Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

one, two...

“Oh, so she’s like that with all men. I see.”

“No, no,” you whispered. “Only you, only…you three.”

pairing: dojaejung x fem!reader

other members: none

word count: 3k

genre: smut

warnings: this is purely a graphic smut so minors please dni!! foursome, everything is consensual (verbal + use of the traffic light system throughout), dom!dojaejung, sub!reader, sir kink, unprotected sex (don't be silly wrap your willy), rough sex (+ reader is manhandled a LOT), degradation (liberal use of the words slut & whore), praise kink, multiple orgasms, fingering (everywhere), oral (female and male receiving), breast play, (sort of size kink idk they all have big bananas), penetration, use of vibrator, kissing, spitting in mouth (sorry), anal, double + triple penetration, lots of cum, profanity

disclaimer: this is a fanfiction purely from my (filthy) imagination. I don't know the nct members and don't claim that they act like this in real life. I also do not condone any of the activity by any of the characters in this fic.

a/n: some people tell me that I need therapy after reading the smut I write and I think they're onto something

The thin fabric of your dress clung onto your skin, droplets of pool water sliding off the seams and dripping onto the floor. You watched the carpet darken with every drop. Drip, drip, drip… Your gaze didn’t leave the floor once, despite feeling eyes boring holes into your skull, the tension thickening with every passing second. Goosebumps prickled across your skin, but you felt hot, your face flushed and your heart pounding, feeling restless on your feet.

“Are you just gonna keep staring at the floor?”

Before you, Doyoung was sprawled out on the couch. Donning the shiniest pair of black pants elongating his legs, his shirt hung off his body, casting shadows across his ribs. The remnants of the long past music show was evident in his done-up hair, straight black tendrils shrouding his forehead and dark lined eyes piercing through the strands like a dragon. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, and you felt like you were melting like putty under his intense gaze.

This wasn’t the energy you had carried hours ago backstage when you were moaning in his ear, running your hands across his torso shamelessly while you got carried away with your words…

“Come here.”

He patted his right knee. You walked over, swallowing a shudder as you felt wind prickle at your wet skin. You perched yourself on his leg, more and more aware of just how flimsy your dress was. He pulled you in closer from the waist, his other hand bringing your face closer to his. Yet, he stopped short of the kiss. “Are you cold?”

“No.” You had no idea why you lied. In reality, you were fighting the urge to shiver, your nipples being pricked everytime your dress slipped across your chest. In fact, as you shifted in his lap, you brought one hand to fix the strap of your dress, now threatening to expose your entire torso.

Doyoung’s hand grabbed at your wrist. “Don’t. You came here to be a whore, right? So act like it.”

“Doyoung-ah,” you whined, the word whore making you slide into a different headspace. You felt his hands dip between the plush of your thighs, making you squeeze your eyes shut in response. Every time he touched you, it was gentle but immediately passionate and relentless. And every time he closed in on you, he felt familiar and unique at the same time, jolting your body awake with something different blooming every time.

“You guys are here already.” The statement hung in the air with a hint of finality. You pulled away from Doyoung and were met with Jungwoo’s unmistakably toned body. The beige shirt from before was now hanging off his arms, letting rays of moonlight dance across the skin of his chest and stomach. His eyes met yours, his expression serious and unmoving.

Not at all the way he was an hour ago when his mouth was tangled with yours, the bottle of wine you’d had mixing dangerously with the sweet smell of his perfume and the dim lights, making you dizzy and him more and more eager.

“Jungwoo, uh…hi.”

He stepped closer to the arm of the couch and dramatically rested one knee up on the edge in an almost comical display of dominance. Yet, it made something in you switch, and you felt your body aching to be in that bar again, tasting him in the corner of the room.

“Tell us again what you told me backstage,” Doyoung broke the silence, his icy fingers now bringing your face back towards him. “You know, back when you were rutting against me like a bitch in heat.”

Damn, that was harsh.

“Oh, so she’s like that with all men. I see.”

“No, no,” you whispered. “Only you, only…you three.” The word three quietly slipped off your tongue and trailed off like it was a long-held secret, something that you would have taken to your grave if you weren’t in your current predicament.

Memories ran through your mind, of yourself. Mere days ago. Your head in between Jaehyun’s spread legs, scalp tingling from his random pulls on your ponytail, the bony part of your knees feeling sore on the cold tiles as the beat of the song beyond the door thumped on.

“Right, right.” You watched Jungwoo’s demeanour crack as he smirked, looking at you teasingly.

At first you hadn’t noticed Jaehyun leaning on the doorframe, lurking in the shadows like an outsider. But as he took a few steps forward, the darkness began to leave his slender frame, and he was standing in front of you and Doyoung in no time. Your eyes began to scan the outlines of his waist, and the way his jean shorts hung on for dear life. Despite how much you had fooled around with all three of them the past couple of months, not once did you think you’d be here, dripping onto the carpet on the lap of one man while two others watched you with hungry eyes.

“Staring at his cock, are you?” Your eyes widened at the filth of Doyoung’s words, him usually striking you as a missionary-reserved kind of guy. But you looked away immediately, mortified, and he only chuckled.

He pushed you onto your back then, letting your head rest on the armrest of the couch and the small of your back on his legs. You felt breathless as he manhandled you around, your dress slipping and sliding around to expose you in obscene ways.

“Open up.” You met Jungwoo’s face upside down. You were no stranger to his casual dominance that molded you into submission every time, but today you hesitated slightly, having never taken him in your mouth before. Let alone like this.

Almost like he read your mind, he immediately added, “It’s okay.You can do it, baby. I’ll help.”

“So nice, isn’t he?” Jaehyun finally spoke, and you looked down to see him on his knees, towering over your bottom half. Doyoung had lifted the ends of your dress to your stomach, exposing your pussy now dripping onto his lap like some sort of cheap porno. You whimpered as Jaehyun ran his fingers over your folds, holding your breath in anticipation. “Tell me what you want from me.”

“Oh, Jae.” You sucked in a sharp breath as his mouth landed on your pussy, making you pull away involuntarily. You felt a sharp sting on the inside of your thighs. “Mmm, sorry. Please, please fuck me. I need it so bad, fuck.” You drawled out your words as he ate you out with the vigour of a young bachelor, Doyoung keeping one of your thighs anchored down.

“You hear that, Doyoung? So pathetic. Any common whore could have come up with that.”

“A-ah,” you moaned as his fingers entered you, the rush of sensation making you feel scatterbrained. “No, wait, I didn’t, ah…I meant…”

“We’ll give her another chance later.” Jungwoo hooked under your chin and bent your neck up, letting you open your mouth and engulf his girth. Your hands fisted tight as you choked, drool running down your chin and onto your collarbones. You closed your eyes, letting yourself be used as he pleased. “Good girl.” he groaned, and Jaehyun began to pump his fingers inside you at a steady pace.

Your cries and moans were getting lost around Jungwoo’s length, his hips now pistoning in and out of your mouth, and you felt Doyoung play with your nipples, making you jerk on his lap. You felt an impending orgasm build up inside you, your whines getting stronger as you pushed Jungwoo off to release your mouth. “Gonna cum!”

“Who said you could?” Jaehyun’s pace remained unchanged, and you shut your eyes, your brain turning into mush as ripples of pleasure took over your senses.

A sharp pull on your hair brought you back to reality with a yelp. “Answer him, baby.”

“Ah, s-sir.” Your eyes glazed over, making Jungwoo’s figure look less and less definite. His grip didn’t falter, but he let out a gentle sigh. “Do as he says, or you’ll regret it.”

“I can’t…I can’t hold it in,” your voice shook, your muscles stiff as your body was pinned down. “Please, ah, let me cum, ah, ah…shit!”

“Go ahead, princess.” You came with a cry, soaking Jaehyun’s fingers in the process. Your head felt floaty, and you faintly registered being shifted around until your legs were pressed up against your chest and you felt a hard bulb press against your hole.

“Nghhh…” With little energy left, you were painting the air with incoherent sounds. Doyoung pressed his lips against yours, his hands slipping on your thighs. “You gonna be a good whore for me?”

“Y-ye…yeah.” You sucked in a breath through your teeth as his wide girth filled you to the brim, your walls stretched thin. “So big.”

“Yeah?” He breathed, before slamming into you, knocking the air out of you in the process. You opened your mouth to scream but no sound came out at first, your body almost feeling helpless to the sudden intrusion.

“Does it hurt, baby?” You felt someone stroke the hair on your face, and you shook your head. Jaehyun patted your cheek harder, as if to snap you out of your haze. “Don’t lie. Use your words.”

“No, no, feels…feels good.” Your voice wavered with every stroke, and you looked up to meet his eyes, filled with lust. Standing beside Jungwoo, both watching you get ruined making you surprisingly wetter. You threw your head back, feeling Doyoung rack your body with his strong thrusts. You closed your eyes in response, but a slap on the side of your face made your eyes fly open again. “Look at me while you’re getting ravished like this, baby. Don’t you dare close your eyes.”

“Ah, yes, s-sir!” Doyoung’s face was now in front of yours, his thrusts getting sloppier and more desperate as he went along. “You like being watched, too? You keep watching them and squeezing around me, you filthy girl.” You only moaned in response, your eyes rolling on the back of your head, all logical thoughts spilling out of your mind as his release poured out of you, hole left gaping as he pulled out.

You felt like you blinked and Doyoung was just gone, replaced by Jaehyun. Before you could register anything, you felt his cock slap against your dripping hole, making you yelp and shut your knees together. “Ah, wait, wait…” Your chest was heaving, the bottom of your dress now slick with sweat and release.

“Colour?” You felt Jungwoo’s whisper on the side of your head, Jaehyun’s heavy gaze on you, and you didn’t hesitate with your answer. “Green.”

“Fuck, you’re just insatiable, aren’t you?” Doyoung’s words and Jaehyun’s hands prying your knees apart made your stomach churn with anticipation. You felt another tug on your hair, gentle this time, and you looked up to meet Jungwoo, his face now closer to yours. “Tongue out for me.” You whimpered as he engulfed your open mouth into his, the kiss sloppy and wet. He pulled away, one hand now shoved under your dress and playing with your tits, another stroking your face, driving you crazy with his simultaneous gentle and rough handling. Without warning, you felt something hard and almost plastic rest on the top of your pussy, and you immediately felt Jungwoo block you from looking down. “No. Keep looking up.”

As soon as you felt the vibrations start on your already spent core, you squealed and began to writhe away. Much to you dismay, you were being held down mercilessly. “Oh my god, oh my god, it’s already too much…”

“I don’t care. Pay attention up here. You think you can get away with not making me cum?”

“Fuck, fuck…”

“On your knees, _. I don’t have all day.”

You supported yourself up, wobbling the entire way, your entire body feeling the effects of this vibrator that was sucking the life out of you today in mere seconds…or minutes, you no longer could tell. Feeling the cold edges of the Jaehyun’s rings against your bare thighs, you realised he was probably the one rolling the end of the toy on your clit, making you cry out in pleasure. “Good fucking slut. She’s good, isn’t she?”

You whimpered, feeling the vibrations ebb away, almost missing the way it was letting you build up to your climax. “Yes, sir…”

You heard Doyoung’s laugh next to you, making you feel both embarrassed and hornier than ever. “Gosh, she’s so out of it already.”

You looked up to be met with Jungwoo’s length, your hair shrouding your face as you stared thoughtlessly. Jaehyun breathed into your ear, “Need some help with that, baby?”

You nodded, all self-respect leaving your body at this point. “Let’s make a deal then,” he continued. “If I help you suck his cock, you let me fuck you from behind.” You inhaled sharply, the vibrations now slowly building up again. “Or we use the toy. What do you want?” You knew he was being gracious by asking, but his tone was mocking, almost scathing.

“Your cock…a-ah…please. Want to be stretched out and…fu-fucked, please. In all my h- ah, oh my god,” Your thighs shook, the last of your inhibitions leaving you as you felt a hot combination of your and the mens’ release leak down your inner thighs, naked and needy in front of all three.

“What was that, hmm?” Doyoung placed a hand on the small of your back, tipping you towards the vibrator, making you pant louder and louder.

“Nghh…fuck, please fuck me, in, all my holes, oh my-” you were cut off by the vibrator leaving your clit, the sudden loss making you want to fight back tears.

The steady silence that followed made you realise then the gravity of your words.

“Mmm, we better give her what she wants then.” Jungwoo stated as a matter of fact, but you sensed a sudden arousal rise up within him, and your stomach churned with a mix of excitement and anxiety. “Here I was thinking you’d be satisfied getting fucked two at a time.”

You yelped as you felt something cold on your rim, and you heard Doyoung shush you immediately. “It’s alright, baby, it’s just lube. You okay with this?” You bit your lip, trying to hold in your moans already. “I-I think I can.” Your voice was tiny and shaky, and Jungwoo tipped the bottom of your chin up so that you could meet his eyes. “What’s your colour? Be honest, it’s okay.” You felt Jaehyun hum in agreement, patting your thigh comfortingly.

“Yes, yes I want this. Green. God, I need to cum so bad.”

Jungwoo’s fingers changed you squeeze roughly around your cheeks, forcing your mouth open. Bending over, he spat inside, making you shut your eyes and whine. “Tell me who you belong to.”

“Ah, you, you…all of…y-you.”

“That’s a good girl. You look so pretty like this. Just waiting for cock.” You hummed in pleasure, feeling fingers enter and begin to stretch you out. Gasping and moaning, you let Jungwoo guide you to his length, Jaehyun pulling the hair away from your face as promised in a tight, unforgiving grip. As you gagged, the two men swore and pushed you down deeper, Jaehyun holding your head in place while Jungwoo pushed his hips forward. You held back tears as you accommodated to his length. “That’s it.” The sounds of you choking replaced by a broken scream as you felt Jaehyun slip back inside your sopping hole. Shaking your head, the two men released you as you groaned incoherently, feeling your eyeballs slip to the back of your head. “Oh, haah…I think I’m gonna…c-cum.”

You kept your promise as Jaehyun thrusted inside a handful of times, the squelching sounds a testament to the juices that just kept flowing out of you. In the post-orgasmic haze, you felt Doyoung’s fingers stretch out your rim, the unfamiliar sensations feeling both uncomfortable and so good. “How’s that, babygirl?”

“So good,” You heard Doyoung groan. “How on Earth are you so wet…”

As if a trained response, you opened your mouth as Jungwoo tipped your face up, letting him enter your mouth again. “You suck me so good, baby. Gonna make me cum like a good cockslut, aren’t you?” You furiously nodded, the wet noises filling up the entire room as his cock slammed in and out of your mouth. “Keep going, keep going, baby, good girl.” You became aware of an otherworldly stretch and tears sprung to your eyes. You pulled off. “Ah, oh my god, I’m so…full…” the words fought to leave you between your open mouth gasps of air, your head turning to watch yourself be stretched to the brim. Jungwoo pulled your head back to his cock. “Thought you wanted this, being fucked by three…” You engulfed him whole, your desperate moans vibrating his entire length as you felt Jaehyun and Doyoung fuck you into the couch. Jungwoo threw his head back. “…fuck, three cocks. Fuck, just the sight you like this is gonna make me cum.” It wasn’t too soon after that Jungwoo came, his hot load escaping down your chin onto your chest as he pulled you off him. “Fuck, that’s so hot.”

You screamed as you came, your sensitive walls fluttering and struggling to take so much stimulation. You felt a few seconds of shushing as you whined and tried to clamber away, the men holding you down until you were well and truly stuffed with loads of cum, the feeling of it hot deep inside your abdomen.

You collapsed onto the couch when all of you were done, your vision now seeing stars. As you slipped into an exhausted slumber, you felt one hand stroke your hair, a gentle kiss placed on the top of your head. “Shhh, you did so well, baby. Go to sleep.”

1K notes View Post

probably-rk

2 years ago

Insatiable

JJK | Gojo/Reader/Nanami/Toji

PART TWO COMING SOON!

NSFW 18+ MDNI. Reader is female. Wc: 10,646. Reblogs appreciated. :)

⇨ You’ve been sneaking out to Megumi’s dorm at night lately to have sex and drink. As rumours float around about you and Megumi dating your teacher Gojo pays attention to this. One night you get caught coming back home by Gojo and Nanami, they give you a punishment and teach you what it’s like to take an older man.

Characters aged up to 18, third years in high school.

A/N Hi everyone! Honestly this is super brain rot and I love how it turned out. Gojo and Nanami are hot and I just had to write for them. This was actually really inspired by a guy I engaged with and I got a lot of inspiration for dialogue and dynamic from him.

I’m cross posting here from my AO3! Link is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36176560/chapters/90178126

archiveofourown.org

Show Chapter | Archive of Our Own

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

*TW* Dub con, drunk sex, teacher/student. If those topics make you uncomfortable please don’t read this.

Kudos/Likes and comments are so appreciated.

Tag list: breeding, creampie, blowjobs, oral, rough sex, light bondage, shibari, dub con, vaginal sex, DILF Fushiguro Toji, size difference, FMM threesome, daddy kink, spanking. + more!! I hope you like it.

Clinking of bottles filled the quiet room, well totally quiet aside from the clock ticking. You took your phone off of the kitchen counter and opened it to see the time 10:32 PM. You lived with Gojo as he took you in from when you were a young child as your guardian. Now you were a third year in high school and a young woman.

Gojo was out with Nanami, doing whatever - it did not particularly concern you. What did concern you was getting over to Megumi’s dorm. You had gotten all dolled up, now as a blossoming young woman you were introduced to the world of sex and men. You applied some heavy makeup, of course you were not allowed to wear makeup at school so you did this in your off time.

Now what were you currently doing? Well… you were in the fridge stealing some of Nanami’s alcohol he left over at the place to pick up on the way home. It was some beer and you got a bottle of vodka too. Gojo did not drink but you stole a bottle of some random soda in the fridge to wash down the alcohol. Fantastic!

You had been on birth control for only a month now, you were not dating Megumi though, you had a connection that was more than friends with him, you often snuck over and had sex with him, you fucked, drank, cuddled. Romantic feelings were there.

Other students at Jujutsu High were suspicious of you two and often stating “I bet Fushiguro and (Name) have something going on, if you know what I’m saying. It’s obvious too.”

You had a smug look on your face as you exited the room and made your way over to Megumi’s dorm. You were at that age of rebellion. You knocked on the door, with your backpack on that was filled with the beverages as he opened the door. He was wearing a black tee shirt and grey sweat pants. He had just gotten out of the shower, he smelled fresh and had a soft look on his face.

Nobara said that you were the only girl who Megumi was actually nice to, it made you reflect back on the times he’d always help you out, buy you strawberry milk, you two were very close and had chemistry.

“You are like the only chick who can make that weird dude blush and smile, you must be his future wife!” She told you once, you’ve never forgotten that.

“Hey, glad you could make it.” His silky smooth voice echoed through the quiet dorm hallway.

“Hi!” Your chirpy voice greeted him, “of course. I’m glad I could be here. I brought some drinks like I told you.” You giggled quietly as he escorted you inside his room

“You look beautiful tonight, I love that dress on you. Is that the one I picked out?” He asked looking you up and down, you nodded your head with a blush

“Bang on!” You wore some basic cute shoes, nothing too fancy just a nice pair to go well with your little black dress.

You and Megumi had always gotten along well, maybe a little too well. You lost your virginity to him over a month ago and had now went on birth control to have him fill you up when you had these little get togethers.

You didn’t really see Gojo as a “dad”, maybe more like just a role model. You did find him very attractive and as you grew older you caught yourself having a crush on both your teachers, Nanami Kento and Gojo Satoru. Now Megumi, a guy closer to your age. Nobara said you and him totally hit it off, while on a girls day it slipped out that you totally had the hots for your teacher Gojo, she laughed uncontrollably. She warned you to stick to a guy your age.

And how was that going?

Well, you forgotten about your crush on both your teachers and just left that as a dirty fantasy that would never come true. That would be utterly ridiculous. It’s not like you could ever really have sex with Gojo or Nanami. So then, you decided to pursue Megumi. You two had gone on a few dates when you were able to get some alone time, usually out for dinner, shopping or anything really. He made you happy and you both had a good connection, the feelings were mutual and you were certain Megumi would ask you to be his girl sometime soon.

—

The buzz and rush of alcohol settled in your body, Megumi’s as well.

You were now feeling drunk, Megumi was also drunk, you had both drank a bunch of liquor and took shots. The beer wasn’t that amazing but hey, you drank it regardless.

You stayed in his dorm, talking and cuddling then decided to take a short walk around outside in the city, even though it was the middle of the night you felt safe Megumi and you knew you could always count on your crush to keep you safe. Megumi and you sort of had a relationship budding but it wasn’t to the point just yet where it was “official” so you both never announced it to any family, friends or the teachers.

While walking back to Jujutsu Tech the cool breeze hit you, it was rather humid but still a bit chilly and you were wearing such a sexy dress, Megumi handed you his sweater as you put it on and held his hand thanking him. “It’s no problem, you look cute in it. I don’t want anybody looking at you like this.” He spoke, his breath smelled like beer with a hint of fresh minty gum he was chewing prior.

He was protective too. The perfect boyfriend.

The beautiful city lights of Tokyo at night filled your eyes, feeling so lucky to hold his hand like this. You heard the crickets and sounds of cars passing by in the distance. The smell of fresh rain filled your lungs, it was raining the day prior but it was a clear nights sky now. The streets were quiet at this time too, mainly filled with people heading home from the bar or restaurants at this time.

“You know, I’m thinking since I’m wearing such a pretty dress and I’d like for you to see what’s underneath I could give you a little strip show, I have some cute new panties on.” You giggled quietly as your eyes look up to the nighttime stars, lewd intentions in the back of your mind.

”Oh yeah?” The spiky black haired and pretty deep blue eyed young man questioned, this peaked his interest. “I think it’s a perfect idea… I needed to find one way or another to see that body of yours again, baby.” His tone changed as a sly small smirk crept up onto his lips.

Your (color) eyes twinkle “did I tell you how handsome you look tonight? You’re so hot, I’m such a lucky girl to be yours.” You flirted as you took in his cologne, it had hints of lavender and bergamot leaving for the perfect masculine scent that suited Megumi and was virtuosic.

He was confident and protective over you, even though the whole situation was lowkey Megumi had always gotten you a birthday present since you first met in first year, he remembered all the little details about you, god your pussy felt incredible for his cock too. He wanted to make you his.

You both urgently rushed back to his dorm, being careful to not be caught. Itadori kind of got the hint Megumi was up to something with you in his bedroom at nights so he backed off and tried to give you two your privacy. Itadori took the time to admire Jennifer Lawrence and envy Megumi. Still maintaining the bro-code.

Once you got back to Megumi’s dorm and he shut the door, it turned into a sexy little strip dance you gave him and then one thing lead to another and he was on top of you.

“That was perfect, baby girl.” He praised as you finished your dance.

“Mm did you like it?” You hummed say you felt him suck on your neck, leaving marks and bites all over you.

“Of course I did, so much so that you’ve made me hard already.” His voice filled your ears, making a tingly heat form in your lower regions.

“Let’s do something about that, I’m in the mood for a creampie.” You giggled telling him, “pretty please?”

“I can’t resist your feminine ways, of course.”

—

1:30 AM.

“Ahh that was really good.” Your voice sighed with delight as you lay against Megumi’s chest nuzzling up against him, he rubbed small circles on your back while his other hand was holding your hand.

“It was. You know how I love fucking you, you looked so pretty with my cum leaking out of you. We have the best sex.” Megumi replied quietly as both of you came down from your high. “You even have my marks all over your neck and chest.”

“I am feeling so drunk now, your cock made me feel so incredible too.” You whined feeling the buzz from your alcohol turning into a full on drunken state.

“Will you be okay heading back?” The dark haired male asked you and you nodded your head.

“Yeah I’ll be fine! I’ll just drink water once I get back and take a shower. We have to do this again soon.” You responded.

The way back to your place wasn’t even that far, just down the hall.

“We will. Text me before you head to sleep, let me know you’re okay.” He said before you got yourself cleaned up and grabbed your things. Saying goodbye to Megumi as you left with a final hug.

—

You stumbled out of the hallway, assuring Megumi you’d get back to your place alright. As soon as you opened the door to Gojo’s residence, you noticed the light was on to the living area and the kitchen. Shit, you were busted. What reasonable excuse could you possibly have for sneaking out in the middle of the night, surely Gojo and Nanami caught on that you stole Nanami’s liquor.

