#''why were you looking this up'' needed to know if they had liquid perfumes

[mqfx]

today you're learning about scents and olfactory culture in ancient Chinese history. actually on that note I don't wanna hear any of your stupid omega bullshit unless this is part of it

interesting screenshots below (will add alt text when I get home!)

[kairoot]

TEETH ⌇ SJY

SINK MY TEETH IN YA— jake has been hiding a huge secret from you—he’s a vampire. after going six months without feeding, his control is slipping, especially when he's around you, sensing your blood. when you notice his strange behavior and confront him, he brushes it off. but soon, he can’t hide it anymore and reveals the truth, expecting you to be scared. instead, he’s shocked when you offer to let him feed from you.

𝓅𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 vamp!jake x 𝑓．𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 esatablished relationship , thriller (?) , suggestive 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 biting.. (jake is a vamp hello…), kissing, physical touch, etc. — ℳ𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴：layout insp by sav bb 🤍. please reblog and/or leave feedback. it is greatly appreciated !— 𝐌𝐒𝐅.

“you ready, babe?” jake asked, walking in the bedroom while still running a comb through his gelled hair.

you adjusted the necklace in the mirror, moving it around to your liking.

“almost.”

jake chuckled to himself, knowing it always took you a while to get yourself dolled up and you’d stand in the mirror until you actually liked what you were wearing.

“you look fine, baby.” he appeared behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, holding you close to him.

you sighed, not believing him but prepared to leave anyway. you both decided to attend the town’s halloween party tonight (you begged jake to go), seeing as you don’t really go out as much as you used to. when you and jake started dating, you both attended nearly every gathering there was. but jake had suddenly become uninterested in going out.

you wondered why, seeing as he always seemed like a people person to you but after some thought, you figured he just wanted to stay in and enjoy each other in private. you didn’t mind it, but a part of you missed the lively atmosphere.

jake still clung to you, placing his face in the crook of your neck.

“what perfume are you wearing tonight? smells so good..” he mumbled, almost slurring, taking in whatever scent it was. the smell was so intoxicating, he almost felt faint.

“i didn’t put any on yet,” you giggled, not noticing his grip on you tighten and the slight tension in his body.

now jake was confused. if you didn’t have any perfume on, why was your scent so strong? it seemed irresistible.

but once he thought about it, the answer popped in his head. before he could pull away, a searing pain shot through the front of his mouth, causing his hand to fly up to hold it.

you turned around when you heard him let out a painful groan, placing a hand on his jaw, giving him a concerned look.

“is everything okay?” you questioned, waiting for him to answer as his face contorted in discomfort.

jake had realized that it’s been nearly 6 months since he had a taste of the red liquid that kept him alive. he had been feasting as if he were human and could live off of normal meals. but he should have known that wasn’t the case. he thought he could handle it— pretend to be human. but now his control was slipping.

jake swallowed hard, stepping back from your touch. “i’m fine.” he muttered, but his voice lacked conviction, and he couldn’t meet your eyes. he took another step back from you, sitting on the edge of your bed.

you could sense that something was wrong, a strange tension in the air. “jake.. what’s going on?”

he exhaled shakily, his facade crumbling. he didn’t want to tell you, but he knew he couldn’t keep this hidden much longer. not with the way your scent was overwhelming him, making his throat burn with need.

his hands rested beside him as he gripped the bedding, trying to calm himself down. he avoided any eye contact with you, scared that he’d immediately lose all self-control.

“baby, we don’t have go this party if you’re not feeling well—“

jake shook his head, forcing a smile that didn’t really reach his eyes, “no, i’m fine. i promised you we’d go.”

you hesitated, not at all convinced by his words. his body had relaxed a bit more but you could tell he was holding back on something, “are you sure, jake?”

jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “i’ll be okay, babe, honestly. i just need a distraction.” he finally looked at you, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “you’ve been looking forward to this. don’t let me ruin it for you.”

you smiled softly, walking toward him to hold brush your hand against his cheek. “alright.. but i’m driving,” you said, grabbing the car keys from the dresser. “i’m not letting you behind the wheel when you look like you’re about to faint.”

jake chuckled slightly, but there was no argument. he followed you out of the bedroom, the tension between you both still lingering. you hoped the party would actually distract him, seeing as you had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling you.

as you made your way to the car, you glanced at him, seeing the way his jaw clenched. he seemed so distant and you couldn’t help but worry about what the night would bring.

you both arrived at the party’s venue— a large but old mansion decked out with eerie decorations. pumpkins were scattered across the yard while cobwebs covered the corners of the porch. the sound of laughter and music was heard from the open doors of the house.

you turned the car off, sitting there for a moment before getting out. you wanted to ask jake what was really on his mind or what was bothering him.

“baby,” you called for him but no answer. he was distracted and looking at whatever was going on outside the passenger window.

“jaeyun.” your hand touched his arm this time, catching his attention. he hummed in response, turning his head to face forward now.

you shuffled closer to him, your chest pressed against the side of him.

“you know you can talk to me right?”

instead of answering, he sighed, lowering his head. if you kept asking about what was bothering him, he’d have no choice but to tell you. he hated keeping things from you especially because he knew you only wanted him to feel better and you wanted the best for him.

you leaned in to press soft kisses along his jaw, making him exhale softly. your hand made its way to his chin, turning his head so he was facing you.

you pecked his lips a couple of times before pulling away slightly to look him the eyes. they seemed darker tonight, the usual spark in them looked like it had disappeared.

"jaeyun, i mean it," you whispered against his skin. "if you're not feeling up to this, we don't have to go in. we can just head home, or even sit here for a while. i just want you to be okay."

jake closed his eyes briefly, his hand slipping down to rest on your thigh. his grip was firmer than usual, as if grounding himself with your touch. he wanted to tell you, wanted to explain the storm that was building inside him-but the words wouldn't come. not yet.

"i'm fine, really," he finally said, though even you could hear the strain in his voice.

"alright," you said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear.

"but if at any point you're feeling worse, we'll leave, okay?"

jake nodded, though you noticed the way his fingers twitched against your leg.

with that, you both stepped out of the car. the cool night air hit you immediately, the atmosphere of the party drawing you in as you made your way toward the mansion. you could hear the music more clearly now, and the sounds of people laughing and talking grew louder with every step. the porch creaked slightly underfoot as you climbed the stairs, and the glow of jack-o'-lanterns flickered in the dim light, casting long shadows across the yard.

jake walked beside you, quieter than usual. you glanced at him, still feeling that nagging worry tugging at your chest, but you didn't press him any further. not yet.

“hey, you made it!” one of your friends called out from the entrance, waving excitedly as you and jake made your way inside. you returned the wave, feeling a little lighter now that you were here.

the inside of the mansion was just as lively. the grand ballroom was filled with people dancing, their costumes a blur of color under the dim, spooky lighting. fake bats and skeletons hung from the chandeliers, and fog machines pumped mist across the floor, creating an eerie, dreamlike atmosphere.

you turned to jake, who was scanning the room, his eyes darting from person to person. you noticed the way his jaw clenched again, the same tension from earlier creeping back into his posture.

“you okay?” you asked, touching his arm.

“yeah, just… a lot of people,” he muttered, his voice tight.

you frowned, your concern growing. he usually loved being around crowds, but tonight, he seemed different—on edge.

“why don’t we grab a drink?” you suggested, hoping to distract him. “maybe that’ll help.”

jake hesitated, his eyes still fixed on the crowd, but eventually nodded. “yeah. sure.”

you led the way to the drink table, but as you walked through the sea of partygoers, you noticed the way he kept glancing around, making you think he was looking for something—or someone.

you both made your way through the crowd after getting drinks, but something about jake’s energy felt off. he was quieter than usual, not fully engaging with anyone who greeted him, his hand gripping yours just a little too tightly. every so often, you caught him looking around, almost like he was on edge, but when you asked him if everything was okay, he brushed it off with a forced smile.

“i’m fine, i’m okay” he would say, but you weren’t convinced.

the party went on for a while, but jake grew more distant with every passing minute. eventually, you both decided to leave early, the fun of the night overshadowed by jake’s strange behavior. he seemed relieved as you left the venue, though the tension between you still lingered.

when you arrived home, the atmosphere had shifted again. jake seemed distracted, his body tense as if he was trying to hold something back. you went into the kitchen to grab a snack, thinking over the night’s events.

as you were cutting up your fruit for a late snack, a sharp pain ran across your finger as you sliced it while using the kitchen knife. you hissed, dropping the knife as you instinctively pressed your other hand to the cut.

“damnit,” you muttered, holding your hand under the sink to clean it. as you did, you noticed jake’s sudden stillness. he hadn’t moved from his spot in the doorway, his eyes locked on your hand.

his gaze was fixated on the small trail of blood now dripping from your hand, his breathing heavier than before.

“it’s just a cut,” you said softly, noticing the strange look in his eyes. but as you stepped toward him, his expression darkened, a hunger creeping into his features that made your heart skip a beat.

“you should… get that cleaned up,” he muttered, his voice low and strained. “i’ll get the bandages.” he said, but his eyes never left your finger.

but before you could move, jake was suddenly closer to you, his body tense and his breathing ragged as if he was fighting against something. you could feel the heat of his presence, the way his eyes darkened as he watched the blood still pooling at your fingertip.

“jake, what’s really going on?” you asked, your voice soft but filled with concern. “you’ve been acting strange all night..”

he hesitated, his jaw clenched, but you could see the struggle in his eyes.

he wanted to pull away, but he leaned in instead, his nose brushing against your skin as he inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering shut. “your blood.. the smell is driving me insane.”

your breath caught in your throat. “..what does that mean?”

he swallowed hard, his eyes dark and filled with a hunger you’d never seen before. “i haven’t fed in months, y/n,” he confessed, his voice raw. “i tried to stay away from it, i swear.“

you stared at him, the weight of his confession settling over you like a heavy fog. “you… you’re a—?” the words felt foreign on your tongue, but jake’s pained expression told you everything you needed to know.

he nodded slowly, stepping back as if ashamed. “i didn’t want you to find out like this. i’m so sorry.”

you were quiet for a moment, processing everything. then, despite the fear and the shock coursing through you, you made a decision. “then take it.”

jake’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “w-what?”

“my blood,” you said, your voice steady even though your heart was racing. “if you need it, then take it. i trust you.”

jake shook his head. “baby, you know i can’t do that. i don’t wanna hurt you..”

“you won’t,” you whispered, moving back until you were pressed against the door, his body hovering over yours. “i know you won’t. i trust you, jake.”

his eyes searched yours, desperate and conflicted, but the hunger was too strong to resist. with a shuddering breath, he leaned in, his hands holding the sides of your neck as his lips brushed against the skin.. “tell me to stop,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

you shook your head, breath shuttering as you tilted your head back. his arms encircled your waist, pulling you closer.

“bite me,” you whispered once more, your hands gripping his shoulders as you waited to feel that small pinch.

jake’s fangs elongated as he wasted no time sinking his teeth in you. you gasped softly, the feeling being a mix a pain and ecstasy.

a deep groan of relief escapes his lips, the satisfaction of finally feeding without blood overwhelming him. his grip tightened on your hips as he pulled you closer, nearly losing control (again).

jake pulled away before he could drink any more, his lips tinted red before his tongue darted out to clean it up. he pecked the bite mark, hoping it would soon feel better.

you clung to him, almost hypnotized by the feeling of his teeth against your skin. he looked in your eyes, chuckling at the dazed look you gave him.

“you okay, princess?” he asks as his hand brushed away the strands of your hair.

you nodded, way too distracted to even give him a verbal response.

“c-can you do that again?”

🖇️. @wonsdoll @mimismenu @yourssincerely-mimi @riribelle @nerdimoo @sngleehee @elysianiki — only accepting 40 people.

🝮. @k-films

[luvyeni]

❛LOVE POTIONS❜ ( p. wonbin )

💬nia’s notes: HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE🎃🤍!! if you’re going out plz be safe🖤

p. warlock!wonbinx fem!reader w. 1.5k+

warnings? aphrodisiac usage, unprotected sex, dirty talk, public sex

— 𖦹 ( asking your best friend to make a sex potion for you turns into him fucking you at work ) !

freaktober masterlist

“Do you know how to make sex potions?” Wonbin looked up from his phone, the door to the magic shop locked up for the night, both of you in there alone. “S-sex potions?” he stuttered. “Why do you need to know how to make those?”

It was none of his business, he knew that you guys were only best-friends, but that didn’t stop his huge crush on you, or his ongoing fantasies about you and him.“Well it’s mines and haechan’s third date , and I think he wants to you know.” he was annoyed , of course you were doing this for that vampire senior , everything you did recently was for him. “Sex potions aren’t always safe.” he said. “It could go wrong.”

“I know, but you’re the smartest warlock i know.” he smiled at the praise. “And i really want to make him happy.” he sighed, he wished you’d do this for him, he could do so much better, be so much better if you only have him a chance. “Fine.” he said, you smiled. “i’ll make it for you, and bring it tomorrow.” you clapped, running up to him, hugging him.

later that night, he was reading the spell over and over. “He doesn’t deserve this.” he said, finding all the ingredients. “He doesn’t deserve you.” he has to calm himself down, he shouldn’t get too angry while doing this – throwing the last ingredient in, it was finished. he held the perfume bottle up, the pink liquid moving around. “You wouldn’t have to do this me.”

the next day, you skipped into the store the next day – he smiled, he always did when you came into the store for your shift. “Hey bestie.” you sat on the counter next to him, you sniffed the air, looking at him. “Are you wearing a new perfume?” he nodded shyly, smiling. “It smells good.” you said. “Did you, do it?” he hesitated, nodding. “Yeah.” he pulled it out of his pocket. “Just a little to your neck only when get around him.”

you took the bottle, inspecting it. “Why?” you questioned, he coughed embarrassed. “it’s a sex potion, if you use this around anyone but him, they’re gonna get you know.” he trailed off. “Oh, okay” you understood. “Thanks again wonbin i owe you big one.” you said hopping off the counter, making your way to the back, leaving him feeling happy as he rang up the customers.

you watched the last customer leave, locking the door flipping the open sign to close. “let’s start cleaning for the night.” he nodded, stretching his shirt lifting a bit, your eyes examined his body, you never noticed how toned his stomach was, he even had abs, he definitely had grown a bit since you guys were kids. “(name)?” wonbin waved his hand in your face. “You, okay?” you nodded, confused – what the hell was that? “i’m fine.” you chalked it up to you being tired. “let’s just clean, so we can head out.”

“Stupid ass high shelves.” you jumped up trying to put back the returned items. “i’m gonna kill whoever broke that damn step stool.” you grunted, struggling to put the items on the shelf. “Let me help.” wonbin’s arms reached over top of your head, his scent engulfing you, that same scent from earlier filling your nostril’s, you were surprised that it lasted that long.

“Th-thanks.” you turned tilting your head up to look at him, when did your friend get so attractive, it was so weird, these new feelings that popped out from nowhere. “(yn?)” he stood in front of you now. “Are you sure you, okay? you keep spacing out.” he looked at you concerned. “You look sick, you want to sit down, let’s sit you down.” he grabbed your hand, guiding you. “Wait.”

You stopped, he turned to you. “what’s wrong?” you couldn’t help yourself; you didn’t understand why you did it, but you grabbed his face, kissing him. you tangled your hands into his hair, kissing him deeper – your mind filled with nothing but him.

wonbin pulled away, holding your face in his hands. “i-i’m so sorry.” you stuttered out. “i don’t know why i did that, i couldn’t help it.” he didn’t say anything, pushing you against the shelf, slamming his lip into yours, slipping his tongue into your mouth, his hands traveled down to your waist lifting you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. “Bin.”

you moaned as he began to kiss your neck, sucking leaving little marks. “Bin, please i need you so bad, it hurts.” he groaned, your voice was filled with so much need. “Yeah?” he whispered against your skin. “How bad do you need me?” you whined as his hand rubbed higher and higher up your thighs. “Need you to fuck me.”

his hand came up, cupping your heat, you moaned. “you’re so wet.” he rubbed you through your panties. “Got so worked up over a little kissing, i didn’t even do anything.” he smirked, pressing on your clit. “you’re so sensitive, you’re about to cum already just from from me touching your little clit.”

you were never this sensitive, you never came just from someone touching your clit, so it was such a shock when you found yourself moaning his name as you came, messing up your panties. “Fuck!”

he carried you over to the counter, laying your body down. “bin, i need more.” you whined, pawing at his pants. “i want you inside me.” he cursed under his breathed, you looked so pretty, your eyes so fucked out, clothes disheveled, so ready for him to fuck you. “Fu-fuck baby okay.”

he quickly stripped himself of his pants, slotting himself in between your legs. “You ready?” he rubbed his cock up your folds, you mewled, nodding. “Please fuck me, i need you so bad.” not letting you wait any longer, easing himself inside your hole. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

he seethed himself inside you fully, groaning at how you fit around his cock. “sh-shit you’re so perfect.” he pulled almost fully out, slamming back inside you. “wonbin , fuck!” you screamed as he thrusted inside of you. “Fu-fuck your pussy is perfect, sucking me in like this.”

he dreamed for this day – night after night of him fucking his fist to the thought of you spread out like this , his cock stretching your cunt to its max. “so much better than i imagined , your pussy was made to take my cock.” you moaned , never did you imagine that you’d be fucking your best friend , but it felt so good , you didn’t want this to be the last time. “don’t want you to stop.” he smirked. “Please never stop.”

he spread your legs, hitting a deeper spot, you screamed, clenching around him. “gonna fuck you all the time now.” he groaned. “Only i can fuck you like this, that senior doesn’t deserve to see you like this.” he said rubbing your clit. “you’re mine, alright, my mate.” he grunted. “gonna fuck you full of my cum.” you dumbly nodded, not fully understanding why he was talking about. “Please cum inside me.”

he was in heaven, your cunt sucking him in, desperate for him to cum inside your cunt. “Want my cum that bad -shit- fuck you nice and full?” he slapped your cunt, you yelp. “Yes, please cum inside me, i’m gonna cum!” you screamed, forgetting that you were still in the store, luckily no one was in there. “Please cum inside me.”

his thrust faltering, his body hovering over yours as he rutted his cock sloppily into you. “sh-shit i’m gonna cum, cum with me, want you to cum with me.” he said, rubbing your clit much harsher. “Fuck, i’m cumming!” both of you moaning out as you came, his cum shooting into your hole, filling you up. “Fuck.” he cursed, his head dropping into your neck, breathing heavily. “sh-shit that was amazing.” he said, you hummed coming down from your blissful high.

he pulled out, his cum slowly dripping out. “i’m sorry, i made a mess.” he said shyly, you laughed. “How can you be so shy after fucking me like you just did.” you shook your head. “Just help me get cleaned up and take me home.”

he took you home, you invited him in, both of you showering together where round two happened before you actually showered, getting dressed in some comfortable clothes, order food, ending the night with some cuddles.

“What are you gonna tell haechan?” you shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, he won’t be that hurt, he’s a hot vampire, there are plenty of other desperate witches at our university.” he laughed. “weren’t you one of those desperate witches.” you glared at him. “Watch it, you might be cute, and can make me cum, but i’ll still turn you into a goat.” he laughed. “you’d miss me too much.” you hummed.

“ i think you’d miss me more, cause then who else would you spray a sexual aphrodisiac on yourself for.” his eyes widened, you laughed. “You knew?” he said. “It washed away in the shower dummy.” he was embarrassed. “don’t be embarrassed, i’m not mad.” you climbed on top of him. “y-you’re not?” you shook your head. “Next time use vanilla scent.” he took note. “w-why vanilla.”

“Because it’s my favorite scent and if you use it i’ll suck your cock until you cum down my throat.”

©LUVYENI

[acourtofwhatthefuck]

Our Home (Azriel x Reader)

Hiiii. This one has long been in the works. It's the follow-up part to this little one I did called "Why Are You Still Here?"

Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Some alcohol use. Angst. Discussions surrounding mental health. Suggestion of infidelity.

✧: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

You were not where you wanted to be. And you did not know where you fit anymore.

Solace had once been the home you’d made your own. It had once been the warmth and security of your mate’s arms. A life. A belonging.

It was never supposed to be dark, dingy taverns and drinking yourself to oblivion. You were aware of your hypocrisy — that you were now no better than Azriel, himself, had been.

But you didn’t know what else to do. How else to keep patching over the wound that was opening you up from the inside.

Three days and nights away from Azriel felt like three centuries. Three days and nights spent on Amren’s couch, your ears barely catching the way she groused at you about making things up with your mate — and getting out of her hair. You knew that she only had your best interests at heart; a swarm of concern wrapped up in sharp, barbed words and orders. 

Stop sulking, girl, and speak to your mate. Wallowing on the couch and taking up my space doesn’t do either of you any good. If he knocks on my door and asks to speak to you again, I’m letting him in this time. Stupid, foolish children in love.

You knew that she was right. You’d asked Az to give you a few days…and for what? So you could get yourself into a clear enough headspace to talk to him.

So, no, the wisest choice had not been to end up in a bar on the other side of town — but here you were. If Azriel could spend months upon months pushing you away, indulging in self-serving vices…so could you.

You whiled away the hours on refills of whiskey and off-kilter music and the presence of numerous males coming up to you and offering to buy you another drink — all of which you politely turned away. You weren’t there for attention, or to feel wanted…the mere thought of looking at somebody other than your mate—

It took you right back to the possibility that Azriel may have done just that. That he’d come stumbling home after hours of unexplained absence, stinking to the high heavens of booze and cloying perfume. You wanted — needed — to believe that there was some other, reasonable explanation. That there was no way the male tied to your soul would fall into the arms of somebody else.

But the truth was that you just did not know anymore. He’d successfully pushed you away enough to fill you with doubt.

The feeling was far worse than any battle wound. Far more excruciating than the critical injury you’d received during the war with Hybern. This pain was like a sickness, spreading through you, slicing at you, becoming you. This pain could tear you apart, limb from limb.

“The same again, please.” You rasped, sliding your empty glass towards the pretty barmaid. She eyed you cautiously before fulfilling your request. The amber liquid didn’t burn quite as much this time. 

But it seemed that no amount of alcohol was giving you the desired effect. Drink after drink after drink, and you still didn’t feel it seeping into your bones and blood and carrying you off to a place that wasn’t as painful. You may as well have been pouring the drinks straight onto the floor, rather than down your throat.

Still, you remained sitting at that same spot at the bar, nursing your drink and studying the nicks and callouses of your weapon-worn hands as your heavy thoughts bombarded you. Where would you sleep tonight? You were sure Amren would growl at you if you turned up at her door again. You could go to the River House, but you didn’t want to cause any disruption or upset for Nyx. And it seemed that both the House of Wind and the Town House were a no-go — that Az could be staying at either. Something told you that he was unlikely to be at the house you shared together, but…you didn’t want to go there, either.

Perhaps you would just drink yourself so stupid that you’d eventually curl up on a bench and fall asleep without feeling the cold.

The cold. It swept in, encasing you from behind as somebody entered the tavern, their heavy footsteps carrying across the wooden floor. You paid them no mind, not interested in the various other punters around you. You hunched over your drink, tracing your finger over the rim of the glass, and you didn’t bother to look up even when the stool was pulled out beside you.

“Before you say anything,” you murmured, too used, now, to the sleazy routine of the males around you, “no, you cannot buy me a drink.” 

“Good.” Azriel’s voice came quietly from beside you. “I don’t think it’d be wise for you to have another.”

That voice — deep and smooth and rich. A voice that had spoken countless I love yous, that had breathed quiet laughs at your shared, inside jokes, that had moaned your name in peace and pleasure. A voice that had always been a comfort to you.

It now twisted your stomach. Filled you with a sickening anxiety. You no longer knew what words would be spoken in that voice. You weren’t sure you were ready for them.

Your body tense, you slowly turned your head to meet your mate’s eyes. The look that sat on his face, in his hazel stare…it was one of beautiful agony. Of stunning, twisted devastation.

A flawless face marred by pain.

Azriel studied you, and you couldn’t help wondering what he saw on your face. Besides your cheeks being flushed from the alcohol, and your eyes red-raw from days of weeping. Whatever he found there…it made him flinch.

“What are you doing here?” You willed your voice to sound strong, but it was weak. Pathetic. 

“I followed your scent from Amren’s apartment to here.” He swallowed. “And given that this was where we had our first drink together…”

You looked around. Pretended that such a thought hadn’t dawned on you, even though that exact spot in the corner was where you and Azriel had sat for hours that first night, drinking and talking and laughing. 

You’d known, by the time that he’d walked you home, that you were going to spend the rest of your existence with him.

Or so you’d thought. You weren’t so sure, now.

“Finish your drink.” Azriel nodded to your glass. “We’re going home.”

You snorted, turning back to your glass. The liquid sloshed as you lifted it to your lips. “That’s not been home for a long while. It’s just…bricks and mortar and pain.”

He paused. “That’s not true.”

“Is it not, Azriel? You can’t seem to stand spending any time there, either—”

“I want to talk to you about all of this, Y/N.” He stared at you seriously. Pleadingly. “Just…not here. Please.”

Because Azriel was a staunchly private person.

And maybe he didn’t love you anymore. The thought — though complete agony — was entirely possible.

But he wouldn’t end your relationship in the same place it had begun. 

So you drained your glass, savouring the feeling of the liquid sliding down your throat. And then you set it down on the bar, and turned to face him.

“Where is your coat?” He studied the thin tunic and breeches that did nothing to keep out the cold.

You shrugged a shoulder. “Left it at Amren’s, I guess.” 

“It’s freezing outside.”

“Oh, now you care—”

The clearing of a throat stopped you both in your tracks. You glanced at the young barmaid who stared between the two of you uncomfortably. She had the same look that most people adopted in Azriel’s presence — awe and fear at their High Lord’s spymaster.

“I’m sorry, but,” she cleared her throat again, straightening out her shoulders, “if you two are going to have a domestic, I’m going to have to ask you to take it outside…”

Beside you, Azriel’s cheeks pinkened. “We’re not.” He said brusquely. “We’re leaving.”

