#bono x daughter!reader
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DELUSIONS
Robert Keating x fem!Hewson!reader
Elijah Hewson x sister!reader
Summary : No matter what he movies say, falling for your brother's mate never turns out well.
MASTERLIST
PART TWO
2015
Electric guitars and drum kits echoed through the house from the garage.
The noise was driving her close to insanity and the blackout headphones where no match for Eli's amps.
Soon the fourteen year old found herself storming down the stairs of the currently empty house, temper raging as the black earphones swing from the jack of her iphone.
She slid across the laminated wood floor, grabbing onto the kitchen island to stop her from falling.
Without a warning, the chipped painted door was swung open and smacked against the wall.
"Will you shut the fuck up !"
The four band members turned to face the comosion only to ignore it when they found the source to be Elijah's little sister.
"Fuck off y/n, we're tryna practice."
"Well practice somewhere else, i'm tryna do my homework."
The group of teenage lads gave small laughs at her statement, the vocalist ending up walking over to her and basically dragging her out of the cold room. On the other side of the door she could hear the locks and voices muttering her name, causing her face to flush pink and her ears to start burning.
God, that was embarrassing
2022
"Yeah, well we're all so proud of the lads and how well they've all done."
Y/n stood beside her dad as an interviewer on the other side of the red carpet's wall listed off questions. She wobbled her ankles as a time passer, the platformed adidas almost tippling her over before she landed flat again. The calf length navy blue dress was gorgeous but uncomfortable and she had to make sure she was careful since the material was so delicate and the split up her leg was unusually frayable.
Eventually she was allowed to move on to the meter infront before she was stopped again by some other journalist. After a few more questions about the awards her brother was up for that night, y/n tapped her dad on the shoulder and muttered that she was going over to the outdoors bar where she'd spotted Anais.
"Throw me off a bridge will you."
The blonde spun around with a confused face, before realising the voice belonged to y/n.
"What's happened now ?"
She handed the younger girl a glass with some blend Issac had ordered.
"Nothing, that's the whole problem."
"Dragon fruit still being oblivious ?"
"Of course he is."
"What about Pineapple, how's that working out ? He seemed really nice."
"Leaving me on read."
Anais gave her a sympathetic smile before the pair noticed Issacs completely puzzled expression.
"I'm not even going to ask."
After the group was giving the suggestion by a member of bar staff to leave, probably so they could serve someone else, Anais spent the short stroll slagging off y/n past situationships. That's what Eli walked into when he appeared beside the model and his sister.
"-I mean look at you! You're a queen and he's just some scummy little rat who probably doesn't know how to work a shower."
"When is your annual wash due y/n ?"
Upon sight of her older brother, y/n just rolled her eyes and glared at him.
"Oh you should become a comedian Elijah."
"I know."
She gave a half arsed sarcastic smile before quickly saying byes to Issac and Anais, and sweetly flipping her brother off. Her dad had passed her and was already sat at their designated table, y/n could only pray that she wasn't stuck with her brother and his friends for the entire awards show.
When she noticed the table having Inhaler's label sat there, she decided that her smpty snapchat was suddenly very intetesting, especially when after a couple of minutes Bobby Keating sat down in the seat beside her.
Her jaw tensed and the blonde Anais Gallagher bimoji was swiped onto chat.
DRAGONFRUIT SAT NEXT TO ME !!!!! BABES ! HELP !
When y/n noticed the blonde a few tables away was busy caught up in conversation with some of her other friemds, she contemplated writing on a name card and flying it across to her in a little makeshift paper airoplane.
Before she could magic up a pen, a hand was waved infront of her face.
"Y/n ?"
Her eyes drifted over to where the brunette mulleted man was sat, slightly slouched, with a smile playing on his lips.
"Aw, there you are, you where staring off again. "
It took everything in her not to go big bug eyed and faint at his words. He gave a small smile at her smile before turning to join Josh and Ryan's conversation. As the bass player did so, y/n's phone lit up, the girl's homescreen being slightly covered by the "anais is typing..." snapchat notification.
I just saw that entire interaction and i'm thinking a celestial wedding theme is it. Right so i saw it on pinterest the other day [...]
As much as y/n loved her hypewoman, Anais really just encouraged the girl's delusions of Robert Keating actually liking her in the slightest.
#inhaler#inhaler x reader#inhaler x fem!reader#inhaler x hewson!reader#bobby keating#bobby skeetz#robert keating#robert keating x reader#robert keating x fem!reader#robert keating x hewson!reader#bono x daughter!reader#elijah hewson#elijah hewson x sister!reader#josh jenkinson#ryan mcmahon#anais gallagher
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BROKEN DECISIONS| T.WOLFF
Pairing; Divorced!Toto Wolff x fem!engineer!Schumacher!reader
Summary; The news of Toto Wolff divorcing from Susie has just hit the media and you, Michael Schumacher’s eldest daughter and George Russel’s race engineer, are beyond shocked, even more so as your relationship with your boss begins to evolve.
Warnings; angst, light smut, heartbreak, pregnancy trope.
F1 Master List , Part 2
The paddock was overwhelmed with media reporters and cameras, way more than usual for a race weekend, the Mercedes garage was surrounded by people as well as the entrance to the track, all waiting for one man, Toto Wolff.
You had been more than taken back by the joint statements released this morning which both effectively said the same thing.
mercedesamgf1: Team Principle Toto Wolff announces divorce from wife Susie Wolff, both will continue to co-parent son Jack Wolff and will continue to work together happily, they wish nothing but the best for each other in the future and wish for the privacy and support they need during this time.
SusieStoddart: Toto and I have mutually decided to part ways and divorce after 12 years of marriage, both of us will continue to co-parent our son, Jack and will continue working together in the future. I wish nothing but the best to him for the future, please respect our privacy during this time and I hope you guys will continue to support us both from this point on, even on our separate paths. Thank you.
It all seemed so sudden to you, nothing has seemed out of place whenever they were in the garage together but you suppose that’s how the saying you never know what’s going on behind closed doors goes.
You squeezed your way through the crowd, ignoring all of the questions fired your way and the cameras and microphones that were shoved in your face, it wasn’t your job to be making comments about a relationship that had nothing to do with you and it was entirely unprofessional.
Huffing out a breath as you finally crossed the threshold of the garage, you straightened out your clothes and bag before making your way over to your desk that you sat at whenever George was out on the track.
Bono was already in his chair and looked up when he heard you pull your hair out, taking note of your flustered state. "I take it you’ve seen the news."
"It’s everywhere! It’d be a miracle if I hadn’t seen it," you huffed. Looking around, you noticed how flustered everyone else seemed to be whilst trying to do their jobs, you didn’t blame them because right now no one knew what mood the boss was going to be in when he arrived, if he arrived.
"Is he even coming today? I certainly wouldn’t." You asked.
Bono shrugged, "you know what he’s like, that man would be here even if his leg was falling off, he’ll be here and god help him when he is."
"Yeah, true. Am I blind though or did anyone else not see this coming because they were both at the factory two weeks ago and everything seemed fine to me."
Bono turned away from his monitor and completely turned to you, huddling closer. "I didn’t suspect anything either but they’re really good as keeping work life and private life separated. Have you seen some of the rumours though?"
You snorted and nodded your head, "I’ve seen the ones about Toto having an affair which is ridiculous, that man does not have the time to be hiding an entire relationship."
Bono laughed at your choice of words but abruptly stopped as he stared behind you causing you to look at him in confusion before turning around, pausing at the sight of your boss walking in with a face of stone.
"Ahh shit," you muttered, hearing a small hum of agreement coming from Bono.
Then you saw him heading into your direction.
"Double shit," You heard Bono mumble causing you to bite your lip, trying to prevent yourself from smiling.
"Y/N. Bono. Good Morning," Toto nodded his head in greeting.
You smiled up at him, "Morning, boss, feeling positive about today?"
Bono sighed from behind you which caused you to internally wince at your own words, now realising that might not have been a good question to ask.
"Yeah," Toto looked between the pair of you suspiciously. "Are you?"
"Very," you tried to sound convincing, "I’m sure George is going to drive like it’s his last race and if not then I’ll boot him up the arse."
Toto looked at you amused, "I believe you."
After he walked away you turned to Bono with a pained look on your face meanwhile he was trying not to fall into laughter. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"
He laughed straight in your face as you sighed at yourself. "How an I supposed to talk to him normally when all I want to say to his face is ‘hey, heard about your divorce, that sucks and now everyone thinks you can’t keep a wife’."
"Yeah don’t say that," Bono grimaced at your words.
Everything was real now, it had been real for a while but now the news was out for everyone to gossip about.
Things hadn’t been right for a long time between him and Susie and whilst there hadn’t been any constant arguing or disloyalty between the two of them, there hadn’t been much else either.
You’d have thought working within the same industry would have built an understanding between them about their schedules and commitments and it had in the beginning but as formula one became more popular, their lives had only gotten busier to the point they hardly saw each other and even when they did it was only to ensure Jack was getting enough quality time with both of his parents, it was as though they had been coparenting with each other whilst they weren’t even split.
A year ago they had accepted the inevitable fate of their marriage and had been figuring out the logistics of their divorce but just like they had kept their struggles silenced, they had kept the news of their parting silent too.
But it had been over a year now and quite frankly the fake shows they were putting on were getting exhausting, they were both moving on and pretending to still be a happily married couple wasn’t doing well in helping them in the process.
Toto had found a particular thing that hadn’t allowed him to dwell in the sadness of his private life. Something, or someone, that didn’t even know how much they were helping him.
You.
Everyday you showed up to work with a smile on your face, eternally grateful for everything life had offered you. You had achieved your dreams of working within formula one, it might not have been on the track driving at record breaking speeds like your father but you had one of the most important roles in the team and you enjoyed it.
Even today as he walked through the doors trying to ignore all of the sad, pathetic looks people were giving him and the onslaught of invasive questions people were attacking him with and even if they weren’t verbally shooting words his way, he could see the unasked questions in everyone’s eyes, you greeted him like you did every other day and whilst he knew you were aware of the news, nothing in your face showed the slightest bit of curiosity towards the end of his marriage and he couldn’t express how refreshing that was and how much he needed it.
Slowly, he found himself looking forward to the days ahead where he could bump into you and witness the smile on your face as he tried to ignore the way your energy made his heart feel funny and when Mick signed as the team’s reserve driver he would use the fact that he was ‘mentoring’ your little brother as an excuse to see you, knowing that naturally he would be around you more.
You jumped up from your seat in excitement as you saw both Mercedes cars pass the checkered flag securing second and third place behind Max, obviously.
"George you fucking beautiful human bring!" You shouted through the radio before turning to look for Toto, hoping that these results would have put a smile on his face only to find that he was already looking at you intensely, not even acknowledging the pats he was getting on his back by team members.
He winked at you? And sent you what seemed to be a grateful smile before turning away to celebrate with those around him. You were thankful he did so and didn’t see the pink hue you could feel spreading through your cheeks.
A sudden weight on your back didn’t allow you to dwell on it. Mick had launched himself at you in his exhilaration causing you to quickly latch onto his legs so you both didn’t go tumbling, you laughed and spun the pair of you around before putting him down so you could all go outside and gather in the pits to watch the podium.
You always went out of your way to be a kind person but the moment your team was standing under the podium all manners went out of the way and you barged your way to the front of the barriers to watch, mumbling half-hearted apologies, you knew no one would take your behaviour the wrong way as you’ve known them for so long.
Looking up, you were happy to see the smiles on Lewis and George’s faces, tough seasons can really take a told on the mental health of the drivers and it can be easy to lose motivation, especially when you were part of a team that was so used to winning but they looked as happy as ever now and it made all of the hard work that everyone had put in worth it.
Two hands clamped down on your shoulders startling you, followed by the feeling of a firm chest being pressed up against your back. You looked up and saw Toto but he wasn’t looking at you, he kept his gaze up on the podium and the happiness on his face hadn’t subsided so you didn’t question it and turned back to the celebrations.
His behaviour was really confusing you and you wanted to talk to him about it but decided to push it away for another day.
His behaviour hasn’t been limited to that day alone.
The entire season has been filled with soft touches from him, from a small brush of his hand against your back as he walked past or light touches of your hips to guide you to the side when you were in his walk way.
Let’s not forget about the way he started to look at you. Toto’s stare was always intense but now you couldn’t ignore the soft shine his eyes held as he looked at you.
You hoped you weren’t reading too much into things otherwise that would be embarrassing but you couldn’t stop noticing the little things he would do and what was even worse was the way these things were effecting you.
These touches would leave your skin feeling tingly and your head fuzzy to the point your mind just turned blank and now whenever he was so much as in the same room as you, your mind became hyper-fixated on his presence to the point it felt like you were compelled to constantly glance in his direction.
You had worked for him for nearly eight years and not once had you even considered looking at him in any other way other than as your boss and a friend.
You acknowledged that he was handsome and had the charisma to match but you had never been attracted to him up until now, how was this year any different to the last seven?
Hands slamming down into your desk startled you from your thoughts, you looked up wide eyed at the grinning face of your younger brother causing you to grumble in annoyance and throw the pen that was sitting on your desk at him.
"What’s wrong with your face?" Mick easily dodged your attack and asked.
"What do you mean?" You asked.
"My big sister always has a smile on her face and for the last twenty minutes you’ve been sat there staring at nothing with a frown on your face."
"Nothing," you muttered, turning back to your laptop screen that had long since shut off.
"Right," Mick replied sarcastically, "Come on, tell me what’s wrong."
You pursed your lips as you debated telling him or not. "You promise not to tell anyone?"
Mick’s face lost its teasing look as he realised you were actually troubled. "Of course." He replied sincerely.
You hesitated for a moment longer before asking "have you noticed that Toto has been acting strange lately?"
Mick looked at you surprised for a moment before smirking and nodded, "you mean the fact that the entire season he’s been staring at you like you’re the finest piece of meat he’s ever seen?" He asked teasingly.
"I wouldn’t have worded it that way but yeah," you responded.
"Then yes, I’m surprised it took you this long to acknowledge it."
You shook your head, "I noticed it at the beginning of the season but I thought I was imagining it and now I can’t stop noticing the fact that he-"
"Fancies the hell out of you?" Mick finished, a shit eating grin on his face.
You groaned and placed your head against your desk. "This is wrong, he’s my boss!"
"Tell me about it, he’s mine too and he fancies my sister!"
"Stop saying he fancies me!" You told him resulting in him just laughing at you. "Seriously Mick, what am I supposed to do?"
Mick sighed and looked at you seriously, "Do you like him?"
"I dont know," you replied honestly, "before this season I wouldn’t have even looked at him as anything but my boss and a friend but now he keeps looking at me and taking any opportunity to touch me and it’s confusing me."
Mick pulled an uncomfortable face at your words but gave you some advice. "Then do nothing until you know for sure."
You nodded and he smiled before walking around your desk and wrapping you in a tight hug which was more like a headlock but it was a hug nonetheless.
"Smile! We’re in Abu Dhabi and we’re partying tonight," he fake cheered as he walked away causing you to laugh at his behaviour.
And that’s exactly what you did. It had been a tough season for Mercedes, the team hadn’t nearly performed as well as they were used to but through a lot of hard work the season had ended on a high note and and no one was going to dwell on this years difficulties tonight.
You were definitely allowing yourself some freedom tonight to drink away and forget about the confusing thoughts that had been swimming around in your head all season.
The club was dark except for the colourful flashing lights that were roaming the entirety of the room that the FIA had rented out for all of the f1 teams celebrating tonight. You were already feeling more relaxed from the three drinks you hadn’t wasted time on consuming and had dragged poor Bono, who had zero rhythm, to the dance floor.
The man looked traumatised as he simply stood there awkwardly with you holding onto his hands, swaying his arms to try and encourage him to dance and have a bit of fun.
You kept him there for an hour before eventually taking pity on him and letting him go, you walked over to the bar to get another drink, not seeing the person approaching you until he was right beside you.
"You look lovely."
You turned to your right in surprise, Toto was mimicking your stance, leaning his side against the bar as he looked into yours eyes. "Thank you," you replied, a little shocked at his words.
"I see you were having fun with Bono," he commented absentmindedly.
You laughed, "Me? Yes. I don’t think he was having as much fun as I was."
"He’s not much of a dancer," Toto smirked.
"Oh, I know. He can’t move to save his life but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t try."
The bartender placed your drink in front of you and you took a sip after giving him a thanks. "Have you been having fun?" You asked.
Toto tapped his fingers against the bar top and signed. "As much as I can after the shit season we’ve had."
"We’ll be better next year," you replied confidently.
He simply nodded in response, dragging his gaze down your body and back up again.
The feeling of his eyes trailing you left a burning heat on your skin and an unfamiliar fluttering in your stomach.
"I like this dress," he told you, nodding at the tight fabric that clung to your figure.
"I got it yesterday," you knew he didn’t care but for some reason you felt inclined to share that information with him, fighting the urge to look away and hide a smile.
"You picked wisely," he immediately responded and this time you didn’t fight the smile, his smooth responses settling within you exactly how he wanted.
"I’m glad you like it," your voice was quiet in the midst of the loud music and voices but it didn’t prevent him from hearing you words.
The way he smirked down at you made you feel much smaller than you were, the idea of how his stature and strength would help with the power he held over you made you burn with need and the want to find out for yourself.
You huffed out a breath.
You needed another drink.
You threw your head back into the pillows and gasped as Toto thrusted into you, pulsating pleasure rushing through your body with every movement.
You didn’t know how you got to this point, the night was a haze of drinking, close dancing and longing looks but the one memory that stood out was the warmth of Toto’s hands against your hips, after that everything blurred up until this moment.
Your arm wrapped around the back of his neck, your hand burying itself into his hair as you tried to ground yourself but you were hopeless within the haze of his kisses against your throat and hands holding your thighs spread for him.
"Toto!"
His breath was heavy against your skin. "You feel so good, schatz." The guttural groan he released sent you feral, you tightened your grip on him and pulled him closer so your chests pressed against each other.
Your vision went white as Toto just grazed that sweet spot inside you with one particularly hard thrust before he angled his hips in a way that with each bruising snap of his hips he made, the tip of his cock would brush against you just right.
As you felt yourself approaching your release, your back arched and the air remained trapped in your lungs, your grip tightened on Toto’s hair causing him to groan into your neck while your other hand shot up behind you and grabbed onto the headboard.
Just as you were at the precipice of your release, Toto reached down and circled your clit with his fingers providing the last bit of stimulation needed for you to let go and dive into a river of overwhelming pleasure.
The sight of your face completely blissed out made Toto’s cock harden more inside of you, he continued to thrust and work you through your orgasm whilst chasing his own, chasing his release as he felt his body fill with an indescribable need to continue rutting into you.
The groan of relief he let out followed by a warmth in your core brought you back to reality, Toto allowed his body to collapse onto your own and simply lay there as he caught his breath and recovered from his own orgasm.
Your hand continued to run through his hair, grounding his mind to reality and encouraging him back from his high.
Moments later, Toto removed himself from you and curled up behind you, wrapped an arm across your stomach and pulled you into his chest.
Both still feeling the haze of the alcohol in your systems, no words needed to be spoken between the pair of you as you both succumbed to much needed sleep.
You woke up feeling as though your brain was swelling beyond the capacity of your skull and dehydrated to the point you felt like you could drink about forty litres of water.
Every part of your body ached as you moved beneath the covers, flashes of last night flickered through your mind causing you to groan at the reminder of your drink choices.
You were definitely regretting it now.
A particular memory caused you to pause and look beneath the sheets, grimacing as you realised you were naked.
Then you froze, Toto.
Your head shot to the side and instead of laying your eyes upon your boss’ 6ft5 frame you were greeted by an empty half of the bed with only crumpled white sheets.
Your heart dropped as you looked around the room, there was no indication that anyone else had been here but the ache between your legs made it very clear that last night did in fact happen.
He had left.
After an entire season of fighting with your feelings and the way he made you feel, you had given in to him only for him to leave.
You felt sick and dirty and disgusting and used.
You pulled yourself into the shower and tried to to push down the need to cry but you were filled with an overwhelming sense of betrayal and couldn’t stop the rogue fear that fell down your cheek.
Waiting to board the plane back to England, you looked down at your phone, you had a feeling Toto was already there by now and you had messaged him ages ago but no response.
Had you been crazy believing that he could have feelings for you?
You were so mad at yourself for being as affected as you were by his actions, it felt like someone had your heart in their fist and found amusement in squeezing it, filling you with the need to just let go and allow your emotions to flow freely.
You didn’t need to be back at the factory until after Christmas so you went straight home and unpacked your bag before repacking to go and spend your time off in Switzerland with your family, Toto still hadn’t responded and you were positive he was just ignoring you now and you didn’t try to get a response.
You’d deal with that after Christmas.
Normally you’d wait a week or two after the season ended to go back home but you really had no reason to stay, you’d changed your mind on attending the FIA awards which had confused Mick when you told him but he could tell something was wrong and chose not to pry.
You seriously didn’t think the year could get worse, you were so wrong.
The last three weeks in Switzerland had been hell to put it lightly, Christmas was just around the corner but it was hard to be excited when you had caught the sickness bug, the amount of time you spent in bed throwing up was disgusting at this point and the coddling of your family wasn’t helping.
You knew they loved you but you wish they’d just leave you alone to wallow in misery.
Toto was still a lingering thought in the back of your mind and it was only adding to how rubbish you felt but you hadn’t made any other attempt to get in touch, he hadn’t tried either so you knew where you stood with him and that was enough.
New years had passed and you were now back in England to go back to work, you had never dreaded going to work in all the years you’d worked for Mercedes so the unsettling feeling in your stomach was new.
But that could also just be nausea.
You still hadn’t completely recovered from your sickness over the holidays, you were no longer bed bound but the urge to throw up and the loss of appetite was still there, the loss of weight was visible in the sickly paleness of your face so you had booked a doctors appointment for the upcoming Friday.
Your stomach churned as you walked through the doors of the Mercedes headquarters, as the daughter of Michael Schumacher you got a lot more attention in the building as you would’ve if you were just a race engineer so the nods from almost everyone as you walked in weren’t strange to you but the sympathetic looks were.
You hoped it was just because you looked as if you hadn’t seen sun for the past ten years.
Deciding to stop by hospitality on the way to your office for a bottle of water, you paused in the doorway at the sight of Toto and didn’t hesitate to turn right back around before your mind even processed his presence.
You got a few funny looks by the people in there but you truly didn’t care.
It stayed like that for the rest of the week, whenever you found yourself in the same room as your boss there was no time wasted before you left even if there were still things needed to be done in that room, you didn’t even try to be subtle about it either.
As soon as he entered the room you immediately took your leave, it was rude but you couldn’t find it within yourself to care and you doubted he cared either.
You had taken the day off work today to attend your doctor’s appointment so thankfully you didn’t need to waste your efforts avoiding him.
"Symptoms are nausea, sickness and weight loss," The doctor listed and you nodded in clarification.
She looked at you knowingly, "When did your last cycle finish?" She asked.
You pulled a face and leaned your head back in thought, it was probably before Vegas, but that was….. your face grew even paler than it already was.
"November," you whispered, your body filling with complete and utter horror.
The doctor’s face grew sympathetic at your reaction, "and you’ve had unprotected sexual intercourse since then?" She asked though your face gave her the answer.
You were at a loss for words so you resulted in nodding; the idea of you being pregnant only made you feel more sick.
"Okay," she replied softly, "We’ll have you take a test to confirm."
You didn’t even register the next ten minutes, lost in your own mind as an emptiness settled within you, your chest ached with pain at the idea that your whole life could be changed in just a few short minutes.
"Miss Schumacher, are you okay?" The doctor asked worriedly.
You snapped back to reality and nodded numbly.
"The test came back positive, Y/N, so I’ll refer you to a midwife and during this time you should think about what you want to do, okay?"
How you didn’t crash on the way home was a miracle because you definitely weren’t concentrating, you carried your body straight to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, you looked like hell.
Just the sight caused your eyes to well up and this time you didn’t fight the emotions, you welcomed the tears and allowed the pain to consume you, the pain of realising just how alone you were in this moment.
You slid down against the bathroom door and curled yourself into a ball, buried your face into your knees and sobbed until you no longer could.
The weight in your chest was still present as you walked into work the following Monday but you no longer had any tears to spare, you had made up your mind about what your future would consist of and today would mark the beginning of it.
Knocking on the door to Toto’s office, you waited for confirmation to enter and he clearly hadn’t anticipated you on the other side from the look of surprise on his face but you didn’t mention it and closed the door behind you.
"We need to talk," you wasted no time in pleasantries and sat down in the seat opposite him.
"Is there a problem with the car?" He asked, his formal tone cut through you like a knife but you refused to show the effect it had.
You wouldn’t have thought the pair of you were friends just two months ago.
"There’s nothing wrong with the car," you told him.
"What do we need to talk about then?" He asked.
He was royally pissing you off with the way he was pretending to be ignorant. "We need to talk about what happened between us-"
"This is unprofessional," he interrupted and you scoffed in disbelief.
"Unprofessional?" You laughed in his face. "Do you know what else in unprofessional? Sleeping with your employee."
His face dropped at the bluntness of your words, "look, you shouldn’t be bringing private matters into the workplace."
"How else am I supposed to bring them up? Over text message where I never get a response?" You looked at him incredulously. "This is important-"
"I don’t want to hear it, Y/N," he cut you off harshly. "What happened between us shouldn’t have happened, it was a moment of weakness and it will never happen again."
You looked at him stone faced before nodding, "fine." You got up from your seat and left without another word, not bothering closing his door.
You didn’t go to your office, instead you went to HR.
Walking past the different offices you went straight for the head of HR. "Chloe?" You knocked on the door quietly, opening it once you received a response.
She smiled at you in greeting, "Y/N, can I help you with something?"
You nodded softly and sat down on the sofa she had against the wall. "How many holidays do I have?"
She looked at you suspiciously, "All of them, you didn’t put one in for Friday so that went unpaid."
"Okay," you muttered under your breath, "I want to cash them all in, starting from tomorrow."
"What?" She looked at you shocked. "Are you sure? If there’s something going on we can figure out a better solution for you."
You smiled and shook your head, "Uhm no I’m sure, I want to use them all and then after that I’ll be taking early maternity leave."
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. "Wow, okay, congratulations."
"Thanks, I want to spend my pregnancy in Switzerland so you won’t see me around."
You could see that she had questions but didn’t ask them and you appreciated it, "I understand, I’m happy for you Y/N, I’ll get it all sorted for you."
"Great," you stood up and headed towards the door.
"Y/N?" You turned around, Chloe looked at you sincerely, "Give me a call if you need someone to talk to, yeah?"
You probably wouldn’t but you nodded and left.
To say Toto was surprised when he found out they were down their usual race engineer for the season was an understatement.
It was completely unexpected and he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy about it, George was not at all in agreement to having a new voice in his ear.
It wasn’t even for a couple races either, it was for the entire season.
No one in the team had any information on what had happened except two people, Mick and Chloe.
No one could ask Mick because he had left to do the world endurance championship and when Toto had went to ask Chloe all he got was a shrug and words that sounded as though they’d been read from the companies handbook.
"It’s against an employee’s confidentiality rights to discuss the matters with you, even if you are the boss, all I can tell you is she’ll be back at work next year."
Meanwhile, in Switzerland you were slowly but surely feeling much better.
You were putting the situation between you and Toto behind you, you were recovering and as you did, your bump grew and the sight made you smile.
The horror and fear you felt when you found out about your pregnancy had dissipated weeks ago, leaving you filled with excitement and love for the journey you had ahead of you.
With your mother and sister around you, the loneliness you felt had evaporated as well.
You were doing good and felt amazing and that’s all that mattered right now.
#formula one#motorsport#formula one x reader#f1 fanfiction#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#toto wolff x y/n#toto wolff x oc#toto wolff fanfic#toto wolff x you#toto wolff#toto wolff x reader#toto wolff imagine#toto wolff fanfiction#angst
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[[and then i met you || ch.1]]
Series: Daredevil || Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader || Rating: Explicit
Summary: A one-night stand years ago gave you a daughter and you are now able to put a name to her father – Matthew Murdock. Everything is about to change again as you navigate trying to integrate your life with that of the handsome and charming blind lawyer’s.
a/n: Reader is an extremely anxious person. That’s the note.
words: 5.6k
You hope Matthew Michael Murdock is a good man.
You tried to research him online, but you didn't find anything that could sway you one way or another.
The news articles say he's some sort of local hero - not only for being a lawyer who does a lot of pro-bono work but for saving a man from being hit by a truck when he was a kid. They all give his tragic backstory before praising him and his law partner for helping the underprivileged and going after some big shot corrupt businessman - twice. The comments are mostly from people he's helped, singing about how Nelson and Murdock saved them in their times of crisis.
You want to trust them, but you can't.
The news also claimed Hitler was Person of the Year and deserved praise, too, and you know how that turned out. Not that you think a blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen can be compared to a genocidal leader, but your mental point to yourself still stands.
You know nothing about Matthew Murdock except he's blind, he's a lawyer, and his dick changed your life.
You doubt he even remembers you - a one-night stand from years ago, before his name even started appearing in the news again, and to be fair, you didn't remember him at first, either. Not until four months later when you went in to get your anxiety medication adjusted and the doctor made you take a routine pregnancy test. Then you remembered the handsome blind lawyer who flirted with you at a friend's holiday party you had gone to. You could remember the silly conversation you had about white elephant, that he had the most charming smile, and he could do things with his tongue that made you moan just thinking about, but you could not remember his name.
You had tried to find him, you really did, but your energy and attention was quickly needed elsewhere and the search for your daughter's father lost steam.
Until you saw him on the television while at the local diner, giving an interview with his law partner.
That was yesterday and now you are standing outside the door of his firm, trying to work up the courage to go in.
There's too many scenarios in your head, all of them bad- he's not going to want anything to do with you and your daughter, which you can deal with, or maybe, just maybe, he'll try to take her away from you. He's a lawyer and you work in billing for a transportation company. There's no doubt who the courts would choose and it wouldn't be you.
The thought makes you want to turn and run but you know your daughter deserves the chance to know her father - and he deserves to know she exists. It's his choice, once he knows, if he wants to be in her life or not, not yours.
It scares you so much it's not your choice.
You scrub at your face, trying to work up the courage to actually open the door in front of you when it does just that.
A kind looking woman with strawberry blonde hair is standing in the doorway and you recognize her from the firm's website - Karen Page. She's the third partner in the firm and you didn't really look into her in your hunt for information.
She offers you a smile before speaking, "You look like you're debating coming in." You shrug, unsure what to say because that is exactly what you were doing but don't want to admit it. She looks you over without it feeling judgmental before focusing on the manila envelope in your hand. She steps back slightly and gestures for you to come into the office. "You made it this far. Whatever it is, we'll do our best to help you."
The sentiment is so kind and you know she means well, thinking you are a potential client, but it just causes your throat to get even tighter.
It has been you and your daughter for so long, is this really the right path to take?
You hug your file to your chest and take a hesitant step forward. Then another and another until you are in the office. It's not big or fancy and you didn't expect it to be. There's a little waiting area in front of the reception desk, with another desk shoved against a wall, and on either side of the room, doors leading to what you suspect are the private offices.
Karen goes around to the back of the reception desk and picks up a clipboard holding some paperwork and offers it out to you.
You take it and stare down at it, unsure if you would fill it out or not. When you look back up, Karen is still smiling at you and you don't want to come off as a problem, so you take a seat in the waiting area and start filling out the requested information. As you write out your address, it finally occurs to you that you have no idea how to have the conversation you need to have.
Do you ease into it or drop it on him like a bomb? You had only ever thought about finding him and never about what you would say when you did.
You should have taken more time to plan this out. You're such an idiot - you just jumped right into running towards him like you might lose track of him if you took so much as a second to think. You know his name now, who he is, you can take time to get things sorted out properly.
Would it be weird to leave in the middle of filling out paperwork you shouldn't even be bothering with?
Probably not, but you're already here. There is no point in running.
This is for your daughter, not you. You have to keep telling yourself that.
You don't fill out the information asking about your 'case'. It honestly makes you panic a bit if you start thinking about it all in a legal sense - you know nothing about law and the man you're meeting with graduated at the top of his class from a top law school. Your hand is shaking as you add your signature to the bottom of the page and date it. Reviewing everything takes just a moment, since there's barely anything written to begin with, and your eyes drift up to the logo at the top of the page.
Nelson, Murdock, and Page.
You trace it with your finger.
Matthew Murdock has to be a good man. This firm helps people and he wouldn't be here if he didn't want to help people. He graduated top of his class; he could work anywhere he wanted to. The papers said he is good, too - they win most of their cases.
Unless it's all a weird front to hide something like money laundering.
But if they were money launders wouldn't they have enough money to afford an air conditioner?
"All done?"
Karen is in front of you, smiling politely. You are surprised by her appearance, but you don't feel pressured. It's like she's checking in so that she can break you out of your thoughts and you appreciate that. You nod and hand her the clipboard. She takes it, giving it a once over.
"Foggy will be out in just a minute."
Your head jerks up at that.
"No, I need to see Mr. Murdock."
You can tell Karen is surprised by that and her eyes narrow just a fraction. She searches your face, then she looks towards the door on the left.
You turn your head to follow her gaze.
"Matt!" Karen calls out.
A few moments pass before the door opens and you feel like you're going to throw up.
The cameras don't do him justice.
Matthew Murdock is gorgeous. He was handsome before and somehow, he just got hotter. He's a little taller than you, still as lean as you remember, and looking crisp in a gray suit - like some model walked off the catwalk and into a sweltering office. His hair is shorter than you remember it being. You have the distinct memory of being able to grab onto it, but it's too cropped to do that now.
But the thing that catches your attention the most is that in person and in the light, you can see Matthew's hair has an auburn tint to it.
Just like Minnie's.
The realization shakes your entire world.
This man is the father of your child. He's real. He's no longer a concept of a person, who you knew nothing about, who just existed somewhere in the world.
