#(hes in the suitcase but he is there regardless lol)

[toomuchracket]

scary movies (birthday party!matty x reader fluff)

day 3 of promptober75! this is less about scary movies than it is about the two of them musing on romance. but they do watch bones and all! i don't think there are any spoilers, but don't yell at me if there are please lol this isn't proofread. yeah, this is just a cutely weird little fic about some cutely weird people. i hope you enjoy!

"baaaaaaaabe, hurry up. i miss you!"

you can hear the pout in matty's voice, even from the next room of the hotel suite. picking up the bowl of m&ms in one hand and the open bottle of champagne in the other, you pad back into the bedroom. "how can you miss me? you've been with me the whole day."

"i always miss you when i'm not right beside you, no matter how long it's for," matty replies, sitting up on his knees on the bed to carefully take the bowl and bottle from your hands. the way his stomach muscles shift with the movement makes your knees run the risk of shaking. "the night before our wedding is going to be hellish for me. are you sure we can't just stay together? al green it?"

"baby, it's tradition."

"peer pressure from dead people, you mean."

"fine, another reason, then. oh, here's one - absence makes the heart grow fonder. you can't argue with Classical poetry."

"try me, babe."

you sigh. "matty, sweetheart, love and light of my life, sole occupant of my head and heart… it's only for twelve hours of our lives. and we will literally be on the same floor of the same building. it'll be fine!" 

matty quirks a brow.

god, he's stubborn. you inhale deeply before you talk again. "alright. i'll wait until the bridesmaids are asleep and then we can sneak out together for a walk. but i'm not sleeping with you at all - in either sense, actually - regardless of how crippling your separation anxiety is."

"i can work with that, darling. thank you," matty smiles and leans up to kiss you.

before he can, though, you place your index finger on his pretty lips. "not so fast, healy, i have a caveat: i'll only do it if we can share a cig."

matty rolls his eyes, and nudges your finger from his face with a quick head movement. "should've seen that one coming. christ, fine. one cigarette, and that's it. don't want any rattling coughing fits during our vows."

you giggle, leaning down to kiss him; the speed with which his face softens afterwards is comical, almost cartoon-like. "thanks, angel."

"mmm, can't wait to marry you," matty murmurs against your lips. "nor can i wait for you to get into bed with me so i can cuddle you the way i've wanted to all day."

"point taken, baby, just let me…" your face screws up as you reach around to unclasp your bra through your (matty's) t-shirt, before pulling it out from under the soft material and launching it towards the open suitcase in the corner of the room. relief palpable, you climb onto the bed and grin at an enamoured matty, now sitting against the plush headboard and swigging champagne. "freedom at last."

"you know, i'd gladly do that for you, sweetheart," matty smirks, tugging you onto his lap with one arm. "in the name of feminism, and all."

"as much as i commend your attempts to champion the gender, baby, i'll pass," you smile, enjoying the tiny moan that slips from your fiancé's lips as you weave your hands into his hair. "because i know if i let you do that, your hands are gonna end up on my tits, and then we'll never get anything done."

"oi, that's not true," matty frowns (cutely). "we'll get each other done. and i know you enjoy that. as do i, my god."

his lips attach themselves to your neck, making their way down; your insides begin to liquify, but you fight through the slight haze of pleasure and stand your ground. "yeah, i really do enjoy it. but, baby, there's other stuff i enjoy doing with you that i wanna do too, yeah? like… watching this film we agreed we were gonna put on tonight."

matty groans against your skin. "must we?"

"yes. you promised me, matty," you say, as firmly as you can with his lips still attached to your collarbone. "we watched the irishman yesterday because you wanted to, and you said we could do bones and all today. it's only fair."

"a romance film about cannibalism," matty mutters to nobody in particular. "it's foul, that concept."

"well, fair is foul and foul is fair."

"what?"

"macbeth. shakespeare. can't argue with him. anyway," you say, shuffling around so matty can lean back against your chest. "can i put the film on now?"

a deep sigh, one that seems to drag itself up from the depths of matty's soul. "depends."

"on?"

"it depends," matty begins dramatically. "on if you're going to spend the rest of the day thirsting over timothée chalamet or not."

"you know, i seem to like him a lot more in your head than i do in real life."

"really?"

"yeah."

matty hums, appeased. "sick. go on, then, stick it on."

you press a kiss to matty's temple and snake a hand across his torso to hold his own. matty brings it to his lips, and the contact seems to release a swarm of butterflies in your stomach. "thank you, lover."

the beginning of the film passes without much incident; that is, until the first lightly gory scene. you wince a little at the sound of cracking bone, but you're nowhere near as bad as matty, who almost upends the bowl of sweets resting on his lap and vigorously shakes his head as if it'll erase the memory from his brain. 

once it passes, he reaches for the champagne on the bedside table and takes a long drink, before passing the bottle to you. "maybe you'd better hang onto that, darling."

"alright, baby."

despite both of your respective silences,  and although you can't see matty's face, you can picture the disgust colouring his features from the way his head tilts against you as the film progresses. he doesn't speak until the film's main villain is introduced, reaching back for the champagne with a "creepy fucker, that one"; this sentiment is built upon at the shot of a james joyce book in said fucker's residence. "oh, christ, he really is suspicious."

despite your own discomfort towards the happenings on-screen, you grin at matty's assessment. "i mean, yeah, baby. but i think the lurking and creeping kinda gave that away already."

"well, obviously. but that book's an extra layer of him being an absolute wrong'un."

you giggle, wrapping your other arm around matty and resting your head on his shoulder. with a happy little huff of air through his nose, matty turns slightly to kiss your cheek; the two of you stay like that, cosied up in a tableau of casual domestic intimacy. it's sweet, for a while, and comfortable - matty even rips the piss out of you at a particular scene involving timothée chalamet and a cornfield, touting it as "your dream movie death, babe". 

(he's lowkey not wrong.)

the sweet moment breaks somewhat, though, as the film progresses and matty gets increasingly more grossed out. with every drop of blood spilled, every jumpscare, every mere mention of the "eating" driving the plot, the muscles in his limbs loosen and contract back into tension, soundtracked by a chorus of gasps, gulps, groans of disgust, and the odd "oh for fuck's sake" when things get really horrid. in spite of your own discomfort at some of the gore, you can't resist fucking with your fiancé a little bit; amidst a silently fraught moment for maren, the protagonist, you lean right next to an unsuspecting matty's ear and crunch a handful of m&m's in your mouth. he practically hits the ceiling in fright, and pinches your thigh with a "not fucking funny". but he doesn't let go of you at all, however grumpy you make him, holding you like a lifeline throughout. in fact, by the time the credits start rolling, matty's fully squished his face into your ribs to get away from the gore on screen, thumbs rubbing your thighs so quickly to try and calm his noticeably thumping heart that you fear he might accidentally set your skin ablaze. 

despite his terror, though, you have to hold back a laugh. "matty, sweetheart," you say, trying with all your might to keep your voice steady. "were you scared of that movie?"

"no, just unnerved by it," comes the clearly- untrue reply, muffled by your cotton-mix-clad chest. "like, they were just constantly eating raw? really? mingin'."

you can't hold back a derisive cackle now, though. "you're freaked out at people eating raw meat? you fucking hypocrite!"

"i wasn't eating people, was i?" matty protests.

"i don't know, i think you ate with it at finsbury."

matty scoffs, but you feel him smile against you. "you're a right weirdo, sometimes, you know that?"

"and you're a scaredy-cat, you know that? honestly. can't even handle a bit of cannibalism in a movie. pussy."

your fiancé pulls back from your chest to look at you, and you regret your words immediately as soon as you see the shit-eating grin on his face. "well, you are what you eat."

an immediate facepalm. "i can't stand you."

"that ring on your left hand suggests otherwise, darling," matty kisses said ring, then presses little pecks up your finger to the tip. "and look at that - you can be romantic and kiss fingers without wanting to munch on them. this film is nonsensical. i mean, i get it's some metaphorical thing about loving people for who they truly are, but jesus, the cannibalism isn't half disgusting."

"hmmm, i don't know," you muse, twirling matty's curls around your fingers. "i think there's something romantic about it. the ending with maren and lee, at least."

matty peels your fingers out of his hair and moves to face you, his beautiful face contorted into the most bewildered expression you think you've ever seen. "are you on something right now?"

"i'm serious! it's romantic, if ill-advised. and messy."

"sweetheart," matty shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "politely - what the fuck are you on about?"

you smile. "well, it's all about desire, and lust, yeah?"

"yeah, i get that, but…"

"so, it's just needing somebody so much that you, well, you consume them in their entirety. and also, like," you continue, pushing your slipping glasses back up your nose. "there's an element of closeness to it, too. how much more intimate can you get than having your lover being broken down in your digestive system, literally fuelling you the way their love does so emotionally? oh, and devotion! giving yourself up to your lover like that to sustain them? you're together forever. yeah, it's disgusting, but you can't deny there's a romance to it, matty, you really can't."

he looks like he wants to, though. "but it's so violent."

you roll your eyes. "says the man who wrote a song about the idea of cracking his girlfriend's skull open, just so he could know exactly what she was thinking. and i thought that was sweet, and romantic."

matty opens his mouth as if to disagree, then closes it and shrugs. "actually, you've got a point, darling," he smiles almost shyly, tracing patterns in the bare skin of your shin. "i wrote that about you, you know."

