#last /friend/ i introduced to my parents was when they came to visit me in the psych ward and she was like nope | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingsbychlo · 5 months

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BUY ME PRESENTS | draco malfoy

summary; draco loves you, and you love him. he just needs a little push to make things official. OR, draco malfoy fighting for his life when he realises just how much everyone wants his girl.

word count; 8928

notes; this is based on christmas eve, but I'm posted a couple days later! this fic puts us half way through our slytherin boy holidays! I'm not sure how the one I expected to be the shortest became the longest one so far. like, seriously, I know I keep saying this but wtf? why can't I write a short fic?

Dinner had already been served by the time you made it to the Grand Hall, the smells of roasted meats and seasoned potatoes filling the air, your mouth watering as you navigated between the throngs of people. Your seat had been saved, of course. A spot on the bench between Draco and Daphne, and as you neared, your friends noticed, smiles rising and waves in your direction.

Sinking into your seat, you pressed a kiss to the cheek of the blond boy beside you, his face tipping up to receive it and lips twisting into a smile, attention moving to you as you sat.

“Good day?”

“Better now that it’s over.” You smiled, a chuckle falling from him, and his hand came to rest upon your thigh, squeezing comfortingly while you helped yourself to a plate of whatever food was left. “What are we talking about, what did I miss?”

“Not much. Just Theo telling us all about Christmas in Italy.” Mattheo rolled his eyes, as though you all hadn't heard this exact same speech since that very first Christmas you’d become friends. Most of the group seemed to have simply tuned it out, laughing and nodding at the correct times as they whispered their own conversations.

A swipe of a thumb over your thigh as you finished filling your plate with food, and you shifted your attention to Draco. “So, what are your Christmas plans, Dray?”

Shuffling a little bit closer now that your plate was full, his arm moved to lay across your shoulders instead, letting you snuggle up into his side. “Oh, you know, the usual.”

He smiled, and your world seemed to get a little bit brighter, his lips brushing your hairline as he left a barely-present kiss there.

“Typical Malfoy-family Christmas. I get to do the tour with my parents, visiting every other rich-arsehole couple they know. Christmas Eve party. The pleasure of my father’s annual ‘you’re growing up now, son, it’s time to get serious about the world’ over the dinner table on Christmas Day. Open some presents I don’t want, on a schedule I don’t like.” He sighed, clearly used to it by now, but it didn’t make it sound any less awful.

“Well,” You smile, nudging him playfully with your elbow. “Maybe we could write to one another, or even get a little visit in?”

The hope in your voice was evident, and Pansy gave you an encouraging smile across the table. You’d been meaning to ask Draco this question for weeks now, and your last chance had been fast approaching. Since the summer, you and Draco had been hooking up. It was no secret among your friends, or even the students; your affections for one another were hardly contained, but it wasn't official.

You wanted the labels, the security, and the safety of knowing that he was yours and you were his, and nobody else could come between you. You wanted to be introduced to his parents, be his date at events, to have him be proud to call you his girl. But Draco had been hesitant, avoiding every conversation that might inch into the ‘so, what are we?’ territory, keeping a safe distance from any kind of real commitment.

It wasn’t enough for you anymore, not by a long shot, but trying to talk to Draco about it only ended up with him shutting it down, or skilfully diverting the conversation and you were growing tired of his games.

Draco only made a vague noise, neither an agreement nor disagreement, and looked away from you as he picked up his drink to take a sip. “I don’t know… maybe. I can get pretty busy over the holidays, I’d hate to let you down.”

Another skill of his, making it seem like cancelling or delaying or not doing something at all was your idea. He was clearly hoping you’d brush it off, and tell him not to worry about it, but instead, you kept quiet. Not giving him the satisfaction of any easy win, this time.

Pansy caught your eye across the table, shaking her head disapprovingly, and shooting a glare at an oblivious Draco. She had been your confidant these last few months, every update and development in your situationship, she’d been informed of. Every decision, she’d been a part of. She was practically as invested as you were, at this point, and she certainly did not approve of his nonchalant behaviour either.

“Speaking of parties,” Mattheo cut Theo off, clearly having had enough of the annual rehashing of ‘that one Christmas when Theo was eight’ for today, and changing the subject, “Who’s got their dates sorted for the Malfoy Christmas Eve Ball, and who’s daring to go solo and have Narcissa set them up like a matchmaker all night long?”

Chuckles rang out among the group, and Pansy smiled, leaning into Blaise’s side with a love-struck grin. “I think we’re safe this year.”

“I’m going solo, but, I did tell Aunty Cissa that I have my eye on a girl in one of my classes, and I’m seeing how it plays out. So, she’s not setting me up anytime soon, since she believes I’m already onto someone.” Enzo smirked, and Blaise congratulated him for his clever tactics.

You smirked through your mouthful of food, listening to Mattheo explain his complex excuse, to Reggie mournfully spill the story of how he’s already been set up by his parents witha ‘potential bride to meet’, and how he hopes she doesn’t show up. You laugh with the others as Tom simply raises an eyebrow, knowing that even Narcissa doesn’t attempt to set him up anymore, lest he scare away any more of her friends’ daughters. Theo, ever the player he is, is looking forward to dancing with every single lady he can find, and taking his pick at the end of the night.

“I suppose nobody needs to ask Draco who his date will be.” Mattheo grins, wiggling his brows at the pair of you as you smile, leaning a little further into the man at your side.

“Hey, who knows?” He chortles, and your eyes narrow a little, “I’ve had plenty of offers. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“Oooh.” Enzo’s eyes went wide, the other boys joining in, and Pansy fixed him with a glare. Daphne leaned around you with her jaw dropped at his statement, and you sat up from his embrace, lips pressed flat and a brow raised.

The boys snickered, ‘he’s in shit’ and ‘someone’s in the doghouse’, but he lived for the spotlight, a drama queen at heart, and he smirked down at you.

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t look at me like that, babe.” The playful nickname was one he only ever used when joking around. When he was sincere, he was much more romantic; darling, sweetheart, beautiful. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Hi mum, hello father, meet the girl I’m skipping class to shag! Thanks for paying my tuition!’, I don’t think so.”

The boys all laughed, Daphne scoffed in sync with her sister behind you, and Pansy looked like she’d lunge across the table at any moment, if it wasn’t for her chastising Blaise for laughing, instead. ‘You and Draco can share that couch you’ll both be sleeping on tonight’, she’d said. ‘See how funny you think it is then’.

The words stung as he spoke them, dismantling your relationship down to the bare minimum; to sex and physical connection and nothing else. Like the nights spent talking until the sun came up were nothing, the times you’d held him while he cried, or washed him in the bath when he was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open. Like he didn’t rub your stomach for hours every month when you got cramps, or had a stash of your favourite snacks in his bedside table for whenever you came over.

You knew that Draco Malfoy lived you, just as much as you loved him. It was evident in everything he did, every kiss and every word. But, he needed a little push.

“I suppose you’re right,” You sigh lightly, giggling along with the laughing boys around the table. “I’m not so sure Lucius wouldn't burst a blood vessel then and there.”

“Exactly.” Draco hummed, and you glanced back to Pansy. She was shocked, only for a second, before taking in the subtle signs of mischief on your face. Her own smirk stretched out in return, and her gaze flickered once to Draco, before back to you.

A new game was afoot, and Draco wasn’t going to stand a chance.

Slipping your coat from your shoulders, the annual Malfoy Christmas Eve Ball was well underway. Your parents had disappeared into the crowds before you’d even stepped out of the carriage, uncaring of where you were as long as you weren’t causing trouble. They were here to mingle with the other importants, and you were just here to learn the ropes of proper socialising.

The garment was taken from you, your small bag clutched in hand as a ticket was given to you for it, and you brushed down the front of your dress delicately. Pearls moved under your touch, beading along the bodice flat and perfected, and you felt your confidence rise as you looked at yourself once more in the reflection of a dark window. Adjusting the small lace gloves on each hand, you took a step towards the dining room.

Elegant music was playing from a live band up on a stage, the room was decorated this year to look like a winter escape. Pale and frosty, like a palace of ice, twinkling lights and glittering decor, crisp white tablecloths and ice sculptures. A layer of goosebumps travelled along your skin at the sight of it all, despite the warming charms that took place for the guests.

Scanning the room, you quickly found your table. The designated kids table, despite you all being legal adults and far beyond such status. You’d all be the babies of the ball until the new generation emerged, no doubt. Moving through the bodies and crowds of people politely, Theo was the first to glance up and spot you, his mouth falling open, and a rush of confidence took over as he raised two fingers to his lips and whistled.

The sound caught the attention of the others’ chatter fading to quiet as they all turned to look for the object of his cat-calling, Enzo’s eyes widened, Pansy cheered loudly, and even Mattheo looked momentarily speechless. You’d had the same reaction when you’d seen yourself in the dress too, your stylist had truly outdone herself for this one.

You looked flawless, and you looked expensive, and utterly elegant. Doing a little spin as you approached, a smile broke free on your lips as you stopped before the chair with your name card before it.

“Merlin, babe,” Pansy started, drawing your attention straight her her, “You’ve got every eye on you tonight. If I was single, I’d be all over you.”

She winked when you laughed, and Blaise rolled his eyes but smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheek affectionately.

“Pretty necklace,” She commented, and your fingers rose to the pretty string of pearls and diamonds that you had.

“It was a gift,” You simply hummed, tugging at your gloves. Glancing at the others, you gave each a polite smile, eyes lingering on Draco as he stared. In any other style, this dress would be scandalous for an event like this. A low neckline, spaghetti straps, no sleeves. Tight and fitted to every curve of your body, and yet the classic designs and vintage nature elevated it to the kind of class Audrey Hepburn would be proud of.

He looked just as good, a dark suit, a fresh white shirt, a champagne-coloured tie that made the colour of his eyes and his hair stand out and your mouth dried out a little. Silver rings adorned his fingers, the Malfoy signet standing out, clenched so tightly around his whiskey glass that his knuckles were almost white.

You’d worn soft, golden makeup effects today, a dusting of glitter along your cheekbones and eyelids, a shade of pink on your cheeks and lips that you knew was his weakness.

“Someone really wanted your attention with that, huh?” Your best friend teased, and your eyes snapped away from Draco, back to her.

“I suppose so,” You muse, hand coming up to touch one of the beads on your ear, “Since they also got me this lovely pair of matching earrings.”

Pansy made a dramatic show of admiring them, and Blaise gave a funny look, glancing at the jewellery, and then back at Draco, who was frowning. Before you could reach for your chair after placing your clutch down, Enzo was shooting to his feet from beside you, tugging out the chair for you.

Draco scoffed as you gave him a thank you, settling into your seat, and he glared at the man beside you. Enzo didn’t flinch, however, smirking at Draco as he spoke;

“What? It’s called being a gentleman, cousin.”

Crossing your leg delicately, you’d hardly even removed your gloves, before a tray was coming down by your side, and a young waiter with a dazzling smile was looking right at you.

“Champagne, ma’am?” Not a planned pawn in your game, but a welcome addition, you smiled sweetly in return.

“Oh, I’d love some. Thank you.” Taking the single glass by the stem, you lifted it from the tray and the man’s smile stretched wider as you sipped the bubbly, holding his eye.

“Of course, miss. If you need anything, anything at all, I’ll be at the bar, happy to serve.” His flirting was heavy enough that normally you’d want to roll your eyes, but tonight, you suppressed that urge, playing into it as you bat your lashes.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you.”

He took the dismissal, staring appreciatively as he walked away, another look over his shoulder to you as you watched him go.

“Stop eye-fucking the help.” Draco snapped, and your focus moved to him slowly, just to find his icy glare on you. He didn’t scare you, though, all that mean bravado, but you knew what was underneath.

“I was doing no such thing.” You tut, placing down your drink. “Don’t be jealous, Dray. You look even better in that suit. If you want compliments, just ask. No need to be mean.”

He seemed rather placated by this, his ego settling down, even if the others did laugh at him.

The conversation seemed to continue around you as you settled in, avoiding Draco’s heated stare and sipping at your champagne. The rush of warming alcohol through your veins settled every dancing nerve, and gave you the calm confidence to do what you had planned. Sitting forwards, just enough, you angled your body so that Draco might have the perfect view over your cleavage as you feigned interest in the chatter around you.

He took the bait, his gaze falling right where you wanted it, the gems of your necklace dangling just over the swell of your breasts, and he licked his lower lip, pulling it between his teeth.

Raising your hands and catching the swinging gem, you toyed with it carefully, letting it run over your fingers. Time melted away as Draco’s gaze flicked between your nimble touch, your lips, and your chest, shuffling in his seat every so often, and gulping at the bubbly in his glass.

He was on his third refill by the time food started to be taken around, and you took pity on him momentarily, sitting back in your chair and angling away from him, ready to receive your first course.

As the starters came around, you turned to thank your waiter, surprised to see it was the same man from the bar who had brought you your champagne. You’d given him little thought since he’d walked away, and you’d never spotted him again, but perhaps that was exactly why he was delivering your food now, as he beamed at you and set down the plate.

Men did love a little attention, after all.

Reaching for the bottle of champagne cooling in the centre of the table, the waiter never looked away from you as he refilled your glass without being asked. Draco finally seemed to notice as he finished adjusting his napkin, gaze narrowing on the man serving you. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” He muttered.

You pretended to take no notice, smiling at the man and waving your fingers flirtily as he walked away.

“I’m going to get another drink at the bar,” He announced, leaving without his glass and without asking if anyone else wanted one. You knew where he was truly going, if the lock of his jaw and the stamp in his step were any indication. You doubted you’d be seeing that waiter again.

As you poked at your food, Pansy excused herself too, only a few bites into her meal before she disappeared with a wicked grin and no explanation to anyone. Enzo just chuckled beside you, glancing around the room like he was watching all the cogs of a machine in motion, before turning his gaze on you. “You do look lovely tonight, do you know that?”

“Of course I do. I spent days on end trying on dress after dress to find this.” You sighed, admiring the gorgeous piece of art on your body as you set your cutlery down.

“And is it serving the purpose you need it to?” He teased, voice knowing, and you nodded. Flicking your gaze over the patrons and guests in the room, you searched for Draco, finding him talking politely to one of his mother’s friends at the bar.

“It is, I think.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way.” He whispered, your focus still on the man who truly held your heart, who was making his polite excuse and walking way, back towards you all. His gaze locked on yours, only for a second, before Pansy was calling your name and drawing your focus elsewhere.

When you looked up to her, she was grinning, a man by her side. “This is Elliot, he’s been wanting to meet you for some time. I promised him I’d introduce you both tonight.”

You offered the best smile you could as his cheeks reddened, and Pansy merely patted him on the shoulder, slinking away as you offered your hand to him. “Lovely to meet you, Elliot.”

“You too. As embarrassing as that introduction was, it’s true. I have wanted to meet you for some time.” He had a kind smile and pretty eyes, and he seemed far too nice to be dragged into your game tonight, but he seemed almost like a willing participant, and you weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. As Draco took his seat, Elliot continued, “Pansy has told me so much about you. You know, if you’re free one day before you go back to that fancy boarding school of yours, I’d love to take you out.”

“Yeah? What have you got in mind?” You smile, twisting a little more to face him, and your encouragement only brightens his expression as Draco’s darkens in your peripheral.

“A night in London, perhaps. We could get dinner, and see the opera?”

“She doesn’t like the opera.” Draco sneered, openly staring at Elliot with enough contempt to scare away lesser men. Elliot tugged at his collar, glancing at Draco, and then back to you as you tried to hide your shock at his behaviour.

“The theatre, then?”

Draco looked ready to snap again, and before he could, you nodded, sparing your unwilling partner. “That sounds wonderful, I’ll see what my schedule says. I’ll get in touch with you through Pansy if I can find the time, is that okay?”

“Perfect.” He smiled, sneaking another wary glance at Draco who was not backing down from glaring at him unflinchingly, but Elliot shook it off, bravely. “It was a pleasure to meet you, truly.”

“And you, Elliot.”

Soon after he left, the plates were being cleared. You tried not to smirk as a different waiter, and one who very pointedly did not so much as even catch your gaze, cleared your dishes away at record speed.

You knew that Draco had something, everything, to do with that. He was jealous by nature, a spoilt single child who did not like to share his favourite toys, and that is exactly what you were betting on tonight.

You stood, taking a lap around the room with Pansy to settle your food before the next course, and to get another drink. She took the opportunity to fill you in on how her first Christmas event with Blaise’s family had gone, and when you returned, you made sure to surreptitiously place yourself behind Draco’s chair.

You placed a hand on his shoulder, a friendly gesture, squeezing and rubbing enough that your thumb swept over his collar and across his neck. His pulse jumped under your touch, and he tipped his head closer, into your touch.

As he did so, your heart leapt in your chest. To others, it might look like a friendly gesture but to you, it meant so much more. You were tempted to cave then and there, to live with this being enough, to settle, but you couldn't. You didn’t want this to be it, you wanted to follow this by leaning down to kiss him, to have him smile against your lips in public the way he did when you were alone.

To arrive at these events together, arms linked, and to stumble out tiredly together too. To sit by him, his hand on your thigh, to rest your head on his shoulder, to kiss him on the dance floor. The thought was enough to push you through.

He twisted his head, to kiss your hand like he often did when you did this. Carefully, you slipped your hand away just in time, knuckles brushing across the nape of his neck as you stepped away, and back to your seat.

His sights moved to you, but like a saving grace, the servers began to appear with more dishes, and dinner soon distracted you all. A delicious serving of salmon and potatoes, and the hall fell quiet enough for you to hear the beautiful music playing when chatter fell low.

Low conversation, drinks refilled, and that perfect mood set across the room, as people took to the tables and quieted down. Your favourite part of the night, usually. Good food, your friends, and a chance to catch up without the usual weight of it all sitting on you. Regulus was talking, telling the rare story that had him caught up in a long conversation where he usually just observed quietly, but your attention was fixed on your lover.

Until, Theo spoke up.

“Oh, merda,” He muttered across Reggie’s’ story, his gaze cutting to you alarmingly quickly. “I forgot to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Your heart skipped a beat, a flash of panic.

“My cousin flew in last minute for the party, and he wants to speak to you.” Theo’s words soothed your panic, and you offered him a flat look for the dramatic way he’d put it. Taking a sip from your glass, you raised a brow.

“When?”

“Now.” He confirmed, sights lifting to sit just behind you, and before you could even turn, a chair was being pulled up beside your own from another table. Turning your head to the owner, a smile burst across your face at the man sitting before you.

“Dario!” Your arms were around his neck before you could stop yourself, and he was chuckling as he bundled you into an equally enthusiastic hug. He chuckled lightly, pulling back only far enough to press a friendly kiss to your cheek, and you cupped his face as you parted from him. “You’re growing a beard!”

“My mother hates it.” He chuckled, rubbing a hand over it. As you twisted a little more towards him, he reached down, practically manhandling you as he reached for the edge of your seat by your legs, tugging it sideways to face him. You squealed as the chair jolted, screeching on the floor, tugging you closer as he leaned in. “Sei incantevole.”

“Are you charming me in Italian?” You smirk, a boyish smile on his face as he lounged back in his seat. “What are you doing here, anyway? Theo said none of you were flying in this year! I thought you couldn't make it.”

“I couldn't,” He sighed, shrugging, “But, then I heard that you would be here, without a date, and I knew I just had to make it. So, here I am, la mia bella donna. You think a short flight from Italy would stop me rushing over here to you?”

Your giggle was against your control. Even if he was more like family than a romantic interest, the way his accent twisted around coyly spoken words, was enough to bring a blush to even the most unreceptive woman’s face. “Cut it out, you flirt.”

“You’ll save me a dance later, right?”

“We’ll see.” He rose his brow, and you lifted your glass, taking a sip of bubbly to hide your smile, leaving him hanging. “Depends on how much more of your cheesy flirting I can endure.”

“You mean my wonderful Italian charm?” He teased, pinching one of your cheeks, and deepening the flush he had already created. “Don’t think I don’t see the way I make you blush.

You could only scoff, mouth dry as you tried to think of a retort, and you didn’t miss Theo muttering in Italian behind you, curse words you’d picked up on tumbling from his mouth.

“Perhaps this can convince you,” Dario reaches for his inner pocket, producing a small, slim box. An excited squeak breaks from you as he hands it over, your fingers brushing the elegant leather, an Italian name embossed across the front. “Open it later, alright?”

You could only nod, admiring it happily, before slipping the box safely inside of your clutch. He took your hand, kissing your knuckles as he stood. A final wink as he offered you hid charming goodbyes, and a farewell to the rest of the table, before returning his borrowed chair to where he had taken it from.

You watched as your friend left, disappearing into the crowd, no doubt to mingle and socialise as he had always been so good at, before you swung back around in your chair.

“He taught you everything you know, huh, Nott?”

Theo only shrugged, a cheeky grin on his face. “What can I say, tesoro? We Nott men just have charm. We’ll woo your panties right off.” He winked, the cockiness not lasting long as Draco swung at him, a fist landing roughly on his arm as the Malfoy heir scowled, glaring at his best friend.

“Cut it out.” He growled the words through gritted teeth, and your hand shot up, rubbing at your lip to hide your grin as Draco made no effort to hide his own emotions. Theo only laughed, rubbing at the patch on his arm he’d taken the hit.

Dessert was served, a beautiful display of ice cream and winter berries that almost looked too good to eat. The key word being almost. You hadn't been able to resist, however, and the first small groan you’d let out as the sugar hit your tongue had Draco’s gaze snapping straight to you. I did not leave, once, after.

Instead, he watched, through a dark gaze, every curl of your lips around the spoon, every swipe of your tongue to catch the juice of burst berries. If you’d put on a little extra show, just for him, nobody else had to know.

It was like he was staring right into your soul, so intense, even after the meal was long since finished. Finally, you indulged him once again, turning to look at him and raising a brow. “Yes, Draco?”

“You look beautiful tonight, I am simply admiring.” He let his gaze move across you slowly, making his admiration apparent, and his gaze lingered a fraction of a second longer on your neck. He stared at you with open adoration, the kind of look that told you exactly how he felt, even if he was fighting it, but he was close to breaking. He was close to losing this game he didn’t know he was playing. Then, his gaze flickered over your shoulder, sweet observation morphing. His brows drew together, his open hand slamming down on the table hard enough to make the glass rattle. “Oh, fucking hell…”

Mattheo erupted with sudden laughter, loud and brash, and there was a tap on your shoulder before you could even ask him what had him in such hysterics. A young man you did not know, perhaps a few years younger than you, and glanced around the table to see which of your friends had put this one together. Each seemed to have caught on in their own time, and had a hand in adding to the fun, to watch Draco suffer more, but none of them were laying any claim to this one.

“I’ve been watching you all evening, and you are beautiful.” He smiled, stuttering over his words slightly, and Draco made no shy show of his disdain, rolling his eyes and making a disapproving sound. “I was wondering if you might grant me the pleasure of a dance?”

“She would dance with you,” Enzo interrupted, before you could speak at all, leaning forward toward the edge of your chair from his own, and you could have kissed him in gratitude for saving you. “But, she promised me her first dance. Isn’t that right, love? And I think now is the perfect time. Let’s go.”

Offering you his hand, you took it, letting him sweep you away without a second’s delay, navigating you both to the dance floor and twirling you expertly into his arms. One hand clasped your own, the other sitting at a respectable place on your waist, your own on his shoulder, and he fell into the well-rehearsed steps of a classical ballroom dance he’d been doing since he could walk.

You let out a shaky sigh, relief flooding your veins as you looked back to your seat, noticing that the boy had taken Enzo’s rejection well and disappeared, not hanging around and waiting for your return.

“You’re killing him slowly, like a predator playing with its prey,” Enzo smirked, neither of you needing to clarify who you were talking about, as he brought up his cousin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” He chuckled, spinning you out before pulling you back in, sharp actions that made you dizzy with their accuracy, and you grinned as he brought you tumbling right back into his arms, perfectly. If he’d been trying to win you over, his dancing alone would’ve had you swooning. “You just show up to a fancy event like this, dripping in diamonds and pearls and looking like a million bucks, supposedly single. You mean to tell me you didn’t know that all these rich London boys wouldn't descend on you like vultures?”

“Not my fault I’m single and hot, Enz.”

He just laughed, dipping you a little. “We do struggle, don’t we.” You wove between people, a happy silence falling between you both once again as he guided you over the floor, back and forth, “Are you, though? Single, I mean.”

“That is up to your cousin.”

“Touché.”

You continued to move, until your feet were sore from all the twirling, clinging to Enzo in fits of giggles as he spun and twirled and dipped you more, hands on your waist as he lifted you through the air, making a show of his dancing.

He may have seemed altruistic in his gestures, sweeping in to save you and Draco from your dance with the boy, but he was using you too. Enzo was taking every opportunity to show off his moves to every lady around the room watching, a flirty smile on his face between conversations and he glanced around, and you wouldn't be surprised if he received more offers than Theo or Dario by the end of the night.

As the third song came to an end, and the music fell for just a second, you panted slightly, arm around his neck now, looking up at him with flushed cheeks and a bright smile. “Can we take a break?”

“Tired, already? You only gave me three so far.” He smirked at the way your jaw dropped, your face going hot and you knew your cheeks were red. You untangled yourself from his body, barely making it a step away from his laughter before he wrapped an arm around your waist, tugging you into his side. “Oh, c’mon. I thought the aim was to flirt and make him mad?”

“He’s not even here to listen!”

“I’m practising,” Enzo murmured, steering you towards the bar, and leaning on the wood as he flagged down the bartender. You were quickly served, by a woman who fawned over Enzo as she passed by, and you had to snap your fingers in front of his face to snap his gaze away from her retreating form. “So, how long are you going to make him—”

A tap on Enzo’s shoulder cut him off, and he turned to look, straightening up instantly from his slumped position. As soon as he moved so you could see, your relaxation melted away too, as you found yourself face to face with Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.

“Lorenzo, I’ve hardly had a chance to talk to you all evening. I want to ask you about your schoolwork.” The impressively formal and deep voice of Lucius Malfoy settled over your skin like fresh snow, cold but smooth, and you shuddered.

Narcissa only chuckled lightly at her husband’s words, her eyes on you. “You’ve been busy, though. Who is your lovely lady?”

“Uncle Lucius, Aunt Cissa. This is my friend, (Y/n).”

It wasn’t exactly the circumstances you’d wanted to meet them under, but you smiled nonetheless, nerves running wild as you offered your hand to them both, shaking politely just as your parents had taught you.

“Ah, (Y/n). Yes. I make a point of knowing all of Draco’s school friends, but I’m in business with your father, aren’t I?” Something like a small kernel of sweetness was buried in that statement, his interest in his son’s life, even if he tried to hide it behind formalities, but it wasn’t your place to comment.

“Yes, sir. That is correct.”

“They’re very proud of your schoolwork. They were telling me about your latest project. You synthesised a new potion to grow murkweed faster, is that true?”

You were surprised he knew so much, your small project submitted for Herbology was the last thing you’d expected Lucius Malfoy to know of, or take an interest in, and your mouth felt like sandpaper as you tried to form words. “Yes. Yes, sir. That’s right.”

“Interesting.” That calculating gaze scanned over you, analysing you from head to toe, like he could see right through you with a single glance. “That is impressive, for someone of your age. I’d be open to learning more. Are you considering making a future out of your alchemy talents? I have connections that I could contact for you.”

You were speechless, your stomach going wild with butterflies born of both excitement and anxiety. He smirked, a look that would set you on edge if you weren’t sure deep down that this was in your interests, not against them.

“Perhaps we can discuss it more soon, when we next see you. With Enzo?”

Enzo’s arm around your waist shifted, a reassuring weight that you were sure had been your only grounding presence for this surreal conversation. He patted your hip encouragingly. “Oh, no, we aren’t…”

Motioning between you both, Lucius’ brows furrowed, and Narcissa tried to hide her sigh.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Aunt Cissa. (Y/n) isn’t mine, though it is wonderful that you approve.” Before either could question him, or expand on their confusion, Enzo gave your waist a final rub, before removing his touch from you entirely, and stepping towards his family. “Shall we go and discuss schoolwork then, Uncle? You have questions, and I have answers. I hope the ones you want.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss (Y/l/n).” Lucius politely offered you his hand again, shaking it firmly, and that was about as friendly a dismissal as you’d ever get from him, you’d heard. This was only supported by the surprised look on Narcissa’s face, and the beam Enz gave you as he guided his uncle away.

“I hope to see you again soon, (Y/n). You look wonderful this evening, thank you for coming.” Narcissa murmured, before following her husband and nephew, glancing back at you only once over her shoulder. She knew. The woman was far more cunning than she let on, the true embodiment of a sneaky Slytherin, observing quietly and taking everything in. Her eyes glinted. She knew you knew she knew, too.

Your heart was pounding, cheeks warm as you lifted your fingers to them cautiously. The disappointed waitress placed down two drinks before you, Enzo long gone without his, but you smiled at her with appreciation, fingers shaking a little as you lifted the glass to your lips to take a sip.

You’d spoken to Draco’s parents.

They’d liked you. Lucius had offered to put you onto the career path, and Narcissa had complimented your dress. A soft laugh of disbelief slipped free, your eyes sliding closed for just a second as you revelled in the moment.

It hasn’t been what you’d set out for tonight, but it was far more than what you’d hoped for. Opening your eyes again, to head back to the table and find Draco, you were met by the sight of a stranger leaning before you on the bar, grinning down at you in amusement. “Hello.”

“Hi.” You gave a terse smile, and a single nod. “If you’ll excuse me—”

“I didn’t even get to ask you to dance yet. Saw you out on the floor with the Berkshire boy, earlier, and I thought—”

“I’m dancing with her next, mate. Piss off.”

Draco rarely sounded that mad, a chill went down your spine as you felt an arm slide around your waist, tugging you back into his chest. “Dray…”

The stranger only scoffed, glaring at Draco as he wandered away, and your hand reached for his forearm on your body. He snatched it away too soon, however, tugging on your hip to turn you around. His jaw was clenched tight, eyes more frozen than the coldest glacier. “Dance with me.”

Not a request, and he didn’t wait for an answer, before plucking your drink from your hand and slamming it down onto the bar, guiding you back to the swaying bodies. Standing before you, you offered him your hand, your hand sitting lightly on his shoulder. He didn’t take the respectable route, instead, his arm wrapped tight around your waist, sweeping you close to his body, and beginning to move you both in simple steps.

It was several minutes before he relaxed, your arm sliding further around his neck in a more intimate hold, bringing the two of you much closer, swaying slowly. The tension in his body gave way with every step, and with a resigned sigh, he finally spoke, “You met my parents.”

“I did. They were lovely. Very curious about Enzo and I’s relationship.”

His hand clenched on your waist, and you tipped your head at him as his piercing gaze drilled into you. One more move…

“Oh, don’t be so mad, Dray. We’re only shagging, after all. You’ll find a new girl if I get swept away by someone else.”

His eyes narrowed, jaw clenching, and a fire burned in those silver eyes now, melting the ice away with rage. Checkmate.

“You win, alright? I’m not playing this stupid game any longer.” He took a deep breath, and another, fingers twitching on your back as jealousy bubbled under the surface. “For fucks sake, how many pieces of jewellery from other guys are you wearing? Who bought you those earrings, that necklace? I should be the only one buying you gifts. I should be the one spoiling you. You want the Malfoy family ring? I’ll go yank it off my mother’s engagement ring from her finger right now, just take all this off.”

He studied you for a second, confusion growing at the smirk that grew on your lips. Victory was yours, and you leaned in, pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek. Letting the hand from his neck smooth down his chest, his gaze stayed locked on the jewels around your neck, glaring angrily. “No.”

“No?”

“No. It’s pretty. I’m going to keep wearing it all, let it remind you what you have. Next time you piss me off, forget a date, or use the last of my shampoo, I’m going to put it all back on so you can remember how many guys would jump at the chance.” His nostrils flared, but he stayed silent, wisely knowing when to keep his mouth shut. “I don’t want your family ring, Malfoy. Not yet. I just want a proper title, and the respect that comes with it. I’m not your booty call, or your side piece. You don’t want to play games anymore? Then don’t.”

“You already won.” He whispers, his head dropping down to let his forehead rest on your own. “You know how much you mean to me.”

“Yes, I do. But I want the whole world to know it, too, Dray.”

He didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he twisted his head, enough to press his mouth to your own, silencing any more arguments between you both as he kissed you. His lips claimed yours, a tender and loving kiss, showing everyone just how much you meant to him. There was no mistaking the emotions within it, not as his arms wrapped around your body, holding you to him as the pretence of dancing was given up, your hand on the back of his head, fingers in his hair, meeting every push and pull.

When he pulled away, your smile took over, bashful now under his openly adoring gaze, and he stole several more pecks from your lips. A happy sound escaped you as he tugged you in, tucking his face into your neck, and swaying you both to the music.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

“You have, but I’d be open to hearing it again.” Your hand smoothed over his hair, and he chuckled against your skin, leaving a kiss on the crook of your neck before raising to meet your eye.

“You are breathtaking, darling. I’m in awe. This colour is my favourite, you know.”

“Why do you think I wore it?”

His fingers trailed down your spine, eyes sparkling even more at that revelation. “How about we get out of here? We’ll make our goodbyes to my parents, and head out.”

“Our goodbyes?” You repeated as he took your hand, lacing your fingers together.

“Yes. From their son and his girlfriend. I think you deserve a proper introduction, after all.”

Tugging you across the floor, he gave you no time to prepare, and certainly, none to disagree, as you smoothed your hair and attempted to control the blush he’d brought to your cheeks. Through the crowds he wove, until he was pulling to a stop just shy of his parents, and Enzo looked as though he could have cried with relief when Lucius’ intense focus was taken away from him. The boy quickly slipped away as both of Draco’s parents turned to face you.

“Miss (Y/l/n), when we said we hoped to see you again soon, I didn’t realise you’d take it quite this literally.” He murmured, voice as low and calm as always, and your lips parted, a different kind of heat flooding your features.

“Oh, behave now, Lucius,” Narcissa grinned, her gaze dropping to your clasped hands, before she reached up to her son’s face, pinching his cheek with a smile. “Draco, darling, I’ve hardly seen you all evening.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you Mother, but we’ll be leaving early.” She only gave him a knowing look, ignoring Lucius’ displeased huff, as if she wasn’t surprised at all.

“‘We’?”

“My girlfriend and I.” He said, proud and strong, before tugging you forward a little more to stand in front of him. His hand left your own, circling your waist instead, and she offered him a smile at the news.

“I see.” She smiled, patting her son’s cheek affectionately, before turning that knowing gaze on you. “Now Lorenzo’s evasiveness whenever I asked him about you makes sense.”

“You asked about me?” Your words were a rushed squeak, which only seemed to amuse Narcissa more.

“Of course, dear. I wanted to know more about you. I’d ask you to sit and chat with me for a spell, but I believe my son might combust if I did.”

“Mother!” He gasped, and Lucius only tutted.

“Draco.” His father growled softly, shaking his head, and the red on his son’s cheeks only grew.

“You both may go, for now. But I hope you’ll visit me soon, and we might talk?”

“You mean… just us?” Your words tapered off to a near whisper, and Lucius smirked to himself as Draco rolled his eyes.

“Yes, dear. We’ll have tea.”

You could only nod, bidding your final farewells to them both in a state of awe, before Draco was hurrying you along. Tight hands gripping your waist, lips on your neck as he loved you through the crowds, swiping up your bag and giving you barely a moment to say goodbye to your friends before sweeping you away again. It was only due to the snow falling outside, you were sure, that he allowed you to stop long enough to get your coats.

Helping you, he lifted the garment onto you from behind, kissing your cheek as he reached around your body to fasten it. His elegant coat was already on, and leather gloves were on his hands as he offered you one. Lacing your fingers through his own, he smiled, tugging you out into the freezing night, and ushering you around the side of the Manor, away from the stream of cars lined up for guests as they left.

“Where are we going, Dray?”

“To one of the gardens near the path.” He never turned back, leading you carefully around patches of ice and slippery snow as you moved, the light from the house fading. It was almost pitch black, before he mumbled a small spell, and the garden lights glowed to light, glittering on the fresh blanket of ice.

Sitting on the grass was an old-fashioned sleigh, enchanted to keep dry, even in the snow, and two reindeer sat happily in the snow snuffling at the grass and scattered food.

The landscape stretched out far before you both, trees and grass and walls all covered in snow like something from a Christmas card, and the sigh that left your lips clouded in the air before your face.

“Oh, Draco…” Taking a few steps closer, snow-tipped over the tops of your heels as you stepped off the pathway onto the grass, chilling your feet for only a second, before Draco was following. Scooping you up into his arms, you kicked the ice from your feet with a giggle, your arms looping around his neck. “What’s all this?”

“This is your Christmas present. I didn’t realise that was the kind of ice you wanted instead.” He muttered, eyes flicking down to your neck, as he carried you carefully through the snow and towards the ornate sleigh. As you leaned in to kiss his cheek, he smiled shyly, avoiding your gaze as he became embarrassed, “I wanted to do something romantic for you. We can take the sleigh back to the town, get a cab, and take the jet anywhere you want to go. Pansy already packed a bag for you.”

He placed you down on the edge of the sleigh, letting you shuffle across onto the warmed leather. With another kiss to your lips, he scoffed at your smile.

“Merry Christmas, my wicked little girlfriend.”

“I can’t believe you arranged all this.” You were practically bouncing in your seat, watching as Draco nervously tugged on the reins, prompting the lazy animals to stand back up, before settling into the sleigh himself. Like they knew just what to do, they took off in a slow trot, tugging the pair of you along through the snow.

“Maybe if you’d have waited, instead of making me fight for my life tonight, you’d have been surprised.”

His arm was splayed along the back of the seat, and you snuggled in a little closer to him. Curling his arm around you, he pressed a kiss to your forehead, shaking his head and burying his nose in your hair. “If I didn’t make you fight for me, Dray, you’d probably have introduced me to your mother as your study partner. I gave you a little push, that’s all.”

“Is that so?” He muttered, guiding your face up so he could peck your lips. “Who do you think helped me arrange all of this for my ‘lovely lady friend’, hm? I’ve been writing to my mother about having an interest in someone for months now. You underestimate me.”

“You never gave me any other indication!”

“Oh, please. You walk me like a damn dog, you knew how I felt.” His mouth closed over your own, stealing a kiss, and you couldn't help but smile into it. “I think tonight just proves it.”

The sleigh trotted on as Draco kissed you in the back, beyond thought and reason, your hands tucked into his coat for warmth as he kept you cuddled in close to his side.

Minutes melted away, the two of you lost in your own world as you jostled and trotted through the fields, back toward the town. Whatever he had planned, it had been in motion for days, and the thought only made you fall a little more in love with him. Perhaps you had underestimated him, but none of it mattered now, not when he was kissing you like you were his only way to breathe, and you had him in your arms, properly, at last.

“So, Pansy knew about your little plan?”

“Yes. I told her days ago.”

“Hm…” You loved her, and it was perhaps her knowledge of Draco’s actions that made this all the funnier. “So, she knew about your plan, and mine. And still, she made sure to introduce guys to me all night. She played us both just for her own amusement.”

As you thought of her, your fingers lifted to your neck, sitting on the delicate jewellery there, and Draco huffed. Looping his finger underneath it, he tugged lightly. “Can you take this off now, please?”

“Why would I do that?” His pout deepened, glaring at the offending item, and you gave in with an airy laugh. “Pansy, Daph and Tori picked it out personally.”

