#if you think too hard you might be able to figure out who the dog is << | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yoongiseesawmp3 · 1 year

Text

get you (f) - seungcheol

summary: neighbor!seungcheol. you’ve just moved into your first solo apartment, and seungcheol just so happens to live across the hall. he’s only being neighborly when he offers to help you bring some furniture in. it’s not his fault you think he might be the most handsome and kind man on earth. what could go wrong?

word count: 8.9k (part one/?)

warnings: afab reader (some gendered terms), cussing?

masterlist

you’re all for being an independent woman. you are! you pride yourself on it, actually. you were the kid that taught yourself how to tie your shoes. if you had problems with homework you figured it out. you got yourself through undergrad and grad school on your own, and you’ve never relied on a partner to take care of you.

you also assured friends and family you’d be able to move the last pieces of furniture into your new apartment alone. up until now, this whole independent thing has worked for you, but in this moment? you need help.

it’s your huffing and puffing trying to get your couch through your apartment door that makes seungcheol open his in curiosity. he knew someone would be moving in soon, so he had kept an eye out for the new neighbor, purely out of nosiness. when he realized it was you though? suddenly his interest was piqued. he watches on as you struggle and push your couch to no avail, and when you get so frustrated that you kick it’s leg and hurt yourself, seungcheol can’t help but laugh. this alerts you to his presence and you jump slightly before whirling around to see exactly what you need: a big beefy man. who has a really cute smile, you note, but you shake that off to focus on the task at hand.

“uh, hi,” you say sheepishly. “was i being too loud? i’m sorry.”

“no, you’re good,” seungcheol smiles. “it wasn’t too loud, it just sounded like someone in distress so i came out to check. do you need a hand?”

“god, please,” you sigh as you step aside and seungcheol walks up, eyeing the situation. “i’m y/n by the way.”

“seungcheol,” he says, offering you his hand. you bite back a smile as you shake his hand, noticing how warm and soft it is. and big, too. “do you have any pets?”

“um, a dog, why?” you reply, confused.

“will it try to bolt if i pull the couch back out?” he asks, looking over to you. “i think we need to pull this out and angle it different, it’s getting caught on something in your apartment.”

“damn,” you whisper. “it’s probably my dresser, it also was too big and heavy for me to move by myself, so i got it as far into my living room as possible.”

“i’ll pull the couch out and go in first then,” he offers. “i can move it out of the way and help from there.”

“sounds good,” you respond, moving to grab onto the couch and help him pull. he politely waves you off though, and with one good tug he has the couch all the way out into the hallway. seungcheol shuffles around it quickly, and you just watch on in surprise, shocked that he could do that so easily. getting the couch that far through the door took you about ten minutes, and he just undid it in two seconds. once he’s inside your apartment you hear a grunt, and you shout out “don’t scratch the floor please!” as he starts moving the dresser. his head pops back into your doorway a few seconds later, no sign of exertion on his face. either you were just really weak, or this guy is a demigod. that’s the only way to explain his crazy strength.

“so i think we should turn it like this,” seungcheol demonstrates with his hands. “and then we should be able to carry it in no problem.”

“ok, cool,” you say, reaching down to grab your end of the couch. seungcheol counts you off, and you lift the couch so much easier with his help. he backs you into the room slowly as you guide him to where you want the couch. you both lower it down carefully, and then step back to admire your hard work before turning to your helper. “perfect! thank you so much, seungcheol, really. you didn’t have to do this.”

“i don’t mind,” he shrugs, looking at you carefully. you almost wonder if there’s a bunch of sweat on your face to make him stare like that, but he breaks the staredown and looks around. “you sure you have a dog? i don’t hear or see one.”

“he’s probably afraid of all this noise, he’s kind of a baby.”

“what’s his name?” seungcheol asks.

“fred,” you tell him, and he looks at you questioningly. “after my favorite harry potter character.”

“cute,” he smiles, then he calls out, “fred? fred! c’mere buddy!” you hear the familiar sound of your best friend clomping down the hall, and seungcheol’s face breaks out into the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. fred gets excited at the sight of another man in the house, and promptly tackles seungcheol back into the couch you so carefully placed. you watch on with your own smile as seungcheol plays with fred, and he looks up to you and says, “i love this guy. can i have him?”

“only on the days he gets on my nerves,” you joke. “otherwise he’s mine.”

“aw, you get on mommy’s nerves?” seungcheol coos, playing with fred’s ears. “i don’t believe that, you’re a little angel.”

“there’s nothing little about him,” you laugh, crossing the room to find fred’s new bone. he perks up as you toss it to the other side of the couch for him, and he finally jumps off of seungcheol. “now’s your chance to escape, quick, before he notices!”

“what if i didn’t want to leave,” he pouts, and something about the way he looks at you again has your heart beating faster. the sound of fred’s chomping makes you both chuckle though, and seungcheol ruffles his head before standing. “i guess i should though. anything else you need moved before i go? where’s that dresser gonna end up?”

“oh, um, my room,” you start to say, “but i can get it, you don’t-”

“show me the way,” he says simply, picking the dresser up on his own.

“you’re not human,” you tell him, and he laughs. “seriously, do you deadlift cars? how are you this strong.”

“i’m not that strong baby,” he says, “because if i stand here any longer my arms will start shaking. show me where to put this please.”

“this way,” you say, turning quickly so he doesn’t see the blush creeping up your cheeks. you lead him to your room, and show him where to put the dresser. granted, he doesn’t really need that direction considering every other part of your room is covered with bookshelves.

“well aren’t we hooked on phonics,” he teases, admiring all your shelves of neatly stacked books as he backs out of your room, turning to look at you. “you unpacked your books first, but your mattress just has a sleeping bag on it?”

“i had more book boxes than anything else,” you shrug. “if i unpacked those first that’s a bulk of the work. it made sense to me.”

“no, it’s smart,” he nods. “you must be really smart too, since you read so much.”

“eh, mostly i just read for the pictures.”

that gets a genuine laugh out of seungcheol, and you watch with stars in your eyes as his gummy smile shows itself again. he walks over to fred, petting him one last time, before facing you again.

“well, if you need anything else, you know where to find me,” he says with finality. “it was nice meeting you y/n.”

“you too seungcheol.”

“actually, you can call me cheol,” he says. “i like that better.”

“oh, ok,” you reply. “thanks cheol. i owe you cookies or something.”

“with extra chocolate chips?” he tries, and you smile.

“well now, to get that you’d have to help me move my kitchen table later,” you joke, and he nods.

“alright, just come get me when you’re ready,” he says seriously, and you shake your head.

“you’re very nice, seungcheol, i hope you know that,” you tell him, and his heart warms at your words.

“thank you,” he smiles softly. “see you around?”

“yeah, you’ve gotta come back for your cookies,” you say, and he nods before walking to your door and letting himself out. he waves goodbye and closes the door softly behind him, leaving you with a racing heart, and you’re not sure why.

a couple days later, you’re puttering around cleaning your kitchen while you wait for your friend vernon to arrive. he was bringing dinner before you went out to a movie with some of your other friends from college, and you were excited to show him your first adult apartment. you’ve been through a lot of big life things with each other, so this is just another happy one to add to the list. right on time, there’s a knock at your door and you slide across the hardwood floor to open it. except, when you open the door, it’s not vernon staring back at you. it’s seungcheol.

“hi,” you say breathlessly, the slide move you did across your apartment feeling silly now. “what’s up?”

“going out?” he asks, not subtly checking you out. “you look nice.”

“oh, um, kinda?” you reply. “i’m going to a movie with some friends from college, then they’re coming here for drinks after.”

“sounds like fun,” he smiles, nodding. “well, i just came over to give you this,” he explains, holding up a package that looks like it’s addressed to you. “it was at my door instead of yours, and i brought it in on accident. sorry about that.”

“oh, thanks,” you tell him as you take the box. “i actually haven’t been home all day, so i’m glad you grabbed it. my last place was full of mail stealers so i’m a little paranoid about leaving my stuff for too long.”

“man, some people really suck,” seungcheol says, and you nod in agreement. “i’m happy to hold onto anything that gets delivered when you’re not here though, i’ve been working from home a lot lately so i don’t mind.”

“are you sure? i don’t want to be a bother-”

“y/n, please, let me be a good neighbor,” cheol laughs, and you give in without a fight.

“alright,” you sigh. “i’ll do the same for you. but..”

“what now?” he groans playfully, and you push his arm lightly, making him smile more.

“i uh, i think i might need your number? you know, to tell you when there’s something here that you need to pick up,” you say, and you don’t miss the way his face lights up. he takes his phone out and hands it to you, a new contact card already open. you save yourself as your name and your apartment number, and cheol nods in approval when you hand his phone back.

“ok, well, as always, nice to see you y/n,” he starts, and the sound of footsteps coming down the hall pulls both your attention. you smile as your eyes fall on vernon, and your nose picks up the smell of your favorite mexican place coming from the food in his arms. what surprises you is what happens next. “vernon? what are you doing here?”

“visiting y/n,” he says with a nod in your direction. “what are you doing here man? you live here?”

“yeah, across the hall,” cheol replies, and vernon smiles politely.

“finally got tired of your big life across the country?” he teases, and cheol blushes.

“yeah, more like it got tired of me,” he responds. “i wasn’t really cut out for that kind of stuff.”

“understandable,” vernon nods, finally looking over to you. “did you just meet him y/n?”

“yeah, he was the neighbor i told you about,” you say, and seungcheol is eager to know what you could’ve been talking about to make him come up. “the one with superhuman strength.” ah, he thinks. you were just talking about him helping you. what he doesn’t know, and what you hope vernon doesn’t mention, is how you also mentioned he might be the most handsome man you’ve ever laid eyes on.

“thanks for doing that, man,” vernon says. “kept me from having to come over here and risk pulling my back out.”

“yeah because you’re so delicate,” you joke, and vernon nods seriously.

“well, good to see you man,” cheol starts, “but i’ll let you get ready for that movie-”

“you should come with us,” vernon offers, and you whip your head to look at him. he looks at you challengingly, but you keep your mouth shut, not daring to look at seungcheol. “you might know some of the friends we’re meeting up with, i bet they’d want to see you and catch up.”

“you sure?” cheol asks, looking between you both. vernon tries to send you a message with his eyes, and you take a breath before replying.

“yeah, you should join us,” you agree. “by the looks of it vernon got us enough food to feed a family, so i’m sure we’ll need help with these tacos. and the movie should be fun too.”

“what are you seeing?” cheol asks.

“puss in boots,” you and vernon reply together, and cheol starts to laugh but then he realizes you weren’t joking.

“you’re serious?”

“as a heart attack,” you reply, and he smiles. “still wanna come?”

“yeah, let me just put my good sweatpants on,” he jokes, and you step aside to let vernon in finally.

“alright, we’ll get the food ready,” you tell him. “i’ll leave the door unlocked, just come on over.” you wave off both their complaints that you live alone, you shouldn’t be so comfortable leaving the door unlocked, blah blah blah, but you break it up with a smile and close the door quickly as vernon starts piling food on your coffee table. then, you hiss at him, “what was that?!”

“i just invited your crush to hang out with us,” he says in his signature nonchalant way. “you’re welcome.”

“yeah, but now i’m gonna be on edge the whole time, i wanted to relax tonight,” you whine as you join him on the couch, ears catching the slow pitter patter of fred waking up from a nap somewhere down the hall. vernon reaches out to pet him as he speaks.

“i don’t know, you looked pretty comfortable around him when i walked up,” he smiles slyly, giving you a side eye as he focuses on messing with your dog.

“i hate you.”

“no you don’t,” he says, tossing you a bag of tortilla chips. “now eat your food.”

when seungcheol came back over, you had an easy time chatting and eating, just joking around like you’d all been friends forever. you found out the lore behind the two men meeting each other, and why it’s been a while since they’ve seen each other. vernon had a music production class with cheol when he was still undecided at school and he took whatever classes he wanted. you knew that’s how he met mingyu and wonwoo, but you never knew of seungcheol until now. you also learned that the reason he was left out of vernon’s backstory is that cheol transferred about a year later, wanting to go to a school with a better music program. he told you shyly that he tried making it on his own as a rapper, but that was apparently the life that didn’t agree with him. he moved back here about six months ago, wanting to be back around friends and family. now he’s getting his master’s in business and doing music lessons and other odd jobs on the side to pay for everything.

you feel yourself falling deeper and deeper as you learn more about him, each story or interaction more endearing than the last. too soon for your liking, you realize it’s almost time for the movie, and you rush to clean up but seungcheol offers to do it for you. he and vernon take care of the food while you take fred out one last time, and when you come back it looks like you walked in on a tense conversation. vernon is hiding a smile though, and seungcheol’s cheeks are bright red, so you decide to ask about it later. you check that they’re both ready to go, and they nod. as you’re locking up, vernon hangs back while cheol goes toward the elevator.

“yeah, he likes you,” vernon whispers, almost making you jump.

“what?” you whisper shout back, but he’s already walking down the hall and asking cheol about how he likes living here. you’re left with a lot of questions as you join them, but you’ll have to get your answers later. vernon offers to drive, which you jokingly tell cheol isn’t that much of a kind offer, but you both take it anyway. cheol lets you take shotgun, and he sits behind vernon so he can steal glances at you without either you or vernon noticing. vernon sees it though as he checks the rearview mirror, and he just smiles to himself at the budding romance between two of his best friends. this will be a fun night.

at the movie theatre you meet up with some of your other friends, mingyu and wonwoo smiling widely when they see seungcheol walking closely behind you and vernon. you find your friend tahi, who the boys left in line to have a little reunion with cheol. they’re happily taking while tahi eyes you cautiously, and you have to ask why she’s looking at you like that.

“who’s the eye candy?” she teases, and you roll your eyes.

“my neighbor,” you reply. “vernon knows him, so he invited him. his name is seungcheol. he’s...”

“cute?” tahi offers, and you scoff. “you think he’s cute.”

“how’s wonwoo?” you counter, and she blushes.

“touché.”

the boys come back to the line for tickets then, wonwoo taking his place incredibly close to tahi and seungcheol standing incredibly close to you. you and tahi share a look, as if telling each other “see?” but you don’t say anything. the line moves quickly, and the ticket attendant doesn’t bat an eye at all these adults asking for tickets to puss in boots. when it gets to you, cheol swoops in and asks for two tickets, quieting your protests with a simple shake of his head.

“stop doing that,” you pout slightly as you walk with cheol and vernon into the building.

“doing what?” cheol asks, looking at you strangely. “i’m not doing anything.”

“you’re being too nice,” you almost whine. “you’ve helped me with furniture, saved my mail, bought my movie ticket, i feel like i’m not doing anything for you in return.”

“then i guess you just gotta catch up baby,” he smirks, walking ahead of you to join mingyu in ordering the biggest bucket of popcorn you’ve ever seen. you’re all going to share, as per usual, but you get two buckets: one with just butter and one that you add a disgusting amount of candy to. tonight the candy of choice is those cookie dough monstrosities, and seungcheol makes a face as he watches mingyu dump two boxes into a perfectly good pile of popcorn. “why the hell are you doing that dude?”

“salty and sweet,” vernon replies. “best of both worlds.”

“that’s nasty,” seungcheol gags, watching as you and mingyu both take healthy tastes of your concoction.

“i almost think it needs more candy,” you say as you stare down into the popcorn, and wonwoo holds up an extra box.

“i got it,” he says. “if we don’t need it then me and tahi can split it.” you send her another glance, and she just smiles at you in response.

“come on, let’s go before the good seats are taken,” vernon says, and you all agree, grabbing all of your goodies and heading to the theatre.

unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of kids. but there’s also a lot of adults too, and you’re thankfully able to find a full row sans toddlers at the back of the room. you like sitting off to the side, as silly as it may be, because you feel like the sound isn’t as head shatteringly loud if you’re sitting next to a wall. that means there’s only one open seat beside you, and vernon quickly takes it, considering he’s been your movie buddy for five plus years now. you watch as cheol makes it up the steps and looks at you, then vernon. is that disappointment in his eyes? whatever it is, it passes quickly, and then he moves down the row to sit in between vernon and mingyu, which means he gets to be in the middle of popcorn passing. he makes a face each time you and vernon ask for the candy bucket, and you eventually get tired of it.

“seungcheol, would you just try it and get over yourself?” you whisper-hiss, and he looks at you kinda shocked before he dips his hand in and takes a bite. you watch on proudly as he tries to fight a smile that proves he was wrong to judge, and instead he just shrugs and says, “it’s not that bad i guess.”

“you’re annoying,” you chuckle, reaching over vernon to grab the bucket.

“do you two need to be left alone?” vernon jokes quietly in your ear, and you’re thankful for the low lighting so he can’t see your blush.

“you’re annoying too, he’s not special.”

“hm,” vernon hums.

“what?”

“nothing,” vernon shrugs, the opening credits starting to play.

“vernon you better not be planning anything-”

“sh, y/n please, the movie’s starting,” he says smugly, and you just whine into his shoulder before sitting back up to focus on the screen. you don’t notice seungcheol watching on, stewing in silence as he wonders just how close you and vernon really are.

see, when you took fred out back at your apartment, cheol and vernon had a very interesting conversation. vernon was basically playing protective best friend while seungcheol tried to feel out your relationship with vernon. vernon was trying to make it clear if cheol messed around with you he’d be toast, but cheol took that as vernon being a jealous boyfriend. he wasn’t sure you were together though, because if you had been dating vernon, he should’ve been there to help you move in. otherwise he’s a shitty boyfriend. since then, cheol has been carefully toeing the line trying to figure out where he stands, but he feels pretty confident you might like him back, especially when he catches you staring after he laughs a little too loud at one of the silly jokes. and again just because. he only noticed because cheol spends the entire time with half his attention on screen and half on you. you coo adorably every time perrito does or says anything, and it sends his heart into overdrive watching you smile like that. he catches himself thinking how he’d like to be the reason for that smile, and to shake him from his thoughts he tries focusing back on the movie.

at the end, you all agree to still come back to your place for drinks and so the guys can be nice little gentlemen and help you with a couple things. you and tahi agree to supervise, and you separate to your different cars and head back. in the car cheol considers telling you he might turn in once you make it to your building, but you twist around in your seat and say, “cheol, i have beer and i think some tequila at my house to drink, plus like, coffee and tea, but is there anything you want specifically? we can stop and get it before we get home.”

“no, beer’s fine,” he smiles, happy that you want him to stay. the three of you walk together back to your apartment, and vernon offers to take fred out before the others arrive, leaving you and cheol alone in your kitchen. you’re taking out the drinks, cheol trying (and failing) to ignore the way your ass fills out your pants as you bend down. “hey, y/n?” he asks, and your attention turns to him. “can i ask what’s going on between you and vernon?”

“what do you mean?” you ask in return. “he’s my best friend.”

“yeah, but like, just your best friend?” cheol asks. “you’re not...together, or anything, are you?”

“ew, god no,” you reply. “i mean, i love the guy, but we’d kill each other. we’re just friends.”

“ok,” cheol nods, and you watch him carefully.

“why were you so curious?” you ask, and he avoids your eyes. “you couldn’t be...jealous, could you?”

thankfully for seungcheol, the doorbell rings signifying your friends’ arrival, and you shout to them that it’s open. once again giving cheol a reason to lecture you on the importance of locking your door. his complaints are ignored due to mingyu and tahi admiring your new digs, wonwoo nodding approvingly in the background. you pass drinks around, and you fall into comfortable conversation, showing them around. vernon comes back with fred, and mingyu is immediately on the ground with him. you swear mingyu just comes over to see him, and you watch on and laugh as fred loses his tiny little mind over seeing the man sized version of himself. everyone finds a seat in the living room then, tahi and wonwoo occupying most of your tiny sofa with just enough room for vernon to squeeze in on the end. you take the armchair, honestly your favorite spot in the house because it’s so comfy, and that leaves seungcheol awkwardly standing at the entryway to your kitchen.

“stop being weird,” you tell him, patting the spot next to you. “come sit, there’s enough room.” cheol silently takes your offer, sliding in next to you with ease. you listen on as the boys catch up some more, learning more about cheol through the stories they tell. pretty soon you need another drink, and you softly ask cheol if he wants anything else. he nods, and you get up to grab two more beers, offering his out to him as you come back into the room. you take your seat again, and cheol absentmindedly drapes his arm across the back of the chair, his hand landing on your shoulder in the process. vernon is watching like a hawk, silently begging you to make eye contact with him but you know you’d be a blushing mess so you just watch as fred disses mingyu for tahi, smiling as he pouts on the floor. without a distraction, mingyu spins around to face you, smirking when he sees you so comfy with cheol.

“so y/n,” he starts, and your heart drops to your stomach, thinking he’s going to comment on cheol’s arm around you. once the teasing starts it won’t stop, and you don’t want your friends to embarrass cheol (and risk him moving). “you told me i had to be your handyman tonight?”

“hey, i thought that was my job,” cheol complains, his cherry red lips making the perfect pout that you want so badly to kiss. “you didn’t like my work so you asked somebody else?”

“no, you’re the muscle,” you assure him. “gyu owes me from a dare he never paid up on, so he has to go fix the showerhead in my bathroom. he’s the only person i know who’s tall enough to reach it anyway.”

“he’s not that much taller than me,” cheol grumbles.

“oh, so you want to do it?” you ask him, and he quickly shakes his head. you laugh and look back to mingyu, a knowing smirk on his face. “c’mon, i’ve got the new one in the hallway.”

while you’re gone with gyu, tahi and wonwoo get to work too. tahi remembered you saying you had a lot of dishes to unpack, so wonwoo unboxes everything while tahi washes them. vernon joins to dry everything and put it away, being the most familiar where you like everything to go considering wherever you live is basically his second home. that leaves seungcheol alone in the living room, feeling kind of left out. he goes to find you, really ready to tell you he’s heading to bed this time, but he hears a bit of conversation between you and mingyu that has him stopped in the hallway.

“he’s a really good guy,” mingyu says. “and you look cute together.”

“stop,” you tell him, and he giggles. “careful, you’re gonna fall.”

“i’m just saying, if you’re ready to date again, seungcheol’s not a bad guy to start with,” mingyu keeps going. “way better than the lame guys you usually go out with.”

“gee, thanks.”

“you agree with me though, otherwise you’d be defending them,” mingyu says. then a beat of silence, and, “there. it should be good, wanna try it?”

that’s when seungcheol decides to pop into the doorway, scaring the shit out of you as you turn the shower on, completely spraying mingyu with water. you and cheol look at each other in shock as gyu shrieks in the background, and you rush to turn the water off before falling into a fit of giggles with seungcheol.

“this is NOT funny,” mingyu seethes. “i’m going home.”

“mingyu, no, stay,” you cry between laughs, watching as he stomps into the hallway calling for wonwoo. you and seungcheol share another set of laughs before going back out, and you thank your friends for their help while they all get ready to leave. it’s late anyway, and you can tell tahi was about to crash any minute. vernon says goodbye to fred before he says goodbye to you, and mingyu leaves without saying anything at all, making you fight back giggles again. before you know it, it’s just you and seungcheol alone in your apartment.

“uh, guess i should go too,” he starts to say, but at the same time you talk over him, saying, “i think i’ve got one more beer, wanna share it?”

“oh,” you say in unison, and you smile shyly before trying again.

“i mean, it’s late, so i understand if you wanna go-”

“i can stay,” he says quickly, then adds, “a little longer. i can stay a little longer.”