You have to look away before you start to cry. You don't know where this surge of emotion is coming from - it feels like this wave of relief. This question you have always had finally has an answer.
You tell yourself to take a breath, you know getting overly emotional isn't going to help anything. It might actually make things worse and spiraling into a meltdown is not a good first impression.
You can see Karen in your peripheral vision, and you look up to her, trying to regain your focus.
It's Matthew who speaks first, "Yes, Karen?"
"We have a walk-in who is hoping she can speak with you."
You introduce yourself, standing up as you do. You know he is blind, so you don't offer your hand. Instead you clutch your folder to your chest.
He doesn't seem to remember your name. He turns towards you and gives a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Matthew Murdock, but you seem to know that. I have some time right now, please come in. Karen, can you grab us some water before you join us?"
"Yeah, sure," Karen says as she turns to do just that.
Your throat gets tight again.
You don't want to have this conversation with someone else there. It's already going to be hard enough. You'll definitely start crying if Karen is in the room. You cannot deal with two people's reactions. The mere thought of you having to do that is making you sweat.
Matthew's voice breaks you out of your panic. "If that is okay?"
You rush out your response, "I would prefer to speak alone, please." You're too panicked to feel embarrassment.
Karen doesn't seem phased by this. She is still grabbing a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and offering one out to you. You take it.
"Not a problem, let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Kare. Please, come this way," Matthew motions for you to follow him into the office.
This is it.
Once you go through that door, you aren't leaving that room without telling Matthew Murdock he is a father.
You surprise yourself by not hesitating and just charging forward into the office.
This isn't about you or your fears.
This is for Minnie.
You keep your gaze forward because you can't bring yourself to look at him. If you stop and look at him before you tell him why you are here, you will just start over analyzing everything once again. You silently beg to whatever gods will listen that everything will be okay, and this man won't destroy you.
He doesn't look like he is going to break your heart.
But you know that looks mean nothing when it comes to pain.
He closes the door behind you with an audible click and the weight of the moment starts to come down on your shoulders.
You take the seat in front of the desk quickly, worried your nerves might catch up with you, placing the water on the ground beside you with your purse when you sit. Matthew doesn't rush, he walks to his desk with an air of quiet confidence and if you were a client, it would be comforting, but you aren't and all it does is remind you why you fell into bed with him.
"What brings you in today, Miss..?" He trails off, prompting you to say your name again. As he reaches his desk you watch as he trails his fingers along the edge, using it as a guide, before moving his hand to brush over the back of his seat before sitting in it.
You chew your bottom lip, wishing you had taken a second to actually plan what you would say instead of jumping in. As far as you know, there isn't a step-by-step guide on how to tell a one-night stand that he's the father of your child - not that you actually looked into that in your desperate research the night before.
Matthew doesn't push as you gather your thoughts. He moves some paperwork away from the center of his desk, then folds his hands there, waiting. You keep your gaze on his hands, needing something to focus your eyes on while you force the truth out.
"I saw your interview last night," you say, deciding to start there, as it seems the most relatable.
Matthew's brows knit together and he tilts his head to the side and you are one again reminded of Minnie. It's a gesture she does often, tilting her little head left and right as she tries to understand something. It always reminded you of a dog and now you wonder if it's not a learned behavior, but genetic.
His lips turn down into a frown and his head stays cocked as he asks, "Do you have information about the Lynch case?"
Heat rushes to your cheeks - of course that would be the question to ask after bringing up the interview. The whole piece was about a specific case they were working on and how it would affect Hell's Kitchen and you hadn't paid any attention to what was said - not after you realized who was on the screen.
You shake your head, resisting the urge to look away and you curl your fingers tighter around the manila folder in your lap. "No, I'm sorry. I saw you and…recognized you."
He straightens up and his demeanor shifts to something less…friendly. It's minute but your messed-up brain screams at you about body language - his shoulders have squared up and you can see where he's clenching his back teeth. You quickly continue on, wanting to get through with your explanation before your anxiety makes you clam up.
"We met nearly five years ago," your voice is firm and factual and you're proud of yourself for that, "at a holiday party."
The words leave your mouth and you know he knows. Every part of him seems to go still - even his breathing seems to stop. The crease between his brow smoothes out, like he's gone from squinting to wide eyes behind his dark glasses. Your heart is pounding in your ears and your throat is getting stiff, but your voice remains steady as you push the words out.
"I think you are the father of my child."
All the color seems to leave Matthew's face and he looks nearly as gray as his suit. The reaction makes your stomach turn. He looks like he is going to throw up.
You bite into your lip, waiting for Matthew to do or say something. All you can do is mentally chant to yourself: he's a good man, he won't take her away.
You know it's probably just seconds, but it feels like hours pass before Matthew moves.
He leans slowly back in his chair, reaching up with one hand to rub at his mouth.
"Are you sure?"
He doesn't sound upset, at least to your ears. His words are cautious - tentative - and it makes your heart go tight in your chest. You don't know if it's fear or hope or everything crashing into you at once now that he knows.
You force out a nod before you remember that the man in front of you is blind. You find your voice and words creep out.
"I'm pretty sure," you start. Your eyes drop away from his hands back down to your lap and you have to lick at your lips to wet them before continuing, "I didn't go out much after that party, I got so busy with work. I didn't…find out until the first trimester was over. By then, I couldn't remember your name. My friends who I went to the party with didn't know you either. I tried to Google you with what information I had, but 'blind lawyer' just got me a lot of disability lawyers." You take a shaky breath, "I understand if you want a paternity test."
You know Matthew is probably taking everything in, but now that you've started talking, it's like you've lifted the dam on your anxiety. You squeeze the file in your lap - just because you hadn't known how you were going to tell Matthew the truth did not mean you hadn't extensively thought about the consequences. Words start to spill out of you.
"I also understand if you don't want anything to do with us, I get it's a big shock. I'm not looking for anything from you." Matthew drops his hand to the desk and if you didn't know better, it would look like he was staring at you. "I just wanted you to know and I thought it would be good for her to know you, but if you don't want that, I get it. All I ask is you fill out some paperwork, medical history mostly so I know if there's anything I need to look out for. I printed it out for you, it's all in braille."
You get up just enough so that you can place the manila envelope on the desk, then sit back down. Your throat is getting so tight and stiff you feel like you're struggling to breathe.
Matthew runs his hand over his desk until he can feel the envelope. His fingers move along the edge and you stare at them, like they are going to be the one to reveal what Matthew is thinking instead of his mouth. He finds the lip but doesn't open, instead flattening his palm against it.
"...her?"
His voice is so quiet you barely hear it. You lift your head to finally look at him and your heart skips a beat.
Matthew looks so soft. The corners of his lips twitch a few times before a smile slowly spreads across his face.
And you know.
You know without a doubt he is your daughter's father. They have the exact same smile. You can't help but to grin as well.
This is good, isn't it? He looks Happy.
"I have a daughter.."
"Winifred.. Winifred Love," you offer. Matthew lifts his head and tilts it towards you, brow wrinkling slightly.
"Love…?" He asks, no judgment in his voice, only curiosity.
You close your eyes in a bit of embarrassment, as you always do during the story, "I meant to put Grace, but I was out of it. I even put a big heart next to it on the paperwork." You aren't ashamed of the story and you love your daughter's name, but it's always a 'oops I was high' moment, even if it was done with the purest intention.
If possible, Matthew's smile gets even bigger.
"Winifred Love," he says, his voice dropping back down to the barely there whisper.
"She goes by Minnie. Like, um.. Like Minnie Mouse," you say. That gets an amused yet fond chuckle. You find yourself relaxing at the noise - like some of the pressure squeezing on your lungs has been lifted and you can finally breathe.
He repeats her nickname and you feel your lips start to turn up.
"How old..?" His voice cracks with emotion and Matthew has to clear his throat before continuing, "how old is she?"
"Three and a half," you answer quickly, "her birthday is a few months away." You bite your lip then hesitantly add, "She wants to go to the zoo. It's all she talks about."
"Yeah?" Matthew prompts. His smile is so so soft and it makes your stomach turn in this pleasant way. However, you were expecting him to act, this is not it. In your heart, you think the best you were going for was acceptance, but this seems much more than that. There is a stinging in the corner of your eyes and you have to take your own steadying breath continuing on.
"Yeah, um.. She…likes maps right now. I got her a map to the zoo and she's got the whole day planned." Which is very much true - your coffee table has been the home of a makeshift zoo diorama for a little over a week now and the itinerary has changed about twenty times.
Matthew ducks his head and nods a little, taking all the information in. You squeeze your fingers in your lap, needing a way to release the nerves still buzzing inside you.
A few moments pass before Matthew clears his throat again, "What else does she like..?"
The question makes you chuckle just a little bit, only because gushing about your daughter is something you're very good at. Since you work at home, it is just the two of you ninety percent of the time, you don't get to coo over her very often.
"She loves arts and crafts - anything she can get her little hands on. Right now she loves pipe cleaners and paper, things she can bend and fold, you know? I set her next to me while working and she'll just fold paper into little shapes. Not origami or anything, just abstract things, she doesn't plan it. She always wants to help, too, whatever I'm doing. Cooking and cleaning. She is the best helper for grocery shopping." You pause, looking over Matthew's smile for a moment before continuing on, tears starting to gather in your eyes.
"She looks just like you," you admit, fondness clear in your voice because it is so so true. Now that you are properly looking at him, Minnie looks just like Matthew, and telling him that makes him light up even more. "You've got the same smile. The same hair. Hers is a little more red, but it's definitely from you."
You watch Matthew lick at his lips and you want to know what is going on in his head. You think everything is going well, even if you are on the verge of crying. They are tears of relief - relief you weren't told to fuck off or to go get your own lawyer. You don't fully know if Matthew Murdock is a good man, but you're over the first hurdle and the prospects are looking good.
Matthew leans back into his chair, inhaling deeply, as if centering himself, then asks, "Why now? Why find me now?"
"Like I said, I couldn't find you, I didn't know anything about you, really, except what you looked like and you were a lawyer. I did try, I really did, but…" you trail off with a shrug, "I had a newborn."
Matthew seems to accept that answer - it is the truth after all - and continues on, "But you saw the interview... Last night?"
You nod, "I was picking up some dinner and they were playing the news at the diner. I saw it and looked you up and now…now you know."
"Now I know…" Matthew repeats slowly, his smile dropping a little and you wonder if is hitting him in different waves, like it did you - the realization he is a father. You know it is an intense roller coaster and you are not going to try to guide his ride, especially after just kind of dropping it on him.
He taps the manila folder in front of him, the crease returning to his brow, "What is this?"
Your cheeks get hot again and you turn your gaze away from him and back to your lap, "Requests for family medical history and information about how to establish paternity, if that's what you want."
"It is," Matthew rushes out. Your head jerks up and his expression looks serious, "I want that. I want to be in her life."
He sounds so sure of himself that it makes your head spin a little. You built up in your mind he either wouldn't want anything to do with you and Minnie or he was going to try to take her away - you hadn't really considered the obvious option that Matthew would just want to be involved. At least, that is what you are hoping he is implying.
"I won't abandon my daughter," the conviction in his voice startles you, but it also makes your heart twist but in a good way because in that moment, you believe him. "And I won't abandon you. I used to question if I had the right to bring a child into my life, but this isn't a hypothetical anymore…. And I can't.." he trails off and leans back into his chair, rubbing at his mouth again. You don't press, you have no right to when you've come out of the blue and changed his entire world. He takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I can't step away now that I know she is out there."
You quickly shake your head at his words, "You don't need to rush into anything, I mean it, I don't want anything from you but for you to have the chance to know her. We can go slow, she's still little, you know? She can't handle a big change. Start small?"
You're more worried about how he is feeling versus what you are. You have at least prepared yourself to have a reaction - he thought he would be having a normal work day and you've given him a lot to process in the last five minutes.
"We can go at your pace, Matthew."
He drops his hand from his face, a smile coming back to his face, "You can call me Matt."
You repeat your preferred name, then apologize, "I'm sorry for coming out of nowhere. I didn't want to lose track of you again, but I could have scheduled an appointment."
Matt shakes his head a little, "No, I get it." His hand goes back to the envelope, like touching it is grounding him like squeezing your fingers is grounding you. "I'm glad you came…I'm glad…thank you. Thank you for telling me."
Part of you wants to reach across the desk and squeeze his hand, to give him comfort and let him know everything will be okay, but you don't dare. He's still a stranger, despite everything. You decide pushing past the emotional to the practical might be the best approach for now. You need to get your anxiety to settle now that you know your world isn't going to end and the best thing for that, in your mind, is getting an action plan.
"I don't know what the steps are for doing this," you start, trying to think up ideas as you talk, "but I think maybe we could…get together again and plan things out? Give you time to adjust to the idea and let you think about how you want to move forward?"
Matt nods along with your words, "That sounds like a good idea."
You bend down to grab your phone out of your purse, "I put my contact information in the packet, but could I get yours?"
He waits until you are ready, then gives you his personal number then the office number. You do the quick song and dance of calling his phone, so that he has your number and you wait patiently as he adds you as a contact. Hearing the voice commands to navigate a phone is new to you and once he is done putting in your information, you let your curiosity get the better of you.
"Do you prefer texting or phone calls?"
"Phone calls would be preferable," Matt says as he sets his phone on his desk, having held it up to speak clearly into it, "I have text to speech but it's not always the easiest for texting."
You nod in understanding, "Got it." You squirm in your seat, unsure of what comes next, so you say the very first thing that comes to mind. "You can call anytime. I work from home so you don't have to worry about interrupting anything…like I'm doing with you."
He hums, then asks, "What does Minnie do during the day?"
"She stays with me, mostly. There's a daycare down the block she goes to if I need someone to watch her. That's where she is now."
That makes Matt frown just slightly and part of you panics that he disapproves. "Is it just the two of you…?"
"Yes."
You say it with confidence. You've worked hard to get where you are alone and despite all you've been through, you are proud of that. "My parents passed when I was in college and I don't have any siblings. We've managed to do pretty well on our own. It's not the biggest, but we have a little place in Chelsea."
The little frown stays and you don't know what it means - you hope it's over you not having a big support system and not something else. Matt looks like he is going to respond but a knock at the door cuts him off. You jump at the noise, having totally forgotten there were other people in the office.
Matt looks slightly annoyed when he calls out, "Yes?"
The door opens and the final partner for the law firm is there. "Pardon the intrusion," he says to you with a nod before addressing Matt, "They've got that guy from last week at the 15th. He's asking for us specifically."
Matt openly scowls before running a hand over his face, "Okay. Give me a few minutes."
Foggy nods before stepping back out and closing the door.
"I'm sorry," Matt says sheepishly.
You cut him off before he can say more, standing as you do, "Please don't be, I really did just barge in on you at work. I can call you later? Or you can call me?"
Matt gets up as well, starting to come around the desk, "I can call you." He hesitates just a second, then ducks his chin, that little smile reappearing and your heart does that funny flip again. "Maybe we can get lunch?"
You smile back, "I would like that. We can start planning." You bite your bottom lip, then add, "I can bring Minnie…?"
Matt's entire face lights up and the awkwardness of trying to end your talk evaporates. "I would like that. A lot." He motions to his desk, "I'll work on getting that back to you. I want to…I want to do this right."
"I do, too."
It feels like a promise. You want to believe Matt - that he wants this and won't disappear at the first minor inconvenience. You've read so many horror stories about bad parents and you don't want any of that for Minnie.
You grab your purse and the water Karen gave you, then finally give Matt a proper look over.
You enjoyed your night together with him. Not only had he been a phenomenal lover, but he had made you smile and laugh. You weren't nearly as anxious then as you are now, but you had been rather nervous being flirted with by a handsome lawyer and he had made you feel at ease. Bringing him home with you had been an easy choice.
He must sense you smiling somehow, maybe you giggled or something, but his smile, which had started to fall, brightens back up.
"Can I ask you something before you go?"
You nod to his question, catch yourself and reply, "Of course."
"Can you tell me what she looks like?"
Guilt courses through you and biting your lip turns painful, "I'm so sorry, of course. Um, I included pictures in the packet with descriptions but, of course." His face drops into something a little nervous so you launch into the description of your daughter, emphasizing how they have the same smile because you can’t get over that. You can't help yourself and start describing some of the pictures you included.
"She has this big noise canceling headband so she can sleep comfortably - she doesn't like loud noises - but because she is three, she refuses to wear it unless it's cute. So we crochet little sleeves for it. One of the pictures is her asleep on our couch, face down, because that's how she sleeps, wearing her favorite sleeve. It's Spider-Man the-"
There's a quick series of taps on the door before it opens again.
"Buddy, we gotta go."
You start to apologize, but Matt speaks over you, his voice a little firm as his expression drops, "I'll be right there, Foggy."
A silent conversation seems to go through them, as Foggy raises his eyebrows at Matt and Matt does the same right back. Foggy steps out of the office, closing the door behind him.
"Let me walk you out?" Matt asks, motioning to the door.
"Thank you."
You let him open the door and you follow him into the reception office. Foggy is looking at his phone while waiting by Karen's desk as she finishes packing her laptop. You cross the room in silence as Matt leads you from the office. Once you are in the hallway, he speaks to you in a soft voice.
"Can I call you tonight?"
"Yes, please."
"Does eight work?"
"That's perfect."
"I'll talk to you then."
You force yourself to be the one to turn away and start walking towards the stairs. As you get to them, you pull your bottom lip between your teeth to try to suppress your smile.
Maybe the papers are right and Matthew Murdock is a good man.
You really hope he's a good father too.
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It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) | JJK
At thirty-two, you thought you had your life figured out. That is until you received a call one day:
"You need to go to Gangwon Police Station now. There are two people here: One thirty-something male claiming to be your husband, and the other is a three-year-old girl claiming to be your daughter. They say they won't leave unless you, the mom of the family, pick them up."
Or alternatively,
a series of events where you fall in love with Jungkook, become a mom, solve your dead best friend's case, and wriggle out of old money's grasp, but not necessarily in this order. (Maybe all at once. Who knows?)
Genre and warnings: enemies to lovers, idiots in love, mutual pining, OMG there is only one bed, forced proximity, cohabitating, enemies to friends to lovers, co-parenting, angst, fluff, implied smut, kissing, minor character death, slight getting back together, car accidents, law, this fic is originally written as an AOT au, but i've changed it to a JJK one, so please pardon any Japanese terms mentioned (they're not too relevant anyway) some of the characters are from aot too. i'm too lazy to change them haha
Pairing: Police Lieutenant! Jungkook x Lawyer!!Reader
Word Count: 45.5k
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It's Friday.
Unlike others, you considered Friday just like any other day—it is a hectic time where you're deeply engrossed in reading what seemed to be an unending stack of files.
People working under you had already gone home. You allowed them to clock out an hour earlier, not hesitating to hand them your card so they could dine at whatever restaurant they liked.
Your employees deserved it after working 45 hours this week. It's the least thing you could do, though they wished you could extend the same treatment to yourself. Unfortunately, being a lawyer didn't give you the luxury to have a fun Friday night out.
You're stuck in the office, finalizing the cases you'd present before the court next week. Some might think you only needed to endure this day before fully giving yourself a break, but that's not true. Your weekend wasn't any better as you'd be spending it taking pro bono cases to help lower your taxes and prove to others that you did not fully succumb to this cruel, capitalistic world.
Speaking of capitalism, you've heard a quick but shy knock on the door. The person outside knew too well not to disturb you on a Friday night, but some things were inevitable.
"Come in," you ordered casually. Your eyes were still trained on the paper on your desk.
The door flew open as you heard your secretary's pointed heels hitting the cold tiles. Timidly, she said, "Sorry to disturb you, Attorney. We have an urgent case concerning your top client."
You hadn't heard the details of the case, yet you could already feel the veins in your head pulsating. This couldn't be any good. Your top client was the Braun-Grice family. The past months had already been too troublesome. What could those brats have done this time?
"Let me guess," you lazily highlighted the paper with red marks before staring at your secretary. "It's Gabi and Falco again, isn't it? Did they vandalize some rich man's house again?"
Your secretary wished it was that simple. She shook her head, "I'm afraid they've done worse than that." Her voice turned solemn. "The teens are involved in a car accident."
You were startled, immediately letting go of your highlighter. The boredom in your face completely disappeared as you questioned your secretary seriously. "What did they do? Let me see the file."
Mina was an obedient employee. She chose to stay in the office with you but with no intention of beating around the bush. She handed you the file immediately, "Ms. Braun called me earlier and said she and Falco need to see you now. They're in Busan Police Station."
Your hands on the file froze. Busan? What were those brats doing in your hometown? Gabi and Falco were both from Seoul. It's also still a weekday, meaning they had classes. Did they skip school to fuck around?
Mina filled in the blanks for you, "Ms. Braun is remorseful over the other line. She said she and Falco were super stressed in school, so they thought, why not try throttle therapy to ease their minds?"
You laughed derisively upon hearing that. Throttle fucking therapy, my ass. You bet it was Gabi's idea. She had always claimed to be fearless and unstoppable because she knew her family was affluent not just in Seoul but all over Japan.
"So what? Did their car crash into something? How much is the damage?" You finally opened the police report. The incident happened approximately three hours ago. Gabi could only reach your secretary after her medical check-up and giving a statement to the traffic police.
That brat! You had told her countless times to keep her useless mouth shut and wait for you to show up. Why did she never learn!?
"That's the thing. The damage isn't convertible in monetary value. Mr. Grice drove the car because Ms. Braun induced him to do so. Unfortunately, they hit two pedestrians before crashing into a tree."
Numbness crawled from your feet to your face. There was ringing in your ears, and you could've sworn your heart stopped beating when you saw the crime scene pictures.
"The victims are a married couple on their way home. Falco immediately called the police to report the incident. The paramedics came at once, but the victims were proven to be dead on arrival."
It's a miracle you could still hear Mina talk despite the nausea attempting to envelope you whole. Tears began to pool in your eyes, and before you knew it, they were already falling straight to wet the cuff of your long-sleeved shirt.
It's black.
The color of your top was black. Its design was similar to the one the dead victim was wearing. Only the color was different. Hers was white, making the blood staining her shirt so bright that it hurt your already bloodshot eyes.
White and black. She wore white because you claimed it fit her innocent personality more. Black was yours because it was as dark as your soul. The shirt was the perfect Christmas gift. Only two pairs were made by the designer. You paid a huge sum of money for these clothes.
You couldn't be mistaken.
You knew the victim all too well.
"The victims have been identified. The woman is named Sora Kang; the other is her husband, an Italian citizen named Niccolo."
That's all you need to hear before you clamp the folder shut. You stood up, "Cancel all my upcoming cases—Pro bono or not—I don't care. I'm going to Busan tonight."
"Yes, Attorney." Mina handed you two tickets. "I've already contacted someone to buy the bullet train tickets for us. It's the fastest route to Busan."
If this was any other day, you'd probably praise her for being the most reliable secretary, but this wasn't like your typical busy Friday.
You were still as busy as ever, but one thing had changed.
Sora, your childhood best friend, had died.
"I'm going to Busan alone." You tossed the keys to your house in this city to Mina, "I need you to go to my place first. There's a brown box under my bed. Pack it along with my other things—clothes and necessities. You already know that. Send it to Busan. The address is written on the lid of the brown box. I expect you to finish your job in two hours. I'll see you then."
Mina had no objections. She practically ran out of the office after you gave your orders.
Your train would leave in twenty minutes. The short time was not enough, but you forced yourself to gather your wits and temporarily bandage your broken heart.
After that, you went straight to the train station with one thing on your mind:
Clean this mess up.
***
It was quiet at the police station when you arrived. As expected, the Busan Police Division was not idle. Chief Police Kim Namjoon probably stationed his subordinates all over the city. Only Officer Park Jimin was at the front desk.
You wasted no time and showed your license to him; Jimin immediately directed you to the interrogation room where Falco and Gabi were being mentally intimidated.
As a seasoned lawyer, your head was held high as you barged inside the room, ignoring Jimin, who was anxiously coaxing you to calm down.
Of course, he'd tell you to calm down. Jimin was one of your childhood friends who had always been calm and rational. He didn't like solving things with violence, but he was smart enough to know you would not listen to him—not after you saw from the interrogation room window how the interrogator raised his fist to punch Falco. It was the typical intimidation to force a confession out of a suspect. You had encountered this scene many times, so your mind and body seemed to be on autopilot when you faced the interrogator.
You grabbed the devices used to record Gabi and Falco's confession and broke them. At once, all proof gathered in the past hours vanished into thin air.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Gabi, Falco, and the interrogator were dumbfounded by your sudden action.
"You dare!?" The interrogator was the first one to recover from the shock. He quickly turned to you. Intense fury painted his pathetic face as he clenched his hands into tight fists.
His reaction did not faze you one bit. In fact, it only prompted you to say your piece, "Article III, Section 19 of the Constitution states that the employment of physical, psychological, or degrading tactics against a suspect to force out a confession is punishable by the law."
Reciting a provision of the law verbatim was one of your favorite hobbies to defeat opponents. It usually leaves your heart with joy and pride whenever you see their faces morphing into anger and embarrassment. However, none of those exhilarating feelings envelop you.
There was only grief and nostalgia gripping your already broken heart. It was a shame none of these harrowing emotions could be traced in your face—as expected of a ruthless lawyer.
You continued with your attack, "If I remember it right, this is your seven years in public service, so pray tell, Police Lieutenant Jeon Jungkook, how can you not know this basic law even student police knows?"
The mockery in your voice was palpable. Only fools wouldn't realize your intention to humiliate the interrogator. Unfortunately, Jungkook didn't give you the satisfaction of winning this game.
He soon caught up with you, "I didn't realize you keep track of my position and years of service, little miss esquire."
The burning fury was still visible on Jungkook's face, but it was now mixed with disgust. Jungkook was the type of person who'd proudly wear his heart on his sleeve, especially if it meant getting a jab at you.
It worked. A bubble of anger rushed in you when Jungkook refused to say your name and used your title as a lawyer instead. It's a poor attempt to rile you up, really. He acted as if he didn't remember your name—couldn't care less to remember it. It aimed straight at your pride—his subtle mockery crushed you, but he didn't end it with just that.
"Is it part of your schemes? Knowing what your enemies do, I mean. Do you keep track of us so you can use it to fuck us up?"
Jungkook folded his arms across his chest and jutted his chin out. He was already tall, so his current stance only made him look bigger—like he could swallow you in one go.
That's what Jungkook did in the end. He chewed you out, "I wouldn't be surprised. Seeing that your greed won against your dead best friend."
It was a low blow and Jungkook knew it, but you getting hurt never deterred him from hurting you further.
"You know, don't you?"
You could keep your face impassive all day, but you couldn't fool Jungkook. One look at you, and he already knew you had gone from Seoul to Busan in haste. It sparked Jungkook's abhorrence even more.
"You know, and you still went here for them." The sharpness and accusation tinging his tone made you and the two teens flinch. That's when you came back to the realization that you and Jungkook were not alone in this room.
This always happened. You and Jungkook seemed to lose sight of your surroundings whenever you started fighting. Seeing Falco and Gabi's worn-out faces brought you back to the cruel reality.
This wasn't like your usual bickering with Jungkook during your high school days. This time, you two were barring your fangs and claws out, full of displaced hatred and pain because Sora was dead.
It took everything in you not to cry. Your legs were turning soft like you were about to pass out any moment from now. Jungkook's red-rimmed eyes felt like the blood that was sucked out of your heart.
"You disgust me." This was Jungkook's final words before walking away, leaving you with only a loud slam of the door.
"A-Attorney..." Gabi tried calling for you until your attention was focused on them.
You did not respond to her call but stomped in her direction. Every click of your pointed heels shook Falco and Gabi's hearts. Gone was the smug look on Gabi's face that appeared every time you came to bail her out of jail.
This case was different. She couldn't make it all go away with money. Gabi looked helpless. Her lips were quivering when she tried calling out for you again, "A-Attorney, please help us—"
Slap!
Gabi's ear hurt. In her nineteen years of existence, this was the first time someone dared lay a hand on her. Gabi was baffled yet couldn't look you in the eyes. Her head remained tilted to the side, allowing you to see the tears cascading down her left cheek.
It was Falco who tried to stop you. His eyes were full-blown panic as he tried to talk some senses into you, "Attorney, don't. Please calm--"
Slap!
You laid a hand on Falco's cheek, too. Naturally, Gabi tried defending her lover by grabbing your hand. You let her grip your right hand because it wouldn't deter you from using your other hand to slap her again.
The teens were teaming up against you. When you slap Falco, Gabi will rescue him, and vice versa. All they did was grab your hand, though. They didn't dare fight back, making it easy for you to alternately slap them until your hands ached.
In the end, the two resigned to their fate and simply allowed you to numb their cheeks with pain.
But it wasn't enough.
No amount of physical pain could equal the lives they had taken because of recklessness. The same goes for you. No amount of pain would justify dereliction of duty. As of now, you were left with no choice but to continue doing your job as a lawyer. You fished a calling card from your slacks' pocket and threw it across Falco's chest.
The calling card fell on the floor. The teens did not dare pick it up or even look at it. But your following words made their bodies tremble.
"If I were you, I'd pick that up and start calling my new lawyer, as I will no longer be representing you in court."
Gabi was wise enough to bend and reluctantly pick up the card. You wanted to step on her fingers and crush them with your pointed heels. But you did not.
Seeing tears form in Gabi's eyes when she spotted the name of the new lawyer you recommended brought you more joy than stepping on her fingers.
The new lawyer was Reiner Braun. He wasn't supposed to be a lawyer in the first place. Reiner was Gabi's cousin; their family's connection made it easy for Reiner to pass the bar despite his lack of knowledge and power. Frankly speaking, Gabi knew this. She tried to argue with you, but you cut her off with another resounding slap.
"You have the audacity to still ask me?" Unadulterated anger settled at the pit of your stomach. You were so mad you ended up laughing. You balled your hands into fists and hid them behind you. It's for the better; otherwise, you would also end up in prison because of an assault.
"Your idiocy harmed my best friend. She and her husband died while you two fuckers remain in my line of sight—alive." You emphasized the last word with so much hatred, "So don't think even for a second that I will still be representing you in court. Because if I was..." The corner of your mouth turned up as you trailed off.
You looked at Gabi and Falco from head to toe. Only the blind couldn't see the threat dancing in your eyes. "I'll make sure you won't just lose the case. You'll get the maximum penalty, and I'll leave your ten next generations in shambles."
Falco's eyelashes fluttered. Gabi, on the other hand, gripped the card as if her life depended on it. They were resigning to their fate once more.
Good, because you could only take so much in an hour. There were still many things to patch up, and so you turned to leave, following the trail of footsteps Jungkook left.
***
Jungkook thought he was going crazy.
One would think that being in service for seven years would already desensitize his heart from crimes. He supposed that, to some extent, that was true. Unfortunately, no one had prepared Jungkook for all the negative feelings welling up in his chest as he dealt with the suspects involving the death of his loved one.
Sora.
A wave of nausea hit Jungkook as the image of Sora's dead body flashed in his mind. The feeling of helplessness was the worst punch in his gut, leaving his fist aching to beat the two teens in front of him.
Falco and Gabi remained rooted in their spot. Jungkook did not know what to do with them anymore. Whenever Falco confessed his crime, Gabi would refute it by saying it was all her fault. Jungkook couldn't care less about their heroic act; he just wanted someone to pay for Sora's death, but Falco had no plans of condemning Gabi either. He looked at Jungkook with tears, saying that Gabi was innocent.
Fucking brats! Jungkook couldn't take it anymore. He raised his fist to punch Falco; unfortunately, you barged into the room and ruined everything. It's bad enough that Jungkook didn't get to beat up Falco. How dare you destroy his evidence, too!?
"Damn it!" Jungkook kicked the pebbles outside the station. He initially left the interrogation room to cool down a little, but Jimin, his comrade, stopped him from getting back inside. Apparently, you told Jimin about that bullshit called the Bill of Rights.
"I'm sorry, Jungkook. Captain Yoongi called. He told me to get you out of the station as soon as possible. You're barred from participating in this investigation. Captain Yoongi is on his way now. He'll be the one interrogating the suspects."
"You can't do this to me, Jimin." Jungkook shook his head, refusing the Captain's order. "Sora's my best friend. You are her friend too! We need to avenge her!"
Jimin surely loved Sora, too, so he understood Jungkook to some extent. But he knew Captain Yoongi's decision was for the better. Jungkook was currently not in the right state of mind. He was grieving. Bloodlust was apparent in his eyes. If he wasn't careful enough, he might ruin this case.
"Go home, Jungkook." Jimin held Jungkook's shoulder firmly, "Or help Taehyung with the arrangement. He's alone and hurting, too."
Right. Jungkook's heart throbbed painfully in his chest as he thought about Taehyung. If anyone's hurting beyond repair right now, it had to be Taehyung. The latter and Sora were like inseparable twins.
Jungkook wanted to see Taehyung after interrogating Falco and Gabi—a form of consolation, if you might. Regrettably, it wasn't possible now, and it was your fault. Nothing ever went Jungkook's way when you were around.
You and Jungkook have known each other since you were kids. You were from the same street in Busan, so it was almost impossible not to see his face daily. You two were even classmates in your schooling days. In fact, you and Jungkook were pretty popular in school, but not for a good reason.
You two made people want to pull their hair out as you took being rivals too seriously. You argued about the smallest thing, wanting to appear as the stronger one, the smarter one, and the braver one.
But the thing was, your fights with Jungkook were never serious. It was more like teenage bickering. Admittedly, the whole school knew you, Sora, Jungkook, and Taehyung as the Idiot Quartet. Sora and Taehyung played pranks on everyone and did not care much about their academic performance. Meanwhile, you and Jungkook were academic rivals who went out of your way to win against the other. It was so petty that the other students thought you were idiots.
The anger Jungkook felt for you years ago was still apparent today, but he couldn't deny that it changed into something worse.
Hatred.
He'd known you for an ambitious woman who never backed down. You weren't content with your life in Busan and thus moved to Seoul. That part was naturally acceptable. What Jungkook couldn't accept was you casting aside your friendship with Sora for money and power.