Sudden regret pooled in your core. Ugh why tonight? Can’t a girl just have time alone? The fear you had as a little girl of knowing you did wrong filled you, though Gojo had never punished you too hard this was different than skipping class or giving attitude. You were drunk and wearing a short, slutty dress, totally dehydrated after drinking 4 cans of beer and however many shots. Just enough liquid courage in your system. With the whole look you had on, dress, makeup, you couldn’t play it off. You slid off your shoes as you made your way to the hallway, attempting to tip toe back to your bedroom, then you heard him.

“Ah ah ah, missy. Where do you think you’re going? Come back here.” Gojo’s voice was loud and boomed through the living area, leaving you to internally panic. He didn’t sound mad? He sounded calm as hell and playful.

“Um hello?” Your voice nervously echoed as you walked into the living space, Nanami was sitting on the couch, he had a dress shirt and tie on with the pants he wore from his suit on, he had a beer in his hand, one of the ones you left over in the fridge. On the other couch across from Nanami was Gojo, in his usual attire and some sun glasses he wore inside.

Both of the men looked at you and examined your current state making you feel like a piece of meat.

“Where were you? I don’t have a curfew for you but I have expectations that you tell me when you’re going out. You also stole Nanami’s liquor, I don’t drink it so I don’t care that much but where were you? That was irresponsible.” Gojo asked in a stern tone then Nanami scoffed at him.

“Nobara’s dorm.” Your voice lied, it came out before you could think as it was to defend yourself.

“Don’t lie. By the way you are dressed I know exactly who you were with…. Meg-“ he started.

“Yeah! So what?” You snapped which caught both of the older men off guard, flaring your still teenage attitude. Gojo was already used to dealing with teenage girls and students so it wasn’t anything new to him.

“Then why did you need to take my beer? I thought you were a better kid than that. My vodka too.” Nanami asked.

“I-I just wanted to drink with him. I’m sorry Nanami, I’m not a kid anymore though.” You crossed your arms in protest.

He rolled his eyes and stared at you. “I don’t give a damn that you’re legal. You have been getting real entitled lately. If you’re going to dress so grown you might as well act grown too. You stole liquor I bought with my own money. Damn kids, you’ve never even been to a bar or had a real cocktail before and just go straight to the hard stuff to get hammered on. Do you not realize how unsafe that was?” Nanami scolded you.

You fucked up.

“You look like a hot-mess, I’ve heard what your other classmates have been saying about you and Fushiguro. You can tell me, just be honest. Are you two having sex?” Gojo asked in curiously, holding off on any further comments not to startle you.

This shocked you, how embarrassing. Your heartbeat immedly went up and your face went red, you gasped.

“Gojo, isn’t that a bit far? She’s still just a young girl.” Nanami asked.

“I’m not mad that my little girl has a boyfriend. I just want to make sure she is being safe. I noticed you haven’t been focusing as much on becoming a sorcerer and your work, more so directing your attention to Fushiguro.” Gojo crossed his arms in disappointment.

You nodded your head, admitting to your hookups. Gojo and Nanami both gave each other a look. You almost stumble over, the alcohol was really hitting you. Nanami stood up and walked over to you in a fatherly manner.

“You should’ve been more careful. Did you have any water?” He asked and you shook your head.

“N-no, I feel sick. Too much beer.” You whined as you clung to the older blonde haired man.

He directed you to the kitchen table and sat you down on a chair, he made himself at home and walked over to the fridge. He retrieved a cup from the cupboard and poured some water from the fridge and got a few ice cubes from the ice tray in the freezer. He handed you the glass cup as you drank half of it quickly.

Even with the AC cranked up it was still hot as hell in Gojo’s place.

“So you were just hooking up with Fushiguro while drinking?” Gojo asked walking over to the two of you.

“Ye-yeah. I’m sorry I stole your beer and vodka.” You apologized.

“I understand this must be very embarrassing for you (Name). Though I’d be concerned too if I were Gojo. It’s not safe to be wandering around while you’re intoxicated. You should have told him the truth and should have asked me before having one, you have my number you know.” Nanami sat down beside you.

“Right.” Gojo added. “I want my girl to be safe. I look after you and have been for a few years now. Have you been using protection? Condoms, birth control? If you need some just ask me, you shouldn’t be having a baby this young.”

You gave the two men an intimidated look as you couldn’t really process what was happening, you whimpered.

“Yes. I got birth control, I’m sorry Gojo. I just couldn’t resist. We’ve been having a lot of fun and you’re making me feel bad about this.” You muttered as you were embarrassed but the alcohol made it less stingy, you hiccuped.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what this conversation would be like as a father.” Nanami hissed. “And now that I’m apart of it, it’s even worse.”

”Chill man, you’re here so just accept it.” Gojo grunts.

“I get it. You’re young, want to spend time with boys, have sex, drink and do all of that. But you’re forgetting your goals here, you want to become a Jujutsu sorcerer. Not only are you putting yourself at risk for going out drunk in the night and being taken advantage of, you are also putting so much into this boy forgetting your studies entirely. That beer is pretty strong too, you were reckless and I’m disappointed.” Gojo told you and you looked up to both of the men with pleading doe eyes as if you were begging him to not be upset.

He was right, you should’ve called for him to help you back.

“With a short dress like that you’re bound to get bad attention. All of that makeup too. Since when did my princess become a woman already?” Gojo asked as he looked you up and down as he crossed his arms looking at you. Gojo was almost in disbelief, he remembered when you were younger and entirely different from how you are now. You had no interest in boys and said “yuck! No way” whenever he asked if you had a crush on one of the other students. How you’ve grown.

Of course Gojo thought you were beautiful, however he was in a position where he was your teacher and he was a role model figure in your life. So he also took it upon him to hold responsibility and teach you a lesson.

“Gojo, Nanami-“ you almost fell over in your chair from the dizziness and feelings of being nauseous. “Ha, ha… it was so good with Megumi. He made me feel good, I think I’m in love with him.” You giggle.

Gojo almost choked on his own cup of water. “Excuse me? (Name). It’s just you two having sex together right? You want to make sure he doesn’t have any other partners so you don’t risk the chance of an STD. But I doubt he is talking to anybody else based on how he acts with you.”

“It’s just us.” You added as Nanami got up to give you another cup of water.

“Drink more water, let’s flush that alcohol out of your system.”

Your dress hiked up just enough to show your (favourite color) lace panties that were visible to both the men, Nanami gulped as he tried to ignore this as he placed your now filled up glass on the table you were leaning against. Your bra was practically showing too, the same (favourite color) with lace, it was matching.

“I am expecting better from you. I hope you understand the consequences of this.” Gojo started as you continued to drink the water beginning to sober up.

“I was out with Nanami at a restaurant, thinking you’re at home in your room, asleep or watching TV. You do not tell me where you’re going or that you are drinking and risk the potential of being hurt. Apologize properly to Nanami for stealing his beer.”

You let out a whimper. “I’m sorry for not telling you where I was going and being irresponsible, Gojo. Nanami, I am very sorry for taking your beer. I can give you the money for it, I’ll be more careful next time.” You apologized.

“You are forgiven.” Both of the much taller men replied to you.

“Thank you!” You replied smiling.

”All smiles now huh?” Nanami chuckled. He understood what it was like to be young and wanting to try new things, though he was a responsible adult.

“I know what it’s like to be young and crazy. So tell me, how was it? Taking Megumi’s cock?” Gojo asked and Nanami gave him a strange look, of confusion and shock .

“What do you mean?” You asked confused.

“What have you done together? Has he made you cum? I wonder if an 18 year old boy knows how to make a girl cum. Though it’s Fushiguro I’m sure he knows to an extent. He isn’t as clueless as Itadori.” Gojo thought out loud and you giggled all giddy.

…

“I mean… just blowjobs, he ate me out before, usually we fuck and he makes sure that I cum most of the time. Then we eat food and cuddle, that has been about it.” You reply with a coy tone and expression on your face. Provoking them.

“Have you ever taken a grown man’s cock?” Gojo asked you with a chuckle and your face turned pink in response as you look from Gojo to Nanami.

“N-no but I want to, I just lost my virginity a month ago to Megumi.” You mutter out and Nanami looked at you with a blank expression.

“I’ve always thought you and Nanami are hot. But it’s bad I have a crush on my teachers.” You twiddled with your fingers looking down embarrassed.

“No need to be embarrassed, sweet girl.” Nanami started as he trailed off thinking about what you were doing with Fushiguro, curious about where this may lead.

“How about you go sit on Nanami’s lap and make it up to him?” Gojo suggested as you nodded your head standing up, walking over to Nanami.

It was like a fantasy come true. You were standing right in front of Nanami, not as a student this time. You looked at your teacher, his blonde hair looked soft, his eyes were stern and he had his goggles off of him at this time, you stared into his eyes. He was buff and tall, he smelled of a clean cologne. Nanami’s aroma of a primal and yet breezy scent filled your nose.

He pulled you into his lap as your panties were pressed right above his crotch. “That’s it princess.”

“Wow Nanami! Let’s not forget (Name) is my girl after all.” Gojo laughed in a joking manner resulting in an eye roll from Nanami.

“Shut up, let’s be serious” he snapped with annoyance.

On Nanami’s lap you slightly grind yourself on him while sulking from getting caught. You take in his cologne and wrap your arms around him for a hug.

“Look at me” Nanami ordered as you looked at him with innocent yet bedroom eyes, your lips were soft pink and pouted. Then he pressed his lips against yours, they had the smell of liquor on them.

You blushed pulling away momentarily after that kiss. “How did that feel, kissing your teacher?” Nanami asked as you smirked, pressing your lips against his again as an answer. You opened your mouth as he collided his tongue with yours. It was warm and wet, you loved the sensations of making out. Nanami held his hands on your hips, holding you steady with your crotch right on top of his, your clit already aching through your panties telling you that your body was ready to be touched.

“Gojo, I’m sorry.” You whimper out again to the men.

“It’s okay, but you’ve certainly been a dirty girl. Perhaps Nanami and I could teach you what it means to be a good girl. Isn’t that right Nanami?” Gojo asked

“Damn right, couldn’t do any harm. Besides I get the feeling this is what you’ve wanted from us all along. It’s normal to have a crush on your teachers when you’re young, only natural huh.” Nanami mumbled into your ear which made you let out a hum.

He was pretty tall, your feet aren’t anywhere close to the ground while on top of his lap, you loved the size difference and how you were so petite next to him.

Your face gave it all away as you smirked and let out a small moan at the thought of it. So, it was confirmed this is what you truly desired. Gojo and Nanami both haven’t had sex with any woman in awhile so they were getting a bit pent up, a good way to teach you a lesson and relieve themselves.

You stood up “I need to go pee. Can I go to the bathroom first?”

“I don’t know, can you?” Nanami asked and you rolled your eyes jokingly as your feet were met with the cool flooring, the room was still spinning a little as you got up. Damn, the alcohol kicked in hard.

“Go ahead.” Gojo gave you permission holding his arm out to the hallway.

”I know where it is, I live here.” You gawked.

“No attitude, (Name).” Gojo responded.

You walked down your hallway towards your bathroom. You couldn’t believe this was really happening, you took a moment to regain yourself as you used the restroom then went back to find Gojo and Nanami back on the couch. This didn’t feel real, let alone it didn’t feel morally correct. They were going to punish you for sneaking out, stealing the beer Nanami left in Gojo’s fridge. If it was really so terrible, why were your panties starting to get wet?

You walked over shyly to Gojo. “C’mere” he said patting to his lap as you sat in his lap, “bend over, I’m going to punish you. This is for your own good.” this made you realize how big your size difference between the two men really was. What a turn on.

You look at him and frown “aren’t I a bit old to be spanked, old man?” Your sassy tone came out.

“Listen, missy. You’re not in a position to argue against me. I’m not even that much older than you, bend down now (Name). You are weak compared to me.” Gojo ordered and you obeyed him as you got on top of his lap and bit your lip nervously.

”What a brat.” Nanami commented while watching you struggle.

Once you were leaning over his lap you turned your face to meet Nanami who was sitting on the couch across the one you were on, his eyes look at you with an intrigued expression.

“Hey Nanami, how many should we do?”

‘What did he just say?! Gahh! I really should have kept my mouth shut.’ You thought to yourself.

“How about 10. Make them hard too.”

With that, Gojo lifted up your dress to come over your ass. He examined your panties. “With panties like these no doubt you’re driving Fushiguro wild. Your cute little butt looks damn good in them.” His voice was laced with dominance.

You gave a breathy whine beneath him, greedy to be touched. Classic, a young girl only wanting pleasure and to be a pleasure slut.

“N-no. Not this.” Your voice was frail feeling the sudden embarrassment of the situation.

You let out an ‘Mmph’ as Gojo pulled your panties down, you felt your core become hot. Your princess parts were partially exposed to him like this, which were dripping onto his clothed legs as he looked down in amusement. “She is wet already.” Gojo announced to Nanami.

“Oh really now. I’ve seen the way she’s been acting around us lately, does not surprise me at all. All we did was talk to her and look at her, dripping wet.” Nanami gave a swift response as he picked his beer up from the black marble coffee table beside the couch.

You squirm in your place as Gojo moved his hand to hit your ass, and it was hard. It wasn’t like rough sex with Fushiguro who would slap your ass while doing doggy style, this time it was extremely rough and hurt.

“Ow!” You wince in pain as your voice grew high pitched and forced you into that state of submission. Gojo now earning your submission.

“One. Good little girl, take your punishment just like that. Daddy is so proud of you.”

Did he just say that? Daddy? Oh how that was an ultimate fantasy of yours. Having an older male touch you like this, especially that it was Gojo made your mind break. Being so close to him you could smell him, the scent of his cologne, fresh clothes and even a bit of his body wash. It smelled amazing.

You yelped in pain over and over again, it felt like a lot more than ten. All of these sensations were still just fresh to you so your mind was completely turned off as you entered a state of being hypnotized and your mind completely broken from Gojo.

“Eight…” His voice was cold like ice. He rubbed your ass after hitting it yet again, it was so red and forming little purple and tints of blue marks on both your ass cheeks.

“Wanna be marked by you daddy-“ you beg Gojo falling for him further.

“Aww!” He replied with a chuckle. “Is my baby girl learning some manners and obedience? What a lovely girl to train, listen to daddy.” The white haired man cooed in adoration.

“Nine.”

“Fuck it hurts so much!” You almost yell out. “It hurts so good!”

Nanami let out an “ah” as he finished his beer, placing the empty can back on the marble table.

Once Gojo finally hit that magical number; 10, your legs were shaking. You couldn’t see it but your ass was red and was starting to form a purple mark, a bruise was coming. You wouldn’t forget this.

“I’m sorry Gojo, I’m sorry Nanami. I won’t steal and sneak out ever again.” You cry out as some small tears stream down your eyes from the overload of emotions and sensations.

“You are forgiven, but you still need to take this. We have to ensure the punishment and lesson is clear and that it sticks.” Gojo assured you.

Gojo lifted you off of him and placed you back on the couch as he stood up. “I need to get something, I’ll be back.” He walked out to the hallway of the apartment to what you assumed to be his bedroom.

This peaked your curiosity and Nanami’s, though he had a feeling of what Gojo was up to. Before long he came back holding black rope, it looked like a form of bondage.

“We will take it slow. I think you’d look so pretty with a shibari tie. I’ve always found them quite beautiful. I’m good with my hands.” He snickered with a grin.

Your mouth gaped open in surprise, not sure what to expect. Gojo came over beside you and undid your dress, (favorite color) lacy bra and removed your matching panties. He dropped the bra to the floor, Gojo and Nanami’s eyes were glued to your bare chest. Your nipples were soft and slightly puffy, your cup size was the perfect size. Easy for the men to grope. Gojo gave your tits a squeeze, fondling them before getting the rope out.

He made a pretty tie that wrapped around your tits nicely, it made them pop out a little. It wasn’t too tight and felt rather secure and comfy. He tied it around your waist and your thighs, so there would be easy access to your pussy. He knew what he was doing and seemed to have experience with shibari and ropes in general.

Nanami clapped “very good, now hurry up we don’t have all night.”

“I know you like being a slut so as an award you get to suck my cock. You better do it good.” Nanami ordered you.

“Work has been stressful being a salaryman and now being a Jujutsu sorcerer I am still stressed. Having to work for a living sucks. Give me some release, could use a pretty girl to suck my cock, yeah?” He commanded you and you nodded as you weakly got up, your legs wobbly as you kneeled on the cool floor looking up to the tall blonde man who stood in front of you, you made eye contact. Your big and dolled up eyes looked into his.

He did the work of unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants down. He was wearing a black pair of boxer briefs, they fit him well, his toned muscles in his thighs were noticeable as his cock sat perfectly within his boxers, it was truly an exciting sight.

Your heart rate went up, this was amazing. Words couldn’t describe how much of a rush you felt in this moment. Everything you wanted, and more.

“Mm I’m such a lucky girl, I’ve fantasized about this. I’ve always wanted my teachers cock, sir.” You look up to Nanami and he patted your head.

You knew exactly the right words to say too.

“Good girl, be a good student and do this for me. Suck my cock, I’m sure you have some skill with it so let’s see what ya got sexy.” He smirked.

While Gojo was more eccentric and outgoing, Nanami was quiet and more serious. You did have the hots for both of them.

“Of course, I’d be happy to do so.” You grinned in delight as a lewd expression crossed your face.

Gojo wanted to learn about you and what you liked sexually as he watched. You pulled down on Nanami’s boxers with a tug to his ankles. His cock was hard, it made your pussy soaked. You lifted your hand as you held onto his cock with one hand on his shaft lightly, then you licked his tip. Swirling your tongue around Nanami’s tip causing him to let out a small grunt.

Swirling your tongue around Kento’s tip just like those strawberry lollipops you love. Your tongue glided across his slit which had some beads of precum forming. It was so sweet and yummy.

You used your hand to pump his cock a little as Nanami sat back down on the couch and you crawled in between his legs and continued to suck his cock, taking half of his girth now. A little to shy to make eye contact.

Your pussy juices leaked onto the floor, your cunt was so fucking wet dripping. It was so easy for Gojo to work you up like this, even Fushiguro didn’t work you up this much. Gojo took notice of this as he stood up, watching in amusement at the sight of his precious girl sucking Nanami’s cock.

“Does it feel good daddy?” You asked as your spit began to drip down onto your chin, you fondled his balls gently, massaging them lightly and embracing the feeling of touching Nanami’s balls. You tried to take more and more of the older man’s cock in your mouth.

“Is she doing a good job, Nanami?” Gojo asked and Nanami hummed in response.

“Fuck yeah, keep going cumslut. You’re so fucking sexy, baby.”

The taller man Gojo, leaned down and got inbetween your legs, you felt his finger slide against your exposed slit his fingers played with your arousal.

“You won’t be able to wait to see his pussy, Nanami. God so fucking pretty and pink. Your little clit looks so gorgeous.” Gojo’s voice had shifted and become more dark and deep.

You felt his hot breath against your pussy as his tongue glided against your clit ever so delicately, his face right at your private areas. This caused sparks to fly in your body and a feeling of pleasure struck. Greedy to get yourself off on his tongue.

You let out a moan through sucking Nanami’s cock, your cheeks were now a bright red and hot from all of your blushing. This was incredible.

Gojo’s tongue licked the lips of your slit and he used his fingers to spread open your cunt, looking at the hole. It was so tiny, it looked as tight as a virgin.

“Such a tiny hole, you can tell she hasn’t been stretched out yet. She needs some grown men to use her to stretch that cunt out.” He muttered as his tongue dove into your cute hole with ease.

“You taste sweet, so delicious.”

These compliments made butterflies form in your tummy. So good, so good.

You let out a sweet mewl through sucking on Nanami’s big cock. “Mm so good” you moaned as Gojo’s tongue explored the entrance of your soaked hole, making you lose focus on the task at hand.

He licked your clit as he let go and began to press kisses on your inner thighs, trailing those soft kisses up to your clit as he placed a gentle kiss on your clit adding to the stimulation.

You bat your lashes as you looked up to Nanami, who stared down at you with an intense expression - grabbing some of your hair in his hand as a make shift pony tail. You began to deep throat him as you braced yourself to take all of his cock within your mouth as it went down your throat.

“Slutty girl, you little whore. Letting your teacher have his way with you? My dirty girl.” Nanami used his over hand to caress your cheek softly.

“Mhm” you moaned, drool all over you.

Tears felt like they were swelling up in your eyes as you deep throated the man’s not super long but very girthy cock.

“Lucky you’re on birth control, otherwise I would get your womb filled up with cum regardless” Gojo spoke from behind you as his tongue flicked against your button, abusing your clit as you felt yourself indulging in these euphoric pleasures of being eaten out.

“The perfect barely legal and teen breeding slut.” Gojo said outloud and it made you moan and whimper from his words alone.

It was mouth watering and made your cunt drip of all your pussy juices. You could tell Gojo was an expert pussy eater as he knew exactly the right ways to get you begging for more as his tongue teased your wet and glossy lips.

“Fuck! This is even better than how Megumi ate me out.” You cracked as you slightly lifted your head off from Nanami’s cock, drool coming out of your mouth carelessly like nothing else mattered but pleasure.

“Of course it does, sweet pea. I’m a grown man, I’ve learned how to do this.” Gojo replied in a cocky manner followed by a laugh, knowing his tongue was doing wonders for your aching pussy.

Though it made you feel so embarrassed yet so turned on knowing you were probably about to get your pussy filled with cum. It made you even more turned on knowing Nanami was watching all of this.

“Daddy, I wan’ you to fuck me” you whimper out looking up to Nanami needy like the greedy pleasure slut you are, finally letting go of his cock.

You felt yourself approaching your orgasm as you got close to cumming you let out heavy breaths and high pitched lewd noises of pleasure. “Gojo!” You cry out. “I’m gonna cum, s’too good. Fuck, I love when you eat my pussy. Thank you for this!” You moan in ecstasy followed by a series of slutty sounds.

“Come on, pretty girl. Cum for me. Let’s get you all wet for my cock.” He smirked as his tongue glided quickly and flicked against your clit, you mewled in pleasure.

“Ahh m’ cumming!” Your head rested on Nanami’s thigh as your eyes almost rolled back, your mouth wide open with a light furrow on your brows as you came all over your Sensei’s tongue.

White and clear pussy juices leaked from your cunt as Gojo gave a look of satisfaction “little slut” his voice rasps.

“You’re awfully selfish. Your only concern was to get yourself off. Now you’ve left us horny and bothered.” Gojo grabbed you and lifted you up off the ground as he held you in his arms and sat you on the couch beside Nanami, facing him.

Gojo was behind you around the arm of the couch as he forced to spread your legs open to show Nanami your pussy. “Show Nanami your pussy. This is what you’ve been letting that Fushiguro drill? One lucky kid. Such a pretty pussy (Name), let’s teach you what it means to be fucked by a real man.” Gojo’s voice purred as Nanami tilted his head to stare directly at your pussy, licking his lips in hunger.

Kento examined your pink pussy and how tight and small it was, truly the pussy of a young innocent woman who was ready to be corrupted. Gojo and Nanami both knew this was what’s best for you, to teach you your place.

“Soo, who is going to fuck me first?” You innocently asked looking from Nanami to lifting your head back to look up at Gojo, coming down from your high but your pussy still sensitive and ready for cock.

“I’ll be fucking you first, I am your guardian after all. I think it’s my place to discipline my student when needed, besides it’s not like you have a problem with this.”

“Aren’t we going to get in trouble for this?” You asked timidly looking down.

“You’ll keep your mouth shut won’t you? It’s our secret. You’re a young woman now, but I’m still the one who’s in charge of you and your mentor. It’s always important to teach younger sorcerers and educate them properly.” Nanami asked as you nodded your head but inside felt massive uncertainty.

FUCK IT.

You laid back against the couch with a soft cushion behind you supporting your back. Gojo took the time to get in front of you as he lifted his top off and undid his pants, taking them off followed by his boxers which then you were faced with his large cock. He made sure to remove all clothing. His cock was big and hard, you saw that his tip was leaking pre cum.

“I-I’m nervous” you bit your lip.

“What’s wrong? Where’d the tough girl facade go?” Gojo chuckled, mocking you.

“It’s just a cock, no need to be scared.” His voice was sultry, you looked at it as Gojo finished removing all of his clothes so that he was entirely naked infront of your also naked form. Nanami used this time to undo his tie and take his dress shirt off as he watched you.

