#and i was doing good until this last place

[wsoc-gay]

Hurt

Leah Williamson x Reader

Summary: You're a sergeant in the British Army and after breaking some promises it begins to effect yours and Leah's marriage, risking your relationship with your daughter.

A/N: I dont love how the ending of this came out, but nonetheless 10k words of angst with a hint of fluff. As always put your requests in my asks!

Based on this request

You were ten years old when you met Leah for the first time. She was a thin, tall girl, with sandy blonde hair, and a fringe blowing in her eyes. You were trialing with the Arsenal Academy, having just moved to London. Leah had already been an established player on the team, having played for a few years, but they encouraged all their current players to attend the trial. The first thing she noticed about you was the goalkeeper gloves covering your hands, not many girls your age were willing to play keeper, not to mention enjoyed it. Leah certainly didn’t fancy herself a time in net, frankly she would do anything to avoid going in, she thought you were weird for liking it. The next thing she noticed was that you were taller than her, at that age Leah was always the tallest on the team, she thought it was weird you were so tall.

After a few practices, Leah started to pick up on how fiercely competitive you were, similar to how she was. Most of the girls on your team didn’t care about winning in training and would rather have a good time with their mates, but Leah could see the look in your eye, the way you clenched your jaw, and how you would rapidly open and close your hands after each shot that slipped past you, being trapped by the netting behind you. She liked that about you, how badly you wanted to win at everything you did, this shared passion for winning is what first sparked your friendship.

You weren’t used to having friends, never staying in one place for long enough to make any. Your dad was a captain in the British Army, meaning by your young age you had already lived in more countries than you could remember. This move was different though, you knew you weren’t going to be packing up soon and leaving, this time was for good. This time was for good because your dad was no longer in the Army, he wasn’t even your dad anymore, he was killed on a random Tuesday, in a country you couldn’t pronounce, on what he promised was his last deployment.

It was after dinner time when two men, dressed in the suit your dad wore when he married your mom, knocked on your door. You parents taught you never to open the door for strangers, but when you looked out the window and saw the men in uniforms you assumed they were friends with your dad.

You opened the door and looked up at the tall men, “My daddy isn’t home right now, he’s on a work trip,” they always called his deployments ‘work trips’, your parents didn’t want you to know the seriousness of what he was doing so they settled on calling his deployments his work trips.

The man on the right had a soft smile as he bent down to your level, “We’re actually here to talk with your mum, is she here?”

You nodded your head quickly and turned to go get her. As soon as you turned around you saw her standing in the doorway, a horrified expression on her face. You weren’t sure why she looked so scared it was just your dad’s friends. She knew what they were there for, the horrifying reality of many military spouses and family members. This was something she had nightmares about since he started deploying. A repeating nightmare of men coming to her door to tell her the love of her life was dead.

“Go to your room sweetie,” your mom told you breathlessly.

You gave her a confused look, but before you could ask why she sternly repeated herself. You ran up the stairs, knowing she really meant it, but you didn’t go to your room, you sat hiding behind the wall at the top of the stairs. You tried listening to what the men were saying, but you didn’t hear anything until the gut wrenching sobs that escaped your mom.

You ran down the steps and attached yourself to your mom’s side, not knowing why she was so sad, but knowing she needed you. She pulled you into a tight hug and continued to sob into you. 

Later that night when her sobs softened, she pulled you onto the couch and told you what the men had told her, that your dad died. You tried your best to stay strong for your mom, but you couldn’t help the sobs that wrecked your small body.

It had been a few months since you saw your dad, but after you found out about his passing the only thing you could remember was the last thing he told you, “Look after your mom for me, she gets sad when I’m gone. I’m always proud of you baby.”

Your dad told you to look after your mom and that is exactly what you did. You held her while she cried after work, this happened every night for months. And after you held her, she would send you to bed and there you could cry. You never let your mom see you upset, you thought it would make everything harder for her, so you cried to yourself at night.

For a long time, you were sad, your dad was your hero, you always wanted to be just like him. Leah helped when you were sad, it made you feel better and distracted you from thinking about your dad when the two of you hung out. You and Leah lived in different neighborhoods and when to different primary schools when you were young, but every day you would get off at her bus stop and walk over to her house. Your mom was a nurse, she worked long days in the hospital, oftentimes not getting home until after you had already finished training. 

So, saying you hung out with Leah a lot was an understatement, you’d go to her house after school, drive together to training, then go back to her house and wait for your mom came to get you. You didn’t see you mom much, but whenever you did, she was not in a good mood, either about to go into or just come off a long shift. She was always angry when she’d pick you up from Leah’s. She was angry until you got home, she took a seat on your couch with her special drink, and eventually fall asleep. Before you went to bed you’d turn the tv off and cover her in a blanket.

You loved your mom and knew everything she was doing was for you, but you couldn’t help but miss your dad. You would never dare tell you mom about how much you missed him, remembering back to the last time you did and being met with a slap across your face that kept your cheek red for nearly three days. You told her how sad you were and how much you missed him, and she started yelling about how she missed him more than you and that you would never understand how much she missed him. The alcohol was clear on her breath, but you didn’t notice at that age.

The next day you told Leah and her mom that you had tripped in the garden, Leah believed you, but even though her mom wasn’t so sure she let you on your way, making sure to keep an extra close eye on your mood the next few days. It was hard to tell if anything was different with you, since you got to London you had become much better at hiding your feelings. You wanted to look after your mom so you wouldn’t let her see you sad. You also didn’t want to talk about your feelings, so you hid it from everyone. You got horribly used to keeping your feelings to yourself, so you would just bottle them up, hoping no one would notice. Your dad was a strong man, you never saw him cry and you wanted to be just like him, so no one would see you cry.

Even as you got older and didn’t need to spend as much time at Leah’s, now being old enough to stay home alone, you still found yourself taking the bus to Leah’s neighborhood and spending afternoons before training there. Oddly enough the older you got the earlier your mom was getting out of work, you’d arrive home from training to see her passed out on the couch, with a bottle of whatever her alcohol of choice was that day on the table beside her.

You would put your stuff away in your room before cooking dinner, eating your serving, plating your mother’s to put on the table aside her for whenever she woke up, and then would go to your room for the night. You didn’t like to hang around for when your mother woke up, whenever you were there, she would find something to yell at you about. Nothing you could do would be good enough for her and then she’d drag your dad into it, telling you how you would never make him proud. Having heard her say that to you since the day he died you decided you’d join the army as soon as you were of age, you know that would make him proud. 

You were fifteen when you were drunk at a party and kissed Leah. You had been harboring feelings for her for a few years at that point. When you were younger you weren’t sure what those feelings were, having never had many friends you assumed you just liked her as a friend. As you got older, and people started dating you realized that you were falling for the blonde girl. It was easy to hide for a while, you both always hung out and you were able to hide those feelings like you did with any other feeling.

However, that night under the influence of a bit of alcohol you couldn’t hold in those feelings anymore. When you kissed her, she was shocked for a moment, but quickly kissed you back. She had been feeling the same way for a while but didn’t think you saw her that way. You started dating a week later and had been together ever since.

You were in the stands when Leah made her debut for the full team at 17 and she was there for you the day you graduated your final phase of training at 18. Leah wasn’t necessarily overjoyed at the prospect of you joining the Army, but you had talked about since the day you met, and she was never going to stand in the way of what was your dream. She was going to stand by your side through it as you were doing it for her.

You got married ten years into your relationship, a beautiful ceremony just outside London, surrounded by your friends, co-workers, and families. You were dressed in dressed blues adorned with medals you were oh so proud of as Leah looked astonishing in her elegant white gown. 

You both were 30 when Leah won the World Cup, however, you weren’t there to witness it. Instead of being there to witness history being made you were halfway through a deployment to the Middle East watching the games on the rare occasion you had access to the internet. 

When you arrived home four months later, you and Leah went on holiday to celebrate your homecoming and her world victory. You were sat at a nice dinner to celebrate the last day of a lovely holiday when Leah told you she wanted to have a baby. It was a conversation you had before, both of you knew you wanted kids, but you didn’t want to get pregnant and at the time Leah wasn’t sure if she would be willing to put her career on hold to have a baby. But now, after having completed international football, she decided she was ready to pause her career and fulfil both of your dreams.

It was the perfect time to have a baby, Leah didn’t have any major international tournaments the following year and you had just gotten home from a deployment and likely wouldn’t be sent away for at least a few more years. You started the IVF process as soon as you arrived home from holiday and after two rounds were officially expecting a baby girl. Amelia Lily Y/L/N Williamson was born on a sunny September day and was immediately your entire world.

The next time you were deployed was when Amelia was 2 years old, you told her the same thing your mom used to tell you about your father, that you were going on a work trip. 8 months later when you came home Amelia had a rough time adjusting to you being back in the home, clearly affected by your absence.

The fighting with Leah started soon after you came home, it wasn’t every night and was never anything physical, but you and Leah would argue about your career. You were lucky that you hadn’t been stationed outside of England since 24, but the deployments every few years took a toll on your relationship. She had been asking about you leaving the Army since you got married, she wanted you home more, and didn’t want to be having to worry about you possibly dying overseas in the same manner your father did.

It was 2 weeks after you had gotten home, and Amelia still wasn’t quite used to you being there yet. She wouldn’t let you handle bath time alone, wouldn’t let you play with her, and wouldn’t let you put her to bed without Leah there as well.

You were sat on the edge of Amelia’s bed, attempting to read her a story before she went to bed, but she wouldn’t calm down, “I want Mama,” the small girl cried pushing a hand against your chest.

You ran a hand through her blonde hair, “Mama will be here soon, lovie, I’m just going to get started on your story while we wait for her.” 

She clenched her fists and pounded them into her bed, “I don’t want Mummy bedtime story, I want Mama bedtime story,” the small girl cried.

Since you got home you and Leah had tried to give you more one on one time with Amelia, hoping that she would get more used to you being around, but every time you tried it ended this same way. Leah wasn’t busy right now, she was sat on the couch in your living room, hoping to remain there until she heard the story finish. Leah had done the beginning of Amelia’s nighttime routine, her bath, her teeth, getting her dressed, but hoped that she’d allow for you to handle the story.

You sighed and looked to your daughter with pleading eyes, “I’m reading the same story Mama reads you, Mama will be here soon, but we’re just going to read the story,” you held up the book to show her the familiar cover page.

She flipped onto her stomach and dug her head into her pillow crying, “I don’t want you Mummy, I want Mama.”

You sighed, the guilt of seeing your daughter like this after your absence was eating you alive. You knew how hard she took it when Leah left for weekend away trips, but you never expected her to act like this upon your return. You had expected her to be excited to see you home, knowing you both were always close. Ever since she was born, she loved being with you. After Leah would feed her, you would take your daughter to burp and then she’d fall asleep against your chest, one hand gripped to your shirt and cuddled as close to you as possible. She always loved being in your arms, even as she grew your arms were huge around her, she always felt so safe with you, anytime she was upset everything seemed to melt away the second she was in your strong arms.

You sat there rubbing your hands over your face when Amelia began kicking her feet into her mattress, “I want Mama, Mama doesn’t leave me,” now she was screaming.

You sighed rubbing a hand on her back, “I don’t like leaving you sweetie, but I have to for work.”

“Mama leaves on work trips and Mama comes home. You leave for work trips, and you don’t come home,” the small girl continued was sobbing into her pillow.

It broke your heart to hear your little girl like this. From your own experience you remember how hard it was having your father leave on his deployments, but you don’t remember ever getting to the extent that you saw your daughter right now. You were always overjoyed the minute your dad got home, you’d be waiting at the base for him and jumping into his arms as soon as he reached you. You wouldn’t let him out of your sights for weeks after he’d return, too scared that he’d disappear again.

You couldn’t help but feel like you failed her, this little girl and her mom were your whole world and you felt like you failed them both. Here you were sat on the edge of a little bed, staring into small eyes identical to those of the love of your life as she laid in bed sobbing because you were sat next to her.

You sighed and had you head in your hands when suddenly you heard a familiar voice in the doorway, “Mama is here now let’s read your bedtime story.”

Leah walked around to the opposite side of the toddler bed and sat on the edge, one hand rubbing down your daughters back, “Would you like to read your story now?” she asked the toddler.

You and Leah looked at each other confused as you heard a quiet mumbling into the pillow, neither of you sure what she had said, “What was that, lovie? Can you speak up, please?” you softly asked.

She turned her head to face your wife and grabbed her sleeve, “I don’t want Mummy here for story time. Just want Mama.”

Your heart broke all over again as you heard her words, Leah looked to you with tired and heartbroken eyes, before she spoke, “It’s okay sweetie, we can do our usual story time with Mummy.”

Amelia dug her head back into the pillow as she repeatedly shook her head no.

Leah went to speak again, but you cut her off putting your hand up, “It’s okay Le, I’ll go,” you leaned down to place a kiss on your daughter’s head, “I love you, lovie, sleep well,” you stood up and walked out of the room not before looking back from the doorway and seeing Amelia roll over and cuddle into Leah’s side.

The first dew nights you understood that she was upset, and over your calls with Leah, knew it was going to take some getting used to for the 3-year-old. However, you never expected it to drag out this long. She used to love you reading to her before bed, she’d cuddle into your side while Leah read to her, almost always falling asleep in your arms.

You dragged yourself down the halls and into your shared bedroom with Leah. You changed into a pair of shorts and an old, oversized army hoodie. You went into the bathroom and stared at yourself in the mirror for a while. Every time you came home from a deployment you looked to have aged about 5 years, you were only 33, but by the dark circles under your eyes, and the stress wrinkles covering your face, people could’ve guessed you were well into your 40s. 

Deployments were always hard, out in the sun all day, working all day, not sleeping well, and being away from Leah. This deployment was a lot worse than the others, not only being away from Leah, but also Amelia took a large not toll on you, and to make it worse it was a rough deployment. Your troop was sent on more missions than you had ever experienced on a deployment before, you were stationed in a high combat area. Multiple soldiers under your command had died in combat and being their sergeant, you took their deaths especially hard. You felt like you were the reason these soldiers weren’t going to return to their families.

Your PTSD was also worse than ever before. You’ve had it since your early deployments, but it never went past a few nightmares, now it wasn’t just at night, you were starting to have panic attacks. They would come without warning, you were at the park with Leah and Amelia yesterday afternoon when a loud scream in the distance sent your mind back to the battlefield, you suddenly were shoving your wife and daughter behind your back, wanting to protect them from whatever caused the screams. Amelia was terrified seeing you like that and it took Leah nearly 20 minutes to calm you down and convince you that they were safe.

You remember when this used to happen to your dad, you didn’t realize what it truly was at the time, but now you understand. It would take you mom a while to calm him down, but you weren’t scared of him when it happened, you knew that he was only ever doing it to protect you. Amelia didn’t see it this way, all she saw was you panicking trying to protect her and Leah. It put Leah in a complicated spot, trying to calm you down while also trying to convince your daughter that you were okay.

Your hands were leaning against the counter and your head hanging low when you felt a hand rubbing your back, you looked up in the mirror to see Leah’s face reflected right behind your shoulder, “She go down alright, once I finally left?”

Leah sighed, “It’s not like that-”

You cut her off before she could continue, “Yes, it is, Leah, our daughter hates me,” you turned away from the counter and walked into your bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Leah followed you into the room sat next to you placing a hand on your thigh, “She doesn’t hate you, y/n, she-”

You sharply cut her off again, “She’s just getting used to it, I know Leah, but I never had to get used to my dad being home, not like this. I was overjoyed when he was home, I wouldn’t let him out of my sight when he came home. He was my best friend, my hero, and I thought that’s how Amelia saw me, but clearly, I was wrong.” 

Leah sighed rubbing circles into your thigh, “I wasn’t going to say that” she sent you a small glare, “So stop interrupting me,” you nodded, “I was going to tell you that she cried almost every night for the first month. She wanted to know where you were, she didn’t understand why you weren’t coming home and I didn’t know what to tell her,” Your wife sighed, “Every away match when she’d come with me, she would be so angry the whole trip, constantly complaining about how she was missing out on her Mummy and Amelia days. She missed you, love, she missed you so much she didn’t know how to handle it. She is mad that you left that’s why she’s taking it so hard.”

You wiped a hand over your face, “Well, what am I supposed to do about that now? She was mad that I left, I get that, but I’m home now and I’m trying, and she hardly lets me see her.”

The blonde defender rubbed her hand over your thigh, “You can try apologizing to her. Tell her that you’re sorry for leaving and that you won’t be leaving like that again.”

“You know I can’t tell her that, Leah. I may not be leaving soon, but eventually I’ll have to leave again.”

“Or you don’t have to leave again?”

You scoffed, “You know I can’t just tell the Army not to deploy me, I’ll have to leave again.”

Leah sighed and looked towards her feet, “I’m trying to say that maybe you should think about stepping away from the Army.”

You laughed, “That’s funny, love, leaving the Army,” You looked towards her and saw the serious look on her face, “You’re not kidding, are you?”

Her blue eyes met yours, “No, I’m not kidding.”

“I’m not leaving the Army, end of story.”

“You’re not even going to talk about it?”

You pushed yourself off the bed and turned to face the England captain, “There’s nothing to talk about, I’m not leaving the Army.”

Leah stood up and walked towards you a stern look and tone in her voice, “Why won’t you talk about it? Do you not care about your relationship with Amelia?”

You took a step back and pointed a finger towards her, “Don’t you dare bring her up. You know this has nothing to do with her.”

“How does it have nothing to do with her? You’re seeing now the consequences your career is having on her,” Your wife started to raise her voice, “This has everything to do with her, you’re destroying your relationship with her.”

You knew she had a point, that your career was affecting your relationship with your daughter. Anyone could tell that you leaving was affecting her, but what you failed to notice was how it also affected Leah. You never thought about how hard it was on her, she was always so excited to hear from you while you were away and celebrated every time you came home, it never crossed your mind how hard you being away was on her.

She noticed your hesitancy to answer, and you saw her seem to draw in on herself, she spoke softly, “And it’s not only affecting your relationship with her,” the blonde defender looked down at her feet.

“What are you trying to say, that my career is affecting us?”

Leah looked at you as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Of course it is.”

You looked at her and your expression dropped, “You never mentioned anything.”

Tears began to peak in her eyes, “I didn’t think I had to mention anything. I’ve been worrying about you over the course of your deployments for over ten years,” she wiped a tear as it began to fall, “Everyday you’re there I am absolutely terrified. Every time you reschedule a call because you’re going out, I stay awake for days, unable to sleep because I’m so worried sick over you,” the tears began falling harder, “Every there’s a knock on the door I’m terrified that I’m going to open it to the same thing your mom did when your dad died.”

“Don’t mention my dad to use him against me.”

She gasped, “I’m not using him against you. I’m trying to get you to understand why I think you should leave the military. I’m trying to get you to see it through my eyes, the eyes that are worried sick of her wife, the mother of her child, dying in a sandpit overseas.”

“Have I ever asked you to quit football?” you sharply asked.

Leah’s voice was raised now, “How is this the same as football?”

Your tone matched hers, “You’re gone all day at training and then leave for days at a time, I go on deployment once every few years, Leah.”

She scoffed again, “You’re gone once every few years for nearly a year at a time. And I know while I’m at football you’re not worried about me dying.”

You turned and began to walk out of the room, “I’m not leaving the Army, that’s final.”

Leah yelled out as you reached the doorway, “Please just think about it. Think about how much better our life could be with you at home, think about how this is affecting all of us.”

You nodded before turning and leaving Leah in the middle of your room, tears streaming down her face.

The truth was you thought about it, for about thirty seconds. You knew you weren’t going to leave the Army. While you heard everything Leah had said and hated the way she felt about the situation you knew that you weren’t going to leave the career you had made. The career you were so proud of, the life that you knew your dad would be proud of. 

---

Now, two years later you stood in your kitchen, sobs wrecking from your wife after you just told her you would be deploying again in two weeks’ time. While Leah knew it was a longshot to get you to leave the Army two years ago, she thought that you would think it over and come around before they would get the chance to deploy you again. 

She thought you would think about her, about Amelia, and realize that the right decision was to leave. She hoped that her retirement from football last year would spark something in you, but evidently it didn’t.

The strong former defender looked tiny as she leaned against the counter, her body wrecked by sobs, “Why are you doing this to us?”

Your hands were dug through your hair, “I’m not doing anything to us. This isn’t about our family it is about my career.”

Leah stood up and pushed her two hands against your chest, “This has everything to do with us, you’re leaving us again. I thought that you would finally stand up and choose me and your daughter over the Army, but clearly, I was wrong.”

“I’m not choosing anything over anyone. I’m going to war, to fight, and protect you. I am not choosing the Army over you; I’m choosing the Army for you.”

Leah’s sobs were lessened by her raised voice, “If you were choosing something for me, for us, you would’ve left the Army two years ago when your daughter could hardly look at you for months.”

She was right, it had taken Amelia nearly four months of you being home, to get over the betrayal she felt by your absence. It wrecked you seeing her like that, for so long, but the only thing you had at that time was the Army. Your career never turned its back on you, it celebrated your devotion, and you sacrifice. The only thing that helped you feel better during that time was going to work and knowing you were making a difference.

You lowered your voice, hoping to calm the situation, “I need to do this, love. You know what my career means to me.”

Leah’s expression was still cold, “Don’t call me that while you’re telling me that you’re choosing work over me.”

You slammed your fist against the countertop, “How many times do I need to tell you that I’m not choosing work over you. Nothing is more important to me than my family and the Army.”

Her hands covered her face, “Why is your family at the same level as your job? I would never have chosen football over you and our daughter. I gave up my career for a year just to have her.”

Your expression was stern and portrayed little emotions, “The Army is my family-”

The blonde cut you off, shoving you back again, “Stop saying that me and Amelia mean no more to you than the Army. In no world should your family be at the same level as your job.”

Now you were angry, “This isn’t just my job this is my life, this is my father’s legacy. I am committing myself to the same thing he did. I am living the life that he gave his entire existence to.”

“And do you want to die before you see your daughter turn ten?”

You sucked in a tight breath, “Don’t you dare say that to me.”

She gasped, “That’s the truth. It’s the harsh reality and it is the reason why you need to choose us over your job.”

“I’m not leaving the Army; I’ll be home in nine months and when I get home then, and we have this same conversation my answer will not change,” your cold expression never faltered.

She sighed and spoke the quietest since the beginning of the argument, “Then I’m leaving you.”

Your head whipped towards her, “What did you just say?”

More confidently this time, “I am leaving you and I’m taking Amelia with me. We can’t live like this anymore.”

“We’ve been together for 20 years you can’t just leave me.”

Leah leaned back against the counter, “And for the first 17 years I thought that me and our daughter came first. The last three years you’ve made it painfully obvious that isn’t true and I’m not going to raise my daughter in that environment.”

You crossed your arms, “I love you, Leah, I have for the past 20 years. I love Amelia and I have since the second she was born. You can’t leave me.”

You walked towards where Leah stood and reached to grab her hand. Your wife slipped away from the counter and crossed to the other side of the kitchen, “I know you love us, and you know that I love you too, but we can’t keep coming second to your career.”

“You don’t come second you-”

Leah cut you off, “Were on the same level, I know you’ve been telling me for years. I’m not going to put up with it anymore. Your family is supposed to come first and clearly, you’re not capable of that, so I’m done. You can try and fight it if you want, but I want to handle this between us. You know what is best for Amelia, you know that she is better off with me,” you just looked at her, unable to speak, “I’m going to pick her up from school, I hope you’re gone when I get back.”

“You’re not even going to let me say goodbye?”

Leah knew this meant that you agreed to her terms, you would give her full custody of your daughter. As much as it hurt, you knew that Leah was right. She would be able to give her the better life, Amelia would miss you for the first few months, but just like your last deployment, she would get over it and she would settle into her new life.

“You’re right, but you’re not staying here tonight. You can say goodbye during bedtime, but I want you gone before I go to bed.”

With that Leah walked out of your shared home, the home you had lived in for the last 8 years. You walked to your bedroom, the bedroom that held so many fond memories. In that room Leah told you that she was ready to have a baby, you did all the IVF shots there, you read the test confirming Leah’s pregnancy, felt Amelia move for the first time, spoke to your baby girl, held your daughter while she screamed during the night, and so many more. 

Now here you stood, staring into your closet deciding what you wanted to take with you as you moved out of your beloved home. Moved out of this home by yourself, leaving your daughter and wife, soon to be ex-wife, behind.

There were a lot of tears that night as you said goodnight to your daughter. You had tears in your eyes and streaming down your cheeks as you knew it would be the last time you would see her for a long while. Tears were also streaming down her face as she cried for Leah, you had told her you would be deploying again, and she did not take it well. Once you told her she immediately shut down and wanted her Mama there, the woman who never left her behind.

She didn’t understand what this goodbye meant, and you didn’t have the heart to tell her. You promised your blonde daughter that you loved her and that you’d always protect her even if you were halfway across the world. So, you left that night under the gauge that you were deploying, not telling her that you would be gone for much longer than that now.

---

It was six months later when you found yourself waking up under the bright, blinding lights of a hospital room. You weren’t sure where you were or what was happening as your breathing increased and you slowly began to panic. Sitting up quickly and searching the room for a sign of where you were.

The room was silent besides the sound of your labored breathings and subtle beeps from the machines on your bedside. It was a small room, but if anything was clear from the number of machines whirring beside you, it was that whatever you were here for was serious.

The white walls and lights lit up the room fully, but they were accompanied by the sun shining in from the large windows. It looked as every other hospital you had visited; the room your mom was brought to when she cut her hand open while drinking in your teenage years, the room Leah was in after her ACL tear, the room Amelia was born in, and the room you visited injured soldiers in. 

Even though you didn’t know what brought you here, every hospital room granted the same feeling, fear, doubt, shock. Your entire body was in an achy pain, moving ever so slightly caused pain to radiate through your entire body. Even just the lights sent pain searing through your head.

The door was opened, and a female doctor rushed to your bedside, “Calm down, Sergeant, you’re okay, you’re safe.”

You gave her a confused look with wide eyes, “Where am I?” you croaked out, your voice scratchy.

“You’re in the hospital, you were injured in the field a week ago. You have been in a coma since.”

Your eyes widened, you had no memory of an injury, “What happened?”

You were five months into your deployment when you were informed of your next base move. Your unit was being sent to a different base, nearly four hours away, in a much more dangerous area. The British squad there was slowly being overpowered by the enemy and they needed more British soldiers there to defend.

This deployment had been noticeable easier than your previous one. You had been stationed in a much safer area than last time and rarely had to go out on missions. You were stationed far away from any enemy camps and hardly came across anyone in your day-to-day. Your squad was only sent on missions when a British troop was in danger.

You hadn’t lost anyone in your squad, but this seemed a bit too good to be true. You hadn’t been on the front lines often, but when you were it was highly dangerous. It was a near miracle that none of your soldiers had lost their lives.

Now you found yourself in the passenger seat of your Foxhound, your right-hand man for this deployment in the driver’s seat beside you. You were about two hours into the drive when the unimaginable happened.

You were driving along a dirt road, the same you had been on for the whole journey, and nearly identical to ever other road in this area. There were no buildings around, no people, and no vehicles other than your unit’s. All of a sudden you hit a bump, for the second you recognized it as a rock in the road, but then suddenly your truck was being blown through the air and flipping over itself. 

The IED blew the back of your truck tumbling over the front. The flip crushed the and folded in the hood, trapping your left leg in the damage. The other vehicles in your unit weren’t damaged and the other soldiers came running to the aide of you and your partner. You were unconscious the minute the roof of the truck hit the ground, and as your men reached you, they quickly realized you were stuck in the damage. 

They were able to get the other man out, his injuries seemed minor compared to yours. You had severe injuries that even your soldiers could assume were nearly deadly. The aide unit reached you an hour later, your soldier sat by your side protecting the vehicle incase any insurgents heard the explosion. The rescue team was able to get you out of the damage in due time, but at the cost of your left leg. They treated you at a nearby aide station until you were stable enough to be transferred to a hospital. 

This was a week ago, now you laid in your hospital bed, finally waking from the medically induced coma the doctors had placed you in due to the traumatic brain injury you suffered. As the doctor explained your injuries, losing your leg, broken ribs, cracked skull, TBI, shattered wrist, and many internal injuries, you zoned out not truly believing the words falling from the doctor’s mouth. You lifted the blanket covering your legs and looked down to see your missing extremity, it was almost as if you didn’t believe what the doctor was saying.

Your breathing was still fast, but it was beginning to regulate as you realized what was happening. All you were thinking about now was how much you wished someone was by your side, but you knew that wasn’t happening. This was the life you had chosen for yourself, a life alone, a life with the Army as your family, the life you chose over your real family. You knew that Leah wasn’t there for you and wasn’t coming to you.

The doctor interrupted your thoughts when she spoke, “Sergeant, we will be transferring you to London shortly. You’ll be remaining there until their doctors declare you healthy enough to return home. You’ll be heavily sedated for the trip, otherwise due to your injuries you would be in unimaginable pain.” 

You simply nodded your head, not knowing how to respond to the doctor’s words. As they began to prepare you for transfer your head was empty. The only thing you were sure of at the moment was the pain radiating through your body. There wasn’t much running through your head, you weren’t sure what to think of the situation. And as they put you under the sedation the only thing you were thinking of was about was what would happen once you were back in London, where you would go.

You woke up a few hours later, lying flat in a new hospital bed, looking up at a ceiling nearly identical to the one you were in hours earlier. The same bright lights, white ceiling, whirring of medical devices on your bedside. You heard quiet talking in the distance when you leaned up on your elbows and saw a man in a white coat standing in the doorway speaking to someone that was blocked by the wall.

You watched for a moment, they hadn’t noticed you were awake, and then turned to look around the room. You spotted a bag which you could never forget sitting on the couch to your right, Leah was here.

Wincing as you moved up the bed, now leaning against the bed frame. The doctor turned to look into the room, clearly having heard your pained noise.  Once he saw you awake and sitting up, he walked in, Leah following behind, “Nice to see you awake Sergeant, I hope the flight over was smooth.”

You smirked, “Wouldn’t be able to tell you if it wasn’t,” you looked past the doctor to see Leah hesitantly standing next to the doorway, leaning against the wall.

 “I’m just going to do a few quick checks on you and then I’ll leave you to get some rest.”

The doctor came to your bedside and took notes in your chart with some of the information on the many devices connected to your body. As he did some hands-on checks you couldn’t stop staring right past him and at the English defender standing in the back. You weren’t sure why she was here; you had changed your emergency contact right before you left on deployment, fearing this exact situation. You knew where you stood with Leah and didn’t want her to be called in if something like this were to happen.

The doctor finished her checks and confirmed that everything looked good in relation to your current state. He looked to Leah as he announced you’d likely be staying in the hospital for about a week, they needed to keep a close eye on your recovery.

The doctor left the room after mentioning he’d be back soon to check on you once again. Leah thanked the doctor and looked over toward you, there was a silence for a minute neither of you quite knowing what to say, but you broke it, “You don’t have to be here, Leah.”

The blonde slowly approached your bed, “Don’t even try telling me to leave.”

“I’m sorry they called you, I’m not sure why they did. I changed my mom to my emergency contact; I don’t know why they-”

Leah cut you off as she sat on the edge of your hospital bed, “They didn’t call me,” you gave her a confused look, “Your mom called me. Why’d you put her down?”

You had a strained relationship with your mom since you moved out of the house. She tormented you after your father died, always drunk and always angry. It was when you enlisted that she really hated you, she didn’t understand why you would put yourself into the same situation that killed your dad. At the time you didn’t understand her anger, you thought what you were doing was honorable, was something to be proud of. What you knew now, from being with Leah, was that she was simply terrified, just like Leah was. You moved out after you enlisted and after the argument that followed. 

You and her had some contact, mostly through her expenses and medical care. As much as Leah hated it, you were always there for your mother whenever she called. And while it was never personal and you never introduced her to your daughter, you always took care of whatever she needed. She’d call you for money, you received all her bills, you took care of everything because even with how horribly she treated you, there was always that part of you who understood her. You understood the spiral she had after your father’s passing and he told you to take care of her, and you would never disobey one of his orders. Her drinking was something you delt with from the moment your dad passed. What you didn’t notice as a kid, was that she wasn’t attending work. When you were at school and Leah’s hour assuming she was working in the hospital, she really was at home drinking. The alcohol has taken its toll on her body and her health was now steadily declining.

Leah, obviously, knew all of this having been there for you through it all. Which is why she was so confused to find out that you had her placed in the spot your ex-wife once held.

You looked down in your lap, “Well, I needed to take you off it and I didn’t know who else to put. I filled it out assuming it wouldn’t have to be used, but here we are.”

She let out a soft chuckle, “Well here we are, Y/N.”

You met her eyes, staring into the blue, “What’d she say when she called you?”

Leah sighed, “I don’t think that’s important.”

Your expression grew more serious, “Yes, it is, please tell me.”

The blonde sighed and looked to the ceiling, “She was clearly drunk when she called, it was after you had arrived here, so I’m not really sure what she thought when she got the first call you were hurt, but she didn’t call me then,” Leah took your, uninjured, hand in hers, “She told me that you were here, but that she didn’t remember what the doctor told her about what happened or how you were, so I was half-expecting to show up here and you be in even worse shape. She said that this was your own fault, and that you did this to yourself by choosing to be in the Army. Then she told me it was my fault for not convincing you to leave sooner, started blaming me for killing you,”

You squeezed her hand, “This isn’t your fault, you tried to get me to leave. This was my own fault.”

She sighed, “I know, and I told her I tried to get you to leave, but she just kept saying that this was the same thing that happened with your dad. That he didn’t love her or you enough to leave and it killed him.”

“She has always said I’m just like him, but you know this isn’t your fault. You know I love you and Amelia more than anything.”

Leah’s eyes met yours, “I know you do; I was so scared when she called, I thought you were dead.”

“I might be better off dead at this point,” the defender slapped your thigh, “I lost my leg Leah I can’t be a soldier anymore. I lost you and Amelia when I decided to stay in, and now I’ve lost the career I risked everything for.”

“I’m going to help you get through it, don’t worry.”

You sighed, “You don’t have to do that Leah, I know how you feel about me.”

“I’m going to help you; I’m not just throwing you to the curb.”

You leaned your head against the pillow, “I know I fucked up; I don’t expect you to forgive me and help me just because I got hurt. I’ll figure it out.”

“You don’t have to, I’m taking you home once they let you out of here,” she looked towards the foot of the bed, “I’m helping you get through this, we’ll work through it together.”

“What about Amelia? Won’t it confuse her?”

Leah sighed and spoke softly, “I never told her we split.”

You gave her a confused look, “You didn’t tell her?”

She had a serious look on her face, “No, I didn’t,” the confused look was still plastered across your face, “I might’ve regretted it after it really sunk in.”

Suddenly you felt a jolt of optimism deep in your stomach, you might not have really lost her, “What do you mean?”

Tears started to prick in her eyes, “I was just so terrified of losing you. The last deployment was so difficult on all of us, and I just didn’t think I could go through it again,” you reached to hold the blonde’s hand, “After you said you’d think about leaving I just thought that seeing how it had affected Amelia would convince you to leave, so part of me spent those years just expecting you to leave. When you came home and said you’d be going back I couldn’t handle it.”

You sighed, “I’m sorry, Le.”

“I just was so terrified that I would lose you and had convinced myself you couldn’t come out of every deployment healthy and that eventually it would catch up to you.”

You smirked, “Are saying you jinxed me?” Leah shot you a glare, “Sorry, sorry just trying to lighten the mood.”

The captain let a small smile cross her face, “You always are trying to lighten the mood.”

“You’re always too serious,” you countered.

“We even each other out.”

“Yes, we do.”

