#( gotta love the bosses keeping tabs on you right ladies )

[ankhmutes]

A Charming Journey Home (SoA)

This is probably my first attempt at an actual fic for Sons of Anarchy. This is not for minors. So I will post the actual story after the cut.

You ran away from Charming at 18, chasing Connor McGregor, a wannabe of the Sons of Anarchy all the way to Belfast, Ireland. You come back nine years later, older and wiser, and you find just what you need when you come back home....thanks to a surprising source, your crow-eater partying best friend Amanda.

(NOT FOR MINORS, PLEASE, under the cut)

You had recently left Connie, finally- fucking finally, and you were able to go back home to your parent’s in Charming. Mom and Dad loved having the kids back, and You had finally gotten that job at the bar. It was good enough for now, until you could find something better. You had been a nurse, but the hours weren’t what you wanted and you wanted to be there for the kids for now. Especially after what Connie had done to your daughter Shane. The kids needed you more, and your parents were enjoying the opportunity to be grandparents, even if it was a little late. Bartending seemed to work, and your parents didn’t really seem to care as long as everyone was okay, after what everyone had gone through with Connie. Shane’s face was finally starting to heal and the boys were finally sleeping all night.

“Come on, you’ll love it. You got to live a little. Your mom and dad have the kids so You can just chill.” Amanda bosses You around, just like old times as she tugged you over to her side. Amanda had been begging You to go to a SAMCRO party, and You Weren't sure. You had seen the Sons around, but never really bothered with them. You were too busy doing your job, serving drinks and making sure tabs were paid. Biker boys were the last thing You wanted. 

“Mandy, really? You’re still a crow-eater wannabe?” You Asked with a slight laugh, mildly surprised that Amanda was still chasing that dream of being an old lady in the Sons of Anarchy. It was one thing to be twelve and dream and watch the Sons on their gleaming motorcycles, whispering about how gorgeous Gemma Teller was, and how cool all the women on the motorcycles were, and how cute the bikers were to piss off your parents. 

You watched Amanda mingle with the crowd, sliding up to the prospects in their vests. You just trailed behind her, finding a quiet spot just inside, right near the bar. You sipped on a bottle of Guinness and watched the crowd, noticing quite a few handsome men in their cuts, noting which ones You thought were the most handsome and those You wouldn’t give the time of the day to. You listened to the voices of the crowd, blending in the music and soon You couldn't really decipher any specific conversation, just simply enjoying the random cacophony of lively noise. 

Soon, You found your eyes frequently going back to two men, A gray-streaked man who was the  and a wild-haired mischievous sergeant at arms. You couldn’t catch their names, it was too loud, and wild, as You watched the sergeant at arms yell about pussy, and taking swigs out of not the first bottle of beer of the night. The gray-streaked man was much more calm, his energy radiating quiet confidence as he sipped at a bottle of hard liquor and watched the entertainment with amusement. You just couldn’t decide- solid and dependent, or wild and mischievous. They seemed like a perfect yin and yang. 

“Hey! Ya a friend of Mandy’s?” a prospect asked, slinking up to you. You shrugged and sipped at your beer, smiling slightly up at him. He was cute and handsome, but too puppy-dog for you. “How about a dance?”

“Nah, maybe later. I’ve gotta keep an eye on Mandy, make sure she gets home in one piece.” You used your beer bottle to point out Mandy, who was dancing on a stripper pole someone had set up, a small semi-circle of prospects lurking around her. Mandy was eating up the attention. 

“Nah, she’s always here. You’re new.  You’re interesting. Got a name?” You half-shrugged and gave the prospect your name, sipping your beer and making sure you didn’t overdo it. You had a feeling you’d become Mandy’s designated driver before long but you did want to have a drink or two. Mandy ended up half-naked on a pool table, spread-eagle, and only the prospects were all over her. None of the actual members seemed interested in Mandy.

“Let’s go, Mandie– “ you said as you tried to coax Mandy off the pool table, promising her Taco Bell on the way home. You and a couple prospects finally poured her in the backseat of your Jeep, and you were finally able to go home. You went back to your parent’s house, and dragged Mandy in with you, dumping her on the couch with a bucket and blanket. Your parents were asleep, your parents in the large love seat with Shane in their laps, her wild curls spread all over his arm. The two had a large comforter draped around them, Shane’s face with the pink scars criss crossing over her cheek was peeking out from under the blanket. She didn’t stir, your father’s grip on her keeping her secure and calm. You tiptoed down the corridor to the boys’ room, the twins in their bunk bed, soft snores coming from the dog sprawled on the lower bunk.

You loved the peace and calm, and you could finally relax, sliding in your room and shedding off your clothes. You relished the cool feel of the sheets against the exposed skin of your body, just too tired to change. Your mind went to the two men you saw at the party. You weren’t into biker boys anymore but… there was something about them. Perhaps it was the fact they were actual members, you vaguely remembered them from a decade ago. You remembered the smell of the leather, alcohol, and smoke from the clubhouse, and you lost yourself in one of your old fantasies. You laid back naked in bed, your hand sliding down to your belly. You remembered how your jeep was broken down right near T & M and you had to flag down one of the Sons to take it in the shop. You remembered the gray haired one, but he had brown hair back then, his scars giving him a scary and sexy air. You couldn’t remember if he had always had the beard or not, but you didn’t care. You remembered hearing his voice and getting wet from his voice. You remembered you used to call the shop, hoping to get him to answer the phone. Whenever you did, you would ask for your jeep to be taken in, sabotaging it every time he answered the phone.

You were not sure if he remembered you, but you knew if he saw your jeep, he sure as hell would recognize it. You were surprised your parents had kept it, right down to the Sons of Anarchy MC logo you had drawn on it with a sharpie. It had looked badass to you at sixteen, but now you were a mother of three and definitely over twenty five, you just cringed at that girl and wondered why your dad had not sand-blasted the shit out of it already. 

Your brain switched to the fantasy of the man in the cut giving you a tow yet again. He would see your jeep, exclaim at how hot you were, and demand a blow job for service rendered. You’d of course protest, but then give in at the sight of the bulge in his trousers and get on your knees for him, his hands sliding through your hair and guiding you until he would come hard down your throat, telling you what a good dirty girl you were for him. 

Your fingers slid through the slick, deftly and quickly bringing you a sense of relief with a decent orgasm in the silence of the night, but you did miss the thrill a real cock could bring you. Especially if it was attached to one of the men you fantasized about. Your heart beat heavily in your chest, as you righted yourself and curled up in your comforter and pillows. You let yourself sink into the dark abyss of sleep and comfort, finally realizing you were home. The Sons were here. You were safe.

Part 2 to come soon!!

@kdogreads thank you for everything you do!

[flyinginfreedom]

♡ — HEADCANON : CLUB ROUGE.

PAST.

Situated in Night Babylon, Central City, Club Rouge began as a reasonably quiet bar frequented by crooks looking for a spot of cover & people who loved the thrill & freedom of unregulated gambling. For Rouge, it was a place where she could easily meet with fences willing to buy riskier goods as she progressed from small-time shoplifter to methodical burglar. She became a regular attendee & player, often losing her reward money at the tables in the same night she earned it. Her name & face became well known to the staff & owners as well as other patrons as time passed & she settled into criminal life.

It was her bad habit that landed her with the chance to make the place her own; strapped for cash but hooked on the game well past closing hours, she bet the string of diamonds around her neck. Pressed to match her gall & full of liquor, the barkeep threw in the only thing he owned with worth like that: the deed to his bar, the key to his business. She had no qualms with playing dirty & the ( almost literal ) ace up her sleeve won her an opportunity the likes of which she’d never had before.

For a couple of good years, it was the base of her operations & a source of revenue, information & contacts. It was also the place she called home, despite her tendencies to wander & stay wherever she happened to find herself. With its popularity & income growing, she added her flair, a touch of glamour to the run-down bar at last; lights, games, drink, music --- an Eden for the city’s sinners. Maybe this boldness & lack of discretion in expanding on her enterprise had a role to play in her eventual downfall.

Nothing lasts forever & maybe she was convinced of the opposite, but crime doesn’t pay. Club Rouge & the small fortune it earned her were just another thing to lose when her hot streak came to a sobering halt at the hands of the authorities.

PRESENT.

A fully licensed bar & adult arcade. It retains it’s flashy appearance & neon signs, but now you’re more likely to find a pinball table than a poker one in this aging club. There’s been some considerable downsizing since its heyday, both for legal & monetary reasons. Rouge had her assets seized by her new ‘allies’, her business venture included, & understandably, a government body has little interest in paying through the nose to make a legitimate casino out of a sleazy gambling den. As a result, Club Rouge could no longer offer its long term patrons a haven for anonymous betting & gambling. Criminals who once networked within the safety of its walls won’t step foot near the place, rumours of a set up by a reformed thief, of a government snitch & her traps spreading like disease. But at the same time, its sinister reputation still hangs over it, a curse which won’t be dead & buried for years to come; it hasn’t found popularity with the city’s regular club-goers either. The club’s profits have dried up along with its clientele, but it brings in enough to keep itself stocked & the taxman away.

Her name remains on the deed & it’s a familiar place to rest her head should she need it, but Rouge handed over the reigns of management when she accepted her role as an agent, as per her agreement with G.U.N.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Looking for a Place to Happen 3

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series), age gap, general stupidity, some violence and threats, toy play, forced masturbation, some content not warned.

This is dark!biker!Sam Wilson x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: There’s lots happening in Birch and you find it all too amusing.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown, When the Weight Comes Down, Little Bones, and Fully Completely

Note: Again, I’m always grateful to anyone who reads. Take care.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 3: Wayward ho, away we go

💀💀💀

You bent and picked up your phone. The screen protector was cracked and peeling. You lifted it off and checked for any real damage. The stream had ended but it was still operational. You tucked it away as you looked between the bikers and grabbed your jacket.

“Well, thanks for the show,” you headed for the door but found yourself shadowed.

You swung the door out into the cold and that man, Sam, followed you onto the beaten down snow across the sidewalk. He stopped you before you could evade him and cross the street. You turned back and squinted at him.

“You know, I didn’t even get to pay my tab,” you pulled away from him roughly.

“So, do I get a name yet?” he asked.

“You guys are weird,” you grimaced, “no.”

“Come on, I just saved your ass,” he crossed his arms as his breath fogged before him, “I mean, you kinda owe me.”

“Maybe your friends need to learn to control their tempers,” you scoffed and hopped over the snow to cross the street. As you expected, he kept on and as you came to the other side, you turned on him. “Look, dude, you know that whole hard-to-get thing is a myth. I’m not interested.”

He chuckled under his breath and shoved his hands into his coat, “sure,” he smirked, “I can’t let you walk home alone. Not after you go and insult the whole club. Do you really not know the shit that is aimed in your direction right now?”

“Are you talking about yourself or…” you said wryly and spun back to your path, “it’s a small town, I’ll make it home.”

“Oh yeah, it is a small town,” he caught up to you and kept step with you, “you think I don’t already know where you live?”

You ignored him and zipped up your jacket as the cold began to seep in. As he said your name, you stopped short. A chill went through you that wasn’t the winter.

“You’re a creep,” you said.

He laughed again and slung his arm over your shoulder. You tried to wiggle him off but he kept you firmly in place against him. He began to walk, pushing you forward across cracked edges of ice left from diligent shovels.

“Honey, let me tell you something, what I did back there, you’re not just walking away scot-free, you get that? You want me gone? Well, then you can find out what happens without me watching your back,” he said as he squeezed you, “I can go back right now and tell those boys it’s free hunting. You won’t make it past the corner.”

You stiffened and shifted. You were never the brightest, you made dumb decisions, but you knew then this was worse than any before. Your fun time was really a big fucking mistake. How many warnings did you need before you realised how stupid you really were? It wasn’t just a meme, it was like the godfather sent a horse head straight to your door.

“Hmm, don’t think I’ve ever seen you so quiet,” he mused as his arm slipped and his hand went to the small of your back. He turned you down your street and you glanced around at the familiar houses, “listen, you’re probably scared shitless right now? Or should be if you were smart enough to notice the gun on my buddy’s hip? Or the one on mine?”

“Is this how you always get girls?” you croaked through your dry mouth as you closed in on your nan’s house.

“I’m sure other guys like the whole snarky manic pixie dream girl thing you got going on, but I’m not other guys,” he returned as he stopped you just at the end of your grandmother’s walk, “and you didn’t just fuck around with a couple of bikers tonight, you insulted the whole club. In fact, I’m a little pressed about it myself.”

He reached out and slid two fingers into your jacket pocket. He took your phone out and turned it in his hand.

“No more of this,” he put it in his back jean pocket, “not tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll go over the rest of it but… if I see one TikTok or one meme, I’m going to be knocking on that window just above your bed.”

