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watchmegetobsessed · 4 months

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THE USUAL

A/N: i fell down a rabbithole of AI pics and this was inspired by those👀

WORD COUNT: 2.2k

SUMMARY: It's a slow day at the diner, everyone is in a post-Christmas haze. However yours clears up when your favorite stranger shows up, smug as always but this time some nasty bruises are all over his handsome face.

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The days after Christmas feel like you’re just floating through the void. Nothing feels real, you have no sense of time and it’s all a blur.

This year you’re working on the 27th, most of your colleagues have families so you wanted them to have an extra day at home. All that’s waiting for you at home is your leftover takeout, unfolded laundry and reruns of Home Alone. Working at least gets you out of your cave.

It’s always a slow day, the diner is almost entirely empty, only a few of the regulars are occupying their usual spots by the counter or in their booth. It’s just you and Molly, the college girl waiting tables, she was keen on escaping her family as soon as possible after the holidays, and then Jeff is back in the kitchen probably playing on his phone, because it’s so dead here.

You like to keep yourself busy even when there’s nothing to do. Wipe down the tables, rearrange the shelves, get rid of old receipts from behind the counter. In a weird way this place feels like a second home, you’ve spent most of your time here the past three years, working 50 hours a week usually. Of course you like to keep it clean and organized.

You’re watering the plants when you near the booth in the corner and you can’t help but think of who usually occupies it. You can see his signature smile in front of you, the way his eyes follow your every move, his smooth voice is ringing in your ears as he greets you. You know so many tiny details about him, yet you know he is just a stranger. You know his name, his order, you know how you get butterflies in your stomach every time the bell rings above the door and you see him walk in, but nothing more.

He is a mystery. A very handsome one, might you add.

It’s been weeks since the last time he wandered into the diner, but still, every time a tall curly haired man walks inside, for a split second you think it’s him, as if you’re expecting him to show up.

A family of four comes in around five so at least you have a table to tend, they order hamburgers and pancakes and you listen to the kids rave about the gifts they got from Santa.

Once they leave you clean up after them and grab the trash to take out. You’re mindlessly humming the song that was playing inside as you drag the bags out to the back where the containers are. The lighting is not the best out here, you’re usually cautious when you step out after sunset, but somehow you’re too caught up in your thoughts to look around this time. So when you throw one of the bags into the container and a tall figure steps closer from somewhere next to it, you jump with a squeak.

“Not even a proper scream, Darling? What if it was someone else?”

Harry, your mysterious stranger walks over to you with a charming smirk, his hands hidden in the pockets of his leather jacket.

“Shut up, why were you hiding there?!” you scold him with a hand on your chest as you wait for your pulse to slow down.

“Was just having a cig, no hiding.”

“Why didn’t you come inside?”

“Mm, I think I need the cold air right now.”

It’s only now that you notice the nasty bruise on the side of his face. A curl is kind of covering it, but it’s noticeably there and very likely fresh. There’s a cut too, obviously bloody and it hasn’t been treated.

“Harry…” you breathe out as you step closer and without hesitation, you reach up, brush his hair out of his face to see his wound. The pad of your finger touches the cut and his face flinches the tiniest bit before he moves his head away, the smug look back on his face.

“Nothing to worry about.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“And you’re worrying,” he cheekily replies.

“What happened?”

“Just a bit of a disagreement,” he shrugs his shoulders.

Your gaze moves down his arms subconsciously, because somehow, deep down you know that if someone did this to him, there’s no way he didn’t fight back. And if he did, then his hands…

He notices you staring at his hidden hands and with a defeated sigh he pulls them out, revealing his bruised knuckles.

“Nothing to worry about?!” you snap as you take his right hand, running the pad of your thumb over the dark red, purple and almost black marks gently.

“It’ll heal. Not my first rodeo.”

It was supposed to be a joke, you see the smirk on his face, but it just bubbles anxiety in the pit of your stomach, thinking of all the times he ended up beaten up before. You feel silly for caring so much, it shouldn’t matter, but you can’t help it.

“Hey,” he says, seeing the look on your face, his voice now soft and tender as his bruised hand takes yours. “I’m fine, really. I didn’t mean to worry you, that’s why I didn’t go inside.”

“Then why did you come here?”

You look him in the eyes as he hesitates before answering.

“Wanted to see you. I saw you through the window and decided not to go inside. I was about to leave when you came out.”

He sounds honest and you’re not sure what to think of his words. He gets into a fight, comes here to see you but then doesn’t come inside so you don’t see his wounds. Why did he come here? Were you his first thought?

“Let me clean that cut up,” you then say, ignoring the butterflies in your stomach that are now very much awake.

“No need, Darling. I’ll be fine–”

“I know you’re a big boy and you’ll be fine on your own, but let me do this one thing so I’ll worry less about you.”

His lips press together into a thin line before he finally nods. He lets go of your hand and grabs the other trash bag you dropped when he came out of the dark, he throws it into the container and gestures for you to go inside, he’ll be following you.

It’s still just as dead inside as before, so no one notices when you bring him into the restroom that’s for the staff. He closes the toilet seat and sits on top, watching you snatch the first aid kit from under the sink.

“How was Christmas?”

He asks while you grab everything you need from the kit and angle his head so you see the cut clearly. It looks worse in the light, but you swallow down your theories of how he got it and just start to clean it.

“Fine. Quiet.”

“No big family get together?”

“No family,” you correct him with a straight face and you see the surprise on his face. He stays quiet for a bit before speaking up again.

“You spent it alone?”

“Yeah.”

“What about friends?”

“Don’t have many. I’m usually working. I like my colleagues but we’re not close enough to spend Christmas together,” you explain with a shrug, gently tapping a cotton ball drenched in alcohol on the cut, earning a hiss from him. His hand comes up to your hip out of instinct and you stop at the feeling of his fingers digging into your skin. His grip is firm and warm and it makes you think of how it would feel if you weren’t wearing your uniform.

Your eyes lock with his for a second before he removes his hand.

“Sorry.”

You just shake your head, almost disappointed at the lack of his touch, but force yourself to return to the cut.

“So then spend Christmas with me next year,” he speaks up after a while, the corners of his mouth curling up in a cheeky grin.

“Sure,” you chuckle.

“I’m serious. We can have a feast, watch Christmas movies, anything you want.”

“Don’t you have anyone to spend the holidays with?”

“I’m usually with friends, but I would trade that in a heartbeat to be with you.”

Oh fuck, he is so smooth!

He is definitely turning you into a giddy little girl, as if he knew what to say to make you melt, but you try your best to mask just how much his words affect you. Shaking your head with a smile you just continue tending to his wound without a word.

“Ow, she is silent, not a good sign,” he teases you as you put on a few butterfly bandages on the cut to help it heal prettier. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Nope,” you shake your head avoiding looking at him. “And you’re all done.”

You turn back to the sink, busying yourself with packing up the kit, but you see him standing up in the mirror and stepping right behind you, so close that if you leaned just a tiny bit back, you’d bump against his chest.

“Y/N, would you look at me with those pretty eyes, please?” he asks and you have to take a deep, shaky breath before forcing yourself to look up and meet his gaze in the mirror. He brings his face down a bit, so his cheek brushes against the side of your head and you finally give in.

Moving your weight back you lean against him and his arms curl around your waist instantly, as if he’s been waiting for this all along. His embrace is welcoming, warm and you fit into his arms perfectly.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, his eyes never leaving yours in the mirror.

“It’s just a few bandages,” you whisper.

“No, not for that. Thank you for caring, Y/N.”

Your knees would probably give up if he wasn’t holding you up. His words sink into your mind and burn into your memory forever. Even if you never see him again, you’ll remember this moment for the rest of your life, how he just made you feel, how the connection felt unbreakable and irresistible.

Not able to speak, you just let yourself sink further in his hold, turning your head a bit so his lips meet with your forehead. You’re not sure if they just brush against your skin or he kisses you, you’re burning up way too much to decide but whichever it is, it’s just drawing you even closer to him.

His hands move to your hips and he gently turns your body until you’re facing him, wedged between him and the sink. His eyes find yours again and you imagine a thousand possible things that could happen right now. Yet, when he opens his mouth, the words still surprise you.

“I care about you too.”

Your lips part and you suck on your breath. Maybe it’s his charm, maybe it’s the force pulling you towards him or maybe it’s how long you’ve been on your own, but you feel so weak yet so courageous in this moment. His eyes flicker down to your lips and you know what’s about to come and you are so ready–

“Y/N? You in there?”

Molly’s voice is coming from outside with a knock on the door, completely shattering the moment.

“Yeah,” you call out. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that woman, Jo, I think? She’s here and she only wants you to take her order.”

Jo is a regular and she always insists on having you as her waitress, because she thinks only you know how to put her order in right. You do nothing differently, but she doesn’t know that.

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

You wait until you hear her footsteps go down the hallway. Harry moves back just enough so that he is not pressed up against you anymore and he runs his thumb over his bottom lip while you put the first aid kit away.

“I need to go back.”

“I know,” he smiles at you. “Is my booth free?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I’m feeling quite hungry.”

His eyes return to your lips and you know he is not talking about the food right now and you wish to have just a little more time with him right now, but you need to go out.

“You can’t come out from here,” you simply tell him. So when you step out of the restroom you turn him towards the back door and give him a push. You hear his chuckle, but he doesn’t protest, just walks out.

When you return Molly is eyeing you with suspicion and you wonder if she heard Harry’s voice in the restroom before knocking, but you ignore her and start stacking the glasses.

The front door opens, the bell rings and you don’t have to look up to know that it’s Harry.

“Good evening, ladies,” he greets you and you finally glance at him only to see that smug smirk on his face as he walks over to his usual booth and slides in.

“I assume you’re taking him, right?” Molly asks with an arched eyebrow.

“Yeah,” you say, grabbing a menu even though you know what he’ll order and walking over to his booth with your notepad and pen you stop by the table and look at him, unable to hold back a smile. “What can I get you?”

“The usual, Darling.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles fluff #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles blurb

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softspaceboibrian · 11 months

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The Heart Wants What It Wants || Jamie Tartt

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x Y/N where Y/N works at AFC Richmond || I used she/her pronouns, but there is no actual physical description, so the pronouns can be switched with whatever anyone wants or prefers!

Characters: Jamie Tartt; Keeley Jones and Rebecca Welton (Y/N's best friends); Sam Obisanya, Isaac McAdoo, Colin Hughes and Dani Rojas (Jamie's support team); Roy (being his usual grumpy self).

Summary: when Y/N goes into Rebecca's office to have her usual morning chat with her best friends, she doesn't expect it to result in a very messy confession from her crush.

Warnings: bad language, like a lot. slight sexual harassment. Roy being harsh with Jamie. Jamie being all over the place with his feelings. fluff, a lot of pining and crushing. just bad writing, really.

WC: 8355 (it's kinda long, I know... but I didn't know where to stop! sorry!)

A/N: This is my first time writing for JAmie or any Ted Lasso character in general. I hadn't written anything in months, and I guess it shows. but I was so sad that there weren't enough Jamie fics on here that I thought I could just write one of my own. hopefully people like it! I'm in the middle of my exam session, but if you have any requests or suggestions, feel free to write me!

this gif is completely unrelated, i just love phil dunstan

“Come in” Rebecca’s voice was clear and loud as always, even through the closed door. As you walked in, you took in the smell of hot tea permeating the door – definitely something you could always count on.

You greeted both Rebecca and Keeley, before plopping down on the sofa right in front of the big windows looking out onto the field. You looked out for a moment, noticing the team making their way outside to finally begin practice. You had been working at AFC Richmond for almost a year now, all thanks to Miss Keeley fucking Jones, obviously. Ever since you first day there, everyone had immediately started treating you as if you had always been part of the family, especially Rebecca. “If Keeley likes you so much, it must definitely mean something.” That was her excuse when she invited you out for drinks with the two of them on the second day. “Also, there’s only so many women working at AFC Richmond, we have to stick together, don’t we?” And the rest was history, as some author would say. Even the team had liked you since the get-go. Some more than others. There should be a disclaimer here: you had never cared for football, in any of its forms. But Keeley had been so persuading, making the job sound like a party. And she wasn’t lying. Being with the team was more fun than you could have ever imagined. Yes, some of them were self-centred, and some were self-centred pricks, even. But somehow, you had taken a liking to all of them. And now, after an entire year of working there, you knew them so well that she could even make out who was who all the way from Rebecca’s office.

You were so lost in your own thoughts, that when Keeley talked, you almost jumped out of her seat. “Babes, is everything alright?” Her voice was kind as always. “You seem off today.”

“Everything is fine.” You fixed yourself, turning around so to face both of your friends.

You smiled, or rather you forced yourself to make your smile feel as real as possible. But when you met Rebecca’s gaze you froze. She was holding one of those shortbread biscuits that Ted brought her in every morning and that you only had the pleasure to taste once and, well, you completely understood why Rebecca loved them so much. “I call bullshit.”

“What?”

“I said I call bullshit.” The woman put the last remaining bit of biscuit in the small, pink cardboard box, as to save it for later, and then made her way on the couch with you and Keeley. “You have been off for, well, quite a few days now. And I love that you’re an independent woman and everything, but Keeley and I are your friends. Actually, I would like to believe that we are your best friends. We care for you and we would very much appreciate it if you would trust us enough to come to us with your problems and thoughts.”

“Yeah, babes. You know we’re always here for you.” Keeley moved closer to you and leaned against the back of the couch.

You sighed, burying your face in your hands. You had wanted to talk with them for a while now, but you were always too afraid they wouldn’t care about it, or you were too embarrassed about how they might react to it. But this time it was them that asked you to tell them. And they seemed truly interested in knowing what was going on in your mind.

“Chop, chop, out with it.” Rebecca let her heels fall to the ground and set herself comfortably in the corner of the couch. Yeah, well, as comfortable as that extremely fitted pencil skirt gave her permission to.

You bit your lip for a moment, gathering all the courage you had. “It’s stupid, really.” You tried to laugh it off, hoping that they would just let it go.

But they didn’t. “It’s not stupid if it’s making you feel like this.” Keeley said, putting a hand on yours.

“Fine.” You sighed, looking off in front of you. “I think I may have feelings for Jamie.” You blurted out as quickly as you could.

“Our Jamie? Like, Jamie Tartt?” Keeley asked.

“I know it’s stupid. I shouldn’t like him, right? I know you think it’s stupid. I know you think he’s a prick, and you’re not wrong. I know that he’s a prick. Fuck, that makes me hate myself even more. How could I like a prick? Well, he had changed a bit, and now he-s a bit less of a prick. But still, he’s Jamie fucking Tartt, he’s probably one of the hottest footballers out there, in any way possible. He could fucking have whoever he wanted. Hell, he could have a fucking model. I’m sure he had model. He had you, Keels. And I’m just me. I fucking hate that I’m feeling this.” You started rambling on aimlessly, putting out there in only a few seconds all the fears and insecurities you had been holding in for the past who knows how long.

“Hey, love. Just, wait a minute.” Rebecca’s voice broke your train of thoughts, thankfully just in time, or who knows where you could’ve ended. “Let’s just calm down a moment, okay?”

“It’s just-” You sighed. “I hate that I’m feeling these feelings. I don’t want to feel them. Not for him. I don-t want to be his latest conquest that he’s going to move on from and forget as soon as he finds someone more interesting. I don’t want this. But I can’t help it. I… Fuck, I feel like I’m back in middle school. Shit, shit, shit. How old am I? 12? No, I’m not. I’m 25 years old, for fuck’s sake. I should fall for proper man. Not people like him.” Your eyes filled up with tears, which you tried to hide as best as you could, even though you knew that the other two would notice them, nonetheless.

And they did. Rebecca and Keeley shared a quick glance, before sliding even closer to you, both immediately wrapping their arms around your figure. “Listen, babes. You said it yourself. I’ve been with Jamie, and he was in his top prick form back then. Now he’s… he’s changing. I don’t know if it’s the training with Roy or if it’s Ted finally rubbing off on him, but he’s no longer the dickhead I dumped almost two years ago.”

“She’s right. He has changed.” Rebecca agreed with Keeley. “Also, you cannot tell your heart what it should and shouldn’t feel. It will only cause you more pain, and we definitely don’t want that.” The woman had this motherly instinct that you had always loved. She always knew what to say to make you feel better, or at least less shitty about yourself. “And remember, you could never do worse than me. I was married to the king of the shitheads.” She added, which made both you and Keeley laugh.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Keeley got up and ran to the door, only to lock it and run back to the couch. “If it’s alright with Rebecca, we’re going to take the morning off to talk, just the three of us.”

“Sounds perfect to me. I really didn’t have much to do anyway.” Rebecca was a great liar. You knew she probably had so many documents to read through and to sign. But she always made time to help you with your problems. And that’s why you loved her so much. “Is that right with you, love?”

You didn’t even need to say anything. You barely nodded, and next thing you knew, the three of you were sitting on the couch with no shoes on, a warm cup of tea each and a big chunky blanket on your legs. You never really thought they would be this open with you. Yes, they had made it clear ever since the beginning that they liked you and that they cared for you. But you had never thought that you could go to them for something like that and they would do all of that for you. But they did.

“Okay, let’s start with one simple question: are you two talking? Or, I don’t know, did you go on a date?” Keeley’s question was very straightforward and made completely sense. However, the answer wasn’t as easy to give.

“Well, we haven’t really gone on like a proper date. But we did spend quite a lot of time together last week.” You looked at the other two and you could feel them asking for more information with just their eyes. “It didn’t start as the best of situations…”

------------------------------ FLASHBACK ------------------------------

You didn’t really want to go out that night. It wasn’t really your thing. You usually spent your nights at home, reading a book or watching a movie. Or, if you were lucky, you would go out with Keeley and Rebecca for dinner and drinks, which you loved. What you didn’t love was going out for drinks with people you weren’t as comfortable with. But you had never really learnt how to say no to people, so when your old high school friend – who had moved to America for college and you hadn’t heard from since – messaged you on Instagram, saying that she was back in London for a few days and wanted to go out with you to “catch up”, you couldn’t really bring yourself to decline the offer or make up an excuse. So, you just agreed and made plans to meet up with her in front of a very busy and very fancy place downtown. You hated clubs, especially busy one, but even more you hated going to new places without people you knew. But you knew the girl, in a way. You were really close in high school, so things shouldn’t be too bad, right?

“So, you’re working for a football club! Never thought it would happen!” The girl shouted over the loud music which you were already hating with all your guts. But you just pulled through it.

“Yeah, it’s a good job.” You hated having to raise your voice so much, but it was the least you could do if you wanted to have a conversation with her.

“Do you know any famous footballer?”

“I mean, I know the boys from the team. I suppose they’re famous now. But yeah.”

“Would you introduce me to any of them?”

There it was. You had been talking with her for half an hour and, knowing how she was back in high school, you had been wondering how she hadn’t yet asked you about the guys. A small part of you really wanted to believe that she had changed and that she had stopped sleeping around with guys just because they were hot. But apparently, you were wrong. “Well, it’s complicated. They’re in the middle of the Premier season right now, and most of them are training really hard hoping to be rostered for their national teams. Plus, you’re only going to be in town for a few days, so that wouldn’t really work.”

“I wouldn’t mind moving my flight back for a footballer.” She smirked.

“Maybe next time.” You fake-smiled. “Also, who would want to go out with a football player? Most of them are self-centred assholes who only care about winning.”

“But they are sexy and they have money.”

“But you’re studying law in an ivy league college, you could be the one with money in the relationship.”

“Nah, I don’t really care about that. If a hot guy with money wanted to be with me, I would literally give everything up.” She said, as if that was the most obvious answer. Now you were remembering why you never reached out to her after high school was over.

You spent another half hour listening to her blabbering about something you didn’t really care about. And you could tell that she knew, but didn’t say anything. That was how things had always been between the two of you back in school: she was the popular one, with guys running after her, and her constantly cancelling plans that you two had made to go on a date with a different guy, while you spent your afternoons with the drama club, putting on the next show, to which she was always invited but she never came. It wasn’t all bad. You actually had good times with her. You spent a lot of time over at her house, and you were almost part of her family. But once you were no longer forced to see each other every single day at school, it didn’t take long for you to realise you were completely different. So, you just stopped looking for each other, making plans or going out. That’s why, when the messages stopped coming altogether, it didn’t really hurt you, since you were the first that had started to back out from that friendship. But years had passed and you had really hoped she had grown out of that phase of her life. But you were wrong. People never change, that was what you said to yourself as you were absentmindedly nodding to whatever she was saying now.

“Listen, Y/N, do you mind if I leave you alone here for a moment? There’s a guy over there that has been eyeing me for a while now and, I don’t know, I have this feeling I should go over there.” That was her usual excuse. I have this feeling. As if sexual craving could be described as an actual feeling. But you didn’t care, you actually wouldn’t mind to spend a few minutes by yourself. So, you just told her to go. And she did. Not a single “are you sure you don’t mind” nor an “it will be quick, I promise”. She simply picked all her stuff up and left.

And then you were alone.

You thought about leaving a couple of times, but you thought it would be rude because what would happen if she came back and you weren’t there?

