#((I am so sorry about how long it took me to get to this))

[pomegranatesarchive]

hand of gold — cs55

pairing: carlos sainz x wolff!reader

summary: nobody knew you and carlos sainz jr were dating, much less getting married. now everyone’s buzzing at the prospect of getting to witness the biggest (and most expensive) wedding in formula one history.

authors note: this was requested by an anon MONTHS ago and i am so sorry this took me so long, AND im so sorry because the request has for some reason disappeared from my inbox, i hope this makes it to you anon!

instagram • ynwolff • dec 23 • monaco ⚑

liked by lewishamiliton, kimi.antonelli and 718,025 others!

ynwolff: happy holidays from the wolff family 🐺🎅

view comments below!

username1: you never let me forget how rich you are

username2: how does it feel to live the life

username3: are toto and susie looking for a 3rd

➥ ynwolff: it’s christmas…have some decorum.

➥ username3: i didn’t think you would see that…i apologize.

➥ username3: but…are they?

username4: i would kill my entire family to experience a wolff family christmas

username5: i can’t believe she’s still soft launching, you can trust us girl

➥ username6: it’s been THREE whole years…we will never see this man’s full face

➥ username7: i bet he’s ugly.

➥ username8: hes either 1. hideous to look at 2. not rich 3. a driver, or 4. a controversial man

➥ username9: what if it’s lewis?

➥ username10: do you see an ounce of melanin on that man’s skin?

➥ username11: this whole thread is why we will never know who she’s dating 😒

kimi.antonelli: thank you for the new kart 💙 i love it!

➥ ynwolff: only the best for a mercedes driver <3

➥ georgerussell63: i don’t recall getting a new anything for these last 2 years? 🤨

➥ ynwolff: remember that you are a grown man with a grown man paycheck!

instagram • pomegranatesgossip • unknown ⚑

liked by 72,626 users!

pomegranategossip: #neverforgiveneverforget the day this picture came out and everyone thought carlos was for sure going to mercedes! just for him to go WILLIAMS, will forever reminisce on what we could’ve had

view comments below!

username12: they knew what they were doing..and they were so evil for it

➥ username13: will forever wonder what they were talking about

➥ username14: and why on earth was old papa sainz there?

username15: i have a theory..but im scared people will think im schizophrenic

➥ username16: as a diagnosed schizophrenic, let’s indulge into this theory together

➥ username15: i’m convinced carlos is dating toto’s daughter

➥ username16: oh baby….

➥ username15: NO IM NOT CRAZY

username17: nightmare blunt rotation

instagram • carlossain55 • jan 13 • joali being ⚑

liked by susie_wolff, ynwolff, and 628,926 others!

carlossainz55: big things coming soon

view comments below!

username18: i’m cumming soon 😩

➥ username19: ON A POST WHERE HES SHOWING OFF HIS GF???

username20: another one that won’t man up and hard launch 😒

➥ username21: what a coincidence that both yn and carlos have been soft launching for the same amount of time 😭

➥ username22: now that you mention it..

➥ username23: huh

username24: why is susie wolff in the likes?

➥ username25: the TWO wolffs are in the likes

➥ username26: yn has been in the likes since forever, susie on the other hand…

username27: i’m look at the hand in the second picture, and as much as i hate to ask, is that a engagement ring?

➥ username28: please please PLEASE DONT START

➥ username29: i can’t handle that right now

➥ username30: climate change, the cheetos in office, the worlds falling apart, and CARLOS IS ENGAGED TO SOMEONE WHOS NOT ME??? I WILL KILL MYSELF

➥ username31: this was truly the last thing i needed this year

➥ username32: if carlos got a engaged, why would he be wearing an engagement ring? isnt it normal the woman?

➥ username33: unless carlos was proposed TO

username34: please don’t do this to me carlos

twitter

instagram • ynwolff • jan 15

liked by carlossainz55, lewishamilton, and 619,026 others!

yourusername: fixed on your hand of gold

view comments below!

username35: we really went from 0 to 100 real quick 😨

username36: im frozen. you just altered the timeline

username37: THE TWITTER CRAZIES WERE RIGHT?

➥ username38: more importantly THE SCHIZOPHRENIC GIRL WAS RIGHT?

susie_wolff: tell him to watch his hands

➥ carlossainz55: yes ma’am i will watch my hands forever and always

➥ lando: kiss ass 🤣

➥ carlossainz55: you wish you could kiss my ass

➥ ynwolff: oh 😆

➥ carlossainz55: i didn’t mean it baby, i only want you to kiss my ass

➥ susie_woff: …

➥ username39: i like this new change

username40: i actually cannot handle this news right now

username41: THATS WHY PAPA SAINZ AND BABY SAINZ WERE TALKING TOO SUSIE AND TOTO

username42: i can just imagine carlos asking toto permission to propose to yn 😭

username43: wait so who proposed to who?

➥username44: i can’t imagine yn wolff getting on her knees for any man

➥ username45: it wouldn’t make sense for carlos to have a an engagement ring unless yn proposed to him

➥ username46: keep in mind, yn has an engagement ring too

➥ username47: maybe rich people do stuff differently

susie_wolff: i would like to make it clear that my daughter did not get on her knees for any man. she was proposed too, and THEN did she get an engagement ring for her soon to be husband —toto wolff

➥ username48: toto said put some respect on his daughters name

➥ username49: this makes me feel much better

➥ username50: this wedding better be HUGE

➥ username51: if i can’t have a big wedding, then i least i can live through someone who will

carlossainz55: i love you 💙

➥ alex_albon: simp

➥ username51: so did everyone in the paddock know about this relationship?

➥ lando: yes

➥ username52: just dig the knife deeper

➥ username53: i didn’t even feel this level of betrayal when my boyfriend cheated on me

twitter

instagram • carlossain55 • feb 14 • monaco ⚑

liked by ynwolff, charles_leclerc, and 916,016 others!

carlossainz55: wolff-sainz wedding, september ‘25

view comments below!

username54: so what i’m understanding is that your taking the wolff last name 🤨

username55: holy shit look at those flowers

username56: ON HIS BIRTH MONTH EVERYONE!

username57: my expectations for men just went way up

username58: im assuming it'll be a very flower themed wedding??

lando: so according to my invitation, i shouldn't bring fireworks? will you be providing them or was it a typo?

➥ carlossainz55: this will be a firework free wedding lando.

➥ lando: WHAT

➥ charles_leclerc: NO FIREWORKS?

➥ maxverstappen1: well i already bought the fireworks so

➥ carlossainz55: do not set off fireworks at my wedding max.

➥ maxverstappen1: what the fuck am i going to do with all these fireworks

username60: im so excited for OUR wedding

username61: the bride right in the middle as she deserves

username62: the way yn has posted these exact photos on her story before..

➥ username63: private but never secret

➥ username64: i still can't believe they got away with this for THREE years

ynwolff: so ready for you to take my last name

➥ carlossainz55: so ready for you to take MY last name

➥ susie_wolff: technically you're taking my last name—toto wolff

➥ username65: you two should fight to the death, and whoever wins takes the others name

instagram • pomegranatesgossip • unknown ⚑

liked by ynwolff and 92,193 others!

pomegranatesgossip: two snippets of carlos talking about the wedding in a recent interview:

"I think the thing that bothers me the most is when people say 'is yn a bride...what do they call it? bride...zila?' I do not understand what is wrong with a woman wanting everything to be perfect on her big day. I don't think people understand how stressful it is to plan a wedding. It seems like all we do is plan, plan, plan. And I do love it because I want the day to be perfect for her, but if I'm not racing, I'm planning the wedding. So I understand why some women, especially when they don't have their fiancé to help them, can get a bit....angsty."

"When we had that talk about our future, one thing my YN made very clear was that she wanted a huge wedding. She wanted different dresses, different cakes, different venues, everything. So, I think it was our fourth date when I started taking note of everything she liked—I actually still have the list—so when we did plan the wedding, it would be easier, you know? what flowers she loved versus which ones she just liked. It did make it easier. Instead of going crazy over two good choices, we can easily pick one."

view comments below!

username66: oh my gosh he's so in love???

username67: that was supposed to be my man

username68: i am begging you guys to go see the actual video because the heart eyes he gets when talking about yn is so 🥰

ynwolff: i knew there was no way he just memorized my top 50 favorite flowers... 🤨

➥ carlossainz55: i’m sorry baby i have bad memory

➥ username69: THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY MAN

username70: his yn everyone

username71: HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO MARRY HER BY THE FOURTH DATE! THE FOURTH

instagram • carlossainzwolff55 • sep 1

liked by ynwolffsainz, alex_albon, and 1,726,917 others!

carlossainzwolff55: Mrs. Yn Wolff-Sainz 🫀

view comments below!

username72: i just woke up wtf happened

username73: oh so by september you meant the FIRST of the month

username74: THAT DRESS

danielricciardo: beautiful wedding, beautiful bride 🍾

➥ carlossainzwolff55: 🤨

➥ lando: you don’t have to be so jealous anymore, you’re married now!

➥ carlossainzwolff55: 🤨

username75: he wasted NO TIME changing that username 😭

username76: for those who are in a different time zone and missed the insta story’s, here’s a summary: yn had 3 different dresses, they had 4 different venues? (what it looked liked) and a shit load of flowers, ALSO toto cried

➥ susie_wolff: is it so shocking that i cried at my beautiful daughters first wedding? — toto wolf

➥ username76: you need to get an instagram account old man

➥ carlosainzwolff55: first and ONLY wedding ** 🙂

username77: they took each others last name 🥹

username78: its so scute how he’s the one that’s always the first to post

lando: would’ve been better with fireworks

➥ charles_leclerc: agreed

➥ maxverstappen1: totes

➥ carlossainzwolff55: god forbid i don’t want tacky fireworks at my wedding

➥ maxverstappen1: TACKY??? I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW MY FIREWORK GUY ONLY GETS ME TOP OF THE LINE EXPLOSIVES

➥ username79: top of the line and fireworks should not be associated

username80: we’ve come so far in such little time

username81: it’s carlos’s birthday…

➥ username82: OH MY GOD THEY GOT MARRIED ON HIS BIRTHDAY

ynwolffsainz: i love you 🫀

➥ carlossainzwolff: i love you MORE 🥰

➥ alex_albon: sick to my stomach (beautiful wedding btw!)

username83: the picture in the middle?? jaw dropped.

➥ username84: it’s my new wallpaper 😭

username85: i see my future and its bright

username86: thank you for all the wedding inspo!

username87: so can we refer to toto as old man wolff now? because it’ll get real confusing real quick if we don’t change something

[onceinablueberrymoon]

I don’t know if you’re doing smut, but if you do, how about the reader is a recruiter like the salesman and there together and how would he be with you in the Bed! (He’s a total psycho for me hehe)

salesman x recruiter!reader headcanons (sfw + nsfw)

sorry for the super long wait! i did headcanons for this one since i’m not the most comfortable w hardcore smut. if you’ve read my stories, you probably already know i’m a sucker for soft and domestic salesman lmao

notes: gender-neutral!reader; the recruiter is called salesman here since reader is also a recruiter here

warnings, just in case: mentions of whips, guns, slight exhibitionism

minors dni! there’s smut in this one, folks

(also pls send me requests! i’m working on the ones i’ve already received, but more are always welcome♡ not just for the salesman either, i am begging anything sangwoo too) 

sfw

if the reader is also a recruiter, you’d have probably met the salesman just after becoming a recruiter yourself. 

while the salesman’s game of choice was ddakji, yours was tic-tac-toe. 

similar to the salesman who carried ddakji tiles and various bills of won, your briefcase contained a simple wooden frame and wooden ‘x’ and ‘o’ pieces. 

when you first met, he was polite and courteous towards you.

as time went on though, you felt as if you were being followed after work hours. one morning however, you’d caught him following you and confronted him, saying that his assigned location wasn’t anywhere near yours.

stunned that you had discovered him, he offered to have lunch together, which you accepted. the two of you started to grow closer, with both of you checking in on each other via text throughout the day. 

even though you and the salesman would rarely cross paths during work, you always made time for each other after work. 

this man can be soft when he wants to be. from cutely pouting when he loses at board games to snuggling in bed after a long day of slapping people, he’s capable of being a loving partner when he feels like it. he just didn’t have someone to share that side of him until you came along.

that’s not to say he doesn’t have a dark side. of course he does! that’s what we’re all here for, right?

nsfw

you always knew the salesman had interesting… tendencies. 

although you also played games while seeking out prospective players, you didn’t bring that part of your life home. that is, until you met the salesman.

you quickly learned that he loved games. so much so that he’d incorporated them into your sex life.

what game haven’t you played by this point? 

tag, where he chased you around his apartment until he eventually pinned you down and had his way with you.

marco polo, where he shouted “marco!”, to which you replied “polo!” from your hiding spot. he’d then crack his whip in the direction in which you called.

tug of war, where you’d both tug on a special rope he’d bought just for the occasion. he’d usually win, unless he took it easy on you. the winner would use the rope to tie the loser’s hands to the bedpost.

and of course, when he was feeling spicy, his favourite: russian roulette. while he rarely loaded the gun with a live bullet, he thrived on the fear in your eyes when he pressed the gun against your chin and clicked the trigger. 

of course, he’d do it to himself too, even going so far as to deepthroat the gun. even though you were scared out of your mind, you had to admit it was a huge turn-on.

contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t always the one in charge.

you also had your fun, like when you would play with one of those paper fortune-tellers you made when you were a kid.

depending on what “fortune” he had chosen, you’d do different things to him.

for example, if he chose “slow”, “teasing”, and “cockwarming,” you’d do exactly that. you’d tie him to the bedpost, then teasingly grind down on him for as long as you wanted. no amount of frustrated groans or the rare whine would get you to stop your actions. of course, you’d capture his lips to muffle his moans. while he loved making sure that your neighbours could hear you through the walls, you preferred not to have an audience.

finally, he’d take the utmost care in helping you clean up afterwards. as much as he would love to show your ruined state off to the world, you had to be presentable for your job.

you’d try your best to care for him as well, buying expensive lotions for his calloused hands. 

all in all, you made a great team, both in the streets and in the sheets.

i am very proud of that last line ngl

[lilmisshellfireswritingblog]

Play With Fire - Johnny Storm x fem!Reader

Authors Note: Well, since we have officially been introduced to MCU Johnny Storm, here's a little one shot I wrote a month ago because I am absolutely feral for Johnny Storm. We don't know much about how he's going to be portrayed so, I used my imagination. I hope you enjoy!

PS: Smut is not my forte so I hope it's...satisfactory.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, contains adult content, DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT 18+, smut, lots of fire puns (I'm not sorry or maybe I am), lots of yapping

Pairings: Johnny Storm x fem!reader

Word Count: 6k+

The glimmering lights of the charity gala bathed the New York skyline in golden hues, casting long shadows on the sleek, chrome surfaces decorating the event. The décor was a striking blend of mid-century modern aesthetics—smooth, flowing lines, geometric shapes, and vibrant colors—reminiscent of a time when the future was just a few glamorous steps away and held a more optimistic approach. 

You didn’t want to be here but there you were, trapped in a sea of tuxedos and satin gowns, your father’s arm draped possessively over your shoulder like a shield. It had been his idea to bring you along, of course, a desperate attempt to put up a "family-first" front after the affair rumor hit the front pages of The New York Post a week ago.

You hated galas. You hated the small talk, the polite smiles, and the thinly veiled gossip that filled the air. You hated the way your father’s overbearing presence had turned the night into a performance, with you as the unwilling starlet.

“I’ll only be a minute,” your father whispered to you, his fingers tightening around your arm in that way that said, don’t move. “Keep a smile on your face. This is important. Our family needs this.”

You barely suppressed a groan, nodding stiffly before he was off, mingling with the city's elite. His eyes, always sharp, locked onto the wealthy faces around him, like a predator hunting for its next meal.

You took a deep breath, turning away from the throng of people, hoping for a moment of solitude. The jazz band played in the background, their smooth melodies swirling in the air. You found yourself in the back corner, near a large glass window overlooking the city.

A tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped into the room, a confident swagger to his stride. Johnny Storm, better known to the world as the Human Torch, was hard to miss. His sharp blue eyes gleamed, his blonde hair tousled just enough to look casually effortless. He was, of course, dressed to the nines—a sleek black suit that hugged his athletic frame and a white shirt that gleamed in the ambient evening lights.

You knew who he was. Everyone did. His exploits were plastered across every major newspaper and the tabloids couldn’t get enough of his charisma and charm. He was a man of fire, literally and figuratively, the kind of person who seemed born for attention.

There was something different about him tonight. No flames. No flashy heroics. Just Johnny, looking slightly out of place amidst the formality of the gala.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes when he caught sight of you and flashed a grin, as if he’d spotted an old friend. “Well, well,” he said with a teasing smirk, his voice warm with amusement. “What’s a beautiful woman like you hiding in the corner all by herself? You look like you could use some company.”

You arched an eyebrow. “Not really,” you replied, crossing your arms as you leaned against the glass. “I’d rather be anywhere but here, to be honest.”

Johnny’s grin faltered for a split second, then he chuckled. “Yeah, I get that. These things can be a pain. All the smiles and the handshakes and small talk.” He leaned against the wall next to you, hands in his pockets. “You’re not here for the free drinks, then?”

You shook your head. “My father dragged me here. He thinks it’ll fix... everything.” You waved vaguely toward the sea of tuxedos and gowns. “But you know how it is—people with money can’t stand to be seen as anything less than perfect.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said, his tone thoughtful, as he glanced around. “I get the pressure. I mean, being a public figure comes with a lot of... expectations.” He flashed a grin, a little wry. “You’d be surprised how many charity galas I’ve attended for reasons that had nothing to do with actual charity.”

You gave him a skeptical look. “You? I would’ve guessed you'd be more of a ‘save the day, destroy the bad guys’ type.”

Johnny laughed, his expression softening as he pushed off the wall and stepped a little closer. “That’s mostly me, but tonight… tonight I’m just Johnny. No fire. No superpowers. Just a guy who’s probably as uncomfortable as you are.” He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “You know, I was thinking about ditching this whole thing and heading to a dive bar. Could be more fun. You in?”

Your lips twitched upward. “I’m supposed to be here for my father. This whole thing’s a mess.”

Johnny shrugged. “Tell you what then. When your father’s done playing the ‘perfect family’ game, I’ll swing by and whisk you away for some real fun. In the meantime, if you ever need a distraction, just holler for me, doll. I’m pretty good at getting people out of awkward situations.”

You met his gaze, amused and a little skeptical, but something about his laid-back confidence and easy charm made the idea tempting. "I'll keep that in mind," you said, your voice softer now.

Johnny’s eyes flickered over to the crowd for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. “You’re probably sick of being the center of attention,” he said quietly. “I get it. Sometimes you just need a break from all the... stuff.”

You gave a short, quiet laugh. “If only it were that easy.”

Johnny’s grin returned, this time a little softer, more genuine. “Well, if you need a superhero to make your night a little less superficial, you know where to find me.”

Before you could respond, he turned with a wink, slipping back into the crowd, disappearing into the sea of well-dressed faces.

You stayed where you were for a while longer, the sound of the gala and the distant jazz playing in the background. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, was one of the last people you’d ever expect to feel any kind of kinship with, but for a few moments, he’d made you feel a little less trapped in the fake world your father had built around you.

And in a night full of forced smiles and shallow conversation, that small bit of genuine connection felt like a flicker of light in a sea of cold steel and polished chrome.

The gala was starting to wind down. The last glasses of champagne had been sipped, the tables cleared, and the final whispers of forced pleasantries echoed through the room. Yet, despite the event nearing its end, the energy hadn’t quite shifted. The jazz band had given way to a recorded track—a gritty, energetic tune that you instantly recognized.

"Play With Fire" by The Rolling Stones.

The heavy, seductive beat reverberated through the room, slinking through the air with a raw, untamed edge. It was unexpected. Unusual for a place that so carefully curated its atmosphere with smiles and good intentions. But there it was—one of the most rebellious songs of the time, now lacing the air, intoxicating and dangerous.

Somehow, as if it were fate, amidst the sea of tailored suits and glittering gowns, Johnny Storm appeared again, walking toward you like he had some kind of magnetic pull.

He flashed you a smile, his eyes gleaming under the cool, metallic lighting, his posture still effortless and relaxed despite the formality of the event. “Didn’t think they’d play this here,” he said, nodding toward the speakers, his voice amused. “I mean, talk about ruining the mood.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the deep growl of the guitar riff matching the beat of your heart. "Definitely not the kind of song you'd expect at a gala like this."

Johnny tilted his head slightly, the mischievous grin never leaving his face. “You know what? I’ve got an idea.” Without waiting for your response, he extended a hand toward you, a playful gleam in his eyes. “Dance with me.”

Your first instinct was to refuse. You weren’t in the mood for any more attention, and honestly, you didn’t dance. However, something about Johnny's easy confidence and charms, the casual way he dared you to step out of the perfectly controlled lines of this polished world, made you hesitate.

He wasn’t asking for anything extravagant, not some perfect ballroom spin or rehearsed routine. He was just... offering a moment.

For a heartbeat, you just stared at him. And then, as the chorus of “Play With Fire” blasted louder, you shrugged and took his hand. "Alright, Mr. Storm. Let’s see what you’ve got."

His grin spread even wider as he gently pulled you toward the center of the floor. The room seemed to narrow around you. Those who had been murmuring and sipping champagne suddenly halted as they took in the scene. 

But you didn’t care. Not now.

Johnny’s hand rested lightly on your waist, his other still holding yours as the two of you moved together. The pulse of the song matched your quickening heartbeat, and, for once, you didn’t mind the eyes on you.

The music seemed to speak to both of you, something unrestrained and reckless—something wild that had been suppressed by all the proper rules of society. Johnny’s movements were smooth, fluid, and effortless. He had the confidence of a man who knew exactly how to make the world bend to his will, and yet, somehow, his presence didn’t feel as overwhelming as you would assume.

You stepped in time with him, your own body moving with a freedom you hadn’t expected. The lyrics about temptation and fire seemed to mirror the electrifying pull between you. There was something present that was dangerous but exhilarating. Forbidden but impossible to resist.

You looked up at him, half in surprise, half in something else you couldn’t quite name. His eyes flickered back to you, almost searching, but not in a way that made you uncomfortable. No, it was more like he was giving you the space to decide just how far you'd go, how far you'd let this wild, reckless moment carry you.

“You know,” Johnny said as he guided you through a slow turn, his voice low, “they say if you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned.”

You raised an eyebrow, the edges of your lips curling upward. "You know what they say about fire, right?" you teased, spinning under his arm. "It can warm you up just as easily as it can scorch you."

He gave you a roguish wink, pulling you close again as the song picked up speed. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

The world around you seemed to fade away as the music built in intensity. The room, the gala, the whispers—everything was irrelevant in that moment. All that existed was the two of you moving in sync to the rhythm, bodies close, the heat of his touch igniting a spark in you that you hadn’t expected.

The song surged toward its climax, the pounding drums pushing the beat faster, wilder. Johnny’s hand slipped lower to the small of your back, pulling you flush against him, and the space between you vanished entirely. You could feel the heat of him. His body was a living furnace against yours, the friction of his energy igniting something within you, something that had always been held in check by the carefully constructed life you’d been forced to live.

You danced like you were both on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the line between control and surrender. Johnny’s laugh was infectious as he spun you one last time, a wild, unrestrained sound that made you realize how much you’d been holding back all night. He twirled you back into his arms, the song roaring in your ears as you laughed. 

The moment lingered there, suspended in time. A brief but intense escape from the world you’d known.

When the final notes of "Play With Fire" echoed through the room, you stood there, breathless and laughing softly, your heart pounding in your chest.

“Well,” Johnny said, grinning down at you like a devil. “I think we’re both burned.”

You caught your breath, a little dizzy from the rush but you didn’t mind. “Yeah. Maybe. But it was worth it.”

He gave you a knowing look, eyes full of something that was both playful and... something more. He was the Human Torch, but in that moment, he wasn’t just fire. He was a spark that could have burned everything or lit a whole new path. 

And maybe, for the first time all night, you felt like you were standing on the edge of something that wasn’t entirely out of your control.

Johnny winked, lowering his head so his lips were resting at the crest of your ear, his voice just above a whisper. “Sometimes, the best part about playing with fire is the burn.”

You smiled, feeling the heat of it in every fiber of your being. You hadn’t expected to find anything real tonight, but then again, you hadn’t expected to dance with a superhero to this song either. It was dangerous. Reckless.

It felt like freedom. That was the best part of it all. 

The last notes of "Play With Fire" still echoed in your ears, even though the beat had long since faded, replaced by the hum of a million voices, all of them too eager to return to the business of looking perfect.

You had somehow ended up on the edge of the dance floor, your breath still uneven, your pulse racing from more than just the rhythm of the music. Johnny stood beside you, his smile more subdued now, a knowing glint in his eyes as if he understood that something in you had shifted—something you hadn’t expected to feel tonight. The dance had been reckless, free, but the moment you’d stepped back, the world around you had tried to pull you back into place.

His presence, however, still felt like a spark. An electricity you didn’t want to let go of. Not yet. 

“Well,” Johnny said, his voice quieter now, the earlier mischievous tone replaced with something a little softer. “That was fun.”

You shot him a look, half-amused, half-skeptical. “Fun? You could say that again.” Your laugh was a little more breathless than you intended, but you didn’t care. It felt good to be this... unfolded for once.

“You know,” he continued, stepping just a little closer, the heat of his body still too tempting, “the night doesn’t have to end here. There’s a spot… a little hidden place I go to when I need a break from all this.” He gestured toward the glittering ballroom, the clinking of glasses and forced chatter drifting in the background. “It’s up on the rooftop. Private. Quiet. I think you’d like it.”

You raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the sudden flutter in your stomach. Of course, Johnny Storm had a “private spot” for everything. He was, after all, the Human Torch—effortless, smooth, always in control. However, there was something about the way he said it, about the quiet invitation in his voice that made it hard to ignore. Maybe you did want to escape the fake smiles and phony pleasantries.

You glanced toward the entrance of the ballroom, where your father was still busy shaking hands with some benefactor from the event, lost in his world of polished deals. You hadn’t been looking forward to more of that tonight.

A part of you, the part that had spent so long just trying to keep things together, felt that pull. You needed to break free, even if just for a moment. And another part of you? The part that had danced with Johnny, felt his heat like an actual flare against your skin? That part wanted to see where this could go.

“Fuck it,” you said, your voice quieter than you expected. “Lead the way..”

Johnny’s grin returned, the familiar flash of confidence lighting up his face. Without another word, he took your hand, guiding you through the crowd with a smoothness that barely made anyone notice. His fingers curled gently around yours, warm, sure, the touch casual yet intentional. It was like he knew exactly how to move in this world—his world—while making it feel like it was all about you in that moment.

You followed him through a door to the back of the venue, into a dimly lit corridor that led to a discreet elevator. Johnny pressed the button without a word, his eyes briefly meeting yours. There was something unspoken between you two, something that felt like it had been building without either of you realizing it.

The elevator ride was quick, almost too quick, and when the doors slid open, you stepped out onto the rooftop.

The air hit you first, the cool night breeze sweeping through the garden, carrying the scent of the city mixed with something sweet and floral. It was a sharp contrast to the glossy, manufactured world of the gala below. Here, on the private rooftop, everything felt different. The towering buildings of Manhattan stretched in all directions, but above, it was quieter. More intimate.

Johnny led you through the garden, where lush greenery contrasted against the stark steel and glass of the city around you. The lights here were soft, golden, hidden beneath the plants, casting just enough light to make the space feel almost like a dream. The far-off hum of the city was muted here, and the distant skyline stretched like a canvas of muted lights.

“This is… nice,” you murmured, taking it all in. The silence, the peace, the fact that for a moment, you weren’t anywhere but right here with Johnny. No cameras, no whispers, no obligations.

“I come up here when I need a break from the chaos,” Johnny said, his voice quieter now, matching the serenity of the space. He stopped beside a stone bench, and you both stood for a moment, taking in the view together. “Sometimes it’s good to just… get away. I don’t know about you, but tonight felt like I needed to breathe.”

You nodded, feeling the truth of that. The gala had been suffocating in its own way. Full of too many expectations, too many eyes watching. Too much of your father’s mask.

Johnny leaned against the edge of a low wall, hands in his pockets, his body slightly turned toward you. His eyes, usually so full of energy and fire, seemed softer in the dim light of the rooftop garden. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually come up here,” he admitted with a small smile. “Most people aren’t exactly keen on leaving the spotlight. But I like that you did.”

You shrugged, trying to play it cool, but the rush from the dance still lingered, making it hard to keep your calm exterior. “What can I say? I needed a change of scenery. I guess you could say you have a way of making people want to step out of their comfort zone. Besides, the spotlight isn’t my thing. Never was.”

He chuckled, and there was a genuine warmth to it. “I don’t know if it’s me, or just that sometimes you need someone who isn’t afraid to break the rules.”

You met his eyes again and for a moment, it felt like the world around you had gone still. The wind was the only thing moving, brushing through your hair and ruffling Johnny’s shirt just slightly. And yet, there was an electricity between you two, quiet but undeniable.

“You’re a rule breaker, huh?” you asked, your voice low and teasing.

Johnny’s smile turned a little more wicked, that familiar mischief lighting up his face again. “Maybe,” he said, pushing off from the wall and stepping closer, his eyes never leaving yours. “Maybe it’s just that… sometimes the rules are there to be bent.”

He was close now, close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating off him, the same heat that had burned so bright on the dance floor. His presence was magnetic, inescapable, and you had to fight the urge to step closer to him.

“Well, I think you’ve already set my night on fire,” you said, voice a little breathless.

Johnny didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he took another step closer, his hand gently brushing against yours. His touch was electric, like he was waiting for you to make the next move.

You could feel the tension building between you—every heartbeat, every breath. The city below, the skyline, and the quiet garden was all just background noise now.

“Maybe we should just let the night burn then,” Johnny said softly, his voice deep and seductive, like he was speaking just for you. 

You didn’t know what you were stepping into, but right then, under the stars with Johnny Storm, you didn’t need to. You let go of the last of your reservations.

And for the first time tonight, you let the fire take you.

Johnny was close, closer than you’d expected. His presence, that electric heat that never quite seemed to dissipate, was undeniable. His eyes were on you, dark and steady, but there was something different in them now. There was now something softer, more deliberate than the playful energy that had defined their banter earlier in the night.

You stood beside him, heart racing, mind whirling. The dance had been the first spark, the moment when something unexpected flickered between you. But now? The air felt thick with unspoken words, each one hanging in the space between you like a slow-burning fuse.

“You know,” Johnny said, his voice low and surprisingly serious, “I don’t come up here often with anyone. It’s usually just me and the stars, you know? The chaos gets too loud sometimes. But tonight… Tonight it feels different.”

Your heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t talking about the view or the quiet of the rooftop anymore. He was talking about you. Something about his tone, about the way his words wrapped around you, sent a shiver down your spine. The fire in him had shifted. The flippant hero, always surrounded by chaos and light, was now speaking softly, his words like an invitation, a promise.

“I get that,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “This is nice. Peaceful. I could see why you wouldn’t want to share it.”

Johnny took a half-step closer, the space between you narrowing until his breath was warm on your face. His blue eyes—those beautiful stormy, electric eyes—searched yours like he was looking for permission, or maybe waiting for you to make the first move. The gravity between you was palpable, magnetic. Everything else faded into the background. All that mattered was the two of you standing there, in the heart of the rooftop garden, this space between chaos and quiet.

“Yeah,” Johnny said, his lips curving into a slow, unsteady smile. “I’ve been thinking... maybe I’m the kind of guy who can burn things down and fly, but I also know when it’s time to stop and just... feel. Not many people know that about me.”

