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thefallennightmare · 4 years

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Soldat [10/10]

Bucky Barnes x reader. Slight Steve Rogers x Reader.

Summary: The ending is here. What does that mean for Y/N and Soldat? Are her and Steve over just as soon as they started?

A/N: ITS HERE! THE ENDING IS FINALLY HERE! I’m so sorry this took forever but I hope I’ve made the wait worth it. I’ve written countless stories over the years and this is the first one I’ve actually finished. I’m proud of this series! The first chapter of the sequel will be out either later today or tomorrow. Let me know if you would like to be tagged! Thank you to everyone who’s read, liked, or re-blogged. I’m always down for comments as well <3.

ENJOY! :)

Silence.

An eerie, comfortable, silence filled the air as Soldat and I walked through the tall grass, crickets chirping as the night sky settled around us. We had been walking for quite awhile, opting out of borrowing a car to get to our location because we didn’t want to bring any eyes towards us. The location we were going was a tad far from where headquarters used to be, about a ten mile walk, but Soldat was fine with it.

While the quiet was nice, it was also troubling because I had no clue what he was thinking. If he wanted to stay and if so, for how long. I promised that I would help him with his wounds and said that he could leave once he recovered. It was the last thing I said to him, almost an hour ago.

My thoughts kept swirling with the thought of Steve. We made the promise of finally starting our relationship but I had chosen to walk away from him, realizing that Soldat needed me more than Steve did. The love and adoration I had for Soldat was that much stronger than my feelings for Steve.

“How much farther?”

Jumping slightly at the deepness of his voice, I looked over to Soldat while nodding to his right.

“See the house in the distance?”

He nodded before looking back at me. “Shield safe house?”

“Nope. It’s actually my parents cabin. No one knows about it, they’ve kept it off the grid,” I informed him as the log cabin now stood only a few feet away from us.

The grass had grown a few inches since the last time I was here and could see the cobwebs clouding the front door. The moonlight from above glided over the lake as Soldat and I walked towards the back of the cabin where I knew the spare key was hidden.

We remained silent as I felt his eyes on my back while I unlocked the door. I allowed him to go in first but he hesitated.

“It’s okay, Soldat. I’m not going to hurt you.” I assured him.

It took a few more moments before he finally decided to head inside, me shutting and triple locking the door behind us.

“Sorry for all the dust, it’s been awhile since anyone has been here.” I admitted after turning on the lights.

It wasn’t a big cabin by any means; less than 1000 square feet. The kitchen was to the left which shared the same room as the living room and the queen sized bed that was in the corner of the house. The only bathroom was down the small hallway across a small closet that held towels and junk.

My eyes watched as Soldat stood in the middle of the room, body rigid with uncomfortable. Licking my lips, I nodded towards his bad shoulder.

“Want me to take a look at that?” I asked. “It may be dislocated.”

Without saying one word, he put his shoulder back in place with a loud ‘pop’. He raised his arm a few times before sitting down at the edge of the bed. I could see it in his posture that he was still uncomfortable. I was unsure if it was from being in an unfamiliar place with me, someone he had yet to remember, or if it was from not knowing what he was going to do with his life. All he had known was Hydra.

“I know you don’t remember me and being here might be scary for you but I’m not going to hurt you.” I reassured him.

He kept his eyes trained to the ground in front of him. “It’s not that.”

“Then why do you look like I’m keeping you hostage here?” I asked while shrugging my shoulders. “You can leave if you want. I’m helping you not because of our past but because I thought you could use a place to lay low for a while.”

“There’s only one bed.” He pointed out.

“Oh,” I muttered. “You can take the bed. I’ve slept on the couch many times so my body’s used to it.”

I could tell he wanted to protest but knew that the thought of sleeping in an actual bed was something he had wanted for a long time. I could see it in the small way his mouth turned up in a smile.

“The bathroom is down the hall, towels are in the closet across from it. Feel free to take as long as you want.” I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “I’m going to do a quick sweep of the area to make sure no one followed us.”

“I should do it,” he stood from the bed.

I held up my hand to stop him. “Soldat, it’s alright. You can relax, you don’t have to be the soldier anymore.”

His face twitched when I called him Soldat and I knew that calling him that was starting to bother him. It was the only name I had known for him and didn’t know how comfortable he felt being called by his true name. The tension in the air became uncomfortable so I sighed before turning around to make my way outside.

“I’ll be back.”

After a quick ten minute sweep and deciding that we would be safe for tonight, I made my way back inside but felt my feet being glued right in the entryway. Soldat stood in the middle of the room, towel clung to his hip and water dripping down his exposed chest from his soaked hair. Biting my lip, I resisted the urge to think back to the memories of us and cleared my throat.

“Everything alright?”

He turned towards me, no hint of embarrassment on his face, and let out a small sigh. “I don’t have any extra clothes.”

A small smile spread to my lips. Without saying a word, I walked towards the hall closet and pulled out some clothes that my brother had left here.

I went to hand them to him but noticed when I had gotten too close, his shoulders went rigid and body tensed. Realizing he was still uncomfortable, I gently placed the clothes on the bed.

“I’m going to get cleaned up, help yourself to any food or drinks.” I went to turn on my heels but stopped, looking back at him. “You may not remember me but you said it yourself, you remember the feelings we had for each other. I’m not going to hurt you or let whatever is left of Shield capture you. With me, you are safe.”

The tense features in his face softened and he slowly nodded. “Thank you.”

After I had taken a very long and needed hot shower, I had come out of the bathroom and saw Soldat lying comfortably on the couch and when I went to protest, saying he deserved the bed more than me, he shot me down with a quick ‘I’m used to sleeping on hard surfaces.’

We both laid in the silent darkness, him on the couch and I on the bed, and I tried to bite my tongue at the thought that was plaguing my mind. He had a long and exhausting day, he needed his rest so I wasn’t going to bother asking him.

Soldat continued to lay there after I had drifted off to sleep, wanting to make sure my heartbeat had slowed letting him know that I was in deep sleep before he allowed himself to close his eyes. This being the first night of sleep he had in a very long time.

“Can we do something today?”

Looking up from my book, I looked over to Soldat who was sitting at the kitchen table picking away at his breakfast. It had been a couple of days of us being held up in the cabin. We hadn’t spoken much or done anything more than sitting around reading or sitting outside enjoying the view of the lake.

I was using a spare phone that we kept at the cabin to keep tabs online if there was any word if anyone was looking for us and came up empty. I had to ignore the want to contact members of my team, Steve especially, because I had found out that he was in the hospital recovering from the fight with Soldat.

“Yeah, of course. What did you have in mind?” I agreed while shutting my book and placed it on the bed next to me.

“I read that there’s an exhibit at the Smithsonian about Captain America.” He spoke so quietly that I had to strain my ears to hear.

“There is,” I nodded. “ They also have a section about his best friend, Bucky Barnes.” I said that name with such softness, not wanting to trigger him.

He nodded. “Would you come with me?”

My face broke out in a small smile, heart warming my body at the realization that he wanted me there with him. He wanted to find out more from his past, hoping that it would trigger some type of memories.

“Of course.”

“Are you ready?” I questioned while pulling the brim of my hat closer to my eyes.

Soldat stayed silent, only nodding, and with the permission to move forward we both walked into the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian. We had decided to try to hide our identity as much as possible which is why we were both wearing baseball caps.

I stayed back, only a few spaces, allowing him as much time as he needed at every part of the exhibit. He read the information about Steve pre and post serum for a few seconds before he came to a halt in front of the Howling Commandos section.

Of course Steve’s suit was still missing but that’s not what caught Soldat’s eyes; it was the blue jacket on the mannequin that was next to the Captain America one.

“Is this helping at all?” I wondered while nodding towards the jacket.

He remained silent while stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. After a quick shake of his head, he sighed. I could tell that he was starting to feel defeated so ever so slowly, I reached for his gloved metal hand and gently tugged on it.

“This way.”

Not wanting to push the boundaries with him, I dropped his hand and led him towards the one section of the exhibit that we came to see. Standing tall in front of us was a whole wall dedicated to James Buchanan Barnes, Steve’s best friend. My eyes were stuck on his face while he read every single word over and over again. The voice in the background gave us more dialogue to the story.

“Best friends Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield, Barnes is the only howling commando to give his life in service of his country.”

We stood in silence for a few more moments, wanting to give him as much time as he needed, but when he turned to look at me I noticed the broken stare coming from his eyes.

“You okay?” I gently squeezed his flesh hand. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

His mouth was open a tad and he had to blink a few times before he could answer. “I think-I think I need to get away from here; far away.”

Trying to ignore the way my heart shattered and fell into the pit of my stomach, I let out a shaky breath. I knew that he wasn’t going to stay with me and that he needed to find himself but it still hurt to know that he actually was thinking of leaving.

“Okay. I can pull some strings to get you where you want to go,” my voice cracked.

Finally our eyes locked, him trying to avoid them, and he let out a large breath.

“Would you come with me? I know I can’t remember much about you but the love we had for each other, I can still feel that. If it was strong enough to stay with me after all these years, it has to be worth fighting for.”

Giving him a smile, I nodded while some tears came to the surface. “I won’t push you in anyway. We’ll take it slow and at your pace. I’ll be here to help in any way. But there’s something I have to do first.”

Pulling the hood over my eyes, I averted the gazes of multiple members of the staff and visitors as I made my way down the long hallways looking for the one specific room. I came to a halt in front of it and peaked through the open blinds in the window to make sure that he was alone; he was. Shaking the nerves from my hands, I quietly entered the room hoping I wouldn’t wake him.

He was, however, already awake so when he heard me enter the room, his full attention was on me.

“Y/N?” His voice croaked out, clearly still recovering these last few days.

“Hi Steve.” I gave him a smile while letting down my hood. “How’re you feeling?”

“Where the hell have you been? Nat and Sam have been looking everywhere for you?” He sat up in bed, giving me room to sit.

After sitting on the side of the bed, I sighed. “I’m okay. I’ve been in hiding.”

Steve squinted his eyes. “Why? No one is after you.”

I sucked in my bottom lip. “Not me.”

It took him a few seconds to figure out who I was talking about, Steve let out a quiet scoff. His shoulders slumped only slightly, the signs of jealousy clear in the way his jaw tightened. “He’s with you?”

“He needed my help, Steve. I couldn’t leave him.” I defended myself.

“Where’s he now?”

I shifted in my spot on the bed, not wanting to let anyone know where we were hiding; even Steve.

“What about us?”

My heart dropped at his question and how broken he sounded. Steve was willing to give up a lot for us to be together, I knew he would, but as much as I found myself falling for Steve I couldn’t give up the only thing holding us back. Maybe if this happened before everything, before Soldat came back into my life, I would be over the moon to be with Steve. Though this was my decision now. I was leaving with Soldat.

“I’m sorry, Steve. You have to believe that I wanted this for a very long time,” I admitted while pointing between us, “But he needs me, Steve. He wants to find himself again, away from all of this and I have to be the one to help him.”

Steve scoffed. “How are you so sure that he won’t go back to The Winter Soldier?”

I shook my head. “I don’t. But I’m not going to let that stop me from leaving with him.”

“What if he tries to kill you? Again?”

My eyes snapped up from the ground, settling on his. “Wha-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to deny it. Everyone’s secrets at Shield and Hydra are out there, on the internet. Including yours.”

I couldn’t stop my knee from bouncing, something that would happen when I was nervous of people finding more out about my past. Steve knew this so he gently placed a hand on it, stopping it immediately.

“I, uh, found him a year after I escaped Hydra; the first time. I was following a lead on a case I was working on; someone was murdered. The ballistics came back with no rifling and was untraceable.”

“Soviet made?” Steve questioned.

I nodded. “I knew it was him and I knew he was still in town. So I went looking for him but came up empty. I was in my motel room when he had broken in through the window. Word got out that I was looking for The Winter Soldier so he came to find me. I didn’t know that they wiped his memory so here I thought it was going to be a romantic reunion.”

“He ended up pinning me against the wall with his metal arm, knocking the wind right out of me. I tried to fight him off but he was too strong for me. He didn’t remember me and that thought clouded my judgment. My love for him nearly got me killed.”

Steve ran his hand up and down my thigh. “How come he didn’t?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I remember him looking into my eyes before everything went black and something inside of him changed. He dropped me to the floor and left. That was the last time I saw him.”

Hastily whipping away the tears, I let out a shaky breath and looked at Steve. “You may not understand why I have to go with him but please believe me when I say I love you, Steve.”

He gave me a quick smile before cupping my cheek. “Just not as much as him.”

“I’m sorry,” I cried while cupping his cheek as well.

He accepted my apology with a soft kiss to my lips. It was those types of kisses where you knew this was the end and you wanted to savor the way it felt and the way it tasted.

“Please don’t come looking for us,” I muttered against his lips.

“No promises,” he muttered back.

Zipping up the last suitcase, I placed it with the rest of them by the front door and mentally made a checklist making sure we had everything. After saying goodbye to Steve, I ran a few more errands to pick up some things that we would need for our new lives.

“Have you thought of where you wanted to go?” I asked Soldat, who was sitting on the front porch.

He looked over his shoulder before nodding. “I don’t remember much of it but I remember having to complete a mission in Bucharest and something about it spoke to me.”

“Romania?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“That alright?” He was suddenly worried that I would back out of this, not wanting to travel that far.

“Of course.”

Sitting next to him on the front step, I tried to muster up the courage to bring up the talk I was slightly dreading to have because I was worried about how he would react.

“So,” I started, “I’ve only known you as Soldat but I feel with what happened that I shouldn't call you that anymore but I don’t want to start calling you Bucky if you’re not comfortable with it yet.”

He ran his hands over his jeans before taking his hat off, letting his hair cascade around his face. I had to clasp my hands together to stop them from running through his locks.

“Bucky is fine. It may help bring back some memories.”

“Bucky it is.”

We sat in a comfortable silence, letting the time pass before having to leave. I had an old friend that I worked with during my days as an FBI agent that owned a jet. He was willing to fly us anywhere we wanted, no questions asked. A favor he owed me for saving his life.

“Dorogaya.”

My eyes snapped over to Bucky as he muttered that same word over and over again. The same word that I had longed to hear all these years. The one that he breathed against my neck the one and only night we made love.

“What did you say?” I choked out a sob.

Bucky blinked a few times before our gazes locked. “I used to call you that.”

“You did,” an eye crinkling smile broke out on my face.

His flesh hand reached for mine and linked our fingers together while the sweet nickname fell from his lips once more. I wasn’t sure what the future would hold for us two; if what we had in the past would resurface and make this all worth it. But I did know that no matter how hard it would be or how challenging some days might be for not only me but him as well, I would not leave Bucky’s side.

AND FIN!

Tags:

@kat002nd @chubby-dumplin @avengemepercy

#captain america #soldat #the winter soldier #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes x reader #soldat x reader #the winter soldier x reader #avengers

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kyber-crystal · 4 years

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lost in space || s.r

summary: post-IW in which you’re stuck on the ship with tony and nebula. knowing you didn’t have much time left before oxygen levels ran out for good, you decide to send a final goodbye message to the man you’ve grown to love over the past several years.

words: ~2.1k

warnings: angst in the beginning, fluff, major feels, worried steve ;-p

a/n: i took inspo for another oneshot like this that i read but then i got a bunch of new related ideas, so here we go!

22 days.

22 days of drifting through empty space with Tony and Nebula.

After day 16, you began losing hope in returning home. Nobody had to say anything for you to put two and two together and realize you didn't have much longer before what little was left of your oxygen supply ran out. So this had the three of you accepting you wouldn't make it through, opting to make the best of the time you had left. Your breathing became more heavy and labored, as the act of taking a single breath had now grown more difficult with each passing minute.

While she didn't want to admit it, Nebula thought having you and Tony by her side was much better than imagining being alone. It was an unspoken agreement that you all enjoyed each others' company; seeing you were all you had now after losing almost everything.

You exhaled as you sat in the cockpit of the ship, chin resting in your hand as you gazed out the glass dome and took in the eerie yet beautiful sight that space had to offer.

Feeling a rough hand clasp your shoulder, you turned around to see Tony standing there.

"Hey," he smiled softly, holding his remaining granola bar out to you. "You haven't eaten all day. Why don't you take the rest of this."

"No, I can't do that," you shook your head. "You need to eat, too."

"Your health is just as important, Y/N. You've lost too much weight in these past three weeks."

"Haven't we all."

"Just take it."

Knowing he wasn't going to stop arguing, you mumbled a 'thank you' and took the bar from him, taking a small bite.

You pushed yourself out from your chair and took a seat next to him, lowering yourself to the ground on the steps as he leaned his helmet against the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving them a message. In case things go wrong, and...we don't make it," he replied as he took in a deep breath and began fiddling with the helmet, flicking a switch inside it before tapping its' side, projecting a blue light over you two.

"Tony...we're literally going to die. I don't get why you're doing this, Steve and the others probably think we're already dead..."

"Might as well say a last good bye, then. And, recording...is this thing on?" He tapped the side of the helmet again. "Hey, Miss Potts...Pep. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker. I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're...if you're still...Oh, god. I hope so. Today is day 21, uh..."

"22," you corrected as you leaned back against the wall. “Or 23. Wait no, 22.”

"Yeah, 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into a void of space, I'd say I'm feeling better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the blue meanie back there."

"You’d love her. She’s very practical," you added, "Only a tiny bit sadistic."

"Anyway...some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of time. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1000 light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow. And that'll be it. And Pep, I...I know I said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one. But it looks like...well you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean, if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt. I should probably lie down. Please know that...when I drift off, I will think about you. Because it's always you."

You both fell into silence afterwards and you quickly looked away, squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to try and stem the flow of tears that threatened to spill. Tony must've noticed the look on your face, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder as you stared blankly out ahead.

This really was it. When you imagined dying, you saw yourself going down on the battlefield, maybe jumping into the crossfire to save someone. Or simply passing in your sleep, dying of old age, anything but being unable to breathe.

You didn't think you'd meet your demise by running out of oxygen as you drifted mindlessly through space.

"Why don't you talk to Capsicle," Tony finally spoke up several minutes later. "This might be your only chance to get the closure you've wanted for so long."

"I'm not...it's not like that," you sighed, running a hand down your face. "He's just a friend."

"Don't bullshit me, Y/N. I know you're in love with him."

You let out another sigh, staring at his helmet blankly for a moment before opening your mouth to speak.

"Hey, Cap. You know, for the longest time, I was stuck trying to figure out what I was really meant to do, why I was ever placed on the earth to begin with," you spoke, looking out the glass at the darkness of space again, "When Fury first recruited me to the initiative, I was...I was in a dark place. And I didn't know how to get out. I felt stuck, frustrated...lost. I felt like I wasn't worthy or even the slightest bit prepared to take on the responsibilities of a hero because of all that I'd done in the past. I'd committed my fair share of sins, and...it all came down to a point where I almost lost the will to keep going, to keep living. My demons held me back from the perfect life I so desperately wanted and followed me everywhere I went. But then you came along, and for the first time in a long time, I started to hope, to...feel things again. You taught me that there was such a thing as second chances and forgiveness, that it's okay to make mistakes, and most importantly, I was meant to feel things; to love.

"You taught me that I was meant to feel happy, to allow myself the chance at living that burden-free life. That I didn't have to feel so doubtful when something good happened because all I'd ever learned was to feel suspicious when an event occurred in my favor. God, I really do owe you, huh? I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you. Maybe spiral down into an endless pit of despair and destruction? But really, I'm grateful that you walked into my life. I don't know how I'm supposed to repay you for all that you've given up for me.

You chuckled lightly and sniffled, hastily wiping at your eyes. "I know you're still out there. I hope you are. Because I know Captain America would never go down without a fight. This fight, though...you don't need to keep fighting. I've already accepted my fate. I'm going to die in less than two days...and I'm not bitter or mad at all. Death is inevitable, you know? If there's anything I took away from my torturous days in the Red Room, it was to never fear death because every girl would eventually meet her end. I'll be completely honest with myself here, I don't mind dying alongside these two...Tony and Nebula are some pretty great roommates. Who knew an alien could be so good at paper football?

The helmet flickered and you knew you didn't have much time left. "Steve...I don't want you to look back at all this in pain. I want you to live your best life...one that isn't filled with regret. And if this means moving on, starting anew...then do it. I want you to be happy. Be happy...for me.

Another tear fell, but this time you didn't bother to wipe it away. "I guess since my days are now numbered, I should let this weight off my chest...I love you, Steve Rogers. More than you'll ever know. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember and I can only hope you feel the same but I guess I might never know that answer now...we can't always get our happy endings, can we?

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye one last time, I love you," you choked out as the recording finally powered down and you let your head fall into your hands, the tears now flowing freely down your cheeks. The ache of longing to be with him echoed through the marrow of your bones; a chill wind trapped inside your heart and a million little glass shards tearing at your guts. Nausea swirled around in your stomach, head swimming with thoughts as your blood felt like tar, struggling to flow steadily.

Reaching over, Tony carefully grasped your hand, lacing your fingers together and squeezing gently. "It's gonna be okay," he muttered, eyes closed as you trained your gaze on the glass. "It's gonna be okay."

It could've been five minutes or five hours later, but suddenly, a vast white light illuminated the space surrounding you, forcing you to shut your eyes again.

As you focused on the bright ball of light, you could make out several features of a woman, though you initially thought you were dreaming. This couldn't be real. Was it?

"Hang in there, guys, I've got you," her voice flooded your ears, before she disappeared from view.

You opened your eyes a second time to see you were speeding towards Earth, the ship slowing down slightly as the familiar outline of America came into view.

Then, a steady jolt of the Benatar indicated you'd hit solid ground, in the middle of the field in the Avengers facility.

Nebula helped Tony up first, then you. The entry hatch opened, and you carefully stepped down the ramp together onto the grass.

It was pitch-black out, the only sources of light coming from the lights that projected from the compound, but it didn't take long for your vision to adjust. A small smile found its way onto your face as you saw six familiar figures came running towards you.

"Oh my God," Pepper cried, throwing her arms around Tony's neck and holding on as if her life depended on it. "Oh my God."

You smiled wistfully as you observed your surroundings, lowering yourself onto the ramp's last set, arms crossed over your chest as you realized just how cold it actually was.

A sudden warmth enveloped you and you felt someone's leather jacket being draped over your shoulders. Seeing Steve's familiar tall figure out of the corner of your eye, you moved over slightly to allow room for him to sit.

He looked over at you in concern, taking in your pale and malnourished figure. His chest ached at the sight.

"I'm okay," you found yourself saying, "don't worry about me."

"I've been worrying about you for the past twenty-two days," he replied, hands in his pockets, "I thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," you swallowed hard.

Steve let out a shaky breath and slid an arm around your waist, pulling you close as you rested your forehead on his shoulder.

"I thought you were dead," his voice cracked, "and if you really were, then...I don't know what I'd do."

“Me neither,” you breathed out. “God, I missed you so much.”

Then all of a sudden, the whole word seemed as if it was on standstill as his sapphire blue eyes bored into yours with such an intensity that sent a chill down your spine, keeping you firmly locked in place. And it utterly terrified you because you’d never felt something so intense like this before and he was the reason why you even felt this way to begin with.

And before you can protest against your own thoughts, you closed your fists around his shirt and gently tugged him towards you, closing the gap and kissing him. The sudden action took you both by surprise but Steve doesn’t waste any time in reacting, moving a hand from your cheek to the nape of your neck to kiss you back.

Everyone’s too exhausted, too busy feeling relieved at the fact that you returned safely to make a teasing comment towards yours and Steve’s relationship. They’ve secretly been betting for a while that you’d finally get together, though not in this exact way.

Until Rocket breaks the silence. “Nice welcome back gift, Agent.”