You blanched and peeked over your shoulder. The curtains moved as you caught your nan’s grey hair disappear behind it. You put on that stubborn pout you always got when things didn’t go your way and narrowed your eyes.

“You know this isn’t normal, right?” you whined.

He snickered and puffed out his chest, “this is Birch. This is how things go.” He reached out and ran his thumb over your chin, “you’re young, you’ll learn.” He winked and looked over at your nan’s house and waved with two fingers. “Tell the old lady I say hi,” he grinned, “but I can always tell her tomorrow.”

You scrunched your lips as felt like folding inward. He turned and strode off back down the street, his shadow fading into those cast by the streetlights. You sighed and headed up the walk and pounded your soles up the stairs. You let yourself in but faced another obstacle in your night.

Your nan sucked on a cigarette as she watched you unzip your coat.

“I thought you quit,” you said as you hung your coat on the rack.

“I thought I told you to stay away from the club,” she sniffed.

“Well… I tried,” you lied poorly.

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure you did,” she flicked the ash into the carpet without concern, “I’m an old lady now, I can’t help you.”

“He’ll go away. He’s just… you know how guys are,” you knelt to undo your boots.

“I do, do you?” she challenged, “I don’t remember many boyfriends gracing my stoop.”

“He’s not--”

“That man will make himself whatever he wants to be,” she gristled, “that’s how they work.”

“Look,” you stood and rubbed your forehead, “I know I fucked up. Can you just--”

“Oh, I won’t just,” she snapped, “let me tell you something, don’t be afraid to grab a man by the balls and twist. It saved me a lot of trouble.”

“Nan--”

“I’m not saying you should, just giving you options,” she puffed out smoke, “but you gotta be smart and make the shot count.”

“I don’t… get it,” you blinked.

“You will know,” she tilted her head, “women got a sixth sense. You’ll find out soon enough.”

💀

Your nan’s words stuck in your head. Your day off was no longer as exciting. You woke with a knot in your stomach and a dull stone behind your eye. You descended to join your grandmother for coffee, restless as you didn’t have your phone to keep you busy. You fidgeted and drank the bitter brew without a hit of sugar or milk.

There was a lingering shade of dread as the wise widow’s words swirled in your head with the strange man’s promise. He said he’d be back, he didn’t say what time, he didn’t say for what, but he said he would. As much as you rolled your eyes at the club, those men proved they had conviction and Sam had shown himself to be persistent.

You ate porridge with cinnamon and fake sugar. Your grandmother’s daily fare. You left her to her crosswords and her ramblings about the daily news. You told her to change the channel and lighten up before you went. She quipped back at you to “smarten up” and for once, you had no rebuttal; she was right, it was only that it was likely too late.

You sat in bed and watched Netflix. You had your laptop but you didn’t dare look at your TikTok as it just reminded you of the night before. It all began to sink in as you felt the thick arm around your neck and heard the rough gristle of the boss’ voice. You only realised then how close you’d been to biting it and it made your skin crawl.

Hours passed and you began to pace and fuss around with random pens and books. Maybe he forgot, maybe he wasn’t coming. Maybe it had all been threats to make you stop. Well, it worked and you would delete your TikTok once you got the nerve to open it.

Then you heard the heavy boots on the stairs and the pounding at your door extinguished the hope disguised as doubt. You cringed and stood in one place as you couldn’t bring yourself to move. You crossed your arms and chewed your lip. 

You were very bad at thinking things through. You didn’t consider that you hardly knew this man, though the fact was plain in your mind. You didn’t consider that you’d rarely been alone with a man. You didn’t consider that you knew exactly what his vulgar looks and suave words meant and that your denial could not erase them and all of these things were obvious and unavoidable.

A tapping came at the window beside the door and he waved to you as the blur in your vision cleared. You bit down on the inside of your lip and made yourself cross to the door. He turned the handle as you did and pushed his way past your reticence. He stepped in as you stumbled back.

You were good at acting cool, at being the quirky friend, the goofball, but when it came down to it, you were just clueless. It was better to seem apathetic and not let on how much of a loner you really were. You always wanted to be one of the cool kids but never really were.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he kicked the snow off his boots and it powdered over the mat, “this is a cute little place you have.”

“Alright, alright, I get it, I’m scared, okay? I’ll delete everything and won’t do it again,” you raised your hands defenselessly, “you made your point--”

“Have I?” he sniffed as he let his leather jacket fall down his arms, “because I’ve been thinking all day. How to punish you. You see, these things, you have to be punished. That’s the rules.”

“I…” you backed away from him slowly as he sat in the wicker chair behind the door and unlaced his boots.

“Not my rules, the club’s,” he said flatly, “now, don’t be lookin’ at me like that because if I’d left you with those other boys, you’d be in the rubble of that garage.”

You gulped and hugged yourself as your eyes rounded. His eyes clung to you and he grinned as he stood.

“Well, I know you’re telling the truth at least,” he said, “you’re scared.”

He neared and walked past you. He circled you and slapped your ass. You flinched and he chuckled. You were startled at how quickly he’d disassembled you. You tried to ready yourself mentally all day for his arrival and yet you could never be prepared for that instance.

He strode along the other side of the bed and pulled out the top drawer of your night stand. He shuffled through your things and slammed it. He turned back and went to your dresser and slid out the slender drawer of necklaces and random receipts. He felt around blindly and you heard the familiar roll against the wooden bottom.

“Ah, jackpot,” he pulled out the silicone vibe and spun it between his fingers as you watched him over your shoulder, “I knew a girl once, kept it hidden under her mattress, another had this vase on her desk… but mostly, no one puts much thought into hiding when no one’s looking.”

“What are--”

“Shhhh,” he hushed you as he put his finger against his lips, “it’s a very simple punishment and if I’m being honest, and let’s be clear I’m being very generous here, it’s not much punishment at all.” He took your hand and pushed the vibe against your palm, “you just gotta use that.”

You furrowed your brows as his warm hand closed yours around the silicone and he squeezed. You trembled and he let you go as he winked.

“Chop, chop,” he clapped his hands, “I can always come up with something else.”

You searched his face as he backed up and leaned on your dresser, arms crossed over his thick chest as his biceps bulged through his long sleeves. You peered down at the toy in your hands and traced the subtle curve with your thumb.

“Get comfortable, honey,” he coaxed, “when you finish, we’re done… for tonight.”

You were breathless as you turned away from him. Your head spun and you recounted all your mistakes as they rushed over you. You were so stupid. You couldn’t blame anyone but yourself but that didn’t make it any easier. 

And you couldn’t do it. Even alone, you were always filled with the sense that everyone knew what you were doing with the vibe. That some lurker would hear you and expose your secret. A guilt atoned only in your pleasure.

“Tick, tock,” he chirped as you heard the wood groan against his weight, “you need help?”

“N-no,” you stuttered and dropped the toy on the bed.

You fumbled with your fly for what felt like forever. Your hands were shaking so bad and stopped as you asked yourself what you were doing. What you had to. You had no doubt in his promises. You were learning the hard way like you always did.

You shimmied your jeans down and slid them to your ankles. You got up on the bed and he tutted. 

“Panties,” he snapped his fingers, “don’t be shy.”

You didn’t look at him as you lifted your ass and tugged down your panties. You kept your legs together as you unhooked them from your ankles and shoved them aside. You cleared your throat and reached for the toy as his figure loomed along the top of your vision. You clicked the button and stared at the buzzing vibrator.

“Almost there, honey,” he purred, “I’m starting to think you’re liking this already.”

You sucked in your breath and pushed your legs apart as you closed your eyes. You put your hand on the bed behind you and leaned back as you shoved the toy against your cunt and hissed as it rolled over your clit. You cupped it with your palm and moved it over your bud as the ripples flowed from your core.

You clamped your lips in your usual habit. You held in the moans that threatened and tried to ignore the soft breath of the man in the room. Your whole body was alight with shame and lust fed by the vibrations. You dropped your head forward and winced as you sensed him come closer.

“Oh, honey, look at you just diving right in,” he taunted, “that’s it… you don’t gotta be quiet with me.”

“St-st-stop,” you rasped out, “I can’t--”

“You are,” he slithered, “now keep going. I see you getting close already.”

You squeezed your eyes tight and gripped the toy between two fingers and swirled the tip around your clit. You wanted it to be over and despite yourself, his voice fed your need for release. You hummed between your teeth and arched your back as you rocked your hips against the vibe hungrily.

“Mm mm mm, honey, I don’t think you could handle a man,” he teased.

You gasped and panted as you felt the pressure pulse and you sped up. Your other arm shook and collapsed as you fell onto your back and writhed as you closed your legs around your hand and the toy. You came with a whimper as your body shook and you turned onto your side as the orgasm echoed through you.

“Very good,” he cooed and you felt a dip in the bed. You opened your eyes as he leaned his knee on the edge, “smile for the camera, honey.” You gaped at the lens of your phone and snickered as he lowered it, “now that… I think that might go viral.”

“Wha-- No,” you sat up and reached out as he stepped back and you nearly toppled over the side of the bed.

“Hmm, I might keep it to myself,” he tapped his fingertip against the back of the phone, “I don’t really like to share…” he faced you again and tucked the phone away, “I usually keep my girls to myself.” You blinked and bent your legs as you tried to cover your bottom half. He pushed his chest out and exhaled, “you are mine, right, honey?”

[eves-library]

How to Lose a Man in Ten Days AU//Bucky Barnes x Mexican!Reader Latina!Reader

Chapter One: The task

Summary: In the hopes of saving her friend’s love life from being publicly exposed Y/N takes on the task of writing about her love life while leaving her out of her article. 

Word Count: 1668

Warnings: Mention of breakup and some stereotyped characters (?)

PSA: PLEASE READ First I want to thank @allaboardthereadingrailroad for the opportunity of participating in her Diversity Challenge. I gotta admit I haven’t read a lot of latina!reader or mexican!reader. This was not only a challenge for me to write but I took it as a chance to read stories with that certain type of reader too. The reason I haven’t read too much of these reader inserts is that I don’t always feel identified with the way latina!readers and mexican!readers are portrayed. This is my version of a reader I feel identified with being a Mexican girl. I still left the reader mostly uncharacterized, but there are certain hints here and there that are a telltale for the reader’s background and culture. It will be more evident as the series progress. Finally I just want to say that I took the decision of writing the reader this way because I believe we cannot encapsulate a certain type of girl just by mexican or latina, we share a nationality and culture, yet just by changing states (here in Mexico) traditions change and sometimes the difference is a lot. 

A/N: I’ll be posting a chapter every 3 days. Enjoy

Y/N finish tipping on her computer as Natasha read over her shoulder, “With not only families being torn apart but human beings being treated like animals, the question of immigrant laws being changed should not be a question but a pressing matter.” Y/N turned to look to Natasha as she finished reading, “What do you think Nat?” Natasha gave her a smile and a shoulder squeeze, “I believe it is one hell of an article and I would print it in a heartbeat, but I am not Lana and she will never print it.” With a defeated sigh and her face falling, Y/N saved the document and closed the tab, “I can’t believe I busted my ass to get a master’s in journalism at college just so I could be ‘Y/N How’? Maybe mom was right and I should have not left home.”

Y/N turned her chair completely so she could look at Natasha face to face as Natasha leaned on the bearly there wall that separated their cubicles, “I think you should send some of your work to a big new’s paper, I’ve told you hundred times,” Natasha said to Y/N and before the girl could say anything in her defense, Mandy or “Mantis” as she liked people to call her popped her head next to Natasha on the division of the cubicles “Ladies, don’t forget we have a staff meeting in thirty minutes!” she said softly and as suddenly as she had appeared she disappeared, Natasha was the first to speak up in a low tone so not to be heard by anyone but Y/N “How does she always manage to sneak up on us!” and once again before Y/N could speak up Mantis appeared, “Don’t forget to bring all your good vibes and ideas!” she pipped in before she left for good, prompting both Y/N and Natasha to laugh. 

As their laughter died Y/N stood up looking around the office of cubicles “Have you seen Wanda today?” Natasha turned her gaze directly to Wanda’s cubicle and found it empty of her things, “No, I don’t think she has arrived yet,” Y/N looked at her wristwatch and sighed, “Okay, it is my turn, you go get us a coffee.” Y/N went to grab her coat and purse and as she was making her way out of the office Natasha called for her, giving her a bag with samples, and Y/N grabbed a dark red jacket from a passing cart of clothes used for photoshoots. 

Y/N arrived at Wanda’s apartment in less than 10 minutes, she knocked on the door two times before Wanda finally opened up, a small fake smile on her face which lasted for two seconds before tears started streaming down her cheeks once again, “Oh sweetie, come here, what happened?” Y/N questioned as she stepped in and hugged her friend, Wanda sniffled and cleaned her tears before speaking as she let Y/N walk inside her apartment. “Vision, he broke up with me last night!” Wanda said as her eyes filled with tears once again. 