You spent the next week in hospital, Leah would come every day to visit for a few hours while Amelia was in school. You had asked her not to bring your daughter to see you, you didn’t want her to see you in the state you were in. You and Leah were slowly amending things, you knew it would be a long journey for the two of you, but you were taking the proper steps there. You spent the time in the hospital talking any things through, it seemed like the first time in a while you both had a proper conversation about what was going on in your heads. Leah told you her fears and you expressed why you were so desperate to stay in.

It was a week after arriving at the London hospital when you were crutching your way into your home. Leah had opened your car door for you and was rushing around you to grab the front door as well, she truly was a miracle worker for you. You had gone home during schooltime which was best, it gave you a few hours to settle back in before Amelia returned home. Leah had told her about everything going on so that the young girl wasn’t startled to see you, but you knew she wouldn’t understand completely until she saw you, and frankly you and Leah didn’t yet know how she’d react to seeing you.

You laid on the couch for the next few hours your foot and new stump were laid on the couch next to you while Leah seemed to be running at one hundred miles a minute trying to make sure you had everything. 

You looked over the back of the couch to Leah in the kitchen, “Would you come sit down Le? I’ve got everything I need I promise.” 

She continued her rummaging through the cabinets, “I’m just trying to fix you a snack I don’t want you to worry about anything.”

“I’m not hungry and the only thing I’m worried about right now is your heart rate,” you could hear Leah laugh from the kitchen, “I’m serious, love, come sit with me and relax.”

You leaned up as the defender approached the couch, sliding into where your head used to be and then relaxing you to lay in her lap, “How are you feeling? Do you need ice?”

“The same as the last twenty times in the past half hour, I’m fine, Leah.”

She ran her fingers through your hair, “I just worry about you, this is a big change and I want to make everything go as smoothly as possible for you.”

You smiled, “I appreciate it, seriously, but I am as okay as I can be right now. You’re being perfect I promise.”

“Just think of it as me repaying you for taking care of me while I was pregnant.”

You scoffed, “Oh, I was not this insufferable when I was taking care of you.”

This sent Leah into a spiral of explaining everything you used to do for her that annoyed her. Her rant lasted many minutes as it seemed like she had been waiting to tell you this ever since. The blonde went on and on explaining everything you used to do and how you hovered which only got worse overtime.

A few minutes into her rant you noticed the time, “Oh shit, don’t you need to go pick up Amelia? When’s school end?”

“I’m not leaving, my mum is grabbing her for me.”

You leaned to sit up as Leah pressed a hand against your back to help you. You swung your leg around, so you were sat next to her, “She’s going to hate me again isn’t she.”

Leah grabbed your hand, “She won’t hate you, just like she didn’t the first time. I can’t promise it won’t take some adjusting, but I can tell you she’s taken the news of you coming home a lot better than last time. She’s older now, she understands everything a bit better.”

“I just can’t deal with her hating me again. It almost broke me the last time, seeing the look on her face every time I would walk into the room.”

She sighed, “I can’t say it’s going to be easy, and I bet it’ll be hard for her to see you like this, but it’ll be okay in the end.”

“She’s going to be scared to look at me, I mean look,” you motioned to your legs, one covered in cuts and bruises and the other missing.

The blonde rubbed circles on your hand, “It’ll be hard, but she’s a strong little girl. She’ll understand I don’t want you to worry. She’s been excited about you coming home, we’ve been talking about it.”

You raised an eyebrow, “She’s excited?”

Leah smiled, “Ever since I told her you were in the hospital, she’s been asking me about when you’d come home. She’s been waiting for this, so listen when I tell you she’ll be okay.”

Your conversation was interrupted by the front door opening, Leah squeezed your hand before jumping up. She walked towards the door to see a yelling blonde girl, “Mama!”

Leah caught her as she jumped into her arms, standing up and pressing a kiss to the side of her head, “I missed you sweetie, how was school?”

“It was good we colored and then I got to play football during break time!” you could hear the smile on the small girls face as she spoke, them not far enough into the house to see you.

You reached for your crutches and used them to slowly get yourself to your feet. You took one step on them when Leah heard the noise and whipped her head around, “Sit back down we’ll come to you.”

She had a stern look on her face, but you shook your head as you crutched towards her and the small girl, “I’m okay Le,” you saw your daughter’s head peak over her mother’s shoulder meeting your eyes, “Hi, baby girl.”

Leah gently placed her back on the ground before whispering to her, “Remember what we talked about, being gentle with Mummy.”

You had stopped a few meters behind your wife, as the small girl slowly walked over to you, “I missed you, lovie,” you smiled down at her.

“I missed you too, Mummy,” She hugged you, on the side of your good leg, and you saw Leah winced, about to talk, but you shook her head telling her it was okay.

“Should we move to the couch so I can give you a proper cuddle?” She nodded and followed close behind as you crutched to the couch.

You sat by the arm and Amelia quickly climbed up to cuddle into your side, you wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer to your side. Leah hovered nearby and moved to sit down on the chair nearby.

“How was your work trip, Mummy?”

You and Leah both let out a soft laugh, “It was good at the beginning, I was hanging out with my friends all day,” Leah sighed, knowing this wasn’t the truth, “But I know Mama told you I got hurt at the end. I can explain it to you when you’re a little older.”

“Mama said the doctors had to take your leg. Why would they do that? That’s mean.”

You sighed, “You know what a car wreck is, right baby?” the small girl nodded, “Well, me and my friends were in a bad one and it hurt my leg very badly. My left was so bad that I couldn’t keep it anymore, it would’ve made me worse.”

She looked at you confused, “But now you can’t walk anymore or play with me and Mama in the garden.”

Your heart broke hearing your daughter speak. Your whole life would change now, and it was really setting in on how it was going to change. You knew that there were prosthetics, but nothing would give you back what you had before. Even with the advancements no prosthetic would be the same as having a leg.

Leah could see the tears starting to form and your eyes and took over the conversation, “Well, some special doctors are going to give your Mummy a robot leg once her leg is healed a little more. So, in a few months she’ll be able to walk again and even play with us in the garden.”

Her eyes lit up as she sat up and looked to you, “Really?”

There was a small crack in your voice as you looked to her, “Yep, they’re going to give me one and it’ll help me walk again. It will take a while until I’m ready for it, and then after that it will take a little while to get used to wearing it.”

She seemed to take this answer, “Does that mean you’ll be part robot?”

You laughed and ran a hand through her blonde hair, “I guess it does, I’ll be part robot.” 

She cuddled back into your side one arm wrapped around your waist. You leaned down to place a kiss against her hair and then looked over to see Leah watching you lovingly. You motioned for her to come over and she took a spot on the other side of your daughter wrapping her arm around the both of you. 

This was everything you missed and thought about while you were away. Having both of your girls back with you. You spent so many nights missing them and rotting with guilt over losing the both of them, but now you were here with your life put back together and in the arms of both of your girls.

You would have to adjust to this new life of injury, but you knew with these two you would get through it. They would be your motivation, getting back to your best would be for them, and they would be by your side every step of the way.

#leah williamson #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #woso #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso x reader

[creativewritersposts]

bodyweight - Lando Norris

summary; Lando Norris x reader

Lando's world feels like plastic until you forget how imperfectly perfect you are in his eyes.

warning(s); mention of self hate, angst, insecurity, FLUFF, maybe grammar errors

author's note; little reminder you're perfect the way you are ❗

--------------------------------------------------------------

You're standing in front of lando's mirror, starring at your tummy, thighs and arms.

After seeing your own body, you don't want to eat your fresh made lasagna anymore. Last week you walked in lando's paddock for the first time ever as his girlfriend you're ashamed of yourself.

These girlfriends look perfect. They could wear a garage bag and could model for designer. You can wear your prettiest dress and couldn't reach their level.

"What are you doing in my gym?", Lando looks sceptical to you, doing a workout. It's not like you're a couch potato but you're rarely doing workouts, more sporty activities outside.

"working out" you reply whilst doing sit-ups under a breathless voice. You sweat your ass off, but you need to change your body.

"Going to shower with me after your workout? I like your leggings", a smirk escapes his mouth, leaning on the door.

"I'm not hot", you give him a death stare after doing the last sit-up.

He gives you a confused look but doesn't think much, coming closer, giving you a quick kiss and leaves the room.

Maybe you just have a bad day after work.

"Babe I left you a little bit lasagna, tasted really good!", Lando scrolls through his phone and looks up to see a fresh showered, pretty girl.

"I'm not hungry", you groan. You're frustrated. You really want to eat it, but damn it's not good for you.

Lando puts down his phone, screen turned around on the kitchen counter. "You need to eat, baby", Lando worries, coming closer, "you worked 10 hours today" and places his hands on your hips.

"I need to lose weight", you roll your eyes.

Crossing over your arms before your chest. "what the heck, why?", he's outraged. "I'm not a model", you are pissed, "but you're normal and I love you for that", Lando kisses your nose, touching your neck.

"All formula one girlfriends are literally perfect and I'm the black sheep!", you argue out of frustration.

Lando breathes out, "I don't care much anymore about bodyweight", in a clear, calm way. "But everyone else does!", you argue back, again.

"Show me where you're too fat?", Lando raises his eyebrow.

You show nonverbal to your thighs, arms and stomach.

He moves his head hysterically to the left and right, "that's the most bullshit I've heard of years!".

He grabs your wrist, "I can help you with workouts but please eat! For me you're perfect the way you are. I can scream it on my next race, everyone will hear it", he speaks out his mind and kisses your lips softly.

"I hate workouts", you mumble under a kissing break.

"I know", Lando giggles.

#lando norris imagine #lando x you #lando x reader #lando norris #lando norris x reader #lando fluff #lando blurb #lando norris blurb #lando imagine #formula one blurbs #formula one x reader #formula 1 imagine #formula one

[luvs4matt]

Can you do headcannons about all the times matt and reader got caught

3 times matt and reader got caught NSFW

pairing - bf!matt x sub!reader

warnings - SMUT, sir kink, nicknames (baby, honey, hun, princess, my girl), squirting, breeding, riding, missionary, orgasm denial, pervert!chris, toys (vibrator), p in v, begging, getting caught, edging, overstimulation, couch sex, no aftercare (matt obvi does aftercare tho)

summary - the title tells you all

a/n - i can’t tell if i like this or not but i hope all of you do, especially you anon!!

1.

• the first time you and matt got caught, you didn’t even know you had been and still don’t know you were

matt was laying down with you laying on top of him as you bounced up and down on his cock. your head was buried in his neck muffling all of your moans and crys of his name.

his hands were gripping your waist helping you, his head was buried in your shoulder with his eyes clamped shut “you’re doing so good for me honey” he praises.

you let out a louder cry as your pleasure increased “sh sh sh, don’t want them to hear do you?” you struggled to speak from how matt was now meeting your hips in the middle “n- no sir”

“then stay quiet baby” little did you know, chris stood in shock in the doorway as he watched this whole interaction happening. he originally was going to sneak in the room to scare the couple.

but when he seen the situation, he was too shocked to move. he seen you cum all over matt, and that’s when he realized what he is seeing and doing, quickly leaving the scene quickly and quietly.

2.

• the second time was caused by you screaming, and they thought you were hurt.

matt had been edging you for the last hour, he was using a vibrator on you to make the feeling more intense. you were sore from all of your ruined orgasms “you wanna cum princess?” you rapidly nod your head, begging to release “yes! yes yes yes! please! please!”

“10…” he starts counting down

“9…” you aren’t allowed to cum until he was done counting down

“8…” you had been so desperate for your orgasm that it hurt

“7…” you were using all of your strength to hold back

“6…” only six more seconds, can’t be that hard, right?

“5…” a front door slams but neither of you acknowledged it

“4…” you let out a scream from matt suddenly sticking a finger inside of you

“3…” nick and chris hear your scream

“2…” they start to run towards matts room to make sure you’re okay

“1…” chris and nick burst through the door

“cum.” both you and matts head look at the door

“oh my god, i- I’m so sor- ah fuck! no no no! i- i’m c- oh my god!” your orgasm hit you unexpectedly

your hips lift off of the bed as you turn on your side, trying to get the vibrations off of you but they won’t. of course your hands were handcuffed behind your back, and the vibe he was using on you wasn’t handheld.

“please! take it off! take it off!” chris had almost immediately ran out of the room when he walked in on you, while nick is still standing there frozen “not yet hun” he looks back at the door to see nick standing “you can go now!” matt yelled

“oh, yeah, right.” he hurried out of the room, grabbing his laptop to find a new therapist.

3.

• the most recent time you got caught, you weren’t even surprised considering you were on the couch in the middle of the night.

your back was against the couch as matt made slow, deep thrust into you. “you feel good baby?” his voice was low so no one would wake up and catch you at 1 am.

“y- yes” you whimper, your moans were muffled by either biting your lip or matts hand over your mouth “being such a good girl f’me” chris walked up the stairs quietly hoping to wake no one up.

he walked by the couch, not noticing you, and you didn’t notice him. he was getting close to the fridge to grab a drink, but came to an abrupt stop when he heard your moans and whimpers.

“matt, i- i’m gonna cum” he quickens his thrust a bit more “can i? please” he places soft kisses on your jaw “go ahead baby”

“t- thank you” your noises start to pick up in pitch the closer, and closer you get to the edge “open your mouth” he demands. you expected him to spit or stick his tongue in your mouth, but instead he stuffed your panties in your mouth.

“gotta keep you quiet honey, don’t want chris to hear how pretty my girl sounds.”

chris felt weird for hearing all of this go down, but he felt confused for why matt mentioned his name. he stood in the kitchen, listening to your muffled moans as you reached your climax.

matt continued to thrust into you, which got you over stimulated. he could tell you were trying to say something so he removed the panties from your mouth “t- too much matty, i- i can’t”

your voice cracked while tears built in your eyes from the overstimulation “yes you can, give me one more then ill stop, understand?” your whimpers start to get louder again “y- yes sir”

he stuffs your panties back into your mouth. he watches your face contort in pleasure, your third orgasm of the night approaching (matt the munch), but this one was different, it felt like you were going to pee.

matt could tell that and started rubbing your clit. his orgasm was approaching just as fast as yours “you gonna let me cum inside of of you? hm?” you nod your head, desperate for him to fill you.

chris walks to the first step, standing behind the wall. “fucking shit, i’m cumming baby, cum with me, i know you wanna squirt all over this cock” you feel him finish inside of you which triggered your release.

your juices fly out from between you two with a loud moan from you and a loud groan from matt. chris finally walks down the stairs to his bedroom, he should be disgusted from what he has heard but he can’t help it when he takes care of his ‘problem’ by thinking of your noises, your words, your reactions, he can’t help but want to be the one cumming inside of you.

he never got his drink.

#smut #luvs4matt #matt sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #smutty smut smut #chris sturniolo #matt stuniolo fanfic #nick sturniolo #tumblr fyp #christopher sturniolo #headcanon

[steddiecameraroll]

I Want to Know What Love Is

ao3

Steve doesn’t know when it’ll stop hurting. Everyone says time heals all wounds. But it’s been three years and that feels like more than enough time for the Eddie-shaped wound to heal.

Why does it still hurt?

“Steve?” Robin’s quiet when she peers around the corner.

Steve’s sitting alone on their couch in the middle of the night, staring at the blank television screen, with tears slipping down his cheeks.

“You ok?” Robin slides in beside him, immediately wrapping her arms around him and tugging him in close.

“I don’t know what’s wrong.” He wipes the back of his hand across his cheek, and then hugs her closer. “I’m just feeling lonely, I guess.”

“You got me,” she tries to sound upbeat.

“I know,” he pats her arm. “Thank you.”

They sit together in silence, rocking in each other's arms. The darkness feels like a vice around Steve’s heart, squeezing him until he can’t breathe.

“I miss him,” he murmurs.

“I know,” she presses a kiss to his head. “You could probably call him. You know he’s not asleep.”

“I know but it’s not the same.”

“I’m sorry, bud.”

“I think I should’ve gone with him.”

He’s regretted letting Eddie leave for the west coast without him, pretty much from day one. But that guilt, fear, and obligation of protecting everyone still in Hawkins was too strong to let him tag along.

“You could still go.” Robin nudges his shoulder.

“He doesn’t miss me like I miss him. He’s probably fucking all kinds of groupies. Y’know, people can’t resist a rockstar.”

“Steve,” her tone is soft but sad. “Don’t do this to yourself. First, they’re not rockstars. Eddie has a day job. Second, you know he misses you. I can always hear him through the phone when he calls. The way he says your name. That man is still crazy about you.” She runs her fingers through his hair softly. “Call him.”

Steve sighs but doesn’t respond. He wants to believe her, but also can’t withstand getting his hopes up only to be devastated later.

He just needs more time.

“Eddie?”

Eddie’s pulled from his thoughts when his coworker Dale waves him down.

“Sup, man?” Eddie leans his arms along the bar, ducking his head under the hanging martini glasses.

“You think you can take my shift tomorrow? Rach has to go to the hospital. Her mom’s in for something with her heart. I gotta watch the kids.”

“Yeah, man. No problem.”

“Fuck, you’re the best. Oh my god that’s such a relief. Thanks. I’ll owe you one.”

“No problem. Hope everything is ok.” Eddie’s heart always tugs a little bit when he hears someone’s mom is sick.

“Sounds like it. They’re just keeping her to make sure.”

“Good, don’t worry about tomorrow. I got it.” Eddie slaps his palm on the shiny bar top and slides down to a new patron at the last stool. He sets a napkin in front of the man. “What can I get ya?”

It’s a quiet night in the bar. Slower than molasses quiet. He hates nights like this. Not only does it hit his pockets it gives him enough time to think. And time to think is bad for Eddie’s mental health.

He’s been in California for three years now and he’s not anywhere closer to making it big than when he showed up. The guys are getting over it. Tired of burning the candle at both ends and hearing ‘no’ at every single turn.

Plus…

He’s fucking lonely.

He has been trying so hard to get over Steve. When he first got to L.A. he was able to distract himself with a new place, a new job, a new dream, new surroundings everything, but that fizzled away quickly.

He’s avoiding the party scene. There’s a lot harder drugs being passed around than in Hawkins. And thanks to his dear old pops, he’s learned stay away from that shit. He doesn’t want to be a washed up rockstar before he even becomes a rockstar.

He pours the new customer a beer then goes back to organizing the receipts. His thumb is tapping mindlessly along to the music pumping from the jukebox, when the tune changes and he feels it in his heart.

I wanna know what love is

I want you to show me

I wanna feel what love is

I know you can show me

Fucking, Foreigner. This song always reminds him of Steve and that night he, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle went out to the Robinson’s farm. A few six packs, some California Grade-A purple palm tree delight, and drunken karaoke style singing under the stars.

Steve was hanging off Eddie. His arm slung around Eddie’s neck while he sung his heart out into his beer can. Eddie couldn’t pull his eyes off the man. They hadn’t kissed yet. Hadn’t even acknowledged what was happening between them.

But under the August night sky of finally saved Hawkins, Indiana, Eddie Munson fell in love with Steve Harrington.

“You ok, man?” Dale suddenly appears to Eddie’s left, and Eddie has to clear his throat to hide the emotions trying to crawl up his throat.

“Mhm, I’m good. Fucking hate this song.” Eddie keeps his eyes pointed down because it would be painfully obvious he was lying otherwise.

Dale chuckles. “Yeah, hear that. Rach loves it. She belts it out whenever it comes on the radio and she’s in the kitchen.”

Eddie’s heart aches a little more at the idea that maybe Steve would do the same thing.

The phone behind the bar rings and Eddie jumps to grab it.

“Mickey’s.”

“Eddie?”

His heart drops to his feet because how could he know Eddie was thinking about him?

“Steve? Are you ok?” Eddie’s ears are pounding as he waits.

“I don’t know.” Steve sounds too sad for Eddie’s heart.

“Hold on, ok? I’m gonna take my break and pick you up back in the office. Ok? Just give me two minutes.”

“Ok,” Steve whispers.

Eddie presses the hold button and asks Dale to watch the bar, then races to the back room. His fingers fumble to pick up the phone as he drops into the ancient office chair.

“Stevie? What’s wrong?” Eddie’s heart is racing.

“Nothin’, really. I was- I was thinking about you. Robin said I should call.”

“I’m glad you did,” Eddie’s fingers wind through the phone cord anxiously. “Y’know what was playing on the jukebox? Just now?”

“What?” Steve’s voice sounds soft and fluffy.

“I wanna know what love iiiiiissss,” Eddie sings softly down the line. He hears Steve chuckle and it pushes him to keep singing. “I want you to show meeeeee.”

Eddie hears Steve take a shaky breath. “Eddie?”

“Yeah?”

“I miss you.”

Eddie can’t stop himself from smiling. “I miss you, too.”

“No-no you don’t understand.”

“What?”

“I miss you. I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. I miss poking your dimples. I fucking miss you. I should’ve gone with. I’m so stupid. I should’ve gone with you. And it’s too late and I miss you so fucking much. I’m sorry. Shit,” Steve clears his throat. “I shouldn’t have called you. I’m sorry. I’m a fucking mess. I’m sorry. I’m gonna go. Sorry for calling you at work.”

“Steve? Don’t hang up. Please. Don’t hang up.” Eddie rushes out. “Listen to me, don’t hang up.”

“Ok.”

“Stevie? Baby?” Eddie hears Steve whine at the pet name. “I miss you, too. I do. I miss the smell of your hairspray, and the way you crinkle your nose in the morning when your alarm goes off. I miss you and Robin giving me a hard time about my smoking. I hate it here, baby. Fucking California sucks. I miss the stars. But I miss you more. Don’t come out here. I wanna come home.”

He’s been thinking about it for months, waiting for his sign. If Steve calling him out of the blue, while Foreigner is playing on the jukebox, and tells him how much he’s missed him isn’t a clear sign then nothing will be.

“I love you, Steve. I never stopped loving you. I’m glad you didn’t come out here. You’d hate it and probably hate me because of it.” Eddie drags a knuckle under his eye.

“I love you, too. But I don’t want you to give up on your dreams. What about the band? What about The Garden?”

“They hate it here too. Gareth is a week away from quitting. I can feel it. Jeff has a girlfriend and a really good job that he’s not going to give up. It’s over. We tried. Music is different now. New decade means new sound. I wanna come home.” He takes a deep inhale and feels a million pounds lighter. “Fuck, I’d come home right now if I could. Sneak into your place and snuggle under your covers.”

“Yeah?” Eddie can hear Steve’s smile.

“Yep, scoop you up into my arms and kiss every single beauty mark across your skin. Fuck, I miss biting those two on your neck. Are they still there? Do they miss me?”

“You’re ridiculous. Yes they’re still there.”

“And??” Eddie leans forward in his chair.

“Yes they miss you,” Steve says quietly like he’s trying to hide his face.

“I knew it,” Eddie groans. “Tell them I’m gonna be home soon, ok? I gotta get back to work, baby. I’m gonna call you tomorrow and we can talk about it.”

“Ok,” Steve hums. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Eddie’s cheeks are hurting. He can’t stop smiling. “God, I love you. Fuck, that feels good to say. I love you, Steve Harrington. I fucking love you. Ok, I gotta hang up. Tomorrow. I’ll call you tomorrow. Ok?”

“Yeah. I love you, Eddie Munson. Night.”

“Bye, baby.”

Eddie slowly lowers the phone down before jumping to his feet and punching happily into the air. He spins around a few times before trying to collect himself and heading back to the bar.

Dale raises an eyebrow at him. “Everything good?”

“Yep, great. Everything’s fucking great.” He slaps the man on the shoulder and beams brightly at him. “You know what? We should play Foreigner again.”

Eddie bounces around the bar and giddily drops change into the machine. He punches in the corresponding buttons, leans against the device and waits for the music to fill the air. Dale watches amusingly from across the almost empty bar when Eddie starts to shimmy his shoulders to the music.

I've gotta take a little time

A little time to think things over

Eddie can’t help himself and sings along. His chest is filled with too much joy to hold it back.

I better read between the lines

In case I need it when I'm older

“Dude? What are you doing?” Dale yells across the room.

“I’m fucking singing, man. Someone still loves me back home. I’m fucking singing.”

Dale rolls his eyes fondly, shakes his head, and turns back to the bar.

Eddie doesn’t care.

He’s going home.

Steve still loves him.

He’s going home.

coffee? ☕️🍩💕

Reply or send me an ask to be added to my permanent tag list.

#happy ending #hurt/comfort #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steve x eddie #steddiecameraroll posts #my writing #steddie ficlet

[saintslewis]

❝ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 ❞

𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 | 𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒

pairing: sir lewis hamilton x fem!oc; Nadia

summary: in which Nadia doesn’t play about her man.

warnings: cussing, outfit descriptions, fighting, slight aggression towards nadia.

saint’s team radio 🪩: let me tell you guys something. this is one of my favourite chapters i’ve written. can’t believe we’re on chapter 11! Hope you enjoy!

and happy birthday mntase! (hopefully you’ll see this!)

dividers by @cafekitsune

pictures from pinterest and instagram!

faceclaim: @/unclewaffles_ on ig!

-

The glow of the Eiffel Tower shining through the hotel window was all Nadia could stare at, her eyes behind her glasses gazing back and forth at the sparkles from the metal structure.

Four seasons welcomed the two in their suite with decadent chocolates and overly luxurious desserts, a treat for their short plane ride from London.

Evening had begun and the two had spent the past few hours that they had been in Paris just lounging around. Lewis working on some emails with Nadia styling her wig to perfection for the next evening, Pharrell’s latest Louis Vuitton collection as the new creative director. An event she could not wait to attend, a dream come true for her and what she wanted to do for herself in the future if she decides to stop teaching.

The sun had long gone down and the Eiffel Tower was an incredible sight, Nadia’s emotions all over the place because she truly thought she wouldn’t be here, that she was dreaming too big but she was here with someone she knew she had feelings for. “Lewis! Are you ready yet?” Nadia spoke out, adjusting her glasses with her finger as she plopped herself on the couch.

“Yeah actually. I wanted bigger frames and the optometrist said my left eye’s slowly getting its vision back.” She responded. “You went during Spain?” “Mhm.”

Nadia’s attention turned towards his head full of hair, short extensions sitting next to her to braid into his hair. “Can you hand me the gel?” She softly asked, beginning to feel at the soft hair in front of her, running her manicured fingers through it as it sent shivers down Lewis’ spine.

Not much time had passed for them to start talking on anything random, the current topic being Nadia’s school years. “Oh yeah, Cambridge was a bit odd because there weren’t a lot of us there. Most professors doubted that I’d graduated but then I showed those motherfuckers.” She laughed, working on a braid.

“It was a fun experience and I was more than grateful to leave. Oxford though, was me just experimenting and seeing if I could get in for my honours in History and here I am.” Nadia continued, Lewis humming in response. “What did you really want to do though? I saw you displayed your degrees back at home.” He spoke, using his hands to speak.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in fashion but my mom straight up said that it wouldn’t get me anywhere so it was either Cambridge or sitting around with her all day.” She expressed. This made Lewis turn around with his face fully confused. “I thought you were good with your mom.”

“So did I, Lew. She’s a very complex person so most of my time was spent away from her. Until we eventually mended things then boom! I got married to you.” Nadia spoke, deciding to let out a little chuckle at the little joke.

The last sentence made Lewis’ mind work overtime. He didn’t want to come up with a theory just yet, not when they’ve come so close together in such little time. “My team worked with my family for this, as my stepmum said. Said it’ll make me look good.” Lewis confessed. Just like that, Nadia’s hands stopped working.

“What the hell were you doing for them to do that?” She asked, head tilted to look at him while her hand was entangled in his hair. All he could do was shrug, he was just told he was getting married a week prior to meeting Nadia. “Damn, this fame thing is weird as shit.” She said out loud and they laughed.

After telling each other their backstories and feeling like they know each other a little better, Lewis hair was eventually done. “Look at you looking all handsome.” She complimented him, washing her hands in the bathroom then coming back out to look at him. He already felt like he looked good but hearing it from Nadia felt so much better. “Thank you. Got gentle hands on you, maybe I should get you to do my hair.” He smirked at her.

Rolling her eyes with a smile, she cleaned everything up and began walking towards the bedroom. “And who’s supposed to be your super smart, talented, beautiful wife?” She winked at him as she walked and he couldn’t help but shake his head with the biggest smile on his face.

-

A Maybach van was the vehicle of choice to head to the show at the Pont Neuf bridge, the drive shorter than she initially thought.

“It’s not as cold as I thought it’d be.” Nadia softly spoke, playing with her skirt, her nerves eating at her. Looking over at her, Lewis held his hand out and she took it without a second thought. “Everyone who meets you will fall in love with you, I swear.” Just like I did was what he wanted to finish his sentence with.

“This isn’t as out of the box as I can go but what if it’s like super packed?” She stressed. This wasn’t a mediocre event, this was a place she always saw herself being one day and out of her mother’s shadow. Making a name for herself.

“Nads, you’re with me. We’ll be more than okay and you look good as fuck. Don’t forget who you are.” Lewis spoke with pure confidence and that last part made her turn to him with curiosity etched on her face.

“Now you’re losing me.” She spoke. “Remember how you told me after Canada that I’m ‘Lewis fucking Hamilton?’” The memory came back and she couldn’t help but giggle at it, her grillz showing.

“I was being your hype woman, man. Of course I’m gonna say shit like that.” Nadia smiled at that, her hand still holding Lewis’.

He then put on a smug expression. “Exactly, now it’s my turn. You’re Nadia fucking Hamilton. Never doubt yourself.” He spoke in his relaxed voice, knowing that it would get to her easily. Like clockwork, she adjusted herself in her seat and sat up right as if she was manually accepting the words spoken to her.

Her confidence truly grew as they got to the entrance. Doing promo for LV was the last thing she expected but Lewis cheered her on to do it. Everything felt so surreal, from meeting her celebrity friends who immediately took a liking to her to watching the amazing show front row, taking everything in. Replaying her husband’s words in her head, she interacted with everyone who was itching to meet her and Nadia felt like the world’s biggest star.

Partying with people she admired from afar was something she would cherish forever. She truly didn’t want this to end. “Lewis, Nadia! Thank you guys so much for attending.” Pharrell called out to the couple who were all smiles. The conversation went on merrily with Lewis even promoting Nadia’s styling career. “Oh I would love to work on something. Lewis has been going on about how good you are. So, while I send through some pieces of you guys, I’ll also send you my details so we can work something out?” The older man suggested.

“That sounds amazing! Yeah, I love that!” She beamed from ear to ear, grillz flashing ever so beautifully. After saying goodbyes, Nadia turned to Lewis who had been admiring her the entire time. Throwing her arms around him, the two hugged with cameras panning over to them. “Thank you, my love.” She said to him, leaning to kiss him on the cheek.

“I lo-”

“Nadia! Bae! Come over here!” Megan thee stallion’s voice boomed as her and Zendaya beckoned Nadia over to them. The woman looked to her husband who just gave her a closed smile. “Go have fun, I’ll be with Jay and Bey.” Lewis spoke, patting the side of her ass.

“Okay cool, see you later!” Squeezing him once more, she let go of the hug and ran to her new friends.

Lewis knew that it wasn’t the right time to admit such. He just wanted to blurt it out so that she knows how he feels, how he feels a pull every time she walked away, how he wants to give her the universe just to see her smile.

-

BROMLEY, SOUTH LONDON

The bass of a mixture of reggae and amapiano songs hit through the speakers of the range rover, the long drive from their house enjoyable with both their voices singing over the music at times.

Nadia being the designated driver this time, she carefully drove as the two reached Nicola’s house. The two got the invite shortly after the chaos that was Austria to have a pre-Silverstone celebration with everyone as Nicola called it. An awkward Tuesday to host a lunch/dinner but a great gesture nonetheless. It was more of a surprise that everyone was actually available to do such a thing.

Eventually finding parking behind Mile’s car, it was clear that they were most certainly late. Hopping out of the car, her LV trainers landed on the pebbles underneath her with a bit of a limp to her step. Nadia prayed it was less visible than what it was the day before. Opening the back car door to get the plastic containers filled with everything she brought for this lunch, baked goods prepared with love and excitement.

“You look so good today, baby.” She heard his voice as she closed the door to the car. “I look like a walking ad but thank you, love.” Nadia responded, handing the containers for him to hold as they made their way to the door.

Not even bothering to knock, Lewis walked into the busy house and the scent of different foods filled the air and you could hear loud laughter from the background. The place was huge, perfect for a big family.

Before they could take another step into the welcoming foyer, two familiar screams echoed through. “Auntie Nadia! Sir Uncle!” Willow and Kaiden came rushing towards the pair, Nadia already crouching on the floor with open arms to hug the two eager children. “We missed you so much, Auntie Nadia!” Willow smiled brightly, unable to contain her excitement.

“Wooow, what about your uncle?” Lewis joked as the kids embraced his legs since his arms were pre-occupied with the containers.

On the way to the kitchen to greet whoever was in there, she admired the homey feeling of it all and she was also just guessing where everything was, following the aroma of the food like the cartoons. “Nadia, oh my god! You guys are finally here!” The host herself exclaimed as she hurried to the confused girl. “I’m so glad you guys are here! It’s so good seeing you again and might I say, you’re glowing!”

The two women had gotten quite used to each other over the course of the few months, the kids growing obsessed with Nadia and wanted to see her every so often. Rather being scared of doing anything with Lewis’ family without him being there, Nadia kept a distance but kept a huge smile on for the kids whenever Nicola would randomly facetime.

“I use this one cleanser, maybe that’s why.” The girl grinned, kinda nervous that anyone could see her slight limp. “Sure, a cleanser. You look amazing, though. The kids were happy to see you on screen on Sunday, they were buzzing.” The older woman spoke.

“I missed them a lot. Austria was insane, it was cold and nothing was going right but at least we’re here for Silverstone.” Nadia shrugged, not wanting to talk about the previous grand prix that gave her stress. “I’ve never really liked that track so I understand you fully.” Nicola nodded after responding.

Nadia looked behind Nicola for a bit and unbeknownst to her, her eyes smiled with a lingering feeling within them. Lewis approached the two woman standing in the hallway but Nicola could already tell as she watched her sister in law fall in love in front of her.

The siblings greeted each other with hugs before Lewis turned to Nadia. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” He told her, a soft expression on his face as he saw become slightly nervous. “Oh, do I look okay?” She asked the siblings and they nodded simultaneously. “I’ll be right here so I show you around the house.” Nicola said, giving her a thumbs up before walking away.

“You seem to know the house well.” Nadia commented as her hand fit snug into Lewis’ hand to wherever he was leading her. “Willow and Kaiden dragged me around the house while you were chatting.” He responded. His hands led her by the shoulders towards the kitchen of the house, a large well lit space that felt like home with a modern touch.

A short woman with white hair was standing by the island, talking to the ever positive Miles. Upon hearing the new footsteps entering the kitchen, the woman turned around and gasped at the sight before her before a smile took over her face. “Hi mum.” Lewis chuckled and in that moment, Nadia’s stomach dropped.

Snapping her head to look at Lewis then his mom, she eventually saw the resemblance between the two and her heart fluttered. She moved to greet Miles with a hug before turning to the older woman. “Mum, I’d like you to meet my wife, Nadia.” He introduced her. The girl took a quick breath before greeting. “Hello, it’s so nice to meet you.” She said softly, being at eye level with the older woman.

Carmen didn’t have to say anything, she quickly embraced Nadia in a hug with a chuckle in between. “My dear, the pleasure’s all mine. Aren’t you the stunner.” His mother smiled, gently placing her hand on Nadia’s cheek. “Is he treating you well?” Carmen continued.

“Like a queen.” Nadia smiled, her attention never moving away from his mom. The two women were so caught up in their conversation that they hadn’t realised that the boys had left the kitchen. “Oh and I brought cinnamon rolls along with other desserts!” Nadia expressed excitedly, walking around the kitchen after offering her help to make charcuterie boards to bring to the set up in the backyard.

“He had mentioned that you made him Macarons, I’d love the recipe or even a baking session one day.” Carmen spoke, adjusting her glasses and in that moment, Nadia felt right at home.

