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#He deserves to have the longest break ever but also
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Save me funny man
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mirohlayo · 5 months
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THE ONLY ONE | LN4
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( lando and you are on a break because of an argument. but he needs you back. )
warning : angst, fluff, some jealousy, happy ending ofc
word count : 5.1k
note : the longest thing i have ever written with 5k words 😭 pretty proud of it, hope it's not too long lol
!! english not my first language !!
lando sighs as he watches for around the 30th time your instagram story. it was a picture of your outfit of the day, but the little detail - or big detail for him - was the unknown man standing next to you and his clothes matching with yours. lando can't help but rewatch again and again your story throughout all the day. of course, he loves your outfit. he thinks everything suits you, either an elegant dress or just a big hoodie. it was not the problem. but why the fuck your outfit matched with the one of an other man than him ? he just don't understand. usually, he would be and was the only one to match with your outfit. it was kind of your love language, and lando loves it. every time you asked him to wear the same clothes as you, he never refused the offer and even lend you one of his hoodie. it is something very special for him, so when he saw you doing this with an other man than him, he really didn't like it. actually, he hated it.
and the worse ? he is once again looking at your story, laying in your shared bed in his monaco apartment, clinging to your pillow. oh poor him. there is still the scent of you and your shampoo filled in the pillow you used to sleep on when you passed the nights with your loved one. he's holding onto it anytime he's missing you, which is basically every minutes. he smells your fragrance, finding so much comfort in it. and he would also imagines you next to him, cuddling his body and playing with his hair. but these are just memories now. it seems long time ago for him, when the last time you saw each other was actually around 3 weeks now. but it was not a good last time. completely the opposite. and he curses himself when he remembers what happened that day.
"fuck, who is this... thing ? guy ?" he says, throwing his phone over the blankets. for real, who was this man next to you ? have you already forget him and moved on ? but no, you guys are still together. theoretically. yes, the last time you talked to each other was during an argument, but when you left him all alone in his apartment, you didn't say you broke up with him. you just left, furious and mostly hurt. you were on a break. you didn't talk together since the argument, didn't send any text messages that you both would always send every hours because of how much you missed each other. 3 weeks without any contacts. but the thing you don't know is lando still looking at your social medias accounts everyday, missing you dearly. sometimes he hesitates, if he should like or not your stories.
every days, every hours, every minutes, every seconds are hurtful without you. he's still playing again and again in his head the last smile he captured of you. he is missing you so fucking bad. and the only person he can blame is himself. yes, he is the one to blame at. he was the one who started the argument and the one to say the most rude and hurtful words. and he feels so much guilty about it. he can't stand the fact he was the one who hurt and upset the most precious person to his eyes. everything is his fault. and now he thinks he's just a fool who don't deserve you. it pains so much his heart, and he's getting sick of it. he needs you again. he needs to see you again. he needs to kiss and hug you again.
he let a scream out, overthinking about the situation. he grabs his phone and opens the text app. he clicks on your name, and starts typing something. but what ? hello ? hi ? can we talk together ? no. he just can't send you some stupid messages and thinks everything will be perfect again like 3 weeks ago. what was he thinking ? he sighs longly and decides to take a shower to stop thinking about you. but he damn knows that's impossible because every single thing reminds him of you.
like taking showers. you would often showered with him because he loves showering together. washing your hair and hugging you to warm your freezing body meanwhile the cold water was turning hot. and then after you doing his haircare routine, styling his damp curls while he was just looking at you with adoration. or when you guys would spend your evenings together, cuddling close under a woolen plaid on the couch, watching a movie until one of you two would fall asleep. or when you cooked some recipes and it ended up in a food battle. god he's craving of those moments again. he really needs to do something...
-
race day. it is sunday today and of course lando have to race. he don't know it, but you are in the paddock club. yes, even if you're on a break in your relationship, you couldn't miss a race and decided to attend it. those last 3 weeks, you didn't miss a single one races. you didn't attend them, because you were still hurt by lando's words and you didn't want his fans to see you present there, so you just watched the races and your papaya driver on the tv. but you missed so much seeing him in reality, so you attend today's race. of course, you are wearing glasses and a cap to not be recognizable. and you're also sitting in a hidden corner.
lando has no clue that you are here, watching his car moving around. and you have no clue that he is thinking about you and the way he's going to apologize to you. so as the race passes, you keep an eye on his car. your heart and your being feels weird. the amount of love you have for him is still here, and it never shaded away for the past 3 weeks. not a single bit. but of course you are still upset and hurt. the words he said to you broke you into tears. you love him so much, never you loved someone like that. so when he told you those mean things, you felt weak. and very very sad.
in a blink, the race is already finished. fans wave at the drivers who are celebrating the podium with their race team. you smile, admiring the place. you would be lying if you said you didn't missed races. you were always happy to attend one. maybe for the race, or maybe just to spend more time with lando. by the way, he didn't finish on the podium but still get p4. and despite the fact you are still gloomy, you are proud of him, like usually. because he's just the best after all.
now you have to leave the track. of course, you would have love to stay and join your favorite driver, but he don't know you are here and you don't want him to see you. because nobody has already apologize. and it's been 3 weeks since you haven't seen and spoken to him. it would be awkwardly embarrassing. so you have to take precautions and be prudent to not be seen by any mclaren team member. you go down the balcony's stairs, lowering your head and hiding your face with the cap. of course it has to be an orange cap, because it is the only hat you have. an other way to be even more discreet, huh. but it works well. you are now in the paddock area, just in front of the mclaren one. you recognize a lot of engineers and people who work with your boyfriend and you hope deep inside you they don't see and recognize you. but it seems like you failed it.
"y/n ?" oh. oh... it's not just anyone. it's not just a random maclaren team member. no. it is him. it's his voice. his voice that you missed hearing. it's lando norris. you stop, and don't know what to do. and don't know how to react. so you stay like this, turning your back on him. "y/n ? is it you ?" you close your eyes and exhale, you're not really in the mood to talk to him. the only person you shouldn't meet is now facing you. you turn around and keep your head low, you don't have the force to look at him.
you just remove your glasses and put them in your pocket. "why are you here ?" he asks confused, but you can tell he's concerned about it. "to... support you, i guess ?". you finally give up and cross his gaze. and it aches your heart. he looks tired, i mean of course he just finished a 2 hours race but still he looks even tired than usually. his face is pale, doesn't have much color. and his eyes are so tiny, so many emotions in them. "oh ok. huhh thank you...". he answers awkwardly. you bite your lower lip, the atmosphere is, well, very awkward yes. "so, how are you?" you ask to get rid of this tension.
how he is ? fuck this question. he doesn't even want to answer. does he really need to say that he blames himself every day, that he can't sleep because of how much he cries thinking about you, that he skips dinners because of how bad he's feeling ? he never felt like that with any person. it is the first time his whole being aches that much. but he can't tell you that, he knows you will not forgive him that easily. "good. and you ?" he says, avoiding your gaze. "good too" you hum sotfly. he knows damn well that's a lie, because even your tone betrayed you. he tries to take a look at you. his heart squeezes in pain, the view in front of him is heartbreaking. you look as tired as him. and as pale as him too. where is the smile he loves so much gone ? the shining sparkles in your pretty eyes ?
he fights the urge to pull you in his arms. but he's the one at fault, he can only blame himself. "hum, i'll go now" "no." he answers back to back and you look at him confused and surprised. "i-i mean you're going back to monaco ?" he stutters. "no, i'll join a friend of mine" you says coldly. "oh... ok..." god he sounds so sad, it pains you. you struggles to not hug him. because yes, you're hurt, but you still love him like crazy. "well... oh and good job today" you quickly say and starts to leave, not wanting to stay more here. you don't turn back, but lando is now smiling softly, watching you fade away in the crowd. "thank you, love" he whisper to himself.
he sighs, blinking slowly. now memories are coming back, and he remembers what happened that night, when everything went wrong in only one second.
- -
you were very tired. a hard day of work. so when you came home, in your lover's apartment in monaco, all you wanted was to follow him around like a puppy and cuddle him. you were so clingy and so needy. it was rare, very very rare for you to be like that, all clingy and needy, so when that night you doubled it, it was kind of surprising and shocking. usually, lando loves when you get clingy, when you want him all for yourself. because it not happens often, so of course he cherishes these moments. but that night, it was different. he didn't like the way you acted with him. you kept following him around the apartment, touching him gently and innocently. like grabbing his hand, placing soft kisses on his cheeks, back hugs. you just wanted his attention. you just wanted your lover. but he didn't seems he felt the same about you. first, he didn't care much. he just didn't returned back your affection. but the more you were getting clingy, the more he was getting angry. he started to hate it.
you tried to kiss him on the lips and instead of kissing you back roughly, he turned his head and your lips pressed against his cheek. you paused for a second, confused. you frowned and tried to understand why he did that. why your lover didn't return back your hugs ? your kisses ? why he acted like you didn't even exist ? you placed your hand on his forearm but he shifted. your heart squeezed, why was he like this ? usually, he was the neediest one and the one getting even clingier. you were lost.
"baby, why you don't kiss me back ?" you asked softly. lando sighed and he seemed annoyed. he didn't even dare to reply. which hurt you. you moved and stopped before him. "something is wrong ? something bothers you ?" you tried to understand why he was in this mood, you wanted to help him talk about whatever bothered his thoughts. but you didn't expect to hear that. "yes, you." he hissed. your face deformed. did you hear well ? "w-what ?" you stuttered. "you. it's you. you fucking annoy me". you blinked and took some few steps back. your being hurt, your heart was broken. "what do you mean ?"
"you're so clingy and needy and i fucking hate it. stop being like that and stop touching me. you're so annoying" he threw these words at you, giving you a death look as his furrowed his brows. oh pain was real. you felt weak, you thought it was all a dream. but no, your lover was here, saying harsh words to you and kept hurting your poor little heart. and while you tried to understand his behavior - because he would never talk bad to you like that - a bulb lighted in your head.
it was qualifying. you remembered lando's week went bad and hard for him. bad practices, no luck, his slow car, his poor performance... nothing went right. and you knew how much f1 had an important impact on him and his mental health. he was so hard on himself and sometimes he would overthink about why he sucks at racing. this explains why he was acting like a shit with you. you knew it was that. he didn't want to do a bad race tomorrow. so instead of calm down and talk about it with you, he let out all his anger on you. it was like he took you as a punching ball and kept punching you, until you broke in pieces. you understand how he felt, racing is his job, he has to be the best. but let out his anger on your poor person even though you did nothing wrong, you couldn't take that. yes, he had the right to be angry and annoyed and whatever, but being harsh towards you won't make his performance better. so you tried to talk with him. or maybe argue with him.
"lando, please. i know you don't mean what you say." he stared at you and then walk closer to you. his gaze get through yours, and a storm appeared in it. "yes, i mean it y/n. you're getting on my nerves and i don't like that. maybe i don't like you too". wow. it was harsh. it was like getting stabbed again and again. he don't like you ? he really meant it ? now you were about to cry. tears filled your eyes, and you breathed harder to not let them run. and of course lando noticed it. "what, really ? are you going to cry ? you're the one who started it all and you think you can cry ? gosh you're so pathetic y/n". you shook your head and looked away because you knew soon your tears will drop. was he saying bullshit now ? "oh, you're really crying" he made fun of you and your statement. but you couldn't stand here and just cry. you had to speak up, to explain how you felt and explain that letting out his anger on you was not the solution. "please lando stop. i know it's because of racing that you're acting like that. you can be upset and annoyed but it can't justify the fact you burst your emotions on me. i did nothing wrong, i just want to help yo-" "it's not about racing !!!!" he yelled at you.
you almost jumped because of how much he scared you. he never yelled at you. never ever. he was so different from the lando you knew. lando was the perfect, caring, kindness boyfriend. who was so in love with you. not someone who yell and hurt you. "you can't even see it's you the problem. i don't need your shitty cuddles and hugs and everything. i never wanted you and i don't even need you. you sucks". "lando pleas-" "i wish i had never met you". and then he passed you to crawl on the couch, turning on the tv. he looked like he didn't even care about you anymore. your heart cried as your being hurt. the best thing that have ever came into your life just said he wish he had never met you. how hurtful it is. and you thought it was the race who made him angry like that, but it seemed like it's not the reason anymore. just him speaking maybe the truth and what he thinks about you. and you wished you were dreaming. but no, it was not.
you never had an argument with him. or when something was wrong, you would always talk about it. but it was so different. the person you loved the most broke you. pain, yeah, pain filled your body. it ached badly. you just wanted to leave. run far far away. so he couldn't hurt you anymore. "i'm leaving. i can't stay with you anymore so i'll go" "then go. get out of my apartment. i would be better off without you". it was one sentence too many. your tears ran down your cheeks, your face. you couldn't stop them. so you just leave, shutting the door behind you, as the one who broke you started to realize little by little what happened. and it was when guilt started to kick him.
-
"so fucking dumb you are" max says again, cursing at his friend's behavior towards you. "i know. don't remind me. i'm such an idiot" lando says again, cursing at himself. he is laying on his bed, re-watching your new instagram stories while max is sitting on the other side of the bed. "and for the fucking 40th time please stop looking at her stories. you've been doing this since this morning." max states, and try to grab his friend's phone who dodge it effortlessly. f1 driver reflexes yes. "then you stop sitting on this side of the bed. y/n's perfume will disappear because of you and your stinky scent". max rolls his eyes and finally stand up. "you're miserable".
lando sighs, and throws his phone over the blankets. "max help me... i'm so fucking lost without her." "but it's your own fault. you're the one to blame at". he shrugs and shake his head. "i know it's my fault max. don't you know i'm literally dying every single day because of how much i miss her ? that i'm crying because i will never find someone like her ? i'm in a shitty situation and i don't feel well because she's not with me. look, i'm in a pitiful state even though we did not even broken. what will i be like if we break up for real ? i don't even want to imagine it because i already know it will be awful." he passes his hand in his hair, ruffling them. "i've never felt like that about any exes, anyone. it's the first time i suffer like this, i don't know what to do...". max looks at his friend and his gaze softens. he hates seeing his best friend suffer, he can't stand it. "lando i can help you. and i will help you. but you have to promise me that you-" "SHE TEXTED ME !!!" lando suddenly screams.
"what ??" max jumps on the bed and sit next to him. "MAX !! SHE SENT ME A MESSAGE" lando is going crazy, he is just shocked. he don't even realizes what happens, he thinks he's dreaming. his heart is beating faster now. but max sighs as he reads the text you just sent, a simple "i'm coming to pick up some things in the evening". it is more a negative message because it means you're not staying in your boyfriend's apartment, but still lando is relieved by this one text. "lando, she's not staying. she's coming to pick up things because she don't want to live with you" "but it's her first text since 3 weeks ago ! she thinks about me too!"
max shakes his head and closes his eyes because he's getting a headache. "mate you don't get it" he says. but his friend don't listen, he is too focused on his phone. because he knows he's going to see her girlfriend soon, and he knows it will be the moment to apologize, to show her how much he cares about her. "max, help me. give me advices please. i'm listening". and then the two would spend the whole afternoon together, the streamer giving advices to the driver. lando is prepared, he don't want to loose his chance.
and then someone knocks on the door. he knows it is you because it's now around 6pm. max left 30 minutes ago. so it means you two will be alone together. lando almost tumbles because he ran towards the door at the speed of his mclaren livery. he takes a breath and opens the door.
oh.
your pretty face. the first thing he saw. his heart squeezes at the sight of you. your eyes, scanning his face and his body while he does the same for you. he can't believes you're standing in from of him, even though he saw you last week on sunday. but he's feeling worried now. you look super tired. dark circles under your tired eyes, your cheekbones more visible. you are as terrible as him. nobody dare to talk, and you start to feel awkward. "can i enter or maybe i just stay here until tomorrow ?" you say. "o-oh yes, come..." he shifts and you walk inside the apartment. and a weird feeling seizes you. every rooms of the apartment holds a memory from you and your boyfriend. the kitchen where he would cooks your breakfast, the living room where you would play karaokes. you feel nostalgic. and remember these memories makes you want to stay, to forgive lando, to be back together like before. but you put yourself together and fight this urge. you came for your things, not for him. or maybe it was also your intention. "how are you ?" he asks cautiously. "good. what about you ?" you reply. "good too". no, lies. from both of you.
you make your way to the bedroom. the first thing you see is your pillow above lando's one, as is he was sleeping on it. and the fact is that he was truly sleeping on it, your scent lulled him every nights. you put your suitcase on the bed and open it, you don't want to waste time. but there is a problem. and it's a big one. you have to sleep with lando tonight. not maybe in the same bed, but still you have to pass the night in his, well your shared apartment. those past 3 weeks, you were hosting at one of your friend's house. when lando asked you to moved in with him, you sold your old apartment. that's why you had nowhere to go, and lando was so worried about it but you weren't aware of it of course.
but your friend's parents were passing through and decided to pay a visit to your friend's house. you didn't want to intrude, so instead of worrying your friend you said you will buy an hotel room. what a coincidence you are now in your boyfriend apartment, sweating because you are scared to ask him to stay. so waiting for the fateful moment, you keep packing up things. you can also feel lando staring at you and his intense look burns your cheeks. "do you need anything ? you want something to eat ?" he asks sudenly, and you can hear he's caring about you by his tone. "no i'm okay, thank you" you simply answer.
your heart start pounding faster, and you sweat even more. god why were you so shy and scared ? he is your boyfriend after all, why would he refuse ? you play nervously with your necklace, the one lando gave you for your first date. you never took it off since now. "are you... okay ?" your boyfriend gives you a concerned look, he noticed you stopped packing your clothes. you take a deep breath and move to face him. "hum... can i..." your words don't want to leave your mouth. "can i stay here ? does it bothers you if i sleep here tonight ? if so then it's okay i will fin-" "no stay please." he rushes back. you look at him surprised. "i-i mean it doesn't bother me at all. you can sleep here". you give him a small smile and a little thank you. he smiles back, but unlike you it is a big, happy smile. the exact smile you love seeing from him. "huh, you can sleep on the bed, i'll go with the couch". he adds and you just nod.
lando just keep staring at you. of course, it disturbs you because sometimes you are putting useless things in your suitcase. he takes advantage of it to admire you. your body's silhouette he loved hugging, your shiny and soft hair he loved styling, your presence and its hold on him. you truly are precious to him. he knows he can't live without you in his life, it's just impossible. he needs you. not tomorrow, not in the next few hours. no. he needs you now. right now. he just can't stand the fact you're right here and can't kiss him or push him on the bed to cuddle him. he approaches you, and gently grabs your hand. surprisingly, you don't remove it and he melts down in the touch. "y/n... please listen to me". you sigh longly and turn your face to cross his eyes. you are also tired of it. even if he hurts you so bad, you can't stay far away from him because you need him as he needs you. "i'm listening". he strokes the back of your hand and takes your chin in his fingers to lift up your head, forcing you to look at him.
"i'm so fucking sorry y/n. so so sorry. you have no idea how much i blame myself and i feel so guilty every day. i'm the worst boyfriend ever, i don't even deserve you. every single minutes i keep thinking about what i said that day and if i could i would go back in time. because i regret so much those hurtful and cruel words i said to you. and you have to believe me, i didn't meant not a single word. i can't stand the fact that i'm the one who hurt you when i said i would punch the person who would did it". you try to reply back but he's so into it now. "please let me finish. i love you. i'm so madly and deeply in love with you. if you ever ask me to bring down the stars and the moon for you i'll do it. i would do anything for you. i love you. i have never loved someone like that. even with my exes, i never felt like that before, i never wanted someone so bad than you. you're the only one for me. nobody can replace you y/n. you're the best thing that ever happened to me, and i'll never let anything and anyone taking you from me. i need you in my life and i want you in my life because i can't imagine it without you. when i said i would be better without you, i so fucking lay. it's completely the opposite, i'm nothing without you. i would do anything for you to forgive me. because you're the only one, and you'll always be the only one."
tears are now running down his cheeks. and yours too. gosh he just let everything out, he has never been so desperate over someone. you can't stand it anymore and hug him tightly. he melts down in your hug and squeezes you. oh he missed you so much. he hides his wet face in the crook of your neck and keeps crying like a baby. you rub his back slowly and place a soft kiss on his hair. "i love you too lando. i'm so in love with you and i also need you." you simply say, because you know he already knows you're infatuated with him. and you guys stayed like that for fifteen minutes, lando keeping his arms around you. he don't want to let you go. he's so afraid of it now. "let's go cuddle in the bed. or maybe you still hate it" you tease him gently. "no. please. cuddle me. be clingy and needy, i'm only asking for it. don't go away from me." you two crumble into the bed and put the blankets over your bodies. lando curls up against you, his grip tight on you that you can barely breathe. he hides once again his head in the crook of your neck and one of his hand slips under your shirt, stroking your back. you start playing with his curls, something he loves and craves very much.
"i love you so much my baby" he suddenly says. you smile and peck his side profile. "me too lan". he lift up his head and your looks cross. he can't help it and a silly smile takes place on his lips. and he leans in, kissing you softly, your warm lips against his. he missed kissing you, so he really struggles to pull back. "besides i was such a liar. i'm the most needy and clingy one." you laugh hard and kiss him once again. he returns back the kiss and traces his way to your neck, planting soft kisses on it. "no for real, i would literally die without your cuddles. and just without you actually". you giggle and, you spend the rest of the night together. showering together again, cooking together again, playing karaokes together again. and of course, he didn't slept on the couch. but in your warm embrace which he's sure he'll never leave.
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totalswag · 26 days
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worthy of love — RAFE CAMERON
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authors note something short and cute for you guys. also, rafe deserves to be treated with the love that he desires. he just wants to be understood yall.
paring mean!rafe x soft!reader
summary soft!reader wants to show mean!rafe that he's worthy of love but he pushes reader away until one day he finally knows what love truly feel like.
warnings neglect, feeling unworthy of love, ward being a shitty father, and a lovely happy ending.
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Rafe Cameron believed he would never be capable of love in his life.
Raised in a family where love was a rare commodity, Rafe grew up believing that affection, vulnerability was a weakness that should be avoided at all costs. But little did he know that someone was about to turn his life upside down and teach him the true meaning of love.
You.
His father, Ward Cameron, is part of the reason Rafe is the way he is. Ward tells him to man up rather than express his feelings and be vulnerable. Overall, his father has never treated him with the proper care compared to his two younger sisters. This sent Rafe into a downward spiral, leading to a darker path in his life. Rafe held his guard up.
You entered his world like a breath of fresh air, bringing with you a warmth and tenderness he had never felt before. Rafe first rejected your presence, pushing you away with his harsh remarks and cold demeanor. But you saw through his strong facade, understanding the agony and vulnerability that lay underneath the surface.
"Why do you treat me like this? I’m not someone that deserves to be loved." 
Rafe was initially perplexed as to why, of all the people on the island, someone as kind and gentle as you would want to be with him. 
One of the many things Rafe would tell you when you tried to show him that he’s capable of being loved by someone, he would shut you out immediately when you tried showing him.
People said you were crazy for pursuing Rafe Cameron. His reputation in Kildare is immense. You just chose to ignore what other people had to say because you felt Rafe deserved love.
The first time you heard those words come out of his mouth, your heart broke into a million pieces. Behind all of the roughness, coldness, and unpredictable behavior, he is someone who wants to be loved.
Rafe continued to push you away for the longest time, hoping you would get the hint. Finally, giving in after protracted arguments. For far too long, he had kept his guard up to protect himself. He did not want to feel weak for expressing himself. Rafe noticed how long you stayed by his side.