“Daddy” you whine looking up at Gojo in your drunken state.

You tried to close your legs as Gojo came up in between them and forced you to spread them. “Obey and make this easy for me.”

You complied as you looked down and watched as he placed his cock right against your clit, teasing it as you whimper “I need it, Satoru please.”

You use his name and he flashed you a perverted grin.

“Anything for my babygirl with the best manners.” He lined his cock up with the entrance of your pussy. You continue to stare down with an undying lust-filled expression, an erotic look in your big eyes.

“You love being watched, don’t you? Must turn you on knowing I get to watch this sexy young girl get her pussy used by her teacher.” Nanami pointed out as his cock twitched in his hand, palming himself lightly to edge.

“Yes sir. I’ve wanted your cocks for so long. I love older men like you both, you’re so sexy and can give me all I need.”

You let out a cry as you felt his cock enter you, “oh fuck!” You moaned as Gojo’s cock slowly entered with your tight pussy walls happily welcoming him in. You felt so warm, wet and tight to Gojo. He was going at it missionary.

Gojo’s hands were on your waist using them as support as he entered himself in you all the way, at last feeling his balls brush up against your ass and his cock pressing right up against your cervix. Thank fucking god for birth control otherwise this would certainly get you knocked up with his seed.

“Feels so deep, I can’t take it! Stop it, no more!” You moaned as you grope one of your breasts, squeezing it in your hand.

“Doing okay, sweetie?” Gojo asked and you nodded your head, your vision was still a bit unsteady from being so drunk and out of it.

”I-I guess” you slurred your words. It was a super hot sight for the men to lay their eyes on you in this state.

With that “confirmation” he began to trust in and out of you, the tip of his pretty and shaved cock hitting your cervix, filling your up all the way. Unalike Gojo, Nanami just trimmed his memeber as you glanced over and watched the man and also Jujutsu sourcer slowly stroke himself, though he looked annoyed.

“What are you waiting for?” You asked bitterly and confused wondering why he wasn’t using your mouth.

“I’m going to finish in that hole as well.” Nanami replied to you, you smiled cheekily, happy with his answer.

“Fuck daddy!” You mewl as the wet noises of your pussy being ravished filled the room, wrapping your legs around Gojo’s muscular but lean body pulling him in deeper.

“You’re nothing but insatiable. I want nothing more than to take that little pussy.” Nanami growled as he watched you get fucked.

“You look so pretty taking my cock ya know?” Gojo grunted admiring your tight body.

“I love your cock daddy. Every time I touch myself all I can fantasize about is Gojo and Nanami fucking me. I love it so much.” You whine loudly as you submitted yourself to them.

The smells of sex filled the air, the room smelled purely of lust.

A part of you felt bad about doing this immediately after having sex with Megumi, besides you two were developing a romantic relationship. You tried to push those feelings to the side and focus on the current moment, it’s not like anybody would find out about this, right?

“You don’t need to act like you’re all grown and have everything figured out (Name.)” Nanami started, “it’s completely okay to be young and need some lessons from an adult, just like this.”

Your flushed face nodded your head. “I-I know, I just want to be independent ‘das all. Can’t help that ‘m so needy” you slurred your words.

You were even surprised at yourself with how much you were moaning and letting out these ridiculously slutty noises, your pretty high pitched noises were just like music to both of the men’s ears.

“I’m going to train you to be my slut.” Gojo said looking down at you as he sucked on the skin of your breasts, surely to leave a mark.

“Agh, yes!” You moaned as his tongue swept across your sensitive nipple. Leaking pretty marks and bites all over your chest, your tits bounced with every thrust.

Nanami groped your tit with one hand, playing and squeezing your nipple as you squeak.

“Holy shit, look at her tummy Nanami-“ Gojo groaned as Nanami looked at your tummy. Gojo’s cock was bulging through your tummy, showing how deep he was inside of you and how petite your body was compared to his own.

“Tiny little thing arent you?” Nanami cooed.

“Yes daddy. Mm wish you could knock me up, fucking sucks I’m on birth control. All I’ve wanted is to take it raw.” You moaned.

“That would be sweet wouldn’t it? I could give you my seed and you could raise some good kids for me. Hopefully some strong future sorcerers.” Gojo moaned as you nodded your head in excitement, baby fever was perhaps kicking in a little too hard for your age.

Who fucking cares, you’re drunk and these hot men are all yours. It’s only a natural urge isn’t it.

“Goddamn, this pussy is so tight. Don’t go giving yourself out to other guys, got it?” He barked.

“Daddy my pussy is all yours!” You cry out feeling the sensations of Gojo’s cock hitting your sweet spot right inside of you.

Gojo placed his finger into your mouth, instinctively you began to suck on it. His finger was much bigger than yours. You looked up to his face, you could see a glimpse of his eyes through his sun glasses, which shaded his beautiful light blue orbs.

“Nngh! Why does it feel so good, it’s never felt so good before like this.” Your voice was so innocent, in contrast to that sexy and promiscuous outfit you had prior.

Going out like a grown woman, meeting a guy, you weren’t that at all. You’re here being taught a lesson by Gojo and Nanami, you’re still their submissive student who needed guidance.

“What do you mean princess?” Nanami asked. “Was letting a teenage guy fuck you not doing it for you?” He asked in sincerity, it sounded a lot more rude than his intentions were.

“No, it’s good but Megumi just didn’t have this much experience in pleasuring me. I just feel so good, fuck me hard Gojo.” You whined out loudly needy for more cock.

Gojo’s thrusted harder, his hand reaching down to rub circles on your clit taking you into a state which made you feel like you were lost in paradise. You felt your pussy clench around his cock as you felt yourself approaching an orgasm, god, his dick hit all the right places. It hit repeatedly against your cervix over and over again and your sweet spots. Your womb practically begging for cum and for a baby from him at this point.

Unable to control your body as your legs start shaking and you let out desperate lewd moans.

“Going to cum baby?” Gojo asked and you bit down on your lip hard.

“How did you know?” Your voice asked.

“I can just tell.” He murmurs as he leaned in, you wrapped your arms around his torso as you kissed him. He let his tongue explore your mouth as your lips collide in unison.

You moan throughout the kiss as the sensation of your orgasm filled your body. Your pussy feeling intense waves of pleasure as your juices flowed all on his cock, squeezing him, desperate to be filled with his cum. You could tell you were creaming all over his huge and veiny cock.

Gojo pulled from your kiss as he let out some grunts and a low moan throwing his head back in pleasure. “Fuckkk, just like that Angel. Daddy’s cumming.” Gojo held your legs open as his cock came inside your cunt, deep inside you as his milky liquids pooled in your hole.

“Shit, feels so tight.” He moaned throughout his orgasm, his cock twitching inside of you as it began to throb.

“Such a good girl.” He groaned with a final thrust a you both gave heavy breaths.

You lay back, trying to catch your breath before Gojo pulled out of you. He watched as his semen leaked out of your fertile hole, so pretty. There was a lot of it too.

He gave a satisfied hum “you did a good job at emptying daddy’s balls, my slut.” He praised you as he got out from in between you. Your legs felt a little sore, specifically your hips from stretching them open to give him access to fuck you.

“Thank you, it was so good.” You sighed happily, taking a finger of yours to dip into your cunt, his seed covered your finger as you placed it in your mouth. Sucking on your finger. It was a little salty, with a hint of sweetness, his cum tasted so good.

Your eyes closed momentarily, feeling exhausted. Gojo took a seat back on the couch as he got his boxers back on. Though he was definitely there to watch the show. You were taken out of your relaxation by a voice.

“Get on your hands and knees, bitch.” Nanami ordered with a exuding an aura of dominance.

You turned and lifted your frail body up as you got down on your hands and knees with your ass in the air for Nanami. You were tired but you wanted more cock, you had to take it. You had no choice.

He watched as your hole leaked of Gojo’s cum and wanted to fill you up instead, wanting you all to himself.

“Such a pretty pussy, you must get lots of compliments on how cute your pussy is.” Nanami remarked

“Nnnn, Nanami, sir. Need it so badly.” You whined as you felt your pussy feel even more aroused again. You were soaking onto the couch, chasing another high as you wanted to cum even more, how insatiable and hard to satisfy you were.

“Use your words, speak properly for me, (Name).” Nanami commanded you and you rolled your eyes, luckily neither Gojo or Nanami could see that.

“Pretty please daddy, I need your cock, I wanna feel your cock stretch my little pussy so badly. Pleasure yourself in me, I’m your play thing!” You cry out begging for him and feeling more greedy now than ever.

“Good girl, little one.” Nanami praised as you felt his cock immediately push into your hole with ease, he started off a little slow but built his trusting up quickly and finding a fast pace, sounds of skin smacking filled the room as you felt like a bitch in heat, all that could fill your mind was cock and wanting more of it.

Nanami slapped your already red ass another time, he was a lot more rough and stern than Gojo.

He let out a heavy breath “there’s so much you have to learn about pleasure, I could make you feel good like this anytime.”

“God, your cock is so fucking massive I can hardly take it. You are right at my womb.” Your cervix being hit over and over again by Nanami’s cock, your pussy twitching around it. You arched your back and you felt Nanami pull your hair, tugging it slightly.

“Fuck!” You moaned with a lewd and sexy pitch. Letting out some silly drunk giggles making Gojo lay back on the couch with his arms stretched out leaning on the back of the couch with a proud smirk on his face.

“You are my little sex doll, such a perfect fucktoy.” Nanami hissed as his thrusts were growing sloppy but still going strong and hitting all the right places inside you, all you were focusing on was the pleasure.

“Wish I could get knocked up with your baby Nanami, I’d look so pregnant with your baby in my belly.” You whimper under him.

“You would, absolutely. The perfect breeding slut to carry my children. If you weren’t on birth control, I don’t know if I’d be able to pull out, honestly.” He moans as his cock abuses your tight and young hole.

“God yes, more more.” You beg Nanami as the man begins letting out a series of primal groans, some sweat forming in his hairline and his eyebrows furrow.

You couldn’t see it from your point of view but a sexy expression of absolute enjoyment was on his usually emotionless and blank face.

“You love being watched don’t you (Name)?” Gojo gently asked you and you could only nod in response.

”I love it so much! I love watching my hole get fucked and you watching me while Nanami stretches my pussy.” You confess.

”Aw god, such a dirty slut, I love that.”

“Nanami is such a nurturing man. He is taking care of you, making sure you have water and looking after you while you’re drunk and now punishing you for disobeying rules and disappointing us. Look at you, taking the punishment so well and getting so much pleasure from it. Horny girl.” Gojo teased as you look up to make eye contact with him, your eyes rolled back into your head and your hair was all messy.

“Daddy, I love cock. Thank you for giving me this, I’ve learned my lesson.” You mewled as you replied to Gojo.

“Well, I’m so glad!” He grinned. “Precious girl, you’ll always be my baby okay? I’ll always take authority over you.” Gojo cooed as he caressed your cheek then placing a kiss on your head.

“That’s it.” Nanami gave out a low toned moan while you squeezed around him.

“I’m going to cum, I need you to cum for me princess.” The man who was drilling you ordered, you felt your high approaching too as you couldn’t hold back anymore.

“So close, m’ gonna cum” your voice was unstable as you legs began shaking and your eyes shut tightly. Being ravished felt so good. You felt like falling into a state of enteral bliss.

“God fuck me daddy! I’m cumming for you, you’re making my little pussy feel so good.” Your cunt clenched around the older male’s cock, getting all of your pussy’s sweet arousal and white juices all over it.

Nanami began to cum too as his cum shoots inside of your pussy, right at your cervix with a final thrust followed by heavy breathing.

It felt so warm and comforting as Nanami shot his seed into your fertile hole. You gave a coy smile as he pulled out and watching all of the cum drip out of you, flowing out of your pussy. Your pussy was puffy from all of the stimulation and your folds were soaked with cum.

“Thank you for that.” You mumbled as your body fell onto the couch, crawling over to Nanami to lay on his lap.

You laid against the couch completely dazed at what just happened. How could you possibly believe this was real? It felt like a dream. It was in fact reality.

“Are you both really mad at me?” You mumbled out, feeling needy for aftercare.

Gojo and Nanami both shared a glance. Gojo shrugged. “Ehh, I’m not mad.” He replied full of energy, the man really did have stamina.

“No we are not angry, we both care for you and want you to be safe. Can’t deny that you’re an attractive young woman. There are some bad people out there and curses as well, you can’t always defend yourself.” Nanami spoke as you laid against his chest. You were able to hear his heartbeat which relaxed you, he held your hand and your eyes were growing drowsy.

“I learned my lesson. Thank you both, it was so fun.” You thanked them with a quiet and soft voice.

“It was fun, you’re absolutely welcome. I’ll be expecting to do this again, little one.” Nanami replied as he chuckled from how adorable you were.

Gojo smiled and felt satisfied, “come here, let’s get these ropes off of ya princess.”

You crawled over to Gojo on the couch and he untied all of the ropes you had on letting you free. Finally pulling you into his arms as he hugged you.

“I’m so proud of you. Promise me you’ll always be safe and if you need a drink or something just ask Nanami!” He teased.

“Well if it turns into this I suppose.” Nanami grunted.

You giggled “I promise!”

”And, being safe is important. I was more concerned about your safety than anything, you know how much I love you. I always want to protect my little princess.” Gojo added to his comment trying to ease any tension.

“Will we ever do this again Gojo?” You asked and be nodded his head. “Oh, I’m sure we will.”

You softly smiled happily, feeling a rush of dopamine. You began to feel sleepy as your body was tired from being used, still feeling tipsy.

“I’m going to have to go and call Fushiguro’s dad to tell him his son finally got a girlfriend!” Gojo laughed with a goofy grin and your blush turned into a scowl “No way!” You shriek.

“You know that is not a good idea.” Nanami told him. “It’s too late for this. Let’s get her cleaned up and in bed, we should call it a night too.” Nanami said.

“Good idea.” You responded as they helped you up to get cleaned up and taken care of for the night.

What a night, it was incredible and definitely a learning experience in more ways than one. Feeling content with your new sexual relationship with your teachers and your relationship with Megumi. You took off your makeup, had a nice warm shower to get yourself cleaned up and Gojo helped you into bed.

Nanami ended up sleeping on the couch that night before heading home in the morning.

You couldn’t wait to do that again.

—

It was the following day in the afternoon.

While you were taking the train home from shopping for makeup and some snacks right as you got off the train and began walking back to Jujutsu Tech you heard foot steps behind you, and you noticed a shadow blocking the sunlight from behind you as you turned around and were faced with who you assumed to be Fushiguro Toji, Megumi’s father.

Your eyes were dark and dolled up with makeup, even though there was no class that day you wore your school uniform so it was blatantly obvious it was you.

You looked up at him and made eye contact with him, as you wanted to run back home to the safety of Gojo not knowing the man right before your eyes.

“(Last Name),(Name) is it?” The older man’s deep voice spoke. It wasn’t like Megumi’s silky soft voice, it was deeper and a bit darker.

Megumi was a very calm, kind hearted and loving guy even if he didn’t always show it. The intentions of his father who stood in front of you weren’t clear and this made you feel anxious.

You nodded your head timidly as you were much smaller than this man. Though, you could see where Megumi got his good looks from. He had resemblance to his father.

“Rumour has it, you’re my son’s girlfriend.” He bluntly spoke with an alluring tone, confirming that this was his dad.

“I-I am.” You stutter your response shyly. The relationship wasn’t exactly confirmed but that was the easiest way of putting it.

The warm sun shined down onto you both. Your (color) hair shined under its beams as you were confused to where this was leading.

“Pretty young thing, aren’t you? I see that kid is all grown up now and not so little, becoming a man.” Toji spoke eyeing you up and down like a predator seeking its prey, you blush.

“Ah thank you! It’s nice to meet you, sir.” You blushed nervously, bowing to the man.

“Beautiful body too. I can see he has decent taste in women at least.” He snickered and you raised an eyebrow.

“T-thanks, sir?” You shyly replied sounded clueless.

What the hell was going on? This was too damn strange. Though you couldn’t deny he was a good looking man.

How could you get out of this situation? Did Gojo know about this? How did he find you?

“I’d like to meet with you. Next Friday at 8:30 PM come here,” the man handed you a slip of paper with a location on it as you examined it.

“But what is this?” You asked with caution knowing to be wary.

“It’s an address to a location I’d like to meet you at, cutie. I want to get to know my son’s girlfriend.” He gave you a small yet dark smirk before walking off.

A/N I DO WRITING COMMISSIONS NOW!! PM me for more info.

Happy New Year everyone! Should I make a part two? I have no clue, but if anyone wants one let me know and we can include Toji. This was so fun to write so I really hope someone likes it. Let me know if you liked it, please be nice :”). Comments are appreciated. 💞 ♡ If you want more please tell me and check my AO3 out.

766 notes View Post

probably-rk

5 months ago

Ex at New Year

violet "vi" x female reader — 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

summary: a second chance at love. a first chance at happiness. the love of your life is knocking at your door. do you let them in? — sequel to Ex at Christmas warnings/themes: fluff and angst, ex lovers, breakup, new years eve, pining lmao, a lot of flashbacks, slightly suggestive, everyone is alive and happy au, modern au, mentions of: smoking, drinking, vi is DOWN BAD! serenading you with a boombox in the rain? yes please words: 24.7k (hell yeah...?) notes: i swear this is so fking sappy man like a hallmark christmas movie or smth like that... forced myself to NOT pull a 'past lives' ending. nyways my friend told me to listen to "ocean's & engines" just to write an angst so yeah...

The walk to your apartment is a quiet one, neither of you speaking a word. You're both lost in your own thoughts, the only sound being the soft scraping of your shoes on the sidewalk. Finally, you reach your apartment building. You stop in front of the door—the same door she slammed shut and left you behind three months ago.

Your hand automatically reaches for your keys, but your fingers linger, not yet grabbing them.

“So, this is it, huh?”

You nod, your eyes still trained on the door in front of you. “Yeah.”

There's a pause. A long pause before Vi speaks again, “Good night.”

This sucks.

“Good night,” you murmur.

She hesitates, like she wants to say something more. But she doesn't. With a nod, she turns and starts walking away.

You swallow the lump in your throat, finally reaching into your pocket and grabbing your keys. You put the key in the lock and twist the doorknob. The door opens with a soft click, and you're face to face with your lonely apartment. It's dark inside, save for the light that comes in through the window. You step inside, shutting the door behind you.

You take off your shoes, kicking them off to the side. You drag yourself over to your bed, slumping down against the footboard. Your hand fishes into your pocket, pulling out your phone.

Scrolling through your phone, you notice a notification from your mother, sent an hour ago. “How's Vander's Christmas party?” it reads.

You sigh, not really wanting to respond. It's already 1am, but you decide to give your mother a call anyway. After a few rings, she picks up.

“Hello?” her voice rings through the speaker. You can hear the faint noise of a TV in the background.

“Still up watching your favorite show?”

“You know me,” she replies. “Your father is asleep already,” she pauses before asking, “You're going to come over today, right? I'll cook your favorite dish. You better.”

“Yes, I won't miss it,” your fingers playing absently with a loose thread on your sheets.

She hums on the other side of the line. “How was Christmas Eve at Vander's, by the way?”

You shrug, even though she can't see you. “It was pretty good,” you answer. “Food was good. Mylo and Powder are rowdy as always.”

“Oh, I could imagine,” your mother chuckles. “What about-” suddenly she stops, cutting herself off. “How was... how was Vi?”

You hesitate before answering. “She was... fine.”

There's a long pause, the sound of the TV filling the silence. Finally, she speaks. “And how was it, seeing her again?”

You exhale, staring up at the ceiling. “It was fine,” you say again. “It was just... fine.”

She hums, hearing the lie in your tone. But she doesn't push, not this time. “I see…”

After a moment of silence, you ask, “Mom, can I ask you something?”

Your mother pauses. She senses the seriousness in your tone. “Of course, sweetheart,” she says, the TV shutting off in the background.

You swallow, fiddling with the loose thread on your sheets again. “Hypothetically speaking…” you start. “If an ex asked for another chance... would you give them one? I mean, despite everything that's happened.”

There's a deep breath from the other side of the line, followed by a thoughtful hum. “Hypothetically speaking…” she echoes. “I suppose it would depend on why the relationship ended in the first place.”

“But let's say... hypothetically speaking…” you pause. This is going to sound ridiculous. “You have no idea why they walked away. They just... left, and then they turned up a couple months later, asking for another chance. Would you still let them in?”

Your mom takes a moment to answer. “Hypothetically speaking…” she finally replies. “I think if someone wanted another chance, the least you could do is hear them out. Find out the reason they walked away in the first place.”

“But... isn't that just asking for heartbreak all over again?”

“Not necessarily,” your mom says. “Maybe they finally realized how much they still... care for you.”

You close your eyes, pressing your knuckles against them. “But what if... what if they leave again? what if they change their mind?”

“I suppose that's a risk you'd have to be willing to take.”

“I don't know if I can go through something like that again.”

“Listen, honey,” you can almost hear her shaking her head. “If you don't try... how will you know?”

“I just... don't want to get hurt again,” you say, your voice quivering.

Your mother sighs. “Sometimes taking risks is worth it.” She's quiet for a moment before continuing, “Sometimes people make mistakes. They leave, they come back, they leave again, they come back again... but that's what happens when it comes to love. It's messy, complicated, and sometimes it hurts like hell, but it's also the most beautiful and powerful thing in the world.”

You chew on your lip. “I'm so scared, mom,” you admit. “I don't really know what to do.”

There's another pause, then her voice softens. “Remember when you were six, and you wouldn't go on the big slide at the park?”

You frown, her sudden question confusing you. “Yeah?”

“Remember what I told you?”

Thinking back, you recall the memory. Young you, clutching your mom's hand as the other kids swarmed the slide. You were shaking, too scared you'd fall. Her voice drifts through your memory. “I told you that sometimes it's okay to be scared, but you won't know if you like something if you don't try.”

“Besides,” she had said with a smile. “I'll be right here to catch you if you fall.”

You remember how you nodded then, letting go of her hand and slowly making your way up. You're trembling as you stand at the top of the slide, preparing yourself to go.

Your mother's gentle smile, her encouraging words. “Take a deep breath, sweetheart. Everything will be okay.”

Before you knew it, you were off. You were flying, wind in your hair, laughter bursting from your lips. By the time you reached the bottom, any fear you had was replaced with pure happiness.

True to her word, your mom was there to catch you at the end.

“You loved the slide after that,” she chuckles. “You went down it countless times, right until we had to go home, and I'll tell you now…” Her voice turns serious again. “Even if you're scared and you fall, I'll be right here to catch you, okay?”

“I…” You can feel yourself starting to tear up. “Okay,” you whisper, swallowing back the lump in your throat.

She gives a hum, and you can almost see her nodding. “There's my brave girl,” your mom says, a smile in her voice. “Get some rest, and we'll talk more in the morning, alright?”

“Yeah... okay.” you take a shaky breath. “Thanks, mom. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you. Don't stay up too late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you smile, though it fades quickly. “Love you too.”

You hang up, setting your phone down on the bedside table. You sigh, scrubbing a hand over your face. You push yourself from the footboard and make your way to your bed. Crawling onto your stomach, you bury your face deep into your pillow and groan.

Taking risks, giving second chances, hoping for the best, fearing the worst...

You just wish you could shut it all off and just sleep.

—

3 MONTHS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE BREAKUP

You sat at the kitchen table, picking at your dinner halfheartedly. You glanced up at Vi, who sat across from you. Her plate of food hardly touched. She's avoiding your gaze. She's just right in front of you, and yet she feels as if she's millions of miles away.

“We need to talk about what's going on with us.”

Vi didn't even bother to look at you. She continues to push her food around her plate.

You slammed your hand down on the table, a loud clang breaking the quiet room. “Don't ignore me.”

That got her looking up to you. “What do you want to talk about?”

“You know damn well what I want to talk about,” you snap, “this. this." you gesture between you and her.

Vi stands up suddenly, pushing her plate away from her. “I'm tired,” she mutters, avoiding your gaze.

“Tired of what?” you stand up as well, eyes narrowing. “Tired of this, of us?”

Vi sighs, her shoulders sagging. “Can we not talk about this?’ she says. “I'm just... I'm not in the mood right now, okay?”