Y/N walked in to check the state of the apartment, and just like Wanda, it was a little disheveled, especially the area where the couch was and where Wanda had been watching rom-coms and eating icecream. Wanda then walked past her and directly onto the couch but before she could lay back down again, Y/N grabbed her arm pulling her in the direction of her room, which Wanda did, only protesting a little before Y/N finally asked, “Oh, honey, I’m sorry but you can’t let a guy get you fired at work! Come on, I promise after we are done at the office we’ll come back and watch all the rom-coms you want I’ll even get you my grandma’s special hot chocolate you like so much!” Wanda’s eyes glinted at the prospect of Y/N’s offer. 

Y/N went through Wanda’s closet getting a pair of tight black dress pants and a loose black blouse that will look great with the dark red jacket she had brought from the office, and as Y/N was looking for the perfect heels to go with the outfit Wanda plopped down on the bed, “What is wrong with me Y/N? Why doesn’t anyone wants me?” Y/N turned around and took a seat next to Wanda on the bed letting Wanda rest her head on her shoulder, “Listen to me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are a beautiful, talented, successful woman, that when she falls in love she does it fast and deep. Sometimes that scares men, which makes it their loss because you, my dear, are a great catch, and you’ll find a catch too.” 

Wanda smiled softly up at her and Y/N gave her a squeeze before getting up, “Now get dressed! we have fifteen minutes before the staff meeting starts, and I’ve brought samples!” Wanda chuckled and in less than five minutes the two of them were on their way back to the office, Wanda finishing her light makeup on the taxi cab. 

The two of them arrived at their building with three minutes to spare, time enough for the elevator ride up. They met up with Natasha at the doors and each took a cup of coffee. As they were making their way into the building Natasha asked what happened and Wanda told her Vision had broken up with her, “Did he gave you any explanation?” Natasha asked and Wanda let out a long sigh, “Just the same, it was not me, it was him, but I really thought he was the one you know?” Natasha turned to look at her with skepticism “Wanda, you dated the guy for a little over a week!”

Wanda blushed a little over Natasha’s comment, “Maybe… but I just had a feeling you know?” Both Y/N and Natasha chuckled at Wanda’s expense and Wanda blushed harder. Y/N shrugged and send a wink her way, “It’s okay Wanda, it’s only that your heart loves easily and lightheartedly if guys don’t know how to realize that it is on them.” Wanda smiled at her and they soon arrived at Lana’s office, everyone taking their place around in the couches and seats.

Lana entered the room at last and her authority voice boomed around the place, “Good morning family! Shoes out everyone!” Y/N turned to her right to see Wanda and Natasha sitting down and taking their shoes off as Y/N did the same. Once everyone in the office was settled, either on a couch or the floor, Lana spoke again. “How are we doing for this month’s number?” Mandy was the first to raise her hand, going on about an article on plastic surgery and how it ruins people’s life “it is kind of gory but surprisingly… optimistic.” Mandy ended with a smile on her face, Lana went on asking everyone in the room and suddenly it was Wanda’s turn, who had an off look on her face, probably still thinking of last night’s events with Vision. 

Natasha nudged Wanda lightly just to bring her attention back to the meeting at hand and Lana kept on looking at her expectantly “I’m sorry Lana I had a bad night,” she started and Natasha explained shortly, “She got dumped.” Wanda turned to glare at her and Natasha mumbled a silent “Sorry” Wanda turned her look back at Lana with an embarrassed and sad smile on her face. Lana smiled at her with a surprisingly empathetic look before she spoke “I’m so sorry, isn’t it sad everyone?” She asked and everyone in the room started nodding and mumbling soft “sorrys.” Lana then looked down at the notebook on her lap before she spoke again “Write about it, and get it off your chest” Wanda turned to look at her and started protesting “Lana I’m sorry but I can’t do that, it is my personal life!” Lana looked up and smiled again “Of course, you’re right,” and she looked around the room “Who wants to write about Wanda’s love life?” 

Wanda was so shocked by the lack of empathy her boss was showing that she just opened and closed her mouth trying to figure out a way to protest and then a hand was raised, Mandy enthusiastically asked for the opportunity “Great, you’ll do it, Mandy, what’s next?” Lana said and Wanda finally spoke up, “I’m sorry Lana but I can’t let Mandy write about my personal life!” Natasha and Y/N had been watching everything unfold before them and suddenly Y/N had an idea, “I’ll do it” she said and Wanda turned to look at her as if she had stabbed her in the back and Y/N continued “I won’t write exactly about Wanda, but she’ll be… my inspiration.” Y/N said and Lana was intrigued, she made a sign with her hand motioning for Y/N to continue, “Look at Wanda, she is a beautiful and strong woman, yet she has trouble keeping a relationship,” Wanda looked confused and a little bit hurt, Y/N mumbled a silent “Sorry” her way before she continued “So… I’ll write about the common mistakes girls like Wanda make when they first start dating,” Lana considered it for a moment before she spoke, “I like it, yeah, you’ll date a guy and then lose him.” Y/N nodded trying to work for a title “Yeah! I’ll call it ‘The Common Mistakes of Dating…?’”

Lana stayed silent for a couple more seconds “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days!” Lana noted it down on her notebook and was about to move on when Y/N asked “Sorry Lana but why in ten days?” Lana turned to look back at her “Well five days is too little of time and we print in eleven days, so it has to be done in ten days.” Y/N nodded and the meeting went on.

[kertneyk]

Cute Delivery Boys

When you finally make it home, you are exhausted.  Another long day, the paperwork for the academy took ages.  Then you had to talk to everyone who had the monster route ahead of you and get the lowdown and map it out.  Then the chief had you running all sorts of other in-office errands.  Just because he knew you hated it.  But the worst part of it was, you didn’t get to eat properly.  You looked at the clock. 7:00.   It wasn’t too late to make something, but you didn’t have any meat thawed out.  And with as hungry as you were, you needed to induldge your carnivorous side tonight.  Which would mean a trip to the store.

Or you could order in.  You went to your wallet and took out the coupons Muffet gave you.  One was buy one get one coupons for a burger and fry combo, the other was a free meal, delivery fee included; just pay tip. You look in your wallet folds, you had enough a good sized tip. And Chief Johnson did give you the weekend to integrate yourself in the monster community.  What better way than by spending money?  You try to talk yourself into the extravagence, you were supposed to be on a ramen diet afterall.  But it isn’t nearly as difficult as you pretended it was.  You are already pulling out your phone and dialing the phone number.  

You really were not great with money.  

You go down to the hallway closet and start pulling out some boxes while the phone rings.  A very bored sounding man answers.

“This is Grillbys.  Wha’ya want?”  Ok....

“Um, you do delivery right?”

“Ya.”

“Ok, uh.”  You think about what you actually want for a moment.  “Triple cheese burger, extra onions, no mustard and a large order of chili fries. And load those babies up with cheese.”

“Tha it?”

“Yeah, I got a coupon for a free meal.  You want me to read the code off the back, or just give it to the driver?”

“Read the code.”  You read off your numbers.

“Ok, that’s it.”

“Sure. The address?” You rattle off your address for the guy.

“Oh! I’ll need to buzz the delivery guy in, but intercom is busted, so you’ll need to give them my number.”

“You gonna to be one of those pain’n tha ass people ar’ncha?”  You laugh at his boldness.  You really weren’t trying to make his night difficult.  

“Not trying to I swear!  But since you are gonna call me out like that, I better live up to it. Make sure to send your cutest delivery boy.  Only cute guys get my number.”

“Sure thing sweetheart.”  He chuckles and you hear the line click.  You shake your head.  Yeah, monsters were going to give you a hard time starting Monday.  Until then, might as well enjoy it.  You wonder mildly if they were really going to send a cute monster to you.  And if so, would you find them cute?  Do monsters have a standard of beauty comparable to humans?  Guess you’ll find out.  You go grab a shower and change into some comfier clothes.  Going for a pair of shorts and tank top.  You then gather up your boxes and take them to the living room.

your cell phone starts ringing.  You smirk when you see the unknown number.  Must be your cute delivery boy!

“Yello, this is y/n.”

“Yah, got’a delivery from Grillbys fer ya.”  You are surprised by how deep the voice is on the line.  You said cute delivery boy, not ‘biker gang, don’t bring him home to meet your mama’ delivery boy.  Oh well, you buzz him in.

“K, I buzzed you. See you in a sec.” Click.  When you hear him finally knock on your door, you grab your wallet.  You only had a twenty in there, but that was fine.  It was a little excessive for a delivery tip on a burger and some fries, but since monsters couldn’t drive yet he probably had to take the bus.  That would have sucked.  

What greeted you when you opened your door was defintely not what you were expecting.  

The monster in front of you was short.  Like shorter than you short.  He stood at about 4’6”.  He was a skeleton, like GTP; but that was where the similarities stopped.  Besides being short, the guy had a row of sharp, shark-like teeth with a golden fang on one side.  His dark eye sockets glowed with the light of two pin pricks of red that made up his pupils.  His head was round where GTP’s what more square and sharp.  And the guy liked his red.  His coat, a fur-lined hooded thing was black and red, he wore a red turtle-neck and his shorts were black with a single red stripe down the side.  

The thing you noticed most about the delivery boy, however, had little to do with his appearance.  His magic was blinding in its power.  Out of all the monsters you’d met so far, this guy was easily the strongest!  

Your shock must have shown on your face because he coughed to get your attention.  

“see sometin ya like sweetheart?” His flirt was half-hearted and obviously not meant.  In fact, he seemed almost disgusted with himself for even attempting it.  

Ok, he was pretty cute.  

“Heh, well yeah. I said ‘cute delivery boy.’ Glad to see Grillby is a man of his word.”  You wink at him and watch his face erupt in a crimson blush. Blushing bones are totally a thing you guess.  Two out of two skeletons can do it.  

“W-wha! Wha ta fuck is wrong witcha? Don’t fuckin say shit like that.” He growls at you and shoves a bag between you two.  “Here, take yer fuckin food so I can go.”  

“But what if I don’t want you to go?  Not every day a handsome stranger knocks on my door.” You say as you dodge the bag.  

“Not my problem yer an ugly human.  Can’t even attract yer own kind.” He tries again, and again you manage to not take it.  

“Dude, that’s so harsh!” You clutch at your heart, “You gotta be nicer to ladies. We are delicate.”

“Yer a pain in the ass is whatcha are.  Take yer damn food.”  He growls at you, getting extremely frustrated.  

“Not until you go back to calling me sweetheart.  You’re really hurting my ego.”

“I don’t give a shit, sweetheart.” The word dripping in sarcasm.  Obviously, he finds you less than sweet. He finally manages to shove the bag into your hand.  

“Alright, alright.  You win.” You chuckle a bit and he relaxes, seeing an end to his ordeal. “Here, hold this so I can get your tip.”  You wave your wallet and hand the bag back to him.  It takes him a second before he realizes what just happened.

“Fuck!”  You cackle, picking on poor delivery boys should be beneath you.  But no one ever said you were a mature adult.

“Oh come on, don’t be sore.  That was good.  And I really did need an extra hand to take out the cash.”  You laugh some and take the bag, handing over the twenty after.  You notice in his other hand he has another bag.  Must be his next stop.  His face is still red as he shoves the bill in his coat pocket and stomps off. You lean out your door and wave goodbye to his back.

“Farewell oh adorable stranger.  May our paths cross again!”  He flips you off then vanishes down the stairs.  He was cute.  But really rude.  And definitely a more accurate representation of the troubles you will be having interacting with monsters in the future.  Of course, he might have been more receptive to your charms if you hadn’t looked at him like that.  He was probably sick of people looking at him like a sideshow attraction.  You decide that if you ever see him again, you would definitely be nicer.  And look at him less.  

Sans POV

Oh Sans was going to let Grillby have it next time he went in!  Who sends Sans the Skeleton to play delivery boy with a fuckin pervert human?  Cute! She said he was cute!  Lying shit bag human!  Skeletons weren’t fuckin cute.  

And so fucking bold too!  Most people avert their eyes when they are caught staring at him.  Oh no! Not this bitch.  When he called you out, he just made it worse! He fumes as he thinks about it.  

He takes the turn around your apartment building and then shortcuts back home.  He kicks his shoes off in the entryway and slams the bag on the table.  

He should have known Grillby was up to no good when he brought Sans a bag of free food.  He had been nursing a bottle of mustard, unable to afford his usual tonight.  Boss had cracked down on what money Sans was allowed to carry, and Grillz had closed out his tab when they all came up to the surface.  So when Grillz said all Sans had to do was deliver a burger to a dumb human, and he would even get to keep the tip, Sans said sure.  It was just one human.  Well, never again.  He was never do any more shitty fucking deliveries for shitty fucking humans.  He is interupted from his thoughts by his phone.  That was odd, Boss was havin another cooking competition at Undyne’s.  Hopefully they weren’t asking him to come and judge.  He shudders as he checks the message.  