You gradually began to break down the walls Rafe had placed around his heart. You showed patience and understanding by refusing to give up on him, even when he tried to push you away. Rafe became increasingly drawn to you as time passed, yearning for the love and acceptance that had always escaped him.
Rafe started to trust again as your relationship deepened. He progressively exposed a gentler, softer side of himself, something he had never seen before. He realized there are individuals out there, like you, who care passionately and will be by his side through thick and thin.
All he ever wanted was to feel fully understood and seen. You came into his life when he was in the deepest pain and saved him. You showed he’s worthy of love, compassion, gratitude, and vulnerability are truly like, and there is nothing wrong with it. He transformed into a very different person than anyone could have predicted.
"You're the most amazing person I've ever laid eyes on, baby," Rafe said with a lovely smile on his lips, sliding the front strand of your hair behind your ear as you moved your body closer to his and closed your eyes.
“I love you so much rafey” kissing his bare shoulder a few times.
“And I love you more,”
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my taglist!
✰ if you would like to be added to my taglist and be notified whenever i post please let me know in the comments or in my ask box. if there's a line across your name that means i couldn't find your account.
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its-time-to-write · 11 months
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masterlist
i figured it was time to make one. it's in order based on when i wrote it. please, please let me know if a link is broken/mislabeled!!
*81 fics*
All of these are Jamie Tartt x reader
dress
Jamie and Keeley buy you a dress for the benefit gala
three times 'cause i've waited my whole life
secret relationship to engagement
you're losing me
first kid
don't make this any harder
Jamie wants to take you to Brazil, you’re both idiots
would hit him in a heartbeat now
Your ex boyfriend is a footballer and also a douche
silent sleepers
Jamie contemplates your relationship on the team bus
what it is
Jamie is sick ft. Roy
don't go wasting your emotion
Secret relationship + you own a bookshop! Ft. Roy and Keeley
you know, you'll always know me
You’re a famous singer! Congrats!
i don't know how you keep smiling/i'm just choking almost constantly
Jamie’s dad is a douche
i'll still be right next to you my dear
Jamie is a dad
can't really say i'm enjoying it now
Yikes it’s a breakup fic, but happy endings only in this house
mine of you with me
Reader and Jamie go semi-public with their relationship
today's a day like any other
The Tartt family thru the years
there's orange juice in the kitchen
Oof ouch period cramps
i can't breathe without you
Nate kisses you w/o consent
damned if i do give a damn what people say
You’re a theater actress! How exciting!
island made of faith
People think Jamie’s dumb, and he’s not
take your time while you're mine
You’re Roy’s other sister ft. all the Kents
honey, i'll give you all my time
Vienna. Enough said.
feeling fragile can't you tell
Jamie gets hurt
wrote all your lines in the script in my mind
Oh no! Some girl kissed Jamie and it wasn’t you! + Colin as the bff
stick together like glitter
Babysitting Phoebe + angst
your mind is not your friend
Angst + comfort after you have a bad hookup
chasing shadows in a grocery line
You’re pretty sure you have a hot stalker
don’t go yet
Tee hee protective Jamie at a club
kicking myself to keep from crying
The morning after your mind is not your friend
i think we could do it if we tried
High school sweethearts reunited after 6 years🥺
i’m glad you exist
You and Jamie go to a wedding
send for me
BREAKING: shit day at work made better by local boyfriend
tell me where to put my love
day off = food + snuggles
bored
The longest angst I’ve ever written. Def not the best angst I’ve ever written.
would it be enough if i never gave you peace
you’ve got baby fever and your pretty sure it’s going to kill your brother
wishing on every one
You own a flower shop. It’s adorable.
lyrical eyes, indigo smile
Bea meets the team for the first time!
something to rely on
You storm the pitch and smooch your bf
flipped the script
Enemies to lovers slow burn (or maybe fast burn, idk)
i fancy you
London Boy by ms. T. Swift
you don’t want to know me
Jamie shows up at your door after s.1 Man City
you’re in the kitchen humming
Post-Mom City
family that i chose
For the child-free girlies!
never wanted you to hate me
Pt. 2 of you don’t want to know me
wonderstruck
BFF Keeley tells you to give her awful ex a chance
in love with an idea
idk it’s like a confession of love? kinda cute
sinking into your worn-out mattress
Touch-deprived therapist! reader
you’re a mansion with a view
just two footballers doing an England promo, nothing to see here
i know what i’m doing
Post-Roy/Jamie locker room hug after Man City
wonder what it’d be like
Jamie tries to win you back
if only love were true
You’re a single mom in dire need of a plus-one
i know now it’ll pass
It’s hard to love someone when you’ve been told you don’t deserve it
the way it goes
The Greyhounds are protective of Jamie
how to love being alive
Idk this one’s like whatever and also supes long
there is happiness
GEORGIE GEORGIE GEORGIE
it’s just wanderlust
Relationship soft launch
glitter on the floor
You like to knit. You also think you’re a comedian.
maybe tomorrow you’ll know
The “he’s a prick to everyone but her” trope
hustling for the good life
I swear this is my last chaptered fic
let’s fall in love for the night
Kent!reader is having a baby
soft hands hit the jagged ground
friends w/benefits
for you, there’ll be no more crying
anxiety at work + bf jamie
smile at me
there was only one bed!!!!
slow motion double vision in rose blush
happy b-day Jamie Tartt
half-moon eyes
it’s just a question!
can’t hear my thoughts (i cannot hear my thoughts)
I’m allowed to write what i want, ok???
here in my arms
more Kent!reader + a baby named George
coffee at midnight
prick coach wakes you up bc of your prick boyfriend
healing me fine
Just a lil engagement fic for ya
i don’t know anything
if you’re interested in Bea
right words at the right time
It’s a wedding fic
move fast and keep quiet
boxer!reader + smitten Jamie
not saying you’re in love with me
You meet over Bantr!!!
we could be so good
Jamie comforts you after a bad date
i hold it like a grudge
i don’t even know how to describe this one but u might cry
there for you
sick fic
before you go
physio!reader
you’ll probably date her
chronic illness + childhood friends. gotta love it
feel it burn
Gym anxiety
play it back
Old movies of bb Jamie
ours
Thanksgivinggggg
light in the hallway
MORE Kent!reader
stuck by you
Bad family + good Jamie = fic
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Pink tulips a symbol of friendship — Logan Sargent x platonic!reader
Tagged — @amatswimming @bblouifford @disneyprincemuke @faithshouseofchaos @faithsotherhouseofchaos
Logan knew that you were having a tough week and as one of your longest-standing friends, he took it upon himself to make you feel better. On the way to your apartment, Logan stopped by the store and picked up some of your favorite snacks, ice cream, and drinks and continued with his mission.
Halfway through his journey to your apartment, he made one stop it wasn’t planned but he saw the florist stand from the corner of his eye and thought fuck it.
Looking at the selection of flowers his eyes saw a pretty Bouquet of pink tulips. Logan remembered you saying that tulips were a symbol of friendship.
“I would like these,” Logan said, picking out the pink tulips and handing the florist the money.
“Great choice,” the florist said. And with that Logan was back on track.
Once at your place, Logan knocked firmly on your apartment door. Hearing your footsteps making their way down the stairs, he grew a smile and waited. Once the door opened he extended both hands with the bouquet in one and the takeout bag in the other.
“Hey, you.”
He smirked softly seeing you, hoping that maybe this would cheer you up at least a bit.
“Hi.” You said letting Logan in your apartment
"I brought you flowers," Logan said smiling
"for what?" You asked confused
"There has to be a reason?" Logan questioned.
“You didn't have to do this.” You said taking the flowers from him to admire them.
“I know I didn’t but I wanted to.” Logan replied, handing over the shopping bag “I also brought you some of your favorite food and drinks, and also grabbed an ice cream for myself.”
He had grabbed enough to feed both of you, he figured that after what you’ve been through, you didn’t deserve to eat alone.
“I figured a fun night would help, maybe watching a funny movie.” He said smiling, waiting for you to step aside so he could come in.
“The tulips were specially for you.” He laughed “I mean I don’t know who else these are for.” He chuckled again, “Besides I figured, I could just use them as an excuse to see you.” His smirk grew to a grin “Plus I figured you probably need some cheering up, I know I’ve been a while so no hard feelings if you tell me to leave.”
“No, of course not.” You replied, your face growing a warm smile at how thoughtful your best friend was.
“You’re truly something,” you said hugging him tightly
“I’ll grab some plates and stuff.” Logan replied, breaking the hug as he took it as a sign to start getting everything ready. “You just go ahead and sit down.”
He gave you a gentle push toward the table, you did as asked and then sat down.
Logan went over to the kitchen area, placing the plates and napkins on the table as he started setting up all the food. It looked quite extravagant, especially for just the two of you.
Once everything was done, he poured two glasses of the wine he had bought, before he sat down opposite you.
“To friends.” He looked at you as he brought the glass up to his lips and took a sip. “To better days.”
The two of you had a wonderful night, a night that was full of laughter and banter. It had even helped lift the depressing mood you’d been in. A smile had been permanent on your face ever since the moment Logan walked through the door, with his thoughtful gifts. He truly was a good friend.
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b1tcht0p1a · 1 year
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You Have My Attention - Ace D. Portgas Smut
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Summary」
Ace has done many things to get your attention. Ranging from dangerous to downright obnoxious. It's about time all his efforts finally got him somewhere.
CW」
Fem! Reader, implied dacryphilia, edging, sub! Ace, creampie, use of good boy, slightly insecure Ace, praise kink, blowjob, orgasm denial, orgasm control, creampie, aftercare
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Ace was cute; you'd give that to him. He was also persistent. So much so that it became increasingly annoying. Not only to you but to the rest of the crew. Marco was tired of having to tend to the wounds the dumbass got in hopes of getting your attention. And he had complained to you about it more than once. Always pointing out that Ace only does some of these things when you're around and watching. You brushed off the idea that Ace did these things to impress you for the longest time, but now you couldn't ignore it. Everyone complained to you, and now your hand was being forced. Whitebeard couldn't get it through Ace's head, so why not the woman Ace was pinning for? So either nip the behavior in the bud or get him to stop in whatever way you could that didn't involve potentially breaking his heart.
So here you were, waiting for Ace to join you in your private room. He happily agreed to come to your room later that night, even under the impression you were mad at his actions. You weren't sure what you were going to do or say. You didn't dislike Ace; he was an attractive and sweet man. He was strong and, thanks to his devil fruit, was a fearsome foe. You'd hate to ever have to fight him, even if you did have a devil fruit, more so if you didn't. You knew he was a good man who deserved a lot for all he's been through. You liked him and didn't like the idea of turning the sweet boy down.
A rapid knocking at the door brought you out of your thoughts; it must be Ace. You stood to answer the door. He didn't get to say anything before you grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him in. Once he was in, you closed the door and directed him to the chaise at the end of your bed. You sat in a matching chair diagonal from the lounge chair. You leaned forward, elbows resting on your knees as you clasped your hands in front of your mouth. Ace sat there, smiling brightly, like a puppy wagging its tail. He stared at you, almost waiting for something.
You groaned and looked toward the ground, debating what you would say. You quickly looked back up, making eye contact with the still-smiling Ace. "Ace, we must talk about what you've been doing." Ace flattened, smile fading, and he became rigid. "You're a charming man, and I'm flattered. But you don't have to do stupid stuff to get my attention." You stood and moved to sit beside him, hand resting on his knee. His eye flickered towards your hand and stayed there. You brought your other hand to his cheek, turning his head, so he looked at you instead. "Ace, you need to stop. I hate seeing you get hurt." Ace gulped visibly; you were so close and tender to him. He leaned his head into your hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't know how to get your attention."
"I know, but these little shenanigans need to stop. You're getting injured more often. You can always talk to me; you don't need to show off." The man frowned slightly and looked to the ground, face still firmly pressed into your palm. "Ace," you started moving your hand from his face, but his hand came up to keep yours in place. You smiled softly at his actions, "Aren't you just precious?" His frown got more profound, and his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. Your own smile grew. You removed your hand from his knee and brought it to the open side of his face, quickly making him look at you again. "You're so cute, Ace. There's no need to be embarrassed." You brought his head down to kiss his forehead, pulling away with a loud 'muah.'
Ace was shocked when you started the intervention; he believed you would turn him down. But here you were, affectionate with him, so much so it made him dizzy. It felt good to receive this kind of affection. He couldn't help the small whimper that left him at the continued kisses you left all over his face. Nor could he stop his hands from tightly grasping your waist. You stopped in your tracks, lips inches from his cheek. Slowly backing up slightly, you went to look at his face.
He looked so cute, so pathetic. His face was flushed, eyes unfocused, and breathing labored. You could help but smile. Looking down slightly, you could spot the prominent tent he was sporting. You looked at his face, "Ace, hon, do you want to do anything else?" You assumed he might want to continue into something much more the kissing, but first, he had to say he wanted it. You started leaving little pecks over his neck and shoulders. He whimpered once more and shook his head up and down rapidly. This wouldn't do. You need to hear him say it. One of your hands which both had moved down to his chest at some point, traveled upwards to gently grasp his chin, forcing his attention on you. He locked eyes with you, "What would you like, Ace?" His gaze shot away momentarily before he groaned and pulled at your waist, hoping to pull you into his lap. He was successful, but you needed something else. You needed words. "Ace, I know you can talk. Why not tell me what you want?" He flopped backward, hands falling to hold your hips; he ground up into you. "Please..." You made a slight humming noise, still patiently waiting. "Please…" Whinner than the last. "Please, what, Ace?" He only ground into you harder than the last time. It felt good, you wouldn't lie, but you were determined to get words out of the man first. "You know what I need to hear, Ace. Can you be a good boy and say it for me?" He moaned at your words and only started grinding upwards more. You quickly moved so you could hold his hips down. "No-no, not until you tell me what you need."
"PLEASE. Need you! Need to feel you!" He looked like he might cry if you continued; how cute, but you'd be merciful. This time, of course. You released your hold on his hips and sat back down right on top of his bulge. His grip tightened, and he released a groan; he could grind into you at will right now. Thoughts of what your tight cunt might feel like filled his mind, making him grind harder. You were tempted to let him continue, but you wanted to feel him inside you as he came. So, you leaned forward to kiss his face, hands placed on his pecs. You pulled away quickly, though, sitting upright once more. "Ace, baby. I thought you wanted to feel me?"
"I do, I do, but- fuck." He was frantic, so you lifted yourself again, battling against his grip. "Wouldn't you rather be in me? Wouldn't you rather feel me around you as you came?" He tried hard to get you to sit again, even if he wanted to be in you. He was whining at this point, absolutely desperate. "You can either cum in your pants or in me. Which would you prefer?" His grip lessened, and he stopped trying to force you down; you could see him look up at you. You smiled down at him, “Good boy, why don’t we get these shorts off, hm?” Ace was quick to scramble to get his buckle undone. He struggled for a few moments but quickly got it. It was the same with his shorts button and zipper. You helped Ace wiggle out of his shorts, which promptly got tossed on the chair you sat on moments ago. Ace’s hands went to start pushing down his boxers, but he stopped suddenly and went stiff. You noticed right away, “What’s wrong?”
“It's nothing.” You raised a brow at his words, “Do you want to stop? We don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.” Ace shot up, so he was sitting now. “NO! No, we can continue. I just-.” His hand went back to his boxers and gripped, tightening around the fabric. He didn’t have to finish what he was saying for you to figure out what was wrong. You went to cup his cheek, gently stroking it. “Hey, it's okay. I would never judge you, especially something like this.” That seemed to relax him enough to continue but not enough to see your reaction. He laid back down and put his arms over his eyes. Leaving you to pull his boxers down, he only helps by lifting his hips. You weren’t sure why he was insecure when you saw his cock whip free. It was pretty, a nice length, and quite thick, but not quite enough to be intimidating. He had to be at least 6 inches. You fully remove his boxers before doing anything else. You kneeled above him, one knee going between his spread thighs. You gathered spit in the palm of your hand before wrapping said hand around the base of Ace’s cock.
His hips jerked slightly at the touch, and he moved his arms to look at you. When he made eye contact with you is when you pumped up and down slightly. He threw his head back in groaned. “Were you worried about your size, hon? Cause this is big.” You then started a slow pace, pumping his cock up and down. Ace was releasing a nice stream of whiny groans. You bent down to kiss Ace’s chest and moved downwards, kissing all the while. When your feet hit the floor, you kneeled; your face was level with his crotch. You kissed his v-line and hesitated for a moment before kissing the tip of his cock. His hips jerked at the sensation, causing you to giggle at his reaction. “So sensitive.” You gave a long lick, base to tip, before wrapping your lips around the tip and sucking gently. Ace’s breathing became labored, and the noises he made came out more freely. After doing this for a bit, you decided to start trying to take him into your mouth. You moved at a pace you were comfortable with. Taking a bit more with each bob up and down. You stopped when you couldn’t comfortably take any more in your mouth. Your hand went to wrap around what you couldn’t fit in your mouth.
Ace’s groans eventually turned into moans, loud and unashamed. His hips were bucking into your mouth, and his hand had wound itself in your hair. You could feel him start to twitch in your mouth, but you continued. Ace’s moans had gotten louder at this point, and he started spewing praises, which mainly consisted of ‘your mouth feels so good.’ You bobbed your head a few more times but pulled away when you heard the cries of Ace saying, “I’m close.” He wasn’t pleased. He damn near yelled out when he felt his length leave the confines of your hot, wet mouth. He tried to push at the back of your head but failed to get you to move even slightly. “Please, I was so close.”
“I know, but I didn’t want you cumming yet.” He whined once more. You stood and began removing your own bottoms, ignoring all his little whines of “Please, I was so close.” You quickly made your way to your nightstand, a bottle of lube waiting for you. You quickly made your way back to where Ace lay. His breathing was still labor, and he had tossed an arm over his eyes once more. It moved when he heard the slight pop from you opening the bottle. You squeezed some into your hand before wrapping said hand around Ace’s dick. Ace’s hips jerked, and he moaned when you moved your hand up and down, spreading the lube over his length. You pulled away and put more on your hand but brought it to your cunt. You were quick with spreading it over your lips, slightly penetrating yourself. Once you felt prepared, even if it was rushed, you kneeled over Ace. Knees placed next to his hips, hand on his chest as you leaned forward. You wrapped your hand around him and began your descent.
It felt wonderful to have him inside your gummy walls, his dick stretching you deliciously. The length would take some time to get used to, but it was still quite pleasurable. Ace’s hands had flown to your hips, gripping harshly. He was trying hard not to move, figuring you needed some time to adjust because of the way you hadn’t moved. It was hard, but he was doing good. Both of your hands were firm on his pecs, putting pressure to keep yourself stable as you raised your hips. All before slamming them back down. Ace’s hips thrusted up into you, eyes shut tightly as he moaned loudly. You began a steady bounce; Ace’s hands had moved to your ass, helping you bounce. It felt so good; he reached far into you. It was uncomfortable the first few bounces, especially the first harsh one, but it faded. Leaving you consumed by pleasure. And it seemed Ace was too.
He had moved his legs, one bent and on the chaise, the other touching the floor. This was to help him meet your bounces. He was so desperate for release after being denied by you. He needed it so bad, but he want you to cum as well. One hand left your ass and moved to your sex. It took him a moment, but he did find your little ‘button’; your clit. He started rubbing tight circles into it. Your own quiet moans had gotten louder, not as loud as Ace’s have been, but still noticeable to anyone who might walk past the room. Your hands had left Ace’s chest in favor of taking over the tight circles being drawn on your clit. When you shooed Ace's hand, It went back to your ass, squeezing it. Every bounce felt even better now, heavenly almost. The new angle of you being upright had Ace’s cock hitting your sweet spot just right. Every bounce brought you closer and closer now, same with the circles you drew on your clit.
Ace was close, too, but he was trying his hardest to hold out. Purely out of want for you to cum first. His upward thrusting became more erratic, taking over the pace you had set. Your moans had reached their peak, being the same volume as Ace’s. He could feel you tighten around him, influencing him to work harder. He began pounding into you from below. You were so close, just a bit more; just a few thrusts, and you reached that oh-so-needed climax. “I’m so close; you feel so good. Filling me so nicely.” The knot in your stomach had formed a while ago, but it was so tight, ready to snap at any moment. The same thing was going on with Ace; he wanted to release so badly but was determined to last longer than you.
And he was successful. That ‘knot’ in your belly had finally snapped, filling you with a euphoric feeling. Your fingers stopped their movements, and your hips stuttered, jerking as waves of pleasure fell over you. Ace came not soon after; the vice grip around him practically milked the orgasm out of him. His hips stuttered upwards, grinding ever so slightly upwards. Thanks to his previously denied orgasm, this one felt heavenly. His mind went fuzzy, and his body relaxed after a few moments. His breathing was still labored, as was yours. Chest heaving with each breath. You got control of your breathing before Ace and rise. As nice as he felt, you needed to get cleaned up. So you stumbled from the chair and to your bathroom.
You grabbed a washcloth for yourself, quickly taking care of the mess that spilled down your thighs. Another washcloth was grabbed to clean up Ace, whose breathing had relaxed at this point. When you went to wipe him down, he tried pushing your hand away, clearly too sensitive. “Hey, I’m almost done, and then you can relax, okay?” He didn’t try to push your hand away again, taking the slight stimulation so he could get cleaned off. You kissed his forehead before walking off again to throw the used towels in your laundry basket. You grabbed your discarded clothing and redressed before helping Ace back into his boxers. “Come on; my bed is way better than this old lounge chair. You can nap there.” Ace begrudgingly got up, stumbling to the bed with your help. He quickly got under the covers, wrapping himself in the soft sheets. “
“Hey, I’m going to get you some water. Do you want anything to eat, too?” Ace sleepily nodded his head. You smiled and kissed his forehead before leaving the room, shutting the lights off as you left. It was night, and despite how loud you and Ace were, you still naively believed no one would be up at this hour. You hadn’t even made it halfway down the hall when someone cleared their throat. You didn’t dare look up, not wanting to see the face of whoever was about to tease you.
“Thought you were just going to talk to him.”
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@h3rfave
@euphofic
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hyuckmov · 1 year
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haechan — if i believe you  
haechan x fem!reader 10.6k, angst & fluff, fake dating to real a/n: thank you all for waiting...this is the longest thing i've ever written :) i really hope that you can enjoy this and the emotions and everything are immersive and not too annoying with the miscommunication/repression i hope. these two are my favorite ever, quiet haechan is my favorite ever and i would love to revisit them maybe in a later fic. anyway, let me know if you like this!! thank you for reading <3 it’s a little difficult to be around your friend group when they’re all like this.
it’s a little past midnight, and you don’t know how it happened but the room has been split into happy pairs, all in their own world. movie on the tv forgotten, jaemin has his arm slung around a girl as they whisper to each other on the floor next to the couch, which is taken up by jeno — currently very endearingly laughing at something his girlfriend said. renjun was arguing with his girlfriend, but you know that neither of them truly meant it. you don’t know how it happened, but it seemed that this year, the trip to jaemin’s beach house had turned into a triple date for which you were seriously 7th wheeling. the sight makes your heart hurt a little, because you suddenly feel so crushingly lonely. 
