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kookslastbutton · 2 years

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Can't Help It, I Love You ༓ jjk (m)

✑ Summary: Finally getting a day off, your boyfriend takes you out on a date. Everything is sickeningly sweet until you visit a cute little lingerie store. All he wants to do now is get busy in the dressing room.

Pairing: boyfriend!jungkook x girlfriend!reader

AU/genre: fluff, smut, established relationship

Rating: M, 18+

Word Count: 3k+

Warnings: Oh you know, just soft coupley things that make me wanna squeal and then…, dom!jungkook, sub!reader, semi-public sex, sex in front of the mirror, foreplay, dirty talk, penetration, breath play, vaginal fingering, breast play, tiny bit of biting, cunnilingus, a lot of licking….lets just say that, overstimulation, tiny bit of degradation at the end (jk calls reader a whore, reader says she wants to be called a slut), light ass spanking

Now Playing: Paradise - Bazzi

A/N: hi guys 👀 me again lmao...i love established relationship AUs so dang much so i wrote this. I hope you enjoy 😗💜

Twisting in front of your bedroom mirror, you allow the delicate material of your dress to flow around your figure. You and Jungkook have agreed that spending the day together is much needed after your crazy, off the wall schedules keeps menacing with your relationship. Nothing in particular is planned though, it’ll be wherever the day takes you.

A pair of soft hands reach forward and set along your waist as you pat yourself down. You smile seeing your exceptionally handsome boyfriend in the reflection, his head calmly rests on your shoulder.

“You ready?” Jungkook pecks your cheek. The subtle action has every bone in your body quivering.

“In a minute,” you reply, taking in his appearance. Black t-shirt paired with a light jacket, dark washed jeans, and of course, he’s got his piercings in. His hair’s freshly washed too, locks still damp.

“Okay, but you look gorgeous as is,” he insists. “You don’t need to keep sprucing up you know.”

“But I want to look pretty for you.” You casually shoot back.

Jungkook pecks your cheek again. “You’re beautiful.” He pecks the side of your neck. “You’re sexy.” And turns your face towards his to peck your lips. “I love you always. Let’s go.”

You let out a small whine but he laces his fingers into yours and leads you out of the room.

Your date starts with brunch at a nearby cafe. The atmosphere is welcoming upon entrance. Everything is clean and consists of warm colors ranging from an intense orange to blush blue. It’s moderately crowded being the weekend but you manage to claim a window seat.

While you wait for a server, a few diners gaze your direction from a table diagonal to yours. They seem to be giggling and whispering to each other. You’re unsure what all the gossip's about until you realize they’re staring at your boyfriend. You suppress a smile but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You look like you have something to share,” Jungkook speaks up, intrigued.

“Mm.” You shake your head, denying the accusation.

“Tell me.”

“You just…have some admirers is all.”

Jungkook whips his head around at your words, scanning the room carefully. Grin spreads timidly across his face when he notices the group of individuals you’re referring to. He gives a tiny wave their direction, causing them to turn excitedly amongst each other.

“And what about you?” He returns his focus to you. “Are you my admirer too?”

“Maybe,” shoulders shrug as you crook your head sideways.

“How ‘bout now?” He leans over and steals a kiss.

“Maybe yes.”

“That’s not a definite answer. Should I keep giving you kisses until you admit you’re mine?” Lips move to capture yours again but the clearing of a throat puts it at a halt.

Jungkook yanks himself back in his original upright position, blinking up at your waitress standing at the edge of the table. The young woman greets you both with a cheerful smile that says get a room.

After brunch you decide to walk to the creek, arms entangling with one of his. It's been a secret place for the both of you since first getting together. Sure, a few other people know about it but it's tucked in, mostly hidden from the public eye. You and Jungkook happened to stumble upon it during one of your spontaneous outings. The steepness of the climb has had you secured in his grip many times before but you assure him you're well capable to trail down yourself today.

"Watch your step," he cautions, allowing you in front of him. “Don’t go too fast.”

"I got it, I got-Ahh!"

Okay maybe you're not so capable as you thought. One wrong step and you're sliding down the hill with Jungkook anxiously racing down to catch you.

"Y/N!" He stops your movement with a strong grip. You wince at the scraping of your legs. "Must you always be this stubborn?" He sturdies his stance and hauls you up in his arms.

"I prefer independent,” you correct.

"Your dress is stained and you have scratch marks all over your legs.”

"Evidence of my bravery."

"Are you actually okay baby?" His concern makes your eyes gleam. He’s always taking care of you.

"Extremely so," you snuggle into his chest, wrists locking together around his neck.

Jungkook carries you all the way to the bottom of the creek. He gently guides you down on your feet once finding a comfortable area. The bubbling of the water calls both of your attention almost immediately.

“Shall we?” You enclose your hand in his and start rock hopping. Jungkook chuckles at your eagerness.

“Y/n, what’d we learn about going too fast?”

“That a strong, muscly man like you will be hot on my trail, ready to rescue me!”

“Babe come on.”

“What? Am I going to need to get a new muscly man?”

“No, never! Only me.”

You look over your shoulder and throw him a wide smile. He’s always cutest when a hint of his possessive side sneaks out. Last week he stopped by your work during lunch and witnessed a coworker of yours hovering a little too close behind you. It was an accident but Jungkook didn’t see it as such and for the whole rest of the day, a pout rested on his face.

A bit more rock hopping and you feel the urge to rest and take in the scenery. Jungkook guides you to sit between his legs once finding an ideal landing area. The position gives you a direct view of the water rippling down the current while lush greenery shades you from the harsh beams of the sun. You relax into his chest, feeling the beat of his heart—complete ecstasy overtakes you.

Hours pass and evening falls. Looks like you lingered at the creek longer than expected, but it’s not like you were running on a schedule anyway. This was your day and you could do whatever you wanted. Jungkook even took a short nap believe it or not.

Strolling back to the middle of town, you notice many businesses remain open but the cafe you ate at for brunch is closed. Makes sense having only served breakfast and lunch items.

“Wanna go in?” You gesture to the mall up ahead. There’s a pretty decent crowd bustling inside, stirring your curiosity.

“Sure,” Jungkook replies. “Might as well see what all the hypes about.”

Entering the glass doors, red balloons and oversized signs catch your gaze. There’s a sale today, duh. No wonder there’s a slew of people gathering in here.

You and Jungkook scan the expanse of the mall but nothing quite catches your eye like the little lingerie shop who’s sign glows pink. You glance at each other, faint smirk on both your faces.

“Try this on.” Your boyfriend hands you what is probably the skimpiest bra and panty set you’ve ever seen. The amount of cut outs and transparent sections makes you wonder if you ought to just go naked instead.

“This is like three sizes too small for me Jungkook.” You shake the item at him, seeing right through his antics. “I’m not gonna be able to breathe.”

“It was all that was left,” he lies, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Obviously it’s a very hot commodity. Just try it on once. Go on, baby.” He nods towards the dressing rooms.

“You try it on,” you shove the material at him but he pushes it back into your hand.

“Please?” Head crooked to the side, Jungkook flashes you his doe eyes. Unfair, really. How can he make himself look that cute when you know he’s thinking about railing you against the nearest wall tonight?

You grip the fabric tighter and dangle it by your side. “The things I do for you,” you grit and walk towards the dressing room. Jungkook follows close behind, making sure to give your ass a little spank along the way.

Once inside the changing room, you observe the contraption in its full essence. There’s no way this is going on your body smoothly. You remove your clothes and start wiggling into the set.

Yup, just as you thought. The panties barely cover your ass cheeks and the bra…don’t even get started on the bra. It’s lacy that’s for sure but also extremely see-through around the nipple area. Definitely the main selling point for Jungkook. He loves anything that shows even a sliver of your tits.

“Jungkook?” You poke your head out from the door of your changing room.

Your boyfriend looks up from his phone and leans off the wall. He strolls up to you, anticipation playing on his face. “Let me see.”

“Okay but just so you know, I can barely move in this.” The door creaks wide, revealing your form. Jungkook doesn’t even try containing the grin pulling on his lips.

“Fuck yeah, that’s coming home with us,” he cuts shortly, scanning over your body like a starved animal.

“This is squeezing me in every way possible. Can’t you choose something else?”

He steps into the stall, hands reaching out to grip your bare sides. “Nope, I choose this. You look stunning baby, sexy as fuck. Wanna shove you up against the back of this door and pound you that’s how much this turns me on.”

“Jungkook…this is a public place. Keep it in your pants until we get home.” You try shrugging his hold off but your boyfriend, evidently stronger than you, anchors his hands around your waist.

“Not sure if I can do that baby,” he says, pressing himself against your body, making you feel his growing erection. “I think it wants out.”

Scoffing, you send him an eye roll. “It always wants out.”

“And that’s a problem how?” He retaliates, grinding into you nice and firm. The motion has your legs shift apart, arousal builds in your core almost instantly. You’re beginning to truly realize how easy it takes for your boyfriend to get you going.

Embarrassingly easy.

“Jungkook,“ you lift your arms around his neck as if habitual.

“Is this you saying yes to a quickie?”

“Lock the door,” you bite your lip expectantly.

He’s desperate. Ferocious even. You try with all your might to keep in perfect sync with his lips but it’s impossible. He's determined to drown you out. You end up slipping a hand down to palm his bulge, knowing he’ll groan in response. And groan he does; long and deep. You love it. But as if triggered, your body’s forced around immediately, back tight against his muscular chest.

“Fucking look at yourself baby," he grabs a hold of your thighs and squeezes them roughly. "Absolutely addicting.”

You stare at your reflection in the mirror facing you, Jungkook's eyes are staring back. It's a bit surreal and you find yourself freezing momentarily. Was this your life? You watch as he moves his lips to the edge of your neck, eagerly applying open mouth kisses to the area. Your eyes threaten to close at the sensation but your boyfriend gives you a little nip, drawing a sharp yelp out of you.

“Keep them open,” he demands, tongue brushing over the slightly sore spot. The gesture sends waves of pleasure up your spine. It's very difficult to do as he says in this condition but you do it anyway.

Satisfied, Jungkook returns to sucking on your neck. He sneaks his arms under yours to gather your breasts in his palms at the same time. You reflexively draw a hand up and card through his hair with your fingers.

“Your tits look so hot in this,” he comments, pushing them together in a tight ball. "Shit." Thumbs glide across the tips of your buds as he continues kneading your breasts rougher and rougher until—

“Fuck!” Jungkook eyes dilate when your breasts pop out of the bra. All his endless groping managed to completely dismantle the material. Its straps are hanging off your shoulders and the clasp is ripped out of place.

“You busted it!” You spin to face him but he pays no attention to your protest. Instead, he throws the barely there bra off in one motion and starts mouthing your mounds like a beast. The delicious friction causes your back to arch and head to snap back simultaneously.

“Ahh—Jungkook this—fuck!”

“You know I love hearing you baby but unless you want someone to catch us, I suggest you stifle some of those moans,” he mutters switching between your breasts.

Reluctantly, you bite back every whine that's begging to escape out but Jungkook isn't making it easy. He tugs your nipples with his teeth, tongue darting out to circle over them for extra stimulation. You find yourself quickly loosing your balance and stumble back into the door of the changing room. Jungkook grunts and follows your movement, lips still enveloped around a tit. He gives the other a few lengthy sucks before finally pulling off. Yeah, these are going to be aching tomorrow.

“You’re a tit man through and through,” you pant, heart pounding.

“Guilty,” he shrugs before yanking your panties down to your ankles. You gladly step out of them, fully aware of what's to come. “Look how much you’re dripping baby,” he says collecting some of the arousal glistening along your folds.

“Jungkook, I-you said this was going to be a quickie.”

“Yeah, I did,” he replies and plunges two of his fingers into your wet, hot cunt. “But you know you need to come at least once before you can take me. Always gotta stretch this tight little pussy out, ain’t that right baby?”

“J-Jungkook!!” Pleasure spikes through your system as he breaks through your walls. This isn’t your first time but it sure fucking feels like it.

"Apparently my baby needs help staying quiet hm?" His free hand encloses around the base of your neck without warning, applying enough pressure to keep you from being too loud but without hurting you. The hold sends you into overdrive.

Jungkook studies your face; eyes rolled back and lids closed. He feels his length throbbing in his pants as he views your fucked out state. You hear the squelching of your heat increase with every twist of his fingers, provoking him to pump faster. A couple of hard curls later and he has your pussy spasming, triggering your first orgasm. Jungkook removes his grip around your neck as your cum rapidly spills over his fingers.

You feel some of the sticky substance run down your inner thigh when he extracts himself from your cunt but it doesn't get far. With the flat of his tongue, Jungkook cleans it up until there’s no trace of excess spillage left. He decides to do the same to your pussy but ends up getting carried away and dips his tongue between your weeping folds, ramming it in and out.

"Too much," you pull on his hair but he's unfazed. "Jungkook too much…I can't—"

And there you go, your second orgasm rips through your body in a hurricane of vibrations. Your boyfriend gives your pussy one last stripe with his tongue before popping off to grip the band of his pants.

Fully hard and leaking, you whimper at the sight of his cock out of its restraints. How it manages to fit inside your cunt makes your head spin. Your mouth waters as you prepare to drop to your knees but he stops you from lowering yourself mid-motion.

“This floor’s too damn dirty baby,” he coos. “And you’re too beautiful to get on your knees right now so I’m gonna hold you up and fuck you like you deserve.”

Your thighs are raised into his palms before you have time to counter. Jungkook secures you up along the wall of the dressing room, your arms lock around neck for extra support. The lack of distance between your bodies has the head of his length teasing your entrance. You’re about to tell him to hurry up and push in but he slams into you before you can squeak the words out.

“F-fuck,” you gasp having the breath knocked out of you.

Your eyes shift to the mirror angled in the corner behind you both. It’s position allows you a perfect view of Jungkook’s length sheltering itself in you over and over. You’ve never really watched your boyfriend fuck the daylights out of you before. Maybe you should do it more, seeing as the pressure in your core heightens in response.

“Dammit baby,” he buries his face in the juncture between your neck and shoulder. “I’m not gonna last much longer when you feel like a fucking dream around me.”

“Well same here,” your chest rises heavily against his. “I think I’m going to fall apart the way your cock’s drilling into me.”

Unable to restrain himself further, his thick, hard length beats itself in your inviting walls at a pace so overwhelming it has you shaking and clenching in seconds. Jungkook brings his lips feverishly over yours. Tongues roll in each others mouths to keep either of you from screaming and alerting outsiders.

Your kisses get sloppy with every thrust of his hips and you end up exploding around him first, bathing him in your cum. He shoots his load in you closely after. The mixture of warmth draws a long moan from both of you as you relax into each other’s bodies.

Once you recover your breath, Jungkook sets your feet back on the ground. You find yourself wobbling ever so slightly, earning you a cocky smirk from your boyfriend.

“You okay?” he asks, knowing you’re not.

You steady yourself on the surface of the door with a hand. “Every time we fuck you manage to make me come faster,” you start slowly. “I might not be able to keep up much longer.”

“Baby,” he picks up his pants from the bench. “You can’t even keep up now.”

Fire reignited, you meet the whites of his eyes. “Hurry up and get your clothes on because when we get home I want you to on your back, calling me a slut while I ride your cock until you’re begging me to slow down.”

“Shit, you’re gonna make me come again.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that you little whore.”

Well, looks like this date's become like the rest; starts sweet and ends steamy. Are you surprised though? Not when it's Jungkook you're dating.

A/N: Hey guys thanks for all your reads on this fic, means a lot that you'd stop by 😊 Please let me know your thoughts if you enjoyed this; a little encouragement goes a long way for writers like me 💜😘

@bloodline1632 @jasminperez18

Masterlist

#jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook x reader #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts smut #bts x reader #bts au #fic:canthelpitiloveyou #kookslastbutton

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feralportalmaster · 10 months

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It’s 1am but I needed to share this idea for the Life Series.

What if the Life Series…but also…Bed Wars?

HEAR ME OUT

Every player has a special bed, or some other kind of block item, individual to them that they use as a respawn anchor. They can die as many times as they like so long as the anchor stays placed where it is.

However, whenever the anchor is broken or the player otherwise is not connected to it, that player is vulnerable and only has a set number of lives. They can reconnect to the anchor at any time and get back their immunity, unless the anchor is permanently destroyed, in which case it cannot be recovered and the player is stuck with their remaining lives.

A Boogieman mechanic would also be in place. One potential way it could work is that a Boogie kill negates the immunity and takes a life away from the player regardless of whether or not they’re connected to their anchor. Alternatively, a Boogieman has to break another player’s anchor, not necessarily permanently, and sever their connection without them realising.

There could be some really funny scenarios with this lmao. Like everyone going to different weird and extravagant lengths to protect their anchor, or even people trading them amongst each other as a sign of trust, before betrayal ensues.

No idea what to call this idea though.

Spawn Life? Fragile Life? Broken Life?

Idk but I think it’s neat.