Before you could offer your own response, he was tugging you from the barstool and draping his heavy jacket around your shoulders. It swamped you a ridiculous amount, and when he actually stopped in front of you to fasten the buttons, you scowled and stepped out of reach.

“I’m not a child.” You said. “Let’s just…go.”

It was hard to not feel like a child as you meandered your way to the door in that preposterously large coat, the arms swinging and the material swallowing you up. Azriel remained a step behind, following you out into the icy night air. You walked a few paces in a still silence, only stopping to face him when you were well out of earshot of the bar. 

“So.” It was instinctive — the way you wrapped his jacket around yourself. Not something you were wholly aware of doing. Though you were certainly aware of the way you very pointedly sniffed it, looking for some trace of that sweet scent you’d smelled before. But…nothing. “Which house do you want to finish with me in? Ours? The Town House? The House of Wind? We could go to the River House, but I don’t think Rhys or Feyre would appreciate the performance—-”

“Is that what you think?” Azriel cut you off, the pain on his face moulding into something stiller. Icier. “That I’m finishing our relationship?”

You shrugged. And you hated — utterly hated — being so confrontational. This wasn’t you. And some small part of it could be blamed on the alcohol, yes, but…mostly…mostly, you were just at your wit’s end.

After months of trying to reach him calmly, compassionately. Months and months of trying to talk to him gently, to get him to open up to you. It had gotten you nowhere.

You felt your only option, now, was to shuck off that soft, soothing exterior, and go hard. Go real. 

“I don’t know what to think,” you retorted. “You don’t speak to me anymore — besides the occasional grunt. And given that I’m not a gods-damned mind-reader—”

“I am not finishing things with you.” Azriel snapped — so loud, so harsh, so unlike him, that you stopped in your tracks. “Not now, and not ever.”

You stared at him, already feeling your hard demeanour slipping. The words — though a small relief — were hard to believe. Hard to believe, when he’d given you no indication for a long, long time that he even wanted you anymore.

You shrugged weakly, begging your eyes not to tear up. “But what kind of relationship is this, Az? Months and months of silence. Of coldness. What am I supposed to think?”

“...I’ve handled things so badly. But I’d like a chance to explain.”

Perhaps it was the muted pleading in his eyes, the hunching of his shoulders. How he looked the smallest he ever had. Or perhaps it was just because he was your mate…whatever the reason, you found yourself relenting. You swallowed, crossing your arms over your chest and silently nodding towards a bench that overlooked the river. Az dipped his chin in acknowledgement of the request and promptly followed suit. 

You sat, leaving distance between the two of you. Az tucked his wings in as tight as he possibly could; uncomfortable for him, you knew, but he was respectful of the fact that you wanted space. A small glimmer of the Azriel you’d always known and loved.

He seemed to suck in a slow breath, twisting his scarred hands around each other. You could feel the nerves that rolled off of him in waves. This – speaking and baring his soul — was perhaps harder for him than outright combat. 

You cleared your throat. “Before you start…I need to ask you something.”

Hazel eyes turned to study you. Azriel gave a small nod. 

“I have to know if you…” The words tasted sour and wrong in your mouth. In your whole body, in fact. You were sure a shiver shot through you as you blurted in one breath, “I just need to know if you fucked somebody else.”

Azriel paused — and then blinked at you.

Gaped at you, like the suggestion in and of itself was utterly absurd.

As if he hadn’t come home stinking of perfume. As if he hadn’t lied about his whereabouts when you’d asked. As if you were wrong to so much as think it, let alone voice it.

He shook his head, still blinking. “What?”

“Perhaps you were too drunk that night to remember.” Your lips pressed into a thin line. “You disappeared on me for hours, Az, like you always seem to these days. Then you come home smelling of perfume and lie to me that you’d been with Mor when I knew you couldn’t have been. So tell me. Honestly. Did you fuck someone who isn’t me?”

“Of course I didn’t. I would never do that to you. Do you know how sick it makes me feel, just thinking of being with someone other than you?”

He couldn’t possibly have a clue how much you needed to hear that. But they were just words. He’d done nothing to back them up for so, so long.

Your eyes filled with tears as you stared at him. “But you can’t seem to stand being with me, either.”

His own eyes shuttered — as though he was trying to block out your words. He slumped back on the bench, wings awkward and limp around him. You could see his chest heaving, hear his heavy breathing. 

“I don’t—” His voice cracked. “I’m no good with words. I’m no good with…with talking.”

“But I can’t take the silence or the loneliness anymore. Azriel, please—”

“I was with someone that night.”

He blurted the words in such a rush, you almost didn’t catch them. His hands squeezed into fists at his sides, as though the mere feeling of speaking so earnestly was like peeling his skin off.

You fell so, so still. Stared at him. Your stomach plummeted, twisted, and your voice didn’t sound like yours as you croaked out, “who?” 

“That night, I…I was with Madja.”

It was all you could do to stare at him. And as Madja’s face floated through your mind — the old, withered, beloved healer of Velaris…you could do nothing but stare. 

“Is that supposed to be funny?” You demanded.

Az stared down at his hands. “Of course not. A little while ago, I started regularly visiting Madja.”

“...Why? Are you injured?” Your eyes immediately searched him for anything you might have missed. And yet — nothing. 

He shook his head. “Physically, I’m fine, but…in here?” He tapped a finger to his forehead. Moved that finger down to sit over his heart. “And here? I’m…I’m not. I’m not fine.”

Those cold, hard walls you’d thrown up to get you through this conversation…you felt them falter a little. You swallowed, studying your mate. “I don’t understand, Az…”

Finally — finally — he angled his body towards yours. Faced you. And the raw emotion that lay in his eyes…you almost couldn’t bear it. It could cut you. Cut you into pieces and scatter you to the wind. 

Tears were clouding his vision, muddying that hazel into a watery run of colour. He blinked, his lips quivering as those tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks. It was second nature for you to reach out and wipe them away, but he stopped you in your tracks. Allowed his tears to run free as he held onto your hand like he may never get another chance. 

“When I try to sleep at night,” his voice cracked. “When I close my eyes — do you know what I see?”

You swallowed down your own emotion, shaking your head. You’d known of him sleeping fitfully, of course — if he bothered to sleep in the same bed as you at all. But you’d never been overly aware of it.

He blinked another wave of tears away. “I see you in that healer’s tent after the war, covered in blood. I hear—” He cut himself off, voice once again hitching with his emotion. “I hear your screams of pain. Your cries. I hear you begging someone — anyone — to make it go away. I see your face turning far too pale. And I hear, over and over and over again, the moment that Madja told me there was a chance you wouldn’t make it.”

You were unable to stop your own tears forming again. You squeezed his hand, face creasing with pain. “Azriel—”

“It haunts me.” He whispered. “Because what you and I have…I never thought I’d have this. I never thought I’d find my mate. I never thought I’d be able to have such happiness. So when Madja told me there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to save you…I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t know how I was going to go on.”

“But she did save me, Az.” You scooted closer. “She did.”

“I just…I came so close to losing you. To losing the love of my life. It sent me spiralling into this mindset of being scared all the damn time. Every time you left the house, or I had to go on a mission…I was losing my mind with it, Y/N. And I was so terrified of ever feeling that way again that it seemed so much easier to push you away. I was too selfish to let you go completely. I thought if I could just…have you at arm’s length…at least until I sorted myself out…” 

You stared forward. Everything seemed to click into place as you rasped, “which was why you distanced yourself from me.”

Az nodded. And he was unable to stop the sob that broke from him. “But I just ended up hurting you. And I’m so sorry.”

You couldn’t bear a second longer of it — of seeing him so crushed, so defeated. And even though you, too, were a crying mess, you found the strength to slide into his lap. To wrap your arms around him and allow him to rest his head on your shoulder.

“You should have just told me how you were feeling.” You whispered, stroking his hair. His body heaved beneath you as he cried, raw and unguarded. “I would have listened. I would have helped. I love you.”

“And I love you.” He shook. “More than I could possibly put into words. But I was so scared of losing you. And ironically, in my efforts to avoid that…I’ve come so, so close to it happening.”

You shook your head. Lifted his until he was looking at you. And it was like that, his face inches from yours, that you promised him the same thing you’d promised long ago. “You will never lose me. Ever. You are my mate, and I am yours. We love each other, when we’re happy and fine, and when we’re not. This is our life, Azriel. We can’t avoid living it in some pointless bid to outrun death.”

For a moment, he just…studied you. As if your words cleared months and months of accumulated fog and cobwebs, and helped him to see what was right in front of him. That you were right in front of him.

You had survived the war. So had he. 

The two of you deserved to live — together. 

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am. A little while ago, I started to visit Madja for help with these feelings. I knew I couldn’t go on like this.” He explained. “But I don’t — I swear to you, I never went near anybody else. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”

And you knew that. Gods, you knew it. You almost felt foolish for even thinking it, but…you supposed, like him, you’d gotten so far inside your head, you didn’t know the way out.

One thing did linger in the back of your mind, though. Torturing you a little. You swallowed, wiping Az’s cheeks free of tears as you asked, “what of the perfume you smelled of?” 

Again, his eyes shuttered. He bowed his head slightly to touch yours. “Check my jacket pocket.”

Frowning, you paused. And then slid your hands into both pockets of the jacket you still wore. It was in the front left one that your hand enclosed around what felt like a small, glass vial. You plucked it out, tilting your head. 

“Smell it.” Az instructed softly.

Your eyes met his. And slowly, you pulled the stopper out of the vial and lifted it to your nose. 

The smell hit you immediately. That same smell — undoubtedly — that had clung to his clothes that night. A little too sweet for your liking, slightly floral…you grimaced, stoppering the little bottle once more. “What is it?” You asked. 

“Madja has been helping me to open up…to get better at voicing my thoughts and feelings.” Azriel explained quietly. “And along with that, she made me this tonic. It has soothing properties that help me slip into a state of mind ready for a more peaceful sleep. That night you smelt it on me…it was the first time she’d given it to me. I’d applied it right before I’d entered the house, because I wanted to see how well I would sleep. If I could truly get past my nightmares.”

It was your turn for your eyes to shutter then. Guilt swarmed you, brash and unwelcome. “And I ruined your sleep by starting a fight and storming out.”

Azriel’s face turned serious. “You had every right to confront me the way you did that night. I should have told you sooner what was going on. That I was seeking help. I should have avoided hurting both of us like this.”

You sighed softly, tugging him closer once more. Your strange, complicated mate…the male you loved happily and proudly.

He’d been hurting. Struggling. You should have known.

But then…you’d been hurting and struggling, too. The aftermath of war wasn’t easy for anyone. It wasn’t a case of slipping back into your old life before you’d almost perished on that battlefield. 

You’d both become chewed up and spat out by your own respective grief from that time. And instead of communicating…you’d both taken your eye off the ball. Allowed deep feelings to fester. 

Never again. Never again would you allow this to happen.

“I think we’re all a little broken from the war, Az.” You brushed his hair from his face, staring at him earnestly. “But now that we know what we’re dealing with…we can heal. Together.”

His eyes threatened to well up again. And before you could see the tears form, he was leaning forward and planting a firm kiss against your lips. “I’m so sorry.” He apologised a third time. 

“Shh. No more of that.” You whispered, rocking him. “From this moment on, we move forward.” 

His arms held you tightly against him, warmth seeping into you. You didn’t know how long you sat there for, in each other’s arms, but as a breeze whipped over you, you felt your home calling. Coaxing the two of you back.

“Let’s go home, my love.” You kissed Azriel’s forehead.

He stared at you through wet lashes. “...To our home?”

Not Amren’s apartment. Not the River House or the Town House or the House of Wind.

“Yes.” You laced your fingers through his. “To our home.”

✧: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ azriel tag list:

@hanasakr @positivewitch @ruler-of-hades @brekkershadowsinger @nightscourtt @imperfect0angel @luna-1-3-5 @hyacinthoideshispanica @lucyysthings @lahoete @littlemoonash @blacksstarrynight @azriels-mate123 @ghostly-poetic @frieddesigninspiringquotesslime @a-frog-with-a-laptop @illyriansimp @morrie-rose @passingthroughfireandshadow @illyrian-dreamer @azrielsbabyg @96jnie @mich0731 @mulansaucey @truthtellerfanclub @acourtofbooksandmagic @insightsonmylife @basicbittywitty @curbside-cyanide @acourtofchaosandmess @123345566 @starrynights-frostbites @eos-princess @thesillyyogourt @ona-raising-07-l @acediahamartia @dontfollowmepleaseitsannoying @polli05927 @asdfjklbooks @azriel-luvr @amysangel @humanpersonlasttimeichecked @wildflowernightmere @audie-writes @aaronwarnerswifereal @starxqt @lulufairbank @laurzwrites @livelaughlovenestaarcheron @girlwith-thecinder-blockgarden @emturtles @lostpirateinwonderland @kammsinn @localhopedealerr @pee-stachio @tobifeemo @torchbearerkyle @honeycriess @shadowsingersmate24 @azziessidehoe @camillo-420 @aztheshadowsinger

[dontsh0vethesun]

gabortz

masterlist

melissa schemmenti x reader

this is from a request; melissa had forgotten she'd invited janine and jacob for a cooking lesson and the pair of you have to hope they don't catch on to your relationship

brief kissing, just fluff and humour if you find it funny - if you don't find it funny then just pretend i never suggested there was humour involved <3

wc: 1.6k

Melissa drove you home from work, just as she always does; the sight of her behind the wheel will never fail to make you swoon, you’re sure. The way her hand finds its place on the headrest of your seat when she reverses from her favourite parking spot, and the way it sits comfortably on your thigh while your fingers play with the ends of her hair. Her hands grip the wheel in a way that mesmerises you, all thoughts on her rather than anything else. It’s a perfect way to de-stress after a chaotic day of work, though. 

And, after today, you needed the reprieve. Working with young children is never the easiest job but with more than one type of liquid spilt on your shirt and a friendship feud that you were left to resolve, keeping your attention on your girlfriend was more than necessary. 

“Oh my God, I’m exhausted,” you sighed when you could finally slump into your favourite spot on Melissa’s sofa. She looked at you with the soft smile she reserved for you, hanging up her jacket before taking up the place next to you. 

“I know, hon,” she breathed, pulling you into her side with an arm snaked over your shoulders. “But, it’s the weekend soon,” she added. 

“Mel, it’s Tuesday,” you returned through a pout, one that made her laugh against you. You felt her breath against your temple as well as her lips as she spoke. 

“I was trying to make you feel better,” she laughed with a shrug. “Why don’t you head up for a shower, and I can make us that pasta you like.”

“That sounds perfect,” you mumbled, uttering a whispered ‘I love you’ against her lips. Kissing her was something you could never grow tired of; it made you feel complete, worries of the day easily wiped clean with just the taste of her vanilla-flavoured lip balm. 

You never know quite how much time passes when her tongue slips into your mouth and her hands take claim of your waist. It all fades away with her, the auburn-haired enigma you’re so lucky to be loved by. And when it’s time to part for air, your head always swims.

“Go on, babe, I’ll leave your favourite hoodie out on the bed,” she spoke once she’d pulled away with pink-hued cheeks. 

You’d practically moved into her home with the way you comfortably make your way to the shower, sighing in relief under the hot water with the soap you always use gliding suds across your skin. Her wardrobe hung your clothes, ones you’d left behind over the months; they smelled just like her and sat on hangers mixed in with her own. 

Even on the occasional nights you spend at your own apartment, she leaves your side of the bed empty - and, of course, you only toss and turn, counting down the seconds until you’re back at each other’s sides. 

Once you’d dried your body on a towel she’d warmed for you, you pulled the hoodie over your head. The Eagles logo was faded from years of wear; it held remnants of her spiced perfume, and the small tear in the sleeve was just as familiar as the way the softness of the material fell against your back. 

Your steps faltered, however, once you’d begun your descent back downstairs. You heard the sound of two more voices that were certainly not present twenty minutes ago, and they seemed dreadfully familiar. 

“I’m so sorry, I totally spaced - I’ll make it up to you,” Melissa hurried out in a whisper as soon as you walked into the hallway. She’d pulled her hair back and changed into the denim shirt she looks so perfect in - you wished you could kiss her. 

“Oh my God!” Janine practically squealed as soon as you sauntered in; the two of you paused in your stride at her exclamation, immediately trying to conjure up counterarguments for any accusations that may be thrown your way. “I didn’t know you were coming too - this is so exciting,” she beamed. 

Melissa sometimes teases you for your significant soft spot for the overly joyful woman and she smirked at the way you returned her enthusiasm - partly due to the relief of your secret relationship with the woman not being aired out. 

“Yeah, Melissa let me tag along,” you shrugged with a smile that matched her own. “I got here a little early.”

“I was honestly so surprised she’d even let one of us into her house,” she added, quiet enough for Melissa to not hear. “She’s a softie under all that ‘I’m gonna give you a black eye, ya gabortz’ facade she puts on,” she added with an impression of Melissa you couldn’t help but laugh at. 

You appeased your girlfriend’s impending retaliation when she shot a glare in your direction, halting her with an amused smile and a shake of your head. 

“Yeah, she puts up somewhat of an…aggressive front,” you returned, smirking discreetly at the woman who stared at you incredulously, adding the next part in a whisper. “But she cares. And she cares a lot more about you than you might think.”

She didn’t question how you might know that as she was too busy bounding her way over to the others with a spring in her step and an antsiness in her demeanour that made it obvious she was forcing herself not to pull Melissa into a hug she would despise. 

“You best not be goin’ around ruinin’ my street cred,” you heard in your ear, muttered lowly with a teasing poke into your side whilst Jacob and Janine were sufficiently distracted with the task of chopping vegetables. 

“I think there’d have to be some there before it could be ruined,” you laughed, sauntering away from the glare she gave you. She tried to hide her smile, but you both knew her tough act had no effect on you whatsoever. 

The inquisitive pair only shared a brief look at the way the two of you easily manoeuvred around the kitchen; they put it down to a budding friendship in their hushed whispers. Or maybe you’re as much of an expert when it comes to cooking as the older woman. That must be why you so easily work around one another. Whatever quiet conclusions they thought of, they didn’t consider a romantic explanation for a second. 

You stepped past her to stir the pot of sauce as she instructed, and she was much less abrasive with her tuts of disapproval when anything was done outside of her expectations. The other teachers felt the brunt of her accusations of incompetence, but nobody batted an eyelid at her usual attitude. They both just smiled through it, happy just to have been invited. 

“Oh, I didn’t realise you were such a football fan,” Jacob mused, eyeing the team logo you were sporting as he helped dish the pasta into containers. Melissa had been gracious enough to offer a cooking lesson, but she couldn’t bear to let them stay to eat it, too. You could see the headache forming already. “Is that how you two became friends? I mean, you seem pretty comfortable around each other.”

“Yeah,” you nodded - hopefully convincingly. “I’m a big fan - go Eagles.” 

Melissa hid her laugh behind her hand at the less-than-excited fist pump you lifted into the air. The only knowledge of the sport you truly have is that your girlfriend loves it; you’ve picked up a minimal amount of technical jargon during her dramatically loud viewings on the TV, but you generally just watch it aimlessly. And in boredom that she would only tolerate if it was emitted by you. Countless naps have been interrupted by her explicit exclamations at the screen, angry mutters of profanities you’ve learned to just sleep through. 

“Heard they won a game the other night, you see it?” he questioned; it felt like you were in an interrogation and you were just waiting for Janine to step in as the role of good cop to his bad cop routine. You looked over to Melissa for confirmation, earning a nod in return - you vaguely remember falling asleep not long after her first groan of annoyance. 

“Yeah,” you nodded, looking back at the woman behind him to read her lips and hand movements telling you the score. “31-17, pretty exciting game.”

“Who were they playing against? I’m sure Zach told me, but y’know, I just tune him out a little and google it after.”

You had to hold your amusement back at the overt gestures being made by your girlfriend, trying to somehow telepathically understand what she was attempting to explain. With her arms flailing around and her mini game of charades depicting what you assume was ‘swimming’, you finally understood. 

“The dolphins,” you spoke, earning a thumbs up. “Miami Dolphins,” you added smugly. You do listen to Melissa when she rambles on about the games; you just forget most of it. “They better get rid of Johnson though, if they wanna up their game.”

Luckily, the conversation was soon steered elsewhere and not long after. the excitable teachers left, but not without Melissa having to dodge a hug or two. 

“You better hope Jacob doesn’t go around telling everyone about Johnson holding the Dolphins back,” she chuckled as soon as the front door closed behind her. 

“Why’s that?”

“Because he doesn’t exist, hon,” she laughed. “You and I both know you pulled that name outta thin air.”

You knew you flew a little too close to the sun with that one, though if it comes to it, you’ll both convince Jacob he misheard. 

“Can we just eat now?” you frowned, huffing with a faux glare whilst she continued to laugh at your expense. “I’m hungry, ya gabortz.”

“That girl knows, fully well, its gagootz,” she groaned. “She’s the gabortz.”

[httpsghostie]

I luv ur high maintenance s/o💗🫰

Take the cod boys to sephora and swatch every single color on their arms lmao.

Ghost completely flabbergasted, shook, bamboozled when he finds out the price of some of these items lol.

“WHY IS IT $45 for some chalky colors luv ?!?!?!”

“$30 for THAT?!?!?!”

*accidentally got lip plumper on his eyelids* “OH BLOODY JESUS ARSE IT BLOODY FUCKING STINGS GET IT OFF MEE!!!”

141 at sephora

first of all: thank youuu<33 had lots of fun writing this

warnings: none!

✧.* gaz:

"please, baby, I just need an eyeliner." you whined as you two were passing in front of the store, gaz shrugged and went along with you.

"just an eyeliner? mhmm, I know." he said with a smirk, but was happy to see you happy.

you went inside, going straight to where the eyeliners would be and he followed just behind you.

"$25 for a marker?" he widened his eyes and you chuckled. "that's overpriced."

"yeah but it's waterproof!" you said, swatching it on the back of your hand. 

"I can give you a permanent marker for less than half of that!" he laughed, looking at all the other products in the aisle. "damn, I didn't think makeup was this expensive."

"it is." you said, knowing well that there were cheaper products. "babe, what do you think about this color?" you asked, holding a liquid lipstick.

"y/n…" 

"please, it's just this one." you pouted.

"fine." he laughed, giving you a kiss on the forehead and going with you to check out. 

he ended up paying for you, getting all flustered to see you happy.

✧.* ghost:

"I just need to get a few things, I promise, it won't take long!" you dragged simon by the arm and he almost stumbled on the bags he carried.

"love, you just said that at the last store an hour ago." he chuckled.

"last one, I promise!" you mumbled, to which he could only sigh and follow you.

you stopped to see the eyeshadow palettes, swatching the colors on your arm and inspecting them. he just stood there with the bags in his hand, tired of having to be social all day, until his eyes met the price of stuff.

"bloody hell, darling, $50 for twelve colors? what's in them? the cure for cancer?" his eyes widened when you took the palette in your hands. "oh my god, $30 for that? are you kidding me? jesus, love, I'm going bankrupt."

you could only laugh at his reaction and the way his tired eyes followed you around the store as you picked more stuff, not even daring to ask the price of them. when you had finished shopping, you bet he stopped to get some tea on the way back home.

✧.* price:

"is this what you put on my skin that day, sweetheart? we should get this f' you. oh my god this is expensive, did you waste your expensive products on me?"

"I didn't waste them." you laughed, picking up some face masks. "I want you to have smooth skin just like me." 

he isn't used to the price of beauty products, but he's also not surprised that they're overpriced. it costs x for you to get your hair products and have the most soft hair ever? swipe his credit card. costs y to get skincare products just so your skin is smooth when he's caressing your face? swipe his credit card. 

usually ends up with a gigantic bill, but if you're happy he's happy.

stops by the perfumes when you're not looking to get you a new one, you have no clue how but he ended up getting your favorite.

✧.* soap:

"come here." you called him, grabbing a foundation, snatching his arm and swatching on it to see if it had enough coverage.

"jesus, what is this?" he sniffed, making you laugh.

"foundation." you inspected his arm, watching if the color would oxidate. "hm, I don't like it."

you'd leave him unattended for a minute and he would come back with a hand on his eye, complaining that it was hurting.

"lass, got something in my eye, ow, ow." 

"what did you do, johnny?" you tried to wipe it off, but it was glossy and you ended up smearing it even more.

"ow, I put that thing over there-" he pointed to a section of lip plumpers, and you could only take a glance at it before he started to be a lot more dramatic. "-in my eye, ow, help, please." 

you could barely breathe at how much you laughed, asking for a makeup wipe to try and get rid of the gloss. he was mumbling some things under his breath, cursing at you playfully for leaving him alone.

when you finally took it off, he still felt like his eye was burning, and you two had to leave the store due to how badly you two were laughing. not to mention that he was left with a swollen eye.

[imyourbratzdoll]

Hiya!💗 my request, is about Lloyd Hansen, where like the reader accidentally does something to make him mad, and it kind of like flips a switch in him and they fight and he says something really mean, it can be about maybe the reader does something to make him mad, maybe he points out something about her and makes the reader insecure and then the reader becomes distant then Lloyd notices and realizes he messed up and tries to fix it?? Love your work btw 💗

hey! thank you so much! I hope you like it!

summary - the reader does something that causes lloyd to snap, he says some words he doesn't mean, and she becomes distant. do they fix their relationship?

warning - angst, thoughts of cheating, insults, slight fluff, self-hate.

the gif I use isn't mine, the divider by @firefly-graphics and @newlips

You were a smart girl. Why had you done something so stupid?

You had decided to clean the house while Lloyd was away, wanting him to come home to a clean house. You didn’t mean to knock liquid over vital documents. It was an honest mistake. You didn’t know they were the only copy, you had tried so hard to fix your error before Lloyd came home, but unfortunately, you didn’t do it in time.

“What the fuck is this?” Your eyes shoot up, and you stare wide-eyed at Lloyd. His eyes dart down to the destroyed papers. His brows furrow as a sneer appears on his face. “Are those the fucking papers I needed?!” He storms over, ripping the drenched papers out of your hands and glaring down at you. 