"You cockblock," Nebula flicks him in the head. "Let them have their moment, geez."

#steve rogers x reader #avengers x reader #marvel fic #avengers fanfiction #captain america fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader #marvel imagine #steve rogers x y/n #captain america x you #marvel reader insert

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joy1579 · 4 years

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RFA and how MC gets them to sleep

I hope ya’ll enjoy these. do I need to make a masterpost? since I’ve got a couple of these now I don’t know. their all pretty recent so maybe its not necessary.

Jumin

- You’ve gotten it down to a science at this point

- “darling? I can’t sleep.” You call from the door way of his home office “do you mind reading to me? Like you did that first night?” that’s what gets him the mention of your first night with him.

- “I, of course dearest” he says wearily placing a stack of papers to the side “just until you fall asleep though I do need to finish this”

- You frowned a little at that. He hadn’t slept much these past weeks and when he did it was fitful and short lived. Tonight he would sleep. You would be sure of that.

- “would you sit in bed with me? Just for a while? The bed is too big and cold for me to fall asleep without you.”

- “you have plenty of blankets my love” he said narrowing his eye’s at you suspiciously

- “it’s not about the blankets. I don’t love the blankets. I love you” then you saw it in his eye’s warmth, love and the tell tail signs of his resolve crumbling as he gave into your request. You didn’t like using his love for you like this but he had to sleep.

- “I really can’t say no to you my love” he sighed following you towards the king sized bed you shared

- “thank you honey bunny” you said pulling him to lay beside you leaning him against a pile of pillows so he was reclining enough to sleep comfortably but upright enough to read. Where he not so fatigued he may have questioned how you had planned it all so perfectly.

- You handed him the book you two where currently reading and situated yourself against his chest humming happily

- One chapter later and you could feel him running his fingers through your hair trying to see if you were awake

- You stayed still careful to count your breath to keep it deep and slow

- He sighed and settled himself a little before resigning to stay rather than wake you by leaving

- After fifteen minutes you could hear his gentle and quite snores

- Success.

- The next morning you woke early and shut off his alarm before calling Jaehee

- “mission accomplished Jaehee” you say smirking “he wont be in today but tomorrow he’ll be back to tip top shape”

- “thank you MC. when he pushes himself this hard it often falls to me to fix the things his fatigue lets fall through the cracks. One day of rest saves us weeks of mistakes”

- “a stitch in time saves nine as they say. Oh but I have to go if I’m not there when he wakes up he’ll try to go back to work”

- “of course, and again thank you MC.”

Yoosung

- Honestly if you could just get him into bed you knew he would be out like a light

- It was getting him to the bed that was difficult

- So you played the last card in you deck, the ace.

- “yoosungie? I’m going to shower and get ready for bed okay?”

- “sounds good!”

- “unless, maybe you wanted to join me?”

- “jo- join you?” he spluttered turning away from his computer wide eyed and beet red

- “well I thought, it might save time, and water and it might be fun.” With a wink you turned towards the bathroom where you already had everything prepared

- Honestly the shared shower was simply a bonus to your plan

- Call the fun times you shared a happy consequence of the plan.

- You washed his hair with lavender scented shampoo to help you both relax and calm down

- And on the way out you hand him the pajamas you had prepared

- “you planned this”

- “of course I planned this” you chuckled kissing his forehead “noona takes care of her puppy”

- You could see his face darken and feel the shiver that ran down his spine at that and you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips at the way his eye’s seemed to cloud for a fraction of a second

- You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling him to the bedroom where you sat him on the bed to towel dry his hair a bit more

- “I love you” he whispers and you smiled gently at him. Pulling the towel off his head you pulled him against you “I love you too”

- Laughing you pulled him to lay beside you before leaning over him to reach across the bed and turn off the bedside lamp

- With on last kiss on his nose you bid him goodnight computer game forgotten in haze of showers and cuddles (amongst other activities)

Saeyoung

- He knows what you’re up to.

- But you’re wearing the cute cat pajamas he had bought you.

- and you had completely designed your bed time routine around tempting him to bed

- he had never even heard of bedtime yoga before you moved in

- yet there you where contorted beside the bed showing of how flexible you could be and occasionally smirking into the camera you knew he was watching

- so it wasn’t long before he found himself making his way to the bedroom

- “ready for bed secret agent man?” you quipped and couldn’t help a smirk as you saw his face tint a slight pink

- “are you kitten me?” he shot back and you had to cover your moth to stop the giggles

- “come on I’ve even got my paw-jamas on” you manage through your giggles

- “you’re doing this on purr-pose aren’t you?”

- “guess the cats out of the bag how’d you know?”

- “just a feline” both of your where lost in a fit of laughter at that point

- you pulled him to the bed and made note of the dark circles under his eyes as you pulled a heavy weighted blanket over you both before snuggling up next to him

- he had insisted he didn’t need it. “I don’t have anxiety, MC” he had said.

- Next day shipping and an extra good night of sleep later he admitted the weight was comforting

- Your rans your fingers through his hair and mumbled quietly to him about your day.

- You had found that the quiet talk down helped him relax as he curled into your chest

- This was the only time you ever saw him this small

- Wondered if it was a product of his childhood that he disliked sleeping so much

- Still you held him close and played with his hair absently as you recounted the story of meeting a stray cat on the way home

- After a while you ran out of stories and moved on to trying new jokes searching for the ones that drew sleepy chuckles from his lips

- Lulling him to sleep was simple enough. The hard part came after

- Falling asleep without waking him up was always a struggle

- He was a notoriously light sleeper

- One wrong move or strange noise had him jolting upright and alert

- Once you had startled him awake with nothing more than a yawn

- Perhaps it was his training that had him on such high alert.

- You hoped that slowly but surely he would learn to relax a bit more but you understood it could take years if it happened at all

Zen

- He knows he should sleep

- He just can’t some times

- He’ll lie awake for hours if you don’t help him relax

- On these nights you two have settled into a routine

- You make him tea and brush his hair

- “you know you don’t have to do that jagiya”

- “I enjoy it your hair is always so soft!”

- “are you jealous?”

- “I would be if you weren’t my boyfriend. That’s the thing though your MY boyfriend meaning technically your mine and by extension your hair is mine”

- “is that how it works?”

- You lean down and kiss the top of his head

- “yep that’s how it works”

- “does that mean your mine too”

- “always and forever”

- “your so cute jagi!

- After tea you both go through your nightly routines washing your face and getting ready for bed

- On good night you share a bath

- You lean against his chest and lay your head back on his shoulders while you both do a face mask

- in bed you ask him to sing you a lullaby as you gently trace patterns into his chest

- You hum along contentedly and smile when he yawns

- After while his singing drifts off and you can hear his breath get deeper

- he can sleep through quite a bit but you know that the second you pull away from him he’ll be up in a second looking for the warmth and weight of you

- so you pull the blankets tighter around the both of you and slip into sleep yourself

Jaehee

- you got to start early with Jaehee

- no caffeine after noon or it’s a lost cause

- after opening the café this got 1000% harder

- you lure her away from work by offering to watch a Zen DVD with her

- you pull her against you on the couch and hum along with the music quietly (she hates it if you sing along but humming is fine)

- slowly she starts to relax against your chest and you know it’s time to move upstairs (wink wink. Wait no. you both need rest save the winks for next time)

- “Jaehee?” you ask gently “how bout we head to bed? We have to open early tomorrow”

- She yawns bit but you can see the defiance in her eye’s

- “I should finish a couple more things before”

- “no” you say sternly pulling her toward the bedroom

- “but there’s still paperwork”

- “and it will still be there in the morning. Look ill work the morning by myself so you can take care of it then but you need sleep”

- She sighs but fallows you none the less

- “your right MC.”

- “it happens sometimes” you laugh winking at her and reveling in her averted eye’s and blushing cheeks

- (wink wink? No just one wink. You still need rest)

- Once in bed you snuggle together and just before drifting off you hear her mumble

- “I’m so glad we’re friend” “I’m so lucky to have you”

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farfromtommy · 5 years

Text

through it all // Peter Parker x reader

A/N: I AM SO SOFT. This is probably my favorite fic I've done so far. Kinda want to turn it into a series..... let me know what you think. I think I’d be super fun and would be a really cute series.

requests are open

Summary: Peter discovers his powers and runs to y/n for help

Warnings: angst? maybe?, fluff, some swearing I think

Word Count: 2,399

masterlist

You were sitting in your room doing homework when you heard a knock at your window. You lived on the second floor of your house and there is no possible way that someone could’ve climbed all the way up to it on their own. You slowly stood up, weary of your steps towards your bedroom door. When you reached for the doorknob your phone buzzed in your hand.

From: Peter Parker

It’s me knocking on your window don’t call the cops

You looked at the text message with confusion and walked towards your window and threw your curtains back. You saw your best friend, Peter Parker, outside your window. You quickly opened it up and when you got a good look you just saw him hanging on to nothing on the side of your house.

“I can explain. Just please let me in.” He frantically said. You moved out of the way and he crawled into your room, the way he came in it was almost like he was sticking to whatever he touched. You stared at him waiting for him to explain whatever was going on. He was pacing around your room, incoherent words falling out of his mouth and his hands running though his hair.

Peter Parker has been your beat friend for as long as you could remember. You met when you were kids and have been inseparable ever since. You two have been through everything together. You and Peter were unstoppable, and everyone knew it. The way you knew each other was on a different scale. Your minds and bodies seemed to move with each other, always in sync.

When you started high school, things started to change for you. You were both changing, inside and out, and you started to look at him differently. And he seemed to look at you differently.

You started to notice things about him you had never seen before. Like the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed or smiled. Or the way he would bite his lip when he was trying to focus on whatever he was doing. You also started to notice when he would stare at you. You always seemed to catch his gaze whenever you weren’t right next to each other. Anytime you made eye contact he immediately looked away and distracted himself with something. You always had this teeny crush on Peter, but those feelings started to deepen.

The fear you had of losing your best friend because of some feelings never allowed you to say something to him. You always thought about what it would be like if you told Peter about your feelings and he didn’t feel the same way. You couldn’t imagine losing him, so you’ve kept it a secret.

“Peter, what is going on? What was that? How did you get up here?” You said to him walking over and putting your hands on his shoulders, looking him in his eyes. His eyes were filled with fear as he looked back into your Y/E/C eyes.

“S-something happened to me. I woke up this morning and I felt like my senses had been dialed to 1000. I’m so aware of everything around me and I don’t know why. Someone tripped over a backpack at school this morning and it was almost like the whole world moved in slow motion and I-I caught her without even missing a beat. W-When I got home today I grabbed a book off my desk and it started sticking to my hands. A-all the pages were sticking to m-my fingers and I couldn’t stop it. I-I don’t know what’s going on with me and I’m freaking out. Y/N y-you need to help me p-please h-help me.” He rambled on, tears coming to his eyes and his body shaking. He started to hyperventilate and his hand went to his chest.

Your mind was going a mile a minute and you couldn’t seem to wrap your head around everything your best friend had just said to you. Sobs racked left his mouth and you immediately wrapped him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you had yours around his shoulders. His head was in your neck as he cried into it. You rubbed his back and tried to calm him down. His tears slowed down and his breathing returned to normal and you both sat down on your bed. He pulled away from you and wiped his tears with his shirt. You placed a hand on his bicep, which was definitely not that big yesterday, and looked at him.

“You’re going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. It’s gonna be okay.” You rubbed his arm and look into his bloodshot eyes. He hugged you again and could feel his warm tears hitting the back of your shirt. You rubbed his back and just whispered ‘everything is going to be okay’ every time you felt him choke back a sob. You stayed like that for what felt like hours until he pulled back from you and let out a deep sigh.

“I’m so scared, Y/N. I don’t know what this is. I can’t tell May, she’d probably have a heart attack. Can we keep this thing between us? You’re the only person I can trust. I don’t even want to tell Ned, I don’t know what he’d think.” Peter said to you while running his hands through his hair. “Of course. Between us.” You said to him, studying his face. You both stayed silent for a little while, just trying to relax from the most stressful 30 minutes of your life.

“So you can climb up walls, huh? If I’m going to help you figure this out, you should show me. For research purposes, y’know?” You said to him. He looked up at you and chuckled a little bit.

He stood up from your bed and walked to your wall. He placed his hands on it, followed by his feet and started to ascend the drywall. You stared up in amazement as he made his way to your ceiling.

As soon as you were about to say something your mom had come into your room to say goodnight to you and to not stay up too late doing homework. You quickly shooed her out of your room after saying goodnight and locked your door behind her.

You looked up and saw Peter holding back a laugh as you let out a breath of relief. He dropped down to the floor with grace, barely making a noise as he hit the floor. You and Peter continued to test out his new found abilities late into the night, finding the fun in the once scary situation. After finding a spider bite on him, you had come to the conclusion that all of this had to have been caused by it. You didn’t understand how a tiny spider could’ve done such a tremendous thing to Peter, but decided to stick with it.

You jokingly called him ‘Spider-Man’ and he thought it would be a cool superhero name. Both of you started to make up these scenarios of Peter becoming a superhero and going around saving people with these abilities he had.

“Too bad you don’t have webs coming out of you. If you did you could probably have them coming out at such a high level you could probably shoot them far enough and like hang from it like spiders do.” You said to him as he sat in your desk chair. “I wonder if we could make our own and store it in something. Almost like a water gun, but with webs coming out.” He said to you, grabbing a piece of paper from your desk and started to draw something out. You got up from your bed and stood behind him as he began to draw and write things out.

“I think that would work. I bet I could find all of this in the chemistry lab, I’ll try it out in class tomorrow.” He said, a yawn leaving his mouth. “Do you mind if I stay the night? I told May I was coming over here and don’t really want to try and explain to her why I didn’t stay and why I’m coming home at 2 am.” He asked you.

“Of course. You’re always welcome here. You’ll just have to sneak out in the morning and come in through the front door so my parents don’t ask questions when we leave for school tomorrow.” You said throwing some pillows onto the floor for you to sleep on.

“I was thinking we could just share the bed. Don’t want either us waking up with a sore back, plus I think we both need a good couple hours of sleep after tonight.” He chuckled nervously.

“Works for me.” You picked up the pillows and pulled back the covers to dive into your bed. He was already in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, so he just went straight into your bed.

You were both laying on your bed, trying to fall asleep. Peter was on his back and you were on your side facing away from him. You and Peter always had sleepovers, it wasn’t anything different. But usually they were in his living room or your basement.

This time you were both inches away from each other on your bed and everything about it was different. There was this unspoken thing between you two and it seemed to hover over the both of you in that very moment. You could feel the heat radiating off of his body from the other side of your bed.

“Peter, are you still awake?” You asked in a whisper, just incase he had already fallen asleep.

“Yeah, I can’t seem to shut my brain off.” He said barely above a whisper.

You turned to your other side, now facing him. He mimicked your actions and turned to you. Your faces now inches away from each other. In the dark you could see his eyes flicker around your face, studying every feature of it.

A blush crept onto your cheeks as you saw his gaze shift to your lips. He licked his slightly and his brown eyes returned to yours. He brought his hand up to move a piece of your Y/H/C hair out of your face and let it linger there for a second. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat as his hand ran under the curve of your jaw.

He licked his lips again as he started to bring his face closer to yours. You closed your eyes, anticipating what was going to happen next. You felt the softness of his lips press against yours and you began to kiss back. He smiled slightly against your lips. He lifted himself onto his elbows and you moved onto your back, and he hovered over you.

You ran your fingers through his curly brown hair and down to the back of his neck. You deepened the kiss and brought your bodies closer together. After some time, you and Peter had ditched the shirts and were both exploring each others bodies.

“Maybe we should save this for when we don’t have to be up for school in 4 hours and my parents aren’t sleeping just a few doors down.” You said, pulling him up as he started to place soft kisses down your body.

“That’s probably a good idea. We can just cuddle the rest of the night.” He said as he moved on top of you, back to his original spot on your bed. He pulled you by your waist and wrapped his strong arms around your body. You had your face against his chest and an arm thrown around his waist and your legs a tangled mess beneath your sheets.

You woke up to the god awful sound of your alarm. It usually didn’t bother you as much as it was currently, since you don’t usually find out your best friend has superpowers and then end up making out with him during your secret sleepover so late at night.

Your positions had changed in your sleep. You were on your back and he was still wrapped around your body but was now between your legs with his arms wrapped tightly around your waist and his head on your stomach. You ran your fingers through his hair and he started to stir in his sleep. He looked up at you with sleep still in his eyes. He smiled slightly before going back to resting his head on your stomach and tightened his strong grip around you.

You shut off the alarm and let sleep take over your body again.

“Y/N!! It’s time to get up. You’re going to be late for school.” Your dad yelled through your bedroom door, knocking on it loudly. You and Peter practically jumped out of bed at the noise and stared at each other with fright. You placed a finger to your lips, indicating Peter to be quiet.

You cleared your throat and shuffled towards the door. You opened it slightly, and looked at your dad standing in the hallway.

“I don’t think I can go to school today, dad. I feel like such crap. I think I’m coming down with something.” You said, your voice somehow super raspy and sick-like. You coughed dryly and looked back at your dad.

“I’ll call the school and let them know. Just make sure you get all your work made up.” He walked away and you shut the door and locked it again. You looked back at Peter and shrugged your shoulders. You got back into bed with him, and now you were on top of him, using his body as a pillow. His arms found your waist again and you buried your face in the crook of his neck. You placed a few kisses there and then shut your eyes, ready to go back to sleep.

The last thing running through your mind as you drifted back into sleep, with Peter’s arms around you, was how happy you were that you could finally express your feelings for Peter without fear of losing him. With a grip so strong around your body, he’s probably never going to let you go anyway. And that’s exactly how you wanted it to be.

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rirururu · 5 years

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Of course! Thank you for being the wonderful first person to submit a request. Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ Unfortunately, it’s 1071 words despite the limit of 1000 words that I put on myself. Whoops.

Click here for ao3 version or go to “Keep Reading.”

Tanjirou thinks he’s doing all right, all things considered.

He wakes up at five o’clock on the dot before the sun has even peeked over the horizon. The first thing to do is fish out the chicken wings that he left defrosting in the sink last night. Boiling a pot of water and splitting spices, he finds himself lost in cooking. Only the click of plastic lids shutting tight on six different lunch boxes of varying colours and sizes accompany the running footsteps of his waking brothers and sisters upstairs.

Then he has to take Rokuta to a daycare while Nezuko helps with getting Takeo, Hanako, and Shigeru ready for the bus fast enough to drop them off at their respective elementary and middle schools. By then, it’s seven-thirty. Tanjirou barely has time to throw his books in a bag and struggle with his own uniform as he races out of the house. Classes are the same as always, with Inosuke snoring in one ear and Zenitsu silently lamenting their doom on tomorrow’s quiz in another.

At lunch, he helps Murata hang up posters. The poor guy had a habit of getting stuck with jobs and Tanjirou just can’t find it in himself to not lend a hand. He ends up not eating, not until he’s already home and emptying out the laundry baskets while starting on dinner as a strip of ham hangs from his teeth. That’s around the time when Nezuko returns with everyone else. It’s his cue to strap on an apron and leave her with washing the dishes and finishing dinner.

His part-time job at a local fast-food joint is taxing but rewarding. Mopping the floor and cleaning the toilets aside, the recurring clients know Tanjirou by name and always give him a nice tip. Where there’s a lull in customers is when he can sneak a bite from his unfinished lunch box. He returns at the dead of night to an envelope of cash sent in the mailbox and a yawn lodged in his throat.

Of course, he makes sure to greet his family with a nice, warm, and gentle hug as they all wish him good night while showing off this drawing or that test they did in school that day. Showering, brushing his teeth, and crashing at the bottom bunk bed that he shared with Takeo, there’s just enough time to get in a solid seven hours of sleep as recommended for his age.

So yes; all things considered, Tanjirou thinks he’s doing okay.

Until he realized, sitting in an office in front of Professor Tengen and with an evaluation marked with red scribbles, he had forgotten one crucial thing in his routine.

“You’re failing my class.” The man says it like it is, “very abhorrently.”

“I’m sorry. I have no excuse.” He does have reasons, but an excuse? It was non-existent.

“You have until the next test to turn this around or else I’d have to start contacting your parents. Curriculum rules, kid, not mine.”

And no- that was absolutely the last thing that Tanjirou wanted to happen. Straightening himself, he looks his teacher in the eye with complete seriousness. “Yes, Tengen-sensei. I understand and will do better!”

The problem was, Tanjirou never really understood math. Like at all.

He still cracks down on his textbooks whenever he can anyway. Maybe he has to cut into his sleeping time here and there, sacrifice the portions he makes at breakfast so then he gets those extra ten minutes to take notes, even opt out of eating in between breaks at his job in exchange for last-minute homework problems. These are small things, Tanjirou keeps telling himself.

Yet one lunch break, while in the middle of carrying cases of clarinets to the music hall, his vision blurs and feet give out from under him like a carpet being pulled. He’s on the ground with a searing headache before he knows it, and all he can register before he loses consciousness is a blur of yellow in his peripheral.

“Tanjirou-!”

He wakes up in a burrito of blankets. Nurse Shinobu takes his temperature and declares his cold and malnutrition with zero change in her countenance. He can’t really say the same for his friend sprawled out on the adjacent chair though.

“I can’t BELIEVE YOU!” The screech grinds on his ears, but Tanjirou only blinks back at Zenitsu like he did nothing wrong. The blond chops at the air, fire practically emitting from his mouth. “Nezuko-chan was just here a minute ago and told me EVERYTHING! Making breakfast, laundry, all that volunteer work you do for student council, studying, a part-time job…?! You’re absolutely and with certain probability a reckless and selfless moron, Tanjirou!”

“What’s… wrong with that?”

Zenitsu gaps. Before Shinobu can stop him (not that she would), he promptly smacks the boy in the head. This is quickly followed by exasperatedly grabbing at his uniform collar and shaking his friend with each word. “YOU. ARE. KILLING YOURSELF! PLEASE MOURN OVER THOSE OF US WHO WORRY ABOUT YOU!”

Tanjirou sputters, feeling dizzy at the motion. “O-Okay-!”

“MOURN, I SAID!”

“I-I’m mourning, I’m mourning!” Finally, he’s freed from the grip. Zenitsu sends him a glare, one that Tanjirou can only return with a sheepish smile when he finishes fixing his uniform. “Thanks, Zenitsu-”

“Don’t ‘thanks, Zenitsu’ me!” His friend isn’t done, it seemed. Angrily shoving a hand in his own bag, it doesn’t take long for him to find his binder and throw it onto the bed. Tanjirou doesn’t have a chance to even read the heading on it before Zenitsu is speaking again. “When do you wake up, five o’clock, right? Good, then that’s when I’ll come over.”

Huh?

“Huh?”

“You heard me.” He stepped closer. “Five o’clock a.m. every weekday at your house. I’ll tutor you while you COOK because you can’t stop worrying about other people for ONCE in your life-!”

Tanjirou didn’t know what came over him. Maybe it was the relief. Maybe it was gratitude for having a friend like Zenitsu. Maybe it was the realization that he didn’t have to do this alone. But he pulled the other teen forward by the front of his shirt. Squeezing Zenitsu in the most wholesome hug he could give, Tanjirou found himself at a loss of all words except “really, thank you.”

And Tanjirou knew that now, everything really would be all right.

#kimetsu no yaiba #kny #kamado tanjirou #agatsuma zenitsu #zentan #tanzen #otp prompts #don't make fun of me ;-;#and my obscure ships #my stuff #fanfic

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bodyswap101 · 5 years

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Sale of a lifetime

There had been 4 estate agents around to value my house, each one seemed more sleazy than the rest. They always promoted how good they were, how quick they sold houses and stated that they always managed to get the maximum that the house was worth. Somehow though I just felt they were telling me a pack of lies.

