#i went to a bookstore for the first time in a year or more today and i didn't want to leave 😭

[azrielsdove]

Softly: Azriel x Reader

Warnings: Smuttttt, 18+. This is just a short, smutty fic for my az babies out there <3

***

You hadn’t been around many Illyrians before. You remember the first time you saw Azriel, how wide your eyes had gotten at the sight of the large wings behind him. You had never seen anything like that, anything so dangerously beautiful.

You had been shelving books in your little shop when he had come in. You had turned with a wide smile to greet your new customer, faltering as you took him in. Everything about him was big. You had trailed your eyes over his body before remembering your role here. You cleared your throat and put the smile back on, asking “How can I help you today?” He seemed to have not noticed your reaction to him, or was pretending he didn’t notice.

“I’m looking for a specific book, I was told you may have it here?” Azriel had responded, pulling out a piece of paper with a title and author. You had nodded and disappeared to find it for him. When you brought it back, he had given you a thankful smile and left rather quickly after.

You wanted to see him again.

Much to your pleasant surprise, Azriel began frequenting your little bookstore. You didn’t have too much traffic and sometimes he’d stay for hours talking to you. You started to consider him one of your dearest friends, looking forward to seeing his shadows enter your business.

As time went on your feelings grew for the Shadowsinger. You felt called to him. You started to need to see him, getting anxious whenever it had been a few days since his last visit. You only hoped Azriel hadn’t noticed your change towards him. You knew he would never feel the same way.

Years had gone by since your first meeting, and Az still visited you at least once a week, often more. He had started coming closer to close, helping you lock up and walk you home. You would invite him in occasionally, the two of you staying up late talking and drinking. Those were your favorite nights.

It was a night much like that when everything changed.

You admit you had a bit too much wine to drink that night, but it had been a particularly stressful week with your shop. A sudden increase in clientele had been excellent for your business in theory, yet in practice you weren’t prepared for all the new customers. You had struggled to keep stock, having to turn away many disappointed and angry faeries. Tonight you just wanted to drink and forget about all those problems.

You laughed as Azriel told you a story about his brother Cassian, tipping back more wine. You were probably sitting a bit too close to him on the sofa, but he didn’t seem to mind. You watched the way his eyes lit up as he spoke of his brothers, the way color tinted his cheeks when he revealed something embarrassing. You saw the way his shadows would swirl excitedly when he talked about something dangerous, and you loved the way his wings fluttered with them.

Oh, those wings.

They were one of your favorite parts of Azriel. You loved the way they would catch the sun, brown and red light shining through. You loved the way they reacted to his emotions, how you could tell what he was feeling that day depending on his wings. You loved how they hung strong on his back, giving him that deadly appearance.

You wanted to lick them.

You didn’t think as you reached a hand out and lightly stroked the edge of the wing closest to you. You didn’t even realize what you had done until you noticed Azriel go rigid, his story ending abruptly. You straightened up immediately, your cheeks going red. “Oh, Az I-i’m so sorry. I don’t know why I did that without even asking. Did I hurt you?” You asked, embarrassed at your actions. He shook his head, refusing to look at you. “I don’t know anything about Illyrians. Was that rude? Oh I am so sorry!” You rushed out, feeling hot tears of humiliation fill your eyes.

Azriel quickly looked at you when he heard the break in your voice, spotting your tears as they spilled out of your eyes. “Hey, no, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.” He said comfortingly, reaching over to brush your tears away. You ducked your head, focusing on your glass of wine.

“They’re just beautiful.” You whispered. “I wanted to know what they felt like.” You slowly looked up to him, asking; “Can I touch them again?” Azriels eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few times. Finally he nodded, saying; “Softly.” You broke into a giddy smile and set your wine glass down on the table. You carefully reached your hand out, stroking the wing in the same spot. You let your fingers brush over their softness, wanting to feel every inch of them.

You were so caught up in memorizing the feel of Azriels wings against your fingers that you didn’t notice the way his hand gripped the armrest of your sofa. You rubbed down a particularly sensitive spot on his wings, stilling your motions as you heard him let out a heated groan. You looked into his eyes, shocked to see them blown wide with lust. “Az?” You asked curiously, confused as to what was happening.

“Do you know what touching an Illyrians wings feels like for us?” He asked, voice deep. You shook your head as you removed your fingers from him, wondering if you had hurt him in some way. He turned to you, leaning close. Your body was caged under Azriels, your heart going a million beats a minute. “It feels like this.” He spoke lowly, running his fingers over your neck. You gasped at his touch, heat flowing through your body. He seemed to enjoy your reaction, a small smile coming onto his face.

You had imagined a situation like this so many times before, so many nights with your hand between your thighs. Nothing compared to having Azriels hands on you, and all he had done was touch your neck. You were fucked.

You felt like he could read your mind as his smile widened and he leaned down to press a light kiss to the place his fingers had just moved from. You arched into him, wanting more, needing more. “I’ve wanted to touch you for years now.” He whispered over your skin, one hand falling to press your hip down into the couch. You gave a soft moan at his words, desire ripping through your body. You didn’t think twice before you reached up and ran your fingers over his wings again.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for years.” You breathed out, his hand tightening on your hip. Azriel wrapped his other hand around your throat, forcing your eyes to look into his.

“Do it again.” He ground out, a low moan ripping through him as you ran your fingers down the ridges again. “You have no idea what you do to me.” He said before sliding his lips over yours.

The kiss was passionate, needy, searing. It was everything you wanted and more. You wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, the other running down his wings again and again. You gasped when he ground down into you, his tongue sliding into your mouth.

You. Were. Fucked.

The hand on your hip slid under your waistband, finding you over your underwear. He chuckled darkly against your mouth when he felt the wetness seeping through. “All for me?” He asked, kissing you harder. Azriel slipped his fingers under the delicate lace, running them up and down, teasing you.

“Az,” you moaned out, pushing your hips into his touch. He pulled away and smiled down at you, enjoying the lust all over your face.

“What do you say, my needy girl?” His voice was hot, dangerous. You were going to explode if he didn’t touch you.

“Please, Az,” You breathed, his fingers toying with you. “Please touch me.”

At those words his fingers plunged into you, your back arching off the couch as you threw your head back. Fuck. The hand on your throat angled your head back to look at him, a smirk on his face. “Now now, I want to look at those pretty eyes when I make you cum.”

Oh gods. Oh gods. You were done for. You were done for. Azriel moved the palm of his hand so it was rubbing against you, heightened the pleasure you were feeling. You couldn’t help as moan after moan spilled from your lips, the coil tightening in your stomach. You were so close, so close.

Azriel flicked his fingers inside of you once more and you came with a scream, shaking under him. “That’s it, that’s my good girl.” He murmured, kissing your neck, your ears, your face as his fingers helped you through your high. He stopped once you let out a cry of overstimulation, pulling his fingers out of you before popping them in his mouth.

Fucking. Hell.

“Az, if you don’t fuck me right this second i’m going to lose my mind.” You said, your words dripping with desire. His eyes darkened as he leaned over you, the hand on your throat tightening.

“I don’t believe you give out the commands here,” was all he said before attacking your lips with his again. Your hands were all over him, on his chest, on his wings, desperately undoing his pants. You slid him out once you got the ties undone, groaning at the thick length in your hand.

“Az,” you moaned again, pressing your hips into his. “Please.”

“Please what?” He teased, dragging his tip through your folds. You grabbed his head and pulled him down to you, kissing him with as much desire as you could muster.

“Fuck me.” You whispered against his lips, a cry coming from you a second later as he began to push in. Gods, he was so big.

“That’s it, that’s it. You’re taking me so well. Such a good girl for me, aren’t you?” He moaned as he sunk down into you, inch by inch. Once he bottomed out he took a moment for both of you to catch your breath.

You raised your hand, running a finger down his wings again. “Please move, Azriel.” You gasped out, feeling his body push into yours at your touch.

“As you wish.” He answered, pulling out before thrusting all the way back in. You couldn’t help the scream that tore from you. You dug your nails into his back, your other hand still playing with his wing. He began biting and sucking on your neck, relishing the moans you were giving him. “I won’t last much longer if you keep doing that.” He ground out as you ran your fingers down his wings again.

“Good. I want you to cum in me.” You breathed against his skin, a particularly strong bite settling on your neck as he took in your words. Az picked up speed, hand sliding between your legs to circle you. You began moaning his name like a prayer, unable to think anything else. He brought your eyes down to look at his again, fucking you through another orgasm. You scratched your nails on his wing and he came a second after you, spilling into you with a roar.

You both laid there for a few minutes, breathing heavily and processing what you just did. You began to worry that he was going to regret it, that it was a drunken mistake, that he was never going to want to see you again. Azriel pulled out of you slowly, watching as his cum dripped from you.

“I don’t know if I can go without seeing this everyday for the rest of my life.” He said, voice deadly serious. Your eyes widened at his words, your heart soaring. You rose to your knees, pressing your hands to his chest as you lightly kissed him.

“Then make me yours, Shadowsinger.” You said against his lips, a smile breaking out on his face. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you back down on the couch, kissing all over your face.

“You’re already mine.”

***

This was just a short little thing to breakup the angsty ones i’ve been writing! I needed something a little easy haha. Please give me all your feedback! My requests are open as well if theres anything you guys want specifically <3

#acotar #acotar x reader #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel smut #acotar smut

[milunalupin]

— mint to be

remus lupin x reader ★ 1k words

The little bell above the door jingled as the last customer left the bookstore. Remus let out a deep sigh as he looked around at all the picking up and re-sorting he had to do. He went to reach for one of the mint candies by the register he offered to customers, but his hand stopped and brows furrowed as he noticed a few of the candies were missing their wrappers. He picked the bare candies out and tossed them in the bin under the counter before grabbing a new one and popping it in his mouth while he went to get the book cart.

Remus had started working at the bookstore just over a year ago, Mr. Brown being the only shopkeeper in Hogsmeade kind enough to offer him a job with a livable wage. He had always been an avid reader and lover of all literature so it was a match made in heaven. The bookstore was in a quieter corner of the Hogsmeade, standing right across from the town's magical creature research center and rescue. Nothing exciting happened on this side of the village, until he met you.

"Have you got any plans tonight, Remus?"

"No, why do you ask, Sir?"

"Saw your little bird working today, assumed you'd see her once you were done closing up."

Remus' sweater suddenly felt a little too warm, his fingers reaching up to pull at the neckline, as Mr. Brown smirked at him from across the shop. "N-no sir, I'm not."

"You should think about doing that instead of ogling at her all day, eh?" the shopkeeper shook his head and tutted quietly to himself, waving goodbye for the night, leaving his embarrassed employee alone in the bookstore.

Remus was never the most talkative person in the first place, but the moment you walked into Brown's Bookshop, he had suddenly forgotten every word he'd ever read. You had introduced yourself as Mr. Scamander's new apprentice, babbling on about your love for magical creatures, to which Remus could only smile and nod as he tried not to fall in love with you right then and there. You left the shop that day with a few books on your favorite beasts and an admirer.

Remus wishes he had met you back at Hogwarts, where he might've been lucky enough to be partnered with you in a class, or perhaps he would've been brave enough to invite you to one of the parties his friends always hosted. Now he just watches you through the shops windows like a fucking creep. It's not like he didn't want to talk to you, but how could he? Remus sighed at took one more glance out the window before leaving the shop himself, locking up and heading home with a heavy heart.

You froze as soon as you walked into work this morning, golden wrappers scattered across the floor, your eyes squinting in suspicion. You picked up the wrappers on your way to the backroom where the new Niffler rescue was, shoving them in the pocket of your cardigan.

"Hey little guy." you coed softly, picking up the small fluffy creature, and bringing him to your face. He squirmed in your hands, reaching for the corner of plastic sticking out of your pocket. "Are all these wrappers your doing?"

In a second the Niffler was out of your hands and scurrying out he door. You grabbed your wand as well as a small cage and dashed out the door, eyes scanning the cobblestone streets. "Oh you're going to be in so much trouble!"

You caught a flash of blue fur and ran ahead, apologizing to the Hogsmeade patrons you bumped into on the way. Hurrying into the shop, you failed to notice which fine establishment the little troublemaker had led you into, only realizing as reached the front desk as saw one surprised Remus Lupin.

"Hello there, can I help you with anything?" Rosy cheeks and warm eyes greeted you, his big sweater and fluffy hair making him look exceptionally huggable.

"Remus, hi! Yes, it seems that.." your eyes trailed down from the face you've been not-so-discreetly staring at every time you go to work to the wooden bowl next to the register. It was filled with gold wrapped mints with a 'Please take one!' post it note stuck to the side. You felt hot with embarrassment, making a mental note to not give the Niffler extra treats today. "That little-"

Squeak!

The two of your turned to see the blue devil standing on the book cart with his paws on the side of his head is surprise. You cast 'Accio' on the mini beast and made sure the cage was locked once he was inside.

"So he was the wrapper thief, huh." Remus chuckled, coming around to your side of the counter and bending down to look at the Niffler behind his tiny bars, sticking a finger through the gate to pet the creature.

"I'm so sorry for any disturbances and inconveniences he's caused, I owe you one, Remus." you sent him a tight lipped smile and turned to head back to work to save you from any further embarrassment.

"Actually, you would do me a huge favor favor by coming with me to the Three Broomsticks tonight." he suggested, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Really." a surprised laugh left you, your cheeks warming up as he stepped closer to you. "Well, I suppose I could help you out there."

"After I close up I'll come grab you and we'll have a bite and a round of Butterbeers, does that sound alright with you?" his eyebrows went up in question, a shy smile adorning his flushed face.

You agreed and and basically skipped back to work, missing the way Remus fist pumped the air, taking another candy as his reward for finally asking you out.

The niffler tittered in his cage, with you laughing along with him. As you places him back in his enclosure, you could've sworn to Merlin he winked at you.

#marauders era #marauders x reader #marauders #remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus x reader

[itscherrylipsforme]

The missing piece: Oliver Quick x fem!reader

Part 2 here

Summary: A few months after Saltburn becomes completely his, Oliver still feels like something is missing. Without being able to put a finger on it he decides to pay a visit to Oxford, where all started, trying to find the answer between his old memories. Fate believes that a pretty and sweet student he meets in a bookstore is the piece of the puzzle he needs right now. After all everyone wants to be showered with love, don’t they?

Warnings: Post Saltburn fic, a little bit dark (it’s Oliver, what you expected?), age gap (he is around 15-17 years older), slightly innocent kin? (nothing sexual)

Words: Around 1700

Author's rambles: Okay, I feel in love with him the movie and I am kind of embarrassed about it (It’s not my fault hat the actor has pretty eyes and a gorgeous accent, fine?) For your own good, don’t aspire to have a boyfriend as toxic as him in real life. Also this is my fic on Tumblr, please be nice

Masterlist Characters I write for

Likes and reblogs are appreciated ღ

I do not authorize any of my works to be copied, translated or plagiarized ✗

There is a psychological phenomenon that claims that after achieving something we have been longing for some time instead of the sense of satisfaction we were expecting we feel incomplete, hopeless and already looking forward to our next success. After having the Saltburn's keys just for himself, Oliver experienced that piercing emotion for the first time in his life. If he was painfully unaware of it or simply decided to ignore it remains as an open question until today. The only thing that was certain for him at that time is that he needed some action, a new goal, maybe some entertainment, and specially he needed answers. That’s why he decided to go back to the place it all started nearly sixteen years ago

Oxford hadn’t changed a lot since he graduated, as he had the chance to notice it. Different names, different faces, different decades… But still the same social scheme it was back them. Groups of rich daddy’s and mommy’s children swarming around the campus, pubs where you had to drink to be accepted, and poor little nobodies who had to adapt or die in the process

He rented a large flat not so far away from the university, and in the café just below it he rediscovered a hobby he had always had, but which have been almost forgotten on those last months on the mansion. Looking at the students, being able to read through their facades while accompanied by a cup of coffee, became his new pastime. But people always talk and after some weeks spending the afternoon in the café terrace just lost in his thoughts he realized the odd glances the staff shot towards him, so he decided to hide his true interest behind a less complex and unique one. The next day he went to the closest bookstore to buy any novel that would help him with his purpose, after all, people just ask fewer questions when you are reading on your own. That was when he found you sitting on a couch, legs crossed with a book between your small and soft hands

Pretty, beautiful, gorgeous even. Young, probably still studying at Oxford. On the shy aspect, lovely and smart as he guessed correctly. Sweet smile. Bright eyes. Oh, and some soft curves he was able to peep while he seemed to be looking at the shelves by your side. Wait, was that a blush, what he saw on your cheeks? Another scholarship student as he was back then. The fact that your clothes weren’t from big and expensive brands and that you spent your afternoons in the bookshop without really buying anything was the clue he needed to be sure about it. God, you were adorable, perfect, just what he needed right now and he decided to start working on it

Time had shown him that patience and a good plan could take you far away, this is the reason why, although he was eager to come to you and straight-forward mesmerize you with his tricks, he waited. He spent the next five weeks going to the library more or less daily hoping to see you, and luckily (since he was used to building his own luck) your schedules always matched. He always sat on an armchair to read next to yours, close but not enough to be suspicious. Just after he had made sure you have not so subtly looked at him a few times, he decided to make the move

“The Secret History” a deep silky voice said from behind your seat. His face slightly near to your face which made the words linger in the air for some honey-like seconds “You have a good taste”

“Thanks… Thank you” you manged to say in sweet and shy whisper

“First time you read it?” he asked and a shake of your head was the response he got

“No, I have already read it a couple of times in pdf. But I have never owned the physical book”

“We can have that keep happening, can’t we?” he grinned, and you couldn’t remember if he was the first man who had smiled and looked at you in that way “May I have a look at it?” his large and firm hands came to hold the cover as he stood up and went straight to the cashier “Follow me, darling” the nickname rolled in his tongue, sweet as candy, and before you thought about it, you did as he said. You were obedient, good thing, he thought to himself. He pulled the money out of his wallet in merely seconds, paid for it and hand it back to you

“Thanks, but I can’t accept it” you said slightly embarrassed

“Of course, you can! It truly is an amazing novel, you deserve it” he smirked. His words have had just the reaction he had expected from you, cheeks covered with a tiny hint of pink “I have always found myself relating to Henry Winter, I just need my Camila now”

You were taken back, was that an attempt to flirt? Because if it was, he had your attention. While you tried to make any sense out of your thought, he spoke again

“I am usually on a café nearby, if you are interested you could come sometime” Another smirk, and at that moment you knew that this man was going to be the death to you. Things like this only happened to the main characters in romance movies

“I don’t even know your name”

“ You can call me Oliver, darling”

“I am y/n”

“Beautiful, beautiful y/n, it was a pleasure to meet you. Hope we see each other again”

And you did. Between coffees, books, conversations and more, he had you wrapped around his finger by the time your classes ended. Oliver was sweet, devoted, intelligent… all you could ever ask for in a man. He was straight out of your dreams, and damn he felt you were straight out of his. Innocent, easy to make blush, could keep with his ramblings and most important, you were eager to love, and he was eager to be loved

Yesterday it had been your graduation, when you left the ceremony in that beautiful dress he had insisted on buying you and wrapped your arms around him, he felt like his plan has almost completely succeeded. Almost, you wanted a fairy tale romance, and he was going to give you one. Keeping things slowly and delicate. But when he woke up and felt you laying on his chest sleeping peacefully, he couldn’t help but want to make you his. That had been the only night you had spent in his apartment in your months together. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't rush, so he didn't. At least he was glad you were coming with him to Saltburn for a few weeks in the summer and you could bet he wouldn’t let you leave the mansion again if he could. After all, you were all that he wanted. His missing piece

Part 2 here

#oliver quick x reader #oliver quick x y/n #saltburn 2023

[funkybarnes]

happy birthday, bugs!

pairing: actor!SebastianStan x bookstore!owner!female reader.

summary: Sebastian, as weirdly as it is, giving his career and your condition as a non-famous person, is your best friend. And today is his birthday. And you can't miss, for nothing in this world, the opportunity of being the first person to give him a little gift.

warnings: too cute, not much more than that.

trope: best friend to lovers. (possibly a series to be written in the future)

word count: almost 1K. (a little short, since is my first time posting a fic)

> means message sent from you to him.

< means message received from him.

a/n: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SEBASTIAN, this is my little gift for his fans and for him. I hope he's having the best day ever. Anyways, please feel free to reblog, comment and interact! I do not allow to copy, repost or translate this work. Also, I want to clarify that english is not my first language, so if you find any mistakes, bare with me.

The clock strikes midnight on a surprisingly warm night right in the middle of August when Sebastian was packing some clothes for the trip. Not a minute passed and he heard his phone making the sound he had chosen for your notifications.

> Y/n: "hey, are you at home?"

< Seb: "uhm, yeah, why?"

> Y/n: "are you alone?"

He looked at the phone with a frown, wondering what crazy thought was on your mind.

< Seb: "yes, weirdo, I am alone"

< Seb: "are you coming?"

> Y/n: "I was going to ask you if I could go"

< Seb: "of course you can, silly"

> Y/n: "good, cause I'm already outside!"