His words wrapped around you like a firestorm, the heat of them sinking deep into your chest. It was too much and yet it was everything you’d been craving all night. No pretense. No walls. Just the raw pull of the moment, the intensity that was flaring between you two like a flame in the dark.

With no more hesitation, Johnny’s hand lifted, slow but sure, as though he was asking for permission even now. His fingers brushed against your cheek, warm and light, his touch like a spark against your skin. His thumb traced the line of your jaw, the touch so intimate that it made your breath hitch.

“You don’t have to worry,” he murmured, his voice low, just for you. “I won’t burn you.”

You swallowed, your own breath a little shaky. Something wild had taken hold of you, some primal urge that told you not to hold back. You stepped into him, closing the last of the distance between you.

“I’m not afraid of getting burned,” you said, your voice a little hoarse. 

Johnny’s eyes flickered with something hot, something unrestrained. And then, without another word, he pulled you toward him, his lips crashing into yours with a hunger that matched the fire he carried inside. The kiss was everything you’d imagined and more urgent, intense, full of heat, yet strangely soft. His lips were warm, the taste of him a mixture of whiskey and something electric, something undeniably him.

His hands slid to your back, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you. You could feel the warmth of him. His body. His energy. It surged through you like a live wire. You kissed him back, your own hands rising to tangle in his hair, feeling the wild heat of his touch consume you, like he was setting a fire inside you that you didn’t know how to extinguish.

For a moment, there was nothing but the heat of the kiss, the steady rhythm of your heartbeats echoing through your chest. The world had fallen away. There were no rumors, no expectations, no father or gala or fake smiles. There was only the two of you, locked in this perfect, intoxicating moment, a kiss that felt like it could burn down the whole city and leave nothing but the ashes.

When you pulled back, just for a breath, Johnny’s eyes were darker than before, smoldering with something that went deeper than the fire he controlled. His chest rose and fell with each breath, but he didn’t step away. Instead, his forehead leaned against yours, and he whispered your name, like it was a secret he’d been dying to share.

You couldn’t help but smile, your fingers still tangled in his hair, your chest pressed against his. There was a quiet calm in you now, something that had been absent the entire night. Something that told you, even with all the fire and heat, maybe this was just the beginning.

“Maybe you’re more than just fire, Johnny Storm,” you whispered back. “Maybe you’re something a little softer. Less dangerous than you put on. Fire can be beautiful too. It’s not always destructive.”

Johnny’s laugh was low, his lips brushing against yours in a quick, gentle kiss before he pulled back just enough to meet your gaze. “Maybe,” he said, voice teasing but tender, “but I still have a few flames left to share.”

As the night stretched on, with the soft breeze swirling around you and the city still pulsing below, you knew one thing for certain: there was no going back. Not after this. Not after the fire had burned so bright between you.

You weren’t sure you even wanted to go back.

The city lights below flickered like a sea of stars, but up there on the rooftop, the night felt different. The soft hum of the wind moving through the plants, all of it was a contrast to the tension crackling between you and Johnny. The kiss you’d shared earlier hadn’t been enough—it was only the beginning of something more. Something you couldn’t quite control.

You needed more. 

Johnny stood close to you. Too close. But you didn’t want him to step back. His scent lingered in the air around you, a mix of the fresh outdoors and something smoky, something undeniably him. His eyes, dark and electric, never left yours, and every beat of your heart seemed to echo between you. His lips were slightly parted, his breath shallow, like he was waiting for you to make the next move.

“Don’t look at me like that, baby,” Johnny says breathlessly. “You’re playing with fire.”

You felt a thrill run through you at the words. Everything about him. From his cocky grin, the edge of danger in his voice, the way his body practically hummed with heat… He was irresistible. You tilted your head slightly, daring him with a soft smile.

“I think you’re the one who started the fire, Johnny,” you said, your voice low, teasing. It wasn’t a challenge, not exactly, but it felt like one all the same. Something between the two of you had shifted and now there was no going back.

Johnny took a step closer, his heat radiating off him like a furnace. You could feel the air between you thickening, crackling with an energy you hadn’t known you craved until now. His hand reached for you, slow and deliberate, but he didn’t touch you just yet. Instead, his fingers hovered near your waist, the slightest of touches, making you ache for more.

“You sure you can handle it?” Johnny murmured, his voice almost playful, but there was an underlying intensity in his words.

You swallowed, your pulse racing. “You’re the one who’s burning up,” you whispered, taking a small step forward, closing the last bit of distance between you.

Your pulse quickens at Johnny's bold words, your  breath catching in her throat. You look up at him through hooded lashes, your heart racing in anticipation. 

“Is that a promise or a threat?” you ask, you voice barely above a whisper. With a sudden burst of courage, you wrap your arms around Johnny's neck, pulling him flush against your body. You can feel the heat radiating off his body, mingling with the cool night air. 

“Because either way, I'm willing to take the risk,” you confess, your lips hovering tantalizingly close to his. You close the final distance, pressing your  mouth to Johnny's in a searing kiss. Your tongue darts out, teasing the seam of his lips before delving inside to tangle with his.

Johnny groans into the kiss, his arms snaking around your waist to pull her tighter against him. He returns your passion with equal fervor, his tongue dancing with yours in a sensual duel. The taste of you is intoxicating, and he drinks it greedily, lost in the heady rush of desire. Breaking the kiss, Johnny trails his lips down your neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin. He lifts you up, wrapping your legs around his waist as he presses your back against the cold stone wall. The hard planes of his body molded perfectly against your body. Johnny grinds his hips into yours, letting you feel the evidence of his arousal.

“Tell me you want this,” Johnny said breathlessly, his intense gaze on you.

You cling to him, your nails digging into his shoulders as he pins you against the wall. The rough texture of the stone contrasts sharply with the heat of Johnny's body, making you acutely aware of every point of contact.

“Yes, God yes,” you moan, your hips bucking against his in a desperate bid for friction. “I want this. Burn me alive, Mr. Storm.”

Your words are punctuated by a series of urgent kisses, your mouth seeking out Johnny's with a hunger that borders on desperation. Your hands roam over his chest, feeling the defined muscles beneath his suit. You want to tear the fabric away, to expose the man beneath and claim him as your own.

“That's the spirit,” Johnny praises, his voice thick with lust. He captures your lips again, devouring you with a primal intensity that leaves you breathless and wanting more. His hands roam freely over your curves, squeezing and kneading the supple flesh. Johnny slips a hand beneath your skirt, his fingers tracing the lace of your panties before pushing them aside to delve into your slick heat. Johnny groans, his thumb finding your clit and starts rubbing it in slow, tortuous circles. “You're so wet for me already. I can't wait to taste you.” 

With a swift motion, Johnny rips open your dress, the fabric ripping with ease. He palms your bare breasts, thumbs flicking over your nipples until they pebble under his touch. 

“You're perfect,” he rasps, leaning in to capture a pert bud between his teeth.

You cry out, you back arching as Johnny teases your sensitive nipples. The sensation of his hot mouth on your skin sends jolts of pleasure straight to your core, making you throb around his invading fingers. “Oh fuck, Johnny!” you gasp, your hips grinding wildly against his hand. “Don't stop, please…” 

Lost in the haze of desire, you fumble with the fastenings of Johnny's trousers, desperate to free his straining erection. You need to feel him. All of him. As if reading your mind, Johnny relieves you of the task, swiftly shedding his pants and underwear. His cock springs free, thick and pulsing with need. You wrap your hand around it, stroking the velvety length with reverence.

A hoarse cry tears from your throat as Johnny thrusts inside you completely, stretching your inner walls to their limit. The sudden intrusion triggers a wave of intense pleasure that courses through your veins, leaving you trembling and breathless.

“Johnny... oh god, yes!” you moan, your nails digging into his shoulders as you adjust to his size. You start to roll your hips, experimenting with the delicious friction as Johnny remains still inside you. The sensation of his hot, hard length nestled deep within your core is almost overwhelming, stoking the flames of your desire to new heights. Impatient to move, you clench your inner muscles around Johnny's cock, urging him to start thrusting. “Please, Johnny,” you beg, your voice husky with need.

Johnny's restraint snaps at your pleading and he begins to move, setting a relentless pace that has you crying out in ecstasy. Each powerful thrust drives him deeper, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing through the night air. 

“You're so damn tight,” Johnny growls, his eyes locked on your face as he watches you come undone beneath him. “I can feel every inch of you milking my cock. It’s driving me crazy.”

He leans down to capture your lips in a bruising kiss, swallowing your moans as he pounds into you with increasing ferocity. The rooftop garden blurs around them, replaced by a world consisting solely of heat, hunger, and the primal urge to claim and be claimed. Johnny breaks the kiss to trail his mouth down your neck, biting and sucking at the delicate skin. 

“Come for me, baby,” Johnny mutters into your neck, panting as he kept up with his relenting pace. “Come for me.”

The combination of his rough treatment and the unrelenting rhythm of his thrusts pushes you closer to the edge. Your inner walls begin to flutter and clench, signaling your impending climax. You wrap your legs tightly around Johnny's waist, locking your ankles behind his back to draw him impossibly deeper. 

“Johnny, I'm gonna—!” you scream as the first waves of an orgasm crash over you, your pussy spasming wildly around his pistoning cock. The intense pleasure is almost too much to bear, sending you hurtling into a maelstrom of bliss. Through the haze of your release, you feel Johnny's movements become erratic, his thrusts growing shorter and more urgent.

Johnny's grip on you tightens as he feels your pussy convulsing around him, milking his cock for all it's worth. The sensation of your clenching walls and the sound of your ragged breathing spur him on, driving him to new heights of pleasure.

“That's it, baby, squeeze my cock,”  Johnny grunts, his hips snapping forward in short, brutal strokes. “You're mine, all mine.” 

With a final, guttural roar, Johnny buries himself to the hilt and erupts, painting your insides with his hot seed. Wave after wave of intense pleasure crashes over him, his vision blurring as he loses himself in the sheer ecstasy of the moment. As the aftershocks subside, Johnny collapses against you, his weight pinning you against the wall.

Breathless and sated, you cradle Johnny's face in your hands, gazing up at him with adoring eyes. 

“That was... incredible,” you whisper, your voice trembling with residual pleasure. You run your fingers through his hair, marveling at the way his heated skin seems to glow in the moonlight. The intimacy of the moment, coupled with the lingering effects of their passion, leaves you feeling vulnerable yet deeply connected to Johnny. “I've never felt anything like that before,” you confess, your cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and wonder.

Johnny's chest rises and falls heavily as he tries to catch his breath, his forehead resting against yours. He's still buried inside you, their bodies intimately entwined. The sensation of your warmth wrapped around him is almost too much to bear.

“You're something else,” Johnny murmurs, his voice low and husky. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you were trouble, but fuck, I wouldn't trade this for anything.” 

He pulls back slightly, just enough to look into your eyes, and sees the same awe and vulnerability reflected back at him. It's a moment of raw honesty, stripped of pretenses and societal expectations. Johnny brushes a strand of hair from your face, his touch gentle compared to the fierce passion they just shared.

Your heart swells at Johnny's words, your soul feeling as if it's been set ablaze by the intensity of their connection. You reach up to frame his face, your thumbs stroking his cheekbones as you search his gaze. 

“It was a good reprieve from all the formalities,” you admit, your voice barely above a whisper. Your fingers trace the contours of his jawline, marveling at both the strength and unexplored tenderness etched into his features.

Johnny nods, a small, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. 

“Yeah, definitely a nice distraction from all the pomp and circumstance,” he leans in, capturing your mouth in a tender, exploratory kiss. It's a stark contrast to the passionate frenzy that preceded it, but no less potent in its own way. When Johnny finally breaks apart, he rests his forehead against yours once more, his breath mingling with yours. “I should probably get you back downstairs before anyone misses you.”  

Despite the practicality of the situation, neither you nor Johnny make a move to disengage. The moment stretches on, heavy with unspoken promises and the knowledge that their lives will soon return to their usual trajectories.

You sigh softly, the sound caught between your  lips as you reluctantly pull away from Johnny's embrace. The sudden chill of the night air against your overheated skin is a jarring reminder of the world beyond this hidden alcove.

“Yes, we should…” Your voice trails off as you gaze up at him, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow across his face. There's a bittersweet quality to the moment, a sense of longing for something that may never come to be. “But what if I don’t want to?” 

Johnny's eyes flash with a hint of mischief at your words, a devilish grin spreading across his face. 

“Then we stay up here all night and let the world keep spinning without us.”

[futurecorpse92]

Heatwave (Sylus affinity 125)

Sylus X Reader

I did change some parts to help the flow of the story, so I'm sorry if it's not similar.

I hurriedly made my way through the dark corridors, my footsteps echoing softly as I reached the door of a particular room. I entered without a sound, but it was no use—Sylus was a light sleeper. "Who is it?" His voice was rough, strained from sleep.

"Oh, it’s you," he muttered, glancing up at me from the bed. His eyes narrowed, irritation crossing his face. "I told them that no one was allowed in."

I hesitated for a moment but stepped closer, still cautious. "Some people are about to lose their jobs," he said, addressing the twins who were eavesdropping from the doorway.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Come on, Sylus. Don't be rude. They only let me in because I asked them to."

He grumbled, crossing his arms. "I don’t like how you’re covering for them," he mumbled, though the usual bite in his tone was absent.

He then motioned for me to sit beside him on the bed. "Clingy today, aren’t you, Mr. Sylus?" I teased, settling down next to him.

Without warning, Sylus shifted slightly, his gaze meeting mine with a flicker of something unspoken. "I want to use your lap as a pillow."

My brows furrowed in surprise. "Sylus, are you okay?" I asked, my voice laced with concern as he sat up, placing his head in my lap.

He ignored my question, instead settling comfortably against me. His body felt unusually warm, and I quickly ran my fingers through his damp hair, the familiar sensation of his sweat immediately alerting me.

"Sylus, are you sick?" I asked softly, worry creeping into my voice. He huffed in response, his lips curling into a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Am I sick?" he scoffed, his voice raspy. "I’m gravely ill, as one might say." He gestured weakly to his forehead, a faint chuckle escaping him.

I hesitated for a moment, then placed my hand against his forehead, startled by how hot he was. "Sylus, you’re burning up!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in alarm.

He chuckled again, but it was weak, and the sound was hollow. "It’s not that bad," he murmured, though the flush of his skin and the shallow breath he took told a different story.

"How long have you been sick? Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, my voice sharp with concern.

Sylus shrugged, his expression unreadable. "Well, let’s just say it won’t be going away anytime soon," he replied vaguely, not offering much more than that.

He shifted slightly in my lap, his gaze softening as he observed me. "You look like you’re in deep thought, sweetie. Please, indulge me," he said with a teasing tone.

I hesitated, feeling the weight of his words, before stammering, "I-I thought you couldn’t get sick…"

The corners of his lips twitched into a wry smile, and he let out a rough chuckle.

I opened my mouth, ready to scold him, but I stopped when he raised his hand, silencing me. "Be quiet for a bit," he said, his voice a little softer now.

A comfortable silence stretched between us, and for a moment, I just focused on the steady rhythm of his breathing.

"Sylus, let's lie down properly," I suggested, my voice quiet but persistent. He nodded and slowly sat up, giving me the space to stand. I moved to the corner to remove my shoes, my movements careful not to disturb the calm.

Once I was done, I made my way back to the bed, and without thinking, I plopped down onto Sylus's body, my usual careless habit taking over.

He let out a low chuckle, his voice laced with playful sarcasm. "Why did you plop down on me like that? I could’ve died."

I rolled over onto the mattress, chuckling to myself, and settled more comfortably beside him. Sylus immediately turned toward me, pulling me into his arms with surprising ease. His face came dangerously close to my neck, and I felt his warm breath tickle my skin, sending a wave of heat rushing to my cheeks.

In the quiet, I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair,

The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, until Sylus broke the silence by lightly grazing his teeth against the side of my neck. The sensation caught me off guard, and I instinctively pulled at his hair, my breath catching.

"Ow, be gentle," he teased, his voice playful, but it only made me huff in response.