You truly exceeded his worst expectations of you. Jungkook clenched his jaw and hands, swearing that you were his enemy from today onwards.
***
Contrary to popular belief, Sora was not an idiot. She had planned not just her life but also her death. This ensured that the living wouldn't be burdened by her passing.
Admittedly, you were involved in the preparations she made. As a lawyer, Sora sought your service to make writing her will easier. It happened three years ago:
Sora recently gave birth to a baby girl named Hanni. The child had blond hair like her father. She was too cute for her own good, so you didn't understand how Sora had the heart to think about death when she had a growing little angel by her side.
It wasn't fair to leave Hanni without a mother in this world.
"This is called safeguarding my baby's future." Sora reasoned out while writing down her 'will.' Her tongue was sticking out, and her brows were pinched together, indicating that she was serious about this ordeal.
It made you sigh.
"Okay! I've finalized the distribution of my...what do you call it again? Estate?"
"Assets." You corrected her firmly. Assets were for the living, and the estate was for the dead. You refused to associate your best friend with anything related to death. It was evident by the way your lips protruded into a sulky pout. You hated having this conversation with her.
"Asset, estate, or whatever you call it. I don't really care as long as it's done. Now, come here and notarize it. I've heard I need a witness when finalizing my will. You are my witness."
"I refuse." You turned away from Sora and busied yourself, caressing Hanni's tiny fist. "Your mum is cruel, isn't she, little one?"
Sora rolled her eyes and huffed, "It's for her sake, you know. Can't you see my situation now? I'm an orphan. My parents died when I could barely say a full sentence."
Sora always felt she inherited the curse of her parents dying young. It was unfair to disregard this thought as she was sure Hanni would be the lonely one carrying the burden once it happened.
"I'm assigning legal guardians for my child. Niccolo is number one, but I can't be too complacent." Sora released a deep breath. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing that her husband was crazy in love with her. It felt like he was willing to follow her even in death.
"Hear that, Hanni? Your mum is giving you away. Say bad, mummy, bad!" You carried Hanni into your arms while glaring at Sora. You couldn't believe your best friend traveled to Seoul with her little child just to say this bullshit.
"Stop being so dramatic," Sora lost count of how many times she had rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm giving her to a stranger."
"Huh." You wiped Hanni's drool before casting a curious look at her mom, "Who are you naming her guardian, then? Jongsuk and Ji-eun?"
"Nope." Sora sounded disappointed. "I wanted to, but you know how busy they are with their two kids."
"Jongsuk is fucking rich. I'm sure they can afford to feed one more kid." You decided to humor Sora after realizing you couldn't change her mind.
Unfortunately, Sora deflated. "You bet. They have three more children coming."
"What the fuck?" You laid Hanni back in her crib, afraid you'd drop her after Sora dropped a bomb on you. "Are you telling me Ji-eun is pregnant again? And triplets?"
Sora's grin was wide. She wiggled her brows in excitement.
You were dumbfounded. "Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with Jongsuk!?"
Didn't Ji-eun just give birth last year!? What did Jongsuk plan on doing?
"Ah, duh? Have you seen Ji-eun? If I were Jongsuk, I'd do the same."
You pondered for a second. It didn't take you long to agree with your best friend. Damn right, Ji-eun was hot. If you didn't have the unfortunate curse of liking straight men, you bet you'd be pursuing Ji-eun relentlessly. She wasn't just a pretty face. Ji-eun was tantamount to what people called 'The Man.' Perhaps even better than the phrase.
Suddenly, you understood why a certain someone was head over heels with her.
"You're thinking about Jungkook, aren't you?"
You whipped your head up and met Sora's teasing eyes. You were about to refute her absurdity, but she beat you to it.
"Don't deny it. I know your 'I'm thinking about Jungkook' face. It's so obvious! Your brows become one, and your frown couldn't be any deeper!"
"That's right," you relaxed a little. "It's cause I hate him. I can't even crack a fake smile whenever I think about his stupid face."
Your disgusted face wasn't fooling anyone, though. But Sora didn't expose you. She just riled you up, "Well, at least his stupid face is popular with girls. Did you know? Niccolo has been setting Jungkook up with his foreign friends. Ah! Right!" The spark in her eyes was blinding.
"Jungkook has a blind date tonight. I've heard he's meeting a supermodel from Italy. She's the same—hey, hey! What are you doing!?"
Sora's eyes dilated upon seeing you gripping her baby's toy tightly. She snatched it from you and gasped, "What's gotten you so worked up? You broke Hanni's toy! This is her favorite!" And Jungkook was the one who gave the baby that toy. Sora didn't dare tell you as you might destroy it further.
You wouldn't do it, though. You actually felt guilty for letting out your inexplicable anger to the toy, "Sorry. I'd buy Hanni a new one, yeah?"
"You better!" Sora let it go and went back to drafting her will. She continued pestering you about some law jargon until your head hurt.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop now." Sora put the documents inside a brown box and handed it to you. "Here it is. My final will. I'm giving it to you for safekeeping."
"Huh," you snorted but still accepted the box. You handed Sora a similar package. "I gave you a Christmas present, and I get your will in return? Unfair."
You couldn't help but toss the brown box under your bed. You hoped there wouldn't be a time when you'd be forced to open that damn box.
Sora's eyes creased, "I'll buy you the prettiest present next time, okay?" Then she kissed your cheek, "Thanks for this lovely shirt! I love it so much."
"White suits you the most." You're like my angel, Sora. "I got mine in black so we could match."
"Cool!" Sora turned to her daughter. "You hear that, Hanni? Your Godmother wants to match with me. You need to find someone like her in the future, okay?"
Hanni giggled as if she understood her mother. It warmed your heart seeing them like this. Unfortunately, this precious moment would soon be taken away from them.
Come to think of it, everything that transpired three years ago was like a sick premonition of what would happen tonight. Wasn't it funny? Sora died wearing the clothes you'd gifted her, and now here you were, forced to open the brown box you hated with passion.
Sora prepared everything. Inside the box were her will and handwritten letters for her daughter and friends. Unsurprisingly, she didn't leave a note for Niccolo.
It's like Sora knew.
"I hate you," you whimpered lowly as you hugged Sora's letter. I hate you for leaving me. I hate you for being right. I hate you. I hate you so much, Kang Sora.
***
Since Sora was an orphan, Taehyung, as her friend, was qualified to make the arrangements for her and her husband's remains. This was also because he was the one who registered their death after Doctor Kim Seokjin announced the time of their passing.
Jungkook wanted to help Taehyung out, but Taehyung said he could handle it himself and that it would be better for Jungkook to care for Hanni instead.
Hanni was at home with her temporary babysitter. Niccolo was a chef at his restaurant, while Sora was the head manager there. They usually didn't have enough time to care for Hanni, so they hired a nighttime caregiver for their kid. Hanni attended daycare in the morning, which was one less worry for her parents.
The babysitter's shift ended a few hours ago, though. Jungkook had no choice but to rush to the Kang' residence.
Jungkook had an apology ready at the tip of his tongue and thousands of won to appease the babysitter for working overtime. He was surprised when he didn't see the cute babysitter and instead saw a temptress wearing a suit.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jungkook spat as he raised his guard up. Who else could he be talking to besides you? You were the only person who could annoy him until steam came off his ears.
Weren't you just at the police station? Jungkook quickly glanced at his wristwatch. The time was 10:15pm. You arrived to wreak havoc in the interrogation room at around 9:00pm. Were you that good of a lawyer to escape Captain Yoongi's inquest in just an hour?
Looking at you, it seemed you had been here for quite some time now. Hanni happily snuggled in your arms while sucking on her milk bottle. The baby looked sleepy, unaware that her parents had already crossed the afterlife road.
Jungkook felt his heart tighten. Did you go here to use Hanni as leverage to help free those damned murderers? Thinking about your menacing schemes, Jungkook couldn't help but raise his hand to snatch Hanni away from your embrace.
"Let go of Hanni now!" Jungkook gnashed his teeth, deliberating on calling the police on you, but then he remembered he was also a police officer. Right. If he wanted to, he could arrest you for using an innocent kid to your advantage.
"Will you stop being so dramatic?" you recognized Jungkook's intention, so you rolled your eyes at his stupidity. You also laid Hanni back inside her crib but didn't do it to appease Jungkook. It was because your arms were starting to get numb from carrying her—not to mention that your chest was covered in Hanni's spilled milk, too.
Jungkook's line of sight focused on your chest, not knowing what to make out of it as you gently wipe the milk with your bare hand.
You pretended not to see him swallowing thickly and struggling to look away from you. "Relax, will you? Your tiny brain might not comprehend it, but I'm telling you now. I am not here to harm Hanni. I'm her godparent, after all—just like you."
Your busy work schedule did not allow you to see Hanni all the time, but Sora made sure to video call you whenever she had the chance. Frankly speaking, seeing your goddaughter after a tiring day calmed you down. Hanni was your sweet butterfly. You loved her to death.
"And for the record, I am not representing Gabi and Falco in court."
Your sharp tone made Jungkook stop. His intense gaze studied you. This time, your face wasn't devoid of emotions. He could see fire in your eyes—as if you were ready to burn anyone who dared oppose you.
"T-Then," Jungkook's Adam's apple bobbed, "Why'd you destroy my evidence?" It took him hours to force confessions out of those bastards. He doubted that was enough as Falco and Gabi kept protecting each other, but still...
"How are you even a police lieutenant? Did Chief Kim bump his head before promoting you?"
Jungkook was offended and wanted to argue, but you gave him no chance.
"The evidence you've gathered is inadmissible to court. It's fucking illegal, idiot. Those brats could've filed a case against you if I hadn't destroyed the evidence of your idiocy."
Simply put, you had protected Jungkook from incrimination. "What happened to the Jungkook I know? Didn't you always hate Jongsuk Lee for being a suicidal maniac?"
The Idiot Quartet was good friends with Jongsuk and Ji-eun, too. You had known them since childhood. If your group was called the Idiot Quartet, then Ji-eun, Jongsuk, and Jimin were known as the Powerhouse Trio. The three were good in academics and sports, but Jongsuk fell short of a good attitude. Jongsuk was ridiculously impatient that he would not hesitate to charge recklessly, even at the expense of his life. Jongsuk was a police officer like Jungkook. It was just that Chief Namjoon Kim assigned Jongsuk to the special operation squad.
Jongsuk was a sore spot for Jungkook as it seemed like whatever Jungkook wanted, Jongsuk had.
Truth be told, Jungkook scoffed at the mention of Jongsuk's name. He glared at you, "I'm nothing like that suicidal maniac. Don't compare me to him."
You shrugged and did not push it. Fighting Jungkook tonight was not worthy of your time. There was a more pressing issue to discuss.
"Anyway, I'm not involved with Gabi and Falco anymore. You can rest assured."
Jungkook didn't want to fight you either. He was tired. He only wanted to honor his dead best friend. "It's good that you didn't completely stray the wrong path."
Surprisingly, the seed of hatred Jungkook planted in his heart had been dug up at the speed of light. You see, he wasn't muddle-headed like you claimed. Jungkook got irritated by your mere presence and sharp mouth, but hating someone without apparent reason was beyond him.
Maybe he could trust you? Thinking about this, Jungkook tried to push his luck, "So, if you aren't going to be those brats' lawyer, does it mean you came here to represent Sora and Niccolo?"
You just said you did not want to fight him, but on God, was he testing your patience. It took everything in you not to mock him, "I am a defense lawyer, smart-ass. This is a criminal case; it's those brats against the general public. Sora and Niccolo must be represented by a prosecutor. I trust you know the difference between a pro—"
"I know! I get it already. Stop it." Jungkook's cheeks turned crimson when he realized his mistake. His brain must have short-circuited because of the awkwardness and the milk on your chest—damn it, there was still traces of milk in your cleavage.
Jungkook forced himself to look away, making the corner of your lips turn up.
"It's Ji-eun." You said abruptly and without context. Jungkook looked at you, confused.
You sighed, "Ji-eun is a prosecutor, which I'm guessing you're very familiar with."
Of course, Jungkook knew precisely what Ji-eun did for a living. It was the main reason Jungkook fell in love with Ji-eun—he thought she was cool for upholding justice.
Jungkook had this illusion that he and Ji-eun complemented each other, mainly because both their line of work involved helping ordinary people. It was the complete opposite of what you do. In Jungkook's vocabulary, you were a scum—defending criminals who ruined the balance of the world.
"I called Ji-eun earlier. She agreed, but we have yet to discuss the details. The legalities of the case can be postponed for now. There's something urgent we need to address first." Jungkook recognized the seriousness in your tone. He furrowed a brow and listened to you intently.
"Sora named me as the executor of her will." Your face turned solemn, side glancing at Hanni, who was sound asleep. Your heart ached for her. "She has written notes to everyone, including us."
Jungkook watched you pick up a brown box on the floor. That's when he noticed the suitcase next to it.
Wait—Jungkook's eyes shrunk. Is that your suitcase?
His question was soon answered when you handed Sora's letter to him. Jungkook immediately tore it open, skimming through its contents.
His eyes widened comically upon reading the most ridiculous request of all times:
Sora was leaving Hanni in your and Jungkook's care.
What the fuck.
***
Taehyung felt floating as he took the way to Sora's house. It was past ten in the evening, meaning it took him hours to arrange Sora and Niccolo's funeral.
He was physically exhausted from having to go from place to place. Fortunately, he had a bit of time to rest since Sora and Niccolo's bodies were still at the mortuary. Taehyung thought he'd check up on Hanni first, then ask Jungkook to tidy the Kang' residence to make it a decent place to hold the wake. Sadly, Taehyung's plans went haywire as soon as he stepped inside the house.
"Oh, yeah? Why don't you tell that to yourself, you mama's boy!? I'm not the one who has an Oedipus complex!"
Taehyung watched as Jungkook's complexion turned red because of anger. He rolled the sleeves of his police uniform, seemingly ready to fight you.
"Well, fuck you and your mommy issues. Just admit you're jealous I have a kind mom. It's not my fault your mom only loves you whenever you achieve something that will boost her ego!"
Violence was never the answer, but you couldn't help but pick up one of Hanni's toys and throw it at Jungkook's broad chest. You screamed at him, "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" He was hitting you where it hurt.
"No, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Jungkook threw the question back at you. You were the one who pissed him off first.
Sadly, Taehyung did not care whose fault it was. He just wanted this petty fight to end, so he screamed before you or Jungkook started going at each other again.
"What the hell is happening here?" Taehyung was the type of friend who goofed around a lot, though no one could deny he was the most scary when angered. Just the sound of his voice was enough to stain your and Jungkook's back with cold sweat. Almost at once, Jungkook kept his mouth shut.
Conversely, you smiled awkwardly at Taehyung and acted oblivious, "Hi, Taehyung. Didn't see you there."
Jungkook held back a scoff at how fast you changed your annoying tone to a saccharine one. Your eyes even crinkled with fondness. Damn it. You were such a great pretender! Weren't you just acting like a dragon and breathing fire in Jungkook's direction? Taehyung saw it, too, preventing you from escaping this mess.
"How can you see me when you're busy fighting Jungkook again?" Taehyung huffed and shook his head in disappointment, "You two never changed, do you? To think of fighting in the presence of your dead best friend's kid. Have you no shame?"
As said, it was common knowledge not to anger Taehyung, yet no one warned you how scary he was when he couldn't bring himself to be angry anymore. Right now, Taehyung was just tired of your bullshit.
Remorse seeped into your heart. Truth be told, you knew where Taehyung was coming from. You and Jungkook were both adults, yet you failed to act like one. You didn't even know how your fight started. All you remembered was Jungkook vehemently opposing Sora's decision to leave Hanni to you and his care.
He thought you were undeserving of looking after a small child. You got mad, saying he had high expectations for female guardians because of his weird relationship with his mother.
Of course, it wasn't true. But you were so pissed you couldn't stop spouting nonsense. Truthfully, you could have gone forever with your insults had it not been for Taehyung's arrival.
"Don't take it seriously, Taehyung. We're just fooling around to cheer up Hanni. We thought some loud noises would divert her attention to something else." Jungkook added unhelpfully.
Taehyung pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at Hanni, who was sleeping peacefully: "...."
"Haha," You laughed in embarrassment and were forced to playfully smack Jungkook's biceps. "See? Our loudness helped Hanni sleep. Didn't Sora always sing her a goodnight song? We did it too!"
"Yes!" Jungkook gathered some files on the floor. The both of you had thrown them in the midst of fighting. The Kang' residence was a mess because of you two's silliness.
"Anyway, didn't you say the wake will be held here? Why don't you rest first? We'll take it from here. Right, Jungkook?"
Taehyung watched the two of you for a while before resigning to the guest room. He heard your whispered sighs but didn't mind as you quickly resolved it with a temporary truce.
Taehyung sighed and looked at the white ceiling. The tears he had repressed all night finally cascaded down his cheeks.
He sobbed quietly and thought about the dead, "You really have idiots as your best friends, Sora."
***
Sora and Niccolo's wake would be held for one day only. Tomorrow was the scheduled funeral, so all the departed's friends gathered at the Kang' residence for the final goodbye. You and Jungkook behaved this time—your temporary truce helped you welcome the guests without hiccups.
Ji-eun and Jongsuk arrived in the morning with their five children. It was a blessing in disguise, really. Jongsuk took care of the kids, including Hanni, while you and Ji-eun discussed the legalities of the case filed against Gabi and Falco. Captain Yoongi joined the discussion, too.
Yoongi lived in your neighborhood as well. He used to teach kids your age some self-defense tricks. He was specifically fond of Sora as she made unconventional defenses easier to execute. Looking back, you realize Sora was the glue holding the group together. There were moments you couldn't tolerate the extremity of Captain Yoongi's training, but Sora persuaded you and the others to be more patient and courageous.
"Thanks for doing this, Captain." You smiled softly at Yoongi. He merely raised a brow, drank his tea, and said, "Not a problem. This isn't a formal discussion."
The Captain didn't want to disrespect the solemnity of the wake, so he invited you and Ji-eun to talk in his office after the funeral. He only joined today's talk to say some urgent matters.
"I thought you should know beforehand that we have a strong case, mainly because the incident was captured by cameras. However, we have a formidable opponent. Annie Leonhart is defending those brats in court."
Your stomach knotted with bitterness upon hearing that. Annie Leonhart was indeed a formidable lawyer. However, you couldn't deny that your heart felt at ease when you met Ji-eun's unyielding gaze. Yes, you couldn't forget that this prosecutor never lost a case. She would do Sora justice.
It wouldn't be too difficult as long as dumb people didn't interfere.
Jungkook. Your brain immediately thought of Jungkook as he was the only one you could associate with the word dumb.
Just like now, Jungkook was standing in the corner of the room while staring at your group dumbly—scratch that, it was obvious he had his puppy eyes focused on Ji-eun.
You rolled your eyes. Of fucking course. How could you forget that this dumbass was in love with Prosecutor Lee? Did the fact that she was already married ever stop Jungkook from pining after Ji-eun? No.
"Attorney, Captain, will you excuse me for a moment?" You gritted your teeth while your gaze was still trained on Jungkook. The two Mins did not hold you back, making it easier for you to instantly trudge over Jungkook's direction.
"Hey, loser. I wanted to quote Article 333 of the family code for you, but then I remembered Ji-eun will never commit adultery, more so if it's with your sorry ass." You smirked at Jungkook, rage still boiling within you.
You were not the only one annoyed, though. Jungkook looked at you in disbelief; his eyebrows pinched together as he huffed, "What is it this time? I'm not doing anything!"
"You're not fooling anyone here, asshole. Don't think for a moment that I don't see you looking pathetically at Mrs. Lee."
"The heck are you on?"
"That you're in love with Ji-eun? That's the only reason why you're looking in our direction." You rolled your eyes, looking smug. "Unless you had a change of heart and are now pining after Captain Yoongi—which I'm not opposed to, by the way. I'm all for gay rights. You might be too late, though. I think he's a little too in love with your Chief Police Kim."
You shook your head in pity for Jungkook. Ji-eun and Yoongi were cousins. Why did Jungkook seem to only like Mins, who were already in love with someone else?
"Will you shut up?" Jungkook's jaw ticked. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He looked panicked.
You snickered, "Oh, no. Is Jungkook-boy shy—"
"I'm looking at you, damn it!" Jungkook seized your wrist and pulled you closer to him. From the outside's point of view, it looked like Jungkook was some gang leader bullying a helpless girl. But that's the thing. Only his looks were imposing—Jungkook's grey suit perfectly hugged his toned body. His hairstyle drastically changed since your teenage years, too. Per the police officer standard, Jungkook was now sporting an undercut that made his jaw look more chiseled. His aura was intimidating, but only you knew how gently he had pulled you close to his body.
Jungkook whispered into your ears, "I'm worried, alright? I need your help. Can you see those two women sitting by the window? They've been here since morning, and they're watching you and me—us. I don't seem to recall their faces. Sora and Niccolo were not related to them in any way either."
Jungkook had met the people around the married couple. He knew even the customers in Sora and Niccolo's restaurant. This was the first time Jungkook was seeing these women.
You were alerted, too. It was uncommon for strangers to attend the departed's wake, so these two women could either be from Falco and Gabi's side or...
Your eyes widened at the sudden realization. Unfortunately, before you could warn Jungkook, the two ladies had already noticed your gaze and immediately walked in your direction.
"Hi there. My name is Frieda, and this is my coworker, Ms. Kiyomi. We're social workers assigned by the local government to check on orphans."
"It's nice to meet you." Thankfully, you had no problems switching gears. Being a lawyer taught you to fake pleasantries despite shaking on the inside. As expected, these two women were social workers here to see Hanni's condition. Regrettably, you had failed to discuss this earlier with Jungkook.
"I know this is not the best time to visit, but we're just concerned about the little girl. Hanni, that's her name, right?" Kiyomi was an old woman who appeared strict and conservative. Her smile made your eyes twitch. "I take it you're the host of this wake. Do you mind sharing with us if Mr. Niccolo and his wife assigned a legal guardian for Hanni?"
"Legal guardians, actually." You mirrored Kiyomi's smile. "I'm the family's lawyer and Sora's childhood best friend. She has left her notarized will with me. I can send you both the hard and soft copy any time."
"That's good to hear," Frieda answered, "But right now, we want to personally meet the assigned guardians. Where is Hanni, by the way?"
"Hanni is sleeping in her room with SWAT officer Lee's children, right, babe?"
"Huh?" Jungkook asked dumbly when he felt your hand encircling his biceps. To say he was shocked by your term of endearment would be an understatement because what the fuck? Did you just call him babe?
"A little absentminded, are we?" You chuckled awkwardly and pinched Jungkook's biceps 'lovingly' Damn, was he ripped. "Forgive my fiancé, lovely ladies. He's just a bit tired after pulling an all-nighter to arrange our best friends' wake and trying to pacify little Hanni."
"Oh," Kiyomi's eyes lit up. "You're the assigned guardians, I suppose?"
"Yes, we are." You felt Jungkook stiffen when you leaned your head onto his biceps. You originally wanted to lean on his shoulder, but he was too tall. You guessed it didn't matter as long as you had skin contact with Jungkook.
Kiyomi didn't seem to be convinced, though. Her keen eyes wandered over yours and Jungkook's empty ring fingers.
"Ah!" You grabbed Jungkook's left hand and intertwined your fingers with his. "We removed our engagement rings for now. You know, Hanni's at the age where she just likes sucking onto everything. You can't have a kid swallowing a diamond, can you?"
The two women laughed at your lame joke. Meanwhile, Jungkook's face still couldn't be painted. Every part of his being urged him to push you away, but he had a hunch that would be unwise.
Jungkook looked at the two ladies before side-eyeing you. He felt like losing to a sick game, which didn't sit well with him. Jungkook hated it when you were one step ahead, so he played your game despite not knowing the rules.
He grabbed your interlaced fingers and kissed them. "Don't worry, hon. The ring is just for aesthetic purposes. I am still yours without it."
"Oh, my. What a lovely couple!" Kiyomi finally fell into your gimmick. She rubbed her chest as if what she saw warmed her heart, "It's getting late. People are coming, why don't you go and welcome them? Frieda and I are just leaving."
You calmed your beating heart before answering the old lady, "Don't you wanna see Hanni first?"
Frieda and Kiyomi fell silent and seemed to be hesitant. Hearing SWAT officer Lee's name actually scared them. They were afraid of offending Jongsuk. Kids were especially fussy when their nap was disturbed, yes?
"No need. We have already imposed too much. Why don't we schedule a meeting after the funeral?" Frieda raised her brow.
"Sounds lovely. Wait a second. We'll give you our contact information."
The two social workers finally left after exchanging contact details and a few more pleasantries. Your hand was still enveloped by Jungkook's big, warm hand. He took this as an opportunity to lightly drag you into an empty room.
"What the hell just happened there?" For someone who's confused, Jungkook sure enjoyed holding your hand. His grip tightened when you laughed mockingly.
"You called me hon—cringe, by the way—but you can't grasp what happened there? Are you for real?"
"Just answer the damn question!" Jungkook's ears were red. He swore he wasn't stupid. You were just making him appear to be like that. "And as if you're any better. Calling me babe, really? And fiancé? Who the hell wants to marry you!?"
"Let go!" You wriggled out of his grasp, yet Jungkook did not let you go. He pulled you close to him and stared at you intently.
"No." Jungkook jutted his chin. "Not unless you explain what that was all about."
Looking at Jungkook's eyes made you shudder. You knew him. He was stubborn. Seeing the determination in his eyes, you realized it was wise not to tease him any further. Jungkook was many things, but he never joked about romantic feelings. Call it old school, but he already regretted playing your game. How could he forget how much of a menace you were?
"I'm not making fun of you, alright? I had to pretend we're lovers, for Hanni's sake." You explained to Jungkook that most social workers were vicious when doing their jobs. Kiyomi was an old lady. Of course, she'd prefer to see Hanni with a loving and complete family as her guardians. She had the power to manipulate the judge's decision. You were afraid she would suggest assigning Hanni to strangers who could give her an illusion of a 'happy family.'
"So are you saying we have to pretend we're dating in front of those social workers?" Jungkook wasn't unreasonable. He was willing to hear your ridiculous idea if this meant keeping Hanni in a safe space.
"Well," you sighed in lament. "Not just in front of the social workers, unfortunately. Kiyomi and Frieda might interview anyone in our circle. It will be bad if they find out we're lying, worse, that we hate each other."
"I don't hate you, though." Jungkook's response was immediate. He creased his forehead as if not understanding what you said. "But I find you extremely annoying."
"The feeling is mutual." You exerted all your energy to wriggle out of his grasp.
Jungkook smirked and thought of getting back at you for getting him all flustered before those social workers, "Eh? Are you getting sick of my touch already? Careful. We might have to do more than hold hands to convince people we're to be married."
"You are so..." You trailed off because of irritation. "Irrational and a hypocrite! Don't you hate faking romantic things with me?" And aren't you in love with Ji-eun?
Jungkook shrugged nonchalantly; a smirk was still plastered on his lips. "I adapt fast. I can tolerate your annoying face, for Hanni's sake."
He pinched your cheek.
You slapped his hand away and squared your shoulders. Damn you, Jungkook Jeon.
"Bring it on, then."
***
Bullshit.
Your claim against Jungkook to 'bring it on" was complete and utter bullshit. Not only was it difficult, but it was also unrealistic and close to being impossible. Truthfully, you two did not feel it at once, mainly because you were busy with the funeral and had your other friends help you with Hanni.
Now, however...
"Terni, I'm sorry," Hanni's bright eyes glistened with tears as she stared at you. She was only three, but surprisingly, she could already pronounce words clearly—except maybe the word attorney.
Sora told her daughter to call you 'Attorney' so the little one could brag to people about having a cool godmother who was a lawyer. Hanni was an intelligent child. Admittedly, you suspected she could actually pronounce the word attorney correctly. She simply preferred calling you Terni as it was cuter and perhaps because it was easier to escape your wrath.
Hanni accidentally spilled a full glass of her favorite chocolate drink on your work documents. These were all related to the cases you told your secretary to cancel when you found out Sora died. Unfortunately, your words held no weight as you still needed to take on these cases—whether you wanted to or not. Besides, your mourning period was coming to an end. Sora and Niccolo had found their resting place already. Your only worry was Hanni and your pending cases.
"It's okay, darling." The side of your upper lip twitched while you threw the files in the trash bin. You kept reminding yourself that lashing out at a three-year-old kid was unreasonable.
'But it's not unreasonable to displace your anger to a certain police lieutenant.' The voice inside your head supplied. You smirked, feeling enlightened. Obviously, you were going to listen to the voice. Every chance you got to annoy Jungkook was gold.
"Why don't I put you in your crib first? Terni will just talk to Jungkook-boy, okay?"
Because she knew she was at fault here, Hanni nodded and let you carry her back to her room. The Kang' residence was quite big. You, Hanni, and Jungkook each had your own rooms. The master bedroom remained untouched, though. You didn't have the heart to invade the late couple's personal space. Besides, you were only temporarily residing here. This was not your house, and Hanni was not your child—you weren't even fully recognized by the court as Hanni's guardian. This could all be taken away from you sooner or later.
It was better not to get attached and keep things as they were. Taking this into consideration, you went to the kitchen to annoy Jungkook. Unfortunately, you were only able to say a few words before your face and mind blanked out. Clearly, no one prepared you on how to react seeing Jungkook buzzing around the kitchen while washing dishes—the same dishes you and Hanni used for breakfast this morning.
Jungkook wore washing gloves; soap suds painted his left cheek while pots and plates surrounded him.
"What'd you say again?" Jungkook spared you a glance, washing the mug you used for coffee earlier.
You swallowed thickly and forced your eyes away from the dishes. You originally wanted to chastise him for slacking off and not bringing Hanni to the daycare center on time. If Hanni was at the daycare, then your files wouldn't get soaked up in a chocolate drink in the first place. You couldn't blame him now, could you? Not when he was busy cleaning the kitchen after preparing breakfast for you and Hanni.
In your defense, you did not ask him to cook for you, too. You woke up with the smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs wafting inside your room. Of course, you got up to scold him for not turning on the exhaust hood.
"You're awake?" You remembered Jungkook raising a brow upon seeing you. Hanni was already sitting on her high chair; her mouth was watering because of how good her breakfast smelled. "Come on, join us for breakfast."
You swallowed the insults at the tip of your tongue as Jungkook placed two big plates and a small one on the table.
"I don't eat breakfast," you said indifferently. It was true. When you reach your office, your secretary will have a cup of macadamia-flavored coffee ready. That was the only thing you had for breakfast. It had probably been years since you'd eaten anything solid during the morning.
Jungkook seemed to misunderstand your response, though. He thought you just didn't like to eat what he cooked. He taunted you, "There's no poison here, Empress. Your lowly male concubines have tasted the food for you."
To demonstrate, Jungkook swallowed a spoonful of bacon and pancakes.
"You're mistaken. You are no concubine of mine." You sneered but took a seat to eat. "You're merely my eunuch."
Teenager Jungkook would have turned red-faced and just cussed you out, but he grew up, and those blind dates with countless supermodels had improved his confidence. Jungkook pressed his hand on the table and peered down at you. His broad chest was inches away from your face.
"Now, that would be misleading, Empress. Can a eunuch have this?" He didn't use words, merely gesturing toward himself, particularly on the lower portion of his body.
The teenager you would have turned pissed and just cussed Jungkook out, but despite maturing into an adult woman, you still couldn't handle jokes like this, causing your face to turn scPark.
Jungkook chuckled at your reaction but didn't push you anymore. He liked pressing your buttons, though not to the point of making you uncomfortable. He was not an ass.
"Let's just eat, alright?"
Jungkook happily agreed and put some food on your plate. You merely glanced at it before playing it cool by opening up another topic, "It's your turn to send Hanni to daycare today, right? Her class is at 7am. Her teacher said she could go back to class but is welcome to extend her break."
Hanni's parents just died, after all. Besides, it wasn't a formal school. The daycare was established as a consideration for children who had working parents.
"Yes, I'll bathe her today. too, then we'll go to the center after." Jungkook smeared maple syrup on Hanni's pancakes. He had added finely cut grapes on top of it as he was afraid Hanni would choke on the circled fruit.
"Good. I'll finish some work today," you said as a form of respect.
You and Jungkook decided to co-parent Hanni and see if you could commit to it. Jungkook was assigned to take care of Hanni from Monday to Wednesday. Meanwhile, your schedule was from Thursday to Saturday. This included sending Hanni to school, feeding, bathing, and playing with her. Sunday was your only free day, as Hanni would be in the care of your friends. Captain Yoongi and Chief Namjoon said they'd bring Hanni out to play this Sunday.
It was a relief, really. You need to go back to Seoul this Sunday to finish some work and formally announce to your subordinates and clients that you will be moving to Busan for the time being. Your schedule this week was jampacked. Fortunately, Kiyomi and Frieda postponed the meeting and said they would inform you at their earliest convenience. As it turned out, those social workers weren't utterly heartless as they intended to give you and Jungkook a breather until the settlement of Sora and Niccolo's case.
Right. That was another concern of yours. You turned to Jungkook, "What time is your lunch break? I'm meeting up with Prosecutor Lee and Captain Yoongi this afternoon. Wanna join us?"
You and Jungkook played well when you were teaming up instead of being rivals. He shook his head in lament, "I can't. I have to finish some work at the station too. Just fill me in with the details later."
"Alright." You continued eating after that. Surprisingly, the breakfast with Hanni and Jungkook went well. Your morning would have been perfect hadn't been for Hanni messing up your files—which led you back to staring dumbly at Jungkook, who was still busy cleaning up the kitchen.
It was past seven in the morning. You were busy working and weren't able to track time. "Didn't you say you would send Hanni to daycare today? Why haven't you?"
"Oh." Jungkook scratched the back of his head. "I called the teacher and informed her that Hanni isn't coming today." Jungkook let Hanni walk around the house and find you. He guessed it was his fault for having too much confidence in a three-year-old kid. Of course, giving Hanni a chocolate drink wasn't a guarantee that she would be able to tell you she wasn't going to school today. Jungkook was too much of a pussy to tell you himself. He knew how you were when working. You would breathe fire at him for disturbing you.