“still here?” 
you almost forgot that haechan was here too. almost. 
sliding in to sit next to you on the kitchen island, he was dressed cozily for bed: his hoodie rolled up to his elbows, smelling slightly of toothpaste and fabric softener. you didn’t actually talk to haechan that much, you were always closer with jaemin in the friend group, but sometimes when eating together he’d catch your eye after a particularly terrible joke, or you would raise your eyebrows at him for something questionable said. you had almost developed an entirely non-verbal form of communication in that way, the two of you sharing your humor, and yet you didn’t actually know a whole lot about each other. a part of you thinks that you know a different haechan from everyone else, because in all the looks you pass each other and the comfortable silence you share, the haechan you know is quiet and sensitive, with a world of kindness in him that made you feel calm. and although you know he can be obnoxious and loud, his laughter echoing down corridors and smile brighter than the sun, you much preferred the haechan you knew. 
you also thought he was the prettiest boy you’d seen in a long while — something casual about the way he would smile, or wink at people, and his habit of poking his tongue in his cheek…but you weren’t going to tell him that. 
“yeah, still here.” you exhale. “when did you make your escape?” 
“about 30 minutes ago.” he smiled fondly at the happy couples in the room. “it’s a bit funny how the room just rearranged itself. i could’ve sworn jaemin was beside me at the dinner table the entire night but somewhere along the way he dematerialised and reappeared next to the sofa.” 
“love can do that to a person.” you rolled your eyes, before pausing to consider that maybe haechan was not quite in the same predicament as you. “hey, speaking of, why didn’t you bring your girlfriend?” 
because you were sure that haechan had a girlfriend, who he would sometimes leave gatherings early to see. you vaguely remembered renjun complaining about how he always had to walk her to class, never showing up to gatherings anymore because of some surprise or another. 
haechan blinks at you. “don’t have one anymore. we broke up quite a few months ago.” at the guilt-striken look on your face, he shakes his head to reassure you. 
“i’m over it,” he says softly. “don’t worry about me, okay?”
you can’t imagine anyone breaking up with haechan — haechan who was so gentle. with his radiant smile and his arms full of flowers whenever he surprised her. haechan who walked her to her classes. 
“i’m sorry to hear that. you deserved better i’m sure.” 
he smiles, and it looks kind of shy. “if you say so.” 
“hey y/n-” you look up at jaemin’s voice, and realize that somehow, the room had emptied out while you were talking to haechan. the only person left was jaemin, who had just finished clearing the bottles and snack wrappers. “we’re going to bed, i’m going to turn out the lights now.” 
“okay, thanks jaem.” 
he made to leave, but stopped abruptly. “ y/n, remember-” jaemin looked at you sternly, one hand on the light switch, one pointed at you. 
“repeat after me: do not trust how you feel about your entire life past 9pm.” a pause, as he glances at the clock on the wall. “or 1am, for that matter.” 
you laugh. “thanks jaem.” 
“repeat it”, he insists. 
“do not trust how i feel about my life past 1am.” 
“good.” jaemin nods in acknowledgement to haechan, flicks the light switch, and just like that, haechan and you sit alone at the kitchen island, illuminated by the moonlight through the glass doors.
suddenly, it is so quiet you feel like you want to sit in the moment forever. 
you look over at him, and haechan raises his eyebrows. it is a look you know well. care to explain?
“sometimes i get really emotional at night”, you explain. “tend to overthink. jaemin knows that because i’m always calling him talking about one thing or the other.” thinking about how embarrassing it would be if you started oversharing, you quickly promise, “but i’m working on it, don’t worry. i won’t do that to you.” 
haechan smiles. “i don’t mind.” he blinks at you and supports his chin with his hands. “we have all night. tell me what’s on your mind right now.” 
“really?” you look skeptical. once again, you and haechan haven’t really talked that much at all. you think this is maybe the longest conversation you’ve had with him, with so many words. 
“it’s okay if you don’t want to. but i’m just saying, i wouldn’t mind.” he smiles, and it warms your heart. 
asking you softly if you would like something to drink, he gets up to make hot chocolate for the two of you. and you’re sitting there, not even trying, but suddenly the moonlight and the soft sounds of haechan padding around the kitchen are setting off a feeling of butterflies making their way to your throat from your stomach. there are shivers running up and down your spine because there is something tender and fragile in this moment that you can’t pinpoint, and a deep feeling begins to crawl its way, spreading through your toes and fingertips. all you know is it’s the feeling you get before you’re about to spill your heart out to someone. 
“haechan?” 
he hums, and the sound could break your heart. 
“do you ever feel lonely sometimes?” 
you hear the smile in his voice without having to turn around to look at him — its the one that starts at the corners and spreads slowly across his face. “so this is what keeps you up at night.” 
“i’m serious, haechan.” running your hands through your hair, you are aware that you are beginning to sound like a rom-com protagonist, but you don’t care. 
“sorry.” you hear the clink of teaspoons against cups as he stirs the hot chocolate. “i mean, i guess i do feel a little lonely sometimes. but it’s not…an all-consuming thought.” a pause. “i guess it is, for you though, isn’t it?” 
you hesitate, before nodding because fuck it, this has been on your mind for way too long and jaemin was rarely helpful. always with his arm slung over another girl, you had a hard time getting jaemin to admit he got lonely sometimes. 
choosing your words carefully, you continue your spiel. “it’s just…it’s insane to me how we are told that life is so romantic, that there are so many wonderful moments in love we can look forward to, but none of that is happening to me and it doesn’t seem like it will be happening any time soon.” 
haechan comes over to you, and passes you a mug of hot chocolate. soothingly, he places a hand on yours where it rests on the counter. “you have to wait y/n. i promise, one day you’ll find someone who loves you, and all the things you’re dreaming about will happen.” 
“you can’t know that for sure,” you press. “i mean, when will someone write a love letter to me? will we kiss in the rain in the park? will they run to see me at a new year’s eve party?” 
“woah woah woah, slow down.” he nudges your mug with his, indicating that you should drink, so you take a sip of chocolate: it’s rich and warm. 
“i’m sorry. it’s just over the years things just keep getting added to this list of love, and now that i look at it it just seems ever the more impossible.” 
“love isn’t defined by actions and experiences,” haechan muses. 
“but i want to experience these things,” you say, feeling a little shy at how raw this conversation was getting.  
haechan smiles at that, at the yearning hidden in your small voice. the two of you sit for a while, nursing your cups of chocolate, lost in your own thoughts. enjoying the warmth of his hand on yours, you look at the glimmering countertop and choose not to say anything so he doesn’t move his hand away. 
and suddenly, out of the blue, haechan asks you a question. 
“just out of curiosity, what are some things on your list?” 
feeling a little embarrassed, because really — sharing your romantic fantasies with someone was beyond intimate, you mumble, “just simple things. going to the aquarium. being a couple at the amusement park, on the ferris wheel. watching fireworks together. cuddling while watching movies in my bedroom.” 
haechan thinks about it for a moment. you can almost see the wheels turning in his head. you sit in silence for so long, you’re about to ask him what he’s thinking about, or tell him it’s not that serious, when he speaks up.
“i’ll do them with you.” 
you almost choke. “i’m sorry?” 
“i’ll help you complete your list.” he looks at you, as if it’s a completely normal thing he’s just said. 
“but…but i mean…” you blink confusedly. you were supposed to do those things with a boyfriend or someone you loved, not just as friends. that would defeat the whole purpose. 
reading your mind, haechan added “it’ll just be like fake dating. i’ll pretend to be your boyfriend so you can experience all that you want to.” 
you’re beginning to see a little bit of the haechan that you don’t usually get to see, as he grins at you and there’s suddenly something sharp to the smile you always found gentle. “the full, personalised, boyfriend experience. just so you can have a go.” 
you laugh, but that’s just a cover for all the questions running through your head. “i-i don’t know,” you stammer. “does it even count if it’s fake?” 
“you’re the one making the rules.” tilting his head to the side, his eyes glimmer almost teasingly. 
“but what are you suggesting? what do you have in mind?” 
“well…” haechan hums as he thinks about it. “i could do everything with you on the list, as your fake boyfriend. in the timeframe that we’re going about carrying out this activity i’ll be fully and completely your boyfriend, yours to hug and kiss and hold hands with, until it’s over. then we can go back to being…” he smiles at you, hesitantly. “friends? does that work?” 
this haechan makes your palms sweaty, and makes your breath catch. this haechan makes you feel jumpy, and nervous, and impulsive. you think you’d do anything he asked in that moment. 
“okay.” you say slowly, and he smiles wide. “wait no.” you hesitate. “wait, fuck it, yes. let’s do it.” 
he laughs. “are you sure?” 
“wait.” his body heat is radiating off his skin as all his attention is focused on you. lips still pressed into a smile, his eyes bright and far too mesmerizing in the dim moonlight. and you can’t help but wonder then, “what if we catch feelings?” 
tilting his head to the side in consideration, he leans in close, one arm reaching out to cage you in. the two of you are nose to nose. you can count his every eyelash, see the constellation of moles scattered across his face and neck. his breath so close to your own, that your eyes can’t help but flutter shut.
“then that’s the best part.” he whispers.
you try not to think about how you felt when haechan leaned in, or the way the circles he traced into the back of your hand were still burning. you couldn’t help looking for the smell of his perfume on your clothes.
you’re way too easy, y/n. this is only the first real conversation you’ve had with him. 
you’re about to turn off the lights and call it a night, hoping to some power above that you’re able to reign in your emotions come morning, when there’s a light tap at your door. 
“y/n? are you there?” 
it’s him. you spend about 5 seconds debating whether or not to pretend you’ve already fallen asleep, but curiosity eventually wins you over. crossing over to the door, you place a hand on the doorknob. 
“haechan?” 
you can hear him shift from behind the door, pushing it so it keeps shut. “y/n, wait, don’t open the door. i just want to tell you something.” 
slowly, you remove your hand from the doorknob and the latch clicks back, shut.
 “okay…” 
he’s breathing softly, and in the quiet you can hear it as if he were in the room with you. “y/n, i’m sorry i sprung the idea on you just now. you can forget i said anything if it made you uncomfortable.” he shifts his weight from foot to foot, nervously. “especially the part about catching feelings.” 
“it’s fine,” you say softly, but there’s a little disappointment stinging at you. does he regret it? 
“but also, if you’d like, i would really love to do all those things with you,” the words come out in a rush, as if he’s trying to be brave. “as fake lovers. without feelings attached.” 
you don’t know what to say, and you can tell that for each second you stay silent, haechan is growing less and less confident behind the door. you run things through in your head quickly. this plan meant that you were able to jump headlong into romantic experiences you’ve dreamt of for what felt like your whole life, without the potential of them being ruined by a bad date, or waiting for years more to find the right one. and most of all, you trusted haechan with this.
haechan is leaning against the opposite wall, looking at the floorboards, but his head shoots up when you open the door. 
taking a deep breath, you look him in the eyes. “let’s do it.” 
“really?” shocked, he reaches for you — maybe to wrap you in his arms for a hug, but drops them, remembering what he had said about making you feel uncomfortable. putting his hands behind his back to resist the urge to swing you into the air, his expression of surprise melts into a huge smile. one that makes you laugh. 
“you’re more excited about this than me,” you tease, and because you just can’t help it, you step forward and give him a quick hug. “thanks for doing this with me.” 
instantly, his arms loop around your waist, squeezing tightly. “thank you for trusting me.” 
the butterflies in your stomach, however, tell you that you were maybe being a bit too trusting. without feelings attached. because would that really be possible with him, who’s currently making your heart race and your breath catch? 
x
it was a week since the beach house. and while the opening of summer felt optimistic and hopeful, now everyone had to wander back to their lives and figure out exactly what they were going to do for the next three months. jeno and renjun had an ongoing bet that jaemin would be fired from his summer job within the week. and jaemin had a bet with you that jeno and renjun wouldn’t find themselves a job that entire summer.
but you knew exactly what you were going to do for the season. and it all started with getting in the passenger seat of haechan’s car as he took you to a waffles place for breakfast. 
“hey.” 
“hi.” he flashes a quick smile at you. “you look nice today.” 
“really?” you adjust the collar of your shirt self-consciously, checking on your hair through the rearview mirror. 
“no, i lied.” he laughs, and the sound is all too fitting for the morning sunshine that flits in through the windows. “yes, i mean it. i like your shirt.”
“my shirt?” 
“just take the compliment.” 
you can’t help a smile of your own. “okay. i will.”
for a while, he drives in silence. it’s a peaceful sense of calm that you think you’ll come to enjoy. there’s a lot of comfort in just sitting next to haechan, watching his hands move on the wheel, his careful eyes scanning the road.
“so, y/n, i took a look at your list,” he starts. 
you had texted him a small list of the things you were thinking about doing. the classic dinner and a movie. going to the amusement park. sharing a kiss while watching fireworks. 
feeling a little shy all of a sudden in his car, you nod. “is it a bit much?”
“not at all,” he says quickly. “i was just wondering how you’ve never done some of those things before. i would’ve thought going to the amusement park was entry level honeymoon phase stuff.” 
you nod approvingly. “it’s sweet that you think so.” 
“didn’t you use to have a boyfriend?” 
“i did,” you muse. “i dated mark a while ago.” 
“our senior?” 
“yeah.” looking out the window at the cars passing by, you think back to your time with mark. “he was always nice to me. but we never really went out and did things. we broke up because i was someone who loved romance, and he wasn’t.” 
 “i see.” haechan hesitates. there was something about the way you talked about mark that unsettled him, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “do you think you could get back together with him?” 
“trying to pass me off onto someone else already?” you don’t pick up on the shift in haechan’s tone, and mistake it for genuine curiosity. “i guess i could. maybe after these years apart he wants something romantic too.” 
although the morning was warm, haechan felt a sense of cold sweep through him. he tries to brush it off. “well, thank your lucky stars you have me now” 
looking over at him, his hair falling slightly over his eyes, the troubled crease of his brow, your thoughts of mark immediately clear. “thank you,” you say, a little too emotionally for the early morning and this car ride. 
he looks over at you, and his chest eases up at the warmth in your eyes. “don’t mention it,” he says, and smiling at you is the easiest thing in the world.
x
the line for popcorn at the movies had stopped moving. fidgeting from the cold of the cinema, you wrap your arms around yourself as haechan stands by you, scrolling on his phone for a deal that he saw for a discounted drink combo. one arm slung casually over your shoulders, you lean into his touch just a little. 
today he was helping you out by taking you for a date. specifically, the classic dinner and a movie idea that has been long since rendered obsolete, but you had never had a chance to do. standing in line, his fingertips brushing your shoulder, you recall how he had showed up 5 minutes early outside your apartment, holding a small bouquet of flowers, and doing the thing where he flicked his fingers to splay out the two movie tickets he had ordered early on. the two of you had dinner at a nice italian restaurant, and he had offered to pay but you insisted, since you were technically making him do all of this. 
“are you cold?” drawing you out of your thoughts, you turn to see haechan, concern causing his eyebrows to furrow and his heart-shaped lips to form a slight pout. “why didn’t you bring a jacket? you knew we were going to watch a movie.” 
the line moves forward by a fraction of an inch, and you take a step forward, haechan now standing slightly behind you. “i completely forgot,” you whined. “i just haven’t watched a movie at the cinema in a while.” 
haechan bites back a smile, and slots his phone into his back pocket. the arm that is slung over your shoulder drops to your waist, while his other comes to circle around you from behind, and before you know it he’s pressed up against your back. you can feel the heat of his skin even with the thick hoodie he’s wearing over. dropping his head onto your shoulder, you feel him smile against your neck. “there,” he whispers. “now you won’t be cold anymore.” 
trying to steady your nerves, you stare resolutely ahead. “couldn’t have just given me your jacket like a normal person?” 
he shakes his head cutely, his soft hair tickling your jaw. “nope.” 
you make sure your voice stays resolutely calm. “then what will we do during the movie? you’ll be sitting next to me.” 
the line moves forward and haechan straightens, but his arms never leave your side. “guess you’ll have to hold on tight.”
and so you do. he ends up draping the hoodie over you during the movie, and he clings onto your arm, head resting on your shoulder. you hold on after the movie when he drops you off at home, grabbing onto his arm to steady yourself getting out of his car.
you hold on when he takes you for the next date at the amusement park; and when he tilts your chin upwards to press a kiss at the corner of your lips, your top-of-the-ferris-wheel moment,  you squeeze his hands in yours and move so your lips slot against his. you tell him with your smile that it’s alright. 
you hold on to him through your dates to the local aquarium, and to the beach. you let him pull you close as he drags you around the mall window-shopping, and as he guides you through clubs and restaurants. 
and if some part of you gets scared that it might be getting too real, if some part of you feels a little hurt whenever he brings up the list or when he removes your hand from his, you ignore it as best you can. 
x
“thanks for inviting me to this event,” you whisper, as you step into the doorway of the mansion, which really looks like a castle from the level of grandeur that meets your eyes. a man steps forward to take your coat, and you feel giddy. 
“nah, sorry for stealing you away on some random summer night.” haechan smiles, and you feel a tug in your heart. in his suit, he looks like he belongs here with all this finery, the slopes of his shoulders and the slight cinch of the waist looking elegant under the chandeliers, the rings scattered on his hands catching the light in pretty ways. “besides, it’s all part of the experience, isn’t it?” 
right. kissing and fireworks. trying to disguise the squeezing feeling in your chest, you smile back. “why do you keep bringing that up?” 
“do you not want me to?” there’s something careful about the way he looks at you. 
“i don’t.” you say, quietly. 
“then i won’t.” he extends an arm for you to take. “tonight you’ll just be my date.” and with your heart thundering up your throat, he steers you into the warmth of the room.
you spend most of the night in the same giddy spiral of emotions, as he twirls you on the dance floor expertly, and winces dramatically when you step on his toes. your hands never leave each others’ grasps, as you stand around tables eating finger-food and drinking champagne. as the party went on, he introduced you through holding up your clasped palms to each of his parent’s friends, earning a lot of cooing and fussing about. 
“haechan, how well you’ve grown up!” 
“is this your girlfriend? haechan is so lucky to be with such a beautiful girl like you.” 
“haechan! come say hello to the kids, they miss you!” 
“this won’t take long,” he mumbles sadly to you, as an aunt of his insists he meet his cousins upstairs. “i’ll meet you at the bar, okay?” 
“okay,” you smile, inwardly dying at the idea of haechan interacting with kids. as if he couldn’t get infinitely cuter. “have fun!” 
“don’t let someone steal my date away,” he warns, as he’s pulled away. “i mean it – you’re mine tonight.” 
you’re mine. you feel like you’re floating on a cloud as you make your way to the bar, you’re sure you’re at least swaying on your feet. 
“woah.” a hand reaches out to steady you, helping you settle into a seat. “too much champagne?” 
you gape at the man who’s sitting next to you now. “mark?” 
fidgeting with the collar of his suit and looking very uncomfortable, he nods in greeting. “didn’t know you were coming to this thing.” 
you look at him. he had gotten a haircut recently. but besides that in terms of appearance, he looked just as he did when the two of you were together, except for the fact that something about his demeanor was off. he looked tired, and there was something weary about his posture that hadn’t been there before. 
“i was invited,” you tell him. “how are you here?” 
“one of the ladies there is my aunt.” he pauses. “you’ve never met her. are you enjoying yourself?”
you think back to haechan’s smile as he sways underneath the lights, holding your hips. before you know it, you’re smiling too. “it’s a nice night. this place is really beautiful.” 
mark studies you for a moment.  “how have you been?” 
“i’ve been alright.” you figure since there aren’t any hard feelings, you don’t have to make anything up as you would for an ex you were bitter over. mark was still a nice person, and he had been good to you in the right ways. 
“it’s summer, so i’ve been going out more i guess. how about you?”
“i’ve been alright.” he downs his glass of white wine and signals for another one in a fluid motion, and you raise your eyebrows. shaking his head, he changes his answer. 
“okay, things could be better.” 
“why?” 
“just been feeling a little lonely.” 
you are so taken aback, that you let out a laugh. he looks at you, affronted, and somehow the furrow of his eyebrows makes you laugh even harder. 
“i’m sorry,” you calm yourself down. “i wasn’t laughing at you, not really. it’s just…” you take a sip of your own drink. “i was in the exact same situation say a few months ago.” at his bewildered expression, you gesture. “please continue, though.”
mark shrugs and goes along with it. “i guess i was just realizing that i wasn’t as happy as i could be. there were times where i would be – i don’t know, having dinner, and i’d just think ‘damn. really wish i had someone with me right now.’ you know?” 
“i do know.” you nod. “it’s crazy we’re experiencing the same thing, after, you know, so many years.” 
“yeah.” he looks at you carefully. “crazy.” 
“hey baby.” 
a hand slides possessively around your waist, and you jump. the next thing you know, a pair of lips are kissing their way down your neck, as another hand snakes its way around you until you are fully in their embrace. craning your head up, you already know who you’re going to see.
“hi haechan,” you say breathlessly. 
“sorry for leaving you for so long,” he murmurs, intermittently, as he continues to plant wet kisses on your neck. “the kids were going crazy.” 
feeling like you were about to burn up into a crumble of ashes, you splutter out, “we have company.” 
pulling away from you, haechan turns and stares at mark, coldly. “sorry, i didn’t notice.” his hand still draped over you, you can almost hear the forced normalcy in his voice when he asks, “and you are…?” 
“mark,” mark supplies, awkwardly fidgeting with the coaster under his glass. 
looking up at him, you see a flash of something race through haechan’s eyes, as he tightens his hold on you. “mark. well, hello, and goodbye.” 
he pulls you to your feet, and you set down your drink hurriedly and latch onto his arm. “say goodbye to mark, sweetheart.” 
“bye mark. things will get better, i’m sure of it,” you say, still left breathless by the turn of events. 
raising his eyebrows, he turns back to the bar. “see you around y/n.” 
“i don’t think so,” haechan chirps brightly, before tugging you away and past the throes of people, down a narrow hallway that was deserted. 
“haechan, what are you doing?” 
even in the dim lit of the hall, you can see his glower. “what were you talking to mark about?” 
“i don’t know…” you shake your head, still a bit lost. “just about life, i guess.” 
“did he ask to get back together with you?” he blurts out, suddenly. 
“what? no!” you splutter. 
“i heard him say he was lonely. who the fuck says that to their ex unless they want to get back together?” 
you take the hard look in his eyes. hesitantly, you call out. “haechan?” 
he huffs. 
“he didn’t want to get back together, i promise.” he looks at you, warily. “and even if he did, i wouldn’t want to get back together with him.” 
it is almost laughable how quickly his expression clears. 
“you wouldn’t?” 
“i wouldn’t,” you confirm. “i told you, i’m completely over it.” 
“okay,” he sighs, in something that sounds like relief. and before you could even register it, he pulls you into a hug, crushing you against him. “sorry, i guess i got nervous.” 
“that’s alright,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around him firmly, feeling his heartbeat against your ears, and you smile when you realise it’s racing. 
“hey it’s almost midnight,” he dips down to whisper into your hear. “do you want to go to the balcony to watch the fireworks?” as you nod, he leads you gently away from the corridor and through a set of glass doors, stepping out onto a beautiful balcony. the night air smells like honey and roses, and the sky is clear and bright with moonlight.  
you feel a tug at your fingertips, and you look to your side to find him smiling as he looks up. 
“what are you smiling about?” 
he hums. “i’m smiling about the fact that my date is the prettiest girl at the party.” 
you pretend to wrinkle your nose, and use your free hand to hit him on the shoulder. “corny.” 