I quickly reached up to touch his forehead, pushing back his bangs. The heat radiating from him hadn’t gone down at all. Concern tightened in my chest as I pulled away, instinctively distancing myself.

Sylus blinked, opening his eyes. He looked confused for a moment, and before I could fully react, I felt a magnetic pull dragging me back into his arms.

"I didn’t ask you to move your hands," he murmured, his tone more serious now, though there was still a hint of amusement.

I sighed, my worry deepening. "Sylus, you’re burning up. We need to take some medicine."

He scoffed, his defiance clear in his voice. "What are you talking about? I’m not taking that."

"What? Why not?" I asked, baffled, sitting up and turning the bedside lamp on to get a better look at him.

"It’s bitter," Sylus mumbled, looking away as though it were the most valid excuse in the world.

"But how will you get better if you don’t?" I insisted, reaching for the medicine on the bedside table.

"I don’t need to," he muttered, then added with a frown, "The lamp is too bright. Turn it off. You can see without it."

Listening to him, I reluctantly turned off the lamp. Sylus hummed in agreement, his arms pulling me back against him with a surprising amount of force.

"If you want me to get better, cool me down yourself," he murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion. "Be my ice pack," he requested, snuggling closer, his body pressing into mine as he let out a soft, contented noise.

His warmth was overwhelming, and the way he buried himself into me made my heart flutter. Despite his teasing tone, I could tell how much he was relying on me in that moment, his usual strength seeming to slip away in his feverish state.

I was jolted awake by the soft sensation of a kiss against my neck, and I immediately felt my cheeks heat up. "Your neck’s warmer now that I kissed you," Sylus murmured, his voice low and teasing.

I could practically feel his smirk against my skin. "Your body’s getting hotter, are you also getting sick?" he said, the amusement clear in his tone.

"N-no, it’s because of you," I stammered, flustered, not wanting to admit the real effect his words and proximity were having on me.

Sylus chuckled, the sound rich with mischief. "Don’t blame me—I’m the sick one here," he teased, and I huffed, lightly hitting his chest in mock frustration.

He let out a dramatic groan, one that was clearly fake. "Is this how you treat sick people?" he asked, though there was an edge of playfulness in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey! I was dragged into this, okay?" I snapped back, not willing to admit how worried I really was for him.

His lips brushed against my neck again, soft and warm, as he murmured, "You already said you’d take care of me, so my requests are reasonable enough."

I huffed, feeling a bit flustered and caught off guard. I didn't have a clever comeback to that. "Didn't you say you wanted to sleep, Sylus?" I asked, my voice teasing as I gave him a pointed look.

Sylus chuckled and nodded, his smile softening. "Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get some rest."

We fell into another comfortable silence, the quiet feeling peaceful, but of course, Sylus couldn't let it last.

"You’re not a very good ice pack," he said suddenly, breaking the stillness.

"What?" I replied, my voice tinged with surprise and clear offense. "Excuse me?"

"You didn’t cool me down—you only made things hotter," he replies, his tone dead serious.

"Excuse me, I’m not Elsa, and you’re going about this all wrong. You need to sweat it out," I snap back with a quick retort.

"Oh, really? Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?" he challenges.

"Hey, it's free cuddles—who’s gonna turn that down?" I reply with a grin.

He chuckles, clearly amused.

"Well, if I’m the one who needs to sweat it out, you’re the perfect person for the job—since you’re so hot," he says with a teasing grin.

I blink, caught off guard by his words.

"Are you talking about me?" I ask, trying to make sense of it.

"Of course I am, sweetie," he replies with a playful smirk. "You’re already sweating and all... wet."

I gulp, unsure if I heard that right. "Are we still talking about me?"

"Yeah, I’m talking about you, who else would I be talking about, sweetie?" he says with a mischievous look.

"B-but I’m not wet," I stammer, my voice betraying me like a question.

"Really? You think I’m lying?" He raises an eyebrow. "I can prove it to you right here, right now."

My face turns crimson. "Uh, n-no need, Sylus. It’s, uh, fine," I stutter, trying to regain some composure.

"Give me your hand, don’t be shy," he says, his voice low as filthy thoughts begin to invade my mind.

"When ice melts, it’s only natural to get wet," he adds with a teasing smirk.

"But sadly, my temperature still hasn’t gone down, even with all your moving around."

"I guess you're not as good at cooling me off as you thought."

"Sylus—" I start, but his breath brushes against my ear, cutting me off.

"Do you know the old saying?" he asks in that rough, alluring voice. "When an opportunity presents itself, you make the most of it."

He pauses for a moment, his tone dark and teasing. "So, until you've completely melted, I won’t stop."

[hmhas-00]

Ch. 14

Hit Me Hard & Soft

A/N- oh my GOD I’m so sorry I missed last Thursday’s post! I’ve been all over the place lately. Not in the best mindset right now due to the current state of this country lmfao. 😫 But I hope you love the chapter! I will still be posting this Thursday!

Billie’s POV

The bright rays of light shined through the small window, giving our skin a golden glow. Remy was facing away from me with her leg wrapped around a pillow. Her thigh escaped the fabric of her long t-shirt, showing off her toned legs. I caught a glimpse of the delicate embroidery that adorned the edges of her hips. The lavender lace hugged her curves, peaking from beneath her shirt. My eyes traced her figure, giving me an uncomfortable amount of goosebumps.

I laid still, wondering what time it was. I thought about what Remy shared with me yesterday, and how shocked I was. When those words came out of her mouth, I swear the world paused for a second and I felt like I couldn’t control my facial expressions. I thought about how I might’ve come off to her about, and if she took it wrong. I thought about if I blew my cover, or if she might’ve gotten the hint that it got my hopes up a little.

At the same time, her liking girls and never showing any interest in me broke my heart. Knowing she’ll take another girl to my party today hurt in a way I couldn’t describe. It was bittersweet. I went from being sad about her not being into women to being sad about her not being into me. However, it meant I had a chance.

Pulling me out of my thoughts, Remy began to shift in bed, throwing her leg off the pillow and turning to face me. She yawned, opening her eyes slowly.

“G’morning pookie.”

“What time is it?” She pulled the covers over her.

“I don’t know. You hungry?” I propped elbow up, leaning on my hand.

“Kinda. I want some cinnamon rolls.” She smirked, stretching a bit. She scooted closer to me and hugged me. “You’re actually here!” She said, her voice muffled into my chest.

“I am.” I smiled.

She pulled away, looking at my forehead and lightly tapping it with the tips of her hand, making a smacking noise. She laughed, getting out of bed.

“Okay.” I laughed, getting up and following her out to the kitchen. We reheated the cinnamon rolls in the oven and poured more icing over them, of course. We had some iced matcha tea and sat around yapping.

Later in the day, I sat in her room, watching her get ready. The time and detail she dedicated to her face routine enamored me. The precision in her brush strokes were so satisfying, and so calculated.

“It would look so cool if you smudged it a little. Like make it kinda smokey?” I tilted my head, looking at her through the mirror.

“Oooh, yeah!” She looked closer, in the mirror at her winged liner.

I took a little rubber ended brush, and kneeled on the floor next to her little vanity. She closed her eyes for me as I took the tip and began to gently glide it over her waterline and top lid. I held my breath, catching a glimpse of the soft contour of her lips, creating little smile lines. I gazed down at them in a focused, almost hypnotic stare, as my lips mirrored exactly the way her’s slightly parted. I fought the tingling urge to kiss them softly and close the gap between us.

Realizing I was entranced, I snapped out of it and continued my smudging. I couldn’t help but locking my eyes on her features every now and then. They were so unique, so symmetrical. I finished out the first eye, moving onto the next.

“Almost done…” I whispered.

She giggled, “Your breath smells like cinnamon rolls.”

“Stop moving!” I laughed a bit, concentrating on the wing. “Okay, there.” I sat back, admiring my masterpiece. She leaned into the mirror to see up close. “That’s so dope.” I nodded, smiling.

“Love!” She gushed over my work, finishing the rest of her face.

******

We headed out after she packed an overnight bag to crash at my house.

The house had already been transformed for the night thanks to the party planner who had stopped by earlier. Everything was perfectly spooky.

We changed into our costumes, leaving our former outfits on my room floor. The guests would start arriving soon and wanted to be ready in time.

“Do I look like him?” Wearing a yellow beanie, a red zip up hoodie, and gray sweats, I began drawing small lines on my face to resemble his facial hair.

“Oh my god! Todd, you’re so hot! Can I, like, have your number?”

“Maybe if your name was Princess Carolyn.” I joked as she stuck her tongue out at me.

She put on her heels and stood straight, proud of her attire. The way the holographic glitter highlighted the skin on her collarbones made her aura look celestial. Ethereal, even.

I walked over to her and straightened my shoulders, trying to measure up to her new hight. Anytime she wore heels, she was taller than me by at least half foot. She giggled, exaggerating and bending down to my level.

“Look at you. You don’t even have to get on your knees.” She teased, cracking herself up.

“And I’ll STILL kick your ass.” I shoved her playfully.

******

Before I knew it, the moon was out, and guests were appearing, one after another. A good friend of mine was DJ-ing tonight. She always elevated the vibe. I walked around greeting everyone, thanking them for making it. Everyone looked so good, most of them going all out with their costumes.

In the midst of chatting with friends, I lost sight of Remy. “Excuse me, I’ll see you around. Have fun tonight!” I scanned the sea of dancing faces, searching for a familiar feature distorted by the red-tinted lights overhead. The crowd was only a swirling vortex of fleeting blurs, until I saw her signature smile.

She was dancing with a purple drink in one hand, and someone’s grasp in her other. I watched as the tall, thin, curly haired girl in a white tank and black denim straight-leg jeans spun her around. I watched as she devoured Remy with her eyes, taking in her body flowing like liquid silk as she moves to the loud beat.

When she noticed me, her arms reached out in delicate gestures. Her smirky expression a mixture of joy and concentration, each step seemingly weightless as she glides across the floor to me with her captivating energy. “Billie!” She shouted over the music.

“There you are!” I smiled, looking from her to her date. “Is this your friend from work?” I asked, hoping it would somewhat undermine her. She wasn’t even in costume.

“This is Stevie.” Remy introduced us, completely letting it go over her head.

“Hey, thanks for the invite, it’s great to finally meet. Rem talks so much about you.” Her voice had an undeniable, but slight English accent. Fuck me. Of course she has a cool accent.

“Really? That’s funny, because she hasn’t really talked about you too much.” I teased.

“Dude.” Remy wrapped her arm around my waist without Stevie noticing, poking a finger into my rib cage, making me flinch.

“What, it’s true! Just yesterday-“ I started to explain, but she cut me off. Stevie looked between the two of us, reading into our exchange.

“She’s just kidding.” Remy laughed, digging her finger into my side a bit more, making me laugh from the tickling feeling.

I shook my head, “No, I’m just playing. I’ve been on tour so we did some catching up last night.”

“I can imagine, you guys seem so close.” She nodded. “So, are you… Jesse from Breaking Bad?”

I looked down at my clothes, then back up at her. Remy snorted. “No. You’ve never seen Bojack Horseman? I’m Todd!” I held out my arms.

“Oh fuck. No, sorry.” She laughed, “You look cool though! I wish I had time to find a costume. I feel so out of place.”

“I know, it was a last minute invite, that’s my bad.” Remy rubbed her arm, “Don’t worry, you look so good! Right Bills?”

I smiled, “Yeah, great.” I nodded, trying my best to be nice, but their touches made me feel my own skin burning.

“Aw, don’t be too sweet.” They exchanged looks.

I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say next. “You guys keep dancing, I’m gonna go grab a drink.”

“Okay!” Remy smiled at me. I could tell by her face she was already starting to feel a buzz. I gave her a small smile and turned around, leaving them behind.

At the drink table, Finneas chatted with some friends. I interrupted, dapping everyone up.

“Hey! We’re festive as shit in here!” Finneas hugged me.

“At least y’all know who I’m dressed as.” I rolled my eyes.

Finneas looked confused, having no context to my complaints. “Where’s Remard at?” He said in a goofy voice.

“She’s over there with her date.” I pointed with a head tilt.

He looked over, seeing her dance with Stevie. “Date? Wait what?”

“Yup.”

“Brotherrr she’s-“

“Yes brotherrr.”

He laughed, looking at me with comedic pity. “I’m sorry, this isn’t funny, but it’s fucking funny.”

“Go fuck yourself.” I laughed, wiping the seriousness off my face.

He grabbed my shoulders. “Sorry brother. But hey, if it makes you feel better, she’s definitely not gonna win the costume contest.”

“Fuck off.” I laughed, shaking my head and pouring a ginger ale.

“You drinking tonight?” He asked, watching my hands.

“Noo way.” I emphasized, raising my brows. “Last time I drank at a party we all know how that turned out.”

“Try to have fun though. Take it slow. Be in the moment.” He rubbed my upper back. “You got this, Todd.”

I smiled, “Thanks, I’ll do my best.”

The rest of the night was spent going back and forth between Remy and everybody else. I kept gravitating towards her, but felt too awkward to stick around. I’d watch them dance, or talk, but the way Stevie hovered all over her ticked me off. Like she was trying to mark her territory or something.

Towards the end of the night, I could no longer find Remy or her friend. I had made my way around the entire first floor, including the kitchen, and even checked the patio, where some people were smoking or talking, away from the loud music.

Suddenly, sheer panic went down my spine as the thought of them alone together upstairs dawned on me. I hurried up the stairs and knocked on every door, opening it and seeing nobody. Thank God people chose to be respectful and not make themselves comfortable in any of my rooms this time.

I asked around downstairs if anyone had seen her, but none of them did. I went up to my friends Ava and Jane, who were sitting on the couches playing cards with some others.

“Hey have any of you seen where Remy went? I can’t find her anywhere.”

One of them squinted their eyes, looking around, “I think she might’ve left with that tall chick she was dancing with.”

“Yeah, I think I saw them go out the front door a while ago.” Ava nodded.

I couldn’t hide my disappointment, “Fuck, man!” I walked away, going towards the foyer and pulling out my phone. No calls or texts from her saying goodbye. It wasn’t like her.

I opened my front door and stepped out, looking for her car, only to see her sitting on my porch swing. She was alone, looking into space, seemingly distracted. She jumped, caught off guard when the swing swung a little more as I sat next to her.

“God, you scared me.” She put her hand on her heart.

“My bad.” I laughed a bit, knowing how easy she was to scare. “You okay?” I looked at her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked away. “I feel stupid.” She said, looking down at her tights, rubbing her thighs up and down.

“Why’s that?” I tilted my head, watching her uncertain movements.

She laughed this breathy laugh that I’m sure was aimed at herself, “So, I thought we were vibing. And I felt like she was really into me…”

“Oh no…” I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.

She groaned, giving into my pull. “I’m dumb, I kinda ruined the mood.” She shook her head.

“Tell me, what happened?” I swung us with my legs at a steady pace.

“We were kissing, it was getting really intense. Like tongue and hands and all.” She started.

My stomach turned, wanting her to spare me the details.

“And she asked me if I wanted to go back to her place, or if we wanted to go to my place because she has roommates.”

“Ah, and they were roommates.” I joked.

“Yes, they were roommates.” She groaned, laughing through the pain. “And I told her I wanted to stay here because I’m staying with you tonight, and then she assumed me and you were like a thing? And she was basically implying that it was cool and she does the same thing too. And I’m a literal idiot because I was like wait what? You sleep with Billie too?”

I laughed, following her rant as her voice grew more intense and changed tones for each person she quoted.

“And she was like no, and I was like neither do I, and she laughed, so I was like thank god I’m funny! And then she asked me if I still wanted to hook up.”

I laughed as the story just kept getting worse. “You’re a certified dork.”

“Ugh! And then! I was like look, I really like you! And she got all weird, and told me relationships aren’t really her thing, and basically I made everything weird so she left and told me she’d see me around at work.”

“Oh, man, Rem, that’s rough. I’m sorry.” I rubbed her arm, continuing to swing us. “She’s probably driving home mad she didn’t get to smash.” I tried to make her laugh.

