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outerbankies · 2 years

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new light: don’t worry baby — rafe cameron

new light series masterlist

summary: running into rafe cameron unexpectedly leads to reminiscing on the old days, and a reminder of why you put a wall up.

warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol and drugs

a/n: thank you for 1700 followers! 🥰 it will be apparent when you start reading but this is set in college, about a year before the ✨new light summer✨

“Fred, I really thought we were done having this conversation.”

“We would be—we should be. But you aren’t listening to me.”

If you weren’t currently navigating an incredibly windy road in an Outer Banks downpour, maybe the windiest one, you wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to roll your eyes. But your visibility was already poor, the rain pelting your windshield so intensely your wipers were barely doing enough on their fastest setting. You can hardly hear your boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—over the sound of it, but he’s trying anyway.

“We broke up two weeks ago,” you sigh, slowing down even more as another turn comes up. “Why would I still be coming home with you? All the way out in June?”

“Because,” Frederick says slowly, tone dripping with condescension. Even with all of the distraction in your environment, it’s still easy to remember why you two are no longer an item. He never made you feel like an equal to him, more like something to be handled—something he wanted to fit into his life because it made sense to him. “I told my parents I was bringing you, and you know I hate being a liar.”

“Frederick, it’s not like you would be lying,” you ask. “Things happen. How can they even be expecting me to come anymore?”

“Maybe, just maybe, because when they came to campus to meet you, you said you would,” he accuses.

That had been the most awkward night of your life, by far. Barely two months into your relationship, Frederick had sprung his parents on you—literally. He picked you up for dinner, and after insisting you change your dress not once, but two times, failed to mention your reservation was for four, and not two. They were the kind of nice that you could see right through, overly-so, to the point where it was transparent. You wondered how you hadn’t seen it with their son. Maybe you had, and didn’t want to admit it.

“Hell no,” Frederick scoffs. “Did you tell your parents?”

Aggravated as you are, you don’t have the heart to tell him that your three-month fling was hardly important enough to put on your parents’ radar. You might have told them this weekend, when you were home, but things didn’t make it that far. “Yeah, they know.”

“Wow,” he says, his voice softer on the speaker in your car. A rare moment of vulnerability from him, that came so few and far between in the time you dated that you never really felt like you were getting to know him, but just getting used to the idea of what it means to be with him. “So this is like, it, huh?”

That throws you for a loop, because for all of the ways you never seemed to be on the same page with him, you thought your breakup was pretty final. It doesn’t really get more final than a front porch discussion after weeks of feeling like this was going nowhere. “I mean, yeah, Frederick. Did you think it wasn’t? I hope I didn’t give you that idea.”

“I just thought you’d honor the commitment,” he says.

“What do you—what? Fred, we aren’t together. Why would I come home with you, three months from now, for a family event?”

“Because I asked you to come! And you said yes, and I told my family. I can’t show up alone after that, Y/n/n.”

A crack of thunder brings you back to the car, the road, the rain, the dangers of distraction. You feel your shoulders jump involuntarily, your car jerking slightly with the movement. “Fuck. Okay, Fred, I’m sorry—I am, but it’s raining, and—”

“I can barely hear you, Y/n,” Frederick says a little harshly, and you can picture him rolling his eyes. “Can you go somewhere quieter?”

“I know, I’m sorry, but the rain—”

“What? Look, are you coming or not?”

“Frederick, I just don’t—fuck!”

Unless your hometown suddenly became a hot spot for earth quakes, you’re pretty sure the tire underneath you had just popped. You mutter expletives while your mind practically dissolves in fear, but you’re able to pull your car off the road and into the grass—smashing your hazard lights button and taking a series of deep breathes, your hands shaking.

“Call me back when you have a different answer, alright?”

“Wait, wait, Fred, I think I just hit a nail—o-or, I don’t know, but—can you just, just stay on the phone with me, or—”

“Y/n, it’s literally so hard to hear you right now. I feel like I’m just talking circles around you anyway. Call me back, or fucking don’t, I guess, I don’t even know anymore.”

The rain sounds even louder once the call clicks off. The playlist you’d had on continues once again, and you almost feel like crying because you’re so rattled by the conversation, your tire, the insane weather—all at once, it’s just so much.

Your parents and brother went to the mainland for the afternoon—you passed, because you had a dentist appointment (which was also the only reason you came home this weekend, but a hug from your dad after a breakup was a convincing factor in an of itself; you wish he could hug you right now).

After a five minute pause to lean your head on your steering wheel, you mentally prepare yourself to get out of the car. It wasn’t raining when you left this morning so you are ill-prepared for the weather, wearing bike shorts and a crew neck sweater thats quickly drenched when you face the rain, and—yep, definitely flat.

When you call the mechanic, he informs you the tow will take two hours, because apparently you weren’t the only driver on the island struggling with the weather—and you throw your woefully unhelpful Triple A card into the cup holder once you hang up.

—

“You’ll be back by dinner time, yes? You know your dad wants you there.”

“Comin’ straight home after I get my car, Rose,” Rafe says, trying in earnest not to sound annoyed at Rose’s reminder. Because it had to be about the fifth one this morning, and the third in this car ride to the mechanic’s alone. “Promise I’ll be there.”

“This one is important to him, Rafe,” she presses, pulling into the parking lot.

“I know,” Rafe says. “I’ll be on time, wearing my Sunday best.”

Rose rolls her eyes, but she cracks the smallest smile. “Alright, see you at home.”

Rafe practically jogs across the parking lot and into the garage after thanking Rose for the ride, ripping off his hood as soon as he’s inside. His family’s mechanic (and almost every other Figure 8 family’s mechanic), Lou, is busy on the phone, so he bides his time with hands stuffed in his pockets, craning his neck until he sees his truck parked in the back, looking well and fixed.

“Sorry, kiddo,” Lou says into the phone, flipping through some papers on his counter. “It could take a while. All my guys are out. Weather’s crazy—you’d think we’d be ‘bout used to it by now, huh? Well, I’ll get someone out there soon as I can, so sit tight. I’ll call you in an hour or so to check-in, alright?”

He sets the phone down into the receiver, breaking out into a smile when he spots Rafe. “Rafe Cameron. How are you, boy?”

Rafe meets his handshake when Lou comes around the counter, smiling back at him. “Good, I’m good. You?”

“Well, I’m just fine. Although, can’t figure out why you’d bring your car all the way back here to be serviced. You know they have mechanics in Georgia, don’t you?” Lou jokes, rifling through the drawers for Rafe’s keys. “I’m sure I could give you a recommendation.”

“Nah,” Rafe says, leaning his elbows on the counter. “Why would I need that when I have you?”

“Silly,” Lou says, chuckling, sliding Rafe his keys and turning back to his computer. “Let me find your paperwork and you’ll be all set.”

Rafe swings his keys around on his forefinger before a clap of thunder booms throughout the garage. He glances behind his shoulder at the rain pouring down, visible through the open doors. “Man, it’s coming down out there.”

“Isn’t it?” Lou says.

“You guys busy?”

“Slammed. Roads are flooding. Every tow truck’s out right now. All two of ‘em,” Lou laughs, ripping the receipt off of the printer. “Poor Y/l/n girl is stuck out there on Elder’s Pass.”

Rafe drops his keys to the countertop, standing up straight. “Y/n?”

“Mhm. Will’s daughter,” Lou says, looking at Rafe expectantly when he doesn’t take the pen Lou offers him. Rafe shakes his head, taking the pen and examining the receipt closely. He never usually would, he never has, he trusts Lou. He’s been taking his car here since he could drive. But his ears are ringing at the mention of your name, his hand tightening around the pen. He didn’t even know you were home. “Poor thing just needs a tire change. Must’ve ran something over. Not worth it to drive on three wheels in this.”

“No, you’re right. But… so she’s just she’s just sitting out there right now?” Rafe asks carefully. Another clap of thunder sounds, and Rafe chews his bottom lip between his teeth as he looks outside once again. It was pouring by now.

“Yeah, ’til we can get someone out to her. Doubt she can change a tire herself,” Lou chuckles. Rafe would laugh along, because Lou is definitely right, but he can’t right now, thinking about you sitting out there all alone. “Your age, right? You two were friends?”

“Yeah, uh—yeah,” Rafe says, his feet backing him away from the counter and toward where his truck was parked. “Friends. You said she was out on Elder’s Pass?”

“Yep,” Lou says, already turning back to his desk. “Hell of a place to get stuck in a storm like this, all those curves.”

“Yeah,” Rafe says, his pace picking up with the rain. He knows that road. He knows you hate that road. “See ya, Lou!”

“See ya. Careful out there!”

—

The rain got worse as the minutes ticked by. Louder, heavier. You could barely see anything by the time a pair of headlights reflect in your side mirror.

It’s not a tow-truck from Lou’s but it’s definitely a person, a person getting out of his car and booking it in the rain toward your driver’s side window, hardly checking for traffic that thankfully isn’t coming.

Your hand moves to the door lock instinctively, heartbeat picking up in your chest as you squint at your mirror, trying to make anything out in the rain.

But you’d recognize that blue parka anywhere.

Rafe Cameron taps on your window softly with two fingers, aforementioned parka pulled tight over his head, a baseball cap peeking out. You try to fix your fish mouth before you lower the window. “Rafe? What are you—”

“Are you alright?” he says, voice raised so he can be heard over the rain.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. My tire’s flat, but I’m okay.”

“Okay, uh,” he says, looking up at the sky. “I think this is a cloud burst. Hopefully it’ll pass in a half hour or so, and then I can change it for you. You have your spare kit still, right?”

“Oh, Lou’s coming. I called,” you say, watching droplets of water collect and fall from the brim of his red cap.

“I know, I was just at his. He told me you were out here,” Rafe says, voice lowering. “But it’ll take forever, Y/n/n. Really, if we just wait it out in my truck, I can change it for you no problem.”

“Rafe…” You’re speechless beyond that, because you haven’t seen Rafe in months, probably. You had no idea he was even home like you were this weekend. And yet you can’t find yourself the tiniest bit surprised that he turned up right in your lap, here to save the day like he always did.

“Y/n. Kinda soaked to the bone here.”

“Sorry, fuck. Sorry, yes, Here, you can get in my car, so your seats don’t get all wet,” you say, unlocking the door, shying away from the water that’s splashing into your car from the open window.

“Come to mine. I have leather seats. And beach towels,” he laughs, blinking rain drops off of his eyelashes. One trails down his tanned cheek slowly, but he wipes it away before it can reach his pink lips as you were anticipating.

“Okay,” you nod. You roll up your window, and realize that Rafe is still waiting out in the rain for you, so you hastily gather your phone and keys before opening the door. Your crewneck doesn’t have a hood, so you use both hands to cover your hair as much as you can as the two of you rush to the silver truck. Rafe stays between you and the road the entire way, before a hand on your back guides you to the passenger side.

You climb inside, lamenting the way your already soaked clothes and hair drip onto Rafe’s nice car seats, even though he said it was fine.

“Jesus, wow,” Rafe says, once he’s shut you in and climbed into his own seat. He tears off his parka, throwing it into the backseat. He twists around to fish out the towels he’d been talking about, and you purposely shift your gaze away from the strip of skin exposed by his t-shirt when he does. The fabric is partially wet so it sticks to his skin, that’s glistening just slightly. You hadn’t seen him in a while. “Here.”

You smile awkwardly as you accept the towel, rubbing it over your hair and then flipping down his visor to check your mascara hadn’t run too much. “Thanks.”

“‘Course. You warm enough? I’ll run the heat.”

A shiver runs down your spine at that but you just wrap the towel around your shoulders, shaking your head. “Don’t waste your battery.”

“It’s no problem,” Rafe says, taking his cap off and throwing it onto the dash before running the engine to get the heater going. He reaches over to the side of the panel that controls your half of the car, turning on your seat warmer, too. “Not like you dressed for the weather, so, least I can do.”

“Excuse you,” you laugh in surprise.

“No, really,” he continues. “Did you even check the weather this morning? Or are you too California now?”

And you can’t help but laugh because it’s just so Rafe, to sit across from you after he very casually came to your aid across the island because he heard you needed help, knows you hate this road and driving in the rain, and then make fun of you right after like none of the previous is true. His smile warms you to your toes, god, you missed him.

“You’re the one wearing shorts and fucking top-siders! Are those still in in Georgia? Thought you would’ve left the Sperry’s in high school.”

“How every dare you, Y/l/n,” he says, hand pressed to his chest in mock offense. “I practically rescue you—”

“Oh, fuck off,” you laugh.

“You were damsel in distressing hard core, kid,” he says, flicking his head toward your car. “Why are you even out here? Why are you even home?”

“Dentist appointment and dentist appointment,” you say, flashing him a smile. “Missed my parents and dog, too. Felt like a good excuse to come home. You?”

“My dad had a thing,” Rafe says, and you just hum in recognition, not pushing it any further. You never did when it came to Ward. “Wanted to get my truck looked at, too. It was making a noise the whole way home.”

You nod, feeling the engine purr underneath you for the first time. “Ah, that makes me feel great about sitting in your car right now.”

“Relax. I was picking it up after service. That’s, um, how I heard about you being out here. Lou told me it was you, and this road’s kinda weird, you know, so I just thought I’d come see if I… yeah,” he says. The faintest blush blooms across his cheeks, and you fiddle with your hair, flipping the visor back up. Rafe pats the dash, the sound breaking the slightly awkward lull in conversation. “But anyway, she’s all good now.”