“I–’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I was just trying to–” 

“Trying to what? Ruin everything?” He growls, chucking the papers into the trash and looking around the room. “You couldn’t just leave shit alone? You had to be annoying and ruin everything like you always do!” You blink as tears blind your vision, Lloyd’s frown deepens, and he grips your arm before dragging you to the door. “Oh, are you going to cry now? Of course, you are! Because that’s all, you know how to do! I don’t even know why I’m with you! You’re not even my fucking type! So fucking ugly and useless.” He growls, the words just spewing out of his mouth now without thought.

You gulp back the sob that’s trying to make its way out. You nod your head slowly, freeing yourself from his grip, before running out of the room and to your and Lloyd’s room. You grab some of your clothes and move them to the guest room, not feeling comfortable staying in the same room as Lloyd. You spent the night crying into your pillow. What made it worse was that you could hear Lloyd inside the house, having the time of his life. 

A stabbing pain made its way to your heart when you heard the sound of a female laughing. You slowly got up and began to get ready. You didn’t want to be here if Lloyd was going to cheat on you, which hurt the most because you never thought he’d go that far, but you guess you really disappointed him. 

You slither into tight black pants, pulling on a tight black mesh corset covered in flowers and gold. You slide on your black-heeled boots and mess your hair up slightly before applying light makeup to your face, finishing it off with a dark red lip. You decide to spray Lloyd’s favourite perfume onto your skin, loving the musky scent of vanilla.

You open the door and begin to walk out of the room, making sure to grab your bag and phone before walking through the hallway and past the lounge room where Lloyd and the mystery woman sit. You keep your head up, not wanting to see who your replacement will be because you know it will break you even more. 

“Baby! There you are! Where are you going?” You hear his voice but decide to ignore him. You continue to walk down the steps and toward the front door. You are so zoned out that you don’t hear him calling out to you or running to catch up to you. You are only brought out of the zone when he seems to grab your arm, and Lloyd frowns when you flinch from his touch. 

“What, Lloyd? What could you possibly want now? Don’t you have a whore waiting for you upstairs? Couldn’t have waited till you broke up with me to fuck someone else?” You glare at him, not wanting to be around him. 

His brows furrow, wondering why you are acting like this or why you’d think he’d cheat on you. His eyes drift down your body and take in your outfit, wondering where you could be going wearing something like that without him by your side. Before he can open his mouth to say something, you rip your arm out of his grasp and swiftly exit. 

It’s been a few days since the fight, and Lloyd has noticed you’ve been avoiding him. You become distant whenever he manages to be in the same room as you— A shell of yourself. You’d flinch whenever Lloyd touched you, causing his heart to break. He couldn’t put his finger on why you were acting like this.

He’s sitting at his desk in his office, going through some paperwork. His phone goes off, causing him to groan as he answers it. “What?!” You do not mean to eavesdrop on his phone call as you walk past his office. “What do you mean you can’t get rid of her?! Didn’t I pay you enough?! I told you that she’s useless to me! So what the fuck are you waiting for?!” You jump slightly, feeling detached more as you realise this is over. You should’ve left that night. You knew he slept with her when you came home. How else could you explain the destroyed lounge and his messy clothes? 

You gulp, head back to your room, and sit on the uncomfortable mattress. Your head goes into your hands as sobs escape your body. “Why do I have to ruin everything? Why am I so fucking ugly and useless?!” You sob, tears flowing down your face as you realise you’ve lost the one person you’ve ever loved. You are so lost in your pain that you don’t see Lloyd standing at the door, his eyes tearing up as he listens to your words. He finally realises why you’ve been so distant. “I’m so fucking pathetic that he goes and fucks someone after a fight. Why me?” 

Lloyd quickly launches forward, his arms wrapping tightly around you and holding your shaking body against his, rocking you gently as he whispers into your hair. “I’ve got you, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” He presses a kiss into your hair, tears flowing down his face. “I love you so much, and I’m so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean any of it. You’re my one. My only.”

Your body leans into him as he continues to hold you. “I never cheated on you, Pumpkin. She was the target, but the men I hired screwed up, and she got away.” You slowly turn, looking at him through blurry eyes. Lloyd’s heart breaks at how broken you look. He leans forward and places a kiss on your forehead. “You don’t have to forgive me now. I will do anything and everything to make this up to you. Whatever you want is yours.” He stares into your eyes before he stands and lifts you.

Your arms wrap around his neck, about to ask where he’s taking you until you realise he’s heading toward your room. “You’ve been sleeping on that awful mattress, and it’s time for you to stay in our bed,” Lloyd demands, lying down on the bed and wrapping you into his arms, making a promise in his head that he will never hurt you again.

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[georgiapeach30513]

Perfume on the Shelf

Summary: You told him he had one more chance to cheat, and you were done. Warning him there would be no second chances, but he didn’t listen. Couldn’t believe you. He definitely didn’t think you’d run into his partner’s arms. Jack was always waiting on you to wise up. And now he’s going to show you just how hard soft love can be.

Pairings: Jack O'Malley X Reader

Rating: explicit

Warnings:  explicit language, explicit sexual content, drinking, cheating, unprotected sex, PIV sex, hard sex, creampie, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 3K

Jack O'Malley Masterlist

You didn’t need to say anything or cause a scene. You saw him with another woman. Again. Again he disappointed you. Again he lied to you. Again he chose someone that wasn’t you. You gave him too many chances, and you’re not even sure if it’s because of love, fear, or just fucking stupidity that caused you to stay.

You take a sip of your whiskey. Letting the amber liquid burn down your throat, and give you something to think about besides the way he looked as he pushed into her. Her obnoxious pornstar sounds that echoed out into your home. Yes, he paid for it, but you still lived there. You loved it there, but he tainted it for the last time. It just wasn’t worth the loss of your dignity.

You give the bar a little tap, and the bartender gives you a pitiful look. “Just fucking pour me another round.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Absolutely not,” why the hell would you want to tell a stranger your problems? And what were you supposed to say? My boyfriend that’s a hitman for hire cheats on me all the fucking time, and thinks he should be allowed to that because his job is stressful, and he needs to fuck. Of course you have a perfectly viable pussy that he never complained about, but new pussy just feels different. And he thinks that is justifying his actions to you.

Asshole.

Robert wasn’t a terrible guy, but he was far from being great, or even good, especially in a relationship. You let him use you because you ‘love’ him. You scoff hearing that word in your mouth. While you loved him it was one sided, and you’re beginning to think you didn’t even love him at all. Maybe the idea of him, and that just makes you feel sick. What idea of him? The fact that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone that crosses you? Where have you heard that line before?

You are just as bad as him no matter how you want to think about it. You couldn’t justify how seeing him punish a man that has wronged you made you feel. How you watched him end the life of people for you — for your safety. You know you’re a sicko, but you also know you won’t be disrespected, and you at least are loyal. It wasn’t worth it.

Maybe the cheating throughout your relationship hardened you each time, so that when it was time to break free it didn’t hurt. What hurts is your ego and the fact he trampled all over it. Asshole. Big fucking dick asshole. You hate him, and hate it worse that you allowed him that amount of freedom with your heart.

Maybe shame is a better word to describe things. You just feel numb. Not the sense of relief you thought you would feel but…nothing at all. You tap your finger on the bar, hoping to get a refill soon. You lift the final drink to your mouth, but a thick and heavy hand lays on yours tapping the table and you look to your right. Annoyed that someone had the audacity to stop you, and you glare at the man.

“I think you’ve had enough. She’s had enough,” he says, waving at the bartender.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Jack. You can fuck off, too.”

“Yeah, he told me you hadn’t made it home. I told him you probably did.”

Your eyes downcast to the scratched wood. This bar is nowhere you would have ever found yourself any other time. You didn’t want to be found though. Robert would look at the high end hotel bars. you wanted to be left alone to lick your wounds and wait for him to get an assignment so you can pack up your shit, and leave for good.

“You knew?”

“Knew that he’s always fucking someone? Yeah. You’re the stupid woman that kept making excuses for him. The one that believed him when he said that he wouldn’t ever do it again, and it would last maybe a couple of weeks. Sex was real good at home, but then…like I said last time, he’s insatiable. It’s not you, it really is him. The man has no business being in a relationship. And I told you that. Or did you forget? You thought your pussy could cure his whoring ways,” you snort, your eyes go glossy as you look to the wall of liquor bottles.

Every time he cheated, Jack told you that you would be better off without him. That he wasn’t going to change, and he hadn’t. He was still a man that was going to fuck who he wanted to fuck. “That’s not all you said to me.”

“Oh yeah? And what else did I say, sweetheart?” His foot wraps around the leg of your stool, and he pulls you dangerously close to his own. Placing you right in between his thighs as he leans forward, “Go on, tell me what I said to you.”

“You know,” you whisper, your hand absentmindedly placing on his thigh. You move the hand up, and pull it back down. Looking at his thick leg, he places his fingers on your chin, lifting your gaze to him. Tsking you as he shakes his head. “You know what you said.”

“And I need you to refresh my memory. I easily forget.”

You lean in too close. Your mouth is right at his ear, and you place your lips over the shell, “You told me I could get under you, and you could help me forget him.”

“And what do you suppose I meant by that?” His breath on your neck sends a chill up your spine, and heat pools to your core. You feel like a bitch in heat with how bad you want him to make you forget. You didn’t love Robert, and had no intentions of returning, or even staying here. But something about your goodbye being with Jack’s cock fucking into you sounds delicious.

“I think you meant you want to fuck me,” leaning back you watch as Jack’s pupils expand. Blowing wide with dark pools of lust, and blocking out the crystal blue of his eyes. What both of you are proposing should be forbidden, but you weren’t loyal to any man anymore. You want him. You want him raw and unhinged.

“I think you want to hear what I sound like when I come on your cock. You want to fuck me so good and hard I forget everything I saw tonight. You want me to cry from pleasure instead of betrayal. You want me to be your little slut tonight, and have my cunt milk your cock dry.”

Jack doesn’t respond with words, he lays down a hundred dollar bill and picks you up, throwing you on his shoulder. His eyes roll in the back of his head when he feels your pussy throbbing with a need to be filled. A need to be punished. Carrying you out of the bar before walking down the street.

“Where are we going?” you ask, giggling because being upside down with some whiskey in your system is making you loopy.

“Uh uh, stay with me. We’re going to a hotel. It’s just a block away.”

“You mean that crummy old motel?”

“Eh,” he shrugs the best he can. “It’s the best option right now. Plus, I know what the best room of the place is. They keep it nice and clean for me. Just trust me,” you didn’t care about trust, you just want Jack to fuck you so you can say a big fuck you to Robert. You hoped that Jack bragged about it. Took a picture of it, hell, record it. You didn’t care. That part of you is no longer there. You want Robert to feel as low as you do, while you moan out another man’s name.

Get to feel blissful for once. You’re an adult, and you have imagined being under, over, beside, upside down, and whatever position this man could come up with, with Jack. The man is attractive, and he’s not been subtle in asking you, more like begging you. You are just now in the right state of mind to receive his kind of attention.

He slams open the door, and slings you on the bed immediately. His hands paw at your pants as he tries to remove your clothes while you look around the room. This is too nice here. It’s bigger than the normal room. “Take your shirt off,” he tells you breathlessly.

His lips attach to your legs, creating a trail of desire all the way up before his sinful mouth is kissing over your drenched panties. “What is this place?”

“It’s my home. Stop talking.”

“You live here?”

“Yes,” he sighs, leaning back on his haunches, and you sit up off the bed watching him. “And I’m apparently a little rusty. I’m pulling out all the stops for you, kissing you over that stupid piece of fabric that you call panties. Moaning at the way you taste, and you’re just worried about my damn hotel.”

“Your hotel?” You didn’t know this about Jack. He’s full of surprises.

“And I’m only mildly offended that you made that gross comment about my crummy hotel, but the fact you’re ignoring my pinky that is only slightly rubbing over you is offensive,” you genuinely smile at him. There’s more to Jack than meets the eye. He really wants you to enjoy this moment. Not just seek revenge on your lying boyfriend, but see him. Pay attention to him, even though you haven’t exactly ignored him.

There’s a true sadness over his face, and you pull off your shirt. Reaching behind you to your bra, “You’re not trying to talk yourself out of sleeping with me this time?” You shake your head no. A grin spreads over your face as you let your bra drop into your lap, and he slings it behind him quickly.

Lifting your ass you shake your hips back and forth, removing your panties, and spread your legs wide. Dipping your fingers into your warmth, and you bring them back out. Stretching them wide, and watching as Jack stares at the webbing of your slick coated your fingers.

“Get undressed, Jack,” he does so enthusiastically. Nearly tripping as he tries to rid himself of his clothes, and that glorious cock springs free. Beads of precum shine in the low lighting, and his member twitches with excitement. Kneeling on the bed, he crawls in between your thighs, and you cover your cunt with your hands.

“Oh, come on!” It’s more silly than serious, but he’s adorable being animated.

“First, tell me, is this a one time thing? Or are we going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on?”

“Sugar, I only want you for sex,” no he doesn’t. A man doesn’t chase after a woman for years just for sex. But you want him to admit it to you. It could be all there is, or it could be that he wants to sneak around some more. Your bet is on the latter.

“Sure you do.”

“I’m being honest,” he smiles as he starts to lift your hands away. Holding his cock at the base he runs his blunt tip through your folds. Collecting your arousal, and he dips lower. Pushing just the tip in before he pulls out. “This is just a one time thing. Understand?”

“Then you better fuck me hard and good, so I don’t forget.”

“I’ll fuck you so deep that your body will be mesmerized by me. Crave me for all of eternity, and ruin you for other men.”

“If it’s just a one time thing, why would you do that?” He doesn’t answer. He just crashes into your warmth. So fast that the world spins on another axis, and your body lurches up the bed. You yelp as his cock whispers against your cervix. Eyes rolling in the back of your head as Jack settles into your warmth.

Giving your walls a chance to accommodate his thick girth, and your breathing to regulate again. “What was that you asked?”

“I said,” he pulls out of your pussy, crashing back in, balls deep. Jack’s sack bounces off your ass, and you forget what you were trying to convey. “I said that — oh my fuck!” He does this again. Stopping your line of thought every time. He is almost painfully deep, but your body pulls him closer. Wrapping your legs around his waist, and arching your back.

You want to feel him through your entire body. “I think you were trying to say something?”

“Just fuck me!”

“As you wish,” he drags himself out of you, and starts to piston back in. A brutal pace, and you can’t think of anything else, but the pleasure. The absolute perfect way that this man melts into your body just like you are the perfect fit for him. The bed slams against the wall, and you still need more. Maybe it’s just Jack.

The thought of only getting this one time, and never again is appalling. You need this everyday. You need to receive him multiple times a day. Have him filling you up, but in a weird way, worshiping you. Petting around your face, and giving you the sweetest chaste kisses while he splits you in two. He is demolishing you from the inside out, and you want him to.

You want him to take all that he needs, just so you can thank him for his services. Thrusting into you so hard that you feel bruises being formed at the apex of your thighs. You could get used to this kind of treatment. The treatment that you are the only thing that could ever matter to him. And you are the only one that could make him feel this way.

“Jack! Jack! Jaaaaaacck!”

“I know. And you’re going to take everything that I give you. Whenever I give it to you, you’re going to take it, and you’re going to tell me thank you. Okay?” You nod your head, words barely able to form on your lips, and you take it all.

Every stab into your body, you take it. Every mark he nips onto your neck, you take it. Every sharp pinch to your nipples, you take it. You take everything with fervor. You will take whatever this man gives you. Every bit of it. You’re ruined for other men sexually, if only…

“I’m going to count to three, and we’re going to come together. One,” you pout up at him. Biting on your lip as your walls start to flutter around his wide cock. This is going too fast. If you only get one chance, he should make it last for hours.

“Two,” he softly wipes his thumb over your forehead, removing the sweat that beads along your skin, and you whimper out his name. He is the devil for being too good at this. You want more. More of him. Not just his body. But the buildup is too much. You want to come on his cock. You want to feel him come into you.

“Three,” his word is more like a grunt as your tight pussy clenches down around him. Holding him so tight that you hope you trap him inside until he gets hard again and the two of you die because you can’t stop fucking each other.

One more push into you, and you feel hot ribbons of his cum spurt deep inside of you, and you both mewl at the feeling of your juices mixing into the most beautiful form of arousal. Fusing together as one as you search his eyes. Please. Please let him tell you that one time is never enough. Be good enough that he wants to stay.

He whispers out your name while his breathing is labored, and choked. “I’m not good enough for you. And I’m not good enough to walk away from you either.”

“Good.”

“I need you to get dressed and walk away from me, and this life,” you twist your head to the side and study him. “You deserve a better life than this, and I need…”

“What do you want though?”

“For you to never go anywhere that I’m not. I’ve always wanted you, and you know that,” how could it be possible that you’re now the one that needs him in your life. Jack has tried for so long. Even before Robert became your poison of choice. Why did he stick around and wait for this moment for all that time?

“I want to do this again and again and again. I want you.”

And for the first time in so long, you want to do what you want, too. You want him. You hate this life. But you want him. You can’t go on pretending that this life doesn’t exist because he is all you want. For how long was anyone’s guess because you’re unsure when Jack is who you wanted, and yet you denied him because you were with Robert. But you are tired of pretending, and tired of fighting.

“I’m sorry I tried to make you jealous,” and there it is. The man is finally apologizing after all these years. Games and more stupid games. Games that had real life consequences. Games that made you both take such different paths in life. “I love you.”

“Ehh, we’re not doing that now. I’m sorry I had to make you jealous for making me jealous. And then I got caught in Robert’s web. No more games.”

“None,” he’s tired of the games and chasing as well. Now he just wants to chase you to the bed.

“Just you and me?”

“And the devil makes three,” and that’s how you like it. Equal partners. For now until you each take your last dying breath. Just you. And him. And the devil makes three…

Masterlist

@tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @peaches1958 @seitmai

@smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @cjand10 @midnightramyeoncravings @kmc1989

@pandaxnienke @donutloverxo @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @bambamwolf87 @rogersbarber

[clawsdevour]

you still do?

wc: 1.1k content warning: reader x konoha akinori, implied crush, reader is drunk, time-skip, fluff, not proofread

note: written for that one request!!!

ʚ˚𓂃˖

Fuck.. it’s been only two days since I seen him and the team at reunion, but why is Konoha the only one running around my mind?

Pondering to yourself in frustration, your eyebrows are furrowed together trying to clear your mind. You’re laying in your sheets late at night, head filled with thoughts of his new look at the little reunion. He’s so much taller than before, with a more rich and thoughtful personality. Not to mention more attractive now than in highschool.

Back when you managed Fukurodani’s boys volleyball team, it was somewhat obvious that you had a small, or perhaps obvious crush, on their team’s wing spiker. You missed his short dirty blonde hair and narrow eyes whenever they peered back into yours. Something about him drew him to you.

Back at school, you couldn’t tell if you were a bit delusional, or if he genuinely had this liking to you. He’s more sweet and considerate towards you than the other manager, but that could be because he’s known her longer than you. His eyes would often soften when you see him staring at you while your heart flutters from behind the scenes. 

Biting your lip, you know you’re still not over him. Seeing him even for a little bit drove your mind crazy. I need to get out. Making this last minute decision as you fling your shirt off to put on a bra. Sliding down your pj pants as you head over to your closet.

You were gonna go clubbing. It’s one of the greatest places to get your intoxicated thoughts out by just dancing it off to some great music. Especially for meeting new people.

Throwing on a random cute dress you found off of a hanger in your closet, quickly you sat down at your petite vanity to apply some simple makeup to go along with your look. A spritz of perfume wafted through the air as you spun around in a small circle to collect the particles before you snatched your purse and keys to head out.

The lively music’s pulsating the whole building the moment you enter. It’s dark but lit up by colorful lasers, the dj set and people’s phone screens. To your surprise you saw a few familiar faces partying that night. Bokuto, Fukurodani’s captain, on the dance floor.. And Kuroo, his friend that graduated from Nekoma, hyping him up. 

You giggled behind a slight smile from the scene as you headed towards the counter for a few drinks before joining the crowd. Sitting down, the cold plastic seat sends you small tingles of shock as you adjust to the seat’s grooves. Mind still in the gutter, you tell the bartender to make you the strongest drink they have for you to sip on, if you even were in the mood to just sit and sip.

As the bartender’s doing all the cool tips and tricks concocting your drink. Measuring out the contents of alcohol with the silver double sided jigger to pour into the cocktail shaker. Swishing your head back, your eyes linger on the crowd trying to see if you’re able to spot out another familiar face. No one you knew appeared in your field of vision.

Until you saw in the back of the dimly lit corner.

It was that dirty blond with narrow eyes from Fukurodani. Konoha. What is he doing here? I’m at the only place I’m able to shake him out of my mind and he’s here! Cocking your head back towards your masterpiece of a drink, thanking the waiter before snatching it off the counter. 

You chugged it down. Your barely visible adam's apple moving up and down as you threw back all of the liquid that felt as if it was burning your nose. Placing the glass back down after hitting the chilled ice cubes against your front teeth before taking one deep breath in and out to sigh one last time before you hopped off the stool.

Your heels clicked and clacked with every step you took downwards. Your head started to fog up due to the strong liquor. The music starting to turn one with the atmosphere while your footsteps echoed in the back. You didn’t know where your body was taking you to but you had to keep up with the flow, leading you down to the dingy dark corner.

Before you got there, a girl beat you to him. She was conscious and her body language yearned to have him in her grasp. The closer you got, the more furious you grew, the anger fueling up in flames. You could tell that Konoha’s not having a fun time. He’s shaking his head in a timid way trying to brush her hand off of him while taking a few steps back.

“Konoha!!” you aggressively shouted, drawing attention to yourself. Your face is warming up to the liquor, feeling your body get all cozy as you vibed with the air in the atmosphere. The girl’s eyebrows gather in disgust as she looked you up and down. Konoha’s just relieved to see someone he knew, slightly surprised to see that you’d be the one he sees first.

“H-Hey babe!” Konoha’s rushing to your side, distancing himself from the woman. His hand is scratching the back of his neck in disguised fear, the other around on the side of your waist to draw you in closer. 

“Who are you and why are you talking to Konoha?” Konoha’s glancing at your face. He noticed how slurred your speech was while your face flushed a bright red hue under the colored lights. You’re staggering, pointing a finger at her while his big hand kept you stable.

“Don’t, wait… don’t talk to my Konoha!” shouting at her in fury. Konoha’s eyes lit up when he heard you call him yours. Mouth slightly parted to say something when you stumbled down.

Pulling you away from the girl while she stormed off in anger, he’s walking you to the nearest available table. Your head is throbbing and you can’t help but feel unstable and absolutely drunk. Foggy eyes started to focus when you tilted your head in his direction after sitting you down. 

Konoha’s worry beady eyes trace marks into your skin while your half lidded eyes groggily stare back. He’s shifting in worry seeing how drunk you’ve became, cursing under his breath before taking one deep breath to calm himself down.

His lips part once more, you can see him mouthing out words amongst the inaudible noise. You see that he’s saying words you had to squint out.

“I think I still like you.”

masterlist here

[fairyofhee]

ONE LAST TIME

PAIRING. ex bf!heeseung x afab!reader

SYNOPSIS. a simple game of seven minutes in heaven leads to a realization that you want one last time with him.

WARNINGS. contains smut! MINORS DNI. handjob, fingering, protected car sex, more plot than porn with lots of wanting, some fluff and angst. a bittersweet ending. 5k words.

“Hey, are you sure you’re down to go?” your friend Nari murmured just loud enough to catch your attention. You take off your headphones and turn around before you were able to find the perfect dress to wear for the party.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” you questioned with shrugged shoulders as you tried to laugh. A low exhale left Nari’s mouth before she spoke, “Heeseung’s gonna be there,” she mentions.

Your brows quirked at the bombshell, not expecting your ex’s name to be spoken in your room after a whole year. “Heeseung’s in town?” You asked while turning back to your closet to rummage through your clothes once again.

It was an odd feeling having his name roll easily off your tongue after not saying it in a long time.

“Yeah, he’s been here since last week. How did you not know?”

An actual laugh was then let out from your mouth. “Because I don’t keep up with him,” you uttered with a scoff, “and I don’t bother to.”

Nari noticed your agitated expression and response to the current topic of your ex. “Sorry to bring him up,” she said with an apologetic tone.

“It's okay,” you responded with a closed-mouth smile after picking out a tight black dress. You dreaded the idea of possibly running into him or being in the same room.

“Do you think Jay will like this perfume?” your lovely friend snapped you out of your thoughts.

You inhaled the scent in the air, “he’ll love it.”

—

It was like invitations to parties arrived on your doorstep every week by how often you were invited, thanks to your friends who were very sociable and their good looks as they claimed.

You began to enjoy attending parties after your breakup because it was an excuse for you to get fucked up. Honestly, you were sociable as well.

Wearing the tight black dress that hugged your body well, you were in the kitchen pouring a drink. A red liquid in your cup, fruit punch mixed with alcohol traveled down your throat as the thought of him wandered in your mind.

Having the same friend circle, of course, you knew that you would see him again. You just didn’t know and weren’t prepared that today would be that day. As if your racing heart couldn’t race any faster, it was like everything played out to be on cue.

“Y/N,” a familiar voice rings out in between the bass thumps of the music. You turn your head at the calling of your name and your heart skips a beat when the boy in your direction begins to walk over. He's wearing a black hoodie and leather jacket with tight jeans; his hair parted to the side to reveal his forehead. It's only been a year but he looked so different — more handsome even.

The rest of your drink was downed and gone as you watched him approach you. “Hi,” you managed to say when he was now standing before you. The cup in your hand began to feel slippery by sweaty palms when he tilted his eyes to meet yours.

“I didn’t know you were back in town.”

Heeseung smiled widely, possibly due to your statement which sounded like a lie. “Yeah, I got back last week,” he scratched his head. That fucking smile you mentally cursed.

“I actually leave tomorrow night,” he said while nodding. You unknowingly nod along with him.

You needed another drink. It seemed too awkward and you were feeling things that you shouldn’t. “Want a drink?” you offered Heeseung before walking to the area that had all of the alcohol and pouring yourself another mix of what you had minutes ago.