#apologies for grammar I’m half asleep #i wrote this at like 1 am #life series #traffic life series #trafficblr #third life smp #last life smp #double life smp #limited life SMP #bed wars #mcyt #3lsmp #llsmp #dlsmp #24lsmp #traffic life smp

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friedchickenluver · 6 months

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I feel like the palace staff would love Zuko and yous relationship

Like once Zuko convinces them that he's not going to burn and banish them, there's a more relaxed aura in the palace and you actually befriend some of the maids and servants

Overhearing some of the younger servants gossiping about how they saw the firelord practicing his romantic lines for you. Watching them giggle as they talk about how Zuko was asking them for rose petals, and how he goes pink when the seamstresses ask for his opinions on the lingerie you asked for.

The older chefs treating you both like their children, dropping off extra chocolate and treats when they over make. Zuko always gives them holidays whenever they wish, so you'll always catch them giving smiles and warm greetings to you both.

Or when you walk out of your shared bedroom with a little bump god is Zukos cum thick, the maids give you a small smirk asking if they should begin preparations to decorate the guest bedroom into a nursery

It's the first time in generations that the staff love their firelord and firelady, bc you treat them like an extension of the family.

-🌸

Idk why i didn’t see this but you’re so right pookie . The biggest shock to the people amongst the castle has to definitely be how you two are actually in love with each other . That alone has really surprised most people since most firelords before him had either concubines or married for political gain , etc . So they’re all so happy since you two alone are happy, so it creates such a homey and comfortable vibe within the castle to dismantle the original intent for intimidation and darkness .

Zuko himself has already earned the trust of his workers since for one, he is the complete opposite of his father, and for two because he basically fired everyone from the castle who worked there that refused to abide by the law of peace and tranquility . He made it a hell of a lot easier for you to be able to feel comfortable in the castle, and the people that work in it, making friends with your personal maids and servant ladies .

They often come to you about literally anything Zuko does its hilarious to you . They tell you what he ate as a snack in his office, they tell you what he said to his advisors when he got upset, literally everything . You get all smiley whenever they inform you about the things he says about you, or whenever he sends off a cute note to you when he’s on a completely different section of the castle thats too far away to walk . Honestly, when you give him the task to go pick up a mystery package from the seamstress, you should’ve seen the way his face went red when the lady asked him was he the person who was going to wear the lingerie that was commissioned to her . (😂)

Of course the chefs spoil you two also, since he’s so good to them, whenever they make more food than needed, they often put leftovers in pretty boxes and leave them out for you two to snack on when y’all get hungry after doing the do yk . LMAO . He gives all of his workers holidays to go spend time with their family because honestly he wouldn’t mind complete quiet in the castle, only you and him with the whole place to yourselves .

We don’t speak on what you two actually did while they were all gone, but just know you and Zuko rarely did ever come out the room for anything . You wouldn’t hear the end of it from the maids, they were so ready to plan out the nursery for the babies soon to come . It’s so easygoing, that everyone feels like just a big family with you and Zuko at the center of it, and they wouldn’t have it any other way honestly . (💫)

#🌸 anon #ˋˏ [sistalks] ˎˊ

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riddle-me-ri · 1 year

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Would you consider writing for different Penguins with a female reader who is of small stature? (Around 5'0ft) I just think it would be cute for them to get a confidence boost because they are finally taller than someone in the slightest or at least not as short in comparison 😭

A/N: anon…not only…not only would I consider it…but I have thought about this constantly. As a wee woman standing only at (5’1)...it has crossed my mind..multiple times lmao. I think a lot about how I stand amongst me colony and other Rogues…and and yeah not very tall at all…if I’m lucky I MAY MAY be taller than Mad Hatter…depending on which universe anyway RIP Also couldn’t really think of drabbles, so they’re gonna be headcanons, hope that’s cool!

Penguins with a Short F!Reader:

Arkhamverse Penguin

- It takes him some getting used to.

- He’s used to everyone being taller than him, whether its henchmen, arm candy, or enemies.

- Having you as his partner, it’s much easier for him to lay his claim.

- To wrap his arms around your whole body.

- Not have to stretch out too far to touch and tease you.

- Can kiss you with little to no effort on either of your parts.

Reevesverse/Farrell Penguin

- He loves you regardless of height, you’re very near and dear to him.

- He does appreciate being able to be eye level with you

- Thinks its cute looking down and seeing you looking up at him.

- Makes it much easier on him to give you kisses on your head.

- He’s got stools and ladders here and there for your convenience

- He does wish he was strong enough to lift you up instead

Gotham Penguin

- He sees you as his true equal.

- Height doesn’t really matter, truth be told, but it helps when your partner shares the same measurements.

- He doesn’t strain his neck looking up constantly.

- Neither of you have to strain to kiss the other or go up on tippy toes.

- He has the perfect close up view of your face, so he can see all your smiles he adores so much.

BTAS Penguin

- To him it's just another sure sign you two were meant to be.

- He loves being able to hold you, and you don't have to contort your body so your head rests on his shoulder.

- Silly as it may seem, he enjoys being able to see eye level with you. Neither of you have to look up or down at each other.

- It's so much easier to hold your hand, kiss your cheeks, kiss your lips.

- You two can link your arms with no difficulty.

- He cherishes being able to love you at full capacity without the struggles of height difference.

TNBA Penguin

- Much like BTAS, he appreciates the fact you two can see eye to eye, yes even in a corny literal sense…

- You're level with each other physically as well as all other aspects in your relationship.

- You make him feel taller, regardless. With his chest puffed out and head held high.

- He enjoys being able to dance with you.

- You both look into each other's eyes.

- You're able to lean in and perfectly rest your head on top of his heart.

- Yep, you were definitely his missing piece.

Telltale Penguin

- So this is likely the only pengy surpassing 6'.

- Because of this he'll tease the shit out of you for your height.

- He makes up for it by receiving things from high shelves for you.

- He enjoys being able to quite literally sweep you off your feet when you're least expecting it.

- His tall lanky frame allows him to sneak up and wrap his arms around you in surprise.

- Oz loves you for you, he'll tease you, give you hell, but he wouldn't have you any other way.

One Bad Day Penguin

- First things first; Lili has you, herself, and Oswald part of the Shorties Gang.

- Oswald thinks it makes you all the more adorable to him.

- He enjoys the way you lean into him, like you fit together like puzzle pieces.

- In a world where everyone's trying to be bigger and better than him, you're a solid reminder there are some people just for him.

- He finds it cute whenever you defend someone, he admires that you won't let anything like height keep you from standing your ground.

- Nothing makes Oz more proud than seeing his short queen kick ass and take names like him.

The Batman (2004) Penguin

- So, if we’re sticking to the 5’ mark, you’re still taller than this Oswald.

- Doesn’t mean he won’t appreciate it though.

- He's glad you're closer to his height than most.

- He's still proud he's got a tall s/o.

- That'll assist him and carry him around (even though you're only taller to him, and don't do it in front of Batman)

- He loves you regardless, but expect him to use your superior height to his advantage

Batman Unlimited Penguin:

- He never thought he'd see the day that someone would have him as a partner.

- Let alone be near his height? Just makes you all the more special.

- It definitely feels great, it must've been destiny.

- He's proud of how well you handle your height in stride, and solve whatever obstacles occur due to your height.

- He refuses to let anyone tease you about it.

- If anyone did tease your preciousness and your precious height, he'll make sure they will never be able to again.

#ri writes #the penguin x reader #oswald cobblepot x reader #arkhamverse penguin x reader #reevesverse penguin x reader #farrell penguin x reader #gotham penguin x reader #btas penguin x reader #tnba penguin x reader #telltale penguin x reader #obd penguin x reader #one bad day penguin x reader #the batman 2004 penguin x reader #batman unlimited penguin x reader #the penguin x reader headcanons #oswald cobblepot x reader headcanons

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keijislvr · 2 years

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random third year!seijoh hcs

cw: swearing and that's it i think, there's lots of cuteness and fluff bc i love them sm my simp definitely shows through <3

makki is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. they were a nervous to tell the team, but mattsun had convinced them at worst, there could be some confusion or curiosity, but none of it would come from a bad place, and so they went ahead and dropped it into conversation amongst the usual chatter in the locker room. much to their delight nothing changed it was never going to anyways, but you can’t blame the baby for having their worries other than the use of pronouns, of course.

what takahiro doesn’t know is that oikawa, who had pre-empted this months in advance of actually being told, had been sending links of articles, videos and even tiktoks about gender identity, different pronouns and being non-binary to each team member separately excluding makki ofc pretending he thought they’d “be really interested in this thing i read/watched earlier!”

its a lie. of course its a lie. tooru just doesn’t want people hassling his best friend with questions about things that can easily be googled, especially since makki gets overwhelmed easily. plus he could tell it had been weighing on their mind a lot. he knows. he just DOES BECAUSE OIKAWA TOORU IS GREAT AND OBSERVANT FRIEND WHO ISN’T SELF OBSESSED OKAY AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL BECAUSE IM SO TIRED OF HIM BEING SEEN AS THIS SELFISH LITTLE BRAT HE LOVES HIS FRIENDS LOVES THEM I TELL YOU AND— tooru knows before hiro tells him, he just pretends he doesn’t

i’m telling you, iwa is probably the one that’s actually the most dense when it comes to these things...hell the boy didn’t even know issei was bi, which is strange considering he literally wears a heart-shaped ring with the flag colours on it. and has matching hair clips which he wears on his jean pockets. and a graphic tee with obnoxiously bright lettering spelling out “just passing bi ;)”

okay so maybe hajime is a little bit oblivious

which somehow brings me onto my next point!!! contrary to common belief, these babies are actually very intelligent, not only in terms of volleyball but also in their academics. and i mean all four of them, not just iwa! every! single! one!

each of them has a particular subject they excel in and they essentially, you know . share the brain cells . but in a smart way

(don’t get me wrong, they’re school smart and volleyball smart, but they lack logic and any semblance of regret. it leads to chaos and way too many detentions.)

tooru adores literature and history and probably spends his spare time reciting dramatic monologues in his mirror. also can and will talk your ear off about the different literary movements and how they reflect events in history. wears his glasses so he can pretend to be an expert, chatting away about his field of work fucking nerd lmao

mattsun is a chemistry and physics whizz but for the life of him cannot understand biology because “tHERE’S TOO MANY BODY PARTS I DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUTTTT”

he’s just lucky that hanamaki is an ace at bio and could probably memorise an anatomy chart with just one look :o

speaking of makki, their second best subject is defo art and art history! something about them just screams knowledgeable about painting techniques okay, like you’re telling me this lil baby wouldn't be walking around an art gallery spouting out random facts about artists??? because if so, you’re wrong ;)

it’s shocking when you first get to know them but later on it kinda just . makes sense

and then iwa! iwa has the seijoh 4 covered on the maths and languages part (okay but just imagine him picking up different languages easily??? hot. oiks is jealous, especially when haji sounds more fluent than him in spanish post timeskip haha

they regularly have study dates .

tooru loves making it aesthetic

seriously, you’d think he had a fairy light addiction or smthn

it usually ends with them getting distracted and having debates about things completely off topic

“tHE MIDDLE OF JAFFA CAKES IS NOT MARMALADE YOU H E A T H E N WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!?!?!???”

“WHAT IS IT THEN . HUH WHAT IS IWA-CHAN????? SINCE YOU’RE SUCH AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD—”

“ORANGE . JELLY . WHAT ELSE WOULD IT BE!?”

“ITS NOT JELLY DUMBASS, JELLY WIGGLES! DOES THE MIDDLE OF A JAFFA CAKE WIGGLE???? NO, NO THE FUCK IT DOESN—”

“i thought it was lemon flavoured?”

“.......” “what!?”

“m-makki, bane of my existence and object of all my desires, my soulmate, the love of my life, definitely in that order—”

“ORANGE HIRO???? THE MIDDLE IS LITERALLY THE COLOUR ORANGE????”

“but....but you cant see the middle? so why the fuck would i—why are you looking at me like that!?”

“YOU EAT IT ALL IN ONE???”

“YOU DON'T!?”

“I PEEL THE CHOCOLATE OFF, EAT THE CAKE BIT AND THEN EAT THE MIDDLE LIKE ANY SANE PERSON WTF”

and so another debate begins can u tell i’ve had this exact debate with my friends

on a completely unrelated note because i can’t concentrate for the life of me

seijoh 4 going thrifting!!!! getting boba!!!!! and sushi!!!!! and just enjoying themselves because they’re precious and deserve it :(

iwa dragging the other three around the vintage clothing shops to look at the cool sweatshirts they have

mattsun having a little collection of thrifted trinkets (his fav is a tiny porcelain elephant that oikawa picked out! he has it on his window sill! if anyone breaks it he will cry!)

TOORU IS THE TYPE TO BUY THINGS THAT REMIND HIM OF HIS FRIENDS AND RANDOMLY GIVE THEM GIFTS!!!!!!!

makki always manages to get the best jewelry at thrift shops, they’re like a magpie they see smthn shiny and.....oh...yeah, you’ve lost them

iwa: hey hiro, what d’ya think about this vase?

makki: *sees a sparkly ring*

iwa: didn’t your mum say she wanted—

makki: *fuckin naruto runs their ass over to the shiny stuff*

iwa:.......or not

mattsun wears crop tops you can’t change my mind

his style is very masc, lots of leather, silver accessories and dark colour pallets so he tends to go with a nice white or cream coloured tank top that shows of his lil tummy :)

issei bellybutton piercing petition???

the others have to beg him to wear y’know. actual colours every now and again

other than the just passing bi top (and the vb kit obvs) he really sticks to black, white and grey

hanamaki also sticks fast to their aesthetic ;) which is really just the colour brown LMAO

likes soft materials! big knit jumpers and looser jeans are also definitely a staple, probably coupled with gold jewelry (i think it would look pretty with their hair akahwbw)

has these really beaten up grey white converse that they refuse to let go of until they literally have like 5 holes in them and the other three buy them a new pair for their birthday

OMG SPEAKIMG OF SHOES

ONE TIME OIKAWA WAS FUCKING AROUKD WITH THE ZIPPER ON HAJIME’S DOCS AND IT KABWHW FUCKING BROKE

LIKE THEYBWERE ON A TRAIN AND HE DEADASS BROKE HIS SHOE

IWA WENT THROUGH ALL THE STAGES OF GRIEF

OIKAWA WAS DESPERATELY TRYIGN TO YOUTUBE QUICK FIXES

MEANWHILE HIRO AND ISSEI ARE BUSTING THEIR LUNGS IN THE BACKGROUND BECAUSE HOW IS IWA GONNA WALK AROUND TOKYO WITH ONLY ONE FUNCTIONING SHOE

poor iwaizumi

he got his shoe fixed

.......2 months later

BUT tooru payed financially and physically and that’s the main thing

yes so iwa swings between aesthetics tbh, he’s a it just depends on the day type of guy

usually dons casual clothes though if they’re not going out, big shirts and loose sweats or gym shorts are his thing

he has mattsun’s hoodie from nearly 2 years ago and refuses to give it back

coincidentally, the only time mattsun wants to wear the hoodie is when iwa has it on

true best friend behaviour

honestly with oikawa i’d say he’s pretty casual too! practically loves in his seijoh jersey (wanna bet that he doesn’t wash it all too often?)

he likes the preppy style too, especially with his glasses and all </3

nerdy tooru with his little glasses, studying his pretty head off has my fucking HEART LIKE GODDAMN IT THIS BOY IS SO CUTE

they’re all just babies i love them :3

makki painting their nails!! even better, oikawa painting makki’s nails!! since he has the steadiest hands and all!!

“ohhh makki what colour are you going for today?”

“hm, they’re going for red—”

“oOPS—SORRY HIRO, GOTTA GO, ASK ISSEI TO FINISH YOUR LEFT HAND FOR YOU—AHHHHHHHHH NOT MY NOSE—”

“rED LIKE THE COLOUR OF YOUR BLOOD ON MY FIST SHITTYKAWA!!!!! HOW DARE YOU SEND MADOG MY BABY PICTURES!!!!!”

one day . their homeroom teacher wants one normal day .

they initially were in different homerooms, but after discovering that it’s literally impossible to keep them apart, even if you put them on different sides of the school, their teachers quickly signed their transfer slips

i’d say one factor for that was when matsukawa suddenly popped up behind tooru 45 minutes into the class

no one knows how he got there

or why he was there

not even tooru

but they did know what happened next

cheeto dust . cheeto dust flew

EVERYWHERE

that's right dear readers, this 6 ft something, muscle man at the age of 18 IS FUCKING INCAPABLE OF OPENING A BAG OF CRISPS PROPERLY

OIKAWA PRETENDED NOT TO KNOW HIM LMAOOOO

(and issei sulked because of it. he had to be bought boba just so he would stop whining about how mean everyone is.)