“That’s good. And thanks for coming, by the way. I hate this road, I don’t know why I took it,” you sigh. “Trying to romanticize my hometown too hard.”

Rafe laughs loudly. “Here, let me get some music going. Maybe that’ll help.”

You smile at him wordlessly as music fills the car, and he quirks an eyebrow.

“What?”

You wince, smile shifting into a cringe. “You and your dad music.”

“The Beach Boys are not dad music,” he counters.

“My dad listens to the Beach Boys.”

“I always knew Will had taste. How else would you romanticize the Outer Banks? We technically live on an island,” he explains, sounding far too technical. He breaks out into a shit-eating grin. “You know, ‘paradise on earth.’”

“This weather and the nail in my tire is really selling that slogan right now,” you say. But you just sit back as the next song kicks on, tapping your fingers against your thigh to the rhythm. The rain isn’t letting up, for now, but you’re warm again, nearly dry, and in a car with Rafe Cameron.

“Man, I fuckin’ missed you, Y/n/n.”

You turn and Rafe’s looking at you, looks like he has been for a while. His eyes are soft, his damp hair hanging over them slightly, but you can still see everything. You can still feel every feeling this boy made you feel, ones that you’d memorized one day but assumed you’d forget by now, flooding your body, nervous system, whatever—something, so quickly and so powerfully that any response you through you might have—any remark, joke, anything—is just gone from your mind and you can only think of one thing to say back. It makes you feel raw and open under his gaze, because it’s the truth. “I missed you too, Rafe.”

—

“You did not teach me how to drive.”

“I mean,” Rafe sucks his teeth, rubbing a dramatic hand over the scruff on his chin. He would’ve shaved if he knew he’d be seeing you today. Then again, he wasn’t exactly forced to drop everything and drive to Elder’s Pass and wait out a rain storm with you when his time might be better spent prepping for that dinner thing he can’t seem to care about any more. “I definitely did, though.”

Your nose crinkles up, but Rafe sees that hint of a smile on your lips. You’re remembering the impromptu driving lessons Rafe had roped you into after you cancelled your third straight road test appointment at the DMV because of nerves. You’d spun him around Figure Eight about ten times, and Rafe convinced you to push about one mile closer to the residential speed limit with every loop. “You did not!”

“And clearly I did a horrible job,” Rafe continues, gesturing to your Range Rover, sunken down on one side. “Can’t even avoid a little nail? Shocked they even gave you the license.”

“They didn’t really cover that in my course. Instructor was kind of a dud,” you quip, lip pulled between your teeth and eyebrows raised in mischief when Rafe scoffs.

“Yet here I am to save you.”

“Here you are,” you agree coyly.

The moment snaps in half when your phone, discarded in the cupholder, buzzes incessantly. You take one glance at the screen and roll your eyes, silencing it immediately. But it goes off again and Rafe clears his throat awkwardly as you repeat the motions. “Parents wondering where you are?”

“No,” you say quietly. Rafe doesn’t mean to pry, but there isn’t much else to do that stops him from raising his eyebrows expectantly. “My ex.”

“Oh.”

“I was on the phone with him earlier, when I—y’know,” you trail off. You tuck the phone in your pocket, and Rafe distracts himself with watching a raindrop slide down the driver’s side window, collecting more drops on its way down.

“You can answer it. I don’t mind,” Rafe says, before he can think of anything else to say.

“No, I’m good. I might call him back later,” you say, not sounding too perplexed over it.

“Is this like… I dunno,” Rafe blurts.

“What?”

“Is he like, an ex-ex, or is there like, a chance—”

“Oh, fuck no,” you laugh, the sound startling Rafe. He looks back over at you and you have an arm propped up on his center console, eyes hidden by your hand, but he can still see the grin. “No. No chance.”

“Are you guys still friends?”

“Not really. He’s in my major, which sucks. Horrible idea, don’t recommend,” you laugh.

Rafe knew he saw some guy around on your Instagram, but you were always pretty coy on social media. He could never tell for sure; Kelce didn’t say anything, and Rafe didn’t dare ask. Topper and Kelce knowing about his crush on you for all of high school was already embarrassing enough, he didn’t need it known that there was any sense of lingering curiosity, some what ifs or well maybe one days he could never get to quiet. The proximity was only making it worse.

“He sounds great.”

“The greatest,” you remark, rolling your eyes.

“So it wasn’t a good phone call?” Rafe tries.

You groan, and Rafe thinks he’s fucked it all, but then you turn to face him, leg propped up on the seat and knee digging into the back of it. “When we were dating still, he asked me to come to this family wedding this summer. I said yes, but then when we broke up I just assumed we wouldn’t be going, right? And then he texted me about the flights last night, and I’m like, ‘what the fuck? What flights?’”

“Oh no,” Rafe grimaces. “He didn’t book them already, did he?”

“No, because he wanted my input on economy versus economy plus,” you say, lips pulling into a tiny smile.

“Oh, so he’s a cheapskate, too?”

“Leave him alone. He didn’t grow up on Figure Eight.”

“Alright,” Rafe rolls his eyes. “He calls you up about uncomfortable plane seats with no leg room or free drinks or hot towels. What’d you say?”

“Well, no, obviously?”

“It’s the towels, isn’t it? The deal breaker? Or maybe the drinks,” Rafe says, considering. “I seem to remember you and Gretchen getting bombed on our senior trip.”

Your mouth purses, and Rafe sees you fighting that smile. “Do you ever shut the fuck up?”

“Never, you must have forgotten. But, okay, he calls you up, you say no, and then…? How did we get where we are now?”

“No, he just,” you trail off, eyes falling to where your nails pick at each other. “I don’t know. He was just yelling about how I made a promise and whatever. I think he’s mostly concerned about what his parents will think.”

“Relatable,” Rafe quips, but you don’t crack a smile. “He was a dick, wasn’t he?”

And it should give Rafe a sense of satisfaction he supposes, to hear about the guy he’d wondered about being a complete asshole who couldn’t keep you long. But it doesn’t. The crestfallen look on your face actually feels like the opposite, like a gut punch or the wind knocked out of his lungs. “A little bit. Got worse once we broke up, clearly. It’s my own fault. I probably never should’ve went out with him in the first place.”

“So he’s an ex-ex.”

“An ex-ex-ex-fucking-ex,” you laugh. “It never felt like, real? I was just… all my best friends have significant others right now, and it’s like, we’re all hanging out together at the house or whatever and everyone’s all coupled up and I was just… there? Or even when we’d go out I’d just see them with their boyfriends and, I dunno. It felt good to fit in for a second but I never really felt that longing I always pictured I would. He just wasn’t it for me. Not even close.”

“Do you believe in that?”

Your head rests on the seat, your eyes curious upon him. “Believe in what?”

“An ‘it.’ Someone being ‘it.’” Rafe clarifies.

You duck your head down, picking at your nails again. “Yeah, like one hundred percent.” Rafe hums, and you narrow your eyes. “Is that silly?”

“No,” Rafe says. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Do you believe in it?”

Rafe nods slowly, his lip coming out from where it’d been caught between his teeth without his realization. “Yeah, I do. Someone for everyone and all that.”

“No, that isn’t the same thing.”

“What do you mean it isn’t the same thing?” Rafe says.

“There’s like the concept of someone being it for you and then the concept of everyone being able to find someone, copy?”

Rafe smiles. “Not at all, Y/l/n. Do tell.”

“I don’t know, Rafe. It’s like—when you find that person, that’s not someone. That’s the one,” you describe.

“Okay, but could there be more than one?”

“How do you mean?”

“Like,” Rafe sighs. He slides down in his seat, turning away from you. The rain is lessening up now, he can tell from the front windshield. “I dunno. What if you think you find the one, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t work out. Would you ever be able to find another?”

“Hm, good one,” you say. “Well. Maybe they weren’t your one then.”

Rafe doubts it. He watches you fuss with your hair and the towel again, exposing more skin on your neck, and he really doubts it. “I’m sorry he wasn’t your one.”

“I’m not. But it’s whatever,” you shrug, but Rafe can tell it probably kind of isn’t. You loved too hard. “What about you? Breaking hearts down in Georgia, I suppose?”

“Oh god,” Rafe says, smiling despite himself because that couldn’t be further from the truth. “You know I like to fly solo these days.”

“Someone’s gonna pin you down one day,” you say. The statement hangs heavy in the silence between you two, which makes Rafe realize the silence at all. The rain’s stopped.

“Enough of that,” Rafe says, opening his door. “C’mon, Y/l/n. I’m gonna teach you how to change a tire.”

—

As it turns out, Rafe teaching you how to change a tire looks a lot like Rafe doing all of the work while you try your best to follow along. And even though you try your hardest, it’s difficult when he’s all biceps stretching out his t-shirt sleeves and nimble fingers working expertly and, god, the one time he swipes the back of his forehead with the bottom of his t-shirt and you literally have to pretend to stare at the puddles on ground.

“You’re not getting any of this, are you?” he jokes, smiling up at you.

“I’m trying, but this is probably the furthest thing from my forte,” you admit, though you know he can’t be surprised.

“It’s probably just as well,” Rafe says. “Doubt you’ll ever have to change your own tire.”

“You did a fantastic job, from what I can tell.”

Rafe chuckles, standing when he’s finished. He kicks it with his shoe, as if to show you it’s sound—as if you wouldn’t trust him. “It’s good to drive around on for a little. But I’d take it in as soon as you can.”

“I fly back soon, so I’ll probably have Dylan do it for me this week,” you say, thinking out loud.

“How is he?” Rafe asks, adjusting the hat on his head, packing the tools back up. “Did he make varsity this year?”

You’re thrown off by the kindness of his remembrance, but hardly surprised. “Yeah, he did. Of course, now he’s gunning for the captaincy as a junior.”

“I’m sure he is,” Rafe laughs. “And Wilbur?”

“Adorable as ever. What about Sarah and Wheezie?”

“Good, Sarah’s debut is this summer. Can you believe she’s even old enough?” Rafe says, putting the tool set and your deceased tire back in your trunk. He shuts it, crossing his arms before looking at you again. “Makes me feel ancient.”

You giggle, but you suppose you can relate, having a brother the very same age. He’d probably be an escort this summer—you really wish you’d be home to tease him about it. “Does Ward have her escort picked out yet?”

“That’s actually a very sensitive topic at Tannyhill, currently,” Rafe says conspiratorially. When you furrow your eyebrows in confusion, he goes on. “Did I tell you about the pogue she started dating, last summer?”

“No,” you gasp, smiling at the scandal of it all. “No way.”

“I’m not even surprised. Sarah’s never cared what he thought,” Rafe says, and you detect a hint of pride in his tone. “But she’s really going for it with this one.”

“Ward will get over it. Besides,” you sigh, stretching your arms over your head casually. “Not like he can be any worse than my escort.”

Rafe scoffs. “I was fucking great. A true gentleman. Literally the only reason you didn’t trip in those heels. What do you mean?”

“I’m pretty sure you showed up to the last rehearsal stoned.”

“We—we all did! You did!” Rafe accuses. Of course he’s correct—you were in fact all incredibly high, taking turns with a bottle of Visine on the way back from the quarry at the Island Club. If Rafe hadn’t let you hide behind his broad frame during the waltz, you’re sure you would’ve been found out. Your tells were always more obvious than his.

“I was a deb, I’m pretty sure I was allowed to,” you say, like that means anything.

“Oh, my mistake,” Rafe says, brushing past you, collecting the towel he’d had bunched up on the ground to kneel on while he got to work. He slings it over his shoulder. “Pretty sure your parents couldn’t stand me though.”

“No, they—you,” you fumble, suddenly very interested in the ground. “It wasn’t like that.”

Looking back, it’s hard to believe Rafe was even your escort at all. First of all, the girls had to ask the boys—not your forte, not in the slightest. And all of the suggestions your mom had made (of course, based on other moms she’d already talked to and made arrangements with) were boys you didn’t like very much or didn’t know well at all. Margot had already stolen Kelce, your go-to, and Topper had been snatched up by Emily. So really, it was kismet, the morning after that year’s Midsummers—the deadline your mother had given you for picking someone before she picked for you.

“Have you decided? You seemed far too busy running off with Ward Cameron’s son last night to make the rounds with the gentlemen I suggested for you,” your mother had said primly, eagle eyed behind her cup of tea at breakfast that day.

“Ward’s boy? Rafe?” your dad had asked, suddenly interested enough to put down his newspaper. You ignore him.

“Mom, my dress was ruined after that waiter spilled on me. I was embarrassed, you guys were busy, Rafe took me home,” you explained, for what felt like the millionth time since the night before.

“Oh, lovely. Maybe he can take you to the deb ball, too,” she laughed, brushing imaginary crumbs off of her skirt.

You know exactly why you hadn’t though of that before—but why hadn’t you thought about that before? “I’ll ask him.”

You’d skipped right upstairs to text Rafe and seal the deal, momentarily terrified he’d say no—or worse, that he was already escorting someone else. But Rafe’s text came back almost immediately:

It would be an honor, Y/l/n

Promise I won’t let any clumsy waiters within a ten foot radius

Rafe’s usual, flirty banter had made you realize for the first time that as much as this was about you getting to choose for yourself, go with someone you actually enjoyed spending time with and not just who your mom could see you marrying one day, this was you and Rafe Cameron going to an event together, as dates. He was your date. There would be dancing.