The fifth estate agent looked even more like the stereo typical sleaze bag ‘estate agent’ type. Towering over my ample 6ft frame he must have been at least 6ft 5”. Very slim and had a babyish looking face. He was tanned and wore a plain black suit with a blue shirt and diamond cufflinks. He appeared very powerful for his age. I invited him in and asked if he wanted a drink. He didn’t.

“Right,” he said. “So Hello, I’m Tom Kirk. Before I begin, I just want to say that I’m going to cut out the crap and bullshit and just get down to business. I’m so pleased that you have asked us to value your home. I do hope we can work well together. The service we offer is completely different to every other estate agent out there. What we have found is that people do not trust estate agents. So our service offer is completely unique. I’m going to shut up now and let you watch our presentation.”

“OK” I said.

He handed me an Ipad and I pressed the play button.

I watched the presentation with great interest, it lasted around 5 minutes and demonstrated how their company was different. I also noticed that Tom was un easy, he was tapping his pen on his clipboard and bouncing his leg up and down.

“So, as you can see, we allow you to do the estimate for yourself. Hi-jacking my body for as long as you wish. Well I like to call it body-jacking.” He chuckled. “We take away the worry you and everyone else out there has about selling a house and by allowing you access to my body you will gain the knowledge that’s in my head and realise that you can trust us to sell your home with complete confidence. Plus, we normally work out cheaper than the other companies out there. You really cannot lose.”

“So basically, I take over your body in some kind of body swapping freak show?”

“Erm, its not a body swap, I will have no access to your body, its memories or anything to do with you. Literally, you take control of my body its memories and everything about it for as long as you need or want. It is certainly not a freak show. You can choose to block my access to my own body at any point during your possession of me, or you can choose for me to be there with you as a presence. Although I will have no memory of what you get up to if you deny me access. I know what people normally get up to. Its why I’m paid the big bucks. They hire me for my looks as well as my charm and of course my skills as an estate agent”

I laughed and then wondered what I could get up to in Tom’s body.

“You actually are quite attractive aren’t you? But I’m not sure about this.” I stated.

He reached into his briefcase and got out a syringe and needle and proceeded to inject himself with a green coloured liquid in the top of his left leg. He placed the needle in a safe container.

“WAIT!” I shouted. “I haven’t agreed to this yet.”

“Sir, if you had read our terms and conditions at the time you booked us online you would realise that by booking us, you agree to those conditions. Part of those conditions are the fact you allow this to take place. It’s happened now and it’s too late for you to back out. Someone needs to posses my body, otherwise I will be a lifeless shell until the end of time. It’s a risk we take, but at the end of the day my company can sue if you don’t do this, but I’m sure that’s not going to happen is it?”

He lay down on my sofa and began to flop as he lost control of his own body. It cant be that bad I thought

“One last thing,” he said. “Play the next video it gives you the instructions you need to posses my body.”

One final breath left his mouth at that point. I watched the video. At that point, I did exactly what it stated. I stripped naked and folded my clothes neatly on the table. I reached into his mouth with my hands and stretched his mouth wide open. I sat on the arm of the settee where he was lying. I placed my feet inside his mouth and pushed my own body inside his. It felt really strange. He was still warm and it felt slimy as my skin touched the inside of his body. I had began to be able to move parts of his body as my feet and legs were inside his. I manoeuvred him into a sitting position and my arse folded into his, my penis snapped into place inside his. Soon I was fully inside him and I pulled his head over my own face and assumed complete control.

A voice inside my head that I recognised as Tom said “Welcome to my body. As you now have access to my memories, you know that what I have told you is true and our company is the most respectful and trustworthy out there”

“Thanks” I said. “How long do I have?” I shook myself off and checked my suit was making sure I still looked respectable as Tom.

“We only book one appointment per day, so as long as you leave me by 5pm so I can get home you can stay as long as you want,” the voice muttered inside my head.

“Cool we may as well get on with the valuation so I can have the afternoon to enjoy this.” I replied.

We took all the measurements together, took pictures and agreed with a valuation. We got the paperwork out and I signed Tom’s signature as well as my own. It was all very strange. Finally we rang the office and sent an e-mail with all the pictures and the house was up for sale. I found it all really weird, new knowledge in my head, ability to draw scale drawings and work out what the value of my own house was. It was even more strange because I was doing all of this with hands that were not mine. Each time I walked past a mirror I freaked out slightly and I heard Tom chuckle inside my head. I have to admit as the morning went on I was enjoying myself and I felt very aroused as my thoughts turned to the afternoon and the fun I could have; looking, feeling and behaving like tom. I began to wonder what Tom was hiding underneath this suit.

“Right,” the voice in my head said. “It’s up to you where we go from here. You can leave and I’ll enjoy an un planned afternoon off. We can spend the day with you in control of my body and me in the background. Or you can demand that I leave you alone for the next few hours. I become unconscious inside my own body and you are free to do what you wish.”

“Well I choose the last one!”

“That’s fine, I thought you might. Few things before I leave. There’s a change of clothes in the boot of my car your own clothes won’t fit this body, make sure you leave me by 5pm and look after the suit it cost over $1000. Oh and don’t forget to eat; I skipped breakfast, well basically, take care of me as you would your own body”

With that I felt his consciousness slip away. I was now in full control of Tom Kirks body without any interruption from him. I literally ran to his car to grab the sports bag from his boot. Still running I got to my own bedroom and stripped. Of course remembering to look after his suit.

I don’t know what had come over me. I was absolutely thrilled to be in someone else’s body. I found my self comparing its features to my own body and other guys bodies that I had seen in the gym and the like. Tom’s features were remarkable; far better than my own. Amazing detail around his abdominal area and muscles in places where I never even imagined muscles existed. He was in such a perfect physical form. And I hadn’t even taken his boxers off yet.

There was an amazing trimmed treasure trail of hair leading to his mid region apart from that his torso was hairless. He had very little hair on his legs or arms either. I was nervous at to what would be revealed under his boxers. I needed to pluck up the courage to go any further. I remembered what Tom had said ‘Don’t forget to eat’. I rubbed my belly, yer I was hungry. I made myself some salad. It seemed appropriate to look after his body and eat healthily for him. I hated salad normally, but I tasted so good with his taste buds.

Fed and watered I returned upstairs and decided to take a shower. For that I had to remove his boxers. It was what I needed; a reason to take them off. I followed my own routine, almost forgetting that I was someone else. I only realised when I sat on the toilet and began thinking again. Oh my word!! I’m taking a piss out of Tom’s cock, I’m having a shit out of Tom’s arse. Both things i had done a million times before but it was such a new experience.

I managed to take the shower I longed for and it wasn’t long before I plucked up the courage to play with my new toy. It may of only been temporary, but for now it was mine. I pumped on it so hard it felt like it was going to fall off.

After that I lay on the bed and just admired my new temporary body. I must of nodded off as the next thing I knew it was 4.30pm. I quickly got dressed for the first time all afternoon and returned downstairs to Tom’s briefcase.

I collected the serum from his case and injected it into his leg. The serum began to work instantly as tom awoke and pushed me out through his mouth. I got myself dressed again now that I was myself again. I checked Tom was OK and he left after handing me his business card.

That was one amazing day and that night I found that all I could think about was Tom. I could smell him on my bed. I couldn’t sleep. At around 2am I had a text. It was from Tom. It read.

“Hi it’s Tom Kirk, I know you are working tomorrow, so sorry to text so late. I was wondering if you might enjoy the weekend off? I love the thrill of someone taking my body and know you would too. The thrill of being inside someone else is even greater for me. My offer to you. I endure your pain of being at work. Then Saturday night and Sunday is with me as you without you.”

I instantly replied

“Sounds great Tom, providing you come over now and let me sleep inside your body, I will leave you as soon as I wake up and you can take my body to work”

“Deal, see you in 10! Cant wait” was the reply

Sure enough tom arrived in exactly 10 minutes. He injected his leg and I went inside him. I had a quick wank and fell asleep. I had some amazing dreams and thoughts that night as I let Tom stay with me while I slept. So there were two of us in the same dream, so you can imagine what we got up too.

8am arrived and the alarm sounded. The syringe was already on hand and I injected Toms leg. I left Tom’s body and we briefly chatted about the experience. He mentioned that if I liked being him so much we could make it a regular thing. Perhaps even swap instead of live inside each other.

I helped Tom out that day at work and as promised once I got home I left him to it for 36 hours. For that night and day I had no idea what Tom had been doing with my body. It was like having a gap in my head. But I didn’t mind. I had been him and trusted him completely.

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eleanor-writes-stuff · 5 years

Text

slide into my DMs [ficlet, ii/iii]

Ben’s made the first move of shooting his shot. Now it’s Rey’s turn to show that she’s DTF.

On a related note: do I sound hip with the kids yet?

PART I | PART II: HEY, DTF?? | PART III

This was never supposed to happen, but here we are anyway. 1000 more words of this silly little story below the cut, now featuring 98% less Twitter shenanigans.

Also available on AO3.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant I’m here. Take your time, I’ll wait.

Rey parts her curtains and sneaks a glance outside, and sure enough she’s greeted by the sight of Ben leaning against his car, head bowed and phone in hand.

He’s here. He’s actually here.

Backpack in hand, she takes one last look at her room to make sure she hasn’t forgotten any essentials. Toiletries? Check. Phone charger? Check. Her one set of actual pajamas? Check.

Granted, they’ve got a variety of breakfast eggs and terrible puns printed all over them, but Rey figures it beats her usual nighttime attire of an oversized tee featuring a truly impressive number of rips and holes.

Besides, if all goes as planned, she won’t be lounging around in the cami set Rose bought her last Christmas for long.

endless pit @reyofsunshine on my way, romeo

She hurries down four flights of stairs (because of course Plutt refuses to fix the elevator too) and steps out into the cool October night to find Ben waiting for her in sweatpants and a shirt that’s at least two sizes too small. It’s the most dressed down she’s ever seen him, and Rey can’t help but comment on it as he opens the door for her and ushers her into his car.

“Nice PJs, Solo,” she says with a tiny smirk, bumping her shoulder against his arm before she slides into the passenger seat.

“Oh, this isn’t what I sleep in,” Ben tells her before he shuts the door, and she turns to his side of the car with an expectant look as he gets behind the wheel. “What?” he asks when he realizes she’s staring, hands stilling in their motion of putting on his seat belt.

Rey considers her next words for a moment, knowing exactly where this road leads to. But then again, she’s in his car on a Friday night with every intention of going back to his place. They’re not just headed down that road; they’re already on it and speeding recklessly towards an inevitable endpoint.

So she tilts her head at him and asks, “Then what do you wear to sleep?”

A part of her almost hopes he’ll say nothing, but that’s not Ben, is it? Especially not after tonight, not after the way he’s made it so clear that he won’t do anything to pressure her or make her feel uncomfortable.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he says with a shrug as he pulls away from her building, and damn if she doesn’t feel a jolt of anticipation race up her spine. She knows that nothing has to happen tonight, that Ben would go to bed perfectly happy even if they don’t do anything more than cuddle while they watch TV – which is exactly why they’re not going to stop at cuddling, not if she has any say in this.

And Ben’s made it pretty clear that she does.

Rey leans back – of course he’s got the most comfortable leather seats she’s ever sat in – and watches him drive in silence for a while, smiling back at him when he catches on and turns to her with a shy little curve on his lips. “So, to recap,” she says as they reach a red light, “the plan is to go to your place and for you to make use of that fully-stocked fridge of yours while I use up your hot water, right?”

“Yup,” Ben replies, and she shouldn’t find the way he pops the p and accompanies it with a tap of his fingers against the wheel as endearing as she does, but even now, even when he thinks that’s all there is to this evening, his excitement is palpable.

So she takes a deep breath and throws all caution to the wind. “Okay, great. Here’s what’s actually going to happen: I’m going to wash this delightful eau de Cantina off me, we’re going to have dinner, and then you’re going to show me just how comfortable your bed is.”

The light turns green, but Rey’s too busy trying not to laugh at Ben’s wide eyes and dropped jaw to focus on that. She leans forward and curls two fingers under his chin, closes his mouth for him while Ben continues to blink at her as if she’s just told him the sky is red.

“Go, Ben,” she tells him when he fails to snap out of it, and it takes a pointed look at the traffic light before Ben gets the message and jumps back into motion.

“So, um,” he mumbles as he turns onto the street both he and Poe live on. Thankfully Poe lives two buildings away, making it extremely unlikely that she’ll run into him tomorrow morning. “What you said, about the bed…”

Rey could put him out of his misery, but it’s so much fun watching him flail for words – especially compared to his usual snarky attitude and quick wit. Besides, as far as she’s concerned, she’s made herself perfectly clear.

“It’s just,” Ben gathers up the nerve to say as he pulls into a spot across the street, “I mean, I think I know what you’re talking about but I don’t wanna be, you know, presumptuous or anything–”

God, this is too much for her heart to handle.

He puts the car in park, and the second Rey’s sure he’s not going to accidentally floor it, she grabs a fistful of his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss.

Ben’s too stunned to do anything other than freeze up at first, but the little noise of protest that rips past his lips when she pulls away is enough for Rey.

“What if I want you to be presumptuous?”

“Oh,” he mumbles against her lips while Rey wraps her arms around his neck and slides her fingers into his hair. “Oh. Okay then,” Ben says, trying for casual and failing miserably, and Rey can’t help but laugh at the strangled note in his voice.

But then he’s lunging forward to release her seat belt and pull her across the console and muffle her laughter with his lips, and Rey’s last coherent thought is thank god for Twitter.

Okay, first things first: this was originally meant to be a tiny 300-words-at-most bonus scene, and I didn’t realize it’d turned into a full-blown chapter until after I finished writing the damn thing. So please, go easy on it.

If you enjoyed this, you have your fellow readers to thank for planting the idea of more in my mind. Special thanks to @shadesofstubbornness for the breakfast pajamas idea!

I’ll see you guys tomorrow for the epilogue, which is literally just five hundred words of text messages. Until then, thank you for reading and please don’t hesitate to like/reblog/comment!

AO3 | Ko-fi | Twitter

#reylo #rey x ben #kylo ren/rey #rey/kylo ren #rey/ben solo #star wars #rey #ben solo #kylo ren #ficlet: slide into #series: ao3 reblog #my fics

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wildroseofarran · 5 years

Text

Moving Day || Tristan, Meg, & Jeremiah

Tristan: It had been nearly two weeks since Tristan's meeting with Jeremiah and a full week of Ronan telling him several times a day that he needed to get in touch with him so he could get laid.

Tristan didn't plan on doing that any time soon, but he did need to get in touch with Jeremiah. Especially once his mother had told him that she'd found a couple of potential places for Jeremiah to live.

{Text to Sunshine Man} Hey Sunshine Man :)

Jeremiah: Jeremiah smiled at the sight of the message. That must mean an apartment has been found, right?! Dobby will soon be a free elf!

{Text: Tristan} ACK! A WILD FISHERMAN APPEARS

{Text: Tristan} SUNSHINE MAN USES: HEY, HOW ARE YOU?

Tristan: Oh, god. He'd forgotten how quickly and easily this man could get a smile out of him.

{Text} I'm doing good!

{Text} You?

Jeremiah: {Text} Good!

He sent a picture of himself in a bright yellow hoodie, hugging a boxset of Batman: The Animated Series

{Text} I've clearly been VERY busy!! How's your 1000 injuries?

Tristan: Tristan chuckled.

{Text} They've mostly healed. Got some new scars to add to my collection.

{Text} Too busy to have breakfast with my mama and find a new place to live?

Jeremiah: {Text} That's good!!!

{Text} I sent that message too quickly before I finished reading what you wrote It isn't good that you're gonna have scars im sorry

{Text} Unless you think it's a good thing in which case it's totally a good thing and I take back what I said!!!

{Text} But if you think it's a bad thing I'm sorry.

{Text} You shouldn't think it's a bad thing though Im sure they look great and that you'll make peace with them!

{Text} Unless they ruin your self-esteem in which case I'll help you look into ways of removing scars, if that's what you want. In which case that's okay.

{Text} Tristan: Tristan's face already hurt, this was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He was far too old to be having this kind of reaction to a happy man being himself.

{Text} I'm just fine with my scars, sunshine man, your reaction is fine

{Text} How about tomorrow? I can come pick you up around 9 and we can go to the bakery

Jeremiah: {Text} 9? am? That still exists? They haven't cancelled that yet?

{Text} I'll do my best O Captain, My Captain! See you then! : D

Tristan: {Text} We could make it 9:30 if 9 is too early? Or 10 even

Jeremiah: {Text} NOW I FEEL BAD

{Text} Please make it for 10 my body would appreciate it...

Tristan: He laughed.

{Text} 10 it is XD

{Text} See you tomorrow!

Jeremiah: {Text} Thanks!!! See ya. Take care!

He should probably... go to sleep right now...

Tristan: After texting Jeremiah, Tristan called his mom and told her they'd meet her at the bakery tomorrow at ten and to save them a table if she got there first.

The next morning at 9:50, he was knocking at Jeremiah's door.

Jeremiah: Tristan would hear gasping.

"You're EARLY!!"

Tristan: "It's ten!" Tristan laughed.

Jeremiah: "Ten TO ten!" and now for frantic attempts of dressing and drying after spending forty minutes singing in the shower.

Tristan: "Close enough! Sorry, I tried really hard to be late."

Jeremiah: "You didn't try HARD ENOUGH. You have a BOAT, you could've been HOURS late!"

Tristan: "I didn't sail here!" he chuckled. "I drove. And being hours late would've been rude."

Jeremiah: He opens the door, adjusting the collar around his neck. Why is it so - oh. His shirt is on backwards. He'll just... slowly... close the door and fix that...

Tristan: Jeremiah would be greeted with a grin that slowly became a laugh as the door closed.

Jeremiah: Okay! The door swung open again to reveal Jeremiah and his wide smile.

"Hi!"

Tristan: Tristan smiled back. "Well good morning, sunshine man. Ready for food?"

Jeremiah: "Pff. Always." He checks he has everything and then steps forward to shut the door behind him.

Tristan: "Then follow me." Tristan led them back downstairs and out to his truck.

"It doesn't smell like fish, promise," he said as he opened the door for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah: "I'll be the judge of that, sir." he replies as he gets into the truck. He looks around, inspecting everything, especially what was or wasn't hung over the rear-view mirror.

Tristan: "It's clean!" He closed the door and made his way around the truck.

Which it was. He'd taken extra care to make sure his truck was clean in preparation for today, and had even hung an air freshener from his rearview mirror along with the various bits of sea glass and seashells that were already there.

Jeremiah: "Hey I've got a question." he says when Tristan joins him in the truck. "Why can people hear the ocean in seashells? What's that about?"

Tristan: "It's not really the ocean," Tristan said as he pulled onto the road. "It's the ambient noise resonating inside the walls of the shell. The pitch of the sound depends on the size of the shell, how much air is in it, that kinda thing. But, boring facts aside, that resonating happens to sound like waves crashing on a shore."

Jeremiah: "Hey! That's so not boring." He got comfortable in the seat, looking at the other. "Pretty cool, and sad. People think they're hearing something... big and open but they're really just hearing a small little shell. It's like... the illusion of freedom."

Tristan: "I think it's just this very human need to inject wonder into our everyday lives. It's sad if that's the only source of wonder in someone's life, though."

Jeremiah: Hmm...

"I think that's good. The injecting wonder into the mundane part. Like, there's nothing wrong in being amazed by everything. Look at this truck! How awesome is it that all you have to do is push your feet and move your arms and this super heavy piece of machinery does what you tell it to?! And how cool is it that your phone is literally just wires and electricity and you can TALK TO PEOPLE INSTANTLY?!"

Tristan: No one on earth would be short of wonder in their lives with Jeremiah around. His sense of wonder was healthy enough for ten people.

"You're absolutely right. We're literally living in the future we imagined as children. We've got electric cars and VR videogames and huge, colorful cities, and bullet trains and AI."

Jeremiah: "And yet we STILL haven't found a way to keep boats from tipping over when waves are a bit big!"

Tristan: "Ah well, Mother Nature can't be contained with technology."

Jeremiah: "What about with hover boats?"

Tristan: “Those defy physics.”

Jeremiah: "In WHAT WORLD?"

Tristan: “In this one,” he chuckled. “Mother Nature doesn’t keep you on the ground, gravity does.”

Jeremiah: "Listen. The more you learn about science, the less you know and understand. The possibilities are endless. Hover boats will totally be a thing one day!"

Tristan: “They kind of are. Don’t know if they actually hover but they’re called hover boats.”

Jeremiah: LOUD GASP.

"GET ONE!!"

Tristan: “I’d have nowhere to put it! Or any use for it for that matter.”

Jeremiah: "NO USE FOR A HOVER BOAT?!"

Tristan: "I already have a ship and a car!" he laughed. "Got land and water travel covered."

Jeremiah: "What about air travel, Tristan? What. About. That?!"

Tristan: “Plane.”

Jeremiah: "And DO you have a plane?!"

Tristan: “No, but it’s super easy to get a plane ticket whenever I need to fly somewhere, which is almost never.”

Jeremiah: "That's not the same. Soz, dude."

Tristan: Tristan laughed. “Be that as it may, I don’t think the hover boats we currently have actually fly. I think they float like...an inch off the ground?”

Jeremiah: "Huh. I wonder how much power it takes just to float an inch above the ground. They should make salt-water fueled boats and wind-powered airplanes. That just makes SENSE."

Tristan: “It does. But the people in charge rarely do things that make sense.”

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gasped, "Don't talk about the people in charge!" He whispered, "They're probably listening right now!"

Tristan: “You’re right,” Tristan whispered back. Then, at normal volume, “I mean of course they made the right decisions! And so smart too!”

Jeremiah: "SO SMART, WOW I WISH I COULD BE THEM. SO MUCH RESPECT."

Tristan: “Right? I feel so safe all the time!”

Jeremiah: "I don't know about you, but I never ever cover my laptop webcam with tape because of how safe I feel. Also Black Mirror should be cancelled."

Tristan: “Well of course not, there’s definitely not some random FBI dude watching our every move. Completely insane. Black Mirror is trash TV.”

He was trying his best not to laugh as he parked in front of the bakery.

Jeremiah: Jeremiah grinned tapped his index to his lips. Yep! Keep it shtum!

He stretched when the car parked and went to open the car door. "Is she already here?"

Tristan: “Um....” Tristan got out and looked around for his mom’s little convertible. “No, not yet. Let’s grab a table. Inside or out?”

Jeremiah: "Uhhhhh INSIDE 'cause otherwise you have to deal with flies!"

Tristan: “Inside it is,” he said with a grin.

The door was held open for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah: "Damn, you really know how to treat a lady!" His smile matched Tristan's as he entered and looked around.

Tristan: “I try my best. Hey, Laura!” he called to the woman behind the counter.

“Hi! I’m out of blueberry muffins, you have to wait for the next batch.”

“And my mama says she knows me better than I know myself.”

Laura chuckled. “Your mama stopped feeding you breakfast every day. Sit, I’ll bring you some coffee.”

“Coffee and...” Tristan turned to Jeremiah. “What would you like to drink?”

Jeremiah: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tristan is a blueberry muffin man!! Muffins must look so small in his big beefy fisherman hands.

"A STRAWBERRY MILKSHA- I mean. Coffee. Pfft. I'm an adult. Coffee. Tea. Water. Taxes. I'm-" gonna go sit down now.

Tristan: Laura's face was a mixture of confusion, amusement of delight as she looked to Tristan for some clarification.

"Two coffees and a glass of orange juice," he said, following Jeremiah to the table.

Jeremiah: .............. Dammit Jeremiah doesn't LIKE coffee!