((what i mean by that is, hanamaki all but shoved the drink down his throat to shut him up))

oh they have cuddle nights :o

usually they're round iwa’s house, because he has two spare blow up beds!! they just push them together and try and squeeze in together

it never works

never

and it's always poor tooru that suffers haha

he always gets put on the edge because he’s the best at dealing with horror movies (why they insist on have scary movie marathons despite being C O W A R D S is besides me) which means he has to balance himself on the corner of the futon because eVERYONE ELSE TAKES UP SM ROOM

makki (the resident wimp) always claims iwa as a cuddle partner aka has hajime as a sacrifice if the occasion calls for it and curls into his chest like a lil b a b ie but they both still take up quite a lot of room, being tall ass vb players and all

(hiro drools on iwa’s godzilla shirt every time. and gets smacked every time. they claim its worth it though)

and mattsun is just inconvenient with his long limbs and stUPID HABIT OF SLEEPING IN A STARFISH POSITION

HE ALWAYS WACKS OIKS IN THE FACE

#ENDTHECAPTAIN'SSUFFERING

their parents defo have multiple pictures of said cuddle sessions because they’re never above teasing their lil babies <33 “you may be eighteen, but you’ll always be our little cuties!”

omg i bet issei is a really good baker :o

imagine him with a frilly apron ugh that's so sexy of him tbh

he definitely presses flowers too :) OH IF HE GOES ON A DATE AND THEY GIVE HIM FLOWERS HE PRESSES THE PETALS AND KEEPS THEM IN THE BACK OF HIS PHONE CASE OR SMTHN :((

speaking of phone cases, iwaizumi definitely has to have one of those military grade protection cases because he drops his phone so much

takahiro has one covered in random stickers and doddles they drew on with permanent marker

tooru has a clear one with a polaroid of all of them together ++ his id card behind it because you never know when you’ll need it

he also has one of those beaded phone chains that mattsun gave him for his birthday :)

really they all just treasure the gifts they get each other akajwhw

they’re so cute <333

i love them, they love each other, i better stop with these hcs or i’ll go on forever aAA

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #oikawa tooru #iwaizumi hajime #matsukawa issei #hanamaki takahiro #haikyuu headcanons #oikawa headcanons #iwaizumi headcanons #matsukawa headcanons #hanamaki headcanons #oikawa hcs #iwaizumi hcs #hanamaki hcs #matsukawa hcs

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vermillioncrown · 2 years

Note

do you know who else likes horoscopes and astrology? teenage girls. it’s my very strong held belief that the girls on shinchan’s class adore him. maybe in the first week the girls sat in front if him were gossiping with each other about boys, and one of them was complaining and the other scoffs “god, i bet he’s a libra” and shinchan snorts. thus quickly making it know to the entire freshman grade girls that shinchan is without a doubt the expert on the subject. they be making star charts and calculating couple odds, planning perfect days for outings etc etc. the girl next class who plays tarot and shinchan have a Reputation, they’re revered guides and advisers. one bad word out of shinchan’s mouth will tank any boy’s chance at getting dates (not only bc of the horoscope thing but bc actually shinchan is a very sweet weirdo who has a strong moral code). between shinchan’s army of devoted girls and his biceps, and later on takao, the boys of his class maintain a very health respect for him. and that’s wo even considering his basketball mythos.

i like the vibes of most of this, but i think there's more of a western, irreverent treatment of horoscopes + superstition going on in your depiction anon.

bc i'm diaspora chinese, i can't speak for japanese culture. but it's been kinda agreed amongst a lot of my asian friends (huge demographic where i grew up) that we're all culturally superstitious.

it wouldn't be a "ugh i bet he's a libra" type remark. the girls would be worried, full discussion "idk if B-kun is compatible... he's been blah blah blah..." and her friend might pull up the latest magazine and say "what was he, again? libra? we should consult. get his blood type, too?"

and our weirdo shin-chan wouldn't be able to help but "hmph. a libra with AB-blood type is highly untrustworthy. this will not end well for you" (it's also a thing to ascribe blood typing with personality typing, too)

first girl starts whimpering and is about to burst into tears, the other girls glare at shin-chan for being so tactless

but it plays out as he says. turns out, 'B-kun' was double-dipping girls from different schools.

the reputation evolves. if you can brave the cold tsun-tsun front that is shintaro midorima's everything (having takao around to shit on him helps), catch him on a good day, he will be willing to disseminate your horoscope concerns. but this is a guy who is not direct when it comes to helping people, believes in people needing to do their best to get the best payout (so if it feels like people are using him as lazy google rather than as a genuine in-depth resource he's not helping).

he shares an unspoken mutual respect with tarot-chan in the next class over.

eh he might see the type of things that the girls are devoted to (re: dating and love) as a bit frivolous, but he'll acknowledge the ones that are putting their full effort into success. there's understanding that develops.

he's like the class pet lmao.

after seeing him go through death without his lucky items and takao's very real fear that the shin-chan event horizon could also threaten his life, there is a very healthy respect for everything shintaro midorima. leave him to his own happenings. he's the class cryptid. the teachers might scold him but his classmates just deal with it. the boys start jokingly (but not really,, but what if...?) asking for shin-chan's blessings on things

"i am not a priest nanodayo" >:(

they have to rearrange the class display for the school festival because shin-chan got bad vibes lol

oh yeah, the boys are more secretive about it but they also ask for his consultations on dating compatibility - this one is even funnier bc takao basically sharks them for a consultations. and uses the money to buy the two of them snacks

#inquiry #Anonymous #on bil #i want to say he's like a beloved weirdo in his class and school #a Character #everyone knows of him #i honestly cannot wait to be done with touou and write more shin-chan encounters #si!kagami and shin-chan get along and it's a weird duo #it helps that shin-chan has never been the same type of casually cruel that the other GoM members were #are*

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onigiri-dorkk · 1 year

Text

Thanks all so far for enjoying the oneshot 🥹 I’ve been sad that I haven’t been able to publish things regularly lately so it felt fulfilling again to finally share something again!!

I had a lot of fun with 104th’s Top Cadet — I tested something where I intentionally backed off of descriptions/scenery, doing less than I typically end up doing, and instead spent more time building dialogue which was really enjoyable for me. In hindsight I always felt like dialogue scenes in, for example, Microcosmos could have been built even more so I’ve been challenging myself lately in all my WIPs to get used to giving dialogue and conversations a little more time and care (without going overboard).

I find when I read long fanfics, I tend to breeze through when there’s too much detail/description/etc and my eyes aim for dialogue to push through story, so that’s probably another reason. Especially in action-centered scenes, or scenes that are supposed to lead to something else!

It was even fun to study things like canon dialogue between Levi and Erwin, or Erwin to soldiers to get things right. For Mikasa, I tend to write her a bit more lively and expressive and sweet (bc that’s how I envision she grows to be tbh) but sticking to her stoic and fierce personality was good — especially for this timeframe when she doesn’t know Levi yet and doesn’t trust him.

A lot of why I ship them is built around S3 and onwards, post-war especially, because of the mutual quiet respect and admiration they have for each other, and I’ve gotten used to reading and writing that type of dynamic. So it’s fun and almost exciting to go back to the beginning where Levi is absolutely annoyed with her, and Mikasa sees him the same 🤣 It’s so different than what they became! But I love it because it emphasizes how much they HAVE grown. I think I wrote this recently but Mikasa’s relationship with Levi is her most transformed relationship amongst anyone else in the series.

With Eren, it’s kinda just… the same. Their moments we see in Marley S4 are exactly the same as S1 episode 1/when they’re children in Shiganshina. There’s no built trust. There’s no build of romance, even. After the “I’ll wrap that scarf around you as many times as you want, now and forever” moment, their dynamic still didn’t change. (I started writing more about this but deleted it bc this isn’t supposed to be an analysis post LMAO)

Anyway, all that to say 🤣 I tried to venture off and do something new outside of fluff or smut I usually write for one-shots! Hope you enjoyed the action, completely staying in Levi POV, dialogue, staying more in character, etc. i have so many more WIPs I hoped to publish before Japan but it’ll likely have to wait 😩 Will def be doing some brainstorming on the planes to make it easier to start writing again when I get back hehee

#onigiriwrites #personal

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stackthedeck · 2 years

Note

mattfoggy 74 and 66 please!

oh my goodness I've gotten so much mileage out of this prompt list I love y'all so much

66. “You made this for me?”

74.“It’s nice that your voice was the first thing I heard today.”

Sorry, this took a hot second lmao but I hope this fluff was worth the wait <3

“Good morning.”

Foggy wakes up with the sunlight and Matt wakes up with Foggy. Anything beats his alarm clock screeching the time at him. But Foggy’s voice, the way Matt can feel it deep in his chest before he hears it, the steady beating of his heart, his arms around him, his whole body enveloping him turning the bed into a furnace, even his morning breath. He could do this for the rest of his life.

“Morning,” Matt mutters back, his voice still rough with sleep. Fuck he needs coffee.

They haven’t made a habit of sleeping with each other—both in the euphemistic and literal sense of the phrase. Just when they're both interested or they’re working late at either of their apartments instead of the office or if Foggy doesn’t want to get a cab back and Matt’s apartment is in walking distance or if Foggy wants to keep Matt from putting on the suit or if they can find any reason.

But they haven’t put a label on it. Friends with benefits maybe? But the benefits aren’t just sex, it’s also cuddling and a shared law firm, frankly a shared life. Honestly, it doesn’t feel that different from college.

Matt buries his head into Foggy’s neck, trying to steal just a few extra minutes of sleep, a little bit more of Foggy’s warmth. His sheets smell like Foggy and Foggy smells like him. The merging of their two scents makes something complicated well up in Matt’s throat, makes him want their hearts to beat in sync.

Foggy kisses the top of his head. “You need a shower, man.”

“I’m alright.” Matt kisses Foggy’s neck with no real force or intention behind it as he’s still walking up, he just wants to taste him, feel him. “Wanna stay in bed a little longer.”

“Nope.” Foggy runs his hand through Matt’s hair and Matt can feel his smile pressed into his skin. “You smell like that godforsaken suit and the dumpster you crawled out of.”

So maybe sleeping together isn’t stopping Matt from putting on the suit. But it gets him back home faster.

“Didn’t hear you complain last night.”

“I don’t complain about anything at four a.m, except not sleeping.”

“You could join me.” Matt pulls back from Foggy just so that he can see him bite his lip. Even after all this time, he can still feel Foggy’s face flushing with heat, hear his heart jump.

“Tempting,” Foggy hums, but it turns into a yawn, “maybe after coffee.”

Matt wriggles closer to Foggy, squeezing him a little tighter than necessary. Foggy precedes to throw the blankets open, letting a cold gust of morning air slap against the both of them. With a groan, Matt untangles himself from Foggy.

“Fine,” he huffs, but he’s not that put out because Foggy’s laughing and he can’t be in a mood when Foggy’s laughing and here with him.

The sound of the water hitting the shower tiles drowns out all other noise, radar sense being pulled down to just Matt’s body. Morning showers are one of the few opportunities he has not to put every piece of input into his mental map. Even so, Matt still finds himself straining to hear Foggy’s heartbeat.

When Matt turns off the water, he’s hit by the smell of coffee and food—scrambled eggs with the yolks still in, bacon, fresh-cut fruit—and above it all is Foggy. He can hear Foggy humming a tune to himself as a spoon clinks against the ceramic mug.

Matt dresses and then walks into the kitchen, his radar sense quickly confirming what he already suspected. Foggy made breakfast. He really shouldn’t have, Matt’s not a breakfast kind of guy, more the type to grab a granola bar as he rushes out the door.

“What’s all this?” Matt asks. He steps closer to his tiny excuse for a dining table but doesn’t sit down. Smelling the air, he can tell that there’s cheese on the eggs and Foggy’s found the hot sauce amongst the disorder of his fridge.

“Breakfast.” Foggy presses a mug into his hand. He doesn’t have to, he could hold it out and Matt could sense it, but Matt finds himself smiling at the gesture anyways. “Or the best I could do. Did you know you only have turkey bacon? Matt, if anyone is allowed to eat real bacon, it’s you. Also, you’re out of flour, I was gonna make pancakes but—”

Matt inhales. Black coffee with two sugars, exactly how he likes it. He doesn’t remember telling Foggy how he takes it, but he must have noticed and remembered.

“You made this for me?” Matt asks, his voice so much smaller than he expected. He’s never let anyone stick around long enough for them to pick up the little details of him much less have anyone care enough to remember them.

“No, I made coffee just for myself in your apartment and then had you hold it for me,” Foggy laughs, “I don’t know if you can tell from my tone, but I’m rolling my eyes, buddy. Obviously, I made you coffee.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

It’s everything.

“Sit down and eat,” Foggy says as he pulls out the chair for Matt, guiding him to it, “I’m seriously concerned by the lack of food in your fridge.”

“I’m getting groceries tomorrow.” Matt takes a bit of the eggs. They’re a little dry, but the cheese and yolk make them rich, some things Matt would neglect if he was cooking for himself.

“Hot sauce at 12 o’clock,” Foggy says over a sip of his own coffee. Just a splash of cream, no sugar, but if they’re at a coffee shop he prefers chai lattes.

“You don’t have to do that,” Matt says as he reaches for the hot sauce.

“Force of habit.” Foggy shrugs. “Does it help or is it annoying?”

“It helps,” Matt says, “but you don’t have to, I can figure it out.”

“No trouble on my part.” Foggy reaches out to take Matt’s hand, squeezing just a little.

“Thanks for staying over,” Matt says, “and I’m sorry for leaving before we could…”

“Well, thank you for coming back in one piece.” Foggy squeezes his hand just a little tighter, like that could keep him safe.

“You could have gone back to your place,” Matt says, “not had to wait up or sleep next to dumpster smell.”

“Did you want me to?” Foggy’s heartbeat quickens and his fork scrapes against the ceramic plate. Matt winces, not sure which sound is worse.

“I’m trying to say that, I’m glad you didn’t.” Matt squeezes Foggy’s hand back. “It’s nice that your voice was the first thing I heard today.”

Foggy lifts Matt’s hand to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on his scarred knuckles. “What would you say to being…roommates again?”

“Roommates?” Matt raises his eyebrows as he tries to hold back a chuckle. “Is that all I am to you, something to keep the rent down?”

“I mean—” Foggy cuts himself off with a laugh and suddenly Matt is laughing too and their hands are clasped so tightly and the smell of perfect coffee and food mix with Foggy and it is home.

“Boyfriends,” Foggy says once he and Matt have both stopped laughing at themselves, “what I’m asking is, do you want to be dating, like officially?”

Matt takes a sip of his coffee, knowing that Foggy could make it just how he likes it every morning and that Matt could do the same for him. His sheets could smell like Foggy and Foggy could smell like him. Every morning, he’d wake to the sound of Foggy’s voice and his heart beating in his ear, so close that it’s practically in his own chest.

“I’d like that.”

#asks #fanfic #my fanfic #matt murdock #daredevil #marvel #foggy nelson #matt x foggy #mattfoggy #idk if y'all can find that prompt list under all my reblogs lmao #i'll reblog another one soon #but y'all can always send prompts or requests

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spottyissleepy · 2 years

Text

It’s literally two am but I was thinking about my rewritten tribe I’ll adjust the tags in the morning

BUT, what if, the tribe functions very similarly to how Viking houses did? They would be primarily nomadic, with a handful of main houses / bloodlines amongst them, each one said to have specific skills or magic that is especially notable within their midsts, each to make their tribe as a whole strong

So like,, the house of storms would take up the surname of Stormkin, or smth, and they would remain without a first name until they left to go on a journey of self discovery and came back with a name that fit them

The tribe considers itself as one massive family even if they’re not bound by blood relations, so inbreeding between the houses is forbidden. Instead, cats who go off on journeys will oftentimes return with kittens, OR they have this massive festival during spring where they can run off with other cats and essentially it’s just a big ol’ sex festival. Good for them

Due to this, though, adult cats are not allowed in their midst. Outsiders are more than welcome to travel with them, share their stories, and learn their ways, but because they were not raised or born into a house, they are always considered just that - an outsider

Idk if this makes Any sort of sense lemme know what y’all think I’m tired lmao

#ofnd #the tribe of rushing water #the tribe #warriors #warrior cats #warriors au #warrior cats au #warriors rewrite #warrior cats rewrite

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evanthomasvieira · 2 years

Text

So I’ve decided I’m making my own personal digital journal maybe some one out there agrees with my way of seeing things.

If not thats MORE welcomed as I’m Eager to learn NEW perspectives whither or not that perspective is 100% correct.

Im open to all topics and give my word to always speak words of wisdom and try my hardest to only uplift people and spread knowledge.

Im a leader in any community i become integrated with because I respect others word I put respect in the fact that I believe that person is telling me the truth.

I Appreciate culture Love all walks of life, I live and let live, if you are kind and peaceful than so am I.

FEAR is the biggest driver for violence

Dont allow fear to cause you to be violent society has not abandon you, not yet. If you become Evil they will.

Which leads me to why ive started this page to stop the spread of evil. And encourage the power of being a good person. So people can see how much cooler it is to be good.

I have become scared that we as humans have lost touch with what it means to be human. We make mistakes we can not keep this act of perfection up.

Topic#1 School shootings

(In a nut shell)

Schools have become breeding grounds for fears of the unknown internally by ones self and externally by violence. First lets get it straight that fears get amplified by trama amongst peers. In order for schools to be safe students need to first understand the importance of caring for each-other Mentally. The people you share the class room with are your peers. Those peers will go on to impacts MANY other life’s besides your short time with them in class…. Which in turn could come back to result in something changing amazingly in your life like a fantastic invention for example. However this trickle effect works inversely and can spiral downward if evil wins.

If you really want to kill people shoot up a jailhouse LMAO jk but “all good jokes contain true shit”. - J Cole

Stop bullying people because they’re different TO YOU everyone is different thats what makes us so amazing and why everyone has certain things about them that are so wonderful.