Sebastian took his eyes from the phone and looked at the door, and went straight to it. Walked a few steps to the stairs and went to open the main door for you. The image he encountered made him melt a little.

You were standing in the stairs, a little birthday chocolate dessert made from scratch with some candles on top in your hands, and when you saw him opening the door, you started to sing happy birthday to him.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Sebastian! Happy birthday to you!" you sang with a huge smile on your face, and when he went down a little to blow the candles you stopped him. "Wait, I have to sing it in spanish too" you stated seriously and he laughed and let you go on with the show.

Once you finished singing he blew the candles and let you come inside. "I would have sang in Romanian but you know I don't know how" you joked while entering so he could close the door.

You gave him a big hug before heading to the stairs to his apartment. "Did you think that I would forget?"

"How can you forget?" he talked behind you, watching you as you opened his apartment door and let yourself in. "Thank you, Y/n"

"You have to teach me how to sing it in Romanian for next year, old man" you pointed your finger at him while talking after leaving the little birthday dessert on his kitchen counter. "How much is it? Like one hundred and two, right?"

He came behind you and shook your hair playfully. "Ha-ha, very funny, you're ten years younger, so I'm dragging you with me, ninety years old lady"

You frowned pretending to be offended as you watched him go upstairs, so you followed him, making your hair presentable again. "Hey, that's not funny! You wish you were a thirty year old woman!"

You heard him chuckle gravely, making your stomach flick a little bit, as he put some stuff in a suitcase. You took a seat on his bed following every step he made with your eyes. Before you could ask, he spoke, as if he knew what you were going to ask.

"Some friends invited me to a trip for my birthday, it's a surprise so I have no idea where I'm going" he laughed between words. "You think they'll kidnap me?"

You made a serious face and frowned, making a funny expression "oh, yeah, definitely, you're never coming back, bugs. This is the end of your era!" You threw a pillow from his bed to his head while laughing. "In fact, I think you'll be eaten by sharks and sea monsters. Worst one hundred and two birthday ever, and you don't get those very much"

He laughed loudly, coming to you with the pillow you threw at him in his hands, ready for the impact in your face. "Oh, shut up, you're so dramatic". He ran after you when you got up avoiding his strike, but he got you, wrapping you in his arms and dragging you with him to the ground.

You both laughed on the ground, a little sore from the impact, and ended up lay down, side by side, looking at the ceiling. A moment of silence later you turned your head to look at him. "You will have fun, don't worry".

He turned his head to you too, looking directly at your eyes, comfortable silence between the two. Then he took your hand in his and, as usual, you started to gently caress his, and his yours. "Yeah, but never as much fun as I have with you."

You turned your head to the ceiling again, trying to hide the blush in your face from him. He copied your action, but kept the caresses in your hand, bringing it up so you both could see the conjunction of yourselves.

As you both kept your eyes on the ceiling, breathing peacefully, time went by, the sides of your heads barely touching, closer than before.

"You should eat your dessert, I made it myself", you spoke a few minutes later, remembering the little chocolate delight you made this afternoon, just for him.

"I will, I'm just enjoying this" he whispered softly, almost closing his eyes and relaxing.

You doubted yourself for a second, but took courage after thinking twice. Then, you quickly got up, a little, just enough so you could gently put your lips to his, in a sweet but short kiss that he couldn't almost react to.

"Happy birthday, bugs", your whisper almost inaudible, just like your kiss, barely there.

#sebastian stan #fanfic #bucky barnes #winter soldier #marvel #sebastian stan edit #capitan america #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fic #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan fandom #female reader #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan one shot #sebastian stan au #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x fluff #sebastian stan birthday #happy birthday #happy birthday sebastian stan #sebastian stan bucky barnes #sebastian stan masterlist #mickey henry

[1d1195]

Neighbors III

Sorry for the delay, thank you for waiting. Read Part I and Part II

Harry wondered if he kept the defeat off his face as she brushed him off. “Oh, sure, kitten. Sorry, t’bother you—”

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I have to go help Rory with his shoes, see you later, Harry,” she rushed and turned for the kitchen. All Harry wanted was to spend time soaking in everything she was: pure sunlight and kindness.

But when Harry doesn’t watch Rory that following Thursday, he wondered where it all went wrong.

Somehow Rory’s questions set her off. Everything was fine. No not fine, practically perfect—if only they were together. If there had even been an inkling of an idea that they could date. That there could be more than friendship and neighbors. So, she did what she knew best: she protected Rory.

And herself.

There was only a single road between their home and Harry’s house. But it felt like an entire universe stretched from doorstep to doorstep. After being so intertwined since the moment he moved in, to not see Harry nearly killed her. Everything made her want to see him. She wanted to tell him about her day and ask him about his. When she went to the grocery store, she wanted to see if he needed anything, but she couldn’t bring herself to carry on the shreds of hope that they would be something.

Rory was wondering about their relationship which meant she let it get too far.

It took Harry five whole days to realize he was being ignored. He didn’t notice at first because the two neighbors were busy the first few days. Rory still waved from the driveway, and she offered a smile as he did. But Harry was too far away to realize it wasn’t reaching her eyes.

Even that first Thursday he didn’t think much of it. Her text made sense and was inconspicuous. Harry didn’t feel suspicious about anything.

You don’t need to watch Rory today. My mom’s having a sleepover for him. Read his phone. Harry smiled because that sounded like fun for the little one.

That’s nice, beautiful. Sounds good. See you tomorrow xx Have a good shift

When Harry finished working on that Friday evening and saw that her car wasn’t in the driveway he frowned at the prospect of no pizza. But more importantly, no company. Still, he didn’t think of anything about it because it was weird that she didn’t mention not being around for pizza, but she didn’t have to tell Harry about it.

So it wasn’t until Saturday that Harry realized he was being ignored. Saturday when the two of them didn’t leave their house. Everything okay? He sent her a message.

We’re fine. Having a lazy day.

Enjoy :) xx

It made him uneasy before he realized why. The twist in his stomach twinged but he figured it was just because he was hungry or something. It took until he was about to fall asleep for him to notice his anxiety over not being around them for the whole week.

Certainly, he would address it tomorrow.

She wasn’t sure what the full plan was. Surely she couldn’t keep busy for the rest of her life. Barring moving, she needed to figure out a way to ignore Harry without being obvious. For the first five days, it went okay. There was very little time to see Harry and the little traditions they had built up over the last two years were suddenly gone. It broke her heart.

There was a knock on her door. She bit her lip knowing exactly who it was. “Is that Harry?” Rory asked excitedly.

She wasn’t looking at Rory when he asked. She closed her eyes, hand on the doorknob and swallowed all the worry and fear in her body down. “Put your shoes on baby, let’s go to the bookstore,” she said.

Rory liked the bookstore so he didn’t question it. It was random, but he didn’t mind. Hurriedly he ran to his room to get his shoes.

“Hi,” she said gently.

“Hey, beautiful,” he smiled so sweetly it melted her veins. Every organ turned to soup at the two words directed to her. “Brought some pops over,” he said holding a box of popsicles in his hand.

She smiled gratefully, and now Harry was up close. He could see how it didn’t touch the beautiful eyes he adored staring in since he met her. “Thank you,” she said simply. “We’re just about to head out though, can I throw them in the freezer?” She wondered. Harry placed the box in her hands and could feel the frown forming on his lips.

Harry wondered if he kept the defeat off his face as she brushed him off. “Oh, sure, kitten. Sorry, t’bother you—”

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I have to go help Rory with his shoes, see you later, Harry,” she rushed and turned for the kitchen. Harry showed himself out and he blinked in surprise at the abruptness of the situation. Surely, he was imagining her off-putting demeanor. She was an angel. All Harry wanted was to spend time soaking in everything she was: pure sunlight and kindness.

But when Harry doesn’t watch Rory that following Thursday, he wondered where it all went wrong.

*

The hardest thing she ever did was tell her baby daddy that she was pregnant. It wasn’t supposed to happen. She hadn’t even graduated from college at the time and was anxiously applying for real jobs and studying for finals when she realized it had been too long since she remembered buying a box of tampons. She thought about how scared she was (and how in hindsight she had every right to be scared).

But she had been with Rory’s dad for two years and while the timing was piss-poor she was certain they would work and figure it out just as they always promised. Again, in hindsight, knowing how cute Rory was, it was a blessing he was around...even if he backed out of his promise.

With her positive test in her coat pocket and a hand on her stomach briefly, she knocked on his apartment door. He answered with a giant smile, a toe-curling kiss, and a hello so sweet the anxiety dissipated almost instantly. They would be fine—they couldn’t be anything but fine.

They had dinner that he cooked, a simple pasta dish and they laughed and smiled. When they moved to his living room and put on a show they had both seen several times she fidgeted with the ends of her shirt sleeves so much he asked her if everything was alright.

In that moment it was now or never.

“Um...” she said. “I...missed my period,” she said and pulled the test from her coat pocket. He blinked before looking at the test and then at her.

“What?” He asked incredulously. “Are you pregnant?”

She nodded and the nerves started to creep up from her stomach and into her fingertips as they numbly held the test in her hand. She could sense something was wrong. It wasn’t the reaction she had hoped for and she didn’t know what to make of it. “Yes,” she whispered.

There was a beat of silence of him staring at the stick with the plus sign on it. He snorted and shook his head. “I don’t want a baby,” he told her and looked at her eyes finally.

She wondered if her face paled in that moment because truly, she never felt so sick in her entire life and Rory gave her a bad case of nausea in her second trimester and this was easily ten times worse. “Well...uh...I don’t really have a choice,” she said. “And... I want this baby.”

He stared at her as if he didn’t recognize her. They sat there in silence again for several moments. “Then you don’t want us,” he said simply and stood from the couch and headed to his bedroom.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed. This was not what she wanted. This would be much worse on her own. Much, much worse. She spiraled into all the what-could-go-wrongs. How badly she could mess up a child that didn’t have a father figure. The cost, the job she would need, the loneliness that crept into her body.

All of it hit her as she sat on that couch. After she realized he wouldn’t be coming back out, she stood up, took the last of her dignity and the positive test, and left the apartment. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of begging. She was determined in that moment to do anything and everything for the little being growing inside of her at that second.

But she cried the entire way to her sister’s house to break all the news she had gotten in such a short span of time.

*

The second hardest thing she ever had to do was ignore Harry for weeks on end.

*

Harry was settling into the fact that he would never see her or Rory in the capacity he was used to ever again. He was saddened by the fact and wished with everything in him it would just go back to normal.

Fortunately, he lucked out on one small minor missed detail on a Monday afternoon where there was no daycare (once a month she took a week day off just to have Rory to herself). As he was about to get in his car as quickly as possible—so he wouldn’t find himself walking across the street to inquire what the problem was—Rory came pedaling over on his bike, furiously. He looked both ways but only barely. “Hey Rory!” Harry smiled brightly. “Don’t forget to look both ways, lad,” he reminded him.

He ignored it already making his way up Harry’s drive. He thrusted an envelope (it was junk mail) into Harry’s hands. “Mumma had me get the mail and I know how to read your name so I brought this to you,” he said quickly. “Can you come to my game? Mumma has to work so she can’t come,” he said. “So, you won’t see her. My friend is going to drive me,” he told Harry.

Harry wasn’t stupid. He knew Rory wasn’t supposed to ask him. This was obviously a secret. Harry shouldn’t have allowed Rory to keep a secret from his mum. But he couldn’t deny this little one what he wanted. Harry also hated the way Rory said Harry wouldn’t see her. He knew something was wrong just like Harry did. It made Harry feel so sad inside. He couldn’t imagine skipping his invite.

Plus, Harry really missed being in Rory’s life. “I’d like that, Rory. When is it? At the park?” He asked. Surely there would be no harm in Harry going to the game if she wasn’t going to be there. She wouldn’t be any the wiser. Maybe Harry was running in the park and Rory just happened to be playing.

Rory nodded. “On Thursday night,” he told Harry. “I...I miss playing with you,” he admitted looking at him briefly before he turned his bike around to head down the driveway.

Harry smiled sadly. “Same here, lad.”

“Bye, Harry,” he said softly and waved at him so softly and fleetingly, it broke Harry’s heart all over again.

“Bye, Rory.”

*

Harry stood in the middle of the field watching Rory run in a jersey that is much too big for him up and down the field. There wasn’t anything Harry could compare to a game of little five-year-old boys playing football. There wasn’t much fancy footwork, not a lot of spreading out and it was overall a big clinic for the kids. But Harry was happy to watch and cheer on Rory each time his foot touched the ball.

The only issue Harry had with coming was the women watching their children spend most of the time watching and fawning over Harry. He ignored the whispers that were clearly focused on Rory, his mother, and the ‘very cute guy that was here for Rory.’

Harry was clapping for Rory when he kicked the ball hard and it accidentally bumped into one of his teammates—making it look like Rory had passed it...even if it was an accident.

“Nice pass!” Harry called. Rory smiled delightedly and one of his friends whispered something to him and Rory shrugged back. Harry wished he could ask Rory about it but he planned on waving from a distance and leaving before making too much of a scene at the end of Rory’s scrimmage.

At the same time, she was rushing out of her car in the parking lot having taken her break early on to catch a glimpse of Rory playing his little heart out. It took a lot to do it all, but she would do anything for that sweet boy.

“Rory said he is his neighbor. I wonder if she’s sleeping with him.”

No.

“I’d sleep with him.”

“You’re terrible.”

She ignored the voices that didn’t realize she was coming onto the field at that moment.

“Harry.”

Harry could have picked her voice out of a crowd of ten thousand voices. The sound of his name on her lips was like a song. He turned to her, an apron still around her waist, her hair pulled back and she still looked stunning as ever.

“Hey beautiful, long time no see. Rory invited me here,” he said quickly. He was caught. No way around it. He had to own it.

She stared at him, and Harry swore he saw a flash of anger. Maybe it was bitterness. Harry had never seen her features sour like that before. Perhaps it was a betrayal knowing Rory was around him without her knowing and that Harry listened to him.

“Mumma!” He cheered at seeing her. Her frustration disappeared instantly.

“Hey cutie pie,” she smiled sweetly and ruffled his hair. “You winning?” She asked.

He nodded. By Harry’s estimates it was tied at least 8 to 8 goals, half of which were scored in the wrong net, but they were having lots of fun. “Mumma, can I have another sweatshirt, it’s cold!” He said.

Without thinking she took the sweatshirt off her body and wrapped it around him, zipping the front and rolling the sleeves so he would be warm. “M’gonna have to go back to work, baby, but I love you and I’m so proud of you,” she said genuinely kissing him on the forehead. “I’ll see you at grandma’s tonight, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay, bye Mumma,” he smiled excitedly. “Bye Harry,” he said quietly glancing at him out of the corner of his eye before heading back to his team.

“Bye, lad.”

They both stood there silently listening to the little ones cheer and kick and yell happily while running back and forth across the little field. Still, their shared silence was louder than all of it. In his peripheral, he saw her shivering, her arms wrapped around her torso tightly squeezing her arms close for warmth.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“M’only staying another minute or so,” she said staring ahead. “I’m fine.”

Of course, she was. But Harry couldn’t accept it in good conscience. Even if she was only staying another minute. His coat was off in an instant and he wrapped it around her shoulders rubbing one of her arms for some added friction.

“This is unnecessary,” she murmured.

“Kitten,” he said softly. “Is...is something wrong? Are you actually avoiding me?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I have to leave Harry, just let me enjoy my son’s game,” she muttered quietly not wanting to add fuel to the gossip train.

Harry felt an uneasiness in his stomach that hurt so much. He was silent. When she went to leave she started to shrug off Harry’s jacket. “Keep it,” he mumbled. “I’ll grab it another time.”

“Thank you,” she said kindly. “Thank you for coming to see him.”

“Of course, beautiful,” he said quietly. Still avoiding eye contact and focusing on the little ones running their hearts out.

She was gone again.

*

Harry was waiting at the window to see her pull into the drive. She watched her pull the sleeping boy out of the backseat and she carried him into the house. Harry waited ten minutes before he headed across the street and knocked.

After a moment she pulled the door out of the way. Harry gazed at her with his eyebrows raised inquisitively. She had to start. Surely the change in their lives, so abruptly and suddenly, was also at the forefront of her mind. “I was going to bring your jacket back in the morning—”

“You can keep it,” he said shaking his head. It wasn’t the reason he came over. She had to have known that. “Kitten, what’s going on?” He asked. His heart was breaking. “I...I miss you both,” he started. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

She couldn’t look at him. If she looked at him all the resolve would crumble. She couldn’t stay away from him. He was so good. The best thing that has happened to her since Rory. “Harry,” she began.

She had already broken Rory’s heart about not seeing Harry, and her own. All that was left was to tell Harry. “Did I do something?” Harry asked and put his hand on the back of his head, scratching at his hair absentmindedly. “I’ll fix it...I’m...m’really lost without you both, love,” he murmured. “Miss you both a lot,” he said. “You didn’t give any warning and...” he shook his head. “All of a sudden...jus’...nothing.”

She stared at her feet. She had hard conversations before. Harry deserved eye contact and he most certainly didn’t deserve this. But she couldn’t look at him. Harry was too lovely, too beautiful, and she would feel so much anguish if she saw the pain on his face that was evident in his voice. The idea he did anything subpar or less than perfect or anything "wrong" made her heart truly break. Especially knowing she was the cause of it.

“You didn’t do anything,” she shook her head.

“I don’t understand,” Harry frowned. “Kitten—”

“Harry,” she sighed and put her fingers on her temples. She felt a headache forming. This was going to hurt so much. “I can’t...I let Rory get too attached.”

He frowned. “So what? I don’t plan on going anywhere,” he said simply. Surely this could be remedied.

She couldn’t very well say she was getting too attached so she dug a deeper hole. “Harry...Harry it’s too much,” she said quietly. “You with Rory...you’re so good with him and I’m...I’m too much.”

Harry didn’t understand what that meant. “Love you’re not—”

“No,” she shook her head interrupting him. “Harry, I can’t...I can’t be...I can’t have Rory getting attached to someone I’m not...” she trailed off and for a moment she felt so utterly embarrassed it made her want to fall through the threshold of the doorway. It was cold outside and she should have invited Harry in—he didn’t even have a coat after all.

But he was flooded with anger and sadness that it kept him warm enough. “You’re not what?” His voice sounded agitated. She had never heard him agitated before—especially not at her.

Swallowing what appeared to be a rock in her throat, she kept her eyes at her feet. “I don’t regret one second of being Rory’s mom but I didn’t have a choice. You do. It was too much for his dad and I don’t want you to feel obligated to be something you’re not or something you don’t want to be,” she started. “I’m sorry,” she said and before Harry could process anything she said, the door was closing in his face.

Harry was cold.

And alone on her porch.

It was several moments before he walked back across the street and sat in his living room. He gazed out the window looking at the quiet little house with the people he adored so much with no way of seeing in or worming his way back in.

Harry doesn’t remember falling asleep on the couch hoping that he imagined their conversation. But when he woke up with a kink in his neck, he knew it wasn’t a nightmare.

Well, it was. But it was also reality.

*

Over the coming weeks of separation, Rory periodically waved from the driveway when he spotted Harry leaving his home.

When on his run, Harry tossed a ball from the middle of the street back into the yard. She mumbled a quiet thank you in response and Harry went to his house without engaging any further.

Rory delivered incorrectly sorted mail back to his porch saying hi and bye as quickly as possible.

Harry mowed her lawn while they weren’t home.

He didn’t babysit anymore.

Rory didn’t have pizza and s’mores with Harry.

When Rory went to bed, the dreaded loneliness that she only felt the one time she sat on a couch in apartment of a man who didn’t want her crept through her body and made its way to her bones and through her soul.

Harry was there to make her feel anything but alone...but she couldn’t bring herself to let him in completely.

She wondered if Harry looked at her house ever wondering what was happening inside the way she did with him. She wondered if Harry would ever forgive her if she could ever figure out what to do.

Harry stared across the street at the same time and wondered if he could ever get over her even if he wasn't with her from the start.

--

@reveriehs

#harry #harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles blurb #harry styles blurbs #harry styles fic #harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #neighbor!harry #harry styles sad #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #one direction #one direction writing #neighbors

[late-to-the-party-81]

The best laid plans

AN: It’s so fluffy!!!! This is my first fill for this year’s ‘Into an alternate Juni-verse” and when I got Surgeon AU on my card I knew I had to revisit this pairing from last year's event…You don’t need to read it to understand this fic, but it will give you more context.

A big thanks to @metalbvcky for spitballing and cheerleading

Beta’d by the wonderful @drabbles-mc

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Bingo Fills - 

@stuckybingo G3: Migraines

@steverogersbingo D2: Monica Rambeau

Build a Bucky Bingo by @buckybarnesevents: Feb: Forehead kisses

Into an Alternate Juni-verse by @buckybarnesevents : AU: Surgeon

@caplanbuckybarnes Weekly Writing Challenge Week 1; “Holding you like this is where I’m happiest.”

Master list | Alternate Juni-verse Master list | Stucky Bingo Master List | SRB Master list | BaBB Master List

Summary: With Steve’s hectic work schedule, their relationship was never going to be plain-sailing, but they have an uninterrupted 48 hours coming up. Surely nothing will go wrong?