So, you just remained seated there, in the small booth, waiting. And waiting. You looked around, studying the crowd, and hoping that she would just come back, or at least text you to let you know her intentions for the rest of the night. But that message never came. And you waited there, alone.

Until, after almost twenty minutes, a random man approached you. He had to have been at least 15 years older than you. He was dressed all fancy, a black blazer and jeans, a white shirt with the first couple of buttons left open to show a few sparse grey hairs on his chest, as if that was something that all women found sexy; I mean, who did he think he was? Roy Kent? He walked over to your table and leaned on it to get closer to you. “Is this seat taken?”

The first thing that hit you was the almost nauseating amount of perfume and aftershave, closely followed by the stench of cigarette and alcohol as soon as he opened his mouth. “I’m waiting for a friend.” You replied, hoping that would be enough to send him away.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been sitting here alone for quite some time now.” He smiled, and you wanted to throw up. “And I don’t she’s coming back. She and that boy looked very intimate if you know what I mean.”

That comment sent shivers down your spine. How long had he been looking at you? “I’m waiting for another friend of ours.” You said, hoping that he would buy it.

He moved closer to you. “Let me wait with you. I wouldn’t want to leave such a pretty girl out here on her own.”

You hated when people called you a girl. You were a grown woman, for god’s sake! But you hated it even more when that comment came from creepy old men that were nonchalantly flirting with you.

“They should be here any minute now.” You replied quickly. “And I actually prefer to sit alone.”

“Nonsense! Let me keep you company!” He smirked, sliding even closer to you. You were on the verge of tears, feeling this awful sensation in your stomach. You felt like you were going to throw up, and you weren’t sure whether it was because of his terrible taste in perfumes, the horrible stench of smoke, or just his presence in general. You wanted to just get up and get away, but it was as if your legs had forgotten how to move. You tried to insist, telling him that you were going to meet them outside, but he wouldn’t let you go. He started moving his hand, and you knew that, if you didn’t move, he would put it on your thigh. But, with tears pooling at the corners of your eyes, your body completely froze.

“Y/N!” A voice called your name. You turned around to look at the source. Your vision was hazy from the tears, and the strobe lights weren’t exactly helping you in that moment. “I’m sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find a spot to park me car.” He walked over to your table and waited for you to do or say something to sit next to you.

“You’re Jamie fucking Tartt!” The old man exclaimed. “Fuck, man. You’re great! My mates and I don’t really like Richmond, but you’re the best player in the team. You and that Oby- Obe-, you know, the Nigerian guy.”

“Yeah, cheers, man.” Jamie replied, taking a seat next to you. “Now, would you mind leaving us alone?”

“Is she your date?” The man asked, and you could tell that he was confused because why would a star like Jamie Tartt go out with a normal girl like you?

“Do you have a problem?”

“No, no!” The old man finally stood up from the table. “You enjoy her.” He smirked and gave him a wink, before looking at you up and down for the last time and eventually leave.

You finally could feel your body relax again when your attention was caught by Jamie talking. “What a fucking creep.” He shook his head, before finally looking at you. “Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?”

You shook your head. “I think you got here just in time.” You smiled at him, almost feeling guilty for probably having ruined his night.

“Were you here alone?”

“Well, not really. I was here with a friend but she left with a guy.” You stopped, quickly looking around. “But I don’t think she’s coming back.”

“Some kind of friend.” He sighed, still looking at you, as if he were studying you, trying to understand if everything was truly okay, trying to assess the situation. “Do you want to leave?”

“What?”

“I said, do you want to go out, maybe grab a bite?” He raised his voice, thinking that you might have not heard him over the loud music.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay. You can go back to your evening if you want. I’m fine, I swear.”

“I was here on me own.”

“You go to clubs alone?”

“Well, yeah.” He looked at you for a moment. “Listen, really, I don’t have anything to do here. And in any case, I would much rather spend time with you. So, if you want to leave and do something actually funny instead of waiting for some shitty friend to hopefully come back, then count me in.”

------------------------- END OF FLASHBACK -------------------------

“Did you go with him?” Keeley asked, looking at you as if she was watching the latest episode of a soap opera, completely hooked up to the story.

“We spent the entire night together.” You said shyly.

“Doing what?” You had never seen Rebecca so shocked and interested in a story in a while.

“We ate in a chicken shop; we stayed there talking for a while and then we took a walk.”

“How long did you stay out for?”

You could feel both Keeley’s and Rebecca’s eyes on you, demanding an answer, wanting to know more, to know everything. “Well, we took the sunrise as our cue to go home.”

“Babes! You’re telling me that you stayed up all night talking with Jamie?” Keeley squealed, jumping on her knees. “Like, you found topics to talk about for, what, 7? 8 hours?”

“It wasn’t that difficult. I didn’t even have to force it.”

“What did you talk about?” Asked Rebecca. And all of a sudden, the almost 50-year-old and 30-year-old women in front of you turned back into their high school personas and you almost wanted to laugh at how adorably funny that scene was.

“Well, a bit of everything, you know. Our lives, where we grew up, our favourite things, favourite food, favourite movie, favourite city, the books that have impacted us the most, the cities that we dream of visiting one day. Normal stuff.”

Keeley looked at you, in complete shock. “You talked about books. With Jamie. How?”

“He said that he had noticed I like to read and asked me about my favourite book. I told him and then asked him the same thing. And he told me.” You replied, as if that was obvious. But it was only then that you remember that Keeley had been with Jamie in the past and, if she was that shocked, it must have meant that, when they were together, he didn’t read. Possibly at all.

“Babes, remember when I told you he had changed since I had broken up with him, right? Well, that’s an understatement. When we were together, it was fun, but we didn’t really talk about that kind of stuff. He was much more superficial. I don’t think he never really asked me what my favourite food was. And the fact that he was taking an interest in all of those things about you, well, it definitely means something. I wouldn’t take that for granted.” Hearing Keeley, someone you trusted with all of your heart, someone you loved and looked up to, someone that truly knew who you were talking about, saying all of those things, made you feel things. You didn’t know what those things meant, but they were things you hadn’t felt in a long time. And for the first time in days, you were finally accepting the idea of having feelings for Jamie Tartt.

After a few moments of silence, Rebecca asked you “Was that the only time you spent time together?”

“Well, no. I mean, we’ve been talking basically every single day. He sends me a good morning text almost every day, and we talk a lot at night. Sometimes he calls me.”

“Okay, okay. That’s good.” Rebecca said, almost as if she was an investigator gather all the evidence. “But you didn’t answer my question: did you go out another time?”

You immediately felt heat rising to your cheeks. “We didn’t really go out.” You looked at the two women in silence for a moment. “Last night he… ehm… he showed up to my place.”

“What?” They both almost screamed at the same time.

------------------------------ FLASHBACK ------------------------------

You had just finished putting on your pyjamas after a long warm shower. You still had to decide what you wanted to eat, something you always dreaded because, as much as you loved cooking, you hated preparing food for one. You started making your way down the stairs and to the kitchen when your doorbell rang. You weren’t really expecting anyone, so the sound left you confused. You looked through the peephole before even saying anything, so that if it was someone you didn’t know, you could jut pretend you weren’t at home. But, when you looked through it, you were surprised to see Jamie standing right outside of your door.

You immediately took a look at yourself in the mirror right beside the door, trying to make yourself look at least presentable, before finally opening the door. When Jamie’s entire figure came into view, you noticed the food boxes in his hands. “Jamie?”

“Hi, Y/N! Ehm, I’m sorry to barge in on you like this but… ehm… I thought we could spend some time together, you know?” Was Jamie blushing?

You stood there, a soft smile on your lips, looking at the man in front of you. “Sure.” You giggled, moving to open the door even more, as a way to let him in.

“I’m sorry, I should have texted or called. That was stupid. If you’re busy I can just-”

You cut him off. “Jamie. I’m not busy. You can come in. I just wasn’t expecting visitors, so the house is, well, it’s not tidy.” You take a step forward to take some of the boxes off of him. “What’s with all of this food? Did you rob a supermarket?” You laughed, nodding your head as a sign for him to follow you, before making your way to the kitchen.

“No!” He laughed, and suddenly you felt this weird sensation in your stomach. “I didn’t know what you were craving and so I got everything that you told me you liked.” He said, while putting the boxes on the counter. “I got us a pizza to share, because you said you’re not a huge fan, but that you like to eat it while watching movies. I also got us kebabs because they’re always good, and sushi because why not. Oh, and I also got us those spicy Korean rice thingies that you said you love so much. What’s their name? Tee- To-”

You laughed as he struggled to say the word. “Tteokbokki.”

“Yeah, those.” He smiled, putting his hands on his sides.

“Just a question.” You walked around the kitchen gathering cutlery and plates to eat. “How many people did you think were going to be here? There’s enough food to feed an army.”

He looked at you and then the food, before bursting out laughing. “I told you! I didn’t know what you were craving. And I wanted to do something nice for you, but I overdid it.”

You put the plates on the counter and turned to look at him. “It’s okay, I appreciate it anyways.” You smiled. “But why would you wanted to do this for me? It’s not my birthday or anything.”

“I just… I had a very good time with you the other night.” Was Jamie blushing? Again? “And I was really in the mood to watch a good movie. So, who better than you to watch it with.”

You smiled, trying to hide the blushing coming onto your cheeks as well by turning your attention to the food on the counter. “Did you have a movie in mind?” You asked, while putting the different foods on the plates.

“You said that you really like Dead Poets Society, right? And that you think everyone should watch it at least once in their lifetime, right? So, I thought, since I’ve never seen it, we could, I don’t know, watch it together. If you want to, obviously.” He waited for you to plate the food to pick a couple of plates up and follow you into the living room.

“That actually sounds like a perfect plan, Mr Tartt.” You smiled, while taking a seat on the couch, waiting for him to join you.

------------------------- END OF FLASHBACK -------------------------

“Fucking hell, that’s adorable!” Keeley exclaimed. “He never did that for me! When he showed up uninvited, it was usually because he wanted to have sex.”

“Well, this is good!” Rebecca joined in. “He has changed. He listened to what you told him, he remembered your favourite food and your favourite movie. And before you say something like ‘but that’s not a big dead!’, yes it fucking is. It is a huge deal. Men aren’t always reliable. Rupert never was, at least. I vividly remember telling him my favourite drink at least a dozen times. And every single time he would get me something completely different. At the beginning I was too afraid to say anything, so I just drank it. But then I started to speak up. And still, he didn’t remember.”

“Yeah, okay, but him remembering that I like pizza only when watching movie doesn’t mean he feels anything for me.” You said, throwing your head back.

“I’m sorry, babes, didn’t you say that he told you that he wanted to spend time with you?” Keeley asked. “You said it yourself: he came to your place with all the food you had told him you liked and suggested to watch your favourite movie together because he had had a good time with you and wanted to do that again.”

“He decided to spend time with you rather than going out with other people or spend the night texting some random girl on dating apps.” Added Rebecca. “He chose to be with you.”

“I suppose you’re right.” You sighed. “I still don’t think he has feelings for me, though.”

“Whatever, babes.” Keeley took a sip out of her mug, before refocusing on you. “What happened next? Did you watch the movie?”

“Yes, we did.” You smiled at the memory. “He got emotional at the end. I’m not saying that he cried, but he definitely had glossy eyes by the time of the ‘O Captain, my Captain’ scene.”

“Which means he feels comfortable enough to show his emotions in front of you.” Rebecca noted. “And what happened next? Did he leave or did you spend another night talking?” She smirked, trying to make fun of you in a friendly way, almost mom-like.

“Well, he stayed a while longer.” You looked at the two women. “We talked a little about the movie, he told me what he thought of it, we discussed a little about why I thought it is a very important and still relevant movie, and he agreed with me. At first, I have to be honest, I thought he was just agreeing with me to not make me feel bad. But then he added to my argument and I stood corrected. He had truly understood the point of the movie and of my thoughts. For the first time in, gosh, I don’t even know how long, I felt seen, listened and understood by someone that wasn’t you two or Sam.”

Keeley brought a hand to her chest. “I have conflicted feelings because, by the way you’re talking, I want to tell you to just run out of here and into this man’s arms; but at the same time, every now and then, I remember you’re talking about Jamie, and it feels so weird because he’s so different from what I remember him to be like.” She explained. “Which is good, but kind of unsettling.”

Rebecca nodded along with what Keeley said, before eventually turning once again to face you. “What happened after you talked?”

“We decided to watch Modern Family, you know, to cheer ourselves up after the movie.”

“And?” Asked in unison the two women.

“And nothing.”

“I call bullshit.” Said Rebecca.

“Agreed.” Added Keeley. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Nothing!”

“That’s not true!” They once again spoke in unison, which was starting to become quite weird.

“Nothing happened. We just… fell asleep.” You almost murmured those last words, almost too scared to say it out loud in front of them.

“I’m sorry, what?” Asked Rebecca, who had obviously heard and just wanted you to say it again out loud.

“We fell asleep!” You shouted. And you were so glad that Rebecca’s office was so high up and far from others. “As we were watching the show, he started leaning into me. At first, he laid his head on my shoulder, and then, somehow, we ended up with his head in my lap and my hands in his hair.” You could feel your cheeks burning up.

The two women shared a quick look, before turning back to you, huge smiles on their faces. “When did he fall asleep?” Asked Keeley.

“I don’t know.” You looked down at your own hands. “I fell asleep as well. I don’t know how or when, but when I woke up, it was like 3 in the morning, and we were lying on the couch. He had his head on my stomach and an arm draped over my waists.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.” You were fidgeting with your bracelet, too embarrassed to look up and meet your friends’ eyes. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want him to go away.” For some reason your eyes started filling up with tears.

“Hey, babes. It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not!” You almost shouted, tears finally falling down your face. “It’s not fucking okay. I hate feeling like this.”

“Love, hey, just… wait a second. Take a deep breath.” Rebecca moved closer and wrapped her arms around you. “Why do you hate it?”

“I don’t know. I’m feeling all these things for someone that doesn’t even like me back.”

“You don’t know that, Y/N.” Keeley moved closer as well, taking your hand in hers and leaning her head against yours. “I mean, you’re the coolest person I know, you’re fucking smart and interesting, and you’re fit as fuck. I think most of the team has at least a tiny crush on you.” She smiled, hoping to cheer you up. But that didn’t work.

“Listen, love.” Rebecca squeezed you, before pulling away slightly. “As that song says, the heart wants what it wants. I know feeling like this is terrible, but there’s only one thing that you can really do, and that’s talking to him.”

“But what if he says that he was just being a good friend? What if I misread every single thing he has done and said to me up until now?”

“And what if you haven’t?” Keeley asked. “Finding you at that club was completely random, pure luck. But he then chose to spend the entire night with you. Just like he chose to send you a good morning text every single day, and he chose to come and spend the evening with you. Also, I’m almost 100% sure that he woke up as well during the night, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to go, just like you didn’t want him to leave.” Keeley brushed a rogue strand of hair out of your face. “I know it’s hard, but you have to act.”

“But I’m scared.”

“Which means that you care.” Rebecca smiled. “You care about him and about your relationship.”

You looked at the two women in silence for a few moments. You wanted to cry, and you wanted to scream. You wanted to run out of there and straight to Jamie. You wanted to hug Keeley and Rebecca ad tell them how much you loved them. But all you could do in that moment was smile and be glad for the wonderful friends you had. “So, I should go and talk to him?”

“Yes.” Keeley smiled.

“And you should do it right now.” Said Rebecca, standing up from the couch. “The team is going back inside, which could be a good moment for you to swoop in and talk with Jamie.” She seamlessly slipped back in her high heels and fixed her blouse. “And if anyone has anything to say about it, they will have to come to me. I’m the owner of this club, after all.” She winked.

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

The team had just made their way to the changing room, ready to hear Roy giving them “pointers”, or rather making sure they knew every little thing they had done wrong. But Jamie didn’t really care about that. Jamie knew that he had played like shit, but he couldn’t help it. His head was someplace else.

“Oi, Tartt!” Roy’s voice echoed in the room, and everyone’s head turned to look at the man sitting in front of his changing station. “What the fuck were you thinking, uh? You fucked all the assists. The team was constantly looking for you, and you were nowhere to be found!”

Jamie’s eyes remained low on the ground. “’m sorry, coach.” His voice was soft. “I’ll do better next time.”

His teammates couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Somehow, in the span of 24 hours, Jamie had lost all of his confidence. They looked at him and almost couldn’t recognise him. And the worst past was that no one really knew what to do with him, how to talk to him, how to cheer him up. Because that’s the thing with teams: you’re a family, you’re all extremely close, but you’re still a bunch of men that don’t know how to handle emotions and how to talk about their feelings. So, they just bottle everything up and hope that, sooner or later, it will just go away.

But right now, looking at Jamie, Sam felt compelled by something to just stand up and walk over to him, to say something. “Is everything all right?”

Sam’s voice startled Jamie, who was so deep in his thoughts he had almost forgotten he was at the clubhouse. “Uh?” Jamie looked up and was met by Sam’s concerned look. “No, yeah, everything is fine.”

“It don’t look like it, bruv.” Isaac joined in the conversation.

Sam took a seat next to Jamie. “You don’t have to talk to us about whatever is on your mind. We’re not going to force you. Just know that we’re here for you.”

“Sì, muchacho. We’re a familia.” Dani and Colin walked over as well, almost forming a barrier between him and the rest of the room, creating a safe space for him.

No one said anything for a few moments, most of them unsure of how to act, of what to say to him. They wanted to ask him, to help him, but they had no idea how. So, they all remained quiet, until Jamie broke the silence. “I feel so stupid.” Jamie’s voice was low. “I… I feel like a middle schooler.”

“What do you mean?” Colin asked.

Sam immediately turned to look at Jamie. “Did something happen with your dad?” And Jamie could feel the worry in Sam’s voice.

“No, no, I haven’t talked with me dad since Wembley.” He shook his head, rubbing his face. “No, I… You’re going to laugh…” He looked up, but all he saw was seriously interested faces, the faces of friends that were genuinely concerned for him. “I have a crush…” He almost whispered, but it was still loud enough for them to hear. They all shared a quick look amongst themselves, before turning to look again at the man sitting before them. “I feel so stupid because, usually, I have all this confidence with women, right? I’m so sure about me self that I don’t worry about the possibility of a rejection. It doesn’t affect me, usually…”

Sam nodded along with everything that Jamie said, as if he could relate to every little detail. “But with this woman in particular, you’re scared.”

Isaac asked the question that everyone wanted to ask. “Who is this woman?”

Jamie looked up from the ground, meeting everyone’s eyes. He could tell that his friends wanted to help him, but something was stopping him, almost too afraid to admit he had feelings for her, too scared that they would laugh in his face and say that she deserved better than him.

“Muchacho, you’re a beautiful man, and every woman would be lucky to be with you.” Dani always had this way of talking that could give confidence even to the shiest and most introverted person in the world.

“No, you don’t understand. This woman is different from the others.” He sighed. “She’s not a top model or an aspiring actress that wants to be with me because I’m famous. She’s… she’s different.” Jamie started fidgeting with the ends of his shoelaces. “And I’m different. I’m not the same person I was two years ago, I know that. And I think that’s why I’m so scared. Like, what if she doesn’t like me? What if she still thinks I’m a prick? Uh?”

“Listen, boyo. You said it yourself; you have changed. And if this woman doesn’t like your new you, then too bad for her.” Colin took a seat next to Jamie, opposite to Sam. “But if you truly like her, you should tell her. Don’t let your fear get in the way of your happiness, okay?”

“Yeah, like Selena Gomez said in her song, the heart wants what it wants.” Smiled Dani.

Jamie looked at those people around him, and for a moment he felt all the guilt for how he had treated them two years before rise to the top. Did they forget everything he had done to them? Did they forget how bad he had made them feel? He had treated them so poorly, and yet, now they were there, next to him, showing care and interest in how he was feeling. “Thank you, boys.” He smiled softly.

“You know we’re here.” Sam smiled, giving him a small push with the shoulder. “We’re family.”

“Yeah, bruv.” Isaac added. “But are you going to tell us who this woman is or not?”

However, their conversation was cut short by the door to the changing room opening, and Y/N walking in, looking around, clearly searching for someone. And that was when the boys realised Jamie didn’t need to tell them anything, because as soon as he saw her, he stood up. He fixed his hair and immediately took a step forward. None of them said anything. They just remained quiet and watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes.

“Jamie.” You smile once you finally met his eyes.

“Y/N” He replied, softly, taking another step towards her.

“Do you… do you think we could talk for a moment? Alone?” She said quietly, but the silence in the room made it extremely complicated for her not to be heard by everyone.

Jamie nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

You smiled, turning around to exit the changing room. Jamie took a deep breath, turning quickly to look at the four guys standing a few steps away from him. He nodded to them, and they nodded to him in return, as a way to say ‘you got this’ or ‘go get her’. So, he took one more deep breath, and followed her outside.

Once he stepped into the corridor, he noticed Keeley and Rebecca standing in the middle of it, looking at the two of them. Keeley smiled, which gave Jamie a boost of confidence, Whereas Rebecca was looking at him in such an intimidating way that immediately sent shivers running down his spine. He knew they were there for you, and he knew how much they cared for you, so it wasn’t difficult for him to understand what Rebecca’s gaze meant: ‘break her heart and I’ll break you’.