"Why, though?" You puffed out air, "We can't keep doing this, you know? Hanni needs to socialize with other people." It wasn't that you wanted Hanni to forget her parents, but lately, Hanni had been asking where her mum and dad went. You and Jungkook hadn't discussed a healthy way to go over such a sensitive topic. Besides, you and Jungkook were working adults who needed time to do their jobs. You couldn't spend all day looking after Hanni.
"I know, but she sneezed twice this morning. It's already so cold outside. What if she catches the flu?"
"Oh, my gosh, you overprotective dumbass." You rolled your eyes at Jungkook, but the latter shrugged it off. You could call him whatever you wanted. However, he couldn't risk his goddaughter getting sick.
"I'll go to work in a while and drop by Hanni's doctor after my shift. I'll inquire about her medical records and see if we can get her a flu vaccine. Don't worry," Jungkook's eyes were thoughtful. "It's Monday, so I'll take care of everything myself. You can go to work today. I'll just text you if something comes up."
The day wasn't even halfway done, but you found yourself agreeing to Jungkook without a need for a fight. This was new, and you found it surprisingly refreshing.
"Fine." You acquiesced as the urge to blame him for your soaked files disappeared. Maybe you were wrong—maybe, just maybe, co-parenting Hanni with Jungkook wasn't as bad as you imagined.
***
Your afternoon turned out to be hectic, so the meeting with the two Mins was pushed to 3pm. Captain Yoongi invited you to a tea shop as it was quieter there.
"I personally think we have no shot in filing a murder case against those brats." Chamomile tea wasn't enough to calm you down as you looked at the crime pictures again.
Sora was sprawled on the cold ground; the pool of blood made you wanna puke. It didn't help that Ji-eun was drinking a strawberry-flavored tea.
"You're right. Given the elements of a murder, two are not present. Mens rea and actus rus," Ji-eun voiced out the legal terms. According to Captain Yoongi, Gabi and Falco gave consistent explanations during the interrogation. It was similar to what they told your secretary.
The teens did not intend to kill Sora and her husband. They were merely trying throttle therapy, which, unfortunately, went wrong.
Falco said he switched lanes to avoid crashing into a car maneuvering into a U-turn. It just happened that Sora and Niccolo were crossing the street before Falco could step on the break.
"I think that's what Jungkook did when he forced confessions from the brats. He wanted them to admit to murdering Sora and Niccolo so they could get the maximum penalty. However, I can tell it was an accident. We can only file for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides." Captain Yoongi held his cup tightly, an indication that he was angry at what happened but couldn't do anything about it.
"That's my plan, but I think Annie Leonhart will reduce her clients' charges to manslaughter."
Manslaughter? Yoongi's brow creased. He wasn't a lawyer, so naturally, he couldn't immediately follow the logic behind the prosecutor's words.
You explained it to him, "It means Annie is a bitch, Captain. Based on my assumption, I bet she'll fake some medical records and say Falco took some kind of drug to help with his mental health issues." She would make it appear that Falco was unaware the drug given to him could cause hallucinations, confusion, and probably a loss of energy. "Or she'll have the clients' families pay a random person to confess tampering with Falco's car, hence the break not working. Either way, Attorney Leonhart will find a scapegoat and make it appear that what Gabi and Falco did was unintentional."
"You're so familiar with these tactics, aren't you?" Yoongi knitted his brow. In return, you tilted your head to the side as if to show a 'what can I say' attitude. The Captain was not wrong. You were also familiar with the techniques you mentioned because you were a defense lawyer.
Ji-eun wasn't bothered. She figured out the logic behind your tactics. She clasped her hands and said, "Captain Yoongi called me on the day of the incident. I've sent some people to subject Falco and Gabi to medical examinations. No need to fret. The results will show if they've taken any drugs. There were two more independent examiners, so they can't accuse us of faking the results."
Good. Your shoulders relaxed upon hearing that. Ji-eun continued, "We must pay attention to the other excuse Annie might choose." Prosecutor Lee emphasized how affluent the Braun and Grice families were. It would be easy for them to fake 'dispute' with people, forcing them to tamper with the car Falco drove. "Captain, my cousin-in-law is good friends with this case's judge, correct? I need your help with evidence submitted before the trial. I need time to study the witnesses, too."
"Cousin-in-law?" Ji-eun said many things, but this was the only thing Yoongi grasped. The Captain was not married yet. Who could Ji-eun be referring to as her cousin-in-law?
"Chief Police Namjoon Kim." Prosecutor Lee said with a face vacant of any emotions that even the hard-to-faze Yoongi almost spit his tea. You laughed heartily. Oh, men and their poor attempt to conceal their feelings. It was hilarious when boys fell in love. They looked like idiots who seemed to forget how to navigate life.
"Namjoon is not your cousin-in-law...yet," Yoongi cleared his throat. "But yes, he will be...helping you with anything you need with the case. Just send either one of us a text or go to our house. Make sure to bring Rin when you visit."
Rin was Ji-eun and Jongsuk's eldest son and Yoongi's favorite. He spoiled that kid rotten. You adored that kid, too. Admittedly, your topic switched to the Lee kids, and you also took this time to ask Ji-eun for tips on caring for a small child.
The sun had already set by the time your meeting ended. A fond smile was still plastered on your lips long after the Ji-eun and Yoongi left, but it didn't take long for your smile to disappear once you heard your phone buzz.
Someone had sent you a message. The number wasn't saved in your contacts, but the previous messages gave you a clue about who it was.
Unknown number:
Seoul is colder now that you're not here. I miss you.
You stared at the message for some time, then sighed as if accepting defeat. You scrolled through your contacts and called the one named 'Eunuch Jungkook.'
"What can I do for you, Empress?" Jungkook answered after two rings. His tone carried some teasing, which eased your heart a little.
"Something came up. I'm going back to Seoul tonight. My secretary said she needs help—"
"Alright," Jungkook responded softly before you could finish your excuse. You did not need to explain to him. Jungkook understood your line of work. He couldn't hold it against you. Besides, it's Monday. He could care for Hanni himself. "Just text me when you'll be back. And don't you dare forget to bring back some monjayaki for me and Hanni!"
"Fine, fine." You rolled your eyes, feigning irritation. "I'll see you soon."
"Good. Take care." Jungkook had you talk to Hanni for a few minutes before hanging up. After that, you booked a car to drive you back to Seoul. This was better than a subway. After all, you need to conserve energy to talk to that one person.
You sighed. This would definitely be a long night...
***
Mina bombarded you with workloads the second you stepped foot in your office in Seoul.
"I'm sorry, Attorney." Mina was apologetic when she handed you the documents. "You need to attend to one more hearing tomorrow."
"Another business dispute?" You looked at your secretary in disbelief. Seriously? All the cases you have been handling these past couple of days were related to businesses dealing with trademark infringement and violating the labor code. It was a surprise that these business owners still trusted you. Admittedly, you thought most of your clients would withdraw now that you didn't have the support of the Braun and Grice families.
"Yes, your client refused to settle as they did not want to pay the amount demanded by the other party."
You scoffed. Those greedy assholes. They had the nerve to ignore the labor law but couldn't face the consequences of their actions?
"Tell my client I'm meeting them in an hour. Either that or they can go find another lawyer." You would 'persuade' them to settle out of court today as you couldn't attend tomorrow's hearing. You were in a hurry to return to Busan since it was already Sunday. Jungkook had been caring for Hanni the whole week, which made you feel guilty. Jungkook had another role he needed to fulfill aside from being Hanni's guardian. What kind of person were you if you kept on holding him back?
Besides, there was still another person you must meet today. Thankfully, you were able to convince your client to settle, although you were not proud of the method you used to persuade them. Eh. You guessed it didn't matter because you finally told Jungkook you were heading back to Busan tonight.
"Who're you texting?" The last person you met tonight was him—him, as in the one who claimed to 'miss you' but whose number was still unregistered to your phone.
"Work," you replied indifferently before switching off your phone. You will read Jungkook's message later. For now, you had to deal with this annoying bastard.
"You'll go back to Busan tonight?" He sounded unhappy. Rico Braun had always been like this—too clingy—too whiny. You'd think he was obsessed with you if you didn't know any better. But that's the thing. You were aware of what kind of guy he was. He liked having a successful woman by his side, someone he could brag to his family and friends. You fit his criteria well—a beautiful woman who worked hard for a better life. It was a bonus that the Braun family liked you for Rico, too.
"I already told you," you pushed Rico's hand that was about to encircle your waist. "I'll be staying in Busan for a while. I only went back here to finish some work and to say some things to you."
Rico's eyes sparkled in anticipation. He claimed to be wise, but he couldn't even detect the coldness in your tone. You did not want him. "I've said this before, and I'm saying this again: whatever romantic idea you have about the two of us will never manifest. I can't be your girlfriend, okay?"
Rico wanted to argue, but you cut him off.
"It's not an invitation for you to ask me to be your wife. I don't like you anymore, Rico." Sometimes, being honest was the only way to save your future self from more trouble. Rico had been bugging you since your college days. There was one time you considered dating him—thinking it was for the better—that a ruthless lawyer like you was perfect for a narcissistic boy like him.
"This is also the last time I'm meeting with you. From now on, do not bother me. Your family is not connected with me anymore, either. They probably hate me." Rico was Gabi's older brother. How this person still had the audacity to meet you after what his sibling did to your best friend was beyond you. "Are we clear on this matter?"
Rico's face was impassive, acting as if the news you dropped did not concern him. He crinkled his eyes, "Well, then. It's getting late. I can't have you take the train at this hour, right? Come. I'll drive you to Busan."
"No need." You were about to walk away, but Rico seized your wrist.
His lips twitched. "I insist. Please? For old time's sake."
There was no winning when it came to this blockhead. You relented when he promised this would be the last time he'd ask to drive you. He said he was going back to the U.S. next week, anyway.
The drive back to Busan was fortunately short. Rico drove safely and did not insist on talking while on the road. You imagined being friends with him after what happened with Sora, but you just couldn't do it.
You and Rico had a fair share of understanding each other before, though all those memories were now buried deep in your heart. You did not want anything to do with them anymore.
"Thanks for the ride." You hopped off Rico's car the second it stopped in front of the Kang' residence. You felt nauseated and couldn't help but feel guilty that someone related to Sora's murderer was here. You used to think guilt by association was nonsensical, but now you understand it was a way to ease an angry person's pain.
"You're welcome." Rico rolled down the window and smiled at you. "Have a good night."
You immediately went inside the house after that short exchange. You and Jungkook both had duplicates of the key's door, so you got inside without calling Jungkook.
It was already late, so Hanni was most likely asleep. Maybe Jungkook retired for the night, too. Thinking about this, you tiptoed inside and made sure not to make any loud noises.
However, you were shocked when you saw Jungkook standing by the floor-length window and looking outside it like some predatory bird.
"Did you promote yourself from being a lowly eunuch to an empress' royal guard?" It was meant to be a sneer, but your tone made it seem like gentle teasing.
Jungkook whipped his head and met your eyes. He was shocked to see you, too. "I'm not waiting for you." He denied vehemently. He even crossed his arms. "I just thought it was Hanni who arrived."
"Oh?" You checked your wristwatch. "It's past nine. Hanni's still not home?"
Jungkook shook his head, "Not yet. Captain Yoongi called. He said Hanni's enjoying herself too much in their home. Apparently, Chief Namjoon built a playground for her." Ji-eun and Jongsuk's children were there too. "Who drove you here? Your secretary? A friend? Your colleague?"
Jungkook saw the flashy car outside and how fast you hopped out of that vehicle. He wondered why. Was it because the driver did something to get you all flustered?
Jungkook found himself clenching his fist. It did not help that you were avoiding his question. Admittedly, you did not want Jungkook to know that Rico drove you here. Luckily, you found a way to divert the topic when you looked at him directly.
"Huh?" You squinted your eyes. You didn't catch it earlier since you were meters away from him, but now you could clearly see the bruise on his face. "Is that a black eye?"
It was Jungkook's turn to avoid your question. He looked away and kept his mouth sealed. What the hell?
"What? Are you playing deaf now? I'm asking you, asshole. Is that a black eye?" You trudged toward him and grabbed his jaw so you could examine his face. You were right. Jungkook had a black eye and a cut in his lips.
Looking at him made your temple hurt. You gritted your teeth in anger.
"What are you up to these days, huh? Did you go around fighting civilians? Aren't you in public service? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"It's not a big deal." Jungkook shook his head to wriggle out of your grasp. "There's a guy at the station who pissed me off."
"That's it?" Wow. He was really an idiot. "Do you go around punching people who pissed you off? What about me, then? Since you piss me off so much, should I just punch you to death?"
You pulled Jungkook to sit on the couch and grabbed the first aid kit to clean his wounds. Jungkook was not even bothered with his cuts. He just displayed them as if they were some kind of Christmas decorations.
Jungkook endured how hard you pressed the cotton swab in his face. He was like a docile kid listening to an adult talk. His posture was relaxed, though. Jungkook had his arms spread on the armrest while his legs were wide apart.
"When did this happen, anyway? Did Hanni see you like this? How did she react?" You couldn't bear seeing Hanni cry and questioning why her precious Jungkook-boy was hurt. Hanni was softhearted. How could anyone talk to her about stinky men fighting? It was disgusting.
Jungkook sighed when he realized you would not let it go. "It happened earlier, alright? Captain Yoongi and I met at the police station to discuss something before he went home with Hanni. It's his and the Chief's day off today. Ji-eun dropped by at the station, too. She came bearing bad news..."
Apparently, the one who impounded Falco's car was negligent. He let some people check the vehicle without proper documents. Now, these people were claiming to be car mechanics and that they found Falco's car to have a faulty break.
Damn it. Your premonition had come true. Jungkook was so mad he punched the negligent asshole until he was crying and shaking on the ground. Captain Yoongi saw what happened, so he stopped Jungkook by punching him in the face. He didn't want to, but he had to act 'fair' in front of other police officers. Besides, if he didn't stop Jungkook, there was a big probability that Jungkook would end up killing that negligent officer.
"Why didn't you call me?" You whispered. You couldn't bear to press the cotton swab harder on Jungkook's face after finding out what happened.
"Why?" Jungkook hmphed. " So you can stop me?"
"No." You met his eyes. "So I can punch that asshole too."
Jungkook clearly did not expect that response from you, yet he couldn't help his lips from curling up. Right. You told him before not to worry—you loved Sora so much that you wouldn't let go of those who hurt her.
"Nah," Jungkook shook his head and grabbed your hand. It was close to his lips. You could feel his hot breath on your hand. "You're just gonna hurt your hands. Empresses shouldn't fight lowly people."
Jungkook managed to make you laugh before dropping the bad news to you, "The guy is sent to the hospital and broke a few bones. Serves him right, although..." He smiled in embarrassment, "Captain Yoongi suspended me. I am jobless for a month."
What?
Before you could react, Jungkook stood up to defend himself in case you punched him, "Isn't it great? Now, you have more time to work! I can take care of Hanni the whole day. Yay?"
"Jungkook, you idiot!" You took off your shoe to throw it at him. Unfortunately, the doorbell rang.
Jungkook rushed to the door, "Hanni's here! Don't hurt me, Terni. You can't teach a three-year-old violence!"
The door opened while your shoe was flying in the air. Captain Yoongi was the first to enter the house, causing the shoe to hit his chest.
"Captain!" You and Jungkook snickered. Namjoon was behind him, carrying a sleeping Hanni in his arms. He saw what had happened to Yoongi. The Chief didn't react, though. In fact, he seemed to be holding back a chuckle.
Yoongi glared at Namjoon before throwing a daggered look at you and Jungkook. He loosened his tie and said, "Come here while I'm still asking nicely."
You seemed to teleport back to when Yoongi was training you and the other kids in martial arts. The traumatic memories prompted you to back away and wave your hand in a hurry, "Well, then. It's getting late. Jungkook, you should put Hanni to bed. Captain, Chief, it's nice to see you. Good night!"
You ran to your bedroom after that, ignoring Jungkook's incessant call to you. Captain Yoongi pulled the collar of Jungkook's shirt. He was about to teach him a lesson but backed off when he saw the bruise on his face.
"You're lucky I don't want to touch your face anymore." Yoongi pushed Jungkook and gestured for Namjoon to hand Hanni back to Jungkook. "Take back your kid. She ate all the candies at home. I'll buy more tomorrow and feed them to her next week. Good night."
Jungkook was dumbfounded as he carried Hanni into his arms. He smiled awkwardly at his bosses. "Good night, Captain. Good night, Chief."
Namjoon patted Jungkook's back before following Yoongi outside. "Good night, Jungkook."
Jungkook stood there for a few minutes before blinking back to reality. His bosses were long gone, but he still felt he was in a fever dream.
"Huh," Jungkook muttered to himself as he made a beeline to Hanni's bedroom. "What a strange night."
Indeed, it was a strange night.
***
The strangeness of that same night didn't end instantly. At 11pm, you and Jungkook jolted awake and rushed to Hanni's room when you heard her loud wail from each of your baby monitors.
"Hey, sweetheart. It's okay." You took Hanni's small frame and rubbed the back of her head. You were panting from being forcefully woken up to attending to Hanni in a matter of seconds.
Jungkook was also worried about Hanni but wasn't as disoriented as you. You guessed it was because his work forced him to deal with much more dangerous things. He assessed the situation by languidly looking at you as you pacified the child.
"Bad dream?" Jungkook caressed Hanni's hot cheek. Tears were still falling down her face. The little kid nodded and nuzzled her cheek to Jungkook's finger as if finding comfort in his soft touch.
"Can you tell us what happened, Hanni?" You continued rubbing her back and called her by her given name. You just needed to make sure she was present and that she knew you would listen to what she had to say.
"Let's sit for a while, yeah?" Sleepiness could still be traced to Jungkook's eyes. He didn't seem to have fully woken up yet, but ironically, he was aware of his surroundings.
One look at you, and Jungkook's hand had already made its way to fix the strap of your lingerie that fell on your shoulder.
Goosebumps pricked at your skin. Jungkook's palm was unbelievably warm—it calmed your shaking body as if telling you Hanni was safe. There was no need to worry if Jungkook's attention could stray to a petty matter like the strap of your dress.
But damn it. Was this really a small matter? Your face was flushed red, and your heart felt like it was about to explode because of embarrassment. You were wearing a sexy nightgown, after all. This was your secretary's fault! Why'd she pack these clothes for you?
'No. This isn't about me.' You scolded yourself as you gently helped Hanni sit on her crib bed. You sat on the floor, and Jungkook, the attentive man he was, retrieved a blanket you could use for cover. He sat on the floor, too, gently coaxing Hanni to talk about her nightmare.
The little girl said she saw her parents in her dream. She kept calling for them, but Sora and Niccolo never looked back. The couple just walked farther away from her.
"I miss mummy and daddy," Hanni said through whiny sobs. Your heart ached for her.
You knew you hadn't given your best for this godchild of yours. Your attention was mainly focused on work and Sora's case. Could you even call yourself a guardian at this point? Hanni was a small child who needed protection without asking. Why did it take you so long to comfort her? Why did you think skipping over an important topic was okay just because you were afraid to see how she would react?
Hanni was nothing like you. She was not an adult who could understand her emotions. She was a child. She needed to feel. She needed to understand what emotions were.
"Do you like rabbits, Hanni?" You spoke with bated breaths, but your smile was wide as ever. You couldn't break down this time. Hanni needed you.
Jungkook didn't steal your spotlight, either. He sat quietly and listened to how you would explain things to Hanni.
The child looked confused and lost, yet she nodded her head at your question, "I like rabbits. Mummy and Daddy brought me to the zoo before. There are so many of them."
A small smile cracked Hanni's lips, but her heart felt heavy as she hugged the rabbit toy in her bed.
Admittedly, you didn't know where this topic would stray at first. The rabbit toy simply caught your attention, and before you knew it, you were already using it as a euphemism for Sora and Niccolo's passing.
"Yes, sweetheart. There are so many rabbits in this world! Your mummy and daddy didn't hear your call because they're busy looking after the rabbits."
"I-I don't understand," Hanni pouted her cherry lips.
You patted her head, "Well, do you remember what it's like to be at your mummy and daddy's restaurant?"
Hanni said yes and briefly described the place and experience to be lively. She really enjoyed watching everyone enjoy eating their food.
"Your mummy and daddy are currently on a mission, Hanni. They are in a faraway place trying to feed rabbits. Your daddy cooks delicious food, right? Mummy is with him to make sure every rabbit has a full belly and a cute smile."
"Really?" Hanni's eyes glistened with astonishment. "Mummy and daddy are making sure all rabbits are happy? They're superheroes!?"
"Yes!" You laughed merrily. "Aren't your mummy and daddy great? They know you love rabbits so much that they want them to live a long and happy life."
"That's good." Hanni seemed happy initially, but she knitted her brow in confusion afterward. "But when are they coming back?"
You looked at Jungkook and signaled him to help you. Regrettably, the dumbass appeared to be deeply engrossed by your story too. He shrugged and mouthed for you to continue.
You rolled your eyes at him before grinning at Hanni, "There are many, many, many, many rabbits in the world, so it's gonna take one hundred years before you can see your mummy and daddy again."
"Hundred years?" Hanni stared at her palm and attempted to count using her fingers. She had only counted one to three before completely giving up.
"I don't know how to count to a hundred, Terni." Hanni was frustrated. Thankfully, Jungkook finally interjected the conversation.
"Don't worry, little one. Terni and I will help you count every day, okay? We'll take care of you for one hundred years until you're reunited with your mummy and daddy."
"Really?" Hanni's fear and sadness were not in sight anymore. She raised her tiny arms enthusiastically, "Hanni's very happy. I love Terni and Jungkook-boy so much!"
You and Jungkook both squeezed to fit Hanni's embrace. The little girl was excited about the possibility of spending time with her new guardians, so you let her talk until she fell asleep.
It didn't take long as Hanni was already exhausted from overplaying at Captain Yoongi's place. You guessed this was also the reason why she had a nightmare. Kids weren't supposed to overexert energy and sleep late, so you thought this was the right time for you and Jungkook to make a new schedule for Hanni's daily activities.
The next morning, you got up early to prepare breakfast. It wasn't only Hanni's schedule that you needed to fix. Her eating habits must be taken into consideration, too. Jungkook brought Hanni to her pediatrician last week and sent you the doctor's findings and suggestions.
Sora and Niccolo used to feed Hanni anything under the sun. It didn't help that your friends, especially Captain Yoongi, were a bunch of softhearted fools who always bought sweets for the little one.
You figured you'd cut Hanni's sugar intake and feed her a full meal twice and a bottle of formulated milk at night.
Today's breakfast was a simple avocado toast and random fruits you'd found in the kitchen and threw into the blender. You were not used to doing this as your secretary took care of all your meals. Fortunately, almost everything was searchable on the internet already.
It didn't take you long to follow the recipe you found online. In fact, you even had time to make Jungkook breakfast, too. It was sort of a 'thank you meal' for handling all matters related to Hanni last week.
You thought Jungkook wasn't so bad. After all, it was hard to hate someone who was soft to kids and respectful to women. Although you knew he was like this from the beginning, the younger version of you would not appreciate it because, hey! You were a regular teenager back then. You had a phase of liking walking red flags and had the "I can fix him" attitude.
You didn't want to indulge in the past anymore, though. You thought one of the few beauties of this world was a person's metamorphosis. You were far from perfect and still had many things to improve, but you were also far from the teenager willing to sacrifice herself for a fraction of someone's affection.
However, you were still a human and craved validation. You waited for Jungkook and Hanni to wake up so they could tell you what they thought about the food you made. Unfortunately, Jungkook seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
You didn't notice it at first as he was still all smiles when he greeted you good morning. He even happily played with Hanni before placing her in her high chair. Now that you thought about it, Jungkook's mood only soured when he was checking the mailbox.
"What's wrong with you?" You couldn't help but ask. You were about to eat breakfast. Hanni's starry eyes were excitedly looking at the food you made. You didn't want to start eating while Jungkook's mood was this sour.
Jungkook was surprised that you noticed his bitter expression. He attempted to smoothen his crumpled face and said casually to you, "Nothing's wrong with me. I just find these flowers ugly."
You were so focused on Jungkook's reaction that you didn't notice the bouquet of baby breath flowers he placed on the kitchen countertop.
You winced, "Where'd you get that?"
"Outside. Someone must have left them for you." There was a small card with your name on it. Seeing the handwriting, you instantly knew who it came from.
That damn Rico sure did not know how to give up.
"Serious question, are you dating somebody?" Jungkook asked out of the blue, watching as you picked up the white flowers.
You were still wincing, "Why are you asking me this question again?"
Jungkook shrugged his shoulders to appear nonchalant. Unfortunately, he looked more like he was sulking than uncaring. "I just think it's fair for me to know. I mean, we are co-parenting Hanni. What if other people misunderstand? What if they think we have a secret baby cause we fucked around years ago? I don't want some random dude or woman punching me in the fa—"
"Okay, first of all, shut up." You cut Jungkook off. "Secondly, what the hell? You're acting weird, asshole. I'm not dating anyone. And if I am, do you really think I'll start my relationship being all dishonest? If Hanni's my child, I'd tell my partner immediately. I can't date someone who can't love me and my child. Hello? Is the world turning backward?"
"So you're single?" Jungkook disregarded your speech and only focused on one aspect. Gosh. He still hadn't changed. Jungkook would always get on your nerves. He was an idiot.
"No. I'll kill my boyfriend if he gives me baby breaths. Seriously?" You looked at the flowers in disgust. "This looks like popcorn."
"Exactly my thoughts! It's like an impostor. Why don't you throw it away?"
You glared at Jungkook and shielded the flowers, "No way. You can't throw away things just cause they're ugly. What are you? Four?"
"I'm three!" Hanni raised her right hand and giggled. She had been watching you and Jungkook converse. She found you two amusing and thought it would be cool to be a part of it.
"Yes, darling. You're three. Still a baby—our baby." You kissed Hanni's cheeks and said to Jungkook, "I'm displaying these flowers until they wither. Now sit your ass here and eat."
"Haha, Terni. Look at Jungkook-boy." Hanni chuckled and pointed at Jungkook, "He's pouting like a silly boy!"
"I'm not pouting!" Jungkook was defensive. He pursed his lips and forced himself to sit down. He harshly took bites of his avocado toast.
"Hey, you greedy fool. Is this Empress not feeding you enough? Slow down. Geez, there's more." You pushed another slice of avocado toast in his direction.
Jungkook drank his smoothie, "This is pretty decent. I didn't know you were good at this."
Well, you didn't know either. "I'll make our breakfast from now on. We can't keep feeding Hanni random foods. We should go grocery shopping, too."
"We should," Jungkook gently wiped Hanni's mouth. The kid was eating so well. "And oh, have I told you already? Kiyomi and Frieda called last night. They said they'd be visiting on Thursday. We need to prepare."
It was good that you brought up the topic of grocery shopping. Jungkook planned to buy some ingredients to cook a hearty meal for the social workers. His mind was simple: he wanted to thank Kiyomi and Frieda for attentively ensuring Hanni was in good hands.
However, you were different from Jungkook. You agreed about the meal preparation for those social workers, but not with the same logic as him. You only agreed because you wanted Kiyomi and Frieda to think you and Jungkook could handle the basic things parents must do: prepare food for their children despite being committed to work. This would allow you to appear as the perfect guardians.
"It's settled, then. I'm taking half a day off work. We can go shopping after breakfast." You worked your ass off last week, barely having the time to sleep. This week would be less hectic. Besides, this was akin to a transition period, as you wouldn't be accepting complex cases in the meantime. You would opt for clients willing to settle their matters out-of-court. As said, your top priority was Hanni and Sora's case. You trusted your team in Seoul, especially Mina. They had minds of their own. You also disliked micro-managing your subordinates.
Everything was falling into its right place. Jungkook thought so, too. A huge grin decorated his lips as he thought of how he'd prepare for tomorrow's visit. The first on Jungkook's list? Make sure the Kang' residence was tidy and homey—and what made a house homey if not flowers?
Jungkook smirked. Yes, he'd buy flowers and get rid of those stupid popcorn pretending to be pretty flowers. Hah!
***
The day of the social workers' visit had finally arrived. You and Jungkook woke up early to prepare. Hanni still needed to go to the daycare, so you dressed her and sent her to school. Fortunately, her class was until 4pm today, giving you and Jungkook ample time without worrying about the little one.
Jungkook stayed behind as he was occupied with cooking and decorating the house. He might have gone overboard with the decorations, but it was worth it once everything fell into place.
You were bitchy about it, though. You teased Jungkook by playfully asking if his motif for today's lunch was a memorial place. The Kang' residence was spotless, though it had flowers almost at every corner of the house.
Jungkook didn't engage with your poor attempt to fight and just stuck his tongue out at you. You could say everything you wanted, but he knew deep down you liked what he had done to the house.
He was wrong, though. You didn't just like it. You loved it. The flowers Jungkook bought were different colors of daisies—which, coincidentally, was your favorite type of flora. But you'd be damned before you admitted it. You knew how smug Jungkook could be when praised—just like now.
"I can't believe you've cooked this, Mr. Jeon. It's very delicious." Kiyomi was enjoying some nikujaga. You were the one who suggested that Jungkook cook this. The soy sauce had a slightly sweet taste, which was good to dip in the vegetables. Kids like Hanni would surely enjoy this meal.
"It's rare to see a man, more so a Police Lieutenant, cook," Kiyomi added. Jungkook blushed, relishing the compliment. Truthfully, he did not cook often since he still lived with his parents. Jungkook never really grew up in his "mama's boy" phase and still enjoyed the meals she cooked for him. In fact, the nikujaga recipe came from his mother. Jungkook informed the social workers about it and said, "Besides, I don't cook often. My fiancée does."
The social workers' attention switched to you upon hearing Jungkook. You cracked a smile and rubbed the back of Jungkook's hand.
Jungkook's fingers were long and bony, making anyone think that Jungkook could break one's neck in just a snap of his finger. It was probably true, especially with how arduous his training was at the police academy. Jungkook had wielded heavy weapons and smashed bottles on criminals' heads more than one could count.
However, looking and feeling were two different things. Surprisingly, Jungkook's hand felt soft under your touch. The protruding veins in the back of his hands pulsated a little, their light green color perfectly contrasting with his silver Versace wristwatch.
"Cooking is the least I can do for this family, really." You spoke, watching as Jungkook's eyes drooped when he felt your fingers languidly drawing circles on the back of his palm.
You had been cooking their meals these past few days, but that was only because Jungkook had a soft spot for Hanni. He'd indulge her sweet tooth, relenting every time Hanni requested overly sweet pancakes and candies. That wouldn't work for you. Your priority was Hanni's health.
"I work a lot, so Jungkook mainly takes care of Hanni. I just support the two of them."
"Oh? Aren't you busy with work, too, Lieutenant?" Frieda enquired. Jungkook's lips quivered, and for a second, he looked as if he wanted to divulge why he wasn't working. You saved him from his idiocy at the last minute:
"He's currently on a one-month leave." You continued tracing circles on Jungkook's hand until your action forced the social workers to look at Jungkook's hand. They spotted a fake engagement ring. You and Jungkook bought it to make your acting more convincing. "Jungkook's initially saving his leave credits for our honeymoon, but Captain Min forced him to get some time off work. This fiancé of mine is so hardworking. Can you believe it? He hasn't filed for a leave in years!"
The key to a good lie was mixing it with the truth. Admittedly, Jungkook hadn't filed for a leave for many years now. His coworkers often teased him, saying he wouldn't find a wife to marry if he focused his time working. However, Jungkook wasn't bothered anymore. He grew tired of spending his weekends going on blind dates. The girls were all pretty and nice, but he didn't feel more for them. He was stuck in the attraction phase. It was as if something was missing. Jungkook wasn't an asshole, so he cut connections with those girls so as to not give them false hope.
There was this one girl who was head over heels for him, though. The woman even brought her parents to the station to cajole Jungkook into marrying their daughter, but the parents gave up halfway because Jungkook seemed oblivious to what they wanted. It was Jimin who told Jungkook about the parents' plan, but Jungkook doubted it. He thought the girl's parents were just being nice.
"Has he not?" Frieda wondered how often you and Jungkook see each other every week if you're both busy with work. She also started asking about your first meeting with Jungkook.
"We've known each other from a very young age. We lived in the same neighborhood and studied in the same school. Though, we only started dating after college." Jungkook lied.
You and Jungkook faked this story together. You two had to make a believable scenario to avoid suspicion. You told more lies, "Yes, as you can see, we started as rivals. Cute, isn't it? Our romantic story is similar to what you see in books."
You brought out your phone and clicked an album in your photo gallery to prove your point. There were a bunch of pictures of you and Jungkook taken in the past. You showed them to the social workers.
"Wow, you've really known each other for so long!" Kiyomi was impressed. There was a photo of a drawing competition during your elementary days. It was captured by your father using an old model camera.
It was one of the worst days of your life. Jungkook was good at drawing, so he was expected to win. He got first place while you were the second placer. Naturally, you could not accept it—especially not after Jungkook mocked you by drawing himself wearing a golden medal. On his feet was a drawing of you kowtowing at him. In a fit of rage, you kicked his shin, causing him to stumble on the ground. Jungkook did not hit you back but told the teachers and your parents about it.
Your mother held a high position in school, so it was embarrassing for her to see her daughter bully kids. She scolded you and forced you to apologize to Jungkook. You did not want to do it, so you cried and kicked your feet.
Jungkook's parents were understanding. They did not get mad at you and instead told Jungkook to apologize first. It was his fault, anyway. You would not kick him if he did not make fun of you.
Since Jungkook feared his parents, especially his mother, he was left with no choice but to mumble a reluctant sorry. His apology only became sincere when he saw your red eyes. For some reason, Jungkook hated seeing you cry, and so he took off his golden medal and let you wear it.