“Please, I’ll take one,” he murmured with a tone that sounded too sensual to your ears. You quietly swallowed, getting rid of your dry throat while making Heeseung’s drink. Your movements were tense and evidently stiff when you sensed him standing behind you.

It was either the drink you had or your mind playing games when all you could feel is this unknown familiar tension between you two. You weren’t sure if he could feel it too.

After making the drink, you give it to him and watch as he takes a sip before nodding in satisfaction. It was silent as you both dozed off, listening to people chattering and the music loudly playing throughout the house.

“How are you?” Heeseung asked after a few people went in and out of the kitchen. It was surprising how you both stood still in your positions and didn’t leave despite the moment of stillness and silence.

“Hm?” you shot your head up and hummed. “Oh, I'm doing good and staying busy with school,” you tell him with a nod of your head.

"How are you?" you ask in return before he could respond to your previous answer. The corner of his lips turned upward, "I'm also staying busy with school."

"How is it over there?" you blurted out before taking a sip of your drink. You've always wondered how he was doing 800 miles away. At your question, Heeseung mirrored your action by taking a sip of his drink, then he chugged it.

You carefully trained your eyes as he began to make himself his own drink. "Everything's new, but I like it," he said while mixing the two liquids exactly how you did. You noticed that he paid attention to every detail, paid attention to you.

Backtracking to his words, you couldn’t think of anything else to say. He seemed to enjoy his life far away. You were happy for him but weren’t exactly thrilled. The feeling of bitterness that took time to get rid of still lingered.

When Heeseung finished making the concoction, he raised his cup in the air after taking a sip. A stupid grin formed on his face pushing your thoughts away and you giggle at his pride.

"I need your help with the keg,” suddenly a voice behind you pleaded. You turned around to see Sunghoon glaring at you, then at Heeseung who leaned against the kitchen countertop. A blank expression appeared on Sunghoon’s face until the middle of his brows creased, catching sight of you and Heeseung in the same room.

Assuming that Sunghoon asked for your help, you nod before taking one last look at Heeseung. He was swirling the mixture around in his cup before meeting your eye contact. "I'll see you, Heeseung." A smile was let out too forcefully.

"See you, Y/N."

That was the last conversation with Heeseung until he leaves tomorrow, and possibly forever, you thought. Your heart wanted to say much more for reasons that were obvious, but also oblivious to you. At the same time, your mind was smart enough to remind you that you guys are exes for a reason. It simply didn't work out.

“What do you need help with?” you asked Sunghoon after following him outside. Sunghoon stood in front of two kegs and stared at them, “Do you know how to tap a keg?” You loudly sighed at his genuine, confused face, “Did no one teach you?” He shook his head.

You grabbed a cup before taking the valve of the keg in your hand, “It’s a new keg so you don't need to pump it,” you tell Sunghoon as he carefully watches. “Just push down this valve and the beer should pour out.”

The beer indeed pours out into the cup and Sunghoon laughs out loud which almost startles you. “What's so funny?” you laugh with him. “That was so fucking easy,” he said like he was embarrassed that he had to ask for your help.

“I’m surprised no one taught you,” you teased. Sunghoon rolled his eyes before turning the valve of the keg and pouring himself beer. You were about to leave after giving Sunghoon a lesson when he spoke, “I’m surprised that you and Heeseung were in the same room.”

“What do you mean? We’re friends,” you say while a gust of cold air hits your blistering, warm cheeks. Sunghoon tucked his lips and raised a brow. Did he not believe you?

“We told you guys that we ended on good terms, right?” You remember explaining the breakup.

“Yeah, it’s just,” he paused, “Nari told us you didn’t know that he was in town.”

“Call us acquaintances then,” you said seriously. At that, Sunghoon laughed again. You weren’t intentionally trying to make him laugh but the thought of you and Heeseung being back to square one as acquaintances seemed amusing to him. “There’s no hard feelings between Heeseung and I. We’re civil,” you simply explained.

“Alright, well we’re gonna play games soon and Nari’s looking for you so you should see what’s up.” Sunghoon dropped the subject.

Walking back into the house, you scan your eyes for Nari but she was nowhere to be found. Interesting. Disappoint hits, realizing that you were also looking for a certain someone who was too, nowhere to be found.

Luckily, you went upstairs and passed by the bedrooms to find Nari in one of them. She was fixing her makeup in a brightly lit room.

“Where’d you go?”

“I ran into Heeseung,” you said, watching Nari’s eyes go wide as she twisted the cap of her lip gloss closed. “Was it awkward?” She faced you.

“Very,” you dramatically nodded, “but not too awkward that I had to run out of the room.” Nari narrowed her eyes, quickly understanding you in spite of how intoxicated you think she is.

“What’d you guys talk- oh, hold on,” she was interrupted by her phone ringing. “It’s Jay,” she whispered and you glared with your lips turning into a smug smile, making her eyes roll.

You watch as Nari nods her head and replies with a few ‘okay’s’ until she says ‘bye’ then hangs up. “He said to come into the living room. Apparently we’re going to play games?”

Sunghoon indeed mentioned games but didn't mention what type. Hopefully it was just a friendly game of beer pong.

“Tell me what you guys talked about later,” Nari insisted as you both walked down the stairs. She was still curious to know. Entering the living room, you noticed a few people talking to each other and your friend group standing in the middle. Yes, Lee Heeseung who is apart of your friend group is here too. Not that you complained.

“Okay everyone’s here,” Jake blurted out as soon as you and Nari walked up to your friends. You watch as the other people gather in the middle of the room, while also avoiding Heeseung and the possibility of making eye contact with him.

Turning your attention back to Jake, who you thought was going to talk again, you made one quick look and almost missed the way Heeseung looked at you. It was more of a stare, but it’s not like it means anything.

“What are we playing?” Someone standing behind you asked. The boys whispered to each other and a few giggles were heard as everyone patiently waited for one of them to answer.

“Seven minutes in heaven,” Jay said.

Loud, disappointed, and complaining groans echoed into the room. No one expected that this childish game would be played at a college party.

A few people left the room and now there were only six, who either wanted to play the game or were bored and had no choice. “You guys couldn’t think of anything else to play?” you asked, hoping to change their minds. But they were already sitting on the floor, making a circle.

“We’re calling it a catch up and a ‘get to know me’ game,” Jake claimed, patting the empty spot next to him for you to sit down. You should’ve left after Jay announced the game since you weren’t interested to play, you told yourself, but you had nothing else to do and Nari already took a seat next to Jay. It had nothing to do with Heeseung.

Speaking of, Heeseung was sitting in between Sunghoon and a random girl, who was sitting across from you on your right side. “Heeseung, get the bottle,” Jake pointed to the bottle that was on a coffee table in front of the tv.

Heeseung placed the bottle in the middle of the circle once he got it. A sudden rush of nerves and uneasiness flows through your body, knowing that there’s a chance the bottle will pick you and Heeseung to spend seven minutes in heaven.

Everything was said during the breakup so what else was even there to say? Ironically, you both had much to say, but will it be said?

After Sunghoon explained the rules which was ultimately ‘no funny business’, the game started and will end once everyone got a turn. A guy you didn’t know volunteered to go first and his spin of the bottle landed on the girl who sat next to Heeseung. Seven minutes were on the clock which meant seven minutes of waiting.

Everyone was in their own bubbles of conversation except for you who stared at the flow and drank another beer. This happened for a few rounds until it was your turn. In the back of your mind, you knew who you wanted the bottle to pick. But you were too afraid to admit it. You felt your hand shake when making contact with the bottle, anxiously giving it a spin. You raised your head and noticed eyes heavily trained on the bottle. People were nervous and looked anxious for you, even Heeseung who looked uptight.

The bottle slowed down, finally landing on someone. Shit. Your heart instantly sinks when it points to some guy sitting across from you. You didn’t catch everyone’s reaction since you were too caught up in your own feelings. Feelings that are supposed to be nonexistent by now. You looked at Heeseung who was already talking to Sunghoon. He didn’t even care that you were about to go to seven minutes in heaven with another guy. You weren’t upset about his reaction rather it made you realize that again, you are exes.

Seven minutes in heaven with someone named Minjun wasn’t as bad as you thought. The topic of school seemed like the only thing interesting to talk about and it made the time go by fast. When you both walked back into the living room as you expected, people’s eyes heavily on you, waiting to tell what happened. You didn’t bother to look at Heeseung since you knew that he didn’t care.

“We just talked about school,” you announced while taking your seat. Soon, the game was almost over and you were bored until it was Heeseung’s turn. As more beer was consumed, the more you admitted into having hope.

You’d hope the bottle chose you. Being with Heeseung was easy and comfortable, so who could blame you for wanting to talk to him more?Heeseung rubbed his hands together before hesitatingly touching the bottle. The boys were excited for him while a few girls were waiting for it to land on them. Funny, you thought.

He gave it a spin at the same time your heart felt as if it was spinning. You were desperate and hopeful as if your life depended on this bottle. A loud cheer rang into your ear, coming from the person to the left of you. Your heart stung when realizing that the bottle landed on the girl sitting next to you, and it sadly didn’t land on you.

You turned your gaze to Heeseung, who had a harried appearance, running a hand through his hair and scrunching up his face. He didn’t seem pleased with how the game played out for him.

Why couldn’t the bottle choose you to be with Heeseung in a room alone for a few minutes? All you wanted was a chance to sort out your feelings, a chance for actual closure and one last time with him for a proper goodbye. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be, back at square one as acquaintances and soon to be strangers.

Your face turned sullen as you watched the girl next to you and Heeseung disappear. Seven minutes were on the clock again and honestly, you thought that this whole game was a waste of your time. You didn’t blame your friends, but you hoped to be fucked up by now. “You okay?” Nari asked after sitting in the empty space next to you.

“Yeah! I’m fine,” you sounded convincing. “Good! Oh, is it okay if I bring you home after they get back?” She pointed to the room that Heeseung and the girl were in. “Jay wants me to stay over and I want to drop you off before I get drunk.”

“He wants you to stay over?” you almost squeal. Nari’s face lit up with her cheeks flushed, “Yeah, I guess the perfume worked,” she laughed. Hearing her news brought your mood up, “You don't have to drop me off. I'll just call an uber or something.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, her tone uneasy. “Of course, go have fun with him. I’m probably gonna go home soon anyways,” you didn't want to take your friend’s time away from Jay.

Seven minutes felt like an eternity. How ironic, that time suddenly felt slow. But soon the game was finished when Heeseung and the girl came back from their turn. Heeseung’s eyes were dull and the girl wasn’t jumping in happiness which was a good sign, even though the rules were clearly ‘no funny business’ as Sunghoon stated.

Everyone separated and went their own ways into the house. Disappointment creeped once again as you watched Heeseung leave and your hopes of possibly having another chance to talk to him were quickly shattered like glass. The only thing holding you back from approaching him was the last conversation from the breakup. Everything said, was said between you two and you didn’t want to seem like a crazy ex girlfriend who missed their ex. Though, it wasn’t just a supposition because you did miss him.

You decided to call it a night since there was no point in staying, despite shamelessly wanting to see your ex who didn’t want to be associated with you, as you thought. After sending goodbyes to the friends who didn’t disappear, you took your last shots of soju until you felt delusion lifting off your shoulders, an attempt to get rid of feelings that were only going to last for tonight.

You stood outside in front of the house now, feet on the curb and arms close together with your phone cupped in your hands as you ordered an uber. How were you going to forget this night? You had no idea. Regret of not getting fully fucked up hits with a sudden urge to go back outside but your uber was a few minutes away. It was too late.

“Are you going home?”

You whip your head around and there he was, the boy you’d least expected to be hung over all night, flashing a kind smile.

You stare wide-eyed in surprise that he’s walking towards you. “Yeah, I’m waiting for my uber.” You checked your phone and the uber still seemed a few minutes away.

“I can give you a ride, if you want,” he said with his brown doe eyes gazing into yours. The pace of your heart starts increasing when taken back at his sudden offer. “No,” you repeatedly shook your head, “No it’s okay. You should go home now since you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“My flight’s not until tomorrow night,” he scratched his neck awkwardly, a hint of a pout in his tone. You looked up at him perplexed while containing feelings of happiness because, Heeseung is here and offering to take you home. Your hopes weren’t completely shattered.

“Haven’t you been drinking?” You ask, brows visibly furrowing at him. Heeseung shakes his head, “I only had a beer and that drink you made for me.”

It was a bad idea, you thought, and as much as you wanted to protest, you accepted his offer and got in his car anyway. The car ride was mostly silent, not what you had expected but you were still grateful and content that he’s bringing you home. Familiar music played as you tried not to pay any mind to Heeseung’s glance from time to time. It was impossible to ignore yet you were convinced it was nothing.

“You know, I really thought the bottle was gonna choose you when it was my turn.” Heeseung suddenly says and you shift in your seat, watching a small smile overtake his face as he focuses on the road. “Why?” Your face lits up.

“I don’t know, I just had a feeling.” He laughed, leaving you bemused to sit in silence with your gaze still on him, not knowing what to say. “Minjun’s cool, right?” Heeseung spoke again.

Now you were having a hard time understanding him, considering that he didn’t seem to care during the game at the party. But of course he cared. He cared too much that it was important for him to hide how he felt. He wanted the bottle to pick him, he wanted to catch up with you and ask about your life without him.

Heeseung knew things ended for a reason, which is why he’s mentally slapping himself for feeling things that he shouldn’t — feelings that you were also feeling. He knew that the breakup was merely his fault, and how it was hard leaving and going to a school that was far away from you. But it was important for his career and both of you understood this.

Still, he feels guilty and upset that you weren’t his anymore. Heeseung loved you too much that it nearly killed him when he said goodbye.

“Yeah, he was easy to talk to, I guess.”

The conversation ended when you both were pulling up in the parking garage of the building you lived in. You texted your roommate to unlock the door because you forgot your keys as Heeseung parks and turns off the engine, leaving you both sitting in silence. You were stunned when you found him suddenly locking his eyes with yours and taking off his seatbelt. The shock made you turn away instantly, swallowing what felt like your heart down your throat. You stared at your phone while playing with the fabric of your dress until your roommate finally replied back.

“Thank you for the ride,” you softly murmured, returning his prolonged eye contact that was still on you. “It’s not a problem at all,” he says in response. It's ridiculous that he’s always sweet to you, it’s so ridiculous that a moment of silence urges you to lean closer. Then your breath silently hitches when Heeseung’s eyes shift between your eyes and glossy lips while studying your face for any signs of discomfort. If only he knew how much you’ve been waiting all night for a moment like this with him.

You shouldn't do this, you shouldn’t kiss your ex boyfriend knowing that it took nearly a year to get over him. But his lips are only an inch away from yours now, breath fanning across your mouth, and you take the chance to kiss him.

Before Heeseung could prepare himself, you cup his cheek to gently slam your mouth against his. Relief rushes through your body when you feel him kissing you back and not pulling away. You slightly opened your eyes for a second while continuing the kiss just to notice any discomfort on his face. Heeseung feels nothing but heat rising throughout his entire body when feeling your lips connecting with his.

He would’ve never guessed kissing you in his car tonight. And he’s afraid that if things continued, you would regret it the next day. Before things can escalate, Heeseung is pulling away and can’t help but look at you in shock. “Why’d you kiss me like that?” He whispered dryly.

“Kiss you like what?” You pull away completely and panic. “Like-“ he hesitates and tries to find the right words to say, “Like you still want me.”

Oh.

You dismissively took off your seatbelt before trying to open the locked car door. “Goodnight and have a safe flight tomorrow,” you almost mumble while attempting to unlock the door. You felt relieved once you managed to get out and nearly tried to run inside the building until you felt slender fingers suddenly grapple onto your wrist.

“Y/N, wait,” his low voice reverberated, sending currents through your body. You refused to look at him knowing how flustered you looked. You tried to run off and yank your arm away from his grip to prevent doing what your body wanted – because you thought it wasn’t what he wanted, but you felt Heeseung’s hold on your wrist tighten. There was no choice but to turn around.

A small moment of silence passed and you thought he was going to lash out in anger. You relaxed until he suddenly pulled you towards him, your figure gently getting back into the car. “Are you drunk?” His words cause your heart to fall into the pit of your stomach.

“No,” you wished you weren’t sober but it was the truth. Sure, you had a couple of drinks, but you don’t get drunk easily. Heeseung knows this.

“I don't want things to be left unsaid before I leave. We tried long distance and it was too hard for us.” As much as it hurt to say, he spoke matter-of-factly. Why couldn’t you just devoid the fact that you two weren’t even together anymore? Heeseung was practically trying to spell it out for you, but even if it was wrong, your body desperately yearned for him.

And you exactly communicated that.

“I don’t want to get back together,” you huffed an incredulous laugh, as if embarrassed that you got rejected. You go on anyway, “But maybe I do want you. Just for tonight at least.”

“What?” He mutters.

“Just let me have you for tonight. I need you, Hee.” You wondered aloud and ripped off the bandaid that’s been stuck in your mind all night.

“Will you allow me to want this?”

Heeseung sits and stares at you in disbelief for a moment, processing your words until he’s nodding sheepishly. He wants this as much as you do, the reason why he tried avoiding you at the party because he knew he couldn’t control himself, the reason why he finally approached you and offered to take you home. Just one last time wouldn’t hurt, right? He thought to himself.

You hear the sound of his seat sliding back before he’s pulling you towards him, welcoming you to sit on his lap. Straddled atop of him, your face is cupped by his warm hand and the other one gripping your thigh tightly under your dress as if he doesn’t want you to leave. The close proximity feels familiar like home, and it’s so comforting that your heart stops beating for a second.

Heeseung’s pulling you into a deep, addicting, passionate kiss and you begin to grind on him slow while already feeling a stiffness beneath your core. “You’re hard already?” You meet his eyes.

He huffs out a scoff, “C’mon, why wouldn’t I be?”

You pointed out the obvious, but of course he is. You weren't just a random person to him. His answer causes your heart to strongly skip a beat that it’s shooting through your whole body.

He’s sending shivers across your heated skin by starting at the hollow of your throat and kissing with his plumped lips, keeping a steady grip of your thigh until you’re letting out a small noise. Cute, he thinks. You continue rocking your hips which leaves Heeseung to unexpectedly moan on your skin, his low sounds causing an unbearable feeling between your legs.

You quickly remove your panties while nudging your nose against his. His hand that was on your thigh reaches inside you, spreading your wetness before removing his hand to show his fingers glistening from you. He lowers his hand, points his two fingers to the direction of the car roof and you sink onto him, a hard groan leaving your mouth when feeling the stretch from the thick digits. “Fuck- so tight and it’s only my fingers.”

Heeseung notices your flushed cheeks before giving them a kiss. You grip his hair while rolling your hips on his fingers, heavy breathing leaving your mouth as feel him moving inside you. He watches you move with ease which wasn’t something new. He missed holding your body and having it close with his.

His creased brows appearing while he stares causes you to move faster and squeeze tightly. “Heeseung, I’m gonna cum.”

He felt his growing crotch twitch at the mere thought of being buried deep inside of you for the first time in a year. “I wanna move to the back.” He begs, his voice deep and laced with desire.

“Can I cum first? Please,” you whined, the feeling of release becoming closer than you think.

Heeseung nods instantly before moving his fingers in circular motions to place friction on your folds while rubbing your clit with his thumb. With his help, you heavily release on him.

You raise yourself off of him and move to the backseat of the car after noticing his large bulge and knowing that he needed help. “How do you want me?” You ask, watching him unbutton his pants. He made his way to the back while wiping his fingers of you on his sweatshirt. “Lay down.”

Heeseung’s car was small but you perfectly lied flat on the backseats. You lift up your dress until it reaches your waist as Heeseung pulls his pants down, along with his boxers to reveal his hard length that looked so painful. You couldn’t help but touch him. “Are you sure you want me?”

His question almost causes deja vu. You think back to the first time he took you like this.

“Just for tonight,” you reiterate to remind yourself that this is a one time thing. Heeseung felt his chest tightening from your statement, realizing that this is the final, last time with you. He hates if things were to get too intimate and emotional because he has to say goodbye again.

You interrupt his thoughts by stroking him. “Fuck,” he curses before placing his hand around yours that was wrapped around his dick. You let out a sound, watching both yours and Heeseung’s hands moving faster together. “Wait- I’ll cum,” he draws back to get rid of your contact.

“Are you still on the pill?” He asks while grabbing the end of your dress that slipped down to fold it up to your waist for better access and a better view of you. You shook your head which causes his lips to purse and his brow to raise. His dazed expression doesn’t last long when he’s quickly reaching to the front of the car and opening the glove compartment where the condoms are at.

The fact that he has condoms in his car creates odd thoughts in your head. You can’t help but to think how many girls he’s had after you.

Nonetheless, you push those thoughts away when he’s hovering over you and pressing his lips on yours. He pulls away and hits on his head on the car roof which makes you laugh since he pretended that nothing happened.

“What?” He laughs along while opening the foil package with his teeth and stroking himself once more before putting on the protected rubber. You shake your head and let out a soft giggle, “You own a small very car for someone being so tall.”

“Hey, this is the cheapest car I could get.”

You held back from laughing too hard, “I’m not judging, I just think it’s funny.” He grins and nods accordingly before spreading your legs open and lining his length on your core, his tip slowing rubbing on your folds. “Would it be easier if you’d ride me instead?” He knows that the space is quite small and wants you to feel comfortable.

“Fuck me now, Hee.” You say while raising your hips and grabbing his arm to pull him closer. Without much warning, Heeseung slips inside you. It was hard to contain the growl that escaped his throat when feeling you stretch around him.

You tried to widen your legs even more for him, but you were confined by the passenger and backseat. Heeseung starting to thrust slow, notices your uneasiness when you began to whine, wanting to feel him as deep as possible.

“Do you wanna stop?” He gently slid his cock in and out of you. You stop him from possibly slipping away by tightly holding on his arm. “I want to feel you more- come closer,” you begged.

Heeseung grabbed the headrest of the backseat to keep his balance before lifting your leg and placing it on his shoulder, wanting the best angle so he could be inside you as deep as he could. He slips out of you for a moment until he slams back inside causing a moan out of your mouth.

“You feel so good,” he praised lowly, watching a satisfying and content smile form on your face. You reach for his hand that was on the headrest while he’s rolling his hips and deeply thrusting. Heeseung tilts his head back, enjoying the feeling of you. You felt amazing and you were doing well for him, another thing that he missed the most.

“Heeseung,” you gasp his name out in pleasure. His tight grasp around your ankle loosens to let your leg drop from his shoulder. His hips are bucking faster even faster, making you feel so full.

“Hee- I’m close.” Heeseung gave a few strokes before you began to cry out and tighten quickly around him. “Oh fuck,” you moan out, feeling an intense orgasm rippling through your body.

“Y/N,” Heeseung buries his head in the crook of your neck as chased your orgasm with deep, hard thrusts before spilling into the condom, his moans rumbling through your upper body making your walls tighten around his cock once again

“You’re gonna make me cum again,” Heeseung whined before pulling out of you and slipping the condom off. You pull your dress down, trying to not make his car dirty from your mess.

—

After catching your breaths, both of you sat in silence in the back of the car until Heeseung spoke. “Why aren’t you on the pill anymore?”

His questions were catching you off guard tonight, you thought. But you don’t blame him since a lot of time has passed when you were together. “I don’t have a reason for it anymore.”

You raise your head to see a panicked look of his face. “You’re seeing someone? You don’t need the pill because it’s that serious?” He asks, his voice slightly trembling which makes you laugh.

“Quite the opposite, actually. I surprisingly haven’t had sex since you.” At your confession, Heeseung fixed his seated posture, his brows raising in shock. “Why not? That’s- that’s like a year without sex, isn’t that boring for you?”

“I can find ways that’ll entertain me without having sex,” you said truthfully. “What about you? Are you having fun and having sex?”

Heeseung nodded slowly, causing your heart to sting even though you knew what his answer would be. He tried his best to avoid the question, but ignorance always reveals the truth.

“They’re not like you though,” he mumbled.

You playfully roll your eyes and giggle, “You don’t have to make me feel better. I’m happy for you.” Heeseung bites his lower lip, this conversation turning into a catch-up feels a bit bittersweet.

“Are you happy?” He pokes your finger that was resting on the seat. You nod your head although you didn’t have an honest answer. But you were happy for him, which is all that matters.

You hear your phone ringing that was still on the passenger seat and you reach to get it. Your roommate was calling, probably asking where you were. “I have to go now,” you told Heeseung and he nods in understanding despite his sullen look.

“Have a safe flight tomorrow and thank you for tonight,” you tried not to sound choked up. You quickly fix your appearance and get out of his car before your feelings were to get the best of you.

“Hey,” he called out and you turned around to see a smile plastered on his face. “I love you,” he softly said. A final goodbye from him.

Typical Lee Heeseung, always saying ‘I love you’ whenever he leaves. This time, it was the last.

© 2022, fairyofhee on tumblr.

[thatone-brightstar]

The Bear & The Fox (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 6: The Fantastic Mrs. Fox pt. 2

Words: 5 k

Summary: Your two families meet and Carmy sees a different side of you.

a/n:Thank you all so much for the support and sweet messages! Also, new trailer just dropped and know that I'll need 2-3 business days to recover because ohmygodddd . Enjoy! xx

PS. Reader is Latina in this but I don’t specify from where so you can just fill in the blanks (it’s also why it’s all over the place lol)

PS2. The movie I’m referring to is The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson and it’s an absolute gem, you gotta watch it!!

WARNINGS: Smut ahead, oral sex (female receiving), p in v, dirty talk, reader is on birth control but isn't mentioned (wrap it up IRL tho), minors DNI but you'll do what you want so don't say I didn't warn you

“Can you please be careful with that, Jesus!” Carmy shouted from the wheel of Richie’s car, looking through the rearview mirror at the backseat where his three workers sat smushed together, one carefully balancing the delicate pastry.

“Why does Richie get the front seat?” Fak questioned with half his thigh against the right door.

“Cause it’s my car, now shut the hell up before I kick your ass out!” He fought back.

Sweeps began to argue on why Richie couldn’t carry the cake if he was sitting shotgun and how that was stupid because it was, again, ’my car and I can do what I want!’