It has become a familiar habit. Every time you tried to address the issue, to have a serious conversation about the state of your relationship, Vi would shut down. She would do everything in her power to avoid facing the problem.

You throw your hands up, exasperated. “You've said that every time I try to talk, 'I'm not in the mood', 'Let's talk later', 'Can this wait?'” you mimic her voice. “If we're not gonna talk about this, then when?”

“I don't feel like talking right now!”

“That's the thing! there's never a time that you feel like talking. You always have an excuse, or you brush it off like it's nothing, like our relationship is nothing.”

“That's not true!” Vi snaps back, clenching her jaw. “I care about you and this relationship.”

“Then why do you keep shutting me out?” you interrupt. “You refuse to talk, you distance yourself from me, you dodge every attempt I make to connect. You're pushing me away every chance you get.”

“Jesus Christ, I'm not pushing you away,” Vi says. “I just need some space sometimes, I need to think.” Her tone softens, expression shifting from irritation to something closer to pleading. “Can you give me that at least? just some time to myself to process things.”

“Time to process things,” you repeat. “What things, Vi? see? this is what I'm talking about. You keep everything bottled up, and you never talk to me about it. I can't read your mind, and I can't fix what I don't know. I'm your girlfriend, and yet you treat me like some stranger.”

“What do you want me to say?!” Vi explodes, her voice echoing in the kitchen. “You want me to just pour out my heart and soul to you? spill all my problems and insecurities like some open book? is that what you want?!”

“Yes!” you snap, voice just as loud as hers. “I want you to talk to me! I want you to trust me enough to share what's going on in that head of yours! I can't keep going on like this, walking on eggshells, never knowing if I'm going to say or do something that's gonna piss you off.”

“Maybe I don't want to talk to you all the time,” Vi says. “Maybe I don't want to burden you with all my crap all the time. Maybe I just want some time to myself to deal with it on my own.”

“Of course you don't.” It’s sarcasm, pure and simple. “You're Vi, too tough for feelings and emotions. God forbid you show some weakness. You're so tough and strong and independent, you can handle everything on your own.” “This is why I don't talk to you,” Vi exclaims. “Because I know you'll turn it around on me, you'll make it out like I'm the one that needs fixing. You're so quick to assume the worst in me, to assume that I'm the problem. Have you ever considered that maybe—just maybe—you're the one who's being too clingy, too needy, too-”

“Too what?” you interrupt. “Say it, Vi. I'm too clingy? too needy? go on, get it out. You've wanted to say it for a while—so say it.”

“You're too much!” Vi blurts out.

“Too much,” you repeat. “I'm too much.” It came out like a scoff. “I'm too much for trying to get you to open up? I'm too much for trying to save this damn relationship? I'm too much for wanting you to fucking talk to me?! I'm just trying to have a damn conversation, but apparently that's too much for you to handle.”

“Yeah, because everything you're saying is bullshit,” Vi retorts. “All you ever do is criticize me and bring up the same crap over and over again. You don't actually want to fix anything. You just want to complain about how I'm not living up to your perfect vision of a partner.”

“Oh my god,” you rub your temples. “My perfect vision of a partner? really? really? I'm not asking for the damn stars and moon. I'm asking for the bare minimum. I'm asking for basic communication. I'm asking for emotional connection. How's that a perfect vision'? How's that being too needy?”

“I wouldn't have to keep bringing up the same crap if you would just talk to me. I wouldn't have to repeat myself. We wouldn't be having this same damn fight again and again if you would just-” you stop yourself, taking a breath. “You know what? no. I'm done. I'm done with this. I'm done with trying to pull teeth, to drag anything meaningful out of you.”

You pace back and forth. “I've been trying to be a good girlfriend. I've given you space, I've been patient. I've listened, I've supported, and I've tried to give you what you needed. But it's never enough, is it? it's always about your space, your needs, your feelings. But what about mine? what about what I need? or does that not matter, because I'm just the clingy, needy girlfriend?”

“Well, screw that!” you continue. “Screw the fact that this whole thing has been tearing me apart from the inside out. Screw the fact that I'm miserable because I'm not even sure if you still love me. Screw the fact that I've been crying every damn night, wondering what I did to mess us up this badly.” You want to scream, to throw something, to run until your lungs burn. “Screw the fact that I can't even sleep at night because all I can think about is our fights. I can't even focus on work because all I can think about is what's going on between us.”

You pause, choking on the lump in your throat. “But I guess you don't care about any of that, huh? because I'm just the needy one? I'm just the emotional one, the one who's too goddamn sensitive.” You press your palms against your eyes, fighting to keep the tears from falling. “I'm sick of this. I'm sick of feeling like I'm in this relationship all on my own. I'm sick of feeling like you'd be happier if I wasn't even here. I'm sick of feeling worthless.”

The tears start to fall. You wipe furiously at your face, but it was no use. They were quickly replaced with new ones. “I just want you to want me.” You choke back a sob. “I want you to want to share things with me. I want you to want to open up. I don't want to have to drag things out of you. I don't want to have to beg for your love and attention.”

“I'm so damn tired of feeling like I'm not good enough for you.” You wrap your arms around yourself, hugging yourself tight. “Or maybe…” you say, hiccupping in between sobs. “Maybe I'm just not good enough at all. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I'm the reason you can't open up, can't bear to let me get close, and maybe—maybe I'm the problem.”

“I just…” you begin, and your voice shakes so much, it's hard to get the words out. “I just want to be enough.”

“I want you to see me,” you continue, hugging yourself tight. Your nails are digging into the flesh of your arms. Anything to keep yourself from falling apart. “I just want you to see that I can be what you need, that I'm enough for you, but no matter what I do, it's not enough. I'm not enough for you. I'm… I will never be enough.”

You drop your hands to your sides, clenching them into tight fists to stop yourself from reaching for her. You're trying so hard to hold yourself together, but it's not working. You're breaking, you're shattering, you're crying so hard you can barely speak.

“Maybe we shouldn't be together.”

Your stomach dropped to your feet. You don't think she'll go there, but here she is, talking about breaking up.

“What?” you force out, voice cracking. “Is that what you want?”

“I don't know,” she says, still not looking at you. “You need someone who can give you what you need, someone who's not so broken and messed up and damaged-” she clenched her jaw tightly, hating every word that left her mouth. “You'll find someone better. I know you will.”

Everything started to spin. You couldn't breathe. You feel like you were spiraling, grasping at straws, doing anything to reach her, to connect with her. This was happening, it was really happening—you were losing her.

“You're serious,” you whisper. “You really want to break up.”

A part of you had been holding on to the hope that she'd change her mind, that she'd take back what she said. that this is some sort of prank and for her to burst out laughing and say 'gotcha!'.

but with each second of silence that passed, that hope was slowly dying.

You try to steady your voice to keep control. “If that's what you really want, then fine. Break up with me. Leave. Go be happy without me.”

“Okay.” And just like that, the fragile string that had been holding everything together snapped.

Vi walks to the door, her movements so slow. It's like she's in a trance, or maybe you are, because time seemed to slow down. This couldn't be happening. Please, tell me this is just a bad dream. But it isn't. It is real. It is happening.

You couldn't let her go like this. You couldn't let her walk out the door and out of your life without a fight. You had to stop her, you had to, you had to—

Your hand lasts out, grabbing her arm. “Please,” you beg. “Don't do this. We can talk, we can figure it out.”

Her hand paused, hovering over the door. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and face you.

“Don't... please,” you plead. “Don't just throw this away. We can work through this, we can fix it. We just need to talk.”

You're not above begging, not if it meant keeping her from walking out that door. You had pride once, but it has shattered into pieces. Now you are just a trembling, broken mess, desperate to keep her with you.

You desperately want her to turn around and look at you. To see that this wasn't what you wanted, that you didn't want things to end like this. “Violet, please,” you repeat. “I love you. I love you, please don't—please don't leave me.”

“There's nothing left to talk about,” she says. “There's nothing to fix. We're over. Done.”

All the hope, all the love, all the dreams you'd had together—it was all falling apart in front of you. Because Vi, the woman you were sworn to spend the rest of your life with, is walking out that damn door, leaving you alone in the silence of the apartment.

This can't be real. It has to be a nightmare. You will wake up, and she'll be there beside you, holding you like she always did.

You found yourself looking around, half expecting to see her sitting on the couch or coming out of the kitchen. But she's not there. She's not here.

Tears start to well up in your eyes. You stumble back until you hit a wall and slide down to the floor. Your hands came up to your face, trying to hold yourself together. You can't stop the tears or the sobs that wracked your body. You can't stop wishing she’s still here with you, in your arms, where she belonged.

You clutch at the thin fabric of your shirt. It hurts, everything hurts. Your head, your chest, your heart. You can't remember ever feeling like this. You can't remember ever feeling so alone and broken. You curl up on the floor, your whole body shaking, your tears leaving dark spots on the hardwood floor.

Every memory you had of you and Vi flashes through your mind. Your first date, your first kiss, your first time. All the happy memories, the laughter, the love.

But all of it was tainted now, stained by the knowledge that it is over.

You thought you knew pain before, but this... this is a new level of hell.

—

2 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

“You fucked up.”

“Thanks, Powder. Real insightful,” Vi mutters, rubbing her forehead. She's sitting in an armchair, surrounded by her family.

Claggor shifts in his seat, Mylo just rolls his eyes, and Silco and Vander exchange a glance.

“Hey, come on. Don't be so hard on Vi,” Claggor says, eyebrows furrowing.

Mylo snorts. “Yeah, she's already down after ending her four-year relationship. No need to pile on.”

Powder just shrugs. “I'm just saying what we're all thinking.”

Caggor sighs. “Let's just... drop the topic of the breakup, alright? it's in the past. There's nothing we can do about it now.”

Vander nods, a pensive look on his face. Mylo slouches back against the couch. “What's the point of us all sitting here bitching about it? it's not gonna change anything.”

Powder huffs. “I still think Vi should've handled it differently.”

“And I still think you should mind your own damn business,” Vi mutters, glaring at Powder.

Claggor glances at Silco and Vander, silently pleading with them to step in before it becomes an all-out argument. but neither of them say anything.

“What would you have done differently?” Powder snaps.

Mylo leans forward in his seat. “This should be good.”

Claggor just rubs at his temples. This is going to turn into a shouting match.

Vander leans his elbows on his knees, sighing. “Alright, let's all just calm down-”

“We are calm,” both Vi and Powder say at the same time. They both glance at each other, and Vi frowns.

“Oh yeah, sure, real calm.” Vi scoffs.

Vander rubs his face. “Can we all just chill-”

“No!” Powder snaps. “I'm not gonna chill! Vi just-”

Mylo grins. “This is great. It's like a soap opera.”

Claggor pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can you both stop arguing?”

Powder is glaring defiantly at Vi. “No, I'm not going to stop. You need to listen-”

“Oh, I need to listen? you're the one-”

Vander cuts them off. “Both of you, shut your damn mouths!”

The room falls silent. Everyone looks at Vander. Powder huffs, slouching back on the couch. Silco gives Vander a nod of appreciation.

Claggor looks relieved the arguing is over... for now, anyway. Mylo is visibly disappointed. “Man, I was just about to get the popcorn.”

Vander glances around the room, his gaze coming to rest on Powder, Mylo, and Claggor. “You three, get out.”

“Hey!” Powder protests.

Mylo grumbles, “Why do we-”

Vander raises a hand, cutting Mylo off. “No arguing. Get out. Now.”

Powder grumbles, shooting a glare in Vi's direction before storming out of the room. Claggor and Mylo follow, both of them looking slightly offended. The room falls silent once the door shuts behind Claggor.

Silco sits quietly, his hands folded in his lap. Vi looks at him for a moment before shifting her glare to the carpet.

Vander sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Christ,” he mutters. He looks tired, which is understandable. “Now, can we have an actual civil conversation this time?” No one says anything, so Vander takes that as a yes. He glances at Silco, a silent question in his eyes. Silco looks at Vi for a moment before turning to Vander and giving a slight nod. Vander sighs, sitting back in his armchair. “Alright, I'm just going to say it. Why didn't you tell us?”

Vi glances up, her eyes meeting Vander's. There's a pause before she speaks. “Because,” she starts. “I...I didn't want to deal with all this bullshit,” she gestures around the room. “I knew you'd all react this way, and…” she trails off, rubbing at her face.

Silco chuckles. “You thought you could just avoid dealing with it?”

Vander shoots him a glare.

Vi sighs, sinking into the armchair. “Look, I know I should have told you all sooner, alright? but I was-”

“Being a coward?”

She clenches her jaw, and she snaps, “I wasn't being a coward. I was just…”

“Stalling,” Silco adds, raising his eyebrows.

“Fine. I was stalling. Are you happy now? i didn't want to deal with the questions, or the pity, or the-”

“You didn't want to deal with the support?” Vander interrupts,

Vi looks at the carpet, her hands clenching into fists. “I don't need the support, okay? I'm doing fine on my own.”

Silco snorts. “Clearly you were really fine.”

Vander shakes his head. “Vi, we're a family. You should have come to us-”

Vi snaps, standing up. “And what could you have done, huh? would you have fixed my relationship? found me someone new?”

Vander opens his mouth to respond but closes it.

Vi throws her hands up. “Exactly. Nothing. I didn't tell you all because it'd be pointless. Because it's just a breakup. It's over. There's nothing you can do about it. It's in the past, so why does it-”

Vander cuts her off. “Why does it matter? is that what you were about to say?”

Vi's shoulders sag, and she nods.

Vander stands up as well and stares her down. “It matters because—because we care. Because you shut us out, because you made us think you were fine, when you were not.”

Vi scowls, her arms crossing over her chest. “Why does it matter? why do you all care so damn much?”

“Maybe because you've been moping around for a month,” Silco says.

Vi looks around the room. “So, wait a minute, you knew?”

“'Course we knew. You think you're good at hiding things?” Silco raises an eyebrow.

Vander sighs, ignoring Silco's comment. “We just don't want to push you.”

“Well, that explains it.” Vi glares at them both. "That explains why you invited her here."

Vander and Silco exchange a glance. “Vander and I... we both knew your little play,” Silco scoffs, lounging in his chair.

Vi's eyes widen in disbelief. “What?”

“We just wanted to see how long you'd keep this up.”

Vi is stunned, her arms falling to her sides. “You all just... let me make a fool of myself?”

“You were doing that on your own,” Silco adds.

Vi sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I...it's for the sake of appearances, okay?” she scowls, hating that she has to even explain herself. “Because I didn't want all this bullshit over the holidays. It's Christmas. I didn't want to ruin Christmas for everyone.”

Silco stands up from his chair. “You were worried about us? you had to fake a relationship just to keep us happy?” he shakes his head. “What are we, children?”

Vi frowns. “That's not-”

Vander raises a hand, cutting her off. “No, Silco's right. You do treat us like children.”

Silco scoffs. “You always act like you're responsible for everyone, that you have to keep us all happy. When are you going to realize that we're adults? We can handle things ourselves. You don't have to fake a damn relationship just to make us happy.”

Vander sighs. “You think we can't handle knowing about your breakup? that we'll break if things aren't perfect?”

Silco walks around, sliding a hand through his hair. “You act like everything's your fault, like you're responsible for all of us. When are you going to stop acting like a damn martyr?”

Vi says nothing, just clenches her jaw.

“You do this all the time, hiding when you're not okay, pretending that you're fine. Do you even realize how much damage you're doing to yourself?”

Vander nods, stepping forward to look Vi in the eye. “You're driving yourself crazy. You need to learn to let us take care of you for once.” He gently squeezes her bicep. “You need to stop trying to protect everyone. Start worrying about yourself for once.”

“I just didn't want to burden anyone,” Vi whispers.

“Stop acting like you're a burden. You're not a burden, Vi. We care about you. We want to help you.” Silco lets out a huff, “We're family. You should be depending on us. You can lean on us occasionally without the world falling apart.”

Vander gently squeezes Vi's shoulder. “We'll do anything for you, darling, but you gotta let us help you sometimes.”

Vi closes her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek. She hates crying in front of them, hates letting them see her like this.

Silco sighs, leaning over to gently dab the tear away with his thumb. “Stop being so damn stubborn, girl. You don't have to handle things on your own.”

Vander gently kisses the top of her head. “You're not alone, Vi. We're here for you. Always.”

Vi sniffs, blinking to stop the tears from continuing.

Vander pulls her into a hug, his arms wrapping around her. “You're not making us miserable, okay? you don't gotta be perfect. Just be you. You're enough for us, kid.”

Vi nods, burying her face in Vander's chest. Silco rubs her back. Vander pulls back from the hug, holding Vi by the shoulders. “Now, we've talked about you,” he says. “What's going on between you and your girl?”

“We talked,” she mumbles. “I asked her to...give me another chance. To fix things…”

Vander and Silco share a look, a smirk on Silco's face. Vander clears his throat. “And what did she say?”

“She said...she'll think about it.”

Vander nods, while Silco's smirk widens. “Is that so?” he hums. “You finally grew some balls and asked her.”

Vi shoots Silco a glare. “You don't know a damn thing,” she grumbles, her cheeks burning.

“It's a step in the right direction, regardless.” Vander pats Vi on the back. “If she says she'll think about it, then she's considering it.”

“And if they say yes…” Silco says, then he glances at Vander, the two sharing a chuckle.

Vander pats Vi on the back again. “Then you'll get your girl back.” He pokes her cheek. “So, don't give up. Don't lose hope.”

Silco grins, “We just have to wait.”

“Waiting.”

“Which you're not so great with,” Silco snorts. “Anyway, if she says yes, remember to thank us.”

“You guys didn't do anything.”

Vander and Silco share a smirk, the same thought clearly going through their minds.

Vander grins. “We didn't do anything at all.”

Silco nods. “Absolutely nothing.”

—

1 MONTH BEFORE THE BREAK UP, MARRIAGE

You're lying your head on Vi's lap, enjoying the feeling of her fingers running through your hair. You look up at her, watching her face as you speak, “Hey Vi?”

She pauses, her fingers falling still for a moment. She looks down at you, raising an eyebrow. “What's up?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” she says, her hands resuming at running through your hair.

“Have you ever thought about marriage?”

Her fingers stills, just a tiny flinch that she quickly tried to hide. But you noticed. “Not much.” Vi shrugs. “What about you?”

You can hear the way her heart is thudding, how her words sound so strained. You reach up and take one of her hands, gently running your fingers across the back of it. You see her reaction. The way her eyes widen and her jaw is tense. It's not hard not to notice—you're literally lying on her lap, looking up at her. The topic of marriage suddenly came up out of nowhere.

“I've been thinking about it a lot, actually... marriage, I mean.”

“Marriage, huh?”

“Yeah..”

You're mentally freaking out. Your heart is pounding in your chest, and you can feel how your stomach is doing backflips. You want to desperately know what she's thinking. Are you freaking her out? what is going on in her head? is she disgusted at the thought of marrying you?

“Is that so?”

She is trying so damn hard to sound unphased, but you know her too well. You know her body language, the way her ears go slightly red when she is flustered, how tense her muscles become when she is nervous.

“Just wondering what it'd be like, I guess,” you continue. You shift on your spot. The feeling of her fingers running through your hair is pleasant, but it is so hard to focus on that feeling when your stomach is flipping over itself every few seconds. “I'm just curious,” you add. “I can't help picturing it and wondering what it'd be like to marry you someday.”

Vi is silent for a moment, her fingers stopping in your hair. She licks her lips, trying to come up with a response. “Marriage,” she says again. “That's uhh…” she swallows, trying to compose herself. She starts playing with your hair again, trying to give her hands something to do to hide the way they are shaking. “It's a big deal.” She pauses. “Why—why are you even thinking about that stuff? we're too young.”

The only sound you can hear is the thump of your heart in your ears. You can feel yourself start to feel nauseous. This is the conversation you wanted to have, but now that it is actually happening, you wish you could take it all back.

“I mean.. I'm not saying I actually wanna get married right now.” This is not going well. It is not going well at all. But you continue, trying to make yourself seem uninterested. “It's just a thought... just a daydream, really. We're way too young for that kinda stuff.”

You're hoping that by downplaying it, calling it some silly fantasy, you would ease the tension in Vi's body. That maybe she will just laugh it off, make a joke about how you are an idiot. “Yeah, right, getting married to me?” she'll say, her cocky smirk on her lips, her shoulders slumping with relief.

But she didn't. She didn't brush it off. She didn't make a joke. Instead, the room is so silent.

Vi's fingers continue to run through your hair, but they are trembling, their pace a little slower than before. She's not saying anything, and that is making you even more nervous.

You don't know what to do, so you try to make another joke. “Can you imagine it?” you force out a laugh. “You and me getting married. Ridiculous, right?”

Then again, she didn't laugh. The corner of her lip curls up into a sort of half-smirk, but it looks like it's forced. Her eyes dart to the side, a clear sign she is distracted by her thoughts. She swallows, her hands still nervously fidgeting with your hair. What is going on in her mind? why is she so quiet? The longer the silence drags on, the more anxious you become. You want to reach up and shake her to snap her out of it.

But you didn't, of course. “It will be a disaster.” You force out another laugh, hoping that she will finally talk. “Can you imagine going down the aisle in a wedding dress?” you continue. “Me, dragging you up to the altar so we can say our vows and exchange rings.”

The smile on your face is strained. Please say something, Vi.

“You will probably wear some suit that doesn't even fit you right,” you continue, the words pouring out of your mouth faster now that the panic is setting in. “You'll trip as you walk down the aisle and then fall on your ass during the first dance.” You want her to smile, to laugh, something. Anything that will give you an indication that your marriage joke hasn't gone completely wrong. But Vi is still so damn quiet.

“Then, when we finally get home for our ‘wedding night,’ you'll just…” You cut yourself off, realizing that you are about to make a dirty joke. Not the time. “Just—you will probably fall asleep immediately, right?” You sound like an idiot right now. “Then what will we do? It'll be like, our honeymoon or something, and you'll be snoring and-”

Shut up, your mind hiss. It's like you can't stop yourself from rambling like an idiot. You are starting to sweat.

“Stop talking.”

The tone of her voice made your heart skip a beat. She sounds anxious... or scared... what is going on in her head right now? is the conversation making her as nervous as it is to you?

Vi suddenly pulls her hand away from your hair, sitting up. You sit up as well to look at her.

“I'm getting hungry.”

It's clear that she doesn't want to talk about marriage, at least for now. The conversation made her feel uncomfortable... but you don't know why. Is she really that opposed to the idea of marrying you? or is she just flustered by the thought of a future with you?

You try to push those thoughts away, try to dismiss them, and act like the whole conversation didn't just happen. Vi is already changing the subject, so you went along with it, putting your usual 'casual' tone back on.

“You're always hungry,” you tease, forcing a smile to spread on your lips. “I swear, you eat more than a goddamn goliath.”

“I don't eat more than a goliath,” Vi protests. “I just have a big appetite.” Her eyes still weren't quite meeting yours. Why wouldn't she look at you?

“And besides,” she adds. “It's not my fault I need a lot of energy to kick so much ass on a daily basis,” she flexed her arms. “Got to keep these biceps strong somehow, right princess?”

“Your biceps aren't that impressive.”

Blatant lie, you both knew it. Vi's stupid strong, not to mention she's absolutely ripped. She can probably bench press a goddamn elephant. She doesn't even have to respond. Her smirk tells you that she knows damn well she can destroy you in a wrestling match.

“Oh yeah? don't think my biceps are that impressive, huh?” she teases, flexing again. “How about I throw you over my shoulder right now, then? carry you around like a goddamn princess. Then you'll see just how impressive they are.”

“Oh, you wo-,” you begin, but before you can finish your sentence, Vi suddenly lurches forward. She scoops you up, hoisting you effortlessly onto her shoulder. You let out a strangled gasp, your hands immediately grabbing onto the back of her tank top. “This isn't fair!” Your voice comes out as more of a squeak. How does she make it look so easy to carry your heavy ass around like a sack of potatoes?

“What was that about my biceps not being impressive, princess?” she taunts. She carries you around. You're like a goddamn ragdoll in her grip, not that you're complaining...

“I have to admit,” you grumble. “I kind of like this view.” The words came out of your mouth before you could stop them. Shit.

Vi's smirk widens. “Oh really?” she drawls. “You like the view? then I'll be sure to give you a better one.” With that, she kicks open the bedroom door and carries you inside.

—

2 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

Vi fidgets nervously outside Powder's room. She takes a deep breath and finally knocks. “Powder?” she calls out.