Unknown: Hey, this is the girl you just delivered to.  I was rude, sorry.  

BZZT

Unknown: Question though?  Did I insult your boss when I ordered my burger no mustard?  Cause.... it looks like I did.

BZZT

Unknown: Seriously, it looks like I have a hit out on me from a mustard loving monster mafia.

The next text is a picture of his regular.  A burger and fries, everything absolutely covered in mustard.  Shit! He grabs the bag on the table and rips it open.  The fries in this bag coated in chili and cheese.  He gave her the wrong bag! Tch, not his problem.  He could always scrap off the chili and he has mustard here he could put on his own burger.  

BZZT

Unknown: It’s everywhere! Oh god, the poor burger, it’s bleeding mustard.

BZZT

Unknown: This is downright disrespectful.

Another picture of the burger, but with a little handwritten RIP sign held above it.  He can’t help but snicker a little.  

Sans: wrong bag. deal with it

BZZT

Unknown: Oh good, you can get texts.  I was worried for a second that I was texting the void.

BZZT

Unknown: I did see you had another bag in your hand.  Could I meet you somewhere to swap?  I was really excited about the chili on my fries.

Sans: no learn 2 like mustard

BZZT

Unknown: Dude, that is cold.  

BZZT

Unknown: Cold like the corpse of this mustard burger.  Is it even a burger?  All I see is mustard.

BZZT

Unknown: Please save me from condiment hell!  

Sans: why should i

BZZT

Unknown: Besides the fact that you would be helping a beautiful stranger?

BZZT

Unknown: Kidding! Don’t answer that.  My ego probably couldn’t take whatever terrible response you were writing.

BZZT

Unknown: I am officially out of cash now, but I would owe you one.  I really don’t want to have to call  back to the restaruant.  

Sans palms his face, sighing loudly.  It wouldn’t take much to go back and exchange the bags.  And Grillby would probably charge him for the burger if he had to make another. He reads the last message again, smirking as he does.  You said you would ‘owe him one’ it would be nice to have a human owe him something for a change.  Make you do something embarrassing.  Or maybe just make you go to Grillbys yourself.  See how you like it when everyone stares at you.

Sans: fine. U owe me. ur place couple min

BZZT

Unknown: YAS! I shall await your return!

[cosmichoneyedblossoms]

Sangria Rush

Pairing: Wonho x Reader

Genre: Angst and SMUT

Word Count: 3,051

Aquamarine | Sangria Rush

The Alligator club was as busy as always, the line to get in was wrapped around the block and in the winter breeze that refused to let up made it hard to stand there, but this was the place to be—Wonho and the rest of the boys didn’t have to wait, they’re celebrities so they breezed by security with charming smiles. He wanted to come here for his birthday knowing you would be here working, he searched all of your social media and you still had the club listed as your place of employment, he knew you didn’t want to see him, you set that boundary with he started dating Chelsea and he abided to it, because he had her, why would he need you?

“Ah, I’ve missed this.” Hyungwon hummed next to him as they walked into the buzzing club, the heavy bass that rattled the floors and the loud music reminded him of the nights you would whine that your eardrums were almost shot, but you loved your job so you accepted it.

“How about you guys go up to the vip lounge and I’ll get us some drinks.” Wonho suggested and the guys seemed to be alright with it as they made their way over to the velvet rope enclosed lounge area. He turned his gaze onto the bar, scanning behind the dark wood to see if you were mixing for customers, but his excitement soon fell as he reached the bar and you weren’t behind it, but there were two lively girls behind the counter taking orders and mixing them. One of them noticed Wonho, her eyes lighting up as she approached him.

“What can I get you tonight?” She purred, leaning on the bar, trying to entice his gaze.

“Can I get two pitchers of beer, seven glasses, of whatever you have on tap, as well as a round of shots?”

“What kind of liquor would you like for the shots?” She asked, batting her full lashes.

“Tequila.” He responded and she started to prepare his order, his thoughts lingering on one question, “Hey…” His eyes drifted down to her name tag, “Marci… Does Y/N still work here?”

“Y/N? Absolutely, she’s actually working tonight.” She finished filling up the shot glasses, noticing a smirk tug at his lips.

“Would you ask her to bring the drinks up to the lounge for me?” Marci’s face fell at his question and she responded with a nod.

“I’ll go grab her.” Wonho left her with a heart stopping wink as he pushed off the bar and made his way to the lounge. Wonho met up with the guys at the table they chose, plopping down into the plush chair next to Jooheon. His eyes watched over the bar when he caught your figure leaving the counter, his heart thumping inside his chest as you got closer. God you were gorgeous, it had been a year and your smile still made his heart flutter, the longer his gaze lingered on you the more he couldn’t believe he had gone this long without you in his life. As you moved towards them, he noticed that you didn’t wear the uniform for the bartenders, you wore the heels that were assigned, but you also wore form fitting white pants telling him that you were too good at your job that you could carry trays of alcohol and not even ruin your pants, and the long sleeved burgundy peplum blouse gave you the air of professionalism that fit you well. He tore his gaze from you as you approached the table, his nerves now clawing at him.

“Hi guys! Welcome to Club Alligator, my name is Y/N, and I’ll—” You stopped talking as if you just realized who was at the table. Your eyes met six pairs of shocked, but familiar faces, and you turned your eyes onto Wonho, your expression falling almost immediately as your eyes connected with his, “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise!” You hummed, dispersing the glasses and shots between the guys.

“We didn’t expect you to still be working here, Y/N.” Kihyun spoke as if he was avoiding stepping on eggshells, his hand reaching for the empty glass in front of him as well as the pitcher of beer.

“Yup! I’m still here, I actually own and manage the Alligator now.” Your smile was almost too sweet for Wonho, he didn’t expect you to react the way you were. He knew you were mad at him and thought you would run at the sight of him, but here you were, being sweeter than honey.

“That’s amazing!” Minhyuk clapped, “Why don’t you join us? It’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”

“I would love to, but unfortunately, I’ve got about three hours until we close, so I’ve got to keep an eye on the time.” You lifted up the empty tray from the table and bowed slightly, “Please if you need anything else, call for me. I should be around here taking care of business.” Your dark eyes rested on Wonho’s, sending chills down his spine, chills that ran so deep that he could feel them in his soul.

Wonho watched you bounce from corner to corner of the club, checking in with the DJ’s, the bouncers, the employees, as well as customers that seemed to enjoy your body just as much as Wonho did. The more he watched you laugh and smile with the friendly customers the more his thoughts wandered to what you’ve been doing with your time. Were you dating someone? Sleeping with someone? Has someone else filled his spot in your bed?

“...ho… Wonho!” Changkyun’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts for his eyes to look at the guys standing from their seats.

“What…?”

“They’re closing, we gotta go.” Shownu responded, his hands wrapped around the waist of a drink Jooheon.

“Ah. Okay, let me go—”

“We’ve already paid the tab, Wonho.” Kihyun hissed, helping Shownu with Jooheon. Wonho stood from his seat and followed the guys to the door, taking one more glance at you before exiting the building.

“What was up with that guy tonight, Y/N?” Marci’s voice filled the dressing room with its growl, “How come he just gets to ask for the manager and automatically gets you? Like—”

“They old friends that I haven’t seen in awhile.” You spoke nonchalantly as you fingered through envelopes filled with money, looking for Marci’s name. You pulled her envelope from the stack and handed it to her, “Next time, let me know it’s Wonho.”

“That’s the Wonho?!” She shrieked, “He didn’t look like that a year ago…” Another employee turned at Marci’s scream, quirking an eyebrow.

“Hold on, the Wonho was here tonight?” She asked, closing her locker.

“Yeah, table V4 in the lounge. You had VIP lounge tonight, Nat, I’m surprised you didn’t know.” You responded, sighing a bit.

“I mean, yeah, I did, but I was wondering why you were only serving one table in V… you served him all night, right? I give you props, you’ve got more nerve than I do. If I had to serve my ex all night—”

“He’s not my ex, just an ex-friend.” You rolled your eyes and pulled Natalie’s envelope from the stack and tossed it to her, her hands catching it in the air.

“But still, you kept your cool this whole time.” Marci continued Natalie’s thought, “Not to mention you look sexy as hell tonight.” Marci teased pulling her purse into her shoulder.

“Lucky me.” You shrugged and turned on your heels, leaving the dressing room, the girls following you.

“You’re being bitter, boss lady.” Natalie hummed as she passed you with Marci, them walking to the exit. You weren’t bitter, but still hurt from his decision, you never thought it would come down to him having to choose between you and his girlfriend, but it did, and you lost that battle.

You finished handing out paychecks and tip outs and walked back to your office, double checking to make sure everything was done for the night. You pulled out the vendor list for the afternoon drop offs and hung it on your office door for the midday crew to get. You packed up your things into your bag and pulled on your jacket, and then pulled your bag up onto your shoulder. Your heels clicked against the black tile floor as you made your way to the exit, the echo from your shoes sounded weird since it wasn’t a sound you heard much in the club, it was soothing and yet filling you with anxiety. You turned off the lights and pushed out of the exit door, it locking as it met the door frame behind you; the brisk winter air burnt your cheeks upon turning towards it, even though it was March, it didn’t seem like it would let up anytime soon. Oh that’s right, it’s March—March first to be exact, Wonho’s birthday. You let him lurk through your thoughts as you walked up to your car, your fingers clicking the unlock button, it beeping.

“So you have your own car now?” A deep voice spooked you, but you knew this voice without having to turn around.

“What do you want Wonho?” You breathed, pulling open the back drivers side door, dropping your bag into the floorboard.

“How’ve you been?” His voice sounded closer this time, but you refused to turn and look at him, let alone answer the pointless question he just asked, “You look great—”

“Listen…” You closed the door and turned to face him, crossing your arms to block out some of the frigid wind, “I know you didn’t just stand out here for an hour, on your birthday, waiting for me to get off just so you could ask me how I’ve been and that I look great. What the hell do you want?” He stepped closer to you, your bodies just a few feet apart.

“I want to talk.” You rolled your eyes, sighing loudly.

“We have nothing to talk about. I gave you your options and you chose Chelsea—”

“I know that, Y/N, but I’m here now and I want to talk.” He moved closer to you, reaching his hand out to touch you, but you sidestepped his reach.

“Give me one reason. One reason why I should let you into my vehicle. One reason to let you into my home.” You weren’t hoping for much from him, you weren’t even expecting a valid reason, so why was your heart wanting for just a reason.

“I broke up with Chelsea for you. Now… can we talk…?”

You pressed the password into the keypad of your door, it dinging unlocked; you pushed open the door and walked inside it, Wonho following close behind you, “You moved, too…” He husked as he looked around at your new place, no longer an apartment, but a gorgeous house.

“It was a gift to myself after taking over the Alligator.” You took off your heels and walked away from him to the kitchen, automatically going to the liquor cabinet and pulling out your beloved whiskey. Wonho appeared in the kitchen, his eyes watching you as you filled a glass with the amber liquid.

“Some things never change with you, do they?” He asked, admiring the sway of your hips as you put the bottle back into the cabinet.

“I guess not.” You walked back to your glass, taking a large drink of it, the tingling burn warming your throat as it went down, “You said you wanted to talk.”

“I did…” Wonho leaned against the counter, trying to figure out what to say, your eyes wandered over his shape, and you couldn’t deny it, he looked good, better than the last time you laid your eyes on him, “First, I want to say that I’m sorry for running away when you confessed your feelings for me. I was just scared—”

“Scared? Of what? It wouldn’t have been any different between us besides the fact there would be a title.” You took another long drag from your glass, keeping your eyes on him.

“I was scared of how deep we were with each other… it felt like I could drown in the love you had for me and that was terrifying because I didn’t know if I could offer you the same kind of love.” Wonho fiddled with the frayed denim of his jeans as he spoke, the anxiety that he had earlier that evening started coming back to him, raking and clawing up his nerves, “When you gave me the ultimatum, I just took the out you gave me.”

“So you ran?” You hissed, slamming your glass down onto the counter.

“I always seemed to fuck everything up with us as soon as it got good and I didn’t want to do that to you.”

“We both made a promise to each other and you promised me…” Your voice started to break, the anger and frustration you held in for the last year was finally getting it’s chance to spill, but the only thing that was spilling from you were tears, “You promised me that if either one of us had feelings for the other that we would tell each other and work it out, but when I told you I was falling for you, you went and found some piece of trash that you thought could easily replace me!” Wonho watched as your tears rolled down your cheeks, them falling down to your shirt, staining the fabric with its saltiness.