“What?” His head snapped up, pout gone as his jaw dropped, and he was not laughing like you were. “You let me believe another guy decked you out in diamonds all night! What about the matching earrings?”

“Blaise.”

“The bracelet?”

“Theo and the Notts.”

At that mention, his eyes narrowed again, searching for your clutch and finding it resting in your lap. “But Theo’s cousin Mario gave you a separate gift.”

“Dario.” You corrected, and he mimicked it childishly, scoffing afterwards. “Well, that part was real. He truly was flirting, and I have no idea what it is, I haven’t opened it yet.”

“Give it to me.” He reached for your bag, a second too slow as you swiped it away from him with a gasp. He didn’t give up, still trying to snatch it as he leaned over you, pressing you back into the seat through fits of laughter, the two of you fighting over the bag until it was pressed to your chest, your eyes wide as you stared up at him, shaking your head. “Give it to me! I’m chucking it, hand it over!”

“No, it’s mine!” He slumped back into his seat, panting for breath and smoothing his hair back down. He was pointedly staring away in the opposite direction, and when you leaned in closer with a chuckle, he leaned away. Grabbing his shoulder, you planted yourself firmly in his lap, kissing the underside of his jaw. “I’m keeping it, but your present is better, I just know it. Whatever it is, could never beat this.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Dray.”

He gave in, wrapping his arms around your waist, tugging you in closer to his body and pressing a happy kiss to your cheek. “Fine, but I’m buying you a new necklace when we get off the damn plane. I don’t care who bought that one.”

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy/reader #draco malfoy/you #harry potter #slytherin boys #tom felton #draco malfoy x y/n

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imtryingbuck · 8 days

Text

His Flower.

~ gif not mine credit to owner ~

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: Bucky and Y/n have known each other since they were babies, they love each other but don’t say anything until Bucky goes to war.

Word count: 11,963

Warnings: angst. fluff. mentions of cheating (not Bucky) mentions of domestic abuse. Swearing. Steve never visits Peggy when she’s old. Bucky knew about Steve getting the serum. Pregnancy. Sad Bucky (that’s a warning in itself) Bucky was accused of the bombing in Vienna in 2015 in this. Blip happens but none of the avengers get blipped nor do any of them die. There’s a lot…so if I’ve missed anything please let me know

Masterlist

May 21st 1922

“Y/n stop running!”

“No”

“Why?”

“You have the lurgy”

Winnie and Y/m/n was standing in the shared courtyard laughing at the two five year olds as James ran after Y/n, the latter running as fast as her little legs could move.

The two women became friends rather quickly after Y/n, her mom and dad moved in next door just when Y/n was a year old. Baby James and Y/n spent everyday since they were introduced to each other, together.

“Those two…” Winnie laughed with a shake of her head as James finally grabs ahold of Y/n, her screams of laughter makes both mothers laugh along.

That was until the screams of laughter turns in to screams of pain.

James tripped over a loose concrete slab, in turn knocking into Y/n causing her to fall face first on the ground. Smacking her face and cracking her tooth.

“I-I-I’m sor-sorry Y/n I’m sorry” James cried backing up as their mothers came rushing over. His tiny hands shook as tears streamed down his puffy cheeks, he could see the blood flowing from her lips when her mom picked her up.

“Mo-momma it wa-was acciden-t I promise”

“I know sweetie, it’s okay” Winnie said after she helped her friend. Seeing her son shaking and crying as he backs up to the wall furthest away from them broke her heart, she and Y/m/n knew it was an accident and they both knew that James would never hurt his friend.

“I-it was accident” he hiccuped.

“Wan’ Jamie, mama wan’ Jamie”

Hearing her teary voice he pushed himself off the wall and ran around his ma going straight to Y/n. “I got you” whispering in to her hair as he wraps his arms around her.

December 24th 1922

As the fire crackled next to James and Y/n as they played with his toy trains and cars Y/n’s parents argued in the kitchen, from what Y/n could tell from this latest argument was that her dad had been fucking another woman. Again.

“Jamie what fucking mean?”

“I don’t know. I think it makes you cry”

“Mama always cries when dada fucking other women”

James shrugs, honestly feeling a little bit scared because of the raised voices and things being slammed down on the counters though he was just five years old he was trying to be brave in front of his friend.

The voices got louder as Y/n’s mom was pushing her dad into the hallway, screaming at him that this was the last time and for him to never come back. A photo frame that hung up on the wall falls and smashes loudly on the floor causing James to flinch, Y/n notices and takes his hand in hers smiling - she’s grown accustomed to the bangs, screaming matches and things being broken that it doesn’t bother her anymore.

James flinched once again when the front door opens and slams shut with a deafening bang. His scared wide eyes looked at Y/n’s, she gets up and moves to sit next to him as her mom screams once more and stomps up the stairs no doubt to chuck all of her fathers clothes out of the window.

“I got you”

She promised as she wraps her small arms around his body.

March 10th 1923

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE”

Y/n screamed as she ran over to him, she was so excited for his birthday she had made him a card and got him a new wooden train.

“Ahhh who are you little monster?” He screamed when she jumped on his back.

“‘M not a monster”

“You are”

“Not”

“Are”

“Kids stop arguing, you’re both monsters” Winnie laughed hugging Y/m/n.

“It’s my birthday Flower”

“No it’s my birthday”

“No it isn’t”

Both moms roll their eyes as the kids continue to argue, heading into the kitchen leaving both of them to stand in the hallway arguing.

Y/m/n was sipping the coffee that Winnie had made her, Winnie expressed how happy she was for her friend for not taking back her husband, though finding it sad that he hadn’t been around to see Y/n. Luckily George stepped up and had even brought the five year old a present for Christmas.

“Mama where is present?” Y/n asked running up to her mom.

“Here sweetie and here’s the card you made” handing over the present and card, Y/n smiled and thanked her.

“Here you go Jamie. I made the card all by myself!”

“Thank you Flower” opening the card he smiles at her messy handwriting and the drawing of him and her that she drew. James gave her a kiss on her cheek before handing the card over to Winnie, then he opened the brown paper wrapping. “Flower…”

“It’s a train Jamie”

“I-thank you so much!” James had his other one stolen from Jimmy who lived across the street, mean kid who loved to bully younger kids.

“It’s okay. Do you like it?”

“I love it Flower”

June 2nd 1930

James and Y/n were walking down the street talking about how school went when James grabbed her hand causing her to pull it away and blush, giggling when he tried to grab her again.

“Flower stop, listen do you hear that?”

“No-wait now I do, what is it? Do you think it’s an animal? Can we keep it?”

“Yeah because animals can speak” he rolls his eyes, moving towards the entrance of the alleyway where the noise was coming from he turned to Y/n “stay here-“

“No I’m coming with you!”

“No you’re not. Just stay here”

Nodding in defeat Y/n watched him walk down the alleyway, a few minutes later she sees Jimmy and his goons running out and down the street. Running in the direction that James went she came to a halt when she saw him picking up a guy who was a lot smaller than him.

“Jamie who’s that?”

“Flower I told you stay where I told you to”

“Who is that?”

“M-my names Steve” the blonde said fixing his shirt.

“Hello Steve my names Y/n and this is James” moving closer to them she held her hand out to the blonde, turning to James “can we keep him?”

“Y/n he’s not an animal”

“But can we? We can be best friends forever and ever and ever and-“

“I’m sorry about her, she gets a bit excited sometimes” James said to Steve both watching Y/n go bright red as she continued to say ‘and ever’. “Flower breath”

“And ever and ever, please Jamie can we keep him I’ll be good forever and ever and ever-“

“Do you want to be our friend? Please say yes just to shut this one up”

Steve looked at both of them debating whether or not this was a prank, he’d gotten so use to being alone that the prospect of having two new friends scared him. But he could see the hopeful look in Y/n’s and James’s eyes, maybe just maybe this wasn’t a prank and maybe they genuinely want to be his friend.

“So…” Y/n asked getting impatient.

“O-ok, yes I’ll be your friend”

“Amazing! Come on we’re going to Mollys to get a burger-“

“And a milkshake! Have you ever been to Mollys? They make the best milkshake ever don’t they Jamie, they do so Stevie I swear”

“I apologise for her” James started.

Steve just smiled and shook his head “it’s okay bu-but I don’t have any money so I can’t come with you”

“Don’t worry about it Stevie I’ll pay for you. My father’s dead so we got money” Steve’s eyes went wide at how nonchalantly Y/n said that her father was dead.

“I-I’m sorry-“

“Don’t be I didn’t like him, so what milkshake do you want? They have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. My favourite is strawberry and chocolate and Jamies is chocolate”

“Oh I-I’ve never had-“

James rolled his eyes as he knew what was coming. Steve looked at him wondering what he had said wrong when Y/n loudly gasped and threw herself on the ground.

“Flower-“

“He. Has. Never. Had. Milkshake. Before. Jamie”

“I know-“

“I-how, how does this even happen?”

“You going to get off the floor?”

“I can’t”

James leans over to take her hand in his and helped her stand. “Next time don’t throw yourself on the ground, your ma will get mad at you for ruining your skirt again”

“Come on Steve I’m going to blow your mind with the best milkshake in the world” ignoring James’s words she grabbed Steve’s hand and started to drag him to Mollys.

“Flower stop dragging him and be careful!”

To be truthful Steve didn’t honestly mind that she was dragging him along the pavement, he was quite excited about trying something new.

“Sooo whatcha think?” Y/n asked as soon as the glass was put in front of him.

“Flower he hasn’t even tried it yet” James laughed though he did have to admit that he was also wondering what his new friend was going to think of the drink.

Taking the straw in his mouth he took slow sips, liking the way it tasted straight away. “It’s good, I like it”

“Yes!” Y/n screamed causing some of the customers to look at her, not like she cared.

Luanne came over to serve them, she was an older lady who had grown use to the antics that James and Y/n liked to cause. As soon as she saw the two coming down the street she always had their milkshakes at the ready, knowing that on Monday, Tuesday and Friday Y/n had strawberry and the other days chocolate.

“Your usual darlings?”

“Yes please, Stevie what do you want?”

“I-I don’t have mo-“

“It’s on me I told you. We get burger and fries and they are the best”

“I-are you sure?”

“The best ever I promise”

“N-no about buying me food…you’ve already brought me a drink”

“Don’t be silly, do you want the same at us?”

“Okay, thank you”

Luanne smiled and walked away back to behind the counter. Steve watched as James or Bucky as he told him to call him, put his arm around Y/n’s shoulder and point at someone walking down the street. He couldn’t help but smile when Y/n laughed at whatever Bucky had said.

The food had come and true to her word it was amazing, Luanne came back over to hand them new drinks winking at Y/n who winked back, he found out that the second milkshakes were free. For the first time in Steve’s life he laughed and smiled genuinely, he had no idea that being beat up in some dingy alleyway would lead him to be making two new friends who actually seemed like they cared about him already.

Steve knew he had made two friends for life.

14th February 1931

“Hey Stevie” Y/n sang as she skipped up to him.

“Hey Y/n/n you still doing that?” Referring to her skipping, it was a new phase she was going through. Every where she went she skipped.

“Of course” she giggled.

“Where’s Bucky?”

“With his girlfriend” she grumbled. Poor James thought his best friend liked his girlfriend but Steve observant as always knew that this was indeed not the case.

“Yo-you still don’t like her I guess?”

“No. Are you okay? Is your eczema play-“

“Asthma, Y/n I have asthma”

“Oh yeah ah, is it playing up today?” Receiving a nod she nods too. “How about we walk super slow so you can catch your breath”

“I-I need to g-get back to home, n-need to help ma cle-clean up”

“That’s okay I’ll help you and your mom I don’t mind”

“A-ar-are you sure?”

“Of course, plus I’ve missed your mom”

Arriving at the Rogers’s residence Sarah greeted Y/n with a tight hug and a kiss to her cheek happy to see the young girl again. Ten minutes into cleaning Y/n told Steve to sit down as his asthma was getting worse, Sarah tried to help out but Y/n just shook her head and told her that it was fine.

She truly didn’t mind helping in cleaning up, she had grown use to having to do it at home since her mom was always working and her step father was too lazy and drunk most of the time to do it.

A year after kicking her father out of the house for the last time her mom got divorced from him as he was wanting to marry the woman he had been cheating on her with. Unfortunately her mom married another lazy man who only thought of himself.

But her mom was happy so Y/n was happy for her.

When her father died for some reason her mom received all his money. Which it had annoyed his new wife tremendously.

“It’s getting late darling, you should head home-oh just before you go here’s some mon-“

“No need to Mrs Sarah, I’ll see you tomorrow Stevie”

Waving goodbye and leaving the house before Sarah could argue about giving her money, skipping down the street she didn’t realise how dark it was when she was in the warm home that belonged to the Rogers.

As she got closer to home she came to a stop when she heard strange noises come from an alleyway, choosing to inspect the sounds she crept down the dark path, furrowing her eyebrows at hearing two different voices she was about to pop her head around before freezing.

“Oh Bucky” a girl moaned.

Slapping her hand across her mouth she started to stumble back. Of course she knew that James was going to be having sex, he was handsome and every girl wanted him, and of course she knew what they was doing she wasn’t stupid but hearing what followed after the girl moaned broke her heart.

He called his girlfriend Flower.

The name that he had always called her he was now calling someone else it. It was her nickname that he gave her since they was four and now he was calling some girl he had been dating for two months her name.

It broke her heart.

For three weeks she had managed to successfully avoid James she knew it was silly for not talking to her best friend over a nickname that he had every right to call someone else but she just couldn’t help but feel down knowing that she wasn’t his flower anymore.

“Y/n, Bucky and Steve’s here for you” her mom shouted from the door, she could hear her talking to them from where she was stood at from the top of the stairs.

Her heart dropped when her mom told both boys just to head up to her room. Scrambling and knocking over her little brother she ran into her room, shutting the door quietly before jumping on the springy mattress causing the metal bed frame to squeak loudly.

“Knock knock little monster” she could hear the smile in his voice.

“Come in” and she also knew that he would be frowning at her response, it wasn’t the usual one she gave him.

“Hi Flower” if he noticed her tensing he didn’t say anything about it.

“Hi Y/n/n”

“Hi boys. What are you doing here?”

“Missed you, you haven’t been around much” James said watching her reaction.

“I’ve been busy” she shrugged. It wasn’t a total lie but wasn’t the whole truth either.

“Doing?” James knew that she was lying, whenever she did she could never look him in the eyes.

“Things”

“What kind of things?”

“Things James! I do not understand why you are so noisy”

“Because I miss my Flower” stating it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He frowned when she flinched at his nickname for her. “W-what was that for? Why did you flinch”

“I-I don’t know what your talking about”

“You flinched when I called you Flower”

“You did Y/n” Steve interrupted, he did hate having to come in between his best friends but he knew that if he didn’t it would probably go on and on.

“I-“ sighing with a huff she shrugged her shoulders. She knew James better than anyone she knew he wasn’t going to give up any time soon. “I heard you”

“Heard me? What are you talking about?”

“Calling your girlfriend Flower”

“I-I’ve never-”

“In the alleyway when you were having sex”

Steve shifted awkwardly on his feet whilst James stood still like a statue. He couldn’t understand what the problem was, so what he was having sex at least it was with his girlfriend, why would his best friend be upset about that?

“You called her Flower James.”

Oh. Oh shit.

“I-you-it-“

“Whatever it’s just a nickname right? I’m sorry that I haven’t spoken to you in weeks but it hurt Jamie, but she’s your girlfriend-“

“I broke up with her”

“Right…so can we be friends again?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I broke up with her?”

“No. I just want to be your flower again”

“You’ve always have been Y/n, nobody will take that away from you”

Sliding off the bed she jumped on James, wrapping her arms and legs around him hugging him like she had never done before.

Yes it hurt because he had called someone else the name he had given her but she realised she was being silly for not talking to him over it, he was her best friend as well as Steve and that’s all that mattered.

December 10th 1941

The Second World War had been going on for three years and now America was getting involved after the attack on Pearl Harbour, it’s all everyone spoke about, before there was young men leaving their homes and families to go over to Britain to help fight, a fight they had no reason to be apart off other than to help beat the bad guys, now no one had a choice but to fight.

When James told Y/n that he too enlisted in the army it crushed her heart, she knew he was doing it to help defend his country but that didn’t stop her from being scared. Scared of losing him.

“I can do this all day” Steve panted as the guy tried to get closer to him and Y/n. Y/n couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Steve’s confidence, she knew that he could not in fact do this all day. His asthma was getting the better of him.

Just as Steve was about to leap forward to defend himself and Y/n the guy was pulled away by the scruff of his jacket.

“Pick on someone your own size” James kicked the guy away, watching as the bully scramble away.

Y/n and Steve stood there frozen on the spot at seeing James dressed in his uniform.

It was really happening. She was going to lose her best friend.

“Why are you wearing that?”

“Because I’m a pirate. I’ve been recruited Flower, I ship out tomorrow” though James had a smile on his face his stomach churned at reminding himself of when he was going to fight, churned at not knowing when he was going to see his Flower or Steve again or if he ever would.

“Tomorrow? T-that’s not enough time-no Jamie you can’t-“

“I have to Y/n-“

“Tell them no.”

“You want me to tell the US Army no?”

“Yes”

“Flower”

“Or I’ll do it if your to chicken”

“Chicken? Really?”

“Guys stop arguing.” Steve tried to intervene but it was too late. He watched as his two best friends argued back and forth, feeling annoyed at the fact that he had been rejected once again no matter what name he used or what area he said he was from. And yet his best friend had been accepted by the Army and was allowed to go and fight against the bad guys.

“Anyway come on, we’re going to the Stark Expo”

What James failed to mention to the pair that he had a date with Connie or was it Bonnie? He couldn’t actually remember but whoever he was going on a date with the other girl was for Steve, he felt slightly bad that Y/n would have to be fifth wheeling even if he knew that she would end up leaving under the arm of some guy.

“-so I told him that he had to look after his own children you know? And guess what he said to me-Stevie? Ste-not again” Y/n muttered when she realised that not only had she been talking to herself for god knows how long, but when she turned around she saw the small frame of her best friend going into a recruiting tent that was set up at the Expo.

Following after him she watched as he went into a small makeshift room, entering she laughed when Steve tried to cover his naked chest.

“Steve seriously? You can’t keep doing this-“

“Why not? I can fight, just because I’m smaller then everyone including you doesn’t mean that I can’t help“

“You’d be killed straight away Steven!”

“So what?”

“So what? Steve-“

“I’ve agreed to be part of a science project for a doctor-“

“A science project? Steve what the hell are you talking about?”

“I-it doesn’t matter what does matter is that I’ve been accepted and I’m going to war”

“No. I forbid you from going”

“Forbid me?” Steve scoffed finding her behaviour stupid. He wanted to do that right thing and she was forbidding it. Ridiculous. “You can’t stop me Y/n”

“I-I don’t want to lose you too”

“What are you talking about? Buck will be fine”

“He might not Steve you don’t know this. I can’t-don’t want to lose my best friends please just stay with me here an-and wait for Ja-“

“No Y/n I’m doing this! Stop being selfish”

Being called selfish had whatever response she was going to reply back with to die on her tongue. Y/n was called selfish time and time again by her step father when she wouldn’t look after her siblings, his children. She had grown to detest that word, hated to be called it which James and Steve knew.

Steve instantly knew that he had messed up but before he could apologise he watched his best friend nod, spin on her heels and walked out.

James looked around with a smile on his lips when the flying car got higher off the ground frowning when he didn’t see Flower or Steve, his eyes darted around to find them, his left eye twitched slightly when he saw Y/n coming out of the recruiting tent he knew she had probably tried to talk to Steve out of signing up.

Ever since the war was declared Steve had become slightly obsessed with going on the front lines along with the rest of the hero’s and fight. James and Y/n took it in turns to get Steve away from the recruiting centres, took it in turns comforting him when he got turned down because of his health problems.

Leaving the girls where they were he went to find Steve to see what had happened. “Steve seriously man just give up”

“Don’t start Buck I’ve had enough of Y/n trying to stop me.” Steve told Bucky how Dr Erskine had given him the opportunity of joining the war to the whole conversation between him and Y/n, he quietly told his best friend that he had called their friend selfish.

“You called her selfish? Steve!”

“I know okay I know I messed up but-“

“Did she say where she was going?”

“No, I thought she was going to find you”

Bucky goes to reply when he gets interrupted by the two girls that he and Steve were meant to be on a date with, asking if they were still going dancing, James sighed before telling them no he had other plans. The girls wasn’t happy but James didn’t care, he needed to find his Flower.

Saying his goodbyes to Steve he turned on his heels to go to Y/n’s house.

Knocking on the door he waited patiently for someone to open, Y/n’s little sister opened and smiled instantly showing Bucky her missing front teeth. “Y/ns in her room”

“Thanks little one”

“‘M not little anymore!” She pouted, the same pout that reminded him of Y/n’s when she was younger.

“No, no you’re not” ruffling her hair he laughed when she tried to hit him, he’s always had a habit of winding up their younger siblings.

Bounding up the stairs nearly tripping over the toy train that belonged to her younger brother he turned the corner and knocked on Y/n’s bedroom door.

“Go away”

“Wow that’s rude Flower”

“Jamie?”

“Who else is calling you flower?”

“No one”

“Are you going let me in or we going to keep talking with a door in between us?”

“You may enter”

Entering her bedroom his heart clenched in his chest at seeing her eyes and cheeks red, tear strained track marks on her puffy cheeks. Ever since they were young he’s always hated seeing her cry.

His stomach dropping when he sees the photograph in her hands, knowing exactly which one it was. James had dragged Y/n and Steve to Coney Island for the day, James made Steve go on the Cyclone which was absolutely terrifying yet amazing at the same time. Steve didn’t quite enjoy it like Bucky or Y/n as he vomited pretty much everywhere.

Winnie, had taken the photo that morning they were standing outside the home James grew up in, smiling at the camera. Y/n in the middle of the two guys, Bucky had his arm around her shoulder and she had hers around Steve.

It was the only photo she had of the three of them.

“Flower…”

“He’s leaving me too, a doctor-a scientist has told him that he can join if he takes part in an experiment James. I-I don’t want to lose you both Jamie”

“Hey-hey your not losing either one of us doll-“

“But I am. This war is dangerous and if I lose either one of you I-I-“

“I promise you that I’ll come back-“

“You can’t promise me that Buck”

“I’m with you ‘til the end of the line, you know this. And I’ll always come back to you Y/n, always. Especially if you let me make an honest woman out of you” his voice went quieter, serious, hopeful that she would hear the genuine words that he spoke.

“You…want to-after going on a date with someone else on your last night of freedom-want to make an honest woman out of me?”

“I, yes. Y/n flower it’s always been you”

“I should be the one making an honest woman out of you-wait-what?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her facial expression when she finally registers his words “I’ve been in love with you for so long Y/n”

“And you’re telling me this the night before you ship off to god knows where?”

“You know me Flower, I’ve always been good with timing”

“You really aren’t” she laughed.

“Am too. But what do you say? When I get back I’ll marry you, get us a nice house maybe on a farm? We can have all the animals you want-yes even a dinosaur even though they don’t exist-and we’ll have children, and we can be happy forever”

“Y-you really want that with me?”

“There’s no one else in this world that I want that life with Flower”

Instead of verbally answering she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and nodding so fast Bucky thought her head might fall off. Bucky held her face in between his hands just staring at her, he knew that she would never see herself in the same way he has always seen her, he lent in pressing his lips to hers hopefully being able to show her how much he loved her without saying those words out loud.

That night they slept arm in arm with one another both equally dreading for the sun to come up.

When the sun finally made an appearance, he left with the promise that he would be back in an hour so that their families could walk him to the docks, and not without stealing another kiss from her.

Hand in hand an hour later with Winnie, Rebecca, Y/m/n, Y/n’s stepdad and siblings met up with Steve who was waiting outside Mollys with three milkshakes. Everyone walked ahead whilst the three best friends walked slowly behind them, wanting to try and delay the inevitable.

“My promise still stands Flower, I’ll come home and we’ll have the perfect life together. I promise”

“You best come home to me then Jamie or I’ll beat you up”

“Wouldn’t doubt that for a second” he chuckled, everyone else joins in. “I promise to be safe and come home to you Flower. And I’ll write to you when I can okay?”

“I’ll write back to you I promise.”

When the last signal called for all soldiers to get on the ship, Bucky swallowed the sob that tried to make its way out of his plumb lips. Hugging his ma and sister one last time, and his best friends mom and siblings before making his way to Steve, hugging Steve he asked the blonde to look after Y/n which Steve promised he would. Standing in front of Y/n he smiled sadly and wiped her tears away before kissing her one last time, he’d already grown addicted to the way she tasted and the way her lips fit perfectly against his.

He couldn’t wait until he got back so he could spend the rest of his life kissing her.

March 15th 1942

“Y/n there’s a letter here for you!” Her little sister shouted from the bottom of the stairs, there was only one person that would be writing to her, hearing her sister she fell out of the bed with how fast she was trying to get out of it, running down the stairs she grabbed the letter out of her sisters hand.

“Y/n slow down” her mom tried to warn her but it was no use she was already running back upstairs. The excitement getting the better of her. Ripping open the envelope she settled back on her bed.

***

Dear Flower,

It’s been three months since I last saw you and I’m missing you more and more everyday, how are you? Have you been missing me? How’s Steve been? I’ve wrote to him too but I know you’ll tell me the truth.

I’m still holding on to my promise I made so don’t be finding any other man, please.

I’m sorry it’s not the longest letter but I don’t have much time, I’m sorry.

I love you Flower, I should have told you that the last time I saw you but just know I do with all my heart, I’ll see you soon.

All my love

Your Jamie.

***

“So…what did he say?” Y/n was so engrossed in the letter she didn’t hear her bedroom door squeak open or see her mom and sister standing in the doorway.

“H-he said he loves me, momma he loves me”

“Have you only just noticed?”

“What?”

“That boy has been in love with you for as long as I can recall” her mom said as matter of factly.

“I-I need paper a-an-and a pen I need to tell him that I love him too”

Her mom smiled before handing her a piece of paper and a pen that she hid behind her back, she even gave her money so she could get a stamp to put on the letter.

***

Dear Jamie,

I love you.

I’ve been doing good, helping down at the factory with the rest of the women it’s good, I’ve made a friend her names Dot her husband is also fighting, she’s got two kids and Jamie they are the cutest little kids I’ve seen! Of course I have been missing you Jamie! Steve’s doing okay, he’s got a crush on a British woman names Peggy (but don’t tell him I told you that) she’s pretty, smart and really nice. I think she likes him too!

No other man will take me away from you Jamie I promise, I can’t wait to marry you and be able to wind you up for the rest of our lives together, I’m joking. Or am I?

Don’t apologise for your letter being short, anything is better than not having any from you, as long as you are okay and safe that’s all that matters to me.

I love you with all my heart to Jamie, honestly and truly.

Be safe and come home to me.

All my love

Your Flower.

***

Folding the letter and sliding it in an envelope her mom had given her when she was writing, she slipped her letter into the envelope sealing it off she ran downstairs slipping her shoes on she ran out of the house and down the street to the post office.

“A-a s-stamp pl-please” she panted at the worker.

The second the stamp was sealed securely on her envelope she posted it. Her heart raising rapidly, the temptation to just stand there and wait for the mailman to collect all the letters was there until someone cleared their throat from behind her.

“Sorry, I’m sorry” she muttered before leaving, now she just had to wait now until Bucky wrote her back. Shouldn’t be too long. Hopefully.

June 21st 1943

She last received a letter from James three months ago, he told her where he was and how he was doing, told her all about his comrades, told her that he’d come back to her. Ended that letter like the rest, with him telling her how much he loved her. Writing back as quickly as possible she told him how things were going, telling him about her news friends from the factory, and like all the others she ended it with telling him how much she loved him.

Everyday for three months she waited patiently for a letter to come, sighing deeply when she never received one. She was starting to get nervous at the prospect of something bad happening to him, but she kept pushing that thought away as she saw Rebecca everyday at the factory and she hadn’t said anything to her.

Six months after James left for war Y/n moved to a small apartment above the post office, it was small but enough for just her. One night after finishing her shift at the factory, Mary who worked at the post office came running out to her handing her a letter, Y/n ran up the stairs struggled to open her front door like always before she managed to get it to open, quickly closing and locking the door - keeping her promise to James who had made her promise to keep her front door locked at all times.

***

Dear Flower,

I’ve missed you terribly. How are you? I hope you’re okay and safe.

How’s Steve doing? He’s not been really responding to my letters. I’m a bit worried about him.

I’m sorry my letters are getting shorter, it’s just things have been hectic lately.

You’re in my thoughts and prayers every day and night, I’ll come home soon and I’m all yours forever I promise.

I love you more than anything Y/n.

All my love

Your Jamie.

***

Wiping her tears she moved to get her paper and pen, settling on her couch she started to write.

***

Dear Jamie,

I’m missing you more and more every day, I’m doing okay and I’m safe, you do not need to worry about me just as long as you are safe and sound that’s all that matters to me.

Steve will be getting the serum tomorrow (22nd June) I’m scared for him but Peggy has told me that everything will be okay. She’s even said I can come along too, Rebecca has said she will cover my shift because she’s an angel. Steve’s been busy but he’s okay I promise, oh…he jumped on a grenade BUT don’t worry it wasn’t a real one! I screamed and cried when Peggy told me, then I smacked Steve…he deserved it.

I’ve already told you not to worry about the shortness of your letters, I reread every single one of them over and over again.

You’re in my thoughts and prayers day in and day out.

I love you more and more than you’ll ever know.

All my love

Your Flower.

***

Sealing the letter in the envelope she unlocked the door and skipped downstairs where Mary unlocked the door and handed her a stamp, Mary knew the routine that Y/n had every time she got a letter that she waited long after closing so her new friend could post it that same day.

“Thanks Mary”

“Don’t need to thank me, how is he?”

“He didn’t say…but he said he misses me, it’s hectic over there so”

“It’s understandable, are you meeting Steve and that Brit tomorrow?”

“Peggy-“ Y/n laughed “-and yes, it’s a very big day tomorrow”

“What’s happened again?”

“H-he has a special operation and I’m just going for emotional support” she smiled, Peggy told her not to say anything to anyone but Mary had overheard Y/n talking to Steve about it. So she told her Mary that it was an operation he was having.

“Well I hope it goes well. I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight darling”

The next morning Y/n waited outside for Steve and Peggy to show up, nearly ten minutes later a sleek black car pulled up and Peggy got out greeting her. Instantly regretting sitting in the middle of two people who were flirting, made worse by Steve as he didn’t realise that Peggy was in fact flirting.

Just like the car ride Y/n blanked out most of what Dr Erskine was waffling on about, her eyes kept going to the bed where Steve lay strapped in to Howard Stark, still slightly star struck.

Everything happened next was lost on her. Her heart raced when she heard Steve screaming in the chamber, a beast of a man was released from said chamber it looked like Steve, her best friend Stevie but this guy was huge. Strong. Muscly. Taller.

Before Steve had to look up to her and now it was the other way around. He said her name and smiled, he pulled her into his arms as she gaped at her best friend’s transformation. Steve released her to look at Peggy as she moved closer.

The unmistakable bang of a gun firing sounded in the room, Steve wasted no time in knocking Y/n on the ground covering her body with his. Dr Erskine had been shot, Steve took off barefoot after the gunman, Y/n’s hands were drenched in blood as she tried to put pressure on the wound, Howard Stark helping her by covering his hands over hers.

It all happened in a blur.

It all happened to fast.

She didn’t like it, she was scared.

She wanted Jamie.

She was always safe with her Jamie.

“Y/n? Y/n look at me love, it’s Peggy. I need you to concentrate”

But she couldn’t. There was too much blood. There was chaos in the background and the only thing she could focus on was the shaking of her hands covered in someone else’s blood.

“Y/n please darling snap out of it” that sounded a lot like Howard she thought to herself.

She could hear them talking then she saw Howard standing and moving away slowly. Then everything came into focus. The look of distress in Peggy’s eyes, the destruction of the room, the white sheet covering a body.

“S-Steve?”

“He’s, he’s okay. We need to go love”

“I-I-I want Jamie”

“I know but he isn’t here right now an-and he will be rather mad at me if I don’t get you out of here, so please follow me”

Despite the blood on Y/n’s hands Peggy still took them in hers and helped her stand, although Peggy didn’t really know Y/n all that well she knew that Steve cared deeply for her, making her care about the woman. Her main focus was getting Y/n to safety and then she could worry about everything else.

December 10th 1944

It’s been well over a year since Y/n watched Dr Erskine get shot and killed, in that year she went back to work in the factory. Nothing really changed for her in that year that had gone by, months would go by without a letter from Bucky she knew that he was still alive as his family wasn’t informed to state that he was dead.

It brought her some relief. But that didn’t stop the sadness from sinking in when she didn’t get a letter.

Steve had become a circus monkey for America, gaining himself the name Captain America. When she saw one of his shows for the very first time she couldn’t stop laughing. The outfit. The way he looked so unsure and uncomfortable. The music. The acting. It was laughable.

“Stop laughing Y/n” Steve said walking into the tent as she followed behind him.

“I-god you look ridiculous Stevie”

“Stop laughing!” He tried to act mad but her laugh had his lips turning upwards. For Steve it had been a long time since he heard her laugh like that. He missed it.

In October of 1943 Steve showed up at her apartment acting different, he was quieter, avoided talking about Bucky. Y/n had asked him if there was something wrong but all he did was give her a tight lipped smile and shook his head.

He wanted to tell her that he was told that Bucky and his unit had been captured as POWs, he wanted to reassure her that he was going to do everything in his power to get him back, to bring him home to her so they could get the life he’s knows they’ve always wanted with each other.

But he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to say them words and see her smile fade, tears gather in her eyes so he remained silent and listened to her rambling about something one of the girls said at work.

He couldn’t fail her, he was going to bring Bucky back no matter what it took.

Unbeknownst to Y/n not only was Bucky captured and then saved by their once scrawny little friend but that in ten minutes there was going to be a knock at the door and she’d be taken by two soldiers to go somewhere.

“It’s like I’m invisible” Bucky mutters when Peggy doesn’t even give him a second glance, he found it funny that Peggy had to practically spell it out for the blonde to understand what she was trying to hint. He knew that if Y/n was here and saw the exchange she would have been smiling so wide with her hands clasped together against her heart.

A small smile made its way to his lips as he thought about Y/n, his Flower. As soon as he got back to camp from being saved by Steve he went straight to his tent and wrote a letter to her, sealing it up in an envelope he got from one of the soldiers, giving it to the person he needed to for it to be sent off. Already excited for her letter. He missed her more than anything.

“You thinking about her Buck?” Steve’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Of course, she’s always on my mind-what?”

“Who’s always on your mind?”

“Ms Potts from down the street-“ he rolled his eyes “-Y/n, you’re an idiot sometimes Steve I swear”

“I’m always on your mind Jamie?”

Bucky’s eyes went wide looking Steve in the eyes, the blonde just smiled at him. Slowly turning around, his heart thumped loudly in his chest, blood rushing in his ears he turned to find the source of the voice he has missed hearing.

Well aware that his unit, his team, strangers that became friends were standing around, he didn’t care if they saw their Sergeant with tears gathering in his eyes.

He didn’t care about anything other than Y/n who was currently standing in front of him. Her flower print dress fit perfectly, lightly moving as she stands there. Her eyes focused on him as he took her in, god she was so beautiful.

“F-Flower?”

“Hi Jamie”

“Wha-how-your really here? I’m not dreaming again am I?”

“No” she giggled, the sound making his heart tingle.

“If you don’t kiss her I will” Dum Dum shouted making everyone laugh. But not Bucky. No it made him move quicker than he’d ever moved before, cupping her face in his hands he smiled before placing his lips to hers. Steve joined in with everyone else as they cheered and clapped.

“You’re really here” Bucky whispered against her lips, resting his forehead against hers breathing in her scent.

“I’m really here”

That night he took her to his hotel room that they had been allowed to stay at, and made love to her for the first time. Three times that night. One more time before they had to say goodbye to each other again.

Just as she was about to get into the car Bucky kissed her one last time, and got down on one knee, proposing to her with a metal nut - that he had found in the room they shared - asking her to marry him before she could answer he promised that once he was back he’d buy her a ring.

Kissing him she held out her hand for him to slid the nut onto her finger.

“I’m getting married to my Flower” he said as the car that carried his love away. Steve smiled at his best friend’s happiness.

January 28th 1945

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Dot asked Y/n as she threw up for the second time that day.

“I’m okay. Must have been something I ate”

“You sure? Didn’t you say you saw James last month?”

“Yes…why?”

“Did you two…you know”

“Wha-oh, yes, a few times” she admitted, her cheeks going bright red.

“Do you think? Maybe? Right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You might be pregnant” Dot whispered.

Her head spun as the words from her friend settled in. She hadn’t had her period she realised. No. Surely not, right?

“Go and see the doctor after your shift and check” Dot continued.

“I have half an hour off before I start back up again”

“I’ll cover you”

“You’ve got kids you need to-“

“My mom’s here to help me, I’ll be fine”

“But-“

“No buts missy, you need to find out if you are.”

After twenty minutes of arguing back and forth with Dot, Y/n finally caved. Going to the hospital she waited patiently for her bloods to be taken. Completely unaware that across town two families were receiving the worst news.

Getting her keys out of her bag she froze when she saw Steve standing outside her apartment dressed in civilian clothing as Bucky called it now.

“Steve? Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Y/n, I need to talk to you”

“Is it Jamie? Steve? Where’s Bucky?”

But Steve didn’t answer instead he took her keys from her shaking hands and unlocked the door, pushing it open he turned to grasp her arm and guided her in to her apartment. His heart sinking further into his stomach than it already was before coming to her apartment, when he saw the metal nut still sitting on her finger.

“Steve…”

“I failed you Y/n/n I-I’m so sorry”

“He’s okay. He is. I know it”

Shaking his head the scene replying over and over in his head like it had for the past week since he watched his best friend fall to his death “H-he-he’s gone Y/n, I’m so-sorry” He jumps up just in time to catch her as she falls to her knees, a painful sob leaving her lips.

Sadly Steve wasn’t done.

“Y/n…there’s something else, Michael…he’s been killed”

Michael was her half brother. She was close with him, closer to him than she was with her younger siblings. Michael never failed to make her laugh, he always acted like he was the oldest one of the two though there was eight years between them. Y/n was the first person he told when he got his orders from the Army, she hugged him as he cried. It’s not that he didn’t want to fight and help it was that he was terrified.

“No! No you’re lying.”

Helping her stand he took her home where her mom’s screams and cries could be heard from outside the home. Watching as mom and daughter cling together from the doorway Steve let a few tears fall.

Two days after finding out that her best friend turned fiancé and her sweet younger brother were killed Y/n found out she was pregnant. A few weeks later they buried Michael.

On the second of March 1945 Peggy arrived at Y/n’s apartment, eyes red and swollen. They held each other as they cried. Y/n gathered that Steve never got his letter to let him know he was going to be an uncle.

When Peggy noticed the small prodding bump her heart ached. She knew she had to keep the promise that she gave Steve, that she would look after Y/n. Steve had told Peggy that just before Bucky fell he told the blonde to look after his fiancée, the two best friend’s last thoughts were on their best friend and fiancée. Neither one knowing that she pregnant.

A month later Y/n and her family, Winnie and Rebecca were at the cemetery, she smiled sadly when she felt her baby kick for the first time when the preacher said James Buchanan Barnes, they watched as two empty coffins were put into the ground.