Relationship: Small Doctor Steve Rogers x Bookstore Owner Bucky Barnes

Word count: 3.8k

CW: Modern AU, Fluff, Insinuation of spicy time, Bucky and Nat friendship, Teasing, descriptions of migraine, caring Bucky, Hurt/Comfort, suggestive and happy ending, implied bottom Bucky.

Steve was well aware of how his life was currently a study in contrasts. On the one hand there was the hustle and bustle and bright lights of the hospital and on the other, the cosy warmth of the bookshop where Bucky worked and Steve spent a lot of his off hours. There was the inherent stress involved in working in the ER, with the requirement he always be ‘switched on’, but then there was the gentle pace that life with Bucky forced him into.

Bucky.

He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed since those two chance encounters nine months ago, one in a bar and the other right here in the ER.

Steve hadn’t been looking for anything, heart still raw from a break-up that had seen him upsticks and relocate from Los Angeles to New York, but something about Bucky had gotten under his guard. After their unexpected reunion in the hospital following a very memorable one-night stand, Steve had known there was no way he could go on without the young bookstore owner in his life.

They were taking it one step at a time though. Steve’s job was obviously full-on, especially so as he’d decided to continue working towards becoming a surgeon, something he’d done most of the work for out in California. Between his ER shifts, and the work for his qualification, both practical and theoretical, they sometimes went days without seeing each other and Steve didn’t want to force Bucky into something he wasn’t able to cope with - there was a reason why a large number of people in the medical field struggled to maintain relationships.

Therefore he maintained his apartment, and Bucky still had his own over his shop. Admittedly that warm, lived-in space, as small and covered in white cat fur as it was, felt more like home to Steve than his larger, pristine loft that still looked like something out of a brochure. Also, Bucky’s place was a lot closer to the hospital than his. It made sense, really, to spend most of his time there. He kept thinking about ‘taking the next step’, but something was stopping him.

Steve let out a sigh. He hadn’t seen Bucky in a full 48 hours now, and there was still another six to go until he could leave.

Today was an observation day, where Steve would be watching his mentor while she performed a heart by-pass and she would ask him questions as she did so. He was excited for it, but even that couldn’t dull the ache within him which he knew would only be soothed by a Bucky-hug ™.

He watched Doctor Rambeau - Monica - scrub up, dexterously turning off the tap with her elbow, and then waited for her to move out of the space so he could do the same. He might not be performing the operation, but he still had to follow all the protocols. He knew what an honour this was, having her as his mentor. She was one of the best in her field, and under her tutelage he knew he would be able to make a difference to so many people. With his own history of health issues, he knew what it was like to have his life saved and was ready to pay it forwards. 

“You ready, Doctor Rogers?” He turned to see one perfectly shaped eyebrow rise at him from behind an eye-shield.

“Absolutely. Lead on, Doctor Rambeau.” He knew his smile was hidden behind his mask, but hopefully she would hear it in his voice and see it in the crinkles around his eyes. He suspected not much got past her. The junior doctors were always making remarks about how Doctor Rambeau could see things that other mere mortals couldn’t.

“Soooo,” Nat drawled out and Bucky got ready for another round of being teased. “You’re seeing him tonight?”

“Yes,” replied Bucky. “He’s coming over after his observation shift and then he’s off for the next two days. Don’t expect to see much of me outside of work hours.” He waggled his eyebrows at his best friend and grinned as she rolled her eyes in return.

“Don’t I know it. If it wasn’t for his shifts I doubt I’d see you at all.” Despite her words, Bucky could hear the joking affection in her voice. However, what was the point in being best friends if you didn’t wind each other up at every available opportunity?

“You’re one to talk? How are you and Doctor Wilson going? I know he knows his way around….” Bucky’s dig at Sam’s field of specialisation was cut off by Nat placing her finger over his lips.

“Shush, you. We’re going just fine. Keeping it casual. He’s busy. I’m busy. Who wants to put labels on things?”

Bucky’s lips twitched. “Whatever you say, Natty-Nat-Nat. I believe you, thousands wouldn’t.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and then grabbed another armful of books to reshelve. “So apart from fucking, what have you got planned?”

Bucky shrugged. “Not a lot. Depends on how wiped out he is. Dinner tonight - I’m making lasagne - and a film. Probably far too much wine. Tomorrow? Maybe the Brooklyn Museum, and lunch. I know he wants me to test him on some theory, so I need to limber up my tongue so I can say complicated words I don’t understand.”

“Please don’t tell me how you’re going to limber it up,” Nat said with a snort, and Bucky squashed down the urge to throw a book at her. He knew from his own painful experience what it felt like to have a hardback, or several, bounce off his face. The only upside of that situation had been that he’d seen Steve again and gotten his number, even if it had been mortifying at the time.

“Things are still going well, then?” Nat questioned more softly.

“Absolutely.” Bucky let out a sigh as he thought about his diminutive blond boyfriend. Even before their eyes had met across the bar he’d been intrigued. There had been something in Steve’s movements, the way his fingers had held - near caressed - his beer bottle, that had filled Bucky with want.

That feeling hadn’t waned over the past months, and while he inevitably got frustrated when Steve’s shifts kept them apart, he also had an inkling that the periods of separation were also what had kept them in the ‘honeymoon’ phase so long. It heightened the anticipation, and when they did get to spend time together? Well it was a good thing that Bucky had no neighbours and Steve’s apartment had thick walls.

Bucky had always had voracious… appetites… but had been more than pleasantly surprised when Steve proved that he could, most of the time at least, keep up with him. He also hadn’t thought that such an outwardly respectable doctor could be so kinky, but….

“Earth to Barnes!” Nat snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Stop thinking about Steve’s dick on work time.” 

He pouted at her. “Spoilsport. And anyway, it wasn’t his dick I was thinking about, it was his fing–”

Nat threw her hands up over her ears. “LA-LA-LA,” she shouted before walking back towards the front desk and the customers who had just walked through the door. Bucky giggled and continued to restack books while indulging in his daydreams.

Steve slowly pushed the surgical gown down his arms with a sigh and winced at the bright lights in the scrub room. He hadn’t even been doing any of the heavy lifting during that op, but he still felt absolutely wrung out. However, it had been the most wonderful experience, getting to see Monica performing the by-pass so assuredly and asking her questions as she did so. He was also proud of the fact that he’d been able to answer her questions too, although those had been more inquisitorial than plain curious like his. But it was the end of his shift now - more or less on time too, for a change - and he couldn’t wait to get to Bucky’s apartment and relax in the arms of his boyfriend for two whole days.

He washed up and said good-bye to Monica and the rest of the surgical team and headed towards the staff room and the locker containing his street clothes, keys, and wallet - he hadn’t spent this much time in scrubs since medical school. As he made his way along the white walled corridors, the sounds of a hospital at work swirled around him - the beeping of machines, pained cries of the young and old, the urgent, hushed conversations of other medical professionals, the weeping of family members and loved ones. He liked to think that he was partially immune to these noises - they were the soundtrack to his daily life after all, but for some reason, they felt rawer than usual, scraping across his bones like nails down a chalkboard, and Steve couldn’t hold back an involuntary shudder. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling appeared to be taunting him too, their beams piercing his eyeballs and the almost inaudible humming making his teeth itch.

“Bucky,” he muttered to himself. “I just need to get home to Bucky, then I’ll feel better.”

When Steve finally made his way outside the sky was dark, but the streets were lit up with street lamps and car headlights. Each shaft of light felt like a needle sliding into his brain via his temples and he took a deep breath in through his nose to stave off a wave of dizziness. 

There was a light drizzle in the air, making it blessedly cool, and despite the damp Steve decided to walk to Bucky’s apartment instead of schlepping it on the much dryer, but ultimately more cramped and warm, subway. It took him longer than anticipated though, his shoes feeling like lead weights upon his feet, getting heavier and heavier with every step.

Finally, he reached the bookstore, the interior shrouded in darkness, but with lights shining from the windows above. Steve walked, half staggered, down the alley at the side and let himself in through the door that would lead him up the stairs and to Bucky. He was glad that Bucky had given him a key a few months back, otherwise he would have had to wait in the rain while Bucky came downstairs to let him in. That had happened enough times at the beginning that Steve was now very much over that part of their relationship. Having keys felt good. What didn’t feel good though were his sodden socks, or his throbbing eyeballs.

He trudged up the stairs, each step harder than the last, until he reached the top and all but fell through the interior door. Bucky must have heard him because Steve’s name was called out joyfully, a sound that normally made his heart leap in his chest, but in this moment, all he could do was let out a pained whimper as Bucky’s voice cut through his brain like a chainsaw.

He heard Bucky’s footsteps get closer and he squinted against the brightness of the room.

“Hey, Stevie!”

Bucky pulled him into a rough hug, squishing Steve’s face against the ubiquitous black t-shirt he always seemed to wear on days he was working. The smell of Bucky’s cologne, normally one of his favourite scents, assailed his nose, combining with the smell of garlic that permeated the apartment and Steve felt his stomach roll.

“Buck… please,” he slurred as he uncharacteristically pushed himself away from his boyfriend’s embrace. Everything around him just felt like too much and he felt himself tip backwards against the wall.

“Oh, Steve. You don’t look too hot.” Bucky’s voice was full of concern, and Steve was sure that if he could manage to focus properly, he’d be able to see Bucky’s dark brows pulled together in a frown. 

“Jeez, thanks,” he managed to push out with a small upturn to his lips. “Just what I wanted to hear after not seeing you for two days.” He closed his eyes, intending to do so for just a moment, and felt the ringing pain in his head lessen minutely.

Bucky’s body brushed against him as his holdall was taken from him by gentle hands and his coat was slipped from his shoulders.

“Is it a migraine?” Bucky had modulated his voice to a whisper and Steve decided that he hadn’t ever been so glad for anything in his life.

Eyes still closed, he nodded and let out a noise of confirmation from his lips. “Mmm-hmm.”

“Okay. Let’s get you to bed then. I’m prescribing Advil, earplugs, an eye-mask and an early night.”

Steve snorted and instantly regretted it. “I thought I was the doctor here?” he quipped, his voice low and gravelly.

“You are,” Bucky replied, his lips brushing Steve’s temple. “But I’m the boyfriend, so what I say, goes.”

“Is that so?” Steve queried, a note of amusement in his voice.

“Very much so,” Bucky confirmed. “Now you keep your eyes closed if you want, I’ll guide you.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but still kept his lids closed. He had a feeling it was the only reason he wasn’t throwing up right now.

“Such a mother hen,” he chastised without any real bite and allowed Bucky to steer him, arms looped together, through the small apartment. A soft bump against his ankle let him know that Alpine was now part of the proceedings.

“It’s why you love me. Right, you just sit down here…” Steve felt his shoulders clasped by Bucky’s hands and he sat down, completely trusting that he wouldn’t fall on his ass. “Can you manage to get undressed while I go find the pills?”

Steve cracked one eye open. “Sure. I love you, you know that?” Bucky shot him a soft smile, pressed another kiss to his forehead and then went through to the small bathroom, rattling around inside the cupboards.

Steve kicked off his shoes, glad he had on loafers that came off easily, and struggled out of his shirt. It felt like an octopus trying to envelope and suffocate him. He flopped down onto the mattress and squeezed his eyes shut again, feeling the bile begin to rise in his throat. Not only did this suck, big time, but he also felt so guilty, a feeling he vocalised when he felt the bed dip on Bucky’s return.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I know that this wasn’t what we had planned. What were you making for dinner?” He felt Bucky’s hands on the waistband of his slacks, deftly pulling them from his body in the most un-lust-filled, and therefore strangest, way possible.

“Lasagne, but it will keep until tomorrow. And you don’t need to apologise. These things happen and you have been working really hard. I’m actually surprised you didn’t have one of these sooner.”

Steve shuffled under the coverlet, letting out a sigh at the coolness of the sheets against his skin. Bucky pressed two tablets into his hand, and he propped himself upon his other elbow so he could pop them in his mouth, swallowing them down with a drink from the glass of water Bucky proffered him.

“I’ll make it up to you, Buck. I promise.”

“I know you will, you lug. But for now here’s the eye mask.” Soft satin was placed over his head, settling over his eyes and helping to black out the last of the light making it through his eyelids. “And here are the ear plugs.” Bucky dropped them into Steve’s palm and curled his fingers shut over them. “Now don’t worry about me,” he placated. “I have a whole garlic bread and a salad to make my way through, plus a date at Stars Hollow with Lorelai. I’ll be fine. We’ll pick this up tomorrow if you’re feeling better, and if you’re not I’ll just pump you full of drugs until you are.”

Steve smiled into the darkness. “You know that’s not how that works?”

Bucky placed his finger over Steve’s lips. “Ssh, sexy Doctor Boyfriend has spoken. Sleep now.” He moved his finger and replaced it with his lips, kissing Steve softly.

“Sir, yes Sir,” Steve replied, bringing his hand up in salute.

“Punk. Sleep well. I’ll come cuddle you later.”

“I will, jerk. And thank you.”

He heard Bucky mumble under his breath and then pad across the room before he pushed the earplugs into his ears, cocooning himself in silence to go along with the darkness, and snuggled down into the sheets to pass out.

Bucky closed the bedroom door with a soft ‘click’ and padded back through to the living room, trying to quell the disappointment. It wasn’t Steve’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Migraines happened, and he hadn’t been lying when he’d said it was a surprise that Steve hadn’t had one already - he really had been pushing himself to the limit. But, Bucky supposed, that was one of the things that made him love Steve. His tenaciousness, bordering on stubbornness, was endearing, and was probably one of the main reasons they were still together. He wasn’t going to lie - those early days had been tough, but Steve had found every spare moment he could and made it available to Bucky, whether that was hanging out at the bookshop during the day in the middle of a split shift, or rolling into the apartment just to curl up beside him in bed for the eight hours between the end of a late shift and the start of an early one. There were the surprise DoorDash deliveries when a shift had run over and dinner plans had had to be cancelled and Steve knew Bucky wouldn’t have anything in. There were the long nights of loving and the frantic, heated quickies and everything in between. And he couldn’t be prouder of what Steve was achieving right now. Once he’d passed his surgeon’s qualification things should get better for them - less double shifts, although probably more that would run over. Swings and roundabouts he supposed.

Crossing to the small kitchenette, Bucky pulled out the lasagne, watching the cheese and white sauce bubble on the top as he placed it on a trivet to cool. He was glad he’d cooked something that wouldn’t spoil from not being eaten right now. He then picked up the bowl of salad, and the garlic bread that had been keeping warm in the toaster oven, and meandered over to the couch. As he ate and watched the residents of Star Hollow navigate complex family relationships, Bucky realised that even though he was in this room and Steve was asleep in the bedroom, he didn’t feel alone. He could feel Steve’s presence in his home and it just felt so right.

A couple of hours later he snuck quietly into the bedroom, the only sound the soft snores emanating from Steve’s mouth. He brushed his teeth in the bathroom, careful to only turn the light on after he’d entered and turn it off before he exited, and then tip-toed over to the bed with only the light from the street outside to illuminate his way.  He slipped in behind Steve and gently tugged him into a hug. Steve mumbled in his sleep, but didn’t wake.

Bucky reached up to lightly stroke over the top of Steve’s head and pressed a kiss to his bony shoulder blade.

“I love you, Stevie,” he whispered. “Holding you like this is where I’m happiest.”

Maybe tomorrow would be the day he took a leap of faith and asked Steve to move in with him?

When Steve woke he felt entirely disorientated. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the night before, and when he pulled out the earplugs and lifted the eye-mask he was happy to note that the stabbing pain in his head had reduced to a dull throb. He blinked a few times to get the sleep from his eyes and then focused on the clock next to the bed. 

12:37pm

He’d been asleep for almost eighteen hours!

The bed beside him was cold, indicating that even his slug-abed boyfriend had gotten bored with sleeping at some point and decided to get up. He had vague recollections of being pulled against Bucky’s front in the night, but that was it. He frowned to himself - he’d gone far too long without consciously touching him, something that he needed to rectify immediately.

He pushed himself upright, and took a long drink from the water glass next to the clock. He still remembered the first time he’d woken up in this bed, in the middle of the night and getting ready to make a hasty exit after an alcohol fueled hook-up. Now he didn’t think there was anywhere he’d rather be than right here. 

From the end of the bed, Alpine lifted her head and narrowly opened her eyes, obviously not happy to be disturbed from her slumber. Steve reached out and scratched her under her chin in apology.

When he stood, it was on slightly wobbly legs, and he took a moment to grab a pair of sweats from Bucky’s drawer, taking care to pull the drawstring tight and roll the waistband over. Steve then walked quietly through to the living room, stopping to lean on the back of the sofa as he watched an oblivious Bucky, also only in sweats, singing along to the radio, a spatula in hand acting like a microphone, as he made a grilled cheese sandwich. It was the cutest thing Steve thought he’d ever seen and it just made him want Bucky more.

Steve padded closer, and when he reached out to touch Bucky’s shoulder, Bucky jumped with a shriek.

“Jeez, Steve. You scared me.”

Steve grinned at him and looped his arms around Bucky’s waist, drawing him closer and nuzzling at his neck.

“I’m sorry, baby. Maybe I can make it up to you?”

Bucky let out an amused chuckle. “So you owe me twice, that’s what I’m hearing. You feeling better then?”

Steve fastened his mouth to Bucky’s throat and gave it a suck, creating a dark pink patch on Bucky’s already flushed skin. “Absolutely. Although I can think of something else that will make me feel even better.”

“I bet you can,” replied Bucky with another giggle. “Do I have enough time to eat my grilled cheese, or…” he trailed off as Steve pushed his hand under Bucky’s waistband. “Oh! L-let me just turn this off…” Steve smiled into Bucky’s skin as he leant across to turn the stove dial and move his pan onto a cold ring. “Okay - you were saying?”

God, how Steve loved this man. The hand he had down Bucky’s sweats and shorts moved - encompassed -  and Steve watched as Bucky’s eyelids fluttered, his dark lashes fanning his cheeks, and how his mouth dropped open into an “O” shape. First he was going to do what he hadn’t been able to last night and then he was definitely going to ask Bucky if they could move in together.

Tag list: @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @doasyoudesireandlive, @galactusdevourerofworlds, @crayongirl-linz, @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989

#Stucky #stucky au #steve rogers x bucky barnes #pre serum steve #pre serum bucky #connect 4 #caplansweeklywritingchallenge #build a bucky bingo 2023 #steve rogers bingo #stucky bingo

[nerdieforpedro]

Her smile was worth it

Pero Tovar (modern AU) x plus size female reader (La jefa)

Word Count: 1882

Warnings: DARK FIC, mobs and their enforcers, mentions of general violence and graphic violence, mentions and descriptions of torture, descriptions of injuries, solving problems Tovar style, comfort food and tea

Summary: Pero Tovar only has a few people he chooses to interact with willingly. The bookstore owner is one of them. Someone made a very stupid mistake, Tovar will handle it and still have his tea.

Notes: This was written for @iamasaddie ‘s writing challenge 2.0. My color was Mob Enforcer and the prompt was “Hurt/Comfort” and “Who did this to you?” We're longer than a Drabble again, we dribbled quite a bit. Such is Nerdie.

I may have leaned too hard into the ‘hurt portion’ but we’ll see. 👀

Main Masterlist/ Pero Tovar Masterlist/ Writing Challenges

The only good thing about doing collections, was that most of the time, Pero wasn’t using violence. Just intimidation. The shopkeepers knew why he was here and knew the amount they needed to pay to The Family. It’s been the same amount for the past six months, in was raised temporarily for some needed repairs on the club the Valentino family owned. The actual story was that a few of the younger members had been ordered to torture a few members of a rival family and went overboard. The walls, floors and everything needed to be scrubbed. 

Tovar’s been with the Valentino family for fifteen years and as one of their premier enforcers for the last seven working his way up from errand boy. His height and broad frame discourage crossing him, and even if someone is dumb enough to do so, they find themselves bloodied, battered and with at least one thing broken. 

Today’s last stop for collections was planned and one that Pero normally did by himself. The bookstore owner also functions as the town’s librarian since the town doesn’t have one. It’s a smaller town and to get to a library you must drive two towns over. She normally offers him tea and some type of baked goodies. He wouldn’t admit it, but he’s grown to have a slight sweet tooth. Maybe. Really, he could care less about the sweets, he usually chats up the owner and barrows books. Considering he is collecting money from her, he felt he should pay but she always said no. He got the sense it wasn’t out of fear, she liked knowing his thoughts on different books. At first, he didn’t like the idea of discussing them. The enforcer wasn’t sure if he could really talk about different themes, symbols, characters and the like he often heard people talk about when discussing these books. 

La jefa (the boss) as he often greeted her didn’t judge him on his answers or lack of them. He’d talk the best he could about what he read, even if he didn’t understand it all. She listens and sips her tea, then ask him questions to draw more answers out of him. It fustrated him at first. But he grew to enjoy the bi-weekly sit downs with her. 

The chime of the bell goes off as he opens the door. The sun is at Pero’s back as he enters the bookstore. He comes early in the afternoon around two. She’s not at the counter, though the shop is listed as open. Calling out for her, she doesn’t answer, and he sucks his teeth. It isn’t like her at all. There’s no tea out either. There are no books that appear out of place and making his way behind the counter, nothing appears to be wrong with the register.