“Y/N…” He whispered, closing the space between you, his cold fingers padding away the tears that refused to stop falling, “Why’re you crying?” Your hands pushed him from you, only for him to pull you into him, your lips crashing together. His smoldering kisses seemed to melt every rebuttal you had for him of why you were so mad at him and why you hated him, but right now the only thought that passed through your mind is how much you missed him.

“Wonho…” You whined through the seams of your locked lips, his voice soon shushing you.

“It’s still my birthday and all I want is to make love to you.” He rasped, his cold fingertips pulled your shirt up, his lips pulling away from you for a moment to take your shirt off, warm kisses soon pressed into the chilled skin of your shoulders while his hands trailed down your body, feeling your shape—remembering how it felt to have you in his hands. Wonho picked you up, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as he took you to the nearest surface, the dining room table. He sat you down, quickly unbuttoning your pants and tugging them off along with your lace panties, his hunger eager to taste you after waiting for so long.

“Wonho, please—” You cried out as his lips seared kisses to your thighs, it sparking a familiar heat between your legs, one only Wonho could conjure on command. His tongue traced the outline of your wet folds, his lips pressing a kiss to your nub, eliciting a high pitched gasp from your lungs, the sounds he’s been craving to hear. Your fingers gripped the thick locks of his hair as his osculation with your folds caused the flames in your stomach to burn hotter, them singeing every nerve, a wave of tingles started in your toes and worked their way up your legs. Your lungs screamed in pleasure as your orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks, his chuckle near your core sent shivers through your body as your high had you in its clutches.

“God, your so beautiful, Y/N…” He hummed as he got to his feet, the sound of his belt clinking and the opening of his zipper met your ears, and then the feeling of his hardened length pressing against your entrance made you hum, “Tell me what you want.” Wonho groaned, stroking his length between your sticky folds.

“I want you, Wonho.” You reached out for him while wrapping your legs around his waist. He pushed his length into your heat, his hands pinned yours next to your head and his body came down to meet your skin, his lips finding yours while his hips slowly thrusted into you. He was perfect, down to every inch he gave you, every thrust rubbed you the right way, every kiss to your skin was enough to make you give him everything—Wonho was the one and you weren’t going to let him go again.

“Y/N— I can’t—” He huffed into the nook of your neck, his grip on your hands tightened while his pace became erratic.

“Come to me, Wonho… Come to me…” You whispered, pressing a kiss to his temple.

The sensation of the hot water brought you back down out of the clouds, you let the water beat over your head in steamy rivulets. You closed your eyes to the water as the warmth soaked into your skin, your body moving to lean against the cool tile as your jello like legs threatened to give out from under you. The shower curtain was pulled back, but you kept your eyes closed as you lost yourself in the warmth.

“You okay?” He breathed, the exhaustion clear as day in his voice. You hummed a simple response as you fought off your own exhaustion, you forced your eyes open to see his beautiful caramel skin soaking in the dim light of the bathroom. How did you fall so deeply in love with him? He was nothing, but a friend and then a friend with benefits before you fell for him, but somehow he became someone of importance. Wonho stepped into the shower with you, closing the curtain behind him as he stood in front of you; you raised a hand to cup his cheek, your thumb caressing his soft skin, leaning in close to kiss him gently. You ignored your tired limbs as the feeling of his hands slid over your slick body, pulling you closer to him, deepening your kiss.

“Never leave me again…” You whispered as you pulled away from his lips.

“I promise, I won’t.”

[zonamievents]

What’s A Kiss Worth?

Theme #1: First Kiss Rating: T / 14A (alcohol use) Pairing: Zoro x Nami

Arms wrapped around each other’s waists, choosing their steps at random, Zoro and Nami wobbled back to the Thousand Sunny like the drunks that they were. Their combined clumsiness was rather hilarious in their eyes and they strolled along the dock while laughing at how silly they imagined themselves to be in that moment. After a long night of drinking, with the sun promising to rise very soon, they had made the collective decision to head back to the Thousand Sunny… to continue the party in a place where it was safe to pass out once they were done. His favorite beer in hand and her stolen wine in hers, there was still the opportunity for a good time to be had.

Under the natural light of a crescent-shaped moon, the pair of them mounted the side of the Sunny before slinking onto the lawn deck with a thud. Simultaneously, they turned to one another and commanded that they shush, but Zoro nearly forgot the warning as soon as he issued it. In fact, so forgetful was he that he stretched his arms high above his head and let out the loudest yawn a person could possibly emit. 

“Hey!” Nami snorted when she whacked him on the back, unable to hide how amusing his comedic timing apparently was. However, her swift surprise startled him and Zoro let his grip loosen on the neck of his beer. His honed reflexes refused to let that happen though, and he snatched it out of the air rather possessively before taking another sip. While he let the lukewarm drink travel down his throat, he heard a slowly issued praise. “Nice catch.”

Zoro was dramatic when he accepted her acknowledgment of his skills, going so far as to smirk before nonchalantly answering, “That was nothing.

”This time when she laughed, he felt like he was left out of the joke. His tired eye blinked in her direction as he awaited a response, but he was forced to wait as Nami tried to lift her long hair off of the back of her neck for some relief from the heat. “Mm, I bet those ladies at the bar would be swooning over you right ab’at now.” Slurring her words meant she was nearly ready to fall asleep, Zoro realized, picking up on her drinking tells way back when in the Grand Line. 

Still, she managed to look rather as confident, as sneaky, as… Nami as ever.

Despite his admiration of her, he groaned and threw out his free hand in protest. “Naw, they just wanted me to buy them booze.”

“Which is so funny since I’ve got all’a your money!” screeched Nami without hesitation.

For once, he found her cruel humor funny and joined her in sneering at the foolish girls they had met that night. “Imagine if I told them to talk to the boss.” Then, he motioned at the accountant of the crew, even bending his knees slightly as if he was considering bowing to her as a fake gesture. Just picturing the shock and disappointment on their faces made the two of them fall to their knees on the grassy floor, their stomachs in pain after all of the laughter they had shared tonight.

Falling together allowed them to find a place on the bottom step of the staircase next to one another, despite how awkward it was for them realistically. Whenever they drank like this, Zoro always found himself drawn to Nami for her natural love of alcohol, her endurance for copious amount of drinking he liked to do, and the fact they were very similar drunks. Meaning it wasn’t the first small step they ended up on during one of their nights out and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.Once they caught their breath, Nami dropped her head against his shoulder and sighed, her small body still shaking when she tried to carry on with the conversation. “At least ya won your tab.”

“Yeah,” was the easiest reply he could think of. He somehow managed to follow her train of thought, from money and free drinks to the contest he won that night against the local drunk in order to get out of having to pay his bill. She had been cheering him on the entire time like some kind of drill sergeant but he knew it helped him along to have her screaming in his ear the entire time. 

She snuggled into his shoulders once, so softly, he nearly missed it. Then, Nami lifted her head and grinned with that fiendish glint in her eye. “We should try to do that whenever we go out now.”

“Wha?” was the quickest yet dumbest reply that came to mind. “Get a contest going for free drinks! That way, even if Luffy somehow loses all’o’a treas-ja, we still get ta drink!” Her tongue was getting lazier, but Zoro found it amusing when she tried to be conniving when she couldn’t even stand.He also couldn’t argue with that logic. 

“Yeah, I’ll do it. Just yell out, ‘I’m the best drinker in the world-‘!” Or so he tried to proclaim, but a dainty hand slammed down on top of his mouth to silence him. He groaned with dejection as he stared into her eyes, completely put out by the fact that she would try to keep him from claiming his title in the chilly, late night air.

Her big brown eyes leered into him. Nami looked as if she was pouting before she demanded, “Shhh! I don’t want sober people waking up!”

That description of their crew mates made him snort against her hand, sending her slightly wet palm flying. “But I’m right.” He whined without any shame, glaring a dagger or two at her with his one good eye. She ignored his claim, returning the conversation to their scheme as if there had never been any kind of interruption. 

Nami looked to the sky as she strategized, looking as if she was trying to find the answers in the heavens since her mind was still rather foggy. “You gotta walk right up to the biggest guy in the room and say” – in her deepest voice, she did her best to imitate him – “hey, bastard! I can drink so much more beer than you!”

Zoro fell forward and slapped his leg, thoroughly entertained by her interpretation of him. It was so hilarious that his laugh was just as loud as his proclamation earlier, but he wasn’t scolded into lowering his voice this time around. Even if she tried, how was he supposed to contain himself when her impersonation was the worst thing he had ever seen?

“Zoro!” Now it was her turn to whine at him. He apologized by throwing his body back until he was nearly laying on the stairs, his laughter barely stifled in his chest. He even tried curling his lips in, but his cheeks just ended up puffing out in protest. Seeing her drunken fury grow and grow wasn’t help him any either.

Mercilessly, Nami shoved at his chest, ready to give up on the first version of their plan. “Fine! Then what if I challenge someone?” He froze, he blinked, waiting for her to elaborate. His silence seemed to encourage her, so much so that she shoved him again, but her tipsy equilibrium made her topple onto his chest when she was too rough. “Or! Or I will say that you will challenge him and the loser pays the winner’s—”

He waited and waited and waited for her to finish her sentence, figuring that she only had one word left. As more seconds ticked by, he started to wonder what could have caused her to choke on her words, until he realized that she was worried that she’d have to pay two bills if he lost. “OI!”

“No, wait!” Nami demanded his silence as she climbed higher up his body, the twinkle in her eyes nearly blinding him. “I…I’ll say” – now, she was imitating herself if she were trying to trick a guy in a bar, playing the sly, breathy, innocent girl she pretended to be – “If we win, you pay for a-a-all of our drinks. But if you win, you get a bi-i-ig kiss.” As if he was the man she was propositioning. In confusion, his expression became cross. 

“But that’s not the same as lots of beer.” Zoro blurted out his observation because he thought that, if he was in that poor sucker’s shoes, he’d never agree to such a bargain!

But when Nami leaned in, breasts pressed against his chest, orange hair draped over their bodies, her lips claiming his, Roronoa Zoro felt as if he had been struck by one of his thunderbolts from the top of his head to the soles of his shoes. His lips returned her kiss reflexively, instinctively, his sense of caution for a moment with Nami somehow much softer than it was when he nearly dropped his drink. He let her taste the alcohol on his mouth, and feel the warmth of his inebriated skin, and…he found himself wanting to reach out to her too. In fact, the typically guarded swordsman was ready to let himself fall victim to the moment and indulge in her—

She released his lips without moving more than an inch away from his face. “Yeah, it is.” She murmured, informing him that he was wrong after she effectively stunned him into silence. Then, she nodded her head once, twice, and by the third time, he realized that it was more like her head was bobbing up and down before she passed out on top of him. Her forehead dropped into the crook of his neck, her snoring instantly filling his ears the moment she crashed. 

While she slept soundly, Zoro quarreled with the reflexive response he had, telling him to push her to the other side of the stairs and go sleep somewhere else. They had kissed, she was on top of him, after an entire night of drinking – he could hear the love cook screaming already! But… he was still inebriated, and it made him lazy. He had held Nami before in moments where it was necessary, never before in an instant of affection like this. Was it so wrong if he didn’t mind it? They were drunk, they passed out, which was something they had done many times before whether they were alone or together. So she was asleep on his chest after she kissed him… so what?

Right?

Drunk Zoro decided that it was a sober Zoro’s problem to deal with, because he liked the way it felt to have her close like this. He didn’t need to squeeze her tight, but he did place a loose arm over her back to keep her bikini-covered back warm while they slept through the last couple hours of night. It was something he never knew he wanted, yet his instincts were telling him that it was a line that he was happy she crossed. As he took advantage of the strange satisfaction, he felt himself chuckle one last time before passing out too. 

Until he realized that there was no way he was letting her little scheme happen now, and he fell asleep with his typical Zoro frown on his face.        

((Ta da! Day one - done! I wrote this quick literally at midnight to make sure I posted something with the first day of the event~ It’s something small and fun, something flirty to enjoy for Zoro and Nami’s first kiss, and I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time! ~ Maiden))

[childishrevolutionary]

Last Call Before Rehab

The walls of this Michigan sports bar are lined with the jerseys and newspaper headlines of teams well past their primes that haven’t accomplished anything in decades. The usual clientele fit the same description. Blue collar, salt of the earth people, who for the last six hours of their shift building this country, couldn’t think of anything but taking that first sip of the same light beer they fell in love with at 17. The closest thing we get to anything new going on around here is when the General Motors guys bring in a new hire to join them in their after-work ritual. The new guy doesn’t usually come around too much at first, until one day when he realizes there’s nothing else to do in the city of Pontiac but bust your ass for $19,000 a year and call some decrepit sports bar home. Here I go thinking nothing out of the ordinary’s gonna happen today until I see two new faces walk in: a middle-aged woman and a younger looking guy, the former coming to sit at the bar, and the latter slinking off to a booth way by the door. 