She knew that the baby she was growing inside of her would have been so loved and spoiled by its father and uncle Stevie, it broke her heart knowing that her unborn baby would never meet the two greatest men she had ever known.

Five years passed after she lost three men closest to her. After she gave birth to a healthy beautiful baby girl that she named Hope Jamie Barnes, she moved out of the tiny little apartment she had and moved into a farm house that had acres of land.

Just because her Jamie wasn’t with her anymore didn’t mean she was going to give up on the life that he had planned for them. She still wore that metal nut, everyone thought it was strange but luckily for her they never asked about it. However it no longer sat on her finger but around her neck on a silver chain.

A wedding ring sat there now instead.

Two years after Hope was born her mom made her get married. “You’re twenty nine now Y/n you need a husband” her mom told her, reluctantly she agreed and married a man named Frank. At first Frank was okay, nice even but things changed only after a few months of marriage. It started with small things such as telling her what to wear, how to act. Then it turned nasty, the abuse was mental, verbal and physical.

Three years into their marriage she had become numb and use to it all. Became use to the women talking and giggling like school girls when they saw her in the store or on the streets, the same women who were sleeping with her husband. It didn’t bother her anymore that her husband was cheating on her, the more women he had to satisfy him the more he was away from her home, the less she got beaten and berated.

It didn’t even bother her that he had gotten one of his mistresses pregnant or when the mistress’s husband found out and beat Frank to within an inch of his life. In fact she smiled.

Y/n and Peggy’s friendship became non existent after Y/n got married and Peggy married Daniel Sousa, when Peggy and Daniel started dating Peggy had asked Y/n if she was wrong for it but Y/n told her that she deserved to be happy and if he gave that to her then she should have that happiness.

Peggy worried if Steve would have been mad, Y/n had to remind her that he wouldn’t have wanted her to live a life of loneliness.

When Hope was five she was wise for her age, she knew Frank wasn’t her father, she knew her daddy had passed away when he protected the country from the bad guys. Hope enjoyed her nighttime stories where her mama would tell her all about her father, hearing about how funny, kind and loving her father was always made the little girl smile. One night Y/n showed Hope the few photographs she had of James, Hope giggled and pointed at her eyes and then at James’s “same mommy same”. It was true, Hope had the same colour eyes as Bucky and like Bucky’s eyes they changed lighter when she was happy or giggling, turned darker when she was sad or when she was poorly.

Every Sunday Y/n and Hope had a routine, they would go to the cemetery to put flowers down on the graves of James and Steve. They would sit on a blanket and eat the sandwiches that Y/n would take with them, they would sit, eat and talk for hours - depending on the weather. Hope would show the headstones all her drawings and tell them all about her schooling and friends, told them her favourite colour - the rainbow that’s her favourite colour.

Y/n knew that there was no bodies in the coffins but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t sit there with her daughter in her lap and tell the two empty graves that she loved and missed them. Every time.

It was still a tradition that they both did even as Y/n got older and weaker.

In 1970 her husband was killed, Franks brother Robert was arrested and charged with his murder. Robert found out that his wife was having an affair with his brother. Y/n went to see him in prison after Robert sent her a letter begging her to see him, he swore that he didn’t do it. That it was a man with a silver arm. Y/n believed him when he said he didn’t do it, he was with his sister, her husband and their children, along with Robert’s children. But she didn’t believe him about a man with a silver arm, that was a bit far fetched.

At Franks funeral Y/n stood there with Hope on her left side and the nine children he had with nine different women. She tried to comfort the children he had with the women he had cheated on her with, they allowed it until everyone left and it was just them standing at the grave. His oldest started laughing causing the others to join in, Hope looked at her mom with a raised eyebrow that reminded her so much of Bucky, she just shrugged.

They told Y/n that they were happy he was finally gone. Told her that they hated him and was glad he was dead.

It surprised her but they were at the age where they realised that their parents marriages broke up when their mom cheated on their dad, or when they saw Frank hit their mom. It was nine teenagers/young adults who knew that what the preacher was saying as the coffin was lowered in the ground that it was all lies, he wasn’t a good man, he wasn’t a good husband or father, he was everything they hated. He was everything the five boys had promised that they would never turn in to. He was everything the four girls promised that they would never end up with.

They all kept in touch throughout the years, it was nice. And through them years all nine of his offspring kept their promises.

As the years went on Y/n became more and more proud of Hope and the woman she had become. Hope got married and had children, her first born son was named James, her second son was named Steve.

“M-mom there’s someone here to see you” Hope stuttered from the doorway.

“W-who i-is it darling?”

“I-he-hold on”

Hope appeared at the door with a nervous smile on her face, her fingers twisting together as a man walked slowly towards her. His eyes going to the woman and then to the man behind him, he was scared.

“Hope?”

“Mom-“

Y/n slowly turned to face the doorway, her eyes widening as she sees the ghost of her best friend towering over her daughter.

“S-Stevie? You’ve come to take me to Jamie?”

Steve frowned looking at the woman who was the last person on his mind before the plane crashed in to the water, his best friend who had aged yet her eyes remained the same. Then he looked at Hope confusion written on his face, she looked up at him and smiled sadly.

“Mom I’m just going to get you a drink.” Nodding her head to Steve and Sam to follow her she went into the kitchen. “She thinks your taking her to heaven to see my dad”

“Dad?”

“James? He’s my father”

Steve’s heart thumped painfully in his chest. When Hope answered the door telling him that she was Y/n’s daughter he assumed that she had married and had children, he did not expect the woman in front of him to be the daughter of his best friend who he watched fall to his death.

“What?”

“Bucky Barnes is my father…you’re my uncle, well that’s what my mom always called you.”

“Oh. Now I see it, it’s your eyes”

“Mom always said I had the same eyes as him” she laughed.

Steve goes to open his mouth when there’s a sound of a cane hitting the floor, all three turn to face the doorway where Y/n stood.

“Are you re-really alive and not just m-my imagination?”

“I’m really here Y/n/n”

“H-how?”

“When I crashed the plane-ow stop hitting me” he cries out when she hits him with her walking cane, Sam and Hope laugh.

“Still mad at you for crashing that plane”

“I’m sorry. I was frozen and they found me a few years ago” Steve finished his explanation. Y/n nodded and sat down, being ninety five years old her legs weren’t as strong as they once were.

“This is my daughter, she’s beautiful isn’t she?”

“She is, she’s got Bucky’s eyes”

“Yes she has. Who’s your friend?”

“This is Sam, he’s the one that helped me track you down”

“I-it’s nice to meet you Sam.” When Y/n reached out to shake Sam’s hand Steve noticed a glint of a necklace. He watched as her free hand went to the necklace and started lightly tugging on it, he wasn’t the only one.

“Mom? Mom your alright, your safe don’t worry” Hope says softly, moving closer slowly. Sam looked at Steve worriedly.

“I-I don’t-don’t let him hurt me anymore”

“Mom he’s dead, he can’t hurt you anymore I promise” Hope helped pull the necklace out, handing her the thing she knew her mom was trying to hold.

Steve’s breath get caught in his throat at seeing the metal nut Bucky gave her all those years ago.

“S-Steve? Your dead. Hope wh-who is he? I-it’s not Stevie, he’s dead”

“It’s okay mom, he’s a friend. Let’s get you back to bed okay?” Turning to Steve and Sam telling them she’d be back in a few, they both nod.

Waiting patiently in the kitchen Steve can hear Hope calm Y/n down, his heart breaking when Y/n asks for Jamie. When Hope comes downstairs she offers the two a drink, both declines politely.

“Mom keeps forgetting things, she’s been like this for a while now.”

“The thing on her necklace, what is it?” Though he knew he just couldn’t see it lasting this long or that she even kept it.

“My dad proposed to her with it, it’s a nut. She’s kept it on her chain ever since-well, she’s wore it since he gave it her”

“Did she ever marry? Have other kids?”

“Yes, he died in 1970 and no I’m her only child”

“I’m sor-“

“Don’t apologise, bastard deserved it”

After an hour or so the men take their leave, the blonde asking if he was able to come back and see Y/n again, Hope said yes.

The year was now 2016, Y/n’s health declining as she was nearing one hundred. The doctors told Hope that it would be better to keep her in hospital for the rest of her time on earth, Hope told them that, that wasn’t going to happen. Y/n had told Hope that when she was going to die that she wanted to go when she was at home. No matter what.

Steve had showed up one day to talk to Hope, to tell her that her father was alive after all this time. Hope begged him not to tell Y/n. Y/n struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that Steve was alive, she had grown so confused that she started to tug on her necklace. Hope didn’t want to imagine how her mom would react to the news that the love of her life was alive, not when she spent so long mourning him.

At first Steve was confused but understood at the same time. He told Hope that he and Bucky fought and the only way he could get him to snap out of whatever Hydra had done to him was by saying Y/ns name, Hope smiled at that. Hope asked Steve if he had told James all about her and how her mom was still alive, Steve said no but with her permission he would. And he did.

After seventy years of going without a father it was strange when she met Bucky for the first time, a man who didn’t look a day over thirty was her father when she looked like his mother, it was strange.

Bucky cried. Cried for never knowing Y/n was pregnant in the first place. Cried for never being there throughout Hope growing in her mother’s stomach. Cried for never being there for either one of them for nearly seventy years. Hugging his daughter for the first time ever Bucky crumbled.

Hope was very honest about hers and Y/n’s life, told Bucky how Y/n’s husband was a cheating abusive arsehole. Both Bucky and Steve clenched their fists at hearing that. Shocked when Hope told them that apparently a man with a silver arm had killed Frank, and because Bucky had his arm covered and gloves on Hope didn’t realise that it was her father that did it.

Bucky was open and honest about what had happened to him, expecting his daughter to look at him differently so when she threw her arms around him and cried he was shocked.

It took Bucky exactly twenty three minutes and fourteen seconds for him to ask when he could see Y/n. Having to think it over she agreed but on the condition that she was the one that would tell Y/n the truth.

Telling her mom that the man she had still been in love with after all those years since she had lost him, that he was still alive was the hardest conversation she had to have with her mom. Y/n didn’t believe her, of course she didn’t she’s spent seventy years mourning him. Seventy years wishing she saw him again, hoping and praying that he would still love her the way she still loved him.

Hope told Y/n that she had met him, hugged him, laughed with him but she still didn’t believe her.

A week after telling Y/n that Bucky was still alive her health deteriorated. Hope had to tell Bucky and Steve that Y/n didn’t have long left. Bucky was determined to see his love for the last time.

James stood in front of the house that Y/n had made a home since she left Brooklyn, the two floored farm house stood proudly in front of acres of land, due to his enhanced senses he could smell the lingering smell of animal food and waste. Hope had told him all about the animals Y/n rescued over the years, told him that when she was seven they had three horses, cows and goats, that in recent years Y/n had been rescuing cats and dogs from the streets or abusive homes rehoming them to those she trusted. Bucky smiled at hearing that she had lived the life he wanted for the both of them, smiled at hearing that Y/n’s kindness and love for animals never stopped.

Checking his hair was fine for the umpteenth time in the two hours it took them to get there he turned to face Steve.

“You ready Buck?”

“Y-yeah” Steve knocks on the door and they both wait patiently for Hope to answer.

“Hi, come on in-oh”

“T-they wanted to come, hope that’s okay” Bucky explained. Behind him and Steve stood the rest of the Avengers.

“We’ve heard all about your mom ever since blondie came out of ice, wanted to meet her” Tony spoke leaning in between the two super soldiers to hold his hand out.

“Oh right, come in.” Leading them all upstairs where Y/n was, Bucky’s nerves sky rocketed the closer he got to the bedroom. “You ready?” Hope asked.

“Yeah. She knows I’m here right?”

“She does, if it helps she’s nervous too”

Nodding his head he watched with a steady breath as his daughter - which he still found weird saying - twisted the door knob and opened the door.

Though older and frail Bucky thought she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. His eyes stayed on her face as he moved closer, with every step he took his heart started to beat slower.

“J-Jamie?”

Wetting his lips and gulping he nodded “hi Flower”

“Took you long enough to come and get me”

“I know my love b-but I’m here now”

“Are we going to see Stevie?”

“Stevie’s right here darling”

“Is my mama going to be there too?”

Frowning he looked back to Hope as she stands at the doorway with everyone behind her. Hope shook her head and mouthed “she thinks you’re taking her to heaven”. His frown deepened, looking back at Y/n whose eyes didn’t move away from him.

“I’ve missed you Flower”

“I’ve missed you too Jamie. Ha-have you met Hope? She’s your daughter Jamie”

“I have met her, beautiful isn’t she?”

“She is. The best thing I’ve ever done”

“I’m so proud of you, you’ve raised our daughter amazingly”

“Sit down silly” sitting on bed next to her he took his gloves off and held both her hands when she reached for him. Y/n didn’t flinch when his silver hand touched her. “Don’t let Frank hurt Hope okay? Y-you have to promise me Jamie th-that you’ll lo-look after her”

“Doll he’s-I promise that no one will ever hurt her”

“Good. He’s mean. He hurts me Jamie”

“I know doll I know, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you from him”

“Not your fa-wh-who are they Jamie?”

“They’re Stevies friends Flower”

Hope nudged Steve further into the room and nods to the others letting them know it’s okay for them to go in too. Steve says hello and introduces the team to her, each giving her a smile.

For three hours Steve and Y/n talked about growing up together and all the things they use to get up to, everyone laughed and asked Y/n questions about the two super soldiers, she answered them as best as she could sometimes she repeated herself or looked panicked when she saw strangers standing in her room.

Bucky though held her hand with the both of his, his eyes on her the whole time. Tracing over each line with his eyes, his heart clenching when he saw the unmistakable sight of a scar that ran down the side of her face.

His breath got caught in his throat when she took out the metal nut around the necklace. “Y-you kept it?” He asked interrupting when Sam was talking about.

“My Jamie gave it me during the war, he proposed to me” she smiled “you look like him”

“Do I?”

“Yes, but my Jamie was more handsome”

“Was he now?”

“Oh yes-“ a yawn cuts her off. Hope tells everyone that it was best if they left now so she could get some rest, and they do. Each say their goodbyes and waits for Steve and Bucky downstairs.

“We’ll come and see you tomorrow okay?” Steve says after he pulls away from giving her a hug and a kiss to her forehead. Y/n nods and smiles. “I’ll wait for downstairs Buck”

Bucky nods, then looks at Hope who understands without being verbally told that Bucky wanted a few minutes alone, she follows behind Steve.

“I have always loved you, you know? I still love you. I’m sorry that I didn’t come home to you when I promised you over and over that I would, I’m sorry I let you down Flower”

“Y-you didn’t let me down Jamie, never.”

Bucky smiles softly at her, watching as her eyes start to droop. “I’ll let you get some rest my love. I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise”

“O-okay Jamie. S-see you tom-tomorrow” Giving her a kiss to her forehead he stands and moves to the door, taking one last look at his first and only love.

“Thank you for the best years of my life”

He says before shutting the door and heads slowly down the stairs.

After Hope says her goodbyes and gives her dad a hug she busies herself cleaning the kitchen, she smiles happily to herself seeing her parents together something she had always wanted to experience.

She doesn’t know that her mom is in her bed with her hand wrapped around the piece of metal that she had wore and cherished from the moment James gave it her, she doesn’t know her mom is thinking about meeting her Jamie again.

She doesn’t know that her mom takes her last breath with a small smile on her lips.

A year after loosing the love of his life Bucky had to bury his only daughter, heart attack took her. In 2023 Tony had perfected his father’s Time Machine with the help from Bruce. Steve was going to be returning the stones, they all gathered together in the empty space and watched as Steve vanished.

“4…3…2…1” Bruce counted down for Steve’s arrival.

Once the smoke cleared Bucky had his eyes down as he knew that Steve wasn’t going to be coming back, he knew he was going to go back to live a life with Peggy. His head snapped up when he heard the voice that he always heard in his sleep.

There stood on the platform was Steve, Y/n and a two year old Hope.

“Fl-Flower”

“You died Jamie. You promised me you would be safe but-“

Bucky cuts her off by pressing his lips against hers, holding both of his flowers tightly.

One month after Steve brought Y/n and Hope to the future, Bucky and Y/n got married. A month after that she finds out that baby Barnes number two would be arriving.

“I love you Flower”

“I love you Jamie”

Tags: @imcinnamoons | @pigeonmama | @capsbestgirl77

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feeder86 · 2 months

Text

Selfish

“Why are you arranging to go out with the boys? You know we’re going up to help my parents with redecorating this weekend!” Lucy complained, standing straight up and looking down at Ryan, laid out on the couch.

“We’re doing what?” Ryan asked, completely perplexed. “We were there last weekend!”

“Yeah, and I told my dad you’d give him a hand with the wallpapering this next weekend as well,” Lucy continued in her whining tone.

“Their entire lounge?” Ryan shot back. “Nobody told me!”

“Well…” Lucy mumbled, suddenly realising that Ryan was right. “I’m telling you now.”

Ryan huffed in frustration. He hadn’t had a night out with the boys in months. He’d thought, when he married Lucy, that he was setting himself up for a good life. She didn’t want kids, she wasn’t crazy about him visiting the gym all the time and she was a fully qualified chef! However, two years in and Ryan had never had so little time for himself, endlessly fixing up their apartment just as Lucy wanted it, then constantly heading out to see her parents; always being signed up for some tedious maintenance tasks now that Lucy’s dad was getting on a bit and living off his retirement income. “Fine,” he sighed, deleting his planned message to the group chat with the boys. “I guess I can see my friends when I’ve got a couple of weeks off next month.”

“Oh, yes!” Lucy nodded, making Ryan instantly regret reminding her about his time off. The cogs in her head clearly rolling into action, imagining all of the jobs he could get done in that time.

“Ryan!” cheered his buddies a full nine weeks later, amazed that he had actually made it out. “We haven’t seen you in ages!”

“I’m only here for one of two drinks. I dropped Lucy off in town to do some shopping,” he explained to them, not wanting to get their hopes up.

“You’re not coming to the club?” Adam asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise after giving him the biggest hug.

“No… no. I wish I could, but…” he grumbled, considering the best way to explain how much Lucy was monopolising his time; how frustrating and demanding she had become since they got married. . “...I’ve got commitments,” he simply stated, deciding not to poison his time with his friends by complaining about the person who had kept him away from them for so long.

“Don’t worry about it, buddy,” Jack jumped in, filling the silent void that was killing the mood. “Life happens.”

“Jack!” Ryan exclaimed, seeing his high school best friend and doing a slight double take. The guy had altered quite a bit since Ryan last saw him. Where had that double chin come from? How was he filling that shirt with all that padding in his stomach? What the hell had happened? “How long has it been, buddy?”

“I saw you at Ginny and Fran’s house warming, about four months ago,” he answered. “I introduced you to my new girlfriend, Michelle.”

“Oh, yeah,” I remember, Ryan nodded, thinking back to how drunk Lucy had been that night, and how early they had had to leave. But Jack hadn’t looked so overweight back then. They’d tried out their friends’ new swimming pool. Jack had been one of the first ones in. He definitely wasn’t out of shape. Not like he appeared to be now.

As luck would have it, when the guys all went to grab seats, Ryan ended up next to Jack, right on the end of a long, rectangular table. Back in their high school days, the pair of them had been the best of friends, and that old rapport immediately came back every time they met; even after months of separation. Jack had always been the bad influence that Ryan’s parents had never approved of. He’d been banned from hanging out with the guy on multiple occasions when he was growing up and, even now, he still felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t, giggling away at the crude jokes that tumbled out of Jack’s mouth with ease.

“So, things are going well with Michelle?” Ryan asked, spotting that Jack had already referenced her several times in their conversation.

“Things are going great!” Jack beamed. He leaned in a little closer, clearly not wanting the other guys to hear. “We’ve even talked about getting married!”

At this, Ryan’s eyebrows flew up. “Married? After four months?” he whispered back, knowing that Jack didn’t want this broadcasting. He remembered how promiscuous his friend had been during his college days. If Ryan had been asked to pick any one of the guys here who was least likely to ever settle down, he would have chosen Jack without a second thought.

“I know!” Jack beamed, leaning back and placing his hands on the top of his stout little paunch, which jutted out into a proper shelf as they sat down. “I’m so ready for it though,” he smiled, seeming to rub his stomach mindlessly. “I’m actually really excited about the idea.”

Round and round Jack’s hands went, rubbing that tight ball of stomach fat, pulling Ryan’s gaze into it. “I’m happy for you,” he mumbled back.

Jack looked around, checking that no one else was listening in, then he turned himself a little more into Ryan, about to divulge even more private information. “Michelle’s super kinky!” he whispered.

Ryan chuckled and leaned in as well. His own sex life was so monotonous these days, he was actually quite ready to hear about someone else having a good time. “Oh yeah? She certainly looked pretty flexible when I met her that one time,” he grinned, settling into dirty ‘guy talk’ with enthusiasm.

“Oh, buddy!” Jack sighed, rolling his eyes and giving a huge exhale. “You would not believe it. She has me wrapped around her little finger. Absolutely anything she wants, I do for her.”

“That doesn’t sound too dissimilar to me and Lucy,” Ryan quipped, chuckling at his own joke.

“No, I’m not talking about boring shit, like decorating,” Jack shot back, having heard all about Ryan’s grumblings. “I’m talking about really kinky, submissive stuff.”

“Really?” Ryan smirked. “I never thought she’d be the dominant type.”

“No,” Jack agreed enthusiastically. “No one else knows. She hides it really well.”

Ryan had to admit that he was getting a little turned on. “So, what type of stuff does she make you do?” he asked next; his eyes twinkling with boyish interest, just as much as Jack’s were.

“All sorts,” Jack answered, his hands slipping onto his gut again. “When we started going out, I was still trying to act like the playboy I used to be. Michelle was having none of it. She’s put guys like me in their place before. Trust me, I’ve seen the pictures!” he smirked.”But her biggest turn on is making sure I overeat and get bigger.”

“Seriously?” Ryan asked, now understanding why Jack kept on holding his stomach. “I thought girls hated it when guys put on weight?”

“It’s an absolute fucking dream!” Jack replied, lowering his voice even further. Just the fact that he had sworn showed Ryan how turned on his friend was, simply by talking about it. “I get home and she’ll sit me in my gaming chair and set everything up for me. Then she brings me endless snacks and beers; a few sodas, cream cakes. Michelle won’t even let me get up. I do nothing around my apartment at all! No washing, no cleaning and certainly no cooking! She gets off on controlling my entire lifestyle when I’m at home. Then rewarding me for it.”

“Dude, that’s amazing!” Ryan had to agree, feeling surprisingly jealous. He’d been up until almost midnight last night, fixing a new shelf for Lucy’s candles, whilst his buddy Jack had been gaming, eating and getting pleasured the entire time.

“You see why I’m so keen to marry her now?” Jack joked back. “Can you believe it? I’m actually living out our dream that we used to talk about in high school.”

Ryan looked a little perplexed, trying to remember what they used to talk about ten years ago.

In turn, Jack seemed a little surprised that Ryan was struggling to recall. “You remember? Mr Hanson was such a bad gym teacher, we used to joke that we would just find some girls who liked fat guys and never have to put on a pair of itchy gym shorts again.”

“Oh, yeah!” Ryan chuckled. “That worked out well for me,” he sighed sarcastically. “I ended up marrying a professional chef, but I’m now ten pounds lighter than I was when we married.”

“Dude, there are other girls out there,” Jack went on enthusiastically. “Believe me! My eyes have been opened in these last few months! If you want the life that I’ve got…” he proclaimed, rubbing his stomach once more, “trust me, you can have it!”

Ryan nodded. No one else had dared to suggest he thought about a life beyond Lucy. Whenever he raised his concerns or annoyances about their marriage, people were keen to stamp them out, reminding him, in their accusatory tones, that marriage was all about compromising. Now, here was Jack, actively encouraging him to imagine being with someone else instead. It was the reason why Jack was, and always would be, Ryan’s very best friend.

Ryan looked at himself in the mirror a couple of weeks later. It was Sunday night. He should have been well rested, and yet he looked nothing but tired. The dirt under his fingernails from digging up Lucy’s parents’ garden all weekend was still visible in places, despite scrubbing for so long in the shower. His ribs were showing in his chest and, although he was built with plenty of muscle, he’d never looked so lanky and slim in his life. He thought of Jack and his life of pleasure and luxury. This… this tiredness and exhaustion was not what he wanted for himself. He looked almost ill.

Life had to change.

Ryan raised his cell phone to the mirror and took a picture of himself. This would be his lowest point, he decided with determination. From now on, things were going to change. He never wanted to see himself like this ever again.

“What’s all this?” Lucy complained, slipping into Ryan’s truck on their way to the supermarket. She held up several pieces of packaging, wrappers from fast food places and sugary snacks. “Is this what you’ve been eating when you’ve been in work this week?”

Ryan nodded without shame. “I feel like I’m too skinny. I’m trying to put on a few pounds.”

“Since when?” Lucy blasted back indignantly. “I’ve never told you you’re too skinny. I like the way you look.”

“I don’t,” Ryan shrugged. “I’ve never liked being skinny. I was always bigger than this growing up. In fact, I was actually quite chubby when I started high school.”

“Well, no. Sorry,” Lucy stated, without compromise. “I’m your wife, and I say no.”

Ryan looked at her in disbelief. “It’s my body,” he declared. “And I want to feel good about it.”

“I said no!” Lucy spat, brushing all the packaging into the footwell and sitting herself down. “Now, let’s talk about something else.”

Ryan got in, sat down and slammed the door shut, neither of them speaking for the entire ride.

‘Fastest ways to gain weight’ Ryan typed into the internet search that evening after Lucy had gone to bed. He quickly skipped through anything that dealt with muscle gains and focused solely on those that promoted increases in fat. He may have married Lucy, but she didn’t own him. In fact, she was the one who needed to learn that more than anyone. This was one ‘no’ that he wasn’t about to cave into.

“You’re looking well,” cried Ryan’s aunt as he stopped over to fix her leaking tap.

“Thanks,” he smiled back. “I feel quite well,” he agreed. “I’ve been trying to put some weight back on these last few weeks. I was starting to get far too skinny.”

“I was saying that to your mom, but she didn’t agree with me. You had gone dreadfully skinny.”

Ryan nodded in agreement. He had always been much more on his aunt’s wavelength than anyone else in his family. “I found some recipes online and I buy in these little calorie shakes that seem to work well on me. I’ve put on about 20lbs altogether,” he explained, raising his shirt briefly to show that his stomach was indeed a little thicker. “Lucy isn’t too pleased about it. But she’s never happy these days.”

“Well, you were never skinny growing up, were you?” his aunt nodded. “You always had a sweet tooth, I remember. You used to eat me out of house and home when you came over!”

“That’s why I’m so tall,” Ryan laughed. “I was always so well fed growing up.”

The pair of them laughed and Ryan packed up his things. In the old days, he would have headed straight home to his wife, but now he was feeling the need to be much more selfish, heading istead to the fast food place he had grown quite attached to and determined that he would at last defeat the Mega Monster Meal that had, up until now, eluded him.

“Come on, we’ve got to go!” Lucy complained, checking the time as Ryan rushed about after his shower. He’d been late home, getting caught up at a job, sending his wife into a tailspin as she tried to get him ready for her friend’s engagement party. She’d laid his suit out on the bed, his underwear, shoes and socks; knowing exactly how she wanted him to look.

Ryan hated being rushed. So what if they missed the first twenty minutes? Was the world really going to end? It was the side of Lucy he hated most, struggling to pull his socks on as his feet were still so wet.

“Oh,” Ryan mumbled, sucking in his stomach and trying to button up the suit pants. He tugged and pulled, holding his breath as much as he could. “I’m too big for them!” he chuckled with amusement, remembering that he had bought the suit for a wedding less than a year ago, when he was much skinnier. “What a waste of money, these were!” he joked lightheartedly. “I only got to wear them once!”

Lucy stared on in horror. She’d told him again and again to cut down on his eating. Couldn’t he see how bad he looked? Wasn’t he ashamed of how his stomach was starting to develop into a little paunch.

“Relax,” he whispered back, trying to calm her down. “I’ll just pair the jacket with my jeans and then we can head straight out.”

However, Lucy’s face had flushed with anger. “No,” she declared, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. “I’m going by myself. I’m not being seen with you, looking like this.”

Ryan stared at her in disbelief. He didn’t have words, listening as she stormed down the stairs and threw the front door closed. He heard her car start and he peeked out the window as that too stormed off down the street; out of view.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Ryan threw himself down onto the bed; still dressed only in his underwear and socks. How had he married someone so fucking unreasonable? She was just so…

But then a thought came to Ryan, making his brain tingle into life. Had he actually just been given the night to himself? The whole house? Just him? All evening?

He looked down at his thicker stomach and smiled with delight at it. “Thank you!” he laughed aloud, managing to pinch a little and jiggle it in happiness. He felt a twitch in his groin, realising that with the night to himself, he could watch porn or do anything that he wanted. He could order food in. Lots of it! “Yes!”, he nodded, getting more excited and turned on now. This was his night. Free reign to be as selfish as he liked.

Ryan proceeded to indulge himself in every way possible, looking down at his bloated stomach a couple of hours later. Maybe this was it, he thought to himself. Maybe this was the way out of his miserable life with Lucy. He could seize upon her dislike of his weight gain and run with it. Why stop? He’d certainly gone beyond the point of denying himself for the sake of her ideals. There was a path in front of him, the exit sign shining brightly and a new life within his reach. He just needed to have the courage to reach for it.

“A Saturday night to yourself?” Jack laughed, surprised that Ryan had actually followed up on his promises and made it out for a drink. “You must have been a very good boy!” he teased.

Ryan hugged his friend and stood back to admire him slightly. Jack had grown wider since he’d seen him last, his hips and love handles spreading. Teh guy’s face was bigger, cheeks blooming large. And underneath his t-shirt, Ryan could see that the man’s nipples had become pointed, pressing outwards from his puffy former pecs. “I can see that you’ve been having a very good time of things!” he joked, being in the know about how Jack’s kinky sex life worked with his girlfriend.

“I could say the same about you!” Jack smirked back, poking Ryan in his tight little paunch. “Have you and Lucy been having your own kinky fun?” he teased.

“We’re not really talking at the moment, dude,” Ryan explained straight away; keen that he didn’t have to spend the entire night talking about her. “I want out. I’ve reached the end.”

Jack winced sympathetically. “I can’t say that I’m all that surprised after the way you were talking last time. But that still doesn’t explain this,” he pointed back at Ryan’s middle, smirking.

Ryan laughed, having forgottem how quickly Jack could lift his spirits with his cheeky humour. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied coyly, smiling with just as much mischief.

“Yes you do!” Jack laughed back, patting Ryan’s paunch properly now. “Did you do it on purpose? Is this to piss Lucy off?”

Again, Ryan laughed. He shruged his shoulders. “Yeah,” he nodded in surprise at Jack’s bluntness. There wasn’t anyone else in the world he could imagine himself admitting this to. “I guess I did,” he smiled, resting his hand over his thicker middle like it was his new prized pet.

“Dude, that’s so awesome!” Jack blasted; his face lighting up with all the enthusiasm Ryan remembered when the pair of them used to get up to mischief in high school. “You love it, don’t you?”

Ryan felt like he was dealing with an excitable puppy, but the interest was infectious. “Well, I can’t say I’m against it,” he replied diplomatically.

“Michelle is going to love this when I tell her,” Jack pressed on, ordering them both a couple of beers. “She said at the pool party that you would make a good fatty.”

“She did?” Ryan asked, surprised that Michelle would talk about other guys in that way.

“Absolutely,” Jack nodded. “She said you’re like me; a similar build; perfect for fattening up, apparently.”

“She really is a kinky one, your Michelle, isn’t she?” Ryan chuckled, feeling strangely aroused by the idea of her talking about him like this.

“How far are you planning on taking it?” Jack pressed him.

“The weight gain? Um, well. I’m not really thinking about anything really. I’m just having some fun,” he answered honestly.

“Dude, if you’re ever going to grow a gut in your lifetime, getting a divorce is one of them.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ryan asked, only half listening now as he tried to work out why there was so much blood pumping into his groin.

“A divorce is like a free pass for so many things. No one will bat an eyelid if you start getting properly fat once you two separate.”

“Well, we’re not quite there yet,” Ryan backtracked, wincing slightly as the word ‘divorce’ came up so casually in their conversation. Lucy hadn’t mentioned it to him yet, and neither had he to her.

“Just imagine it though,” Jack encouraged him. “You, sitting in your own apartment somewhere, drinking as much beer and eating as much pizza as you want after work. No Lucy complaining in the background and telling you off. No massive list of jobs to be completed at the weekend.”

“That does sound pretty sweet,” Ryan admitted; his dick now inexplicably full of blood.

“I just can’t wait to tell Michelle,” Jack said again, more delighted than ever as the pair of them settled in to watch the football game on the big screen.

The realities of splitting from his wife were somewhat different from the fantasies that Jack tried to portray, Ryan soon realised. Divorce was quickly turning into the most expensive thing he had ever done. Lucy’s parents, who had been too impoverished to hire a gardener, or a decorator, or a maintenance guy the entire time he had been married to Lucy, suddenly stumped up the cash to pay for the most cut-throat, killer lawyer for their daughter. With his head in his hands, Ryan soon realised that he was going to have to start from scratch: no home, no pensions, not even his truck for work. The only place that he could afford to live was a room in an apartment downtown, sharing with two students from the local college. Twenty nine years old and here he was, right back at the starting line.

Of the two guys he now lived with, Ryan didn’t see much of Paul, the computer science major. He was often out in the library, or hiding out in his bedroom. That worked fine. With his life turned so upside down, Ryan wasn’t exactly wanting to be dragged out to parties midweek when he had work the next morning. No, the only real pain in Ryan’s ass was Ash; the smart-mouthed literature student with a carefree attitude to life that frustrated Ryan to no end.

“You know, when you get a real job, you’re not going to be able to sit up until 3am watching a movie marathon with your waste of space boyfriend,” he complained at the guy one evening, tired from an exhausting day in work, having been constantly woken by the pair of young lovers laughing so hard at the screen.

“Fine. Whatever,” Ash huffed. “I’ve had a stressful day, okay. I don’t need this.”

“Stressful?” Ryan parroted, feeling the rage bubbling up inside him. “You want to know about stress?” he growled. “You’ve been sitting inside all day typing up an assignment on a computer screen. That’s not what real stress looks like. You’re in college - you have absolutely no idea about the real world; about trying to actually earn a living!”

Ash rolled his eyes. He’d heard it all before.

Sure, Lucy knew how to press Ryan’s buttons, but this boy was on a whole other level. “You graduate with your masters in nine months!” he blasted. “What the hell do you expect to do then? You’ve got no idea, have you? How can you just wander so aimlessly through life?”

“What does it matter?” Ash sighed. “Things always work out in the end.”

“It matters because, trust me, your twenties will be over in a flash and you need to start getting somewhere in life. Not just watching movies until 3am! And certainly not with someone like Ben! You’re just setting yourself up for failure, and it pisses me off!”

“Like you, you mean?” Ash shot back, visibly annoyed. “You’ve done the whole marriage thing, the house, the cars. Yet, you're back here, sharing a shitty apartment with a couple of students. You did everything right, everything the grown-ups told you, and now look at you! Sometimes life is just like that. So stop taking out your frustrations on me and start focusing on yourself instead!”

Ryan didn’t respond. He stormed off to his room and threw himself onto the bed. Then he took a few breaths and considered what Ash had actually said to him. The guy had been right: he was taking his anger out on him. Ash was young, more academically bright than Ryan had ever been, good looking and full of personality. He had his whole life in front of him without any major mistakes under his belt yet. So why did Ryan feel the need to be such an asshole to him?

Despite not officially apologising, Ryan did make an effort to be nicer to Ash over the coming days. He still didn’t care for Ben, the guy's boyfriend, feeling that Ash could do much better. But he was polite and courteous, never failing to put in his earplugs when he knew they were going to be watching TV until late.

Ryan’s weight had not been a priority for him since he’d moved in. Any erotic fantasies he’d indulged himself in last year were thoroughly dampened by the divorce. Yet, his weight continued to climb, spurred on by the cheap, high carbohydrate diet he fell into whilst living in the apartment.

When he was with Lucy, Ryan had indulged himself in sugary treats and even high calorie supplements that he would now consider an eyewatering drain on his monthly budget. He was having to to work harder than ever to bring in the money and his paunch seemed to lose that fluffy softness of his early gains, solidifying into something firmer and more rounded as it continued to push itself out from under his chest.

New clothes were also a luxury that Ryan could ill-afford. His t-shirts fitted awkwardly around the swell of his stomach and there were many times in work when he felt a cool breeze on his butt crack. Beer was the only luxury he allowed himself in those early days, especially on the weekends, when Paul usually went back to visit his family and Ash was generally out partying with his boyfriend. In those few, blissful hours, he could guzzle down his beers whilst sitting in his underwear in front of the shared TV screen, appreciating exactly why he had given up his marriage. Life was hard, but it wasn’t always awful.

Through word of mouth, Ryan had started picking up more work on some of the other rental properties for students that littered this area of town. Desperate for the work, Ryan had been undercutting people quite dramatically in order to guarantee an income for himself. However, trying to get an early start on these types of properties was never as easy. Students were inherently lazy, he decided, whilst banging on the door of one apartment, trying to get someone to let him in. After a full five minutes, a groggy looking guy crawled to the door wearing only his underwear and a t-shirt that was back to front.

“Your landlord sent me to see your air con,” Ryan eventually explained.

Without a word, the exhausted guy simply opened the door further and let Ryan get by. “You’re not going to be noisy are you?” he eventually asked. “My boyfriend is still asleep.”

Ryan looked at his watch. It was almost 10.30 in the morning. Why would anyone still be asleep now?

“It’s okay. I’m getting up anyway,” yawned another guy, waddling sleepily from the bedroom and giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. It was only then that Ryan clocked him. It was Ben, Ash’s obviously cheating boyfriend; the guy’s face suddenly looking considerably more alert as he too recognised Ryan.

“You’re not going to tell Ash, are you?” Ben shouted, having followed Ryan out of the apartment the second he had finished up; safely out of earshot of his second boyfriend.

“Of course I am,” Ryan replied simply, continuing to walk away, without stopping.

“You’re just going to make him miserable,” the guy shot back. “Is that what you want?”

At this, Ryan laughed. Guilty people always seemed to have such a terrific way of turning things back around on the other person. “Trust me,” he sniggered. “He’ll be way better off without someone like you in his life.”

“Do you think it was easy for me with Ash?” Ben started next; his tone shifting to something nastier. “It’s not exactly easy trying to feel special when your boyfriend has a massive crush on the pot-bellied daddy bear he shares an apartment with. How do you think that made me feel?”

“What are you even talking about?” Ryan laughed, surprised at how far Ben was going with his bullshit. A daddy bear? He was only six years older than Ash.

“Oh, come on. You know exactly what you’re doing,” Ben snapped back, getting more viscious as he realised that Ryan wasn’t willing to compromise with him. “You’re always there, or strutting about in just your underwear, drinking your beers in the living area and being overly friendly. You’ve been trying to fuck things up for the two of us for ages.”

Now Ryan did stop, turning to face Ben properly. “What planet are you living on?” he asked, completely flabbergasted. “I just try to be pleasant. I’m not trying to do anything.”

“Prove it then,” Ben shot back, seizing upon an opportunity. “If you’re really not trying to fuck things up between us, you’ll let this one little indiscretion slide.”