He greeted the two women with a quick nod, before realising you were still walking down the corridor. “Wait up, Y/N!” He said, jogging after you. “Where are we going?”

“Boot room. It’s the quietest place in here.” You looked at him, noticing his expression, as if he wanted to say something. “I already asked Will to leave us alone in there.” You replied, quickly grabbing him by his hand and pulling him through the doorway.

“You always think about everything.” He chuckled, getting into the room. He never really understood when or how that room had become like a sort of therapy room for the team, where most of them went when they needed to get something off of their chest or just be alone, but couldn’t leave the clubhouse. That place stank like hell. But he was glad nonetheless for the privacy. “You had your supporters with you as well, uh?” He smiled.

“Yeah.” You laughed under your breath. “They are actually the ones that forced me to come and talk to you.”

“Should I be scared, then?”

“No! No.” You shake your head. “I don’t think so.” You started pacing around the room, trying to give order to all the things you had in your head at the moment.

“Is everything alright?” Jamie looked at you, slightly worried.

You looked at him, taking a deep breath. “Yes.” You nodded. “Just give me a moment because I haven’t really thought about what I want to say to you. Or rather, how I want to say it to you.”

Jamie nodded, taking a step towards you and catching your hand before you stepped away again. “Do you mind if I go first, then?”

You looked at him, surprise painted all over your face. You didn’t know what to say, so you simply nodded, waiting for him to talk.

“Okay, so, first of all, I wanted to tell you that last night was… well, I really enjoyed spending time with you, and I really wish we could do it more often.” He smiled, squeezing your hand as a way to catch your attention. “And then to the difficult part... Okay. The boys told me to just be me self. But it’s difficult, you know? Because, like, I am always me self, but when I’m with you, I’m different from how I am with the others. Not in the sense that I’m not truly me self, but in the sense that, when I’m with you, I’m me self even more than usual.” He stopped, looking down. “Sorry, I didn’t really have anything prepared either.” He chuckles.

You couldn’t help but smile. “Go on, you’re doing great.” You said, trying to look at him in the eyes.

“What I’m trying to say is that when I’m with you, I feel like I’m truly me self. Like I’m the most authentic version of me. And I like it. I want to be like that always. But I feel like I can only be like that when I’m with you.” He looks at you. “I lied before. I don’t want to be with you more often.” You stopped and looked at him completely confused. “I want to be with you as much as I can. I want to be with you every fucking day.” You giggled, feeling the blood rushing up your neck and to your cheeks. “I want to make lunch for you. Well, no, okay. I want to learn how to make lunch for you. I want to take you out to dinner. And I also want to order in and watch a movie on a couch like we did last night. I want you to play with me hair because, fuck, that’s the most relaxing shit ever.” You bit your bottom lip, trying to contain all the happiness that you were feeling in that moment. “I want to go out with our friends and be able to show you off. I want to hold your hand as we walk down the street.”

“Jamie…”

“Wait a second.” He interrupted you, pulling you even closer. “I want you to wear my jersey at matches. And to cheer for me. And I want to kiss you whenever we win a match. In front of everyone. I want to go out and celebrate with the team, and while we’re there, I want to hold you close while we talk with them, and then be able to just walk home together and celebrate just the two of us. And I don’t mean have sex. I mean, that would be fun, but I meant like having a party just the two of us. Drinking, and dancing and laughing. Or we don’t have to go home, and we can just walk around town all night, like we did that time.” He became all serious all of a sudden. “I want to be able to protect you from creepy old men. Actually, no. That wouldn’t be necessary because you would never need to go out by yourself ever again.”

“Jamie, I…”

“Wait, I’m not done.” He interrupted you once more. “I want to be able to sleep over at your place and you over at mine. I want us to buy toothbrushes to leave at the other’s house. I want to wake up next to you like we did today, but I want that every single day. I want to have me clothes at your place and your clothes at mine. I want to drive Roy mad by telling him last minute that I’m sleeping over at your place, so he has to come all the way there. And after I’m done training with him, I want to stop at a cafe as I get back home and I want to buy your favourite latte, so that you can wake up to the smell of warm coffee every day.”

“Jamie!” You shouted, trying to stop him from talking.

“What?”

“Just-” Your hands found their way to the back of his head, as your eyes remained fixed on his. “Just kiss me, will you?” You laughed, before pulling him down towards you.

When your lips finally crashed against one another, you could feel the tension you had been holding in your stomach finally releasing. You pushed yourself on your tiptoes, as Jamie’s hands slowly and softly found their resting place on the small of your back, helping you up, and pulling you closer to his chest. Your hands played with his hair, and in that moment, you were sure he could feel your heart beating like crazy in your chest.

“So…” He whisper while pulling slightly away, only to press his forehead against yours. “Did you want to say something?”

You kept your eyes closed, too afraid to open them and realise that it was only just a dream. “I think you said everything.” You chuckled, trying to get some air back in your lungs.

“Well, if you wanted to say something…”

“Jamie.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

A/N: sorry, this was so long! so, if you read it all the way through, then thank you! please, feel free to leave me any kind of feedback and don't forget to send me suggestions or requests if you have them! thank you again! ily <3

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fic #jamie tartt #ted lasso

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ushiko · 3 months

Text

pull up, pull down

ushijima wakatoshi x reader

summary: you have a really bad crush on the local gym hottie like you are down bad. but let's see if he can teach you a pull-up.

a/n: idk what this is. wrote all of it in one sitting on my phone so don’t judge me. but either way enjoy!

all you needed to do were some hip thrusts and the smith machine is right there! but not when he is right across doing pull-ups like it was the easiest thing in the world. you would die of embarrassment. it was already hard enough to not get caught staring at him every time you came but this is beyond that. glute day is officially canceled.

there is no way you get away not looking at him when he is right across from you. you wouldn’t be able to control the path your eyes take down his face to the veins that bulge through his skin. it’s time to change exercises or your entire workout for that matter. never hurt anyone to have a good back day. you slowly walk towards the lat pulldown machine when out of the corner of your eye you see his shadow move toward your direction. he couldn’t possibly be heading to this area right?

you were very wrong. he was practically right beside you as he pulled the bar towards him only making his muscles tighter and the veins even more noticeable. he couldn’t even hide since he decided today to wear a white cut-out tank that left little to the imagination. little did he know that he was about the kill the poor person a machine down from the way he pulled on the cable.

this crush began weeks ago when you decided to change gyms after a run-in with an ex that left a sour taste in your mouth. plus this one was a lot more quiet than your last gym. your first day it was going well until a god-like man with the physique of Aries and the beauty of Aphrodite walked past you in a mid-set. you almost hurt yourself as you watched him walk past. his face was stern but held a strong pose as he walked with an unknown confidence. it didn't help that he would wear the shortest of shorts that showed off his tree trunks of legs and the ass to fit. you’ve never seen him speak to anyone or bring any trouble telling you that he is more likely than not a shy man. he was just supposed to be your gym crush and nothing more but the more you saw him the more you wanted to know.

from his attire, you could tell he was a part of some sport as he owned many pieces of clothes from the same team. however, none of it had his name on it… unfortunately. he only came during the late afternoon or evening on weekdays but never on weekends. he walked in with only a bottle of water, keys, and headphones and left the same way. you only noticed him smile once when he was looking at his phone but it was only a lifting of the lip but it’s the best you got. you didn’t want to be a stalker but you couldn’t help but be intrigued by the mysterious man.

“excuse me, how many more sets do you have?”

megan thee stallion does not have a deep voice who is that?

looking up from your lap, the man of the hour is towering above you when a barely there smile or is it just your imagination? the sweat on his face was somehow making him glow even brighter than an angel’s halo. how is that even possible?

you clear your throat and hop off the seat, “oh I’m actually done no worries.”

“ but you only did one set.”

you blink wildly and glance back on the seat you were just sitting in. how did he know that?

“umm well just not really feeling it today, i guess,” you mumble while fiddling with the skin on your thumb.

he hums and looks at the weight you had it set on.

“you were pulling higher last week maybe your body is in a resting period today, “ he rambles, “ you should still finish out the rest of your sets to see if you can go higher today before you do other weights.”

you just stare at him like a deer in headlights. how did he know all this? you didn’t even realize that you were pulling heavier last week. your brain froze as it scrambled to think of anything to say. the little person in your brain was scrambling through everything to find one little word to say.

“okay.”

that’s all it could come up with. it was too hard to think of anything else when the man you had been crushing on for weeks was standing right in front of you with a determination to get you to do two more sets. this also made you see that he had hazel eyes with the way the sun only seemed to shine brightly down on him through the large window.

“you don’t have to if you don’t feel like it. never pressure your body into something it doesn’t want to do. it’s not good for building your muscles or stamina,” he states while looking at you almost into your soul.

“no, you are right! i should wouldn’t be a proper workout if I didn’t do it all,” you stutter out.

you swear you catch a shadow of a smile lifting from his lips but it could have been your imagination.

you take a seat back down on the machine and begin to adjust your weights noticing that he stood by leaning against the machine next to yours. the gym felt awfully quiet as you clear your throat trying to focus on the machine in front of you.

as you go up to reach for the bar, he already grabbed it for you bringing it down to the palm of your hands. he pulled it down like it weighed as heavy as a raisin.

“thank you,” you mumble. you begin going through the motions as you continue to glance out of the corner of your eye seeing him still standing there. he stood firmly with his arms crossed and his eyes set on you.

the sweat was pouring down your back as his gaze sent an unknown heat down your spine. this was something you had never felt before and your body surely did not know how to handle this type of reaction.

after finishing the final set, there were barely any words spoken but plenty of awkward smiles and short eye contact. your mind swirled with the idea that he was also watching you too to a degree in which he knew you were lifting more last week than now. who is the stalker now?

“ im sorry if I made you uncomfortable at all,” he suddenly says as you grab your water for a swig.

you lift your brow and shake your head, “ no you’re okay you didn’t! I was just shocked that’s all.”

“shocked by what?” he asks quickly as he begins adjusting the machine to his weight.

you clear your throat, “that you knew how many sets I did and how much weight I had done.”

he stayed silent for a moment before he sat where you previously were.

“ not hard to notice some as pretty as you in here. just started to pay attention more that’s all.”

if steam could come out of ears, both of yours and his would be blowing a hot stream of steam right now. you watched as the tips of his ears glowed a bright red as you felt heat rise towards your face and tingles in your toes.

no words were passed between each other for a couple minutes as he blazed through his sets and you were gathering your wits. how were you supposed to respond to that?

as he was about to begin a new set the words ran out of your mouth like a track star crossing the finish line.

“ can you teach me how to do a pull-up?”

his shoulders jump as he lets the bar fly to the top of the machine. you stand with your hands behind you with a slight sway in your feet. he stares at you with no trace of emotion on his face besides the slight glow of redness sitting on the apple of his cheeks.

then suddenly angels begin to sing and heaven shines down as his lips spread to a wider smile with teeth showing through. you could have died right there.

“yes, I can. let’s do it now.” he rushes off the machine and heads toward the pull-up bar.

“wait you need to finish your set!” you exclaim as you try to quickly catch up with him.

a chuckle passes his lips as he looks at you over his shoulder, “ i didn’t need to do those anyways.”

no one has ever made you more silent in the moment till now.

you both now stand at the pull-up bar waiting for someone to make the first move. or at least speak or move. his words have your brain frantically looking for anything to say.

“my name is wakatoshi ushijima by the way. never really introduced myself,” he lets a slight chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck.

“im (y/n) (l/n), it’s great to finally meet you,” you joke as a laugh passes your lips.

he laughs back, “you as well. now are you ready for a pull-up?”

that’s how you ended up being at the gym on a thursday night for two hours with your gym crush. truly a heavenly night. with his contact info now in your phone as ‘ toshi <3’.

gym days just got ten times better because now you have your gym crush as your gym partner.

thank goodness for a canceled glute day.

likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated!

#♥︎ taywrites #ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima fluff #haikyuu drabble #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu ushijima

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justmenoworries · 4 months

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some unorganized thoughts about Vox and Valentino Hazbin Hotel

Spoilers For Hazbin Hotel episode 2

TW: Discussions and depictions of abusive relationships, sexual assault, extortion and financial abuse

So going by the promo material shown to us, a lot of fans seem to think that Vivzie has changed course on VoxVal and that it's going to be a much more healthy relationship than previously implied.

Not gonna lie, that disappoints me.

Because depicting an abusive romantic relationship with an imperfect and unexpected victim would have been extremely interesting. We already know Valentino is a piece of shit who doesn't care about anything but himself and profit.

The "Addict" music video and the prequel comic "Dirty Healings" make that very clear.

Valentino regularly assaults Angel, keeps Angel's earnings for himself and tries to keep Angel in the studio as long as possible, even getting angry when Angel goes out by himself. Even if it's to get money for Val.

And for all of his faults, it's very easy for the viewer to feel sympathy for Angel. Angel is a likable character who's been shown to have a much kinder side to him via his friendship with Cherry and him trying to comfort Charlie in the pilot after her pitch for the Happy Hotel flops.

Vox though?

Vox is slated to be a main antagonist. He's a fellow Overlord of Hell. Someone for whom it'd be much harder to believe that he'd let anyone treat him like Valentino treats Angel.

And yet...

To be fair, this artwork is from the in-character Instagram accounts, which were already confirmed as non-canonical. (The accounts themselves are sadly archived now due to some really messed up stuff that happened with the Octavia and Stolas accounts.)

Still, depicting Vox as one of Valentino's victims would have been pretty intriguing. It shows that this kind of thing can happen to anyone, no matter the gender or financial or social situation. It would also acknowledge that just because someone is a victim of abuse doesn't mean they're pure, innocent or weak. And that no matter the circumstances, no one deserves to be treated like Valentino treats Vox and Angel.

I'm honestly hoping that this aspect of the VoxVal relationship isn't entirely gone and I kinda think it isn't.

In episode 2 we see right off the bat that Vox doesn't really like Valentino. And it's easy to see why.

Valentino is a spoiled angry manchild with no self control. He needs Velvette and Vox to reign him in, otherwise he's going to do stupid shit like waltz up to the princess of Hell's doorstep with a gun in hand. Because he can't handle the idea that one of his employees is living somewhere he didn't approve.

If Vox hadn't stopped him and talked him out of it, Val would have gotten the VVVs into some serious shit. His violent streaks can also not be talked down completely, they need to be satisfied somehow. Vox needs to offer Val the lowest earners to shoot at and work out his aggression on or Val's going to continue to go on a rampage and most likely tear apart more of Velvette's models.

Speaking frankly, Valentino seems way more trouble than he's worth. Vox and Velvette appear to be doing all the work in their shared empire while Val just throws tantrums and forces them to go out of their way to calm him down.

So if that's the case, why do the other Vs puts up with Val?

In Alastor's and Vox' duet in episode 2, Alastor has this very interesting thing to say about Vox and his relationship to Valentino and Velvette:

"Is Vox as strong as he purports? Or is it based on his support? He'd be powerless without the other Vs."

What's also interesting is Val's and Velvette's reaction to it.

They're smiling. Like they agree.

Alastor also reveals that Vox was trying to get Alastor to join the Vs. Alastor declined.

Vox of course tries to deny all of that, but in the process gets so worked up he short-circuits himself and causes a city-wide blackout.

If Alastor is telling the truth here (and we don't really have a reason to believe he isn't), that puts everything in a whole new light.

Vox is he brains of the operation but is he also the only thing that's keeping it together? Val and Velvette don't really get along (Velvette insults Val behind his back, Val rips apart her models when he's angry) and both don't seem to respect Vox that much. Velvette lets him deal with Val's bad moods, Val doesn't hesitate to throw stuff at Vox when he's pissed (the fact that Vox nonchalantly dodges the glass Valentino throws at him implies this is not the first time). They both have a look of disdain on their faces when Vox hugs them during "Status Quo".

So why does Vox go to all this trouble to keep these two assholes in line if he doesn't really care for them and they in turn have no love for him?

Maybe for business reasons, but Vox already has a giant multi-media empire, right? So again, what does he need the other Vs for?

I think it has to do with Vox's need to be admired and liked and at the top.

See, another thing this episode tells us about Vox is that he's deeply, deeply, insecure.

He has a dozen different programs where he changes his outfits, approach and demeanor to cater to every single sinner possible, he throws out new business ideas on the fly so he'll always be the newest trend everyone follows. If something (or someone) comes up that cracks his cool confident businessman facade even a little he can't handle it and literally breaks down.

Really, Alastor puts it best:

"Is Vox insecure? Pursuing allure? Between this fad and that, is nothing working? Every day he's got a new format."

So Vox doesn't just want to be powerful and popular, he wants to be the most powerful and the most popular and his shows alone aren't going to cut it for that.

That's why he needs Velvette and Valentino. They provide the content that draws the viewers Vox so desperately craves. Without them he'd be all on his own, might lose large chunks of his viewership. And that's something I think Vox is deeply afraid of.

So no matter how little he might actually like them, regardless how shitty Valentino treats him, Vox needs these two. In his view at least, he can't afford to lose them.

#hazbin hotel #voxval #staticmoth #hazbin vox #hazbin valentino #tw rape mention #tw abuse #tw rape #hazbin hotel theory

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genderkoolaid · 10 months

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sorry im gonna aut out for a second going off these tags

this book is so fucking aggravating because the author's (cis man. ofc.) reasoning for why the P.U.F isn't trans is because they didn't seem to struggle with their gender before becoming the P.U.F (we have no way of knowing this btw. not only do we have limited information on their personal life before transitioning, but whose to say they ever showed signs of being trans openly? whose to say their near-death experience didn't awaken something inside them?) and since their rebirth was due to "spiritual factors" instead "some long-term struggle over [their] identity" (because it would have to be a struggle, right?), we should only view them in the context of women's history and not trans* history.

which makes me want to rend flesh with my teeth!!!! sir you CANNOT separate spirituality from identity like that. were the priestesses of inanna not trans* despite taking on women's clothing, names, language, because they viewed their gender as a spiritual event? its so ridiculous to take someone who literally changed their entire identity because of this spiritual rebirth, and then call them by their birth name and she/her pronouns and be like "well since SHE didn't struggle with HER gender before, then SHE isn't trans!"

and its not like this is some "ohh we don't know what they would have wanted," the P.U.F made it very clear they were not Jemima, they would not tolerate being seen as her, they dressed androgynously on purpose, their followers considered them a neutral spirit. They identified as the Public Universal Friend, it doesn't matter whether you think they really were a spirit from Heaven. They did everything possible to express "I am not who I used to be and my gender is not the same as it was," how is this not trans??????? Because they weren't the fucking textbook transsexual that is the only True Trans allowed to exist???????? god forbid a trans* person's gender be more than some hellish struggle. god forbid other parts of our identity affect our gender and be inseparable. and god forbid a trans* person assigned female do literally anything because if they aren't a cis woman somehow their defiance of the patriarchy is no longer radical. paul moyer meet me in the fucking parking lot i'm gonna break your nose what is this shit. can't trust a cis to do a trans' job.

#m.#''from a perspective that privileges biological sex over the more flexible construct of gender'' privilege my foot up your ass #he literally admits they would have disagreed with being labeled a woman pioneer but fuck them i guess!!!!!!

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starbylers · 8 months

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Rambling about things that’ve been said a million times but like…character’s final scenes in each season foreshadow what will be going on with them in the next season right? We’ve seen this. So by that logic we literally know what’s going to happen in s5. (In terms of character’s journeys, not talking about plot). Like we know for certain. They’re barely even theories to me anymore it’s just canon waiting to happen 😭. A huge amount of my Byler confidence comes from this tbh so if you need a little boost maybe this will help.

Dustin’s scene shows he is going to be grieving Eddie (we’ve already had confirmation of this I think so we know the pattern follows for s4 that final scenes are foreshadowing)

Lucas’ scene shows he will obviously be doing everything possible to care for and help Max

El’s scene shows she’s going to be focused on 1) saving Max & defeating Henry and 2) her family and having the support of her dad back

Caleb literally mentioned that Lucas & El’s relationship will be explored and we know Max is the thing that ties them together (the boyfriend and the best friend) so that’s another piece of evidence of s4 final scenes being foreshadowing

So it has to follow that Will & Mike’s scene shows they are definitely going to be working as a team

And if we take symbolism into account…

Their final one-on-one in s3 lingered on a shot of a blue telephone on yellow wallpaper & we know all about their s4 communication issues so yeah we’re absolutely taking symbolism into account

…that red flipped couch? They’re going to be in the upside down. Together. In the season where Will is going to have an emotional arc which will ‘tie the entire series together’. (Although even if the couch stuff was somehow incorrect the team part still stands).

To me the chances of M*leven being endgame in this scenario are so tiny they’re almost nonexistent? If next season was about showing how strong of a couple and how in love they are (which is basically the only place their story could really go atp if the intention was for them to be endgame), they would’ve had their final scene together! El would be sitting in Will’s place on the couch! Mike would be reaching into the light and grabbing El’s shoulder, symbolising that he’s choosing her.

