothered to ask. His silence is telling.

“Hey…,” I reach for his face to lift his chin up. “It’s okay to say you’re not. You don’t have to be all the time.”

He flinches like this was a concept he couldn’t accept for himself. I grab his face a little tighter so he really hears me.

“As long as you’re at least looking for your happiness, that’s all that matters,” I stroke his cheek with my thumb. “You deserve all the happiness, Hyuck.”

I can see his mind slowly wrapping around my words as something in his face shifts. He looks hesitant for a different reason.

“And what if I find my happiness in you?” I gasp, instinctively letting go of his face slightly. He’s fast to bring his hand up to keep mine there. His fingers slot between my gaps. He looks desperate to keep me here.

Knowing my words hold immense weight, I still don’t stop myself from saying, “Then I’ll be that for you, in whatever way I can.”

Despite me being vague, Donghyuck takes all that he can. His face blooms into a smile and I return it, knowing it was cause of me. He holds my hand this time and brings it down to my lap, sighing happily.

“Thank you.”

And for a split second, I’m scared for what I’ve promised. After all, he’s the prince and I’m the pauper.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♔

Donghyuck is the happiest he has ever been. Unlike how it was when he was a kid, he’s attending his classes, his meetings, and even having lunches with the princesses the Queen sends over. However, he can’t promise that these dates are leading up to a potential marriage. He’s doing just enough so that his mother doesn’t get suspicious. Best of all, for most nights, he gets to sneak into the kitchen and talk, bake, and laugh for hours.

The secret hangouts are going amazingly. He can tell she’s warming up to him as she did back then or maybe it’s just the fire from the oven heating up the place. Last week, the kitchen at her new bakery finally finished being built and he knows this because he hired his staff to make sure the job was done well without telling her. That day he expected her to come in and tell him that she had to stop seeing him, but she still showed up like clockwork – two to three times a week.

Next week, her bakery is set to have its grand opening and Donghyuck hopes this isn’t what actually stops her from coming to see him. He’s even practiced his baking skills on his own and eaten less of the fruit while they’re together in hopes it doesn’t make her want to leave again. And so for the following week, Donghyuck is treading carefully.

“Do you need help with that, Princess?”

“Should I preheat the oven for you?”

“Here, let me tie your apron.”

“I’ll carry that for you.”

All of these mini acts of chivalry are met with a suspicious gaze and a light dusting of red on her cheeks. Donghyuck feels a sense of achievement whenever she accepts his help. And this all leads up to the night before her grand opening.

Donghyuck is lighting the last candle when the sound of keys unlocking the side kitchen door is heard. He quickly blows out the match before scurrying behind the table to greet her with a “Surprise!”

“Donghyuck! Don’t do that! God, I thought I was caught for sneaking in.”

He rolls his eyes at her lackluster reaction and reorients himself.

“I said… Surprise!” He dramatically waves his arms around to show all the work he put into decorating the kitchen. She finally notices her surroundings and her eyes light up. Donghyuck can feel his heart soften, compared to how it was racing earlier trying to set all of this up without his staff.

“What… what is all of this?” Her hands are covering her mouth in disbelief. There are streamers and fairy lights gracing the walls and candles are littered all around the room. Donghyuck is standing in the center with a single cupcake in his hands.

“Congrats. I heard from the grapevine that your bakery opens tomorrow.” She laughs at his theatrics and sets her bag down to look at the cupcake he’s made. In messy red font, the top of the treat reads the name of her bakery. She almost wants to tear up.

“Only one? Are we sharing?” She takes the cupcake from his hands and he tries not to think too hard about her fingers touching his.

“Well, I made that myself, and I personally don’t trust that I didn’t mess up the recipe in some way. So if anyone’s getting food poisoning tonight, it’d be you.” He taps her nose. “Eat up!”

At that, her jaw drops and she keeps the cupcake at a distance as if it’s some nuclear substance.

“Do you secretly want me dead?” She laughs.

“Hey, when it comes down to a royal and a baker. The baker’s going.” Donghyuck mimics his throat being slit and bites his lip to stop himself from smiling too hard. He loves to mess with her.

“You are the worst. Way to look out for your people, your highness.” She begins to unwrap the cupcake, taking a sniff out of precaution.

“‘Your Highness’? Aw, Princess, don’t be like that.” He moves closer to her and she shifts back, tutting.

“Nope. As a baker under your kingdom, I will gladly sacrifice myself by eating this cupcake. Alone.” She dramatically curtsies before going in for a hesitant bite.

Donghyuck swiftly beats her to it and takes a large bite out of the other end as her lips touch the cupcake. Her eyes widen in shock and he sends her a wink before brushing the crumbs off his mouth.

“Now you can’t tell me I don’t care about my people,” He says while chewing the weird texture of his creation. Donghyuck smirks at the deer-in-headlights reaction she has on her face.

She gulps, shaking her head so that her hair hides her blush. She sets the cupcake down, not wanting a reminder of how close his face just was.

“Well, it’s edible,” She jokes. Donghyuck’s tongue prods the inside of his mouth as he takes in what was supposedly a compliment.

“Says the one who took the smallest bite known to man,” He accuses, pointing at the cupcake.

“How was I supposed to take a bigger one when you practically shoved your face into it and devoured half?” Once again, she’s reminded of what just transpired and feels her cheeks growing warm.

“Ooo, did I make you flustered? Scared your lips were about to touch mine?” Donghyuck takes a step closer and brushes a nonexistent crumb off her lip with his thumb. He hopes she doesn’t feel his heart pounding like fireworks.

Like she can sense his fake confidence, she grabs his wrist. “Is that what you were thinking about when you took a bite? Kissing me?” She tilts her head to the side and his whole body buzzes.

Before he could crumble even further, he tears his hand out of hers. “Please. Like I’d let anyone touch these royal lips.” He turns around to calm himself down and pretends to busy himself with something on the fridge.

He hears her laugh behind him. “I bet they’re not as sweet as a baker’s.”

He turns around and narrows his eyes at her. “How did this grand opening celebration turn into you messing with me?” Accepting defeat, he resorts to fake anger and his signature pout.

“You started it,” She playfully rolled her eyes. “Anyways…”

With the softest smile, she says, “Thank you, Hyuck. I really appreciate you.”

He returns it, “Always.”

The rest of the night is filled with laughter and playful bickering as the two avoid finishing the mysteriously textured cupcake. Donghyuck makes multiple attempts to pit the blame on her as the teacher, and the soon-to-be bakery owner fails to leave and sleep early at the expense of the Prince’s whines. To be honest, the lack of sleep was worth it if she got to spend more time with him.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Now that the bakery is well past its grand opening and flourishing greatly, I’ve gotten my days back. My employees are well-trained and seasoned and I feel comfortable taking days off when I need to. Oddly, my new opened-up schedule was somehow sensed by Donghyuck and I was invited to the palace during the daytime for the first time ever. I was nervous at first to be sneaking in in broad daylight, but he assured me that if I followed the steps he gave me exactly, I’d be fine – not that reassuring.

As written in his note, I greeted Yunseo, the guard, as usual, and he gave me weird looks, going back and forth between the sun and my face.

“You know the sun is out, right?” He asked, still looking at me funny.

I gave him the most incredulous look. “You’re joking? It’s not nighttime?” I made an effort to crazily look around and he sighed.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” He shook his head. “What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d switch things up,” I shrugged, not wanting to reveal who I was meeting.

Yunseo nodded, “Fair… okay, be careful, okay? The palace feels a little frantic today.” With that, he opened the gates for me and I gave him a smile.

“You’re the best. Make sure to stop by sometime this week, I have pastries for you.” I waved goodbye as he promised to come.

Following Donghyuck’s poorly drawn-out map, I realized our meeting point isn’t the kitchen and that he’s taking me on an obscure path that the Queen and King definitely are not aware exists. As I walk through centuries-old, dimly lit stone walls, I think about how many times Donghyuck has used these secret passageways and if little Donghyuck used these when he snuck out to see me, 15 years ago. I can imagine 7-year-old Donghyuck discovering these routes within the castle’s walls.

“Stop right there!” A voice echoes through the abandoned hallway.

My heart spazzes and as loud as my brain is yelling at me to run, my feet don’t budge. I curse under my breath and crumple Donghyuck’s map in my hands, remembering to kill him unless I die right here. And if I do happen to die here, then I have to make sure I return as a ghost, haunting that man for life. I turn around slowly, eyes half closed, to see who’s behind me, but there’s no one there. There’s no one in the passageway at all. I whip around a few more times to confirm and I notice a crack in the wall to my right. It’s a peephole overlooking the actual palace hallways.

Out of curiosity, I look through and I see the Queen, face as red as the beautiful gown she adorns.

“Prince Lee Donghyuck,” his name is spat out like bile. “You will follow my orders.”

Coming into view, I see Donghyuck. He and the Queen are in the middle of a heated argument. His head is hung low and I can see him playing with his sleeves like he does when he gets anxious. I wish to reach for him, but then I remember the wall separating us.

“Your majesty, I… I can’t. I don’t want to,” He hiccups, and if I can’t see the tears on his face, I can hear them. “I never did.”

The space in my chest feels as tight and narrow as the walkway I’m in and I want to look away, but I can’t.

“It doesn’t matter what you want. You are the Prince and you are expected to marry a Princess. How dare you fool me for all these years?” As the Queen, she still carries her natural elegance, but her words burn like acid. She’s speaking to him at a normal volume, but her tone pierces your ears.

“I-I didn’t mean to fool you. I tried my best, but I don’t love them. I don’t love the suitresses you send. And I need you to understand that I never will.” Donghyuck finally looks up and I can see the desperation in his eyes from where I stand.

“Love?,” The Queen laughs bitterly. “I don’t need you to love them. You just need to marry one. As the Prince, what makes you think you have the privilege of being in love? Not when you have a country to rule.” There’s less anger in her words and more disappointment.

Donghyuck winces, looking like he’s fighting back what he wants to say. His bottom lip is trembling and the grip he has on his sleeves is tight. His whole body practically shakes. Eventually, he lets go.

“If I’m not meant to love someone, then explain to me why I already do. Explain to me why I love her? Explain to me why I can’t have her?!”

Tears are rolling down his cheeks like heavy rainfall. “I never asked for this!” He screams, and I wonder to which he’s referring to.

My body is sweaty like I ran a mile and I feel like my breathing can be heard through the wall. He never mentions my name, but I know, I can feel, that he’s talking about me. My whole body is buzzing and I don’t know whether to feel ecstatic or sad. Despite my confusion, one feeling is clear: fear. Before I can hear what the Queen has to say, I run.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♔

“Oh God. Sorry, I was supposed to get here before you. I was supposed to be part of the surprise,” He smiles meekly, praying the puffiness from crying doesn’t make him look strange. He accidentally sniffles and hopes she blames it on the flowers and his chronic allergies.

She’s sitting in the garden chair next to the tea table Donghyuck had set up an hour ago. He scoped out a secluded spot in the royal garden and slowly put everything together. He moves to sit down across from her and she’s staring intently at the cup in front of her.

“I asked Gran what your favorite tea is and brewed some for us. I know I don’t have your baking skills, but if we get hungry, we can sneak back to the kitchen,” he playfully winks, trying to hide the fact that he was in the worst state five minutes ago. Although he can’t bake, he can definitely make a good batch of tea. He hopes it hasn’t gone cold.

He waits for a response, but she’s still frozen, chewing the inside of her cheek. Maybe he’s still on edge from his argument with the Queen, but she doesn’t look happy. This is definitely not the reaction he was expecting.

“Do you wanna try the tea? I bet it’ll amaze you so much, you’ll beg me for the recipe,” he teases. The teapot hovers over her cup, but she makes no move to accept it.

“Okay, no tea. That’s fine,” Donghyuck chooses to laugh it off. “Do you wanna walk around? Most of the garden is secluded so we don’t have to worry about someone catching us.”

“Would that be so bad?” The first words she whispers strike him with confusion. Her voice is dry like she just strained it.

“Huh?” He tilts his head, scooting his chair in closer to hear her.

“Would that be so bad?” She says, unable to bate her anger. “Being caught with me? Would his royal highness hate being found walking with me?”

“Hey,” Donghyuck grabs her hand from her lap, interlocking his fingers. “What’s going on?” She tears her hand out from his hold like it stung and he feels like he’s making mistake after mistake.

“I-I’m sorry, is this too much? I wanted to do something nice for our first date outside of the kitchen. Was this a mistake?” He starts to stack the plates, quickly discarding his work. “I usually don’t plan these myself, so I’m sorry if this is bad. I-”

Donghyuck sees her wince in his peripheral and feels her hand on his wrist as he’s about to haphazardly dump the tea in the bushes. Her hands are cold today.

“Date?” The word leaves her mouth as if it made her sick.

The alarms go off in Donghyuck’s mind. “Date? Did I say date? Sorry, I actually mean-”

“Donghyuck,” she cuts him off. He can see her harshly swallow. “Why are you doing this?”

He blinks. “I… I wanted to do something nice for us. It doesn’t have to be romantic if you don’t want it to be. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Donghyuck can feel himself beginning to ramble.

“No. Why have you been hanging out with me? If it’s because you feel guilty about ditching me all those years ago, forget about it. I don’t care anymore.” She looks at him with so much intensity, not only trying to convince him, but convince herself that none of this matters.

“Princess, please. No, it’s not out of pity. You know that.” He shakes his head almost violently, begging her to believe his honest intentions. He was shocked he had to convince her in the first place, always assuming she knew his heart better than him.

Completely ignoring him, she continues, “And why aren’t you married yet?”

“W-what?” Similar to whiplash, Donghyuck feels like his brain has just been jostled. Are his ears tricking him and forcing him to relive the traumatic conversation he just had with his mother? Why is this topic being brought up?

“You’re the Prince,” she says like it’s an unwavering fact. “You’re meeting with princesses weekly. You’re meant to rule side by side as King and Queen. Why… why aren’t you married yet?” She asks and her eyes are ice cold like her hands.

She too closely resembles the older woman who was just yelling at him moments ago. The casing around his heart begins to harden and the feeling he gets from the girl in front of him is now anger. The same bitter taste returns in his mouth.

“Are you serious?” He looks at her and the Donghyuck she knows has washed away. Betrayal, rage, and sorrow are painted across his face. It was like she was looking through the peephole again.

“Don’t ask stupid questions you know the answers to,” he mutters, words barely making it past his tight lips. He’s breathing much harder than before.

“Answer me. Why. Aren’t. You. Married.” Her hands are gripping the edge of her knees to stop them from shaking.

Donghyuck stares at her for a long time, eyes flittering over every facial feature, confirming that she actually wants to hear the answer. Her face is firm and her question is set. He takes a deep, pained breath and leans back slightly.

“It’s because I love you.” Not like the confession he imagined in his head, Donghyuck reveals his long-term feelings like this was their end and not their new beginning. The period at the end of a sentence. The last page of a hardcover book. The last second on a timer.

She simply nods, stiff in the neck. She excuses herself before standing up, bowing, and walking away.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“That’ll be $6.06. Would you like your receipt?”

The cash register dings with another purchase and I slump back in my chair as the customer leaves. It was a slow and agonizing shift with only two more hours till closing. It’s also been a slow and agonizing two weeks.

I’m haunted by what went down at the royal garden almost every hour of the day. At first, I was using every chance I could get to skip work and wallow at home. But suddenly the plants in my room reminded me of him and the teacups in my cabinets smelled like the tea he prepared for us. So for the second week, I decided to dedicate myself to work. I’ve been coming in every single day and overworking myself to the point where my employees don’t know what to do but stand around. I debate whether or not to let them leave early when a familiar head of brown hair walks in. My heart picks up its pace and it’s like the teacups all over again.

“Donghyu- oh. Hi, welcome!” I smile wide, trying to hide the previous disappointment drawn on my face. The customer gives me an awkward smile back and begins browsing the pastry racks as I mentally slap myself.

I slump down to the floor behind the counter and silently groan in my hands. Why does every male brunette customer these past two weeks remind me of him? And why are there so many of them? Like every other time I’ve confused a customer with Donghyuck, the guilt begins to creep back into my system and I get flashbacks of our last conversation.

“Why aren’t you married?,” I mock my own voice. “Are you stupid?” I repeatedly hit my palms against my head when I hear a ding from the counter bell. I quickly shoot up and brush the bangs out of my face, hoping the customer thinks I’m at least slightly normal.

“Hi, how can I hel- Grandma!” On instinct, I glance behind her, foolishly hoping he’s hiding behind her tiny frame, and my shoulders slump when I’m met with no one. So now I’m really imagining him.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, composing myself.