Stop shunning people. Speak your mind politely so that others know why they’ve been shunned and give them opportunity to improve or improve your own out look / assumption.

Include everyone

Teach them good from evil

Let them be themselves while showing them ways they can grow or where they may-be weak if they agree offer help do not damage that weakness further.

Do not assume everyone you meet has had the same lifestyle as you.

Maybe someday someone will kindly fill the spaces where you are personally weak wither thats mentally or physically, spiritually or emotionally.

If we do not start recognizing our peers feelings how can we recognize our own, and if you only recognizing your own feelings than wondering why nothing is changing, well than there is your answer is right there. (Your only recognizing yourself) . Everyone is tired We all work very hard. Consider that with your peers as you would like someone to consider that with you. We will lose touch of what it feels like to be sad , angry, happy, tired, and we will no longer have baselines for how we should feel regularly. If we don’t recognize that this world is hard for ALL of us that haven’t become fully comfortable than no one will ever be comfortable.

“These are emotions, human reaction to how certain things make us feel. If you have a great day than you have great feelings. Not everyday will be great though and thats where you must learn to love yourself and continue to be pure and not evil.” - YP

Evil never wins and thats is my lesson for today

ps. Every Villain Is Lemons 😂

#spread love #kindness #wisdom #latest news #time to change #do good #stop evil

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junowritings · 3 years

Note

HELLO, DARLING 💕💕 I'm here to bust in and ask for some sweet, sweet Twst fluff! May I have some Ruggie, Azul, and Deuce reacting to thier fem!s/o protecting them in a fight?? Maybe some dude trying to swing at them and their gf gets in the way and protects them! Pls give me the good, much love and you're amazing 💕💕💕💖💖💖

First request! Thank you so much honey I am always happy to provide some peak content~! I had way too much fun with this and it shows lmao but I hope you enjoy~! 💖 💖 💖

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Ruggie

♡ Ruggie’s used to stepping on a few toes and tails with his antics - he’s a little trickster at heart but it’s all in good fun, he swears! It’s just unfortunate circumstances that perhaps one or two people sometimes get caught in the crossfire of his schemes, never anything too serious, but enough to leave more than a few people grumbling about it by the time things actually get sorted back out. Rarely do things ever actually spiral out of Ruggie’s control, and even if they do, chances are no one stays too mad at him for too long...most of the time. The times they do? They tend to get a bit out of hand.

♡ When a group of students attempt to corner him on the way back to the Savanaclaw dorm, he isn’t even sure what’s got them so heated - they start cussing him out, ranting about how he must think he’s such a wise guy, getting so cocky and not knowing his place. He’s not phased by what they say at all, if anything he’s not fussed in the slightest and would probably make a comment about them coming up with something more original if he could get a word in their bickering. It gets tiring real fast, and Ruggie’s looking for an out before these guys have even finished talking.

♡ Sure, he could use his unique magic in this situation, but given that it would only affect one of them and more than likely piss them off even more in the process, it wouldn’t do much to save his hide right now. Three against one hardly seems like a hard fight, but if Ruggie is even remotely concerned about the odds it doesn’t show for a second, instead - chances are, they’re just gonna yell it out of their system and then storm off so he can go back to what he was doing. Arguably, that just makes them angrier, and soon enough their heated bickering becomes thinly veiled threats, as though they’re trying to rile him up into instigating something - they want a reaction, an excuse to justify starting a fight, but Ruggie’s not naive enough to fall for that trick.

♡ When he doesn’t, one of the students finally snaps, lunging forward and snagging the collar of Ruggie’s uniform, bunching it up until he can feel knuckles pressed against his throat and he has to tilt his head up to avoid the fist curling underneath his chin. As the other hand rears back, the laid-back smile on his face becomes strained, and Ruggie squares the guy with a pointed stare as though waiting to call their bluff on actually taking a swing. He doesn’t get the chance to find out, as in the next moment the hand’s gone from his collar and Ruggie finds himself looking at the back of a blazer as a new voice joins the scene - one that he recognizes.

♡ He can’t see your face from this angle, but he can hear the hostility in your voice as you square up to the three boys, standing to your full height as you curse them out and order them to back up, asking what the hell they thought they were doing to your boyfriend. And just like that, those three hotheads dissolve into cowering pups right before his eyes, all bumbling words and awkward shifting as they try to talk their way out of the situation they’d been caught red handed in. They’re doing a poor job of it, and you’re clearly not buying it as you fold your arms and fix them with a scowl, taking a step forward as you move to completely shield Ruggie from their view.

♡ Ruggie can count the amount of times someone has actively gone out of their way to protect him on one hand, so the situation is as bizarre as it is entertaining. He feels a smug kind of pride at hearing you declare the word ‘boyfriend’, and hearing the anger in your voice is enough to convince him that it’s for the best to let you handle this whole thing. Still, Ruggie just can’t help but peek over your shoulder as you tear those guys a new one, shooting them a shit eating grin and enjoying the way that their expressions twist into grimaces, pissed but unable to do anything less they risk even more of your rage.

♡ All you have to hear is one of them mention ‘putting him in his place’ for your expression to visibly darken, and all three of them know that they’ve messed up at the sight of your face. You barely even have to feign lunging at them to get all three of them to bolt, just about toppling over each other as they flee down the corridor and round the corner, effectively vanishing from your sight. Even then you wait a beat, listening out for their footsteps until you can’t hear them anymore before you allow the tension to fall from your shoulders. Ruggie thinks that’s the perfect time to chime in, resting his head on the shoulder he was peeking over as he snickers.

♡ “Shishishi~! Did you see the way they ran? Talk about spooked!”

♡ You find yourself chuckling along with him as you look at him out of the corner of your eye, watching his expression carefully before you shift around to fully face him. The first words out of your mouth are words of concern, asking him if he’s okay and if they hurt him in any way. He’s quick to brush off any of your worries, giving you a non-committal shrug and assuring you that he’s fine - he’s dealt with way worse confrontations before, so it’s not skin off his hide now that they’ve scampered off.

♡ You’re not entirely convinced, he can see it in your face as you regard him - you seem to want to press the question on those ‘worse confrontations’, but after a moment you seem to drop it. Instead, you reach out and attempt to straighten out his collar and tie, though both are still a wrinkled mess by the time you’re finished; even so, Ruggie seems to appreciate the sentiment, and that lax grin from before is back as he slides out of your grip. He’s still gotta get back to the dorm, but it wouldn’t hurt to have company on the way back, if his new ‘bodyguard’ wants to tag along~

Azul

♡ Azul’s no stranger to people’s ire - he’s gained more than a few enemies over time, having his fair share of scorned patrons cursing his name before he’d even enrolled at Night Raven college. He’s learned quickly to gauge whether someone’s just blowing off steam or if they’re a serious threat, and he learned even quicker how to deal with those situations accordingly; after all, it’s bad business if you’re busy being hounded by clients looking for a bone to pick. He’s got countermeasures in play, and a few backup plans if things become too dicey for his liking, but he’s fortunately rarely had to use them barring one or two troublesome incidents thanks to the Leech twins.

♡ Floyd and Jade have, of course, been a big help in handling these little confrontations whenever they arise, having nipped most of them in the bud before they’ve even had the chance to darken the doors of the Monstro Lounge, so there’s been a relative peace in the place when people are there to have a good time rather than try and start fights.

♡ Things come to a head when someone actually manages to slip through into the Monstro Lounge, and Azul comes out of his office to the sound of someone shouting his name in a tone that sets the precedent that this is not going to be a peaceful interaction. He sees their face before they even turn to face him - expression twisted up in anger and hands balled at their side as they glare daggers at the other patrons, as if trying to discern if the dorm leader is sitting amongst them. Azul recognizes them immediately, and, upon realizing that the twins aren’t present in the lounge, rationalizes that it’s up to him to smooth things over before they end up disturbing the other patrons and causing too much of a disturbance. And so he plasters on his most neutral, unassuming smile, and greets the new ‘client’, watching them whip around to face him as he steps forward to talk to them.

♡ Azul already knows what they want to talk about - of course he does - he’s learned to keep track of every face that passes through those doors and his interactions with them. And yet he allows them to talk, and get what they want off of their chest; talking to them like this isn’t going to get them anywhere, and it appears they’re more in the mood for yelling than they are for actually talking. So he allows them to rant, if only to calm them down enough until he deems them rational enough to listen to what he has to say; and after a moment this seems to actually have done the trick, as the yelling soon quiets down in frustrated grumbling, and the eyes once drawn to the scene from nearby tables begin to return back to what had previously caught their attention. That’s when Azul finally speaks, extending an offer to finish this conversation back inside his office - after all, he’s sure they didn’t come here simply to make a scene when there’s a peaceful resolution to be reached, right?

♡ It’s with that thought in mind that leads Azul to a momentary slip in judgement - turning his back on the troublesome patron and begins to walk back towards his office, expecting them to follow him. Which they do, with a raised fist. He doesn’t hear them storm after him, but what he does hear is the gasps from onlookers as they watch the person in question rear back their hand, fist aiming right for the back of his head. It should have connected - afterall, they were close enough to have landed the hit, but it never comes.

♡ Instead, a sharp shove at his back has Azul’s stumbling, and not a moment later, he’s spinning around to see what’s going on and finds an unexpected sight. The patron’s sprawled out on the floor, cradling their face in both hands and swearing up a storm as they rock back and forth, nursing what looks like a solid hit to the nose. And towering over them is none other than you, blazer discarded and sleeves rolled up to the elbows as you shake off the hit from your hands, winding up your shoulders as you stare daggers down at his would-be attacker. It doesn’t take a genius to discern what’s just happened in the span of just a few moments, but Azul’s suspicions are all but confirmed when you snap at them to just try and punch him again - watch what happens, you dare them.

♡ Anger flashes across the patron’s face, and for a second Azul truly believes that he’s about to watch a brawl break out between this troublemaker and his girlfriend as both make a move to jump the other. Thankfully for all involved, they don’t get the chance to see that show, as not a moment too soon the twins are there to intervene and split it up before any real fight begins. Jade’s hands are on your shoulder, guiding you back gently but firm enough to ensure that he can pull you away from this fight if you try to push the issue; you reluctantly follow him as he backtracks over to where Azul is standing, still grumbling about it under your breath. Floyd, on the other hand, is all too eager to take care of the one still cradling their face, sporting the beginnings of a bloody nose as they’re hoisted up onto their feet and promptly directed to the nearest exit.

♡ Azul makes a note to deal with that person later - though he’s got a sneaking suspicion that the twins are already well on their way to taking care of that in his stead as Jade leaves to rejoin his brother once you’re standing face to face with their dorm leader. For now, he turns his attention to you, watching you huff and rub idly at the hand you’d punched with as the beginnings of an apology tumble from your lips.

♡ You didn’t mean to get involved and cause so much of a scene, but when he’d turned away and you saw the person rearing back to sock him, you were up from your table and swinging without a second thought. You couldn’t just sit there and let him get hurt, what kind of girlfriend would that make you if you did! You’d never let him get hurt as long as you were around - that was okay...right?

♡ The passion behind your voice is enough to convince him that you mean every word, and you can see his expression soften a little as he takes your hand into his own, thumb brushing over the scuffed skin of your knuckles, red marks becoming visible as a testament to the force behind your punch. Your expression twitches with a flash of discomfort - looks like you’d underestimated the force on your hand; Azul’s not surprised, going above and beyond was a penchant of yours that had gotten you this far, and perhaps what had led to you worming your way into his heart in the first place.

♡ At your expression, Azul gives your hand a pat before taking a step back, using the hold to guide you. He certainly doesn’t mind the protective streak - in fact it’s a rather endearing trait, one that deserves proper compensation in return. But the first order of business is getting that hand tended to, and Azul makes that his priority as he leads them to follow him to his office, pleased when you fall into step with him and follow his lead.

Deuce

♡ Honestly, with how much of a protector can be over his friends, Deuce is in desperate need of someone just as willing to square up for him. He takes their safety seriously, even though part of him knows that realistically they can all take care of themselves just fine if anything actually happened. That still doesn’t stop him from wanting to step in whenever things get dicey, especially whenever it comes to you or your friends, and that either becomes a sweet sentiment, or the bane of your existence depending on how many altercations this ends up dragging him into.

♡ Maybe it's because of this that a fight was bound to break out sooner or later, but for what it’s worth, this one wasn’t actually caused because of him - it was because of Grim. That feline had a habit of breaching people’s boundaries, and sure enough it was just a matter of time before things escalated into a fight before anyone even had a chance to figure out what had even happened. Deuce wasn’t around when it happened, but the sound of yelling had caught his attention and led to him looking into the passing hallway trying to figure out what was going on. He recognized some of the voices, he swears it, and sure enough he finds the owner of those voices right in the center of the hallway, a small circle of people getting into each other's faces.

♡ Both sides are yelling, and at the sight of Ace and Grim smack-dab in the middle of the bickering, Deuce finds himself getting in-between them if only to get the one guy waving his hands around away from his friends before someone got slapped. Almost immediately there’s a hand in his face, an accusatory finger jabbed in his direction as all that anger at his friends is now squared directly on him. Deuce feels himself getting angry the more this guy screams into his face, cutting him off every time Deuce tries to get a word in; it’s clear that he’s not going to get any answers from this guy any time soon, so he calls to his friends behind him, ignoring the shout of ‘Hey, don’t ignore me!’ directed at him as he does so.

♡ Deuce looks away for a second, talking to Ace over his shoulder to try and find out what started this whole thing in the first place, when he feels someone grab a fistful of hair and yanks. Pain blossoms through his scalp and he hisses, a hand flying up to snag the wrist of the guy and wrenching it forward, digging his fingers in to force him to let go only for the hand to grip tighter. There’s another sharp tug, and Deuce can see Ace and Grim diving forward to help him from the corner of his eye, their shouts of protest only seeming to anger the guy more as they round in on him.

♡ But someone else gets there first, and just like that the hand is being wrenched from Deuce’s hair and he hears something go sliding across the floor. Turns out it’s the guy, whose expression is a mix of anger and bafflement as he tries desperately to reach for something behind him - no, someone. There’s a hand wound into the back of the guy’s blazer, hoisted up enough that he has to arch to go along with the item of clothing. The guy tries to reach behind him, but every time another hand peeks out from behind him to swat it away with ease, eliciting frustrated whines when the guy realizes he’s stuck.

♡ Deuce’s face must be priceless as he takes in the scene, watching a familiar head duck out from around the guys shoulder and flash him a grin, giving him a thumbs up. He hadn’t even seen you in the crowd, did you jump in when you saw him getting hurt? A part of him feels bad that you’d seen it happen in the first place, but that’s soon quashed when you turn your focus back to the guy who’d swung, who by this point had lost the gumption to keep swinging and was now just waiting for you to release your grip.

♡ You give it a few more seconds for good measure, before you allow your hold to loosen and you step away, still giving the guy a cautious glance as you move to stand in front of Deuce, Ace and Grim in a protective stance. There’s a beat of tenseness, waiting to see if the fight is going to start back up again, but when the group starts backtracking, retreating to who knows where else, it’s clear that at least for now things have been resolved. And with that out of the way, you turn your attention back to the boys, sticking Grim a pointed stare as you huff out that you’re talking to him about this later.

♡ Then you turn your focus over to Deuce, and he immediately straightens up under your attention waiting for some kind of comment about the confrontation, or maybe a warning for him to be more careful. You take his face into your hands, and though confused, he follows along with your movements as you urge him to look down; he doesn’t know what you’re doing until he feels a hand smooth through his hair, easing the tousled hair back into place as you ask him if it still stings. Your tone is soft, and Deuce finds himself flushing as he hurriedly reassures you that it doesn’t hurt - it’s fine, really! You’re not entirely swayed, but the moment is broken when you hear Grim make a gagging noise telling you to stop being so weird. And just like that your attention is back onto Grim again, fully prepared to choke him with that damn bow as Deuce straightens back up, carding a hand through his hair and trying to will away the pink flush beginning to rise to his cheeks.

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future-trigger · 2 years

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i've been curious about world trigger for a while but i suck at finding stuff that makes me want to watch it without completely spoiling myself so uh. mind hyping it up for me?

OH BOY YOU GOT IT ANON

I think the biggest thing that sets it apart from other similar-ish shounen series is the fact that the fight sequences rely HEAVILY on strategy and power balance, rather than characters randomly exploding with brand new OP abilities and calling on the “power of friendship” or whatever. The battles are incredibly well thought-out and far more interesting due to the intricate nature of every little thing that plays a part in them.

