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loveinhawkins · 1 month

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”How do you do it?” Eddie asks.

The question slips out far too late at night, anxiety thrumming in his chest—he’s not escaped the feeling ever since the boathouse, when he simply couldn’t sleep, felt like a fox just waiting for hound dogs to get his scent, ready to run—

Steve doesn’t need him to explain further, as if he can somehow hear a whole lot of what Eddie’s not saying: like when he picked up the phone an hour ago and hadn’t even let Eddie tie himself in knots, had just said, so easily, “I’ll come get you,” like it wasn’t a huge inconvenience, like he’d been the one to call Eddie instead.

He’s considering Eddie from where he lies in bed, leaning on his elbow, and he’s still got the covers off pointedly—and that’s a big thing, Eddie thinks, a big thing he doesn’t know what to do with, because they’ve not talked, not really, not got much beyond the dizzying relief of still being alive.

But even fraught with profound lack of sleep, Eddie doesn’t think he’s misreading the look in Steve’s eyes.

I know, those eyes say, illuminated by the warm light of the bedside lamp. It’s okay, there’s no rush. I’m right here.

Eddie’s never seen that kind of look before. Not towards him.

“Sometimes Robin sleeps over,” Steve says thoughtfully. “And sometimes the kids are around, and they’re so annoying and I get, like, three hours, tops.” He says it with all the fondness in the world. “And sometimes I’m alone, and it’s fine.”

“What about the other times?” Eddie can’t help but whisper.

If it were a reasonable hour maybe he wouldn’t dare to ask at all, but exhaustion’s worn down the filter in his head—at this point it’s practically see-through.

Steve shrugs. “Yeah, they’re shit,” he says with such honesty that Eddie nearly asks it again, how do you do it?

“But then it’s, like, a new day,” Steve says slowly, like he’s carefully weighing up what to say, “and I can… drive.” The pause tells Eddie he means go to someone. “Or, like… call, if it’s really bad.”

Hey, I’m glad you called, man, Steve had said when Eddie got into his car earlier, like they were just going to the movies or something normal—like Eddie wasn’t shaking, forehead pressed against the passenger window.

Eddie feels his throat close up a little. Tries to sniff as quietly as possible.

“Eddie,” Steve says patiently. He moves back in the bed. Gives Eddie space. “C’mere.”

Steve keeps the lamp on which helps; this isn’t the boathouse, Eddie thinks, and the slightest bit of tension leaves his body. Even that feels like a miracle.

He’s just resigning himself to lying there, staring up at the ceiling so at least Steve can get some rest, when Steve turns and catches his eye, still wide awake.

“Tell me about The Lord of the Rings,” Steve says.

The tightness in Eddie’s chest loosens; he laughs in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Eddie turns so he’s facing Steve properly, attempts a casual shrug, knowing already that it’ll be too rigid. “I don’t know, man. We, uh. We kinda lived through Mordor already.”

His hand twists in the bedsheets, knuckles turning white.

I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never had…

Steve’s hand reaches across, eases Eddie’s grip on the sheets, like he’s saying, neither did I. Just give it a shot.

“The shire, then,” Steve says.

Eddie smiles. “Steve Harrington,” he says, suddenly finding enough lightness to tease; he’s missed it. “Are you asking me for a bedtime story?”

“Nope,” Steve says. “We’re just gonna lie here and talk.”

And they do.

Steve asks questions which works out for the best—Eddie can’t quite remember the last time he read the books. To tell the truth, anything that happened before March often has a kind of fog over it.

He’s sure he’s dropped at least a couple of plot points somewhere along the way, but Steve never once complains that he’s not making sense, just gently prompts Eddie until… until…

“Mm, I know what you’re doing,” Eddie mumbles through a yawn that catches him unawares.

“Oh, do you now?” Steve says, sounding smug. God, Eddie loves him. “Is it working?”

“Maybe.” Eddie says. His eyelids are heavy. “Um.” He yawns again. “Where… where was I?”

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Steve says. It sounds like he’s smiling—Eddie would check, but it’s suddenly impossible to keep his eyes open.

It’s okay, he thinks hazily, melting into sleep without even thinking about it. He can ask Steve in the morning.

There’s no rush.

#on struggling with the aftermath #the trust in falling asleep in front of someone ❤️#this may have a second part #a lil anxiety soothing stuff ❤️#pre steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson

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lav-bee · 6 months

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HxH X Reader

PDA in public VS private

Character/s: Meruem

❤️- read as romantic

Warnings: 16+, This has spicy stuff in it but it’s not super detailed, I marked them sfw and nsfw if you didn’t want to read it ^_^

SFW

- Genuinely doesn't care where or when, how many eyes there are that can see you both, he will indulge in PDA

- Any prying eyes will be ignored because really, why should he care? He is the King

- However, if he notices you being tense because of the starring he will order the ant/ human away

- Your comfort is his priority and therefore will keep an eye on you -> trying to pick up on any cues

- Will try to keep his hands to himself but that doesn't mean he’ll leave you alone

- It's very rare for him to leave you alone, and if he isn't there with you he’ll assign Pieto to follow after you

- You're his, that means no one else will be allowed to touch you

- Possessive, you might say

- His reasoning is ‘To keep you safe’. After all, you are human, you're fragile

- It gets to his head sometime, there have been times that he was scared to touch you in fear he will break you. The smallest movement on his part could lead to you having a broken/ sprained limb

- You’ll have to reassure him a simple hug wont crush you

- I'm not trying to say he won't touch you at all, he definitely does. The touches are just more soft and gentle

- One thing he really likes is having you sit in his lap

- That way you have some control in how you sit, it also allows him to wrap his arms around you

- Will rest his chin on either your head or shoulder while playing against board game masters

- If the game he's playing starts to get boring he’ll begin to lay soft kisses along your neck

- Kisses will turn into sucking and sooner or later you’ll be sitting there squirming in his lap as he continues to mark you in hickies

- Won't admit it at first but he likes to see you squirm, in pleasure of course, not discomfort

- But again, if you don't like being all squirmy in his lap in front of others he’ll tune it down a bit, only a couple kisses

- In private isn't much different

- He is still careful where and how he moves in order not to hurt you

- But since there's no one around anymore it's free game, will cuddle and kiss you to his hearts content

- Cuddling is also one of his favorites, he's definitely the big spoon

- Will pull you into his chest by your waist and nuzzle his face into your neck

- Not many words are said, just enjoying each other in comforting embrace

- You’ll both fall asleep like that

NSFW

- Onto more spicy things

- You’ll have to convince him to do more sexual stuff

- Not that he doesnt want to do it, it's just he doesn't want to hurt you (no break it, its fine)

- Very slow to proceed once you do convince him

- Trust me when I say he can spend hours between your legs prepping you

- You’ll be a puddle of mush by the time he’s done, you might even pass out from how many times he brought you to release by just his fingers and tongue

- Will use it as an excuse that you need to rest and will once again prolong the real event

- Leaves kisses and hickeys everywhere along your body, it almost looks as if someone beat you up

- Back to the part where he sits you on his lap

- Let me introduce you to cockwarminng

- He has spent hours playing against people, why not have some fun?

- There will be a blanket placed in your lap so the others in the room don't see anything, you're his and therefore no human or ant should see what's his to take

- Is very patient and has self control, but that doesn't mean he lets you do as you wish, he has a breaking point

- “No rocking your hips,” He mumbles against your neck. His hands stop you from any further movement, “You're distracting me.”