“you love it.” 
and because it’s been weeks, and haechan is slowly making a home in your heart, you decide you need to at least start acknowledging the honest truth of the matter, so you don’t say anything. 
as the night sky fills with fireworks and the people inside the party cheer, he turns to hold your face in his hands, the tenderness and warmth in his eyes unparalleled by the lights in the sky. 
you tilt your face up to kiss him, and as his arms fall to your waist, with a jolt you remember his voice at the bar. hey baby. the term of endearment swirls in your chest, and makes you drape your arms around his shoulders and pull him just a little closer. the two of you don’t break apart for what feels like hours, as you lose yourself in the feeling of his soft lips on yours, the brush of your noses, and the slight tremble of his fingertips on your cheeks. it feels and tastes as real as you have ever known. 
x
except it’s not real. and you can’t ignore it. so you avoid it. 
keeping busy and finally diving into all the things you wanted to do for the summer was your only way of telling haechan you couldn’t make it for the next ‘date’, or the next. you can tell he’s a little confused, but since the whole thing was your idea, he’s trying his best to respect whatever pace you’re deciding to go with. you push it all away, and you try to live life without thinking of him and his hands, the way he closes his eyes in bliss when the sunlight makes his skin glow, the way his hair looks after he tugs his hoodie off, and the feel of his lips when he presses his face into the crook of your neck when he thinks you’re not paying attention. 
it’s late. you think you’ve definitely just had the longest day you’ve had all summer, running errands all around the city. all you wanted to do was lie in bed and put on a show that you could fall asleep to. lazily changing into your favorite pajamas, you set up your laptop on your bed, and you’re just about to press play when your phone screen lit up the dark room. 
jaem: wru
one of jaemin’s summer house parties must’ve been today. you were so tired that you forgot. 
y/n: too tired :( i don’t think i’ll go sorry
jaem: haechan needs you
you’re sure your heart actually stops beating for a second. haechan needs you. and just like that, your imagination kicks into overdrive, wondering what he could possibly need you for. 
holding your breath, you watch the three dots on your screen indicating jaemin typing for what seems like ages before your phone buzzes again. 
jaem: super hammered needs u to drive him home lol sry my bad that sounded weird
you let out a sigh of relief, but you can’t shake the adrenaline that rushed into you when you first saw the message.
y/n: can’t you let him crash at your place 
jaem: he won’t stop ASKING for u it’s driving everyone crazy 
a voice message comes through. he plays it, and it’s someone breathing really heavily. you’re beginning to wonder if jaemin sent this on accident, when haechan’s voice, low and husky from the alcohol, murmurs through the phone. 
“y/n can you hear me? i wanna….wanna see you… please…i’ll do anything…” 
“YOU’RE NOT BEING KIDNAPPED,” jaemin’s voice rings out, his words a little slurred but doing nothing to conceal the impatience in his tone. “GET A GRIP MAN.” 
“PLEAAAAASE”, he raises his voice in an impressive whine, and you wince in second-hand embarrassment because you’re sure the entire living room must have heard that. “I MISS YOU.” 
the voice message ends.
jaem: what a loser but yeah you get the gist of it
y/n: okay i’m on the way. can you get him on the phone? 
jaem: do it yourself
x
on the drive there, you do call haechan. 
he picks up halfway through the first ring of the phone. “y/n?”
“hi haechan. i’m on the way.” 
“don’t lie to me,” he mumbles. “honk your car horn.” 
“i’m not going to do that!,” you hiss, as if he were right here with you. “there are cars around.” 
“liar,” he breathes. there’s a pause, and when you next speak you’re startled to hear his voice wobble. “liar. you’re not coming to get m-” 
you slam your palm into your car horn, feeling your cheeks burn. 
on the other end, he sniffles, and you presume he’s nodding at you. “okay. stay safe.” 
“i will.” you hesitate. “is everything okay? did something happen at the party? are you hurt?”
he sighs over the phone. “everything is not okay,” he sniffles again, “because you’re not here.” 
you swallow hard. you want to take a hand off the wheel and slap yourself, because you need to remember that he’s not himself right now, and he might regret this all in the morning. you calm yourself down before responding as lightly as you can. “haechan i’ll be there any minute now, okay? but you have to tell me if something happened and if you want to talk about it.” 
he breathes heavily into the receiver. eventually, he mumbles out, “nothing happened.” shuffling, a pause, and then… “just miss you that’s all. i want to do more…more experience-y stuff with you.” more to himself than to you, he rambles on. “we’re falling behind you know. how are we going to finish this by the end of summer?” 
a shot of pain twists at your guts, and you feel nauseous. so he really just wants to get all of this over and done with. you want to stop the car so you can throw up. you want to turn it back around. you’re suddenly regretting dropping everything just because he wanted to see you, because if this was why… 
you keep driving on autopilot. the call has gone silent, but you can hear haechan breathing on the other end, and it’s driving you mad. you have no right to yell at him, but you almost do. 
when you pull up at jaemin’s driveway, you clear your throat. your voice controlled, you say, “i’m here now. you want me to come in and get you?” 
“okay. i’m in the 1st floor bathroom.” 
x
the front door swings open, and you’re met with jaemin. at first, you think he’s going to tell you off for taking so long, but something in your face causes the words to die in his throat. 
“y/n?” he asks. “are you okay?” 
and before you know it, you’re wrapped in his arms in a hug and you’re bawling like you hadn’t for months. the built up pressure of avoiding haechan, of having to get into character as his girlfriend and having to get out of character just as often, and all your confusion at your feelings leave you sobbing and you just can’t stop. jaemin’s running his hands down your back and making soft, soothing noises. 
you realise that you just really, really, missed your best friend. 
“i’m s-sorry,” you choke out. “i haven’t come round to see you ever since the start of s-summer.” 
“it’s okay,” he shakes his head, and leans back to look at you, wiping tears off your face gently. “we’ve both been busy.” 
but you shake your head. “i really need to talk to you. i need your opinion in my life.” 
he laughs at that. “i never thought i’d hear you say that.” 
you just go back to hugging him as you slowly calm down, and the constricting feeling in your chest eases. but after a moment, your phone buzzes in your pocket, and when you check it you see that haechan has spammed your text messages with a bunch of ‘?????????’ and sad faces. 
jaemin, ever the nosiest person in the room, is looking at your phone with a frown. “you never told me you started dating haechan, by the way.” 
ignoring the twist in your stomach, you shake your head. “that’s because i’m not.” jaemin raises his eyebrows, and you elaborate. “we’re just doing coupley things. for the experience.” 
narrowing his eyes because he knows you way too well, jaemin asks, “was this something you decided in the middle of the night? it’s sounding very classic middle-of-the-night-y/n ….” but at the look of frustration on your face, he immediately drops it. “okay, okay. not now. i get it.” 
“y/n? are you here?”
you still, as haechan shuffles into view. he squints, until he confirms that it’s you, and suddenly he’s rushing towards you giddily and unsteadily, his socked feet slipping and sliding on the floor of the hallway until hes collapsed in your arms. 
and there it is: his damn face in your neck again.
“wondered where you were, angel” you feel his hot breath against the base of your neck, and shivers shoot down your spine. “can i call you that? is it allowed?” 
exchanging glances with you, seeing how this was slowly making you go insane, jaemin reaches out hesitantly to pry him off of you. “haechan, maybe it’s best if you stay at my place tonight-” 
but haechan is quick to shrug him off, and with an agility that he shouldn’t be capable of in his state he pivots behind you and clings onto your back. his face once again buried in your neck. 
“don’t wanna,” he shakes his head vigorously. “wanna stay with y/n.” 
“y/n doesn’t want to stay with you,” jaemin starts forward again, making eye contact with you as he confirms, “right, y/n?” 
haechan spins you around in his hold, with the most wounded expression you’ve ever seen from him, or anyone for that matter. his eyes filling with tears, his cheeks flushed and his lip wobbling in an alarming way, he chokes out, “you d-don’t want…to s-stay…with me?” 
“i do, i do.” you assure him, trying to soothe him by drawing circles on his back with your thumb as he bites back sobs. over haechan’s back, you can see jaemin sigh defeatedly. “what am i supposed to do, he’s about to cry!” you hiss at him.
“he can cry on cue,” jaemin mouths. 
pause. what?
you look back at haechan’s face, but every expression seems to be genuine: his bottom lip caught between his teeth and the tears shimmering in his lashes, his hands — which he barely seems to be aware of — caressing your sides nervously, as if afraid you were going to disappear into thin air. 
“haechan,” you start. “are you lying to me?” 
x
but that was the wrong thing to say. the better part of the next hour was spent trying to console a weeping and sobbing haechan on his knees, who would not stop clutching your waist and biting jaemin when he tried to pry him off of you. and then it was guiding him to your car, and another round of consoling as you assured him that no, you weren’t going to disappear as you were driving, and no, you could not drive one-handed so you could not hold his hand the entire way, but yes, he could put his hand on your thigh if he promised he wouldn’t do anything else. 
you end up reaching, and then driving away from haechan’s apartment, because he would not leave the car without you and you figured that you might as well get a good night’s sleep at your own home. and somehow, you end up digging out some of mark’s old clothes out from the back of your closet for him to wear. and now, you’re standing between his legs, brushing his teeth for him while he looks at you adoringly. 
he mumbles something intelligible, his mouth full of toothpaste foam, and you shake your head tiredly at him. 
“nuh-uh. rinse your mouth out first.” 
you hold the spare mug up to his mouth and his lips wrap around the rim of it obediently. turning to spit in the sink, he swivels back to face you, his arms never leaving your side. 
“i’m sorry.” he says, quietly. 
“it’s okay. i know you’d do the same for me,” you say, patiently, because it’s true. if you were drunk, haechan would definitely drop everything to make sure you were safe. 
that you were sure of, because that was just the kind of person he was. 
“no,” he tugs his bottom lip with his teeth again, looking nervous. “it’s not about that.” his arms remove themself from your waist and he wraps them around himself instead. all of a sudden, you’ve never felt colder. 
“what do you mean?” 
he doesn’t look at you in the eye when he answers. “sorry for bringing up our deal. that’s not why i miss you.” 
you think you could cry. “really?” he nods, but his eyes are still on the floor. “haechan…” you press. “look at me.” 
he looks up. he looks so pretty right there, his heart-shaped lips and moles scattered haphazardly over his cheeks and nose. 
“so why do you miss me?” you ask, hoping against hope. his lips part, and for a split second you think he’s going to lean forward and kiss you. 
but then his lips press together. he shakes his head. and again. and then he slides off the counter, brushes past you and out of the bathroom despite you calling his name. and when you break yourself out of your daze and walk, trembling slightly, to your bedroom, you see him tucked under the covers, fast asleep. 
x
“i still don't’ get this ‘quiet haechan’ thing you keep going on about,” jaemin chews thoughtfully on a forkful of salad. “but okay, i’ll bite.” 
you’re having lunch with jaemin for the first time in weeks. with nothing much going on in his life for the summer, him waving you off when you apologised again about not checking in with him, the two of you breezed past your usual topics and quickly moved on to the elephant in the room: you and your fake relationship with haechan. 
nervously, you pick at your fries. “do you think i should just tell him we can stop now?” 
jaemin shook his head. “that’s not the main problem.” ever the mom best friend, he takes a pause for dramatic effect before leaning in. “the main problem is that your catching feelings policy is completely shit.” 
you glare at him, but don’t manage to keep it up. he’s right. “you think i should ask him about that?” 
“of course.” jaemin shrugs. “but you could also just confess and see what happens.” at your mortified expression, he raises a hand to calm you down. “you never know until you try.” 
unwilling to address the fact that he assumed you were in love with haechan, and the fact that he was probably right, you argue back. “you’re the one who’s friends with the both of us. do you have any idea if he maybe likes me or not?” 
“i’m not telling you,” jaemin says, stubbornly. “you have to make the decision and accept the risks it comes with.” 
you put your head in your hands. “i really hate you sometimes.”
as it turned out, ‘sometimes’ turned out to be occuring quite frequently, because jaemin seemed hell bent on getting you to talk to haechan, even if it was through the most roundabout ways. 
such as inviting the beach-house group of friends over for dinner the next day, just so you had a reason to talk to haechan. 
and that led you to where you were, currently, jaemin putting the cap back on his black marker as the words “ASK ABT CATCH FEELINGS POLICY” scrawled over your wrist and palm. 
“i’ll remember to ask him, i swear,” you say impatiently, trying to wriggle your arm out of his grasp, but jaemin was a man on a mission. 
“i don’t trust you,” he insists. “this way, even if you don’t bring it up, he’ll read it off your arm, and you will both talk it out.” finishing up with a few exclamation points, he caps his marker triumphantly. 
you’re about to head to the bathroom to wash it off, when haechan shuffles into the living room, and embarrassingly it’s as if your mind is wiped clean. 
between the night he slept over and now, the two of you had only seen each other once. he had called to apologize for bothering you the night of jaemin’s party, and you made plans to have lunch together, not dinner (because night time was always an emotional affair for the two of you, as evidenced in the past few weeks). 
sitting in the sun, staring at him while he talked, the two of you eating in semi-silence, was enough for you to realise that no matter what time of day it was you would always be a little too giddy over him. the two of you, in some sort of mutual agreement, had left it at that — him bidding you goodbye with a pat on the shoulder, of all things. 
and now, standing in front of you, his eyes just as confusing with their tenderness, you think that jaemin may be onto something. 
“so how can i help?” haechan looks around the room, his mind on the dinner. “do we have all the materials? or…” 
“everything’s in the kitchen, haechan,” you nod in the direction of the dining table. “i’ll show you.” 
haechan nods, more to himself than you. then, hesitantly, he starts, “y/n…” 
something had to give. but not now, not as you felt everything in you crashing down, your heart threatening to spill over at the edges just at the sight of him again. 
“we’re good.” you interrupt. “everything’s going to be okay, haechan.” 
he bites his lip. 
“it will be,” you insist. “we’ll talk later, okay?” 
his expression clears a little at that. “okay.” 
x
in the car on the way home, jaemin insisting haechan drive you, it begins to drizzle slightly. after the moment from just now, the two of you had almost been able to go back to normal, working side by side and sitting together during dinner. topics opening up between you, discussing what happened in the days you hadn’t seen each other. things were comfortable, and you almost felt like you could go back to ignoring the aching feeling in your chest. 
it slowly starts to end when the car peels into the street in front of your apartment. the two of you go quiet, and haechan’s body is tense as he looks straight ahead.
you realise you hadn’t even brought up what you had meant to say. 
“do you…maybe…want to come inside?” you suggest. “we could watch a movie?”
“it’s late.” he says, almost automatically. he looks over at you, and you look so hesitant and sad. fuck. something stirs inside his chest, and suddenly he wants to do anything to take that look away from your face. 
“i mean, i could. just for a movie.” 
you smile, and haechan relaxes.
x
cozied up on your bed, haechan in a pair of sweats he had left over some other time, you slump against him as your eyes flicker between watching the movie on your laptop screen, and watching him. something about the way things were going tonight told you this might be the last time you could be with him like this, and you wanted to cherish it while you could. 
the music swells in the random drama film you picked, and you are feeling that feeling again, the one that you get when you’re about to spill your soul out, and even with haechan’s warmth against you — his arm tucked into your waist and your head resting against his chest, the reality that he wasn’t yours was crashing down all the walls in your heart. 
he realises you’re crying before you do, as he registers the jagged breathing from your chest, and the soft sounds you’re making. 
“y/n? what’s wrong?” 
“i-i, i just.” you breathe, and your sobs wreck through your words, each one stabbing painfully at his chest. “i’m just s-so tired of not h-having someone who loves me that much.” 
running a hand up and down your back, haechan makes soft cooing noises as you bury your face in his chest. “okay. so watching this film was a baaaad idea.” 
you’re muffled sobs soak through his hoodie, and you press it closer to your face because it smells safe and it smells like him. your emotions running away from you, you splutter out, “maybe i’ll never find s-someone. maybe i just have to deal w-with it. these experiences are just t-temporary fixes, aren’t they? i’ll never find someone who l-loves me. i mean, right now i am so in love with you and you don’t even seem to c-care —” 
haechan stills. he sits there, motionless, you still quivering in his arms, as his brain kicks into overdrive. 
you’re in love with him? 
incoherent, you’re still talking on and on, and suddenly he knows it isn’t something he should be hearing. 
“shut up.” he says, quietly, but you ignore him and ramble on. “shut up,” he insists. 
“you d-don’t want me,” you sob, and somewhere in the back of your mind you know you’ll be embarrassed about this later, but for now all you could focus on was the fact that haechan wasn’t reacting because he was probably completely disgusted at the idea of even being with you. “i-i started to ignore you because it was too difficult to be around you, and suddenly you show up drunk and asking for me, and then you just act like nothing happened and i have the feeling that i’ll never see you again-”
“fuck it,” he breathes, and suddenly he’s holding your face in his hands, moving you away from his chest. “shut up, y/n. please.” and then he is kissing you, his mouth moving on yours, begging you to understand. you think he’s drawing the breath straight from your lungs, and you’re sure your lips will bruise, but you kiss him back with even more fervor, settling your weight on his lap as you lean into him, and he groans. 
breaking away from you, breathing heavily, he reaches for your hands and begins to press kisses to your knuckles, trying to ease you. 
“haechan…” you start, because everything is so confusing to you at this moment. “don’t-you don’t mean it-”
“what’s this?” he interrupts, as he flips your palm up, raking the sleeves of your hoodie upwards so the words “ASK ABT CATCH FEELINGS POLICY!!!!!”, smudged but unmistakable, could be read even in the dim room. 
“oh, y/n…” he whispers, reaching to stroke your cheek. leaning into his palm, completely lost in his touch, you mumble on. 
“jaemin said our catching feelings policy was shit…” you blurt out. “and i agree. i want a new one. i want to be allowed to love you.” 
gently, haechan continues to whisper to you. “you’re the one making the rules.” trembling, his arms wrap around you, and he rocks you in his hold tenderly. “you’ve always been the one making the rules. i would do anything you told me to. i would love you if you asked.” 
you don’t understand any of the words he’s saying. “no,” you raise your voice a little louder, even though he’s still speaking in that low voice. “you don’t want me.” your eyes fill with tears, you can see it now: he’s comforting you, he’s lying to you because you’re crying, and haechan is nothing but good to you, a kindness and gentleness in everything he does that you just know you’ll never feel again. 
“y/n that’s not true,” he shakes his head resolutely. “please believe me.” 
his voice is patient and soothing, and it’s that tone which slowly calms you down. the gentle rhythm of his hands tracing circles on your arms allowing you to breathe easier, and relax a little in his hold to be able to really look at him. and it’s the worry in his eyes, and softness in the way he’s looking at you which makes something click into place in your head. 
and so what if everything in your relationship with him was supposed to be fake — the dates, the moments he’s introduced you as his girlfriend. everything else in between had started to be real for you — the kisses, the time you told him not to mention the deal or the list or the experience at all and so he didn’t, brushing his teeth for him as he sat on the counter, skin brushing against yours.
and so what if it was real for him too — the times where he’s held your hand or pulled you close when you weren’t paying attention, the nights on the drive back when he would look over at you incessantly?
untangling yourself from him, you reach for the notebook and pen you keep on your nightstand.  he doesn’t stop you, tilting his head in confusion. 
“what are you doing?” 
holding it out to him, your heart hammering in your chest, you gesture for him to take it. “write me something i can read when i wake up. it’s so i have…,” you take a breath. “it’s so i have proof that it’s real.”
something stirs in haechan’s chest. taking the pen in his hands, he begins to scrawl on the notebook, looking up at you as he’s writing. 
“if you still feel the same way, call me as soon as possible, okay?” 
“okay,” you promise, breathlessly. 
the yearning in your eyes is driving him crazy. guiltily, he reaches for you again, and slots his lips in yours, holding you tightly against him. as if kissing you was the last thing he would ever get to do. 
you have half a mind to move into his lap, wrap your legs around his waist and keep him with you forever, but already he pries your hands away from him and heads for the door, reluctance making his movements disjointed and shaky. 
“go to sleep, y/n.” he says, gently. “i’ll see you soon.” 
and with that, he’s gone, and you’re left on your bed, the note at your bedside burning a hole into your table. shutting away your laptop, you curl up under the covers, and somewhere in your mind you pray that the light of day doesn’t treat you too harshly.  
x
dear y/n, 
last night you told me that you were in love with me. i don’t know if it was the loneliness, or even if it was too late at night for you to be thinking straight. all i know is that i love you too. i didn’t think you would want me unless we were playing pretend. but now i can’t look at you without realising i am completely fucking in love with you. i’m sorry that you never knew, and that somehow i messed up to the point where you didn’t believe me when i told you. if you wake up tomorrow and you still want me, call me. i will do everything with you again if it means it’ll be real. 
love, haechan
it’s a little difficult to be around your friend group when they’re all like this. 
summer was drawing to a close, the optimism at the start and the feeling of endless days under the sun slowly fading to a blistering heat, which then slowly tapered out into a hazy sense of being in limbo. soon the seasons would change, the days get shorter and the nights grow longer, the loneliest parts of the year stretching out before everyone. the sense that this had been another summer of wasted potential, the sense of taking a deep breath before the dive, of holding love close to one’s heart and hoping it’s enough to last through the winter, hanging in the air.
you had walked over to jaemin’s apartment for breakfast with everyone, practicing the entire way. you were going to tell haechan you wanted to talk to him. pull him away from the group, and talk to him in a separate room. the letter from last night, from him, seeming to burn right through your palms, words you wanted to echo right back at him. 
but when you opened the door, you realise he wasn’t there. instead, everyone else sat slumped around the living room, prodding at various snacks and cans, and waving at you lazily as you picked your way through them, looking for the familiar mop of brown hair and eyes you had come to love. 
“jaemin,” you make your way to your friend, who’s crumpled into the couch himself. 
“hey y/n,” he smiles at you easily. “how did it go yesterday?” 
“well it’s still going,” you admit. “where’s haechan?” 
jaemin furrows his brow. “i swear he just arrived. i think he said something about getting us breakfast.” 
your body moves before you can think to, winding through the room and carrying you towards the front door and out into the driveway. and there it is — his car, slowing backing out. and through the window you can see him, looking over his shoulder, the familiar twist of his neck you knew so well. the arm he would throw over the passenger seat. 
you call out to him, and by some miracle he hears you. he stops the car jerkily, and you rush towards him. he had just barely gotten out of the car when you fall into his arms — you think you never want to be separated from him again. 
squeezing you against his chest, he murmurs next to your ear. “you read my message?” you nod. “i meant every word,” he says, kissing the crown of your head. “i know we’ve done this all backwards. really sometimes i just wish i could go back and ask you out like i should have done.” 
“i don’t regret it,” you tell him truthfully. stepping back from his hold, you interlock his hands with yours, relishing the familiar feeling. “i don’t regret any of the things we did.” 
“me neither.” he hesitates. “actually…maybe i regret getting drunk at jaemin’s party.” he shuffles his feet. “i missed you a lot, and i feel like i should have just told you then.” 
“maybe.” pause. “or you should tell me again now, because i don’t think i’ve heard you say it.” and it’s something that’s a little teasing, because at this point you know he loves you just as much as you love him, but haechan takes it so seriously — straightening up, he holds your hands against his chest, looking deep into your eyes. you feel a little out of breath from the way he’s looking at you. 
“i’m really sorry,” he starts. “for everything. i love you so much. everything i ever told you, every time we’ve touched, it was real for me.” 
“and if i believe you?” 
he smiles. and it’s a look you know so well, the familiarity in reading his expressions and talking to him without words hitting you full force. 