“I’m so dumb. I was just like oh, yeah same! Sooo lame. I literally hate myself.” She chuckled at herself.

“No, you’re not. You’re sweet.”

“I got all dressed up for nothing.”

“Nooo, you got all dressed up for the party, silly. You still look fine as hell!“ I pointed at her body, emphasizing how great she looked.

“I feel like I wasted tonight on her.”

“Tonight’s not over yet. We can still go in there and have the best time.” I smiled, wiggling my brows at her, trying to persuade her to forget all about it and dance with me. I got up and pulled on her arms, “You can request a song and we can shake ass!”

She laughed, getting up with me. “Okay, okay.”

Inside, we asked the DJ to play our favorite stuff and instantly got lost in the rhythm, our bodies swaying in perfect sync. Half of the guests had already left at this point, and only our favorite people surrounded us. The energy was electric and vibrant. This is what I had looked forward to all night.

Eventually, most of our friends had left, including the DJ. The lights came back up and we decided to play a giant game of uno with the people that were left. It was the perfect end to the perfect night. We screamed over each other, laughed until our bodies ached, and before we knew, it was 3am.

As people began to head out, we said our goodbyes and got out of our costumes upstairs in my room.

“That was so much fun. That was my favorite part of the night.” I sighed, lying on the bed as Remy searched my drawer for something comfy to sleep in.

“It’s exactly what I needed.” She smiled.

I kept the same smile on my face, falling into a train of thought so deep that my eyes trailed around where Remy went. I looked at her tattoos and her back muscles flexing as she lifted her arms to slip on my shirt.

She looked up and held my gaze without me even noticing. “You tired?” She asked, walking towards me.

“Not really.” I hummed.

She climbed up. I watched her crawl over to me from the foot of the bed, all the way up to the giant, beige, upholstered headboard I rested my back on.

“What do you wanna do?” She sat in front of me, putting her hair up in a pony tail.

“I don’t know.” I licked my lips, trying to keep them moist since my Aquafor was out of reach. “Wanna watch a movie or something?”

She looked to the side, thinking about it for a moment, then nodded. “I guess.”

“Unless you wanna do something else?” I suggested, watching her get under my covers.

She propped up two pillows and leaned back on them comfortably. “No that’s cool with me.”

I turned on the tv and scrolled through Amazon prime to find a movie. “Hey, I’m sorry about Stevie. I know how much you like her.”

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have invited her anyway. She was hard to talk to. I felt like I was trying so hard to be interesting to her. You know that feeling?”

“That’s the worst.” I shook my head, picking a movie and pressing play.

We watched the opening credits in silence, letting the melatonin in our bodies spread and make our eyes heavy.

She gently took my hand in hers and interlocked our fingers. “Thanks for making my night. You always make it better.”

She kept her eyes on the movie, probably not realizing how it made me feel. How much harder it made it for me to breath. My eyes darted between our hands and her side profile, careful not to turn my head at all. I tried my best not to let my chest heave as I tried to control my sudden racing heartbeat.

No matter how platonic it is, my heart doesn’t know any better. I just squeeze her hand, letting her know I am here, and I’m not going anywhere.

[slippinninque]

😏Spat😤

Jatemme Manning x blackfemreader

In which you look for a get-back.

warnings: MINORS DNI, 18+, cursing, soft!dark!Jatemme, chaotic!reader, jealousy, light mentions of violence

When the last man you laid your eyes on ran away, it was then you decided another drink was in order.

All night you’ve been avoided. Men who took the chance of coming up to you quickly excused themselves once they got a good look at you.

The ones you approached were weather at first until they inevitably became spooked before hightailing it to the men’s room. There was only so much you could take and your ego was beginning to bruise.

Like, you get it but damn. Did they have to run like that?

You slunk back to the bar and ordered the stiffest cocktail on the menu.

The mirror back-wall of the spirits showed your pouty expression. All around you were smiles, dancing, and a good time for all. You were done up perfectly for the night, ready to be shown off around the club your man owned. A silky, mid length maroon dress with heels matching with the black flowers in your hair. It was a hit if any of the yearning looks caught from the corner of your eye were to go by.

Just not enough then? Again. Damn.

You were too busy checking the time on your phone to notice someone slipping into the seat next to yours, but you glared into the mirror once you felt a playful elbow to your arm.

“How are you doin’, beautiful?”

You snorted, looking away from the man who smelled as good as sin and looked even better under the low lighting. You turned further away, annoyed, when he used his shoulder this time to bump-bump-bump you some more to get your attention again.

“C’mon, you still mad at me?”

“Is a frog’s ass water tight?”

You heard him laugh. When he laughed a little bit too long, you went to hop off the stool with the rooftop on your mind. A hand shot out, it’s held on your wrist firm enough to keep you in your seat. Your eyes narrowed as you were pulled closer by the stool-leg.

“Can I help you, Jatemme?”

“I said I was sorry, baby.”

“Not as sorry as I want you to be.”

“I am, listen, I should have thought about how it made you feel. If it’s not cool with you, it ain’t cool.”

Seriously? Just because he tucked all the condescending away doesn't mean you couldn't feel it in his tone. You raised your half-glass towards an eavesdropping bartender and gestured for another, “Oh no, it’s fine! You already told me, she’s so-and-so’s little sister, right? So no problem.”

Jatemme smacked his lips, looking over his shoulder when there was a rise in the normal ruckus of the lounge. You turned and scanned the crowd yourself, looking for a flash of a familiar blue jumpsuit. The same one you spotted lingering around Jatemme after your disagreement.

Henry was a connection Jatemme dealt with from time to time when he came into town from Philly. Apparently Henry’s little sister was the type to come up to men to talk about how big of a crush she has on them and ask to wear their chain for the night.

“It’ll be my birthday tomorrow–you can’t tell me no!”

So, you were the one to tell her grown ass ‘No’. Jatemme apparently thought the whole exchange was funny and even went as far as to pretend that he was lifting his chain over his head. That's when you turned around to look for a ‘tat’ to go with his ‘tit’.

Though, after that terrible hour of trying to attract anyone willing to take a wee little risk… it didn’t help your attitude.

Jatemme’s nose ran teasingly along your earlobe and you jerked away, narrowing your eyes at him. Jatemme signed and leaned back, utterly unfazed.

“So, when will this be over with, hm?”

“Once I get my lick back.”

Jatemme snorted and slapped the bartop. The eavesdropping bartender wandered a bit further down,“I thought you saw–ain’t no 'lick back'. Streets are too scared of you, baby.”

“You think Henry would be here since his sister is?”

Jatemme's smile was all teeth,“You know what, I hope he is…” Oop. Sorry to you, Henry.

The drink finally came but Jatemme claimed the first few sips first before pushing the glass over to you fully,

“Oh, so you're grown now? I thought you only drank brown at home?”

“Well, I am in a mood….”

You locked gazes with a nice looking, tall man further down the bar who gave you an appreciative nod. You smiled back and it nearly worked. Then, you watched this man nearly swallow his tongue as he doubled back away from whatever expression Jatemme was making over your shoulder.

A heavy hand spanned across your back, warm and possessive as he whispered into your ear.

“You really think any nigga in here is gonna risk his life for that pretty little smile?”

“Risker niggas–that’s what I need! You’re right, I’ll try leaving the city to see who’s feeling adventurous enough to try and get me to smile.”

“I wish you would–

You turned and met his eyes, your faces only inches apart. Jatemme’s jaw was tight and boo-hoo you didn’t care. The effects of your drink was making you bolder but your mind was set. You finished the drink in your hand and moved on to the next one. It was a bit warm, but it would do just fine.

Jatemme dropped a kiss onto your shoulder and pressed the tip of his nose behind your ear, “I let you have your fun, didn’t I?”

You shivered. One of his knuckles traced down your spine, lightly and you turned to face him finally, “You did,” you confirmed, “But are you as frustrated as I was, yet?”

Jatemme asked back, “You think I’m not going to bury every single last one of them niggas that you went up to tonight?”

“That’d be a waste. You know I barely got more than two words out of them.”

“Mmn. All the same, it’d make me feel better. You must have thought they were cute or some shit…”

Yes. While it was absolutely true that Jatemme loved you and would never hurt you, he still absolutely would threaten you with the wellbeing of others. A nasty form of play that you’ve gotten used to, that sort of doesn’t bother you as much anymore.

A chuckle slipped out but you fixed your face.

Since he found time to sound playful about it, Jatemme was only warning you. Maybe. You never doubted Jatemme’s ability to deliver, either, so you weren't too sure how the odds were evening in his head.

Still, you felt like you were owed justice from the situation with Lil’ Miss.Birthday Girl.

Were you really ready to carry on? Was it even worth it anymore with suddenly more than just your ass on the line? Sighing as you poked your lip out a bit, you looked into the vanishing ice of your drink.

“You hurt my feelings.” You told him. Jatemme said something you didn’t catch, but you did lean into him when he pressed a kiss to your cheek. A little.

“I see that now. I won’t play like that again,” he promised, “I forgot how much of a handful you can be when you get jealous.”

You scoffed and was ready to turn away again, only for Jatemme to be quicker. He pinched your cheeks together and kissed you. Heat flared across your body at the treatment, knowing that it was a display for those watching just as much as it was for you.

Your traitorous heart finally getting what it wanted, Jatemme’s attention, you felt your mood begin to settle.

Jatemme was right, afterall. Even if you were serious about finding someone dumb enough to take your hand, they wouldn’t have made it to the parking lot by the end of the night. Were you done?

While you were thinking, Jatemme helped himself with a hearty sip to your drink, “I especially had my eyes on the one that touched your shoulder, he thought he was slick.”

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

You knew exactly which man he was talking about. The man claimed that there was a fruit fly coming for you and he waved at your shoulder, if his fingertips brushed your skin–you wouldn’t tell Jatemme that.

He had a pretty smile and drugged his feet as his friends came to collect him from your web. That one lingered for a while, catching sight of at least one of your other targets fleeing from you. You wondered where he was now…

“Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to go back over to our booth, you’re going to finish your drink and get some food in you. I want to see you dance a little, show off that pretty dress for me. After that…we’re going to go back home and I’m going to fuck that little attitude into a bigger, better one. How’s that sound?”

It sounded like a great time, is what it sounded like. You asked yourself again, Were you done? Now that you’ve had him wrapped around you, bold women and skittish men were far from your mind.

“Sounds fine, I guess.” You made a show of sighing and getting onto your feet. Delightfully, you felt the room sway a bit. Jatemme was taking your hand and everything was so solid.

“Why do I put up with this, I wonder?” You bit your lip at the feel of Jatemme’s hand running along your behind, his tone fonder than the words it was used on.

“Hm, probably ‘cause you don’t want to wonder how someone else will put up with me.” You skipped ahead to get out of his reach and threw over your shoulder,

“You’re going to keep this up all night, aren’t you?”

You squeaked when a mean pinch came to your left cheek, you swatted at his hand behind you but it only went and gave your other cheek the same. The pinches kept coming and then your giggles began spilling over, Jatemme pulling you close with an arm around your shoulders to lead you back to where you belong.

--------

✨Ending notes✨: A little something for our Love 😘 I've been missing messing with Jatemme for a little bit lmao! Tell me what you think of this little spat, thank you so much for reading!!! 💕💖✨

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[mzannthropy]

Anne of the Island Chapter 3

"Greeting and Farewell" encapsulates this chapter well.

Nothing's more annoying than rain on the day you're travelling, but rain at the beginning of September feels like goodbye to summer.

And really, idk what LMM's intentions with Dora were, and not like the narrative was ever favourable to her, but I'm certainly not gonna hate on her. She was always a quiet girl who minded her own business, almost as if she went out of her way not to be a bother to people. Maybe she was taught by her mother that a lady should not show emotions? (idk just guessing). Why is LMM so determined to make it look like Dora is not sorry that Anne is leaving? And so what if she likes her poached egg on toast, must she starve herself? Enjoy that breakfast, girl. Davy throws a tantrum, of course, but I wonder if Dora behaved that way, how tolerated it would be. The funniest thing is that Dora is exactly the sort of girl Marilla wanted Anne to be. And yet it's still not good enough... (Villain arc for Dora, NOW.)

Even Gilbert’s presence brought her no comfort, for Charlie Sloane was there, too and Anne and Gilbert were left alone on deck. “I am very glad that all the Sloanes get seasick as soon as they go on water,” thought Anne mercilessly. “I am sure I couldn’t take my farewell look at the ‘ould sod’ with Charlie standing there pretending to look sentimentally at it, too.”

You're killing me, Lucy Maud. This is perfect. I love that Anne doesn't lie to herself about this matter. This is the third chapter in a row that Gilbert serves as comfort to Anne.

"I wonder if Davy has come out of the closet yet." I wonder what LMM would think if she learned what this phrase means in current times.

Priscilla feels almost like an angel in this chapter. Anne is so lucky to have a friend at Kingsport; coming to a new place so far from home where she doesn't know anyone--plus the fact that it must be a fairly big town while she's lived in the countryside--is an unsettling experience. "Miss Hannah gravely told me we could have ‘young gentlemen callers’ two evenings in the week, if they went away at a reasonable hour" idk what it is but I find this line to be so amusingly sweet. Very old school classy, if you know what I mean.

Must I really shake hands with Charlie Sloane, Anne?

All the girlies hate Charlie Sloane, lol. But Priscilla saying that Gilbert "has grown in the past year" feels a bit weird--like she must be the same age as him. It's something your mum would say.

Calmly and sensibly ging to sleep is the best solution for anything, I swear. It must have been a long journey. They arrived at Kingsport at 9pm, and Anne had to wake up at dawn, that's a long day. Also she took several modes of transport - a buggy, a train, a boat, another train and a cab. She would be exhausted.

Looking forward to tomorrow's chapter!

[ggensblog]

we're just making it worse | r.j.l.

back to series masterlist | back to main masterlist

part one: the invitation

contains: remus lupin x fem!reader, modern! no magic! au, swearing, angst, jealousy, let me know if i missed anything !

word count: 1.8k

100 days before the wedding..

“I just don’t understand why you couldn’t take this one day off- this was important to me, Remus!” you’re fuming, pacing in your kitchen, trying to find something to do with your hands. You opt to put some of the drying dishes away, almost grounding yourself.

“My work is important to me- I thought you of all people would understand that!” Remus is standing in the doorway, watching you, trying to get your attention. “You’re always going, going, going, you never stop for a second and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you!” This stops you. You turn around, a whole new fire burning in your chest.

“I am not the one that completely blew off my girlfriend’s event to sit in a fucking office for a couple more hours-”

“No but you are the one that missed our anniversary last month.”

You huff and turn back around, continuing to put the dishes away. Why were there so many of them?

“There you go again! Just keep going, maybe you’ll avoid this conversation like you do the other ones.”

“This is hardly a conversation, Remus.” you mutter, putting the last cup in the cabinet before turning and leaning against the sink. Your arms crossed against your chest. “You said you would be there.” Your throat was tight, and you swallowed in an attempt to choke down any emotions that would send you into a spiral.

“And I said I'm sorry. I would have been there if I could but-”

“They needed you. I got that. But I needed you too, Remus.”

There is a moment of complete silence in the room, and you’re thankful that Pandora had chosen to stay at Xenophilius’s place that night.

“You know what, you’re right. We’re too busy for this.”

“For what-”

“For this relationship, Rem. I see my coworkers more than I see you and I know for a fact it’s the same for you.” You look down to your feet for a moment then back up to meet Remus’s eyes. His jaw was set, not quite clenched, but tense with the air of the room.

“What are you saying- that we should call it quits?”

As soon as those words left his mouth you wanted to cry. To crumble and apologize for everything. To take it all back. But instead, you shrugged. “Maybe it’s what we need. It isn’t healthy to keep putting ourselves through this- this hell.” Your arms drop to your sides and your gaze shifts to the clock on the oven.

“If that’s what you want.” You look back to Remus when you hear him move out of the kitchen. You watch him take his coat and phone and put on his shoes. You want to scream as you watch him walk out the door, shutting it with a slight force as he leaves.