“Maybe just your mom,” present-day Rafe concedes, bringing you back to the moment. “She still scares me.”

“You and me both,” you admit.

“You gonna be around this summer?” Rafe asks. “Pretty sure everyone’s coming back.”

You wince sadly, and he smiles anyway. “No, I’m working in California. I might come by for a week or two toward the beginning or end, though, if I can swing it.”

“Figure 8 could only be so lucky,” Rafe teases. “That sucks, though. Summer probably won’t be the same.”

“I’m sure you’ll all be fine,” you say. “I’ll miss it though.”

And miss it you will, but just being in Rafe’s general proximity for the last hour or so has reminded you why the space was good. Why the distance was good.

The mostly natural, if only a little bit forced, growing apart of two high school friends, the living different lives on different coasts—it was all good for the teenager inside of you that was always overtly fond of the boy in front of you. The debutante who watched her escort with stars in her eyes, so bright you have no idea how he never saw them. She was terrified, enamored, maybe even a little bit in love.

Rafe was intoxicating, and being around him again almost felt like a relapse.

It felt like you should call Frederick, maybe say yes to that wedding after all. Remind yourself of the more realistic version of your future.

“It’ll miss you, too,” Rafe says heavily, and all you can do is stare for a moment.

“I should let you get going,” you say quickly. Why was it that years later, Rafe is still right there when you need him? He’s safe, and dependable, and he reminds you of home—things that should endear you to him and do, they really really do. They always have. “I’ve put you out long enough.”

“It’s no problem at all,” he assures, not even slightly clued in to your internal turmoil. “Really.”

You smile, climbing back inside of your car, while Rafe hangs around, presumably to watch you leave.

“Are you gonna tell your ex to fuck off?” he asks suddenly, causing a laugh to bubble up in your throat. But you shrug.

“I don’t know. It’s in Napa, and you know I love wine,” you joke, but his face is stone. Dirty beach towel over his shoulder, black streaks all over his hands and arms.

“Don’t let boys yell at you over the phone, alright?” he asks, then ruffles your hair. “And don’t go to Napa.”

You can only nod as he shuts your door for you, stepping back to give you room to pull away. Rafe seems satisfied with your answer, smiling where he stands with his hands tucked into his pockets, eyes never leaving your car as he watches you leave.

You would know, because you can’t stop looking in the rear view.

#outer banks #outer banks imagine #outer banks fanfiction #rafe cameron #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron fanfiction #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x y/n

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eirichele · 1 year

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i tried out engage here's my thoughts. (really mild spoilers)

• honestly alear is like... corrin on steroids. its insane how much they get praised for pretty much being just...mid. i played fates cq and still found this ridiculously distracting because there are parts where the characters say something like "oh, divine dragon, you're (kind/wonderful)" every two or three lines. please sir this is a wendy's

• the worst part by far in this game are the visuals. the character design is kind of all over the place. they look jarringly modern, you can't guess ages, sometimes you can't guess their class. i feel terrible for mika pikazo because they didn't work closely with her, gave her little to no direction and now she's left to get the backlash. that's no way to treat an artist.

• her art is just unfortunately not translated well to 3d, which is a shame because her celebratory art that she posted on twit was very pretty even if its personally not to my taste for a fe game. the models themselves are technically superior to houses, theres very little pixelation. but all the shots and cgs are just....... so badly compositioned. very much 3h vibes with the "characters spinning in a microwave". at some point they split the screen in half to show two characters in different places and it looks so awkward dkjkgfjkk

• the environments are MUCH better, and you now get to explore them after each battle to talk to the characters in them which is something i criticized of houses a lot so that's cool to see. unfortunately they're kinda stiff in cutscenes for some reason? like i said in-game cutscenes look pretty atrocious i just wish we'd go back to 2d illustrated portraits, especially when you have an artist who shines in that medium.

• sexualization is... pretty bad. def not fates level but it's there. your mom is introduced in a direct shot of her chest and she dies in an angle where you can see her boobs. i am not joking. there's an aversa expy so evil sexy woc is unfortunately a trope they still haven't let go of, and there's f!alear's whole chest situation too even though she's a minor..... mess.

• the dialogue is terribleeee. i think the vas did a GREAT job for what they were given but this is unfortunately an anakin skywalker situation where they're going to blame them for how bland and stilted the script is. it's just disjointed at times and so the deliveries can feel weird but how the fuck are you going to deliver "oh divine dragon, you're so shiny when you sweat!" (ACTUAL LINE BTW) they were set up!!!

• story-wise they don't really do much with the emblems. the lords are kind of just there. this mechanic is tbh a little disturbing to me because these spirits are just trapped in these rings and are... very happy about it. they go on and on about how they're gonna save this world and how they're gonna support their respective characters but there's zero mention of their own emotional situation. no missing their friends or reflecting about their lives or wondering what's next or anything, they're just kind of vassals to their characters. the one exception was sigurd who just kinda drops the bomb that he died as a young father and everyone is like "haha anyway moving on...." DUDE. very weirdly implemented imo but i guess they couldn't character assassinate this way so. double edged sword i suppose

• the gameplay kinda reminds me of awakening the first few chapters because the maps are ridiculously simple and a lot of focus is placed on the engage gimmick but it thankfully got better once you reach the somniel. then there's actual maps. which seem pretty fine to me tbh? unfortunately this game is just easy. you get really really good units early on and the emblems are BUSTED. i breezed through like 5 chapters in hard classic and when i saw my friend play they turtled relatively unopposed so its like. i'm not feeling the gameplay. it's just ok. maybe if i do actually decide to play this game one day i could do maddening but i honestly dont want to keep going lmfao

overall its like. exactly what i expected from the previews and i'm really glad i didn't even consider getting it lmfao. like always it just makes me kinda sad to see the potential in these games and all the inklings of ideas that were just kinda forgotten in favor of pandering to the player because that sells.

#t #trying to be fair rather than funny on this one but dw i will probably bully this game later

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the-beskar-alchemist · 1 year

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Episode 2 thoughts

Here we go with more of my ramblings!

(Also just a reminder, I’m including game canon information so heads up if you need to bypass this post to avoid spoilers)

Thoughts below the cut....

It appears they’re making Indonesia “Ground Zero”, I don’t know if this is a result of Indonesia having a surge of fungal infections within the last few years, or if their environment would be considered potentially hospitable for the cordyceps. There’s also the fact that in-game the cordyceps seemingly started in the U.S. before spreading worldwide.

I’m not quite understanding the physiology behind the mouth tentacles thing, but I’ve seen enough hentai that it’s creepy either way

There’s a running theme of butterflies surrounding the girls (Sarah and Ellie)

Ellie’s sarcasm is on-point again, Bella really did bring our precious babygirl to life on a level that makes me so happy

I have to wonder about Pedro having to do things like move furniture, considering his poor back

So not anything significant, but I really appreciate that the leaning building from the game was incorporated into the background shot. A little sad that they didn’t show them going through that building like in the game, but I guess it would’ve been an issue of set design costs/extra film time.

Ellie actively avoiding mentioning Riley (“Matter of fact, let’s just keep our histories to ourselves” ~ Joel in the game), so that figures

Okay they moved up the hotel scene where Ellie pretends to be checking in, originally this took place in Pittsburgh at a later point in the summer, not Boston. And it was AFTER the thing with Tess.

Joel and Ellie’s awkward conversation-turned-moment of bonding, and her asking about Joel/Tess? Joel shot that shit down so quick lol

So they’re basically saying that the infected only last for 2-months, but they’re still some that last for years. This sounds like the infection not only deteriorates the brain but maybe the body temperature is so high for so long that the body eventually burns out….?

The infected have a connection, kind of like the hive-mind situation in Stranger Things. In-game the infected would just spawn out of nowhere even if an area looks clear (it’s a game so that’s a normal thing), it seems that this was their way of bridging the gap of how a clear spot would suddenly become overrun. Games like TLOU and Left 4 Dead had what they call “event doors”, or pathways that when taken would suddenly trigger hordes

Clickers!!!! But seriously they did a good job with the acting during this scene, I’m wondering if they did a “zombie school” type thing, kind of like TWD.

“You can’t deny that view” - so glad they kept this, it’s such an important moment for Ellie because of [redacted]

So Tess name-dropping Frank is interesting, unless in-game Tess knew about Frank and just didn’t tell Joel (HIGHLY unlikely), because in-game Joel doesn’t even know Frank exists, let alone have any contact with him specifically

Annie Wersching does a really good job of capturing Tess’ nuances, and the part where she’s foreshadowing her infection by acting defensive? Love it

Tess/Joel’s relationship being kind of one-sided isn’t much of a surprise. I’d imagine Joel prefers not to get romantically close to people because of past trauma

So the hive-mind connections trigger a horde, forcing Tess to sacrifice herself. In the game the military shows up and she holds them off while Joel/Ellie escape through the capitol building. To me the horde makes more sense because I never quite understood why the military suddenly went on a field trip outside of the QZ to coordinate an attack on a couple runaways when they could easily have left them to their fate with the infected and not waste time/supplies (same thing applies if they were going after the Fireflies outside of the QZ)

I’m enjoying the unfocused camera shots of the infected, it helps to leave some things to the imagination and makes it more scary/intense

The mouth-tentacles “kiss of death” thing is weird. It’s like the infected are coherent enough to want to actively spread the infection instead of just eating people. I’m also getting the impression that, kind of like in World War Z, they can sense when someone else is infected.

Definitely enjoyed this episode, the acting was really good and the story is moving a bit faster now. Still a lot of ground to cover because of [redacted]

Endure and survive!

#tlou #tlou spoilers #the last of us #the last of us series #pedro pascal #joel miller #ellie williams #bella ramsey #tess servopoulos #anna torv

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creacherkeeper · 2 years

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Sleepover Saturday: any advice on how to make friends? I know part of it is going out into public spaces where you actually interact with people, but what then? I’m awkward enough at starting up conversations, and even if I did start one, how do I know if I’m bothering the person? Or if I’ll even like them and it’ll be worth the effort? I just don’t know man

hello nonny! this is a really wonderful question and im glad you asked it

i think the approach that youre describing here, of going out into public spaces and striking up conversations with strangers, is probably how media portrays friendships starting a lot but, since i imagine you aren't 6, is not really how adult friendships happen. many adult friendships that happen outside of/after school are either formed through mutual friends, or in hobby and interest spaces

since youre asking me this question on tumblr i figure you have some hobbies or interests. perhaps some of them even lean towards nerdy. but i think this is a great time to explore hobby spaces or even branch out to try some new ones!

examples: painting and cooking classes at your local rec center. a knitting group at your house of worship. game night at a local gaming shop. a ttrpg group at your library. an anime interest group at your library. volunteering at an animal shelter. joining a guided hiking group. getting involved in a community theater production

the benefits of these environments are

you know everyone there shares at least one interest with you, and are passionate enough about it that theyre engaging with it in public spaces

most groups like this are excited to see new faces and will go out of their way to interact with you and get to know you

they would not be exploring this hobby or interest in a public venue if they did not want to engage with people about it, so youre probably not going to be bothering them by striking up a conversation

it gives you a set location and time to see those people, and you dont have to do things like give them your number or invite them out/over until you know you get along

theres going to be more of a mix of diverse people in these spaces (if going to places like the rec center or library, gonna be a lot more older folks for example) than you might find elsewhere, also a higher chance of neurodiverse people

in these spaces you can start by talking about the hobby or interest, but over time if you feel comfortable with them you can start bringing in real details about your life, or telling some childhood stories, or talking about your job, or other interests you have

it depends on their neurotype and personality how they will show interest in you. some people make a lot of eye contact or have expressive and engaged body language, some people will make more of an effort to sit with you or be near you, some people will frequently initiate conversations or ask you questions about yourself, some people will tell you things about themself in an effort to relate to you

a good question to ask is, "what is their motivation for this interaction?". at a business lunch, their motivation is that they are interested in making business connections and moving up the ladder, so if they were really engaged in talking to you, they may see you as an opportunity more than a friend. at a hobby group, if someone seeks you out for interactions, or seems engaged in conversations when you talk to them, they are a lot more likely to really be enjoying your company because their motivation is "have a good time at interest group"

from there, once you grow closer to someone or multiple someones, a good next step would be inviting them to guided activities. say theres a new card game you want to try, or you just got the new jackbox pack, or there's a movie you want to see. you can still have casual conversations during these things, but a guided activity gives you something to focus on and engage with if anyone is feeling awkward or doesnt know what to say (which isnt a bad sign! sometimes people are nervous because they care!)

friendships take time & they take intention & effort! this isnt going to happen overnight. but these are my recommendations on how to make friends as an adult. i hope it helps nonny! :)

#self help #friendship #how to adult

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risu5waffles · 1 year

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Sweet Christing Hell, Time Slow Down a Bit

Here we are again, got another 10 in the pipe (i don't even know what that is supposed to mean.

youtube

A nice, simple one, wiv a good set of material choices to make up for a bit of a paucity in decoration. The gameplay is relatively smooth, keeping a good flow aside from a few overly tight jumps early on, and a bit of unclear player communication toward the end. A good use of the four or five minutes it'll take to clear.

youtube

Chronos loves this one, and i do like it well enough, i guess; though i find the pacing to be a little bit on the plodding side. i appreciate that the environment, tho' LBP1 kludgy, is actually cohesive. Like, you're in a factory, and it goes from base materials to final product, and that's actually kind of neat. The total lack of music does make things a little eerie, too, which was pretty cool.

youtube

This is a level i wish i could go back and lay in base LBP, because the translation to LBP3 really doesn't do it many favours. Still, i really liked the idea of making each scene discrete, wiv its own little platforming or puzzle challenge. i wonder if it was intended to be a group play kind of deal, because that elevator ride at the beginning doesn't give you any time for the stickering that seems expected. Also, while the boss was definitely neat, it drags on forever, it feels like.

youtube

We talked about this one last week, and i don't really have more to say except Neptune seems like a really nice kid, and i wish him well wiv his endevours. Honestly, i've been super lucky as far as YouTube comment interactions, but even wiv that, Neptune's been both kind and interested, and that means an awful lot.