"you did? aww, baby," you coo, pulling your fiancé's face towards you so you can kiss all over it. "i had no idea!"

"oh, come on, babe, who the fuck else would it have been about?" matty scoffs. "used to daydream about being so intimate with you like this, just hearing you think out loud, as unedited as you'll ever get."

you smirk. "bet you didn't think the thoughts would be about the inherent romance of cannibalism, huh?"

matty laughs, leaning in to kiss you slowly, deeply, passionately. "no, but it doesn't matter. i love you regardless."

"i love you too. and i promise i won't try to eat you, baby."

"nor will i take a heavy object to your skull, sweetheart. however," matty smirks, shuffling down the bed to rest his head in the gap between your legs. "i would quite like to eat you in a slightly different sense, if you'll allow."

"oh, go on then."

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

I am once again asking for more dad!Tan. It’s just so sweet to me. Maybe like the little kid sneaks into tan’s car right before a mission

if you’re the same anon never stop, I love dad tan too much 🫠 hope you like it💌

DAD TAN HCS.

(in my mind there are 2 and they're between the ages of 2-6)

as always some might be a little self indulgent, but I feel they make sense for his character. or the way I write him, at least

OKAY SO..

— he does that thing where he carries his kiddos under his arms. just holding them under each arm horizontally. they giggle and squeal bc it feels like they're flying. and he carries them around so effortlessly 

— when he takes them out he says "alright, now what do we say to mummy?" and it's to hint the kids to say bye and how they love you 

— he does this thing where he bops them on the head (lightly and playfully!!!!!) when he walks past them when they're playing or watching tv or drawing

— when they greet him when he returns home, they hold either one of his legs and look up at him, all cute toothy grins and you hug and kiss him. so it's kinda like a group hug, but not, but kinda, but not. they're hugging his legs and he's hugging you and it's all just really sweet and homely and cute

— he doesn't like the idea of them respecting him more just bc he's dad, so he has rules in the house to make sure that doesn't happen. so like how they might not listen to you but will to him, that sorta thing

— I feel like he's the 'this generational trauma ends with me' type, so he tries to be like the dad he never had. he wants his house to be a home and a place of comfort and refuge

— I do feel like he's a family man, so you'd both be a team for raising your kids. everything done equally and fairly

— maybe im projecting a bit for all of these lmao, but he doesn't smoke or drink around the kids. for smoking, he makes sure there's more than enough distance and drinking is only done when they're in bed or when they're at a family member's house (but time to time he has a glass of wine or whiskey or beer with dinner) also any disagreements between you are done civilly and any actual arguments are saved until you're alone (well maybe that steering too far away from his character??? I just like to think that he had counselling for his anger before the kids were born bc he didn't want to mess them up) also that being said, he tries not to raise his voices around them 

— I feel like he's way too overprotective, and you often have to tell him to reign it in. he just gets too scared of something happening to his family. and he's just overcautious about the silliest things

— he frequently asks if he's a good dad and follows it with "I don't wanna be like my old man" and then you reassure him by saying how he's questioning proves that he cares and is a good dad (he's also a great dad regardless)

— maybe he's joined a dad group page on facebook ????? he just wants to make sure he's doing a good job. they exchange tips and tricks and there's been talks about all meeting up ???? just the idea is real cute to me

— when he tells the kids he's going away for work, the kids run to collect their suitcases. and they throw toys and teddies in there bc they want to go with him

— sometimes if the trip is too far away/ for too long, he'll book you and the kids a hotel room in the same city so that he can see you whenever. you get to have a mini holiday and you all get to be near each other

— the kids love uncle lem, that's a given !!

if I carry on I may never stop lol. I JUST LOVE DAD TAN

[zikariogirl]

‘ 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 ’ — 𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐧-𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤

PART ONE, part two

summary ┆ as vincenzo’s sister, you were asked to help him out with a certain situation he was handling in korea — spying on a evil-corrupted CEO, who has no care for others. you were strategic, smart, and the best of the best. . .but who knew you would end up falling in love with a psychopath?

a/n ┆ this originally was gonna be a loooong one shot, but i think it’s too long that it’ll need a part two LMAO. also, there will be a lot of “switching languages” here because i feel like people who are bilingual/trilingual tend to switch from one language to other while they speak (i’m bilingual and do this myself lol), if that makes sense. kind of like han-seok, who goes from korean to english when he speaks!

warnings┆ slight mentions of gore and disturbing themes

key:

normal = english

italics = italian

bold = korean

“Would you like some water, ma’am?”

You shot the flight attendant a quick smile as you nodded your head and raised your empty glass cup, thanking her while she filled it up. Per your brother’s request, you were currently on your way to South Korea to provide some assistance on an unknown situation. Vincenzo was pretty vague over the phone and promised that he will explain everything when you get there, which was good enough for you. At least him teaching you Korean as the two of you grew up is definitely coming in handy now. There’s a few small words and phrases you still need to work on but you had a good understanding of it, and spending some time in Korea is definitely going to make you learn fast.

You missed him — a lot frankly. The two of you weren’t biologically related since you were both adopted. Don Fabio adopted you into the family when you were only six years old after your poor excuse of a father attempted to sell you off. He neglected you for years and constantly blamed you for being the reason why your mother passed away when you were born.

You took your revenge on him though. You made sure his death was slow and painful.

Vincenzo on the other hand was adopted into the family later down the line. The two of you grew extremely close and worked well together, unlike your relationship with Paolo. You were both ruthless with your work; making you guys earn the nickname I Diavoli Malvagi — The Wicked Devils. Although you were a part of the Cassano family first, Vincenzo somehow climbed up the ranks quickly and surpassed you to become Don Fabio’s right-hand man. You loved your brother, but sometimes you couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment towards him, especially when the rest of the family sometimes disregarded you unless if you had Vincenzo around.

However, you quickly pushed those thoughts away as you began to land. Regardless on how you feel, he’s your brother who you cherish a lot — and probably the only person who genuinely cares about you. You called for a taxi and made your way to the location he sent you, Geumga Plaza.

Upon your arrival, you were greeted by the tenants of the building as they excitedly welcomed you into their home. They were suffocating — to say the least — but you were successful in pushing past them and storming inside the office where Vincenzo was located at.

The moment you slammed the door shut, three pairs of eyes landed on your heavily breathing form.

“Those people are like fucking leeches!” You cursed in Italian as you dropped your suitcase and bag.

Vincenzo moved swiftly as he shot up from his seat and made his way towards you, causing you to straight up face-plant into his chest as he pulled you in for a tight hug.

“You don’t know how much I’ve missed– ow!”

You didn’t let him finish since you proceeded to flick him on his ear, hard.

“I cannot breathe,” your voice was muffled against his chest so you tried your best to face the right, attempting to free the corner of your mouth, “and if you don’t let me go within the next three seconds, I will show everyone in this building that video I took of you passionately singing to ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna.”

That man has never let you go so fast in your life.

You fixed your clothes and hair, then proceeded to pull him into a proper hug where neither of you were dying to catch some oxygen.

“I’ve missed you too asshole,” you smiled when you felt him chuckle before pulling away. “Now introduce me to your colleagues so we can get down to business.”

Vincenzo knew you didn’t like to waste time, so he swiftly introduced you to Miss Hong and Mr. Nam before the four of you sat down on a table to discuss the situation. Vincenzo started from the beginning. From the death of Miss Hong’s father, to Babel’s corrupt cases and evil acts, to him finding out that Miss Hong’s former intern is actually Jang Han-seok — the CEO and mastermind behind Babel. It was a lot of intel, and a bit confusing since you didn’t really see a point in fighting this fight. If anything, the whole thing sounds almost identical to how the mafia works back in Italy. Things are hardly personal, and it’s mostly just business unless if you cross somebody wrong. It sounds like this Han-seok guy is trying everything he can to be at the top, and eliminating anyone who gets in his way.

Yeah, sounds fairly similar.

You could honestly care less about corrupt politicians. Korea isn’t your home, neither is it Vincenzo’s, so you’re finding it really hard to understand why he’s doing this.

You didn’t mean to do it, but you interrupted Miss Hong in mid conversation as you held up a hand and looked at Vincenzo. “Tell her I apologize for interrupting, but I need to speak to you alone.”

He knew something was up, so he translated your apology to Miss Hong who was kindly understanding. Both her and Mr. Nam excused themselves as they exited the office, leaving you and your brother alone at last.

You drummed your fingers against the table, giving him a side look with a raised eyebrow. “How much are they paying you?”

He blinked. “What?”