"So excited about my coffee." he sat down and folded and refolded the napkin. "So - such a - coffee. Caffeine. Because I don't have enough energy naturally."

Tristan: Tristan just grinned and watched Jeremiah be flustered for a little bit.

"Coffee's for my mama. Ordered you juice."

Jeremiah: "... Oh. Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Thanks." he pushed the napkin aside. "I lied, I don't like coffee and I'm not an adult, I'm sorry."

Tristan: "No problem. I don't think I count as an adult either so don't even worry about it."

Jeremiah: "Really?! Do you watch cartoons?"

Tristan: "Old ones, yeah. Looney Tunes, Yogi, that kinda thing."

Jeremiah: "Awwww that's cute. Little blueberry muffin man."

Tristan: "Wait, what?" he chuckled. "Little blueberry muffin man?"

Jeremiah: "Yeah! Didn't that individual over there say you're basically addicted to blueberry muffins?"

Tristan: "Addicted is a strong word. I just have one a minimum of three times a week and prefer them over all other muffins."

Jeremiah: "That's just what an addict would say!" Jeremiah placed a hand on Tristan's, "It's okay. We'll get you help."

Tristan: He laughed. "Just wait until you see these muffins, you'll understand completely."

That was the sight Meg walked in on. Her son's happy, laughing face as a handsome man she didn't recognize touched his hand.

Could this be...?

"Oh, hey, Meg!"

Laura's voice turned her attention away at the same moment it drew Tristan's away from his companion.

"Hey, ma!"

Jeremiah: Jeremiah looked up, standing with a smile.

"Hi!" he waved, "I'm Jeremiah, the homeless guy."

Tristan: Oh, goodness, there was a lot to process here. Focus, Megan, she told herself.

"Hello, Laura! And hello to the two of you!"

She approached the table and held out a hand to Jeremiah. "I'm Meg, the fisherman's mama. And I'd say you're far from homeless, the Wayside is lovely. Lovely but not a permanent home." She sat in the chair Tristan pulled out for her and kissed his cheek in greeting.

Jeremiah: Jeremiah hesitated but didn't want to be rude. He'll just ignore the visions. He can do it!!! He took her hand and shook it, smiling widely at them both.

"Awwww." He said to the little kiss, "I won't say that I'm jealous out loud but just know that I totally am. Parent kisses are the best kisses." He returned to his seat. "Did you have to travel far to get here?"

Tristan: Meg smiled. "Well all of Tristan's friends have called me mama for as long as I can remember so if the spirit moves you, go on and do the same." She shook her head. "Not at all, my house isn't too far off the square. Ya'll been waiting long?"

Tristan shook his head. "Nope, just got here a little while ago. Ordered you coffee. Here it comes now."

"Aw, thank you, baby. And thank you, Laura."

"No problem!" Laura set down two mugs of coffee and a giant glass of orange juice for Jeremiah. "What are ya'll having this morning?"

Jeremiah: Mama?? Jeremiah probably took that a little too to heart. He had never had a mother. He wondered what it was like.

"Thank you!!! Do you do waffles?!" The deep train of thought came to an abrupt stop at the thought of food.

Tristan: Laura grinned. "Yes, we do, and let me tell you I fought hard for them to be on the menu. We do them topped with powdered sugar and your choice of fruit."

Jeremiah: "Well then you're an ANGEL and I choose strawberries and you're the ruler of all the land. Also this orange juice is the best thing I've ever had and I haven't even tasted it yet, I just know."

Tristan: Watching Laura's reaction was like a flashback to watching Elsie's. Her face lit up and her cheeks colored ever so faintly.

"Goodness! You just made my whole entire week!" she chuckled. "You're getting a whole heap of strawberries." She turned to Tristan. "Your weight in blueberry muffins for you." Not a question, a statement that went uncontested by Tristan. "And for you, Meg?"

"Give me one of the cheese souffles."

"All rightie, will do. Back in a sec."

Jeremiah: "A cheese soufflé?? That's a thing?" Whispered to Meg, as if it was a secret.

Tristan: She nodded. "Not just a cheese souffle. A four cheese souffle."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gasped. "People who are lactose intolerant must seriously hate it."

Tristan: "They really must. It's a shame, really. They're missing out."

Jeremiah: "I bet it's delicious. I hope you enjoy it!"

Tristan: "You should try it sometime! They make one with spinach, too."

Jeremiah: "I will! Will you come back here with me so I can? Wouldn't feel right without you. It would be like... if there was a bunch of leaves everywhere but no trees. Just wrong. And kinda scary."

Tristan: Another one bites the dust, Tristan thought, smiling as he watched his mother be utterly charmed by Jeremiah. The sunshine man had a real talent for that.

"Aren't you the sweetest? Where on earth did Tristan find you? All his friends are salty sailors."

Jeremiah: "It was my birthday so I was having a birthday meal and Tristan got sat next to me and told me happy birthday and I said 'you too' and then died and came back to life."

Tristan: Meg laughed, not unkindly. "Well it's good someone finally said it to him. He forgets it every other year."

Jeremiah: "FORGETS his birthday?" He looked at Tristan incredulously.

Tristan: Tristan squinted at his mother before saying, "I'm a busy man! Days start to blur when you have to get up before the asscrack of dawn every day."

Jeremiah: "When is it??" He brought out his phone so that he could make a note in his calendar.

Tristan: “March fifteenth,” said Tristan. “I get all the Caesar jokes.”

Jeremiah: "Wait... we met on February 28th... and it's been... so your birthday is..." He counts on his fingers.

Tristan: “In a couple of days,” Meg supplied.

Jeremiah: "OH MY - WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO FOR IT?! Or, y'know. What are you gonna do for it? I totally don't expect to be invited if you do something, even though I would definitely day yes, but you gotta do something!"

Tristan: Meg chuckled and looked at her son. “Go on, Tristan. Tell him what you’re gonna do for your birthday.”

“.....Work.”

Jeremiah: The light in Jeremiah's eyes died. He picked up his orange juice and leaned back in his seat, sipping and judging Tristan at the same time.

Tristan: “Aw, come on now. Tourist season is upon us, people are placing bigger orders.”

Jeremiah: "Theeeeeen let me help! One more person would make the whole thing quicker, right? We can do it, you can get off work earlier and celebrate without missing out!"

Tristan: “I can’t ask you to work for me on my birthday.”

“Just bother him until he takes the day off,” Meg offered. “He gets real annoyed if you send him multiple texts in a row.”

Jeremiah: Jeremiah laughed, "What?! I always send like a thousand in one go! I must seriously piss you off. Oops - sorry!" He covered his mouth, looking at Meg. "Ironic that I have the sailor mouth, huh?"

Tristan: “Oh honey, you’re fine, I’ve heard worse. The kind of texts I’m talking about aren’t multiple helpful texts.” She smiled at her son’s glare. “They’re the kind where you send one for every word in a sentence.”

Jeremiah: "I mean... I definitely do that. Do you hate me, Tristan?!" He gasped. "You should take the day off work on your birthday to decide whether or not you hate me. The fishes will still be there the next day."

Tristan: Tristan shook her head. “Nope. You’re nowhere near her level. She’s an English major, she finds the most complicated way to structure a sentence and then goes and sends me texts that only have a comma. She’ll break you.”

Jeremiah: Jeremiah grinned. "Please do it to me!"

Tristan: “Look what you did, Megan.”

Meg burst out laughing.

Jeremiah: Fear and confusion flashed over Jeremiah's face. He was ready to clear the table so that her swing wouldn't knock anything other... but she... laughed...

White people... are wild...

"Did y- did- uh-" he's broken.

Tristan: “Mama has a troll sense of humor, forgive her.”

“I hang around college students all day, blame them.” She smiled at Jeremiah. “I would love to send you whole sentences in individual texts. I also still say you should talk Tristan into taking his birthday off.”

Jeremiah: He leaned across the table and whispered to her, "Do you think I have that kind of power? With great power comes great responsibility..."

Tristan: She nodded. “I really think you do. I believe in you.” Look how much you already make him smile and laugh, she added in her head.

Jeremiah: He hummed and leaned back.

"Sir Tristan! I now declare you not working on your birthday!" He grabs a napkin and pretends to bang it on the table. "COURT ADJOURNED!"

Tristan: Tristan gave a good-natured chuckle. He should’ve known her mom would take to Jeremiah enough to gleefully enter into cahoots with him.

“What if I take a half day?”

Jeremiah: "Then I'll work with you. Is that what you want? Really? I'll end up making friends with the fish or feeling bad for them and sending them back in the water. You might as well take the whole day."

Tristan: "A couple of hours early in the morning then. I have traps I need to bait and check."

Jeremiah: "Can't the dude you work with do it?"

Tristan: "I'm the one with the ship."

Jeremiah: "What's the worst that could happen if you didn't work at all?"

Tristan: "Well..." Okay, you got him there.

Jeremiah: Jeremiah slyly offered his hand down the side of the table for Meg to give him a low high five.

Tristan: She grinned and high-fived him as Laura came over with their breakfast.

"Here we go. Waffle with strawberries, blueberry muffin, and four cheese souffle. Ya'll need anything else?"

Jeremiah: "Yaaaaaay!" He made room for everyone's food. "WAIT! You gotta put a candle in the muffin, it's almost Tristan's birthday!"

Tristan: "Aww, did he actually remember this year?"

Jeremiah: "Yep! He even got the day off."

Tristan: "Well how about that! I'd say that earns him a candle. Any preference?" she asked Tristan.

"Surprise me." Might as well lean into it.

"Will do."

Jeremiah: "Yaaaaaaay..." Jeremiah quietly cheered, clapping a little.

Tristan: Tristan smiled. "Proud of yourself?"

Jeremiah: "VERY."

Tristan: Tristan and Meg both laughed. "At least there's that."

Laura returned with a candle shaped like a mermaid tail. "Felt appropriate," she said, sticking it in the muffin and lighting it with a lighter she'd also brought with her. "Make a wish and blow it out."

Jeremiah: Ooooh, yeeeees! Jeremiah clapped more. A wiiiiiish! Yaaaay!

Tristan: Tristan thought for a moment and blew out the candle, while Meg and Laura joined Jeremiah in his quiet applause.

"Did you make it a good one?" Meg asked.

"Tried to. We'll see if it comes true."

Jeremiah: "WHAT WAS IT?! Wait don't tell me!" He covered his ears.

Tristan: He laughed. "You wouldn't wanna hear it anyway, it's boring."

Jeremiah: "Is it about fish?"

Tristan: "Nope, not about fish."

Jeremiah: "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm weather? More muffins?!"

Tristan: "You told me not to tell!" he chuckled.

Jeremiah: Dammit!

"I WAS JUST TESTING YOU." nice save. Now eat your waffle, Jer.

Tristan: "Uh huh, sure." He grinned as he took a giant bite of muffin and proceeded to sigh happily.

Jeremiah: He tucks in, making a similar noise of pleasure.

"Laura you're the best!!"

Tristan: "Thanks, honey!" Laura called from the counter.

Jeremiah: He gave a thumbs up in her general direction before continuing to chow down.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Literally the reason we're here. You think you've found me a place?"

Tristan: "Oh! Yes." Meg nodded and set her fork down for a moment. "I have a few potentials, one of which I strongly advise against unless you're willing to take the risk. Charlie Brandt, the owner of O'Charlie's bar, has a little 'apartment' above his garage that he's renting."

Tristan immediately shook his head. "No, not there."

Meg nodded, that's the one I was going to advise against."

Jeremiah: "... Why not there? Who's Charlie Brandt, the owner of O'Charlie's bar?"

Tristan: "Let's just say it's the grossest and shadiest bar in Edenton. Charlie himself isn't that much better."

Jeremiah: "... It's uh- it's gonna be a hard pass on that one, Meg. What else ya got?"

Tristan: She nodded. "I figured. Another possibility is renting one of the smaller cabins that are scattered around here. The man who owns them all isn't that fussy, he just cares that your rent is paid on time."

Jeremiah: "Where are they?"

Tristan: "Scattered near the coast and around the woods," said Tristan.

Jeremiah: "Like a dead body?" He whispered.

Tristan: "I promise there are no dead bodies, sunshine man. Just pretty, peaceful cabins in your choice of scenery."

Jeremiah: "A cabin. In the woods. There's LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF HORROR MOVIES ABOUT THAT!"

Tristan: "They're not murdery, they're nice. Lots of people rent all year, plenty of people nearby."

Jeremiah: "... What's the other option?"

Tristan: "Third option is an apartment. There's a complex of outdoor apartments that might work. But honestly, I'd go for one of the cabins. One of the ones near the beach if you don't like the woods. They a little bigger and more private. But of course, the choice is yours."

Jeremiah: "Oooh a beach! That could be cool?" He was looking to Tristan for approval.

Tristan: "I'd go for that, too. Mind you the ones I've seen aren't right on the beach. Ultimately, price is the deciding factor."

"Price wise Charlie wins by a longshot," said Meg. "But once again, no offense to Charlie, I don't think that's a good idea."

Jeremiah: "... Oh." Uh... "I don't really have... that much."

Tristan: "In that case, I have another potential. One I was only going to bring up if I liked you, which I do."

Jeremiah: "Awww, yay! What is it?"

Tristan: Meg smiled. "I have a spare room I've been thinking about renting. I don't have any pets, I don't smoke, my neighborhood is friendly, quiet, and nice. I tend to stay up late to grade papers but my home office is in my garage which I converted years ago so the light and noise doesn't reach the bedrooms. If you feel comfortable--and feel free to think about it--you are welcome to rent the spare room."

Jeremiah: "Wh..." He blinked. "I mean I - for now at least I can't pay you by card, and..." He scratched his head, "would you be okay with that?" Asked to both Tristan and Meg.

Tristan: "Card or cash doesn't matter to me. I'd actually prefer cash, cards annoy me. And I'd be willing to discount your rent if you agree to mow the lawn. Those are my terms."

Jeremiah: .... Tristan???? This offer is sounding really good???? Are you okay with this???

Tristan: Tristan simply smiled. He wasn't even surprised; this was exactly the type of thing his mother had done all his life. Probably all her life.

All he said was, "Her yard isn't too big, it's a good deal. And there's always cookies in the cookie jar."

Jeremiah: "YOU HAD ME AT COOKIES. I'd love to! I swear I'll be SUPER clean! Thank you so much!"

Tristan: Meg laughed. "All right, good. I was serious about the lawn thing. I will discount your rent to avoid ever touching the lawn mower again."

Jeremiah: "I'm crazy clums- I mean. I'm epic at mowing. I promise you won't regret this! Yay! Thank you!"

Tristan: "I believe in you, sunshine man," Tristan said with a smile.

"I do, too."

Jeremiah: 'Awww. Gonna make me blush."

Tristan: "It's a risk we're going to have to take." Meg finished off her coffee just as Laura swept by with another. "Just let me know when you wanna come see it and then move in."

Jeremiah: "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh now? Wait, this isn't like a Get Out kinda situation, is it?"

Tristan: "Sure, we can do it today," she chuckled. "What's Get Out?"

Jeremiah: "You haven't seen Get Out?!"

Tristan: "Name doesn't ring a bell."

Jeremiah: "Guess when we're living together we're gonna have to have loads of movie nights, huh? And Tristan can come! Have you seen Get Out?"

Tristan: "No, but I can tell you now you're neeeever gonna get her to watch it. Megan don't do horror movies."

"It's a horror movie!?"

Tristan smiled and gestured as if to say 'see?'.

Jeremiah: "ACTUALLY according to the Oscars or whatever some people think it's a comedy so you're okay!"

Tristan: Meg squinted. "But is it really a comedy?"

Jeremiah: "To... some people. Some parts. Kinda."

Tristan: "I'm gonna have to disappoint you, honey. Can't do it."

Jeremiah: "Even if Tristan holds your hand?!"

Tristan: "Tristan thinks it's hilarious to see me suffer during horror movies."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gasped.

"Bad son!" He threw a napkin at him. "Actually I need that--" he's gonna have to reach over and get it. Waffles get messy.

Tristan: "I do not think it's hilarious to see her suffer," he chuckled, offering Jeremiah a clean napkin. "I just think it's funny when teeny little things make her jump."

Jeremiah: He took the napkin and shook his head. "I'll protect you, Meg!"

Tristan: “I couldn’t even watch those parody versions of scary movies. But I will give it exactly one try. And I reserve the right to go hide in my room.”

Jeremiah: "... We also have to have ice cream with us."

Tristan: “Oh there’s always ice cream in my house.”

Jeremiah: "We're gonna be best friends, Meg."

Tristan: "I rather think we are. Oh, almost forgot. My house pretty much doubles as a library at this point so you're free to borrow any and all of my books."

Jeremiah: "What kind of stuff do you read?"

Tristan: "Biographies, poetry, sci-fi, classics, plays, you name it."

"And, get ready for the ironic twist of the century," Tristan deadpanned around a bite of muffin. "She has a dedicated section of horror novels."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah laughed, "Aweeeesome! I'm super into philosophy and science and comic books! Do you read any comics? Oh! What's your favorite horror book and did you see the movie for it if it had one??"

Tristan: "Frankenstein, and yes, I've seen nearly all the adaptations of it. I've also read a number of graphic novels, but not really comics like the ones Tristan read when he was younger. I don't share the public's infatuation with superheroes."

Jeremiah: "Ooooooh shit. Oops, sorry!" Bad, Jer! Bad! "You don't?? You know I'm a superhero?"

Tristan: "You're fine," Meg chuckled, leaning back in her seat with her coffee now that she'd finished her souffle. She really was having a lovely time, and was so far pleased with her decision to bring up her spare room for rent.

There was always a chance it wouldn't work out, of course, but she doubted it wouldn't. Jeremiah seemed like a truly lovely man to know.

"Really, a superhero? What powers and qualifications do you possess?"

Jeremiah: "It's a secret... but I'm awesome." He wasn't exactly joking, but he wasn't exactly being direct, either... He had woken up to a strange man bestowing powers upon him. He didn't know what he was meant to do with them yet, but he's sure they held some greater purpose.

Tristan: “I thought superheroes were supposed to keep their identities a secret,” Tristan said with a grin. “He said I had to get to level 5 friend before he told me his powers.”

“Oh?” Meg smiled as well. “What level is he currently at?”

Jeremiah: "Hmmm... three. Not long left, but there's some room for improvement."

Tristan: “I’m already at three? That’s good progress. How did I get that high?”

Jeremiah: "You watched Star Wars with me and offered to help me find a place to live." Those are obviously on par.

Tristan: “That’s what any friend would do, regardless of clearance level.”

Jeremiah: "But you did it the first time you met me."

Tristan: “Call it small town hospitality.”

Jeremiah: "I've been in this town for fifty years and nobody else has done that!"

Tristan: Tristan laughed. “Fifty, huh?”

Jeremiah: He put on his best old man voice and trembled, "I'm old!"

Tristan: “Oh yeah, you’re ancient.”

Meg shook her head at them. “How long have you been here Jeremiah?”

Jeremiah: "I don't..." he laughed anxiously. "I don't remember."

Tristan: “Feels that way sometimes, doesn’t it?” She sighed wistfully. “Time feels like it moves slower here.”

Jeremiah: He rubbed his arm. Yeah. Let's go with that. He smiled sadly and finished off his food.

Tristan: Meg studied Jeremiah for a moment. She'd only known him for about an hour but already she could tell that wasn't his usual smile.

"Do you have family in the area?"

Jeremiah: "Uh... no." He twirled his fork anxiously.

Tristan: She gave him a sympathetic look. “That must be hard. But for what it’s worth, you’ve got us now.”

Jeremiah: He smiled, scratching his head. "Awww, don't make me cry in public!"

Tristan: She just laughed. “I mean it. Just call me mama.”

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gasped in excitement, "I've never had one of those before! I mean, y'know, apart from I obviously have some kind of mother. I'm not a test tube baby... that I know of. But, like, in the concept sense of a mother - growing up with one. In the grand scheme of things."

Tristan: Tristan was having real trouble not smiling. "He has two dads," he said, simplifying.

"Gotcha," Meg chuckled. "Well now you have a mama, too. My first act as your surrogate mama is to ask how your breakfast is. Good waffles?"

Jeremiah: "Delicious!" He grinned. "How's your orange thing I forgot the name of?!"

Tristan: "The souffle? Incredible. Josie--Laura's mama--really knows how to bake. Everything they sell is delicious."

Jeremiah: "Aww sweet! How's your muffin, Muffin Man?"

Tristan: Tristan just sighed contentedly in response. While the two of them had been talking Laura had brought him his second muffin and he was already halfway through it.

Jeremiah: With another laugh Jeremiah nodded. "I'm happy for you and your muffins."

Tristan: “So am I,” he said with a grin. “Want one?”

Jeremiah: "Ohhhh nooo I couldn't poooooss- yes, yes I do."

Tristan: “Laura! Can we get another muffin?”

“You haven’t even finished that one!”

“It’s for Jeremiah!”

“Oh, okay, I’ll bring it right over.”

Jeremiah: "Thaaaaaaaank yoooooooou!" He called out to her.

Tristan: "You're welcome, honey," she said, coming over with the muffin. "Anyone want more juice or coffee?"

"Coffee," said Tristan.

Jeremiah: "Uhh no thanks! I'm god - good. Not God. Yet. Wait is that blasphemy? I'M GOOD."

Tristan: "For what it's worth, I think we'd be better off if you were God," Laura said as she walked back to the counter. "Did you want any coffee, Meg?"

"I'm good, darlin'."

Jeremiah: Oh, that's an interesting compliment. He smiled at Tristan, as if silently asking how he felt about the whole God matter.

Tristan: Tristan found himself agreeing with Laura, although the only outward sign of that was a smile.

“Try the muffin, sunshine man. I promise your life will never be the same.”

Jeremiah: "YOU TRY THE MUFFIN." He was objecting for no reason other than to object. He'll reach out and break a little piece off to try anyway.

Tristan: He laughed. “What a contrary superhero we have. Whatcha think?”

Jeremiah: "Mmmmmmmmmmm OH! YOU KNOW WHAT THIS NEEDS?! WARM CUSTARD!!"

Tristan: "Laura makes really good custard," said Meg. "I think she only makes it in tart form though."

Jeremiah: "DIP THE MUFFIN INTO THE TART."

Tristan: Meg gave a sage nod. "Genius. Laura, honey, can you bring us a custard tart?"

"Coming right up!"

Tristan couldn't help but laugh again. "This has got to be the most unhealthy breakfast in the history of the universe."

Jeremiah: "YOU'RE WELCOME! Happy birthday!" He grinned and put his hands in the shape of a heart.

Tristan: "Thank you," he chuckled, finishing off his own muffin and his coffee as Laura brought Jeremiah his custard tart.

Jeremiah: "Thank you, Queen!" He pushed it closer to Tristan. "You try it first."

Tristan: "The tart or the dunking the muffin into the tart?"

Jeremiah: "Dunking. Dunk away, sir!"

Tristan: "All right." Tristan grabbed a piece of muffin and dunked--more like scooped really--into the tart. The grin that broke out across his face when he tried it was instantaneous and blinding. "Holy shit. That's so fucking good."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah laughed. "RIGHT?! Come with me and you'll see a world of pure imagination I guess?" It was his turn! Yum, yum.

Tristan: "Done. Got any other brilliant food ideas?"

Jeremiah: "Uhhhhh......................... OH! CANDY! ADD SUGARY CANDY TO IT!"

Tristan: Meg shook her head. "You two are going to have so many cavities."

Jeremiah: "WORTH IT! Try it, Meg?"

Tristan: "The dunking or whatever sugary candy concoction you're dreaming up?"

Jeremiah: "Dunking!"

Tristan: "I'll try a dunk." Which she reacted to in nearly the same way as her son.