#headcannons #x reader #hxh x reader #hxh #hunter hunter #hunter x hunter #meruem #meruem x reader #hxh meruem

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bellarkeselection · 11 months

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You Make Everything Better

Wattpad request Rebelmicheleamidala - Rip and the girl reader spend the evening at home on the couch just enjoying the night together cuddling

Kicking off my boots at the front door I sighed feeling completely tired from the long day with Kayce in the livestock commissioners office. I told him I would help him out since my father was the sheriff and I was a close friend to his family. Walking into the living room of our cabin I saw my husband Rip sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand. “Hey darling, how was work?”

“Exhausting…” I grumbled dropping my shoulders stumbling over to him like I was slightly drunk even though I wasn’t. Flopping down beside him on the couch I covered my face with my hands. “I honestly might call in tomorrow even though Kayce will not like it.”

Rip moved his head so he was staring down at me with his fingers beginning to run through my hair. “I’m sorry Y/n. Is there anything I can do?”

Burying my face against his shirt I sighed in relief. “I just want to cuddle…because everything on my body hurts and I’m too tired.”

Rip and I had started dating when I took an internship in my father’s police department. I came by the ranch one day to check out what exactly happened on the family’s home. Somehow Rip and I just clicked with one another and became a romantic couple. “That I can help you with…” He mumbles kissing the crown of my head wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Do you remember the first time we went and spent the weekend at the summer camp and I came screaming about a snake in my tent.” I chuckled breaking the silence with us watching the fire burning in front of us.

“I thought you we’re gonna crawl up my back and never come down.” He added on sitting his beer on the table on the side of the couch.

Turning my head around to him I still couldn’t believe he wouldn’t take me seriously about it. “Rip, it was a huge snake. And I’m sorry that I trusted that you wouldn’t make fun of me about it two years later.”

“It wasn’t that big of a snake. And I ain’t judging you. I just think you crawling on my back like a monkey was a bit much.” He held his hands up in surrender.

Rolling my eyes at him I avoided his gaze. “Fine maybe. But I can’t help that I’m afraid of snakes and you’re this tough cowboy.”

“Hey now. You are the strongest person I know. You can get on a horse that needs broken In when the rest of us are too scared to even go near one. You also don’t mind pushing through those bad days in the office instead of just coming home crying. You find a solution to something. Plus name one other person on this ranch that isn’t afraid to face off against Beth Dutton when she’s ready to fight someone.” Rip explained turning my chin with his thumb until I was looking him directly in the eye.

Shrugging my shoulders I smiled weakly at him figuring he was right. “Yeah I guess so. Plus Beth can be a handful sometimes. But thanks for making me feel better about the whole scars of snakes thing. You’re a good boyfriend.”

Rip leans forward kissing my forehead before he goes to stand up offering me his hand in the process. Putting my hand in his I yawned lightly while he led me into our bedroom of the cabin John had given us. “Anything for you, honey. You make things better for when I’ve had a long day so I’ll always do the same for you.”

“Same here. You always make my day cowboy.” He crawled underneath the covers removing his hat and boots with me removing my cowgirl hat too hanging it on the door hook. “Good night, Rip.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist falling asleep immediately. “Night Y/n.” Laying my head on his chest I finally let the stress of the work week go away and just enjoy the evening at home with my boyfriend. Because he always seemed to know how to help me.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

#rip wheeler #rip wheeler x reader #rip wheeler x y/n #rip wheeler imagine #cole hauser #yellowstone imagine #yellowstone #yellowstone masterlist #yellowstone x reader #yellowstone one shot #yellowstone fans #wattpad request #ask box is open for anything #comments really appreciated #fluff #rip wheeler fluff

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lebenspurpur · 2 years

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Holding the slashers while they cry HCs? (The reason is up to you, I just want some soft comfort fluff ❤️)

AN: I'm trying to get back into regular writing, so here, take this little thing. I prefer writing blurbs over headcanons, so I'm sorry if this is rusty.

Slashers: RZ Mikey, Vincent, Bo, Thomas, Brahms, Josef and Otis

Warnings: canon background stories, self-image problems in Vinny's, crying, more or less canon alcohol/drug abuse, canon suicide in Mikey's

ℝℤ 𝕄𝕚𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕖𝕝 𝕄𝕪𝕖𝕣𝕤

To see Michael cry is an abnormal sign of trust. It'd take him years, hell, decades to show you that side of him.

Michael doesn't cry a lot and when he does, it's about either his sister, or his mom. He won't ever admit it, but the fact that his mom committed suicide because of stress he caused, upsets him a lot.

He usually prefers solitude when he's emotional, but after you gain his trust, he learns to seek comfort in you as well.

Make him a hot chocolate, give him some cookies, he adores that stuff. Michael also really enjoys having his scalp scraped and will demand it during bad times.

Sometimes all he needs is to watch a bad, gory movie with his face buried in your chest, and he's already feeling better.

Michael doesn't really “cry”-cry. There are no sounds coming from him, it's just the tears running down his cheeks and an occasional sniffle.

𝕍𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Vincent cries a lot. I see him as someone who hides emotion from other people, but when he's alone? He's going all out.

When he cries, it's mostly because of his issues with himself. Vincent hates, and deeply despises, himself. That is exhausting, and creates a lot of emotional tension that requires letting out.

He is… complicated with physical touch during emotional times. Sometimes all he wants is to be held, whereas other times he needs to hold you.

He'll mostly show up in the middle of the night and just cry into your arms until he falls asleep. He will also feel very guilty the next morning.

Vincent tries to thank you by cooking for you, or take over a task you should've done that day. He wants to make sure you know that he appreciates it.

When he cries, it's near silent. Sometimes you think that's because he's had to hide his cries as a little boy.

𝔹𝕠 𝕊𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Bo always says he'd rather die than let you see him cry, but in fact, you see him break down quite a lot.

It could be anything that triggers him, really. An argument with his brothers, a glass he accidentally broke, an insult he called you half a year ago, a bad dream, the list goes on.

Bo's breakdowns are shaped by alcohol and self-pity, so sometimes it's difficult to help him get out of that pit.

I'd advise going for a walk before you lie down and hold him, just so he can calm down a little.

He would never admit it, but being cherished, being cared for makes him feel so comforted. Bo likes to play all dominant and bossy, however in reality, he's really, really vulnerable beneath that shell.

Bo yells when he's emotional (mostly because he's also intoxicated) and he can get very rude.

𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕤 ℍ𝕖𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕥

Thomas cries like never. The house doesn't really provide a lot of privacy and the butcher would rather die than let Hoyt see him cry, so he suppresses most of his emotional urges.

When he does, it's usually about something small, but since he never really lets anything out, the tears don't really stop.

Thomas is one of the few slashers who really, really wants and asks for cuddles when he's sad. It makes him feel so loved to lay in between your arms. He never thought he would ever feel that kind of affection.

He isn't ashamed to cry in front of you, either. He might've grown up in a household built on toxic masculinity, but he trusts you with his heart. You'd never laugh at him.

𝔹𝕣𝕒𝕙𝕞𝕤 ℍ𝕖𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕖

Surprisingly, Brahms doesn't really cry either. Sure, he complains and whines a lot, but real, emotional crying is rare.

However, Brahms deals a lot with panic and anxiety, which can lead to him breaking down.

He yearns to be comforted. Someone cradling his head, rubbing his back, whispering to him when he's panicking – he's dreamed of that his entire life.