“How. Much. Are. They. Paying. You? This whole ‘saving the people’ thing isn’t you. This is a job cut out for the good people, for heroes, not for monsters like us. We’re no better than Babel, Wusang, and that Han-seok guy.”

“I never said I was a hero,” he let out a sigh as he leant back against his chair.

“It’s not your fight Vincenzo. So what if Babel wants to demolish this plaza? Let them! The tenants can always find another building to infest. You can put this behind you and come back with me to Italy because Paolo is such a–”

“There’s gold stashed away in this building.”

You stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “Huh?”

“Almost 886 million euros to be exact.”

Hold up. Rewind. Pause.

“E-Eight hundred…”

“Babel wants to demolish the plaza, which will then reveal the secret room where the gold is located. Miss Hong and I made an agreement. I help her destroy Babel, and in return, she will help me regain ownership of the plaza. You’re an incredible spy, so I want you to infiltrate them and get as much intel as you can. Once I gain access to the room, I’ll give you ten bars of gold. Each bar is worth about 58 thousand euros.”

That’s half a million euros.

You shot Vincenzo a wide smile while leaning forward on the table, resting your chin on the palm of your hands. “Where do we start?”

-

The plan was finally in motion. After finding the right people to tip off Ms. Choi, you received a phone call from her almost immediately. Due to the language barrier you both struggled to communicate properly — not really but you just needed her to take you to him. When she notified you that Han-seok wanted to see you, you couldn’t erase the devious smirk off your face as you agreed to meet him.

This man either trusts too easily or is heavily armed and prepared to kill you in case anything goes south. You were approaching his house while having two of his armed bodyguards escort you inside. The sound of your heels echoed off the walls, letting the four people inside know about your presence. The moment you stepped foot into the room, all eyes were on you, but there was one specific pair that matched the same iciness as your own.

“Miss Marino,” he greeted with a smile. “Please join us and sit.”

You sat down next to Ms. Choi, leaving your eyes trained on him. “I’m pretty familiar with the language,” you didn’t miss the way Ms. Choi looked at you, “I just sometimes prefer not to speak it.”

Han-seok cocked an eyebrow. “I see, well, first thing’s first, tell me about yourself,” he snapped his fingers towards one of the gentlemen, indicating him to fill up your empty wine glass.

While the middle aged man with glasses scurried to obey orders, you leant back on the couch while crossing your left leg over your right. “I’ll spare you all the depressing details about my past, but I’m a mercenary. Been one for five years. I work for nobody but myself. If you pay me fucking good, then I could care less about whatever task it is you give me. Only thing, I don’t harm children, so don’t expect to do any of that.”

He remained quiet but kept his gaze on you.

“Ms. Choi called me rather quick when I arrived to Seoul, so tell me, what does the CEO of a company want with a person like me? You plan on getting your hands dirty?”

“I always get my hands dirty when needed. I just need to know if you’re the right fit for this kind of job.”

“You think I’m not?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I find it hard to believe someone of your appearance is one of Italy’s top mercenaries.”

“How about you put your money where your mouth is?”

You were not liking his sexist attitude towards you. So what if you’re not some strong buff man? You’re perfectly capable of taking down anyone who dares to cross you. You don’t know how to explain it, but something in his features changed at your remark, and before you could even register what was about to happen, a pair of arms grabbed you from behind and slammed you into the floor.

This fucking prick! So he’s planning to test you? The air was knocked out of your lungs but you quickly regained your composure and rolled yourself back onto your feet. The man in front of you went in for a punch but you stopped his fist, twisted his arm, and proceeded to flip yourself in a hand stand position, your legs wrapping themselves around his neck as you tossed him down onto the floor. Everyone stood in shock as you pinned down your attacker’s arm and basically had him on a choke hold with your legs.

The sound of clapping behind you made your attacker tap out, and you quickly released him before standing up. You turned to face Han-seok, who looked fascinated as he loudly applauded you.

“WOOH!” His sudden burst caused everyone — but you — to flinch. “Oh my GOD!”

You picked up one of your shoes that was laying on the floor. “You owe me new heels,” you sighed in disappointment when you noticed the broken heel.

He made his way towards you, grabbing the heel from your hand and tossing it behind him. “You will get anything you want, plus more, if you join my team. You’re just PERFECT! A-MAZING! WOW!”

Does he usually have outbursts like these? He almost sounds possessed. Nonetheless, you smiled up at him, letting him know you were in all the way.

“When do I start?”

-

Then plan was working just as you and Vincenzo hoped it would. You’ve been getting a lot of intel on Babel — which has served a great help to him and Cha-young. Speaking of them, you’ve noticed a bit of chemistry going on between the two of them. You haven’t said anything but you’re not stupid nor blind to know that they both have some sort of feelings for each other.

It was almost adorable to you.

Another major update was Han-seok finally revealing himself as the actual chairman to the public. It was definitely a bit of a shock since he was so keen on keeping it a secret so Han-seo could take the fall for all of his problems regarding Babel. He surprisingly hasn’t ordered you to kill Vincenzo, if anything, he wants you to tease him in a way — to make him suffer and gain revenge as well. He basically wants you to grow even so Vincenzo is aware that they too have the power to take him down if they want to. Kind of a cocky move for him in whatever little game he’s playing with your brother.

Since you can’t make Babel or Wusang grow suspicious, both you and Vincenzo had to plan out certain situations to make it look like you almost beat him, or in smaller cases, you did. The two of you even went as far as to fake a fist fight. Both of you came out bruised and scratched up but were laughing like maniacs about the “fight” over tea.

But this encounter was also when you noticed some strange behavior coming from Han-seok. You had to report back to him like always, and the moment you stepped inside Mr. Han’s office, everyone froze at the sight of you.

“Wha…What happened?” Han-seo questioned as he ran to you. The young chairman took a hold of your hand and began to lead you to one of the couches.

You let him guide you while Mr. Han rushed to get you a glass of water. You stretched out your arms and leaned your head back, closing your eyes for a brief second before opening them again. “That bastard caught me by surprise. It’s like he knew I was going to be there. That figlio di puttana snuck up behind me but I was able to fight him off and get away.”

Everyone turned to look at Han-seok as they waited for him to translate the last part of your statement. Okay yeah, you can practically consider yourself fluent in Korean, but sometimes it’s fun watching them struggle to understand you. The silence that fell in the room told you that Han-seok remained quiet. He kept his hard gaze on you and didn’t even bother looking at his team as he spoke — wait no demanded — something to them.

“Get out.” His voice was rough and low, but you kept your eyes closed and could clearly hear everyone shuffling out the doorway, indicating that it was just you and the boss.

You heard him get up, and a few seconds passed before you heard the sound of a box clicking open. “If you’re thinking about torturing me, don’t even bother. I’m practically immune to that sh–”

You were instantly silenced when you felt his rough fingers grab your chin. Out of instinct, your right hand shot out and gripped his wrist, your nails digging into his skin but he showed no reaction to your move. Your eyes connected for just a brief second before he diverted his attention on your cut lip and bruised cheek. The feel of a wet cloth touching your skin was not foreign to you — but having someone else do it is. You remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt his focus, but you were also left speechless feeling his rough fingers hold your chin. You don’t know why, but being this close to him was making your heartbeat run wild, and that was definitely bad. You don’t know if it’s his beautiful brown eyes, the way his brows are furrowed to focus on your injuries, or the way he’s actually gentle and being careful in cleaning your wounds.

Why is he even doing this? He doesn’t gain anything from it.

You almost punched yourself in the face when you felt a wave of disappointment hit you when his hands were no longer touching you.

“Your lip was starting to bleed again and you were getting blood everywhere. Next time, don’t fail me. I would hate to get rid of you.”

And just like that, he stood up and turned his back on you. You felt stupid. What did you expect? Why would he clean you up and show any form of emotion towards you? What even made you think that?

You were definitely touch starved. Yes, that’s why. You haven’t had sex in a while, and you were probably really hormonal, which is why your body reacted the way it did. You swallowed the lump that was stuck in your throat and you quickly stood up, trying to think about what club to hit after this.

“Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

And with that you were off.

-

Your mind has been on a haywire ever since your weird feelings during that one specific encounter with Han-seok arose. You thought that the answer to all your problems would be sex, but the sad truth is, it definitely was not. It was a mere disappointment. At first you believed that maybe it was just the person, so you found somebody else the next day and slept with them as well. Same reaction, same feeling — it was terrible that you felt absolutely nothing. Maybe it was you? You’re not even sure what to think.

But you definitely don’t know what to think now because for some reason, Han-seok invited you out for a stroll around the park.

You were both currently eating ice cream — his treat — while talking about the plan and the progress that you’ve made. You basically bullshitted all your intel, but once Han-seok opened his mouth to ask you something, the two of you were approached by a guy around your age.

He kind of looks like..

“You’ve been ignoring my texts and calls.”

Oh shit. It’s your one night stand.