“just tell me you love me too,” he says, softly. “not because it’s at night, and you’re feeling lonely, and not while you’re crying. was it real for you too?”
and even though you’re soon interrupted by jaemin, who urges the two of you to go get breakfast together. even though the two of you keep making lists of places you want to go, and things which feel like love to you — haechan presenting you with music to dance in the kitchen to, afternoons spent restaurant hopping and nights spent driving to look at the ocean and sit under the stars. even as winter eventually rolls around, and the two of you bundle yourselves up in the apartment, his cheeks perpetually a shade of red which makes you want to kiss him —
neither of you forget the way it all started. that first time he held your hand in the middle of the kitchen and warmed you all the way through.  because everything was real. and in a way, it always had been.
2K notes · View notes
sweetiepoison · 23 days
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Famous Baby (social media blurb)
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Who’s (Y/f/n) (Y/l/n) Dating Now?
(Y/f/n) (y/l/n) has been in the spotlight since she was 15 so it’s no surprise her relationships have been as well. From first love to whirlwind romance , we’ve seen it all from the singing sensation. She’s mainly been in serious relationships, but the lineup is impressive.
Shawn Mendes
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(Y/l/n) and Mendes came into the spotlight around the same time. The pair met, instantly hit it off, and became the new young Hollywood “it” couple. They dated for three years from 2014-2017 and wrote a few of their hit songs about each other. (Y/f/n)’s song ‘Dandelions’ on her debut album is about Mendes. The love wasn’t one sided though, as Mendes reveled many of his love songs were about (y/l/n). After winning an American Music Award, Mendes said, “All of my songs are about her, so this award is as much hers as it is mine, she’s my inspiration.
We loved watching their young love romance evolve, but the two split in early 2017. (Y/f/n) discussed the breakup on the Jimmy Fallon show. “We just realized we were growing apart and going in different directions, but he will always hold a special place in my heart as my first love and no can ever replace that.”
Harry Styles
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The British singer is (y/l/n)’s longest and most high profile relationship. The two began dating at the end of 2017 and remained together for four years before breaking things off. Their love caught the attention of the world and had many talking. It’s believed Styles hit song, Adore you is about (y/l/n) before they were official.
The couple raised the bar for relationships. Harry took (y/f/n) on a vacation to Greece for her 21st birthday. Which she followed up by throwing him a massive surprise party with all of his close friends and family. When asked about their relationship in an interview (y/l/n) said, “Harry is the type of boyfriend girls dream of. He loves me so well and he wears his heart on his sleeves which is beautiful.”
The breakup came as a surprise to many as it seemed the couple was going strong. It didn’t last for long though as they got back together at the end of 2022 before finally calling it quits mid 2023. Neither have revealed why they split, but both have remained consistent and committed to supporting each other.
Michael B. Jordan
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During her brief break with Harry, (y/f/n) dated Creed actor, Michael B. Jordan. Despite the 11 year age gap the couple had a lot in common and spent plenty of special occasions together. Jordan helped her celebrate her 24th birthday where we got their most infamous pictures together as a couple.
The relationship lasted 10 months before they broke up and (y/l/n) was back with Styles. Despite the sudden end Jordan had only good things to say, “She’s an amazing, hardworking woman who deserves all the success she’s had.”
Auston Matthews
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The newest boyfriend on the list may be NHL superstar, Auston Matthews. An insider reveals they saw Matthews and (y/l/n) at a bar together in Toronto. They were with a group of friends including Justin and Hailey Bieber, but the two seemed particularly close. The pair was also spotted leaving together at the end of the night. While nothing is confirmed, we could definitely get behind this match.
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jqhotchner · 4 months
Text
quest
seven
warning: mentions of sexual relationships
when you parked your car at the coffee shop emily told you to meet aaron your heart pounded. you had no idea what was coming. all you knew was he was upset.
he had every right to be. you kept his kids from him. you didn’t even let him explain what emily saw. come to think of it, you didn’t even let emily explain.
as soon as you heard her utter the words ‘i saw hotch and haley in his office’ you ended the call. you couldn’t hear anymore. but knowing what you do now, you felt you deserved everything coming to you.
spotting aaron sitting at a table you take a deep breath and head inside. you sit right across from him and give him a small smile.
aaron hands you a cup. “decaf still, right?”
you hum as you take a sip. “thank you.”
the two of you sat in silence for a minute. it felt longer though. you missed him. everything about aaron you missed. you missed the way he smelled, his beautiful smile, the way he made you laugh, the way he listened. you missed his touch.
his touch,
god did you miss the way aaron touched you. rather it would be as simple as holding your hand or the way he would hold you when you fucked.
aaron could be a gentle lover. he would whisper sweet nothings in your ear as he made love to you. tell you how beautiful you were and how good you were to him.
but he was also rough! if he got a little jealous or you two argued about something so minor, he’d fuck you like you meant absolutely nothing to him! and you loved it.
you tried not to think too much about it, but you noticed he has been working out. his muscles were bulging more than before.
you also noticed he still wore his wedding band. something you felt a sense of pride in. despite being divorced he still showed everyone he was taken. even if it weren’t true.
you did same. you loved aaron. knowing you could never move on from the man that gave you the best years of your life and the three, four babies you adored! nothing would ever change that. if wearing the ring meant you would never be with anyone else again, you were okay with that.
“should we start?”
you didn’t know what to say. just humming as he cleared his throat.
“i made a promise to you i would love you unconditionally. i married you because i meant every single word. and i would never intentionally hurt the woman i love. i broke that vow by have an emotional affair with my ex wife. i hugged her for too long, held her hand, kissed her cheek, even cuddled her from time to time. but i never went as far as sleeping with her. and i wouldn’t have blamed you if you wanted to divorce me after knowing the truth. instead you left. part of me kinda happy you did. foyet was after me and my family. it’s one of the reasons why haley and i reconnected. i needed him to see he could never break this family up. fortunately he didn’t know about you,”
“what do you mean?”
“i made sure the team kept you hidden from the moment we met. i didn’t need anyone to know i had remarried. if i could go back i would have done the same with haley.”
you wanted to hold his hand. you knew he was still grieving. haley was his first everything. completely losing her destroyed him. on top of losing you all in the span of a few months apart. he went through hell for the longest.
“after foyet died i tried finding you. i even tried to get penelope to trace you. she declined. i was very pissed i almost fired her. but she wanted to protect you. i couldn’t be mad at that,”
“aaron, im sorry. i—i thought with me out of the picture you’d be better off. i wanted you to be happy. i knew it would have been a hard decision if i stayed. i didn’t want you to choose me because i was pregnant. i wanted you to choose me because you loved me.”
“they’re my kids too yn! mine! you left knowing this. knowing that you were carrying our babies. i didn’t get to be there for them. i didn’t get to hold you hand while you gave birth, wake up all hours of the morning to feed them or change them, watch them start to crawl, watch them walk for the first time, i miss two birthdays yn!! two. you made that decision for me. you made the decision to leave and take our children with you. i—knowing this, finding this out from jj, i didn’t know how to feel.”
you turned your head guilty. you couldn’t look him in the eyes. you knew as soon as you did the tears would just come pouring out.
the two of you stayed silent for awhile. aaron clears his throat before speaking.
“i promised jack i would bring you home. please don’t break his heart again.” aaron states. he leaves money on the table before leaving you alone with your thoughts.
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when you arrived at your sister house you sigh. all you wanted to do was hug your babies. you missed them and needed a little comfort right now.
the moment you saw them playing with their cousins you smiled. they were the cutest. you always wanted them to know their older cousins.
“mamma!” izzy was the first to spot you. she waddles her way towards you.
“izzy!” you copied her.
“miss mamma.” she smiles at you.
“miss you too baby. you and your siblings.”
“up, mummy!” aurora raises her arms.
you gently pick her up. you missed when you use to be able to carry all three of them at the same time. now they were bigger and a lot heavier. you could only pick them up in twos.
you kiss aurora’s cheek as you son walks over to you. he pulls on your shirt. you bend down to his level and set your other two babies down.
“hows my shy boy?”
he shrugs his shoulders. you frown. you really wished he was a little more outgoing. but you couldn’t blame him. you were just as shy growing up. you still are.
you kiss theo’s cheek gently. “mama missed all three of her babies.” you hug your kids tightly. not too tight to smoosh them. but enough.
“mama! you being silly.” isabella laughs.
“oh, am i?!” you start to tickle them. she giggles uncontrollably. you laugh before kissing them on the forehead.
“why don’t you go play with your cousins while i talk to your aunt, okay?”
your three mini me’s walk over to their cousins as you walk towards your sister.
“so, how’d you go?”
you sigh. “as good as it could. he wants me to move back home.”
“you have a life here though. he can’t expect you to pack your bags and move three two year olds!”
“i don’t know abby. i did take two years away from him and the triplets. plus i have a son back home who misses me.”
“well are you two gonna at least work your shit out? because if not then what?”
you shrug. “i gotta at least try, yeah? you didn’t see abby! we both still have our wedding bands on. legally we’re divorced but mentally and emotionally we’re still married. i have to fight for my marriage.”
“i understand little sister. i just worry. with everything that just happened i don’t want you to spiral. plus, i just got you back. i don’t want you to leave.” abigale pouts.
“i know. but ill be back to visit!”
“promise?”
“swear it.”
you two continue to talk. catching up on everything you missed before you headed out to figure out your move.
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aaron had came by the next morning to help you pack and to meet the kids for the first time. he was nervous and excited all in one.
he knew what it was like to raise one child for nine years. now he was transitioning from one to four. he still couldn’t believe it.
he was a father of four. four beautiful kids who he adored. he already loved his babies. he couldn’t wait to raise them with you. and hopefully work your shit out to have more in the future.
when he arrived you weren’t shocked at all he had went shopping. he spoiled jack so much you just knew he’d spoil your other three.
“hi.”
“hey. come in! the kids are in their pen.” you opened the door wider to allow him inside. aaron smiles as he walks to the living room.
he got a bit of a glimpse of them the other day. seeing them face to face like this made him gasped. all three, beautiful as ever. you two made the cutest little babies.
“izzy, theo, roe! id like you to meet someone.” the three of them look up at their mom and sees a tall man. they had no idea who he was but he looked friendly.
“who’s that mamma?” izzy was the first to ask.
“remember how i told you daddy was off being a super hero and catching the bad guys? how he’d be back to take us home? well, he’s back. and he’s right there.”
“papa?” theo questioned.
aaron bends down. “that’s right! im your dad little buddy.”
“daddy!” izzy walked over to aaron and hugs him. aaron chuckled as he holds his daughter.
“love daddy.” aurora states.
aaron wanted to shed tears in that moment. but he held himself together and hugged all three of his kids as they walk over to him.
“goin home to brudder?” theodore asked.
“yeah. going home to brother.”
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slow burn but not too slow because i don’t have the time for the shit! i want them together!!!!!
but how did you guys like this part? i think it’s cute! had to put the babies in there. they’re adorable
peep aaron already planning to have more kids with the reader!!
if you wanna be added or unadded to the taglist please let me know
taglist:
@ivebeenthearchersstuff @shergoretzxx @slut4ethan @rosiehale23 @madesavage05 @whotfskai
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Text
THE ALCOTT - a. targaryen
You tell me your problems (Have I become one of your problems?)
Description: As Rhaenyra's oldest daughter — you were expected to marry for the gain of your mother's fraction. Aemond Targaryen sees you in Winterfell, your heart feels like jumping out of your chest.
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When the snow falls and the white wind blows. The lone wolf dies but the pack survives. Winterfell was colder than you expected, as a lady far used to the warmth of a dragon — it blew your mind how northerners lived in never-ending snow. The guards were cautious of your dragon. He was known as the Cannibal, who preyed on every animal — even those of its own kin. At the same time, you couldn't help but notice their lack of fear, like they were used to seeing dragons this big. "My princess!" Cregan came quick to your side.
The sides of your lips turned upwards, heart heaving with joy at the sight of the man you trusted like a brother. The sight of him made you less worried about war. "My lord," you smiled while wrapping your arms around him, aware of the fact that you stink of dragon and ash. "My mother, the Queen Rhaenyra, extends her gratitude for offering Winterfell as a safe haven." you breathed a sigh of relief, as the dragonkeepers began to usher your dragon away to safety.
Losing the war was your biggest fear. There was no doubt in your mind that your uncle, Aegon the Usurper, will execute you if you ever decide to surrender. He takes a deep breath, carrying a heavy burden on his back. "It is not much of a safe haven as you believe." he stares at you from the side, his hand was placed upon the small of your back — leading you inside of his warm castle.
"What do you mean?" you asked, eyebrows bumping into each other. Winterfell and Kingslanding were your second home, the thought of either betraying you was stupid, yet the latter managed to do so. "Fellow northerns lords have spoken about your house falling from grace. The house of the dragon does not know who rules it —" he explains but you interrupt him in annoyance.
"My mother is the Queen, my uncles are mere usurpers who stand against the throne." you correct, nose scrunching in disbelief. Shame flooded your features. The house of the dragon does now know who rules it, but you do it was fire and blood — the same two that will consume the Hightowers with avarice. "Not everyone believes that." he retorts, you take your gloves off — freezing at the sight of ... Aemond Targaryen. Your uncle, whose aided your sorrows for seventeen years in Kingslanding. Has he come to murder you now?
"My lord, if you wish to offer your loyalties to the Usurper. You are free to do so — but attempting to ambush me?" you accuse, he places a hand on your shoulder, Cregan's eyes staring deep into your own. Your mother called him 'sweet-summer boy' for he was born in the longest summer. He was sweet and kind, but also cold and dangerous. There was no doubt in your mind that he would execute you in the name of the greater good.
"I am not here to hurt you, sister. He arrived here a fortnight ago, offering his hand for one of my cousins to marry but I declined him, because I know that his brother is an usurper who does not deserve the throne. Gods be good, if I allowed a drunken charlatan to ever become king." Cregan's eyes pierced into Aemond's soft skull. He takes a deep breath, eyes trailing away from the Prince he welcomed into his home. "But my council does not offer the same sentiments." he scratches his nose, eyes pulsing with rage. Cregan Stark was loyal to your mother.
"And you thought that it was appropriate to welcome him here? When I am set for a visit?" you questioned, playing with the dagger inside your pocket. You couldn't trust anyone, not the lord beside you nor the uncle who has been with you for seventeen years.
"I am not here for him, my niece. I am here for you?" he admits, breaking the thick wall of ice. His good eye stared at you, lips puckered and pink from the cold. The man that you loved was gone, there were only mere traces of him left. "Are you still mad because of your eye?" you question, taking on a stance for fight. You were well trained in warfare, equipped enough to take his only eye.
"I've long forgiven you, but my sister?" he chuckles for a few seconds, lips smirking at the thought of Rhaenyra. "But still, we are merciful — return home. We'll imprison your mother in Dragonstone, your brothers will be cupbearers and squires for the King. And you, my lovely niece, we'll find a match worthy." he offers, laying out the terms in a way that seemed appetizing.
You stared at him. Blinking, but not thinking.
"Which side are you on?" he finishes, taking a step forward. He was a few feet away, but you could see him perfectly. He had a neat stubble, his left-eyebrow had a thin horizontal line on the center. He has aged more in three-months than he has ever had in his entire life. "The last thing I want is to be on your side." you insult through gritted teeth, Cregan stares at the both of you back and forth.
"No harm will come to the both of you under my roof. My princess, I'm sure that you are tired of all the traveling, it is best to retire. And my prince, the finest wines need your tasting down the Great Hall." Cregan tilts his head to the other door, pulling you away before you could ever start a fight.
----
The owls were chirping outside of your window, nocturnal animals prowling at night for their next prey. He knocks on your door, body standing rigid in front of your window. "My princess," he whispers, trying his best not to awake Cregan whose room was parallel yours.
Your hands reach the door, hands twisting to open the door-knob. You trusted Cregan's promise of no harm coming to you. It was favorable, for you wouldn't be hurt but the same thing couldn't be promised to your uncle.You meet his eye.
A Lavender Lazuli eye that showed you spectrums of different colors. "Aemond," you answered with no respect. No respect is given to rebels. "Go home with me." he offered and you leaned on the door-frame. His voice was low, breath stinking of ale — his eye was downcast and filled with melancholia. He missed you, but you weren't sure of feeling the same with him.
"My home is in Dragonstone. It is where I was born." you replied curtly, lips pressing into a thin line. He placed a hand on the doorframe, stopping you from shutting the door on his face. "Your mother is not the rightful heir. A woman can't hold into power, not in our times." he rasped, earning an eye-roll from you.
You are Rhaenyra's heir. The Queen after her.
"Not in this world yes, but we have always been queer with our customs. In Valyria, women can rule without fight — are you not Valryian, dear uncle?" you taunt, playing at the thought of his Hightower blood. You were not the daughter of Harwin Strong. You were either of Laenor or Daemon's. But one thing was certain, Valyria flooded your veins more than it did to him.
"That is not what I mean." he breaths.
"We waste too much time in fighting this damn war! I'm losing you, qogralbar ziry" he cursed, fist bumping into the wall beside him. Fuck it. He thought about taking you, and marrying you. "You are losing me because of your pride. Your belief of women being incapable of ruling." you rolled your eyes, walking away from him — but he takes ahold of your forearm, pulling you back in front of him.
"I do not think that you are incapable of ruling, I merely believe that your mother should lay down her arms and accept my brother as king." he asserted, keeping his hands on you. "The first thing you desire, is the last thing I could ever dream of." you scoff, pushing him away from you.
By this point, you were both outside of your room — feet barely stepping over the line that divided your room and the hallway. "That is our problem!" he raised his voice slowly. You bite the inner corner of your lips, imagining his murder. "I am one of your problems, uncle." you reply taking a step backward, returning inside your room.
You were just about to close the door, but he collapses unto you — knocked out by the strong northern ale. "I want to forget you." he mumbles before closing his eyes.
taglist: @scarwicht@nyctophilic0vitnir@witch-of-letters
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fir3ylolol · 6 months
Note
hi fir3y :3333 can we have more johnny cage x camera stuff (anything related, nothing specific; cameras in house, recording w phone etc) w him having a long time crush for y/n 😁 kind of like how you did w smile! you're on camera (i cant remember if i sent this if i already did im sorry 😥😥)
dazed and confused
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pairing: Johnny Cage x Reader
summary: it's been a while since you've seen your good friend johnny. but what happens when long-time crush mixes with weed?
tw: vaginal sex, vaginal penetration, oral sex, blowjob, eating out, cunnilingus, long-time crush, weed usage, intoxicated sex, loss of inhibitions, praise, filmed, sex tape, cumming inside, cum eating, putting on a show, whimpering men heheheh, afab!reader, gn reader
a/n: YAYYY finally another post!! its been forever. this was requested by @keiiikomegumi. gotta love men who fall hard and fuck desperately O.O also i think this is the longest fic other than we want you! ive ever written lol
word count: 2.65 k
Ao3
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It’s been about 3 weeks since you last saw Johnny, which kinda sucks. He’s always a lot of fun, and you’ve been really stressed lately. So when you get his text reading, “come over 4 dinner, we can chill 0.o”, you quickly respond, “see u thennn”. You leave shortly afterward, excited to finally relax. You roll into his driveway after about 30 minutes of driving, seeing Johnny’s shadowed figure standing in the doorway. You hop out excitedly, walking over and capturing him in a tight hug. He laughs, hugging you back just as tight. “Hey! I’ve missed you, it’s been wayyyy too long. Come in, I’ve already got some food ready.” You walk in, drinking in the familiar sight of his home. You see the table set, two spots right next to each other, with a suspicious look on his face.
“So what do you have in store for me?” You sit down, watching as he disappears into the kitchen. “Well, I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, and so have I. So…” He walks out, a large silver plate covered with a cloche. “I figured we deserved a treat,” he says with a smirk, lifting it and revealing two brownies. Realization hits you hard. You see, this is California, and if there’s any pastime Californians love, it’s getting high. Johnny is no different; in fact, he likes edibles more, since he says smoking will “damage his star-quality voice and flawless skin.” But he lives a stressful life, and he needs a break just as much as you. So seeing two, delicious-looking brownies on separate plates, you know exactly why you were invited. And you nearly cry.
“Johnny…” you smile up at him, “thank you. So much.” His eyes light up, placing the plates down for you two as he sits down next to you. “Yay, I knew you would be happy! Ok, I’ve got plenty of snacks in the fridge and cold ass water, so we’re set.” He picks his brownie up, and you follow, clinking them together like glasses before taking a bite. It’s rich, fudgy, and absolutely one of the best brownies you’ve ever had. With a mouthful of food, you try to speak, “Schit manm, ‘his is schoo good.” He laughs at you, finishing his bite before speaking, “It’s been barely a month and you’ve forgotten your manners?” You smack him lightly, before standing up and getting a glass of water, downing the whole thing. He follows you, giving you a big hug from behind. He’s rocking back and forth, face buried in your neck. He’s always been more touchy with you than his other friends, but you don’t mind. He’s warm and gentle and always smells fancy. But you laugh, rocking with him. “The room’s already spinning, oooooh.” He lifts you slightly, walking through the kitchen. “You’re so high, oh noooo!” He set you down, laughing still. “You’re so much fun, I missed you.”
You feel a slight twinge in your heart, the words must mean more to you than it does to him. You’ve been a little glad not to see him honestly, but only because your feelings for him have gotten that intense. A break was just what you needed, but now? When you’re going to be wasted and he’s just so nice and so close? You might break. But for now, you appear cool laughing as well before managing to say, “I missed you too” without seeming suspicious. And you start to fall into the same routine as usual, he leads you to the couch to chill together and watch something fun. He used to go to the cinema room, but once he got too high, watched Rambo on the big screen, and had a panic attack. Plus, you can’t cuddle in there, and he can’t stand for that, loudly declaring that he’ll rip the chairs out every time you two go in there. But he never does. You two end up talking about the weeks you didn’t see him. He’s been working on a new film, but won’t reveal any details other than it’s “based on a super true story”. And he laments how hard you’ve been working, trying to convince you again, “You should just quit and hang with me all the time. It would be awesome.” But alas, you turn him down again, as tempting as it is.
Before you know it, it’s been almost two hours, and you’re definitely feeling it more, the buzzing in your brain is a little louder, and Johnny’s touch gives you more goosebumps. But he leans back suddenly, looking you up and down. “Wait, I just realized, I can’t remember the last time you told me one of your famous bad date stories. What’s going on?” You fluster at his words, so direct and to the point that you can’t think for a second. You finally manage to speak again, your tongue feeling a little too heavy, “I’ve just been busy, man.” He scrunches up his face, thinking deeply. “When was the last time you got some? You know…” He nudges you, eyebrows raised suggestively. You take an embarrassingly long pause before speaking again. “...a year.” 
He leans forward, directly in front of your face. “A year?! How are you even alive??” You push him as playfully as you can, completely flustered by the whole thing. “Quit it, it’s not funny!” He sighs dramatically, splayed out across the couch. “So what’s up? Someone catch your eye or something?” You pause again, trying not to look at him, but your mouth betrays you. “Yeah, maybe. But it’s fine, he doesn’t like me like that.” He scoffs, head still tipped back, “What an idiot. You’re awesome. He’s really lucky I don’t just snatch you away for myself.” His whole body freezes as if he said something he didn’t mean to. You look at him, eyes wide and muscles tense. “W…what?” You ask tentatively. But he stands up, walking away while waving his arms around, “Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it.” But you can see the tips of his ears are bright red, and he’s tapping his foot on the ground, something he only does when nervous. You stand up and walk over, staying behind him. “Johnny, it’s something. Just tell me, it’ll be ok.” He takes a deep breath before speaking, still turned away from you. “I said he was lucky I didn’t take you for myself. I didn’t mean to say it, but honestly, it’s true. I mean, what kind of idiot doesn’t like the most stunning person alive? I just…I said too much, and I didn’t want to weird you out because you’re such a great friend and…” He’s babbling on, saying way too much and not making a ton of sense.