The meaning behind this shot is so clear it’s almost funny like it literally looks like some magical celestial beam of light from heaven is shining down on where they’re connected

They wouldn’t be spending the season with their stories primarily focused on & tied to other people (“other people” being Mike’s literal other love interest!!!) if the show was trying to tell a story of them being this alleged central power couple working together and growing together in a loving, healthy, mature, supportive relationship. It’s completely illogical.

I feel like it’s so obvious that Mike and Will are at least going to be working together next season, and it’s incredibly weird to me that people even try and argue us on that point. Is it denial? Is it the fact that deep down, they are actually aware of how foreshadowing and logical story structure work and they’re scared that if they admit Mike and Will are going to be paired up, they’ll have to admit where the story is inevitably leading…?

#byler #anti mileven #and I’m sure it’s not just the Byler scene that involves symbolism I mean the story Lucas was reading Max is definitely an Easter egg #I haven’t looked into it but someone on here must have #and then there’s the final scene obviously #this isn’t a super thoughtful analysis sorry I have a bunch of stuff in drafts I’m just too tired to work on it atm 😭

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cloverthebarbearian · 5 months

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The Party

Rolan/GN Tav No smut (yet) just, angst? Fluff? And initial encounters. Tav is intentionally left as nonspecific as possible but in my mind palace they are a human fighter. Word Count: 3,195 (P.2 Alone Together)

Sharing a drink with the hero of the hour. His lips against the same cup theirs having embraced the entire evening. It suddenly left him feeling… sheepish? No, something else. Deeper. Warmer. Rolan swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. This was all just incredibly inappropriate, he thought. But instead of taking back their drink, Tav just smiled, and further held their cup out towards Rolan's lips. "It's alright," they said, "It's almost empty. We can finish it off together." He let the moment linger, weighing his circumstances. This is a party, after all. However unfamiliar an environment this is for him, it was clear to Rolan that everyone around them was here to relax and have fun. Fun, with his hero.

(This is my first ever fic if anyone is mean to me about it I WILL cry anyways pls enjoy!)

"Well?" Shadowheart's eyebrow raised as she swirled her wine around her chalice.

"'Well', what?" Tav returned, watching their rescued merry band of tieflings mingle and drink around the campsite. Just that morning, they stood together to defend the grove against this 'Absolute' worshiping goblin hoard. It set Tav's heart at ease to see them all safe. Relaxed. Happy. Even if they knew by morning, they'd be back on the road, facing any and every danger that lurked on their way to Baldur's Gate.

But tonight? Tonight was for celebrating.

"Well," Shadowheart continued, "I've noticed nearly everyone's been coupling off tonight. Those tiefling lovebirds have been cuddling by the water since they got here."

"And? They've been attached at the hip since we met them."

"And that cute bard girl's somehow gotten herself mixed up with little Miss Pony-tail," she raised her glass and smiled to Alfira and Lakrissa, who were not-so-subtly cuddling up by the fire.

Tav turned their drinking horn to their lips and smiled, "They are quite cute together."

"Karlach's been flirting with Dammon, I think? She keeps punching his arm, which I believe she thinks is flirting. Or maybe she's just drunk… Hells, I swear I even saw Astarion sneaking off with Lae'zel, of all people."

The wine nearly shot from Tav's nose at that, "You're kidding!"

Shadowheart laughed, shrugging her shoulders, "I know Astarion's quite the flirt. But I'd assumed Lae'zel had a bit more self respect."

Tav gasped with a smile, elbowing their companion as they both kept a steady watch over the party.

"My point being," Shadowheart continued, "The last few days have been exhausting. Who knows when we'll have another chance to relax like this."

Tav gingerly placed their hand over their heart, faux shock dripping from their voice. "My goodness, Ms. Lady of the Dark, are you attempting to court me?"

"Ha! I'm sure you'd like that," Shadowheart said with a teasing glance, "But I'm afraid the wine's already got me spoken for." With that, she gulped down the last of her chalice and sighed, "What I was suggesting," she side stepped to Tav's shoulder, matching their gaze into the crowd, "Was perhaps a certain wizard. One I've noticed you continue to observe. One bound for greatness under an apprenticeship in Baldur's Gate? Before he's become too famous to remember us great Saviors of the Grove." Her voice took on a playful tease as Tav's cheeks began to burn, a slight tingle reaching their ears. Hopefully, they could pass this off on the alcohol. Considering they'd never admit Shadowheart's intuition was spot-on.

"He seems quite busy putting on a show for his siblings, at the moment," Tav said, smiling, though a bit feeble.

"Don't tell me our big bad leader is shy!" Shadowheart teased once more, "Taking on a goblin cult, lead by a terrifying drow warrior, and they don't even bat an eye. But Gods forbid they speak to a handsome tiefling!" Shadowheart's voice was starting to rise. People's heads were turning, and Tav couldn't tell if she was intentionally trying to embarrass them, or if she was truly just a bit too drunk off the cheap booze.

"Shadowheart! By the Hells - Okay, if I go over there will you please just, maybe, be quiet? Go to bed and - Gods - have some water, perhaps?" Tav's cheeks were flushed in full now, well past a point of being able to blame the wine. Shadowheart laughed to herself again, clearly more composed than she was letting on.

"I'm a big girl, but thank you for caring," She smiled once more, picking up a canteen instead of another bottle, "And I will be going to rest. But you-" her finger gently poked into Tav's shoulder, "- are going to tell me all about it tomorrow."

Tav rolled their eyes, "Yes, I'm sure you'll be utterly enthralled as I regale you with some bardic novella of Master Lorroakan's greatest deeds, or something to that effect."

They began walking away from Shadowheart's tent, making their way back into the mingling crowd. After her outburst, Tav didn't want to walk straight up to Rolan, lest he somehow connect the conversation back to him. No, they couldn't risk it. Instead, they looked for their favorite camping companion - Scratch! Who was quickly found surrounded by tieflings. Mostly the children, but even Zevlor was standing near, smiling at the scene.

"Hey, Scratch!" Tav called out, waving his favorite ball in their hand, "Wanna fetch, boy?"

Scratch barked excitedly, play bowing, tail wagging. The children around him broke apart, giggling expectantly. Tav threw the ball as far as they could across the camp, and watched as Scratch made a break for it. Weaving through the crowds of party-goer's to retrieve his prize. He quickly returned with the slobbery toy in his jaws. But instead of rushing back to Tav, he trotted back into the group of children, all of whom were very excited to play a game with their new best friend.

So much for that out.

Tav took a moment to look around the camp. True to Shadowheart's observations, they saw Karlach laughing heavily, one hand slapping against Dammon's back, the other holding a spilling tankard. Though, by no means did Dammon seem uncomfortable. And to Tav's surprise, Lae'zel and Astarion were seemingly absent. Where could they have gone off too -

"Hey! Tav!"

Tav spun around to follow the voice calling for them, only to see Lia waving frantically, motioning them to come over. They smiled and waved in return, their stomach doing cartwheels. Of course this would become unavoidable. The Gods so love to tease me. They took a mighty sip of wine as they walked over.

"Tav, please tell our brother here that, if it weren't for you lot, we all would have been the main course in some sick goblin buffet!"

Rolan's eyes rolled and his teeth bared into a scoff, "Lia, please, that is not at all what I was implying."

"Really, now? Because it sounded like you seem to believe you could've fought off that whole hoard all on your own, for some bloody reason," she said with a smile, winking at Tav. It was very clear she was simply arguing for the sake of seeing her eldest brother get himself worked up. She turned her own tankard to her lips and pouted playfully, "What would you have even done? Cast 'Rolan's Shimmering Sparkles' and hope they'd be distracted long enough to make a run for it?"

Cal laughed, clearly a bit too drunk for Rolan's liking, "Heh, 'Rolan's Shimmering Sparkles'. I like that. Is that a real spell?" He turned to his brother in inebriated earnest. Rolan looked up into the sky. He was no devote worshiper of any Pantheon, but Mystra did bless him with access to the weave. He wondered if she were capable of divine intervention, striking him down with a lightning bolt in this very moment. A heavy, exhausted sigh escaped him.

"Lia, all I said was I wish I had gotten a chance to show those goblins some real magic," Rolan caught himself in the moment, casually glancing to see if Gale was somewhere within earshot. Tav couldn't help but smile at the thought of someone telling Gale, Mystra's ex-Lover, that his magic was sub-par. When Rolan realized the party's resident wizard was nowhere near, he cleared his throat, "And Cal, no. 'Shimmering Sparkles' is not a real spell," his glance caught Tav's eyes for a moment, "Although… I do have my own spin on Dancing Lights that I've been working on. If… If anyone were so inclined as to wish for a demonstration," he stated, puffing his chest out ever so slightly.

"I-" Tav was immediately interrupted by a very drunken Cal.

"Yes, brother! Rolan's Shimmering Sparkles!" He nearly fell off the boulder he was sat upon caught up in his excitement. Lia linked her slightly more sober arm into his to keep him balanced, encouraging Rolan further.

"Go on then. Let's see what makes your spell so special."

"Patience, you two," Rolan stretched out his arms, shaking his neck and shoulders loose, "Have you no respect for showmanship?"

"Having performance issues, Rolan?" Cal retorted in a cheeky mock-whisper.

Rolan rolled his eyes, "Oh, hush you," he replied, centering himself once again in preparation of his spell.

Most of Tav's familiarity with magic came from seeing Gale in combat. It was interesting to them - fascinating, really - seeing another wizard's process. Dancing lights wasn't a spell Gale used often. Yet they could tell right away, the way Rolan worked with the weave was different. Gale always acted like the weave was Mystra herself - to be revered and respected, always somewhat fearful of its fickle nature. And Gale treated the weave as he treated Mystra, as if he had to prove to himself that he was capable enough to work with her, for her. That he knew everything naturally and intimately enough that magic just came to him. Even if Tav always felt like that was a load of crap.

But Rolan? He treated it like a science. As though he were a craftsman, a Master of his trade. Its like he studied the weave to a perfect formula. There was a practiced structure to his movements. As if he could pinpoint where the exact aspect of the weave he needed was located, and then simply pull it from thin air itself. Something about it made Tav's heart race.

He brought his hands before his chest, right above his diaphragm.

"And… Behold!" His arms outstretched, and a rippling wave of lights, indigo and magenta, flowed from his body, carrying themselves up and out into the air. It were almost as if a portion of the Tears of Selûne itself had fallen from the skies and brought itself flowing through the campgrounds. Tav brought their hands together into an enthusiastic applause. Or as enthusiastic as one can be with a drinking horn of wine in their hands.

"Adoring applause?" Rolan cooed with a smile, dipping into a bow, "You're too kind."

"Remember when he could barely cast that?" Lia playfully chastised, gently elbowing her brother in the rib.

Cal chuckled, sighing like a proud father, "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

Rolan smiled and shook his head. A genuine smile, Tav noted. Something they weren't sure they had ever seen from Rolan before.

"Never have I met such troglodytes," he commented, "Now, pass the wine."

Cal stood up to pass Rolan the bottle he had been milking, only to stumble over himself when trying to sit back down.

"Woah there, big fella! Easy now," Lia giggled, reaching up to help Cal find his balance, "I think we had better find you something to… eat? Drink? Or a quiet place to vomit, perhaps?"

Cal shook his head, waving a hand in the air, "You worry too much! I'm perfectly-" his words trailed off as he caught his stomach, "Actually, Lia, you may have a point," Lia rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Playing babysitter once again," she hooked her arm below Cal's shoulder, "I'm gonna get the lightweight somewhere decent to rest." She glanced to Tav, the back to Rolan with a smirk, "You two don't have too much fun without us."

Rolan's tail suddenly swished and thudded against the ground, almost frightening himself with the reaction. Lia and Cal both laughed as they walked off. Rolan gripped his wine bottle tightly, bringing a large gulp to his lips. He laughed. A tired laugh, shaking his head.

"Its a wonder why I love those two idiots," he said in a strained tone, almost as if he were trying to convince himself.

"Isn't that the whole point of family?" Tav said quietly, trying to tease.

He choked on another sip of wine, Tav getting the idea perhaps Rolan had forgotten they were even still there for a moment. And Rolan suddenly realizing his vulnerability.

"Um. You won't… tell them I said that, will you? Surely it's the wine talking, but I'll also deny it if you do."

Tav laughed.

"Gods forbid you love your family," they teased.

Rolan smiled again, weakly, then hid it with a scoff, "Of course I love them, I just can't let them hear me say it. Lia would use it against me for the next three months. Minimum," he spat out. Perhaps a bit too harshly, he thought, turning the bottle to his lips once more. Only to find it empty.

"Oh, bother," he muttered to himself, tipping the bottle over, spilling one single drop of purple-red liquid into the dirt. Tav hesitated briefly, before offering their own drinking horn. Tav hadn't met many tieflings before stumbling upon these refugees, so they couldn't be certain, but they swore they saw Rolan's deep red cheeks flush a shade darker.

"I… N-No, it's fine. I've had quite enough to drink already," Rolan wavered, laughing awkwardly. Not an entire lie. He was surely feeling the muddling effects of the evenings festivities. But this hesitation was much more… personal. Sharing a drink with the hero of the hour. His lips against the same cup theirs having embraced the entire evening. It suddenly left him feeling… sheepish? No, something else. Deeper. Warmer. Rolan swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. This was all just incredibly inappropriate, he thought. But instead of taking back their drink, Tav just smiled, and further held their cup out towards Rolan's lips.

"It's alright," they said, "It's almost empty. We can finish it off together."

He let the moment linger, weighing his circumstances. This is a party, after all. However unfamiliar an environment this is for him, it was clear to Rolan that everyone around them was here to relax and have fun.

Fun, with his hero. He reached out, taking the cup from their hands, their fingers overlapping in the exchange.

"I, uh… I thank you, my friend," he smiled and gave a slight bow. Always so formal, Tav thought. They almost wished Cal or Lia would come back, just to see him act a bit more relaxed again.

Almost.

Rolan's sips were small, and slow. He wasn't sure how much to drink, how much to share. And the moment he put his lips against the rim of the horn, he was reminded of Tav's lips once again. Suddenly struck with an internal battle of wanting to keep his mouth here for as long as he could, and wanting to get the moment over with out of sheer, self imposed embarrassment. One small sip, and then another. Tav tried desperately not to stare at the way his throat bobbed every time he swallowed.

Once finished, he handed the cup back to Tav, who took a sip of their own, finishing the last of the drink off. They reached their fingers up to catch a small spill of wine from dripping around the corner of their mouth.

And suddenly, it was so very apparent that it was now just them. An awkward silence growing over the both of them. One which Tav broke first.

"So," their voice immediately cracked, leading them to clear their throat and laugh at the social blunder, "Um, you must be excited to finally get out of the grove, yeah?"

Rolan laughed in a tone that to an unfamiliar ear likely would've sounded mocking.

"By the Hells, yes. I am so incredibly happy to finally get out of this filthy quagmire. Once we reach Baldur's Gate, perhaps I can engage in a civilized conversation for the first time in weeks," once again, Rolan immediately felt himself bite back his words.

"That is… Not to say your company isn't more than engaging. I-I'm just so use to speaking with Cal and Lia. They've never had much interest in… learned topics. I mean, Cal likes to read, at least. But it's all adventure novels. The Illustrious Tales of Balduran or some similar drivel. Nothing with any merit," he glanced over at Tav, who was just staring at him. Their eyes wide, their mouth just barely parted. Rolan stiffened, feeling his cheeks flush once again, ever so slightly.

"Ah, I see I am rambling quite a bit and, uh, likely boring you," he said, trying to sound flippant. Tav blinked suddenly, locking back into his focus.

"What? No!" Their hand flew out and touched his arm, "I love listening to you speak about… well, anything, to be honest." They laughed to themselves, "Sorry if I seemed bored, I suppose. I just, um," suddenly, their face felt warm, their words catching in their throat.

Rolan's attention still set on them, on the feeling of their hand squeezing his forearm, "You…?" he continued their thought. Tav took a deep breath in, and smiled.

"You really… Light up. When you talk about your family," Tav finally let out, "Even to complain about them. It gets you talking. Like, really talking. And it just makes me happy, to see you happy," their voice trails off as they realize what they're saying. Then, they laugh again, releasing his arm, "I suppose now it's my turn to blame the wine. Speaking of which, maybe I should get us some more?"

Rolan smiled, almost reaching out to touch their wrist in response, but stopping himself, "I… yes. Um, well," he cleared his throat, "No offense to Zevlor, I know he did his best with the supplies, but, this wine is… ah, I think the word I heard your pale elven partner regard it as was 'piss' earlier, did I not?"

Tav laughed again.

"Yes, Astarion. I believe he did."

"Well," Rolan turned toward his companion for the evening, smoothing his hands across the front of his robes, "I actually have a lovely vintage of Arabellan Dry back in my belongings. I was going to save it for when we reach Baldur's Gate, to celebrate my apprenticeship. But, perhaps…?"

Tav's heart was suddenly racing, their stomach a bundle of nerves. A smile crept up their face as the flush built on their cheeks. They gingerly placed their hand over their heart, and spoke in a cool, coy manner.

"My goodness, Mr. Future Arch-Wizard of Baldur's Gate, are you… attempting to court me?"

Suddenly, Rolan's face went hot. Even with Tav's limited tiefling experience, it was wholly apparent. Immediately, Tav began laughing once more, nearly doubling over at the severity of his reaction.

"Sorry, sorry!" The reached out for his hand, "I'm only teasing, Rolan. Yes, we can go have a bottle of wine together. I'm starting to get tired of all this noise anyway," they waved a hand around, gesturing to the festivities around them.

Tav hooked their arm into Rolan's, looking up into his eyes. The burning yellow-gold and the hell's touched black vastness behind it. Rolan said a silent prayer to any God listening, thank the stars the likelihood of Tav hearing his heartbeat through his arm alone were slim. He felt as if his chest were on the brink of bursting. Still locked in his gaze, Tav smiled and tilted their head.

"Well? Lead the way, Mr. Wizard."

#rolan #rolan bg3 #bg3 rolan #rolan x tav #tav x rolan #really dont know how to tag this shit homies if you find it you find it ig! teehee

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herb10 · 5 months

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Justin as a Dad... (Part I)

Summary: headcanon list of Justin as a new father from pregnancy to birth Pairing(s): Justin Herbert x fem!reader Warning(s): mentions of pregnancy, mentions of childbirth, mentions of sex, swearing, etc.

Disclaimer: the following written work comprises "real person fanfiction" (RPF); any characters mentioned are entirely fictional or fictionalised versions of real people. Any dialogue, circumstance, and/or any other trait of this work that bears semblance to reality is coincidence.

[masterlist]

- Justin would be so excited to hear you're pregnant

- "are you serious?" "you're joking with me, right?"

- when you hand him the pregnancy test, he just stares at it with a soft little smile

- his smile would grow until he was beaming with joy as the realisation sinks in that, no, you're not joking, you really are pregnant

- he'd wrap you in his massive arms and give you the biggest bear hug

- he'd definitely get emotional and maybe even tear up, but would try to hide it by burying his face in your hair

- his voice would be all choked up when he tells you that he's so happy and that he loves you, clearing his throat to try and compose himself

- he would be so excited to tell all of your family and friends, but would definitely wait until you were both ready to make the news known however

- he would get so emotional when telling his mum and dad that they were going to be grandparents omg

- big hugs from his parents as they congratulate both of you on the happy news

- he would be so protective of you and your baby's privacy and wellbeing

- everyone would be under strict instructions not to advertise the pregnancy unless both of you were ready to make the news public

- he'd legit be furious if the news somehow broke on social media or in some article without his or your consent

- would probably speak in code to not reveal the news to anyone outside your trusted circle

- "taking our cat to the vet" = going to the doctor's with you lmao

- would sometimes forget that you're pregnant in the very stages until something reminds him that he's going to be a dad

- seeing a baby in a stroller in the supermarket? "Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a dad". Cute baby shoes at the Nike store? "I'm gonna be a dad!"

- would feel awful for you during the morning sickness phase

- he'd get up no matter the time to comfort you, hold your hair back, get you a glass of water, or whatever else you needed in that moment

- grabbing you food at the store on his way back from the facility or getting food delivered randomly when you have a sudden craving for taco bell

- he'd understand that being pregnant isn't a disability and that you could still do things for yourself, but he'd still kinda treat you like you were made of glass lol

- "I got it" would become his catchphrase and he'd use it whenever he saw you trying to do anything that involved bending, reaching...or moving lol

- Justin: "I got it!" You: "Justin, I can get myself a glass of water just fine 😅"

- he'd be in his Acts of Service element, taking care of you as best as he could

- he'd know that pregnancy is a big change for you, so would be as patient and as understanding as possible if you were experiencing mood swings

- however...don't expect him to be a pushover and bend to every whim or allow unreasonable behaviour just bc of pregnancy-induced hormones

- Justin: "babe, I get that you're pregnant and that you're going through a lot right now, but I'm doing my best"

- he'd still expect you to be his partner and that you could face the challenges of pregnancy together

- on a more happy note, this man would have his hands all over the bump when you start to show

- tbh he'd have his hands all over you fullstop

- he'd let you know every opportunity he got how sexy he thought you were, even if you didn't feel that way about yourself

- You: "I look like a beached whale...". Justin: "You look so fucking good..."