He's not going to let you go, either. Brahms is always clingy, but that shoots through the roof when he's sad or scared.

In secret, he often feels bad about needing your comfort so often. He is a grown man, he should be able to deal with this himself. It's only when you tell him that you like taking care of him, that he drops these doubts.

𝕆𝕥𝕚𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕚𝕗𝕥𝕨𝕠𝕠𝕕

Now, this ass only cries like once a decade.

Emotions scare him and when he's scared he gets either high or drunk. So there is the chance of an intoxicated Otis absolutely breaking down for the first time in front of you. You likely won't even know why he's crying.

Otis likes to pretend like he hates being comforted by you, but while he's under the influence, it's impossible to hide his content.

He didn't get a lot of affection throughout his life, so pure, non-sexual affection is like a miracle to him. He could spend his life in between your arms, but that's another sentence he'll take to the grave.

When he wakes up the morning after the breakdown, he'll isolate himself for a little while. He needs to get used to opening up to you.

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕗

Josef also cries a lot, even if you wouldn't expect it of him.

He's the type to isolate himself when he's doing bad, which would be fine, if it wouldn't make him feel worse.

It takes him awhile to open up and come to you, but when he does, he feels so much better. Josef hates hiding things from you, he wants to be very open about everything in the relationship. As soon as he shows you his emotional side, there's like an invisible wall breaking down.

Josef's sobs are heartbreaking. You don't know how he does it, but he sounds truly hopeless.

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miss-shawdowsinger · 1 year

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Soothing Darkness - Azriel X reader fanfic

Chapter three

Summery: Training continues for Y/N which only gets more intense.

Warnings: swearing!

AN: Okay so this chapter is a bit of a filler but trust me it will pick up in the next one! A bit more cute Azriel moments in this one! I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think ❤️

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

----

A knock at your front door had you waking up bolt upright. You don’t remember falling asleep at all but now the light shone through your open curtained window and you checked the clock in your room. 8:30am on the dot.

“Shit” you through the covers off you and jumped out of bed. Quickly, you pulled on your clothes and tied your hair back. The knocking continued and gradually got louder as you hurried to get ready. You were pulling on your boots when a figure suddenly appeared at your bedroom window. Screaming in shock, you fell backwards right on your ass.

“Ahh you are here” Cassian laughed at the sight of you struggling to get ready in a rush. “Sleep in?” his wings kept him in place in the sky outside your window, peering into your messy bedroom.

“I could have been naked” you yelled before shutting the curtains in his face. His laugh was loud enough that even as you headed downstairs you could still here it. Grabbing your jacket, you left the shop and locked the door behind you.

“You could have been naked, or you could have been hurt. How was I supposed to know?” he shrugged faking innocence as you made your way over to where he now stood.

“Either way you should have given it another minute before spying” you gave him a rude gesture.

“You are the one that’s late” he crossed his arms, defending his actions. “Come on sleepy head” he held out his hand and you took it begrudgingly.

Cassian was shocked but impressed to find that on this flight you didn’t shut your eyes as tight as you could and hide your face into his shoulder. Instead, you looked out towards the sun rising over the mountains and the colours it painted on the Sidra.

“Not so afraid today?” he drew your attention away from the city below.

“What? And miss the view?” you still clung tight to him as the house of wind drew closer. He chuckled slightly, not questioning the sudden change.

You were the last to arrive at the training rings and everyone were already warming up. “Where have you been?” Nesta raised her eyebrows as Cassian put you down. “9am sharp every morning is what you said” she narrowed her eyes at Cassian.

“Don’t blame me” Cassian held up his hand in defence. “I was on time but someone forgot to get out of bed this morning” he gestured to you as you cringed. A slight blush of embarrassment creeping into your cheeks as Nesta turned her attention to you.

“I’m sorry” you winced.

“So, she gets an apology and all I got was a….”Cassian mimicked the rude gesture you had given him earlier. Nesta couldn’t help but laugh at the gesture.

“It’s fine Y/N. I was more hoping it was him who was late, he gave me such stick for being two minutes late a couple months ago and thought I could get my own back” she patted you on the back before turning her attention back to Cassian. You took that as your que to leave and headed over to your group.

The three priestesses were already going through their warm-ups with Azriel close by. You made your way over and finally noticed the strain of your muscles, remanence of the training the day before. You had a slight limp as the muscles in your legs had seized up so much that bending your knees seemed impossible. The startled wakeup call hadn’t give you chance to notice just how stiff you were. Azriel spotted you as you approached the group, his eyes met yours but his face showed no sign of emotion again.

“Sorry I’m late” you mumbled your appologise as you joined the group. Azriel just nodded for you to join in without a word. Your heart clenched slightly but you quickly started the usual warm up routine, stretching off all your sore muscles and raising your heartbeat. If you were trying to prove you wanted to catch up with the others, sleeping in wasn’t the best way to start.

“Lets go over the basics” Azriel instructed the group after we were warmed up. The priestesses started off the stances and movements and you followed along. Each stance you did you remembered what Azriel had told you the day before.

Elbows up. Heels down. Thumb placement. You needed to prove that you did listen and did want to improve. Now more than ever.

Each movement you performed you remembered how he told you to breath and clear your mind. Although, your muscles ached they held in place. You managed to hold each movement, only wobbling a couple of times but correcting it quickly. Everything was clicking into place. You could have sworn you saw a slight tug on the corner of Azriel’s mouth as you locked eyes with him during one of the harder balancing exercises.

An hour had gone by and you hadn’t fallen over once. Determination to prove yourself was forcing you to keep going and improve. Your heart was pounding and your brow was sweating but your body was strong. The priestesses seemed to notice the change in you. They smiled towards you as you performed each movement as they did.

“Good” Azriel said to the group as you took a quick breather. His Hazel eyes met yours briefly and you beamed shyly at the small accomplishment. “We are going to move on to core strength today”.

You soon realised you had little to no core strength. Azriel had you all doing sit ups, planks and v-ups on repeat for the last hour of the session. You felt like you could collapse as your stomach clenched with each repetition. If you thought you were sweating before, this was a whole different level. The longest you could hold a plank was only 13 seconds and each rep after that seemed to get worse.

At least you weren’t alone this time. The priestesses seemed to all be equally as unfit as you. The cramping was almost unbearable as you began your cool down. Azriel left quickly afterwards with no word. He hadn’t spoken to you throughout the whole session, and you couldn’t understand the sinking feeling in your stomach because of it.

Just because he helped you yesterday doesn’t mean that you would have any special treatment. He would have done it for anyone who was in need of the extra practise.

The rest of the week carried on the same way. Training was now increasingly more intense as you moved onto muscle and core strengthening exercises, the shop had the odd customers through the afternoon, and you would fall asleep very quickly each night. You didn’t make the same mistake of sleeping in again though.

Azriel didn’t speak to you at all during the week. Instead, he went back to instructing the group as a whole. You pushed that out of your mind, concentrating on the new exercises he would demonstrate before attempting yourself and failing miserably. He made everything look so easy, not breaking a sweat as he effortlessly demonstrated what he expected from us. It was an effort not to stare as his muscles flexed under his shirt with each movement. He completed each movement so perfectly and gracefully that even the priestesses watched from the other groups across the ring.

Your day off arrived quickly and you found yourself asking to stay again to practise. Nesta had told you that you are more than welcome and to stop asking for permission, but you still thought it polite.