To be frank, you forgot his name, and you could care less to find out what it is. He looked like a mess and by the look on his face, he was clearly not happy when his eyes landed on Han-seok. “Who’s this?”

Before he could answer the guy, you cut Han-seok off. “How is that any of your business?” You retorted back to Mr. No Name.

“Because we’re seeing each other?”

You drily laughed. “I beg your pardon?”

His features fell at the tone of your voice. “Was I just a joke to you then? You… you approached me! You wanted me. We danced all night, had drinks, we had sex, and then you had an emergency so that’s why you gave me your number. I asked if we could see each other again and you said yes.”

He was putting you on the spot and you hated it. Who does this fucker think he is?

“Look buddy, there’s this thing called a one night stand. I don’t do any of that talking bullshit. I don’t do any dating. I fuck with no strings attached. To be fair with you, I was drunk and probably had no clue as to what I was saying to you that night. Lose my number though, will you?”

You paid no mind to him as you grabbed Han-seok’s hand and began to walk off.

“Your dick game is very disappointing by the way. I had to fake my orgasm.”

He caught you by surprise when you felt him yank your hair.

“You stupid bitch!”

You were about to grab him and make him beg for his life but Han-seok was faster. His eyes were dangerous as he tightly clutched onto the guy’s hand, who began to wince in pain while falling down to his knees.

“L-Let me go you fucker!”

“Shut up or I’ll snap your wrist right here, right now,” his voice was dripping with malice.

You had to stop him. You were in a public place where anyone could see what was going on. You stood up on your toes and placed your hand on his right shoulder. “Not here,” you whispered. “People will see.”

He immediately smiled at your words, already piecing together what you meant. “We can take him back to my place.”

You returned the same smile before bending down to be at eye level with the guy. You cupped his cheeks and slightly leaned in. “You’re gonna die.”

And die he did. His bloodied body was left in the bathroom as both you and Han-seok stood in the living room, wiping the blood off your hands. You got a little too carried away with Mr. No Name. The way he disrespected you by putting his hands on you without reason made your blood boil, and you lashed out in anger the moment the three of you made it behind closed doors. Who the fuck lays a hand on a person after being rejected? God was he an idiot.

You were too lost in your thoughts and too focused on wiping the blood off your neck to even notice Han-seok staring at you. You didn’t notice the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. The way his adams apple kept moving every time he swallowed as he gazed at your gorgeous face caked in blood. You were ethereal in his eyes right now. He used to think Cha-young was the perfect woman, but that all changed the moment he met you.

You peaked his interest that first night he met you. When you slammed one of his body guards down onto the floor with no issue. The way you’ve been slowly causing Vincenzo and Cha-young trouble. The way you briskly complete some side jobs he has for you in getting rid of certain people. You don’t question him and get the job done — just as you promised.

He really wants to kiss you right now.

He gave you zero time to react as he marched over to you and grabbed the back of your neck, slamming your lips together in a rough kiss. You felt your teeth clash with his and it fucking hurt. You pushed against his chest but he didn’t budge, so you decided to bite down hard on his lower lip.

He immediately stepped back, but his crazed eyes remained on you as he licked the blood off his lips. You on the other hand did not know what to say or do.

“What the fuck was that?!” You yelled.

He shrugged. “Just wanted…a taste.”

What’s even worse is you genuinely liked feeling his lips against yours.

Han-seok took a step closer to you and when he noticed you taking a step back, he proceeded to get closer. It’s like you were frozen, and all you could do was step away from him instead of walking out the door. He eventually caged you in, with his arms trapping you as you leaned back against the table.

“So,” he tilted his head and reached forward to trace the skin on your neck. “I have an offer.”

“What?” You were short with your answer, mostly because you wanted to get this conversation over with.

“Have sex with me.”

“What?”

“Just this once.” He leaned forward and buried his face in the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply. “Seeing you go crazy. Staining yourself with blood. Fuck, that was so hot.”

His hot breathe tickled your skin and you immediately got goosebumps. You hated this, but a part of you liked being this close to him. To have his lips be so close to you. The heat of his body engulfing you. You wanted to push him down against the couch and ride him like there’s no tomorrow. You wanted to feel his hands all over your body, to have his mouth touch your most sensitive area, to have him fill you completely.

Wait, no. What the fuck was wrong with you? Alarms were going off in your head and you needed to leave now.

“I don’t know what kind of shit you’re trying to pull here, but I’m not having sex with you.”

You kept your tone cool and collective. You didn’t want him knowing what kind of reaction he was giving your body.

“Why not?” He pulled his head back to look down at you with a pout.

“Because I don’t fuck who I’m working for.”

“Hm, but you didn’t have a problem whoring around–”

SLAP.

That definitely caught him by surprise as he stepped back and held his burning left cheek. His eyes were wide with shock but he made no move to grab or hurt you.

You were livid, and all you could do was point at him. “Do not ever disrespect me like that. I don’t care who you are, but I will not stand for that type of bullshit talk. Unless I’m going to directly do a task for you or it’s something related to the case, don’t ever fucking talk or touch me again. Figlio di puttana.”

You turned around and stormed out of his place in a hurry, not wanting to be around him any longer. When you got back to the plaza and told Vincenzo, Cha-young, and Mr. Nam about what happened, it was an understatement that your brother wanted to march towards Babel and just kill Han-seok himself. You made sure to leave out the part of him asking you to have sex, but either way, Vincenzo was loudly cursing in Italian as he paced the office.

“Wait, this is a great idea!” You narrowed your eyes at Cha-young, who seemed eager to tell your brother something. She whispered something in his ear causing his eyes to widen, and you were sure you heard him whisper a ‘no’ to her.

“What did she say?” You were desperate to know.

Vincenzo gripped the edge of the table as his eyes met yours. You could tell he was tense, and you did not like it one bit.

“Cha-young wants you to seduce Han-seok, or at least make him fall for you. That way you’ll have a deeper connection and be able to manipulate him.”

“Fuck. No.”

He turned to look at Cha-young. “I told you she’ll say no.”

“Convince her. Please. This will definitely give us the upper hand, plus, wouldn’t it be fun seeing him grow desperate over her only to be betrayed in the end?”

“I am not having my little sister get close to that psychopath.”

“She has a point,” you turned to look at Mr. Nam since he began to speak. “Plus, she can take care of herself. I know for a fact she can kick his ass if she wants to.”

Cha-young turned to face you and unexpectedly threw her arms around your shoulders, causing you to scream. “Please!” She begged in English. “Pleaseeee.”

“Yes! Please!” Mr. Nam proceeded to hug you as well. They were so close to you and you shot Vincenzo a glare. He looked semi-apologetic but also very amused, but you were going to rain hell on your brother since he pulled out his phone and took a picture of your current situation — several actually.

If anything, they practically forced your hand, because they would not let you go unless if you agreed to their stupid, evil plan. Now, you angrily stomped out of the building and began to formulate a plan to get close to Han-seok, even though you told him to never talk to you unless if it’s about business.

-

You didn’t want to admit it, but the main reason why you refused to take part in this plan was because you were afraid of your own feelings towards Han-seok. After the kiss and having sexual fantasies — while he basically smelled your neck too — you’ve been a hot Han-seok mess. You were guilty of having wet dreams of him. You were also guilty of feeling your heart beat increase anytime he walked into the room. Surprisingly, he kept his distance. Maybe the slap you gave him knocked some sense into his brain and made him realize how much of a perverted idiot he was being. You should feel thankful he was respecting your wishes, but, all you felt was disappointment.

The more time you spent with him, the more dangerous it became for you. Task after task, meeting after meeting, you were essentially digging your own grave at this point. Its been months and you’re at a deep end, and it sucks that you don’t know who to go to for this. You can’t tell Vincenzo in fear of disappointing him, and you also didn’t want him to be disgusted by you. Even though you spend a lot of time with Cha-young and Mr. Nam, you don’t feel comfortable letting them know either. You obviously cannot spill any of this to Ms. Choi or Mr. Han, so that only leaves the one person you know is the worst choice.

Jang Han-seon.

Why him of all people? Maybe it’s because he fears Han-seok and you know he won’t say a word. Maybe it’s because he’s the kindest out of the group, so you automatically assume he can be easy to talk to.

Or you could bottle your feelings and thoughts instead of saying anything. But the more you bottled these emotions, the worse it gets. Maybe you should back down on the deal completely and move back to Italy.

But it’s half a million euros. Half a million. Never mind, you can do this! You just have to control your feelings and stop acting like a stupid rookie. You’re a fucking spy for the mafia, you’ve been doing this since you were sixteen! Why start to lack now? There’s nothing special about Han-seok. He’s a psychopath.

But he’s also a really handsome and fun guy.

No, you need to stop. You’ll rant to Han-seo and that’ll be the end of it. You paced around Babel in search of the younger Jang brother and was relieved to see him getting coffee by himself — no Han-seok in sight.

“Han-seo!”

He had a worried and confused look when he heard his name, but when his eyes landed on you, he smiled.