The power system is also incredibly interesting and well-balanced. It’s not over-complicated and everything is explained in ways that make it very easy to understand. It’s a fascinating system that allows for characters to be innovative and creative with how they use it. Basically, everyone’s using the same powers/weapons, and yet everyone uses them differently in ways that suit their own personal fighting styles. The amount of variations utilized is honestly insane and it keeps the battles more interesting and unpredictable. One of my personal favorite parts of how the power system works is that characters fight in what are known as “combat bodies” constructed of a biological substance known as Trion (the force that the entire system is based on). Their physical bodies are very rarely in actual danger. But because they use these combat bodies, they are CONSTANTLY having limbs cut off all over the place, and this plays a huge part in how battles are fought. Losing limbs is just part of how the system works and characters are forced to improvise and figure out how to keep fighting while missing a leg or an arm or a foot. And even though they’re not actually fighting in their physical bodies, that doesn’t make the battles any less intense. The fact that these combat bodies can get torn up lends to some seriously cool visuals, and there are still some pretty brutal kills. I think it’s really unique and it’s also just a lot of fun to see limbs flying all over the place lmao

Characters aren’t constantly leveling up either, it’s all a very gradual and grueling process. If a character starts with a low power output/weak fighting ability, they’re not going to suddenly be overcome with a hidden power and be able to take on enemies that far outmatch them. They will lose, and it will hurt, and they will learn from it. And then they might lose again! You never know! Some characters are just naturally weak, and what’s fascinating about it is that they FIND ways to not exactly become stronger, but become more useful in supporting roles for their stronger comrades.

The series boasts a HUGE cast of characters, but manages to juggle them all very well and each and every one of them is humanized to such intricate degrees. We have our small group of main protagonists backed up by a whole sea of side characters that are each treated just as carefully, and the relationships shared amongst them all are so fun! Everyone is in their own respective teams/squads that go head-to-head in ranking tournaments, but they’re all friends and hang out with each other outside of their teams. It’s an impressively well-kept harmony. There’s also close to none if ANY ridiculous fan service with the female characters. They’re treated and drawn with respect, and they’re all sexy badasses without running around in skimpy clothing. It’s honestly such a HUGE breath of fresh air.

Our main characters are all written very well and it’s an absolute joy moving through the story with them and seeing their growth. A lot of people complain about how weak Osamu is, but that’s kind of the whole point? Osamu’s entire character arc has to do with what it takes to be a leader, and that you don’t necessarily have to be stupid strong or powerful to be a great one. He’s learning where his personal strengths lie, and the gradual progress he makes is what makes the payoffs so much more meaningful and epic. Chika is the same; over time, she kept making small steps towards overcoming her trauma and figuring out what exactly was holding her back. Yuma has a fascinating background and his entire situation serves to give the series more of a “time crunch” sort of intensity. His relationship with Osamu is so personal and crucial to the growth of both of their characters. Jin... well, I could go on and on about Jin lol but the short and sweet version of it is that he is incredibly intriguing. To this day, we still know hardly anything about his past except that he’s dealt with plenty of tragedy, but he uses that tragedy to better help those around him. He is the one character that I legitimately cannot wait to learn more about and see put in more varying situations where he isn’t necessarily in control anymore and his character is actually challenged.

Speaking of pasts, there’s an absolutely riveting backstory shadowing the entire plot that we also have just begun peeling the layers back from. The past of Border is cloaked in mystery and intrigue, and it directly impacts the current state of things and the relationships between certain characters and it’s all incredibly fascinating. The inner politics and power struggles within the organization just give everything more depth and makes the story more invigorating.

The antagonists are also really well-written and fleshed out, and they don’t feel strictly “evil” or anything. They’re also dealing with their own political struggles, and they’re not invading/attacking because they’re “bad guys” who want to destroy the world. There’s so much more to it than that. Everything about the Neighborhood and its state of being is compelling af. Honestly, the overall plot of the series is SO cool and unique and well-written, and the fact that Ashihara (the mangaka) has had the entire story planned from the beginning gives me hope that there won’t be any last second asspulls that so many of these series struggle with. I have complete faith in Ashihara and his writing ability.

I’ll end this by saying that the anime can be VERY hard to stomach... Toei did the manga SO DIRTY with the first season, it’s really no wonder so many people were turned off before they could really get into the meat of the story. It’s not totally unwatchable, but the production quality is pretty atrocious so personally I always recommend reading the manga, and then watching seasons 2 and 3 of the anime because Toei upped the quality in every way imaginable and they’re actually worth watching (they’re so good, I still cry about it).

ANYWAY this got reeeeeeeeally long and I’m sure I left some stuff out but there’s honestly just SO MUCH to praise about this series and it is a literal CRIME how underrated and slept on it is. If the anime had just been handled better from the beginning, I have absolutely no doubt that it would have garnered a bigger Western following, but like I said, Toei did it so dirty back at the start. But it’s still absolutely worth checking out!! And come back and tell me what you think~ ;)

#world trigger #anon #ask #tay talks #guys I kinda went HAM #you asked for this anon #I didn't want to put this under a read more #because I want people to actually be tempted to read it lmao #sorry not sorry

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prettyboybarzal · 4 years

Text

lessons in romance // nate mackinnon x reader

summary: nate mackinnon is really bad at keeping a steady girlfriend. so bad that’s become somewhat of a joke between him and the boys. but you come along and try to set him straight.

word count: 14k+

author’s note: it’s finally here. i’m honestly surprised at how fast i cranked this out... which is actually a LOT longer than most people write on here so mayb i shouldn’t brag lmao! this fic was inspired by THIS gifset. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE give me feedback/reblog!!!!!!

warnings: smut (i jumped out of my comfort zone people. i finally wrote some lmfao) & mentions of a past toxic ex

Weekends were better spent in bed or visiting family, not sitting in a crowded bar with men who reminded you slightly of your ex-boyfriend. You were probably overreacting a little bit because the guys truly meant well, but their overly boy-ish energy was startlingly similar to that of your ex. Maybe a few more drinks would help the cause and you could get passed the sex jokes.

Mel Landeskog was the reason you were there. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, much like her husband, and so you were sitting across the booth from some of the largest men you’d ever seen in your life. Gabe gave you the rundown of their names as they arrived though the only one you could remember was Cale. He was a perpetually blushing 21-year-old named after a vegetable; how could you forget him?

“Do you think Nate’s upset about this one?” Cale asked. The new topic of conversation was their friends’ disastrous date since he texted to tell them he was broken up with and was on his way to them. “They were sort of serious.”

“We’re about to find out,” Gabe announced, nodding towards the entrance of the bar. Nate was on his way to the booth, tired smile on his lips. As he got closer, he started shaking his head and the table erupted in chirps at his expense.

You recognized him from earlier at the Landeskog’s pregame. He was slipping out of the front door as you stepped in. His cologne was the type the good-looking guys always wear, and you weren’t disappointed when you looked up at him. He was handsome with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled to his elbows and the top three buttons undone, and when he smiled, you all but swallowed your tongue.

He began to greet his teammates. The chain around his neck caught the light of the DJ booth and you found yourself gazing at it. You tore your eyes away from the gold at the sound of Mel’s voice introducing you.

“This is my girlfriend, YN, from my Saturday morning Cycle class,” she said. “And, YN, this is my husband’s boyfriend, Nate MacKinnon.”

He threw his head back in a laugh at Mel’s joke as he extended a hand to you. “Nice to meet you.”

You listened to the quips from his teammates, each one with their own opinion about Nate’s relationship or lack thereof. It seemed like this wasn’t the first time in recent months that he’d been broken up and it had become somewhat of a spectacle to the boys. Mel, who’d seen this song and dance one too many times, wrapped her fingers around your elbow and tugged you with her towards the bar.

“What was that about?”

“Nate can’t hold down a girlfriend,” she explained. “It’s been a joke since he first came here because they almost all have the same issue with him.”

“And what is that?”

“He’s not romantic enough.”

You glanced back over your shoulder and watched the boys laughing amongst each other. It looked like they were celebrating as they lifted their beers in a sad looking toast, and it hit you right where it hurt.

You really saw your ex-boyfriend in the group now and, though you tried not to make assumptions, you found it hard to set the first impression aside. The liquor in your system didn’t help. With each joke about his dating misadventures, you became less of a fan of him and by the end of the night you were bubbling over in annoyance.

Gabe and Mel offered Nate a ride home towards the end of the night and you managed to keep your expression neutral when he accepted. As they headed out to grab the car, you and Nate waited at the curb several feet away from each other.

“I’m sorry about your break up,” you offered after a moment of silence. The statement came out more like a question and Nate’s lips quirked up into a smirk at the inflection of your voice. “Sorry, I just can’t tell if you’re upset or not, so I don’t know if I should even offer my condolences.”

“I’m, uh, I’m not upset,” he began. “I saw it coming.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say this isn’t the first time a girl’s broken up with me for not being romantic enough,” he said. Thoughts were filling your head faster than you could make sense of them. There was no reason for the situation to annoy you as much as it did. You didn’t know this guy and the odds that you ever saw him again were slim.

“So, if it’s not the first time, why hasn’t anything changed?”

“Excuse me?” he asked. There was a crease between his eyebrows. He hadn’t been expecting you to respond like that. You shouldn’t have. It wasn’t your business

“I mean, you act like a martyr when you probably would be successful in love if you just put in the romantic effort these girls are craving,” you said. Your anger had begun to boil over and words were spilling from your mouth faster than you could stop them. “Guys like you are the worst. You lead girls on and make them think they’re special. Next thing they know, they’ve been wasting time on you and your lack of effort.”

The comment made Nate take a step away from you. His eyebrows drew together in shock and confusion. As you spoke, he turned his body to you and crossed his arms over his chest. The moment you closed your mouth, he interjected. “You don’t even know me.”

“I don’t have to,” you argued, turning to him. You were in a stand-off with a man several inches taller than you, and to any passerby it probably looked a little bit funny, but you weren’t backing down. “I know guys like you. I’ve dated guys like you.”

Before Nate could continue arguing, the Landeskogs pulled up to the curb. Mel hollered out for you two and the topic of conversation was dropped.

---

You regretted everything you said to Nate the moment you woke up the morning after. It wasn’t like you to be so rude, especially not to someone you didn’t know. Your heart stopped every time Mel texted you in the days following. You thought that at any moment she’d confront you about what you said to him, but it never came. As the week carried on, you found yourself forgetting the harsh words spoken outside the bar and the worry stopped.

Until Thursday night.

The knock at your apartment door was unexpected. You met your roommate, Mara’s, narrowed eyes over the dirty dishes you were working on. By the look on both your faces, neither one of you had a guest on the way over. She turned on her heel to check the peephole and the next look she gave you was equally as confusing as the previous one. She still opened the door.

“Does YN live here?”

The voice sent shockwaves through your veins and you stopped your movements, plates held just above your head as you were about to slide them into the cabinet. Nate MacKinnon was at your apartment. Mara nodded at him slowly before stepping back to let him in.

“Hi,” he greeted. His hands were tucked into his sweatshirt pocket, legs clad in compression leggings and a pair of shorts. He looked like he’d just come from a workout and his hair was still wet from the shower he’d taken before coming over. “I hope you don’t mind. Gabe gave me your address.”

“No problem,” you told him through a shaky breath. “Come in. Come sit at the island.”

He removed his shoes and approached slowly, sending Mara one last smile as she crept off down the hall. You silently cursed her for leaving you with your shaking hands as you cleared the clutter from the countertop. You watched him as he settled into the stool across from you, mirroring the kind smile he was sharing with you.

“Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? I have food, too, if you’re hungry.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. His voice was softer now than it had been before. “I wanted to talk to you about the other night. It won’t take long.”

“Oh?” you asked, trying to ignore the way your stomach dropped. You wanted to start apologizing right then. You didn’t have a reason to go and butt into his personal life like you had. You should’ve kept your mouth shut. Guys like him didn’t care about your opinions. “I’m sorry for what I said. When I get drunk, I have the tendency to shoot off at the mouth.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said. Your mouth snapped shut. “No one keeps me in check. All the guys think the fact that I can’t keep a girlfriend is a big joke because I’m so bad at dating. It shouldn’t be a joke. So, I’m sorry and thank you.”

You dropped your hands to the counter and leaned against it. The last thing you expected was for Nate to thank you, so you needed a moment to gather your thoughts. His eyes glistened as he watched you and then the corner of his lip quirked up because you started giggling.

“You should not be thanking me,” you said. With that simple statement, the tension in the air lifted. You turned your back on him, indicating that if the conversation must go on, you were going to be doing the dishes as well. “I was just being bitter the other night.”

“You had every right to be,” he said. “I was gloating.”

“You were kind of gloating,” you mumbled. You hadn’t meant for Nate to hear, and he knew that, but he laughed anyway. You turned to face him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” he said. He didn’t even know why you were apologizing at that point. It seemed like you’d apologize for taking up space and that made him feel a bit sad. He smiled politely at you anyway, to signal he wasn’t annoyed by the apologies, and it lit up his features in a way you hadn’t noticed the other night. “Anyway, I came here for a reason.”

“Okay.”

“I need you to teach me to be romantic.”

He delivered it tentatively, as though he was afraid of the way you might react. In the split second that followed, your mouth open and closed twice as every possible response came to your mind. He waited patiently.

Finally, “You don’t even know me. How can you be so sure that I’m the right person to teach you this stuff?”

“You’re a girl,” he explained, deadpan. “Girls know romance.” You snorted at how adorably dumb he was. Your hand flew up to cover your mouth in embarrassment and your cheeks burned as he grinned at you, amused by the sound of your laugh. “What do you say?”

---

Mondays were always your least favorite day of the week. Every weekend, your workload piled up and most Mondays you could hardly take a lunch break because you were so busy getting shit done. Whenever you came home from work on Mondays, you were wiped. Mara always made sure to have dinner ready for you when you got in, and the two of you often sat on the couch while eating those nights.

That Monday, you were sure that you’d be in bed before the Bachelor even started. But then Nate showed up unannounced. Mara was in the middle of washing the dishes this time, so you were the one to open the door. He greeted you with a goofy smile and a large electrical wire. Without a word, you stepped to the side and he was kicking off his shoes to enter the living room. Mara caught the roll of your eyes as you followed him.

He was standing beside the television when you entered the room. The wire he’d brought with him was connected to his cellphone while he found a port for the other end. You sat at the corner of sectional and waited, yawns escaping your mouth every minute or so. The day had been long enough already.

Suddenly, the television lit up with his cellphone background on full display. He held it up to show you, a grin present on his face.

“I need your help,” he began. He tapped one of the dating apps on his home screen and immediately you were regretting letting him in. You realized he wasn’t leaving any time soon as he unraveled the cord and plopped down beside you on the couch. Mara entered the room, eyes catching on the beautiful brunette woman on the screen, and then she gave Nate a curious look. “Come on, Mara. Join us.”

An amused smile came to her lips as she sat on the other end of the couch.

“I am not swiping for you,” you grunted, rubbing at your eyes. “I have no interest in judging girls off these apps.”

“Relax, YN,” he said. “I’m not asking you to play matchmaker. Just help me talk to this girl.”

“You need help talking to girls?” Mara asked as she gave him the once over. You laughed out loud while Nate blushed.

“I don’t need help,” he began. He turned his attention back to the television and pulled up the profile of a beautiful brunette woman. “I just don’t want to come on too strong, or douche-y. This girl is perfect and I wanna take her out.”

“Can you two make this quick?” Mara asked. “The Bachelor’s on tonight.”

“And my bed is calling my name.”

Nate peered at you over his shoulder. He smiled at your tired eyes, drooping as you leaned your head on your hand. He leaned back, stopping inches from your face and said, “I’ll make it quick.”

To your surprise, and Mara’s delight, he reached up and ran his hand over your hair before turning back to the television. He gave a rundown about the girl on the television, but his words went in one ear and out the other. Your glazed eyes watched as he typed out messages to her, and you laughed when Mara made fun of the way he was talking. (“Why the fuck are you talking like that? Are you her father?”) Finally, he turned on you.

“Are you gonna help or what, love doctor?”

“Give me the phone,” you said, extending your hand. He plopped it into your palm and watched you type out the message on the television screen. It took you less than a minute to type out a sweet message asking the girl out on a date before you were shoving the phone back into his hand. “You overthink too much.”

“That’s it?”

“Short and sweet,” you noted with a shrug. “I’d say yes.”

Nate’s eyes cut to you and you felt a chill run down your spine at the intensity behind them. Mara cleared her throat as you diverted your attention from him, shaking the feeling you got from his baby blues. She smiled sweetly at the two of you. “Can I detach your phone from our TV now? It’s almost time for Bach.”

You peeled yourself off the couch and headed to the bathroom to wash your face before changing into sweats and a t-shirt. You returned to the living room to find Nate with his feet up on the coffee table. Mara had tuned the television to ABC and the Bachelor recap was playing. He looked up as you entered and frowned.

“Stay out here a little bit longer,” he proposed, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “We’ll watch some of this and see if she says yes to the date.”

“Nate, I’m exhausted.”

“C’mon.”

You couldn’t say no, not when he was pouting like that. So, you rolled your eyes and walked around the couch to plop down in the spot you’d been before. Before long, your eyes were closing and you couldn’t keep them open any longer.

Nate didn’t realize you fell asleep, but he didn’t mind when you leaned against his arm as a pillow. He stiffened for a moment, unsure of what to do, but a soft snore escaped your lips and he found himself smiling down at your peaceful face. He didn’t move for the rest of the episode because he was too nervous to wake you. When the credits began to roll, he dropped a hand to your knee and shook you lightly.

Your eyes opened, bleary from sleep, and you found that you’d fallen asleep on him. You jerked away, realizing that it was probably too close for comfort, and smiled apologetically. He returned the smile before standing and gathering his things from the coffee table.