“Can I have your green beans if you’re not having them?” Gwyn gestured to Emerie’s finished plate as we sat having lunch before your extra practise.

“Take them” Emerie scraped the beans onto Gwyn’s plate. There was only the three of you and Nesta at lunch as Cassian had some important business again.

“Y/N, have you heard about the ball?” Gwyn asked between mouthfuls.

“What ball?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Cassian and I are hosting a ball here in three weeks’ time. I say a ball it’s more like a little party with a few people from Velaris coming to celebrate just before winter solstice” Nesta swallowed her mouthful. “It would be great if you could come. I was going to ask you with a formal invitation but thanks to Gwyn….” She trailed off.

“I’ll have to think about it” you smiled. “I’d have to find something to wear if I did but thank you for the invitation” you knew you had absolutely nothing in your wardrobe that would be nice enough for a party at the house of wind. You definitely couldn’t afford anything new either.

“Oh, the invitation is just being nice” Emerie giggled. “You are coming. No excuses” she pointed her fork at you in a fake threat. The girls all nodded in agreement.

“If you don’t have anything to wear, I can lend you something or we can go on a shopping trip. All four of us” Nesta offered. The other girls smiled widely at the thought “I know a great shop in town that would have something perfect for you”.

“Will the other priestesses be there?” you tried to change subject before you were dragged into a shopping trip that you couldn’t afford.

“They have been invited but the likelihood of them leaving the library is slim” Gwyn shrugged. “Speaking of, I best get going” she stood from her place. You also stood to leave and said your goodbyes to the girls as you went back up to the training rings.

The rings were empty and quiet yet again as you began your stretches. You kept an eye on the door to the house just in case but after half an hour you gave up.

He’s not coming. Concentrate.

You threw yourself into the training, pushing yourself to do one more repetition of each movement before you relaxed. You had just finished a set of sit ups and collapsed, laying on the ground looking up into the sky. The cold Autumn breeze cooling the sweat from your brow. There were no clouds in the sky as you took deep soothing breaths.

You pushed yourself to sit up and look out over the view of the city down below. Gwyn, had spoken of a technique called mind stilling. A technique that the Valkyries used to calm their mind, even during battle. She had told you the steps and you had memorised them. Looking out over the city, you thought there was no better time then to try it now for the first time. You closed your eyes and took in a deep breath.

Each step was clear in your mind as you ran through them. It was a lot harder than it sounded, closing your mind to everything surrounding you. Your mind kept on wondering as you tried for what felt like a lifetime.

Clear your mind.

What would I wear to the ball?

Stop. Clear your mind.

Maybe if I used vanilla it would make the buns tase nicer.

“Useless” you grunted as you opened your eyes. You would sooner fall asleep then succeed at mind stilling. With a frustrated huff you stood from your seat and turned to begin training on your body again.

“Not easy is it” Azriel smirked as you came face to face with him. You jumped and swore at the male a couple feet in front of you.

“Do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people?” you held a hand over your heart, trying to steady it from the shock.

“That is my job” he scratched his head as he entered the training ring, shadows curling round his neck and hands. “Here again?” he came to stand before you.

“Today is my day off, I thought it was better spending my time being productive” you shrugged.

“How’s that working out for you?” his lips twitched as he looked you up and down.

“Fine” you lied.

“Looks it” he laughed as you let out a frustrated huff. You had been working for over an hour on mind stilling and now your mind was as tired as the rest of your body.

“I’m finished anyway, I’ll get out of your way” you strode by him, not daring to look at him but his hand reached out and caught your wrist before you could walk away. You instantly stopped and turned to look at his scarred hand caressing your small wrist. His hands were soft against your bare skin which sent a warm sensation up your entire arm. You looked up to find Azriel’s soft eyes on his own hand before turning his gaze to you. You could almost see his shoulders relax as you didn’t pull away from him, you didn’t shy from the touch of his scared hands on you.

He instantly let go of you. “I’m sorry” he cleared his throat. “I’m not chasing you out, if you want to stay please do”.

“I didn’t think you were. I’m just tired and frustrated” you half smiled. “But thank you” you carried on walking to the water station. You poured yourself a glass of water, drinking it in one breath.

“How are you getting back?” Azriel called after you, coming to your side yet again as you poured another glass.

“Ten thousand steps doesn’t seem too bad” you raised an eyebrow.

“Trust me, it is” he cringed slightly and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Cassian offered to take me once he got back” Azriel nodded with a hummed response. His shadows curled around him yet again. “Can I ask you a question?” you stared at the shadows surrounding the Illyrian. They floated silently over his wings and across his chest.

“Of course” his jaw tightened slightly waiting.

“They call you the Shadowsinger” you paused gaging his response before continuing. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t show any offence, so you asked “What does that mean?”.

“No one other than Rhys and Cassian have ever asked me that before” his face was unreadable as his eyes connected with yours. “and if I tell you, I’d have to kill you” his face remained stern. Your heart began beating faster as your breath hitched and you took a small step away from him. His lip quivered slightly before he laughed.

You stared at him unblinking for a second before realisation hit you. He was messing with you. “That’s not funny” you scolded at the male but his laugh was contagious and you soon joined in.

“I’m sorry” he controlled his laughter. “There isn’t a lot I can tell you but there is something I can show you” he came closer to you. “But you’ll have to trust me” he held out his hand. You looked at his outstretched hand and then at the male in front of you. His black hair sat lazily over his forehead, his hazel eyes soft as they stared into yours, waiting for your response.

The first time Azriel had asked you to trust him, it had taken your breath away. Opening your eyes to the world below for the first time. He had a small smile as you placed your hand softly in his. He effortlessly picked you up and flew up into the air.

Once you were about one hundred feet above the house his voice broke through the wind. “Whatever you do, don’t let go of me” he scanned your face as you nodded in response. Darkness encircled the both of you. Not darkness like night but darkness like shadows. They engulfed you whole, but you stayed holding on to Azriel. His hands still held you in place against his body.

The darkness wasn’t cold as you imagined it to be. It was like a warm caress, comforting as it blanketed the two of you. It kept surrounding you until no daylight broke through at all, just dark. The only presence was Azriel. You could no longer see him but you could still feel his arms around you. It didn’t scare you, you didn’t tense or shy away. This was Azriel and he asked you to trust him.

You were nothing but shadows for a split second and then the light pierced through the black. The shadows coiled back into nothing, seeming to fold back into Azriel. Your eyes adjusted to the light and you were still in Azriel’s arms. But Azriel was stood on a cobbled street. You quickly looked around to find you were outside the bakery.

“You can winnow?” you asked, gawking at how you had been in one place and then the next second you were somewhere else.

“Not exactly” He placed you down softly. “I can move through shadows” you released your grip around his neck.

“It’s a lot quicker then flying. Why didn’t you just do that last week?” you tutted as you rummaged for your keys.

“I wanted to help you overcome your fear of flying” he crossed his arms over his chest. You rolled your eyes at him but thanked him anyway. “I hear it worked” you quickly looked at his half smug smile.

“It may have done” you narrowed your eyes at him. “So, you and Cassian have been talking about me behind my back now?” you questioned. Instantly your mind flooded with everything they could have been talking about. How useless you had been so far.

“We talk about everyone we teach” he tilted his head seemingly reading your thoughts. “How everyone is progressing” he clarified. It did little for your mind, but you shook it off.

“Great” you sighed finally freeing your keys from your trouser pockets.