She says to me, “Hey pal, how ‘bout a pint of Miller. And hell, one for the guy over there,” gesturing towards the guy she came in with. 

There’s about fifteen things here that strike me as odd, and I let her know right away. “Ok ma’am—”

“Hey I’m not that old.”

“Right. What I was saying—lady—is there’s clearly something fishy going on here. First, I get two newbies in here out of the blue, haven’t had a newbie in weeks, one of ‘em looks like a high schooler, and you’re trying to buy the two of you a round?”

“Uhhh,” she stammers nervously, “we just happened to be on our way in when we both stopped for a cigarette and struck up a conversation. And I’m feeling generous today so I figure why not get the first one on me.”

“Must’ve been some kind of conversation if you’re sitting here and he’s way the hell over there. Plus, from what I can see, he hardly looks of age. I forget, did you say you met him in the parking lot, or at a Chuck E. Cheese?”

“Alright fine, just get me my own damn pint,” she demands.

I still can’t shake the feeling that something ain’t right here. At this point, I can serve her, hoping she becomes a regular, netting me an extra ten to fifteen bucks a night. Or I could be nosy in hopes she gives me a good story to tell when the boys come in later. Hell, the boys would love a good story, and I would too. “Who’s the kid, lady?” I ask her. “You two clearly know each other from somewhere. Was he sitting outside waiting to ask someone to buy him booze? I told those kids once already I ain’t servin’ ‘em.”

She sighs for a moment, and hanging her head, she mutters “He’s my son. 19.” 

“Come on lady, you know I’m not serving a minor.”

“You don’t have to keep calling me lady. Name’s Shelley.”

The name sounds familiar, I’m not sure why at first, but then it clicks. “Hey, I might’ve heard about you. I’ve heard about a blondie that’s a regular over at Dean’s. I think he’s told me about you, you’re supposed to be pretty handy with a pool stick ain’t you?”

“Yep that’s me. Word sure does get around this town doesn’t it?” She’s still staring at her feet for a good ten seconds until she yells out “God dammit!” so loud and unexpected that even her kid perks his head up. 

I can definitely see there’s a story here. I would say this is something you don’t see everyday, but I don’t think that does it justice. This is something you don’t see anyday. The boys are gonna love this one. “Alright Shelley, how ‘bout this. I get you your pint, on me, and you tell me what’s troubling you. You seem to be in a bad way.”

“That’s kind of you, but I always pay my own tab. Don’t need any of the men in this town thinkin’ I owe ‘em something.”

“Have it your way,” I say, pouring her drink. “What’s the issue? How ‘bout we start with why you’re trying to buy beer for your underage son.”

She takes a long, hard exhale out of her nostrils, looking off in the distance, before she replies “I gotta take him into rehab. But I have to get him drunk first.”

I look at her thinking either she’s got dementia, or I gotta get my ears checked. “Shelley, if I heard you correctly, I think it should go without saying that that’s quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Your kid that’s not even old enough to drink has to go to rehab, and you decide to take him to a bar?”

“You think that’s dumb, well let me tell you this: most rehab facilites don’t accept patients unless they’re currently drunk or had a recent drinking spell. Even a guy who drinks himself blind 7 days a week can go sober for 4 days, enough to get himself into detox, and the facility won’t take him, even though there’s almost a 100% chance he goes back to his old ways sooner or later.”

“Ok, I’ll admit, that’s kinda crazy, borderline fucked up. But did you think you’d really get away with getting him a drink here? And by the way, you’re gonna need a lot more than a pint to get him drunk.”

“Only reason I didn’t go to Dean’s is ‘cause everyone knows me around there, meaning they know my Joey’s only 19. I thought I’d try here ‘cause I never been.”

“I guess I can see the logic in that, but one beer? Surely that ain’t gonna be enough to get the kid— ”

“I don’t wanna get my own son piss ass drunk,” she announces loud enough that if anyone else were in the bar they probably would’ve done a spit-take. “I don’t wanna see him like that. I was thinking if he could just show he has little bit of something in his system, then they’d take him.”

“Jesus, Shelley, I don’t know what to say other than I’m sorry about all that.”

“Thanks,” she says in a pissed off tone, not pissed at me of course, but at the situation. 

“But I mean, if he’s got a drinking problem you’ve probably seen him drunk before. What’s wrong with seeing it this time if it’s for the sake of getting him helped?”

“That’s the thing. I only just now found out. I’ve only seen him drunk once.”

“C’mon, if he belongs in rehab there’s no way you only—”

“I only. Just. Now. Found out,” she asserts, clearly meaning business.

“Sheesh, alright. But before you cut me off again, let me just make a few educated guesses here, alright? You probably work real hard at some job that doesn’t pay you nearly what you deserve. And after that, you spend the rest of your night at Dean’s, drinking Millers and crushing those guys at pool. So with all that time spent on your own, his dad’s probably not in the picture, is he?

“Deadbeat took off a day after I told him I was pregnant. Sometimes I think the only way he could’ve disappeared that fast was by joining the army and getting shipped off to fight straight away. If that was the case, I like to think karma caught up with him and he got his ass shot on day one.”

“Alright, so no dad. But the kid’s 19 and still living at home? From what I hear, you’re a no nonsense kind of woman. You don’t seem like you’d let a kid stay home after high school without pulling his weight.”

“Right again. He wasn’t anything special in the classroom at the start, but I told him as soon as he’s done with school, diploma or not, he’s gonna have to work if he wants to stay with me. So he finished up school instead of dropping out, and work, he did. He had a steady job since right before graduation, his friend Scott picked him up each morning and they worked at Bass Pro Shop over at the mall. Never had an issue paying his share.”

“Until…”

“Until one day two weeks ago my boss gives everyone a half day, so I head down to the mall to get some new shoes. On my way out I decide to pop in to Bass Pro to say hi to Joey, ‘cause I never got to see him at work on account of us always working at the same times. I don’t find him so I ask the manager if Joey’s on break, that I’m his mother and I’d like say a quick hello, to which he replies that he doesn’t know a single Joey that’s ever worked there.”

“Oh shit. So he was in for it, huh?”

“Big time. So I skip going to Dean’s for the night just to wait for him to come home so I can chew him out and find out where the hell the money was coming from. That’s when he drunkenly stumbles in, surprised to see that I’m home, and through slurred words tries to explain it’s not what it looked like. Poor idiot thought I was upset with him being drunk, he had no idea I knew about the job. So I came up with a good idea. I told him sleep it off, that I wasn’t mad. But the next morning I told him, ‘hey, how ‘bout I take you into work today instead of your buddy.’ He tried to explain that I didn’t have to do that, that Scott would be there any second to pick him up, but I insisted that he get his ass in the car so I can drive him to the mall. Halfway there, his phone is blowing up and, still acting oblivious, I say ‘boy, you seem popular today, who’s texting you.’ He tried to say ‘oh, it’s no one,’ but I snatched the phone out of his hands and saw it was Scott sending texts like ‘HEY MAN WHERE ARE YOU WE JUST GOT THIS BIG BATCH OF DOPE TO SELL!!!’ and ‘DUDE YOU’RE FUCKING UP OUR BUSINESS!!’ and a bunch of crap like that.”

“Wow, so he was selling dope?”

“Yup, selling it to the rich kids in Bloomfield Hills. You know the type, private school kids driving BMWs and Range Rovers, not knowing that $30 for a gram is nowhere close to a good deal. But it turns out Joey was using some of his profits to pay people to buy him alcohol, or he got it in exchange for weed from some rich college grad asshole that went back to live at home off daddy’s money. Apparently he was hitting the bottle pretty hard for a year now, so that’s how we ended up here, at this shitty bar.”

Now, I could take offense to the comment about this being a shitty bar, but she wasn’t wrong because I call the place shitty 20 times a day. “Ok, I see, but if he’s moving enough weed to make rent and drink the rest of the money away, don’t you think maybe he needs more than rehab? Like a scared straight program or something?”

“Oh he’s done with that weed crap for sure. I told him if I even get a whiff of that smell on him, or the slightest scent of alcohol on his breath, his ass is out on the street. And I told his buddy Scott that I’ll shove my foot up his ass if he ever contacts Joey again. I don’t care how old he is, if I have to babysit him for the next five years I’ll do it. Anything to keep him from being anything like that bastard father of his or the other lowlife men in this town.”

“Well, that sounds like some A+ parenting, and a hell of a story. But can I give you a piece of advice? I’m no therapist, but when you’re a bartender in this neck of the woods, you play therapist to about a dozen people a week.”

“Go ahead, lay it on me.”

“If you really wanna help your son, go to a nearby liquor store, leave him in the car, and buy a pint. I’m not talking a pint of beer, I’m talking a pint of hard liquor. And spare the cashier your life story. It’s a good one, well, tragic I mean. But if you wanna help this kid—”

“His name’s Joey,” she interjects. “My son’s name is Joey. I’ve told it to you about a hundred times.”

“If you wanna help Joey, tell him to down that bottle and take him to the nearest rehab facility, if that’s what it takes to get him admitted. And I don’t think you should be spending so much time at Dean’s.”

“Hey I don’t need a lecture from you, you watch people drink their lives away every single day and you probably don’t say shit to ‘em,” she retorts, real hostile. “That being said, I actually am done with the booze. This was real eye opening, it’s like everyone in this city’s got some vice or addiction.”

“Ain’t that the truth, but it’s not just this city, it’s everywhere. Compare me and Joey. Like you said, I make a living watching people slowly kill themselves. He was making a living making sure rich white kids could get stoned in their dad’s mansion. We’re both two guys hustling to make a dollar no matter what, because around here, your main concern is paying the next bill. I know you know what I mean.”

“True.”

“And compare the users. Those rich kids drink and smoke to have a good time and party because they’re spoiled brats whose actions have no consequences. People ‘round here drink and smoke ‘cause their boss is riding them, or they can’t make rent, or once you start taking a good look around, you realize we live in a community of hopelessness and despair.”

“I see what you’re saying, but doesn’t it ever occur to you that we’re in despair because everyone’s got an unhealthy coping mechanism? Think about this: someone gets a DUI, but they can’t afford to have a criminal record, can’t afford court fees, can’t pay bills, and can’t keep a job because they’re spending half of the work week in mandated counseling and court appearances. Half of ‘em feel they have no option but turn to the bottle even though the bottle is what got ‘em there in the first place.”

“As sad as it sounds, those are my best customers.”

“And doesn’t that weigh on you? Actively participating in the death and destruction of your community?”

“Sure it does, but like you said, everyone’s got their own vices and coping mechanisms, and I’m no different. Which leads me back to the subject of Dean’s. I said you shouldn’t go there because I think you should start spending more time here.

“And why in the hell would I do that? I told you I’m done drinking.”

“Because my coping mechanism is about six blunts a day, and the price of weed just went up around here in the last two weeks—now I know why. We all gotta hustle, and I could use the extra cash.”

[raccoonsinqueen]

So Close, Yet...

No matchups until Tuesday, I’m out on vacation and don’t have my drawing tablet!! :’(

Instead, have some crazy serial killer vs numb mobster without any of the fun crime stuff or action because it’s JUST ABOUT EXPOSITION TODAY WOOO

Sans was... quite the character.

“funny name, ey?” The skeleton mused, his hat dipping just over his eye sockets, but his grin widened playfully at the response. “well, i hope you mean that as a compliment?”

“Oh!” You flushed at the realization that maybe that was a little rude. “Yes, yes of course! Interesting names are hard to come by, these days, so it’s always refreshing hearing something new to match someone new.”

“refreshin’, hmm?” Sans stirred his... drink. Was he making a joke? You decided you just might be looking into things a little to much. “well then, thanks, dollface. the sentiments are appreciated.”

You flashed him a warm smile, before you turned toward Grillby. “Want me to start opening?”

Grillby gave you a nod, and you got to work. You left for the kitchen, grabbing a bucket to fill on the way and pretending not to notice as Sans’ eyelights followed you. As you filled the bucket, you strained your ears to hear, but could only make out the faintest of voices as your boss and the mobster idly chatted with one another. You filled the bucket with soap and grabbed a hand towel.

First thing you started with was wiping down the kitchen area. Unfortunately, despite your love for cooking, Grillby would only let you clean the kitchen, never cook in it. No matter how much you begged him, he seemed very adamant at keeping you in the front. That wouldn’t stop you from asking Grillby every time the subject came up, though.

After you were done in the kitchen, you moved to the front counter, wiping down the bar as you listened in on the two monsters’ conversation.