If Ryan hadn’t just had the hardest year of his life, dealing with some of the most despicable, bullying lawyers out there, he may have fallen for Ben’s game. As it was, he wasn’t afraid of standing his ground. “Tell him by the time I get home later. Or I will.”

Ryan crept into the apartment later that evening, finding Paul in the kitchen. “You missed some drama today,” he sighed. “Ash and Ben broke up. I walked in on it all before. It was so awkward.”

“Is Ash okay?” Ryan asked, relieved that Ben had listened to his ultimatum and done the deed himself.

“He’s in his room,” Paul nodded over to the bedroom door. “We’d best leave him be.”

Ryan nodded in complete agreement, deciding to hide out in his room that evening so that Ash didn’t need to see anyone when he would inevitably have to come out for a glass of water, or to use the bathroom.

The evening was slipping away and Ryan had just finished a TV series that he had been charging through for the last two weeks. There was still an hour until he would need to get to sleep; enough time for one last beer, before the inevitable daily grind would start all over again. He strutted out of his bedroom and made for the refrigerator, pausing only briefly to crack the can open and chug a little of it. He burped quietly, finding that the first few mouthfuls of fresh beer always made him the most gassy. Then, suddenly, he heard the door to Ash’s room opening and he stood there, feeling completely caught out.

“Hi,” Ash whispered, not making any pretenses that he was here for any other reason than to see Ryan.

Feeling incredibly awkward, Ryan now regretted coming out of his room without a shirt on; his bloated pot belly on full display. Before today, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but Ben’s words had planted an unpleasant seed in his mind that made him question everything he did a little bit more. “I’m sorry to hear about Ben,” he stated straight away. “How are you doing?”

Ash sighed and began to pour his heart out. He knew all about Ryan’s discovery earlier that day and he thanked the guy for doing the right thing.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Ryan nodded, swigging the last of his beer and crushing the can for recycling. He shouldn’t have really had another one. His stomach felt quite painfully bloated and tight after it.

“Oh, and about those things that Ben said to you,” Ash quickly jumped in, seeing that Ryan was heading back to his room. “I hope it’s not going to make things awkward between us.”

Ryan had to think for a second about what Ash was getting at. The crush? Was Ben actually telling the truth about that? “Um, no. Not at all,” he mumbled back, rubbing his hair with a little embarrassment. “Don’t worry about it,” he smiled, finally making his escape.

An evening out with Jack was exactly what Ryan needed a couple of weekends later, as Ryan’s divorce was at last finalised. Unlike Ryan’s months of hell, Jack’s appearance was symbolic of a life of sheer indulgence and pleasure. Unlike Ryan, his body was pure softness, with blubber beginning to creep its way into the guy’s neck and upper arms. His stomach had swollen quite considerably and his butt had a surprising width to it that Ryan had not expected.

“Listen, I didn’t want to message you about this. I kind of feel pretty bad asking you in some ways, knowing what you’re going through,” Jack started after Ryan had finished explaining how the divorce had eventually played out. “I wanted you to be my best man.”

Ryan smiled brightly. “Of course I will,” he beamed, getting up to hug his old friend warmly as he stayed sitting in his chair.

“Thanks,” Jack smiled. “It’s not going to be a huge wedding. Not everyone approves,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“How do you mean?” Ryan asked, sensing that Jack needed to offload.

“Well, Michelle’s parents aren’t coming,” he huffed. “They’d watched Michelle do this to her old boyfriend,” he explained, rubbing the quite substantial shelf of belly fat under his sagging nipples. “So when the same thing started happening to me, they told her they wanted no part in it.”

“Bonus!” Ryan joked, trying to remain upbeat. “My marriage certainly would have gone a lot smoother without the in-laws.”

Jack nodded, seeming to be somewhat in agreement. “Michelle’s not too cut up about it,” he whispered. “Then, well, you remember my dad. He still goes out running three times a week. So he’s not been all that in favour of Michelle and her wholesome home cooking..”

“You can’t live your life for your parents,” Ryan jumped in. It was a lesson he had learned somewhat bitterly when his own church-goin parents had taken Lucy’s side in the divorce. It made him think back to how much they had pushed him to get married in the first place, and he began to resent them, quite justifiably in his opinion.

“I know, I know…” Jack nodded. “And I wouldn’t change a thing. She’s it for me, y’know?”

Ryan raised his beer and they drank to that sentiment.

“What about you?” Jack asked next. “Is there someone new you’ve been holding back from me?”

Ryan shook his head. “No, not at all,” he stated. “Well… I mean…” he hesitated for a moment. “No. No one.”

But Jack’s interest had already been piqued. “Oh, come on. You can’t give me that and then say nothing!” he teased.

Ryan sighed, realising that he had dug himself into a bit of a hole. “It’s nothing,” he huffed at his own stupidity. “It’s just, one of the guys I live with has a bit of a crush on me.”

“Your first chubby chaser!” Jack laughed wickedly.

“Well…” Ryan conceded. “It looks that way, yes. His ex-boyfriend told me off for strutting around the place in just my underwear. He said I had a pot-belly and told me his boyfriend thinks of me as a hot daddy bear!”

Jack chuckled again. “Well, he’s not wrong. You do have quite the pot-belly!”

“Isn’t it a bit weird though?” Ryan asked his friend.

“Being referred to as a daddy bear when you’re only twenty nine?” Jack asked, simultaneously nodding in agreement. “But once you put on a bit of extra meat, that’s just the way people see you. It’s much more arousing to lean into it, rather than try to fight it.”

“Lean into it?” Ryan asked. “That’s your best advice?”

“Just enjoy the attention,” Jack smirked. “So what if he’s a twenty-four year old gay guy? You don’t have to be into someone to appreciate their admiration,” he nodded knowingly. “Trust me on this one. You’ll come to see that I’m right.”

With the divorce at last over with and all lawyers paid off, Ryan began to feel the financial strain starting to ease. Lucy hadn’t been quite as successful in getting all that she wanted from him. The worst case scenario was, thankfully, avoided. A few more months of living with the boys and Ryan would soon have saved enough money to rent his own place instead. With the ties that bound him to his ex-wife now finally disappearing, Ryan began to remember why he had fought so long for this freedom.

“I’ll have the Monster Meat bucket,” he declared, walking into a fast food place and not feeling guilty about the cost for the first time in months. He sucked in the smell of all the greasy goodness and knew that this was a freedom he would never again take for granted. Now he could gorge on as much as he desired and never have to explain himself to anyone. He could literally get as fat as he wanted now he was divorced and single, with no one to please but himself.

As he settled down into a seat, Ryan felt the bliss of devoting all his attention just to his epic meal for a full 20 minutes. It was all the stress relief he had ever needed. No one in here was particularly slim and it seemed, in those moments, that he had taken himself out of a world that so frustrated him, and into one that he felt comfortable in. Sure, he could probably join a gym and drop this weight in a relatively short amount of time. He could train his body hard and attract some beautiful girl to make his ex jealous. But Ryan knew that he had moved beyond that now. He didn’t care what his ex thought of him, or anyone else for that matter.

Or was Ryan just kidding himself? Was this really a moment of clarity? Or would he soon go crawling back to a diet plan the second things started getting rough? He was desperate to believe that wouldn’t be the case, but no one could ever be totally certain when it came to the future. It was only the present he could master. And so, armed with that knowledge, he went back to the counter, even though he felt almost too stuffed to even think about food.

“I’ll have the triple burger, please,” he stated, adding another milkshake to go with it. “He felt his hardess start to tingle, like the old days when he used to do this. Back then, he’d assumed it to be some twisted excitement about pissing Lucy off. Now he realised that this was so much more. This was about taking himself to somewhere he had never allowed himself to imagine going..

“Is this for you?” Ash asked, handing Ryan two boxes of pizza. “The delivery guy was coming up the stairs as I got home.”

“About time!” Ryan sighed, taking the boxes from him and settling back into the chair in front of the sofa. Two pizzas were a necessity for the Friday night baseball game and he was already four beers down. It would have been a perfect night but for the sticky humidity that had loomed over the city for the last few days; making him strip to his boxers as soon as he got home. “Do you follow baseball?” he asked Ash politely, nodding to the couch to see if he wanted to join him; knowing that, with Paul gone for the weekend, Ash would be on his own otherwise.

“No. Watching sports is not really my thing,” Ash replied unenthusiastically, despite continuing to linger around.

“Do you mind getting me another beer then?” Ryan asked,deciding to put the guy to work if he was so free to just stand about like this.

Ash hopped to his task with remarkable speed. “Here you go,” he smiled delightedly, heading straight over and handing it over to him, not seeming to realise that he was blcoking part of the TV screen. “I’ve got some chips and dip if you want some?” he asked next.

“Sure,” Ryan nodded, hoping that the guy would at least sit down then and stop getting in the way.

Once again, Ash went to his task, presenting the chips and dip much better than Ryan ever would have. He placed them on the coffee table and then finally sat himself down on the couch.

“You not having any?” Ryan asked five minutes later, noticing that it was only him actually eating.

“No, thanks,” Ash simply replied, pretending to be interested in the game. “They’re for you. Do you want another beer?”

Ryan felt the remaining liquid in his beer can and nodded, surprised by how diligently he was being looked after. Even when he asked Ash to fetch him the ice cream from the freezer later on, he was surprised that the young guy hopped to it, bouncing off the couch with an enthusiasm he had never seen before.

At the end of the game, Ryan took himself to the bathroom to relieve himself after the seven cans of beer he had ended up consuming. He looked in the mirror and marveled at the reflection he saw within it. Bloated and stuffed, Ryan had never seen his stomach looking so round and tight. Although he had upgraded his underwear a little while back, already these were looking worn and stretched, pulling the waistband down so that a good couple of inches of butt crack were on show. His muscular chest had started to build up with fleshiness in recent weeks and he placed his hand there to feel just how soft it was starting to get under his arms. He pulled the scales out with his foot and wondered just how much he weighed in this overfed state. He stepped on, waiting for the numbers to settle: 256lbs; the biggest number he had ever seen by quite some margin. It was, quite frankly, the cause of an almost instantaneous erection.

“I was wondering, if you’re still hungry, I could make you some pancakes?” Ash asked next as Ryan finally made it out of the bathroom. “I’ve got all the ingredients in.”

Ryan sat himself back down with a grunt and rubbed the shelf of his tight stomach, surprised that Ash was still hanging about the living area. Couldn’t he see how full Ryan was? Was he completely obvious to the heavy breathing and occasional grunt when he had to move, even slightly. He knew that the guy had a little crush, but what on earth was he possibly getting out of all this?

“Go on,” Ash pressed, actually trying to persuade him now. “Just a couple of them; nothing too big.”

Ryan looked up at the guy, already making his way to the kitchen and just waiting for that final nod of approval from him. Out of little more than curiosity, he agreed; watching with interest as he spied Ash settling to his task. Was he really using that much oil to fry the batter mix up? Was he actually rubbing butter into them? Did he really need to pour on that much syrup?

Despite tasting amazing, Ryan knew that every mouthful he was taking was completely and utterly packed full of calories and fat. As if desperate for his approval, Ash had watched him consume every bite of them. A sweat had begun to pour off Ryan’s forehead, but he wasn’t entirely sure that this one was caused by the humidity. “I am absolutely stuffed!” Ryan declared, grunting and rubbing the stretched out ball of stomach fat. “I haven’t eaten this much in ages,” he chuckled. “Not since I was trying to piss off my ex-wife after she told me she liked me being skinny.” “You were putting on weight on purpose?” Ash asked, quite startled by the comment.

“I was going for it, like you wouldn’t believe!” Ryan nodded. “Unless you’ve been through it, it’s hard to comprehend how petty you can be towards the end of a bad marriage,” he grinned, suddenly noticing that his hands were all over his own rounded stomach. “I was even taking this special calorie supplement shake you can buy, just to speed things up,” he laughed, thinking back.

“Oh!” Ash exclaimed knowledgeably, suddenly naming the exact brand .

They both went quiet. What a strange piece of trivia for Ash to just know, thought Ryan. The guy seemed to sense that too, suddenly looking a little sheepish.

“Do you still take them?” Ash asked next, trying to look a little less interested than his excitable voice made him sound.

“I don’t need to,” Ryan grinned, tapping his fully grown pot belly. I just weighed myself twenty minutes ago. I’ve put on another 40lbs since I moved in here. It seems that I just can’t stop these days!” He yawned, standing up and stretching. “Anyway, buddy. I need to head to sleep,” he declared, seizing upon the fact that his erection from the overeating had at last subsided.

“Do you think there is a way to tell if someone is like your Michelle?” Ryan asked the next time he caught up with Jack at the very hastily organised stag party.

“How do you mean?” Jack asked, only a little worse for wear as he and Ryan gradually fell to the back of the crowd of friends taking them to the next bar.

“You know… Someone who is into the idea of helping someone else gain weight,” Ryan explained, trying to keep his voice fairly low.

Jack chuckled. “Oh, trust me, you’ll spot them!” he nodded. They’re not exactly subtle. “They’ll find ways to ensure you’re eating and they’ll probably want to watch too. If they’re anything like Michelle, they’ll probably try to keep your activity levels low and complement you at the weirdest times; like when you’re bloated from overeating.”

Ryan nodded, taking it all in and finding a striking resemblences to Ash’s more recent behaviours. “Anything else?” he asked.

Jack considered for a moment. “The compliments,” he added next. “They’re totally bizarre. If they’re praising you for overeating, that’s a pretty sure sign. But sometimes they may try to convince you that you look better, or more masculine, or whatever it is they think you want to hear. When the reality is, you just look fat.”

Again, Ryan nodded, keen to match Jack’s thoughts to his own observations of Ash. “You see, I think I might have…”

“Come on!” shouted their drunk friends up ahead. “The night is still young. Stop waddling behind and get your big butts up here!”

Jack and Ryan smirked at each other. Despite Jack’s rather considerable extra weight, Ryan had been lumbered in exactly the same category. The pair of them were, for better or worse, the fat guys on this trip.

“You’re back!” Ash smiled late the next day as an exhausted Ryan made it home. “Did you have a nice time? Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat?”

Ryan looked again at the time. “You’re still up!” he asked with surprise, knowing that Ash always had an early class on Monday mornings.

“Well, I wanted to check that you got home okay,”Ash replied, heading to the kitchen and renewing his offer to make something for his roommate.

Smirking at the fact that he was being fussed over and mothered by a good-looking twenty-four year old, Ryan had been disappointed that he hadn’t had more alone time to discuss this situation he was in, with his buddy, Jack. “Okay,” he nodded, deciding to just let Ash do his thing. “Sure, that would be nice.” He headed for a shower, returning to find an enormous, steaming hot lasagne, glistening with grease and cheese, sitting there on a plate, ready to be eaten. “Did you make this from scratch?” he asked Ash.

Ash nodded. “I remembered you saying that lasagne used to be your favourite dish growing up. I’ve never made it before, but I made a whole bunch of them and portioned them up in the refrigerator for when you get hungry.

Ryan smiled at the effort Ash had clearly gone to for him; a whole new level of care and attention. He opened his mouth to try some and nodded in approval. The lasagne really was delicious, although it was more than obvious just how much oil, cream and several different types of cheeses had gone into it to make it really quite extremely high in calories. If all the beer and fast food hadn’t ensured his pants would be tighter tomorrow, this little calorie bomb sure would.

“How was the weekend, anyway?” Ash asked, sticking around for the show and watching Ryan devour every bite.

“Pretty good,” Ryan nodded. “I had a couple of jibes from some of my old school friends about my weight. But we all turn thirty this year, so the dad-bod is definitely where most of them are at now anyway. I’m just the one who has already graduated from that stage,” he winked at Ash, tapping his gut.

“What did they say?” Ash asked with surprising interest, placing a cushion over his crotch.

“Oh, you know,” Ryan went on, deciding to play up to whatever kinky fantasies he thought his roomate may be having. “Just pointing stuff out to me: telling me how tight my clothes are, how slow I was when we were walking to different places and calling me out on how much I was eating when we went for food.”

“They’re probably just jealous,” Ash shot back straight away.

Ryan smirked. There was no way any of the guys were in the least bit jealous of his sprouting pot belly, making him all but invisible to the many hot girls they bumped into that weekend. This was clearly just another one of those bizarre compliments that Jack had told him to look out for. “Yeah, you’re right,” he lied to Ash, rubbing his bloating gut as he chugged down a few of the sodas Ash had supplied with his late night meal. “I’m sure they are jealous, deep down.”

Stepping on the scale was not something that Ryan did all that often. He could feel his stomach’s rounded shape starting to swell even larger, and he knew, from the fit of his underwear and pants, that his thighs and butt were also bearing the brunt of all that he was consuming each day. Still, as he stepped up, early one Sunday morning, after a particularly gluttonous take-out weekend of having the apartment to himself, Ryan’s eyes widened in shock: 278lbs! “Fuck!” he blasted in shock, before laughing to himself at how fast the latest few pounds had slipped on. He really weighed that much? He didn’t feel that heavy! He strolled over to the mirror inspecting his shape. Sure, his gut was pretty well developed by now and all the extra eating had sure softened his chest up rather a lot. He spun, noting that his butt’s width was quite considerable now, with back fat bulding at his sides and folding under his shoulder blades. Yet, he still didn’t feel like he should weigh 278lbs! Somehow, he had always imagined a guy that size being much bigger than this. What Ryan actually felt as he saw himself there, was very small still; acting as a licence for him to continue to indulge.

Jack’s wedding was fast approaching as the weeks rolled by. After being fitted for their suits, Ryan and Jack headed out for something to eat.

“That tailor seemed pretty pissed off that we left it this late to get ourselves measured for the wedding outfits,” Ryan noted as they sat down and grabbed the menus. “I guess we’ll have to cross our fingers that they can get those pants in for you in time.”

“It’ll be fine,” Jack shrugged. “I put on weight every week, so there would have been no point in going any earlier. I would just have outgrown them. “I’m almost 350lbs these days.”

Ryan nodded. Jack did indeed look impressively large, yet he was only 60lbs or so bigger than he was. And Ryan still felt tiny in comparison. “I know what you mean,” Ryan agreed. “I split some pants the other day. I’d only bought them four weeks before.”

“It’s weird, isnt it. When you’re gaining weight, you’re so tuned into how your body feels and looks. Yet, at the same time, you’re completely oblivious to it as well; how tight your clothes are getting, or how large you seem to other people.”

Ryan nodded enthusiastically. He felt so glad that Jack noticed this as well, sparking a lively conversation between the pair.

“You’ll be getting your own place soon, I take it?” Jack asked. “The two students you're sharing with must be graduating soon?”

“A couple of months,” Ryan nodded, suddenly realising that he had been a little lazy in his hunt for a new apartment.

“That’ll be nice!” Jack smiled. “Your own space at last!”

“Well, it’s not too bad as it is,” Ryan explained. “Paul is never there at weekends. And now he’s got himself a girlfriend, he’s not there much in the week either.”

“And what about the other one? The one you used to fight with loads?”

“Yeah, he’s there a lot, but… we don’t argue so much these days,” he admitted; suddenly feeling the desire to say so much more about kinky little Ash.

“Before I foget,” Jack jumped in. “Michelle wants to know who you’re bringing as your ‘plus one’ to the wedding next week.

“I’ve got a ‘plus one’?” Ryan asked, genuinely surprised.

“Dude!” Jack grumbled. “Seriously?”

“I’ll find someone,” Ryan replied hastily, seeing how stressed Jack was getting.

“What about that girl you were hinting at when we briefly chatted during my stag party?” Jack asked, clearly keen to get a name locked in.

Ryan thought for a moment. Had Jack assumed he had some potential hot chubby chaser girl on the go? He pondered the idea, realising, quite suddenly, that he didn’t really need one. In the most unexpected way, everything that he had yearned for in life had already arrived. “Hey, Jack,” he asked thoughtfully. “How did you know that Michelle was the one for you?”

“She’s gorgeous,” Jack shot back with a sly grin.

“Besides that,” Ryan insisted. “How did you know that you guys were meant to be together?”

Jack sighed. “I guess…” he began softly, “...it was the way she made me feel: so loved and cared for; admired and adored. I’ve never felt that from anyone before.” He seemed moved, just by talking about her. “Plus she dominated me and forced me to pack on over 150lbs of pure fat; which is one of the kinkiest fucking things I could ever have imagined!” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Ryan laughed and nodded. He made a crack about how much fatter Jack might be after he got home from his honeymoon, but, really, his mind was elsewhere; with someone else entirely.

Ryan arrived home to see a large crate of beers resting on the kitchen counter tied up with a ginormous red bow. He laughed, seeing that it was his favourite brand and noticing that a large tray of assorted doughnuts lay beside it.

“Do you like your present?” Ash asked, coming out of his bedroom with a huge smile on his face.

“You bought these for me?” Ryan asked, feeling his mouth watering at the sight of the doughnuts, even after how much he had eaten with Jack that afternoon.

As if psychically linked, Ash began unpackaging the doughnuts for him, leaving them open for him to stuff one into his mouth. “They’re to say thank you. I just had my novel manuscript accepted for publishing.”

Ryan nearly spat out his doughnut. “You’ve been writing a novel?” he blasted in shock. “Since when?”

“Since you kept reminding me that I need to do something with my life; back when you first moved in.”

“I was being an asshole,” Ryan confessed. “I didn’t mean to make you feel…”

“You gave me the kick up the ass that I needed,” Ash threw back with a smile. “You always told me how clever I was and that I could do anything.”

“You’re an amazing person,” Ryan marvelled. “In fact, you’re the best person I’ve ever met in my life!” For weeks now, he had worried that his behavious around Ash, indulging his little feeder tendencies in subtle ways, had only brought the guy to fetishize him. Their relationship was merely one of a simple exchange: Ryan would enjoy being overfed and catered for by his roommate, and Ash would get to enjoy the subtle art of ensuring a guy that he found attractive, continued to pile on a few pounds. Now, however, every sense felt strangetly heightened in this moment of celebration. He couldn’t believe that Ash had been secretly writing away for months when Ryan had assumed the guy to be inside his bedroom, playing games. Just how blind had he been this entire time?

Ryan took a step forward and Ash did not retreat. He grabbed the much smaller guy’s shoulders and held them firmly. Again, Ash did not stop him. Then, seeing the inviting, warm look on Ash’s face, Ryan took the biggest risk of his life, going in for a kiss and desperately hoping that Ash’s lips would move to meet his.

Unbelievably, Ash was kissing him back, moaning gently, as if luxuriating in something he had never wanted more in his life. The kiss became intense, very quickly. With his shirt lifted off him, Ryan felt the handsome guy’s hands rubbing all over his stomach. Before he knew it, Ryan was being guided into the living space, his sweatpants ripped down and then his body pushed with surprisingly kinky force, back into his usual chair in front of the TV.

Ryan looked up at Ash with startled arousal. The guy seemed so naturally suited to taking charge. He would have known that this was Ryan’s first gay experience and he led the way with ease, erasing any opportunity for awkward fumblings to slip in. He cracked open one of the chilled beers and fetched the tray of doughnuts from the kitchen counter. Then, when he was sure that Ryan was settled, he plunged his whole mouth down onto the fat guy’s crotch.

Ryan’s whole body twitched.This wasn’t a blow job, he thought to himself, feeling the intense stimulation straight away. He found himself moaning, even when he was trying not to. Was this intense pleasure what it was supposed to have been like all along? Lucy had never made much of an effort with anything in the bedroom, but Ash’s mouth was doing things to him that Ryan could never have dreamed of. He supped on his beer and ate a doughnut, feeling Ash’s hands rubbing the spherical shape of his stomach, clearly getting off on making this moment all about him.

Barely two doughnuts in and Ryan felt his body lurching as it wanted to climax. Ash worked his pace even more, feeling the throbbing in his mouth. Then, when the moment came, he pushed his mouth even deeper, sending Ryan’s hardness all the way down his throat. The pleasure; the orgasm; that intensity. It was unlike anything Ryan had ever experienced in his life.

There was no going back.

Over the following week, Ryan discovered that Ash had a whole arsenal of tactics to please him. Not only did the guy continue to fuss over him with his cooking and snack deliveries, but his tight, energetic little butt seemed determined to outdo every single previous sexual experience that Ryan had ever had. They spoke at length about their attraction to each other and how smitten they both had become. Ryan had no hesitation in inviting Ash to be his date for Jack’s wedding. And, in fact, spending so much time with a now professional writer, really helped Ryan to produce the best speech he could have wished for. Rather than feeling sick with nerves as the big day arrived, he felt excited and pumped, heartily stuffing himself on the big breakfast Ash had so lovingly prepared for him.

“Your friends really aren’t keen on Michelle, are they?” Ash commented later that evening, as the pair of them were reunited after Ryan’s time sitting at the top table and the endless photographs that needed taking.

“Um, no,” Ryan nodded. “Not so much.”

“I had no idea that your friend, Jack, used to be so slim before he met her,” he whispered, fearing that one of their families might overhear. “Your buddies seem to think she’s the devil incarnate!”

Ryan chuckled. He’d heard it all before. “She’s lovely really,” he tried, looking over at the pair of them as Michelle spoonfed her 350lb husband a large piece of their wedding cake. “She just… knows what she wants.”

“I think everyone here can see exactly what it is she wants,” Ash joked back as Jack’s full, swollen belly was patted with approval by his new wife. “It makes me wonder what your friends are going to say about me eventually.”

Ryan pulled Ash into him by holding his slim hips in his chubby hands. They had decided that it was best to go easy on the public displays of affection, considering that this was their first time out together as a couple. However, Ryan simply could not help himself. “Oh, yes?” he asked keenly.

“I certainly don’t have any plans to put you on a diet,” Ash grinned, fingering the skin between the stretched buttons of Ryan’s beer swollen gut.

Ryan growled in lustful approval. His hands slipped onto Ash’stight, toned butt and pulled the guy in even closer.

“In fact, how come you’re not eating a big slice of wedding cake for me right now?” Ash teased.

Ryan moaned lightly. This was exactly what he wanted. He knew how much scrutiny he was under today. He could feel the judgemental eyes upon him, for his shocking weight gain, the fit of his tight shirt, and the fact that he was dating someone none of them had ever expected. He should have been nervous or self conscious. However, with Ash in his arms, Ryan had never felt more free to be himself. “But won’t that make me even fatter?” he teased back.

Ash smiled. “Oh… I hadn’t thought of that,” he joked, accepting the kiss that Ryan soon bestowed upon him.

Ryan felt Ash’s hands feeling his big, broad butt as they kissed; the pants he had been measured for only a week ago, starting to feel rather uncomfortable after only a week of dating the handsome twenty-four year old. The kiss ended and both of them laughed, realising how ridiculously long it had taken to get to this point.

“Is this along the lines of what you had in mind for me?” Ryan asked moments later, pushing out his stomach as far as it would go and stretching those buttons even more.

Ash seemed thrilled, looking around the room in surprise that Ryan was making himself look so large in front of everyone that he knew at the wedding. He smiled, rubbing the underside of Ryan’s ball-like gut and then leaned in to whisper. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” he teased.

Ryan growled in lustful appreciation, then took his boyfriend’s hand and led the way to the wedding cake.

Exactly one year to the day, Ryan and Ash were sitting in that same room, together with Jack and Michelle, celebrating a year since the wedding. They reminisced fondly, thinking about the perfect day it had been and laughing about how shocked everyone had been after Jack came back 30lbs heavier from his two week honeymoon.

“You can’t be far off the weight I was this time last year,” Jack noted, surveying his buddy’s hefty appearance.

“Possibly,” Ryan nodded, rubbing his large stomach. “I still don’t feel big yet though,” he replied, as if he was oblivious to the enormous ball-shaped gut and the groaning of the chair, supporting his wide butt and mostrous 347lb body.

“Unless I ask him to do something,” Ash jumped in comically. “Then he always says he’s too fat to do anything!” he joked, making everyone chuckle.

“I’m actually going to be pushing Jack to five hundred pounds this year,” Michelle explained, taking her morbidly obese husband’s hand as if this was an announcement that thay had been planning for some time.

Ryan noticed Jack staring at his face for a reaction; perhaps some surprise that his old school buddy was so ensnared by his beautiful wife that he was willing to take his weight gain to such extremes for her.

“He’s going to be a lot of work for you at that size!” Ash grinned conspiratorily at Michelle. “I hope you’re ready for that?” he laughed.

“Oh, I’m counting on it!” Michelle smirked, rubbing the 430lb man’s knee under the table.

“You’re a very lucky guy,” Ryan nodded at his friend in approval.

“There you go, Ash,” Michelle smirked. “It sounds like we may have another willing volunteer to join the five hundred pound club,” she nodded towards a jealous looking Ryan.

“You’re joking aren’t you?” Ryan laughed. “Ash is heading off on his second book tour in March. “I won’t be gaining anything for almost two months whilst he’s gone. I’ll probably just wate away!”

“You liar!” Ash teased him back. “Last time I was away, you pretty much lived on takeout and put on almost twenty pounds in a month,” he chuckled.

“I don’t remember you complaining,” Ryan smiled back; his voice dripping with affection and lust.

Michelle looked at them both, clearly wanting to cut through their mushy meanderings. “So, five hundred pounds?” she asked again, trying to circle the conversation back. “I’m getting the impression that you boys are kinky enough to enjoy seeing that on Ryan,” she pressed; ever the bad influence.

Ryan and Ash looked at each other with a wicked excitement in their eyes.

“We’ll talk about it when we get home,” Ash stated diplomatically. Unlike Michelle, he liked to be a little more discreet about his kinks and fantasies when it came to enjoying Ryan’s large body.

Ryan smirked and winked at his old buddy Jack. He knew exactly how to read between the lines of whatever Ash said. There was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to get Ryan to that size. And so, just like his high school best pal, Ryan was as good as setting sail for five hundred pounds. How insanely arousing was that?

“Eat up, my friend,” Ryan smiled competitively at Jack. “I’m coming for you, Fat Boy!”

#gainer fiction #gainer stories #gay feedee #gainerstory #gayfeeder #gayfeedee #gainerfic #gainer story #gainerstories #gainer fic

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alrightieaphroditie · 11 months

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sticky situations | j.m

*:·ﾟ✧ back to masterlist

pairing *:·ﾟdbf!joel miller x female!reader wc *:·ﾟ5k warnings *:·ﾟ18+! minors please do not interact!! pretty much porn w/ minimal plot, dads best friend, age gap (reader is in early 20s, joel is like late 30s/early 40s) kissing, fun with popsicles (so like ice play, in a way), brief mention of choking, titty play, pet names (lots of ‘baby’ and ‘honey’) dirty talk, praise, slight humiliation if you squint, smidge of mutual masturbation, bossy!joel, unprotected p in v (please wrap it before you tap it), slight breeding kink, probably poorly written smut… i think that’s it :)) an *:·ﾟi lowkey told myself i’d never write a dad’s best friend joel miller story and yet here i am. this literally came to me in a fever dream, and i promise i am still working on my screwed series, but i could not stop writing this. mostly unedited (my bad) but i feel hella proud with this one, so i really hope you all enjoy!! stay safe if your celebrating the fourth today!

synopsis *:·ﾟbeing in a secret relationship with your dad's best friend isn't for the weak. while getting some popsicles from the garage, said boyfriend - joel miller - corners you during the firework show after you spent the day teasing him.

the scorching texas sun was high in the sky, and the sounds of children squealing carried loudly over the radio playing. the miller’s (moreso tommy, even though he didn’t technically live there) had been kind enough to open their pool to the neighborhood for the fourth of july holiday, and on a day like today, you weren’t surprised that their backyard was crammed full of people.

given that your father was joel miller’s best friend, you had already had plans to come utilize his pool, but now you could barely float like you planned with how many children were swimming in it. sarah’s soccer team had come over after practice as well, and it was to the point where even walking in the backyard was like walking through a landmine; you were consciously trying not to bump into anyone or step on a foot (or a child.)

your father had planted himself at the grill with the host himself, the two of them talking about god knows what. every now and then you’d catch joel’s eyes, and he’d take in the bikini top you wore, the sage green color complementing your skin.

you had told your father that you had bought it at the mall last weekend, but the truth was that joel had bought it for you, along with the skimpiest bottoms he could find. those you were wearing too, but you had them concealed by a pair of jean shorts. with the way he was eyeing right now, and the way you were subsequently eyeing him back, you were surprised that no one around you had picked up on the fact that you two were together.

it had been a few months, pretty much ever since you came home to your dad’s from school for the summer. he had moved into this neighborhood after your parents divorce, and when he told you back in january that he had the most amazing neighbor, you were happy for him. flash forward to your visit during spring break and it was joel miller this and joel miller that in your house. not that you really minded, you thought the contractor next door was very handsome, even if he was almost twenty years older than you.

your dad had introduced the two of you during your spring break, with joel being an absolute gentleman, and for a little bit that was all you had. but then your dad was pulled away for work, and even though you were fully an adult, he wanted someone to be there for you if needed. he gave you joel’s phone number, along with the promise that joel would do anything to help you, and that started the snowball effect to the beginning of your relationship.

you hardly used the number while you were home, but for some reason you found yourself staring at it one night alone when you were back in your apartment. joel hadn’t given you any hint, any indicator that he even liked you as a person. you mean, sure, he was kind and always polite to you when your dad had him over for dinners. but you noticed he always purposefully put some type of distance between you, and it just didn’t sit right with you.

so, slightly drunk and alone, you sent him the first text message. a simple, hey, it’s y/n from next door, and then, because you were in a mood and wanted attention: sorry to bother you so late, but my dad told me to text you if i ever needed anything. immediately after you wished you could’ve deleted it, and a few minutes had passed before you decided to put your phone down for the rest of the night. just as you placed it on the table next to your bed, you felt it buzz. think he meant that for when you’re next door, but what can i do for ya?

and that was that. you and joel texted throughout the night, and then all morning, and all afternoon, and all the next night. this continued for weeks, until you graduated to having nightly phone calls, and then facetime calls (you had to have joel ask sarah how to use facetime to begin with, but you thought that was cute) and for the rest of the semester, joel became your closest friend, and your biggest crush. and when you came home for the summer, you officially started dating joel miller. well… it was official between the two of you.

you never imagined falling for your dad’s best friend, and yet, here you were, in his backyard, wearing the bathing suit he had bought you, wishing you could at least hold his hand in front of everyone.

you saw his brown eyes dart in your direction as you moved near the grill, your ears picking up their conversation about the most recent football game. you watched as his pinky finger on the hand by his side extended ever so slightly, and as you walked passed, you brushed your pinky against his. the warmth the feeling gave you made you grin, and you slipped through his open back door, looking for sarah to help you and tommy set up the fireworks display in the street.

the rest of the evening went by in a blur - there were hotdogs and burgers eaten, smores were made with the small bonfire tommy had started, the music volume continued to increase with every passing hour. by the time the sky was pitch black with only a smattering of stars, everyone was full, content, and ready to sit on the sidewalks and lawns to watch the display happening at the end of the cul-de-sac.

you sat near sarah and some of her friends from soccer, listening to them gossip about what was going on in their highschool, but your focus was on joel. your eyes followed every movement of his, watching him pick up the boxes you had hauled out there and rearrange them. the gray t-shirt he was wearing was tighter around his arms, and you watched as the material strained against his biceps, his worn blue jeans curving to the muscles in his thighs.

the sun had gone down hours ago, but your cheeks were burning like it was still noon.

it finally came time for them to start the first round, and everyone chatted excitedly as they watched tommy set up the firework. you watched as joel tossed his brother a lighter, and before you knew it, sparks were flying across the pavement, and both brothers were running from it laughing. everyone’s head tilted back as they followed the spark, and seconds later a ground shaking boom exploded, the sky becoming colored in blue sparks. the children cheered, the adults laughed, and the dogs went crazy barking.

you watched a couple more rounds, grinning as kids began chasing each other with sparklers and laughing when tommy burned his finger slightly on a rouge firework. pushing up on your feet, you wiped your pants for straw pieces of grass while you turned to sarah. “hey, i’m gonna go grab a popsicle, do you want one, hun?” the girls eyes met yours and she nodded her head while still talking to her friend.

you made your way into the garage where you knew joel kept a deep freezer full of goodies on sarah’s behalf. you grabbed the first one you saw, a red cherry popsicle, and opened it while you searched the freezer for sarah’s favorite. you were so preoccupied that you didn’t make out the sound of the door to the garage click shut under the noise of the fireworks, didn’t realize that you were no longer alone until you shifted up and rough, callused hands spread across your exposed middle.

“joel,” you gasped, turning around in his grip with a laugh. his brown eyes were lit with amusement, but they darkened slightly as they roamed down your chest, down your hips where the strings of the bikini bottoms were peaking out. his hands slid down your sides, resting on the waistband of your shorts as he tucked his fingers through the belt loops.

“y’just had to wear this damn bikini, didn’t you?” his voice was rough, grumpy almost, but that was joel’s typical voice, so you just laughed in response. behind you, the freezer door fell shut, and joel took the opportunity to lift you up so that you were sitting on top. the cold surface made you shiver, but it was joel stepping between your legs, pressing his hips against yours harshly that gave you goosebumps.

“well, a nice older man did buy it for me, so i felt compelled.” you teased, moving one of your arms to rest against his shoulder while you licked along your popsicle, the treat already melting in the heat building up in the garage. joel’s eyes zeroed in on the movement, and you couldn’t help but grin as you repeated the motion, sucking the popsicle further in your mouth than probably necessary, watching as his brown eyes practically blended in with his pupils.

“god, you’re trouble,” joel managed to get out before his lips slanted over yours. you moaned into the kiss, consciously holding your popsicle to the side so it didn’t get all over the two of you. your other hand moved to the back of his head, fingers running through his brown locks gently. joel swiped his tongue against your bottom lip and made a low humming sound. “taste like cherries,” he commented, sliding his hand from your waist up to your throat.

“it’s the popsicle,” you gasped out, feeling joel’s hand encompass your neck. he pulled your hips forward against his by your belt loop, rocking you against him. his lips trailed from yours down to your jaw, down your neck, to your chest. the action had you panting out his name like a prayer, and it only further encouraged him. he managed to untie your bikini top without you noticing, and he roughly yanked the material over your head.