“Get some sleep,” he said on his way to the front door. You hummed in response, following him to the door to say a proper goodbye and lock up. He pulled you into a hug before going, shocking you once again by with how gentle he was despite hardly knowing you.

“Did she say yes?” you asked as he pulled away from the hug. “I almost forgot to ask.”

“Yeah, she did.”

---

Lesson #1: The First Date

In the chaos of the week that followed, you’d almost forgotten that you promised Nate your assistance before the date. You weren’t used to being accountable for someone else like you were now, so it wasn’t surprising.

“There is a man at reception asking for you.”

The office receptionist, Debby, was standing in the doorway with a giddy smile on her lips. You knew immediately from the look in her eye that the man at the front desk was going to be the talk of the office for a week.

You stood, following her out the door of your office and down the hall. As you rounded the corner to reception, you saw Nate leaning against the desk. He was sucking on a mint from the bowl in front of him and smiled wide when he saw you.

“What are you doing here?”

“I have my date tonight, remember?” he asked. One glance at your watch told you that you worked a little too late. You cursed under your breath, turning quickly to head back to the office and send one last email. Nate hesitated, but ultimately decided to follow you down the hallway. He eyed the pencil skirt you were wearing, eyes lingering a little too long on your ass. He shook his head from his trance, knowing damn well that he was just asking for trouble.

Nate lingered in the doorway of your office for a moment before his eyes landed on a picture frame across the room that caught his attention. It was a marble frame without a photo like it had been removed and never replaced. He picked the frame up and turned it over in his hands, then turned to you.

“You need a picture.”

“What?” you asked, eyes still trained on the screen. They flickered up to see what he was talking about and then got right back to work. “Used to be a picture of me and my ex. Nobody’s important enough to put in.”

Nate placed the frame down. He felt a pang of sadness for you in that moment, but distracted himself by moving onto the next shelf and playing with some of the desk games on it. He was in the middle of fiddling with your Rubiks cube when you stood from the computer.

“You’re wearing that?” you asked. Nate winced at the question, glancing down at the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. When he looked back up, you were wearing a shit eating grin. “I’m fucking with you.”

“Jesus, YN.” He clutched his heart and released a deep breath. You rounded the desk and grabbed your jacket from the hook. As you swung it over your shoulders, Nate stepped up to help. You slipped your arms through the arm holes trying to suppress the flair up of butterflies in your stomach.

When you reached the sidewalk outside the building, you led him down the block to a florist. Their window displays were your favorite in the city and you often found yourself going out of the way to peak at them on shitty days. You daydreamed about the day someone bought you a bouquet from there specifically.

The bell above the door rang as you stepped in. The smell of fresh flowers hit your nose and you sniffed it in happily. You grinned back at Nate and he felt a tug at his heart at your excitement.

“Can I help you?”

You bounded over to the woman behind the counter, Nate following behind you a little awkwardly. You gave him an expectant look and then his brain finally caught up with the question. As he leaned forward to look at the flowers in the case in front of you, his hand pressed against the small of your back.

“What would you get?” he asked curiously. You took a sharp intake of breath at the lack of space between you and pulled away to look at the flowers.

“Sunflowers and baby’s breath are my favorites.”

Nate smiled at the woman behind the counter and repeated what you’d just said, adding, “It’s for a first date, so I don’t need it too big or anything.”

You laughed at his explanation, and then the blush that come to his cheeks when he realized how silly he sounded. Neither of you noticed the confused look on the florist’s face. She was about to comment on how cute the two of you were, and in hindsight she was glad she kept her mouth shut. He reached out and squeezed your arm as a warning to stop teasing him. You stepped away completely, still smiling stupidly as he turned to pay.

“I’d’ve put roses in there too,” you told him once you were back on the sidewalk. “But this is only a first date. It might’ve been a little intense.”

“Roses?” he asked. You hummed in response, plucking the flowers out of his hand as you continued in the direction of the restaurant he was meeting his date at. “Good to know, you know, for the future.”

The walk to the date spot was only about ten minutes long and most of it was spent talking about your plans for the weekend as opposed to his date. He was going to be away with the team and you had plans to visit family. You kept thinking to yourself that you needed to stop getting distracted by him and his good looks and his sweet disposition. He was dating someone, and that person was not and would not be you, but he kept surprising you with the way he weaseled himself into your life.

“We’ll have to hang out next week sometime, then,” he said, snatching the flowers back out of your hand playfully. You nodded, but you were taken by surprise. It didn’t make sense that he’d want to hang around you without getting something out of it, whether it was dating advice or something more. Clearly, Nate didn’t care and you were beginning to wonder if maybe you’d get a beautiful friendship out of this nonsense.

“Any last-minute advice?”

“Don’t say anything dumb,” you said to him, emboldened by the realization that you might actually be friends now. Nate laughed out loud. “You think I’m just being funny, but sometimes you say stupid shit.”

“Jeeze,” he muttered. “Way to fuck up my self-esteem right before a date.”

“Oh, please.” You rolled your eyes and came to a stop just before the crosswalk he’d be using. He slowed to a stop as well, the bouquet of flowers falling to his side as he looked down at you. You reached out to right them with an amused smile. “Careful with these.”

“Got it, boss.”

You stalled a moment more, gazing at the flowers. You almost felt jealous of the girl going to dinner with Nate because those flowers would look perfect in a vase on your dining room table. “God, I really hope she appreciates those.”

The tone of your voice took Nate by surprise. It sounded a little sad, and full of yearning, and he felt kind of bad that he’d be walking away with the flowers you’d been admiring the entire walk from the florist. Even so, you said your goodbyes and he watched you turn on your heel to head home. He felt stuck in place, eyes trained on your retreating frame while his feet were cemented to the sidewalk. Before he could second guess himself, and his motives, he called out your name.

“Wait, YN!” When you turned, he was halfway down the sidewalk to you and, once he was within arm’s length, he plucked a sunflower from the bouquet and extended it. “For you.” Your cheeks felt red hot as your fingers curled around the stem. You hoped he couldn’t notice a blush. If he did, he didn’t make it known and left with a simple, “I’ll talk to you later.”

A stupid smile sat on your lips the entire way home. You felt the thumping of your heart long after you’d entered your place and placed the flower in the dining table vase. No matter what you found yourself doing that night, Nate remained at the back of your mind. You swore to yourself that it was because you wondered how his date was going, nothing more. But, when your eyes kept finding their way to the sunflower on the dining room table, you worried that maybe the reason you couldn’t stop thinking about him was something more.

---

You grabbed dinner with Mel the next Tuesday. Because of your trip to visit family, the two of you agreed to take a week off and reschedule some sort of get together for Tuesday. Gabe was home so he’d be with Linnea, and you were just happy that it wasn’t Monday. She was in the middle of a story when your phone lit up beside you; Nate’s name was on full display.

When’s our next lesson?

You snatched the phone off the table and away from Mel’s prying eyes, hoping that it wouldn’t peak her curiosity. The movement itself was enough to stir her, though, and Mel was soon leaning forward to see what was going on. She reached out and pushed the phone down, craning her neck to read the text.

“Next lesson?” she asked, eyebrow quirking. “Who is this?”

“It’s Nate MacKinnon.”

You said it so quickly and so nonchalant that Mel actually continued picking at her brunch before she reacted. Her fork clattered to the plate. “Did you just say Nate MacKinnon?”

“This,” you began gesturing at her wild eyes and wicked smile, “is exactly why I didn’t tell you.”

“Why?” she asked, feigning innocence. “Because I’m totally going to take this and run with it?” You dropped your face in your hands. “You should go for it. He’s a little dumb, but mostly cute. You definitely have the patience to deal with him though.”

“Mel, it’s not like that at all,” you told her. “I’m helping him learn how to be more romantic.” Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline in shock. “I’m serious. You know just as well as I do that he’s bad dating. He asked for my help after we met. I have enough experience with douchebags to tell him what not to do.”

“You sure do,” Mel agreed. You laughed at her response and an easy smile spread across her face. “Maybe teaching him a thing or two about how to be romantic will remind you of what you deserve.”

You sighed, picking up the coffee in front of you to take a sip. Mel knew better than anyone, besides Mara, how shitty the guys in your life had been. She met your ex last year just before your break up and she hated him from the moment you introduced the two. He never deserved you and her heart broke the longer you spent wasting your time on him. When you finally ended it, she was your biggest supporter.

You left the message unanswered, not wanting to give her anymore ammo in what was sure to be her new mission. When she got up to head to the bathroom before the check came, you opened the message from him. The last conversation was from Saturday night and he was letting you know that the girl he’d gone out with was looking forward to their next date.

What do you need help with now?

Do you know how to cook?

---

Lesson #2: A Homemade Meal

“I can’t believe you don’t know how to cook,” you grunted as soon as Nate pulled his apartment door open on Friday night. The grin on his face was anything but apologetic and you pushed past him with two large grocery bags in hand. You brought them to the kitchen and began unpacking them onto the counter.

“I do know how to cook, by the way,” he said, stepping up beside you to help you remove everything from the bags. You eyed him skeptically. “Mostly just the basic meats and vegetables.”

“You can’t cook a date your pregame meal.”

Nate knew that. He wasn’t that stupid, but he did love saying stupid shit around you. You tended to roll your eyes at him, but your lips always gave away how you really felt about his stupidity. The right side always curled up into a smirk, like you were trying to fight the laughter bubbling in your chest. He loved it when you did that.

“Is this, like, a meal your ex used to make?” he asked after grabbing some spices from the cabinet. You were grateful that his back was turned because the easy smile on your lips disappeared at the reminder of him. You busied yourself with the pot of water on the stove and set it to boil.

“No, my ex never actually made dinner for me,” you answered in a poor attempt to keep your voice steady.

Nate stopped prepping the meat and turned to face you. Questions sat on the tip of his tongue, begging for him to ask, but you wouldn’t look at him. He felt a little bit angry at your confession, though he couldn’t quite place why. Admittedly, he had been that boyfriend before – the one that didn’t cook dinner. Now, he was mad at himself for ever being that guy.

When you didn’t turn to look at him, he dropped the subject. You worked in silence, you busy with the pasta and him with the chicken. As you waited for the food to be ready, you hiked yourself up onto the counter. Nate grabbed a bottle of red wine from the end of the counter and poured glasses for the both of you.

He stood across from you with a dish towel over his shoulder and his own glass of wine in his palm. He asked about work and you filled him in on all the hot office gossip. The smile on his face didn’t fall once as he listened to your stories, and he never tried to change the subject or take over the conversation for himself. After a while, you stopped.

“I’ve been talking forever.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been enjoying it,” he told you. You laughed. “I wish I could be a fly on the wall in your office.”

Feeling a bit bolder, you kicked your foot out and nudged his side. “Maybe I can take you to bring your pet to work day.”

Nate’s jaw dropped, a reaction you weren’t expecting, and you began laughing hysterically at his surprise. He placed his wine glass down beside him and took a step closer, wrapping a hand around your ankle to tug you closer to the edge of the counter. You yelped in surprise.

“Pet?” he asked. You wiggled your foot out of his grasp, giggles falling from your lips as he dropped his hand to his side. The oven started beeping, interrupting whatever moment you were having before it could continue. “Saved by the bell.”

“Looks good, Nate,” you praised as he pulled it out of the oven. “My mouth is watering.”

“Go sit down,” he ordered. “You have to evaluate my presentation and make sure I look good.”

Nate entered shortly after you sat down and placed the plates on either side of the table with a smile. He slipped back out and returned with the wine. There was mischievous glint in his eyes as he topped your glass off and added to his.

“How is it?” he asked, leaning back. A look of cockiness flashed over his features and you felt it in your stomach when you looked at the way his arms were crossed and his biceps filled out the sleeves of his t-shirt. You picked up your utensils and cut into the meal, picking up a bit of each piece before putting it in your mouth.

Nate leaned forward eagerly. He watched your eyes light up when the flavor hit your tongue and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. You nodded emphatically as you swallowed your first forkful. He cut into his own meal and the moment he took a bite, he moaned. The meal was so good that conversation was sparse and, by the end, it looked like your plates had been licked clean.

You didn’t stop Nate from filling your glasses again, though you figured you should have. The third glass always lowered your inhibitions.

“How pissed off would you be if I asked you about your ex?”

“Not pissed off,” you answered. You took a sip of the wine, then leaned your cheek in your palm as you spoke. “What do you want to know?”

Nate sat up at this, suddenly realizing that he hadn’t prepared himself with a question because he didn’t think you’d give him the go ahead. He let out a tuft of breath, took a sip from his glass, and thought. Finally, he asked, “Why’d you break up?”

“How long do you have?”

“As long as you need,” he answered. His voice was soft, comforting, and you felt yourself relax into the question.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to break up with him,” you began. “And, if I didn’t have friends like Mel and Mara, I might still be with him. Things have changed now, though. I realize what a crap human being he was but, if I stayed with him, I don’t think I would’ve realized how much better I deserved.”

“Did you fight a lot?”

“Do I seem like the fighting type?” you teased. He shook his head. “He did enough fighting for the both of us. He would yell at me for no reason sometimes, just because he felt like it.”

Nate was angry. His features were contorted in distaste as you told him about your ex. Even though you tried to make light of the situation with a few light-hearted jokes, Nate couldn’t find it within in him to react with laughter. You deserved so much better than what you’d been given.

“When I broke up with him, Mara was there. We packed my things and moved it all out. I was going to leave a note, but he came home from work early and caused a scene. He went out the night after and sent me all these videos and pictures of him out with his friends. They were flipping me off, girls were draped all over him, etcetera. I blocked him the next morning and I haven’t seen him since. That was over a year ago.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his head in his hands. He felt ashamed. “That’s why you yelled at me.”

“Yep,” you answered. “Emotions got the best of me.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Silence filled the room and you felt vulnerable. You didn’t share the story about your tumultuous relationship often, but with Nate it just slipped out. You grabbed your glass from the table and finished it off.

“I’m not staying for another,” you announced. Nate sat back, his face flashing with an offended expression. As you gathered the plates from the table, you tried to ignore the knots in your stomach that were becoming more and more prevalent when he was around. “Nothing good ever happens after the third glass. But, if I was your real date, I would definitely stay for a fourth and you would probably get to kiss me at the end of the night simply for how good that meal was.”

The words fell from your lips so easily that it shocked you and you hoped that the playful tone of your voice wouldn’t scare him off. You gathered yourself before turning back to look at him. He was still sitting at the table, chair pushed back with one arm over the back of it. The way he was looking at you was lethal, eyes drinking you in as you stood in his kitchen. You couldn’t tell if you were imagining the tension or it was real.

“Thank you for dinner,” you said finally. You grabbed your bag from the counter and pulled it over your shoulder as you headed for the door. Nate stood then to walk you out, pulling the door open as you slipped into your sneakers. “It was delicious.”

“Thank you for teaching me how to cook something actually good,” he said. “Poor girl would’ve been eating chicken and vegetables or pasta if you hadn’t come by.”

“Can’t let that happen, can we?” you asked. “Let me know how dinner goes.”

Nate leaned down, wrapping an arm around your waist to tug you into a warm embrace. You melted into his arms as yours came up and around his neck. For a moment, the two of you just stood there in each other’s arms. You wondered if he could feel the beat of your chest again him. It sped up as his hands flattened against your back, crossing over each other to engulf you completely.

“I’m not that kind of guy,” he said. He leaned his cheek on the top of your head and his chest rumbled beneath your own cheek as he spoke. “You know that, right?”

Your blinked away tears before he couldn’t notice then and nodded in response to his question.

When he pulled back, he leaned in to press a kiss to your cheek and his lips caught the corner of your mouth. An electric shock coursed through your bloodstream and you pulled back quick before offering one last smile and tossing a goodbye over your shoulder.

---

Nate called you the next Friday night with plans for Saturday.

“Mel and Gabe invited a bunch of the guys over and she told me I should see what you were doing tomorrow.” he said. “I feel like I haven’t talked to you much since last week. The guys would love to meet you.”

“Meet me?” you asked. “So, it’ll be more than just the ones I know?”

“A few more,” he answered with a laugh. “They’ll love you, okay? I’ll be at your place to get you at 5:30.”

It was the first time you were going to see him since you made dinner together last Friday. You exchanged a few texts throughout the week, but nothing of substance. You knew his dinner date went well, though you didn’t know to what extent. You found yourself wondering if she stayed for that additional glass of wine after dinner, or if she stayed for the night after.

He showed up to your apartment wearing a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows. You welcomed him in while you went back to your room to get your heels on. He gaped at the dress you were wearing as soon as you had your back to him. His eyes wandered over your curves as you bent to grab your heels from the floor in your bedroom. When your dress slid up your thighs, he had to force himself to look away.

You tried to get more details about his dinner date out of him on the way to Mel’s, but he kept quiet. She liked dinner, she stayed for an extra glass of wine, and then she went home at the end of the night. An invisible weight lifted from your shoulders upon hearing she didn’t stay the night and you settled back into his passenger seat.

Nate noticed the way you relaxed into the seat and tore his eyes from the road for just a moment to sneak a peek at you. You were watching the world go by from the window, unaware that he was even looking at you. When he turned his attention back to the road, all he could think about was his sweaty palms and accelerated heartrate. Why did he care so much about what you thought?