“Just checking in on you. I notice you haven’t been coming to the kitchen because when I come in in the mornings, my counter is actually clean,” she jokes. I smile sheepishly and nervously adjust the apron string around my neck.

“Sorry, it’s usually Donghyuck’s fault,” I quickly clear my throat, answering a little too fast. “The Prince, I mean.”

Grandma’s eyebrows shoot up at the mention of his name and she looks down at her feet, suddenly fidgety. I notice her change in demeanor instantly.

“Speaking of him…”

“We don’t need to,” I cut her off. “Speak about him, I mean.” I wince at how suspicious my words sound.

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I’m just curious… if anything happened between you two.” She whispers the last part, looking back at the customer to make sure he can’t hear. She clears her throat and steps behind the counter with me, naturally rearranging the bread in the display case. She busies herself while encouraging me to speak.

I gnaw on my lip, tapping the counter, debating if I should finally talk it out with someone. I’ve only been talking to my employees about bread starters and yeast.

“We fought.” I admit.

“About?” Grandma loads the case with more bread. I start passing them to her one by one.

“He told me… he told me he loved me.” I press my lips together and I hear her head hit the top of the display case and the bread hit the floor. “Grandma! Are you okay?”

I crouch down, grabbing the top of her head to inspect, and she’s giving me the most incredulous look.

“He told you he loved you?!” She squealed at an embarrassingly non-discrete volume, making the customer drop the pastry in his hands. He’s looking around, frazzled, and I can see him debate whether or not he should pick it back up.

“Don’t worry about it! I’ll clean it up!” I screamed from behind the counter.

“Grandma, keep it down,” I curse through my teeth.

She’s rubbing her head and shaking it in either pain or confusion.

“I know, I know. A Prince saying he’s in love with the baker’s granddaughter is farfetched and unrealistic. I get it.” It’s what has been circling through my brain every day.

“That’s not what I’m confused about, dear.” She looks like she’s debating what to say next. “Did you not hear?”

“Hear what?” At the end of my question, and like a universal sign, the door jingles and the mailman is rushing in, hair swept back by the wind.

“Sorry! I forgot to drop this off this morning. It’s urgent mail.” He salutes and is out the door as quickly as he enters.

On the counter is a letter with the royal stamp. My stomach feels queasy assuming this is the first contact I’ve had from Donghyuck since our fight, but I can’t help the naive smile that breaks out on my face. I rush to open it, not worrying about the papercuts. Every doubt that was just in my head disappeared and my grandma interjects, hoping to bring me back down from my high.

“Sweetie, wait. I need to tell you that-”

To the owner of Princess Bakery,

Prince Lee Donghyuck will be celebrating his union with Princess Nam Soohae on 26 May, 2023 at the royal garden grounds. The royal family requests a wedding cake to be made with your expertise and culinary skills.

Please accept this royal assignment with details soon to come.

Signed,

The Lees

The words on the page silenced me and my thoughts, my breaths barely leaving my lips. My eyes kept darting across the paper; the calligraphed words are being repeated over and over again in my brain.

Prince Lee Donghyuck.

His union.

Wedding cake.

Realization finally dawns that this isn’t the love letter or apology I was expecting from Prince Donghyuck. A breath finally escapes and it’s shaky as it wavers in the air like an offkey music note. A heart-stopping pain envelopes my chest and it seizes up to my eyes. The whites of the paper burn my irises. I catch a teardrop splattering onto the parchment. I’m haunted with images of Donghyuck at the altar with someone else. And then I’m thinking about the garden. And us.

Surprise.

Our first date.

Because I love you.

Because he loves me? Because Prince Lee Donghyuck loves me? Prince Lee Donghyuck who is getting married to an actual princess in a week? Suddenly, it feels like the floor’s unsteady and the oven temperature was turned up to the highest. The letter wrinkles between my fingers and the ink smudges with salty tears.

This is what I was afraid of. And yet this is what I set myself up for. I knew I should have stopped seeing him. I knew it the moment mango tarts began to remind me of him. The moment my secret ingredient of love found in every bake was powered by him and his place in my heart. Even though I meant to stop this from happening during our talk in the royal garden, that small teaspoon of hope was still sprinkled in my mind. That hope stayed every time I saw a plant, a teacup, or a brunette. But now it’s dissolved.

A new feeling washes over me. One that I haven’t felt once these past two weeks. Not false hope. Not heartbreak. And not regret.

Anger.

“Don’t blame him.”

My grandma’s words slice through the red and her hands on my arms attempt to calm me down. I look up through wet lashes, lips trembling.

“Donghyuck… Prince Donghyuck had no say. The royals… they never do.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be my grandma?” I clench my jaw to stop the shaking, slightly regretting my bitter words.

Her grip is softer. “Oh honey, I am. And that’s why I’m telling you not to waste this energy on being mad at him. What you guys share is beautiful, don’t let this taint it.” She takes the letter out of my hands and physically turns me to face her.

“Shared,” I corrected her.

“Share,” She corrects me. “Your love for each other is seen by everyone. I know it can’t flourish the way love is supposed to, but at least cherish it for what it was.”

Her words reintroduce more feelings. Sorrow. Frustration.

“I was really hoping this time it works out…” She voices my thoughts.

At this point, I’m hiccupping between breaths, caught between reliving the past and hearing these explanations. The world was never meant to have us together it seems. But at least I was told this time we had an ending.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The next royal letter came two days after the first, and I was called to spend a week in the royal palace to test out different wedding cakes. I essentially had no choice but to say yes as the royal chauffeurs picked me up every morning to take me there. It felt like those sunrises with my grandma when I was seven but the butterflies in my stomach turned into bees. Unlike the past, I prayed I wouldn’t run into Prince Donghyuck, but with him having requested I make his cake, I’m sure he knows I’m here.

My grandma designated a portion of the kitchen to me as the head baker and it mimicked the old days as much as it could. That was until I got a visitor on the second day.

“Good morning! I’m Princess Nam Soohae.”

My eyes widened and my whisk fell out of my grasp as I took in her presence. She’s beautiful. She’s an actual princess. Her bright, toothy smile would’ve made anyone smitten if it weren’t for the fact that she was about to marry the man I loved. The pretty pink dress she wore was tinted green through my eyes. I shook my head, trying to remind myself of my place.

“Good morning,” I bowed. “I’m the baker in charge of your wedding cake.” My smile faltered only slightly with the mention of the union.

She giggles and I almost want to laugh with her. “I know that, silly. I was sent by the Queen to sample some. Or should I say my future mother-in-law.” She bites her perfectly manicured nail with excitement.

Soohae leans her hands on the counter and peers at the bowl in my hand.

“Is there any to try right now?” Her head surveys the kitchen like a kid looking for cookies. It’s genuinely hard to dislike her.

“Um, I have a few cakes placed to the side to cool right now. There’s no frosting on it yet, but I’m sure it’d be good to try the base first!” I move to grab one of the trays and she flutters to follow me.

“Ooooh!” She gushes. “I’m so excited to try it. My own wedding cake, can you believe it?”

“No.” I almost drop the cake. “I mean, yes? Sorry. Getting married to the one you love is… it’s a crazy thing.” I cut a piece of cake and place it on a plate for her.

She doesn’t hesitate to take a bite and as she chews, she thinks.

“I don’t love him yet, to be honest. This cake is really good, by the way.” I start cutting a slice from the other cake to sample. “But I know I will love him eventually. I already get butterflies when I look at him. I trust that he’s the one for me, I mean have you seen him?”

Before I can agree, and thank god she doesn’t give me a second to, she continues, “I know it’s silly for a person in my position to believe in the one. But I really, really do think it could be him. The other day he brought me my favorite flowers, like how did he know?!” She pops a bite of the other cake in and her eyes light up.

“Oh this is the one! Don’t even think about giving me another,” The Princess reaches for another bite and applauds me.

I laugh and make sure to note to go with the lemon base and not the mango one. As my hands are about to toss the mango cake away, my mind stops me and I consider whether Donghyuck would prefer this instead. The clanking of the Princess’s fork on the plate, finishing the lemon cake slice till it’s crumbs, reels me back and I let the cake fall into the garbage. It feels eerily like a metaphor.

For the rest of the week, Princess Soohae visits me and taste tests the frosting, fondant, and other things she wants. With every passing day, I hear more about Haechan and I can feel that her words have turned fonder. Coincidentally, her sweet tooth has gotten worse and the final components of the wedding cake are a complete sugar bomb like her personality.

On my final day, the Queen joins her. The last time I saw her majesty, she was berating the Prince as I secretly watched. It felt like I was in that hidden passageway again as she watches me prepare a slice of the wedding cake for her. My hands shake, placing the plate down in front of her and her gaze is sharp. It’s interesting how harsh her energy is when her facial features are as soft as the Prince’s. She looks like she’s been through a lot and I wonder if Donghyuck will experience the same thing when he fulfills his role as King. Like she can tell I’m thinking about him, The Queen’s eyes narrow.

“I hope you enjoy,” I bow, and she doesn’t say a word. Princess Soohae on the other hand is completely bubbling over how good it turned out and how her guests are sure to love it too.

The Queen simply nibbles on a piece and nods along. The black and white vibes almost give me whiplash as I stand there, watching the two of them. A sweat forms on my hairline and I’m internally glad this is my last day. I can’t go through this any longer.

And like a karmic jinx, the kitchen door opens and a familiar brunette walks in. This time, it is him.

“Oh my! Prince Donghyuck!” Princess Soohae scrambles off her chair and bows both gracefully and clumsily. I bow as well, trying hard to hide the immediate blush on my face I get whenever I see him. I wonder if I can stay bowing so I don’t have to meet his face. The last time we saw each other was when we talked at the royal garden, and as much as I prayed I wouldn’t run into him here, truthfully, a part of me also hoped I would.

As soon as I force myself to stand up straight, we lock eyes and the strain in my chest loosens like a snapped thread. I can feel my lungs fill with air and it’s relieving to see him again after so long. It hurts in the best way as I’m overwhelmed by his presence. That familiar brown waved hair, the sunkissed tan skin, and the plump smiley cheeks. Everything is how I left it but his expression is not one I expected. He’s in complete shock and I don’t know what to do but look around the room to find something that would cause such surprise. I quickly glance at the Queen, and for the first time since she sat down, there’s a small lift in the corner of her mouth. Is she smirking?

“Princess?” He tilts his head, still staring at me before he realizes what he just called me. “Princess! Princess Soohae! I came to get you.” He runs over to grab her hand and the lifted cheekbones on her face tells me she’s grinning.

“What- uh- what’s going on?” I’m fixated on the way he fiddles with her hand as he looks around the room for answers.

“Cake testing? How did you forget, silly?” Princess Soohae laughs as she playfully pats his cheeks. Everyone in the room can tell she’s head over heels and my stomach hurts. As I’m clutching my stomach and the Prince stares at me quizzically, there’s one person in the room watching all of this go down.

“She’s the wedding cake baker we outsourced, Prince Donghyuck.” The Queen says calmly, gesturing to me. She tells him like it’s his first time hearing this and I’m taken aback, my movements making the utensils on the table quiver slightly.

“He didn’t know?” My mouth was too quick to voice my thoughts. “His highness, I mean.” I bow in apology.

“No. No, I didn’t.” His hands are at his side now, gripping the fabric of his sleeves. The shock left his face and now he’s staring at me with pity and then silent anger when his head turns towards the Queen. My eyes follow his and she returns his look as if to challenge him to say more.

Completely obvious to the shift in atmosphere, Princess Soohae raves about the final wedding cake decisions and begs the Prince to try a bite. He turns her down without sparing a glance and asks her to leave with him. He doesn’t give me a second thought as he breaks eye contact with the Queen and drags his future wife away. There’s no stopping the ache that fills my chest again, slow but strong like the rising tide.

“So he still likes you.”

Snapped out of my haze, my ears don’t believe the words I hear coming from the Queen’s lips.

“Pardon?” She’s looking at me now and it’s a mixture of disappointment and disinterest etched on her face. The warmth on her face has depleted.

“My son. Prince Donghyuck. He still likes you,” she laughs dryly. “After all these years…”

My eyebrows furrow and I feel myself getting dizzy. Maybe this is all some sort of hallucination and the Queen isn’t talking to me right now. I grip the counter for support, and she doesn’t wait for me to respond.

“You know, I thought I handled the issue 15 years ago when I asked the head baker to stop bringing you here. I was stupid to think it would be that easy when he purposely sabotaged every date I set up for him the years after.”

She’s twirling the fork on the plate now and the scrapes make me flinch. The kitchen no longer feels like a safe space for me right now as her words slowly suffocate me.

“And when he started to actually go on these dates this year and report back to me that they’re going well? I was foolish to think it was him beginning to try. I saw you one day, back in this kitchen. Back in his life. It all made sense and it made me so angry.” Her hands grip the fork handle. They’re dainty, but if you look close, they’re calloused, indicating years of work. Her face appears the same. If it weren’t for the terrifying state I was in, I would’ve wanted to comfort her. She looks up at me, and I felt tinier than I did before, her eyes piercing into me.

“Do you not understand the life I’m trying to set up for Donghyuck? He’s the future king. He needs a queen, a real queen to survive in this world. As the queen, I know firsthand what he needs. My king wouldn’t be anywhere without me and his mother who set me up with him. You’re not fit for this role and you never will be.” She finally sets the fork down with a clatter.

“Listen to me, and let him go. It’s what’s best.” Her threatening nature fades as quickly as it came and she gracefully stands up, brushing the nonexistent debris on her gown. The Queen gives me one final look, waiting for me to bow and essentially agree, before leaving the kitchen.

The air returns and I grasp my chest to let myself breathe. Tears prick the corner of my eyes as I choke back sobs.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“Remember, it’s the room on the right hallway. Third door. And if anyone sees you, don’t tell them I sent you. I’ll get in trouble.” My grandma hammers in the details one more time, waiting for me to nod in confirmation.

It’s the end of my final day and she asked me to deliver pastries to a room in the palace before I leave, saying her workload is too large to be going herself. I figured it’s one more thing I could do before I never step foot in the palace again. I almost turned her down earlier in fear of running into the Queen. Just the thought of that happening makes me feel sick, but I know I won’t be seeing her again after this anyways.

I scoff, “So you’d rather I get sent to the guillotine?” I tease her with an exaggerated horrified look.

She easily flicks my forehead, despite our height difference, and I grab it wincing. “You’re lucky I don’t chop off your head myself with that attitude of yours.” She sneers at me and I giggle.

“Fair…,” I playfully mutter, soothing the area between my brows.

Her directions sent me to a room with beautiful brown double doors. I smile at the two ladies standing outside of it and I’m about to explain why I’m here before they cut me off.

“Pastry delivery for the Prince?” They say in unison.

Like a horror movie, my jaw drops and I lose my instinct to run. One thing I do know is to make sure I yell at my grandma later as I nod and tell them they’re correct. She completely set me up.

On another occasion, I would’ve appreciated the doors to Prince Donghyuck’s bedroom more, but right now, they look like the gates of Hell. I attempt to swallow whatever saliva was left in my suddenly dry mouth as I brushed my hair out of my face. The ladies allow me to knock on the door. My palms are sweaty as I shakily knock on the varnished wood, hearing it echo into the space on the other side. His room must be huge.

No responses are heard. This was my out, but my body was telling me not to leave, even though my mind was screaming to run. Instead of knocking again, I turn the knob and almost wish it wasn’t unlocked, but it was.

There he is on the other side, scribbling at his desk. His back is facing me and I watch the muscles in them move with vigor. I haven’t seen him work this hard since he convinced me to teach him how to make a creme brulée and accidentally made scrambled eggs with the yolks.

I shut the door behind me and hope it catches his attention, but it doesn’t. I gulp, realizing how very real this situation is and I almost want to throw up knowing I have to speak.

“Hyuck.”

I hear him inhale and he spins quickly out of his chair to look at me. Different to how it felt seeing him in the kitchen earlier today, his face is softer, accepting my presence. My heart floats in my chest, wondering why I was so nervous to see him when just the sight of him oozes comfort. He looks at me like he’s feeling the same way. I see the longing in his eyes and the way they warm, I close my own to stop myself from giving in too much.

“Princess.”

His voice is fragile and his choice of words makes me shut my eyes harder, scared that I’d lose all my resilience and run straight into his arms. He doesn’t correct himself this time, and he says it again with more confidence.

I finally peel them open and force myself to act cold. Just an hour ago I was finishing his wedding cake; this fire has to be extinguished.

“Princess Soohae will make a great queen.” I move to set the pastry basket down on a table near me.

“It’s not what you think. I was going to-“ He turns around in a frenzy and grabs the paper he was just writing on. The Prince takes a step closer and it takes all my strength to recoil. It takes all of me not to be swayed by the obvious hurt on his face. This will be good for us, I have to remind myself.