“let me see this thing,” leaning back, he took the popsicle from your grip, your hand becoming sticky from it melting in your hand. he licked it himself, which had you giggling, but then he put the treat up to your mouth. “open up, baby. wanna see you lick this like you lick me, yeah?” his voice was soft, comforting almost, which went against the actions of his hands, as one tightened around your neck and the other pushed the cherry treat into your mouth.

your eyes went hazy, and you focused on maintaining eye contact with joel while your face burned with heat. your mouth wrapped around the popsicle, letting him push it in as far as it could go. the coldness of the treat shocked you momentarily, feeling a slight burning sensation against your tongue as he held the popsicle in your mouth for a moment before slowly pulling it out.

your cheeks hollowed against it, sucking as much of the flavor off as you could, and when joel pulled it out of your mouth, a red string of your spit fell from your lips to your chest, dripping down in between the valley of your breasts. “fuck, honey.” joel groaned, his hips rutting against yours momentarily before he leaned down, licking up the trail of red juice on your skin. a whimper escaped from your mouth as you pressed your chest closer to his mouth, and joel took the opportunity to force the popsicle back in your mouth.

he slowly moved the popsicle inside your mouth, and even though he had his eyes closed while he pressed his mouth against your chest, you twirling your tongue around the treat, wanting to please him always. you could feel your bathing suit bottom sticking to your core with how wet you were becoming, and you wiggled your hips against joel’s body to get some type of friction.

he sucked one last kiss against your neck, biting against your skin before he pulled away. “goddamn, baby. such a good girl for me, huh? suckin’ on this popsicle like it’s my damn cock.” his crude words made you whimper, and with one last twist, he pulled the popsicle out of your mouth. his dark eyes stared at your mouth for a moment, taking in how red the popsicle made your lips. how wet they were from your saliva.

joel’s mouth formed into a smirk before it was pressed against yours. your fingers tangled in his hair, your nails scratching his scalp faintly. he sucked your bottom lip in his mouth, running his tongue over it slowly as if savoring the cherry flavor. his teeth nipped your lip, causing a moan to emit from your mouth. joel grinned against your mouth, and you tugged him closer, desperately seeking more.

the air in the garage was becoming suffocating, and you could feel sweat forming along your upper body. joel could feel it too, still clad in his t-shirt and jeans, and he gave you one more deep kiss before he pulled away. “you feelin’ hot, baby?” you could only nod your head, a whimper escaping your mouth as he grinned wickedly at you, eyeing the popsicle once more, the treat half melted. “let’s cool ya down, then.”

you watched with a slightly opened mouth as joel moved the popsicle to your chest, and you gasped when he pressed it against your skin, moving it down the valley of your breast. the coldness made goosebumps rise across your chest, and you couldn’t help the small moans at how good it felt. joel’s attention was solely on popsicle, watching the sticky trail of red juice follow where he guided it.

“joel,” you whimpered, reaching down to grip his forearm tightly. you could see him smile, could see him bite down on his bottom lip as he moved the popsicle to trail over your nipple. the gasp you made had him obsessed, and he ran the cold treat over your sensitive nub over and over again, taking in your gasps and moans, which were being drowned out by the fireworks outside.

“fuck, you look so pretty like this.” joel muttered, almost to himself, but you could make out the words in his deep voice. he sounded strained, as if he were holding himself back from simply pouncing on you. you wish he would, though, as you could feel your inner thighs become wet with your slick. your core was clenching around nothing, and it had been so long since the two of you were able to get away that you were desperately aching for him.

the popsicle was melting quicker now, the juices moving swiftly down your stomach as joel traced the popsicle across your chest to the other nipple. you were squirming as much as you could, seconds away from begging joel to stop and to just fuck you already. but you could see it in his eyes that he wanted this, that he was enjoying this, so you let him have it, and you admired the growing bulge in his jeans.

soon the popsicle was nothing but a puddle mixed into your skin, and joel tossed the stick to the side. “think i need to clean you up now, baby. look at the mess you made,” he said with a tsk, as if you were the one who drew on your chest with the popsicle. you didn’t have it in you to argue, though, especially when joel bent down and took your sensitive nipple in his mouth.

the contrast of the cold popsicle juice with joel’s warm mouth had you groaning, and you slumped against the garage wall as joel traced the popsicle trail with his tongue across your chest. he would pause here and there to place open mouthed kisses along your skin, and you knew in the morning you’d have some small bruises littering your skin. you liked wearing them though, liked having the reminder than joel had marked you as his. because you were, undoubtedly.

“joel, baby, please,” you whimpered, not fully understanding what you were asking for, but joel thought you were begging so beautifully. he wanted to hear you plead his name for the rest of his life. he pulled your nipple in his mouth, tweaking it with his teeth. a sharp pain flitted through your body, only lasting a second, but he did it again, and again, and soon you were panting.

“please, what?” joel mocked, grinning against your skin as he moved to squeeze your breast with his rough hands. “this not enough for ya?” satisfied that he cleaned up the mess the popsicle had made, he trailed his mouth up to your neck and across your jaw before pausing right in front of your face. his breath was warm as it fanned across your face, and you leaned in to kiss him but he pulled away, a teasing grin on his face.

“no,” you whined, moving your hands down the waist of his jeans. he let your fingers fumble with the button before he unbuttoned his pants himself, yanking the zipper down. your hand went inside his boxers immediately, and joel let out a curse as your fingers wrapped around the hard length of this cock. just the feeling of it in your hand had you moaning, and you slid your hand along his shaft the best you could in your position.

“‘course it ain’t enough for you. your needy little cunt needs more, yeah? needs my cock in it to stretch it out?” his hips moved in rhythm with your hand, his hand resting against the freezer top in a fist. his eyes fell shut as you pumped along his cock, and you bit down on your bottom lip as you watched him. you loved seeing him like this, because it made you feel powerful. like you were the only person who could bring joel pleasure like this.

with a growl, joel’s hands suddenly moved to your shorts, where he unbuttoned them with swiftness and yanked them down. you lifted your hips, helping him get the material past your thighs, and they fell to the garage floor. “feet up, baby.” joel tapped your thigh gently, and you removed your hand from his boxers, lifting your legs up and bending your knees to rest your feet on the edge of the freezer.

you wanted to blame the wet feeling between your legs on the humid air gathering inside the garage, but you would’ve been a damn liar. you could feel yourself soaking through the material of your bikini bottoms, and you knew the moment joel was able to see it because he let out a string of curses. he brought his hand to the material, running his fingers gently down the seam, and you both moaned.

“jesus christ, honey. have you been wet like this for me the entire time?” his southern accent was starting to show more, as it did when he got excited. he ran his fingers along the seam once more before pushing the flimsy material to the side and running his finger through your wet folds, and he groaned at feeling how wet you were before sliding one of his fingers inside of you.

“oh, yes, joel. please, fuck me, please,” you whimpered, your hips rocking against the freezer in tandem with his finger as he pumped it inside of you. if you were more cognizant, you would’ve probably been embarrassed by the noise that was coming from between your legs, but you were too lost in the pleasure, especially when joel moved his thumb up to glide against your clit.

“you are askin’ nicely, baby,” he said, mostly to himself as he watched his finger push inside of you, watched the wetness that coated it with every pump. he was obsessed with the way you were clenching around him, and he could hardly wait himself to feel that movement against his dick. “yeah, i think i will fuck ya.”

with one last push, he pulled his finger out from inside you, and laughed when he heard you whine about the loss. “‘s okay, honey. promise i’m gonna fill that little pussy up with my cock real soon, okay?” he made quick work of letting his jeans hit the floor, soon followed by his boxers. his throbbing cock sprung free from his underwear, and you couldn’t help but trail your hand down to your core, pushing your bottoms to the side and slipping your fingers through your wetness at the sight of him. he let out a low groan before spitting in his hand, bringing it to the tip of his cock and slowly palming it while he watched you swirl your fingers against your clit.

“here baby, make sure ‘m nice and wet for that pussy,” joel muttered, stepping closer to your body as held the underside of his cock in his hand, still pumping it up and down slightly. you ran your fingers through your folds once more, gathering the wetness that had started to spread down your thighs, and reached out to wrap your fingers around his tip. soon, the head of his cock was shining from both his spit and your juices.

joel moved his left hand to settle on your waist, tilting his thumb down just enough to pull the material of your bikini to the side. his other hand continued to work his shaft as he moved even closer, his knees hitting against the side of the freezer. his eyes were solely focused on your exposed pussy, but you were watching his face, wanting to see his expression when he put it in for the first time.

“god, you’re so pretty down here. think i’m the luckiest man in texas, baby.” joel said, a smirk settled on his lips as he ran the tip of his cock through your folds, your mouth dropping open in a sigh as you felt it slide against your clit. joel moved to grip the hem of his t-shirt, and he lifted it to his mouth, holding it between his teeth. you took in the sight of his tan and toned body, and then his eyes snapped up to meet yours as he pushed the head into your wet hole, the both of you taking in each other’s reaction.

you fought the urge to close your eyes, the feeling of his big cock stretching you out was almost too much for you. your nose scrunched up slightly, and a louder moan came from your throat. for the first time that night, you were glad tommy had spent two hours shopping for fireworks, as the sound of the explosives and festivities drowned out your cries. joel bit down on his bottom lip as he continued to push himself inside of you, mentally focusing on not coming right then and there.

he paused when he was fully seated inside of you, taking a moment to catch his breath as the two of you were both panting in the heated garage. you noticed joel’s forehead had become slick with sweat, and you gently brushed back the dark hair that had fallen forward. your hand slipped down to rest on his cheek, and he pressed a kiss into the middle of your palm before he started moving his hips.

“fuck, joel,” you whimpered, your foot slipping from it’s hold on the edge of the freezer. joel moved his right hand to grip your thigh, spreading you open before him once more. his nails dug little half-moon imprints in the fat of your thigh, and the angle allowed you to take him a little deeper than before.

“that’s what i’m doin’ honey,” his words were slightly muffled from the t-shirt in his mouth, but you could see the grin from his teasing, letting out a sharp laugh before it turned into a groan. he moved to pull his cock out, and you almost cried at the loss, your hips moving on their own accord to follow his length. his grip on your waist tightened, keeping you still, until he barely had the head of his cock inside. he thrusted forward again, much quicker this time, and this time your eyes did screw shut at the feeling of is cock filling you up so completely.

your hands rested on his shoulders, gripping him so hard that you were basically anchoring yourself to him. “so deep, joel… so good,” you praised, your head rolling back on your neck as joel continued to fuck you at a thourough pace. the t-shirt fell from his mouth as he started to moan. his knees banged against the freezer, the freezer banged against the wall, and the fireworks outside masqued both the sounds. curses and praises fell from joel’s mouth - “fuckin’ hell, baby. your pussy gets tighter every damn time i fuck you, huh? you’re doin’ so good, honey, takin’ my cock like a good girl” - and you were feeling so hot, so full. joel was nearly fucking you into oblivion with how muddled your thoughts were.

the sound of his skin slapping against your wet skin was all you could focus on, a noise you would’ve been more embarrassed by if it weren’t a testament of how turned on joel made you. each stroke of his cock had you whimpering, bringing you closer and closer to the edge. you moved a hand down to your pussy, moving your fingers against your clit and brushing up against his length every time he thrusted inside of you. the action not only made heat pool to your stomach, but it made joel groan. “that’s it baby, play with that little clit of yours. gonna make yourself come on my cock tonight? gonna let me fill this pussy up with my cum?”

“oh my god, joel, please - right there,” you sobbed, your inner thighs shaking slightly as the feelings became too much to handle. joel picked up on how close you were to coming with how tightly your pussy was clenching around him, and he continued to thrust his hips against yours, the wet noises coming from between your legs made his head feel light.

small, breathy pants fell from your mouth as you moved your fingers faster against your clit, and distantly you could hear joel encouraging you to let go - “that’s it, honey. you’re takin’ my cock so well, let me make you feel good baby.” - and as joel leaned forward to place a kiss on your damp forehead, you felt yourself burst. a loud cry came from your lips as your body went rigid, little white stars showing up behind your eyelids as pleasure coursed through every vein in your body.

“oh, fuck, baby,” joel groaned out, his grip on your body becoming impossibly tight as his hips thrust into you, his movements faltering slightly. the feeling of your pussy clenching around his length while you came was what sent him over, and he ground his hips against yours as he came. you could feel his cock throbbing, the warmth from his seed filling you up as joel tilted his head back and moaned. you watched him through hooded eyes, struggling to catch your breath, but the sight of joel coming was almost enough to help you come again.

he kept his cock inside you as you both came down from your orgasms, and it moved inside you a little when he leaned forward again, making you whimper. “sorry, baby,” joel said softly, slowly pulling himself out while pressing his lips against yours. you eagerly kissed him back, moving a hand to rest on the back of his neck while he deepened the kiss. you felt unbelievably wet, and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“your cum is running down my thigh, miller.” you said against his lips, causing the older man to laugh. he pulled away enough to take in the mess that was leaking out of your pussy, and then he did something that shocked you - he gathered up the slick with two of his fingers before pushing it back inside of you. your nails dug into his skin as his fingers entered your sore pussy, moaning softly as he watched himself intensely.

his gaze moved back to your eyes, where he gave you a wicked grin before leaning in to kiss you again. you sighed against his mouth, your body relaxing on the freezer before the two of you started to clean yourselves up. joel went into the house to grab a washcloth and a spare t-shirt for you, considering your chest was stained red and covered in little hickeys. he gently cleaned the mess from between your legs, then himself, and helped you pull your shorts back on. you had him help tie your bikini top again, his fingers coasting against your skin. he gave the back of your neck a quick kiss before turning you around and putting his t-shirt over you.

“there. now those pervs outside can’t catch a glimpse of ya,” he said, seeming satisfied with himself as he yanked up his pants. you couldn’t help but roll your eyes - his cum was literally dripping out of your pussy and yet he was acting jealous.

“oh? you mean pervs like you?” you teased, laughing as he swatted away your fingers that were trying to poke him. you thought you heard him mutter something in agreement, but a particularly loud firework went off at the same moment, so you were clueless. you figured that they were on the finale with how frequent and how loud the next few fireworks were, so you gave joel one last kiss before sneaking out the door, which you thankfully noticed was locked.

as you made your way to the grass, you mentally ran a checklist. you remembered to put your shorts back on, along with your top and a t-shirt. you remembered to clean off the freezer top with one of the towels joel kept in the garage, and you remembered to let your hair down to cover a hickey on the side of your neck. you remembered to go out the garage door, while joel went out through the living room, as he told tommy he was going in to get medicine for a headache. you felt like the two of you had covered all the bases as you sat down on the grass near sarah.

“hey, where are our popsicles?”

oh, fuck.

2K notes · View notes

justagirlwholikesadam · 4 months

Text

Best Friend's Little Sister

Remus Lupin x Muggle! Evans! Reader

Summary: Lily Evans takes the Marauders to her muggle sister's football game where she is captain of the cheerleading squad.

Warning: The Marauders and Lily not understanding football. Sirius and James want lockers in Hogwarts. SFW, drinking, smoking, OC

A/N: I know nothing of sports or cheering so please be warn if there's a mistake. In HS, I was the one smoking pot under the bleachers lol. please like or comment below. Enjoy - L || Border Credit: @cafekitsune

Word Count: 7.4K

Unlike Petunia, you were proud of Lily. Never making her feel bad for being different. Lily had lost count on how many times you have told her that she is special to be a witch and she should be proud of it. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of letters have been exchanged between Lily and you when she started Hogwarts. You would ask her about her time in Hogwarts, asking her about how her classes were and her friends. Lily did the same, asking you how life is back home and about your wellbeing. Today Lily received a letter and she was so excited to read it since you told her last week about trying out for a new position in the cheer team at your school. Quickly, opening it she had drawn the attention of the boys around her who were talking and laughing about a prank they recently did. James looks over at Lily when she lets out a gasp and covers her mouth. Lily felt James’ place a hand on her back. He asked her if she's alright.

The boys stopped talking and looked at Lily who gave James a bright smile and nodded. “Yes, it’s my sister. She told me she was made captain and is so excited. She wanted me to go to the last game of the term. She wrote here that I can invite you guys. If you are up for it.”

Lily gave James a picture you had sent along with the letter. Sirius and Peter quickly went over to James and looked over his shoulders. Sirius let out a whistle while Peter's eyes grew wide. The photo was a regular muggle photo of you.

“Evans, where have you been hiding this lovely girl!?” Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius then took the photo from James.

“Don't even think about it!” Lily said before handling it to Remus who remained in his seat in front of Lily.

He grabbed the photo and noticed why Sirius whistled. Remus had met you before, Lily had introduced you to him. He always visited Lily whenever they were on break. Remus knew you were very different from Lily’s older sister. Petunia always gave him a harsh look and would shut the door on his face whenever he came over.

“Don’t be a daft cow.” He hears you behind the door before opening it.

“Rem Rem.” You shouted as you hugged him. Remus always smiles at the nickname and hugs you back.

“She’s captain of what?” Peter asked walking back to his seat to continue on with his breakfast.

“She’s captain of the cheerleading team at her school. She has been wanting that spot for so long.” Lily said with a proud smile.

Remus continued to stare at the photo. His eyes looking at every detail, oh how he wished the photo could move. You had a red and gold uniform with black lining on the hem. Your hair was in a ponytail and he saw the glitter around your eyes, making them pop out even more. You looked beautiful, he says to himself. You had two big red pom-poms in each hand. The smile on your face was big and it reminded him of the smiles you always gave him.

“That’s exciting.” James commented as Lily took out the tickets from the envelope.

“If you guys are up for it.” Lily said, waving the tickets in her hands. Sirius and James looked at each other with a grin, any chance they got to see the muggle world, they took it. Peter nodded before letting them know he would have to ask his parents first.

“Moony?” Sirius said, placing an arm over his friend’s shoulder. Remus looks away from the picture and nods at Lily.

The Marauders stood in front of the school as Lily thanked her dad for giving them a ride.

“It’s a bit small.” Peter commented. “Well, it’s not a castle.” Sirius said, looking at the school. They jumped when a group of guys came walking beside them. James’ eyes widened when he saw they were shirtless with red and gold paint over their chest including their faces.

“Are we safe here?” Peter asked them and Lily came behind them. “Of course, it’s a high school football game.”

“Think of how fans are for quidditch. They are the same for football.” Remus told Peter and gave him a pat on his shoulder.

“What’s football?” Sirius asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Lily glanced over at Remus who shrugged his shoulders.

“Like quidditch but running.” Lily said not really knowing how to explain it better. Walking up to the front of the school Lily soon realized she didn't know where she was going. She hasn't been to a public school in years.

“Are you Lily?” The Marauders looked over at a tall boy with blonde hair and he wore a red and gold cheer uniform just like the one you wore in the picture.

“Who’s asking?” James said, stepping in front of Lily. James puffed his chest out trying to intimidate the boy who was taller than him. Lily rolled her eyes at James and pushed him behind her before greeting the boy. The boy gave them a smile and shook her hand, ignoring the small dramatic gasp from James and Sirius.

“I’m Chris, I'm in the squad. Your sister wanted to make sure you guys won’t get lost. Follow me.” Chris told them as he opened the front door of the school for them. He explained to them, it's easier to go this way so they wouldn't have to wait in line. Remus thanked him as Peter and Sirius looked at Chris with a shady look but soon it went away when they noticed the inside of the school. As they walked they looked inside the classrooms and looked at the papers stapled in the bulletin board.

“Wow.” Sirius said as they walked down the hallway.

“James! Sirius!” Lily called out when she noticed they were not following her. Remus looked over his shoulder and frowned when he saw James and Sirius in front of a wall of lockers.

“What's this contraception?” Sirius said, knocking on the red locker. James twisted the lock and pointed at the numbers.

“It’s a locker.” Remus told them and Peter walked over to look at it. James and Sirius look over at Remus with a curious look. “What is it for?”

Remus fought the urge to laugh. James, Sirius and Peter were pureblood, they had no idea what this was. Pushing James and Sirius back to follow Lily, he answered them. “It’s where students put their coats, books and bags while they attend classes. They use the lock to put their code to open it and lock it so nobody steals their belongings.”

“We should ask Dumbledore for lockers!” Sirius said with a nod thinking how cool it will be to have one. He always forgets his books in his room.

“Where do you guys go to school, again?” They froze when Chris asked them. Lily looks over at them with a stern face before dropping it to answer Chris.

“I’m sure, my sister told you. We go to a boarding school.” Lily said. Remus nods at the tall boy.

“We have dorms so we don't use lockers.” He added convincing Chris who looked over at Peter who was twisting the lock of a nearby locker.

“She probably did.” Chris said, shaking his head. “You guys want to see mine?” Chris asked, pointing over his shoulder at the lockers.

“Yes!” James and Sirius shouted and quickly followed Chris with Peter behind them. After 10 minutes of Chris showing them how to open a locker, they finally made it to the football field after providing the tickets to Chris. Remus stayed in the back making sure all the guys were following Lily. The stands were filled with people and students already. Chris waved bye at them and told them he’ll let you know they are here.

“It’s like a quidditch field.” James said as he looked around excited. Remus sat next to Lily as James sat on the other side with Peter. Sirius sat next to Remus in the middle of the stand getting a good view at the field.

“I haven't seen her in so long.” Lily said as she got comfortable on the metal bleachers. “Has your older sister seen her cheer before?” James asked and Lily shook her. “Petunia says cheering is for sluts.”

“I swear, Evans, your older sister hates everything.” Peter said, making her nod.

“She does but at least Y/n doesn't hate me.” Lily said with a soft tone as she stared at the field. Remus hooks Lily’s arm around with his and James snuggles close to her grabbing a hold of her hand. They knew about Lily's family and how her oldest sister always made her out to be a freak. The Marauders were happy she had you for a sister.

The game started and The Marauders jumped at the sound of the horn playing through the intercom. The people around them stood up and shouted, waving and pumping their arms in the air.

“They look so huge.” Peter shouted as the football team came running out of the field pumping their arms in the air, exciting the crowd even more.

“Oh my! She’s there.” Lily shouted standing up as the crowd hollered at the sight of cheerleaders running out. Remus stood up as well and watched a few girls do a flip as they ran in front of the bleachers.

Sirius smirks to see his tall lanky friend staring at the cheerleaders knowing who he was trying to find. Remus told Sirius on their way to Lily’s town after they left Hogwarts for break. Sirius found Remus shaving his face in the bathroom of the train.

“Oi! Who are you trying to impress, mate?” Sirius asked as he went inside the bathroom and shut the door. Sirius couldn't help but laugh at Remus who was trying to come up with a lie. Remus couldn't lie to Sirius for shit. That’s when Remus told Sirius he had a crush on you and wanted to look good for you.

“Is this why you never go out with the girls at school? And is this why, every time Lily gets a letter you get so happy when you find out it’s from her? Have you tried anything with her yet?” Remus turns red in the face and looks away from his friend. He gets nervous and Sirius can see his hand holding the razor shakes.

Sirius lets out a sigh when Remus didn’t say anything. He tells Remus to sit his ass down on the toilet seat so he can help him shave. Pushing his legs apart, Sirius gets to work and shaves the other side of Remus’ face.

“I’m just gonna say this once mate because you’re my best friend and I love you so much but you can be thick sometimes.” Remus tenses up as Sirius wipes the excess shaving cream off his cheekbone with a paper towel.

Sirius continues, “You should tell her how you feel. I’m hoping you’re not letting Moony get in between her and you because I’m pretty sure she will understand just like Lily did and if her sister is anything like her, she would love you and Moony just like we do."

“She is like Lily. Kind and smart. Dare I say more beautiful than her.” Remus said without a second thought to Sirius.

“Don’t say that in front of James.” Sirius warned jokily before heading back to his seat.

Sirius grabbed Remus by the hand when he noticed everyone sat down when the cheerleaders started to get in their position in front of the bleachers. Remus was pulled down forcibly and was about to snap at Sirius when he leaned against him and pointed ahead. Remus followed his hand and saw you walking in the front of the group. Remus hears Lily squeal beside him at the sight of you. His cheeks grew pink at the sight of you. You had a red skirt showing your legs off, Remus felt his mouth go dry at the sight of your bare thighs and legs. The sleeveless top you had on had the school logo printed on it and you wore a red long sleeve shirt it. It was tight and short showing just a bit of the skin of your stomach. Your hair is in a ponytail tied in a red scrunchie.

“I think I'm in love.” Peter said as the cheerleaders started to dance, his eyes stared at a blonde who stood next to you. James laughed, bumping his shoulder at his friend as they watched the show.

Remus saw you raising your hands in the air above your head and shouting the school name before clapping three times. It wasn't the sound of the music playing or the people around him cheering that had him mesmerized but it was the way you move your hips along with the rest of the girls to the beat of the song.

“LETS GO BABY!!” Remus hears a guy scream from the top of the bleacher as they continue to cheer.

Remus watched as Chris came behind you as the girls walked towards the rest of the guys. You came in front of Chris and he turned you around and lifted you in the air. The crowd went wild as the rest of the girls did the same. They began to clap when you turned to the side and grab your leg with both hands pulling the foot behind your head holding the position all while Chris held you up in the air. Remus grew worry when he saw you were going to come down but Chris caught you with ease, it was part of the show.

“How did they do that without magic?” Sirius asked, looking at Lily when the game began to start. Remus was too busy looking at you to listen to Lily's answer. He noticed you were talking and laughing with the team as the players started the game. Peter and James were watching in awe as the players tackled the other team pushing them to the ground with a harsh force. Lily and Remus were looking at the players running back and forth not understanding anything, they wince when one of the players tackled one while holding the ball. Half way through the game Sirius had his head against Remus’ shoulder as he took a nap with a half empty bucket of popcorn on his lap, he begged Lily to buy it for him since they don’t accept galleons.

The horn rang out loud again making Sirius yelp as he woke up spilling his popcorn on the floor.

“Did she win?” He asked in a sleepy tone to Remus, making him chuckle. “She is not the one playing, Padfoot.” James answered as the game went into halftime.

“Who’s winning?” Lily looked at the giant screen showing the count. “This school is.”

“Yay! It means she is winning.” Sirius said, picking up the bucket from the ground with Remus’ help. James and Peter were dancing around when a catchy song started to play through the intercom. Remus watched ahead at you as the girls started to shout out phrases making the crowd cheer.

“LET’S GO! LET’S GO! WE ARE THE BEST! WE CAN'T BE BEAT!”

Remus saw your eyes widen when you saw Lily. You waved at her as you continued to shout. Lily let out a squeal as she waved back at you. You were doing the usual routine, clapping your hands and turning around to shake your hips when you saw your sister. Your heart grew at the sight of your sister, she came to see you. You missed her so much. Looking to her left, your mouth dropped when you saw him. It was Remus Lupin, your sister’s best friend who you had a crush on since you were little. Quickly closing your mouth you continued with the routine but didn’t look away from him. Remus gave you a smile and you gave him one as well. You met Remus when Lily got back home after her first year in Hogwarts. He was tall for his age and nervous. He had scars on his face and you noticed he had it on his arms as well. You didn't ask him about it, you just told him if he wanted to play in the backyard. As the years passed the three of you would play around and walk around town. He always came to visit every year. Remus has always been kind and treated you respectfully. Giving you his cozy sweater or cardigan whenever you were cold or he would grab something from the top shelf for you when you couldn’t. He would let you grab a hold of his arm when walking around town knowing he walked faster since he had long legs.

You didn't know when the feelings for Remus began. You think you always liked him and the moment you realize when you really did was when Remus noticed one of your shoes had become untied while taking him to the bookstore as Lily stayed home with her parents helping them get started with dinner. He told you to lean against the nearest building and you obey. He knelt down in front of you on one leg and helped you place your foot on his knee. You couldn't help but tense up when you felt his hand on your leg. His long fingers work on your shoe laces; he looks up at you when he's done. He gives you a smile making your cheeks flare up.

“Thanks Rem Rem.” You said removing your foot from his knee. Remus doesn't move from his spot when you get closer to him. He’s too busy looking at you to notice your hand coming up to his face. He feels your fingers run through his sandy curls, something you were dying to do when he began to grow his hair out.

Before both of you could say anything, someone had cleared their throat and stood in front of them. “Excuse me.”

The older woman with a cart passed by , walking down the side walk ignoring Remus and your apologies.

That was two summers ago. You couldn't see Remus' last break since you went to cheer camp. You had written to Lily asking about him and how he was doing. You wanted to write to him. You really did but you were nervous he wouldn’t reply back. You wonder if he had a girlfriend. You didn't ask Lily about it, you were far too embarrassed. You didn't think he would ever want to be with a “Muggle.” Lily told you the term when she told you about Hogwarts and her magic. You continued to hold your stare at Remus. You couldn't look away, he looked so handsome. Lily notices your smile and your blushing face, she looks over at Remus who had a smile on his face.

“You were so eye fucking him.” One of your friends said after the routine was done and the football players started to head back to the field.

“No, I wasn’t.” You said turning around looking seriously at the field. The rest of the girls giggled before one spoke. “He got a lot of scars on his face.”

“He was in an accident.” You lied to them before looking over at your shoulder at your sister and her friends. You have only met Remus but you've heard of the rest and known their names. Your sister had told you about Remus and his wolf problem. You didn't believe it at first but you knew Lily wasn’t the type to make shit up. You were okay with it, Remus never changed, he was still the nice guy you knew and you came to term that the guy you liked became a werewolf once in a full moon. You were glad, Remus had his friends helping him during those times. You never told Remus you knew, not even that day when he so kindly knelt down to tie your shoe or when he gifted you a book.

“The guy next to him with long dark hair is pretty cute.” You just smiled at the girls gushed at your sister's friend. Lily and the Marauders stood by the parking lot of the school waiting for you to come out. James noticed how nervous Lily was as she kept looking for you over the mass of people.

“She’ll be here, dear.” James said, rubbing Lily’s back as they waited for you.

“Yeah, Lils.” Sirius said getting near her. He looks over at Remus who was looking for you as well.

“Oi! There she is.” Peter shouted out and pointed at the exit of the school. Remus watched as you walked out with a duffel bag, hanging on your shoulder as you spoke with someone. Remus smile dropped when he saw it was one of the football players. He wore a jersey with the number 6 and had his own bag over his broad shoulder. Remus can't help but notice how the player looked. The guy was taller then him, had muscles and another thing that made Remus' heart sink was the guy had no scars on his face.

He wouldn't be surprised to find out that he was your boyfriend. Cheerleaders go out with football players, that's the normal thing, Remus thought.

Lily yells your name as she waved her hands in the air. Remus saw you quickly look at them and placed a hand on the guy’s arm before running towards Lily. Remus couldn't help but smile as you threw your bag at the ground and hugged Lily. Shoving his hands in the pocket of his cardigan, he looks over at the sisters embracing each other.

“I missed you so much.” You cried in Lily’s neck. “Me too.” Lily said, pulling away to kiss your cheek.

“I brought the boys.” Lily said, looking over at her shoulder. Remus saw you smile bright at the sight of him.

“REM REM.” You called out, speed walking to Remus. Sirius and James shared a look when you wrapped your arms around Remus’ body. Remus did the same hugging you by the shoulders with both arms. Remus couldn't help but run his fingers through your hair as you looked up at him. You had taken the scrunchie out, he noticed you wore it on your wrist.

You gave Sirius and Peter a hug, greeting them. Lily introduced you to James and you immediately frowned.

“Should I kick your ass now or later?” James' mouth dropped out and was about to say something when Lily and you started to burst out in laughter.

“She told me you were a little shit.” Sirius and Peter laughed.

“How can you say that about me, Lils?” James said with a gasp not understanding it was a joke. You knew about James Potter and knew your sister liked him before she even realized it herself. You have read pages of Lily, telling you about James Potter. She wrote how ridiculous and rude he was but at the end of the letters Lily always wrote that James' hair looked cute.

“She was joking, dear.” You nodded at him as Lily gave him a kiss on his cheek.

“That's right. I'm just joking. She said far worse things.” You said making Lily shout your name. “I’m joking.” You told him before looking over at Sirius, Peter and Remus shaking your head making them laugh.

“My brother in law isn’t a little shit.” You said as you hugged James who grew red like Lily’s hair when you called him brother in law.

“Keep messing with him, Y/n. He’ll turn you into a toad.” Lily said, making you gasp then looked at James.

“Can you really do that?! Can you make me into a tiger instead?” You asked frantically as you looked at James who laughed at your enthusiasm.

“Oh my god, can you turn this guy’s hair red for me?” You asked James. “Remember, we have rules. We can’t use magic outside of the school grounds.” You sighed at her.

“That’s so dumb.” You said as Sirius walked towards you. He placed an arm over your shoulder and agreed with you.

“Wait for next year. We got you. What color tiger do you want to be?” Sirius asked, wiggling his eyebrows at you. Remus watched as you smiled at Sirius before tapping your chin as you thought of an answer. You were about to answer when he heard your name being called out.

Remus watched as the same football player came running towards you. Sirius noticed Remus’ face and tugged you closer to him. He wasn’t going to let some beefy guy with a helmet who runs over people for fun get a hold of his best friend’s girl.

“Lincoln is throwing a house party to celebrate our win. Are you coming?” You looked over at Lily and looked back at him.

“Can my sisters and her friends come too?” He quickly nodded as a green jeep drove up by them.

“Yo! Evans! Are you coming to the party?!” The driver asks you. “Yeah! She is going to bring some people.” The football player told the driver.

“You guys want to come?” You turned to them. James looks over at Lily.

“You haven’t been to a house party before, Lily. This can be a good experience for you.” Peter and Sirius agreed while James waited for Lily to answer.

“Rem Rem?” You asked as you walked towards Remus.

“I guess we can stop by for a few hours.” Remus said as you grabbed a hold of his hand. Remus looks over at Lily and tilts his head at her.

“Let's go.” You let out a squeal and kiss her cheek. “Mike, can we hitch a ride with you?” You asked the driver.

“Sure thing, love. Seb, I’ll follow you.” Mike said, looking out the window at the football player.

“Alright, I’ll be back.” Seb said as Mike parked his car in front of them.

“What about dad?” Lily asked as James and Peter got inside the car. Sirius grabs your bag from the ground, throwing it in the back of the car.

“Don’t worry. I’ll call dad when we are there.” Sirius helped Lily up in the jeep car.

“One of you guys can come in the front.” Mike said as he waiting for them to get in. Sirius looks at Remus and you, both of you are still holding hands.

“Moony! Go to the back with Little Evans.” Sirius said as he walked to the passenger seat. Mike looks at Sirius who sat beside him and shut the door.

“Moony?” Mike asked as he looked over at Sirius who sat down and shut the car door. “It’s just a nickname. Name is Sirius but you can call me, Padfoot.” Sirius said as Lily told him to put on his seatbelt but Sirius was too in enthrall looking at Mike to even listen to her.

“Nice to meet you, Padfoot. I’m Mike.” Sirius leaned back in his seat when Mike got close to him. Sirius blushes when Mike got close to him. Mike had short black hair showing his pierced ears and his eyes were light brown.

“Seat belts are important.” Mike said in a soft tone as he grabbed it for Sirius. Mike gives him a smile when he clicks it, making sure it was correctly in place and leans back in his seat.

“Rem Rem, would you mind if I sit on your lap?” Remus looks over to see Lily sitting on James lap as Peter sat in the middle.

When Remus didn’t answer, you whispered to him. “It’s alright, if you mind. I can catch a ride with someone else.”

Remus still didn’t answer and with a heavy heart you were about to shut the door when he grabbed a hold of your arm.

“Yes, you can sit down. Please do.” James snorts a laugh behind Lily’s hair as Remus practically tugs you inside the car. Remus shuts the door as you settle down in his lab. He spreads his legs to make room for your legs. Remus can smell the light scent of your body spray, he’s so close to you. The car started to move and there was a bump in the road. You were about to fall forward when he wrapped his arms around your stomach, pulling you to his chest.

“You okay?” Remus asked behind you. Your cheeks grew hot when you felt his breath behind your ear.

“Yeah.” You whispered as you grabbed his arm. Your fingers began to play with the fabric of his cardigan. He feels so warm behind you. So comfortable, you feel the roughness of his jeans against your bare legs. You hear Lily and James talking to Mike about their “boarding school.”

Remus was thinking hard as he shut his eyes. He thought of vomit, James vomiting, Peter vomiting, Sirius vomiting on Peter and James. He thought of it as he felt your ass against his crotch.

“Gross thoughts. Gross thoughts.” He tells himself.

He felt you lean back and look at him. “I did miss you, Remus.” You whispered as the window of the car rolled down.

Remus looks at you and holds you close as Mike makes a left.

“I missed you too.” Remus admits. He always waited for Lily to receive your letter so he could find out how you were. He was devastated when Lily told him you were going to cheer camp last summer. He didn’t see you that summer and he felt bad for lying to Lily whenever she asked him why he had a long face.

“You know maybe next time, I can write-.” Peter's wow cuts them off when Mike parked in front of a large house.

Remus stood behind you as everyone made their way into the house. Sirius and Peter stood close as they walked inside looking at the other students on the couch, or dancing in the living room. Some where in the corner smoking while others were in the back yard playing something Remus told them was called Beer Pong.

“Holy shit! If it isn’t the captain in the flesh.” A girl came at you, hugging you. She was a bit taller and wore the same cheerleading uniform as you.

“When Seb told me you were coming. I couldn’t believe it. He went out to get more beer for you.” You tsk at her before shaking her head.

“Christina, he didn’t have too. I’m not planning on drinking. I just wanted to show my sister and her friends who just came to visit me the party.” You said looking over Lily and the guys. Peter's eyes were wide as he saw it was the blonde he was fawning over earlier. Peter thought he was going to have a stroke when the blonde introduced herself to everyone and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.

“Please tell your sister to relax.” Christina said, looking over at Lily.

“She never comes to our house party. Our captain is a good girl but finally she is at her first party. She needs to have a drink.”

“Peter, why don’t you help her get some drinks for us.” Peter looks over at you with a face. You gave him a wink and signaled your head to Christina. It was painfully obvious that he liked her.

“Oh yes, come with me.” Christina said, holding out her hand for Peter. Everyone smiled as Peter without a single thought, grabbed a hold of her hand and let Christina drag him to the kitchen.

“She’s harmless. I swear.” You said looking over at the kitchen again.

“Is it true then?” Sirius asked with a smirk. “You’re a good girl? You never drink?”

“Of course, she is. She’s just like me.” Lily said, walking over to you making you chuckle.

You tried your best to not look Remus. A bit embarrassed that your friends had outed you and told your sister and her friends that you were a prude and a good girl who doesn’t do anything bad.

“Yo!” Remus watched the same football player you were talking come behind you.

“Christina said you’re drinking.” Lily's eyes widened at the sight of the football player towering over them. He had a case of beer over his shoulder, showing his muscles.

“Only one, Seb. By the way, this is my sister and these are her friends.” Remus felt like he needed to drink something before lashing out when he saw Seb placing a hand on your shoulder after handing them the cans of beer.

“I want you guys to meet my boyfriend. BABY!” Remus looks up from his beer at the guy. Wait boyfriend, Remus and Sirius glance at each other as Chris from earlier comes towards them with a smile.

James saw Chris come over and give a kiss to Chris before looking over at them. “You met my boyfriend, Seb.”

Remus chuckles to himself. Seb wasn't your boyfriend. Remus liked how you interacted with them. He liked seeing you smiling and talking. He didn’t know you were quite popular. He felt childish whenever he got a little bit jealous when a guy came over to talk to you. He couldn’t help it though you were so beautiful. Of course, guys are going to come up to you. He was glad that you didn’t leave them to talk to someone else. You had introduced them to practically everyone.

Lily and James were dancing while Peter and Christina were in the kitchen, getting their seventh drink of the night. Remus can’t help but smirk when he sees Sirius and Mike leaning close together against the wall. Sirius was showing Mike, his silver rings on his fingers. Remus looks away when he sees you walking back to him with two more beers. He made room for you on the couch and thanked you when you handed him one.

“Are you having a good time?” Remus looks over at you. Your cheeks were a bit flushed and your eyes were glossy, you had more than one beer. You had a smile on your face as you played with the tab of the can. Remus bumps his knee with yours.

“I am. You?” You nod at him as he takes a sip. Remus notices as a couple walking in front of you and sat across from him and you. The girl recognized you as well as the guy she was with. The girl had bright red hair while the guy had his hair neon green. The couple were from your art class, you told him. You were talking with them when you accidently placed your hand on top of his. Remus blushed when you grabbed a hold of his hand as you laughed at them.

"Did you hear them?" Remus smiles and nods at you. He haven't heard a thing, he was freaking out on inside that you were holding his hand. He didn’t let go, he didn’t want you to let go

“To be honest, I’m surprised you’re here. You’re usually reading or in the library. Always reading that weird brown book.” Remus looks up at the girl's words.