“aw, come on grillbz.” Sans leaned on the counter, towards a now annoyed Grillby who was furiously scrubbing a glass. “can’t you do this small little favor for an ol’ pal like me?”

Grillby slammed the cup down on the counter, making you wonder why it hadn’t shattered, before Grillby turned toward Sans in a huff and fume. “Pay your tab.”

And with that, the silhouette of fire disappeared into the kitchen in a huff. You looked between Sans and Grillby, before humming in amusement. “I’ve never seen Mr. Grillby so frustrated since the pretty spider lady stopped by.”

Sans reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigar nonchalantly. “nah, he’s just a little heated at the moment, he’ll be fine once he’s behind the stove.”

You snorted at his pun. Maybe you weren’t looking too into things. “Heheh! Came up with that one yourself, Mr. Sans?”

Sans seemed to brighten ever so slightly at your laughter. “oh, i’m just full of skele-puns, little lady. grillby might be hot, but i’m the one with the guts.”

“Hahaha!” It’s knife to meet Mr. Sans! You’ve been dying to find the face behind that killer voice! Oh, you were good at this! “You’re too much!”

“really?” Sans’ eyelights brightened a little more as he showcased his empty ribcage by tugging his collar down. “i always thought i was a bit too little.”

Despite this pun, you blushed lightly at his reveal, giggling only slightly. Skeleton or no, he was still showcasing his chest.

“oh wow, what a pretty color your blushing there.” The mobster teased, and you almost jumped at this. He rebuttoned his collar, shooting you a wink. “and over showing a little skin? oh, wait.”

You laughed again, hearty and light. “A funny guy with a funny name, haha!”

“and a pretty girl for a pretty name.” He shot you another wink, which made you turn red again. But before you could berate him, he continued. “what’s a little gem like you doin’ in a place like this? how’d grillby get his lucky hands on ya?”

“I think I’m the lucky one here, Mr. Sans.” You mused, going back to your scrubbing. “I like my job here, very much.”

“hmmm.” Sans eyelights scrolled you up and down. You felt like he was reading you like the cover of a book, trying to judge what to think of you and how he could read you. It made you want to grab the scissors a couple feet away. “that’s good, but surely a pretty dame like you could get any job you’d like? no offense to grillby, but why’d you choose a place like this?”

He was testing you. He was trying to brush it off as light small talk, but you saw the way his eyelights followed your every movement.

It was no secret to you that Grillby’s was a sort of neutral ground for mobsters to be at ease. It was a place where gangs could come and ignore their wars and rivalries, because any fighting was responded with the fireman himself. You’ve witnessed his wrath second hand, and it was not pretty. Needless to say, it wasn’t the nicest place to work, but that was why you chose it. It was the perfect place for distinguishing the murderers from the petty thieves.

So you knew very well where you worked and who you worked for. But you couldn’t let Sans know exactly how much you knew, but he was testing the waters with you. If you were completely oblivious, he’d know you were lying. Anyone who worked there as long as you had would have to know what’s going on. But, you had to appear as innocent as possible, so you closed your eyes thoughtfully.

“Truly, at first I only chose to work here was because I couldn’t find another job. But the more I worked here, the more I grew to love it. Grillby may seem rough and a little strict on the outside, but he is genuine and kind to me nonetheless. I’m not blind... I know the people that come here sometimes don’t do the right thing... but whatever they do is on their own time, and they treat me with nothing but warmness when they are here, so how can I not like working with such kind people?” You gave him one of your brightest smiles, “Maybe I’ve just grown too attached to the job, but I wouldn’t trade it for any other job this side of the city.”

Sans blinked, almost in a state of shock over your answer. You felt a rush of pride if only for a second over seeing his smug grin falter. Softly, Sans dipped his hat over his eye sockets, his smile returning, though this one more genuine.

“heh. i think grillby really did luck out in finding a lil’ angel like you.”

Your smile grew at his words. “You’re too kind, Mr. Sans!”

Grillby returned shifting random items and moving things, getting ready to open, and you returned to your work. Sans slid back over to Grillby, and the initial sentence surprised you.

“ey, grillbz. put any thought into my proposal?” Was that... Italian?

“No, Sans.” Grillby replied, his voice crackling like fire. “I’ve stayed neutral and I’m going to stay neutral. That’s how I keep my business.”

Sans took a peek at you, but you weren’t even looking in his direction. You were busting the tables.

“little miss lovely over there don’t speak italian does she?” Yes. You did. And French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin. Your father was abnormally passionate about you learning the romantic languages, but you guessed it helped you in the long run.

“No.” Grillby turned back to his work. “If she did, she would’ve said something a long time ago.”

“hmm.” He mused, thoughtfully. “why don’t you lend me this one favor, grillbz. i promise ya, the rewards will be sweet.”

Reward? You moved tables.

“Sans-”

“fifty-thousands, grillbz. each.” He punctuated his words with a pinch of his phalanges. “this next shipment coming in’s gonna be huge. fifty-thousand is yours. just need the names.”

“Sans. No.”

Sans sighed at this, “alright. i won’t push ya. ya got a fine establishment here, i can see how you wouldn’t wanna mess it up.”

Grillby visibly relaxed at this, setting a glass down gently.

“but keep an eye socket out. these fellas are idiots, and won’t know a strong monster when they see one. they might try an’ rustle things up a bit.”

“I will.”

Sans’ voice shifted from serious to light in a matter of seconds, something you found rather interesting. “speakin’ of rustling things up, what’s the dames story?”

“Y/n?” You perked up at the sound of your name, turning your head. Grillby waved his hand in response, ushering you back to your work. “She came in looking for a job, so I gave her one.”

“that it?”

“What more do you want?”

“i don’t know, details?” Sans took a puff of smoke from his cigar. “how long has she been workin’ here? is she good with people? where does she live? is she apart of any gangs?”

“Sans. Not every person is out to get you.” When Grillby only received a hard stare in response, Grillby exhaled. “If it will ease your mind, no. She’s not remotely dangerous. I’ve looked into it. The worst thing she’s done is that she kept a library book for too long.”

“hmmm.” Sans eyelights scrolled your body as you wrung out your towel. “then what about... if she’s got a boyfriend?”

You almost tripped and fell at that statement. But luckily, you played it off like you didn’t even notice they were talking.

“Sans, no.”

“aww, come on, grillbz!” Sans’ grin widened. “i didn’t see a ring... but, if we’re bein’ honest, sweet thing like her’s gotta have a lover or two.”

“Honestly, Sans.”

“if you don’t tell me, i’m just gonna make a fool of myself in front of the dame.”

Grillby exhaled again. He seemed to do that a lot around Sans. “Fine. She doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“nice.”

“But don’t go after her.”

Sans tipped his hat up in surprise before a sly smile fell across his face. “oh, grillbz. didn’t think i’d ever see ya get over ms. muffet. lucky angel you got here.”

Grillby flushed at the comment, before quickly shaking his head. “No, I’m not looking for romance. And neither is she.”

“no?” Sans tilted his head. “wait wait, don’t tell me. she doesn’t swing my way. is it a monster thing or a gender thing?”

“As far as I can tell, she refuses everyone who’s ever been interested in her.”

“huh.” Sans leaned back in his stool. “why’s that?”

Grillby shrugged. “Apparently, her last relationship went south. Wasn’t pretty. She doesn’t like to talk about it much. Hasn’t been interested in romance in years.” This was true. You were too occupied with your work, both of them. Having a relationship with someone would... complicate things. Plus... after what... You didn’t even want to think about romance again.

“hmm... maybe she just needs the right lover to pick up her spirits.” Sans grinned. Ha! As if you’d ever date a mobster! “fun guy like me would make her forget aaaallll her troubles.”

“You can try, Sans.” Grillby hummed, thoughtfully. “But be warned, the last time someone was pushy with her, she started crying.” You remember that. Some low level grunt wouldn’t take no for an answer, and well... You didn’t have many good experiences with guy’s taking no for an answer... Luckily, Grillby was there to sort things out, and he gave you hot cocoa! It was so sweet!

“yeesh, that bad huh?” Sans asked.

“Yes. That bad.” Grillby finished up setting up the glasses, and opted for leaning on the bar. “It’s a lost cause. Even if she wasn’t so against getting in a relationship, she’s way out of your league. She’s way out of both our leagues.”

“aw, geez. you’re right.” Sans exhaled. At least that was over. “a skeleton can dream, though, can’t he?”

Grillby seemed to hum in agreement, before he turned to you. “Y/n?”

You turned your head, and Grillby beaconed you closer. “Yes?”

“We’re about to open.”

You gave him a thumbs up, heading toward the front window. “Everything’s in check Mr. Grillby!”

“Good.”

You flipped the sign to open, before turning back to your boss and the mobster. “Will you be staying, Mr. Sans?”

“nah, i got some work to do.” Sans shrugged, before throwing you a wink. “but don’t get excited yet. i’ll be back later to pick on ol’ grillbz here.”

You giggled at his comment, before he continued.

“besides. i think i’d like to bring my brother sometime.” You tilted your head. Brother? Didn’t he say something about younger brother to those three in the alley way? “he’s the coolest, you’d like him.”

You gave him another one of your stellar smiles. “I’m sure I will.”

[cold-b-writing]