“Is it still far? I think some of the gelée is starting to leak…” Marcus asked from the middle seat, moving his leg further out to not stain his pants with the syrupy liquid. 

“Nah, like two more blocks.” Carmy answered.

Soon enough, he found a parking space as close as he could to your building, then killed the engine. He climbed out first to help Marcus with the heavy box, which was in fact leaking slightly from one of the corners and he placed it on the roof of the car. He almost unconsciously wiped his hands on the back of his jeans, but immediately stopped when he remembered he swapped his usual dark jeans for a pair of clean deep blue ones. He had also added a beige short sleeve button up over the usual white T that covered him and a few rings to his fingers, hoping he was decent enough for the occasion. 

They could hear the buzz of rhythmic music and voices as they moved closer to the side of the building where he saw an opening in the fence. He gave the cake to Fak and pulled out his phone to double check your message to make sure they weren’t crashing a random person’s party, but before he could unlock it, he felt Richie elbow him continuously on his side. He looked up to him in annoyance, then he saw who his cousin was gawking at and the air in his lungs left in a shaky exhale.

Ravishing was the only word he felt could do you justice. Stunning, captivating and beautifully breathtaking were up on the list, but none seemed to be enough to describe how the slick red fabric accentuated every one of his favorite features on you. Your olive skin glowed under the afternoon sunlight as you walked towards them, dark curls held up with a soft ribbon that bounced with each of your steps. The frills on the hemline of your dress caressed your mid thigh as you moved, making him envious of a piece of cloth for the first time in his life. 

“Carmy, you lucky son of a bitch.” Richie whispered beside him, but he was more concerned on how he would keep his hands to himself during the whole evening when you looked like that.

“You guys made it!” You said excitedly once you reached them by the entrance.

You pulled each one into a quick hug, offering a welcome kiss on the cheek. You hugged Carmy for unperceivably longer than the rest, your citrus perfume invading his nostrils and engraving itself in his memories.

“What’s in the box?” You asked Marcus with a confused grin.

“Well you always bring stuff for us so we wanted to pay the favor back” He said with a wide smile. “I made it and Carmy helped decorate it.” He shrugged.

Your eyes danced between both men in admiration, the tears glossing them over  and a big smile taking up half your face.

“You guys are the best.” You whispered and threw your arms around them again. 

“Ugh- sorry I'm a bit tipsy-” You said to yourself once you let them go and chuckled, fanning your hands in front of your face to dry the upcoming tears. “I can take that to the table so you guys can enjoy yourselves… where’re the others?”

“Oh they took an uber behind us, they should be here in a bit.” Carmen answered, still dumbfounded like a moth to a bright light.

“Awesome, well the drinks are on the right and the food’s on the left so… enjoy!” You said taking the heavy box from Marcus, who clapped Sweeps on the back as they moved towards the drinks.

You rolled your tinted lip between your teeth staring up at Carmy for a second, before saying “Can you give me a hand… with this?”

“Wha- Oh, yeah, yeah sure.” He took it from your hands and followed you towards the food table, hearing a ‘Guess you're stuck with me’ from Richie to Fak as he walked away.

He followed mindlessly behind you, too enticed by how the dress accentuated the curve of your hips. You could have been leading him to his death and he would gladly follow with anticipation. He could feel himself grow slightly hard at the racing images flying through his head and he was glad that the shirt he decided to wear was long enough to cover his groin.

He reached the table after you, placing the package in a small space you had cleared in the center, then undid the latches at the top and took a butter knife to cut the cardboard down the side. A small gasp escaped your lips and you grasped his forearm at the sight of the gleaming pastry.

“Carm, it’s beautiful” 

“You think so?”

“Of course.. It kinda reminds me of the-”

He pulled up the picture saved on his phone and your eyebrows knitted together at the sight of the bright image.

“I kinda ripped off your design.” He confessed through a breathy laugh, scratching the back of his head.

“I think you made it better” You responded, then you hand slid from his arm to cup under his palm. “Thank you, it truly means a lot.”

Carmy swallowed dryly when your eyes flicked down to his lips momentarily and for a brief second he wanted to see what would happen if he leaned down and kissed you in front of all these people… but a voice shouting your name from behind made you lose grasp on his hand and step away instantly.

“Carmen, you came!” Your mother called excitedly, walking towards you by the arm of a tall older gentleman who he assumed was your grandfather.

“Hola, señora” He spoke carefully. He had been practicing some words with the teasing help of Syd, but unfortunately, that had been as far as the lessons had gone.

“Ay, muy bien!” She cheered and his ears reached a new shade of red. “Have you met my father yet?”

“No uh, w-we just got here.”

Carmy reached his hand out to the man, who swept his appearance then reached out slowly to clasp his hand with a firm grip. Your mother turned to her father and explained something in a quick spanish that was impossible for him to understand. What he did understand was the universal language of an embarrassed child, as your eyes grew wide and you let out a sharp ‘Mama!’ through gritted teeth.

“What?” He asked you amused.

“She told him you’re his next grandson-in-law” And when he looked down at you, a soft blush dusted your cheeks and your hand rubbed at the bottom of your nose to hide the shy smile.

“My Fox?” He heard the deep voice come from your grandfather and was more confused about the nickname than your mother’s statement.

“D’you want some Sangria?” You interrupted.

He nodded with a nice smile and you walked off to the drinks table with your mother behind you. He was about to follow behind, but the man beside him placed a gentle hand over his shoulder to stop him. 

“Carmy, yes?” He spoke with a slight crack in his pronunciation.

Carmy gulped and nodded.

“What is it that you do, Carmy?”

“I, uhm.. I own a restaurant.” ‘More like a burning shithole’ the voice in his head added.

The older man hummed in contemplation. “You know hard work, then?”

Carmy let out a nervous laugh then answered “Yeah, I-I do.” That would be an understatement.

“Good, good.” He patted Carmy’s back, the intimidating facade slipping when he turned to look at you laughing beside Syd and Marcus while you served two drinks. “She's been through a lot this year y'know... and I want only the best for my little Fox.” He turned back to him “Are you the best?”

Carmy’s eyes stayed glued on your figure, his heart warming at how you swayed naturally with the upbeat music, reminding him of vibrant hibiscus flowers in the breeze. “I want to be… yeah.” He confessed wholeheartedly.

A smile that reached your grandad’s eyes appeared before him, leaning to his side and whispering. “Good answer.”

“Can I ask you something?” He asked the man after a few silence filled seconds and took the small grunt as a sign to continue. “Why do you call her that? Fox?”

He heard the man’s booming laughter above the music before he began to speak.

“Do you know that fox movie? Where he steals all the chickens and lives in a tree?” Carmy shook his head. “She does, seen it a hundred times or more. When she was little, she walked around wearing fox ears her grandma made her and would chase the chickens around in my other daughter’s house. So she’s been my little fox since.”

A grin appeared slightly at the picture of a little you running around with cloth fox ears pinned to your hair. He wanted to ask about your grandmother, but before he had the chance, a woman in a tight blue dress tackled her arms around the older man. He only understood her excitement and giggles, then she signaled to someone across the area and the man moved with open arms to new arriving guests.

“Hi” She turned to him, stretching a well manicured hand towards him. “I’m Sarah.”

“Uh… Carmy.” He gave her hand a single shake, a little taken back by the light scratch of her nails on his skin.

“Oh yeah, my aunt told me about you.” She batted her long lashes at him and he readjusted his weight on his legs under her heavy gaze. “You’re the chef that works with my little cousin, no?”

Carmy nodded and swallowed nervously, assuming this was the cousin your mother wanted to set him up with.

“Cooking is such a hard job, with all the heavy lifting you do, I’m sure you don’t even need to work out.” She gave him a breathy laugh and he tried to hide his lack of comfort under a chuckle, his eyes scanning the space for you or any other person that he knew could pull him out of the situation.

“Maybe you can come over one day and cook for m-”

“Babe, d’you think you can help me with something?”

The sound of your voice hit him the way soft ocean breeze hits the rocks after a crashing wave and he unconsciously stepped further away from your cousin.

“Babe?” They both asked in surprise.

He raised his brows at the pet name, a slow fluttering sensation filling his insides because you had never called him anything other than by a variation of his name, or chef, in your whole time of knowing each other, yet now that it slipped past your cherry tinted lips, he could not ignore the shaking sensation the two syllable word had unearthed in him.

Your brows raised, expecting an answer from his parted lips. All he could do was nod slowly and take a few steps in your direction. You smiled softly up at him then turned to your cousin.

“Your mom’s looking for you. I think your kid knocked his tooth out again.”

Then you turned towards the door that led to the stairway with him following right behind.

You didn’t say a word as you made your way up the multiple floors and his hands developed a thin layer of sweat at the idea that maybe he had done something wrong. He was about to ask what it was you needed help with when you reached the door, but the moment he stepped into the dim hallway, your hands grabbed the two sides of his shirt and pulled him down to your awaiting lips. It caught him off guard, but the breathy sigh that left your chest  had him pressing himself closer to you. Carmy groaned into the kiss, the floral taste of red wine exploting his senses. His hands instinctively reached up to cup the sides of your face to deepen the action, tongue lapping at yours trying to get more of the intoxicating flavor. He felt your fingers circle around the loops of his jeans and pull him forward as you took small steps back down the hallway.

“You have no idea… how much I’ve wanted to do that.. today.” You managed to say between peppered kisses while pulling him deeper into the room.

One of his hands moved to the dip between your back and ass while the other extended long digits under your chin. In a second of bravery, he wrapped it tentatively, applying light pressure to the sides and causing a hefty gasp to rip from your chest. His smile unraveled at the melodious sound, dick now pressing hard against the material of his jeans.

“Just that?” He asked in a whisper then left your mouth to plant wet kisses along the edge of your lips and down to the valley of your jaw. He could feel your pulse quicken at his actions and your grip grow tighter on his jeans.

He felt the hand on your lower back hit the hard edge of the kitchen counter and he pressed himself flush against you. You shook your head at his question, attention trained at his lowering head now reaching your chest. Sultry kisses rose small bumps on the tender skin of your upper breast as your hand flew up to tangle in between golden strands. You pushed your head back to allow him an open access.

“More than that..” You whispered through difficult breaths.

“Yeah?” He asked, withdrawing from your skin and rising back up to your face. His nose rubbed along yours as his hands fell from their grip, down past your waist and to your hips. Fingers clawed at the fabric of your dress and bunched it up into high fists.

A low shiver left your lips at the contact of his hot skin against your thighs, fingernails raking along the sensitive area. Your hands rested on his shoulders, gripping tightly when skilled thumbs feathered over the thin hem of your underwear.

You hummed in affirmation, eyes wide and bright staring hungirly up at him through hooded lids. Your lips twitched up and you bit it slightly before speaking. 

“Y’know…” you whispered to Carmy, lips brushing over his with every word. “I chose the dress knowing how much you’d wanna fuck me in it.”

The breath he had struggled to take was forcefully knocked out by your admission. A groan moved past his  lungs, because fuck were you right. He felt like a mad man, unable to control himself from the moment your skin touched his. 

Without thought, he dropped to his knees, face buried in the material of your dress.

“Fuck, Carm-” Escaped your lips in heavy breaths. 

He looked up to find you a beautiful mess of shaky breaths and blushed cheeks. The golden necklace around your neck was disarranged and your exposed skin glistened from his wet kisses. He smiled at your glowing physique. 

Carmy never considered himself religious. He grew up catholic from his parents but never bought into the whole idea of an ever present being creating everything around him. In that moment, however, with the glowing rays of sunshine filtering through the windows and cascading over your form- red fabric bunched at your hips like an impending fire- he undoubtedly confirmed the existence of the godly being he wanted to spend all his mortal life worshiping. You had him like silly putty in your lovely little hands and he was too far gone in the moment to rationalize if he was fucked for good or not.

He hooked his index fingers on the band of your underwear and pulled it down torturously slow, following the drag of the fabric with his teeth. He didn’t want to waste the little time you had, considering you were also in the middle of your kitchen and anyone could walk in at any moment. But god did he want to slurp you up and bottle every last one of your desperate sighs, make you feel so good until the only word you remembered how to pronounce was his name. 

When the flimsy piece of clothing was finally down to your ankles and you had stepped out of it, his palms pushed the fabric up once more and he was greeted by the wonderful image of your glistening pussy. He swallowed down the sudden rush of saliva that invaded his mouth, a usual reaction from his body when he’s been starving for so long and is graciously presented with an appetizing dish.

He breathed out delicately above it, a clear pearl of slick forming on your folds, taunting him. He looked up at your aroused expression through hooded brows and without losing contact, stuck out his index finger  and swiped it over the tender flesh to collect the juices, then popped it in his mouth. The tangy taste of you on his tongue was all he needed to lose the last grips of control left in him. 

Carmy gripped firmly at your hips then pushed his face deep into your folds, tongue first. The force and the surprise of his actions had you losing your balance over him and holding on to his shoulder for support, mouth ajar. He used one hand over your stomach to keep you and the dress still against the counter, while the other held on to the supple bend behind your knee, raising it to rest on his ample shoulder and granting him greater access to you.

A mixture between a moan and a whimper invaded his ears, fueling the blaze of his actions and speeding up his attack on your cunt. He used his index and ring fingers to part at your labia, lapping with his flat tongue around the whole area. With blown eyes he looked up at your disheveled face, head thrown back as you tried to control your erratic breathing and he smiled to himself at how responsive you were to his touch.

He had learnt this like he had everything else, through technique, observation and a shit ton of practice. Everyone around him always assumed that just because he had never had a girlfriend before, that meant he had never had sex either. But they’d be surprised at what having your face and name linked to the top twenty best chefs in the country could do for your sex life in a supercilious city like New York. This was probably one of the few good things that he gotten out of it. Seeing you tremble through his actions over his mental stability seemed like a fair trade.

As he saw you fall into a breathless mess above him, a proudness flourished inside him. To know that it was he who turned you into a heap of mumbles and praises with just his skilled mouth.

“Shi-t, babe- so good. So so good…” You were too far gone to be able to say anything else.

He used his fingers to spread you open again and a high pitched cry vibrated in your throat when he wrapped his lips to suck on your clit. You pushed on his shoulder at the intense sensation and he let it go with a ‘pop’ of his mouth, kissing the velvet skin on your thigh and giving you some time to breathe. He took a few seconds to calm his racing heart and his cock jerking inside his jeans.

“As much..” You could barely speak between breaths “as I want you to make me come with your mouth- and I do-" your leg unhooked from his shoulder and you pulled him up by the collar of his shirt. “I really want you to fuck me right now.”

You didn’t give him time for an answer, only sealing your lips above his and groaning when you tasted yourself on his tongue. Your hands flew to the buttons on his jeans, undoing them with practiced ease, but before you could pull his stiff member from its confinement, Carmy grabbed at your hips and turned you towards the counter. On the wall across from the counter, by the door to your room, rested a tall mirror, long enough where you both could see your heaving upper bodies.

 His hand slid to the front to massage at your aching clit, chest pressed tightly to your back.

“God, you’re fuckin’ gorgeous, look at you.” He used his free hand to wrap around your neck and tilt your head to the mirror. “My pretty, pretty girl.” He whispered near your ear.

He had no idea what came over him when it came to having sex with you. The way your body responded to his touch caressed a part of his ego he thought dormant so long ago. Yet her you were, all doe eyes and shaky moans, ready for him to fuck you in your kitchen with your family only a few floors down. He really was a lucky son of a bitch.

Carmy used his slick covered hand to wrap around his cock, then gave a few taunting jerks on himself before aligning with your entrance; all while maintaining eye contact with you through your reflection. You gave him a little nod in the mirror, your hand covering over his inked one around your throat, then he pushed slowly into you until he felt your warmth swallow him completely. 

Your hands fell flat on the cold counter, the metal clink of your rings hitting the surface as you tried to scratch at something to hold on to. He kept his grasp on your neck steady and his eyes fixed on yours as he quickened his snaps on your hips. He could see your tits bounce in the mirror at his brutal force and it only made him want to go faster.

“I’m not gonna-fuck baby- not gonna last l-longer” You uttered in gasps.

Your back arched towards him when he hit that particular spot he had learned you liked, then he did it again and again until the strength from your legs disappeared completely, folding you over the counter. The fluttering around his cock signaled to him you were almost close and with the way his movements stuttered lightly, he could feel it too. 

He closed his hand around your neck again and pulled you to him. A mess of curls and reddened cheeks stared back at him, a pleased smile tattooed across your face.

He whispered filthy praises into your ear. “Look how good you look taking my cock.” He accentuated the words with a deep thrust. “You like lookin’ at yourself while I fuck you?”

You nodded frantically, pulling one of your hands up to grab at the back of his head.

“I like looking at you fuck me.” You answered back in shrill breaths. Your puffs blew on the sweat covered strands around your face, some clinging to the surface of your hot cheeks.

Your answer had him chuckling in delight and he picked up the pace one last time, heavy thrusts creating ripples on the tender skin of your ass cheeks. He circled his free arm around your waist and rubbed on your bundle of nerves until he felt you shiver with an upcoming orgasm, then he skillfully rolled the nub between his fingers and that was enough to have you break under him with a strong moan. Your cunt clung with breathtaking strength around his twitching cock, allowing him three more thrusts before he found his own release inside you. 

He took several large puffs above you, the lavender shampoo from your hair calming the erratic beats of his heart. Carmy pulled out slowly out of you and you let out a sensitive whine. He looked down at your tinted skin, attention fully on the drops of creamy white beginning to slip out of you with every involuntary spasm and it surprised him to feel the need to be inside you again.

He kissed your naked shoulder and smiled towards your reflection, the disarrangement of dark curls framing pink cheeks and kiss swollen lips had him clutching at his heart. You could have been there for an eternity, both afraid to break the bubble you had so cautiously created around you, but knowing you had to. 

“Is that what you needed help with?” He asked with a grin, reaching for a paper towel and running it under warm water before helping you clean up the mess he had gladly partaken in between your legs. "You coulda just asked..."

A relaxed laugh escaped your lips as you retied the ribbon in your hair and asked him to pass your discarded underwear, then brushed your hands around the ruffles of your dress to make it less wrinkled.

“Honestly I just wanted to get you away from my cousin.” You confessed, then walked towards him and combed your fingers through his hair while he readjusted his jeans.

“Guess I should make you jealous more often then, huh?” He asked and you stopped rubbing the lipstick off his cheek, giving him a glare. “I’m just joking!” Then he pulled you in for a tender kiss.

“C’mon, they’re probably looking for us.” 

“Let ‘em look, I don’t fuckin’ care right now.” He whispered back, catching your lips into another sweet long kiss.

“No, seriously. We gotta go.” You managed to say in between kisses and laughs. He planted his lips by your ear and inhaled your perfume.

You smiled, then intertwined your fingers with his and began your hefty walk back down stairs, a mild ache in his abdomen that would keep your escapade present in his mind.

“What the hell?” You faintly said.

A sudden rush of trumpets and string instruments reached your ears the moment you crossed the heavy metal door back into the courtyard. He could see all the guests crowded in a semi circle around a group of men belting out the lyrics to an unfamiliar but attractive song. Your hand held tighter around his and you turned to him with a confused grin.

“Was this you?” You asked above the overpowering music.

He shook his head ‘no’ and turned back to the Mariachi band, only to see Richie walking to them with extended arms, like an orchestra director but with a beer in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.

“Whatup fuckos! You missed the whole surprise!” He yelled through the noise. 

“This was you?!”

He shrugged, taking a sip from his beer and turning towards the band.

“I felt kinda bad that you quit cause of me, so hope this makes up for it.”

Your hand released Carmy’s as you walked a couple of steps towards his cousin, circling as much as you could around his waist with your arms. Richie stayed frozen in his spot with his gaze down on you, then he looked up to Carmy who just stayed with raised brows. He moved his slender arms around you to hug you back, chin resting down on your head.

He cleared his throat after a few seconds and let you go.

“Okay, enough of that mushy shit.” Richie took another swig.

Someone called your name from the crowd and you turned to Carmy promising you’d be back in a bit, then ran to Syd, who took your hand and spun you around to the beat of the music. 

Richie strutted to his cousin’s side and offered him the burning cig. 

“That was nice of you. The Mariachi.” He clarified while taking a drag.

“Was nothin’.” He shrugged again. “The fucker owed me a favor.”

Carmy nodded slowly. Riche’s eyes flickered towards him then raised the bottle to his lips.

“She’s..uh… She’s good for you. Try not to fuck it up.” He stated simply, then added “Also you both reek of sex.” and this pulled a soft laugh from Carmy.

They both watched the crowd move rhythmically in silence for a long while, maybe three or more songs, until the musicians stopped and an uproar of clapping and cheers began.

People dispersed into their seats around the long table and you waved Richie and Carmy over to the empty seats around you and the other guys. 

As the sun hid behind the skyline and the lights under the trees casted a soft yellow glow around everything, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment away from his looming responsibilities. He ate everything you or your aunts offered him to taste, to the point where both his stomach and his heart felt like they could burst. He then downed it with glasses of Sangria and the constant beers Richie threw at him so he could show off his skill at opening them with a lighter, the only party trick he knew. 

At some point, his arm rested on the back of your chair and you leaned your back to rest on his chest, head nestled in the crook of his neck as your grandfather entertained their end of table with the romantic story on how he had met your passed grandmother. It was a beautiful story of ‘the old homeland’ as he called it and as he skimmed the back of his fingers on your smooth arm, Carmy listened attentively. He felt brave enough to let his guard down and plant a single kiss on the crown of your head, but didn’t notice the lingering stares and multiple hidden smiles from both families surrounding you. 

Your grandfather’s words swam peacefully in the light haze of his mind, both from the alcohol and the warmth radiating from your palm mindlessly tracing figures on his thigh.

‘Her father pointed a rifle at my head when I asked for her hand. I was not afraid because I knew she would say yes. And if she didn’t? Why would I ever want to live in a world without her by my side?’

Chapter 7.

Taglist: @pearlstiare @teteminne and that’s it lmao

[waterproofhamster]

August's Tickletober - Day 2: Chase

Switch!vox Switch!velvette

Words: 873

“VOX! You asshole!” 

That was it.

This was the final straw of Velvette’s day.

First, a model who had to perform a big role in a show had gotten MAULED by a dog on their way! 

Now they had a face that could NOT be put on camera. 

So they had to use some spare look-alike that didn’t even fit their dress. 

It was just awful. 

Then, she had dropped her phone, earning a crack in the screen protector Vox SWORE was invincible.

This had already put her off speaking terms with the flat-faced ‘prince’. 

Oh.. But this. 

This was IT. 

Vox must have gone into her room, for some odd reason, and because the idiot can’t turn his head more than an inch APPARENTLY, he knocked her favourite perfume (for display purposes only) off its place on her dresser.

The bottle lay on the ground, a crack running through it, splitting it, the liquid pooling around the glass. 

Sure, it was a strange accusation, but there was no other logical answer. 

Valentino would have probably said something, (Not that he’d care any more), and it’s not like earthquakes happen in hell. 

So, it must have been that fucking biohazard they call a CEO.

She approached the TV, clearly unsettled from what she had said a moment ago. Clueless of what’s about to come.

“Why were you in my room?”

He blinks, 

How did she know?

“Velvette! Ah, let’s see. I was just delivering that dress you ordered! I thought it would be nice if I were to put it in your room for you.”

Oh! That thing came. Well, that made today much better for her.

“Oh. Well. Thanks!” 

“BUT, you ruined my best fragrance.”

He stares at her in confusion, a wary smile playing on his face,

“Whatever are you talking about? I would never do that,”

“Yes, you did. You knocked it over and now it’s broken. You are replacing it.”

She says, accepting no further comment.

“Velvette, I can replace it but I did not do that.”

She scowls at him,

“Admit you did it.”

Vox couldn’t admit to anything he had no recollection of doing, rolling his eyes at her,

“I’m sure it just fell of the shelf alone.”

Velvette was so sure he did it, anger building up inside her.

“Be reasonable, Vel,”

He says, taking a step closer to pinch her side, earning a jump in return.

“Reasonable? I’ll be reasonable…” 

She mutters before lunging at the taller sinner, squeezing his sides. 

“What are you-”

He’s cut off by buffers, flinching back from her touch.

Now knowing she was serious, serious. 

“I think I hear Valnetino in need of some down time!” 

He says before swiftly zapping into a camera.

Oh, but he wasn’t getting away that easily.

She quickly leaves his room, practically marching down the halls in order to get to his ‘office’ as he called it. 

It wasn’t really, it was mostly where he watched people with minorly sadder lives than his.

She flings the door open. Surprise, surprise. He was there.

Now with a ‘Fuck Alastor’ mug in hand. Nervously looking at her,

“Aha.. do you need something else..?” 

“Cut the shit,” 

Velvette says, jumping at him once again, this time drilling into his hips, knowing he couldn’t focus his abilities this way.

“Waitwaitwait!” 

She didn’t listen, smirking at him.

“Sorry not sorry!” She half-sings in a teasing voice. 

The overlord tries his best to hold it back, a few chuckles coming out before he manages to stumble away, running out the room, afraid of the girl.

He had ever reason to be afraid! She was a mean ler. 

But, the flat-faced prince apparently doesn’t know his own way around the tower. Well, at least not well enough. 

She runs the opposite direction from him, predicting his every move. 

Velvette of course, is running, but makes sure not to go too fast. She really liked the dress she was wearing and would probably kill Vox instead if it caught on a door and teared. 

Eventually she pushes open the heavy doors, Vox half running into her.

She manages to catch herself with the door, grabbing Vox before he can pull away.

Any attempt at using his powers were now useless, as she giggled, attacking his hips once again.

Except this time, she was doing something right, managing to draw laughs out from the other.

“Haha! Vel- Velvette stop that- I didn’t do shit!”

Her nails drag up to his sides,

“Actually! You did, infact, do shit.”

Vox basically collapsed to the floor, Velvette followed (but much more gracefully), continuing her attack.

It was like this for about three minutes, before a voice behind them startled them both.

“Eh, Velvette.” 

Valentino.

“I may or may not have.. Broke something in your room.”

She pauses her attack, staring at him, Vox heavily breathing.