“What?” He asked and looked over at you who was blushing really hard.

“She always has this brown book. A fairytale about these four people. They are witches or something.” She said before looking over at her boyfriend.

“Yeah, what is it again? Dude is a lion and one is a snake.” Remus frowns as they continue to speak. “You looked inside of it?” Remus felt you sit up straight.

“Only for a second, we just wanted to know what it was. You're always reading it.”

“Oh shit! I remember! They were wizards and they made this school or something.” Remus' heart dropped when she said that.

You still had the book he gifted you a while back. It was a gift he had given you for your birthday. He remembered he had bought it in Hogsmeade and wrapped it in a paper bag. He remembers the face you make when he sat beside you as you open the book. It was filled with colorful photos and all information about Hogwarts and the four founding members. You had given him a kiss on the cheek when you turned a page and saw the photos were moving.

“They have an orgy at the end?” The guy asks you with a laugh and Remus notices the awkward look on your face.

“They all die.” Remus answered a bit harshly.

“I’m going out for some air.” You said quickly getting up from the couch, letting go of his hand and walking out the back door.

You didn’t realize Remus was following you. He excuses himself to your friends and follows you. He placed his beer on the kitchen counter as he went through the back door where you went. Making your way further to the backyard, you threw your beer on the ground. You sighed to yourself, you felt embarrassed and worry. You were sure that Remus was angry at you for letting someone look in the book that he had gifted you. It would be best if no one got a hold of it, he had told you and made you promise to never show it to anyone. That book was the only thing from Remus and you had carried it everywhere with you. You had read countless times front to back. You read all the stories about the houses and the professors in it. You had daydreamed about going to Hogwarts to see your sister and Remus.

Remus calls your name out when he sees you leaning against a tree. Looking over your shoulder, he saw you were going to cry. He quickly goes to you.

“What’s wrong?” He asked as he wrapped an arm around you.

“I’m sorry. They saw the book. I know I promise you no one would look at it. Please don’t be mad at me.” Remus shakes his head as he drops his arm around you.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad at you.” You look up at a Remus with tears welled up in your eyes. Remus quickly wipe the single tear that managed to escape your eye.

“You kept the book.” Remus said as his hand cupped your cheek then slowly dropped down at your neck. His fingers touched the neckline of your uniform. You lean against him before looking down at the ground all shy.

“Of course, you gave it to me as a gift. I love it.” You didn’t say anything else when Remus brought his hand under your chin.

“It’s been years and you still read it?” You nod at him when he made you look up at him.

“Why?” He asked, looking down at your face.

“It reminds me of Lily.” Remus was going to pull away at your answer. Perhaps he thought wrong, he thinks to himself. Maybe you didn’t feel anything for him.

“I think of you too, Remus.” He comes to a halt. "I imagine what it would be like to go to school with you."

"I imagine that too." Remus admitted. "I would walk you to your classes. I'll take you to the Black Lake and to the Astronomy Tower. Then at the weekends, I'll take you out to Hogsmeade."

"I would have love that." You tell him. "Lily told me that the Astronomy Tower is usually where people go to.." You don't finish your sentence, there was no need because Remus knew. People go up there when feeling frisky.

He chuckles and rub the back of his neck avoid eye contact with you. You knew it was now or never when Remus began to stutter, trying to come up with something.

“I want to tell you something. It might seem dumb to you because I'm your best friend's little sister. I like you and before you say anything. I’m sure there are pretty witches at your school and you might have someone already but I like you, Remus. I like you a lot.” Remus felt you about to back away when he didn’t say anything.

He quickly leans down to kiss your lips, give you a peck. Sirius’ words echoed in his mind about telling you the truth.

“Remus..” You said his name softly.

“I like you too.” Remus shyly said as he pulled you into his chest.

“I like you so much that I don’t even look at the witches in school. I don’t care that you’re a muggle.” Remus said easing your insecurities.

When it was time to leave, Remus didn’t want to go. There was one last week until starting a new school year. He had begged his parents to let him stay for a few more weeks after the house party. Your relationship with him blossomed after that night. When he stayed over at the Evans, he slept on the couch. Every night he stayed, he waited up for you to quietly go down the stairs. He would bite his bottom lip to not make a noise when you straddle him to kiss him. Making out until dawn and talking in hushed whispers about his interests and yours, talking about books and movies.

When it was time to go, Lily’s father was nice enough to take me to the train station. Remus and you were behind the house away from everyone, he towered over you as he kissed you.

“Write to me. Promise me you’ll write to me.” He begs as he nuzzles into your neck.

“I will. I promise it. Once a week.” Remus shakes his head. “Everyday.” You looked at him with wide eyes and repeated it in a shocking tone.

“Your owl will get tired.” Remus shakes his head once more.

“I’ll give him treats and feed him more.” Remus said with a smile before sighing.

“I’m going to miss you.” Remus told you sadly.

“One more year and you’re out.” You whispered to him as you kissed him. You pulled away at the sound of Lily calling for him and you.

Remus wants to tell you about Moony. He really did it every time he was going to bring it out, something or someone will get in the way. He was sure that you were going to break up with him once you found out. It was crazy enough that he was a wizard but he’s a werewolf as well. Remus was deep in thought as he gave Mr. Evans his luggage so he could put it in the trunk of his car.

“Bye, Moony!” Remus' head shot up and saw you waving at him by the front door. Lily comes out behind you and waves bye at Remus.

It was a week back in school and Remus was eating breakfast when the mail started to fly in. One by one owls came flying though and dropped letters and mail to the students. Remus knew you wouldn’t write back. You knew his nickname. Moony, he was pretty sure you were smart enough to figure it out. He didn’t mention it to Lily about it. Afraid to ruin his friendship with her but he told Sirius it.

“Oh! Moony!” Sirius shouted as he watched the white envelope slowly falling down in front of Remus.

Remus looks up from his plate and stands up, reaching to grab the letter. Sirius looks over as Remus quickly opens it. Sirius can’t help but smile at the sight of his best mate looking happy as he read the letter from you.

"She knows." Remus said looking at Sirius. "And?" Sirius asked worry as Remus went back to read the letter.

"If you think being one will make me like you less. You are wrong, Remus Lupin." They shared a smile and Remus pulls out a red scrunchie from inside the envelope. Remus pulls his sleeves up so he can put it around his wrist.

Sirius turns back to his plate and raises a brow when he notices a letter next to him. Opening it up, he can’t fight the urge to smile wide when he sees it was from Mike.

#remus lupin x you #remus lupin x reader #the marauders #lily evans #muggle reader #sfw #remus lupin #remus lupin x y/n #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfiction #remus lupin imagine

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panandinpain0 · 9 months

Note

Could I ask for an Edward Cullen x male reader where the reader is Bella’s best friend (who moved right after her)- He ends up becoming infatuated with him instead, and they just have a happy time??

This is Different...

Twilight timmmmeee- time to reach into the archives of my memories and pull random facts from my ass.

Thank you for the request! I hope you enjoy <3

@@@

Requested by: Anon

Edward Cullen x Male!Reader

---

Bella had to kept telling herself to wait just one more week, because then (Y/N) would be there and she could vent to him about how weird this town was.

The two had grown up together in Arizona and were practically inseparable. Their parents did that thing where they were convinced Bella and (Y/N) were going to date and get married and all of that, which just isn't happening. But it made his dad easier to convince when they asked if (Y/N) could move to Forks, Washington with Bella.

(Y/N)'s parents had just gotten a divorce and his dad was moving anyways, and he was old enough that he just wanted to stay with his dad (and little sister that would come to visit every once in a while) until he was an adult.

So after Bella left to Forks, (Y/N) and his dad started packing their bags and started their trip.

Bella could not wait to tell him about the school, the weird but oddly charming students, and the standoffish Cullen family.

Finally the week came to an end and Charlie drove Bella to pick them up from the airport.

(Y/N)'s father, James, had planned to buy a car once they got to the new house, but Charlie had so kindly offered to drive them until he did get one.

At the airport Bella ran up to (Y/N) and he caught her in a hug, laughing at her eagerness.

"Looks like somebody missed me!" (Y/N) squeezed out a laugh, Bella cutting off his air supply with the grip of her hug.

"It's been absolute agony without you here, I have so much to tell you- and warn you about."

"Oh damn, that doesn't sound good," (Y/N) replied as Bella helped pick up one of his bags.

"It's crazy out here." She nodded, and the two shared a look that only childhood friends could share.

"Any cute guys?" they had a hushed conversation to the car, Charlie and James too wrapped up talking about fishing to pay attention.

"I'm sure you'd find them cute," Bella scoffed, throwing a teasing smile over her shoulder as she loaded the trunk.

(Y/N) scoffed back, betrayed at her diss.

"I'm sure you went for the stalker-ish one anyways." With a sly smirk he got into the backseat, closing the door on her denials.

...

(Y/N) had settled in, conveniently living next door to the Swan's house, and drove with Bella in her old truck to school that Monday.

"So, Jessica is into Mike and Angela is with Eric. And Tyler flirts with everybody, but nobody goes out with him?" (Y/N) recapped from the tangent of drama Bella had been giving him.

"Yup, pretty much," Bella confirmed, turning into the school parking lot.

"And all of the Cullen's are super hot- but they're dating each other?" (Y/N) asked, more suspiciously this time.

"Well, they're all adopted, but yes. Except for Edward- but I already told you what happened."

"Yeah the weird smelling thing and the he disappeared just to come back with a different eye color."

"They could just be colored contacts," Bella corrected, still not sure herself.

"Strange... Welp, let's do this," (Y/N) sighed as he got out of the passengers seat of the car.

Bella shrunk into his side, all of the attention on her once again. Last time it was because she was the new girl, but now it's because she had her attractive best friend with her.

"Yo, Bella!" Mike called out, giving (Y/N) a confused glare.

Bella waved back and started walking over, (Y/N) following at her side. Leaning down to whisper in her ear (Y/N) held back a laugh, "You left out the part about Mike's crush on you."

Bella just rolled her eyes as they met up with the group.

"Everybody, (Y/N)- (Y/N), everybody," Bella lazily introduced.

"You just moved here, right?" Angela asked, holding Eric's hand as they lent up against Tyler's van behind them.

"Yes, I did. I grew up with Bella in Arizona and where she goes I go," (Y/N) laughed, nudging Bella in the side jokingly.

That's when he noticed her distracted state. Following her line of sight he realized she was staring at a car full of probably the most attractive people he'd ever seen.

"Who's that?" (Y/N) asked the group, acting clueless to get more information.

"Those are the Cullen's-" Jessica jumped right into the rant about their family.

When she was done she came closer to (Y/N), grabbing hold of his hand as she batted her eyelashes at him. "Let me show you around!"

Shrugging, (Y/N) waved to Bella, who rolled her eyes at Jessica's obvious flirting.

...

"Where'd you find that guy? He's so hot," Jessica gushed to Bella at lunch. (Y/N) hadn't sat down yet so she'd finally gotten a second to ask.

"We grew up together- he wasn't that hot when we first met, trust me," Bella almost snorted, playing with the food on her tray.

"You guys aren't like..." trailing off she wiggled her eyebrows to imply.

"No- god, no," Bella laughed. "He's like my brother."

"Oh, good. Less competition then," Jessica sighed.

"I don't think you'll be having much luck either, Jessica," Angela pointed out, nodding in (Y/N)'s direction.

He was flirting with some guy in the lunch line, the guys face bright red as he laughed at something (Y/N) had said.

Jessica looked heartbroken but Angela and Bella just laughed about it.

When (Y/N) finally joined them Bella raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" (Y/N) shrugged indignantly, opening his milk carton.

"Not even a full day in and you're already jumping on them," Bella teased, popping a grape into her mouth.

"Hey, you told me there wasn't any cute guys here, I just wanted to see what he was like," (Y/N) protested. "I didn't even like him that much. Kind of a dick."

Hearing a sudden and loud snort of laughter, (Y/N) and Bella turned around to see the Cullen's lunch table, Edward hiding his face as he looked towards the windows as his siblings glared at (Y/N). Or maybe they just all had RBF- save for the short girl with the pixie-like hair. She smiled at (Y/N) and waved, so he waved back.

"They're so weird," Jessica whispered as she dug into her lunch.

"How much have you actually talked to them?" (Y/N) questioned, taking a bite of his apple.

Jessica didn't answer for a minute, looking kind of embarrassed. Angela rolled her eyes, answering for her. "Once- and it was Edward rejecting her."

(Y/N) snorted and then apologized, "Sorry. It just seems like you're holding a grudge on people you barely know." He then changed the subject, not wanting to make an enemy out of Jessica.

She really seemed like a good friend, he didn't want to go pushing her buttons, that'd be mean.

...

"Mr. Molina, it's nice to meet you. I'm your new student, (Y/N)."

"Ahh, Mr. (L/N), is it?" (Y/N) nodded. "You can sit in front of Edward Cullen. You're lucky we had an empty seat," he joked, pointing to where he was talking about.

That was when (Y/N) got his good first look at Edward Cullen. His gaze was intense, just like Bella had said, but it was less scary than she described it.

Seemed like a guy worth getting to know.

Walking over to the desk with Bella, (Y/N) held out his hand to Edward. "You're Edward Cullen, right? Mr. Molina told me to sit in front of you, but I've heard stories and wanted to introduce myself." He smiled confidently.

Edward hesitantly took his hand and shook it, (Y/N) not reacting to the hard coldness of his skin.

Or at least he didn't show it- (Y/N) was immediately thrown off but didn't want to put off this attractive guy.

"Like you said, I'm Edward. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." (Y/N) winked and sat in his chair, not looking back at Edward or Bella once.

Bella just rolled her eyes with good nature. She'd seen him do this before, if she'd felt uncomfortable or threatened by someone, (Y/N) would draw the attention to himself. That's what worked about their friendship, he could take the attention that she didn't want.

At the end of class, (Y/N) packed up his things and then helped Bella do the same. He waved to Edward with a "Bye!" and they left.

Out in the parking lot his siblings all waited for him by the car.

"What's up?" Emmett asked, his arm around Rosalie.

Alice squealed, "Oh! It happened, didn't it? I thought it was Bella at first but then I saw him and just knew it would happen!" She jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

"What happened?" Rosalie questioned again, Jasper smirking as he sensed Edward's emotions.

"He fell in love," Alice stage-whispered. She was teasing him, of course, but Edward grumbled all the same.

They all piled into the car but before Edward got in he looked across the lot to see (Y/N) leaning on the truck hood talking to Bella.

He hadn't fallen in love. He couldn't- not with a human.

With Bella it was just an obscene thirst... but this was different.

---

Sorry to cut this short, I wouldn't be opposed to writing more for this! I just think this is a good ending and leaves an open spot for a potential part 2!

Hope you liked it anon!

-Author Max <3

#fanfiction #x reader #fluff #x he/him reader #x male!reader #twilight x reader #twilight masterlist #twilight fanfiction #twilight x male!reader #twilight #twilight x male reader #edward cullen x reader #edward cullen x male!reader

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jollytaleswriter · 7 months

Text

Angelica

pairing : harry styles x fem!reader

summary : harry is writing his first album and y/n is on her summer break, what happens when they meet during their holiday in italy?

contains : summer fling, fluff, allusion to smut but no smut

word count : +4.5K

author's note : angelica flowers are associated to inspiration

I do not give consent for my work to be plagiarised, translated or reposted on any other platforms

pinterest board | harry masterlist

It was the end of June.

Following the itinerary her phone had given her to find her accommodation, Y/N felt hot and cursed her past self for deciding that wearing jeans on the day she travelled to Italy was a good idea.

When Y/N finally arrived at her destination, she searched for the reservation paper in her handbag that rested on top of her suitcase before typing the four-digit code the landlord had given her to enter the apartment block. Suddenly, before Y/N had the chance to reach for the door knob, a man came out of the building.

The man greeted her and, noticing her suitcase and travel bags, asked if she was renting a place for the summer, to which Y/N nodded.

"So am I. I’m Harry, by the way." Harry smiled from ear to ear and held out his hand for Y/N to shake.

After Y/N had introduced herself, Harry offered his help to carry her luggage because it was a pain in the ass without an elevator. Y/N gladly accepted and when they had made their way upstairs, they were both pleasantly surprised to see they would be neighbours for the summer.

"I’ll see you around then." Was the last thing Harry had said to Y/N before he left her to unwind and unpack her things.

The flat was small but cozy and it gave a wonderful view on Levanto’s beach.

Done settling down and tidying her things, Y/N let herself fall on the bed and let out a satisfied sigh. She was happy to be here. Having just passed with flying colours her final exams of the year, Y/N wanted to take time for herself. She desperately needed to spend her summer in a sunny and tranquil place so as to let go of all the stress college had put her through.

Y/N had not had a proper holiday in a while and, having always dreamed of travelling to Italy, she immediately started looking for an affordable accommodation to rent when she read about Levanto whilst organizing her trip. Which, luckily, she found. Y/N was not wealthy by any means but working as a waitress in a two-stars rated restaurant paid well and the little yet significant amount of money her parents had gifted her after her finals had enabled her to put enough money aside. Hence the decent budget for her time in Italy.

Apart from a couple of day trips, Y/N’s only plan was to rest, read and bask in the sun. Relax before entering her last year of university. La Dolce Vita, as the Italians called it. Speaking of which, maybe Y/N would take this opportunity to improve her Italian, she only knew basic phrases.

The sound of her phone buzzing caught her attention. Y/N grabbed it and checked her messages.

Iris : hope you had a safe trip. Text me when you arrive xo

A smile tugged at Y/N’s lips and she swiftly typed her answer. She and Iris were practically attached to the hip but as Iris had already planned to visit her family over the summer, she hadn’t been able to accompany Y/N on her adventures. It was a shame but they would keep in touch and hang out as soon as Y/N was back home.

She scrolled through her phone for a few minutes before Iris answered her text by asking Y/N to call her once in a while to catch up and demanding that Y/N keeps her informed if she met someone.

Although her friend’s text made her think of Harry, Y/N rolled her eyes and sent a will do. After that, Y/N headed to the bathroom to take a shower and pamper herself before picking a cute summer dress of a mid-thigh length for her evening out.

A quick research on the internet allowed her to find a restaurant nearby. Feeling ravenous, Y/N decided to not wait any longer and took her purse and her book and left.

The restaurant was a short walk away from Y/N’s accommodation. It was small and a little bit hidden but it seemed comfortable.

Y/N ordered a cocktail and was about to skim through the menu when one of the waiters introduced the artist who was going to perform that evening.

Y/N instantly recognized Harry as he climbed on the dais that had been put there for the occasion. Guitar in hand, he waved shyly to his audience. "Tonight’s a special night for me because the songs I’m gonna sing for you are ones that I’ve written myself and it’s the very first time I’ll be singin’ them to a public."

People clapped their hands after his admission to encourage him and just as Harry started singing, his gaze met Y/N’s. The grin that appeared on his face told her he had recognized her too. They were not able to keep their eyes off of each other until the end of the show.

A round of applause was heard as Harry thanked the audience and the restaurant for letting him perform.

Everyone talked about Harry. Some, mainly girls, even walked up to him to whisper a few kind words to him.

Y/N observed Harry putting his guitar back in its case. She debated with herself whether or not she should go and talk to him but he beat her to it.

"Fancy seein’ you here."

Y/N smiled. "Nice to see you too. You were great up there."

"Yeah ? You really think so ?"

Y/N nodded. A boyish smile tugged at Harry’s lips and the pink tint on his cheeks betrayed the fact that he was flustered by the compliment.

Harry asked if he could join Y/N for dinner to which she replied positively. He took a seat in front of her and they both proceeded to look through the menu. They both opted for a plate of pasta and after ordering their food, they carried on their conversation.

Harry revealed that not only was he a musician but he was also a baker. He had been working in a bakery in London for years and would play music in his free time. When he turned eighteen, Harry started performing in bars and until now, he had only sang covers. Over time, as he grew more confident in his skills and talent, Harry began to work on his own album. He had been writing songs for ages and he was particularly proud of the ones he had written and composed for this project. However, Harry was now facing a case of writer’s block. He had ideas that never seemed to be good enough and he struggled to get the words out. Therefore, his friends, who were also his band and accompanied him during his gigs, advised him to take some time off and try not to pressure himself. On second thought, Harry decided to take his friends’s advice and his lack of inspiration was the reason why he was in Italy.

Y/N eagerly listened to Harry’s story as they enjoyed their meal. He asked her what she was doing for a living and Y/N told him about college and her degree to become a teacher.

They had so much to talk about that they did not see the hours pass and they only left when a waiter politely interrupted them to ask them to leave because they were closing. Harry and Y/N paid and walked home together. Before parting for the night, they exchanged their numbers.

****

The sound of her phone vibrating on the table reached Y/N’s ear. She put down her book and grabbed the device.

It was a text from Harry.

Care for an ice cream ?

Always. Give me ten minutes. Was Y/N’s eager answer. She quickly changed her clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up before leaving, not forgetting to take her purse and her keys.

No sooner had Y/N knocked on Harry’s door than he let her in like he had been impatiently waiting for her to show up.

"So there’s a great ice cream shop near the restaurant we were in the other day. I was thinking we could go there." Harry said as he put on his shoes and Y/N hummed in agreement.

Fifteen minutes later, Y/N and Harry were queuing at the ice cream shop behind a couple holding hands and a mother whose two yound children were jumping around. Y/N had already settled for two scoops of strawberry ice cream. Harry on the other hand could not seem to be able to choose. He hesitated between a couple of flavours.

"Just take two flavours tonight and we’ll come back tomorrow so you can get different ones." Was Y/N’s advice. Harry’s shoulders relaxed and he let her order her dessert first while he made up his mind.

"So we’ll come back tomorrow, huh ?" Harry smirked as they got out of the shop.

"Hm ?"

"You said we’d come back tomorrow."

"I mean, you, uh, you don’t need me to come back."

Harry breathed out a laugh. "I was just teasing, I’d love to do this with you again."

Harry suggested that they went to the beach so as to watch the sunset. Y/N eagerly accepted the offer and they decided to sit on a bench that stood near the stairs that led to the beach.

Y/N told Harry about her day, how she explored Levanto’s historic center and enjoyed the afternoon at the beach. They talked about music a lot—they had found that they shared a common interest for Fleetwood Mac—and Harry opened up about his love for Italy.

It had all started when Harry was just a kid. He and his family had spent the summer holidays in a seaside town of the Northern coast of Italy. He had promised himself he would come back and he cherished these memories with his family with all his might. Now that he was on an artistic retreat, Harry figured it was the chance he had been waiting for to travel back to Italy for the second time. Inspiration was what Harry was hoping to find in Levanto.

Soon enough, it was dark outside. Crickets could be heard and a light breeze was blowing. Harry and Y/N, after finishing their ice cream, walked back home. Harry had asked Y/N if she wanted to hang out at his place for a while before going to bed and Y/N had said yes.

"You can turn on the telly if you like." Harry said as he grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. Y/N happily did so and Leonardo Dicaprio’s face appeared on the screen.

Harry’s face lit up as he handed a glass of water to Y/N and he plopped himself down on the couch next to Y/N. "D’you mind if we watch Titanic ? I mean, I’ve already seen it countless times before and you probably have too, but I really wanna rewatch it now."

"You know what, I’ve never seen Titanic."

"Seriously ? Well then that’s just another reason why we should watch it. Unless you don’t want to, of course."

"I want to." Y/N confirmed and Harry smiled. Since the movie had already started, Harry summarized what had happened up until this point. It was endearing, seeing how excited Harry was.

They stared at each other and Y/N did not miss the way Harry’s gaze flicked to her lips for a brief moment. She had noticed him doing that earlier on and she could not deny that she wondered what his lips would feel like against hers.

Harry leaned towards her. Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat and her lips instinctively parted slightly. Harry seemed pleased with her reaction. His gaze once again fell to her lips except this time, he didn’t bother looking up.

"May I kiss you ?"

"Please do."

As soon as she gave him her consent, Harry cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her delicately. Gentle touches became needier. Open mouth kisses were shared and one of Harry’s hands slipped in his Y/N’s hair as hers gripped his shirt.

"Bedroom ?" Harry asked, breathless.

"Yes please." Y/N giggled and hid her face in Harry’s neck when he picked her up.

Harry shut the bedroom door with his foot and, at the end of the night, Y/N still hadn’t seen Titanic.

****

A ray of sunshine coming through the blind woke Y/N up. A few seconds were needed for her to remember where she was. Instinctively, she wanted to check what time it was but was only met with the frustating fact that no clock was in the bedroom. And her phone was in her purse, which had been left on the couch last night.

Last night. Last night when she and Harry had kissed. Last night when she and Harry had done unspeakable things to each other whilst he whispered sinful words in her ear. Last night when Harry kissed her temple after what had been the best sex she’s ever had.

Y/N sighed. She had had one night stands before. She knew how it worked. Her only solace was that her walk of shame would be short. She dreaded the moment Harry would ask her to leave. She knew it was coming, he probably let her stay the night out of politeness. Y/N didn’t want things to be awkward between them not only because Harry was a great man but also because they were bound to come across each other.

Finally finding the will to get up, Y/N grabbed her dress that was discarded on the floor beside the bed and put it back on. She noticed that Harry’s clothes were still laying on the floor.

When Y/N left the bedroom, Harry was standing behind the kitchen counter. His Calvin Klein briefs were the only piece of clothing covering his body. His hair was dishevelled, curls falling on his forehead due to his head being lowered. He cut pieces of strawberries, bananas and blueberries had been put into two bowls that were in front of Harry.

Y/N tilted her head to the side. "Good morning."

Harry looked up and grinned, his bunny teeth showing. "Good morning, love."

The nickname did not go unnoticed by Y/N who she tried her best to hide how much it flustered her.

"What are you doing ?"

"Preparing breakfast. I hope you like fruits, you’ll need vitamins after such a…busy night." Harry replied, a smug smile dancing on his lips as he side-eyed Y/N to see her reaction to his teasing, making Y/N scoff. Her cheeks burned, she fidgeted with her fingers and, judging on how hard Harry tried to stifle a laugh, he noticed.

Finished preparing the fruit salad, he brought the bowls to the table. Seeing that Y/N was still standing awkwardly as if waiting for something, Harry pulled out a chair and told Y/N she could sit down. She obliged and watched him go back to the kitchen. Harry came back with a bottle of apple juice and some toasts.

"Apple juice ?" Harry offered and Y/N nodded before murmuring a thank you.

Harry seemed so unfazed by the situation that a part of Y/N felt childish for overthinking everything. After all, just because they slept together did not mean they could not be friends anymore. Y/N enjoyed Harry’s company and it has to be reciprocated otherwise Harry would not have let her stay for breakfast. Or is he just polite and plans on avoiding her as soon as she steps out of the flat ?

Finally working up the courage to speak her mind, Y/N cleared her throat, making Harry look up from his food. "Can we still be friends ?"

"What do you mean ?"

"Well, you know, now that we slept together, I don’t want things to be awkward between us."

"I don’t want us to stop hanging out just because of that. Besides, I, you know, I wouldn’t mind if we did it again. If you wanted to of course." Harry said as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Now that was unexpected. Y/N felt warmth spread in her tummy and she rolled her lips in her mouth to hold back a smile. "I wouldn’t mind either."

They continued to eat, looking up at each other every now and then to share knowing smiles.

****

"Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and then see what we find ?" Asked Harry, looking at Y/N with big pleading eyes.

It had been a couple of weeks since Harry and Y/N had had their first night together. Having dinner in a restaurant and then head home to watch a movie once or twice a week had naturally became a routine although they would end up naked more often than not.

"You always say that." Y/N trailed, the ghost of a smile forming on her lips.

Harry pouted. "You know I’m a sucker for romance. "

"I know."

****

Hours later, Y/N woke up in an empty bed. Harry’s side of the bed was already cold meaning he must have gotten up a while ago. His phone was still beside the bed. Y/N turned it on to check what time it was. Half past seven in the morning. What could Harry possibly be doing up so early ?

Y/N left the comforting warmth of the bed and found Harry sitting on the couch. A notebook and a pen in hand, he was writing frenetically. The curls that fell on his forehead did not seem to bother him one bit.

Hey. Harry’s head shot up and he turned towards where the voice came from. His eyes softened and his soulders relaxed when he caught sight of Y/N.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you."

" ‘s alright." Harry smiled softly.

He patted the space next to him, signaling her to come sit with him, to which Y/N happily obliged.

"What are you doing ?"

"Writing songs."

"So early in the morning ? You must have been very inspired…" Y/N trailed as Harry left his pen in the notebook, at the page he was writing on, to act as a bookmark and put it down on his lap. He cloaked an arm around her shoulder and Y/N rested her head against Harry’s collarbone. She ran her fingers lightly along his bare thigh.

Harry had confided in her regarding his recent difficulties to write so Y/N was glad he had managed to get past his struggle.

"Mm I found the perfect muse."

Y/N looked up at him, biting the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile. "Did you now ?"

Harry nodded.

"Tell me about them."

"Well you know her very well so…" He started but was unable to stifle a laugh, Y/N soon following.

"Could you-could you show them to me ?" Y/N quizzed timidly when their laughter had died down. "You don’t have to of course."

"Maybe later. ‘M not sure they’ll all make it to the album to be honest."

Y/N frowned. "Why not ?"

"I think I’d like to keep them to myself. For now at least."

Y/N hummed at Harry’s admission. "What about the album then ?"

"Don’t you worry ‘bout that. Do you have anything planned for today ?"

"Not really, no. Why ?"

"I was thinking, after I finish this song, we could get breakfast and then go to Monterosso together."

"I’d love that, Harry."

****

Their trip to Monterosso had been memorable. They walked from Levanto to Monterosso in the morning. It was a popular hike and a rather easy one although the main difficulty was the heat of August. Y/N and Harry took a few pictures together, shared the picnic they had packed when they reached their destination and when their apetite was satisfied, they agreed to hop on a bus back to Levanto and spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach.

After settling for one of the rare spot that was covered by the trees’s shadows and applying some sunscreen, Harry announced he was going for a swim. Y/N only peeped a small okay.

"Aren’t you coming with me ? I promise it’ll be fun…"

Noticing her hesitation, Harry tried another approach, hoping to convince her to join him. "C’mon, ‘s my last day. I wanna make the most of my time left with you."

That made Y/N react. Her ears perked up and she felt her eyes rounding at what Harry had said.

It was indeed his last day in Italy and therefore, with her. Already. The following day, he’d be getting on a plane to go home in London while she’d still have one week left.

Y/N took his hand and followed him in the water. The sounds of their laughs and of water splashing covered those of the singing crickets as they had fun together.

But the mere presence of Harry by her side reminded Y/N that these were the last moments they shared together. She wondered whether Harry would want to continue their relationship, if she could call it that, after today. Neither of them had ever mentionned something more than the fling they had. Would Harry even miss her ? She knew she would definetely miss him…

Y/N was determined to confront Harry about her worries after her shower back at Harry’s rented flat. She found him in the bedroom, packing his suitcase.

"Do you need a hand ?" She asked, bringing her towel to the back of her head to dry her damp neck.

"No, I’m done for tonight, I’ll pack the rest of my stuff tomorrow morning."

Y/N nodded and chose to speak her mind at that moment which caused Harry to instinctively take a step back at her bluntness.

"Y/N…I can’t commit to a serious relationship right now."

"When I get back to London, I’ll be busy and I won’t be home often."

"It would be difficult for the both of us."

"I’m sorry I lead you on."

Y/N was glad the couch she was sitting on supported her because she felt as though the air had been taken out of her lungs. Her throat tightened and her eyes welled up with tears. Harry’s words played in her head all over again. Deep down, she had been expecting this answer but it still hurt to hear Harry say it.

After talking it out for a moment, they agreed that neither of them would be happy and satisfied with a long distance relationship, no matter how much they cared about each other.

They decided to go out for dinner at the same restaurant they had come across each other on Y/N’s first day. Harry tried to make her laugh and make the evening a little more joyful than it had started, which he was able to, although Y/N still felt this dreadful sentiment of bitterness. After dinner, they enjoyed a nice stroll on the beach. Both were silent, listening to the pleasant sound of the waves and relishing in the other’s company.

They slept in their respective flats that night.

****

Someone knocking on her front door woke Y/N up. Barely awake, she stumbled through the apartment to the door and sent a quick glance through the peephole before letting Harry in.

He was fully dressed, contrary to her who only wore a pair of shorts and a tank top, his sunglasses rested on top of his head, and his suitcase stood beside him.

They both smiled when their gaze met and Harry took her in his arms. The hug lasted for for two or three minutes —Y/N is not sure— but she closed her eyes and enjoyed every second of it.

Harry was the one to let go first, whispering that he had to go now. He kissed her forehead tenderly, his hands craddling Y/N’s cheeks, and bid her goodbye.

As he walked away, Harry stole a last glance, the smirk Y/N had seen so many times over the summer plastered on his face.

Only when Harry was out of sight did Y/N shut the door and got back to bed, even though she did not want to sleep anymore.

****

Four months later.

Today was the release of Harry’s first album. Y/N knew because that’s all everyone talked about. It was all over the internet.

They had not talked to each other since Harry had left Italy. Harry said it himself, with his music career, he would not have the time for a relationship. Especially a long distance one. And Y/N had not realized it at the time, but uni kept her very busy. Choosing to cherish happy memories of a sweet encounter over commiting to a relationship in which neither of them would be emotionally available had been the best decision, Y/N understood this now.

It was only quarter past eight in the evening but it was a Friday and the combination of a week of exams and the early sunset of December compelled Y/N to let herself fall on her bed. Freshly showered, her still wet hair tickled the back of her neck but she couldn’t care less. She didn’t have the energy to get up and dry it anyway.

Y/N grabbed her phone and headphones that were on the nightstand. She opened Spotify and searched Harry’s name. As soon as she pressed the play button, Meet me in the hallway started to play in her ears. Y/N closed her eyes, imagining that Harry was right beside her and was singing her to sleep.

She unlocked her phone and noticed that she was almost through with the album. Y/N absolutely loved it. There was no denying Harry was a talented musician, she had known that since the night she had first seen him perform in Levanto, and now so did the rest of the world.

Ever since New York reached its end and Y/N saw that the next track was called Woman. As soon as the song started, Y/N gasped in surprise. Harry was not the one saying it but Y/N recognized the question he used to playfully ask her during their movie night.

Y/N checked the lyrics to make sure she was not dreaming but she wasn’t. The song did start by "Should we just search for romantic comedies on Netflix and then see what we find ?"

Locking her phone, Y/N smiled to herself, glad to know Harry had not forgotten all about her.

#harry styles x fem!reader #harry styles x reader #harry styles #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry edward styles #fanfic #fanfiction #fem reader #harry styles one shot #harry styles fluff #harry styles imagine #harry writing

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gyeomsweetgyeom · 1 year

Text

[6:17 pm]

(cw: mentions of haechan being drunk, f!reader)

(prequel to this but can be read alone)

You’re trying very hard to ignore the looks that Haechan is giving you. He’s staring at you like you’re some species he’s coming across for the first time and doesn’t want to scare off. His eyes are slightly squinted with a confused yet curious look on his face while you fix your hair in the mirror. Tonight you’re officially meeting his family for the first time, parents, siblings, and even one of his grandmothers, but you don’t feel nervous. You should feel nervous, just as every other person meeting their boyfriend’s family would be, but this isn’t the first time you’re meeting them…

It had happened a few months ago, you happened to be on a trip to Jeju with friends while he was there visiting his family. One night he had gone out with old friends and had ended up calling you and asking you to take him home. You did of course, struggling to understand his slurred speech as he gave you the directions to the house. You had been too concerned with getting him home that it didn’t even cross your mind who would open the door.

“I just- just love you so much, baby. My love, my lover, snookums, pookie bear,” he rambled on and on as you knocked on the door. You were struggling to keep him upright while he was struggling to even stand while leaning into your side.

You breathed a sigh of relief when an older woman with Haechan’s exact face answered the door with a concerned look. “Hi, I’m so sorry about knocking so late, but I didn’t want him to come home alone.”

She ushered you in with a kind smile which immediately fell as Haechan wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her into his opposite side. She scolded him, helping you carry him down the hall to what you assumed was his bedroom where she unceremoniously dumped him on the bed.

“Thank you for helping my son home,” she paused for your name.

You shook your head and told her your name, “It was no trouble. When he needs me I’ll be here.”

She gave you a knowing smile, “My son talks a lot about you, it’s so nice to meet you, sweetie. Please be careful getting back home, here. My number so you can let me know that you got home safe.”

You remember that night with a fond smile, finally straightening out your clothes. You feel read to meet the rest of the family, especially seeing as his mom had not been shy about reaching out since that night and had even called you a few times with his siblings. You felt like you knew them fairly well, you even had some inside jokes with her and his siblings.

Haechan continued to look at you strangely the whole ride to the restaurant, even as you sat at the table to wait for his family to come. “Will you stop looking at me like that, you weirdo?” You chided.

“You know you don’t have to pretend that you’re not nervous, I mean you’re meeting my family for the first time. It’s ok to feel nerves,” Haechan quickly responded.

The night that you had taken Haechan home had been a night he didn’t even remember, he texted you the next afternoon telling you that he couldn’t even remember getting home or how much he drank. After that it just somehow never came up because you had other things to talk about when you did get a chance to talk through his busy schedule.

As you were about to explain, that no, it wasn’t technically going to be your first time meeting his family, a high pitch scream met your ears as you caught sight of his mom rushing toward the two of you with her arms outstretched. You stood from your seat, moving so she could have more room to hug her son, but instead you were met with her warm embrace while she asked you how you had been and complimented you.

Next was his siblings, who greeted you with their own respective hugs and excitedly asked if they could sit beside you before they started fighting over who would get the last seat next to you. Even his dad had greeted you with his own warm hug as he introduced himself, and told you he had heard so much about you. Last, was his grandma who excitedly pulled you down to her level and held your cheeks between her warm hands while she happily told you she was so happy to finally be meeting the girl her grandson never shuts up about.

All the while, Haechan was staring at the introductions wide-eyed and opened mouthed, confused didn’t even scratch the surface of what he was feeling at the moment. He was met with a hand to the back of his head, “Ya, you don’t get up to greet your mother now?” He shot his siblings a glare as they laughed while he stood up to greet his mom properly.

Once you all settled into your seats, he cleared his throat, “This is a lot less awkward than I expected for a first meeting.”

“Who’s meeting for the first time?” One of Haechan’s brothers asked.

“You guys are meeting my girlfriend for the first time…” Haechan trailed off.

“Just dad and grandma, we’ve already met her.”

“Mom?! You’ve met?! When?!” Haechan incredulously asked.

“Last time you went home to visit, she had to carry you home because you were so drunk you couldn't walk," his sister laughed paired with his parents shaking their head simultaneously.

He looked between everyone, his mom then you,then his dad and you again, "Wha-what?! And none of you told me?!"

"Son, you woke up right before dinner and complained about the sound of cars driving 3 streets away, somehow it just never came up," his dad shrugged while he looked over the menu.

"But she was so sweet, didn't complain once about getting you home so late at night. We've had some good chats since then, right?" His mom added.

"Oh absolutely, are you going to try that steak you told me about?" You replied.

"Yes! And the cake!" One of his brothers added.

"I can't believe this," Haechan mumbled.

"You picked a good one," his grandma told him quietly from her seat beside him.

Haechan watched you help his youngest brother pick his food while you and his parents made conversation about work. He couldn't fight the smile that came over his face, yeah, he did pick a good one. The best one.