Bound Together: Part 24

Utadukeeus: They were about to cross the bridge at the waterfall, heading towards Snowdin. A gangster approached the family at the bridge entrance. "Hold it!" The gangster snapped. "This belongs to Iredox, now. If you wanna cross..." the monster smiled. "You gotta pay the toll....." "I got your toll right here..." Habriel said, extending a middle finger to the monster. Skywardsister: "Habriel!" Toriel yelled, making him jump. She blushed, almost feeling obligated to apologize to the gangster for her son's behavior and manners. She sighed. "What do you mean, 'toll?'" She inquired. Utadukeeus: "9999G..." the ganster said. "If you don't have that, then....." he reached for his machete, keeping it sheathed. Skywardsister: "Tsk. Iredox knows that nobody can afford that, clearly." Toriel folded her arms and frowned. "Is there anything else we can do to get through? Something feasible?" She asked the gangster. Utadukeeus: "Nope..." the gangster said. "This boy caused a whole lotta pain to the boss. That's why it costs so much." "What'd you do?" Chara asked Habriel. "I kinda made him bite off his own tongue...." Habriel said. Skywardsister: Chara became unamused. "Really?" "Please, he was defending himself. Isn't there something we can do?" Toriel asked, becoming impatient with the monster in their way. She was getting ready. "Why don't you bring him out?" Utadukeeus: The monster laughed. "Bring the boss out?" The gangster laughed. "All the way from base? You really do have a death wish." Habriel had enough. He made a demonic smile and initiated battle with the monster, showing his curse. "What the Hell!?" The monster gasped. He jumped back at the sight of the specter. "What is that thing? What are you?" "If you don't let us pass, you'll find out..." Habriel growled. "You're a freak!" The monster spat. "A demon!" "Well..." Habriel shrugged. "In the famous words of Shakespeare." He gave another demonic glare. "'Hell is empty and all the devils are here....'" the monster was deathly afraid as the specter chuckled when hearing the quote. The monster got up and ran away. Skywardsister: Toriel just shook her head and sighed at Habriel's threat. "It's not the best to threaten, but we'll get through now, I guess..." She muttered, displeased once again with Habriel's manner. She strode ahead of him, leading them all. Frisk shook their head, Chara too. Utadukeeus: Habriel shook his head from behind. He had been dealing with these degenerates for a while and they killed the love of his life. He was not going to be gentle with them, any longer. 'That guy's lucky I didn't kill him.' He thought. Skywardsister: Toriel just shook her head and sighed at Habriel's threat. "It's not the best to threaten, but we'll get through now, I guess..." She muttered, displeased once again with Habriel's manner. She strode ahead of him, leading them all. Frisk shook their head, Chara too. Utadukeeus: Habriel shook his head from behind. He had been dealing with these degenerates for a while and they killed the love of his life. He was not going to be gentle with them, any longer. 'That guy's lucky I didn't kill him.' He thought. Skywardsister: Frisk and Chara walked on either side of Habriel. Frisk turned to him. "Y'know... Mom's not very happy with what you're doing... I know you're upset." They averted their gaze from him. "But still... I guess we can't tell you what to do." 'We can't tell you what Marion'd want, either,' Chara thought. Utadukeeus: "I'm not too happy with those degenerates at the moment..." Habriel said. "They tried to kill me how many times? And now they kill Marion, the woman I promised to marry when we get older." Habriel was gonna go further into the rant, but sighed. "It's hard on me too, you know. You try so hard to just forgive and move on. But they've done too much. To you, to me and to everyone else. I don't think I can be so forgiving like you or mom. No matter how hard I try..." Skywardsister: "It's okay, everybody's different," Frisk smiled. "I understand. It's really hard to just forgive people. But I certainly don't forget anytime soon. It's almost like keeping tabs on past events- though that's not the healthiest either. I at least try to just be kind or coldly civil when talking to people I don't like." "And you know what happened with me," Chara interrupted. "My story certainly didn't work out." Utadukeeus: "Still. I'm trying..." Habriel said. "I could have easily killed that guy by throwing him off the bridge. Then make up some excuse like 'he had it coming' or 'it was for the greater good'. As much as I can't forgive them. I won't stoop down to their level, either." He sighed again. "I'm just really tired of constantly being in danger. Knowing there's nothing that can be done about it...." Skywardsister: Frisk sighed. "Yeah..." Chara shook their head again. "Just don't succumb to the urge. You're doing good so far. I never made it as far as you have; that's saying something." They emphasized, recalling how they acted not too long before to Habriel and the gang. Utadukeeus: "And I'm sorry if i offended any of you." He said. "It wasn't my intention to..." Skywardsister: Chara and Frisk insisted at the same time that he wasn't insulting to them, then they blushed from talking simultaneously. Toriel walked in silence ahead of them. Utadukeeus: "I thought it was pretty funny..." a deep voice said. Habriel turned and was finally able to see the specter. "Hello..." the thing said. "What the Hell?" Habriel muttered. "No wonder that guy was terrified. You look horrifying." the specter chuckled in response. "Well it can't be helped...." it said. "So how come we can see and talk to each other now?" Habriel asked. "Our bond is getting stronger...." the specter smiled. "I wonder how long it will be before I can claim that body as my own." the specter reached out and caressed Habriel's shoulders which sent chills down the boy's spine. "Please don't..." he said. Skywardsister: Chara and Frisk watched in horror. "Habriel, perhaps trying to put off your thoughts of revenge and killing is a better idea after all... it'll keep you from losing yourself to him," Chara commented while watching the figure. They shuddered. Utadukeeus: "You don't want to lift the curse in the ways given to you..." Seraph said. "A shame, all you have to do is find a pretty lady and all your problems would go away nine months later...." "Absolutely not." Habriel snapped. "The curse would just move on to that child." "So you want to be the last of our bloodline?" Seraph asked. "If it means no one else has to suffer, then yes." Habriel answered. "I wonder how long you can maintain this mindset." Seraph said. "But hey, you might be able to pull it off." The specter gave an unsettling smile. "Then we get to burn in Hell together...." Skywardsister: "He could always get married and... y'know, adopt a kid," Chara stated sarcastically, smirking at the threatening figure. "Never thought of that, did you? I would have expected you to be much smarter." Frisk snorted at their remark. Utadukeeus: "Oh but where's the fun in that?" Seraph asked. He turned back to Habriel. "You do realize that with me, you're doomed to a horrible fate, right?" "What horrible fate?" Habriel asked. "Mages and those bound to mages are destined to fall to a demon's hand." Seraph answered. "Metaphorically, of course. I've seen it happen countless times. You'll either die a horrible death or you'll go insane and kill yourself, wanting the pain to end. If you just bear a child now. You can move on..." "The answer's still no." Habriel said. "You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Seraph asked. "So what?" Habriel muttered, trying to make sure no one else could hear him. Skywardsister: "He could also make himself infertile if he wanted to mess around, then adopt a kid," Chara rolled their eyes and laughed obnoxiously at Seraph. "You really don't think of all the paths of fate. He could do anything he wanted in that sense. You only think of the, heh, carnal urges, so to speak. Quite ignorant of you." They winked. Utadukeeus: "Says the foolish little child who wanted to destroy the world because of the oh so terrible humans..." Seraph said. He moved in front of Habriel. "So if your plan is to just die, why wait?" he asked. "You might as well leave now. Don't worry about them, they'll forget you and move on. So why not just get it over with?" Habriel ignored him. "You're already at a bridge, all it takes is just one tiny step." Skywardsister: "Forget him?! Yeah right, idiot!" Frisk yelled, shocking everyone. Nobody ever heard or expected this innocent, determined-to-be-merciful child to call someone a name. "You don't know what love is! You don't know what family means! We would never forget him! He's my brother- the only one I've ever had, and I would follow him to the end of the world!" They spat at Seraph, eyes glaring. Chara clapped. Utadukeeus: "Oh I know all too well about love, descendant of my once best friend..." Seraph smiled. "I know all your games. You'll just use him as a tool and throw him away once he's no longer useful. Just like Alice did.... I just don't want you to get that luxury. Using him, playing with him like a toy. You'll do whatever you want, reset and do the right thing. That ghost doesn't care about him at all. And that lady over there just wants children. She doesn't care who, she'll just move on to whomever comes next. You all use him as your emotional crutch. It's disgusting..." Skywardsister: "We don't use him! I care about him and want him to do everything it takes for him to get rid of you once and for all! I'll never reset the timeline again as long as I exist!" They screamed at the top of their lungs at him, straining their body, lungs and vocal chords. Chara stepped back, overwhelmed by their screams. It seemed as if, for a rare occasion, Frisk's blood boiled and they were consumed by a fury. Utadukeeus: "You want to get rid of me?" Seraph asked with a smile. "You know what to do. But you don't have the guts to do it." He gave an unsettling smile as he floated next to Habriel. "But don't worry, I'll do it for you." He pushed Habriel off the bridge. Habriel gasped and grabbed onto the edge. Looking up at the ghost smiling down at him. Skywardsister: Chara and Frisk screamed together. They were horrified. They needed a way to get rid of this demon. Frisk pulled Habriel up as quickly as humanly possible. "Of COURSE I don't want him to die!" Utadukeeus: Frisk couldn't lift the boy. He was too heavy. The specter floated over to Toriel. "You know, for such a concerned mother..." Seraph whispered in her ear. "You're not doing a good job watching over your children...." Skywardsister: The mother shot her fist through the specter and backtracked, pulling Habriel up onto the bridge. "We need to get rid of Seraph," She murmured. Utadukeeus: "I know...." Habriel said. "Oh come on, life would be so boring without me!" Seraph mocked. "I have an idea! You should go and start even more fights with that gang! If you're lucky, one of them will kill you and I get to move on!" "Can you just be quiet for a couple seconds?" Habriel asked, placing a hand on his forehead. "Not too long ago, you wouldn't say anything. Now we can't get you to shut your mouth." "Part of the bond my little descendant." Seraph said. "I couldn't talk because our bond wasn't strong enough back then. But who knows...." He rested a hand on Habriel's shoulders. "Pretty soon, roles might reverse, you get to be the spectator and I get to have some fun." "Enough!" Habriel snapped. He shoved the ghost and gasped. Then smiled. "I guess it goes both ways between us..." He raised a hand in the air.  "Ever get the feeling to talk like that to my family again...." he clenched a fist. "Don't....alright?" Skywardsister: The rest of his family looked threateningly towards Seraph, too. They were all already sick of his games and wanted him to shut his mouth. He was too sarcastic and optimistic for his own good. Utadukeeus: Seraph chuckled. "Boy, if you and I actually fought....without being stuck like this..." his eyes glowed with an unsettling smile. "You wouldn't stand a chance..." "It's a good thing I'm the one controlling the magic, then..." Habriel growled. "For now..." Seraph muttered. Skywardsister: "Boy, does this thing run outta batteries? It's been yackin' all day!" Chara said exaggeratedly and in a sarcastic tone. Toriel made a mental note- contact or meet with Alphys to figure out a way to help Habriel contain and control the magic in his soul against Seraph. Utadukeeus: "You know....if these people didn't care about me so much..." Habriel said. "I would end it now, just so that no one else would have to put up with you....and believe me, I've thought about it..." "Oh great, so you won't jump off...." Seraph groaned. "Don't do anything to make me happy...." "Of course I won't." Habriel said. "Because unlike you, I have a reason to live...." He brushed past the specter and moved on. Skywardsister: Toriel took her children by the hands this time to make sure they were all with her this time, and they began to walk again to go back to the ruins, and back home. They walked past the point where Habriel was pushed off by Seraph. Utadukeeus: Making it to the other side of the bridge, a long sword was thrown into the ground in front of Habriel. He turned to see where it came from and saw a monster that was the same race as Toriel. However this one was a guy, had longer horns than her and he wore a black scarf to hide most of his face. For the rest of his body, he seemed to wear black leather with small metal plates on the sleeves and thigh areas, probably meant for armor. "Are you the one harassing those monsters?" the goat monster asked. "Harassing? They're bandits..." Habriel said. "Really?" the goat monster asked. "Because last I checked, they were running from you..." "Look, there's a bit of a mix up-" another sword was thrown, but Habriel threw up a shield just in time to block it. Skywardsister: "Sir, my son is correct, those monsters had been harassing him and the rest of us for a while now," Toriel stated quickly to the man, hoping to avoid conflict and divert any incoming conflict quickly. Frisk hid behind Toriel in fear that things would turn for the worst. Utadukeeus: "Still, such behavior cannot be tolerated." the goat monster answered. "Prepare yourself. I've trained in the art of combat since childhood back in my village all by myself. I've perfected all of my techniques and mastered the ways of stealth and fire magic. I stop villains whenever I can. Although, I've only recently started my job as a hero, I work alone and have brought a couple bad guys to jail." "Cool story?" Habriel shrugged. The monster waved his hands and the two thrown swords heated up and flew back to the goat monster. The blades of the sword started to glow red from the heat. "Who are you, anyway?" Habriel asked. "My name doesn't matter, scum." the monster said. "However, if you must know my hero name....it's the Blazing Blade!" "Not good with names, are you?" Habriel drooped his arms and gave a bored expression. Skywardsister: Toriel waved her arms frantically in front of herself, sweating. "NO no, sir, this is a mere misunderstanding, we were bystanders from the start, when these bandits came up to us and heckled us. They continued to do so for long intervals, and he threatened them because he did not wish to be harassed any longer-" She spoke fast and in a shaky voice. Utadukeeus: "There's one more thing this scum did." the Blazing Blade said. "He saw through a couple of my attacks and damaged my pride. This, I cannot allow...." the goat monster turned into a cloud of smoke which flew closer to Habriel and Toriel. The Blazing Blade reappeared between them tried to kick Habriel away from Toriel, but Habriel quickly moved out of the way, nonchalantly. The monster gasped and leaped away from the two and started panting. "You're not kidding..." Habriel said. "You are new to this. I mean, the fight just started and you're already tired. Want a water?" "Silence!" the Blazing Blade snapped. He leaped in the air and got ready to kick Habriel over the head, but Habriel moved out of the way again. The goat monster landed on the ground and accidentally did a split. Tears streamed down the monsters eyes as he screeched with a cracked voice. "You okay?" Habriel asked. Skywardsister: "B-be quiet!" The Blazing Blade stammered, losing face. "I shall never take assistance from scum!" Toriel shook her head with a hand at her face. "Come along, children, we shall not let this strange man bother us any longer." With an exasperated huff towards the exhausted goat monster, Toriel took her children's hands and started to move past him. Utadukeeus: "You there, scum!" the goat called out to Habriel as he was walking away. "I want to know your name, for when we do battle again! I will go back to training to regain my honor, as you have just made me your #1 rival!" "It's Habriel...." Habriel said while raising an eyebrow. "Habriel!" the monster wheezed with tears still leaking down your cheeks. "Know this! The next time we meet, I will reclaim my honor!" "Okay...Blazing Blade was it?" Habriel asked. "If we're gonna be rivals..." the Blazing Blade sighed. "It's only fair we don't hide our identities from each other. My real name is Halustreg Djneshons." he held out a hand. "As your new #1 rival, we should shake hands and promise to do battle again." "Nice to meet you, too?" Habriel said while shaking his hand. "It's no big deal about the whole honor thing, your foot just slipped and-" "NO!" Halustreg snapped. "You've also seen through attacks that took me years to master! My honor is tainted! Until I defeat you, I shall have to dedicate myself to training!" "Okay...." Habriel rubbed the back of his neck after they were done shaking hands. "Good luck with that, I guess..." "See you later, my new rival..." Halustreg said. He turned into a cloud of smoke and flew off. Habriel hid most of his face in the palm of his hand as the monster went away. Skywardsister: The family continued walking. "Seriously, my child, I wouldn't even take his threats to heart," She chuckled and pat his head. "But I'll cheer you on for your next battle... with your #1 rival!" She said in a false booming, announcer voice that sounded more appropriate for a wrestling match. They all laughed. Utadukeeus: "I honestly just hope he doesn't hurt himself again..." Habriel sighed after chuckling to Toriel's joke. "The guy's a kid...Although, I do admit. He's got some stones in more ways than one..." Skywardsister: "Whaddya mean, Habriel?" Frisk asked, not quite understanding what he meant. Utadukeeus: "You'll get it when you're older." Habriel said.