“ok,” you smile again. “meet you on the balcony?”

you grab the last beer from your fridge while seungcheol opens the door leading to your secluded balcony, nothing but boxes piled on your outdoor furniture, so he just leans against the railing and admires the view. you join him soon after, fred following in your footsteps to lay at your feet between you and seungcheol. he reaches down to give fred a pet as you take the first swig, and when cheol stands back up you hand him the drink.

“can i ask you something?” you start, and he nods, encouraging you to go on. “since you were so concerned about me and vernon earlier. i uh, just wanna know, i guess, um. are you single?” you fumble out, and seungcheol watches you fondly.

“yep,” he says with a pop on the p. “very single.”

“cool,” you nod.

“cool?” cheol laughs, and you blush, not meeting his gaze. “can i ask something else?”

“shoot.”

“i heard mingyu saying something about you only dating losers?” cheol asks, and you bark out a laugh at the unexpected question, almost choking grossly on the sip you just took.

“fuck, sorry, i didn’t know you heard that,” you laugh nervously, and when cheol just stares at you waiting for a reply, you explain. “i mean, they weren’t losers. they were nice, i just haven’t had the best luck with guys lately. i think it hit a new low when i realized a playlist one guy made me had been deleted, and that made me sadder than it probably should have.”

“he made you a playlist?” cheol asks, and you nod.

“yeah, and me being hopeful, i was like aw, it has some of my favorite songs, must be fate,” you pretend to sigh romantically, remembering the butterflies it gave you at the time. “he named it y/n too, so i guess i expected him to..keep it? i don’t know, but it made me sad when i noticed it was gone.” you look up and find seungcheol staring back at you thoughtfully, and suddenly you’re embarrassed. “god, i probably overshared, didn’t i? sorry.”

“no, it’s ok,” he says softly, his hand incredibly close to yours on the railing. “what kinda music are you into anyway?” and that sends you both into a frenzy, discussing favorite artists and new releases, the beer quickly finished and your hands slowly getting closer and closer on the railing until cheol finds himself playing with your fingers as you talk about a new daniel caesar song. you stop mid sentence, noticing how cheol’s attention has shifted.

“seungcheol,” you quietly call his name, and his eyes find yours lazily, not wanting to leave the sight of your hand in his. you give his hand a squeeze, and that seems to pull him out of his daze. “it’s late, we should probably-”

“can i kiss you?” he asks suddenly, and you find yourself nodding before you can even process the question. his hand leaves yours, instead making its way up your arm to hold you delicately by the neck, angling your chin up slightly so he can slot his lips over yours. you feel sparks flying across your chest, your heart beating a mile a minute at the feeling of his plush lips pecking over yours. you sigh into the kiss, childishly wanting to kick your foot up like in the movies. your hands hold onto his shoulders tightly, and you whine when seungcheol pulls away, smiling at you with his whole face. “g’night doll,” then one more kiss that you still chase, and then he makes his way back to your front door, making sure to flip the bottom lock before he leaves.

you stand there fazed for a while, your heart finally settling back to a normal pace when fred nudges your hand, whining to tell you he’s ready for bed. you fall asleep thinking of seungcheol, and the next day he’s the first person you think of when you wake up. the sound of your phone buzzing by your head is what pulls you from your sleep, and in your groggy state you look to see who it’s from and find yourself donning a dopey smile when you realize it’s seungcheol. you unlock your phone quickly, finding his message and letting out a small gasp when you see what he’s sent you. no words, just a link to a playlist titled “y/n <3″ full of just about every single song you talked about last night, with what you bet are recommendations from cheol sprinkled in. suddenly the tiredness is cleared from your mind, and you hop out of bed with a pep in your step as you press play and start your day.

it’s been too long since you last saw seungcheol.

well, in reality it’s only been a couple days. but after that kiss? even just a few hours is too long for your liking. it’s not that either of you is avoiding the other, no. you may or may not jump up and peek through the peephole when you think cheol is coming and going, just to see that it’s one of your other nearby neighbors. and he may or may not try to head to the gym at the same time he assumes you leave for work. but so far you’ve both been missing each other. it’s not until the middle of the week that you get your first seungcheol sighting.

your friend jen is coming over after work, so you left the office a little early to tidy up since she hasn’t seen the new place. you’re in the middle of folding blankets when there’s a frantic knock at your door, and when you open it she launches herself inside.

“hey! cute place,” she starts, barely giving it a glance around. then, staring dead into your eyes, “please tell me the sexy guy across the hall is the one tahi told me you’re in love with.”

“he’s not sexy-”

“but you’re not denying you’re in love with him,” jen catches, and you roll your eyes.

“we kissed once, that’s not love,” you explain. “more like infatuation. but whatever.”

“oh so you’re infatuated huh?” she teases. “good for you, like i said, he’s sexy. with those strong arms, his glasses-”

“he was wearing glasses?” you ask, maybe a bit too eagerly.

“yeah, he was all dressed up,” she replies. “he was leaving, but it looked like he didn’t have time to change from his work clothes.”

“hm,” you think silently, trying not to imagine a bespectacled cheol in a suit. “whatever, we haven’t seen each other in a couple days so whatever it was is probably over.”

“i don’t know,” jen hums. “when he heard someone at your door i swear he leapt out into the hallway, and he looked mighty disappointed that it was me and not you.”

“you’re lying.”

“impossible, i can’t lie.”

“whatever. do you want food?” you ask, heading to your kitchen. “i’ve got cookies i wanna make too, so you better be hungry.”

“always.”

you’ll never admit this to jen, but the cookies were for cheol. you’ve been meaning to thank him for being so...neighborly, and you were so busy with the move and settling in that it kept slipping your mind. cooking for jen was actually the first time you’ve made anything at this place, so you took advantage of your time in the kitchen and made a hearty batch of chocolate chip cookies. once jen was tired of your food and your company, she left (with cookies in her pockets, you could tell), so you were finally able to go share the rest with cheol. except...you caught yourself checking your reflection by the door, wondering if you looked too tired, maybe you should do it tomorrow. or should you change? is this too casual, your favorite sleep shirt and sweats?

no, you shake your head, clearing your thoughts. you’ve got to just go do it. go across the hall, knock, drop the cookies off, goodbye. easy as that. you take a deep breath and then cross the hall, already smiling. cheol opens the door after one knock, and you suddenly wished you had changed.

cheol is stood before you, with his glasses on, yes. which look devilishly handsome on their own, but that’s coupled with a nice dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and sleeves rolled up his strong arms. your eyes can’t help but wander further, admiring the way his thighs fill out his dark slacks. cheol clears his throat to bring your attention back up, and you find him smirking when you finally make eye contact again.

“hey darling,” he says, politely checking you out as well. you’re not as dressy as he is, but to him you’re just as mesmirizing. you look adorable, and cheol has to stop himself from reaching out and tugging on the hem of your oversized shirt.

“these are for you,” you squeak out, handing him the plate of warm cookies. he takes them gratefully, albeit a little confused, but he smiles as your fingers brush his.

“what are you doing?”

“catching up,” you reply, and seungcheol looks taken aback for just a moment. you smile at him and start to wave, turning back to your apartment with a short, “bye!” but cheol reaches out and grabs your hand, stopping you.

“what are you doing now?” he asks, and you give him a puzzled look.

“i already told you, i’m catching up to all of your good deeds,” you explain. “and now that i’ve done that, i’m gonna go lay down, i put a lot of love into those cookies, mister. it’s exhausting work.”

“no,” he laughs. “i mean. are you doing anything right now? do you want to..come in?”

“oh, um, i,” you stutter, seungcheol watching you intently. “i should probably go lock my door.”

“you do that,” he nods. “i’ll get some milk for these and we can share.”

you quickly run back over to your place, looking frantically for your keys. fred watches you from afar, totally judging you. you shush him, as if he could say anything, and then you delicately close your door and lock it behind you. seungcheol’s kept his cracked, so you just let yourself in, and you take a deep breath upon entering. it smells so...so manly, and fresh, like...like cheol.

you look around slowly, wanting to take in every detail. his apartment is dark, lit only by a couple lamps, and there’s a large couch looming in front of you. you admire all the leather and wood detailing he’s decorated with, noting the bookshelf by the door and smiling when you see some familiar spines. seungcheol emerges from what must be the kitchen, cookies on the coffee table already and two glasses of milk in his hands.

“you look good,” he says, nodding toward the couch as a sign for you to join him.

“what, in my pajames? please-”

“no, i mean here. you look good here,” he says suavely, and you blush deep and bright red.

“you look good too,” you tell him. “you fill out the seat of those pants pretty nice.”

“did you just say i have a nice ass?” he gasps in mock surprise, handing you your glass. “i can’t believe you’ve just been hanging around me for the goods.”

“oh please, like i haven’t caught you staring at mine,” you say as you reach for a cookie. you watch as cheol dunks his first, taking a healthy bite, and he literally moans at the taste. you hope he doesn’t notice you shifting in your seat.

“god, y/n, these are amazing,” he says, looking at you quickly before he finishes the cookie in two more bites and reaches for another.

“damn,” you whistle. “i’ve never seen someone so eager about my food.”

“hm, well, if you ever need the vote of confidence you know where i live,” he says, mouth so full of cookies that a few crumbs fall to his shirt. you don’t want the chocolate to stain the nice white fabric so you reach over and wipe it off for him, not missing the firm feeling of his chest below your hand. he’s still, watching your every move as you sit back on the couch, suddenly embarrassed by your own boldness. your hand tingles in your lap, and you take a bite of your own cookie to take your mind off of it.

you fall into easy conversation with him, talking about your days. he had to teach a class tonight, which you’ve just learned is part of how he pays for his master’s program. that’s why he was so dressed up. you tell him about jen coming over, and he doesn’t tell you that he could hear you both talking about how sexy he was as he came back to his apartment to find his forgotten phone. soon enough, the cookies are gone and the candle cheol had lit is starting to flicker out. you yawn, stretching slightly, and look around for a clock.

“it’s late,” cheol says, noticing your wandering eyes. “you probably need to go check on fred.”

“oh yeah,” you yawn again. “i need to walk him one more time before bed.”

“really? right now?” cheol asks, and you nod. “it’s too dark out for you to go on your own, let me do it.”

“cheol, no-”

“no buts,” he says as he stands and pulls you up with him. “i’m doing it. now come on.”

“but-”

“ah!”

“no, seriously,” you whine as you make it across the hall. “i just thought i had paid you back and now here you are doing me another favor.”

“stop thinking of them as favors,” cheol groans, and you turn to look at him. “what? don’t look at me like you don’t know i like you.”

“wow, uh, i mean, i did know, but-”

“then let me do nice things for you, y/n,” he says, pulling your hands into his. his thumb rubs over your knuckles as he continues to speak. “i like doing this kind of stuff for you, and i am not expecting anything in return. so just accept it, darling.”

“okay,” you meekly reply, and he kisses the top of your head before pulling back from you completely.

“now, if you wanted to make me those cookies again though, i wouldn’t complain...”

you fall into an easy routine the next few days, finally feeling settled in your new place. your friends visit constantly (which is how you like it). fred has a favorite walking path, and you see cheol just about every day even if it’s little interactions. you leave for work and cheol just so happens to be checking his mail at the same time, so he escorts you to the bus stop outside. somedays you claim you need more salt for your dinner, or bring over more things you’ve cooked claiming you made too much. there’s no clandestine meetings on your balcony or hang outs on his couch, but you look forward to each day wondering how and when you’ll see seungcheol next.

today though, you’ve been busy. you’re looking for a new job and your boss doesn’t know, so you had to rush around to an interview before work and another one right after. when you got home, it looked like cheol’s apartment was dark, and you were so tired there was no way you could fake a food emergency just to see him. simply knocking on his door, or texting him to say hi, didn’t cross your mind either, but hey, you were exhausted.

that’s why, when vernon texts and asks if you want to go to dinner, you jump at the chance to buy food instead of cooking for yourself. you ask when and where and who, and he responds one of your favorite restaurants in an hour, but he’s not sure who else is coming yet. that usually means it’ll just be you and him, which you’re more than fine with. vernon cleanly ruins that dream though when he texts back, “you should ask seungcheol, actually.”

“no,” you reply, going back to scrolling on your phone. you groan when vernon calls you instead of texting, but you answer anyway. “no,” you repeat. “he’s a big boy, he can eat on his own.”

“if you don’t ask him i will,” vernon says, and you can tell he’s smiling.

“please don’t,” you whine. “why don’t you just want to hang out with me? i’m not fun enough for you anymore?”

“no, you’re still fun-”

“thank you-”

“but,” he emphasizes. “watching you lose it in real time around cheol is more fun for me. so i think you should ask him.”

“you’re despicable,” you groan, sitting up on your bed already messing with your bedhead before you go across the hall.

“don’t use words i don’t know,” he jokes. “go get em, tiger. i’ll text you when i’m on my way to the restaurant.”

“fine,” you sigh. “wear shin guards, because i will be kicking you under the table in retaliation.”

“play footsie with cheol, not me,” vernon teases, and you groan again.

“i’m hanging up.”

“see you,” he says, and then you toss your phone down on your bed. you shuffle out of your room, fred trailing behind you. once you get to your front door, you take a breath before opening it. you crack it slightly so fred won’t escape, then make the short few steps to cheol’s door. you knock quietly, almost hoping if you’re quiet enough he won’t hear you. but, of course, he jumps up at the sound, door swinging open in seconds.

“before you ask, now i’m out of salt because someone can’t seem to remember it at the store,” he says with a smug smile. “so come up with something else, babe.”

“do you wanna go to dinner?” you ask, and that catches him off guard. his face wavers, only slightly, because he’s trying not to smile so wide that his head cracks open. his pause makes you nervous, afraid he might mistake what you’re asking, so you scramble to explain, “with uh, with me and maybe the guys and some of my friends? i probably should have started with that.”

“oh,” he says, deflated. he really wanted it to be just the two of you. “sure. now?”

“um, how about in an hour?” you say, and he nods. “it’s the indian place across from the record store downtown.”

“i love that place,” cheol smiles.

“which one?”

“both,” he shrugs. he can tell you’re about to turn back to your apartment, but he says quickly, “um, i’m kinda bored, actually, so do you mind if i change and then just come over?”

“no?” you reply, sounding unsure.

“really?” he asks, “you sound...concerned by that. we don’t need supervision to hang out on our own, darling.”

“i know that,” you scoff. “i just. didn’t expect you to ask.”

“i’ve missed you,” he shrugs, and you feel your heart leap into your throat. “so is that a yes?”

“yeah,” you reply with a nod, “i’ll walk fred while-” as you talk, you turn to look at the little man himself, and you both notice fred’s beady little eyes watching you from the crack in the door. you bust out laughing, and cheol joins you after admiring the sound of your giggles.

“what’s he doing there?” cheol asks, taking a breath.

“he’s supervising,” you joke.

“ha ha,” cheol replies. “go walk your weird dog. i’ll be over in a minute.”

you come back from taking fred out and find cheol leaned against your door, dressed casually in jeans and a big hoodie, and those damn glasses perched on his pretty face. you blush just at the sight of him, and have to shake it off before you approach him. he looks up at the sound of you and fred, smiling brightly at the two of you. he smiles even wider when, simultaneously, you and fred perk up at the sight of him. you silently open the door, and cheol motions for you to go first. you undo fred’s leash, smirking when you catch cheol watching. once fred is free, he grabs a toy and heads to his victim, tail wagging so hard it could set him into orbit. cheol plays with him happily, and you watch on with a warm feeling growing in your chest.

“i’ll be back,” you say finally, and cheol waves you off, distracted by fred’s excitement. you listen fondly as they play, and silently stress trying to figure out what to wear that looks cute but not like you’re trying too hard. reluctantly, you settle on a similar outfit to cheol, but instead you go for jeans, a comfy t shirt, and then a zip up to fight the cold. you’re checking that you have everything you need when your phone buzzing on your bed reminds you of its presence. you see it’s a text from vernon, and you want to punch him once you read it.

“ready?” cheol asks, a sweet smile on his face when you come back out. the sight of him, so comfortable on your couch, hand absentmindedly twirling fred’s ear as he’s curled up next to cheol, almost makes you forget the rage running through you for your best friend.

“i’m gonna fight vernon,” you tell him, and cheol gets defensive quick.

“why, what’d he do? should i talk to him?”

“no,” you groan. slumping against the wall as you text frantically. “he just said no one else wanted to go, so now he’s not coming.” you finish sending an essay of a text to vernon, realizing cheol hasn’t replied yet. you look up to find him staring back at you, a satisfied smile on his face. “what?”

“you know,” he starts casually, standing up and walking toward you. “if you wanted to go out with me you could’ve just asked.”

“i, if i wa..what?” you ask, still processing as cheol gets closer and closer, almost caging you in against the wall behind you. he smirks down at you as it clicks. “oh my god, no, vernon really did ask- i can show you the texts!”

“sure baby,” he coos, lips perfectly pouted at you. “i believe you. i’m just saying. for next time.”

“next time?” you ask. “aren’t we confident.”

“mhm,” he smiles, hands landing softly on your shoulders. “now, let’s go eat, yeah? then i can take you to the record store after,” he says, pulling you off the wall and leading you to the door. “there’s an album i want you to listen to...” and you keep listening, but your mind trails off, first thinking about how you’re gonna sock vernon the next time you see him, but then the warm feeling in your chest comes back and you realize: you’re going on a date with cheol.

1K notes · View notes

locketsvault · 3 months

Text

「 CUDDLING WITH BSD MEN PT 4/4 」

pairings: tecchou x reader ፥ jouno x reader ፥ tachihara x reader

tags: gender neutral reader, fluff, cuddling/phyiscal affection

warnings: talks of disabilities in jounos part

other parts: ada ᨒ port mafia ᨒ doa + the guild ᨒ the hunting dogs

a/n: tachiharas is short since I haven’t entirely figured him out, I hope that’s okay!

// tecchou suehiro ⌇˚.༄

⮑ He promised you to always take care of you and he means it.

⮑ He pulls you into a hug by grabbing the back of your head and leading you into his arms. Sometimes he will even tuck your face into his neck. Honestly you could melt into his arms, he’s just that comfortable and safe. Don’t think too hard on it though, we all know he’s muscular—.

⮑ He has designated cuddles based on your mood, I’m dead serious. He is very observant and came to the opinion cuddle positions are based on moods. He’s surprisingly not wrong. If you have aches he will hold you close which rubbing/massaging the area. He is the definition of attentive.

⮑ He doesn’t see the appeal of pda but he doesn’t mind it either. If you’re the type to do pda then okay, if not that’s also okay. As long as it’s not flashy pda in front of his co workers.

⮑ His cuddles never fail, he’s always comfortable no matter what. Honestly I’d like to compare him to a security blanket. I’d love to at least hug this man, at least once.

⮑ 10/10 cuddles, you always come first to him.

// jouno saigiku ⌇˚.༄

⮑ My poor baby with insane hypersensitivity. Good luck.

⮑ It’s canon that all of his senses are very heightened. I feel like too much touch could easily overwhelm him. He’s talked about being able to hear heartbeats and internal body movements. I think that being too close to someone can overwhelm him not just talking about him telling tecchou to stop breathing. If you did cuddle it cannot be in silence or he could get overwhelmed.

⮑ And I imagine touch is a similar amount of torture for him. He feels everything x10. Too much touch can be suffocating to him. I adore jouno and physical touch, I’d love to say he loves cuddles, but in all honesty as someone who has a normal amount of hyper sensitivity I genuinely think it could get too much for him.

⮑ When he can handle cuddling he’s always in control or the big spoon. He keeps the touching to a minimum usually, like holding hands. But if he notices you need more he will compromise and give it to you. Sometimes though he will give in and let you hold him instead. Though sadly it’s usually when he crashes badly.

⮑ It takes a while but he will adjust to being able to hold each other close, which is quite nice. However when he does get overwhelmed he can be a bit mean I’m sorry but it’s true.

⮑ 3/10, it’s rare and minimum or else he might lose it.

// tachihara michizo ⌇˚.༄

⮑ I don’t really see him as much of a cuddler, especially when he’s under cover.

⮑ I don’t think he dislikes cuddling or physical affection, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think it’s his style. Unless you tell him you enjoy it and would like to do it, he doesn’t do it much. And when he does, he’s such a guy about it.

⮑ He’s always a big spoon, I don’t see him being comfortable being a little spoon. Also this is very strange to say but he can act like such a sibling when cuddling you. Except when you or he needs it, then he takes it serious and is surprisingly gentle.

⮑ He does not like pda, he doesn’t understand the appeal and just doesn’t like it. When he’s with the port mafia he’s got an image to uphold, being in a relationship or at the least being affectionate is a big no. And with how much he gets teased by the other hunting dogs I’d say he tries his best not to get caught. It doesn’t always work though.

⮑ 3/10 cuddles, when you get your cuddles lol.

main hub ✦ masterlist ✦ to do list

228 notes · View notes

slaymitchabernathy · 1 month

Text

The Perfect Rose

Coriolanus Snow who first took interest in her during both their last year at the Academy. Took notice of how sweet she was, how much smaller she were compared to him, how easily he could mold her into his perfect rose.

Coriolanus Snow who proudly showed her around his penthouse after their first date. His large penthouse that sat on the Capitol’s most prominent street along with the Capitol’s most prominent families. The Corso. His penthouse was gorgeous, dripping in wealth. Some might say he was bragging but she knew better, Coriolanus Snow was a proud man and she needed to get used to that.

Coriolanus Snow who was so sweet in stealing her first kiss. He was so gentle when he cupped her small face in his large hands, resisting the urge to slip his thumbs into her mouth and pry it open like a box. He took his time, making it memorable. It would have to be if he wanted to keep her in his pocket. His perfect rose.

Coriolanus Snow who was the perfect gentleman when it came down to taking her virginity. Who couldn't help but grin when he saw the small blood stain on the white sheets of his bed, solidifying the perfect image of his perfect rose. Who took things nice and slow, until he didn't. Then he allowed himself to be a little rougher, a little meaner. After all, he was her everything.

Coriolanus Snow who would finger her under the table while having dinner with her family. Who would enjoy the way she grinded into the heel of his palm all while trying to act as if nothing was amiss. He'd wait until after dinner when they'd go to her room to pin her to her mattress all while whispering in her ear, "Little slut just can't get enough of me huh?" She'd whimper all while trying to please her boyfriend who in the end would tell her that only he was allowed to touch her now. If she wanted to feel pleasure, it would have to come from him.

Coriolanus Snow who loved dressing her up like a doll. Picking out all her clothes, and what went under her clothes as well. He liked having control, having a say in what she wore, who she talked to, where she went. He'd prefer to keep her with him at all times, preferably snagged on his cock, but he could wait. The perfect rose took a great amount of time to grow.

Coriolanus Snow who would yell when he was angry. Who would throw some priceless vase at the wall, so close to hitting her pretty little head. His pale blue eyes would be wide in fury as he looked down at her trembling figure. Once he was done throwing his fit he'd leave her to clean up the broken pieces, both of the vase and her soul. She never complained though. His perfect rose.

Coriolanus Snow who proposed right before deciding to run for President. The ring was gorgeous and the band fit snugly around her finger, leaving no room for it to ever slip off. He wouldn't like that, seeing her without her wedding ring. To him, it was the equivalent of seeing a dog without its collar.