Oh, i do remember one thing about the video i need to own up to, i accidentally wrote the publish date as December 14th, 2023, which is what happens when you've got too much going on and no one to give your videos an editing pass but you.

youtube

This is a neat one that i wish had a bit more to do in it. i've been a sucker for cardboard as a building material since day one, and seeing what atriku8040's done wiv it is super impressive. But at the end of the day, there really isn't anything to do here. One more editing mistake to mention, in the video the name is written as ダンボーロ instead of ダンボール because i am a loser, and now that's forever.

i was so pissed when i noticed. Which was, of course, too late to correct.

youtube

This one's cute, even if, again, there really isn't much going on in it. It was neat how they got the actual metro announcement in the level; don't know how gomafuomo pulled that off wivout the recording being total pants. It took me a couple of seconds to realize, "wait, i know that announcement. i've ridden that train."

It would probably be unseemly for me to mention here that i don't like Akihabara at all. i'm a geek, but i'm not really that kind of geek, and there's nothing that Akihabara does that Osaka's Den-den town doesn't do wiv more charm and far less walking. Think i'm always going to be an Osaka gal, me.

youtube

This one looks real pretty, but boy did it need another couple of good passes through playtesting and gameplay polish. Communication wiv the player is pretty poor throughout, and it's easy to get yourself lost in the crufting; and some of the jumps are just awkward (tho' some of that is definitely on me, i've never found jumping onto platforms moving through layers to be particularly intuitive). It's a real shame, because i see a lot of the Wedding kit being used for general "scary" levels, but i rarely see anyone leveraging it as a theme, and it's one i really do like a lot.

youtube

What to say about this one? It's a simple little LBP1 jam. It's got fire, it's got ice (glass), it's got a race wiv some fiddly jumps onto slippery ice (glass). It's not not fun, and i understand that's not exactly high praise, but it's hardly the worst feeling you could leave a level wiv.

youtube

i like this one. i think i like this one more than Thin Lines of Neon Lights. The verticality helps, and the feeling that your're just zipping along. Plus, Neptune changed the hamster wheel to actually do something based on my review, and folx, when i tell you i was honestly touched.

youtube

Holy crap, folx, this one tho'. i've mentioned before there seemed to be a couple of particular styles we'd see in the LBP2 era. You'd have your natural-y types, usually wiv a certain material set and often some gratuitous hookshot action; your weird cartoon-ish worlds wiv real blocky construction, expressive puppets, and meme-adjacent humour; and then you'd get, every now and then, something like this. Fiddly mechanical design wiv lots of movement and the level shifting and building itself as you go along, and holy shite, but this is a top-notch example of that style. i don't know if it's koknsun's best, but it is the best of theirs that i've played (although, that being said, some of their levels, like Hokusai's Soul are broken in LBP3; so that might be a touch unfair).

So that's another ten down, and we're up to 50episodes, and that's kind of a wow. i'd intended to put together a hub level wiv 10 i particularly liked from the set (not, perhaps, the 10 best, because i'm terrible at judging that kind of thing). That's still in the works, and actually pretty close to being done; just need to do a couple of passes to make sure the mechanical elements are working right and consistently, and then go through decorating and putting in music. Wiv luck it should be up sometime this week, or next Wednesday at the latest.

#littlebigplanet #little big planet #lbp #lbp1 #lbp2 #lbp3 #Youtube

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protagonistheavy · 2 months

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An annoying phenomenon within online multiplayer games is when it becomes something of a meme to DC from games under particular conditions, i.e. if you get sent to a particular map, or the enemy is playing particular characters/abilities

In Overwatch 1, there were 2CP maps, which became a gamemode generally disliked by most of the community -- even though it was, realistically, a fairly balanced gamemode, especially in the competitive environment where both teams swapped sides. Nothing was inherently wrong with this map or mode design, but lots of people just didn't like it, and thus there became a sense of illegitimacy to having to even play on some of these maps. The most infamous two, I think, are Paris and Lunar Colony -- infamous for how often people would DC immediately, which causes games to either close down, or fall into a never-ending backfill problem.

And this became justified because "the map isn't good." We ended up with this awkward community census that you just dont have to actually play these maps. In effect, it became a meme to DC from these games; everyone was doing it, everyone "knows" these maps "suck," so it's okay if you're just in on the joke and DC.

... But then that itself becomes a problem with these maps uniquely: people keep fucking DCing from these maps. People dont even give these maps a fair shake partly because they're never having a real game there -- there's just constantly people leaving or giving up, so you never get a real experience of playing there. A community learning curve just becomes stunted -- and worse, it becomes stunted permanently, because even though Lunar Colony got reworked two different times, each time bettering the map layout and addressing common issues, people just still DC'd when they got to Lunar Colony, because lol map suck.

And in Dead by Daylight, the same phenomenon is happening to some killers, namely the Skull Merchant. This killer has been received poorly due to a playstyle and ability set that isn't quite like other killers; I could go on all day about the problems she's had, but BHVR has noticed these problems themselves and have given her two major reworks in order to make her more appealing to play against as survivors.

... But as with Lunar Colony, it doesn't matter. Unfortunately it's become ingrained in the community at large to just not even try to play against Skull Merchant; just DC and go next. And in DBD, this is crippling, since there are no backfills, which means anyone leaving puts the rest of the survivors at a huge disadvantage. Which then feeds into itself, the problem that people don't get good experiences playing against Skull Merchant this way, and so they never learn or adapt.

And this is so frustrating when the design of these game elements seems genuinely fixed. The devs have addressed the problem points, they've patched in reworks, and generally accomplish what they set out to do -- but then there's still a significant amount of players that just don't care and DC anyway, ruining the experience for everyone else, and leaving people to think that the game element is still poorly designed.

It's a stink on these elements that I wonder if it can ever be washed off. Even if you took Skull Merchant and turned her into a completely different kind of character with all new abilities, I really do believe people would still DC immediately against her, simply because they remember all these bad experiences, they remember all the other people that DC'd from her, and they're going to think it's okay to do the same.

And I think this is one of the most obnoxious community things within games. It's such a spoiled attitude, isn't it? It's a misuse of the ability to disconnect -- why put up with anything you don't like in the game, if you can just skip over the parts you don't want to deal with? This steps into the argument of "it's my game that I paid for, I can play it how I want" -- yeah you sure can, and if you choose to be an asshole that exploits this privilege, you're an asshole! And you're degrading the rest of the community with you.

How can this sort of problem really be fixed in game design? If the community has simply rallied against an entire element of the game, what do you even do? Leave it as is to continually piss people off? Or rework the element, just for a null-effect and people are still continually pissed off? With the case of Lunar Colony, Blizzard was fortunate they could simply turn the map off and move away from that entire game mode, but with BHVR, they're just sort of stuck with an entire character -- an entire identity they've had teams working on for possibly years -- that no one likes, and the reason no one likes her, is because no one likes her. How maddening.

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ikigaitsuki · 2 years

Text

behind closed doors | s.jy

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Summary — Finding an unlocked door in one of your friends’ usual parties provides an opportunity to escape the crowd. But with the closing of some doors, comes the figurative opening of others.

Pairing — Jake x fem!reader

Genre — smut

CW — alcohol consumption, unprotected sex - be careful, fingering (f receiving), tbh it’s very mundane but who doesn’t like realistic sex???, little bit of dirty talk and a lot a bit of praise! like jake basically had a praise kink idk, he also asks for consent bc mmm

Word count — 3,609

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a/n: i’ll tag part 2 here! ask to be on the tag list <3

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Parties aren’t really your thing.

And it’s not that you’d rather be at home, cosy and in bed, a TV series playing continuously on your screen until you feel drowsy enough to fall asleep. It’s really not that you dislike parties themselves, more so the environment that seems to follow every social gathering.

Particularly these college parties.

The ones that leave plastic cups lying around each and every countertop, the ones where people dress up nicely just to spend their evening sat on the sofa of a student accommodation; spend their evening grinding back against some random person studying a degree they had to pretend to care about in order to end up in that position, spend their evening kissing and holding onto someone whilst the people beside them gossip.

It’s the unshakable feeling that rises in your stomach that is similar to that of regret when you sip down the harsh liquid in a cup that Heeseung happily brought over to you.

Of course, it’s one of his regular gatherings - music too loud, far too many bodies against one another and far too much alcohol than the entire room can handle - but you came anyway.

Because what are friends for?

Even if you’re currently sneaking off down the little corridor to locate his bedroom, hoping that the door is unlocked so you can sit on his bed for a while and find some peace - it’s a regular thing Heeseung set up for you because he knows just how much you hate this, yet you still come anyway.

However, you’re met with dismay as the door doesn’t budge.

Locked.

Wonderful.

Heeseung is usually the careless type, but perhaps he’s learnt his lesson. Of course he would, at a time inconvenient for you.

He probably learnt the hard way, walking in on a couple doing, shall we say, ‘couply’ things.

You suppose that any subsequent unlocked room will have to do.

So you take the next one.

Heeseung lives with 3 other people, and whilst you’ve occasionally been in their flat and engaged in the passing “Hello!,” when you bump into one another, you don’t necessarily class yourselves as friends. Aside from Sunghoon, of course.

But that’s a story for another time.

And really, you should knock on the door, just on the off chance that maybe people are already inside, probably half naked and desperate to fuck. The absolute last thing you need right now is to watch people having sex - well, trying to.

But with alcohol in your system, decreased inhibition sure is intact. You don’t even notice the figure sat idly at their desk whilst you shut the door behind you, sigh of relief escaping your mouth as you enter the room.

Bingo!

You almost jump out of your skin when you turn around and realise the room is already occupied.

Said occupant being Jake, one of the main culprits of the awkward dialogue of, ‘Hello! Heeseung is in his room!’,’ sat at his desk with the reflection of his computer screen dancing in his eyes and illuminating his face.

“Oh, shit. I thought this room was empty,” you apologise once Jake makes eye contact with you, his gaze more intense as he tries to pinpoint exactly how he recognises you.

“And if it was?,” he bites his lip, and it’s purely innocent, but it still throws you for a loop.

“I dunno,” you hadn’t really thought about the possibility of Heeseung’s room being locked, honestly, “Just needed to get away from the crowd,”

“Ah,” he hums, as though he gets it - well, you assume he does, since he’s sat at his desk and sounding out the thumping bass from the music a few walls away, “Parties not really your thing?,”

“Depends on the party. This type isn’t,”

He laughs, “Well, in that case you can sit on the bed for a while. Don’t steal anything,”

He giggles after his last sentence, teeth coming to clutch his lip again and you find it cute. Jake is cute.

His bed feels warm, the sheets feel fresh, crisp under your touch like they’ve not long since been dried and put on. They smell strongly of fabric softener, and you wonder if all of his clothes smell like that. Hopefully.

Jake doesn’t speak much, and neither do you. He’s evidently focused on his computer screen, which by now you make out to be an assignment of some sort. How the man can focus in these conditions - said conditions being his flat mates’ stupidly obnoxious music and the loud chatter of people who quite frankly, don’t even like one another - is unbeknownst to you.

In the silence of the room, you can feel the slight spinning from the alcohol in your system. It’s an accident, you tell yourself, when you find yourself lying on top of Jake’s sheets and basking in the fabric conditioner scent. It’s nice.

Jake is nice.

Jake is nice because he swivels in his chair and smiles lightly as he watches a completely unaware you grip the sheets in your palms. Jake is nice because he won’t say anything, he’ll just let you do it.

“Did you wash these today?,” you ask.

“Yeah, can you tell?,” he knows you can.

“They smell nice,” you sit back on your elbows, “Why aren’t you with everyone else?,”

“Parties aren’t really my thing,” he repeats the similar line to you, relaxing back into his desk chair, “I can’t stand drunk people,”

“What if I’m a drunk person?,”

“Then you’re okay. You’re quiet,” he hums, and his gaze is soft. Nice.

“I don’t have to be,” you knew it would sound flirty, but it bounces around the walls and the sounds linger a little longer than you expected, so Jake’s cheeks glow red.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,”

“Are you worked up?,”

Impossibly more so, his cheeks flush. He reaches for his mini fridge, ultimately choosing to disregard his assignment and cracks open a beer, “Not yet,”

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Time doesn’t feel like a concept anymore.

You rejected when Jake offered you a beer because you don’t like the taste, so he helped himself. He didn’t want to get drunk, but he wanted to lessen his nerves. You’re making him feel nervous.

He finally recognises you as Heeseung’s friend, and he thinks you’re nice, so he wants to ease up around you.

The bed sheets don’t smell like fabric softener anymore - Jake’s cologne replaces it, but you think perhaps his scent is better. Leaning on him, he doesn’t shy away from the touch. It’s innocent and calm, despite the calamitous music still playing.

“You’re warm, Jake,” you muse.