The enforcer goes into the back of the shop, he only knew where the bathroom was back here. He was looking for anything that resembled an office, as he walked down the hallway, there was a sniffle. As he kept going, they got louder. Taking a breath while he stood in front of a door that was slightly ajar, he tried to prepare himself. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe she got a papercut or was reading a sad book or something. Tovar instantly knew none of those were the case when he opened the door. 

Sitting behind the desk, her shoulders were slumped, and her hands were covering her face. He saw the scabs on the back of her hands, defensive marks. “Jefa dejame ver. (Boss, let me have a look).” Her sniffles stop for a moment as she shakes her head, turning her body away from him in the swivel chair. His eyes widen at the mark on her neck he spies it when she turns, it looks like it could be from a palm. Moving to her side, Pero places a hand on her shoulder, “I need to see cariño (sweetheart) or just give me a name. Who did this to you?” She finally drops her hands, but she turns her face away.

“I don’t want you to see. The envelope is on the desk Pero. Please.”  It is on the table, and he’ll put it in his jacket shortly - it is why he came here in the first place, but he can’t just leave like this. On top of her being one of a small number of people who he wants to be around, it could get around that the protection money the shops pay isn’t worth a damn because you could get beat in your own shop, and nothing will happen to whoever did it.

“Then tell me a name.” It’s sterner this time, but he’s released her shoulder and instead picked up her hand, his thumb tracing the scabs on her knuckles. She’d tried to fight back at least. She’s biting her lips when she finally looks at him, most of the discoloration is on the left side of her face though there’s a cut on her chin and one on her bottom lip. A large bruise is on her chest across her right clavicle, partly covered by her shirt. Pero’s able to keep his face motionless. “Por favor cariño (please sweetheart).” He doesn’t recognize the name she says, but he kisses her forehead and wraps an arm around her. “Gracias (thank you). I’ll be back princesa (princess).” 

Pero puts the envelope in his jacket pocket and heads out of the office. “Close the shop now and have the tea ready when I come back. Between eight and nine tonight.” He’s going to be quick about dropping the money off and he’s texted one of his associates with the name she gave. Within fifteen minutes, Pero has a picture to go with the name and a location. Marcello way too much, but he’s the best Tovar knows at tracking people.

Pero finds this man himself and tells Marcello to tell the higher ups that he needs to demonstrate a lesson in messaging with the family. He’ll need the basement and he’ll keep the clean up to a minimum. It’s not that there wouldn’t be blood. There might be too much blood so the powers at be approve the basement use but ask that Marcello and a second enforcer be there so that the man isn’t killed. There’s only murder when necessary and it wasn’t they viewed in this case. Pero sucked his teeth for the second time today but would make sure the man in question lives. Just not with all functioning limbs. 

After the submission of the money and subsequent torture was complete, the man’s body was bandaged by one of their doctors on the payroll and dropped off at his home, during a time they knew his family would be home with the message, “The Valentino family suffers no fools.” Pero carved it into his back to emphasize the point. He was still alive but would not be the same. Not after, as Tovar saw it, he’s violated one of his favorite places. 

La jefa has long closed her shop and made herself dinner. Now that she thought about it, she’s never made Pero any of her food, just cookies, brownies and the like. Since he said he was coming back, she would make extra. The worst that would happen would be that he would say he didn't want any.  It also dawned on her that she has not made a book recommendation today. She should pick one out before he comes, straightening out her mint green dress. Turning off the stove, she went downstairs to look for a book and saw Pero standing at the door ready to knock. It was a quarter after eight, he was glad he’d taken the extra time to shower. He didn’t want to be late, but he didn’t want to be dirty either. 

“Ah! Mi princesa del librios es bonita (My Princess of books is pretty). You have our tea ready tonight?” His question follows the chime of the bell above the door as she unlocks it and lets him in. She then locks it again and nods.

“I have tea and I made some extra for dinner. I didn’t pick out a book for you yet.” She seems a bit brighter than this afternoon but still trying to make sure she was facing him with her right side. Pero takes her left hand and tugs it a little, not hard, just enough so she faces him fully.

“Hermosa (gorgeous) you don’t have a bad side. Don’t worry about the book. I haven’t finished with the other one yet. I want my tea and I want to see what you made for dinner.” The corners of her mouth curve and finally she smiles, squeezing his hand and leading him up the stairs. Pero watches her walk up and into her living area. It’s cozy as it has books scattered about as well. 

“I don’t know if you like stew, but I made that and heated up some rolls. There’s butter too. I have water, apple juice, coke, and some rum.” The last option surprised him as he didn’t picture her drinking at all. Maybe she had a glass or two when she sat up here before bed. She poured herself a glass of water as Pero pointed to her glass and held up an empty bowel on the table. She filled both and they sat down across from each other. “I hope you enjoy Pero.”

“I don’t doubt that I will cariño.” The food went quickly as they ate, and she asked what other kind of foods he liked. Pero felt he might be getting greedy. Perhaps he’s been gluttonous of her attention each time he comes here. She gives it so willingly. 

Tonight’s tea is mint like her dress which makes Tovar chuckle as he takes up half of her loveseat sitting down. She takes up the other and they sip tea, speaking of past books they’ve read and things he may want to read. 

Even if he got an urgent call, he’ll ignore it because he’s having his tea. Pero Tovar doesn’t feel like an enforcer or a conduit for violence. He just has an arm around one of his favorite people as she places her head on his shoulder. The touch pads of his fingers touch the injured side of her face while only tells her that it’s been taken care of. He won’t tell her details. Tovar figures she can put it together. If he can just have moments like these where he’s just a man with someone he cares for, Pero can use that to sleep. He prays she can rest without crying or being scared. 

The loveseat has his feet hanging off outside of the blanket he found on the back of it. So far, he hasn’t heard her sniffle again. Pero carried her to bed after she fell asleep in his arms. The faint scent of mint mingling with the earthy smell of the books lulls him to sleep. He had blood on his hands again today, but it was fine. It was for her sake, and she hasn’t cried again.

It was worth it.

#pedro pascal characters #fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pero tovar #iamasaddie game #iamasaddie writing challenge 2.0 #hurt/comfort #dark fic #trigger warning for violence #pero tovar x reader #mob enforcer #modern pero tovar #writing challenge 2.0

[beomgyucoded]

Best Friend!Yeonjun x Reader

Prompt: "Can I kiss you?"

Word Count: 1,710

Part 1 of the First Kiss Series

A warm breeze brushed against your skin as you stepped outside. The sky was a clear, vibrant blue with fluffy white clouds scattered across it. The grass beneath your feet was a lush, emerald green and the flowers bloomed in an array of bright colors, filling the air with their sweet fragrance. You heard the familiar chime of your phone and saw a text from your best friend Yeonjun asking if you wanted to hang out today. 

You met Yeonjun when you moved to Seoul for high school. When you first arrived, the bustling city was overwhelming and intimidating. But Yeonjun, with his effortless charm and outgoing nature, made sure the pretty new girl felt welcome. You two found that you got along well, and shared many common interests. As time passed, your bond with Yeonjun grew stronger as you discovered more shared interests and spent countless hours laughing and exploring together. Eventually, he became more than just a friend, he was your confidant, your support system, your best friend. And you were grateful for his friendship every day. 

You replied a simple "sure" to his text and asked where to meet him, since you were already outside. He quickly replied saying to meet up at your spot. It was a small, secluded park not far from your neighborhood, where the two of you often went to escape the bustling city and find solace in each other's company. With a smile on your face, you began making your way towards the park. As you walked, memories of all the adventures (and misadventures) you and Yeonjun shared came to mind. There was that time you both somehow got lost in the heart of the city, stumbling upon hidden alleyways filled with cozy cafes and quaint bookstores. And there was the time he decided you should take a spontaneous road trip, driving for hours without any destination in mind. When you arrived at the park, Yeonjun was already waiting for you on a bench under a blossoming cherry tree. His eyes lit up when he saw you, a smile spreading across his face. You couldn't help but feel your heart skip a beat at the sight of him. Yeonjun has always had that effect on you, his presence bringing warmth to your heart. 

You walked towards him, the soft grass cushioning your footsteps. The cherry blossoms danced in the gentle breeze, their petals falling delicately around you. As you approached the bench, Yeonjun stood up and pulled you into a warm embrace, holding you tightly against his chest. 

“Did you wait long?” you asked him softly after pulling away. 

He shook his head no, even though he did wait for a little while, and threw an arm around your shoulders. 

You smiled and leaned into him, “So, what did you want to do?”

“I was thinking we do our usual,” he said and smirked knowingly. 

You groaned at his mischievous smirk, knowing exactly what he meant by "our usual." It was like a secret code the two of you had developed over time, a signal for your special escapades. As fun as they were, Yeonjun had a lot more energy than you did and your “usual” always left you tired. With a playful glint in his eyes, Yeonjun led you towards a hidden pathway that snaked through the park, lined with blooming flowers and vibrant greenery. The path lead to a secluded clearing, surrounded by tall trees that created a natural canopy above. You two discovered this place during your senior year of high school, and went there often. As you reached the clearing, you noticed a blanket spread out on the grass, adorned with a picnic basket and a bouquet of your favorite flowers. 

Your eyes widened in surprise, along with delight. 

"Oh, Jjunie," you whispered, touched by his thoughtful gesture. 

Yeonjun flashed you a lopsided grin, his eyes sparkling with affection. 

"I wanted to do something special for my best friend," he confessed, his voice filled with sincerity.

“And give you a little break,” he teased, knowing how tired you got on your adventures. 

You chuckled, appreciating his consideration.

“Well, I appreciate both the special gesture and the break," you replied playfully, sinking down onto the blanket. 

Yeonjun joined you, sitting cross-legged next to you, that mischievous glimmer still present in his eyes.

As you both began to enjoy the delicious spread of food he had prepared, a comfortable silence fell before you. The sun filtered through the leaves above and cast a gentle glow upon your faces. It was moments like these where you truly appreciate the beauty of your friendship. Watching you with a soft expression, Yeonjun reached to brush a stray lock of hair behind your ear. You smiled sweetly at the gesture. This wasn’t anything new, Yeonjun was always touchy with you, and you never minded.  

“Ready?” he asked as he saw you finishing up. 

You looked up at him confused. 

“Ready for what..?”

“You didn’t think this was all we were doing today, did you?” He asked, that teasing tone ever present in his voice. 

Yeonjun always had a knack for surprises, and this time was no different it seemed. You watched with anticipation as he pulled out two movie tickets from his back pocket, waving them in front of you.

"I thought we could go see that new action film you've been dying to see," he said, excitement evident in his voice.

“I’d… I’d really like that, yeah,” you said and smiled up at him. 

He was always so thoughtful, there were times when he knew just what you needed even before you did. The movie theater wasn't far from the park, so you made it just in time to see all the previews. Inside the dimly lit theater, you found yourselves nestled comfortably in two plush seats in the back row. The previews began to play on the screen, and Yeonjun leaned closer to whisper in your ear, the sudden close proximity causing you to jump.

"I'm glad I could make you smile today," he murmured.

​​His warm breath tickled your ear, causing your cheeks to heat up. You turned to face him, feeling the heat between the two of you grow.

"You always make me smile," you whispered back, your voice barely audible over the sound of the movie trailers. 

Two hours later, the two of you walked out of the movie theater, one of Yeonjun’s arms slung around your shoulders as usual. You walked through the city, window shopping with the promise of coming back tomorrow to go actual shopping. You remember him saying that he felt like having ice cream, so you pulled him towards the ice cream parlor and told him to get whatever he wanted. As you stood in line, Yeonjun's arm still draped casually around your shoulders, you couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. The day had been perfect, from the surprise picnic to the action-packed movie, and now the cherry on top- treating your best friend to ice cream.

Yeonjun's eyes scanned the variety of flavors displayed behind the glass counter, a grin finding its way onto his lips. You knew that grin all too well, it meant trouble. 

"Jjunie..." you trailed off, sounding nervous as you glanced up at him. His mischievous smile widened as he looked down at you, his eyes twinkling with amusement. 

"What's wrong, (Y/N)? Don't trust me to choose your ice cream?" he teased, his voice laced with playful innocence.

You rolled your eyes, knowing exactly what Yeonjun was capable of when it came to making choices for you.

"You know exactly why I'm nervous," you replied, crossing your arms over your chest. 

Yeonjun let out a hearty laugh, his arm tightening around your shoulders.

"Don't worry, I won't make you try any weird flavors this time," he assured you with a playful wink.

You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously, but couldn't help but be intrigued by the mischievous glint in his eyes. Yeonjun turned his attention back to the counter and pointed at a flavor that seemed relatively normal compared to his usual choices. He ended up picking both your and his favorite, suggesting the two of you share. Walking out of the ice cream parlor, the two of you found a nearby bench to sit on. The warm summer air wrapped around you as the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a golden glow over everything in its path. You sat close to each other, your shoulders touching as you savored the sweet treat in your hand. Yeonjun was oddly quiet, and as you were about to look at what he was up to, the sound of his voice broke the silence.

“Can I kiss you?”

Your heart raced at his sudden question. The air around you seemed to thicken, filled with a potent mix of anticipation and nervousness. You stared into his eyes, searching for any hint of jest or playfulness, but all you found was sincerity and longing. Your mind raced, trying to process the weight of his question. Yeonjun's gaze never wavered, his eyes locked onto yours as he awaited your response. The world seemed to hold its breath, also waiting for your answer. His question remained up in the air, heavy with the weight of unspoken desires, as you continued to think. You had been best friends for years, but there had always been an undercurrent of something more between the two of you. You always thought it was one sided, but now, with his sudden question hanging in the air, you realized that it was time to explore what lay beyond friendship.

With a soft smile, you leaned closer to him, your heart still pounding in your chest. 

"Yes," you whispered, your voice carrying the unspoken promise of something new.

As the word left your lips, Yeonjun's face raised slightly with relief. His eyes sparkled with joy as he closed the remaining distance between you, his lips meeting yours in a gentle, tender kiss. It was soft and sweet, a perfect reflection of the emotions swirling between you. His lips felt warm against yours, fitting perfectly as if they were always meant to be there. 

a/n: and here’s jjunie’s part! These are taking a lot longer than I planned to write so please bear with me ♡

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

#✎˖ᝰbeomgyucoded✧˖° #Choi Yeonjun #choi yeonjun x reader #choi yeonjun imagines #choi yeonjun fluff #yeonjun fluff #txt drabbles #txt fluff #yeonjun #yeonjun imagines #Yeonjun fluff #⇢ ˗ˏˋ yeonjun 🦊 ࿐ྂ

[the---hermit]

23|12|2023

Today was a good day, I felt motivated and my energy is again quite good, but focusing was a struggle. In the morning I finished the recording of a lecture I missed this week where some people were presenting on different topic. The person presenting was talking about Kant and it was a nightmare for someone with bare minimum philosophical knowledge. In the afternoon I worked on reading a bit of the book I have to study for another class, and again it's very dense and not so easy to follow, but the chapter I am working on at the moment feels a bit better than what I had read so far. I definitely have more background knowledge helping me with this topic so even though I was a bit slow I gained a bit more confidence with the book. I decided to ignore my no studying on Sundays rule tomorrow and work a bit in the morning, since next week I will hopefully be able to schedule a few days of rest and not studying. As for personal life today I met with a friend to say hi before the holidays and as usual it was lovely, she is always a great presence to be around. After I went to a bookshop with her and with my mom and we had a great time. I finally found the last heartstopper book which is exactly what my brain needs right now, and I also found a non fiction book about bisexuality. One of my goals for next year is to read more non fiction that is not uni books, so I am very excited. I am also excited for tomorrow as I plan on visiting my bestie who is finally home for the holidays.

calm hobbit winter activities and productivity:

read first thing in the morning

daily Irish practice of duolingo

finished working on the recordings of the lectures I missed at the beginning of the week

met a friend for coffee after lunch, and we had a lovely time

went to the bookstore with my mom and found what I was looking for (plus a little treat that I decided to excuse as my own christmas gift to myself)

finally picked back up the book I have to study for my exam in January (I read and highlighted half a chapter and I plan on finishing it tomorrow morning)

prepped some food for christmas day (it needs a couple of days of resting to be good so that's why I made it today)

📖: Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree, Nature Human Nature and Human Diversity by Justin Smith

#studyblr #studyinspo #uniblr #university #productivity #studying #journal #journaling #book haul #calm hobbit winter #book #bookblr #notebook #study space #knife gang #mine #the---hermit

[metallicaislife]

Introverted

Requested by: @dallysnecklace

Genre: Angstish Fluff

Word Count: 1,223

Warnings: Rude Lars(I swear I don't hate him, he just makes a compelling villain lmao), feelings of self doubt.

Solitude is what brings me peace. I can read, listen to music. Do whatever I want, whenever I want. 

Then Kirk came stumbling into my life, quite literally. 

Back when we were in high school he ran into me in the library. The books I held on to went flying. He saw the Stephen King book I had in the stack. After that incident in some way or another he was always by my side. I was annoyed at first, but the dork wormed his way into my life. Now, years later, not only is he my best friend, I’m totally in love with him. Am I still about as awkward as the first day we met? Absolutely. But for some reason he still sticks by me, even now as he’s living out his dreams of being a rockstar. 

Kirk and I were walking to a bookstore, we were in a comfortable silence. 

“I like you,” he started, “like a lot. I want to be more than friends.” He continued. My heart was hammering in my chest. I couldn’t think straight. I immediately stopped and turned around. 

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” I could faintly hear him ask as the blood pulsated in my veins. I didn’t stop. Not until I found myself in my apartment. I leaned against the door. I finally let myself catch my breath and process what he said. I’ve liked Kirk forever. And I probably just ruined that opportunity simply by malfunctioning when he told me he likes me. 

I jumped letting out a small scream when there was a knock on my door. I held my hand over my heart and opened the door. 

“Can we please talk about what just happened.” Kirk asked out of breath. His eyes were wide with worry, scared he’d said or done the wrong thing. 

“I’m sorry I speed walked away.” I whispered. He laughed breathlessly. 

“I like you too.” I whispered. His eyebrows perked up. 

“What was that?” He asked, “I couldn’t hear you.” 

“I like you too.” I said again, this time a little louder. A goofy grin spread across his lips. 

“Not gonna run away again?” He asked. I shook my head. 

Kirk, I came to find out was the best person I could possibly date. He was patient and kind, but he helped me push my boundaries. I became more confident in myself. I mean, at the core I was still me, just with some more pep in my step. I knew I had Kirk to rely on, and he could always rely on me. 

I went to the Metallimansion to hang out with Kirk. I quietly entered the house. I went to take off my shoes when I heard Lars talking. 

“I just don’t get what he sees in her.” 

“It’s not up to you to decide what he does or doesn’t see in her.” I heard Cliff respond. This could be about anybody. 

“She’s just so mousy and can hardly maintain eye contact. She gets flustered so easily it’s like walking on eggshells, Y/N is just so annoying.” Lars complained. Okay not about just anybody, this was definitely about me. 

“Dude shut the hell up before I punch you. She’s nice, she has quirks just like the rest of us do. Stop being a dick.” Cliff defended. 

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I silently backed out and went home as fast as I could. 

I knew it, it doesn’t matter how much I think I’ve changed, it's still the same. I curled up in my bed and just cried. 

A while later my phone rang. I sluggishly got up and answered it before it went to voicemail. 

“Hello?” I answered. 

“Hey, babe. Where were you today? You were supposed to come over, I’m worried.” Kirk’s voice came over the line. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Something came up.” I lied. 

“Oh. Okay, that’s fine. Could you let me know next time? I really thought something bad happened.” Kirk said. 

“Yeah. Of course. Sorry.” I said in an even tone. 

“Are you okay?” Kirk asked.

“Yup.” I answered. Kirk was silent for a few minutes. 

“If you say so.” He sounded a little dejected. 

“Well I gotta go, bye.” 

“Wait, I love-“ he started but I hung up as a fresh wave of tears made their way down my face. 

I curled back up in my bed going to sleep trying to forget it all. 

My head was pounding, as was my front door. I groaned, getting up and answering the door. Kirk stood outside with a frustrated look on his face. 

“Can I come in?” He asked. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I simply nodded and opened the door letting him in. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked. I turned to face him, my eyes still focused on the floor. “Please look at me.” He practically begged. I took a deep breath finally looking up. Kirk looked really upset. It’s all my fault. It would be easier if I wasn’t a burden to him. 

“What’s going on? Why are you pulling away? Please don’t lie to me and say everything is okay.” He said to me, my bottom lip wobbled. 

“I heard Lars talking about me to Cliff. It just reminded me you’re way out of my league and it’s best I just hang out by myself.” I said, wringing my hands together. Kirk reached out to still my hands. 

“That’s not true.” Kirk said sternly, “you’re so amazing, funny, and kind. I love you just the way you are. Have I enjoyed seeing you more confident in yourself? Absolutely, it means you’re starting to see yourself the way I see you.” He said, fresh tears filled my eyes. Kirk brought his fingers up and started wiping away my tears. 