Several hours later, everyone had gotten comfortable in the backyard adorned with fairy lights with the table set up in the garden. Miles and Daniel played basketball in the tennis court tucked behind the garden, their cheers and laughter heard from quite far. Amara, who landed in London a week early for Silverstone was helping Nicola with the music playlist and Nadia was entertaining the kids with giant jenga.

Lewis and his father overlooked the backyard with glasses of juice in their hands, Lewis particularly admiring Nadia with the kids.

“What are you thinking there, son?” Anthony asked. “I love her so much, Dad. It clicked quite some time ago but I don’t know how she feels and that…scares me.” Lewis confessed.

Anthony wasn’t surprised at his son’s words. “Was it Oxford that clicked for you?” He asked Lewis. Releasing a deep breath, Lewis tightened his grip on his glass. “She was telling me about her graduation and I wanted to just tell her that I was there supporting her and cheering for her but I knew I couldn’t tell her.” He sighed.

“You made a good choice, Lewis. That girl does love you and this family. It just took a couple of years.” Anthony chuckled before taking a sip of juice. “Her mother however…She’s got issues and it’s not easy being in-laws with her.” His father revealed.

“Dad, what do you mean?” Lewis raised an eyebrow and his dad let out a sigh. “Thembi hates her daughter and it’s so sad. She sent her back home so that she wouldn’t come back but Nadia being the intelligent girl she is, came back to the uk to be in Oxford and Cambridge. She only really has a relationship with her mom because of her stepdad.”

In that moment, Lewis felt his heart break for Nadia. This entire situation was quite complicated but to hear the dislike between mother and daughter was very hard. “She was gunning for Nadia to get married so that she could make money off of her. Tia, your pr manager, was a genius for taking Nadia before her mother got to her.” He added.

All this information made Lewis’ admiration for her grow even further. He could see that her side of the family wasn’t really there for her but put an excuse that they were just busy with their own lives. Being shaken out of his thoughts by someone tapping on his shoulder, he looked to see Nicola on his right. “Dinner’s ready.” She smiled.

Chatter scattered around the outdoor dinner table as different things were passed around and jokes were flying around. Many different varieties of food were dished out, making sure there was something for everyone. Nicolas arrived a bit later to the dinner, already claiming a soft spot in Nadia’s heart before everyone sat down.

Her manicured hand held her champagne flute as she laughed loudly at Amara’s story telling skills. Flashes would go off from Miles’ camera who wanted to capture every moment of this picturesque dinner. Nadia’s seat was so close to Lewis’ that there was barely any space left, their legs constantly touching and his arm leaning over her chair. Engaged in two different conversations, the couple remained close throughout.

“Aunty Dia! Can we have the cinnamon rolls?” Willow and Kaiden ran up to her seat, escaping their seats from their parents. Immediately scooting her seat back, Nadia gave her attention to the kids who eagerly held paper plates with serviettes on them. “Of course! Do you want them warm or cold?” She asked the kids, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Warm!” Willow shouted out and Kaiden just nodded along. “Okay let me take off my jacket then we’ll go.” She smiled. Turning to Lewis, she spoke. “Baby, can you take my jacket? I’m going to the kitchen with the kids.” She asked, already taking the Louis Vuitton jacket off.

The surprised expression on Lewis was quickly replaced with a smirk. “What’d you call me?” He asked with a teasing tone. Catching on to his antics, Nadia rolled her eyes with a smile. “Baby, thank you for taking my jacket.” She said, leaning in to peck to his lips which he happily took. Finally standing up, she held both the children’s hands to go to the well lit kitchen.

“So. When’s the wedding?” Miles spoke, shoving a macaron into his mouth. “Miles, I’m already married.” Lewis said, adjusting his seating. “The actual wedding, bruv. It’s just heart eyes everytime she does anything.” His friend joked, the whole table joining in and laughing.

“I still have to tell her how I feel.” Lewis chuckled and like clockwork, Amara’s hand smacked the back of his head. “If you don’t tell that woman that you love her, I’ll do it for you.” The woman threatened which garnered even more laughter.

“I wanna do it in the perfect moment. She deserves the world and I want to give that to her, even more later in life. It’s like there’s much more light in my life now that she’s in it, y’know?” Lewis spoke, the whole table admiring the way he spoke about Nadia.

“Well then. We’ll have to make sure this marriage stays protected from the public.” Anthony nodded to his son. Willow’s giggles came closer and closer to the table, her brother and Nadia following suite. “What did I miss?” The woman asked as soon as she plopped down in her seat.

“We were just about to talk about Silverstone, my dear.” Carmen responded, smiling at her daughter in law. “Oh lovely!” Nadia chirped up, scooting her chair closer to Lewis’ with his hand comfortably falling on her thigh.

-

SILVERSTONE

Admittedly so, this track was by far Nadia’s favourite. The paddock was alive, spotting countless people who looked like her (finally) and they donned their Lewis merch. Cameras surrounding her as she walked with her furry companion who seemed to lead the way.

She welcomed everyone who wanted to greet Roscoe and was more surprised at people who wanted to meet her. Race day was undeniably the most busy, people who’ve flown in from different countries just to support her husband. Nadia made sure to update everyone on her instagram throughout her day.

The fan stage was going on and when she heard the loud screams, she knew Lewis stepped on with his giggles through the mic following after. Finally stopping at the Mercedes hospitality, she decided to sit outside to let Roscoe rest from the walk they shared. The family was in their own paddock club suite, patiently waiting for the race. She’d join everyone for the first half of the race then spend the rest of it in the garage.

It all seemed like a good weekend. Seemed.

She really tried her best to be distracted by her phone but her hearing skills were working hard and listened in to the conversation from the group of 4 who were standing right beside the hospitality suite.

“I hate his confidence, he thinks he owns the place!” The one exclaimed.

“Right? It’s all too annoying. He sucks but he doesn’t see that because of his fame. Stupid guy.” Another spoke up.

‘Okay, this could be about any driver.’ Nadia thought.

“Then he comes in her wearing dirty clothes, bringing in his ratchet wife who can’t even dress for the occasion. This isn’t the hood!” There it was. Calmly standing, she called Roscoe and handed him to a worker, making her way to the group. She held her pants, thankfully wearing sneakers.

Nadia hadn’t noticed that Lewis and his teammate were on their way back to the hospitality suite, only one thing was on her mind. She ran her teeth over her grillz before sniffing, making her appearance known to the group.

“Hi, not too sure if you were aware but you’re making an awful lot of noise.” Nadia spoke, a stoic expression on her face. One of them turned to look at Nadia then scoffed.

“What are you going to do about it?” They asked, looking at her up and down with a scowl on her face.

“I’m here to tell you to shut up if you have nothing better to do with your life other than stand here talking about a driver and his wife.” She spoke, tilting her head slightly. “Well, the words write themselves. You look like a thug.” They smirked.

Another chimed in. “If you loved yourself, you wouldn’t look like a clown. Tell that husband of yours to clean up his act on track, there’s a reason why he’s behind all the great.”

“You need to shut the fuck up. Who do you think you guys are?” Nadia began pointing her fingers at them. Unaware of her surroundings, people were recording the whole thing and Lewis was drawing closer to the scene and saw his wife through it all. Miles even came down from the paddock club to see what was going on.

“You will not speak on my husband as if he’s one of your inferiors. I’m not scared of you so you standing here trying your best to intimidate me won’t work.” She continued, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Your mum-“ The main guy couldn’t even finish whatever bullshit he was about to spew before his shirt was grabbed backwards by a security guard, specifically one of Lewis’.

Pointing to his forehead with her nail on her pointer finger. “You better watch your steps after this. You speak on my mom again, you won’t like what happens next.” She lowered her voice to speak to him specifically. “Take your little friend and get the fuck out of here, you pathetic piece of shit.” Nadia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

The security guard dragged him away but his friend still stood there frozen. She stared at him then gave him a fright by stepping forward, the expression on her face never faltering. Nadia turned her heels to walk back to where she was seated, ignoring the eyes on her. Roscoe sat right by her feet again as she picked up her phone.

“Nadia.” She lifted her head up to see her husband standing in front of her, Miles stood behind him doubling over in laughter. “Hi Lewis.” She smiled, an innocent smile taking over her face.

He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” He spoke. Lewis knew that she had a fighting spirit that he never wanted to cross but seeing it being used on other people evoked something else in him.

“Tia will call in a few and talk my ear off but I don’t give a fuck. If anyone thinks they can talk shit about you, I’ll deal with it.” Nadia smiled, showing off her grillz once again. Kissing her once again on the lips, Lewis smiled, incredibly proud of her.

The race was nothing short of exhilarating, nothing could compare to the feeling that she felt watching the screens in the garage. She chose to not have headphones on as she stood next to Anthony, Linda and Nicolas, the camera panning over to her focused gaze on her husband’s car.

Silverstone had an insane atmosphere, the support for Lewis was so strong that she knew it fueled him throughout the race. With five laps left, she knew he had the podium in the bag. Once he crossed the finish line, she screamed and cheered with her in laws, hugs being exchanged with the cheers from Merc employees also filling the atmosphere.

The post race interview after he got out of the car had featured her and his family watching him from the side, all wearing the proud expression on their faces. Nadia’s ‘44’ necklace shining from the little sunshine that Silverstone had to offer. The podium celebration was one for the books, fans surrounding with cheers mainly for the British drivers on the podium.

Even going out of her way to congratulate Lando, her husband followed after with a big grin on his face. Hugging his family first, his touch lingered on Nadia for much longer. “You’re full of sweat, Lew.” She laughed when he wouldn’t let go of her.

All he did was shrug and kiss her forehead. “I gotta go for interviews, see you later?” He spoke, his hand on his hip still quite breathless.

“No problem.” She smiled. “I lo-“ He was interrupted by Miles running to give him a bone crushing hug. Nadia thought she was hearing things but shrug it off watching Lewis celebrate with everyone around him.

imessage!

Rea! <3

saint’s notes 🪩: hope you enjoyed! it also looks a bit odd because it was written in google docs lol

tags: @non-stop-imagines @motheroffae @perfecttrashface @thisismeracing @myescapefromthislife @slytherinjimin3nthusiast @jamie2305 @cocobutterqwueen @like-fire-love-blog @sugardontbesweet @simpfortoomanymen @mauvecherie-writes @queenshikongo3 @eugene-emt-roe @deepgothfiremuffin @18754389 @cherry2stems @anubisnoir @littlelizzies-world @httpsserene @apenasumlug4r @youre-sooooo-funny @eddiesbitch83 @arshiyuh @alika-4466 @peyiswriting @sunfairyy @vsfavs @louvrepool @mistruscity @tian-monique @hopefulromantic1 @exotic-iris13 @yeea-nah @nichmeddar @gg-trini @lifeless-firefly @vellicora @takeoffz-tookoff9876 @serpenttines-library @emjayewrites @royallyprincesslilly @lewisroscoelove @purplelewlew @xoscar03 @kidsol-ar @nothaqks @tremendousstarlighttragedy @ggaslyp1 @henneseyhoe @saturnville

if your acc is blank, that means tumblr can’t find you!

#saint writes #renaissance: the series #lewis hamilton x black reader #lewis hamilton x oc #lewis hamilton fanfics #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton fic #f1 x oc #f1 x you #f1 x black!reader #Spotify

[heartsatoru]

author note: sorry I haven’t posted in a while I overdosed and stopped breathing and was in the psych ward 3 times & have been grounded a lot😭 but here’s some gojo smut <3 remember, I suck at English 😭

summary: edging the one and only satoru gojo :3

He bit his lip down until a metallic taste filled his mouth. His head was spinning, he didn’t know if he could take anymore of this. How long has it been? Minutes? Hours?

“You still with me, ‘toru?” You question him, looking at his fucked out expression with a smirk on your face. God, this was a rare, but beautiful sight. Drool was dripping down his chin, hair all disheveled and eyes rolling to the back of his head. It felt so good to put this cocky bastard in his place, always having to mention how strong he is. He whimpered out incoherent words in response, while he places his hand on your head in an attempt to make you suck him off again.

“Where’s that smug smirk of yours? Hm?” You tease, while stroking his cock teasingly slow. You spit on his tip, and use your thumb to spread your saliva on his tip. Satoru in response grips your hair tighter and thrusts his hips upwards in hope of friction on his hard, erected cock. His pink, rosy tip flushed at all of the abuse given the last hour, almost making you feel bad.

“Mm-mgh.. fffuckk.. c-can’t anymore baby...” He moans out. You chuckle in return, stroking his cock faster and watching how his face twitches in pleasure and overstimulation.

“You sure you’re the strongest? Pretty pathetic of ‘the strongest’ to be whimpering under my touch right now..”

He groans and throws his head back in pleasure and frustration. Your eyes soften looking at his needy cock, throbbing for your attention despite his words. You place your lips on his tip and swirl your tongue around it, while stroking the base which was creamy from his previous orgasms. He inhales a sharp and shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut. You slowly make your way down his cock, drool coating his entire shaft and balls, giving him what his cock desperately wants.

Your tongue licks and slurps the underside of his cock, his base, his balls, everywhere, his moans, his grunting, your slurping, are loud noises ringing in his ears. Your head bobs up and down on his length as he grips your hair tight, guiding you down his cock. His hips desperately thrust into your mouth, as he chases his release.

“Shiiit.. s-so hngg- good.. ah..oh fuck.. m-my princess..” You smile as you continue sucking and gagging over his thick length. His salty taste fills your mouth as you moan into his cock, sending vibrations throughout his entire length. His moans got louder and louder as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His thrusts into your throat got faster, and you could tell his release was seconds away by his moans and twitches. His length was insane though. With every bob of your head, you could feel him hitting the back of your throat, making you gag. You still weren’t used to his length after all this time.

Your saliva seeps out of your mouth, getting his thighs and your chin soaked. God, you were making a mess, it was worth it though, all for your pretty boy. You pull off his cock for a second, a string of saliva connecting your mouth to his tip to catch your breath, but Satoru’s hand unexpectedly shoves your head back onto his needy cock. You look up at his lewd expression, practically begging for more of your touch without even saying anything. You smirk into his cock.

“Hnnnghhh- I loveyousomuch… pleaseplease baby…- fuck…! wanna cum in your throat baby..~ need to..” He rambles. He keeps rambling sweet nothings under his breath as your tongue explores his cock, licking and sucking in all the right places.

And right when he’s about to cum—- seconds away from his release, you pull yourself off of him, permanently. He looks up at you with such a needy expression he looks seconds away from bursting into tears.

“Nono please you can’t do this baby. I need to… I need more.” He whimpers out, reaching his hand out to stroke himself but you give him a look warning him not to touch himself. He curls his hand up into a fist, nails digging into the palm of his hand.

“Shh.. it’s okay baby. Don’t worry, you’re okay. Everything’s gonna be alright.” You comfort him through your smug smirk. Your hand caresses his face as you look into his needy eyes. Your sight lingers to his bare chest covered in hickeys and bite marks from recent rounds, making you want to make more marks. You kiss his neck, leaving dark hickeys on him while whispering words of comfort into his ear. His breathing gets more and more desperate and frantic by the second, fighting the urge to not touch himself.

You wait until the feeling of him needing to cum was completely gone before saying,

“One more time?”

sooo sorry for being gone for a while.. and this is only my second fic ive written so leave feedback and suggestions pretty please!! now time for me to hibernate for a few months again :3 this isn’t proof read I’m too tired for this man

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #anime #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #gojou satoru x reader #gojo x y/n #gojo x you #gojo smut #jjk smut #jjk gojo #satorugojo #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu gojo #jujutsu kaisen smut #smut #gojo x female reader #satoru gojo x female reader #satoru x you #satoru smut #jujutsu kaisen satoru #gojo jjk smut

[sommerbueckers]

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬¹

___________________________________________________________

PAIGE WAS SITTING patiently in the living room of her hotel as she waited for KK and Ice to get ready. Their plane to New York City had landed last night and they had yet to stock up with snacks for the week. Ice was only going to ensure that Paige and KK bought something other than junk, she knew how slow they'd in practice after living off nothing but Tollhouse cookies and Pepsi for seven days.

"Y'all ready?" the blonde asked, shutting off her phone and slipping it into the pockets of her shorts.

"Been that, jus' waiting for Ice slow ass," KK responded, shooting the taller girl a side eye.

"Okay," Ice chimed in, "I don't wanna go either, everybody else is making me."

"Everybody except the two other people going," KK scrunched her nose up, playfully judging her.

Ice held her hand up in front of KK, moving to grab the keys off of the counter. Paige followed suit as they headed out the door and toward the elevator. She scrolled idly on her phone until a picture of the New York Liberty team popped up, triggering a question in her mind.

"Yo what time does the game start tomorrow?" she furrowed her eyebrows, looking between her two friends.

KK shrugged while Ice pulled out her phone.

"Seven."

"So are we eating before or after? 'Cus everything goin' be closed if we try to go after," KK said.

Snorting, the blonde turned to her, "Is food the only thing you think about?"

KK glared at her, not bothering to respond.

"Not to insert myself, but this grocery trip was literally your idea Paige," Ice said.

"So we was supposed to starve all week?" Paige asked, raising an eyebrow, and when neither of them responded she continued, "That's what I thought."

___________________________________________________________

"--No i'm telling you, we're gonna need more than one family bag of Doritos."

KK stared blankly up at Paige, the single bag of chips being crushed in her grip.

"You don't think this bag will last?" she frowned.

"Dude," Paige said, "there's six of us here, no the bag isn't gonna last KK." Paige took it upon herself to grab a couple more bags off the shelf before tossing them into the cart.

"We need milk, and probably some break-away cookies, breakfast stuff too," Ice mentioned as she looked up from her phone.

"I can get those," Paige offered.

"I certainly wasn't getting 'em," Ice frowned with a laugh.

Paige, mocking the girl's laughter, set off toward the dairy aisle in search of the items Ice had named. She saw the milk first, pausing while she debated on whether to get the full cart or the half cart. They'd be here for a week, and if she got three half cartons then they could distribute them amongst the rooms. A full carton would have to be shared...That would be a lot of back and forth.

As she began to grab the cartons off the shelf, a soft voice called out to her from a few feet away. When she turned, her eyes landed on the one person from high school she hadn't forgotten about after graduation -- that hadn't been on the basketball team of course.

Myla Mintz.

Paige remembered her like it was yesterday; the curve of the dimples in her cheeks, the faint smile lines around her mouth, the deep brown of her doe eyes as she took in her surroundings. It was almost as if no time had passed, and if it hadn't been for her outfit showing off the way her body had developed, Paige would've been convinced that none did.

"Myla," she smiled, surprise written on her face.

"Oh my gosh it's been so long, how are you?" Myla asked, the same amount of surprise plastered across her beautiful face as well.

"I -- I'm great, how're you?"

Myla laughed, it was familiar to Paige, yet so foreign at the same time.

"I'm doing really good," she nodded.

"That's good, yeah. Damn, it's been four years," Paige scoffed in disbelief, taking a step closer to the girl, the milk cartons sitting forgotten in their original place.

Myla mirrored her actions, the pair now close enough that only they could hear their conversation.

"I know right! I mean it definitely doesn't feel like it, feels like yesterday we were just sitting in Physics talking about--" she struggled to find the words, a blush creeping onto her face from the embarrassment of not being able to recall any of their conversations. "Talking about whatever."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde smiled as she remembered, "man I don't think i've ever been less focused during a class."

"I don't know how we even passed finals."

"Screw finals, midterms!" Paige laughed loudly.

Myla ran a hand through her hair, her usual natural curls had been curled and styled with an iron, now appearing longer as they hung down her back. A few chunks in the front had been cut into curtain bangs, falling perfectly back into place when her hand returned to her side. Paige watched as the shorter girl straightened out her skirt, her gaze falling to the perfect swell of her hips as it curved in to become her stomach. Has her shape always been that perfect?

When Myla looked back up, Paige took note of the smoothness of her lips. It was hard to tell if the pink tint they held was natural or if it was a lipstick, but regardless, Paige had decided that she loved it.

Myla's mascara coated lashes batted up at the blonde, quietly waiting for her response to a question that had completely went over her head.

"Paige?" she called out.

"Yeah?"

"I asked what you were in town for," Myla smiled.

A nervous laugh escaped Paige and she briefly shook her head, "Sorry. I'm here for a week with some of my teammates."

"Oh nice. Is it for basketball or..." her voice trailed off.

"Nah, just pleasure."

Myla nodded again, anxiously biting her lip whilst she slowly built up the courage to ask her real question.

Paige hadn't even noticed her slight hesitation, but then again she had never been that observant. If she was, she would've caught on to the crush that Myla had developed on her during their junior year of high school. A crush that, let anyone other than Myla tell it, never really went away.

"Well y'know i'd love to catch up, if you're not too busy..." Myla finally breathed out, the grip she had on her basket beginning to slip from how sweaty her palms had become.

Paige, excited about the offer, immediately nodded her head, "That sounds great actually, when were you thinkin'?"

"I'm not really sure, I have some things lined up this week. If you give me your number though i'm sure we can work something out."

"Okay."

After the pair exchanged numbers and said their 'goodbyes,' they each went their separate ways. Paige proceeded to grab the things that Ice had requested before making her way back to her friends. It took her a minute to find them, their place having changed from the snack aisle over to the wide selection of alcohol. When they spotted her, KK removed her phone from her ear and Ice dramatically threw her hands up.

"We've been calling you," she said frustratedly.

"Yeah, we thought somebody snatched you," KK said, mimicking a grabbing motion with her arms.

"Relax," Paige laughed, "I was talkin' to somebody."

"A fan?" Ice asked.

"No, somebody I know from high school."

"Hm, well we gotta get back if we wanna make our dinner reservations tonight." Ice took the things from Paige's hands and put them in the car, positioning herself behind it to push. "Let's go."

___________________________________________________________

Paige sat in the living room with her warmed up leftovers sitting in her lap. The movie the girls had been watching had been paused after they learned of Paige's plans to meet with Myla, all of them bombarding her with questions about who she was and how they knew each other. Silently chewing on a few fries, her attention was grasped by Aubrey as the girl threw her another question.

"So you had one class with this girl for one year and now y'all are going out for lunch?"

"Yeah," Paige nodded. She noticed the expressions her friends held, faces of uncertainty and disapproval. "What? We became good friends that year." It hadn't entirely been a lie, Paige and Myla did indeed become friends during their shared time in that class. Only that was all there was. Their entire friendship had been kept between the walls of that freezing Physics classroom, neither one of them even sparing each other a second glance outside of that. Paige could tell you every single thing that Myla had done over the weekend from the months of August to May. But if you asked her where the girl had sat for lunch during those same months, she would've stared at you, stuck.

"Good friends doing what -- cutting open animals and bonding over their intestines?" Kayla joked.

"First off, that's Biology," Paige said, "and second, the way we became friends isn't even weird. Y'all just hatin.'"

"We're not hating Paige," Azzi said, "we're just trying to make sure you're not being lured out to some remote location where none of us can find you."

"No seriously, do you know who you are? I was on Ebay the other day and I found a fake chunk of your hair for sale," Aubrey told her, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Aubrey please," Azzi frowned.

"Im for real! It was in a signed ziplock bag 'n' everything," she continued.

Jana, rolling her eyes, finally chimed in the conversation. "How about we just do a deep dive on this girl and settle this?" she suggested.

Azzi nodded with a smile, pulling out her phone and opening Instagram.

"Good luck with that, she doesn't have social media," Paige said smugly, leaning back in her seat.

"No social media?" KK frowned, sharing a look with Ice, "Oh she definitely a weirdo."

Kayla scoffed, "Tell that to her 3 million followers."

It came as a shock to the girls that Paige hadn't gotten whiplash from how fast she turned her head. Her face contorted in a mixture of confusion and intrigue.

"Lemme see that," she demanded.

Azzi was unresponsive as she scrolled through the girl's Instagram, her eyes widening a little more with every picture she clicked on.

"Azzi," Paige spat out.

Kayla snatched the phone from Azzi's hand, earning a pout from her as she threw the phone over to Paige. Swiftly catching it, her face began to somewhat mimic Azzi's. Her friends crowded around her as they all looked through Myla's account. Pictures of her in revealing bikinis as she posed in the sand or by the pool, reels of her in undergarments parading around with girls who wore similar things, and the rest were her dressed up in fancy outfits at various premieres.

Who the fuck is this and what did she do with the real Myla Mintz?

The Myla that Paige remembered hadn't even had a social media platform, and now here she was with 3 million followers on Instagram. High school Myla hated going to the pool because the thought of being in a swimsuit in front of a bunch of strangers freaked her out. She hated her stretch marks, she hated how her thighs rubbed together when she walked, how she constantly felt the need to keep her arms away from her body because otherwise it 'made her feel fat.'

Paige had never understood Myla's desire to keep her body hidden, if she had been blessed with a body like that in high school she would've walked around showing it off. But Myla wanted to hide it. Now, looking at the new image that the Mintz girl had created for herself, it was obvious to Paige that a lot about her had changed.

"She's a model," Jana said, pointing out the tagged page in her bio, "IMG models."

"Damn, she a real model. None of that fake ig shit," Aubrey spoke, her voice slightly airy from seeing the photos.

"You sure you went to school with her, Paige?" Kayla joked, using her pointer finger to tap the blonde.

Paige couldn't answer, she could hardly even hear the question as her focus remained solely on the picture that was displayed on her screen. It was a casually taken photo of Myla on the beach. Her curls were completely soaked, fingers scrunching them at the top of her head. Her red bikini top had a zipper in the middle, one that was partially unzipped to reveal her cleavage. The matching bottoms that did very little to cover what she had clung tightly to her perfect skin.

She was smiling happily with her eyes closed, pearly teeth on full show. Everything about the picture was perfect, from the rawness of her smile to the carefreeness of her energy. Paige couldn't think of a single thing in the world that could've made the post better, that was until she read the caption typed below. It made her eyebrows raise, her lips part, her heart stop for a period of time that would concern medical specialist.

'Happy Pride from your fav;)'

___________________________________________________________

A/N: so obviously this is in third person and i didn't really like that so im planning to change it going forward

BUT NEW SERIESSSSS, im hype soooo i hope yall are too

#new series #part one #love beyond the likes #wlw post #paige bueckers #uconn wbb #third person #azzi fudd #kk arnold

[thewalkingdilf]

OKAYYY i’ve had this idea of a perv! daryl x shy, inexperienced reader that i just cannot get out of my head.

18+ mdni, poorly written smut, not proofread, perv!daryl, large age gap (reader is early 20s), loss of innocence

this is a drabble-ish. not a completely finished work, this is more of just an idea that popped into my mind that i may create a larger work for later.

your heart is absolutely racing as daryl’s darkened eyes stare you down like you’re his prey, nothing but an easy target. he’s above you on the bed, a large hand on each side of your head, holding his weight above you. you felt trapped in the best possible way. your head felt fuzzy and your pussy was aching with desire. he knew you were a virgin, innocent and as physically pure as could be. It’s not like you hadn’t wanted to do these things before, you’d just never had the opportunity to while living in your strict, religious home. besides, you hadn’t even found anyone you had taken that strong of a liking to, no one worth throwing your innocence away for; not until daryl, anyway.

there was just something about him that you were so intrigued by that you just couldn’t quite place your finger on. maybe it was his age— how much older and stronger he was than you— or maybe it was his rough, manly, and intimidating exterior. regardless, you had never had anyone make you feel like this before.

daryl, on the other hand, couldn’t help but be attracted to your innocence; you were so different from him, and in a world like this, he needed that, almost just as much as he needed to mold you into a perfect little toy for him like he had been fantasizing about since he’d met you.

“daryl,” you cry out pathetically as one of his hands come down to touch your sopping wet pussy for the first time, causing a fire to burn within your core. He felt his jeans tighten; your reaction to the slightest touch was already on the verge of being over the top. i mean, he barely touched you and you were practically drooling for him just like your aching cunt was. how in the hell were you going to handle his fingers, let alone his cock?

“sorry,” you mutter, embarrassed of your intense reaction, “i’ve just never done anything… ya’ know, like this before…” your soft voice trailed off, your big doe eyes staring up at him, “feels really good.”

daryl smirks, collecting your slick on his fingers, moving up to rub tiny circles on your puffy clit, “nothin’ at all? surely ya touch yourself, right darlin?” he questioned, pausing all movement, awaiting your response.

a deep blush covered your already hot cheeks at the admission of your already obvious innocence to the older man, “well, i mean, i tried before, but i dunno how to do it, it just felt weird. couldn’t make it feel good so i gave up.”

fuck. you were more innocent than he thought. not only are you a virgin, you’d never even came before? he was going to have so much fun with you.

“holy shit,” daryl muttered, “pretty thing like you has never felt an orgasm?”

“…no.”

his cock strained against his jeans so hard he could’ve sworn he was seeing stars for a moment. the last remaining traces of his once icy-blue orbs disappeared, deep black taking over as he gazed down at you, like a predator hunting his prey, hovering above you in a straddle, one knee between your legs, the other on the opposing side. “fuck, sunshine, you’re gon love this. promise.”

daryl’s finger returned to your clit, working itself in circles a bit faster than before, the new sensation causing you to arch your back and whine, your pussy clenching around nothing, causing a string of your arousal to drip down your plush thigh.

“ahh, fuck! fuck daryl, pleaseeee.”

“please what?” he teased, continuing his pace, watching you completely fall apart beneath him.

please what? that was a great question, you had no idea what you were begging for, you just knew that whatever he was doing was way too good for him to stop now.

a large, calloused hand gripped your jaw, forcing you to meet daryl’s lust-blown eyes, “i said please what? don’t ya’ wanna be a good doll and answer me so i can help ya’ out? c’mon pretty girl, just tell me whatcha need and i’ll take care’a you.”

“i-i dunno… i-” you felt embarrassed out of nowhere, like the feeling had just popped out of thin air. you cover your face with your arms, a bright pink wave creeping along your cheeks once again, spreading to the tips of your ears. you knew nothing about this, didn’t know what you wanted, what to ask for— you just knew you needed daryl to keep doing whatever it was that was making you feel so fucking good.

you felt the strength of daryl’s large arms gripping your dainty wrists, pushing them away from your face and onto the bed, holding them there with a force you knew you wouldn’t be able to escape from.

“ah, ah, ah, c’mon now, sunshine. keep those hands away from that pretty face of yers. you know i wanna see all those pretty looks my doll gives me while i make her cum ‘round my cock.”

#daryl dixon #twd #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon drabbles #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fanfiction #the walking dead imagine #twd daryl dixon #daryl twd #the walking dead daryl dixon #daryl #daryl dixon x reader #daryl smut #daryl dixon fluff #daryl dixon imagines #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x you #daryl fanfiction #daryl imagines #daryl x female reader #daryl x reader #daryl x y/n #daryl dixon drabble #daryl x you #twd smut

[battymommastuff]

Eden

Batmom x Batman

Warnings: SMUT, HEAVY NSFW, MINORS AND AGELESS ACCOUNTS DNI

Prompt: My, my, those eyes like fire...I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Masterlist

!!DISCLAIMER!! - This likely won't be comic accurate (Obviously), but I did draw inspiration from the comics. If you are looking for something accurate, then this fanfic isn't for you.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You asked as you shut the door to a random room in your lavish mansion. As soon as Bruce made himself known to you, you dragged him to the nearest place for privacy. The last thing you needed is your husband seeing you conversate with Gotham's resident playboy billionaire.

"I'm here for you, Y/n. I made a mistake, and I can't live with myself knowing you're with...him." Bruce said as he gestured to the self portrait of your husband on the wall. Even then, he still wore that damned mask. You just closed your eyes and let out a deep breath. You've imagined this day would happen. The day Bruce instantly made you regret your marriage. All you wanted in this moment was to jump in his arms and have him walk you right out of this mansion. You wanted that from the moment you accepted the proposal. Marrying you husband was the biggest mistake of your life.

"I believe I am attending a ball as a resident of Gotham's elite." Bruce answered as he took a sip of his champagne. God it felt so good to see you this close again. He's only ever seen you through binoculars or pictures. He missed being this close to you even though he hadn't touched you. Since you departure, he felt himself go slightly feral. Bruce never realized how much he wanted you until he saw you with another man. Now he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he gets you.

You just rolled your eyes. Out of all the events your husband has thrown, Bruce arrives now? When the place is crawling with Court members, "Why are you really here, Bruce?" You asked as you removed your mask. He felt his heart race when he finally saw you face. You were absolutely beautiful. Simply stunning. He couldn't put into words what he felt for you at this moment.

"Bruce, I can't..." You whispered as you shook your head. He didn't like that answer in the slightest. He closed the already short distance between the two of you, and grabbed your face. His forehead resting against yours.

"Y/n, please. All I've wanted...I've dreamed about is having you back. I was afraid of what would happen if I let myself be happy. I couldn't let myself love you, only to lose you." He confessed and shook his head as you started spouting more rejections. Eventually his lips just pressed against yours to get you to shut up. The kiss was instantly reciprocated as you tangled your fingers into his hair. He backed you up against he wall, and started kissing down your-...

"Ugh, I'm going to throw up..." You were knocked out from your story by all of your children looking at you as if they were going to be sick. You didn't go into heavy detail like you did in your mind, but they got the picture. So you just shook your head and continued on with the story after that moment. Bruce, who had been eavesdropping...kept the memory going in his mind.

Bruce had bent you over the desk that sat across the room His hands sliding up your dress to yank your underwear down. There wasn't time for foreplay. He needed to get this out, and he needed it out now. His lips moved along the skin of your neck and shoulders. He wanted to leave marks all over your skin, but he couldn't. It would make your life hell. Your hands gripped onto the edge of the desk as Bruce dropped his pants down along with his boxers.

The feeling of him slowly pushing into you...felt amazing. Your eyes widened as a gasp came from your lips. Bruce's forehead rested on your shoulder as he pushed into you, "At least I know I don't have any competition with the Grand Master." He teased after feeling how tight you were. He was having a bit of trouble fitting.

Minutes later, heavy panting along with the sounds of the desk scooting on the wooden floor was all that could be heard in the room. One hand had reached back to hold onto his wrist while the other had wrapped around the back of his head. His hands were holding your hips tightly, and his hips moved as quickly as he could muster. Both of you lost in ecstasy. You turned your head to kiss him, but it was barely a kiss. Mostly just heavy pants while your tongues brushed together. He had forced your wedding ring from your finger and thrown it across the room. In this room, you weren't the wife of the Grand Master...you were his. As if should be.

"B-Bruce..." You whimpered, your walls clenching around his length. He just groaned in response before pushing your head down onto the table. His thrusts became more sporadic. No ounce of rhythm. Your eyes rolled back once you came. His hand quickly covering your mouth to hide the moan that came out. Bruce's hips slammed against yours roughly as he fucked his cum into you. A 'Fuck You' to the Grand Master for stealing you away.

You both panted heavily as Bruce pulled away from you to grab some tissues and started cleaning you up, "I cheated on my husband..." You panted as you felt him clean you up. Bruce just chuckled in response.

Once you were cleaned up, you went for your panties. That wasn't very easy to do since Bruce took them before you could get them. He dropped them into his jacket pocket, "Those are mine now, beautiful." He purred then pulled you to him once again. Your lips connected in a passionate kissed, "Let me take you away from here..." He whispered and kissed your forehead.

You shook your head, "No let me stay. The Grand Master has something planned. He won't tell me what it is, but I'm close to finding out." You said, your hands running up and down his arms, "Let me be your spy. I'll give you information, and then we can take him down...together. We can get rid of the Court...for good." You said, and with reluctance...Bruce accepted.

Rejoining the party was a bit awkward. Considering the fact that your husband had been searching for you. He took note of your slightly disheveled appearance, but didn't want to question it. His arm wrapped around your waist as he pulled you close, "Where is your wedding ring?"