Coriolanus Snow who didn't make love to her on their wedding night. He fucked her hard and fast, making sure to hit deep inside of her. He enjoyed the way she cried out from both pleasure and pain. He'd always had a rather hard time being able to tell the difference between the two. He'd taunt her and her dumbed-down state, knowing he had that effect on her once he was balls deep inside that perfect little cunt of hers. "Look at you, can't even talk can you babydoll? Can't even think while you're stuck on my cock hmm?" She'd try to respond, he didn't like it when she didn't answer him, but all that left her mouth were whines as she reached another orgasm. He only pulled out once he was finished and proud of his work. All the hard work he'd put into her to get to this point in their lives. There was a small amount of blood mixed in with the cum leaking from between her legs which meant he'd fucked her a little too hard, a little too deep. The blood was red he thought to himself, just like a rose.

His perfect rose.

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

#coriolanus fanfiction #coriolanus smut #coriolanus snow #hunger games #slaymitchabernathy #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #ao3 fanfic #wattpad #soarynn snow #coriolanus x oc #coriolanus x original character #coriolanus x soarynn #coriolanus imagine #coriolanus fic

59 notes · View notes

venus-giirl · 10 months

Text

"A enemies to lovers"

Gyutaro Shabana x fem reader.

Fandom: Demon Salyer.

Word count: +1.8K

Rating: fighting, insults, fluff, anguish, enemies, harsh words.

N/A: I'm back, bitches. This last month I've been with final exams and couldn't find motivation to write. So last night I sat down and decided to write an enemies to lovers with Gyutaro, since I saw that the last post had been well liked. Enjoy reading, sorry for the hurtful words, but in this story the two of them hate each other… or not.

THE BOY IS A MONSTEERRRR

The room was dark. School supplies were cluttered all over the space, which was already cramped. Balls, tennis racquets, strings, mats, etc. Everything smelled like gym equipment, covered with the typical layer of dust that was hardly cleaned unless the equipment was being used.

Both of your breaths were labored, breathing hard due to the little air left inside along with the dense layer of dirt. You were angry at the stupid situation you were in.

"You shouldn't have come, it was me who was tasked to go get the mats." he growls in a serious tone, almost sounding like a dog facing his opponent.

"I've already told you a thousand times, he sent me to help you too, the mats are heavy…". you retort.

"I don't need your help, I am much stronger than you".

"You're an idiot if you think a woman can't fend for herself, Gyutaro."

"The idiot is you if you thought you were going to help me with those weak arms." His breath hits your face. It wasn't unpleasant to you, despite his hideous appearance. It smelled like a mixture of mint and body odor.

You shake your head shaking your thoughts away. My goodness, you disliked him for over two grades. He was so cruel and mean to the other students and envious through and through. He was always complaining about those who were better than him, especially in sports.

"Oh my god, you're unbearable, you know that?". You don't know what to respond and the only thing you can think to do is try to vent your anger by making him feel bad. Even though that really wasn't what you wanted, but you couldn't help it.

"Unbearable is your stupid voice and to top it off the door was locked with the keys out because of you, you clumsy girl." He had snuggled closer to you. Although the room wasn't very well lit, because the light wasn't working either, you could see his face with the small solar halo coming in through the small square window located above the wall where Gyutaro was.

His hands had reached your arms to shake you helplessly for the situation. You wince as he digs his fingers in that it almost hurts and you let out a whimper, trying to pull away from him.

"Let go of me, you brute." You fight back, trying to wiggle out of his grip. "I hadn't even seen the keys." When you had entered the materials room you didn't notice that the keys were in the lock, so you assumed that the trainer had already opened the door and that he had them hanging around his neck, as usual.

"Oh, of course. Because the girl is so dumb that even at that she's not able to figure it out." His comments were starting to hurt and tears were beginning to sting the edges of your eyes. You were not going to allow yourself to sink with his hurtful words. If he could insult you with no regard for your feelings, of course you would too. You hated him.

"You are inconsiderate, sarcastic and unbearable." You scream and press the palm of your hands on his hard chest to push him away from your body. "If you were in a different mood maybe we'd be out of here by now." You press your nails into his shirt and manage to rip a button off. He grunts and squeezes you tighter in his grip. Your arms hurt too much. It might even leave a mark on you.

"I didn't need your help!" He yells and shakes you.

"Fuck, Gyutaro, this isn't about help!".

"Then why do you always show up everywhere I go?". His question left you unsettled, blank. In fact, you also had the same feeling of running into him, in the hallways, at the lockers, when sometimes you were late because you overslept, in fights you were always around or even when he was expelled from class for confronting some teacher, you would show up by the punishment room to put some papers.

"What… What? For God's sake, I'm the deputy. It's normal for me to be doing… delegate stuff." You weren't crazy and you weren't chasing him, it's just a coincidence. right?

He laughs in a low, vile tone, not believing anything you say. "And it's also a coincidence that we're here right now?".

Your cheeks were starting to heat up from anger. "Honestly, I'd rather die than be locked in the same room as you." You spit out in a stern tone.

Gyutaro responds with a laugh too unpleasant for you "Dare to say that again and again and I'll break you". The glint of malice could be seen in his gaze. His teeth chattered with every word and his jaw tensed, you almost thought he might snap his teeth from the strain. His grip and his voice were harder and harder.

"Fuck you." You grab his shirt and try to shake him too.

"Oh, I'm flattered, but no thanks." You take a few steps forward and out of sense take a few steps back. You don't want him to touch you. You can't stand it. His touch feels rough and horrid to you. Cold and hard. Painful and… Fuck, stop thinking about it.

"I hate you, I hate you. I can't stand you and you think I'd be after you? Jesus Christ, you wouldn't believe that yourself. From the moment I saw you I couldn't stand you." Gyutaro is silent for a few moments, seconds in which a silent emptiness takes over the room, which, seconds before, had been filled with screams and voices, insults and confessions too painful and cruel to be able to say them to another person.

Seconds in which your body is pushed forcefully backwards. The air leaves your lungs abruptly and gravity takes hold of your body pulling you down. Your back crashes heavily against the mattresses and you feel a large, angry body looming over you. The vibes shook your skin and it bristled at the numerous sensations you were experiencing, fear, terror… But you were not going to show weakness before him. No way, he couldn't see you crying or in a vulnerable state.

Your breaths were agitated, loaded with words that wanted to leave your mouths to hurt again. Hands and legs move, squeeze, and you try to pull away. You sit up, but he places his palm on your chest and sinks you back down to the mattresses. You claw at his arms and groan, trying to overcome his enormous strength. He grunts gutturally and tries to grab your hands again. When he finally succeeds, he spreads your legs apart with his knees and stands over you, his bony pelvis now between your thighs, preventing you from closing your legs or kicking him. You gasp and grunt, arch your back, but nothing, you can't free yourself from him. From his prison. God…you were almost sure you'd never get out of there.

"I hate you you know." Desperate you attack him again with the only thing you have left.

"I know." He replies in a dry tone and smiles showing his menacing teeth.

"I hate your smile."

"I know." He repeats. His face moves closer to yours. Her hair, always messy, now falls around your face, forming a curtain between the two of you.

"And your face, you're so…you're so obnoxious." Your nose brushes against his, his breath hits your mouth and cheeks. If you could sink even deeper into the mattress you would have made it by now.

His weight on your body burned you more and more. "And I can't…I can't….". Your eyes widen as you feel his lips rest on yours. You don't know it at the time, as the darkness prevented you from seeing, but his eyes looked into yours with a glow…an unexplainable glow. His dry, chapped lips encircled yours in a chaste kiss.

Your breath catches and you let out a soft sigh, half-opening your lips. Gyutaro pulls away just an unbearable millimeter and you already feel the cold from the absence of warmth. In an uncontrollable impulse you sit up and kiss him back. You suck in a breath of air and crash your lips against his. Gyutaro grunts in an attempt to control himself and crushes you back against the mat without separating from you, without breaking the kiss again. His mouth opens and he sticks out his tongue to open your wet lips which you open, inviting him in. Your tongues meet, slippery with saliva. Oxygen is depleted as your kiss becomes more intense. Now it has become a war to see which tongue can dominate the other. Your mouths open in a kiss. His breath caresses your right cheek and you tilt your head so you can get more of him.

His hand held the back of your neck. Since when did his hand hold the back of your neck? His thick, calloused fingers curl and pull at it. Your body arches and his body hovers more over you, the mats supporting the weight of both of you. Gyutaro grunts and begins to eat from your mouth as if it were the last meal on earth. You follow his rhythm and you both create a dance, in which your mouths devour each other with anger, rage, hatred and uncontrolled passion. His teeth sting and graze your lower lip. From time to time he gently bites your tongue and curses, in words that crash over your lips, incomprehensible confessions.

You feel and hear Gyutaro's nails digging into the mat and breaking it as he clenches his fists. Your hands now embrace his neck and you pull at his hair, causing him to growl. At an indeterminate point, you become dizzy and can almost feel his pelvis shift between your thighs, searching for something to relieve himself with.

However, the crazy magic of that crazy kiss is interrupted by the jingling of keys and a male voice shouting, "Is someone inside, the door is locked, hello!". Everything falls apart when Gyutaro abruptly pulls away from your body and growls. His weight, his touch, his breathing, his hands…everything is now cold to you. Your mind gradually comes to its senses and you awaken your mind cold again, assessing the matter. You are still there, lying on the mats, trying to calm your breathing and organize the bomb of events in your head.

"Shit…" Gyutaro curses and turns his back on you. Before he leaves he gives you one last look showing his teeth and walks away, leaving his scent, his trail. You hear the professor hurling questions at Gyutaro who ignores him completely, until you stop hearing his footsteps. Your hands rise by inertia to your red, swollen lips and you again hear footsteps running into the material shed.

"T/n, are you okay?" Mitsuri's soft voice sounds concerned, but you don't manage to hear it. Not after what's happened.

"I… I hate him…". You whisper still feeling the trail of Gyutaro's kiss on your mouth.

191 notes · View notes

m-jelly · 9 months

Text

Tea for two - Chapter 1

Pairing: Post-war Levi x Fem!Reader

Tags and warnings: Canon world, post-war, injured Levi, scarred Levi, romance, falling in love, fluff, angst, emotional pain.

Story concept: After working in Levi's tea shop for two months, you and Levi seemed to have developed feelings for each other. Levi is struggling with these newfound feelings because he has never been in love before, he doesn't understand what is going on in his heart and is trying to figure it all out. Levi slowly bonds with you on a deep level causing him to open himself up like he has never done before with anyone. He starts working on healing himself so he can be a man that he believes deserves to stand at your side. When you and Levi admit your love, Levi slowly learns what it means to love someone and be in a relationship. Through good times and bad, through nightmares and pain, you and Levi face everything together and hold on to the deep love you have for each other.

In this chapter: Feelings are beginning to bubble away inside of you and Levi. Levi shows acts of service for his love language for you but doesn't understand his feelings. You are also using the love language acts of service, but you don't think your feelings will be reciprocated.

AO3 Link

Part 2

It was a crisp spring morning with a light fog clinging to the land and dew droplets running on lush green grass. The waves crashing on the shore were gentle ad soothing to anyone where resting close by. A sweet cottage with a beautiful garden full of life rested on the edge of the busy town. The home was peaceful with the beach and vast forest next to it.

Inside the home was simple and clean with hardly any personal possessions. It was a perfect home for Levi. He had been offered a few homes when he retired from the military and given a lot of money too for his dedication to the scouts. He chose this home so he could have some peace and he could watch the birds in his garden.

Levi loved his home and was adjusting to his new life as best as he could, but there were bad days and good days. He struggled sometimes with his injuries due to the weather and sometimes it just got bad. He spiralled a little mentally and decided to act. Levi focused and achieved his lifelong dream, which was a sweet tea shop. He was so happy when he opened the place up and it was popular.

It was four months in when he realised he needed help. His shop wasn’t big, so he just needed one person to help him. He had a few interviews and a lot of them were terrible. Most people wanted the job to be around the great Captain Levi Ackerman. Levi wanted space from that life, he wanted to move on. He began to lose hope until you walked in through the door. Levi had never liked anyone before or had feelings for anyone, but you made his heart flutter and cheeks burn.

Levi hired you right away because you saw him for who he really was. You didn’t press him about his time in the scouts. You were just kind and sweet and you knew a lot about tea. Levi enjoyed your company so much and even loved your dog Bo when he met him. Levi loved Bo the dog so much, he asked you to bring him to work every single day. Levi was beginning to smile more with you and Bo around and even laugh.

In just two months, you manage to turn his life around into something that was no longer black and white and now was starting to have light in it. He loved going to work so he could see you. You soothed and comforted him so much. He just wanted to go to work all the time so he could be around you. He enjoyed going to work so much.

Today, though, Levi was having a bad morning and he was beginning to panic that he couldn’t see you. He’d woken up and felt an odd sensation in his left knee. As soon as he felt something, he knew today was going to be a bad day for him. He’d worked so hard for so long to walk with a cane, but it seemed like he might not be able to today.

He sat up and winced a little as his knee and leg throbbed. He released a long sigh and looked down at his leg to see the large scars all over his left leg. He massaged his thigh and looked at his clock to see that he needed to hurry or he’d be late for work. He braced himself before pushing himself to his feet. He hobbled a little before he dropped to the floor and slammed against it with a grunt as pain shot through his leg.

He gritted his teeth as he lay there. “Shit.” He slammed his fist against the floor in frustration. “Not today.” He looked around and spotted his chair. “Fucking thing.” He grabbed the bed and pushed himself up to his feet.

Levi hopped to his chair and sat down. He wheeled himself to his closet and changed into comfy clothes. He moved to the bathroom and did a basic clean-up before looking at himself in the mirror and seeing he had stubble. He rubbed his jawline and sighed. As he looked at himself with the scars and stubble, he kept thinking back to the first weeks of the war being over. Levi had given up a little causing his hair to grow out of its normal cut and he started growing a beard.

He moved through his home and to the front door. He slipped on a nice pair of smart shoes before glancing at the clock to see he was late for work. “Fuck.” He hated being late and was always punctual, so this was hard for him to be so late. “Tch.”

When Levi moved through town, people would always try and stop him so they could talk to him. People loved the fact that they had such a strong soldier of the scouts in their town. Levi’s name had become even more well-known after the war. Levi hated that he was famous and just wanted some peace and quiet. He also hated how people would pity him because of his injuries. He just wanted to be treated like any other person like you did. Levi really liked you.

He moved down the street to his tea shop and expected you to be waiting outside for him, but he was shocked to see that the little tables and chairs were put outside with lovely decorations and flowers on the tables. He moved up the ramp to the door and waited for a couple to leave before he moved inside the shop.

Levi’s eyes widened when he saw you with a bright smile on your face as you talked to a customer and your sweet dog Bo at your side. He thought your dress for the day and apron were so pretty. He moved closer and called your name. He blushed when you lit up at seeing him. You looked at him in a way that he’d never been looked at before. He felt so flustered under your gentle gaze.

You cleaned your hands and hurried over to Levi. “Good morning boss! I hope it’s okay I opened up.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s great. Thank you.”

You hummed a laugh. “Oh, so we have a lot of paperwork to do and stock-taking and inventory. So, I compiled all the papers, organised them and marked them for you in your office.”

Levi was rather flustered at your declaration. He was certain that you understood that today was a bad health day for him and instead of fussing over him like most would, you were giving him an easy job for the day so he could rest and heal. He was always so taken aback by your kindness and thoughtfulness. He couldn’t help but smile a little.

He reached over and petted Bo, who was begging for attention. “Sure thing, I’ll work on all that. I should order a few things too.”

“I made a list of what we need.” You laughed nervously. “I hope that’s okay?”

He nodded. “Perfect. Makes things easier for me.” He released a long sigh. “I better get to work then.”

You opened the hatch door for him and then his office door. “Bo will want to keep you company, I hope that’s okay?”

“I’m happy to have the big guy.”

You waved to him and closed the door slightly. You moved around the shop and served tea to people, along with selling tea for people to take home. The shop was mainly for selling tea to be taken home, but ever since you joined you suggested that there be tables inside the small place and out so people could drink at the shop.

You noticed it got a bit quiet, so you decided to make something for Levi. You made a pot of tea with a nice-tasting medical tea to soothe his aches. You put everything on a tray and felt a bit nervous to give him a baked treat you’d made, but you had made so much last night that you just had to offer him some. So, you put some slices of lemon drizzle loaf on a plate and took everything into Levi.

Levi was working slowly as he wrote with his right hand. It was hard for him to be right-handed and to have two fingers missing, but he found a way to make it work. His other hand was on Bo’s head so he could give him a fuss. He lifted his head at the gentle knock at the door and noticed Bo get happy and hurry over to the door, which meant you were here to see Levi.

Levi gulped hard as a tingle began inside him. Levi had noticed that he liked you more than most people, he enjoyed your company and wanted you around often. However, something in his was changing and he noticed this change in him a few days ago. His heart would flutter around you, he’d try to get you to smile and laugh, he’d think about you when you weren’t around, he’d long for your presence and it confused him to feel this way as he had never experienced anything like this before.

He smiled softly at you before calling your name. “Come in.”

You slipped inside Levi’s office and placed the tray in an empty spot on his table. “Thought I’d get you something to eat and drink.”

He gazed at what you got him and felt flustered. “Oh, fuck this is very kind of you.”

“I picked a good tea.” You lifted the pot and poured him a cup. “Also I made some lemon drizzle loaf last night and I had a lot left over, so I brought some in. You don’t have to try it, but it is there if you want.”

Levi looked down at the slice and felt his mouth-watering. “It looks wonderful. I’m looking forward to it. You know, if you bake more things you should bring it in. You could bring the excess and we could sell.”

You laughed nervously. “Ah, I don’t think it is good enough to sell.”

Levi chuckled as Bo shoved his face under Levi’s arm to sniff the cake. “None for you.” He smiled at you. “Thank you. I’ll enjoy this all.”

“Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

He watched you leave before sighing a little. He looked down at his cup and picked it up. He inhaled the scent deeply and knew right away what you had made him. He felt so touched that you instantly knew he was having a bad day so you had made him a pot of tea with a tea that always helped him. He sipped his tea and felt his body relax at the flavours.

He picked up a fork and turned his attention to the treat you’d made. He cut a slice and was impressed by how soft the sponge was. He popped the slice into his mouth and hummed in delight. You managed to get the balance between sugar and lemon. He licked his lips in happiness and began savouring every last bite of the cake until it was all gone.

As Levi enjoyed his lunch you got him you were busy cleaning the shop up. You served a few customers but business was slow which was okay because the shop had already made a major profit today. You were happy and hoping that Levi was doing okay. You figured Levi was late to work due to his knee getting bad. You were worried about him because you liked him so much and he was so kind and sweet, but you didn’t want to make too much of a fuss because it could upset him.

You looked up when a woman entered the shop. “Welcome to Levi’s. How may I help?”

She walked over to you and pulled a disgusted face. “Ugh, just look at your uniform. This is not appropriate.”

You looked down at yourself and felt a little confused. “Oh…I’m sorry.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Workers these days. Now, I have a list of things I need. Get it for me.”

You took her list and nodded. “Sure. Oh, but there are a few things on your list that we don’t have.”

“What? You had it yesterday when I checked with the handsome man who works here.”

“Yes, we might have but between then and now we likely sold it all.”

She huffed. “But I asked for it! You should have kept it to the side for me!”

You felt a little nervous as your fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. “We don’t keep things to the side for someone unless they make a downpayment for it. I don’t see a record of that.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

You shook your head. “No, I would never. I’m just letting you know of Levi’s policy that we only hold things for people if they’ve made a downpayment.”

“Don’t spout your policy to me!”

You nibbled your lip. “I’m sorry.”

“Get me what I want!”

You looked at her list. “I can get you everything but three teas on here.”

“I want all.”

“But we don’t have them in stock. I can’t get you something we don’t have.”

She huffed. “You stupid little! I’m not surprised someone as stupid and pathetic as you work in a job like this. You can only do something like this, but it seems like you can’t even do it well. You’re just so damn stupid.”

You gulped hard. “Please don’t talk to me like that. I’m just trying to help.”

“Help!? You’ve done nothing! I want to speak to your manager right now! I can’t deal with someone as stupid as you.”

You bowed your head and hurried to Levi’s office as you tried to hold back tears. You could take abuse from people, but there was something that cut you deep when your intellect was brought into question. You shook a little as you stood there in Levi’s office. You felt your cheeks burning as embarrassment took over.

Levi looked over at you as he softly said your name. “Thank you for the tea and cake, both were incredible. You know, I might ask you for more of that cake.” His slight smile dropped when he saw you were shaking and tears were running down your cheeks. He got up and hopped over to you. “Hey, hey, hey.” He pulled out his hankie and rubbed your tears away. “What’s wrong?”

You whimpered. “A woman came in and wants to see the manager.”

“What happened?”

You explained everything to Levi as you cried a little. “She called me stupid.”

“You’re not. She’s a horrible person.” He felt so enraged that someone had made you cry. “Tch, that fucking…I’ll talk to her.”

“I feel so silly.”

“It’s okay. The way she spoke to you and treated you was shit. I’ll take care of this, okay?”

You nodded. “Mm, okay. Thank you, Levi.”

He shifted to his wheelchair and sat in it. “Do you mind pushing me in there?”

You sniffed and smiled at him. “Sure thing, boss.”

Levi shifted in his seat and processed the words in his head. He wanted to call this woman out and shout at her for making you cry. How dare someone make you cry? You were his. He blushed hard when that thought drifted through his mind. He shook his head and looked out into his shop and saw the woman he remembered from yesterday who wouldn’t leave him alone.

The woman looked over to Levi and perked up at seeing the great Captain. She adjusted her boobs and grinned at him. “Captain!”

“It’s Levi. I want to know why you made my,” he said your name with such heart “cry.”

“Your…” She stared at you. “I didn’t know you were taken…I just…she was so rude! I want everything on this list!”

Levi grabbed the list and looked. “We can get you everything but a few things as we are out of stock.”

“But yesterday.”

He glared at her. “Tch, that was yesterday. Do you think we sat on our fucking asses all day waiting for you to arrive? You’re not our only customer. It is first come first serve. Someone else came and bought the tea, a nicer person.”

“But I want that tea!”

He tossed the order on the table and sighed. “We can order it in for you and you can wait, or you can go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere!?” She huffed. “I will not return here! You lose a customer.”

He shrugged. “Good. In fact, I’m fucking glad you’re not going to come back.” He reached up and held your hand. “No one makes her cry. Now, you can either get the fuck out of my shop or you can buy what’s on your list and leave.”

She growled in frustration. “I will tell everyone to not come here!”

“Please do, because anyone who believes you are like you and I don’t want any more people in here who are just like you.”

She pouted a little. “I’ll call the police!”

“Do it. I dare you.”

You squeezed Levi’s hand before releasing it. You moved around his shop and gathered what she needed and added a slice of your cake in there too. “Ma’am? I am not sure why you are so upset today and so angry. I might not ever understand why you took it out on me, but what I do know is that you are upset and hurting. I got you everything on your list and added in some lemon drizzle loaf as a hope you feel better.”

She stared at you for a while before she started crying. “I’m sorry. It’s just been so hard right now.”

You nodded. “I understand.”

She offered you money and a bit more. “Here.” She sniffed and rubbed her tears. “I’m so embarrassed.” She bowed. “I’ll be on my way, thank you.”