As soon as you’re left in the dim light of the kitchen by yourself, you slide down to the floor and bury your head in your hands as the first tears fall.

Your phone begins to ring on the counter, you stand and see Pandora’s name light up the screen.

“Hello?” you sniff.

“Are you okay?” She asks on the other line, concern dripping from her tone.

“How did you-”

“I had a feeling. What happened?”

You took a deep breath, but it didn’t do much as you choked on your sobs, muttering words you didn’t think you would.

“We broke up.”

✩°｡⋆˚⁺

38 days before the wedding..

You stared down at the piece of cardstock in your hands. You had just gotten home from a particularly long shift and found an envelope with a note from Pandora that just said ‘be home late tonight, xx’. You opened the ornate envelope and pulled at the piece of cardstock and a few other pieces of paper.

Save the Date! Lily and James are Getting Married!

The back of the cardstock had the date and location details. The second piece of paper held further details about the dress code and reception. The last piece of paper was the RSVP card. A few tick boxes sat with various prompts such as whether you’d be attending, what you wanted for the rehearsal dinner and reception dinner, and if you were bringing a date.

The More the Merrier! We encourage you to bring your plus one to help us celebrate this special day!

You sighed, and stuffed the pages into the envelope once more. You were overjoyed that Lily and James had finally decided on a date and you were honored to have been invited, but the thought of bringing someone to the wedding that wasn’t Remus made your stomach churn.

The More the Merrier!

You took the envelope into your room and sat it down on your desk before throwing yourself into bed.

✩°｡⋆˚⁺

37 days until the wedding..

“There she is!”

Your friends smiled as you sat down at the table. The restaurant bustling around you as you settled into your monthly lunch, a long-standing tradition since you graduated university to keep in touch.

“Sorry I’m late- Greg wouldn’t leave me alone.” You mentally cursed your chatty co-worker who happened to catch you as you were packing up for the day. Dorcas waved your excuse off, passing you a carafe of water. You happily poured yourself a glass.

“So what’s new?” you looked up to the rest of the group. Dorcas, Regulus, Pandora, Evan, and Barty sat around you and you felt the weight of the day slip from your shoulders. Dorcas leaned over to reach for something in her bag, then revealed a familiar envelope.

“Are we going to talk about this? I can’t believe those two finally decided on the details. You lot are all going- right?” Pandora scoffed lightheartedly.

“Of course! Lily asked me to be a bridesmaid 2 weeks ago- it has been torture keeping it secret!” She exclaimed, leaning her head on your shoulder. You laughed, picking at one of the plates of appetizers on the table.

Barty flew into conversation with Dorcas about how he was surprised he and Evan were invited but excited nonetheless, Regulus mentioned something about Sirius being the best man and needing to go because it might be the only time he sees his brother in a formal suit. You laughed along as the conversation came easy. 

“Are you going to bring a date?” Pandora asked the general group- though everyone already knew that Barty and Evan would inevitably go together and Dorcas would be there with Marlene. Pandora was without a doubt going with her long-term partner, and that left you and Regulus to try and deflect the topic onto the other.

Unfortunately Regulus’s wit was too quick for you.

“Sirius said something about Remus having a date.” Eyes turned to you. In that moment your seat at the table no longer felt like an inviting rest and more of an interrogation.

“Really! That bloke managed to convince someone to spend an entire evening with him?” Barty blurted, trying to ease the tension. Evan shoved his elbow at him.

“Good for him,” You tried to hide behind your glass as you gulped down the rest of your water. You wished you could have stopped yourself from what you said next.

“I actually have someone I’m thinking of asking as well.” This managed to raise the brows of even Regulus.

“Really? You’ve been seeing someone and you haven’t told us?” Dorcas’s face twisted into one of betrayal. You wanted to kick yourself, your competitive jealousy taking over your common sense.

“Uhm- not really, just someone I’m thinking about asking. Since plus-ones are encouraged and all.” This was painfully awkward. You needed an out. Thankfully your borderline-psychic roommate caught on to your agony, perking up.

"Speaking of- oh my gosh did you hear that Alice and Frank are pregnant?" You made a mental note to thank Pandora later at home, because the group- the gossip fiends they are- immediately turned to Pandora and throwing questions at her.

You, however, looked down to your phone and mindlessly checked the time, letting your thoughts wander.

Was Remus really bringing someone? Sure it had been two months already, but did he really move on that quickly? Who was he bringing? Were they someone you knew? What if they-

Pandora lightly kicked your leg under the table, sparing a sympathetic glance your way before diving back into her latest piece of gossip.

You were quiet for the rest of the lunch, chiming in here and there about what was new and old in your life the past month. Once you all wrapped up, you were quick to grab Pandora and head out the door and towards home.

You thought you were in the clear from any further poking and prodding at your shoddy story. You should have known better because the moment the door closed behind you, before your shoes were even off, Pandora was opening her mouth.

“So who is this mystery person you’re ‘thinking of asking’ to the wedding?” the air-quotations were sign enough that she was calling your bluff. You sighed, throwing your keys into the bowl by the door and walking over to collapse on the couch.

“There isn’t anyone- I just didn’t want to look like I was still hung up on- him, when he’s clearly moved on.” Pandora joined you on the couch, criss-crossing her legs and facing you. She placed a hand on your knee, her eyes wide and full of wisdom you wish you could tap into.

“There isn’t anything wrong with going to the wedding alone. I don’t think anyone would judge you. But if you did want to bring someone, you have plenty of time to find them. Anyone would be lucky to go with you.” She offered a soft smile that you returned. You nodded, taking a deep breath and finally relaxing for the first time since you sat down at lunch.

“I know- it just feels like he’s 10 steps forward and I’m losing or something.” You shrugged. Pandora shook her head, “It isn’t a competition, but leave it to you two to make it into one.” She patted your knee once then stood from the couch and moved towards the kitchen.

You sat there thinking, of course it wasn’t a competition, but if it was you were behind. You couldn’t turn up to the wedding empty-armed while Remus lived in bliss with whoever he was bringing.

“Hey- did you hear me?” You blinked, then turned, “I asked if you wanted some tea.” Pandora repeated, her brows drawn together in concern. You nodded wordlessly then looked down to your phone, a new-found determination filling you.

You could totally find a date to the wedding. Like Pandora said, you have plenty of time and plenty of options. It was just a matter of ‘who’.

a/n: here we go! part one of this fic! i hope you all enjoy, and i would love to hear your thoughts! see you in the next part !

[lyracarvahall]

HeartBeat Sync Part 16

Showtime Shenanigans

Part 15 Here

The trio talked about the events of the day as they ate. San occasionally offered Y/N bites of his food. It was sweet that he wanted to make sure that she ate well. Seonghwa seemed particularly ravenous.

"He always eats like that. He eats the most out of all of us honestly." San smirked as he began packing up the trash and throwing it away. He tied up the leftovers and put them to the side.

Y/N did not want to get between Seonghwa and his food conquest so she attempted to get up to get ready to record San's track. Seonghwa whimpered and placed a hand on her leg mid-bite. After he slurped down his noodles he blushed. "Sorry. I don't know why I did that."

"Don't worry honey. I know the connection is new and raw. I can be with you as long as you need me to be.."

Seonghwa teared up a little and nodded. "Thank you. I am alright but I have a small request if that is alright."

"Of course."

"I know we have to hurry and record San's vocals but I don't want to leave you yet. Is it alright if you sit in my lap while he records or is that too forward?"

Y/N put her head on his shoulder. "That is fine Seonghwa. I honestly need the contact right now too." She worried though that her thicker frame would crush the poor guy. He seemed to sense her insecurity however and took her by the hand, leading her to her chair and pulling her down onto his lap, placing his head on her shoulder. After enjoying a few seconds like that in silence, he scooted the chair closer so she was able to reach her laptop again. Seonghwa began clicking away on his phone.

Y/N giggled at the sweet gesture and she looked to her left to see San looking very happy watching the pair of them. She sent her gratitude to him through the bond and his smile widened.

Suddenly her phone went off.

"Okay baby, I will get the recording going so we can head back for the show tonight." San walked into the recording booth and put on the headphones. She fired up the reference vocals and she watched him sway and listen. He looked peaceful and content. After the first playthrough, he looked at her with pride.

"Baby, this is wonderful...I see what they were talking about now. It is a bit different than our usual sound but still screams 'us'. Plus your vocals are so lovely."

Y/N blushes at this awed response. San chuckled at her reaction and said, "I am ready to try it now if you would like. I may need some notes from you though."

"That is fine honey. Alright." She cued up the reference track again and San started singing the highest melody in the harmony. She gave him a few low notes through out so he was the weaver throughout the other tracks. She gave him a couple of notes and soon enough he was also done with his recording.

"Did you guys want to hear how you all sound together?" Y/N was trembling both due to nerves and pure joy in sharing her baby.

Both men huddled around her laptop and she hit play. Through the speakers, a haunting 4 part harmony came and seemed to hold the trio captive. It was her first track to the rock and house opera. It came out better than she ever could have thought and it was due to these men's amazing talent. It would not be nearly as epic without them.

Seonghwa rubbed his hands up and down her waist and San cradled her head against his stomach as he stood next to her. When the song finished, there was silence for a few moments. Y/N began to panic that maybe they didn't like it.

San seemed to sense her unease and began to stroke her hair. "No no no baby! We are blown away! This is incredible! I cannot wait for the final results!"

"Really? Are you sure it isn't too much?" She asked hesitantly.

Seonghwa spoke from her right shoulder so his low soft voice was right by her ear. "We are ATEEZ honey. We are the definition or extra. Don't you dare sell yourself short. This is wonderful."

She shivered with the way his voice in her ear effected her. he chuckled darkly which only furthered the effect.

San chuckled as he released her head from his hold. Sinking down to his knees, he whispered into her left ear. "Oh my poor baby. being effected by your men so strongly. Later I will kiss it all better." With that he got up and walked to the studio door, opening it and lingering in the doorway. "I ordered a driver as we need to get back. You coming baby?"

Y/N quickly got up from the chair, nearly toppling Seonghwa over. "Oh my gosh I am so sorry!" She covered her face in embarrassment.

Seonghwa belly laughed and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay sweetheart. Sannie was the mean one teasing you." With that he began to gather her supplies and cords and placed them in her bag. San had the food already in his hands and made his way out to the car. After she saved their progress, she closed her laptop and hurried and packed it before ducking her head in embarrassment and heading out the door. Seonghwa laughed and followed behind.

Once they got to the car, she sat in the front seat and the two men sat in the back chortling to themselves. Y/N rolled her eyes in the rearview mirror and they were off. On the way to the venue, she messaged Eden thanking him for letting her use the studio space.

She appreciated but also felt very pressured by the faith everyone had in her. Hopefully she lived up to expectations.

Finally turning into the arena basement parking, the car dropped them off and they headed inside. Y/N followed the guys since they knew where they were going and there were security just inside the doors to collect them. Suddenly, out of nowhere someone flew towards Y/N and wrapped around her like a koala. As she was pinned to the wall, she realized it was Wooyoung. Her face was swiftly covered in kisses and he clung to her tightly. He was swiftly removed by San picking him up by the collar like a cat being lifted by the scruff.

"Wooyoung! Damn you gotta be gentle!"

Wooyoung looked at her and suddenly appeared to look guilty. "Hey I'm sorry babe! I just saw that Mingi got hugs and kisses from you and I got super jealous so i figured if I snuck some now I could say that I won. I mean I didn't mean to run into you that hard but I was running a long ways and..."

"Woah woah!" Y/N grabbed his face and smooshed his cheeks, making him look adorable. "Honey it's okay. Come here." She leaned forward and gave him a bunch of gentle pecks on his lips and he seemed to melt in San's arms. "If you are a good boy for the rest of the day, I will reward you, ok?" She saw his pupils dialate and he rapidly nodded.

"Yes ma'am!" He took off back towards their dressing room.

Y/N giggled as he watched him run like a track star. Seonghwa seemed to beam at her laughter and squeezed her shoulder. "We should get ready sweetheart. Feel free to come with us. He slid his hand down her arm to intertwine his fingers with hers. Gently guiding her, she followed him back to the dressing room. She looked around at all of the staff on the way and not many of them even noticed. The couple that did gave subtle nods and she had a feeling they were a part of the NDA signing spree.

Once they opened the dressing room door, the boys seemed to stop what they were doing and focus their eyes on her and Seonghwa's joint hands. He felt her embarrassment and pulled her to him, lifting her hair up out of the way so her new mark was visible to everyone. Hongjoong came up behind Y/N and gently combed his fingers over the mark. "It's beautiful baby." Seonghwa flinched a little bit at the nickname Hongjoong gave her but swiftly returned to petting her hair. Y/N knew it was hard but that he was trying. She let Seonghwa cling to her as long as he needed to.

"We'll talk soon." Hongjoong said quietly and then he walked away. Seonghwa let out a shuttered breath and she squeezed him to show her support. He cleared his throat and released her, making his way to one of the makeup chairs to start getting ready for the show. Various members were occupying themselves in different ways. Some were also getting makeup done. One was listening to music on his phone. Mingi and Yunho were taking selfies in a corner.

"Hey baby! Come over and take pictures with us!" Mingi shouted across the room.

"No! No way! I can't..." Yunho began to pout. "Oh Yuyu don't start...I...okay fine." She couldn't resist that face.

Making her way to the two trees, she found herself smooshed between them with each placing a kiss on one of her cheeks. They showed her the picture and she looked beautiful with a beaming smile and they looked totally smitten as they kissed her.

"Oh my god I love this so much! Please send it to me!" Y/N gave each of the a kiss on the cheek but Mingi pulled her behind a dressing partition.

"Hey baby. Is it okay if I touch you?"

"Mingi there are people over there."

"Okay but I am taking a kiss. Come here." He put a couple of fingers in the hem of her jeans and pulled her forward. Gently combing his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, he kissed her like he meant it. Plump lips trying to imprint themselves upon hers. "Mine"

Looking in his eyes, it was like she could see the loving and dominant sides battling one another.

"Until later baby." He left her pent up behind that partition. What is the deal with these men teasing her today? Made her want to stomp and throw a fit but she took a couple of deep breaths. Soon, the stage hand came in announcing it was showtime. She scurried to the door just in time to give small kisses to each of her men as they made their way out of the door.

One of the makeup artists dramatically fanned herself as she put her kit away. "Girl you are so lucky! Pardon me for saying so but DAMN they are hot and you have them all in your pocket!"

"They are hot, but they are also so much more."

The makeup artist swooned a little. "This is why they all love you." She finished packing up her kit and walked out the door. Y/N went to follow her but then stopped in her tracks. Wait...Did they actually love her? As a person or was the bond all of it. She knew she really needed to step up getting to know these men she cared so much for. She nodded at her internal commitment as she left the dressing room to root her men on from backstage.

Next Part Here

----------------------------------------

Taglist: @imbaebi @vtyb23 @nuggiesnuggetdog04 @mrsminseochoi

[marsupials-of-mars]

Ficlet request from @sadie-shrimp ! I haven't done a "genderbend" in a long time, I had way more fun than I thought I would! I decided to go the angle of "how would the backstory/motivations be different"

☆°☆°☆°☆

      Anna awoke to a fog of breath hanging in the air. She was used to seeing her breath in the morning, but something about it looked off. It took a few more seconds of wakefulness to realize why.

      It wasn't moving. 

      She lay in her backseat, staring at the frozen cloud. She tried to rationalize. The lighting was strange in her car, the way the full moon filtered through the birch trees. Strange shadows. She changed her angle a few times over, teeth chattering, but the cloud remained static. 

      She realized, as she watched, that there was only that one cloud. She hadn't seen a subsequent breath since she'd woken up. She looked at the full moon through the vapor, centered in a triangle of birch limbs. The moon blinked. 

      “HOT BELGIAN–!”

      “Woh hoh! Watch the language there, little miss! What would your father think?” 

      There was a creature in her car. A small triangular cyclops made of moonlight and the precipitation of her own breath.