“I’m sorry.” I said. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Lars was being a dick with whatever he said. Cliff too.” Kirk replied. 

“No, not Cliff. He defended me.” I said. Kirk smiled. 

“I’m glad. Wanna go cuddle while I tell you all the things I love about you?” Kirk asked softly. 

“Cuddle yes, but if you start complimenting me I might combust.” I said, Kirk laughed as he interlocked our fingers dragging me to the couch. He laid down and pulled me on top of him holding me close. 

“Any time you start to feel that way, please don’t pull away. Come to me and I’ll give you so many reasons why I love you and think you’re absolutely incredible.” He said, rubbing my back softly. “Oh and I’m kicking Lars ass, no ifs ands or buts.” Kirk said. 

“Cliff may have beat you to it, I didn’t stay long enough to hear fists fly.” I said softly. Kirk chuckled. 

“Glad I can rely on Cliff to have your back.” Kirk said. 

“Me too. He’s a good friend.” I said. 

“You consider him a friend?” Kirk asked, he sounded excited. I nodded. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“Thank you for weaseling your way into my life. I love you.” I said. 

“I love you.” He said, kissing my forehead. 

I smiled nuzzling into his warmth. I would be forever grateful for Kirk who came stumbling into my life and stayed, showing me there was more than just books and solitude.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to request or chat :)

-Isa

#metallica x reader #metallica #metallica imagines #metallica scenarios #kirk hammett x reader #kirk hammett #metallica fluff #kirk hammett fluff

[giuliadesu]

you are 25 when you hug 'tsumu for the first time.

...& THEN?

it was almost time. your apartment was a complete mess: two big suitcases laid open on the floor of your living room, while a backpack had been sitting on the cushions of your couch for the last couple of days. in the bedroom and in the kitchen there were boxes ready to be filled with the belongings you’d decided to bring along with you.

in a few days you would finally leave your country for good, a one-way ticket for japan bought months in advance. it felt incredibly liberating: the country of your dreams, where you unwittingly found a family and where you’d hopefully spend the rest of your life was waiting for you.

on the small console table near the front door sat all your documents: passport, approved visa, papers needed to start the process of obtaining citizenship, the last two paychecks and the note from the bank — last but not least the plane ticket. surreal. that was one word that could describe the hectic chaos of emotions swarming both your heart and head.

the owner of the small bookshop where you’d worked in the last five years (a lovely korean lady in her sixties) agreed to take your plants and to see you off at the airport on the day of your departure. looking around, all the green friends you’d seen grow in the last few years were bundled together, ready to meet their new home. a small smile graced your lips, happy to know they would’ve been well cared for and you’d receive regular updates on their growth.

then you still had to say goodbye to the owner of the apartment, who lived just next door; after that, all the tasks that still bound you to the city would be completed, setting you free to begin your new life.

YOUR LOCATION, 04:15

it was early, way too early for your likings. groaning, you stretched under the sheets, the tank top riding a bit over your ribcage. your hand tentatively moved over the duvet searching for your phone so to turn off the alarm. a few notifications arrived during your short slumber: a few messages from atsumu (who had absolutely no idea of the fact that today was the day), one from osamu, while the last one was from the wallet app, letting you know that your digital ticket was now available.

you chose a comfortable fit for the long journey — black leggings, ‘tsumu’s shirt and sweatshirt, the most comfortable pair on nike you owned. everything was ready; the bookstore owner would send your boxes over once you’d found a more permanent solution compared to an airbnb, while the two black suitcases were finally closed and next to the door. touring the various rooms one last time, you made sure to have taken everything with you.

several hours later, you were flying over vast mountainous regions, the plane directed towards incheon airport, where you would have to spend about an hour before the last leg of your journey.

a small yet sincere smile graced your lips when the hostess announced it was almost time for landing. you knew exactly what you would’ve done just a few minutes prior to boarding on the japan airlines airbus a350 — there was a certain someone you just had to call.

bubbling with adrenaline, you made your way towards the gate and opted to stay standing in front of the tall floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the runway. was this the same adrenaline atsumu and the others felt before a match? the feeling of being invincible and ready to do anything?

taking a deep breath, you went over to the setter’s contact info. you felt giddy inside thinking that now you were in the same timezone, for the first time in five years. it was almost 11 pm, you called.

“hey bubs, what’s up?”

“hi ‘tsumu, are you still at practice?”

“yeah, but now we’re having a short break. although you know i’d drop anything for you.”

shameless flirt, you thought to yourself, smiling widely at this point.

“well, i have a little something to tell you: currently, i’m at incheon airport. in a few minutes i’ll board a flight that will bring me to kansai international airport-”

“what?!”

ŌSAKA, 01:40

exactly one hour and forty minutes later, you were at the baggage claim. as expected of japanese punctuality, your two very black and very big suitcases were delivered on time, so in just ten minutes you were making your way over to exit the claim area of the airport.

you had no plans, apart from reaching the bnb you booked. you didn’t know if the small bomb you dropped to atsumu earlier on would have made him magically appear in front of you, for one of those incredibly cliché airport reunions that were so popular in dramas. right now you were just too tired to think further, the almost seventeen hours of flight weighing on you. slowly, you tried to navigate through the sea of people that, just like you, wanted to leave the area to reach a place of rest. but, you underestimated how big kix would be; despite being incredibly well designed, it was not exactly easy on the brain of someone who was that tired. for a split second you thought about asking osamu to come pick you up, but the idea quickly left your mind as fast as it came — he was surely tired after a long day at onigiri miya.

you stopped in a little less crowded area, trying to collect your thoughts and figure out the best route to reach your bnb.

atsumu had never run so fast in his entire life. the moment you ended the call, he dropped everything at the gym, shouting half an explanation to his team before grabbing his sweatshirt and sprinting out of the stadium, catching the first available taxi and finally making his way to the airport.

despite being this late, there were still so many people crowding the area. how the hell was he supposed to find you? running a hand through his messy blond locks, he tried to follow a logical line of thought: first, you must’ve gone through the customs to get your visa approved, then surely you went to the baggage claim; his eyes frantically scanned the huge display, looking for the latest plane inbound from seoul. gate 41. of course it had to be the farthest one from the main entrance!

his instinct told him to go towards the columns where the vending machines were located. sure enough, you were there. with his clothes on. your backpack was sitting nicely on top of your suitcase, open as you rummaged through its contents.

atsumu smiled as he made his way behind you, his cheeks hurting from the emphasis of the movement. as he got closer, he could breathe in your perfume and the fragrance of your shampoo. seeing his surname plastered across your back did inimaginable things to his heart, adrenaline shooting through his veins at a thousands miles per second. then, quickly yet gently, he brought his hands to cover your pretty eyes, your back now flush against his sturdy chest — the 32 centimetres of height difference even more evident.

“hey bubs, welcome home.”

it all happened in a fraction of a second: you tensed, then quickly spun around to bury your face in his chest, while hugging him tightly.

“‘tsumu! what are you doing here? you’re supposed to be at practice now!”

“do you really think i could’ve stayed there knowing you were here? very funny, bubs.”

after staying in silence wrapped around one another for a few more minutes, you moved your arms to sneak around his neck; in the meantime, his hands went to grab you in the space between your buttocks and the posterior part of your thighs, hoisting you up. immediately, your legs went around his waist.

now that you were eye level, you both had a dashing, lovestruck smile adorning your features. you cupped his cheeks and booped his nose with your own. your thumbs were slowly caressing the apples of his cheeks, never breaking eye contact.

then, a small whisper, as if his hold on you could disappear just like in a dream.

“hi, i’m home.”

a small kiss on the tip of your nose.

“hi, welcome home.”

ŌSAKA, 03:00

atsumu insisted on having you at home with him. his hand never left you: while going to the taxi, with one he was carrying half of your luggage, the other was intertwined with yours; during the ride, you were nestled in his side while his fingers gently moved up and down your arm.

despite the very late hour, neither of you was tired — there were simply so many things you wanted to do now that you were finally sharing the same space. without thinking twice, atsumu carried your things to his bedroom, setting them nicely near his wardrobe for you to unpack the next day.

“hungry, bubs? wanna  something to eat?”

when you happily nodded, he smiled brightly and ruffled your hair. then, he opened one drawer and pulled out a neatly folded shirt and handed it to you.

“go have a shower or a bath, whatever you fancy; i’ll fix you something in the meanwhile, yeah?”

“you’re the best, ‘tsumu, thank you!”

the sweet kiss you planted on his cheek (terribly close to his right snakebite) was all he needed before going to the main area of the house, where both the kitchen and the living+dining area sat in an open space. as he was about to leave the room, he turned back to you.

“feel free to leave all your things around, both in the bathroom and around the house!” 

now alone in his room, you sat on the floor. was it all real? or were you stuck in a wonderful dream? in case of the latter, then you had no intention of waking up. coexisting with atsumu in his space with him felt so natural and spontaneous, as if you’d always lived together. deep inside, you were squealing like a little child.

“okay, i need to stop. time for a shower!”

you rummaged a bit in your suitcase to fetch a pair of shorts to wear under the shirt and your toiletries. the warm water rolling over your body relaxed your muscles, tense from all the hours you spent crammed in a plane. also, the branches of eucalyptus that the setter kept in the wetroom gave off such a pleasant fragrance that did wonders to soothe the beginning of your headache.

clad in the way too big shirt and a towel around your neck to prevent your wet hair from dripping water everywhere, you made your way over to the kitchen. you stood for a bit in the doorframe, admiring the view: atsumu was in front of the stove, where a pot of water was boiling, and several ingredients sat on the countertop. he had ditched the sweatshirt as soon as you got home, so you could see the muscles in his arms flex for any single movement. with a small smile gracing your lips, you made your way over; once close enough, your right hand went over his back to rest right between his shoulder blades.

“that doesn’t look like a quick snack, mind if i help you?”

“oh no no no. you sit on the counter and look pretty.”

with that, atsumu wiped his hands on a towel, before picking you up by the waist and gently sitting you on the surface right next to him. effortlessly. the setter resumed his ministrations: chopping the scallion and the mushrooms, while the lotus root was simmering before being stir fried with the tofu. after having drained the noodles, he put them in another pot where coconut milk was simmering with some soy sauce; once the other ingredients finished their trip in the pan, they joined the noodles in the pot. a few more minutes and a big, steaming cup of vegetarian ramen was on the counter.

with the bowl in hand, atsumu came towards you, stopping between your legs. his right hand was holding a pair of chopsticks, with dangling udon and a bit of scallion on top.

“say ahhh.”

you leaned in close, graciously accepting the food in a single mouthful, a dashing smile lighting up your features.

“oh my gosh, it’s delicious! when did you learn to make this? and how did you know that it’s my favorite dish?”

“well, you mentioned it once three or four years ago, and after that time i asked ‘samu to teach me… y’know, in the eventuality we’d meet one day.”

your expression became even softer when noticing the slight blush adorning the tip of his ears. your hands went over his holding the bowl, retrieving also the chopsticks in the meanwhile. when you spoke again, while mimicking his actions and offering him a bite, your voice was barely above a whisper — but, considering how close you were, it was more than enough.

“and look at us now, together in your kitchen as if we’d been together for years.”

“honestly, bubs, i think it’s high time we fix that, yeah?”

after the incident with the pictures of almost two months ago, atsumu started shamelessly flirting with you, leaving no doubts or room  to misinterpret his feelings. and you, for once, decided that it was worth it to also let him know that yeah, you felt the same way and everything was perfect like this. in a sort of silent mutual understanding and agreement, after realizing for just how long you had been loving each other (at this point it was way more than a simple crush), it was okay to skip a few steps along the way.

when atsumu started to lean in close, his hands coming up to cup your cheeks, you wasted no time in sneaking your arms around his neck, lovingly caressing his nape.

and then it happened. at half past four in the morning, while in his kitchen, with an empty bowl of delicious ramen long forgotten next to you. ‘tsumu’s lips were on yours, ever so gentle and delicate; the cold metal of his piercings was a stark contrast with your own skin.

neither of you could stop the smile growing on your features. everything was just perfect. small laughs were exchanged in between kisses and pecks, with the soft light of the overhead kitchen lamp as the only source of illumination.

“gosh, i love you so so much…”

an almost inaudible whisper against your mouth, as gentle thumbs caressed your cheeks, a smile so bright it could’ve rivalled the whole galaxy.

“me too, ‘tsumu. i love you so much.”

ŌSAKA, 15:49

when you opened your eyes you were greeted by the warm light of the afternoon coming in from the huge window of the bedroom. the skyline of the city was perfectly visible, as the apartment was located on the last floor of a building. when you tried to stretch, you felt someone stirring and complaining about your sudden movement. lowering your gaze, you found atsumu resting his head comfortably on your chest, while his arms were tightly wrapped around your waist. he was wearing only a pair of grey trunks, too tired after his shower to put on anything else. lovingly, your hands found their way on his back and in his hair, gently massaging his incredibly soft locks — despite the frequent rounds of bleaching in order to achieve his desired color.

“hey sleepyhead, good morning.”

“five more minutes, please…”

you simply laughed a bit, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. at that the setter perked up, a lazy grin plastered across his face as he pressed his lips to yours.

“that was the best night of sleep i’ve ever had, bubs. ‘m so glad you’re finally here with me.”

“mhmh, i’m not going anywhere.”

you spent the next half an hour cuddling in bed (as if you’d done something different ever since you got into bed), whispering sweet nothings and deciding how to spend the rest of the day.

“i think tomorrow i’d like to meet your team, if it’s okay with you. and maybe this weekend we could go to onigiri miya with your mom, suna and aran? oh, but i have to get them something first. ah, and maybe i should first go to the government office, to start my citizenship application, just so i can be su-”

atsumu interrupted you with a sweet and innocent kiss, before looking at you with the most serious expression you’d ever seen on him.

“hey, marry me.”

“w-what?!” 

you were shocked, but not necessarily in a negative way: you had been dreaming of such an occurrence ever since he gave you the necklace with his surname on it. and you knew for certain that both of your feelings were stronger than ever, and would not falter anytime soon. it was just a sudden thought to voice, but after the developments of the last 24 hours, it was not a complete surprise.

“i mean it when i say that i love you. and i’m not afraid of marrying you on the spot. i’ve loved you silently for so many years now that i’d be ready to change my whole life to accommodate you in it. and sure, maybe we’re skipping a few steps along the way, we’re rushing things a bit, and i don’t even have a ring with me right now. but… marry me, please?”

and what were you supposed to answer? your heart belonged to him.

you cupped his cheeks, lifting his face until you were eye to eye. while his expression remained serious, you could see in those chocolate eyes a bit of doubt; he was probably wondering if he’d crossed a line, if such a thing was too much. after all, marrying a professional athlete was no easy feat — you’d have to be shielded from prying eyes, and his training hours kept him away from home most of the days, not to mention when he would have to attend away games. but you knew; in all those years it became obvious, and not once it became a problem in your eyes.

so you simply kissed him again and again, feeling his strong body relaxing in your hold.

“yes.” 

a couple of  hours and a call later, you were in the office of the legal person who would sign your marriage certificate within the government building. they agreed to process your request of citizenship as well, considering that you’d automatically gain it as you were marrying a japanese citizen.

“... and what about the surnames? have you decided how you want to deal with them?”

your answer was quick and full of pride.

“i’ll be taking his; my previous one can be disregarded completely.”

atsumu squeezed your hand, from where your intertwined fingers were resting on his thigh. you turned to him with a dashing smile.

the two of you signed the documents, then the employee did the same and handed you your papers and the certificate.

“you will receive your new passport and documents in five days, directly at home. just make sure to give the courier this paper once he arrives.”

you both thanked the man and left the office, still hand in hand. atsumu was holding the tote bag containing all the papers as you made your way back to his motorcycle; then he looked down at you, pulling you in for a side hug.

“hi, ms miya.”

“hi, mr miya.” 

before going to dinner in a nice ramenya, the setter insisted on stopping by the jewellery shop where he had your necklace made. the old owner recognized immediately the delicate piece you were wearing around your neck, and was very pleased to know you’d never removed it for three years straight and it still didn’t show signs of wear. 

“so, what brings you youngsters here today?”

“we’d like to purchase a set of wedding rings. the simplest you have, in platinum, sizes xs and m.”

with a happy look on his face, the man went to the back of the store and came out a few moments later holding a small box in his hand. upon showing it to you, it was clear that was exactly what you were looking for.

you ended up exchanging your vows and rings in a secluded booth at the restaurant, a fuming bowl of ramen in front of you, ready to be shared, like the rest of your lives.

thanks to the friendship hinata had with kenma, you started working as a game designer for bouncing ball, albeit remotely from home. mama miya almost fainted when you both shared the news of your wedding that weekend at onigiri miya — the shop had been close for the day, allowing a gran reunion between the msby team and some of their friends. everyone was delighted to finally meet you in person, knowing that this was probably the beginning of weekly meetings all together.

that year atsumu and other msby members got drafted to be part of the olympic team. and when they won gold, your relationship became public: you launched yourself off the bleachers of the olympic stadium of tokyo, ready to jump into the waiting arms of your husband. and at that point all the world could see the red ink embedded on both your left wrists, as well as the shining bands adorning your ring fingers.

JUST TAKE IT SLOW, ONE DAY AT A TIME

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honorable mentions

@arquitecturadelanada | @bagladyk | @cup-of-fluff | @kyopmi | @ohtokki

taglist

@alienvarmint | @hai1q | @mommyourcall420 | @natriae | @opalloveworld | @voidshoutsback

© giuliadesu. please do not copy, translate, use in videos or reupload on other platforms and sites. it is strictly forbidden to feed any part of my content to ai.

#𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮̄!! #𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐮 #𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 #𝐕 #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x f!reader #haikyuu x female reader #haikyuu atsumu #hq atsumu #miya atsumu #atsumu fluff #atsumu fic #atsumu x reader #atsumu x female reader #atsumu x you #atsumu x y/n

[atticssmellgood]

Hi, i'm from brazil and i often find it difficult to identify with the fic reader because they are usually american, could you make a spencer reid x foreign reader? it doesn't necessarily have to be Brazilian, any country is fine. Maybe he meets her at a bookstore in the foreign literature section and they start dating. kisses from brazil.

Call me?

Spencer Reid x Foreign!GN!reader(no specific pronouns)

Summary: Reader bumps into Spencer while looking for a book in the foreign language section.

Warnings: none!

A/N: Thanks so much for your request! I really hope you enjoy this, I tried my best. Let me know what you think! x

You push the glass door open, a bell acknowledging your presence as you step into the small book shop.

The silence enveloped you in an instant, drowning out the hustle and bustle of city life outside. You stand there for a second, reveling in the earthy scent of the old store. Books were laying in stacks that were scattered around the small area, giving the place a disorganized but oddly comforting appearance. Plants and a thin film of dust decorated the various windowsills, further assisting the creation of a homey atmosphere. A tired looking high schooler sat behind the cash register, reading what looked to be a popular YA novel and sipping from a Starbucks cup. She glanced up at you and gave a soft smile before diving back into her reading.

With that, you quietly make your way to the back of the shop, breezing through the aisles with light feet and only stopping when you reach the foreign literature section. You ghosted over some French novels, beginning to get lost in thought as you looked for books printed in Portuguese.

Moving to America had been a bit of a challenge at first, but after spending a couple of years in the country, you found yourself adapting to the culture and language differences with ease.

However, that didn’t stop you from getting homesick every once in a while.

The feeling had become less frequent as time passed but it never went away completely. Sometimes, when you got that sick feeling in your stomach, you would come back to this little shop and buy a book in your own language. You found comfort in seeing the familiar letters printed out on the delicate pages of books. You even read out loud from time to time, if only to hear the words spoken out loud. That’s precisely why you were here today.

Your fingers traced the various spines lining the shelves, your eyes reading the different titles. Russian, German, Spanish. You recognized the words even if you didn’t know what some of them meant. You continue to search, confident you would find something even more interesting than the last one you read. You were too focused on finding the right book to hear the bell on the front door ring, or notice the lanky man making his way towards the same section you were in.

You come across a small book, the title printed in Portuguese. It read; Capitães da Areia

“Captains of the sand, written by Brazilian author Jorge Amado in 1937. Tells the tale of a gang of orphans living on the streets of Bahia with nothing but their wits.”

You jump back at the sudden voice, snapping your head towards the source with wide eyes and clutching the book close to your chest.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you!” The man held his hands up as if he was trying to calm a wild animal.

“It was one of my favorite books when I was younger…” he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck and smiling awkwardly at you.

You laugh a bit. “No, no it’s fine, I can be pretty oblivious sometimes.” You grin back at him, watching as he brushes a lock of messy brown hair out of his eyes. “Thanks for the synopsis though, I don’t think this has a summary on it.” You flip the book over to the back only to find that you were indeed right, it was completely blank.

He laughed at the little frown you gave. “I’m Spencer, by the way.”

“Y/N”

The two of you stare at each other for a minute and you take the silence as an opportunity to survey his appearance.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this man was pretty damn gorgeous.

He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black button-up cardigan and dark slacks, the outfit being pulled together by a deep purple tie. His complexion was sharp, prominent cheekbones and a jawline that could cut diamonds, a stark contrast to his soft brown eyes. His hair was unruly, but it was strangely fitting. A messenger bag was slung across his torso, his hand gripping the strap.