- back hugs with his arms around you, his hands on the bump, to show you the changes to your body don't detract from your beauty, only add to it

- the pregnancy sex would be so fire omfg

- he'd be so gentle and let you command the pace until you were crying out for him to pound you and oh boy would he oblige

- probably some of the best sex you ever had tbh bc he'd be trying so fucking hard to make you feel good

- he'd love any hormonal feral horniness from you too and would be practically running home to you after practice lmfao

- would be so fucking excited when you felt the first little kick

- would probably make kicker or punter jokes about the baby

- would probably come up with cute little nicknames for the baby, like "peanut" or "shrimp"

- would sneak daddy-and-bump time in the early morning before leaving for practice whilst you were asleep

- speaking to the bump, gently laying a warm hand on your belly to feel the baby kick in response

- he'd really treasure those quiet moments where he could connect with his child before the birth

- would be proactive in preparations for the baby

- helping you buy and build furniture for the baby's nursery, no matter how tired and bruised he was from football

- he'd help you organise and make an inventory of everything you could ever possibly need

- he'd have a birthing bag packed and by the door very early on (and probably a spare in the car, y'know, just in case)

- big gender reveals aren't his thing but he'd be ok with a small gathering and a more tame reveal idea, like a cake with a coloured filling, etc.

- kinda think he'd like the surprise and wouldn't mind not knowing the gender before the baby was born

- he'd be more than happy for you to have a baby shower if it was something you wanted tho

- he'd be a bit wary of any social media attention and probably would prefer if photos of the occasion were kept off social media however...

- as long as you had both talked and agreed on if/when you would go public with the news, he'd be fine with it

- would desperately want to be at all of your scans and antenatal classes and would make as much effort as possible to be there

- he'd work late some days so he could take time off to attend "baby stuff" with you; this man would not want to miss a single milestone

- he'd especially love going to scans bc he'd get to see his child, hear their strong heartbeat, and it would all feel a bit more real to him

- this nerd would be paying so much attention in antenatal classes omfg he'd practically be a TA again

- ...being real, football would definitely factor into the birth plan; you and Justin would have to decide on a plan of action for every possible outcome

- if you were due during the season, you'd have to be prepared to be induced during a bye week or between games

- he'd also arrange for someone you trust to be with you in his absence if something happened and you went into labour when he wasn't there

- if you did go into labour whilst he was at a game, I don't think he'd leave until the game was over ngl

- but he'd be stressed as balls not to be at your side

- you can bet your ass he would be running out of the stadium the moment the game ended (still in his cleats and uniform probably) to a waiting car or a private jet on standby so he could hightail it back to you

- anxious facetiming with you the entire way home, checking to make sure you were ok

- Justin's all about being prepared so he'd plan for every situation imaginable to avoid that tho

- he would absolutely want to be there to support you and welcome your baby into the world

- he'd want to be there to rub your back, hold you up when you needed to stand or lean on something, get you hot or cold compresses...

- whatever you needed he'd want to be the one doing it for you

- during labour, he'd truly hate to see you in pain and would probably feel a little impotent

- for a man so used to being prepared and being in control, seeing you in pain and not really being able to help would absolutely cut him to his core

- the one thing he would be able to do was be the ultimate hype man when it came time to deliver your baby

- he'd speak words of encouragement to you like he was cheering on teammates from the sideline

- "you got this!" "you're almost there!" "you're doing awesome, babe, keep pushing!"

- he'd let you grip his hand so hard, he'd hold up your legs to help you push, he'd kiss your sweaty forehead and stroke your damp hair back from your face...

- literally anything to comfort you as you worked to bring your baby into the world

- would absolutely cry with joy when your baby was finally born and bundled up against your naked chest

- he'd be so damn proud of you and amazed by what you just accomplished

- would kiss you full on the lips and would put every ounce of love that he was feeling at that moment into it

- he'd just be so fixated on the blissful serenity of you and the baby, kissing you sweetly and placing his hand and yours on your baby's damp little head

- the chaos, pain, and anxiety of the moment, the buzz of the medical team working around you would be nonexistent to him in that moment

- he'd be so eager to hold your little baby boy or baby girl, but also slightly terrified by how tiny and vulnerable they seemed

- would spend forever just staring at them, marvelling at how you had both created something so utterly perfect

- he'd run a finger down their little button nose and count their tiny toes over and over, just to make sure they were all still there

- pure elation the moment those teeny fingers, with fingernails as small as a grain of rice, wrapped around one of his fingers

- this man is sentimental, so if your baby were a boy, I honestly think that he would love to honour his late Papa Schwab by naming his son for him

- and he would melt with love for you if you were the one to suggest the idea

- post-birth acts of service would include helping you up out of the bed, helping you wash yourself, changing the baby when you need rest, helping you with breastfeeding, etc.

- he'd encourage you to sleep for two reasons: 1) bc he loves you and you need the rest 2) bc it means time with the baby for himself

- would hold them, rock them, speak to them about literally anything and everything, maybe sing quietly (and badly probably lol) to them

- he'd especially love to do skin-to-skin with them and just have his baby bundled up against his bare chest, feeling their warmth and listening to their little grunts and squeaks

- would facetime family and probably get a bit emotional again but would do his best to keep it together lol

- watching him dress the baby for leaving the hospital would honestly be so cute and hilarious

- he'd be so damn gentle and cautious like he was defusing a bomb or something lmfao

- "just gonna move your arm over here, buddy" "sorry princess, daddy's gotta put your socks on" "jeez, when did clothes become so complicated?!"

- defensive driving the entire way home from the hospital bc he's got the most precious cargo in the back seat rn

- Justin: "doesn't anyone know how to drive anymore?!" You: "Justin, it's LA, no one knows how to drive"

- he'd be so excited to have friends and family to visit and introduce them to your baby bc he'd be so damn proud to show everyone what you ✨ made ✨

- but he'd want to make sure you were both settled first and adjusting to being new parents

- he'd have so much fun telling visiting family and friends about how amazing you were and teasing you affectionately

- Justin: "she was awesome, you should've seen her..." "could use her on my o-line!"

- as tired and as nervous as he'd be at times being a new dad, he'd be so happy to be home with you and your baby, both happy and healthy

- as someone who seems to be pretty family-oriented, he'd just love to be together with you as a newly expanded family of three, ready to face whatever parenthood threw your way...

༝༚༝༚

#elle writes #justin herbert #nfl fanfic #nfl imagines #justin herbert x reader #justin herbert fanfic #justin herbert imagines #nfl fanfiction #nfl imagine #justin herbert imagine #nfl headcanon #justin herbert headcanon

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avelera · 1 year

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"Nice is Different than Good" Character Interpretation: Hob Gadling as Kind of a Bastard

Ok, slightly controversial take on Hob Gadling Is Kind of a Bastard that I've been toying with. It runs counter to some wonderful let me be clear, amazing fanon I've seen in some fics, so this is much more me going, "Hey, here's a way to do it different that might work better in different stories fan writers might want to tell," and not to invalidate other takes or even to put forth that I think this is necessarily true of Hob in a meta sense, it's just shining a light on the text from a different direction, y'know?

Hob as Neutral Evil (credit to Winter on the big dreamling server for this concept!)

I'm obsessed with the idea that Hob is neutral evil on ye olde D&D alignment chart because it makes so much sense if the axis for evil is primarily based on selfishness.

Primary evidence? How casually he talks in 1489 about having done a bit of soldiering and banditry. Those jobs are about killing people. Maybe not all the time as a bandit, ideally, but even then it's about taking their stuff. There is absolutely zero remorse in Hob's tone about being a soldier and a bandit just because he's at his most wide-eyed innocent and has since picked up a trade.

Hob as Politically Conservative until at least 1789 but possibly until 1989

Hob as far as I can tell is a model of the white male middle class existence in England throughout what we define as more or less the "modern era". As far as I can tell, there's no indication at any point prior to 1789 that Hob rocked the boat or was at all out of step with the Powers That Be.

In general, I kind of see Hob as always just this side of the "wrong side of history" and I personally find it more interesting when that's where we find him. And not in a grand sense but in a "middle of the road" sense of just going along with the day to day accepted levels of harm and evil caused by societal momentum. Generally speaking, only a very small percentage of the population takes active part in moving the needle towards good at any given time on a variety causes, and I tend to see Hob is generally speaking outside of all those minorities of do-gooders, except when it comes to taking care of his immediate friends and family. Which is a pretty average place to be.

Indeed, when it comes to the Wat Tyler rebellion, it's my personal headcanon that Hob was more likely on the side of the soldiers putting DOWN the rebellion on behalf of the local lords, and unlikely to have been interested in or part of the cause of greater equality in England. The fact he's a soldier drinking with his mates openly in a tavern when people around him are talking about Wat Tyler and he's blithely ignoring the discussion is where I get that sense.

Indeed, I believe (though I don't know where to cite it, even in the English Civil Wars, Hob was canonically on the side of the monarchy. So jot that down as Hob being pro-monarchy.

While, yes, I believe post 1789 he learned to be less of a piece of shit about taking active part if horrific industrial-level cruelty, I don't see evidence he became a superhero after that. The one bit of "on the page"altruism we see from him is him flipping a coin to Lushing Lou and telling an obvious alcoholic to go get a drink so she stops pestering his friend by offering herself to him as a prostitute, something Hob seems entirely comfortable with.

In 1989 when Hob gets out of his sleek convertible, dressed like a stock trader, he uses the Financial Times to shield himself from the rain, a periodical that apparently was just lying around in his car. As tempting as it would be to say it's to somehow show off to Dream, he has no reason to believe Dream would come back to his car so more likely, it's just something for himself.

All of these put together show me on the page that Hob stayed pretty fixated on making money even after deciding and coming to regret being part of the "shipping business".

And to be clear, we don't actually know when Hob quit the shipping business. Personally, I like to think he did it right after Dream asked, but that's a romantic take and deliberately so. Hob having the opinion by 1889 that slavery is wrong is not necessarily a progressive take by then. Regardless, even if in 1789 he learned it was wrong, that still puts him just slightly ahead of the curve, philosophically speaking.

If we pull in comic canon we do know Hob was ahead of the curve on feminism by 1912 in Hob's Leviathan but again, women would get the right to vote by 1918/1928 in England after the issue had been discussed for at least a century (keep in mind, male Catholics couldn't vote in England until the early 1800s) so again this puts him as palatable to modern readers but not necessary terribly ahead of the curve.

Now, let me also be clear, where Hob is at in 2022 is anyone's guess. Personally I think Dream not showing up in 1989 was a second wakeup call for Hob. If he'd drifted back towards selfish hedonism by 1989, as his whole vibe suggests, he might very well have looked in the mirror and thought, "What if this is why my stranger stayed away?"

We know he becomes a teacher. That probably would go a long way towards changing his politics. We know he's a history teacher, so now he's got the long view. He's spending time in academia, which tends to lean left. My point is, Hob in 2022 is anyone guess and I think there's a lot of evidence and word of god evidence that he's become a Good Person by then, but I also think it's the 1989 meeting that jumpstarted him being Good and not just Nice. Because I do think Hob throughout all these periods of being morally a bastard was always good to the people close to him in his life. I think he was a good friend and a good husband and would have been a good friend to Dream had he allowed it. And that's what I enjoy most, that he could be both of those things, Nice and Not Good.

Hob as non-religious

I admit, this one is very near and dear to my heart for personal reasons of identifying as an atheist when it comes to Christianity and being a lifelong skeptic of Catholicism for the brief time I was technically a member of that organization (all of which while I was a minor). To be clear there is just as much evidence to say Hob is any number of religious alignments as there is that he has none. It's a totally personal choice by any author, I'm just outlining my evidence for why I write him as effectively an atheist.

The Black Death is considered the period that broke the spine of the Catholic church as a monolith in Europe. All the good priests who did their duty taking care of people and giving last rites died leaving only the ones who fled or were young, with tons of money given to the church because of all the rampant death.

Hob would have been born into an era that was particularly rife with both fanaticism and anti-church sentiment. There was a lot of evidence abounding that being a good Christian just got you killed.

Given Hob is a soldier drinking with his mates 1389, I don't see much evidence of him being particularly devout there. No less so in 1489, by the way. Not saying there's evidence against it, just that there's no evidence for it and indeed, societally there's justification for him to not be devout given the century he was born.

1589 I'd say we've got some evidence Hob isn't devout: he seems unperturbed by King Henry's ransacking of the monasteries. Politically speaking, if Hob is a New Man, he might have even benefited from that ransacking personally. In my personal view, Hob is an opportunist and most likely converted to Church of England at the earliest possible opportunity to curry favor with the Powers that Be. I don't personally see him as someone who would bother pretending to be Protestant while continuing to practice Catholicism, because:

Why would Hob bother to be faithful at all? He can't die. The #1 reason to be devout is to avoid Hell or get into Heaven. Hob has clearly chosen the secular world as the only Heaven he cares about. He says that his current life is what, "He once thought Heaven would be like" and it's a very secular vision of good food and safe streets. He does not appear to be pining at all for any spiritual version of Heaven and indeed, speaks of Heaven as a dream only in the past tense.

Personally, by 1689, I think Hob has plenty of reasons to hate God after what he's suffered and the fact he's still not interested in dying to me seems a pretty strong indication that he does not hold romantic views of the afterlife.

Finally, for 1789 to the present, there was absolutely a class of gentleman who were progress minded, obsessed with technology and the Age of Reason. Many American Founding Fathers were self-proclaimed deists, basically a safe form of atheism that said eh, yes God exists and is out there and we owe him some deference, but he doesn't impact day to day life and we can safely ignore him most of the time. Personally, and this is pure headcanon, I put Hob in that group cheerfully ignoring religion and never looking back because he's more interested in the new technologies of the day and not the crusty old church.

We also know, canonically, that at least in 1789, Hob does not consider himself Jewish.

And of course, we can't forget: Hob has evidence that the Christian cosmology is wrong, somehow, given his stranger and his own immortality.

Frankly, given that Hob appears on the page to be a hedonist with no fear of dying, it's interesting to speculate on what his moral boundaries would be at all coming from a world where Heaven and Hell were the primary means of moral social control. It is possible to speculate that Hob could have gone completely off the rails as far as worrying about his soul for a bit there, other than thinking he's already sold it, which could go either way as far as trying to redeem himself but again, he speaks casually of being a soldier and a bandit, so it doesn't sound like if he worried about his soul being sold already, he thought there was anything that could be done to redeem it.

#the sandman #sandman meta #hob gadling #just a collection of some headcanons I have #sometimes I use these in fic #sometimes i don't!#just stuff to think about

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subskz · 1 year

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200811 - s.cb

note: this is a reupload from my old blog. let’s all pretend that today is august 11th, 2020

content: sub changbin, dom reader, praise, oral (m receiving), a bit of overstimulation, begging, riding, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, female reader

word count: 4.9k

The wide, beaming smile hadn’t left Changbin’s face once throughout the entire course of the evening, you were certain his cheeks must have been aching by now. If they were, he showed no signs of it as he giggled from across the room with Jisung, his nose scrunching up adorably and filling your chest with fondness.

It was his birthday—arguably the most important day of the year, in your humble opinion and his not-so-humble one—and you and his closest friends had taken on the very ambitious challenge of throwing him a surprise party.

The days leading up to it had been stressful to say the least. Splitting the arrangements between eight people with wildly different visions proved to be a borderline impossible task, and Changbin’s nosiness hadn’t made things any easier as the rest of you had frantically tried to plan the celebration behind his back.

His nagging questions of why you were all suddenly so busy and who you were always texting had put your acting skills to the ultimate test, and you’d hoped desperately that you’d be able to keep things a secret until the big day arrived.

Worst of all, Seungmin had come up with the wicked idea for everyone to pretend that they’d somehow collectively forgotten it was Changbin’s birthday up until the party actually began. This, of course, did not sit right with Seo Changbin, and he made that very clear to you from the moment you’d greeted him on the morning of August 11th as if it were any other normal day.

Seungmin’s scheme had failed to take one very major detail into account, that being, Changbin’s impressive talent for complaining.

“You know none of the guys have talked to me today?” he’d mentioned to you at one point. “Not even a text message.”

You’d put up your best neutral front, hoping to sound as nonchalant as possible when you responded. “Is there a reason they should’ve?”

You’d felt bad about it, you really had, but you were also determined to make the surprise as satisfying as possible for him. That came with a price, however, and in the end you’d spent the majority of the day putting up with Changbin’s exaggerated huffs and brooding glares in your direction.

You knew he wasn’t afraid to just outright tell you why he was grumpy, but you also knew that for something as special as this, he wanted you to figure it out for yourself.

The others had an unfair advantage; they were able to ignore Changbin with ease since they weren’t living with him. You didn’t have that luxury, however, and you couldn’t help but feel like the weight of the entire plan rested squarely on your shoulders. Things had nearly fallen apart when he’d received a congratulatory call from his family members, and you’d cursed yourself for not factoring that in, conveniently slipping into the bathroom before he could catch you listening in.

It had taken nearly all of your strength to keep up the oblivious act around him for those few excruciating hours, your resolve weakening further each time he grumbled to himself or trudged around like a kicked puppy.

When Changbin had dramatically announced to you that he was going to the gym for his regular workout, you’d felt a flood of relief, instantly rushing to your phone to notify everyone else.

you: all clear guys! bin’s heading out

lino 😼: lol how’s he handling it

you: not well, he’s been sulky all morning

seungmo 🐶: i can’t believe he really thinks we’d forget his birthday…

chan 🐺: wasn’t it your idea? ^^;

seungmo 🐶: yeah, but isn’t it sad that it actually worked?

hyunjin 🥟: he told me happy birthday a day early this year 😐he probably thinks it’s normal to forget

lino 😼: hehehehe our dumb binnie

you: be nice ): he’s really going through it

chan 🐺: we’ll be there soon, no worries!

Once the boys had arrived at your apartment, you’d all made quick work of setting up for the party—or rather, as quickly as it could go with decorations being knocked over left and right and Hyunjin fussing over the state of every last detail. Felix and Minho had taken it upon themselves to bake Changbin a cake, and though Minho’s artistic choices for its design were a bit questionable, it still looked delicious.

With a bit of work and a lot of patience, the eight of you were eventually able to finish most of what you’d planned before Changbin returned.

Jeongin had been in the middle of scolding Hyunjin and Jisung for managing to get tangled up in a collection of streamers when the front door suddenly swung open, signaling Changbin’s arrival. Jeongin paused mid-sentence, mouth still hanging open as the man of the hour shuffled into the apartment with his gym bag slung over his shoulder.

Before any of you even had the chance to shout “surprise”, Changbin beat you to it with a shout of his own.

“Ah, seriously!”

He threw his hands over his head, his bag dropping to the floor. You and the others rushed forward to swarm Changbin, breaking out into collective laughter as he sank down into a crouch. He pushed his face into his knees, letting out a loud, frustrated groan as it set in that he’d been fooled for the entire day.

Chaos quickly ensued with everyone talking at once, half of you cheering loudly for the birthday boy, and the other half mimicking his reaction. Despite his embarrassment, the brightest grin was plastered on Changbin’s face when he lifted his head. You felt your heart swell with affection, knowing right away that all the stress from the past week had been worth it.

Any sign of his earlier crankiness disappeared in an instant, and he spent the next few hours beaming and giggling as everyone doted on him to make up for the devious prank.

Seeing Changbin being showered in love and adoration so openly made you happier than anything else. It was one of the rare occasions where his friends toned down their usual teasing and showed him just how much he really meant to them.

In your mind, you’d always thought of Changbin almost as the glue that held everyone together—the steady foundation that you could all rely on—and after seeing the amount of care everyone had put into making this day so memorable for him, you were certain that they would agree. Of course, there were still a few playful jabs here and there courtesy of Jeongin and Minho, but overall Changbin was treated the way you personally thought he should be treated every second of every day.

On a more selfish note, however, all the attention he was receiving had kept him busy for most of the night, and you hadn’t been able to spend much time with him. The more time passed, the more difficult it became to shake the growing urge to snatch him away for yourself, even if just for a brief moment.

It was for that reason that when the party drew to a close, you were quick to start wrapping things up. You tried your best to be as subtle as possible as you ushered the boys out, claiming that it was late (it wasn’t) and that Changbin was tired (he wasn’t).

Everyone had done their part to help gather the decorations and tidy up your apartment before leaving, but that didn’t stop Chan from hovering behind to ask if there was anything else you needed. You had to grit your teeth in order to suppress your impatience, knowing you were being unfair to him. You loved the guy, but in that moment his excessive kindness was more of an obstacle than anything else.

“It’s alright,” you smiled. “I think we’re good.”

“You sure? What about the dishes?” Chan asked, peering over to glance at the full sink.

That caught Changbin’s attention, and he piped up immediately. “Feel free to deal with them,” he called out with the smirk of someone untouchable. “The last thing I’m doing on my birthday is washing the dishes.”