      “I'm kidding! That was a joke.” The triangle took some excess breath and sculpted it into a cane to lean on. 

       “Who…are you?” Anna steadied her breathing.

       “Name's Bill! And you're Joanna Margret Pines, the woman who changed the world! But you don't want to hear all that. You look cold! Lemme get that for ya.”

       The triangle calling himself Bill clapped his hands, and suddenly, the car was on. The once-busted heater was operational and blasting. Ragtime played through the radio, and Anna was swathed in a chunky yellow blanket. 

       “Oh! Thank you! Um…Bill.”

       “I like that! ‘Um Bill’! Just ‘Bill’ is my go-to, but call me whatever strikes your fancy, I'm not picky!” 

       “How did you know my name? Is this a dream? Why am I dreaming about a triangle? Is this…did I finally lose it? Is this hysteria? Should I have…gotten that lobotomy my aunt Marilyn recommended?”

      “Slow down there, IQ! Your brain's too important to pop! And/or irreparably chisel!” He mimed pulling Anna's brain from her nose and spun the ghostly anatomical model on his finger. “Look at it! Now that's the mind of a generation!” 

      Anna felt her cheeks fully thaw. “You…think so? So far it hasn't seemed to have done me much good.”

      “Tell me about it. But this thing isn't the problem.” He pointed to the hologram brain. “It's who it's attached to.”

      Anna pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I'm sorry? You're saying…I’m a problem?” 

      “OH! Ha! My bad. Way to call me on that! No, not you, not this. The problem is riiight…” His arm extended, taking a long winding detour around the backseat to point at the lump of blanket in Anna's lap. He tapped right between her legs. “There!”

      Anna flushed. “What?! That is wildly inappropriate! Who the hell do you think you are, mister–”

      Bill’s arm zipped back to his side. He lifted both hands in appeasement. “Oop! Whoopsie daisy, hold the phone, backtrack, do-over!” He spun his finger. The sound of a rewinding vinyl emanated from nowhere, and, as it did, Bill began to change.

      He spun, his silhouette becoming a golden glow. He grew larger. His bow tie undid itself, winding around his arms and legs in flashes of yellow glitter, one by one, shifting piece by piece into something humanoid. He cast his arm to the sky, holding his cane triumphantly as a blinding flash filled the car. Anna covered her face.

      In the triangle’s place was a small, pear-shaped woman in a golden suit jacket and too-wide slacks. Her black hair was pulled into two tight buns, with a still-floating tophat positioned between them. She blinked her single eye, which filled the space of, and replaced, two eyes and a nose. 

      She was overall worse to look at, though Anna determined that it was mostly the face situation. She re-tied her bow. “You’ll get that reference in a decade or so.” 

       Anna blinked. Bill blinked back, with her big cyclops eye. It squelched audibly.

      “Hi there. I realized my whole spiel was lacking some context. Probably should have done this before the genital reference, but I always forget just how quick you people are with the gender schema. Catching geometry in the crossfire for cryin’ out loud!”

      Anna was already getting used to the eye. She cleared her throat. “Sorry. What was the genital reference for?” Bill seemed pleased at the quick turnaround.

      “If your brain had a penis, you'd be published by now! Well, only if you wanted to. Maybe you'd be fixing the government, or shooting people-missiles at the moon for NASA. Personally, I think you'd have at least twelve PHDs in various fields.” She counted to twelve on her fingers, then smiled and wiggled them. “Hey look! We match!”

      Anna subconsciously touched one of her own extra pinkies. “That’s very kind but…I doubt that. My father–”

      “Woulda called you ‘Stanford Filbrick Pines’. 

      Anna closed her mouth. Anna considered things. She looked at the back of the front seat. A crumpled Backupsmore pamphlet sat sun bleached in the mesh pocket. A creme envelope was shoved in next to it, folded over four times until the creases rubbed the text illegible. Jolene's wedding invite. Anna frowned.

      “You with me yet, mama?”

      She shot Bill a look. “I know what sexism is, yes.” 

      Bill squawked, kicking her legs in a peal of laughter. She drifted down to sit on the seat next to Anna as she settled down, wiping a tear from her glimmering eye. “Fair enough! You're a funny broad, aintcha?”

      “Nobody's ever told me that.” She leaned back in her seat. “But I like to think so.”

      “I think I'm starting to like you, Sixer!

      Anna looked into her round white eye. It shone in the moonlight in a way that reminded her where it had come from. She remembered–allowed herself–to feel a hopeful awe. She smiled.

      “I think I'm starting to like you, too, Bill.”

      “By the way. That Carl McCorkle fella?”

      Anna groaned. “Do not get me started. He broke my glasses in the sixth grade, did she forget that? I couldn't see for two whole months! If you want my two cents–”

      “That marriage won't last a week!” Bill finished the sentence with her. “Jinx! Wow, get out of my head!”

      Anna grinned and rolled over to face her, bundled in her loaned blanket. She hadn't felt this warm all week. “You first.” 

[darl-ingfics]

Feveruary Day 5: "Could you just hold me?"

Fandom: Seventeen

Sickie: Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino (food poisoning)

Caregiver(s): Seventeen

Word Count: 1,362

Notes: A prequel-esque to Come Lean Your Back on Me. It's mentioned in passing in that fic.

It was a good idea, they said. It was going to be fun, they said. It was good for morale, they said. 

Well. It was three in the morning. And Hansol was curled up on the bathroom floor, waiting for death. He’d woken up over an hour ago to stabbing pain in his stomach, giving his sleep-addled brain about three seconds before he threw up the late night snacks Seungkwan and Chan had talked him into earlier. There were few things Hansol hated as much as throwing up, and throwing up in his own bed? Every time Hansol had a moment of peace on the bathroom floor, that exact thought shot back through his head, causing equal pain to whatever vengeance his stomach was currently pulling.

Speaking of vengeance, just as Hansol felt the tell-tale signs of bile creeping up his throat, he heard the door open. He didn’t get the chance to see who it was before he was leaning over the toilet again, completely floored that there was anything left in his stomach to vomit up. 

“Oh no…” A warm hand settled on his back, rubbing his spine soothingly. Hansol tensed slightly, but the spasm of his muscles from another wave of vomiting hid it well. Or the mystery member didn’t much care. 

The hand didn’t leave Hansol’s back until he coughing up a mouthful of spit, clearing his mouth of the disgustingness therein. He took a deep breath, let it go, and then let himself fall back against his caretaker. 

The hands enveloped him, one hand wrapping up to scratch at his bangs. “How you feeling, bud?” Wonwoo. 

Hansol groaned, rubbing at his cramping abdomen. “Like shit.”

“I can see that. How long have you felt like shit?”

“About an hour.” Hansol swallowed thickly, wincing at the unfortunate, lingering taste of sick in his mouth. “I’ve thrown up about four times already.” 

“Four? In an hour?” Wonwoo asked. He hadn’t stopped scratching Hansol’s head, and the younger man was thankful for that. “And you just started feeling like this?”

Hansol nodded. “Kwannie and Channie and I… we got some late night snacks and… I don’t think they agreed with me…”

Wonwoo moaned. “Please tell me you didn’t go to…”

“You know we did,” Hansol whined, tipping his head back in regret. 

“Oh, Sollie…” Wonwoo rested his cheek against Hansol’s head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too…” Hansol sniffled, eyes filling with tears against his will. He shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I hate this.”

“I know, sweetheart, I know.” Wonwoo gave him a gentle squeeze, so as not to upset his body any more than it already was. Hansol would have to thank him for that later. “What’re the odds Kwannie and Chan are gonna wake up in this same situation?”

“High. We all ate the same things.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck is right.”

*

Carats had often joked that Jeonghan was the ‘mom’ of Seventeen. Jeonghan usually took it in stride, playing into the fans’ role for him, because he did find it so easy to care for his members. Being an older brother was second nature to him. And he loved messing with Seungcheol and gettin him all flustered calling him ‘dad.’ 

Never had he felt more like a mom then when a very sheepish Chan slunk into his bedroom at four am and simply said, “Hyung, I threw up.” 

Jeonghan groaned, sniffled roughly (he’d been fighting a cold,) before sitting up. “Where?”

“My room…”

“In your bed?”

Chan shook his head. “No, I made it to the garbage can. But I don’t feel well…”

Jeonghan sighed, pushing himself up from his bed. “Think you’re gonna throw up again?”

“Probably?” Chan pressed his hands against his abdomen. “My stomach feels really… angry.” 

“Any other symptoms?” Jeonghan frowned as he pressed his wrist against Chan’s forehead. “You feel sweaty, but not hot.”

“Yeah, it’s just the stomach pain,” Chan replied. “I think…” He paused, swallowing. Jeonghan’s frown deepened. That wasn’t a swallow of nausea. No, he knew that kind of swallow; that was guilt. “I think it might be food poisoning.”

“And where, pray tell, did you contract food poisoning?” 

Chan sighed, shoulders deflating. “I had snacks from the bad place.”

“Channie…” Jeonghan whined, running his hands through his hair. He cleared his throat. “You know you can’t trust that convenience store!”

“I know, but it’s so close, and we were hungry…”

“We?!” Chan froze, eyes blown wide. It was as if he’d slapped a hand over his mouth. He’d been caught a second time, and even with a stuffy nose, Jeonghan could smell a lie like a bloodhound. “Lee Chan, who is we?”

“Um… me and…” Suddenly, Chan gagged, now actually slapping a hand over his mouth. Jeonghan instinctively dove for the garbage can next to his bed, shoving it under the younger man’s chin just in time for him to vomit again. Jeonghan carefully guided Chan to the floor, kneeling with him until he finally stopped gagging. Chan sobbed, and Jeonghan pulled the can from him before pulling the maknae against his chest. 

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay,” Jeonghan soothed gently. “Hyung’s got you now.” 

*

By morning it was obvious to the whole group that their two youngest were unwell. Wonwoo had texted Seungcheol about Hansol, sheepishly admitted that someone would need to handle some unpleasant laundry. Seungcheol had then texted the whole group to be mindful that Hansol wasn’t feeling good. That message was followed with Jeonghan sharing that Chan was also under the weather. 

At that moment, Seokmin sighed, knowing exactly where this was going. He jumped out of bed, and hurried to Seungkwan’s room. He found his dear friend fighting for his life, tears streaked down his face as he held onto his stomach as if it were falling apart. 

Seokmin pouted sympathetically. “The convenience store curse?”

Seungkwan’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m not.” Seokmin hurried over to the bed, sweeping Seungkwan’s hair back. “Have you been sick?”

Seungkwan shook his head. “But it’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Seokmin knew it meant nothing; it was only a matter of time until Seungkwan’s body turned on him. The older vocalist rubbed at his friend’s shoulder. “Can I do anything for you?”

The look on Seungkwan’s face when he peered up at him was pure puppy dog. “Could you just hold me?”

How could Seokmin say no to that? 

*

It took 48 hours for them to be even remotely human again. 48 hours of tears, puking, and dehydration, all supervised by the careful eyes of their hyungs. 

Seungcheol got them out of schedules for two days, offering to cancel the third as well to give them another day of recovery. But all three had refused on account of their big concert coming up in a few days. Seungcheol also took the brunt of responsibility for carrying all three of them back to bed when they’d ended up somewhere else and too weak to get back. Wonwoo and Mingyu often stepped in too, providing the cuddles the sick member so desperately needed. 

Jeonghan spent the majority of those 48 hours orchestrating the rest of the team around the task of caring for their youngest brothers. He was never more efficient than when he was caring for his members, and everyone was happier for it. He seemed to know what was needed even before the sick members knew. Jun and Woozi were also very adept at providing for their brothers, always ready to grab medicine or water or anything that they could think of to help their friends. 

Joshua had been a big help too, soothing the worst post-fever dream ramblings and singing the youngest members to sleep, helping them ignore the pain for a while. Seokmin and Minghao were also go-to soothers, whispering sweet nothings during the stomach cramps and fever tears. 

It was a grueling 48 hours. But it was worth it to prove to their maknaes how much they were loved. And how stupid they were for trusting the convenience store snacks against their better judgement. 

[summerwriting]

banner belongs to @dollywons

Author's note: i am probably going to make a part two or turn this into a little series. Also head Canon readers colour is pastel blue. Also sorry about spelling mistakes if there is any, I'm dyslexic. i am also taking requests if you're interested check out arcane writing requests

A OLD FRIEND

You worked yourself through most of your nights, and they were normally quiet and consisted of the same repetitive activities. Serves a drunk dude kicks him out serves a drunk dude gets hit on kicks him out serves a another stupid fucking drunk dude and kicks him out again. Ok so Maybe they Weren't quiet, but it was a normal Night for you. What you were not expecting to happen on your Regular Saturday night shift was an old Friend that you thought was dead walking into the bar.

“I'll get a beer” is the first thing she said to you. She definitely Didn't recognise you. That's for sure  oh boy you were going to have fun that Night.

“Coming up, vi” you snickered, shaking your head.

“How do yo– oh haha very funny, don't you Dare say it's written on my face” Vi snapped at you.

“Well it is, but would you prefer me call you Violet, Violet” you say leaning on the Counter. There was a smirk on your face 

“Im sorry what who the fuck are you and why the fuck do you know my name and i mean my full name” she got Defensive real fast wich made you Laugh and roll your eyes.

“Mmmm you'll just have to figure it out won't you” you grabbed a glass “violet” you add her name at the end just to tort her. You filled the glass full of beer, all the while vi’s eyes Scanned over you Suspicion and cautiousness in her Gaze.   

“Ok thats not funny, who the fuck are you Bitch!!!” she snapped angrily her hands went down hard on the table her voice was loud and Obnoxious almost like Shame wasn't something she even had thought of. The people in the bar went quiet at the Sudden yell and their eyes went to her and well… you.

“You might want to be quieter, girly,”  you said, slipping her glass over to her with a smile on your lips. It didn't take long for everyone to go back to their original conversations.

“How do you know who i am?, talk” her voice came out threatening and her demeanour came off as Intimidating but not to you. 

“You'll just have to remember me. I can't be that forgettable can i?”you took a seat on your side of the counter resting your head in your hands your head tilted to the side.

“Just tell me who you are,” Vi demanded. Your Eyebrows furrowed in disappointment

“I'm Y/N, you seriously couldn't recognise me?” you asked.

“Oh god” vi’s eyes widened with sock and they seemed to Light up. She Launched forward, jumping over the Counter, wrapping her arms around you. You smiled and  wrapped your arms around Vi as well. “I can't believe this, i thought i'd never see you again” her hug was so warm and comforting and loving, it brought back old memories for you and her. you remembered the butterflies you would get when she would hug you like this or hold your hand or wrap her arm around your shoulder and when she would look at you with her big beautiful blue eyes the ones she was looking at you with right now.

“You thought that. i thought you were dead” you cupped her cheek. your eyes searching hers.

“I'm so sorry sweets i was- i was- well it's a long story” vi coked out. Her hands came up to grip both sides of your face. 

“Where have you been?”you asked, you needed to know you hadn't seen her in 7 years and she just showed up like the walking dead.

“I was arrested and shoved into stillwater for 7 years and then some enforcer got me out and i went looking for powder and well im sure you know about jinx and then well me and that enforcer kissed and then i stopped her from killing a kid and then she hit me and now i'm a drunk liveing in some shity apartment.” well that was a mouthful and a lot of information for you to take in. The two things that stuck was that she had been to prison and she's been in a Relationship with an enforcer which made it even worse, because yes you were a little jealous which was stuped. you Hadn't seen her in 7 fucking years, you Shouldn't feel that she was just some silly Little crush you had when you where little that was never Reciprocated.( Because you were like 11 and she was 15 but thats not the case now)

[novankenn]

Infatuated by a Golden Sun

(From Assassin to Sales Clerk AU)

Blake leaned against the counter. A dopey smile on her face as Yang, a young women who was once the focus of a contract regaled her with... something. She was sure there was a reason or moral to whatever Yang was telling her. Maybe important information?