“You what.” 

Valentino knew what she was capable of, too. 

“It was reflecting light. I thought it was a.. Lamp.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, of course you did…” Vox seethes beside her, an angry glint in his televised eyes.

“VELVETTE!” 

Vox launches himself at her.

Valentino slowly slides away, hoping whatever Vox was about to do would distract her from him.

[rendy-a]

Hello can i request a yandere Vil and Rook with a reader who's disguised as a male? Probably the magic mirror had a slip up and chose not just a magicless student but also a female.

AAAAA HERE A PEACE OFFERING, I LOVED READING THAT POST ABOUT THE YANDERE EPEL AND ROOK.

HOPE YOU LIKE IT, MADE IT SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS.

This is the first piece of fan art I’ve gotten.  I feel so special!  Thank you for the gift.  In turn, I hope you enjoy this piece.  I wanted to keep it gender neutral, so I made it into a rumor that the Prefect might be a girl.  You can decide for yourself if the rumor is true or not!

All over school, there was a new rumor being spread.  Students everywhere were asking, “Have you heard?  The Prefect of Ramshackle is a girl!”  Of course, various friends of the Prefect were quick to shut down such rumors.  As such, it had never been proven or disproven; merely speculated.  Even in their own hearts though, the question lingered.  Was the Prefect a girl?

Secrets.  Just the word made Vil’s stomach turn.  And there you were, his precious Sweet Potato, talking to your first-year friends.  And keeping secrets from him.  Vil pushes his lunch away with such force it nearly flies off the table.  Rook looks over with a sharp smile, “Why Roi du Poison, what has caused you such ire?”  Rook’s tilted head and inquiring gesture seem to say, ‘tell me what bothers you’ but his eyes, narrowed in delight, seem to remind Vil that he already knows.  Vil pushes away from the table and struts from the lunchroom.  This situation was beneath him, so he’d just leave it behind.  The only thing he couldn’t leave behind was you.  Something had to be done about you and your secrets.

---

“Are we not close, Prefect?” Vil asked you softly.  Although it was spoken kindly, the question put a chill down your spine.  “Of course we are, Vil,” you replied hesitantly.  It had been a strange week for you.  All around school, students had started treating you subtly different.  Plus, there were so many leading questions.  We’re friends, aren’t we?  You know I can keep a secret, right?  Is there anything you want to tell me?  All of it was rather strange and you just had no idea what to do about it. 

“Hmm,” a considering hum from Vil pulls you out of your reverie, “These garments don’t really suit you, do they?”  You looked down at the old dingy school uniform Crowely had dug up for you from somewhere.  “I don’t think this particular uniform suits anyone,” you truthfully replied.  “Everyone deserves an outfit that suits them,” Vil replied dryly, “and you…” He trailed off before finishing and when you looked up at him, he had an unexpectedly fond look in his eye.  “Come with me, Prefect.  I have just the thing for you.  Since we are so close and all.”

Vil has such a magnetic personality that when he said ‘come with me’ you had never considered not obeying.  As such, you found yourself escorted to Pomefiore and sat on a lovely chaise lounge at the foot of the Housewarden’s bed.  Then Vil retreated into a large walk-in closet after bidding you to not touch anything.  You wondered vaguely if he kept anything dangerous in his room.  Pomefiore students were known for their proficiency with poisons, after all.  You looked at the multitude of bottles that sat on desks and shelf space and played a game with yourself; was that bottled liquid a perfume or a poison?

The sound of the closet door opening brought your attention back to Vil, who had emerged with a pile of purple fabric in his arms.  He shook it out and you found it to be a Pomefiore dorm uniform.  “Do you keep extras in there?” you asked confused.  “No,” Vil replied evenly, “this one is mine.  Now go put it on.”  You blanched at his statement, “YOUR uniform?  Oh no, I could never.” Vil cut you off, “Don’t argue with me Potato, just go get it done,” then he smiles at you wickedly, “unless you need help?”  You let out a small yelp, grab the uniform and dash off to the closet to change. 

You managed to get it on but you couldn’t say it fit particularly well; after all, Vil had the proportions of a model and you were just…you.  You entered the room and gave Vil a shrug, “Well, that’s that.”  He sighs at you, “Have you never heard of tailoring, Potato?  Now stand on this stool.  I need to take your measurements.”  You did as directed, standing on a small stool while Vil gathered measuring tape.   “You aren’t actually going to give me your dorm unform, are you?”  He gives you a withering look, “Potato, you can’t expect me to wear last season’s robe all year long, can you?”  Maybe it was the plush feeling of the velvet-soft robe against your skin instead of the threadbare uniform from Crowley, but you decided to accept that explanation. 

“Ok, just tell me what to do,” you say and give Vil a grateful look.  “Hold out your arms, I’m going to take some measurements.”  He begins with your arms and then the shoulders.  You meet his eye then and suddenly you feel nervous, like a warning stirs deep within.  Your instincts shout that you’ve been lured into a trap of some kind, but you are unable to see the snare.  Finally, Vil breaks eye contact first, “Now I’m going to measure around the chest.”  He leans in until his chest lays against your own and reaches behind you to grab the end of the measuring tape and bring it back to the front to read the measurement.  By the time he’s taken the measurement, a satisfied smile graces his lips.  You scold yourself quietly for overreacting; nothing overly strange had happened.

“One more, just to be sure,” Vil says to you softly.  You tilt your head in question and Vil elaborates, “I mean there is one last measurement I’d like to take; the inseam.”  Underneath the heavy outer robe was a black inner garment consisting of a shirt and pant.  You open the robe enough to allow Vil to measure the pant.  Before he leans in, he assures you, “Nothing to worry about, Prefect, I’m a professional.”  You look at him with skepticism, “Are you?”  He looks at you with humor, “of course, it’s a secret of mine,” then his look gets far more serious, “I wonder what secrets you might have, Prefect.” 

You twitter at him, “Oh nothing big.  I’m a spy, I’m attending school as a secret mission, and I also have a spouse and 7 children.  You know, the usual.”  He gives you a narrow-eyed look, “Is that so?  Well, if you DID happen to have a secret, I just want you to know it would be safe to tell me.”  You only give him a smile and raised eyebrow in response.  When no further secrets were found to be forthcoming, Vil smiled and replied, “Right, we’ll just do it like this then.”  Then he takes the measuring tape and slides it up the inseam, taking the measurement.  You turn your face away, embarrassed at the closeness of his hand to your intimate area but remind yourself firmly that he is only taking measurements. 

Finally, when finished, Vil pulls back with a secretive smile.  You supposed that he was satisfied at having all the measurements he required.  Or maybe he noticed the slight belly bulge you had from eating double desserts at lunch.  Perhaps you should have just confessed at the beginning?  No, you assure yourself, it was never wise to confess to overindulgence in front of Vil Schoenheit.  But whatever the reason, Vil was happy to release you to change out of his former uniform and back into your ramshackle one.  He smiled at you very sweetly before telling you that he’d have it altered by the end of the week.

His estimate was accurate.  It was only Friday when Vil came knocking at the door of Ramshackle and presented you with a garment box containing the finished uniform.  You smiled as you ran your hands over the soft fabric; this was yours now!  Vil also seems pleased with your interest in it and asks, “So, where do you plan to wear this, Potato?”  You laugh happily back, “Oh, it would be strange to wear it around campus, so I think I’ll just save it to wear to bed.  It’s got to be the softest and warmest thing I own.” 

“To bed?” Vil says with a start.  Then a coy expression comes across his face as he says, “Yes, Sweet Potato, do that.  And when you do, I give you permission to dream of me.”  You manage to not let any strange expressions cross your face at this unusual response and simply remark, “Perhaps I will.  It can be our little secret.”  At those words, you earn a dazzling smile from the beautiful Vil, “Yes Potato, as many secrets as you’d like.  I’ll keep them all for you.”

Surprise was one of life’s great rewards.  It takes something familiar and expected and changes it into something new and exciting.  When that thing is also the object of your fascination, the effect is exquisite.  At least that is the opinion of Rook when he first hears an interesting rumor about the Prefect of Ramshackle dorm.  To think, all this time, his beloved Trickster could still have mysteries left to uncover, c’est magnifique!  He feels some sympathy for the poor Prefect and their lack of privacy, but he can hardly blame the interested students; not when the possibilities have set his own hunter’s instincts aflame.

---

Any time Coach Vargas announces a special event for PE, all the students of NRC shudder.  “Have you ever heard the inspiring story of the Sword in the Stone?” began the innocent enough class.  “Legend told of a sword magically embedded in a stone that could only be drawn by the true ruler of the land.  Many attempted to remove it and failed until one young prince drew it forth,” Vargas continued with a grin, “Some said it was destiny while others complained of dark magic, but I know in my heart what was the deciding factor…BICEPS!”  Vargus finishes off this explanation with a pose showcasing his own overlarge arms. 

The class cringed collectively, feeling an unpleasant task approaching.  “In honor of this fine achievement in physical prowess, the staff has hidden three symbolic swords in the NRC school forest.  The assignment this week will be to hike into the forest and seek out these swords.  The grade that collects the first sword will have bragging rights over the others!”  Someone raises a hand and asks, “And what if we don’t find a sword in time?”  Vargus looks disturbed for a short moment before he covers by shouting, “Why then you’re all wimps!  So go out there and find one!  Class dismissed!”

“Bonjour!” comes a greeting from behind.  You break from your inspection of the tree line to see Rook standing beside you.  “Hello Rook.  Are you setting off to hunt for the swords too?”  He smiles at you in a mysterious way, “Non, I merely came to speak to you, Trickster.”  You tilt your head, “Oh?”  Rook’s smile deepens, “Have you heard the rumor?”  You give a start; you had noticed students treating you oddly lately, was there a rumor going around about you?  “No, I haven’t.  Are you going to tell me?”  With a nod, Rook continues, “Oui.  You see…last year one of the swords wasn’t found.  Rumor has it that the sword is still hidden somewhere in the woods.  To find such a query would be merveilleux!”

So, it wasn’t about you after all.  Still, it was an interesting rumor.  “So, what happens if someone finds the missing sword, I wonder?” you say offhandedly.  Rook smiles his mysterious smile, “Coach Vargas was quite alarmed when it couldn’t be found.  He hunted for it himself a great deal.  I think he’d be most impressed if it was discovered.”  A challenge not even Vargas with his stamina and drive could conquer, yes, he’d be impressed.  Then you smile and offer to walk with Rook to class. After all, the first years had plenty of time to find a sword.  It was only Monday.

“And that’s how I found the last sword!” said a third year from Diasomnia in an arrogant tone causing a cheer to go up among the Diasomnia lunch tables.  Epel looked at you quietly and then said, “That was the last one and the first years didn’t find any.  What do you think is going to happen to us now?”  You shake your head sadly at Epel and respond, “I think we are sunk.”  You hear an interested hum come from further down the Pomefiore table you sit at, “Sunk, are you Trickster?  Then you’d better swim, non?”  You smile ruefully back at Rook, “Sadly, I’m not dressed for swimming today.”  He smiles in a satisfied tone and says mischievously, “Why Trickster, then you’ll just have to go au naturel.”  You feel your face begin to heat, “Like skinny dipping?  No way, I’d never do that!”  Rook laughs good naturedly, “Don’t be so quick to dismiss it, Trickster.  You’d be faster without clothing, and it wouldn’t drag you down.  Plus, it is so much easier to dry when your clothes remain on shore.”  You look at Rook in amazement and start to ask him if he has had a lot of experience with the topic when you decide, no, you’d rather not know.

You turn back to Epel and remind him, “Well, there is always the rumored fourth sword out there.”  He looks at you like you are crazy, “What fourth sword?”  You turn your head towards the other end of the table to ask Rook to tell the story again but see that he and Vil have already departed the table.  You shrug your shoulders and say, “Never mind.”  Maybe you’d go look for it yourself just in case the rumor was true.  Plus, it was pleasant weather this time of year, so hiking in the woods wasn’t a bad way to spend your free time.

You set off hiking on a trail Rook had recommended.  You hadn’t specifically mentioned the sword hunt, just that you were looking for a nice off-the-beaten-path hike.  Rook spent copious amounts of time in the woods keeping his hunting skills sharp.  You knew he could recommend an interesting place.  Plus, the third years had found the first sword quickly.  Most of the rest of the students had taken that easy win to slack off the rest of the week.  You figured that meant many of Rook’s paths might not have been traveled.  Maybe, if you were very lucky, you’d find that fourth sword and pull off a miracle for the first years.  Your PE grades could certainly use one, considering Grim was in charge of flight classes for your pair.  With that dismal thought, you set off.

The path Rook recommended was a steep climb to begin but, after you reached the initial summit, it was a lovely trail.  The trees rustled gently, and the sound of a stream could be heard in the distance.  The only thing bothering you was a slight feeling of unsettledness that you couldn’t shake.  NRC was a safe school but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be a dangerous wild animal in the forest.  You hadn’t seen any yet but there was a certain feeling of watchfulness that you felt in the deep wood.  Or maybe you were just creeped out by being alone out here.

You were troubled by the sensation until you reached the stream, there, the tree line gave way to the meandering water and the sunlight shone down gently.  You smiled at the open sky, grateful for the change in tone.  You’d had enough of a creepy wood but a sunlight riverwalk sounded downright pleasant.  You made better time in the light and soon found yourself at a branching fork in the road.  One path led along the stream the way you’d been going; the other path was across a makeshift bridge made of a fallen log.  You could tell the stream fork continued in both directions but the path across the river would be harder to walk as it was more of a wild game trail than a proper path. 

You considered the options and started along the easy path because, why not?  Only, then you paused and considered your real reason for being out here.  If the fourth sword did exist, would it be on an easy to hike path?  You returned to the fork, gazing across the river.  You felt a certain sort of tension in the air, as though the forest itself was waiting with bated breath to see if you’d cross the path.  And so, you did.  You followed the trail past several forks, each time taking the more difficult looking path in stubborn pride, until you heard a change in the sound of the stream.  You turned a bend to see the stream tumble down a small waterfall into a woodland lake.  It was quite beautiful but this sight that took your breath away was the gleam of metal on an island in the center.  It couldn’t be and yet, it was.  You’d found the rumored fourth sword.

The new issue was the island was quite a distance into the lake.  You knew it was unlikely you’d make it to the center by wading and you were not about to go swimming in your hiking clothes.  You felt like screaming; you’d come all this way and found the damn sword only to be foiled at the end for such a stupid reason.  Then, like inspiration from above, you remembered Rook’s silly comment about skinny dipping.  It was ridiculous and yet, you were so far into the woods, who’d even see?  So, feeling like you were doing something dangerous and forbidden, you stripped down into your underwear and swam across the lake to the island.  There, you laughed and wept to see the gleam was, in fact, one of the swords used in Vargas’ challenge.  You’d really done it. 

You swam back and stood, admiring the sword for several minutes to give yourself a chance to dry a bit before putting back on your clothes.  Then you’d reversed direction and headed back to campus.  At each fork, the trail became easier and easier.  By the time you were back on campus, you were practically running to show your prize to your first year friends, the trials of the forest long forgotten.

Your friends had been excited and Vargas downright astounded, especially after hearing about where you found the sword.  He accepted the item and left muttering about checking every area at least four dozen times if this ever happens again.  The person most enthusiastic to hear your story though was Rook.  He gave every pause and twist you told him dramatic flair with his gestures and gasps.  You could tell he was hamming it up a bit for your sake, but you appreciated the support. 

“You know, I owe it all to you and your advice on that trail,” you shyly thank him.  He smiles back at you with that sharp and mysterious smile of his, “Oh, no need to thank me Trickster.  It is I who should be thanking you.  Why, it’s like I accompanied you all the way there.  And to be there, in the end.”  You laugh way too loud and forced at that, thinking, ‘I’m certainly glad you weren’t there to see that particular end!’ to yourself.  Rook continues pensively, almost to himself, “To catch the most valuable prey, you need the rarest bait.  I’ll miss my treasure, but I’ve found something more valuable.”  You frown at him slightly, “You…you weren’t actually in the woods…were you?”  He laughs, “Ah Trickster, what happens in the woods, stays in the woods,” and then departs with you staring nervously after him.

[stareiiez]

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 --- two.

simon ( ghost ) riley x female reader.

content : dark?? ghost. introing in graves and his shadows. modern settings. mentions of stalking. obsession. drinking. sex. female genitals. unhealthy attachments. violence. blood. smut in later chapters. dark topics. this is just my version of haunting adeline but for ghost. adult cis female reader. MDNI. 3.6k words.

note: Ox is the play on one of the few confirmed operatives in Shadow Company <3. He's just, as yk, named after Oxide. Getting into the juice of jealous!ghost too quickly is the spice for any good stalker fic lets be honest.

The alcohol and secondhand smoke of cheap cigarettes waft through the buzzing of the club's techno music. It's down and dirty, you can feel the bass in your heart and between your thighs if you ground your hips just low enough to the fast tempo that rewound for the umpteenth time that night. The pre-game at that dive bar had given you enough liquid courage to follow your two friends out the swinging doors and down the street to the neon purple and pink nightclub. Lemon drops and free drinks were thrumming through your entire system, and the set of rough hands that squeezed around your gyrating hips didn't feel half bad either. 

You didn't catch his name, but 'Blue Eyes' was what you were referring to the man who was nearly half-folded against your back. His breath fanned over your cheekbone, and if you ground back just right against his swirling hips. You'd hear the slight hitch in his breath and low demanding grunt of more frivolous friction against his semi he was pleasantly sporting for no other woman than you. It's been too long since you got someone hot and horny for you. Not saying that you weren't ugly, or what's considered troll-like in the world. You just never had the time nor energy to go out there and support a man's one-tracked mind long enough to bring him back home and in your sheets for ten or twenty minutes of pleasure. If you were lucky enough, maybe he'd know how to find your clit and g-spot all without insistent guidance from you. 

The demanding need for another refreshing shot of whiskey or lemon-ey cocktails had you pulling away from your dance partner's strong chance. His fingers caught on the hem of your dress to keep you in his grasp while he followed you without a complaint or him yanking you back into his built arms to start another round of dry humping on the dancefloor. His fingers skated from the side of your thigh to your side then finally tangling thick fingers around your wrist. It caused your head to swivel to look up at your Blue Eyes. 

"Your friends and round of drinks are already at my table, why not join them instead of waiting for the bartender to notice you?" His voice pressed into your ear. Sharp astringent liquor and subtle desire for you, tickled your senses through his words. 

Jesus, you nearly forgot you didn't come here alone. The hypnotic grinding and captivating presence of the man, now holding your wrist captive in his palm, had taken up your frontal cortex. You didn't even register how long it had been since you had been pulled off the bar top by Blue Eyes for your first dance. You must have looked like a crummy friend, abandoning your friends for a pretty face and dark hair just to fuel your liquor-tainted mind.

Not that your friends had minded much when you discovered them equally if not more drunk than you were. 

You allowed yourself to be led by the wrist through the sea of grinding, perfume-tainted bodies to Blue Eyes's table that he was talking about. Three other men were lounged about, legs outspread with their hips raised to show the signs of whiskey dick through overly tight jeans. Your two friends were sandwiched between two of them men. Flushed faces and loud giggles expelling from their mouths as the two men sitting on either side of the girls, had been entertaining them with hushed whispers. The other man, some equally dark-haired male was refilling his glass with liquor; not bothered in the slightest that he didn't have a pretty thing to flirt with. 

"_____" Izzy slurred slightly when you and Blue Eyes joined the rest of the group. Her weight started to jump and push at Veronica's side. Sweaty palms shoving at her shoulder to signal the girl and the other men to scoot over and make room on the rich leather booth. "You nearly missed out on the invite for the boys' after-party tonight."

Your brows barely raised in reply. "Graves, you don't mind, do you?" One of the men spoke up, his eyes watching the hand of your 'Graves' that had wrapped around your waist to guide you closer to him when he sat down. The sweaty heat of his body, had you pressing more into his addictingly strong frame. The liquor had you clingy. Your fingers mindlessly paw at the hem of his shirt while you gazed up at handsome features. 

"I mean, unless this little thing didn't have any other plans tonight." His voice purred down at you. His lips turned up into an alluring smirk that made you want to kiss him drunk and stupid if you so wanted to. You wanted to, right now. 

Your tongue pressed out from liquor-soaked brims to wet your bottom lip in taunting appeal. His pretty eyes darkened ever so slightly as if he could read your mind and all the thoughts that were running through your mind right now. How you had anything but the silly little 'afterparty' and learning the men's names that were flirting with your friends for quite some time. Your afterparty consisted of fewer clothes, maybe more liquor, and staying up till the sun was high in the sky and you were kicking him out with a killer migraine and a pleasant thumping between your legs. 

You hummed under your breath, the tension between you two broke as soon as you turned your head to address Izzy. Your cheeks flushed with heat and alcohol. 

"Probably not, early morning you know." You flashed a half-assed apologetic grin. Your left side of your body vibrated with a husky chuckle that came from Graves. His large palm squeezed your hip till his fingers slid to the sensitive crease of where your thigh met your hips. A sharp jolt ran through your system, and your legs tingled with a rush of electricity. Every single cell of you was not overly receptive to the wants and needs of your intoxicated mind. Who could blame you, after all, you're only human. 

  A predator-like grin slid on Graves's lips when he heard your phony excuse for ditching the rest of his boys and your friends for some high-quality alone time at your place. He couldn't blame you, after all, nobody complained when it came to fucking him. He was worth the time of losing sleep and dealing with police for several noise complaints that were made. Ask all the one-night stands and barrack bunnies, they'd rate him five stars on Yelp. He shifted under the warm feeling of your fingers playing with the sliver of skin you allowed yourself to touch while you dealt with the drunken groans and whines of your redheaded friend. Her eyes rolled with dramatics, while the blonde girl beside her huffed and pouted silently. If you dared to smooth your hands up further and to the side, you'd find a glorious little happy trail just waiting to lead you to what you were thinking about the most when you first started dancing with him. 

"But I shouldn't leave you two alone, it wouldn't be right." Your voice quipped, cheeks flushing with embarrassment from being so openly handsy with Graves in front of his and your friends. Hands wringing themselves in your lap, your eyes darted to the faces of the three other men. It was the right thing to do. After all, nobody even introduced themselves to you besides Graves. And that doesn't even count, since it was a slip of the tongue from one of the men. 

"Don't worry about them, darlin'. They don't bite." Graves huffed out, another chuckle leaving his lungs. His head ducked down slightly to send shivers through your spine when he spoke to you. 

"Unless one of these pretty girls asks for it, ain't that right, boss?" The man who was pouring himself another drink when you first arrived to greet the group snarked; sending a few high-pitched giggles from your friends. Their cheeks flushing to match your blush. His teeth, pearly and white flashed in a wicked grin. Brown eyes gleamed with a subtle darkness that made you even more uneasy and unwilling to leave your friends alone with three strangers.

"Knock it off, Ox. Don't scare her. " Graves bit out, his blue eyes flashing in irritation. The grip he had on the crease of your thigh squeezed tighter; surely it would leave marks if he grasped at your plush skin even harder than he already was. "He doesn't mean it darlin', my boys are well-behaved and trained to be gentlemen."

One of the men, lean and blonde with a still giggling Veronica wrapped in his arms, swatted at the man who spoke so brashly. The hit was hard enough to erase the dark look in those brown eyes you were starting to dislike very much. 

"Ox and Graves, your mommas must have hated you to name you that." Izzy giggled again, curling into Veronica's side so she could reach over and finish off the rest of her fruity cocktail. Her tongue hung out of her mouth almost childishly while trying to grasp the sweaty glass in her palm. 

"You could say that, but that's not the case." The blonde-haired man beside her leaned over, pushing a different glass to her. It was filled to the brim with the same fruity drink both girls had been sucking down since they joined the boys for the night. Izzy took it in grateful hands, fruity straw placed between pink lips. "If you want, you can go, unlike these dogs of men that I'm unfortunately acquainted with. I'll make sure they're safe for the rest of the night. I'm the designated driver anyway." His lighter blue eyes swapped over to you, flashing a light charming smile in hopes you'd give up your guard and ignore the red flags of leaving your only two friends in the throes of three men for the night.  

"You sure?" Your eyes rounded in belief. Thanks to the alcohol, it was too easy to trust an all-American looking man such as the man who was smiling and nodding at you. His pointer finger even crossed over his heart, like he was swearing himself to you. 

You let out a sigh in defeat, head shaking back and forth. Red flags were blaring their sirens loud enough to almost drown out the thumping of the bass music and the goodbyes of both the men and your friends from their table. You forced the girls to make some sort of promise to at least text or share their locations for the rest of the night. Then, you let yourself be walked out of the club and to your parked car by Graves. His excuse was only "It was the right thing to do, never know if I'll see you again." The walk back to your car was quiet, it allowed your ears some reprieve from the loud techno beats and constant shrill scream of the DJ's voice in the microphone. 

Your head tilted up, semi- clear vision lets the stars and moon in the night sky seem even brighter than normal. Although dead stars and a rock in the sky weren't going to captivate your eyes for much time. Under the spaced-out lights of the sidewalk streetlamps, you could finally see the chiseled side profile of the man you had been grinding and dancing with. 

He was far more handsome than what the blue light and flashing neon lights of the club had shown you in quick bursts of color. He was a shadow that encompassed your body with the scent of his cologne and his constant running hands that moved here and there on your body. He didn't even feel solid in your grasp unless he was sitting down and holding you tight to his side with those commanding hands of his. Now under the fluorescent orange lamp lights, he looked like just a man. A man capable of finally being kissed and touched like any man would want to be touched if they were granted the chance. 

"This is me." You said when you both approached your cute cherry red car. The neon lettering of 'Vaqueros' glared cooly onto the sleek body of your ride. Not entirely brand new, but up to date with all the bells and whistles that any fancy shmancy car these days came with. 

You turned on your heel, lower back lightly pressing on your driver's side door just so you could gaze up at Graves who was standing close in your line of sight. Your breath got caught in your throat when his right hand raised from his side. His fingers tucked pieces of your hair behind your ear, while those alluring blue eyes of his flicked down to your lips and then back up to your eyes. "Think I can keep this gentlemanly streak going and kiss you goodnight." His voice uttered deeply. Another flicker of his eyes running up and down your face, had your cheeks flushing with a different kind of heat once again. His hand pressed to the side of your head.