My hand is up, drawing the line. “You don’t have to explain. It’s not what I’m here for.”

He hesitantly puts his arm down, eyebrow twitched in confusion. The paper is still in his hands.

“I got you a gift,” I partly smile. “A wedding gift and I guess, also… a goodbye gift.” With that statement, I break away from his stare, fixating on a corner in his grand room.

I hear paper wrinkling. “A goodbye gift?” His voice gets lower and it causes me to wince. It feels like all the tension in the room gathered in the small vacancy in my chest and the overwhelming pressure makes my eyes sting. I can already feel the tears build up as I play with the hem of my shirt.

“Mhm,” I painfully affirm. “The wedding cake. It’s both my gift and my goodbye. I thought you requested it when I first got the royal letter,” I laugh at the situation, trying to stop myself from letting him see me cry.

“Turns out it wasn’t you, but regardless. You’re getting married and I can’t be here anymore. So I left it in the kitchen. Obviously, it’s not a goodbye-goodbye, since I’ll still be living here in the city, but… No. Yeah, it’s a goodbye,” I nod to myself, trying to unravel the knot in my throat. “I guess you took my advice, huh? Congratulations, your highness.”

The silence from him is thick and it leaves a sour feeling in my stomach. It calls me to look up at him, and his eyes are icy cold. The sweet honey brown is as dark as coal.

“This is your response?” His words are robotic, I can feel the venom on his tongue as it pricks at my heart.

“S-sorry?” I tilt my head, not understanding him. It felt terrifying to make him repeat himself in the state he’s in.

“I told you I loved you. I’m assuming this is your response.” My eyes flicker to the paper in his fist, no longer readable. Neither is his face as he gives me the blankest look. It makes me want to cry more knowing this is how I will remember our last moments.

This time, I do take a step towards him but he’s shaking his head aggressively, lower back pressed against the edge of his desk. Now I know how he felt.

“If you want to hear me say ‘I love you’, you know I can’t do that.” Just having those three words leave my lips causes a tear to roll down my cheek.

“Because I’m the Prince?” This time, his expression changes to match mine. I can feel the frustration and pain radiating off of him, and all I want to do is to tell him what he needs to hear. But I just nod, forcing a distance.

“So it always mattered. What if… what if it was 7-year-old Donghyuck asking his princess? What would you have said? You didn’t know who I was back then. I was just… just Donghyuck.” He sighs, his body is limp as he settles onto his desk. I notice his frail build, worried that he’s been eating less.

I smile, fondly remembering the ignorant bliss from 15 years ago. But then I’m forced to remember our situation now, our ugly situation where our hearts are demanded to stay silent.

“I would’ve told him I loved him too.”

And with that, all strength is gone as I sob into my palm. I’m trying to force the wails in, but my body is shaking. My legs feel weak and he’s over here and his arms are wrapped tightly around me in a second. I can feel his heart beating against my arm trapped between our bodies and his breath shakily blowing on the top of my head. One hand is holding me tight and the other is brushing through my hair as he shushes me.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” He repeats. A part of me thinks this is to calm himself down too.

I know I’m right when I slowly pull myself back and see the red in his eyes and on the tip of his nose. My hand flinches as I’m about to caress his cheek. His breath is steadier as it now fans across my face and his eyes are lidded like they’ve finally got some rest. My hesitation vanishes as I let myself cup his face, trace the constellation painted on his cheek, and feel the sweetness of his lips on mine. The warm sensation that envelops my body makes me gasp and Donghyuck tightens his embrace on me, refusing to let go. He tasted better than every sweet treat I’ve had combined. He was intoxicating and my whole body buzzed like a sugar rush.

I close my eyes tighter, savoring the feeling of his lips, wanting to remember every trace — letting myself be selfish this last time. He’s sugary, cozy, and soothing like the afternoon sun on my back. His mouth moves with such ease against mine and it feels like I’ve been kissing him my whole life. The feeling of his tongue gently nudging my bottom lip jolts me back to reality and I push away, seized by the cold air of his big room again.

I bring my hands to my face, hoping to cool down the flush. The Prince is breathing as heavily and in sync with me, and all I can hear is our matching breaths and the ringing in my ears. I have to end it here.

“Um. Congratulations on your wedding,” I say in one breath. I don’t dare look at him as I quickly bow, scrambling to his door.

“Princess! Wait,” He grabs my wrist, almost too tight. “I can’t go through with this. Please, I-I only want to marry you.”

“Your highness…”

“Don’t. Don’t call me that. Say my name, please. Call me Hyuck. Call me Donghyuck. Anything but that. Just don’t-“ His teeth are chattering and he blinks away the tears. “Don’t leave me again.”

Without a second thought, I’m shaking my head ‘no.’ Even with tears blurring my vision, I can see the hurt on his face and I feel a part of my heart rot. It pains me just as much to reject him, but the Queen’s words swirl around in my head, unrelentless. I’m forced to leave him and my heart here and I want to scream, but I can’t. He notices that. It reminds him of himself.

Letting the finality of my decision settle in, he lets go of me, taking in a shaky breath. This was our end.

I restrain myself from taking any steps towards him as I reach for the door behind me. The wooden panel swings open, gliding past my extended fingers as I’m met with the face of the Queen.

That same hand shoots up to touch my lips, remembering what just happened in here and I bow till my hair grazes the tiled floors.

“Your Majesty,” I squeak. She looks at me with a million emotions and plants her glare at the Prince. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, her face twists into anger, dissecting the situation. I take this as my cue to leave but the Queen shuts the door behind the both of us. I don’t hear the Prince make any moves to save me.

“What were you doing in there?” She angrily whispers between clenched teeth. Not sure what comes over me, but the fear I felt before is gone. Instead, I’m left feeling numb.

“Don’t worry. I was just saying goodbye.” I swallow, bracing myself for her reprimands.

A beat passes, before she speaks, this time in a normal tone. “Are you done?”

I nod, “Yes, and I’d like to be excused from attending the wedding to serve the cake.” The Queen’s eyebrows quirk up, shocked that I’ve made a request. I look her straight in the eyes so she knows I mean it.

“I can’t… I can’t be there for that. I believe I’ve done all the preparation I can and I am not needed to actually attend.” My confidence waivers, and I draw my attention back to the ground.

“Fair enough. You don’t have to attend. I’ll tell the other bakers to serve it.” I take my chance to meet her eyes again and I can almost see concern on her face. I shake my head of that ridiculous thought, and offer her my best smile.

“Thank you, your majesty.” I bow before dragging my feet off the palace grounds. Hoping to never set foot in here ever again.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Bells. I plan to remove all bells from my bakery. The royal wedding bells have been ringing all morning and I don’t need any more reminders moving forward.

I spent the whole night crying after leaving the palace and then my anxiety kicked in, trying to get me to map out my life without him. Naturally, I planned to pour myself into work and here I am, out of bed, manning the shop by myself on his wedding day. I may have cried into a batch of dough in the morning, but baby steps are important. This is only day one anyways.

I realized I made a mistake leaving the house when I overheard everyone in town talk about the wedding of the century. I even let my employees off for the day, mainly to have my space to wallow alone. Practically everyone was outside the palace gates, waiting to get a glimpse of the couple. The streets were currently empty and I wonder if I should just close up shop.

Right when I was about to count up the cash and close out the register, the bell on the door jingles. I’m halfway into the one dollar bills when I roll my eyes at the sound, pressing my lips together to stop a groan. I make a mental note to remove the bell before I leave.

I look up to check on the customer and I see a man with, of course, brown hair surveying the bread on the back wall. All I can see is the back of his head as he peruses. I scoff to myself at the instant fluttering of my chest at yet another brunette customer. Is no one blond anymore? Are gingers that rare for me to never encounter one in my bakery?

I finish counting the ones and I move onto the fives when I realize he’s still standing in the same spot. I’m organizing the bills in my hands as I examine him. Normal guy. Black hoodie. Jeans.

Maybe he’s just really indecisive. I can see him tapping his foot from the counter. I decide to offer help after I finish counting the five dollar bills.

With the last dollar to count, I place it in the tray and slowly walk over to the man. As I get closer, my stranger danger instincts kick in and I suddenly regret my decision. His foot is still shaking and from this close, I can see him fidgeting with his sleeves in front of him. I grab a pair of tongs from the closest case and approach him.

“Excuse me, sir? Can I help you find something?” I have the tongs gripped with both hands, discreetly but ready to swing.

I see his body tense and my breath hitches, thinking I’m really going to have to hit this man with my makeshift weapon.

He turns around painstakingly slow and I raise the tongs instinctively to block my face, before letting out a squeal.

But then I see his face. And different bells go off.

“Oh my god. Hyuck?”

The bags under his eyes are prominent and I finally notice the way his hair has been pulled in different directions. His lips are dry as he cracks a sheepish smile. He’s rubbing the back of his neck and notices the kitchen utensil in my hands.

“Were you gonna hit me?!” His mouth is open in surprise and he’s taking the tongs from my hands. I let him and put my hands up in defense.

“You were standing there for so long, all fidgety! I’m alone in here, what was I supposed to think?” I fight back, taking the tongs back and clutching it close to my chest.

He lets out a long sigh, seemingly frustrated with himself as he runs his hands through his hair. I hate that I find it attractive.

“Wait.” He looks up at me through his lashes, swallowing. “What are you doing here?” I ask. He blinks, knowing that question was coming.

I expected to feel sick awaiting his answer, but instead my heart is racing, anticipating his next words. I almost feel that false hope I felt a week ago, and I try hard to deny it. But the way he’s looking at me leaves me with no doubts.

I’m about to push him out the door when he digs a hand into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. The wrinkled piece of paper from yesterday. He plays with it in his hands as he thinks about his next move.

“I was drafting a request to get the law changed.”

His words peak my interest. I set the tongs down and let him continue. Wrapping my arms around my waist for security, I’m fearful of what he has to say next.

“I’ve actually been working on it for the past two months.” He flattens the paper out in his hands. “You caught me finishing the final draft yesterday. I didn’t expect it to take up until my wedding day…” He laughs, unhumored by the situation.

He hands it to me. “This is an old copy now, but it’s actually already being reviewed by the King. Right now. Being who I am, I fled just in case.”

He looks at me anxiously as I read the top of the page, the words in bold:

Formal Petition to Repeal the Royal Marriage Ordinance

Written By Prince Lee Donghyuck

My eyes don’t believe what’s written, like the royal letter I received not too long ago, requesting I bake the royal wedding cake. The same royal stamp and all rests in the top left corner.

This time, I can read the words clearly. They settle into my chest, leaving me with such a funny feeling. I read the text and I can tell it’s written by him. I imagine him staying up every night after we meet in the kitchen, working by himself on this proposal. All of his hard work for the past couple months was printed on this very paper. All this work… for us.

I feel my cheeks wet from pure joy and I cover the smile straining my mouth. A rush unfurls through my body like sweet, sweet sugar and I look up to share it with him.

“Donghyuck… You-?”

“Marry me.”

He gets down on one knee, holding my free hand. He’s rubbing that one spot on my ring finger and it feels unreal. The gleam in his eyes reminds me of the toasty fires in the oven, the glistening mangos on his favorite tart. His smile matches mine, nervous just slightly, and I want to paint this memory in my brain forever. The love and desperation in his eyes are begging me to think of him. Think of us. Every fear that had been eating away at me the past month was overcome by his pleas. This paper and his actions are proof that we can happen.

He continues,

“Princess, please marry me. I’ve only wanted to marry you almost my entire life. I know that sounds crazy, but how can I doubt my obvious soulmate? You always come back to me, but I still don’t want another reason for you to have to leave. So please, trust me and trust us. Forget everything and everyone else and say you’ll marry me. If this petition doesn’t pass, I’ll continue to fight. Just…

Say you’ll be my princess forever.”

I tug his hand softly to get him to stand up. He obliges and I free my hands to hold his face. He finally breathes and closes his eyes, leaning into my touch. I can feel him relax and his hands rest on my hips, drawn like a magnet. My mind is bouncing back and forth trying to contain the frenzy in my heart and the steady warmth of my core. I tap his eyelid lightly with my thumb and ask him to look at me. He opens them slowly, fear still trickling in his irises. I smile at him.

“My Prince,” His breath hitches. “I love you too.”

Donghyuck wastes no time tucking his head into my neck and lifting me against his body. He spins me around between the cases of bread and I giggle, feeling his heart beat erratically against mine. He softly lets my feet touch the ground and we’re looking at each other again, tears adding sparkles to his eyes. I wipe them away instantly.

“Thank you for coming back,” he whispers, but it feels like he said it with his whole being.

“Always.” I say with just as much commitment.

We’re cherishing the moment together, laughing at how happy we get to be, when the wedding bells go off once more. I look at him with confusion and he shrugs, just as lost.

“I can’t believe my wedding cake is going to waste,” I pout, remembering all my hardwork. And he squeezes my hip at my choice to be silly, snickering.

“I can’t believe you went with a lemon cake. Do you even know me?” He teases, pretending to be hurt. I gasp, slapping his chest.

“I’ll make sure to go with the mango tarts for ours.” I press a soft kiss on his lips and he smiles with me, pulling me unbelievably closer.

“I like the sound of that,” Donghyuck hums.

“I’m sure you do.” I laugh.

Donghyuck and I stand there in each other’s arms for as long as our legs allow. We talk about the past, how it felt to leave each other. We talk about the garden and I admit to catching him talk to his mom, which explains everything he needs to know. Even as I’m profusely apologizing, he’s doing the same, saying sorry for putting me in such a situation. I choose to ask about Princess Soohae and he bites his lip nervously, telling me he hasn’t handled that predicament yet. I almost drag him out of the bakery at the sound of that. We even go over his repeal proposal and I call him out for some typos.

Eventually we move to the kitchen, doing what we do best, and what we’ve done for years, waiting for someone to find him. The Prince and his Princess.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

A/N: i hope you enjoyed!! pls like, reblog, reply, whatever!! if u want hehe

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yandere-writer-momo · 6 months

Note

*Pulls up in a Lambo*Heyyy. Could I get an obsessed Baki with a readerm that's Yujiro's assistant or something. Anywhere Yujiro is they're there. No Yujiro and reader please *drops money*

IN A LAMBO? And you pay me? WOW. Okay.

Hopefully people know this isn’t canon

Yandere Baki Shorts: Delusion

Baki Hanma obsessed with Yujiro’s secretary

Oh He Delulu

Baki Hanma

His interest in (your name) began once he found out his father had an office. It wasn’t uncommon for him to drop by weekly to try to figure out his dad’s whereabouts. Whereabouts even his secretary didn’t know (not that Baki knew that)

Baki was recently single due to his motivation to defeat his father and how it interfered with his personal relationships. So Baki was doing his best to distract himself from the heartbreak. What else was a young adult in his early twenties supposed to do when his childhood sweetheart broken up with him?

And that’s how he met her. (Your name) was a bit older than him but she was very patient with him. She had a motherly charm to her that warmed his heart (not to mention her fuller figure). Baki swore he had hearts in his eye at first glance

(Your name) patiently waited for him to finish asking all of his questions before telling him that even she did not know of Yujiro’s whereabouts. But she would make sure to let her boss know when she saw him. She was so level headed… Baki admired that. Baki liked that she patiently listened to him

Baki continued his weekly visits over the course of two months. Baki found himself reveling in her care. “Did you eat today? We could order lunch if you plan to stay awhile.” Or “did you sleep enough? You look a little tired.” Baki adored her motherly care… did this mean she liked him too? The thought of her having a crush on him made his head nearly explode

His weekly visits began to change to him dropping by every few days, but rather than being there, for his father, he was there for (your name). Baki’s heart and mind were set on her

Baki would make awkward small talk with her to try and find things out about her. He was excited to learn that (your name) didn’t have a partner and that she lived alone. He couldn’t believe nobody was with her because he thought she was so soft and sweet. This only made him want (your name) more

Baki was unaware that (your name) only saw him as a little brother due to their small age gap of a few years

Soon he figured out her favorite color, her favorite food, her birthday, and every small detail about (your name). Like how sometimes she’d chew on her nails when she was nervous or when she’d bounce her leg when she was anxious. He knew all of (your name)’s cute quirks

Baki would spend more and more time at the office to the point (your name) swore she had a coworker. Baki was always at her side while she worked and he was insistent on spending time outside of work too. He constantly invited her to watch him train or to get food. Baki was relentless in his pursuit

At first she thought it was endearing but then she realized he didn’t see her as a big sister… no. Baki saw her as a woman

(Your name) would always politely turn him down but he didn’t give up. No… he only began to become bolder

Baki would bring her takeout of her favorite foods and sometimes he would bring (your name) her favorite flowers. She always accepted them (out of obligation)… so he assumed that she accepted his feelings. Which made his heart soar. (In his mind you two were dating)

The delusional younger man would come to her office first thing in the morning and he’d leave when (your name) would so he could walk her home. He constantly tried to hold your hand. It was starting to make her uncomfortable

……………………………………………………..