But Blake couldn't focus. She was lost in Yang's iridescent violet eyes. So enraptured with just looking at Yang she didn't even notice Deery entering the Pumpkin Pete's Novelty Store for her shift. Under normal circumstances Blake would be trying to figure out HOW Deery was always able to get in and out of the store without even the greeting chime going off.

"P-Money is like total kick ass!" Yang gushed. "I mean she took an arrow... a FREAKING arrow to the shoulder and didn't scream or cry. Like she is mega-tough!"

"Yep." Blake commented, having only heard Yang's nickname for Pyrrha. The rest just flew over her head.

"Oh you should see this video Jaune sent me!" Yang merrily continued to prattle on as she dug in her pocket for her scroll. "It's like totally cute!"

"Okay." Blake responded, all the while images of them walking through the park and sharing a kiss near that historical water fountain played in her mind.

"Just a sec... here it is! See?" Yang turned her scroll about after spending a few moments to locate this special video. "What do you make of that? She's too adorable!"

"That's a SECONDHAND KISS!" Blake shouted her amber eyes wide in surprise.

"I know, right." Yang agreed. "But P-Money is so denying it. Jaune is too, but you know how oblivious Jaune is. Am I right?"

Blake grew instantly alert as Yang's entire body suddenly became ridged and tense. It was at that second she felt... her prescience. Blake flinched and involuntarily stood up straight.

"If you have time to chat with your girlfriend... you have time to do inventory." Deery's soft voice floated to Blake's ears from behind. "Maybe Ms Xiao Long would like to assist?"

"Um... I'm sorry..."

"That's a pity." Deery responded as she took a place next to Blake at the counter. "The sooner inventory gets done, the sooner Blake can leave for the day."

"Really?" Blake asked. Excitement filling her voice as images of that walk in the park reappeared.

"I would, Kitty-Kat but I promised Jaune to drop by and go over some homework for Professor Goodwitch's Pre-Calculus course." Yang apologized, a sad smile crossing her features. "She's a slave driver, but Jaune and I both need the course to graduate and have a chance at Attending Beacon University."

"Wait, I thought you were already at Beacon?" Blake asked.

"The Academy. It's a prep school for the university."

"I knew that." Deery quipped shooting Blake a wiry smile. Blake wasn't surprised that Deery did know that. The things Deery knew and Blake didn't could fill a library.

"I can help tomorrow, if you want?" Yang offered.

"I can't ask you..."

"You're hired." Deery cut Blake off. "Be here at 10 am. Understood?"

"Yes, mam." Yang replied.

"That will give Blake time to prep the Inventory Scanners."

"IS it, alright for you to just hire people like that?" Blake asked a little stunned. "I thought Bob was in charge of..."

"I have the right to hire casual labor for things like Inventory... BUT if Yang would like to work WITH you... she'll have to talk to Bob."

"You mean that's possible?" Blake asked suddenly very interested in the chance to have more time with Yang.

"As much fun as that sounds. I have a shift at my Dad's Dojo later tonight." Yang smiled sheepishly. "The front desk doesn't take care of itself... and Ruby needs time for some school club or something."

"Damn it." Blake and Deery both cursed in unison.

Yang waved and Blake waved in return, a content sigh escaping her lips.

(A/N - HUGE THANKS to @pilot-boi for another excellent and beautiful art piece for this crazy AU that she inspired!)

[stanart4clearskin]

wait PLEASEEEEE expand on the schroeder! art x lucy!reader idea omg i need to hear more😭😭😭

a/n: i am so sorry it took me so long to get to this!

you had been a thorn in art’s side ever since the two of you were children. like clockwork you would come over to his house after school and bother him while he played piano. he always acted like he was annoyed by your presence but in reality, your continued interest in him was flattering. not that many girls liked him throughout his life so it was nice to know that someone as pretty as you was into him. as you guys went through elementary, middle, and high school, you both remained close and were ecstatic when you guys found out that you would be attending stanford together. even at stanford your dynamic remained the same. you chatting art’s ears off and him playing beethoven and pretending to ignore you.

“i don’t understand how you can dedicate so many years of your life to some guy who’s dead.” you say as you sit on the bench next to art while he plays. his small kiddie piano had upgraded to a grand piano now that you guys were at stanford. 

“beethoven wouldn’t like you disrespecting him in such a manner.” art says, his eyes hardly ever leaving the keys although you know he doesn’t need to look at them as he plays. 

“well beethoven is dead so does it really matter?” you ask, leaning your head on art’s shoulder. as the two of you got older your relationship became more physical in a way. art was more comfortable with you touching you and you were more comfortable touching him. 

he rolls his eyes but shifts his shoulder slightly so that your head can rest easier on him. “audrey hepburn is dead and yet you still admire her, don’t you?”

you huff, “that’s different. she was a wonderful person.”

“and so was beethoven.”

the two of you never explicitly talked about it but your guys’ relationship shifted from platonic to romantic during your years at stanford. whenever art was done practicing piano the two of you would cuddle up together on the couch while a movie played. you guys would hold hands as you walked around campus late at night as you talked about each of your days. late at night art would sneak into your bed and you guys would spend hours tangled up in your sheets. 

when art finally asked you to be his girlfriend, you rejected him. his face had gone pale and he looked like he might start crying when you burst into laughter. you do admit it wasn’t your finest jokes but it had been funny to you at the moment. ever since then art has loved to retaliate and reject you every time you ask to hangout with him–he’ll cave not even a minute later.

[rems-writing]

AUD: Saving the First Mate

》 Pairing: non-idol!Seonghwa x afab!reader

》 Genre/Trope: fluff/strangers to friends

》 Wordcount: 1,863

》 Rating: pg-13

》Type: series

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society @othersideoutlawsnetwork @illusionnet

"I need you to think different. Think bigger when it comes to us." - Lucky Daye

“In this scenario, you are on a blind date with Park Seonghwa. You are a strong hater of men. He discovers this yet he can’t help but fall for you. He tries day and night to get you to change your mind. Will you still reject him?” - Maddox

---------------------------------------------------

“Ok it’s not like I hate men persay. Sometimes, they can be a little stupid.”

“Love, they’re all stupid. And I am a man myself.”

“Ok but you’re an exception though.”

“What about me?”

You and MITO turn to Hongjoong, who tilted his head curiously. Even though you hadn’t known the captain for long, you knew of what he and his crew did so in a way, you trusted him. Thus, also making him an exception. 

“Yeah I guess you’re an exception as well.”

Hongjoong giggled and your heart melted upon hearing it. For someone who is supposed to be a deadly captain, he was downright adorable. You patted his head before turning back to MITO, who had an amused expression on his face as he viewed the exchange between you two. He soon looked up and saw the next pirate king. A blush was on his face and you were quick to notice it. A mischievous smirk was on your face as you poked MITO’s bicep. 

“Do you… perhaps have a crush on this guy?”

“What?! Psh! No! Of course not, love!”

“I don’t know, Christian. Your heart eyes say otherwise.”

“Shut up!”

You and Hongjoong giggled quietly while MITO sighed heavily and hid his face to further hide himself from embarrassment. You stood up and patted him on the shoulder before making your way towards the man. You were mesmerized by the androgynous beauty he held. His eyes were sharp, his eyebrows and jawline were sharper, his nose was pointed beautifully, his lips looked soft and plump, and his platinum blonde hair was long and styled specifically so one layer was tied up and the rest was down. He wore a simple polo and jeans with some off-white Vans. He was looking out the window, sipping on his drink and waiting for you. You waited a couple more seconds before sitting down across from him. He looked towards you and a shy smile was on his face. 

How could you possibly hate this man?

“Hi. I’m Seonghwa. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi! I’m Natasha. Nice to meet you too!”

You chose that fake name since you felt like a spy due to the sneaky undercover nature you held when you first entered the simulation. Plus, Black Widow was your favorite Marvel character so you felt like you had to do her justice. As you were eating and conversing with Seonghwa, you noticed the captain and bounty hunter in your peripheral vision, watching you from the sidelines carefully and thoroughly. Unlike Hongjoong’s scenario, this one took a little longer since you tried to maintain your role as a certified man hater. 

MITO’s words, not yours. 

Yet, you couldn’t find it in you to hate this man. You tried your best to act non-chalant or dismissive of everything Seonghwa does, but if you had to be honest with yourself, each time you acted cold towards him, you felt like you were committing horrible sins one at a time. Unbeknownst to you, Seonghwa took mental notes of your odd behavior. Before he could point it out, his phone pinged. He looked down to see that he had to get back to work in a few minutes before sighing deeply and looking back up at you. 

“I’m so sorry to cut this short, Natasha. Duty calls, you know? Perhaps we can meet next time under better circumstances.”

In this scenario, you were supposed to scoff and roll your eyes before lecturing him on how you shouldn’t set up a blind date during a work day, let alone a 30 minute break during a work day. However, you didn’t have the heart to tell him that. And perhaps it’s a good thing. By doing all these small and subtle changes to your character, you could be a bit closer to breaking him out of the simulation. As he was getting up, you were about to fish out your wallet so you could pay for your guys’ meal. In this part, he was about to protest and you were about to bite back by saying some stupid shit, causing him to feel horrible. When he protested and insisted on paying, you did something different. You tilted your head and furrowed your brows in confusion. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes yes! I’m positive. Think of it as me making it up to you for all this.”

“Ok, Hwa. Only if you’re sure about this though.”

Seonghwa nodded in reassurance as he set down a few bills and put away his wallet straight after. Before he left, you exchanged numbers and set up another meeting with him. Usually, that doesn’t happen. It was the other way around and there was reluctance and annoyance on your part before you gave in. With a final word of gratitude leaving his lips, he left the small eatery in a hurry so he could get back to work on time. You walked back to where Hongjoong and MITO were seated. They were impressed with how you went about your interaction with Seonghwa. MITO pointed out the subtle changes you made and commended you on a job well done. However, he couldn’t help but tease your lack of non-chalance. 

“Listen! If you were in my position, you would’ve done the same exact thing! Especially since you have a thing for him.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but still. You have to maintain your role. Sure, the changes are small and subtle, but what if you get cocky? The virus will catch wind of that and it’ll further corrupt Seonghwa’s mind and will either kick you out of the simulation or…”

“Or start corrupting you.”

You looked over to Hongjoong, who finished MITO’s sentence with a grim look on his face. You sighed and nodded slowly, indicating that you understood yet you were expressing how disappointed and ashamed you must’ve been feeling since you didn’t think about the consequences that will come with your actions. MITO noticed this and took your hand in his, rubbing your knuckles in a comforting manner. 

“Look, love. We’re not saying you should stop. We’re just letting you know that you should be more careful about these things. Ok? You’re doing an excellent job so far.”

You grinned bashfully at the hunter’s praiseful words. Soon, the three of you stood up so you could go back home to your temporary quarters, which was a small condo located in the heart of the downtown district. Once you arrived, you went to your room so you could rest and formulate your next course of action.

A WEEK LATER

You were deep in your thoughts as you sat on the park bench, waiting for Seonghwa to come by. You were thinking differently about the type of men that are out there. Not every single man is a fuckboy. In truth, there are still gentlemen in this world. You just got to find them. There was just one issue. 

You already knew this. 

You knew about what Seonghwa told you prior to you entering the simulation. However, you heeded MITO’s words and acted like you agreed to disagree on his statements. It hurt your heart to see him so puzzled and disappointed, but you pushed through. You kept repeating to yourself that this was all fake and that you needed to do this in order to free him. 

“Hey.”

You looked up to see a nervous Seonghwa sit next to you. You greeted each other and started talking once more. You were a bit distracted since you had to mentally prepare yourself to say the words you have relayed to Hongjoong in order to break the captain free of the simulation. As you kept talking, you heard Seonghwa inhale and exhale slowly before taking your hands in his. 

“I might be jumping the gun here, but here it goes. I’m in love with you. Even though your mindset is warped, I can tell you are headstrong and that your word is unmovable. You say what you say, mean it, and stand by it. You are not easily persuaded. I want this to work. I just need to ask one thing.”

Here it goes…

“What’s stopping you from changing your mind about me and why is it that you still feel this way despite the fact that you must feel the same?”

With that same composed look you gave Hongjoong, you stared at him dead in the eyes and said the words with conviction and determination. 

“Because none of it is real! Wake up!”

Seonghwa’s face paled and you began to worry that the virus must’ve discovered you and will either rip him away from you and further corrupt you or rip you away from him and kick you out of the simulation. To further save both yourself and him, you fished out a silver bracelet and slapped it on his wrist, hurriedly saying the words engraved on the inside of the accessory. 

“Be free!”

The setting around you soon changed. Instead of sitting on a bench in a park, you two were standing in the vast empty space once again. Seonghwa groaned in pain and clutched his head. He was stumbling and just when he was about to fall over, Hongjoong and MITO ran up to him and kept him upright by grabbing his arms and steadying him. Meanwhile, you stood there and tried not to drool. 

Like Hongjoong, Seonghwa’s appearance changed. 

He was wearing the same thing as Hongjoong, except he didn’t have a trench coat or a hat. He had two leather armbands on both his sleeved biceps and he had leather gloves on. His hair was shorter this time and it was a brighter shade of red than Hongjoong’s hair. Your eyes then drifted to the wine stain sparsely covering one of the sleeves of his crisp white tee. You were about to point it out, but a gloved finger covered your lips. 

“Don’t worry about it, darling. I crushed my glass out of anger during a meeting we all had prior to entering this… simulation.”

“Uh… ok?”

Seonghwa smirked wickedly as he looked you up and down shamelessly. He was either checking you out or he was judging you. You didn’t know which one was better. Luckily, you didn’t have to since Hongjoong smacked him upside the head. 

“Dude, don’t scare her. She’s our savior. Don’t make her run away now!”

“Oh? My apologies then. It appears I’m still hazy from the simulation.”

You gave him an awkward thumbs-up and Seonghwa found the sight utterly cute. He grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it before pulling you closer to him. Hongjoong rolled his eyes at his friend’s flirtatious actions while MITO cringed. 

“Come on. We got six more blokes to save.”

That was the last thing MITO said before the four of you ventured off on your next rescue mission. 

[egophiliac]

Serious question.

Do you think we’ll see the parents/family of each of the guys???

Like, We’ve been TEASED with Ace’s brother, that I’m starting to think it’s just a reference to that Alice in Wonderland park character in Japan and nothing else….

Jack’s family, Ruggie’s grandma, Falena, Maleficia, Ms.Rosehearts, Just now Vil’s dad is in the picture which I am really happy but now I’m wondering about his mom, and so Deuce’s mom.

I mean, some HAVE a silhouette!! It could mean they do have a design in the making/ready to show. They could’ve shown us Falena in the Tamashina (hope I said that correctly) event, but didn’t (prolly to make Leona not so σ(▼□▼メ) and it’s understandable)

Anyhow, any idea/headcannon about this? Who do you want to see first?

I'm wondering if everyone might eventually get a travel event? like they've now introduced with Vil's that it doesn't have to be specifically hometowns, so that opens things up a lot! (especially if they have to figure out how to do three separate Coral Sea visits) (how would that even work otherwise)

but yeah, I hope everyone gets a chance! there's a lot of backstory characters I would LOVE to meet. :D :D :D though I do think some of them don't really suit the more light-hearted tone of the events (pretty sure you're right about that being why Falena wasn't in Tamashina-Mina, that would've just been. too much for Leona.) so like...we're probably not ever going to meet the Rosehearts. or Maleficia (although I maintain that this would be THE funniest possible way to introduce her outside of the main story, and actually I would love this a lot, can we please Twst) (I need to see her to put Malleus in a froofy little outfit and tell him what a handsome boy he is). but they've sprung surprises like Kifaji on us, and honestly anyone who shows up and tells embarrassing stories about characters' childhoods is good in my book!

characters off the top of my head who I most want to meet: literally any of the Zigvolts, Azul's mom, Ace's brother, Che'nya's grandfather (<- I think he would be a good one for Riddle) (please just any non-terrible adult in his life), any member of Rook's family because I need to see how they managed to produce him, and...really just whoever they can come up with for Silver.