Spencer cleared his throat in an awkward attempt to break the silence, effectively snapping you out of your thoughts.

“So, um, what exactly are you looking for?” You ask, hoping to ease the tension with casual conversation.

He seems to perk up at this “Oh, I was just seeing if they had anything new back here.” He glanced at the shelves and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Last time I was here, I only saw books that I had already read front to back.”

You think for a second before pulling a book from the top shelf and holding it out to him.

“Here, since I’m reading your favorite childhood book, you should read mine. Assuming you know Portuguese, of course.” He takes the book before looking back at you, confused.

“It’s only fair.” You say with a shrug.

Turning back to the shelves, you can’t help but notice the change in atmosphere. The quiet between the two of you is comfortable now. You watch from the corner of your eye as he skims over the different titles, pulling out a new book every few minutes. Every now and then you would catch him looking at you before he quickly turned his gaze back to the shelves.

“So….do you have a last name?” You ask.

“Huh?”

“I asked if you had a last name.”

“Oh, Yeah, It’s Reid.”

“L/N”

Spencer hums and goes back to his searching as you mule over his name in your mind, your lips moving as you silently formed the words.

Once you were satisfied with your book selection, you turn to leave, not wanting to disturb Spencer’s book-hunting. But just as you walk past him, he stops you with a light hand on your arm.

You look back at him.

His face is red, his lips slightly parted as if he wants to say something. You stare into his soft eyes, waiting for him to speak.

The eye contact seems to make him even more flustered, his gaze landing on the hand still on your arm.

“Um- I know we literally just met and we barely even talked and you have no reason to trust me at all and you probably already have a significant other or something-“

��Spencer, slow down, you’re talking way too fast.” You laugh, placing a hand on his.

“right, sorry.” He takes a deep breathe before speaking again.

“What I’m trying to say is- you’re really attractive, and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go for coffee sometime…?” He asked hesitantly, his eyes finally meeting yours.

You smile and pull out a piece of paper.

“Do you have a pen?” You ask. Spencer digs in his pockets for a writing utensil and hands it to you, his expression puzzled.

You quickly scribble something down before handing the paper to him and promptly leaving to go pay for your books.

Spencer looked down at the slip of paper to find your phone number with a little heart drawn next to it and the message;

Call me?

_________

“You know, the reason coffee wakes people up is due to the fact that caffeine increases adrenaline production.” You and Spencer were sitting across from each other in a small cafe, you listening to him list off the health benefits of coffee.

“Consuming around 2 to 5 cups a day is actually linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, even depression.” He finishes with a smile and a sip of his black coffee. “I’ll have to keep that in mind then.” You grin in response.

You could honestly listen to his rambling all day. The way his eyes glinted with excitement when he talked about something he finds interesting, it’s one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen.

The date continued like that for a while. He told you he worked for the FBI in the behavioral analysis unit—turns out he’s actually the resident genius there—and you told him about your own job. He listened intently when you told him some of the stories from your childhood, laughing along with you when you told jokes. He insisted you told him more about Brazilian culture and your family back home, asking questions and seeming genuinely intrigued by everything you said.

“I think your accent is really soothing.” Spencer says suddenly. You immediately stopped talking, your face growing hot as you watched his eyes grow wide.

“Sorry! Sorry, I just really like the way your voice sounds.” You could see his face getting red, clearly embarrassed by what he had said.

“Thanks, though I have to admit that’s quite an unusual compliment.” You chuckle, suddenly hyper-aware of your accent. He laughs with you, and you soon get back to the conversation you were having.

You were currently on the topic of his team back at Quantico when his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket, frowning when he realized what it was.

“I’m really sorry Y/N, I’ve gotta go. We have a new case.” He sighed, grabbing his messenger bag and standing up.

“Don’t worry about it.” You tell him, finishing off the last drop of your coffee that had been cold for a while now. “I should probably get going anyways.”

He smiles and gives you a wave before heading out the door.

You left the cafe feeling lighter than you have in a while, grinning to yourself all the way home.

_____________

Sorry this isn’t really them dating, I can totally make a part 2 if you want! Please let me know🥰

#spencer reid x gn!reader #spencer reid #criminal minds #foreign!reader #meet cute #fluff #first date #spencer reid x reader

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Down in the (link)dumps

On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine. On October 2, I'll be in Boise to host an event with VE Schwab.

Back when I was writing on Boing Boing, I'd slam out 10-15 blog posts every day, short hits that served as signpost and public notebook, but I rarely got into longer analysis of the sort I do daily now on Pluralistic. Both modes are very useful for organizing one's thoughts, and indeed, they complement each other:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

The problem is that when you write long, synthetic essays, they crowd out the quick hits. Back in May 2022, I started including three short links with each edition of Pluralistic, in a section called "Hey look at this" (thanks to Mitch Wagner for suggesting it!):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/01/reit-modernization-act/#linkdump

But even with that daily linkdump, I still manage to accumulate link-debt, as interesting things pile up, not rising to the level of a long blog-post, but not so disposable as to be easy to flush. When the pile gets big enough, I put out a Saturday Linkdump:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

All of which is to say, it's Saturday, and I've got a linkdump!

First up, a musical interlude. I've been listening to DJ Earworm's amazing mashups since 2005 and while I've got dozens of tracks that shuffle in and out of my daily playlist, the one that makes me wanna get up and dance every time is "No One Takes Your Freedom," a wildly improbable banger composed of equal parts Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, George Michael and Scissor Sisters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaboIeW1A_4

I defy you to play that one without bopping a little. I think it's the French horn from "For No One" that really kills it, the world's least expected intro to a heavy dance beat.

Moving swiftly on: let's talk about fonts. I remember when Wired magazine first showed up at the bookstores I was working at in Toronto, and my bosses – younger men than I am now! – complained that the tiny, decorative fonts, rendered in silver foil on a purple background, was illegible. I laughed at them, batting my young eyes and devouring the promise of a better future with ease, even in dim light.

Now it's thirty years later and I'm half-blind. Both my my decaying, aging eyes are filmed with cataracts that I'm too busy to get removed (though my doc promises permanent 20:20, perfect night-vision, and implanted bifocals when I can spare a month from touring with new books to get 'em fixed).

Which is to say: I spend a lot more time thinking about legibility now than I did in the early 1990s, and I've got a lot more sympathy for those booksellers' complaints about Wired's aggressively low-contrast design today. I'm forever on the hunt for fonts designed for high legibility.

This week, Kottke linked to B612, a free/open font family "designed for aircraft cockpit screens," commissioned by Airbus. It's got all the bells and whistles (e.g. hinting) and comes in variable and monospace faces:

https://b612-font.com/

B612 arrived at a fortuitous moment, coinciding with a major UI overhaul in Thunderbird, the app I spend the second-most time in (I spend more time in Gedit, the bare-bones text-editor that comes with Ubuntu, the flavor of GNU/Linux I use). A previous Thunderbird UI experiment had made all the UI text effectively unreadable for me, causing me to dive deep into the infinitely configurable settings to sub in my own fonts:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/UserChrome.css

The new UI is much better, but it broke all my old tweaks, so I went back into those settings and switched everything to B612, and it's amazeballs. I tried doing the same in Gedit, but B612 mono was too light for my shitty eyes, so I went back to Jetbrains Mono, another free/open font that has 8 weights to choose from:

https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/mono/

Love me a new, legible font! Meanwhile, a note for all you designers: the received wisdom that black on white type is "hard on the eyes" is a harmful myth. Stop with the grey-on-white type, for the love of all that is holy. This isn't 1992, you aren't laying out type for Wired Issue 1.0. Contrast is good, actually.

Continuing on the subject of software updates: Mastodon, the free, open, federated social media platform that anyone can host and that lets you hop between one server and another with just a couple clicks, has released a major update, focusing on usability, especially for people unfamiliar with its conventions:

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/09/mastodon-4.2/

Included in this fix: a major overhaul to how you interact with posts on servers other than your home server. This was both confusing and clunky, and the fix makes it much better. They've also changed how sign-up flow works, making things simpler for newbies, and they've cleaned up the UI, tweaking threads, web previews and other parts of the daily experience.

There's also a lot of changes to search, but search still remains less than ideal, with multi-server search limited to hashtags. This is bad, actually. Thankfully, we don't have to wait for Mastodon devs to decide to fix it, because Mastodon is free and open, which means anyone with the skills to code a change, or the money to pay techies to do it, or the moral force to convince them to do it, can effect that change themselves:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/23/semipermeable-membranes/

Case in point: Mastoreader, a great new thread reader for Mastodon:

https://mastoreader.io/

Every time that guy who owns Twitter breaks it even worse, a new cohort of users sign up. Not all of them stay, but the growth is steady and the trendline is solid:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/11/of-course-mastodon-lost-users/

It's the right call: while there are other services that promise that they will be federated someday, promises are easy, and there's world of difference between "federateable" and "federated." As GW Bush told us, "Fool me twice, we don't get fooled again":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/06/fool-me-twice-we-dont-get-fooled-again/

One big difference between the kind of blogging I used to do in my Boing Boing days and the long-form work I do today is the graphics. When you're posting 10-15 times/day, you can't make each graphic a standout (or at least, I can't). But I can (and do) devote substantial time to making a single collage out of public domain and Creative Commons graphics every day:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/25/a-year-in-illustration/

I am not a visual person – literally, I can barely see! – but my daily art practice has slowly made me a less-terrible illustrator. I got in some good licks this week, like this graphic for the UAW's new "Eight-and-Skate" work-to-rule program:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/21/eight-and-skate/#strike-to-rule

That graphic was fun because all the elements were from the public domain, or fair use. I love it when that happens. I've spent years amassing a bulging folder of public domain clip art ganked from the web and this week, it got a major infusion, thanks to the Bergen Public Library's Flickr album of high-rez scans of antique book endpapers. 86 public domain textures? Yes please! (Also, the fact that Flickr has one-click download of all the hi-rez versions of every image in a photoset is another way that it stands out as a remnant of the old, good web, not so much a superannuated relic as an elegant weapon of a more civilized age):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bergen_public_library/albums/72157633827993925

Speaking of strikes: there are strikes! Everygoddamnedwhere! After 40 years in a Reagan-induced coma, labor is back, baby. The Cornells School of Industrial and Labor Relations' Labor Action Tracker is your go-to, real-time observation post as hot labor summer turns into the permanent revolution. As of this writing, it's listing 968 labor actions in 1491 locations:

https://striketracker.ilr.cornell.edu

There's no war but class war and it was ever thus. Brian Merchant's forthcoming book Blood In the Machine is a history of the Luddites, revisiting that much-maligned labor uprising, which has been rewritten as a fight between technophobes and the inevitable forces of progress:

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/

The book unearths the true history of the Ludds: they were skilled technologists who were outraged by capital's commitment to immiseration, child slavery, and foisting inferior goods on a helpless public. You can get a long preview of the book in Fast Company:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90949827/what-the-luddites-can-teach-us-about-standing-up-to-big-tech

Merchant also talked with Roman Mars about the book on the 99 Percent Invisible podcast:

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/blood-in-the-machine/transcript/

If that's piqued your interest and if you can make it to Los Angeles, come by Chevalier's Books this Wednesday, where Brian and I are having a joint book-launch (I've just published The Internet Con, my Luddite-adjacent "Big Tech Disassembly Manual"):

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/chevaliers-books-8495362156

Where is all this labor unrest coming from? Well as Stein's Law has it, "anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop." 40 years of corporate-friendly political economy has lit the world on fire and immiserated billions, and we've hit bottom and started the long, slow climb to a world that prioritizes human thriving over billionaire power.

One of the most tangible expressions of that vibe shift is the rise and rise of antitrust. The big news right now is the (first) trial of the century, Google's antitrust trial. What's that? You say you haven't heard anything about it? Well, perhaps that has to do with the judge banning recording and livestreaming and not making transcripts available. Don't worry, he's also locking observers out of his courtroom for hours at a time during closed testimony. Oh, and also? The DoJ just agreed that it won't post its exhibits from the trial online anymore. You can follow what dribbles of information as are emerging from our famously open court system at US v Google:

https://usvgoogle.org/trial-update-9-22

If the impoverished trickle of Google antitrust news has you down, don't despair, there's more coming, because the FTC is apparently set to drop its long-awaited suit against Amazon:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ftc-poised-sue-amazon-antitrust-163432081.html

Amazon spent years blowing hundreds of millions of dollars of its investors' cash, selling goods below cost and buying up rivals until it became the most important channel for every kind of manufacturer to reach their customers. Now, Amazon is turning the screws. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance details the 45% Amazon Tax that every merchant pays to reach you:

https://ilsr.org/AmazonMonopolyTollbooth-2023/

That 45% tax is passed on to you – whether or not you shop at Amazon. Amazon's secretive most favored nation terms mean that if a seller raises their price on Amazon, they have to raise it everywhere else, which means you're paying more at WalMart and Target because of Amazon's policies.

Those taxes are bad for us, but they're good for Amazon's investors. This year, the company stands to make $185 billion from junk-fees charged to platform sellers. As David Dayen points out, Amazon charges so much to ship third-party sellers' goods that it fully subsidizes Amazon's own shipping:

https://prospect.org/power/2023-09-21-amazons-185-billion-pay-to-play-system/

That's right: as Stacy Mitchell writes in the report, "Amazon doesn’t have to build warehousing and shipping costs into the price of its own products, because it’s found a way to get smaller online sellers to pay those costs."

Now, one of the amazing things about antitrust coming back from the grave is that just the threat of antitrust enforcement can moderate even the most vicious bully's conduct. Faced with the looming FTC case, Amazon just canceled its plan to charge even more junk fees:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/amazon-drops-planned-merchant-fee-ftc-lawsuit-looms-bloomberg-news-2023-09-20/

But despite this win, Amazon is still speedrunning the enshittification cycle. The latest? Unskippable ads in Prime Video:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-22/amazon-prime-video-content-to-include-ads-staring-early-2024

Remember when Amazon promised you ad-free video if you'd lock yourself into shopping with them by pre-paying for a year's shipping with Prime? The company has fully embraced the Darth Vader MBA: "I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further."

That FTC case can't come a moment too soon.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/23/salmagundi/#dewey-102

#pluralistic

[i-am-baechu]

Title: Eyes On Me | ♚ | | ♛ | | ♜ |

Genre: Slytherin! Yoongi, Ravenclaw! reader, smart and kind! reader, bad boy! Yoongi, pureblood! Yoongi, muggle born! reader, tutor au, fluff, and angst

Summary: Professor Longbottom asked L/N Y/N to help Min Yoongi out with Herbology. She’s excited to help another person out but Yoongi on the other hand doesn’t want people knowing she’s hanging out with him. Instead he tells her to study within the room of requirement but Y/N assumes it’s because he wants peace and no distractions to study. As time passes, Yoongi sees her more as his tutor and starts to develop a crush on the strange girl but what happens when his Slytherin friends see him with her?

Warnings: Mention of parents death, mention of war, fighting, discrimination, Y/N and Yoongi are really awkward and its cute, angst and fluff

There was a time where the wizardry world was encased with war. The deaths that scattered throughout the land were too many for one to count, pure and innocent souls taken away because of darkness. The thought of a sunny day was a foolish one but many craved it. The foolish thoughts turned into destiny and the war was finally over. Families rejoiced but others cried into the dry dirt, praying for this to be a falsity. While some families went on with their lives, L/N Y/N stood frozen as everyone else continued. She stood there holding her grandmother’s hand as she watched her mother and father get lowered. Even though her parents were muggles, they knew about the magical world. Their siblings were both witches and wizards while they were muggles. That’s why they were killed. They knew too much about the magical world and death eaters made their way to end them but what they didn’t take in a count was that little Y/N was hiding, watching the whole thing.  

Her grandmother took her in and later on it was revealed that Y/N was a witch. Her grandmother was ecstatic to know this and Y/N felt closer to her parents. They would tell her stories about their siblings and all the wonders of the wizardry world, it only brought more curiosity to her. That's when time started to move forward for her. The flowers in the garden became a safe haven for the young girl because it was the last thing her mother planted. Her love of plants only grew from there. 

She remembered the first big lesson of her life when she was eight years old. It was when one of her mother’s roses died and it was only natural for it to happen but it still made the young Y/N cry. Her grandmother rushed to her side and hugged her tightly. She picked up the fallen petals and smiled at her, “These petals will be carried by mommy and create beauty wherever it lands, don’t be too sad. It’s going to be okay, no matter what.” She remembers how her grandmother picked up the petals and took her to the beach. They released the white petals into the ocean and watched them drift away. 

When she turned eleven, she got a letter from Hogwarts. She walked through Diagon Alley with her grandmother and all those stories that she heard turned into a reality. She looked around the area with wonder and big eyes. It was something she would never forget. She entered the bookstore while her grandmother picked up other things. The busy atmosphere brought excitement to her as she ran into an aisle without thinking much. She looked up to see the never ending supplies of books with a sparkle in her eyes. She went to reach for a book when she overheard a conversation between two girls, “Did you hear Yoongi is coming to Diagon Alley today?”

“Is he really? I want to see him pick out his robes, let's go.”

This was the first time she heard Yoongi’s name. Whoever he was, he sounded popular. She continued to collect her books and when she was at the last textbook, she was exhausted. She reached out for the dark purple when another hand came into view. She raised her eyebrow and looked to her side to see a young boy with pale skin and the darkest black hair that she has ever seen in her life. Out of nervousness, she dropped her hand and gave him a small bow, “Sorry...” 

He gave her a small smile and shook his head, “It looks like we both need it...here.” 

She felt her chest feel lighter but she ignored it and gently took the book. She gave him a smile and looked down at the cover, “Thank you.”

The boy smiled, grabbing another book before leaving her alone in the aisle. She didn’t know at the time that it was Yoongi but she didn’t really bother to learn his name. His smile was enough for her to remember him. That was the first time she met Yoongi and she was sure he had long forgotten about her but it was the opposite for her. On sorting day, she watched him confidently walk to the stool as everyone watched him with a close eye. Some looked at him with jealousy while she looked at him with a look that no one could explain. He was put into Slytherin which made sense since his whole family had been in that house. She watched him sit with the others while she stood with strangers. 

When her name was called, she slowly made her way to the stool and she heard whispers about her. They were talking about her parents and how she was a muggle born but she ignored this. She sat comfortably on the stool and the hat was dropped on her head. The words Ravenclaw echoed throughout the room as turned to walk to the table with a skip in her step. She didn’t notice dark brown eyes on her as she talked to the people around her when she sat at the table. 

As the years passed, she never noticed the dark brown eyes on her. She was too focused on her studies and becoming friends with her fellow Ravenclaws. She heard rumors about Yoongi, some were good while others were bad. There was one rumor that he only passed potions because his father threatened the professor. There was another one that he was dating Kim Sowon, this one stuck out to her the most but she wouldn’t tell anyone that. Even though there were so many rumors about Yoongi, no one dared to ask him if there was any truth to them. As cliche as it was, he was the school's bad boy. Always landing himself in detention as he would always get into a fight in the halls of Hogwarts, but there was something about him that Y/N liked. He only got into fights when someone talked down about others or was bullying someone else, no one ever mentions that fact to anyone. The only thing others spoke of was that “Min got into another fight” but she knew the truth. 

Now that she's seventeen, she sits in her herbology class as Professor Longbottom enters with his wide smile. He clapped his hands, making some students jump because they weren’t paying attention, “Today we will be reading about dittany. Y/N, would you like to explain what dittany is?”

Y/N smiled and closed her textbook, “Dittany, is a healing herb. You can use it within a potion or you can consume the plant to heal shallow or moderate wounds.” 

“Correct, ten points to Ravenclaw.” 

She bowed her head at him and looked over to her friend who gave her a small smile. Jeon Jungkook was Y/N’s best friend who was a fellow Ravenclaw. The two were always together and some even thought they were dating but that rumor was soon put down when Jungkook started dating a Hufflepuff girl named Yeri. Jungkook leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear, “When are you going to notice Yoongi staring at you?” 

She raised her eyebrow at this, quickly looking behind her to see Yoongi writing in his notebook. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Jungkook, “I don’t think he stares at me. I sit in the front so anyone can easily assume that he's looking at me when in fact, he's looking at Professor Longbottom.” 

Jungkook let out a small chuckle and shook his head, “But in potions, you're in the back while he's in the front. How do you explain that one?” 

“He could be just cracking his back. I think you're thinking too much about this.”

“If you say so...”

The lesson carried out normally but Y/N couldn’t help herself from glancing over her shoulder to see those dark brown eyes on her. Their eyes met for a second and she could've sworn she saw a small smile on his lips but she quickly looked away with a flush. Feeling embarrassed getting caught looking at him. He really did get rather handsome over the years. 