But you grab his hand lightly, which causes him to turn around. His eyes are watery, his cheeks and the tip of his nose are red, and his mouth is scrunched up in a frown. You can’t help but smile at him, squeezing his hand tighter. “Do you like me, Johnny?” He nods like a child, free hand coming up to wipe his eyes. “I like you too,” you say with a smile, no longer nervous or guilty of your feelings. He sniffles, looking at you with his wide brown eyes, “Really? You do?” As you nod, he sort of snaps back to usual, but not in a performative way, in a happy way. “Well of course you do! Who could resist all this?” He smiles before pulling you into a tight hug. “Thank you,” he whispers in your ear before he pulls away. But not fully, as you two lock eyes, and the air grows thick again. You swallow hard, eyes darting across his face nervously. He cups your face with his left hand, and slowly leans in, pressing his lips to yours. It’s exactly like him, warm and gentle, and it makes you dizzy. In fact, you feel your knees buckle slightly, which he laughs at into the kiss. As he pulls away to breathe again, you can’t help but feel hungry for more. You’ve only gotten a taste of what you’ve wanted for so long, and it’s very appetizing.
Johnny quickly pulls you back to the couch, barely able to think before you find yourself on his lap, hands wandering around your back, eyes locked onto yours. His touch is even more intoxicating than normal, with heavy breathing and racing hearts shared between you two. One hand reaches your neck, pulling you back in. But he’s not as gentle this time, like he’s trying to devour you whole. His other hand is on your hip, guiding you to grind against him slowly. Your hands wrap around his neck loosely. He groans into your mouth, squeezing tighter. You feel his tongue in your mouth, desperate for more of you, more than there is. You can feel yourself growing wetter, so high that your previous inhibitions are gone. Everything is happening so fast, and you’re starting to feel desperate.
He finally breaks away, panting heavily, before looking at you needily. And with how pretty his flushed face is and how badly he wants you, you can’t help but slide down to the floor between his legs. His pupils are blown out, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. He tries desperately to pull his pants down quickly, struggling slightly.  But he finally frees himself, cock bouncing out as the angry red tip leaks out. He’s embarrassed, turning his head away slightly, but keeping his eyes locked on you. You have no time to tease, absolutely hungry for him, for this. You take him in your mouth, getting most of the way down before you stop, looking up at him sweetly. He gasps, eyes wide and hands clutching at the couch cushions. You start to move, swirling your tongue around him as you keep a steady pace. His eyelids are fluttering, and very quickly he darts his hands out to grab your face lightly, bringing you up to face him. “C-can I film you? I just…I’ve wanted this for so long and you just look so pretty and I just…I don’t want to forget this, any detail of this.” 
You nod lazily, a smile spreading across your lips as you watch him scramble for his phone. He holds it up, hands shaking as he starts filming. You decide to put on a show for him, looking up through your lashes as you go down again, able to get almost all the way down, gagging slightly. He white knuckles the phone, staring at you intensely. His other hand comes up, grabbing your hair in one hand. His voice rasps out, “Wanna see that face, all of it. God, you’re so good at this. Fuck…” He sighs as you reach your hand out, starting to stroke him as you lean your head down, licking at his balls. He jumps slightly, but the most lovely whine escapes his lips, so you continue, trying to overwhelm him with pleasure. And overwhelm him you do, as he starts squirming back and forth at the intensity of it all, more heady whines. He finally remembers to hold the camera steady, trying to still himself. But as you go down again, rapid and sloppy moves, eyes watering as you look up again, his grasp on your hair tightens. He cries out as he cums, shuddering as you keep going, swallowing it all. You pull off with a pant, looking into the camera and sticking out your tongue to show what you did. He’s breathing hard, letting go of your hair and going slightly slack on the couch. But he tugs at your shirt, pulling it over your head. Even fucked out, he wants more.
You stand up, half-naked, and he tries his hardest to get your pants off too. But his hands are too shaky, and he’s trying to keep his grip on the camera. So you step back and slowly peel them off for him, and you can see his cock twitch slightly at the sight of you. You climb back on top of him, kissing him gently. But he leans to the side, propping the phone against the arm of the couch, and flips to the front camera. He shuffles down a little, leaning slightly to pull his pants down further as you pull his shirt off, wanting to feel his warm skin against yours. He kisses your cheek, and down your neck, reveling in the way you arch your back at the feeling. He whispers out shakily, “You ready? Gonna put a show on for me?” You nod, head dizzy again, as he rubs himself against you, audibly groaning at the feeling. He has no time to waste, sinking into you with a heady whimper. You gasp, taking a second to adjust to him, feeling his hands cling to your hips.
But it’s not long before he’s bucking up into you, using his grip on you for leverage. He’s bit down on your shoulder, whimpers slipping out. Your arms are behind his neck, clinging to him like your life depended on it. You feel him let go, raspy whispers in your ear, “You’re so hot, shit, so tight around me. You like putting on a show for me? Yeah?” You nod, moans pushed out at the force he’s moving now. His voice is shaking more now, but he can’t stop talking, “Shit, I don’t know if it’s the weed talking or what, but you’re so fucking good. Can’t believe I didn’t tell you sooner-” He’s cut off, a whimper as he manages to push deeper, completely enveloped in you. He’s losing his mind, hands wrap around your back for more leverage. But it’s not long before he’s cumming again, a whine as he pushes you down as far as he can. He’s trembling more, heavy pants in your ear. But finally, he’s lifting you and setting you down on the couch. Both of you are breathing heavily, trying to calm down after everything. 
That is until he grabs the phone and puts it in your hands. Confused, you look at him, but suddenly, he’s between your thighs, kneeling on the ground. “Can’t leave you wanting, especially after all that.” He dives in, with no sense of patience, as he sucks at your throbbing clit. His fingers pump inside you, your wetness mixing with his cum. You keep the camera on his face, legs pushed apart as you flinch at your sensitivity. He’s looking up at you, sweet eyes locked on you. He lets go slightly, mumbling into you, “Good job, baby, you’re doing such a good job.” You’re moaning, high-pitched, and slipping from your lips. He’s whining into your sopping cunt, vibrations against your clit causing more jumps. But you cling to him, eyes screwed shut as you cum hard, feeling his tongue lapping everything up with fervor. He finally separates from you, sitting down on the couch with an exhale.
He takes the phone, stopping the recording as he puts his arm around you. “I’ll save those for later,” he says, making you giggle slightly, but you’re quite tired. “We should get high more often, huh?” You snuggle into him, enjoying the feeling of his heartbeat under your ear. “Maybe. But hey, those videos better not get leaked or anything.” Your words cause him to whine out, slightly annoyed. “Come on, you know me! I would never. Besides…it would make too many people jealous, you know? Such a pretty thing like you, all for myself.” You laugh again before looking up at him, sleepy but happy eyes. “You’re stuck with me now, by the way.” He hugs you tight, squeezing you with a wide smile on his face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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alotofpockets · 2 years
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Becoming a family | Wanda Maximoff
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Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader
Prompt: "I have a key, it's not breaking in."
Summary: When your best friend gets pregnant and her boyfriend leaves her for it, you step up and help her take care of the baby. A/n: This might be the longest fic I've ever written, but I love it so much. It has a lot of time jumps because it tells a story over the span of like 3-4 years. I hope you all enjoy the read!
masterlist | requests: closed | words: 2050
Wanda came to you first when she found out that she was pregnant. She was scared to tell her boyfriend Vision because they were both only 22 and they had never really talked about the topic of kids yet. You reassured her that whatever would happen, that you would be there to support her through it all.
About a week later you opened you door to your best friend crying on your doorstep. You let her in and comforted her. “He said he is not ready to have kids and then he just left me. Like he broke up with me right after I told him.” You and Wanda had made a deal years ago that you would support each other no matter what choices the other made. But after just hearing he just left your pregnant best friend like that, you told her how you thought he had never treater her right and that she deserves so much better.
You put on one of Wanda’s comfort movies while you got some blankets and order her favorite food. Without communicating it Wanda knew you were letting her stay at your place tonight. Halfway through the movie Wanda paused it and turned to you with tears in her eyes. “I can’t do this alone. I can’t raise a baby on my own.”
“Like I said last week, I will support you through it all. You are not alone, you’ve got me. And it is fully your decision what you’re going to do, but either way I will be there every step of the way.” You try reassuring her. “Thank you, y/n, that means a lot.” She turned back to the TV and played the rest of the movie.
In the following weeks you and Wanda got a lot of books on pregnancy and parenthood. Reading up on everything, since neither one of you knew much on the topic as the closest thing to it you had experienced was babysitting. You also got rid of all of Visions stuff together since it was a heard process for Wanda to do alone.
On one of your days off you picked up a crib and some stuff that would have to be assembled for the nursery. Wanda had decided on some stuff she wanted or would like to have in the nursery. You wanted to surprise her with a few things off her list and get it all set up to take it off of her plate.
With your key for emergencies, you entered her apartment, carried the boxes inside and went to work. You have the crib and a dresser build when you hear Wanda come home. Since the nursery is a separate room in the home, you went to great her, as to not scare her when she hears a sudden noise coming from the room. “Hey Wands, how was work?” You ask when you join her in the living room. She looks at you confused, “Why did you break into my house?” With a chuckle you say, "I have a key, it's not breaking in." While jingling the key in front of you. “But if you’d like the reason to the why part, you need to close your eyes and follow me.”
Wanda closed her eyes, and you led her to the nursery by her hands. “Open them.” You say. She opens then and tears start filling her eyes immediately. It’s the hormones that are making her so emotional, is what she tells you each time she cries. “I love it. You didn’t have to do that.” You shake your head, “I know, but I wanted too. This kid is going to be very loved and that starts with getting their room ready.”
Eight weeks into her pregnancy Wanda has her first doctors appointment. You were joining her and seeing the tiny little baby for the first time. The doctor was doing the ultrasounds, showing on the screen what everything was when all of a sudden he stopped talking and started moving around the transductor around. Wanda met your eyes worriedly, you squeezed her hand while you both waited for the doctor to speak. “There!” He says, pointing to something on the screen. “Do you see that?” When you both nod, still confused to what’s happening he tells you what’s on the screen. “This here is the baby and then here is baby number two. Wanda you are having twins.”
Wanda’s mouth falls open, ‘twins’ keep echoing in her head. “I’ll give you two a moment.” The doctor says and leaves the room. “I guess I should pick up another crib, huh?” You joke, not realizing Wanda is still in shock. “I’m barely convinced I can take care of one baby, how am I going to be able to take care of two?” Wanda says. “What if I moved in? Ill be there to take care of the babies with you.”
After that appointment you and Wanda sat down to see what would be best for the babies. You decided moving into your apartment would be more practical since yours was bigger and therefor had an extra room. And that way Wanda would also not have to be surrounded by the memories of Vision. The next week you started moving Wanda’s stuff into your apartment, with the help with some of your friends and family.
In the following months the house started to feel more like a shared space. Wanda’s room feeling like her own and a mix of both your decoration around the house. You worked together on making a beautiful nursery of the room that had once been your office space. Setting up two cribs, a closet, and a changing table among other decorative pieces. The room was coming along nicely.
A week before the due date a very pregnant Wanda stood in the kitchen looking for something she wanted to eat, while you were doing the final round of baby clothes washing, which you learned was necessary from one of those practical baby books. You just got the laundry from the machine when you heard Wanda call out for you. “Y/n, come here quick!”
You rushed to the kitchen and found Wanda standing there looking at the floor with wide eyes. “My water just broke.” You excitedly said, “Omg it’s happening!” You rushed to the nursery to grab the baby and hospital bag and then led Wanda to the car.
That day Wanda gave birth to two beautiful boys. Their names were Billy and Tommy Maximoff. You were sitting in Wanda’s room at the hospital, making sure she had everything she needed. But all she needed was to have you around. Then a nurse came in with two little beds, “They’re all checked out for now, miss Maximoff, you have two very healthy baby boys.”
When the nurse walked out of the room, you gently picked up one of the babies holding him shortly before handing him over to Wanda and picking up the other to hold yourself. They were perfect. After holding the boys for a bit, you switch and after some more time holding them, you put them back into their little beds. “Are you ready for some visitors, Wands?” You had texted Pietro right before you got into the car and asked him if he could notify the rest of your and Wanda’s friends.
You walked out of the room and into the waiting room where you were met with your friends eagerly waiting to meet the new additions to their lives. “There are two beautiful, healthy baby boys ready to meet you all. And one very proud but tired mom ready for some company.”
The group followed you to the room where you introduced the boy to their new family, “Billy and Tommy these are your aunts and uncles, we have Uncle Pietro, Auntie Nat, Aunt Yelena, Uncle Clint and Aunt Kate and they all can’t wait to meet you.” They had each decided what they wanted to be named and you thought it was adorable. What you didn’t see was Wanda looking at you with adoration in her eyes. She was so thankful for you being here with her, through everything. Natasha noticed the way Wanda had looked your way and made a mental note to ask Wanda about it later.
Bringing the boys home and starting this life with them had all been incredible. Your friends helped out as much as they could. Meaning the boys had their family over very often, Wanda was so appreciative of everyone showing up for her and her boys like this. Everyone made her feel like she truly wasn’t raising the boys alone.
On a Sunday afternoon when you and Yelena were putting the boys away for a nap, Natasha saw her opportunity to ask Wanda about the look she witnessed at the hospital. “So, Wanda, how has living with y/n been so far?” Natasha saw the woman’s eyes light up at the mention of your name, which was all she needed to know that Wanda had feelings for you. “It’s been amazing. It’s great having around more and she is incredible with the boys.” Natasha chuckles, “And you’re in love with her.” Natasha adds. Wanda’s eyes widen, “Shh, she’s right in the room next door.” Natasha smirks, “Interesting response.” Natasha manages to say before you and Yelena walk back into the living room.
Then months later you and Wanda have fully gotten used to a life with two little ones and were enjoying it to the fullest. Billy and Tommy brought a light to your lives, that no one could have prepared you for, the love you felt for these boys like they were your own felt incredible. Wanda’s feelings for you only increased the more she was around you, but she didn’t want to ruin what you guys had now. So, she hadn’t told you about how she feels towards you.
Billy and Tommy had both started saying their first words. Billy’s first word was mommy, which made Wanda overjoyed. And Tommy’s first word he wanted to share with the world was banana, making you both laugh. He must have a favorite food.
A little after the twins their second birthday Wanda was making dinner in the kitchen while watching you play with the boys in the living room. That’s when she heard Tommy say, “Mama, mama, look!” before he did a silly dance. Tommy wasn’t looking to get her attention though. He had called you mama. When you just smiled at the boy and started dancing with him, Wanda knew she had to tell you how she felt.
So, after she had brought the twins to bed, she sat you down. “Can we talk?” She had asked, “Of course, what’s up Wands?” Wanda seemed nervous, which wasn’t like the Wanda you knew. “So, earlier I overheard Tommy call you mama.” You hadn’t realized hearing that had troubled Wanda, “Oh Wanda, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that would bother you, next time I will correct him.”
Wanda put her hand down on your knee, “No, no, that’s not it. Quite the opposite actually.” Wanda’s hand on your knee gave you butterflies in your stomach. “Y/n, you mean everything, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin our friendship. But hearing Tommy say that made me realize that after all these years I just have to tell you, because I want you to be Tommy’s mama and Billy’s of course. Because y/n I love you, and.” You stopped Wanda’s rambling by kissing her. Your hand moved to the nape of her neck, pulling her in closer. When you felt her smile into the kiss, you did the same. When you pulled away for air you said, “I love you too Wanda, and I have since the first month I have known you. I’d love to be Billy and Tommy’s mama, but there’s one question left to ask first. Wands, do you want to be my girlfriend?” Wanda excitedly said yes.
And that’s how you officially became a family after all these years. Though in your hearts you will always count those first two years just the same. You were a family then and you would be a family for the rest of your lives.
~
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chronicowboy · 1 year
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The first time Chris asks to see Buck, Eddie doesn't hesitate before saying no. The second, third, fourth, fifth times follow immediately after, Christopher's fury growing with each denial. But Eddie doesn't budge. He'll accept the abuses hurled at him, accept the weak punches Chris throws at his chest, accept the I HATE YOU! and slammed bedroom door.
Its nothing he doesn't deserve.
The sixth time Christopher asks, teary-eyed and pleading, Eddie wavers and says not yet. Chris huffs, but he grabs onto that little bit of hope like a lifeline. Eddie doesn't have the heart to tell him that hope is useless.
See, thing is, he knows Christopher is growing up. He knows his son is old enough to handle seeing Buck in a hospital bed - or, well, maybe not handle it, but he knows he's old enough to decide when he's ready to see Buck himself. But Eddie isn't ready.
Eddie wasn't ready when he tried to haul Buck back up onto the ladder, Eddie wasn't ready when he had to relinquish Buck's life to the others with no idea what was happening, Eddie wasn't ready to see Chimney straddling Buck's torso and begging Buck to wake up, Eddie wasn't ready to watch the doctors roll a still unresponsive Buck through the glass doors, Eddie wasn't ready to see Buck cold and still with a tube down his throat.
Christopher's always been braver than him.
But, selfishly, Eddie doesn't think he could handle seeing Chris beg Buck to wake up or say-
No. Eddie knows he couldn't handle it.
And, fuck, maybe its the wrong choice to keep Chris from getting to say goodbye to another parent. Its probably, definitely the wrong choice. But Eddie can't- He just can't.
He can't do this. He can't say goodbye.
Not to Buck.
Its when an Uber pulls up to the house and he catches Christopher trying to sneak out the front door that he realises he couldn't keep them apart anymore than he could have stopped that lightning from hitting Buck.
(You could have stopped it. You could have gone up in his place. You could have been faster. You could have been the one doing CPR. You could have-)
Eddie just grabs his keys and ushers Chris towards the Jeep - a fucking jeep, really? what is it? spit on Eddie day? - waiting for them outside.
He doesn't expect Chris to celebrate, but he also doesn't expect the stony silence that suffocates them in the back of the car. When Chris sniffles, Eddie grabs his hand and lets his own tears roll down his cheeks.
He should say something, but there aren't any words for this. This much he knows.
There weren't any last time either.
Eddie doesn't really register the journey from the parking lot up to Buck's room in the ICU. Not until Christopher suddenly goes very, very still and grabs his hand.
There's not a single part of Eddie that hasn't been shattered since he pushed himself up onto shaky arms and saw Buck hanging from the ladder, still, too still, but right now its the first time he really feels like he's going to fall apart.
"He's in there?" Chris asks, voice tiny and small and so, so scared.
"Yeah, buddy," Eddie croaks, "he's in there. But you don't have to go -"
"Yes. I do." Christopher takes a deep breath and marches towards the door like he's about to walk onto a stage.
Eddie follows. After a moment.
Chris has always been braver than him.
(He hasn't been in Buck's room once. Had only looked at him from beyond the window to his room for a few moments before using Christopher as an excuse to flee. Because he's a coward.)
Eddie doesn't know why he expects Buck's room to be empty. His family is at its biggest right now, even if Eddie remains quietly suspicious of Margaret and Phillip's sudden redemption. And he knows no one would ever let him be alone for more than a bathroom break or a coffee run.
Eddie doesn't know why he's so surprised to see Hen offering Chris her chair by Buck's bedside. She's known Buck the longest - along with Bobby and Chim of course, but between Bobby's superiority and Chimney's rebar, they'd gotten closest the fastest. He doesn't know why he expected Hen to still be at home with her wife and kid.
(Maybe because he'd been desperately jealous that she had someone to shoulder the weight with her.)
The grief-stricken, knowing look Hen shoots him is enough to have his chest tightening up worse than the suit shop.
And then, Christopher reaches for Buck's hand, looking so goddamn young but so fucking determined, and Eddie thinks it'd be fucking typical of him to have a heart attack three days after Buck's heart stops.
"I-I'm sorry, I c-can't." He glances at Hen in what he hopes she understands is a plea to look out for Christopher before fleeing from the room.
His legs don't take him far. His legs were made to get him up that fucking ladder to Buck. His legs weren't made to take him away from him. So, he collapses back against the wall under the window and sinks to the floor just as the first sob racks his body.
Its a painful thing. Like its torn from the very depths of him. Like someone has used the Jaws to pry his chest open and is ripping chunks of his organs out of him.
Its a desperate thing. A prayer and a plea to a universe he doesn't believe in.
Its a quiet thing, however. Because Eddie mastered that art so well that it is deeply ingrained in him.
Its a quiet thing which is why he can still hear Christopher's voice through the thin hospital walls.
"Buck, you promised me-" Christopher's words break, and Eddie breaks with them, pressing his fists into his eyes as hard as he can. "You promised you weren't going anywhere, and you never break your promises."
Eddie doesn't remember this promise. He remembers a hundred pinkie promises between his son and his- His Buck. But he doesn't remember this one. He wonders if it was before or after the-
It was before. Eddie knows Buck well enough to know it was before.
"Wake up, Buck. Please, I-"
Eddie's a coward. He's a coward, that's why he can't get up from the floor. He's a goddamn fucking coward.
"I want my dad," Chris wails, and Eddie doesn't know how he manages it - thinks briefly of stories about mothers lifting cars off their babies - but the next thing he knows he's watching Christopher bury his face in Buck's shoulder.
The left one, not the one with the Lichtenburg figures, the one near his heart.
Eddie doesn't need to look at Hen's tear-streaked face to know that Christopher wasn't asking for him.
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borderlandsresearcher · 2 months
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MK Girlies as Moms x Reader 💙🩷
(Kitana, Mileena+Tanya, Cassie Cage)
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CW: pregnancy, motherhood, gn reader, poly relationship mentioned, not proofread, I am not a writer!!!
TW: slight mentions/references to death in Mileena's section
(A/N @ the bottom as always)
Kitana
*As a young girl, Kitana had always admired her mother for the caring and gentle role model she was.
*When it was Kitana's time to embrace motherhood, she did so with little to no fear. Not only was she confident in her abilities as a mother, but knew that if she ever needed help, that she has a supportive family and an entire kingdom of willing subjects to fall back on.
*Would most likely have twins if she were to give birth (that's genetics mama).
*Kitana didn't need to do half as much research as you did before your child(ren) was/were born. Motherhood was seemingly natural to her; waking up in the middle of the night completely unbothered to deal with the crying baby-- laughing anytime the baby spit or spewed-- cleaning up their messes without protest...
*Despite this, Kitana was exhausted. While she made it seem effortless, she needs the extra help more than anything.
*Because of Kitana's willingness to hide her true emotions, especially from those she loves, you had to sit her down and convince her that you don't mind splitting the responsibilities.
*There were days when you had to basically force her to take a break, tattling on her to Mileena so that she could relax under the empress's orders.
*Kitana always wants to be around her children. She loves everything they do, cheering them on at every opportunity.
*Definitely the type of mom to cry when their baby rolls over for the first time.
*Takes them for walks around the palace gardens, pointing out different plants and insects to teach them about.
*Every night at bedtime, she will either sing them a song or tell them a story. Each song she sings and story she tells all have to do with their ancestors and the lessons their lives had to teach.
*She wants them to be in touch with the land from whence they came, the same way her mother did. Although this can cause her to be strict at times.