Levi called your name as soon as the woman left. “Why did you do that? Why were you nice to her?”

You walked over to Levi and sighed. “Well, I figured that her anger was towards something else and she was just taking it out on us. We don’t know what’s going on in her life and she doesn’t know what’s going on in ours.” You smiled sadly. “Hurt people tend to hurt others. I hope she gets better.”

Levi stared at you for a while. “You are unbelievable.”

You looked over at Levi. “That bad?”

He smiled a little. “In a good way. I can’t figure you out and I like that. You’re like no one I’ve ever met before. It’s refreshing.”

You hummed a laugh. “If I’m honest, boss, I wanted you to rip her fucking tongue out or you shoved shit into her mouth seeing as she talks so much of it.”

Levi’s eyes widened at your words before he started laughing causing your heart to skip a beat. “That sounds perfect for her.”

You smiled a little. “Right? So, you wanted more cake right?”

“I do.”

You giggled. “I’ll get that for you.”

Levi smiled a little. He looked down as Bo walked over to his side. “Tch, your mum is pretty wonderful.”

Levi gritted his teeth as he started his exercises for the day on his leg. He bent his knee and moved his leg as best as he could. Each time they got easy for him he had to upgrade what he was doing and push his body harder. He relaxed as soon as he reached his target for the day. He released a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

A smile spread over Levi’s lips when you came to mind. He kept thinking of you all the time, how your hair was, your scent, your smile, your voice and how you were always so captivating when you talked. He hoped he could see you soon, but it was a day off and he knew that he would have to wait for the next workday to see you again.

He released a groan at a knock on his door. He pushed himself up and grabbed his cane before walking over to the door and opening it to see you standing there with a basket on your arm with a cute dress, Bo at your side. He frowned a little as he wondered if he had caused you to appear in his life. He had just been thinking of you and now you were here. You were this constant in his life ever since Gabi and Falco decided to remain in Marley and Levi went to Paradis, his home.

You grinned at Levi. “Hello, boss. I am so sorry to bother you, but I was shopping around in town and I found something you might like. Oh! I also might have baked too much again.”

Levi stared at you for a while. He was not used to this kind of kindness and people dropping in on him. He was certain you’d done this because of how unwell he was last week and now he was just about out of his chair again. He was touched by how thoughtful and loving you were. He was so happy.

He shifted out of the way. “Come on in.”

You gasped as your cheeks burned. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude or anything. I was just going to drop off some things.”

He smiled a little. “I insist. Tch, come on in. Don’t stand there like you need to shit.”

You laughed at his words. “Sure thing, boss.”

He moved to the side and watched you enter his home for the first time. He smiled a little at Bo and closed the door as soon as Bo was inside. He turned and felt his heart flutter when he saw your shoes neatly placed in the right area. He felt like you belonged here with him and he was thinking of asking you if you could possibly help him around the house. He was going to pay you, but he kind of wanted your company a bit more and he felt guilty asking you to stay around because he didn’t think he was good company. So, he was thinking of turning it into a job.

He limped into his home to see you in his kitchen making a pot of tea. He watched you closely until you noticed him staring.

You blushed hard. “Oh, I’m sorry for taking over your kitchen and raiding your cupboards.”

“Don’t be sorry. Make yourself at home, please.”

“Have you had any lunch yet?”

He moved to his favourite chair and sat down. “Uh, no.” He barely ate really mainly because he often forgot to, or his bad thoughts got the better of him.

You walked over to him with a tray and a sweet smile. “Well, it’s a good job I brought a lot of lunch.”

He watched you sit before opening your bag and pulling out wrapped-up sandwiches, cakes and some snacks. Levi was certain that you did make extra by accident but you intentionally made lunch for him because you worried about him. He liked that you cared about him. He was hoping it wasn’t some sort of care where you were trying to be a nurse to him, but genuine care for him as a man. Levi did not doubt it because you’d always treated him as if he was a normal person.

He tucked into his sandwich and hummed in delight. “You’re a great cook.”

“Mm, thank you.” You wiped your mouth up. “So, the reason why I came here was to feed you but it was also because I found a few things in town and I thought of you.”

He blushed a little. “Really?”

You nodded and put your food down a moment and pulled a few things out of your bag. “There was this new tea in town I thought we could trial run. The person selling it was running a stall. I told them about your shop and they hope we like the tea so we could trade.”

“Great.” He reached over and took the bag of tea. “We can test it tonight.”

“Fantastic. The other thing is a cleaning product. I know you love cleaning, so I found this special rag that’s supposed to have this great dusting ability.” You played with the rag. “Maybe it is static or something…”

Levi took it from you. “I appreciate it. I will let you know if it is better than my normal things.”

“Wonderful.” You pulled out something wrapped up. “Last thing.”

He frowned a little. “Tch, the fuck is that? Poison?”

You laughed. “No, no poison. If I was trying to poison you I would have done it by now.”

“Good point.”

You fiddled with the gift as your feelings slipped out. “I rather like you and would like to keep you around as long as possible.”

Levi’s cheeks burned. “I uh…”

You smiled at him. “Last gift. This is a new thing. They said it’s called chocolate and they had different kinds. I know you’re not the biggest fan of bitter things, so I got the one with a bit of milk in so it is a bit easier to eat. I will get the dark next time.”

“I’ll give it a try after this wonderful lunch.”

“Great.” He looked down and saw Bo was staring at him. “No, you can’t have my lunch.”

You hummed a laugh. “It’s hard to say no when he looks so cute.”

“You’re right.” Levi petted Bo. “I’m impressed with how trained he is.”

“He’s a quick learner. He’d be good with someone who needs physical or mental care.” You frowned in thought. “Maybe I should take him to the local hospital…”

For a moment Levi thought you meant him, but you mentioning the hospital meant you didn’t see him as someone who needed a lot of care. He was happy, but he also wanted you to take care of him and fuss over him too. He wanted your attention on him all the time. He didn’t know why he felt so demanding of you. The thought of you dating someone and spending time with them irritated him a little. He was rather confused about his feelings.

“Levi?”

Levi flinched at hearing you call his name. “You called me Levi.”

You pressed your lips together. “Mm…”

“It’s okay. I like it. I prefer it.”

You smiled softly. “Well, I’ll call you Levi from now on.”

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “So, you called my name.”

“Mm! Yes. I was asking if I could stay over.”

Levi’s cheeks burned. “Stay?”

You nodded and pointed to the window allowing him to see the rain was coming down heavily. “It appears it is pouring it down and I didn’t bring a coat or anything. I can leave if you want.”

Levi stared at the rain and thought about you staying over. He rather liked the idea of you being a permanent feature in his home, you were always one at work so it’d be nice to have you more. He looked over at you and gave you a tiny reassuring smile. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need. I have a spare room if you have to stay the night.”

You gasped. “Oh! Oh, I don’t think that’ll happen, I’m sure the rain will ease off. I don’t want to be a burden or anything.”

“You would never be.” He sighed. “I might seem grumpy, but I rather enjoy your company compared to others.”

You smiled a little. “I’m glad.” You stood up and cleaned his living room of all the leftover food and rubbish. “Tea?”

He watched you in his kitchen. “We should try that tea you bought.”

“Perfect!”

He released a long sigh and felt a weight on his lap. He looked down to see Bo with his head on Levi’s lap with a sweet gaze and tail wagging. Levi hummed a laugh and began fussing him. “Good boy.”

You walked over and sat near Levi. “Bo adores you so much. I’ve never seen him so taken with someone.”

Levi smiled at you. “Well, I like him. I like having him around.”

“I’m glad.” You offered him a cup. “This is the stuff I bought today.”

Levi sniffed it first. “Has a nice aroma.” He carefully sipped it and let the flavours mix in his mouth. “Mm, that’s rather nice. Seems like a summer drink though. It is more fruity in flavour.”

You sipped it and enjoyed the fruity taste in the tea. “I like it too. You’re right about it being best for summer.”

“We’ll go visit the seller together and make a deal.”

“Perfect.”

He relaxed a little and enjoyed his tea. He winced a little when he felt a random stabbing pain in his right eye. He placed two fingers on his closed eye and began massaging the area. He hummed in happiness and felt himself being soothed by your scent and presence. Before Levi knew it, he had drifted off into a light sleep and started dreaming about you.

You cleaned up the tea and turned to Levi to ask him a question, but he was out like a light. You smiled softly as he slept in his seat but you noticed he was uncomfortable. You placed a cushion behind his lower back and another behind his head. You slowly lifted his legs and put them on a footstool. You grabbed a blanket and placed it over him to make sure he was warm.

You shifted his hair from his face and smiled at how handsome he was. You had been around Levi for two months and slowly developed feelings for him. You knew he had been in the scouts and people freaked out about him, but that’s all you knew. You didn’t want to pry into his business and possibly his trauma. You could tell by the scars that Levi had been through a lot in life.

You knew Levi didn’t see himself as much because he was always confused at fangirls declaring their love for him. Levi didn’t see himself as attractive, especially now with all his scars. However, you thought he was so beautiful and incredible. He was thoughtful, emotional, kind, caring and smart. You enjoyed talking to him and just being around him. You just had this natural desire to be around him and make him smile.

You realised you liked him more than a friend about a week ago. You didn’t say anything to him because you didn’t want to ruin what you had. You weren’t sure Levi liked you back in the same way you liked him. So, you were just going to do lots of acts of service to show your affection to him because seeing him happy was enough for you.

You leaned closer and pressed a delicate kiss on his forehead. You closed your eyes and wished him all the best in his health, both body and mind. You pulled back and smiled a little at him. You pulled away and went to the spare room thinking you needed to set it up, but it was already perfect for you to sleep in. You made some dinner in the kitchen and ate your serving before leaving a note for Levi to let him know how to reheat it.

With one last check on Levi, you moved your way to the spare room and pulled your things off until you were in your underdress. You slipped under the covers and felt yourself blushing because the bedsheets smelt just like Levi. You wiggled in place and gasped when Bo jumped on the bed and lay next to you. You knew that there was no bed for him, so you were just going to have to say sorry to Levi when he woke up.

He woke up after a while and noticed it was still raining outside and it was dark. He frowned when he felt a cushion behind his lower back and another behind his head for comfort. He looked down at his body to see a blanket had been laid on him. He blushed a little at the thought of your doting on him as he slept. He moved the blanket off him and limped to the kitchen to see the dinner you’d made and the cute note for him.

Levi enjoyed the freshly cooked meal before making his way to the spare room. He opened your door and peered inside to see Bo on the bed and you sleeping deeply next to him. He limped inside the room and fussed Bo as he woke up for a moment. Levi carefully pushed the hair from your face and smiled, you were so pretty.

He pulled back and released a long sigh. He closed the door behind him and made his way to his room. He changed into his night things and fell into bed. As he gazed up at the ceiling his mind was filled with you. Often he would think about his job, his life, or the people he had lost but it was all you. He blushed as you filled his mind and made his heart throb. He wasn’t sure what these feelings were, but he liked them.

231 notes · View notes

sweetleaf-cafe · 2 years

Text

Crewel basically being the Prefect's Dad

First, don't think you're getting the upper hand during class, pup.

He wants you to do and be at your best whenever possible, which calls for some harsh lessons.

And he will call you out in class when you're not paying attention.

Still, whenever you need help, Crewel will be there to look after you.

That includes keeping Crowley and the boys off your back.

Particularly when he notices Crowley dumping all of his work as headmaster onto you.

Simply unacceptable.

If he sees that you're struggling, emotionally or physically, or just that your workload is out of proportion, you can bet Crowley will be left in a far worse state.

Really, if you start crying or get burnt out from everything you're somehow expected to do, Crewel will be seething.

And naturally, Crowley finds out pretty quick.

Oftentimes, he doesn't even need to chew him out to tear Crowley apart.

Instead, with Crowley in the same room, all he has to do is call you to him.

When you walk in and call him "Papa", Crowley starts blubbering.

Shouldn't he be your father figure?!?!?!

Furthermore, as you neatly dodge the clingy birdman, you head straight to a smug Papa Crewel, who pats his pup on the head.

And you can forget about your responsibilities as prefect.

(Which really are the responsibilities of the headmaster.)

As Crewel informs Crowley they'll be going on vacation for parent-child bonding time.

He can and will force Crowley to deal with his own problems, and while he's at it, get you a mental health break.

During this break, he'll make sure you don't fall too far behind on your studies, however, will focus on getting you back to top-notch.

If you really just can't handle a whole lot at the moment, then he'll keep studying at a minimum.

You'll both spend quite a bit of time just in his home or studio, at least at first.

Before going on some ridiculous adventure, he wants to make sure you've had time to recuperate.

And of course, he has dogs.

At the very least, three.

Each one is just as important to him as you, and he expects you to get along.

Really, it's amazing that you've managed to be considered as important as his dogs.

Still, they're all quite friendly and well-trained, so you don't have to worry about having any problems with them.

He absolutely softens whenever he sees you spending time with them.

After a day or two of rest, if you're up to it, Crewel will take you on a trip.

He'll try to cater it to your tastes, but you can expect it to be classy.

Well aware that you don't have much in terms of belongings, he'll first make sure to get you something to wear outside your uniform as well as whatever else you might want or need.

Straight up buys you a collar with return information.

Crewel will make sure that you are well dressed.

He cannot have his pup looking like a mutt at the side of the road.

Still, he's well-acquainted with style and is easily able to come up with something that suits your preferences and looks good.

When he sees that your style's improved, Crewel will be beaming with pride.

And he will absolutely make sure you can strut, but that's for another day.

Once you've gotten everything you need, as well as visited several dozen pet stores, he'll take you back home, as it'll be getting rather late.

And holy smokes, he's an amazing cook.

His tastes are quite refined and nothing is extremely sweet or salty, but always a perfect balance.

Beyond that, he cooks with a lot of vegetables and eats very healthily.

You will find practically zero junk food in his house.

He knows he's got to work hard to maintain his figure, and he will do so.

Still, if there's something you want in particular, he'll be sure to keep an eye out for it.

But he'll only buy those sorts of things on a rare occasion, but will make sure it's special every time.

Once you return to Night Raven College, he'll make sure that you get caught up quickly.

That includes assigning someone that isn't Ace, Deuce, or Grim, to help you for a little bit.

(The probable candidates being Jack, Jamil, Vil, Riddle, or Trey, or basically, any responsible student that won't get you even more sidetracked.)

As a parent, Crewel will always keep an extra eye out for you, and strive to help you succeed.

And Great Seven help them, but Crewel has some opinions on quite a few of the boys.

He'll let you (and them) know if he disapproves of something, but overall will leave your relationships with them to your discretion.

But if they start causing problems, he will raise hell.

And it won't be long before he legally adopts you.

Considering that you're stuck in a completely new world, Crewel knows that you'll be needing support, which he's happy to provide.

Que the guardianship disputes between Crewel and Crowley.

#crewel #papa crewel #twst #twisted wonderland #x reader #crewel x reader #divius crewel #divius crewel x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #headcanons #crewel headcanons #divius crewel headcanons #twst heacanons #twisted wonderland headcanons

2K notes · View notes

love-kurdt · 4 months

Text

This is Me Trying (byler): 3

word count: 6,996

warnings for this chapter: none really, ngl. just very honest and open conversation. but same as all the other warnings in previous chapters, just be cautious if you see anything that may trigger you. this is semi-autobiographical so pls be kind <3

in short: if you are emotionally or mentally vulnerable, please dni.

The world buzzed with static around him, each second feeling like an eternity. Time stood still, just like the day Mike took off his watch. His hands were shaking, the anticipation inside him about to explode like fireworks. He balled his hands up into fists and put them in his sweatshirt pockets, but immediately pulled them back out because he could feel his palms getting sweaty.

Mike glanced around, and saw the nextdoor neighbor taking her dog out for a walk. He raised his hand in an awkward greeting, and she smiled back at him. He watched her run further and further away until they were out of his line of sight; a minute had definitely passed by now. He turned his attention back to the door, and lifted his hand again, going to knock one last time.

But then, before he was able to, Will opened the door.

Mike froze, his hand still in the air. He lowered his arm slowly, and took a mental photograph of Will’s awestricken face before he was met with a faceful of door. He should have seen that coming. He leaned his head against the door, exhaling with a shaky breath. “Will… I know I’m the last person you want to see. I just…” he hesitated, digging his nails into his palms. This was likely going to be his first of many fumbles. “This is going fucking splendidly already, Jesus Christ.”

There was no response on Will’s end, but Mike figured he might as well get everything off his chest, even if Will wasn’t there to hear it. Saying it out loud could probably suffice. “Uh… I guess I should start by saying I’m sorry. For everything. For hurting you with my words, with my actions, for being so fucking reckless with my life. I’ve accumulated a lot of regrets over the past few years, but…” here goes nothing, “loving you will never be one of them.”

Mike closed his eyes with his head still on the door, but jumped back a bit in surprise when he felt a light thump right next to his face. “... Will?”

“I’m listening.”

The faint sound of Will’s voice was music to Mike’s ears; low and velvety, with a hint of rasp. His stomach nervously flipped as he cleared his throat, continuing on. “I’ve been a mess without you. I don’t know who I am without you. This is me trying to say…” Mike trailed off. What was he trying to say? How could he reduce his love for Will into a single sentence? How could he explain himself in a concise, yet bold form that wouldn’t scare Will away? He couldn’t. He was doomed regardless of how the conversation would unfold. He asked Will the first thing that came to mind: “... You ever been to a college party?”

“Yeah, a few.” Will replied.

“Well, I just failed out of school because I went to way too many of them. I just drove here directly from my last one, actually.” He tried to add a bit of humor to his voice, but it ended up coming out sounding pathetically broken. Fumble number two. Fuck it all. Everything was going down in flames. Mike set his hand on the door, caressing the painted surface as if it were Will’s face.

“But here’s the thing— it’s hard to be at a party when you feel like an open wound. You’re all I think about, and it’s like I can’t… I can’t let go. It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you. And even though you don’t love me, and even if we can never be friends again, I need that closure, Will, and I need you to understand that I won’t move on if that never happens.” Mike felt the doorknob click below, and he lifted his head up just as the door opened again. Will emerged, tears lining his cheeks. Motherfucking fumble number three. When Will and Mike were little, they functioned as a unit. When Will was happy, Mike was happy. When Will would cry, Mike would cry with him. Now, Mike felt like he was five years old again, getting choked up at the sight of Will crying, and mentally cursed himself. “Fuck, now I’ve made you cry for the umpteenth time in our lives. What else is new?”

Will crossed his arms across his chest, and looked down towards the ground, still on the defensive. But his voice betrayed him when he said, “No, please don't worry about me. It’s fine. And I…” his voice wobbled, “I’m sorry for slamming the door. I was just so…”

Mike nodded in sorrowful understanding. “Yeah.”

He took a good look at Will, noticing how Will’s hair had finally grown out of the bowl cut, falling into his eyes in loose copper waves, ending just above his strong jaw. His eyes, even obscured with tears, looked green as ever. Mike wanted to drown in them.

“You changed your hair,” Mike heard himself say. Will let out a small smile at that, brushing some of his bangs out of his eyes, along with some tears that had attached themselves to his eyelashes.

“Yeah, the bowl was kind of… archaic.” Both of them began awkwardly laughing while still crying. Mike had to refrain from thinking too much, because if he did, he’d get all sentimental about how this was the first time he’d laughed with Will in… he couldn’t even remember.

“You like it, though?” he asked. He still sought his approval, after everything. Of course Mike liked it. Mike liked Will’s hair no matter how it was cut. But this style that Will was sporting currently had Mike falling flat on his face; and not literally, for once.

“Yeah, it really suits you,” he told Will, who was flattered at the compliment.

“Thank you. I mean, Mom’s skill set with scissors was… limited, but she tried.” Mike thought of that one time he’d walked into the Byers household unannounced back in junior year of high school. Will was sitting on a chair in the middle of the kitchen with a literal bowl on his head as Joyce shuffled around her son with a pair of kitchen shears. Joyce was an incredible mom who loved both of her boys unconditionally. Which reminded Mike…

“How’d you get my number?”

“Your mom gave it to me over Christmas break.”

“She shouldn’t have done that.”

“I’m sorry for letting her give me your number,” he apologized, picking at the nails of his index fingers with his thumbs. “And I’m sorry for calling you on your birthday. I should’ve respected your space.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Will replied quickly, eyes wide. “I was being a total asshole that day. I know this doesn’t excuse what I said to you, but I’ll have you know I’d just failed an English test–”

“Did you not read the material?” Mike smirked, and Will smiled back up at him, their eyes fully meeting for the first time.

“You know me too well,” he said, and Mike’s heart skipped a beat. “But then, when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse, my boyfriend at the time broke up with me.”

Mike gawked at that, his eyes narrowing. “On your birthday? That’s ass.”

Will leaned against the doorframe. “Mike Wheeler, everyone: ex-English major, literary nerd, and author.” Mike ignored the not-so-subtle roasts in favor of Will’s muscles, which were even more defined than he remembered. Will had obviously become well-acquainted with the gym. His gaze trailed along the divots of his biceps, and his mouth went dry when he realized that Will was wearing… the blue sweatshirt Mike had sworn had gone missing during senior year.

“But yeah,” Will continued, “leave it to Matt Winters to ruin the one day of the year where I don’t feel like shit. So when you called, I’d just gotten back home. And I felt so guilty for snapping at you and hanging up that I didn’t call you back after the fact, because I was afraid you’d be mad at me.”

“Are you kidding? I could never be mad at you. Ever,” Mike emphasized. “And we both know I’m not a good person when I hold grudges.”

Will’s strong eyebrows furrowed, and Mike feared he’d said something wrong, but Will rose up onto his tiptoes, lifting his hand up to Mike’s forehead in mock-concern. “Mike, are you okay? Do you need medical assistance?” Yes. If Will was going to act all flirty and cute and tiptoe-y and forehead touch-y, then they’d need to call an ambulance. Because Mike was down bad.

“Haha. You’re funny,” Mike deadpanned at the joke, despite himself.

Will retreated back to his spot in the doorway. “But seriously, I just told you that I have a real live ex, and you’re not mad?” How could Mike be mad at Will for that? Why would Mike be mad at Will for that? It wasn’t like Mike had any right or say as to who Will dated, and if Mike did so much as judge Will for any romance-related decisions, he’d be the biggest fucking hypocrite to ever walk the earth. He figured he’d come clean to Will about this one. It was the whole reason why he was here, after all.

“Will, I hooked up with four guys…” Should he say this next part? Sure, okay, whatever– “And all of them had the initials ‘WB’.” Mike’s focus shifted down to his shoes, too humiliated to see Will’s reaction. But he didn’t even have to see it, because Will giggled. Like, high pitched and adorably. Mike’s head snapped up and Will, having gotten caught laughing at Mike’s biggest shame, slapped his own hand to his mouth in a failed attempt to stifle it.

“No way,” Will said, his voice still suppressed with his hand.

“Way,” Mike quipped back. He decided to try something new then, reaching up to Will’s wrist and pulling his hand away from his face. His beautiful lips were curved into a shy smile.