“To be honest, I am sort of hot right n-,”

You slap him, playfully, and he almost drops the half-empty bottle of beer out of his hand. He places it on his bedside table, amongst the other now empty bottles, and grins at you, “Did I say something wrong?,”

“I’m being nice,”

“How is that nice?,”

You stare at him a little too long, and then burst into laughter. He does the same, and it’s endearing. You’re both tipsy, you can tell that much - his eyes a little glossy and he can’t stop grinning and it’s starting to hurt.

When the giggles die down, you’re simply left gazing into one another’s eyes. That, in itself, feels warm.

“You’re pretty,” Jake whispers, still smiling.

Your eyes trace over the details of his lips, of his teeth as he grins with an open mouth.

“Kiss me.”

So he does, and it’s soft and sweet and he tastes a little like beer but you don’t mind it, since it’s coming from him. His hands don’t move as he uses them to lean against.

His lips are soft, sometimes you barely connect because you’re both smiling like idiots and it makes the whole thing endearing. His tongue is soft on yours, and the rhythm of them together is slow.

When Jake pulls away first, he grabs your figure softly to help lift you over his hips. You’re straddling him now, but it doesn’t feel any more erotic than before. If anything, it’s quite calming.

Your heart is beating so fast, you can hear it in your ears now.

“When I drink alcohol, I get really horny,” you admit. There’s a feeling of shyness creeping up, but Jake just bites his lip and hums again and you assume that he’s agreeing with you.

You finally know that he’s agreeing with you when you feel a hardness press between your legs.

That’s because of you.

You move your hips experimentally, searching Jake’s face for signs of pleasure. And sure enough, you find them. He bites his lip again, and you’ve lost count of how many times he’s done that, but now it’s different. Now, you can tell that he’s doing it so to hide noises escaping. But you want to hear them.

“You don’t need to be quiet. Nobody can hear us,” you contradict your point as your voice stays at a whisper, breath soft and light on his lips and Jake simply can’t resist kissing you more hungrily.

Hands dancing around his neck as you keep them there, fingers idly playing with the loose strands of hair at his nape - you keep up your rhythm of moving your hips along one another, basking in the way Jake sighs against your lips occasionally, and the way his teeth catch your skin.

For some time, you’re both content just feeling one another, just letting the remnants of alcohol flush through your veins and translate into confidence, just being here.

But eventually, that’s not enough.

Jake’s hands creep into the hem of your pants, and it’s awkward in the way his wrist has to twist to slide into your underwear whilst you still straddle him. To be honest, the clothes just feel like a restriction. Jake barely has time to feel the lace of your underwear before you’re pulling yourself from him and working at the buttons of your trousers.

“They’re in the way,” you reason.

His lip - yet again caught between his teeth, turns upward into a grin.

“Hurry up and come back here,” he whines, his fingers tracing over the neckline of his shirt before he lifts it off. What a wonderful view.

You don’t even manage to climb back onto Jake as his palm rubs slowly against your clit. His fingers are a little cold as they tease you, and you shiver under his touch once his fingers enter.

He’s a little impatient, so he starts with two. He swears though, if he gets to do this again with you he just might take his time.

Now isn’t one of those situations.

So he immediately curls his fingers inside you to send you reeling. Jake is quick with his movements, wanting nothing more than to hear the salacious sounds of your wetness around him.

And pretty soon, he hears them - alongside the sweet moans of his name and encouragement to keep going. The only light illuminating Jake’s room comes from the computer falling into standby on his desk, and you wish that maybe things were a little brighter - so you could see every flexing muscle on the man’s hand; see in greater detail his tanned and toned torso.

But then again, you are simply in one of the rooms of your friends’ dorm, in the middle of a party.

“Ah, you like that?,” Jake hums in your ear after a particularly loud moan from you, free arm wrapping around you to palm at your breast.

“Mmm,” you nod lightly, “Feels good,”

“Yeah?,” his little search for praise, fuelled with an undertone of eroticism makes you whine out further, giving in to what he wants.

Taking his fingers out for a moment, he brings them to his mouth so to taste you - tongue moving slowly whilst maintaining eye contact with you. Jake knows his actions are fuelled by alcohol right now, but he gains a confidence of his own accord when he sees the way your mouth hangs slightly agape and your eyes are trained on his digits.

He doesn’t give you chance to say anything before his fingers are on you again, rubbing softly on your clit, already building a steady rhythm, “You taste sweet, you know,” he whispers back against your ear, and you turn your head to allow him to fit into the space better.

“Jake…,” you trail off, nails digging into the flesh of Jake’s wrist as he builds up momentum, bringing you closer to bliss.

You can help the way you clench around nothing, a desperation arising alongside the pleasure as you wish Jake would just abandon your orgasm to fuck you through it instead.

What you don’t realise, is that you voiced that out loud.

“Wanna make you cum around my fingers,” he kisses your shoulder, “Then my cock.”

Lifting up your shirt, Jake is quick to pull down the cup of your bra before ghosting his fingertips over your nipple. Again, his fingers are cold, but they soon warm up with the intense heat your body is exuberating.

His fingers move in tandem with the slow rhythm of your hips, a non-verbal request for just a little more, and he moans in synch with you.

The consistent pace of your body being touched builds up the feeling of pleasure - it won’t be long before it’s released.

“Don’t stop, Jake, I’m gonna cum,” you keep his wrist against you, palm flush against your clit as Jake’s fingers work at you faster.

With shaking legs, you heave, breathless whines escaping your throat as well as rasps of ‘Oh my god,’ and Jake thinks he’s dreaming right now.

He removes his fingers to softly toy at your clit one last time before you’re pulling him away, melting further into the sheets and the scent of his cologne.

“You feeling good?,” he purrs.

“So good,”

And you stay like that for a moment until Jake’s figure lay between your legs resting akimbo, lips ghosting over yours as he grinds his sweatpants over your bare pussy, “Are we okay to continue?,”

“Please,” you rasp, hands coming to pull up your shirt, much with the help of Jake’s eager own.

Pulling at your bra straps, he halts, “Can this come off too?,”

You smile, because this is nice. Jake is nice. Nice boys get what they want.

And boy, does he look happy when he gets to see the way your breasts fall against your chest.

“Pretty,” he muses, and you smile wider.

Jake hastily pulls down his sweatpants, cock springing out to hit against his stomach and the thought crosses your mind that maybe this could happen again - purely for the fact you want so badly to have him in your mouth right now.

But that can be a story for another time, right?

Distracting you from your thoughts, Jake rubs his tip up and down your folds before slowly pushing inside, earning a hiss from him.

This is much better than his silly little assignment.

He’s very glad he didn’t lock his door tonight. He’s very glad that this time, Heeseung did.

Jake experimentally pulls out before pushing slowly in, loosening you up slightly and readying you for the rhythm he wants to take.

By no means does he intend to be rough with you, but he wants to go deep. Have you feel him all the way, have you take it and feel good in return.

So he quickens ever so slightly, enough to make you gasp and meet your glossy eyes with his. He looks so good, mouth held open as he rasps almost silently, as his torso contracts and releases with each movement.

It’s like that for a while, deep, harsh thrusts where you lazily kiss one another, moaning into each other’s mouths as you block out the bass from the music and focus in on the sounds of the pair of you.

The headboard slightly knocks against the wall, and Jake usually would mind but he supposes that this time, it doesn’t really matter anyway.

What matters to him is the way your grip tightens on his hips as he pushes himself to the hilt, what matters to him is the way your eyes roll back and what matters to him is the way you have to keep licking your lips for moisture because he’s taking the air so quickly from you that they’re drying out.

Hips beginning to slow down, Jake looks you in the eyes, “Talk to me,” he grunts, “Tell me what it feels like,”

“Oh, Jake,” you move your grip onto his biceps, “Feels so full, so deep,”

Eyes closed and lips between his teeth, Jake sighs, “Fuck, tell me more,” he pushes deeper into you just to hear you whine.

“You’re so big,” you whimper, “Jake! You’re so good,” you throw your head back into his sheets and can smell the fabric softener that first enticed you.

With each bit of praise that rolls from your tongue, Jake speeds up. He acts accordingly, doing anything so to please you, so to make you say more.

His lips attach to your neck, first kissing softly, then licking, before his teeth sink in the flesh and he’s sucking - hard. For sure, a mark will be left there, and it’s something you often hate, but the haze of alcohol over your mind makes you forget just how much you’ll mentally punch yourself in the morning for letting it happen.

“Wow, Jake, please don’t stop,” you cry out.

Breaking his lips from your neck, Jake groans, “Keep moaning my name,”

He resumes his thrusts, arms on either side of your head keeping him upright as he isolates his hips to fuck back into you. His hair falls into his eyes, and you realise you like him like this - this is way better than all of those passing greetings - why didn’t you both do this sooner?

“Jake,” you moan again, legs wrapping and locking around his waist.

“Fuck,” Jake mewls, “Say my name again. Who’s making you feel good?,” there’s such a desperation in his request, wanting nothing more to fall from your mouth other than the title of who’s making you feel so insanely good.

“You, Jake,” you claw at his chest as an attempt to ground yourself and keep in place as Jake’s hips snap against you.

“Yeah, that’s right.” he giggles a little and you find it cute, in a way.

You’re growing increasingly desperate, hips rocking back against Jake’s before you bring your hand to your clit, rubbing in a rhythm you’re familiar with - because it gets you there.

And feeling how you’re slowly convulsing around him, Jake knows it won’t be long before this is over. If he can make you cum first, then he will be satisfied.

With one hand still thumbing at your clit and another softly on Jake’s shoulder, you try to warn him, but instead simply throw your head back as you cum - hard, breathless. Strong, relentless.

It takes every last bit of Jake’s crumbling resolve to pull out of you before he makes a silly little mistake persuaded by alcohol.

Fisting at his cock, it’s one, two more harsh grips before ropes of his release land on your stomach.

Please, don’t get any on the fresh sheets. They just got washed today.

You bask in the view of the boy twisting his fingers around himself before he whimpers in sensitivity.

Perhaps another time it can be you that draws that sound out of him.

For now, though, it isn’t, and the priority becomes cleaning up the mess that’s been made. That comes easily, with Jake already wiping at your skin softly with a wet wipe.

“I should leave my door unlocked more often,” he thinks aloud, and you laugh which lights up his eyes just a little.

He gets up to discard the dirtied wipes in the bin beside his desk. He makes a mental note to empty it in the morning.

There’s a sudden realisation of just how bare you are, and Jake notices. That wonderful scent of his cologne that you’ve discovered tonight engulfs you once more as a hoodie is tossed your way. It’s warm. It smells good.

It’s nice.

It’s nice how Jake stands in the perfect direction for the light of his abandoned computer screen to land on his body - every ridge on display as he haphazardly puts on new underwear.

He tries to pretend he hasn’t noticed you staring at him because it’s making him nervous. He thinks maybe he didn’t drink enough alcohol to suppress his nerves because his heart is pounding even louder - and he’s worried you can hear it.

“Standard procedure says we should cuddle now.” you smile as Jake obliges and flops on top of you. He’s surprisingly light, and his skin is warm.

For a moment, you both forget the party going on just a few thin walls away - if it even is still ongoing, you’re not sure.

Fingers tangle in Jake’s hair, a soft hum of pleasure escaping from his mouth as you aid in lulling him to sleep.

And you’re feeling tired too, eyes threatening to close until a loud noise startles the pair of you.

Bursting through the door that the both of you failed to lock, Heeseung arrives - the man you’d initially set out to seek the room of, walking with confident stride whilst he talks.

“Hey, Jake, have you seen-,”

#enhypen smut #jake enhypen smut #jake smut #enhypen drabbles #enhypen scenarios #enhypen hard hours #enhypen x reader

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husbandohunter · 3 years

Note

A Furry Predicament, but reversed (Reader turns into a cat)? Pretty please with a sweet lil cherry on top? (I recently stumbled across your blog and may I just say that I absolutely adore your works??) Thank youu and take care~~

A Furrier Predicatment [Genshin x Cat!Reader]

♤♡◇♧☆

Synopsis: It's your turn to be a cat after this incident.

Characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Xiao, Albedo, Zhongli, Childe, Venti

(A/n): Ah you did OwO that's very sweet of you. It's alot of fun to write, especially when your imagination is stunted and you just gotta spit out something silly.

=======================

[Diluc]

Any beloved pet owned by Master Diluc would be under the most high quality and meticulous treatement. Mostly for cats since they tend to be calm while elegant...to some extent. If they were dogs then he'll ensure that they also serve as a partner for sniffing out trouble such as a certain bard who'd might've sneaked into the wine cellars. But you weren't either, so to say, you were both a beloved AND a cat.

As he picks you up gently into his arms, Diluc would be a little baffled on what to do next. He has no idea how to care for delicate creatures as he never had one (other than a pet tortoise but that's different) in which he needed to look for help. But who? The staff? Certainly not, no one can find out that his partner turned into a pet (imagine all the scandals he'll be in). Jean? Anything but the knights of Favonius. And most certainly not his brother.

So Diluc ends up figuring everything out by himself (old habits die hard). All the sweets and regular meals you craved were no long in your menu, you were forced to have a proper cat diet because he believed it was healthier. Half of the time he has no idea what he's doing, since you were a cat and all you could do was "meow" (which Diluc forgets. He tries to have a mundane conversation until you stare at him with feline eyes. That was when he remembered).

"What would you like for tonight's dinner, my love?"