"Next time I make muffins I'm making custard to go with them."

Jeremiah: "This is why you should always listen to random people you meet on their birthday after you've been attacked by the ocean."

Tristan: "That's a damn good quote for one of those inspirational posters."

Jeremiah: "You gonna make one?" He smiled, getting more custard and muffin into his face hole.

Tristan: "My artistic talents aren't good enough to make one."

Jeremiah: "I believe in yoooooooou - HOM." he stuffed his face.

Tristan: Tristan laughed and shook his head. “Thanks, sunshine man. Maybe I will one day.”

Jeremiah: He giggled with his mouth full. "Good! I'll be counting the days."

Tristan: "Just don't count too many." Maybe he could get someone else to make it, give it to Jeremiah as a surprise.

Jeremiah: "I can't count past twelve so you're okay."

Tristan: "Okay," Tristan chuckled. "I'll be right back."

He slipped away to the counter to pay before either of them could stop him.

Jeremiah: "Okay!" Jeremiah doesn't notice, he immediately starts having a chat with Meg about... nothing in particular.

Tristan: Meg noticed, but she said nothing. Just smiled and talked to Jeremiah until Tristan came back.

"Ya'll ready to go?" he asked. "Jeremiah's got a house to get acquainted with."

Jeremiah: "Yeah!" He grinned, standing. "I bet the hotel is gonna be SUPER glad to get rid of me."

Tristan: "You kidding? They'll be devastated."

Jeremiah: "No way. They're totally betting on how long I'll end up staying there for... maybe I should enter the bet and then take all of their money!"

Tristan: Tristan laughed. It...actually wouldn’t surprise him at all if the inn staff had a pool going. He knew for a fact they’d had them before.

“You’re too sweet to bet on. They know a good guest from a bad one, trust me.”

Jeremiah: "Sweet? You're full of compliments, Tristan. You're like a compliment machine- oh! They should SO have those! I bet everyone would want one!"

Tristan: "You know, they really should," said Meg. "Maybe you can invent the first one ever and make your fortune on making people smile."

Jeremiah: "THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! Gotta think of some good compliments though. Hmm.... oh! I can use inspiration from people around me..." he pointed at Tristan, "You're the type of person other people appreciate." then at Meg, "You're the type of person other people can rely on." he pointed at Laura, "You're the type of person who brings other people delicious food! Without you we'd be hungry!" he laughed, "I'm good at this!!"

Tristan: Tristan just smiled. "Yeah, he's going to make ten billion dollars without breaking a sweat."

"Ten? Don't be silly. Twenty, easily."

Jeremiah: "Twenty?? Who needs THAT much money. I'll give it all to Laura."

Tristan: "I knew you looked like an angel," came Laura's voice from somewhere in the kitchen.

Jeremiah: "Awwww. That's gotta be blasphemous."

Tristan: “God’ll forgive me. I make the communion wafers.”

Jeremiah: "So you're gonna turn his son into a wafer and you think that'll earn you points? Nu-uhhh."

Tristan: “Other way around,” Meg chuckled. “The wafer becomes his son. I think. I don’t know. Point is, you’re very sweet for giving Laura your imaginary twenty billion dollars.”

Jeremiah: "The secret catch is..." He whispered, "I want a lifetime supply of waffles."

Tristan: Meg laughed. “I say that’s a fair trade. Mine aren’t as good as Laura’s, but if you’re lucky I might make us some waffles for breakfast sometime.”

Jeremiah: "Ooooooh! Breakfast AND a bed all in one place - OH MY GAH - THAT'S WHERE 'BED AND BREAKFAST' COMES FROM!"

Tristan: She laughed again. “Exactly. Just with less cat themed decor. Oh! Speaking of, are you allergic to them? There’s a feral one that kinda lives in my yard.”

Jeremiah: "Uhhhhhhhhhh...." Is he allergic to cats...? "I don't... think so."

Tristan: “Okay, good. He doesn’t really get close enough to pet or anything but it’s best to be safe.”

Jeremiah: "What's his name?"

Tristan: “He doesn’t have one. I just call him Cat.”

Jeremiah: He frowned. "How could you be so meaaaaan?"

Tristan: “Names have significance. I don’t know him well enough to choose one that suits him.”

Jeremiah: "Maybe that's exactly why you should name him! Something like... 'Mysterious'... 'Secat' (instead of secret. Get it? Get it?)"

Tristan: Meg smiled. "Maybe 'Mysterious' is too on the nose. We should scour movies, TV shows, and literature for a name."

Jeremiah: "Hmmmmmm.... What colour is the cat?"

Tristan: “Orange and white.”

Jeremiah: ".... Garfield?"

Tristan: "Sold," said Tristan. "He'll be Garfield the feral cat."

Jeremiah: "Yaaaas! We should get him a cute little hat too! With bells!"

Tristan: Tristan chuckled. "He doesn't let people near him, remember? No hats."

Jeremiah: "That's because you didn't name him! It will all change now."

Tristan: "You hold on to that hope."

Jeremiah: "What do we have if not hope?!"

Tristan: Meg nodded. "A very good point. Shall we go meet Garfield and your new home?"

Jeremiah: Gasp! "YES! Please! Yay! Thank you!"

Tristan: "All rightie, let's go."

"We'll follow you," said Tristan, getting to his feet. "Come on, sunshine man."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah stood, waving to Laura.

"BYE QUEEN!"

Tristan: "Bye, angel!"

Tristan chuckled and shook his head. "Got better game than every straight man in this town."

Jeremiah: "Game? Huh?"

Tristan: "You've managed to charm three women in the short time I've known you." He held the door open for Jeremiah and his mother.

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gestured for Meg to go first.

"I have literally NO idea what you're talking about. Did Laura put drugs in your muffin, Mr. Sailor Moon?"

Tristan: "The muffins are the drug, sunshine man."

Jeremiah: "Ooooh. I'm banning you from muffins! No more! Ever again! Muahahaha!"

Tristan: "I regret to inform you that your ban is not enforceable. See you in a bit, ma!"

He waved to his mother and opened the passenger door for Jeremiah.

Jeremiah: "Thank you kind gentleman," he grinned, stepping up into Tristan's truck. The moment the other sat down he had a question coming his way. "You won't mind if I live with her, right?"

Tristan: Tristan shook his head. "Not at all. I think it's great, actually. You'll like living with her."

Jeremiah: "Do you visit her a lot?"

Tristan: "As much as I can. I try to have dinner with her at least once a week."

Jeremiah: "Huh. Guess I'll be seeing you once a week."

Tristan: "Guess you will. How you feel about that?"

Jeremiah: For some reason, that question had him fidgeting with the seatbelt he hadn't yet put in place.

"Uhh why don't you tell me what you think I feel and I'll tell you if you're right?"

Tristan: That caught Tristan off guard. He could suddenly hear Ronan's voice in his head.

"Well..." He pulled onto the road. "I like to think we're becoming friends, so hopefully the thought of seeing me on a regular basis doesn't disgust you."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah laughed. "You're just trying to wiggle your way to level five to get to know my powers. I've unveiled your evil master plan! You can't slip anything past Doctor Jeremiah Jordan!"

Tristan: "Sure," he chuckled. "That's exactly what it is." He paused for a beat. "Seriously, though. You okay with seeing me all the time?"

Jeremiah: Why this weird tension? This weird ENERGY? Jeremiah could cut it with a knife. A huge knife! Not a butter knife - it would need to be a butcher's to get through this air.

"Why wouldn't I be? Like you said we're... friends. It's nice to be around someone familiar. You're the most familiar I've got."

Tristan: Tristan's expression softened. "I'm flattered, sunshine man," he said softly.

Jeremiah: "Whaaaaaat about you? You okay with seeing my epic face all the time?"

Tristan: "Of course. Still gotta get to level five."

Jeremiah: "You've got a lot more movie marathons to sit through before you get there!"

Tristan: "Bring it on. Next time we need popcorn and slushies."

Jeremiah: "Oooooh yaaaas. I looove the way you think!"

Tristan: “We can turn the living room into a movie theater, like my mom did for me when I was little.”

Jeremiah: "That's so cute!!! We HAVE to!! When??? Tomorrow! Your birthday!"

Tristan: "Well since I'm apparently taking the day off, my birthday seems like the perfect time. We also need pizza."

Jeremiah: "Yaaas, Tristaaaaan! You read my mind!"

Tristan: He laughed and turned onto his mother's street. "Might as well lean into my birthday festivities, right?"

Jeremiah: "Damn straight!" He wiggled in his seat. "Your car is so comfy. I could totally take a nap in here."

Tristan: "Well thank you. I've taken it camping a few times, makes a great tent."

Jeremiah: "Ohhhh I bet camping here is awesome! Like, the stars and stuff!"

Tristan: "It is, accounts for a good bit of the tourism. Used to camp out in the woods behind my mom's house all the time when I was a kid. Found a frog once."

Jeremiah: "There's a WOOD behind her house?! Can we camp there?! We SO should! Are there frogs? I feel like there would be frogs for some reason. Am I right? Do I have froggy-senses?"

Tristan: "There's a little creek that runs back behind there so yeah, there are some frogs. And we definitely should go camping."

Jeremiah: "Yay! That's awesome! When? Tomorrow? Your birthday?"

Tristan: Tristan laughed. "Why don't we leave all the fun stuff for my birthday?"

Jeremiah: "But then it will all be over in one day!"

Tristan: "There's no limit on camping trips and movie nights, sunshine man."

He pulled up in front of his mother's eclectic, colorful house.

Jeremiah: "Ooooooh. You're saying you wanna spend muuuuuultiple days with me, I s- is this it???? I'M GONNA BE LIVING IN, LIKE, A DREAM HOUSE!"

Tristan: That got another laugh. Jeremiah would consider this a dream house, with its myriad plants and garden gnomes and sun catchers and windchimes. It was distinctly bohemian, a reflection of the woman herself.

"Wait until you see the inside. No two rooms are the same color."

Jeremiah: "WELL THEN!" he opened the door and eagerly went to jump out, but his seatbelt caught him flung him back. "Argh! I'm trapped!"

Tristan: "Jesus, come here." He fought a laughing fit as he freed Jeremiah from his seatbelt. Never in his life did he'd encounter this situation in real life. "There you go. And there's mama," he added, nodding over to her approaching car.

Jeremiah: "Yay, my hero!" He hopped out of the car and shut the door behind him. "This place is awesome!"

Tristan: "Thank you, sweetie!" Meg called. "I agree. It's a mess of styles but it's my mess of styles. Come on, I'll give you the grand tour."

As stated, the house was much of a cheerful mess on the inside as it was on the outside. Books dominated rooms painted in soft earth tones and all sorts of knick-knacks and photos sat on nearly every surface. It was utter chaos, yet somehow neat. The house was pristine and the various mess carefully and deliberately organized.

"Tristan says he thinks this is what the inside of my head looks like," Meg was saying as she showed Jeremiah around. "I'm inclined to agree."

Jeremiah: Jeremiah would be amazed and captivated by every single detail in every single room. It was the type of utter chaos he could get on board with. It was new, different, exciting! He felt right at home already. It was incredible. He was... so... lucky. He couldn't remember any other home, not really. He remembered bits and pieces, he remembered rooms, but couldn't put them together.

This house... it would be his first house. This would be the first of many, perhaps... but this is where it would begin. This is where he would start to create memories. Hopefully these memories would last.

"That's so cool! Can I make my room look like the inside of my head? What would that even look like? Really dark and probably kinda gooey?"

Tristan: "Absolutely, go crazy! Hang up posters, get plants, make a fort, whatever you want. Make yourself at home."

Jeremiah: "A FORT!" he grinned at Tristan and tugged his sleeve, "Tristan, a FORT!"

Tristan: Tristan ginned. "Do it, sunshine man. Make a fort around your bed."

Jeremiah: "I WILL! CHALLENGE ACCEPTED - it will be the mightiest fort of all time!"

Tristan: "In that case you should see what you're working with," said Meg, opening the door to a bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor.

It boasted a big bay window, soft teal walls, and a queen-sized bed.

"This is it."

Jeremiah: "Oooooooooooooooooh! This is way too nice for me. We'll need to tone down the niceness by at least 40%."

Tristan: Meg laughed. "You kidding? This is the bare minimum. I've got some end tables in the attic that'll make great bedside tables. They don't match, but barely anything in this place does. One of them has a stained-glass top."

Jeremiah: "So fancy! I'll be sure to get a top hat so I can fit in."

Tristan: "Get outta here with your fancy, I got it at the flea market."

Jeremiah: Gasp! "You can afford FLEA MARKETS?!"

Tristan: "Oh yeah, we're living in the lap of luxury over here. More than half the furniture in this house came from flea markets."

Jeremiah: "Woooow. You never told me you were so fancy, Sailor Moon!"

Tristan: "Eh, I try to be modest. And get this, the furniture that isn't from the flea market is from garage sales."

Jeremiah: "Woahhh. I don't think I can stay here, sorry. Thanks for the offer but I'm just not comfortable living above my means."

Tristan: Meg laughed in utter delight. "Oh yeah, we're gonna get along just fine. You keep exploring. Tristan, come help me get the end tables."

Jeremiah: "Cool! Thanks!" Jeremiah would begin by sitting on his new bed.

Tristan: While they retrieved the furniture, Meg wasted no time in gushing to Tristan, utterly delighted with her decision.

"He's so sweet. He's gonna be a great roommate."

"Yes, he is."

"I'm glad you met him, you need more friends."

"Hey, I have friends."

"You need more friends who aren't Oliver and the cook at the Inn."

Jeremiah: If Ronan could hear the conversation he'd be offended. His name should definitely come before the Goddamn cook at the Inn! RUDE!

Jeremiah bounced a little on the bed before standing. He inspected the curtains with his fingers, felt the walls and drawers.

He was filled with sorrow that he couldn't share this with his fathers. He swallowed at the thought of moving forward with his life, this unfamiliar life.

Tristan: Tristan was also offended by this. "I have Ronan!"

"Ronan is married. You need single friends to do single man things with you."

He squinted at his mother. "You mean boyfriend."

"You said it, not me."

Tristan didn't get a chance to say anything else before Meg entered the room.

"We've got end tables!"

Jeremiah: At the sound of someone approaching Jeremiah quickly wiped his face. A smile followed a little sniffle.

"Cool! By the way, where should I leave my shoes? I still have them on but I know some people don't like other people wearing shoes in their house. Is it like a Leave-Them-By-The-Door kinda situation or a Take-Them-Off-Wherever, or?"

Tristan: "I don't mind either way. The floors are all hardwood so there's no worry about anything getting ruined."

Jeremiah: "Okay!" he stepped out of them and used his foot to push them aside neatly.

Tristan: Meg and Tristan each took an end table and arranged them beside the bed.

Meg looked at them thoughtfully. "You need lamps. I might have some of those up there, too. Be right back."

"And a mirror," Tristan called after her.

"Oh, I'll grab the one you made!"

Jeremiah: "Thank you!" he grinned, bouncing a little, "You MADE a mirror?"

Tristan: "Not the actual mirror, just the frame. Used driftwood and sea glass."

Jeremiah: "That's so cool! Are you SURE you want me to have it in my room?! I'm suuuuper clumsy!"

Tristan: "It'll be on the wall," he chuckled. "It'll be fine."

Jeremiah: "That's a lot of responsibility!"

Tristan: "I'll still read it to you. I've actually never read it so we'll both get to enjoy it."

Jeremiah: "Awww CUTE! Okay! You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Sailor-Moon. I'll buy the books... I've never read them either, I just know they're long."

Tristan: “That means we’ll have plenty of reading material. I recommend getting them from my friend’s store. Gotta support local businesses.”

Jeremiah: "Mmm tooooooottally. Plus... friend discount, right?!"

Tristan: "Yep. He calls it the childhood friend discount."

Jeremiah: "Sounds like we'll be spending a helllllllll of a lot of time together, huh?!"

Tristan: Tristan laughed. "Looks like. Gonna be able to handle seeing me that much?"

Jeremiah: "I could ask you the same thing, old man." he put his hand in a fist as if holding a microphone and moved it closer to Tristan, "Tell the audience, Mr. Sailor-Moon. How does it feel?!"

Tristan: "To be called Mr. Sailor Moon? Interesting to say the least. To be here with you? Great. To be helping you move? Also great."

Jeremiah: "Awww SO ROMANTIC!"

Tristan: He chuckled. "Yep, helping someone move is the absolute height of romance."

Jeremiah: "Daaaaaaaaaamn Tristan. ESPECIALLY moving in with his mom! You're just too good for me, I can't handle it!"

Tristan: Oh look, his face was starting to hurt from smiling again. “I’m a regular Mr. Darcy. I don’t know how I walk down the street with all the floating hearts and chirping birds I leave in my wake.”

Jeremiah: Jeremiah laughed but stopped just so he could jokingly gag.

"I'm more of a... Dorian Gray guy myself. Gotta have that bit of danger y'know? Corruption makes romance!"

Tristan: Danger was the last word on earth he would associate with Jeremiah, but he still smiled.

“Hopefully without the creepy secret painting.”

Jeremiah: "ESPECIALLY with the creepy painting. How dare you?!" Of course, he was being sarcastic.

Tristan: Tristan just grinned and shook his head. “We have interesting conversations, don’t we?”

Jeremiah: "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm nah. Ya basic."

Tristan: “I’m wounded to my very core.”

Jeremiah: "To YA BASIC core?!"

Tristan: “To the very core of my core.”

Jeremiah: "That one-" he went to poke Tristan's core only to- "woahhhh, dude!" Poke, poke, poke! "You're, like, Iron-Man! What the hell?!"

Tristan: Tristan had to laugh. “It’s all the manual labor.”

Jeremiah: "Sharing is caring you know! Spread some muscle around!"

Tristan: “You want my to share my manual labor?”

Jeremiah: "Uhhh I really don't. Just the benefits. Thanks!"

Tristan: “Sadly it doesn’t work that way, sunshine man.”

Jeremiah: "Then be GONE from my presence. I have to jump out of your car now, your muscles offend me."

Tristan: “I’ll throw on a burlap sack when we get to my mom’s.”

Jeremiah: "That would be nice of you, thank you. Think about other people when you go around like that! UGH!"

Tristan: “You’re completely right, I should be ashamed of myself.”

Jeremiah: "Uh huh. Now eat some cake and think about what you've done."

Tristan: “I accept my punishment,” he said with a sage nod.

Jeremiah: "Good 'cause I'm gonna get you SO much cake for your birthday."

Tristan: "I am but one man, there's a limit to how much cake I can eat."

Jeremiah: "Hmmmmmmmmmm OKAY! How about this: I will get... three cakes. Just three. If you eat them all - you have the whole day, so you don't have to do it in one sitting - then... uhhh... you get one wish!"

Tristan: "Three cakes? You have a very high opinion of my metabolism."

Jeremiah: "So does your big buff... booty? I COULDN'T THINK OF ANOTHER WORD BEGINNING WITH B."

Tristan: Tristan told himself not to read too much into that particular choice of words. "How about body?" he chuckled. "A bit obvious, I know."

Jeremiah: "... OH, DUH! How did I miss that?! Anyway. Deal or no deal, sir?!"

Tristan: He just smiled as he pulled and backed into his mother's driveway. "Deal."

Jeremiah: "Ssssshhhhweeeet. Imma tell your mama about it and she'll referee!"

Tristan: “She’ll referee my cake eating?”

Jeremiah: "Yeah. Who knows if you might try to cheat!"

Tristan: “I never cheat. Especially when ice cream cake is involved.”

Jeremiah: "Can I trust a man who's been hiding an eightpack this whole time?"

Tristan: “How have I been hiding it? I don’t think wearing clothes counts.”

Jeremiah: "Uhhhhhh PRETTY SURE IT DOES."

Tristan: "I call foul. I'm innocent on all hiding charges!"

Jeremiah: "How DARE you!!"

Tristan: "Oh, I dare. I dare so hard." He grinned as he got out of the truck.

Jeremiah: Jeremiah gasped as he followed, pointing at the other. "You ADMIT it! I'm sorry, Tristan. I'm gonna have to arrest you now."

Tristan: He laughed. "You're gonna arrest me, huh? Can't eat cake if I'm arrested."

Jeremiah: "I didn't realize every cake business in the universe would shut down if you went to prison! You must eat a LOT of cake if you're the one guy keeping them all open."

Tristan: He nodded with great emotion as he grabbed the box from the truck bed. "It's a heavy burden to carry but I do my best."

Jeremiah: "Awww." He went to do the same, taking the suitcase and what contained his laptop, "Not all heroes wear capes, some wear... uh... scuba gear? What do sailor's wear?? Those little white h- OHHH Em GEE. Do you have a little white hat?! I bet you look like a little puppy in it! PLEASE tell me that's a thing. If it isn't I know what I'm getting you for your birthday."

Tristan: Tristan laughed his head off all the way to the front door. "The only place I've seen those hats besides a box of Cracker Jacks is on Navymen. I just wear work clothes. Boots, gloves, that kinda thing. The only time I wear scuba gear is when I'm diving for fun or diving beneath the ship to clean her up."

Jeremiah: "You mean you don't have a uniform?! Boooooooor-RING."

Tristan: "It's about utility, sunshine man. You know how many pairs of pants I go through?"

Jeremiah: He laughed, "No!? How many?!"

Tristan: "Six so far this year."

Jeremiah: "... What the heCK do you do?" he knocked on the door with his elbow.

Tristan: "They get torn, they get stained, they get wet, they get mysterious marine stuff on them, so many things. I put my work clothes through the wringer. Gloves, too."

Jeremiah: "Huh. I bet you keep the uh... clothes-washing... people... in business. Y'know the ones I mean. With the machines!"

Tristan: "Why yes, I do keep myself in business. I do great work."

Jeremiah: "You wash it all yourself?"

Tristan: "Who else is gonna do it? Ma, we're back!"

"Okay!"

Jeremiah: "Woooow, impressive! You must be a pro at getting out mysterious marine stuff by now! You should start your own show. I'd totally tune in every week."

Tristan: "Oh, I definitely am. Wanna know my secret?"

Jeremiah: Gasp! He leaned in closer. "Yes."

Tristan: Tristan leaned in conspiratorially. "Irish Spring."

Jeremiah: "Eh??"

Tristan: "Irish Spring soap. That stuff can get out anything."

Jeremiah: "I've never even HEARD of it."

Tristan: "Seriously? It's all over the place. I get out the stains with that and some hot water and then toss whatever it is in the washing machine."

Jeremiah: "You'd make SUCH a good househusband."

Tristan: "Good? I'd be the BEST househusband," he declared as he started up the stairs.

Jeremiah: "Wait wait WOAH WAIT- what are your cooking skills like?"

Tristan: "Seafood wise? Excellent."

Jeremiah: "Hmm your husband will really have to get used to the smell of fish."

Tristan: "Well that's a given."

Jeremiah: "Maybe you should marry....... a merman!"

Tristan: He chuckled. "If there were any around these parts, I would've found them ages ago."

Jeremiah: "Take ALL the magic out of life, why don't you..."

Tristan: Another chuckle. "There might be one or two that managed to evade me. Hell, there might be a whole colony of them that's managed to live their lives without me ever so much as detecting their presence."

Jeremiah: "Let's hope that's true, Tristan!"

Tristan: “Let’s hope what’s true?” came Meg’s voice.

“Jeremiah thinks there are mermaids around here and that I should marry one.”

Jeremiah: "Yeah. Duh!"

Tristan: “I feel like my mermadic son-in-law would take issue with Tristan’s chosen profession.”

Jeremiah: "......................... Uhhhh... I didn't think about that!! Okay. Maybe some kind of pelican-man. Pelicans eat fish, right? I bet he'd appreciate it!"