TAGLIST

No Taglist for this one because I don't want to tag someone who isn't comfortable with reading smut.

~ Batty

#batman #batmom #batmom imagines #damian wayne x reader #dc comics #dick grayson x batmom #jason todd x batmom #jason todd x reader #tim drake x reader #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x you #bruce wayne #red hood #batman and robin #robin #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson #batman fluff #batman x reader #batdad #batfamily #bat family #batfam x reader #batmom x batfam #nightwing

[wildestdreamsblog]

Latibule Spinoff: Elysian

Pairing: Doctor/Mafia!Kim Seokjin x Intern!Reader 

Warnings: Yandere behavior, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

A/N: BECAUSE DADDY'S HOME! I am so, so so so so happy he’s back. Extremely proud of our blorbo. My heart is fulllll. Also pls note that Latibule and Elysian’s timeline is happening simultaneously 😁

Masterlist, Part V of __

“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Jung Hoseok asked as he watched incredulously his brother, Kim Seokjin, ‘fought’ with Taehyung.

Or rather, as he watched him willingly got beaten up by the younger man. This was a rather peculiar event as their oldest hyung was rarely seen to be in this state. He always thought he was above petty brawls even when the maknaes begged the mafia prince to spar with them. They knew how good he was, if not the best among them. He had rigorous trainings since he learned how to walk. In fact, they witnessed how good he was, but Kim Seokjin was never one to brag about his skills. On the other hand, he always took pride on how he looked, never one to be seen with even a strand of hair out of place. His clothes were never seen with any crease at all that one would think he didn’t move throughout the day. It was so ridiculous that his pairs of sleepwear were of the highest quality. You’d never catch this man slipping.

See, one would think that he was truly a prince because of the standard he held himself in.

But now, he was not even pretending to put up a fight even as Taehyung landed blows after blows until the younger man hesitated. Even someone as emotionless as him knew something was wrong which proved just how peculiar their hyung was acting. Had he been in his right mind, he wouldn’t even let Taehyung’s fist near his ‘glorious’ and ‘worldwide handsome’ face. Well, his words and not theirs.

Hoseok and Namjoon, on the other hand, knew for certain that should Seokjin wanted to fight, he could do so. After all, they witnessed firsthand the unhinged and dangerous version of their hyung before he decided that he would rather pamper his skin with expensive creams and serums than the stark blood of his enemies, and well sometimes, even friends.

“Hyuuuung!” Taehyung finally snapped, pouting at Seokjin who had blood dripping from the open gash on his forehead. “You agreed!”

Seokjin rolled his eyes as he wiped the blood on his plump lips. “Did I? Because I vividly remember that you asked me to spar and I didn’t say anything.”

“You stood up and went in the ring with me!” Taehyung snapped back, his eyes wide before looking at his brothers as though to point out how ridiculous Seokjin was being.

Namjoon quietly chuckled at the scene in front of him. They were gathered somewhere in an unnamed basement building and two of his brothers were sparring as the four other brothers keenly watched as though this was the most interesting thing in their life. If anyone saw these six distinguished men in their respective fields acting like this, Namjoon thought that they wouldn’t even believe their own eyes. Heck, this dark basement had two distinguished police officers, the top doctor in the country, actor who won the most prestigious awards, a tech genius with numerous connections with the world leaders, and yours truly, the best attorney in the country that had a stellar case win rate and was constantly being asked by political groups to join them. They were just missing the chief of police, Min Yoongi. They still couldn’t reach him since last week.

They were used to him vanishing like that, but Namjoon’s senses told him that this time it was different. His eyes shifted to the smiling man next to him, his phone capturing the scene like he was always fond of doing. He couldn’t help but noticed the slight limp he was sporting when he walked in. His draconic eyes shifted to the faint bruises in his knuckles which he claimed were all from training.

“Right, Joonie?” Hoseok suddenly turned to him, his pleasant smile ever present on his face.

“What?” he blinked, suddenly dawning on him that everyone’s attention was on him.

“Where are you? Is Namjoon in the room with us?” Hoseok kidded before playfully bumping his shoulder. “I said, hyung didn’t explicitly give his consent to the sparring. Taehyung was wrong-“

“Hyuuuung!” Taehyung stomped his foot in indignation, acting like the baby they knew he was.

Jungkook chuckled as Tae’s statement, thoroughly enjoying the scene. “You hit Jin hyung without his consent. Tsk tsk.”

“But he went in the ring and stood there! Taetae is not wrong,” Jimin defended his agemate before letting his Slytherin ways that had always thrived in chaos won. “But then again, Taehyung, how can you hit that face? Come on, man, that’s just wrong.”

And chaos ensued as all five of them spoke over one another while the subject of the chaos was emotionlessly wiping the blood on his face with his towel he probably imported from Japan. He didn’t care of the chaos brought by his nonchalance in the violence, taking his sweet time to gulp water from his bottle as though nothing bothered him, as though the wounds and forming bruises on his body didn’t hurt.

“Fine, fine!” Taehyung relented, raising both his hands to stop the verbal assaults being thrown from both sides. “But why did he let me hit him so many times?! He could have stopped me! Hell, he could take all of us if he wanted to!”

“That makes sense,” Jungkook agreed, nodding his head before turning his doe eyes to his hyung who was now silently looking at his phone. “If noona sees you like this, she won’t like you anymore.”

“She already doesn’t like me.”

That was the first time he opened his mouth that night after brooding in the basement for so long and spreading his dark energy. Even Jungkook who was always found to be sitting next to him in any occasion opted to sit on the other side of the room.

“Who’s she?” Namjoon asked, his brows pinched together from confusion and curiosity. Girl? Hyung was with a girl when he didn’t even look at them before because, as he quoted, ‘why bother when his visual was better that theirs?’

“You know? The girl I posted in my Instagram story with hyung?”

At Namjoon’s blank stare, Jungkook exploded. “You still hadn’t followed me back?! The audacity, Attorney Kim! Until now, I’m still stuck as a liker and commenter on all your posts! All you follow is your secretary and all you post is her son and her! And plants! It’s like I don’t matter to you-”

“Okay, so who’s she?”

Jungkook blinked, “She’s a doctor in hyung’s hospital. She’s kind and pretty, and she likes Taylor Swift, and she bought me samgyupsal. And you!”

He pointed at his Jin hyung with accusation in his eyes. He squinted his doe eyes at him before sauntering near to him. “What did you do?”

Seokjin lifted his dark eyes on him before putting down his phone. “Why do automatically think it’s something I did?”

“Noona literally had heart in her eyes when she looked at you! And am I wrong? Was it not your fault?”

His silence was enough to confirm Jungkook’s accusation. He scoffed as he straightened up and thought to himself that somehow, in a room full of intelligent and capable men, he was surrounded by idiots.

“Fix it or else I’ll give the engineer in my office her name. He’s been pestering me to introduce noona to him ever since he saw her on my Instagram and I might just give it to him-“

“What’s his name?!” Seokjin cut him off, suddenly standing to his full height and with so much force that the chair he was sitting on fell back to the ground.

“No!”

“Get back here and give me his name!”

“I’m leaving!”

“Jeon Jungkook, you get back here right now! Where does he live?!”

-

Had you been an outsider to all this fiasco, then you would surely feel sorry for he-who-shall-not-be-named aka Voldemort aka Kim Seokjin. Had you been an outsider to this situation, then you would surely find this all funny.

But you weren’t. You were, in fact, in the middle of it all.

You decided the moment you went home after he slandered your name, belittled you, and short-of shouted at everyone that he would never fall for you because you didn’t pass his taste. In fact, and you quoted, you were ‘so below him’ and you weren’t the same stature as him that he was embarrassed for someone to even think that he felt something for you.

What a dramatic person, you thought. Why would you be hurt over a crush? Why would you even cry over it?

You sat with your feelings that weekend. You thought and thought hard enough to know that the reason why you bawled your eyes out the moment you exited that coffee shop and why you lost your appetite and stayed in bed was because all he said was the truth.

Were you beneath him in stature? Check.

Was his taste in women beyond you? Check.

Were you below him? Check.

Did he only entertain you because you were funny? Damn right you were. You were hilarious as fuck.

But still, you called in sick for work after weekend passed. You were still hurt and quite frankly, too embarrassed to even see him or any people from the hospital that knew how hard you were chasing him. You sat with your feelings long enough to realize that just because some guy, no matter how perfect he was in the outside, didn’t like you back did not mean that it was the end of the world. Your mother did not raise a weak woman. Well, she really didn’t raise you, but anyway!

You decided to do exactly what you did best.

Avoidance.

According to an article written by Lebow in 2022, somatic avoidance refers to steering clear from situation that elicit a physical response similar to anxiety or stress response. Right now, you were actively avoiding your greatest stress in life. So when you met his eyes as you walked to the entrance of the hospital, you pretended to not see him. You continued as though nothing was amiss, as though seeing him after hiding and housing your pain for days did not affect you in any way. You weren’t blind, though. You couldn’t help but notice how exhausted he looked. You couldn’t help but notice a faint bruise on his otherwise perfect face. You felt the gnawing curiosity forming in your mind as to how he got that when you thought that he was someone who would never get into a fight. Foolishly, you thought that he was someone who would rather resolve issues in a calm and civil manner than inflict pain on other people.

“Y/N, wait-”

You continued walking and like the asshole that he was, he didn’t take the hint that you didn’t wish to speak to him, nor hear whatever he had to say. He had embarrassed you enough to last a lifetime. The distance you placed between the two of you were rapidly closed by his long legs. If he noticed how you were almost running to the elevator to escape him, he didn’t say anything. By some miracle, you lost him as the lobby was now bustling with patients, visitors, and employees alike. You greeted your colleague as you entered the elevator. She was making small talk about what happened during your absence, yet you were too distracted to engage. Instead. you repeatedly pushed the close button, which she frowned at.

“Hey, what’s the rush?” she asked as she watched you act peculiarly.

“Just…you know. Running late.”

“Honey, it’s 6 in the morning.”

The doors were finally starting to close, and you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. You knew it was too soon to celebrate when the door barely closed because just as the gap was about to disappear completely, a hand shot through, triggering the sensor and causing the doors to slide back open. Your stomach dropped as he stepped into the elevator, his eyes locking onto yours. The small, enclosed space suddenly felt suffocating.

Kim Seokjin stared into your eyes as he entered. His dark eyes held yours hostage even as you scooched to the left side of the lift. He sighed, merely nodding at the greeting of your coworker. His broad shoulders made the lift seemed small when it was anything but.

It was three floors later, and yes, you counted. You’d honestly rather watched the elevator screen than turned to him as he blatantly looked at you.

“Doctor Y/N–“ He started, almost making you jump when he broke the silence.

“Oh my God, what’s that?” you turned to your colleague, and now, a victim of your pettiness.

“What?” she frowned, sensing the tension between the two of you and wanting nothing but to get off the lift.

“I just felt chills in my right side,” you answered, rubbing your arms because fuck it, you were going to show him how good you could act. You didn’t join the theatre when you were in high school for the fun of it! Nope, it was just that you had always been dramatic and you thought it would be a waste of God-given talents, really.

She lifted her eyes sheepishly at the doctor that held the highest position in the hospital who only had eyes on you. “Y/N, that’s Doctor Ki-“

“Like a disturbed ghost. Very scary,” you shuddered exaggeratedly before clasping your hands and murmuring a short prayer. “I hope he finds peace. Or not.”

Seokjin’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing slightly. Your colleague glanced between the two of you, clearly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.

The elevator dinged again, the doors sliding open, and you took the opportunity to escape the ghost of your past aka Voldemort. Fuck it, you thought. You’d rather walked five flights of stairs than stay another second with that man. Honestly.

You thought that was the end of it. You wished it was the end of it and you couldn’t be more wrong.

It was late at night when you finally finished your work. Your back was killing you, and you felt like another cup of coffee wouldn’t wake you up but rather send you to an early death. You were definitely not looking forward to your commute back to your apartment. Regardless of the weariness you felt, you couldn’t help but feel satisfied with the work you did today. You thought that you lucked out on the career path you chose because you were able to help people heal where it was the hardest to heal in.

But heavens, you just wished this job paid better.

You sighed as you exited the hospital, and you sighed even deeper when someone stepped in front of you. You knew before you even lifted your eyes who it was. The polished shoes and the obviously expensive suit were enough telltale signs that you were once again in front of him and that he was once again going to bother you.

“Are you going home?”

You looked directly at him for the first time since that day. And damn it! He looked good, you hated it. You tilted your head to the side when he smiled at you. “Come on. It’s late. I’ll drive you home.” He pointed at his expensive white car that was conveniently parked in front of the entrance, a clear violation of the hospital premises rules. But who were you to talk, anyway. He was the damned owner, and he could do whatever he wanted, apparently.

You scoffed as you walked away from him, spotting a taxi that just dropped off a passenger in front of the hospital. You’d rather commute than go with him, you thought. Just as you opened the door, a particularly large hand pushed it close. You looked up to see him leaning down and handing the taxi driver crisp bills.

“Leave.”

Never had you witnessed a taxi drove as fast as he did away from you, the tires screeching dramatically as he sped away from the building.

You turned to him, anger and irritation coursing through your veins. You were physically, mentally and emotionally tired. This was the last thing you needed tonight.

“That was rude.”

He lifted his dark brows at that. He looked down at you and only then did you notice that the hair he usually kept neat seemed slightly disheveled.

“Actively avoiding me, calling me a ghost, and walking away from me when I’m talking to you is what’s rude,” he shot back, his voice just as dark as his eyes.

“Calling me beneath you is ruder, don’t you think? Acting like you were my friend when you were merely toying with me is more improper, don’t you think?”

He flinched at every shot you took. His blunders were by no means light, but he wanted-. No. He needed to make this better. He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat and his face lost the glow he had always bragged about! This was a disaster, and this was him putting it on a lighter note.

“I’m-“

“Look, buddy,” you breathed, easing the irritation you were feeling. “What will make you stop?”

“I want to apologize-“

“K. Do it,” you cut him off with a wave of your hand, wanting this to be done so that you can at least get a roughly five hours of sleep once you get home.

He frowned, blinking rapidly at your sudden change of heart. “I’m sorry. I’m terribly sorry-“

“Forgiven. Bye.”

#bts fic #yandere bts #bts yandere #kim seokjin x you #kim seokjin fanfic #kim seokjin #kim seokjin x reader #kim seokjin fic #yandere kim seokjin x you #YANDERE KIM SEOKJIN X READER #bts mafia au

[flowerandblood]

The Fall from the Heavens (39)

[ canon • Aemond x Strong • niece female ]

[ warnings: description of character death, childbirth, anxiety, sex content, smut, angst, breeding kink ]

[ description: A cool distance turns into friendship and more when two children see that they can find refuge and understanding in each other. However, naïve dreams collide with the reality in which every event has consequences and what once could have been love becomes a dark, newly painful obsession. Angst, sexual tension, obsession, violence, madness, very dark Aemond. ]

The story in this series is an alternate reality from the oneshot Stay and love, leave and die, in which Aemond reads the letters his niece has sent to him over the years. They are the same characters and it shows what would have happened between them − I have changed the background story from their childhood slightly for the sake of the plot.

Characters & Series Moodboard Lady Strong Moodboard Aemond & Lady Strong Moodboard Aemond & Lady Strong Childhood

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

What he had done and the death of his grandfather, although it filled him with sadness, eased the tension between Dragonstone and the Red Keep to some extent. Something of a ceasefire was to last until his wife gave birth to his child.

He was horrified at how much depended on this.

To his despair, Harrenhal, although in his mind it was supposed to be a place of their solace and rest, had become a neutral fortress, with members of both the Black and Green factions arriving there.

Neither Daemon nor his mother had any intention of leaving until the matter was resolved once and for all, but they did not say so out loud. Daemon focused on searching for Larys Strong and burning nearby villages, while his mother tried to support his wife through the hardships of expecting his offspring.

Her lower abdomen swelled from his inheritance more and more each day, her breasts grew fuller, her hips wider.

Before his eyes she was changing, becoming even more feminine.

Although the maester's indications were different, in the privacy of his chamber they made love to each other, unable to maintain restraint in this aspect.

He did not dare to be aggressive or violent towards her, treating her body as if it were a temple; his fingers, as he pressed his naked body against her back, lying on his side with her, made sure that she would be all wet and moist before he put his erection, aching with desire, into her.

Once he was sure her body would accept him with ease, he lifted her soft thigh gently, allowing her hand to direct the head of his cock into her slit. His free hand clamped down on her full, plump, soft breast as with a slow, unhurried thrust he opened her lazily on his swollen length, moaning with her in delight.

"– yes –" She breathed out, clasping her hands on his arms that embraced her, rocking her hips, trying to find a rhythm with him and force him to accelerate.

"– no, sweet girl – we're only going to tease this little cunt – we can't hurt the baby –" He whispered in her ear, placing sticky, hot kisses on her neck and shoulders, leaving wet marks behind as his hard manhood opened her slick, fleshy walls again and again with the soft, deep stabs of his hips.

She shook her head, her breath heavy at the thought that he might take it out of her when it felt so good, when he was filling her insides so wonderfully again, thirsting for his closeness.

"– please – please, husband, inside me –" She mumbled out, tilting her head back with a sigh of euphoria as his thumb pressed hard on her puffy nipple, teasing it between his fingers. Her core clenched greedily on his erection, sucking it in, making him involuntarily speed up.

"– fuck –" He exhaled, feeling his will to slide out of her move away from him with each faster, sharper thrust. He gave up when he heard the loud clicks of her wetness as he began to pound into her with all his strength, panting hard along with her, chasing his fulfilment.

"– is this what you want? – you're carrying my baby, and you already want another? – hm? –" He hissed, driving his fingers into her wonderfully soft, hot breast. She squirmed at his words, grabbing his hair from behind, responding with movements of her hips to his thrusts, soaking his cock wet.

"– yes –" She mumbled out, already thinking with her weeping cunt rather than her sober mind.

"– fucking beg – beg your uncle –" He growled, tightening his hand around her neck, careful not to overdo it though. She moaned loudly, her leaking, hot walls giving his throbbing erection a thirsty, quick squeeze.

"– please – p-please, uncle, oh gods – oh gods, oh gods –" She babbled as he felt her wetness run down her thighs with her fulfilment, his hand stroking her swollen abdomen before he sighed heavily in relief, his warm spend filling her insides again.

"– Rhaenys –" He muttered, letting go of her neck, snuggling her back into him, placing loud, hot kisses on her neck. He felt her jump up suddenly, excited, and she grabbed his hand quickly, placing it on her stomach.

"– can you feel it, uncle? – here –" She gasped, and indeed, he seemed to feel movement under her skin, and then again and again.

He blinked, breathing loudly through his mouth, and smiled involuntarily, feeling warmth in his heart at the thought that their child lived deep inside her, safe and sound.

Their little dragon.

"– yes – yes, I can feel it –" He whispered, pressing his cheek against hers, looking at their entwined hands.

"– our child has sensed our excitement –" She said with amusement, and he hummed at her words, placing a lazy, soft kiss on her shoulder.

With each week, the baby in her womb made her more and more uncomfortable – her ankles swelled from even a short walk, she was dying once from the heat and once from the cold.

He felt helpless knowing that everything she was experiencing was on her shoulders, and there was nothing he could do to relieve her even for a moment.

As her husband, he made sure that every evening there was a tub of warm or cold water waiting for her, depending on her mood, sitting by her side and stroking her hair as she lay in the bath with her eyes closed, trying to relax. Before bed, he massaged her back, calves and feet, wanting to ease her pain a little.

"– ah! –" She hissed, trying to get away from his knuckles that were digging into her spine. "– not so hard! – it hurts –"

"– I have to do it hard – otherwise it won't have any effect –" He replied, pulling her back to him, putting as much force into his massage as he saw fit. She quivered in his embrace, begging him to stop, and when he finally finished, she sighed in relief as she felt the tension leave her muscles.

"– better? –" He asked, and she nodded wordlessly.

The only comfortable sleeping position for her was lying on her side, so he embraced her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and their child.

Although the presence of her father and brother, as well as his mother, drove him mad, on the other hand, he felt safer because of them, knowing that he was not watching over their safety alone.

A few months earlier he had not believed it possible, but he and his niece were once again conversing with each other as they had when they were children: frankly and directly, sometimes leading to arguments and anger which, however, quickly passed and they fell asleep each evening in a tender embrace.

The knowledge that he shared everything he was experiencing with her, the weight of the future, the weight of his inheritance, the weight of the crown made him have the strength to bear it.

He could finally see a meaning in it all, as if at last the gods had revealed to him the purpose of his life.

The being growing in her womb fascinated him more and more – he could lie for hours with his cheek nestled against her belly swollen from his heritage, kissing her warm skin, her fingers playing with strands of his hair.

The thing that excited him most was the fact that his baby moved often or kicked hearing his voice.

"You don't let your mother sleep at night. You squirm terribly." He murmured and smiled involuntarily when he felt the little creature twist inside her.

Increasingly, he wondered, had his father cuddled in this way with his mother's body when she carried him under her heart? Or did that honour accrue only to Aemma?

He felt a cold sweat on his back thinking about his wife's grandmother and what had happened to her.

He promised himself that he would save his niece's life even if it meant the death of his child.

He preferred to live through his grief and beget another than lose her again.

Daemon, unable to bear being in the same fortress with his mother, gave himself completely to the search for Lord Strong and, to everyone's surprise, he found him where no one expected him to be: in King's Landing.

He didn't know who had reported this to his uncle, but he assumed that the women in the brothels were his eyes and ears: he had received word that Larys Strong was hiding in one of the ports and wanted to get out of Westeros by ship in one of the empty wine barrels, to disappear forever in Essos and never be found.

Daemon was quicker, and although his original plan was different, he liked the vision of having his head impaled on a spike. The rest of his body was thrown into the river, while he took the part from the neck upwards with him only to throw it under his wife's feet.

"He lived like a rat and died like a rat." He said.

Then, to her despair, he ordered his head to be stuck on a spike above the walls of Harrenhal to welcome all comers, warning them to know what would befall those who threatened his children.

Although he felt regret and shame that he was not the one who had caught him, he was immensely relieved to know that everything had returned to some point from which their family could begin again.

He didn't believe he could ever forgive Luke and didn't want to see him: all he wanted was for him to rule in Driftmark, beget his bastard children and not appear before his face.

The thought of Jace inheriting Dragonstone filled him with frustration, however, he knew that this compromise for everyone was bittersweet, and he had to swallow his deep sip in silence.

What he had written to her about in his letter had come true.

Each of them had to sacrifice something.

What bothered him was that the closer it got to the childbirth, the more his wife became silent and thoughtful, closing herself off in her mind.

He knew this was not a good sign.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked sitting down next to her on the bed, pulling her out of her reverie. She blinked and shook her head, stroking her swollen lower abdomen.

"About nothing." She whispered.

"I want to know." He said impatiently, and she sighed heavily. She pressed her lips together, as if she was embarrassed by what she was about to say.

"My body will never be the same again after… after this." She confessed, and he blinked, completely not understanding what she meant.

"I do not follow."

She closed her eyes, impatient and distraught, tightening her fingers on her nightgown.

"My body after I give birth. My stomach, my thighs, my breasts. They will never be the same again. I'll probably have scars, my skin won't be as firm, it will be…"

"Do you really want to speak with me about scars? About irreversible changes?" He asked roughly, and she lowered her head, her eyes red from tears of shame.

"I told you it was nothing." She muttered in a trembling voice, not looking at him.

He pressed his lips together, feeling a discomfort in his stomach, knowing that he had reacted inappropriately and this was not what he meant. He sighed, considering for a moment whether or not to do it, and then decided it was the only way.

He reached into his left eye and grasped the sapphire that had been inserted into his eye socket, then took it out, for the first time in the presence of another person.

He turned his face towards her, but her gaze was fixed on her hands.

"Look at me." He said softly.

She lifted her eyes to his and froze, surprised, her lips parted involuntarily.

"– Aemond –"

"– do you consider me disgusting? – unworthy of your love? – would you betray me and my trust by what you now see before you? –" He asked, and she shook her head quickly, her breath heavy.

"– no – no, of course not, my love – I –"

"– do you think I'm looking at every part of your body making sure it doesn't change? – that I believe that though I grow old, you will be forever young? – do you count the scars I have on my body? – do you pay attention to them, think about them when you make love to me? –" He continued to ask, tears one after another running down her cheeks. She looked at him pleadingly, shaking her head.

"– no –" She mumbled out with difficulty.

"– so why do you judge me so unfairly? – because I am a man and you are a woman? – you think you're beautiful because you're young? – you're beautiful because you're mine – because you smile at the sight of me, because your bare body is warm and moist for me, because your breasts and hips are soft when I dig my fingers into them –" He whispered, placing his hand on her knee, sliding it down to her thigh.

She looked at him with big eyes in silence, quivering, listening to him in complete silence, wiping her tears from her face flushed with emotion.

"– those are beautiful words – you moved me deeply –"

"– I love you –" He said without thinking and nodded his head as if admitting to himself that he was right. "– as you put it – it's not love like in poems – it's something painfully real –"

Although he thought they still had a few more days, the delivery took them by surprise, and his wife simply collapsed one morning as her servants were helping her dress, a loud, surprised moan leaving her lips.

"– Aemond – Aemond, g-gods, it has begun –" She cried.

He called Alys, his mother and the servants to help her immediately, not knowing what he was supposed to do himself, her face flooded with tears, the terror in her eyes that made him helpless.

She was suffering, and he could not help her.

"– leave, my Prince –" Alys ordered, and he nodded, watching her with a look of defiance.

"– she is to survive –"

The Witch of Harrenhal grinned, understanding what he meant.

As in his dream, he, Daemon and Jace were left alone in the other chamber that belonged to him, adjacent to the one where his wife lay. He covered his face with his hands, hearing her cries clearly, her screams and moans, feeling himself tremble all over, his heart in his throat.

His niece tried to bring his offspring into the world in pain, suffering for him and his cause, and he could only sit and wait.

"– childbirth – a nightmare for wives and husbands – drink, nephew –" Daemon said in a bored, tired voice, himself visibly tense, handing him a cup of wine, which he did not, however, take from him. His uncle laughed under his breath.

"– you are as stubborn as your mother –"

He did not answer, staring dully ahead.

He was afraid, hearing her whines, that his dream would become reality, and the thought that he might lose her once again made him feel a terrifying emptiness in his mind.

He frowned when the sounds suddenly stopped, involuntarily glancing at Daemon. He was horrified to see that his uncle had also turned pale, looking towards the door, knowing that this was either a very good or very bad sign.

"What's happening?" He muttered finally, feeling like he was about to explode.

"Don't panic." Daemon answered him, licking his lower lip quickly.

Everyone jumped in their seats as the door to the chamber opened suddenly – his mother stepped inside, and they all stood up, pale and terrified.

The Queen smiled.

"You have a son."

"And her?"

"She is well. You can see her."

He rushed out of the chamber, panting heavily, and opened the door to the quarters where his wife lay. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her face – she was all red and sweaty, her cheeks swollen from tears of exertion and emotion, strands of her beautiful dark hair stuck to her face.

She smiled at the sight of him in a way from which he felt like crying, only after a moment noticing the small creature wrapped in a white cloth writhing in her embrace.

He walked closer to them, feeling himself quivering all over, sitting down on the bed beside her, looking in disbelief at his inheritance, their shared effort, their shared hope.

"He has your beautiful hair. Your mother is pleased." She said, exhausted and amused. He embraced her and pressed her to his chest, kissing her fragrant hair with tenderness again and again, not knowing how else he would show her what he felt.

The fact that they had a son pleased him, but the real relief for him was that she had endured the labour so well.

He swallowed loudly and only then did he look more carefully at his son, touching his fingertips to his hand, which had clenched into a fist on his finger.

"– see? – he recognises his father –" She murmured softly, rocking the white-haired infant before placing a soft, warm kiss on its small forehead. Their son squirmed and yawned, opening his eyelids for a moment.

He felt hot at the thought that his son had her eyes.

"– what shall we name him? –" His wife asked, snapping him out of his reverie, laying her head on his shoulder. He mused for a moment, stroking her neck.

"– Viserys – as the man who betrothed us –"

#aemond targaryen #aemond fic #aemond fanfiction #hotd aemond #aemond x wife #aemond x niece #aemond x female #aemond x female character #aemond angst #aemond smut #aemond targaryen smut #aemond targaryen angst #aemond fanfic #aemond one eye #prince aemond #prince aemond targaryen #hotd fanfic #hotd fanfiction #hotd fic #hotd smut #hotd angst #ewan mitchell fanfiction #ewan michtell fanfic #ewan mitchell fic

[vidavalor]

I was wondering if you've talked about why Gabriel was on a jog in season 1 episode 4. It always felt off to me since it's such a human activity

Hi @anxious-al! 💕 Hope you're having a nice week so far. *gets the mugs* as there's always hot chocolate available for Gabriel-themed questions. 😊

What a time to be going for a "human" jog, eh? This takes place on the morning of The Last Day of The World:

Gabriel is supposed to destroy this planet later that day and he's down on it, alone, jogging in the park... why?... and what of the human woman dressed as an angel at the edge of the park?

The scene wherein Aziraphale interrupts Gabriel on a morning run in the park begins with one of the strangest moments in the series-- Aziraphale being distracted by a human woman dressed in head-to-toe gold with harp-like angel wings. She is a performance artist and her art is that she is dressed as an angel. She stands there, silent, sending her artistic message for both the characters in the story who notice her and for us as the audience to interpret. This makes her a bit meta for the story of Good Omens as a whole.

What message is The Angel Woman saying to her fellow humans with this? is a question that leads us to another one as a result:

What is Good Omens saying by using angels and demons in their story written for us humans?

Perhaps that there is divinity in humanity? Perhaps that we spend all this time glorifying holy beings that we can't prove even exist when, really, we humans embody the angelic and the demonic and everything in between? That we're really the magical ones?

The Angel Woman is a character in a story written by humans who are using angels and demons to make points about human living... and who are the other characters in this scene? Gabriel and Aziraphale... a pair of angels on Earth and who are both engaged in aspects of what they might see as "human" living.

This scene is one in the story pointing out that "human living" is really just living, period.

Aziraphale stops and contemplates the angel-dressed performance artist and that is the start of the scene. The "human cosplaying" Gabriel then jogs by them-- paralleling both the angel who lives like a human and the human who is dressed as an angel. Here's The Supreme Archangel of Heaven on the last morning on Earth and what is he doing?

He's jogging in the park. Like a human.

The episode is called "Saturday Morning Funtime" and has more Gabriel in its front half than any episode prior to it, as we begin to see that he's actually who it's named for. Everyone is miserable ahead of Armageddon but the one who has a Saturday Morning Funtime routine is Gabriel. This guy who is the commander of the armed forces of Heaven and entrapped by a supernatural fascist regime hellbent on destroying this place?

Yeah, he secretly kinda loves Earth.

Gabriel is keeping himself from going mad by carving out some escape time on Earth where he does some moderate exercise in the fresh air and clears his head. No one knows who he is down there. He's just another hot dude running in the park. It gets him away from the other angels always circling him like vultures and gives him some precious alone time.

There are other scenes that indicate that, as Earth has gone on, Gabriel has been using the power of his position to escape to it from time to time. Gabriel's only possessions until S2 are his custom-tailored clothes and they were made on Earth. He shows a curiosity about how Aziraphale chooses to live in the sushi scene in 1.01. Yes, he's judgy about it but he's judgy to hide the fact that he's asking out of interest-- rather than using the power he has to order Aziraphale not to make his own choices over it.

Gabriel is shown to be a lot more "live and let live" than he might initially seem to be. He is one of the only angels who doesn't view the demons as beneath them and he covers for Michael's relationships with them. Several scenes suggest pretty heavily that he's known about Crowley and Aziraphale for ages and has been keeping that knowledge from The Metatron. He doesn't care that Aziraphale does human things on Earth like eating or that he wants to live a more human-like existence. He doesn't totally understand all aspects of it but that doesn't stop him from being more fundamentally curious about it than anything else.

Gabriel actually doesn't care that Aziraphale's in love with Crowley. Gabriel can get the appeal, actually. Gabriel knows how it goes anyway... he's got a bit of a thing for the "informant" he references to Aziraphale in 1.01-- Lord Beezlebub, the only being he feels like he really be anything close to his true self around, who also happens to be a demon. The demons are supposed to be the angels' mortal enemies but Gabriel thinks that's kind of bullshit. They're just people and he remembers what a lot of them were like before Hell became a thing. They were smart, creative people, most of whom did little wrong but for asking the same questions that Gabriel privately asks himself daily.

So, he's been coming down to Earth to check it out for awhile, when he can come up with an excuse to escape his prison. Sometime pre-S1, he started to do more than observe and basically got himself a hobby in jogging, like a human might do. Something for him and him alone. This is a big deal because Gabriel has virtually nothing else that is own.

Gabriel doesn't own a single, non-clothing material object in S1 and never has at this point. The first present he'll ever be given is the fly in the matchbox from Beez. His clothes are his only possessions, which is partially why he's so vain about them. They are the only way he's allowed to express a sense of individuality in Heaven-- and he made that happen.

This is related to the jogging and is a much, much bigger deal than it might initially seem...

In S2, when we go back to the Job minisode era, we see that all of the angels used to dress in, more-or-less, the same thing. They all look like what they are-- members of a cult. Even The Supreme Archangel is wearing basically a white sheet roped off in gold. The homogeneity of the look is the point.

There's a psychological reason why cults of all sorts-- and armies of all sorts-- have an uniform. It's to reinforce a sense of negative groupthink over a sense of individuality. When you are allowed to dress as you wish, you have freedom of expression, and this obviously causes you to consider how you wish to express yourself to others. It gives you the free reign we all should have to be who we are-- and to be able to consider who that is and evolve our sense of self over time. This is absolutely against the mindset of dictatorships and cults and anything in that vein.

The last thing they want is for people to see themselves as individual people because that stuff gets dangerous. They might get ideas. They might form their own opinions and start to act on them. It makes people harder to control. This is why Gabriel and his clothes are so important.

The only way the whole 'everyone is basically wearing a table cloth' situation changed for the angels sometime post-Job is if The Supreme Archangel okayed it. He's the only one with just enough power to have made this happen, if not enough power to overthrow The Metatron on his own. Gabriel saw Aziraphale begin to wear different things on Earth with the built-in excuse of Aziraphale having to blend in with the humans and white robes were no longer a style that would work.

Aziraphale, as a result, became the first angel to have an excuse to express himself as an individual because he got to choose what he'd like to wear while he was on Earth. Gabriel noted this and basically said to himself that looks fun. Our dude was very tired of this white robe situation and seeing Aziraphale get to play made Gabriel want to as well so he went to Aziraphale at some point and basically said teach me about what the humans are doing about clothes.

Gabriel had an excuse to change his look, too-- he'd have to go to Earth sometimes to do Supreme Archangel Checking Up On Stuff Things. He'd have to look like a human, too. He loved it. Playing human dress up was super fun and brought all new kinds of thoughts. What fabrics he liked, what looks he liked, what he thought about how the different clothes looked on him, what made him feel different ways about himself. Clothes are self-expression, after all-- they reflect how we feel about ourselves and support the image we are trying to project. Gabriel got into this, big-time, and then turned around and asked the dangerous question to himself:

What if we did this in Heaven, too?

What if he used what power he had to change the rules about what the angels wore? What if he told everyone they could wear whatever they wanted? The army would still have an uniform for when they were running drills or whatever and maybe there'd be a color-scheme because Gabriel knew The Metatron was going to lose it about this so he came up with some parameters but he basically overthrew the tablecloth tyranny and told every other angel that they were free to express themselves the way they wanted and, if you ask me? That's why he and The Metatron are snarking about Gabriel's suit during his trial.