What if Powder doesn't want to even talk to her? She screwed up. Who's to say Powder won't be pissed at her?! Just as Vi's starting to think about backing out, the door creaks open. There, powder stands before her.

“Can I come in?”

Powder hesitates, studying her sister for a moment. Finally, she steps aside and opens the door wider. “Come on in.”

Vi sighs in relief, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. Powder sits down on her bed, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She doesn't make eye contact. Vi shifts on her feet, standing in the middle of the room. She clears her throat. “So... can we talk?”

Powder hums in response. She slowly moves to sit down beside Powder. She's close, but not too close. “Thought you and…” she mumbles, “are still together.”

Vi shrugs. “The thing we did on Christmas was just for appearance. Dumb decision, really.”

Powder keeps her gaze on her lap, picking at a loose string on her sleeve. “Breakup must've been hard, huh?”

“That's one way to put it.”

“It was your decision, wasn't it?”

“Yeah... I was the one who broke things off.”

Powder nods, still picking absently at the string. Vi fidgets with a strand of her hair as she tries to think of what to say. But Powder beats her to the punch. “Can I ask... why?”

Vi sucks in a sharp breath. She's not sure how to answer that… how can she explain how stupid and scared she felt? how she pushes you away as a result? She wants to just give some bullshit answer, but there's something in the set of Powder's jaw that stops her. Powder deserves some form of honesty.

“It's complicated…”

Powder looks up at her. “Complicated, how?” she asks. “Did she hurt you...?”

“No, no. She'll never hurt me. Nothing like that.”

Powder nods.

“It's just... she's good. She's too good for me, Powder. She's always been too good for me.”

“You sound like an idiot.”

Vi huffs. “Hey-”

“You are an idiot if you really think she's 'too good for you.'”

Vi sighs, slouching forward.

Powder continues. “She stayed by your side for four years. She put up with so much of your bullshit, and she still loved you throughout it all. What the hell makes you think you're not good enough for them? seriously, why do you always do that? why do you always have this dumb idea that you're not worth it?”

Vi looks down at her lap. “She's kind, and smart, and beautiful, and strong...and you've seen her. She's gorgeous, Powder... and then there's me.”

“Don't give me that crap, sis. You're just as strong, if not stronger, and you're definitely not bad to look at. So that's not the real reason, is it?”

Vi bites her lip. Okay, powder definitely has a point. But she can't exactly tell Powder the full truth. But there's no way Powder will believe any more of her bullshit excuses.

Powder looks at her. “Stop trying to lie and bullshit. The truth. Why did you push her away? just tell me the truth.”

“I was scared, okay? I was scared that maybe I wasn't good enough for her, or that maybe she'll wake up one day and realize she can be with someone much better than me, or that she'll get sick of my bullshit-” She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “I'm just so scared, Powder. I'm scared of being a burden, of not being able to keep her happy, of not being good enough, and it just keeps getting worse, and I feel all this pressure building up, and I panicked. So I did what I usually do, and I ran. I pushed them away, just like I always do.”

“You're a coward, Vi,” Powders says again. “A complete coward. You're so afraid of screwing things up that you end up screwing things up anyway!”

Vi winces at that.

“I watched the two of you for four years. I saw how you two were together. What you had was real, and you threw it away because you couldn't get it through your thick skull that she really does want you?”

Vi feels her stomach twist. “It's... it's not that I don't believe she wants me. I know she does, but I just... I-”

“No 'but' here, Vi! Seriously, you're so damn frustrating.”

“It's hard!” Vi says, frustrated. “I feel like I can't be what they need. I'm a mess. I'm always so angry and on edge, and I get into fights, and I've got so much damn baggage. Why would they want to deal with that when they can be with someone stable and normal?”

“Holy shit, you're such a dumbass. Do you think that she is some perfect person? She has her own issues, her own problems. Nobody is perfect, and she knew that. She knew your flaws, she knew what your life was like, she knew everything, and yet she still chose to be with you for four years. Doesn't that tell you anything?!”

Vi swallows. When Powder puts it like that, it does make her feel stupid. She swallows again, looking up at her sister. “I know it probably doesn't mean much now, but... I really do love her. She's all I've thought about...I miss her so much…”

“'Course you do. Because you just did the dumbest thing you could have done. You let the love of your life slip through your fingers because you were just too damn stupid to see what you had right in front of you.”

“I know, I.. I don't know what possessed me to think she'd be better off without me.”

Powder raises an eyebrow. “Your own insecurities? your lack of self-worth? just a guess.”

“Shut it, powder,” Vi grumbles.

“Hey, don't get pissy with me. You're the one who messed up, not me,” Powder quips. “But anyway, I've heard enough of your stupid whining,” she huffs. “I'm not going to just sit here and let you drown in your self-pity. What the hell am I being the mature one in this situation for?”

“I hate it when you're right.”

Powder snorts and grins. “Then you must hate being around me all the time, since I'm always right.”

Vi rolls her eyes and shoves her. “'kay smartass.”

“I just want you to be happy, sis.”

“I am happy,” Vi mutters.

“You're only saying that to shut me up.” Vi tries to protest, but Powder holds up one finger, cutting her off. “I know you. I know when you're bullshitting.”

“What are you, a mind reader now?”

“Pretty much,” Powder replies.

Vi rolls her eyes, shoving powder again. “Oh, shut up,” she pauses, then looks at her sister warmly. “I love you, Pow… and thank you. You don't sugarcoat, do you?”

Powder smiles, bumping her shoulder against Vi's. “I love you too. You're a pain in my ass, but I love you. Just...promise me something.”

“What?” she asks.

“Promise me you'll be more honest about your feelings. And I don't just mean with me, I mean in general. Stop keeping it all bunched up in here.” Powder taps Vi's chest with one finger. “Don't just throw something good away because you're scared it'll end eventually anyway. If you love her as much as you say you do, then you have to make up for what a dumbass you were and... at least try to make it work. Because she's... she's special, Vi.”

Vi hesitates but finally sighs, closing her eyes. “Fine, I promise.”

Powder hums. “Pinky promise?”

Vi raises one eyebrow. “Really? Are we ten right now?”

Powder grins, holding out a pinky finger in front of Vi's face. “Come on. Do it, loser.”

“You're ridiculous,” Vi tries to bite back a laugh. “Fine.” She links her pinky with powder's. “Pinky promise.”

“Perfect. Remember, you're not allowed to go back on it now. I'll strangle you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it, boss.”

“Oh wait-” Powder's eyes light up, then a grin splits her face. “You remember how we'd always have pillow fights when we were younger?”

Vi groans, already knowing where this is going. “Please, no.”

But it's too late. Powder is already grabbing a pillow off the couch and whacking Vi in the back of the head. “C'mon, it'll be fun,” she grins.

Vi rubs the spot on her head that powder just hit. “Oh god,” she groans again.

Powder chuckles, tossing her another pillow. “No getting out of it,” she teases.

She catches the pillow. “Fine,” she says. “But I'm kicking your ass.”

Powder laughs, already readying her own pillow. “As if. I'm more agile than you are.”

Vi scoffs. “You wish,” and thus, the pillow fight begins.

—

2 YEARS BEFORE THE BREAKUP, FIRST SNOW

You're sitting on the couch, mindlessly flipping through the channels on the TV, trying to find something to watch on another boring Friday day. Suddenly, you hear Vi calling out your name, and you look over to see her leaning against the window.

“It's snowing,” she shouts eagerly. “Babe look!”

You chuckle. You get up from the couch, walking over to the window to stand beside her. You can see the snow falling slowly outside.

Vi glances over at you. “It's snowing,” she repeats. She's practically pressed up against the window, her nose almost touching the glass as she watches the snow fall. She's grinning when she looks at you and exclaims, “It's our first snow of the year!”

She suddenly grabs your arms and pulls you closer, forcing you up against the window too. She presses a quick kiss to your cheek before she puts her hands on the window sill and leans out. Snowflakes are falling around her, and she tips her head back, catching them on her tongue.

“Come on,” she urges. “Taste the snow.” Without waiting for an answer, she grabs your shoulder and pulls you towards her, planting a cold, wet kiss on your lips. The snow that was in her mouth is now in yours. “See?” she laughs, pulling away.

Still holding on to your arm, she prevents you from moving away from the window. Instead, she guides your hand up to the glass. “Make a wish on the first snowflake,” she instructs.

“You really want me to make a stupid wish on the stupid snowflake?” you tease.

“Yes,” Vi responds bluntly. She squeezes your hand, her grip tightening around your fingers. “Now come on, make a wish.”

“Alright,” you relent, shaking your head in mock defeat. You tap your finger against the glass, watching as a single snowflake drifts down. You let out a breath and close your eyes, making your wish.

A yacht and a mansion would be nice, and while we were at it, I should wish for no taxes and free college. Maybe I'll even win the lottery. Win a million dollars. No, fifty million. I'm feeling lucky. I'll buy us a house with fifteen rooms. Ten christmas trees, one for every room. We'll even have a room for our christmas trees. I want to find a cure for cancer. Discover a never-before-seen species of shark, maybe a mermaid.

But most of it all, I want to spend another Christmas with her.

“There,” you say, looking back at her. “I made a stupid wish.”

“Good,” she says, grinning. She's satisfied with your compliance, then she releases her grip on your hand. She slides her arms around your waist, pulling you closer, resting her chin on your shoulder. “I hope your stupid wish comes true.”

She stays like that for a moment, her body pressed up against yours as you both watch the snow continue to fall outside. After a few silent minutes, she moves her head slightly and rests her forehead on your shoulder instead of her chin. Her voice is quiet, muffled a little against your shirt. “Promise me something.”

You glance down at her. “What is it?” you murmur, bringing your hand up to brush your fingers through her hair.

She lifts her head up so that her cheek now rests on your shoulder. Her fingers twist into the material of your shirt, clinging on tightly. “Promise me we'll spend every day through winter together, even the cold nights. Promise me you'll keep the fireplace going.”

Your hand gently massaging the back of her neck, your fingers playing with the soft hairs there. “I promise,” you whisper into her hair. “Every day. All winter. Even the cold nights. I promise.”

She hums in response, satisfied, and nuzzles closer to you. She pulls you closer, and you can feel her heartbeat—the steady thump thump thump against your chest. She mumbles something against your shirt, the words unintelligible. When you look down, you can see her cheeks are red.

“Whatcha saying?” You tug at a strand of her pink hair before you reach up and trace the edge of her ear with your fingertips.

She shivers when you touch her ear, and a grin spreads across your face. She buries her head further in your shirt, still mumbling something against the material. It's muffled, but you can still hear the last part of what she's saying.

“Love you.”

You can't stop yourself from smiling. You pull her head back so that she's looking up at you now. You want to see her face when you respond. You brush her cheek with your thumb before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her mouth.

“I love you too.”

—

5 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

Vi paces back and forth in her room, checking her phone every couple of seconds. It's been five days. Five days, and still nothing. She can wait. Yes, she can wait.

You've kept Vi on the edge of her seat for days. Which is why Vi's heart was practically beating out of her chest as her phone dinged. She practically pounces on it, grabbing it off the bedside table as she checks the notification.

Please say yes. Please say yes.

She taps the screen, opening the notification.

...it's a meme from Powder, another stupid cat video.

She texts back, “Powder. One of these days I'm going to turn off your damn notifications. Stop sending me stupid cat videos.”

Powder immediately replies, a picture of her flipping off the camera. Below it, she's added the text “love you too.”

Vi rolls her eyes, tossing her phone onto the bedside table. She flops onto her bed, sprawling out and glaring at her ceiling.

She sighs. How is it that she's been reduced to checking her phone every thirty seconds, jumping every time a notification goes off?

Pathetic.

Vi looks down at herself, looking at the sweater that she's wearing. It's an ugly-christmas-themed one that you gave her. The colors clash, there's patterns thrown in everywhere, and the whole thing is absolutely atrocious.

and it's her favorite thing in the world.

She wraps her arms around herself, snuggling up on the bed and burying her face into the fabric.

The stupid sweater smells like you.

She has become a mess these last five days. Not knowing if you will take her back has been slowly driving her mad. She can't even take her mind off you, especially since she's wearing this stupid sweater. It's stupid. This is just a sweater. An ugly sweater made of scratchy fabric. But she can't help clinging to it, desperate to remember what you felt like.

She wants you.

She wants you here, snuggled up with her on the bed. She wants you to wrap your arms around her, pull her close, bury your face in her hair, and sigh into her ear. She wants you to whisper to her, tell her that you miss her too.

Vi wants you back.

She knows she was the one who left you, so why the hell is she the one losing her mind? She's the one who ended things. She's the one who left you. So why can't she stop thinking about how good it would be to feel your lips on hers? She can picture it so clearly. The feeling of your mouth against hers. The taste of your lips

She has become a pathetic pining mess and she hates it.

Vi grabs her phone again, unlocking it and scrolling to her gallery. Swiping through the many photos she has saved of you and her. Pictures of you in her hoodie, pictures of you cooking her breakfast, pictures of you two with your foreheads pressed together.

Her thumb hovers over her favorite picture. It's a candid shot of you wearing one of her shirts and her favorite leather jacket as your hair is ruffled with her fingers.

Vi sighs, heart clenching when she looks at the picture.

If she can go back in time and punch herself in the head, she would. She'll grab past 3 months Vi by the collar and shake her, telling her not to be such an idiot. “You're gonna regret this, dumbass,” she'll say. And god, she does regret it.

She doesn't even have a good reason why she left in the first place. She's just scared and confused. Now look where that ended her. Alone on her bed, wearing an ugly ass sweater, pining over you like some pathetic idiot.

Vi locks her phone and tosses it aside with a groan. She grabs a pillow, burying her face in it and letting out a muffled scream. “This is ridiculous.”

She's a mess. She's angry, she's frustrated, she's hurt, and it's all her own damn fault. She's the one who pushed you away. She's the one who ended everything. She's the one who walked out of the door and slammed it shut. Then five days ago, she had the nerve to ask you if you could give her another chance.

Like that will make everything all better. Like you'll instantly take her back after she treats you like crap.

That's not how life works, idiot.

She wants you to come rushing through the door, push her down on the bed, and pin her against the pillows. She wants you to kiss her until she can't breathe. She wants to feel your touch, kiss, and nibble every part of her body.

And at the same time, she wants to be left alone, to wallow in her own misery. She wants you to stay the hell away from her.

She hates feeling like this. She hates how her heart beats harder every time her phone buzzes and then immediately sinks when it's not a text message from you.

She hates her dreams—no night goes by that she doesn't dream about you—about your face, your body, your mouth on hers. She wants to feel your skin against hers, hear your voice in her ear, taste you on her tongue.

She's a pathetic, desperate, needy, pining mess.

Vi doesn't even realize she's doing it. Her fingers tangle in her hair, absently toying with the pink strands. Her hand drifts down to fiddle with her ear, tracing the edge of her piercing just like you used to do.

She almost closes her eyes but stops herself.

She misses you. She misses the little things about you.

The way you scrunch your nose when you're confused, the way you bite your lip when you focus, the way you hum songs under your breath when you're alone, the way you get this adorable smile on your face whenever you catch her looking at you.

She misses everything about you.

—

4 YEARS BEFORE THE BREAKUP, FIRST CHRISTMAS

“I should tell Vander to decorate the house like that,” Vi says, her eyes reflecting the Christmas lights as she looks around the neighborhood that looks like it was covered in enough lights to power a small city.

“It would cost a fortune,” you point out. “The electricity bill would be skyrocketing, not to mention the cost of all those lights.”

“Come on,” Vi protests, wheedling. “It wouldn't be that expensive, and just imagine the look on ol' Vander's face when he sees his bill next month.”

“Don't you want to give him and the other old farts in this neighborhood an aneurysm?”

“That would be great, and oh—we could also get lights in the shape of a huge middle finger,” she suggests. “And maybe a giant santa statue right in the front lawn, with a sack big enough to carry a goddamn mountain.”

“Imagine the looks on everyone's faces when they drive by,” Vi continues. “They'll think they're hallucinating, seeing Vander's house covered in every color of light imaginable, with that huge ass santa statue waving a middle finger like a damn flag.”

The snow crunches under your boots as you and Vi walk through the neighborhood.

She doesn't shut up about how much she loves this time of year, from the chilly nights to the smell of pine trees to the Christmas movies and music that seems to be playing everywhere.

“Seriously,” she sighs, her breath fogging up in the cold air. “This is my favorite time of year. Everything is so cozy and pretty and festive.” She reaches down and takes your hand, intertwining her fingers with yours. “Plus, I get to see all the cute couples out and about, all cozied up in their winter clothes, kissing under the mistletoe…” She smirks, nudging you with her shoulder. “Makes me want to do cheesy cute things with you,” she starts whistling a tune, swinging your hands.

“We could go caroling around the neighborhood, or maybe build a snowman out in the yard, or-” Vi suddenly stops in her tracks.

Before you can ask what's inside her mind, she grabs your hand and starts pulling you along.

“Come on, I have something to show you!”

You stumble after her, trying to keep up with her as she practically drags you through the snow-covered streets.

Finally, she stops running and looks over at you. “Ta-dah!”

You look at the spot she's brought you to. It's a small park, and in the middle of it stands a tree. Not too small, but not too big.

“Look,” she states, looking over at the tree. “Now, stay right here,” she instructs, pushing you to stand under the tree. “And don't leave. I'll be right back, okay?” She winks at you before darting off, leaving you standing alone under the tree.

What is she up to?

You glance around, trying to figure out what Vi has in mind. It's getting cold, and the snow is starting to seep through your shoes. A few minutes pass, and still no sign of Vi anywhere. Just when you're starting to get impatient, you hear a voice behind you.

“Close your eyes.”

You turn around to see Vi standing there, a smirk on her face.

“Please, close your eyes, and no peeking.”

Reluctantly, you close your eyes.

“Keep them shut,” she warns. “Don't even think about peeking.”

You hear rustling and shifting, and then some sort of...clink? what on earth is she doing?

“No cheating, okay?”

Minutes and minutes and minutes pass by, it feels like you wait for an hour. All is quiet. There's only the sound of the wind and the crunch of snow. Then, you suddenly feel her hands settling on your shoulders, positioning you exactly how she wants you.

“Don't open your eyes yet,” she whispers in your ear.

Her hands slide down from your shoulders, trailing down your arms and then coming to rest on your waist.

“Okay,” she murmurs, adjusting your position. “You can open your eyes now.”

You blink a few times, adjusting from the darkness of having them closed, and then you look up. Vi has strung a bunch of Christmas lights up in the tree. It's almost like a scene from a cheesy Christmas movie. It's so sappy, but it's perfect.

“What do you think?” she asks. “Pretty damn great, huh?” she grins, wrapping her arms around your waist and resting her chin on your shoulder. She pulls you closer to her, your back pressing against her chest. She smells like a christmas treat. Just like the cookies you love to eat.

“I figured all the best cheesy Christmas movie stuff needs a perfect, romantic setting,” she says, her fingers absently tracing patterns on your stomach. “And what's more romantic than standing under the tree, with the Christmas lights all around us and the snow falling down?” Vi squeezes you tighter, nuzzling into your neck and pressing a light kiss just below your ear.

“And of course,” she mumbles. “We can't have a cheesy Christmas movie moment without some cheesy Christmas music to go along with it.” Vi steps away, going over and plugging in a set of battery-powered speakers. They immediately start playing a Christmas melody.

You watch as she skips back over to you, her hands immediately settling back on your waist. “Now, let's get in position. I want this to be suuuper cheesy.” She waggles her eyebrows and grins again, moving so she's standing in front of you. “Okay, put your hands on my shoulders, and then move a little closer.”

You follow her instructions, placing your hands on her shoulders and stepping forward, closing the gap between the two of you.

“Perfect. That's perfect.” Her hands come to rest on your hips. “Now, we just gotta get one last thing…” Her hands move from your hips, sliding slowly up your sides and over your arms. She grabs your wrists and lifts them up, putting your arms around her neck so your hands are clasped behind her head. “And now,” she murmurs, pulling you even closer. Her eyes flicker down to your lips, then back up to your eyes. “The mistletoe.”

You look up, and sure enough, there it is. A little sprig of mistletoe is hanging from a branch just above your heads.

“Seems like we have the perfect moment to finish off the Christmas movie cliché.”Her other hand is still on your hip, and she's pulling you so close now that you can practically taste her breath as she whispers, “You know what that means, right...?”

Even though you know exactly what she's talking about, you raise an eyebrow and give her a coy smile. “Oh, I don't know... refresh my memory?”

“Yes ma'am.” She then pulls you tight and leans forward, her lips pressing against yours in a soft, slow kiss. It's not at all like her usual passionate, fiery kisses. It's gentler, softer, sweeter. She nips at your bottom lip, her teeth pulling gently before her tongue soothes the redness. She tilts your head back, claiming your mouth in a much deeper kiss.

She pushes you up against the tree, pinning you there and claiming more and more of your mouth. You tighten your arms around her neck, pulling her even closer.

After a few more moments, the two of you finally pull away.

Vi rests her forehead against yours, both of you suddenly breathless from the kiss. Neither of you say a word. The only sound is your ragged breathing and the christmas music from the speaker.

“Well,” Vi murmurs, breaking the silence. She lets out a sigh and then chuckles, pulling back so she can look at your face. “That was pretty damn cheesy.”

“Like you weren't loving every second of it.”

“I would never deny that.” Her hands still on your waist, stroking your stomach. “I'd kiss you under the damn mistletoe all day, every day, if I could.”

“You're such a sap.” You move one hand up to her hair, tangling your fingers in it and toying with one of her pink bangs. “Corny, cheesy sap with a thing for Christmas movie romance.”

She laughs, tilting her head back to give you more access to her hair. “I just want to keep doing this,” Vi murmurs. “I want to keep spending Christmas with you, over and over and over,” she continues. “Every. Single. One. Even when we're old geezers with walkers and false teeth and liver spots, spending Christmas together underneath a tree.”

She pulls you as close, resting her cheek against your shoulder. She buries her face in the crook of your neck, mumbling the words against your skin. “I want to watch you open your Christmas presents. Even when we're both pushing seventy, then I want to watch you open mine,” she sighs. “I want us to argue over holiday decorations because you insist that the garland is crooked, and I don't care if it is.”

She tilts her head to look at you once more. Then she moves to place a kiss on the corner of your lips, then the tip of your nose. “I want to fight with you on the Christmas tree lot over whether we're going to buy a real tree or a plastic tree, but end up getting both just because you refuse to back down.”

She lifts one hand to cup your chin, tilting it up towards her, then moves to press kisses to each of your eyelids. “I want to wake up at three in the morning and sit on the end of our bed in our pajamas, our hair a mess and bags under our eyes, and listen to our kids in their rooms upstairs. Hear them whisper and snicker about the big fat man that's climbing down the chimney…”

She pauses, moving to press a kiss to the space between your eyebrows, to the tip of your nose again. “I want us to make Christmas traditions, even if they're dumb traditions. I want us to bake Christmas cookies and put ornaments on the tree together… even if you complain the whole time and say I'm doing it wrong.”

Then she moves her lips to your cheeks, a kiss to one side, then the other. “I want to go to the grocery store on Christmas eve, because you forgot to buy that one random ingredient that you forgot to put on the list and you refuse to cook without it,” she murmurs, her lips moving to your jaw.

“And then, I want to watch you fall asleep on the couch in the middle of your favorite Christmas movie, even though you've seen it a hundred times.”

She presses a kiss to your chin, then another to the underside of your jaw. “I want to come home from work late on Christmas eve because I forgot to get a present, and I just know you're gonna say, 'I told you so', but you'll still give me a kiss and tell me to sit my ass down and not worry about any damn gift.”

She smirks against your skin, as she moves back to one of your eyes, placing a kiss to the outer corner. “I just want to spend every Christmas with you. From this one to the next, all the way through when we're old and gray. We can even spend Christmas in our damn graves.”

She pulls her hand away and lets her fingers slide down and find yours, intertwining them together, bringing your hand up to her mouth. She brings the back of your hand to her lips, placing a kiss against your skin. Her thumb gently brushes over your knuckles. Her fingers are calloused and rough, but her touch is soft and delicate, careful not to squeeze too hard.

Her eyes then close, placing your hand on her cheek, leaning into your touch. “Only you,” she murmurs. She turns her head to press a kiss to your palm. “Always you.”