Tristan: Tristan paused and turned to look at Jeremiah. "A pelican?"

Jeremiah: "... They're real right? Or was that just a thing for Finding Nemo?"

Tristan: "Oh my god, Jer. Yes, they're real. And real weird first choice for marine bird for me to marry."

Jeremiah: "... Is there a LESS weird option?!"

Tristan: "Ignoring the general weirdness of this conversation, there is a very obvious first choice, yeah."

Jeremiah: "... Like what? Owls don't eat fish, Tristan." DUH.

Tristan: "........Seagulls."

Jeremiah: Lips part and his back straightens. It's as if he has a response... but... "Fine. YOU WIN THIS ROUND. SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE... FISH-MAN. FISH- fisherman."

Tristan: Tristan just laughed and shook his head, continuing on to Jeremiah's room.

Jeremiah: Once in his new room he set everything down and collapsed back on the bed with a groan. "Arrrrrghhhhhhh so comfy!"

#Moving Day chapter #tristanseger #mournus

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kurojiri · 5 years

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He’s trying

Fandom(s): Iron Man (Movies); Marvel Cinematic Universe; Spider-Man: Homecoming Gen: Tony Stark & JARVIS; Tony Stark & FRIDAY; Tony Stark & Peter Parker Summary: Cooking, was unfortunately, not one his many skills he has padded down. Aka: 5 times Tony tries to cook alone + 1 time he didn't. Square Fill: Learning to Cook A/N: @iron-man-bingo Word Count: 2,776 Or read on ao3

“Sir?”

Besides the empty kitchen and with the windows wide open, Tony still found it hard to wake himself up properly. His head didn't ache nor had he drunk for the past two days, a record really, for a twenty-something old Tony Stark who had lived through so many parties and blackouts in the mornings. It had been one of those days when Tony Stark didn't know what to do with his life, he could return to his workspace and chose a random project to finish, or he could jot down a few new ideas to try out later but, instead he ended up in his kitchen. A place he didn't really do much there but had since he did eat occasionally when Rhodey had successfully managed something edible to end up inside his stomach.

A normal person would have had a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator but in Tony's case it had been mostly empty, save a few odd takeout stored in there. There had been some that should have been thrown out by now, but he didn’t pay attention to them just yet. He had spotted some eggs and butter and figured he might as well do something productive and virtually something unlike him as his stomach took cue to grumble out loud. Being sober had been bad enough that starvation wasn’t something he had been keen on either.

(How people could stand being sober for more than two days, Tony did not understand them.)

He took them out wordlessly before addressing his A. I who by then had shown some emotions that he did not remember programming him having.

“It's morning, right? So, breakfast should be eaten right now if I’m pretending to be a normal person.”

“Yes, sir. It is rational for a person to eat breakfast before starting their day. Shall I contact the usual to prepare you something?”

The eggs and butter were still out. Uncharacteristically, he shook his head. It still amazed him how he forgot how it felt to not have a huge headache because of alcohol. He had been going through a withdrawal last night, but his own body had shut down from the needed sleep his body craved, so he won that night. He didn’t think he could last to lunch. So, he figured he might as well try breakfast before he raided the vodka later.

“Nah, I think I’ll try to whip something up for myself before we admit defeat.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Definitely. I'm feeling like pancakes and some eggs. It can’t be that hard to do.” He strolled over to the pantry again to fetch the pancake mix and to some random bowls before getting started.

Ten minutes later after the fire burned most of his stove and 911 had been called, he ordered breakfast.

He tried. .

“JARVIS, how hot is it?”

The sun had been suspiciously killing him each time he woke up to sweaty clothes clinging to him. It had been worse when he had women over, the sheets didn’t welcome him when he woke up in those days. He probably spent most of his time in the shower where the cold water helped somewhat. California's summers were not his favorite times. Sure, there was a nonexistent winter in some parts but the summer was three-fourths prominent in his life.

“It is 99 degrees, with a chance of it reaching towards 104 later this afternoon.”

He whipped off the sweat from his brow as he whistled out loud his complaint. “Well shit. No wonders I’m sweating everywhere. That’s it I’m not going to work today or tomorrow. Pepper can pry off my sweaty ass from the shower if she really wants a go. But I’m not leaving.”

Ten minutes later after his first, but not last shower he walked over the refrigerator where there had been cold beers inside and ready for him to drink into oblivion. An odd watermelon had been in there too with sliced pieces in a large plate. He didn't remember ever eating them or buying one since he had left his family mansion. Tony didn’t know whether to hiss at the fruit or not for bringing up memories that should have not popped up in the first place. He did take out the plate and poked them. They were still freshly cut.

And too healthy for him to consume. That wouldn’t do. He needed nourishment and a buzz. “Hey, JARVIS give me some recipes for a fun treat with watermelon and with—” he spotted a couple of ingredients that he used on occasion with guest. “Tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice.”

“Right away Sir.”

When Pepper came later that day, she had not been shocked to him eating a watermelon popsicle with alcohol in it. She really couldn’t. At least the kitchen survived from Tony using it that day. .

He got sick.

That really had been the only reason why he didn’t drink for that week. It had been horrendous. 1000/10 would not recommend. Besides the runny nose, the clogged throat and fever that came and went the cold sweat was just plain disgusting. The shivers had been annoying too since had to keep call Pepper to order more blankets.

He was sure that Pepper was getting too fed up with random calls for soup or other shit he couldn’t remember asking with the hazy memory he had going. He blacked out some memories too as he woke up on a coach or inside his lab several times when he knew he had been sleeping in his room. Tony usually took really good care in having no sick people near him, and it had worked out perfectly for most his life. It seemed like he ran out of luck this season as the flu came in hard and fast.

He would give Pepper a raise once this flu left his body. “JARVIS, make a note of that.”

“Duly noted.”

It still didn’t change that he was sick, moaning and bitching in the middle of his living room. Watching TV barely kept his attention too when he had it turn on. The medicine didn’t really kick in until he reached the cooking channel. The image of a beef stew had made his stomach ache. And in some poor sad image, Tony wobbled to the kitchen where he promptly asked JARVIS to keep him company as well be his second command as he attempted to make the stew from memory. The fire department had been called twenty minutes later with a scolding Pepper right behind them.

Slightly nodding off but still very coherent to be awake, he had stumbled to the kitchen at three in the morning. His reflexes had been getting rusty since he passed late twenties, but he didn’t let that stop him from opening his freezer. It had been a long journey since the whole Iron-Man thing happened. JARVIS was gone and he needed to do something. Anything really with him not sleeping.

Pepper was not there, as she had to be the more responsible CEO and away for a business trip. Their penthouse was quite different from the tower and faculty where the rest of the odd man of Avengers went to. He didn’t know why he couldn’t sit still. Tony had meant it when he said he would not be Iron Man. He did want to branch away from it. And yet. There he was debating to order food from a 24/7 place or not.

The freezer didn’t hold anything that he really wanted, but there a premade lasagna. The box even had directions there for him to pop it inside an oven. Life should have been simple like that; having directions like food did. It would help make the world so much easier to navigate. And for someone like Tony, he needed an easy assignment or task to do since all that clusterfuck that came to be his life.

“Hey, Fri, can you be a good girl and preheat the oven for me.”

As he closed the freezer his A. I responded back. “Are you sure that is wise to do so boss? I have a protocol to alert Ms. Potts, Mr. Rhodes and any other person in proximity if you attempt to cook.”

That stung a bit that he didn’t have any support from his current A. I in his cooking. He was sure that JARVIS loved spending time with him when he tried to be domestic. Even if most of those times did involve other people watching him not burning a toaster. Or that he couldn’t eat anything that he did manage to create. It still meant a lot to him since he remembered the times, he did have the real Jarvis cooking for him since he never did like the way his nannies made him snacks or meals.

“Hey, I can make toast without breaking the toaster. And I’m a billionaire so, I can afford to remodel the kitchen any day, week and year without it being a problem.”

He ripped open the box and went over the oven. “Now, it's just a premade lasagna. It can’t be that hard to heat up.”

Over the other side of the country, Pepper woke up to the background noise of people talking and for some reason her gut knowing Tony had tried cook. How she knew, she didn’t bother dig deep as she heard Tony slowly explaining himself on the other end.

“So, turns out premade food is still a risky thing for me to do alone. Although, I blame FRIDAY’s negative feedback. It brought the moral down.”

“Tony.”

“I know. I know, don’t cook alone.” .

With drinking out of his life Tony Stark knew he needed to find better ways to use his time. Tinkering had always been his thing. And while sometimes they got him into trouble and had been a nasty habit to become obsessed with, cooking had been that weird zone where he did in small and rare times in his life. He never got good at it. (But somehow his life did end up with the fire departments that had been close to his California and New York home did get to know him.) Any practice time he did use, he needed to be supervised by other people. As neither of his A. I counted, apparently.

There had many times when he had to remodel and replace appliances as a consequence, but Tony Stark could not consider himself as a quitter for anything. He had wanted to get better, to impress people like Pepper and Rhodey that he could make one dish without having a disaster being invited into the mix. He had always lived to in a motto for self-improvement after he had hit rock bottom and wanted out, he wanted to be a decent human being.

How it came back to learning how to cook, he didn’t know; but Tony knew that if he had to pick something to other than sticking inside his lab he had to choose something remotely useful. Like being able to go a day and eat a chicken taco salad because he wanted to eat one. He could have ordered one, but really, if he made it, it would have made the whole ordeal of looking like he could pull it off being someone that Pepper could count on.

When he had been younger Jarvis had been someone that he liked watching cooking. Those memories sometimes still hurt for him think about, but as he grew older he could appreciate them. The salad may have been seen as a joke, but for Tony, he really just wanted one plate he could make. It didn’t matter how long he would have to practice to getting it right, he wanted it done.

“Boss, shall I inform Ms. Potts?”

He had all the ingredients ready. “Sure. Knock your socks off. I'll start washing the lettuce while you’re at it.”

He’ll get there eventually. Along, with FRIDAY looking out for him.

“So, basically, your class is having a dessert cook-off?”

Tony had lowered his tablet that he had been looking over when Peter sat down across of him for a lunch break, he could tell that he had been nervous about the ordeal with one hand tapping against his thighs. A habit, Tony noticed since they started to regularly meet up two-three times after school and weekends for the internship that became legal with documents and pay, as he insisted after Peter had shown him sketches of things he wanted to create. The kid was brilliant, and he would damn make sure he would help his spider-kid getting the right material and opportunities to change the world whether he wore the spandex as he fought crime or diligently engineering in the lab, he provided him. When Peter nodded Tony gestured for him to pass him the flyer that his homeroom period had passed out a day prior. It had been crumpled and constantly been reopened and folded by the worn creases it endured.

He wasn't a genius when it came to the kitchen, but when his kid looked hopeful, he knew he couldn't resist the puppy eyes that had been unintentionally aimed at him.

“Sure, why not. I'm free that day.” Peter's body instantly relaxed as he flashed him a happy grin. “I'm going to assume that your aunt is going to be the third team member, right?”

They both knew that their team was going to create a unique entry with Peter being the only person that could decently make cereal and eggs scrambled on a good day. That, and because of the very colorful history Tony with the years of him trying to make anything edible. Did anyone ever mention to Peter of Tony’s lack of skills for cooking? Was it even a good idea to participate and probably burn down his school, just because Peter asked him to be in his team? It was too late to back out now, he already said yes. He also didn’t want to disappoint him.

And besides, it could only end in disaster if Peter and May gave him a big part in the meal. He could mix and stir without raising hell. It would be fine. (But he would make sure to give the heads up to both Parkers either way during practice hours.)

“She saw the flyer and got excited over it.” Peter shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. “She actually was the one to voice in seeing if you wanted to participate too.”

“Really?”

Besides the whole cooking thing nagging into his skull, he was still new to being a mentor with Peter. It had been a good change in his life; even if there had been moments, he knew that he gained gray hairs because of the kid. He sort of reminded him of how reckless the youth could be as it brought him back into remembering his exchange with May Parker.

It had a few weeks since the homecoming disaster and from her marching to the closest office she could find to mark an impromptu meeting with him. There had a few furious curses that had been thrown from her side; but nothing aimed directly at him, which sort of surprised him since he has had a past of pissing off women that did (and in some ended with a slap on the face too). In that day, they eventually got to the point where she did give them a timeout to calm the room. May Parker had been resilient woman since the death of her husband and finding out about Spider-Man, and when they came to discuss Peter's future Tony had just been happy to still have a part in it. Even more so, to be allowed to see Peter growth first hand.

“She likes you now. Aunt May knows that you're for serious in mentoring and looking out for me.”

“Okay then. We’ll have to schedule in days to practice our desserts before the cook-off.” And for the fire department to get the heads up that Tony Stark would be trying to cook again.

Peter took out his phone with a list already filled options to consider. “Can we try making the pumpkin ginger cupcakes or a cheesecake?”

He leaned forward to ruffle Pete’s curls. “Sure kid. FRIDAY, can you pull the recipes for them? Oh, and don’t forget to call May to see if she’s free to come over as soon as possible.”

Because honestly, he didn’t want to be alone with precious cargo who still didn’t know how terrible he was in the kitchen.

#iron man bingo 2019 #Tony Stark #Jarvis #Friday #Peter Parker #gen #bingo fill #Ht: He's trying #fic: 1-5k #5+1 fic

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rosaetae · 6 years

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the bedtime contract

➢ pairing: taehyung x reader

➢ genre: roommate!au, major fluff and a sprinkle of angst

➢ word count: 13.4k

➢ a/n: testing out different styles of writing! so this may be a tad different than my usual angst-y writing.

➢ summary: life could have been so much better if you didn’t end up living with him because then you wouldn’t have to sign a stupid contract to help you sleep better at night.

The dorm smelled like old wood and a fresh start.

Walking into the depths of your new home, even if it was temporary, seemed surreal— too surreal. Ever since you were little in a small town, the one thing that you looked forward to was growing up and being able to live without the rules invoked by your parents along with them breathing down your neck, expecting for the best from you.

Which is why you always envied those who were older than you. Those who had reached college and lived the ecstasy of independence and/or those who didn't even need college to live their life doing something they love.

In fact, you were rather envious of your older sister who defied your parent's expectations of going to college and becoming a doctor of some sort to become a striving musician. She would travel across the world with her best friend and play gigs at small, underrated places where some people would recognize her and the art she made through a guitar and her vocals.

Because of her decision to do that, she only called home once every month as the acrimony of her and your parents still lingered even if she was 1000 miles away; and if she were to even keep in touch every day, she would only be dragged down by dread your parents would give her. Whereas you, you were told to not do everything your sister was doing.

And finally, you were going to college on your own, and finally living the bliss of being independent sounded better than hearing your parents talk about the ruthless things your sister has done as if she was plotting against the world.

However, all your excitement to finally be independent was drained when you saw who was your roommate on move in day. All your expectations to have a roommate to share clothes with and talk to almost every day dissipated into the air. And that was basically the beginning of how you were living under the same roof of an impudent, dogmatic, and vast jerk who does not hold one single ounce of consideration.

But that's not all.

You both made a deal to sleep beside each other for the rest of your nights.

The dorm was larger than most dorms with 2 bedrooms and a single bathroom, making you cringe a little when realizing that you were not only sharing a dorm, but a bathroom, with someone whom you can't associate yourself with.

Forget the warm autumn candles and petite plants you bought at a boutique the week before moving in, because you knew that after finding out whom you shared rooms with was someone who despised all of those type of things, it was going to be banned from your shared dorm.

And you can feel it now: the constant nagging of your parents as they spill 'I told you so' over a million times and never letting you live it down for the rest of your life and your own constant nagging (under your breath, of course) when your roommate starts to piss you off.

But, it was your fault, you had to admit it. If you knew you were going to be put in this position, you wouldn't have listened to your sister when she told you to sign up for both a boy or a girl roommate. Now, this is where you stand; sharing a roof with a person that made your blood boil and nerves shake with irritation, and trying to avoid all contact him.

Kim Taehyung.

Long time ago, back in middle school— a story you never told— he was the older bully that bullied you—and only you— when you were only a puny sixth grader that still wore pigtails and had big blue circular glasses. From taunting you in the morning, to stealing your lunch money, he was the reason why middle school was a hell for you. But thank goodness it only lasted 2 years until he went to high school.

You heard that he moved to a high school far away from you and that was when you realized you weren't going to live under the fear of his wrath again, thus making your high school years a little decent. However, his friend whom you knew as Park Jimin made fun of you sometimes, but after freshmen year, you gained a confidence in which your sister had helped.

And one day when he was going to call you names and make fun of your appearance, you made a marvelous riposte regarding to his height, making his friends snicker at your comeback, and due to his ego being torn a bit, he never spoke to you since. Not one joke about your appearance, not one insult about your personality, not anything that rolled from his tongue.

Though, you hoped that Kim Taehyung would have not recognized you at least. It was almost 6 years ago, and you were just starting a new life in college— an independent one without the help or the nagging from your parents. You grew, he grew, you matured, and you hope to the gods up there that he matured just a tiny bit.

And on move-in day, it didn't seem like he recognized you, which was fine by you.

You arrived first with your copious amount boxes and a few luggages as you were just taking your comforter and sheets out of its box and into your room when he came in and set his many stuff down in the household.

You didn't really recognize him until you got a glimpse of his profile, your mind flickering back to when he stole your lunch money that one unfaithful day, telling you that 'little kids aren't allowed to hold money'— or some stupid phrase like that—, and you quickly sped out of that dorm complex and into your car where you locked yourself in there for a minute, your mind not connecting these points together correctly.

Going back after a minute of breathing, you cautiously walked into your dorm room to see that he had his bed fixed and neatly tucked, but he wasn't present, making you sigh deeply in relief as you quickly put your boxes and luggage into your designated room before he would come back.

The second time you two were in the same room was when you were picking up the last box and you saw he was putting stuff on the kitchen counter. You both looked up (rookie mistake) and locked gazes, making your heart stop when you noticed that his features were perfectly sculpted, even from afar. He no longer had a baby face and spiked hair that took longer than your lifespan to keep up with hair-gel, and when he had his rosy lips curl into a small, innocent like smile, you couldn't tell if he knew you or not.

"Hello, we didn't get to introduce ourselves yet," he says nonchalantly as he takes out a bag of shredded cheese he bought from the store, and gives you a more genuine smile, making you relax a bit when you realized he hasn't recognized you completely. "I'm Taehyung."

"Hi, Taehyung," you quietly say and he raises an eyebrow, taking bags of chips and cans of soda out of the plastic bags. "I'm—"

"Hi, __," he cuts you off, making you jump at the sound of your name rolling out of his tongue. "You know, I almost didn't recognize you. It's glad to see you again."

And instead of widening your eyes at that, you smile back, tightening your grip onto the box you were carrying. "It's always a pleasure, Taehyung." And with a whirl of your heel, you were heading back to your bedroom, hearing the small chuckle that you heard from the kitchen.

That night, you couldn't help but curse under your breath before going to sleep.

"Out of all people, it had to be me!" You slightly spat while hastily adjusting your pillow to its proper position to help you sleep. "Me, the girl he bullied. Me, the girl who hates his guts. Me, the one that shouldn't have listened to her sister!"

You exasperatingly sigh as you plop onto your bed, kicking your feet under the comforter as you lie on your left side, eyes staring out the window that looked out upon the city lights just a few miles ahead. The orange and white lights all seemed to blend together to help you relax your fuming heart.

From outside your room, you could hear the front door open and shut, either meaning your roommate went somewhere else or he just came back from who knows where, but whatever he does, it will not affect you anymore. Because when you wake up tomorrow, you are going to request for a room exchange.

And although that might mean you were going to lose the view that you were grateful for and the large amount of space you get in your own private room, you didn't seem to care about it as much as leaving the place in which would make you go mentally insane knowing that someone like him is within your range 24/7.

You closed your eyes as you felt yourself calm down a bit knowing that there's a solution for everything.

However, you noticed something... missing. Sitting up, you gave a 360 view of your room and your bed until you realized what was going on. Then, that's when it clicked.

You were missing your pillow.

You dragged yourself out of bed at 7 in the morning after a night of hardly any shuteye and began your gait to the main building and requested for a dorm change, only to result to one of the RA's telling you that the requests would take a few weeks minimum to process the changes and avert you to another room due to the many people that requested for a room change.

Those reasons were either because the room was too small, too big, or they wanted to live independently, or with a group of 4 for a cheaper price, etc. and all it did was make you even more drained than you already were realizing that you had to wait longer.

Which also meant you were stuck with him for a bit longer.

Stepping inside your dorm, you noticed that the shower was on, you assuming that Taehyung was there taking a shower as you went to your room and gathered your stuff for your physics class that would start soon. As you got your backpack and binder ready, you exited out of your room to grab a water bottle from the fridge, only to widen your eyes and have a shriek release out of your mouth when you saw your roommate shirtless in front of you.

"What are you doing?" You ask with a roll of your eyes.

"Getting a snack," he replies nonchalantly and it makes you sigh in irritation. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to get a water bottle, but looks like I might have to gauge my eyes out instead," you exaggerate with a bit of bitterness to your tone as you walked to your shared fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"Oh, don't act like you don't like it," he proclaims. "Any girl would kill to see this in the morning." Closing the fridge at slow pace, you turn your body away from him, shoving the bottle into your bag, while scoffing at his cockiness that made you want to rip your own hair out.

"Yeah? Well, I'd rather jump off a bridge to even look at you," you retort and you could feel his smirk growing on his face as you shoved your feet into your Converse. "In fact, I'll probably go visit the one 10 minutes away."

"That's funny, love," Taehyung laughs a sonorous laugh, resulting to you rolling your eyes again. "Hope to see you later?"

And as you grab your keys from around your neck, you quickly glance at him halfway exiting the door and he flashes you a smile. "Sadly, yes. Just expect a new roommate in the next few weeks or so."

"Gladly," he replies as you shut the door, you cursing to yourself at how ignorant and irritating you clearly remember his as.

From the way he spoke to you as if he held a title that was superior to you to that crook of a smile as he would curl his lips, to the way amusement shined in his eyes when he made an amazing riposte— you simply hated it. The way he talked only brought back the nightmares you would get back in your junior high days because of him, his crooked grin reminded you of the flirtatious smile in which he used to woo with all your friends and other girls, but somehow only chose to bully you, and his comebacks were just plain frustrating.

What have you done to be fated to room with one of the worst people you've ever met in your entire life? Was the universe out to get you? Was high school just a temporary break from hell?

Who knows.

The answer is actually: yes. Yes, the universe is out to get you, and yes, high school was indeed a temporary 4 year break from the hell of junior high. However, you still have yet to figure out why the gods and fate have somehow intertwined together and chose you to act upon these consequences.

Because that night— that awful dreadful night— you entered the shared dorm after long hours of your classes and studying at the library, only to hear the ungodly sounds that no one should enter to at 2 AM after reviewing conceptual physics. You were just thankful it wasn't taken place in the foot of the living room when all you saw was a bra hanging from one of the counter stools. Sure, disgust and dread was what you felt; but you were about to scream in frustration that you can't even enjoy a week of your college life without getting shut eye— not that you were going to anyways.

And as you heard a few seconds of what you wish you unheard, you quickly dashed out of your dorm and went over to Soojin's apartment she shares with her sister.

It was late, you were tired from walking across the campus multiple times and you were tired from walking up and down the stairs of the dorm complex that when you stood in front of Soojin's door, you didn't realize that she opened it as you were already snoozing against her wall.

After her claiming you inside and giving you her extra pajamas, she brings you to her room where you lie there, eyes half closed.

"You know you have your own place, right?" Soojin points out and you scoff, turning around in her bed.

"That's currently occupied with my roommate and his... plus one," you grimace as you hear your best friend snicker whilst you close your eyes, just wanting to forget the regretful moment of when you stepped foot in your shared dorm.