Chan chuckled, and you couldn’t help but join in, knowing that Changbin was referencing the many, many times he’d ended up having to clean after a failed, last-ditch attempt at rock paper scissors. Despite that, you were determined to send Chan home. After a whole day of denying Changbin affection, followed by a whole evening of him being preoccupied with all his friends, you wanted nothing more than to be alone with him.

“We’ll handle them, don’t worry,” you reassured Chan. “Get some rest, we all need it after how hectic the past few days have been.”

At that, Chan seemed to give in, and he flashed you an appreciative smile. “Alright, if you’re sure,” he agreed, gathering up his things. “Goodnight, you two. Happy Birthday, Bin!” he called.

“Night, Chan!” You gave a small wave, and Changbin saluted with two fingers as the man quickly scurried out of your apartment in hopes of catching up with the others.

When the door was shut at last, you locked it with a relieved exhale and immediately made your way over to Changbin. He gave you a curious look as you slid your arms around his waist, pulling him close to you.

“What’s up?” his voice softened.

“Finally have you all to myself,” you murmured, reaching up to wipe a stray bit of frosting from the corner of his mouth. Changbin giggled shyly at that, and you breathed in his scent as he nuzzled his face into your neck. “Did you have fun, Binnie?”

“Mhm,” he hummed. “You guys really got me today.”

You thought back to how inconsolably grumpy he had been, pressing an apologetic kiss to his head. “It was so hard to hold back from giving my baby attention all day,” you complained.

Changbin whined dramatically in agreement, bringing his face back into view to pout at you. “Even harder for me.”

“I know,” you sympathized. “That’s why I’ve got a gift to make it up to you.”

He squinted. “Didn’t you already give it to me?”

Changbin’s excitement had been akin to that of a kid in a candy store when he’d opened the present you’d gotten for him—a Leo necklace to match the zodiac shirt that he loved so much, as well as a new set of headphones after he'd managed to lose his for the umpteenth time. He’d sworn with the most endearing pinky promise that he’d be sure to keep track of them for you, but you were willing to bet that if you asked him where they were right now, he wouldn’t be able to say.

You ran your fingers carefully up and down his side, feeling up the curve of his waist before giving it a gentle squeeze. “Mm…this is a different kind of gift.”

There was a pause, then a faint flush spread across Changbin’s cheeks.

“Oh,” he squeaked.

You smiled, lifting your gaze to find his pupils dilated and locked on you. “Does that sound like something Binnie would want?”

The lilt of your voice was all it took to make him melt. He bit his lip before responding, a completely innocent quirk of his that still managed to drive you crazy.

“Yes, please.”

You unwrapped your arms from around him to take his hand into yours, delicately entwining your fingers.

“So polite.” You ran your thumb along the back of his warm hand. “Come on then, it’s in the other room.”

You tugged at Changbin’s arm, guiding him down the hall and into your shared bedroom. He glanced at you out of habit when you reached the bed, silently asking for your permission to make a move. You tilted your head to grant it, and he wasted no time before settling onto the mattress with a cute, giddy hum.

The way he watched you as you joined him made your heart beat faster in your chest. A look so dark and intense, but still so vulnerable, as if whatever happened to him next rested solely in the palm of your hand. Pain, pleasure, or anything in between; he would accept it all if it came from you.

“Binnie was so patient for me, today,” you purred, leaning so close that your lips were just a few centimeters apart from his. “He deserves an extra present, don’t you think?”

Changbin nodded slowly, eyes flickering down.

“My good boy,” you cooed, voice dripping with affection. “So good, even when everyone was so mean to you.”

The feeling of your breath fanning over his skin made him shiver lightly, and before he could manage to say anything, you closed the space between you, crashing your lips into his. He mewled in a way that he might’ve been embarrassed about if every part of his mind and body weren’t aching for your attention. Instead, all he felt was relief as he fell back into the comfort of the pillows with you.

Without breaking the kiss, you made your way on top of him. Your hands moved up to cup his face, squeezing his full cheeks to open up his mouth and slip your tongue past his plush lips. The birthday cake had left a lingering sweetness in Changbin’s taste, and you relished in it along with the sigh he let out as your tongue brushed against his.

He raised his arms to wrap them around your waist as the kiss heated up. You moved your mouth hungrily against his, only interrupting your rhythm to take his lower lip between your teeth. Changbin whimpered as you nibbled on the plump skin, filling you with the urge to bite it until it was swollen and bruised.

You pulled back for a moment to catch your breath. His half-lidded eyes met yours, their typical gleam clouded over with a haze of lust, and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin. You brushed your thumb along his doll-like lips, admiring how red they’d become in such a short time.

“You’re so pretty, Binnie,” you murmured, playing with his lower lip gently. Changbin’s breath hitched at the compliment, and you leaned back down to pepper his face with kisses. “My pretty baby. Everything about you is irresistible,” you mumbled between pecks.

He whined softly—a pointless protest when you knew how much each word of praise from you sent his arousal skyrocketing. His hands gripped the back of your shirt with more urgency as you moved down to his neck. You trailed wet kisses along his tender skin, and you felt a tinge of satisfaction when he began to squirm beneath you. He pushed his hips up ever so slightly, his hardening length pressing against your thigh.

The involuntary plea made you smirk against his skin, and you left one last open-mouthed kiss at the base of his throat before pulling back.

“Need something?” you asked innocently.

Changbin bit down on his lip, tensing in embarrassment as he realized how easily you’d read him. You slid your index finger down his chest, tracing the full curve of his pecs beneath his shirt. “If the birthday boy asks nicely, he can get whatever he wants.”

He averted his eyes without a word, making it clear that it would take some prompting on your part for him to admit what was on his mind. Your finger continued to trail down his stomach, and you marveled at the way it clenched under your feather-light touch.

“Don’t be shy,” you encouraged, earning a squeak when you gave his waist a pinch. “Don’t you want your gift?”

Changbin’s cheeks flushed, so deep that you could practically feel the heat radiating off of him. He swallowed hard, bracing himself before finally speaking up.

“Want your mouth, please,” he breathed.

You pressed your lower half against his bulge, feeling a glimmer of amusement when he squeezed his eyes shut with a gasp.

“You gonna let me taste you, Binnie?” you teased. “I wonder if my baby’s sweeter than his cake.”

The mortified wail that escaped him didn’t disappoint. You giggled as he shoved his face into the pillow, the tips of his ears matching the shade of his cheeks. “Ah...really,” his groan came muffled. “Stop embarrassing me.”

“Stop being so cute and I’ll think about it.”

Changbin lifted his head to give you a half-hearted scowl, the pout on his face only serving to prove your point. You leaned down to press a kiss to his nose, and he mellowed out again in no time.

He spread his thighs obediently as you lifted yourself off of him to settle between his legs. Without warning, you began to palm at his bulge, and, like clockwork, he bucked up into your hand.

“Already so hard for me.” You gave him a gentle squeeze. “You love the attention, don’t you?”

He didn’t bother to deny it. Instead, he whimpered your name softly, and the sound coupled with the pure want in his expression was enough to make heat pool in your stomach.

Carefully, you slipped your fingers under the waistband of his pants to slide them down. Changbin lifted his hips off the mattress in an attempt to make things easier for you, and you gave his thigh an approving pat.

“Good boy,” you praised, making his eyes shine.

Changbin’s breath hitched as you tugged off his underwear and he sprang free, the cool air hitting his length in a way that made him quiver. You admired the sight briefly before taking him into your hold, giving him a few gentle pumps. “You ready, baby boy?”

“Yes, yes, please,” He didn’t waste a second. “Need you.”

It shouldn’t have surprised you anymore, how strained he would sound after just a few delicate touches, but even now it still made your heart flutter.

You gave the head of his cock a few kittenish licks, letting the taste of his precum flood your tongue. Changbin fully gasped, and it was soon followed by a broken moan when you wrapped your lips around him all at once.

The jolt of pleasure he felt was only amplified with the way you sucked intently on his tip, swirling your tongue around it in a way that made him certain he wouldn’t last long.

You began to bob your head along his dick, using your hand to stroke the base as you did so. His hips bucked reflexively when you slid your tongue along his slit, and he stuttered out a meek apology. You hummed around him in response, giving his thigh a squeeze to signal that it was okay.

Changbin’s moans gradually grew less and less restrained, and their sweet sound urged you on. You hollowed your cheeks around him, fully engulfing his cock with the silky heat of your mouth. He bit down hard on his lower lip in a failed attempt to mask an especially pathetic cry, hands pawing the bedsheets for something to grab onto.

You pulled off to catch your breath, releasing his length from your mouth with a sinful, wet pop. His chest rose and fell rapidly in the moments you gave him to compose himself, and he had to hold his tongue to stop himself from instantly begging you for more.

“You taste so good, I might just get addicted,” you purred, swiping your tongue across your lips for good measure. Changbin let out a flustered squeak at that, hands flying up to hide his face and making you giggle with delight. “Do you like it, baby?”

He peeked down at you timidly from between his fingers. “Mhm,” a low whimper was all he could manage. “Please, don’t stop.”

You shushed him gently, licking a long stripe up his cock and making him shudder. “I’m gonna take care of the birthday boy for as long as he needs.”

You took him fully into your mouth once more, and he released a sharp cry as his length hit the back of your throat, arching off the bed in a fit of pleasure.

“A—ah!” he choked out. “Please, please.” The veins in Changbin’s arms began to protrude from his death grip on the sheets, and you had to press down on his hips to pin them back against the mattress. You remained steady for as long as you could, swallowing around his cock and making him mewl your name.

“Close,” he warned, tossing his head from side to side. “Can I—ah—can I cum?”

You took your sweet time before letting him slip from your mouth again. A hiccup escaped him as the addictive heat was suddenly lost, leaving his dick twitching helplessly in protest against his stomach.

Changbin’s eyes blinked open, his expression hazy and disoriented as it met your playful one. “No, please…” he slurred. “Wh-why?”

“You can hold out a little longer for me, can’t you, Binnie?” you pouted. “I’m not done tasting you yet.”

A low, pitiful whine built up inside him, exciting you more than it probably should. “Th-that’s not fair,” he objected weakly. “You said…you said you wouldn’t stop.”

You rubbed soothing circles into his thighs with your thumbs, trying to mask your amusement. “Hm…I did, didn’t I?” If Changbin hadn’t been so distracted by the hot ache in his abdomen, he might’ve caught on to the mischievous intent laced in your next words. “Alright, no more stopping.”

At that, you dragged your lips down his slick length once more, barely covering half of it before Changbin came undone all at once.

He emptied into your mouth with a near sob, seed spilling down your throat. You felt his thighs tremble beneath your fingertips as he thrusted shallowly into the heat of your mouth. He rode out his orgasm to completion, only finding it in him to control himself once the last wave of pleasure passed.

Though Changbin had stopped, you showed no signs of doing so. His cock spasmed on your tongue as you continued sucking gently, the mixture of drool and cum making the sensation all the more overwhelming for him.

A pitiful noise escaped the boy, and his hand flew up to cover his mouth when it dawned on him what you had in mind. He bit down hard on his palm, using all his willpower to resist thrashing around in the sheets as you worked your mouth without a care in the world.

Your lips curved playfully around his dick, unable to mask how much you enjoyed every broken plea and call of your name that echoed through the room.

Changbin’s free hand pawed around aimlessly in the sheets, searching for yours. You softened when you noticed it out of the corner of your eye, reaching out and locking your fingers with his.

He endured it as best he could for the next several seconds, jolting and whimpering, but never once complaining as you dragged your tongue along every inch of him.

Finally, when the overstimulation became too much to bear, he gave your hand an urgent squeeze, and you instantly pulled back, careful not to let your teeth graze his length when it slipped from your mouth.

Changbin panted heavily, flopping his head back against the pillow to recover from the intense, unrelenting pleasure you’d put him through.

After catching your own breath, you sat up from your position on the mattress to crawl back on top of him. You leaned down to press your lips against his plush ones, sliding your tongue into his mouth and eliciting a muffled whimper from him as his own essence flooded his tastebuds.

A thin trail of saliva connected your lips when you broke the kiss. Your gaze met his to find him looking practically entranced, eyes dark and wide and watching your every move with unfettered adoration.

“That was mean of me, huh?” you pouted. “But look at how well you took it. I’m so proud of you, angel.”

He licked his lips, his earlier shyness creeping back up on him. “Thank you,” he sighed.

“Don’t thank me yet.” You brushed your fingers through his damp hair. “There’s more to your present, if you want it.”

Changbin’s heart jumped at that, and though he looked utterly exhausted, you didn’t miss the glimmer of excitement that crossed his face.

“More?” he asked breathlessly.

“Only if you want. My baby deserves to be spoiled on his birthday, don’t you think?”

He giggled in response, scrunching up his nose before nuzzling bashfully into your palm.

“Is that a yes?”

“Mhm,” he mumbled into your hand. “Spoil me, please.”

With a smile, you gave his face an affectionate pat and shifted from on top of him. “Sit up for me, Binnie,” you ordered gently.

Despite how spent your mouth had left him, Changbin complied right away. He pulled himself upright on the bed, scooting back so that he was leaning against the headboard. “Good boy,” you cooed.

Changbin didn’t take his eyes off of you once as you undressed yourself at a very deliberate pace. You placed your garments to the side before settling into his lap, throwing a leg over his thighs to straddle him. His breath hitched when your heat pressed against his dick, making him jerk against you.

“Your body’s so honest,” you commented playfully, pushing your hips down to draw out a soft whimper from him. “How cute.”

He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, his whole body tensing in anticipation of your next move. You reached down to take his length into your hold, pleased to find that he had already grown half-hard again. With a deep inhale, you lined him up with your entrance and sank down slowly.

Changbin’s hands immediately grasped at the bedsheets, a moan escaping him that was nothing short of angelic. The way his cock stirred up your insides sent a shiver down your spine, and you let out a content sigh of your own as you connected with his base.

“Such a big boy,” you breathed, grazing your nails along his broad shoulders.

He squeezed his eyes shut, head falling forward to press against yours. “S-so good,” he stuttered. “Don’t know how much I can–ah–take.” As if to confirm his words, his cock twitched inside you.

“Mm, that’s alright, Binnie.” You rested your hand on the back of his head, tugging lightly at his hair. “You can cum whenever you want.”

At that, you lifted your hips to slide up on his length, and Changbin whined lowly as you came back down, walls fluttering around him.

You repeated the motion, carefully building up a steady pace. He was still hypersensitive from his earlier orgasm, and it was evident with every shameless moan that spilled out of his lips. “Hah...you’re amazing,” he gasped out. “Seriously g-gonna go crazy.”

His babbling made you laugh breathlessly. Using your grip on his shoulders for leverage, you began to bounce faster. “You’re so pretty like this, Binnie,” you cooed. “Letting out all those cute cries while you fill me up so perfectly. Such a good boy for me.”

Changbin practically keened at the praise, the sinful noise making you clench around his length. All that time you’d spent toying with him had gotten you more worked up than you’d realized, and when the head of cock brushed your sweet spot, you felt the heat in your core spread.

“Kiss me please,” he begged suddenly, his nose brushing against yours. “Wanna kiss...”

The adorable request made your heart skip a beat, and you quickly complied, pressing your lips against his hungrily. Changbin’s sweet voice spilled into your mouth, his hands flying up from the bedsheets to grab desperately at your hips.

His whines grew higher and higher in pitch until he finally broke the kiss with a sob. “G-gonna cum!” he warned. “Please...can’t hold back anymore!”

“Cum, baby boy. Let it all out.” You ignored the way your thighs began to burn from the effort, instead speeding up your movements to send him over the edge.

Within seconds, the tension in Changbin’s stomach snapped and his second orgasm washed over him. His mouth hung open, eyebrows knitting together as the white, hot pleasure flooded his senses. The feeling of his seed spilling inside of you brought about your own climax as well, and the way your walls clenched around his cock as you came nearly sent him into a frenzy.

Your shared panting echoed through the room as your highs gradually began to waver. When the last few jolts of pleasure had spread through your body, you blinked your eyes open to find Changbin in a blissed out state, hair tousled and skin glistening with sweat.

He gave you a shy, lopsided grin. “Can I say thank you now?”

Your face broke out into a smile of your own, and the sound of his boyish giggles graced your ears. “Sure, you can.”

You brushed his sweaty bangs out of his eyes, and he melted under your touch, pushing his face into your palm with a content sigh.

“I love you,” he murmured instead.

It came timid and quiet as ever, but that didn’t stop it from making butterflies erupt in your stomach. You slid your arms around his shoulders to pull him to your chest, and he nestled into you like second nature. “I love you, too,” you hummed. “Happy Birthday, Binnie.”

“Makes me wish every day was my birthday,” he joked, drowsiness quickly overtaking him.

“Yeah?” You pressed a kiss to his head. “I’ll be glad to treat my baby like this any day.”

#skz smut #sub!skz #sub!changbin #dom!reader #changbin smut #changbin x reader #seo changbin smut

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azriels-shadowsinger · 7 months

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Dying thinking about rhys literally pining and hardcore simping for reader, literally showering reader in praise, flattery and gifts because he no longer gives a damn about hiding his feelings, almost proposing to reader whenever he can and reader's just. completely clueless about it 💀 and she thinks it's just rhys being friendly. Poor man would be absolutely devastated when he goes one day "[name] i'm in love with you" and she just goes "me too, i love all my friends!"

and then it finally clicks for you in the middle of the night, so she runs up to his room and says she’s in love with him too🥰😩

This is adorable. The poor guy would be so confused.

Your POV

You and Rhys had known each other for over 400 years. It’s safe to say that you were an integral part of his inner circle and one of his closest friends. And during that 400 years, that’s all that you and Rhys ever were. Friends. Obviously, the thought had crossed your mind once or twice or a hundred times of what it would be like to be with him romantically, but Rhys made it very clear a long time ago that he only views you as a friend, so you pushed your crush so far down that you rarely ever see him that way anymore.

A few months ago Rhys came up with the idea to have weekly hangouts, usually at nice restaurants because that’s just his style apparently. He always paid, despite your protests, and he always arrived with flowers or gifts. He’s just generous like that.

———

Rhysand’s POV

I don’t know how to make it more clear to y/n. A few months ago I finally decided to stop hiding how I feel and try to show her with dates, gifts, and whatever else I thought would show her how much she means to me. Somehow she got it in her head that our dinner dates were just casual friend dates and that my flowers and gifts to her were just a nice and friendly gesture. I absolutely adore her innocence, but gods I wish she was more observant about what I’m doing.

I knock on her door and wait for her to open, flowers and a gift box in hand. Y/n opens the door and I suck in a breath. She is absolutely stunning, as per usual, and all thoughts leave my head. Maybe that’s why I have never been able to form the words to tell her how I feel, or why when she tried to discuss the possibility of us being together centuries ago, I shut it down and told her I only see her as a friend. Cauldron boil me, that has to be the stupidest thing I have ever done. I tried to take back my words the next day, but she acted like nothing had happened and has been completely platonic with me ever since. Every time I work up the courage to tell her, she just looks at me with those perfect eyes and I lose all my words.

“Rhys?” She waves a hand in front of my face, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Oh, uh, hi.” Shit, I sound like an idiot. I clear my throat and regain my composure, returning to the confident and calm Rhysand who doesn’t bumble like a fool. “You look exquisite tonight, darling.” I say with a wink. Y/n gives a small giggle, music to my ears.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Rhys.” She gestures to the flowers and gift. “Are those for me?” Her eyes light up. If showering her with gifts just because I want to wasn’t enough of a reason, her reaction every time I give her the gifts would be. I nod, handing her the small box and the flowers. Hopefully, she doesn’t notice my hands trembling.

When y/n opens the gift box, she sees a pair of sapphire earrings and a matching necklace inside. Her mouth hangs open in awe.

“Beautiful jewels for a beautiful female.” I gesture for her to turn so I can put the necklace on her. She lifts her hair away from her neck, and when my fingers brush the nape of her neck, I feel a spark that shoots through my entire body. I quickly clasp the necklace and y/n turns back around with a wide smile, admiring the necklace. Gods, she looks beautiful.

———

Your POV

“This necklace is gorgeous, Rhys!” You give him a friendly hug, ignoring the way he holds you close. “This is way prettier than the jewels you got Amren for Winter Solstice, she’s going to be so jealous!” You giggle. “You really go all out on gifts for your friends, we are all so lucky!” You grin at him. Rhys’ face falls for a split second, before his usual cocky grin returns. That's strange, but you decide to look past it.

“Nothing but the best for you., darling” You ignore the way that his words fill you with warmth and how they always seem to have a deeper meaning. Obviously, he is just a very generous friend.

———

Rhysand’s POV

Dinner was lovely, as per usual because I always make sure to plan our dates with expert precision. Y/n and I walk back through the streets of Velaris while pointing out different shops that we want to check out in the future. I take note of which shops she shows extra interest in so I can take her there at a later date. When we arrive at her door, my hands get shaky again. I decided during dinner that I could not stand her not knowing anymore. I’m just going to tell her how I feel and go from there. Hopefully, she feels the same, but at this point I have no gods damn clue how she feels.

We stand in front of her door and I want to just tell her everything, but when she looks at me I cannot figure out the right words to say. I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't feel the same. I cannot stand to lose her, even if we are only ever friends. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Fuck, no, I just need to be honest.