—

6 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

You're once again standing in front of Vander's house.

It's been a whirlwind of a year—first the breakup, then the Christmas, and now the New Year's eve. You don't know how to feel. Excited? nervous? worried? you're not quite sure which one. Hell, chances are you're probably feeling all three.

Powder has been nagging you about coming for a couple of days, and your parents wouldn't mind anyway. They're spending the night by themselves in a hotel somewhere, doing the tango or some other bs. So, here you are.

You have a feeling that the family already knows about the breakup. Vi had told you she'd tell them after Christmas, and it's after Christmas. You just hope that it won't be too awkward.

You're here for two reasons.

The first is to celebrate new years with the family, and the second is to talk to Vi.

You need an answer. You need to know why she left. Why she really left.

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves, then head up to the front door. You knock once, then twice, hoping to god that you won't have to wait long. Footsteps approach from the other side, and you can hear the faint sound of voices coming from the other side of the door. There's laughing, talking, and the shuffling of feet, then the sound of the door opening.

You've barely even processed the fact that the door is open when you're suddenly engulfed in a hug. A pair of arms wraps around you. A familiar scent of cherry blossom invades your senses, and you feel yourself stiffening instinctively.

The woman releases her grip on you, pulling away to look at you with a wide grin. “You made it!”

“'Course I did,” you reply, a smile on your lips. “You were spam bombing me on every social media you could find. Kinda hard to say no to that.”

“Knew it!” she chirps, then grabs your arm and tugs you inside, shutting the door behind you as she leads you into the house. Following Powder further into the house, the sound of Mylo's voice coming from the living room as he sings loudly and very, very out of tune.

Powder stops at the entrance to the living room and glances over at him. She pauses, her fingers still clamped tightly around your wrist. She glances back at you. “I mean, you're still my friend,” she murmurs. “After you and…” she clears her throat. “After everything.” She doesn't finish her sentence, just looks back at Mylo. He's still singing, clearly oblivious to your presence. His voice breaks on a particular note, the sound of his voice scraping against your ears. Powder shakes her head. “He's awful,” she mutters. “Always has been.”

“I'm almost surprised none of you have tried to stuff a sock in his mouth yet.”

Powder snorts. “Believe me, I tried when I was younger, but Vander said violence is never the answer.”

“That sounds like Vander.” You can almost picture Vander swatting Powder's hands away and saying some sort of fatherly bullshit about not doing something like that.

“Yeah,” she grins, mocking her father's demeanor. “'Violence isn't the answer, honey. You and your siblings need to find other ways to figure out your differences. Blah blah blah.' Something like that.” Powder lets go of your wrist, letting her hands fall to her hips. “Anyway,” she says, “there's food in the kitchen. We already ate dinner, but there's snacks if you want any.” She pauses, her eyes drifting to the living room. “Vi's in the living room, so uh…” she stops, her eyes shifting back to you. “You know, just so you know. Get prepared for that or something. I'm gonna go.”

“Yeah,” you reply. “Yeah, I think I might walk around first.”

She smiles again and gives you one last pat on the shoulder before she steps past you and slips into the living room.

You take a second, letting your eyes drift over the decorations. Familiar faces are in family pictures on the wall. There's a few colorful Christmas lights still hung up on the walls.

Upon a second glance around the room, you spot Sevika in the corner, casually puffing on a cigarette. You can't help but wonder how she always manages to get away with that. There's definitely a no-smoking rule in the house, especially during events like this. Apparently that rule doesn't apply to Sevika. She's just enjoying her smoke.

She looks up as you approach, grinning. “Hey there, kid,” she greets as she tilts her head to the side, giving you a once-over. “How's it going?” She blows out a stream of smoke that quickly drifts away.

You try not to cough when the smoke drifts into your face. You give her a half-smile. “It's going,” you reply, shoving your hands into your pockets. “I mean, you know how it is.” You nod your head at the cigarette between her fingers. “I'm surprised Vander hasn't kicked you out yet.”

Sevika grins, the corners of her lips curving into a smirk. She places the cigarette between her lips again, taking a deep drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Believe me,” she replies, “he's threatened to do it about fifty times tonight.”

You chuckle and shake your head. “I can imagine.”

She puffs on the cigarette once more. “He's got that whole 'you're under my roof' speech down pat. I've heard it a hundred times.”

“Yet here you are,” you muse, gesturing at the cigarette in her fingers. “Still taking your chances.”

“I gotta get my cigarette fix.” She grins. She flicks some ash off the end before taking another drag. “Vander can lecture me all he wants, but I'm never giving up my vices.”

You're about to reply to Sevika, but you're interrupted by the sound of a familiar laugh. An arm slides around your shoulders, and you're surprised to see Ekko standing beside you. He grins at you, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “Hey stranger,” he teases.

“Hey yourself,” you reply, bumping him with your hip.

He laughs before his eyes drift to Sevika. He looks from the cigarette in her fingers up to her face, then back to the cigarette again, then back to her face. He gives her a disapproving look, and Sevika just grins around the cigarette in her mouth. “Are you really smoking in the house?" Ekko asks, arching an eyebrow.

Sevika takes a puff on her cigarette and shrugs. “I already told the kid, I live for the thrill,” she replies, shooting you a wink. “Besides, it helps me relax.”

Ekko rolls his eyes. “Of course it does,” he mutters. He turns to you. “Don't follow in her footsteps, got it?”

You stifle a laugh. “Yeah, yeah,” you say, waving him off. “I think I can handle myself, dad.”

“Hey!” Ekko exclaims. He places a hand on his chest. “I just don't want you to end up like some people.” He casts a pointed look in Sevika's direction. He then leads you away from Sevika, pulling you into the living room where the karaoke set up is. All of your friends are crowded around it, and Mylo and Powder are squabbling over the karaoke.

Claggor is perched on the floor watching his siblings, and he turns his head and smiles when he sees you. “Hey, you made it!” he says, getting to his feet. He claps you on the back, pulling you into a hug.

“Yeah, guess I couldn't keep away,” you joke, returning Claggor's hug. “I'm surprised you didn't try to stop me, honestly.”

Claggor grins and releases you. “Eh, I get it,” he says. “I know it's a little complicated for you to be here, but still... you're always welcome here. You know that, right?”

You nod, giving him a smile. “Yeah, I do.”

He pats your shoulder again, then turns back to Mylo and Powder, who are bickering again over who gets to go first.

Your eyes dart across the living room. And then, there she is, viola! sitting on the couch, she doesn't notice you at first. Until, a moment later, her eyes drift your way as you and Ekko walk over together.

She sits up a bit straighter as you walk closer, and she's looking at you too long for your liking.

Powder glances over at her older sister curiously when she sits up straighter. Mylo glances at Vi too, his eyes narrowing as he notices the look in her eyes. He looks like he's about to say something, but Powder reaches over and smacks the back of his arm, shaking her head.

He scowls at her. “What was that for?!” he growls.

Powder shoots him a look. “Shut it.”

Ekko grins, taking an open spot on the couch. He pats the spot next to him, gesturing for you to sit down. You glance at the spot, and it is...right next to Vi. You reluctantly take a seat next to her, making sure you sit a few good inches away.

Ekko glances between everyone, clearly noticing the strange atmosphere. “So…”

He's about to ask a question when Vi turns her gaze over to him, giving him such a death glare that he immediately stops talking. Powder shoots him a scathing look as well, her expression telling him to ‘keep your mouth shut’. Ekko laughs nervously, clearly realizing that he was just about to ask a question he definitely shouldn't have asked.

Eventually, Mylo clears his throat. “So, who's up for karaoke?” he asks, trying to break the weird atmosphere.

Powder perks up, her eyes lighting up. “I'll sing next!”

Mylo scoffs. "No way, it's my turn!”

Claggor rolls his eyes. “Seriously? you were just up there.”

While the two boys bicker and Powder starts whining that she wants a turn, you glance away, your eyes involuntarily landing on Vi. She feels your gaze on her and shifts her eyes to you, and your gazes lock. She doesn't say anything, and the eye contact lingers just a moment longer than it should've. She opens her mouth as if she's about to say something but suddenly looks away. Her eyes fixed on the floor, staring down at it for a moment. Finally, she turns to look at you again, lifting her gaze to meet yours.

“Happy New Year's Eve,” she says, giving you a strained smile.

“Yeah,” you force out, “happy new year's to you too.” The words feel flat, coming out almost awkwardly. She doesn't seem like she knows what to say either. She just gives a nod, looking away again.

Claggor grins. “Powder's a better singer than you, anyway,” he teases.

Mylo turns his glare onto Claggor, shoving him roughly with a muttered, “Shut up, asswipe.”

Claggor scoffs. “At least she can hit the notes,” he shoots back.

Mylo scoffs back at him. “My singing is perfect. Thank you so much.”

“It's not. You sound like a cat being strangled,” Claggor points out.

Mylo's jaw drops. “I do not sound like that!”

“You do.” All of you chime in unison.

Mylo groans in protest. “You guys suck. I'm the best damn singer here.”

Powder laughs at his claim. “You're the worst singer I've ever heard.”

The trio continue to bicker, and Vi glances over again, her eyes flitting up and down your body. Her eyes flick from your hair to your mouth to your collarbones. She glances at the exposed skin of your neck, her tongue suddenly running across her bottom lip. Her gaze lingers on your chest... and then she realizes what she's doing. With a loud cough, she looks down into her lap, her eyebrows creased and her neck flushed. “You look good,” she says, just loud enough for you to hear her over the sibling's arguing.

You look down at what you're wearing, surprised by her sudden compliment. “Thanks...?” you respond, meeting her gaze again. “You don't look bad yourself.”

Mylo, Powder, and Claggor are too busy bickering to really notice what's happening between you and Vi. Ekko notices, his eyes going back and forth between you two.

But even though they're too immersed in their argument, Vi still keeps her voice low so the others don't overhear her. She glances away again so not to draw attention to the way she was just staring at you. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Mylo is yelling at Claggor. “I'm better at everything, including singing!”

“You're better at being stupid,” Claggor fires back.

Powder pipes up with a grin. “Oh! I have a great idea!” They all turn to look at her, including you. She grins wider before saying, “Vi should sing!”

Vi seems a bit taken off guard, her eyes widening. “N-no, no, it's fine, I-”

Powder pushes her forward. “Come on, sing a song for us!”

Reluctantly, Vi allows herself to be pushed forward, standing in front of the microphone. She shoots Powder a glare for pushing her. “You're an ass,” she grumbles.

Powder grins at her. “Have fun, sis,” she teases.

She sighs, then turns back to the karaoke. She hums a tune to herself as she scrolls through the song list, her eyes skimming over the options. There's a few seconds more of searching, and then her fingers stop at one particular song. She glances around the room, checking to see everyone's waiting to hear what she'll sing. Her eyes land on you last, and she locks gazes with you for a moment.

Before she has a chance to chicken out, she selects the song and stands in front of the microphone. Vi clears her throat again and takes a deep breath. she seems...nervous.

At the start of the song, you immediately recognize the opening notes. It takes you a second to name the song, but when you do... you almost choke. The lyrics start, and there's no denying it. It's true. She's singing what you think she's singing.

—

4 YEARS BEFORE THE BREAKUP, CONFESSION

You're lying in bed, phone in hand, scrolling lazily through random stuff. It's a quiet evening, and the rain patters against your window. Suddenly, you hear a faint melody drifting through the rain. Music. It must be your neighbor who decided to blast music in the rain. but wait...

Did you just hear your name?

You sit up, suddenly intrigued. You place your phone down, sitting up straight as you listen to the music. Your brows furrow, trying to find where the sound is coming from.

It's definitely coming from outside... and it's getting louder. The faint sound of Aerosmith's ‘I Don't Want to Miss a Thing’ reaches your ears. Curiosity now piqued, you slowly get up from your bed and walk over to the window. Pulling back the curtain, you look out into the rainy night, and there, amidst the rain, you spot her. Violet.

She stands under the glow of the street lights, the light rain showering down around her. She's holding something... no. Not something. A boombox. It's an old, weathered boombox. The kind you'd thought had gone out of style decades ago.

She's singing. Singing... for you.

Her face is tilted upward, the rain kissing her face, mouthing the lyrics, “Every moment I spent with you is a moment I treasure.”

It's cheesy, so, so incredibly cheesy. It's so clichéd and almost straight out of a cheesy romcom. The old boombox, the rain, the song. It's something you'd roll your eyes at in a movie. But it's... sweet, in a way. The way her body rocks slightly to the beat, the way the rain glistens on her skin as she sings those lyrics.

You open your window, the rain and wind blow in, and you raise your voice over the sound of the rain. “What the hell are you doing?” you call out. “It's raining! are you crazy, Vi?”

Vi turns her head towards your voice, a smile stretching across her lips when she sees you standing at the window. “I don't care!” she yells back, holding the boombox higher. “I know it's raining. I'm not blind!”

She takes a few steps closer to your house, her rain-soaked hair sticking to her face. The rain and the light from the street lamps bounce off her skin, making her look like a mess. But she's grinning, that smirk plastered on her face as she holds the boombox over her head.

“You're going to catch a cold!” you retort.

“I've lived through much worse than a rain,” she calls back. “And nothing's gonna stop me tonight.” She then takes a deep breath before belting the lyrics out. The smile never leaves her lips. “Don't want to close my eyes. I don't want to fall asleep 'cause I'd miss you, babe, and I don't want to miss a thing.”

You look around nervously, checking to make sure no one is disturbed by her sudden performance. The last thing you need is your parents waking up and finding out that your friend is singing under the rain for you.

“Are you trying to wake up my parents? or the entire neighborhood for that matter?! keep it down, would you?!” you hiss through tightly clenched teeth, leaning out of the window more. “Get inside!” you whisper shout at her.

She continues to hold the boombox above her head, the rain running down her face and dripping from her chin. “Come on, let me finish at least!”

“You're going to get sick,” you protest, “and my parents will be mad,” you try to reason. Although the idea of your parents waking up to the sight of her standing outside, singing a love song to you, is... funny.

Vi just laughs at your warning, shaking her head. “Eh, who cares about that? I'm having way too much fun pissing your parents off right now!”

“Stubborn idiot,” you murmur to yourself, sighing.

You head downstairs to the closet to grab an umbrella. As you grab it, you give a quick glance out your living room window. Vi is still there, holding that boombox, continuing to sing in the rain. Grabbing the umbrella, you step out into the rain. The rain instantly slaps your face, and you quickly pop open the umbrella, holding it over your head.

Vi turns around to face you as you approach. Her singing falters when she sees you. Her smile widens, and she lowers the boombox.

“You really are the stupidest, most stubborn woman I know,” you grumble, holding the umbrella over your head as you reach Vi.

Vi is clearly soaked. She looks like a drowned rat, but despite the mess and her wet state, she's still grinning.

“Do you know how loud you are?” you ask. “You might wake up the whole damn neighborhood, banging that boombox at this hour. It's late, you loud, stubborn idiot.” You pause, studying her appearance. Her face is flushed, the redness on her cheeks betraying her. It could be the rain, the cold, or maybe...

“What?” you ask. “Nothing to say? cat got your tongue?”

Vi pauses, her eyes meeting yours. The rain continues to fall, slapping against the umbrella.

“I like you.”

What?

“No,” you watch as she shakes her head, correcting herself, rain dripping from her hair. “I love you. No, I'm in love with you.”

You stare at her, stunned. The words coming out of her mouth are unexpected. Your mind is in chaos. How could she do this, spring this confession on you all of a sudden? Your eyes are wide, your mind whirling. “What are you talking about?”

Her cheeks flush an even deeper shade of red, the redness spreading to the tips of her ears. “I said I love you,” she repeats. “I love you. I've... I've loved you for a long time.”

She takes a step closer, the rain continuing to fall around you both. The boombox is still clutched tightly in her hand, the music still playing faintly.

You're speechless, struggling to find the words to respond. Your heart is racing and your mind is spinning. After all the years of friendship, all the ups and downs, all the times you've seen her in all her glory... this is when she chooses to confess? now? in the middle of goddamn rain?

Your gaze shifts on her lips. They're slightly parted, raindrops clinging to them. They look soft, even under the rain, even in this awkward and confusing moment.

Vi speaks again, and her words snap you back to reality. “You don't have to say it back…” she says, her voice shaky. “I just needed you to know.”

“And I know I'm a fool,” she continues, her grip on the boombox tightening. “Singing my heart out in the rain like a dumbass... but I couldn't hold it in any longer. You're all I think about.”

Your hands clench around the handle of the umbrella, her confession replaying in your head. I love you. I'm in love with you.

All the times you've admired her, all the times a simple glance got your heart to race... It makes sense now. The feeling you always tried to ignore—the warmth and the flutter in your stomach.

You don't know what to do, what to say, and those damn lips of hers are not helping at all.

Screw it.

Your brain stops thinking, and you act on impulse. The umbrella clatters to the ground, raindrops drenching you both as you step closer to her. You wrap your arms around her neck, pressing your lips against hers.

Her body is tense, clearly taken by surprise, but after that, she melts into your arms. She drops the boombox, letting it fall into a puddle by her feet, and wraps her own arms around your waist.

She's kissing you eagerly, hungrily, her lips moving against yours in a way that leaves you breathless. Her tongue slides against your lower lip, seeking entrance. You could never deny her anything, and you part your lips, letting her tongue explore your mouth.

Her hands roam over your body. Touching and grabbing at any part of you she can reach. Her tongue is hot against yours. Sliding and tangling together, stealing the breath from your lungs.

Your lips break away from hers, both of you drawing in ragged breaths.

Her forehead pressed against yours. Both of you are shaking from the cold. Her eyes are half-lidded as she looks at you, her lips swollen and red. “That's…” she mumbles, her voice hoarse. “That's one way to respond to a confession.”

Your arms remain around her neck, fingers buried in her wet hair. She's still gripping your waist, holding onto you tightly, her other hand coming up to brush a rain-soaked lock of hair from your face. “You're quiet.” Her thumb traces a path across your bottom lip. “Got something to say, or did I shut you up for good?”

“You always have to be so damn dramatic about everything, don't you?” you mutter, fighting the urge to smile. “Not even a proper date first or anything,” you continue, “just straight to saying I love you, no buildup. Very classy, very romantic.”

Her laughter is a low rumble in her chest when she shakes her head. “Welp, I'm a hopeless romantic,” she jokes, the corner of her mouth lifting in a lopsided grin. “When I see something I want, I go for it.” Her eyes roam over your face. “And I really, really want you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter, shaking your head. “Now can we get inside before we freeze our asses off?” You reach down to pick up the umbrella. “I think we've given the neighborhood enough of a show for one night.”

Your eyes flicker from her soaked clothes to her shivering frame. “If you end up sick, my mom will have my ass for letting you stay out here for so long. You know what she's like when it comes to you…” Your voice softens, concern lacing your words. “C'mon, let's get inside before we catch a cold.”

Her shoulders sag when you mention your mother. She glances down at herself, taking in her wet clothes and shivering body. “Alright, alright,” she mutters. “Last thing I need is another lecture from your mom. She's damn scary.” She bends down to pick up the abandoned boombox, shaking off the rainwater.

You usher her to the front door of your house, your hand resting on her lower back to guide her. Her clothes are damp against your touch.

The door swings open, revealing your mother with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. “You sure managed to wake up the damn neighborhood with your display out there.” Her eyes flicker between you and Vi.

—

6 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

You remember it all.

She used to hum that exact song to you. All the time. Humming in your ear, wrapping her arms around your waist, watching you clean dishes or cook.

Sometimes, she wouldn't even hum it. Sometimes, she would just sing the lyrics to you, while her fingertips would trace random patterns on your skin. Doodles on your back, swirls on your stomach, sometimes little hearts on your arm.

You'd always tease her. “Do you know any songs other than this one?” She'd just chuckle and hum the song harder.

All the while, she would pepper small kisses on your neck and shoulders.

You'd try to push her off, “Stop, I'm trying to clean,” even if you both knew that it was useless to try and stop her.

Sometimes you'd even start singing along in a loud, off-key voice, just to annoy her.

She'd stop humming and glare at you. “Stop that,” she'd say, pouting.

You'd just laugh at her. “Make me,” you'd challenge.

You always used to laugh and tease her about it at first... but slowly, it started to grow on you.

You'd catch yourself humming the song after she stopped visiting, and you hated that your mind instinctively wanted to hear her voice singing it. Sometimes, you'd hum it yourself, but it never compared to how she sang it. She's so much better than you.

The song continues, you just couldn't take your eyes off her. She's just... breathtaking. The way her eyes closed as she got into the song, the way her lips moved with the words, it made you want to reach forward and...

...what are you thinking? you can't do that. you can't do that. So, instead, you just sit there. You just listen. You just watch.

She's looking at you. You can feel it. Her gaze lingers on you longer than everyone else. She's really singing to you, isn't she? why does she have to make this harder?

Your heart is beating so hard, you wouldn't be surprised if everyone could hear it.

When the song finally ends, you're snapped out of your thoughts. Everyone cheers, clapping loudly.

“That's my sister!” Powder exclaims.

Mylo whistles. “Better than I expected.”

Claggor just grins, giving Vi a round of applause.

While everyone else starts chattering, you just sit there in stunned silence. Your palms are starting to sweat, and you feel sick.

Vi sits down on the couch next to you, sitting close but not close enough to actually touch or bump into you.

The others begin taking their turns singing. Ekko sings first. He starts singing a song you don't recognize, but it's something rap and upbeat. Mylo takes the mic next and immediately starts butchering a love song. Powder laughs her ass off, “You're terrible at this!”

Claggor gives Mylo a glare before taking the mic, and he actually sings a pretty decent song. “See?” he says, shooting another glare at Mylo, “that's how you do it.”

Mylo lets out an indignant squawk. “Yeah, whatever, I'm not even trying.”

“Whatever helps you feel better about sucking.” Powder snickers.

It goes on like that, back and forth. One sings, the others make comments, Powder makes fun of Mylo, repeat.

The whole time, you're just stuck there with Vi. So close yet so far away.

—

4 YEARS BEFORE THE BREAKUP

Vi's cheek rests on the countertop, her fingers mindlessly running over the rim of the glass in front of her. It's empty, having never even been touched. Vander leans on the other side of the bar, still cleaning the glass in his hand. The place is nearly empty now, just a few stragglers sitting here and there.

“You gonna drink that?” Vander asks, raising an eyebrow at Vi's untouched drink.

Vi doesn't lift her head from the counter. “Nah,” she says. “Not in the mood tonight.”

Vander looks at her for a moment, still cleaning the glass. He puts the glass down, resting his arms on the counter, leaning forward.

“Something's on ya mind?”

She lifts her head up, rolling it until it's resting on her chin instead. She doesn't look at Vander. Her gaze on the wall on the other far side of the bar. “Can I ask you something?”

Vander pauses, then he simply nods. He knows what that tone means. The same way he knows the look in her eyes. “Sure,” he replies, “go ahead.”

“How do you…” she starts, her fingers slowly tracing the rim of the glass. “How do you know when you've found the right person?”

Vander knows where this is headed. He thinks for a moment, scratching his beard. “The right person,” he repeats. “Well,” he answers, “you can usually feel it here.” He slowly touches his chest over his heart. “Why are you asking?”

Vi suddenly feels like a little girl again, sitting at the bar, watching her father work. It's so familiar, something she never seems to grow out of. “Dunno,” she says, looking back down at the glass.

Vander smirks, knowing her too well to take that excuse as an answer. “Try again.”

Vi sighs. She glances up at her father, who's still watching her. Vander knows her too well, sometimes too well. Her fingers stop tracing the glass rim. She sits up, her hand resting idly on the countertop. “There's this girl…” she mumbles.

Vander's smirk almost becomes a grin at her words. He rests his hands on the counter, leaning forward. “A girl, huh?” he muses. “A special girl?” He already can tell the answer to that, judging by how quiet she's been this evening.

Vi rolls her eyes, but she can't stop the hint of pink that appears on her cheeks. She can feel Vander's smirk, and she doesn't have to look at him to know he knows. “Just a girl, okay?” she doesn't want to admit she's completely whipped. But she is.

Vander chuckles, seeing the hint of pink against her skin. “Right,” he drawls, clearly not believing her claim. He moves to grab a glass from behind the bar, and he starts pouring himself something to drink. “Got a name?”

Vi groans, hiding her face in her hands. Of course he'll ask that question. “Why does it matter?” she mumbles from behind her palms.