"Can't blame him, even I'm surprised you both haven't had sex ye—"

Before she could even finish that sentence, you grabbed the pillow from beneath your head and threw it over your torso, hitting her square in the face, making her gasp out loud at the impact. "Violence is never the answer, Y/N!"

"Should have thought about that before you said that," you retort.

"Alright, alright," Soojin chuckles into air, making you smile a little bit. "No need to be hissy with me, I am letting you stay for the night to escape those 'ungodly noises' from the room across from yours."

With that, you burst out laughing, your laugh blending with hers in the atmosphere as you both laid there, talking in the dark, you suddenly not that tired as before.

"What are you going to do when you see him tomorrow?"

"I'm going to talk to him, obviously," you shrug. To you, it was the adult thing to do and hopefully, he would come to understand and not piss you off like he always does.

"Or," your ears listen onto what Soojin has to say. "You could switch out. But, I personally wouldn't. He's too cute."

Grabbing the same pillow again, you were about to hit her. "Soojin—"

"Okay okay!" She laughs, bringing her hands to her face as her shield. "Don't hit me with the pillow again. I'm just saying, you're too practical and it isn't going to stop him from annoying you. You could switch out or get revenge."

"I can't switch out for a couple of weeks." Then you raise your eyebrows at her. "How can I get revenge?"

"Easy. You could always bring a guy home, too—"

Hit.

"Okay, I deserved that," Soojin dissipates into laughter after a loud oomf. "But, there are other options than to just talk it out. It's not like telling him not to do it anymore is going to make him actually not do it anymore. He's probably gonna do other things to piss you off."

"I'll just avoid him," you simply say before yawning.

Soojin sighs next to you. "Well, you're always welcome here anytime. But if you're going to be showering, you're going to have to pay for the water bill." Stifling a laugh, you just shook your head, wondering how on earth you were going to avoid him.

Amidst your worrying and overthinking, you fell asleep.

As a week passed, Taehyung noticed that you rarely show up in the mornings. He didn't know if it's because you left earlier than usual or if you slept in, but he had an 8 am class and he knew that you had an 8 am class as well. However, that morning you were there, you only managed to get 3 hours of sleep the previous night.

It was 12 am when you got back from the library and you were thankful that you didn't have to hear the same noises that prevented you to enter your dorm without pressing your ear to the front door. You didn't sleep until 3 and you somehow managed to wake up at 6 am in a rush to hurry and leave before you could encounter Taehyung again.

Taehyung speaks up as you were walking past him towards the front door, about ready to leave. "Can we talk?"

"No," you reply almost instantly, but as you say that you hear him shuffling towards you while you tried to shove your feet decorated in hedgehog socks into your white shoes under a second to quickly leave.

"And why not?" He asks, standing a few feet away from you.

You stomped your foot onto the ground after putting on the shoes, and grab the dorm key out of your bag. "Because I have nothing to talk to you about."

"__, your class doesn't start in 2 hours," he points out. "Why are you in a rush?"

Shoot, you thought.

"I'm going to get coffee," you semi-lie, hand already unlatching the front door but Taehyung is a step ahead, grabbing your wrist and pulling you back into the dorm.

"Taehyung, let go–" he ignores your protests and has you sit on the counter stool. "Y/N, just spare me 5 minutes of your time and then you can go get coffee."

You huff, eyes shooting daggers at him while he stares at you. "What do you want? My lunch money?"

He doesn't respond, but only stares at you until you could feel yourself grow hot and your cheeks turn streaks of pink and it suddenly got a little too hot for a day of 80% chance of rain. "You haven't been sleeping."

"Gee, I wonder why," you say sarcastically. "Cause I've totally been sleeping through the nights while you're fucking in the room across from mine."

He smirks at your sarcasm. "It was one time." At that, you narrow your eyes, shaking your head in doubt at his cockiness that radiated off of him. "Okay, maybe not one time."

"Whatever. It's not like you actually care if I get a good night sleep or not," you declare and attempt to get up but Taehyung grabs your wrist again, eyes telling you to sit down but you only roll your eyes again while he moves to stand in front of you.

"Woah woah," Taehyung scoffs. "That's a little rough, don't you think?"

"We aren't friends and you clearly don't give a shit after fucking girls—"

"Okay, I admit; not my best move," he puts his hands up in defense while you huff and as you wait for him to continue, you begin to grow warm as he stares at you for a bit, his eyes examining you closely. "You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?"

Your voice softens as you speak, "It's not that big of a deal–"

"__," he sighs. "You haven't been sleeping and I could tell."

You straighten yourself, face maintaining your hard expression. "I'm fine."

"Will you tell me what's keeping you up at night? Do you need sleeping pills?" He asks and you were slightly surprised at his questions before he says, "God, you look like a zombie."

Scoffing, you grab your wrist back. "No and no. Are we done? I have to run to the coffee shop before they run out of the hazelnut lattes."

"__, they never run out of hazelnut lattes," Taehyung says in amusement as he was responded with the loud shut of the door.

You had came home late once again, but to your unfortunate events, Taehyung was surprisingly awake at that time, and you found it odd when you saw him there, waiting for you.

"Welcome back, roomie!" He sang loudly, and you had to close your eyes, hoping that he would go away, but sadly, he did not. "I have a proposal for you."

You sigh in disappointment, only to wash it away with a fake smile as he approaches you with a proposing smile. "I'm just going to jump to conclusions and give you a flat out answer and that is no."

Taehyung chuckles at you, making you even more irritated than you should be. "You haven't heard it yet! But trust me on this, it's going to benefit you."

Turning your entire focus on him, you give a sour look. "First, when did I ever trust you? Second, how do I know it's not going to benefit you?"

"Because, __," he pauses with dramatic effect. "I want you to sleep with me."

"Okay that went better in my head so the slap was well-deserved, but hear me out!"

"Taehyung! I am not going to sleep with you. I'm going to switch out of this dorm and you can sleep with the next girl who rooms with you," you scoff while making a face that shows how much you wanted to punch him. "You are so lucky I am not using my foot to kick some sense into you!"

"I want you to sleep beside me," he corrects making you question his proposal even more. "Not with me."

"Oh, yeah, because that makes everything better!" You shake your head, pushing past him towards your room. "Why on earth would I–"

"I talked to Soojin," he admits, cutting you off. "She told me how you can't sleep without a pillow and how you left it back at home."

"Why— out of all people— are you talking to her?"

"I may have been curious as to where you're always disappearing to at night..."

"You stalked me?" You concluded.

"No, not really. Just so happened to see you leaving the library when I was gonna offer you a ride back to our dorm, but I saw that Soojin picked you up. And she's in my chemistry class so the topic was brought up and she told me it's because you need someone to sleep beside you at night..."

"I'm killing her," you utter.

"Look, it's fine! I understand, I completely understand," Taehyung grins, and all you could do is mentally choke him on one hand on the other hand, you're choking your best friend. "I just noticed that you weren't getting any sleep and we're going to be stuck together for awhile—"

"No."

"I'm not expecting an answer, yet. I want you to think about it. I know it's weary to even trust me, but I'm being serious. If I were you, I would get tired from going to my friend's house 20 minutes away and trying to get to class in time. I'm just offering you a deal and you don't have to accept just yet."

You hesitate. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"

"Believe it or not, ignorant assholes like me have a heart," he asserts with a smirk, having you raise an eyebrow. "And I know I haven't given you a reason to trust that I care, but I do. You're sleep-deprived and I just... want to help."

You nod slowly and he nods back, and you both end the day without talking to each other.

"Accept it!" Soojin says from above her laptop.

Maybe talking about his so-called 'proposal' to Soojin at a cafe was a little unplanned, considering that when she hears news like this, she is ridiculously loud in responding.

You shush her as everyone looks at her, wondering what on earth could the loud person in a green scarf be hollering about at a quiet cafe at 10 in the morning. "Sorry," she apologizes as her eyes scan around the room. Then she turns to you.

"Why didn't you accept it?"

"Are you forgetting that I hate his guts?" Raising her eyebrows, she sighs in response. "This wouldn't happen if you kept your mouth shut."

"__, I get it, but think about it," she ignores the fact that she exposed you entirely and that truly, she was the reason why you were given this proposal. "You get to sleep in your shared dorm room, you'll sleep better, and you don't have to come home late while walking into something. You don't have to waste money on a taxi to come to my house and you don't have to wake up extra early just so you won't be late to your first class!" Soojin points out and all you do in response is slacken a bit in your seat.

"You're just saying that so I wouldn't have to sleep over anymore."

Soojin opens her mouth to say something but she closes it as you cock an eyebrow. "Nope, I tried to make an excuse, but I can't because that's basically the reason."

As you scoff, she chuckles into her latte. "Look, it's beneficial for me and it's way more beneficial for you." You shake your head, not agreeing before Soojin groans quietly. "__, stop being stubborn and letting your hatred for him get in the way of a good night's sleep. He obviously cares for you and—"

"It's probably just an excuse to get into my pants."

"Good!" She exclaims and you stare at her frivolousness. "You'll get a good night's sleep and the best sex in the world!"

Palming your forehead, you suddenly wished you disappeared along with the dust and dirt being swept away by the waitress who was sweeping the floor beside you— who also most likely heard what Soojin said a little too loudly.

"Look," she begins quietly, folding her hands together on top of her binder. "I think you should think long and hard about this. He notices that you're not there in your own shared dorm anymore and he notices that you're a walking corpse.

"And face it, you're not switching out of that dorm anytime soon, so you might as well suck it up and accept it, because as much as I am your best friend that will welcome you to my home with a bed and ramyeon noodles at your side, I advise you to take this proposal. If you don't feel comfortable with it after awhile, you can always drop it and I'll be happy to let you sleep in my bed again."

"Alright, alright," you huff at her urgency. "I'll think about it."

The next couple days of taking your time to think long and hard about your given proposal, you made up your mind after being late to your first class of the day for the fifth time and your professor finally calling you out for it in front of everyone— which was a very embarrassing moment in your life, considering that you were forced to explain your reason and your past reasons for being tardy. Not only that, but Soojin forgot to pick you up at the library one night (probably on purpose) and you were stuck with walking back to your dorm and having to experience another sleepless night.

So then, one night, you heard Taehyung come home and go straight to his room at 9 pm and you told yourself you wouldn't give in.

But after 2 hours of being stubborn, you finally knock on his door a few times and after a few minutes, the door swung, and you were faced with a shirtless Taehyung standing in front of you.

"__?" His voice groggy and confused. You almost felt bad that you woke him up.

"Alright," you say. "I accept your proposal."

"What–"

"I'm agreeing to your proposal."

It takes him a second or two and a few blinks to finally comprehend what you had stated until he finally nods.

"But," you start, a pointing a finger to his chest. "There are rules. You can't bring a sex buddy over. I don't know about you, but I'm agreeing to this arrangement mostly because I don't want to come in at the wrong time." Taehyung nods, but you shake your head at that gruesome moment you wished you could un-burn from your mind. "No lovey dovey kissy touchy stuff." He laughs, but seeing that you were actually very serious, he purses his lips, a small smile still evident. "And we can not tell anyone."

He scoffs, causing you to cock an eyebrow. "Why would I want to brag about sleeping with you?"

You roll your eyes at him. At least you guys were on the same page.

"And no feelings," you immediately throw in. "No growing feelings or attachments, none of it. If that happens, then we're better off sleeping in our own bedrooms."

Taehyung laughs. "Are you done?"

"If you try something, Kim," you warn and he stares at you, almost bored. "I will kick you off the damn bed and you can sleep on the cold floor."

"Noted," he chirps. "Do you want me to write it on paper or something?"

"Yes," you say and he's slightly bewildered at your seriousness, but he shakes his head and releases a tired smile.

"Tomorrow, okay? I think it's a little late to do that," he suggests and you blink at his straightforwardness. "Do you want to start now?"

You don't say anything, but instead follow him inside his own room. You notice that it was neater than you would thought it would be. He had some posters of art hung on his walls including some of Monet and Van Gogh, having you realize that you never thought him out as someone who would appreciate art. His bed was slightly messed up, but that was because you woke him up from his sleep, and it suddenly occurred to you that that bed had its moments where you were admittedly scarred from.

"Wait!" You say and Taehyung groans, his form already made comfy in his own bed disturbed as he sat up. "In my bed. I'm not sleeping in that bed."

"You're so picky," he utters in annoyance beneath his breath and you glare at him.

"Well, excuse me if I am uncomfortable knowing that you had others in your bed," snarking back, you begin to walk out of the room into yours where your bed was still made and folded neatly. "And put on a shirt!"

Taehyung follows you in, throwing a plain black shirt over his head as you went to your designated side of the bed and he climbs in after you.

As both of you have reached your comfort, you sighed and stared out at the window with the view. Suddenly, you felt a sudden pull from your waist and you jump in surprise at the feeling of Taehyung's arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you close into his chest.

"What are you doing?" You ask, your voice alarmed.

"Spooning," he answers tiredly.

"Did I not say—"

"Relax, we're just spooning. Everyone does it."

You bite your lip and nod ever so slightly and you try to follow his words and relax, but how could you when all you could feel his breath down your neck and his torso against your back.

"Why are you so tense?" He breaks the silence and sighs in exasperation, making you slightly relax to prove a point.

"I'm not tense," you snap.

"Is it your first time spooning?" His breath fans your neck, causing you to grow goosebumps along your skin, and you suddenly to regret this decision.

"Y-yeah," you admit. "Sorry, I'm not used to this."

"It's okay. There's a first time for everything," he says quietly, and you slightly smile at the fact at how adorable he sounded tired. "But just relax, just pretend I'm not even here."

And you listened to his words where you closed your eyes and tried to forget that the one person who you feared as a child was sleeping beside you, and for some reason, you felt a whole lot more safe than you were before.

That morning, you were awakened by the blazing sound of your alarm clock and the first thing that hit you that strange morning was that you were not alone in your bed. Then the sudden struck of realization hit you like a bowling ball knocking over pins when you realized that you had willingly agreed to his proposal and willingly led him into your bed and willingly let him spoon you.

Your dorm mate stirs beside you and groans. "Can you shut that off?"

Rolling your eyes, you throw your knee against his side, making him lift his head with a startled motion before laying it back down onto your pillow with eyes drooping back shut. "Get up," you say and you watch as he grabs his phone from your nightstand and checks that he woke up 2 hours earlier than usual.

"We still have 2 hours," he groans, shifting his body towards you so that he can pull you in again. Shaking your head, you slap his hands away and sit up, tying your hair into a messy bun and stood up out of bed.

"2 hours until our first class," you state, throwing on your slippers. You had to admit, you felt more energized than the other mornings you encountered. "Get up and go for a run or something. I'm going to get some coffee and no way am I letting you stay in my bed for the remaining hours."

Taehyung raises his head from the bed, a small sleep smirk plastered on his face and you just knew what he was going to say. "I take it you had a good sleep last night?"

You didn't answer because admittedly, you slept better than most nights.

The next night was the same. However, you came home late and you found him sound asleep on your bed, leaving your spot open, as if he was waiting for you. It was an odd image coming home from another tiring day to see your dorm mate was fast asleep in your bed— not only that, but he was fast asleep, practically still waiting for you.

You couldn't help but crack a smile, though, knowing that this boy who has the ability to have you mentally kill him has given you the slightest feeling of warmth inside of you.

But you told yourself not to let this feeling take over, because it was apart of the contract (which you still have yet to put on paper) and you knew that he was your middle school bully, so there shouldn't be a tiny bit of care in this arrangement, but somehow and in some incredulous way, you felt secure being beside him.

"Stop touching me there," you groan again, slapping his hand away from your hip. "What happened to just spooning?"

Taehyung releases a loud grunt in exasperation as you two were trying to get into a very comfortable spot for 20 minutes, but it was always you who did not like the fact that he had his leg over you, his hand at your hip, or his face nuzzling into your neck as it made you ticklish.

"Okay, __," he takes an annoyed inhale. "It's either you're big spoon or I'm big spoon. And please, make a decision fast. I'd like to get my sleep, if you don't mind, of course."

You sigh, rolling your eyes at his sarcasm. Tossing around in your spot to face him, eyes shooting daggers at him, even in the dark, you decided on; "I'll be big spoon."

Taehyung stares at you with tired, but irritated eyes, but finally sighed, and turned around in his spot. At that moment, you wrapped your arms around him, along with throwing your legs over him, and it felt like you were hugging a big pillow. But, concededly, it was very comfortable than the other positions where nothing could have worked.

"Better?" He inquires, and you nod, eyes closing shut.

"Better," you assure.

"What's your excuse?"

Taehyung and you were facing the same problem a few nights later: a sleepless night. Staring at the empty ceiling and engulfing into the loud silence seemed apparent to both of you, but you both assumed that one of you would fall first and go to sleep. But an hour of tossing and turning, eyes blinking, and mind awake, Taehyung couldn't help but break the silence first.

"What?" You asked in a hushed tone, confused on his question he was asking.

"What's the reason why you can't sleep? It can't just be your pillow," he simply asks.

You two weren't showing any contact. Your back was facing him as he lied on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Sighing, you might as well tell him why.

"I can't sleep without my pillow," you mumble, waiting for every single snort or snicker to elicit from his mouth, but he just stares at the ceiling, unfazed. So you continue. "I got it from my mom. She had insomnia and ever since I was born, she slept in the same room as me and somehow, I helped her sleep a little better at night. But when high school started, that's when I had trouble sleeping and—"

You peer over at Taehyung who had averted his eyes and had been staring at you the whole time, eyes curious as to what you had to say while you caught yourself from letting something fall out of your mouth easily.

"My mom had business trips," you state. "So that pillow helped me cope with that."

Taehyung nodded, him being a bit suspicious to your hesitation mid-explanation. "So, that's why you can't sleep without a pillow, and why you go over to Soojin's, huh?"

Nodding, you pursed your lips. "Something about feeling safe when I'm the most vulnerable helps me sleep better at night."

He nods again, eyes staring at yours, and even in the dark, you can still make out his chocolate eyes. You notice he parts his lips a little bit and it took you a moment to understand that you were staring at him, and he was staring at you, a spark of who-knows-what kindling between you two.

However, he smirked, knowing that you were feeling the same thing as he was, and that was all the warnings you needed before you turned your back towards him again, cheeks growing red and eyes staring out at the city through your window to keep your heart from beating so loudly.

You hear a low chuckle, and it makes you bite your tongue as you pull the sheets closer to your face.

"Goodnight, __."

It became a cycle after a few weeks. You knew that you wouldn't be able to get a switch until after the semester so it was better if you got accustomed to this arrangement. One day on a weekend, when you both were not busy and were surprisingly stuck at the dorm together, he had surprised you with the contract you agreed to on full card-stock paper. On top was written 'THE BEDTIME CONTRACT' in big fat Sharpie letters and there were the few rules on there that you verbally announced, but did not think Taehyung would memorize.

1. The first rule is to not ever speak of this arrangement outside of this dorm room.

2. Second rule is lovey dovey touchy kissy stuff is not permitted; as said by the woman herself. (Except for spooning, cuddling, and other techniques that will help make the other party go to sleep).

3. Final rule, no attachments. If feelings or attachments begin to spark, it is best for the other party to confess first to initiate the separation of both parties sleeping beside each other, and to nullify this very contract.

Signed by,

You signed your name and Taehyung signed his in black ink and it became the official statement of The Bedtime Contract.

Not knowing how, but the contract has made you become more comfortable with Taehyung. You've learned that he did mature— except the times when he would procrastinate on his homework and play Overwatch— and you've learned that he's not so much of a bad guy. He's helping you sleep, for one, and sure he's got his cocky smug moments, but he seems to care about you more often than you think he would.

You don't feel a sudden distaste for him when he calls you at night, wondering where you are.

"Where are you?" He would ask in a bored tone through the phone as you were just entering a coffee shop.

"Getting coffee? You want anything?" You say back as you pulled out your debit card.

"No, just come home," he would state through a heavy yawn and hang up.

You don't feel a huge discomfort when you realize he's next to you in bed, snoring away.

As you walked into your room after a long study session, you noticed Taehyung hugging a pillow and snoring as your side of the bed was empty. His snores were soft, but audible and as you climbed into bed after changing and brushing your teeth, you felt a new feeling grow in your stomach when you stared at him all vulnerable right beside you.

And you cursed yourself for staring at him a second too long because he wakes up to your eyes staring at him. As you freeze at that moment knowing he was going to say something cocky or say something inappropriate, you hold your breath until he just sighs and closes his eyes again.

"You're back," he would say groggily and you let out a subtle breath of relief.

"Yeah, studying sucks," you reply and the only thing that ended the conversation was his soft low chuckle as you both went to sleep.

You don't have this huge urge to punch him anymore when he greets you in the morning with his sleepy smile and groggy voice.

"Good morning, sunshine," he greets with a moan as he stretches his arms up high. "How was your sleep?"

You open one eye to give him a tired glare, but you somehow appreciated the drowsy smile he had plastered on his face and the way his hair was a little messed up that you groan and turn away from him, biting the smile that was unwillingly being forced upon your lips.

"5 more minutes then?" He chuckles as you try to hide your growing hot face with your fleece blanket.

Hell, you suddenly forget your past with him when you're with him in the moment.

It's become this new feeling you've grown used to that you don't get terrified when he's the bigger spoon; you don't get confused when he's talking to you at night; and you somehow feel invulnerable when you sometimes wake up in the night and see that he's there beside you.

Maybe it's you going crazy and way out of your mind, but you had to admit, ever since he made that proposal, you felt more safe.

A few weeks and you both have grown on each other, and you don't know

"Have you ever dated anyone?" Taehyung ponders one night and you flip around to face him, eyebrows scrunched.

He cocks an eyebrow and you chuckle. "Once. In junior year for a month."

"A month?" He asks in bewilderment. "Why a month?"

You shrug. "I guess I can't commit to commitment."

Then, a smug look grows on his face and you knew that he was going to say something smart. "You're committing to our plan—"

"If you keep talking," you start, a scowl painted on your face. "I'm not so sure if I want to continue committing—"

"Okay, okay," he starts and you smile at him.

"Have you dated anyone?"

Then it was his turn to chuckle. "Yes, many. Usually the longest are 3 months."

"Girlfriends?" You press.

"One," he admits, yawning. "2 years, but ended it a couple months back." You nod, not pushing any further, knowing it wasn't your business, and because your eyes were drooping close as the silence drags on after you don't verbally reply.

"__?" Taehyung chides, you slightly being awakened, eyes still closed.

"Hmm," you hum and maybe it's just you, but you think he's going to say something after seconds have passed, or maybe you just didn't hear him loud enough.

"Sweet dreams," he finally says and you're falling asleep.

"You have a weird... taste."

"It's not weird," you scoff and he nods his head vigorously.

You both were grabbing something to eat as you both were disturbed by your late night hunger and you only agreed to cheeseburgers with him because he offered to pay.

"I think eating the cheese burger without the vegetables is pretty weird," he says with a very concerned face.

Rolling your eyes as you both sat down at a booth after ordering, you just shook your head. "My tastebuds are just different from yours, buddy."

"But really? A plain cheeseburger? Not even with lettuce? Or the sauce?" Taehyung gawks at you as if you just murdered someone and you simply shrug.

"The sauce is too sauce-y and the vegetables just ruins the whole point of a cheeseburger."

"It adds to the point of a cheeseburger," he retorts and you sigh, shaking your head. "I can't believe my roommate has Plain Jane tastebuds."

"Just wait until I order a drink— it's not so Plain Jane as you thought." And Taehyung snorts at that, eyes glistening and you knew he was going to take you up for that.

And he did.