“You know you don’t have to walk me home, right?” (Your name) nervously tucked a stray hair behind her ear as Baki walked beside you. The young man hummed in thought.

“But it’s dangerous for a girl to walk alone this late. Plus men are strange on the subway trains. I worry about you.” Baki gave (your name) a reassuring smile. “Isn’t it normal to worry about people you care about?”

(Your name) sighed. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get rid of him, but he was stuck to her like a leech. Maybe she needed to be more blunt with her rejection?

“Say, Baki? I need to tell you something.” (Your name) nervously fiddled with her fingers, a quirk Baki instantly recognized. The younger man’s cheeks became rosy as his mind began to race a thousand miles a minute. It was happening… she was going to tell him she loved him.

“O-of course anything.” Baki bounced a bit on his feet in excitement. He’s been dying to tell her of his feelings but if she made the first move, then it was truly meant to be, wasn’t it?

“This is so hard for me to say but I-“ Baki suddenly pulled her in for a kiss, the young woman stood there flabbergasted. Her eyes blown wide open and her arms flailed out while Baki tenderly pressed his lips against hers in a gentle dance of lip and tongue. (Your name) hated to admit it, but he was a good kisser.

Baki pulled her body tightly against his, his eyes fluttered shut to enjoy this moment. Their first kiss together… it was more magical than he expected.

The two stayed like that for a moment before Baki slowly pulled away. His eyes half lidded and his cheeks flushed.

“I love you too.”

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woniverse-writes · 7 months

Text

“Dark Blues”

bada lee x reader

summary: you had to make sure Bada's birthday went well this year since last year had been a disaster. and even if all else failed, you had one thing planned that you were sure couldn't go wrong.

word count: 4.4k

warnings: smut/nsfw/18+, fingering, cunnilingus, uhm drunk (not entirely, but definitely not sober) birthday sex, not proofread

notes: this was supposed to be posted on the 22nd (Bada's actual birthday) but i wanted to try and write some actual smut instead of something slightly spicy so... plz enjoy and be kind

Celebrating your girlfriend's birthday was always one of your favorite things to do, even before she was your girlfriend. You had always gone all out for Bada, no matter what the occasion was, but as September 22nd started to get closer each year, you began planning. The year before was a bit of a mess- seeing as it was yours and Bada’s first time spending her birthday together as a couple which made you feel even more inclined to do something spectacular, and it ended up backfring on you… but she still loved it!

This year, you made it impossible for things to go wrong by double-checking everything- calling twice to confirm your reservation for the dinner you had planned over a month ago, going to the store a week prior to make sure you were able to get her favorite champagne, not leaving the flower shop until you were given a paper receipt as well as an email copy… everything. And while it was stressful at the time, you felt immense relief when you went to pick up her flowers that morning and the bouquet was neatly done and ready to go. Except now your relief has started to dwindle as you stare at the beautiful bouquet sitting on the island of your shared apartment kitchen, waiting for your lovely girlfriend who taking her good ‘ol time getting ready.

“Bada, my love… are you by any chance almost ready?” you yelled up towards the stairs from where you sat on the couch, leaning into your hand and trying not to sound stressed or irritated, even though you were starting to worry about being late to dinner and missing your reservation.

“Yes! I promise I’m almost ready baby!” she yelled back frantically, yet all you did was sigh, positive that she was in fact not almost ready. Though about five minutes later she came rushing down the stairs, looking as beautiful as ever in a simple black dress and a pair of short heels, paired with some elegant gold accessories. You couldn’t help but stare in awe at how her beauty somehow became even more advanced.

“Wow…” you sighed out softly in a daze, lovingly smiling and admiring the beautiful tall woman in front of you. Bada blushed and rolled her eyes before walking directly in front of where you were seated on the sofa.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, playfully acting as if she were the one in a rush now. You stand up with a giddy grin and grab her hand before heading towards the door.

“Keys?” she asks right as you’re about to walk out the door, to which you respond by pulling them out of your purse and jingling them around a bit. She reaches to grab them, as she normally does, but you pull them back out of her reach, causing her to raise her eyebrows in shock.

“Weren’t you just worrying about us being late? And now you wanna play around?” Bada asked laughing at your childish antics.

“I’m not playing around- I’m gonna drive today!” you firmly express with your hands on your hips and a confident smile. To which Bada just snorted, causing you to immediately pout

“Oh really? Are you now? Cute- alright, now gimme the keys” was her teasing response as she reached for the keys again, and you once again pulled them away, still pouting.

“I’m serious!” and your girlfriend finally believed you, dropping her arm and stepping back a little before chuckling softly again, shaking her head

“Baby, you hate driving… why would you want to drive?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. You frowned slightly

“Cuz it’s your birthday… you always drive so I wanted you to get to relax…” you explained in a soft voice, sounding like a child trying to defend themselves against their parent's questioning. This left Bada softly laughing and leaning in to wrap you in a hug, resting her chin atop your head.

“I like driving you around though- that is relaxing to me… you’re my favorite passenger princess, so just let me drive please.” she kissed the tip of your nose and then immediately wiped it off, realizing she got lipstick on you, which caused you both to giggle briefly, before you sighed and handed her the keys. She let out a soft ‘thank you’ and you both got in the car and made your way to the restaurant.

You arrive about two minutes late and the second you’re in the door you’re apologizing to the hostess running the front desk with a nervous smile.

“Hi! I’m so sorry we’re late- reservation for y/n at 7:30?” you had questioned, hoping they still had you in even though you weren’t that late.

“No worries! We have your table ready, and I see we’re celebrating a birthday?” she had looked up from the screen after checking you in with a friendly smile and welcoming tone as she asked about the celebration. You just smiled brightly and gestured to the tall girl beside you who shook her head slightly in embarrassment as she looked down with a smile. The young woman showed you two over to your table, which actually happened to be a small booth that was somewhat tucked away in what seemed to be a quieter area that was intimately lit by a soft amber glow, contrasting from the view of the early night sky that could be seen out of the window near your where you were sitting.

“This is amazing y/n, really- thank you so much, Love.” Bada had reached across the table to gently take your hand. Now it was your turn to shyly blush and look down. A huge smile took over your face and you tried to suppress it a little in order to converse properly without giggling or getting too excited.

“I really wanted you to have a nice birthday, especially with how tragic last year was…” you trailed off at the end with a slightly embarrassed and traumatized look, causing Bada to burst out laughing before squeezing your hand.

“It wasn’t even that bad-” “Bada it was atrocious, don’t lie- there was cake batter all over the kitchen for two days after.” causing both of you to continue giggling away while admiring each other’s beautiful smiles and laughs.

The rest of the dinner was filled with natural conversation and flirting between the couple, you two kicking each other playfully under the table at times and leaning in from across the booth to share little whispered moments. As you begin to wrap things up the waiters bring out a small cake per your request and Bada just rolls her eyes affectionately. After they all walk away, you are already whipping out your phone to take cute pictures before and after she blows out the candle.

“You know I'm not gonna eat this by myself” Bada grinned and raised an eyebrow looking at you from across the table. You laughed and shook your head before speaking

“It’s not even that big- plus it’s not my birthday.” you teased with a smile causing your girlfriend to roll her eyes again.

“Just help me eat the damn cake” and the two of you giggled as you helped her finish off the small dessert. While you had taken plenty of birthday pictures of Bada, she had also gotten her fair share of photos of you as well.

When the bill is placed on the table, you immediately reach for it, but Bada is quicker and manages to snatch it before you. You gasp at her mischievous smile, her quickness leaving you genuinely in shock.

“Bada!” she laughs at your slack jaw and wide eyes as she takes out a pen and places her card inside for them to run the check.

“PLEASE- just let me pay for dinner once-” you begin to whine, already expecting this, but not thinking about how persevering Bada was when it came to making sure you were taken care of. That included driving you around, making sure you were fed and all your meals were paid for. And even though you whine and complain about how you’re not a baby, Bada always wins with the argument that you’re her baby.

“Y/n, I already said it was fine-” she chuckled but wasn’t able to finish her statement

“IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY” The girl across from you leans over to shush you as you begin to frantically raise your voice. She’s chuckling again at your chaotic and almost immature personality.

“If you don’t let me pay I’m going to be actually upset with you.” This time you spoke with a completely serious tone, eyes dead set on a prize, sending Bada into a fit of laughter (and in turn causing you to drop the serious face and smile as well).

“Okay, okay- fine, you can pay this time.” she pushed the bill over to your side of the table still softly laughing, as you huffed and turned up your nose, pretending to be pretentious and uppity as you signed the check and placed your own card inside, once again leaving your partner in a fit of girlish giggles.

After everything is paid for, you two make your way back out to the car, where Bada opens your door for you and you dramatically roll your eyes at her, sending an empty glare her way, which causes her to roll her own eyes and shove you lightly to get in the car. The drive back was full of laughter and giggles, the two of you all giddy and smiley, as Bada drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh.

Once you arrive home safely Bada is parking the car and after you’re both swiftly opening your doors and heading inside your home hand in hand. You set down your things, place your keys on the counter, and head towards the kitchen. You open the freezer and bring out the chilled cobalt blue bottle decorated with frosted accents and topped with shiny gold foil, catching Bada’s attention by popping it open, mildly shocked at the loud noise it made, causing you both to giggle girlishly. Your girlfriend had come to wrap her arms around you from behind as you poured the bubbly drink into two crystal flutes. She was resting her chin on your shoulder as you had finished putting the cap back on the bottle and slowly turned yourself around, still in her loose hold, to hand her the drink. Bada took the glass from you with a gentle smile and kissed your forehead as a thank you. The two of you made your way over to the sofa in your living room, which was right across from your kitchen, and cuddled up in the middle of it. You drank and conversed until your glasses were empty, then you got up to grab the bottle and just bring it into the living room, setting it on the coffee table in front of where you two were seated. The two of you drink most of the bottle, only leaving enough for about three glasses at most. Both were feeling pretty tipsy and that meant it was only a matter of time before you two became clingy and whiny- and since it was both of you and not just one who was intoxicated, that meant the touchiness would be doubled.

You were sitting in Bada’s lap now as her arms wrapped loosely around your waist. Her head was resting on your shoulder, and yours rested atop hers. You both sat snuggled into each other, the taller girl playing with your fingers as she listened to whatever you were talking about. Suddenly you gasped and stood up as if you remembered something, turning around to make eye contact with a very confused and puppy-like girlfriend.

“Let’s go to bed!” you said with a very determined look, causing Bada to become even more confused. You reached out your hand excitedly and she sleepily took it allowing you to pull her up and lead her upstairs. Once you reached your shared bedroom, you turned around and gently grabbed the tall girl by her face, bringing her down to meet your lips. The kiss surprised her a little due to her hazy state, but she started to giggle against your lips as she placed her hands on your waist, softly caressing your sides. The kiss continued that way for a few minutes- soft and simple, full of love- until you backed away and turned around, facing away from Bada, once again leaving her confused.

“Can you help me with the zipper, lovey?” you ask pulling your hair over your shoulder while looking back, soft yet flirty eyes with a hint of mischief. She unzips your dress to reveal the lack of a bra, which she had already assumed due to the low back, but also the top of a lacey pair of dark blue panties. Bada inhaled sharply, grazing her fingertips down your spine and stopping at the hem of your panties. She pulled them ever so slightly, dipping her index and middle finger just barely below the waistband, getting a feel for the fabric.

“Lovey?” Bada looked back up at your questioning eyes and hummed not realizing she had missed whatever you had just spoken to her.

“I asked if you liked them” You smiled and giggled, slightly more aware of what was going on compared to your already lust-drunk girlfriend. She nodded and smiled replying a quick ‘yeah’ before grabbing you by the nape of your neck and pulling you back in for a more passionate kiss. She brushed her other hand up your arm and pulled at the strap of your dress, grazing down your neck softly to slip off the other one as well, before letting the top fall, revealing your bar upper half. She brought her hand back up to cradle your jaw while the other caressed up and down your side, sometimes coming high enough to reach just under your breast, sending chills through your entire body.

The two of you continued to make out passionately, your hands pulling at the hem of Bada’s dress as well as pushing the collar aside, hoping she’ll get the hint sooner rather than later that you want her clothes off as well. You begin to whine against her lips when she still doesn’t make a move to remove the dress, which causes her to finally break the kiss for a moment and look down at you with a slight smirk. she takes your hand that was still resting against her collar and kisses your knuckles while staring into your eyes, then opens the same hand bringing it down to rest on her chest, leaving your palm against her breast. She then adjusts to place her hand atop of yours, squeezing gently causing her to sigh out in pleasure.

You had been intensely watching her every move with a slightly open mouth, in awe of her beauty. Once the soft sound had left her lips, it set off an alarm and had you jumping to action again. You leaned forward, kissing her neck and sucking your way up to her jaw, a small hand now actively squeezing and caressing her chest while the other slid up her back to pull down the zipper of her dress. Bada immediately let out a moan at the sudden attack and threw her head back. Her hands were back on you, working to pull the rest of your dress off from your lower half, but quickly realized it would be easier to just pull it over your head.

You separated from the kiss briefly as the rest of your outside clothes came off, leaving you both in just your panties. As you resumed the heated kiss, her hands clutched your waist sliding to your lower back before pulling you flush against her. You wrapped your arms around her neck, and the two of you stumbled backward to end up tangled together on your bed.

Your head is resting against the soft plush pillows while Bada leans over you, holding her upper half up with a hand that was placed next to your head, while her other hand softly caresses your side, once again sending shivers down your spine. Your arms were thrown around her shoulders, one hand on the back of her neck and the other tangled in her hair, as you somehow managed to make the kiss even deeper. It was starting to get messy as you were both sucking on each other’s tongues and taking turns biting at the other’s lips.

Bada began to work her kisses down your neck, stopping at the skin just below your ear to suck and bite, blowing softly on the wet patches after a few minutes of torture, then repeating the process all the way down to your collarbones- not stopping until she was sure dark marks would stain your skin. Once she reached the top of your chest, the tall girl paused for a moment to stare at you admiring how your nipples had hardened and the way your skin prickled.

Bada leaned back down to wrap her soft lips around your perked nipple, suckling enthusiastically, causing an immediate onset of moans to start slipping out of you. She softly caressed your other breast, alternating between squeezing gently and playing with the hardened nub, flicking and pinching. She eventually switched to bring her mouth to the other side, letting her hands trade off as she began rubbing your bud with her thumb.

You moaned Bada’s name and threw your head to the side, arching up to meet her lips. She began shifting her kisses again, continuing down the path toward where you needed her most. Her lips met with the lacy band of your panties, and she pulled them down ever so slightly to kiss and suck again at your hip bones, nipping occasionally to get more of a reaction. Bada slipped her finger underneath the sides of the fabric, glancing up to meet your eyes with a seductive look asking if it was okay to continue. You nodded your head frantically and your girlfriend just huffed out a laugh against your skin, always finding your impatience endearing.

Bada swiftly began tugging the dark blue fabric down, as you lifted your hips off the bed slightly to make it easier. Once your panties were completely off, your girlfriends began pressing wet kisses to your inner thighs and lower stomach, right above the area that was awaiting her attention. She spread your legs wide to give her even more room and was met with your glistening folds. She originally wanted to take things slow and enjoy her present, but any restraint was thrown to the wind at that moment as she wrapped her arms under your thighs, pulling you directly against her face as she licked a deep stripe up your pussy, slurping your juices once she reached your clit. Your hands immediately flew to the back of her head, threading your finger through her hair as you let out a wanton moan.

Bada had your legs over her shoulders as she held you in place against her. She continued to work her tongue in and out of your hole, drinking up your essence. Your girlfriend had always been particularly enthusiastic when it came to eating you out, loving the feeling of being surrounded by your thighs and smell, getting drunk off how you taste, hearing how beautiful you sound as your whines and other noises of pleasure increase in volume- and what made it all even more special to Bada, was the fact that she was the only person that had the pleasure of getting you like this.

You bucked your hips up against Bada’s face and she instantly reacted by pressing them back down against the bed. Your whines increased in volume and you began tugging harder at her hair, all signs of you being close. Bada sped up the actions of her tongue and right as you were about to climax she stopped.