*The older her children got, the stricter she was. Kitana will fully expect her child to marry an Edenian. You will have to call her out for being hypocritical if you are not Edenian and still married.
*Is an overall amazing mother, but sometimes needs a reminder that she's deserving of the same love she gives.
Mileena x Tanya x You
*Three parents? Y'all are good fr.
*Whether you decide to adopt or conceive, your children will be loved beyond comprehension.
*Mileena also greatly looked up to her mother as a child. But ever since she was infected with tarkat, her mother seemed to grow distant, favouring Kitana over her.
*She ensures your children will not face the same fate, loving them all equally and splitting attention between parents.
*Unfortunately, for the longest time Mileena refused to let her children sleep seperately from the three of you. This is due to the trauma she still holds from losing her father, even if he as returned, it still runs deep.
*She becomes such a softie for her kids.
*Will spoil them with clothes made of expensive fabrics and toys made of gold. She's excessive AF.
*She entrusts Li Mei with training them in Kombat when they are of age.
*As for Tanya, she is always telling them stories, even if they don't fully understand yet. (Y'all her voice is soothing af fr)
*Cries tears of joy when they call her "mama" for the first time. She has never felt a love greater than this.
*Knows that she is raising the Empress's heirs, so she can be quite strict at times.
*Politics are a thing your children are familiar with from a young age.
*Mileena and Tanya know how exhausting life in the palace can be, so every so often they allow you to take the children into the city for a day out.
*The three of you are great parents, the perfect balance of emotional availability and strictness. Your children grow up knowing they are supported.
Cassie Cage
*As much as she loved her mother, she always felt that Sonya could have been more attentive as a parent.
*Cassie will be more like Johnny and treat her child like royalty, giving them nicknames like "prince/princess".
*Unlike Johnny, however, she takes her time to plan out her/your pregnancy. She has baby fever like crazy, but still takes the time to make sure the two of you are mentally prepared to carry such a heavy burden.
*Will go to her father and uncle Jax for advice.
*Goes crazy when doing baby shopping, bringing a whole new meaning to overconsumption, especially if she's the one whose pregnant. Will nest like crazy.
*She would most likely be in her mid 30's-40's when she chooses to have a baby. Earthrealm still needs protecting!
*TONS of pregnancy photos posted onto social media but refuses to post her child's face anywhere, even if it's private.
*Cassie does not want her child to be a part of the SF. Will do everything she can to shield them from violence. She will, however, teach them self defence and how to shoot a gun.
*Jacqui and Takeda are the godparents <3
*She's the fun, party parent, and promises to always be her child's best friend.
*She still dishes out discipline, but makes sure to first hear them out no matter how angry or bratty they are being. Refuses to yell or grab her child in any way. Much prefers to talk things out and acknowledge each other's emotions. You often find the two deep in intellectual discussion.
*Johnny is best grandpa!!! He will take your child out for little dates around LA, making a game out of avoiding paparazzi. Spoils tf out of them. They want that Gucci teddy bear? He's buying five. They want to do sport or music? He's paying for every lesson. He already has a college fund set up for them the moment you and Cassie announce you're pregnant.
*Cassie loves her dad jokes. They are nonstop, and even worse when Johnny is around to encourage her!
*She is an amazing mother and wife, always making sure everyone around her (including herself) are stable and healthy.
---------------------------------------------------
A/N: I fucking suck at this shit
Hope y'all enjoyed! I only really had ideas for these four, so hopefully that's okay :)
I'm not much of a writer, so your support means a lot to me! Thanks to all of those who like/reblog/comment. It means a lot :)
Let me know what you think! I take constructive criticism!!!
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zhng96 · 8 months
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sunny days — k. gyuvin
↳ how can one make it up to someone who spends their days helping people- and how come you’ve found yourself faced with flustering feelings for said boy so suddenly?
↳ pairing: kim gyuvin x gn!reader (3.1k words OH MY GAWD)
↳ warnings: nothing honestly
↳ note: THIS IS SO LONG HELP,,, the longest fic i’ve written yet AND I LOVED EVERY BUT OF IT!!! HAPOY BDAY GYUVIN YOU DESERVE EVERY OUNCE OF LOVE EVER.
perm taglist: @tzuberry @hrtattcker @yueriots @neohyxn @avocarua @dwcljh @uyujns @knrejj
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o. the meaning of loving.
kim gyuvin was the epitome of someone who loved loving. he helped where he could, was doting to his friends- even in a teasing way- but everyone and their mothers knew he meant every candied word he sent towards them, he was a social butterfly, and he made sure everyone was comfortable around him.
it was in his nature, you suppose, to help you despite not knowing you very well. being the class president and all, you assumed that he was just helping take a burden off of your shoulders even if it was a measly stack of papers waiting to be dropped by the office- not to mention his altruistic nature.
little did you know that there was a hint of devotion behind it. gyuvin knew he helped around a lot- but with you, he helped extra. any time he found you taking on a task by yourself- no matter the difficulty, he'd offer a hand. he just wished you’d notice how he set his attention on you just a little bit more than he set his attention on others.
(more under the cut !)
albeit the wave of fluttering feelings that burst throughout his chest when he hears the grateful thank you with a soul-crushingly sincere smile; he knows that when he has you for himself, he'll feel the same, just ten times over.
that's one of the reasons gyuvin has yet to give up over his attempts of showcasing his affections for you- but also because he just likes doing it. he revels in the way the sun hits your skin when the two of you are working during lunch, he loves when you accidentally make eye contact with him and find yourself looking away just as fast.
he lives and breathes you- he only hopes you do the same.
i. a paper stack as tall as jack's beanstalk.
midday was always the slowest time during school days. classes went by increasingly slower as the clock approached closer to the hour to which the lunch period began.
your stomach grumbled in anticipation for the assortment of cafeteria foods that awaited for you as soon as the bell rung. you were practically jumping in you seat peevishly- unable to distract your mind from imagining what was on the menu today.
finally, the bell rung. the teacher nods in dismissal and every student bursts from their seats.
you quickly grab your bag resting against the desk leg and shove your belongings into its pouch before turning towards the exit.
that's when the teacher called your name.
"yn, could you come here for a moment?" they ask, waving a hand towards them. you have no option but to oblige.
suddenly, 2 tall stacks of printer paper etched with various texts slam onto the teacher's desk, and your mouth is left agape, already preparing for what they will ask of you.
"i need you to bring these to the office for me", they state, sheepishly rubbing their neck, "i've got to pick up my daughter for an appointment, i'm sorry..."
breaking away from your stupor, you shake your head violently, "i-it's no worries! i'll get it there right away!"
the teacher send you a grateful nod before gathering their stuff in a hurry and their footsteps descend down the hallway- a quick and irritating clacking sound ringing throughout the 3rd floor of the building. you pay no mind, only staring at the two large stacks before you- worries about your ability to eat your long awaited lunch bouncing throughout your head.
unbeknownst to you, gyuvin stood at the door, watching the whole affair transpire. he noticed your antsy demeanor during class, having sat behind you- watching you slightly bounce like a maniac and look back at the clock every few minutes. when he heard the teacher call your name just as you were about to rush out towards the cafeteria- he knew he had to prepare for the worst.
watching your face drop had only motivated him to help you more- but when he saw the two fat stacks of paper forced before you, he wasn't so sure that even his efforts could manage to get you to eat the lunch that you were willing to risk it all for.
you frown, the office building was on the first floor and currently, you were on the third. with no elevator, the school solely relied on stairs- and with the sight of the two tall stacks of paper, there was no way you were getting both of them down in one trip- you'd most likely have to make four.
groaning, you finally oblige to the task at hand and reach for the first quarter of papers you would bring down, using your tippy toes as a support. someone is quick to help though. a tall, lanky boy reaches out to steady the trembling stack, letting you grab half of the stack with ease.
without seeing his face, you already recognized who it was. not only were his huge hands a giveaway, also the height- and most of all, the fact that he's even here right now rather than getting lunch.
you rest the stack on your biceps and tuck it to your chest. now comfortable, you turn towards him.
"you should be eating lunch", you quirk your brow, gazing at him with sincere concern- he only feels his heartbeat pick up.
"so should you", he replies coolly, shrugging his shoulders and taking a whole stack of papers as if it weighed nothing.
you yelp, "i can handle it myself! you need to eat!"
he chuckles, shaking his head before nodding it towards the door, "well, if we get a move-on we'll both be able to eat lunch. how's that sound?"
you find yourself perking up at the mention of being able to enjoy your long awaited food and nod helplessly. he nods his head again, suggesting you start walking ahead of him and you comply, being the first to walk out the door and gyuvin following close behind.
gyuvin wasn't going to lie, the stack was heavy. but thankfully, with his height, the tall stack of papers did nothing to restrict his movement, his head still fully over the top of the stack.
the two of you stop in front of the stairs and you give him a weary look, "you sure you can make it down those without falling? we can always come back up again, there's still half a stack in the classroom..."
gyuvin smiles, nodding confidently, "we'll be okay! c'mon, the faster we get this done, the quicker we can eat lunch!"
you can't help but take note on how, despite asking a question directed to him, he still manages to include you in the answer. having first-handedly witnessed the natural way he still manages to think of others in the littlest of things evokes an unrecognizable emotion inside of you. suddenly, the sight of him makes you want to break out into a grin.
quickly, gyuvin turns back towards the stairs and steps down with a fastened pace- somehow, none of the papers that lay at the top of the stack fly in the opposite direction.
you giggle to yourself before jogging down the steps as well, trying your best to catch up to gyuvin while also maintaining the balance of the stack in your arms.
ii. he said, she said.
after taking a second trip up and down the three flights of stairs to hand over the other half of the stack you left behind, the two of your were satisfied with your work. the second trip around, the two of you were so caught up in conversation that the intention to rush was long forgotten.
as the two of you slowly walked towards the cafeteria, now discussing some silly shenanigans gyuvin and his friends had done during one of last year’s breaks, the bell rung once again, and the students flood the hallways the pair were striding down.
the two of you freeze in place, watching as the students head back towards their lockers to grab their belongings for the upcoming class.
you glance of gyuvin, frowing at the sight of his downcast expression- he had missed lunch just to help you sort out your paper stack predicament.
little do you know, gyuvin is feeling just the same- he helped you just so you could be able to eat lunch and there he was, selfishly talking to you, only to lead you to missing lunch completely. his plan was perfect, it was just that his execution turned out to be counterproductive.
"i am so sorry gyuvin... i really should've just done it myself", you ramble, clenching your fists in embarrassment. you fail to notice how he looks at you with concern.
taking his silence as an apology unaccepted, you cringe, "i'll find a way to make it up to you-"
"yn!" one of your friends call from a few feet away with great urgency, causing you to trail off on your sentence.
you look at him once more, painful apology painted across your face, before jogging along to see what your friend had urgently called you for.
the rest of the day was spent racking your brain for ways to make it up to gyuvin.
you could buy him a lunch, you pondered- but you decided he was worth more.
how about a giftcard somewhere?- well, you weren't 30... it seemed like an old gift.
everything you thought, it always seemed like it was never enough. gyuvin deserved way more than just a free lunch, or giftcard, or an apology. he was gyuvin for godsakes, he helped you and everyone he could, no questions asked, he's kind, and for some reason- the mere shadow of his presences sends your stomach fluttering.
with guilt bubbling in your stomach since lunch, you've finally reached the end of the day. putting away the textbooks that weighed your backpack down onto the metal shelf of your locker- a certain name uttered by a group of friends behind you perks your ears.
"what did you guys get for gyuvin's birthday tomorrow?" and suddenly an idea hits you like a truck.
you found the perfect way to make it up to him. gyuvin loved people- what if you held him a little surprise party first thing tomorrow?
you twist around and but into their conversation- an obnoxious gesture, but with your mind racing miles a minute, that was the least of your worries.
"is it really gyuvin's birthday tomorrow?" you ask, looking around to meet the faces of his close friends- the eight of them stand there a little taken aback before they collect themselves.
"yeah!" matthew, if you remember correctly, confirms happily, sending you a warm smile.
"what if we held him a surprise party?" you suggest, surveying each of their faces to take in their reactions.
each of them light up, "where are we gonna get everything?"
"don't worry, i'll take care of everything... just meet me at the school about an hour to half-an-hour early!"
iii. a lunchbox cake.
it didn't take long for the rest of your class to absorb the (not-so-secret) surprise party plan for their beloved classmate, but you never minded- afterall, gyuvin deserved only the best and that showed through the devotion of the many people he's helped giving a hand to create a great celebration. the rest of the day was spent running errands for the last minute plans.
holding two bags full of decorations which ranged from balloons to silly little party hats you bought for the laughs, you head over to your favourite bakery- they had recently started advertising lunchbox cakes.
you requested two of these cakes- hoping it will be enough to feed everyone to satisfaction, but not enough to create a herd of hyper teenagers. one cake was to be a simple white- a cursive birthday message in black buttercream decorating the top and sprinkles made through piping icing directly onto the cake taking up awkward gaps where something felt missing.
the second cake was to have a teal background and a puppy wearing a pink birthday hat in the middle- all made of icing.
despite feeling bad about the amount of work they had to put in in such a short amount of time, they assured you that you are a beloved customer and they appreciate you always coming to support them- they accepted the order with no hesitation. you explained your deadline, saying you'll be there to pick it up an hour before your classes start and you watch as they immediately start on the batter. on your way out, you thank them profusely
all that was left was setting it up and presenting it to the birthday boy.
iv. surprise?
the clicking of your loafers against the cement along with the wind rapidly dancing past you rings your ears- the sound of the early morning traffic is easily muffled.
you run frantically towards the bakery- you had gotten a text from hanbin that they were at the school ready to set up, and feeling bad that they would have to wait- you decide to drop off the decorations and then head back to pick up the cake (bad decision). you were now frantically running- only having 25 minutes to get back to the school, cakes fully intact and looking presentable. 25 minutes and then classes would start- 25 minutes and you'll see gyuvin walk in and-
turning the corner expecting to see the entrance of the bakery in view, instead you are met with a lanky figure in a very familiar school uniform.
"oh!" the boy yelps, grabbing onto your arm to save you from a painful fall onto the concrete.
at the voice, you eyes widen- gyuvin was here, right now.
"ah, g-gyuvin!" you stammer, tilting your head up to greet the boy.
at the sight of your slightly messy hair, the boy giggles, causing you to quickly run your hands over your head to smooth it out.
"what are you doing here?" you laugh awkwardly, rubbing your bicep in attempt to act natural- you needed to get out of there immediately, but without being rude? that was impossible.
"oh... i thought i'd pick you up a pastry since i made you skip lunch yesterday..."
you perk up at this confession, tilting your head in consideration.
it was his birthday and he was getting something for you...
"you... didn't make me do anything gyuvin, really it's okay!" you comfort, watching as his eyes grow wide.
"why are you here?"
you didn't know how to answer that question.
"well i... um.." gyuvin patiently awaits your answer but rests a hand on your head after he senses your struggling.
"you don't need to tell me, it's alright. you wanna come inside with me so you can pick your treat?"
pursing your lips, you nod after a second and follow him inside.
"what's your favourite pastry?" he asks, surverying the dainty bakery.
"yn!" the woman behind the counter shouts, catching both you and gyuvin's attention.
"you come here a lot?" he questions, the tilt of his head makes your heart clench; you nod sheepishly before excusing yourself. while you walk away, gyuvin internally praises himself for the choice of bakery.
rushing over to the counter, you thank her gratefully and open the two boxes just an inch to inspect the cakes.
they were perfect, the cake with the dog was perfectly smooth and the icing art was admirable, the other cake was perfectly plain. simple, yet elegant.
you turn back to gyuvin, who eyes the two boxes curiously and you shrug.
"what's all that?" he nods towards the two boxes as you walk back up towards him.
"surprise", you smile, your nerves now calmed- everything was going to be fine, all you needed to do was get gyuvin to the school.
gyuvin hums, seemingly content enough with your answer. he then moves to walk up to the cashier but you grab his wrist frantically.
"there's no need, really! seeing you enjoy these cakes is enough for me!” you stumble, saying the first reasonable explanation to get back to the school right away.
it takes you a few moments to realize your mistake, but when you do, you find yourself frozen in place.
great going.
“surprise, huh?” he chuckled, staring at your appalled expression.
“well… it was supposed to be…” you mumble, shifting between your two feet awkwardly.
sensing your shame, gyuvin places a hand on your shoulder in comfort, “hey, it’s okay… i didn’t mean it that way, you’re just too cute not to tease.”
you perk up at his confession, now it was his turn to face you, appalled by his own mouth.
“that was supposed to be a secret too…” you giggle, taking his hand in attempt to calm his nerves.
“c’mon birthday boy, that’s not the only surprise”, gyuvin follows like a puppy, gripping your hand back happily once he comes back to his senses.
v. birthday wish granted.
you walk up to the classroom in anticipation, hopefully, everything was fully put up and everyone was ready to greet the boy a happy birthday.
you tried to make it known you were going down the hallway, extending your voice a few decibals higher than usual- you only hoped gyuvin didn't notice.
still holding his hand, you drag him over to the classroom. once the two of you stood in front on the room door, you looked at him with a wide grin- his eyebrows furrow and his gaze softens at the sight of your smile.
pursing your lips, you gesture for him to move in front of you- it seems like gyuvin had figured out your other surpise a while ago as he gives you a knowing look, but obliges nonetheless. before he turns to slide the door open, he gently cups your face.
the contact of his lips on your forehead feels majestic. it was delicate and meaningful- a small peck meant so much.
he then looks at you for permission, you only nod, reading his face for his next action.
he smirks before leaning down, now level with your lips.
by pure coincidence- yujin, who overheard the two in the hallway and was getting impatient- slid the door open, ready to peek out to see if you two were close by.
instead he finds you two inches apart- suddenly the two of you jump back.
theres a pregnant silence before matthew pops up from behind a desk, his eyes darting from you and the birthday boy and then at your hands. he smirks cheekily at the sight, “happy birthday gyuvin! i’d tell you to make a wish but it looks like it’s already come true.”
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farfromstrange · 3 months
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Do No Harm
CHAPTER SEVEN: Downward Spiral
Masterlist | Series Masterlist
Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader
Summary: After agreeing to go on a date with Matt, you start realizing the weight of your decision, and your thoughts begin spiraling. In a moment of need, you turn to the only close friend you have in Hell's Kitchen, hoping she can pull you away from the edge of the very steep cliff your trauma is trying to throw you into.
Warnings for this chapter: ANGST (the caps feel appropriate here), mentions of domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, allusions to a suicide attempt, allusions to sexual assault, mentions of being taken advantage of by a superior, (I guess you could say) mentions of hypersexuality, self-loathing, PTSD, some foreshadowing, mental breakdown, alcohol, Season 1 related plot (spoilers)
Word Count: 6.4k
A/n: Surprise! I'm posting early because I'm going to see my family this weekend, and after I had an epiphany at two in the morning and spent 3 days writing this, I got it done, and I'm actually quite proud of this (or maybe it's the caffeine). Anyway, heed the warnings because the topics of conversation in this are pretty dark. That's why I highlighted the angst. And if you haven't watched past episode 1 of Season 1, this might spoil some things for you. (Also, I have no idea how this turned into a beast with a word count over 6k. Sorry in advance.)
Read Chapter 7: Downward Spiral here on AO3
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You don’t know what came over you.
You typed in Matt’s number in a moment of weakness, and once you heard his voice through the line, you gave up on being careful. You gave up on denying yourself what you’re so desperately craving, and you abandoned all rational thought.
For him.
You promised not to get attached to someone ever again—let alone a man. You started a new life in Hell’s Kitchen to find your way back to normalcy. You took all the necessary precautions, and even though you look back at the shreds of your old life every day, you are never going back.
Two years. That is the longest you have managed to stay in one place ever since you left California. But you still haven’t found your way back into the real world.
You have been guarding yourself, afraid of having your heart broken, afraid of losing this chance at a new life, and afraid of the man who ruined you. 
Every time you close your eyes, you see his face. You hear his voice in the back of your mind. He’s everywhere, even when you don’t want him to be. 
It’s easier to put a wall between yourself and everyone else. A wall no one can break through, not even yourself. You trapped your soul for the sole purpose of keeping yourself alive after you made the hardest decision of your life. When you ran, you believed your life was over, but you have always been too much of a coward to end your misery. God knows you’ve tried, but even a trained doctor can’t fully understand death, and some things just don’t work out the way we want them to. 
Drunken one-night stands can’t possibly compare to a meaningful emotional connection, but they satisfy the need for physical intimacy. At least for a little while. It killed you; slowly, almost pathetically, but sleeping with strangers in dirty motel rooms did a better job than you ever could. 
For the longest time, you used sex as a coping mechanism. You let strange men use you because that is the only way you know how to be with someone else. You let them hurt you to feel something, anything because pain is better than feeling nothing at all. But when you finally got settled in Hell’s Kitchen, thanks to Claire, you stopped. 
You locked up your heart and threw away the key. You started to shield your body the same way you have shielded your soul. You retreated into a shell of restlessness and constant fear of every little sliver of hope you feel being taken away from you. 
You have nowhere else to run, which is why keeping a low profile is so important to you, but after two years, don’t you deserve to finally live? 
We don’t exist to just survive; we exist to live the life we were given. You are Olivia Clarke now, not the broken girl you left behind, but every time you think about it, his voice returns and backs you into a corner that you can’t escape from. 
Every time you see the scars on your body, all you want to do is rip the skin off your bones and feed it to the dogs. 
The men you slept with while you were running from your past saw you as a mere object, and you are used to being seen that way, but it was isolating nonetheless. They didn’t care about your scars, they only cared about what you could give them. They treated you like he did without lifting a finger. 
Even though you don’t do that anymore, it still weighs heavy on your wounded soul. 
Matt treats you like a person. He can’t physically see, but he still sees you. He sees you in a way no one has ever seen you before. And he is gentle, and patient, and—
You scream into your pillow. Your nose still hurts, but it is nothing compared to how fast your heart is beating. 
To you, Matt is perfect. You know that no one can be perfect, and you should be careful, but he makes you feel things you have long denied yourself. He makes you feel wanted. Desired. Like you can be yourself around him and still be worthy of his attention. Like you matter. And he has a certain way of being around you that makes you feel protected, almost. 
You don’t need protection. You have made it this far without a bodyguard by your side. You know how to fight your own battles better than most, but you can’t deny that you wouldn’t mind being saved by him. 
You wouldn’t mind those hands he always wraps around his cane to wrap around you instead. He can’t see your scars, but he can feel them, and as terrifying as that thought sounds, it also excites you. 
You’re treading dangerous territory, but God, he won’t leave you alone, not even when you’re trying to sleep. He could offer you a sense of normal that you have long missed. He could teach you how to be a person again. And maybe, just maybe, you could let yourself be cared for by him. 
You roll back onto your back when you need to breathe, one of your hairs getting stuck to your lip. You let out an annoyed huff. There won’t be much sleeping tonight, you’re sure. Not when you keep thinking about tomorrow.
“You’re not fifteen anymore,” you mutter to yourself. “What is wrong with you? God!”
It’s almost too surreal to believe that this magnetic force of a man managed to retrieve some of your long-lost hope, and he only had to call you beautiful once for you to be completely smitten. 
When he allowed you to take care of his injuries on the first day you met, you didn’t think a person could be this guarded yet so vulnerable at the same time. He’s breaking under an invisible weight that must have been on his shoulders for years, maybe even decades. You’re painfully aware of other people’s feelings, and it wasn’t hard to tell that Matt carries a lot of unresolved pain with him. Always. He reminds you so much of yourself, it’s like staring into a mirror. Two broken halves of a whole. 