“Hey,” he greeted as he pointed towards the coffee machine. “Coffee?”

You shook your head and leaned back against the counter. “I need to tell you something but you cannot tell anyone, understand?”

His demeanor changed at your words on the secrecy of what you’re about to tell him but he quickly regained it as he nodded his head. “I understand. What is it?”

“I think I like Han-seok.”

And there goes his morning coffee. Han-seo practically spit out everything and he became a coughing mess, placing the mug down as he fanned himself.

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” You cried out as you began to repeatedly pat his back.

“I…,” he coughed. “Napkin.” Cue another deadly cough.

You were quick to pass him a napkin and you took it upon yourself to clean and wipe down his tie. This poor man would not stop coughing, and it was even drawing the attention of certain employees who would walk by, but you paid no mind to them. You guided Han-seo to the nearest chair while still patting his back.

“Han-seo, are you okay?”

Cough. “I think.” Cough. “Damn.” Cough. “No.”

You placed your hands on both sides of his face to keep his attention on you. “Do you need CPR because I’m actually trained on it.”

He blushed at your words, and started to wave his hands frantically while still coughing out like a forty-year old man who smokes cigarettes every day. “N-No!” Cough. “I’m…okay.”

“What’s going on here?”

Now that was a voice that could make the two of you freeze. At the same time, you both slowly turned your heads, your eyes landing on Han-seok. He looked…different. And not in the wardrobe-look different, but his aura…and his face. Something was off about him.

Han-seo was the first to scurry out of his chair. He removed your hands from his face and quickly bowed, but not before letting out another ugly cough.

“S-Sorry sir!” Cough. “It’s,” cough, “nothing! I was actually,” cough, “about to leave.”

You rolled your eyes and stood up. “Stop talking. You’ll make it worse.” You patted his chest and shot him a smile.

What you didn’t know was how terrified Han-seo was right now because nobody knows his brother better than him, and right now? He could tell his brother wants to kill him. He notices the way his jaw keeps clenching every time you touch him. He was surprised he didn’t storm up to him when he caught your hands on his face. You confessed your feelings for Han-seok to him, but judging by his brother’s character, does he reciprocate the same feelings?

He definitely does not want to stay and find out.

Han-seo excused himself and said goodbye to you before walking off. You rolled your eyes when you heard him cough again, but now that you’re alone with Han-seok, you want to leave too.

“Well bye!”

“I didn’t say you could leave.”

He stopped you from walking off. You pursed your lips and turned around to face him once again, keeping your eyes focused on the nearest wall. “Yes boss?”

“What were you doing with Han-seo?”

“What do you think I was doing?”

The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Shut up and answer my question.”

You raised an eyebrow at his ugly tone. “If you’re worried that I was going to kiss your brother at work, you’re wrong. He almost choked on coffee so I was helping him regain his composure. Plus, I wouldn’t kiss him here. It’s too open and people are nosy.”

You didn’t bother to stay and listen to his reply, instead you waved him off as you walked away, not bothering to turn back. Sure you work for him, but that doesn’t give him the right to act like an asshole to you. If he tries anything, both you and Vincenzo will be on his ass for it. However, one thing you didn’t know was that you were going to be the reason why Han-seo will wake up with a black eye tomorrow.

It was another normal day and — much to your surprise — Han-seok announced that he will be hosting a small party at his house, full of important people of course. You were required to attend and the moment Cha-young found out about it, she made it her number one job to dress you up and buy you the best of the best.

“I want you to outshine all of those corrupted assholes.”

You smiled at her words and felt thankful on her kindness towards you. She didn’t have to go and buy you a new dress — but she did. It was a beautiful silk beige dress with a sweetheart neckline, thin shoulder straps, and a straight line hem with a side slit. Your confidence boosted through the roof on how you looked. While you were applying the last of your make up, Vincenzo walked into your room and paused as he took in your appearance. You could see the gears shifting in his brain before his eyes widened and he pointed at you.

“No.”

“No what? I can’t look hot?”

“Why are you dressed like that? Don’t tell me you’re going on a date with that psychopath.”

“For the record, you agreed that I should get close to him,” you ‘popped’ your lips as you finished applying your lipgloss. “And no, I’m not. That psychopath is throwing a party.”

“Doesn’t she look gorgeous,” Cha-young grabbed your shoulders and made you face Vincenzo. The two of you innocently smiled at him, which made him mock a smile back before walking away. Cha-young smacked her lips and frowned in disapproval before rolling her eyes. “How rude.”

“He’s always like that,” you scoffed and grabbed your purse, making sure to leave your actual cell phone behind and taking your undercover one instead.

Before you could walk out, Vincenzo grabbed your wrist and raised a finger. “If he touches you again, I will kill him. I can always make a few jumps ahead in our little game.”

You rolled your eyes at his words. “Oh whatever, I’ll be fine. Just make sure to leave my apartment thirty minutes after I leave, just to be safe.” You planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “But I’ll be back! Maybe I’ll even get laid.”

You shot him one last wink and ran off right as he started to yell. You absolutely love pushing his buttons.

You walked out of the building and stood outside waiting for your car to get here. The party barely began five minutes ago but you weren’t in a rush to get there — it’s not like you’re the guest of honor. The car arrived just in time, so you opened the door and took a seat in the back. Just as you were about to put on your seatbelt, the driver quickly turned around and shoved a rag onto your face. Fuck, chloroform. You grabbed his wrist and twisted it, causing him to drop the rag on the floor as you attempted to open the doors. Of course this fucker would have child lock on. You began to kick the door and mentally cursed when you started to feel woozy and tired.

No, don’t fucking black out.

You rapidly blinked your eyes as you tried to stay awake, but the chloroform was definitely kicking your ass right now.

“You…fucking,” your body was giving up and you grew sluggish. “Piece of shit.”

Then your whole vision went black.

You don’t know how much time has passed since you’ve been taken, but when you slowly started to regain consciousness you noticed that you were handcuffed to a bed frame in a worn out bedroom. You laid on the dirty floor and noticed that the knife you had strapped to your thigh was gone.

“Wow I scored big tonight.”

You frowned at the creepy guy in front of you. He was definitely not hired for a job, he just looks like a simple homeless man. He seemed to be a few years older than you and wore worn out clothes that don’t appear to have been changed in months.

“Who are you?” You practically demanded.

All he did in response was raise an eyebrow at your question and stand up, completely turning his back on you.

“Hey! I’m talking to you, you fucker!”

You knew he wasn’t going to listen to you, but you had to let out your frustrated words somehow. You have no fucking clue what he was doing as he stood in front of a table but the moment he turned around, you wanted to kill him. His eyes were focused on you as they trailed your body, and he licked his lips before proceeding to rub himself through his pants.

What the actual fuck is wrong with him?

The sound of a phone — actually, your cell phone — going off made him stop. He let out an irritated groan before mumbling something underneath his breath as he walked out of the bedroom. Once he was gone you quickly bent your head and pulled out a bobby pin from your hair.

“Fucking pervert is dying tonight,” you mumbled as you picked the lock on the handcuffs. You were successful in getting them off and you rubbed your wrists while you began to search for a weapon, but stopped almost immediately when you took notice of an album sitting on the table. Upon further inspection when you opened it, you were horrified. Mangled bodies of young women were all posed in different and weird poses, and they were all naked too. So he kidnaps women, sexually tortures them, and then kills them for pleasure.

And you were his next victim.

“Fucking prick just signed his own death wish,” you spoke to yourself in disgust.

You grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and began to make your way towards your new prey.

Meanwhile, back at the party, Han-seok took notice of your absence and began to ask around in case anyone saw you. He found it odd that you were still not here, since you clearly stated in your text that you would attend the party. He knows women take longer to get ready, but it’s been over an hour since the party began and he definitely is not liking the fact that you possibly bailed on him. What are you doing that’s much more important than his party? Are you out clubbing and meeting other guys? Oh hell no.

He marched over to Ms. Choi since she was in charge of sending a car to you. “Ms. Choi, did you so happen and get any word on the car you sent to pick up Miss Marino?”

“Yes sir. Last I heard, they’ve been waiting outside her building for thirty minutes.”

He frowned at her words. “Did they get in contact with her?”

She shook her head. “No. They’ve tried to call her several times but received no answer.”

Why the fuck didn’t she say a word? He clenched his jaw, his voice dropping low with annoyance. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

Ms. Choi fixed her glasses. “You seemed busy, sir. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I don’t fucking care what your excuse is. You notify me about shit like this immediately.” And with that he walked away and called your phone. It rang three times before it was automatically sent to voicemail. He called again. And again. And every time it would ring, it would last differently, almost as if his call was going through but someone was declining it. He was not going to have any of that.

Using your number, he had some of his men track it down, and he rushed towards your destination in no time. The moment he pulled up to a rundown house, he grew confused. What the fuck are you doing here? He got out his truck and walked towards the front door, which turned out to be unlocked, but the moment he stepped inside and his nostrils were filled with the familiar iron smell, he panicked.