When the lesson was over, Professor Longbottom called up Y/N and Yoongi. She felt nervous that she got in trouble for looking at him and the sweat on her hands increased. She waved goodbye to Jungkook and made her way forward to the professor’s desk with Yoongi trailing behind her. Professor Longbottom smiled at them as his gaze settled on Y/N, “Ms. L/N , you're my top student in the seventh year, well actually every year,”

 Y/N eyes widen at this because she actually didn’t know this but Yoongi did and he smiled behind her, “and Mr. Min, I believe in you but maybe my teaching methods aren't right for you. Y/N, I was wondering if you can help Mr. Min. I know my teaching methods aren't for everyone but maybe if you get help from your peer things can be easier.”

Y/N blinked her eyes at this and felt a presence next to her. She looked to the side and saw Yoongi standing so close to her that his warmth made her dizzy. He had his hands in his pockets with his robe pushed back and looked at Professor Longbottom with a nonchalant look, “If I must.”   

His deep voice hit her ears making her face blossom into a light red shade. Professor Longbottom smiled at this looking at Y/N with a soft look, “Is that okay for you, Ms. L/N? You can always decline it if you're busy with your studies.” 

She shook her head side to side at him with a smile on her face. She glanced at Yoongi to see that he was already looking at her (with a blank expression), “I would love to help.” 

“Alright, thank you Ms. L/N. Mr. Min I expect your next test grade to be at least a 70.” 

They nodded their heads almost in unison and left the classroom. She saw that he was walking faster than her and she grabbed his arm to stop him. He glanced at her and she noticed that he never had a smile on his face. She gave him a nervous smile and looked down at 

the ground, “I was wondering when you want to study. I usually study on the weekends to make things easier but if-”

“We can study on the weekends. I have charms to get to, can I go?” 

She let go of his arm and looked down sheepishly guilty that she kept him from his class, “Yeah...I’m sorry about that. I guess I’ll see you around.” 

“Yeah.” 

She watched him go down the hall until he disappeared. She frowned to herself and looked down at her shoes, Yoongi, you're so weird. When Yoongi turned the corner, he leaned against the wall and clenched his chest as he felt his rapid heart beat on his hand. He felt his face turn red now that he's alone and he hoped no one saw it. He ran his hand through his hair as he let out a deep sigh, “Y/N...”

Min Yoongi, a pureblood and the youngest son to the heir of the Min family fortune. Yoongi’s life has always been easy, he saw something he wanted and his mother would get it for him. No matter what it was. Even though he got what he wanted whenever he wanted, he didn’t really ask for much. His parents were focused on his older brother the heir while his maid, Irene, basically raised him. When he got older, he deduced this is why his parents were so quick to get him stuff. Yoongi never felt seen by his parents but at least he had his best friends to fix that. Yoongi’s best friends, Jung Hoseok and Kim Namjoon are the only people that truly knew him (Besides Irene). The two Gryffindor’s knew Yoongi like the back of their hands. All those rumors that went around school were ridiculous and they knew the real reason why he fought people in the halls. 

“So you're finally going to be with Y/N.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes at Hoseok as he leaned against the brick column in the courtyard. It was currently break time in between classes and he immediately went to their spot to tell them what had happened the day before. He was never good at talking about his feelings but whenever he talked about Y/N, his feelings tended to get the best of him. 

“She’s just going to tutor me...I’m going to tell her that we can study in the room of requirement.” 

Namjoon raised his eyebrow at this and took a sip of his pumpkin juice, “Why?” 

“I don’t want her to be seen with me, it’s dangerous for her...you know how people act when they see a muggleborn and pureblood together. Mixing of the blood and what not.” 

“That’s what other people think, so it doesn’t matter, they aren’t you or us. Are you finally going to admit that you like her?” 

He let out a grunt and shook his head, “I don’t like her...” 

“You beat up anyone that talks bad about her, dude I think you like her.” 

“Namjoon, shut up. No one deserves that treatment.” 

Yoongi glanced at Namjoon but his eyes went over his shoulder when he heard that familiar laugh. He saw Y/N talking to Park Jimin, a fellow Slytherin in a year below him (he thinks) but talking to Jimin was never simply innocent. Jimin was a flirt and everyone knew this but he doesn’t think Y/N knew that by the way she carried on with him. She nodded her head at something he said and she waved her hand towards Jungkook who pushed Jimin out the way. Since when was she friends with so many boys? Not that Yoongi had a problem with that...he just didn’t know that information.

Namjoon turned around and looked back at him with a smirk, “Jealous?” 

“W-Why would I be jealous?” 

Hoseok took a bite of his biscuit and shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe it's because you're too scared to talk to her.” 

“I can talk to her.” 

“No you can’t. That’s why you stare at her.” 

“I don’t stare...I admire her. Don’t make it sound like I’m creepy.”

Namjoon let out a scoff and shook his head, “It doesn’t matter now. You're going to be trapped in a room with her, you better get some courage to talk to her. Also, don’t be a dick to the girl you like. It doesn’t make you attractive to her, if anything it makes you less attractive.” 

That night, Yoongi laid in his bed staring at the ceiling as the silence echoed through his ears. His mind kept going back to Y/N and how she looked at him with a gentle smile. The only gentleness that he's ever received was from Irene. Even though Y/N knows about him, she still gave him that gentleness that she gave to everyone. He wondered how she reacted to the rumors. If she felt disgusted on the inside and could easily hide it from him. He quickly shook his head at this and turned in this bed to let the moonlight shine on his pale face. 

The stars outside made him think of Y/N’s bright eyes whenever she knew the answer during a lesson and the moon itself made him think about the brightness she bestowed upon him during the day. She was known throughout Hogwarts as the brightest witch of her age. But to Yoongi he saw her as the brightest and the most beautiful witch of any age, no one could compare. He still remembers her from Diagon Alley and how she looked so timid to him. He thought he saw the same timidness on her yesterday but he didn’t want to give his hopes up.  He finally closed his eyes and was haunted by Y/N’s eyes in his dreams. 

The next morning, Yoongi was a ball of nerves. Today was the first day of his tutoring sessions with Y/N and he didn’t know what to expect. He took two showers that morning in order to wake himself up and he kept redoing his hair until he just said fuck it going with his usual style. He sat nervously in the library playing with his fingers as he waited for her to show. He looked out the window and saw that the weather wasn’t being so kind as the harsh rain hit the window. The flowers by the glass played hide and seek with him but his eyes landed on the pink hydrangeas. 

“Yoongi?” 

He turned his head and there she was walking towards him in her casual clothes. He had not seen much of her outside of her wizard robes so this was a welcome change. She was wearing a white fluffy sweater with a collar that hid her gold chain, black loose jeans and her school shoes. She walked towards the table and words couldn’t make it past his lips as she sat at the table. He watched her place the textbooks and journals on the hardwood table giving him a confused look. 

“Yoongi?” 

He shook his head and looked at her with a blank expression, “Yeah?”

“Are you ready to study?” 

“Oh about that...I was thinking of another place to study.” 

He watched her raise a single eyebrow but she slowly nodded her head at this, “Okay...as long as you're comfortable with it.” 

He scratched the back of his neck and stood up without saying anything to her. He took the textbooks and journals in front of her and walked away. He felt his face turn red as he felt her eyes on his back but he didn’t dare to turn around to confirm that. They walked through the empty halls with Y/N trailing behind him. He didn’t notice that Y/N had a small bag of snacks for them and she was sad that she couldn’t give him a snack before studying. 

They stopped walking and Yoongi turned towards her, “Here we are.” 

She quickly looked at him before her eyes traced the brick wall with a confused face, “I-I don’t understand...is this a prank?” 

“What? No, just wait until the door appears.” 

“Door-” Just then the brick wall was slowly transforming into a dark wooden tall door shocking Y/N into silence. In all her years at Hogwarts, she had never seen this room before. She was puzzled on how this door had evaded her in her explorations of the castle through text and in person. What other secrets did Yoongi have in store for her? Yoongi glanced down at her and the way her eyes widened at amazement made a gentle smile appear on his lips. It was the way she looked at the door that appeared that sent his heart into a panic. She looked so innocent, something he wished he could experience more in his life. 

She turned her head to look at him as he quickly looked at the door, “Is this where you go on the weekends?” 

“Y-Yeah...it's good to have time to yourself.”

“I like alone time too but I have my cat with me...I don’t know if that's truly alone time.” 

“As long as you feel content then that’s what matters.”

She gave him a smile and nodded her head at this. She looked at the door tilting her head at it, “Do I just walk in?” 

“That’s what you do with a door, right?” 

She let out a small laugh and Yoongi wanted to smack himself for saying that, “Yeah your right, I’ll open it for us.” 

He watched her open the door, the bright light from the room outlined her body perfectly but his eyes couldn’t leave her face. She slowly turned around and the light showed off her eyelashes perfectly highlighting her puffy rosy cheeks, she looked like a beacon of light beckoning to his darkness, “Beautiful...” 

“What was that?” 

He shook his head and walked into the room without looking at her, “N-Nothing, lets sit.” 

The room was the definition of comfort. It was filled with couches that one could easily sink into, the bright flowers that surrounded the room looked even brighter behind the dark green wallpaper, and the roaring fireplace that sent out pure warmth. She turned her body to truly look at the room and Yoongi watched as he sat on the floor. When she paused and looked at him with wide questioning eyes, “Yoongi, what is this place?” 

“It’s the room of requirement...it turns into any room you want basically.” 

“That’s so cool, I’ve never heard of it.” 

He let out a small chuckle patting at the carpet next to him, “Not a lot of people know about this place.” 

She sat next to him peering closely at his face as he spread out the textbooks on the table. He looked so handsome under this lighting and she wanted to crease his face but that would've been weird. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, “Are you okay?” 

She quickly grabbed a journal and let out a small cough, “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get started.”

Minutes turned into hours as the two sat on the black carpet near the fire. She had shedded her jacket as the fire was rather warm. This whole situation left Y/N rather confused. Yoongi was getting every question right, to anyone it would look like two people just studying. Not her tutoring someone in a subject they're supposedly doing bad at. Doing so bad to the point a professor had to recommend tutoring. She closed the journal looking at him curiously as though he was a specimen, making him raise his eyebrow, “What?”

“I don’t understand...you’ve gotten every question right. Did you really need help?”

He froze at this. He couldn’t tell her the reason why he always failed was because he always got distracted by her and was thinking of ways to talk to her. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and shrugged his shoulders, “I have test anxiety...also to be fair, we were only looking at the easy stuff.”

“I wouldn’t say easy because everyone is different. I’m glad you think it's easy so far, does that mean I’m a good tutor?” 

“Of course you are, you're the brightest witch in our year.” 

Her eyes widened at this and stared at him as he looked at her with a nervous look, “You think I’m the brightest witch in our year?”

He rolled his eyes and glanced at the fire with a small smile on his face, “Y/N, you should give yourself more credit. You're always the top student in the classes you take and the professors adore you. You heard what professor Longbottom said.” 

“It's different coming from you...it feels special.” 

He looked at her and the two of them stared at each other with a look that anyone could see there were feelings between the two. He stared at her face trying to memorize every little detail of her face now that he didn’t have to look away. He looked at her like the way he did when they first met, with hope. She leaned forward a bit and he did the same but as he moved forward, he didn’t notice his hand was pushing the textbook. When he felt the tip of her nose against his with a magnetic force, a loud sudden bang made them jump back with red faces. They looked to see the textbooks opened on the carpet. She glanced at him and let out a small laugh but he wasn’t laughing. He felt so stupid but he didn’t want her to feel awkward so he let out a small awkward laugh, hoping she didn’t notice his awkwardness. 

She gathered the journals as he watched with nervousness, “Yoongi, you did really well today. Do you want to study tomorrow with me?”

“Yes! I-I mean yeah...if you think it could help me.”

“I’m going to assume you want to study here. Honestly I like studying here more than the library, it just feels more peaceful and has more possibilities. I can see why you like it here so much.” 

“Yeah, it's peaceful. Is it okay for you to study here?” 

“Honestly I would like to be anywhere with you...” Her eyes widened when she realized what she said and covered her mouth with her hand. He sat there frozen because he couldn't believe what she said. Was he dreaming? “Y-You're just so easy to talk to...I like it. Anyways, we should get going for dinner.” 

“Okay.” 

The two walked down the hall but he was lingering in the back. He kept glancing at her and then looking at the wall with a nervous look. She said that she liked talking to him, that made him feel special. Of course he was going to tell Namjoon this (not Hoseok, he's too loud). She glanced behind her and looked at Yoongi who was rubbing the back of his neck aggressively. She turned around and walked up to him, “Yoongi, are you okay?”

He stopped in his tracks and if this was a cartoon, there would be steam coming out of his ears. In front of him was Y/N with her head tilted with curiosity and worry written on her beautiful face. He blinked his eyes at this and covered his face to hide his red face, “I-I’m okay...I gotta go!” 

He ran past her leaving her standing there with confusion and deja vu. She let out a small laugh and pushed the journals further into her chest, “Yoongi, you're so weird.” 

Yoongi ran to the closest bathroom and splashed water on his face. How can she be so cute? He let out a deep sigh but something made his eye twitch. In the bathroom was a group of Slytherin’s that were on his hit list. They were notoriously known to be spilling their ridiculous views on muggles, their target was almost always Y/N. 

“Even though Y/N’s a mudblood, she's hot.” 

“Too bad she has bad blood because I would’ve-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll knock you out.” 

The group of boys froze in fear and slowly turned around to see Yoongi with his wand at the ready. Yoongi was known as being the best dueler in his year and many feared him because of this title. The leader let out a nervous laugh and put his hands up (as if Yoongi had a gun pointing at him), “We were joking, Min.”

“I don’t give a fuck, you don’t talk about her like that. How many times do I have to teach you that?” 

“L-Lets go to dinner!” 

The boys ran out and Yoongi watched them with a heated gaze. He clicked his tongue and looked at himself in the mirror to see his normal cold expression on his face again, “Fucking bastards...they ruined my mood.” 

The past two months, Y/N and Yoongi have been together every weekend. The two of them have gotten closer to the point where they would hold hands reading the textbook (by accident of course but neither one of them moved their hands). Yoongi’s denial of his crush on Y/N was proven to be an idiotic move on his part. The more he fought his feelings, the stronger they became for her. She was sweet and witty, her wittiness fit perfectly with his straight forwardness. He felt the same way when they first met actually, that feeling never went away he just pushed it down. 

The two just finished their last session of the year and it was the start of their Christmas break now. As she grabbed all her journals, Yoongi glanced down at his shoes with nervousness. Hoseok gave him confidence earlier that day to ask her but now that she’s here, he doesn’t know what to do. She was about to stand up but he grabbed her wrist to stop her, making her raise her eyebrow, “Yoongi is everything okay?” 

“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” 

“This late? We're supposed to be in our dorms in an hour.” 

“Please?”

She glanced down at his hand and then back at him with a smile, “I-I would love to go with you...what about the journals and textbooks?” 

“We can bring it with us. No worries.” 

She nodded her head and pushed the journals into her chest with excitement, “Where are we going?”  

“Where we can see the stars.” 

The two walked through the empty hallways as Yoongi's fingers were intertwined with hers. She glanced down at their hands and felt herself smiling. The walk down the hallway felt like they were in slow motion. Each step they took felt like an eternity and she didn’t care, as long his hand was in hers then nothing mattered. He brought her up the spiraling stairs, a pair of stairs that she has never seen before. 

“Do you know all the secrets of the castle?” 

“Just the ones that are fun.” They continued up the stairs and she was met with the beautiful sight of the night sky. The stars were shining bright as the moon took a step back. Yoongi looked down at her and gave her a smile, “Do you like it?” 

“Like it? I love it!” 

She ran towards the railing and leaned forward looking out into the sky. Yoongi let out a small chuckle and set the books on a table. He looked her up and down with a wide smile. The way she always looked with pure wonder in her eyes and it made his heart beat faster. He walked up next to her but she didn’t hear this, she was too focused at looking out on the grounds. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he looked up at the sky. Y/N jumped slightly at his touch but she relaxed into his touch. They both stared out into the night sky as she placed her head on his shoulder. 

“Are you going home for the holidays?” 

He shook his head and glanced down at her with a nonchalant look, “My parents are taking my older brother to France and I can’t go, so I’m staying here.”

Her eyes widened at this and glanced up at him with sadness in her eyes, “You can’t go? That doesn’t seem nice.” 

“You get used to it. 

“You shouldn’t have to...I’m staying for the holidays too. My grandmother has a business meeting, sadly. Do you want to spend Christmas with me?” 

Shock doesn’t describe how he felt. He swallowed some spit and embarrassedly stuttered out, “W-What?” 

“We should celebrate it together...If you want.” 

He blinked his eyes at her and he felt his whole face turn red, “I-I would love to celebrate it with you.” 

She smiled at this and leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek. When she came back down the only thing that Yoongi could do was smile at her. She looked at him with a soft gaze because it was a smile that she had never seen before, it was pure happiness. She turned her head to glance out to the stars again avoiding his stare, “I’m so happy that I got to be with you in these two months, Yoongi.” 

“I feel the same way, Y/N.” 

It was Christmas, which meant it was the “date”. Y/N kept brushing her hair out of nervousness because she has never been on a date before. Sure she had some guys that she flirted with during her school years but she never went further with them. Yoongi was different and she knew this when she was eleven when she first met. His dark brown eyes always made her think about what was on his mind. He was mysterious but at the same time he wasn’t, it was just confusing for her. She sighed and placed the brush back down on her vanity. She got up and before she left her room, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a dark green sweater with black jeans and her black boots. She actually put on jewelry for once, she had a pearl choker and teardrop earrings to match. She looked cute but she didn’t know if it was enough for Yoongi. She shook her head and left her room before the insecurities took over. 

She walked down the stairs and jumped when she heard her name, “Jungkook! Don’t yell in the common room. That’s how you got in trouble last time.” 

Jungkook looked around him and shrugged his shoulders, “No ones here to get me in trouble. Are you excited?” 

She rolled her eyes and rubbed her arm gently, “I am...just nervous. It feels different this time. A good different.” 

He smiled at this and nodded his head, “I think it's good for you. Maybe you can get your first kiss.”

“Shut up...I’m going now. Don’t wait for me.” 

“Have fun!~” 

She walked out of the common room and rolled her eyes at Jungkook’s tone. She quickly made her way down to the empty hallways and heard the voices of the ghosts echoed. She paid no mind to this because her anxious thoughts gave her a distraction. Sure, she spent time with Yoongi alone before but this time it was different. It was Christmas. There was romance in the air even if you didn’t want to acknowledge it, it was there. 

She saw him standing outside the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Her heart started beating fast and steps echoed through her ear. He turned his head and she stopped midway at his appearance. He was wearing a bottom up shirt and glasses, she didn’t even know he wore glasses. Her mouth dropped at him because he looked like an anime character. She ran towards him now and stopped in front of him with wide eyes, “You wear glasses!?” 

“Y-Yeah?” 

“You look so handsome!” 

He let out a nervous cough and looked at the girl with wide eyes, “Y/N, s-stop yelling...let's go inside.” 

He turned around with his red face as she let out a small laugh at his reaction. When he opened the door, the scenery before them was different. It was a romantic dinner setting instead of their regular studying room. Her eyes widened at the single candle in the middle of the table with food already cooked. She looked back at him with a shy smile, “Did you do this for me?” 

“I-I wouldn’t say that, I mean I cooked all the food but the room I made it-” 

“I love it.” 

He smiled at this and gently grabbed her hand to lead her to the table. He closed the door and the table was illuminated now. He pulled out the chair for her as she smiled shyly at him. He went to the other side of the table with her watching with pure shyness. When they sat down, the two awkwardly smiled at each other. She looked down at the plate and her eyes widened at the food, “You made my favorite?”

“Oh is it? It’s my favorite...” 

“I mean to be fair it's just a simple dish. It’s just chicken alfredo.”    

The two continued to eat their food making small conversation with each other. The small conversation they shared was about basic likes and dislikes. Yoongi let out a small laugh at her jokes while she gave him shy smiles whenever he talked. 

At one point, Yoongi made roses appear and he handed them to her. After finishing dinner, Yoongi brought her over to the fireplace and sat on the carpet watching the flames dance away. She moved closer to him to the point her head was on his shoulder as he wrapped that same arm around her shoulders. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

“Merry Christmas, Yoongi.” 

Yoongi felt seen by someone and Y/N felt the butterflies that she thought would never happen in her life. They didn’t notice that the room of requirement produced a wreath that was in the shape of a heart on top of the fireplace.  

New years meant new problems. The next test for Herbology was just a week away and Y/N was stressed for Yoongi. He was doing so well within their sessions but taking the test was different. Yoongi, on the other hand, was calm. He just needed to focus on the test and not on Y/N for once. Some of his Slytherin friends were growing suspicious of him (calling them friends was a stretch but he got along with them). Especially William and Jack Cooper. Twins that Yoongi met in his first year and they just stuck around him. He didn’t really mind their company, they didn’t do anything that made him angry or annoyed so, he called them friends. 

During Christmas, they sent letters to him asking what he did for his break. When he answered them by hanging out with a friend, they got curious. Yoongi didn’t have a lot of friends and they wanted to know who it was. In the first week of coming back, they followed him. They were shocked to see Yoongi with Y/N, that mudblood in Ravenclaw. The twins saw this and decided to use it against him but they had to wait till the time was right. You see, the Cooper family were never invited to the Min’s high classed party. They were seen less than all because they had an aunt that married a muggle. If they used this against Yoongi then their family can finally be where they were supposed to be, on top. 