Everyone was already at the house when you pulled up. The two of you walked up the driveway, his hand against your lower back much like it had been in the florist. Mel opened the door, lunging to sweep you into her arms and whisk you to the kitchen, her husband and your, well, Nate left behind.

“Thanks for having me, Mel.”

She handed you a drink complete with a salted rim and said, “I’m glad Nate asked if you could come.”

“Nate asked?” you repeated. She affirmed with a nod and ushered you to join the others in the living room while she and Gabe finished dinner.

You swore half the team was there, which meant not one seat was open on their couch. As you passed Nate, he grabbed your hand and sat you on the arm of his chair. He pulled your legs over his lap and began introducing you to the boys you didn’t already know.

You caught Cale’s eyes and felt heat rise to your cheeks. Out of everyone in the room, he was the only one making note of the lack of space between you two. Though you weren’t technically sitting in his lap, it still felt a little inappropriate. Nate’s hand was like fire where it rested against your thigh and you had to remind yourself to stop peeking at the placement.

Nate lied about your invitation to dinner, and for what? He could’ve just invited you himself instead of disguising it as a joint decision between him and Mel. What was he so afraid of that he couldn’t man up and admit he wanted you there? Better yet, why didn’t he ask Gianna?

You somehow ended up seated away from Nate at the dinner table. Cale settled in on one side of you and EJ occupied the other. Across from you sat JT and Tyson, bickering as always. You don’t know how you ended up separated from Nate, but you welcomed it because you needed the breathing room.

The meal was delicious, but Nate couldn’t even enjoy it because you were so far away. He was going to get fucking whiplash because of the way he kept looking back to see who you were talking to or hear what you were laughing at. How did he even end up this far down from you?

On the other hand, he couldn’t stop the smile that kept creeping up to his lips when he saw you with his teammates. They loved you, probably almost as much as he did, and he was proud to have you by his side that night. But then came the harsh reality that you weren’t actually his to show off.

When the party relocated, he made sure to slide up next to you on the way to the couch. EJ’s laughter mocked him, but you didn’t catch on to his teammate’s playful ribbing. With Gabe and Mel’s eyes in the room, he didn’t pull you over his lap and opted to lower his arm over the back of the couch instead. There were just inches between your skin and his but, after having you on his lap earlier, it felt like miles.

Drinking games were played, stories were shared, and you all left the house with full bellies and large smiles. Nate was driving, so he eased up on the drinks after dinner. You, on the other hand, were feeling just as free as you did after three glasses of wine at his place last week, and feeling daring enough to ask him the question that’s been on your mind all night.

“Why did you tell me that Mel asked you to invite me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“When you invited me, you said that Mel told you to,” you explained in a slow voice as if you were breaking the situation down to a child. “But she said that you asked if you could invite me.”

“Why does it matter where the invite actually came from?” he asked. A slight panic was rising in his chest because he didn’t have an answer for you. This wasn’t supposed to come back around to you. “Everybody wanted you here anyway.”

“Why didn’t you ask Gianna?” you asked, stepping down to join him on the path to the driveway. He rolled his eyes at this, and you noted it because though you’d done it to him many times, he’d never done it to you. He began walking, so you followed. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Because I didn’t want to introduce her to everyone yet,” he answered. “You just fit in with us.”

Nate saw your face fall and decided not to push the conversation any farther. He said something wrong, but he didn’t know what. As far as he thought, he was complimenting you. He was complimenting how easy going you were, how his friends got along with you so easily. You were already a part of the group. It was great.

You continued along to the car in silence, not bothering to argue with him over a dumb comment. He wanted friends, so you were giving him friends, but the touches and the invite to team dinner was something more than friends. You needed distance. And he needed to figure his shit out, fast.

---

Lesson #3: Meeting the Friends

Something changed. When Nate dropped you off that night, he left you with a half-assed hug and a quiet goodbye. You couldn’t catch a wink of sleep that night because something changed. But then, Nate texted you tomorrow and tried to carry on as normal. Things weren’t normal.

And you knew that for sure when Nate didn’t invite you to EJ’s house the next weekend. Mel invited you instead and since you could never say no to Mel, you went. The thought of texting Nate to let him know passed briefly through your head, but the sheer fact that he hadn’t even bothered to talk to you about it in the first place was enough to decide against it.

When you entered EJ’s living room, you knew exactly why he hadn’t asked. Gianna was sitting on his lap, fingers curling through his hair as they talked. Anger rose in you no matter how hard you tried to suppress it. Just last week he said he didn’t want to bring her around and now she was here? Now she was here and he couldn’t even talk to you?

There was an uproar as Nate’s teammates noticed you standing in the doorway and Nate’s eyes cut to you in surprise. You lifted your hand in a pathetic wave before Cale was wrapping his arm around your shoulders and leading you to the kitchen.

“Who’s the girl with Nate?”

“His new girlfriend,” you answered, hoping that you didn’t sound bitter. “I don’t even know if that’s the right title for her, but they’ve been on a few dates.”

Cale let out a soft hum, his tone indecipherable, just as Tyson entered the room.

“What’s the deal with Nate’s new girl?” he asked as soon as he saw it was just you and Cale in the room. When you didn’t answer, he nudged you for an answer.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Well, she’s no you.”

---

Nate couldn’t help but ask himself, “What the fuck are you doing?”

As you were pulled into his teammates arms, he watched and couldn’t decide whether he wanted to get up and hug you too or if he just wanted to disappear. When Gianna’s fingers gripped his bicep, he decided he wanted the latter.

That’s when you looked at him, of course, and the smile that was on yours lips faded just a bit. At least, that’s what he thought. You lifted your hand in a wave before Cale was looping his arm around your shoulders and directing you towards the kitchen.

“Who was that?” Gianna asked, fingers curling into the hair at the nape of his neck.

He looked up at her with a simple answer. “One of our friends.”

Gianna kissed him and for the first time since he met you, Nate thought about what it would be like to kiss you instead. He brought her to EJ’s in a pathetic attempt to right the way he was feeling about you, but it only made it worse.

---

“Nate was weird last night,” Mel murmured after Cycle the next morning. You were waiting for her to say something. Since all the guys made comments the night before, you knew Mel was next. “Did you guys fight?”

“Fight? Me and Nate?” you repeated, stalling for time. “We didn’t fight.”

“What did you think of his girlfriend?”

“I actually didn’t get to talk to her,” you answered. You shrugged, giving the illusion that you didn’t care all that much even though you were fuming. After all the help you’d given him, he couldn’t be bothered to introduce you to her? And that wasn’t all. He hardly spoke to you all night, only entertaining conversations with you when someone else was around. You ended up spending most of the night with EJ.

“My sitter just bailed for tomorrow.” She’d been tapping away at her phone for a few minutes, no doubt panicking to Gabe. You watched her a moment longer as you wondered what her plans were for the next day. Then, it occurred to you.

“There’s a game tomorrow, right?” you asked. She nodded, still typing out messages to whoever was on the other end of the phone. “I can watch Linnea tomorrow. Don’t worry about finding a sitter.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” She waved you off absentmindedly and continued talking, “Besides, I thought Nate had a ticket for you or something. Didn’t he ask you to go?”

“Tomorrow?” you said incredulously. “No, absolutely not. Isn’t it like a WAG game? It would make no sense for me to be there.”

“Oh,” she murmured. “I just thought that he told Gabe,” she paused and noticed your set jaw. You were clearly not Nate’s biggest fan at the moment, so she decided to tread carefully. “You know what? Nevermind. I would love it if you could watch Linnea.”

---

As expected, Linnea was an angel the next day. You spent the time lounging in their living room with the game on TV while you played together. She took a bottle in the middle of the game and you brought her to her nursery once she’d been burped to rock her to sleep. But, you couldn’t quite peel yourself from the chair to put her in her crib. She was sleeping so peacefully and for the first time in a while you felt calm, so you stayed with her in your arms long after she’d fallen asleep.

You didn’t know what time it was when Gabe and Mel got home, but you heard their car doors close. You waited for them to happen upon you in the nursery, so you were surprised when it was Nate that knocked at the door.

“Hi,” he whispered, stepping into the room. He studied the decorations as he approached the rocking chair you were sitting in. When he stepped up beside you and admired Linnea, you tried not to look up at him. You knew it wouldn’t help the butterflies in your stomach, but you did it anyway. He was smiling down at the peanut in your arms. “Mel and Gabe are in the kitchen. They saw you on the baby monitor and told me to come get you.”

“Okay, I’ll put her down and meet you in there.”

“I can wait for you,” he said, stepping away. You stood, cradling Linnea to the crib and then craning to put her down in the center. Nate was watching you intently from the doorway with an unreadable expression on his face.

He stepped out into the hallway first, but he wasn’t walking towards the kitchen. He stood, waiting for you to stepped out into the hallway and look at him. You gave him a half-assed smile, still feeling a little hurt that things had been so weird between you two, and he asked, “Are we okay?”

“We’re fine,” you answered. He wasn’t convinced, but you reached up and shoved him lightly to get him to move down the hall. He didn’t budge, hand coming up to grasp yours against his chest. The beating of his heart sat right at your fingertips. “How was your game?”

“It was good,” he answered. “I wish you were there.”

“Well, then, you should’ve asked me to come,” you said, quite boldly. His lips parted, but whether it was to speak or not you wouldn’t know because you were continuing down the hallway without him.

You slipped into the kitchen to find Mel, leaving the men on the couch in the living room. The moment you stepped in, she was turning to greet you with a smile. You hissed, “Are you behind this?”

“I mentioned you were babysitting, his eyes lit up, and Gabe was the one to invite him over.”

“Team effort?”

She feigned an apologetic smile before ushering you out to rejoin the boys. Gabe got the fire going and Mel curled in his chest once he settled back on the couch. You sat on the other end, legs extended towards Nate in the corner. You felt his eyes whenever there was a suspended silence. You knew he was thinking about you, and selfishly you relished in the attention.

“YN, did you know that Nate’s parents were visiting next weekend?” Gabe asked during a lull in conversation. Nate glared at him, but the Swede happily ignored his buddy at the center of the couch. His eyes cut to you.

“I didn’t,” you answered. “But that’ll be fun. I know how much you missed them.”

All he could offer was a stupid ‘yeah’ before Mel swooped in to save the entire group from a very awkward moment.

Nate was going to kill Gabe. He was going to kill Gabe, but first he had to make a decision. He knew exactly what he had to do. It felt like you were a thousand miles away, not only physically but emotionally. Gabe should’ve kept his mouth shut. He was going to have you meet his parents, he just hadn’t gotten the chance to ask. Now, he looked like a dick. You couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“I was going to tell you about my parents,” he said, practically chasing you down the driveway after you ducked out while he was in the bathroom. To his surprise, you stopped walking and waited for him to catch up. “Seriously.”

“It’s getting hard to believe that, Nate,” you said. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”

Nate felt his heart sink. He began to rack his brain for a way to salvage the conversation, but it was too late by the time you reached your car. You stopped before opening the door to look up at him.

“You’re thinking too much.”

“I just—I know you’re upset with me,” he began. “I want to make it better. We haven’t really talked since EJ’s, and that’s on me.”

“Were you going to invite me today?” you asked. He gave you a curious look. “To the game. Mel mentioned something about it at Cycle. That you told Gabe you were thinking about giving your ticket to me.”

Nate ran his hand over his face. The Landeskogs had really gotten him into some trouble here, and he wasn’t sure it was accidental.

“You’re the one I wanted at the game,” he admitted. “I wanted to invite you, but I knew how bad it would look if I didn’t ask Gianna.”

“So, you invited her,” you concluded.

“No.”

You looked at him in shock, mouth agape, and asked, “You’d rather no one go than give the ticket to her?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he grumbled. You threw your arms up in surrender, hoping the words would sink in. “I don’t know, YN.”

“Yes, you do,” you argued. He kept his mouth shut at that, knowing you had enough. You sighed heavily, allowing the conversation to roll off your back. “When are your parents going to be here?”

“Saturday morning.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“They’ll be at my game in the afternoon and then I was getting us a reservation for dinner,” he trailed off only momentarily. “I haven’t made it yet because I was going to invite you, but Gabe beat me to the punch in there.”

“What about Gianna?”

“YN, if I didn’t want her at my game, why would I want her to meet my parents?” he asked. He made it sound like you were asking the stupidest question in the world. But, he wasn’t answering the most important one. Was he breaking up with her? You wanted to ask, but part of you didn’t want the disappointment. He worried while you thought.

“I’m around on Saturday,” you answered. He smiled, and you forced one back. You hated the feeling between you two. The air between you had never been so stuffy and you wanted to clear it. “Anything else you wanna tell me before the Landeskogs do? Is Sid actually your long-distance girlfriend?”

Nate laughed loudly as he stepped away. He answered your question cryptically, “No, nothing to tell you right now. Not yet.”

---

Lesson #4: Meeting the Family

You planned to meet Nate at his apartment before dinner since his parents had gone to the hotel upon arrival. On the way, you picked up a box of pastries from your favorite bakery. You were taught to do little things for important people, and anyone who was important to Nate felt important to you. You tried not to think about the implications of having dinner with his parents, but it was hard to shake the nerves.

“What’s this?” he asked as soon as he opened the door. His finger slid over the logo on the top of the pastry box, eyes catching on the word bakery. When he looked up at you, his eyes were shining. “For me?”

“For your family,” you told him. “Don’t get any ideas.”

“I thought maybe you heard about my break up and you were trying to comfort me,” he said like it wasn’t breaking news. “I’ll put these in the kitchen.”

“You broke up?” you asked, following him to the kitchen. You stopped in the doorway as he put the pastries on the counter. He nodded simply as he cleared some clutter from the countertop. You could see his muscles moving beneath his navy polo. Guiltily, you couldn’t stop yourself from admiring the way the sleeves hugged his biceps or the wide expanse of his back and shoulders. “What happened, Nate?”

“We can talk about it later, alright?”

“Are you single or not?” you asked. Nate caught the frustration in your tone and he’d be lying if it didn’t make him want to kiss you right then. You needed to know what was going on with him, and that made him feel good about whatever was going on between you two.

Nate started to exit the kitchen, but stopped in the doorway beside you. You were crowded against his chest as he smiled down at you and answered, “Yeah, I’m single.”

You released a breath once he stepped out of the doorway. He slipped his shoes on while you stood nearly the front door. He caught the look on your face, a little scrunched up as you spaced out. You were thinking too much, worrying about what happened with him and Gianna. When he walked back over to the front door, he took you by the hips and said, “We can talk about it later, if you want. Right now, I just want to be with you and my family.”

---

“I’m nervous,” you admitted as Nate pulled up to valet outside the restaurant. He looked at you in shock. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not gonna make fun of you,” he promised. He reached over and dropped his hand to your thigh. You pouted at him, and his first instinct was to lean over the center console and kiss it off your lips. He knew better than to risk it all just before dinner, so he grabbed your hand and dropped a kiss to your palm instead. “You’ll be fine. No need to be nervous.”

A heavy sigh left your lips as he stepped out of the car. He rounded the front and opened the passenger door for you, grabbing your hand as you stepped out. After he handed his key to the valet, he laced his hands in yours and led you into the restaurant.

The MacKinnons were already at the table that had been reserved for them. There was uproar of cheers when they saw Nate walk in. You stole a peek at his face and the pure joy on it set your heart aflame. He dropped your hand as you approached the table to hug his parents and sister. They introduced themselves to you as well, sweeping you up in tight embraces like they had with Nate.

“It’s great to finally meet you,” they spoke as they hugged you.

Nate pulled your chair out from across his mother and then situated himself beside you. The menus were passed out and Nate whispered suggestions in your ear while his family members debated their own meals. She took the time to calm her nervous. Parents loved her, so there was no reason to freak out. Eventually the drinks were handed out, orders were taken, and the chaos at the table stopped.

“Now, how’d you two meet again?” his mom asked. You looked at each other, stupidly, both stammering in response until Nate got his shit together.

“We met through friends,” he answered simply. Then, his lips curled up and he said, “She yelled at me.” You dropped your face into your hands, embarrassed by the picture he was painting of you, but they took it in stride, laughing at your expression. “It wasn’t that bad.”

He continued, “As you guys know, I’ve been very unlucky in my personal life.” Sarah snorted at this. Their mother smacked her knee as a scolding. “I literally suck at being romantic and all the guys were joking around about it after I’d just been broken up with. YN called me out, so I asked her to teach me how to be romantic.”

“Well, what’d you learn?”

“How to cook a meal other than my pregame types, and I also have a new favorite florist,” he said. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and flipped it open to slip out their business card. You didn’t realize he grabbed one. “There are some other things, like her wine rule.”

“Wine rule?”

“Nothing good ever happens after the third glass of wine,” you explained. They laughed at that, though they seemed bewildered by your reasoning.

Nate elaborated, “It just means that if your date stays for a fourth glass, you’ll probably get lucky.”

This earned him a smack on the arm from both his sister and yourself.

Nate’s family was just as kind as he was and it was clear how much they all adored each other. You fit in seamlessly, at least that’s how it felt, and when they asked the waitress to take a picture of them, Nate tugged you into his side to keep you in the frame.