That was the moment your father captured through a photo: Jungkook was giving you his medal while you looked expectantly at him.
Seeing this, Frieda and Kiyomi couldn't help but feel their hearts softening. They scrolled through your phone and found more pictures of you and Jungkook. All of them were taken mainly by Sora since she used to like photography.
"I now understand why you called yourselves rivals," Frieda crinkled her eyes. She found it endearing rather than annoying, "You compete about almost everything, but I gotta say this one's the most interesting."
Frieda showed a picture of you and Jungkook outside your university. You two were wearing formal clothing while protesting. You were holding a "Be fair to all your students" placard written in red bold letters. Meanwhile, Jungkook had a placard that said, "Kim Mingyu is innocent."
"We didn't know you two were activists. I know who Kim Mingyu is. He's classmates with my younger sister Historia before. Mingyu's case was pretty controversial, wasn't it?"
Kim Mingyu was one of Jungkook's best friends, so it was natural for you to be acquainted with him as well. There were many moments when the Idiot Quartet shared meals with Mingyu. In fact, Mingyu once helped you with an academic project during your freshman year.
Everything was going well until your last semester in college. Someone tipped the school officers that a student from Room 509 was possessing illegal drugs. All students present that day were brought in for investigation. Their things were confiscated, and unfortunately, the only student who had unlawful drugs inside his bag was Mingyu.
But that's the thing. Mingyu might have been possessing the drugs, but his medical records showed no signs of being under the influence of any drugs. There was one student who tested positive in the drug test, though.
It was Mingyu's seatmate. Regrettably, this person was from an affluent family in Seoul whose connection extended to Busan. It was obvious that he planted the drugs inside Mingyu's bag so Mingyu could take the fall.
Mingyu initially tried to appeal, asking his friends and classmates for support. However, no one dared help him. The real culprit was powerful, after all. They did not want to get themselves involved in stuff like this.
It was only you and Jungkook who had the courage to protest. Even Sora and the others were hesitant. They told you not to be reckless and to find another way to help Mingyu without revealing your identity.
Looking back, you realized you didn't have any right to mock Jungkook and Jongsuk for being a so-called suicidal maniac because you were just like them. You were very passionate about upholding justice until one day:
A man in a black suit visited you. You just got home after another unfruitful day of protesting in school on behalf of Mingyu. You didn't really feel like talking to anyone that day, but the man made a promising proposal:
He told you he saw your potential and was willing to fund your law school education until you graduate. Everything would be provided by this man. Starting from your tuition fee up to your personal allowance. All he asked was that you move to Seoul as soon as possible, and...
"So that's it?" Jungkook's spiteful face was clear in your head as if the memory had happened recently—except it wasn't. This was after your conversation with that man in a suit. Heck. It didn't even take you an hour to decide.
You have already made a decision.
"I'm going to Seoul next week. I don't have time to protest anymore." You said simply. Your voice carried no hint of regret or sadness.
You were just indifferent.
Jungkook scoffed at your reaction—or the lack thereof. His heart had gone cold, and there was no trace of affection left on his soul after your temporary truce for Mingyu's sake.
"Yeah, as if I'm going to believe that. You're saying it's a coincidence that the Braun clan is sponsoring your studies, right? Hah. Sorry, but I call that bullshit." For a moment, Jungkook looked like he would spit on your face, but he didn't. He just balled his hands into fists and looked at you in contempt.
"You made a deal with that family, didn't you? You'll stop protesting in exchange for a straight path they'd dig up for you and your greediness."
Jungkook usually said the most idiotic things, but you couldn't accuse him now—not when he got everything right.
In exchange for a sure success in life, you betrayed Mingyu and Jungkook.
"I've made up my mind." You said with finality. The situation had already come to this. There was no point in sugarcoating things.
Jungkook didn't say anything, the silence burrowing into your heart and growing into two different emotions:
Yours was grief, and all Jungkook felt was bitterness. That day, you parted ways and never spoke to each other again. Sure, there were times you two were forced to be in the same room—like the day of Sora's wedding and when she gave birth to Hanni.
But even then, you barely looked at each other's directions. Somehow, you always felt like Jungkook was lying when he told you recently that he never hated you—that all there was to feel was annoyance at your devilish face.
It was untrue. After all, not even yourself was on your side. Jungkook might say he didn't hate you, but you sure did.
Wasn't it funny? You had achieved your dreams, but there were still some nights you thought you could go back in time. Maybe then, Mingyu and his family wouldn't have to be sent to the most rural part of Japan.
Mingyu wasn't sent to prison, but his life had been caged while his wings were cut off. Meanwhile, Mingyu's seatmate, who had ruined his life, was free—he went by the name Rico Braun.
***
The lunch with the social workers went well. You didn't want to be complacent, but you saw Frieda encircling 5 on her rating sheet. This number represented the highest point to rate you and Jungkook.
"Shall we open a bottle of wine for this success? It's still early to pick up Hanni. What do you think?" You asked Jungkook as you picked up the dirty plates and brought them to the sink.
Cleaning up after playing host was one of the things you hated doing. It didn't help that Jungkook was giving you the cold shoulder—or at least this was what you thought.
Jungkook hadn't spoken to you since Frieda and Kiyomi left half an hour ago. Jungkook had his lips puckered, and his brows creased together. You were familiar with this reaction well.
Either he was pensive or pissed. Knowing him, it was most likely the latter. After all, you could only take a few days of not fighting. Anything more than a week would be a goddamn miracle.
"Or we can just finish our chores in silence." You raised your shoulders slightly, taking a peek at Jungkook, who was still eerily quiet.
You heaved a sigh. Fine. You wouldn't push it.
'Or maybe you should.' The little voice inside your head made a comeback, so it was only natural to listen to the voice.
You didn't attack Jungkook at once, though. Firstly, you stood beside him and 'helped' him wash the dishes. You were the one lathering soap on the plates while he washed them with clean water.
It started subtly—you whisked soap suds in his direction until they hit his forearms.
Jungkook did not mind it and just continued washing the dishes.
You rolled your eyes before doing it again. This time, you whisked soap suds into his forearm with more force.
Jungkook did not react, prompting you to whisk more until his arm was covered with soap suds.
You were about to do it again, but Jungkook had seized your treacherous wrist.
"What?" You titled your head up and stared at him innocently. Jungkook peered down at you and opened his mouth. For a moment, he seemed like he was going to berate you, but he stopped when he saw your lips curving into a teasing smile.
Jungkook felt like he lost his mind a little whenever he looked at your annoying face. How could this be? How could he be stressing over something related to you while you looked like you had no clue you were fucking him up?
It was not fair.
Jungkook pulled you closer to him, letting you have a whiff of his expensive cologne: sandalwood. Jungkook did not know it, but you were not doing better than him. Your weakness was men who smelled good, alright? You were just a girl, after all. You were attracted to things that screamed masculinity, and sandalwood was one of them. The musky and earthy aroma made you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
As if that wasn't enough, your heart also skipped a beat when he licked his lips and pushed you slightly on the kitchen countertop, effectively caging you in his arms.
Jungkook suddenly leaned closer and whispered to your ears.
"Why'd you keep them?" His voice dropped an octave.
"Keep what?"
It was a miracle that you could still look at him in the eyes and act all oblivious. It made Jungkook want to pull his hair out.
"You know what I'm talking about." He insisted. However, you were more stubborn than he was.
"I don't. Last time I checked, I'm a defense lawyer, not a mind reader."
No one said Jungkook had a good temper. He closed his eyes tightly, seemingly fighting the urge to snap at you—he did not. He just breathed out slowly and asked you the question as patiently as he could.
"Fine. Play dumb, but I won't accept a half-ass answer." He narrowed his eyes at you, "Why did you keep all our photos together?"
The photos were at least twenty years' worth of your life together. You were thirty-two now. Sometimes, it still fascinated you to remember that you had known Jungkook all your life.
"Don't speak nonsense about you being sentimental. We both know that's not the case because you can let go of everyone without thinking too much about it."
You scoffed at that. Hah. You knew it. Jungkook did hate you for leaving—he hated how you could throw away your bond with the people here in Busan just to make a name for yourself. Until now, Jungkook had some reservations about you. He racked his brain of why you would be keeping those photos.
It might mean nothing to you—that this was just one of your schemes to trick those social workers. But could you have found all those pictures in a few days? Not to mention that some were really old.
So why? Why did you keep them—even the ugly and blurred ones.
Jungkook was desperate for an answer, and he didn't know why. Sadly, you did not relent and even went as far as throwing back a question at him.
"What about you? Why did you fill this place with flowers? Daisies, on top of that."
It shouldn't mean anything. Heck. The question you asked was a shot in the dark. The better part of you knew it was simply a coincidence, but sometimes, your self-preservation didn't seem to work. You put meanings to things that didn't hold value for others.
"I asked you a question first." Jungkook dodged the bullet. He could be stubborn, too.
"Well, I'm not answering your question until you answer me."
"Ditto."
You glared at each other. Silence permeated the room. A few seconds later, you and Jungkook both turned away from each other as if accepting defeat without bruising your egos.
'Fine. I won't say anything.' He muttered to himself.
'Over my dead body.' You thought silently.
And with that, no questions were answered, but fear and hope entangled your and Jungkook's hearts.
***
Sora and Niccolo's case finally progressed to the highest court a month later. Justice could be achieved promptly when you know prominent people in the field.
Captain Yoongi and Chief Kim did everything they could to help you and Ji-eun win the case. Thanks to the prosecutor's ability, the jury's hearts were won.
Ji-eun managed to rebuke the faulty break allegations, arguing that even though the break was tampered with, the defendants were still guilty of negligence. Ji-eun's exact words before the judge went like this:
"Defendant Falco Grice, do you know how many seconds there are in a minute?"
"Yes. There are sixty seconds." Falco supplied.
"Then, how many hours do you spend studying every day?"
The question made Falco's eyes light up. Right! He liked answering questions regarding his studies because, according to Attorney Leonhart, his dedication to academic activities would prove how stressed he was in school, which resulted in him and Gabi trying throttle therapy.
The defendants couldn't retract their statements anymore as they had already been recorded by the traffic police and Captain Yoongi. Annie had no choice but to just turn things around.
If she couldn't minimize her clients' charges, she'd just shift the attention to hating the school and making them liable for giving unrealistic workloads to their students. This would surely earn the sympathy of students and parents.
Unfortunately, you and Ji-eun had read through this tactic, so you readied yourselves for a comeback.
"I studied a maximum of 18 hours a day, Mam Prosecutor, including eight schooling hours."
"So that means you spend 10 hours studying alone and taking special classes?"
"Yes, Mam." Falco did not know where Ji-eun was going with her questions, yet he answered them as truthfully as possible. He thought being sincere could help him win the people's hearts in court.
"You know what I find ironic?" Ji-eun quirked her brow. Disbelief was written all over her face as if this ordeal was absurd. "You study 18 hours a day because you are afraid to fail your classes, but are you telling me you can't spend a minute or two checking the condition of your car? If you're so scared of hJiming someone, then why did you use your car without checking it first? You claim to love studying, but how about studying your lessons during your driving schooling days? Did you forget everything just because you have your license now?"
"T-That's not it..." Falco trembled. Tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He looked at Annie, so the lawyer tried to object to Ji-eun's statement.
"Objection, Your Honor! Argumentative." Annie gritted her teeth. "Why are you badgering my client, Prosecutor Lee? Are you telling everyone in this honorable court that studying is not important? Why are you shaming my client for studying hard? Students are the future of our country! If there's something rotten here, isn't it the education system that gives unrealistic syllabus to students?"
"Objection, Your Honor!" Ji-eun fought back. The judge gave her the signal to speak. "Why are you holding other people accountable for your client's negligence? Shouldn't we also blame those driving schools if we follow your logic? The police officers? The honorable court and judges? This is not the first time someone has been charged with negligence. It happened before and is happening now. Are you telling me we should hold the people in public service accountable since the cycle keeps repeating?"
The people inside the court were scandalized by what Ji-eun said. You smirked as you watched things unfold. Things were going according to how you and Ji-eun pictured it.
The judge overruled Annie's objection. Attorney Leonhart couldn't lower the charges to manslaughter either. The court hearing was coming to an end, but before the closing remarks of both lawyers, the judge first allowed some people to take the stand.
You were one of those people with the privilege to say a few things, mainly addressed to the judge and the jury. You and Ji-eun talked about this. At first, it was to gain more sympathy, but as you take the stand, with Hanni sleeping soundly in your arms, you suddenly become vulnerable. You felt like you were back to being your teenage self—no sense of accomplishment and powerless to defend your loved ones.
You could only offer your heart.
"I stand here today not as a lawyer nor someone who will put justice in her own hands. Rather, I stand here as a friend and as a-a..." You trailed off when you heard your voice cracking.
Perhaps Ji-eun was right. You should have prepared a written speech for this moment. However, scheming was already part of your soul. You feared you'd end up writing a speech with malicious intent. You did not want that—not for Sora. Everything you would say today would come from the bottom of your heart.
"A guardian of a three-year-old child." You swallowed the lump in your throat while looking at Hanni with gentle eyes. You focused on the baby and nuzzled her nose with your pointer finger. Hanni cooed and smiled in her sleep. The jury watched silently, feeling their heartstrings being pulled.
"An average person in Japan lives until the ripe age of eighty, but my best friend Sora Kang and her husband were unfortunately robbed forty-eight years of their lives." Your lungs hurt. They felt like they were burning. You hated this. "Defendant Falco Grice and Gabi Braun stole those forty-eight years where Sora and Niccolo could have spent caring for their daughter—the same girl I have in my arms right now."
Hanni looked more obedient when asleep. No one could resist purring seeing her chubby cheeks and pouty lips. What more if they saw her ocean-blue eyes? You told Ji-eun you would not bring Hanni to the stand while awake. You refused to let her hear about the unfortunate things her parents went through.
"Sora and Niccolo won't see their daughter attend her first prom. They won't see her grow into a loving woman who's so innocent that she wants to save all the rabbits in this world." You looked at Gabi and Falco. "And why is that? The answer is in front of you. Falco Grice and Gabi Braun, claiming to be stressed because of school, aimed to relax through that thing they called throttle therapy, but because of that, two lives were lost. Their throttle therapy made them feel the cool air hit their faces, but what about Sora and Niccolo? Air was robbed of their lungs!" Your anger was palpable.
The jury's heart throbbed in pain.
"Falco and Gabi felt their hearts beat fast because of the excitement and adrenaline of overspeeding their car, but what about Sora and Niccolo? Their hearts were not beating fast—it's not beating at all."
Sometimes, you lay in tears in bed at night, wondering if your best friend and her husband died immediately—at least then, they wouldn't feel the agonizing thought of leaving their small child while feeling every bone in their body ache.
Your speech continued for a few more minutes before you ended with, "Attorney Leonhart said it herself: the youth is the hope of this country, so honorable jury, and judge, I implore you to think about your decisions carefully. A three-year-old in my arms could grow up with hope or a bad image of the world where injustice is fostered. In the end, the choice is yours."
Silence enveloped the courtroom. You went back beside Jungkook, who wrapped his arms around your shoulder and pulled you closer to him. Hanni was passed to Taehyung for a while. The poor boy needed someone to hold, too.
A while later, the decision was made. You, Jungkook, and the others listened in anticipation as the jury's foreperson announced the verdict.
Both Falco and Gabbi were found guilty of reckless imprudence, resulting in multiple homicides. As the driver, Falco got seven years in prison and was ordered to pay ten million won. Meanwhile, Gabi needed to serve two years in prison for influencing Falco and was ordered to pay five million won. Both their cases were nonbailable.
"So ordered!" Your squared shoulders slumped when you heard this, followed by the absolute sound of the gavel. Jungkook visibly relaxed beside you, too. He squeezed your shoulder once before rubbing it and kissing your temple.
It was a surreal moment. The warmth of his lips made your body soft. You leaned to him and buried your face to his chest. Jungkook caressed your hair, not minding at all that his suit was stained by your tears.
They were happy tears. Finally, justice was served.
***
The end of the month not only concluded Sora's case but also marked the end of Jungkook's suspension at work.
It was a relief, really. Jungkook staying at home might be helpful since you didn't have to hire a babysitter anymore, but goddamn, did it not make your life easier. In fact, it made you feel like you were living in hell.
Hell was said to be hot, which you felt precisely every morning. One thing you learned about Jungkook was that he couldn't go on his day without working out. Jungkook recently found the convenience of exercising at home, which turned out to be the start of your life in hell.
Every morning, he'd go to the house's garden to do some pull-ups, planks, squats, and other workout moves. There didn't seem to be any problem with this, right?
Wrong.
Jungkook's workout routine distracted you from working. Unfortunately, your temporary office was at the Kang' residence, too. You made the mistake of putting your table near the floor-length window where you'd have a clear view of the garden. Your intention in doing so was to calm your tense mind by looking at the greeneries. But instead, what you saw was Jungkook grunting; his lips puckered as sweat rolled down his body.
You willed yourself to ignore him, but your clients did not make doing so easy. Admittedly, most of your clients would space out during the consultation as they were busy salivating over Jungkook working out. Sometimes, you'd be forced to draw on the curtains, but this was proven inefficient since your office would be so dark that you couldn't read the files on your table.
Thankfully, the worst had come to an end. Jungkook's going back to work. Conversely, you did not open your office today, saving you the mouth-drying experience of seeing Jungkook exercise.
However, fate refused to be on your side while the heavens liked seeing your knees turn into jellies. You didn't see Jungkook during his workout session, but you saw him post-workout.
You had just woken up and were feeling a bit thirsty, so you went to the kitchen without regard to your appearance. Your hair was a mess, and gunk stuck in your eyes, causing you to rub it off.
You yawned while waiting for your water to boil. Unexpectedly, Jungkook emerged in front of you.
"Mornin." He flashed a lazy smile at you. His slightly out-of-breath tone from working out all morning snapped you out of your sleep-like trance.
"Damn it." You were almost burnt by the water. Jungkook's eyes widened, immediately pulling your hand away from the kettle.
"What's up, sleepyhead?" Jungkook teased before blowing hot air on your slightly red hands. "Water's overflowing. Did you forget how to use a kettle, hm?"
You had filled the kettle with water beyond the maximum point. Not to mention that you had also switched on the fire to the highest temperature.
You couldn't argue with Jungkook. This was indeed your fault. You were careless.
"Sorry," you tried to make your voice as flat as possible while subtly wriggling out of his grasp. Jungkook noticed your avoidance, so he let you go at once.
Right. He was all sweaty. Of course, you'd be disgusted by his touch. However, this was far from the truth. You were simply caught off guard by his presence and how he looked.
Jungkook was wearing a black compression shirt and baggy grey training pants. His usual silver wristwatch was replaced by a smartwatch.
He looked...hot. You couldn't deny this, and for some reason, your temples throbbed, giving you an illusion that someone's soft lips were caressing it.
Fuck.
You should definitely check your period tracker. You were probably ovulating a little earlier this month.
You weren't the only one having dilemmas with your body. Jungkook watched as you clumsily poured yourself water and drank it. You looked disoriented, and that shouldn't be a good sign. But oddly enough, Jungkook liked seeing you like this—your guard was not up, and you were uncaring about how you looked.
You're just being you.
Jungkook was unaware that his smartwatch had detected his heartbeat. It flashed red warning lights, indicating that his heartbeat was abnormally fast.
Jungkook cleared his throat. You looked at him.
"I'm going back to work today. Thanks for making breakfast for me these few weeks, but you don't have to anymore. Captain Yoongi always brings us food."
Jungkook was seriously grateful for your efforts. Besides, your food was very savory. Jungkook just didn't want to burden you further. You barely had time for yourself since you were busy attending to Hanni and your work.
Frankly, Jungkook did not expect you to be this caring. He guessed he had this notion of you pouring your efforts just for money and power. He was not proud of this, alright?
"Oh," you blinked, "But I've already prepared your breakfast last night." You made some veggie-packed breakfast sandwiches and overnight oats. Actually, you asked Jungkook's mother for some breakfast recipes. She gladly talked to you over the phone but said she'd love to see you in person, too. The Jeon residence had a huge garden where you could pick up fruits and vegetables. That would be fun.
"I'm not going to cook tonight, though. Taehyung invited us to dinner." Your friend made a reservation in a fancy restaurant to mark the win of Sora and Niccolo's case. Taehyung wanted to thank everyone, especially you and Ji-eun, for pushing through.
"Oh, right. It's tonight." Jungkook asked how the three of you would go to the restaurant. You told him you had business near the police station later, so you could drop by there. Afterward, you and Jungkook could pick up Hanni from the daycare before driving to the restaurant.
Jungkook agreed with your plan. After that, your day had been pretty much the same. Thankfully, your client for today was easy to talk to and just agreed to whatever you suggested. He said you were the expert, not him. As a result, your meeting with the client ended thirty minutes earlier. You thought it was a waste to drive back home, so you just went to the police station to hang out.
Everyone was having a feast. Apparently, a good citizen brought food for the police officers as a 'thank you' for saving her life. It was a woman in her early thirties. You heard people calling her Pieck. She had a soft smile on her lips as she urged the officers to eat.
Jungkook saw you the moment you stepped foot inside the station. Unfortunately, he couldn't attend to you as he was the star of this joyous event. You simply waved at him and mouthed, "I can wait."
Jungkook smiled and nodded before turning his attention to Pieck and his comrades.
You watched them for a while, feeling your chest wJiming at the thought of people praising Jungkook. He deserved it. You hadn't met anyone aside from Jongsuk Lee, who was as passionate about freeing people from the hands of criminals.
Your soft heart even turned softer when an older woman stood beside you and told you to eat some food. She introduced herself as the mother of Pieck Finger.
"Lieutenant Jeon is indeed a hero," You couldn't say no when Mrs. Finger shoved desserts in your hands. You ate them. "You know him, don't you? He saved my Pieck from a group of drunkards trying to assault her."
The incident happened just a few days before Sora's accident. Pieck didn't have the opportunity to express her gratitude to Jungkook because the first time they went to visit the police station, Pieck's parents overwhelmed Jungkook with the intention of marrying off their daughter to him.
Pieck's parents wanted Jungkook to be their son-in-law, someone who wasn't armed but wouldn't hesitate to fight a group of evil men. Mrs. Finger told you that Jungkook was in a bar that night. He was off-duty, so he didn't bother bringing his gun. Jungkook just used beer bottles to smash the heads of the pricks who dared lay a hand on Pieck.
Sadly, Pieck didn't get away unscathed. The men had broken her leg even before Jungkook came to save her. Actually, Pieck was wearing a leg cast until now. She still had a week to go before completely removing it.
Pieck had a hard time standing and walking. Jungkook wasn't heartless to watch her struggle, so he held her shoulders and guided her while handing food to the officers.
You and Mrs. Finger watched them. The latter snuck a glance at you, her lips curving into a smirk.
"Don't you think Lieutenant Jeon and my daughter look good together?"
Oh?
You didn't switch your gaze at the old woman and instead remained watching Jungkook and Pieck. You tried to picture them together, but you just couldn't do so.
"I don't think so," you replied to Mrs. Finger truthfully. She scoffed and furrowed her brows. She looked like she aged 10 more years after hearing your blatant disrespect.
You shrugged off your shoulders and casually showed her your right hand adorned with an engagement ring. "I think Lieutenant Jeon and I look better together."
If you thought Mrs. Finger would backtrack her statement just because you and Jungkook were 'engaged,' then you were wrong.
She eyed you from head to toe before looking at her precious daughter. You were nothingcompared to Pieck.
"My daughter is a teacher." Mrs. Finger crossed her arms, "She knows how to take care of a small child, so it won't be hard for her to be the perfect wife for Lieutenant Jeon. Unlike you..." She looked at the way you dressed. Too classy. You seemed high-maintenance. It would be a waste if Jungkook used his salary coming from the people's taxes to support you.
"You're still a woman, so I think you won't have a hard time looking for a husband, but you and Lieutenant Jeon don't match. Just Look at him..." Mrs. Finger urged you to look at Jungkook and Pieck. "Look at the way he treats my daughter. He thinks she's a delicate flower."
Her description made you cackle. You couldn't help it. This old woman was both funny and pathetic.
"Genuine question: do you think Jungkook 'perfectly' matches your daughter just because he treats her like a human being?"
Your concerned face didn't look fake. But instead of finding it endearing, Mrs. Finger thought you were mocking her.
"And what do you mean by that?" Mrs. Finger got all defensive.
You heaved a sigh, "I just think it's sad that you are forcing an already committed man to your gorgeous daughter." You were telling the truth. Pieck was a catch. "And you're doing all this just because he treats her kindly. It makes me wonder what kind of men you and your daughter surround yourselves with—seeing that you become all desperate for the bare minimum."
"You—!!" Mrs. Finger was speechless. Her face was red because of humiliation.
You were not trying to embarrass her, though. You pitied her. Admittedly, if what you and Jungkook had was real, you didn't think you'd be jealous of how he treated Pieck. You were actually going to question his behavior if he wasn't treating her like this.
You didn't want to date a man who was only good to you.
"You said your daughter is a teacher, right? I hope she doesn't teach kids that something normal must be rewarded with God-like treatment. Because if that's the case, your standards in people, especially men, are on the floor."
Mrs. Finger was about to say something, but she saw Jungkook jogging in your direction.
"Hey," Jungkook greeted you, a sweet smile was plastered on his lips. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you ready to go?"
"Mn. Mrs. Finger and I were just idly chatting,"
Jungkook was so focused on you that he didn't notice the old woman beside you. He bowed at her, thanking her for helping Pieck cook the food for today.
"But you barely ate, Lieutenant." Mrs. Finger subtly complained. Her brows were knitted together. She hadn't calmed down from her rage yet. She wished she could pull your hair for being too arrogant.
"Ah, sorry," Jungkook smiled sheepishly. "I've eaten a lot earlier at lunch. My fiancée packed me a bento box. You've met her, right?"
Jungkook introduced you and Mrs. Finger more formally this time. The old man was forced to shake your hands before bidding you goodbye.
"We have to go. We'll see you later, Mrs. Finger." Jungkook's hand snaked above your waist but below your breast. This hold was way more intimate than handholding or grabbing someone's shoulder to help them walk.
Mrs. Finger gritted her teeth and glared, resenting you for naturally getting this treatment from Jungkook.
You just smirked at her and walked away.
"By the way, shithead," you called Jungkook when you two were out of the station.
"What?" Jungkook was carried away from pretending. He'd been bragging about you to his comrades and Pieck all afternoon.
"I didn't make your bento for lunch. I just bought it." You did not have time to cook it yourself.
Jungkook stopped walking. You thought he'd mock you, but he shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Doesn't matter. You still thought of me when you bought it."
Now, it was your turn to be stunned. You furrowed your brow at Jungkook, wanting to ask what he meant, but were afraid of hearing the answer.
Like usual, you let it go, refusing to hear it from him.
There was another chance for the truth—just not today.
***
Dinner with Taehyung and the others went well. You continued pretending to have a romantic relationship with Jungkook in front of them. Admittedly, telling them and acting weren't that difficult. You still remember how they reacted when you told them about you and Jungkook a month ago.
The conversation with Yoongi and Namjoon went like this:
"Chief, Captain, I am getting married with her." Jungkook intertwined your fingers together. You'd like to think you were a good actress, so you did not understand why the news did not shock the two men.
Namjoon merely raised his brow and said, "Is this your way of asking us to sponsor your wedding?" The chief thought it would be possible. Jungkook was one of his own. He and Yoongi started saving money for their boys when Jongsuk got married.
"No, no. I mean..." Jungkook scratched the back of his head. His plan didn't go as far as asking his bosses to sponsor his fake wedding. "I just wanna tell you that I'm engaged. You know, just in case someone asks you. We've been together for a while now."
"We know." Namjoon was confused. He looked at Yoongi, who was busy drinking tea. The captain didn't look bothered. "Yoongi, didn’t you tell me before that these two are dating?"
"Huh?" You and Jungkook were perplexed. Did Yoongi come from an alternate universe? Or did he hit his head? Because there was no way either you or Jungkook told Yoongi you were dating.
"Aren't you brats dating since you were 10 years old? The other kids complained about you two flirting during missions." Yoongi said in a flat tone.
You and Jungkook looked at each other. With tacit understanding, you decided not to refute the captain's belief. After all, the sole purpose of this conversation was to make them believe you and Jungkook had a thing. Oh well.
The second person you and Jungkook talked to was Ji-eun. Unlike Yoongi and Namjoon, prosecutor Lee was not easy to fool.
"You're pretending to be dating to get Hanni under your custody, right?" Not just that. She even exposed your lies. As expected of a great lawyer.
You looked at Ji-eun proudly, "So...? Can we trust you to keep this to yourself?"
"Of course." Ji-eun did not hesitate. "You have the attorney-client privilege."
With that, your conversation with Ji-eun ended. You also asked her to relay the news to Jongsuk and Jimin to save time. You and Jungkook were conserving your energy because you thought explaining your situation to Taehyung would be difficult.
Taehyung, your dumbass of a friend.
To your surprise, you didn't have to waste your brain cells trying to make sense of the setup you had with Jungkook. All Taehyung needed to hear was the word marry and he was already pulling you and Jungkook to Sora's grave.
You asked Taehyung why.
"Are you kidding? I owe Sora 3,000 won now. We've made a bet before. She told me you and Jungkook would be engaged in your early thirties. I guess it's my fault for thinking you're gonna drag it until you're in your forties. But you can't blame a guy, can you? You're both stubborn."
With the lies perfectly set, pretending came easy. No one batted an eye with how 'lovey-dovey' you and Jungkook were. The dinner was fun, though the children made it a little chaotic. You did not mind since you were learning to live in the presence of screaming children. Honestly, you admired Ji-eun for keeping a straight face while her kids go crazy. She was pretty chill. Jongsuk was the one tasked to calm the kids.
Speaking of kids, you were worried after talking to Hanni's teacher. She said the daycare had arranged a family trip for their students. You and Jungkook had to accompany Hanni to this event. From what you heard, the parents and their kids needed matching costumes. There would be games that would teach the little ones the importance of family values.
Fortunately, the event fell on the weekend, so you and Jungkook did not have to worry about work. These past weeks, you were learning to take things slow and enjoy life's little moments. You had to remind yourself that you were not running out of time. You did not have to constantly take on many cases to prove to everyone that you were a good lawyer.
"Don't stress yourself too much with our costume, okay? I already have it figured out." Jungkook assured you one evening. The trip was tomorrow. How could you not overthink? You still hadn't seen the costume in person.
"Would you just tell me what you bought for us? I don't trust you."
"Why not?" Jungkook was sulking. "I've thought about it carefully."
"You don't know my size, dumbass." You were going to kill him if he bought something inappropriate or too small for you.
Jungkook's lips curved up. He looked at you from head to toe and said, "Nah. I got it right."
Your knee-jerk reaction was to cover your chest. Jungkook scoffed and told you he was not a pervert.
You didn't care about what he said, especially when the day of the trip finally came. Hanni's teacher came bearing bad news. You thought you had lost your mind when she told you that you, Jungkook, and Hanni were staying in the same room and bed.
This setup was supposed to make the children feel closer to their parents. After all, not everyone had the luxury of spending time with their kids—daycare was even established because the parents were too busy to look after their children.
Hanni was delighted to be spending the night with you and Jungkook. Unfortunately, she recognized the deep frown on your face. She knew you were not happy about this.
"Terni, don't you want to sleep with me and Jungkook-boy?" Hanni's mood plummeted, making your heart drop. You didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Of course not, sweetheart. It’s just that..." You tongued the inside of your cheek, not knowing what to say. "Jungkook-boy and I can't sleep in the same bed."
"Why not?" Hanni folded her little arms across her chest. You did not speak, so she turned to Jungkook. Sadly, Jungkook wasn't sure what to say either. He was as surprised as you were. He just scratched the back of his neck—this was one of his bad habits every time he was lost.
You sighed, knowing you had to explain things yourself.
"Because Jungkook-boy and I aren't like your mummy and daddy."
"You're not!?" Hanni was shocked. She wrinkled her forehead. "But you said you'll take care of me for a hundred years! Isn't that the job of a mummy and daddy?"
You were running out of excuses. Besides, you couldn't tell Hanni the whole thing. Frieda and Kiyomi were not yet done with their deliberations. You couldn't expose yourselves early on.
"I'll just sleep on the floor," Jungkook said sheepishly. Frankly speaking, he was embarrassed. He was the one who attended the meeting regarding this trip. Jungkook knew you two would stay in the same room, but in his defense, he thought there were two separate beds. Jungkook would disagree if he had known there was only one bed. He would not take advantage of you like that. He wouldn't do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable, either.
"Or I'll just book another room. Don't worry about it." Jungkook stood up and gathered his things. He was halfway through the door when you stopped him.
"You can stay," you swallowed thickly. Jungkook's eyes lit up, but he still did not know what to say. "No need to book another room. The teacher and the other parents might get the wrong idea. We can't show them we're not happy we're staying together."
"Then I'll just sleep on the floor." Jungkook offered genuinely. He wasn't trying to sound like a sad boy, yet that was the vibe Hanni got from him.
Hanni's little shoulders sagged, "But Jungkook-boy, the floor will hurt your back!" For a three-year-old, Hanni sure knew a lot. You guessed this happened when your mom was Sora Kang—the girl who loved potatoes so much but was willing to break them in half and give them to a random stranger with a growling stomach.
"We can sleep in the same bed, alright?" You rolled your eyes to hide your nervousness, "This sounds awful, but Hanni will 'sort of' be our divider. She sleeps in the middle. I will kick your ass if you snore."
Jungkook nodded his head obediently. He was happy he wouldn't have to deal with a stiff neck and a sore back.
"And shower first! I don't like stinky men in my bed!"
Jungkook and Hanni followed your instructions before getting into bed. Both of them realized how much of a clean freak you were. However, you still find sleeping hard despite adhering to all pre-sleeping routines.
You glanced at the wall clock. It was past one in the morning already. Jungkook and Hanni were sound asleep beside you.