"Meow." He has alot to learn.

Though Master Diluc often gets very tired and he attempts to take a quick nap before killing himself over the next set of duties. That is, until you could help it. Being a cat has it's furry and comfy advantages. So you leapt up to the bed as quietly as possible and onto the side of your lover, circling a few times to see if he was really asleep. When he was you snuggled close to keep him warm, hoping it would lull him into a rest even deeper. He slept like a baby.

~xx~

[Kaeya]

If the Cavalry Capatain were to own a pet, they would either be charmed by him or snaring their teeth because of his unreadable and suspicious aura. Animal instincts are quite powerful. But your case wasn't the latter, thankfully and he could feel himself growing fond of this new found relationship. Almost. What should he do with you now that you're a cat, Kaeya wonders.

Belly rubs and a lot of them. He absolutely adores the way your cute little nose scrunches up while he runs his fingers on the center of your tummy (though he knows when to stop, Kaeya is rather gentle with you nowadays). You found that he absolutely adores the shape of your nose, would pick you up and boop yours with his own somehow knows how to be his flirty self despite your unusual form.

There was this one incident where you saw something shiny flashing over the wall. Slowly you followed it as the bright dot moved futher and further away, evetually gaining speed. Little did you know it was Kaeya who was watching you swipe your little paws up and down against the wall while he was just cleaning his sword. How could he help it? You were often so headstrong and independent, now you were just an adorable little kitten that loves to play with yarn and shiny things. It backfired him though, now there were a bunch of scratchmarks marring the surfaces (which he had to pay for repairs).

Takes you out to Windrise so that you could get some fresh air (also for you to find somewhere else to shed your fur other than his humble abode). Kaeya sits back under a tree while you either chase a butterfly or start slapping against the dandelions (only sneeze when they fly into your face). He wasn't sure if you were aware of what you were doing right now, if you were then he'll have lots of things to talk about once you turn back into human. If not, then at least he had the opportunity to witness such a soft side coming from you.

~xx~

[Xiao]

If any animal were to go close towards the adeptus, they would run away. Xiao isn't very good at interacting with others, pets included, usually they would run into the alleyway or hide around the legs of their owners while he glaringly, blankly stares at them (Even though he wouldn't admit it, Xiao thinks to himself, how soft is cat fur?) Now he gets to touch your cat form and turns out that fur is very ticklish yet pleasant against his skin.

Would be the most awkward conversationalist, the poor yaksha was already terrible with his words (often coming out harsh so he prefers to either keep away or say nothing at all) and even with you sometimes, now it was almost impossible to communicate. Xiao is not very good at reading a cat's body language. When you want him to hold you again, you'd walk in circles. He assumes you were hungry and leaps out the window to go fetch some fish...for the nth time there was a pile of raw salmon stacking upon the floor. Xiao thinks that maybe salmon species weren't to your liking, hence he does out to find another one.

As he plays his flute, you'd magically doze off on his lap. (There was one thing that you both can communicate with at last). Slowly but surely, he comes to learn the different gestures you make for certain situations. You often rub yourself upon his leg which he had heard to be a cat's way of claiming their territory. That was when Xiao picks you up, FINALLY. Though the real reason why it took him this long was because he was hesitant to hold you. He never really held a pet so naturally he has no idea how to hold a cat. Ends up cradling you in his arms because it seemed to be a safer option <3

"I never thought I'd be able to hold you like this," Xiao softly says to your lazy form, observing the way your ears perked up at the sound of his voice, "But I...forget it. We can stay like this for the time being, if you'd like. If not, that's fine too."

You stay.

~xx~

[Albedo]

The only pets Albedo had were for his alchemic experiments (plus they were put in cages too). Fact be told, he would make a terrible pet owner with the lifestyle he has now. The alchemist would be so absorbent into his work that he'll most likely forget that he has someone to feed and by the time he realized it, they would have already starved to death. After hearing glass bottles crashing to the floor, Albedo bursts into the rooms as the smoke fills it completely, finding a cat lost between it. The cat was you. He knows because he made the potions.

Sometimes he'd a little too scientific for his own good. Albedo assumed that when you turned into a cat, you've gone into cat mode and ends up treating you as such. "No, don't go near any bodies of water. You wouldn't like it." He almost forgets that you were once human which is very much like him if you had to be honest. Though when he does find out that you still carried human traits, Albedo must find ways to adapt things to your liking.

He makes your food himself. He's not a cook but he sure is good at everything he does, even if it's something he never did before. This goes for other areas too such as the size of your bed, if you need a little couch to stay on or maybe some tools to play around. (The only time when he is a good pet owner). In his sketchbook he'd have a bunch of blueprints and contraptions of what to make next. There's something enjoyable when spoiling you, those little reactions when you're pleased, like the twitch of your whiskers or the lift of your tail. Albedo finds is very cute.

On top of all that, he could also make you a potion to turn you back into normal. It seemed that it was the last thing he thought of on the list. Albedo was too occupied with treating you like a cat that it all flew over his head until now. Time flies when you're having fun.

~xx~

[Zhongli]

Unlike Albedo, anyone who has Zhongli as a pet owner would be considered to be a very lucky animal. He radiates a calm and serene aura that gives the perfect environment to have infinite nap times. People look at this man and wonder why his pet never gives him any trouble, especially when cats were considered to be both fiesty and needy. But they just didn't know that the cat was you (not like it would make a difference, any animal would know that Zhongli was no ordinary man).

How on earth does he know what you're saying? Maybe it's because he was once an archon. You could meow and he knows exactly what you would like to snack on. You could tilt your head, he takes it that you were curious on what he was currently doing (which was exactly what you were wondering), you can say nothing at all yet as if he could read your mind, Zhongli comes over to pet you with his gloved hands.

"How can I tell? Indeed it is because you're my lover, of course. Throughout this time we spent together, I've come to learn the way you speak through your eyes. They seem to hold true no matter what form you take. It's rather comforting."

Though there were many moments where you sneak up behind Zhongli. His hair, his ponytail- so long. Must play with. As you jump up and down with his thin strand swings side to side, it'll take a few seconds for him to decipher what your were doing. The minute he turns around he catches you with his hands midair and laughs heartfully. Cats were very endearing creatures.

~xx~

[Childe]

Back home in Snezhnaya, Childe would probably have owned a dog or two. They were mostly meant for hunting purposes, big and large furry creatures with thick skin suitable to endure the harsh cold. He has dogs because cats hate him for some strange reason. They either hiss or snootly turn their backs on him, one time he picked one up as a kid but his face bleeding after the cat scratched him with their paws. But of course you wouldn't do that to him. You would never~ he was your cutie pie anyways.

He was an obnoxious hugger, not gentle at all. Childe forgets his strength as a human man and when he squeezes you tightly against his chest, you'd spike out on all ends because by the archons, you're suffocating. But it was your fault for feeling so comfy and warm! Similar to Kaeya, they're both obnoxious but Childe deemed himself to be even worse. He'd rub his face against yours, commenting on how sensitive it sways. Tonia once told him that she wanted a pet cat instead, maybe he should also bring you back to his homeland now.

Yes he would love to play with you. Bring in the cat toys...or not. This was the eleventh Fatui Harbinger, what were you thinking? Normal cat activities? Not here. He's gonna teach you how to hunt like how he taught his dogs to hunt in Snezhnaya. You gave him the most deadpanned and dissapointed look with your large feline glare. Not only was he disliked by cats but he certainly was not good with them.

Though he can take it down a notch sometimes and just indulge in relaxing activities. When there was nothing else for him to do or when he was just tired after a productive day, he'd sit by the kitchen and you on top of the table. While you yawned and leaned down for a nap, Childe plays with the small of your paws to the soft edge of your nails. If he taps your nose, your whiskers twitch. Your ears are nice, maybe he should get you a headband version once you turned back to human.

You immediately wake up when he touches your tail.

~xx~

[Venti]

Achoo!

You sometimes wonder how is it that the anemo archon was able to live through 2000 years without getting beaten up by a cat. If andrius was a large cougar than a wolf, maybe he wouldn't be an archon now. Which is why you are to stay miles far far away from him unless you want the whole of Mondstadt to be blown away by the wind.

Wears a mask (as if this were the covid19 pandemic), although it doesn't take away all his problems, at least it'll minimize it. Venti always has a box of tissues ready but you can tell by the puffiness of his eyes that he's been sneezing alot. He really tries his hardest to pitch in every once in a while when Albedo was working on a cure for you to go back to normal. Though acts as if he was quarantined by staying all the way at the other side of the room.

"Ahahaha don't mind me. It's your local bard of Mondstadt dropping by to see how things are going. I wanna make sure how long it will take for you to make the potion? Just curious!"

No hugs, cuddles or anything involving close proximity. This makes Venti very pouty and impatient. Albedo finds it very hard to concentrate with all the sniffling and sneezing that he had no choice but to kick him out. It didn't help that the location was Dragonspine, now he was sneezing even more.

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quirkless-accident · 2 years

Text

Last Man Standing pt 2

this is the Danny is the Only One in Class 2-A fic

----------

So it turned out Plus Ultra Style was absolutely fucking brutal.

Every day Danny went home, exhausted and drenched in sweat from his training with Aizawa. But man, he absolutely loved it. He loved all of it, really. He's never liked school because, as a quirkless kid, the whole world is biased against you. Some people just couldn't get past that little fact, and it had made school a living hell.

He should have known U.A. was different. He should have known all of his teachers were cool, and that they were so willing to help him with anything he needed. Aizawa even offered to set up appointments with Hound Dog for him if he ever needed to talk about his death. Nobody has ever done that for him before. It was like a breath of fresh air.

So it was no wonder when Jazz noticed. She went to U.A. too, but she was in the gen ed course looking to become a therapist specifically for heroes. She had always let him ramble when he was excited, but nowadays he found him doing just that on the train ride to school, up until he met up with his friends at the front gate.

He couldn't help the grin on his face as he slipped into his class, where Aizawa was already waiting for him.

-------

Aizawa watched as Danny went through the forms Aizawa had taught him. He caught onto hand-to-hand fighting like a fish to water, and it was really refreshing to see him thrive.

The kid had told him that he had died, and that's how he got his powers. Before, he was quirkless. It was a lot to take in-especially since he knew the kid wasn't lying or pulling some weird prank. It had taken everything in him to not be surprised by the news though. He didn't want to make Danny feel like he couldn't come to him. It would make class kind of awkward, all things considered.

Still, though.

The fact that the kid had died didn't sit right with him. Maybe it was because he was a kid, or maybe it was because he had admitted that he couldn't go to his parents about it (which was another can of worms Aizawa had to dig through eventually), but either way Aizawa wanted to be there for him in any way he could be.

Sometimes he wandered the cafeteria to get a glimpse of his one student, who nearly every day sat with a kid from the support course, and a goth girl in Mic's gen ed class. They looked like they would get into a lot of trouble together.

He had talked to the other teachers and with Danny's permission he told them everything Danny had told him. He was rather surprised the boy had, because he just seemed so closed the rest of the time. He's glad, though, because if he had gone in thinking he had had his quirk his whole life like the rest of them, he'd probably be teaching the kid a lot differently.

"Oh, I bet it was Sam that convinced him to do it," Mic had said one time. "She's the goth girl in my class-refuses to be called anything else. She's got a good head on her shoulders, though I need to talk to her about more advanced work. She's pretty fluent already in English."

"So is Danny," Aizawa told him. "His parents are apparently from America and they grew up learning it. She probably picked it up from him. Maybe you could teach him JSL or something, I don't think he knows that."

Mic had nodded with a grin and ran out of the room at the speed of light to go make a lesson plan.

All in all, though, Danny was doing pretty well. His grades hadn't been the best in middle school but Aizawa had a suspicion that it was more likely the school's fault. Whether it was falsifying grades or just making it a hard environment for Danny to learn in, he wasn't sure. Not like it really mattered, either, though.

But here in U.A. he thrived. He was a genius in disguise. All of his grades were great-his math and science being near perfect-and Aizawa felt like he was finally at the point where he could start going over strategy-work with him.

He was definitely going to need it for the Sports Festival that was next week.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #jazz fenton #shouta aizawa #eraserhead #mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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wingsofkpop · 3 years

Text

NSFW Alphabet - Yang Jeongin (m)

A - Aftercare

Despite being on the more inexperienced side, I think Jeongin is responsible enough to know that aftercare is a must following sex, whether it be making sure you both are properly hydrated or helping you change the bed sheets. Because he’s usually babied by his members, this sweet boy treasures each moment he’s able to take care of you for a change though he won’t say no if you request to be the bigger spoon for a night or two.

B - Body Part

Seeing as our dear maknae has apparently gotten buff somewhere over the years, he likely takes pride in his biceps and arms in general as he damn well should. We’ll go more in depth about it later, but let’s just say Innie likes to use his strength in more ways than one… Moving on, Jeongin will never not be a fan of your neck. Mans has a bit of a marking tendency, but hormones aside, Jeongin’s in love with your scent, which seems to be more pungent around thah area. Plus, the crook of your neck also makes a good hiding place when he’s shy.

C - Cum

The only place this man’s cumming is in a condom. He may not be a baby anymore, but he doesn’t want any other baby Jeongins showing up anytime soon. Changbin is already a handful enough as it is…

D - Dirty Secret

Now it’s a bit out of the element here, but Jeongin sometimes gets tired of being coddled by his members. That being said, he’s had some fantasies about proving his growness—fantasies that may or may not include getting caught eating you out until you’re a literal puddle by Chan or Hyunjin, or maybe fucking you into the wall just in time for Changbin or Seungmin to walk through the door. Not wanting to disrespect you or anything, he prefers to keep these thoughts to himself… just don’t ask questions if he starts to get a little handsy during movie nights with the other boys.