After you grabbed your burgers, he drove you both to a smoothie place just to see your order— and prove that your tastebuds are NOT plain— but you weren't complaining. Free burgers and free smoothies? You couldn't say no.

As you finish looking at the menu, you order the Green Beam Smoothie that included apples, spinach, kale, orange juice, and a few grapes, but as you were ordering it you asked for the grapes to be replaced by ginger, and to add some strawberries. The cashier even looks at you a little weird when you said that the ginger shouldn't be blended with it, but just inside the smoothie.

"Ginger," Taehyung says in awe and you smile.

"Ginger."

"Do you plan on eating it or something—"

"It adds to the point of a smoothie," you mimic him earlier and Taehyung catches on, glaring at you as he ordered a simple Strawberry Smash Smoothie.

One random afternoon after your physics class, you came to your dorm a few minutes earlier than Taehyung would have arrived. But, after 20 minutes or so, you heard Taehyung come in.

You came out of the bedroom to find him, stumbling to kick his shoes off, and his stance, itself, wobbling. "Taehyung?" You call and he looks at you with eyes that looked tired.

"Taehyung, are you okay?" You approach him with worry seeing that as he was beginning to walk, his legs were barely standing on themselves. "Tae, what happened?"

"I'm fine," he whispers. "I just... have a headache, is all."

You knew that it was not just a headache as he could not stand properly. Dragging him into his room, you let Taehyung lie on his bed. "You should sleep."

"No, I'm... I'm fine," he breathes out and you shake your head, adjusting his pillow as you watched him close his eyes and fall fast asleep. He was wearing the clothes he wore to class today and it looked like he was cold as he hugged his arms around his torso. Quietly, you grabbed one of his fleece blankets from his closet and placed it over his shivering body, leaving him to sleep as you walked out of his room.

That night, you crawled into his bed beside him and caught yourself staring at his face. He looked tired and drained when he came into your shared dorm with no balance, and as you watch him sleep, you wonder what caused that.

"You're staring," he abruptly says, and you jump slightly as his voice.

"Sorry."

Taehyung opens his eyes slowly and drowsily, a small curl of his lips growing as he sees you with a worried look. "You look distressed."

"Well, you looked like you were about to faint," you retort causing him to snicker. "What happened earlier today? Were you tired? Did you not sleep well last night because I didn't come home?"

"Partially," he admits with ease. "Should have told me earlier that you were going to be at the library for the whole night."

Mouth opening, you shake your head. "I fell asleep on accident, okay! I didn't realize it until someone poked me in the face and said I was drooling on the text book." Taehyung sonorously laughs, making you purse your lips at the musical sound of his laughter. As it died, you were left with silence again. "What happened?"

"I guess I never told you this," he sighs before you begins. "When I made that proposal, it wasn't meant just for your benefit. I guess, I never told you that I have insomnia and I take sleeping pills a lot to help me sleep. But after awhile, I stopped."

"Did you take some last night?" You inquired and Taehyung responds with a nod.

"It was just a few, but the side effects kicked in and that's why I came home with wobbly legs and drowsy eyes," he laughs, but you don't. You were too busy staring at him with worry and care that it was hard for you to even get the slightest bit of irritation from him.

"So is that why you offered me sleeping pills that one time?"

Taehyung simply shakes his head up and down. "I don't take them anymore, but partially that's thanks to you."

Silence.

But partially that's thanks to you.

You bit your lip as the silence grew louder and louder and louder—!

"I lied."

Taehyung swirled in the bed to face you, eyes grazing your face with so much care as if it was the most normal thing to do, even if it made your cheeks go a little warm. "What did you lie about?"

"When high school started," you began slowly. "My mom didn't go on a lot of business trips."

Taehyung rose an eyebrow.

"She died," you admit slowly, your heart stopping at that second as you paused, staring at Taehyung for his reaction to only get an unreadable expression. "I grew up sleeping beside her every night. And when high school started, she died in a car accident and somehow, those nights haven't been exactly the same. The only thing helping me get at least 5 hours of sleep at night is the pillow that she sleeps with."

He didn't say anything, but you continued.

"I didn't sleep for awhile after she died. I slept with that pillow and sometimes, when my sister would come from her many trips, she would sleep beside me to help, but she's gone all the time. And when I found out I left my pillow at home, I didn't know what to do so I've either dealt with it or went to Soojin's. Then the whole agreement happened, and now I sleep better when I'm sleeping beside you."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I just- I just wanted to tell you, cause you know... we're sleeping next to each other— you told me why you couldn't sleep at night.... might as well tell you the real reason why I can't sleep."

Yes, it was unusual telling him everything you never thought you would tell, but as those words left your mouth, you didn't want to take it back. It was your truth and you began to trust him.

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I guess we both need each other."

You look at him with a fixed gaze. "Yeah," you agree and he gives you this look that made your breath hitch.

"There's a party tonight at Namjoon’s," Taehyung began slowly and apart of you wanted to say no to his incoming question, but you let him finish anyways. "You coming?"

"I don't go to parties—"

"Ah yes, the goody two-shoes that never once partied even in high school, who would've thought," he taunts and you look up from your laptop, narrowing your eyes at him. "Come on, it's just a party. We'll be back before 1 and we can sleep."

"I'm good," you imply, shaking your head but Taehyung did not accept it.

"You're going," he affirms and he's pulling you by the wrists, making you divert your attention to your essay about whales to fighting the obstacle that was in the way of you and your preferred way of spending your Friday night.

Many yells and protests of you yelling 'let me go!' later, you were somehow at the party, surrounded by a new world of party people you have never encountered, in a striking red sweater he threw at you from your closet. At that moment, you wanted to hot wire Taehyung's car and drive yourself back to the dorms, but you couldn't do that because you're already in the middle of a maze, with Taehyung lost in sight.

You remember him saying: "Stay put, I'm getting us drinks" but you knew he would get tangled up somewhere.

You inhale sharply, trying to get your way across the party animals that were let loose and you felt yourself become smaller each time you encountered someone who looked at you up and down.

Somehow, you managed to go upstairs, hoping to find a small room to lock yourself in and call Soojin for help, but you couldn't help but hear the hushed whispers of girls behind you as you walked by.

"That's Taehyung's roommate."

"Taehyung? As in Yurim's ex? Sharing a room with her?"

A high-pitched chuckle.

"I bet they're having sex."

"Well, no shit," one of them cackles. "Kim Taehyung will get into any girl's pants—"

And you pulled yourself away from the talks that you didn't want to even hear for yourself, a growing anxiety blossoming in your chest as you quickly pull out your phone to call Soojin, who finally answers after the fourth ring.

After pleading for help, you hid yourself in the downstairs bathroom where some people banged on the door, yelling at you to hurry up in there, but little did they know, you were having a tiny mental breakdown in the bath tub. Yes, partying is not your forte.

Half an hour later, Soojin calls you telling you she's up at the front waiting and you quickly run out of the house as if there was no tomorrow. A rush of relief washes over you when you see her waiting in the car for you, eyes worried at your state when you sit in her passenger seat with eyes glassy and face red.

"Do you want to sleep at my place?" She asks hesitantly before starting the car and you automatically shook your head, wanting to go back to your dorm— for some blank reason.

After a few hours getting back with Soojin making sure you were okay, comforting you with water beside your bed and telling you how shit her day was, she had to leave and finish an essay, making you feel bad that she stayed for you. But, as you lie in your bed, changed into pajamas and heart finally calming down, you heard the door open and shut, followed by the shuffles of feet, and you froze, praying that Taehyung didn't bring a girl home.

And just then, you hear your door swing open, the person, who you assumed was Taehyung, stumbles against the wall as they tried to kick their shoes off. As you turn to see it was a matter-of-fact Taehyung walking towards your bed and plopping right next to you, your eyes go wide as he immediately pulls you into a hug.

A very beer and gin-ly hug.

His breath smelled like he had too much to drink and the first thing in your mind that pops up was how did he get home, and you suddenly worried that he drove him by himself.

"Tae," your voice was muffled by his shoulder on your mouth. "How did you get home?"

"I'm sorry," he murmurs as he smacks his lips, as he avoids the question. "I shouldn't have brought you to the party and I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry I'm late."

You were speechless. You didn't want to say anything, but he just kept going anyways.

"I should have been more considerate... and Soojin yelled at me for leaving you alone like that, but reassured me that you were back at the dorm and the first thing in my mind was coming back to be next to you and make sure you're okay. I'm sorry," he says. "Also, I'm glad you came back here and not to Soojin's."

You didn't realize that the one place you wanted to go back to was here, and when he points that out, you do a double take. "Tae, I'm fine," you state. "But, tell me you didn't drive home."

"No," he answers. "I had our neighbor drive me. I just needed to get to you."

And then, your heart stops. Not because he's hugging you tight, but because he's apologizing and he was drunk. He was drunk and he remembered to come back to you. He was drunk and he was apologizing. He was drunk and he was hugging you. He was drunk and the first thing that popped into his mind was coming back here with you.

And all throughout the name, that's when you realized something bad. Something horrible. Something that shouldn't have happened, but goodness, it did.

You broke rule number 3.

You told yourself that you weren't breaking rule number 3. Because how could you? Sure, he's sleeping beside you, but there are times when he would walk around half naked in your own dorm and even use most of your shampoo when he ran out just to piss you off. He would even eat the last banana and forget to throw the trash away, having you to walk out in the dark in the middle of the night in nothing but your pajamas and bunny slippers. It was something about him that infuriates you to the point where you threaten to move out, but at the end of the night, you were in his arms, fast asleep.

Sometimes you would stare at him and think that this was the view every girl wanted, and you'd scoff, only to realize that his face became evermore ethereal the longer you stared.

And one night, you told him that he could sleep in his room and lied that you were going to be up all night on a project and he understood and went to sleep in his own bed without questioning further. And the next night, you didn't come home that night, but you sent him a text telling him that Soojin and you had an essay to work on. And the next night, you came home right after he knocked out in his own bed. Sure, you could say you were avoiding him, but you had to.

You didn't realize you were avoiding him until Soojin asserted one night that avoiding him won't last long, especially because of that contract. And it suddenly hit you that you were, indeed, avoiding him.

So the next night, you slept beside him, but immediately fell into a deep slumber before you acknowledged his arms around you. And the morning later, you were approached by one of your RA's who had gleefully greeted you with a surprise that someone was gladly willing to trade rooms with you. Out of pure automatic response, you approved, and your RA gave you some details and said would e-mail you later about it.

Admittedly, you thought about yourself and how beginning of the school year you would respond to that, so you accepted any chance you got.

However, when you were signing one of the forms that the RA sent you, it just occurred to you what you were leaving— and whom you were leaving. But deep down, somewhere in that crazy heart of yours, you knew that you were doing this all for one reason; you were hopelessly falling for your roommate and the only thing you could do is to stay away from him as much as possible.

The next nights was a breeze as you were approaching midterms. Productivity gave you the opportunity to fall asleep early and easily, but the night just right before the midterm, you were wide awake and Taehyung sensed it easily.

"Why are you still awake?" He whispers, groggily.

You shrug slightly. "Can't sleep for some reason."

"Spooning?" He suggested and you find him stirring before you could answer and throwing his arms around you. Once you felt his weight, you held your breath. "Just close your eyes and sleep."

You don't say anything because you were too busy trying to make yourself faint to sleep as each of your cells died due to the lack of oxygen you shut out as you pursed your lips together. The noise of your thumping heart sounded like it the only thing you could hear, but as time continued, it got louder and louder. And louder. And loude–

"I think I'm in love with you," Taehyung confesses through his sleepy voice, and you feel yourself paralyzed entirely in your spot. In your head you hoped to the gods up there that he was just saying that because he was dreaming or he meant it as a friendly gesture, but it suddenly felt a little too warm under his embrace.

In your mind, you're thinking of ways to escape his arms, but after waiting, you realize that he doesn't say anything afterwards and you could hear his soft snoring take place.

You still held your breath.

"What is this?" Taehyung asks, causing you to look up from your laptop, eyes shooting straight to the form that you were supposed to give to your RA that he held in his hand. Flickering your eyes from the form to his eyes, your lips parted slightly, unable to say anything. "Were you just going to leave just like that?"

You stood up from the table, a lump growing in your throat as you walk towards him.

"I made the request a week after move-in day, after I found out that my roommate was a guy I didn't want to associate myself with," you start, only for Taehyung to furrow his eyebrows at you. "But, there was a long delay, and they found someone who was willing to switch just last week."

"Last week—?"

"I was going to tell you!" You exclaim, eyes averting to the ground. "But, I didn't know how to tell you after you told me you may be falling in love with me."

He scoffs, tossing the paper onto the table next to him. "So you were just going to pack up and leave?"

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I was hoping to leave without knowing you, but then we made that deal and I—"

He cuts you off, shaking his head. "You were going to leave me anyways."

That night, he slept in his room, and you guess it was the best, knowing that you both already broke rule number 3.”

Steadily, you entered your room when Taehyung was already in your bed. You approach him slowly and sat on the edge of the bed. Before you began to spoke, you felt that he wasn't asleep. Not fully.

"Taehyung?" You whisper.

He doesn't respond and you reply with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry," you mutter, eyes staring out your window. "We don't have to sleep together tonight, if you don't want to."

"__," he finally says. "Lie down."

Ignoring his demand, you try again, "Taehyung—"

"It's fine, __. Just lie down," he groans and you bite your lip.

"No, Tae, I'm sorry," you continue. "I didn't mean for anything to happen and it was just... me being dumb and inconsiderate."

He doesn't say anything and you question if he was enjoying this or not.

"Look, I'm sorry, if you're too angry for me to sleep beside you, I'll sleep on the couch toni—" Before you could finish your last word, you heard a frustrated groan release his lips and felt a grip at your waist, pulling you under, and next thing you know, you were in a position where Taehyung's face was resting in the crook of your neck and his arms were secured around your body.

You felt your heart stop as you felt his breathe on your neck and surprisingly, you couldn't seem to breathe.

"I'm not mad," he says, voice muffled by your hair and you feel yourself grow warm on your cheeks. "I may be a little upset knowing that you won't be sleeping beside me anymore, but it was nice hearing an apology from you."

You crane your neck to look at him with a baffled look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The stubborn, adamant girl finally apologizing for her wrong-doing?" You feel his smirk on your neck. "That's something you don't hear everyday."

Stifling a laugh, you couldn't help but smile a little bit at his joke.

"But I mean it," you start with sincerity. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Taehyung sighs and you feel his grip on your waist tighten. "It's fine, Y/N. We'll talk about it in the morning."

"But—"

"I'm tired," he states. "Let's just sleep, okay? I want to cherish these last few moments with you before you leave."

You only respond by snorting as you saw his faint playful smile on his lips, but yet, you don't say anything. Instead, you nod slightly and listen to the steady breaths of Taehyung falling into a deep slumber. Minutes go by and then half an hour goes and you're still wide awake, finding the comfort of his breathing consoling along with his arms that you felt the need for him to hug you tighter, but that very thought had your heart racing and you would sigh out loud.

"You're not going by the contract," he states out of no where making you jump a little in his arms. You feel him adjust his position so that he's looking at you in the corner of your eye. You slowly turn your face to him, not peeping a word. "You know, I think I really might be falling in love with you."

Eyes flickering to him, you trip on your next words. "W-wait, w-what—"

"I'm falling in love with you," he repeats, yawning. "And I could kiss you right now."

But before you could say anything, he smacks his lips together and you could see that he's falling back to his deep sleep while you stay up thinking about his words that made your heart palpitate.

The next few days, you both don't really acknowledge the fact that you're moving out as much as you thought and the nights you spend together were the same, for the most part. You just only acknowledge the fact that he was breaking rule 3 as well, and every time you both go to bed together, you always expect him to say something, but he doesn't. Maybe he was just dreaming, his mind creating a fictitious character that made him confess his feelings— or maybe he was thinking of someone else, and maybe he thought you were that someone else.

However, Taehyung just hugs you, pulls you in close, and you both fall asleep.

As the time had come, you were packing your things when Taehyung wasn't home, and as you were packing, you realized how much you were going to miss your room with the spectacular overview of the city lights that comforted you. You were going to miss the comfort of the dorm itself, and most importantly, you were going to miss him— yeah, never thought you would say that, huh?

As shocking as that may have been, having Taehyung as a roommate didn't seem so bad. Looking past the times he purposely annoyed you to the point where you were dying due to lack of sleep because of him, you realized that he was a good cuddler. Not only that, but without him, you wouldn't have thought that sleep was an option after accidentally leaving your pillow at home. Plus, he could make some good breakfast.

But, as you were packing, you realized how much you wished you didn't agree to move out, no matter how much you from the beginning of the year wanted to, you suddenly will miss having good night sleeps and you will definitely miss him, entirely.

Taehyung, who comes in later that night, sings your name as he enters the home. As you were moving boxes out into the living space, he smirks at you as you approach him. "I have a gift for you. Call it a parting away— even if it's only a hallway down— present."

Chuckling lightly, you roll your eyes playfully. "Wow, thanks."

"Close your eyes," he says and you rose an eyebrow. "Just do it. It adds to the surprise of it."

So you closed your eyes, pondering what on earth could he have given you? Sleeping pills? Probably never going to take them knowing that they give you major headaches. A life-sized cut-out of him? Probably something he would do.

But, as you heard the shuffles move toward you and some weird quiet scuffing noises, it stops and you embrace for the surprise.

"Okay," he says slowly. "Open."

As you open one eye, you see Taehyung with a wide grin, but as you looked down to what he was holding, you covered your mouth with your hands in shock. "No, you did not."

"I did," he sings. "Aren't I the best roommate you could ever have?"

It was your pillow.

The pillow that you always had to sleep with in order to fight your sleepless nights. It was the pillow that you were to scared to call your father and ask to bring it due to your promise to him about being independent. The pillow that you didn't think you'd see for a while, until you visited him, but it was right in front of you, in a flesh.

"How'd you get this?" You ask.

"It's called 'calling your father and telling him to mail it'," he says with a cocky tone. "I don't know why you couldn't have just called him."

"I made a promise to him to not call him unless it was an emergency!" You frown as you see the amusement painted on his face. "I could only attend a college far away from home as long as I stay independent!"

"Being sleep-deprived is an emergency," Taehyung states as he shakes his head.

"Well, thank you," you smile. "This means a lot."

"You're welcome. I know you're not going to sleep so well without me—"

Eyes rolling, you smack his arm with your pillow and he dodges it while laughing. "I'm kidding— not really. But, I know that you're going to need the pillow someday. But if you ever need a sleeping buddy, I'm just across the hall."

You smile at him. "Thank you, Tae. Really."

"No worries— oh! Also," he says, digging into his back pocket to reveal something that has been folded 6 times. As he unfolds it, he clears his throats. "As we split ways I believe that it is my duty that I now pronounce that our contract has been officially... nullified."

And you laugh as he tears the written contract down in half.

"I question us sometimes," you admit and you both laugh into fits. As the laughter disseminates into the air and dies down, you only purse your lips together as you stare at each other. "So, what happens now?" And you know the hope in your eyes were painfully evident, but who were you kidding? You could tell they twinkled and glistened as you both stand there, but what on earth were you exactly hoping for? You weren't exactly sure and when the next words rolled off his tongue;

"So, I'll see you around?"

You felt that glistening twinkle of hope in your eyes dwindle and you were left to give a smile.

"Yeah, of course."

One night, you got drunk. Count on your new roommate, Joohyun, to get you drunk— in the most safest way possible, of course. However, you realized something in the midst of your nth glass of wine, that you needed to go to someone.

And there you were, Taehyung confused as to why a drunk __ was in front of his doorstep, a huge wave of emotions just washing over you as you were giggling when you felt tears prick your eyes.

"__?" He asks, running a hand through his bed hair.

"I'm sorry," you say, hiccuping. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"__? What are you— come inside."

As he pulls you inside, you feel your mouth release these endless string of words that even confused you. "I'm in love with you and I didn't realize it until I couldn't sleep at night even with my pillow because I realized you're one of the reasons why I can finally sleep well and that's because I feel safe when I'm beside you... and I need to know if you feel the same— if you still feel the same because even with my pillow, I can't feel safe without you and I—"

"Do you want to sleep in my bed for tonight? My roommate went to visit his grandmother for a few days," he finally cuts you off and your endless babbles while pushing you towards his room.

"No," you meekly push him off, but you see that he was amused at your drunk state. "I need to know—"

"Can you just lie down?" He exasperatingly groans. "It's killing me that you woke me up and you're here and you reek of alcohol and you're apologizing for something you didn't do—"

"Then why— why..."

"Why, what?"

"Why did you say you were in love with me?" You quietly inquire before hiccuping again. "Then when I left, the most you've ever said was a 'hi' to me. Why did you say it? You obviously didn't mean it." And safe to say, you were starting to be fully aware of what you were saying and even though this whole confession and admitting something to the other is scaring the shit out of you, you cleared your throat. "Sorry, I just..."

"Why do you keep apologizing?" Taehyung grumbles and you stare at him. His hair was really messy that it made you giggle inside at the few strands sticking out and bangs all over the place. His pajama choice was a large t-shirt and some checkered pants that you familiarly recognized.

"Because I broke rule number 3," you decreed. "And I broke into our dorm— I mean... your dorm— and I don't know. I guess... I guess I'm sorry for hoping to get an answer from you that I don't even fucking know and I don't know what I'm expecting, but I'm here, sitting on your bed trying to make sense of my own words and I'm... I'm sorry."

He doesn't say anything and you feel yourself grow embarrassed, but as time progresses, you only heard a tired chuckle elicit his mouth. "Well, I broke rule number 3 first." Peeking up at him, you saw that he was wearing that cocky grin you both knew so well and it oddly comforted you. "I don't know what answer you want from me... but what I said to you about being in love with you— it still stays. And safe to say that I still am breaking rule 3, but we'll talk about it tomorrow when you're completely sober."

"Wait," you pause, eyebrow raising. "So... you're still in love with me?"

Taehyung laughs as he kneels down to take your shoes that you would always wear off and set them aside. "When did I—"

"Because if you are," you interrupt as you didn't realize that he was moving around the sheets around you so you could kicked your feet up onto the bed. "I don't mind."

In response, he chuckles and a part of him wishes that he recorded what drunk __ said, but he took the liberty of cherishing the moment of watching your drowsiness take over as you fall into a slumber. And dare he let himself bring his fingers to stroke your hair gently, allowing them to comb through your hair that still smelled like your shampoo.

And in that epoch of contentment, he felt himself smile slightly as he thought that seeing this view in front of him every night and every morning for the rest of his life didn't seem too bad.

that next year

"How did we manage to get the same room together again?" You ask in wonder as you grab your boxes from out of your car.

Taehyung stifles a laugh as he grabs one of your boxes that sat on top of other boxes, while you grabbed another box that you labeled as your desk materials, you smiling at him as he helps you with your stuff. "It's gotta be fate."

You laugh at his reply. "You did something, huh? Let me guess, you probably flirted your way with the RA. Maybe killed someone... no, I bet it's something bizarre... like secretly being the great nephew of the Dean bizarre."

You hear Taehyung laugh at your theories. "Sure, being the secret great nephew of the Dean will work." As you both reach the elevator, you both stand in the silence together until he breaks it first.

"Did you bring your pillow?" He questions and you look at him, a smile growing on your lips as the elevator opens.

Stepping out first, you laugh. "And if I did?" You say as you kick open your front door and set your boxes down into the living area. When you set it down, you were immediately swept off your feet as Taehyung grabs a hold of your waist, pulling you closer, making you squeal at his swift motions.

"Then I guess we don't need to renew our contract," he mutters, making you get goosebumps along your arms. Giggling, you raise your eyebrows at him.

"I guess we don't," you agree.

Taehyung smirks amidst the small proximity between you two. "Then I guess... we can break rule number 3 all we want."

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