You don't usually find it difficult to sleep in a new place. In fact, you were used to it since your job required you to meet your clients all over Japan. The hotel room the daycare had booked for tonight was pretty decent, too.
The air conditioner worked well, and the duvet was clean and soft.
Damn it. You slightly tossed and turned, desperately looking for the perfect sleeping position. In the end, nothing worked.
It was quarter to three in the morning. You released a defeated sigh, resigning to insomnia, and were just about to play with your phone when Jungkook suddenly spoke.
"Can't sleep?"
Goosebumps pricked at your skin because of how raspy his voice was. You turned to face him, about to apologize because you thought you'd accidentally woken him up by tossing and turning. However, you were shocked when he handed you the only pillow he was using.
"What's this?" You asked dumbly.
Jungkook rolled his eyes lazily. "Oh, come on. You know it's a pillow. Just accept it, alright? We both know you can't fall asleep with just one pillow."
Oh.
He remembered that?
Jungkook seemed to have read your mind. He breathed out and pillowed his arm. His gaze was on the white ceiling as if reminiscing.
"I can't forget even if I want to. All my memories of our camping days with Captain Yoongi are just you complaining that you can't sleep."
So that was it. Captain Yoongi used to arrange many camping trips before. He did not separate the sleeping quarters of girls and boys. He always said, "Accidents and disasters can happen anytime. You can't choose who you're with when that happens, so learn to suck it up and deal with the situation with both your friends and enemies."
What Captain Yoongi said made sense. Jungkook learned how to be more patient as he spent the camping days calming himself despite your whiny ass.
"Hey, he made us sleep with a single pillow, okay? My neck hurts." You accepted Jungkook's pillow and tried to lower your voice so as not to wake Hanni. The kid knew how to throw a fit when disturbed. "Thanks."
Jungkook hummed and closed his eyes. You looked at his sleeping figure, feeling your heart flutter. Jungkook had long lashes. From your angle, you could also see his Adam's apple bobbing and his broad chest heaving. You suddenly wondered what laying your head against his chest would be like. Was it warm? Did his heart beat slowly? Or fast? Would it calm you down? Would its sound finally make you doze off?
There were so many questions swimming in your head. Unfortunately, you still couldn't sleep despite exhausting your mind. You tried clamping your eyes tighter, but it was useless.
You didn't remember drinking coffee earlier. What about milk? Should you try downing a glass of milk to help you sleep? Perhaps counting sheep would help. Or maybe you were just craving physical touch.
Right.
Your eyelashes fluttered when you suddenly felt Jungkook wrapping his hand around your thumb. He started stroking your fingers.
Your breath caught in your throat—
"Sleep." He whispered gently, "You are safe here."
—And then your breathing evened as he continued caressing your finger. His actions and words seemed to be the potion your mind was looking for because you really did fall asleep a few minutes later.
The following day, you were awakened by the alarm and a little monkey climbing your leg.
"Terni, wake up!" The monkey was shaking your leg and hips. "Please! Please wake up! It's family day today!"
"No. I wanna sleep!" You cried begrudgingly. Why must a little monkey and an annoying alarm disturb your sleep?
Have they no conscience? This was your first time sleeping peacefully, so you tried kicking the monkey at your feet and hugged your pillow tighter.
This pillow was pretty good. It was warm and sturdy. It even smelled like fresh air and a bit loamy.
Good. You thought you could stay in this position forever as you rubbed your cheek in the pillow.
"I'm starting to think you're not actually sleeping and are just taking advantage of me." The pillow talked, forcing you to stop pinching the pillow and open your eyes.
The world seemed to stop when you were met with Jungkook's lukewarm gaze.
"Is your pillow soft and warm, Empress?" Jungkook quirked a brow, his lips curving into a teasing smile.
You gasped. All this time, you were pinching and caressing Jungkook's biceps, not a pillow! Your head was comfortably leaning on his chest, too.
Scandalous! This was all too scandalous! How dare you wrap your legs around his hipbone. And Hanni! Hanni was still latching on your leg while playing with the hem of your nightdress.
To make things worse, Jungkook chuckled lowly in your red ear and said, "Who's the pervert now?"
No!!!!!! This was your last straw. You pulled Hanni away from your leg and immediately got up from the bed to sprint and lock yourself in the bathroom.
Damn it. This day was not how your morning should've started!
***
You did not have a crush on Jungkook— this was what you kept telling yourself while stuck in the bathroom.
It did not matter that all you could think about was him as you bathed. Or how you couldn't stop seeing the image of him standing behind you to gather your hair in one place so you could brush your teeth better.
You ignored the fluttering of your heart as you thought about how good he had been to you the past weeks, of how attentive he was to your needs. You thought it wasn't a big deal how he gave you the only pillow he had for the night, or how he held you in the police station, or how he decorated the house with daisies every day—yes. Jungkook's madness with flowers never stopped ever since Kiyomi and Frieda's visit. He also habitually checked the mailbox first thing in the morning. You pretended not to understand why, but you knew he was checking if baby breaths were on the doorstep.
There were also times when you went home late because of work. Jungkook would then stand outside the Kang' residence, pretending to enjoy the night stars, but he was just waiting for you to come home.
You brushed off how much you appreciated his jokes, how he distracted you from the pain of losing your best friend, and how he took care of Hanni when he saw you were overwhelmed with everything. Nothing mattered to you because you were not in love—you didn't have a crush on Jungkook.
'Keep telling yourself that,' The voice inside your head betrayed you, yet you stood your ground and ignored the seed of feelings that had long since bloomed into colorful flora.
You were annoyed during the family trip. Not only were you being pestered by your damn feelings, but you were also tormented by how ridiculous you looked.
"Terni, come on. We're late!" Hanni banged her little fists on the hotel room's door. She and Jungkook had been waiting for you to come out for quite some time now.
"Go on without me! I'm not going out there!" You hissed, itching to remove your pink gloves.
"Oh, come on." You heard Jungkook's voice. He also banged the door. "The ceremony is about to start. Let's just go, please?"
You did not open the door as an acquiesce to Jungkook's soft plea. You only showed yourself to them so you could hit Jungkook in the face.
"This is your fault!"
Jungkook let you hit him. He simply chuckled at how cute you looked.
"What are you sulking for? It's not so bad!" Jungkook playfully pulled at your fake whiskers.
You hit him again. "What do you mean it's not so bad! I look stupid!"
Jungkook really exceeded your worst expectations. Who would have thought he'd buy matching rabbit costumes for the three of you? You swore to kill him if he bought something inappropriate, but honestly, you felt a slutty rabbit costume would be better than the rabbit onesie he chose. To make it worse, Jungkook purchased the pink one for you. He had the blue one, while Hanni wore a pastel purple—it was obviously the result of combining the colors pink and blue.
Now, the three of you looked like a happy family. It would have been fine if Jungkook chose a royal or superhero costume. But a rabbit? Seriously?
“Those are overrated,” Jungkook told you this when you complained about not having a Wonder Woman costume. Truthfully, you had seen two families near your hotel room wearing DC superhero costumes.
“Let’s take a picture together. I’ll send it to Kiyomi and Frieda.” Jungkook carried Hanni into his arms and pulled you closer to him. He brought out a camera and took a photo of the three of you.
You couldn’t complain after that since the two dragged you out to participate in today’s activities. Soon enough, your embarrassment did not matter as your competitive side resurfaced to shit on everyone.
It started off fun. Some parents and kids praised you and Jungkook for taking the games seriously. But things started going downhill during the segment called Family Trivia. Your family was leading by ten points, which didn’t hinder you from scoring more.
Old habits indeed died hard. You felt like you were in school again, feeling the thrill of answering rounds of questions. You lost your mind whenever another team answered the question first.
“The word family is derived from the word famulus!”
Hanni’s teacher was about to give the other family a point for scoring, but you pressed the buzzer to complain. The teacher looked at you in defeat, wanting to ignore you but couldn’t.
“Her answer is incomplete!” You argued. You were quite embarrassing, really. You reviewed the questions and games the teacher gave each family more than thrice. This was where you focused your energy; that was why you couldn’t check the trip itinerary and didn’t see you and Jungkook were sharing one bed.
“The word famulus is Latin. It means servant. Say, teacher, give us the point, not to them!”
The teacher looked apologetically at the family that was robbed of point. She couldn’t argue with you since the rules said the answers must be complete.
The other families stared at you contemptuously, but you didn’t mind since Hanni and Jungkook were cheering you on. Jungkook had also never grown out of his competitive phase. His heart swelled with pride as he raised his hand to give you a high-five.
The participants for the next game were the father and his child. Hanni would help Jungkook build a tent. It took the other families twenty minutes to set up their tents, but Jungkook and Hanni did it in less than 10 minutes—this was kudos to Jungkook’s training at the police academy and years of practice doing it during your camping days with Captain Yoongi.
None of the families wanted to talk to you by the end of the games. They thought you ruined the fun for their children. Some kids even scoffed at Hanni, leaving your poor goddaughter crying.
Your heart ached to see Hanni sad. You couldn’t help but blame yourself for taking things this far. It was your competitiveness that ruined Hanni’s reputation at the daycare. Needless to say, Jungkook rubbed yours and Hanni’s back, telling the two of you that you’d win back their hearts before the night's end.
However, you didn’t seem to have a chance to do that when rain suddenly started pouring. You were currently at the top of the mountain. The hike down wasn’t too far, but the ground would be slippery. It was already getting dark. The plan was to sleep in the tent the fathers and children set up earlier, but that didn’t seem viable now.
“We’d like to apologize for this unforeseen event.” Hanni’s teacher was apologetic. It was their mistake for not checking the weather forecast more clearly. “Let’s just wait for the rain to stop; then, we can all hike and sleep in the hotel instead. Don’t worry. The daycare will shoulder all expenses.”
The teacher’s statement did not pacify the parents, as their children started whining and throwing a fit because of the lightning and thunder. Hanni was the only well-behaved child—kudos to Jungkook for sitting with Hanni back at home and educating her about navigating rainy days.
“It’s okay, Jungkook-boy. I’m not scared.” Hanni assured Jungkook. Your heart recoiled with joy seeing them like this. The feelings you had been hiding since morning threatened to resurface again. This time, you were utterly defenseless and were left with no choice but to step back and let the arrow pierce your delicate heart.
Jungkook was a good guardian—a better father than most men you knew. Any woman would be lucky to have him father her children.
You looked around. Most fathers did not know what to do when faced with their crying child. Some tried to subtly scold the little kids for acting up. The others did not bother to hide that they were pinching the kid’s arms to get them to calm down. The mothers were feeling distressed, too.
You abruptly stood up. Hanni was sitting on Jungkook’s lap. Both of them met your gaze and asked where you were going.
“I’ll talk to the teacher. Just give me a minute.” You did not wait for their response and just headed in front. The teacher was having a hard time calming down the kids. You signaled that you wanted to talk, so she nodded and found a quiet place for you to converse.
Several seconds later, you stood before the parents and the students while holding a guitar. Hanni’s teacher borrowed this instrument from one of the families cosplaying as a family of performers.
“Hello, everyone ~” you greeted them. Only a few spared you a glance as they were still busy pacifying their crying kids. You proceeded with your mini-speech and told them you’d be singing a song.
“Kids, you need to listen to the song, alright? Don’t think about the thunder. Just focus on the melody." Then you strummed the guitar strings. Along with it was the light tugging of your heartstrings. Music, particularly singing, was your passion. It was your escape whenever things started getting overwhelming.
Soon enough, the thunder was overpowered by your singing voice. Call it a miracle or just pure talent, but your melodious voice caused peace to seep through everyone’s heart.
You were singing You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins. You were both excellent singers, but something in your voice made you stand out more. Perhaps it was because of how painfully raw your voice was—when you sang, you didn’t just sing with your mouth. You sang with your heart.
You created your own version of the original song that no one could recreate, not even the most prominent voice impersonator. Your voice was like kisses and candles and warm hugs. You were like the last bit of sunlight before the raging storm. And when the storm was over, you were the rainbow—the colorful hues that told people there was hope.
The children stopped crying. Jungkook was the first to stand up and clap his hands like his life depended on it. The other followed suit; whistles and laughter echoed the place.
A little while later, the rain finally stopped, and Jungkook’s claim turned out to be correct:
You’d won the people’s hearts before the night ended.
***
The path going down the mountain would take ten minutes or so. It was also a straight and smooth trail, so the kids wouldn't find walking difficult. However, the adults didn't have the heart to let these three-year-old children walk. Luckily, there were mountain wagons they could ride.
Hanni was hanging out with her friends again. Your singing voice really warmed them up. They thought Hanni was pretty cool for having a guardian whose voice was as good as Elsa from Frozen and other Disney princesses.
"Does this mean you're demoted to being just a princess, Empress?" Jungkook teased you on the way back to the hotel. You two were walking beside each other.
The teacher, parents, and other officials guided all the kids in the wagon. Jungkook decided to walk at the back of the group, his police lieutenant personality kicking in. He wanted to make sure no one was left behind.
You figured you'd just accompany him as you didn't want to converse with other parents. Besides, they were busy looking after the wagons.
"Shut up, you lowly subject. This empress felt happy, so I thought, why not appease my people?" You shot back at Jungkook. He laughed at your poor attempt to talk like a royalty. It was funny, considering you were still in your rabbit costume.
Jungkook encircled his hands on your waist and pulled you near him, ensuring you didn't hit any trees. He hummed, "I haven't heard you sing in years."
Of course, he had not. Law school and your life in general fucked you up so badly. You had experienced failure after failure to the point that you questioned yourself—starting from the things that defined you to the things you loved and hated.
You wondered if you would ever amount to more. Failures took such a great toll on you that even the thing you loved the most didn't feel fulfilling anymore. There was a point in your life where you thought you didn't have the right to make music—that it should be reserved for people who were good at it and not someone like you who just loved it.
"That's cause I haven't sung in years." You admitted.
Jungkook cast his gaze on the ground. His heart was uneasy, wanting to ask you a question, but he wasn't sure if he had the right to.
"Last time I sang was when I was with you."
Your voice was barely above a whisper, yet Jungkook still heard it. He paused. Then he looked at you intently.
You weren't lying. Years ago, you were passionate about music. You even composed your own songs. Sora and Taehyung used to listen to your work all the time, but those two were easily distracted and would just tell you, "It's good." Of course, you still appreciated it.
However, you seemed to be looking for something more. You thought of Jungkook at that time. He was down and feeling edgy the past weeks. It was because his mother got into an accident and ended up needing leg surgery.
Jungkook barely ate, worrying about his mother to the point of insanity. You couldn't take it anymore, so you once went to him with a guitar.
"I'm not in the mood to fight with you," Jungkook warned. There were no biting remarks in his tone, just pure exhaustion. The fire in his eyes was extinguished, too.
You rolled your eyes and sighed.
"I'm not here to fight. I just need you to listen to me sing."
"Huh?" Jungkook flinched. He was clearly perplexed about what you said. Did you seriously want to sing in front of him? Were you sick? You never liked to sing whenever Jungkook was around. You said he ruined your mood, so what changed now?
"It's just that..." You trailed off and copied his habit of scratching the back of his neck. It was a good thing you could immediately think of an excuse, "You're my rival. Rivals talk shit a lot about each other, right? I'm joining a singing competition soon. I want you to hear it first, and then you can criticize me all you want. I need to hear them."
Jungkook was not convinced, but he let you be. After all, it was easier to listen to your angelic voice rather than fight you.
You sang your own composition. It was not a love or a heartbreak song. Jungkook sat there dazed, wondering why his heart unexpectedly felt light as you sang words of encouragement—it was as if you were telling him that the huge storm would pass, and all that would be left was a mother's loving embrace.
Jungkook felt tears filling his eyes. He blinked and wiped them before you could see.
"How was it?" You put down your guitar. A gracious smile was plastered on your lips.
It's stupid. I hate it. Don't sing again. These were the words Jungkook wanted to say because these were what you were expecting. But Jungkook was not a liar and was always vocal about his feelings. The first time he met Ji-eun, he did not hesitate to tell her she had pretty hair.
"Thank you," Jungkook ended up telling you. His voice was unbelievably soft that your heart couldn't help but melt. "It was beautiful." You were beautiful.
It sure was. Jungkook did not know what else to say, but it was okay. Later that day and the following days, Jungkook was back to his old self.
He could eat and smile again.
He then asked about the singing competition, but you shrugged and said, "Nah. I don't want to join anymore."
Only a few years later did Jungkook realize that there was no singing competition in the first place.
Jungkook's eyes drooped. You were already in Seoul when he found out about it. Sometimes, he entertained the idea of confronting you about it. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it, but Jungkook just caught your wrist instead of asking you about it.
"Hm?" You stared at him innocently. He stopped walking, and so did you.
"Would you..." Jungkook swallowed hard and licked his lower lip. He felt his heart stuttering.
Your eyes were glistening despite the lack of a moon in the sky.
"Would you...sing a song for me again?"
There was a pregnant pause in the air. You blinked at Jungkook, and for a moment, Jungkook thought you would say no. But then you gently cleared your throat and nodded.
"Let's walk." You pulled him and started descending the mountain. You two were keeping a good distance from the group of people. From here, you could see Hanni laughing heartily with her classmates.
The wind blew, hugging you and Jungkook with its coldness.
"All I knew this morning when I woke, is I know something now, know something now I didn't before~"
When Jungkook asked you to sing, your mind instantly went into autopilot and sang whatever your heart told you.
Everything Has Changed—the song title was exactly what you felt for Jungkook. Wasn't it funny? You went to Busan for your dead best friend.
Sometimes, you felt guilty you were not mourning her enough—that Sora was dead, but your treacherous heart was beating like it never did before.
There was death, but there was also rebirth—the blooming of something you thought you buried for good and left with not even a trace of sunlight.
Daylight had come.
It went in the shade of all right and tall guy with gentle eyes.
Jungkook smiled softly at you. He did not react until you finished singing.
You were almost down the mountain. The kids and the others were already at the foot. It was just you and Jungkook here.
"How's my singing, Your Majesty the Emperor?" You intended to go for a light teasing, but something in Jungkook snapped when you called him emperor.
You were the empress, weren't you?
No words were exchanged. Jungkook put his hand on the small of your back, drawing you in.
Jungkook had kissed other people before. Whenever he did, he always held their cheeks before diving in. But with you, it was different.
He first stroked your head before his right hand gently held the back of your head; his other hand was still in the small of your back.
Jungkook stared deep into your eyes. It was as if he wanted to touch your soul with how intense yet languid he looked at you.
He seemed to want to memorize every part of your face—afraid you'd vanish if he so much as blinked.
But looking was not enough. He wanted a taste, too.
Jungkook wetted his lips, leaning in. Then, very slowly, he inched closer to you as if giving you time to push him away.
You did not.
But Jungkook was still so afraid. His eyelashes quivered before he dipped his head and gave you a soft peck on the lips.
There were no fireworks or grand and flowery words people read in novels.
The kiss was just it—a kiss.
There were no intense feelings, but there was Jungkook and his soft eyes and open heart.
There were no fireworks, but there was the sound of inserting the key in the door lock, then came the twisting of the knob before the door opened.
There was no rollercoaster kind of feeling in that one kiss. Because the only thing here was home.
Kissing Jungkook felt like coming home.
PART 2
likes and comments are highly appreciated 🙏 it motivates me to write more 😉💙
Y/N of this fic patterned to my IRL best friend. i love her so much pls listen to her cover of You'll Be in My Heart as this is how I imagined Y/N singing the song.
#jungkook fic#bts jeon jeongguk#jungkook fluff#jungkook angst#jungkook x reader#jungkook e2l#jungkook enemies to lovers#jungkook bts#jungkook fanfic#boyfriend jungkook#daddy jungkook#jungkook x female reader#jungkook x oc#jungkook x y/n#jungkook x yn#jungkook x original character#jungkook roommate au
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the joshua tree // george russell (instagram au)
summary: a special valentines day trip to california is more than meets the eye
pairing: george russell x u2!reader (bono's daughter)
author's note: u2 were one old man band i could never get into, but 'i still haven't found what i'm looking for is such a banger-
I lowkey want to make a series with the next one being a reader who’s related to the late lead singer of inxs….
y/n.hewson
liked by 2,087 users
y/n.hewson i;m a country girl through and through
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urbestfriend have fun in california!!! i'm going to miss you so much
-> y/n.hewson its just for one week!! i promise i'll send you postcards
y/n.hewson
joshua tree, california
liked by officialu2 and 2,951 others
y/n.hewson joshua tree national park is a place very near and dear to my heart. it's the place where my dad wrote his most successful album, one of the places that makes me so proud to be irish, and i can't beleive i get to share it with the man that i love most <3
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user um MAAM who is the BOY?
urbestfriend ooooohhhhh i love the pictures girly!
user so what’s it like driving on the other side of the road?
-> y/n.hewson I legit almost drove into the barriers on my way out of the rental lot
user step on me mommy
theedgeofficial now when you told your dad you were going to joshua tree, you didn’t tell him that he who shall not be named was coming as well, did you?
-> y/n.hewson nope. and let’s try to keep it that way please and thanks
georgerussell
joshua tree, california
liked by lewishamilton, officialu2, alex_albon and others
georgerussell where the streets have no name
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mercedesbenzuk nice rental car george, but we thought you were a g-wagon man
-> georgerussell my girlfriend picked the car, mate!
user lmao george why the hell is the official u2 account in your likes?
alex_albon I see how it is, sneaking off to california with your irish lover
-> georgerussell I never snuck away anywhere?
user irish lover, irish band in the caption? what is going on in the house of commons?
user georgie in his soft launch era???
-> user i cant decide if i want to be her or him
y/n.hewson
joshua tree national park
liked by georgerussell, officialu2, bono and others
y/n.hewson i think i just found what i'm looking for <3
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georgerussell i love you, my irish princess <3
-> y/n.hewson i love you more, my english prince <3
urbestfriend cuties!!!
bono Bring him over for dinner when you're back in Ireland! I want my paddock passes (and to make sure he's still treating you right!). Love you, kiddo!
-> y/n.hewson love you more, dad! (and george is still a gentleman)
landonorris mate...you're dating an irish girl? you're the most british brit alive, and you're dating someone who is IRISH? i'm impressed.
mercedesbenzamg looking forward to formally meeting you and your dad, y/n!
->georgerussell just wait until bono meets other bono...it's going to be awesome
user i can't believe random twitter user melissa was right-
->melissafromtwitter and you all laughed at me!
TAGS:
@magnummagnussen @lorarri @cartierre @libraryofloveletters @sidcrosbyspuck @thatsdemko @httpiastri @diorleclerc @glitterquadricorn @f1version
#george russell x reader#formula one x reader#f1 imagine#george russell x y/n#f1 smau#f1 x reader#ig aus
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Hi! sooo excited you’ve opened your requests, Can I ask one with Lewis and Senna or Schumacher!reader where you meet him at a party or sth like that..
Thanks
I Admire: Lewis Hamilton x Senna!Reader
News had been spreading around the paddock that the daughter of a legendary f1 driver was going to be visiting. Some thought of Nelson Piquet’s daughter Kelly, others thought of Michael Schumacher’s daughter Gina-Maria. The outcome was one that no one was ready for as the literal female version of the late legendary Ayrton Senna came walking through the paddock as her flat shoes were silent on the ground but sounded loud due to the silence. Everyone wasn’t just amazed but shocked as no one knew that Ayrton had a partner much less of a child.
The girl was quickly taken from the middle of the driveway and straight towards the Mercedes garage where she would be spending the day. Throughout her stay, she had met most of the team including Toto, Angela, Bono, Michael, Lewis and George to name a few. She walked around with everyone interacting by asking question and also giving answers. Yet unbeknownst to her, a certain man had become fascinated with her as he studied her posture, her features, her intelligence and kindness along with being polite, the way she would passionately answer questions about herself and the biggest part was how she handled standing before the spot that her father had crashed into and sadly passed away. She held herself together well as she viewed and analysed the area before she said a short prayer in her head, leaving the roses leaned against the wall.
The race had begun and everyone was at the edge of their seats cheering and encouraging the teams as they all navigated the track with grace. While some led the race, others unfortunately dnf’ed until the race had come to a slow finish.
It was now time for the driver’s post race interviews and Lewis was up next. “Lewis, you did an amazing job driving today. Congratulations on your podium but apart from that I would like to ask, how did it go when you met Senna’s daughter earlier?” The journalist quizzed as Lewis straightened himself at the mention of her. “Ah yes I got to meet her. So far I can say that she’s an amazing woman who has her priorities straight, I admire her in a lot of ways as just from hearing the stories she told me. I admire her for her hard work, her patience, kindness, determination, resilience, and the fact that she was able to open up and be vulnerable to me. It really made my day as she is the closest thing the my role model that I’ll ever meet.” He answered not revealing the fact that he also had a huge crush on the young woman but non the less shocking everyone around, including the fans watching as no one expected him to have that much to say.
Meanwhile back in the garage, Y/n was smiling as she took in the compliments that Lewis threw her way, glad to have met her role model after her dad and of course the man she had a silly little crush on cause let’s be honest, who doesn’t? From here on out, it looks like both Y/n and Lewis would be seen together very often. Maybe as friends or even more one day.
#lewis hamilton#lewis hamilton imagine#lewis hamilton x reader#lewis hamilton x you#lewis hamilton fanfic#lewis hamilton fluff#lewis hamilton x oc
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Last Update: 23.01.2023
Right now, everything will be on one list, but with time - there will be separate posts for every fandom
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell
Hanging on Hangman - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x younger fem!reader, PG | Hangman has a crush on the captain’s girl
Ground control to Captain Mav - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x fem!reader, PG | You’ve had a panic attack; first one in a while, and Mav was there for you.
Consequences and conversations - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x fem!reader, +18 | Maverick is a brat who bratted to close to the sun and now has to deal with the aftermath.
Sharing is Caring - Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x fem!reader x Jake "Hangman" Seresin, +18 | Threesome with sub!Hangman who also happens to have a mommy kink
Ways he shows you love - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x reader, PG | Maverick's love languages and some of the things he would do for you.
Showing the ropes - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x reader, +18 | Just some good ol' phone sex with a sub!Maverick
Come here, loverboy... - Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x reader, +18 | Mav’s first time being dominated by his partner.
Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw
And how to come home... - Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x fem!reader, PG | TW: Miscarriage | You are having a miscarriage during the Uranium mission and you do your best to hide it from your fiancee.
Jake "Hangman" Seresin
Sharing is Caring - Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x fem!reader x Jake "Hangman" Seresin, +18 | Threesome with sub!Hangman who also happens to have a mommy kink
Tom "Iceman" Kazansky
Come fly with me, let's fly away... - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | Admiral Kazansky is taking you, his wife of 7 years, on a joyride in his jet.
Mystery of the traveling bruises. - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | You always bruised easily, but lately it was becoming excessive. Until one night, the solution to your mystery hits you.
The kids are alright pt 1 - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | You're filming some videos around the house for your unborn daughter, while your husband struggles with something.
The kids are alright pt 2 - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | Awkward dinner at Kazanskys, where Bradley and Mav are forced to talk.
The kids are alright pt 3 - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | You go into labor two weeks before the due date, while Ice is giving an interview on the live TV.
The kids are alright pt 4 - Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x fem!reader, PG | Domestic life with Iceman and your daughter
Beau "Cyclone" Simpson
Eye of the storm pt 1 - Beau "Cyclone" Simpson x fem!reader (Iceman's daughter), PG | You can't cope with your grief and Beau is there for you.
Eye of the storm pt 2 - Beau "Cyclone" Simpson x fem!reader (Iceman's daughter), PG | You're still grieving after your father's death, and Beau is still helping you cope... But you start feeling something else besides your grief.
Eye of the storm pt 3 - Beau "Cyclone" Simpson x fem!reader (Iceman's daughter), PG | You start to think about other things than your father's death, and Beau helps, without even realising how much. Oh, and there is a first kiss in this one :)
Ron "Slider" Kerner
A different type of exercise - Ron “Slider” Kerner x fem!reader, +18 | You do your best to convince Slider to come back to bed, but he wants to finish a set first.
Unhealthy Obsession - Ron “Slider” Kerner x stalker fem!reader, +18 | The one where Slider is obsessed with you, but you were obsessed with him first.
Aaron Hotchner
A photograph - Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader, PG | First time you realize that Hotchner has feelings for you.
Painfully Healing - Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader, +18 (but no smut) | After you got assaulted, your dad’s best friend takes care of you when your parents have to leave for a weekend. | TW: Depression, Self-Harm, Blood, Cutting, Scars, ED, Rape
Tom Cruise
I see forever in your eyes - Tom Cruise x fem!reader, PG | Evolution of the relationship, ended with a bit of fluff in the end.
Peter "Bono" Bonnington
Racing back home - Peter "Bono" Bonnington x reader, PG | Bono comes back home earlier than expected.
No one else can feel it for you - Peter "Bono" Bonnington x reader, PG | Rollerskating through the pit lane in the rain.
Toto Wolff
No Longer a Secret - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, PG | A series about Team Principal of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team Toto Wolff, and a female journalist. It tells a story of a healthy couple, who respects and loves each other, and their journey through the highs and lows of life.
Was it ever really love? - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, +18 | You fight with your fiancé to the point of breakup. And right after you throw your engagement ring at him, you go to Toto’s room...
Uncertainty - Toto Wolff x fem!driver!reader, M | You’re a 3rd driver for the Mercedes team, in a secret relationship with the team principal and you fill in for Lewis during the race. The car malfunctions, you completely lose control over the steering and can’t avoid crashing. And it’s bad.
A sheep in Wolff's clothing - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, PG | You accompany Toto Wolff the a after-season dinner with drivers, TPs and the most important people from each teams
Bose with the Boss - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, +18 | Toto has to stay in the office late, but that doesn't mean he can't help you in different ways
The Youngest Student - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, PG | You’re left without a nanny last second, so you decide to take your daughter to class with you.
Teacher's Pet - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, +18 | It’s your first time being a TA, but you’re pretty sure some of the areas your professor needs help with are not in the job description.
No handlebars - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, +18 | A brat being a brat by finding a loophole in the rule.
Breaking the Billionaire - sub!Toto Wolff x soft!femdom!reader, +18 | Being in control can be exhausting-
Keep your eyes open - Toto Wolff x fem!reader, +18 | Mirror sex. That's it.
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bodyache
Pairing: Elizabeth Donnelly x f!reader
Warnings: Hurt/comfort, smut, a dash of mommy kink for good measure
Summary:
You said, you said
"Turn the lights down, I wanna be alone"
I read your head away
I couldn't stand how it pleaded, I needed to take
Take a break, take me down, take me down there
I wanna stare at the tears, how they watered your years
Based on a request for f!reader reassuring a vulnerable Liz.
---
"Santa leave her in your stocking as an early Christmas present? Wouldn't necessarily say you qualify for the nice list, Elizabeth," Arthur Branch chuckled, motioning towards you with his glass.
You felt Liz's grasp tighten on your hand. From the corner of your eye, you could see her head tilt in the tell tale manner it did whenever she was preparing to unleash a verbal ass beating.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Counselman. Heard you're quite the saint, yourself," you piped up with a facetious smile. "Curious how your daughter is staying back in Georgia with her mother again this year. Can't imagine why. Airfare must be too expensive these days."
Lena Petrovsky snickered.
Figured. Corporate types loved when an outsider said what they all couldn't. You were thankful for the bits of gossip Liz fed you over your coffee dates, as it was easy to weaponize them in times like this.
Next to her, a taller woman shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She adjusted her narrow black frames and studied Liz, as if judging whether or not it was safe for her to laugh as well. Out of all the suits stuffed into the swanky bar that evening, she somehow looked the most out of place, ducking out of the way awkwardly whenever a waiter slid by.
"What's it you do again, Miss? Are you one of the ladies that takes my blood when they wheel you into the ER?" Arthur jabbed. "I thought you had to be at least 16 to get a job around here. Mercy General must've fallen on hard times."
Ah, the good ol' age joke and a sexist joke to boot. What a BOGO. You knew his back was against the wall now.
"Really now, Arthur," Lena said, rolling her eyes.
"No, he has a point. I often confuse phlebotomists and trauma surgeons," you said lightly. "I'm sure it was an honest mistake."
---
Later in the evening, you found yourself sat in a booth across from the leggy blonde.
Snowflakes were beginning to fall outside, flurries catching in the light of the streetlamps. The music in the bar had quieted down, replaced by the sounds of the Manhattan DA's office trading stories and looking for any opportunity to climb the corporate ladder.
Your attention, however, was caught by Liz. Typically bold and brash, she seemed to hang on the periphery of the crowd tonight, sandwiched next to Lena. She said very little.
"Don't beat yourself up, you should be proud of the way you handled Branch."
You turned to face the woman, whom you learned was named Alex.
"How do you do it?"
"What, deal with him? Lots of Ibuprofen. He's that way with everyone."
"No," you paused, gesturing to the crowd with a loose straw you picked up off the table. "All of this. This whole ecosystem. It'd drive me nuts."
"The type of people who get to this level fought to get here, fought for nights like this. It's why we put up with law school, all those pro bono service hours..." she trailed off. Alex picked at her salad. "Liz isn't any different."
"She can turn it off, though."
Alex's brow furrowed.
"What?"
"Sorry, I'm only used to the Liz Donnelly who breaks down the door to my office whenever she catches wind that my position on a case differs from hers."
You grinned, thinking about how her short, blonde locks bounced whenever she was marching around the brownstone in a tizzy over something that happened at work earlier in the day. It occurred to you that the cause of those occasional outbursts must've been the woman sat across from you.
"I'm glad she's found someone," Alex said softly. "For all the shit she gives me, I've heard she's had it rough in this business."
"What lawyer doesn't, besides the ones that scoot by on family ties?"
Alex bit at her bottom lip.
"I assume the past 30 or so years haven't been the kindest to women, let alone those that... go against the grain."
---
"Yo, you catch the babe in the dress over there? Heard she's the one 'doin' a Donnelly' now," the paralegal snorted. He adjusted his quarter zip with a swell of pride as the other young men around him laughed.