Will shook his head, crossing his arms again, but not in hostility like he had before. “I don’t believe you.” And all of a sudden, it was August 1989, and they were back in Mike’s basement again. Those were Will’s last words to Mike before he’d stormed out, never to be seen again. And a year and a half later, Will became thoroughly aware of the aftermath, where Mike tried and failed to fill the Will-less void with–

“Wyatt Bowman, Wes Butler, Walker Brooks, Warren Blakeley,” he listed off what he’d endearingly dubbed The WBs™, but now in retrospect viewed as fucking pathetic, and watched as Will exhaled sadly. He tacked the only thing he could think of onto the end of his list to lighten the mood: “... And there was a guy named Elvis.”

Will snorted. “Like Presley?”

“Exactly.”

“Jesus,” Will whispered, running a hand through his hair. Mike wished it was his hand instead. As he took in Will’s jarred reaction, his world went cold. It made more sense when Mike shivered, looked up, and felt a few snowflakes land on his eyelids. He lowered his gaze back to Will, avoiding the impending guilt with lighthearted bluntness.

“Yeah,” he concluded unceremoniously, “so, you have an ex-boyfriend, and I have a disturbingly high body count. I think that makes us even.” Will’s lips formed a line, and Mike diverted his eyes back to the ground. He watched Will’s feet, clad in fuzzy socks and slippers, shift backwards. The moment was finally here; this was the end. They were not, in fact, even; Will was shutting him out for the last time, giving Mike the closure he’d practically begged for. Mike lifted his head so he could at least say goodbye properly, but saw that Will was… waiting for him?

“Wanna come inside?” he asked, and Mike raised his eyebrows in shock. Well, that was a plot twist if he’d ever seen one. He took a deep breath, muttering a slow “Yeah… sure,” and followed Will into his house. Mike took off his mud-caked shoes at the front door, remembering how much of a neat freak Will was, and imagining his reaction if he tracked the past seven or so hours into the house. He expected it would probably begin with “Michael James.”

Once situated, he took a look around the living room. There were multiple swirly, wooden furniture pieces that Mike knew Will wouldn’t have picked out in a million years, but he’d still managed to make the apartment his own. Framed movie posters, a black couch, and a few bookshelves were sprinkled modestly amongst the otherwise very feminine decor. Mike walked over to the bookshelves, which were fully stacked with comic books and picture frames. He peered at one of Will posed with Ivy and Hannah, who gripped onto either side of a metal pole that Will had perched atop his shoulders as he lifted them in a white muscle tank top. He knew he’d started working out. God, Will was attractive. He smiled to himself, moving on to look at the next photo. It was the exact same one Mike had on his desk, the photo that Jonathan took of Mike on Will’s handlebars. Mike felt like crying again, so he looked away before that could happen. His attention was drawn to the ceiling, which was lined with Christmas lights. He guessed the passage of time had thankfully worked in Will’s favor, as well.

“So Kate’s at work?” Mike asked, and Will whipped around from where he’d been organizing one of his other bookshelves, like he cared about what Mike thought in regard to his preference of alphabetical versus publisher order.

“How do you know about Kate?”

Mike hesitated, expression sheepish, “I… I ran into your friends Ivy and Hannah on campus. They’re how I found you.”

Will blanched. “Oh God. What did they say to you?”

Mike shook his head in reassurance, taking a step towards Will. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I think they were just worried about me, because I was… kind of lost.”

“You didn’t think to get a map?” Will, the little shit, teased as he took a step of his own towards Mike.

“I had one, Will!” Mike tossed a hand up in exasperation. “I just… couldn’t read it correctly?” He phrased the last part of his sentence more like a question, which Will must have thought was funny, because he moved a few inches closer to Mike in order to poke his chest.

“Okay, that tracks,” he grinned, and Mike feigned offense as he felt Will’s fingerprint burn a hole in his sweatshirt, the fire expanding to scorch his entire torso. Will was close enough that Mike could hear Will breathing lightly through his nose, and could see the freckles scattered like constellations across his neck. His eyes traveled up a bit to land on the one mole above Will’s lip, and he fought the urge to kiss it.

“Ivy and Hannah said to tell you they said you’re welcome, by the way, whatever that means,” he breathed, and Will processed what Mike had just told him before bringing his hands up to his own face as he turned beet-red.

“Of course they did.”

Mike observed Will’s reaction, pushing down the bit of hope that bubbled up inside of him. He hadn’t a single clue of what Will had told his two friends, but the way he reacted made him think that maybe it wasn’t all terrible.

“Wait,” Will brought a hand up to lightly smack his forehead, “I’m so stupid, I should have asked when you first came in.” You’re not stupid at all, if anything I’m stupid, but go on, Mike thought. “Do you need anything to drink or eat? You look like shit.”

“Wow,” Mike said as he glared back at Will, giving away his joking nature with a small lift of his lips. “But sure, water is fine, thank you.” Will stood there for a moment in contemplation. Mike gulped, feeling incredibly anxious as to what Will would say next.

“I’m gonna make you pancakes,” he told Mike, ambition in his tone. Mike wasn’t even supposed to be there, yet there Will was, taking on the role of hospitable host. Mike shrugged, leaving the option up to Will as to if he really wanted to be that kind to him.

“You don’t have to.”

Will was the one who shortened the distance between them this time, taking Mike’s much larger hand in his own, intertwining their fingers and gently rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “But I want to.” Mike felt lightheaded.

“Well, I didn’t say it.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Mike glanced down at their connected hands as Will spoke again, but he didn’t hear what he was saying. He blinked, pulling his attention back up to Will’s face. How was he supposed to concentrate on what Will was saying when their palms were brushing together with intentionality? And of Will’s own volition, no less.

“Wait, sorry, what?”

“I said, I’ll have some too, if it’ll make you feel better.”

Well, now Mike had to say yes. He gave in, and Will nodded in approval before letting go of Mike’s hand. Those few sweet seconds would have been enough to last Mike for another year and a half without him, but now Will was making him pancakes. There was no turning back after this. Will headed to the kitchen, turning back when he noticed Mike standing in the middle of the room and gesturing for Mike to follow him, chuckling to himself.

Damn Will for being so aware of the effect he had on Mike.

They made it into the kitchen, and Will headed to the pantry while Mike hopped up on the counter like when they were kids. Old habits die hard. Will eyed him from where he stood, grabbing the box of Bisquick. He ritualistically walked around the kitchen, grabbing eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and a bowl before setting them all down on the counter. He paused in what he was doing to reach over to his coffee pot, pouring a mug, grabbing the sugar bowl and dumping whatever was left into the mug before handing it to Mike, who took it with gracious hands. He’d remembered the way Mike took his coffee. Black, no cream, and a diabetes-level fuck ton of sugar.

“Thank you.” That didn’t even begin to cover how Mike felt about it.

Will hummed in response as he got to work, cracking an egg into the bowl and whisking it around. “So what have you been up to? I mean, besides hooking up with the entire male population of Indianapolis and failing out of school,” Will asked, and Mike died a little on the inside. The truth hurts sometimes, Wheeler. Deal with it.

“Jeez, Will. Harsh. Warn a guy next time,” Mike frowned, sipping his coffee. “I’ve been working on a novel.”

“Ooh, do tell!” Will exclaimed, turning to Mike as he stirred the batter, the sweatshirt he wore— Mike’s sweatshirt— stretching as his muscles flexed underneath the fabric of the sleeves. Mike set his coffee down next to him and shifted so his hands were squished under his thighs. That way he wouldn’t be able to do what he truly wanted to, which was to grab Will by his waist and shove his tongue down his throat as he ran his fingertips over Will’s arms.

“Um, it’s a mythological coming of age, with a bit of a twist… the protagonist is gay.”

“Ohhh my god,” Will grinned, all teeth. “That is great. I love that.”

I love you, Mike thought, but held his tongue. “Right? But yeah, I’ve been working on that, and… journaling. A lot.” Well… journaling was a synonym of writing dozens upon dozens of love letters, right? But Will didn’t have to know that.

“Mike Wheeler using a therapist-approved coping mechanism? I’m proud of you,” Will said. Mike preened at the praise as he pulled one of his hands out from under his leg to pick up his mug.

There was a beat of silence, and Will stood there, his eyes fixed on Mike for a strangely long time as the pancakes sizzled. Mike watched Will’s Adam’s apple bob up and down. He was either hallucinating, tripping, or Will was checking Mike out.

“But what about you?” Mike asked, effectively snapping Will out of his trance, “Any groundbreaking endeavors I should be caught up on?”

Will shrugged as he plated the perfectly congruent, golden pancakes he’d made. “I’ve been working on this new painting for a while now… it’s a watercolor piece, so it’s kind of out of my comfort zone,” Will explained, turning to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of Canadian maple syrup. Mike nodded at what Will was telling him, but something else dwelled in the forefront of his mind.

“Yeah, you’re more into oils on canvas, right?” Mike asked, and Will’s eyes snapped up to meet his, establishing an understanding between the two of them. “I saw the painting,” Mike remarked slowly, trying his best not to freak Will out or make him feel ashamed of it. “I’ve gotta say, you flatter me, Byers. I am not that attractive.”

Will couldn’t hide his smile. “Shut up. Yes you are.”

Will handed Mike a plate, and Mike thanked him as they dug in, the two young men standing at (and sitting on) the counter as they ate. Mike cut into his pancakes, stabbing a bite-sized piece with his fork and swirling it around in the syrup on his plate. He looked up when he heard a similar scratching noise and saw Will doing the same thing. Will met Mike’s gaze, light smile gracing his face as he lifted the fork up and popped the piece into his mouth. Mike blushed when he realized he’d been staring, and quickly focused back on his own plate. He chewed the piece of pancake he’d cut and confirmed to himself only after one bite that these were the best pancakes he’d ever had. These were pancakes of reconciliation.

He turned towards Will to compliment his culinary skills, which would inevitably be shot down with a humble, “they’re just pancakes, Mike,” only to see Will staring at Mike already. Will’s eyes jumped from Mike to the floor to the kitchen cabinet to the floor and back to Mike all within the span of five seconds. Mike held his attention this time when he licked his lips, and Will watched intently as the syrup disappeared.

God, Mike felt like he was in high school all over again; those four years had felt like a romcom movie montage of staring, quick touches, and flirting back and forth. The only difference between those movies and real life was the reserved, cautious nature behind every single stare, touch, and flirtation. But this time around, Mike noticed, Will seemed more confident in himself, more purposeful in the way he carried and expressed himself. Everything lingered for longer than normal, than acceptable, than usual. It was a promising sign.

Once they’d finished their pancakes and put their dishes in the sink, Mike and Will headed to Will’s room. There was something intimate about entering Will’s space like this; something sacred, something previously unattainable. That was the dresser that held all of Will’s clothes. That was the desk Will drew at. That was the bed Will slept in. That was the phone Will had used to break Mike’s heart.

Mike admired the dark blue walls, decorated modestly with a few more posters, before he came across Will’s framed Hawkins High School diploma. Mike remembered that day vividly; after everyone in the Party had walked across the stage and gone back to Mike’s house to celebrate, Will had brought their friends into a secluded area of the house and told them he was gay. Mike, who had been head over heels in love with his best friend for over five years at that point, was having a crisis, because oh my God, Will was gay, and the flirting might not have all been in his head. Maybe he had a chance. But every interaction between them following that day was strictly platonic, and Will made sure Mike knew it. So Mike withdrew after a while, not wanting to keep stringing himself along like he had been.

“Little did I know that everything would change,” Mike said more to himself than to Will, but Will walked over to stand next to him, close enough that their arms brushed.

“Why, because I came out?” he asked, looking up at Mike, who didn’t reciprocate the action, but instead kept staring straight ahead at the diploma, as if it were a portal that would take him back in time to before his world imploded.

“No, not because you came out. Because… because then, I fell under the delusion that I could finally have you.” He looked down at Will then. “But then I fucked it all up in August.”

Will turned his body so he could fully face Mike before saying, “Okay, I’m confused. I’ve gotta ask. What’s your recollection of that night?”

Mike didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to remember it. Hell, he didn’t want to think about it. But Mike took a second to reason with himself, because Will was standing beside him, Will was asking something of him, and the least he could do after everything was oblige to Will’s one request. So Mike told him.

It was the summer of 1989, and all was well. Hawkins was no longer nationally renowned as an extra-terrestrial hybrid between earth and hell, but simply as a small town in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. It was the summer of 1989, and Mike was lying on the basement couch with his legs hanging off the edge. His eyes were closed, and he wore his headphones which were attached to his Walkman, playing Will’s mixtape on repeat, just as Mike had from the second it fell into his hands back in 1986. He felt the thumps of the opening and closing of the basement door, followed by light footsteps treading down the stairs. He cracked a singular eye open, but opened them both fully when he registered that it was Will who was entering his space. He always loved when Will came to his house unannounced; there was a certain element of familiarity, of family, of domesticity.

“Mike, we’ve gotta talk,” Will said, his voice a bit edgier than usual.

“Okay, what’s up? Are you–” Mike sat up, pulling his headphones fully off his head and resting them around his neck. Then he saw the look on Will’s face. He looked livid.

“What the fuck are these?” Will spat. Mike’s eyes widened at what Will held in his hands. Fuck. How on earth did he find them? Mike thought he’d hidden them well enough. Apparently, he was sorely mistaken, because Will held Mike’s letters, all twenty-six of them, all addressed to Will, in his shaking hands. Mike couldn’t even begin to explain, mouth hanging wide open.

“Dear Will,” the boy with the bowlcut began with a snarl, “when I look into your eyes, I see the rest of my life. Dear Will, why does loving you feel so wrong yet so right? Dear Will, I want you to hold me in your arms forever, because it’s the only place I can truly call home.” Mike wanted to die. “I don’t know what to… Why the hell are these addressed to me? And why… Why are there so many?”

“Because…” Mike squeaked out, eyes wide with intimidation, “they were for you. You were never meant to find those, I swear to God.”

“Are you making fun of me or something?” Will snapped, and Mike flinched. He’d never seen Will this angry before. He stood up then, his face on fire with inferiority from when he’d been on the couch as Will towered over him. Now, Mike was the one looking down at Will, whose chest was heaving with unadulterated rage.

“Come on, Will! I’m your best friend, and you really thought I’d make fun of you for being gay?” Mike kept his tone soft, what the Party called his Will Voice™, trying to calm Will down. It worked, at least a little bit, because Will’s breathing became more regulated, and less metaphorical smoke escaped his ears. But his eyes were still a menacing shade of green, his pupils blown wide.

“Well, no,” Will’s voice was lower this time, laced with venom, “but that does not mean you get to fuck around at my expense.” Will could not have been more wrong. Mike was anything but fucking around. Malice was the last thing on his mind when he thought about Will. When he thought about Will, he felt safe, he felt hopeful, he felt valuable, and he felt worthy. What he felt for Will was pure love, and he’d say it out loud… if he didn’t hate himself so much.

“I poured my heart out in those letters,” Mike told him, taking a step forward. Will stepped back. “I didn’t write them for shits and fucking giggles, they were genuine,” he continued, following Will as he backed away, stopping only when he had Will caged in between his arms, back against the wall of the basement. Will held onto Mike’s wrist, their watches positioned side by side. Mike closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, collecting himself in preparation for what he was about to say next. Confession time. “I wanted to send them so badly… I just didn’t, because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

Mike opened his eyes, drinking in the expression on Will’s flustered face. He blinked slowly, lashes fluttering, and fuck, he could hear Will’s heartbeat. He licked his lips. Afraid of what? I’m afraid of the world. I’m afraid of our country. I’m afraid of this town. I’m afraid of my family. I’m afraid of your dad. I’m afraid of myself. But I’m not afraid of you, Will. I’m not afraid of you.

And with that, Mike leaned down and kissed Will.

Those were the best five seconds of Mike’s life, by far. Will’s lips were smooth, yet firm. They were warm. Mike wanted to kiss Will forever. He allowed himself, for once in his life, to take what he wanted, and moved his hands down from the wall to Will’s hips, gripping them with all of his pent-up passion, holding him close. He felt Will’s hands meet Mike’s shoulders, and… he was pushing Mike away. Oh no.

“What are you doing, Mike? Is this a joke?” What was it with Will thinking everything was so fucking funny to Mike? He’d just bared his soul to the love of his life, but Will had interpreted everything as simply cruel humor. That was what Will thought of Mike. He wouldn’t stand for it.

“No, Will, I’m in love with you,” he said in full earnest, grabbing Will’s hand, just like he’d always done throughout the years whenever Will felt angry, alone, or scared. In turn, Will aggressively shook Mike’s hand away like it burned him.

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that, you don’t mean it.” What the hell?

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“I just… you’re…” Will forced his words out in a state of panic, ducking out of Mike’s reach as he headed for the stairs. “I can’t do this. Not now.”

“Please don’t go. Hear me out,” Mike pleaded, getting desperate now. “Will, you’ve got to believe me.”

Will turned around from where he stood, halfway to the basement door, his gaze ice cold. “Well, I don’t, Mike. I don’t believe you.” Mike took back what he’d thought about not being afraid of Will. He was terrified. He watched Will stomp up the rest of the way, slamming the door behind him. Mike put a hand up to his mouth, muffling a sob.

What had he done?

Mike stopped his pacing for a moment to breathe. He’d gotten it all out, and by some miracle, without breaking down. He looked over at Will, who rested his chin on his palm as he sat on his bed, staring into space. “I never got the chance to explain myself. You just… shut off.” Will blinked a few times, looking up at Mike with that same blank expression, and Mike wanted to scream. But he didn’t. He didn’t have the energy.

Will breathed out hard through his nose, getting up from his spot on the bed and meeting Mike where he was at, and placing a hand on his arm. Mike didn’t move; all this talk about Will abandoning him caused some of the resentment to return. But Will took Mike’s chin and moved it so their eyes could meet again. He looked sad.

“Because I had convinced myself that you could never love me the way I loved you. But all of a sudden you were telling me that you loved me romantically and wanted to be with me forever! How can you blame me for being thrown off?”

Mike shrugged, resigned. “I can’t.” And he meant it; he couldn’t blame Will for being thrown off, because Mike had gone through the complete opposite, having felt led on and let down. “But you also can’t blame me for waiting so long to say something. I literally hated myself for years for being gay.” Will’s hand that held his chin lowered down to the space between his neck and his shoulder, and he went to reply, but Mike spoke faster. “And when you came out, I thought maybe I could, too. But then, another part of me didn’t want to say anything, because coming clean about my true feelings for you would’ve destroyed everything we worked so hard to build back up after California.”

“Well, I didn’t make it any easier by keeping you at arm’s length after I came out,” Will said as he ran his thumb back and forth along Mike’s sweatshirt sleeve. “I tried to convince myself I was okay with being just friends in order to protect myself, you know?”

“Yeah,” Mike’s tone was rough as he crossed his arms, and Will pulled away. Nice going, Mike, you fucking asshole. “I mean…” Mike softened his voice, “I get your thought process. I just felt so… rejected. And after August, it felt so final. Like, I really thought you had zero feelings for me, and that I had severely misread things.”

“You didn’t. Believe me, Mike. You didn’t,” the words tumbled out of Will’s mouth, startling both of them at once.

Mike looked down, feeling the beginnings of tears pricking his eyes. “I’m trying to.”

Will reached out to Mike and pulled his hand up into his own, his fingertips gently mapping out the veins that spread out beneath Mike’s skin. “Do you still hate yourself now?” he asked, and Mike looked up slowly.

“I’m not gonna lie, yeah, I do,” he admitted, playing with Will’s fingers as he spoke. He was not proud of the person he’d become. He relived every single one of his mistakes on a constant loop, with each day bleeding into the next. The shame devoured him like a hungry beast. Every waking moment without Will felt like suffocation. Mike slowed his movements before confessing something else, something he never thought he’d ever be able to. “But I hate living my life without you even more.”

Will let out a small sniffle at that, and Mike was quick to comfort him, his hands flying up to cup his face and swipe his tears away. Will leaned into the touch, his voice breaking. “I hate living my life without you, too.”

“Can I…” Mike hesitated, uncertainty flooding his thoughts, but he swiftly pushed it away. “Can I hug you?” he asked. Will nodded, laughing wetly as he said, “Yes, of course.”

Mike pulled Will into a tight embrace, warmth filling his body instantly as Will’s head fell against his chest, right over his heart. He could only imagine what Will was thinking, granted the fact that his heart was thrumming at record speed. Will ran his hands up Mike’s back, pulling him down slightly by his shoulderblades. Mike nestled his nose in Will’s shaggy hair, breathing him in. He still washed his hair with the coconut shampoo he’d always used. In order to avoid the temptation to inhale Will’s scalp like a vacuum, he opted to place a feather light kiss there, so light that in the future, only he would remember it happening. As they stood there, their bodies flush against one another, Mike knew he didn’t need a watch to tell that time as an entity ceased to exist. Mike and Will held each other tightly as the rest of the world fell away. This was what Mike had been waiting for. Just this. He finally felt whole again.

He wasn’t sure how long they’d been clinging to each other, or who pulled away first, but he was sure of the fact that both of them were crying. Again. “Goddamnit,” Mike laughed, practically slapping his sweatshirt sleeve up to his face to absorb the tears that fell there.

“Since when have you been a Frequent Crier?” Will teased, and Mike remembered that Will had never been exposed to the outcome of his emotional revolution before.

“What can I say?” Mike continued the bit, “Their loyalty program has really good perks.”

“Can’t argue there,” Will laughed, leaning his forehead onto Mike’s chest again as Mike’s hands ran up and down Will’s sides. He memorized the feel of Will’s improved physique, trailing his hands upwards until his hands met Will’s chest.

“Also,” Mike said into the silence, causing Will to twitch slightly, but not enough to remove his forehead from Mike’s chest. “The Heart? Didn’t know I was still held in such high esteem.�� Will’s hands, which had been resting on Mike’s hips, moved forward until they were wrapped around Mike’s lower back.

“You’ve always been my heart, Mike,” Will told him, voice steady and sure. “You never really stopped.” Mike felt his jaw drop, barely able to process what he was hearing. The words that left Will’s lips ricocheted around Mike’s brain, and he might have forgotten how to breathe for a minute. He needed Will to pinch him, so he could wake up from this… if it wasn't real, it would be a nightmare. Instead of asking Will to do it for him, he pinched himself, and felt butterflies erupt in his stomach when he didn’t snap his eyes open to the sight of his bedroom back in Indianapolis. He was still here, in Will’s room, and Will was holding him rather sensually, and Mike felt so fucking alive.

“So… where do we go from here?” Mike whispered, and Will lifted his head, an unrecognizable look in his eyes. Mike backed away, fear slowly entering the peripherals of his mind, all possible worst-case scenarios threatening to cave in on him. He’d gone too far, been too forward, taken Will for granted, given off the impression of an ulterior motive.

“Sorry,” he said, almost a reflex at this point in his life. He always had something to be sorry for. Something to make up for. Something to–

“Me too,” Will whispered, grabbing Mike’s wrist before he could get too far. He pulled Mike back in sharply and grabbed him by the back of his neck, tugging him all the way down until their lips collided. Mike let out a little noise in absolute shock, but not wasting any time as he shoved his hands into Will’s hair, raising his head as he leaned into the heat of Will’s mouth. While Mike’s hands remained pretty central to Will’s upper body, Will’s hands roved Mike everywhere they possibly could. They lifted from Mike’s lower back, up his torso, past his chest, around the back of Mike’s head to brush the nape of his neck, through Mike’s long hair, then back down to grope Mike’s ass. Mike squeaked into Will’s mouth, and he responded with a low hum of a laugh that sent vibrations through Mike’s body and set him ablaze. Mike lowered his grip on Will’s shoulders to his biceps, squeezing them the way he’d wanted to since Will opened the door earlier that morning. Will broke the kiss then, smirking up at the taller man. “You really like my arms, don’t you?”