“Y/n, I need to tell you… these dinners and the gifts…” I stumble over my words again, just like every time before. Gods, I just need to say it! “I love you, y/n!” I blurt out. She stares at me for a moment, and I search her expression for any indication of how she feels.

“I love you too, Rhys. You know how much I love all of you. I couldn’t ask for better friends.” She grins.

Oh.

I have absolutely nothing to say to that, so I just say goodnight and head to my own room. Is she really that clueless, or is she just trying to save my feelings without ruining our friendship? Either way, I don’t know what to do at this point.

———

Your POV

You’re sitting in bed after bathing and putting on your night clothes, admiring the necklace and earrings that Rhys got you. You swear these look familiar, but you cannot figure out where you recognize them from.

As you lay down to sleep, you replay tonight in your head. It’s always extra difficult to ignore the centuries-old crush for Rhys when he treats you better than any male you have dated. And when he says things like he said tonight.

“I love you, y/n.” Gods, you wish you could hear that from him in the way you secretly feel it still. You shut your eyes and try to disregard the warm feeling in your chest at his words.

Hours later, sleep seems to be out of the picture. You decide to take a walk around the halls of the House of Wind and hopefully, that will settle your mind.

You walk aimlessly through different hallways until you arrive at the hall of portraits. You admire each picture as you walk, especially the ones with Rhys in them. At the end of the hall is an old portrait of Rhys’ mother. You stare at the picture, admiring the female who raised the best person you know, when you see it. A sapphire necklace and matching sapphire earrings. The jewelry he gave you belonged to his mother. Why would he give you something so meaningful? Unless…

The clarity hits you like a ton of bricks, and you start running to Rhys’ room.

———

Rhysand’s POV

I get woken up by pounding on the door. Groggily, I walk to the door and open it, finding a frantic y/n on the other side. What the hell is she doing here this late?

She moves inside my room and shuts the door. I look at her expectantly, waiting to see what she will say.

“What are you-“ She cuts me off.

“You gave me your mother’s jewelry.” Oh shit. I only nod. “You gave me your mother’s jewelry?” She asks this time, sounding confused.

“Y/n, I do-“ She cuts me off again.

“When you said earlier that you love me. Did you mean as a friend?” Her eyes look so hopeful. She finally figured it out. I shake my head and she sucks in a breath. I finally see the words I have wanted to say for so long clearly in my head.

“Three centuries ago when you asked me if I ever thought about us being more, I lied. I got scared and I lied. I thought about it every day. I still do. And when I tried to fix it the next day you just seemed to be done with the idea, so I figured I was right to have lied and that you didn't like me that way. But these last few months I’ve been trying to show you how I feel and it has been driving me crazy not knowing if you feel the same way.” I force all my words out before I get too nervous again.

“Rhys…” She steps closer. “I am the biggest idiot in Prythian. You have been taking me on these lovely dates and I thought you only wanted to be friends. The truth is, I have liked you for centuries. I’ve been forcing myself to ignore that fact since you told me you only wanted to be friends.”

“I definitely do not want to be just friends.“ I let out a breathy laugh and wrap my arms around y/n. “But just a heads up, our dates are going to get much more extravagant now that you actually know that they’re dates.”

I hope yall like this! Feel free to keep sending requests! I’m slowly working my way thru all of them :)

#rhysand #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfic #acotar fic #rhysand acotar #rhysand x reader #my writing #acotar fluff #acotar blurb #acotar drabble

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darlingmbappe · 1 year

Text

The Loneliest [4] | Kylian Mbappé x Fem Reader

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Epilogue]

Summary: Kylain has shown you just how much he wants you and him to work out, initiating a second chance you weren’t sure you’d give.

Warnings: Angst? Very minimal. Little bit of fluff. Hangovers, cussing, chef!kylian, mentions of insecurities in a relationship, and that’s about it. Let me know if I missed anything! — English is not my first language —

Masterlist

The afternoon sun steeped through your closed eyelids, immediately you felt your head beginning to pound, your pupils felt like they were throbbing. Even with your face now stuffed into the pillow, it was still too bright, and you were still too damn comfy.

You tugged the comforter over your head, letting it engulf you entirely. What the hell did you drink last night? There was maybe a 5% chance of you leaving your extra snuggly bed today, and that percentage is reserved for peeing and taking a giant Advil. Memories of flashing club lights and loud house music rushed through your tired mind, and you muffled a loud groan into your pillow, wondering why you decided that buckets of alcohol would somehow make you feel better about telling Kylian about your night with Haaland during your heart to heart after training… Damn you, tequila.

Alas, the time came where you couldn’t keep holding your bladder and you ripped the sheets off of you like a bandaid, looking up at the ceiling… except it was not the ceiling you expected to see. The flood of confusion that took over your brain was palpable as you stared up at the familiar high walls and designer light fixture dangling above your body. Your heart rate increased as it dawned on you that you were not in fact in your new bed in your new apartment, but your old bed (albeit, much more comfortable bed) in the house you used to share with the very man you were trying to forget.

“Goddamnit.” You blurted into the air, noticing that you're wearing his old Mickey Mouse shirt you left behind. Looking next to you reluctantly, you thanked god that Kylians side of the bed was far too undisturbed for him to have possibly slept there with you – but maybe you wouldn't rule anything out just yet.

You sat up slowly, noticing your old nightstand provided a tall glass of water, two headache relief pills, and your phone on the charger. 1:30 pm. Holy shit. The last time you slept in that late was when Kylian gave you the flu last year. Poor thing felt so bad… as he should. It was a miserable four days of nothing but puking and Netflix. It’s not a very fond memory and it was definitely not the best idea to think about at this moment because you had to sprint out of bed like it electrocuted you, beelining to the toilet, barely making it before you began to throw up nothing but clear liquid that stung your throat as it shot out.

Kylian heard your footsteps from the floor below you, his heart rate increasing. Finally, you were up. He would have been concerned if he hadn’t been listening to your soft snores whenever he passed by the door, not noticing how he grinned stupidly every time. He stood from the couch and made his way to the kitchen to cook the only thing he knew you ate while nursing a hangover; two eggs and cheddar cheese on a multigrain bagel with a side of turkey bacon.

He felt like he had his in. He felt like today was finally the day that he could start trying again with you… really trying. Getting through to you has taken time – which is fair enough and he understands your reasons behind waiting – but all he wants is to show you that he’s changed. That he won't revert back to the aloof asshole of a man that wouldn't listen to you. He wouldn’t take you for granted for a second. Losing you was so painful, he couldn't possibly do that to himself again. He couldn't do that to you again.

As you started descending down the stairs, Kylian set you a placemat at your favorite spot by the window, a small bouquet of flowers sat in the center, a glass of orange juice, water, and a mug full of coffee all snuggly placed next to your breakfast… Well, lunch.

The second he saw your sweet frame enter the room with his old shirt and sweatpants, hair disheveled, all pouty and squinty, his stomach did flips. You looked so beautiful to him, all he wanted to do was hug you tightly and pepper your face with kisses. One day…

“Hey, sleepy.” He grinned at you, standing next to the table nervously, now feeling like he’s overdone it with the display, twiddling with his hands.

“Is that for me?” You tiredly asked, rubbing your eyes and trudging over to your usual breakfast spot, sitting comfortably in the seat.

He sat across from you, moving the flowers slightly to the left so his view of you wouldn't be obstructed. “Yes, I… um...” He looks at the neat placement of the meal, slightly embarrassed, “If you're not hungry you can save it for later, or… I don’t know.” He waves off, trying his hardest to be cool and nonchalant.

“I’m starving.” You calmed his anxiety, immediately grabbing the hot coffee cup, sipping it and instantly feeling some life make its way back into your veins, humming out in satisfaction.

He mentally fistbumped himself after hearing your thankfulness for his perfect cup of coffee. “How’d you sleep?” His hands were neatly folded in front of him, attentive and genuine.

“I think I went brain dead for a while. I forgot how comfortable our mattress is.” You say without noticing you called it our mattress, but Kylians heart pitter-patters inside of his chest at the slip of the tongue. He watches you as you take the first bite out of the bagel sandwich. “My god…” You grumble with a mouth full of the food, chewing every bit with your eyes closed. “This has to be from Tatianos.”

Titianos was the bagel shop just a block down from this home, a shop you two would frequently walk to together when the busy streets looked calmer than usual. “Of course.”

“And the flowers?” You poke, pointing to the daffodils placed between the two of you.

His face cringed slightly. “Too much?”

You couldn't help but smile, shaking your head and shrugging. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Oh.” He blushed, biting his cheek in efforts to not look like a doofus. “Sweet, huh?”

“Don’t get cocky.” You tease, playfully tossing a piece of your bacon at him, which he caught and ate happily. It was scary how comfortable you felt around him on this strange morning, especially since you had only the vaguest memories that flash in and out of your head. “So, last night… what happened exactly?”

“Between us? Nothing, if that’s what you’re asking.” He confirms. “You called me super drunk at like 3:30 and said you were alone, so I went looking for you. You didn’t know your address and your phone was dead, so I brought you back here.”

You nod along, remembering some hazy moments as he reminded you. “Did you make me waffles last night?” You ask once the recollection of something crispy and delicious popped into your head.

“You remember waffles before you remember hitting on me?” He baits, quirking an eyebrow.

Oh, god. You cover your face with your hands, embarrassed. “Did I really?” You whisper, peeking an eye through the space in your fingers. Kylian laughed, nodding in confirmation. “Ugh, I’m sorry, Kylian.”

“Don’t be sorry. You can flirt with me whenever you want.” He beamed, pushing the idea of holding your hand so he could see your face to the back of his mind.

“No, I just mean…” you sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I really appreciate how respectful you’ve been with not pushing my boundaries since the breakup, and me flirting with you probably didn’t help you.”

He shakes his head. “Seriously, don’t be sorry. I can handle it.” He assures, a sly grin forming in his features. “I know I’m irresistible. It’s been a struggle my whole life.”

You roll your eyes, chuckling at the goofy side of Kylian, missing his overly confident commentary. “Well, then… I’m sorry about telling you about me and Haaland last time I saw you… I would have kept it to myself if I knew that it would affect you on the pitch–”

“–You don’t need to apologize to me for anything, (Y/N).” He established, looking you in the eye. You stared back, lost in the deep brown of his eyes, reeling you in with how warm you he made you feel with just some simple eye contact. Kylian cleared his throat, he himself feeling exceptionally vulnerable. “So, I was thinking…” He stopped, gulping and toying with a napkin sheepishly. “Maybe, only if you're ready… would you like to go on a second first date with me?” The words came out slowly as Kylian subtly shrinks into his seat, looking up, then looking away.

You pause and you swear you are able to hear the thump of his heartbeat from across the table. If you were ready to go back to him or not really was a coin toss. It’s only been two months, but in those two months, you have seen the change that Kylians made in effort to get you back. You never stopped loving him, never. And he certainty has shown you that he never stopped either.

“When?” You speak up, catching his wide eyes.

“Whenever you’re free.” He breathes out. You give him a look as if to scold him for not taking charge – a hint he understands instantly. “Tonight.”

You gulp down the last of your coffee, wiping your mouth with a napkin. Unashamedly, you enjoyed the power of making him sweat, tapping your finger pensivly on the wooden table. It provides some weird satisfaction after you hurt for so long. It sounds bad but it’s not something you can help. You hint at a grin, tilting your head to the side. “Okay.”

Kylians lungs deflated in relief, not being able to hold back a goofy and wide smile, wishing he could celebrate this moment as if he just scored a last minute goal in the world cup. “That’s great!”

“Nothing too over the top, though, alright?” You request, feeling your cheeks wanting to dimple upon seeing the happiness radiating from the man in front of you, but needing to keep your composure more.

“I promise.”

“Good.” You leave it there, taking a couple more bites of the sandwich until you were too full to continue.

Kylians smile was like it was tattooed, eyes glimmering. You gave him a weird stare, wiping your mouth. “What? Do I have something on my face, or…?”

He shakes his head, laughing off the question while looking down. “No, no. Sorry.”

You knew he was just happy about finally getting you on a date. Honestly, so we’re you. Obviously it was a bitter sweet thing. The feeling of missing Kylian was like nothing you’ve ever felt in your life. Not even when you’ve broken up with your past partners has it felt this empty, this lonely. You hoped it wasn’t just the hangover sabotaging you into feeling a little extra needy… but you needed him. You really did.

Even while you gathered your things together, you were feeling apprehensive over going back to your new place, wanting nothing more than to sink into your spot on the couch in Kylian’s living room — the spot that you fall into so perfectly after years of claiming it as yours.

Though Kylian offered to take you home, you insisted on just Ubering (which he insisted he pay for). It’s difficult to find a way to say goodbye to him as you found yourself in a position you've been in before, hating the pit in your stomach as you stood in the familiar spot by the front door, ready to leave. Facing Kylian as he watched you go put a bad taste in your mouth, reminded you of your birthday. Reminded you of the most painful night of your life.

He sensed that you two were on the same page, shuffling uncomfortably in his place. “So…” He filled the silence.

“Um, I’ll just meet you here?”

“Yeah, that works.” He nods. “6:30?”

“Okay. 6:30. I’ll see you later, I guess.” You let out a dry and awkward laugh as you opened the door. Kylian watched your every move with the worst case of deja vu turning his stomach over and over, having to look away. Your feet stopped you from walking to the Uber waiting for you, turning around. “Kylian.” He instantly met your eyes. “Um... Thank you.”

Kylian froze, engrossed in the genuine way that your words came out. They felt heavy, meaningful. He wanted to tell you he’d do anything for you, that you didn’t need to ever thank him because he just loves you; but the door shuts behind you before even a sound could escape his lips.

It was like the air went stale the second you walked out the door, he physically felt how much he missed you already. But he knew he’d see you in just a few hours, and he had some prepping to do.

Your new apartment wasn’t exactly… nice. Or safe. Or spacious. Or free of roaches. The handle of your door always got stuck and you were left foolishly jiggling it until it gave way. Your asshole of a landlord has yet to respond to your multiple texts about it, much less anything else you’ve filed complaints about in the short time you’ve occupied this space.

The water pressure was shit, but the boiling stream that relaxed your muscles felt like heaven, anyway. It washed away the thick layer of the Sunday-scaries that weighed you down on this strange day. Shower thoughts overtook your brain, and you got to thinking about Kylian.

The months of doubt he put you through were unbearable. You constantly felt like a burden in his life when all you wanted was to be there for him. The sleepless nights you spent pondering over where it all went wrong and nothing ever coming to mind… The anxiety of every argument or uncomfortable prolonged silences that left you confused and insecure… These moments weren't few and far between, but a steady new normal you'd convinced yourself would eventually get better. Those moments showed you what he was capable of turning into.

On the other hand, you knew the other side of Kylian. That side is the one you knew in your heart was the real him. He loved the fact he knew all your quirks, your routine, your favorite brand of cereal, your deepest worries. It was just easy with him, just like it should be. The compatibility was undeniable from the get-go. He was always so affectionate before, having to hold your hand in public or smack your ass in the kitchen or else he'd implode. He always reminded you how much you meant to him. That you were the love of his life. Kylian would say this with eyes that glimmered, confirming that his intentions were true. It's like whenever he spoke to you tenderly it went directly into your heart until it began beating just for him. You always thought dependency in that way was unhealthy... but you still found yourself to place Kylian in the category of necessity.

Living without him was a life you weren't sure was possible for you.

It was almost four o'clock when you got out of the shower and you had picked out a nice little casual outfit to wear. He better have kept his word about the 'nothing too over the top' promise because if he surprised you with tickets to the opera, you'd surly be denied entry in jeans and a tank-top, even with your nice leather jacket you purchased in Italy.

You were nervous. Of course you were nervous. This night could go horribly wrong. Maybe he'll show that he's still the Kylian you left two months ago. Maybe you'll spot signs to not go through with this. Maybe he'll forget about these plans altogether and leave you stranded once more on a night you expect him to be around for.

But, even worse... It could go wonderfully right. He could be a gentlemen and woo you. He could say the all right things and make your heart swell at his addictive laugh. That's scarier than any worst case scenario you could possibly come up with.

The time came to drive to Kylains apartment, and as you got closer, the familiarities of the roads brought you back to happier times. The way you avoided every pothole and recognized peculiarities you'd become accustomed to seeing every time you would go home felt like a heavy sentiment you didn't have time to explore before arriving at the large home. Before you knew it, you were kocking on the door, anxiously wiping your sweaty hands down the material of your jeans.

Through the window, you saw Kylian jogging to answer, abrupty opening the door with the biggest and most authentic smile you'd seen him exhibit in a while... including the months leading up to your separation.

"Bonjour." He quips, cloth towel tossed over his shoulder and the smell of something delicious had your mouth watering.

"Hi." You smiled back, stepping into the home as he stepped aside, allowing you to come in. "Are you cooking something?"

"Yeah. I thought we could have dinner here. I hope that's okay." He explained, wiping his hands.

His nerves were undeniable cute. "That's perfect." You begin walking toward the kitchen, setting your purse down and peeking at the simmering food on the stove. "What's on the menu for tonight?"

"Well, to start, french onion soup. Then we have coq au vin with caprese salad, and for desert, crème brûlée. Hope you're hungry."

"That sounds... amazing." The kitchen was messy, but you could tell he did some quick tidying up before you got here. Kylian never closed the cabinets, and you couldn't stop yourself from chuckling when you noticed every door was wide open. "So, you took up cooking, huh?" You say as you close the doors that hung from the hinges quickly before leaning over to sneak a peak at your dinner.

He shuffled around to stand next to you, stiring as an excuse to be close. "No, not really." He laughed. "I've been following a recipe and I've been on facetime with my mom the entire time."

You wanted to coo at him, your feelings of fondness bubbling like the sauce on the stove. "How is Fayza? Aw, I miss her." She was such an angel to you, always. You'd become so close to her, especially since you'd been living so far from your family for so long now. She truly made you feel like you were part of the family. You wished you'd called her or Wilfreid or Ethan after the break up, but it was just so painful.

"She's good. Dealing with some rabbits in her garden but... she misses you. Like, really misses you." He says the last part lowly. He didn't want to make you feel bad, it's just that his mother hadn't taken the break up very well. She was so excited for the wedding, to watch her son get married to the love of his life, to officially have you be a part of the family. It'd been years you'd spent Christmas with them perfecting a triple chocolate cookie recipe. Years of sitting with you in the stands of Kylians matches. Years of watching you be so good with her grandchildren, getting ahead of herself and thinking about obtaining a few more.

You couldn't say anything back, hearing the timer beep. Kylian put on your strawberry-patterned oven mitts and took out two ramekins from the oven.

"Wine?" He offered, picking up a bottle of red and topping off his own glass.

You shook away your distress about Fayza and the family, sucking in a sharp breath. Wine sounds amazing. "Please."

He poured you a glass, handing it to you and placing himself comfortably in front of you, tipping his own toward you. "Santé."

You clicked your glass together with his, taking a bigger sip than you probably would have in a normal situation. Kylian kept eye contact with you, but you looked away with a bashful chuckle. His eyes were too versed in the language of how to make you melt. Maybe wine wasn't a great idea.

Kylian lifted the lid on the large pot, stirring for a second before turning off the flame. "This looks about done... I hope."

You press your side to his, reaching over to grab a spoon and finding a carrot. You felt Kylain's stare, the warmth he provided with the minimal contact made you flustered. You bit into the perfectly seasoned vegetable, tender and buttery. "Mhm..." You muttered. "Damn, Ky. You should've been cooking for me years ago."

"Well, I'd be happy to be the chef in this relationship from now on." He said with a bold blush.

Relationship.

He heard it the second the word slipped from his mouth. You froze, blinking at Kylian who also seemed to stop all movement. "I'm sorry. I wasn't... I–I didn't mean to–"

"It's fine." You waved off, setting the spoon down and giving him a reassuring smile.

He nods apologetically, taking the spoon from your hand, purposefully brushing his fingers with yours and dipping it in the saucy dish. He hums at the taste. "Is there anything I can't do?"

You laugh, shoving his shoulder playfully. "Shut up." He laughed along, loving the flow of the light banter... how it was before.

You sat at the table when he said he needs to plate the food, watching him scramble around the kitchen ungraciously, reopening every cabinet door and leaving it that way. He made quick time, balancing two soups and a basket of buttered baguette slices.

"You ready?" He nodded toward the patio door, opening it expertly with his elbow.

"Um... are we not eating at the table?" You question, confused but getting up anyway, grabbing both your glass and his, seeing as his hands are full.

He holds the door open for you, grin tattooed on his face as he see's your eyes light up at the setting he's created on the patio. The outdoor dining gazebo was decorated with strung up lights, candles lined up in the center of the table. There was a pattered tablecloth covering the hardwood with two chairs facing each other, the warm light created a sense of romance and intimacy. The sweet gesture showed how much effort he put into this simple date.

"You did all this for me?"

"Of course." He chimed, placing the small bowls of soup and bread down. You watched tenderly as he pulled out the chair facing the beautiful view that overlooked the gorgeous city, the sun had just started it’s descent into the horizon, painting the sky with hints of orange and pink. Your smile was flirtatious as you sat down and he tucked your chair in, taking the opportunity to be close to you.