Something in the pit of Liz's stomach turned at the phrase that still circulated around the halls of the DA's office.
She feigned interest in whatever Lena was rattling on about next to her. Gardening, her English bulldog Petunia, the new developmental milestone her grandson had hit a startlingly early age. Take your pick. None of it mattered.
"What's a chick like that doing with Donnelly? There's gotta be a good 20 year difference between them, at least," another one chided. "In it for the cash?"
"God, you couldn't pay me to deal with all that feminist, liberal bullshit."
"I think you're safe, man. Everyone knows that cougar's not coming after you," the other snickered.
Liz snapped her head around. Lena paused.
"Elizabeth?"
"Have a good night, Lena. I have to go make a call."
Liz slipped through the crowd towards you, leaving the judge confused, but altogether indifferent.
---
The ride back to the brownstone was unusually silent.
Typically, the drive back from one of her work events consisted of Liz recounting how "that motherfucker was saying an awful lot for a man who cheats on his wife with his clerk", or how "that public defender at the bar is the one I told you about who keeps getting hit by her repeat offenders". They were boisterous little getaways from reality that you loved sharing with her, thankful for a glimpse into what her world really held.
Not so much this time.
Liz's arm was limp around your shoulder, and as you studied her face, you noticed her wide brown eyes preoccupied with watching the moon from outside the town car.
It hung high above the city, fat and pale.
Snow crunched underneath the tires.
You squeezed her hand.
She gave you a half-smile, a million miles away.
---
Once inside, Liz flicked the lock on the door, took off her coat, and retreated into the depths of the hallway that led to her home office.
Your eyebrows rose.
Although there hadn't been any fighting you'd witnessed break out at the bar, something must've transpired. It was unlike Liz not to be pressing you into the wall, eager to shuck your dress off as soon as you both made it back. Stranger still, the attorney was rarely one of few words.
Badgering her to open up didn't strike you as a method that'd be successful. Years of learning how to maneuver through conversations with resistant patients throughout medical school and, more recently, residency had taught you better. Elizabeth Donnelly would be yet another test to your bedside manner, you thought as you padded up the stairs.
So be it.
When you reached Liz's bedroom, you headed straight for the bathroom, collecting some of the tea candles you'd brought over a few weeks earlier. Soon, they littered the surfaces of the end tables on either side of the prosecutor's bed and along the ledge next to the tub. After lighting each of them, you rifled through the drawer she had started letting you keep your clothes in.
You searched with the aid of the wavering flames of the tea lights until you felt terrycloth slide through your fingers. Your bathrobe. Liz would have a black silk one somewhere in her closet, which proved easier to find in the dim light than you thought it would.
Off came your dress. You missed the feeling of Liz pressing up against your back, her breath heavy against the back of your neck as you heard your zipper come undone. As you discarded your bra on the floor along with your panties, you felt yourself ache for the way she'd slide her hands around your back to cup and massage your breasts.
You steeled yourself.
No matter how much you missed her touch, you wouldn't be feeling it until Liz crossed whatever bridge she was stuck on.
You folded her robe neatly at the end of the bed, and headed into the bathroom to draw a bath.
---
Liz sat in front of her computer, scrolling aimlessly through a redlined document that wouldn't matter until the following week. Her eyes scanned the paragraphs, watching the words slide off the screen.
Anything to keep her mind off the feeling in the pit of her stomach would be a welcomed distraction, even if it meant numbing herself to her surroundings.
The ghosts of the voices from the douchebags at the bar whispered at the edges of her consciousness. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Fuck.
"Honey?"
Liz opened her eyes. The words on the screen blurred together into a tangle of symbols.
You reached over, thumb swiping at the power button on the monitor.
Liz felt her office chair spin.
She looked up at you, mascara and eyeliner smudged. Her eyes were bloodshot.
"Come on," you said softly, gently taking hold of her hands. "Let's get you upstairs."
"I'm not in the mood tonight, sweetheart, I'm sorry..." she trailed off. Her voice was hollow. Worry grew in the back of your mind when you noticed she couldn't hold your gaze.
"I know. I'm not expecting anything. I think you need to wash up. It's getting pretty late," you said slowly.
Liz withdrew a hand to wipe at her eye, nodding.
---
You led her upstairs, grounding yourself mentally once more when she was quiet at the sight of the candles.
Wordlessly, you handed her the silk robe, and began easing her arms out of her blazer. You could tell she was confused, but she didn't resist.
"Thank you," Liz muttered.
You pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. She shuddered.
Confidence growing, you pressed your palms against her shoulders, and walked her into the bathroom where the tub waited.
"You're an angel, really," she sighed. "I don't know why you put up with someone like me."
That was it.
"Someone like you?" you played along, watching closely as she slid into the warm water with you. You moved to sit behind her. Had she been herself, you knew she'd fight you on that, but here and now she allowed you to wrap yourself around her back and pull her into your arms as you shifted up against the wall of the tub.
She sniffled.
You ran a warm, wet hand through her hair. Liz leaned into your touch.
"Someone my age."
"When has that ever been something I said I didn't care for?" you asked without any edge to your voice. You pressed your thumbs into the muscles that lined her shoulder blades now, massaging at the tension you felt rippling under her skin.
"Doesn't mean you couldn't be thinking it."
You laid your forehead against the back of her head.
"Liz, you're better with words than I am. I know there's nothing I can say to prove to you that I really don't care about that."
She hummed as you rolled your hands over her shoulders.
"Well, your tactfulness is proving exactly why they all loved you tonight."
"You know how honored it makes me feel that Arthur Branch likes me, my entire night hinged on winning him over," you teased.
Liz's body trembled slightly in your arms as she laughed at this.
"He's a jackass, Liz. I don't care if he or the judge thinks I'm too young."
"I know," she said, her voice quieting again. "It's just that...seeing you light up the room does make me wonder."
Instead of responding, you leaned down to press a kiss to either of her shoulders, allowing her space to finally speak her thoughts.
"There was a group of boys eyeing you up while I was talking to Lena."
"A group of twentysomething year-old Vineyard Vines proto-lawyers, wow. Just about the only thing more enticing than talking to Branch," you snorted. You could tell Liz smiled to herself at that.
"We have those types at the hospital. It's funny, there's a lot of crossover between your world and mine. Well, in terms of the undesirables."
"That why you're not with some other hotshot young doctor?"
She stiffened. You planted featherlight kisses across her jaw.
"I like my food well-seasoned, so to speak. And female, at that."
"You like your food 'female'?" Liz snickered. She still kept her eyes shut. You could tell that although a few bricks had been removed, the wall she built around herself still remained.
"Hey, I told you you're the one who's good with words here," you giggled. "But I know a better way to show you what I mean."
---
You led Liz, legs hot and leaden with exhaustion, to the bed.
Knowing that she wouldn't cooperate with being pushed onto her back, even in the state she was in, you patted the edge of the bed.
She acquiesed.
You leaned down, cupping her cheek. Her lips met yours hesitantly. You pressed deeper, teeth tugging at her bottom lip before you dropped to your knees.
Liz's breathing grew heavier. You trailed kisses down her chest, stopping to pop one of her nipples into your mouth. She moaned at this. Soon, her fingers wound their way into your hair. You move to suckle at the other nipple, watching as she pivoted to help ease it into your mouth.
"Mmmph..." you groaned, mouth full of her.
She kissed at your forehead.
With a wet pop, you released her nipple from your mouth, trails of saliva dribbling down her chest and your chin as you continued your way down, peppering her body with open-mouthed smooches. Feeling her shudder and groan caused the ache that throbbed between your legs to grow.
"Goddamn," Liz swore from up above you as you began lapping at the wetness you were glad to find between her legs like a kitten before a warm bowl of milk. You moved to let her drench your face, never able to get as close as you wanted to be to her. Your nose rubbed at her clit, which in turn led her to tighten her grip on the back of her head.
You looked up between her folds to find her staring down at you fondly behind heavily lidded eyes.
Getting closer.
Not looking away, you moved to wrap your lips around her clit, tongue stroking along the length of it.
"That's it, sweetheart," she panted now.
You tongued and sucked at her eagerly, pressing into the hips she began to roll against your face, until you felt her body freeze as her orgasm rippled over her. You moaned, moving to lap up as much of her as you could.
Rising to your feet, you wiped at your mouth with the back of your hand and smiled.
"Well-seasoned, told you," you teased, chest rising and falling.
Something shifted in her gaze, and the attorney tilted her head towards the bed.
"Lay back."
You listened.
Soon, you fixed your eyes to the ceiling, head comfortable on the pillow you knew she preferred sleeping on. The waning flames from the candles danced along the walls, the smell of sandalwood and lavender from the tub still heavy in the air.
She nudged between your legs, moving to climb atop you.
A wave of anxiety floated across your mind, almost as if you were making love for the first time all over again. It was something in the way she regarded you. Tenderly, hesitantly. So unlike what people knew her to be.
You steadied your breathing as she leaned down to kiss you. Surprisingly, her tongue slid readily into your mouth. You felt her begin to stroke at your nipples. You reached up, pulling her head closer to you to deepen the kiss, your thirst for her mouth all over yours something she hadn't quenched.
She pulled back, smiling at your sounds of protest.
"Greedy," Liz teased.
"I can't help it," you groaned from beneath her. "I want more of you. All of you."
One of her fingers busied itself between your folds now.
"All of me?" she countered. "You don't want some young gun bedding you?"
At this, she slid it inside of you, slowly beginning to pump. For as much as you were trying, you felt your grasp on what remained of your patience slip.
"Lizzie, come on..."
"And what?"
You groaned, feet running up and down the sheets. Her movements were maddeningly slow, never quite full enough, deep enough. She knew this.
"Fuck me. Hard. Claim me like I know you want to," you panted.
Liz shifted.
You gasped as you felt her lift your legs up onto her shoulders. It was nothing, though, like the way your brain spiraled like the suds around the drain when you felt her run the tip of her strap along the edge of your hole.
Liz leaned forward, pinning her hands to your wrists and pressing them into the mattress. She bucked her hips forward, and a moan escaped your lips as she filled you.
The attorney thrust in and out of you with a ferocity you hadn't felt from her yet, let alone from anyone, despite how hot-blooded she had been with you in the past. Not allowing either of you a chance to catch your breath, hers came in hot, ragged puffs over your face. You couldn't break away from her gaze, which poured over you with an intensity edged with a certain sense of resolve.
She needed this. Needed to know you were hers to hold, hers to bed.
With each stroke, she nailed at that spot inside you that melted your brain, deep and heavy. There'd surely be bruises in the morning, but you weren't able to think that far ahead anymore.
"I'm the only one..." she huffed, "the only one who gets to do this to you."
Your heart thumped between your ribs, threatening to snap them apart and claw its way out of your open chest.
"Say it."
You could barely hear her above you.
"Say it for me, darling," Liz repeated, appearing to be riding close to her own orgasm as well, no doubt from the way the base of her strap was rubbing against her.
You squeezed your eyes shut. Blood thumped in your ears.
"Fuck...please, mommy...please...Iet me cum..."
Your heart dropped as you felt her studder in her motions. Eyes snapping open, you realized those words you whined weren't kept within the confines of your own head.
"Oh god, Liz, I'm so sorry, I-"
Something behind Liz's eyes darkened.
She covered your body with hers, tongue cutting you off as she roughly bucked once, twice, three more times to send you both careening into the waves of pleasure that erupted across each of you. She bit at your lip hard, drawing blood. You groaned. Hands groped across sweaty expanses of flesh, unable to grasp enough.
When you finally parted, the fog had cleared.
The prosecutor's shoulders were set firmly. Though her chest still rose and fell, the look in her eyes was wholly her again, albeit with a certain eagerness blooming within their depths.
"Don't apologize for that. Ever."
A weary grin spread across your face.
Relief, sweet relief.
Your heart bounded happily. She picked up one of your hands, kissing each knuckle.
"Satisfied?" you asked, shifting to slide beneath the sheets.
She patted your thigh.
"More than you know."
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Stockton!Series Part Seven: Graveside - Nestor Oceteva x Reader (feat: Marcus Alvarez)
Tagging: @anime-weeb-4-life @danzer8705 @drabbles-mc @alwaysachorusgirl @witches-unruly-heart @mysoulisasunflower @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @est1887 @mortal--soul @buddinglinguist @spookyboogyuniverse @thanossexual @lexondeck @weiwei0210 @trublu2u @justreblogginfics @oklahomapeach @keyweegirlie @wnbweasley @skyesthebomb @dakotapaigelove @jadesamhart @sisinever @msjava1972 @trublu2u @fleureeee @jp1019 @thiashazzywriting @jeybae @thiashazzywriting @collegegirl83 @fanfic-n-tabulous @ravennaortiz @just-a-throw-away
Stockton!Series:
Part One: El Cuchillo - An incident in the clubhouse causes ramifcations for the entire club.
Part Two: Always - Nestor learns about what happened.
Part Three: In the Dark - You and Nestor wake up to find armed men in your house.
Part Four: Sierra - Marcus takes care of the men who tried to kill you.
Part Five: Maternal - Nestor and you take refuge at a familiar location.
Part Six: Times Are Changing - Bishop and Marcus discuss the future of the club.
The light shines through the trees, highlighting the colours in your hair as you stand in the cemetery before the grave of your mother, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers. For a moment it feels like Marcus has seen a ghost, Sierra standing in the midst of the greenery. He thinks that’s what Ramos saw that day in the clubhouse, Sierra’s ghost haunting him. When you tilt your head to look at him, he sees Javi’s eyes and he knows that’s the reason that Ramos tried to kill you that night. You were evidence of a past he didn’t want to confront, a reminder of what Javi had taken from him. A shot at a wife, a family. He wouldn’t have been happy until every last trace of Javi was eradicated.
For Marcus right now the past is overlapping the present. Sierra was never the same after the night Ramos hurt her, and neither was your father.
Marcus remembers the days you had spent at his home, him and Izzy looking after you because your mother couldn’t bring herself to leave the bed and your father was too busy trying to take care of her. He recalls you cuddled up on his chest as he read to you, putting you to bed and whispering sweet dreams before he turned the nightlight on.
Sierra had disappeared not long after that, they’d found her car at the Sonny Bono Wildlife Reserve. Her and Javi used to go hiking there, they’d taken you a handful of times for picnics. Her body had been found in the clearing you’d frequented; a suicide note tucked neatly in her purse.
I just can’t live with what he did to me, it had read.
Your father had gone after Ramos that night, he’d beaten him so badly he’d almost killed him. The only reason Marcus had put a stop to it was because of the shit that was going down with the cartels. Ramos was the lynchpin to the whole operation, if he died, then they’d be looking at a war and the cost of that, the bloodshed, it would have been far too much.
It’s not a pardon, he had told Javi, it’s just a stay of execution.
How wrong he’d been. Ramos had used his position and his connections to make himself untouchable in the years that followed. Javi had thrown himself into raising his daughter, being the best father he could be in Sierra’s absence.
It was your attack that changed things, Marcus thought. The powerlessness, the helpless, it brought back the memories of your mother, what Ramos had done to her. He thinks that’s why Javi started stalking Ramos, learning his routine. That’s what he’d been doing the night that he was killed, the cops had told them he’d been side swiped by a drunk driver, but Marcus knew the truth. Ramos had made his move and taken Javi out. He just hadn’t been able to prove it.
Your father’s death had sent you off the rails, it was the catalyst for everything that followed after.
Marcus clears his throat as he comes to stand beside you, in his own hand he holds a bouquet of lilies, not white but purple. It had been Sierra’s favourite colour. He puts his flowers alongside yours before straightening his spine.
“Do you think she’d be proud of me?” You ask him, the edges of his mouth tip up into a small smile.
“I think she’d like Nestor.” He tells you, clasping his hands in front of him. “I think she’d be wondering why you haven’t married him yet.”
You laugh, the back of your hand rubbing across the tears on your cheeks.
“I don’t think she’s the only one.”
Marcus bows his head before his gaze comes to rest upon the gravestone in front of him. He thinks of the last conversation the two of them had.
“You’ll look after her for me, won’t you?” Sierra had said when he’d visited her at the house. You were in school, and he’d wanted to give Javi a break.
“You’ll be looking after her soon enough.” He’d told her, smoothing the hair away from her face. “You just need to get yourself better.”
That had been the day before she’d driven out to the Wildlife Reserve.
“I think she’d be happy with the life that you’ve build, the fact you help people.” Marcus says finally, his arm coming to rest upon your shoulders. He feels you begin to tremble, hears the catch in your chest.
“I miss her.” You choke out and it breaks his heart because if Ramos had had his way, you’d be in the grave alongside of her, alongside your father. Your whole family would have been obliterated because of one man and his selfishness.
“It’s ok mija.” He says, his hand rubbing soothing circles over your back. “I miss her too.”
Love Nestor? Get added to his tag list!
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bonnington!reader x mick thot
ok so im thinking back to the moment bono finds his daughter and mick in the sim room
how he is faced with a side of his daughter that he never imagined he would see because she's always just been his little girl
but also with the fact that he felt hurt not knowing she had some sort of relationship with mick that was beyond the platonic one he knew she has with him
because at the end of the day it was always just them two
they are eachother closest friends
they've always told eachother everything because there is no point in trying to hide something from someone who knows you inside and out
so her not trusting him to know this new piece of information about her life hurts deeply
it's why he is throwing threats at mick, even though he knows how mick is as a person and that he would treat his daughter well
he needs to get these emotions out and mick sadly gets the brunt of it out of his devotion to his daughter because even though he is hurt by his daughters actions he cant find it in himself to be mad at her
that's his little girl after all
it's far from his best moment
but he doesnt know how to handle it because he wants to protect his daughter, but she's not a little kid anymore she's an adult who can make her own choices
so he just lets whatever is at the forefront come out and he can deal with the aftermath later
☕
yes!!! its some kind of jealously, but not jealousy per se. he's just afraid he's losing her, that she's getting older and leaving him behind, because he saw something similar happening (her mom), and yn used to tell him everything, absolutely everything, from what she had for breakfast to how long she drove from home to the sim, and she did it so naturally, between conversations, it wasn't something they recognize as a need, but rather her making him part of every detail of her life, bono loved it, and now he thinks he didn't had it truly the last few months. he felt like an outsider.
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homewrecker
submission for: @cirigiri's The DILF List Collab (DILF #17 — the friend’s husband) AND for iwaizumi's birthday on the 10th of june. also, this is part 1, part 2 is coming out on the 21st, and part 3 during kinktober <3
features: friend's husband!hajime iwaizumi x mrs. oikawa!f!reader (afab!reader, uses she/her pronouns) | song: homewrecker - marina | wc: 4185 | part 2 | part 3
summary: while hajime iwaizumi is a highly successful athletic trainer, his marriage is in disarray. his wife ended up cheating on him even after having a son, kaito iwaizumi, when she went on a business trip to argentina; with his best buddy, tooru oikawa, of all people. he wasn't the only one who had been duped, though. so were you, tooru oikawa's wife, and with a daughter, melina jose oikawa. you remembered your pent-up sentiments for hajime while comforting each other, and things start to take a spicy turn. | visual inspiration: this artwork by @/novak.rouge on instagram (@beware-of-the-rogue the way you and ella have spoiled me xD) and serena mendoza is inspired by serena van der woodsen from gossip girl (yes i love that show gtfo my case lol /j /lh)
beta readers: @mrskenmakozume @sweetsbysatori (your inputs are so so valuable ilysm <333) | networks: @tokyometronetwork @hanayanetwork
brainstorming: @mxonigirimiya (this wouldn't have been possible without you so thank you so so much *sobs* <33)
content warnings: hq timeskip spoilers, themes of infidelity, suggestive tones, angst, hurt/comfort, usage of swear words (this is so not me lol, i just had a rough couple of days, and this is me venting lol), serena's called a bitch, paparazzi, mentions of body insecurity/dysmorphia (but not reader), the reader having symptoms of depression including having trouble with eating, mentions of consumption of alcohol, sexual tension, slightly dubcon (if you squint at the end) 'cause iwaizumi's speaking in a slurred voice, please lmk if i miss out on any tags
a/n: this took me a lot of while to come up with this lol, because it's writing about my kinnie in a bad light, but it's only for the sake of the plot y'all. but i honestly loved writing this, i'd been in a bad mood off late and i needed to vent out. also, please note that i don't ever condone cheating. as always, likes, comments & reblogs, especially reblogs are appreciated. also, minors please dni, i will block you.
9th May 2021. 7:00pm, San Juan, Argentina
The waves from the cerulean sea kissed your toes as you were sitting near the shoreline in Del Bono with your elbows on the clear sand. The incandescent moon shone light on your shimmery silver dress and sand-covered feet which had become sore after running away from the izakaya after one of your colleagues shared the news where you learned that your husband, the setter of Club Atletico San Juan, Tooru Oikawa, was rumored to have cheated on you with your best friend since university, Serena Mendoza. You heaved a long drawn sigh as you felt something punching your gut as you then sat up with your hands hugging your stomach, writhing in agony, and tears welling in your eyes. Your heart broke for your daughter, as you wondered whether she heard the news about her father, and wondered whether her classmates would eventually make fun of her. She was at no fault of this at all, but was unnecessarily caught in this crossfire.
Wiping the tears from your waterline, for a moment you think about Serena, one of the richest, most popular and good looking girls at the University of California at Irvine, who became your best friend over your course of study at the university. She was regarded as one of the most beautiful girls in your university. Everyone wanted to be her, some wanted to be with her, and you, (Y/N) (L/N), having moved to the States from Japan, had considered yourself very lucky to befriend her.
The day after you two graduated from uni, you two were lying on one of the sands of the California beaches. You let the sand below you cling to you as you wore a swimsuit with every inch of the fabric hugging your skin especially after you’d gone for a swim, while Serena wore her black V-neck one-piece swimsuit, her body and her long, wavy blonde locks basked in the glory of the sunshine, waiting for you to get back. As you two were lying down, soaking in the sun, Serena said, “You know something? Someday, it would be nice for us to get married to a pair of best friends, wouldn’t it?” As the water kisses your feet, you turn to Serena and add, “Famous best friends, maybe? And if we end up getting a high profile job too, someday we wouldn’t have to worry about our life, y’know? ‘Cause we’d be living a life of luxury,” chuckling amongst yourselves.
Boy, how you were wrong.
10th May 2021. 7:00am, Tokyo, Japan
“We now begin this special program with breaking news as we see clips showing the well known setter for the San Juan Volleyball Team, Tooru Oikawa, walking out of his hotel with someone other than his wife. Sources say…”
As Iwaizumi was told by Atsumu Miya, one of his athletes that he was training for the Olympics, to watch the news online through his iPad, the world came to a standstill for him. He was beyond disbelief, seeing his wife and the mother of their son, as the mystery woman who was scuttling inside the hotel with Oikawa’s arm around her waist as he kissed her on her lips. He could make out that it was Serena through her blonde tresses, and the emerald earrings that he gave her for their anniversary.
“Haji,” he heard her calling for him once more, interrupting his train of thought, but the voice that once brought him joy now wrung his heart, causing him to be in profound agony. He turned in the direction of the gradually unfamiliar voice as he noticed Serena walking out of their bedroom in her work attire. She’d seen a little frantic, when she asked him, “Haji, where’s our son?” Furrowing his eyebrows at her, the athletic trainer responded, “That’s not something you needed to know,” then shrugged his shoulders to continue, “given that you don’t care for him anyway, but I’d already contacted my parents to take him in.” Serena widened her eyes in shock, raising her voice, “How dare you! He’s our son! How dare you make such decisions without consulting me?”
Approaching her, Hajime confronted his wife, and replied, “Serena, you lost that right. Not when you chose to go to Buenos Aires for the trip. You lost the right to call me your husband and Kaito as our son, when you decided to fuck my best friend,” raising his voice at the end and pointing a finger towards her. Serena’s mouth gaped wide open as he told her, “Atsumu showed me the news. That bastard woke me up at 7am! I’m glad that he did though, because you cheated on me, and betrayed your best friend, by sleeping with my asshole of a best friend! Oh my god, do you have any idea what she must be going through?” In the midst of the long argument, initially she kept denying it, saying, “No, Haji, that’s so not true. I just met him and caught up with him. That’s all,” and she kept trying to change the topic, but fate wasn’t on her side as she got a ping on the phone from Oikawa. He snatched the phone from her and then saw a notification from the beguiling devil himself. As he opened the phone, the text gave him enough reasonable doubt to confirm his suspicions:
“Serena-chan, what are we gonna do? (Y/N)-chan hasn't seen the news yet, has Iwa-chan? How are we going to explain this without getting caught?”
His olive-green irises started seeing red, but instead of deciding to lash out at Serena, which even she expected, an idea sparked into his head. He took a deep breath and he then proceeded to dial your number. As you lifted the phone, he was met with your ragged breaths and sniffles, as you replied with a lump in your throat, “Hello, Iwaizumi?” For a moment, when he heard you, he felt your heart break along with his, but he knew he had to be strong for the both of you.
He’d known you and Serena since the time you three studied together in Irvine. You and Iwaizumi did not have much in common, but you two were willing to be a part of each other’s interests. You two would watch Godzilla together while you would take him along with Serena out on a drive. Whether it was playing volleyball, playing in the arcade, or sipping on some horchata while gorging on some tacos, you loved to hang outdoors. You two slowly started to become thick as thieves, and you started to have feelings for him.
However, when he confessed one day that he had feelings for Serena, it caused your heart to break inside and you were a little jealous of her, but you had kept all the negativity aside, resigning yourself to thinking that he would never be interested in you to begin with. So, when Oikawa dropped by to visit Iwaizumi, the former ace introduced you to his childhood best friend who started shadowing his idol, the former setter-turned-coach Jose Blanco, when he joined the Club Atletico San Juan, one of the most popular teams in the Argentinian Volleyball Federation.
Tooru had once come across as smug initially, but he eventually captured your heart over you two having a lot more in common with each other, and you had similar experiences growing up. You two eventually fell in love with each other, and you and Tooru and Serena and Hajime got married on the same day. While Hajime and Serena worked in the States, the former gaining American citizenship, you had worked with Serena for a while, until you and Oikawa moved to Argentina, with him gaining Argentinian citizenship.
“Hi, it’s… been a while, hasn’t it?” Iwaizumi asked you, in a softer tone, causing Serena to open her mouth in shock. Taking a long drawn breath, you responded with a quivering voice, “It has, but it’s sad we’re talking under these circumstances.” He nodded, inquiring while Serena widened her eyes, “When did you find out?” Drooping your shoulders, you continued, “I was at an izakaya with my co-workers after we had a successful presentation. Before coming here, it felt really awkward. Many of my co-workers were giving me weird looks throughout the day, until some of them decided to treat me to a drink in the evening. You know that she and I decided to be colleagues in the American Volleyball Association where Kuroo-san referred us before I transferred to Argentina, right? So, I contacted my boss after knowing the news and he granted me permission to work from home. I’ve never done this, Iwa! I take pride in going to work everyday, and I just…”
You couldn’t speak anymore because you’d started sobbing, smearing your makeup. Iwa repeatedly called your name to calm you down, while flashing his hand at Serena to stop her from walking towards him. Having gained your attention, you replied, “I don’t know what to do, I’m going to be booking a cab home as of now.” He then interrupted you by saying, “Before you do that, I think you need to call Oikawa. This needs to be talked about.” Your eyes widened as fear and anger gripped you, snarking, “wait, is that bitch here?” He hummed in response, causing you to respond, “you know what? Let’s do that. Also, please put the phone on speaker.”
While Serena does not move an inch, Hajime put the phone in front of him and turned on the speaker, while side-eyeing at her. After a couple of minutes, a familiar voice was heard out loud. “Ola, mi amõr. What's up? Practice is wrapping up, so I’m on my way home. What do you want for dinner?” The whole room could sense that he was acting like nothing happened. Then you continued, “Tooru, I saw the news. I know that you’re having an affair with Serena.” An uncomfortable silence lingered in the room, before Oikawa breaks it, replying in an act of defiance, “Baby, it's not what it looks like,” when Hajime chimed in, exclaiming with seething rage, “So what is it then, Shittykawa, ‘cause it looks like you're all over my wife!”
Serena then cried out, “Tooru, I did not tell him anything,” with you interrupting her, saying, “Shut up, bitch, no one wants to listen to you!” Tooru was shocked, and he softly replied, “Mi amor, can we talk about this by ourselves, at home? I’m so sorry–” Shaking your head, you retorted, “Nah. You’re only sorry that you got caught. So, either we can’t talk about it at all, or we can talk about it now since you decided to embarrass not just yourself, but all four of us on an international stage. Do you know how many weird looks I got today? Huh? I'd have to call my boss for some days off or to work from home, because paparazzi would probably be fucking hounding my office, putting my job at risk, so I'm at the beach, and I’ll be going back home now, and I’m sure the cameras have reached there too,” you shrug and raise your voice, continuing, “packing our bags, and taking Melina with me to Tokyo, where you’re not going to follow me, do you understand, Oikawa?”
During this time, Oikawa gets a call from Jose Blanco, his coach, and Iwaizumi from Fuki Hibarida, the coach of the Japanese National Volleyball Team. Both of them were urged to put the phone via a conference call, where everyone was present. You muted your side of the call out of respect but didn't cut the call. Instead, you got up, rustled your dress, and booked a cab home. “Oikawa,” Blanco spoke first, “you’re our most important player in the team, so how is it that your dirty laundry is now aired?” Hibarida continued, “we’ve decided to arrange the conference call, because one, we know that you two have been friends growing up, so this better be fixed somehow, and two, the Olympics are on the way and we don’t want any bad press to affect our games. So, you two better fucking get it together or both of you're off your respective teams, because we're not going to risk our image by being associated with that mess.” Nodding with a single tear streaming down his cheek, Hajime responded, “We are so sorry, Hibarida-san and Blanco-san for all the chaos that’s been happening. I’ll be organizing a press conference tomorrow and come clean. I hope Oikawa does the same, because a lot is at stake here, including our friendship, which has already gone to the dogs. Have a good day, both of you.”
When both of them hung up, you unmuted yourself and continued speaking, “I’m home now. I’m telling our daughter that we’re taking an impromptu trip to her grandparents’ place, in Miyagi. Hajime, since our parents live nearby, why don’t you bring your son there?” With a soft smile on his face, he replied, “Already did that, (y/n). It will be nice for our kids to bond. Where will you be staying?”
“I’ll be staying over at a friend’s place,” you continued, “We’ll be in touch, Haji. But before I hang up, I want to ask the both of you something. Tooru, what did she give you that I couldn't? Serena, what did he give you that Hajime couldn’t provide? What could have been so lacking in our respective marriages, that you, Tooru sought it out in not just any woman, but the wife of your best friend for almost 2 decades? The same question goes to you too, Serena.” Both of them sheepishly replied, “I don't know,” making both you and Iwaizumi even more furious. You then hung up and tried to find a way to collect your emotions and move out to a friend’s place with your daughter before you move back to Tokyo the next day.
On the following day, Hajime and Tooru organized a press conference at their respective places, and Tooru was the first to speak, “Good evening everyone. This press conference is being held to come clean and ensure that our Olympic game is not jeopardized. The rumors are true: I did have an affair with Iwaizumi's wife. All of us have known each other since college days, and Iwaizumi and I grew up together. So, this in no way excuses my actions, or our actions. We were drunk, we acted impulsively without thinking about the impact it would have on our partners We are sorry—not only to everyone we disappointed, but especially to our partners whom we betrayed in one of the most intimate ways. Having said that, it was a one time thing that never should have happened, and all we can do is ask for forgiveness,” half-lying in the end. Then Hajime continued, “Our families request privacy as we figure out how to move forward after this scandal. So, I hope that all of you will respect our decisions in this matter. And to those who are fans of the team and of the sport of volleyball, I request that this isolated incident should not affect your love for it at all. Above all, we’ll always be fans of the sport, no matter what. The press conference ends here.”
Days have passed since you moved out of Argentina back to Tokyo, and you and Hajime had told Serena and Tooru that you two were separating from the both of them. Upon reaching Tokyo, you’d contacted your childhood friend, Tetsuro Kuroo, who was now a sports promoter at the Japan Volleyball Association, who gave you a separate house to live in for a couple of days, and was even willing to refer you for a spot in the JVA, should you wanted to come back to work. You responded, saying that you would think it over. In the meantime, Iwaizumi moved out of the house and contacted his other best friends, Issei Matsukawa and Hanamaki Takahiro. “Bro, we’re really sorry that that happened and you can stay with either one of us,” Mattsun replied over the phone, “however, Oikawa was lying about one thing. It was not a one time thing, Iwaizumi. They’d been sleeping with each other even when you all were just dating.” Hajime felt a sinking feeling within him when he learnt of the dirty little secret.
Despite all the four settling with each other in different countries, Oikawa and Serena had a secret that neither Hajime nor you were aware of. Even though Tooru and Serena loved you two a lot, enough to want to start families with the both of you, they loved each other differently. The secret glances they shared, the trips they would secretly take to meet each other, the marks they had to hide and everything else surrounding their years of tryst were oblivious to you two. They were never caught, except by some of his Argentinian friends who tried to convince him to stop the affair, until now. Mattsun had eventually learned of this the month before the press leak, when he ended up snooping through Oikawa’s phone when he’d come to Japan for some time before the Olympics. Mattsun told Makki and while the both of them confronted Oikawa and told him to inform Hajime, he said that he would, but since they knew that he wouldn’t, Makki left an anonymous tip to the press who started tracking them, hence the press leak. The day of the press leak, Oikawa lost his cool when he saw the only DM from Makki ‘cause they’d usually talk over the phone: “I hope you enjoy explaining your affair to the press, Oikawa :D”
The first few days went by very drearily, causing you to weep profusely. This affected you so much that it caused you to have sleepless nights and bouts of overeating and not eating at all. You were scared to go to work again so after a couple of days, you contacted your boss saying that you wanted to work from home until the situation died down. So, you started slowly gaining your energy back, and with employing a couple of self-care options, you were slowly feeling better yourself. This didn’t stop you from suddenly thinking about the whole situation without it constantly pricking you. You’d told Tooru that you wanted to be separated and you wanted time to think for yourself and the custody of your daughter. It was especially hard when you’d be in touch with your daughter and you were not able to say anything to her just yet. She may have your hair and your features but she had Tooru’s eyes, and it pained you to see her brown irises and be reminded of him.