“Yeah, how’d you notice?” Mike tried to be sarcastic, but ended up sounding breathless. Will pressed a chaste kiss to Mike’s lips, turning them around and backing Mike up until his calves hit the base of Will’s bed. Mike was sure he had died and gone to heaven.

“You wouldn’t stop ogling. You were being so fucking obvious, it was hilarious,” Will teased, and Mike whined a little in embarrassment, but Will was having none of it, so he pushed Mike backwards until his back hit the mattress. “Don’t worry, babe, it was cute.”

Babe. Mike had thought Will would only call him that in his dreams. But this wasn’t a dream. Mike watched as Will climbed on top of him, one leg on either side of his waist, and leaned down to kiss him, nice and slow. Mike ran his tongue along Will’s lower lip, and he let Mike in immediately. They continued like that for a few minutes until Will lifted Mike’s arms up so they were pinned above his head, and Mike quietly moaned as Will began to kiss down his neck. He smiled at the ceiling. Mike Wheeler loved Will Byers, and Will Byers loved Mike Wheeler. All was right with the world.

But Mike would have a lot to explain over Christmas.

previous part

homepage

#byler #byler fic #byler fanfic #byler tumblr #byler nation #byler endgame #will byers #mike wheeler #will x mike #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things 4 #thisismetrying1 #thisismetrying2 #thisismetrying3

59 notes · View notes

redbird-tf · 7 months

Text

better together

Matt murdock × (platonic) blind young reader

Description: stick makes an appearance in Hell's Kitchen again, but things take a turn when Matt finds out Sticks brought a teenage girl into his war.

Notes: this is strictly platonic relationship, based on daredevil show may not be accurate to comic events

Warnings: mention of death, gun violence

Stick was in town, and that was never a good thing. Stick meant someone was going to get hurt and Matt had to run interference. Not something he enjoyed.

Matt had been following Stick for two miles now on rooftops, the night was young and he could hear the soft ocean waves as Stick stopped at the harbor. Stick walked into a rundown building, and Matt followed in entering through a window.

"You never learn, do you" the groggy voice called making Matt swiftly turn to face him. "You're in my city" Matt stated. "I have a job to do, you need to stay out of the way" Stick crocked. "If your job involves that gun in your pocket then i can't let you," Matt said taking out his sticks. "I thought you might say that."

"Take him down" A swoosh was heard from above and Matt wasn't able to dodge a blow to the chest from a pair of feet that came swinging from the ceiling. Matt gasped on the floor regaining the air knocked from his lungs. Stick chuckled "shes good isnt she?"

what the hell was this, matt thought. "Get that heart under control kid." Stick told whoever this kid was. Matt listened, a girl, a teen maybe, a scared one. He could hear her heart beat breaking out of her chest. He listened as the heart slowed. You had been able to drop your heart rate making it undetectable.

Matt slowly got up holding his back, "you brought a child to your wars?" Matt huffed out. "You weren't willing, i found someone who was and now you've become too soft.. and a nuisance, i can have that." matt could smell the faint metallic blade entering the air as you held out a switch blade. “I don't want to hurt you” Matt mumbled. "Thats just sad" Stick groaned.

"Kill him"

You quickly swung your knife at him, he leaned back dodging it before grabbing your arm twisting it to your back, and shoving you down. "Stay down-" he couldn't even finish before your leg swooped under his feet making him take another hard fall to the ground. You hovered over him with the sharp edge to his throat. "Don't do this" Matt whispered. "Kill him" Stick commanded. The tension was thick, your breath was shaky and so was your hand "you don't want to do this, you don't have to” Matt pleaded.

You started to pull away, "your both weak" Stick stated. Stick pulled the revolver out of his pocket aiming it at your back. "NO" Matt shouted rolling your body under his, taking a bullet to the shoulder. Matt screamed out and grabbed his baton throwing it in Stick's direction and knocking the gun out of his hand. "You both disappoint me" and without a sound stick was in the wind. Matt stood up with a groan. "Are you alright?" He asked, silence filled the air. you stood up and started backing away trying to figure out where to escape.

"I'm sorry" you whispered "Where do you think you going, from my experience with Stick, he doesn't usually train or bring children of loving households into his war" he stumbled in front of you, placing a hand on your shoulder "Stick will find you, you're coming with me"

He had brought you back to his apartment and sat you at the table. "Stay here" he ordered he disappeared for a moment before returning with a medical kit and took off his shirt. "I don't suppose you could help me stitch this up" he asked. You stood up moving behind him and mat the first incision making him hiss. "Whats your name?" He asked and a moment of silence filled the air "y/n" you answered. "Im sorry" you apologized again. "You were manipulated, its not your fault" he stated emphatically. You cut the end of the stitch and sat back down.

Matt took a breath "What happened to you" he asked, “ um, i was attacked by a dog three years ago" you replied keeping your head down. "And you've been with Stick since? What about your parents?" he asked confused "Having a blind child was too much for them i guess, they left" you mumbled. Matt raised his hand and you could feel the heat next to your face "may i?" He asked and you nodded. His hand cursed over the scar tissue that lined around your eyes. "You're blind to?" You asked as his hand dropped down. “Yeah, car accident when i was a kid and my father passed shortly after" he explained biting his lip. "I think we both know what happens next" he awkwardly chuckled. "I just thought." You started. Matt tilted his head "i thought i had found someone who would care for me again" you said in shame. Matt placed his hand on your neck "i think we're all just trying to find someone who cares for us, You're not alone anymore" he said before crouching down to hug you.

"I think you should stay here, you'll be safe here and maybe we can care for each other" he explained "Really?" You questioned in disbelief "It's what i needed as a kid and i think you deserve that chance." he gave a small smile. You smiled back and chuckled a little "So you're like Batman, but for blind kids" you laughed. He chuckled "A sidekick would be nice to"

#matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x y/n #matt murdock x you #matt murdock imagine #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock fanficion #dare devil #daredevil #daredevil x reader #dare devil imagine #marvel

63 notes · View notes

rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me · 1 year

Note

Hi! Could I request the gang with a S/O who loves animals (cats, dogs, etc.) You can ignore this request if you want to! Have a good day/ night!

A/N: Thanks for the request! I love animals, I had fun with this!

DARRY CURTIS

Every week, Darry’s telling you that you can’t bring home another animal, that he’s barely able to put food on the table for his brothers and you, the last thing he needs is another mouth to feed

But when you look at him like that, clutching whatever small, helpless animal has caught your attention this time, Darry has a hard time saying no sometimes

I firmly believe that you could convince him to leave out a dish of milk for all the neighborhood stray cats, maybe even some food

Darry loves how compassionate you are, and it shows especially through your love for the animals you find yourself involved with all the time

He comes home often to you trying to bring in a stray or a lost animal, begging him to just keep for a few days, at least until you can find it’s real home or a new place for the animal to stay

Please, for the love of god, bat your eyelashes and plead all you can, find and dog and keep it with this man, I promise you, he’s such a dog guy, I have many feelings about raising a dog with him

SODAPOP CURTIS

Sodapop thinks your affinity for animals is cute, he definitely calls you a dog or cat whisperer, really a [insert whatever animal you get along with best] whisperer

If you manage to tame some of the stray cats wandering around the DX, Sodapop will literally be so impressed, I swear, he thinks you’re the coolest thing ever

Argues with Darry sometimes because he wants to keep some of the animals you find and care for them because he just think they’re super cute

He’s the one who comes up with the names for whatever animals you find, it’s his way of being involved in your things and as someone named Sodapop, I think he’d have a few good name suggestions, don’t you?

If you’re good with horses? That’s probably why the two of you clicked to begin with and got along so well, you probably met him while he had Mickey Mouse still

Speaking of Mickey Mouse, I have a feeling he talks about him a lot with you, and I think, if you tried hard enough, you two could start spending more time out at the stables with the rodeo, being around the horses together again <3

PONYBOY CURTIS

I speak as one of them, but if you’re one of those people who have like all sorts of animal facts memorized? I can guarantee Ponyboy is going to love you

He’s got that bookish, nerdy personality, and I think if you had a new fact or something every time you saw him, I just think it would be really cute!

I either see him as that guy who absolutely loves animals, or is totally thrown off by big dogs

I can’t figure out which one I like more but I hope you all know those are the two options I’ve got in my noggin

So I think he’d be amused by your love of animals, thinking it’s just as cute as you are, and definitely part of your charm <3

I can definitely see him encountering an animal out on the town and just randomly spouting off something about them that you told him and all the greasers just turning and looking at him like ???

DALLAS WINSTON

If anything, Dallas is a dog person, which is ironic because he’s got such a catty personality, but just trust me, the cats know he’s one of them

If you befriend the stray cats in the streets, expect some comments about how Dally isn’t afraid to kick your cats if they get too close to him, which they definitely will because y’know, they’re cats

He’s an asshole, okay? You know this, I know this, he’s not the perfect person, he’s just a kid who’s had a rough life and takes it out on other people and things sometimes

That being said, Dallas won’t hurt animals. Partially because of your affinity for them, partially because he isn’t that much of an asshole, he’s only mean to people

You might even catch him fooling around with the stray cats if you’re lucky, squatting down and scratching the ones who bravely step out to face him behind the ears

He doesn’t really have an opinion about your love of animals though? That’s just the way you are, and he really kind of digs you so he just kinda has to dig the love of animals too, y’know?

JOHNNY CADE

I think Johnny would be an animal person too, he would much rather deal with animals than with other people

I think you guys would bond over that? The preference of animals? I just think it’s kind of cute, I can definitely see the two of you running into each other while you’re trying to keep up with a stray dog or something

If you work at a shelter or something, or if you have your own pet, Johnny always wants to come and hang out with you, he loves being around your animals

Let’s just say, if Johnny comes to spend some time at your house, and you have a dog or a cat or something, he takes a solid ten minutes to spend time with your pet before he even spares you a second glance

It’s not that he doesn’t love you! It’s just that he also really loves your pet and he believes that he should shower your dog/cat/whatever with love and affection before he spends time with you

He would really want to have a dog or something with you, I think. He’d treat that pup like it was a baby, spoiling it rotten

TWO-BIT MATHEWS

All I can see when I sit down and try to write this, is Two-Bit trying to flirt with you, saying he’s really great with animals, that animals really love him, and then him getting bit by whatever animals he’s messing with

Hence, leading you to take care of him, chastising him for whatever he did wrong and teaching him what he should have done all while he stares at you with hearts in his eyes

Two-Bit’s a sweetheart, and I have no doubt that animals really do love him! But sometimes, mistakes and accidents happen

Also, expect him to show up with random orphaned animals he found in the street, asking for you to help him take care of them

For example, he found a kitten in the street, just a little baby all alone in the cold world, and who else is he going to go to for help other than you?

The two of you take care of the cat, you fall for each other, Two-Bit gives the cat to his little sister and takes you out on a date, everyone ends up happy!

STEVE RANDLE

Steve has his cars, you have your animals, two things you’re both very passionate about, even if the other isn’t as into the topic!

Steve can tell you all about the parts of an engine and about paint jobs and the chrome, every single piece of the car and what it does or why it’s important; he thinks it’s cool that you’re the same way with animals

Now that doesn’t mean he’s too keen on allowing your animals into his garage, but I think he’d be okay with walking around town with you, walking whatever pet you have or looking for whatever animal has caught your attention

I think he’d be a dog person too, preferring them over cats but not disliking cats, y’know? He just thinks dogs are better to have because you can play with him

Your dog/cat/whatever animals are not allowed in his car unless it’s an absolute emergency because heaven forbid Steve get dog/cat/whatever hair all over his interior

He’ll throw such a fit and then you’ll get in a fight and it’s just easier for everyone if you don’t bring the animals along on your dates

TIM SHEPARD

If you need a place to keep an animal you’ve taken under your wing, Tim can maybe be convinced to take something in for you

You’ve gotta be the one to take care of it though, Tim’s more than fine with having you over all the time if it means that you’re the one feeding whatever animal you’ve got living in a crate in his kitchen

Tim like having you around, he likes having you in the house, and he’ll tell you so, mumbling about how the house seems happier when you’re hanging around

If anything, he’s a dog person, so he’ll be a little more lenient if you show up on his front step one day, maybe soaking wet from a storm with a little puppy shivering underneath your coat

Tim’s happy that you have your thing? That you love animals? But I don’t see him as a huge animal lover-

Not because he’s a bad person or anything, just because he’s barely taking care of his siblings sometimes, animals are just another mouth to feed that he probably won’t be able to take care of

CURLY SHEPARD

Arguably, one of the best boys for you to be with when you’ve got an animal obsession, Curly’s cool with your animals

He’ll argue with Tim till he’s blue in the face if you need a home for whatever animal you’ve found yourself with, he’s content to argue on your behalf

I can totally see him losing his mind if you find a little kitten or something, I think he doesn’t have a preference between dogs or cats, but just liking animals

Humor me for a moment and just picture Curly standing and cradling a tiny little kitten while it’s mewing in his scarred hands-

Tell me you wouldn’t fall in love with him right then and there and I’m gonna call you a big fat liar-

He really does think it cool, your love for animals and your big heart, he thinks you’re sweet, y’know? Curly just really loves it, I don’t know what else to say <3

275 notes · View notes

reasonsforhope · 9 months

Note

Thank you, stranger, for making this blog. You are truly a kind, beautiful soul. Thank you for existing for the world. Many of us appreciate you!!!! Thank you!!!!! /vvvvvvvgen

...now to me. I'm sorry for adding for your huge askbox as is, genuinely...

I naturally, without thinking, don't act like my real personality because it's been shunned dozens of times across my entire life. It's not fundamentally flawed (I know that, 100%--we all have flaws, ad I absolutely wasn't a terrible person for expressing them). Nonetheless, all I know is that the person I act like everyday of my life since I finally snapped and started doing this whole thing two years ago -- almost three -- is not who I really am. You know when you put on a shoe that, while your foot can fit inside and you can walk around just fine, you know it's just not your size because it doesn't feel right at all? That's me and my "personality"...people thought I was weird when I showed my genuine personality. I was just...pretty different than most. some comments I've got on my old personality:

"You're ...... Weird." (said with a thinly hid derogatory tone)

"Stop. You're not one of us."

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Sensitive. No one likes you."

And the one that finally made me snap:

"Stupid." (the person who said this then continued top he conversation as normal. Not acknowledging my stunned reaction.)

In addition, for a couple months I got treated like a dog. A literal dog.

I basically got treated like an outcast.

I know the personality I've left buried for so long has grown on its own, with me. It wasn't totally neglected and in fact is still here. It's just hidden behind this mask...which I can't take off. Because I literally don't know how. It's become such a habit to be someone else that I don't even fully, consciously know who I genuinely am today...it's hard. I hurt. A lot. I'm terrified of being vulnerable in any way, now. Just curled up in a shell.

...what am I to do? Where am I even going to begin? I feel lost. All I know, in the depths of my heart, that there is hope. There is always hope yet. That is something I've always known.

So what now? I'm scared, tired, and unsure. Is there anything I can do, anymore, at all? To figure out, and then be, who I know I am, deep down?

Thank you for reading, if you did. From the bottom of my heart--thank you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

#🎈🌠🐘

<3 <3 <3

Thanks so much <3 And fwiw for anyone wondering, it's not HUGE huge, I've got like 45 asks and dms to get to, but it still feels pretty big for me, a person who has def never had that happen before. Hoping to try to answer a batch of 2-4 of them on the weekends

Also, in terms of the rest of it.... Sorry if I'm overstepping, and definitely not to do that "diagnose people over the internet shit," but have you ever looked into whether you might be autistic or some other flavor of neurodivergent. Because as an autistic person, I see a Lot of my own experiences in what you've written

Regardless of whether you have or not, and whether you're autistic or not, I definitely know what it's like to deal with that kind of shit and bullying, and how trying to mask your own differences can twist you up inside. I had a problem with compulsively lying for a while in high school because of how ingrained "covering for myself" became - so I get how unsettling it feels when this shit becomes something you can't consciously control

Because there's so much overlap, I'd actually recommend looking into books and resources from the autistic community in masking and the difficulty of unmasking, regardless of whether you're autistic or not. A lot of the traumas are similar, too, so if you're at that level of "burying," I really think you'll be able to get something out of it no matter what

(This applies to anyone reading this who has also had to deal with that kind of shit or has found themselves doing something similar.)

Also, you should definitely look into trauma work (and "complex PTSD") and see if there's anything helpful to you there--there's a lot of really effective, evidence-based stuff out there about how to untangle your nervous system, because that kind of social rejection and isolation is absolutely/inherently traumatizing

Some Resources

Masking stuff:

Seven Steps to Unmasking as a Neurodivergent Person

What Is Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)? from Healthline

Autism Masking: To Blend or Not to Blend from Healthline

This is an assessment for social masking. It's written about autism, but I think a good amount of it would be applied to other types of masking like this.

Trauma stuff:

What Is Rejection Trauma? from TherapyMantra

Healing from Rejection Trauma from CPTSDFoundation.org

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

And if none of that helps you...there's definitely a lot of other stuff out there. There's things like journaling, which are a huge help with this sort of thing. Figuring out who you are underneath it all takes time and feels super weird and it's not easy, but I have faith you can do it. Don't give up, just keep moving forward

#Anonymous #neurodiversity #trauma #cptsd #ask #me #advice #resources

64 notes · View notes

pyro-tf2-but-trans · 2 years

Note

loved your general headcanons :D may I now request general tf2 merc x reader romantic relationship headcanons, if thats okay?

Yes of course!!

Scout- #1 most corny s/o you'll ever have. REALLY big on PDA, a lot of "oh yeah! this is MY partner!!!" He means well, if you're not a big fan of PDA he's gonna have a hard time figuring it out. He means well tho!! Expect a lot of movie dates too

Soldier- He's gotta be a CLOSE second on the corniest s/o. Again, a lot of "oh yeah! this is MY partner!!!" the difference between him and scout though is how much he brings it up and how much he just... openly adores you?? he brings you more goodies too. def a big gift giver. Expect a lot of gym dates or picnics

Pyro- Pyro is a little less dramatic with their undying love for you, but it's still very much there!!! She loves hugs and kisses and he's just like openly the most positive person you'll ever meet. Also a big gift giver. Expect a lot of picnics and movie nights.

Heavy- Heavy is the most gentle person on the planet. He loves it when you tell him you love him, and he'll do the same. Hell, he might even bring you to his knitting seshes* with demo if you want. He also definitely knits things for you. Makes food for you too. Expect lots of cooking dates

Engie- Engie is the best hugger!! And kisser!!! Please love him!!! it gets him off work!!! but actually yeah. He's a big workaholic, but you're a really good remedy for him. you might even be able to convince him to get a full night's rest! Remember that pecan pie* I mentioned? Well if hes off work, and he has the time, you will get to get a rare sighting of engie making some! he might even let you help him :). Expect lots of picnics, dinner dates, and just hanging out a lot when you can drag him away. oh yeah and guitar. lots and lots of cheesy love songs on guitar

Demo- Another big hugger and kisser and whatnot. Loves hanging around you two just being the light of each other's lives. Big on just existing together, think like everyone thinks ur just besties, and then out of nowhere you kiss and everyone's like "oh ok then" lmao. Expect lots of takeout dates and movie nights.

Medic- Another workaholic. But a lot easier to drag away from his work. He Falls in love when you baby talk his birds. Loves dancing with you, loves just existing with you. Sometimes hell call you for a "checkup" and then hell be all like "lmao ur fine I just wanted to hang out with you for a while". Expect a lot of dinner dates and dancing in the kitchen.

Sniper- He's real shy on PDA, but will occasionally sneak in a "did you find it, Love?"'s and "Take care of the camper while I'm out, Darling"'s But that's IT. Real clingy too, you can't be in a room alone for longer than 5 minutes without snipes ominously looming over your shoulder. But alone he's definitely more touchy, with lots of handholding and kisses. Expect lots of just cuddling, camping, and the occasional movie nights.

Spy- Spy has one rule in a relationship, Never, under any circumstances, use PDA. He hates it. But if it's any consolation it's for good reason. He doesn't want you or him getting hurt because somebody who didn't like him saw. But behind closed doors? Biggest puppy dog in the world. You couldn't fight his hands off you if you tried. It's just buildup from what he couldn't give you under eyes. Anyways 10/10 s/o would recommend. Expect lots of dinner dates and just dancing together.

323 notes · View notes

sunoksunny · 1 year

Text

enhypen as songs in my playlist

tw: angst, insecurites, 1 (one) mention of dying, being left out, comparing themselves to others, needing to be perfect, and being forced to grow up (idk if these really count as tw but whatever)

word count: 1.2k

a/n: okay i didn’t mean for it to be sad but it gets kinda sad because most of the songs in the specific playlist I used have sad lyrics soooooo yea...

speaking of my playlist!! you can listen to it here!

Heeseung

I scared all my friends away - beard

“I’ll try my best

To be who you think I should be”

Heeseung definitely feels a lot of pressure as the oldest

He knows the other members look up to him

So I think he tries to portray himself as always being strong and capable

When in reality he might be barely holding it together

I don't think he ever opens up about his own emotions to the others

And I think this might lead them to believe heeseung doesn’t trust them

But in reality heeseung just doesn’t want them to worry:(

“I tried my best to explain but it was too late

They’d already moved on”

Jay

I don't wanna be funny anymore - lucy dacus

“I don't want the joke to be on me

Yeah, I’ll buy the clothes and I’ll be the best dressed”

THIS SONG IS LITERALLY JAY

He is the mood maker of the group, and I think he is happy making the others laugh and giving them relief through having fun

But I think he wants to be seen as more than just that

He feels like people only see him as the “funny one”

He wants people to recognize him for his talents and skills too

So I think he tries many other things to find something he really enjoys

To make that his main thing instead of the mood maker

I think sometimes jay just wishes he could play a different role in the group

“Yeah, I’ll read the books and I’ll be the smartest

I’ll play guitar and I’ll be the artist”

Jake

It's ok I wouldn’t remember me either - crywank

“Let you forget that you were once my friend

Then watch another, go on and do better without me”

I think jake likes being needed

This might be why he is so happy to entertain niki

Because he wants to feel like his time and energy are welcome and necessary

I feel like he still has some insecurities from i-land

I think he felt separated from the rest in the sense that he hadn’t trained for as long as some of the others

He tries to make up for it by being a person the others can rely on to keep them stable and comforted

But I feel like he still feels a bit unworthy, or that someone who trained longer or had more experience should have debuted instead of him

“I want to end reality but I feel hesitant

Optimistic that the future will be more concerned than the present”

Sunghoon

Tummy in the blood - the yellow dress

“There is one perfect way of being

And I know that I will find it out someday”

Sunghoon definitely feels the need to be perfect

He wants to prove to others that being an idol was the right choice

But mainly he wants to prove that to himself

And sunghoon sees anything less than perfect as failing

I think he probably pushes himself too hard trying to be perfect

And I bet he compares himself to others a lot

Things like “why can’t I sing like heeseung?” “why can’t I dance like niki?”

