#in college my friends and i would cook dinner then sit in the lobby and eat it

[flowesona]

Wicker Man - yandere! jungkook x reader

so my child @babeejk​ wanted a y! sugar daddy jungkook, and i live for nothing if not to fulfil her jungkook obsession so here we are. 

word count: 2.1k

pairing: y! jungkook x gn! reader

Most people (Y/N)’s age would spend their Friday night partying, hanging out with friends, trying new things. But (Y/N) was spending the best days of their life entertaining a young, rich CEO who would no doubt dump them for a new pretty face in a few years.

Jungkook was a sweet gentleman. Always made payments on time, and usually never pushed the boundaries. But there were instances where his hands crept a little too far for (Y/N)’s liking, or his grip on (Y/N)’s arm got a little too tight in the presence of his friends.

He was peaceful enough that Friday night, having ordered takeout for the two of them and put on a movie. Clearly, he needed the company of (Y/N) more than their body as most of their previous sugar daddies had coveted.

With (Y/N) placing their plate down onto the coffee table and relaxing into his arms to watch the movie, it was almost like they were dating. Jungkook didn’t dare push this idea often, happy to stick to the simple domesticity they had as if they were already in love and nothing needed to be said.

He pressed a kiss on the back of (Y/N)’s neck, enjoying the fleeting feeling of his lips on their skin. 

“You seem tired, baby. Want to go to bed?” The film was reaching its climax, but (Y/N)’s eyes were barely able to stay open.

“Mmmmm.” They replied, not protesting as he lifted them like a bride and carried them into his room to rest on his king sized bed.

(Y/N) had allowed a gentle smile to settle on their lips, their eyes having drifted closed. Jungkook settled himself beside them, feeling equally as at peace.

“I wish every night could be like this.” He mused allowed. “Would you like that, baby?”

(Y/N) was only his for two nights a week - Fridays and Saturdays, wherein he would often have them stay for the night.

“Mmmmm.” (Y/N) gave an ambiguous grumble as he hooked his arms around their chest to spoon them.

“Really? I can’t wait, baby. I love you, so much.”

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

The morning after, (Y/N) woke up to an empty bed. Unusual, considering that Jungkook loved to wake up beside them and talk in the morning. Brushing that aside they stood up and padded out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Jungkook was seated at the counter, glasses perched on his nose and his laptop in front of him next to a steaming cup of hot water (allegedly, it had health benefits but (Y/N) had never understood it).

“Good morning, baby.” Jungkook had a bright smile, beckoning them to join him at the counter. (Y/N) followed his instructions, hopping onto the stool beside him and leaning on his shoulder in a move they knew he adored.

“I’ve been working hard for you this morning, baby. You know, I want to get this done as soon as possible so we can be together.”

“That’s good.” (Y/N) hummed in reply.

“How do you feel about the moving company getting there at two today? That’ll give us time to have lunch on the way.” Jungkook ran his hand down their arm, soothing them as he noticed how they tensed up.

“What?” 

“So you can move in, baby. Of course, you don’t have to bring everything here and I’ll be more than happy to buy anything extra you need-”

“Wait, wait, wait a second.” (Y/N) breathed out slowly. “Moving in?”

“We talked about it last night. You agreed, didn’t you?” (Y/N) scrunched up their nose, trying to recall the conversation but drawing a blank.

“No, I never agreed to that. And I never would. It’d break the terms of our contract.”

Jungkook had such a sincere look of hurt in his eyes that it tugged at (Y/N)’s heartstrings.

“We don’t need that contract, baby. We just need each other. You know I’ll give you anything you want, right?” 

“And what I want… no, what I need… is for some space. This is just my part time hustle, I still have college and a life outside of this. I want to keep it to two days a week, otherwise it’ll blur the lines between you as a sugar daddy and you as a boyfriend.” (Y/N) tried not to let their irritation show as they spoke.

“Fuck the lines, (Y/N)! We don’t need any of those labels, I just want you to be mine as much as I am yours!” Their companion’s grip on their arm had grown tighter to the point that his nails started to draw blood. Realising this, (Y/N) pried his hand away and stood up.

“I’m sorry if I’d misled you. But I’m not looking for that kind of relationship with you, I’m just looking for strictly business. If this doesn’t work, maybe we should end this.” 

Jungkook stared at them incredulously.

“Well…” He bit his lip, deep in thought. “Fine. Life will go on, I guess. I’ll call up the moving company and cancel it. Let’s not end this beautiful thing we have over a silly argument.”

(Y/N) nodded, although they had a horrible feeling in their stomach that it was not the end of the conversation, and Jungkook would stop at nothing to get his way.

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

(Y/N) had chosen to make Thursday a ‘me’ day. They cooked themselves breakfast and lunch, did some online shopping and applied a face mask. They had zero intentions of visiting anyone else, when all they wanted to do was de-stress from life.

As they were lighting a candle and listening to some Beethoven, a shrill alarm rang out.

‘Huh. They don’t normally hold the drill today.’ (Y/N) shrugged, waiting for it to cease. However, it didn’t stop.

After a few minutes, (Y/N) grabbed their phone and stepped outside, only to see people hurrying down the stairs. 

“Hurry! Fire!” One of her neighbours yelled, jogging past them. 

Their eyes widened, but sure enough they could see smoke curling throughout the air and they knew they had no time to lose. Leaving their apartment with only their phone in hand, (Y/N) followed their neighbours down the stairs and out of the building, standing on the pavement as they watched the flames licking at the building and smoke billowing out of the open windows. Soon enough there were fire engines on the scene and ambulances to deal with the people who’d inhaled too much smoke. 

(Y/N) found themselves sitting on the pavement, numb with shock. To think everything they owned was going up in the flames was terrifying, even as they saw the firefighters doing everything to minimise the damage. 

“(Y/N)! Baby!” Their state of shock was broken by someone yelling their name, and suddenly they were pulled into a tight hug.

“Baby, thank god you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to you.” 

“Jungkook?” (Y/N) instantly recognised the voice. “What- How-”

“I was in the area when I heard about what happened. I came as quickly as I could.” Jungkook pressed a kiss to (Y/N)’s forehead. 

“You need to rest. Come back to my place, okay?”

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

(Y/N) had ended up staying there far longer than intended. Their apartment had been completely wrecked by the fire, since it had started on their floor. Every possession of theirs, gone so quickly, although of course Jungkook insisted on replacing whatever they wanted.

Jungkook seemed to be very much content with their prolonged stay. In fact, he’d been working from home for the first few days to make sure they were settled in and not feeling too lonely. (Y/N) would sit with him in his home office, since they didn’t really have much else to do, and scroll on their phone until he inevitably called them over to cuddle with him. 

The young man had become progressively bolder with his skinship, never holding back from pressing kisses to their neck or holding them a bit too tightly to his crotch. They hadn’t done ‘it’ yet, but with how he was acting it was only a matter of time. 

They were just sitting together, (Y/N) scrolling through instagram and Jungkook answering some emails when the desk phone rang. Jungkook reached around them to answer it, holding it to his ear for a few seconds before putting it back down.

“Your nintendo switch has just been delivered. I need to go down to the lobby and sign for it. Are you okay waiting here for a few minutes?” Jungkook pouted, as (Y/N) nodded in reply.

He pressed a kiss to their cheek before standing up.

“Don’t miss me too much, baby.” He smiled before leaving. 

(Y/N) let out a breath they didn’t realise they’d been holding in whilst he was there. But now, they were bored as ever. 

A chime rang out, and (Y/N) found their attention drawn to Jungkook’s phone, sitting there innocently. They reached over and picked it up, only seeing a text from his mother asking about dinner plans next week. But they noted how he’d changed his lockscreen to a picture of them, from a few nights ago when they’d accompanied him to a formal event and he’d asked one of his colleagues to take a picture of them together.

(Y/N) suddenly had something to do. They set about trying to unlock Jungkook’s phone, first trying their fingerprint and face ID but to no avail. Then, realising that he had a numeral password they tried typing in a few dates - his birthday, his parent’s anniversary. Then, out of sheer boredom and with only one attempt they tried their own birthday only for them to be granted access to his lockscreen.

‘Jeez, he needs to get a life if he’s that whipped for me.’ They sighed, as they scrolled through his phone. Nothing was particularly out of the ordinary, until they checked the photo gallery, to be met with tons of pictures of them. Screenshots from social media, snaps from their ‘dates’, selfies with them fast asleep in his arms. It was enough to make (Y/N) shudder with fright.

Another message popped up.

‘I need the other half of the payment, sir, or I will be contacting the police.’

(Y/N) clicked on it, expecting business talk only to be met with something else entirely. Fear settled in their stomach as they scrolled up through the messages.

‘(Y/N) has been evacuated outside, doesn’t seem to have been hurt.’

‘Someone’s called emergency services, but the fire should spread far enough that (Y/N)’s apartment will be damaged.’

‘I’ve started it, it’s spreading quickly.’

It didn’t take a genius to realise what had happened. 

(Y/N) dropped Jungkook’s phone on the floor in shock, standing up immediately. They’d walked right into his arms without hesitation, they’d played into his plan perfectly. Jungkook always got what he wanted, no matter the cost.

‘I have to get out of here.’

(Y/N) started for the door, only stopping to tuck their phone into their pocket. They were just by the entrance to the penthouse when they heard talking outside.

They knew they had to hide, but it was too late. 

Jungkook burst through the door, accompanied by a stern faced delivery driver carrying a large box. This was subsequently placed by the door and he made a swift exit, avoiding (Y/N)’s existence the entire time.

“Ah, baby I missed you. Here, come and see what I bought for you.” Jungkook beckoned to them, but one look at their face told him he’d read their mood entirely wrong.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He cooed as he approached them. “Tell me, and I’ll fix it for you.”

“Get the hell away from me.” (Y/N) snapped. Jungkook froze. “I know what you did. What the hell is wrong with you? I could’ve died in that fire?”

His face became stern.

“I would never have allowed that to happen. I just wanted to give you a little push to move in with me, that’s all.” 

“You’re insane!”

“And you’re too stubborn to progress our relationship!” Jungkook bit back. “Can’t you see how hard I try to make you happy? Is that not enough for you to love me?”

“I never want to see you again.” (Y/N) huffed, trying to show past him only to be caught in his iron grip. 

“You’re not going anywhere.”

(Y/N) struggled, but Jungkook’s determination was stronger than their body weight.

“Maybe I am crazy, baby. And you know what that means?” He leant in close, so (Y/N) could feel the warmth of his breath. “You never know what I’m going to do next. So don’t try me unless you want to get burnt.”

#yandere bts #yandere jungkook #yandere kpop #kpop yandere #bts yandere #yandere jungkook x reader #yandere jeon jeongguk #yandere jeongguk x reader #yandere jeon jungkook x reader #yandere x reader #yandere oneshot

[wannabe-fic-writer]

All Over Again - Chapter 4

Summary: What was lost can be found. 

Warning: 18+ Smut, Language, Violence. 

I was in the holiday spirit so I wrote this chapter. Kind of just filler stuff and LOTS of fluff. Enjoy!

Ch. 3

* * * * * *

“Awe, look at you in your fall colors.” You tease.

Wanda laughs, eyes on something ahead of her before she focuses on you,“ Laura gave me the scarf. I didn’t realize how cold it’d be today.”

You find your eyes looking at the window of your hotel,“ is it snowing there?”

Instead of answering, she flips the camera and you see the mix of leaves and snowflakes falling.

As beautiful as National City is, you admit you miss the weather in New York. The snow and leaves falling added to the holiday spirit. The white and shades of red screamed Thanksgiving. 

“You could always come back, at least for the day.” Your friend says, the camera turning back.

With a shake of your head, you tell her,“ I’d never make it back in time. Besides, Lena insisted I spend the day with her.” 

The brunette wiggles her eyebrows playfully. Only for her jaw to drop at the expression on your face.“ Oh my god you like her!”

“What? No.” You try to play it off with a laugh.

Good ole Wanda though, she can read you like a book(without the powers).“ That’s why you were so eager to go back to NC. You have a crush!”

“No I-” do you?

The idea isn’t far fetched. Lena’s an incredibly attractive woman. Intelligent, caring, ambitious, funny, genuine. But you have far too much going on with your emotions to even consider liking someone. Right? 

Were you not just telling Natasha how much it sucks to see her with Bruce? How could you go from hating to see that to suddenly liking someone? Is that really how your emotions are choosing to work?

Escaping the onslaught of thoughts, you find Wanda smirking at you.“ You like her.” She says with a nod and smile. 

“Doesn’t matter whether I do or not. There’s too much going on for me to be exploring something like that.”

She scoffs,“ yeah right. As we speak you’re on vacation. There’s no greater time to explore. And if you like her, you deserve to pursue it. If anyone should get a chance at happiness, it’s you.”

Damn. Could you have asked for a better best friend?

“Have I told you that you’re one of the few things I’m thankful for Wan?”

Blushing a little, she tells you,“ you hadn’t but I knew already. I’m thankful for you too, I-” a sudden swirl of emotions race through her eyes, red magic flickering with it,“ I don’t know what I would’ve done without you these last few years.”

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, but I’m glad I could be there for you.”

It’s quiet on her end for a moment before she can pull a smile,“ love you Y/n, Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Love you too Wan and Happy Thanksgiving.”

With an over exaggerated kiss blown to the screen, Wanda hangs up, the lingering picture of her smiling face on your screen before it goes back to the generic wallpapered home screen.

You take a second to yourself, eyes trained on the city outside. 

There may not be any snow, but NC definitely has its own way of showing the holiday spirit. In that, a lot of the skyscrapers have large light displays on them. And where there are trees, the orange, red, and yellow leaves fell from them. 

Eventually, you get up to get ready. Taking a shower and putting on an outfit that reflects the season and holiday. 

Having everything you need, you call a car, waiting for it in the lobby with a cup of coffee. Once in the car, you let Lena know you’re on your way. 

It leaves you a little unnerved when she doesn’t reply as fast as usual. In fact she doesn’t reply at all but her doorman let’s you up so you know she’s home. 

When she pulls her door open and you take in her slightly frazzled state you frown.

“Should I have waited to come by? Is everything okay?” 

Lena’s heart melts at the worried expression on your face, a smile forming,“ no it’s fine I just, I forgot most restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving.”

A gasp leaves your lips,“ Miss Luthor,” you press a hand to your chest,“ take out is not a proper Thanksgiving meal.” 

Her mouth opens to reply but seeing your expression has her keeping it to herself. 

The few nights you’d spent here, you know Lena doesn’t keep her fridge and cupboards stocked.“ Come on, we’re going shopping.”

Lena will admit, she had a bit of a slow moment, wondering what shopping would do to solve the food issue. Arriving at the store though, she realizes you meant grocery shopping. 

Walking around the store with you pushing the cart is probably the most domestic thing Lena’s done in a long time. She finds herself falling in deeper with you as she sees how, almost childlike you are: riding on the cart every so often, throwing completely unnecessary snacks inside, and doing small little celebratory fist pumps when you find exactly what you need.

“Okay,” Lena breaks the quiet,“ are you secretly a chef outside of being an Avenger?” 

Currently the two of you stand in her kitchen, smooth jazz playing through the room’s speakers, Lena’s usual glass of wine on the counter mere inches from your glass of bourbon, as you prepare dinner. Admittedly Lena isn’t all that good at cooking, so she’s slightly fascinated with how easily you move about. 

You raise an eyebrow, fingers sprinkling seasoning over the Cornish Hens,“ what’d you mean?” 

“I just- you seem to be really good at this.” She gestures to you and the spread of food in front of you. 

Shrugging, you tell her,“ I just learned from my dad. He literally taught me everything I know.”

There goes that tone again. Your voice sounding far off. You reminiscing.

You slide the pan into the oven, setting a timer, and looking back with a smile, nodding for Lena to come over. 

She stands at your side, arms brushing with every move as you raise the lid off the skillet, steam rising from it,“ now don’t go sharing this recipe with anyone Miss Luthor.”

The CEO chuckles,“ well if it’s good I’ll have to capitalize on it.”

You laugh, eyes shutting with the action. So you miss the look Lena gives you, pride at being the reason you’re laughing and a longing to make that smile last.

From there you tell and show her the way you’d been taught to make yams: nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla flavor, and butter. Then turning them over so the seasonings reach all the vegetables.

Grabbing a smaller spoon, you scoop some of it up, and hold it out to her. A hum of approval leaves Lena’s lips at the taste of it.

“That’s incredible.”

You watch the way her tongue runs over her lips, catching the remnants of the food, and resisting the urge to reach out and run your thumb across the pink muscle.

Opting to nod and jokingly say,” oh I know.”

She laughs with a shake of her head. 

It goes like that as you continue to cook. Once a dish is done, you give Lena a taste and she tells you how great it is. Until you’re setting it all out on the table in front of where Lena set out the plates and silverware. 

You both fix your plates and refill your drinks before sitting down.

“I’ll admit, this is a million times better than take out.”

While you hadn’t mentioned it before, you have to now,“ please tell me this isn’t the first time you’ve had a home cooked meal for Thanksgiving.”

The CEO shrugs, a sad smile covering her lips as she says,“ well I’ve spent the last two in my office.”

You raise your eyebrows,“ and before then?”

“Meals were made by the chefs. And holidays with my family were usually, well awkward. With the tension between myself and my mother and Lex’s silence. . .”

Reaching over, you cover her hand with yours,“ family can be tough. But from what I’ve seen it seems you have a decent one.”

The brunette looks at you quizzically. Did you not hear what she just said?

“Not the Luthors,” you clarify,“ I mean your chosen family. Kara, Alex, everyone else. They care a lot about you and you love them too.”

Lena smiles fondly at that. It’s true.“ And here I’ve yet to see your family, related and chosen.”

“As far as my given family goes, it’s just me and a few distant cousins. My mom was never around much and my dad passed years ago. Right after I’d graduated college actually.”

There’s the confirmation of her thoughts. Though she wishes it’d come at a different time. 

She tries to lighten the mood,“ chosen?”

“Also complicated,” you chuckle,“ there’s all kinds of dynamics going around with them but we have each other’s backs in the end. I’d give my life for everyone one of them.”

“Anyone in particular?” She finds herself having to ask.

Praying silently that there isn’t. At least not in the way she’s referring to.

You nod with a smile,“ Wanda. She’s my best friend. A sister really. We’ve been close since she joined the team.”

She smiles for two reasons. One: you’re single. Two: it’s cute that you have someone like that. 

Throughout dinner you both joke and talk about lighter topics. Despite the numerous looks you give each other, neither of you catch it. 

When dinner is over(and leftovers are put away) you tackle the dishes and then move to the living room with your dessert. 

“Okay, apple cheesecake. Never knew I needed it.” She says with a chuckle.

Your eyes widen in agreement,“ I know right. Apart from strawberry and classic New York, it’s my favorite.” 

“I’m going to need you to make both of those for me, for research purposes.” She adds the last bit with a wink.

Laughing makes you lean just a little closer and Lena loves it. A quiet buzzing grabs yours and Lena’s attention. 

The woman pulling her phone out.“ Speaking of desserts, my chosen family has an abundance of it and has invited us over.” 

“Ooo, yes, I love desserts.” 

She smiles at you in amusement and together you both get ready to leave, Lena insisting that you bring your cheesecake. 

Unsurprisingly, christmas music is all over the radio on the drive over. You can’t say you expect anything less. 

With Lena at your side, you knock on Kara’s door. The blonde pulling it open in seconds. 

“Lena, Y/n, hi.” She hugs the both of you excitedly. 

“Thank you for inviting us.” Lena tells her friend. 

Stepping into the apartment, without a thought, you’re helping Lena take her coat off as she’s holding your dessert in one hand. With a blush, she thanks you, and you miss the wiggle of Kara’s eyebrows in her direction. 

Mon-El throws a hi your way and everyone else does the same.“ Do I see more desserts?” He leaps up, happily making his way over.

You accept the quick handshake he gives before looking over your shoulder to the pan in Lena’s hands.“ Yeah, Lena says my cheesecake is to die for and it’d be a crime not to share it.” 

The CEO’s jaw drops,“ I did not-” her elbow nudges your arm with a laugh,“ I didn’t say all that.” 

Placing a hand on her shoulder you smile,“ but I could tell that’s what you really meant.”

“So cute.”

Your eyebrows pinch together at Kara’s mumbled words. You and Lena? Could she see your crush on the woman as clearly as Wanda had? Is it that obvious?

Figuring she didn’t intend for anyone to hear that, you refrain from commenting. Instead walking with Mon-El to the kitchen island. 

“I never asked but what is it that you do?” Mon-El asks, head tilting in a way you’d seen Kara do a number of times. 

You accept the glass of water he passes you,“ I’m a weapons specialist for the Avengers, occasionally moonlighting as a hero.”

“Me too.” His eyes widen as does yours. 

“You’re a superhero?” 

The man’s eyes widen, uncertainty flickering through his eyes as they search yours. Then he chuckles and nods,“ yeah. Super being Alien. I’m from Daxam.”

“Daxam.” You’d heard of plenty of planets, never that one.“ Where is Daxam? I’ve been to a few galaxies and planets, I’ve never heard of Daxam.”

He thinks for a moment,“ I’m not sure what galaxy it would be in but it orbited Rao.”

“Rao? Is that like another planet or a sun?” 

Suddenly Kara appears at Mon-El’s side,“ what’re we talking about?” 

You send a glance to Mon-El, wondering if Kara already knows. His nod and pursed lips tells you she does.“ Mon-El was just telling me about Daxam and the-”

“Star.”

“The star it orbits.” 

It’s hard to place the expression on Kara’s face. Mainly because it’s a mix of a few emotions.“ Are you not surprised?”

You shrug,“ I am, just, well I’ve dealt with a number of aliens. Not many of them were good guys.”

Mon-El smiles widely, a matching one on Kara’s face. Little did you know, hearing that from you makes the blonde consider telling you about her heroic alter-ego.

Before she can mention it though, Winn comes sliding over, arms wrapping around you. Looking at him, you see the silverware hanging from his mouth. 

Patting his shoulder, you pull back a little,“ hey buddy, what’s goin on?” 

“This cheesecake is amazing.” His words come out with a little lisp due to the object in his mouth but you laugh nonetheless.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Finally he steps back and nods.“ How bout you show me where the rest of these desserts are.”

Together the two of you step over to the dining table where there’s a decent amount of desserts. You just have to put some of each on your plate.

When you plop down beside Lena she’s already wearing an expression of amusement. Looking at her, you smile softly,“ want some?” Her look of uncertainty makes you chuckle. Scooping a piece of pie up, you hold it towards her. 

Hesitantly she leans in and eats the sweet. Your eyes once again drawn to the way she licks her lips then back to her green orbs. 

“That’s really good.” 

You quickly eat a bite,“ oh wow, it is.”

“So!” All eyes snap to Kara as she walks over with the guys,“ we did this earlier but a few of us weren’t here so we’re going to do it again.” The woman sits on the arm of Mon-El’s chair.“ What are you thankful for?” 

Starting with herself, it goes around the room, until it gets to you.“ I am thankful for old friends and new,” you smile at the already smiling people around you,“ I haven’t known you guys long but you all mean a lot to me and I’m incredibly grateful to have met you all.”

Not being able to help herself, Kara throws her arms around you. Which incites Winn to hug the both of you and that just ends in a big group hug that dissolves in laughter.

* * * * *

Taglist: @username23345 @depressed-bi-bitch @fayhar @trikruismybitch @marvel-wlw @aznblossom @chicken-wang09 @bitchtits15

#lena luthor #lena luthor x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #dcu #dcu x reader #mcu #mcu x reader #reader insert #all over again

[multi-fandom-freak0221]

The Shell of a Girl that I Used to Know Well

Inspired by "Love of three" by @misashabunbun

Thank you @thestressmademedoit and @maleive07 for helping me find the fic.

So this turned out to be longer than I thought it would be (probably because I based it around like 5 songs) so I'll break it into parts and post each part separately. Oh and did I mention this is songfic? Because it's a songfic! No Felix yet, but you guys do see Peter but I surprise surprise I turned this into an OT4 pairing. Anyone wanna guess who the other lucky person is to date Mari, Peter and Felix? Also bonus points for anyone who can figure out Mari's stage name.

The song in this part in Stitches by Shawn Mendes and The Lonely by Christina Perri is where I got this parts title from. Also the song mentioned at the end is Partners in Crime by Set It Off ft Ashley Costello.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was grateful for the quiet she found in what she was pretty sure was some kind of presentation room. There was a raised platform which she believes is supposed to be some kind of stage and a couple of tables with chairs surrounding them. She still has no idea how she got here, she was just trying to find some peace. She knew her pseudo Uncle and her friends meant well but they were suffocating her. It's been over a week since she left that bastard, not likely that he even noticed. Since Marinette has gotten to Stark Towers everyone has been treating her like she's about to break and she can't stand it. Yes she's hurt, but like give her a chance to fall apart before trying to shove her back together again! Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself as she sat on the little stage to work on the embroidery she was putting on the back of the blouse. She already had a full heart there but it was kind of plain. She wanted to add something but she didn't know what. 

She sighed softly. At times she really missed Tikki being around to be her second opinion. 

Ever since the defeat of Hawkmoth the kwamis asked to be renounced and to have their respective jewelry return the Miraculous box. They were working together to heal poor Nooroo and Dusuu. Even though Marinette had been able to fully fix the peacock Miraculous, as well as heal Emilie Agreste and Nathalie Sancour from the effects of using a broken Miraculous, the two kwamis had to deal with a significant amount of emotional trauma from the whole affair. 

Even though the final battle had been won quietly without casualties it had taken a lot out of everyone who had been a part of it. Adrien's relationship with his father has been very strained to say the least. Even though Gabriel is doing his best to right his wrongs, it goes to say that the only reason Adrien even speaks to his father at all is because of his mother who is desperately trying to make up for years lost between the two of them.

While Marinette was trying to think of an idea for her embroidery she started humming a song she had heard recently on the radio. In her eyes it fit her past relationship with Damian Wayne perfectly. Soon enough she was singing softly.

I thought that I've been hurt before

But no one has ever left me quite this sore.

Even on their worst days Lila's lies, Alya's beratings, hell even Mlle. Bustier's looks of disappointment never hurt half as much as Damian's total disinterest did. She had cooked him a nice romantic dinner yet he barely acknowledged her. More interested in whatever, or should she say whoever, was on his phone. After 5 mins of trying to carry the conversation alone Marinette sighed and just decided to eat the meal she worked so hard on. After 10 mins of stiff silence in their shared apartment, only filled with the sounds of Marinette eating and Damian texting, the latter got up. Grabbing his coat he made his way to the door, barely turning his head towards his fiancee to call out "I've got to go. Something came up at work."

Marinette wasn't even shocked anymore, just resigned. Still she tried to reason with the man she no longer recognized. Sometimes she wonders if she ever truly knew him at all. "You just got here. Isn't there someone else who can handle it? You haven't even touched your dinner."

True to her words, the young heir's meal sat completely untouched, quickly cooling in the AC.

"Mari, you know these things are important. Not just anyone can handle them." Damian's words were patronizing at best. It frustrated the young designer, but she didn't let it show.

"Will you be back tonight?" She knew the answer but she asked anyway.

Damian hummed noncommittally as he walked through the door still looking at his phone and not the beautiful young lady in front of him. "Most likely not. Don't wait up for me." He quickly walked out, closing the door behind him. Marinette quickly placed her ear to the door as he walked away from the humble abode. She could hear him on the phone.

"Yeah. I'm on my way, gorgeous. I just left." Silence. "No, she doesn't suspect a thing." Nothing but his footsteps as he continues to leave unknowing of her distress behind the apartment "Perfect. The less you're wearing, the better."

Marinette crumbled to the floor after she could no longer hear him. She had suspected as much but that didn't make hearing it less painful. 

Your words cut deeper than a knife

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life

She remembers the first time he truly yelled at her. The way he looked at her with disgust. The way she flinched away from his imposing figure and his cutting words. If tried hard enough she could delude herself that he was doing this out of her best interest. The illusion made even easier to believe by the way he apologized and hugged her after he stopped yelling. The way he told her he was worried about her going out and being made a target to Rogues because of her connection to him. The way he feared that he disguises wouldn't be enough even though he himself didn't recognize her at first when she walked back through the apartment door the day. She believed she was safer staying in the apartment because he said so and he only wants what's best for her. So eventually the walls of their apartment was all she saw 24/7. For her safety of course. 

Got feeling that I'm going under

But I know I will make it out alive

If quit calling you my lover

And move on

Marinette's head was spinning. Or was it the room? Was she even breathing? She couldn't focus on any of that. All she could focus on was the picture sitting on the screen on her phone. The phone Damian had bought her. The idea made her feel sick now because all those gifts he was giving her now seemed to have double meanings. Especially when the picture filling her screen was of a naked Lila whose body was hidden behind a sheet lying on Damian's bare chest while he slept. She didn't even think to process how the lying bitch managed to get her number. Instead all she could focus on was tears streaming down her face as she felt her heart shatter. She didn't even process the fact that she left the phone right there with the picture still on the screen and started packing her stuff. She grabbed everything that was hers that she bought herself, later on she'd be surprised at how little that was. She stuffed her things in a small suitcase, put the miracle box in a duffle bag wrapped in her leftover fabric from commissions, grabbed her purse with her wallet and left. After locking the apartment door she slid the key underneath the door so he could have it back. He could have everything back he ever gave her. She was done. She was so distressed she didn't even notice that she had put on the one disguise she had and taken a train to New York until she was standing in the lobby of Stark Tower with her Uncle Tony and her Aunt Pepper holding her while she sobbed.

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

I'm shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

Marinette was so engrossed in the lyrics, in her feelings, that she didn't notice the tears falling from her eyes, nor the way she was furiously embroidering the shirt in her hands. And she definitely didn't notice that she had gained an audience.

Just like a moth drawn to a flame

Yeah you lured me in and I couldn't sense the pain

The first time she met Damian it had been an accident. She knew when her classes started she wouldn't have the time to get the fabrics she needed for her last commissions that she agreed to before going on hiatus. She knew juggling her business and school would be hard so told her clients she'd be on break for the unforeseeable future. She was so focused on her phone trying to make sure her list was complete, that she didn't notice the man right in front of her.

"Oh!" She fell back with a little yelp and when she saw what, or who, she ran into she hurried to help them up as well. "I'm so sorry monsieur. Are you okay?"

The man yanked his hand away from her and growled, "You wouldn't be having to ask if you weren't caught up in whatever idiotic nonsense is on your phone."

Marinette fumed silently. "Well excuse me sir, I don't know who you think you are, but that is uncalled for. I apologized and helped you up. All you had to do was walk away. No need to be so rude."

Damian raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "You don't know who I am?"

Marinette crossed her arms still annoyed. "Am I supposed to? You could be the president for all I cared and I still would say you were being rude and disrespectful."

Damian's expression changed slightly to a bit of amused intrigue. "I apologize. I thought you were another fangirl with some kind of ruse to get my attention. If you don't mind me asking, what is a girl like you doing in a city like Gotham? I can tell from your accent you are not from here."

Marinette relaxed a little bit. "I'm here going to college when the semester starts, but right now I was out doing some shopping."

"Perhaps I could join you as a way to apologize for my rude behavior. I could give you a mini tour along the way." Damian smiled softly at her.

"I don't know," apprehension was clear on Marinette's face. "I don't even know you let alone your name."

Damian chuckled lightly. "I assure you, even if you don't know me, the rest of the city does. I won't be able to get away with doing anything to you without being plastered across every newspaper and magazine in town, Angel. But my name is Damian by the way. Damian Wayne." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly after his introduction.

"A-angel?" Marinette stuttered as she blushed.

"Well, I still don't know your name."

Marinette smiled before introducing herself. "My name is Marinette. Your company would be much appreciated, Damian"

Your bitter heart cold to the touch

Now I'm going to reap what I sow

I'm left seeing red on my own

Sometimes on nights like these Marinette wondered what she did wrong. Because it had to be her of course. Why else would Damian go from her caring, charming, wonderful, Dove to Gotham's very own cold, unfeeling, ruthless, Ice Prince. 

"Hi, Damian. You're home early." Marinette tried not to let the hope seep into her voice. She had a feeling she wasn't successful.

Damian barely grunted at her as he continued to their room. "My idiots brothers dragged me into spending some time with them so I'm forced to change into something less formal."

"Oh okay." She knew she did an even worse job of hiding her disappointment. "You know I finished Uncle Jagged's outfit the other day. He loved it."

Damian hummed noncommittally. She knew he wasn't paying attention, he never was but she kept trying.

"You know how he's doing that "World's Greatest" Tour. Celebrating the hero's of the world in their respective cities. Luka's been opening for him. His career has really taken off. Hell I'm sure half the tickets Uncle Jagged sells are people just trying to see Luka. He'll have to tour solo soon."

"I bet." Damian's voice was muffled from being the closet, but she could still hear the disinterest in his voice.

She sighed as she leaned against the doorframe of "their" room. It was only theirs in name the fact that his clothes were there. She spent almost every night there alone. She took a deep breath trying to gather her courage for what she was going to ask. "Well they wanted to thank me for the outfits. Claimed the tour would have been half as successful without them. They invited me to take me out to dinner tonight to catch up, then for me to hang out backstage during their show. They said they missed me." Marinette hoped he still wasn't paying attention, but as soon as he settled his famous glare on her, she knew she wasn't that lucky. She flinched into herself under his gaze.

"Marinette. You know what would happen if you left this apartment. The famous Wayne Heir's sweet vulnerable fiance. The one never seen in the media anymore. You would get off this block before your picture would be on every media outlet in the city. Then you would be the Rogues target for the night. They would go anywhere you would be. Including the concert. Would you really be so selfish to endanger hundreds, possibly thousands of innocent concert goers just to 'hang out' with people you can see any time you please?" The disappointment on his face and the coldness of his delivery had her feeling ashamed. She hung her head low trying to hold back the tears. 

"I'm sorry." She knew her voice was barely above whisper, but if she tried to speak any louder she knew she'd open the flood gatesp.

Damian brushed past her. "You should be. I'll be heading to the concert with my brothers. I'll inform Jagged of your apologies for not coming."

"Just telling him I'm sick." She offered weakly still not looking up from the floor.

She could feel his judgeful look on her. "Of course not. He'll insist on coming to check on you then he'll see your lying. I'll tell him you're busy with commissions." He left her standing there as headed to leave again. She heard his phone ring and he answered it harshly. "I'm coming down, Todd!" "Of course not, you imbecile! She's a serious designer who can't be bothered out of her schedule to spend time with my idiotic brothers, especially when she's up to her nose in commissions!" She heard the door shut after that statement. I guess her soon to be brothers in law didn't know the real reason behind her lock down either. She stood there for a few more moments before she broke down into loud heavy sobs. She collapsed to her knees and just cried. Not for the first nor last time in that prison she called an apartment.

Got feeling that I'm going under

But I know I will make it out alive

If quit calling you my lover

And move on

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

I'm shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

Her hands were moving furiously as she was trying to rid her mind of her cruel ex.

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

She wanted to forget everything about him.

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

His smile, his laugh, the loving look in his eyes.

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

His kisses, his hugs, the way he held her like he was afraid of losing her

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

His scowl, his glare, his need to hide her from the world

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

His distance, his apathy, the way he was happy in any other girl's arms but her's

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

Get you out of my head.

She wanted to forget loving him and hating him. She wanted her happiness back

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

Shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

And now that I'm without you kisses

I'll be needing stitches

I'll be needing stitches.

As she finished singing she awoke from her haze. She felt the tears on her face and wiped them away before looking to see what she had made. The simple heart from before now had a jagged line down the middle that stopped a quarter of the way to the bottom to represent a break. From the bottom it looked like the heart was dripping. The most noticeable change was the crude yet tasteful stitches that laid over the break in the heart. They weren't neat as if she were suggesting they were professionally done. The way she laid them subconsciously represented as if they were self done by someone trying their best.

While she was studying her impromptu embroidery a voice surprised her. "It looks nice."

She looked up in shock to see a brown haired boy around her age, 21 maybe 22, sitting at the table closest to the stage she was on. He looked as if he had been there for a while.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I heard you singing so I came to see who it was because you have a beautiful voice, but then I saw you crying and I wanted to make sure you were okay, but you seem really focused and I didn't want to interrupt, but I didn't want to just leave you either, but- I'm sorry I'm rambling. My name is Peter. Are you okay?" The boy, Peter, asked her softly, looking concerned. For Marinette it was enough.

She had sat in the chair next to him and finally let out everything she was holding in. The tears were flowing freely now "I don't know. I'm so mad, so hurt, so confused. Where did it go wrong? One minute I'm getting my business degree at Gotham University, the next I'm in a relationship with Damian Wayne. It was amazing he was so kind and sweet and loving and he made me so happy. Then next thing I know after dating for about a year and half he proposes. I'm on cloud 9 and I say yes and I'm so excited for what's to come, but suddenly everything changes. Next thing I know he's saying I can't leave the apartment because he wants me to be safe from the Rogues and I accepted it. Then he's yelling at me for trying to sneak out and I'm thinking I deserve it. I should have just stayed home and he's already apologizing for yelling. Then suddenly he's gone more and more. He's never home and I'm alone and it hurts. Then suddenly I'm selfish for asking to go out to see my friends because how can I put everyone at risk just to go see some friends who I can see anytime I want. Yet nobody is ever allowed over. But I still believe he's right. How can I be So now I'm alone and miserable and it hurts because he keeps getting further and further from me and I'm starting to suspect what's going on but I'm too scared to ask him because if he confirms it, then everything I believed in is a lie and I couldn't live with that. But I didn't even have to ask because soon someone is sending me a picture and it's the girl who made my school life hell by taking everyone I thought was my friend away from me with a few far fetched lies, and here she is laying naked on my fiance's naked chest as he sleeps. And I know he knows who she is and what she did to me because I told him. Yet he doesn't care because here he is fucking her while I'm at home all the time because he told me to be. So I grabbed my stuff and left everything he ever got me and just left. So here I am miserable staying with my Uncle Tony trying not to think about the asshole while my friends try to help me feel better yet I feel terrible because I loved the jerk and I still kinda do and I still have the engagement ring which I should pawn, but it was Bruce's mom's ring and that would be wrong and Bruce would be devastated. Why do I care so much about him and his family when he couldn't be bothered with me?" She felt better after finally letting it all out. She hadn't cried since she came to Uncle Tony. Not when Adrien arrived with Kagami, Marc, and Nathaniel, not when Luka arrived with Uncle Jagged and not even when Chole and Alix arrived. All her friends and pseudo family were there yet she hadn't cried once, nor had she actually told them the full story. But here this stranger asked if she was okay and she let it flow like Niagara Falls.