“You are progressing more than you think, Y/N” Azriel’s deep voice reverberated through you. That was the first time he had called you by your name. It sent your body tingling. You were beginning to think he may have forgotten it, but it sounded so sweet on his lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” was all you managed to say as you unlocked the door and stepped inside “Thank you for brining me back again” you smiled at him. He looked as if he was about to say something as his mouth opened. But he seemed to change his mind and instead bowed his head as you closed the door behind you.

Idiot. I’ll see you tomorrow. Is that all you could say?

The next two weeks went by exactly the same as the previous two. Each day at training Cassian would pick you up at 8:30am on the dot. Training was progressively getting harder but you began to notice small changes in your body. Muscles began to grow where you’d never had it before. Your legs and arms were stronger and you found your body didn’t ache as badly between sessions.

Azriel only addressed the group as a whole. He never spoke to you individually. You tried to ignore it, tried to understand that there must be a reason behind it. So, you didn’t question it and decided to ignore him too. Other than the instructions you followed, you pretended he wasn’t even there.

By the time it got to your days off, Azriel already waited in the training ring in the afternoons. He helped you run through everything that you had struggled with that week. The two of you making small talk before he took you back home.

You were grateful for the extra help that he offered you. Allowing you to understand your body and even your mind on a better level. You also began to enjoy his company rather then be intimidated by it, and you think he felt the same. During normal sessions his face was unreadable, a mask of no emotions. Only his shadows circling round him, keeping him hidden. But when it was just the two of you he smiled, answered questions and asked them in return. It made your heart warm each time you were able to make him laugh.

Surprisingly he had a wicked sense of humour. He managed to have you scowling or unable to breath through fits of giggles. It was quick how easily it became for you to be in his company. He dropped you off at the end of another day full of training. Each time he dropped you off you would offer him food or a drink but her would always have somewhere else to be. You didn’t let it bother you as you had already spent the majority of the day with him. He didn’t ‘winnow’ you back again though. He would fly over the city and you would soak up the landscape, each time finding something new to look at.

He bowed his head and took his leave as you entered the shop. As you closed the door you noticed a small envelope. You picked it up and opened it carefully.

'Dear Y/N,

Nesta and I were speaking about our shopping trip for the ball at the end of this week. We plan to go tomorrow.

We will pick you up at 2pm after training so don’t make plans.

Gwyn.'

You stared at the note and sighed as you had hoped that they had forgotten about the shopping trip. You hadn’t even fully accepted the invitation to the ball itself. Not that you had much choice in the matter. But how could you afford it? You went to the small safe you had in your apartment and looked at your spare funds. It was a meek pile of money but you took a deep breath and took a small amount from your savings.

It’ll be fun. You told yourself, justifying the cost. You had never been to a ball or a party. At least there will be people you know there. People you could now call your friends. If worse comes to worse, you can always leave early – you told yourself. One thing was for certain. You hoped there wasn’t any dancing, you had never been taught how to dance and it was a one-way ticket to embarrassing yourself.

Chapter 4

#acotar #acotar fandom #acotar fanfiction #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel x you #cassian #batboys

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dmagedgoods · 2 years

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Daeran 9 and 15? 🥺

OMG thank you so much!! 🥺❤️ 9- What’s your favourite headcanon(s) for this character? I have. So many. So many. Omg, well, first 10 things coming to mind or I won't ever stop again: 1. It was in the little discussion on twitter yesterday too and actually is an important headcanon of mine: Daeran highly enjoys art. Especially theater and any performance art in general. He unironically loves a good story and great entertainment. This won’t stop him from mocking plays that overdo it with the moral message especially or those being plainly bad. 2. Daeran’s feelings for Galfrey are much more positive and deeper than he’d ever admit. I’m not even talking about his crush or anything romantic. But she is the only family member he has left who seems to be at least vaguely interested in his existence (and his wellbeing). And behind all the mockery and nasty jokes he cares for her. 3. Daeran only cries in secret, he’s great at concealing even the most painful emotions until he’s on his own. (He may allow himself to cry in front of a trusted loved one if things lead there.) 4. Quite often, he sleeps on his belly, hugging his pillow. Or the commander, if available. It's connected to a feeling of comfort and security. 5. Daeran is extremely knowledgeable, even about things he claims to despise. It’s far more fun and fulfilling to mock topics and people with their believes in using some in depth information. 6. For a noble, Daeran can cook surprisingly well. Not on a level that could compare to “grannies praised recipe” or with a meal made by someone doing it for a living, but there are a few things he’s great at preparing and he has fun doing so. 7. Another topic from twitter I’ll bring here: Daeran is pierced (or gets pierced during the game), at the very least his ears, maybe other body parts too. 😏 8. Animals like him. 9. Daeran either sleeps naked or falls asleep fully dressed, because he’s too lazy after a long night of partying to remove his clothes, nothing in between. 10. What he accuses children of, he did himself in the past: He drew mustaches on people in boring books, but only on those who deserved it for being even more boring than the lesson he was listening to. There probably were some nasty doodles of his teachers too. 15- Favourite line of theirs? This is so hard, because he has all the best lines! Like every single one amazing. I guess I'm gonna go with those making me most emotional. The vulnerability in this moment and in his voice left me breathless and made my heart clench:

This one just had me melt entirely:

And I can't leave out my favorite proposal in the history of ever that still drives me insane in loving him:

And then there is the one where he’s so completely unapologetic regarding his whole behavior and honestly, in a way that's extremely inspiring:

Oh and of course, one of my all time faves, telling so incredibly much not only about the relationship, but about him as well:

I'll stop here, as I said, might as well quote my whole Daeran folder. 😂 Thank you again, I enjoyed this so much!!

#daeran #daeran arendae #pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #pathfinder wotr #wrath of the righteous #dmagedramblings #dmagedtexts #I could go on forever #just #him 🥺

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luminouslion · 10 months

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Oooo since you're also doing the ask game, how about none other than the Marx & Julius friendship with 💙❤️💖? 😁

Thank you for the ask Laura you are really spoiling me today! 🥺🫶

💙 - Hurt/Comfort

For a long time Marx felt like he didn’t really belong to the magic knights, especially not in a high archiving squad like the grey deers (For context I headcanon that Marx was hand picked by Julius like Yami and William were and didn’t actually try out for the magic knights). His self-esteem issues were only enforced when his first few missions all went wrong. They weren’t complete failures but they just didn’t go as planned and Marx felt like he was slowing everyone else down and like he wasn’t any help at all. Maybe he also go a little bit hurt.

So one evening, after a particular nasty mission Julius took him to his quarters and personally patched up his wounds while giving him a little pep talk. He assured him that he didn’t pick him without a reason and that he had to trust his own abilities more. Maybe he even told him about some of his own failed missions back when he first joined the magic knights. And just maybe in the end of that evening Marx ended up falling asleep on Julius’s couch with a soft blanket dropped over him.

❤️ - Secrets

A secret Marx and Julius have is that they are both really grateful that they stayed together even after Julius became Wizard King. So in Marx case he is secretly grateful that Julius chose him as an advisor even though in front of others (especially Julius) he likes to complain about his job or rather about Julius not doing his job. And Julius is secretly really grateful that Marx excepted the offer of being his advisor because he knows that he can be a “bit” of a procrastinator and that Marx is really dutiful (and loyal) and will remind him of his work. He also just really likes Marx as a friend and is grateful that he will at least stay close with him because he already knew when taking on the position as Wizard king that the position is quite lonely and else he will probably loose quite a bit of contact to his old friends.