The pressure that he felt from being a figure skater didn’t leave when he became an idol

Since some people attributed his success as a figure skater to his looks

He is worried that people will do the same now

So he constantly tries to be perfect at everything else so people can't say that

I hope he knows he’s doing great just how he is </3

“The chances of finding ourselves home again

Of finding ourselves in the same way”

Sunoo

Where’d all the time go? - dr. dog

“There’s nothing to keep you

From falling in love”

Sunoo is a very loving person by nature

He probably trusts too quickly

But he somehow always ends up trusting the right people

Sunoo is able to make people feel comfortable

Without even trying

Like you can see how the other members are so whipped for him

He will breathe and they all go

“Omg sunoo you are so cute”

Sunoo makes deep connections with the people he is around

While I think he enjoys the positive attention he gets from being cute

He probably doesn’t really like getting babied….

Like to an extent it’s fine

But when he sees people being like “oh he's just a baby he won't understand”

He probably gets annoyed lolol cuz he wants to be seen as more than just cute

“You know I get so forgetful

When I look in your eyes”

Jungwon

Johnny boy - twenty one pilots

“Get up ‘cause the world

Has left you lying on the ground”

You get it? Cuz his english name is johnny?

Anyways

Jungwon has been underestimated as a leader just because he is young

This is probably veryyyyy annoying for him

He definitely gives someone a side eye if they mention his age when talking about how he is the leader

He is also overlooked in general because he is younger

When jungwon was in i-land, everyone kinda just….

Ignored his talents? Almost?

Like in the bts test he wasn’t seen as a rival

He sometimes feels like the world just disregards him

Jungwon probably acts more mature so people don’t comment on his age or ability to lead as much

But he forgets that sometimes he just needs to be a kid

Out of all the enhypen members, I think he is the most secretive

In the sense that you can’t read him as easily as the others

He is very good at hiding what he thinks and feels

“No one really knows his mind

And no one knows behind his eyes”

Niki

Last words of a shooting star - mitski

“I always wanted to die clean and pretty

But I'd be too busy on working days”

Niki works himself to death

He strives for nothing less than perfection and is extremely hard on himself

He scolds himself for making a mistake as if he just committed a war crime

Niki often tells himself harsh things, claiming they are “truths” or “realities”

But they are actually just him being way too hard on himself

He can never be good enough by his own standards

And it is eating him alive

You guys saw that recent -note right? He doesn’t see his own progress

Niki can’t recognize his growth and development because he only focuses on what he can improve on

And while wanting to improve is a good thing, I think niki takes it too far to where it is going to harm him if it hasn’t already

Niki is another member who was forced to mature wayyy too quickly

People tend to forget that he is just a kid, and even in i-land they didn’t treat him like one

Others in i-land saw his talent in dancing and viewed him as a rival instead of a child, who was still growing and easily affected by his surroundings

Niki needs to be able to act like a kid and laugh and do childish things while he still can

I think heeseung and jake help him remember that and I’m glad they remind him that it’s okay to mess around and have fun

“Til you cry all night you’ll never understand

Til you learn to love you’ll never learn to dance

Til you think too much you’ll never grow up

Til you learn to talk and you never shut up”

^ Ramblings of a dying adolescent - current joys (bonus lyrics for niki)

101 notes · View notes

carefulfears · 1 year

Text

@amplifyme thank you lovely! answering these one by one <3

top 5 secondary characters

(cheating a bit and answering this to mean anyone not M&S)

1/ alex krycek

i'm a little bit obsessed with him...union-sponsored krycek girl above all else.

he's a hired assassin that constantly accidentally kills the wrong person. he's a key figure in a decades long conspiracy, and plays for both teams. depending on seemingly nothing more than his little moods. he can fuck his way to the top of any russian gulag or united nations committee. he holds mulder at gunpoint then kisses his cheek. no one knows why. he destroys the only thing that could save mulder's life with a smile, then a month later, tells him that he has always prayed he would win.

after his death, it surprises no one to see his ghost linger behind mulder's shoulder.

is it rivalry or devotion? is it sabotage or incompetence? is it truth or lies? no one knows! least of all him!

2/ walter skinner

this one part of audries' fluorescence and night on all sides:

Skinner has the uncanny ability to materialize at the cusp of disaster. He's a footnote to their tragedy. No, that's not right. He's the one writing the footnotes, filling in the blanks in the best way he can. It strikes her that he will outlive them all, in the end.

he is the setting for the conclusion of all of their adventures, whether it's being chewed out in his office or held in the west virginia snow. he bears witness to all of their testimonies, reads all of their reports. he sells his soul to the devil to keep theirs intact.

when scully won't let mulder go by himself, skinner is the person she trusts with her person. he cries with her when he comes back alone.

he's the first to know about their baby, and eighteen years later, still the first to protect him.

he's a hardass sometimes, it is exhausting to write the footnotes to this particular story, but he loves those crazy agents from the basement of his. and he's forever waiting for them to come back and keep up the fight, bother his assistant, put another statement on his desk.

3/ john doggett

whenever i think about doggett, i think about his first case on the x-files. and how it was scully's first case without mulder, ever, and how hard she was trying to appear sure, how hard she was trying "to be mulder."

until that one moment in the car when she said "maybe i'm wrong." and confessed to him that she doubts herself, that making these leaps doesn't come naturally to her. that maybe she's just trying too hard.

and doggett told her that he didn't go to oxford. that he doesn't know anything about the paranormal. but he doesn't think she's wrong.

"i'm no fox mulder, but i can tell when a man's hiding something."

it says so much about his character to me that he would show up on day 1 of the job that no one wants, that was a punishment, that everyone makes fun of him for, having stayed up all weekend reading every file.

it says so much to me that on day 1 he's able to tell her, look, i know that i'm not who you want to do this with. and i might not even be as good at it as he would be. but i think you're doing a good job, and i am following your lead.

doggett is defined in being a by-the-book investigator, but just like skeptic/believer didn't ever really come close to describing the dynamic between mulder and scully, the flipped roles of this new partnership exceed it as well.

where scully's skepticism for many years was to question and fear, doggett's disbelief is grounded in loyalty, and there is no trail that he isn't willing to follow if he thinks it will lead to a solution.

monica was right, he's a dog person, "you're faithful, you're dependable, you're without guile, you're very comfortable to be around."

he brings a "get well soon" card to another agent in the hospital, even before being partnered with her. he runs into open fire to save a man who was nothing but harsh to him. he breaks his emotional support redhead's baby daddy out of military prison, and is willing to face the consequences.

he is ride-or-die, he is steady as a rock, and he is the perfect energy to have around amidst so much change in the later seasons.

4/ the lone gunmen

our boys!! how can you see them and not crack a smile, not instantly feel that the episode is better when the gang is all here?

they participate in last minute heists of government facilities, they babysit, they call to invite you over for cheese steaks and digitized kennedy assassination footage. what can't they do!

of course mulder's only friends are these three conspiracy-obsessed nerds. he is the cool one of this group.

but my favorite thing to see is how much scully grew to love them, and vice versa, over the years. the way they huddle at the loft to dig up dirt on diana, and around scully's kitchen table to discuss next steps post-resurrection.

the way the four of them are mulder's team, and they yell at each other over headsets and jump in the backseat en route to the bermuda triangle.

the way she says they are "the only ones left we can trust" with her baby. and later, in the end, "they meant so much to me."

"the three stooges," "cowardly lion, scarecrow, toto!," there's a reason why their intended one episode arc spanned 11 seasons and 25 years.

5/ monica reyes

scully's tall dark-haired believer who would do anything for her...it must be a law of nature that when one fades away, another has to fill the role.

this show suffers so much without mulder's optimism and belief, and that's really what makes s8 feel so heavy. there's no one there who will trust that time is moving backwards and help or who will jump unquestioning into the fight against alien-baby-snatching doctors.

monica joining the team in s9 is what gives the show that new life, and what makes s9's MOTWs so much better. and just like how doggett's skepticism is not scully's, monica's belief is her own.

she doesn't just want to believe, and she doesn't believe out of trauma or grief, she believes because she feels.

she doesn't come in with any preconceived notions, she just "tries to stay open" and be sensitive to her surroundings.

the x-files are, as leyla harrison says, "in good hands."

(pre-revival CSM is one of the most interesting characters ever to me, i always love watching whatever he's up to. but he doesn't make the list on account of being nasty.)

#thank you for the ask!#it's fun to chat about characters that i normally don't think about much #asks #kae meta

37 notes · View notes

princelylove · 6 months

Note

W-we are friend now, ahhh. I'm so happy~ thank you so much

Btw do you know about the yandere alphabet (here: https://www.tumblr.com/dear-yandere/188860909008/yandere-alphabet). Do you accept request base on the yandere alphabet? If yes, then I'd love to request:

+ F, H, N for Noriaki

+ I, J, L for Josuke

+ B, Q, X for your favorite yandere :)

~ 🏵️ anon ~

You’re welcome. Sure, I’ll bite. Forgive the formatting here, I’m still trying to figure out how to make it all pretty. For my "favorite" I just did someone I was in the mood for tonight.

F: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Noriaki is displeased, to put it lightly. He doesn’t understand why you won’t just behave, he’s doing everything right, by all means. If you resist him you might as well just be begging for restrictions. He doesn’t even restrict you that much, he doesn’t have any plans to kidnap you! Stop acting like he’s some obsessed creep and behave.

H: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Losing your autonomy. If you are incapable of acting right, he’ll make you act right. It’s not like it’s hard to puppet you. He knows how you talk, walk, even how you rest when you stand still for too long. And he just adores the way hierophant green looks on your wrists and ankles.

Also the social isolation. Once you notice it, it’s too late.

N: How would they punish their darling?

Noriaki is very, very understanding. He researched how most victims react to overbearing obsession, and to be honest, not very good results! His goal isn’t to harm you, he wants you to flourish! He punishes you socially, have you ever been talking to a group of people and one of them stops the entire conversation to chide you? Social shaming and peer pressure is killer.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Josuke wants to settle down. He’s always been sorta jealous of people who had really loving families, and sometimes family means you, your darling, and maybe a dog. He wants his darling to play house with him.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

Only sorta. He’s cool if you show him lots of attention; He doesn’t want to be one of those overbearing boyfriends who ruins every friendship you’ve got. He’s an asshole, yeah, fucking ok, but he’s not gonna get in the way of your friends. He’s not insecure.

On that same note, it’d drive him up the wall if you talked about another guy like he was better than him. He’s sitting right there, you absolutely cannot be serious. He blows off steam by working out, and telling himself he’s way better than that scumbag you’ve definitely got eyes for.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

I think he inherited his father’s persistence. He can’t take a “no” for shit. He’ll go a seemingly normal route- saying he wants to spend time with you, getting your phone number, doing things he thinks people find attractive when guys do. He peacocks quite a bit, and for good reason, he’s quite handsome. He takes you out on a couple dates before he decides to properly ask, and if you say no, he’s just going to take that as a “Not yet.”

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

Leone is prepared to kill for his darling, and that’s entirely with his hands. He doesn’t use guns, and his stand isn’t one for combat, so it’s either his bare hands or something he can bash someone’s head in with. It’ll be such a pain to get this blood out of his clothes, but he really doesn’t care. He has a job. He can buy new clothes. He can’t buy a new you.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

Never. If his darling died while under his care, he’d kill himself. End of story. What’s the point in keeping his life if he let you rot? He’s a disgusting excuse for a man, he should’ve never gotten impatient and snatched you up. If you ever escaped successfully, it wouldn’t be for long. He’d brood for a week or so- that’s your period to get the fuck out of the country- and then go hunting for the only thing keeping him going.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

Total reverence. Leone absolutely adores you, you make him a better man. He pretties himself up entirely for you- you’re his main motivation for everything. He can’t be lazy, who wants a lazy boyfriend? He can’t be so slovenly, who wants to make out with that? Leone gets rather meticulous about his makeup, Mista’s rushed him out of their shared bathroom more times than he can remember. Get a vanity, man, you’re interfering with poor Mista’s schedule.

Leone loves to just sit and watch you. He gives you space, careful not to step on your metaphorical toes, and just sits quietly to watch. He won’t look away if you look over while he’s giving you that stupid, lovestruck stare. He’s so lucky he gets to witness you. Your every need is taken care of, he’ll even get down on the ground to rub your feet if you told him to- as long as you’re doing what he wants. If you break his fantasy of you actually liking him, he falls into a bit of a depressive rut, and slacks a bit with your needs.

#🏵️ anon #yandere leone abbacchio #yandere josuke higashikata #yandere noriaki kakyoin #request granted

15 notes · View notes

negative-speedforce · 2 months

Note

Look I'm just gonna continue the chain - if your OCs were given the choice to swap with mine, who would they choose?

This one should be easy because you have way less OCs than I do so I'm just going to match as many OCs as you have so the answers don't get too repetitive

Liah chooses to swap places with Mira, since she's used to taking care of a non-human body and she'd be scared to severely injure a human by doing something that her normal body wouldn't be able to handle.

Cassandra switches with Rae. Her shields are extremely useful, and Cassandra, being an extremely pragmatic person, would only want to switch places with someone who had a good power set.

Meredith chooses to switch places with Robin- after all, she's been nearly totally deaf her whole life, and it wouldn't particularly like to be overwhelmed by a completely new sense.

Max chooses to swap places with Madison- he's always wanted superpowers, and having venom and turning invisible sounds like a great way to take out some billionaires and redistribute their wealth.

Siv would switch places with Ophelia, since she knows Ophelia's always wanted superpowers anyway, she can have fun in Siv's body. Meanwhile, Siv relishes in the fact that they can finally reach the top shelf and she grabs down anything from where they can't reach before they have to turn back.

Athena would love to swap places with Eris, since she's definitely the most chaotic figure in her universe, and living as a being who thrives with that chaos would be ideal for her. Have fun dealing with Athena's absolutely horrendous reputation, Eris.

Khalil would switch with Nikoletta, mainly because he'd be curious to see how her shadow magic differed from his own. Nikoletta could enjoy being able to touch things without being worried about spreading her shadows onto them (my recommendation? she should go visit and pet Jay's therapy dog, Stella)

Pyrrha would probably choose to switch places with Indigo, since I don't think she'd particularly want to go to a universe that was too different to her own. She'd probably also enjoy having a full sense of touch again too.

Torryn would swap places with AJ, since they're already pretty used to living with one eye (technically he can see with both eyes, but their left eye is like a glowing ice blue so he covers it with an eyepatch in order to stay under the radar). He'd also prefer to stay in the body of someone who's used to doing undercover work and all the stunts necessary to do so- Torryn as a secret agent, and AJ as an assassin.

Pippa switches places with Quinn, for completely altruistic reasons, because Quinn in Pippa's body will get a taste of what being a speedster in the best shape of her life is like. Quinn might have a little trouble adjusting to Pippa's body proportions (short and stout rather than tall and lanky), but I think she'd enjoy it.

Onnie would want to switch places with Katherine, solely for Katherine's connection with the gods. Onnie would love to manipulate the hell out of that, fuelling their own god complex even further. Have fun with eldritch horror powers, Katherine.

Jay would love to swap places with Jasper, but only with their consent, since Jay's physically disabled, but he would love to be in a body that was free from pain for once, and he'd probably end up doing a lot of good with Jasper's empath abilities.

Hailey would want to switch with Prometheus, since as a dream, Prometheus is vaguely similar to Hailey's ghostly status, and it would be really hard for her to adapt to being in a living person's body again.

Arya would probably want to switch places with Kestrel, since they honestly couldn't imagine living without the ability to shapeshift whenever they feel the need to. They'd probably use it as an opportunity to look for other Fae creatures, since they haven't talked to anyone from their realm in centuries.

#ask revan #oc shit #other people's ocs #pax ocs #liah abdul #cassandra stevens #meredith alatorre-thawne #max seng #siv thawne #athena stonehenge #khalil stevens #pyrrha auclair #torryn perris #pippa lowe #onnie thawne #jay barron #hailey laurence #OC: Arya #practically-an-x-man

5 notes · View notes

love-kurdt · 2 months

Text

This is Me Trying (Mike's Version) (byler): 3

word count: 6,996

in short: if you are emotionally or mentally vulnerable, please dni.

The world buzzed with static around me, each second feeling like an eternity. Time stood still, just like the day I took off my watch. My hands were shaking, the anticipation inside me about to explode like fireworks. I balled my hands up into fists and put them in my sweatshirt pockets, but immediately pulled them back out because I could feel my palms getting sweaty.

I glanced around, and saw the nextdoor neighbor taking her dog out for a walk. I raised my hand in an awkward greeting, and she smiled back at me. I watched her run further and further away until they were out of my line of sight; a minute had definitely passed by now. I turned my attention back to the door, and lifted my hand again, going to knock one last time.

But then, before I was able to, Will opened the door.

I froze, my hand still in the air. I lowered my arm slowly, and took a mental photograph of Will’s awestricken face before I was met with a faceful of door. I should have seen that coming. I leaned my head against the door, exhaling with a shaky breath. “Will… I know I’m the last person you want to see. I just…” I hesitated, digging my nails into my palms. This was likely going to be my first of many fumbles. “This is going fucking splendidly already, Jesus Christ.”

There was no response on Will’s end, but I figured I might as well get everything off my chest, even if Will wasn’t there to hear it. Saying it out loud could probably suffice. “Uh… I guess I should start by saying I’m sorry. For everything. For hurting you with my words, with my actions, for being so fucking reckless with my life. I’ve accumulated a lot of regrets over the past few years, but…” here goes nothing, “loving you will never be one of them.”

I closed my eyes with my head still on the door, but jumped back a bit in surprise when I felt a light thump right next to my face. “... Will?”

“I’m listening.”

The faint sound of Will’s voice was music to my ears; low and velvety, with a hint of rasp. My stomach nervously flipped as I cleared my throat, continuing on. “I’ve been a mess without you. I don’t know who I am without you. This is me trying to say…” I trailed off. What was I trying to say? How could I reduce my love for Will into a single sentence? How could I explain myself in a concise, yet bold form that wouldn’t scare Will away? I couldn’t. I was doomed regardless of how the conversation would unfold. I asked Will the first thing that came to mind: “... You ever been to a college party?”

“Yeah, a few.” Will replied.

“Well, I just failed out of school because I went to way too many of them. I just drove here directly from my last one, actually.” I tried to add a bit of humor to my voice, but it ended up coming out sounding pathetically broken. Fumble number two. Fuck it all. Everything was going down in flames. I set my hand on the door, caressing the painted surface as if it were Will’s face.

“But here’s the thing— it’s hard to be at a party when you feel like an open wound. You’re all I think about, and it’s like I can’t… I can’t let go. It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you. And even though you don’t love me, and even if we can never be friends again, I need that closure, Will, and I need you to understand that I won’t move on if that never happens.” I felt the doorknob click below, and I lifted my head up just as the door opened again. Will emerged, tears lining his cheeks. Motherfucking fumble number three. When Will and I were little, we functioned as a unit. When Will was happy, I was happy. When Will would cry, I would cry with him. Now, I felt like I was five years old again, getting choked up at the sight of Will crying, and mentally cursed myself. “Fuck, now I’ve made you cry for the umpteenth time in our lives. What else is new?”

I nodded in sorrowful understanding. “Yeah.”

I took a good look at Will, noticing how Will’s hair had finally grown out of the bowl cut, falling into his eyes in loose copper waves, ending just above his strong jaw. His eyes, even obscured with tears, looked green as ever. I wanted to drown in them.

“You changed your hair,” I heard myself say. Will let out a small smile at that, brushing some of his bangs out of his eyes, along with some tears that had attached themselves to his eyelashes.

“Yeah, the bowl was kind of… archaic.” Both of us began awkwardly laughing while still crying. I had to refrain from thinking too much, because if I did, I'd get all sentimental about how this was the first time I'd laughed with Will in… I couldn’t even remember.

“You like it, though?” he asked. He still sought my approval, after everything. Of course I liked it. I liked Will’s hair no matter how it was cut. But this style that Will was sporting currently had me falling flat on my face; and not literally, for once.

“Yeah, it really suits you,” I told Will, who was flattered at the compliment.

“Thank you. I mean, Mom’s skill set with scissors was… limited, but she tried.” I thought of that one time I'd walked into the Byers household unannounced back in junior year of high school. Will was sitting on a chair in the middle of the kitchen with a literal bowl on his head as Joyce shuffled around her son with a pair of kitchen shears. Joyce was an incredible mom who loved both of her boys unconditionally. Which reminded me…

“How’d you get my number?”

“Your mom gave it to me over Christmas break.”

“She shouldn’t have done that.”

“I’m sorry for letting her give me your number,” I apologized, picking at the nails of my index fingers with my thumbs. “And I’m sorry for calling you on your birthday. I should’ve respected your space.”

“Did you not read the material?” I smirked, and Will smiled back up at me, our eyes fully meeting for the first time.

“You know me too well,” he said, and my heart skipped a beat. “But then, when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse, my boyfriend at the time broke up with me.”

I gawked at that, my eyes narrowing. “On your birthday? That’s ass.”

Will leaned against the doorframe. “Mike Wheeler, everyone: ex-English major, literary nerd, and author.” I ignored the not-so-subtle roasts in favor of Will’s muscles, which were even more defined than I remembered. Will had obviously become well-acquainted with the gym. My gaze trailed along the divots of his biceps, and my mouth went dry when I realized that Will was wearing… the blue sweatshirt I had sworn had gone missing during senior year.

“Are you kidding? I could never be mad at you. Ever,” I emphasized. “And we both know I’m not a good person when I hold grudges.”

Will’s strong eyebrows furrowed, and I feared I'd said something wrong, but Will rose up onto his tiptoes, lifting his hand up to my forehead in mock-concern. “Mike, are you okay? Do you need medical assistance?” Yes. If Will was going to act all flirty and cute and tiptoe-y and forehead touch-y, then we’d need to call an ambulance. Because I was down bad.

“Haha. You’re funny,” I deadpanned at the joke, despite myself.

Will retreated back to his spot in the doorway. “But seriously, I just told you that I have a real live ex, and you’re not mad?” How could I be mad at Will for that? Why would I be mad at Will for that? It wasn’t like I had any right or say as to who Will dated, and if I did so much as judge Will for any romance-related decisions, I'd be the biggest fucking hypocrite to ever walk the earth. I figured I'd come clean to Will about this one. It was the whole reason why I was here, after all.

“Will, I hooked up with four guys…” Should I say this next part? Sure, okay, whatever– “And all of them had the initials ‘WB’.” My focus shifted down to my shoes, too humiliated to see Will’s reaction. But I didn’t even have to see it, because Will giggled. Like, high pitched and adorably. My head snapped up and Will, having gotten caught laughing at my biggest shame, slapped his own hand to his mouth in a failed attempt to stifle it.

“No way,” Will said, his voice still suppressed with his hand.

“Way,” I quipped back. I decided to try something new then, reaching up to Will’s wrist and pulling his hand away from his face. His beautiful lips were curved into a shy smile.

Will shook his head, crossing his arms again, but not in hostility like he had before. “I don’t believe you.” And all of a sudden, it was August 1989, and we were back in my basement again. Those were Will’s last words to me before he’d stormed out, never to be seen again. And a year and a half later, Will became thoroughly aware of the aftermath, where I’d tried and failed to fill the Will-less void with–

“Wyatt Bowman, Wes Butler, Walker Brooks, Warren Blakeley,” I listed off what I'd endearingly dubbed The WBs™, but now in retrospect viewed as fucking pathetic, and watched as Will exhaled sadly. I tacked the only thing I could think of onto the end of my list to lighten the mood: “... And there was a guy named Elvis.”