#kpop imagines #kpop au #kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #nct #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct timestamps #nct x reader #nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #haechan fluff #haechan imagines #haechan scenarios #haechan x reader #haechan blurbs #haechan timestamps

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thedensworld · 8 months

Text

Found You | Choi Seungcheol

Pairing: Husband!Seungcheol x Wife!reader (ft. Jeonghan and Mingyu)

Genre: Angst, Mystery, Alter Ego, Established Relationship

Summary: His wife suddenly goes missing. There are only two options, she left him or his bestfriend has been hid her from him.

Author Note: This was a series i posted but i decided to revised them and post it as a oneshot. Enjoy!

Day 1

"Do you know where my wife is?"

Jeonghan was taken aback by Seungcheol's question. He had been immersed in preparing for an upcoming meeting with directors when Seungcheol stormed into his office, his face flushed and breath labored.

"Take a deep breath, Cheol," Jeonghan advised calmly, gesturing for Seungcheol to take a seat. "Now, tell me, what's wrong?" he inquired after they were both settled.

Choi Seungcheol's agitation contrasted sharply with his friend's composed demeanor. Suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness, he recounted how he woke up that morning to discover your absence. His priority had been his son, Dowon, as he juggled parenting and work. It was only then he realized that you, his wife, were nowhere to be found.

Yoon Jeonghan, a friend introduced to him through you, was someone he trusted unequivocally. Jeonghan had been his lifeline when he had been let go by his previous company, connecting him to his present job. Jeonghan was, in a sense, the reason he had become a manager today, a fact he himself had acknowledged. Yet, as of late, Seungcheol had noticed a series of peculiar incidents.

First, Jeonghan's coat was in your home. As far as he could remember, Jeonghan's last visit had been during Dowon's third birthday celebration, nearly half a year ago. You hadn't mentioned any recent visits by Jeonghan, so Seungcheol was taken aback when he spotted his familiar coat hanging in your closet.

Second, in an offhand comment, Jeonghan had let slip that he had helped you fix your car. While you had mentioned your car's recent troubles, you hadn't said anything about asking Jeonghan for assistance. This revelation came after a phone call you'd made to Seungcheol, asking him to pick up Dowon from daycare since your car had given out. In response, Seungcheol, being the attentive husband and father he was, had dropped everything to respond to your call for help. He had said, "I'll pick up Dowon and come to where you are." However, he distinctly recalled hearing Jeonghan mumble, "Good, she didn't ask me this time!"

Third, just two days prior, he had learned from Dowon that he had gone to the arcade with you and "Uncle Jeonghan" while Seungcheol had been on a business trip. That revelation had struck him deeply. He saw you and Jeonghan every day. Jeonghan had the habit of visiting his office, checking in on him, and then leaving daily. How could he have missed these visits?

So, when you, his wife, suddenly went missing, wasn't it natural for him to approach Jeonghan for answers? After all, he was your best friend, and surely he would know something.

"I'm not following, Cheol. What do you mean?" Jeonghan asked, confusion evident in his expression.

Seungcheol exhaled deeply, a sigh heavy with worry. He realized that his decision to confront Jeonghan had been hasty. His doubts regarding you had been rash. He stood up, preparing to leave Jeonghan's office, but Jeonghan caught his wrist.

"Is y/n somewhere else? Are you two fighting?" Jeonghan inquired.

Seungcheol shook his head. "She's missing, but we're not fighting."

Jeonghan's shock mirrored Seungcheol's distress. "When was the last time you saw her?" he inquired.

"Last night, after dinner," Seungcheol replied. The memory of your shared meal, playing with Dowon, and washing dishes together flooded his mind. It had been a rare moment of connection between the two of you, devoid of any arguments—just quality time and conversations accompanied by a bottle of wine.

"Is she at work?" Jeonghan ventured, attempting to inject a note of optimism. But Seungcheol had already contacted your workplace, learning that everyone was looking for you.

"Let me know if you hear anything about her."

Day 2

Seungcheol stirred awake, realizing he had gone to bed in his work suit. Glancing at the nightstand clock that read 7 in the morning, he hurriedly prepared himself and his son for the day. He couldn't recall when he had last moved so quickly through his own home. Rushing, almost running, he prepared breakfast for himself and Dowon.

"Where's Mom? She wasn't here yesterday," his three-year-old son inquired. Seungcheol met his son's gaze, searching for answers in his innocent curiosity.

"Is she on a business trip? Usually, it's you, Dad. Why is everyone going on business trips? Can I go on one too?" Dowon's questions were met with a weak smile and a nod from Seungcheol.

"You can when you're older. Finish up quickly," Seungcheol instructed before attending to his own breakfast. He heard his son muttering something about his food—possibly a critique of the taste. In comparison to you, he was nothing in the kitchen. You had effectively been the family chef during your dating days, impressing him and his friends with your culinary skills.

He was determined to find you.

Day 3

It had been 48 agonizing hours since your disappearance. Seungcheol had transformed into a possessive husband, frantically calling all your friends to inquire if you were with them. But his efforts yielded nothing. He even reached out to your parents, although he couched his questions with subtlety. Using phrases like, 'Is she already there? We're planning to leave Dowon with his grandparents while she and I go on a business trip,' he uncovered that you weren't with them either.

After dropping Dowon off at your parents' home, an act for which he profusely apologized, Seungcheol went to work and submitted a vacation leave. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus on locating you while juggling his professional responsibilities. This would be his first vacation since the one he took when Dowon was born—almost three and a half years ago.

"Need some company?" Jeonghan asked while Seungcheol was in his office, preparing to report your disappearance to the police. Seungcheol debated internally. He needed support; these past three days had been a living hell. Having someone to lean on was crucial for maintaining his sanity. Yet, Jeonghan's role in all this was still a lingering doubt.

A nagging voice in his mind whispered that Jeonghan might be concealing your whereabouts, that you might have reached out to him. Another voice planted the insidious idea that you could be having an affair with Jeonghan. Seungcheol despised entertaining that notion. He had faith in both you and Jeonghan. You had been friends long before you'd started dating and eventually got married. The thought of you and Jeonghan being involved romantically was preposterous. But the unsettling signs were hard to ignore. Lately, you'd been evasive around him, not confiding in him as you once had. You'd never mentioned your clandestine outings with Jeonghan.

If he were being honest with himself, he had sensed a shift in the way you looked at him. Previously, your gaze was warm and loving, but recently it had become tinged with fear, anxiety, and boredom. His insecurities surged, and even though he wanted to decline Jeonghan's offer, he knew he needed someone for his own sake. He eventually nodded at Jeonghan.

He had to keep himself together.

Day 4

Following his meeting with Officer Kim the day before, the official declaration of your disappearance was made. Seungcheol offered another round of apologies to your parents and entrusted Dowon to their care while he continued the search. He'd broken the news gently to them, knowing how his in-laws would react. Naturally, they were shocked, just as everyone was upon hearing the news. The outpouring of support he received was heartening.

Seungcheol had been engrossed in disassembling your possessions, hoping to uncover any clues. He knew you enjoyed writing and recalled seeing stacks of journals you refused to discard. Writing was your outlet, your way of expressing yourself without having to voice your emotions.

You'd even confessed your feelings to him through an email. It had happened when you were collaborating on an essay, exchanging emails. Two years into your friendship, you sent him a confession email before leaving for the US to pursue further studies. He still remembered the subject line, "It's always you."

He'd waited two years to ask you out in person. From the moment he'd read that email, he'd realized his fascination with you went beyond mere curiosity. You were intelligent, enigmatic, and adorable. What he once found cute had now taken on a different hue.

Questions about you swirled in his head. Where were you? Were you safe? Had you been hurt? Or worse, had he hurt you in some way that made you flee? The thought of being the cause of your disappearance weighed heavily on him. The idea that he might have inadvertently hurt you with his words, leading you to leave, felt like a punch to his gut. Others might consider it childish, but your feelings were vital to him.

"Any news from Officer Kim?" Jeonghan's voice echoed through the phone. Jeonghan had been a pillar of support, offering help since day one. On this day, work commitments prevented him from physically joining Seungcheol, but he still checked in regularly.

Shaking his head instinctively, as if Jeonghan could see him, Seungcheol replied, "No updates yet. Some of her friends have called me, but nothing substantial."

"How about her parents? Have you spoken to them?"

Seungcheol hummed in affirmation, his voice heavy. "They're as shocked as I am. But for now, all they can do is look after Dowon."

"Okay, I'll catch up with you later. I've got to run."

Before Jeonghan could end the call, Seungcheol's voice caught him. "I'm sorry. And thank you."

"She's my best friend, Cheol."

The call ended.

Day 5

Officer Kim's visit to your house was met with tense anticipation. He inspected the premises before sitting across from Seungcheol on the couch. He indicated that he needed some personal information about you.

"Is she involved in any criminal activities or gangs?" Officer Kim's query made Seungcheol shake his head weakly.

"Do you have a son?" Officer Kim continued, his questions probing. Seungcheol nodded. "Is there any condition your son has that could have led to her disappearance?" Officer Kim added, coughing slightly afterward.

Seungcheol offered Officer Kim a glass of water, which he accepted graciously. "No, our son is in good health, and they share a strong bond. I've never seen my wife express any negativity towards him, if that answers your question," Seungcheol responded.

"Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Choi. But we need more of your belongings to gather additional evidence—such as your car's black box data, CCTV footage, and your wife's internet history," Officer Kim informed him, signaling a potential collaboration.

As they conversed, Officer Kim's phone suddenly rang. He swiftly excused himself to take the call. By an uncanny coincidence, Jeonghan's call came in at the same time.

"Have you seen the news?" Jeonghan's voice emanated from the other end. Before Seungcheol could fully comprehend the question, Officer Kim hurriedly returned to him with an urgent look on his face.

"We've found her" Officer Kim exclaimed, his words laced with excitement.

Surviving a week after your funeral felt like a miracle to Seungcheol. Your body had been found in a lake, in a distant location far removed from your town. The journey there took nearly three hours by car, making it improbable that you had traveled there alone without a vehicle.

Seungcheol's mind was plagued by questions, primarily centered around the question of "who." Who could have been with you? The idea of you taking your own life was too painful for him to accept. You were a radiant presence, an angelic figure in his life, and he refused to believe you would have ended your own life. The idea of someone else causing harm to you gnawed at him even more. The torment of these thoughts weighed heavily on him, but he staunchly resisted letting them take hold.

Jeonghan's constant suggestions of seeking psychiatric help had become more frequent. He understood that everyone was mourning, yet he couldn't deny that the magnitude of your absence weighed most heavily on your husband. Jeonghan recognized the profound role you had played in Seungcheol's life. From their university days onward, he had observed how you had transformed Seungcheol into a better version of himself.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Seungcheol. I miss her too. I know it's incredibly difficult for you to accept this reality. You've suffered losses with your parents in the past and now with y/n. But please, remember that Dowon needs you. He needs his father now more than ever."

After days of cajoling from Jeonghan and your parents, Seungcheol finally yielded, letting Dowon's innocent words and your memory melt his resistance. The dam of his emotions finally burst, and in front of his son, he released the pent-up anguish that had gripped him. Tears streamed down his face as he promised Dowon to get better and be strong for both of them. It marked a turning point, leading Seungcheol to take a seat in front of Dr. Boo, a psychiatrist and also a friend of Jeonghan's. With each passing session, the barriers to opening up grew less formidable.

"She held incredible importance in my life," Seungcheol admitted, his voice heavy with emotion, when Dr. Boo inquired, "Just how significant was she to you?"

"Unbelievably significant. She made me a better person."

"I lost my parents in a tragic accident, and I was the sole survivor."

"Life lost its color for me after that accident. But her presence brought back the vibrancy."

Dr. Boo arched an eyebrow. "Did you seek psychiatric help after the accident?"

Seungcheol nodded. "She encouraged me to. I was on medication for a while, but I stopped taking it about six months ago, around my son's birthday. I started feeling better."

A faint smile played across Dr. Boo's lips. "Your son must be an immense source of strength for you."

Seungcheol managed a small smile, Dr. Boo's words reminding him of the resilient force that was Dowon — a living testament to the love he shared with you.

He missed you more than words could express.

A month after your funeral, the official investigation commenced. The forensic analysis indicated signs of foul play. While Jeonghan was adamant about discontinuing the investigation to spare Seungcheol further pain, the urge to unearth the truth remained strong within Seungcheol. He met once again with Officer Kim, the man who had been assisting him since the beginning.

"I consider you my best friend now, Cheol. I'd rather not know more about her," Jeonghan stated as he prepared to leave Seungcheol's office.

"Why?" Seungcheol pressed, his curiosity piqued.

Jeonghan sighed, the weight of his words carrying a sense of vulnerability. "I can't bear the thought of hurting more. That's why. And you? Why are you allowing them to continue? Don't you think about Dowon? I doubt he'd ever want to know if his mother was murdered."

"Justice," Seungcheol replied firmly. "That's what I want to bring her."

Jeonghan took a deep breath, turning to walk away. Just as he reached the doorway, he uttered words that were barely audible, yet Seungcheol caught them.

"Justice won't bring her back, Seungcheol."

Peace, though elusive, seemed to be the elusive goal. For Seungcheol, Dowon, your parents — justice for your death offered the promise of a semblance of tranquility. Discovering the truth behind your demise, identifying the perpetrator, and bringing them to justice was a step toward peace for those left behind. As sleep continued to evade him, Seungcheol's nights were spent anxiously checking on Dowon, guarding him against any potential harm.

Jeonghan's lack of understanding frustrated Seungcheol. He failed to grasp the depth of his pain, having never experienced such loss himself. While everyone mourned, Seungcheol's sorrow was compounded by his previous losses. Losing his parents had imbued him with an overwhelming fear of losing those he loved.

The fear that your parents might take Dowon from him intensified his determination to fight for his son. This fear had been a driving force for him to seek psychiatric help, to prove his capability as a father. He recalled how he had been fearful of losing you to Jeonghan when you were alive. With his parents gone, the fear of loss became an ever-present companion, an unrelenting specter.

Yet, no one seemed to fully understand him.

"Oppa! Help me... Wake up! Wake up!"

For the first time since the accident, your presence found its way into Seungcheol's dream. While he could barely make out your form, your voice rang clear and strong, sending shivers down his spine. The experience must have been even more haunting for you. As the days progressed, Seungcheol found himself waking earlier and earlier. The tasks of preparing breakfast had become a routine mastered through time, and Dowon had also grown more self-reliant. Seungcheol felt a mixture of pride and heartache as he watched his son navigate his mornings, remembering the times you used to stand by his side, guiding him through his morning routine while Seungcheol crafted delicious breakfasts in the kitchen.

Over a month had passed, and the ache of your absence gnawed at him incessantly.

"Do you miss your mom?" Seungcheol inquired of Dowon.

Dowon nodded solemnly.

Jeonghan's words resonated in Seungcheol's ears. "But, Jeonghan uncle said mom is in a beautiful place now, where she won't feel any pain again." Dowon's innocent words held a depth that caught Seungcheol's attention.

"What do you mean, she won't feel pain? Was she in pain?" Seungcheol asked, his concern evident.

Dowon nodded in response, his voice low. He turned away from Seungcheol, placing a small hand over his back. "Mom had pain here," he whispered, indicating his arm, "and here. She used to cry at night because of it."

Dowon's revelation sent a torrent of thoughts swirling through Seungcheol's mind, thoughts that lingered even as he arrived at work. He recalled instances of seeing bruises on your arm, but he had never probed further.

Three months prior, he had noticed you wince when he playfully grabbed your left arm. His intention had been a joke, but your reaction had spurred his concern. He had motioned for you to leave Dowon to his own devices and had led you to the bedroom.

"What happened earlier?" Seungcheol inquired, his eyes intent on your face. He reached out to touch your arm, but you stepped back, evading his grasp.

Though you smiled, your gaze dropped to the ground, avoiding his eyes. "It's nothing, just a minor bruise."

Unsettled by your response, Seungcheol sighed. "Okay, let's call it a minor bruise. But can I see it?" A brief pause hung between you two before you shook your head, denying his request.

He sensed your discomfort and gathered you into his embrace. "You know I love you, right?" he whispered, his heart aching as he felt your sobs against his chest.

"It's okay, my love. I'm here," Seungcheol murmured, gently patting your back.

Finally, you had opened up, sharing the story of a challenging day at work and an elevator malfunction in the building. Forced to use the stairs, you had taken a tumble, leaving a painful bruise on your arm. Seungcheol had rolled up your sleeve to reveal a palm-sized, purplish mark on your skin.

"You fell down the stairs?" he inquired, seeking clarification.

You nodded, assuring him, "Yes, just a simple fall."

Seungcheol's eyes bore into you. "If anyone ever hurts you, promise me you'll tell me, alright?" His words held a note of protectiveness, a silent vow to shield you from harm's reach.

"I promise, oppa."

Seungcheol returned from his appointment with Dr. Boo, having been prescribed the same medication he had taken in the past for panic attacks. Since Dowon now lived with him, he recognized the importance of maintaining his emotional stability. After his son had fallen asleep, Seungcheol was preparing to wash up when a call from Officer Kim disrupted his routine.

"Good evening, Mr. Choi. I apologize for calling at this hour. But you had mentioned that your wife enjoyed writing in her diary, correct? Would it be possible for us to collect any of her written materials from you tomorrow?" Officer Kim's voice was apologetic yet determined.

Seungcheol replied, "Of course, I can drop them off at your office tomorrow morning if that works for you."

"That would be excellent. Thank you so much, Mr. Choi."

Ending the call, Seungcheol found himself appreciating Officer Kim's cheerful demeanor. He had been an invaluable source of assistance throughout the investigation, and Seungcheol made a mental note to express his gratitude at a later time. As he considered Officer Kim's character, Seungcheol recognized him as an outstanding police officer and an exceptional person.

Making his way to your shared office, Seungcheol confronted a collection of books containing your words, thoughts, and emotions spanning years. Sitting in front of them, he began to count. There were twenty journals in total, each labeled by month and year. Seungcheol chose the one marked "January-June," dated from three years earlier. In it, he found an entry that made him chuckle:

"Damn, I'm craving another PC Bang donkatsu." He continued reading, smiling at your candid thoughts.

"It's 2 a.m., and Cheol just took his medication, so he's fast asleep. I made him go get me donkatsu from the same PC Bang four hours ago. I bet if I asked him again, he'd do it. But how can I wake him up? He's so adorable when he's asleep. My pouty baby:("

Without realizing, two hours had flown by as Seungcheol immersed himself in your diary. He marveled at getting a glimpse into your thoughts and emotions from before you two were a couple. The diary entries revealed a side of you he had never fully understood. He yearned to ask you, to confront you: "Why is it so hard for you to share what you feel? To tell me what you think?"

Sighing, he admitted to himself that he never could.

Gathering your diaries, Seungcheol moved them to the kitchen counter, setting them down next to a box. As he arranged them, a small piece of photo card slipped from one of the journals. Turning it over, he saw the date "06/04" and the words "Happy birthday, my Aries Boy!" He flipped it to reveal a picture of a younger you with a familiar man. Examining the date once more, he realized it was from six years ago, before you two had met. He opened the diary to that year and discovered an array of photographs that had fallen from the pages.

"Anniversary of Two Aries!"

"Mingoo, my favorite boy<3"

"Taken by the amazing Mingyu:D"

"Y/n, Mingoo's favorite journalist."

"A silly picture of Kim Mingyu, Future Criminologist."

Seungcheol muttered, "It's Officer Kim." The pieces were falling into place; he was beginning to comprehend the connection you had with the police officer who was helping with the investigation. He knew you in ways he had never imagined.

"You knew that?" Seungcheol's disbelief was palpable.

Jeonghan simply nodded, his nonchalant demeanor contrasting with Seungcheol's shock. "Yes, I knew that."

The revelation felt like a sudden blow to Seungcheol's head. "How could you not tell me?"

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, offering an explanation. "What would be the point? Besides, it's all in the past, Seungcheol. Mingyu was y/n's ex, but that was nearly seven years ago, even before she met you."

The realization slowly sank in, though Seungcheol struggled to grasp how Jeonghan had concealed this information. Finally understanding why Officer Kim had been so invested in the case, Seungcheol couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Mingyu had once held a place in your heart, and Officer Kim had been driven by his past feelings for you. A curse word echoed in Seungcheol's mind as the pieces fell into place.

"He left her. He left her to chase his dreams, and you know y/n, she's selfless. She let him go. She had been hurt before she met you, and you healed her. You have nothing to worry about."

Seungcheol let out a sigh. "I'm not worried about anything."

Jeonghan looked at him, a pause hanging in the air before he calmly stated, "Yes, you are."

Their eyes locked for a moment before Jeonghan announced his intention to return to his office room. It had been five years since Seungcheol had met Jeonghan through you, yet there was still so much he didn't know about him. Beyond his name, Yoon Jeonghan, and the fact that he had graduated from the same university as you and Seungcheol, majoring in Agricultural Economics and Business, Seungcheol was clueless. Personality-wise, he was on par with you in terms of emotional expression, but he was more vocal about his thoughts. Jeonghan's claim that you were selfless mirrored his own kindness, though it often led Seungcheol to wonder if Jeonghan's feelings for you extended beyond friendship, perhaps romantically.

His mind echoed with the words, "It's always you, I promise!" Seungcheol impulsively picked up his phone and messaged Jeonghan, "Let's meet for a drink tonight."

Jeonghan's response came quickly, "Already miss me, huh?"

Seungcheol facepalmed at the playful reply. "You can't drink, dude. You're undergoing treatment. How about we grab beef?"

The sizzling sound of meat on the stone grill stirred Seungcheol's appetite. He hadn't experienced much hunger lately, eating more out of routine than true desire. However, the sight of the pork belly that Jeonghan was expertly grilling was irresistibly tempting.

"Is Dowon with y/n's parents?" Seungcheol confirmed Jeonghan's assumption.

He nodded, explaining, "Her sister is leaving town this week, so Dowon wants to spend this last week with her."

Jeonghan deftly transferred a freshly cut piece of pork belly onto Seungcheol's plate. "I'm guessing you want to talk to me, but you're trying to be casual about it. Is it alright if I mention her a lot?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Seungcheol chuckled, "You talk as if you've never mentioned her before." Both men acknowledged how their conversations had increasingly revolved around you in recent times.

Jeonghan chuckled in agreement, but then turned more serious. "I apologize if my words have ever hurt you. It's a defense mechanism. I can be insecure at times."

Seungcheol appreciated the honesty. He decided to share his own sentiments. "I also owe you an apology. I used to think you had feelings for her, that you liked her romantically. I trust my wife, and I trust you, bro. But sometimes, a guy's instincts get the best of him when it comes to his girl."

Jeonghan's gaze locked onto Seungcheol's. "Choi Seungcheol, do you realize how obsessed you are with her?"

Seungcheol stared back, taken aback by the bluntness of Jeonghan's statement. "I miss her like crazy," he admitted. "If that's what it means to be obsessed, then yes."

Just as the conversation deepened, Seungcheol's phone rang. The caller ID revealed it was your mother. He exchanged a look with Jeonghan before answering. Even amidst the chatter of the restaurant, Jeonghan could hear Dowon's voice whining through the phone—a trait he had inherited from you.

"Is everything okay?" Jeonghan asked.

Seungcheol chuckled. "Dowon doesn't want me to pick him up until his cousin leaves for Jeju. He wants to spend this last week with them."

Jeonghan handed Seungcheol a piece of pork belly he had just cut. "He's at the perfect age to have a sibling. Why did you guys hold off on having another child?"

Seungcheol explained, "It was me, actually. I didn't feel ready for another kid. I told her, and she understood."

As they savored the grilled meat, Jeonghan's tone shifted. "By the way, I'm going to be interviewed tomorrow. I wanted you to know my response before I share it with them."

Seungcheol's curiosity was piqued. "Go ahead."

"Y/n called me that night."

"And?"

Jeonghan's gaze bore into Seungcheol's. "She was drunk, and she was with someone."

"Are you ready for the interview?" Officer Kim, also known as Kim Mingyu, asked Jeonghan. Jeonghan nodded, and Mingyu signaled to the man seated next to him to begin recording and typing Jeonghan's testimony.

"Where were you when the accident happened?" Mingyu inquired, referring to the night you went missing.

"I was at home from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. You can verify my alibi through the CCTV footage in my apartment," Jeonghan answered.

Mingyu nodded, moving on to the next question. "Had she contacted you before she went missing?"

"Yes, she called me three times at 2 a.m. I was sleeping when I answered the call."

Mingyu probed further, "Could you tell us the nature of those calls?"

Jeonghan paused, his expression showing hints of discomfort before he responded. "She sounded drunk and was crying."

Mingyu tried to reassure him, "She was probably just an emotional drunk."

Jeonghan's unease was palpable as he continued. "She was more than that. She was crying for help. She called me asking for help, but she was with someone. I assumed it was her husband."

And then, in a rare moment, Jeonghan broke down.

'It's only you. I promise! It's only you.'

Seungcheol couldn't discern if he was truly hearing your voice or if it was merely his mind playing tricks on him. Since that dream, your voice had become a constant echo in his head, growing louder and clearer, enough to bring tears to his eyes. He yearned to halt these encounters, yet your presence lingered persistently.

He wanted to believe it was you reaching out to him, but he knew it could also be a side effect of his medication, a continuation of the hallucinations and delusions he had experienced before. Sometimes he saw distorted images of you from the last time he saw you. Other times, it was just your voice, varying from crying to screaming. Although unnerving, he cherished these moments as fragments of you that he could still hold on to. He didn't want these encounters to stop, regardless of their authenticity or healthiness.

As Seungcheol pulled out his desk drawer to retrieve another pill, he considered that he would soon reunite with you. Placing the pills back and locking the desk, he held onto the hope that he would see you again.

Three days after Jeonghan's interrogation, it was Seungcheol's turn. This marked his third round of questioning in relation to the case. Your family members and some of your work friends had also been interviewed. Seungcheol's prayer was that these collective efforts would eventually lead to uncovering the truth and delivering justice for you.

"Are you prepared for your third interview?" Mingyu inquired.

"Yes," Seungcheol replied, his voice steady.

Mingyu broached a sensitive topic. "We've encountered difficulty investigating your car's black box. Both your car and your wife's were repaired both before and after the incident, is that correct?"

Seungcheol confirmed, "Yes."

Mingyu then revealed an image of a car seen near the location where your body was discovered. Seungcheol's eyes widened at the sight of his company car in the photo.

"Are you familiar with this car?" Mingyu inquired.

"It's my company car," Seungcheol admitted, his mind racing as he struggled to understand.

"We cross-referenced this car and discovered that a company vehicle with the same license plate as shown in the picture was assigned to you six months ago."

Seungcheol felt confusion clouding his thoughts. He had been driving a company car for six months? Glancing at the form, he saw his signature confirming the car's assignment.

"I don't recall doing this," Seungcheol admitted.

Mingyu presented another file, containing records of parking slot rental submissions, all signed by Seungcheol. The slots were set to expire in the coming six months.

"You purchased a year-long parking slot for this vehicle, and we also retrieved the car's black box data. Would you like to see it?"

Seungcheol began to protest, but before he could finish, Mingyu played a video captured by the car's black box.

'I don't do anything, I swear, oppa!'

'Help me! Help me!'

'Wake up, oppa! This is me! Wake up!'

Mingyu closed his eyes, reacting as he had the first time he viewed the footage—with disgust. The image of you being brutally beaten on the hood of the car, by your own husband, was something he struggled to erase from his mind.

Seungcheol's voice erupted in the room, the word "liar" echoing with intensity. His voice quaked, unable to watch the video once he realized it depicted himself.

Mingyu's tone remained steady as he concluded, "You can watch the rest of the video in court, Mr. Choi. You are under arrest for the murder of Lim Y/n. You have the right to remain silent and the right to legal representation."

"Do you know why she stopped writing her journal?" Mingyu inquired of Jeonghan. Jeonghan met Mingyu's gaze and replied, "She never stopped."

Mingyu's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Really? Then why did she only send you entries up until last year?" He mumbled to himself.

Jeonghan heard his muttering and responded, "I have the rest. She gave them to me. She wanted to ensure her husband wouldn't discover what happened this year."

"What did happen this year?" Mingyu's tone was curious, yet serious.

Jeonghan sighed, his expression heavy. "I'm not sure how believable this will sound, but she shared something unsettling with me. Y/n's husband, mentally, he's been suffering. He used to take his medications consistently, but he stopped taking them of his own accord about six months ago."

Mingyu leaned in, his interest piqued. "Why did he stop?"

Jeonghan confessed, "I can't fully grasp the reason, but she mentioned that he began experiencing hallucinations related to a past accident that killed his parents. He started believing that he was the one responsible for the accident, having tampered with the car's brake cable, and that he falsified his testimony, pretending to be in the car to survive."

Mingyu exhaled audibly, dropping his pen onto the table. "Damn it! How did you let her marry this guy? You always resented me, yet you let her marry someone unhinged?" His frustration was palpable as he lashed out at Jeonghan.

Jeonghan's voice wavered as he responded, guilt consuming him since the day you went missing. "I only found out a month before she disappeared. She told me about the abuse she was enduring. She asked me to accompany her... to the ob-gyn."

Jeonghan realized that he had sensed the truth all along. It was Seungcheol on the other end of the phone call that night. And he was even more shocked that Seungcheol had confronted him in the morning, inquiring about your whereabouts. When you'd mentioned Seungcheol's Shield Personality, Jeonghan had already envisioned this scene, where he would ultimately end you. But he was powerless, knowing that you didn't care, you'd return home, subject yourself to his abuse, convinced that he couldn't remember his actions during his other personality phase. Blinded by the love he would offer you again once he returned to his normal self, the person you loved.

"Sh-she was p-pregnant?" Stuttering, Jeonghan nodded, "She considered an abortion, but I persuaded her to approach her husband about having another child. But it was too late. Maybe that's what they argued about, or something else that pushed her to her limit. She couldn't restrain him. She couldn't prevent him and, tragically, she couldn't save herself."

Mingyu's voice was thick with the weight of the situation. "This is a twisted mess. We're all ensnared in this, Jeonghan."

"Life sentences are handed down to Choi Seungcheol for attempted murder of Lim Y/n, and to Choi Daekbyeo and Kim Jehwa."

"Isn't this the justice you were seeking, Seungcheol?" Jeonghan mumbled as he walked away from the courtroom, a complex blend of emotions clouding his expression.

'What if we stop taking these?'

'You won't be able to control yourself.'

"You would never be like your parents, trust me."

"How do you know?!"

"Because I know you, and witnessing your love for our son is enough for me to realize that you're different from them, oppa. You're an amazing dad."

Seungcheol's breath came out in labored bursts, his emotions intense. "When Dowon was born, I was filled with anxiety. What if I ended up like my father? What if I repeated his pattern of abuse every time I made a mistake? What if I became like my mother, who always expressed regret for having me as a son? Y/n, I wasn't prepared to be a father. You pushed me into it, and I still don't feel ready!"

"I'm pregnant!"

"I'm pregnant, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that you've had to endure all this turmoil due to your parents. I'm sorry that your emotions have been suppressed by this baggage. But I'm here, working on this with you, oppa. You have me! You might want to hit me, punch me, or scream at me, but I know you wouldn't do that to our child."

Seungcheol stood there, frozen, as you took a step back, creating a small distance between you. "I'm doing everything for you, as long as you fight for us," you whispered.

"Taking these might cause distortions. People may think it's just their imagination when, in reality, they're beginning to remember things because of what they've seen and done without the medication—things that were previously considered imaginary."

"That's not my child."

You looked at him, bewildered. "What do you mean?" Your voice wavered, lodged in your throat due to his statement.

"You're cheating on me, with Jeonghan."

You found yourself laughing in disbelief. You were well aware that your own actions were questionable. Your husband's infidelity was growing apparent, and you had no grounds to laugh at his suspicious thoughts. Yet, you couldn't fathom how he could think you were having an affair with Jeonghan, a man who'd been your close friend for a decade.

"I found his coat in your closet."

Your eyes widened as you realized where he'd drawn his conclusions from. "It's not—"

"Dowon mentioned that you went to the arcade with him. You must have enjoyed yourselves while I was away."

"Oppa, listen..."

"I saw the two of you visiting the ob-gyn."

***

"What?! Is that all?!"

Seungcheol barged into your shared room, brandishing a tablet that displayed the last page you'd written. You gave him a feeble smile and shrugged. He sighed dramatically, pulling his glasses off and placing them on your nightstand. Carefully, he climbed onto the bed, mindful of his movements so as not to disturb the monster of discomfort lurking within you.

"That's it? He's sentenced, and all Jeonghan has to say is, 'Isn't this the justice you wanted?' Come on! I want a scene of him as a prisoner, at least. Maybe show him getting bullied by other inmates and—"

You burst into laughter at your husband's words.

Seungcheol stared at you in disbelief. "I'm being serious here, babe. He deserves to be roughed up a bit by other prisoners." Your amusement seemed lost on him.

Your laughter was starting to make your stomach ache, and you suspected you weren't the only one amused by your husband's antics. Struggling to sit up, your big tummy made the process slow and cumbersome. Sensing your efforts, Seungcheol gently assisted you, making sure not to jostle you too much. You whispered your gratitude, overwhelmed by his tenderness. Looking at him, you mused, "I thought you hated the story," and reached for the tablet he held.

Seungcheol rolled his eyes, his annoyance palpable. "I said I hated you using our names as characters, not that I hated the story." His irritation was evident in his tone.

Giggling, you pinched his cheek, saying, "What do you think, love? As the first reader." You kept the tablet within your reach, the other hand still resting on your husband's cheek. He smiled at your affection and leaned his head toward your hand, letting it support his head.

"I love it. But I think some readers might not like the ending. I still think he deserves a scene where he gets bullied." His dissatisfaction with the narrative conclusion was clear.

"Babe, I created this for parenting purposes. Why include a bullying scene?" you countered, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple.

"But I can add an extra chapter, exclusively for my husband, if he gets me some spicy chicken nuggets." Hee groaned, collapsing onto the bed in mock protest.

"Didn't you just devour two packs of apple pie?" you inquired.

You nodded, a mischievous grin playing on your lips. "But spicy chicken nuggets make a great dessert too. Pretty please?" you pleaded, your adorable pout melting his resolve.

"Fine, I'll get them for you. And, speaking of which, I'm thinking about talking to the shop owner about investing there."

"Just get me those spicy chicken nuggets!" you huffed, tossing a pillow at him as he quickly dashed out of the bedroom.

"I'll buy you the entire shop, love!" he shouted from the hallway.

"You're such a goof," you mumbled, returning to the task of creating an additional chapter for your husband.

The End.

#densworld🌼#seventeen imagines #seventeen fanfic #seventeen angst #scoups fluff #scoups imagines #scoups smut #scoups x reader #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol smut #seungcheol x reader #choi seungcheol #seungcheol imagines #scoups imagine

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 7 months

Note

AITA for calling my mother and MIL selfish, insecure, pieces of shit over a friend's necklace?

Some background: I, 25F, just married the love of my life, who we'll call J.

I was introduced to J in our junior year of high school by our mutual friend, who we'll call G. G has always been a super important person to us. She is one of our best friends, and the three of us are very close. She was actually the first person we told when we started dating. We are both pretty protective over G, as she is autistic and has crippling anxiety and struggles a lot day to day. She was actually living with us when this story occurred because she had been spiraling on her own, and her parents lived too far for her to commute to her work from their house. She's been in therapy for years and has been doing a lot better than when we first met her, but we still tend to be pretty protective over her, as she has very few friends besides us. We often joke that she's our practice kid because she goes everywhere with us and has a complete lack of common sense despite being one of the smartest people I know.

In the last week of our junior year, J gave me, G, and another friend of his, necklaces that he made. They were nothing fancy, just pieces of rocks that he carved (?) and tied a string around, but G loved it. It acted as a reminder that she had people who cared about her when her anxiety spiked, and she's worn it almost every day for the last 9 years, to the point where J replaced the string with a thin chain because it broke from use. It's a comfort item, and wearing it is part of her routine.

Another important thing to note is that J and I both have pretty bad relationships with all of our parents. Both of our parents are messily divorced, and the only ones we visit regularly are my dad and stepmom. We still decided to invite all of them to the wedding and involve our mom's in the wedding party to avoid drama, and because some small part of me still wanted my mom to be involved in my wedding like a real parent.

Shortly before our wedding, I was talking to my mom and J's mom in our kitchen about some details for the wedding party and the bridesmaid and groomsmen accessories. I made a joke that no matter what we picked, G would be wearing her necklace. They wanted to know what I meant, and while I was explaining, G came into the kitchen to grab a snack. (Side note: neither of them like G, and my mom in particular has made several abelist comments in the past about her stimming or lack of social awareness) When I was done, my mom turned to G and asked if she was going to wear it at our wedding. Confused, G said yes, and my mom lost it. She called her disrespectful and accused her of trying to break up me and J because J gave her that necklace, and it was bad manners to wear a present from the groom or something. J's mom backed her up and said a lot of awful things I won't repeat, but were really abelist, arophobic (G is open about being aromantic), and included several slurs.

I was completely blindsided. I knew they had those awful opinions, but I had never heard them do anything even remotely close, and I sat there stunned at first until G started to cry and hyperventilate (she has trauma around situations similar to this, and she was already on edge because of a recent death in her family). When that happened, it was like a switch flipped. I got between G and my mom, who at this point had gotten out of her seat and was getting close to G. I told them both to get out, and when they refused I told them they were selfish, insecure, pieces of shit, that they had no right to say any of that to G, and that just because they couldn't keep their husband's didn't mean they had any right to interfere and try to create problems where there weren't any.

At this point, J came home and saw G panicking and immediately reacted. He told our moms to leave, and this time, they left. After they left, it took us almost 2 hours to calm G down from her panic attack, and the whole time, I was boiling with rage over the interaction. After she fell asleep, I told J what had happened. He was completely on my side, and we even discussed banning them from the wedding unless they apologized. G has been far more supportive of us than they have been, and if I had to choose, I would rather have her by my side on my wedding day. Ultimately, we let G decide since she was the one they went after, and she said she would be okay, so they came to the wedding and thankfully didn't mention the necklace at all. However, they told our respective families what happened, and I've been getting texts from family members telling me I went too far in bringing up their divorces, and that I should apologize, especially since the fight was over something as small as a necklace.

I don't think I was wrong to defend G, but I know I tend to overreact in situations where she is involved, and J is as bad as I am. So, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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writing-whump · 2 months

Text

Too much sun

Matt gets sick and calls Isaiah for help. Contains emeto.

"Have fun, Matt."

Matthew turned at the phrase, giving Isaiah a sceptical look. "Last time you send me away to have fun, you ended up with a flu from hell. I'm not making the same mistake."

Isaiah sighed. "Alright, but that's a lesson for me, not for you. And I did call Sel back, didn't I?"

Matthew frowned. He was all ready to leave, shorts and a shirt. Some of his new friends from boxing invited him to a basketball game and the weather was perfect for the courts outside on the beach by the Danube river.

"Matt, for real. I'm alright. I'm literally swarmed with homework and assignments, I'm doing two lectures outside my faculty and I don't know what their faculty's style and method focus is at all and I'm gonna be trying to do the volunteering thing at the lawyer's office for wolves on Fridays...besides, I was no invited," Isaiah said with a smirk.

He was so happy Matthew was getting his own friends, that he was reaching out to people and they were reaching back. And not just because they knew he was in the pack with Isaiah.

Matthew needed his confidence in this department build up, and there was nothing better for it than experience.