E - Experience

Like most of the younger Stray Kids members, I don’t think he has too much sexual experience. He’s probably made out with a girl or two over the years, maybe felt her up a bit, but that’s as far as his hands-on exploration goes. Even so, he probably has a general idea of how things are supposed to go, generously provided by stories from his members and the wonders of porn.

F - Favorite Position

Due to his lack of sexual practice, Jeongin probably has not found his all-time favorite position just yet. He’s eager to try everything he possibly can, so expect to be blown away literally every time y’all do the do.

G - Goofy

Jeongin doesn’t mind getting a little silly during sex every once and a while, but he also knows that a more sensual, serious mood is needed too. The first few times will definitely be more casual and light-hearted, kept alive by his playful grin and mischevious fingers. But even as you two begin to become more mature, that same youthful atmosphere will remain, making it feel like the first time every time.

H - Hair

He probably just lets it do it’s own thing honestly. As long as it doesn’t get too unruly, he doesn’t mind it all that much.

I - Intimacy

Seeing he’s likely never been in a serious relationship before you, he’s all about the ideal, romantic aspect of love making. And while there won’t necessarily be rose petals and silk sheets every time you guys have sex, he knows how to make you feel loved and wanted with just his touch alone. Eye contact is also a huge must for Jeongin—he needs to see your face in the moment, to watch the pleasure overtake your body as he brings you to a headspace only few have the privilege to witness. It may sound cheesy, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he has a secret plan to marry you one day, already knowing you’re his forever person.

J - Jack Off

Innie is young, so it’s no surprise his hormones are a bit on the overwhelming side at times. For him, getting off largely depends on if and when he has a moment to himself, which is quite rare between his busy schedule and lack of privacy in the dorm. That being said, he probably masturbates no more than three times a week. If that.

K - Kink

Alright hoes, I’m gonna start this off by saying Jeongin damn well has some sort of strength kink. We’ve all seen the size of those arms. Now he wouldn’t necessarily manhandle you, but if the moment requires him to pick you up by your thighs, or maybe pin your wrists to the bed cause you’re getting a little too frisky, then a man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. He also has a HUGE thing when you get all dressed up for him, whether it be in a dress/suit or a lingerie set. Some other honorable mentions of his include marking, praise, and the occasional teasing.

L - Location

Please, please, PLEASE let this man take you against the wall, or anywhere that lets him show off his strength. He turns into some type of beast, I swear—Bonus points if y’all have the dorm to yourselves, because then he will literally take you against every single surface…

M - Motivation

The second you compliment him, this man will be literal putty in your hands. He loves, and I mean LOVES, when you praise him for his stage performances or MV scenes. And don’t let him catch you watching his fancams… or else prepared to get dicked into next year~

N - NO

BDSM is completely off the table for Jeongin. While he doesn’t mind trying something new every so often, he’s just not comfortable treading into the kind of intense territory that would require use of a safe word. He’s also just not a fan of power dynamics in general.

O - Oral

Sorry fam, oral is just not it for Jeongin. It’s nothing against you, he just doesn’t prefer blow jobs because of his tendency to finish too early, and he’d much rather practice other methods of foreplay to get you both off.

P - Pace

In the beginning stages of your relationship, Innie used to utilize a rapid, sloppy pace. After obtaining more experience, his stroke game is much, much better and more fluid, though he sometimes tends to revert back to an awkward pace when he’s close to climax. But like everyone, his skill and confidence will grow more over time.

Q - Quickie

The only time he’ll settle for a quickie is if he’s completely and totally desperate for your touch. But even then, he needs to be sure your session will take place in an environment that is both private and isolated from any other people. But once he’s comfortable and secure, he’ll drive you into the nearest wall with no further hesitation whatsoever.

R - Risk

Nope, nope, nopity, nope. While the idea of getting caught makes him feel all the things, Jeongin would rather not risk anyone actually walking in on you two when you’re being less than innocent. Especially his members, because if they do, he knows he’ll never hear the end of it.

S - Stamina

He’s got pretty decent stamina. Jeongin can usually go for some foreplay and maybe two rounds depending on how exhausted he is from his schedule. Then again, on days he is a bit more on the tired side, he wouldn’t mind sitting back and letting you do most the work.

T - Toy

The most curious boy omg. Innie’s experience with toys probably stems from porn and the dark side of Reddit, so he’ll be utterly fascinated if you own any nifty gadgets of your own. And while I don’t think he’d actively shop for sex toys, he doesn’t mind spicing things up in the bedroom with a couple vibrators, restraints, or sensation play objects.

U - Unfair

Don’t let his adorable facade fool you—this boy can be the WORST tease on any given day. He’s the type of lover that will suggestively trail his hands across your breasts and thighs, then act all innocent when you call him out. Jeongin is also an expert in getting you to tell him what he wants to hear. For example, “You want me to make you cum, baby? How exactly do you want me to do that?…”

V - Volume

Honestly, this man is a moaning machine. And you may hear some cute little whimpers and whines in that mix too… At first, he was probably a bit bashful to make any noise in that context, but after some coaxing and needed praise from you, he’ll never try to be silent again.

W - Wild Card

Let me set the scene for you: You and Innie watching some horribly budgeted rom-com you found on Netflix, and literally just making fun of the entire movie. That is, until the two main leads start making out in the back of a car. Oh, this shuts you both right up, especially when clothes start coming off and the car windows begin to steam up. The scene ends eventually, but this awkward, sexually tense silence still remains between you and Jeongin, and when you look to your blushing lover, you find him poorly attempting to cover his raging hard on. Then, he clears his throat and cutely stutters, “S-So… You wanna… you know?…”

X - X-ray

He’s a bit below average: 4.5-5 inches. But he’s got some thickness to his name.

Y - Yearning

As already mentioned, Innie tends to hold back in regards to his sexual needs for fear of coming across as a horn dog. You two probably do the nasty at least once a week, but I guarantee you can raise that number if you sit your boyfriend down and explain the concept of a mutually beneficial relationship huehuehue.

Z - ZZZzzz

If there’s one thing that Jeongin loves most in the world, it’s being in your arms after a long and stressful day. Whether or not you choose to end the night with an orgasm or two, he’ll settle himself atop your body, using your breasts as his own personal pillows, and just let his tension melt away in the comforting warmth of your touch. And though he’d never admit it, sometimes he doesn’t really mind being babied after all…

#i honestly cant believe i actually wrote this...#wtf did this kid grow up?!?#stray kids smut #stray kids x reader smut #stray kids smut imagines #yang jeongin smut #yang jeongin x reader smut #kpop smut

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rwprincess · 3 years

Text

Head Over Feet (Brian Johnson x Fem!Reader)

Masterlist

Word Count: 4.8k

Synopsis: What’s that sound? It’s another anachronistic Brian Johnson songfic! (Based on Alanis Morissette’s Head Over Feet) You’re one of Bender’s trash-punk friends and things change drastically when he brings the scrawny brain from detention with him to meet you all. Set up in snippets, your relationship develops with Brian, even if you weren’t really looking for a relationship.

CW: Teenage smoking (including reader), swearing, parental abuse (being being kicked out), sexism, angst and fluff

“This is Johnson,” Bender indicated the boy he brought along to your group’s spot under the bleachers.

“Brian, please.” The kid corrected. You eyed the gangly youth from top to bottom; in his sweater over a crisply-ironed collared shirt and khakis, he definitely didn’t fit in here with you all. You’d be called grungy punks at best. You didn’t think any of you even owned an iron and crisp definitely wasn’t your style. You blew out a puff of smoke, exhaling the nicotine from your lungs and shifted your gaze to Bender, wondering what he was at with this. He wasn’t the best guy, but pranking this preppy little nerd by bringing him down to your hangout? That seemed beneath him.

“You, uh, running some kinda charity here, Bender? We’re not exactly Make-A-Wish material, kid.” Scorch told the blonde dweeb and you snorted at the thought.

“Shut the fuck up,” was all Bender said in response. The rest of the twenty minutes of Brian Johnson standing there was of course, incredibly awkward and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t fit in. But that didn’t stop him from coming back a week later. And again a few days after that. And again and again until, well, that dork had grown on the lot of you. While he didn’t partake in cigarette smoking like most of you, he did take Bender up on his weed on several occasions and was actually really funny while high. He did weirdly spot-on impressions and had a sense of humor that none of your group had anticipated.

And, as much as you would vehemently deny it, you liked him when he was sober, too. He was incredibly smart and helpful and while his jokes were different without marijuana in his system, he could be amusing. That first awkward encounter was back in March, maybe April. But now you spent time with him without the convenience of school pulling you together. Now it was June and you sought to spend time with him, even without the group. Tonight, you were laying in a field not far from the high school, just the two of you. You liked to listen to him ramble on about the constellations and the myths about why they were named as they were. You remembered liking that as a kid, but you didn’t remember most of the stories. You knew you could ask him questions about the actual stars, too. Like, the science of it, and he would know. But you’d rather let him ramble and tackle one subject at a time. Even though he focused more on science and math, he was a pretty good storyteller, and right now that provided you with more of an escape than talking about the chemical composition of a star. When he finished his retelling of Ursa Minor’s story, however, he remained silent and didn’t start up a new piece of lore. After a moment, you looked at him to see what the hold up was, but you just caught his eye as his gaze was already fixed on you. Your heart started pounding in your chest because you knew what was coming.

“You know, we could go on an actual date some time.” Brian suggested, breaking the silence. You closed your eyes, almost wincing at the words. He was generally more subtle than this, but the same idea had been brought up before. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Brian. In general, you did, and in the honest depths of your soul, it was as more than a friend. But, every time it came down to this subject, you panicked. You had never been serious with anyone and the thought of dating was completely foreign to you. You had messed around with some guys before but you never had feelings for them. You didn’t know how to depend on another person, to have an actual relationship with them.

I had no choice but to hear you

You stated your case time and again

I thought about it

You sighed, your eyes still closed. You didn’t know what to tell him. Before, he always left it as more of a hint and it was easier to dodge. Now he was just coming out and saying it. Basically asking you out, so you would actually have to turn him down this time. The terrible thing was, you didn’t really want to. The conscious side of you wanted to agree and go out with him, on a proper date. But your subconscious kicked you into fight or flight mode and if you weren’t in the middle of a field, you might have picked flight and walked away. But that didn’t seem to be an option.

“Look, Johnson. It’s not that easy. Just...don’t waste your time on me.”

“I’m already wasting my time on you.” He pointed out, but when you took a peek at him, he didn’t seem upset about it. He was actually grinning about it. “We’re already wasting our time out here. Or at the library, or under the bleachers… So why not like, a movie theater or dinner, or my house?”

“Oh yeah, your mom would love having me around.” You joked, humorlessly. The smattering of times you had met Brian’s mother hadn’t gone swimmingly. You could read the derision in her voice and knew she did not approve of her good little baby hanging out with a ne’er-do-well like you.

“She’d come around. You’re different once someone actually gets to know you.” He meant it as a compliment, but you took it as your out.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” You leapt up, indignantly and he just gaped at you like a fish out of water.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it, I swear!” He put his hands up defensively as you looked down at him. “Forget it, I’m sorry.” You had victory, he dropped the subject and your friendship could last another night and you could try to pretend like he wasn’t right, that you two weren’t meant to be something more.

*~~~~*

You treat me like I'm a princess

I'm not used to liking that

You ask how my day was

For the most part, working at Bert’s auto shop felt worthwhile and valuable. Other days, it chewed you up and spit you out. It was hard being in such a masculine environment and not fitting into that type. Customers (mostly men, but even the women too) thought that you were less knowledgeable and handy than your cohorts. Bender’s teasing didn’t help that image, either.

Now you slid into the booth at Gino’s pizzeria utterly deflated and defeated. Of course, Brian took notice right away. “Rough day?” He inquired, pushing a menu towards you even though he knew you ordered the same thing every time.

“That’s not even the half of it. Why does Bender hafta be such a dick all the time?!” You asked, incredulously but sincerely, diving right into your problem.

“I don’t know. I think he thinks it’s part of his charm? Maybe it is. I mean, we’re still friends with him.” You nodded at his point, but clenched your fists just the same.

“I just wish he knew when to back off sometimes. Like, he never realizes he’s taking it too far and digging you further into a shithole.”

“What did he do this time?” Brian’s gaze on you was unbroken; it made you feel important, like your opinion, your story, was the only thing that mattered.

“So we got this old guy in the shop today. Beautiful car, so of course he was hesitant with me touching it.” You began and his eyebrows furrowed, already not liking the direction this was going. “And I’m trying to prove myself worthy to work on this car, even though I would just be doing an oil change, which isn’t like a big deal anyway, right? Simple stuff.” You looked to him to get acknowledgement to move forward.

“I mean, I guess. I don’t really know about oil changes or anything about cars. But I know you do.”

“Right, so Bender has to go and make a crack to the old guy about how they won’t let me near it and I’m just the secretary for the shop or whatever. Just a total dick move. But of course the guy believed him and laughed with him and sent me to go get him a cup of coffee? I mean, what the hell is that?”

“That’s not right. And you wear a mechanic’s uniform at work, why would he think--?”