Vander can see the tips of her ears turning red, and he has to fight the urge to laugh. “Come on,” he urges, taking a sip of his drink. “What's the harm in telling a name? at least a first name.”

Vi peeks at her father from between her fingers. She knows he's not going to drop it. So with a sigh, she slowly lowers her hands, looking down at the counter. She mumbles your name, the tips of her fingers starting to fiddle with the glass again.

“So this girl…” he continues, “you been seein' her?”

His question causes her to snap her head up. He looks back at her, his smirk still present on his face. Vi shakes her head, glancing back down at her hands. “No… she's just a friend.”

Vander raises an eyebrow. “Just a friend eh?” he asks. “That's all?”

She lifts her head, giving her father a glare. “Yes, that’s all,” she mutters, shifting uncomfortably on the stool.

Vander just grins, looking smug. He sets the glass down on the counter. “She got a boyfriend... or a girlfriend? This friend of yours?”

His question makes Vi freeze. She never thought to find out, but now that he says it, it makes her stomach twist weirdly. She bites the inside of her cheek, shifting on the stool again. “No, I don't think so.”

“You don't think so?”

“I mean, maybe she does. It's not like I've asked,” she says quickly, not liking where this conversation is headed.

“You like her, don't ya?”

Vi's sure her face is completely pink now, her eyes avoiding Vander's. “I dont-” she stops, sighing. Her shoulders slump. Her fingers twisting together. “...so what if I do.”

He knew it. “Nothin' wrong with it,” he replies, pouring himself some more drink. He doesn't look at her for a few moments, sipping on his drink. “She knows ya like her?”

Vi sighs again, burying her face in one hand. She shakes her head. “No, she has no idea,” she mutters. “And she better not find out. I'd never hear the end of it.”

“Why not? afraid she'll turn ya down?”

Vi's head shoots up from her hands, a glare planted on her features. “No!” she snaps.

Vander just lifts both hands in mock surrender. “Then why are you so scared?”

“I'm not scared,” she counters. “I'm just worried she'll start treating me differently.”

Vander hums in thought. “And that's a bad thing?”

Her gaze drops back down to her hands fiddling with each other. He doesn't understand. She doesn't want to lose what she has with you already.

Vander raises an eyebrow, watching her. “Why are you so scared of confessing your feelings to this girl? how bad can it be?”

Vi's fingers pause. Her eyes shut tight. “What if she laughs?”

Vander snorts. “That's what you're worried about?”

Vi groans again, dropping her forehead onto the counter. It's not as simple as he made it sound. “She might do more than that, you don't know.”

“You're scared to tell her how you feel because you think she'll... what? beat you up?”

“That's not funny.” How does she explain this to Vander? how does she explain the way her stomach turns and twists at the thought of telling you how she really feels? how much does it terrify her that things wouldn't be the same?

“You worry too much, kid.”

Vi leans back against the stool. “I know.”

“Just tell her you like her already.”

“That's easy for you to say,” she says, her eyes avoiding his gaze.

“Then why are you so afraid to do it?”

Vi groans. “Because I don't wanna lose her.”

“She won't disappear if you tell her you like her.”

“You don't know that.”

“Yeah, I do,” he counters. “Do you really think she'll stop being your friend?”

She knows he's right, at least partially, but she's still scared.

Vander sighs, his eyes narrowing at her. He knows he just needs to give her the final shove. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“For a while..”

Vander hums. “And you still haven't told her,” he states. It's not a question. It's a fact.

Vi starts to fiddle the hem of her shirt.

“How long are you gonna keep avoiding it?”

She mumbles something too quiet for him to make out.

“What's that?” he asks.

Vi grumbles, her shoulders slumping. “I said, 'probably forever, probably.'”

Vander lets out a laugh. “You're impossible.”

“You don't know how hard this is.”

“You're always making things difficult,” he teases, then he suddenly asks, “Do you trust me?”

Vi lifts an eyebrow. “What kind of question is that? Of course I do.”

He leans in closer to her. “Then just listen to me for a minute.”

Vi hesitates but nods at him to continue.

Vander leans an elbow on the counter. “Stop being a coward and just do it.”

Vi's brows furrow, ready to argue, but before she can speak, Vander holds up a hand to silence her. “Don't say anything,” he murmurs, his eyes piercing her. “Listen, you're scared you'll lose her. I get it. But trust me, if you really know her, and I know you do, why would she stop being friends with you just because you like her?”

Vi opens her mouth to object, but Vander continues before she can.

“Stop overthinking, stop being so damn stubborn, and just tell her how you feel.” Vander takes advantage of her speechless state to keep going. “Worst-case scenario, she doesn't feel the same. Sucks, but you'll survive. Life goes on.” He pokes her forehead. “Stop being a big sissy.”

“I'm not a big sissy,” Vi grumbles, swatting at his hand.

“Come on, punk,” he teases. “When did you ever let fear stop you from doing something before?”

Vi huffs. She knows he's got a point.

“You've gotten into so much trouble before. You started fights, you stole things. You even stole from me, for gods' sake,” he scoffs. “But you're too afraid to tell a girl you like her?"

She hates that he's right, and she hates that she's so damn predictable.

“You're being ridiculous,” he scolds. “You've done scarier things than this, and yet you're shitting your pants over telling your friend that you like her.” He always has a way of calling her out. “I'm just trying to knock some sense into your thick skull, pup.”

She shifts on her seat. gaze dropping to the floor. “Don't get me wrong, I want to. Badly. But-” she pauses, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “What if it doesn't work out? what if we just end up hurting each other? or worse… what if she will just hate me in the end?”

Vander's brows furrow. He has a feeling she will say something like this, and once again, she's right. The what-ifs are always scary. He thinks for a moment, his fingers tapping an absentminded beat on the countertop. As much as he likes to, he can't deny that the outcome of a relationship is uncertain.

“Hey,” he says. “Look at me.”

Vi hesitantly lifts her head, her eyes meeting his.

“It's true. We can't predict the future,” he starts. “But we can't let fear hold us back, either.”

“What if it ends badly?”

“Life is all about taking risks,” he replies. “You can't always play it safe, not when it comes to love.”

“But-”

Vander cuts her off. “It's never easy. When you love someone, you're putting yourself out there. You're letting her into your heart, and that's scary as hell. There's no guarantee of anything. Love isn't easy. It's not simple. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it's messy, sometimes it's even painful.” He pauses, studying her face closely.

“But you know what else?” he continues. “The good parts make all of that worth it. The smiles, the laughter, the feeling of her hand in yours. The little things, like waking up next to her or sharing a moment with her that no one else would have. That's what makes love worth it. The uncertainty, the fear... those are just parts of the journey.”

Vander holds her gaze. “Don't let that fear stop you from experiencing what could be amazing.”

He lets out a sigh. “You feel it, don't you? the way your heart beats faster when you're around her? that flutter in your chest when she smiles? the heat in your cheeks when she laughs?”

“That feeling, that connection,” he continues. “That's something special, Vi. Something rare and beautiful. You can't just ignore that. You can't pretend it doesn't exist. Look, I'm not going to pretend that I can make this choice for you. That's not my place... but I will tell you this.” He reaches out, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It's always worth the risk, Violet.”

—

6 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

Everyone makes their way to Vander's backyard. He's standing at the grill, flipping burgers and hot dogs.

Powder is a few feet away, setting up a few fireworks displays that she made in advance before walking over to Mylo and setting up a few lawn chairs. Silco and Benzo are standing near Vander, talking quietly among themselves, occasionally stealing a beer from the cooler.

You find yourself sitting in a lawn chair with a soda in hand, while Claggor is sitting in the chair beside you, laughing at something that Ekko said. You take a sip, letting the liquid slide down your throat. You sigh, slouching in the chair.

“Seriously, have you ever even talked to a girl before?” Claggor says, raising an eyebrow.

Ekko gasps. “I have too! I've talked to tons of girls.”

“Name one.”

“...”

Claggor grins, poking Ekko. “That's what I thought.”

You can hear Powder and Mylo arguing about something stupid, just like they always do. Mylo seems really angry about it. “You never listen to me!”

“It's not my fault your ideas suck!” Powder argues back.

It's like the two of them never run out of things to bicker about, no matter how petty or ridiculous. They can argue about the weather. Mylo could look outside, see that it's raining, and still somehow get mad at powder and vice versa.

Vi is a few feet away, standing next to Vander. She has a cigarette hanging from her lips.

You've seen her smoke countless times. Sometimes she would blow smoke in Powder's face just to piss her off, or she would take a drag and then kiss you, the lingering, slightly bitter taste of the cigarette on her lips. She would even try to blow the smoke into your mouth. It's such a weird feeling, feeling the smoke pass from her lips to yours.

You take a sip of your soda, taking your eyes off her before you could remember anything else.

Across from you, Sevika glances at you from over the top of her beer bottle. She looks like she wants to say something, but she just takes another swig from the bottle instead.

Soon enough, Vander finishes with the grilling. Everyone scrambles to get their food, with Mylo and Claggor passing out paper plates loaded up with hotdogs and hamburgers.

Everyone gathers around in a circle. Silco is holding a bottle of beer in his hand, raising it up. “I have something to say.”

Everyone quiets down, glancing at Silco. Powder is still stuffing her face with food, but Ekko grabs her arm. “Stop eating and listen.” Powder grumbles something but sets her food down, giving Silco her full attention (as much as she can, at least).

Silco clears his throat, taking a sip from his beer. “New years. The start of a fresh year, a new beginning.”

He glances around at everyone, his eye lingering on Vi for a few seconds, and then his gaze lands on you. You quickly look down, taking a sip from your soda and pretending like you didn't notice.

“This year has been a shitshow, we all know it, but we always manage to keep together. No matter what happens, we're all family here. We look after each other. We take care of each other.”

Claggor and Ekko share a look. You notice Powder giving Mylo a nudge with her elbow. Mylo scowls at her.

He takes another sip of beer. “It's a time to forget about mistakes and move forward, to grow and learn, and for some of us…” his gaze drifts towards Powder and Mylo. “It's a time to stop acting like brats.” He continues, drumming his fingers against the side of his beer bottle, “So as tradition, I want everyone to think of a resolution for the new year. It could be as silly as wanting to eat healthier or something bigger like getting a new job or going on a trip.”

It's another one of Silco's traditions. It's something they all do every year. Everyone is thinking about their resolutions, thinking of something they want to keep for the new year.

Claggor and Ekko are still sharing looks, and you can hear Mylo and Powder whispering about something.

He glances around at everyone, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, any volunteers?”

No one makes a move. Everyone is either stuffing their face, or they're thinking about their New Year's resolutions, or they're just keeping quiet.

Silco sighs. It looks like it's down to him. “Jesus. If no one wants to go first... guess I'll go.” He raises his beer. “My resolution for this year is I want to get healthier. Eat healthier, stop smoking so much.”

Benzo chuckles. “A little too late for that, don't you think?”

“It's never too late,” Silco says, sending a glare at him.

He takes a sip of his beer before looking around. “Alright, anyone next? or am I really the only one going?”

When no one volunteers, Vander steps up. He raises his beer. “I can't say I have anything big, but I want to fix up the bar and give it a bit of a makeover. Something different.”

“New paint job?” Ekko asks.

Vander nods. “Might as well. It's needed it for a while.” He looks around. “Anyone else got anything to share?”

Benzo glances around before he finally decides to chime in. “Well, my resolution...hmm.” His hand rests on Silco's shoulder. “I want to convince Silco to stop smoking so much.”

“I just said-”

“Yeah, but you've been saying the same thing every year. Your ass is still here, smoking your lungs to death.”

“I'm trying,” Silco mutters.

Benzo laughs, patting his shoulder. “Sure you are.” Silco grumbles something under his breath but says nothing. Benzo takes a swig from his beer. “Who's next?”

Claggor is staring down at the beer in his hand, swirling it and watching the liquid move around the bottle. His eyebrows furrow.

Vander glances at him. “You got one, boy?”

Claggor snaps out of his thoughts, looking over to his father. He hesitates but ends up nodding, “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I actually have one.” He hesitates for a second before speaking, “My new year's resolution is... well, my goal is to pass my final exams so I can get my certificate for being a certified mechanic, but... it'll take a lot of work.”

Vander beams. “That's a good resolution. Hard but achievable.”

“Yeah, it won't be easy, but I really want to get it done. I just-” Claggor suddenly looks down at his beer again. “I just don't know if I can do it.”

Vander places a hand on his shoulder. “Don't doubt yourself. You've got the potential. We're all rooting for you, kid.”

“Yeah, you'll make a great mechanic,” Ekko chimes in, “and all of us will be in your garage for free car services.”

That gets a laugh out of Claggor, and he gives Ekko a punch on the arm. “Sure thing. I'll give all of you free services once I pass.”

“Now you're speaking my language,” Mylo grins. “Once you're a mechanic, you better make sure you don't overcharge me.”

“I know you can't afford me, Mylo,” Claggor teases. “I'm going to make you pay double.”

There's a collective chorus of ‘oooh's,’ and Mylo rolls his eyes. “Okay, smartass.”

Claggor laughs, taking a sip of his drink. “Who's next?”

Everyone goes quiet again. No one else is saying anything. The only sounds are the clinking of Claggor setting his beer down and Ekko opening a bag of chips.

Powder is sitting quietly, staring at her hands. Her fingers are picking at a loose piece of skin on her thumb.

Silco glances at her. “Powder?”

She looks over, suddenly blinking out of her own thoughts. “Oh—right, my turn.” Powder pauses for a second, staring down at her drink. She clears her throat and raises her soda. “My resolution for the new year is... I want to get into MIT. I know it's a long shot, but I really want to get in.”

Everyone is quiet for a few seconds, processing the words that just came out of her mouth. Then there's a sudden barrage of questions.

“MIT!”

“Really?”

“How?”

“Are you serious?”

Powder almost loses her balance when everyone starts talking over one another. She grumbles, waving her hands around to try and get everyone to be quiet. “Okay, okay! Shut up and I'll explain!”

All of them immediately snap their mouths shut, Powder sighs, and sit up straight. “Thank you. Now if you'll let me continue. Yes, my new year resolution is to get into Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Everyone knows MIT is one of the most competitive schools out there, right? Hell, it's one of the best schools out there. It's... it's really selective. It's a place for brilliant people, but I've been studying a lot, really going hard at it, and I actually think I have a small chance at getting in. I've already looked at their application-”

Mylo interrupts her. “But how are you going to get in? we don't have the money to afford that Pow…”

“I know! I've looked into grants and scholarships, and they do have a few financial programs for students who need help paying. If my applications go through, I can get a partial or even full scholarship. I really want to get in. I know it's a lot of work, but I'm up for the challenge.”

Mylo raises an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak but Silco cuts him off with a look, ‘Let her finish’ Mylo snaps his mouth shut again, glaring at Silco.

Powder continues. “And honestly, I didn't just wake up one day and decide I wanted to get into MIT. I've been working hard for a while. My grades are great, I have tons of extracurricular activities, a few teachers have agreed to do recommendations for me, and-”

“If you get into MIT, you'll be moving away, right?” Vi cuts in. She pushes herself off the wall, tossing her cigarette into the nearest trash bin, then making her way over to her sister.

Powder's face drops at the question. “If I do end up getting in, I probably won't be around here a lot. MIT is nowhere near here.”

It's an honest answer. There's no sugar coating or beating around the bush to make it seem less harsh. Hearing the words come from Powder's mouth makes it all suddenly seem real. If she does end up getting into that school, she'll be gone. She'll be hours away in a completely different state.

“I'll probably be busy studying a lot anyway, on top of clubs and stuff. It's a lot of work, honestly, and besides, I can always video call you or something.”

Vi ruffles Powder's hair. “Well, if you are going to be way up there on the east coast...don't forget about me—I mean us,” she looks around. “Yeah?”

Powder sighs and swats at her sister's hand. “I won't forget about any of you. You guys don't have to worry. Once I get into MIT, I won't abandon you all or anything.”

Silco says, “If you think you've got it in you to get into a place like MIT, then go on, kid. Try it.”

Claggor agrees with Silco, nodding. “You can do it, pow-pow. You're smart. You can make it into MIT.”

You give a supportive smile and a nod. “If you really want it, I think you should go for it. If you get in, you'll be going to a place for brilliant people, and you're definitely smart enough to be one of them.”

“Jesus, you're gonna be a long way away,” Mylo says, sighing.

Benzo adds, “Yeah, but it's good for her. Getting into somewhere like MIT is no small feat. Go for it, kid.”

Vander looks over at Powder and smiles. “That is a big place for big things. If you think you can make it, go for it. We're always here for you, Pow-pow.”

Ekko grins. “And if you get in, you'll have to show us around the campus.”

“Thanks… thank you guys. I didn't think I'd be so nervous about saying all that, but…” Powder glances around at them. “Now you guys have to share your resolutions now.”

Everyone's heads collectively turn to Mylo. He groans in response. “My resolution is, uh... to get laid and have a... girlfriend maybe,” he mumbles out, not really putting a lot of effort into his answer.

Claggor snorts. “That's what you said last year too.”

“Hey, things change! It's going to happen this year!” Mylo huffs. “And it's gonna be an actual girlfriend this time!”

“Like you had a fake girlfriend before?” Powder teases.

The group goes quiet, a few awkward glances going around. You notice a few people look at you, then at Vi. You can't count how many people clear their throat at that.

After a few seconds, Claggor speaks, “Well, that's... that's a resolution, I guess?”

Powder clears her throat again. “Yeah... guess so.”

Mylo looks over at Ekko. “What about you? what's your resolution?” he tries to distract everyone from the awkward silence.

Ekko glances around, then shrugs. “Dunno, figure things out, I guess. I think we all have stuff we need to figure out, so that'll probably be my resolution, to just... figure it out.”

“Figured out anything yet?” Powder teases him.

Ekko chuckles. “Not yet, still working on it. It's complicated.”

Mylo snorts. “Yeah, we could tell. You've had the same crush since middle school.”

Ekko opens his mouth, but Silco cuts him off. “Enough about the kid's love life. What about yours, Sevika?”

Sevika, who's been quiet the whole time, leans back in her chair. “I haven't really thought about it too much. I'm not a big resolutions kind of person.”

Benzo laughs. “Always living life on the fly. What about you, Vi?”

Vi looks at you for a few seconds, then looks away. “Work with myself more, I guess.”

“Work on yourself? in what way?” Claggor asks.

Vi shakes her head. “In a lot of ways, I've got a lot going on. Stuff that I should fix or just figure out,” she says, avoiding any eye contact with anyone but mostly avoiding eye contact with you.

Vander and Silco share a look, silently speaking with their subtle eye movements and raised brows. But neither of them say anything.

“What about you? You haven't shared yours yet,” Powder prompts, turning the conversation to you.

You never really thought too much about your own resolution, but now that they're all looking at you, you're starting to wish you did. You can feel Vi's eyes boring a hole into the side of your face, and you can't bring yourself to look at her.

You take a few seconds to think about your words, then you just decide to go with what you can think of on the fly. “I guess mine is just… taking more chances and risks.”

Powder nods. “Taking risks, yeah, that's good.”

Mylo raises an eyebrow. “Risks? what kind of risks? like skydiving or bungee jumping?”

You're starting to regret your response. You just said the first thing that came to mind, and now they're all going to be asking questions. You glance in Vi's direction, and your eyes meet for half a second. She quickly breaks the eye contact, looking away.

You swallow hard and turn your attention back to the group. “Yeah, just...yeah, like that.”

Mylo scoffs, and it's obvious that he doesn't believe that. But he seems to decide not to pry into your answer too much. “Skydiving is definitely something I'll be interested in trying someday.”

Powder smirks. “You'll have a heart attack before the parachute even opens.”

“What? I'm in great shape. I could do it.”

“The only way you could skydive is if you were pushed out of the plane yourself.”

Mylo scowls and flips her off. “I could do it if I wanted.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh, sure you could.” Powder then checks her phone, checking the time 11:50. “Almost midnight!” she exclaims excitedly, jumping up and running over to the fireworks she was preparing.

The rest of the group starts getting up, grabbing beers, and setting up for the upcoming countdown.

Mylo and Ekko begin helping Powder, adjusting different fireworks, and making sure everything is in order. Powder is making some last-minute adjustments, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in silent concentration. Ekko notices this and laughs. “You look stupid when you do that.” Powder just sticks her tongue out more in response, flipping Ekko off with a free hand as she continues working.

You look around, suddenly realizing that Vi is not where she was a few moments ago. You hear a noise next to you, suddenly you feel a presence beside you. You expect to see Vander or Silco. You look up to find Vi standing beside you.

She notices you noticed her but doesn't say anything, just kind of hovering beside you awkwardly. Both pretending to look around at everyone else's preparations for the new year's countdown, but neither of you is paying attention.

After silence and silence, the countdown begins, everyone in the group yelling out the numbers.

“10”

Mylo has his arm around Claggor's shoulders, ready to shout along with everyone else. Sevika raises a beer in the air. Benzo is recording the countdown. Silco and Vander are standing next to each other.

“9”

Powder is bouncing on her toes, her hand on the igniter, ready to fire the fireworks into the air. Ekko is standing beside her, a smile on his face as he watches her.

“8”

Mylo's head is thrown back as he yells the countdown. Benzo raises his phone up higher, trying to get a better view of the fireworks for the video. You glance at Vi, and this time your eyes meet, she's already looking at you.

“7”

Her eyes snap away as soon as your eyes meet, acting like she's not been looking at you in the first place. You're left wondering if she even wants to look in the first place. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Her cheeks have a faint dusting of pink, but it can easily be blamed on the cold.

“6”

You swallow hard, your heart starts to pick up its pace. Your eyes flick back to her, and this time she's staring off somewhere to the side, refusing to look at you. You start to get a nagging, sinking feeling in your stomach, but you push it aside.

It's not like she's looking at you because she wants to. Right?

“5”

Suddenly, you feel a touch against your knuckles, causing your fingers to twitch at your side. It's a subtle touch, one that you could ignore. But you don't. You don't dare look down at her hand, you don't even move your hand away.

“4”

Vi's fingers are still touching your knuckles, and neither of you are moving away, neither of you are saying anything, and neither of you are looking at each other.

“3”

Just 6 days ago, she held your hand tight on her own, but now it feels like a simple brush of fingertips over knuckles is almost too much to handle.

“2”

Slowly, almost cautiously, you feel her pinky fingers touch yours. They brush against your skin, trying to intertwine your fingers with her own. It's hesitant and slow, but after a few moments, you take the chance and slowly move your fingers over hers, intertwining them.

“1”

Her fingers twitch when you intertwine your fingers with hers, like she's shocked that you're letting yourself do this. She doesn't pull away though, her fingers just tighten, locking yours together.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The group erupts into cheers and celebration, shouting out the words loudly and fireworks and whistles going off all around. Powder is shouting and smiling and laughing, launching fireworks into the air. Mylo and Ekko lift Powder up, settling to their shoulders, shouting happily. Benzo raises his phone, getting the whole scene on film.

Vander and Silco glance at them, then shake their heads with a smile. Silco murmurs something quietly, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Vander snorted at whatever he said.

Claggor nervously glances at Mylo and Ekko, worried that they're going to drop her sister accidentally. Powder notices him looking and grins cheerfully. “It's fine, it's fine!” she reassures him, then throws her hands up in the air. “WOO! Happy new year!”

Sevika downs the last of her beer, then tosses the can aside. She raises her eyebrows at the scene of Powder being lifted up in the air, a smirk crossing her face.

You turn to look at her once again. The fireworks light up her face in a kaleidoscope of colors.

She looks so... soft like this. Relaxed. Peaceful. You drink it all in. You want to remember this. The way the colors play across her face. The way the fireworks light up in her eyes. The way her eyes look so much more blue under the colored lights.

It should be illegal for her to look this good.

You've seen her make a hundred different expressions, every one of them just as beautiful as the last. But somehow, the way the light plays across her face is making her look downright ethereal.

You've always loved her hair. The way it frames her face, how you always want to bury your fingers in it.

You want to reach up and brush her cheek, to run your fingers over the little bumps of those freckles. You want to count them all, and you want to make sure you don't miss a single one. Maybe even kiss each one, if you're feeling daring.

You think about her lips. The pouty, pretty, perfect curve of them. How pink they are and how soft they look, how much you want to kiss them or watch them say your name.

You want to kiss the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her jaw. Maybe whisper something in her ear, just to watch her shiver.