Matthew bounced on his toes, not looking reassured.

Isaiah grimaced. Did he need to hand out test screenings of his health for his friends to believe him, when he wasn't sick? This was getting out of hand.

"Alright, I'm going. See you in a few hours." Matt probably figured not that much could happen in that time as he turned to leave.

Isaiah relaxed, chuckling a little for himself as he opened his laptop to scroll to the right pdf.

The time flew quickly after he got to work, morning turning to midday and to early afternoon that forced Isaiah to fix himself a lunch as a break. He was working his to do list off very well, satisfied, neglecting his breaks.

Around 2 pm he was sipping coffee on the balcony, wondering if he shouldn't take a walk or go on a quick run. Would Matt be in the mood for some sparring, when he got back, or would he be too tired?

Seline was visiting her parents, hopefully successfully this weekend. One of her uncle's was celebrating his 50th birthday, so she was even farther away from him than usual, someone in Central Slovakia.

Very human focused family from her father's side, since the wolf part came from her mother. Isaiah wondered what it would be like to be there with her. He could play the perfect human, he had no doubt of that, but Seline didn't want him to play one. She wanted him to be a wolf, but introducing a wolf to the family was a more serious business and they both knew it.

His phone rang on the little glass table on the balcony, Matthew's name on the screen.

Isaiah smiled, picking up. "Miss me already?"

"I...saiah..."

Isaiah's smile disappeared at the weakness in Matthew's voice. "Matt? Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He heard coughing that turned into gags on the other end of the line. "C-could you...come pick me up? P-please..."

Isaiah was at his feet that instant. "Yes, of course. You are at the sport park, right?" He went inside as he spoke, grabbing his car keys. He was really grateful for his car during emergencies, even if the parking situation in Vienna was an expensive tedious business.

"Y-yeah." There was something slurred and scared in the trembling sentence.

"Matt, talk to me." Isaiah locked the door to the apartment, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. "What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"

"I don't know what's wrong- I can't-urrup-" There was more gagging and something wet hitting the concrete.

"I'll be right there."

The way there was a blur with Isaiah wracking his head about what could have happened on the court. Concussion? Did he suddenly get sick? A fight with some hostile wolves passing through?

He parked the car the closest he could get to the area, getting out, just about to call Matthew for a GPS location, when he spotted a mop of dark red hair on a bench near the basketball court.

Isaiah all about ran to the place, heart speeding anxiously.

Matthew sat hunched down, elbows on his knees. There was no blood and no shadow, no visible signs of injury.

"Matt? Hey, man..."

Matthew lifted his head, squinting his eyes at Isaiah like he was looking straight into the sun and not into a pleasant afternoon shade under the trees. "Hi..."

That's when Isaiah noticed the vomit covering the ground, part of the bench and Matt's left sneaker.

Isaiah sat down on the clean part of the wood, hand going to Matthew's neck. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Matthew slumped forward at Isaiah's touch. "I don't know. We were playing just normal, it was hot and good and all. And then my head started to pound and I got dizzy and suddenly I was throwing up all over the place and I don't know why." There was more than a hint of frustration in Matthew's explanation.

"Okay, okay, we are gonna figure this out." Isaiah ran his hands over Matthew's face, his pupils were normal, there were no bumps...he was really hot and dry to the touch. He could feel no sweat, wasn't that weird after an intense game of basketball on a warm day?

Matthew's face scrunched up in a grimace at the ministrations, closing his eyes. His body suddenly pitched forward with a heave, bringing up a chunky wave of vomit.

Isaiah scrambled to turn Matthew's face towards the sidewalk, between his legs instead of at him, gripping his shoulder and upper arm to steady him. "Okay, bud, get it all out."

"C-can't stop," Matthew managed between gags, spitting at the puddle. He wrapped his hands around his stomach, hunching over even more. "My head really hurts, Zaya."

"Your head? Not your stomach?"

Matthew groaned, slumping to the side against Isaiah who let him fall into his lap, rubbing his back and shoulder. "Everything hurts. Cramps like a motherfucker."

"Okay. Just breathe, it will pass in a minute," Isaiah promised, not sure what it still was.

Matthew squeezed his eyes shut, head on Isaiah's tight, his face one pained grimace, throat bobbing.

"We are just going to stay here and breathe and then I'm going to get you home and it will all be okay," Isaiah said as calmly as he could, rubbing his arm. Could this be some kind of heat related issue? Heat exhaustion or heat stroke? He wasn't that sure of the difference, just that the symptoms were kind of similar.

"...ruined everything again," Matthew said, curling around his stomach.

Isaiah scoffed. "You didn't ruin anything, that's nonse-"

"Got all sick during the game. They all left."

Isaiah frowned, angry coldness entering his voice. "Then they aren't good friends. In fact, they aren't even decent people, to leave someone who is sick alone. What idiots."

"Nobody else got sick, I must have done something wrong..."

"No, you didn't. I think you got a bit of a heatstroke, there, bud, can happen to anybody." Isaiah put the back of his hand to Matthew's creased forehead. Still no sweat and hot to the touch. "We need to get you home and cool you down."

"Uhmmmm," Matthew grunted. "Don't wanna move. Dizzy."

"It's not going to get any better here. I got water in the car and we will be home quick, I promise. I'll help you."

Matthew took a deep shaky breath, but then started to lift himself up. Isaiah helped him to straighten up on the bench, then guided his arm around his shoulders, wrapping his hand gently around Matthew's torso.

The moment they stood up, Matthew groaned, more puke exploding out of his mouth.

Isaiah held him steady, when he swayed, more vomit splattering in front of them, spluttering everywhere.

"Ughhhh, sorry..."

"Shhhhh. Not your fault. Can you walk? One step at a time, we'll go slow."

Matthew got heavier, most of his weight hanging on Isaiah as he fought to catch his balance. He squeezed his eyes shut with force as if to block out all the light.

They made a few steps, when Matthew froze, gripping Isaiah's sleeve on his upper arm in panic. "Zaya, I can't see, I can't see- what-"

Isaiah felt cold sweat on the back his neck, stopping immediately. Matthew's eyes were screwed shut. "Shhhh, okay, don't panic. Describe it to me. What can you see? Pitch black? A blot at the center?"

"It's like black spots all over-" Matthew sniffled, sounding dangerously close to crying, breathing fast as he turned towards Isaiah's voice.

Isaiah readjusted his grip, one arm under Matthew's armpit all around his torso, holding Matt's arm around his neck tighter. "Could be just from standing up and the elevation changing. It will clear out in a few seconds." He stopped adding promises to his sentences, mentally preparing to just call 911 if it didn't.

Matthew gasped for breath as if he was choking, blinking his eyes, then breathed in relief. "It's clearing up again..."

Isaiah didn't let out the deep sigh of relief stuck in his chest, pretending like that was what he expected. "All good now. You are okay. Just a few more steps to the car."

Matthew's grip on Isaiah's sleeve didn't loosen, but he nodded tightly, letting himself be dragged forward.

Isaiah fiddled with finding the car keys, opening the back seat door to slide Matthew inside, door open, in case he needed to vomit some more.

He went to the trunk to locate a water bottle and some plastic bags, crouching down next to Matthew.

"How are you feeling, bud?" Isaiah offered Matthew the water bottle.

Matt took it, but didn't drink, eyes closed, but not squeezing them shut anymore, as if he was afraid it would make his vision blotchy again. "Ughmmmm. Like I'm gonna throw up."

Isaiah rubbed his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Everything-everything's spinning," Matthew belched, gripping the water bottle in his fist, the plastic squeaking under his fingers.

"This is very likely a heatstroke. The headache, the nausea, the dizziness....it will be fine. We'll cool you down, get you some good meds, and it will all go away."

"Uhhhhmmm," Matthew wiggled his hands restlessly in discomfort, bowing his head. "I'm such an idiot. Why didn't I know this could happen? So stupid."

"It's different for everyone. Some can take the heat better than others. You will know what signs to look out for next time. It's okay."

"But I wanted to- wanted to do something on my own for once." Matthew's whole face crumbled. "I didn't want to drag you into it to save me, I wanted to do it on my own-" Matthew sniffled again, breathing picking up and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against the seat in front of him.

Isaiah's chest squeezed, realizing Matthew would be crying if he had the tears to spare.

Isaiah circled the car to climb in from the other side, hand going around Matthew's back to push him against his chest. "Aww, come on, bud. You did everything right. You are meeting new people, you got that new boxing gym...you are putting yourself out there, building a life for yourself outside your shadow, without accidents or fights you don't want. You are doing great."

Matthew let himself get dragged back into Isaiah's lap, breathing still panicked. "L-look how stupid I am. People are supposed to know these things at my age- they-I'm not supposed to be a burden on you, constantly getting sick on you-"

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't talk like that. We all have our own learning curve. You were on your own from such an early age, Matt, it's harder to find out on your own," Isaiah said gently. "Besides, you are not a burden. You are my best friend. I don't mind saving your ass, when you need it."

Matthew snorted despite himself, before taking another shuddering breath. "Seline said- and the points- I don't know if I have enough- if I can help as much as you- you didn't call me and I-" he buried his head against Isaiah's stomach, shaking.

"Points? What points?" Isaiah didn't understand and didn't think this was time to find out. "You are doing enough. It's okay. We love you, of course we would want to help out. Not your fault, when you get sick. It's not a burden."

"It-it is, even you think you-"

"It's not a burden to get sick," Isaiah said firmly, rubbing Matthew's back. "Shhhhh. It's okay."

They sat there for a few minutes, Isaiah rubbing circles to Matthew's back and listening to his breathing hitching as he sniffled and found a slower breathing rhythm, watching out for gagging noises.

"There you go. All better," Isaiah murmured. "You didn't have a family that would look out for you like this. That's why you feel like a burden. It's not your fault, but it's not fair at all for you to feel like that. You get sick and we'll deal with it."

Matthew was lying limply over him, breathing much calmer, though he was still pale and frowning, lips pressed in a thin line.

"Come on, bud, let's get home....I can't drive like this," Isaiah said with a small smile, ranning his fingers through Matthew's hair.

Matthew lifted himself up with a groan, enough for Isaiah to slip from underneath him.

"What if I throw up on the way?" Matthew said quietly, stretched out over the back seats.

"There is a bag right next to you. And if you do, you do. It isn't such a big deal." Isaiah just wanted him home and lying down in a cool place already. The car was getting overheated, standing in full blown sun.

"Uhmmmmm," Matthew moaned as Isaiah got the engine started, a/c on full blast. "If it's no big deal...don't think...you had the right family either...Zaya."

Isaiah's stomach flipped at the words. He swallowed heavily, focusing on backing the car out the parking lot.

@bellysoupset

#emeto #sickfic #emetophilia #brotp #hurt/comofort #bromance #whump #angst #whump writing #my writing #werewolf wip #these two are a classic okay #I love their friendship #Matt

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melanieph321 · 1 year

Note

and more related to the reader being Brazilian and presenting a little about her culture and without the impediment of communication with the reader's parents (Rúben nervous about meeting the reader's parents for the first time)

Thank you for your patience with me. 😅

Ruben Dias x Reader - No Son of Mine

Enjoy!

The first nights in Brazil were spent in hotels. You wanted to show Ruben around the sights, like the beach and other popular tourist attractions. It was his first time visiting your home country so you wanted to make it special.

Eventually you guys arrived in São Paulo, the city where you grew up. The city where all of your family and friends lived.

"She's home!" Your mother shouted as the car you were renting pulled up to your childhood home.

"Finally God has brought you back to us." She rushed down the driveway to give you a rib crushing hug.

"Mamãe." You groaned. Behind her the rest of the family spilled out of the house, your siblings, cousins, aunties and uncles. All had been awaiting your arrival.

"Y/N!"

"Look how skinny she has become."

"What are they feeding you in England?"

"Fish and chips." Your uncle joked.

"Pai! Come here and look how pale your daughter has become."

People were pinching your cheeks, pulling your dress and making you twirl around to get a better look at you.

"Guys, please."

You hadn't even gotten the chance to introduce them to Ruben yet. There was no need however, your family discovered him for themselves as he came up the driveway carrying all of your luggage.

"Oh my." Your mother gasped.

"Look at those arms." One of your aunties commented. "So strong, so full of veins."

Your sisters were no different. "He's cute, no?"

"Stop it." You hushed.

Ruben certainly made a good impression with the females of your family. The men however, perked up their chests like male gorillas.

"Do you need helped with those?" Your dad said, clearing his throat to make his voice sound deeper.

Ruben shook his head. "No sir. But thank you."

"No. Thank you." Your auntie smiled, eyeing Ruben up and down as he went passed them with the bags.

You rolled your eyes, hooking your arm with Rubens. "Guys this is Ruben , my fiance."

"Fiance?" They frowned.

You had yet told them about Rubens proposal last month. This was one reason for your visit to Brazil.

"When did this happen?" Your mother said, taking your hand so she could get a better look at the ring. Your family gathered like chickens, gasping at the sight of the diamond ring.

"Last month." You smiled.

"And you told us nothing?" Your dad pushed through everyone to get to you, displaying a look disapointment.

"Well I wanted it to be a suprise."

"Normally a man asks the father for permission before proposing to his daughter." Your dad turned to Ruben.

"Pai!"

He stepped up to Ruben in a way that made everyone nervous.

"What? It's a holy tradition, no?"

"Yes for us Pai." Your sisters help defend. "Ruben is not from Brazil."

"But he is Portuguese, no?"

"Here we go again." You sighed. Ever since your family found out that Ruben was Portuguese their view of him changed a bit. Especially your dad's view, since he has always been very in touch with his cultural roots and a preacher of how the white man took everything from our ancestors. Even when you were still a young girl he would say, "If you ever marry a Brazilian he better be as black as you."

"Pai?" Your mother came through to stop the commotion. "Stop this. We haven't seen our daughter in three years. This is not how we should welcome her and her beautiful husband to be."

Your dad groaned in response, but quickly came to his senses, seeing the hurt in your eyes.

"Y/N." He sighed. "You're mother is right, forgive me?"

"It's not me you should be apologizing too." You said, cuddling up to Ruben. He held an arm around your shoulders.

The whole family anticipated your father's next words. He still looked skeptically at Ruben.

"Do you have a job, son?"

"Yes sir." Ruben nodded.

"A house?"

"Two actually. One in England and one in Portugal. If you don't count the apprement we live in Manchester and the summerhouse in Spain, then I have four."

Your family nodded impressed, everyone but your father.

"Can you cook?" He said, continuing the live interrogation.

"I know a few dishes."

"Can you clean?"

"Of course."

"Dad stop this." You sighed.

He raised his hand "Just one final question."

"Shoot." Ruben said.

Your dad chuckled. "It's funny you would say that. Can you play football? Because no son in law of mine shall step foot in my house without knowing how to use them."

Ruben shifted to you. His expression unsure.

"I haven't told them." You smiled.

"Told us what?" Your dad hissed.

"Pai, Ruben is a professional football player. He plays for Manchester City in the Premier League."

"My son." Your dad grinned, pulling Ruben in for a hug.

Everyone laughed, including you.

"I guess he's welcome to the family then?" You asked.

"Yes." He said, patting Rubens back. "He is very welcome."

#fanfiction #man city #manchester city #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias x black reader #ruben dias #football imagine #footballer x reader #football angst #footballer imagine

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thebubblesareevil · 2 years

Text

Life on the farm pt 6 its pointless to resist

Jazz was PISSED! She left for a college tour and came home to her brother missing, Vlad having a breakdown because an object of his obsession is missing, Jack and Maddie ranting about phantom killed their son, and clockwork sitting on her bed.

“Care to explain what’s ACTUALLY going on. Because Vlad is in crisis and Jack and Maddie think Phantom killed Danny, which would be pretty hard to do considering he is phantom, Sam and tucker are no help, they haven’t really been on speaking terms since the break up.” She says with a glare.

Clockwork is a primordial being, the personification of time itself, he is no fool.

“Danny is safe in another universe, he has found parents that fully accept him for what he is… and he misses you very much.” He says with a soft smile stroking his beard. “The friends he makes in that world will help him become one of the greatest ghost kings of all time.” Jazz gave him a very unimpressed look.

“My brother already is the greatest ghost king you’ve ever had, the last one subjugated the residents of the infinite realms for years, try again.” Clockwork laughed.

“That may be so but there, he will be happy, and he will help others in ways that will prevent great tragedy from befalling that universe.” Clockwork grinned “would you like to join him. You can always return through the infinite realms once your brother masters portals. It’s shouldn’t be too long now”

Jazz weighed her options, on the one hand she would be with her little brother, on the other hand she would have to leave her entire life behind. She hears a crash from down stairs. “Let me pack my things. There are a few things I’ll need if I’m entering a new world.”

Clockwork shifted into his middle aged form, “but of course”

“New world or not I’m finishing my education, Danny may have all the tutor in the infinite realms to teach him what he needs to know but I’m going to be a psychiatrist not a ghost king. I’ll need records so I can go to school. Danny has a family all set up and that’s all well and good, I’ll be visiting him on holidays but I am going to college. I’ll need some college brochures, I’d like to find a tutor in that world as well so I can get up to date with any new practices from that world.” Clockwork gave her a wide grin and with a slight hum he said “I know the perfect person. It will all be handled.”

Jazz gave the primordial god of time a grin “alrighty then let’s get going. The sooner I get settled the sooner I get to go find my little brother!”

Clockwork grinned and thought to himself ‘this is going to be fun, perhaps I should introduce her to my granddaughter, that would be most amusing’

Jazz finished packing and the two headed into a whole new world after permanently decommissioning the portal.

Wouldn’t want any unwanted visitors

—————

Pamela Isley is a reasonable woman, true she was a little, Enthusiastic about her plants, but ever since she got together with Harley she can concede that she’s calmed down a reasonable amount. So when she walked into their living room to find her girlfriend staring at a red headed teen sitting on their couch with a man eating plant on one side and a hyena on the other, typing away without a care in the world, she didn’t immediately kill the girl. She did give an exasperated sigh when Harley asked if the girl was her secret love child, but no she didn’t kill the kid. When the girl looked up and gave the two a unexpectedly sharp grin, (were her eyes glowing?!) and introduced herself as Harley’s new student and how she wanted to learn psychiatry from the best Ivy turned around. She needed coffee for this.

When she returned Harley had all but adopted the girl. They decided they needed to get the girl supplies to be a proper protege. Ivy put up with the girl for weeks, asking probing questions, lurking about the apartment. She was fed up with it. The three of them are headed out to eat when Ivy decides to confront Harley about the girl. Unfortunately this was Gotham and dinner is never peaceful. Of course who would they run into but Harley’s disgusting ex Joker. Before the fight can even start however Joker is shot with a green blast. There’s the annoying red head holding a weird gun standing across the room.

“Yknow, repeated exposure to ectoplasm can have unforeseen side effect. I once saw a man who was hit with too many blasts grow a third arm from his forehead and lose another limb between his legs. I’d be interested to see how it affects you Mr. Joker, Ṣ̵̡̲̻͓̲́͌̕͜h̴̡͎̼̬̮̳̲̳̤͙͑ͅa̶̦̟̭̱̝͑̌͒̎͗͐̏̋͑͘͝ͅļ̴̡̗͕̲͎̞̩̚ͅͅḻ̵̛͆͒̌́̐͗̐͝͝ ̶̛̞͚̄̆̇͆̈́̃̈͆̽͐̓͠w̷̡̮͔͖͍͇̞̳͖͍̺͍̅̀͜͜e̷̻̠͕͕̲̼͔̫̲̓͐̉̈́͑̓͋̚̚?̷̨͖̝̥̙̮̪͚̺̦̫̫̺̝͌̈́̏̆̎̍̑͛͐̈́̇͋͗̊”

While he was distracted Harley knocked him over the head with her bat and the three ran out of the restaurant laughing.

Maybe having Jazz Fenton around might be fun after all.

———

The next morning she found what appeared to be a Wayne child sitting on her couch. She turned around, she needed coffee for this.

#danny phantom #ghost king danny #dc x dp #brain vomit #jazz Fenton #Harley Quinn #pamela isley #life on the farm #pt 6

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slut4tangerine · 2 years

Text

move on

— pairing: Rafe x Reader x JJ

— type: angst // fluff

— summary: After a month of moping around after your breakup with Rafe, a love triangle forms.

— a/n: sequel to “we were fine”

— warnings: cursing // mentions of cheating // mentions of depression

It had been about a month since you last saw Rafe. Within that month, a lot happened. You fell into a depression you’d never felt before. Insecurities came crashing down on you as a result of Rafe’s careless actions.

“Was I not good enough?” was a question you asked yourself constantly. The one thing you’ve always feared was not being good enough, and that’s exactly how you felt. You felt like you were in a never-ending spiral of feeling like you weren’t good enough for anyone or anything.

Your friends began seeing a change in your behavior too. You looked like you hadn’t slept in years, the bags under your eyes beginning to appear darker and darker each night. Sarah had occasionally visited you since your breakup with her brother.

She checked in on you to make sure you were okay, wanting you to release any and all emotion so you wouldn’t keep it locked inside, making your depression worse.

Unknown to you, Rafe had been asking Sarah how you were doing every single time she came back from visiting you. She finally gave in and told what was going on; she told him the bare minimum though.

You became friends with the Pogues after Sarah did. She had introduced you to JJ, Pope, Kie & John B. You had gotten extremely close to JJ & Pope throughout the month following your breakup.

When you finally felt comfortable enough to talk about it, you told the Pogues and they all embraced you in a huge group hug.

You may have developed a slight crush on JJ, but your heart was still healing from all of the damage Rafe did.

Okay maybe slight was a bit of an understatement. You definitely had a crush on the boy.

After you walked out of his house that day, Rafe was a complete wreck. He cut off contact with the mystery girl, immediately regretting his decisions.

Rafe wanted you back in his life as soon as possible, but he knew that you were in pain and he was the reason behind it. It was too soon.

2 weeks later, you seemed to be doing better. Your self confidence was still in the gutter, but you actually felt like socializing.

Midsummers was coming up and you decided to invite JJ. You knew Sarah would be there with John B, Pope would be there helping his dad, and Kie would be there against her will because of her parents.

You dressed in a dark blue dress that looked absolutely stunning on you. JJ arrived to pick you up in a matching blue suit. The moment he saw you, his jaw dropped and you couldn’t sworn you saw hearts in the eyes.

“You look absolutely gorgeous, Y/n/n” He said as he kissed your hand, causing you to blush.

“Thank you, J. Let’s go before they take anymore pictures” You grabbed JJ’s hand and ran out of your house.

You arrived at Midsummers with JJ. The venue looked beautiful.

“Thank you for accompanying me, JJ” You smiled at the boy.

“Anything for my favorite girl” He said as he kissed your forehead.

“I’m gonna go grab us some drinks. You want a wine, right?” JJ asked as you nodded. He walked away to grab your drinks.

Across the room was Rafe Cameron, with no date. Just Topper and Kelce at his side. He figured you’d be here since you were a Kook after all, so it’d be the perfect opportunity to talk to you.

“So if any of us see Y/n, we call you immediately?” Kelce asked as Rafe nodded.

“Got it” Topper & Kelce said in unison as the trio went their separate ways.

While waiting for JJ to bring you your drink, you could’ve sworn you saw the back of Rafe’s head. You didn’t think about the fact that the Kook King would be here, at an event hosted for Kooks by Kooks.

You immediately ducked and went to find JJ.

“Woah woah woah, where ya going, pretty lady?” JJ caught you with one arm, keeping you as stable as possible without spilling both drinks onto your dress.

“Let’s go over here” You guided him inside the house.

“What’s going on?” JJ was confused as he followed you to a room in the house.

“I could’ve sworn I just saw Rafe” JJ stopped in his tracks.

“Y/n don’t let him ruin your night. You deserve a fun night out” he assured you as you slowly nodded.

“Now come on. Let’s go have fun” You smiled as he pulled you back to the party.

JJ excused himself to go talk to Pope, who was there per his dad’s request, leaving you to find Sarah.

- Rafe’s Phone -

New message from Topper: I found her. Outside the house entrance with Sarah.

Rafe made his way towards the house entrance, immediately spotting you and Sarah. He acted as if he was passing by and “randomly” noticed you.

“Excu- oh hey Y/n” Rafe stopped walking as he spoke to you. You immediately backed up, hoping Sarah would take notice as to what was happening.

“Hi Rafe” You looked down at your feet, refusing to make eye contact with him.

“Can we talk for a moment?” You looked at Sarah and she shrugged, leaving you to make a decision for yourself.

“Why not” He placed his hand on the small of your back to guide you but you slapped it away immediately.

“Understandable” He muttered to himself as you both found a quiet spot in the grass.

“First of all I’d really like to say that you look bea-” He started before you interrupted him.

“What do you want Rafe?” You sighed.

“Wow okay then…” You rolled your eyes at him, waiting for him to get to his point as he sighed.

“I miss you. I’m sorry for what I did and I can’t live without you, Y/n. I was such a mess after you left my house that day and-”

“No no no no no. You’ve been a mess, Rafe? You’re not the one who was cheated on. You’re not the one who’s been doubting yourself, feeling like you weren’t good enough for your partner” You interrupted.

“I understand. I want to take all responsibility for fucking up and ruining what we had. I just want you to know that you did nothing wrong. It was all me” Rafe looked at you.

“Why’d you do it, Rafe?” You wanted an answer.

“I- I don’t know why I did it. Looking back I know it wasn’t right. I plan to never make that mistake ever again. I need you in my life, Y/n. I can’t live without you” Rafe looked like he was begging.

“So why aren’t you dead yet?” Rafe just looked at you confused.

“You said you cant live without me, so why aren’t you dead yet?” You reiterated as Rafe just sat there in silence.

“I’m not doing this again, Rafe. You had your chance, and you blew it simply because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants. You probably won’t ever fully understand how hard this was for me. I’m in the process of moving on. Moving on with someone who treats me the way I deserve to be treated. I think you should too” You said as you walked away from him, leaving him there with his thoughts.

You made your way back to the party and you saw JJ talking to Sarah, panic spreading across his face.

“I’m back” You said as you wrapped your arms around JJ’s torso, causing him to turn around and hug you. Sarah walked away, giving you both some much needed privacy.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” JJ examined your arms before you responded.

“I’m fine JJ. He wanted to get back together but I told him no” JJ smiled at the last part of your statement.

“Does this mean I finally have a chance now?” JJ smiled and jumped around like a 5 year old on a sugar high.

“You’ve always had a chance, J. You’ve practically owned my heart since the day we met” You smiled up at him, causing him to smile back at you.

His arms travelled down to your waist as he pulled you in closer. He looked at your for approval before you nodded.

He pulled you in and kissed you slowly but passionately, like he had been waiting for this moment his entire life.

You both smiled into the kiss, not caring what was going on around you.

At that exact moment, Rafe walked back to the party, his eyes immediately spotting you and JJ kissing in the middle of the party.

He saw red, but he decided against starting anything, as he walked to the kegger to drink his sorrows away.

You looked happier with JJ. You probably were happier with JJ. He couldn’t take that away from you. That’s what you deserved.

You deserved someone better than Rafe Cameron.

#lulu writes !!#outer banks #obx #obx fic #rudy pankow #drew starkey #rafe cameron #jj maybank #jj maybank outer banks #jj maybank fluff #rafe cameron angst #jj maybank x reader #rudy pankow x reader #drew starkey x reader #rafe cameron x reader #rudy pankow fluff #drew starkey angst

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sofasoap · 1 year

Text

Thank you for everything.

Pairing: König x f!Reader ( OC aka "Mini" MacTavish ) + Simon " Ghost" Riley + John " Soap " Mactavish

Summary: Time for Mini to introduce her new boyfriend to the family. Breaking Ghost's heart a little bit. and new found family for him.

Warning: M To E rated. mention of sexy time! Safe sex people! swearing, fluff? angsty in places? any geography and facts are made up a bit regarding to Scotland etc. For fictional purposes.

A/N : Character of Mini MacTavish is from @saltofmercury fic “ “The Favorite MacTavish” ” which she graciously let me borrow and write bit more expanded universe. Please go read her wonderful story to get bit of background.

“masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

Note: I have FINALLY found my beautiful König

By the amazing artist @egg-ball. This is my perfect image of König. * cry *

Also this is my drool worthy Ghost “Simon/Ghost” - Credit to : @shkretart

" What you doing here. "

" What are YOU doing here, this is my parent's house of course I am here!"

" Your mum invited me to come."

" Since when are you good friend with my Ma? "

" Since a while ago."

Soap sighed. Don't think he is going to get anymore information out from Ghost's mouth, he let him in.

" Hi Simon! welcome welcome. " Mrs MacTavish rushed up to him as he walks through the front door of their estate.

".. Hello Mrs MacTavish."

" Johnny, be a nice boy and show Simon the guest bedroom."

Rolling his eyes, " Come on. this way. " Soap reluctantly lead Ghost towards the bedroom quarter of his parent's house.

MacTavish farm has been around for few centuries, famous for quality crops and recently as one of the big investors for up and coming Speyside Whisky. Although Ghost is more of a bourbon whiskey guy, but he wouldn't say no to a good quality alcohol.

"Where is Mini."

" She's gone to the airport and picking her boyfriend up. Should be back within an hour or so."

" .. Do you know who this guy is." Ghost ask as he put down his duff bag in the corner of the room.

"No idea. But he better be decent." Soap puffed.

Soap seen you smiling like a dork few times while texting, when he ask you about it you always wave him off and tell him to mind his own business. Makes him even more suspicious that you are trying to hide something from him.

"Ma! Da! I'm home!' Soap and Simon can hear from the back of the house as you yell. Hearing another muffled male voice greeting, Soap and Ghost look at each other, and walk back towards the front door.

A very tall figure was awkwardly bending down giving Mrs MacTavish hug and turn to MacTavish senior a handshake, both Ghost and Soap froze as they suddenly recognise who the mysterious man was.

König.

Chewing your lip, you typed and deleted and typed and deleted, before you decided to press sent.

--- Hello my teddy bear, are you free in April?

Few minutes later, you her a DING as the message sent through

-- I should be free, unless we get deployed again, is there something you need, Liebling?

-- I told my Ma and Da about you.. and they would love to meet you in person, they are inviting you to spend Easter this year at the family farm up in Scotland.

An hour. No reply from him. You heart dropped. Have you pushed a bit too far?

--- ONLY if you are comfortable with it! I can decline if you are not up to it or if you are planning something with your family!

You quickly typed up.

... Still nothing.

After the Piccadilly Circus incident, you and König got even closer. He came and visited you in the hospital day after the incident. Bringing you flowers and some Kaiserschmarrn.

" Wow, König, where did you get this from?"

" I.. I made it."

"... YOU made it?" This man really surprises you, he can carve like a professional, and now he can bake like a pro? What can't this man do????

" I rang my Mama last night and ask for recipe.. I borrow the kitchen at the Emergency centre to make it..." he replied shyly.

Trying to imaging a big tall Austrian man baking in a tiny little kitchen makes you giggle. You took a bite of the pancake and moaned. It is GOOD. Probably one of the best sweet you ever tasted in your life.

"I hope it's to your taste.." König wrangle his hand nervously.

" OH GOSH You better make this everyday.. It's SO DELICIOUS."

" I .. I can make you other stuffs too."

" Do you plan to open a dessert shop after your life in military König? If you do, I will be your most loyal customer."

König look down on the floor, twiddling his thumb, said nothing.

Due to his work commitment, you two only get to see each other when he is in London. But both of you communicate as much as possible through text, and in some occasions through phone or video calls.

It's a slow courtship. But you don't mind. Good things takes time, you remind yourself.

You can really see him making a real effort to slowly slip out from his comfort zone. Bringing you little gifts each time, little carving he made himself, desserts he made, little hand crafts his Mama and his Oma made especially for you.

You also can't resist teasing your boyfriend from time to time.

“ And MAYBE you can show me later how good you are at… RAMMING into people. My big teddy bear.”

" You know, I miss my big teddy bear in winter, no one to keep me warm in bed."

Everytime you tease him with these hidden innuendos, you swear you can see the imaginary steams coming out from his ears.

He is always hesitant to hold your hand, those big callous hand. Wrap around yours, making you feel safe.

First time he initiated a hug was when you two were walking down the street, in freezing cold weather, he saw you shivering. Silently he open his trench coat, look at you asking for permission, and proceed to pull you in and wrap you up. He is like a human furnace. You inhale. Smell of his cologne mixed with gunpowder. This is home.

You realise you are slowly falling in love with this big , gentle man.

First time you saw his face, and first kiss, without the mask, was when you two * FINALLY* spend a night together. ( The Holy trinity, you dubbed it later on when you recall the event to Emma. )

Emma was away visiting her family for her long overdue holiday.

" GO ON Mini, invite him to stay over, MAKE A MOVE, push that boy into bed!" She urged you after she told you about her holiday plan. " You can make a much as noise as you want with him and I won't be here to yell at you!"

You smack your good friend on the arm, " EMMA!!!"

" What, I am telling the truth, besides, ' she pointed at you ' how long you guys been going out for? over a year. yet you still haven't kiss him properly, let alone seeing his face in full."

You know she's right, at same time you don't want to push him too much. As if by chance, König rang you the next day informing you he is coming over for the long weekend.

"Have you book your accommodation yet? If not... Um. Emma is away at her family for the week.. Um. Do you want to... stay over at my place?"

You heard him choking, coughing and someone else in the background asking him if he is OK.

" I .. I ... I..."

" Yes or no König."

"... Yes."

" Right! that's sorted. I'll see you then!"

You feel like a teenager, all giddy and nervous. For fucks sake, you are an adult! it's normal to ask your boyfriend to stay over. You convince yourself.

He showed up at your doorsteps few weeks later, and you two go on your usual routine. Out for a nice walk, go out to local bistro and have a good meal, window shopping.

Slowly you two stroll home. You two took turn taking shower. You brew some nice herbal tea and sat in front of the TV, winding down.

You lean over and put your head on his shoulder. You feel him lifting up his arm, starting to stroke your hair, gently.

you shuffle into his space bit more. He stiffens. Thinking you made him uncomfortable, you pulled away slightly. He immediately pulled you back in.

You look up at him, searching for something in his eyes. Lifting one hand up, silently seeking for permission, his eyes drop down and look back up at you, you slowly pull his black mask off.

And there he is.

You smiled, " There's my handsome teddy bear." You whispered. With tears in your eyes, you trying to take his features in. The scar across his nose, across his cheek. the little imperfections. Tracing his features with both of your hand, König close his eyes and sighed.

Feeling bold, you swung leg across, straddling him. Tilting your face up towards him, he look down with dark hooded eyes, and close the final gap. Shy and tentative at first, it soon become heated.

You moan into his mouth as grabbed your backside, pulling you closer to him. You can feel his arousal. Grinding against his lap, you heard him taking in a sharp breath, and broke the kiss.

" ... Are you sure."

You nodded your head, totally out of breath to reply.

As if a switch has been flipped, he lift you up, like you weigh nothing, you hook your other leg across his hip, he marched towards the bedroom.

Despite both of you are inexperienced ( Hell, you never went past second base with the boys you were seeing in the past thanks to Soap, your cockblocking brother!), everything seems to progress naturally. He certainly make up for it .. somewhere else. and oh BOY. It was GOOD. You know you going to be very sore the next day.

He was an excellent lover. Gentle after care. He turned back into the shy König after the deed was done. " Did I hurt you Liebling? I am sorry if I was too rough... OH der Scheiß, YOU ARE BLEEDING!" He quickly jumped off the bed. You pull his arm to stop him.

" Hey love, calm down. It's normal.... after um.. the.. first time.."

" Still... I hurt you.. " He shook his head. He left the room, and came back few minutes later with warm towel, gently wipe you down.

Afterwards, he pull you into his chest, him being the big spoon, the warmth enveloped you as he whispered into your ears.

"Ich liebe dich"

Back to the present. You were still waiting for his reply two days later, when you begin to think its a very bad idea. One big step forward, rolling back down to the bottom of the hill, you think to yourself.

You finally got a reply after a week. He apologising but didn't give a reason for his late reply, and ask you for the details. You let out a big sigh and proceed to give him the dates and travel details.

Quiet chit chat as everyone sit around the dining table. Your Ma and Pa politely asking him question about his family and how he comes to know Ghost and Soap.

Ghost and Soap just stares at König as he answer the questions quitely, with you smiling at him.

" What is your intention with my sister König." Soap asked all of sudden.

You shot Johnny a look, Jesus fucken hell, does he have to make the atmosphere so awkward?

König gave your hand slight squeeze underneath the table.

" I will not hurt her. I love her very much. In fact, I am here today to ask for permission for marriage in the future."

Your look at your boyfriend with disbelieve, Is this the socially anxious König that you know? And what is this about marriage? Ah?

Soap was about to stand but Ghost press him down by the shoulder, shaking his head.

Everything was slightly blur after that. You vaguely remember your Ma and Pa gave both you and König a hug, welcome him into the family, even Johnny and Simon shook his hand , begrudgingly.

You suddenly thought, why is Simon here anyway?????

" I am sorry Liebling.. I should have ask you first.. " König apologised profusely after everyone retired for the night. You smiled at him and pat his chest, comfort him,

" It's ok.. took me out by surprise... " jabbing him a little, " I expect you to make up for it later." You chuckled. He grabbed your hand and nodded.

3am, you toss and turned, with König lightly snoring away beside you. You decided to go into kitchen to get a glass of water.

You jumped slightly when you saw a figure standing by the window.

" SHIT Simon... you really gave me a fright."

" sorry. "

Walking over to the fridge you pour yourself a glass of cold water, looking at Simon, he shook his head as you silently ask him if he want some water too.

Taping on the glass, you decided to ask.

" Why are you here anyway Simon? Not that we don't want you here.. you are welcome any time.. "

" Your Mum invited me.'

" Since when are you good friend with my Ma... "

" Since a while ago."

You rolled your eyes. You took another sip of water. Simon turned towards you, looking at you. You can see there's sadness in his eyes.

Putting the glass down. You walk over to him, pull him into a tight hug. Burying your head in his chest, you mumbled.

" I am sorry Simon.'

Ghost's heart ached You knew. That little bit of feeling that he is trying to hide away deep down, and it shattered when he saw you looking at König lovingly during dinner. The way you smiled at him, the way he take care of you. He knows he had no chance. You only love him as a big brother.

".. You are like a brother to me and Johnny.This will always be your home. I want us to stay as friend. I am so sorry."

He wrap his arm around you. Tight. Gave you a light kiss on the top of your head.

"You have nothing to apologise for." He murmured.

" I know... but.. "

" It's ok. I'll get over it." he sighed.

" Johnny can take you out and introduce you to some ladies?" You suggested timidly.

" I seriously wouldn't trust him."

You laughed.

Giving you a pat on the head, he left your embrace.

" I am happy for you Mini... I truly am."

" OH! I know this lady doctor at work.. She use to be in the military .. she's from New Zealand... "

" No sis... Don't trust YOU either to set me up with anyone." Ghost huffed.

You giggled as he called you sis. It will take time. but that's a start.

"My Ma and Pa really loves you as an adopted son you know.. maybe they will introduce my cousins to you."

" Mini MacTavish. Please no."

Poor Ghost got his heart broken. it's ok. he will have someone in near future that suits him. I just want to give him a family he deserves.

#könig x reader #könig x y/n #könig imagine #könig x you #könig x oc #könig call of duty #simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #john soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #soap mactavish #oc #john mactavish #konig call of duty #konig x reader #konig x y/n #konig x you #cod mw2

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