You cried out her name and whined at the lack of resolve. The tall girl peeked up and smirked, eyes glittering with mischief. The sight you were met with only made you wetter, seeing her lips and chin glistening with your juices, making you even more impatient.

“Baby, pleeeease… you can’t do this to me” you whined and tugged on Bada’s hair, pulling her back so she was face to face with you again. She chuckled at your pouting face, loving how watery your eyes had gotten and how flushed your face was. She stroked your sides as she leaned down to kiss you again, leaving you moaning into her mouth after tasting yourself. It felt hot and messy as your girlfriend began to grind herself against your bare core.

Bada brushed down your thigh, bringing her hand across it to the inside, closer to where to were anticipating her touch. She ran two fingers through your wet folds and you both moaned into the kiss. You could feel the tips of her fingers beginning to enter you and even though you’d done this with her many times before the stretch still felt like the first time. Her fingers were slender, but long, so by the time Bada had finished slowly pushing them inside your dripping cunt, you were already feeling your orgasm approaching. She scissored her fingers for a moment, leaving you slack-jawed, never getting used to how overwhelming the feeling was due to the length of her fingers.

“God, you’re so tight…” Bada murmured against your neck as she continued fingering you, once again placing wet kisses and hickeys all over your upper half. She once again made her way down your chest and stomach and began licking at your clit again. You threw your head back and cried out her name, pulling at her hair and arching your back in pure lust.

Your girlfriend switched from scissoring to pumping her fingers in and out, hitting your g-spot every time. Tears were streaming down your face as you tried your best to hold out for her. Bada began curling her long slender fingers inside you, brushing against the spongey part, making the knot in your stomach tighten. Then when she circled her tongue around your bud before rapidly flicking it, you felt yourself snap without warning.

Bada sped up her fingers and sucked harshly on your clit as you screamed her name, arching your back and gripping her hair. Another one of your girlfriend's favorite things about eating you out is how she feels like she’s suffocating in your cunt when you cum, since you always lock her place with your thighs squeezing around her head. She also can’t help but grind harder against the mattress at the feeling of you harshly tugging her hair, always having a thing for the little bits of pain.

As you came down from your high, your grip loosened slightly and Bada pried your legs wide open again, backing up just enough to get a good view of her favorite part.

“Fuuuuuuck” Bada watched closely as your pearly essence flowed out of your spasming hole. Before your cum could fully spill out of you and onto the bed sheets, Bada was swooping back in to lick another stripe up your pussy and push it all back into your hole with her tongue. You moaned and whined at the overstimulation, only increasing in volume and intensity as she continued to slurp up your juices, making sure to “clean you up” by not leaving a single drop of cum unswallowed.

“This is the best birthday present ever, baby…” she mumbled in a pussy-drunk daze, pressing gentle kisses to your clit and puffy folds, loving how sensitive you are and how softly you whimper at the slightest touches. You managed to pull her back up to you again, receiving another messy kiss, but loving it even more than the first time. You were both sleepily making out, until you pushed your girlfriend over to lay on her back, and straddled her hips before leaning down.

“Your turn…” you whispered in her ear, still breathing a little heavily. She caressed your sides and brought one of her hands up to squeeze your chest, bringing a pleasured sigh out of you.

“Can I take my turn in the shower… because I know for sure we won’t be cleaning up if we don’t do it now.” you giggled at Bada’s request, knowing all too well how true it was.

“Of course, my love” so you placed a soft but passionate kiss on her lips before getting off her lap and grabbing her hand, as the two of you stumbled to the bathroom, unable to keep your hands off each other. you finished off your night by helping each other wash off, Bada making sure to be extra gentle around your more sensitive areas (and you making sure to get her feeling just as sensitive by the end of the shower). You both dried off, not even bothering to put any clothes back on as you got under the covers.

The midnight blue sky was decorated with stars and the moonlight shined beautifully through your window as you traced shapes on Bada’s bare skin.

“I can’t believe you just ate me out in the shower” your girlfriend giggled girlishly and hid her face in your hair, inhaling the sweet berry scent of your shampoo.

“I can’t believe I haven’t done it sooner” you whispered teasingly, causing her to laugh fully and smack your chest, causing you to chuckle as well. Once you two calm down from your short fit of giggles, Bada leans back ever so slightly before kissing you lovingly.

“Thank you for everything, princess… this was an amazing birthday,” she mumbled sweetly against your lips. You felt a small smile take over before you pressed your lips to hers again briefly.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it… I’d do anything for you my love.” your lips met her soft ones one last time before the of you dozed off, cuddled securely into each other’s loving embrace.

permanent taglist: @uwulyn @luvjanexx @randomhoex

#bada lee #street woman fighter 2 #bada lee x reader #bada x reader #street woman fighter x reader #bada lee smut

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hughes86-43 · 11 days

Text

An Hour and Half | L.Hughes

summary - what happens when your flight seat mate happens to be a super cute guy and you only have an hour and half to talk to him

warnings/note- none; i have no clue how long a plane ride is from new jersey to detroit is sooo im guessing

Masterlist

“Hi, excuse me, my seat is by the window, if you don’t care to let me through?” You ask the young guy sitting in the middle seat in your row. He was wearing a ‘drew’ hoodie with black sweatpants.

Looking up at you from his phone, he immediately gets out of his seat. “Oh gosh, sorry! Of course, go ahead.” You give him a small smile and squeeze through to get to your seat. You loved taking the window seat, however you hated the awkwardness of getting through the row.

“Thank you,” You wince. “Oh, wait! Before you sit down, I hate to ask, but can you grab my water bottle out of the black and white carry on up above? I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about it!” The guy nods and opens the compartment and finds the water bottle.

“It’s no problem, really. Is there anything else you need?” He asks as he hands the bottle over to you.

You shake your head. “No, I think I’m all set.” The guy nods once again and sits back down in his seat.

You go back to getting comfortable in your seat and reply back to your mom telling her that you made it on to the plane. While the flight attendants go over the safety precautions, you can’t help but to side eye the cute guy sitting next to you. He had roughly curled hair and some small stubble on his face. He looked a bit tired.

He must’ve noticed you side eyeing him because he removes his earbud and asks, “Did you need out? Sorry, I can’t hear anything with these,” he points to his earbud.

Immediately blushing, because there’s no way that he totally didn’t see you checking him out, you reply, “Oh, no! I’m all good! Also, doesn’t seem like anybody else is in the row so that’s good!”

The guy smiles at your nervousness. “Yeah, it makes the plane ride ten times better when nobody is at the end of the row. Although for you, you would have to ask me to move but still, one person is better than two to get through,” the guy laughs out.

“Honestly though. Last plane ride I was on, none of the people sitting in my row would move, so I had to awkwardly try to go over them. Gosh, it was so embarrassing but why not just move out of the way!” The guy laughs at that, putting his earbuds back into his case.

“Well, if you need me to move, just ask and I will. Since we’re here for a bit, guess I’ll introduce myself, my name is Luke.” He sticks his hand out for you to shake and introduce yourself. You’re not one to talk much to the person sitting next to you on the plane, but something about him honestly has you intrigued.

Shaking his hand, you say, “My name is Y/N, nice to meet you.”

“Y/N, lovely name. So are you heading to Michigan as a trip or do you have family there?” He asks as he returns his hand back to his lap.

You lean against the window. “I actually have some family there, and it’s my grandmother’s 90th birthday so I’m heading back to that. I’ll stay for a bit. What about you? What has you going to Michigan?” You raise your eyebrow waiting on his answer.

“Wow, 90 years old, go her,” he smiles, “Well, long story is my team just finished for the season and I’m heading home to be with the family and spend time with friends that I need to catch up with.”

You nod. “If that’s the long story, what would the short story be?”

He laughs and tries to think, “Um, the short story would probably be going home, but the long story was better.” You laugh as you fiddle with the water bottle in your hand.

You go back to asking about his team he mentioned. “So your team? What sport do you play?”

He looks at you weirdly for a second before giving a toothy grin. “Do you live in New Jersey?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Have you heard of the New Jersey Devils?” Luke asks.

You think back to a sign you saw. “Honestly, I saw a billboard about them, and I think my co-worker is obsessed with them, but mostly no.”

He lets out another laugh, and you raise your eyebrow. “You live in New Jersey, and you barely know about the New Jersey Devils? Do you know or watch anything about hockey?”

“I mean, I seen that one movie. Gosh, what is it? Is it like called ‘sensation’ or something?” You try to think. “Oh gosh, no! It wasn’t called ‘sensation’ it was called—”

He cuts you off, “Miracle.”

You scream out, “Yes!” Then wince as you realize that was a bit loud. Lowering your voice, you continue, “Yes, the hockey movie called Miracle. My dad made me watch all the time, but that’s all I know about hockey really.” You shrug.

If Luke didn’t know better, he already knows that he wants to get to know you better. “Miracle’s a good movie. Anyway, back to my team, I actually play for the New Jersey Devils.”

You shake your head, not believing him. “No way, prove it!”

Luke grabs his phone out of his pocket and shows you a recent game day photo of him in his jersey. “See, jersey, skates, and everything. I play on the defense side.”

You take a minute, probably too long, to look at the photo. Gosh, he did look in his jersey, and his hair was a bit longer in that photo. “Okay, I believe you. So, do you like it? Sorry, if that’s a bit too much to ask, I’m just a curious person.”

“No, it’s okay. Honestly, I love it. Some days and games are a bit tougher than others, but I still love it no matter what. I actually play with one of my older brothers on the team,” Luke says, a bit proud of playing with his brother.

“That’s awesome, I couldn’t imagine playing with my brother on a team, so that’s really awesome,” you say.

“Yeah, it really is,” he beams, “Anyway, the season just ended for us last week due to getting eliminated from the playoffs.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That must suck!”

“Yeah, but we have a chance to look over the season and come back better next season. Like yeah it sucks, but I also get to go home early. It’s a win lose situation,” he shrugs.

“Still, I see how it would suck, but if you didn’t get eliminated, you wouldn’t be on this plane talking to me right now,” you smile.

“Ha, I guess you’re right,” he guides a hand through his curls. “Enough about my job, what do you do back in New Jersey?”

You wince at the mention of talking about what you do for work. Your job recently wasn’t doing it for you. You had been working at an advertising agency for a while now, but after awhile, you decided it was not for you. You wanted a new job, but you also haven’t been looking. “Eh, I work at an advertising agency. Overall, it pays the bills, but it’s not my favorite.”

Luke replies, “Did you go to school for advertising or something related?”

You shake your head, “No, I actually went for public relations, but somehow I got this job in advertising. One of my friends put in a good word for me, but I have slowly started to dread going to work.”

Luke nods, “I’m sorry that you don’t like your job.”

You shrug, looking passed him to the couple across the aisle. “Honestly, I should really get a new job if I hate it so much, but the idea of going through the process of applying and interviewing is so nerve wracking for me.”

Luke listens to see if you’re going to add anymore before talking. Truthfully, you’ve never seen a guy take the time to listen so well about your problems, let alone a stranger you just met. He speaks up again, “Although that would be nerve wracking, it would mean that you get a chance to get a new job. I say go for it, especially since you’re not loving the job you already have. You should have a job that you love to do, not a job that just pays the bills.” Honestly, Luke has no idea where all these encouraging words are coming from, but he was just letting them spill out in the chance it would help you.

“You’re right, I totally should. You’ve changed my perspective, I guess when I head back to New Jersey I’ll look at job openings related to what I want to do,” you say, smiling up at him.

You and Luke continue to talk for the next hour on the plane. Talking about various adventures you’ll both get into when you’re back in Michigan, he talks about his brothers and how they both play in the NHL, and you talk about your grandparents and how they are you’re world. Time has a sense of flying by when you’re enjoying time with someone, and surprisingly you’re enjoying and loving the time talking to Luke. Even though you both just met, you two could talk forever. You really didn’t want to get off the plane as that would mean you wouldn’t be able to talk to him much more.

An hour or so later, the moment you had been dreading since talking to him has come, time to depart the plane. You’re walking down the hallway leading out of the plane when Luke speaks up next to you. “I know it’s crazy that we just met, but honestly you’re the easiest person to talk to that I have ever met. Hopefully that made sense?”

You nod, looking into his eyes, trying to savor the last look at him. “It made sense. I think the same goes for me. You listened to what I had to say, which is surprising because most people stop listening to me after awhile,” you blush at his intense stare, actually noticing how tall he was when you stood next to him.

You both make it through the exit. Luke turns to you again and tries to say, “Since we’re both gonna be here in Michigan for a bit, we should—” but he gets cut off by someone yelling. “LUKE!”

You both turn to where the sudden yelling was from. He mumbles, a hint of red touching his cheeks, “my brother, Quinn.” You nod, moving to the side so he can hug his brother.

Quinn must notice you, because he says to Luke, “Oh, sorry for interrupting, go ahead.” He pushed Luke to go back talking to you, but when he does, he notices that you have walked off to meet with, what he assumes is, your grandparents.

He smiles as he watches you hug and kiss them both. He watches as you hold a finger, signaling them to hold on for a second, and you walk back over to him. “I’m sorry, I gotta head on out, it was so lovely to meet you and talk to you, Luke.”

He smiles, “It was great to meet you, too, Y/N. As I was trying to say before, since we’re both in Michigan for a bit, how about we try and hang out?”

You try to stay cool, but you still let out a massive grin. “Yes, absolutely! I would love to!”

“Great! Reach out to me!” He moves closer to you, before he chickens out, he pulls you into a hug. You instantly hug him back, thinking it was crazy how you just met him and now don’t want him to go. “Bye, see you soon,” he says, pulling away and walking towards his brother.

You stand there a bit in shock before yelling across to him, “Wait, but I don’t have your number!”

Luke turns around, he gives you a grin, “Check your bag! I might’ve put it in there while I was getting it down!” You blush, giving him a thumbs up before heading over to your grandparents with the biggest grin on your face.

Later on, you finally get to unpacking your bag. Upon unzipping it, a piece of paper falls out. He must’ve written it when you went to the bathroom. Written on it, it says…

“It was great meeting you, and you’re the best person ever to talk to. If you ever need someone to listen, call me… xxxxxxxx”

Needless to say, you did call him, and he listened to you all night long. Both of you were in over your heads with each other.

#luke hughes #luke hughes blurb #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes imagine #luke hughes imagines #hockey imagines #hockey fics #nhlhockey fic #nhl imagines

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forever-rogue · 1 year

Note

Hi! I’m the anon that asked if you’re taking requests for Joel and aaaah I’m so happy you still are! <3 could you pretty please write something where the reader surprises Joel by baking him a little cake or something for his birthday? And he’s so shocked not only by the sweet gesture, but because he knows it was probably a huge hassle to try to gather all the ingredients needed for that in the QZ. So, he pulls her in for a big kiss and is like “you did this for me???” And if you’re comfortable, maybe you could include some smut so Joel can show his appreciation 😌 thank you so much! xx 🥰❤️

AN | Omg, please, this is so sweet!❤️

Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.4k

Masterlist | Joel, Main

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re up to something.”

“Shit, fuck, damn it Joel!” you shrieked as he walked into the bedroom and found you on the floor, crouched near the bed. You’d smacked your head on the edge of the nightstand when you’d startled at his sudden intrusion. You hissed as you rubbed at the already sore spot and landed on your butt as you glared at him.

“Baby,” he did his best, although it was still a vain attempt, to hide the bemused expression on his face. He kneeled down next to you, and replaced your hand with his own, making sure there was no visible injury, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you huffed, glaring at him without any bit of malice, “maybe you could announce yourself and not sneak up on me!”

“I wouldn’t have to sneak up if you weren’t being so secretive and clearly hiding something from me,” he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow as you seemed to deflate slightly. He chuckled warmly before reaching over and touching your cheek, brushing his thumb over the apple of your cheek, “what are you up to, huh?”

“I’m not up to something,” you insisted….you lied rather. You were absolutely lying to him, but it was for a good reason. You were planning a surprise for his birthday and for once you wanted it to be an actual surprise. So yeah, you were being a little secretive and sneaking around, but it was all in the name of love…and birthdays. He’d see soon enough, and you hoped it would be worth it all, “maybe you’re just getting old and seeing things.”

“Wow,” he sat back on his haunches as you offered him a sweet little smile. Joel was older than you and you enjoyed teasing him about - affectionately of course. Everything and anything related to Joel filled you with affection and fondness, “you’re really hitting all the sore spots today.”

“Ha ha,” you rolled your eyes, absentmindedly touching the bump on your head, “you’re hilarious, Miller.”