“Take one without me,” you urged him. He just shook his head, gazing down at the picture on his phone. He passed it off to his parents and sister for approval. “Nate.”

“I want you in the picture,” he whispered to you. His hand came up to the back of your neck and he pulled you in to place a chaste kiss to your temple. He pulled away, like kissing you in public and on the forehead was normal now, and asked, “How was your food?”

When you got back to his place after dinner, you presented his mother with the pastries and earned a hug and kiss on the cheek as a thank you. They settled into the kitchen as he made drinks, chatting as a family about the people back home and his life in Denver. You slipped out to go to the bathroom, and give them some alone time.

“I like her,” you overheard his mother say as soon as you slipped out of the kitchen. You slowed your steps on your pursuit to the bathroom even though you knew it would be best to keep walking. You couldn’t help but be a little nosy.

“That’s good to hear,” Nate said. You smiled to yourself. “I like her, too.”

---

Nate’s family only stayed for another hour before you were bidding them farewell from his front door. They squeezed you and thanked you for the pastries, and then began inviting you to visit before Nate had to shut it down. Your heart felt full after spending the night with them, but sitting alone in Nate’s apartment in anticipation of what was to come was scaring the shit out of you.

Your hands were a little shaky and your palms were definitely sweaty. There was change coming, change that was already present, and you were both excited and terrified for it. Nate reentered the apartment not long after. When he saw you sitting on the couch, he released a breath he’d been holding.

“Are you going to stay for another glass?” he asked after locking the door behind him. “That one’s only your second.”

You eyed his smile, heart beat stuttering a bit beneath his gaze, and lifted the glass to your lips to finished what was left. You nodded and followed him into the kitchen. While he filled both your glass and his, you picked yourself up onto the counter like you’d done so many times before.

“I did a bad thing,” he murmured after handing your glass back to you. You raised a brow at him as he reached over to one of the cabinets and opened it to reveal two pastries in a Ziploc bag. “I stole two of them from my mom.”

“Nate!” you exclaimed. He chuckled at your exasperation. “I can bring you to that bakery whenever you want! Your parents don’t live here! It was a gift!”

“And they have the other eleven pastries,” he argued. “They’re not going to miss two.”

Reluctantly, but still with a smile, you took a pastry from his hand. You bit into it at the same time, eyes lighting up at the taste. At the sight of each other’s faces, you were doubled over in laughter before you had the chance to swallow what was in your mouth. You looked away from him to regain composure and only looked back when you were sure you wouldn’t choke.

“Those were fucking good.”

“Only the best for your mom.”

“Thank you,” he spoke. “For the pastries and for hanging out with my family today. I’m sure you had other things to do, but it meant a lot. They’ve been hearing a lot about you.”

“I had a lot of fun with them,” you said. His smile was soft, shy even, and he watched you carefully as you sipped from the glass in your hand. “It was nice to meet the people who made you who you are.”

“Wait until you meet Sid.”

You decided to move from the kitchen to the living room in favor of more comfortable seating. He reached his hand out behind his back, and you linked your fingers with his lazily so he could lead you to the couch. You slowed to a stop as he sat down, legs spread to pull you between them. Your hesitation caused a look of confusion to flash over his features.

“Can you tell me what’s going on inside your head now?” you asked, placing your glass down on the table beside the arm of the couch. He followed suit, then placed his hand delicately at your hip to urge you closer.

“Sure, I can,” he answered. He pulled you into his lap. You looped her arms around his shoulders as he flattened one hand against your back and curled the other around your thigh. “I don’t want to waste those romance rules on someone I don’t really like all that much.”

“You really didn’t like her?” you asked meekly. Of fucking course he didn’t like her, you were thinking. You were in his lap, not her, but you still couldn’t wrap your head around it. “Why?”

“The only reason I looked forward to going on dates with her was because I got to spend time with you before,” he confessed. You felt it all through your body. “I broke up with her the morning after we were at Gabe’s together. After you called me out on my bullshit, I knew I was being stupid.”

“Why me, though?”

“Because you deserve the world and I want to be the one to give it to you.”

It was only natural for you to lean in and capture his lips with yours. After all this time spent waiting and beating around the bush, you didn’t want to wait a second more. It was passionate, and new, and exciting. His hands held you close while your fingers curled into the back of his hair, but he wasn’t close enough.

You swung your leg over to straddle him, not caring that you were wearing a dress with just panties underneath. His hands flew to your hips as you grinded against him. You gasped against his lips at the friction as he held you tighter, teeth nipping at your bottom lip until you covered his mouth with yours again. He guided your hips to grind against him once more, but you braced your hands against his chest to push away.

“I’m not staying for a fourth glass,” you said breathlessly. He smiled up at you, eyes falling to your lips that were red and plump from kissing him. Kissing him! He leaned in, tongue swiping along his bottom lip, and pulled you down by the back of the neck.

He murmured through his kisses, “You didn’t even finish your third.”

At the challenge in his voice, you reached over for the glass on the side table and finished what was left. He held you close, laughing against the crook of your neck. You giggled along with him until you felt his lips against your skin again and a gasp fell from your lips.

“You gotta leave before I pour number four,” he warned, breath ghosting over your neck. He kissed your neck again, this time sucking lightly enough to earn a strangled moan. You pushed back against his chest and stood, flustered as you adjusted your dress and your hair. Nate couldn’t help but smile as he watched you cross the room for your purse. He grabbed a pillow and held it over his lap to hide his hard-on.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked as you put your heels on the end of the couch. He was admiring your flushed cheeks and your wild hair as you busied yourself. You fastened the strap on each heel before looking back at him. It took everything in you to not go back over there and unbutton the rest of his shirt.

“Nothing,” you answered as you stood. He followed suit, adjusting his dress pants just a bit so he was comfortable and making you giggle in the process. He stepped up beside you and pulled you against him again. He placed one, two, three kisses against your neck then your jaw then your lips.

“Let me make you dinner.”

---

Nate wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands to himself. He knew that the second you walked out of your room in that little black dress, but he was really trying to be on his best behavior. It was technically only your first date and he wanted to impress you. You just weren’t helping very much. As soon as you were in his car, you were grabbing his hand and lacing it with yours to drop them into your lap.

He was a little nervous that he wasn’t going to be able to pull this off. He was sure that he’d fuck up somewhere and you’d go running. And, truthfully, you could tell that he was overthinking every little thing he did. The tension in his shoulders as he moved about the kitchen to prepare everything for dinner was clear.

“What’s wrong with you?” you asked.

He gave you the most pathetic shrug and shake of the head as he tried to wave off your concern with a soft, “Nothing.”

“That’s a lie,” you called him out. “You look stressed.”

“I mean, I am a little stressed,” he admitted, diverting his eyes from yours as he headed over to the fridge. “I don’t want to fuck this up.”

Before he knew it, you were standing between him and the refrigerator. You flattened your hands against his chest and slid them up until your hands were linked behind his neck. A slight tug on him was enough to get him to kiss you. He finally relaxed, arms dropping from the refrigerator door to grip your hips.

“You’re not going to fuck this up.”

“I don’t have a very good track record.”

“You do with me,” you said softly. He looked skeptical, not quite understanding what you meant, so you pressed against him as his arms enveloped you. “You gave me a sunflower the third time we were ever around each other. You’ve cooked me dinner already. Sure, it was under different circumstances, but it counts. Nate, you know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t overthink it.”

“Go sit,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You managed to calm his nerves better than anyone he’d ever known in a matter of seconds. “I’ll plate dinner and then I have to grab something for you, okay?”

Nate entered the dining room a minute later, placing both plates down across from each other before disappearing to grab wine glasses and another bottle of wine. Then, he was off down the hall to his bedroom. Your eyes followed him curiously, wondering what else he could possibly have up his sleeve. He’d already impressed you enough by cooking a meal you didn’t teach him.

“Oh, wow,” you breathed out when he appeared in the hallway with a bouquet of flowers. “Nate.”

“For you.”

You stood to take them from his hands and kiss him in thanks. When you pulled away, your fingers danced along the petals of the roses tucked between the sunflowers and baby’s breath Nate had grown to love too.

---

You filled your glass for a fourth time as inconspicuously as possible after your last bite of dinner, but Nate caught your eye over the bottle as you poured and you knew he knew what you were doing. He tried to stifle his smile unsuccessfully, picking up his own glass to cover it. One sip and his third glass was done.

“More?” you asked, extending the bottle in his direction.

“Four glasses?” he teased. “What do you take me for?”

“Okay, more for me then.”

Your voice was low, eyes dark as they settled on him, and suddenly he was lunging forward to grab the bottle and pour another glass for himself. Your giggles filled the room. He wanted them to echo off his walls forever.

“I want to take a picture with you,” he said. You gave him a curious look, though your stomach was doing cartwheels at the suggestion. “I keep thinking about your empty picture frame and I want you to have something to put in it.”

“We can take a selfie,” you suggested. He was quick to shake his head, pushing away from the table to take your hand and lead you to the patio. He pulled the phone from his back pocket and set it up against the couch. He removed the glass from your hand to place it out of view of the camera.

“Now, this is quite the set up,” you murmured as he moved furniture out of the way so there was ample space to take the photo. Denver’s city lights were sure to be the perfect backdrop and having Nate beside you wasn’t too bad either.

“Well, it has to be perfect if it’s going in your office.”

“How do you know I’ll even want to put it in the frame?” you asked. Nate pressed the timer and turned to walk back at you, smirk on his lips. You were teasing him, but you were playing innocent with those doe eyes. He curled around you, arms pulling your back against his chest to pose for the picture.

“After tonight, I’m sure you will,” he murmured in your ear. “Smile.”

The audacity of a man who tells you to smile after igniting your entire body in goosebumps.

The camera went off in a sequence, five pictures for the one timer. You smiled twice before he reached up to turn your face to his for a kiss. The sound of the shutter had you pulling away from his lips with a giggle. He smiled down at you for the next photo as laughter spilled from your lips, and then he was kissing you again.

When you finally pulled away from him, all giggly and handsy, Nate dragged you along with him to his phone. He curled around you as he flipped through the photos, each one cuter than the one before.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t put that in your office?” he asked. His breath tickled the back of your neck. You were just trying to tease him before, but with the lack of space between you and the way he was looking at you in these photos, you just couldn’t tease him anymore. His fingers trailed up your arms, goosebumps rising in their wake once again.

“How’s that fourth glass of wine treating you?” you asked. Nate tucked the phone in his back pocket as you turned to face him. His hands were on you once they were free, curling over the curve of your ass.

“I shouldn’t have let you talk me into it,” he murmured against your lips. “I’m trying to be good, but it’s impossible to keep my hands to myself.”

“What if I don’t want you to keep your hands to yourself?” you against, arching your body to press against him. You could feel him hard against your hip and knew you had him exactly where you wanted him. You pressed your lips to his and, as you pulled away, you took his bottom lip between your teeth and sucked on it.

A growl ripped through his chest as he lifted you into his arms. Your legs came to wrap around his waist as he carried you into the apartment and slammed the patio door shut behind him. He dropped you onto the bed, one hand coming to tug you towards the end by the ankle. His hands spread your legs so he could step between them and they slid up your thigh, pushing your dress up as they went.

“You don’t know how badly I’ve wanted to do this,” he murmured in your ear as his hands reached your hip, dress bunching around his wrists and revealing your lace panties to him. “Stealing touches in a crowded room just doesn’t compare.”

You lifted your arms as he guided the dress over your body and tossed it to the floor. At the sight of your match set, Nate pushed you up the bed and crawled over you. He peppered kisses along your skin from your collarbone to your chest. He worked his way down your stomach until reaching the top of your underwear. In on swift movement, your thong was on the floor and he was spreading your legs.

“So pretty,” he murmured, fingers spreading your folds. You moaned out as he slipped his finger in. “You like my fingers in your pussy, baby?” You could only manage to nod because he’d already slipped a second finger in. He curled them while he pressed a kiss against your inner thigh. “How about my tongue?”

Nate licked a stripe up your center and you gasped, hands flying down to curl into his hair as he continued to eat you out. He sucked on your pussy, continuing to thrust his fingers into and curl. He dragged moans out of you, obscene words dripped from your lips, and the filthy sound of his tongue filled the room.

“You taste so good.”

You tried to grind against face for some more friction, but he held your hips down and continued. You whined, tugging his hair and arching your back as he brought you to orgasm.

“Nate, I’m gonna cu—” you moaned, toes curling at the feet of his lips around you. Suddenly, cool air shocked your core and your orgasm retreated. You sighed as your whole body sank into the bed at the absence of stimulation. Nate crawled up your buddy, licking a stripe up your neck before attaching his lips to yours.

“Sorry, baby,” he said. He nudged your knees apart and situated himself between them, hand falling to his dick as he lined it up with your entrance. “I just need you to cum on my cock.” You moaned as he pushed his head between your folds. “YN, as long as you’re mine, I’ll never make you feel like you don’t deserve all the most romantic things.”

You answered with a moan as he bottomed out inside you. He watched your face as you adjusted to his size and smiled as you whimpered, pulling your teeth between your lips. You felt so good around him and as he began to pull out and thrust in again, your nails dug into his biceps.

You knew he was trying to take his time, but you could hardly take it. As far as you were concerned, Nate would have all the time in the world to take it slow with you. Tonight was not that night.

“Fuck me harder.”

When you sounded like that beneath him, how could he say no? His previously slow and calculated thrusts became sloppy at your request. He relished in the sound of your moaning and the way you called his name like a prayer. You were unraveling beneath him and he wanted to get you there. He adjusted your leg over his shoulder so he could hit a new angle.

“Come on, baby,” he moaned against your lips. “I wanna see you cum for me.”

He reached down and placed his thumb against your clit, rubbing in circles as he pumped into you. You screamed out and your body arched as your orgasm ripped through you. Nate pumped into you a few moments more as he chased his high while listening to your whimpers. He spilled out into his condom as a string of curses left his lips, then collapsed onto of you to catch his breath.

Your fingers immediately found his hair as your breathing evened out together. His body was hot on yours and a sheen of sweat covered both of you. Nate’s fingers curled around your waist and into your skin, squeezing you like he needed to get closer but couldn’t. Finally, he pulled out of you and sat back on his knees.

“You’re so beautiful,” he sighed, hands rubbing up your stomach to cup your breasts. You shivered at his touch. “I never want to leave this bed.”

“Not even for shower sex?”

“Okay, maybe for shower sex,” he murmured. He picked you up, tossing you over his shoulder to carry you to the bathroom.

---

A few hours (and orgasms later), you were clothed in Nate’s sweats and t-shirt and waiting for him beneath the covers in bed. He was cleaning up the glasses you left on the patio and running the dishwasher, though he was quick to finish it up and return to you. You looked so cute propped up against the headboard that he couldn’t stop smiling as he got ready for bed. He pulled on a pair of sweats, but remained topless as he slid under the covers. Instead of pulling you down to rest on his chest, he dropped his head onto your stomach and pulled you tightly to him. Your fingers carded through his hair.

“Thank you for tonight, Nate,” you spoke. “This was the best first date I’ve ever been on.”

“I’m counting this as our fourth date,” he responded. You laughed at him, slapping his bicep lightly at his teasing. “Let’s be honest, I was trying to impress you this entire time anyway.”

“Consider me impressed.”

Nate pulled you down to eye level with him, heads on your respective pillows, and then turned to shut the lamp off beside him. When he turned back, he pulled you against his chest. With your ear to his chest, you listened to his heartbeat and his breathing as it evened out. His fingers scratched your back ever-so-slightly as if soothing you to sleep.

“Are you happy?” he asked. You looked up at him with a curious gaze. Could he not tell how happy you were?

“Of course, I am,” you answered. “Are you?”

“How could I not be?” he asked. “You’re so far out of my league.”

“No, I’m not,” you groaned. You covered your blushing face with your hands at his words, hoping that he couldn’t feel the beat of your heart. Nate was quick to tug them down, holding them against his own chest. He didn’t care if you felt how hard his heart was beating. In fact, he wanted you to know. He wanted you to know the effect you had on him.

“You feel my heart, right?” he asked. You nodded. “You did that. You do that to me every single time I’m around you.” Your eyes began to water and you tried to pull your hand away from his to wipe the water pooling in the corner. Nate grabbed both your hands with one of his and wiped it with his own thumb. “I’ll never let you go to bed thinking I don’t love you. I’m going to shower you with flowers from our favorite florist and buy you pastries from that little shop you like, and I’ll never make you feel like you need to stifle yourself and who you are on account of me.”

“Nate.”

“Just listen to me, alright?” he asked, voice soft. You nodded. “Your ex stuffed you down and he didn’t appreciate you. That’ll never happen with me, and if you feel like it is, you need to tell me, just like you did when we first met.”

You tried to stammer through some type of coherent response, but words failed, so you kissed him. His arms wrapped around your waist to pull you flush against him and your legs intertwined. He was intoxicating, you couldn’t get enough, but he felt just the same. He wondered how anyone had let you go before and simultaneously thanked them for the gift that was you.

That night, Nate vowed he’d never let you go to bed unhappy and he’d never let you feel any less than perfect. He waited forever for a partner like you, honest and kind, and he finally had it in his hands, in his bed. And you promised that you’d never love anyone as much as you loved him. You just knew it.

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