💖 - Alternate Univers (AU)

For the AU I’m going with two completely different ones but I really can’t decide between these two. Both of them are AUs I want to see them in rather than what I think would be fitting for their characters.

The first would be a high school/college AU where both of them are students. Simply because I think it would be interesting to see how their relationship would have developed if there wasn’t a power difference between them. Because I feel like Marx is so respectful to people in higher positions than him that him and Julius will never be on an only friendship basis in the black clover universe. There will always be this boss/employee relationship between them and I want to see it gone. Preferable in a universe where their relationship isn’t influenced by extreme factors like having to fight for their lives or so.

Another universe I want to see them in is the hunger games universe with Julius as mentor and Marx as tribute who never had to fight before. So Julius is just desperately trying to keep his Tributes alive while Marx has already excepted defeat because he is a realistic man who thinks he doesn’t stand a chance in the games. Bonus points if Marx was never really drawn but volunteered for someone else like Katniss did. And yeah I enjoy hurting/torturing my favorite characters. I’m living for the angst XD

#black clover #character ask game #ask game #marx francois #julius novachrono #julius and marx #black clover marx #black clover julius #bc headcanons #headcanons

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hawkinshightigcrs · 2 years

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👫 - for robin

Send a 👫and I’ll write four headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship /// Currently Accepting

I hope you like angst because boy do I be having some sad ones omg 😭

Ever since Steve and Robin grew closer as best friends, Steve lets Robin have fake boyfriend privileges in emergency cases. I don’t mean they pretend so much so that they kiss or anything like that, cause absolutely not. Robin would rather throw up than do that (sorry Steve, it’s not personal I promise omg). What I mean though is that he lets Robin tell her family that Steve’s her boyfriend since they were starting to grow suspicious about her never bringing a boy home. He also lets her tell people at school that too if she has a particularly nosy bully who’s onto her, cause not only will they back off, but also “King Steve’s” name still holds a lot of power in Hawkins High. Not only that, but I image Steve’s not afraid to come on down to the school and knock some heads around if so much as a single hair is touched on Robin’s head. He’s a great best friend omg. ❤️

Sometimes when things get really bad at home, Robin will just show up at Steve’s doorstep at odd hours of the night to sleepover at his place. She walks the entire way over to his house every time regardless of how far of a walk it is or how cold it may be outside. After he lets her in, I feel like he always gives her a whole speech about how she should’ve called him to come pick her up because anything could’ve happened to her on the way there. The nights are usually the same every time– Robin doesn’t want to talk about it, Steve maybe makes some quick food in case she didn’t eat dinner that night, they watch some cheesy movie to lift the mood, then fall asleep at some point in Steve’s bed. They always share the bed because Robin likes to assure he’s still alive and not hurt when the nightmares keep her awake. In the morning, she’s usually back to her happy-go-lucky self, but I feel like he can always tell it’s just a front, ya know?? But he never calls her out on it unless it was a particularly bad night, like, really awful.

Steve’s the only person Robin trusts enough to break down in front of, and every time she does it’s always on accident. Robin’s the kind of person to avoid bad feelings because she hates feeling the discomfort that comes with it, so she’ll just bottle it up and say she’s fine even when she’s really not until the bottle finally explodes from the pressure of everything. At first, I think Steve must’ve thought she was just very oversensitive or something?? Because it always starts off with her getting mad about something small like not doing something right at work, but then the anger turns into her toppling all of these other awful events that maybe could happen because of her mistake but most likely won’t, and then come the tears. At first, it was really embarrassing for her, but now she just goes to him whenever she feels like she needs to cry because she knows he won’t care, but Robin still puts it off for as long as she can.

Every now and again Robin will think about how lucky she is to have a friend like Steve, but then she suddenly remembers he’s Steve “The Hair” Harrington, and it makes her laugh every single time. Because someone who she couldn’t stand a year ago, thought she’d always hate till the end of time, that there was nothing in this world that could ever make her like Steve “The Hair” Harrington, is now the person who knows her best and is her closest friend. Don’t get her wrong, Robin wouldn’t have it any other way, but she’ll also never get over it! Although, I think because she’s so grateful for him being a safe haven of sorts for her, she also feels like she doesn’t deserve him. Like at any moment the universe might magically realize it blessed the wrong person and Steve will grow to hate her. Losing him is a real fear of hers and sometimes when she gets too lost in her head like that, she distances herself without meaning to which always gets his attention and ends up with him reassuring her that he’s not going anywhere (and that she’s also a dingus too).

(✨A Bonus One:✨ Not even the party knows about Robin being a lesbian, it’s just Steve and Steve only. Because of this I feel like he’s probably gotten pretty creative with changing the topic/distracting the others when they automatically assume they’re dating or when Dustin relentlessly tries to get him to ask Robin on a date.)

@the-goddamn-babysitter

#Answered Asks #Robin Headcanons #the-goddamn-babysitter #//I love them your honor! They’re each other’s best friend😭❤️#long post #under read more for length

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sapphirestuff · 3 years

Note

May I request Mondo Oowada from Danganronpa with a shy and chubby s/o? I Apologize if requests are closed, feel free to ignore! Have a good day ❤️

Mondo with chubby s/o

Characters: Mondo Oowada

⚠️warning: mondo light swearing, mentions of fat shaming (not the words), insecurity

Tags: gn!reader, dr thh, headcannons, comfort, fluff

A/n: Anon! I'm sorry this took so long! I honestly been waiting for chubby s/o requests as someone who is chubby and with mondo *insert lip bite* so when i first saw this i was rlly excited doing it. I did my best, and i hope this came out well!

{Mondo Oowada}

The first thing that i came in mind is that he loves cooking healthy meals that keeps your body healthy. He actually cares about nutrients, health etc

Speaking about health, he's the fit type, but won't force you to work out with him! However if you want to, he'll go easy on you and put some motivation for you to keep it up, he will not push your limits

Likes to lay at you, or more like he fell asleep there because of the softness and warm feeling your body is giving him, he just feels so comfortable with you that he's feeling peaceful enough

Since his jacket isn't big enough to share with you, he'll lend you his jacket, so that you feel comfortable with your appearance

He likes it when you wear his jacket, it makes you look tough and confident, the way he wants you to be even if you have times of insecurity about your appearance

Oh but trust me he will not judge you, telling you to go on a diet, working out more etc. He likes you the way you are, he's looking at you like he looks at something precious that needs to be protected

Some rude stranger looking at your body with no shame? Or someone telling a criticism of your body? Mondo, at 0,25 speed: "What are you doing, you brat?" With his fist ready to grab their shoulder, pulling you closer to him

It literally doesn't take him 3 minutes to wait for him to fall asleep, once he lays at wherever you're comfortable at, his eyes immediately closes at their own nature, sometimes murmuring in his nap on how warm and beautiful/handsome/amazing you are

He can even fall asleep at public by laying at you, especially in front of his biker gangs to show how cool you are!

You're really lucky to have a lot of protectors! Mondo convinced every single of the crazy diamonds to be your bodyguard, he just doesn't want when you feel weird about your body at times where he can't be with you

The gangs are really supportive for you too! They consider you as one of their boss (since yeah you're dating their leader) and treat you with respect but friendly enough so you can rely on them like you rely on Mondo

Although at your daily biking at night, you will always be with your s/o at the front center

Gang A: "Hey boss! Hey ms./mr./mx. Oowada! Looking good as always!" Gang B: "Hey bosses! Ready to hit the streets?"