Yes, panicked. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of a slight fear. He didn’t miss all of the weird photos hanging on the walls. Each one was of a different woman, but the frames next to them were of the same girls, but dead, mutilated, and barely recognizable.

Han-seok genuinely felt his heart drop, and he began to call out your name, not caring if he alerted the owner of the house. In fact, he wants them to show themselves, so he can torture the fuck out of them and force them to tell him on your whereabouts.

What he didn’t expect to see was a male mutilated corpse laying on the floor of the living room, with you on the other side of the room, drenched in blood. His eyes roamed your body and took in your appearance really well. The beautiful silk dress you wore was now covered in blood, your hair was a bit unorganized but still looked perfect. Both of your hands were painted red in blood while your face, neck, and arms had a few splatters here and there. He didn’t miss your exposed left leg as well, something that really made him want to touch you.

You looked like a fucking goddess to him right now.

You were too busy sipping on whatever drink you prepared yourself since you didn’t bat an eye towards his direction, but the moment he stepped forward, the familiar click of a gun sounded off. He raised his hands in surrender, his lips curling into a smirk as he shot you a wink.

“It’s me!” He said in a cheerful tone.

But for some reason, you didn’t put down the gun.

You kept your aim on him as you completely debated whether or not to end this shit, right here, right now. You were fed up with these stupid feelings that have been overcoming you for the past few weeks. Getting attached and growing feelings for the enemy? Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you? Even though the Cassano family didn’t have you as a main priority in their ranks anymore, there’s a reason why you were their main spy. You always stuck to the task to get it done, even in the times when you were sent to spy on the most gorgeous men in Italy, you always came through by ending your mission with their blood in your hands. You never second guessed your mission.

Until now.

You don’t know what’s so special about Han-seok. If anything, he’s the most psychotic guy you’ve been tasked to spy on. Sure you’ve dealt with a load of crazy men, but not ‘Han-seok level crazy’. Maybe it’s the way he walks with power and is strategic with his plans but is also a complete dork. Maybe it’s the way he doesn’t take shit from anyone, no matter who they are to him. Maybe it’s the way how he treats you differently, and you’ve picked up on it too. He doesn’t take Ms. Choi, Mr. Han, or even Han-seo out for ice cream, or invites them to accompany him on regular every day tasks. Not once has he yelled at you or even came close to “punishing” you for your failures. Because you have “failed” him, when you couldn’t “beat” Vincenzo in certain situations. It was all a mess.

A mess you could end right now. You could get rid of this stupid fantasy your mind has been playing and flee from Korea. You could move to the States and start a new life there. Just forget about everything.

Han-seok raised an eyebrow and shot you a quick wave when he noticed you still aiming the gun at him. “What are you doing?”

You didn’t answer him. You remained frozen as your eyes began to brim with tears instead.

Why am I fucking crying?

Han-seok was more confused than ever at your reaction, and he began to wonder what was going on in your pretty little head. Did the man actually hurt you to the point where you were left traumatized? The thought itself made him feel an undeniable amount of rage, which is why he didn’t care as he stepped on the man’s hand when he began to walk towards you.

He called out your name, but you still had no reaction as you were lost in your thoughts.

“Give me the gun,” he ordered.

Shoot him! Just shoot him!

You were absolutely losing your mind. Your hand began to shake and your vision was clouded with tears at this point.

Why can’t I fucking shoot him?!

The moment you felt him grip the gun, you knew it was too late. He took it from your hold, put the safety on, and tossed it aside. Neither of you said anything for a while. You leaned back against the table as you began to space out, feeling out of touch with reality.

“I’m sorry I..” you stopped yourself from saying anything else. You were showing weakness to him, something you despised.

“Shh,” he remained calm, which was a surprise to you. His fingers brushed the side of your cheek and you felt yourself completely melt at the touch.

You involuntarily leaned into him, and he moved his hand to cup your cheek instead, his thumb rubbing the skin underneath your eye.

“All my life, I’ve been good at what I do.” You don’t know why you’re saying this but you couldn’t stop yourself from telling him. “My mother died giving birth to me, and for six years, my own father neglected me. He would beat me for any little thing I did wrong in his eyes and he constantly made me feel the burden of being the cause of my mother’s death. He was a thief and beggar, and would use me to do his dirty deeds in stealing. That’s the only reason why he kept me for a while, but little six year old me thought we were bonding. One night I made him something and I thought he would love it, but he went berserk and beat me so bad that he left me for dead. I remember him spitting on my small little body and saying that I’ll never be his daughter. He was surprised to find me still breathing the next day so he tried to sell me off and sex traffic me, but that didn’t work on his end. I grew up, was trained by the best, and spent years trying to find his sorry ass. When I did, I made sure to make him feel every bit of pain he made me go through.

“I got a shot in having a second family and I felt so happy, until they started to turn their backs on me as well. Deep down, I felt tossed away. It started to feel like they only kept me because of how good I was in completing missions for them. It didn’t feel like I was important to them, and I fucking hated it. Just like my father, they pushed me away, and only saw use of me whenever it benefited them.”

Much to your surprise, Han-seok was listening to your words. The way his beautiful brown eyes looked at you oddly made you feel safe, so you continued to spill everything to him.

“But working for you is different. Even though you send me on tasks to do some of your dirty work, you acknowledge me. You don’t order me to leave you alone. You treat me like I’m somebody. Even when I fail against Vincenzo at times, you don’t punish me for it. I’ve been losing my mind lately and,” you paused for a second as you swallowed. “I think I need to stop working for you and leave Korea.”

You felt his fingers on your skin twitch. “Why?”

God, is he really asking you why?

“I just have to.”

His face hardened. “That’s not a reason. Tell me why.”

“If you’re worried I’m going to tell anyone about what Babel and Wusang are up to, I’m not. I just want to leave this country and go far away as possible.”

He let out a dry laugh. “You’re not leaving.”

“You can’t make me stay.”

“Watch me.”

“What are you going to do? Threaten me? Keep me hostage? Kill me? What exactly are you going to do to make me stay, huh? There’s nothing in this world that I care for.”

Except for Vincenzo, but he doesn’t need to know that, and your brother will understand you needing to abandon the mission for personal reasons.

Han-seok brought his other hand up to cup your opposite cheek, his eyes connecting with yours. “If you give me a good enough reason, then maybe I’ll reconsider letting you leave. Sooo, talk.”

Oh god, are you really going to tell him? This will either end really bad or give you the opportunity to leave. You took in a deep breath and mentally prepared yourself for what you’re about to say.

“I fucked up big time. My task is to work by your side and get my hands dirty for you. This is strictly just business. But I,” you paused before continuing, “I literally fell for you. My stupid ass really fell for you.”

His hands dropped from your face and he took a step back. Your confession has completely stunned him and he has no idea what to do or say.

“It’s so unprofessional of me and so embarrassing. I don’t know how or when it happened. I think it was from that time you cleaned my wounds after my big fight with Vincenzo, I don’t know. I’m just disappointed in myself for stooping so low to this.” You grabbed the nearest rag and began to wipe away the leftover blood on your skin. “I’m going to raid this asshole’s closet, change, and take my leave. I enjoyed working for you Han-seok, and you have my word that I won’t spill any of your dirty business to the world.”

You began to walk away from him, thankful that he wasn’t making a scene or trying to get more embarrassing information out of you. The feel of his rough hand clasping around your wrist made you whirl your head, and you looked up at him with confusion.

“What are you–”

“Oh shut up and kiss me beautiful.”

And he immediately pressed his lips against yours. Unlike last time, you didn’t hesitate in kissing him back and you gripped his tie before pulling him down closer to you. His hand cupped the back of your neck while he placed his other one on your hip, pulling your body closer as the kiss grew feverishly. You didn’t even realize you both were walking backwards, and when your butt bumped into the edge of a table, he quickly hoisted you up and sat you down on it.

He stood in between your legs and his hand started to touch your exposed leg, sliding itself underneath your dress as he began to rub circles on your inner thigh. Your arousal grew and you bit back a moan. Jesus, he’s not even touching you there yet and you’re already wet for him. Your hook ups weren’t even able to bring this reaction out of you — not even when they were deep inside you too.

You were just about to reach down to unbuckle his belt when his phone began to ring. Han-seok slammed his hand on the table and pulled away, irritation clear on his features.

“What?” He answered with annoyance, but the moment he felt you kissing up his neck, he relaxed.

You could hear a female voice on the other line, pinpointing it to be Ms. Choi.

“Yes I found her. Next time, make sure to do a background check on the drivers you send.” You heard more talking before he scoffed. “You’ll apologize to Miss Marino, not me. I’ll head over there now.”

He quickly hung up and set his phone down, tilting your chin up so yours eyes could meet his. “Sorry baby. The party is boring without me so they need me back.”

Your heart fluttered at the nickname. “I guess,” you sighed before pointing at the dress. “Although I do need a wardrobe change. My dress is ruined.”