If Peter was shocked by her rant he didn't let it show. Instead he placed a hand on her before speaking softly "Because you are an amazing person who is a million times better than him. He is insane to choose anyone over you especially someone so foul as a desperate liar. I just met you, but I can already tell that you are a kind hearted, talented girl and anyone would be lucky to have you in their lives and I can tell by the crowd over there by the door that you have many people standing with you who already figured that out." Marinette looked up at his words to see her friends and pseudo uncles and their respective wives standing in the door. 

"Hi guys." As soon as Marinette finished speaking they all rushed towards her. Adrien reached her first pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh bugaboo, I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Are you okay? Why didn't you tell us, princess?" He buried his face in her neck purring slightly in a way that calmed her.

"I guess I was still processing everything kitty. He really had me thinking he loved me and to find out he didn't was a hard blow." She confessed quietly.

"He'll meet my blade for hurting you, Mari," Kagami seemed to have Chole, Alix and surprisingly, Marc ready to back her. 

"No, Gami, I just want to get over him. He's not worth it." Mari remarked sadly before smiling at her friends. "But thank you, all of you, for having my back."

There were various "Of course" and "Always" that were heard among the group before Tony Stark cleared his throat. "Marinette let me properly introduce Peter Parker, my intern. Peter, this is my niece Marinette Dupain-Cheng also known as MDC owner and head designer of Miracle Designs."

Peter looked star struck. "I love your work. You make the coolest clothes on the planet."

Marinette blushed lightly. "Thank you, Peter. Uncle Tony told me much about you and I was always impressed. You're nothing short of a genius." Marinette missed Peter's blush as she started introducing her friends to him, but Tony didn't.

"This is Adrien Agreste, former model and Physics major. This is Kagami Tsurugi, world champion fencer. This is Luka Couffanie, singer songwriter signed under Jagged Stone. They're dating. This is Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Marc Anciel creators of Miraculous Tales comic. They're engaged. This is Chole Bourgeois, the best lawyer in all of France and probably Europe. And this is Alix Kubdel, X Games Winner, and famous archeologists. These two are also engaged. I'm sure you know Jagged Stone and his manager and also his wife, Penny." 

"You guys are amazing! None of you look much older than me yet you're already so successful! What is in the water in Paris? Some kind of talent steroids?" Peter was amazed.

"Speaking of talent," Luka turned towards Marinette. "Melody why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" Soon everyone was agreeing that she was an excellent singer.

Marinette was bright red. "It's no big deal guys. I was just singing to myself, I wasn't expecting an audience."

Jagged took his chance to pull his pseudo niece into a hug. "Nettie, my girl you have got to let me sign you. It would be so rocking to have talent like yours produced under my label!"

"No way Uncle Jagged! I'm not even that good!" Marinette began protesting before Luka put a hand on her shoulder.

"How about this? I need some vocals for a song I wrote and no matter how much I love them, my dear boyfriend and girlfriend can not sing." Adrien and Kagami looked at each other before shrugging. No point denying it. "How about you feature in my new single under an alias and if it's hit you'll give an album a try?"

Marinette looked around at some of the most important people in the world to her before sighing and agreeing.

"Alright. But no promises that this will be hit. I'm really not that good. You guys are just biased."

Alix ruffled Marinette's hair. "Whatever you say, DC. Now let's go play some UMS3!"

As everyone was heading out to find a room large enough for all of them Peter prepared to go back to work on a project until Marinette turned back to him with a huge smile and bright eyes. "Come on Peter! Come play with us." 

How could he say no to that? So he came along.

A couple weeks later Luka's single "Partners in Crime" featuring Neon Titanium hit number one on the charts. And the most searched inquiry on Google for 3 days following was "who is Neon Titanium?" Needless to say Marinette was busy for the next couple months. Especially after Luka dropped a music video which she starred in as well wear a full face mask to stay hidden.

#maribat salt #maribat #spideybug #felinette #past Mari x Dami #marivenger #ex daminette #neon titanium #moving on

[taeken-my-heart]

Revenant Chapter 3

Summary: You’d always been told that when you died that you’d walk into the light towards Heaven. Only problem is, you died and the light never showed up. Now you’re attached to a handsome but grumpy and sleep deprived medical student and neither one of you knows what to do to get you to finally cross over.

Rating: PG15

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst, Ghost!au, MedicalStudent!Namjoon

Word Count: 5433

Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse and one seizure in future chapters.

.

.

The rest of Namjoon’s shift, you spent in a daze. He worked shadowing his nurse, Sasha, quietly and efficiently, occasionally sending you worried glances.

  His concern was sweet, but made you feel a little annoyed all the same. You didn’t like feeling so out of control, like a damsel in distress waiting for someone else to solve her problems for her. The good news was that you weren’t dead…the bad news was pretty much everything else. 

Where was your family? Were you truly alone there in that bed? Did no one claim you or did they not know? You’d heard of comas before, of course you had, but your knowledge on them was limited. It seemed like people were either in short comas, a rare extended coma for years at a time…or they eventually died. 

You wondered, not for the first time, what you had left behind when you’d suddenly…well, you couldn’t explain what you were experiencing currently. Perhaps the “between” of life and death. Regardless, you wondered if anyone was missing you; if anyone even noticed you were gone. If you slipped away, perhaps no one would even notice. Or, and maybe worse, perhaps you’d wake up and find that there was no one there waiting for you. 

Maybe Namjoon would stick around. Maybe Jimin would actually be excited to see what you look like. It was all speculation and it really wasn’t getting you anywhere except for a reality you weren’t sure existed for you anymore…but somehow, it made you feel a little better. 

. .

The subway ride home was silent. All seats taken, both you and Namjoon stood by the doors. His hand wrapped around the leather strap above his head and you leaned against metal bars as the train lurched to a start. Being with him was almost like being alive; the familiarity of the screeching wheels across the tracks almost bringing back memories. That tickling familiarity of something you can’t quite remember but is scratching right at the surface. It was nice.

You took time to study the passengers in the same car as you. All tired from a long day of work; the air was stuffy with the heat of their exhaustion. Namjoon himself leaned into his arm; eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as he stared blankly through the glass of the windows. His fatigue was palpable and you found yourself wishing you could reach out to him. To rub the weariness from his eyes.

You followed after him quietly at his exit, moving towards the direction of his apartment. The crowds thinned the further you got from the station until it was just the two of you walking along the sidewalk under the hanging leaves of maple.

The evening had cooled into pleasant warmth by the time you’d reached Namjoon’s apartment building. You almost regretted having to go inside when it felt so nice out, but you coveted the company of the one person who could see you so you followed him through the lobby and into the elevator.

Jimin arrived home not long after Namjoon had finished his shower. He watched his friend shuffle around the room looking cozy and warm in flannel bottoms and a long white t-shirt, drying his hair with a towel. You watched as Jimin surveyed the room curiously, eyebrows creasing at the silence.

You sat at the loveseat by the window, staring out into the quickly darkening evening, deep hues of crimson electrifying the sky one more time before the dark finally silenced it. “Is Y/N not here anymore?” Jimin asked his friend.

You watched from the corner of your eye as Namjoon’s eyes shifted to you before he mumbled an explanation to his friend. You didn’t need to be close enough to hear; you knew he was telling him about today.

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Jimin asked loudly, eyes bouncing around the room as though he might find you. “Where is she?”

Namjoon looked towards you, nodding in your direction and Jimin’s eyes shifted your way. Once again, you found yourself wishing you weren’t invisible. “That’s good isn’t it, Y/N? You’re not dead, just in a coma!”

Namjoon groaned softly, shaking his head. “It’s never “just” a coma, Jimin. Be a little more sensitive; I’m sure it was shocking for her to see.”

Jimin muttered a soft apology and you sighed. Namjoon looked back at you. “It’s not even that, it’s just…no one was there with me. What if I died and no one cared? Or…what if I woke up and no one cared?”

“I would care!” Namjoon said and Jimin startled at his volume. “No matter what happens, you’ve got me. You wouldn’t be alone.”

“Me too!” Jimin said, nodding enthusiastically. “That made sense with what she said, right?” He whispered to his friend who nodded and you smiled.

“Thanks.” You mumbled before standing, making your way over to where they stood. Jimin’s eyes were still trained on the window and you grinned, looking over at Namjoon. “What are you guys having for dinner tonight?”

“She wants to know what we’re gonna eat tonight.” Namjoon said.

“Oh!” Jimin said with a hum, “I was thinking steak and potatoes.”

“You don’t have to shout.” Namjoon chuckled as you flinched away from his volume. “She’s standing right in front of us.”

Jimin smiled bashfully, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“Do you mind if I sit with you? I know it’s hard having a conversation because Jimin can’t see or hear me…but I’d like to have the company right now.” You said softly, looking between the two.

Namjoon nodded, “of course you can join. Jimin, you want me to take potatoes?” Jimin nodded, patting his friend on the arm before heading to the fridge, pulling out a package of thawed steaks as Namjoon made his way to the pantry, pulling out a bag of potatoes and throwing some into the sink to wash.

“Jin should be home in an hour so if we time this right, we could be getting finished right when he gets back.” Jimin said, clattering around under the hob in search of a decent pan.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate a warm dinner.” Namjoon hummed and you moved to stand beside him.

“Who’s Jin?”

“He’s our other roommate,” Namjoon said, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. “He graduated college last year; works in investment. He’s been on a business trip the last 5 days and his flight is actually probably landing right about now.”

“How long have you guys known each other?” You asked, leaning your back against the counter beside him. His eyelashes were surprisingly long; long enough to make any woman jealous. His cheeks dimpled as he drew his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing softly. He flipped the water on, scrubbing the potatoes one by one as he answered.

“Actually, we’ve all been friends since elementary school. Jimin and Jin are cousins and when my family moved to the same neighborhood as Jimin’s, we just kind of met organically.”

“I wish I could tell you about my own life.” You bemoaned, “But unfortunately I don’t remember really anything.”

“Someday.” He said, turning to you with a smile, cheek dimpling in once more and your heart fluttered wild. “Someday you can tell us all about your life.”

You stood chatting with them for the next hour while they cooked, wishing you could help. As it was, everything seemed to be going straight through your hands these days. When you’d first arrived in this in between place, you’d almost been able to move things. Everything had felt a little more solid, a little more concrete, but now it seemed like the world was becoming like the wispy memories of a dream.

Jimin was just pulling the tray of roasted vegetables from the oven, when keys in the front door alerted you to the arrival of the final roommate. You moved towards it, enjoying for once the ability your “in between” gave you to be a creeper unseen. Aside from Namjoon, of course.

The front door swung open revealing an extremely handsome man in a dark blue business suit, ebony hair pushed back and away from his face. “Is there a website where you find all these good-looking roommates?” You quipped lightly, “Hotguy.com? Maybe I can search for a boyfriend on there if I wake up.”

Namjoon gave you a tight-lipped smile before turning his attention to his roommate with a loud greeting. It seemed that you would be going back to invisible now that Jin was home. You didn’t really mind, though; you understood. Having to explain to Jimin had been trying enough, he didn’t need to risk another person thinking he was crazy for your sake.

“My bro’s!” Jin shouted loudly, leaving his suitcase by the door and coming in to give hugs. “Steak? You guys are the best! I’m starving.”

“Yeah, grab a plate and load up. Everything is ready.” Jimin said, sending Namjoon a look.

Jin filled his plate with steak, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables before sitting heavily at the table and taking the knife and fork Namjoon handed to him with a thank you. “How was your trip?” Namjoon asked, coming to sit down beside him with his own plate. He’d made a well in the middle of his potatoes, filling them so full of gravy that it had gone spilling over the rest of his plate.

It looked delicious and you pouted sadly at the sight. What you wouldn’t give to have a bite. “Trip was good,” Jin said, cutting off a huge chunk of sirloin and shoving it in his mouth. “Different way of life out there, man. Everyone’s just really slowed down, taking things one moment at a time. And the women…I’ve never seen so many gorgeous women in my life. I spent most nights lounging out on the beach, taking in the view.”

“I heard they’ve got a great club scene.” Jimin said excitedly, scooping potatoes up with his spoon and sending his cousin a look.

“Definitely, though I only went out one night. Too many early mornings to make clubbing on weeknights reasonable.”

“Old man.” Jimin scoffed playfully. Jin smacked him hard and Namjoon chuckled.

“Ya, have some respect.” Jin scolded and you watched enviously as he polished off the last of his steak, moving on to the pile of potatoes. “You won’t be in your early 20’s forever. Besides, I’m only three years older than you!”

“Did you bring me something back, mom?” Jimin teased. Jin scowled then sniffed, shaking some hair out of his eyes.

“I might have brought you something.” He mumbled begrudgingly and Jimin tore from his seat to grab his cousin’s suitcase and drag it into the kitchen. “Hey! The wheels are dirty!” Jin complained, but Jimin paid him no mind.

Tearing the zipper down, he laid the hard-shell suitcase on its side, opening to an explosion of clothes and a couple gift bags rumpled in the center. “Which one’s mine?” He asked greedily. Jin pointed to the small blue bag, reaching over to grab the green one next to it and handing it to Namjoon.

“This is for you,” he said bashfully, “they’re nothing big, just little trinkets from a beach side hut I was passing one night. Reminded me of you guys.”

Jimin tore into the wrapping in his own bag, pulling out a puka shell necklace before shouting out an excited exclamation of appreciation. Namjoon was much more composed as he opened his own. He pulled a small wooden turtle keychain from the packaging, examining it carefully.

It was beautiful and intricate, made from rich koa wood and looking like it had been hand whittled with a pocket knife. As Jin began to explain his conversation with the owner of the small hut, you decided that it probably was hand made.

You moved closer to Namjoon, examining the workmanship over his shoulder. “Thanks, hyung.” Namjoon said, smiling at his friend. “If I ever get to go anywhere, I’ll make sure to bring something back for you.”

Jin waved him off, pulling the empty plates from the table and running the water in the sink as it turned from cold to warm before plugging the drain and squirting globs of soap. He slid the plates into the water to let them soak. “I don’t expect anything from you guys; besides, I’ve already got a great job, decent pay, a nice apartment, and an incredibly handsome face, it’s my duty to treat you guys as a thank you to the universe for truly giving me it all.”

Jimin scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes as he fiddled with the clasp of his new necklace. “Talk louder, hyung, they can’t hear how obnoxious you are in Antartica and the whole world truly deserves to know.”

“I just gave you a really nice gift!” Jin complained loudly to their laughter, but you could see the smile in the corner of his lips and the glint of humor in his eyes. “And zip my suitcase back up, you slob. You dropped my Ralph Lauren shirt on floor!”

Jimin laughed, leaning over and shoving everything back into Jin’s suitcase with little to no care before zipping it back up and sitting it back on its wheels.

“I think I’m gonna get ready for bed.” Namjoon said, standing and stretching his arms over his head. A sliver of skin came into view, in between the flannel of his pajama bottoms and the soft cotton of his t-shirt and you found yourself suddenly thirsty. “Didn’t get much sleep last night and I’ve got another early morning tomorrow.”

He exchanged goodbyes with his roommates before sending you a final soft smile, retreating to his bedroom and closing the door.

. .

Seeing your body again in the morning light was as strange as it was the day before, though you were more prepared this time. You moved back towards the top of your bed, watching as your chest rose and fell. Namjoon stood on the other side, stethoscope attached to his ears and lingering over where your heart was.

You could almost feel the chill of the metal as it glided across your chest, searching for whatever he needed to fill in notes on his clip board. You reached towards yourself, fingers gliding across wisps of your hair. “Namjoon,” you whispered, and he looked up at you. “I can feel my hair. It’s faint…but I can feel it.”

“Really?” He asked excitedly, “maybe being beside your body is a good thing. Maybe it will help you to wake up.”

You were about to say something more when conversation from the hallway distracted you and a group of people suddenly entered the room. An older woman, perhaps in her 50’s, a man not so much older with an athletic build and thinning hair, two younger men, not much older than yourself, and a young girl, clinging to the dress of the woman.

Namjoon looked from you to them, but your vision suddenly tunneled as the little girl ran towards your bed. You followed her with your eyes, as she rushed out to hold your hand, tear stained face pinched as she cried out a soft, “mommy!”

“Mommy?” You murmured as all the noise of the room ceased and like the whistle of a kettle, loud and screeching in your brain, all memory came flooding back. Your parents, your brothers, your abusive ex-boyfriend- your daughter. “Cora.” You exhaled, watching as she clung to your hand, holding it up to her little face.

You remembered it all. The bat he’d brought with him, the anger, the excuses, the pain of a beating you’d thought for sure would kill you. You reached up to touch the side of your face, finding tears in place of blood as you watched the rest of your family greet Namjoon.

He explained to them briefly how you were doing this morning, chancing glances over at you, but your gaze had returned to that of the little girl standing beside your bed. Your daughter. How could you have ever forgotten her? The spitting image of you, you once again thanked the heavens she hadn’t inherited anything from her father but his height.

She was tall for a four-year-old, usually lively, and happy. Tear-stained cheeks were whiplash for you and you longed to reach for her and hold her in your arms. When you’d first found out you were pregnant with her, it was a hugely bitter pill to swallow.

She wasn’t unwanted, but the permanent connection to her emotionally and physically abusive father left you feeling like a sinking ship. You’d felt overwhelmed by the decisions you faced, especially daunting due to your young age. The situation was terrifying, but you were not one to depend on others and you immediately rose to the challenge.

It was difficult at first. No, it was still difficult…but she was worth it. You only regretted that the time it took to make money to keep the two of you afloat was time you were unable to spend with her. You felt cheated as you looked down at her; of all the time you could have spent with her up until this moment that was all now gone.

Things could have been different, if you had waited, if you’d been patient enough to find a man worthy of being her father. Someone responsible and loving. Like Namjoon. You looked over at him as he stood by the door. He nodded at you before stepping from the room and you appreciated him now more than ever. You needed this time to be with your family, even if they couldn’t see you.

“Oh, my darling.” You heard your mother say from the other side of the bed and you turned to face her as she leaned down, dropping a kiss onto your forehead. “I’m sorry we couldn’t be here yesterday, but we’ve got good news! As you know, Tim was arrested and we’re moving forward with the charges. We had to talk to our lawyer yesterday and that’s why we couldn’t be here. They found the weapon, though. He won’t get away with this. He won’t.”

The tremble in her voice broke your heart. You wanted to tell her that it was all ok, that you were there and could hear her…but of course it wasn’t all ok, you weren’t even sure you’d ever wake up, though you felt a lot more hopeful today. You had something to live for; people who loved you and wanted you back with them. You weren’t alone like you’d feared.

“It’s good to see you here, Y/N.” Your brother, Luke, murmured, rubbing his hand up and down one of your legs and you could feel the tingles of pressure. It made you want to cry from joy. That had to be a good sign, it just had to be! “For a while there you really scared us…we weren’t sure…well, we just didn’t know what would happen. You being here is good, though. This is a move in the right direction.”

“When will mommy wake up?” Cora sighed and you turned to look down at her. She was clinging to the limp hand at your side, pressing it up against her cheek and your heart hurt.

“Come here, lovey.” Your mom said, waving her over and Cora let go of your hand with a pout, making her way to her grandmother’s lap and allowing herself to be coddled.

You were so grateful to have such a good family. If you were to die, you knew Cora would be taken care of, that she would be OK. That thought gave you a lot of peace and you sat down on the edge of your hospital bed to hear them all talk.

It was strange to not be able to contribute to their conversation, but you were glad to at least be hearing and seeing them. You could say your piece later, when you woke up. Luke told you all about his girlfriend, how he was thinking about proposing soon, but he wanted you to be awake first. You wished you could tell him to just do it! They’d been dating for five years now and Emma was like a sister to you.

Your other brother, Ethan, told you he’d recently broken up with his girlfriend. You didn’t mind that so much since she’d been a prima-donna and you knew your whole family agreed. He smiled when he said it so you had the feeling he wasn’t really hurting from the change of relationship. Your dad was thinking of retiring. Then again, he’d said this once a year for the last three years, so you weren’t so sure about his follow through on this one either.

You sat with them until they had to go. Cora was complaining of hunger and your mom looked like she needed a nap. You followed them to the door and walked with them as they made their way to the elevator. You knew if you went any further, you may not be able to get back to your body, so you watched as your family stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the 1st floor. It felt strange to wonder if you’d see them again. The doors closed slowly and you kept your eyes trained on your daughter until the very last second when the polished steel shielded her entirely from view.

You wandered the halls after that, looking casually for Namjoon, but mostly enjoying the solitude. You had a lot to think about at the moment and didn’t mind so much being alone. You were kept company by the whirl of the air conditioning and chatter of nearby doctors and nurses.

There was something appealing about being here. To watch people helping other people, people like you, through difficult times in their life. You could only imagine it was fulfilling. Difficult, but really made you feel like you were doing something good. It was probably too late to go to college now, but maybe you could do something like this if you ever woke up.

Your mom always liked to say, “now’s not the time for never.” As a child, it made absolutely no sense to you, but as an adult you could appreciate the sentiment. There was always another day to try something new. You weren’t sure what that would be yet, but it gave you another thing to look forward to for when you woke up.

When Namjoon’s day was over, you followed him back towards home, welcoming the air conditioning of his apartment. Jimin nor Jin were home yet, so you moved towards the living room to sit down. “How you feeling?” Namjoon asked gently from his place on the other side of the kitchen island.

You looked over at him, his perfectly styled hair still in place. He was wearing glasses now, pushed right up against his face and he looked tired from the long day. “I’m alright.” You murmured. “Actually, I’m better than alright. I’m good; great even. I remember everything, my family, my daughter, my beating, unfortunately. But remembering is good; it gives me something to fight for.”

“So that was your daughter?” Namjoon asked, coming to sit down beside you.

You nodded, pulling your feet up underneath you on the couch. “Yeah, she’s four. She was, of course, a surprise. It’s unfortunate that her father is who he is, but I’ve never regretted her. She’s always been a blessing.”

“What’s her name?”

“Cora.” You smiled and Namjoon’s head tilted in interest, grin peeling his mouth upwards.

“Didn’t you think you had a cat named Cora?” He chuckled.

“Yeah,” you laughed, tugging at the end of your shirt. “Turns out it was my kid.”

“Do you mind if…can I ask about what happened? Why he did…what he did?” Namjoon asked carefully.

You paused a moment to think; to remember the details of the last few years. “Tim…he’s always been present in Cora’s life, mostly at least, but the last few years he was becoming more irresponsible, a little more unhinged. We haven’t been together for years, since I was pregnant, and so she was with me a majority of the time. Recently she started telling me about things he was doing while she was there that made me feel concerned.”

“I started dating him when I was going through a rebellion phase. I felt like my parents were too restrictive and he represented everything they opposed so I was drawn to him. Stupid, yeah, but I was 17. Anyway, when I got pregnant and decided to keep the baby, I just realized that everything he was doing was not the right environment for a child so we broke up. Problem is, even when Cora came along, he kept doing those things and it got worse every year.”

“So, a few months ago I started seeking full custody and we got in a big fight about it. He said I was wrong to try and take his kid away from him and I told him if he cleaned up his act, I wouldn’t have to do it. Of course, I want Cora to have her dad in her life, but he’s a mess. Anyway, he didn’t like that, so early one morning when I’d gotten off work and he knew Cora was with my parents, he came by to “talk.” We both know how that ended up. I guess he thought that if I were dead, there’d be no custody battle.”

Namjoon’s expression was hard to read as he stared down at the carpet, absorbing the information. His body language was anything but. Shoulders bunched stiff and hands squeezed white in his lap, he looked up at you with a scowl. “He deserves to get what he gave.” He muttered angrily and you smiled, reaching out to touch his hands.

“I imagine he’ll get a taste of his own medicine when he goes to prison.” You soothed.

Namjoon stared down at your hand on his as though entranced and you began to wonder if the sensation was too strange to handle. Extracting your hand, you moved away slowly, but he reached forward as though to grab it back. “I could feel your hand more this time. It was still…different, but it felt like it had more presence.” He said in amazement.

“That’s got to be a good sign, right?” You smiled.  

“I would think so. I mean, there’s not documented cases like ours, though perhaps they’ve happened before. I can’t imagine many people will admit it out loud. But having a strong grasp of your senses seems positive!”

You hummed, leaning back into the couch cushions. “So, tell me about yourself, Namjoon. What’s your life been like? All I really know about you is that you’re studying to become a doctor and you think Eunae is the bee’s knees.”

“What are you, 80?” He flushed, running a hand through his hair and dislodging the gel holding it. “I just think she’s pretty, but we don’t really know each other. We talk sometimes in the hallways, but honestly, I think she might be into Hoseok.”

“Oh?” You asked at his shrug, “why do you think that?”

“He’s just so nice, girls really dig him. He’s completely oblivious, but I’ve seen the way she looks at him.”

“Do you think he’d be interested in her?” You asked carefully, watching his expression, but he was guarded in this moment.

He shrugged again. “Maybe. She’s nice and pretty and fairly outgoing. He likes that type of girl, but he’s also a loyal friend and he’d never make a move if he thought I wouldn’t like it…I don’t think I’d mind, though.”

“You wouldn’t mind him making a move?”

“Not really. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’s still pretty and nice, but I don’t know, over the last few days my interest in her specifically has just kind of…waned.”

“Well, I guess that can be good.” You said with a smile, “I never liked being hung up on someone if it wasn’t going to move forward. Not to say you guys couldn’t move forward!”

He chuckled, waving off the comment. “I know what you mean. Besides, I tend to like the girl I could never have.”

You frowned, watching as he stood and moved back to the kitchen. “I think you could totally go on a date with her, if you asked. You’re handsome, smart, and nice. What’s not to like?”

“Thanks.” He flushed, pulling some juice from the fridge and going to grab a cup. “I’m not talking about Eunae, though. I just mean in general…I tend to like the girl that’s…untouchable.”

“On purpose?” You asked, bewildered and Namjoon laughed at your expression.

“No, of course not on purpose!” He huffed, sliding the bottle of juice back in the fridge and grabbing his cup. He made his way back to the couch, sitting back with a sigh. “It just ends up happening that way.”

“Well, what about your family?” You asked, turning to face him.

“Would I date them?” He smirked and you scoffed, smacking your hand against his shoulder.

“Ew, no! Just tell me about them, you weirdo.”

He laughed, eyeing your hand again as it settled in your lap before he resumed talking. “My parents live a few hours north, enjoying being empty nesters, I think. My little sister is in her second year of college and loving life. Studying criminology. I’ve got one amazing dog that is the true love of my life, and on weekends I like to do crossword puzzles on my phone.”

“Really?” You asked as he sipped at his juice.

“Yeah, really.” He chuckled. “It keeps my mind active.”

You sighed, comically loud, before turning to smile at him. “Well, I guess you are just as big a nerd as I thought.”

“Hey!” Namjoon scolded loudly and you laughed. The room returned to silence once more as you stared out the windows as the sky darkened. Namjoon finished his juice and placed it on the coffee table before he spoke again. “What do you think you’ll do when you wake up?

“When, huh?”

“Seems like a good chance of it, all things considered.”

You nodded with a smile. “I hope so. I suppose the first thing I’ll want to do is cuddle my baby. After that, I don’t know. Depends when I can get out of the hospital bed.” You thought for a moment about what you’d really like to do before something occurred to you. “Actually, what I’d really like to do is get a new job. I have two jobs right now that take the majority of my time and I don’t get to see Cora as much as I would like.”

“That’s my priority. After that…well…maybe I’d want to start dating again.”

Namjoon looked at you in surprise. “Oh? Do you have someone in mind?”

You shrugged, looking away from him. “I have someone in mind that I’d like to go on a date with, sure, but no point in getting hopes up about it now. I’ll wait until I wake up and go from there.”

“It’s Jimin, isn’t it?” He said it teasingly, but something in his expression was pinched and it didn’t look so much like he liked the thought of that.

You scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You didn’t really want to play a guessing game about it; weren’t ready to admit it was him you were talking about. “How about I tell you when I wake up?”

“Fair enough.” Namjoon replied, rolling his eyes good naturedly. “I’m gonna hold you to it, though.”

“Sure.” You smiled.

Just then Jin and Jimin came banging through the front door, arms full as they made their way into the kitchen. “We brought the goods!” Jin hollered loudly as Jimin went back to close the front door.

“Chicken and beer. Come get some, Joon.”

You spent the rest of the evening huddled in the living room with them as they snacked on fried chicken and drank themselves to giggles. You wondered, not for the first time, why you couldn’t have met them before. Why you couldn’t have gotten to know them as someone real and tangible? Not some strange in between being. Why you couldn’t have been around Namjoon sooner. After all, when it really came down to it, he was now half the reason you wanted to wake up.

.

.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed and thank you for being patient. I’ve been home sick for the last two days so I was able to finish this chapter finally. Please let me know what you think, it means the world to me!

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Copyright © 2019 by Taeken-My-Heart. All rights reserved

#btsbookclub #namjoon scenario #namjoon fanfic #namjoon x reader #namjoon fluff #namjoon angst #bts namjoon #bts rm #bts rm x you #bts rm x reader #rm scenario #rm angst #rm fluff

[lovelyirony]

“i was going to ask that you go easy on me. i’m feeling kind of tender today.” For whomever you want!

 Being alone is something that Bruce thought was the best option for him. He doesn’t really like being social or “on” all the time, and he’s fine with drinking tea in his room and working on homework. For fun, he’ll usually watch one of his “shows” on the weekends. 

Being alone can oftentimes lead to being lonely, unfortunately. One of the drawbacks, and something that Bruce doesn’t like. 

He thought he was pretty well-adjusted to college. He didn’t really need to make friends immediately. His mother had written to him from Aunt Becca’s house on new stationary that friends come along when you’re least expecting it. 

And then he got to orientation and his leader said that “friends are something you need to pursue! Get out there and go make some! Join a club!” 

Bruce had not done that. 

He doesn’t want to say that he’s scared of people, but they...intimidate him. He was made fun of his whole elementary and most of his high school time, so it’s not like Bruce learned how to successfully navigate friendship. 

So here he is in his dorm on a Wednesday night at 10:34, post-shower, and he realizes that he is all alone and he probably needs to change that. 

But he’s not sure how. He’s not great at “event-crashing” and there’s no way that he’s just going to sit down and talk to somebody. He’s in it for the confusion, it seems. 

A week later, there’s a knock on his door. 

It’s one of the girls who lives on his floor, Nat or Natalie or something. 

“I smelled coffee,” she says. “And I want to know if I can have some.” 

“Um...sure? Do you want cream or sugar or anything?” 

“Is the cream flavored?” 

“Yeah, it’s the, uh, new fall flavor. I thought it could be good in coffee.” 

Her eyes light up, and she walks straight into his room, not even noticing the notes pinned all over his cork-board and the sad laundry pile in the corner. She pours coffee neat as can be into her own mug, sits down on the desk chair, and looks at him. 

“Are you going to have any?” 

“Uh...yes?” 

He pours some, and then gets the cream out. He passes it over to her, and she takes it gladly. 

“None of us really see you anywhere,” she says. “Why is that?” 

“I, um. I guess I don’t get out much,” Bruce mutters. “Can you...can you smell the coffee from my room?” 

“Not from where I am, but Clint lives across the hall,” Nat says. “Room 816. He wanted coffee, but was too shy to ask if he could. We’ll provide coffee costs so long as we get it.” 

“Um, sure,” Bruce says. “I always leave my room unlocked. I’m Bruce.” 

“Nat, I live in 842. What are you majoring in?” 

“Chemistry and biology,” Bruce answers easily. “A focus in genetics.” 

“Whoa. Cool. I’m studying business and security.” 

“What do you want to do with that, if you don’t mind me being the millionth person to ask that?” 

Natasha smiles, and Bruce can tell that she’s more than most people think. 

“My friend Tony and his boyfriend want to revamp his dad’s company, so they’re gonna need a bodyguard.” 

“Cool,” Bruce says. “I want to help people and create cures.” 

“Always honorable. You wanna come with us to the drive-in movie tonight?” 

Bruce blinks. He’s not expecting an invitation to be thrust his way so...directly. 

“Um, sure. You sure about that?” 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Well...we’ve never met before this.” 

“We’ve done enough,” Natasha says easily, grabbing her mug and heading for the door. “We’re meeting in the lobby at eight, but we’re getting dinner at seven if you wanna come to that. Tony would really like to meet you, he’s been complaining about the lack of ‘smart’ people.” 

“I’ll...I’ll see you, then.” 

- 

Right at six, Bruce is nervously tugging at the hem of his shirt, or wringing his hands. 

He sees a guy who he thinks is Clint. 

“Oh hey! You came!” he says with a grin. “Do you have any bandages?” 

“Do you need one?” 

“In the future? Yes. Currently? No,” he says, getting out his phone. “What do you think you’ll get for dinner?” 

“Um, probably their lasagna or something. I know that the pizza tonight is barbecue chicken.” 

Clint pulls a face. 

“The worst one, bleh. Ooh, Thor’s on his way!” 

- 

Thor is...Thor. There’s literally no other word to describe the vibe of him. 

He’s wearing a flannel, jeans, and he looks like he could be a nature guide at a national park. 

Bruce is stunned. He’s never seen him around before. 

“You met Thor yet?” Nat asks, lips curving into a smile. 

“No,” Bruce says faintly. “I don’t think I have.” 

And then in walks Tony and Jim (or Rhodey?), and his eyes light up. 

“Bruce, my darling dearest. I heard that you are a smart man, and I am all about smart men. Let’s talk science.” 

Bruce  actually gets engaged in conversation, and he loves it, even when Steve says “could we have this in English, please?” 

"Absolutely not,” Tony says. “Bruce and I are on the same wave length, so you will have to get used to us being annoying.” 

“Sorry Steve,” Bruce says softly. 

Steve grins. 

“I’m just joking around, Bruce. Don’t worry about it. Wait until I start talking about art techniques.” 

Dinner is good. Bruce gets to know more about everyone, and laughs out loud at most of Nat’s dry humor. 

“Finally, someone with good taste,” she says. “You’re coming to the movie, right?” 

“What’s playing?” 

“One of my favorites,” Thor rumbles. “Ben-Hur.” 

“We’re going to fall asleep,” Sam murmurs to Bruce. “Like, seriously. It’s boring.” 

“The set design isn’t,” Bruce says softly. He saw the movie once with his cousin Jen and their grandpa. “It’s a beautifully made one.” 

“Then you can sit next to Thor,” Tony decides. “Because otherwise he’ll spend the whole time trying to wake us up so that we don’t miss a part, or several.” 

“It’s a good movie,” Thor says, although he seems to know that he’s lost the debate. 

“We’ll have a good time regardless,” Clint says. “Especially since I’m planning on eating a whole tray of Oreos and passing out.” 

“At least save some for me,” Sam says. “I don’t want a repeat of last time.” 

“Your fault for making moon-eyes at Bucky,” Nat retorts. 

“Oh, I did not.” 

“You did,” Thor said simply. “But let’s get to the car before we lose our spot.” 

- 

There’s not exactly a spot to lose. The only other people are older couples and the occasional young teenage couple who has every intention of parking a bit further away and hoping to god everyone ignores them. 

(And everyone will.) 

Bruce comes to find that they weren’t joking about having him sit next to Thor; they point out that Thor is actually really excited to have someone to talk to. 

“It’s true,” Thor says, grabbing a blanket out of the car to settle down over his chair. 

Or at least, that’s what Bruce thought was going on. 

What goes on is that Thor shares it.

“Weather’s supposed to go low tonight,” Thor says. “Can’t have you getting cold and me knowing I could’ve done something about it.” 

Bruce will say, if anyone asks, that he was not blushing and they can’t prove it because it was dark outside. 

He moves his chair closer. 

After all, he doesn’t want to stretch the blanket farther than it can reach. And he wants to hear Thor better. 

The orchestral music starts up and floats in between cars, and Thor looks at the screen, completely enraptured. 

Nat gives Bruce a look, and he looks away. 

“I brought soda, you want some?” Tony whispers. 

Bruce jumps as he turns to face the genius, who is so unbelievably close. 

“There’s Dr. Pepper and Pepsi but with cherry.” 

“Cherry, please,” Thor rumbles. “Bruce, for you?” 

“Um, I’m...I’m good.” 

-

Movie night is...nice. 

Bruce doesn’t really focus on the plot that much, not when Thor is whispering every so often about a favorite piece of music or what he liked about an actor’s choice. 

He doesn’t mind it. Not at all. He notices the smallest things, and Thor passes him over a snack. It’s nice. 

It’s nicer when they drive back and Thor tells him that he’s glad he came. 

“I’ve seen you around, I just wasn’t sure how to get you to come with us,” Thor says. “You’re always in your room.” 

“I tend to be a bit of a homebody,” Bruce says nervously, readjusting his glasses. “I, uh...I’m just not always accustomed to people.” 

“That’s alright,” Thor says. “We’re having dinner again, we always have it at six. Feel free to come. Nat would like to see you again. You’ve been on her hit list.” 

“Her what?” 

“Friendship, don’t worry,” Clint says. “She has a certain list of people she wants to ‘hit’ as her friends. We’ve tried to get her to change the name about eight times.” 

“It means serious business,” Nat scoffs. “Also Bruce, you have to come get coffee with me this weekend.” 

- 

Friendship is a confusing business, Bruce decides. He loves it, but it’s confusing. Mainly because he can’t believe that people actually want to hang out with him. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

“You keep waiting for shoes to drop,but we never throw them up in the air,” Sam says. “Now come on and come with me to get Bucky from his stupid class and harass him into coming grocery shopping with us.” 

Bruce laughs. 

“Okay, but I need to make a list first. Otherwise I’m going to forget to get the tea for Tony.” 

- 

It becomes comfortable, and he...he enjoys it. He likes that they cook dinner (disastrously) for Halloween together, and they all dress up in as best a costume as they can manage. 

He gets inside jokes with everyone, and he and Nat make a habit of having coffee in his dorm room most mornings before heading down for breakfast, and they all eat lunch together outside when the weather is nice. 

He and Tony get along fantastically, and they both help each other bounce ideas off one another and come up with new ways to think about problems. 

-

And then...there’s Thor. 

Thor is his friend, one of his best ones. But there’s something that he’d like to be more there, and he’s never sure how to approach it. He’s not even sure if Thor wants to approach it. 

They walk together and they nap together, and Bruce sometimes wonders if Thor looks at him as much as Bruce looks at him. 