Your thoughts won’t stand still, no matter how hard you try. You’re stuck inside an invisible hourglass. Not even heaven knows what will happen once time runs out. You don’t understand why you’re overthinking this while, at the same time, knowing exactly why. And you hate it. 
There is a part of you that you can never get back. A little girl who grew up too fast. A girl who didn’t know any better. A broken teenager who wanted nothing more than to escape and live a better life than her parents could ever give her, and when she did manage to escape one hell, she found herself in a new quarter of purgatory built just for you.
You used to think that maybe you just bring the worst out in people, but after seeing the worst of humanity outside of your broken relationships, too, you’re not so sure about that anymore.
The fact that you don’t understand why you can’t stop your usually so intelligent brain from spinning out of control makes you want to claw at the walls of your apartment that threaten to cave in on you.
Part of you wants nothing more than to run and never look back, but you can’t run forever. This time, you wouldn’t be running from the Devil; you would be running from a fear of your own feelings. Human feelings. Feelings that have a high likelihood of recurring, and then you will have to run again. 
You can’t run from reality forever. It’s a different reality now, but it’s a better reality. That is a rational thought, but being rational currently has no place in your mind, so you’re spiraling, and all because a nice guy asked you out for coffee. 
You find yourself in a cab a few minutes later, wearing a pair of sweatpants, and an oversized shirt, with an untouched bottle of wine in your bag. Your worn-down sneakers are not the appropriate footwear for today’s weather, but you couldn’t be bothered to pick another pair. 
You’re aware that it’s late and maybe you should have texted, but you’re already here, and Claire told you that you could always come to her, even if it happens to be the middle of the night. If the rule still stands after she suddenly decided to stay at your co-worker’s place without a proper explanation, you’re not quite sure though. 
You knock. At first, no response. You knock again. The floorboards creak on the other side of the door. 
“Claire, it’s Liv,” you call out.
You can hear the exact moment the person inside the apartment starts to panic. The floorboards creak again, more frequent this time, and it sounds almost as if Claire is turning the room upside down. You raise your eyebrows. 
Before you can knock again, the lock finally clicks, and she opens the door. She’s more of a mess than you are, and that is put lightly.
“It’s the middle of the night,” Claire greets you. “What are you doing here?”
You blink a few times. “Hello to you too?”
She sighs. “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry, it’s just been a long night.”
“I can see that,” you answer. “Are you alright?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” She looks you up and down. “What happened to your nose?”
“It’s a long story.”
“No shit.”
“Yeah. Can I, uh, come in?”
She hesitates before stepping aside to let you in. “Sure.”
You take a quick look around the apartment. Nothing seems out of place. A bowl of cat food stands in the corner by the kitchen. The window in the living room is open, but it seems intentional. 
The scent of antiseptic lingers in the air. You’re not sure if your nose is betraying you as you breathe in, but the smell is familiar. Bandages, disinfectant, and salve. You don’t want to question it, but you can’t help it. 
“Did you hurt yourself?” you ask. 
Claire blows her nose behind you. If you didn’t know better, you would think she was actually sick. She shakes her head upon hearing your question, but there is a faint blush on her cheeks. 
“What makes you think that?” she retorts. 
“Oh, no particular reason. It just smells very… hospital-y. That’s why I asked.”
“I, uh, I had to put a bandage on my leg earlier ‘cause this stupid cat decided to scratch me after peeing everywhere.” She sniffs. “Had to clean the wound, that thing—“ she nods toward the cat sitting in the cat tree, “and then the apartment. Maybe that’s why.” 
You follow her gaze toward the little furball resting on his cat tree. You approach him, but Claire seems less pleased at the prospect. 
“Be careful. He’s pissed.”
“At you,” you correct her. “Also, you’re having an allergic reaction, and—if he really, honest-to-God scratched you—very probably an infection. Why are you even staying here?”
Your voice rises in pitch when you reach the sleeping cat. “Hello, you.” You stroke his fur. He only opens one eye to sniff you, but once he recognizes you, he starts purring. For a moment, you forget the reason why you even came here. 
Claire exhales loudly. She scratches her neck, her skin threatening to break out into hives. “It’s a long story,” she says. 
You glare at her over your shoulder, your hand still stroking up and down the cat’s back as he settles back into a deep sleep. “I’m worried about you."
“That’s sweet of you, but I’m fine.”
“You called out of work and told Shelly you were sick.” You straighten up and turn back to face her. “You’re not sick, Claire.”
She sniffs as if to prove her point.
“Your immune system is overreacting by producing Immunoglobulin E. The antibodies are traveling to the cells responsible for releasing chemicals into your body, causing you to get a stuffy nose and break out into hives. You’re not sick. You’re allergic to cats and sharing an apartment with one. There’s a big difference,” you state. “Look, I know it’s none of my business, but you have to admit that, from where I’m standing, your behavior looks a little suspicious.”
“I’m going through some shit, alright?” she says. “And it’s a lot easier to deal with them here than back at my place. That’s why I called in sick.”
You don’t know what to make of her answer. It’s vague. You don’t like vague answers because they often indicate a bigger problem. It is one thing for you to deal with your demons on your own and refuse to talk about it with your best friend; it’s another thing entirely to keep a dangerous truth from the person you’re closest with, one that could potentially lead to worse consequences. If Claire were a naturally secretive person, maybe you would understand, but she isn’t like that. She isn’t you. 
She’s the only person who knows your entire story. She saved your life. You can’t imagine her keeping secrets from you that might end up hurting her. 
You dare to ask, “Are you in danger?”
She shakes her head a little too fast. “I’m fine, Liv. Really.”
“I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing that.”
“It’s…personal.”
“Personal? Oh, my. Are you sleeping with Luke again?”
Claire stammers. The look on her face suggests that she didn’t expect you to jump to that conclusion. “What? How did you even–”
“Are you?” you repeat your question. 
The last time she slept with Luke Cage, she lied to you about it. She knew you would worry. It’s only natural for you to come to that conclusion now. Except that Luke is in prison, serving his sentence, and it doesn’t make sense. 
“How would I sleep with an incarcerated man?” Claire deadpans. 
“I’m sure you have your ways,” you say. 
“You’re grasping at straws.”
“That’s… true, but it’s coming from a place of love.”
She responds with a sigh. “I don’t wanna fight.”
You join in. You exhale, slowly lowering yourself down on the couch. “I’m sorry,” you murmur. “Just tell me you’re okay, please.”
She offers you a gentle smile. “I’m okay,” she says. 
“Thank you.” 
You choose to believe her. For the time being, at least. 
The silence tugs at your brain cells. You obsessed over Claire’s situation because you didn’t want to face your own, but now that your thoughts have regained the freedom to roam and cause irreversible destruction, you start spiraling again. 
You reach into your bag. 
“You brought wine,” Claire points out. 
“Yep,” you say. The bottle weighs heavily in your hand.
“You need a glass?”
You unscrew the top. “No.”
She doesn’t listen. Claire makes her way into the kitchen, reaching for the wine glasses in the cupboard. “Does this have anything to do with why your nose is all blue and swollen?” 
You shake your head at her question. “That was a patient I tried to sedate. No, I, uh… I have a date,” your voice falls flat. 
The wine glasses move back into the cupboard. Claire turns around, her eyebrows moving up to her hairline. “Come again?”
“I have a date.”
Saying it out loud makes it real. Something so surreal cannot be real, but it is. You have a date with Matt Murdock. Your heart begins racing again, and you feel the same desperate urge to scream into the nearest pillow again. 
You take a sip of wine straight from the bottle. You have a date with a nice man who, for the first time in two years, made you see some resemblance of light at the end of this endless tunnel of despair, and the thought alone is terrifying. Because how are you supposed to live after just existing for the longest time? After you dedicated your life to the act of survival?
Claire steps out of the kitchen and in front of you. “Liv, that’s… that’s amazing!” she says. She sounds like a proud mother. Maybe she is. 
You want to shake your head, but you can’t find it in yourself to do anything other than put the bottle back against your lips and take another sip. The alcohol burns down your esophagus into your stomach, spreading a warm feeling through your fragile body, and into your broken soul. 
“Or not,” she corrects herself upon seeing the expression you’re carrying. Your eyes are empty. “I’m confused,” She pauses, “Are we not happy about the fact that you’ve finally got a date after two years of being miserable?”
If she puts it like that, you feel even more miserable. Another sip of wine finds its way down your throat. 
“Okay, maybe you should put the bottle down. I’m sorry if I said something wrong–”
“It’s not you, it’s me.” You put the bottle down. 
Claire sits down next to you, but you get up before she can take your hand and look at you with that caring look she always gives you when she’s worried. You’re not even mad that she played your concerns down when you expressed them and now she is expressing concerns about you; you’re mad at yourself. 
She watches you. “You have a date. That’s a good thing. It means you allowed yourself to finally say yes to someone interested in you, right?”
“No,” you shake your head. 
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“That’s not an answer.”
You’re pacing over the creaky floorboards. “The last time I went on a date with someone was after my intern year.”
Her gaze softens. “You told me that,” she murmurs. 
“He took me to a restaurant,” you tell her. Your lip quivers as you speak, and your nails dig into your palms until they draw blood. You can barely feel it. His face is right in front of you. “It was a nice restaurant. He paid for me, even offered me his jacket while we were walking home. It was the best date I ever had. And then he kissed me on the doorstep before wishing me a good night.”
“I know. You told me all of that before. But you couldn’t have known that he would turn out to be who he turned out to be. He was your boss. He had no right—”
“That is precisely the problem, Claire!” your voice breaks. “The guy I met, he’s… his name is Matthew. He’s… he is so nice to me. He cares. He treats me like a human being. He… he’s respectful. He called me beautiful. I don’t even know how he knows that. He just… he was so nice to me, and I feel so comfortable around him. I haven’t felt this comfortable around a man in so long. I… I wanted to go out with him. I flirted with him, for fuck’s sake! And when I’m with him, I finally feel wanted again.”
“But you know who else was nice to me when I first met him?” you say. “Who was respectful? Who said I was the only real thing in this world, the only important thing in his life, and that he loved me? You know who made me feel safe and wanted, and who said he cared about me? John said that I was the most beautiful woman on this planet, and I fell for it because he was nice to me. He–”
“But that guy isn’t John,” Claire cuts you off. She raises her voice only slightly—only enough to make you stop and stare at her, tears streaming down your cheeks. You’re miserable. You’re a mess. It is truly embarrassing. But she doesn’t look at you any differently.
“Don’t you think I know that?” you snap back. 
“Liv–”
“Every time I close my eyes, I see his face. I’m 32, and I can’t sleep without a nightlight most nights because I wake up in a cold sweat. I can’t drop a glass without going into shock. I can’t look in the mirror without feeling his hands on me. Without feeling disgusting and worthless, and…” You can feel the shiver traveling up your spine from the thought alone. “I can’t exist without feeling like he should have killed me when he got the chance.” 
“Liv, I know you’re upset, but please, don’t say that,” Claire says, her voice gentle yet assertive.
“Why? It’s true. I wish he would’ve killed me. He took four years of my life that I can never get back. At least if he’d killed me I wouldn’t have to suffer now.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want you saying things like that.”
“You don’t get it,” you say. “Every time I look in the mirror, I want to vomit because I see what he made of me. I can’t even meet a nice guy and allow myself to like him without seeing his face and hearing his stupid voice in my ear, telling me—telling me that no one will ever love me, that he tainted me, and that I will never be free of him because I can’t exist without him.” You break into a sob. 
“And he was right, you know,” you cry. “I ran from him. I made the hardest decision of my life after years of living in his shadow, and I almost died. Because of him, I can’t trust a kind and respectful man who treats me like a person to actually be kind, and I recoil at the thought of someone being gentle with me. Something is seriously broken inside of me, Claire. Very, very broken.”
Claire opens her mouth, but all she can do is bear your tirade. She knows that if she speaks now, you will find another reason to shut her down. This is your pain talking. It’s a powerful avalanche set out to cause destruction on a global scale.
“With Matt, I—” you exhale. “I was myself around him for the first time since I ran away, and he didn’t shy away. I had hope, Claire. I felt like I could finally step into normal life again after settling down here, and I thought I’d have a chance,” you say. “But I just have to close my eyes, and John is right there to ruin everything for me. He is always right there, and I can’t fucking escape him. That’s the problem. That’s why I can’t be happy about this date because I’m fucking terrified. I can’t go through this again. I—I can’t give myself to someone again because there is hardly anything left of me. He took everything, including my ability to love another man ever again, and that thought is fucking with my head.”
You fall silent. The tears continue running down your cheeks, and you bury your face in your hands. Your knees are so weak. You don’t have it in you to hold yourself up any longer. You drop to the carpet, crying into your hands, but you don’t sob. You stay silent because your pain is so great, you don’t know whether to scream or shut down, so you scream internally and shut down from the world around you because you can’t face it. You can’t face Claire. 
The couch creaks. Her feet brush against the carpet. “He abused you,” her voice borders above a whisper. 
She kneels beside you, her hand reaching out—but not touching you. She knows what lines to cross and which to better leave untouched.
“What he did to you wasn’t your fault. He’s a cruel man with cruel intentions.” When you don’t shy away from her proximity, she finally places her hand on your shoulder. “You did the impossible. You survived. You’re here now because you chose to save yourself, and that is so admirable,” she says. “It’s been two years. You’re safe here, you’re not alone anymore, and I know it hurts and it is terrifying, but it’s a good sign that you want to feel more of what this guy made you feel.”
“But I can’t,” you choke out. 
“I know, and I wish I could help you, but I’m not a professional. The truth is, John may have made you feel like there is nothing left of you, but you’re not Olivia Clarke. You’re still you. You’re still…” Claire takes a deep breath before she utters your name. Your real name. The one you were given when you were born. 
The mention of your name makes you shiver. “She’s gone,” you say. “He killed her, but he left her body alive.”
“She’s not gone, she’s just buried very fucking deep. I mean, you said it yourself. You could be yourself around this other guy, and he took you for who you are. That isn’t Olivia, that’s you. And it’s such a good sign that you want to go out with him. That you like him. John hurt you, but he didn’t break you beyond repair. Please, you have to remember that.”
Your tears slowly subside. Her words finally manage to reach your rebelling mind through your ears. Even though everything feels like it has been wrapped in cotton, she manages to get through to you like no one else. It was a subconscious decision to come to her, but perhaps your soul knew something that you didn’t, and you can’t say that opening up didn’t help. 
The mess slowly subsides. Left behind is nothing but hot air, and the words Claire decided to share with you. 
You look up to meet her eyes. She smiles down at you. “I just… I don’t want to feel like this anymore,” you whisper.
“That’s why I think you should go on that date,” she tells you.
“Yeah, but who wants to sign up for a mess like me?”
“Seems like he does. And if he’s a good guy, he’ll like you regardless of your mess.”
“You know it’s not that easy.”
She shrugs. “I hate to break it to you, but you can’t pretend it never happened. And you can’t give John the satisfaction of putting your life on hold because of him. That’s just giving him what he wants.”
“I don’t want to give him what he wants,” you’re quick to answer.
Claire hands you a tissue, and you take it gratefully, wiping your runny nose and the salty tears stuck to your dry skin.
Her words stir something within you; even though you don’t want her to be right, she is. Matt may not deserve a mess like you, but if he’s truly a good guy, it can’t hurt to see if it would work between you. And when your past comes out eventually, there is a chance that he won’t abandon you. A slight chance, but a chance nonetheless. That’s a positive outlook you still have to learn how to adapt.
“C’mon.” Claire helps you off the floor and onto the couch. 
You reach for the bottle of wine instantly, but she takes it away from you. She screws the top back on and places it aside, far out of your desperate reach.
“This is not the answer,” she says, “talking is.”
“Can’t we talk and have wine?” you counter.
“Not when you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”
You sniff, wiping the remaining tears on your cheeks with the tissue. 
“We need to take care of you, and alcohol won’t fix your problems.”
Once again, she isn’t wrong. You let out a defeated sigh before dropping your head in her lap. 
A long time ago, you used to be an affectionate person. The fear of being hurt again, of someone raising their hand against you, took that away from you. With Claire though, it’s different. You know she won’t hurt you. She’s not that kind of person, and you can say that with complete certainty. 
Claire Temple is not a violent human being, except for when the people she loves are in danger, but only then. 
She gently brushes the hair out of your face and crumbles it into a messy bun at the back of your head. She wipes at your nose and the last of your tears before they can dry out your skin more than it already is. The past couple of days have taken an emotional and physical toll on you. 
You wince slightly when you notice how sore your nose is. It isn’t broken, but you still got hit. You’re not quite healed yet. A shiver rolls down your spine. 
Shaking her head, Claire gently removes her hand. “You always get yourself in trouble when I’m not around,” she mutters. 
You scoff softly. “Maybe that’s a sign.”
“A sign for you to be more careful, yeah,” she says. 
“Now, where would be the fun in that?” You try to joke, but your voice falls flat with the weight of your exhaustion. 
Claire offers you a chuckle, but it’s more of a pity laugh than anything else.
You sigh. You know that you’re not an example when it comes to the significance of making the right decisions. Not at all. 
“Did I ever thank you for saving my life?” you ask her then, breaking the silence between you in two.
She leans back against the cushions. “Once or twice.”
“Not nearly enough then.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean, if you hadn’t come into Metro General with your hand in a man’s chest cavity, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to help you. You chose to stay.”
“Well, I had my hand on his vena cava, so, letting go would have been unfortunate for the poor guy.”
“That’s true.”
“But if you hadn’t disobeyed protocol, risking your job by putting your trust in me, I wouldn’t have had a reason to stay.”
Claire looks down at you, and you meet her eyes. “That sounded a lot like a love confession,” she nudges you.
You roll your eyes playfully. “You wish.”
“Hey, I’d understand it if you were in love with me. I’m hot.”
She never fails to make you laugh, even when you feel like a truck has rolled you over and broken every bone in your body. That is one of the many qualities you value about her. She’s a good person with a good heart, and she is the kind of person you could trust with your life and she would always make sure that you come out on the other side unharmed, mentally and physically. 
If she hadn’t taken you under her wing, you’re not sure where you would be, but it surely wouldn’t be where you are now.
When your laughter quiets down, you nod. “I can’t argue with that. You are hot. If you weren’t my friend,” you say, “I’d ask you out.”
“And if I were into women, I’d say yes,” she says. 
“I appreciate that.”
“Speaking of dates though–” She stops when you sigh a little too loudly. Claire shoots you a stern glare before she continues, “Promise me you won’t cancel.”
It’s not a question, it’s a statement. She wants you to mean it. You won’t lie; canceling your plans with Matt did cross your mind, but after Claire worked her magic on you, you can see a little clearer. The fog that kept your mind clouded has started to lift slowly but steadily. You’re no longer spiraling as fast as you have before. 
If you could wash your hands and wash him off of you, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem as it is, but you’ve tried. You have tried washing all memory of him off of your body, out of your mind, but he’s a resilient son of a bitch. John will always try to drive a wedge between you and a normal, happy life, the question is just if you will allow him to do so without even being near you, or if you will finally allow yourself to crawl out of the dark hole he tossed you into. 
You can’t do it alone, and asking for help is terrifying. You have spent the past two years trying to push through. Unfortunately, your healthy coping mechanisms won’t work forever. 
You sigh again, a little quieter. “I won’t cancel,” you tell her, your voice barely above a whisper, yet still so very certain. As certain as you can be, anyway. 
“Thank you.” Claire reaches for the wine bottle next to the couch. “You deserve to be happy.”
“Hm,” you can only murmur. 
“What?”
“What are you doing with the bottle?” you ask. 
“Drinking,” she says. 
“Now I feel betrayed.”
“You should celebrate the fact that you found a Matt, or whatever his name is, and not another Mike.”
You promptly sit up. “Hold up. Pause. Rewind. Mike, like your ex?”
Claire takes a sip of the bottle. A storm rages behind her hazel eyes. You have never seen her that conflicted before. 
“Is he the personal reason why you’re subjecting yourself to a constant allergic reaction by staying here?” you ask. 
The pieces slowly start falling into place. She nods. “Not Mike Mike, but yeah. It’s always the Mike’s.”
Your jaw drops. “I feel like you skipped some chapters there. You met a guy and you didn’t tell me? What–”
“He met me,” she corrects you. “I didn’t tell you because we’re not a thing. Let’s just say there’s a reason his name is Mike. That’s why I’m here.”
Claire takes another sip. You watch her closely, trying to catch her in a lie, but it seems like she’s telling the truth—or a version of the actual truth, but that still makes it true. She’s giving you as much as she can after you cried your eyes out to her. 
You clear your throat, lowering your voice. “But you’re not in danger?” you ask to clarify. 
She shakes her head. “I just have shitty taste in men, even if it's platonic, apparently. It’s like… I’m trying to exist, and then I find a stray cat in a dumpster, but the stray cat has been stabbed and needs medical attention.”
“But you’re allergic to cats and you’re not a vet?” you try to make sense of her analogy. 
When she lets out a sigh and nods, you figure you came as close as possible. It still doesn’t make sense to you, but when does anything? At least when it comes to romance and people’s love lives.
You decide to push a little more, “Did you actually find an injured guy in a dumpster?” 
She shakes her head. The reaction comes a little fast, but you don’t question it. “No, that–that was just an analogy,” Claire says. 
“And Mike is the stray cat in that analogy? But not your Mike, another Mike?”
“Yeah.”
“Dude, you’re frying my brain cells.”
“The single one you still have, or did you buy new ones?”
You try not to laugh, trying to look like you are genuinely offended, but your lips still curl up into a smile. “Shut up,” you mutter. You reach for the bottle, against better judgment, and take a sip.
Claire shakes her head. “What I’m trying to tell you is that, if he’s a good guy, you can’t let him slip away. You can’t let a good thing slip away and possibly end up with a–a Mike kinda guy for the rest of your life.”
“I know.” You look down at your hands, your broken fingernails, and sore knuckles from the constant scrubbing. “I just wish I could understand what he’s doing to me without questioning my entire existence.”
“Some people are just that enigmatic,” and she sounds as if she knows exactly what she’s talking about. 
You wonder about Mike. Not her ex-boyfriend but the one she mentioned. He sounds like he has no sense of self-preservation, and he may not even be a good influence. He reminds you of yourself, and that’s creepy—you don’t even know him. 
And then there is Matt, who is also so eerily similar to you, but in different ways. It’s more of an emotional connection. His heart is in the right place. And unlike the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, he doesn’t have a savior complex.
Why did he even come to your mind? His existence should not be playing into the equation. You brush the picture of his chiseled chest in that tight shirt away, or the way he looked even more dangerous with that smirk below the the mask. 
You hand the wine bottle back to Claire. If you don’t cut yourself off now, you will melt into a puddle of embarrassment. 
Your focus should be on Matt and Matt alone. You have to try. Claire was right. You can’t sacrifice your happiness because you’re scared—you can’t give the man who dedicated his life to breaking you and your confidence down the satisfaction of cowering in fear every time a man shows an interest in you. A good man. A man who could make you happier than he ever had. 
You won’t run this time. You will face the situation head-on. You owe that much to the little girl who dreamed of a life beyond the hell she grew up in, the same girl who was obsessed with finding her soulmate and still believed in true love. Above everyone, you owe it to yourself. No one else matters quite as much as you do. 
And for the sake of seeing what could be instead of wondering what could have been, you have to try.
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