He looked down at the blood stains and his nostrils flared for a bit. “Did he touch you? If so,” he reached over to the table and grabbed the bloodied scissors, “I can always rearrange his face more. Snip snip.”

You laughed at his last words before grabbing the scissors out of his hand. “There’s no need for that, I already took care of it. Stupid asshole wished he could touch me, but seriously, I need to buy a new dress.”

“Hm, tell me where you bought that one because you look amazing in it. After that, we’ll head to the party since it’s not fun without me.”

Somehow, a very naughty thought popped up in your head.

“Or,” you grabbed his tie and pulled him down towards you. “We could have a little bit of fun ourselves.”

You saw him swallow and his eyes widened just a little bit. If there’s any way to describe him right now, he looked so innocent, as if his secret little persona as Joon-woo emerged and completely replaced Han-seok. But that surprised look completely went away when his hand found its way to your neck, and he gave it a light squeeze, enough to turn you on again.

“Oh baby, I’m going to ruin you.”

And right there is the moment you knew that there was no going back. This wasn’t just an undercover mission anymore. Jang Han-seok, the CEO of Babel, has you completely wrapped around his finger, and you could care less. Any sense of morality that you had left has gone out the window at this point. This man can tell you to torture or kill anyone for him, and you’ll do it in a heartbeat.

You were at his mercy, and you fucking love it.

[eoieopda]

Hi! I’m here for your 2k drabble requests. I’d love to see a drabble of Hobi with the only one bed trope! 💜

behold: my hobi brain rot, lol.

the one with hoseok and the magic fingers

pairing: jung hoseok x gn!reader type: drabble | genre: fluff | wc: 1.3k summary: your company didn’t make the necessary reservations for the trade show you’re being forced to attend. now what? au: co-workers to ? | rating: pg13* | cw: none *regardless, my content is not for minors. minors or ageless blogs who interact with my content will be blocked.

You do not dream of labor. More importantly, you do not want a career; you want to sit on a porch with a stupid little beverage, enjoying a stupid little breeze. Unfortunately, as you know, capitalism. So, when your stupid little job requires you to attend a stupid little conference, you go.

This time, your involuntary non-vacation involves a trade show in Changwon, three (3) days of listening to men with half your experience talking twice as much as you, and one (1) meal voucher per day. In all this overcast, you’d found a single, silver lining: Jung Hoseok, the only person on your team that doesn’t make you want to walk into a forest, never to be seen again.

Now, Hoseok stands at the reception desk, visibly struggling to maintain his customer service voice. Across the counter, the hotel’s overnight manager squints down at her computer. No matter how close her nose gets to the screen, no reservations appear.

“I’m so sorry,” she all but cries. “I’ve checked and re-checked, but there’s nothing here for either of you. Are you sure that your company finalized the reservations? They would’ve needed to confirm them on the new system. They just rolled it out, and it’s —”

She trails off with a displeased wave of her hand and a grimace.

The new system is garbage, perhaps?

Hoseok turns to look at you over his shoulder. He’s grinning in an unsettling way, one that doesn’t meet his eyes. Subtly, he mouths lobotomize me, please, and you have to clench your jaw shut to keep your laughter to yourself. It exits through your nose instead, so forcefully that you have to pretend like you’ve sneezed.

He pretends not to notice.

Charmer that he is, Hoseok places his fingers down against the counter — gently, distinctly non-threatening — and lays it on thick. “Are there really no rooms available? Not even a supply closet with some cots?”

Those sparkling doe eyes should’ve earned him the presidential suite, but they don’t.

“No, sir.” The manager frowns. “But there’s a — umm — establishment two streets over that’s sure to have space. It’s — ehh — quaint?”

For the first time, you peep, “Is that a statement or a question?”

The manager goes beet red.

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Hoseok looks at you. As he does, one eyebrow flexes briefly in a way that makes you a little bit flustered. Worse, he winks when he laughs, “There’s your answer, I suppose. Shall we establish ourselves, then?”

———

It took longer than it should’ve to locate the motel in question, and even longer for the pair of you to force yourselves out of Hoseok’s Kia. When you finally slid out of his passenger seat, you turned to grab your suitcase from his trunk— only to find that he’d beaten you to it. He’d ignored the way you frowned, sauntered right by you with your luggage rolling behind him.

“D’you think anyone’s ever died in here?” He’d mused without turning back around.

You hadn’t bothered to smother the laughter bubbling up as a result of his unexpected — yet shockingly on-brand — query. You’d simply followed behind him and stepped through the door he’d held open for you.

Another reception desk, another manager bracing themselves before giving disappointing news, another pointed look exchanged with your co-worker — whose eyes were much prettier than you’d previously realized, in a strictly professional way, and whose slightly disheveled hair had started to fall back over the forehead he’d pushed it away from, and —

“The single is the best I can do.”

You blink slowly, having seemingly blacked out during the first half of the conversation. Unabashed, you cannonball back in: “Huh?”

Hoseok doesn’t have time for this, if the way he grabs the sole key off the counter is any indication. Shoulders sagging, he’s travel-weary and it shows. So, he dangles the key ring off of his index finger and wiggles his brows.

“I won’t snore if you won’t,” he teased.

———

The circumstances don’t truly click until the lock does; door opening wide to reveal the lone double bed at the center of an unimpressive room. The carpet beneath it is a dingy, cotton-candy blue. It’s so shaggy that it flutters with the breeze of the AC unit in the window, which horrifies you. The aforementioned window is sealed around the unit with duct tape and part of a cardboard box — and it’s damp.

“Stale,” you mutter automatically. “This is the motel equivalent of an expired Saeukkang.”

Hoseok’s laugh is musical as he sets your suitcase on the foldable rack near the thick, boxy television. He drops his own onto the ground next to it, though it doesn’t make a sound when it hits the carpet. With his eyes narrowed so completely, it’s difficult to tell if he’s truly perceiving any of the other decorative horrors around you. But he must, because he clicks his tongue, gesturing to the bed.

Eyebrows raised, you follow his pointed finger with your eyes. Immediately, they widen.

You scoff, “Oh, what the fuck?”

Affixed to the left-side nightstand is a small metal box with a bouquet of wires jutting out from the side. They trail down the table leg, along the seam where the wall meets the carpet, and presumably connect to the back of the bed frame. Your gaze zeroes in on the blatant coin slot carved into the box. Instinctively, you shiver.

Hoseok bravely crosses the room to read the tiny label on top of the box. He stares, disbelieving, with his mouth slightly open. Then, he speaks as if reading it out loud will make any part of it make sense.

“Magic fingers?”

———

“Do —?” You pause, pointing between yourself, the bed, and your coworker. “Is this —?”

Said co-worker has apparently decided to ruin your life by packing grey sweatpants in lieu of actual pajamas. Part of you longs for the bygone days of absurd and abjectly sexless sleepwear. Only an Ebenezer Scrooge-style nightgown and cap can save you now.

Bastard.

Hoseok doesn’t answer with words because he seems to sense that they’re lost on you; he just drops down onto one half of the mattress. Then, he has the absolute audacity to beckon you with a curl of his finger. You’re frozen — he senses this, too — so he proceeds to pat the space in front of him.

Well, if he’s normal about this, then why shouldn’t you be?

You suck in a slow, conflicted breath.

Fuck it.

Your pulse handles it well when you close the distance between the corner you’ve banished yourself to and the bed. Unfortunately for you, it takes a flying leap when you sink into the reserved half of the mattress. Not bold enough to face him — or, rather, be nose to nose with him — you lay on your back and blink up at the ceiling. Suddenly, you’re very aware of your limbs, so you clutch your hands to your chest, knowing full well that your mummified posture is ridiculous.

What was that about being normal about this?

A few moments of silence pass. As they do, you know Hoseok’s watching you — can feel him watching you. You can feel the playful tug at the side of your pajama shorts, too.

“Cute,” he murmurs. He’s correct, after all. They’re a dusty pink with a scalloped hem, and they are cute.

You glance at him out of the corner of your eye like a fucking weirdo, just in time for him to look up at your face. He smiles, then pulls his hand away only to stuff it in the pocket of his sweatpants. When it emerges again, he’s holding a coin that had no business being held in his sweatpants, but that he’d clearly stowed away in furtherance of the bit.

Pinched between the pads of his thumb and index finger, he holds it up between you. It catches the light while he looks pointedly from you to that stupid little box on the nightstand.

With a grin that makes you more than a little flustered, he snickers, “Wanna see a magic trick?”

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 32

welcome to the thirty-second fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

1. A Dragon’s Treasure by @wittyy-name

As heir to the kingdom, Lance always thought he knew exactly what life had in store for him. That is, until a dragon kidnaps him at the age of sixteen. Suddenly his life is a lot less parties, lessons, and castles, and a hell of a lot more barren mountains, grumpy dragons, and boredom. From heir to prize, in just one night.

So now he’s stuck living in a cave with an adolescent, grumpy dragon who doesn’t seem to want him there but still won’t let him go. Not to mention his annoying habit of defeating every suitor who tries to come rescue Lance.