They go on errands together, and they’re usually always sitting together for movie nights. 

- 

Nat thinks Bruce is acting ridiculous. 

“Quit being a little bitch and go ask him out,” she says over coffee. Steam curls around the mug, and Bruce looks away for a minute, pulling a face. 

“Nat, he’s....he’s Thor. I can’t just ask someone like him out.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I ramble about genetics and how much I appreciate certain scientists! How is that going to translate when we go on a date and I can’t figure out what to say?” 

Natasha looks at him like he’s the biggest idiot in the galaxy. 

“You’re the worst,” Natasha decides. “You guys already go on dates, basically. I mean, he doesn’t let anyone else come with you guys to go get ice cream on Saturday nights. You go grocery shopping with him and make those mug-brownies together.” 

“That’s....” 

“You don’t do that with anyone else, do you? I’m so sure that you don’t, otherwise I would have heard about it by now.” 

Bruce shrugs, sighing and pouring himself his cup of coffee. 

Natasha’s face softens, and she hops up onto the bed beside him. 

“Look. I know you have this whole self-loathing thing going on, and god knows most of us on this floor do as well. But just because of that, it doesn’t mean you get to deny yourself happiness. If that was the case, I’d never bring home latkes.” 

Bruce smiles softly. 

“Thanks, Nat.” 

“No problem. Also, we’re having family dinner inside to talk about an upcoming vacation, possibly.” 

“Vacation?” 

“We ditch class on Friday if we can help it, and we spend the weekend at a lake nearby. You wanna come?” 

“Sure!” 

- 

Thor is currently enduring a pep talk from Bucky and Sam, who are both quite bad at pep talks. 

“You can do this!” Sam says. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“I can think about twenty different ways,” Bucky says. “But I won’t mention them.” 

“Bucky, you are grievously bad at this,” Thor stresses. 

“What are you, my English professor? What’s with the vocab?” 

“Uses big words when he’s stressed,” Sam mutters. “Thor, you’ll be fine. It will go well.” 

“Or it will leave me flummoxed.” 

“Shut up.” Bucky groans. “You’re worse than Steve. You sound like a dying Victorian.” 

Thor just groans, face-planting onto a pillow. 

“Someone just put me out of my misery.” 

“Or don’t,” Bucky says. “What’s stopping you?” 

“The fact that if he doesn’t like me it’ll be awkward for the rest of eternity?” 

Sam snorts. 

“If I didn’t know Bucky, you’d be the stupidest person I know.” 

“Hey!” 

- 

The family discussion about the vacation goes well, and Tony keeps giving Bruce pointed looks, and Thor is enduring the most uncomfortable gaze from Natasha he’s ever suffered from. 

They both cannot take this for long. 

- 

It’s awkward, honestly. They’re both in the lobby of their floor, and Bruce can’t meet his eyes and Thor isn’t quite sure how to go about it. 

“Would you like to get coffee with me?” Thor asks. 

“Sure,” Bruce says. “You want Timely or Joe-Fix-It for coffee?” 

“...Timely, I heard they introduced a new flavor.” 

“Alright.” 

They both relax a little bit into the car ride, and by the time they’re at the coffee shop, both are laughing about a text that Loki sent about one “hypothetical” situation. 

It’s easy, and it’s...nice. Thor wants this, and so does Bruce. 

“I have something to ask you,” Thor says, looking into his coffee before gazing at Bruce. “And you can say no if you’d like.” 

“Go easy on me today,” Bruce says softly, and Thor doesn’t miss how his hands clench around his coffee cup. 

“I, um. I have feelings for you. The kind that make your heart speed up.” 

“Anxious thoughts?” 

Thor barks out a laugh at that, and scratches the back of his neck. 

“I am...this whole thing is ad libitum.” 

“What does that even mean.” 

“Without preparation.” They sit for a moment, Thor collecting his words. 

“Bruce?” 

“Yes?” 

“Do you...do you remember when Natasha was on her period romance drama kick, and we watched Sense and Sensibility?” 

“Um, yeah? Why?” 

“Do you. Do you remember at the end? The quote about the heart?” 

“No?” 

“Shit.” 

-

It was going to be romantic. Thor was assuming that Bruce remembered the quote about the heart and the always, because it was honestly a cheesy but good movie, and Thor was going to pretend like he knew the quote too so that it would make for a romantic confession. 

“Let me, ah...” he fumbles to get his phone out. “I was hoping you would have remembered the quote.” 

“And you don’t know it?” 

“No, unfortunately. I fell asleep.” 

“So did I!” Bruce laughs. “I think we both fell asleep that night. What are you doing now?” 

“I’m...looking up the quote. I’m quite sure it applies to our current situation.” 

“You sound so proper,” Bruce teases, and Thor slides the phone across the table, showing a truly shitty edit of the quote done in pink, loopy cursive. 

His face softens, and he turns up to Thor. 

“You...really mean that?” 

“More than anything. I’ll be yours, if you want.” 

“I want.” 

Thor laughs, grin wide and big as he gets up and engulfs Bruce in a hug. 

“I think I could not get happier.” 

Bruce turns red, adjusting his glasses. 

“I’m...I’m happy with you,” Bruce says, and by god he looks cute like this, all flustered. “But I think we should head back before we have to sign in at the front desk, right?” 

“Of course.” 

There’s a pleasant energy in the car after that, and before they exit, Bruce takes Thor’s hand. 

“Yes?” 

"Do you think they’ll be surprised?” 

“Considering that they’ve been dropping hints for weeks for both of us? I’m expecting Steve and Tony to gloat for weeks over winning over Natasha.” 

“You’re sure they won over Nat?” 

Bruce grins guiltily. “Nat invited me to her sleepover with Pepper and Sharon. I learned things.” 

Thor laughs, getting out of the car. 

“Then I look forward to their reactions.” 

- 

Not much actually changed, honestly. They were already so close, although Thor is prone to random forehead kisses and bragging about his boyfriend in every single class, to the point where one teacher had to limit his stories about Bruce to two a week, so he had to make them count. 

Bruce enjoys kissing Thor a lot, and always enjoys when Natasha makes a little “aw” noise or when he has a date planned. 

It’s nice. And he likes it a lot.  

#thorbruce #natasha romanoff #bruce banner #thor #sam wilson #bucky barnes #tony stark #lovelyirony writes #i just love them a lot :) #also YES the reason i wrote the sense and sensibility scene like that is because i havne't watched the movie #so i thought it'd be cute if they knew that they watched it #(and yes i am aware that there is a book) #also yes natasha just goes to his room to get coffee #avengers as a college dorm #WHICH IS ENTERTAINING TO THINK ABOUT

[sweetcheol]

college boyfriend!seungkwan

—genre: fluff

—au: college, neighbors 

—pairing: boo seungkwan x reader

—song to listen to while reading: the sound — the 1975

—word count: 2.4k

—warning(s): mentions of sex, a bit of cursing.

you really, really liked your apartment sometimes.

the complex was located only a street down from university, which meant that no matter how many times your alarm had not gone off, you still hadn’t been late to as many classes as one would expect.

you also had a pretty spacious kitchen, which didn’t amount to much to be honest, considering you barely had time to cook an actual meal and almost always opted for take out or instant noodles instead.

you had massive windows in the living room, which was extremely nice during the day and almost just as nice during the night (considering you actually got a nice view of the city from the fifth floor).

but you also really, really hated your apartment sometimes.

the elevator almost never worked, which was good for your health but was also pretty annoying considering the amount of stairs you had to climb to get to your floor.

the windows got stuck frequently, and no matter how many times you had tried to get it fixed, they just didn’t bulge.

and well, the walls. they were nice and in good condition, but they were annoyingly thin.

and, to be fair, it didn’t seem to be such a big problem at first.

because well, you liked your neighbors.

sure, you’d hear the music coming from the apartment next door and occasional stupid arguments, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle.

hansol and chan were fun neighbors.

you once had coffee with hansol when the rain had trapped you both in the same coffee shop, and discovered you had a lot in common.

and chan had once helped you carry your stuff home after you had ran into each other on the street.

they were pretty nice.

and living next to them was well, pretty nice.

but then the third one moved in.

and boy.

oh boy.

you never saw him.

but your new neighbor, named seungkwan, had the most beautiful (and more importantly, loudest) voice you had ever heard.

which you would have appreciated under other circumstances, you were sure.

after all, well, he was a pretty good singer.

one that had the annoying habit of showering almost exclusively at midnight (or so it seemed), while singing at the top of his lungs.

the songs he almost always chose were ones that pretty much showed off his amazingly extensive vocal range.

you were impressed.

but most of all, you were impressed at how much you managed to keep your frustration to yourself.

because well, as a college student, midnight was a time you either spend studying, sleeping, or watching your drama as an attempt to relax from your day.

activities that didn’t need seungkwan’s singing as a background noise.

most of the times you didn’t actually mind.

like sure, you once told hansol about it and received an equally annoyed “dude but i’m the one that gets to live with him” in return.

which, like everything else, you just let pass.

until one night you had gone home from having one of those days, that left you practically breaking down the moment you walked past the door.

and it had been the night seungkwan had decided to bless your entire floor with his rendition of opera.

so you did the only thing you could think about.

you waited until the water stopped, made your way to your neighbor’s apartment, and banged on the door.

and to your surprise, it wasn’t hansol or chan who opened the door, but the one person you wanted to see.

“hi,” he greeted you, a smile on his lips.

“hi,” you answered back. “i uh, live next door,”

“oh yeah, hansol has told me about you,”

“really?”

“yeah. said you once dropped coffee on his lap.”

“it was an accident, jesus,”

“hehe yeah. anyways, i’m seungkwan.”

“(y/n)”

you ended up seeing seungkwan a lot after that.

more like, he had asked for your number and had begun to talk a lot after that.

and no matter how much hanson and chan, along with your roomates minghao ane jun, started bugging the two of you about it, you insisted you were just friends.

you were, weren’t you? seungkwan was a friendly person. it mafe sense you guys were just friends.

on his end, at least. because, well. maybe you did end up blushing a lil when you saw his name flash up on your screen.

and maybe you did look forward to when you’d go out for coffee, or for a walk, or literally whatever, no matter how many times you told yourself it was not a date.

only, seungkwan felt the exact same way you did.

and it was painfully obvious to everyone else.

minghao and jun actually had a bet going with hansol and chan on who would ask the other one out first (the loser would have to put their flat up for a party).

but well, seungkwan and you were fairly oblivious.

and then one day he saw you walking home from uni.

but you weren’t alone, and seungkwan noticed the way the blonde boy you were walking with kept on looking at you with a huge smile on his face.

and then you and your friend had finally parted ways and you met with seungkwan on the stairs.

“i didn’t know you were friends with jeonghan.”

“uh, he’s in my lit class. you know him?”

“a bit. we have some friends in common. are you... good friends?”

“you could say that, i guess. we’re going on a date tonight.”

seungkwan swore his heart broke a bit at your words.

because hell, he’d been too late. he had just wanted to take his time, see if maybe you liked him back, but he had made a mistake.

and it’s not like he was spying you or anything, but he had walked out of his flat to pick up his mail when you were leaving for your date... and wow.

you had turned and waved at him, and he had just stared at you as you left the building, a blush on his cheeks and a bitter taste in his mouth.

because you looked absolutely gorgeous.

but you were on a date with another guy.

or you were supposed to go on a date with another guy, at least.

because jeonghan’s car had broken down before he got to the restaurant you were supposed to meet.

it wasn’t his fault, and you weren’t angry at him, but it still upset you a little bit. 

but what upset you the most was the way you couldn’t stop thinking about seungkwan, not even when you were supposed to go an a date with your very attractive classmate.

so you assured jeonghan it was okay, asked if he needed any help and he told you he didn’t, ordered a bit of food to go (it was your favorite restaurant anyways). 

you were practically sweating the entire way back to your complex.

and the small blush on your cheeks was still there.

even when you knocked on seungkwan’s door and not on yours, the blush on your cheeks was still there.

“is seungkwan home?” you had asked chan he opened the door.

he couldn’t get his eyes off the plastic bags on your hand, so you gave him your box of fries when he nodded and let you in.

“it’s the door on the right! next to the bathroom!” chan had told you, smiling wide and starting to eat his way through his fries.

you didn’t want to intrude, and didn’t have to, because seungkwan’s door opened a bit when he heard chan’s indication to his room.

“oh... hey (y/n),”

“hope you haven’t had dinner yet, ‘cause i got a lot of food for us to go through,”

“i could always help you out if you don’t finish it all you know”

“shut uP chan”

and you noticed, with seungkwan wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and hair still damp from the shower, that you liked him.

you really liked him.

“so, how was the date?” he asked while sitting down on his bed, trying his best to not let out just how jealous he was. 

“we didn’t actually - he didn’t go,”

“he stood you up? i might punch him the next time i see him at seungcheol’s. no, i will punch him.”

“no, he uh - had car problems. it’s alright, he let me know early.”

“i thought - the food...”

“i got it for us”

and if seungkwan liked you before, he liked you even more now.

hell, he really liked you.

“oh”

it all went down from there.

and just like it had been before, it was fairly obvious to everyone around you that you two were not just friends anymore. 

no matter how much he had blushed that night in his room after you’d shared a slice of your favorite strawberry cheesecake and he had kissed your lips so softly you thought he didn’t, seungkwan does NOT fear pda.

he sees you at uni? he kisses you.

the two of you meet at your apartment’s lobby? he kisses you.

the two of you go out for dinner? he kisses you.

you two are hanging out with your friends and jeonghan appears? he kisses you.

his arm is always around your shoulder anyways, and he’s a bit taller than you, so kissing you when you walk through the city is fairly easy for him.

he is actually. the clingiest boyfriend. in the history of boyfriends.

texts you 24/7.

half of the time he’s talking about how much he loves being with you so it’s okay.

does super corny things sometimes like sending you flowers with cute little notes on them.

he just really wants you to know how much he appreciates you. 

you know those free concerts you got before you got together? yes, you get them even more often now.

he calls them serenades now though.

you’re making breakfast together after sleeping at his place? he “serenades” you.

you’re studying together for an upcoming test of yours? he “serenades” you.

you’re out shopping? he “serenades” you.

“seungkwan this is literally the middle of zara.”

“ah, you love my voice.”

and you do. just maybe not when you’re literally in the middle of zara.

but he is also the sweetest.

he cares so much about you.

kinda nags at you sometimes, but it’s always for the best.

“have you eaten yet? should i order a pizza or something?”

“we had pizza last night.”

“yeah but we can have pizza tonight as well. i don’t think you’ve eaten yet, did you?”

thanks to him you’ve never gone to bed after 2 a.m. on your free nights anyways.

the only times you do is when you watch a drama together though.

and does he loooove drama nights.

he sings along to every. single. ost.

kind of serves since he’s a drama major anyways (and seem to only ever do musicals).

you two rehearse a lot together.

or well, he rehearses with you watching him intently and clapping at every single scene (because you can’t sing for life).

you’re always front row and centre at every single production he’s in.

smiles wiiiiiide when he sees you cheering for him.

he’s the exact same way for you though.

he’s always there for you. 

literally the most supportive boyfriend.

gets super flustered when anyone asks if you’re together.

but somehow always makes sure he tells everyone else you’re together.

it’s the duality.

and you find it adorable so you probably end up kissing his cheek, which makes him even more flustered.

and even happier because well, now everyone knows you’re together. 

took things super slow for the first months of your relationship.

but he grew out of it as time flew by.

sweet and slow make-out sessions are a must after a long day.

low-key said he loved you during one of those.

your lips were plump, and your hair a mess, and he had never seen such a beautiful sight.

“i love you,”

“i love you too,”

you guys make love much more than you have sex.

he’s just a big romantic.

lots of hand holding too.

kisses you the whole. time. 

the kind of moans that are muffled by kissing and mixed with a lot of sweet little nothings.

a pretty vanilla kind of lover.

still a veryyyy passionate lover though.

your pleasure comes first don’t even try to argue with him.

amazing ! at oral.

and loves it.

both to give it and to receive it (but likes giving more).

praise!kink.

especially when it’s you praising him.

loves missionary because it grants him a lot of kisses.

is a huge fan of having you riding him too as well (esp when you bend down and kiss him right in the middle of it).

he just reallyyyyyy likes kissing you, okay?

anyways. seungkwan loves showing you off.

and will show you off when he gets the chance. 

gets super sassy about it though.

“kwannie it’s okay, everyone knows we’re a couple anyways.”

“a couple? baby, we’re the couple.”

ever heard of (y/n)? your name is baby now. sometimes it’s love, or honey, but mostly baby.

low-key got u matching sweatshirts or something.

they’re probs just pain black sweatshirts.

but they’re the same !!!

matching lockscreens.

it was probably his idea but it’s super cute.

probably has you saved as my love or something of the sort.

a lot karaoke dates.

you drag minghao, jun, chan and hansol with you, too.

seungkwan always ends up showing off though.

“this one’s for my baby!”

“dude, literally every single one has been for your baby”

“shut uP chan”

would, will, and have fought people for you.

like that time you were having dinner with the boys and hansol winked at you over the table as a joke.

seungkwan literally went ノಠ_ಠノ the moment he noticed.

“don’t even try me hansol chwe, i know where you live.”

“you live there.”

“exactly.”

then you kiss him and he’s like (◠‿◠✿)

anyways.

he really, really loves you. 

the sweetest, sassiest, most caring boyfriend.

i want to date college bf!seungkwan :( 

#seungkwan scenarios #seventeen scenarios #seungkwan smut #seventeen smut #seungkwan imagines #seventeen imagines #seungkwan boyfriend au #seventeen boyfriend au #seungkwan x reader #type: [bulletpoints] #marwrites

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

TATMILB, CHAPTER 3

Penelope spent her life writing love letters, which didn’t seem like a terrible idea until the letters were mailed out and Schneider received one of them. Hoping to fool their exes, they agree to fake a relationship. But are they lying to everyone around them, or to themselves? aka my To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before-inspired AU.

Penelope x Schneider, ODAAT. available on ao3 with extra author’s notes.

Chapter 3: Penelope tries to bond with Alex during movie night; he and Lydia bring the family’s donations to Goodwill. Schneider returns from vacation and confronts Penelope. She panics.

While Schneider was away with Nikki over the weekend, Penelope splurged on a trip to the movies--luring Alex with the promise of food he didn’t have to sneak in.

She was trying to focus on silver linings instead of her anxieties about Elena, and the upsides included her new availability for Alex. Twice as much parent to go around could only lead to more bonding, right?

He had lobbied for an R-rated comedy, which she was definitely not willing to pay for. On her own, she would’ve headed right for the newest Bradley Cooper drama, but no amount of chocolate could convince Alex to sit through that.

So they compromised on an action movie--which would have the added benefit of covering up the sound of her soda later. Agreeing to buy concessions for Alex didn’t make her a different person. Her discount snacks were better than their overpriced junk, anyway.

He grinned at her over his bucket of popcorn while they waited for the lights to go down, and she considered her bribery a success. See, she could be the cool mom. Even if she had Raisinets in her cargo pants.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you still miss Max?”

Where did that come from? The question hurt, mostly because it was so unexpected. With Max exiting her life right before Lydia’s stroke, neither Alex or Elena had mentioned him much in the last year. They’d all had other things on their minds.

She let the pain pass by before she answered.

“Yes, Papito, I still do. It’s hard to let go of people you love. Sometimes, a part of you misses them even after you’ve moved on.”

He nodded, sipping his soda.

“Do you think you’ll start dating again anytime soon?”

That question was even more out of character for her son, whose world had been so often self-centered since he first came into it.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you suddenly so interested in my dating life?”

“I was just wondering.”

”Well, I’m having fun the way things are. You and me, catching a movie on a Friday night, mother and son time with Elena away. Why would I want to date when I could be doing this?”

She grabbed a handful of popcorn and caught the way he cringed. Or flinched. Whatever it was, there was guilt there. Her mom radar went up.

“Alex, what is it? Is something going on?”

“It’s nothing!” He assured her in a rush. “It’s just...I kind of--did have a date.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. You wanted to go out together, so I rain checked it with Chloe for next weekend. But I mean, let’s be real, Mom. This can’t last forever. I’ll go off to college too, or modeling school, whatever, and then who will you hang out with?”

The trailers started playing, just in time, letting her wallow until the movie started.

Penelope couldn’t keep the sadness off her face as she watched Alex settle in with his snacks. He was growing up so fast on her. Too fast. And Elena was practically out of the house already.

She didn’t want to date just to avoid being alone, but hearing that concern from her teenage son? Ouch. So much for being the cool mom.

Now Penelope was glad that they’d picked an action flick. She was ready to watch some stuff blow up.

****

Alex emerged from his room the next morning waving his phone at her.

“Mom, that was the third text I’ve gotten from Elena since she left reminding us to take that stuff to Goodwill.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Penelope replied. 

She was almost out the door, but her son had the luxury of sleeping in on Saturdays until baseball season started. He was taking full advantage of it.

“Seriously, she woke me up--and I need my beauty rest. She’s not gonna stop bugging me until you drop it off.”

“Alex...” Penelope shrugged into her coat, kissing her Mami on the cheek in thanks for the quick cafecito she had substituted for breakfast. “It’s all boxed up, we finished it before she left; it’ll get there.”

“I’m just saying, she’s gonna start texting you next, and I don’t think you’ll enjoy the lectures any more than I do.”

“Well, I’ve got plans with Jill today--and I’m about to be late. Mami?” She raised hopeful eyebrows in Lydia’s direction.

“Hmm?”

“Can you go with Alex to the Goodwill donation dropoff? I won’t be back until dinner.”

“Si, Lupita. Go have fun with your friend, we will handle it.” 

“Great. Thanks. The things I’m getting rid of are in my room, next to the closet.”

“You know, this would be much easier if Schneider had not taken his girlfriend on a vacation.” Lydia frowned. “He could carry much bigger boxes than myself or Papito.”

“Hey, I can lift heavy stuff,” Alex protested. 

“Yes, but you should not have to! You should save your strength for wooing your future wife.” Lydia patted his face.

“Luckily for us--and Alex’s future wife--none of the boxes are all that heavy,” Penelope said. “And there aren’t too many of them. Now, I really have to go. I’ll see you both tonight.”

****

Absorbed in work and school, Penelope didn’t give their Goodwill donations another thought until Tuesday, on her way out of the hospital. The two boxes she’d packed in her room were gone, concluding that chore.

Or so she thought.

Penelope was  digging in her purse for her keys when she saw Schneider striding her way. “Oh, hey! I thought you were gonna be off the grid with Nikki for another couple of days.”

“No, that trip is kind of...over. That whole thing is kind of over.” 

“Again?”

Hurt crossed Schneider’s face before he buried it. He was really good at that, she’d learned--mostly from moments when she was the one hurting him. Way to go, Penelope. 

“I mean, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Eh, I will be. Eventually. It’s not like we were engaged, right?”

Schneider shook his head. “That’s not why I’m here, though. Nikki may have dumped me for one of the jock dads at St. Bibiana’s, but that doesn’t mean I think you and I should blur the lines on the rebound.”

She stared at the creased blue paper he held up as he continued.

“Not that I’m not flattered, obviously. You’re the most badass woman I know, an amazing mom, anybody would be lucky to--”

Penelope’s field of vision narrowed to the letter in his hand, a letter that she definitely recognized. She didn’t hear the rest of his sentence. She could only hear her heart pounding in her ears, making her wonder if she was about to pass out there, next to her car.

How did Schneider get that? What was happening right now?

“I found it slipped under my door when I got home. And honestly, Pen, if you needed to tell me this stuff, you could have just done it in person--we’ve had enough late night chats that nothing’s really off limits at this point.”

She took a deep breath, trying to focus on a technique that worked for her during panic attacks and after nightmares. Since the moment felt like an actual waking nightmare, slowly counting backwards didn’t help much. He was still there. Waiting.

“Schneider, that letter--it’s not what it looks like, I swear. I don’t want to date you. At all. I wrote it because...”

She was still trying to find the words to explain something much too complicated for a parking lot when she saw motion past Schneider’s left shoulder.

Max was exiting the hospital and heading straight for them, holding a bright white envelope in one hand.

It didn’t take a genius to know what he was coming over to say.

Which was good, because Penelope’s mind was not exactly in top condition. It was already a five-alarm fire up in there, and every part of her was screaming I cannot deal with this.

In the fraction of a second she had to consider her options, Penelope acknowledged that the mature response would be to face it now--to explain the situation to her ex-boyfriend and her best friend at the same time.

Or, she decided, as she felt both men’s eyes on her and her palms started to sweat...she could do literally anything else.

Going with her first impulse, Penelope reached up and grabbed Schneider’s shirt with both hands, pulling him toward her. Before Max could get one step closer, she kissed Schneider like her life depended on it.

She couldn’t have explained to anybody why kissing Schneider seemed like a better idea than letting Max think she was still pining over him. Right then, she just needed Max to stay back. To leave them alone. 

Did it work? She wondered. She couldn’t check without breaking off the kiss, but the silence seemed promising.

Of course, the quiet only emphasized the situation she was now in. She was kissing Schneider. She was in a hospital parking lot, a few yards away from her ex-boyfriend, kissing Schneider. 

Pressed against her, Schneider didn’t react. Not after the initial moment, or several more. He let her kiss him, but he didn’t kiss back. And that was fine, Penelope told herself. That was better.

“Thank you,” she said when she let Schneider go. He stood there, flushed and baffled, looking at her like he had never seen her before. 

Though confusion was written all over his face, Schneider nodded. “You’re...welcome?”

Penelope wasn’t willing to push her luck any further. She couldn’t avoid the embarrassment forever, but at least she had managed to postpone it until she got home. She needed time to figure this out.

Without another word, and without glancing back to where Max was probably still holding his own letter, she got into her car and drove home.

****

Her reprieve was brief, not that she’d expected any different. She caught the aroma of dinner as soon as she walked through the door, and barely had time to praise her Mami’s cooking before Schneider arrived.

“Oh, good, Schneider, you are home from your vacación,” Lydia said. “I made enough for you to join us, just in case.”

“Hey,” Alex added from his spot at the table. “You’re back early, right?”

“Yeah, Nikki and I broke up.”

Schneider offered that explanation to Alex, but he was looking at Penelope. She shook her head in response, hoping the tiny movement would go unnoticed by the others. Hoping that Schneider would understand. Not now. Not in front of the family. Please.

His shoulders tensed where he stood, like her silent plea was a blow he had to absorb. But when he finally looked away from her, smiling at Lydia and taking his seat, Penelope knew he would let it go for now. “So you can see why I needed a nice, comforting family dinner this evening.”

“Oh, pobrecito Schneider,” Lydia said, patting his back before she sat down across from him. “You can do better.”

They were waiting for her to settle into her place at the table, but Penelope couldn’t join them until she knew for sure. She headed for her bedroom, straight to the spot where her army duffel would be. 

Or where it used to be.

“Mami?” She returned to the table and sat, trying to sound calm. “What happened to my duffel bag?”

“I don’t know,” Lydia said, pouring herself some rum as though her daughter’s world wasn’t spinning out of control in front of her. “Where did you see it last?”

“I keep it in my closet,” Penelope snapped back. “It’s been there for years. Where did I see it last,” she added in a mutter.

“You do not need to take that tone with me,” her Mami scolded her. “I did not touch your ratty old bag. I do not know where it is.”

“Well, I know I didn’t move it, and it’s gone. So can anybody explain to me how it up and disappeared?”

Lydia thought it over. “I suppose...if it was in your closet...it might be at the Goodwill.”

She clamped down even harder on her temper. “Why would it be at the Goodwill?” 

“As I said, Lupita, I have done nothing wrong. But your boxes were next to the closet. So if it is missing, that may be why.”

“It was just an old duffel bag, right, Mom?” Alex was halfway through his dinner, but he couldn’t ignore the tension in the room. “You can get a new one.”

“Not everything’s replaceable, Alex. That old bag had a lot of memories attached.” She picked up her fork and tried to focus on her food while her mind reeled. It also had five incredibly personal love letters tucked into the inside pocket. Letters she’d never wanted their subjects to read.

Now Max knew she never got over him, and wanted him back. God, after more than a year, how pathetic he must think she was. 

And that didn’t begin to address the other letters. How long until those came back to haunt her, too? What about the man currently watching her while he ate, pretending that he wasn’t? How could she possibly explain any of this to Schneider?

She stabbed at her salad, lost in thought until she was done eating. 

Worried she might snap at him next, even Schneider was quiet during the meal. The scraping of utensils against dishes filled the silence until Penelope cleared her plate and went to her bedroom.

Schneider swallowed loudly after Penelope left, but didn’t offer up his usual attempts to paper over the unease that lingered behind her. 

Instead it was Lydia who broke the silence. “Lupe hasn’t used any of her old bags in years. I do not understand why she is so upset about this one.”

“Maybe she’s going through menopause,” Alex offered up.

Schneider’s fork clattered loudly onto his plate. 

Lydia shook her head. “No, that can’t be the problem, Papito. She is far too young.”

“It can start between the ages of 40 and 50,” Alex argued, ignoring the way Schneider was gaping at him. “Mom’s just inside the window.”

“This is very inappropriate talk,” Lydia scolded him, standing up to clear the rest of the plates.

“Elena wouldn’t stop lecturing me about it, okay? She wanted me to be ready when it happened in case she was moved out already. You know how she never shuts up.”

Schneider left Alex sitting alone to go find Penelope--normally she would be back out with the family after dinner, but if she was going to try this hard to avoid him, she wasn’t giving him much choice. 

With Lydia at the sink and Alex’s face in his phone already, Schneider doubted the others would even notice him gone. 

He tapped lightly on her door. “Penelope?” 

The long silence wasn’t comforting, but eventually he heard a quiet “Come in” and let himself in. 

“Hey,” he said as he shut the door behind him. “You know, Max seemed just as confused as me, back at the hospital. He just sort of stared at me, once you drove off, for the longest five seconds in history, and then he left without saying anything.”

“Yeah?” Penelope was looking at the floor more than him, but he could tell she was listening.

“Yeah. I think he wanted to talk to you too. Which made me even more confused. What’s going on?”

A brisk rap on the door sounded before it opened--not giving either of them time to respond. 

“Mami.”

“It’s time for dessert,” Lydia told them. “What are you two doing in here?”

Penelope ignored the gossipy insinuation in her tone--she knew better than anyone that it was her Mami’s way of hoping something interesting was about to happen, whether it actually was or not. “We were talking about dessert, actually. I was asking Schneider if he wanted to go with me to get ice cream.”

She raised her eyebrows, hoping he would follow her lead. “What do you say? Dessert run?”

Whatever he was thinking, or feeling, Schneider kept it to himself. “Sure, Pen. Sounds good. My treat.”

“Oh, Schneider, you are such a generous man,” Lydia told him with a hand on his arm--laying it on a little thick even by her usual standards. 

“Mami, calm down. It’s ice cream, not new shoes.”

“Lydia, did you want new shoes?” Schneider perked up, and Penelope grabbed him by the arm to pull him past her mom before they could get any ideas. 

“She doesn’t need you to buy her shoes. Let’s go.”

Penelope rushed him to the door with one hand on his back, nudging him forward as she opened it.

She was in such a hurry, she almost shoved him directly into Ben--who was standing on the other side, hand raised to knock. 

“Oh, hey, Penelope. Is this a bad time?”

#alvareider #one day at a time #odaat #penelope x schneider #to all the men i've loved before #penelope alvarez #schneider #lydia riera #alex alvarez #max ferraro #alvareider fic #odaat fic #my fic

[eddiesasspbrak]

When I’m With You Ch. 13

Eddie can’t stand the barista at his favorite coffee shop. Richie has fallen in love with the man he sees twice a week. Stan is dating someone but won’t let his friends meet them. Ben is in love with Beverly, but is so afraid of scaring her away he’s not moving forward. Chaotic friends navigating college together.

Ch. 1

Ch. 14

Read on AO3

3k+ words

Tuesday morning, Eddie woke to a text from Ben telling him not to call for a cab or uber to get to class. He said he’d meet him outside his building in an hour. Confused, Eddie got up and went about his typical morning at a slower pace due to the crutches. Getting dressed while sitting on his bed was annoying but easier than balancing on one crutch while trying not to trip over his pants. He made sure he had everything before heading out the door to meet Ben. He’d had to add chapstick to his list of belonging that left the house with him. He’d never known before that kissing could cause your lips to chap. He assumed it was a combination of saliva and cold air that was causing it. Either way, he had a tube of blistex tucked away in his pocket to help.

As Eddie approached the door of the lobby, Ben was already standing there and held the door open for him. He thanked him as he huffed from the extra effort of using the crutches to walk. His arms were already killing him.

“So, what’s the plan?” Eddie asked. “You’re not planning to carry me, are you? Because that might be slightly embarrassing.”

“Not today. I thought I’d pay for the ride to school this morning.” As he spoke, he pointed to a running car pulled up the curb.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Eddie followed Ben to the car and climbed into the backseat as he held the door for him. He pulled the crutches in after him, setting them down by his feet.

Ben jogged around to the other side and slid in beside him. “I know I didn’t have to. I just thought it would be nice since you can’t really walk right now.” Eddie gave him a look and he sighed. “Also, this way your mom won’t know you took an uber to campus and ask you about it.”

“There it is. You don’t have to worry about me, ok? If she asked about it, I was prepared to lie. I figured I’d tell her that I was running late. A lecture about being on time I can deal with. Still, I appreciate it Ben. Really.”

Ben’s cheeks flushed just a tad as he smiled and nodded. It was almost too easy to make him blush and Eddie and Stan both always thought that was endearing and adorable. Eddie was once again full of love for his friends and their love for him. He’d have to come up with a way to pay them both back for the day before and for the ride.

Given how close Eddie lived to campus, it was a short ride. Ben rushed to open the door for him again, even though he told him it really wasn’t necessary. He offered a hand to help him out of the car anyway and even offered to carry his bag. Eddie declined as it really wasn’t heavy, and they started off toward class. When they arrived at the elevator inside the building, a group of other students stood waiting and avoided looking at Eddie. Sure, he knew some people didn’t have obvious reasons for why they couldn’t take the stairs, but all of the other students appeared to be fine. Especially given the way they rushed onto the elevator as soon as the door opened, filling it up and refusing to look up at Eddie. He looked to Ben and rolled his eyes.

They waited for the elevator to deposit them on their floors and come back down to get them. Eddie wanted to rant and complain about it, but he was too tired from the early hour and the energy it took to walk with the stupid crutches. His under arms hurt and sitting down in the hard-plastic chair in class was a welcome relief. Whoever said tying towels to the tops of the crutches made it less painful, had never actually had to use them.

Class was fairly boring and seemed to drag on longer than normal. By the time it was over, Eddie was desperate for caffeine, even if it was coming from the chain place in the union. It was better than nothing. Ben accompanied him, having plans to meet Bev there as well. Eddie was willing to admit he needed help when necessary and wasn’t really sure how he’d get the coffee to a seat and Ben was more than happy to help him with it. He just wanted to meet Bev first and let her know he was going to get coffee with Eddie.

When they arrived at the table Bev had already claimed, Eddie could tell from Ben’s smile that he already knew what was waiting there for him. Richie grinned and stood from his seat when he saw Eddie, coming around the table to meet him.

“Good morning.” He said, putting a hand on Eddie’s cheek and greeting him with a kiss.

Eddie flushed at having been kissed in such a public place where so many could see. It was another first for him. “Morning. Why are you here and not at work?” Eddie took the seat Richie pulled out for him.

“I had a very important errand to run and Bill and Mike were very understanding.” Richie sat back down and held out a cup from the café. “You couldn’t come to us, so I brought the coffee to you.”

“Isn’t he the cutest?” Bev asked, ruffling Richie’s already crazy hair.

“Yea, yea. You’re lucky I brought you something too.” He said, ducking away from her hand.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t love me, Richard. If it wasn’t for my impeccable night out planning skills, you two might not have gotten this far.”

“I think we owe it all to Penny, actually. Nice try taking the credit though.”

Bev flipped him off and Eddie found himself smiling while listening to them, though it did make him a bit embarrassed. Was this what it was like dating someone and having your friends know that you’re together? Their first night out together was a similar set up, the four of them sitting together at a table over drinks. Though this time it was coffee and not beer. That time he’d wanted to be anywhere but there, sitting next to Richie and listening to his lame jokes.

Now he was laughing along with him, leaning into his side instead of away from him, their hands clasped tight beneath the table. It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The thought of Richie leaving work just to bring him his coffee never even crossed his mind as a possibility. The fact that he had also brought something for Bev and Ben made him even happier. Yea he’d been friends with Bev longer than Eddie had, but he loved them both and liked the idea of his boyfriend loving them too.

The word ‘boyfriend’ bouncing around in his mind sent a surge of excitement through him. Because that’s what Richie was now, right? His boyfriend. His first boyfriend. He still couldn’t believe that this man liked him and chose him. It was clear to anyone who looked at Richie that he was attractive, and he could have chosen so many others over Eddie. But he didn’t. Eddie felt silly for feeling special but why shouldn’t he? He’d never felt particularly special before so why shouldn’t he embrace it now? Richie Tozier chose him, and he was motherfucking special!

Richie stayed with them for a while longer before his phone chimed with a text from Bill asking if he was ever coming back. It was getting busy again and they needed his help. Eddie and Bev had to head to class soon anyway, but he didn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“I’ll see you tonight, yea?” Richie asked as he stood.

“Yep.”

“What’s tonight?” Bev asked.

“I cook dinner for him so he can eat some real food for once.” Richie patted Eddie on the shoulder.

“As romantic as that sounds…Ben and I are going out for dinner. Come with us.”

“Is that ok with you?” Eddie asked Ben.

“Of course. We were planning to ask you guys out soon anyway.” Ben smiled and it was so easy to tell when he was being sincere it was adorable.

“I’ll drive so we don’t have to worry about your foot.” Bev said.

“You have a car?” Eddie asked, having never heard of it before.

“I do. I just hate driving and usually when we go out there’s drinking involved. I will pull it out, just for you.”

“Sounds like a plan. I really gotta go though. See you.” Richie bent down to plant a quick kiss on Eddie’s lips before rushing off, waving over his shoulder.

When Eddie snapped back from the clouds he skyrocketed to ever time Richie kissed him, he found the other two staring at him. “What?”

“You look happy.” Bev said, resting her chin on her hand.

“I am happy.” Eddie admitted because he was. Extremely so.

“Richie seems happy too. Which makes me happy.”

“And that makes me happy.” Ben chimed in.