Will snorted. “Like Presley?”

“Exactly.”

“Jesus,” Will whispered, running a hand through his hair. I wished it was my hand instead. As I took in Will’s jarred reaction, my world went cold. It made more sense when I shivered, looked up, and felt a few snowflakes land on my eyelids. I lowered my gaze back to Will, avoiding the impending guilt with lighthearted bluntness.

“Yeah,” I concluded unceremoniously, “so, you have an ex-boyfriend, and I have a disturbingly high body count. I think that makes us even.” Will’s lips formed a line, and I diverted my eyes back to the ground. I watched Will’s feet, clad in fuzzy socks and slippers, shift backwards. The moment was finally here; this was the end. We were not, in fact, even; Will was shutting me out for the last time, giving me the closure I'd practically begged for. I lifted my head so I could at least say goodbye properly, but saw that Will was… waiting for me?

“Wanna come inside?” he asked, and I raised my eyebrows in shock. Well, that was a plot twist if I'd ever seen one. I took a deep breath, muttering a slow “Yeah… sure,” and followed Will into his house. I took off my mud-caked shoes at the front door, remembering how much of a neat freak Will was, and imagining his reaction if I tracked the past seven or so hours into the house. I expected it would probably begin with “Michael James.”

Once situated, I took a look around the living room. There were multiple swirly, wooden furniture pieces that I knew Will wouldn’t have picked out in a million years, but he’d still managed to make the apartment his own. Framed movie posters, a black couch, and a few bookshelves were sprinkled modestly amongst the otherwise very feminine decor. I walked over to the bookshelves, which were fully stacked with comic books and picture frames. I peered at one of Will posed with Ivy and Hannah, who gripped onto either side of a metal pole that Will had perched atop his shoulders as he lifted them in a white muscle tank top. I knew he’d started working out. God, Will was attractive. I smiled to myself, moving on to look at the next photo. It was the exact same one I had on my desk, the photo that Jonathan took of me on Will’s handlebars. I felt like crying again, so I looked away before that could happen. My attention was drawn to the ceiling, which was lined with Christmas lights. I guessed the passage of time had thankfully worked in Will’s favor, as well.

“So Kate’s at work?” I asked, and Will whipped around from where he’d been organizing one of his other bookshelves, like he cared about what I thought in regard to his preference of alphabetical versus publisher order.

“How do you know about Kate?”

I hesitated, expression sheepish, “I… I ran into your friends Ivy and Hannah on campus. They’re how I found you.”

Will blanched. “Oh God. What did they say to you?”

I shook my head in reassurance, taking a step towards Will. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I think they were just worried about me, because I was… kind of lost.”

“You didn’t think to get a map?” Will, the little shit, teased as he took a step of his own towards me.

“I had one, Will!” I tossed a hand up in exasperation. “I just… couldn’t read it correctly?” I phrased the last part of my sentence more like a question, which Will must have thought was funny, because he moved a few inches closer to me in order to poke my chest.

“Okay, that tracks,” he grinned, and I feigned offense as I felt Will’s fingerprint burn a hole in my sweatshirt, the fire expanding to scorch my entire torso. Will was close enough that I could hear Will breathing lightly through his nose, and could see the freckles scattered like constellations across his neck. My eyes traveled up a bit to land on the one mole above Will’s lip, and I fought the urge to kiss it.

“Ivy and Hannah said to tell you they said you’re welcome, by the way, whatever that means,” I breathed, and Will processed what I had just told him before bringing his hands up to his own face as he turned beet-red.

“Of course they did.”

I observed Will’s reaction, pushing down the bit of hope that bubbled up inside of me. I hadn’t a single clue of what Will had told his two friends, but the way he reacted made me think that maybe it wasn’t all terrible.

“Wait,” Will brought a hand up to lightly smack his forehead, “I’m so stupid, I should have asked when you first came in.” You’re not stupid at all, if anything I’m stupid, but go on, I thought. “Do you need anything to drink or eat? You look like shit.”

“Wow,” I said as I glared back at Will, giving away my joking nature with a small lift of my lips. “But sure, water is fine, thank you.” Will stood there for a moment in contemplation. I gulped, feeling incredibly anxious as to what Will would say next.

“I’m gonna make you pancakes,” he told me, ambition in his tone. I wasn’t even supposed to be there, yet there Will was, taking on the role of hospitable host. I shrugged, leaving the option up to Will as to if he really wanted to be that kind to me.

“You don’t have to.”

Will was the one who shortened the distance between them this time, taking my much larger hand in his own, intertwining our fingers and gently rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “But I want to.” I felt lightheaded.

“Well, I didn’t say it.”

“You didn’t have to.”

I glanced down at our connected hands as Will spoke again, but I didn’t hear what he was saying. I blinked, pulling my attention back up to Will’s face. How was I supposed to concentrate on what Will was saying when our palms were brushing together with intentionality? And of Will’s own volition, no less.

“Wait, sorry, what?”

“I said, I’ll have some too, if it’ll make you feel better.”

Well, now I had to say yes. I gave in, and Will nodded in approval before letting go of my hand. Those few sweet seconds would have been enough to last me for another year and a half without him, but now Will was making me pancakes. There was no turning back after this. Will headed to the kitchen, turning back when he noticed me standing in the middle of the room and gesturing for me to follow him, chuckling to himself.

Damn Will for being so aware of the effect he had on me.

We made it into the kitchen, and Will headed to the pantry while I hopped up on the counter like when we were kids. Old habits die hard. Will eyed me from where I stood, grabbing the box of Bisquick. He ritualistically walked around the kitchen, grabbing eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and a bowl before setting them all down on the counter. He paused in what he was doing to reach over to his coffee pot, pouring a mug, grabbing the sugar bowl and dumping whatever was left into the mug before handing it to me. I took it with gracious hands. He’d remembered the way I took my coffee. Black, no cream, and a diabetes-level fuck ton of sugar.

“Thank you.” That didn’t even begin to cover how I felt about it.

Will hummed in response as he got to work, cracking an egg into the bowl and whisking it around. “So what have you been up to? I mean, besides hooking up with the entire male population of Indianapolis and failing out of school,” Will asked, and I died a little on the inside. The truth hurts sometimes, Wheeler. Deal with it.

“Jeez, Will. Harsh. Warn a guy next time,” I frowned, sipping my coffee. “I’ve been working on a novel.”

“Ooh, do tell!” Will exclaimed, turning to me as he stirred the batter, the sweatshirt he wore— my sweatshirt— stretching as his muscles flexed underneath the fabric of the sleeves. I set my coffee down next to me and shifted so my hands were squished under my thighs. That way I wouldn’t be able to do what I truly wanted to, which was to grab Will by his waist and shove my tongue down his throat as I ran my fingertips over Will’s arms.

“Um, it’s a mythological coming of age, with a bit of a twist… the protagonist is gay.”

“Ohhh my god,” Will grinned, all teeth. “That is great. I love that.”

I love you, I thought, but held my tongue. “Right? But yeah, I’ve been working on that, and… journaling. A lot.” Well… journaling was a synonym of writing dozens upon dozens of love letters, right? But Will didn’t have to know that.

“Mike Wheeler using a therapist-approved coping mechanism? I’m proud of you,” Will said. I preened at the praise as I pulled one of my hands out from under my leg to pick up my mug.

There was a beat of silence, and Will stood there, his eyes fixed on me for a strangely long time as the pancakes sizzled. I watched Will’s Adam’s apple bob up and down. I was either hallucinating, tripping, or Will was checking me out.

“But what about you?” I asked, effectively snapping Will out of his trance, “Any groundbreaking endeavors I should be caught up on?”

Will shrugged as he plated the perfectly congruent, golden pancakes he’d made. “I’ve been working on this new painting for a while now… it’s a watercolor piece, so it’s kind of out of my comfort zone,” Will explained, turning to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of Canadian maple syrup. I nodded at what Will was telling me, but something else dwelled in the forefront of my mind.

“Yeah, you’re more into oils on canvas, right?” I asked, and Will’s eyes snapped up to meet his, establishing an understanding between the two of them. “I saw the painting,” I remarked slowly, trying my best not to freak Will out or make him feel ashamed of it. “I’ve gotta say, you flatter me, Byers. I am not that attractive.”

Will couldn’t hide his smile. “Shut up. Yes you are.”

Will handed me a plate, and I thanked him as we dug in, the two young men standing at (and sitting on) the counter as we ate. I cut into my pancakes, stabbing a bite-sized piece with my fork and swirling it around in the syrup on my plate. I looked up when I heard a similar scratching noise and saw Will doing the same thing. Will met my gaze, light smile gracing his face as he lifted the fork up and popped the piece into his mouth. I blushed when I realized I’d been staring, and quickly focused back on my own plate. I chewed the piece of pancake I’d cut and confirmed to myself only after one bite that these were the best pancakes I’d ever had. These were pancakes of reconciliation.

I turned towards Will to compliment his culinary skills, which would inevitably be shot down with a humble, “they’re just pancakes, Mike,” only to see Will staring at me already. Will’s eyes jumped from me to the floor to the kitchen cabinet to the floor and back to me all within the span of five seconds. I held his attention this time when I licked my lips, and Will watched intently as the syrup disappeared.

God, I felt like I was in high school all over again; those four years had felt like a romcom movie montage of staring, quick touches, and flirting back and forth. The only difference between those movies and real life was the reserved, cautious nature behind every single stare, touch, and flirtation. But this time around, I noticed, Will seemed more confident in himself, more purposeful in the way he carried and expressed himself. Everything lingered for longer than normal, than acceptable, than usual. It was a promising sign.

Once we’d finished our pancakes and put our dishes in the sink, Will and I headed to Will’s room. There was something intimate about entering Will’s space like this; something sacred, something previously unattainable. That was the dresser that held all of Will’s clothes. That was the desk Will drew at. That was the bed Will slept in. That was the phone Will had used to break my heart.

I admired the dark blue walls, decorated modestly with a few more posters, before I came across Will’s framed Hawkins High School diploma. I remembered that day vividly; after everyone in the Party had walked across the stage and gone back to my house to celebrate, Will had brought all of our friends into a secluded area of the house and told us he was gay. I, who had been head over heels in love with my best friend for over five years at that point, was having a crisis, because oh my God, Will was gay, and the flirting might not have all been in my head. Maybe I had a chance. But every interaction between them following that day was strictly platonic, and Will made sure I knew it. So I withdrew after a while, not wanting to keep stringing myself along like I had been.

“Little did I know that everything would change,” I said more to myself than to Will, but Will walked over to stand next to me, close enough that our arms brushed.

“Why, because I came out?” he asked, looking up at me, who didn’t reciprocate the action, but instead kept staring straight ahead at the diploma, as if it were a portal that would take me back in time to before my world imploded.

“No, not because you came out. Because… because then, I fell under the delusion that I could finally have you.” I looked down at Will then. “But then I fucked it all up in August.”

Will turned his body so he could fully face me before saying, “Okay, I’m confused. I’ve gotta ask. What’s your recollection of that night?”

I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to remember it. Hell, I didn’t want to think about it. But me took a second to reason with myself, because Will was standing beside me, Will was asking something of me, and the least I could do after everything was oblige to Will’s one request. So I told him.

It was the summer of 1989, and all was well. Hawkins was no longer nationally renowned as an extra-terrestrial hybrid between earth and hell, but simply as a small town in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. It was the summer of 1989, and I was lying on the basement couch with my legs hanging off the edge. My eyes were closed, and I wore my headphones which were attached to my Walkman, playing Will’s mixtape on repeat, just as I had from the second it fell into my hands back in 1986. I felt the thumps of the opening and closing of the basement door, followed by light footsteps treading down the stairs. I cracked a singular eye open, but opened them both fully when I registered that it was Will who was entering my space. I always loved when Will came to my house unannounced; there was a certain element of familiarity, of family, of domesticity.

“Mike, we’ve gotta talk,” Will said, his voice a bit edgier than usual.

“Okay, what’s up? Are you–” I sat up, pulling my headphones fully off my head and resting them around my neck. Then I saw the look on Will’s face. He looked livid.

“What the fuck are these?” Will spat. My eyes widened at what Will held in his hands. Fuck. How on earth did he find them? I thought I'd hidden them well enough. Apparently, I was sorely mistaken, because Will held my letters, all twenty-six of them, all addressed to Will, in his shaking hands. I couldn’t even begin to explain, mouth hanging wide open.

“Dear Will,” the boy with the bowlcut began with a snarl, “when I look into your eyes, I see the rest of my life. Dear Will, why does loving you feel so wrong yet so right? Dear Will, I want you to hold me in your arms forever, because it’s the only place I can truly call home.” I wanted to die. “I don’t know what to… Why the hell are these addressed to me? And why… Why are there so many?”

“Because…” I squeaked out, eyes wide with intimidation, “they were for you. You were never meant to find those, I swear to God.”

“Are you making fun of me or something?” Will snapped, and I flinched. I'd never seen Will this angry before. I stood up then, my face on fire with inferiority from when I’d been on the couch as Will towered over me. Now, I was the one looking down at Will, whose chest was heaving with unadulterated rage.

“Come on, Will! I’m your best friend, and you really thought I’d make fun of you for being gay?” I kept my tone soft, what the Party called my Will Voice™, trying to calm Will down. It worked, at least a little bit, because Will’s breathing became more regulated, and less metaphorical smoke escaped his ears. But his eyes were still a menacing shade of green, his pupils blown wide.

“Well, no,” Will’s voice was lower this time, laced with venom, “but that does not mean you get to fuck around at my expense.” Will could not have been more wrong. I was anything but fucking around. Malice was the last thing on my mind when I thought about Will. When I thought about Will, I felt safe, I felt hopeful, I felt valuable, and I felt worthy. What I felt for Will was pure love, and I'd say it out loud… if I didn’t hate myself so much.

“I poured my heart out in those letters,” I told him, taking a step forward. Will stepped back. “I didn’t write them for shits and fucking giggles, they were genuine,” I continued, following Will as he backed away, stopping only when I had Will caged in between my arms, back against the wall of the basement. Will held onto my wrist, our watches positioned side by side. I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath, collecting myself in preparation for what I was about to say next. Confession time. “I wanted to send them so badly… I just didn’t, because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

I opened my eyes, drinking in the expression on Will’s flustered face. He blinked slowly, lashes fluttering, and fuck, I could hear Will’s heartbeat. I licked my lips. Afraid of what? I’m afraid of the world. I’m afraid of our country. I’m afraid of this town. I’m afraid of my family. I’m afraid of your dad. I’m afraid of myself. But I’m not afraid of you, Will. I’m not afraid of you.

And with that, I leaned down and kissed Will.

Those were the best five seconds of my life, by far. Will’s lips were smooth, yet firm. They were warm. I wanted to kiss Will forever. I allowed myself, for once in my life, to take what I wanted, and moved my hands down from the wall to Will’s hips, gripping them with all of my pent-up passion, holding him close. I felt Will’s hands meet my shoulders, and… he was pushing me away. Oh no.

“What are you doing, Mike? Is this a joke?” What was it with Will thinking everything was so fucking funny to me? I'd just bared my soul to the love of my life, but Will had interpreted everything as simply cruel humor. That was what Will thought of me. I wouldn’t stand for it.

“No, Will, I’m in love with you,” I said in full earnest, grabbing Will’s hand, just like I'd always done throughout the years whenever Will felt angry, alone, or scared. In turn, Will aggressively shook my hand away like it burned him.

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that, you don’t mean it.” What the hell?

“What makes you think I don’t?”

“I just… you’re…” Will forced his words out in a state of panic, ducking out of my reach as he headed for the stairs. “I can’t do this. Not now.”

“Please don’t go. Hear me out,” I pleaded, getting desperate now. “Will, you’ve got to believe me.”

Will turned around from where he stood, halfway to the basement door, his gaze ice cold. “Well, I don’t, Mike. I don’t believe you.” I took back what I’d thought about not being afraid of Will. I was terrified. I watched Will stomp up the rest of the way, slamming the door behind him. I put a hand up to my mouth, muffling a sob.

What had I done?

I stopped my pacing for a moment to breathe. I'd gotten it all out, and by some miracle, without breaking down. I looked over at Will, who rested his chin on his palm as he sat on his bed, staring into space. “I never got the chance to explain myself. You just… shut off.” Will blinked a few times, looking up at me with that same blank expression, and I wanted to scream. But I didn’t. I didn’t have the energy.

Will breathed out hard through his nose, getting up from his spot on the bed and meeting me where I was at, and placing a hand on my arm. I didn’t move; all this talk about Will abandoning me caused some of the resentment to return. But Will took my chin and moved it so our eyes could meet again. He looked sad.

I shrugged, resigned. “I can’t.” And I meant it; I couldn’t blame Will for being thrown off, because I had gone through the complete opposite, having felt led on and let down. “But you also can’t blame me for waiting so long to say something. I literally hated myself for years for being gay.” Will’s hand that held my chin lowered down to the space between my neck and my shoulder, and he went to reply, but I spoke faster. “And when you came out, I thought maybe I could, too. But then, another part of me didn’t want to say anything, because coming clean about my true feelings for you would’ve destroyed everything we worked so hard to build back up after California.”

“Well, I didn’t make it any easier by keeping you at arm’s length after I came out,” Will said as he ran his thumb back and forth along my sweatshirt sleeve. “I tried to convince myself I was okay with being just friends in order to protect myself, you know?”

“Yeah,” my tone was rough as I crossed my arms, and Will pulled away. Nice going, Mike, you fucking asshole. “I mean…” I softened my voice, “I get your thought process. I just felt so… rejected. And after August, it felt so final. Like, I really thought you had zero feelings for me, and that I had severely misread things.”

“You didn’t. Believe me, Mike. You didn’t,” the words tumbled out of Will’s mouth, startling both of us at once.

I looked down, feeling the beginnings of tears pricking my eyes. “I’m trying to.”

Will reached out to me and pulled my hand up into his own, his fingertips gently mapping out the veins that spread out beneath my skin. “Do you still hate yourself now?” he asked, and I looked up slowly.

“I’m not gonna lie, yeah, I do,” I admitted, playing with Will’s fingers as I spoke. I was not proud of the person I'd become. I relived every single one of my mistakes on a constant loop, with each day bleeding into the next. The shame devoured me like a hungry beast. Every waking moment without Will felt like suffocation. I slowed my movements before confessing something else, something I never thought I’d ever be able to. “But I hate living my life without you even more.”

Will let out a small sniffle at that, and I was quick to comfort him, my hands flying up to cup his face and swipe his tears away. Will leaned into the touch, his voice breaking. “I hate living my life without you, too.”

“Can I…” I hesitated, uncertainty flooding my thoughts, but I swiftly pushed it away. “Can I hug you?” I asked. Will nodded, laughing wetly as he said, “Yes, of course.”

I pulled Will into a tight embrace, warmth filling my body instantly as Will’s head fell against my chest, right over my heart. I could only imagine what Will was thinking, granted the fact that my heart was thrumming at record speed. Will ran his hands up my back, pulling me down slightly by my shoulderblades. I nestled my nose in Will’s shaggy hair, breathing him in. He still washed his hair with the coconut shampoo he’d always used. In order to avoid the temptation to inhale Will’s scalp like a vacuum, I opted to place a feather light kiss there, so light that in the future, only I would remember it happening. As we stood there, our bodies flush against one another, I knew I didn’t need a watch to tell that time as an entity ceased to exist. Will and I held each other tightly as the rest of the world fell away. This was what I had been waiting for. Just this. I finally felt whole again.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been clinging to each other, or who pulled away first, but I was sure of the fact that both of us were crying. Again. “Goddamnit,” I laughed, practically slapping my sweatshirt sleeve up to my face to absorb the tears that fell there.

“Since when have you been a Frequent Crier?” Will teased, and I remembered that Will had never been exposed to the outcome of my emotional revolution before.

“What can I say?” I continued the bit, “Their loyalty program has really good perks.”

“Can’t argue there,” Will laughed, leaning his forehead onto my chest again as my hands ran up and down Will’s sides. I memorized the feel of Will’s improved physique, trailing my hands upwards until my hands met Will’s chest.

“Also,” I said into the silence, causing Will to twitch slightly, but not enough to remove his forehead from my chest. “The Heart? Didn’t know I was still held in such high esteem.” Will’s hands, which had been resting on my hips, moved forward until they were wrapped around my lower back.

“You’ve always been my heart, Mike,” Will told me, voice steady and sure. “You never really stopped.” I felt my jaw drop, barely able to process what I was hearing. The words that left Will’s lips ricocheted around my brain, and I might have forgotten how to breathe for a minute. I needed Will to pinch me, so he could wake up from this… if it wasn’t real, it would be a nightmare. Instead of asking Will to do it for me, I pinched myself, and felt butterflies erupt in my stomach when I didn’t snap my eyes open to the sight of my bedroom back in Indianapolis. I was still here, in Will’s room, and Will was holding me rather sensually, and I felt so fucking alive.

“So… where do we go from here?” I whispered, and Will lifted his head, an unrecognizable look in his eyes. I backed away, fear slowly entering the peripherals of my mind, all possible worst-case scenarios threatening to cave in on me. I'd gone too far, been too forward, taken Will for granted, given off the impression of an ulterior motive.

“Sorry,” I said, almost a reflex at this point in my life. I always had something to be sorry for. Something to make up for. Something to–

“Me too,” Will whispered, grabbing my wrist before I could get too far. He pulled me back in sharply and grabbed me by the back of my neck, tugging me all the way down until our lips collided. I let out a little noise in absolute shock, but not wasting any time as I shoved my hands into Will’s hair, raising my head as I leaned into the heat of Will’s mouth. While my hands remained pretty central to Will’s upper body, Will’s hands roved me everywhere they possibly could. They lifted from my lower back, up my torso, past my chest, around the back of my head to brush the nape of my neck, through my long hair, then back down to grope my ass. I squeaked into Will’s mouth, and he responded with a low hum of a laugh that sent vibrations through my body and set me ablaze. I lowered my grip on Will’s shoulders to his biceps, squeezing them the way I'd wanted to since Will opened the door earlier that morning. Will broke the kiss and looked up, smirk on his lips. “You really like my arms, don’t you?”

“Yeah, how’d you notice?” I tried to be sarcastic, but ended up sounding breathless. Will pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, turning them around and backing me up until my calves hit the base of Will’s bed. I was sure I had died and gone to heaven.

“You wouldn’t stop ogling. You were being so fucking obvious, it was hilarious,” Will teased, and I whined a little in embarrassment, but Will was having none of it, so he pushed me backwards until my back hit the mattress. “Don’t worry, babe, it was cute.”

Babe. I had thought Will would only call me that in my dreams. But this wasn’t a dream. I watched as Will climbed on top of me, one leg on either side of my waist, and leaned down to kiss me, nice and slow. I ran my tongue along Will’s lower lip, and he let me in immediately. We continued like that for a few minutes until Will lifted my arms up so they were pinned above my head, and I quietly moaned as Will began to kiss down my neck. I smiled at the ceiling. I loved Will Byers, and Will Byers loved me. All was right with the world.But I would have a lot to explain over Christmas.

previous part

homepage

#byler #byler fanfic #byler fic #byler tumblr #mike wheeler #will byers #will x mike #mike x will #stranger things #stranger things fic #thisismetrying1 #thisismetrying2 #thisismetrying3

13 notes · View notes