The Metatron never got over the fact that Gabriel pushed the clothes thing and knew how to get just enough of what he could without making it more trouble than it was worth to kill him over it. The Metatron takes some evil delight in telling Gabriel that "appropriate raiment" will be provided for him-- he'll have to wear what The Metatron dictates, in other words-- now that he'll be a bottom-of-the-barrel junior recording analyst. Gabriel, though?

He got the last laugh. He used taking off his suit as a reason to leave, along with clearing out his non-existent desk, and fled Heaven buck ass naked rather than put up with The Metatron's bullshit for another minute.

The moment Crowley fell in love with Gabriel was when he saw just how much Gabriel loathes The Metatron in these just take me out back and shoot me ffs faces he was making during his trial:

Anyway, the point is that all the angels are following Gabriel's lead and that's probably half the reason why almost everyone in Heaven dresses in a variation of Aziraphale or Gabriel's styles. (Ever notice how Michael and Uriel look like they're in some kind of suit battle and both of them are trying to emulate Gabriel a bit?) While many of the angels aren't really reinventing the rules of fashion up there, the idea worked: they all look different from one another. They all can express themselves as they desire when it comes to how they look. They've all had to think about themselves for at least long enough as it takes to come up with outfits and view themselves as an individual person to do so.

It's perhaps worth noting in here then, too, how funny it is that The Metatron is a floating head... that's how he presents himself. He's the one character who doesn't have a body. It's symbolic of how he feels he's above even the idea of having anything like the pesky needs of human corporation. The ideal of Heaven is him, in his eyes, and he is above the vessel through which all living beings actually live...

...and the one challenging him every step of the way as much as he can is The Supreme Archangel...

...who, amusingly, happens to have a rather pleasing physical corporation appreciated by many, many different sorts of beings.

Looked at that way? Gabriel's peacocking about his clothes is not pure vanity but just the best example of what little rebellious fires he's been able to start Up there. A focus on clothes is also a focus on your body-- for better or worse-- and so it's not really surprising that Gabriel's Earthly hobby is looking goooood in some grey sweatpants while he escapes a little from the pressures of his world.

There's something kind of delicious about Gabriel deciding that he has some Saturday Morning Funtime now-- he has an exercise routine. He's like peace out, MetaT-- I'm going to take my fantastic corporation *jogging*. Rot in Hell, you fascist Mr. Potato Head...

Aziraphale is interruping Gabriel's alone time in 1.04 and if you look closely, you'll notice that Gabriel actually looks upset as he's running before Aziraphale sees him. He doesn't actually want to destroy Earth. He feels he has no choice and he's terrified of The Metatron but he likes Earth. He doesn't fully understand of it-- to be fair to him, no one really does lol-- but he likes it enough to have been escaping to it for awhile now.

By S2, in a parallel scene to the jogging one, Aziraphale will be beginning to get the idea of him and Gabriel both having versions of the Heaven-induced perfectionism and anxiety a bit more, though... and about how that's not any different from humans who go through the same thing.

The angel human doing performance art (complete with foreshadowing the discus halo) in S1:

The art of the Gabriel statue in Edinburgh in S2:

In S2, the art is a human-made sculpture deitifying Gabriel. It causes Aziraphale to further consider what life might have been like for a being who is, really, just some dude, but who has been held up as a holy symbol in this way by angels and humans alike.

Adding to this is that the statue of Gabriel is in the middle of a human graveyard. While this has a really eerie layer in S2 considering that we see it after Gabriel has fallen, which is a kind of death, and now lives among the humans, there's a way of looking at it that is also in keeping with what S1's human performance artist angel was talking about-- there's not this big line between these kind of beings.

Emphasizing this? The Angel Woman isn't just dressed as an angel-- she is also wearing a dress and a human sun hat. She reflects how having a halo hanging over your head symbolizing your need to be perfect in a way that causes you to see yourself as someone who should be above humans is not just an angelic thing-- it's a very human thing, too. That's the point of these angels and demons in Good Omens. They're just like us in every way that really matters and their stories are no different at the core from what we experience.

Crowley and Aziraphale actually have it a lot better than most of the angels and demons. They have been able to live on Earth since the beginning. They aren't completely free of the regime that threatens them but they've found a way of escaping it as much as they can. They've been free to learn and explore and experiment and enjoy much more than the others have. They've been free to have a relationship with one another-- to have a friend they can trust and talk to-- which not all of the angels and demons do. (Not all humans do, either.) Of all of the less fortunate characters? Gabriel, despite having some power in Heaven, might have actually been one of the worst off.

Why is Gabriel jogging in the park on the morning of the last day of Earth? Because Gabriel likes to go for solo jogs in the park...

... just like many humans who have stressful jobs and like to wake up on Saturday morning and throw on a sweatsuit and sneakers and get outside to get some fresh air, move, and try to quiet their thoughts.

That Gabriel is already in this place in S1 is a surprising twist thrown into 1.04 that actually makes us kind of want to scream at Aziraphale 'ask him why he's fucking jogging, Az!' Aziraphale is trying to make the point that they don't need to destroy Earth but the one thing he fails to point out is that Earth is the planet that they're currently both standing on and which Gabriel seems to really be enjoying.

Gabriel couldn't agree with Aziraphale in the jogging scene, though, even if he wanted to, for the most ironic reason possible. This one:

Crowley and Aziraphale don't realize it because they're afraid of Gabriel until S2 but he's as trapped as they are. He's as watched as they are. Ducks have ears-- there's always someone listening in the fascist regime of this Heaven/Hell system. Gabriel couldn't say in a public park anything that sounds outside of what he's supposed to say, even if he wanted to, or he'd be in danger for it.

Gabriel is wearing human clothes that are appropriate to the time period he's in while he's jogging. He has a preferred park and route. He's gone through a whole thing to get to this point-- seeing this activity, learning about its benefits, deeming it appealing and something he'd like to try, getting what he needs to do it, finding a time to do so, trying it out and getting good at it... he's done all this already by this scene, showing that he's already subtly rebelling.

There is also that a lot of humans jog, at least in part, to manage mental health issues. It's prescriptive for depression and when we see Gabriel in the post-S1/pre-S2-set flashbacks, he's exhibiting signs that would have gotten him instantly diagnosed with depression had he been a human. It was not new-- more like his default state-- before talking more intimately with Beez started to help him manage it.

This might indicate that Gabriel was already in a place pre-S1 where he viewed humans as having knowledge that could benefit him and other angels-- a point of view that Crowley and Aziraphale also share. To get there, he'd have to have stopped seeing himself as superior to humans-- if he ever did in the first place, which isn't really known. Gabriel does show a surprising aptitude for subversive thinking so it's possible he never really bought the idea that they were superior beings but, even if he did, he doesn't by sometime prior to S1 because the human activity he's gotten for a hobby is one known for helping humans manage the anxiety and stress he knows he also feels.

It's also an activity that Gabriel can get away with doing because it's physical and he's The Commander of The Heavenly Host, Heaven's armed forces. No one can question why he wants to go to Earth to work out because it seems like he's just a devoted soldier when, really, he's doing it to get away from everything for a bit. Jogging gives him time and space to think and to be alone, away from Heaven. It's peaceful when he knows precious little peace. He's also quite literally running from Heaven lol and this was already happening for awhile before S1 happened, let alone S2.

You might say: ok, but Gabriel doesn't *need* to jog... he's magical!

Yes, he's magical... which seems to be like having an extra-long, somewhat-eternal backup battery. It doesn't actually mean that Gabriel doesn't need to exercise. Living beings can go a surprisingly long time repressed from what it is that they need to survive and being magical is suggested to have caused some of these angels and demons to remain alive so long without what it is that they truly need to thrive as people that they've convinced themselves that they don't actually need these things.

Sure, the angels and demons have superhuman powers but they are also very human at the same time...

In S2, Gabriel will describe having what we might call human physical sensations on his way to the bookshop. His arms got sore from holding a box at a weird angle for awhile on his walk-- just like ours would. He was cold from being naked until Aziraphale gave him a blanket. Aziraphale was winded trying to jog with him in this scene in S1. Crowley has basically developed a human sleep schedule over the years to a point that while he can survive missing a night of sleep, he feels the effects of it, as he was mentioning in S2.

To say that these characters being magical means that they're "flawless" would be to get a little "master race" gross, right? And the show does not. The angels and demons have human corporations in all shapes and sizes. Human corporations are just one option for them, even if also the most common, and those options are not built to be without any challenges-- they're built to be human.

Crowley, for instance, is basically a god in terms of power and he's also canonically far-sighted. He built the known universe but he also can't read the paper you just put in front of his eyes without his reading glasses. He can make it rain with his fingertips... and he also has an anxiety disorder. All of this is a story that is using angels and demons as metaphors for human living. We humans have more power than we think, as shown through how the magical angels and demons in the story are more "human" than many of them have been led to believe.

All of the angels and demons might not be at risk from most major human disease, for example... but that's if you're talking about things like Covid and bubonic plague... not if you're talking about the most common ailments plaguing humanity. The major supernatural characters in this story have things like anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD. Many of them have complicated relationships with food and insecurities about their corporations. They deal with issues of loneliness and the effects of different kinds of trauma and abuse. Every one of them has trust issues for days. Aside from the main four, most of the angels and demons have no idea how hungry, tired, lonely and unfulfilled they are because they think they aren't actually supposed to want things like food, rest, creative outlets, and friendship. If they do feel a desire for these things, they think there's something wrong with them because they've been told they not to want or need in this way.

The few of the angels and demons that can get beyond the b.s. they've been taught and consider that they might not be superior to humans and might have some things in common with them? They break through and start to learn from humans.

Even though they both see each themselves as not fully human and as basically living amongst-- rather than with-- the humans, both Crowley and Aziraphale have experienced enough of the world to know that they're not terribly different from humans. They don't see a lot of their own challenges and experiences as different from that of humans and they actively seek out human knowledge and thoughts on how to manage their way through life. They recognize that their full range of emotions is not any different from that of the humans-- whether the emotions in question are the love they feel for one another or something they have to deal with, like anxiety.

As we see in S2, the choice of corporation for a supernatural being can have consequences that can affect them as a whole. Yes, these beings are more protected than humans, as they can morph into whatever they want and they have miracles that they can use to protect themselves in most situations... but they can actually die if they get into a situation dangerous to them enough, like what The Bullet Catch could have been.

Furfur said that if Crowley had missed and Aziraphale had been shot in the head, that "they might not have been able to put him together again"-- meaning, that Aziraphale could have actually died from a bullet to the head... just like how humans can. While in human form, the angels and demons' minds really are contained within their brains, like is the case with humans. Supernatural beings have a mind-body connection to their corporations of choice-- just as we do with our bodies-- and they're basically all out here choosing human bodies as a default option, right? So, how different are they from us, really? Not that much.

This would mean that their corporations do need the same things that human bodies do. The difference is that, being magical, they can go for eons without addressing these needs, whereas most of us who are only human over here get hangry after four hours without a snack and need to sleep for several hours every day in order to function.

They do need to breathe to be healthy, if not to completely stay alive, because their corporations prefer oxygen and breathing causes the human body to function properly. They can go for millennia without eating... but that doesn't at all mean that they should. When they finally do, they can eat an entire ox without a second thought and why? Because they're starving. They can magically last an absurd amount of time in their repression but they're unnecessarily suffering in doing so.

Crowley and Aziraphale know this. They've learned it themselves. That's why they're giving out warm beverages and sarcastic masturbation tutorials to whatever interested supernatural beings shows up at the door for much of S2.

This is Gabriel's office, shown to us moments after his jog in the park:

That is where he's spent thousands of years. This is his office and what counts as his home. This dude doesn't even have a chair. Look at how huge that space is and how small he seems in it. He can't go out on that balcony. This isn't an office or a house so much as it's a prison cell. This scene shows us why he jogs in the park-- it's his time in the yard during his prison sentence, basically.

Look at how we and Michael come into the scene and see that Gabriel is just staring out the window at the world, tapping his finger against his mouth, lost in thought. This is not a being who is super jazzed to destroy this place later in the day. He's up there like a damn fairy tale princess, trapped in a glass tower in the sky, looking down at the human world and wondering why it is that it's only humans can have it when they really don't seem that different from the angels and demons.

All of us humans with terrible jobs and other stressful situations can usually find a way out of it, except for maybe those of us trapped in an active war zone. What do we humans do? We sleep, we shower, we do some yoga or meditate, we enjoy stories, we make art, we have some good food, we find things that make us laugh and share them with friends and loved ones. Some of us also seek other kinds of connection as well-- a sexual and/or romantic partner. S2 shows us that Gabriel is not aromantic, as he's fallen in love with Beez-- which just emphasizes that, for thousands of years, this sort of thing was never an option for him and another need that was not being met.

Michael is correct in S2 that Gabriel doesn't have a desk to clean out. He has a single, white pedestal without any drawers onto which the occasional file folder can be placed if someone has a meeting with him. (One wonders if Heaven only even has physical file folders as an excuse to have the occasional barely-there table just to break up the expanse of empty space to keep them all from going mad.) Aside from his clothes, he does not possess a single material object, as he's not allowed to.

Imagine not owning a single book. Not having a favorite blanket. Not having a favorite mug. Not having lost these things but having never had them before at all. No presents because you have no friends. The first person to ever give Gabriel something is Beez and that hasn't happened by this point in the story.

We know Aziraphale understands this. Aziraphale wanted a home with a door he could lock and privacy enough to try to live a life of sorts with his partner and a place to store the material objects that he owns. His own, cluttered desk with a million little nooks and shelves. A chair, books, a bed he can be in with Crowley without Head Office finding out and killing them for it. That's the genius bookshop embassy that Gabriel will run to when he finally cracks but Gabriel himself?

He's had almost none of that kind of freedom for himself.

Aziraphale knows what it is to have nothing of your own and that's why he gives Gabriel his angel mug. He's literally writing Jim's name on everything that Jim owns because he knows that while it's not about material objects, Gabriel doesn't have anything of his own. It's about choice-- down here on Earth, Gabriel can choose to call himself something different. He can have a more peaceful and satisfying job and books to read and a favorite drink and a mug of his own and friends to talk to. He can try the hot chocolate and the tiny dinners if he wants without anyone judging him or trying to kill him for it. He can be free to be his own person on Earth.

Consider the contrasting shots of Gabriel in 1.04, shown staring out the window of his prison walls at the Earth he was supposed to destroy... and Jim waking up on Earth, in cozy pajamas, to look out the window of the bookshop while making himself a warm, morning drink in his own mug.

Kind of makes you want to hug him, doesn't it?

Back in 1.04, though? The scene in Gabriel's office showed us what he's up against Up there and just how isolated he is at that time. Michael is the one angel you'd think he'd be able to trust, as they've been through it together for thousands of years, but we see very clearly why Gabriel does not trust them.

Michael is a hypocrite. They talk to the demons unofficially and Gabriel has been protecting them for it from The Metatron. Yet, at the first opportunity, Michael throws Aziraphale under the bus by reporting him for doing the very same thing they are. After S2, we see that this is also a swipe at Gabriel himself-- Michael knows that Gabriel knows about Crowley and Aziraphale and has never done anything about it, even though he "should" by the rules of Heaven. This isn't just Michael selling out Aziraphale-- it's Michael taking a shot at Gabriel himself. It's a reminder that there's always someone who seeks favor with The Metatron watching and Gabriel is completely trapped-- more so, even, than Crowley & Aziraphale.

He doesn't have any choice but to tell Michael that they can pursue it but he's gloriously bitchy about all of it. He doesn't so much as blink in telling Michael that he's sure there's "a perfectly innocent explanation"-- meaning: sure, go ahead, take a shot, but I am in charge and I will continue to be doing fuck all about Aziraphale boffing Bildad the Shuite, Michael.

He also is sly as all hell when he reminds them that "there are no back channels"-- by 'back channels', you mean you're calling your demon boyfriend, have I got that right, Michael? The one I happily pretend you don't have? God, you're awful...

Michael wants Gabriel's job and the brownie points with The Metatron so they're pursuing Aziraphale to show that they're willing to go after subversive angels and they're threatening Gabriel with exposing that he's known for ages about Aziraphale and did nothing-- which makes him an accessory to it. Gabriel has no other choice but to tell Michael to keep pursuing it but it's an example of how the wolves are always circling for Gabriel and how trapped he really is. His only defense is his you're going to regret fucking with me attitude.

As Michael leaves, the scene ends on Gabriel picking up one of the pictures of Crowley and Aziraphale. He's drawn to the one of them sitting together where?

Where Gabriel himself just was.

In the park.

What would it be like to live like they do? he seems to be wondering, for probably the millionth time. How much longer am I going to be able to keep them alive? Am I going to go down with them?

Nah. It's their turn now, Gabriel...

#ineffable husbands #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #aziracrow #good omens meta #good omens 2 #the archangel fucking gabriel #gabriel good omens

[bunnliix]

When Eight Becomes Nine - Chapter Three

Chapter three has arrived! And we have some time with Mingi and Hongjoong in the studio!

Pairing: Ateez x 9th member!reader Summary: Studio time with Mingi and Hongjoong, is interesting, plus a surprise appearance from another member of Ateez! wc: 1.7k AU: a/b/o Genre: Fluff/Angst Nets: @newworldnet warnings: Angry Joongie and Mingi, yelling, delusional people, anxiety because of said yelling, Hongjoong isn't having any of it masterlist

They all entered the room, finding Mingi sitting in one of the two chairs pulled up to the desk. He waved at them all as the group walked in, y/n being the last to enter. Hongjoong shut the door after she had entered, blocking the staff member from entering. He moved quickly to sit back down in the other empty chair, looking very closely at every one of, as he called it, the lucky group that managed to make it this far. The reactions varied, a couple of the alphas tried to intimidate him right back, though most understood it was better to have as minimal of a reaction as possible.

“You’re here so we can evaluate your vocal abilities. If you don’t bring your best, don’t think you’ll be getting close to the chance at becoming the ninth member of Ateez.” Hongjoong told them, his voice still gruff and unhappy. It made y/n shrink into herself slightly, though she tried to hide her reaction, not wanting this to be perceived by either alpha.

Hongjoong quickly picked one of the alphas to head into the recording booth, as he had already placed the lyrics sheet for the song they’d all be using to test their abilities inside. Allowing a few minutes for the first alpha to warm up, Hongjoong then launched right into testing their vocal range and abilities. It seemed despite their outward confidence, neither idol was impressed by how the alpha was doing inside the booth. Y/n wasn’t sure if it was them being nervous, or if they truly weren’t able to sustain any of the notes, since their voice cracked multiple times during just one run through of Wonderland. She could see that as they continued to try, the two men just became more and more frustrated with their inability to get through the song without any flaws.

“Okay, I think it’s time for you to take a break.” Hongjoong told them, instructing them to come back out of the booth, and sending one of the betas in.

Hongjoong sent the next auditionee inside, hoping that they would be better than the first one. They were better, but they definitely needed more vocal training if they were going to be able to be a part of Ateez. And more stamina, since they seemed to tire easily. He exchanged a glance with Mingi, and could see that the younger man's thoughts were similar to his own.

This was how it went for most of the group, though there were a good few that were amazing vocally, though he wasn’t sure of how they did dance wise, but vocally they would fit the group, and had the ability to hit every single note. That was until they reached one of the last to head in. It was clear from the moment that this alpha walked into the room, that she exuded an air of superiority and arrogance, her confidence was falsely inflated.

She entered the recording booth, and quickly situated herself. “I’m ready.” She told the two men.

Mingi looked over at Hongjoong, but the captain just proceeded to turn on Wonderland, as it was one of the more difficult songs, and after this all not going to plan for the most part, plus his anger at the company being directed in the wrong direction, he wanted to really test out this alpha’s actual skills. He had a hunch that the confidence wasn’t backed by actual skills and not to be stereotypical, but she seemed like a ‘daddy’s money buys everything’ kind of girl.

Hongjoong, as he was most of the time, was correct. She was even worse than the others had been. He was honestly clueless how she even got to this point, other than the thought that daddy dearest paid off whoever was choosing the group that would get to come here. Because while the others had some form of talent, she could barely hold a note, and was almost tone-deaf. He hoped that anyone who had heard her sing was compensated heavily for the damage it caused to their ears. How no one had told her she shouldn’t sing, was beyond him.

“Okay. Stop.” Hongjoong told her, but she continued to sing, intent on finishing the song, and also butchering Jongho’s high note, since that was the next part of the song.

“Stop. It.” He told her again, when she was clearly ignoring him.

“Yah! Hyung told you to stop!” Mingi half shouted into the microphone, shutting off the song so she could no longer hear it.

“I was just about to get to the best part and nail it! Why did you stop!?” She said, and Hongjoong was in disbelief at how she thought she’d nail their maknae’s part when she could barely nail any other part of the song. Though, she clearly was delusional anyways, so it probably was par for the course.

“You have no talent. You would have butchered Jongho’s amazing high note, not nail it.” He was blunt with her, having no patience to sugar coat it. Honestly, did no one actually vet the auditionees before bringing them here? Like the fuck?

She stormed out of the booth, coming chest to chest with Hongjoong as he stood up. Mingi stood up as well, the tall alpha coming to stand behind his pack alpha. He knew his pack alpha was more than capable of defending himself, but he would never hesitate to provide backup.

“You’re obviously wrong, everyone in my life has told me that I am the best singer they’ve heard. You should just get your ears checked.” The female alpha told Hongjoong, and the anger that immediately rolled off of the two idols was felt by everyone else in the room, and y/n who had already been slightly on edge because of Hongjoong’s tone the entire time, was worried that a fight would break out. But she also knew better than to step in to try and break things up. It wouldn’t end well for anyone if she did.

All of the eyes in the room were on the two alphas, and no one dared to speak as they didn’t want two angry alphas at their throat.

“I don’t know who you bribed to get here, or how you are delusional enough to think you are even the slightest bit talented vocally, but you are not. You can leave now. I don’t work with untalented people, and that includes you.”

“Excuse me?” The alpha replied, “Fine. If you don’t want me, then I’ll go to JYP, or SM, or HYBE. They’ll be begging for someone as talented as me to join their companies.” The confidence in her voice was staggering. Y/n couldn’t believe how much she believed in her non-existent talent, but she wished that she could be that delusional. Multiple of the other auditionees had the same thought, they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

“I’d love to see that. But somehow, I think daddy would be the one paying your way into the smallest companies possible. Besides, I never wanted a new member, none of us did. So if you think you, any of you, are going to just come in and take the spot of a ninth member, you can think again. I want you all gone.” Hongjoong spat, looking at the rest of them halfway through his words.

“Hongjoong-” “Mingi, shut up. You can’t say you had the same reaction to learning about this yesterday. None of us want any of you here, and honestly, you can all go ahead and leave.” The captain finished, anger clear on his face.

“I think it might be best for you all to leave now. I’ll let the staff know we’re done here for today.” Mingi told all of them, trying to lessen the blow that Hongjoong had just delivered.

Y/n was the first to leave, needing to get out of the environment, and that kicked everyone else into motion as well, leaving the two alphas with the delusional alpha in the room. That was until they watched security enter the room and drag her out. No one said a word as they watched her be dragged out while yelling some phrases that even Draco Malfoy wouldn’t dare to say.

They all stood there in the hallway outside of the studio, waiting to see if any of the staff members would show up. Someone did show up, just not who they expected.

“Why are you all waiting out here? Did Hongjoong not let you in?” Seonghwa questioned, looking concerned.

“We kind of got kicked out.” Aaron spoke up, being the one brave enough to do so.

“Why did he kick you out?” Seonghwa said, looking confused.

“He was unhappy, to put it simply.” Aaron replied, and the others, including y/n confirmed his words with nods.

This was when Seonghwa focused his attention on the others, and quickly realized that there was an omega within the group. He quickly moved to put himself in front of y/n, who shyly looked up at him, intimidated by the older omega.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?” He asked her, to which she responded, introducing herself.

“Oh that’s such a cute name. I think you already know who I am, so it’s a little bit of a waste to introduce myself.” He said, smiling down at her. They weren’t that far apart in height, but he still had to look down at her, just a little bit.

“Oh!” He said, suddenly reminded of something, “You should meet Wooyoung. I’m sure you two are close in age, and that little troublemaker always complains about wanting more omega friends.” He told her.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, shocking y/n though Seonghwa doesn’t think much of it, and pulled her away from the group, back down the hall where he came from. “Come on, we’ll go see him now. Plus I’m sure you’ve had a tiring day, if Hongjoong got upset at all of you. So we can go see Wooyoung and introduce the two of you, and then you can relax while I will go and scold my pack alpha for being so aggressive to you and everyone else.”

Prev | Next

Taglist: @bethelighthalazia @ja3hwa @scarfac3 @smally97 @iyeeeverydee 

@lxsunshine @ismelllikechlorine247 @fr34k4c1dr41n @ateez-atiny380 @sapphirewaves  

@davinashifts333 @cookiesandcreammy @not-straight-kait @hoeforalbedo @calisnewworld 

@smilefordongil @fantasy2wonderland @forever-atiny @khjcoo @hhoneylix

@ayoo-bangtan @11glitch11 @lynnsqueendom @fireseo @cara-rey

@therealcuppicake @lyracarvahall @anxiousskylar @dinossaurz @madilinetheb3st

#newworldnet #ateez x reader #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #san x reader #mingi x reader #wooyoung x reader #jongho x reader #hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #jeong yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #jung wooyoung #jongho #abo series #a/b/o au #ateez series

[saythenametotheworld]

Closer, Faster [1]

Genre: catching feelings; strangers to lovers; smut Pairing: SEVENTEEN Vernon x Reader Warnings: mature themes, explicit sexual content, what's the opposite of slow burn? LONG FIC! Notes: 22k words, song prompt was Closer, Faster by Against the Current. 22k and it's just the first part? Crazy, ik. I feel the need to explain that the reason I write long fics is because I'm a massive yapper irl Synopsis: For good reason, you have forbidden yourself to get emotionally attached to temporary people until Vernon comes walking in and wrecks you to your very core.

As you walked down the halls of your university, you could hear the campus buzzing with excitement and vibrant energy. Around you, students were rushing to submit final assignments or hurrying from one place to another, taking care of last-minute tasks on the final day of the semester. Some had disheveled hair and tired eyes, while others looked fresh and ready for the summer season.

Walking back to your dorm, you passed groups of friends snapping photos, capturing memories of the past few months. The campus felt like it was collectively exhaling, finally free from the usual chaos of activities. Your belongings were packed up, and your room was now stripped of the personal touches that made it home.

Your roommate, Adie, sat on the edge of her bed across from yours. “Leaving already?”

“Yeah, my chariot awaits,” you said with a smile, tossing the last of your belongings into your purse. You exhaled, looking around the room and already missing it. “I guess that’s everything, huh?”

“Yep. You’ve scoured every corner of this room for your stuff. I’m sure you didn’t miss anything.”

You extended your hand to her. “It’s been a blast, roomie.”

Adie rolled her eyes and chuckled as she shook your hand. “You talk like we’ll never see each other again. We both know we’ll end up being roommates again next year, right?”

You shrugged and laughed. She wasn’t lying. You had been roommates with her for two years now. After freshman year, you both agreed to always share a dorm room every semester, and that’s exactly what you had been doing. You might be saying goodbye now, but you would see each other again in the fall semester and be roommates then too.

“So long, roomie.”

Adie waved as you exited the room. “So long, roomie.”

“Stay in touch!” you reminded her.

The flight home was quick, just an hour and a half. Sometimes you wondered why home felt so far away when it was barely a two-hour flight from your school. Everything about your city felt familiar yet new. As your taxi drove you closer to home, the familiar scent of the ocean filled the air, and the salty breeze swept through the open windows. The sight of the coastline, with its rolling waves and sandy shores, brought a rush of nostalgia. After many months away, the beach house where you grew up felt like a warm embrace waiting for you.

When the taxi pulled over by the sidewalk, you stepped out and took in the view, removing your sunglasses. The house looked just as you remembered—a picket-fenced house with whitewashed walls, grey roofs, black shutters, and the sound of seagulls calling in the distance.

You walked through the open gate, hauling your luggage as you scanned the garden for any changes in the flowerbeds or landscaping. The honk of a car horn made you glance back at the road just in time to see a Jeep pull over in front of your house.

You smiled, recognizing the tall brunette stepping out of the driver’s seat. With a wave, you beckoned her over and opened your arms to welcome your best friend with a hug.

“Hello, stranger,” Jade greeted, pulling you into a tight embrace. “You’re so late!”

You rolled your eyes. “Unlike you, my education is more demanding and requires every bit of my attention.”

“Sucks to be you, then,” she snickered. “Come on. Your mom and I scheduled a brunch together.”

You scoffed but didn’t need to ask for more details. With her help, you moved your luggage into the house, where your mother greeted you warmly. Over brunch, you talked about school, the journey home, and everything in between. After that, you and Jade climbed up to your room to lounge and chat all morning. In the afternoon, you donned your swimsuits and set umbrellas by the beach, equipped with a book to pass the time and cocktails for an extra bit of fun.

Azure Bay is a picturesque coastal town renowned for its breathtaking beach, attracting locals and tourists alike. The beach itself stretches for miles, with soft, golden sands meeting the crystal-clear waters of the ocean.

During the day, the beach is alive with activity. Families set up colorful umbrellas and picnic blankets, children build intricate sandcastles, and surfers ride the gentle waves. In the evenings, the beach transforms into a serene, romantic getaway. The sky paints a stunning palette of oranges, pinks, and purples as the sun sets over the horizon. Bonfires are a common activity where friends and families gather to toast marshmallows and share stories under the sky. Beachfront bars and cafes are filled with lively music and even livelier tourists.

You never particularly enjoyed the swarm of tourists that descended upon Azure Bay each summer. It wasn't that you disliked them in general; you understood why they were drawn to the town's pristine beaches, charming boardwalk, and the laid-back, coastal vibe that felt like paradise. What irked you were the tourists who tried to flirt with you.

It was always the same story. You'd be walking along the beach, or lounging in a beach bar when some guy would approach you with a confident smile and a cheesy pickup line. They were usually good-looking, and charming in a way that was hard to resist, but you knew better. You have seen too many summer romances that bloomed beautifully only to die out when the season ended.

You disliked the idea of developing a beautiful, intimate connection with someone only to watch them pack up and leave once the summer break was over. The thought of investing your emotions in a fleeting romance, knowing that it had an expiration date, felt pointless.

As much as you tried to avoid it, there were always those moments when a particularly persistent tourist would catch you off guard, like right now as you were sitting on the beach bed reading a book. A tall, tan guy with a surfboard strolled up to you.

"Ooh, looks like you're about to score a European hottie on your first day back," Jade teased, peeking at you over her sunglasses. "Good job, sug."

He introduced himself with a casual "Hey there," and you could see the gleam of interest in his eyes.

"Hi," you smiled back, tilting your head to the side.

"I'm just here to catch some waves," he said, flashing a perfect smile. "But I'd love to catch up with you later, maybe grab a drink?"

You heard Jade scoff and then whistled quietly like she didn't just ridicule the guy. He seemed clueless about it though.

You forced a polite smile, trying to keep your voice neutral. "Thanks, but I'm not really looking to meet anyone right now."

He seemed surprised but didn't push further, thankfully. "Well then, see you around."

He winked at you before jogging back where he came from. As soon as he was out of earshot, you and Jade started laughing.

"What the hell was that?" you chuckled.

Jade took her sunglasses off and smoldered at you. In a deep, manly voice she said, "I'm just here to catch some waves."

You smoldered too, trying your best to replicate the guy's expression and tone. "But I'd love to catch up with you later, grab a drink with me?"

"Oh god! It's always the same old cheesy ass lines!"

The following days were filled with simple, repetitive activities: lounging at home, sunbathing by the beach, reading in peace, and swimming with your mom and Jade. It was a week of mundane routines that you didn’t mind at all, though the same couldn’t be said for Jade.

If there is one thing you both hate and love about your best friend, it is her tendency to come up with crazy ideas when bored. They're fun most of the time, but they often include a side quest for her, which is to set you up with someone.

Four days into the summer break, you were sitting with your back against the headboard of your bed, a book in your hand, listening to Jade complain about being bored.

“There's nothing to do at all!” she groaned, kicking her legs in the air as she scrolled through her phone. “Not one rowdy pool party, or a mixer. Not even a birthday!”

She sat up and huffed. “Has summer always been this boring?”

“No.”

“Right? Not here in Azure Bay! This is like an all-time low.”

You chuckled, adjusting your glasses on the bridge of your nose and not peeling your eyes away from your book. “Relax. Summer break is just starting. I doubt everyone’s back from uni yet.”

“Right. That’s exactly why there’s nothing to do,” she huffed. “Your friends are so boring.”

“They’re your friends too, Jade,” you corrected her, referring to your high school friends from this town.

Jade fell quiet, so you continued reading. Until she suddenly scooted next to you, her eyes lighting up as if she had just had a brilliant idea.

“I have an idea,” she began, smiling brightly. “You’re gonna love this.”

You just shrugged, as if giving her your permission, or support, whichever she might need. She began tapping away on her phone again. When you heard your phone buzz on the bedside table, you put your book down and picked up the phone.

Jade: anyone up for summer break in azure bay?

“That’s your big idea?” you deadpanned, eyeing the chatheads of the people who have read her message in your group chat.

She hummed. “I know. I’m a genius.”

You snorted, scrolling through your phone. “More like impulsive. But go on.”

Jaehyun liked. Adie: Azure Bay? Like your hometown? Jade: yes yes Trina: me! Eunwoo: Me too! Jade: eunwoo, you’re not invited Eunwoo: ???

You scowled. “You can’t not invite Eunwoo. He's already set to come here with your Jaehyun next week, remember?”

“Ah, right, he is,” Jade replied, rolling her eyes.

Jade: jk. But if you hog y/n all to yourself, istg!!! Eunwoo: not my fault she likes me better than you lol

“That’s not true!” Jade hollered at her screen, making you chuckle. She then scowled at you, giving you a suspicious look. “It’s not, is it?”

You shook your head to appease her, though you never really once thought you had to pick a favorite between your two closest friends.

Jade: FALSE Jade: TOTALLY UNTRUE Jade: but dream on, ig Jade: what about the others? Adie? Adie: Here! Also,,,, I think y/n likes me best. Eunwoo: not true Jade: yeah, NOT TRUE! 8: Count me in! Jade: you're only in bcs trin's in 8: lol true

"He's not even denying it. This bitch," Jade sneered, but she was grinning.

Jade: Mingyu? Mingyu liked. Jade: Kim Mingyu?! Mingyu: yes Mingyu: it's not a party without me Jade: i'm sure we'll manage Jade: but okay. you're counted

And so everything was settled. Your friends are coming to spend the summer break with you in your hometown. You can already imagine how fun it’s going to be. Fingers crossed, you hoped this summer would be memorable—the best one yet.

“How’s it going?” you asked, stepping onto the patio with a tray of food while your mom was setting the table.

“Good, I hope,” she replied, staring at the dining table set up with furrowed brows. “Do you think that spot looks a little—I don’t know… empty?”

You inspected the spot she was pointing to and giggled. “That’s because that spot is for the enchiladas,” you chimed in, placing the tray you were carrying on the table.

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.”

You gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm. “Relax, Mom. I’m sure they’ll love it.”

She sighed, smiling apologetically. “I feel bad about not letting them stay.”

“It’s alright, Mom. We understand,” you reassured her. “And Jade’s got it covered. Their house will be empty for a month anyway, so she doesn’t mind housing our friends all summer.”

When you discussed accommodations with Jade, you considered offering to let a friend or two stay with you, but your mom didn’t agree. She was working on a big project, and you knew better than to burden her with strangers disrupting her concentration and clutter. This dinner party was her idea, her way of apologizing to your friends. She didn’t have to, but she insisted, saying she didn’t want them to think you were unwelcoming.

“Hello, hello,” Jade greeted when you opened the main door in response to the doorbell.