This was always your favorite place to watch the sunset. You missed that view, your eye never leaving the skyline as you sat with a bashful blush. Your apartment now faced the brick wall of the building next to you. The closest thing to a view you get now is your neighbors golden retriever barking at the cyclists that ride by.

He sits across from you, placing a napkin on his lap. "Bon appétit."

He watches intently as you spoon your first bite, getting a bit of everything. "It's good?" He asks impatiently, trying it himself.

"Mother of god, Kylian. What the hell. It's delicious." You say approvingly. He gets a big head easily, so usually you kept your compliments subdued to avoid him becoming competitive with you in every aspect of your lives, but that soup brought you somewhere else.

The sun was setting slowly, as if the sky was begging you to appreciate this beautiful moment, savor it as long as possible. Halfway through the main course, the sun broke through the clouds that had occupied the heavens all day long. You audibly gasped at the phenomenon, feeling the golden sun warm your face, squinting slightly as you tried your best not to look directly at it.

“Oh, wow… Kylian. Look at the sky.”

He didn’t want to. The way the light illuminated your features, it was like he was seeing you in the highest definition. You might as well have had a filter on, because to him, you look supernaturally perfect. The slight breeze tussling your hair, the way your irises saturated in color with the suns natural light, the shadow just above your cupids bow drawing his attention to your undeniable lips… his heart grew in size, swelling and beating just for you. He was happy you were here. Happy he didn’t just give up on you. He wanted this feeling forever.

He stood up, reaching his hand out to you from across the table. You took it willingly, letting him lead you to the large patch of grass just a few yards from where you ate.

With your eyes hypnotized by the swirling clouds of colors, you sat on the slightly overgrown greenery, feeling the cold blades tickle between your fingers. Kylian sat with you, pinky finger brushing yours, enjoying the natural silence that was drowned out by ambiance. Birds chirping, tree branches rustling, your soft breathing, and his heart pattering.

He did his best to keep his eyes forward, wanting to enjoy the same sky as you were, but your beauty trumped even the most beautiful of sights. You were so mesmerized you didn’t even notice the way he gazed at you, feeling himself fall deeper in love, knowing that might cause him more troubles but found nothing inside of him that cared.

“It’s incredible.” You murmured. It really was the most fantastic sunset you’ve seen. One of those that sucks you in, the subtle changes overtime darkening the sky until you can spot the stars. You miss it when it’s ending, knowing you’ll only get a couple more minutes of this view.

As he looked up and around, Kylian suddenly felt the weight of your head resting on his shoulder, stiffening for a second before relaxing his tense muscles to allow himself to enjoy the contact. Minimal, intimate, familiar… the simplest things about you were always his favorite. His head lulled until his cheek hit the top of your head, remembering the sweet coconutty scent of your shampoo. Everything about that moment was nostalgic… perfect. Absolutely perfect.

When the moons shift began, you thought about lifting your head, but the comfort of having him back forced you to stay. You scooted closer, initiating him to do the same. Cautiously, he moved an arm behind your back, allowing you to rest against him almost completely. You melted into the gesture, relishing in every ounce of this moment in time.

“Kylian…” You whispered.

“Yes, bébé.” The nickname rolled off his tongue as if the word was created for only you.

You hesitated, focusing your eyes on the waning moon. “I don’t wanna regret this.”

Kylian felt your worry in his own chest, bringing his arm around yours, pulling you into him more. You let him hold you, you let the heat of him overtake your senses, your brain, your emotions. The feeling of his lips pressing to your temple was fleeting, but the aftershock sent waves from the spot, forcing your eyes to close in contentment.

He dipped his head slightly lower to speak to you, to whisper to you. There was no one around, no one to listen into the words he was going to say, but they were meant for only the woman he adores. Even the wind was a threat, not wanting them to get lost and blown away. “I could spend my whole life searching for someone else, but my heart will only ever be yours. You are irreplaceable, mon amour.” He hugged you tighter. “I’ll never make you wonder again. I promise.”

Your body turned, your head dipped into his chest, and suddenly, you were engulfed in him — both arms securing your body inside of his. You allowed yourself to fill your lungs with his aroma, something ineffable coursing through your body. It was like a switch flipped and your heart just knew that this was right. This was it.

Kylian felt it to. Fireworks burst inside his chest and the feeling was so overwhelming he worried he’d become embarrassingly emotional. Holding you again felt like home, like the stars aligned, like everything was suddenly okay again.

The pair of you sat there for a while, Kylian thumb brushed against your arm soothingly, once in a while clutching you. It was like he was scared you’d slip right out of his arms, like he’d wake up any second now and realize you were never there at all… but you were. Your nuzzled face in his neck fit like the last bit of a puzzle. The serenity that stood still against the breeze was just pure confirmation that you belonged together. That this relationship could be mended, healed, saved.

“Thank you for not giving up on us.” He placed the words carefully on the top of your head, this side of the world now dark, colder, but he’d never felt warmer in his life. The affection radiated and kept him cozy against you.

You look up at him, and even though you’d had a peek at the stars scattered behind the evening clouds, they were all held in his eyes. He was yours. He was yours.

You wanted to say so many things, but found yourself leaning forward instead, eyes flickering between his eyes and lips. The pull was just as natural as gravity, just as logical as a magnet. Kylian’s heart thumped so viciously against his rib cage. So much so that you felt it against your own — pressed deliciously against him, knocking the air out from your lungs.

Your lips had yet to touch, finding that you needed time to soak in every movement and breath that radiated from your bodies. You closed your eyes as his nose touched yours, his slow actions coming to conclusion as your lips finally met again, molding into the most intimate kiss you’d ever shared. You were sure of it.

You exhaled together, feeling lighter and more alive. You’d shared millions of smooches, pecks, make outs… you’d seen each other completely naked, explored your bodies like knowing every inch was a life or death matter… but none of it has ever felt this exposed. This was vulnerability at its finest. You’d never felt such a rush of emotion like this. It was electric but calming. An indescribable wave of raw emotions and needs.

You deepened the kiss slightly, shifting so he could lay you down. Kylian hovered over you, lips never leaving yours, wanting to make up for lost time. You tasted better than he remembered. You felt softer than you ever had. He couldn’t hold you closer if he tried.

His hand gently soothed your cheek in a romantic gesture, moving his lips against yours as if they’d planned and practiced for this moment. You put your hand in his cheek, pulling away but not being able to regain control of your closed eyes, the happiness threatening to spill out of you like a sink overflowing.

He touched his forehead to yours, nothing to stop him from placing a meaningful last peck on your puffy lips. His thumb continued to smooth your hairline and a genuine smile was tenderly illuminating his face, the tiniest shadow forming from the candles still burning near your unfinished dinner.

He couldn’t stop the fondness that was about to come out of his mouth, words forming against his will. “Je t'aime tellement. Tellement.” I love you so much. So, so much.

His eyes already told you everything, you didn’t need the verbal confirmation to understand how true those words were, how much he really meant them.

“You don’t need to say it back right now.” He murmured, still flickering down to your lips every other second, missing the feeling of them already. “And that’s okay. I’ll love you forever. I have time to prove it.” He pecked you once more.

Your hand wrapped around to the back of his head and you scratched the nape of it, instantly feeling the goosebumps rise out onto his skin. It made you giggle, sending Kylian to do the same by proxy. “I know.”

You pulled him down and give him one last meaningful kiss. He didn’t want it to end, but you stood up from under him, on your feet as you looked down at the man who just wanted to look at you.

He mentally took a photograph of you and how you looked at this very moment. The moon shining behind you against the faint stars. He wished he could frame this moment in time and keep it in his wallet, show you off to anyone he’d come across.

You reached a hand down. “I believe I was promised crème brûlée?”

He took your hand, but just held it, tracing his thumb over your knuckles. Slowly he sat up so he could kiss each one of them and you found yourself giddy, excited for the sequel of a novel you thought had a finite ending.

How reliving to know there was more to come. How relieving to know there was a future with this man — your wonderful Kylian Mbappé.

A/N: Okay okay okay OKAY you guys... I'm happy with this "ending" :). That being said, I will write an epilogue bc I know I love knowing what happens way after, besides I already have so many cute little ideas for it.

Thank you guys so much for reading this fic, it's the first multi-part fanfiction I've ever written (yes, even in my One Direction phase), so it means so much to me that it had such an overwhelmingly positive response. If I could kiss every single one of you on the lips, I so would. MUAH. MUAH. MUUUAAAHHH!

Taglist: @trentione @mentalbaddie @neymarsrealgf @akiraquote @mrswhitethornbelikov @kymb-10 @formula101x @photmath @marcelineslove @tsikik @iheartkyky @freshfraise @jokertbh @germanapples @urfuturesoccerwife @nightlockcornucopia @laylaynaynay130 @starlight8374 @depressoesssspresso @mbappesbae @ maddyperrezz @gigiboss @xanjoy @lovekm @jkkiks @vvbasmavv-blog @suzysface @ lolarmy72 @lizzz2967 @kylians-world @superswaggycooch @shashla @mehrmonga @abayo222 @missmo79 @tties24-7 @gurleenkl @drewstarkeysbae @ vibinwkay @ctn26 @ippid @i0veless @abayo222 @http-isabela

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ravixen · 8 months

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hello! i just read you svt forgetting about date thread and its so good! Would like to request for the remaining members reactions if possible 🥹 thank you!!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

svt + forgetting your date (pt 3)

➔ reaction || requested

➔ warnings: none || 0.9k words ➔ notes: general, fluff ; yep! excited to get this series completed and out of the way. if you liked the reactions, please reblog :) for any new followers, please make sure to read my pinned post.

SEUNGCHEOL: he often jokes that money can solve the world's biggest problems, and for the most part, it's true...when the problem is jeonghan's desire for fancy items. but when the problem is him not showing up to a date that he planned? he doesn't think expensive gifts will placate you, especially when he wakes up to missed calls and text messages that quickly go from confused to annoyed. he's in the middle of typing an excuse when you call one more time, and he answers with a sheepish laugh of your name. "um, I can be on the way in like 10, 15 minutes? it doesn't take me long to get ready." he's already rolling out of bed and pulling clothes out of the closet, but you sigh into the phone and that stops him in his tracks. "we've already missed the train," you say, and with a start, he realizes just how late he is. "even if you somehow make it here within the hour and we catch the next one, the lines will probably be too long. wouldn't be worth it." oh, this sucks. he's the one who got you all excited about a first-come, first-serve festival a few hours away, and he didn't deliver. "let's get breakfast and come up with a new plan then. we can't go there, but we have all day to do whatever you want."

SOONYOUNG: his ambition, an attractive trait on its own, comes with the tendency to over-estimate his capabilities. for example: when he got drunk during lee youngji's show and immediately headed to practice after. at the time, you watched the video of his tipsy dancing with an amused smile. his work ethic was admirable...and kind of funny in a way. now? you don't think it's very funny at all. you tap your foot as you stare at your text thread, where two hours ago he said that work was wrapping up and that he had time to freshen up before coming to your date. well, he's late. right when you were about to text him for an update, he calls you. "hey!" there's a muffled crash and a mumbled swear before his voice is back. "I'm so, so sorry. the shoot ended, but they asked for a short interview and I thought we had time. and we did! but I think I fell asleep and forgot to set an alarm and—" he huffs, zipping something up. "I can make it there in twenty minutes!" you check the time, frowning. "with traffic, it's probably closer to half an hour. why don't we re-schedule, soonyoung? I'll just go home." "no, but you cleared your schedule for today! why don't we meet up somewhere halfway, hm? I want to see you at least."

WONWOO: he's a runner (he's a track star), and he uses those long legs to book it down the street, trying his best to ignore the judgmental glances of passing strangers. faintly, he can make out your figure in front of the restaurant, your phone in hand as you scroll. when he skids to a stop in front of you, you don't look impressed, but that's better than looking angry, he supposes. he doubles over with his hands on his knees, taking gasping breaths and spitting out excuses for his lateness. the only thing you say in return is, "they gave up our dinner reservation," which makes his heart sink because you made the reservation months ago. with how popular it is, he had to bring out the celebrity card, and even then, he barely got on the list. "do you want to try the place across the street?" he offers his hand and a weak smile that you only glance at. "and spend the entire time knowing that we could've been over here instead? no, thanks." you show him your screen. "let's go here." it's closer to the apartment, thus in the direction he just came from, but he'd take driving back over you giving him the cold shoulder all night.

JIHOON: "you stood me up," you say when he finally picks up the phone. and then you laugh and tell him that it's not a big deal—it's just a maplestory date, after all—but he hears the disappointment in your voice and he knows that it was more than simply meeting up in a silly video game. it was about making time for each other for the first time in forever, about being on call for as long as you can, about laughing as you watch him fall off the platform for the nth time in a row. it was about the fact that he made a promise and broke it for such a stupid reason. he looks at the time. "when are you planning to sleep?" he asks, already opening the game launcher and sliding on his headphones. "I don't have anything tomorrow. why?" he hums. "let's go farm those rare items you wanted." it must've been the right thing to say because you gasp, "really? it's going to be such a waste of time, though...are you sure?" of course he's sure. being with you, regardless of what you're doing, is rarely a waste of time. plus you were venting the other day about how no one wanted to help you farm. "load up. I'm waiting."

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miistymemorii · 2 months

Text

Cherry

pairing: sanji x reader

summary: you loudly and publicly make a note on Sanji's drunken appearance, much to his embarrassment. He decides to retaliate, much to your embarrassment.

rating: this one wasn’t SUPPOSED to get suggestive but the WHORE in me jumped out so 18+ !!!

From what you had seen, Sanji was the member of the crew that drank the lightest. He was the one that still had a semi-clear mind by the end of the night, making sure that everyone got into bed safely. He also liked to savor everything morsel of sustenance that entered his body, so he took his time with alcohol, treating every drink like its own experiment for him to study.

However, for whatever reason, this night was different.

Zoro had a headache, so he was sitting in the booth with the group, but he had his eyes closed, a glass of water in front of him as he sat with his eyes closed. You wondered if he was asleep, but you were too intimidated by your friend to flick his nose and see if he was awake or not. Because Zoro was sober, albeit with a headache, he had agreed to guide everyone to bed tonight, which apparently gave Sanji the green light to drink every ounce of alcohol in his immediate reach.

You and the group had sailed into the port of a small village that boasted its agricultural feats, the entire village quaint but covered in flora. Luffy, of course, had ordered pound upon pound of food, some of which included the locally grown and harvested fruits and vegetables. This was a particular delight for Sanji, of course, and locally made alcohol had been ordered to pair with it. You were pleasantly drunk, peeking over the rim of your glass to watch Sanji, who was sat next to you, downing his own drink. You couldn't help but giggle at the way he drank the wine in his glass with the fervor of a man lost in the desert, such a contrast from the way he usually sipped and savored his wine.

"We are going to be taking some bottles back to the ship with us, you know," you teasingly point out, hiccupping as you set your own glass down.

"True, but I want to taste it now." Sanji replied, reaching over to the bottle and refilling his glass.

You rolled your eyes, relenting when he raised his glass and clinked it with Usopp's, who was equally as sloshed as Sanji. Your eyes scanned over the crowd at the bar, trying to make your gaze as fleeting as possible to not rise any suspicion. One of your favorite reasons for being a part of the Strawhat crew was the places you went, the way every place was exponentially more foreign to you than the next. Still, you had been teased by Sanji for having a bad staring habit before, and despite his drunken state, he clocked you for it again this time.

You had tuned out whatever loud conversation the rest of the crew was having, that was until you felt something heavy against the back of your neck. You snapped back to attention, looking to your side and realizing that Sanji's face was nose inches from your own, and the heavy thing against your neck was his arm around your shoulder. Your heart somehow felt like it had simultaneously stopped and was beating a million miles an hour.

His breath smelled of alcohol and mint, a crooked smile on his face. "Are you stalking people again?" He said in tone that made your stomach do somersaults.

You hated the way he made you feel. He made you feel stupid, absolutely weak in the knees and breathless whenever he zeroed in on you. Still, you tried your hardest to never show your nervousness, even if your head was starting to swim from the alcohol you had been nursing. "No, because stalking implies that I am following people. I'm just looking."

"Ah..." Sanji looked over the crowd, his eyes slightly hooded in his drunken state. You're studying him, and you notice that his cheeks and nose are starting to redden. You can't hide the small giggle that escapes you, Sanji turning back to you at the sound. "Did you see someone you like?"

You giggle and shake your head. "No, it's your face. It's getting red." Sanji rubbed his cheek self-consciously, his blush deepening as he took another drink. Your attention fell to the assortment of fruit on the table, and you picked up a cherry, holding it near his face. Your laughed harder, "Look, it's exactly the same!"

Usopp, who was seated on the other side of Sanji, heard your exclamation and was now focused on your conversation. He looked at the cherry that you were dangling near Sanji's face by the stem, then at Sanji's face, then cracked out a grin. "Oh my gosh, Sanji, your face!"

Sanji groaned, the arm that had been draped over your shoulders leaving its spot so he could use both hands to rub, and hide, his face. You poked his side as Usopp tried to pry Sanji's hands away, Nami and Luffy now paying attention to the scene the three of you were causing.

Nami giggled, reaching over you to attempt (and fail) to poke Sanji’s cheek. “I have never seen someone’s face get like that after drinking, good job, Sanji!”

You gently tapped Sanji’s cheek with the cherry, teasingly adding, “It is truly impressive.”

Sanji was staring at you, his mouth now in a thin line. The look on his eyes was unlike anything you had ever seen before, his eyes stormy with a hint of something your swimming mind couldn't identify. It made your stomach flip again. His hand shot up, grabbing your wrist and stopping you from tapping the cherry against his face again. You froze when he grabbed you, your giggle getting caught in your throat. You quirked an eyebrow as the entire world seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you.

Sanji held his intense gaze on you as he slowly turned your wrist, craning it so the fruit pressed against his lips, his mouth flashing open and his tongue darting out to capture the fruit and bring it into his mouth, disconnecting expertly from the stem. Now you were the one turning red.

The whole thing had seemingly gone unnoticed by the rest of the wasted crew, because Sanji quickly turned away from you and tuned into the conversation Usopp and Luffy were having. Your hand was still pinching the stem of the cherry, completely dumbfounded.

Nami, who was on your other side, was no latched onto your back like the barnacles on the side of the ship. The affection coming from her, as close as you were with Nami, startled you, and you jumped a little as her arms nestled around you like an anaconda. Her chin settled against the dip in your shoulder, her warm, drunken breath making your nose wrinkle. "I'm so tired..." Nami mumbled in your ear. "Can you help me back on to the boat?"

Zoro, who had been silently zoned out the entire time, took Nami by her shoulder and pried her away from your back. "C'mon, I'll do it."

He began to gently lead her out of the booth, lowly telling the rest of the crew that when he came back, he would be collecting them and throwing them in their respective beds. Luffy and Usopp groaned as Sanji led them out of the other end of the booth, and you got out on your side, following behind the three of them as all of you headed back to the boat. Your mind and heart were still racing, and it wasn't helping that Sanji was walking in front of you, even the sight of the back of his body enough to set your body aflame.

The thing about Sanji was that he was the person you were closest to in the crew. Nami was your sister and Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro had their fair share of brotherly moments with you, but with Sanji it was a completely different story. He was a gentleman, beyond respectful, but there were the moments that you caught him staring. There was the way his breath hitched when you ran to hug him. There were the different glints he would get in his eye, when you ate food, he had cooked, when you smiled at him, and a lot of other times when looked at you like he was desperately wanting something. All of it you noticed, but kept to yourself, because you didn't know how to properly express how you felt.

Still, he had made a pretty bold move.

You quietly passed Zoro on the ship, telling him goodnight and slipping into your room. You changed out of your daytime clothes, feeling a bit grimy. You paused when you went to put on your pajamas, though, deciding to put on your robe instead. It was late, and you were drunk, but that drunkenness was telling you that now was the time to clean yourself. You knew a shower would take far too long, but the least you could do was take a rag and some water and half-clean yourself.

You snuck yourself to the galley, hugging yourself as a chill swept through the entire boat. You retrieved a bowl and started to set a pot of water to heat up over the smaller fire that Sanji always kept ready to be lit in case Luffy wanted a late-night snack. You knew it wouldn't take long, because you only needed warm water, not boiling, and while you waited you looked through Sanji's large collection of scented and flavored oils. Surely, he wouldn't notice two or three drops missing. You grinned as you spotted a cherry extract he used sometimes for baking, pouring a few drops into the bowl. The water was the perfect temperature, so you extinguished your small flame and poured the water into the bowl. The extract swirled pink in the water, mixing as you carefully returned back to your room. You set it down on your windowsill, retrieving a small cloth and dipping it into the water. You untied your robe, taking the cloth and pressing it to your skin. You felt every single hair raise on your body, the chilly night air allowing causing all of your goosebumps to become active. You cleaned yourself quickly, not wanting to be naked and cold much longer. Setting the cloth back and the bowl and putting it to the side, you finally got into your sleepwear and settled into bed. As you drifted off, you couldn't help but replay that moment in your brain, a smile on your face and a warmth between your legs as you fell asleep.

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