Eddie chuckled, picking at the edge of his cup with his thumbs. “You guys are such dorks. We’re all happy. I get it.”

“Stan may not be happy.” Ben laughed.

“Stan is never happy.” Eddie agreed.

“Happy no longer sounds like a word and we have to go to class.” Bev said, standing.

She grabbed Eddie’s coffee for him, neither having finished due to the talking. He thanked her while he used the table to push himself up easier and grabbed the dreaded crutches again. Ben walked with them to class before heading back to his dorm. Their professor was very friendly and invested in her students, so she spent a good ten minutes talking to Eddie about his injury when she saw him come in on crutches. He didn’t like having the focus on him, but he answered her politely and eventually she moved onto the lecture.

After class, Eddie walked with Bev until she split ways to head to Ben’s dorm. He knew he’d gotten a text in class but had yet to look at it and kind of forgot until he pulled his phone out to call for an uber. He’d exchanged numbers with Mike and Bill back at Bev’s birthday party but hadn’t talked to either via call or text since then. Thus, he was surprised when the text had come from Mike. He opened it, feeling somewhat anxious about the reason for the sudden text.

Mike: Bev says your class isn’t far from 7th street. Meet me there after class.

Eddie wasn’t sure why he was supposed to meet Mike. They hadn’t made plans to hang out and he wondered if he’d done something wrong. He was Richie’s friend and maybe he wanted to make sure Eddie was good enough and not just messing with him. If that was the case, he was fully prepared to turn the tables and make sure he was good enough for Stan at the same time. Then again, maybe he just wanted to get to know him since they were dating each other’s best friend.

When he finally made his way down to the street, he found Mike leaning against a vespa with his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled and waved when he saw Eddie coming his way. He seemed happy enough to see him, so maybe he had nothing to worry about after all.

“Hey.” Eddie said as he approached. “Did we…make plans that I forgot about?”

“No, no. Don’t worry. I was sent by Richie to give you a ride home.” Mike explained.

“What? Really? I could have just called for an uber. I don’t want you to go out of your way for me.”

“It’s fine. My shift is over, and I’ve got nowhere to be. Richie told me you were hurt and asked if I’d help out. I really don’t mind! Richie is my friend and he likes you, so I like you. Maybe not in the same way though.” He chuckled.

Eddie smiled. There was something so relaxing about Mike and Eddie could see why Stan was attracted to him. “I’ve never been on a vespa before. Is it safe?”

“I’ve had it for years and never had an accident, so I’d say so. I’ve got a helmet for you.” Mike reached behind him and held up a helmet. “It’s the one Stan usually wears.”

“Stan has ridden on this before? Did he freak out?”

“He squeezed me so tight I think he cracked a rib.”

Eddie laughed as he took the helmet. He tried to balance while putting it on and in the end needed Mike to help him put it on before grabbing his own. Eddie sat on the back of the seat and Mike put his crutches in front of him, going down between his legs. Eddie held his shoulders, his arm through the hole at the top of crutches to hold them in place. Probably not the safest solution but it worked. Eddie was a lot less scared than he’d expected to be. Mike was a good driver and the ride was smooth, though very cold given the time of year.

Of course, Mike already knew where to go seeing as he’d been to Richie’s apartment before. It was a short ride and when they got there, Mike helped Eddie get situated with is crutches again.

“Thank for the ride. I wasn’t expecting it, but I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all. Text me if you need a ride anywhere. Even after your foot heals.”

“I feel like I should offer you a warm drink or something.”

“Nah, I’m ok. Ben texted about dinner tonight though, so I’ll see you later, right?”

“Absolutely. I promise not to be such an asshole like last time. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. We all understood where you were coming from. Plus, you were clearly crushing on Richie and were mad that he wasn’t there.”

“Still doesn’t make it ok. I was taking it out on you guys.”

“It’s already forgotten. Promise.”

Mike excused himself then, saying goodbye before zooming off down the street. Finally, back in his warm apartment, Eddie collapsed on his sofa and put his foot up. It was a little achy and he was glad he’d left the ibuprofen on the coffee table. He hated swallowing pills dry but didn’t feel like getting up for water. If he was expected to leave the house again, he needed to rest his foot and ankle for as long as he could.

The time passed quickly as Eddie did a bit of schoolwork and took a short nap, and before he knew it, Bev was downstairs with her car. Richie had gone straight to Eddie’s after getting home and washing up to wait with him until it was time to leave. They found that Eddie sitting on his lap was the easiest and most comfortable way for them to kiss as long as he was injured. It was embarrassing at first, but Eddie quickly realized that he felt comfortable sitting there. They’d put a TV show on for background noise and during the moments their focus was actually on the TV, he had his head against Richie, tucked up under his chin. Richie’s arms were around him, holding him close and everything felt perfect. He almost wanted to cancel their dinner plans so he could just stay there for the rest of the night.

When Bev and Ben arrived to pick them up, they had to rush to get their shoes and coats on as they’d both managed to lose complete track of time. Luckily, they weren’t annoyed at having to wait and took Eddie being slow on the crutches as a worthy excuse. They’d chosen a different diner from last time and this one had more of a family feel to it. Stan, Mike and Bill were already there when they arrived with a table big enough to accommodate all seven of them. It sat close to a wall, so Eddie was easily able to set his crutches up and out of the way, though Richie insisted on helping him.

As soon as their drinks arrived, Bev raised hers in the air in a toast. “To our first official triple date.” She smiled. They all raised their glasses along with her. “Although looking around this table I realize that I really need some friends of the feminine variety.”

“Hey, I w-wore that dress for you last year! I felt pretty damn feminine.” Bill piped up.

“Yes, and you looked beautiful and I was able to properly hem it and for that I thank you. I’m kidding anyway. My boys are all I need, honest.” She sighed and placed her hand on top of Ben’s, which was on the table near her. “Besides, the last time I had a girl best friend it didn’t work out. For anyone.”

The table suddenly fell silent and Ben, Stan and Eddie all exchanged a confused look. They weren’t sure what Beverly was referring to, but based on the looks on the other’s faces, they did. Curiosity churned within Eddie, but he kept his mouth shut. All three had the social grace not to ask about awkward situations, but Stan just didn’t care enough.

“Why? What happened?” Stan asked, earning a gentle nudge from Bill.

“Bev was friends with this girl for a while and she introduced her to us, and it just didn’t end well.” Mike said, trying to quickly end the discussion.

“Did you guys kill her or something? Why is everyone being so serious?” Stan asked.

“They just don’t want to say it was my fault.” Richie spoke up. “Which it was. Kind of. Dating your friend’s friend isn’t always the best idea.” He looked to Eddie then. “Not this time. This time it’s a great idea.”

Eddie shrugged. “No, I agree. It’s a tricky thing when others are involved.” He knew he was talking about his ex that he’d unceremoniously met the last time they tried this. Part of him felt this jealous pang at the mention of the girl he’d dated before, but she was also part of what pushed them together.

“It was not your fault!” Bev nearly shouted, exasperated. “She is the one who treated you terribly and broke your heart.”

“Yea but she blamed me for ending your friendship.” He said, not actually seeming upset by it.

“Which was bullshit. I ended the friendship because she kept talking badly about you and I wasn’t going to put up with it. I’ve known you longer, I loved you more and she was in the wrong, not you. Good riddance, I say. We’re all better off without her.”

With that the conversation seemed to be at an end, though Bill did lean in and whisper to Stan, “And that is why we don’t talk about her.”

*

After dinner, Bev took Eddie and Richie back to their building. Richie helped Eddie get set up on his couch again, and then rushed back to his apartment to get something. He’d been reminded of something he wanted to show Eddie on their last date. He hadn’t had the chance with Eddie’s accident, and he’d forgotten after that. Part of him was curious while the other part of him was afraid he was going to show up with Penny in tow. Or maybe he actually had two mice and he was bringing both over. The thought made Eddie shiver, and not in a good way.

When he came back, all he had in his hand was a sheet of paper. The side facing Eddie was blank and he had the other side hidden from view. Eddie kept his eyes on his hands as he came to sit on the end of the couch opposite from him.

“What is that?” Eddie asked.

“You’re going to think it’s stupid, but I have to explain myself first.” Richie was smiling was seemed oddly nervous. Seeing him nervous was strange.

“Ok.” Eddie was skeptical now and wondered if he should be trusting him.

“I’ve had a crush on you since the first time you walked into the café. Bill and Mike knew it and when my birthday came around Bill asked if he should draw something for me. He’s an awesome artist and he likes to give drawings as gifts. I told him to draw something pretty and, well, he knew what I thought was pretty.”

Richie’s cheeks were actually slightly pink as he flipped the paper over and revealed the drawing on the other side. Eddie imagined there must have been some color in his own cheeks as they grew hot and his lips fell open. The drawing of him was nice, almost looked like a photograph. It was a profile shot, coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Eddie figured he must have taken a picture of him while he was at the café one morning and used that as reference. He thought he would have noticed if someone had been sitting there drawing him at the café.

“I’ve had it displayed in my room for a while now and I figured you’d see it eventually so I might as well show you before then. I had to hide it the day Ben came over. That would have been awkward to explain.” Richie went on, trying to read Eddie’s expression.

“Would…would Bill do one for me?” He asked, finally looking up at Richie.

“You want a drawing of yourself?”

“No…of…you.” He felt shy admitting that but there was something intimate about having a drawing of the person he liked. If Richie had one, why couldn’t he?

“Oh. I mean…he probably would. He probably already has drawings of me in his sketch book. I could ask him.”

Eddie nodded, his eyes falling back down to the drawing. “You haven’t like…gotten off while looking at that have you?” He asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Of course not. What kind of guy do you think I am? That’s what all the pictures I snuck of you are for.”

Eddie pulled one of the pillows from behind him and threw it at Richie, smacking him in the face with it. “You’re so gross.” He said, though he was laughing.

Richie set the drawing on the coffee table, and let the pillow drop to the floor while rising up on his knees. “And you like me anyway. So, what you’re really saying is you’re into gross things.” Richie didn’t give Eddie a chance to respond as he leaned over him, his hands on either side of his waist, and kissed him.

Eddie just about melted into the couch. He did like Richie. Maybe even loved him. Though he wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting Richie to show him, but he definitely was expecting a drawing. It was kind of cute and the last coherent thought he had before his mind went fuzzy from the feel of Richie’s tongue, was that he really hoped Bill would make one for him.

#Reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #It (2017) #it (2019) #Ro writes

[itisannak]

Sugar, oh honey, honey (Ashton Sugar Daddy Smut)

Summary: Ashton just wants to take care of his girlfriend, in any way he can. (Smut/ Sugar Baby-Sugar Daddy Dynamic / Unprotected Sex / Choking / Spanking / Unprotected Sex / Dirty Talk / Marking/ Face Fucking / Degradation / Fingering) (Request)  (Words: 10k) ( Part 2 )

I tiptoe my way to my small kitchen, my nostrils already filling up with the smell of batter on the pan. I fix the white shirt that I slipped into as I enter the kitchen, being greeted by Ashton's back; it is weird how this is the first time I notice the tattoo on the back of his neck, or how his back is sculpted to perfection. "Hi." I whisper, wrapping my arms around his torso, resting them above his navel. "Hey, pretty girl. How did you sleep?" He asks, not turning to look at me, but his voice conveying the smile on his face. "Fine. How did you sleep? I know my bed can be uncomfortable..." I mutter; I did everything I could to stall Ashton staying at my place since compared to his is a freaking rat hole, but last night the moment came. "I got used to it. However, your stove is being a bitch to me today..." "Yeah, she is usually like that with men." I giggle, making him turn around and look at me. "I am not the first man to cook you breakfast in this stove?" He asks, fake-offended. "Well, I didn't want you to find that way..." I giggle as he picks me up to place me on the counter. "Oh my God... This is breaking my heart... Tell me who else has tried making you breakfast." "Well, there was this time I was shit-faced drunk and my best friend Tim made me breakfast. And that one time my brother did, so..." I giggle, while Ashton's hands bunch up my shirt. "Is this my shirt?" He asks, pulling me to sit on the edge of the counter. "Yeah. Sorry. It was close and I picked it up. I can take it off..." For a moment I freeze, realizing that this shirt probably costs as much as my rent if not more. "No, I like it on you. It is definitely better on you than me." He smiles, feeling the soft fabric with his fingertips. "Are you sure? It looks expensive... What if I stain it? I'll go change really quickly..." I try to hop off the counter, but Ashton's hands go to my thighs, keeping me in my place. "First thing first, if you stain it, the dry cleaner can take it off. And second, if you are worrying so much, I can take it off for you." He states, gripping tightly on my thighs. Momentarily, I feel insecure about my thick thighs and his fingers dipping on them, but as he brings one of his hands to the back of my head to pull me in for a kiss, the feeling fades away. His tongue pries my mouth open, humming as our tongues move together, trying to become in sync.

And while we are kissing, his fingers move to undo the buttons of his shirt that I am wearing. He is half-way done removing it, but the burnt smell makes him stop. "What's that?" He asks, scrunching his nose. We both turn to the stove, finding the pancakes turning onyx black. "The fucking pancakes..." He cries, taking the pan off the stove. I hop off the counter, moving to open the window and let the smoke out. "Goddamnit..." He groans, turning off the stove. "It's ok, baby. At least you tried..." I try to comfort him, wrapping my arms around him. "Let's go get dressed and get breakfast at that place you like." Ashton suggests, pressing a kiss on my forehead before he moves to get out of the kitchen. "Ash..." I stop him by gripping his wrist. "What?" He asks me, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "I don't have enough money." I whisper, looking at my feet. "It's my treat." Ashton says like it is the most obvious thing in the world. "Ashton... You paid for dinner last night." I protest, making him roll his eyes at my remark. "And your point is...?" He asks me sarcastically. "Ash..." I protest again but receive the same response. "(Y/N), I want to pay for you and treat you right. You don't have to worry about money anymore. You are my girl." He states, making my stomach tighten; I love that he refers to me as his girl, but that doesn't mean I don't feel bad about him paying. "I know you mean no harm, but it kinda makes me feel like I am using you for money." I admit and he chuckles. "If you were using me for money, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I know how it is to live from paycheck to paycheck and for the last few days of the month eating crackers with ketchup because those are the only things in your cupboards. And I know your situation is not that dramatic, but still, I can offer you a much better life. So please, let me buy us some breakfast." He sighs, holding both my hands in his. For a moment I stare at him; I seem to forget where he comes from, how he wasn't always that comfortable with money. And for a moment I feel bad because I know that he probably had to eat crackers and ketchup at some point in the past. "That place you want us to go to is very expensive. But I know a diner close to Santa Monica pier which is far less expensive and has great food. Plus, it's less likely for paparazzi to spot us there." I offer and he sighs in defeat. "Fine. Just get dressed. I am hungry." He pulls me in for a quick peck before he picks me up over his shoulder to take me to my bedroom.

The traffic wasn't as bad as we expected when we got in the car, so we soon are cuddling up on our booth, a mug of warm coffee in our hands. It feels like everything has stopped here, quietness being evident and comforting in the place. My legs are resting over his lap while his fingers stroke my hair softly as we wait for our food to arrive. "Can I ask you a question?" He asks me out of the blue. "Sure." I reply, sitting up a bit better to look at him. "You were hellbent on me not staying at your place. I didn't pay much attention to it in the beginning, but after last night, I keep on having the same question in my head. Are you ashamed of your house?" He asks me; I can read the hesitation in his voice, which makes me feel a little awkward about answering the question. "Not really. Just... You are used to seeing all those aesthetically pleasing houses and talk about how you love indoor decoration, so I didn't want you to... I don't know, pity me... Which is exactly what is happening now, I can see it in your eyes." I turn my face away from him, making him cup my jaw softly and turn it back. "I am not pitying you. You are in college, working, and paying for yourself. It is badass. And you shouldn't have to worry about what I am going to think about your house, or how you get by." He replies, kissing my nose. "And I am going to say it again, you are my girl, you don't have to worry about money anymore." He states, leaving his mug on the table. "Well, if I don't worry about money, then at the end of the month I will have to find a really nice cardboard to stay in because my landlord will kick me out." I chuckle, but shivers run down my spine just at the thought. "Good. Well, not the part where you have to stay in cardboards... But I would really like to find you somewhere better to stay." He says, making me chuckle. "Yeah, you know that I will have to afford that better place, right?" I ask, taking a sip from my coffee. "No. Not if I pay for it." He replies, again like it is the most natural thing to come out of his mouth. "No." I state, being completely negative about this. "Hear me out." "There is nothing to hear about, Ash... This is on the verge of becoming your sugar baby. If your fans find out about that, they are going to start believing I am with you just for the money." I freak out, already playing in my head the whole scenario. "No one will have to find out about that. And so what if you become my sugar baby? We both know you are not with me for the money, my friends know that, and everyone who matters knows that. If you want to call being a decent boyfriend and worrying about where my girlfriend stays, becoming a sugar daddy, then I am fine with that. I want to fucking spoil you. Literally, spoil you..." He explains, pulling me in for a kiss. "I don't know." I mumble; I have to admit that it is very sweet of him. "Let me just look for a place. At the end of the day, I will be spending time there too, so it is like our house, but we won't have to live together every day." He says, making me roll my eyes at him. "Fine, you can look for a place. But that doesn't mean that I am saying yes to that, or that this is infinite." I point out and he nods. "It's your terms, baby." He smirks, pulling me in for a kiss.

"You look too nice today..." I comment as I enter Ashton's car. He smirks mischievously at me, shrugging his shoulders. "Do I?" He asks, starting the car again. "Yeah, I feel underdressed compared to you." I reply, looking at him with my eyes half-closed. "You are going to make me blush." He giggles, putting his arm behind my headrest as he tries to pull out. I bite my lip, feeling the need to press my thighs together to contain myself from getting turned on by the non-sexual act. "I thought we were having pizza and a movie. This outfit is not for pizza and movies." I state, pointing to the hard-collar white shirt and the tailored flannel trousers. "If you just stay patient for just one moment, I swear to God you'll find out." Ashton replies, shaking his head chuckling at how impatient I am becoming by the moment. "You could have told me if we are going somewhere special, I could have dressed a bit better..." I mutter under my breath, fumbling with the hem of my sweater. "You look perfect. Even if you were wearing pajamas, you would still be perfect." Ashton replies, still driving without giving me a clue of where we are heading.

"Hi. We are here for the penthouse. The realtor is waiting for us." Ashton says to the man in the lobby. I look at him confused, from the moment we've entered this posh building the look is plastered on my face. "Can you give me your name, please?" The man asks, with a patronizing smile on his lips. "Irwin and (Y/L/N)." Ashton replies, gripping onto my waist tightly. "Yes, they've been expecting you. Take the back elevator and press the button that reads PNT." The man instructs us before Ashton nods and thanks the man politely. "We are here for the penthouse? The realtor is waiting for us?" I ask, turning to stand in front of Ashton. "Mhm..." Ashton hums in reply, simply smiling at me. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down, stopping myself from opening this conversation further with him. The elevator stops, prompting us to exit the booth. However, instead of walking on a hall, we are left outside a single door, which is opened by a cheerful but professional-looking lady. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Irwin." She greets us. "Uh, Ms. (Y/L/N)..." I mutter and she looks at me shocked. "I am sorry, Ms. (Y/L/N). It is a pleasure to meet you both. Shall we get in?" She asks, motioning for us to walk further into the house. "As you can see, the place has been renovated recently, and it bears no signs of wearing down. The rooms have individual air conditioning to accommodate your needs. On the balcony, you'll find a gorgeous infinity pool, with the prettiest view of Ocean Avenue. The house is pet-friendly, so you won't have a problem if you have little furry friends." "Well, we have a lemon tree as a pet..." Ashton chuckles, putting on his charming facade. "Well, I don't see a problem with it. Shall we see the bedroom?" She asks with a chuckle. "Let's." He replies, gripping my waist as we move in. "Uh, can you please excuse us for a second?" I ask the lady, stopping in my tracks as we move down the hall. "Of course. I will be in the bedroom. Come find me when you are ready." She excuses herself, moving forward. "Is everything alright, princess?" Ashton asks me, moving in front of me and cupping my face. "What are we doing here?" I ask, looking around me nervously. "We are looking at our potentially new house. Well, your house. I told you that I would be staying here as well some times, but I would like for us to have like a settling, trial session first, to see how this rolls." He mumbles, but I raise my hand to stop him from spiraling. "Ash... This looks fucking expensive. There is no way in the world I could afford such a place." I state and he chuckles. "You should not worry about that part. Worry about whether you like this place or not." He replies, pecking on my forehead. "So, it is official... I am becoming your sugar baby." I chuckle sarcastically. "If that's what you'd like to call it, fine. I don't see you as such, though." He replies. "And how would you call that? This predicament between us?" I ask, feeling a little guilty. "I wouldn't label it. But if you wish to, let's call it me wanting the best for my baby." He replies, hugging me by my waist. I sigh and roll my eyes, pouting my lip before I take his hand in mine. "Ok, let's see the rest of the house." I say, making him smile.

We walk into the bedroom, hand in hand, finding the realtor waiting for us with a smile spreading on her face. "Everything ok? Should we continue?" She asks us. "Yes, we are eager to see the rest of the house." I am the one to reply, with Ashton just nodding his head and rubbing his thumb over my hand. "So, as you can see, the bedroom has a wall-to-wall window, viewing the city. However, the glass is a one-way mirror, ensuring that no one will be able to see you through that. This is the master bedroom, having a closet room and a master bathroom with a marble bathtub, big enough to fit 2 people. It is important to state that the house has been soundproofed and thermoproofed. There is one more bedroom in the house, which might be smaller, but it is comfortable for guests. Would you like to see it?" She asks us. It is clear that she has memorized a script, but still, the words coming out of her mouth sound mesmerizing. "I don't really think we need to. Could you show us the back balcony, instead?" Ashton asks and the lady nods her head, motioning for us to get out. We walk through the kitchen, which looks stunning and honestly as big as my apartment of not bigger. "As you can see, it is a more private balcony with a hot tub and a built-in barbeque. There is not much to say about this balcony, so, I will let the two of you enjoy the peace it offers." I close my eyes, leaning my head on Ashton's shoulder as I feel myself becoming calmer. "You love the place, don't you?" He asks, stroking small circles on my waist. "I do. But with all those things in here, it will cost a small fortune to even rent this place." I sigh. "When you said you would try to find me a better place, I pictured a neat little apartment, this is like a flatted out villa." I exclaim and he chuckles. "I can afford it. And I could afford even more expensive ones. The question is if you like it. Cause if you do, I can sign the lease right now." He states, looking at me reassuringly. "I adore it. Not as much as I adore you, though. But I love this place and I can see us in it." I bite my lip as I admit it. "Then I can tell the realtor to bring the papers and hand you the keys, cause this is your new place." He chuckles, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Are you sure about that?" I ask him, still holding back. "If I wasn't sure, we wouldn't be here. I want you to stay in this pretty place, wear pretty clothes, go to pretty places. I want you to have pretty things in your life because you are the prettiest thing in my life. And I want to offer you what you are offering by just being in my life. So, please, let me do this for you. Let me get you this place. For you... And maybe for us, at some point in the future." He pecks on my lips before he moves to talk to the realtor.

Since the penthouse was pretty much furnished, I only had to move my clothes and books, pretty much my personal stuff. So, settling in the new place, was pretty easy, even if I hadn't had the help of Ashton. So, very soon, I am settled in the new, gorgeous house, working on some coursework and sipping on wine while Ashton cooks for me in the huge kitchen. I am sitting on the top of the counter, not minding if I stand in the way of Ashton cooking dinner since he is using the other half of the huge kitchen. I type away on my laptop, trying to find a way to connect the bibliography of current research to the discussion part of my essay, while Ashton is humming a tune under his breath. "Baby, can you try the sauce, please? I want your input on the saltiness." He asks me, making me leave the laptop on the counter and slide close to him. He brings the spoon to my lips, and I blow on it to make it a bit colder before I taste it. I moan, closing my eyes as my tastebuds perk up in contact with the sauce. "How did you learn how to cook so good?" I ask him, picking up my wine glass. "Had to. Luke can't even boil eggs, so I had to feed him when he was staying with me." He chuckles, going back to whatever magic he is working on in the stove. "You eat your steak medium-well, right?" He asks, poking the meat with a fork. "Yep. Need some help?" I ask, ready to hop off the counter. "No, I will need you to finish this coursework soon, though. I am very close to serving dinner." He replies, smiling without looking at me. "I am trying... Daddy." I tease him by using his kink against him, making him shoot me a look. "Jesus... Can you please not use this now? I won't hesitate..." He groans, leaning on the counter and supporting his body by his palms, to the point where his tensed back can be seen through his t-shirt. "Won't hesitate to do what, daddy?" I push the limits, hearing a groan escape his mouth. "(Y/N)..." He growls, looking at me in a bossing manner. I purse my lips and shrug, moving back to finish my assignment. Ashton seems to try and catch his breath, taking a moment before he sits up and goes back to cooking. I sneak a look at him, finding a newly formed tent protruding in his pants.

"Is it hot in here? It is getting a bit hot, huh?" I ask, fanning myself and earning Ashton's attention. "I don't know. Maybe it is from the stove?" Ashton replies. Seconds before he turns his head back to the pan, I grab the hem of my t-shirt, raising it over my head and leaving me in my little lacy bra. "So hot in here..." I mumble, dropping the t-shirt behind me as if nothing is happening. I can see him with the corner of my eye, gawking at me as I am left in my grey sweatshorts and lingerie. He blinks a couple of times, trying to play it cool but clearly being surprised by my sudden action. "Yeah, it is getting a bit hot..." He mumbles, grabbing the back of his t-shirt and removing it as well. He throws the t-shirt my way, making me catch it while smirking. I pick up my glass and take a sip; well, I purposely let a bit of my wine slip from my lips, falling to my chest and eventually stain my bra. "Oops, made a mess..." I fake innocence, getting Ashton's attention back to me. I swipe away the drop of wine with my hand before I fake pout at the stain. I sigh and reach behind my back, unhooking my bra and letting it slide off my chest. "(Y/N), please... I am trying to cook..." Ashton sighs, finally showing me clearly that he is affected by how I am acting. "I am not standing in the way." I protest and he grimaces at me. "You are distracting me..." He states, slamming the spatula on the counter. "I am? Am I a distraction, Mr. Irwin?" I ask, scooting closer to him. "Stop it... You are making me hard and trust me, you won't like me taking out on you, princess. Your ass gets red pretty easily." He replies, his tone changing completely to his bossy, harsh one. "Maybe it is what I want, daddy." I shrug and he chuckles at me, cocking an eyebrow. "You are a filthy little slut..." He spits out, half disgusted, half-amused by my need for him. "You like it..." I assert, licking my lips, while his body tenses. "I freaking love it." He admits, gripping onto my thighs to pull me closer to him. He slots himself between them, cupping my face with his left hand before he pulls me in for a kiss. I don't have time to even try to gain dominance as his tongue greedily explores my mouth. My hands can move nowhere other than his shoulders, letting my nails graze his skin a little. "The food... I am going to burn the food..." Ashton moans, pulling away from my lips just for a second. I moan in protest, wrapping my legs around his waist. "Fuck the food." I whine, bringing my lips to his. "I'd rather fuck you..." He sasses in between kisses. "We want the same thing then." I moan, moving my lips to kiss his jaw. "Let me just pull the pan off the stove..." He says, and I roll my eyes, taking my legs off from around his waist.

I watch him as he checks the meat and sighs happily, turning off the stove and putting the pan to cool off. "The food is ready." He announces, walking back to me. I pout and shrug my shoulders at this, feeling a little disappointed that we won't get to do any of the things I had in mind for before dinner. "We can eat then..." I mumble, trying to hop off the counter, but his hands pin me down by my thighs. "I'd rather have my dessert first." He side-smirks, pushing me a bit further onto the counter before he climbs onto it as well. "Dessert? I think we have some ice cream in the fridge. Should I go get it?" I play it dumb, earning a chuckle from him. "That ice cream won't taste nearly as good as you, babygirl." He whispers, hovering above me as his hands rest on either side of my head. "So, what are you waiting for... daddy?" I am amused by the look on his face, feeling my core becoming slick with my need for him to slip inside me. "I am trying to be cute with you and treat you like a princess, but you get ahead of yourself and tease me like that." He growls, bringing his hand to wrap around my throat. His fingers press onto it, his hand resting right under my jaw. I barely can draw a breath, but this excites me; I know that in the next few seconds the grip will loosen up, and he will let me breathe, but the primitive instinct takes over, feeling overpowered and in danger. I smile as he gives me a harder grip, while his other hand moves to snatch off my shorts. "Would you look at that... Look at that nasty smile. Look how good you look with my hand around your throat." He chuckles, making me buck my hips up and let him take off my shorts before his fingers move to cup my clothed center, feeling how wet I am. He smiles satisfied, rubbing on my clit for a few seconds, before he takes off the hand that was around my throat, and brings it to tear off my underwear. He raises my bum on the air, bringing his hand down to collapse on my ass. "That's for teasing me while I was trying to cook." He states after the impact, resting his hand flat on the spot he slapped. "That's for taking off your shirt while I was cooking." He spanks me again, this time around harder than the previous. "And that's for taking off your bra." He hisses and I whine as I start feeling the sting if his hand landing on my ass. "And that's for calling me daddy when you know how hard that makes me." This one is the hardest one, bringing tears to my eyes. "And that's for not even being sorry." He delivers the final slap, gripping onto my red ass after he is done. He lets my ass fall back on the cold marble counter, the chilling surface coming in contrast to my burning ass. "How would you feel if I left you like that, high and dry?" He asks, making me whimper in protest as I wipe my eyes. "It wouldn't be fair, daddy... I need you... So badly..." I whine, pouting my bottom lip out as I take my puppy eyes. I know it is his weakness and I know that I might get in trouble for using his weakness against him, but I have to put the big guns in use. "Need me, huh? Didn't you just have me this morning?" He asks, but his Adam's apple pops out as he observes me, signaling that he is tensing up, trying to hold back from thrusting inside me. "Yes, but it's been so long... So so long... And I am aching for you, daddy... Don't you wanna feel me around you?" I ask, my breathing becoming hitched. He doesn't reply; he just groans, lowering his head until his lips touch my hipbone. He presses open-mouthed kisses on my skin, lowering slowly to my center where he just uses his fingers to spread my lips apart. "You are glistening... You look so pretty under that light..." He mumbles, mostly coming to realization for himself.

I look at him, trying to study his face and the way his body moves, slowly but steadily. He pulls me by my leg towards him, the sliding of my still sore and pink ass on the counter making me whine for a moment and Ashton throws me a dirty look, with his eyes shining under the light. I watch him as he lowers his sweatpants and boxers, freeing his throbbing cock. He places my left leg on his shoulder while he runs his tip along my folds a couple of times. My chest inflates and falls as he taps my clit with the head of his cock, seconds before he slips inside me. He makes me feel every inch of him as he goes in slowly, my leg on his shoulder gives him deeper access, which he uses to his advantage. I feel my stomach tighten up as he thrusts inside me, making me moan his name and ask him for more. He pulls out of me, making me whine at the loss of contract, and causing a smirk to spread on Ashton's lips. "What's the matter, princess? Miss my cock?" He taunts me, without giving me time to respond before he slips inside me again. I pulse around him, instantly feeling relieved that he is inside me again. He moves slowly, almost agonizingly, making me feel every inch of his throbbing cock. All I do is whimper while I feel myself falling deeper into lust. "You want that cock, baby? You want more of me?" He asks me, pushing my chin to the sided so he has access to my neck. He doesn't use his lips, only his teeth are grazing down my neck, leaving marks on my skin. "More... Please..." I beg, trying to move my hips on his to get him where I want him. "More? Getting greedy, huh?" He asks, smiling cockily against my skin. "Please, daddy. I need all of you." I pout, closing my eyes to let the sensation he is giving me sink in my body fully. Ashton throbs inside me, signifying that he is feeling the same way; he needs all of me. Not that he doesn't have me already. "You are so fucking wet for me... So fucking wet." He says through gritted teeth, moving his lips up to kiss mine. I feel a knot form inside me, aching to be snapped. But the tempo Ashton has set is too slow to drive me over the edge; he knows how to drive me fucking insane, keep me just on my edge but not let me cross it. "I need you to go a bit faster... Please, please go a bit faster..." I cry out, gripping onto his body. I let my nails rake down his back, while Ashton hums teasingly and presses my hips down. I wrap my legs around his waist, moaning his name, just before he slams into me with all he has. My eyes go wide and my mouth opens, incoherent curses coming out of it as I feel him give me everything I want. "I want to cum... I need to cum. Please..." I gasp, my chest heaving up as I let out the words. "You are such a good, and polite little doll. You should have everything you want, princess. Cum for me..." He coos me, making me nod my head as he keeps on slamming right where I need him. "I am close too, princess. Where do you want me to cum?" He asks me, hissing through his teeth. "Inside me, please. I want all of you." I whine, the prospect of his warm cum filling me up exciting me. He simply smiles, leaning down to kiss me. I bite his lip and pull on it a little while everything inside me intensifies; every touch, thrust, kiss, is more intense than its previous. It is me and him, fucking on the top of a counter, in a house that I could never imagine living in even in my wildest dreams, so nothing else matters right now, even my assignment waiting, or the food staying incomplete and unconsumed.

With a few more thrusts I cum around him, pulsing against his cock as I scream his name. I arch my back, throwing my head back and looking at him tensing up and getting all red and sweaty. "You look so beautiful when you cum." He whispers, resting his hand on my face. I smile as I try to regain my breath, feeling like I am in some kind of euphoria as he chases his peak and holds me close. "Cum for me, daddy. I need to feel you." I whisper and he whines, twitching inside me. He lets out a throaty groan as he cums inside me, closing his eyes as he tenses up before relaxing completely. "Shit, you make me feel so good..." He whispers as he gasps for air, his forehead resting on mine. I feel his breath hitting my face, warming me up a little "I love you." I whisper back, pecking lightly on his lips. "Good. Cause I love you too." He smiles, responding with a kiss on my nose.

I feel the warm covers and the soft pillows engulf my body as the light pierces through the large window. I hum sleepily, refusing to get out of my slumber just yet. So I turn to my side and throw an arm over Ashton's side, hoping to find him lying next to me. But my arm falls on the mattress, making me groan frustrated. "Morning sleepy head." I hear him say from the end of the bed. I sit up a bit, bringing my knees to my chest as I look at him. "Morning. Nice back..." I comment, smirking at the marks I've left on his body last night. "Thanks. You fucked me up good." He chuckles, crawling towards me. "No, you fucked me up well last night..." I bite my lip, leaning close to him. He places a hand behind my head, pulling me in for a quick kiss. "Wanna stay for round 2?" I ask, parting just an inch from him. "Mm, wish I could. But we have a meeting in the records and then a writing session..." He sighs and I pout, whining that he will have to leave. "But... Can't you stay a little longer? At least for some breakfast?" I ask, letting my fingers graze his chin. "I can't, baby... I am sorry." He looks bummed by this as well, so I have to step up and let him know he shouldn't. "It's ok, my love. Will I see you tonight?" I ask, my voice becoming soft. "I have an event to attend. You know, PR and everything. But you can come with me, it will be fun." His face lights up just at the prospect of us spending the night together. "Are you sure?" I ask, not wanting to become a burden or cause a problem. "Of course. Wear something nice and I'll pick you up at 9." He says, reaching in the nightstand to pick out his wallet. He hands me a credit card and as I try to protest and hand it back, he puts it in my palm and closes his fingers around it. "You've never asked for anything. I want you to have everything." He reminds me, leaning in to press a kiss on my forehead. "Just once, and only because we are going to a PR event." "I wouldn't mind if you bought something  special for after, just for my eyes only." He winks before he moves to put on his t-shirt. "Just once..." I remind him and he chuckles. "Whatever you want, baby. But I don't want you to worry about the prices. Get whatever you want, ok?" He says, making me nod.

I decide to snuggle up against his pillow for a little longer, craving a bit more sleep after last night's activities. My body feels sore but in a sweet, mellow way, reminding me of how good it was last night. I smile as I sprawl out on the bed, humming happily as I close my eyes and let myself fall back into sleep, just for a few more moments.

I wake up after 12, stretching my body with a smile on my face. I feel rested, calm, and happy, almost like I have no worries right now. I reach on the bedside table, grabbing my phone from it and yawning to shake the sleepiness off my body. I unlock my screen and see a notification from Ashton, with his usual morning text that never fails to bring a smile to my face. I decide to reply with a selfie, nothing provocative, but enough to give him a hard time for not staying the morning with me. I get off the bed and opt for a quick snack while I get ready for my shopping spree, a cereal bar, and some juice will do; either way, I am not going to be out of the house for long. As I exit the shower, I hear my phone ringing from the bedroom, so I rush to it, smiling big as I see Ashton's contact on my screen. "Hey, baby." I cheer, plopping on the bed. "You think it is fair to send me pictures like that one?" He asks me, sounding frustrated. I giggle a bit and bite my lip, enjoying him fangirling over me as I do over him most of the days. "It was just my face..." "Yeah, which looks absolutely gorgeous, especially under that light. It is unfair..." He whines, which makes me giggle. "Well, I thank you for your compliment, but it is your fault you are not here to enjoy that face. And those lips, which would be wrapped around your cock if you stayed. And I would be looking at you through my lashes... It's a pity you are not here cause I've just gotten out of the shower and I smell like that coffee and creme shower gel I bought and I am wearing nothing but a towel... Which, oops, just unwrapped from my body." I tease him, enjoying the sound of his hard breathing. "Vulgar and unfair and I love this, but it makes it so hard for me not to drive back and have you for myself." He admits, chuckling a little at the end. "Well, you can't, because I am leaving in a bit to go shopping for tonight." I reply and he huffs. "Will I get pics from the dressing room?" He asks me, whispering it since I assume he might be heard. "I was thinking that today we could just not talk to each other until you come and pick me up." "Why?" He asks surprised. "It will feel old-school and maybe get us a bit more excited about seeing each other." I explain my train of thought, unsure of how he is going to receive it. "I guess we could try..." He sighs, sounding a bit sad. "If you don't want to, we can just ditch it." I mumble, getting off the bed to pull together an outfit. "No, I would like to try it, princess. I wanna see how much you'll miss me by the end of this." He gets a bit cocky, bringing a smirk to my face. "Ok then. I will see you tonight. I love you." I say as I flip through the clothes. "I love you too. I'll pick you up at 9. Have fun shopping." He coos before we hang up.