"Only if you ask nicely, and don't bite like your boys say they do." Your head tilted into his cool palm, a welcome difference from the sweet heat your face carried too many times for just him alone. 

His chest rumbled with a drawn-out chuckle. He shifted forward, booted feet taking the few steps forward until he had you now pinned to the uncomfortable curvature of your car door. His breath was still tainted with liquor and something woody had washed over your face. His free hand slid back into its rightful place back onto your hip; his fingers clamping down on soft curves with heavy greed. "Darlin' I usually don't ask or beg women for a kiss, but for you." A breath, his face drawing closer till his lips were only millimeters away from the swell of your own. "I'd get on my knees if you wanted me to." Sure, he was kidding, but for a pretty thing wrapped in his arms at this moment? He had to lead with his dick and not his pride and ego. 

That was more than a green light for you to eliminate whatever little space you had between you too. Your lips pressed onto his own. He tasted of beer and something sharply metal that made your nose wrinkle and lips part in a quick gasp. The reaction was enough to let Graves advance and shove a thick tongue into your mouth, only furthering the strong taste your tastebuds didn't seem to agree with that much. You could ignore that for the fact that your entire body seemed to alight with brilliant electricity when Graves groaned so filthy into your open mouth. The sweeter taste of what you had been drinking, could be compared to straight-up liquid honey. Your tongue twirling around his own between deep kisses, was like giving pure sugar to a diabetic. Euphoric. The man only wanted more. He wanted to know if your cunt tasted just as sweet as your kisses were. 

Both of your hands swiftly felt each other up, wrinkling and tugging at clothing while you both whimpered and groaned into each kiss. Two grown adults kissing like they were back in high school and pent-up virgins who never kissed the opposite sex once in their entire lives. It must look completely inappropriate to the naked eye, but you nor Graves cared. He had just managed to work a thick jean-clad high between your own. The rough fabric pushed your dress hem up, just to let the denim press right against your warm pussy when a loud noise startled you both into pulling apart from the make out session. 

Your head whipped to the side at such a fast turn, that you swore you felt something pop in your vertebrae.

Loud would have been an underestimate of how hard your heart flip-flopped and tried flying out of your mouth from the sound of trashcans and metal banging together from the narrow alleyway that was made up of one part of the Vaqueros building. A broken streetlight, with sparks of orange and red, did nothing to illuminate whatever was the cause for such a commotion in the early hours of the morning.

If you focus hard enough, maybe even squint. You'd see a pair of eyes watching you from the murky blackness of the alleyway shadows. Just watching you like you were a crippled prey animal, and those eyes were your executioner here to take you out. "Maybe that's your cue to get goin'. " Graves whispered into your temple. His breath is still shaky from how hard you both were kissing each other. His words were muddy in your ringing ears, and hyper focused staring at the nothingness in the alley. His spit-slicked lips brushed against the soft curve of your ear. Rough fingers squeezed your hips for the umpteenth time that night. Your lower back responded by arching forward. Your cunt trailing up the length of his thick thigh with such a fluid motion. 

The small touch between your thighs was enough to have you take in a breath and redirect your attention back onto Graves. 

 Heart pounding harder from the jumpscare than the rough touches that you were receiving. Some part of you wanted to offer him to just come over later and put behind the prickles of fear you felt at this moment. The other parts of you had agreed with the male. Your hand blindly pulled on the door handle of your car; ignoring the way that it was unlocked, you smiled sheepishly up to Graves. "Maybe, I'll see you around?"

"Maybe you will, darlin'. Don't miss me too much now." He chuckles huskily. His feet stepped back a few steps, just to allow your door to open and let you slide into the driver's seat. Once situated, he's gracious enough to close your door for you with another dazzling grin of his directed at you. You don't have the heart to tear your eyes off his handsome face, the kiss had you in some sort of buzzed trance of watching him retreat from your car and walk back the way you both came. 

When he's gone and outta sight, blending into the night's shadows and fluorescent orange lamp lights you notice the flash of red out of the corner of your eye. You turn fully to your passenger seat, and a series of emotions overtake your body. Your eyes widen a few inches, brows knitted to sharp points. Your lips are parted in awe or shock at the perfectly blossomed red peony that was sitting delicately on the leather seat. Starking petals glared up at you in the semi-darkness of your car. If you were crazy enough, you would have thought the flower was making fun of you for how it managed to show up in your car in the first place. 

Perhaps you shouldn't be staring at the single flower, but scanning over every single inch of your car to see if something or someone else was hiding in the small interior. Maybe you should be freaking out at the fact someone had managed to unlock your car, without breaking the windows or setting off the alarm, and leaving you just one innocent red peony. Any sane person would have started their car and driven like a bat out of hell away from the bar and back to their house and hid in their bed for the rest of the night. For you, however, the shock hadn't set in just yet. You didn't call 911, didn't scream for Graves to come back, and offered for him to stay with you just for your sanity. What you had done that was probably the most idiotic thing you could have done, however, was pluck up the flower from its resting place. 

The dark green stem held with the tips of your pointer and thumb, your other hand opened your car door while your eyes remained on the bright flower. You then flung the peony away from you, as hard as one could throw a very light flower away from oneself. Your car door slammed shut with a loud bang, your eyes still staring at the flower as it sailed through the still air and plopped onto chipped parking lot tar. Every single petal was still in place, very much undisturbed and picture perfect like it was never even touched. 

Chills ran through your body, cold and suddenly hot. You felt itchy, and uncomfortable in your skin. Suddenly aware of every single hair on your head and the erratic beat of your heart. You felt vulnerable and trapped in the confines of your car. You wanted to burn your fingers just for even touching the wretched little flora. How silly. You must look so mad, wiping your sweaty hands on the wrinkles of your dress till you nearly gave yourself friction burn on your palms. Another wave of chills encapsulated your body as you got your car to start and peel out of the parking lot. The tires squash the flower under its tracks without a care in the world. The eyes you had imagined that were watching you from the alleyway only narrowed at the harsh squeal of rubber against the pavement. The sound bounced off the quiet buildings while you too tried to disappear into the night. 

Not that you ever could. Not from him. Not from those eyes in the alleyway that moved forward, when he was sure you were gone, to reveal Simon that had been lurking and watching you and that .     .  thing the entire time.  His poor precious girl.

Perhaps now, he'll give you a good reason to hide in your bed after all. 

[gojocumdumpster]

Retsu x Black reader seamstress 2

Idk why i’m so lazy i mentally can’t write my mind is telling me yes and no.

‼️DONT FRET I WILL BE COMING BACK WITH MY BIG ONE DO NOT WORRY‼️

Warnings: None yet..? Flirty

Hope you enjoy… maybe part3??

Retsu x !blackfemalereader

As days passed you couldn’t stop thinking about him, You needed to see him again.

Business was busy as usual fighters coming in from left or right ordering customized clothes but you were waiting for this Mysterious man to suddenly come true. You finished with your last customer as you were closing early, there was boxes you needed to put in the back which was the storage room. You put the boxes up one at a time and they were pretty heavy. Now it was time to count all the boxes and make sure they were in there right places.

Ding!

“Sorry I’m closing!!” you shouted as you counted all the boxes, back turned so you couldn’t see who it was. But the person was still there. Heavy footsteps getting louder and louder as they walked up the the register.

You sighed as you put your clip board down to turn to see who it was.

“I said i’m clos-“

And there he was. That mysterious man you waited to swing by again, “Oh i’m sorry I just really needed to get the hole fixed. I’ll just g-“ You cut him off, “Oh i’m so sorry! If I didn’t know it was you, i wouldn’t had been that rude.” scratching the back of your head. “Oh it’s all good! Is it possible you can fix this suit? I accidentally ripped a whole in it.“ he said laying the black suit you made him weeks ago.

“Oh yeah! That’s the suit I made for you. Did it fit well on you?” you say while examining the rip. “It fit really well it’s better than the other ones normally it would be to big or way to tight but this one was perfect.” you smiles adoring your focused face. “Thank you! Are you going somewhere fancy tonight?” questioning him.

“About that…I was wondering if I could take you out maybe later tonight..?” he says playing with his fingers.

Your eyes opened big as your mouth opened wide (😭) the only thing that could go through your head was. “Wait what?” “Me?” “Why me?” “YASSS!” he chuckles at your face as you snap back into reality. (idk what i’m saying atp..) “W-wait what? I-i mean yea O-of course I would love to.” you fidget with your fingers.

“Alright i’ll see you at 9pm at La Belle Époque. Hope to see you there!” he smiles as he walks out with his fixed suit. All you could do was stare in shock, did this man really ask you out?!? Thankfully you were able to close early at 7:45. It may seem like a lot but in reality it’s not for you, you quickly sweep up the shop finishing up around the place and just like that you speed walked to your car rushing in and slamming the door. (Damn girl💀) It takes about 20mins to get to your apartment it really depends on the traffic.

You made it your 1 bedroom huge apartment as you rushed to quickly shower and do your skin routine. Before you had left the shop you had got this dress that you tailored (hand made idk) couple months back it was a stunning gown typically crafted from luxurious fabrics like silk or satin, with countless shimmering sequins and crystals that catch the light from every angle. The dress features a form-fitting silhouette, flowing gracefully to the floor. It took months but boy was it worth it. You also had expensive heels that went with the dress perfectly, you put on the dress and it hugged your figure the fabric felt like liquid luxury against your skin, caressing every curve with a perfect fit.

You do your makeup it was glittery and had little diamonds on your eyelids. You looked hot, you sprayed on some perfume and gave yourself a good look and took pics and rushed your way out with your purse and phone in it. You made it to your car as you made it to this place you never heard before, “It sounds expensive I wonder if he has good taste.” you say driving. A Couple minutes later you arrived at the place it was very fancy it was huge too, you pulled in the lot and found you a parking spot. Looks like a lot of rich people love this place cause it was a lot of expensive luxurious and sports cars parked everywhere. As you stepped out people where dressed up in dresses and suits, you went inside and it smelled so good and it was just so packed.

“Hello, Welcome to La Belle Époque, will you be dinning privately, bar, table or outdoors?” the hostess said smiling.

“Well do privately.”

A deep voice coming from behind you. “Oh Mr. Kaioh! I see you brought someone with you right this way.” Said the hostess, you quickly looked behind you as you saw the tanned man with a slick braided hairstyle look at you. “After you.” he smiles. He puts his hand on your back guiding you to where the hostess was taking y’all, “Here you guys go! A waitress should be here with you guys shortly” the hostess places the menus down and exits the private room it had big windows and it was beautiful just with 1 table.

He pulled your chair out so you can and sat himself down, “It seems that this isn’t your first time coming here?” you curiously say. “Oh yeah me and the owner are good friends so I come here for a drink and maybe some dinner” smiling at you. “Have you been here before?” he asks, “O-oh never been to a place like this before it’s very beautiful and thoughtful of you to choose.” batting your eyelashes at him.

“I’m glad you like it”

The waitress came in taking your drinks and getting your appetizer.” Shortly it came out you guys had ordered wine and calamari. “So what made you want to own your very own shop?” taking a sip of his wine. “Well it’s always been a dream of mine since I was little so I was like why not and I always wanted to make my own clothes like these fashion designers, maybe someday I can get people to model for my clothes.” you state “That would be cool to see your clothes being worn by famous model or even being on a magazine cover or a huge billboard, you can make loads of money and even gain a lot of attention to your shop and possibly buy a bigger one.”

It’s something about him that you liked you just couldn’t figure it out but he was just perfect in your pretty brown eyes. You guys finish up your entrees, he couldn’t stop looking at how beautiful you were. “I just can’t stop staring at you, your really gorgeous…your eyes, lips everything. Never thought I would ever meet someone as Gorgeous as you” blush spreads across his face as he looks at your pretty shy face. “T-thank you, you look really handsome with your hair like that.” you nervously say. He smiles at you standing up to pull your chair back.

“I’ve had such a fun time with you tonight” he says guiding you through the restaurant and out to the parking on the way out you give him your number. He walked you to your car and you turned towards him, “Thank you again for tonight,” you said, your voice filled with warmth and sincerity. “This has been one of the most memorable evenings I’ve ever had. The restaurant was exquisite, and your company made it even more special.” thanking him. “Your welcome and I hope to see you again.” You have him a hug kissing him on the cheek before waving off to him. Not only does he have great taste in food but also in women.

[headfulloflettuce]

The Human Who Fooled All of Prythian

23. I Present Thee With This Muffin of Friendship

Note: The one in which Cosette makes some friends. Maybe. Sort of.

“Why didn’t you tell me we had literal royalty as customers in the perfumery?”

“Cosette, I didn’t know Briar was related to them. She had come in with some other white haired female and requested to see you. Every time they came you were out. They never made a big deal out of it and neither did I.” Ophelia explained, rummaging through a box, trying to find more of the goldenberry perfume.

“I put some of the new bottles on the further shelf.” Cosette pointed, keeping an eye on the pot full of boiling water and teakwood.

“Thanks.” Ophelia grabbed a few of the bottles, rushing back out into the store, where Theo had been holding down the fort.

After paying off his debts Theo looked happier, working in the perfumery with new vigor. The only thing keeping him down was the occasional comment from his father.

Cosette returned her full attention to the lidded pot, adding more ice cubes to the inverted lid, as a liquid slowly formed in the glass bowl inside the pot.

Homemade distillation was my literal savior in this world. The basic mechanism was that herbs, flowers or in this case wood, were boiled and the heat-resistant glass inside the pot caught and condensed the steam thanks to the inverted pot lid and ice. 

Cosette prepared the perfume bottles for the mahogany teakwood oil, pulling out a homemade pipette consisting of a straw and a very small bottle. 

It wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t afford a professionally crafted one yet. 

Considering the long list of renovations Cosette wanted to make to the perfumery and her investment into the farming project, she wasn’t about to get a pipette with medical precision anytime soon. Not that it was extremely needed at the moment.

After the Winter Solstice we had sold out most of the products I had made, meaning I now have to not only make the goldenberry perfume, which many faeries weren’t able to purchase because there was an extremely limited supply, but I also have to work overtime to restock all other products.

A big flaw in the current system was the low production combined with the long time it took to make everything. Hiring additional would be helpful, if not so costly.

Cosette added another mental note to the growing list of things she would need to spend money on.

She waited for the pot to stop boiling before she carefully squeezed the bottle, taking up some of the liquid and putting it into the prepared smaller perfume vial. After completing that procedure for forty bottles she cleaned the large pot and rinsed the ‘pipette’, setting them and the rest of the equipment to dry.

I need to start thinking about the perfumes for Kallias and Viviane.

Several days had passed and Cosette had written up a list of options, but none of them felt right.

I could play with the teakwood as an undertone for Kallias, but I don’t want to come off as cheap with reusing existing ideas for a literal ruler of a court. He did mention liking the Winter Court forests, maybe a pine scented perfume is a safe bet?

No, too safe; it’s too simple and direct. Again, he’s the ruler of a literal country, his perfume is not only a representation of himself but also his lands. Although, by that logic a simple perfume could be endearing in that it signifies he’s straightforward and easy to approach.

Perhaps I could find some other herb that conveys that smell and feeling? I am sure there must be something in the market, and if not I’ll go into the forests myself to find something.

Viviane was easier as she just wanted a sweet, yet alluring flower based perfume. Boom. Why couldn’t more faes have explicit orders like her?

Cosette sighed.

I can work on this later, it’s best if I help Theo and Ophelia right now.

It was currently rush hour, and faes that were unable to get the goldenberry perfume during the Winter Solstice were showing up to try it now. 

We need all hands on deck right now, and knowing Theo's father he wasn’t about to step up.

Cosette stood up from her chair, the floor beneath her creaking.

Forget all other bullet points on the ‘to fix and purchase’ list - these floorboards are moving up to number one.

Cosette shook her head, trying to not get herself down this early in the day, instead focusing on the task at hand - restocking shelves. She quickly began working on the shelves Theo hadn’t gotten to yet as Ophelia masterfully chatted with the customers, directing and entertaining them.

Cosette returned to the backroom, grabbing a box of the perfumes she just finished making.

I am going to need to make more and I just made this batch. Perhaps this really was a sign it was time to hire people 

Cosette walked back into the shop, stopping next to the counter as she was greeted by the sounds of an argument.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you’re speaking to?”

Cosette paused in the doorway leading into the front space, staring at the scene before her.

“I-I am sorry sir, but we just don’t have that scent on our shelves.” Theo stuttered, cowering.

“Ha! And here I thought this perfumery was supposed to be this amazing establishment. Stores on the perfumery street have the scent I like.”

“Then perhaps you should shop there sir.” Ophelia intervened, stepping slightly in front of Theo, shielding him from the rude customer.

“You dare tell me, Lord Ryker, where I should spend my money?”

Ophelia smiled pleasantly, “I am simply telling you that we do not have that perfume available in our inventory.”

“And I am telling you that you’re providing a terrible service. How will you compensate me?”

A couple other faes who were in the store exchanged glances, staring at the scene before them. They and Cosette wore similar expressions of shock at the male’s audacity. 

“Sir-”

“It’s Lord Ryker to you Autumn shit.”

Cosette saw red, but before she could intervene Ophelia’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“I am afraid we cannot compensate you.”

“Oh and why’s that?”

“Because you haven’t experienced a loss due to our actions.”

“Really, shouldn’t you be treating your customers better?” the fae glanced around, as if trying to get the bystanders' support. 

Other customers quickly looked anywhere but him.

“Well due to your negligence my time and emotional stability has been wasted.”

“And you have wasted my patience, how will you compensate me for it?”

“You-”

“If you continue to cause a disturbance I will call in the royal guards patrolling the streets.”

“This is unfair! I demand to see your boss!”

“My boss has given me and Theo permission to kick out any disruptive customers, or to refuse service as we see fit. Also, with all due respect, I do not feel comfortable letting you near her at the moment.”

“And why’s that?” the male smirked.

“You’re unpleasant and have unclear intentions.” Ophelia began walking towards the front door.

“W-Wait, where are you going?”

“To get the royal guards as promised.”

The fae hesitated, put off by Ophelia’s confidence.

“Ugh.” the male shoved her, rushing out the door.

Cosette approached Ophelia who gave Theo a pat on the back and an encouraging word with which he scampered off to continue tidying around the shop.

“You are amazing.” Cosette smiled.

No wonder the Lady of Autumn kept you close.

“I am lucky to have you here.”

“My, you’re making me blush.” Ophelia giggled, shaking her head, “But seriously, it’s just experience. Years of dealing with snobby rich people hardens your skin, and even then, I still mess up. I am sure you very well remember our attempt to enter Winter Court.”

“Well, that’s not fair. You snapped after we had been hiking for literal days and you had just…left a very unfortunate situation.”

Cosette didn’t want to risk talking about Autumn’s prison with random faes around.

“I guess so.” Ophelia shrugged, tension leaving her body a bit as Cosette squeezed her hand, “I am going to get back to work.”

Cosette nodded, letting Ophelia return to her duties. She was about to pick up the box of perfumes she had set down when a familiar voice distracted her.

“That was quite the performance.”

“Sir Amelio.” Cosette looked at the male who approached her, a beautiful, tall, dark skinned fae by his side. 

She smelled of citrus, oddly familiar to the bergamot-styles perfume Amelio had purchased from me.

“We meet again.” he smiled brightly.

I still don’t understand how this man was a Winter fae. His extroverted nature was everything but it. Him and Blanche stuck out like sore thumbs in this cold landscape.

Now that I think about it, no wonder Aquilo recommended Forrest’s inn, they were very welcoming regardless of your place of origin.

Cosette didn't think too hard about how accepting Forrest or Blanche would be to humans.

It wouldn't lead to any good thoughts.

“Cosette, please meet my wife, Solene.”

Well the scent she wore made sense now.

“So you’re Cosette.” the fae’s voice was cold, despite her warm appearance, “I must thank you for the perfume you made me. It’s exquisite.”

Cosette could immediately tell, this woman was of High Fae blood. The aura surrounding Solene made her shiver. 

“You’re too kind Lady Solene.”

Yet Amelio wasn’t High Fae, not by his lacking aura compared to his wife. However, he had no visible markers and I’d argue held a position of some power and wealth. What gives??

Solene’s face remained stoic as stone.

Amelio…what is your type?

“How was your Winter Solstice sir Amelio?” Cosette continued the conversation.

“It was good and please drop the ‘sir’. What about you Miss Cosette? I heard you managed to get a table at the fair? Quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself.”

“If I don’t call you ‘sir’, you drop the ‘miss’.” Cosette corrected, “Yes we did, all thanks to Ophelia’s quick thinking. The fair was quite hectic but a lot of fun.

He chuckled, “I am happy to hear that. Hectic in that sort of environment usually means profitable. The last thing you would want is a table no one visited.”

“That’s true.” Cosette agreed, eyeing the two faes before her, “So, can I help you two with anything today?”

“Oh no, we were just taking a walk in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. Solene here has been curious about the perfumer who made her new favorite scent so I wanted to introduce you two.”

Solene, in Cosette’s opinion, looked bored out of her mind.

“As I said before, it's a very good perfume.” The female fae reiterated 

Cosette wasn't sure but it seemed the woman was almost annoyed by her husband’s excitement.

“One of my favorites.”

“May I ask what your other favorites are?”

“I love ‘iridescent glow’ from Day Court, ‘sea foam’ from Summer and ‘Primrose’ from Spring.” Solene’s dark blue eyes met Cosette’s green ones, “I am proud however, that I can now wear my home court’s perfumes with no shame.”

Cosette nodded, taking note of the perfume names for later.

Always good to be aware of your competitors.

Remembering that they've just been standing in front of the store’s counter Cosette asked, “Would you prefer to go up to my office to continue talking?”

“That would be lovely.” Amelio said.

Cosette quickly put the box of perfumes onto a chair behind the counter, leaving it for Theo.

“Would you like tea?” Cosette set the kettle once they were in her office, giving them the small box of flavors they could choose from.

“That would be lovely.” Solene selected a peach flavored black tea, while Amelio picked out an herbal tea bag.

Cosette poured them all some tea, and sat down across from them, sipping the same blend as Soelene.

Solene is a fae Calypso would be proud of. She had the perfect posture and held her tea cup with grace.

The whole scene made Cosette straighten her back and at least try to sit more elegantly.

No matter how much Ophelia makes me walk in heels I still come off looking like an uneducated peasant compared to these people. It was honestly sad.

Amelio on the other hand didn't bother, sipping his tea casually, leaning back in his chair, and although didn't do anything that would inherently destroy the sense of propriety, certainly wasn't behaving in the most well mannered way.

“I heard that Viviane and Kallias visited you.” Amelio spoke first.

“Yes they did.” Cosette suppressed afrown.

Amelio smiled, “Do you know why?”

Cosette shrugged, “They said they were curious. I believe them, and how did you know they came to visit?”

“The High Lord and Lady like to support the people of their court, especially talented entrepreneurs.” Amelio explained, “Gossip spreads fast, especially if it has to do with the nobility.”

“And here I thought you winter faeries were more tight lipped.” Cosette set down her tea cup.

“Not really, but we do like to act like we’re above such meaningless discussions”. He chucked

“It’s merely harder to tell what we actually think at times.” Solene’s smile was so cold it could make a child cry, “But in reality all of us faeries share one thing in common regardless of our court - a thirst for drama.”

Yeah that checks out considering the way politics were conducted in the books.

Cosette looked at Amelio.

He held her gaze.

“Are you one of the entrepreneurs that they support?”

Now that Cosette thought about it, she didn’t know anything about the politics of Winter Court.

Most of the story took place in either Spring or Night Court. With Autumn, Summer and Day Courts getting notable mentions that gave her an extremely surface level understanding of what they were like. Her mind came up blank for Winter besides the twenty four children that Amarantha killed using an unnamed daemati.

Solene giggled.

Amelio’s smile widened, “We have good relations, yes.”

Cosette tensed.

Did he have other reasons for approaching me then?

“So the real reason you’re visiting me is…?”

“Because I want to grow closer to a fellow business fae.” he answered simply, “I mean, with all the ruckus that you’ve drawn, it’s hard not to be curious.”

Cosette wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that faes were taking notice of her and the perfumery. On one hand it meant more business, on the other it brought them closer to discovering the truth and ending her journey before it even began.

“I see.” Cosette was trying to find a clue that he was lying.

Guess getting to know established businessmen in the area isn’t a bad idea.

“It seems like I have more to gain from working with you than the other way around.”

“And why do you say that?” Amelio tilted his head.

“I have little experience with business management and a minimal understanding of the inner workings of the Winter Court.”

Investing in me is a huge risk from a logical perspective.

He hummed, finishing his tea and putting down the empty cup, “I respect your honest assessment of the situation, but I can decide for myself if a business relationship is worth pursuing.”

“So I haven’t changed your mind?”

“Your attempt was cute, but no.”

Solene’s eyes tracked Cosette’s movement as the human tried to stay still.

Well, if he’s going to offer up his partnership, it wouldn’t hurt to use it.

“Say, Amelio, I need some advice.” Cosette set her tea cup down.

“Oh?” His eyes sparkled, “I am listening.”

“I have a project I am working on, but I need space to conduct it. Do you know of any buildings that are available for rent?”

“How big of a space do you need?”

“I require a room large enough to house the production and storage of a farming tool about this big.” Cosette gestured with her hands to show an estimated size.

“I can think of a spot.” Amelio nodded, “I have a building where I receive shipments from farms that I own or collaborate with, as well as other products that my group imports or exports. I happen to have a few spare rooms available for rent if you’re interested.”

“Is it far from here?”

“It's a thirty minute walk as it’s closer to the capital’s gates.”

That would be quite the commute for Theo and his father, but it was the perfect location.

“Can I see the rooms?”

“Of course!” Amelio said, standing up, offering his arm to his wife as he did.

Solene stood up as well, linking her arm with his.

Cosette grabbed the cloak she was gifted, walking after them out of the perfumery.

“Ophelia, I have some things I need to attend to, will you and Theo be alright here by yourselves?”