Professor Longbottom went to his desk and gave everyone a smile, “I know it's barely the new year and you still have Christmas on your mind but we have to do this test. I believe in you guys and take a deep breath if you have to.” He walked around the tables and placed the papers in front of each student. When he reached Yoongi, he gave a comforting smile and a small nod, “I believe in you, Mr. Min.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and read the first question, not hard. He glanced up and saw Y/N glancing at him with a wide smile. She put a thumbs up at him and he didn’t care that they were in public, he returned the thumbs up. She looked back at the test and Yoongi watched with a dreamy gaze. He quickly shook his head and smacked his cheeks lightly, he couldn't disappoint Y/N and failed because he was too busy looking at her. 

The test was easy and he couldn’t tell if it was because of his knowledge or was it Y/N’s help. He was actually the first one done and right behind him was Y/N. Her eyes widened at this but felt proud that Yoongi felt confident. Professor Longbottom allowed them to leave class early and they went inside the greenhouse, holding hands. They sat on the bench and Y/N turned towards him with a wide grin, “You finish first? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” 

“It’s a good thing. It was actually pretty easy.” 

“Really!? That’s so good Yoongi.” 

“It’s all thanks to you, Y/N.”

He looked into her eyes as she felt her face flushed. He smiled at her and let out a nervous laugh, “You look beautiful, Y/N.” 

“Uh, do I? Thanks I put lotion on...” Why did I say that

“Oh, that’s good.” 

He hesitated for a moment but he leaned forward, with his nerves jumbled up. His breath was warm and she watched his dark brown eyes to her lips (or she hoped it was her lips). Their lips shyly touched each other under the sunlight. His lips were soft and she noted that he tasted like peppermint while she tasted like honey. His forehead was against hers and he quickly pulled away with a bright red face, “I-I’m sorry! I should’ve ask-”

He couldn't finish his sentence because Y/N brought him into another kiss. This kiss was rougher than the last but he didn’t care. He knew he had a stupid grin. When they pulled away he gave her a soft smile, “You don’t know how long I've wanted to do that.”  

“I’m glad I could make it come true, Mr. Min.” 

Unknown to them, William was outside the greenhouse and saw everything with his eyes. Pure excitement went through his body and he couldn’t wait to tell his brother. He ran off as Y/N and Yoongi shared another kiss with the plants.

Yoongi needed to talk to Y/N. He wanted to take things to the next step but he was afraid that she would get hurt because of who he was. He didn’t care that she was a muggleborn, she could be anything and he wouldn’t care. What he did care about was her safety. He walked down the hallway in a nervous manner and when he turned the corner, she saw her talking to Jungkook and Jimin. He felt his palms getting sweaty but he quickly wiped them on his robes. Before he could walk forward, he was pulled back.

He was pinned against the wall as he let out a groan. He opened his eyes and there were the twins that he barely knew, “Jack? William? What the hell are you doing?” 

“We went to be invited to your party Min.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

William rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as Jack pushed harder into his shoulder, “That party that you won’t let our family come.” 

“I have no control over that. Why the fuck your pushing me into the wall?” 

“We saw your kiss with that mudblood. It would be embarrassing if everyone found out about your relationship.” 

His eyes widened at this and roughly pushed Jack off of him. He glared at the twins and scoffed, “Like I give a fuck what you guys think of my relationship.” 

“But little Y/N could get hurt and that would be sad, don’t you think Jack.”

“I do, Will.” 

Yoongi bit his bottom lip and looked down at the ground before looking back up, “What do you want from me?” 

“We want to be invited to that party or little Y/N is going to get hurt.” 

“You might want to stay away from her too or we will make her life a living hell.” 

Yoongi cursed under his breath and nodded his head, “Fine. I’ll send a letter to my mother...just don’t touch her.” 

“The prince protecting the princess, how cute. Isn’t that right Will?”

“Very right, Jack. See you later, Min.” 

Yoongi watched them walk away and he scoffed to himself, “Friends my ass.” 

He hid behind the wall as he glanced at Y/N who was letting out a loud laugh at something Jungkook said. His heart fluttered at this and he smiled at her, she looked so cute. He frowned and put his head against the brick, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, “Fuck.” 

It’s been almost a week and Y/N was depressed. She's been trying to talk to Yoongi but he kept avoiding her. At one point, he ran from her. That kiss made her feel something that she has never felt before, it made her feel special. It could be that he regretted it and was saving her from the hurt but Jungkook thought otherwise. 

“That dude has been in love with you since forever.” 

Y/N shook her head and glanced at the fire in the common room, “Maybe the kiss was just a kiss...nothing more or nothing less.” 

“Bullshit, Jimin said that’s not how he is.” 

She raised her eyebrow and glanced at him, “Did you tell Jimin to spy on him?” 

“No...anyways, I think something is wrong. I’ll talk to him if you want.” 

“No, no...I’ll do it. Maybe he doesn’t like me.” 

“Shut up, he likes you. Trust me.” 

“I trust you...I don’t trust fate.”  

Another week has passed and Y/N didn’t have the confidence to talk to him yet but weird things have been happening to her. There were two Slytherin boys that had been following her. At first, she tried to ignore it but it slowly became a problem. Sending random attacks making her almost fall down the stairs and sending birds after her. She wasn’t sure why they were doing this but she heard them mumble mudblood and she quickly got why. 

It was one of those rare days that Y/N was by herself and she quickly made her way to the Room of Requirement. Hoping she would see Yoongi. She ran up the stairs and through the hall but was stopped mid way when she saw the boys that have been harassing her with an evil smirk on their faces. She took a step back from them and gave them a scared look, “W-What do you want from me?” 

The boy laughed and looked at his twin, “Jack, she’s asking us what we want.” 

“I know Will. Little girl, why hasn’t your boyfriend given us an answer?” 

She tilted her head at them and confusion was written across her face, “What are you talking about?” 

“DON’T PLAY DUMB MUDBLOOD!” 

She jumped at the yelling and started rubbing her hands in a nervous manner, “I-I-”

“Is that all you can do? Stuttering idiot.”

“Did you tell your boyfriend to avoid us?” 

She took another step back when they pulled out their wands and pointed it towards them. She put her hands up out of fear and shook her head, “I-I really don’t know what you're talking about!” 

“YOU MUD-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll kill you myself.” 

Her eyes widened and she looked behind the boys and smiled when she saw Yoongi, “Yoongi...” 

Yoongi quickly took the wands out of their hands as his wand continued to threaten them. The twin boys stared at Yoongi with a fearful look, “Min, we were just messing around.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to hurt us. It was a joke.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders, “Oh...?”

“Yeah, it was a joke!” 

He nodded his head and took a step forward with a nasty smirk on his face, “Too bad, I’m not laughing. Locomotor Mortis.” 

Y/N watched their legs lock and quickly moved to the side as they fell down the stairs. She ignored the sounds of grunting as her eyes landed on Yoongi who was already looking at her. Around them it was pure silent but a symphony started playing between them. They didn’t even realize they were moving towards each other until they were in each other’s embraces. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly as she did the same. He kissed the top of her head and held her as if she was going to disappear. 

She pulled away and looked up at him with sad eyes, “Yoongi...why?” 

He knew what she was asking and looked away as he felt ashamed. He looked back at her with a frown, “I’m going to start from the beginning...” 

She nodded her head and looked down at the marble steps with nervousness, “O-Okay.” 

“They were after you because you're a muggleborn and I’m a pureblood. They used my status against me because I knew how other people saw me with you. I thought I could protect you from afar by beating people up and threatening them...I thought if you were seen with me then I would make your life harder and that hurt more than you can ever know, my darling. The moment we met in the bookstore-” 

“You remember that?” 

He let out a small chuckle and nodded his head, “Of course I remember, it was the first time I laid eyes on you. The first time I felt my heart beat out of my chest. I was infatuated with you the moment I saw you in the aisle. I wanted to hide you away from everyone because I didn’t want you to get hurt...I’m sorry for that. I hid you away in the Room of Requirement for my own selfishness and I didn’t even tell you why. I don’t want to hide you, I-I want the whole world to know how much you mean to me but I’m scared that you’ll get hurt because-”

She placed her hands on either side of his face and brought him in for a quick kiss. When she pulled away she shook her head, “I will be by your stand...no matter what. I wouldn’t want to be away from you because that does more damage than what someone can do to me. Talk to me, Yoongi, I’ll listen to you.”

Something overcame Yoongi as he felt a single tear go down his face when he heard this. He turned his head to hide the fact he was crying but Y/N knew. She gently turned her head to make him look at her as he started to cry softly, “Keep your eyes on me, no matter what.”

#bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts jungkook #bts namjoon #bts seokjin #bts taehyung #bts jimin #bts yoongi #bts x reader #bts hosoek #bts #bts fanfction #bts fanfic #bts one shot #bts fluff #bts angst #bts yoongi x reader #min yoongi #yoongi x reader #bts harry potter au

[nobedofroses]

December 28th

pairing: Joel Miller x reader

warnings: a little angsty and then fluffy!

words: 1.7k

a/n: sad reader and then happy bc of Joel! lonely/kisses/first dates prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Joel, Full List

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In the ten days or so since you had given Joel your number, the holidays had passed and you had been in a bit of a slump in the gap before New Year’s. Joel hadn’t called, well he had but you hadn’t talked to him. He called while you were at work one day and had to leave a voicemail explaining that he was really trying to find a sitter, but with everything going, none of his usuals were available and his brother wasn’t around either. You knew he was telling you the truth, but it didn’t help that you didn’t see him and Sarah at the normal story time since the bookstore was closed last Saturday. 

Christmas was never quite what you hoped for because of family drama and friends being out of town with their families. It left you alone most of the time since the owners of the bookstore liked to close for more than just the holiday to give staff a chance to recuperate after the busiest time of the year. 

With no reason to leave your apartment and your roommates gone, the only people you saw were the ones walking on the street you could see from your window. The overcast skies but lack of snow made you feel even more lethargic and you whiled away most of your time laying on your bed and staring out the window. 

You were doing that, but on your couch one mid morning when you were startled out of your daze by your phone ringing. It took you a second to realize what was happening, so you had to rush over and grab it off the hook before the last ring. 

“Hello?” you asked, cringing at how you sounded out of breath. 

“Hey, it’s Joel,” came his nice, low voice and your mood suddenly improved. 

“Hi,” was all you could think to say, forgetting that the adoring look on your face couldn’t stand in for words if you were on the phone. 

Joel’s warm chuckle came across the line and you felt your cheeks get warm, “Hi. Listen, I know it’s incredibly late notice, but my brother has decided that today is his day to be magnanimous and has offered to babysit. If… you still wanna go on that date?” 

Something in your chest pulled at his hesitance and you looked at the clock, thinking that if you went to dinner you’d have plenty of time to pull yourself out of this funk, “What time were you thinking?” 

“Well, that’s the other thing. Tommy has to be somewhere, actually has to be there at 6:00. So anytime between now and about 5:30 I’m all yours, dependin’ on where in town you live,'' Joel explained, and even him calling himself “all yours” wasn’t enough to keep your stomach from sinking. 

“Oh, well I— I wasn’t planning on leaving my apartment so soon, I’m not— I’m not really ready for the day yet,” you admitted, hoping he wouldn’t judge you for just laying around when he was surely always on the go with a five year old and a full time job. But you hastened to add, “I do, um, really want to see you though.” 

“Me too, and there’s no pressure to do anything fancy. We can just talk and spend time… if you don’t want to leave your place at all I could always… come over?” 

Surprisingly, the idea of him coming to your apartment felt better than leaving. It wasn’t messy; you didn’t really make any mess when all you did was sit on the couch. And all you would have to do is put on clean comfy clothes and wrangle your hair a bit and you’d be totally presentable. 

“Okay, yeah. Yeah, I’d like it if you came over,” you told him, and a few minutes later, he was hanging up so he could get Sarah settled with Tommy and on his way. 

You knew you had about half an hour before he got there and decided to double check that nothing needed cleaning. After a few dishes were added to your dishwasher, a few blankets folded on the couch, and putting on fresh clothes, all you had to do was wait. 

Then you wondered if you should be making anything, if you had any food or anything to offer Joel once he got there. You checked your fridge and found some apples and your cupboards and found peanut butter and cookies. It was better than nothing, you supposed. You spent the next little bit cutting the apples and plating everything, and then found a couple sodas tucked away in a cupboard and put them in the fridge to chill. You didn’t even know if he liked soda. Everything you had seemed like for a kid and you smiled at the irony that Sarah wouldn’t be there. 

Before long, your intercom buzzed and you let Joel into the building and then into your apartment. Just the sight of him made you feel better, and when he smiled and held out a little bouquet and some chocolate candy, you bypassed both and moved through his open arms to hug him. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said with a little surprise. He was able to put the flowers and chocolates down on your entryway side table and hug you back, his strong arms wrapping around you and making you feel safe. 

Joel hugged you until you let go, and your eyes were shining and unsure as you looked at him, “Sorry, thank you.” 

“Nothing to be sorry about, honey. Are you alright?” he asked, brushing the back of his hand along your cheek. 

“It’s just holiday blues, I think,” you told him, tilting your head into his hand when he cradled your jaw. 

He pursed his lips and nodded, “Why don’t we get these flowers in some water and then you can tell me all about it.” 

As you were doing that, Joel found the apples and peanut butter and cookies and told you it was the perfect snack, just what he liked and you were still a little embarrassed but he made you feel better. 

The two of you sat on the couch, Joel in the corner facing you with a leg bent to be on the cushion and the other with his foot on the ground. You sat criss-cross facing him, but you didn’t actually look at him most of the time. At least not his face. His hands, you watched, his mouth as he took bites or answered you, his throat as he swallowed. You focused on these parts of him as you told him about your feelings lately. 

When you trailed off, Joel hummed and finally you looked up at him. He was looking at you with these soft eyes and you felt warm inside. Also like you needed another hug. 

You opened your mouth to ask but didn’t know how and Joel saw your nervous movement. “C’mere, sweetheart.” 

He held his arms out to you and, with a little adjusting, you sat between his legs and leaned into his chest with his arms wrapped around you again. 

“You know, we missed you too,” he murmured, rubbing a hand up and down your back. 

“You did?” you asked, surprised. 

“Mhmm, Sarah kept asking to see her teacher and go to the bookstore. It took a lot of convincing and her stubbornly refusing to believe me until finally I distracted her with one of the books I got with you,” his voice comforted you, being able to feel it rumble in his chest. “Anyway, she’s demanding we go an extra time since we missed one. Not that there’s another class. I guess we’ll just come and browse. But I have to make sure and do it while you’re there or she’ll get upset, you know how it is. Maybe Friday next week again? But in the afternoon, she only has a half day on Fridays.” 

When you didn’t respond after a few seconds, Joel realized you were asleep, feeling your even breathing on his chest and smiling to himself. He was glad you were at least feeling comfortable enough to sleep, it hurt his heart seeing you so down. 

You only slept for about seven minutes, but when you woke up your whole mood was different. You felt refreshed and happy and a little awkward that you fell asleep on him. 

When you looked up at Joel, he smiled down at you and said, “Hi, sleeping beauty. I’d say good morning, but you were only asleep for a bit.” 

“You weren’t sleepy?” you asked with a little smile. 

“Mmm, I was dozing off just now, but I can fall asleep any time anywhere. Side effect of having a five year old,” he joked. 

You frowned, sorry that you interrupted him by waking up. “Should we take a nap? A real one? In my bed?” 

Joel raised his eyebrows, “I’m just joking, sweetheart. Mostly. I don’t want to spend our time together sleeping if you’re just doing it for me.” 

“No, no I want to. Just being close to you makes me feel… good. You make me feel good,” you had sat up a little bit as you talked and moved closer too until you were only a couple inches from him. Both of you were silent for a couple seconds, letting the magnetism of the moment draw you closer. 

Then you were kissing each other, slow but deep as his tongue pressed into your mouth and you opened up for him with a moan. It was steadily getting hotter, faster, when suddenly Joel pulled back to yawn. 

“Oh— my gosh,” you laughed, smiling big when you saw the raspberry blush on his cheeks. “I guess you really need that nap.” 

Joel stammered out an apology, “I— I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t think I was that–”

“Hush, c’mon,” you told him, already standing and holding out a hand to him. “Maybe after you get a good rest we can get back to this. We will be somewhere a little more comfortable, anyway.” 

Joel took in your little smirk and shook his head, grinning, “Anything you want, sweetheart.”

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#it's a long one today #the angst brought it out i think lmao #joel miller #joel miller x reader #blurb #ish #fluff #angst #nobedofroses #snowy fics 23 #stephswinterwritingchallenge

[bobawitch]

Love Story // Spencer Reid x French!Reader

Summary: french reader meets Reid and they become friends though both feel a strong pull towards the other. This is heavily based on the song Love Story by Indila.

A/N: OMG another oneshot, ik, i legit said i'm not the oneshot type and here i am. i really appreciate the kind words on my last one shot and I hope people like this one too!! This is around end of season 9 reid.

warnings: none!

word count: 948

You had moved to the states around a year ago, gotten yourself a sturdy job at a cafe/bookstore. You frequented any other bookstores along with the flower shops that reminded you of the quaint streets of Bezier. Your first home, nothing had driven you out in a rush but you always wanted to see the world. You had just bought a new book and were now looking at the flower shop nearby. That’s where he saw you, you were holding a rose and had the book in your free hand. You caught his attention immediately but it would be a few more weeks before he ever spoke to you.

L'âme en peine

Il vit mais parle à peine

Il attend devant cette photo d'antan

Derek had been teasing the guy endlessly for weeks now, Blake always telling the older man to leave Spence alone but honestly Reid didn’t mind it that much. He knew he was being irrational but something about you encapsulated the man. He greatly enjoyed when he’d go in for coffee and you’d be reading a book he liked. He couldn’t get you out of his mind but he was still so nervous. He was nervous to feel things towards someone again. It had been around a year since Maeve was killed in front of him and yet he hadn’t tried to speak to another woman. But today he decided he would speak to you, no matter how it went. He finally upped his courage to ask you about the book you were reading. You smiled, shutting it briefly to talk about the book in your hand. Spencer had recognized it as Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre though he wasn’t expecting it to be in French. You spoke of his profound outlooks about how human nature is our own sickening curse. Spence gave that nerdy chuckle he always did and agreed with you though disagreeing with it being a fully bad curse. But this was just the beginning of the two of you. 

Il, il n'est pas fou

Il y croit, c'est tout

Il la voit partout

Il l'attend debout

Une rose à la main

À part elle il n'attend rien

Nearly two months later you two had basically started your own small book club, and when I say small I mean there were two members. You and Spence would talk for hours about different books and he always enjoyed listening to the sound of your silky french accent. Though Spencer couldn’t speak French he understood the language, having studied it in his spare time at college. He would try to say certain phrases and though most were pronounced correctly he messed up on occasion and you wouldn’t end the teasing. With each book club meeting you would grow closer and Spence’s feelings would get stronger, though you were oblivious to that. You had always found Spencer nice to look at and his brain was prettier than the stars on a clear night sky. You just assumed you two would only ever be friends since Prentiss told you about Maeve. 

Rien autour n'a de sens

Et l'air est lourd

Le regard absent

Il est seul et lui parle souvent

Il, il n'est pas fou

Il l'aime c'est tout

You could only keep a rational head about the boy genius for so long. Only 3 months after meeting you began to feel it. It was this sinking feeling that made you smile more when he was around. You found yourself imagining him whenever you listened to music or read a book. But rationality eventually came back and you would banish the idea from your mind. Which is why when he came to your house one rainy night you were evidently shocked. 

“Spence?” You looked at his dripping curly hair and how his shirt stuck to his chest tightly from the water. 

He looked at you with those big doe eyes of his and swallowed hard. It looked like he had been crying but you couldn’t say for sure. He didn’t reply to you which worried you further, causing you to pull him inside rather quickly. You grabbed him a towel and put on some tea, making him his favorite, earl grey. You got back with the tea, tucking a leg under yourself as you sat by him. He took the tea from you and held it, not looking at you for a while. Eventually you needed to know he was ok and set your tea down. Your fingers gently touched his cheek, leading him to look at you. “Spence, what’s wrong?” You spoke with genuine concern, your brows laced together with worry.

Though he didn’t respond, he just looked at you. He refused to break eye contact but out of your peripheral you saw him set his cup down. Then he began to scoot closer, your hand still rested on his cheek as you began to ask again.

“Spencer, really whats-” But you were harshly cut off by the feeling of his lips pressed against your own. Your eyes widened but within a few moments you melted into the softness of his lips. His arms quickly snaked around your waist as he pulled you closer. Your other hand came to his other cheek, holding his face close to yours. Soon enough the two of you had to pull apart. “Y/N…” He started.

You shook your head, “I know, me too.” He smiled at your words before leaning in and kissing you again, though that wasn’t the last kiss of that night.

Il la voit partout

Il l'attend debout

Debout une rose à la main

Non, non plus rien ne le retient

Dans sa love story

#criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid season 9 #dr spencer reid #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x y/n #love story indila