Mondo: "Hang on tight, babe." Hang on tight means you have to hug him from behind, you know nights are cold, especially when he lends you his jacket, so he'll depend on your extra body warmth to keep him from freezing

Riding at a freezing night, luckily he bought 2 jackets to keep him warm, his own and you wink wink. Bonus points if your chubs are at your arms or stomach or both, it supplies extra heat for him

#shapphire; writes #danganronpa x reader #danganronpa imagines #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #danganronpa #danganronpa fanfiction #mondo x reader #mondo oowada x reader #mondo oowada

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shwazzberryswriting · 2 years

Text

Moving On, Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Aside from her throbbing temples and sensitivity to bright lights, Rhea woke up to a good morning. She’d fallen asleep in her jeans and still wore the previous night’s makeup, but she gave a twirl before entering her bathroom. She paid the price for trying to be cute as she lost her footing and caught her fall as she gripped onto her sink. Her limbs were numb, and she still did not have good control over her balance.

However, the high she felt carried her through what was supposed to be a rough morning. She’d been drunk, but she remembered her kiss with Sicheng and it had been a good kiss. His hands on her hips had been firm and inviting in their warmth. And she wanted to go back to that moment just to get to press her chest to his again, touch her lips to his.

As she showered, the memory of a melodramatic plea for Sicheng to remember to text her crawled into her mind. Rhea’s blissful high was beginning to crash as she felt a sharp pain on her lower back as she touched it, reminding her of the stupid Hide and Seek stunt in the linen closet. She and Sicheng had spent their entire weekend pretending to be a couple. Just because they shared a drunken kiss together didn’t mean he felt the same way about her.

She felt like the weight of her book bag was over her chest as she suddenly struggled to breathe, inhaling water through her nose. Coughing and gagging, she stepped away from the shower and wiped water off her face.

When did she start to like Sicheng?

Did she like him?

Did he like her?

Hearing her phone ringing, she finished showering and wrapped a towel around her body before rushing to her room. She saw “Sicheng ❤️” shining brightly on her phone’s screen from the night stand when she entered her room. Sitting down on her bed, she picked up her phone and saw that he’d called her and texted her.

Sicheng ❤️: ey hw u feelin? ur car is still here

He’d called, which meant that he was interested in her. A guy wouldn’t call someone just to see if they were awake with a hangover unless he was concerned about her. But then again, what if he was calling to alert her about her car? Did she park at a 2 Hour Limit Parking zone? However, did that mean that he cared about her because he didn’t want her to get a ticket?

“Stop it,” she said out loud, throwing her hands up into the air. If she got a parking ticket, Sid would spend months on end guilt tripping her to do favors for him and that was a fate worse than not being liked by her new crush.

Did she have incredible chemistry with Sicheng? Yes. Was he the best kisser in her life? Yes. Could it be possible that he just wanted to make sure the favor had been returned in full? Yes. Was she overanalyzing again? Well…she couldn’t trust her opinion there.

Quietly dressing, she thought of the perfect slice of cheese pizza that would cure her of her hangover as she prepared for her day. Too hung over and emotionally anxious to put in much effort, Rhea did the bare minimum of putting on sweatpants, a tank, and her favorite black hoodie before leaving her place to go pick up Sid’s Hatchback (and possibly run into Sicheng). She was surprised to see Chan parking Sid’s blue Celica at the front of her apartment complex when she walked outside, however.

“Good morning!” he greeted with his sweet dimpled smile when he got out of the Celica. They sat on the hood together. “Sid asked me to drop this off here. He already picked up the Hatchback from the NCT Frat house.”

“Did Sid miss the Hatchback?” she asked, staring down to see Chan wearing the FILA flip flops she’d gifted him for Christmas when they first dated. Their friends made fun of the FILAs until everyone else had their own pair a month later.

“More like he has a coworker who’s interested in buying it,” he replied. “Did you make it home OK last night?”

“Ruby helped me walk to my place. I have to thank her soon. How did you make it home last night?”

He cleared his throat and grinned to himself as he stood up.

“What do you think about Wen?” he asked.

“Oh,” she said softly, her eyes glanced at his flip flops before shifting up to see him running his hands continually through his hair. Chan and Wen definitely hooked up. Her shoulder shook, a laugh almost escaping. Throwing a hand over her mouth, her body relaxed as relief washed over.

“I know they have a weird rivalry,” he began, bringing her focus back to him, “but outside of them trying to outdo each other, I like Wen.”

He licked his lips, clasping his hands together, seeming to be ready to make a big speech. His earnestness reminded her that she and Sicheng had been the ones to start the whole weekend on a pile of lies. Even if the lies led to Chan and Wen hooking up and Rhea feeling like she’d just experienced the best weekend in her whole life, it was not an excuse to hide the truth, especially since both Chan and Wen had come clean to her unprovoked.

“Chan, before you say anything else,” she said, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the car, feeling the metal heat up under the sun, “I need to find Sicheng. You, me, Wen and Sicheng all need to have dinner again before you leave. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Rhea, you were a great girlfriend-”

“Chan, please,” she said, reaching over to grab his wrist, “if you like Wen, I’m fine with it. Let’s have dinner at my place tonight? Dinner will be on me. There’s a lot I think Sicheng and I both need to say together to you.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Chan, I swear, I have to talk to Sicheng, and this isn’t…it probably isn’t…I need to talk to Sicheng. I’ll text you and Wen later, OK?”

She wanted to tell him. Given how they were still able to talk like friends after he admitted that he liked Wen, she knew that at most, he’d give her shit for a couple weeks (and maybe in 3 years out of the blue) just for a laugh, but she needed to talk to Sicheng first. Chan’s eyebrows were furrowed but he said nothing more on the matter before saying goodbye, letting Rhea drive the Celica alone.

The Celica did not run as smoothly as the Hatchback. The steering wheel still locked up for a couple seconds on right turns, so Rhea drove the speed limit, even if her style was usually 5MPH above (which she knew was a bad habit, so maybe it was a good idea to keep the Celica). Even with the Celica’s difficult steering, and broken air conditioning, her mind kept drifting to Sicheng.

Aside from needing to clear the air with him, Rhea and Sicheng needed to talk about how they were going to tell Chan and Wen that they weren’t really dating. Rhea couldn’t come to a logical explanation as to how things resulted into Chan and Wen legitimately dating and she and Sicheng having shared a drunken kiss together. She wasn’t even sure how to apologize, given how happy Wen and Chan seemed to be. If not for them, their exes wouldn’t have ever gone on the second date.

But a lie was a lie.

Unable to keep cruising around in the half broken Celica, she began to head toward the NCT Frat house. She rolled down the windows as she enjoyed the warm morning breeze of spring. The weather assured her that even if Sicheng did not have any romantic feelings toward her, she would be grateful for the weekend where she pretended to be his girlfriend. The relationship had been a lie, but the thrill of being so good at being his girlfriend had been exhilarating.

Pulling up to the NCT driveway, Rhea parked behind Yuta’s ILX. Yuta and Sicheng were standing at the front of the car with the hood popped up. She didn’t want to disrupt them when she exited her car, but both men turned around when she shut the driver side door to the Celica.

“Rhea!” Yuta exclaimed with his illuminating smile. “Winwin, your girlfriend’s here.”