“Old and hilarious,” he grinned, and you were glad to be sitting because that smile always made you weak in the knees. He had the prettiest smile and it lit up his whole face; you loved making it come out as much as possible, “and you are tenacious and sneaky.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re going to get out of me,” you refused to look at him as you stood up and stretched, making sure the blanket was hanging down to cover the underside of the bed. You held out your hand to him, helping to gently hoist him to his foot. Not that he needed help, but you liked the idea that he too needed your help at times, “considering there’s nothing going on.”

“I’m not stupid,” he reminded you, hands on his hips as he looked at you, “and I know you’re up to something.”

“Joel-”

“I’ll tell you what,” he insisted softly, “I’ll drop it if you make it worth my while.”

“Bribery,” you mused softly, “that’s what we’re resorting to these days. How very interesting. But, I’ll indulge - what’s your price?”

“My price,” he took a step closer, “is at least one kiss.”

“One kiss,” you raised an eyebrow and he nodded, clearly looking pleased with himself, “seems like a low cost. Cutting yourself short?”

“I said at least one,” he settled his hands on your hips and pulled you flush against his body, “now what do you say?”

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Miller.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“I think I’ve got everything now,” your face felt like it was going to break in half from how hard you were smiling. You took the chocolate and tucked it into your bag, keeping it safe and secret until you were ready to use it.

“Holy shit,” Stacy nudged your side gently with her elbow, “I can’t even remember the last time I had a fresh baked…anything.”

“I know,” you sighed softly, “I’ll save you some o-or make a whole other cake. I hope he’ll like it.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” the serious look on her face made you laugh softly, “what person wouldn’t love a freshly baked cake? Hell, at this point even people that don’t like cake or chocolate would be dying to get a piece.”

“Well I guess if it all works out, I’ll open a smuggler’s bakery and keep everyone nice and happy,” you knew that it was unrealistic but sometimes it was nice to keep these sorts of dreams alive. Stacy pressed a kiss to your cheek, happy to hear the joy in your voice.

“You really love him, huh?” she asked as though it wasn’t the most obvious thing in the world. Your face grew warm as you focused your gaze on your feet. You bit the inside of your cheek before turning back to look at her and nodded slowly, “it’s almost disgusting how sappy the two of you are with each other.”

“I doubt we’re that sappy with each other,” you insisted; you lived in the belief that most people saw you as nothing but a lovesick puppy following Joel around, “it’s probably more like me being a pathetic fool for him.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” she insisted firmly, “that man looks at you like you’re the most precious thing in this entire fucked up world.”

“Stace-”

“Don’t argue with me,” her voice was firm but fond, “I would never tell a lie and I’ll absolutely never lie to you.”

You held up your hands in mock surrender before shaking your head in amusement. Before either of you could say anything else, a shadow loomed over you and cut through the sunlight.

You looked up and found Joel standing there with an amused expression on his face. You held up your hand and gave him a meek little wave and a little smile, “hey Joel.”

“Hey baby,” he held out his hand to you, an invitation you always accepted with glee. He pulled you up and into his arms for a warm hug, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head, “she’s right you know. Don’t argue with her.”

“At least one of you has some sense,” Stacy high fived Joel before taking a few steps back from both you, “would you look at the time! I’ve ugh...gotta go!”

She turned around and took off and you watched her go, shaking your head, “she’s not very subtle, is she?”

“Just about as subtle as you are with whatever you’re hiding,” he’d been trying for almost two weeks now to figure out what your little plan was. You weren’t going to give in - not until the actual day was here. You wanted this to be a real surprise for once. You put your hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.

“Let it go,” you sing-sang at him, “I don’t know why you’re so insistent on this. Don’t you think if there was something going you’d have found out by now?”

“Not necessarily,” he shrugged, running a hand through his dark locks, “you could be in for the long con.”

“Joel,” you moved past him and looked to see if he was going to follow, “let it go. ‘sides you promised that you’d drop it in exchange for a kiss. If I recall correctly, I gave you plenty of those.”

“There’s always room for more of those,” he easily caught up with you and draped his arm around your shoulders, “if you’re willing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you shrugged him, “hurry up and maybe you can have some more.”

“Yes ma’am.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You’d turned on the record player, a gift that Joel had managed to get for you a while back. You loved it a terrible amount; it was something you’d mentioned in passing a few times and he’d made sure to get for you. Now you listened to it whenever you got the chance.

The small apartment, that you’d tried so hard to make feel like a real home, was pristine and smelled like fresh chocolate cake. You were currently perched in front of the oven, looking in every few moments to make sure it wouldn’t burn. You wanted everything to perfect - as perfect as it could all get these days.

It was Joel’s birthday today. It was not the first one you’d spent together, but it was the one in which you were aware that it was his birthday. He’d never told you when it was before, but you’d managed to coax it out of him. It had taken a lot for him to put his guard down around you, but did it over time, slowly and with tons of love. Just like he’d done for you.

But since today was the first real birthday you were celebrating, you wanted to make it a memorable and special day. At one point he’d mentioned that he used to love all things chocolate, including chocolate cake.

And it had been difficult to actually get everything for the cake, weeks of running around and finding the right people for the right things. So yes, Joel had been right on the money that something was going on. Little did he know that it was something just for him.

There were some fresh flowers on the table, ones that you’d grown yourself in one of the community gardens. They were among a few other things you’d set up to make it clear that you were actually celebrating his birthday. Some makeshift decorations livened the place up as well. Maybe it was silly, or cheesy, but you really wanted this day to be everything.

Once the cake was cooled and your frosting was made, you iced the cake, making sure the chocolatey goodness was spread all over the fluffy layers. It had been a long time since you’d baked - given that the opportunities were few and far between - but you were pretty impressed with yourself. It seemed like it would be delicious, and you had been able to make a second cake to share with your friends. It wasn’t much, but it was a treat that people would love.

Your heart started beating wildly when you heard his familiar footsteps in the hallway before he slowly opened the door. Despite the fact that you knew he was coming in, you still flinched when you heard his familiar sigh as he stepped inside.

The smell was the first sign that something was different, the second was the flustered look on your face as you held up your hands and waved them around accompanied with a small, “ta da!”

“What’s all this?” he asked softly, looking around the decorated space before settling his focus back onto you, “baby.”

“Happy birthday, Joel!” you beamed as you bounced over to him and wrapped your arms around him in a tight hug. He hugged you back just as tightly, burrowing his face in your neck, “surprise!”

“You remembered,” he whispered as you pulled back and kissed him softly as you nodded.

“Of course I did,” you grinned, “now that I finally got it out of you, I’m never going to forget! I also happened not to forget that you said that chocolate was your favorite type of cake. So…”

You moved to the side so he could get a proper look at the cake on the counter. His expression softened even further, as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, “you made cake.”

“I made cake,” you confirmed, tenderly touching the side of his face. He closed his eyes and preened into your touch before wrapping his fingers around your wrist, pressing a kiss to the palm of your hand, “hopefully it’ll be good. Preemptive apologies if it’s not.”

“I don’t even want to know how you managed to get all of these ingredients,” he should have known that you’d do something like this, “wait a minute…”

“Yeah, yeah,” you put a finger to his lips before he could even say anything else, “you were right this whole time. I have been up to something…and this just happens to be the thing I was up to.”

“I knew you were lying to me,” he chuckled fondly, “I always know when you’re up to something.”

“Well, I hope you’ll accept my sincere apologies and some cake,” you made a small sound of surprise as he wrapped an arm around your waist and hauled you onto the table. You made a small sound of content as he stepped between your legs, his large hands cradling your face, “and the flowers. I grew those myself, thank you very much.”

“And they’re beautiful,” he pressed his forehead to yours, “but still not nearly as beautiful as you.”

“Joel,” you put your hands on his shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze, “stop trying to be such a romantic when this day is about you!”

“The two things are not mutually exclusive,” he insisted as you snorted in amusement. He caught your eye for a moment, his big brown eyes soft studying yours intently, “I love you, you know.”

“Yeah,” your heart constricted at the affection he so easily gave to you. Joel was a hard man, and it took a long time for him to be so open and free with how he spoke to you and how he loved you. And you treasured each and every moment of it, “I know. I love you, Joel. Do you want some cake?”

“I want some dessert,” he agreed and you didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened as he looked you over. You felt the warmth spread through your body, felt that familiar tingle start in your core as you bit your lip. Joel was sure that sight would kill him one day, “and then I’ll have some cake too, I think.”

“Joel,” his name sounded more like breathy whisper, “are you sure you don’t just-”

“We’ll have it all,” he promised, “really. I…thank you for this. All of it. It’s more than anything I could have ever dreamed of. Really.”

“Nothing to thank me for,” you brushed your lips over his, “I wanted to do it. I loved doing it. I love you.”

“Baby, you’re goin’ to be the death of me,” he groaned softly.

“I certainly hope not,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, “bedroom, please. We’re not ruining the table.”

“As you wish,” he smiled before kissing you until you were thoroughly breathless and dizzied.

“Happy birthday, Joel.”

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller x fem!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller imagine #joel miller one shot #pedro pascal #tlou #tlou hbo

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gh0stsp1d3r · 11 months

Note

teenagers pt 7 idea since u asked but idk- maybe it's readers birthday and hobie wanted to do something special for her birthday?? :,,)

𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬... 𝐏𝐭 𝟏𝟎!!

This is for the anon who told me that it was their birthday today 😚

Hobie looked around the apartment, Miguel wasn’t too thrilled about the party, but he’d do it for you.

“Alright, she should be home any minute now. Gwen texted me and said she’s almost here.”

You were a bit confused when Gwen told you she wanted to go shopping with you, but you didn’t care and went anyways. You were now carrying multiple bags as Gwen tried to slow down as much as possible.

“Everyone in their positions.”

Miguel mumbled something under his breath about the hat Hobie made him wear.

Gwen opened the door as you put down the stuff. It was dark in the house, and you couldn’t see shit.

“Surprise!” Everyone came out at different times, clearly not planned very well as someone struggled to switch on the light.

“Turn on the light for f-“ the light turned on and there was a banner hung, Miguel’s arms folded as he rolled his eyes at Hobie. Hobie with a giant smile on his face.

“Wow- hello.. everyone.” You said, laughing.

“Happy birthday!” Jessica yelled, you smiled and laughed at her. And you went up to Hobie.

“You did all this for me?” You looked at the gifts and the balloons.

“Sure did. Your dad wasn’t too happy bout it but..”

You kissed him, and Miguel rolled his eyes again.

“Okay, stop doing that in front of everyone.” Miguel broke you both up. You hugged Miguel. His eyes widened, he looked at everyone and patted your back.

“Happy birthday, kid.” He handed you a personal present.

It was a necklace and to anyone else it might not mean much, but to you it was perfect.

A necklace you knew was once Gabriella’s. This was his way of calling you his daughter, of saying that he loved you.

You looked back at him.

“Miguel..”

“I thought it made sense, I can’t hold onto it forever. Sorry it’s not much-“

You hugged him again.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” You held the necklace in your hands, and put it on.

He smiled ever so slightly as you did so.

“Alright. Very sweet, now let’s get onto the other million presents.” Peter said, mayday strapped to him as always. You laughed and nodded.

Hobie smiled at Miguel. Miguel just looked at him.

“Didnt know he had it in him.” He told you.

“Neither did I.” You shrugged, and smiled at Hobie.

“I love you. I hope you know that.” He said with a smile.

“I know. I love you.” You kissed him on the cheek.

Tag list:

@enviinotes @rayis-psychotic @korizzybee @animechick555 @stupid-ninja @rreasonablydumbb @xxqueen-of-horrorrxx @spidypunkk @criodzasn

@techta @1eonk @chipstermation6 @whosace16 @I-pandamatic-l

@spider-phoenix @zebralover @my-melo-gf @wiz-te-ria @tzuyuzzs @luvsaluv @mxkn

@deputy-videogamer @666kpopfan @jared-oranges @likelilac @jjkclub

@kitty-kei @blaxk-widow @hoesindifferentshows @lavsluvsu @lampylamperson @artsykerfuffleplus @notbluees @sp0kyzz @arlipooh @alastorhazbin

#hobie brown x you #hobie brown #spider man across the spider verse #stop i love this like actually

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anemoelliacia · 6 months

Text

the five times diluc knew he loved you

warnings: female reader, mention of very minor injuries in one part, no warning really needed except for this being super sweet fluff <3 this turned out longer than i expected. I meant it to be a short drabble but-

▶ I recommend listening to the song This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory while reading this chapter. <3

The first instance was when you wanted to bake him a birthday cake. The moment that started it all. You don't have to cook, or bake, you're not that good at it anyways. You know it, and he knows it. Simply tell Adelinde what you want done and she'd do it. She even offered to help you bake, but you insisted on doing it yourself. Diluc came home to see you in his kitchen, flour all over your dress, and somehow even on your forehead. He watched you from the doorway, as you intently tried getting the icing on the lopsided cake in an even layer, a look on your face that said determination, with the tip of your tongue sticking out, eyes piercing with pure focus. He softly smiles, thinking to himself, "I think I love her."

Secondly, when you patched up his minor wounds after his dark knight hero activities. He had come back home to the winery, and you were in bed patiently waiting for him as you usually stay there on the weekends. He wearily took off his disguise, and you saw a few minor injuries on him– just a few scrapes and cuts. You looked at him concerned, and Diluc could practically feel the worry oozing off you. He insisted he was fine, but you insisted otherwise. You sternly made him sit down so you could clean up his injuries, despite your tone he knew you were not mad, you were just showing care for him– and despite your own discomfort with blood and injuries, you took your time with a gentle, loving hand to properly clean and bandage his wounds. He watched you, seeing the concentration on your worried face, thinking to himself, "I think I love this woman with all my heart."

Thirdly, when he found you picking grapes on a busy day at the winery. He had been stressed lately, the winery was far more busy than usual. He had his own work to attend to, plus now not enough hands on deck to pick the grapes– so he'd have to help with that on top of all his other duties. He had been venting to you about how busy it was, not that he wanted you to help with such hard labour, he just needed an outlet. Later that day, he found you outside in the vineyard without a word said to him about it, one of the staff teaching you how to properly harvest the grapes. He admired you from afar, looking with eyes full of affection as you decided to help around the winery despite not being a staff member. He thinks, "I truly love her."

Fourthly, when you were in bed together both minding your own. You were sitting beside him reading a thrilling book, and unbeknownst to you he was watching the little reactions on your face. He looked away from you momentarily, only to hear a barely audible gasp escape you. Diluc turned his head back in your direction, only to see a few tears trickling down your cheeks, the book having elicited an emotional response from you. He chuckled quietly, and reached over to the bedside table to grab a clean handkerchief, he handed it to you so you could wipe away your tears. He thought to himself once again, "wow, I really do love her..."

The fifth and final instance that made him realize you're the one was something simple, so domestic and mundane. It happened when you helped him put his hair up one morning when he was too tired to do it himself. You had spent the night, and he hadn't slept well, which was no one's fault, he just had too much on his mind. He could hardly shake the fatigue off, and the half-drank coffee in his hands hadn't kicked in yet. He was exhausted, but the day must still go on. He sat on the edge of the bed sipping his coffee, trying to wake up. You placed a chaste kiss on his forehead, before wordlessly climbing onto the bed behind him with a hair brush, a hair tie and a few hair pins. You carefully and meticulously brushed the tangles from his thick hair, and pulled it up into a high ponytail with a loving touch, gently pinning up a few stray hairs as well. In the back of his mind, there was an ever present thought that you're the one, as this moment tugged on his heart strings. So, "I love you," he finally said, now knowing it to be true.

▶ if you liked this, check out the other parts linked in my masterlist :) every genshin man i write for is getting their own part.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact smut #genshin impact drabble #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr x reader

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tetheredfeathers · 27 days

Text

A little something I wrote inspired by this line.

Never having been in love, this is going to be a real trick. I think of my parents, the way my father never failed to bring her gifts from the woods.

She always brought him something from the woods.

The first time she brought him a single dandelion.

It had been a long winter, and the sun had only begun to peek through the cold shadows. It had been a good hunt today, with 2 rabbits and a squirrel shot right through the eyes. Her short dark hair tickled her neck as she practically skipped back home.

That's when she saw it – the first spring flower, a lone dandelion lurking between the wet shadows. She scurried towards it and quickly plucked it, almost afraid it would run away if she wasn't fast enough.

"Peetaaa," her voice rang through the house as she peeled off her shoes and hung her father's hunting jacket on the hooks Peeta had installed for her.

"In here," Peeta called from the kitchen.

She found him all serious, wrinkle between his eyebrows as he kneaded some dough. She skirted towards him wanting kiss the lines between his eyes.

"Hi, bread boy," she whispered sweetly before kissing the frosting off his lips.

"Hi," he said in between kisses

"Mhm, vanilla." Katniss breathed licking his lips.