“Yeah of course.” Ophelia gave her a thumbs up, “When will you be back?”

“I’ll be back within two hours.”

“Better be back before we go get lunch.” Ophelia gave her a playful nudge, returning back to her work.

I really envy faes.

Cosette hated that thought as it repeatedly poked its way to the forefront of her mind. She walked with Amelio and Solene down the street, the two dressed in an elegant suit and dress, with light fur coats draped casually over their shoulders.

“You’re not from around here.” Solene stated.

“No I am not.”

I wonder what gave it away, the giant warm cloak perhaps?

“Where are you from?” Amelio prodded.

“I am from the faerie lands. I grew up in a village in one of the central forests.” Cosette lied.

“Ah, no wonder you’re freezing then.” Amelio nodded, “How are you adjusting to our cold climate here?”

“As well as you can see.” Cosette said.

Amelio laughed, “You’re doing better than most. I once saw a Summer Court emissary almost die from hypothermia because he fell through some snow near one of our farms and couldn’t climb out.”

“Was he okay?”

“Yeah, he was found by some farmers and they rescued him.” Amelio said.

“That’s good to hear.”

Amelio positioned himself between the road where carriages and carts drove and Solene.

Did they have the ‘sidewalk rule’ in Prythian too?

Solene glanced at Cosette expectantly. Cosette tilted her head unsure what she wanted from her.

Solene’s expression remained unchanged as she gestured Cosette over to stand by her side.

Oh.

Cosette joined Solene away from the curb.

“Have you had a chance to explore the capital?” Amelio picked up the conversation again.

“Oh, yes I have. The innkeeper of Forrest’s inn gave me and Ophelia a tour of the city when we first arrived.”

“Ah, Forrest’s inn, nice folk there.”

“You know them?”

“They used to source their food from me for their cooking.”

Cosette felt daring so she decided to ask, “Do they now purchase from a person who doesn’t support the current rulers?”

“Haha, no.” Amelio’s eyes were full of mirth, “No they just moved to another local farmer who supports Kallias. I believe he’s a relative of Forrest.”

Keeping it in the family made sense.

The group stepped out onto a busy street full of carts and faeries who were transporting goods into and from buildings. They passed by buildings that were built from white oak, but were so clean and polished that they looked like they were made more out of ice rather than wood.

It seemed to be emulating the style of the royal palace that looked like it was made from ice and crystals. 

Deciding to tempt fate again Cosette asked, “The style of architecture is similar to that of the royal palace. Is that meant to be an indicator of political support or was this just a popular aesthetic?”

Amelio laughed, “You are a clever one, aren’t you?”

Cosette couldn’t help the small blush on her face.

It felt nice to be complemented, okay?

“To answer your question however, yes and no. The style itself is popular within the court. I mean, it is the Winter Court, after all. It would be stranger if people didn’t obsess over glaciers and icicles. However, this type of architecture was popularized with Kallias’s predecessors, so the association is certainly present.”

Amelio led them into one of the large wooden buildings. Inside there was a front area with a secretary behind a small desk, and several hallways leading off into different rooms, as well as a large staircase.

The secretary looked up, “Lord Amelio, welcome back.”

Wait, Lord?! Was I addressing him casually this whole time?

“I am not here for long, just going to go check on the empty rooms we have on the third floor.”

“Of course, Lord Amelio. Oh, by the way, your men told me to let you know that the recent shipment of crops was received.” she handed him a stack of papers, “This is the whole inventory. We’ve already processed it.”

“Perfect.” Amelio took the papers, leading Cosette and Solene upstairs.

The interior looked wellkept, a stair or two creaking as they ascended.

“There it is.” Amelio pushed open a door on the third floor, some crates standing in the corner near the window of the landing.

The door revealed a long room with large windows, tables and shelves. It smelled of dust and wood. Cosette ran a finger along the table, the surface rough with small dents in it.

“So, is it to your liking?” Amelio smirked.

This is actually exactly what I had in mind.

“Yes, it is.” Cosette said calmly, trying to not show her excitement.

Amelio hummed, opening the door at the end of the large room, “This connected room is a package deal with this one. I also have this third room,” Amelio walked back out into the hallway and showed them the room across, “You could use this as additional work space or for storage.”

“How much is the rent? 

“30 gold per month if you’re just taking the large room, and 40 if you’re taking this one as well.”

That was a lot of money, but at the moment our sales were decent enough to be able to afford it. Though, that meant it would take a while before I could hire additional help. Custom orders, especially the ones from Kallias and Viviane, will bring in big revenue, but I will also need to get started on working on a perfume or product that’s accessible to the public.

“By the way, do you have workers for the project?” Amelio inquired,

Ahhh, if I decide to hire additional woodworkers I’ll also need to pay them!

“Yes, I have two.”

“I can recommend some of my men if you would like additional experienced workers.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to impose.” Cosette answered carefully.

I want to retain power over this project. Handing off more and more to Amelio seemed like a bad idea.

Amelio nodded, his smile not wavering, “Very well. Would you like some recommendations?”

Cosette looked at him hesitantly.

“Free of charge.”

So you just want to help me out of your goodwill?

As if reading her mind he clarified, “I want you to like me Miss Cosette. It would be nice if you permitted me to endear myself to you.”

I thought we agreed to drop the formalities?

“I appreciate your honesty.” she paraphrased his words back at him, “But I think it best if I start learning about Winter Court’s economy and work sources in further detail myself.”

Amelio wore a happy expression despite the rejection. In fact, he almost looked happier at the news.

“Then you have my full support. When would you like to start using the space?”

“Could I have a couple weeks? I want to show the space to the people I wish to hire first.”

“Of course. Just let me know when you wish to use it.” Amelio winked, “If you take too long I might give it away to someone else.”

“I’ll be timely, don’t worry.”

“How much further do we have to walk?” The elder groaned.

“Not far.” Cosette sighed.

This man was grating my nerves.

Theo meanwhile chewed quietly on his sandwich.

Cosette had decided to take the two men to see the building the next day during the perfumery’s downtime, giving Ophelia permission to close down early so that it wasn’t too overwhelming to manage the place by herself.

The only downside of this building was the distance we had to walk to get to it. I am going to have to allocate some funds to pay for carriage rides back and forth.

“Can we get a hint at least for what this surprise is?” Theo asked.

“It has something to do with your gift for the Winter Solstice.” Cosette said.

“Right, the supposed gift that we never got.” the elder grumbled.

“You’ll get to have it soon.” Cosette tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

They eventually got to the building, the street it was located on was full of carts filled with various manufactured goods, heading to the gates or being unloaded. There were also some wagons with food, wrapped up and stored properly in boxes.

“The Forge District!” Theo perked up, glancing around with interest.

“Forge District?”

“Some of the greatest smiths and creators in Winter Court work here!” Theo couldn’t contain his excitement, barely sticking to the group as he kept trying to get a peak at the carts and the stuff inside them.

I didn’t realize this place was that big of a deal.

Cosette could admit it looked better than the supposed industrial section of the capital they visited. With proper guards and actual commercial activity the street looked alive rather than creepy or abandoned. Although, they had visited the supposed ‘industrial district’ on a day when all the faes stayed home, so Cosette tried to reserve her judgments.

Why didn’t Amelio flaunt the area’s worth though? Wouldn’t it have helped his case in convincing me to rent it?

Stepping inside the building, Cosette approached the front desk. The secretary looked up.

“Lord Amelio warned me you’d be coming in today.”

“I am just here to show my partners the room.”

“Take your time.” the secretary pushed forward a key, returning to her work.

Cosette took the key, leading the group upstairs to the third floor.

“Lord Amelio? You know him?” Theo stared at Cosette with wide eyes.

Even the elder had perked up, his eyes gleaming with interest.

“He ordered a custom perfume from me and came to give his thanks. We got to talking and he offered me a room to rent.” Cosette explained.

“Woah.” Theo whispered.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well, Lord Amelio is a very well-known business fae due to the farms he runs and his port trading businesses. He is also credited with helping to keep the economy together during Kallias’s absence, along with a couple other important business figures.” Theo continued, “Though, I mostly admire him because he is a Lesser Fae, yet he commands respect amongst the nobility. How many can claim to be able to do that?!”

Cosette hummed, processing this information. 

So my gut was right, he’s not High Fae. How did he get this far then? 

“Please, the man just married lucky.” the elder kept his voice low as he gossiped, “That wife of his is from a prestigious family. No one will say a word because of her.”

Now Cosette didn’t know what to think.

Was it really just Solene pulling all the strings?

“And why do you need to rent a room?” the elder raised an eyebrow at Cosette.

“I promised you two a gift for the Winter Solstice. I have been working on a side project that will involve a lot of woodworking.” Cosette opened the door, stepping aside so they could see inside, “My gift to you is this project. Working on carving wood rather than perfumery.”

“What is the project?” Theo murmured, walking between the long tables, staring at the workshop in wonder.

“It’s a farming tool that will, in theory, help increase the current harvest.” Cosette explained, “Here is my design for it.”

She showed Theo and the elder her diagrams and sketches of the spirit ‘house’.

“It has a lot of details, and I’ve seen your old works when we were clearing out the perfumery. They’re beautiful. So is the cart you created and the gift you gave Blanche and Forrest. You’re very attentive and are amazing artisans that I would be lucky to have on my team.”

“You know, most faes get each other money or something else if they can't come up with a gift.” 

I am sorry, I thought this was a good gift!

“This is perfect!” Theo’s eyes lit up as he stared at the room as if it were a treasury, “The location is great too!”

“How is the location great?” the elder drawled, “Buildings full of construction projects and ruckus.”

“I’ve been searching for a space that we could move into.” Theo said, turning to his father, “This is one of the neighborhoods I was considering because it’s cheap.”

“Wait, move out?!” the elder exclaimed, staring at his son, “But why?”

“Well, Cosette owns the building, and she and Ophelia still live at an inn. It’s only fair ”

Was…was this a moral compass? From a fae?

Cosette couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wasn’t looking forward to the eventual discussion of asking them to kindly find a different house to live in, or finding a room for herself and Ophelia elsewhere.

Thank you Theo for bringing this up yourself!

“She let us stay there.” the elder grumbled.

“Yes, because Cosette is kind.” Theo frowned at his father, “She let us keep our home despite the fact that she owns it, she helped us pay off our debt, and now she is offering us a job within our field of interest!”

“It’s not what we used to do before.”

“Well, it’s not exactly what we used to do but it’s a starting point.” Theo argued, “We have to restart somewhere, and this seems like a good place.”

The elder grumbled, but Cosette easily ignored him. She felt so proud of the man before her for standing up to his father.

“So,” Theo grinned at Cosette, “When do we start?”

“As soon as possible. I’ll contact Amelio and finalize the payment.”

“I-We look forward to working with you.”

“You really don’t have to move out.” Blanche watched Ophelia and Cosette pack up.

“Blanche we’ve imposed long enough.” Cosette set her bag on the bed, finishing putting clothes away.

“You’re not imposing though…” Blanche grumbled.

“We can’t live in an inn forever.” Ophelia stood up, finishing wrapping her clothes as well, “Besides we’ll visit.”

“You better.” Blanche pulled them into a hug, “Me and Forrest will miss you two.”

“We’re moving just a couple blocks away!” Cosette hugged back.

“Still, I expect you to come here several times a week for dinner.” Blanche ruffled both of their heads, gently messing up their hair.

“We will, don’t worry.” Cosette soothed.

“Yeah! You also better come over to play with me!” Fermin peaked around his mother’s skirts, glaring at Cosette and Ophelia.

“How could we miss out on play time with you?” Ophelia squished Fermin into a hug.

“Ack, on second thought, leave! And take your hugs with you!” Fermin managed to break free from Ophelia’s hold, running away.

Ophelia laughed, teasing the child as Forrest picked up their bags.

“I can carry them.” Cosette insisted.

He shook his head, “I’ll help you take them to the perfumery.”

“Look at my perfect husband.” Blanche kissed Forrest on the cheek, her eyes looking into his with a flirty spark.

Forrest returned the kiss, his expression soft.

The group went downstairs, Blanche putting another bag into Forrest’s arms.

“Here, take some dinner with you.”

“Aw, Blanche. Thank you.” Ophelia hugged the fae again.

Blanche hugged back, holding the younger fae gently. She reluctantly let go as Ophelia took Cosette’s hand and they left the inn with Forrest following behind.

Approaching the perfumery they could see Theo and his father leaving with their own bags. Few words were exchanged as they had to get to their new home and check that all the furniture they requested was moved appropriately.

“Thank you again Forrest.” Cosette said, taking the bags from the burly man.

Forrest nodded, “No problem, don’t forget to lock up for the night.”

“We won’t!” Ophelia and Cosette waved him goodbye as he began the walk back to his inn.

Cosette took a deep breath, smiling as she looked at the perfumery in a new light. The place had always had a cozy charm to it, but now, as the two women stood staring at the tables decorated with perfumes and the clean shelves, it felt different.

“Can’t believe we actually have a home now.”

“I know.” Cosette didn’t like the feeling that settled in her stomach - guilt.

I am not replacing my true home.

Cosette steeled herself.

I am looking for a way back-No, I will find a way back. It just might take some time. This wasn’t a replacement. It was temporary.

Cosette took the bags, carrying them upstairs, followed by Ophelia.

“By the Cauldron, your walk is practically flawless.” Ophelia complimented observing Cosette as she walked up the stairs to the mezzanine.

“I would be disappointed if it weren’t after hiking through the woods in heels.” Cosette answered dryly, “Though I don’t think I compare to the fae quite yet.”

“What are you talking about?! It’s a good walk! My training methods are elite and should not be questioned.” Ophelia giggled, catching up with her friend.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cosette rolled her eyes, “You’re amazing Ophelia. You don’t need to fish for compliments.”

“I am not fishing!” the fae insisted.

Cosette turned back to her Ophelia, her dress spinning elegantly as she maintained her posture, “Just tell me and I’ll shower you in them regardless.”

A beat passed as Ophelia stared at her, before shaking her head and smiling again, “You’re a silly human.”

“And you’re a silly fae.”

Ophelia sighed, her eyes full of pride seeing Cosette’s graceful movements, “My little baby is growing up so fast.”

“Not a baby.” Cosette scowled.

“You are a baby though. You were like twenty one last time I checked!”

“I am twenty three now for your information.” Cosette muttered, Ophelia pinching her cheek playfully, opening the door to her bedroom.

They had agreed Ophelia would take Theo’s room and Cosette the elder’s.

“I am going to go unpack and then warm up the food.”

Cosette nodded, “I’ll join you once I finish up.”

“Sounds good.” Ophelia twirled away dramatically, closing the door behind her.

Cosette could hear happy gasps as the fae explored and settled in. She could only imagine how Ophelia felt having her own room having lived in a prison cell for such a long time.

Cosette walked into her own room, immediately pinching her nose.

That sweet smell again.

She opened the window to air out the bedroom, trying to find the source. Apart from a couple soaps, similar to the ones the elder used to have downstairs, she found nothing.

Sighing, Cosette wiped down the bookshelves and closet, hanging up her clothes. She changed the bedding and mopped down the floors, closing the window soon after as it began getting cold. 

The sweet smell was almost gone which allowed Cosette to relax. Deciding she had done enough for the evening she headed downstairs into their back room to set up dinner, Ophelia joining her soon after.

“Hey, did you get settled in?” Cosette warmed up the meat and rice on the small stove they had.

“Yes, the room is wonderful. There’s a window and the bed is so warm. And the closet Cosette, oh the closet! I am going to fill it with so many dresses.” Ophelia rambled, helping to set the plates, “What about you? How’s your room?”

“It’s nice.”

I am happy she’s happy.

Cosette twisted and turned.

Go to sleep dammit.

She had already gone through all the comfortable positions she could think of, leaving her frustrated and staring up at the ceiling. Cosette was tempted to get up and work but it was around two am in the morning, and if she did that she’d be running on no sleep when the perfumery opened.

Cosette scowled, fluffing up her pillow and snuggling into it 

Is Ophelia sleeping already?

Deciding she had nothing better to do, Cosette got up, still wrapped up in her blanket, and walked several steps to the second door in the mezzanine, dragging her pillow. She knocked.

“Cosette?” a muffled voice sounded.

Cosette carefully opened the door, peeking inside, “Hey, it’s me.”

The room wasn’t anything amazing. From Ophelia’s compliments one could have thought she had the master bedroom in a manor.

Any room would be impressive compared to a cell.

Ophelia was sitting upright in the bed, her hair a mess.

“Can’t sleep either?”

“No.”

Ophelia sighed, collapsing back into her bed, letting out an annoyed groan, “Seriously, it shouldn’t be this hard.”

Cosette climbed into bed, relaxing with Ophelia’s familiar presence next to her. Ophelia pulled the human closer, snuggling. Cosette gently ran her fingers through the fae’s hair.

“It really shouldn’t be.”

Ophelia hummed in agreement, gazing softly at Cosette, closing her eyes as her friend brushed her hair.

“Ophelia, I have a question about Lesser Fae: how do you know if someone is one, versus a High Fae? I know that Lesser Fae usually have markers that separate them from the more human-like High Fae, but is there any other way? I mean, you and Theo don’t exactly have features that make you look non-human.” Cosette asked, voicing her growing confusion over the past several days.

Ophelia flinched.

“Ophelia?”

“Sorry.” Ophelia pulled away, her eyes a dull brown.

“Did I say something?” Cosette sat up slightly.

“No. No, you didn’t say anything.” Ophelia rubbed the space between her eyes, “I just forget how little you know at times.”

Cosette waited patiently for Ophelia to continue.

“Usually you can tell by the aura and power a fae exudes how high up the food ladder they are. As for physical markers,” Ophelia inhaled sharply, “It’s not always an obvious visual marker. We don't walk around naked you know? Some might hide their Lesser Fae traits if possible, like tails or wings.”

“But why hide them?”

“If you’re in a big city like the capital, where there are many nobles and High Fae, it benefits to fit in. Besides, High Fae are seen as the epitome of beauty and perfection.” Ophelia’s voice turned bitter, “Many will try anything to achieve the same visual standard.”

“Oh.” Cosette whispered.

“The rank of Lesser Fae is technically a spectrum, ranging from fae who might be of mixed blood to those who have never left the forest.” Ophelia moved back closer to Cosette.

“Thank you for explaining.”

“It’s nothing.” Ophelia closed her eyes.

Cosette gazed at the fae next to her, conflicted on what to say.

I clearly hurt her somehow.

“Ophelia-”

“Shh, time for sleep.” Ophelia pulled Cosette into a hug.

Cosette closed her eyes.

Less prying, more hugs. Got it.

Cosette got up quietly, not wanting to disturb Ophelia early in the morning. They had a couple hours before the shop would need to be opened so Cosete decided to get an early start to her day.

Not like I was sleeping anyways.

She had managed to fall asleep initially but a feeling of restlessness woke her up. Cosette was currently blaming that stupid restlessness for her having to change in very cold temperatures.

Getting dressed and going downstairs she lit the fireplace and wrapped herself up in a throw blanket.

Why was it always freezing?

Cosette knew the obvious answer, but still chose to be huffy about it. She grabbed a box of some cinnamon perfume and took it out to the front, beginning to put them on their shelves.

Since I have no idea where to start for Kallias’s perfume, let’s consider Viviane’s. She said she wanted a flower based scent, so I have to find out either her favorite flower or a scent that is neutral enough that she could wear it on a daily basis. However, it also needed to be sweet and alluring.

Perhaps roses? They were traditional and sweet. They’re also romantic! Alternatively, I could lean into the fact that she is a Lady of a Court, meaning her scent needs to represent her as a political figure. What are popular Winter Court flowers? I’ll have to go to the market to investigate.

As for Briar…

Cosette rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Yeah I have no idea about Briar. Maybe something sweet and innocent? She seems quite energetic so perhaps something with an undertone of spice?

Turning around Cosette let out a small yelp of surprise.

Briar was pressed up against the glass of the perfumery. She waved.

Cosette hesitantly waved back.

Aquilo poked his head into view, waving as well.

Please don’t tell me the royal family has decided to visit again. I can’t handle that right now - I’m cold and sleep-deprived!

Cosette opened the front door for them.

“Hi!

“Hello.” Cosette didn’t see Viviane and Kallias behind them.

A good sign.

“Please, come in.” Cosette stepped aside, letting them into the perfumery, locking the door afterwards.

I don’t need people thinking we’re open at seven in the morning.

“Good morning.” Cosette said.

“Good morning! We came to visit!” Briar beamed.

“I can see that.” Cosette was hoping her lack of sleep wasn’t horribly obvious, “Is there a particular purpose to this visit, or…?”

“Oh, well I know I requested you make my perfume by getting to know me, but I thought having you show up to the palace for our first meeting might be too intimidating so we decided to visit you here!” Briar explained.

Cosette blinked, the tiredness making it hard to get the details of Briar’s ramble.

“I appreciate your concern.” Cosette said, gesturing to them to follow her upstairs, “I do apologize for not reaching out or visiting you yet. I have been busy finding a spot for the farming project, and getting everything set up for it.”

“Oh that’s okay, how’s the project coming along? Did you find where you want to produce the farming equipment?” Briar skipped after Cosette to her office upstairs.

Briar, give me your morning energy.

“It’s going well. I found a spot for the production of it thanks to Amelio.”

“Amelio?” Aquilo asked “You know him?”

“Well we met briefly when he ordered a custom perfume from me. He visited recently, which was when I found out that he had extra rooms in a warehouse of his. He happily offered to rent me the place for a fair price.”

“Do you always wake up early to prepare the shop for the day?” Aquilo sat down on one of the chairs after Briar had taken her seat.

“No, I just couldn’t sleep.” Cosette admitted.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping I can recommend this herbal tea, I believe it’s a blend of chamomile and passionflower tea. They sell it at most well respected shops. My soldiers say it works like a charm.”

“I’ll look into it, thank you.” Cosette nodded, setting a teapot to boil, “What kind of tea do you two want?”

“Something sweet.” Briar said.

“I’ll skip the tea.” Aquilo gestured to his cup of what Cossette assumed to be coffee.

“So you walked all the way here from your home?” Briar asked

“Well actually we live here now.”

“We?” Briar clarified.

“Me and Ophelia. Theo and his father moved out, so we moved in.” Cosette noticed how Aquilo stiffened for a second before relaxing again.

“Where did you live before this?” Aquilo sipped his coffee

“We stayed at Forrest’s inn.” Cosette brewed the tea.

“An inn? Isn’t that expensive?”

“We got a discount.” Cosette smiled, setting two tea cups on the table.

Briar perked up as if she remembered something and pulled out a beautiful box labeled ‘Frosted Bakery’. She opened it to reveal various pastries: cranberry scones dusted with powdered sugar, cinnamon muffins and gooseberry danishes. The box was practically overflowing with the quantity and diversity of sweets.

“What’s this?” Cosette’s mouth watered at the spread, her stomach growling.

Briar smiled, “I thought since I am visiting you this early we should have breakfast together so we stopped by one of our favorite bakeries.”

Uh-huh.

“I appreciate it.” Cosette took her seat.

On second thought, if you’re going to feed us for free please come more often.

“Here, try the muffin!”

Cosette obediently tasted the cinnamon muffin, the mixture of the spice and sweetness coating her mouth.

Oh my god my tastebuds.

“This is so good.” Cosette chewed.

“Right?!” Briar bit into a muffin as well, pushing a scone towards Aquilo who gave an appreciative nod.

“I love their peppermint-chocolate chip cookies and danishes, but the muffins will always have a special place in my heart.”

“Any particular reason?” Cosette took a sip of her tea.

“It was one of the first sweets I tried when I came to Winter Court.”

“I see.” Cosette watched Briar as she devoured her treat.

I am going to need to look into the Children of the Blessed. Perhaps knowing more about the group within the actual world of Prythian rather than as some group that showed up a couple times within a romantasy novel will give me insight into Briar’s behavior.

There was a knock on the office door and Ophelia peaked in.

“Good morning.” the fae blinked sleepily.

“Good morning.” Cosette greeted her, “How did you sleep?”

“Well.” she shivered, walking over to the desk and grabbing a blanket from one of the shelves that lined the walls. Ophelia did not ask any questions regarding the two guests, merely casting them a calm glance.

“We’re having breakfast, feel free to take anything.” Briar offered, pushing the box of treats towards the faerie.

“Thank you.” Ophelia set aside a scone and a glazed brioche bun for herself, going to make herself some tea.

“Would either of you like a blanket?” Cosette asked, feeling guilty she didn’t offer immediately.

Aquilo shook his head but Briar happily took one.

Cosette finished her tea and muffin, watching Briar chug the remainder of her tea.

“I was wondering, would it be possible to see how you make perfumes?” Briar asked, “Or at least the equipment you use?”

“Oh? Want to steal my company secrets?” Cosette joked.

“I-No! Never!” Briar looked insulted

“Relax, I am kidding.” Cosette smiled, “I would be happy to show you.”

Briar glanced at Aquilo for approval, who nodded, taking another gulp of his coffee.

Cosette got up, letting Ophelia have her seat, and led Briar downstairs.

In the back room Cosette carefully pulled out vials and pots, setting them up to begin working after her guests would eventually leave.

Briar’s eyes sparkled, “Is this what you use to make the perfumes?”

“Yes, we use this to extract oils from things like wood or flower petals.” Cosette explained, holding out a glass vial for Briar to look at closely.

Briar carefully took the glass, examining it, following Cosette, observing her every action.

“We use these larger bowls to collect condensation and oils.” Cosette decided to entertain Briar, “Over here I mix various scents together to create more complex perfumes. I use this,” Cosette showed the pipette, “To collect smaller or larger quantities of oils to produce the desired, nuanced scent.”

“Woah.” Briar in awe whispered.

It was honestly a bit funny how easy it was to impress a human in this world. Back home people knew what a pipette was, and had maybe even worked with one if their school was well-funded. It just went to show how behind the humans were within Prythian.

“Show me more!” Briar leaned over Cosette’s shoulder.

“My pleasure.”

Next: Chapter 24 - Pointy Stick of Doom

Back: Chapter 22 - A Very Polite Non-political Conversation

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