With Hajime, it was different.
In any case, he kept to himself anyway. Nonetheless, people did still know him as an athletic trainer, and through a couple of viral videos of him working out, he was also referred to as a “DILF.” He never missed looking in the mirror since he started working out consciously and living a healthy lifestyle, and he was proud to see his muscle mass growing in the right places. As he raked his fingers through his hair, he would flex his biceps and admire the physique he was trying to build for himself.
He was not ashamed of the way he looked. It may have bothered him that he was shorter than Tooru, but he was happy with how he lived. He was aware that Tooru was more popular with girls than he was. However, whenever Serena complimented him and told him that he still looked attractive and that she was lucky to be with him, he became much more at ease. But with her having cheated on him, he suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, realizing that she may have been lying. He suffered a significant blow to his self-confidence, not only as a partner but also as a parent and a person. The moments he felt like not working out, he would skip it, but would be chided by Mattsun, Makki, and you.
Everyday you’d check in with Hajime to figure things out as to how you two would be able to cope with everything. You were able to convince one of your old friends who work in the grocery store to deliver the groceries to Hajime so he could avoid the paparazzi, and since Kuroo gets his groceries delivered anyway, you don't have to go out either. This wasn’t just to calm everything down, it's also to salvage your images because you didn’t want people to pity you as the left-behind partners. You two were much more than that. Because life had been kicking the both of you hard, while you two were occasional drinkers, your quantities eventually started increasing. You two somehow found a way to sneak to each other’s houses without garnering unwanted attention. Even if it was for a brief moment, you two indulged in a temporary escape with each other, ignoring the reality that was haunting the both of you.
One day, at his house, when you two were watching a comedy movie while hogging on some popcorn together, while laughing, your hand subconsciously landed on his thigh and then your eyes turned to each other. Your heart started to beat faster as your eyes landed on his. Ragged breaths were echoed throughout the room, as he closed the laptop. As he was cupping your cheeks and drew your face closer, he asked you slowly, gentlemanly, “(y/n), can I please-” and as you were about to give in to the temptation, your phone buzzed causing you to jolt from your carnal trance as your daughter called you. Sensing that you needed time to think about all that just happened, you told him that you were leaving and that you’d meet him later.
As you finish speaking with your daughter, while driving back home, your mind then lingers back to the first time when you first saw him at the university's recreation center, his dark brown, spiky hair caught your attention and then his green eyes which truly captured your attention. In discussing the intramural tournaments with him as you were interested in signing up, you found his toned figure attractive. You were standing at the registration desk when Serena grabbed your arm and whispered into your ear, “oooh, did you notice the dickprint on his shorts? Because that looks so satisfying,” and you did notice a slight bulge in his shorts as you glanced over at him.
He seemed to get the memo when your gaze meets his, as he winked at you, making your cheeks flush as you parted ways. Ever since then, over the years, whenever you touched yourself, as your fingers ran over your clit, everyday, even when you were married to Tooru, you still kept thinking of Hajime as you imagined him calling you, “baby,” as he thrusted himself inside you. You were scared to tell Serena about how you felt for him because they told you individually, and out of respect for both of them, you kept your feelings aside and you genuinely started to like Tooru, but you couldn’t stop thinking of Hajime. How could you? You were truly in love with him.
9th June, 2021. 11:30pm
You realized that it was Hajime’s birthday coming soon, and no sooner did you think about him, than you were immediately reminded of the moment you two had shared when you two almost kissed each other, causing your cheeks to fluster. You’d wanted him for so long, but never got to act on the feelings, but that day, when your lips were about to meet, you realized that you haven’t had sex in so long. Your marriage with Oikawa had fallen apart at its seams, and while you had been thinking of getting back to him for your daughter, that moment with Hajime made you realize that you’d rather have the athletic trainer more than the setter.
Having then downed a few glasses of wine, and craving to be intimate with him, you put your lacy underwear under Hajime’s oversized volleyball shirt, turned on your vibrator, placed it over your clit, and felt the vibrations run through you. Initially, you moved the tip of the toy slowly up your entrance before you let it enter you, then you increase the speed. You were fondling yourself, bursting out in a series of moans when you heard a knock at your door. As you awoke for a brief moment and wondered what was happening, you kept the vibrator on your bedside table. You ran to the door, opening it with your eyes wide and shocked at who was there. The former ace mumbles in a slurred voice, picking you up as he wraps your legs around his waist. He takes your cheeks to bring you closer and begins to kiss you.
© Shyna 2022 - reposting on any other platform is not allowed. likes, comments, and especially reblogs are appreciated. (taglist in next rb)
#📃 the dilf list !#tokyometronetwork#hanaya network#hajime iwaizumi x reader#iwaizumi hajime x reader#hajime iwaizumi smut#iwaizumi hajime smut#iwaizumi hajime#hajime iwaizumi#iwaizumi smut#iwaizumi hajime (27) athletic trainer#haikyuu smut#haikyuu angst#hq hurt/comfort#tw dubcon#tw alcohol#mentions of body dysmorphia#tw depression#shy pens it out#let shy bite your lower lip
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Alright, Yous asked for this - PART THREE
Threesome with Finan and Osferth
Shameless smut.
Arnas Fedaravicius Smut - Groovey Kind of Love
CW: RPF.
More sexy time with mr sexy.
Sex in Public - Arnas Fedaravicius
CW: RPF
Pointless smut
You're Mine - Redo
The more canon compliant version.
Reunion Sex - Osferth
He's missed you, you know.
Yet Another Sihtric Smut - Sex Worker Sihtric
Modern verse, escort!Sihtric doing reader pro bono.
Helaemond Smut
I am Heleamond trash
The Green Dragon
Meaningless Aemond smut
How It Came To Be
The first time Harwin and Nyra involve Laenor
A bed for three
Harwin x Nyra x Laenor
Laenor Velaryon - Ducks and Geese
Nyra and Laenor being poly with reader, vague plot, much smut.
Prince Viridian - Edging You
Just me being nuts for Gijs Blom
Seth x Darren smut
Seth Clearwater and his dhampire boyfriend.
Chris Evans' Weak Pullout Game
BREEDINGKINKBREEDINGKINKBREEDINGKINK
Anton Mogart Request
Request has been requested, smutty shit
In The Middle of Nowhere
Henry Cavill smut
True Art
Anton Mogart Smut
Bondage - The Darkling
I do this for my friend Alina. Smutty nonsense.
~Added since making this list~
Run, Little Prey
Sweeney, Loki and Shadow all want a good round with reader and they'll have to work for it.
The Other Thorki
American Gods Loki x Thor
Red Hair; Red Hand
Peaky Blinders long fic, slight fix it, first POV. Very Alfie at first, then very Tommy.
Sihtric fucking you on your period
For a fellow fox.
Scare you into it
Master Chief x Rich Man's Daughter. Might be long fic.
Hurts so good
Master Chief x Medic smut
Part of your research
Master Chief x Biologist. Probably a long fic.
Shot Through the heart [Mob!AU]
Shameless Mob au smut
Master Chief NSFW Alphabet
Dirty dirty headcanons
Just some Michael Gavey BS, bc I have some, too
Mikey and reader are on a project together, but he'd rather fukc her. Involves mommy kink and Mikey being a virgin.
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Let It Be
Summary: Barry's daughter goes to the police station after he gets arrested.
Pairing: Barry Berkman x teen!daughter reader
You heard the news as soon as you woke up. Barry got arrested last night. He’s being charged with the murder of Janice Moss. You couldn’t believe that it actually happened, Barry will finally face some consequences for his crimes.
He’s currently at the police station, but will be transferred to jail soon. Your father going to prison means you have to go back into foster care. Just the thought terrifies you. You can’t go back to that.
You reached out to a friend whose mom, Annalise, is a lawyer and asked for some legal advice. Annalise suggested filing for emancipation, which would legally make you an adult. It’s your best chance at avoiding foster care. Annalise volunteered to take on your case pro bono and quickly drew up the paperwork.
There isn’t a lot of time. Barry is still at the police station getting questioned. Annalise stressed the importance of getting the papers signed before Barry is arraigned and gets transferred to prison. She was planning to deliver the paperwork to your father but you insisted that you should be the one to do it. This is your last opportunity to talk to him before he goes away.
Annalise drove you to the police station and convinced the police to let you see your father, explaining that he was your only living parent. You watched in awe as Annalise spoke with the police. She’s very good at her job and it gives you more confidence that she will get your emancipation granted in court.
You take one final deep breath before walking into the interrogation room. The first thing you see is Barry seated at a table.
“Hey,” you shyly wave to your father.
Barry’s jaw immediately drops when he sees you. He is in shock. You’re the last person he expected to walk through the door.
“Y/N,” Barry breathes, “What…what are you doing here?”
You sit down at the table across from Barry. You don’t want to talk about what your father is accused of. You know damn well that the cameras are on and you won’t say anything that would implicate him. You still feel weirdly obligated to protect Barry, even after everything he’s done.
“I, uh, I need you to do something for me,” you bite the bottom of your lip.
Barry gives you a confused look. You put the paperwork and a pen down on the table.
“Sign these emancipation papers,” you tell him.
Barry’s eyes widen. He’s stunned into silence, experiencing major deja vu. This moment almost mirrors the first time you met your father. You went to his doorstep, asking him to sign a permanent release of rights so you could emancipate from the foster system. That’s when Barry took you in.
You went to court with your emancipation request but Barry was granted custody of you instead. After that, you and Barry became a family. And it was good for a while, but it was never meant to last. Your father has a dark past and was battling his own personal demons. He lost that fight and even you couldn’t save him.
“Please Barry! I need to emancipate or else I go back to foster care. I can’t… I can’t go back. Please,” you try.
Barry is taken out of his thoughts, snapping back to reality. You continue making your case.
“My friend’s mom is a lawyer, she’s going to help me. She thinks I have a much better chance of getting emancipation granted this time because I’m almost eighteen and it would be easier to do that rather than re-house me in a foster home. And I have a plan now, not like before. I'm staying at Steve's until I finish off senior year.”
Barry picks up the pen, glancing down at the paperwork.
“Where do I sign?”
You let out a sigh of relief.
“There’s a sticky note on the last page,” you tell him.
Barry sifts through the paperwork, quickly reading as he goes along. He takes a deep breath when he gets to the last page. With the stroke of a pen, he’s no longer legally responsible for you. That realization hits him like a ton of bricks.
After a moment of hesitation, Barry signs the document.
“Thank you,” you breathe.
He’s doing this to protect you. At least that’s what he’s telling himself. Your father would do anything to make sure you don’t go back into foster care.
“I just want you to be safe and happy,” Barry says quietly.
“I am,” you reply, and then, “I miss you… but I’ll be okay without you.”
The color in Barry’s face drains. Being your dad was the best part of his life and now it’s all over. Your life will just go on without him.
“Despite everything, you’ll always be my father. You provided me with the first home I’ve ever had and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Barry slowly nods. He slides the paperwork and pen back over to you. You rise to your feet.
“I should get going,” you sigh, eyeing the exit.
“I love you kid,” Barry tells you sincerely.
You’re quiet for a moment. Tears begin streaming down your face, you wipe them away.
“I love you too… Bye dad.”
#barry#barry hbo#bill hader#barry berkman#barry berkman imagine#barry berkman x reader#barry berkman x teen!daughter#bbtd
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Hotter Than Hell’s Kitchen (Matt Murdock x Reader)
Author’s Note: Hi everyone! Guess who can write an almost 3k word fic but has no motivation to write a three page essay? This girl! Anyways, this started as a few line blurb, then I was gonna combine it with another idea for Matt, and then I separated it back out and, well, here we are. I really hope you guys enjoy, and let me know if you want to be tagged in anything! :)
Summary: Nelson and Murdock have a seriously huge case coming up that will do a lot of good for a lot of people. But Foggy is off with Marci doing a pro-bono case in Boston, the A/C unit in the office isn’t working, Hell’s Kitchen is experiencing a hellish heat wave, and--oh yeah--you have a massive crush on Matt Murdock.
Warnings: Fluff, unabashed flirting, smut (oral–f/m!receiving, penetrative, choking because it’s Matt, praise kink if you squint), swearing
Other Characters: None
Word Count: 2,686
“Remind me to kill Foggy when he gets back,” you say as you open a window, desperately trying to get even minimally cooler air into the office.
“C’mon, he didn’t know that there’d be a heatwave the week he had to go to Boston for the case with Marci,” Matt says loosening his tie a little.
“But he did know the A/C needed to be fixed because of he was the one that broke it.”
“Look at it this way,” Matt says, that signature reassurance—and smirk—in his voice. “It’s gonna be a long night here getting all this prep work done, so the air should get colder that way.”
“Yeah, but not by much, unfortunately.” You run your fingers through your hair and check your watch. “Listen, it’s almost seven. I was gonna go and grab some dinner for us and bring it back so our blood sugars don’t bottom out over these documents. Anywhere in particular you’d want to go to?”
Matt sighs as he thinks about the prospects. “I’ve actually really been craving a sandwich from the corner store a few streets over.”
“Mmm,” you hum in agreement. “I always forget about their sandwiches.”
“Well, then, it’s decided.”
“Great. I’ll try to get as many cold waters as I can.”
When you return not even a half hour later, your breath catches in your lungs. Matt has his glasses off, the sleeves of his button up rolled to his elbow, a few buttons undone, and his tie undone and hanging around his neck as a light sheen of sweat covers his body.
“(Y/N)?” he asks. “Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah,” you say, shaking myself out of the Matthew Murdock-enduced haze to come up with a lie other than Sorry, I was ogling at how extra sexy you look right now. “A friend texted and wanted to know if I wanted to drink frozen margaritas with her,” you lie as you make your way over to the table. “But I told her I had a hot date with documents.”
“Is that my new nickname?” he smirks.
You let out a chuckle, somewhere halfway between stunned and a little aroused. “You’re too cocky for your own good, Murdock.”
“I’m told that’s what makes me a really good lawyer,” he says as he takes the sandwich you hand him. As you put the waters on the table, he goes to reach for his glasses, and you place a gentle hand on his wrist.
“You don’t need to put them back on,” you tell him. “It’s . . . nice to see your eyes.”
A hint of a smile pulls at his lips. “Thanks,” he says as he takes a seat.
“I also have a surprise—ice cream!” Sticking my hand into the bag, you pull out a pint of Ben and Jerry’s vanilla ice cream. “Technically, it’s courtesy of Mrs. Castellanos for ‘the handsome lawyer that helped her daughter.’ If you’re not careful, I think she wants to try and set the two of you up.”
“Wait, Mrs. Castellanos only speaks Greek,” Matt says, his brow scrunched in confusion.
“I know,” you say as you get up to grab spoons.
“Do you have any other language super powers you’d like to share?”
You shake your head as you make your way back. “Nah. It’s a lot funnier to watch the expression on your face.” You place the spoons on the table as you go to undo the protective seal on the pint of ice cream. When you take off the lid, you find it to be the perfect consistency for eating. “You can have your sandwich first if you want to, but I’m going to dig into this to cool down.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” he smiles.
“One time, Foggy mentioned something about you having heightened senses since you can’t see, and I didn’t know if that applied to ice cream flavors, so I went with vanilla so it wouldn’t be too crazy. I hope that was okay.”
Matt chuckles. “Vanilla has a special place in my heart, so you chose really well.”
You each take a spoonful of the quickly-melting treat, and you cheers your spoon with his. You continue to go through the documents as you eat the ice cream and your sandwiches.
While the ice cream sounded good in the moment, it soon proves to be a very bad idea. Once the pint was empty of the refreshing treat, the heat that you felt earlier is only more intense, which might be due to your close proximity to Matt. You roll your head around clockwise to try and alleviate the tension in your body, only to find that it has failed miserably.
“You okay?” Matt asks, gently nudging you with his elbow.
“Yeah,” you breathe. “I just got really warm. The ice cream played a cruel trick on my body, that’s all.”
Matt nods, running his fingers over the documents in front of him before tilting his head to look at you. “You know,” he starts. “If it would make you feel more comfortable, you can take your shirt off. I mean, it’s not like I can see anything.”
Your heart races, and you feel even warmer at his suggestion. “Matthew Murdock, are you trying to get me naked?” you tease.
He flashes me that cocky little pout of his. “Maybe I am.”
Oh my God.
You let out a short gasp, your brain entering a new haze with his words.
“Um, m-maybe we should call it a night,” you say, swallowing hard. “I mean, we’ve been working our asses off, we have more than we need to start, and it’s so hot we could actually be in Hell’s Kitchen.”
“(Y/N), if I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry, I—.”
“No, Matt, that’s not at all what is going on. I promise. I just . . .”
His hot breath tickles your skin in the thick summer air of the office. When the hell did he get this close to you? Even in this heat, he smells so good . . .
“Oh, fuck it,” you breathe as you crash your lips into his. Matt readily accepts your kiss, his hands scrunching up into your hair as he holds you close, desperately trying to make a nose-smushing kiss deeper. The momentum from your bodies tips over the metal chairs that you sit in and you fall to the floor. You both moan in surprise as you fall, but you can’t be bothered to separate your lips from one another. Once you are on the hardwood, Matt takes the opportunity to get on top of you, his legs straddling your waist as he traps your body with his knees. Your fingers tug at his hair to bring him closer to you, and when one of his hands moves down your body to squeeze your waist, you break the kiss to let out a needy moan.
“Matt,” you whine as his lips attach to your neck, littering the skin with a mix of open-mouthed kisses and an assortment of nibbles. “Matthew.”
His nose grazes up your jaw and across your cheek before he places another searing kiss on your lips. Your hands move in between your bodies and you try to undo the buttons of his shirt. With his large hands around your back, he guides you up as he moves to sit on his knees, peeling the fabric of your blouse off of your body and unhooking the clasp of your bra as you get his shirt open, and goddamn he is sculpted from marble. As you run your fingers across his taught skin, you feel different scars that litter his skin—some firm and raised, others plush and smooth.
“Oh my God, Matt,” you say as you try to get a good look at them.
“Are those really what you want to focus on right now?” he pants as his hands cup your face and he repeatedly places hungry, needly kisses on your lips.
“Well, no, but—.”
Matt places a deep kiss on your lips as he moves you to lie back down, placing kisses all the way down from your lips, to your chest, and the line down your stomach. As he worships your skin, you feel him tug at the zipper on your skirt and undo it, sliding the material down your legs. Once the fabric is removed from your body, he continues to kiss along your hips and all over your thighs.
“Matt,” you breathe.
“Tell me this is what you want,” he breathes as you feel his scruff rub against your inner thighs. “Tell me what you want.”
“Matthew,” you moan, and his unfocused eyes do his best to look at your face. “I’m yours. I want you—I want all of you.”
He smiles before his hands fling down your panties and spreads your legs wide. He places sloppy kisses on the inside of your thighs before licking a tantalizing stripe up your slit. You let out a harsh cry that rings through the office as Matt eats you out like a starved man. He hits every right spot, knowing just where to nibble, suck, and lick to make you see stars. Your hands want to move down and weave through his hair, but you’re so sensitive to the pleasure he is bringing you, you can’t help but keep them towards your head as you try to process everything he is doing to you. You feel the coil in your stomach slowly being to tighten when he pulls away, moving his kisses back up your body to meet your lips and give you an opportunity to feel the erection in his pants. You use your hands to push him onto his back so you have full access to his soft skin. You kiss every centimeter that you can, playing extra attention to his scars. As you approach the taught skin on his abs, his breathing becomes faster as he depends on the touch of your lips. You decide to have fun and torture him a little bit, making your kisses longer and slower as you move across his waist, just above his pants.
“(Y/N),” he says, his voice strained. “(Y/N), please.”
You let out a small chuckle, placing one more kiss right on his bellybutton before you undo his belt and pants. The sigh of relief that Matt releases as he cock springs free is almost enough to make you cum right there. You take his shaft in your hand and carefully stroke him, placing feather soft kisses where your hands aren’t. His fingers card through your hair as you begin to take him in your mouth, not so much to guide you down him, but to feel as much of you as possible. Matt is completely helpless as you move up and down his length. He lets out a shaky moan when you place a hand on his thigh, and he involuntarily ruts into your mouth. Matt pulls you off of him and guides you back up to his lips, one hand firmly holding the side of your neck while the other travels down your back to the globe of your ass. You squeak in excitement when you feel the tip of his cock poke against you. You feel the smile grow on Matt’s lips against yours before he moves to kiss your shoulder, up to your neck, and stopping just below your ear.
“Grab my wallet in my pants,” he breathily commands, his calloused hands squeeze the flesh of your waist. “There should be a condom in it.”
You sit up from him and reach to the side, and sure enough, there is a little foil package just waiting to be torn open and used. You open it up, and Matt lets out hisses of delight as you roll it onto him. Straddling his hips, you hold him still as you sink down on his member. It is incredibly huge, and even with how wet he has made you, it’s difficult to stretch to get him him. You both let out moans and groans as you take him deeper, and Matt utters praises on his breath like a prayer.
“You’re doing so good, (Y/N),” he encourages. “You’re so good, taking me like that.”
You let out a thoroughly guttural moan when you bottom out on Matt, and his hands tenderly roam the skin of my hips and thighs, praising you with his touch. You whine as you move up his cock and back down slowly, getting used to the feeling of him stretching you out in the best ways possible. After a few repetitions, you feel comfortable enough to pick up the pace and move from a careful slide to a bounce. Matt’s praises turn into lewd, breathy encouragements as you rock against him. His hand travels up your stomach, briefly squeezing one of your breasts before it wraps around your neck, applying just the right amount of pressure to increase your pleasure. You lean forward slightly as you continue to ride him, enjoying the feeling of his hand on your neck.
“Matt,” you whimper. “Mmm—fuck, Matthew.”
“You feel good, huh?” he pants. “You’re doing so fucking well, angel.”
As you swivel your hips, you can feel Matt begin to lift his hips into you, trying to fuck you himself. You move a hand to brush sweat-stuck hair from his forehead, and he takes your wrist with his free hand and kisses the palm as the one around my neck moves to cradle the back of your head. In one swift motion, Matt has your positions switched and grabs your legs to get a new angle in you. You thought the view from up top riding him was divine, but to see him thrusting into you as he hovers above your body is utter heaven. His lips move to kiss the skin on your knees and down to your ankles.
“Matt, Matt, please,” you beg.
“Please what, angel?” he pants as he lowers his torso above yours.
“Don’t stop,” you plead, your words almost in audible from the pleasure.
Matt moves his fingers through your hair and kisses you so passionately you almost cum from the contact. His lips don’t leave yours as he continues to push into you, and the way that his pelvis rubs against your clit as you move becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back. You feel yourself begin to tighten around him, and you break the kiss to throw your head to the side as to not make Matt deaf from your moans. His lips quickly find the hollow of your neck to worship, and he soon feels his release as your body milks him for all he is worth. Matt’s thrusts become sloppy as he continues to work his way through his climax before he stills in you with one final thrust. The only sound in the office is your heavy breathing as you both try to slow your heart rates. Matt pulls you in for one more languid, tender kiss before he pulls out and throws the condom in the trash by the table.
“I don’t know if that was the best way to cool off during a heatwave,” he chaffs as he wraps his arms around your body, placing lazy kisses on the skin that his lips can find.
“You’re the one that suggested I take off my shirt. Heatwave or not, sex is inevitable after a hot guy tells you to do it,” you say with a soft smile.
“You think I’m hot?”
“C’mon, Murdock—you’re blind, not stupid.”
“But you think I’m hot,” he continues to tease.
“Yes, I like your face and body and brain. Does that admission satisfy you, counselor?”
“Very much so, but evidence does need to be submitted to corroborate your statement.”
Oh my, he’s such a dork. He’s lucky you love it. “Oh?”
“Unfortunately,” Matt sighs as he drags the tip of his nose along your skin. “And you know how long that process can take.”
“Well, then, we better get to it.”
Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger @steampowerednightvaler @themusingsofmany @just-the-hiddles @toozmanykids @dangertoozmanykids101 @clints-worldavengers
#matt murdock#matt murdock x reader#matt murdock x you#matt murdock fanfic#matt murdock fanfiction#matthew murdock#matthew murdock x reader#matthew murdock x you#daredevil#daredevil x reader#matt murdock fluff#matt murdock smut#marvel#marvel fanfic#marvel fanfiction#daredevil netflix
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Hi ! Could you write something with Lewis H, where, the reader is famous as well, and you go to one of his races with baby girl Hamilton, and Toto and Bono and literally everyone else in the paddock gushes over it, Maybe Seb comes with a gift? Tysm, I love your writing 💕
Thank you so much. x
Your little baby girl was dressed in a cute summer outfit, one that her dad had got her a couple of months ago and since it was finally summer and she was also finally big enough to wear it, a Formula 1 race was the perfect opportunity to show it off. Since it was a bit loud in the paddock, you put some big headphones over her head, trying to keep her safe at all times.
You held your little girl in your arms as you walked to where you knew Lewis would be however once you got there, you noticed he was still driving a few practice laps with his car. Nevertheless, you and YDN got greeted with so much love as you stepped inside the paddock. “YN.”, Toto said once he saw you, a big smile on his lips as he walked over to you, immediately giving you a welcoming hug. “I didn’t know the two of you were coming.”, he said, his eyes soon on your little daughter as she too had a bright smile on her face, knowing exactly who Toto was. “Of course, Lewis didn’t tell you about it.”, you said, laughing lightly as you shook your head, soon noticing your daughter spreading her arms out to be held by the man who was stood in front of you. You carefully handed her over to him, a giggle leaving her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “YN, YDN.”, Bono said, joining the three of you as he also hugged you before his attention was quickly drawn to your daughter.
Everyone loved your little bundle of joy, always wanting to hold her and make her laugh. You were so beyond happy for all the love she got from your families but also from Lewis’ team and you were really grateful for that.
Suddenly you heard a car coming towards the paddock and you knew that it could be no one else than your Lewis. Your daughter’s attention was also drawn to the car, her whole face lighting up as soon as she saw her daddy take off his helmet and get out of the car. “Daddy, daddy.”, she shouted, catching his attention as he noticed you all standing there. “Hello princess.”, he said, immediately putting his helmet away as he made his way over to you, taking his daughter in his arms. “Why didn’t you tell us that your wife and daughter would come to visit us?”, Toto asked him as Lewis looked into your eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “I think I forgot?”, he asked mainly himself before he stood in front of you and kissed your lips softly. “Thank you for forgetting us.”, you said jokingly before Lewis pressed another kiss on your lips. He just wanted to say something when he felt tiny hands on his cheeks, turning his head towards his daughter. “I want kiss too, daddy.”, she said, puckering her lips lightly, making everyone laugh that was stood around you. “Of course, princess.”, he said, giving her a quick kiss before she laid her head on his shoulders.
Tags: @footballerimaginess @champagne-coys @donkeykai @ana-maa @landhoe @footballxwrites
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No one else can feel it for you
Summary: Rollerskating through the pit lane in the rain.
Pairing: Peter "Bono" Bonnington x fem!reader
W/C: 1.5k
Rating: PG
TWs: None
A/N: More Bono Fluff :3 Written on my knee in like an hour :3 I see it happening in Silverstone on a Thursday evening, but no date or place is explicitly stated.
Masterlist | List of tags
- Yo, yo, yo, Max...! Do you know who that is...? - Lando pointed at the young woman riding on rollerblades in the currently empty pit lane, not caring in the slightest about who could see her. She seemed to be performing a chaotic choreography only she knew the steps to, but the energy she was giving and the huge smile on her face made it hard to look away. Her positivity spilled everywhere and infected everyone who glanced at her. Even illuminated by the artificial lights she looked like a ray of sunshine, as if something much brighter and warmer was shining from deep inside of her.
- I don't know... But I think the headphones and the lanyard are Mercedes, so maybe someone's daughter or girlfriend? Why? - Max stopped, more focused on his friend than the girl.
- She's kinda cute... - that made the Red Bull driver laugh, drawing the attention of the other people in the paddock club, but not for long.
- She looks a bit older than you, but I mean, shoot your shot! You're the Formula 1 driver, so I'd say you have a few things over a regular guy. - Verstappen patted his friend on the back. - I gotta go, but let me know later how it goes, yeah?
- Yeah, yeah, for sure! See you later, mate! - Lando smiled but still didn't take his eyes off the only person in the visible area of the pit lane.
It was already getting dark outside, and the clouds were gathering over the track, but you didn't care. You were in that suspiciously good and energetic mood as if nothing in the whole world was wrong, and since you still had some time for yourself, you very sneakily stole one of the headsets laying around the familiar desk and paired them with your phone.
The garages were mostly empty not counting a few engineers here and there, the press was spread around the whole paddock, and the drivers were mostly in their motorhomes or trailers, not even one choosing to leave the Silverstone during the race weekend because the roads were abysmally packed everywhere around the circuit. It was so late, almost everyone was either relaxing or spending time with friends, so you were pretty sure, you were going to be left alone.
When you finished lacing the rollerblades on your feet, the first thunder rippled through the air above your head, but there was no rain just yet. You put your favorite playlist on max volume and just started moving through the pit lane to see how the asphalt there would feel under the small wheels. You quickly gained speed, sprinting against the wind until you reached the end of the pitlane, where you gracefully turned around and continued to accelerate even more. The wind whipped your hair in every direction, while the grin on your face grew with every passing second.
You jumped and did a half-turn mid-air, so you were now riding backward, glancing behind from time to time, to make sure no one came onto your path, but mostly you were slowly losing yourself in the song blasting from your headphones, not even caring that you felt the first drops of rain on your skin. After you got a good feel of the surface and your muscle memory kicked in, you started doing more flashy tricks rooted in your ice-skating background... Jumps, spins, twists, drops, all the things came naturally to you and because of the song, you felt like you were in your own private music video, not even realizing that after complicated figures you were letting out a very loud satisfactory "woohoo!".
The rain very quickly picked up, but your wheels didn't lose any grip, so it was still safe for you to have fun. You were soaked; your hair was sticking to your face, your clothes started to cling to your skin, but the summer rain was far from cold, and it didn't dampen your mood as you continued to perform for the invisible audience. That is until you noticed your tree-trunk-of-a-man finally leaving the garage with a smile of disbelief painted on his face. Even from far away, you could see that he was clearly laughing. You let out something that could be described as a happy screech and started speeding toward him. You could see that he shifted one leg backward getting into a more stable position, not only familiar with but also ready for your antics. That's why when you jumped at him, he was prepared to catch you, letting out a loud laugh, as he started spinning you both, to reduce the momentum you threw at him, and not fall down. He didn't stop though, and you crossed your legs behind him so that when you let go of his neck, you could safely lean back and throw your arms up, while the world continued to spin around you, and everything beside the face of your beloved became a blur.
You eventually lifted yourself back up. With one hand slid the headphones from your head to your neck and finally kissed him, tasting a very faint echo of a certain energy drink on his tongue. He moved his one hand higher on your back to pull you even closer, essentially supporting your whole weight with his left arm, just as you put your hand on his cheek and deepened the kiss. Because of him you felt like a teenager in love and just thinking about his smile could make you giggle like a schoolgirl.
- Hi... - you said when your lips finally parted, and you pressed your forehead to his. You didn't even notice that you stopped spinning... With your shallow breath and heated skin tightly pressed to his, everything else remained a blur in your mind. A huge smile curled your lips as you pressed a quick kiss to Pete's nose.
- Hey... - he replied, as out of breath as you were. He laughed quietly feeling your lips on his nose and closed his eyes for a second, trying to memorize everything about this moment.
- Done for the day...? - you asked, and he only nodded in reply. There was pure adoration and love painted on his face, and you couldn't help but blush when you saw it. It wasn't anything new, because he always looked at you like that, but you still couldn't believe how lucky you were, that the love of your life loved you back with the same intensity. - Are you going to put me down so we can go back...? - you rested your forearms on his shoulders.
- And give you a chance to skate away? Nope! - his bright laughter immediately filled you with warmth. You gently moved his wet hair from his forehead and combed them back with your fingers, when he suddenly tossed you higher into the air and threw you over his shoulder, which forced a loud, high-pitched squeak from your lungs.
- BONO!!! BONO, NOOO!!! - you tried to protest, but there was no conviction in your tone, as he continued laughing while carrying you in the direction of your lodging for the weekend.
Lando was just about to call out to you when you jumped into your partner's arms, but instead, he froze in place with a shocked look on his face. It was hard to believe that the usually calm and collected race engineer was giggling like a child, spinning in the rain with levels of joy rivaling the early arrival of Christmas.
- Oi! Lando! You need anything? - a familiar voice called out his name.
- Hmmm? Sorry, no. - he finally averted his gaze from the happy couple and looked at Mick who emerged from the garage, but the young Schumacher still caught the way his friend was looking at the scene happening in front of them.
- Ah. Yeah, not a chance there, sorry... - the German patted Norris on the back, trying to console him.
- I figured... - Lando laughed quietly. - But damn! I didn't even know he could smile, not to mention behave like that! - he shook his head a bit in disbelief.
- Love will do that for you. - Mick just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. - Are you heading back, or do you want to sulk alone in the rain? - he joked, flashing his teeth for a brief moment in a teasing grin.
- Heading back. - he finally replied and took one last glance at the race engineer who currently had a young woman thrown over his shoulder. - Mind if I tag along? - Mick shook his head in reply and they left the pit lane. And even though Lando was still moping on the inside, seeing how happy two people could be rubbed off on him a little bit and gave him hope that one day he will get to have something like that.
A/N 2: Please don’t feel obligated/pressured to reblog, because I write mostly for myself. A comment would be appreciated though :)
Love,
G.
#my writing#Peter Bonnington fanfic#Peter Bonnington fanfiction#Peter Bonnington x reader#🖤#Peter Bonnington
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