“Hi!” you greeted back, ushering them in and giving each of your friends a hug. They all looked excited, a few even brought gifts for your mom. Minghao and Trina had prepared an actual gift box, Adie was carrying a bottle of wine, and Eunwoo had a bouquet of flowers.

As you moved aside to let everyone in, you noticed Mingyu standing with someone you didn’t recognize.

“Hello, Gyu,” you said, giving him a quick hug. “Who’s this?”

“This is Vernon,” Mingyu introduced, clapping a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “He’s my roommate's classmate. Had nothing going on for summer break, so I thought I’d bring him along.”

“Your roommate’s classmate. Mr. Congeniality is at it again, I see,” you sneered, teasing your friend. To Vernon, you smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you, Vernon. Welcome to Azure Bay!”

“Thanks,” Vernon replied, smiling back a little shyly. “Nice to meet you too.”

You were intrigued by Vernon but didn’t question his presence further. Instead, you guided everyone to the patio where the table was beautifully set. Your mom greeted each guest warmly, expressing her gratitude for their gifts.

“Wow, this looks amazing!” Trina exclaimed as she took her seat.

“Thanks, Trina. I hope you all brought your appetites,” your mom said with a grin.

As everyone settled in, the conversations started to flow naturally. The aroma of delicious food filled the air, as well as laughter and lively chatter.

“So, Vernon, Mingyu’s roommate’s classmate,” Jade began, leaning forward with a curious look. “How did you even end up being friends with that guy?”

Mingyu scowled at Jade, looking indignant but he couldn’t retort because there was food in his mouth.

Vernon chuckled. “His roommate Jungwoo and I are in a class together. I hung out in their dorm room a lot when we were working on a project. Mingyu’s great, honestly. Keeps the place lively. Plus, he’s always cooking up something interesting.”

Mingyu laughed. “Hey, someone’s got to make sure we don’t starve!”

“I’ve heard about your cooking skills, Mingyu. My daughter said you can rival my cooking,” your mother said, playfully raising an eyebrow. “You’ll have to make us something while you’re here.”

“Ma’am, your mind will be blown. Deal!” Mingyu agreed, grinning.

As the meal continued, you found yourself sneaking glances at Vernon, who seemed to be fitting in well with your group. He was quiet but contributed thoughtfully to the conversations.

As the evening wound down, Jade clapped her hands together excitedly. “Alright, guys, now that we’re all well-fed, who’s ready to hit the party?”

You looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “What party?”

“The one at the beach!” Jade exclaimed. “Apparently, a bunch of people from our high school are throwing a welcome-back bash. I thought it’d be the perfect way to kick off the summer.”

“I didn’t know about this,” you said, glancing at the others.

“Sounds like a good time,” Vernon added, looking curious.

You smiled, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. “Alright, let’s do it. It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”

“Great!” Jade said, practically bouncing with energy. “Let’s clean up here and head out.”

With everyone pitching in, the cleanup was quick and efficient. Soon, you were all ready to head to the beach, anticipation buzzing in the air. As you stepped out into the warm night, you couldn’t shake off the feeling that something about this party would catch you off-guard.

“It’s okay, y/n,” Jade beamed at you, slinging an arm over your shoulder. “No need to worry too much. It’s just Winwin.”

You gasped audibly, stopping in your tracks as you stared dumbfounded at Jade, your mouth still hanging open. “You sneaky little—”

“Jaehyun, baby! Wait for me!” she called out to her boyfriend before running to him.

The thought of going to a party and seeing an ex you hadn't seen in a long time was far from enjoyable. You stood there in shock, wondering if it was too late to turn back. Just then, Eunwoo wrapped his arm around your shoulder and gently nudged you forward.

“Are you okay?” he asked, striding with his long legs and dragging you with him.

“Fine. That was ages ago anyway so,” you replied nervously.

“What do you mean?” Eunwoo questioned curiously. You sighed and gave him an exasperated look. “Oh, shit. Winwin is gonna be there, isn’t he?”

“Who’s Winwin?” Mingyu questioned, appearing on your other side with Vernon.

“Keep your nosy ass out of my business, okay?” you chided, pointing your index finger at him.

Mingyu laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get feisty.”

You caught Vernon glancing at you with curiosity in his eyes. Then Mingyu tapped his chest and said, “Azure parties are awesome.” 

Vernon smiled, nodding in acknowledgment. “Let’s hurry there then,” he suggested lightly.

As you all walked down the beach path, the sound of music and laughter grew louder. The beach was lit up with string lights and a bonfire, casting a warm glow over the gathering crowd. You could see familiar faces from high school, mingling and enjoying the summer night.

Trina and Minghao were already dancing near the bonfire, and you saw Jade and Jaehyun chatting with a group of old classmates. Adie was by the snack table, happily munching away, and Eunwoo was making his way to the drinks station.

Taking a deep breath, you decided to dive in and make the best of it. You spotted a quieter corner near the shoreline and made your way there. Vernon tagged along, but kept a respectful distance, allowing you space.

“Not a fan of big crowds?” he asked, glancing at the bustling party.

“Not really,” you admitted. “I prefer smaller gatherings. Less chaotic.”

“Hmmh, I see,” Vernon hummed, nodding.

“You?” you asked back just to be polite. “I doubt you disliked the crowd.”

“What makes you think so?” he questioned.

“You’re friends with Mingyu. I mean… Mingyu is you know… Mingyu. Life of the party. If you’re close to him, I figured you might be the same,” you explained as you both watched Mingyu take over the entire party.

Vernon looked puzzled but intrigued. “But he’s your friend too, right? And yet I don’t see any similarities between you.”

“Ah,” you blurted, chuckling. “Good point.”

Vernon chuckled, his laughter warm and genuine. He was about to say something more when a group of familiar faces approached. Recognizing some high school friends, you greeted them warmly.

“Elise!” you called, standing up to hug her. “Harper too. Wow, I thought you girls would never show up.”

As the night went on, you mingled with old friends, danced around the bonfire, and even managed to enjoy yourself. At one point, you found yourself standing by the drinks table when you spotted Winwin approaching. Your heart skipped a beat, but you decided to face it head-on.

“Hey, y/n,” Winwin greeted with a smile, holding a cup of punch. “Long time no see.”

“Hi, Win,” you replied, trying to keep your tone light. “How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good, actually. I just got back from uni yesterday. How about you?”

“Same here. I’m back for the summer too,” you said, feeling more relaxed as the conversation flowed naturally.

Winwin grinned. “Cool. It’s great to see you. We should catch up properly some time.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” you agreed, surprised at how friendly the interaction was.

As Winwin moved on to talk to someone else, you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. You joined the bonfire again, where your friends were gathered, their faces illuminated by the warm, flickering glow of the flames.

Jade spotted you and waved you over. “Hey, come sit with us!” she called, patting the sand next to her.

You sat down, feeling the heat of the fire on your skin. The conversation flowed easily, with laughter and playful banter filling the air. Then you found yourself standing by the drinks table again, pouring yourself another cup of the spiked punch.

“Hello again!” Winwin approached you again, a friendly smile on his face. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, it’s been great,” you replied, smiling back. “How about you?”

“Me?” he quipped, taking a sip of his drink. “I’ve had six bottles of beer and maybe a liter of this punch.”

You laughed heartily, deeply humored. You and Winwin fell into an easy conversation, reminiscing about old times and catching up on what had happened since you last saw each other. His laughter was contagious, and soon you found yourself giggling until your cheeks were sore.

“Remember that time in high school when we snuck out to the beach at midnight?” Winwin asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Oh my god, yes!” you laughed. “And we got caught by the patrol officer. I thought we were going to get into so much trouble.”

“But we didn’t,” Winwin said, grinning. “We talked our way out of it. Good times.”

“Definitely,” you agreed, feeling a warm sense of nostalgia.

A burst of giggles made your heads turn in unison. From where you stood, you saw Vernon surrounded by girls, all of them smiling and giggling at something he said. Your eyes met his gaze, catching you off guard. Vernon just smiled and gave you an acknowledging nod.

“I see you made a lot of new friends,” Winwin prompted.

“Yeah, thank god. I had zero idea how to navigate life in a completely different school, and an entirely different city,” you replied, rolling your eyes in frustration. “Good thing Jade was there. These people basically found me first.”

“I knew you’d fare well. You’re an amiable person,” he complimented.

“Amiable?” you snorted. “That’s a nice word.”

Winwin shrugged and then clinked his glass with yours. “I learned plenty of big words in college.”

That comment made you laugh again while Winwin watched you fondly with a proud expression as if he was satisfied with his own humor that made you laugh. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe he was just genuinely funny. You weren’t so sure, but you knew you were having a good time.

“Hi,” Vernon prompted, suddenly appearing beside you and making you shriek.

“Oh, god, Vernon,” you scolded, clutching your chest in shock and laughing at the same time.

“Having fun?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Just reminiscing about high school and stuff,” Winwin explained with a chuckle.

“Oh, sounds interesting,” Vernon said, grabbing a cup of punch. “Anything I should know about?”

“Only that we were quite the troublemakers back in the day,” you said with a wink.

“Is that so?” Vernon said, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you then.”

You laughed and nudged his arm with your elbow. “Don’t worry, I’ve mellowed out since then.”

“Good to know,” Vernon said, smiling. To Winwin, he said, “By the way, you were great at charades earlier.”

“Thanks,” Winwin replied, a little confused by the unexpected compliment. “I had a good time.”

“Hey, I scored the highest, but you’re complimenting him?” you complained to Vernon who just shrugged.

“He’s the one acting it out,” he retorted so you scoffed.

“Unbelievable!”

The conversation continued with Vernon and Winwin exchanging jokes and stories. It felt natural and comfortable, like catching up with old friends. As the night went on, you found yourself relaxing more, enjoying the company and the atmosphere.

Eventually, the party started winding down. You glanced around at your friends, feeling a sense of contentment. This summer was shaping up to be better than you had expected. As you walked back towards the bonfire, you felt a flicker of curiosity about Vernon. He was unexpectedly fun and you found yourself vibing with him easily. At the back of your mind, you hope he’s not trying to hit on you or something. After all, this was just another summer. A great summer with the potential to be your best yet, but still just another summer.

The next morning, you woke up at Jade’s house, tired and hungover but still rising early. You slipped quietly out of Adie’s assigned bedroom, careful not to disturb her sleep. Outside the room, you tiptoed down the hallway, making sure not to wake anyone else.

“Leaving already?” a voice called from the balcony, startling you so much that you dropped your shoes on the wooden floorboards.

The sound echoed through the house, and you froze, hand over your mouth, listening intently to see if anyone had been woken. Vernon blinked at you, clearly puzzled by your reaction.

“Are you okay?” he asked, an amused smile playing on his lips.

“Yes, I’m fine!” you whispered urgently, pressing a finger to your lips to signal for silence. “Be quiet, will you? You're gonna wake everyone up."

He shrugged and stood up from the chair he was sitting on, approaching you. “Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah. I need to take a shower,” you replied, feeling grimy and imagining how you must smell after a night out. You eyed him curiously and saw he was wearing fresh clothes. “Why are you up so early?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “Just felt like it.”

“No hangover or anything?” you questioned, surprised by his chipper demeanor.

“Nah, I’m good,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Lucky you,” you muttered as you continued down the stairs, Vernon trailing behind. “As for me, I need to go home and pass out. Gosh.”

“Don’t you need a ride?”

“I’ll grab a cab. It’s not that far,” you replied.

“Do you have food there?”

“What?” you asked, thinking you’d misheard him.

“Food,” he repeated.

You blinked at him, puzzled. Vernon just stood there, looking clueless yet endearing in the morning light.

“Food?” you repeated, and he nodded. “Yes, we have food. Why?”

His face lit up. “Can I come with you?”

Now you’re even more confused. “Why?”

“Oh, I woke up early and I looked for food in the kitchen but there wasn’t anything ready to eat. Nothing easy to cook either.” He flattened his lips together before adding, “I’m hungry.”

You chuckled at his straightforwardness. “Come on then.”

With that, Vernon grinned and followed you out the door, the morning sun casting long shadows on the quiet street. Your house was quiet when you arrived, but the windows were open, and the curtains were drawn, a clear telling that your mom had already started her morning. Leading Vernon inside, you caught sight of your mom in her office, her attention momentarily diverted from her computer as she noticed your arrival.

“You’re back so early! Did you have breakfast yet?” she called out, her voice carrying through the house.

“Actually,” you began, glancing back at Vernon behind you. “No, I haven’t.”

“Sorry, sweetie. I didn’t know you’d be back early, so nothing’s prepared in the kitchen,” she replied from her desk.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll whip something up. Oh, and I've got a friend with me,” you added.

“Oh, you do? Silly me,” she chuckled, standing up and heading towards the door of her office. “Make something nice for your friend, okay? I have work that I need to finish by today.”

“Sure thing,” you affirmed, smiling as she closed the door. “Would you like me to bring you food in there?”

You heard her muffled response. “No, baby. I’ve already eaten!”

“Wow, okay. Not a baby anymore,” you muttered to yourself, feeling a slight flush of embarrassment. Turning back to Vernon, you said, “Do you mind waiting while I go freshen up?”

“I don’t mind,” he replied, settling onto the couch and pulling out his phone.

You took a quick shower and got dressed comfortably. As you headed to the kitchen, you mentally surveyed the ingredients available, already formulating a plan for breakfast. Vernon followed you when he saw you, his presence bringing a comfortable energy to the space.

“So, what’s your specialty?” Vernon asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with genuine curiosity.

“Hmm, I’d say my omelets are pretty decent,” you replied, pulling out eggs and vegetables from the refrigerator. “But today, I’m thinking scrambled eggs with toast. What do you think?”

“I eat anything and everything,” Vernon said with a grin, taking a seat at the kitchen island.

As you chopped vegetables and cracked eggs into a bowl, you engaged in light conversation, discussing topics ranging from favorite foods to travel destinations. It was easy, effortless, and surprisingly enjoyable.

Before you knew it, the eggs were sizzling in the pan, filling the kitchen with a mouthwatering aroma. The toast came out perfectly golden, and you served two plates of food, setting one in front of Vernon and the other across from him.

“Thanks so much,” he said, smiling as he picked up his fork.

“Do you know what’s the plan for today?” you asked, taking a bite of your breakfast.

Vernon shrugged. “Swimming.”

Your eyes flicked to the patio where the outdoor pool glistened. “At Jade’s house?”

He shook his head. “I think she mentioned the beach. Some of the guys want to try surfing.”

“Oh, so they’re heading here today,” you said, glancing out toward the shoreline. “The perfect spot for surfing is right outside this house.”

“I see. So I can just wait for them here?”

“You could, but don’t you need your gear?”

“If you mean my surfing gear, I don’t have any.”

You scowled playfully. “Then how do you plan to surf?”

“I’m hoping if I walk along the beach, I’ll find a rental shop or something.”

You chuckled. “You don’t need a rental.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” you said proudly, nodding.

Once the kitchen was tidied up, you led Vernon to the backyard and showed him the shed where you kept your swimming and surfing gear. He looked impressed by the collection of surfboards, wetsuits, and even fishing equipment.

“Do you surf?” he asked and you rolled your eyes. There are at least five boards in that shed, shouldn’t it be obvious enough?

“Do I?” you quipped. “Yeah, I do. Did. I haven’t surfed in a long time.”

“Why not?” He reached for a purple board, carefully pulling it from the rack.

“I just lost interest. No grand reason behind it. My dad taught me how to surf but we haven’t done it in a long time so… yeah,” you trailed off, watching him put the board back where it belonged.

“You still remember how, right?” he asked, and you just shrugged. Then his eyes lit up as he spotted something. “Is that a spear?”

“Oh, that’s my dad’s,” you said, pushing the fishing gear further back into the shed. “He used to do a lot of spearfishing.”

“Cool.”

Your brows furrowed. “Cool? Didn't you say you were an environmentalist?”

“Spearfishing is fine as long as it’s practiced responsibly and with respect to local regulations and conservation efforts.”

You nodded in acknowledgment. “I see. Well, in that case, my dad is a pretty responsible fisher. He used to be the head of the coastal preservation council here.”

“Your dad sounds really cool. Is he around?”

“He is cool,” you said, smiling proudly. “But no, he’s not here right now.”

“I see,” Vernon replied, leaning against the shed door as he watched you rummage through the items. As you were looking through the snorkeling box, you accidentally knocked over another box and sent the contents spilling all over the floor.

“Oh, god,” you groaned, picking up the items on the floor. Vernon was quick to help you, chuckling.

“What are these?” he asked, examining the surfwax bars.

“It’s surfwax. You rub it all over the surfboard so you don’t slip,” you explained, taking the stuff from his hand to pack it away. When it was done, you lifted the box to put it back on the shelf.

Vernon chuckled softly. “Here, let me.” Before you could protest, he reached out and took the box from you, his fingers brushing against yours for a moment.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, stepping back to give him space. But instead of moving away, Vernon stepped closer, his focus entirely on the shelf as he lifted the box into place.

You felt a sudden rush of shyness as his arm brushed against your shoulder, the proximity making your heart skip a beat. The scent of his cologne, fresh and woodsy, filled the air between you, and you could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

“Is this the right spot?” he asked, glancing down at you with a smile, completely unaware of the effect his closeness had on you.

“Uh, yeah,” you stammered, your cheeks flushing. “That’s perfect.”

Vernon adjusted the box, making sure it was secure before stepping back. But instead of moving away, he turned to face you, his face just inches from yours. You could see the tiny flecks of gold in his big brown eyes, and the playful smile that often danced on his lips. The room seemed to grow quieter, the moment stretching as you both stood there. For a moment, neither of you moved, caught in the unexpected closeness.

“Are you okay?” he asked, startling you so you took a step back. In doing so, you kicked the foot of the shelf and knocked over a bucket sitting on top of it. Cool water splashed all over you and Vernon, making you gasp in shock.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” you exclaimed, patting his shirt as if it would help dry him in any way.

Vernon looked down at his soaked self and chuckled. “That’s one way to cool off.”

“Oh, god. Why is there a bucket of water in here?” You looked up at the top of the shelf and noticed a small dot of light pouring from a hole in the roof. “That hole seriously needs patching up. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“It’s fine. We’ll go swimming later anyway,” said Vernon, squeezing water out of his shirt.

“But I don’t know for how long that water’s been sitting there,” you said shyly. It may be just rainwater but you know it hasn’t rained in Azure Bay for more than a week now.

“Oh,” he exclaimed, realization dawning on him.

“Follow me.”

You led him to the poolside, pointing to the outdoor shower. “You can rinse off there. I’ll find a towel and something for you to wear while your clothes dry.”

“Ah, how convenient.” Vernon smiled gratefully. “Thanks, y/n.”

As he rinsed off, you quickly fetched a towel and a spare pair of shorts from the poolside storage. You were drenched too, but you can rinse off in your bathroom upstairs. In the meantime, you headed back to Vernon with the spare clothes and the towel.

You approached the shower area, holding out the towel and shorts. “Here you go—” The words died in your throat as you caught sight of Vernon, his shirt already off, revealing a well-toned torso glistening with water. He turned, surprised, and for a moment, you were both frozen.

“Uh, thanks,” he said, taking the towel from you, a shy smile spreading across his face.

You felt your cheeks heat up and quickly turned away, trying to steady your racing heart. “The, uh... The washer is by the kitchen. You can throw your clothes in the dryer.”

"Alright."

"Right. I'll let you finish up."

You hurried inside, your mind swirling with the unexpected sight of Vernon. As you headed to your bathroom, you couldn’t help but feel a mix of embarrassment and something else you couldn’t quite name. After a quick shower, you changed into dry clothes and took a deep breath, trying to collect yourself.

When you returned to the poolside, Vernon was lounging on a chair, wearing the shorts you’d given him and toweling off his hair. He looked up and grinned.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

You nodded, keeping your eyes on his face and not letting it wander on his bare chest. “Yeah. You?”

“Much better,” he replied, still smiling. “Thanks for the help. I guess I owe you one.”

You waved it off, smiling back. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Right,” he agreed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

You heard car horns honking from outside so you told Vernon to feel at home before heading to the gate. As expected, it was your friends arriving for the surfing thing they had planned for today.

“Fucking finally,” you muttered, trying to level your head after the tense events that transpired with Vernon.

“Vernon? Why, what’s up with him?” Jade inquired after you asked her about Vernon.

“Nothing. He’s just…” you paused, trying to find the right word. “...intriguing.”

“Intriguing? Interesting choice of word, y/n,” Trina teased, hitting your waist with hers as you both stood in front of your full-length mirror to see how your bikinis looked.

“I think she meant he’s cute and she’s interested,” Adie taunted from your bed.

You rolled your eyes at them. “I’m just curious, alright? Aren’t you? I mean, he’s new and we barely know him.”

“Oh, I do know him,” Trina said. “He’s friends with Hao too, you know. His name is actually Hansol Chwe.”

“Hansol Chwe?” you repeated curiously.

“Yeah. But Vernon is his english name. He’s actually a sophomore and he transferred from… I’m not sure where, but he’s a new student,” Trina continued.

Jade snapped his fingers. “Then it makes sense that he hasn’t hung out with us until now. He’s a neophyte.”

“So, what about him intrigues you, y/n?” Trina asked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“Did you two have a cutesy romcom-ish morning together?” Adie accused, pointing at you. “He had breakfast here, right?”

Jade interjected. “Or did you hook up while we were passed out at home?”

You gasped, scandalized. “What? Hook up? What do you take me for?”

“Ah, so you didn’t.”

“Did you make out while you were alone here or something?” Trina asked.

“You guys are crazy,” you told them, heading for the door. “We didn’t do any of that. We just ate, that’s all.”

“It was a cutesy romcom-ish morning, then,” Adie giggled, trailing behind you.

“It was not that either,” you insisted. “I’m done talking about this. He’s just another guy.”

Right, he is. A handsome guy, for sure, but he’s just another pretty guy. You’ve met countless pretty guys. Hot guys have flirted with you several times, especially on this beach. You’re friends with pretty guys. And you have, most certainly, seen them walk around topless plenty of times. Eunwoo is a literal angel. Jaehyun and Minghao are eye candies. And did you see Mingyu’s physique? You are literally surrounded by hot guys that you don’t even bat an eye on anymore.

So why is it that you can’t look at the topless Vernon without your heart skipping a beat?

“Y/n, come here!” your girlfriends called out from the shore. You just waved your arms, not even moving an inch from where you were comfortably seated.

On one side of the bay, you could see the boys on the surfboards, paddling on the calm waters since the tide wasn’t high enough for surfing. Vernon was making his way towards you, leaving the board on the sand.

“Reading while everyone’s having fun? Are you not like other girls?” he quipped, standing next to the beach bed where you were reading a book.

“I simply just had enough saltwater,” you replied nonchalantly, hiding your nervousness behind your big sunglasses.

“So, not like other girls?” he repeated, sitting on the beach bed next to yours. 

You chuckled lightly. “Trust me, Hansol, I’m just like every other girl.”

“Hansol?”

You glanced sideways at him. “It’s your name, isn’t it?”

“It is, but no one calls me that,” he replied. “You can call me Hansol, though.”

“I’m honored,” you retorted, chuckling as you returned your attention to your book. “But I won’t do that. It’s not like we’re close or anything.”

“How close do you need us to be?” he asked. You glanced back at him, just in time to see him lean closer, stopping just a few inches away so your noses don’t touch. 

“What are you doing?” you asked, trying not to stutter. You could only hope that your sunglasses were dark enough for him not to see your eyes.

A mischievous glint flickered in Vernon's eyes as he leaned in even closer, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “Is this close enough?”

“Move back,” you whispered, barely audible because you were sure you’d kiss if you so much as breathe.

He obeyed, slumping back on the beach bed with a content smile. Only then did you breathe properly again. Irritated, you stood up and walked away, leaving your book behind. After several steps, you glanced back to see Vernon had taken your book and was now reading it.

“She’s coming this way!” Adie shouted, pointing at you as your friends turned to look.

Eunwoo and Mingyu rushed out of the water, their eyes twinkling with mischief. Recognizing their intentions, you started running along the shore to escape them. But your limbs were no match for their long strides. They eventually caught up to you, and Mingyu swooped you up by the waist. Shrieking and kicking your legs in the air, you cursed at him, but he ignored you completely and leaped into the water with you.

Your splash into the cool water was met with laughter from everyone around. The initial shock of the cold quickly gave way to the exhilarating fun of being in the water. Mingyu's grip loosened, allowing you to find your footing in the shallow water, though you were already drenched from head to toe.

“Eunwoo, you traitor!” you called out, splashing water at him.

He laughed, dodging your attempts. “Hey, it’s not my fault you’re a slow runner!”

Vernon eventually waded into the water, holding one of your flip-flops above his head. “Look what I saved from the water!”

“Give it back!” you demanded, wading toward him.

He grinned, holding it just out of reach. “You’ll have to catch me first!”

It turned into a game of tag, with you chasing Vernon around to retrieve your slipper. After several minutes of playful chaos, you finally managed to snatch it from Vernon’s hand, clutching it triumphantly to your chest. But your victory was short-lived after Jaehyun sneaked up behind you to steal it again.

He held it up, making it impossible for you to reach it. “How long before you can take this from us?”

“Us?” you questioned and Jaehyun responded by tossing the slipper to Minghao, who then threw it to Eunwoo.

The game of tag resumed and continued as your girlfriends joined in, making it a game of Boys vs. Girls. You splashed and chased each other and the beach echoed with laughter and shouts of joy.

After a while, the group tired out and decided to take a break under the beach umbrellas. You spread out towels and settled into the lounge chairs, feeling the sun's warmth on your skin as it dried off the seawater. The boys sat on the towels, discussing the best surf spots and the timing of the tide.

“It should be high tide soon, right?” Jaehyun asked, glancing at you since you were the more experienced surfer in the group, thus making you more well-versed in the tides.

You looked at the sea, and then at your watch. “Yeah, it should be. Look the waves are getting bigger.”

Mingyu whistled excitedly. “It’s going to be epic.”

“Shouldn’t be long now,” you commented, leaning back on the beach bed and closing your eyes.

As you lay there, soaking in the sun and the sound of the waves, Eunwoo turned to you with a playful smile. “You should come out with us and show these newbies how it’s done.”

“Pass,” you deadpanned. “I’m tired.”

“You’ll miss out then,” he countered.

“I’ll get over it.”

“I could teach you,” Vernon offered, making you open your eyes to look at him. He smiled when you caught his gaze, but you just rolled your eyes and wore your sunglasses.

“Hard pass.”

Vernon scoffed, indignant. “What? I’m actually quite good at it.”

“Really? Have fun then,” you said monotonously. You were not just trying to be aloof. It was true that you were tired from all the playing and the swimming.

Time passed lazily as you lounged under the umbrellas, the sun slowly descending towards the horizon. You even snoozed for a bit, waking up with a jolt and wondering if you were out for three minutes or a whole hour. You saw that your friends were already surfing and the only ones left in the shade were you and Adie.

“That was a good one, Haohao!” you heard Trina shout and saw her waving happily by the shore.

The sight of them paddling out into the surf was captivating. They cut through the waves with practiced ease, their shouts of triumph carrying back to shore whenever they caught a particularly good wave. Vernon, true to his word, was a natural, effortlessly gliding along the waves.

You continued to watch from the comfort of your lounge chair, enjoying the peaceful rhythm of the waves and the distant laughter of your friends. As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in breathtaking shades of orange and pink, the surfers finally began to make their way back to shore. Groaning and sighing, everyone settled down to dry off and bask in the warmth of the remaining sunlight. You stayed longer to watch the sunset, take pictures, and feel the warm dusk breeze.

“Should we head back to the house?” you suggested, glancing at the darkening sky.

“Yeah, I’m getting hungry,” Mingyu agreed, pouting. 

Gathering your belongings, you all made your way back to the beach house. The walk was filled with more lighthearted chatter and the occasional burst of laughter. By the time you reached the house, the first stars were twinkling in the sky.

You were amazed to find barbecue being prepared at the poolside patio by your mother and Elise, a high school friend of yours. She greeted you and Jade with hugs and giggles.

“Oh, mom, you didn’t have to do all this,” you told your mom, feeling grateful and shy. 

“It’s alright, hun,” she chimed, flipping the barbecue over. “I had help from Elise here.”

You eyed Elise, equipped with tongs and a black apron over her dress. “I bumped into her at the grocery store and she invited me over for dinner.”

“Thanks for coming. Jade and I were actually talking about hanging with you guys a while ago,” you told her while you ushered your friends to the shower area so they can wash up.

“That can be arranged, but if you haven’t come up with anything yet, you should join us next weekend.”

“Next weekend?” you questioned, opening your mouth to accept the piece of barbecue your mom was feeding you.

“Talk about it later, girls. After you’re cleaned and decent,” your mom chided softly, poking your bare waist and grimacing at your bikini.

Giggling, you headed inside the house and heard your mom telling you not to step on the carpet with your sandy feet. Seeing the carpeted floor of your living room and stairs, you decided not to climb up to your bedroom and use the kitchen bathroom instead. 

Quietly slipping inside, you locked the door behind you, only to freeze when you turned to find Vernon standing under the showerhead, a look of surprise mirrored on both your faces.

“Oh my god!” you exclaimed, instinctively covering your eyes with your hands. “Don’t you lock doors when you’re using the bathroom?”

Vernon chuckled, his relaxed demeanor contrasting with your flustered state. “I was here with Mingyu. He didn’t lock it when he left.”

“You were here with Mingyu?” you asked, surprised and maybe a little malicious.

“No. He let me in after he was done,” he clarified and then you felt warm water being splashed at you. “Take your mind out of the gutter.”

You looked straight at him, feeling defensive. “I didn’t say anything!” He wasn’t completely naked. He still had his shorts on.

“You were thinking it,” he retorted, smirking. He turned the shower on, closing his eyes as the water hit his face.

Nervous, you turned the knob but it was locked. You fumbled with it for a few seconds, suddenly clueless about how it worked.

“You don’t have to leave. I’m done here,” he said after a while, turning the shower off.

“Hurry up then.”

You watched him reach for the towel and wipe his face as he walked towards the door. Realizing you were in front of it, you moved aside so he could leave. Instead of heading for the door, however, Vernon went straight to you, not breaking eye contact and stopping only when your feet touched.

“W-What?” you stammered, trying to maintain your composure as you met his gaze. Vernon didn’t say a word and just stared at you. Shy, you looked away and pushed him.

He held your hands and kept it on his chest. Then he said, “I need my clothes.”

“Your clothes?” you questioned, still not meeting his gaze. “Yeah, it’s up in my room. You can ask Jade for them, or Adie. They’ll know which one it is.”

He tightened his hold of your hands when you tried to withdraw them. Softly, he said, “You know, I think I've been wanting to do something for a while now.”

You looked up at him. “What is it?”

The tension between you lingered in the air, thickening with each passing moment as you found yourselves locked in a silent exchange of gazes. Vernon's eyes bore into yours, searching for something that you weren't sure you were ready to give.

"Just say 'no' and I'll be on my way," he finally broke the silence, his voice low and tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

You swallowed hard, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air as you struggled to find the right response. But when you opened your mouth to speak, the words caught in your throat, leaving you speechless. Vernon seemed to take your silence as an answer.

Your whole body ached with anticipation as you inched towards each other, the distance between you narrowing until there was barely a breath of space left. Each moment spent together today had been leading up to this, a series of shared glances, lingering touches, and unspoken words building a tension that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

And then, without warning, his lips met yours in a tender kiss, sending a rush of warmth coursing through your veins. It was soft, gentle, and fleeting as if you were both testing the waters. Then you met again in another kiss, this time deeper, more urgent, and more intense. With ease, your tongue pushed inside his mouth, clashing with his. Then he bit your lip just enough to make you moan. You held on to his arm, knees weakened by the tingling sensations and the swirling emotions. Vernon held your back firmly, keeping you in place.

By the time you pulled away, you were both breathless and shocked. Vernon flashed a handsome smile, his breath fanning your face as he chuckled a little. His hands trailed down to your arms, holding them gently.

“I liked that,” Vernon echoed, his voice barely a whisper. “I liked that a lot.”

You giggled shyly, touching your lips. “Shut up.”

“I mean it!” he insisted, biting his lower lip as if to savor the lingering feeling of the kiss.

“Alright! You mean it. Be quiet about it!” you chided jokingly. 

As Vernon and you were caught up in the aftermath of your kiss, a sudden knock on the bathroom door startled both of you. You exchanged a quick, bewildered glance before Vernon moved to open the door very slightly. To your surprise, it was Mingyu standing there. You pressed your finger on your lips, gesturing at Vernon to not let him know you were there.

“Jade said these are yours,”  said Mingyu and you saw Vernon take the clothes in his hand.

With a forced smile, Vernon replied, "Thanks, man. I'll be out in a minute."

Mingyu's brow furrowed in suspicion as he peered into the bathroom. "Alright, but hurry up. We're all waiting for you."

As Mingyu turned to leave, you held your breath, praying he wouldn't be suspicious. Once he was out of earshot, Vernon let out a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his hair. You awkwardly walked to the shower, facing the wall so Vernon could get dressed. After about two minutes, you felt him approaching you from behind and pressing a quick peck on your cheek.

“I’ll see you outside?” he asked.

Smiling, you nodded and tilted your head to face him. “Sure.”

It took a while before you could calm down and properly wash up. And a few more minutes of pacing around your room before you got dressed and joined everyone for dinner. Everyone asked what took you so long and you coughed up a random excuse as you sat on the vacant chair next to Eunwoo. Your eyes met Vernon’s throughout the night, while you were thinking about the potential complications of your newfound connection.

You were on a quiet beach, eerily familiar but also unfamiliar. Waves crashed against the rocks, breaking the quietness of the night. The moon hung high in the sky, giving the sea an enchanting, silvery twinkle. The air was calm and cold as you scanned the horizon, your heart racing with curiosity and apprehension. 

“Where am I?” you asked yourself, walking towards the array of beach beds and closed umbrellas. As you were about to sit, you were startled by a loud sound of waves crashing against the rocky cliff up ahead. You glanced in that direction where you could see a figure illuminated by the ethereal moonlight.

“Who’s there?” you called out, only for your voice to echo back into your ear. The eerie sound made you gasp and in a blink of an eye, you found yourself lying on the grass. The sun was bright, stinging your eyes, so you tried to block it with your hand.

“I’ve been wanting to do something for a while now,” said a voice beside you that you immediately recognized. You glanced sideways, and lying on the grass next to you, was Vernon, his eyes filled with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine.

Your vision blurred again, the scene shifting into an entirely different place. You were panting and moaning as you straddled Vernon, a scent of perfume and sweat permeating the air. His grip was strong on your waist and your head was tilted back, lost in the moment of passion. He then touched your face, willing you to look him in the eyes.

But just as you were about to speak, to lean in and kiss his lips, the dream shifted, dissolving into darkness as you were pulled back into the realm of wakefulness. You blinked, disoriented, trying to understand what had just happened.

“Oh,” you blurted, and hearing your own voice caused a bolt of electricity to shoot through your body, jolting you awake.

Gasping for breath, you sat up in bed, your heart pounding in your chest. The remnants of the dream clung to you, vivid and almost tangible. You glanced around your darkened room, the shadows and furniture outline bringing you back to reality. It had felt so real, so intense. And yet, it was just a dream.

Frustrated, you buried your face in your hands, shaking your head violently as if to expel the lewd images in your mind. Then for a moment, you sat there in the silence of the night, the memory of the dream still fresh and unsettling.

“What the actual fuck,” you sighed, shocked, scandalized, and utterly bewildered. The sensations, the closeness—it was too much.

Just then, your phone buzzed, breaking the silence. You grabbed it from the bedside table, squinting at the screen to recognize the username of the person who had followed you. Not that you needed any effort; ‘vernonline’ was practically a complete government ID.