Shopping for a dress and lingerie turned into a full-blown spoiling myself trip. I got my hair, makeup, and nails done, bought a lavish set of lingerie and a red, skin-tight slip dress, even got a new pair of shoes. I only started feeling guilty about spending money when I put together everything, so as I wait for Ashton to pick me up, I definitely feel a knot in my stomach, surely being more anxious about him scolding me about spending than his opinion on my outfit. Soon, the door opens and Ashton walks in, dressed in a fancy blazer and holding a bouquet of roses in his hand. "Wow... I am certainly underdressed." He states, walking up to me and pressing a kiss on my lips. I am tensed and he senses it, so he takes a step back to look at me examiningly. "Is everything alright, baby?" He asks me, leaving the roses on the coffee table. "I... I am so sorry." I apologize, making him knit his eyebrows together. "What happened, baby?" He asks, taking my hands in his and guiding me to sit on the couch. "I've spent a lot of money today. I don't know what gotten into me, but I only realized how much I spent after I got back." I explain and watch him chuckle. He approaches me calmly, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "How much did you spend?" He asks me, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Around a thousand..." I bite my lip, waiting for his reaction. He giggles and presses a kiss on my lips, stroking my cheek. "That's not much, princess. I have spent more on just a single shirt." "Yes, but it was your money... I have spent your money and I feel bad now..." I pout and he sighs. "How many times do I have to tell you that what is mine is yours? I want you to have whatever your heart desires, princess. I wanna spoil you rotten. So, please don't feel bad. It makes me very happy that you have spent my money to look so fucking good... " He pecks on my forehead and I kind of relax. "I will pay you back..." I whisper and he hums. "Looking so good for our date is enough payback for me, baby." He lowers his head to kiss me softly. "And now, we should get going, because management is going to give me crap for showing up late." He stands up, extending his hand for me to take it. "Plus, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave, and the sooner you get to see what's under this dress." I whisper, reaching up to kiss him softly. "Crap..." He whispers under his breath just as we walk out of the door.

"You look fucking lavish. Everyone is looking at you..." Ashton whispers as he hands me a drink. I smile, resting my head back on his shoulder as he wraps an arm around my waist. "Jealous much?" I ask, bringing the glass to my lips. "Why would I be? They can look all they want, I get to have you to myself every night." He replies, bitting on my earlobe lightly. I purr and close my eyes, for a moment relaxing in his arms and forgetting we are in public. "You get all of this, any time you want, daddy." I whisper, grinding my ass against him. I hear his breath becoming shallow, the grip on my body tightening up as to show to everyone I am his. "Everyone is looking at us, princess. Behave." He whispers, leaving a little kiss on my temple. "What if I don't?" I ask, turning around. I rest my hand on his chest and look up to him while his hand rests on the small of my back. "You know I won't hesitate to shove my fingers in your pretty little pussy right in front of everyone, right?" He asks me; I get all giddy by the statement, wiggling a little and he seems to enjoy that. "What time can we go home? I kinda fucking need you." I whine, biting my lip as I watch him get close to losing it. "In a bit, baby. We need to be seen at the party. Then we are off." He replies softly, containing himself. "I give you 30 minutes." I reply and he narrows his eyes at me. "I don't think that you are the one to judge that, my love." He remains calm and collected, but his hand on my back becomes more firm.

"I had so much fun tonight..." I giggle as I unlock the door to the penthouse. I lose my step a little, making Ashton wrap his arms around my body to catch me. "Did you have one too many?" He asks as we get inside the house. "No, I am fine. I wanted to be in clarity when I finally have you all to my own." I reply, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Oh, is that so?" He asks, smirking at me before he leans down for a quick peck. I hum and he guides us down the hall to our bedroom, his hands staying on the zipper of my dress, ready to drag it down and get that dress off my body. I pull his head down to kiss him as I walk backward inside the room, my fingers tangling in his styled curls. The only thing I want now is to be pinned down on the mattress, pleasured by him while I make him feel like we are in heaven. "Want me, princess?" He asks me as my legs meet with the edge of the mattress. "So much. Don't you want me, baby?" I ask, feeling my breath hitch as he lays me on the bed before he hovers over me. "I prefer showing you how much." He replies, dragging down the zipper. He lets the spaghetti straps slip down my arms as he moves to kiss my collarbone. "You smell so good." He whispers, sucking and biting on my skin. I moan, arching my back off the mattress. "You talk too much for someone who rathers show." I whisper while Ashton's hands work on getting the dress off my body. "I thought you loved praising, princess." He kisses just above the little bow in the middle of my buster. "I do. But right now I need you to go a little faster. Please, daddy." I whimper, pleadingly. "I love the sounds you make." He smiles against my skin,  dropping my dress on the floor. I sit up, pulling him in for a kiss. His hands cup my face while I bite and nibble on his lip. My hands move to undo his shirt while playing a little with the chain around his neck. In a rush of confidence, I push him to lay on the mattress and straddle him, making him gasp shockingly in the kiss. "Wanna ride you..." I state, parting just a little bit from him. "Then go ahead, princess." He seems surrendered, waiting for my next move. I move lower, undoing his pants and lowering them along with his briefs on his thighs. His cock rests on his stomach, looking so hard that the vein that runs along his underside is throbbing. I lick my lips as I look at him, slipping out of my lingerie. "It is a good set, baby. I loved it on you." He comments as I move up, sitting on his cock. I feel him along my slit, making my clit tingle a little. "Should I put it back on?" I ask, wiggling my hips a little, trying to get a little bit of comfort, ease the tingling sensation spreading on my core. "As much as I love expensive lingerie on you, I will always adore you naked." He replies, placing a hand on the curve of my waist. He strokes his thumb over my ribs, while I try to pull myself together and just ride him. I raise my bum in the air and he holds his cock up for me, allowing me to position his tip right on my entrance. And as I lower my hips, I take him in me, reaching down on his pecs to hold myself upright. I hear him groan as I move slowly, arching my back and throwing my head back a little as I feel myself pulse around him. "Can you push your tits together, baby? I wanna see them like that..." He hisses, looking at me as I bounce on him. He moves my arms so they press my boobs together, while I rock on him. My toes curl as I feel him brush over the spot I need him to, forcing me to release a throaty groan. My palms are now flat on his stomach, nails digging in his skin. "Holy fuck... Shit, don't do that." He hisses, stretching his neck to the side. "Do what?" I ask, rocking my hips back and forth, giving my clit a little attention, a little bit of the friction it craves. "You know damn well what the fuck I am talking about, princess. Get your pretty little claws off my skin." He orders, his voice coming through gritted teeth. "Don't they feel nice, daddy? I got them a bit pointy just for that..." I sing, arching my back forward as I almost lay on him. My breasts are on his face while bounce on him, putting all of my force on it. He groans, moving his hands up my body and cupping my breasts. "Come on... Don't fucking play with me. I need release, babygirl. I need to cum, princess..." He whines; he is usually dominant, powerful, confident, but right now he is pudding under my hands. "Oh yeah? Where do you want to cum, daddy? Tell me..." I gasp, while my ass plops down on him. "God damn it, you little brat... You think you are all-powerful over me, huh?" He asks, wrapping his lips around my nipple. "It seems like it." I reply, moving my hands to wrap around his throat. "Well, you should wait until I can get my hands on you and see who has the upper hand..." He threatens me, but his voice comes out whiny and soft. "You really are free to flip me over and fucking own me. No one and nothing is restraining you, babyboy." I smirk at him, pressing my thumb on his throat. He gasps and looks at me with his mouth agape, for sure not expecting me to talk back.

For a second I was convinced that he wouldn't do anything. But I was too drunk on the feeling of dominance that momentarily I forgot he is not fucking around. So, from being on top of him, I am found on my back, legs spread wide and one of them fixed on his shoulder blade as he runs his tip on my entrance. My hands move to his arms, gripping onto him as he thrusts inside me, angrily, almost mercilessly. "I fucking told you I would. I fucking told you... I bet you are regretting being a brat... I bet you are regretting being fucking cocky." He grunts, delivering a slap right on my ass. I scream, pain and pleasure becoming a hazy mixture in me. He fucks me like he hates me, but his hands stroke my body in the most loving way. "I wanna cum." I lisp, unable to say anything more. My body feels like it is on overdrive, processing every feeling imaginable within a period of a few seconds. "Yeah?" He asks, a mischievous smirk spreading on his face. I nod and he chuckles, pulling out of me. He moves up, kneeling next to my face before he pulls it to the side and gives me a light slap. "Open up." He commands, holding his cock in front of my lips. I whimper at the loss of feeling him inside me. "But..." I protest but he throws me a dirty look while clenching his jaw. "No buts. Open your fucking mouth." He barks and I have no other choice but to open my mouth. He shoves his cock in, pushing it so far inside that I gag. I try to bob my head, but his hips move to fuck my face. "Keep your mouth open. You are good at never shutting up either way." He spits out, slapping my cheek. I feel my eyes tear up, both from the slap and from gagging on his cock. My body is still trying to hold onto building my high, so I hesitantly lower my hand to my core. I feel myself sleek with wetness, twitching as I rub my clit slowly. "Get your fucking hand off, princess. This is mine and only mine." He snatches my hand off and lands his hand on my pussy. "You are just a set of holes for me, aren't you? Look at you grooling... Look how pathetically wet you are for me..." He degrades me, making me more excited for him. His fingers rub from my clit, down to my entrance, before they slip into me, pumping fast. I cough around his dick, feeling saliva running from the corner of my mouth. "You are pulsing around my fucking fingers. You wanna cum?" He asks, stroking my hair with his free hand. I nod my head, my throat spasming around his cock, burning as he fucks it. "You can cum, babygirl... After I do." He chuckles on the last part, moving his fingers faster inside me. I groan, feeling my face tensing back as he thrusts faster, a bit more violently than before. He is fucking close, but that is not good enough for me. I need him to cum now, so I can cum as well. I twirl my tongue a little along the underside of his cock, hoping to make things faster for him. All that is heard are his moans and my groans, and his cursing and my gagging. He is pumping his fingers in me, banging them against my spot. I try to hold back, think of anything else but cumming, but my mind keeps rushing to the euphoric feeling I will get when I cum. "Fucking shit." He pulls his cock out of my mouth, stroking it over my face as he cums. His fingers move inside me still, and now his thumb rubs my clit in vigorous circles. I stick my tongue out and taste the cum near my mouth, causing him to sigh happily as he looks at me. "You can cum, pretty girl." He softens, gawking at me as I lick my lips. I can't see him straight since his cum is in my eyes and his fingers drive me insane. I arch my back as I cum, biting my lip as I whine.  His fingers still move, prolonging my high, but my body seems to resist him, jolting back. However, Ashton's fingers still insist on keeping me high.

"You look so perfect..." He gasps as he takes his fingers off my pussy. I still try to catch up on breathing. "Can you look at me for a second, baby?" He asks, his voice becoming as soft as velvet. I open my eyes with difficulty, just enough to be able to see him put his fingers inside his mouth. "You taste so good." He comments, stroking my hair. "My eyes burn like hell." I mumble, getting a little too tired. I feel him pick me up, carry me somewhere. "I will give you a wet towel to clean up, ok? And I will run a hot bath for us." He whispers, letting me on my feet. He handles me the cloth, which I immediately use to clean my face, blinking a couple of times as I do. I hear him turn the faucet of the hot tub on, while I feel my eyes tear up a little. "Want my help, princess?" He asks and I nod. "I have some natural tears in the cabinet. Can you help me with them?" I ask, rubbing my eyes with the towel softly. "Sure. But maybe wash off your makeup first..." He suggests and I nod.

In less than 10 minutes I am in the hot tub, sitting between Ashton's legs while a vanilla fizzer is evaporating in the hot water. I am snuggled up against Ashton, my eyes still hurting a bit but feeling much better. Ashton has his arms around my body, kissing my neck while he hums some tune for us. It is peaceful, we are in peace right now, and all I want is to spend my night in the warm water, being held by him. "Feeling good, baby?" He asks, rubbing his thumb over my thigh. I hum in approval, nestling up against him, resting my head on his pec. "I am good. Just a bit spent." I whisper, feeling my eyelids becoming heavy. "I am sorry." "You shouldn't be. I wanted it. I like it when you get a bit rough on me. It's the only time I get to experience angry Ashton in all his glory." I giggle, reaching to take his hand in mine. "Yeah, the only time you ever will, I promise." He replies, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

I did not realize how I fell asleep, or when. All I know is that I woke up in my bed, engulfed in the fluffy, warm duvet. I stretch my body and get the bedsheet off from under the duvet before I wrap it around my body and get up. I barely stumble into the kitchen, eyes still heavy from sleep, and my body shivering a bit as it tries to adjust from the warmth of the bed to the not-so-warm house. I find Ashton in front of the stove, cooking pancakes while in just his boxers. I smile and walk behind him, wrapping my arms around his body and resting my head on his back. "Good morning." I cheer with a smile on my face. "Good morning, baby. Breakfast will be ready in 5. How did you sleep?" He asks me without turning to look at me. "Good. If I am being honest, I didn't even realize I fell asleep." I chuckle, leaving a kiss on his skin. "You fell asleep in the tub. You looked too peaceful to wake you up, so I carried you out and put you to bed." He replies, turning around just to smile at me and leave a soft peck on my lips. "And you didn't bother dressing me up? Rude..." I mess with him, making him roll his eyes before turning to the stove. "I like finding you naked in the morning. The light hits your body just right." He shrugs, flipping the pancakes. "You are just making excuses and trying to get into my pants." I giggle, resting against the countertop. "You are not wearing any..." He mumbles, tilting his head to the side. "You are being so disrespectful to your girl right now." I fake being insulted. "Well, I make a really good breakfast and eat pussy way too perfect for my girl to get mad at me. So..." He turns off the stove and leans down to kiss me softly, making me smile. "That's true." I sigh and he chuckles. "Come on, let's eat. I am ravenous." He picks up the plate with pancakes and takes my hand to guide us to the dining table. "I'll bring coffee, plates, and syrup in a moment. You sit here." He drags the chair out for me, kissing my forehead before he leaves for the kitchen.

We eat in a bit of silence, comfortable silence, groaning over how good the pancakes taste. I take a sip of my coffee, without taking my eyes off of him. I study his features for a moment like it is the first time I am looking at him. "Do I have something on me?" He asks me, knitting his eyebrows together. "No." I reply, smiling. "Then why are you looking at me?" He asks. "Can I not be looking at the most handsome man alive?" I ask, bringing a smile on his face, along with a little bit of redness on his cheeks. "Ash, can I ask you something?" I ask him, taking his hand in mine. "Sure, baby. Anything you want." He replies. "Do you want to move in with me? In here?" I ask, biting my lip as I wait for his response.

My Masterlist /  Part 2

#ashton irwin #ashton fletcher irwin #ashton 5sos #ashton irwin imagine #ashton irwin smut #ashton irwin smutty #ashton irwin smut imagine #ashton irwin smutty imagine #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer imagine #5 seconds of summer smut #5 seconds of summer smutty #5 seconds of summer smut imagine #5 seconds of summer smutty imagine #5sos #5sos imagine #5sos smut #5sos smutty #5sos smut imagine #5sos smutty imagine #imagine #smut #smutty #smut imagine #smutty imagine #a.f.i #wattpad #wattpad writer

[charmingcentry]

Lie Detector

Entry for Day 3 - 20 Questions

AO3

-

It was a trend spreading across the internet, famous celebrities are taking lie detector tests and this certainly caught Chloe’s attention.

Maybe it’s because of her new life in LA with roommate bedmate Beca Mitchell, a multi-Grammy award-winning musician and herself, a high school teacher for music theory. Surely those professions aren’t exactly on the same ranking but, it couldn’t hurt to take that lie detector test, Chloe is just fairly curious. Sometimes her curiosity breaks through people’s limits.

Taking the lie detector test was an idea suggested by her seniors, nosy ones as a matter of fact - they Facebook stalked Chloe’s college years for goodness sake. When the news spread within the redhead’s music theory classroom that she personally knew Beca Mitchell and that their teacher roomed with her, Instagram stalking came next, Chloe couldn’t do anything to can her student’s loudmouths.

“How did you two meet?”

“Did she always wanted to be a musician?”

“Is that acapella group still running?”

“Are you two in love or dating?”

“Is she always busy?”

Wait, go back.

“Are you two in love or dating?”

It was a question frequently asked by Chloe’s friends, her relatives, and even her colleagues. The redhead would always have to answer dejectedly, no; they are not dating. They do the activities that people in a relationship do, other than the sex and mouth-on-mouth kissing, but they weren’t dating. Yet, there is one part of that question Chloe is quick to respond too. She is in love with Beca Mitchell and she can’t deny any part of it.

Maybe it’s because of how blunt and straightforward the brunette is or how compassionate Beca is. Her maturity level and the brunette’s witty sense of humor is what infatuated the redhead… the little bit of cleavage when the two first met also attracted Chloe. It has been over seven years since the redhead first fell for Beca, and she probably can never get over her. -

Beca’s home, for now, taking a small hiatus from her music career after arriving home from a five-month-long tour. Chloe took Beca’s break as a chance to not only spend more time with her best friend but to take that lie detector test.

Let’s just say after a classroom full of 17 and 18-year-olds pleading for their teacher to take the test with her roommate, Chloe finally gave in.

“So Beca…” The brunette perks her head up, shoveling chocolate ice cream into her mouth, Chloe laughs at the little ice cream trickling out of the corner of her mouth. “Jeez… anyway, my students have been… inquiring some sort of, offer that you may or may not be interested in doing.” The redhead utters, wiping off the ice cream with a napkin

Beca raises an eyebrow. “That’s a weird way to put it… what is it?”

“So uh, you know those lie detector test things?” Beca nods once, stealing a spoonful of Chloe’s strawberry ice cream. “Hey!” Chloe swats Beca’s hand with her own spoon, the brunette managing to steal a spoonful, sticking her tongue out playfully. “Anyway… do you maybe like, wanna take one of those? Just for fun or something.”

“Your idea of fun is being hooked up to a machine?” Beca teases, waggling her spoon around. She immediately notices her friend’s dejected face. “Hey hey, I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” She reaches to touch Chloe’s hand. “Actually sounds pretty sweet, I’m down.”

The redhead lights up, a Cheshire Cat-like grin spreading across her face. “Awes!”

A similar smile slips onto Beca’s face, a blush spreading as well. “Yeah, awes.” Chloe scoops her spoon into Beca’s cup. “Aw come on!”

“It’s payback babe.” Chloe winks, causing the brunette to immediately shut up

“Oh, whatever… where’s are we doing that… lie detector thing?” Beca asks, finishing off her ice cream

“I asked Aubrey if she knows anyone and her cousin's wife actually does those tests (“Wait were you already planning this?”). We can do it for free it’ll be fun!” Beca nods along with Chloe’s statement. “We also get to see Aubrey~ she’ll be tagging along.”

“Yay the dictator is going see me sweating my ass off,” Beca remarks sarcastically, throwing her cup in a trash can behind her.

“Oh please, as long as you answer the questions properly you’ll be fine. And Aubrey won’t be asking anything, just watching.” Beca lets out a monotone cheer. “I know you love her.”

“I do, she just… scares me.” Chloe drops her jaw. “Tell her I swear to god Beale I’ll still tell people you sleep with a nightlight.”

“Touche… anyway come on, let’s go before paparazzi ruin our hangout.” Chloe adds as she walks out the door, Beca still inside the ice cream shop.

“Yeah… hangout.”

The brunette follows Chloe down the street as they make their way to a nearby shopping mall to look for a wedding gift for Amy - she and Bumper somehow reconnected and got back together and are now marrying. Beca feels Chloe’s arm link around hers and finds herself more enlightened when making physical contact with her friend.

“Better tell the truth when the day comes Bec.” Chloe teases as the two strolls into a jewelry store. Beca rolls her eyes.

“Same thing for you Chlo… same thing for you.”

--

“Beca come on we don’t want to be late! Aubrey is already downstairs waiting.” Chloe yells, tapping her foot impatiently. She hears a thud come from the bedroom she shares with Beca and hears footsteps rapidly sprinting down the hall. She arrives at the door, breathing heavily as she stores a paper in her back pocket. “What is that?”

The brunette pushes Chloe out the door slightly and locks their apartment unit. “Questions I’ll be asking you. I thought I lost it.” The redhead slowly peers over Beca’s shoulder and the brunette begins to speed walk. “Nuh-uh Beale, gotta wait!”

Chloe lets out a frustrated groan as she puts her own list of questions into her purse. She calls the elevator to go downstairs to the condo building’s main lobby, Aubrey has been waiting for the two of them for about half an hour. The minute the elevator lands, the redhead squeals of excitement when she notices her blonde friend sitting on one of the chairs in front of the desk. The two share a tight embrace, swaying back and forth dramatically while a smile washes over Beca’s face. Aubrey notices the shorter girl and wraps her in a hug as well, the two are good friends after all.

“Let me guess… Beca was the one not ready?” Before Beca could intervene, Chloe nods enthusiastically as they all walk to Aubrey’s car. “Expected… you were late to nearly every Bellas practice.”

“Hey! My dorm building is across the campus from where we held rehearsals… and you're lucky I even went.” The blonde rolls her eyes with her smile widening as she starts the car. “But, glad to see you, Posen, it’s been a hella long time.”

“You too Beca. Now come on, I wanna see you two try to lie to one another.” The three pull out of the condo’s parking lot building as Aubrey inserts the directions to her cousin’s wife’s clinic, starting the route once the car has merged onto the main road. Although the passenger seat was empty, with the exception of notebooks and binders containing financial information about Aubrey’s lodge, Chloe sat in the backseat with the brunette, keeping her best friend company.

“How’s the lodge doin’ Posen? Last time we went was that retreat.” Beca asks, admiring the views from the moving car.

“Pretty good, it’s fun to yell at people every day other than the sore throat. How was the tour? Sorry I couldn’t make it to any of them…” Beca waves her hand dismissively

“All’s good, Chloe told me when she came to like… five of my shows was it?” Beca questions, turning her head towards Chloe who is fighting back a smile.

“Amy bought all those tickets! But yeah… I missed you! It’s lonely at home without you…”

Aubrey lets out a laugh. “The way you two talk, it’s like an old married couple.” The blonde raises an eyebrow at Chloe through the rearview mirror, merging the car onto the freeway. The redhead blushes and laughs nervously

“You’re not wrong… we had an argument about who was cooking dinner one time.” Beca adds, looking back and forth at Chloe and Aubrey through the rearview mirror. “Even though I burn everything except for Mac N Cheese.”

“Except that one time back in Brooklyn… you made Amy and me some dinner and we came home to the fire alarm blaring. We could hear it from down the hall!”

Beca and Chloe harmlessly bicker and tease one another back and forth throughout the entire car drive with Aubrey laughing along with every remark said. The two really did argue like an old married couple, the result of avoiding to tell each other about their major crushes on one another.

-

“Nice to meet you two, and Aubrey, lovely to see you again. My name is Madelaine and I will help conduct the lie detector test between you two.” The auburn-haired colored lady leads the group into a room where the polygraph is waiting. “I will be reading any sort of microscopic changes to your breathing patterns, sweat, and also blood.” Beca gulps loudly at the last word, she wasn’t very fond of blood - she once fainted after scraping her knee badly as a teenager. “Who will be going first?”

Chloe raises her hand up slightly. “I will.” Madelaine smiles at sits Beca and Chloe down on two chairs, the auburn lady grabbing the equipment for the polygraph examiner. “I will be placing these rubber tubes around your chest and abdomen, these will read your breathing patterns.” Chloe lifts her arms up as Madelaine wraps the air-filled tubes around her body. “Next up is the blood pressure cuff and, of course, will be reading your blood.” She wraps the cuff around Chloe’s upper arm. “And finally, this is the galvanic skin resistance, it will be reading the sweat emitting off of your fingertips.” After Chloe was finished being equipped in the lie detector gear, Madelaine takes a seat at the other end of the table. “Let’s start off with some basics… is your hair color really red?”

“Yes.”

Madelaine gives a thumbs-up. “Is your name really Chloe Beale?”

“Yes.”

The auburn lady smiles at signals Beca to start. Even if the brunette isn’t the one being tested, she is still sweating crazily from nervousness. She turns to Aubrey who is watching the whole event from the corner of the room, smiling at the brunette. Beca turns back to Chloe and pulls out her list of 10 questions.

“Do you enjoy living with me?” Beca asks lowly, looking at her friend straight in the eye.

“Yes.” Madelaine puts a thumbs-up after a moment of silence.

Beca moves down her list. “Have you ever held a party at our place without me knowing?”

The redhead tugs at her bottom lip and the corners of her mouth perked up. “Yes.” Madelaine gives another thumbs-up. “Just the Bellas, nothing too big.” Beca lets out a sigh of relief.

“Do you wish I was home more often?”

Without skipping a beat, Chloe responds. “Yes.” A thumbs-up comes from the polygraph examiner. Beca frowns a bit.

“Aw… I’m sorry. I’ll try to be home more.” The redhead smiles brightly at Beca. “Alright, number four… did you actually like me when you first met me?” The polygraph examiner pen frantically moves. “Friend-wise.” The pen slows back down to its regular pace.

“Yes, yes I did.” Beca turns to Madelaine and is given a thumb-up.

“Aw, see Aubrey I wasn’t that hateable.” The brunette says, turning to her friend who is watching from afar. Aubrey rolls her eyes and shoos Beca away with her hand.

Beca focuses her gaze back on Chloe. “Do you like my puns?”

The redhead mouths ‘sorry.’ “No.” An astonished brunette snaps her head towards Madelaine who gives a thumbs-up. “Your puns are just so bad sweetie.” Beca rolls her eyes as she moves further down the list.

“Oh, whatever… I know you love them… they’re punderful.” Chloe shoots a glare at her friend. “Hehe, sorry. Okay, do you really believe Lilly was possessed by Satan?” Beca notices the horrified expression that developed on Madelaine’s face. “Long story…”

Chloe slightly laughed and cleared her throat. “Oh definitely. Yes.” Madelaine narrows her eyes at the two and slowly raises a thumbs-up.

“Alright, number 7. Were you jealous of how much time I spent with Jesse back in Barden?” The brunette inquiries.

Chloe is taken aback by the sudden change of questions but remains calm. She knows she can’t lie, so she doesn’t. “Yes.” Madelaine gives Beca a thumbs-up.

“To be fair… I did want to spend more time with you…” That washes a smile over the two’s faces. “Anyway, you’re almost done uh. Okay, did you really fail Russian Lit three times just to be a Bella?”

Beca notices Aubrey break out into a coughing fit when the question was asked and Chloe goes pale. The brunette turns back around from a somewhat choking Aubrey and sees the redhead, hesitant to answer as the pens frantically move across the paper. “I… no.” The redhead says. Madelaine gives a thumbs-up.

Beca tugs at her bottom lip before reading the next one. “Did you ever date Chicago?”

“No.” It was true, the two never dated even after that passionate kiss.

“Final question then. Are you in love with someone right now?” Beca notices the polygraph pens rapidly write against the paper and then resume to its regular pattern. Chloe takes a deep breath and looks Beca straight in the eye.

“Yes.”

“Who i-

“Those were all true, good job, Chloe,” Madelaine says, as she detaches the equipment from Chloe’s body, the redhead lets out a gigantic sigh of relief of the test being over and done with. She develops an evil smile as Beca is hooked up to the machine. She looks over at Aubrey who nods her head in the general direction of Beca. Chloe’s smile only grows wider. After the test questions with Beca were over, the redhead pulls her own list out.

“Did you really want to become a Bella at first?”

Beca’s face scrunches. “No… but I don’t regret it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Chloe laughs at how panicked the last part sounded as Madelaine gives a thumbs-up.

“Don’t worry Beca, that’s all good. Alright, do you enjoy the fame?”

“Yes… actually… no.” Madelaine says to say it once more clearly. “No.” Madelaine gives a thumbs-up. “Takes up too much of my time and it’s exhausting. But the fans are worth it.”

Chloe smiles gently at her friend. “Do you like sharing a bed with me?” She notices how red Beca’s face turns as Aubrey opens her mouth in surprise.

“N-no,” Beca utters, Chloe already knowing it was a lie. Madelaine gives a thumbs-down. “Fine, I do…”

“Aw, Bec~” The redhead clears her throat after Beca shoots her a glare. “Okay okay… do you miss your ‘ear monstrosities?’” Chloe asks air quoting the last words that were said.

“No.” Madelaine gives a thumbs-up. “It was a lot of weight on my ears actually.”

“Did you change at all when you dated Jesse?”

“I- yes I did.” Chloe frowns a bit. “It’s fine really…” Madelaine gives Chloe a thumbs-up.

“Do I ever make you uncomfortable?”

Beca furrows her eyebrows a bit. “No.” Chloe feels relieved and quite surprised to see Madelaine give Chloe another thumbs-up… she really thought the brunette would lie more.

“Number seven… do you enjoy it when I hug you?”

The tips of Beca’s ears go red as the polygraph examiner pens start writing rapidly. “Yes…” Madelaine gives an amused thumbs-up, laughing slightly at how flustered Beca was by the question.

“Good to know… did Jesse really break up because of the long-distance?”

Beca gulps as she looks anywhere else except for Chloe’s eyes, she knows she can’t lie at this point. “No.” The redhead glances over at Aubrey who is smirking. “Do you love someone at the moment Beca.”

There was a moment of silence. “Yes.”

There’s no going back. “Is that someone me Beca?”

Beca looks over at Chloe for one moment then back to the floor. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

Madelaine detaches Beca from the machine, saying she passed all the questions except for the one. The auburn lady waves goodbye to the three, giving Aubrey a hug. Beca and Chloe remain silent for a bit until the blonde leaves to go to the bathroom. Chloe turns to face Beca, but the brunette is the first one to open her mouth.

“For my last question… is that someone me? Only fair for you to answer since I did…”

Chloe smiles gently at the brunette before taking her hand. “Yes, it is you. For so many years, it’s always been you.” The brunette tugs Chloe closer and wraps her arms around her neck, pulling in her crush for a tight embrace. “I love you so much Beca…”

“I- I love you too Chlo.”

Beca looks up at the redhead and smiles. Chloe is the one to close the aching gap between the two’s faces, planting her lips onto Beca’s. Her lips are soft against Chloe’s and are kissing back with the same amount of passion as the redhead. Chloe could feel as if she could cry because she’s finally gotten the girl she’s been head over heels for. They pull away hesitantly and slowly when they hear Aubrey’s heels come back from down the hall. After seeing the two pressing foreheads with one another, the blonde knew what was happening.

A lie detector test wasn’t so bad after all.

#bechloe week 2019 #bechole #beca mitchell #chloe beale #enjoy

[justlookfrightened]

Houston Chronicles, Part 21

Read the beginning here. Read the last installment here.

“Marcus, you date a lot, right?’

“Not during playoffs,” Marcus said, changing into his gym clothes. “Besides, you have Eric, right?”

“I’m trying,” Jack said. “I want to take him out to dinner. On a date. Really special. I was hoping you would have some recommendations. Maybe somewhere we could go tonight.”

“Tonight?” Marcus said. “Let me think. He likes food, right? So not just steaks. There’s one really good place, but no way you can get it tonight.”

“I can pay,” Jack said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Marcus said. “You need at least a couple of weeks, and we should be busy then, yes?”

“I hope so,” Jack said. “I was hoping to take him out for one good date before the craziness starts.”

“Give me some ideas. You want barbecue? Asian fusion? Mexican?” Marcus asked. “You have something to celebrate?”

Later, Jack found himself in the lobby of Bitty’s building, in dress shoes and slacks, open-collared shirt and sport coat. He tried to remember the last time he’d dressed up specifically to impress someone -- not because of a dress code, written or unwritten, but because he wanted one particular person to think he looked good, and to know he made an effort to do it for them.

Maybe Bitty’s graduation from Samwell? But that was more to make Bitty’s parents realize they couldn’t intimidate him. Or maybe it was to intimidate them, which didn’t sound very good, even in his own mind.

Instead of buzzing him in, Bitty texted, Be right down.

A minute or two later, Bitty himself appeared, also dressed in slacks and sport coat, but with a jaunty bow tie.

“I don’t usually go with the tie during the day here,” Bitty said. “Especially at work. But I thought you might like it. What’s our plan?”

“Starting with dinner at a place called Xochi,” Jack said. “Marcus and Foxy both said it was good, and that you’d find it more interesting than a steakhouse or seafood place.”

“It’s supposed to be delicious,” Bitty said. “What then?”

“Maybe a walk?” Jack said. “I thought about a concert or a play or something, but we need to spend some time talking. Like a first date. Get to know each other.”

“Sounds lovely,” Bitty said. “Shall we?”

“I drove,” Jack said.

“Still the same car?” Bitty asked. “You did like this car.”

“No need to change it,” Jack said. 

Jack started the car and turned on the air conditioner. It amazed him that he needed in in early April, but it wasn’t so much the temperature as the humidity. His hands felt clammy on the steering wheel. Or maybe that was nerves.

“Um, do you mind if I just park where I’m staying?” Jack said. “The restaurant’s just a five-minute walk. But I don’t want you to think I have ulterior motives.”

“That’s fine,” Bitty said. “And I don’t have any objections to seeing where you’re staying. We’re both grown-ups.”

“We just need to act like it?” Jack suggested, cracking a small grin.

“Well, maybe not too much,” Bitty said. “We had a lot of fun together.”

“We did,” Jack said.

Once they were seated and had their orders taken (tuna appetizer, the half chicken for Jack, the quail for Bitty), Jack just looked at Bitty. Bitty, for once, didn’t seem to know what to say either.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Jack finally said. “Everything I want to say leads to the past, but I don’t want to dwell on that.”

“It’s kind of hard not to mention the past, given our history,” Bitty said. “All our friends in common, even our families … but there’s no need to dwell. Maybe we focus on catching up to where we are now? What are your parents up to these days?”

“Well, Papa still commentates on the Habs games,” Jack said. “Which means he’s frustrated at being at loose ends in April again. His real estate investments seem to be doing well. Oh, and he’s starting that foundation he used to talk about, the one that would bring hockey programs into underserved areas. He got that idea from you, you know.”

“He’s finally doing that?” Bitty said. “I thought he decided he wouldn’t be able to have enough of an effect to do much good.”

“He’s got some of his friends on board,” Jack said. “I think the pilot is going to be Atlanta -- they’ll start with bigger cities where there are rinks, just no low-cost ways for families to access the game. Then they want to get the clubs to help too. Most of them do things in their own cities, but maybe have them support a program in their AHL cities as well. Something like that.”

“So he wants American kids to be as hockey-crazy as Canadians?” “And Minnesotans,” Jack said. “And kids from the northeast.”

“Gotta keep kids off the streets by handing them spears and strapping blades to their feet, right?” Bitty said. “And then telling them to go run into each other.”

“It sounds crazy when you say it like that,” Jack said.

“What about your mother?” Bitty asked.

“I don’t how many charity boards she sits on,” Jack said. “Mostly arts groups around Boston and in Montreal. She might teach a class on the business of entertainment for women or something like that at Samwell next year.”

“Fancy,” Bitty said. “I guess that MBA she earned is coming in handy?”

“Yeah,” Jack said. “When I was a kid, I didn’t get why she’d go back to school. It seemed like so much work, when she’d be gone for class and then working in her office at home. But she liked it. I think maybe it’s one of the things that made me want to go to college.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Bitty said.

“Really?” Jack said. “After everything?”

“Yes, really,” Bitty said. “You make it sound like everything’s in the past and we have no future, though.”

“I hope we do,” Jack said. “I want to say just tell me everything I did wrong so I can fix it, but I don’t think it works that way.”

“Jack, sweet pea, don’t take this the wrong way, but do you have a therapist here? In Houston?”

Bitty asked.

Jack shook his head.

“Not yet,” he said. “I’ve been doing phone appointments with Sydney in Boston.”

“Maybe you should find one sooner than later,” Bitty said. “It’s just -- you took nearly two days to return a text. And it’s -- not fine, but I understand. But maybe you should have someone to help you, someone that you see face-to-face? I know it’s much harder for me to hide things that way.”

“You bit the bullet and went to therapy?” Jack said. “What made you go?”

“Hush,” Bitty said. “You know I had a psychologist helping me with my checking problem in school.”

“I know Murray made you go,” Jack said. “The times I suggested therapy after you graduated, you acted like I was insulting you.”

“I was scared,” Bitty said. “I didn’t want to have to tell another human being how unhappy I was. I was working so hard at keeping up the ‘everything’s hunky dory’ front. Then when I first left, I couldn’t afford it. But I spent some time with someone here deconstructing some of my hangups. And I know it’s my fault that I didn’t communicate my unhappiness to you earlier, and I’m sorry for that. And I’m sorry for abandoning you so abruptly. But really, I’m not that good of an actor, and you never noticed I wasn’t thriving. And when I did say something, you laughed at me for thinking I deserved more.”

“No, Bits, not that,” Jack said. “You deserve every good thing. I didn’t get why you wanted to work so much, though. That seemed strange. And if I wasn’t so wrapped up in myself, maybe I would have understood that. Or maybe you would have tried to explain it instead of just trying to keep me happy. Which I understand wasn’t a healthy thing for either of us. And I’m sorry for that.”

“Sounds like you listened to Sydney, at least some of the time,” Bitty said. “And here we are, dwelling on the past … How do you like the food?”

“It’s delicious,” Jack said. “One of the best things I’ve eaten that you didn’t cook. What about you? I have to tell Marcus and Foxy what you thought.”

“It’s great,” Bitty said. “This is delicious. I really like the flavor the bacon gives it.”

“What about your parents?” Jack said. “You said you’re getting along better. How are they doing these days?”

“Coach is really hoping for a state championship before he retires in a few years,” Bitty said. “He’s already got his eye on an eighth-grader who he things will be the quarterback to do it. Mama’s part-time at the pediatrician’s office. And we are getting along, but I think it’s easier with me being a few states away.”

“I can see that,” Jack said. “I can’t have any, but do you want dessert?”

“That chocolate mousse is calling my name,” Bitty said.

“Bitty! Bitty!” Jack whispered.

“Hush, you,” Bitty said. “When’s the last time you talked to Shitty? Besides a couple of days ago?”

************************

Read the next installment

#omgcheckplease #omg check please #zimbits #omg houston chronicles #my fic

[teamhook]

My Fics Retold:

Hello. So I’ve decided to do a relaunch of my WIPs. When I first started writing them I was so afraid of getting a Beta because I was insecure about my writing. I know I’m not the best, but I wanted to write about my OTP. I finally got over my fear. They are Beta'ed by the amazing @ilovemesomekillianjones I wanted to show that I’m not abandoning any story. No fic left behind. Thanks for reading!