“You got the Celica?” Sicheng asked, his eyes wide as he walked to her side. He scanned the blue car as he walked around it, inspecting it slowly.

“Sid has a potential buyer for the Hatchback,” she replied, “so he’s letting me borrow the Celica right now. You want to go for a ride? Did you want to drive it?”

“Already going out for a ride,” Yuta said, looking down at his phone, “you kids like to start things very early. There’s no judgment from me. Express your affections as much as possible.”

“Let’s go,” Sicheng said as the tips of his ears turned red.

“It’s nice to see you again, Yuta,” she said as she waved to him.

“Bye cuties!” Yuta exclaimed, his palms open as he waved goodbye to them.

The drive was silent as Sicheng pulled out of the driveway. It only took a few minutes for him to drive down a couple blocks before parking next to a bakery. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she looked over to Sicheng as he turned the engine off. Their eyes locked when he looked away from the front of the car. Something in the way he licked his lips invited her to push forward and kiss him.

His fingers caressed her neck as she licked his lips. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue pushed against hers. His other hand reached around her body and squeezed her ass, encouraging her to wrap her arms around his neck tighter. The minty toothpaste he’d used invaded her mouth and nose, and all her mind could focus on was getting more of it, her lips puckering against his.

“Hey, I can call the cops for lewd behavior in public!” came a voice with a knock on the window.

The minty freshness of Sicheng’s lips were gone, and Rhea opened her eyes as she released him. Sitting back in her seat, out of breath, she looked over toward the driver’s side and groaned as she saw Yangyang laughing, baring all of his teeth. Ten was with him, unable to disguise the shit eating grin on his face. Ten’s appearance surprised Rhea, making her heart jump up to her throat before she ran a hand over her burning hot face.

“So is this makeout session like, for show or for real?” Ten asked when she and Sicheng got out of the car. Ten’s wide smile with his phoenix shaped eyes was enough to make her want to bury herself in embarrassment.

“Hi, Ten,” Rhea said as she gave Ten a quick hug. “I didn’t see you at the party last night.”

“Yeah, because you got drunk right away,” he said. He looked over at Sicheng, raising an eyebrow with a sly grin. “So like, what’s going on between you two?”

“Yo bro, I think this spot would be good for me to do my kickflips!” Yangyang exclaimed, staring at a set of stairs nearby. “Maybe a grind if I want to dance with the devil, bro. I gotta call Haechan and Renjun. We’ve been looking for a 5 step handrail, man.”

“We’ll talk to you later,” Rhea said, taking Sicheng’s hand. She had never been more grateful for the nonsensical language of a skater before. “I promise.”

Sicheng’s cheeks were as red as the tips of his ears, making her smile as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. Once they were away from Ten and Yangyang’s sight, she gave him another kiss. They’d walked across the street to a small park with a tulip garden at the center. Most of the young families were surrounded at the north end of the park, where a small playground with a slide and two swing sets provided most of the entertainment in the sand. Sicheng released her hand as the kids on the swing sets were looking at them, talking between fits of guffaws as they pointed at her and Sicheng.

“So,” she began as they walked toward the tulip garden, “we have to find ways to stop kissing in front of your friends. I invited Chan and Wen over for dinner tonight. We have to tell them the truth.”

“What’s the truth?” he asked.

It wasn’t until she felt his hand on her wrist that she stopped walking. He was standing still, tilting his head slightly as he stared at her. Her heart was beating furiously, and her face was turning hot. As his eyes shifted to her lips, she pulled her hand away, tempted to start kissing him.

“The truth is I’m not going to be the one who confesses my feelings first,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I pretended to be your girlfriend all weekend. You pretended to be my boyfriend for like, 3 minutes.”

Sicheng ran his hand through his hair, his eyes shut as he threw his head into the air. A smile crossed his lips, and he exhaled a sigh before looking down to meet her gaze. Her hands shook as she was uncertain with what he would say next.

“You told me last night that you liked me,” he said, the left side of his lips quirking up into a shy grin as he stepped closer to her. “That’s why I texted you.”

“That’s why I asked you to text me,” she said, some extra memories returning slowly into her mind. Like, how Taeil had scrambled down the stairs after seeing them kissing. And how hot her body felt when Sicheng’s leg had been locked between her thighs.

“You were that shitfaced?” he asked, his croaky guffaws making her cheeks flush.

“I drank most of the beer.”

He laughed and held his hand out to her. Her cheeks were hot, “War and Peace” hitting her chest, as she wanted to kiss him.

“Rhea, can I take you out on a date?”

“When?”

“Right now,” he said. He pointed over toward where the Celica was parked. “We can get buns from my favorite Chinese bun place. We’ve walked through the park. Yuta’s lie doesn’t have to be a full on lie.”

“I don’t think lies work like that,” she said, taking his hand. The apples of his cheeks popping out as he smiled at her had her returning the smile. She squeezed his hand as they began walking together, side by side.

“I have to make sure my lies aren’t as bad as Wen’s. At least you and I agreed to fake date. Wen didn’t tell Chan that their second date would involve his ex.”

“It was all for the best,” she said before pecking a quick kiss to his cheek, “but I won’t stop you and Wen from continuing to try to best each other.”

Hands held tight, he led her out of the park and toward the bakery they’d parked in front of. The shop was unassuming. Generic fridges lined up against one wall of the shop while there was a window displaying the baked goods for the day across from the fridges. There was one cashier, and she had a partner who packed up the orders while she rung up the order. The service was basic but efficient, which she always liked.

After taking a bite of the red bean paste bun, Rhea sat beside Sicheng on the hood of the Celica. Though he was eating his bun quickly, his full attention was on the car. Looking down at her half eaten bun, and then up at Sicheng, she reached out to wipe the red bean paste stain at the corner of his mouth with her brown paper napkin.

“Sid might give me the Celica,” she said. “If he gets a new car he doesn’t want to pay for the insurance and plates for the Celica too.”

“The clutch feels shaky,” he said, looking away from the car, meeting her gaze at last. “I’ve never replaced the clutch, but it’s probably easy to master. I helped Yuta reupholster the seats in his car last month. We can do it for the Celica, too.”

“I also think the brake pads are on their way out,” she said. “I’ve never replaced the brake pads before, but I’ve watched Sid do it a few times.”

“If you get the car, I’ll help you fix it up,” he said, taking her hand into his. Her cheeks flushed as he kissed her hand. “We’ll need a lot of help though, I’m actually not that skilled at fixing cars.”

She laughed before leaning forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. Her lips tingled, hitting his hot skin.

“Good thing I know a few things about cars,” she said. “If we fix the car at your place we can always ask your frat brothers for help when we get lost, too. I don’t know how to work on the clutch or how to flush out transmission fluid. Do you think it’d be easier to just buy a new car?”

“What’s the fun in that?” he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist, his food gone. “Do you know how hard it is to get a 2004 Celica? This is the last time the body of a Celica looked this nice. Tuning it up will be worth it.”

He kissed her cheek, making her whole face turn hot. Shoving the last of her bun into her mouth, she threw her arms around his waist and chewed as she rested her head against his chest. She and Sicheng had gone to the same university for years, and never bothered to get to know each other outside of her onion ring orders. All it took was a chance encounter and a wild weekend for them to elevate their relationship into something more than familiar strangers.

“Let’s fix it together,” she said as she looked up at him.

Thank You for reading! 💚

Chapter 2 | Epilogue

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