"Here, try this," he said, spreading a thick layer of icing on a cinnamon roll and handing it her.

"Mhmm, so good. Thank you baby," she said between huge mouthfuls.

"I got you something from town today," Peeta sang, reaching into his pockets.

"Show me, show me," Katniss almost begged.

"You know Thom's little sister, Darlene," she nodded. "Yeah, well, she was really happy with her birthday cake and wanted to give me something in return."

He pulled out a long strip of transparent lace.

Katniss' face broke into a huge smile. "A ribbon? What does she think you're 12 to go around wearing ribbons?" she teased.

"Be nice, Katniss, she's only five. I doubt she knows how to gift a grown man," Peeta said.

"You do know she has a crush on you, right?" Katniss said, grabbing another cinnamon roll, stuffing her mouth once again.

"Who doesn't?" Peeta sassed, swaying his hips.

"I don't," Katniss rolled her eyes.

"Oh really?" he eyed her mischievously before grabbing her arms, leaving all but an inch between their sugary lips. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

She shuddered involuntarily. Even after a year of being with him, just being near him made her weak in the knees. His warm hands slid down her arms before gently turning her around so that her back faced him. Slowly, he brought his hands up to her hair, bunching half her hair into a ponytail and tying the flimsy lace into a bow.

She turned around, beaming in his arms, peering into those blue eyes.

"Wow, birdie, look at yourself."

She blushed bright red before pulling out her dandelion from underneath the table.

"For you," she said shyly, holding it right under his face.

"Thank you, birdie," he said, delicately taking it from her hands as if it would slip from his grasp like water.

Her blush deepened. She loved it when he called her that. It reminded her of her father, that he was still a part of her, and just like him, she still sang wild and free. A bird that's what she was.

"You're my dandelion in the spring, you know that, right?" she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back, burying her mouth in long, warm kiss.

After that, she brought him something every day. Sometimes it would be tufts of dill or rye. Other times, she would bring him shiny stones that reminded her of the color of his eyes. Sometimes a feather or a leaf, but mostly she brought him flowers. She brought him wild onions because it reminded her of the day she broke her heart. She brought him daisies because they were as pure and white like his soul. She brought him sunflowers because he was her sun and followed him everywhere he went.

He kept a whole shelf dedicated to her gifts and pressed the flowers inside his notebook. It helped remind him that all was not lost on the more difficult days when she could not get out of bed or talk to him.

And on the night they conceived their first child, she whispered into his arms.

"I'm going to call her Dandelion."

#everlark #katniss everdeen #the hunger games #peeta mellark #katniss and peeta #thg #thg mockingjay #post mockingjay #canon compliant #fluff #peeta x katniss #katniss x peeta #the hunger games peeta #thg series #thg fanfiction #catching fire #hunger games fanfiction #the hunger games trilogy #the hunger games fanfiction

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thewritermj · 1 year

Text

Favors (2)

pre-outbreak!Joel Miller x fem! reader part 2 (part 1 here)

summary: where you repay Joel for his favors. warnings: MDNI smut, drinking, petnames, oral (f receiving), unprotected p in v (please, use protection), slight daddy kink, a hint of daddy issues, and I think that's all a/n: english is not my first language, so go easy on me. it's my first time writing smut that's why it took so long for me to post it, sorry. hope you enjoy, I didn't, but who knows.

It was Friday night and Joel’s house was full of teenagers girls screaming and laughing in the living room with a bunch of snacks in front of them. A pack of magazines, make up, pink pillows and 2000’s movies were placed all over the place. The girls had put on some make up with lots of glitter to take photos. And Joel was having a hard time finding peace in the middle of it all. It was like he was caught in the middle of a war zone where the weapons were made of rainbows and unicorn and everything sounded like those fairy noises from Disney movies.

But Sarah had the brightest smiled on her face and she was almost out of breath with laughter, all the girly stuff was worth it.

Tommy had taken off to let the girls have some privacy, and he was on his way too, Sarah was big enough to prevent the house from getting on fire –or so he hoped-, and he wasn’t going far anyway, just the neighbour’s for some beer.

He was about to say goodbye when the doorbell rang. He frowned and walked over to see who it was. As he opened the door, he was met with a pair of big eyes staring at him.

“Hi” you said. “I just came by to give Sarah her-“ but you were interrupted by the girls hands pushing you inside.

“I didn’t know you’d come! Come meet everyone!” She hurried.

You smiled and greeted her friends, trying to process what all the seven girls were saying at once. Trying to catch your breath you seated on the couch and stared at Sarah wile she rambled some old histories about the time you were her babysitter. But all you could do was scan the house and mentally try to list everything that had changed since your last visit.

Like the new armchair, the matching curtains, the new TV, some more photos and little pieces of decoration. The kitchen had changed also, it used to have a door and now it was no longer separated from the living room. You liked, you could see the backyard from where you were sitting.

“Anyways…What are you doing here, y/n?” She widened her eye and glanced over to her dad who was watching the scene from the kitchen counter. “Are you and my dad going out?”

“W-what? No…I am…I just came by to give you this, Little S.” you explained in a blush, the girls giggling in front of you “Happy birthday.”

You handed her the blue box from inside your purse. Sarah sat next to you and almost ripped it out to get her to her present.

“Wow…” She said lifting the golden chain with an S attached to it. “It’s beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” and then she buried herself in your arms in a warm hug, you giggled and hugged her back.

She showed the chain to her friends and you took this as an opportunity to slip out of the circle and came to meet Joel in the kitchen.

“Hey” you said with a smile “Seems like your handling them just fine”

“Yeah” he chuckled “Unless you want your old job back, I don’t mind letting those little glitter bombs under your watch.”

You laughed “Gonna charge you more than just ten dollars an hour then.” You both laughed.

“Thanks for being so attentive over Sarah.” He said in a more serious tone, “She really looks up to you.”

You glanced back to where the girls were chatting in whispers.

“She means a lot to me.” You said “And I really miss seeing her every weekend.” You added.

“ Like I said, fell free to have your old job back.” I miss having you around. He almost added.

You laughed.

“So…where’s Tommy? Did the girls scared him away?”

“No, actually, Sarah wanted the house just for herself and her friends tonight. So Tommy headed off already, I was just leaving too.”

Your smiled faded for a second.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’m holding you here, I have to go too, it’s getting pretty late”

“I can give you a ride, if you want”. He didn’t know why he said that, he wasn’t going to take the car out, but there was a strange need inside of him to just be useful to you, to being able to provide something, to take care of you.

You were about to answer him when a glimpse of the girls catch your eyes and you turned to see what they were doing. The bunch of girls were all cramped in the sofa, watching you and Joel closely with a big smile on their faces and giggling sounds.

Oh. My. God.

You knew exactly what they were doing. You used to do the same thing with your friends, it was what you called “Lover’s Spy”. Where you’d watch a couple chatting or kissing as if it was a real life romance movie. You did it to your parents, to your friend’s older brother and his girlfriend, and now, Sarah and her friends were doing it to Joel and you.

You must be so red, because you can actually feel the blood rising to your cheeks and you refused to look back at Joel.

“It’s fine…Uhm. I can walk.”

You gather your purse from the sofa and Sarah held you wrist.

“No. Dad can drive you! It’s dangerous at night” She said.

“It’s eight o’clock, Sarah.” You chuckled. “I’ll be fine”

You kissed her cheek and said goodbye to her friends, but before you could move another inch closer to the door, you heard Joel’s picking up his wallet and the car keys.

“Hold on, sweets, I’ll drive you. Was going to take the car anyway. Sarah,” he turned to her with both hands on his hips, a typically dad pose. “lock the door, don’t let anyone in or out. Watch for the pizza, the money is on the counter. If anything happens you call me or Tommy. I’ll be back whitin’ a few hours.” She nodded. “You guys have fun, good night”

“Good night, dad!”

“Good night, Mr. Miller!” The girls said all together.

You smiled and waved at them, following Joel outside his house.

He opened the front door for you to get in, entering the car soon after.

“So, your place?”

“Yeah. I was at my dad’s.” You said adjusting your seatbelt. “So, where are you going to do while the glitter bombs destroy your house?”

He laughed pulling out to the road.

“I was gonna meet Tommy and a friend for some beers. What about you? Nothing better to do on a Friday night then crash at a teenagers sleepover?”

You shake your head.

“Nope. I’ve been so tired I can’t even think about going our right now.”

Joel chuckled. “Wait to see how’s that on my age.” He let it slip, regretting it right after. In case you haven’t notice the age gap between the two of you.

The car went silent for a moment before you opened your mouth.

“You’re not that old” She said quietly. “Like, you’re not old enough to be my dad”.

What the fuck did you just said?! Why were you trying to justify the age gap and why, why the fuck did you have to use that example? You wanted to open the door and throw yourself on the road.

Joel hummed as he stopped at a red light. He was about to say something, but your phone started to ring –thanks, god-. But you cringed at the person that was calling you.

“Hey, dad” You said awkwardly and Joel turned to you with a weird expression. “Yeah, I’m going home right now.” He asked if you had called a taxi. “No. Joel’s driving me” “Who?” “Joel Miller…Sarah’s dad.” “Oh of course, say hi to him” “He said hi” you repeated and Joel smiled a little. “I’m gonna hang up, dad. Love you” “Love you too, honey”

“How’s your old man, doing?”

“He’s good.” You answered quickly, wanting to move on from the “father” topic.

The silence danced around the two of you in such a comic way. You were playing nervously with the hem of your black skirt, trying to remember if your apartment always were this far.

Joel kept his eyes on you through the mirror, trying to figure out why you seemed so nervous. He felt that weird sensation to your words and the awkward feeling it left in the car, put he wanted to put all that behind because sooner than he expected you’d be home and would say goodbye. And he wanted to cling to that warm feeling that spread across his chest every time you’d smile at him.

Joel took a moment to realize that you were cold. You were bracing yourself with the bare skin of your arms and your bare legs were shaking slightly.

“You want me to turn down the air?” He asked.

“No…Well, yes” You said shyly.

“No problem, sweets” He said turning it off for you.

Your top did nothing to cover you from the cold, and neither did your leather skirt. You could lie and say you picked it up for no exact reason, but the truth was that you picked that outfit for Joel. The white top crop accentuated your cleavage and gave him a pretty good view of your breast –not that he did look, always a gentleman- and the leather skirt was short, exposing more of the flesh of your thighs and made them look prettier. You felt hot in that outfit, and you knew you’d see Joel tonight. So, two plus two equals four.

“Okay, so you’re just gonna be all by yourself tonight?” Joel asked after a while.

“Yeah. Kinda used to it now” You watched as he parked in front of your place. “Unless…”

You didn’t finished it. Just tug off your seatbelt.

“What?”

“I was just wondering if you didn’t want to come in, but, Tommy and your friend are waiting for you. I just thought it would be nice having someone to talk to.” You paused, waiting for Joel to say something. “I enjoy talking to you.” You added.

“I enjoy talking to you too, pretty thing” He responded. “Guess I can stay for a while, they won’t mind.”

You cracked a smiled and both of you got out of the car, going upstairs to your apartment.

You opened the door for Joel for the second time that week and he took his shoes off going to seat in the couch while you turned on the dim lights.

“I don’t have beers but…I think I have a bottle of wine.” You said with a smirk.

Joel lifted his eyebrow in a suggestive way and nodded.

“Which one?”

“The cheapest one” You joked going to the kitchen.

You closed the door behind you to hid from him. You were about to drink wine with the most attractive man you’ve ever met. It felt like a dream, you had to shook yourself out of it to go look for the bottle and the glasses.

Before going out, you took a deep breath and tried to control all of your insecurities and thoughts.

You went back to the living room to find Joel sitting comfortably in you couth. Back relaxed against the cushions, left foot hanging loosely over the right knee and a soft smirk.

“Want me to open it?”

“Yeah” you admitted in a chuckle.

You handed him the bottle and the opener and in a blink of an eye, your glass was full with the red drink. You gave his glass a little toast before sipping yours and you settled by his side.

After a while and a few glasses, you were kinda tipsy and you head had a funny ache, but you didn’t mind as long as Joel kept talking.

“Consider this a ‘thank you’ for all your help, ‘round here.” You said smiling and Joel shook his head.

“No need to thank me, sweets.”

You both had talked for hours. About work, people, politics, everything. He was such an easy person to talk to, he could express himself just right, joking when he felt like it, using his hands to articulate his thoughts and the voice, that damn low voice he was using to talk to you, as if it was a secret no one could listen to. You were sure he was doing it on purpose, he had to be. There’s no way he didn’t know about the effect his voice had on you.

Or maybe, maybe, he was just as tipsy as you were. Joel was the one filling the glasses once they were empty and he was so careful to never leave it empty he might be getting a little bit drunk. Not with the wine, but with the way your eyes danced around his face and how you were paying full attention to what he was saying, the red in your cheeks he didn’t know if came from the drink or the hot temperature of the night. He could never grow tired of hearing your sweet voice talk about something he wouldn’t remember the next morning, but the sound of your voice was ethereal, it could drive him insane with just the thought of how you’d sound moaning for him.

“Oh…” You pouted. “The second bottle’s empty”

“Do you have another one?” He asked.

“Uhum, I’ll be back in a minute.” You said getting up.

Joel watched at the sight of your frame walking away from him, your hips swaying into the kitchen and he sighed.

You came back to find Joel in a different position. He had an arm resting along the arm of the sofa, almost inviting you into his side, closer. His legs were parted, showing off his thick thighs and he looked so godamn good like that, his lap looked so comfortable. The only place you’d like to sit.

And yet, you sat back in the couch, with both of your legs beneath you, so you were completely turned to Joel, his hand ghosting your shoulder as you shifted closer to his body.

“There we go” You said filling both glasses.

“Thanks, pretty thing”

You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips. Joe smirked wickedly.

“Do you like that?”

“Yeah”

He nodded and took a sip of his wine. You rested your head on his strong biceps and sighed.

“So, tell me. How come there was never a Mrs. Miller?” You asked. “There must be a lot of women waiting on that line”

“I guess, yeah, back in the day there could be but, after Sarah…Everything just seemed least important, you know?”

You smiled softly at his confession. Joel really was a hell of a good father, and you were sure he would never choose some lame ass women to be Sarah’s new mom or something, you just wish your dad would have had the same ideal after the divorce.

“That’s sweet.” You said softly, still resting against his arm.

“But what about you, uh? I bet there’s a lot of guys giving your old man a headache.” He smirked.

You bit your lip shaking your head.

“No, not really. I don’t think I ever found the right guy. Or a guy that could give me what I want, anyways. It seems I have this thing about always going for the idiots.” You said in a chuckled.

For a second, the memories of your ex boyfriend filled your mind and all you could think about was all the bad things he had done. The lies, the fights, the cheating, the break ups, the ‘I swear I’m gonna change’ promises, all of that.

“And what are you looking for, pretty thing?” Joel asked, brining you back from the dark memories.

“Someone to take care of me.”

You didn’t know if it was the wine, or the fact that you could feel like telling Joel everything, the urge to open yourself to him. You had no idea why you had been so sincere about it.

Joel let the hand on your shoulder fall to your waist, holding you a little closer and you felt the heat run across your chest and face, looking at him with a puzzled face and big eyes. His free hand rest the glass in the wooden table and came to run his thumb through your cheek in such a sweet way that had you melting at his touch.

“Joel…” You said breathless.

“Yes, pretty thing?”

“What are you doing?”

He smirked.

“I knew I was bad at flirting with you, but I didn’t know it was that bad.” He chuckled.

“You…What?!”

Him…What?

He was flirting with you?

Joel Miller was flirting with you?

Did he find you attractive? Pretty? Interesting?

Was this a dream? If it was, you’d prey you’d never wake up.

“I was flirting with you, y/n. Maybe I should’ve just being more open about it”

“But…I thought…” You were having a hard time focusing with his face so close to yours and…when did you get so close? “Fixing my things and going to the my shop once a week was you flirting?” You laughed a little.

He didn’t find it funny you calling out on his tactics, he just play along whit it.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“ Yeah, I guess it worked, pops”

“Pops? Thought I wasn’t old enough to be your dad.” He strengthen the grip in your waist.

You bate your eyelashes in an innocent way ant lifted a finger to run a vein upon his bicep.

“Dad? No. Daddy, in the other hand…” You said normally.

His jaw clenched and he readjusted himself on his seat.

“What did you just said, pretty girl?”

You giggled leaning into his ear to whisper “Daddy”.

“Fuck, baby, come closer.”

And the next thing you remember it’s Joel’s strong hands coming to pull you onto his lap, with your legs on each side of his sides, and you finally sited in the most comfortable place in your whole house.