Cover By the lovely @hookedonapirate

Tagged a few friends: @revanmeetra87  @hookedonapirate @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @ilovemesomekillianjones @kymbersmith-90 @kmomof4 @djlbg @mayquita @andiirivera @thesschesthair @pirateherokillian @onceuponaprincessworld @aprilqueen84 @snowbellewells @resident-of-storybrooke  @branlovestowrite  @sherlockianwhovian  @shireness-says @tiganasummertree  @dassala @onceuponaprincessworld @let-it-raines @profdanglaisstuff @stophookingatmeswan  @optomisticgirl  @gingerchangeling  @xemmaloveskillianx @xhookswenchx    

|AO3| |FFN|

Summary: Modern AU about a guy that remakes himself into a womanizer after a broken-heart. Yes, it is a cliché but the twist comes in the shape of his 15-year-old niece that wishes out into the stars and then some kind of magic happens. This story is inspired by the movie “What Women Want”. Captain Swan AU, there will be other ships but the main pair is Captain Swan.

~~~~~

Chapter 1

Killian Jones is the epitome of a man’s man, he’s admired, a true alpha, and other men want to be him. He has a way with the ladies, but he doesn’t understand a thing about them. At least he doesn’t now.  Yep, he knows how to please a woman, but once the thrill of the chase is done, so is he.

But, Killian Jones wasn't always the womanizer he is now. Once upon a time, he'd been head over heels in love with his college girlfriend, Milah. In his eyes, they'd been in love and monogamous. He'd wanted to marry her. He was young but he hadn't cared; if his brother Liam could find his soulmate at a young age, why couldn't he?

He was on his way to surprise his love with an unexpected romantic visit, armed with a ring in his coat pocket. He was on his way to propose to his Milah. It started to sprinkle and the light showers made for a romantic setting. He noticed a sports car parked across the entrance of the dorms and as he got closer, he saw Milah run out of her dorm covering her head from the assaulting raindrops, and into the mysterious car.

He rushed over, assuming she was headed out with friends, only to witness his longtime girlfriend kissing a stranger. Not knowing what else to do, he knocked on the window. She looked at him coldly as she lowered it, she didn't even look sorry. Before he could say a word she ended things. "We are over, Killian. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way that you do. You are suffocating me."

Just like that his life was over, or at least life as he knew it. She'd never loved him. The car pulled away and all he could do was drop to his knees. "I loved you, I wanted you to be my wife," he whispered into the silence that surrounded him. In that moment, his heart broke.

He dragged himself back home, and he allowed himself to breakdown. As time passed, one thought emerged, "Good guys finish last." He had been a model boyfriend and it had been for naught.

Killian Jones picked up the pieces of his shattered life, and when he started to put them back together, the sweet, idealistic, young, innocent man was no more. He focused on his studies, shut everyone out other than for physical intimacy here and there. He joined a gym, got a personal trainer. As he came into his looks, women flocked to him, and the more unavailable he seemed, the more they wanted him. He doggedly pursued his career in advertising, and his hyper focus, take no prisoners ideals got him to the top quickly. Over the years, Killian became a very different man, he'd evolved into a successful, irresistible, bachelor bad boy.

…

Dark tousled hair falls over his eyes as he sits up, rudely awoken by the loud noise emitted from the vacuum cleaner outside of his bedroom. His eyes are red from the lack of sleep after a late night of enjoyable activities.

"Bloody hell, don't you ever knock?" Killian throws his pillow at the offending woman now in his bedroom.

"I did, and besides you and I know that if I wasn't here to wake you, you would always be late for work." Granny Lucas temporarily turns off the vacuum and throws the pillow right back at his face.

"The only reason I put up with your attitude is because I love the way you cook." He gets up and stretches, unphased by Granny's presence.

"Don't get cranky with me! It's not my fault you went out drinking and who knows what else till all hours of the morning. Oh, and I don't like finding these stuffed in your sofa." Granny holds out a pair of red panties in his direction as she looks around the room to see what kind of mess is in there. She flings the trashy panties into the trash can and walks out without another word.

Standing in the middle of his large bedroom chuckling at Granny's outburst, he decides it's time to get ready for work. It is a special day after all. He will be getting that promotion he has been coveting.

Killian makes his way to the bathroom and takes a quick shower before trimming his beard and mustache. He almost forgets to put in some eye drops to hide his late night.

He dons an onyx black suit with a dark blue tie that matches his eyes, then smirks and winks to himself as he takes one last look at the mirror.

He knows his eyes are one of his finest assets, so he dresses to emphasize them, allowing them to draw an audience.

As he's exiting his building, he spots his door woman and smirks as she eyes him up and down. She smiles appreciatively at him and waves for a cab. Unbeknownst to Killian, as he walks towards the cab she appreciates his form and thinks, "Mmm hmm." She admired his form while he stood there completely unaware of the woman's thoughts.

He instructs the cab driver to make a quick stop at the local coffee shop, The Jolly Bean. He swaggers inside the small shop almost knocking over an unsuspecting pretty woman. Smiling, he backs up and holds the door for her. "I'm sorry love; I wasn't watching where I was going."

She looks up and meets those sea colored eyes. "Oh, it's fine; I was the one that should have been paying more attention."

"No darling, I'm happy taking the blame for this wonderful encounter. If it would have been any other way, perhaps we would have missed the opportunity of meeting. My name is Killian Jones." He holds her gaze and extends his hand.

Her eyelashes flutter as she gives him her hand. "My name is Haylee."

"It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm sure." They continue with their light flirtation as she gives him her phone number and leaves.

He now realizes he has spent the last five minutes flirting instead of getting his coffee. He hopes the cab driver is still outside waiting for him. He walks up to the counter and smiles at the barista.

"Hello Killian, the usual?"

"Hello love, aye may I have an Americano, black, Grande."

She smirks and repeats his order to the trainee. "You said Grande correct?"

"Aye, would you like to confirm my size?" He waggles his eyebrows.

"Killian, I have told you before I'm not your type."

"Lila, if you truly want me to stop flirting with you, all you have to do is say the word."

She looks past him to the following customer, so Killian moves out of the way while waiting for a response.

"Hello, what can I get you today?"

The flustered man is about to answer but is interrupted by Killian. "This will just take a sec."

"Lila, love, an answer would be appreciated."

"Killian, please stop flirting with me. Look, even if I wanted to go out with you I can't, I'm trying to focus on my acting career. I go to auditions and then have to come here. To be honest, I don't need the distraction."

"I will stop as requested, but darling you look so tense. We could continue talking about this over dinner tonight, how about we meet here around 8:30 P.M.?"

"Oh, that sounds really nice."

"So it's a date?"

"Yes, it is, thank you."

The next customer in line is in awe at the scene before him.

Killian smiles at Lila as he grabs his coffee and winks her way.

"I'm sorry mate."

"No, it was worth it, that was inspiring."

"I know." Killian then pats his latest pupil on the shoulder and leaves the coffee shop.

Killian is thankful the taxi cab is still waiting for him, he'll reward him with a nice tip. He relaxes a bit as the taxi drives towards his office at one of the top five ad agencies in the city, Midas-Knightley.

The receptionist, Elaine is answering the phone as Killian crosses the lobby. He winks at her, and she becomes noticeably flustered.

When he exits the elevator at his floor, the always lively Will Scarlett is approaching him.

"Jones, did you hear?"

"Hello Scarlett, hear what?"

"Bacardi and BMW are looking for a new ad agency."

"Oh that, I know, I'm all over it."

They continue walking to Killian's office, enthralled in their small conversation.

"So what happened with the girl from last night? She excused herself because she had an early morning."

"Don't worry Scarlett, I had her in bed by eleven."

"Mate, you are a bloody genius, I don't know how you do it. And you must be excited about your promotion."

"I am extremely excited, and if you ask me I would say it is overdue. I have a meeting with George this morning."

"Let's have lunch at Wonderland to celebrate?"

"I have to decline; I have lunch plans with my brother and his wife. They've some big news they are dying to tell me."

#Captain Swan #CS Crew #CS Mafia #cs ff au #csromcom19

[aquaminwrites]

Skin Deep: 09

Pairing: Yoongi x Tattoo Artist!Reader (M/F) Genre: Friends to lovers, slow burn. Smut. Rating: 18+ Warnings: Explicit sexual content, dirty talk, unprotected sex (stay safe!) Word Count: 9K

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 (links removed due to tumblr issue)

A/N: SMUT, FINALLY! The next chapter is the end. Thank you for your patience with this one, it took longer to write than I expected. Let me know what you think! Also, pardon any mistakes, I tried by best while editing. Enjoy!

“This can only end badly.”

“Yoongi, I trust you.”

“Are you sure? Because this seems like a not-so-great idea.”

“Yoongi. I trust you.”

“What if I fuck it up? And then it’s on you forever? How am I supposed to forgive myself if I—”

“Yoongi.”

His eyes finally fall on you, wide with panic. You slip your arms around your boyfriend’s waist, palms gently rubbing against the bare skin of his lower back under his shirt. You’re smiling that insolent grin as you look up at him, a slight shake to your head as you chuckle.

“Baby, I trust you. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I didn’t. Besides, you told me the other day that you wanted to try tattooing.”

Yoongi huffs, arms circling you out of habit. “Yeah, but I meant like…on a grapefruit. Or synthetic skin. When you said I could try, I didn’t think you meant on you.”

You shake your head with a laugh, unlatching yourself from his body and dragging him towards your station. Tonight was supposed to be yours and Yoongi’s date night—the original plan was to go out to dinner, nothing too fancy, and maybe go see a movie. But your appointment today had gone late, and so the plans had to change.

Yoongi shakes his head, wondering how it is that you can be so flippant about marking up your skin, especially on a whim by someone who isn’t even a professional. But then again, that’s part of the reason he likes you so much. You’re his opposite, in a lot of ways. More outspoken, more outgoing, better looking—even though you vehemently disagree, if only to get him to blush.

He also finds, over dating you for the last month and a half, that he can’t say no to you. And so he doesn’t.

He has to admit that he’s been pretty excited about the idea of trying out tattooing, even if it’s just once. He knows he doesn’t have the skill set or the hand-eye coordination to be any good, but he can’t help but be fascinated by it, especially when you start to speak so passionately on the subject.

Yoongi remembers how he was all those months ago, how disgusted he had been when Jungkook told him that he’d made a tattoo appointment with an artist he’d never heard of before. And now he can’t picture himself without you beside him, especially now that the two of you have officially started dating.

Yoongi has been true to his word, allowing you the time and space you needed and trying not to rush you into anything you weren’t ready for. The two of you have kissed, and have come dangerously close on more than one occasion to stepping over that line and just getting lost in one another, but it hasn’t happened just yet.

Not that either of you don’t want to. Yoongi can see it in the way your gaze lingers just a touch too long—especially recently. The tension grows thicker and thicker every day, to the point where just being able to touch you or hold you has the blood stirring between Yoongi’s legs. He has to try extra hard to keep himself calm, which is no easy feat when he catches you staring at him and biting your lip.

Your station is already fully set up and ready to go, the small stencil of a music note—an eighth note, to be exact—prepped on the countertop. You take a seat in the client’s chair, placing your wrist on the flat armrest that is wrapped with plastic and a medical bib. You point at the box of black latex gloves and beam at him.

“Go on. You remember how to stencil, right?”

Yoongi lets out a whine, but sits down in the artist’s chair anyway. He snaps on the gloves and then makes sure to follow all the steps as you guide him through the process—wipe the skin with alcohol first to disinfect, apply a thin layer of the stencil gel, and then place the stencil very, very carefully.

You decide to get a music note at the base of your wrist because Yoongi is a musician and you find his passion for his art inspiring and definitely something to emulate. When you’d told Yoongi about the tattoo you wanted him to do for you, he’d sputtered in protest.

“Isn’t it bad luck to get a tattoo for your significant other? And isn’t that like…the one thing that everyone says not to do when getting tattooed?”

You shrug, obviously nonplussed. “I have a full sleeve, neck piece, and an unfinished back all done by my ex-fiancé. I clearly do not care.” Your smile turns coy, and you scoot closer to Yoongi on the couch, walking your fingers up his chest as you press light, teasing kisses to his jawline. “Besides…what if I want you to mark me up, baby?”

Yoongi wonders if he should keep a tally of how many cold showers he’s had to take in the last month.

Peeling away the now-damp stencil paper, thanks to the wetness of the gel, Yoongi puts it aside and looks up at you with apprehensive eyes as you examine the placement.

“Is it okay?”

You reward him with a kiss on the forehead. “It’s perfect.”

“Perfect,” Yoongi repeats, sounding somewhat sarcastic as he eyes your hot pink rotary as if it’s grown a set of horns and rows upon rows of sharp, blade-like teeth. You’ve set everything up for him, so all he needs to do is pick up the machine and give it the old college try.

Yoongi flexes his fingers slightly before he goes to pick the damn thing up, and he’s suddenly reminded of the first time he’d ever had sex.

“Why do I feel like a virgin all over again?” He grumbles, wetting a piece of paper towel with a mixture of soap and water.

You can’t help but laugh at that, reaching up to brush some of the fringe away from his eyes. “Because you’re doing something nerve-wracking for the first time. Don’t worry, you’re gonna do great.”

Yoongi huffs out a breath, and tries to get himself into the zone. He grips the machine and dips the tip of the needle into the ink cap, making sure to check if the stencil is dry before going in. He feels you watching him intently, making sure he does everything right and in the proper order as his foot hits the pedal to run the machine. The familiar buzzing fills his ears and he tries to control the way his hand shakes as he goes in for the first line.

The tattoo itself is tiny, barely larger than one square centimetre. But to Yoongi, it might as well be the size of an entire bodysuit with how nervous he is and with how much sweat is gathering at his brow. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees you scrunch up your nose in a wince, and he immediately moves the needle away.

“Oh my god, are you okay? Did I fuck up? Are you hurt? Jesus, I—”

“Yoongi!” You’re laughing now, and you use your free hand to pull him in for a quick kiss. “It’s a tattoo. It’s meant to hurt. And the wrist is never a fun spot to get tattooed anyway, all the muscles and tendons and stuff. I’m fine, I promise. Plus, you’re almost done, you just need to fill in that little part there, on the tail of the note. There you go, now give it a wipe and see if any spots need touching up…”

Yoongi diligently wipes the excess ink off your skin and you take your wrist back, holding it close to your face with a scrutinizing brow to check for any major fuck-ups. His face is still tense as you move it away, but finally relaxes when he sees you smiling from ear to ear. You reach out and cup his face, kissing both his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and then his mouth.

“It’s perfect,” you grin against his lips. “Thank you.”

He helps you bandage up the tattoo, his hands still shaking from the adrenaline. You show him this new product you got in the mail as a sample, a clear adhesive bandage called Second Skin that you place over top of the tattoo. Reading off the instructions on the back, you gather that it’s meant to maintain a wet heal rather than a regular dry heal like you normally do—the benefit being that you don’t have to worry about the traditional healing process. You figure that since the piece is small, it’ll be a good way to test out the product before selling it to your clients.

“It’s getting pretty late,” Yoongi notices, checking his phone once everything has been torn down and properly sanitized. You’re both standing in the lobby of the studio, leaning against the front desk. “Did you still want to grab dinner somewhere?”

You’re checking your phone as well, frowning slightly as you browse through the restaurants in the area. “Hmm. Why don’t you just come over to my place for dinner? I think I have some stuff in the fridge, I can cook something.”

Yoongi can’t help but raise an eyebrow. In the time that you two have officially been dating, he still hasn’t been over to your apartment. It seems almost monumental, like you’re taking the next step forward in your relationship. He tries to sound casual, though he probably fails, as he replies, “Yeah, sure. You know, uh, I can cook too, if you need any help with anything.”

“And you cook?” You tease, arms looping around his middle. “My boyfriend is such a catch.”

Yoongi chuckles, shaking his head. “You know, we would get a lot more done if you just stopped flirting with me all the time.”

You detach yourself from him, shooting him a wink from over your shoulder as you gather your things, knowing full well that Min Yoongi requires you to flirt with him at least once a day or he’ll die. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Yoongi runs a hand through his hair and sighs fondly, shrugging on his leather jacket over his oversized zip-up hoodie. “You’re going to be the death of me, babe.”

—

The bus ride to your apartment is thick with a tension that Yoongi doesn’t want to name. He looks over at you, staring contentedly out the window, your fingers interlaced with his. He can’t help but smile at the sight, and when you catch him staring, you simply give his hand a squeeze and adjust to lean your head against his shoulder.

When you unlock the main door and Yoongi steps over the threshold, he realizes that this is the first time he’s ever set foot into your building. You lead him silently to the elevator, and press the number for the 8th floor. By the time you actually reach your apartment, Yoongi is sure he’s scratched a bald spot behind his ear out of anxiety.

You lead him inside, and can’t help but giggle at the sight of him taking everything in.

“Wow,” he manages, eyes roaming everywhere as you flick on all the lights. “Your apartment is way nicer than mine.”

“Hey,” you protest. “I like your apartment.”

“But we could have spent so much time hanging out here,” Yoongi pretends to whine, spinning in a circle with his arms outstretched as you roll your eyes and wander into the kitchen.

Your apartment is much more modern, being in a newer building than Yoongi’s. The front door opens to an open concept living room and kitchen, with a marble-top island opposite the sink for more counter space. A modern looking couch faces a large television on the other end of the room, and also serves to further separate the two areas.

The living room itself is cozy and can only be described as an extension of your shop. The walls are painted a dark wine berry, and white Christmas lights have been hung all around the perimeter of the room. It brings out the warmth in the colour of the paint, and immediately has Yoongi feeling nostalgic. For what, he can’t quite place.

Framed art lines the walls—some odd vintage posters of palm readings and human anatomy, as well as art prints signed by names that Yoongi identifies as tattoo artists that you admire. He’s just dodging around the coffee table to look at your shelf of oddities when you call to him from the kitchen.

“Want some wine? I have a pinot noir. Not that I know what that means, but it’s red.”

Yoongi can’t help the huff of laughter that escapes. “Yeah. Sure.”

He hears you pouring two glasses as he goes back to examining your things. You appear behind him and offer him the wine, which he swirls around for a second before taking a long, drawn out sip. He pretends not to notice as your eyes trail down to his throat, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows.

“I never asked you where you find these things,” Yoongi mentions, gesturing to the animal skull taxidermy. “Do you just buy them online, or…?”

You chuckle, sipping at your own glass. Your cheeks are already beginning to go red, something that Yoongi has discovered only happens when you drink wine. “At tattoo conventions, actually. One of the vendors is a good friend of mine, and all his stuff is ethically sourced. He’s reliable, and I wouldn’t buy from anyone else.”

Yoongi nods and returns to looking at all the little gadgets and odds and ends that you’ve collected over the years. There’s a vintage book on tattooing, a few very old looking Polaroid cameras, a pocket watch, quartz crystals, and a few framed photos.

One is of you with your parents, looking like it’s from a birthday a few years ago, judging by the fact that your tattoos are incomplete and your hair is a lot shorter. Another one is of you and Junghyun, dressed in your graduation robes, both of you smiling from ear to ear with your degrees in hand.

The last photo that you have framed on your shelf is one that Yoongi isn’t expecting to see. It’s of the two of you. The photo is black and white and a little grainy, and he can instantly tell from the style of the photograph that it was taken by Taehyung. It’s from your first date, that night the two of you ran into Jimin and Taehyung at the carnival. You’re sitting at the picnic bench, looking bashfully down at your lap as Yoongi leans into you, a smile reaching all the way up to his eyes as he regards you as if you created every galaxy in the universe.

You steal Yoongi’s empty wine glass and place it, along with your own, onto the coffee table. He feels you wrap your arms around his middle from behind, noticing when you place a kiss to the back of his shoulder.

His hands come to cover your own. “I didn’t know Tae had this film developed yet.”

You rise onto your tip toes and place your chin on his shoulder. “I asked him if he could show me before he shows you.”

Yoongi snorts. “Traitor.” After a pause, he adds, “Kind of surprised you don’t still have a photo of Namjoon up or something.”

You frown, dropping your arms from around his waist to hold his hand properly. You rub your free palm along his forearm in gentle, comforting circles. You and Namjoon had decided to rekindle your friendship, and things are going surprisingly well. He still gives you some distance, which you appreciate, but you can tell that Yoongi is still a little jealous when you meet up with him for coffee or to catch up. You reassure him every time that there’s nothing there between you and your ex, but you also know that he can’t help but worry.

“Why would I have photos of Joon up in my apartment?” You ask him with a quiet melancholy. You hate seeing Yoongi even a little bit upset, and you can tell right now that he’s got a whole mess of emotions swimming around in his head right now. “He doesn’t make me happy. You do. You’re the one that makes my heart race, and you’re the one that makes me smile every day. It’s you, Yoongi. And you’re all I need.”

Maybe it’s your words. Maybe it’s the wine. But when Yoongi turns to look at you, and it’s not like he’s seeing you for the first time—it’s like he can’t imagine his life before you. It’s just as you said all those months ago. His eyes roam over your face, taking everything in that has become so familiar to him, memorizing every detail that he already knows by heart: the slope of your nose, the way your eyelashes fan across your cheek every time you blink up at him full of wonder, the way your lips gently part as you inch closer and closer…

Yoongi loves you. He loves you.

He doesn’t remember exactly when he knew, but seeing you now, looking up at him like he’s the only truth you’ve ever known, it overwhelms him and grips his heart so strongly that he fears it might burst forth from his chest. He finds himself pulled into your orbit, every thought in his brain circling on you, you, you, until he grows dizzy with want.

His warm palm comes to caress the side of your face, his thumb gently running across the smoothness of your cheek bone. He has so much he wants to say, three little words dancing on the tip of his tongue. But instead, his other hand presses against your lower back and draws you to him, your tiny intake of breath causing him to quirk up his lips in the tiniest grin. And when his lips meet yours, the universe slots back into place.

This kiss is pure fire—nothing but heat and an overwhelming sensation that threatens to consume you both in your entirety. Yoongi’s tongue slips into your mouth and he moans as you open up for him, fingers tangling in his hair, your body staying flush against him.

“Yoongi,” you gasp as his lips trail down to your neck, biting and sucking a path as he goes. “I want you so bad. Please.”

“Oh?” He can’t help but tease, grinding his hips into yours as your eyes roll to the back of your head. “What do you want me to do to you, kitten?”

You suck in the tiniest breath at the mention of the pet name, your eyes searching his. After a beat, you rise up, bringing him back in for a kiss. You tug on his lower lip just a little with your teeth as you pull away, batting your eyelashes up at him.

“I want you inside of me. Please Yoongi, please…”

Yoongi stares down at you with hungry eyes, and then suddenly you’re yelping as he’s hoisting you up. Your legs are around his waist as he moves faster than you’ve ever seen him in the direction of your room. You swear you hear him mutter, “Well, twist my arm,” as he practically kicks down your bedroom door.

You giggle into his shoulder, nipping at the pale skin at the base of his neck. You feel him swallow against your lips, and then suddenly your back is bouncing against your mattress, and Yoongi’s body is covering yours.

His hands are everywhere, tugging your shirt overhead and attacking zipper on your jeans. You’re no better. You push his hoodie off his shoulders, sliding your palms under his shirt and along his back. You lift it off, bringing him back down for a kiss, and Yoongi groans as you part your thighs for him, clad only in your bra and panties. His mouth is on yours again in a second, and he takes in a sharp inhale as you arch your back to grind against his growing bulge from below.

“You still have your pants on,” you whine, your hands wandering down to his fly. The amount of wiggling has Yoongi’s pants growing even tighter and he lifts himself off of you, standing up so that he can shuck off his jeans as quickly as possible.

He swears he only looks away for a second as the denim bunches around his ankles, but when he looks up, you’re sitting up on your heels, gazing at him as he stands in only his tented boxers with heated cheeks and a look that he can only describe as wonder. He offers you a small smile, knowing that he’s got the exact same expression on his face.

It’s then that Yoongi notices the tattoo that decorates your sternum and part of your stomach, just below the line of your bra. It’s a mandala done in dot work, framing the curve of your breasts and coming down to a point a few inches above your navel. Yoongi can’t help but stare, never having seen you without a shirt on before, before returning to your eyes. He watches as you take in a deep, shaky breath, and then your hands move to your back to unhook your bra. You let it fall away, and Yoongi can’t help the curse that escapes.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, crawling back over you and kissing you deeply.

He uses one arm to prop himself up at the elbow, his free hand running up along the side of your body until he’s cupping your breast. His thumb flicks over your hardened nipple, tongues dancing together as you moan into his mouth.

“Let me take care of you,” Yoongi pants as he moves his thumb to hook the lacy band of your panties. “Please, Y/N, let me taste you.”

He can’t help but think of how cute you are as your eyes widen slightly, biting at your lower lip. You can only give him a tiny nod, and he kisses you once, twice, three times before trailing south. Yoongi takes his time with you, pulling dark bruises with his lips and teeth along the sensitive skin of your neck and chest, stopping along the way to lavish attention onto your breasts and nipples.

Your fingers thread through his hair and he welcomes the way your nails drag along his scalp. He especially loves the tiny tugs when his mouth encloses on your nipple and he starts to suck—your back arches off the bed and he slides his hands underneath you so that he can press you more firmly against him. He moves to the other one, making sure to tease you with his teeth and you gasp, tugging at his roots desperately.

“Yoongi, please—”

“Patience, sweetheart,” he growls lightly, his tongue dipping in the valley between your breasts, the tip trailing down to trace along the patterns inked into your skin. The kisses he places along your sternum and your stomach are wet, messy, and loud, causing the tiny hairs on your arms to stand up straight. Your thighs are practically flat against the bed, that’s how open and ready you are for him.

It takes what feels like an eternity before Yoongi finally makes it to your clothed centre, and he can see plain as day how soaked you are.

Yoongi runs his tongue along your clothed slit, and you yelp, your thighs snapping halfway shut at the sensation. Your hands fly up to cover your face, and Yoongi can’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“You’re shy,” he goads, kissing along your inner thighs as he presses them back down against the bed. “I can’t believe that you, Y/N, someone who lives her life out loud and always has something to say, is getting shy in bed.”

Your hands don’t shift from your face as you mumble, “You make me nervous.”

Yoongi immediately rises and crawls back up to meet your eyes, softly grasping your wrists to get them to move. When he finally gets you to look at him with gentle prodding, he tells you, “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. It’s okay.”

“It’s not that,” you promise, cupping his face with your hands. “I just…can’t believe this is finally happening, that’s all. I haven’t been with anyone in over a year so I’m just…it’s been a while.”

Yoongi winks and begins to scoot back down between your thighs. “Guess I’ll just have to ease you back into it then, huh?”

You bite your lip in anticipation, and watch as he slides your panties down your legs and discards them on the floor. “Please do.”

Yoongi’s thumbs massage small circles against your inner thighs as he takes in the sight of you bare before him. Your pussy is glistening with wetness, and Yoongi can’t help himself.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he praises before dives in, tongue lapping at your folds as your fingers tangle themselves into his hair again. His large, warm palms flatten your thighs to the bed, pinning you down so you’re unable to move. You cry out as his tongue enters you, the wet, messy sounds coming from his sinful mouth spurring you closer to the edge already.

Yoongi can already feel you starting to clench, so he moves to circle your clit with the tip of his tongue, one of his fingers slowly pushing its way into you.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he growls. You learn very, very quickly that Yoongi has a filthy mouth. And you fucking love it—especially when it latches itself to your most sensitive areas. “I want you to come, baby. Want you to come all over my face and on my fingers,” he says as he adds a second finger, allowing them both to curl against the roof of your pussy.

His fingers massage along your walls in search of something, and you feel Yoongi smiling against your mons as he finds it; that rough patch of skin that brings you such deep pleasure. You let out a cry that somewhat resembles his name as he starts to pump his fingers in and out of you at a fast, rough pace. His mouth latches onto your clit as he switches between quick, light flicks of his tongue and harder sucks, whatever it takes to get you to writhe beneath him.

It doesn’t take long before you find yourself teetering close to the edge, your fingers gripping his hair, and his free arm thrown over your hips to keep you from bucking too hard. Yoongi can feel the fluttering sensation as it starts, and he grins up at you with insolent eyes.

“You gonna come, baby? You gonna be a good girl and come for me while I finger fuck you?”

“Y-yes,” you gasp, trying your best to keep your eyes on him. “Yoongi, I’m gonna come, ‘m gonna—”

“Come for me,” he breathes against your wetness, pumping his fingers even faster. “Come now.”

As soon as he finishes speaking, Yoongi sucks on your clit, hard. You scream and feel the flood gates burst open, your back arching clear off the bed. You swear you must have ripped a chunk of hair from Yoongi’s scalp, but he’s too preoccupied with prolonging your pleasure for as long as he possibly can. His fingers still work you through your orgasm, and Yoongi delightedly laps up all of your juices until the sensation of his mouth against your sex borders on overstimulation.

He rises from your dripping cunt and makes a show of licking his fingers clean, taking extra time to clean the web between his fingers with his long, agile tongue as he maintains eye contact with you the entire time. His lips and chin glisten with your come, and you can’t say that you mind when he draws you close and kisses you, the taste of your orgasm still tinting the flavour of his mouth.

“Baby,” you say between kisses, breathless and barely sated. “Take off your boxers. Please. I need you inside of me.”

“Okay, let me just go grab a condom from my wallet—”

Yoongi moves to lift himself off of you when you place your hands on his shoulders, his gaze returning to yours. “Are you clean?”

His mouth gapes at the question, at the implication of your words, and once he’s processed the question, he nods furiously. “I got tested when we started dating. I’m clean.”

You blush. “Yeah. I did too, clean as well. So…if it’s okay with you…are we good?”

He lets out an incredulous laugh. “Yeah, we’re good. We’re so fucking good.”

It takes Yoongi about 0.02 seconds after that to basically rip off his boxers, his cock standing hard and proud as he moves once more between your thighs.

You hum quietly as you reach down to take him in your hand, pumping his shaft steadily. “Not gonna let me return the favour?”

“Later,” he chokes out, eyes squeezing shut for a second at just the feeling of your hand stroking him. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

Yoongi positions himself on top of you, keeping his body completely flush against yours. The tips of your noses are touching and he can feel your heartbeat against his chest as the underside of his cock glides against your clit. It causes you to shiver, palms against his lower back. He reaches down and positions himself at your entrance, the head of his girth pushing just past the lips of your pussy.

“F-fuck,” he pants, adding more pressure. He watches your face intently, making sure to stop every time you wince, assuring you that you’re amazing and that you’re taking him so well. He continues to push until he’s fully sheathed inside. a low groan escaping his throat as he buries his face in the crook of your neck. The two of you fit together so perfectly, like you were made for each other. “Full disclosure,” he admits, sounding a little ashamed. “I’m definitely not going to last.”

“Me neither,” you agree, turning to press a kiss to the shell of his ear. “We have forever to beat tonight’s record, though.”

Yoongi huffs out a laugh against your skin before pulling nearly all the way out and then sensually rolling his hips until they smack against yours. He fucks you slow but hard, each thrust carrying the weight of an untold confessions that he’s barely keeping at bay. Your body is just too warm, too tight, too perfect, and the sounds you’re making are enough to drive him mad.

You raise your hips slightly to meet him for every thrust, his pace starting to quicken. The bed frame creaks, the headboard starting to smack against the wall as Yoongi pounds you into the mattress.

He can’t believe this is really happening. The way you squeak out his name as he makes love to you is the only thing truly keeping him grounded. Yoongi is convinced he’s dreaming, because there’s no way he’s inside of you right now, no way he’s in your room, in your bed, kissing your lips, drawing these lewd whimpers from your throat.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, you’re so tight and wet, how are you real?” Yoongi asks himself more than you, clinging to the last shreds of his sanity as you moan and keen beneath him.

“Yoongi,” you gasp after a particularly hard thrust. You cup his face with your hands so that he’s looking at you, his ministrations turning shallow as you demand all of his attention. You’re smiling up at him, face and chest flushed and coated in a thin sheen of sweat, hair mussed and tangled, but Yoongi can’t help but think you’ve never looked more beautiful. It’s as this thought loops in his head that your thumb brushes along the curve of his cheekbone and you say, “Yoongi, I love you.”

Yoongi freezes, eyes wide, heart pounding in his ears. How long had he been dreaming that you would say those words to him? How many times did he have those same words loaded up at the tip of his tongue?

He can’t tear his gaze from yours. “Say it again.”

You smile up at him, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I love you, Min Yoongi.”

His hips start to move again, and you suck in a shallow breath as the head of his cock drags along your g-spot. “Again.”

“I love you,” you repeat, voice light and dripping with need as he braces his knees against the mattress and starts fucking you with purpose.

Yoongi can feel himself getting close. Your cunt is just too good, too tight, and every time he’s buried deep inside of you, it feels like home. He wants nothing more than to lose himself in you, to stay joined with you like this until every star in the universe burns itself out. He feels your nails scratching along his back as your moans get louder and louder, your walls clenching around his cock like a vice.

“I’m close,” Yoongi warns, kissing and sucking the most sensitive spot on your neck. “Want you to come with me.” He reaches between the two of you and you almost jump when you feel the rough pads of his fingers rubbing against your clit.

“Yoongi, oh my god,” you cry as the combination of his cock stretching you to your limit and the insistent stimulation on your sensitive nub has you hurtling towards another orgasm. You’re right there, you’re so close, so close, as you feel your walls starting to flutter more intensely.

“‘M gonna come,” Yoongi grunts, his voice deep and hoarse with lust. He kisses you, nipping at your bottom lip. “Where do you want it?”

“Come in me,” you whisper against his lips. “I’m on the pill, it’s okay. Please, fill me, I need all of you.”

Yoongi lets out an audible groan and then he’s kissing you, his tongue taking control easily as he fucks you deep and hard while adding more speed and pressure to your clit. You come with a muffled scream, harder than you ever have before, whimpering and keening at the aftershocks. Yoongi chokes out your name before delivering three punishing thrusts, stapling you to the mattress as he comes with a roar, filling you to the brim.

The room is quiet except for the sound of the two of you panting, the room smelling of sweat and sex. It is perfection.

Yoongi collects you in his arms, his softening cock slipping out of you. His come dribbles out of your abused pussy and trickles down your inner thighs, but you can’t find it in you to care. He rolls over onto his side and tugs you flush against him, and you find that the two of you slot together perfectly—like two pieces of a puzzle.

He cradles your face in one of his hands, brushing the stray hairs out of your eyes. You’ve never looked more beautiful than in this moment, cheeks red from exertion, lips kiss-swollen and your eyes so full of love, love for him. Yoongi can’t wipe the smile off his face as he draws you in, and against your lips, finally says what he’s been keeping at bay since the two of you met up at that coffee shop months ago.

“I love you too.”

When he pulls away, he’s a little shocked to see tears welling up in your eyes. He starts to think that maybe he’s done something wrong when you lift your hand to cover his. “Really?”

Yoongi relaxes and kisses away the stray tear that rolls onto the bridge of your nose.

“Of course I do, Y/N. I love you. So fucking much.”

You sniffle loudly and throw your arms around him in a hug, and Yoongi just holds you as your breath hitches in your chest.

“I’m glad you got to experience it at last, Yoongi,” you murmur, and Yoongi is immediately reminded of the conversation the two of you had in the coffee shop. “And…selfishly, I’m glad that it’s with me.”

“There’s only you,” he promises, rubbing comforting circles against your spine as the two of you lie there together. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He feels you press a soft, barely-there kiss to the underside of his jaw, the simple gesture making his heart race all over again. Without hesitation, you reply, “You too.”

—

The two of you remain like that for what seems like forever, the afterglow too precious to disrupt. It’s only when your stomach growls loudly that the two of you burst into a fit of giggles, breaking apart and sitting up. You can’t help but laugh at the damage your questing fingers did to Yoongi’s hair. It’s sticking up at odd angles, some parts completely erect while others stick out at the sides. You try your best to fix it as he pouts at you before you grab his hoodie off the floor and zip it up high enough to cover your breasts, keeping it low enough to tempt Yoongi just a little bit.

“We never got to make dinner,” you muse as you amble over to your dresser to find a new set of panties. You purposely choose a dark red lace number and make a show of putting it on. You stand at your full height and look at Yoongi over your shoulder. His mouth is wide open and his expression looks as if Nessie had emerged from Loch Ness, fist-bumped him, and then asked for a selfie.

You wander to the bathroom to get cleaned up while Yoongi manages to roll himself out of bed once his tongue is back inside his mouth, collecting his boxers and t-shirt off the floor. Yoongi can’t remember the last time he got laid, but he knows it’s never been that good before. He flops back down onto the bed and basks in the feeling of being worn out from a good fuck when he hears the bathroom door open again.

The hoodie you’re wearing—his hoodie—falls just below your ass, exposing the length of your bare legs as you make your way into the kitchen. You let out a squeal when you hear the sound of footsteps rushing after you, followed by a pair of strong, lanky arms tugging you backwards. Yoongi buries his face in the crook of your neck as he holds your back to his chest, rocking you gently from side to side.

“I just want you to know,” Yoongi begins, and you feel the movement of his lips against your skin. “I’m not very good at expressing myself, and emotional stuff can be difficult for me. But I really do love you, even if I’m not great at showing it sometimes.”

You turn in his grasp and gingerly place your hands on his chest, toying with the collar of his shirt. “In all the time we’ve been together, I’ve never doubted that you care about me, Yoongi. Give yourself a little more credit. Your love language isn’t through spoken words, and that’s okay.”