“Of all the people who could decide to follow me right now,” you muttered, swiping to see his profile. You scrolled through his posts as you lay back down, stopping at a particularly good-looking photo of him. As you studied his features, images from the dream started flashing in your mind, making you toss the phone away and bury your face in your pillow.

“Gosh, y/n, what the hell was that?” you scolded yourself, kicking your sheets aggressively and stopping only when your phone buzzed again.

You peeked at your screen and saw that Vernon had messaged you.

Vernon: Can’t sleep? You: Can’t. Vernon: What are you up to?

“Having sex with you in my dream, dumbass,” you blurted, exhaling sharply.

You: Idk, nothing. Vernon: Meet me at the bay by your house?

You scowled, dictating as you typed a reply. “‘Now?’” Biting your nails, you stared at your screen as you waited for his reply.

Vernon: Yes. I’m out here right now

“What?” you blurted, standing up at once and rushing to your window to see if he was telling the truth. Sure enough, there was Vernon, seated on one of the beach beds. The beach was a distance away, but you could clearly see him, his face illuminated by the glow of his phone. You decided to call him, and he picked up quickly.

“What are you doing out there?” you asked, glancing at your watch. It’s almost midnight.

“I don’t know. I was walking down the beach from Jade’s house, getting some fresh air. I didn’t stop until I realized how far I’d come. Then I saw that I was almost at your house, so I just kept walking.”

“Stay there,” you told him, hanging up. You grabbed a jacket and rushed out of the house to meet him.

Vernon greeted you with a sweet smile, tilting his head handsomely as you approached. He looked cozy in his black hoodie and denim jeans. As you drew nearer, you couldn't help but wrestle with the vivid memories of your dream and your sanity's efforts to push it to the back of your mind.

“Walking from Jade’s house all the way here? Surely you can come up with a better excuse,” you joked as soon as you reached him.

Vernon chuckled heartily, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Alright, you got me. I came all the way here just to see you.”

His words sent a shiver down your spine, a mix of excitement and nervousness. The dream had left a lingering impression, and now here he was, as real as the cool night breeze. 

“In the middle of the night?” you asked, sitting on the chair opposite his.

“Yes. And I did walk all the way here.”

You scowled, unconvinced. “No, you didn’t.”

“Actually, I did. It’s not that far if you follow the beach line,” he said, then pointed somewhere behind him. “See that bright light there? That’s Jade’s house.”

You looked at where he was pointing, squinting to see the faint glow in the distance. “Wow, you really did walk all the way here,” you admitted with a hint of surprise in your voice.

Vernon shrugged casually. “Told you so.”

A comfortable silence settled between you as the sound of the waves filled the air. The moonlight cast a soft glow over the sea, and you could hear the faint music from the beachfront bars nearby.

“So, what made you walk all the way here?” you asked, breaking the silence. “Can't sleep?”

He shrugged, his gaze fixed on the gentle waves lapping at the shore. “Yeah. Thought maybe a walk would help clear my mind.”

“Did it?” you asked, curious about what was going on in his mind.

Vernon turned to you, his eyes catching the faint moonlight. “Not really. But seeing you... that helps.”

You felt your cheeks warm, grateful for the dim light hid your blush. Scoffing in feigned indifference, you said, “Smooth talker.”

He laughed, the sound blending harmoniously with the night. “I don’t know. You’ve been running in my head all night. All day, actually.”

“Did you come here to sweet talk me?”

“Nah, I came because…” he paused, hesitating. Then he sighed, deciding not to continue. “Forget it. What’s the dream about?”

You froze, not expecting the question. “What makes you think I had a dream?”

“You looked like you were woken up from a good sleep,” he said, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

You laughed nervously. “Just a random dream, nothing important.”

Thankfully he didn’t press for answers and quietly leaned on the beach bed. There was no exchange of words for a while, and you sat there feeling impatient and nervous. You didn’t want to leave yet but you couldn’t find a reason to stay. 

“Do you regret it?” Vernon asked quietly, his voice calming your jittery hands. “The kiss?”

Looking at him, you shook your head. “No, I don’t. Do you?”

“Not for a second,” he said firmly. “I just don’t know where to go from here.”

You took a deep breath, gathering your thoughts. “Maybe we don’t need to have all the answers right now. Maybe we can just... see where this goes.”

Vernon studied you for a moment, then nodded. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Vernon rose to his feet and occupied the space next to you. You were nervous, but you didn’t shy away from him this time. When he lifted your chin to meet his gaze, you placed a hand on his neck. When he leaned in for a kiss, you met him halfway and with equal eagerness. Next thing you know, you were moaning on the beach bed, Vernon’s kisses peppering the skin along your neck while his hands roamed your body. 

Your hand was firm on his back, holding on for dear life as he explored your body for the spots that electrified you. Eventually, his lips found their way back to yours, sucking, nipping, and biting while you pressed your body against his. Your jacket has long been discarded, and your skin is wet with sweat despite the cool evening breeze. Vernon was impatient, having kissed every inch of your neck and collarbone before you gave him permission to go further.

He lifted your nightgown first, revealing your belly where he left a trail of sweet little kisses. His touch was electric, sending your mind spiraling with lust and anticipation. Then he stopped in front of your underwear, breathing warmly against it before cupping it with his big hand.

“You sure you wanna do this?” he asked, snapping you back into reality.

You blinked, looking around at the deserted beach. Then you immediately sat up, fixing the straps of your nightgown back in place.

“What the hell are we doing?” you exclaimed, standing up at once. Vernon’s face dropped, looking disappointed and understanding at the same time. You picked up your jacket on the sand, grabbed his hand, and led him to your house.

Vernon tugged you back, locking you in his arms and asking, “Are you sure?”

Groaning, you tiptoed to kiss him. “Very sure. Just not here.”

You slipped into the house quietly, careful not to wake your mom or make a sound. At one point, Vernon almost knocked over a plant hanging by the staircase. Luckily, he caught it before it could hit the floor and you laughingly put it back.

As soon as you reached your room, you grabbed Vernon’s collar and kissed him. Vernon was just as excited, brazenly slipping his hands underneath your nightgown to feel the skin of your back and grab a handful of your ass. A moan escaped your lips when he gave it a squeeze. You grabbed his hand to stop him from doing it again.

“Sorry,” he grinned, pecking at your lips.

“No, I like it. But don’t do it. We can’t be loud,” you whispered, reaching behind him to turn the lock on your door. “My mom’s a light sleeper.”

“Right, okay,” he obliged before swooping your cheek to kiss you again. “Any chance you have condoms tucked away somewhere?”

“Crap. I don’t,” you replied, brows knitting together. “But I’m on the pill.”

“Okay. Good.”

By the time you reached the bed, Vernon had discarded his hoodie and your nightgown lay on a heap on the floor. Neither of you wanted to stop kissing, but you had to when you climbed the bed and laid on your back.

“Wow,” he blurted, feasting his eyes on the nakedness before him. The way he smirked and bit his lower lip at the sight of you made you feral. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?” you asked shyly, feeling self-conscious.

He crept up to you, propping himself in his arms as he hovered over you. Then he whispered, his voice deep and melodic. “I knew you looked way better without those bikinis from earlier.”

Normally, you’d be all red and embarrassed if someone complimented you. But right now, all you are feeling is a boost of confidence and the strong urge to challenge his patience.

“Oh yeah? Now that explains why you were ogling me all day,” you purred, one hand on his neck while the other traced a line from his cheek down to his chest.

Vernon smirked. “Says you who gave me nothing but shorts to wear all day.”

You giggled when he kissed your neck. “That was unintentional.”

He hummed against your skin. “So are my occasional glances at your bikini-clad ass. Let’s not hold it against each other, love.”

The endearment had your stomach fluttering as you were dragged into the vice of his lips again. You matched his fervor, tugging, biting, battling your tongue with his, running your fingers through his scalp and grabbing a handful of his hair. His lips moved to your breast, one hand fondling the other as his tongue circled and sucked on your nipple. You cried out when he pinched it, and your hand flew over your mouth to prevent yourself from making any sound– however too late it may be.

“Vernon,” you called softly, squeezing your thighs together.

Vernon flashed a playful grin before he reached between your thighs to touch your clothed sex. “How quickly can you cum?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why? Are you in a hurry or something?”

“Not at all,” he replied, shaking his head. “I need to know if I want to impress you on our first time.”

You groaned, propping yourself up on your elbows. “Can we just save that for next time?”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, holding your knees and parting them. “You’re an impatient one.”

“And you’re chatty,” you scoffed, kissing him once more as he ripped your underwear off.

“Don’t you know how important communication is?” he teased. Without warning, he took a long, wet lick of your cunt, sending pleasant shivers down your spine. You bit your lower lip, stifling the lewd sounds of pleasure that were trying to escape your mouth. 

Then he repeated it several times more before positioning himself between your legs. You didn’t even notice that he had taken off his pants. Your entire body ached with lust and anticipation for what was about to come. Vernon took his sweet time peppering your neck and chest with kisses.

“Vernon,” you pleaded with desperation in your voice, throwing all self-respect out the window.

The tip of his cock prodded your cunt, pushing ever so slightly as he tried to test how difficult or how easy it would be to get in. You gasped when his head went in, and whimpered when he bottomed out in one go. A delightful pain shot through your body, one that’s electrifying and satisfying. The way his dick stretched you was wonderful, nearly perfect.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his face twitching with what you can only assume as satisfaction.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you whispered, breathless and exhilarated. 

He moved once, observing your reaction. After another thrust, he was able to confirm that you were doing fine so he started bucking his hips rhythmically, sending ripples of pleasure through your body. As he kept going, you tried to keep quiet but it proved difficult when he was ramming into you while sucking the skin on your neck. You were holding back so hard that you could only whimper and gasp, leaving you so frustrated that you felt like crying.

Vernon's grip under your thighs tightened, his breathing erratic as he tried not to make loud sounds. His strangled grunts, the sharp intake of air, along with the raspy curses and quiet whispers of dirty sweet nothings in your ear made you dizzy, so much that you swear you’re seeing stars on your ceiling.

“So… fucking… tight,” he grunted, thrusting harder and deeper.

“Oh, god,” you mewled, and repeated your words again when he continued, “Oh, god, Vernon!”

You thought you could go for a long time, but the slight change in his pace reached places you never expected him to find so easily. You arched your body towards him, digging your nails on his shoulder as you neared the sweet bliss of release. Your eyes were rolling back, going out of your mind due to intense pleasure.

“Vernon,” you murmured, brows knitting, puppy-eyed, and biting your lip. “Please… Please don’t stop… Aagh— don’t you… fucking… stop!”

Vernon heeded your plea, losing his mind over your desperate face. He locked your lips in a kiss, muffling your moans as the twisted knot in your belly exploded. Mouth hanging open, you felt lightheaded and weak, every sound fading into a static noise as every ounce of energy left your limbs. 

Your vision shifted out of focus for a second, and then you were met by Vernon’s proud smirk. Sighing in relief, you reached to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He was still inside you, moving very slowly as you basked in the joy of your orgasm. He looked hotter in this view, a thin sheen of sweat covering his entire body. 

“How was that?” he asked, smirking. You rolled your eyes to discourage his smug attitude, but the grin on your lips was evidence of your satisfaction. He added, “Mind if I finish?”

Suddenly, it clicked. He wasn’t done yet! “Please. Go ahead.”

Vernon inhaled sharply before he started ramming his hips into you again. The sensations rushed back into you, making you gasp and whimper. He was going at an unsteady but brutal pace, thrusting faster and harder as he chased his orgasm. With a rough grunt and one final thrust, he pulled out and sent streaks of cum across your belly. You reached for his cock to jerk it off, making him groan due to overstimulation. After he was done, he hovered there for a few seconds and then fell on a heap on top of you.

“Wow,” he rasped, panting.

“Yeah,” you breathed, immensely weakened. "Wow."

The dream must have been a premonition. Or it might be the manifestation of the pent-up tension between you all day. Either way, it didn’t matter. What mattered was this moment, right now. The figment of your imagination could never compare to the real thing. It was everything you’d ever imagined, so much better even.

Vernon was gone before daybreak after you sent him away. He had been sleeping soundly next to you last night, warm and snuggly. But you woke him up barely four hours later and asked him to leave. You asked nicely, of course, and he was very understanding of your reasons. As beautiful as it was, you both agreed to keep the whole thing a secret for now. So, you sent him away to ensure your mother wouldn’t see him in the morning or that your friends wouldn’t wonder where he was.

It bothered you how quickly you got into this relationship with Vernon, especially because you knew it didn’t stem from sincere feelings but rather from infatuation and sexual tension. You also didn’t want to be the subject of your friends’ relentless teasing for the whole duration of their stay. How would you explain that you were suddenly sleeping with the guy you said you had zero interest in?

You had been staring at the ceiling for over an hour now, reliving the events of last night and wondering what the next few days had in store for the two of you. You needed not to remind yourself that this was all but a convenient setup. No strings had been attached to this yet, as far as your spoken declarations were concerned. With that in mind, you drifted back to sleep, tired from last night’s excursions.

The late morning sun filtered through your curtains, and the cool wind embraced your naked arms. You woke up again, feeling the emptiness beside you where Vernon had been. It was a strange feeling, missing someone who had just been a friend until recently. The physical connection you shared last night had stirred up emotions you hadn't anticipated.

As you got ready for the day, your thoughts drifted back to Vernon. You couldn't deny the chemistry between you two, but the uncertainty of where this was headed made you uneasy. The thought of facing your friends and pretending nothing had changed was daunting but necessary. You couldn't let them suspect anything, at least not yet.

Downstairs, your mother was on her knees, scanning the papers she had strategically scattered on the floor and on the couches in the living room. She was mumbling to herself, the deep scowl on her face indicating her intense concentration. It is best not to disturb her when she is busy like this, so you slip quietly out of the house, taking your old car out of the garage and heading to Jade’s.

When you got there, the house was already buzzing with activity. Your friends were lounging in the living room, chatting and laughing. You joined them, trying to act as normal as possible.

“Look who decided to turn up,” Jade teased, waving. "You missed breakfast."

"Sorry, I was really tired," you replied, forcing a smile as you sat down.

Mingyu glanced at you with a knowing look, but he didn't say anything. You wondered if he had noticed anything unusual about Vernon this morning.

“What's the plan for today?” you asked, eager to divert attention from yourself.

“Beach volleyball!” Jaehyun announced enthusiastically. “Elise invited us to join them at the beach.”

“Cool. Can we make s’mores after?” Trina requested. “That is if there isn’t a bonfire party after the game.”

Jade nodded. “There isn’t, so yes, we can make smores.”

Everyone cheered at the idea, and you couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Activities like these would keep everyone occupied and less likely to notice any changes between you and Vernon.

As the day went on, you found yourself stealing glances at Vernon, who seemed just as composed as ever. The physical distance between you in public was a stark contrast to the intimacy you had shared last night. It was a balancing act, maintaining the facade while grappling with your own feelings.

During volleyball, you and Vernon ended up on opposing teams, and your competitive sides came out in full force. Since this was a game held by your high school friends, Winwin was there too and got on the same team as you. In a quick battle of wits, Jade boasted about you and Winwin being the best beach volleyball duo, making everyone cheer and tease. The game was filled with laughter, teasing, and a few surprisingly intense moments.

“You're pretty good,” Vernon said, panting and grinning as you both took a break.

“I could say the same about you,” you replied, wiping sweat from your forehead. That was your first conversation ever since he left your house that morning.

Later in the afternoon, while everyone was busy setting up for the bonfire, Vernon found a chance to be alone with you. He casually asked you to help him get the marshmallows from the kitchen, and you obliged. As you looked for the bag of marshmallows, Vernon sneakily closed the pantry door.

“You gotta be kidding me,” you muttered.

“Come on. Forget the mallows for a sec,” he grinned, tugging you by the waist.

Vernon scooped your cheek to kiss you, and you happily kissed him back, wrapping your arms around his neck. There was a sense of relief mixed in the euphoria of kissing Vernon, as if you had been starved of his touch for years instead of mere hours. You melted in his arms, delirious because of his kiss. When you parted, your lips ached for him, but you didn’t indulge it.

“Can I see you tonight?” he asked, looking ecstatic.

Absolutely, you screamed in your head but you wanted to play hard-to-get. “I’ll think about it,” you replied.

“Okay. Let me know.”

He kissed you once more, and then another. And even as you were leaving the pantry, he stole kisses on your cheek, stopping only when you were almost outside the house where all your friends are gathered.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activities and stolen moments. You and Vernon navigated your secret relationship with a mix of excitement and caution. Every touch, every shared glance held a thrill of secrecy that only the two of you understood. Vernon has mastered the art of sneaking to your house, undetected. And you would be in each other’s arms all night, only to act like you barely knew each other the next day.

One morning, the group decided to go kayaking. You went to a water sports resort with your friends, excited about the activities you haven’t done in a long time. The clear blue waters of the bay called to you, and it was like you were rediscovering its beauty after spending most of your life living here.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Jade asked Trina again, who shook her head in response.

“Have fun, babe,” she told Minghao who then joined Mingyu on the kayak. “Take care of my Haohao, alright?” 

You scoffed as you were strapping your life vest. “Wrong. Minghao should take care of Mingyu. Chances of falling off the kayak and drowning is higher for that giant himbo.”

Eunwoo laughed as he was helping you with the gear. Patting the back of your life vest, he said, “There. You’re all set.”

“Thanks,” you lilted, looking at the array of kayaks by the shore. “Which one is ours?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m going with Adie.”

You gawked at him and then glanced over your shoulders at Adie who was chatting with Jade. “With Adie?”

“Yeah. It sort of just… happened. I could go with you instead, if you want,” he offered but you shook your hands.

“No, it’s okay. You can go with her. I don’t think she knows how to kayak so she’ll need someone who does.”

Eunwoo looked apologetic, but he just nodded and looked around. “So, you wouldn’t mind going with Vernon?”

You paused, surprised. Then your eyes searched the vicinity for Vernon. He was talking to a resort staff with Jaehyun and he smiled at you when he caught you looking.

It makes sense, of course. Eunwoo and Adie are going out together. Jade pairing up with her boyfriend is a given. So that leaves you and Vernon.

“Yeah. I don’t see why I would,” you replied.

You paired up with Vernon, both of you concealing your satisfaction with how things turned out. You pushed off from the shore, your kayak gliding smoothly over the water. The others spread out, their laughter and shouts echoing across the bay. 

“So, do you kayak often?” Vernon asked, his voice carrying over the gentle lapping of the waves.

“Not as often as I'd like,” you admitted. 

“Living here, with this magnificent bay and all, I assumed you would be out on the water every day,” he commented.

“Well, I did have a phase where I can’t seem to get enough of the sea,” you reminisced. “But that was when I was like, sixteen or seventeen. Now I barely come out here, especially since I’m away for college most of the time.”

Vernon nodded. “I get that. Sometimes we take the beautiful things around us for granted because they’re always there.”

You paddled in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the serene beauty of the bay. The water was clear, allowing you to see the underwater world teeming with life beneath you. Schools of fish darted around, and you even spotted a few crabs scuttling along the sandy bottom.

“Hey, want to head over to that little cove?” Vernon pointed to a secluded spot where the trees leaned over the water, creating a shaded area perfect for a break.

“Sure,” you agreed, steering your kayak in that direction.

As you approached the cove, the sounds of your friends grew distant, replaced by the soothing rustle of leaves and the occasional call of a seabird. You both pulled your kayak up onto a small, sandy beach and took a seat on a fallen log.

“This is nice,” you said, taking a deep breath of the salty air. You leaned back, propping yourself up on your hands. “You know, this whole secret relationship thing... it’s kind of fun.”

Vernon grinned. “Yeah? I was worried it might be too much stress.”

You shook your head. “It has its moments, but there’s something exciting about it.”

He reached out, taking your hand in his. “I like that. But I don’t want it to be stressful for you. If it ever gets too much, just tell me, okay?”

“Okay,” you promised, squeezing his hand.

For a moment, you both just sat there, holding hands and listening to the gentle sounds of nature. It was a rare, peaceful moment amid the whirlwind that had become your summer.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Vernon said out of nowhere.

You glanced at him curiously and upon recognizing the mischief on his face, you shook your head. “Don’t even think about it.”

Vernon threw his head back laughing. “Pretty hard not to. With you in that gorgeous two-piece and all.”

“Have some decency, Vernon. I’ve been thinking about giving you a head all day but I didn’t because we’re out in public.”

The shock made Vernon inhale sharply, cover his mouth, and look away. You just scowled at him, confused at his overreaction. When he glanced back at you, his eyes were bulging out of their sockets. You raised an eyebrow so he cleared his throat and composed himself.

“You can’t say things like that out loud!” he chided softly, shaking his head.

You scoffed. “I’m sure whatever you have in your mind is far more scandalous.”

Vernon smiled playfully. “Oh, so you wanna hear what I think?”

“No,” you declared, crossing your arms over your chest and reverting your gaze to the sea.

“I could just pull your bikini bottoms to the side. No one will notice.”

“Hansol Vernon Chwe!” you exclaimed, slapping his arm. You were right, he was thinking far more scandalous thoughts! “Your mind is in the gutter.”

“So what? My mind likes it there.”

“Unbelievable,” you muttered, standing up at once. Grabbing his hand, you pulled him up and led him further into the cove.

“Can’t we just—” 

You cut him off with an urgent kiss, clutching a handful of his hair as you kept his head at an angle. Vernon wasted no time, locking your waist in his arms and kissing you with sweet abandon. You made out with him for a couple minutes, stopping immediately when he started grinding his crotch against you.

“Aw,” he whined, shoulders sagging as he watched you walk away from him and back to the shore like nothing happened.

Just in time, the sound of voices carried over the water, signaling the return of your friends. 

“Let’s head back,” you called out to Vernon who was walking to you with a grumpy pout. You couldn’t help the grin that formed on your lips, pleased with his reaction.

You woke up to the sound of birds calling from a distance and the weight of an arm around your waist. A smile crept upon your lips as you snuggled closer to the warmth radiating from behind you. Your movements caused Vernon to stir, groaning as he pulled you closer and nuzzled his face behind your neck.

“Good morning,” he whispered, his voice deep and throaty. You felt a soft peck on your shoulder as you uttered the same greeting. “Is it time to go?”

You shook your head lazily, turning to face him. An affectionate kiss on your forehead had you reeling in bliss. Vernon’s forehead was creased, but he didn't look annoyed, rather pleased with his eyes still closed and cheeks bloated from sleep.

“Later,” you replied and saw him nodding.

He took a long breath and locked your head in his arms. “Good idea.”

You laughingly hit his arm so he'd let you go, but Vernon squeezed tighter, just tight enough so you wouldn't choke. As you struggled to let loose, your phone started buzzing on the nightstand, so you reached to grab it, only to be dragged back by him.

“Stop! I gotta take it!” you giggled, and he eventually let go. You bolted right up when you saw Jade’s message on the screen, and your surprised action completely woke Vernon.

“What? What's wrong? What happened?” he asked, blinking at the bright sunlight pouring into the room.

“Jade’s coming.”

“Oh,” he blurted monotonously, scratching his chin. I have to go, don't I?"

"Yeah. Go,” you told him, patting his shoulder repeatedly. Vernon rose to his feet, picking up his stuff on the chair while you answered Jade’s call.

"Hey, are you up?" came your friend's voice from the other line.

"No," you replied sarcastically, rolling your eyes.

"Good. Jaehyun and I are on our way."

"Uh, yeah. Okay. How long before you get here?" you questioned. Vernon was quietly asking where his jacket was, so you pointed at your desk. "You think you could pick up hot chocolate for me at Poppy’s?"

"Already on it," replied Jade. "Be there in 15."

Jade hung up after you said your goodbyes, and you jumped off your bed to see Vernon off. He wrapped you in his embrace, warm and snug. You inhaled his scent, reluctant to let him go.

“I'll see you later?” he asked, kissing the tip of your nose.

“Later,” you nodded. One more kiss and Vernon left your house, waving happily. You sighed after closing your door, wondering how much longer you could keep this a secret from your friends, especially from Jade, who had always been interested in your love life. She would have wanted to know about this before anyone else.

Should you tell her? Maybe she'll get off your case and stop setting you up with guys. Honestly, there was no reason to keep this a secret, except for the fact that Vernon is relatively new and everything happened too quickly between you.

You were stepping out of the bathroom when your doorbell rang. You peered outside the window and signaled for them to come in before running back to your bedroom to get changed. Jade’s cheerful ‘good morning’ greeted you, followed by a kiss on your cheek. Jaehyun asked you how your sleep was as he handed you the hot chocolate you asked them to pick up.

“So, tell me why you left your guests back at your house to have breakfast here with me?” you asked Jade as you both sat by the kitchen island, watching Jaehyun flip pancakes.

“Meh. They’re all busy doing their own thing. When I asked who wanted to come with us here, they all said no.”

“Eunwoo too?”

Jade shrugged. “Eunwoo hasn’t come out of his room, so he was probably still asleep. Vernon too, I guess. I haven’t seen them leave their room yet.”

You cleared your throat, suddenly feeling uneasy. “I see.”

“We’re leaving at noon,” she said after checking a message on her phone. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” you replied. You were invited by Elise to a camping trip, which you know would be fun so you all agreed to go. 

You and Vernon talked about it. He wasn’t as excited, saying he was tired and wanted to just stay in.

“Can we just stay here so I can fuck your brains out?” he had asked you the night before.

“My, my, how romantic,” you had told him sarcastically, rolling your eyes. “But if we do, everyone’s gonna know.”

After breakfast, Elise arrived with Winwin to pick you up. With your group of five people, you went to buy essentials for the camping trip: food, booze, and other materials. It was almost noon by the time you were done, so to save time, you picked up your stuff from the house and went straight to the meeting place where everyone was waiting.

“Did you get everything?” one friend asked as you were getting out of Winwin’s car.

You were surprised when you found your group to be smaller than expected. Other than you and your friends from uni, there were only six other people from your high school. Elise and Winwin were there, as expected. The other four are old classmates, including Mina, a girl Mingyu had been hanging out with ever since he got here.

In three SUV cars, you set off from the bay to a campsite that they had picked out. It was rowdy and you could already imagine how the weekend would go.

“Chips?” you asked Eunwoo, offering him a chip while he drove.

“Thanks,” he said, beaming and accepting the food with his mouth without taking his eyes off the road.

Mingyu’s head peeked at you from between the seats. He was pouting so you rolled your eyes at him and fed him some chips too.

“See, she loves me too,” Mingyu chimed, sitting back.

“She doesn't. You're just annoying and she puts up with you just to shut you up,” Adie sneered.

“You're just jealous because no one loves you like y/n does me.”

You heard Adie scoff. “Does your girlfriend know you're simping over y/n?”

“You know I don't have a girlfriend,” Mingyu replied indignantly.

“Exactly.”

Your gaze met Eunwoo's for a second before you both laughed at Mingyu’s misery. They continued to bicker along the way. 

Traveling always makes you sleepy, which is why you're the least fun person to be with on a road trip. This time, of course, you fell asleep barely an hour into the trip, waking up only when Eunwoo gently shook you.

“We're here,” he sang, eyes twinkling as he smiled at you. You smiled back, thanking him before stretching your limbs.

“Where is here, exactly?” you asked, handing his jacket back to him.

“Honestly, no idea. It's my first time here too,” he replied as he wore his jacket.

When you got out of the car, you recognized the campsite you frequented with your high school friends. Once a year, you all would come up here for some fresh air and to hike by yourselves. The air was colder, probably because you're up the mountains but the view was majestic enough to ignore the chill. The lake sat magnificently a few feet from where you stood and although the skies weren't particularly clear, it was still a sight to behold.

“Don't we need to unload our stuff first?” Eunwoo asked, shuddering as he hugged you from behind and trapped you inside his jacket.

You basked in the warmth but then caught Vernon’s gaze from where their car was parked. Casually, you slipped away from Eunwoo's arms. “There's no need. The tents are already furnished. You can crash as soon as you get there.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, we came here a lot when we were in high school.”

“Hey, Cha Eunwoo!” Jade's voice made you laugh. “I told you not to hog my best friend!”

Jade yanked you away from Eunwoo, hugging you tightly as if shielding you away from the man.

“She's my best friend too!” Eunwoo argued.

In a lower voice, Jade scolded him. “I know, but right now, you're ruining her chances at love.”

“Love?” you frowned but Jade was already dragging you away.

“Go help make food or something!” Jade told Eunwoo and you laughingly waved at him as you were getting dragged away.

“What do you mean by love?” you asked but she shushed you and discreetly pointed at the third car. Winwin was standing by it, unloading the stuff from the trunk.

“Uh… nope.”

“Why not?”

“He’s my ex.”

“Duh? I know,” she replied, rolling her eyes. Then she poked at your sides teasingly. “But I’ve seen how you’ve been spending some time with him these days. You seemed to have fun together. Why not give it another chance?”

“Oh, Jade,” you sighed. If only she knew which guy you had been spending all your free time with.

Barbecue was on the menu. While you helped prepare the food, the others were already starting the party with some music and booze. This mountain resort is a popular spot, but it’s summer, and most people are at the beach so your group is the only one present which was nice because you have the place all to yourselves. You chatted with Jaehyun and Winwin as you prepped, laughing at their jokes and playful banter. Vernon was there too, but he kept his distance and didn't speak to you.

“Need help with that?” you glanced sideways at the guy who crouched next to you by the cooler. It was Winwin and he smiled as he helped you put cans of soda and beer into the cooler.

“Not really, but thanks,” you replied. You and Winwin had indeed been chatting a lot whenever you were hanging out with them. But it’s all for the sake of friendship and the bond you used to have, nothing to suggest any romantic pursuits. You found these chats fun and interesting too, and you hoped that no one would make a big deal out of it. But after what Jade told you a while ago, you were starting to think everyone else might be misunderstanding your friendship.

“Hey, man,” came Vernon's voice from behind you that almost made you gasp. “Jaehyun’s calling you at the barbecue.”

Winwin stood up, smiling at you before running back to where he was being called. Vernon crouched down next to you, beaming as he helped with the remaining drinks.

“How was your sleep?” he asked, inching a little closer.

“My sleep?” you questioned, puzzled. “Did you see me sleeping in the car?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You were so cute with your mouth open.”

You felt your face flare and resisted the urge to swat him. “Not funny.”

“I didn't say it was funny,” he chuckled, clearly enjoying your embarrassment. “I said you were cute.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you muttered, rolling your eyes before standing up. Vernon followed, carrying the cooler.

“Where do we put this?” he asked and you pointed to the direction of the dining area by the bonfire. You walked there together, chatting casually along the way before Jaehyun called you over to where they were preparing the other foods.

“Wait,” Vernon grabbed your wrist as you were about to walk away. You glanced at it and then at your friends who were waiting for you. Vernon instinctively released your hand. “Nevermind. Go ahead.”

For the rest of the afternoon, and through the night, you had fun with your friends, goofing around and reliving the memories of your teenage years. Games were present too, and drinks. Lots of drinks. 

However, there was a tension simmering under the surface, something you couldn't quite put your finger on.

Vernon has a feeling that today wasn’t his day. It started as soon as he left your house. On his way back to Jade’s, the neighbor’s dogs chased after him. In the two weeks that he has stayed here, those dogs had never shown any aggression towards him until today. He initially thought that was it, but when he was taking a shower, he slipped on the tiles and landed on his butt. Although it didn’t cause any real damage, it was still irritating.

And when it was time for them to leave, he wanted to be in the same car as you. But Jaehyun asked him to drive and he couldn’t decline. He wanted to, but he couldn’t possibly tell his friend that he didn’t want to drive because he wanted to be in the same car as you were. 

Well, he could. He just chose not to out of respect for your wishes to keep things quiet.

So he settled with the small joy of seeing you sleep on the passenger seat, looking cute with your mouth hanging open. It was so adorable he almost asked to get out of the car so he could go pinch your cheeks.

Then when you reached the campsite, Eunwoo was all over you and Jade said something about setting you up with your ex. Vernon heard that, of course. He doesn’t get it though. Why would you want to get back with an ex from a long time ago?

The rest of the afternoon unfolded with lots of activities. The air was filled with laughter, the crackle of the bonfire, and the smell of barbecue. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the party atmosphere grew even more vibrant.

Vernon watched you from a distance, his eyes tracking your every move. He tried to find a moment alone with you, but it seemed impossible. Winwin was always nearby, and you two were frequently seen laughing and chatting. Your bond from high school was so evident, that one would think you didn’t stop contacting each other all those years ago. Then there was Eunwoo, who had always been affectionate and clingy towards you, but Vernon couldn’t seem to shake off his ire towards your best friend.

Eunwoo draped an arm around your shoulders as you all watched the sunset. “This view is amazing, right?” he told you.

“Absolutely,” you replied, leaning into him slightly. You caught Vernon's eye for a split second, but he looked away, pretending to be engrossed in his phone.

“Y/n, let’s go get refills,” Winwin suggested, pulling you away from Eunwoo. You laughed, giving Eunwoo a light shove as you followed Winwin to the cooler.

Vernon seized this moment and approached you both, hoping to finally get a word in. “Hey, need any help?” he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

“Nah, we're good!” Winwin replied cheerfully, handing you the cans while you loaded them into the ice bucket. “Thanks though, man.”

You glanced briefly at him and smiled. Vernon clenched his jaw, forcing a smile. “Sure, anytime.”

He lingered for a moment, hoping Winwin would leave, but instead, Winwin started telling you a funny story about your high school days, making you laugh so hard you nearly spilled your drink.

Vernon could feel his patience wearing thin. Every time he tried to get close to you, someone else was already there, monopolizing your attention. He attempted to interject himself into your conversations, but it always felt forced and awkward.

Later, as everyone gathered around the bonfire, Vernon saw another opportunity. He moved to sit next to you, but Eunwoo beat him to it, practically pulling you into his lap.

“Hey, scoot over,” Vernon said, his voice tinged with frustration.

“There’s plenty of room,” Eunwoo replied cheerfully, oblivious to Vernon’s irritation.

Vernon sat down on the other side of you, but the moment was already spoiled. Jaehyun started playing the guitar, and everyone began to sing along, further distancing you from Vernon.

Finally, after what felt like the hundredth interruption, Vernon had had enough. He retreated to the edge of the campsite, crossing his arms and staring moodily into the darkness. His grumpy demeanor didn't go unnoticed.

Mingyu wandered over, a concerned look on his face. “You alright, man?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Vernon replied curtly.

“You don’t look fine,” Mingyu pointed out. “What’s up?”

Vernon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s just... hard to get a moment with her, you know?”

Unbeknownst to you, Mingyu knew about you and Vernon. No one told him, he just figured it out by himself on the very first night that Vernon slept in your house. They were roommates first before Vernon moved to Eunwoo’s room because Mingyu kept bringing Mina over. When Vernon didn’t come home that night, Mingyu knew something good had happened to him. After all, the very reason Vernon was willing to come to Azure Bay in the first place was you. 

Why would Vernon sacrifice a peaceful summer break spent with his family to join a group of friends that he barely knew in a state he had never been to before? It was all because of you. Mingyu knew about this little crush and decided to give his friend this one and only opportunity.

Mingyu glanced back at you, surrounded by your friends. “Yeah, she’s pretty popular,” he said with a chuckle. “Just give it time. We’re here all weekend.”

Vernon nodded, but his mood didn’t improve. He spent the rest of the evening brooding, feeling more and more isolated as the party continued without him. Every time he saw you laughing with someone else, it was like a punch to the gut. Today really wasn’t his day.

Eventually, you noticed the change in his mood. When the party died down and everyone retreated to their tents, you and Vernon were left in front of the bonfire. He was still looking grumpy, staring at the fire like it had done him a grave sin.

“Hey, you okay?” you asked softly when you approached him.

Vernon forced a smile. “Yeah, just needed some air.”

You looked unconvinced but didn’t push. “It’s getting cold. We shouldn’t stay out here for too long.”

“Right. Bye then,” he replied coldly, standing up at once and heading to one of the tents.