“Because macho man Bender told him I was! He was more believable than me.” You sank back and put a hand up to brace your forehead as the waitress approached the table. You prepared to order your drink when she set down exactly what you would have ordered in front of you and walked away, promising to come back in a few minutes. You blinked at the cup as if it magically had appeared.

“I uh, figured you’d get the usual and you’d need it when you got here, so I ordered for you. I hope that’s okay.” Brian said and then looked away, suddenly embarrassed by the idea. Since he wasn’t looking at you anyway, you allowed your lips to twitch up into a smile threatening to break out on your face...but only for a moment.

“Yeah, whatever. So anyway, Bender…” you carried on, pretending nothing happened, but secretly cataloguing his gesture in your memory.

*~~~~*

The only thing worse than arguing with Brian or him pissing you off was him making you laugh. There were times that you would go home with sore sides and itchy eyes from the tears that formed while laughing so hard. Then you would always, always reflect on the hours you just spent together, feeling the warmth and butterflies tickle your insides and a nervous heat would prickle your skin as you thought about how happy Brian made you. He never pushed you to do anything; he liked you the way you were. Sure, he would drop hints here and there about how you should stop smoking or give you advice when you had a particularly bad argument with one of your friends, but overall, he just accepted you. And you knew how hard that was to find.

You had never been popular and when junior high rolled around, you accepted that you never would be. You found your own little group of outcasts who understood what it was like to be kicked down time and again, and now he had somehow joined that group too. You knew he understood how it felt. Even though he looked different and came from a very different social circle, he had been looked down upon by his peers all his life. You were guilty of judging him the same way when you first met him, but now you couldn’t imagine life without him. He was cut of the same cloth and you could see yourself in him, which is why you just clicked. And he was so kind and so patient with you. You tried to push him away dozens of times, to put up the barriers and the walls that worked so well for everyone that came before him; you couldn’t be hurt if you never got attached. Where most people gave up and only saw the cold, distant bitch you gave them, Brian always saw something more. He didn’t give up in breaking down those walls, and even accepted just being your friend. That made you love him even more.

Shit, wait. Did you just think about loving Brian? A crush is one thing. Having a buddy to fool around with is one thing. Being in love was quite another.

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

*~~~~*

Mercedes Johnson was all about keeping up appearances, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear her arguing with Brian on the other side of the door, about you. Again. You had known from the second you met her that she didn’t like you. She was instantly worried about the influence you’d have on her son; it was a common reaction from parents based on the way you looked and the company you kept. You would think you’d be used to it by now.

However, it truthfully bothered you more because this was Brian’s mother. You were hoping that she would be different and see the person underneath like her son had, or at the very least, that she would eventually warm up to you. You had no luck with either.

“I’m not comfortable with having her over at the house right now.” You could hear her tell Brian.

“She’s my friend, ma. Of course she’s going to come over--”

“I’m aware of that but you know I wish she weren’t. I would prefer that you keep the company of other friends.” The formality of her sentences while she was still cruelly putting you both down made you cringe.

“You don’t know her because you won’t give her a chance. She’s not that different from my other friends.”

“You have friends in the Physics Club, from Knowledge Bowl, Honor Students. You don’t need the association with a hoodlum like that or John Bender and I don’t know why you keep insisting on bringing them into my home when I have repeatedly told you no. I don’t want them around your sister, or even you!”

“Fine. Then we’ll leave.” You heard the door swing open harshly and Brian was motioning for you to follow him out of the house.

“Brian Ralph Johnson!” You heard his mother cry after the two of you. Brian held open the front door for you and you looked at him cautiously before rushing out. You knew you weren’t wanted there, but you were worried that he wouldn’t come with you. You were even more worried that he would. “You are not leaving this house.” Mercedes put on the most intimidating tone you had witnessed her use.

“No, I am. We are. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t bother coming back tonight if you walk out of this house!” She was now pink-faced and losing all of the reserved, polished look you had seen her have. She had never been so...uncomposed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Brian said and grabbed you by the elbow as he escorted you down the driveway to your car. He immediately got into the passenger seat and as you sunk behind the steering wheel, you glanced at him.

“Brian, this is stupid. You don’t have to---you shouldn’t do this.” The whole situation reminded you of the many times you had been kicked out of your house. This was just another home you weren’t welcome in.

He clenched his jaw in response. “Let’s just go. I’ll figure it out later. Please, just drive.”

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole

You're so much braver than I gave you credit for

That's not lip service

“Your mom gave you a choice, you know. It’s not like she told you to get out. She actually told you not to leave.” You said as you both sat on the trunk of your car, looking out across the field that was slowly turning to a golden hue, both from the afternoon sun and the change into autumn. Neither of your houses were really an option to go to, so you just chose the empty field that you would look at stars in during the summer.

“It’s not like it was really a choice though, was it? I’m tired of her trying to control every part of my life. I need to start thinking for myself, doing things for myself. She needs to understand that I’m going to do what I want, and like who I want to like.” He looked at you meaningfully for a moment, but you looked away quickly. It was too heavy for you to process right now.

“That’s a big step. I’m really impressed with you for standing up for yourself.” You told him, and he gave you an appreciative, heart-stopping smile in return that caused your cheeks to flush. Your parents had shouted at you to leave so many times before, any time you were ‘inconvenient’ for them, that it was hard to relate to someone who chose not to stay. But you wanted to support him and you did feel proud of him today. You thought back to the most recent event in which you had been dismissed from your family, and how you had tried to take it out on Brian:

You slammed your locker and watched him almost jump out of his skin. “I don’t want to talk about this.” You growled at Brian.

“I understand that, but you need to. You can’t just--”

“Just what?”

“You can’t just act like nothing happened or run away from it...run away from here.” You had been disciplined at school yet again and your parents had had enough. You had a big fight with them the night prior and did not sleep in your own bed. The tiredness racked your body today and you were stiff from sleeping in your car. If it weren’t for the social aspect, you wouldn’t have bothered coming to school. But you quickly realized you weren’t in the mood to talk to anyone, and you were only making the situation worse.

“Like hell I can’t.” You stated, quickly turning to walk away.

“Y/N, don’t. Come on, talk to me. Tell me what happened. We can figure it out together.”

“There’s nothing to figure out, bucko. I’ll be fine. I’ll do this on my own. I’m used to that anyway.”

“But you don’t have to be alone, Y/N. That’s what I’m saying! That’s my whole point: I’m here for you!”

“I didn’t ask you to be, Brian.”

“No, because friends don’t have to ask.” His words scared you. Nobody had so adamantly offered to be a safety net to you before.

“Yeah,” you scoffed, “we’re great friends. We’ve bonded so much in the, what, four months you’ve known me?” You rolled your eyes, trying to make him feel uncomfortable, to drive a wedge between you. You only knew how to put up walls, how to run.

“You know we are.”

“Yeah, sure, right. Friends. Not like you want to sleep with me or anything.” You tried to drive another knife into him, to play it off like he was following you only because he had a crush on you, one you tried to pretend wasn’t reciprocated. “It’s not going to happen, Brian. So just accept that we’re not friends.”

He let you get about three steps away before you heard him say, “No. I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. Sure, part of me wants something more, but...I care about you, Y/N. And if we can just be friends, I am happy with that, I swear. But don’t do this to me. Don’t try to shut me out or walk away or act like you’re fine. I know you well enough to know you’re not.” When you turned around, you could see that he had tears rimming his eyes, threatening to fall, which made your own tears spring up as well. “I am your friend. I’m not going to just let you go and do something stupid. You are going to talk about this. If not to me, then someone else. But you can’t just run away or sleep in your car or, or…”

“Okay.” You said, softly.

“Okay?”

“Fine, let’s talk about it. I screwed up again and my parents kicked me out. So what do I do?”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I...we’ll think of something.” He began to tell you, but you bit your lip and drowned him out in your own sobs. Everything crashed in on you at once; you hadn’t escaped in time. You slid down your locker wall and sat on the floor. Brian joined you and put his arm around you tentatively.

You are the bearer of unconditional things

You held your breath and the door for me

Thanks for your patience

After that day, you knew he wouldn’t let you go. You tried your best to brush him off, to hurt him, to land irreparable blows. But it was all in vain; he stuck by you. You admired how he stood up for you, for your relationship, whatever that meant. He didn’t back down, even though you knew he genuinely cared what you thought. He was willing to put everything on the line just to be with you, in whatever capacity you would allot him. And today, he had chosen you again. He had picked a fight with his mother and chosen you. He placed you above being safe and comfortable and at home right now.

“I’m sorry, this must seem so stupid to be complaining about. I know I don’t have it that bad, it’s just that--”

“No, your problems are valid, too. Your mom sucks.” You told him and he laughed, “But I would be lying if I said it wasn’t...weird to have someone be given the choice to stay instead of being yelled at to get out and that you’re worthless and---I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make this about me.” You said softly, looking down at your hands.

“No, I get it. It’s gotta be on your mind a lot, the uncertainty. Plus, I don’t mind talking about you.” He nudged your shoulder with his own, trying to be playful but you knew he meant that. He always put you first. You couldn’t help your next impulse as your hand shot up to cup his face and you leaned in and kissed him roughly. You weren’t entirely sure why you had done it. It would probably change everything and you couldn’t tell if you were doing it selfishly to feel like someone cared or to keep him around or because you truly wanted to. Of course, he kissed you back, and the feeling it gave you pushed a lot of those doubts from your mind.

You're the best listener that I've ever met

You're my best friend

Best friend with benefits

What took me so long?

*~~~~*

The kiss in the field still didn’t mean you were “together.” Realistically, it complicated things for a while. You avoided Brian for a couple of days and didn’t discuss it when you finally caved in to your desire to see him. He didn’t bring it up either, even though there were many times he would look at your lips like he wanted to make a move again, but you never talked about it. Things began to look “normal” after about two weeks. You spent time at the record shop, or under the bleachers with your friends or in the library with his friends. He nagged you about giving up smoking and you finally listened, much to his surprise.

“What made you finally decide to quit?” He asked, looking at the nicotine patch on your arm. You shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth.

“I guess I just finally got tired of you being a broken record, mother hen.” You teased him, but he just smiled because he was happy with your choice. The truth of the matter was, you had done it for him. While you weren’t with him, you wanted to be. You didn’t want to keep doing something that bothered him so much, but you also knew that eventually, your habit of smoking would cost time with him and you didn’t want that. You lied to yourself that you didn’t want a relationship and weren’t thinking about a future with Brian, but you were. Every time he helped you study or encouraged you to do your best, the time your parents were out of town so he had made you his “specialty” of spaghetti in your kitchen, when you drove him around singing songs together on the radio...you thought about doing those things with him forever and instead of the fear you used to feel at such a thought, you felt happiness. You anticipated a future with him, something to look forward to.

I've never felt this healthy before

I've never wanted something rational

I am aware now

*~~~~*

“It’s kind of weird, yeah. But they’re cute together, I guess.” You had just returned from a movie with Bender and Claire. You were surprised at how long their relationship had lasted, especially since you had hated Claire at first. You assumed she was dating Bender as a statement, but it had been over six months and they were still together and it just seemed to work.

“It must be nice to have someone like that. Even if they don’t make sense, they care about each other. It just must be a nice thing to have a relationship like that.” Brian looked at you for a moment before backpedaling, realizing he must have made it sound like he was guilt-tripping you. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you out again. I really just was complimenting them--”

“Well, maybe you should.” You cut him off.

You realized how rare a find like Brian truly was. He always put you before himself; he listened to all of your problems and knew when to offer solutions and when to just listen. He was endlessly supportive, and kind. He kept taking giant risks just to be with you, to show you that you mattered to him. You knew, without him saying it, that he loved you. Why else would someone go to the lengths he did, just to make you happy? You had tried everything to shake him, to get rid of him so neither one of you would be in too deep to get hurt. But he stayed, and now, you wouldn’t want him to go anyway. It was too late; you were both already in too deep.

He just blinked at you, sure he had heard incorrectly. “Wh-what?”

“I said, maybe you should. Ask me out again.”

“Y/N, do you want to go out with me?” He asked, unsure. It felt like a setup, but he knew you wouldn’t do something so cruel to him.

“Yes.” You replied, softly.

“Why?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“I don’t know. I guess you won me over.” You chuckled, but he failed to see the humor in it, so you changed to a more serious tone. “Brian, I thought that these feelings would go away, that you would go away. Lord knows how hard I’ve tried to push you. But...you didn’t and the feelings didn’t. I-I love you. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep loving you, I don’t want to waste my time with anyone else. And...And I think that you love me.”

“I do.” He breathed quietly, with zero hesitation.

“So, why fight it any more? I was afraid that I would hurt you, but I think I’ve already done that and you’ve stuck around.” He nodded in confirmation of that fact. “And I was scared that I would get hurt but...but I’ve realized that you won’t do that to me, either.”

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

He took your hands in his, “You’re serious? You really want this? Because, you know how I feel. How I’ve always felt.” You nodded in response, tears quickly filling your eyes, which was a rarity for you. He leaned in towards you to kiss you, for the first time since your conversation in the field over a month ago. He waited for you to be ready in every aspect of your relationship and you had never known so much love and respect before. It took some adjusting to, but he had pulled you in and made you fall for him again and again.

Just gonna tag my buddy...

@90sinequity

#brian johnson x reader #brian x reader #breakfast club #the breakfast club #reader insert #reader-insert #romance #mild angst #angst with a happy ending

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