Yoongi’s grip on your waist tightens. “You don’t mind?”

“If it bothers you, it’s something we can work on,” you promise. “But I don’t always need verbal affirmation. You take time out of your day to come see me while I’m working, you always ask to make sure I’ve eaten and have been drinking water, and you’re not afraid to hold my hand in public. I would never want that part of you to change.”

Yoongi touches his forehead to yours and closes his eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

You rise up to your tip toes to deliver a peck to his lips before lowering yourself back down. “I ask myself that question every day. Now, come on, let’s see what I’ve got in the fridge.”

You meander over to the fridge and Yoongi follows close behind, peeking over your shoulder to see what you’ve got in terms of groceries. You hum a tune that he immediately recognizes as one of his own songs, and drops a kiss to the back of your head. You don’t turn, but you lean your body against his as you survey your ingredients.

“We could do fried rice,” you offer. “Or noodles. I mostly have random vegetables and some chicken, and I’m not that creative of a cook. What do you feel like having?”

Yoongi shrugs, hands placed on your hips. “I’m not a picky eater, whatever you want, we can have.”

You grab the food from the fridge and Yoongi lets you go as you place the ingredients on the island counter. “Fried rice it is, then.”

You peter off to fetch your rice cooker from one of your cabinets as Yoongi gets to work on washing the vegetables and chopping them up into smaller pieces. The two of you move around so easily together in the kitchen, not really speaking, but just enjoying one another’s presence. It’s all so domestic, and you can’t help but feel as if Yoongi’s always just existed beside you, an extension of yourself. You love him so much that it’s overwhelming, and Yoongi places down his knife when he catches you staring.

“Do I have something on my face?” He asks with a laugh, his eyes crinkling at the outer corners as he flashes his gummy smile at you.

You pad over to him and kiss his cheek, giving his arm a light squeeze. “It’s nothing. Thank you for helping.”

Yoongi can’t help the blush that dusts his cheeks at your casual affection. “If I keep helping, do I get more kisses?”

You bite your lip and eye him up and down. You notice when Yoongi shivers under the heat of your gaze. “After dinner.”

Yoongi clears his throat. “Let’s get to cooking, then.”

It doesn’t take long, once the rice is done cooking, to get the rest of the meal prepared. Not without distractions, however—there are kisses stolen, lingering touches, and at one point Yoongi crowds you against the counter and almost convinces you to abandon cooking for other extracurriculars. You’re just about to give in when both of your stomachs growl in protest, and the two of you decide that maybe eating something is a good idea.

Yoongi ends up taking over for you, throwing seemingly random spices and seasonings into the wok as he combines all the ingredients. He’s unlike you in that when you cook, you need to measure out all your ingredients, refer to recipes, make lists. But Yoongi just seems to inherently know what spices go well together, what flavours complement the dish, and he just goes off of instinct.

You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t find him cooking up a storm in your kitchen really, really fucking sexy.

The smell is absolutely delicious, exceedingly so for such a simple dish, and you usher Yoongi to put on a movie as you grab bowls and utensils for the food. Yoongi complies, fetching the bottle of wine you’d opened earlier and bringing it over to the couch with him.

You’re carrying two full bowls of homemade fried rice when you walk over to the couch to see Yoongi scrutinizing the abandoned wine glasses from earlier. When you shoot him a questioning look, he lifts them both up to show you.

“Do you remember which one is yours?”

You can’t help but snort at that, placing the bowls on the coffee table. “Yoongi, you came inside of me like, half an hour ago. I don’t think it matters which glass is whose.”

Yoongi shuts his eyes, exhales hard through his nostrils, and purses his lips as if he’s trying to hold in a laugh at your remark. Once he’s convinced he’s gained control of himself, he pours the wine, indiscriminately hands you a glass and remarks, “You’re really something else.”

The movie he chooses is Ocean’s 8, muttering something about Cate Blanchett in suits, as you both settle into the sofa. You lean your head against Yoongi’s shoulder as you chew absentmindedly, alternating between complimenting your boyfriend on his culinary skills and making silly quips at the television.

Once you’re both done eating, you stack the bowls and leave them on the other end of the coffee table to deal with later. Yoongi opens up his arms for you and you slide into his lap, his arms circling you as the two of you watch the movie in relative silence, just enjoying one another’s company. The wine is long gone by now, warming both of you from the inside, and offers Yoongi enough boldness to ask a question he’s had on his mind for a little while now.

“Would you ever tattoo me?”

You look up at your boyfriend, startled. “What?”

Yoongi’s arm stiffens around you slightly, almost like he’s embarrassed. “If I ever asked, would you tattoo me?”

“Yoongi,” you sigh, sitting up and brushing his fringe out of his eyes. “You don’t even like tattoos.”

His eyes wander to the lines of the peony adorning your neck, one of his hands coming to rest on your bare thigh. “I like yours.”

“You like me,” you tease. “We both know you’re not a tattoo person, Yoongi. And that’s okay. I would never want you to make such a permanent decision just because you’re dating me now, or because you think it’s what I would prefer. If you really want one, and you’re positive that you would have wanted it even if we weren’t together, then sure. But if you’re thinking about getting one to make me happy, then no.”

Yoongi is quiet for a second before exhaling softly through parted lips. “Yeah, you’re right.”

You tweak his nose with an insolent grin. “I’m always right.”

He growls and grabs your waist, moving you so that you’re straddling his lap. Your hands find his shoulders for balance and when he looks up at you with his catlike stare, you can seen that his pupils are blown wide. He raises his hips just a touch, enough for this hardening member to graze against your core. You gasp in a breath at the sudden shift and bite your lip as one of Yoongi’s hands comes to tug at the zipper of your hoodie.

“Guess I’ll just have to fuck the sass out of you, huh?”

You grin as Yoongi works the sweater open, allowing the material to fall down to your elbows. You palm his erection through his boxers and lean in to whisper into his ear.

“I’d like to see you try.”

Yoongi lets out a laugh that dies on his tongue as you pull him free and stroke him, his cock stiffening in your grasp.

“Mmm, babe,” he smirks, and you feel yourself getting even wetter at the sight. He leans back, hands resting on your thighs. “You’re gonna have to try.” He sits up suddenly, pulling you flush to his chest as his mouth latches onto one of your nipples. You mewl as he toys with it between his teeth, biting and pulling before switching to the other. Your breathing is coming in a staccato rhythm, and your heart nearly stops when Yoongi moves away from your breasts and just says, “Ride me.”

His eyes are twinkling with mirth as you feel your panties getting damper and damper. You move to stand, but Yoongi has other ideas. He grips your waist and keeps you on his lap, and you look at him questioningly.

Yoongi responds by running the pad of his thumb along the front of your mound, lightly grazing over your clit, causing you to shiver. He shifts his hand so that it’s cupping your pussy entirely, and you let out a tiny whimper as you feel to of his fingers pressing against your entrance through your soaked lace underwear.

“So wet,” he murmurs, hooking his fingers along the edge of your panties and slicking them to the side. You take his cock in your hand and decide not to waste any more time, positioning the swollen head between your legs. You sink down onto him slowly, your fingernails digging into his shoulders as he fills you inch by inch.

He feels even bigger like this, hitting every spot inside of you that makes you sing. When your cunt touches the base of his cock, you lean down to kiss him, hands cupping his face. Yoongi’s hands wander up your back, underneath your half-off sweater, holding you close, encouraging you to move.

“C’mon, baby,” he breathes against your mouth. “Work for it. Fuck me.”

You can’t help the moan that escapes at his words, and your hands grip the back of the couch with white knuckles as you begin to roll your hips. Yoongi lets his head loll back so that he can watch your face as you ride him, taking in the fluttering of your eyelids as your pussy takes him deep. He lets out a string of curses as you start to lift yourself off and slam yourself back down at a faster rhythm, both of you unable to mask your sounds of pleasure as you get lost in one another’s bodies.

You grasp at Yoongi’s t-shirt and wrench it off him, much to his amusement. But he’s not one to complain, especially when your breasts press against the naked planes of his chest, relishing in the feeling of you on him and around him.

“Tell me how I feel,” Yoongi grunts as he starts to meet you for every thrust, bucking up into you from below. “Tell me, baby. Wanna know how your pretty little pussy feels when it takes all of my cock.”

You bite back a cry. “Big,” you gasp. “And full.”

“Fucking love you so much,” he rasps as his hips start to pick up speed. His firm grip on your waist holds you in place as he fucks you hard, his balls slapping against your skin as he spears you with every thrust. “Fucking love your tight wet pussy, love how well you take me. Can’t believe you’re mine, can’t believe we waited so long to do this. Want to be inside of you forever.”

You feel the coil in your stomach start to tighten, especially with Yoongi’s deep, husky voice spouting simultaneously the filthiest and most romantic shit you have ever heard in your entire life. He can tell by the way you throw your head back in ecstasy that you’re almost there, rapidly approaching the edge and just waiting to teeter off the side.

“Yoongi, come with me,” you beg as your fingers move over your clit, rubbing furiously. Yoongi chokes out a moan as your walls immediately start to squeeze down on his shaft. “Please, baby, I need you, need you so bad.”

“You already have me,” he promises, pulling you in for a kiss just as the dam breaks for both of you. Your keens are muffled by his lips and tongue, and you roll your hips to ride out both of your orgasms for as long as possible. You feel it when he explodes inside of your dripping cunt,  as his cock twitches and pulses through the remainder of his euphoria.

You stay there on his lap, forehead resting against his, as the two of you try to steady your breathing as well as your heart rates. Your forehead is dotted with sweat, and his bangs are damp and matted to his own. You lean back slightly and comb his hair away from his face with your fingers, wanting to see all of him.

Yoongi’s catlike eyes are searching yours, open and honest, like they always are when he’s with you. His lips are parted slightly, still taking in deep inhales of oxygen as his heart finally begins to calm. With the rosiness in his cheeks and the way he’s looking at you full of wonder, you think to yourself that he’s never looked more amazing or ethereal than in this moment.

“I’m so in love with you,” you can’t help but whisper, and it’s so quiet that you aren’t even sure if he heard you.

But by the way his hands soothe over your back and your waist, paired with the soft adoration that filters into his eyes, you know that he did.

“I’m so in love with you, too,” he promises, drawing you in for another kiss. When you part, he can’t stop the yawn that escapes his lips. “Shower, and then bed?”

You nod, also suddenly exhausted. You move to stand and nearly stumble. You would have fallen if Yoongi hadn’t immediately risen to catch you, his arms holding you tightly as the two of you make your way to the bathroom.

“It’s official. No shower sex. If we were to try, I think we would both get hurt.”

Yoongi pouts. “None? At all?”

“Yoongi,” you scold, though your voice lacks malice. “No.”

As it turns out, you have a really, really hard time saying no to Yoongi. So as a compromise, you go down on him under the steaming spray of the faucet, and he carries you back to your bed to return the favour one more time before bed.

And as you find yourself wrapped up in his arms, bare skin pressed against bare skin, you can’t help but smile. It’s been a long road to happiness. But lying here, with him, you can’t help but think of how lucky you are to know Min Yoongi, to love him, and to have him love you in return. So you drift off to sleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat and dream of him.

And from beside you, with his lips pressed to your crown, Yoongi does the same.

#min yoongi #suga #suga x reader #suga x you #yoongi x reader #yoongi #yoongi fanfiction #yoongi fanfic #yoongi smut #suga smut #bts au #bts smut #kim namjoon #kim taehyung #kim seokjin #park jimin #jeon jungkook #jung hoseok #bts fluff #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts suga

[artificialqueens]

Sweet Music Playing in the Dark: Ch. 1- Fire Escape (Craquaria)- Dill

hi everyone!! it’s been a while since i’ve submitted on this blog, but i decided to give it another go! this is the first chapter of a new fic i wrote a while ago and i’m (finally) almost done with the next chapter! you can find me @ drdill on AO3 as well as the remaining chapters of Home (the first fic i wrote)

I hate elevators.

You wait for half an eternity in the lobby fresh off your 9-to-5, only to crowd into a little 4x6 room just like every tired, irritable person around you, then stop at

Every.

Single.

Floor.

Don’t get me started about the summer when sweat becomes a factor. It’s a free, disrespectful sauna. If I didn’t live on the eighth floor, I’d take the stairs, but what sociopath would willingly do that?

It’s a Friday in late May, particularly Memorial Day weekend. The chipping cream-colored paint in the lobby paired with dirty maroon rugs welcomes me off the sunny Brooklyn streets. Most people around are eager to escape for the next couple of days, but I’m sequestered to my apartment to research the new summer color trends. How riveting. The bell rings as the doors open. Walking on quickly, I press the button and seclude myself in the corner. I feel like a fucking sardine, begging no one tries to speak to me as I put my earbuds in. Every “excuse me,” and quick neighbor catch-up is silenced by Bowie and the drums of “Fame.”

Though I’ve never spoken to anyone in this elevator, I somehow know all of them. There’s Joanne, who’s always in a hurry for no goddamn reason, Alan, the workaholic accountant whose undereye bags could be an airport carry-on item, Mike that calls his wife when he gets in the elevator, then gets mad when the signal cuts out, some others whose habits are mildly concerning, and me- the art school dropout. It’s a melting pot of people pretending to have their shit together until they step foot into this building.

I count the floors: 2, 3, 4, 5, and one by one, they shuffle off while I bob my head to the music. Finally able to breathe, I shift out of the corner when I notice a new guy hiding behind Mike. He’s shorter, no more than five and a half feet with umber hair that’s faded on the sides. His wardrobe might as well be a walking Gap advertisement- a powder blue button-up and khakis paired with matching brown belt and shoes. One last person gets off on the seventh floor before it’s just the two of us, causing more confusion when I realize he’s going to the same place I am. Why haven’t I seen him before?

He’s oblivious to my stare, scrolling through his phone. I’d be lying if I said he was my type, but I’d be lying more if I said he wasn’t pretty cute. His pants hug his hips nicely, showcasing his ass before my eyes wander to the front of his-

Pull yourself together, Giovanni. You can’t mind-fuck a stranger in the elevator.

A small hop and the doors open to the eighth floor. He follows me out, still ignorant of his surroundings, ice shuffling around in his coffee as he takes a sip. I reach my door and fumble with the keys when I notice he’s unlocking the door next to me.

That’s…Kevin’s place, as in my very loud, dark-skinned neighbor of 2 years, not this puny white guy. Based on his physique, there’s a zero percent chance he mugged Kevin, so why does he have a key? When he opens the door I hear him enthusiastically say “Hi, Muffin!”

Muffin is Kevin’s cat, so he clearly knows him well enough to be chill with the world’s most evil cat. Regardless, I get inside, throw my stuff on the kitchen table, and give Kevin a call.

“What’s up, G?” He sounds like he’s in a car.

“Hey, I just watched a very small white man walk into your apartment way too happy to see your demon-child.” I’m talking in a low voice as if he’ll hear me through the concrete walls.

His laugh erupts through my phone. “I’m sorry, girl. I totally forgot to tell you!”

“Kevin if this is another guy you met two weeks ago that ‘is definitely the one,’ I’m gonna move out. He’s clearly not your type.”

“Calm down, bitch! It’s just my friend Max. He’s moving here from Seattle in a few weeks and wanted to get a feel for the area. I invited him to stay at my place for the weekend while I’m gone. I just dropped him off from the airport.”

Ah, so that’s Max. Kevin’s mentioned his friend from college a few times but never gave much description. I was imagining someone a bit…taller. And more muscles for a guy with a black belt. It’s underwhelming.

“Rude of you to leave without saying goodbye, but I guess I’ll survive sitting alone outside.” Kevin and I have some intense solidarity from hating our neighbors and sharing a fire escape. Not a day goes by in warm weather without a quick chat on the metal platform. It all started with a false alarm one Tuesday night, causing both of us to run out like idiots and get to talking.

“I’m just going to visit my fam. My sister’s been bugging me to come and see her new house.”

I sigh dramatically. “My blunt and I will miss you dearly, princess. See you Monday?”

“You bet! Love you girl!”

“Love ya, bye.”

I hang up and think about my next move. Do I go over and say hi? That’s way too forward. Do I stay inside all weekend and act like I don’t know he’s here? Well, that would just make me a rude fake-neighbor. Neither sound too appealing at the moment. I settle for a compromise: I will introduce myself…tomorrow- let him get his feet wet a little bit in Brooklyn. I’m sure I’ll be seeing him around more often if he’s moving here soon, anyway. Satisfied with my plan, I make myself a grilled cheese because I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and get to work on my research.

—-

Dusk falls over the city and I’ve spent too long staring at Pantone’s Tumeric and Pepper Stem swatches with reference photos from fashion week. I form a makeshift portfolio for the editors and close my laptop. For finishing ahead of schedule, I roll a celebratory blunt and head for the fire escape.

A deep blue swallows the sky with a bright yellow streak as the sun sets over downtown. The temperature has finally cooled down as I step through my window and touch my sandal on the serrated metal beam. Supporting myself on the railing, I feel the night breeze run across my skin and catch my v-neck before raising the blunt between my lips, sparking the lighter quickly, and inhaling deeply. A quick burn runs through my throat on the first drag, eyes closed as I let the remaining smoke exhale to the sky. The streets are pretty peaceful at this hour, probably because there’s nothing around me but nail parlors, shoe stores, and boutiques that close at 6pm. My temporary neighbor has been suspiciously quiet all day. Normally I can hear Kevin washing his dishes or watching TV when I’m out here, so maybe he’s gone out for the night.

I’m about halfway through my joint when I hear blasting, stark trumpets from behind. Confused, I turn around and detect the sound coming from Kevin’s window, slightly cracked. I creep over to investigate, walking softly so the platform doesn’t rattle, slowly peeking through a slit in the curtain to see Max belting what sounds like “Boogie Wonderland” and dancing around Kevin’s kitchen. Now I can see why they were friends in college.

He’s cooking dinner- some type of pasta, adding pepper on beat and shimmying his shoulders. Those hips of his get put to work, scooting across the floor to grab the garlic bread and place it in the oven. It’s mesmerizing; hilarious, yet adorable, and I can’t look away. I start to realize how long I’ve been staring and get out of sight before he sees me. Somehow, I’m comfortable spying on this man but not knocking on the door and greeting him. Congrats, Gio. You’re officially a creep.

Max must be in a disco mood when the song fades out and “Relight My Fire” immediately follows. I’m giggling at the situation I’ve found myself. This definitely beats the same three Nicki Minaj songs Kevin plays on repeat while he cleans, so I might as well enjoy myself while it lasts. I finish the blunt as I begin dancing around the fire escape like an idiot, bouncing around and singing lightly to myself:

“Relight my fire,

Your love is my only desire,

Relight my fire,

Cause I nee-”

Spinning with my eyes closed might not have been the smartest idea. On my third rotation, my left sandal gets caught on the ladder as I started to move forward. My right knee hits the platform first, followed by my right hand, then elbow, then hip. A loud crash supported by sharp pain in my knee is enough to know I fucked up, and I will probably be getting some company out here soon.

The music ceases. Shit. I hear footsteps getting closer, my back facing the windows. The curtains are pulled back as a voice says “Oh my God!”

I look over my shoulder and see Max open the window and pop his head out. His face reads as really confused, but concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah I’ll be okay,” I reply as I try to push myself up, hissing when I bend my knee. Looking down, I see a trail of dark red run down my leg. Great.

“Here, let me help you clean that up.” He motions me to come inside the apartment. Knowing that I fully don’t own band-aids like a dumbass, I have no choice to accept. I scoot my way over to the window and take his hand.

“‘Tis but a scratch,” I joke, lifting my leg onto the windowpane. He’s laughing while gently pulling me into the apartment. I take my previous statement back about his lack of muscles. His bicep is about to pop through the shirt sleeve, and I wouldn’t have a problem with that.

“I’m Kevin’s friend Max, by the way.”

“I’m Gio. I promise this isn’t a normal welcome to the neighborhood.” I’m shaking my head smiling.

“It’s better than the homeless guy that showed me a magic trick outside the coffee shop earlier,” he giggles.

He puts my arm around his shoulder and rests his at my waist as he walks me over to the kitchen chair, slowly drops me off, and props my leg on another. The apartment is lit dimly, only the lights above the stove and oven providing a yellow tinge to the room. I see a large pan of chicken alfredo and I’m suddenly hungry again. He turns off the burner, runs a washcloth under some cold water, and kneels next to me, lightly dabbing the wound to soak up the blood.

“Hold that there while I get some ice to help the swelling.” Our hands lightly brush against each other as he gets up to go to the fridge. I’m trying to understand the amount of care he’s giving me. He’s such a nice guy; I’m a complete stranger and he’s treating me better than most of my exes.

He grabs a zip-top bag from the drawer and starts filling it with ice.

“So, what brings you to Brooklyn?” I ask him, acting like I didn’t speak to Kevin hours ago.

“I’m getting relocated for work. The publishing company says they need my ‘talents’ in the New York office.” He’s using air quotes, blatantly unamused.

“Jeez, don’t sound so excited about it,” I smirk. He gives a soft smile, closing the freezer door.

“It’s not that I’m unhappy about the job or moving here, I just want more time write my own stuff instead of editing other people’s work.”

“You’re a writer?”

“Trying to be.” He shrugs, coming back to my side and lightly placing the ice above my scrape. I wince as the cold towel touches my skin.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I reply. “It sucks not getting to do what you’re passionate about, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.” It’s silent for a little bit- the tales of a struggling artist.

“Do you want some wine? I probably shouldn’t drink the whole thing by myself.”

“Red or white?”

“White.”

“I could have a glass or two.” He smiles and heads back to the kitchen to get glasses and a wine opener.

“So,” he says twisting the corkscrew in, “what’s your story?”

I sigh deeply. “Moved here from Philly, dropped out of art school last year, haven’t told my parents yet, working at a fashion magazine on complete luck.”

“Holy shit, how’d you manage that?”

“I modeled for a photographer to make some money right after I withdrew from classes, and he was friends with an editor there who was looking to hire an assistant.”

“Okay, that actually doesn’t surprise me.”

“That he and the editor were close?”

“No, that you were a model. Do you want ice?”

I’m slightly taken back while he pours two glasses.

“Wait, what?”

“Ice?”

“No. Well, yes, but no the other thing.”

“What? I’m not blind. You’re cute.” What a charmer. I’m looking down, containing the huge grin on my face from his line of sight.

“Thank you.”

He hands a glass to me and heads for the bathroom. I shudder when it touches my tongue, further supporting my hate for dry wine. However, it’s free, therefore I will drink it happily. Upon returning, he brings some ointment and various sized band-aids.

“I wasn’t sure what size you’d need,” he laughs.

After drying the area around my wound, he applies the ointment, then gently places the bandage overtop. Every action thus far has been with such tender composure, as if he’s performing surgery. Wiping his fingers off, he grabs his wine and sits next to me- not on in a chair, on the floor with his legs crossed. I think he’s suddenly my type.

We exchange stares with silent smiles, finally giving me time to admire his soft, chestnut eyes that crinkle each time he grins, as well as the little, curled hairs resting on his forehead.

“You’re pretty cute, too,” I blurt out.

“Oh, thanks,” he says, a bit flustered at the compliment. His eyes look away, only to avert to my ice pack that starts leaking. I feel a drop of water run down my leg onto the floor.

“Let me get you a new one.” he starts to stand up. “I can get it.” I sit up and reach, getting used to the pain.

Our hands meet one another’s again as we grab for the washcloth at the same time. A tension begins to form in the air when we lock eyes less than a foot from each other’s face. His lips are slightly pursed, breathing heavier than normal.

It feels like slow motion as I lean in closer and shut my eyes. I feel his left hand relocate from my knee to the base of my neck, our lips separated by centimeters, foreheads touching as I feel his breath right under my nose. My lips brush lightly against his when-

DIIIIIIIIING

The oven timer provides as much warning as the fire alarm. We jump away at the sound, hearts pounding from shock. Max starts regaining his composure before jumping up and shutting it off. He rests his arms on the counter, sighing before looking back at me, holding back a laugh.

“I think my garlic bread is done.” His head falls in his hands as he starts to laugh from embarrassment. I join in as I stand up for the first time, limping over to the counter, and grabbing a potholder. He opens the oven door for me, red-faced as I place the tray on the stove, still laughing.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” He asks me.

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that since I smelled the garlic bread,” I giggle. He hands me a plate.

—-

I think I stayed at Kevin’s for about three hours. We talked about books, bonded over our dying love for Emma Stone, and gave each other new album suggestions while washing the dishes together. It felt so natural, to the point where we finished the bottle of wine even though I couldn’t stand it. A yawn builds up and I curse myself for getting tired, wishing I could stay until the sun rises.

“I think my bed is calling me,” I tell him. He nods.

“I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, and this time, I’ll try not to trip on the fire escape.” His giggle becomes my new favorite sound after hearing it so much.

Our goodbye was a quick hug, nothing more than the attempted kiss before dinner when I duck out the window and climb into my apartment.

Having this one close to home will be dangerous.

#rpdr fanfiction #craquaria #miz cracker #aquaria #fluff #dill #sweet music playing in the dark #m/m au

[munofsilver]

One Night Chapter 2

Summary:  Nathaniel and Chloe tell Nathaniel's family about the upcoming baby. While Chloe wonders if they're making a mistake. You can read it here.

The two decided to tell their parents about the unexpected news before any plans to move. The question is who’s parents should they tell first? Chloe’s mom is who knows where. She only comes to Paris to visit once in a while and it usually just for a day maybe two. Audrey last visit was two years ago and only for some fashion TV show. She was a guest judge for an episode.

The only thing she did with her family has had a quick twenty-minute lunch. Chloe wants to tell her mom, but calling looks like the only way to do it. They decided to tell Nathaniel’s parents first.

Chloe is brushing her hair before she puts up in her trademark high ponytail. Looking at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall, Chloe looks at her belly area as she places her hands there. Then she takes a pillow from the couch the shoved under the dress she’s wearing. Wanting to get an idea of what a pregnant Chloe would look like. So far she doesn’t look happy.

Chloe not sure if she even wants to keep the baby. She never thought of this until she returned home from Nathaniel’s place a week ago. Since they took the subway, she had plenty of time to think. Without a job, she would have to rely on Nathaniel and her father for money. Can she really raise a child without being able to support it?

Maybe she could get a job, but would someone hire a pregnant woman? She takes the pillow out and straightens her dress. “If I’m having doubts about this, I should definitely tell Nathaniel.”

A soft knock on the door told Chloe that Nathaniel was here. Checking herself in the mirror one last time to make sure everything’s in place. She opens the door, sure enough, Nathaniel was there with her butler. “A Mr.Nathaniel Kurtzberg here to see you, Madam,” he stated.

“I can see that, Jean,” Chloe calls back.

Everyone who works at the Le Grand Paris is used to Chloe’s bossy, loudness. All are unaffected by it. Unless they’re new. She heads out by was stopped by Jean. “ You’re not taking your purse with you, Madam?”

Chloe somehow never noticed that she didn’t grab her purse. It’s still sitting on the little table by the door. With a grunt, she grabs her purse. Trying to head once again out, only this time Nathaniel stops her. “What’s with the pillow?” He asked pointing to the pillow in Chloe’s hand.

Not knowing she still had it, with a sigh Chloe puts the pillow back on the couch. Before anything else stops her, Chloe rushes out of the room and slams the door shut. Stomping all the way to the elevator. “Good luck,” Jean whispers as Nathaniel stares at him.

Nathaniel runs down the hall to catch up with Chloe. He got there just as the elevator doors were opening. Alone in the elevator, while it takes a trip down to the lobby, Nathaniel tries to think of something to say. He knows something is wrong with Chloe. It could be she’s just nervous about telling his mother and little sister the news. To be honest, so is Nathaniel.

“Um Nathaniel, I’ve been thinking about you know, and well I feel like I should tell you that I’m starting to have. What I want to say is.” Chloe stops when the doors open, and some lady gets on.

Chloe scoots away from the person. Ending up in the corner by herself, with Nathaniel in the other corner. He can tell Chloe really wanted to talk to him. They do have some time until dinner with his family. Once on the last floor that guest can go the doors open and they let the other lady off first.

Chloe leaves after the lady and Nathaniel stay close behind her. “Chloe wait,” he calls out.

She quickly turns around to face him. “I know we’re taking the subway again. I won’t complain about it this time. I promise,” Chloe turns back around. “Besides it wasn’t that bad.”

“No, not that. I wanted to know what you were trying to say before,” Nathaniel turns her around.

“How do you feel about us having this baby?” Chloe asked taking a step back.

“Chloe you know this. I told you the first time you asked, remember what I said?” Nathaniel smiles.

Chloe does remember, In fact, she’s not sure why she asked him again. Maybe she just wanted to see if he was sure like she isn’t. Perhaps she just needs some sign or something. Chloe is unsure about many things right now, it’s driving her crazy. “Yes, I remember. I want to know if you’re sure. Like 100% sure.”

Nathaniel takes a step closer, still smiling. “If there something on your mind, please tell me,” Nathaniel grabs her hands and holds them.

“I’m not sure if I want the baby. I have nothing. No money, job, or a place of my own. How can I know how to be a mother, when mine was never around? I don’t think my mom even loves me,” Chloe’s about a cry again.

Everyone noticed that Chloe is showing tears and crying a lot more. What they don’t know is she been like this for the past three months. Nathaniel was shocked about what Chloe said. He pulls her into a tight hug. “Calm down. You don’t need to worry. Your mother has nothing to do with who you are or how you will be as a mother. Don’t worry about money or anything. Right now just focus on the baby. We’ll talk more about this when I move in,” without thinking Nathaniel kisses the top of her head.

Once they realize what he did Nathaniel drops his arms, as Chloe pushes him away from her. “What do you think you are doing mister?!”

“Sorry, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Anyways we should get going. I told them we’ll be there at seven,” Nathaniel now blushing hurries out the door.

Chloe follows him. They took a cab instead of the subway. Nathaniel had a feeling Chloe was going to dress up even though she doesn’t need to. They only have a small dinner nothing fancy at his mother's house. He's not even dressed up. Nathaniel is wearing an old t-shirt one of the few without paint, and his usual purple jeans. He never stops wearing purple jeans since he started wearing them in college.

His long hair it tight into a ponytail. He’s dressed like he does almost every day. “Are we going to tell them we’re dating or that the baby is the result of a drunken one night stand?” Chloe asked checking her lipstick in her hand mirror.

“I think we should stay away with how the child was conceived. I’m not sure if we should tell them about us dating or not. We should also not talk about me moving in with you. Not yet anyway. Let’s for see how they handle hearing about the baby first,” Nathaniel answers.

“No dating news or moving in. Got it,” Chloe puts her hand mirror and lipstick in her purse.

They arrive at their destination. Nathaniel pays the taxi and opens the door for Chloe. She does one last check up on herself before she looks at the house in front of her. Chloe was expecting a small very tiny house with maybe two bedrooms. Not a big house with a fence. The fence only went up to her waist but still. It has two floors by the looks of it even a basement. 'Does he have a big family?' Chloe wonders. ‘Nathaniel is Jewish so maybe. Is that racist of me to say?’

Chloe shakes her head. Nathaniel leads her to the door before he knocks he looks at her. “We’ll tell them after dinner before dessert. If things go bad we can leave right after we eat,” Nathaniel whispers to hear.

“Why are you whispering?” Chloe speaks in her usual loud voice.

As soon as she spoked the door open and a young teenager jumps out and hugs Nathaniel. “About time you got her big bro!” She shouted.

“This is why I was whispering,” Nathaniel sighs. “Hello, Natalie.”

Chloe takes a step back, as Nathaniel and Natalie break their hug. Everyone enters the house. In the dining room, the table was set with some of the food on and ready. Another female this one looks very older than Nathaniel. She comes out of the kitchen carrying a tray with a fresh out of the oven turkey on it. Placing it on the table. Nathaniel takes off Chloe’s wrap and hangs it up. On the table, Chloe only noticed four places set on the table.

“Is your father coming?” Chloe whispers to Nathaniel.

He’s standing behind her and moves to her side. “My father died when I was fifteen,” he whispers back. “Don’t bring him up to my family. If you don’t mind,” still whispering.

Chloe makes a mental note on that. The older one comes towards them. “Hello, Nathaniel who’s your friend here?” She smiles and hugs her son.

“Mother this is Chloe,” Nathaniel points to Chloe with his hand. “Chloe this is my mother.”

Chloe moves to shake her hand. “You can call me Ava,” Nathaniel’s mother smiles as she shakes Chloe’s hand.

“Nice to meet you Ava,” Chloe half smiles.

“Dinner is ready, so let's eat,” Natalie calls out.

And they do. During dinner everyone talks but Chloe. She only speaks someone asks her something. When everyone was done eating Natalie and Ava clear off the table. Nathaniel offered to help, but they told him to stay. Nathaniel and Chloe took this time to talk some more. “Your mom is a good cook. Your sister is nice,” Chloe is staring at the door that leads into the kitchen.

“Yes, they are. I think they both like you. As soon as mom brings out dessert, we should tell her,” Nathaniel suggested more than anything.

“What makes you think there will be dessert? Maybe she didn’t make any,” Chloe is starting to get nervous.

“I know my mom. She always makes dessert. No matter what,” Nathaniel laughs.

Sure enough a minute later Natalie and Ava come out carrying four pieces of cake. Nathaniel smiles he know his mother spends most of the day yesterday making that cake, or this morning. Before anyone could enjoy the cake, Nathaniel speaks up, “Mom, Natalie we have some news.” Nathaniel places his hand on Chloe’s.

Chloe is not ready for this. Without knowing she squeezes Nathaniel’s hand for support. All attention is now on Nathaniel. That doesn’t stop Natalie from taking a bite of her cake. Now Nathaniel is starting to get nervous. Now that he’s about to tell his family the big news it hits him on how much this will change things.

“Chloe is pregnant with my child. She’s three months in,” he shakingly says.

Natalie drops her fork as she stares at Chloe like a deer in headlights. Ava, on the other hand, was unexpectedly delighted. “Congratulations. I didn’t know you two were dating. That’s such great news,” Ava cheered.

‘Great mom thinks we’re dating.’ Nathaniel mind speaks to himself. “Are you both living together?” Natalie is finally able to talk again.

“No. I do plan on moving in with Chloe,” Nathaniel answered.

His family took the news very well. It seems like Nathaniel had nothing to worry about, that is until he has to tell them that Chloe and him aren’t dating. That is something he’s concerned about. They all ate a nice piece of carrot cake, Nathaniel’s favorite. Once the table was cleared after dessert, they all sat in the living room with some freshly made tea.

“When are you moving in with her?” Ava asked.

“As soon as possible,” Chloe answered before Nathaniel could.

After about an hour the two left Nathaniel’s mom’s place. “When should we tell your parents?” Nathaniel asked as they enter the cab.

“That might be hard since I don’t know when my mom will be Paris again,” Chloe sighs. “If I call mom, she might answer right away,” Chloe shrugs.

“Can you find out when she will be in Paris next?” Nathaniel is starting to think that telling Chloe’s parents will be the hardest.

“Daddy might know. I’ll call him in the morning,” Chloe once again sighs. “Pull over!”

The cab pulls over as Chloe vomits out the open car door. Nathaniel rubs her back as she does. He looks up at the driver, who is looking back confused. “Is she alright?” the driver asked.

Nathaniel just nods and whispers, “She’s pregnant.”

Chloe now done closes the door, and the cab moves again. “Sorry about that,” she whispers, talking to no one.

“No need to apologize,” the driver stated.

How did the driver hear? No one really knows. Both were dropped off at the Le Grand Paris. Chloe was thinking Nathaniel was just opening the door her she keeps on walking inside. She didn’t stop until she hears Nathaniel calling her name. Turning around she sees the redhead running towards her. “Aren’t you going home?”

“I will don’t worry. I think we still have something to talk about telling your parents.”

Chloe is getting tired and doesn’t really want to deal with this now. It looks like Nathaniel does. Chloe rubs her temples, “I won’t know anything about my mother until I talk with daddy. I told you I’ll do that in the morning.”

“I know that, and I also understand. How do you want to tell them? Over dinner like with mine or something else. If by phone is the only way to talk to your mom, will you be okay with that?”

Nathaniel is putting more thought into this than Chloe. Almost like he planned on having kids someday. Not like this Chloe is sure of. Right now Chloe as other things on her mind. “Can I call you in the morning after I talk with daddy?”

Nathaniel checks his schedule on his phone. “I have to work in the afternoon until evening. If you call before one, then that will be fine. I would like to talk about this before work,” he puts his phone away.

Chloe agrees to call him before one. Then he was off heading home. Chloe sighs. “I will admit he is cute. With a nice tighter butt then what he had back in college. What am I saying? That hot body got me into this mess. I wouldn’t mind seeing it with a sober eye. What is wrong with me?”

She headed right up to her penthouse and took a long cold shower. Then she brushed her teeth and went to bed. Still thinking about what she said. The thought of her thinking Nathaniel is cute makes her blush. In the morning she has to remember to talk to her father about her mother. Hopefully, she will be coming to Paris soon.

#One Night #Chloe Bougeois #Nathaniel Kurtzberg #chloenath #Honeytomato #FanFic #ML #ML Fanfic #Aged Up #natalie kurtzberg

[vixxscifiwritings]

yellow tulips for love

jbsdhffhkb I didn’t know this gif existed before I wrote this oneshot

Characters - Hongbin x OC, Taekwoon x OC (established), Hyukvi, HaKen

Warnings - cheese everywhere

Summary - Hongbin and Haneul dance around their growing feelings for each other. Or rather, Haneul remains unaware of Hongbin’s silent confessions.

A/N - Yes this is the cursed story I wrote in return for @biasedwriting writing me college AU jock!Taekwoon. Or rather, the first half of the deal.

-x-

“Kim Haneul? What a pleasant surprise!” Hongbin said, smiling at her. He had been happily surprised to see her when she had walked into the conference room. He had waited till after the presentation to approach her.

“Hello. Minah couldn’t make it so I am a last minute substitution for her” Haneul explained. “She sends her apologies. She is terribly sorry about being caught up in Busan.”

“It’s alright. We are always happy to see a familiar face” Hongbin said.

“I don’t think your team was as happy after the presentation” Haneul said, frowning to herself.

“Well, it’s a lot of work every time a new product comes around. The company pushes really aggressively on targets just to make it popular in our client base” Hongbin explained.

“Well the new underlying processes reduce our cost of financing overall and the low interest rates would attract more customers from the middle market base” she argued.

“Still a gamble to take. The new loan scheme is complicated to explain to someone who isn’t a financial analyst like you or me” he replied. Hongbin smiled and his dimple showed, momentarily making Haneul lose focus. She narrowed her eyes at him. He always used his dimples to throw people off focus when he was losing an argument. Yet it strangely made her heart flutter.