You froze on the spot, dumbfounded and bewildered at the attitude he was giving you. You told him that hoping he’d ask to be alone with you, then you’d invite him to your tent. Did he ignore you on purpose or was he really clueless about your cue? 

You decided not to pester him about it. Feeling hurt, you walked back into your own tent, got ready to sleep, and curled up under the sheets.

“The fuck was his problem?” you asked yourself, scowling deeply as you scrolled through your phone.

You were annoyed and deeply hurt. You even made sure not to share a tent with someone else because you thought you could be alone with him. Now, what’s the point?

“So annoying,” you muttered when you saw his Instagram story about the campsite.

You were just about to toss your phone away when you noticed something in his story. It was not just a picture of the lake. You were in it too. Initially, you thought the silhouette was of someone else’s. But you recognized yourself, and the bun sitting on top of your head all day.

Your face lit up with a smile that you couldn’t conceal. Whether it was on purpose or not, your heart fluttered seeing that on his page. As if on cue, a message from Vernon popped up on your screen.

Vernon: I was a dick. I’m sorry.

You sighed, turning on your back and typing a reply.

You: Was it easier to act like a dick than to tell me what was wrong? Vernon: I guess Vernon: Meet me outside?

You grinned, giddiness bubbling inside you.

You: Is outside better than here in my tent?

You waited for his response but about three minutes later, you heard his voice outside your tent. Excited, you rose to open up for him. Big eyes, a hood over his head, and a big gummy smile welcomed you.

“Is it okay to come in?” he asked before you could even say anything.

You giggled, unable to resist his cuteness. “Yeah. Come on in.”

“Are you sure? What if someone sees us?”

“Someone will if you keep standing there.”

Vernon comes in at once, leaving his shoes outside. Not wasting a second, Vernon pulled you into a tight hug.

“I've been waiting on you all day,” he murmured, his breath hot against your ear.

“What do you mean? I was here the whole time.”

Vernon sighed, burying his face on the crook of your neck. “Should we just tell everyone? Watching guys hover around you like bees on a flower is not entertaining at all.”

You chuckled heartily. “My, my. Is Vernon being jealous right now?” you teased but when Vernon didn’t laugh or say anything to deflect you, you realized you were right. “Are you serious?”

He didn’t respond and just sighed against your skin. You shoved him a little, making him sit properly and face you.

“Vernon,” you prompted, stern.

“So what if I am?” he grumbled, scowling deeply. “These guys are all over you.”

You grinned, flattered. “They’re my friends.”

“I know. But I can’t help myself, can I?” he sighed, touching your face. “Everyone loves you, it was so hard to get your attention. I can’t even get a word in.”

“Aww,” you lilted, enamored by him. You touched his face too and kissed the tip of his nose. “We’re alone now. My attention is not going anywhere.”

He leaned in, capturing your lips in a slow, deliberate kiss that made your heart race. You responded eagerly, your hands tangling in his hair as you pressed closer to him.

There was no need to discuss anything. You just went with the flow, letting Vernon take you where he wanted to. He laid you down with care and gently kissed your lips. You touched his face, feeling the warmth of his skin and indulging yourself.

“Is this mine?” he whispered when you parted, making butterflies run wild in your belly.

Your brows furrowed slightly, confused but giddy at the same time. “What does that even mean?”

“I just want to know if it is.” He took the hand you were using to touch his face and then kissed it. “Mine.”

Then he leaned to kiss your cheek. “Mine.”

The puzzled look on your face remained. “Speak properly, Vernon.”

“It’s Hansol.”

“Huh?”

He kissed your hand again and placed it on his face. “I’m all yours, love. I’m surrendering myself to you. So please, it’s Hansol.”

“Hansol…” you echoed, voice trailing off when he ducked to kiss your neck. It didn’t take long for desire to cloud your mind. His touch was as good as it was the first time. No, actually, he got better the more you did it with him. It was as if he was studying you each time you let him touch you, and little by little, he was starting to memorize you.

His kisses went lower, and lower as he expertly undressed you. With each kiss, he said, ‘Mine’. Your neck, your collarbone, the space between your breasts, and the area above your belly button, your hip, your inner thighs— he marked all of it, calling them his.

“Tell me, y/n,” Vernon questioned, his voice deep and raspy. “Are you mine?”

“All yours,” you gasped, aching to be touched where he was refusing to touch you.

“All mine?”

“Yes, Hansol,” you replied, biting your lips. “All yours.” 

“Good girl.” You flinched when his nose pressed on your underwear, putting pressure on the sex underneath it. He kissed that too. “All mine.”

The nights you spent together became more frequent, each one blurring the line between physical attraction and emotional connection. As the days went on, you couldn't help but notice the little things about Vernon that made your heart flutter. The way he laughed, the way he looked at you when he thought you weren't paying attention, the way he made you feel like you were the only person in the world when you were together. You tried to remind yourself that this was supposed to be a no-strings-attached arrangement, but your heart was beginning to have other ideas.

Especially considering how things are going between you right now. After the hiking trip, Vernon told you he would stop resisting the urge to approach you, even with your friends present. You told him to do as he liked, finally allowing things to unfold naturally. It was a liberating decision, knowing you will no longer have to walk on eggshells and keep pretending Vernon is just another friend.

As the days passed, you and Vernon fell into a comfortable routine. Mornings often began with leisurely breakfasts at Jade’s house or on your patio, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee blending with the salty sea breeze. The group would often split up for various activities—some would go hiking along the coastal trails, some would prefer to shop or sight-see, while others, like you and Vernon, preferred the relaxation of the beach.

One night, after another secret rendezvous, you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and replaying every moment with Vernon. You hated the idea of temporary relationships, the kind that only lasted for a season and then fizzled out. But the thought of losing what you had with Vernon was starting to feel unbearable.

“Get it together, y/n,” you muttered to yourself, trying to push the feelings away. But deep down, you knew it was already too late. You were falling for him, and there was no turning back.

The next day, you went out with Vernon to go sightseeing. Wandering through narrow streets lined with quaint shops and cafes, you found yourselves in a small art gallery. The cool interior was a welcome respite from the heat, and you both wandered among the paintings, discussing your favorites and discovering new aspects of each other's personalities.

“I didn't know you were into abstract art,” Vernon said, stopping in front of a vibrant canvas.

You shrugged, smiling. “Oh, I’m not. I just like to stare at it like it’s a compelling puzzle.”

“A compelling puzzle?” he repeated.

“Yeah,” you grinned. “Whenever I see one, I try to decode any message or find the hidden figures. But visually, I wouldn't buy one and put it on display.”

He nodded thoughtfully, taking your hand as you moved to the next exhibit. The simple gesture of holding hands felt natural, and it sent a thrill through you every time.

Later, as you sat in a cozy café, sipping iced lattes and watching the world go by, Vernon brought up a topic that had been on your mind as well.

“I've been thinking about what you said, about not wanting this to be just a summer fling,” he began, stirring his drink absentmindedly. “And I think I agree. I’m still not sure what it would mean for us, though.”

You looked at him, grateful for his honesty. “It means being realistic about what we want and what we're willing to do to make it work.”

He reached across the table, taking your hand in his. “I'm willing to try if you are.”

You smiled, squeezing his hand. “One step at a time, Hansol.”

He grinned, a spark of determination in his eyes. “One step at a time.”

Back at the beach house, the evenings were filled with laughter and conversations as usual. Despite your efforts to keep things low-key, your friends began to notice the growing closeness between you and Vernon. 

As you sat around the bonfire, Adie couldn't help but tease you. “So y/n, Vernon seems to be spending a lot of time with you. Anything you want to tell us?”

You felt your cheeks flush and shot Vernon a quick glance. He smiled reassuringly but you didn’t know what it meant. So you responded with, “We're just enjoying each other's company. No need to make it a big deal.”

Your friends laughed and let the topic drop, but you could tell they weren't entirely convinced. As the night wore on, you found yourself snuggled up next to Vernon, the warmth of the fire and the comfort of his presence making you feel at ease.

Vernon offered to walk you home that night, ignoring the teasing from your friends. Hand in hand, you trekked the sidewalk while talking and laughing about random things. When you reached the house, you invited him inside, asking if he wanted to sleep over.

“Have I ever said no to that?” Vernon asked, the glimmer in his irresistibly beautiful.

“Alright. Come on in then,” you chuckled. 

When you entered the house, you found your mom’s designs on the floor again, making you feel nervous. She should be asleep by now, but judging by this, it looks like she’s pulling an all-nighter. You looked around to find her, and when you couldn’t, you assumed she had gone to sleep so you ushered Vernon in.

“Watch your step. These are Mom’s designs. She said she gets more efficient when she can compare and contrast her works like this. It looks like a mess, but it’s not all clutter,” you explained, treading carefully. “That’s just how she works.”

“I see. You take after her then,” Vernon chuckled, letting you guide him across the room to the staircase. 

“I get that all the time from family and friends,” you replied, reminiscing.

“If you don’t mind me asking, is your dad around? I haven’t really seen him.”

You were surprised by the question, but you didn’t mind answering it. “Oh, they’re not together anymore. They got divorced when I was fourteen.”

Vernon’s face dropped. “Sorry to hear that.”

“No, it’s okay. We’re not on bad terms. I see him sometimes when I visit him in France.”

“That’s far.”

“I know,” you chuckled as you reached for your bedroom door. Before you could open it, however, the door to your mom’s room opened, and she flicked the lights on instantly. “Mom!” you exclaimed.

Getting caught by your mother as you were bringing a guy home? Embarrassing. 

Your mother stared at you and Vernon for a minute before speaking. “Vernon, was it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She hummed in acknowledgment. “I guess everything’s going well between you, seeing how you’re walking in through the front door this time instead of the back.”

You gasped loudly. “Mom! How did you even know that?”

She just smiled coyly, not saying anything as she walked down the stairs to go back to her work.

“Does that mean she’s known the whole time?” Vernon asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

You sighed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and relief. “Apparently. Moms always know more than they let on.”

Vernon laughed softly as you entered your bedroom. “I think it went well, all things considered. She didn't seem mad or anything.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, walking over to your bed and sitting down. “She's pretty cool about stuff like this. I just didn't expect her to know about us sneaking around.”

Vernon sat beside you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “At least we don't have to hide anymore,” he said gently.

You smiled, resting your head on his shoulder. "Yeah, that's a relief."

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a moment, your head leaning on your chest as you listened to the sound of his heart and enjoyed the peace and quiet of your room.

“So,” he began, breaking the silence, “What do you want to do now?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. Movie? We could watch something and just relax.”

Vernon grinned. “Sounds perfect.”

You stood up and went to your small collection of DVDs and streaming options, picking out a movie you both liked. Vernon made himself comfortable on your bed, and you joined him once the movie was ready to start. Snuggling up under the blankets, you hit play, and the room was soon filled with the familiar sounds of your favorite film.

As the movie played, you felt a sense of contentment wash over you. Vernon’s presence beside you was comforting, and you were grateful for the way things were unfolding. His hand found yours under the blanket, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. You smiled, squeezing back.

Halfway through, you felt yourself growing drowsy. Vernon’s arm around you was warm and secure, and you found it hard to keep your eyes open. Before you knew it, you had drifted off to sleep, the movie still playing softly in the background.

Vernon watched you for a moment, a fond smile on his face. He gently kissed your forehead before settling down beside you, pulling the blanket up to keep you both warm. As he drifted off to sleep, he felt a sense of contentment he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window. You blinked your eyes open, realizing you were still curled up next to Vernon. He was already awake, watching you with a soft smile.

“Morning,” you mumbled, stretching.

“Morning,” he replied, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, really well,” you said, sitting up and rubbing your eyes. “You?”

“Best sleep I’ve had in a while,” he admitted.

You smiled, feeling your heart swell with affection for him. “I’m glad.”

Today is an uneventful day, like most days. You have nothing planned and you intend to just lounge about all day. Vernon seemed to like the idea, so after driving your mom to the airport for a business trip, you ordered takeout breakfasts and went back to your house.

You laid out the food on the coffee table in the living room, and the two of you sat cross-legged on the floor, chatting softly as you ate.

"How's the croissant?" you asked, tearing off a piece of your own pastry and popping it into your mouth.

"It's amazing," Vernon replied with a grin, crumbs dusting the corner of his lips. "Want a bite?" He held out his half-eaten croissant, and you leaned forward to take a bite, savoring the buttery, flaky goodness.

"Delicious," you mumbled, your mouth full. He laughed, shaking his head affectionately.

After breakfast, you cleaned up together, moving in sync as you cleared the table and washed the dishes. The kitchen was filled with the sound of running water and the clinking of plates, but it felt peaceful, even meditative.

With the kitchen clean, you both moved to the living room. Vernon sprawled out on the couch, and you settled beside him, your head resting on his chest. He absently ran his fingers through your hair creating a soothing rhythm.

You reached for your book on the coffee table and Vernon grabbed his phone, each of you sinking into your own world. The living room was quiet except for the occasional sound of turning pages and the soft taps from Vernon's phone.

The silence was comfortable, the kind that envelops you like a warm blanket. You glanced up occasionally, stealing glances at Vernon, who seemed engrossed in whatever he was looking at. He'd sometimes smile at something on his screen, and you couldn't help but feel content seeing him so relaxed.

After a while, Vernon shifted, placing his phone down. "What are you reading?" he asked softly, not wanting to break the tranquility of the moment.

"Just something I should have finished reading a long time ago," you replied, showing him the cover. "It's pretty interesting."

"What's it about?" he asked, genuinely curious.

You gave him a brief summary, and he listened attentively, his eyes on you the whole time. "Sounds good. Maybe I'll borrow it when you're done," he said with a smile.

"Sure," you nodded, going back to your book while he picked up his phone again.

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the room. Time seemed to slow down as you both lost yourselves in your respective activities, yet remained deeply aware of each other's presence. Strangely, it felt intimate, and you took it as a testament to how comfortable you'd become with each other.

As the afternoon turned into evening, you both decided to cook dinner together. You made pasta, working seamlessly as a team. Vernon chopped vegetables while you prepared the sauce, and soon the kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of your meal.

Over dinner, you talked about everything and nothing, sharing stories and dreams, and simply enjoying each other's company. When the meal was over, you did the dishes together, laughing and chatting as you worked.

The night ended with you both lying on the hammock on the patio, swaying gently as you watched the stars overhead and listened to the sounds of nature—the birds calling, crickets humming in the early evening, and the waves pushing and pulling at the shore. Vernon held you close, and you felt his steady heartbeat under your cheek.

“Today was perfect,” you whispered, feeling a wave of happiness wash over you.

“It really was,” he agreed, kissing the top of your head. “Let's have more days like this.”

“Absolutely,” you murmured, feeling completely at peace. But then you remembered a crucial detail that made your heart sink. “But you’re leaving in two days.”

Vernon hummed, confused. “Already?”

“Yes.”

The month passed too quickly for your liking. Ironically, when your friends were planning their stay, you initially thought staying here for a whole month was too long for them. Now that the time is almost up, you realize it wasn’t that long after all. Your relationship with Vernon aside, you had loved every moment spent with your friends—the parties, the bonfire sessions, showing them around town, introducing them to your old friends, and all that. You realized how much stronger your bond with them has become and now you dreaded the inevitable.

You especially dreaded seeing Vernon leave. Although your beginning was quite unconventional in your opinion, it blossomed into something beautiful. You didn’t want to lose it just yet. Your emotions for each other might be strong now, but it doesn’t change the fact that you still haven’t officially decided on the status of your relationship. Vernon was vague about it, but you took it in stride because it was better than nothing at all.

“I’m gonna miss Azure Bay,” he said, tightening his hold on you.

“I’m sure you’ll be missed around here too,” you chimed, closing your eyes in an attempt to push your worries away.

“Should I stay a bit longer?” he suggested, looking at you so you opened your eyes. “Or should we go back together? We could spend the rest of the summer at my home.”

You just scoffed. “As if.”

“Come on. It’s gonna be fun. We have a farm. It’s quite impressive,” he added, feeling proud.

“You’re serious?” you asked, unconvinced.

“Of course I am!” he said, grinning toothily.

You pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of his offer. If he’s serious, then doesn’t this mean your relationship is official? He’s not the type to casually bring every girl he’s seeing to meet his family, right?

“I’ll think about it.”

Vernon seemed pleased, poking your nose before kissing you. As you kissed under the fading light, you felt a mixture of emotions—excitement, fear, hope. Things had been uncertain for a while now, but it’s starting to look up for you. Despite your initial reservations, you were starting to believe that this could be more than just a summer romance.

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. You stretched and turned to find Vernon still asleep beside you, his face peaceful in the early morning light. You smiled, feeling a sense of contentment wash over you.

Determined to make the most of your remaining time together, you planned a surprise for Vernon. After breakfast, he had to go back to Jade’s house to take care of his belongings. While he was gone, you started working on your treat. You made sandwiches, drinks, and sliced fruits. Then you packed them securely, loading them in a picnic basket along with a large picnic mat. You included your book in the basket and a half-empty bottle of wine from your mom’s collection.

As soon as he returned from Jade’s, you grabbed his hand and led him down a hidden path that wound through the dunes, opening up to a secluded deck. With his help, you boarded a small boat, and he rowed you into the water while you guided him.

“How are you feeling?” you asked, pointing your phone’s camera at him.

“Honestly?” he asked, chuckling. “I think I might have a heart attack.”

You snorted, pretending to be unamused. “Don’t overreact, Hansol.”

Vernon chuckled heartily, his eyes wide with excitement. “I’m serious. I’m so excited that my heart can’t calm down.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat,” you told him, giggling.

You took pictures together, lots of them. While he rowed and enjoyed the majestic view, you captured his reactions and marveled at how beautiful he was in the pictures. But ultimately, no camera could ever give justice to how amazing he looked in real life.

“No way,” he exclaimed as you neared your destination. Rowing faster, he repeated. “No fucking way. Are you serious?”

You nodded proudly. “I am.”

The island sat idly, surrounded by clear blue waters. The sky was a canvas of soft blues and whites, with the sun casting a golden glow over everything. As you approached the dock, Vernon couldn’t contain his amazement, showering praises for the place and for you bringing him there.

“Technically, it was you who brought us here,” you smiled, watching him securely tie the boat to the dock.

“Wow, this is amazing,” Vernon said, his eyes lighting up as he took in the scene.

You smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction at his reaction. “Come on.”

You set up the picnic, spreading the mat on a cozy spot under a shady tree. After snapping a few more pictures, you both settled down to eat. The sun made the water glimmer, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves around you. The sound of waves gently lapping against the shore also created a soothing backdrop. The sandwiches were simple but delicious, and the wine added a touch of elegance to the meal.

As you enjoyed the picnic, you talked about your hopes and dreams, sharing stories from your past and envisioning possibilities for the future. The more you talked, the more you realized how much you had in common and how much you enjoyed each other's company. 

After a while, Vernon lay back on the mat, pulling you down with him. You nestled into his side, resting your head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around you.

“This is perfect,” he murmured, his voice soft and content.

“I’m glad you liked it,” you replied, closing your eyes and savoring the moment.

Time seemed to slow down as you lay there, feeling completely at peace in each other’s presence. You didn’t need to say much; just being together was enough. The island, the picnic, the gentle rhythm of the waves – everything was just right.

You spent the day lounging on the mat, sometimes talking, other times just enjoying the comfortable silence too, where you just sat together, listening to the waves and feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin. Vernon occasionally played with your hair, his fingers gently untangling knots or just running through it. You read a book, leaning against his chest, while he scrolled through his phone, sharing funny memes or interesting articles he came across.

At one point, you fed each other pieces of fruit, laughing when you missed his mouth and he pretended to be mortally wounded. By 3 in the afternoon, the sun casted a beautiful golden hue over the island. You watched Vernon glow magnificently under this golden light, feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment. You knew that no matter where life took you, moments like these would always hold a special place in your heart.

“You should have brought that spearfishing thing you had in your shed,” he quipped after a while.

“Do you even know how to use it?”

“No,” he confessed, chuckling. “But it shouldn’t be so hard, right?”

“No clue. I didn’t like fishing so I wasn’t interested in knowing how it worked.”

“Oh. It wasn’t a good idea then.”

You huffed impatiently. “Yeah, it wasn’t. And even if one of us knew how to use it, I still wouldn’t bring it here. I would hate for this to be ruined by you running around trying to catch some fish instead of spending all your time with me.”

Vernon’s chest vibrated as he laughed, finding your cute aggression endearing. 

You pushed yourself up, sitting so you could look him in the face. “I wasn’t trying to be funny. I’m serious.”

Vernon shifted on his side, touching your chin with his fingers so he could look into your eyes. “Do you have any idea, the slightest clue, about how adorable you are?"

You smiled, your ire long forgotten as your heart swelled with affection. “You're just trying to sweet talk me again,” you replied before leaning in to kiss him gently. His lips were soft and warm, and the kiss deepened as he pulled you closer, his hand caressing your back.

Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against yours, both of you breathing in sync. “I love you,” he said softly, his voice full of sincerity.

Your heart picked up its pace, surprised and ecstatic because of his unexpected confession. You were right, after all. This is no longer a fleeting summer romance. You and Vernon have developed something more than just that. 

“I love you too,” you replied, feeling the truth of your words resonate deep within you.

He kissed you again, this time, more fervently. You moved to straddle him, your sundress spreading gracefully across his waist. Vernon sat up for a better position, his hand slipping under your dress and feeling up the smooth skin of your thigh. The more you kissed him, the crazier your head went. 

You let him touch you, kiss you, and undress you. His kisses trailed all the way to your breasts, and his hands expertly traced your every curve. At this point in time, you can finally say Vernon has successfully memorized you.

You kept grinding on his crotch, eager to satisfy the aching between your legs. “Why’d you have to wear those jeans?” you complained, frustrated by the rough fabric of his pants.

Vernon chuckled heartily, lifting your legs and gently pushing you off of him. “Whatever happened to decency and not doing scandalous acts in public?”  

You scoffed as he lay you down on the mat. “Would you like to stop here, then?”

“No. Absolutely not,” he replied, unbuckling his belt and dipping low to kiss you again.

As he brushed a strand of hair from your face, his fingertips lingered on your skin, leaving a trail of tingling sensation in their wake. It was a bribe, a gentle gesture to distract you while he tried to be one with you again– in body and soul.

An exclaim tore out of your mouth, surprised when his manhood slid through you completely. It wasn’t rough, nor was it painful, it was a cry of pleasure. Vernon shushed you, cooing at you as he began moving between your legs. It didn’t take long for you to get used to it. Your body has known him after all the nights you had spent together. You and Vernon have become a perfect pair, fitting perfectly with each other in every way as if it were by design.

“You look so beautiful right now,” he rasped, kissing the side of your mouth down to your neck. “You have no idea how much you drive me crazy.”

“Oh, Hansol,” you cried needily, not restraining your moans and confidently screaming his name. 

“Yes, love,” Vernon growled, his pace getting rougher the louder you got. “That’s my name. That’s my fucking name!”

Your breaths synchronized, a rough but steady rhythm that mirrored the beating of your heart. He moved closer as if you were not already joined together. The remaining space between you dissolved, replaced by a closeness that felt both comforting and exhilarating. Vernon's gaze softened, and he leaned in, his forehead resting gently against yours. The scent of him enveloped you, familiar and comforting.

“I love you,” he whispered as he continued ramming into you. 

The kiss that followed that confession made you delirious, completely overcome by passion and desire for Vernon. Every touch and every whisper of breath against your skin added to the mounting tension, a heady sensation of pleasure and anticipation. Your heart raced, each beat echoing the intensity of the moment.

You screamed his name, begged him not to stop, and moved with the rhythm of his body. You tugged and scratched and shamelessly bucked your hips to meet his. Until the high finally came crashing through. Time seemed to blur, and for a moment, the world was nothing but pure, unadulterated sensation. Every muscle in your body contracted and then relaxed. The feeling was overwhelming, a blissful explosion that left you breathless and trembling.

Vernon thrust a few more times into you before he too let out a guttural grunt and fell on your side, catching his breath with a content smile on his lips. You moved closer to him, nuzzling your face on his chest. Your mind floated in a sea of euphoria, your body pulsing with the aftershocks of the intense release.

“What if someone saw?” he quipped, playing with the ends of your hair.

You giggled. “People rarely come to this part of the bay.”

As the day came to a close, you packed up your things and got back into the boat. Vernon rowed you back to the mainland, both of you wrapped in a comfortable silence. Just as the sun was about to set, you found yourselves back on the beach, walking hand in hand along the shore. The sky was painted with brilliant hues of orange and pink, and the waves glowed with the last light of the day. It was at that moment, with the beauty of the sunset surrounding you, that you realized just how much Vernon meant to you.

It was a memorable day, forever etched in your memory. Even as you stood alone at the airport, watching the plane that was supposed to take you and Vernon to his home fly to the sky, the memories from that little island replayed in your head. That man who said he loved you has flown away, leaving you to pick up the pieces of your shattered heart.

[To be continued in Part 2]

#vernon x reader #seventeen vernon #vernon smut #vernon fanfic #hansol x reader #vernon chwe x reader #vernon chwe smut #seventeen au #seventeen fanfic #seventeen smut #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen x reader #seventeen fluff #svt au #svt vernon #svt fanfic #svt fluff #svt fic #calcali #svt hansol

[evnnkinard]

i think one of my favourite tommy headcanon's is that he likes to paint like lou. and i'm thinking about how, maybe four or fives months into dating buck, he opens that side of himself up for buck to see. he shows him into the little room in his house that he's made into his safe place, and he lets buck have another little piece of his heart, his soul. he shows him different pieces of work; old, new, bad, good, in progress and abandoned, all of it. talks about how not many people, if any, know about this part of himself. about how he's kept it so close to his chest for so long now because he's always been a little afraid of what people might think of him, or say to him, if they knew. but how he wants buck to know, that even though it terrifies him, he wants buck to see, and to have every part of him, even the little bits, if buck wants to have them (he does he does he does). he talks about what it means to him, how it's become a healthy outlet for himself, how when he's feeling sad, or happy, or any emotion that's just. big. he tucks himself away in this little room that holds so much of himself and he paints out all of his emotions. how it's cathartic for him, and how it makes him feel good to know that for a man once filled with so much anger and fear and ugliness, that he can still create something beautiful. and buck listens, and listens, and carefully tucks away all of the little pieces that tommy's handing over of himself to him and promises to keep them all safe. he's in awe, eager to know more, asks gentle questions, and helps another small part of tommy heal just that little bit more, in that special way that he does where he's not even aware that he's doing so.

what tommy doesn't show him, is the little sketchbook tucked safely away in one of the drawers, already filled with so many different drawings and paintings of buck despite the short amount of time that he's had to do so. some of them from memory, some of them from a picture taken on his phone, all of them moments that had made him feel so much love that he'd felt like he'd combust if he didn't get it all out onto paper. every pencil line, every brush stroke it's own love letter. no, he keeps that to himself, just for a little while longer. fills it with more, can't help himself. nearly gets caught a few times, but doesn't think it would matter even if he did; he's not afraid of letting buck see his love for him, just how all-encompassing it truly is, shows it to him every day in a million different ways. but all the same, manages to keep it for himself right up until their wedding day, where after their vows, after rings and kisses and dancing and cake, carefully wrapped in a bow, he finally hands this last little piece of himself over to his husband.

#911 #911 abc #evan buckley #tommy kinard #bucktommy #buck x tommy #tevan #kinley #kinkley #tv: 911 #ship: bucktommy #mine: post #mine: 911 #mine: text

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Rebuild & Restore - Chapter 8

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

All OC Characters belong to me

Monday Morning

Kiyana walked into work that morning feeling like shit was going to hit the fan. Her date with Eli was… wonderful.. It took a while for her embarrassment to go away from Josh showing up and showing his ass but after getting over that they had a great time. If she was being honest, she could see herself settinging down again with him. She had a soft smile on her face as she walked over to the nurses station after checking in on a patient. 

Kiyana jumped as Debra plopped down on the chair next to her. “Spill the tea, tell me everything.” Kiyana laughed at her use of slang that she definitely learned from one of her grandchildren.  Kiyana smirked and contented to chart, laughing when Debra reached over and turned off the computer monitor. 

“Debra!.” She chortled, turning her chair to she was facing Debra who flagged her off.

“It was only the monitor, your work is good.” Debra rolled her eyes. “Spill!” Kiyana rolled her eyes aswell before telling Debra all about her and Eli’s date, minus her ex-husband showing up, she did not want to relive that, at all.  

Kiyana told Debra all about her evening with Elijah, how he took her to The Grand Marlin, how they took a nice stroll on the beach after dinner and when Kiyana told Debra that she and Elijah had gone back to his place, Debra’s eyes were as wide as saucers. 

“Wait, stop” Debra whispered, leaning in closer to Kiyana so none of the other nurses could hear what they were saying. “You guys didn’t… you know.” Kiyana bit her lip before she responded to Debra. 

“No, I mean we didn’t go all the way, if you know what I mean.” Debra’s eyes were still wide but there was now a smirk on her face. 

“Oh, I'm catching what you’re throwing.” she responded, making Kiyana laugh. “Was it good, better yet, was it better than your ex-husband?” 

“Oh my god, Debra!” Kiyana mutters as she placed her head in her hands, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.  Debra stared at Kiyana as she awaited her answer. “Oh my god” Kiyana muttered again “it was good, but no, nowhere as close.” 

“Sorry to interrupt ya’ll.” One of the new nurses Arin, spoke up as she hung up the phone. “But we have a new patient coming into room 302. EMT’s said her contractions are 8 minutes apart, but she still wants to be admitted.” Kiyana nodded and stood from her seat to go get the patient’s room ready.

“We’re not done talking Nurse Jackson.” Debra called out after her and Kiyana made a yeah-yeah motion with her hand before walking away. Just as Kiyana finished putting a new sheet on the patient’s bed, the expected mother-to-be was rolled into the room. 

“Hi, I’m Kiyana. I'll be your nurse today.” She says as she walks over and helps the patient into the bed. 

“Nice to meet you.” The patient says, wincing in pain as another contraction hits her. Kiyana offers her hand so the patient could squeeze it. “Thank you.” 

“It’s no problem.” Kiyana smiles, “I’ve been in your position four times, I know them contractions hurt. Can I get your name and date of birth?”

“Alexis Daniels.”

'What a small world, Daniels isn't really a common last name.' Kiyana thinks as she logs into the computer to chart Alexis’ vitals.

“December 15th 1989” 

“Perfect, and what is baby boy's name?” 

“Me and my husband still haven’t fully agreed on a name yet, but I like the name Carter.” 

“That is such a cute name. It was my top choice for my youngest as well, but me and my - we went with Kairo.” Kiyana said, smiling at Alexis as she chided herself in her head for almost getting too personal with the patient, not everybody needed to know she was a divorced mother. “I can still put Carter in the chart or we can just call him baby Daniels until you and your husband come up with a name.” 

“Baby Daniels, is perfect. This is our third child but first boy and he really wants to be a part of the naming decision.” Alexis breathed out as another contraction hit her, she then cursed and threw her phone down next to her. “Speaking of husband, can you do me a huge favor.?” 

Kiyana stopped typing and turned her attention to Alexis. “Sure, anything you need.” 

Alexis smiles. “My husband actually works in this hospital, he’s a surgeon on the trauma floor. Do you think you can page him for me? He’s not answering his phone.” Alexis says, holding up her phone and Kiyana felt her stomach twist at Alexis’ words. 'Just a coincidence,' Kiyana thought. 'Just because her last name is Daniels doesn’t mean shit.'

“Mmhm, keep telling yourself that.” That other voice called out, making Kiyana frown. 

“Sure, I can.” She finally responded, plastering a smile on her face. “What’s his name?” 

“Elijah Daniels.”  Kiyana digs her fingernails into her thigh to stop herself from cursing. She was hurt. She felt sick to her stomach as she thought about what she and Eli did last night. 

“Shit, you got such a pretty pussy ma’” Elijah breathed out as he used his index and middle finger to spread her lips and suck her clit into his mouth. Kiyana moaned, lifting her hand to his head before frowning when she realized there was nothing there for her to grab on to. That thought quickly leaves her head as he thrust two of his fingers in her

She felt betrayed and played. Then she started to feel sick to her stomach. ‘Oh my god,’ She thought ‘I'm no better than that woman Josh was sleeping with.’ 

“Kiyana, are you okay?” Kiyana snapped out of her flashback, her voice shaking with anger as she responded back to Alexis 

“I’m fine. I’m gonna go page your husband for you.” Kiyana turns her back to Alexis and storms to the nurses station, snatching the phone off the hook she - as calmly as she could - pages Elijah to the labor & delivery floor. 

“Dr. Elijah Daniels to labor & deliver, Dr. Elijah Daniels to labor & delivery.” Debra arches an eyebrow at Kiyana. 

“You missed him that bad?” She jokes, laughing then stops as she feels the anger radiating off of Kiyana. “Sweetly what happened?” 

“That asshole is married with children! His wife is the patient in 302.” Debra’s jaw dropped open. “I feel so freaking stupid.” She hissed out just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing a cheerful Elijah who was smiling brightly as he made his way towards Kiyana. 

“I knew that was you, are you okay? Is everything good?.” He smiled, and Kiyana struggled to maintain her composure, because at that moment, all she wanted to do was to smack that smile off his damn face. The more she looked at him, the angrier she got. 

“I don’t know, you tell me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Your wife is in room 302 waiting to deliver your third child.” She felt a sick satisfaction flow through her as the smile slowly left his face. Debra quickly decided to leave them alone, deciding it was time to go check on her patient. 

“Wait, I can explain.” Kiyana held her hand up, cutting him off. 

“I don’t wanna hear shit you have to say to me Elijah. Think about how your wife will feel once she finds -'' Elijah gripped her arm and pulled her down the hall, away from the nurses station. 

“She aint finding shit out, Kiyana. What I do ain’t none of her damn business.” When she tried to pull her arm away, he gripped it tighter, “You don’t know what I'm capable of Kiyana. You’re gonna go back in that damn room and help my wife through her discomfort and when the time comes, help deliver our child okay?!” He sneered at her, when she didn’t respond he squeezed her arm until she cried out in pain. 

“Ow! Stop. Okay! Okay!” She cried out in pain, feeling her tears sting her eyes. Elijah let go of her arm and straightened out his lab coat. 

“I’m gonna go check on my wife. I’ll see you later.” He brushed past her, leaving her rubbing her arm, where she knew she would be bruised, pulling his wedding ring out of the pocket and sliding it onto his finger. 

🙃🫣

i'm gonna go into hiding now

🏷️: @christinabae @southerngirl41 @reci1996 @empressdede @harmshake

@theninthwonder @alyyaanna @nbanenefrmdao @badbitchcentralinc @abadbitchblogs

@raya-hunter01 @msbigredmachine @dietothemusic @paigereeder @amandairene88

@woahthatshitfat @tian-monique @leaderofthebadbitchbrigade @allmyn1ghts @wrestlingprincess80

@reignsboy19 @cyberdejos2 @saintaquarius @bebesobrielo @scarlettnoir01

@alichesmi @xiamnetshonetpot @hunnidmilly @jeyusos-girl @li-da-savage

@qveenmikaelson @black-yn @mzv11 @shantinextdoor @sheydnni

@zillasvilla @thatone-girly @xmonetsworld @jeysbae @kill-the-artiste

@simpin4pixels @mindairy @that-one-anxious-mango @mersers-moonypadfoot-prongs @vebner37

@trashbin-nie @adoreesun @meggylynnloves @shayaaaaaaa @angiedawn02

@rianasixx @bookuce

#wwe #jey uso #jey uso x black reader #jey uso x ex wife #jey uso imagine #jey uso x reader #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso fanfic #wwe jey uso #wwe x fem reader #wwe fanfiction #wwe x reader #wwe x black reader #wwe x black oc #jey uso x black oc