The way she talks. The way her voice can be so gravelly but also so smooth at the same time. The way she laughs, her eyes lighting up as her body shakes. The way her voice gets breathless when she's riled up.

You love the way she says your name, how it sounds so different on her tongue than anyone else's.

You want to hear her say it again. You want to hear her say it over and over, so many times that it starts to lose its meaning. You want to hear her say it until you forget how to breathe without her name in your lungs.

You want a thousand more moments like this one. Moments where the rest of the world faded away, moments where you thought there might someday be more to your relationship than broken glass and sharp words.

You want the domesticity of sharing a space with her. The quiet evenings and the stupid, petty arguments. Being able to come home after work and share a bed instead of coming home alone and trying to silence the aching in your chest.

You want the stupid things. Like cooking together, doing laundry, going shopping. You want to walk through the rain together and laugh at the stupid, soggy-haired look on her face. You want to hear her sing in the shower, complain about the weather, and have her crawl into bed with you when it's cold outside.

You want the dumb little arguments about who's turn it is to do the dishes, what movie to watch, and who forgot to fold the laundry. You want stupid, mundane things like the annoying morning alarm she sets that she hates and the dumb coffee mug that she drinks out of every morning.

You want the little things. The way she would leave the bathroom door open when she's brushing her teeth just so she can continue talking to you. The way she'd pull you to her side when you're watching movies. The way she'd steal your food even though you're both sitting at the same table.

More than that, more than the stupid fights and small annoyances, you just want her. You want all of it. Every stupid, messy, frustrating, wonderful thing. All of it. You just want her, every part of her. The soft parts, the hard edges, and the broken bits.

And there it is. There's the realization that makes your chest tighten.

You're still in love with her.

Somehow, that thought shouldn't surprise you. The way you've been acting around her, the way you've watched her without even realizing, the way you've ached to reach out and pull her against you. It should've been obvious.

You think of all the days you've spent apart. The sleepless nights spent waiting for a call or text that never came. The countless times you'd wished you could see her, touch her, kiss her, love her. The times when you'd told yourself over and over again that you were perfectly fine being single, that you didn't need her.

You'd been wrong. You'd been so, so wrong.

Because no matter how much you'd tried to deny it, no matter what you'd told yourself, nothing could change the way you feel. There's no way you could get rid of the way your heart stutters every time you look at her. You can't change the way you still crave her. You don't think you'd ever be able to forget the way her smile makes you feel like you're coming home.

You're still so goddamn hopelessly in love.

You're so focused on her that you don't even notice Vander looking at the two of you.

Vander glances over to Silco, shooting him a look. Silco's eyes flick to the two of you, then he grins, raising one eyebrow at Vander. Vander rolls his eyes, returning the expression.

—

7 DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS, PRESENT

The celebration has died down now, the clock striking past 1 am. Everyone is finishing up, cleaning up the trash and any unwanted mess.

Vi is in the middle of picking up a few empty cans lying on the ground, throwing them into the overfilled bin. Her head is bowed forward, her hair falls over her face, her body bent at an angle to reach the ground, her skin flushed warm from the cold air.

There's so many questions floating through your head. You need to talk to her. You need to ask her so many things. Why she ended things, if there was a reason, if she wanted it to end, if you somehow did something wrong. You need to know. You deserve to know.

You watch her for a moment, then take a breath and step forward. “Can we talk?”

She's still bent over, picking things up off of the ground. Her fingers pause in their movement, and she straightens up slowly, her head raising and turning toward you. “Huh?” She blinks a few times before replying, “Uh, yeah. Yeah, we can.” She sets the can in her hand down into the bin with a rattle, wiping her hands on her jeans when she's done.

“Can we go somewhere more... quiet?”

She glances at the rest of the group, but they're all mostly focused on their own tasks. “Yeah, yeah, come on.”

You walk across the yard, passing Powder and Ekko, who are teasing each other as they pick up trash, making a game out of it. The two of you walk silently, with no destination in mind. Neither of you quite knows where to take this conversation, but you have to have it eventually. You walk in a mostly awkward silence for a few more minutes.

Vi glances in your direction, noticing how your hands are stuffed deep into your pockets. “Are you cold?” she asks.

You shrug, biting the inside of your cheek. “It's fine.”

She hums in response. Her eyes trail down your body, then back up to your face. Her eyes linger on your hands shoved into your pocket. After a moment, she sighs, then stops walking. “Give me your hand.” She doesn't give you much of a choice as she steps closer to you. She holds out her own hand, keeping it there like she expects you to just place your hand in hers.

But you hesitate. Sure, you're holding her finger just minutes ago, but this feels so different now, so much more real. You know if you put your hand in hers, you won't want to let go… and yet you do it anyway.

The second your hand touches hers, she laces her fingers with yours, pulling your hand toward her. She closes her fingers around your knuckles and tugs your hand closer, lifting it and inspecting your skin, her fingers tracing small circles. She doesn't meet your eyes while she examines your hand, but her gaze is focused on it.

“You are cold,” she mutters, tracing her fingers over your knuckles and the back of your hand. She lifts your hand, turning your wrist to reveal your palm, then touches your fingertips with hers. “Your hands are like blocks of ice. Christ, you really are an idiot sometimes.”

Her eyes stay down, but you know her well enough to know that she's smiling. Even she can't keep the smile from her face. “So… what do wanna talk about?”

Her eyes flicker up to your face, but she quickly looks away again, turning to watch her own fingers still tracing over yours. “I just wanted to ask why.”

Her fingers still for a moment, lingering in midair just above your hand. “Why what, exactly?”

“Why did you end things so suddenly? like…” you pause, licking your lips as the question sits on your tongue. “You never gave me a clear reason, just... left. No second thought. No explanation. Nothing.”

Vi's fingers go back to tracing soft lines over your skin, her head still bowed, staring at your hand. She doesn't answer at first, then sighs again. “It's not that... it's not like I wasn't happy. You made me happy. So happy. It's…” she pauses, her teeth catching the inside of her lip as her fingers freeze and she lifts her head finally. “I got scared.”

Her words take you slightly by surprise. Scared?

Her head turns toward you, but she won't meet your eyes. She glances to the side. “I got scared. We were fine. You were fine. I got scared. I got scared that you would change your mind, that you would realize that I wasn't good enough for you. I got scared like a damn coward.” She takes a breath before continuing. “I convinced myself you would be better off without me, so I ended it... to protect you, I guess... it sounds stupid out loud, doesn't it?”

“It sounds like bullshit.”

Her head snaps up to look at you. Her fingers curling around yours just a bit tighter.

“You can't just... I thought—I thought I did something wrong. I thought it was me.”

She shakes her head, eyes now locked on your face. “That's not it. God, no, it's not you. You were—are—perfect. Too perfect. You're more than enough. I just didn't…” she pauses, her tongue darting out to lick over her lips. “I'm a mess. I'm just a mess. I was so damn scared of ruining you.” Her eyes darts away, staring at the space between you. Her fingers loosen from where they're squeezing your hand, but she keeps her hold. “I'm sorry.”

It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The only sound you can hear is her quiet breathing and the distant voices of everyone else.

Bullshit. You think to yourself. Bullshit, bullshit.

Bullshit, because she let you go. bullshit, because she didn't talk to you. But all of that is swept away when you notice her head slowly dip forward, her forehead landing on your shoulder.

Your hands move before your brain even has a chance to think. Your fingers slide into her hair, letting go of her hand so one hand can tangle in the pink strands. It's just a muscle memory, you try to convince yourself.

She turns her face into your neck. You hear her sigh, then she shifts forward, melting into you and closing what space was left between you. Her arms wrap around your waist, her fingers gripping the fabric of your clothes. She's holding on like she's scared you'll slip away, even though she's the one who let you go.

Your other arm down to rest of her hip, keeping her close, keeping her here. She sighs again, her breath ghosting over your skin, your stomach tying itself in knots.

“That night... I hate that night. I hate it so much. I hate that you were crying. I hate that I was the reason. I really never wanted you to feel that way, but I couldn't... I couldn't fix it. I didn't know how to fix it, and I was making everything shitty.” She mutters into your shoulder.

“I would have helped you, if only you'd let me.” Your fingers slide over the back of her neck.

You feel her shake her head against your shoulder, her short hair tickling your neck. “I know. I know you would have. I just... couldn't. I wasn't.... I wasn't in a good place, and I was scared of bringing you down with me.”

“You could have told me.” Your hand moves to trail feather light touches through her hair. “You could have told me you weren't alright. That you weren't in a good place. I would have helped you. I would have been there. You didn't have to push me away.”

“I know. I know.” Her grip tightens around your waist, her hands almost shaking as she holds onto you. “I shouldn't have pushed you away. I was being selfish, and I didn't want you... I didn't want you to deal with my crap. I didn't want you to have to deal with... me.”

“Oh, Violet,” your arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her in closer. “I wouldn't mind having to deal with you. I never minded.”

“Shit, I was so stupid. I was stupid,” she whispers, burying her head into the crook of your neck. “I pushed you away because I was a damn idiot.”

“You're not an idiot,” you murmur, “stupid? Maybe. A damn coward? Yeah, for sure. But an idiot? no, not an idiot.”

“They're the same,” she mumbles.

“No, they aren't. An idiot wouldn't have ended things out of fear, would they? An idiot would keep going until either both of you messed it up or you fell apart. A coward,” you correct yourself, “would end things because they were afraid of ruining something good.” You brush the tips of her hair away from her face, gently tucking the loose strands back.

She's quiet for a long moment, her face still pressed against your neck. “You make me sound smart.”

“Well, you can be sometimes.” Your hands return to her hair. “...you made the dumbest decision possible, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” She tilts her head enough for you to see the side of her face. “I know, I know I did. It was so damn stupid. So... dumb.” She lifts her head higher, her nose bumping into the underside of your jaw. “I'm so damn sorry.”

“I... I forgive you. I do. I do forgive you. But-” Your fingers tighten their grip on her hip. “—you can't do that again, please. Just... don't push me away like that again. Don't be a damn coward again.”

“I won't, I promise I won't.” Her hand releases your shirt, rising to cup the side of your face, her thumb brushing across your cheek. “Not again, I swear. I was a damn coward, but I... I won't be like that again.”

“You're going to have to prove it.” Your own hand comes up to cover her's. You hold her palm against your cheek. “After pulling something like that, you're going to have to prove to me that you won't be a damn coward again.”

Her fingers curl against your skin, thumb tracing shapes over your cheekbone. “However I need to, I will. I'll prove it to you, I will. I'll do it a thousand times over.”

You tilt your head into her touch. “You'd damn well better. I'm not going through that again.” You pause, taking a breath. “You have a lot to make up for, you know.”

“I know,” she murmurs. “I know I do, and I will. I'll make it up to you, any way I can.” Her fingers move across your cheek, tracing gentle lines along your jaw, until they come to rest against the underside of your chin. “Every day, if that's what it takes.”

“Every day,” you repeat.

A smile tilts the corner of her mouth. “Then I guess I better get started, hm?”

notes: genuine question tho, would u go back to your ex? ...asking for a friend :D

taglist: @just-levyy, @padsfirewhisky, @jinxjinxjinx12, @writtenbyhollywood, @cottoncandyclouds-stuff, @eilishxo, @wlwdottcom, @lia-winther

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probably-rk

2 years ago

Permanent Mark Masterlist • Gojo Satoru

When your lover’s past comes back to haunt you, how many times will he choose her over you? When nothing you give was enough to make him stay. Yet, you would still choose him. Everyday.

Genre: Angst

Pairing: Gojo x reader

Status: Ongoing

Warnings: tragedy, alcohol abuse, self-harm, self-destructive reader, smoking, physical violence, cheating, toxic relationships, manipulation…+

Taglist: Closed !!

Playlist

› Part I : Permanent Mark

› Part II : Down

› Part III :Fool

› Part IV : Loose Lips

›Part V :

› Part VI :

› Part VII :

…+

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probably-rk

2 years ago

A Siren’s Sound pt. 3 (Gojo x gn!reader)

In Greek mythology, not many sailors make it out of the sea of sirens alive. But if they do survive their charming singing, the majestic and seductive creatures throw into the ocean and perish. In the Jujutsu world, what happens to the Infinite Void’s user if their victim survives?

Read part 1 and 2 here!

Summary: You finally wake up from your coma but tension arises between you and Satoru.

Content/Warnings: Hurt/comfort, angst, just really sad Gojo, fluff in the end. Events will deviate from the manga so this post is spoiler-free.

Notes: 3 of 3 of my ASS (<– still can’t get over it LMAO) series! Probably my favorite part yet :’)

Words: 10.5k

———-

If it wasn’t for Shoko’s care, you probably would’ve been long dead.

During the first month of your unconsciousness, Satoru refused to leave your side.

For a quick recap, he canceled classes for 1 week and declined any assigned mission for the entire month. The students were told that you were collateral damage by a curse that Gojo was assigned to. Meanwhile, the higher-ups were beyond pissed at the rise of special-grade curses with no eligible sorcerers available to combat them.

Only Shoko and Yaga know the entire truth behind all of this. The two understand the situation, but the elders won’t. If your incident is reported to the higher-ups, they’ll see it as an uncivilized attack against the innocent, cast Satoru out of the Jujutsu world, and declare him as a curse user and an enemy. The elders will use you as their trump card in order to rally the system against the man they can’t seem to put down.

And Satoru antagonizes the idea of you finally getting recognized as the person he almost killed.

Keep reading

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probably-rk

2 years ago

Fave new twitter thread

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probably-rk

6 months ago

ུᩧ JJK TWITTER LINKS P2 !

৻ꪆ instructions. before clicking, you must be logged into your acc and have twitter open in order for these links to function .

TOJI FUSHIGURO. ꒱‎

passenger princess. ⋆ putting you to bed with no complaints. ⋆ he’s got that good fucking dick. ⋆ putting you in a mating press. ⋆ giving toji a sloppy bj. ⋆ using you as his fuck toy.

CHOSO KAMO. ꒱‎

he’s such a dumb puppy. ⋆ his favorite gamer girl. ⋆ bottoming out n cumming. ⋆ choso spooning you. ⋆ straddling his lap. ⋆ fucking you on his gaming table. ⋆ how he wakes you up.

NANAMI KENTO. ꒱‎

prettily sucking dick. ⋆ pathetically grinding on his boot. ⋆ nanami with a hidden oral fixation. ⋆ smacking your backside. ⋆ cowgirl ver of ‘you’re just a girl.’ ⋆ riding him in cute lingerie.

GOJO SATORU. ꒱‎

kinky shit with gojo. ⋆ going down on him. ⋆ fucking your holes. ⋆ reversed cowgirl. ⋆ doggy with the bear he got you. ⋆ bouncing on his dick. ⋆ delicious backshots. ⋆ fucking you in a maid costume.

GETO SUGURU. ꒱‎

satisfying ghostface with your tongue. ⋆ messy deepthroat. ⋆ fucking in his car. ⋆ gun kink. ⋆ he’s got you chained up. ⋆ such a squishy ass. ⋆ hitting it on them janky ass seats. ⋆ riding him.

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probably-rk

5 months ago

── 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : VI.

content: 2k words ! fem reader, pit fighter!vi, fwb dynamic. this is obviously sapphic. vi tops and she has a strap, rough sεx, cunnilingus, spit, slapping (not on the face), usage of petnames like 'princess' and 'baby', a lil angsty and tense, mentions of sεx work, p<3rn with plot!!

— . ｡˚ ♡ turns out, vi needed a rebound too.

vi is rougher and quieter than usual tonight.

shedding her clothes and pulling on the strap you've left on the bedside table for her, she climbs wordlessly onto your creaky mattress to get to you. you've been laying in bed for hours, all dolled up for her, and she doesn't really even look at you— it makes your heart sink a little.

you wrap your arms around her anyway, allowing her to touch you, and with a soft sigh, she gives the swell of your chest a kiss, 'hello'.

the pallid light coming through your window outlines her body in pale blue, and her smell invades your senses as she leans into your body, pressing her weight on you.

gripping the soft underside of your thighs harshly, digging her nails into your tender skin, she pushes your knees to your chest. "you missed me, princess?"

"mmm, i did." you're looking at her with the most innocent gaze you can muster, eyes wet and lips pouty, and she leans in to give them a kiss just like you want her to. her mouth tastes sour enough of sweat and cheap alcohol to make you wince— but when she pulls back, you feel a twinge of disappointment that it doesn't last long enough.

fresh out of a fight, she's still full of adrenaline — and wastes no time on foreplay. hooking your legs over those broad shoulders of hers, she spits onto your cunt and gets right to it.

her eyes roll halfway back into her head as she slips the strap into your cunt, like she can feel the way your pussy grips it. throwing her head back, she moans hoarsely, in sync with the sweet whine that comes out of your mouth as she rolls her hips into yours, sliding the strap all the way in. "that's a good girl, fuck."

yes. you are a good girl. her good girl.

vi has been coming to you every night or so, for a few months now — and at first it was just a good deal of sex for you both. but lately, you've found yourself less interested in the sex she offers you, and more interested in the woman herself.

your room is dark, like it always is when she comes over, and the harsh pleasure she gives you always turns your mind cloudy — but nothing can sway the watchful gaze you fix onto vi whenever you're in her arms. through half-closed eyes, you count the nicks and bruises that line the base of her throat and her shoulders and arms. the scratches and cuts, redder because she's flushed, drunk and exerting herself.

twelve new marks since last time. you wonder if she won tonight's fight or if she lost. the way she fucks you doesn't make a difference, so you can't tell — what you do know is that she comes to you seeking an escape from frustrations that stem from something unrelated to the fights entirely.

and whatever it is, it frustrates her a lot.

she seems especially bothered tonight. you try to hold onto her, nails scratching at her muscled back as you struggle to maintain your grip. her pace is dizzying, and her grip on your body doesn't get lighter. she fucks you nearly like she wants you dead. "vi, vi—"

"you're doin' good, baby." she hisses, eyes shut. "g'nna make you cum in a bit, kay? just let me see you take my strap first. pretty thing."

and you take it — like a good girl. how could you not? when she acts like she's ravenous about you? when, with how she puts those dead eyes and calloused hands and busted lips on you, she makes you feel something no one else ever has?

she looks so good, too — so hot, with the dark hair, the ashy streaks running down her face, the lipstick smudged down her bottom lip that's just slightly fuller than her top lip — and the muscles, god.

her tits aren't nearly big enough to hang in your face while she's on top, but they bounce a little with each snap of her hips, and the sight mesmerizes you. she laughs softly when your pussy squelches for her — and it makes your heart flutter. fuck. you might just be in love with this ghost of a woman. "vi, please."

"you like that?" she hums, landing a kiss on the side of your knee that leaves a bit of lipstick stained on your skin. "y'like it when i fuck you to bits?"

"mhm," you choke out, keeping your eyes on her so you don't miss it when she looks at you. "wanna cum, make me cum, please."

the strap slides out of you as smoothly as it slid in — and heat rises to your cheeks when vi stares at how your cunt clenches around nothing. "can't say no to you when you ask so nicely." she reaches up to brush a stray strand of hair out of your face, giving you that half-smile that makes your heart twist just as much as your gut.

"look at you." she lowers her face to your chest, lips tracing kisses downward. one hand comes up to squeeze at your tits, soft and sharp at the same time, index finger and thumb teasing your nipple and making you keen. "pretty, pretty thing."

she nudges your legs apart, getting comfortable between them. her other hand toys with your cunt, middle and ring finger slowly coaxing their way into your hole like she's learning to be gentle now. your body tenses with anticipation, feeling the way her lips get closer and closer to where you want them to go. "ngh. just—please."

the first flick of her tongue on your clit makes you gasp, body rocking in reaction— and vi slaps your thigh. "shhh," is all she says, but it makes you behave. she spreads your pussy open with her fingers like it's a flower, and takes you whole.

the wet sounds of a mouth on a cunt fill your shoddy little room, and you moan and shudder in vi's arms, caged in her hold as she draws the orgasm out of you.

and she does it so quickly, having learned what touches of her tongue your clit likes best, how you like having her fingers, when to add the extra tug to your nipples. she makes you go insane so easily.

like she took the time to figure out how to do it. like she cared enough to do that. like she might just l—

the white-hot rush of pleasure hits you, and all your thoughts dissipate. you grab vi's hair, digging your fingers into the dyed locks, keeping her face where you want it. "mmm, fuck, just like that—vi, just like that, please—"

she slaps your thigh again, but you relent only slightly. she licks up your slick, adjusting her position so she can fuck you better with her fingers, and you tremble under her as she curls her digits into your sweetest spots, wave after wave of bliss washing over you with each touch. the bed creaks like the weak boards under your mattress might snap, but you don't even hear it. "god."

once you're not shaking so much anymore, the high peaking and falling past, she comes up and kisses you — and you know your face and body are full of inky lipstick marks by now. it's almost romantic.

then, it's over.

vi pulls away, letting go of you and sitting up.

"ugh." you slump into the bed, hiding the pang of hurt that fills you. "you . . . don't want me to do you? or . . get you a drink?"

"not tonight. think i'm wasted enough." vi wipes her mouth off, stretching her neck to one side till there's a pop — and gets off the bed. you notice how her lips are entirely clean of the onyx that they were. "hey, you sure you don't want me to pay you?"

and there it is. the moment of intimacy dissolves like a grain of sugar into the vastness of the sea. it's home time.

"no, it's fine." you wave her off, turning away. you watch discreetly through your mirror as she looks around at the little box you live in.

"are you sure? . . i can cough something up." she asks again, and though you're slightly offended, you know what she means. your place is a single room that's barely a six by ten, small rickety bed and a desk with the mirror, a rack for the few clothes you own, and nothing else really. you share a bathroom and kitchen with two other girls across the street. and you have vi each night.

you need nothing else. "yeah, i'm good. and i don't do that anymore, anyway." you tell her.

"alright." vi pulls her clothes back on, and you're just a little sad to see her body covered away again. you did love getting your eyefuls of those slight curves and sleek muscles, and the tatts. "why'd you stop, though? working, i mean."

you think of how you used to feel, seeing clients and letting them fawn over you for the night. handing you a wad of cash and walking out at the end of it. back then, it was what you needed— but the moment you didn't need it anymore, you’d signed out.

you'd only agreed to hook up with vi because it seemed harmless enough. made your nights a little less lonelier, gave you some company. you hadn’t expected money or to catch feelings.

the answer to her question rises up your throat, but you find it a bit ironic — and you know vi is a good person. if she finds out that you're yearning for more than what's between you two at the moment, she may just see herself out of your life, so as to not hurt you. and you didn't want that. you wanted vi, even if it was only like this.

the real answer to her question rests at the base of your throat like an ache, throbbing a little along with the parts of your body vi had gripped a little too harshly. i didn't like to feel used.

but you shrug your shoulders and say, "well, i just didn't need it anymore."

vi doesn't answer, only turns to leave. "will you come tomorrow?" you ask, trying not to sound like you want her to come.

"probably." vi answers, out of the door already. "stay safe, princess." then she's gone, and you're alone again.

the dreary darkness of your room surrounds you once more, and you feel hot and sticky. ignoring the discomfort, you slump into your bed again, realizing how painfully little you know about vi. yes, she's jinx's older sister. yes, she's nothing like her. yes, she's beautiful — handsome; ghost-pale, dark red roots showing through the dyed black hair, sad eyes lit up with need.

you loved those nights when she would let you reciprocate and make her feel good. when she would ask for a drink or two. when she would ask to stay the night, and you'd let her sleep on your chest. she wrapped her arms around your body then, holding you both like she's protecting you and like she wants you to keep her safe. and you'd hold her, stroke her hair, and stay awake praying the morning comes late.

and then there are nights like tonight — where she's quieter and more distant. where she leaves too soon. like she's holding herself back. it infuriates you, almost. you want to ask her what she wants. you want to tell her what you want.

shifting your stare from the ceiling to your door that hangs ajar, you let out a heavy sigh. next time, maybe you'll ask her. maybe you'll tell her. maybe. if the surge of body-and-mind desperation to make the moment last long enough doesn't overthrow everything else, you will. but you know it'll be easier said than done.

vi melts you like shaved ice in the sun. she softens you, turns you sweet. you feel alive with those dead eyes, calloused hands and busted lips on you. being wanted by her gives you a sense of meaning. and you'll do anything if it means holding her a little longer.

if that meant this, simply getting to be her good girl for a night and nothing more — then so be it.