“It’s a shame that the presentations always happen at the end of the business day. I don’t think people appreciate being pulled into meetings so late” she noted, watching as some people in the room yawned.

It had been an exciting day on the market and such days often saw a lot of worried investors harassing their relation managers over their portfolios and if they were making large profits or losses.

“It’s been a day for us as well. The equity team looked to be on the verge of tears. The advisory team is still faring okay” he told her.

“I did not expect a sudden change in regulations. We have a very short time to update our rules and start reporting on the new laws” Haneul observed.

“They will extend the deadlines. They always do” Hongbin said, dismissing her worry.

“Dangerous gamble to take Mr Lee” Haneul said with a grin. He smirked at her before adjusting his tie.

“I guess I’ll be on my way then” she said, with a short bow.

“It’s late. Should I walk you home?” he asked, looking out of the window. The sun had set before the meeting had started.

“I don’t want to trouble you” Haneul said hesitantly.

“Well, I do have an ulterior motive. I was hoping we could stop by the dumpling store like we did last time? I’ve been craving them and I forgot to ask you the name of the store” he confessed sheepishly.

“Who can say no to dumplings? Let’s go!” Haneul cheered. Hongbin laughed as he picked up her bag and held the door for her. Haneul went first, talking animatedly about the hole in the wall dumpling store that the two of them had walked across the last time he had walked her home.

-x-

“A vanilla latte please” Haneul said, stifling a yawn. It was seven thirty in the morning and it was too damn early by her standards. Hence she had decided to make a quick coffee run before she had to get to work.

She collected the receipt and waited at the pickup counter for her coffee to be ready. She mindlessly scrolled through the news, noting in the headlines and marking whatever seemed relevant to be read later. The slight chill in the air seeped through her suit jacket and made her shiver.

“You look like a funny kitten” a familiar voice announced. Haneul gasped, turning to see Hongbin standing there and grinning at her.

“Excuse you, I am a puppy” she protested.

“You look like a wet kitten that’s shivering in the rain. Why didn’t you wear something warm?” he asked her, standing next to her and leaning against the counter. He had a receipt token identical to hers and Haneul realized that she had been too busy to notice him come in and order his coffee.

“I forgot my scarf in the rush to get to office” she said, embarrassed at how silly it sounded when said out loud. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“I thought you didn’t clock in till later” Hongbin said.

“I am working longer for a month. We have this new research that’s keeping everyone on their toes” she explained. “It’s really exciting because we have finally started using big data algorithms. Did I ever tell you that they finally licensed the new market data for the parameters that we had been lobbying for? The deal with Bloomberg licenses went through so now we have extensive datasets to start analysis on -”

She was startled when soft wool landed along her neck. Hongbin removed his scarf and put it around her while she had been talking about her latest project.

“Sorry. But you kept shivering” he said by the way of an explanation.

“I couldn’t -” Haneul started, only to be interrupted when Hongbin bopped her nose.

“I’m used to the morning chill. I’ll survive. Besides, our coffee is almost done” he said, pointing to the barista fitting lids and cardboard holders onto the paper cups that held their names.

“Thank you” she said gratefully. She hadn’t realized how chilly it was till she felt the sharp contrast to the warmth of the wool. The scarf held the smell of his cologne. She could never quite place the scent and what tones it had, but she distinctly remembered that it was his signature scent. She coloured, burying her face in the scarf out of shame.

Hongbin smiled at her before taking the coffee cups. She adjusted the strap of her handbag before taking the cup from him and thanking the barista on their way out. They discussed the news as they walked down the block to the office campus, feeling more active after caffeine.

-x-

Haneul looked at the scarf, lying in a packet next to her desk. She had gone looking for Hongbin only to learn that he was on a business trip and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. The weather had gotten colder and she hoped he kept warm.

“Haneul, do you have five minutes?” Minah asked, walking over to her cubicle.

“Uh yeah. Do you want to catch up on the report I wrote?” she asked her manager.

“Yes. And a couple of other things” Minah said. She frowned when she saw the packet that Haneul had been fiddling with.

“More dumplings from your brother’s shop?” Minah asked.

“No that’s just the cover. I had stuff… to return to someone” Haneul said vaguely.

“Okay, you are terrible at hiding things” Minah said. “Is this someone, the boy your brother doesn’t like?”

“My brother has never been introduced to a ‘boy’. Also I’ve only visited the shop with a friend not a boyfriend” Haneul clarified.

“Blame Wonshik. He is a tattle tale. He told Taekwoon and me about this man you came in with, late at night once. And then multiple times” she said, raising her eyebrow suggestively.

“Like I said, Hongbin is a friend” Haneul said. She bit her lip when she realized that she should never have given the names away.

“Lee Hongbin? As in the senior manager from the Advisory team?” Minah asked, a lightbulb going off in her head. She had seen the two of them walk in once with coffee in the mornings but she hadn’t thought much about it and hence hadn’t connected the dots.

“It’s not what you are thinking” Haneul said warily.

“Too late, I am already thinking it. He’s cute” Minah teased.

“And a colleague and I have a strict personal policy of not dating anyone I work with” Haneul said firmly.

“Funny because you work for the middle office while he works for the front office and have no business functions in common” Minah reminded her.

“Even so…” Haneul started and trailed off. She had no good response to that argument. “Just no. We’re.. Friends at max.”

“What a shame” Minah said, smiling at her like she would smile at her nephew causing trouble. She clearly had no intention of believing Haneul.

“Let’s just discuss my report? Disinvestment in the petrochemical industry is more important at the moment” Haneul reminded her.

“Yeah but your love life is more interesting” Minah observed.

“I lost interest in romance the day you said you wanted to date Taekwoon” Haneul said sourly.

“Shut up. We don’t talk about that” Minah said, clamming shut.

“Eat up the human dumpling was it?” Haneul pretended to recall.

“Disinvestment in petrochemicals!!” Minah announced dragging her subordinate along to her cabin.

-x-

“I should stop talking to all three of you” Haneul said with her arms crossed.

“That’s my line. I cook at the shop all day and now I am cooking for dinner too. I should be the one breaking this friendship” Wonshik complained.

“I am clearly helping” Taekwoon responded.

“You are only sitting on the counter and eating vegetables that should be going into the dumpling fillings” Wonshik complained, shoving him. Taekwoon yelped, almost falling off the counter.

“Boys, no fighting” Minah said, breaking them up. She took the bowl of veggies from Taekwoon who whined before handing them over to Wonshik who thanked her.

“Come along” she said, dragging him by his hand to the couch.

“You’re both gross” Haneul called out after them, when they ended up snuggling on the couch.

“You denying your puppy crush is gross. Go out and get laid” Minah retaliated.

“I don’t have a crush” Haneul said. “She doesn’t have a crush” Taekwoon added in perfect sync.

“You’re both stubborn high school children” Wonshik said, pulling out the first batch of dumplings. He carefully handed a plate over to Minah who promptly declared she loved him for the food. Taekwoon glared at the two of them before nuzzling into her neck. Minah rolled her eyes at the childlike behaviour of her boyfriend before focusing on her food.

“I am not a child. That is also precisely why you should believe me when I say that I don’t like anyone that way” Haneul explained.

“That’s why you were wearing his scarf?” Wonshik asked.

“Scarf? What scarf?” Taekwoon asked sitting up. He almost made the plate in Minah’s hands fall over, causing her to cry.

“So one day, I decided to go over and meet Sanghyuk at his cafe. You know the one near Minah and Haneul’s office? It’s sort of early and I am mentally crying but then I saw Haneul walk in” Wonshik started.

“Oh my god, why were you there?” Haneul asked in horror. Wonshik smirked at her before turning to the couple on the sofa.

“And Haneul is busy on her phone so she didn’t notice me. Which is fine because I wasn’t feeling very social anyways” Wonshik said. He gave a loud uff when Haneul ran up to him and covered his mouth.

“Shut up. You misunderstood everything that day!!!” she cried.

“Tell me I gotta know!” Minah said, putting her food away and hugging Haneul so that she would let Wonshik go.

“So this dude walked up to her and they start talking and then before I know it, he is pulling his scarf and putting it around her. He was so smooth, I swear it was like a drama” Wonshik said, laughing at Haneul’s misery.

“He was being nice!” Haneul protested.

“Sanghyuk almost died smiling at the the moment. I just died on the inside. It was too early for drama moments” Wonshik said, grimacing.

“Where can I find him and murder him?” Taekwoon asked.

“Don’t be overprotective. He was nice and respectful. What was his full name? I think Sanghyuk knew him but I forgot to ask” Wonshik said.

“Lee Hongbin and he works in our company” Minah said. “We can stalk his instagram.”

“We do not have to stalk anyone's Instagram. Why do you even know it?” Haneul asked Minah.

“That information is not important. He is a hobby photographer and he has an aesthetic af insta account. We should totally check it out” Minah insisted.

“We should” Taekwoon said. Everyone raised an eyebrow at him. “I need to be able to recognize him so that I don't murder the wrong person.”

“Taekwoon hyung really now” Wonshik sighed.

“Taaeeeeekwooooniieee” Minah cooed. “Don't you want Haneul to marry quickly and have tons of babies that you can play with?”

“Oh yeah” Taekwoon remembered causing Haneul to gape.

“You're both crazy.”

-x-

“Hi Sanghyuk” Haneul greeted when she walked into the cafe.

“Ah the other half of my otp. Your boyfriend is on the table by the window” Sanghyuk said.

“I don't have a boyfriend” Haneul deadpanned.

“Good to know” a voice behind her said, causing her to lose ten years from her life.

“I just came over to clear my bill and leave. I am sorry if I am interrupting you being asked out” Hongbin said. His voice was deeper and husky, a clear sign of him being sleepy. His hair was curly, something Haneul hadn't seen before.

“I wouldn't date her in a million years” Sanghyuk said, grimacing. Haneul leaned over and hit him.

“Just for that comment, my coffee is free today” she threatened. Sanghyuk gave her a patronizing look and she shrugged. At least she had tried.

She turned back to Hongbin who had been observing the interaction. “I didn't know that you were back” she said.

“I returned last night” Hongbin replied.

“How was your trip?” she asked.

“Terrible. The deal fell through because of competitive rates from a rival” he told her.

“I thought we were the most competitive on the street” she frowned.

“Clearly not. There is a long meeting planned for analysing the situation. Jaehwan was not happy” he said with a frustrated sigh.

“Not going to lie. Lee Jaehwan scares me a little” Haneul said.

“He's nice for most part” Hongbin refuted. “But he has a laser sharp focus when solving a problem and none of us are up for it after such a long trip.”

“Ahem” Sanghyuk interrupted. The two of them turned towards him.

“A sweet vanilla latte. It's on your tab” he said, pushing a paper cup towards her.

“I owe you” Haneul said gratefully before he left the two of them to their conversation.

“I guess I should get going” Hongbin said looking at his watch. He smiled at ruefully at her before attempting to fix his hair. He gave up with a very audible sigh and a hunch if shoulders that made Haneul feel bad for him.

“Uh… Hongbin?” Haneul called out to him.

“Yeah?” he responded.

“You need the sugar rush more than I do” she said, giving him the coffee cup. Hongbin looked at the coffee in his hand before looking at her.

“Are you sure?” Hongbin asked. She nodded in reply.

“Thanks I guess” he said, a little confused. Maybe it was her imagination, but his cheeks did look pink. An effect of the morning cold. She really should return his scarf, she mentally scolded herself.

He smiled at her, dimples showing before walking out of the cafe. She leaned against the counter and hit her head. How embarrassing. Why had the act been cute in her head but supremely embarrassing in real life???

“Well that was awkward” Sanghyuk commented, only to have Haneul hit him again.

-x-

“Hi, is Lee Hongbin here?” Haneul asked the person sitting in the cubicle next to his.

“He just left for a break. He should be back in ten. I can call him if you’d like?” the woman offered.

“It’s alright. I just had to return something. I’ll leave it at his desk” Haneul replied. The woman nodded, smiling at her before going back to work. Haneul looked around, spotting a post it notepad and a marker. She wrote down a small note, just so Hongbin would know that she was dropping his scarf off.

Of course it was more polite to give it to him in person, but she had an extremely busy day ahead and she had been hoping to catch him during her break. This would have to do.

She made her way down to the fifteenth floor. Advisory and Client Relations worked on the thirtieth floor since it had the best view, meant to impress visiting clients. But the fifteenth floor had a good view of the city too. The entire building had glass elevators on the outside that let you look out at the east side of the city as you traversed up or down. Haneul stepped out only to run into Hongbin.

“Oh hi” she said, surprised to see him here.

“Hey” he said, equally surprised. He awkwardly gestured to the elevator which was held open for him and Haneul nodded in understanding. As soon as the door closed she hit her head. How awkward was that?

She looked at her watch and she realized that she only had ten minutes for her next meeting. So much for grabbing a quick coffee from the cafeteria. With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, she walked back to her desk.

She stopped when she saw a cup of coffee on her desk. She hadn’t had time to stop by the cafe this morning so it definitely wasn’t hers. There was a small post it note next to her cup, accompanied by a bunch of yellow tulips.

‘I owed you coffee - HB’

“Oh” Haneul said, picking up the small bunch of flowers. The tulips were bright and looked extremely well taken care of. She didn’t know of any flower shops nearby, so where had he gotten flowers from? Surely he must have picked it up on the way at last minute’s thought.

“Haneul let’s go. We’re meeting in 17B instead of 15C” Minah said, passing by her desk. Haneul started, hiding the flowers behind her back. Minah was too busy with a stack of reports to look her away and Haneul thanked the gods. She grabbed her folder and coffee and followed, offering to divide the load.

The flowers stayed in her mind for quite a while.

-x-

“You were looking for me?” Haneul asked, peeking into the cabin.

“Yeah, take a seat” Minah said. “It’s just our routine one on one meeting. As your manager, I wanted to catch up with you and see how you were holding up.”

“Well it is tax season after all so hurray for how hellish everyone’s life is” Haneul said, taking a seat.

“Tell me about it. It’s extremely taxing on all of us” Minah said. The two women stared at each other and sighed. That pun may have been unintentional but it was terrible and both of them judged Minah for it.

“Anyhow… how is work? I get that this month is trying but otherwise? Are you able to hold up?” she asked, moving on.

“It’s okay. Manageable” Haneul said. There wasn’t much to be discussed to be honest. Since Minah was a close friend outside of work, they didn’t need to wait for a monthly meeting to discuss issues. This was more of a formality between the two of them now.

“And what of your life outside of work?” Minah asked, grinning at her.

“We are not discussing that here” Haneul said, sitting up straight.

“As your manager, I should be kept apprised of any such developments between you and any other colleague. HR regulations” she said, smirking at Haneul.

“Well good for us that there are no developments then” Haneul lied through her teeth. There had been… events or incidents or just a casual exchange of hellos and post it notes. But those were most certainly not romantic developments.

“If you think Jaehwan and I have not noticed the sudden increase in the number of times Hongbin and you have dropped by each other’s desks to supposedly return things you forgot then you both are sorely mistaken” Minah sang. “At first I was hoping that it was because you were hooking up and were being forgetful about your things at each other’s places. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that it was just post it notes and flowers and phone charms.”

Haneul buried her face in her hands and groaned. She didn’t know how things had escalated to this point. About one month ago, when she had originally stopped by Hongbin’s desk to return his scarf, Hongbin had stopped by her desk to drop off coffee, claiming he had owed her one. Since Haneul did not have the foresight or common sense to have asked for his number or his business card and she did not want to have this conversation on the office messenger or email, she had ended up leaving another post it note the morning after, thanking him for the flowers.

One post it note had turned into multiple. Sparse and spread out over the days but always accompanied by flowers or in her case, cute things like a Hello Kitty phone charm that she had found and thought he would like.

It had almost become a habit that Haneul thought nothing of. Till Minah had called her out on it.

“It’s not like that” Haneul protested weakly.

“Just so you know, I have no issues with this relationship. Jaehwan sends his blessings too” she added in a sweet voice.

“Since we are clearly done here, I am going back to my work” Haneul said, standing up.

“Please let me know of any further developments on this track” Minah said, formally yet mocking her.

“I hate you and you are officially uninvited for Chuseok dinner” Haneul frowned.

“Too bad for you. I’m hosting it this time, remember? You can’t uninvite me. I uninvite you” Minah replied.

“Fine. You won’t ever see me again. We talk formally like manager and direct report from now on since we must work together” Haneul said, parodying her brother when he was angry.

“We’re never letting Taekwoon live down that argument with Wonshik are we?” Minah laughed.

“No not at all” Haneul agreed.

“It did give me an idea though…” Minah said thoughtfully.

“For?” Haneul asked.

“Nothing. Just idle thoughts” she dismissed. Haneul nodded before leaving the cabin.

-x-

“Not leaving yet?” Minah asked, looking at Haneul typing away on her desktop.

“I just have some analysis left to do. I think I will leave in an hour” Haneul told her.

“Don't stay too late” Minah said, patting her shoulder before leaving.

Truthfully Haneul would have left with her but there was a single hypothesis on her analysis that was failing. She could swear it was a data issue. Their sample size hadn't been as large as she had hoped for. But she hadn't expected it to fail with such a wide margin and now she had to rework the calculation. That had of course escalated to data cleaning being redone and had taken her a good chunk of the past hour.

She groaned as the test failed with a significant error yet again. Luck and math were both clearly not on her side today.

She decided to take a break and probably come back at this problem in five minutes. She locked her screen and took her phone up. She mindlessly scrolled through her Kakaotalk messages and LinkedIn notifications. There was nothing there except the usual adverts and spam messages.

She hovered over Instagram. How had Minah known about Hongbin’s instagram account? She had remembered him mentioning that he liked photography and that sometimes he would travel out of the city on weekends for nature shots. But she had never seen any of the photos he had ever taken.

Haneul looked around to make sure no one was looking before opening up the app. She navigated to Minah’s profile. There was a photo of pasta that she figured her brother had cooked for her. She double tapped for a like and went to her following page. A quick search revealed Hongbin’s instagram. It was his name with extra Is in it. Cute, she thought as she clicked on his profile. It wasn’t private which was a blessing because she could now scroll without having to follow.

Minah hadn’t been wrong about his page being aesthetic. The photos he took were all so beautiful and high definition. Looking at the dates, she could tell that he uploaded rarely. Maybe he had a different place to share his photography or didn’t share much. But the photos he did have uploaded were beautiful.

He also didn’t upload many pictures of himself. Amongst the scenery, there was only one of him walking through the cherry blossom trees in Yeouido. A lot of it was also food. There was one another picture of him, with a Hello Kitty headband. From the comments, it looked like it had been uploaded as the result of a dare. It was really cute, she giggled to herself. Perhaps a few years old because he looked very young in it, but uploaded not so long ago.

She double tapped and froze for a moment. She had accidentally liked the picture. Why would she do that?!?!?! She was such a dumbass. She had a mini panic attack as she immediately unliked the picture. Except she tapped too many times and now the picture was liked again. Distressed, she threw the phone away from her and buried her face in her hands. Clearly she could do nothing right today.

-x-

“Yo Haneul, your boyfriend was looking for you earlier” Sanghyuk said, placing the vanilla latte in front of her.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He can be your boyfriend” she said, miffed and sulky.

“Okay spill. Why are you sulky and why are you avoiding him?” Sanghyuk asked.

“I’m not sulky and I am not avoiding him. He’s just not my boyfriend” Haneul protested.

“Are you in a mood because he isn’t your boyfriend? I thought the problem was something he might have said but I guess the problem is the lack of him saying anything” Sanghyuk deduced wisely. “Sometimes men are idiots like that. Maybe you should make the first move.”

“I will strangle you with an empty coffee cup. Also you deduced amazingly wrong” she grumbled.

“I am only trying to help you here” he said, raising both his hands in defeat.

“Oh Sanghyuk I did a very stupid thing” she confessed, burying her head on the table.

“Tell me something new” Sanghyuk snorted. Haneul glared at him and he chuckled. “Okay, confess your sins away.”

“You have to promise not to laugh at me okay? I was scrolling through Hongbin’s instagram” she started.

“Stalking you mean” Sanghyuk corrected.

“Scrolling!! Anyhow, I accidentally liked a very old post. I wasn’t even following him when I did! He would clearly know that I was looking at his ig!!” Haneul cried.

“What an amazing miracle. I am suddenly inside a teenage romcom” Sanghyuk said, faking awe.

“You are terribly useless and I hope you die alone” Haneul told him.

“Well… I don’t know about that considering I just started dating Wonshik and I think it might be for the long haul” Sanghyuk said, smiling sheepishly.

“What? When?! Details!!” she asked excitedly.

“There are no details. It’s all pretty new and we’re still trying to figure this out. But you know how Wonshik is. If he decides he loves someone, he goes all in. And I kind of like him a lot too” he confessed.

Haneul beamed at him. At least love was going right for someone in this world. And she hadn’t thought about it before but now that she had been enlightened, the two of them would be the cutest pair ever! They had similar interests and got along like a house on fire. And looking at the dopey way they talked about each other, they were clearly very in love and her heart was so soft at the moment.

“Do the others know yet?” she asked him.

“We were thinking of telling Minah and Taekwoon on Chuseok. But Minah changed her mind and invited a couple of other people she wanted us to meet. So we will tell them after that I suppose” he said, playing with the stirrers.

“I am so happy for both of you” Haneul said, positively glowing for the two of them. Sanghyuk blushed, ruffling his hair since he didn’t know how to respond to it.

“Since I am the first person who came to know, will you name your first baby after me? Haneul is a common name for both boys and girls too” she said, resting her hands on the counter.

“And risk sharing your intelligence? What if the name itself is jinxed?” Sanghyuk asked in horror.

“I officially hate you and I am going to take my business and go to Starbucks from now on” Haneul said crossly.

-x-

“So… will anyone give me the lowdown of who you guys invited or will you both just stand there being gross?” Haneul asked, cutting up the meat. Taekwoon just stared at her before going back to hugging Minah who was busy with the glass noodles. Minah chuckled when Taekwoon buried his head in her neck.

“You tire me out” he told his sister, who just gave up on him. How on earth anyone tired out by doing nothing was a mystery to her. It was clearly Minah who had done most of the work.

“Taekwoon” Minah laughed when he kissed her neck. He paid no heed to her words as he proceeded to kiss her jaw and her cheeks and ears. She hit him with her elbow and he grumbled, only to hug her tighter.

“Right in front of my salad” Haneul said, taking away the vegetables from the extra lovey dovey pair in disgust.

“Excuse you that’s my salad. Don’t steal the carrots!” Taekwoon called out.

“I don’t know man, maybe don’t kiss where all of us will eat!” Haneul replied.

The doorbell rang, saving them from another sibling quarrel. “Hannie, can you see who that is? Taekwoon, if you’re not helping then go sit down” Minah ordered.

“No” Taekwoon said, pouting at her.

“Baby we have guests” she explained.

“Yeah baby, move your lazy ass and go welcome your guests” Haneul added sarcastically.

“I should kick you out of my house” he said, detaching from Minah and walking out of the kitchen.

“Why is my brother in such a weird mood today?” Haneul asked Minah, now that they were alone.

“No reason” Minah said.

“I knew it. He’s just a weird child” Haneul grumbled, taking over cooking the stew. There was a lot of laughter and chatter that confused Haneul and made Minah smile. It was followed by Taekwoon’s loud whining and the two women sighed.

“I guess this means Hakyeon and Jaehwan are here” Minah said with a fond exasperation.

“Hakyeon… and Jaehwan?” Haneul asked.

“Yeah. Hakyeon is a friend from university that both Wonshik and Taekwoon know. And Jaehwan is Hongbin’s boss. The one and only Lee Jaehwan” Minah told her, walking out. Haneul’s heart dropped as she covered the stew and followed them out.

“Hannie come here. I need to introduce you to our guests” Taekwoon said when he spotted her.

“Hakyeon, Jaehwan - This is my sister Haneul” he introduced. Haneul bowed and the two men did too.

“We work in the same company. Different departments though” Jaehwan told Hakyeon.

“Ah… so you’re that Kim Haneul” Hakyeon said. Haneul raised an eyebrow before Jaehwan shushed him.

“Hakyeon studied in the same college I did. That’s how we know each other. Jaehwan is Hakyeon’s husband and Minah’s close friend… by some twist of fate” Taekwoon said.

“What a coincidence” Haneul said shooting Minah a look. She knew exactly why the two of them were suddenly best buddies. Both of them gave her matching innocent smiles. Devious Aries people, Haneul cursed under her breathe as she turned to her brother.

“Why don’t we all go inside? The food’s almost done and we’re still waiting on a few people” Taekwoon said.

“You have a really cozy home” Hakyeon said, following him. Jaehwan followed, talking about something that Haneul wasn’t paying attention to. She dragged Minah to the kitchen under pretext of checking on the food.

“Who else did you invite?” she asked Minah. They were only waiting on Wonshik and Sanghyuk. What had her brother meant by the word ‘few’?

“Well, we did invite someone else. But this time it is someone you know” Minah said with a guilty face. But her tone indicated that she really wasn’t.

“You invited Hongbin, didn’t you?” Haneul asked, her head buried in her hands again. The state of facepalming was slowly becoming her constant state of being.

“Yeah. The poor boy was alone on Chuseok because his parents are on some tour out of the country. So I invited him along” Minah told her. “And I know that you are lovestruck but I hope you behave tonight.”

“This is insane” Haneul said with a heavy sigh.

“In a few years, you will look back at this moment and thank me for setting you guys up” Minah said.

“The police will look back at this moment and declare that you pushed me to the point of jumping out of this window and declare my suicide a homicide” Haneul said before storming off behind the counter.

“Yeah okay. Go set the table” Minah said, dismissing her. Haneul was as dramatic as her brother sometimes, if not more. It often gave Minah pause, wondering what she might marry into someday. But it was also very amusing when not directed at her.

Haneul joined the others in the living room once the stew was done. Jaehwan and Hakyeon were sitting on the couch while Taekwoon was sitting on the armchair on the side with Minah leaning against the handle. Her brother had his arm around her waist and it made Haneul scoff.

“But you really should drop by Hakyeon’s new flower shop some time. It’s very close to our office and from what Minah tells me, it is close to your restaurant too” Jaehwan said enthusiastically.

“I must mention, I am a huge fan of the dumplings. Jaehwan and I binged on it once with no regrets” Hakyeon said.

“They were Wonshik’s special recipe. He will be happy to know” Taekwoon replied modestly.

“Oh, speaking of specialities, I heard that your shop has beautiful tulips Hakyeon. How did you manage to get them in this season?” Minah asked. “Haneul really loves tulips” she added with a sweet smile her way.

“Ah. That was a tricky thing but I won’t give my secret away” Hakyeon teased. “Do you like flowers a lot Haneul?” he asked her.

“In general yes. I like flowers” she said. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out what Minah was hinting at. The yellow tulips from six weeks ago had been from Hakyeon’s new shop.

“Tulips are delicate flowers. Probably the reason why they have such a romantic meaning attached to them too” Hakyeon said.

“Romantic meaning?” Taekwoon asked.

“Yeah. what was it again? Love?” Jaehwan asked his husband.

“Yellow tulips were a sign of being hopelessly in love” Hakyeon said. He shared a look with Minah and Jaehwan while Haneul’s heart sank further and further.

“Excuse me” Haneul said, excusing herself from the discussion. Had Hongbin always known?? What was this supposed to mean???

Her brain went into overdrive as she paced around the kitchen. What was she supposed to do now? Oh my god, she was such an idiot. How was she supposed to keep a straight face when Hongbin arrived? And why in the world were Hakyeon, Jaehwan and Minah all in on this??

The ringing of Minah’s phone distracted her from her thoughts. But Haneul went right back into it when she saw Hongbin’s name flash. If only she could either jump from the balcony or make herself small enough to hide under the kitchen sink or something. Haneul settled into a compromise and just ducked behind the counter, hoping to hide from the world forever there.

“What in the world are you doing?” Taekwoon asked, staring at his sister. He had volunteered to come get Minah’s phone but had been confused by Haneul acting like a weird chicken.

“I uh… don’t feel so well. I think I need to run to the pharmacy and get some medicine” she said, jumping up. She rushed out before Taekwoon could ask her what was wrong and dove straight for the closet. She pulled out her jacket and put on her shoes, not caring for the socks that lay forgotten in a jumble.

“Is Haneul okay?” she heard Minah ask as she closed the door behind her. Haneul checked her pocket for keys to her apartment. Maybe it wasn’t too late to just go home and sleep and pretend that tonight had never happened.

She pressed the button for the ground floor and counted down numbers till she did reach the ground floor. The activity helped her calm down a little and brought rational thought back to her head.

She must have definitely looked like an idiot rushing out of the room like that. But there was no way to save face now. She could always walk down to the all night pharmacy and buy cough drops for the sake of going through with the lie, but it was too extreme, even for her. She hung around in the lounge for a while before stepping out.

“Oh. Haneul hi” a familiar voice said.

“Sanghyuk! You’re here” Haneul said, surprised.

“Yeah. Wonshik and I were just looking for the visitor’s parking area. We found Hongbin too. Bless the poor soul, he had the wrong block” Sanghyuk said, turning and waving to the two men.

“Um… I was just headed to the pharmacy so I should get going” Haneul said weakly. Maybe she should have jumped off the balcony when she had the chance.

“Pharmacy? Are you not feeling well?” Wonshik asked. He had heard the last sentence when the two of them had arrived.

“Haneul! Hi” Hongbin greeted before stopping. He had noticed something was wrong and he immediately went up to her.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?” he asked, touching her forehead to check her temperature.

“I’m fine” she squeaked. Her face was hot from her embarrassment at her actions and she was sure that Hongbin had misunderstood the high temperature as a rising fever. He took her hand to measure her pulse but she pulled away.

“I’m absolutely okay” she lied. She had never been more not-okay in her life but she couldn’t stand the fuss.

“Let’s go upstairs. It’s cold outside” she told Sanghyuk who was now smirking at her. While Wonshik and Hongbin were confused. Sanghyuk had figured out the reason behind Haneul’s actions and was now clearly enjoying himself. When Minah had admitted that she hadn’t told Haneul because she didn’t want her to freak out and bail, she had clearly been right in her assumptions.

“Isn’t it? It’s unusually cold for autumn this year” Wonshik said.

“Maybe I should buy more woollen scarves. It gets chilly here” Sanghyuk said, causing Hongbin to blush and Haneul to start coughing.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to go to the pharmacy and get you cough drops?” Sanghyuk asked her in a very concerned voice.

Haneul glared at him and walked ahead, not caring about the others. Sanghyuk laughed before following her. When Wonshik raised an eyebrow at him as they waited for the elevator, he promised all of it was in good fun.

“Are you sure you don’t have a fever though?” Hongbin asked in a whisper as he leaned in. Haneul nodded, trying not to pay too much attention to his perfume that she had come to like.

-x-

“Thank you for having us” Hakyeon said once he put his shoes on.

“It was our pleasure. You are all invited for dinner again some time. Maybe we can convince Taekwoon to cook his signature pasta. He is really good at it” Minah said proudly.

“Some time for sure. We would love to have you guys over for our New Year’s Eve party if you are in town at the time” Jaehwan added. “You too Hongbin. Wonshik and Sanghyuk too. Tonight was a lot of fun.”

“I can’t deny my boss’ order” Hongbin teased. Jaehwan glared at him causing everyone to laugh. It was a merry sort of buzz, everyone feeling warm and cozy after having their fill of food and drinks. Sanghyuk and Wonshik had brought soju along and now everyone except the designated drivers were tipsy and giggling.

“Do you want us to give you a ride to your place?” Sanghyuk asked Hongbin.

“It’s not very far from here so I will just walk” Hongbin said, politely declining the offer.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow at the cafe then” Sanghyuk said. He bid everyone good night before the two of them headed out. Taekwoon and Minah noticed them holding hands as they left, but wisely left their questioning for later.

“That’s our cab driver and our cue” Hakyeon said, holding up his ringing phone. “You’re sure it’s not a problem if we leave our car parked overnight?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Come pick it up later” Taekwoon said, waving his concern off.

“Thanks for inviting us Minah” Jaehwan said. He went to give her a hug but somehow found himself hugging Taekwoon who was staring at him blankly while squeezing him to death. Hakyeon stopped laughing long enough to rescue his husband before pulling him out the door, giggling about how cute possessive Taekwoon was.

“I shall be out of your hair too” Hongbin said, once things had quietened down a little.

“Thank you for the persimmons though. You really didn’t have to bring anything” Minah said modestly.

“It’s Chuseok tradition. And it was the first time I was visiting your house. I couldn’t just show up empty handed” Hongbin insisted.

“Next time, you don’t have to be so formal” she said warmly.

“Good night” he wished everyone.

“Good night” Haneul replied. Probably the first words she had spoken to him in the duration of the entire event. He smiled at her before taking his leave.

“You know… maybe you should walk Haneul back. Don’t the two of you live close by?” Minah asked.

“I can walk her back” Taekwoon said, not impressed by her suggestion.

“You have zero balance at the moment. You are only walking back to bed mister” Minah told him firmly. Taekwoon looked at her, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

“Good lord why didn’t I die before I had to see that” Haneul groaned, grabbing her socks and shoes and running out the door for a second time that night.

“Your brother is just drunk” Minah yelled back, amused by her complaints.

“I don’t care. Be gross in private!” Haneul yelled back in reply. She came back the door and grabbed Hongbin’s hand, pulling him out and closing the door behind them.

“Do I want to know?” Hongbin asked as the two of them stood at the end of the corridor, waiting as Haneul wore her socks.

“You really don’t. My brother is a weird child” Haneul said scrunching her nose. She jumped about, trying to get her shoes on and Hongbin laughed at the silliness of the situation.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. You were really silent during dinner” he said, pressing the button.

“Yeah… I… yeah” she replied. Very articulate, she berated herself.

“You are really bad at handling the cold aren’t you?” he asked her, as they stepped into the elevator.

“I generally have better resistance” she said half heartedly. “And I usually have my coat which I forgot at my brother’s apartment. I am an idiot.”

Hongbin grinned at her pouting at her own self. Haneul was expressive and this amused him no end.

“You don’t really have to walk me back. Minah just said that for the sake of it” she told him in a quiet voice. “I don’t really mean to inconvenience you. It’ll be out of your way and it is already late and -”

“I would like to” Hongbin interrupted her. He put his jacket around her so that she wouldn’t feel cold and she blushed. “If you don’t mind it, I would like to walk you home.”

“I… That would be nice yeah” Haneul relented. She did want to spend time with him. She had been too embarrassed to talk at dinner time and the walk would be a nice excuse.

“I stay about a block away. It’s not too far” she assured him. He nodded, letting her lead the way.

“Are you sure you’re not feeling cold?” she asked, ten steps into their walk together. He nodded in response. She bit her lip, wondering how to return the jacket without seeming too rude or blunt.

“I never caught how Hakyeon and Jaehwan know Minah and your brother” he said, making idle conversation.

“Jaehwan and Minah are friends from work. Hakyeon knew Wonshik and Taekwoon from college. They went to the same business school I think” Haneul told him.

“It must be nice to stay in touch after all these years. I am only in contact with a few people from back then” Hongbin said.

“Yeah. Most of my friends decided to settle in different places so we rarely meet up now” Haneul agreed. “How did you come to know Hakyeon? Through Jaehwan?”

“Yeah. We’ve been friends for better part of three years now” Hongbin replied.

“Can I ask you a completely random question?” Haneul asked.

“Go ahead” Hongbin replied.

“The yellow tulips from earlier. They were from Hakyeon’s shop weren’t they?” she asked him.

“How did you come to know?” he asked in surprise.

“His flower shop is the only one near office. Jaehwan said that they specialised in exotic flowers. Tulips are rare in autumn” she explained.

“Ah. Yeah they were from his shop. He suggested I buy them for you” he told her honestly.

“Did he tell you… what they mean in flower language?” she asked him.

“He did” Hongbin confessed.

“Huh” she said in response to it. The two of them continued walking, not saying more

“Did you like them?” he asked after a moment of prolonged silence.

“Yes” she said, looking at the ground instead of at him. Hongbin said nothing more, walking along with her.

“This is my building” Haneul said, gesturing to the apartment block they were approaching. “Would you like to come upstairs for coffee? Or hot chocolate? Or something?”

Hongbin ran his hands through his hair, wondering what the correct response to the situation was.

“Maybe next time” he said, although both of them could tell that he didn’t mean it.

“That’s a shame” Haneul said.

“I had a good time tonight” she followed up, tiptoeing back and forth.

“Me too” he said ruefully. Haneul nodded, not moving because she didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. Hongbin had no such intention either but the silence was making things awkward.

“Would you like to get dinner with me? Next Saturday maybe?” Hongbin asked her.

“Yes! I mean yeah. Yeah that sounds like a good idea” she said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic about it.

“Great” he replied. “I'll pick you up on the day of. We could go to the nice restaurant or maybe Lotte World. Namsoon Tower is too far -”

“Hongbin?” Haneul interrupted. “Can I get your number or your KKT id?”

“Oh right. Yeah” he said, flustered that he forgot the most basic part. He entered his number on her phone and saved it under his name. He would automatically show up in her contacts.

“Thanks. I'll see you at work?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. We could grab coffee before that if you liked” he suggested.

“Sounds wonderful”

-x-

“Your boyfriend was looking for you” Sanghyuk said when Haneul walked in.

“He's not my boyfriend. And I found your boyfriend who was looking for you” Haneul said, gesturing to Wonshik.

“You didn't tell me that Haneul knew about us” Wonshik said with a pout.

“I think Taekwoon and Minah figured out that something was up at dinner” Sanghyuk confessed.

“So effectively everyone knows” Wonshik summarised. “It would explain while Taekwoon kept looking at me and didn’t say a thing when I said I wanted to make a coffee run.”

“I’ll excuse myself then” Haneul said winking at the two who groaned. She laughed, accidentally walking into Hongbin who had come looking for her.

“I am so sorry” Haneul exclaimed, worried she had hurt him on accident.

“I’m okay” Hongbin said, holding her steady by her shoulder so she wouldn’t stumble.

“Ah…” she said wisely, feeling awkward and nervous.

“So um… coffee?” he asked her.

“Not here. Sanghyuk and Wonshik are going to do gross PDA” Haneul said. Her volume was loud enough for the people in question to hear and that resulted in Sanghyuk chucking a cardboard sleeve at her.

“Please take her out if she intends on being troublesome” Sanghyuk yelled at Hongbin.

“In a date way or a sniper way?” Hongbin asked, causing Wonshik to laugh and Haneul to frown.

“Sniper way. I can’t live if you three being friends would mean listening to such bad jokes” she retorted.

“Damn. I was hoping for a date way since we’re both free today” Hongbin replied. Wonshik and Sanghyuk ooh-ed while Haneul blushed.

“Well?” Hongbin prompted.

“Can we go eat patbingsu?” Haneul asked, taking a chance. Hongbin pretended to think.

“Strawberry or red bean?” he asked, causing her to smile widely.

-x-

#vixx fanfiction #vixx hongbin #vixx ensemble as minor characters #cheese everywhere I am sorry