“Hi.” You said giggling.

He shook his head with an amused grin and then his lips were crashing into yours with an insatiable hunger. Joel kissed like it was the end of the world, like anything else didn’t mattered, but your lips, his hands were everywhere. At you waist, pulling you closer, at your neck, hair, tights, every little inch he could reach. He licked slightly your bottom lip and immediately you opened yourself for him leaning in closer to run a hand along his broad shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer, pressing your chests together.

But eventually, both of you had to gasp for air. And you were sure Joel was about to say something, but as soon as his mouth left yours, you pulled him by his collar back to your grip.

You wanted more.

You let out a moan at the smirk he gave you. You wanted to feel every little movement of Joel’s tongue around yours, every breath he let into your face, every surface of your skin his hands would palm. Brining your own hands to his hair, you massage his scalp and tugged on his black locks, earning a low groan that didn’t nothing to help the slick that were gathering inside your panties.

“Why so desperate, baby? I’m right here.” Joel said when you broke the kiss.

He tugged some locks of your hair behind your ear and ran a finger across you cheek.

“So pretty” He hummed.

“Joel…” You mewled, “I need you.”

“I know, baby. I’m gonna take care of you, I promise.” He said in a smirk. “I need you too.”

And with that, Joel guided your hips so the rolled over his growing erection and you closed your eyes at the felling of his cock against you heat.

“I wanted you for so long, y/n.”

“You could had just asked, you know.” You said.

“I didn’t wanted to be a creepy old man.” He said in a chuckle.

You leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek and Joel’s heart flipped inside.

“You’re not, Joel. You’re the most respectful guy I’ve ever met. I put on a sexy top for you and you didn’t stare at my boobs for once in the entire night!”

He looked down to where your chest were moving up and down with your heavy breathing.

“I’m looking now.” He said lifting a hand to grope your right tit. “Nice tits, baby.”

You laughed and pressed a kiss to his lips again, as you rocked your hips against his, trying to find relief in the friction it brought to your core.

Before you cold register, Joel was carrying you around your house, your legs wrapped around his waist as his strong arms secured you to his body. He found the door to your room very quickly, swinging it open with a foot and closing it right behind the both of you.

He sat on your bed with you on his lap as he kissed his way along your jaw, founding that one spot under your ear that had you arching your back into him.

You felt like you were on fire. All your brain could think about was Joel, was how good he was making you feel even without landing a finger to your heat. He was burning you alive and you’d die a happy woman in his hold.

You whined at Joel’s hands coming under your top, leaving a hot trail on it’s awaken. He tugged the soft material and you nodded. Joel lifted the top above your head to find out that you weren’t using a bra.

“Fucking hell…” He whispered, lowering himself to press a wet kiss between your breasts. “You’re such a pretty little girl, baby.”

You moaned at the touch of Joel lips on you nipple. He smirked against your skin as he licked, sucked, bit, marked one of your tits, while his hand came to play with the other nipple, swiping it between his skilful fingers. You turned into a whimpering mess as his mouth abused your breasts and you tugged at his hair to prevent him from choking between the valley of your breasts when he buried his face in it.

“You’re wearing too much, daddy.” You complained.

He smiled devilish while looking up to you before taking of his shirt and throwing it somewhere in the bedroom floor. You smiled happy and pushed himself away from your skin to wonder around his torso, circling his abdomen with your nails and going to ran along his spine.

You bit your bottom lip and stared depply into his eyes in a silent request.

“Beg for it.”

“Please.” You said with a half smirk.

“You can do better than that, can’t you, baby? Come on, beg for daddy”

You left out a whimper at the sound of the name coming out of his mouth like that.

“Please, Joel, please. I need you so bad, need you inside me. Please, fuck me, Joel.” You said breathless.

He smirked and in one single motion, had you lying in your back for him, your legs swinging in the edge of the bed.

“Damn it, sweets, begs for it so easy.” He said slipping you skirt out of your body, leaving you in your pair of pink-laced panties. “Look at you” he cooed.

You felt your cheeks burn in embarrassment and a certain urge to hide suddenly tool over and you tried to close your legs, but Joel stopped you, holding your knees.

“Don’t hide away from me now, baby. Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asked concern in his voice and he let your knees go.

“Yes! It’s just what I wanted, Joel…I guess I felt a little shy”

“Shy? About what?” He leaned in to press a kiss to your lips, “You’re so goddamn pretty.” He said against your lips before cup your clothed pussy.

You whines and opened your leg for him once again, Joel smirk before lowering himself to level to the middle of your tights, staring at the wet patch that was showing in your –no ruined- panties. Joel pulled the last piece of cloth out of your body. You could deny and say you did not see him putting the pink pantie in his pant’s pocket, but you had to let go a giggle.

Joel moaned at the sigh of your wet cunt, he hummed and ran a finger in your slick.

“All that for me?” You nodded.

He smirked before licking a stripe of your slick and you let out a strangled moan.

“I know you’d be sweet, baby.” He said before diving in.

Joel’s hungry mouth devoured your pussy. He licked and sucked at your clit in a rough and skilled way, making your hips buckle against his face and your eyes to shut close.

You were a moaning mess, whining and calling his name over and over. Your hands were gripping the sheets with all the strength you had. Joel’s tongue was flickering into your folds, your wetness was pooling in his chin…and the roughness of his beard against your skin was driving you feral. Every muscle of your legs were screaming for you to close them, to keep Joel between then forever –and he might stay, if you let him.

You squirm when one of Joel’s fingers traced it way down your tights to your entrance. He looked up at you through lustful eyes before filling you in. You arched your back in the mattress, pushing yourself into his head and hand.

Joel groaned.

“Fuck, babe, you’re tight even for a finger…How do you plan on taking my cock, uh?” He said curling his finger inside you.

“Oh, Joel!” You almost screamed.

Joel chuckled and continued to fuck you with his finger, his tongue making perfect eights on your clit. The pressure in your stomach started to build, the familiar tickle inside your core.

Slowly, Joel added a second finger, laying still for a moment when you hissed, and then he stared to mimic a scissor inside your cunt, making you see stars. Of course, you had guys fingering you before, but none of them did it like Joel. He was touching you as if he had done that for ages, as if he already knew all your spots and as if your body was his own.

You were, right. Joel’s hands were as capable at sex as they were at work.

Joel Miller was fucking you open, Preparing you to take his cock. It was too good to be true, it had to be a dream.

With every move of his fingers, the pressure was amplified, his glorious mouth altering between sucking and licking at your clit.

You gasped for air and a strong grip landed in Joel’s hair as you came, trembling, shaking for him in a loud moan.

Joel moaned at the feeling, trying to catch everything you could give him, collecting your juice in his mouth. Big hands came to caress your shaking legs in a comforting way, Joel rested his head on your tight, waiting for you to come down your high.

“Kiss me” You asked.

Joel came up from the middle of your legs and leaned in to your face. You cupped his jaw with your hands, admiring the way you were glistening on his tanned skin.

Before giving him your lips, you stuck your tongue out to lick a long stripe of the wetness from his cheek.

“Tastes good, doesn’t it?” He asked before giving you a hunger kiss.

When Joel shifted closer, you could feel his hard erection against your inner thighs and you mewled into his mouth.

“Joel…” You stared.

“Yeah, I know, sweets, I know” He responded with a smirk. “Do you have a condom?”

You groaned in frustration. “No…But I’m good if your are?”

Joel smirked and pressed a kiss to your lips.

He then got off of you. Pouting with the loss of proximity, you clench your legs together.

Joel took of his heavy pants too slowly for your licking, but to your surprise, he was bare beneath his jeans, a line of hair was leading to his painful hard cock, the pre-cum liking from the tip.

Your eyes flicked to his in a wicked way, but before you could say anything about him going commando, he was on top of you again.

“Wait” You said, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him slightly. “Let me look at you, daddy.”

Joel smirked. “You can look as long as you want to, pretty thing.”

Joel sat back on the bed and you ran your hands along his heavy chest. You admire his length. He was big, he probably knew it, but goddamn there was no way he would fit inside you. He was thick to, with bulging veins across him. It made your mouth water and you hooked your fingers around it, they barely held him whole. Joel gasped as you slowly jerked him off.

When you lowered yourself, Joel stopped you.

“If I have your mouth now, I’ll come down your throat, baby, and believe me”, he stared to push you onto the mattress again “I rather do that somewhere else. Maybe next time, what do you say, sweets?”

Next time.

You just nodded and let Joel manhandle you. He let you in the pillow and pressed a kiss to your lips before settling between your legs, opening them wide for him do fit better. Joel stopped for a moment to take the view in; you spread for him, just for him. He had dreamed of this, of how you’d look, but now, you looked like a Michelangelo panting. Red cheeks, thin layer of sweet, doe eyes and the dim light making you glow.

“Can I?” He asked holding his cock with one hand, adjusting to the front of your entrance.

“Yes. Please, Joel” You plead.

Joel pushed in just a bit, watching as you closed your eyes and tightened around his tip.

“It w-wont fit” You said in a soft gasp.

“We’ll make it fit. I’ll make you feel good, I promise.” He leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead. Joel stopped a moment to look at you, concerned that it was hurting you, that was the last thing he wanted to. “Do you wanna stop? We can stop”

He pulled out and you immediately missed him.

“No! No. I don’t want to stop, I just need to adjust…Put it back in, Joel, please” You hushed, grabbing his hand to interlock with yours as he started to push in again.

You closed your eyes shut as you feel the stretch of Joel’s cock inside your pussy. He moaned at the feeling of you wrapping around him so deliciously. However, he gathered everything in him to stay still until you tell him otherwise. Joel watched as you shivered under him and how tears stared to peek under your closed eyelashes, he presses soft kisses around your face and whispered sweet nothings in your ears.

You opened your eyes, feeling his length deep inside your womb. You were stuffed with him, being one. The pain slowly melted into pleasure and you couldn’t tell where you ended and where he begun. You tried to move your hips forward, you hissed but it felt so good, the tip of Joel’s manhood peaking at your sweet spot just a little.

Joel’s hot breath in your neck, and the tickling of his beard in your skin gave you a shiver and a wave of determination went pass your body.

Joel Miller was on top of you, what the fuck were you waiting for?

“Move.” You said.

Joel pulled halfway and slowly came back in, earning a moan from both of you.

“Fuck, baby, such a tight pussy.” Joel groaned as he picked up a slow and gentle pace.

You whimpered and squeezes the hand that was in yours, Joel squeezed back.

“Tell me how you want it, sweets” He demanded.

“Hard” You panted.

Joel smirked. A devilish grin in his features.

He let go of your hand to grip at your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, making you slam against his cock as he readjust himself on his knees.

Joel started thrusting into you in a brutal pace. His cock going in and out of you making you gasp for air. The room was filled with the sound of you. Skin on skin. The wetness of your core, your moans and whimpers, Joel’s heavy breathing and pants.

You carved your nails into his shoulder, knowing it’d leave a bruise, but you didn’t care, he didn’t seemed to care either. You were saying his name like a prayer, over and over again like you were thanking him, it rolled so easily off your tongue Joel didn’t want to hear it any other way.

He readjusted his angle, leaning in to try to find that one spot he knew would be your last straw. That one single spot that would have you never forgetting what he fells like. And he did, with so much ease. The tip of his length hit it hard and you left out a silent scream as your hands gripped his flesh.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” He asked rutting his hips harder. “I know it is, baby.” You nodded.

You rand your hands through his torso, feeling his hot skin and his muscles unearth your finger, you pushed him down so you could press a sloppy kiss to his lips, all teeth and tongue. Joel had you moaning inside his mouth as his skilled fingers danced around your clit, adding so much pleasure you felt like you could explode.

He smirked at your fucked up state as he sucked a bruise in between your breasts, knowing it would go for days until it disappeared, knowing you’d look at it and remember who gave it to you.

“Joel….F-fuck. I’m close” You panted, heart racing like a thousand horses.

“I know. This fuckin’ pussy’s clenching ‘round me so good.” He lifted a hand to caress your hair “You’re taking me so good, pretty thing. Such a good girl.”

The praise made your eyes roll back as your orgasm came crashing in a hard thrust of Joel’s cock. Your eyes closed ad you repeated his name “Joel, Joel, Joel…” Until it became a bumbling mess in your lips as he rode you through your high. He never left your heat for once, he kept whispering sweet nothing into your skin as you shake and squirm under his strong body.

“Fuck, baby, gonna cum. Where do you wan-“

“Inside” You said breathless.

Joel moaned your name, no “baby”, no “sweets”, no “pretty thing”, your name as he came inside of you, painting your walls with his cum. Whitin’ a few low thrusts, he finally collapsed on top of you, resting his head between your breasts as both of your try to caught your breaths.

Your fingers interlaced his hair as you smoothed him.

You don’t really know how much time had passed as the both of you stayed in that position, in silence, with his soften cock inside your cunt, preventing you from leaking.

“You gonna stay there forever?” You asked in a giggle.

“It’s my new favourite place to be.” He said.

But he pulled out soon after, taking his time to watch as his cum ran out of your abused hole, wetting your sheets and the inside of your thighs. Joel looked up to find you already staring at him.

“Don’t give me those eyes, I just fucked you” He warned with a smirk.

You laughed and collect some of the white load in your fingers, bringing them towards your lips.

Joel stared as you licked and sucked them clean, tasting yours and his juices, his cock twitched in interest ad you let your fingers go with a ‘pop’ sound.

“You’re wicked” He said covering your body with his to pepper kisses in your face and you giggled.

You were about to switch position with him when a suddenly buzz came from the floor and Joel turned his head to look at it.

“Shit. ‘S my phone” He got out of bed to pick it from his trousers back pocket. “Hey, Tommy”

You sat on the bed to watch him. Joel listened to Tommy complaining about his lateness to get to theirs friends, he murmured some excuse and reached to pack his clothes from the floor.

“You still there?” You could hear Tommy saying a ‘yes’ in a tipsy voice “So…The girls are all alone until now?” “Yeah! I was waiting for you, thought you were…Wait, you’re not home right now?”

Joel stopped for a second before answering with a grin.

“No. I had to drive y/n home.” “Y/n? Are you…Are you with her right now?” “Yeah” “Oh. Do you want me to stop talking?” “Hell, I do” “Sorry. Tell her I said hi.”

Joel sighed. “Tommy says ‘hi’”. You smiled and laid back in the mattress, slowly opening your tights in a promiscuous way. “Sorry, sweets, looks like I’ll have to get back home.”

“Now?”

“The girls are wall alone. I have to check on them”.

You pouted. Joel chuckled and started getting dresses. You watched as he slipped his jeans back on and tugged himself in, his arms flexed as he put on his shirt.

Suddenly you felt insecure. What if this was just it? Just one night stand and then you and Joel would never talk again, and you’ll feel uncomfortable in his presence? You’d have to stop seeing Sarah too. You couldn’t handle it. You didn’t want to be just another woman that had passed in Joel’s hands for a night of pleasure. Was it selfish of you to want more? Greedy? You had dreamed of it, of someone like Joel, someone who made you feel the exact same way he makes you feel. But you wouldn’t say anything, you didn’t want to pressure him, so you stayed quiet as Joel finished buckling his belt.

You pushed the blanked to cover yourself and hide from Joel’s eyes, but he noticed.

“Hey, what is it?” He asked in a soft tone, sitting in the bed next to you.

“Nothing.” You lied. “I’m just tired.”

He didn’t seemed to buy it, but he nodded and placed his hand over your knee.

“I wish I could stay here with you” He said. “But I can’t leave them alone.”

“It’s okay, Joel, you don’t have to.”

“I wanted to, tough.” He sighed and leaned in.

Joel was coming to your lips, but at the last second, you turned your head and he kissed your cheek. He stared down at you for a moment.

“Y/n? Are you…Are we…Did I do something wrong?”

Joel tiled his head and gave you a puzzled look, trying to understand your twist on behaviour.

“No” You were perfect, Joel. It’s just, well, I…I wanted to see you again, you know. I don’t want you to avoid me as soon as you regret it.”

Before he could even say something, you spoke again.

“It’s okay that you don’t want to. I understand.”

“Who said I didn’t? And who said I regret it?”

Joel held your face in his hands.

“You better get ready, baby, I won’t be able to take my hand off of you for some good time yet”

You giggled.

“Is that so, old man?”

“I’ll show you who’s old” Joel said before taking you by your waist to put you on your feet in front of him. “Get dressed”

“Why?”

“I’m taking you home” He said handing you your top.

“I am home, Joel”

“My home” He explained. “Now, hurry up. I’m gonna call Sarah to make sure everything’s ok”

You smiled widely as you started to get dressed again.

Joel Miller was going to be the death of you.

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