As much as he hates to admit it, he’s probably going to be here for a while. So he might as well settle in and get to know this dragon named Keith.

i accidentally lied last week this one is the last one from my rereadables collection. and for good reason!! dragon beauty and the beast tbh. and wittyy-name ALWAYS nails the complicated i-love-you-and-feel-trapped-by-you, complicated relationships kind of thing. and i fckn love it so so much 

2. Needle and Thread by VulpesVulpes713

Based on the prompt "kisses meant to distract the other person from whatever they were intently doing ". Keith tries to fix a tear in his jacket. Lance just wants some attention. The end result? Feelings.

this one is so cute they are so in love u know?? they just like to be around each other. always a fun read. vulpes is very good at klance with a crush on each other regardless of whether they’re already dating lol

3. Plans Are Overrated, Anyway by @chyeahlex16

"Lance, I-" "I know, I know," Lance said as he bustled around his nearly bare bedroom, tossing shirts out of drawers and pictures off of walls into his open suitcase on his bed. "I totally procrastinated till the last minute, just like you said! I don't need to hear the 'I told you so,' a little help packing would be nice!" "Lance-" "I bet you're already packed," he went on, oblivious to his best friend anxiously shifting in his doorway in frustration and anxiety. "Man, I can't wait until we get there-" "Lance! I have something to tell you!" Lance blinked, stilling his movements. He'd never seen his best friend so... guilty and anxious before. His brows pulled together in concern. "What's up, buddy?" "I'm not going to the Garrison with you." ~ In which I project onto Lance about things that I'm currently going through because I need to vent lol

HUNK AND LANCE HUNK AND LANCE HUNK AND LANCE. we do NOT have enough of it in this here fandom, ESPECIALLY prekerb, early relationship, and what a shame! i have always loved this fic’s exploration of their relationship and the ways they had to learn to grow into themselves, the starts and explanations for the way they were when we saw them. i love them

4. With These Hands by @azapofinspiration

Despite all the trouble they'd been through, Hunk figured everything had turned out all right. After all, he and Lance had managed to return to the castle!

Then Hunk sees the bruises and knows that things are not as good as he thought.

bro a-zap has always KILLED early season dynamics and their missing moments series is everything!! ive always needs three hundred percent more context on the mermaid episode and this fic provides not only that but also some excellent hunk & lance moments, with hurt/comfort that isnt imbalanced or infantilizing on either paladin’s part which is a low bar but awesome anyway 

5. Not As Clueless by @azapofinspiration

Pidge had always thought it was strange that despite being quite observant, Lance had completely missed the fact that she was a girl. However, it seems that that wasn’t really the case.

from the same series i just mentioned! lance IS observant, thank you very much, and i loved this take and interpretation. as much as lance does have a tendency to be dense about things, he also tends to be very observant bc hes a walking dichotomy. he notices things but his conclusions are often different than what others would make, and this entire concept is nailed in like 1.5k words

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[aristocratic-otter]

Hey y'all! It's been a busy few weeks, but thank you all who kept tagging me since I last surfaced : @Iamamythologicalcreature, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @monbons, @thewholelemon, @cutestkilla, @hushed-chorus, @whatevertheweather, @prettygoododds, @blackberrysummerblog, @thehoneyedhufflepuff, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @mooncello, @rimeswithpurple, @emeryhall, @wellbelesbian, @bookish-bogwitch, @ic3-que3n, @shrekgogurt, and @cosmicalart 

I've got a bit from everything to share today. Though the snippet from Cupid's Shield has technically been posted now, as of this morning.

And yes, I can count, I know some of these are more than six sentences. Do I care?

No.

Lol, I hope you enjoy!

From Saving Simon Snow: 

Baz is dead to the world when I wake up. The clock on the dresser reads ten a.m., which surprises me a little—I can’t remember the last time I slept past seven (other than in my jail cell, where there were no clocks and sleeping was pretty much the only thing to do). It doesn’t surprise me, however, that Baz is still asleep. He’s always been sluggish and cranky in the morning. Besides, yesterday was…well, yesterday was a lot. 

I’m still processing everything that happened, but my stomach tells me firmly that processing is far less important than eating, so I slip out of bed as quietly as I can, and dig through our suitcases for something to wear that isn’t sweated–through or jizz covered. 

From the Heart in the Well

“Who are you?” I shout, and if there’s a faint tremor in my voice, it’s not enough for Baz or the unknown above to tell. (I hope).

The creature above doesn’t respond, at least not in words. Instead, it shakes its head and lets out a ringing neigh. It’s a horse! I stare, bemused for a second, before I realise that what I’m hearing isn’t a typical animal sound. Instead, the neighing takes on the clearly recognisable tone of…laughter. The fucking thing is laughing at us!

From Snow Fox

Fiona’s radiating pride. “Brave as a lion, just like his mum,” she says. “You’ll show that mangy Snow Fox what it means to take on a Pitch.”

I can’t help but imagine my aunt's reaction to finding out that Simon knows quite well how to take on a Pitch. 

On my knees, whenever possible.

The thought prompts an unholy burst of laughter to try to fight past my lips, but I’m a master at containing my emotions. Even so, my lips twitch, but I manage to turn it into a polite cough. 

From TikTok Dancer: 

Snow paces at my side in silence with a pensive expression on his face, his hands clasped behind his back. 

My curiosity about this man is burning inside me, and it churns sickeningly in my gut with feelings of betrayal and animal lust. I want him. I hate him. And I don’t understand him. 

But the one thing I won’t do is be the first to break the silence. 

From Stars, Flowers, and Children,

He starts breathing again, but doesn’t speak to me. Not at first. Instead, he rushes to pile wood on the fire and then fumbles desperately for his own fire starting kit in the pouch he carries tied ‘round his waist. I’ve turned to watch him, morbidly curious about how he’s going to react to my betrayal. And it was a betrayal, I’m not fooling myself about that. I knew that Simon desperately wanted a ship to come. I knew how much getting off this island meant to him.

And I denied him that. 

From Cupid’s Shield:

I would have known something was wrong regardless from the way his smiles disappeared (even if he’d never smile at me, he smiles constantly at most anyone else, and I soak his happiness up vicariously every chance I get). 

I was so disturbed by his misery that I was tempted to invite him home with me. I didn’t—my family would have eaten him alive—but I wanted to. 

That early winter afternoon, we were all roused from the torpor of pre-holiday ennui by screams coming from the great lawn. I was in our tower room when it happened, and when I looked out to see a dragon strafing the lawn and Simon Snow running to face him…well, I didn’t think, I just acted. 

I raced out of Mummers and climbed to the ramparts.

From my COBB project:

“Snow, what the fuck,” he says, his voice coming out as a wheeze because of the way I’ve got him squeezed under my own bulk. 

“Shut up!” I snap. “You idiot! You nearly broke [redacted]!”

Baz stiffens under me when I call him an idiot, but when I accuse him, his muscles go slack, meaning I sink into him before I can stop myself. I swallow hard at how nice he feels against me, but then I tense up. This is beyond inappropriate. 

Tags and : @chen-chen-chen-again-chen, @bazzybelle, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @palimpsessed, @frjsti, @fatalfangirl, @letraspal, @martsonmars, @melodysmash, @moments-au-crayon22, @moodandmist, @mostlymaudlin, @onepintobean, @raenestee, @tea-brigade, @upuntil6am, @whogaveyoupermission, @messofthejess, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @krisrix, @shemakesmeforget, @larkral, @confused-bi-queer, @theearlgreymage, @j-nipper-95, @facewithoutheart, @best--dress, @nightimedreamersghost,  @thewholelemon, @youarenevertooold, @nausikaaa, @artsyunderstudy, @ileadacharmedlife, @angelsfalling16, @noblecorgi, @alexalexinii,

[jungle-angel]

oh my goodness 🥹 could we see 47 with miles miller if you don’t mind, maybe with a little 34?

Babes I do not mind in the least, I love writing for sweet little Miles, plus this is good practice (lol).

You and Miles were a giggling mess by the time the two of you reached your hotel room, the both of you slightly tipsy from all the mixed drinks the two of you had at the reception. But regardless, you and Miles had so much fun that night, surrounded by friends and family as you danced the night away and celebrated the beginning of your lives together.

Up to the room you went, your heads swimming and a warm buzz ringing throughout your bodies. Miles set your suitcases down near the dresser so they would be ready in the morning, making it less of a hassle for when you caught your flight out of Bozeman and headed for Hawaii.

"What a night," you yawned.

"I know," Miles chuckled. "I'm ready for bed too. All danced out, my head is buzzing....I think Mom, Dad and Arnie drank way too much."

You laughed a little, knowing that Miles was right about one of his war buddies who had been at the wedding. Arnie, Alex Stone and Dan, who had been the head cook and supreme commander of the El Royale's hotel kitchen back in Lake Tahoe, had all taken rather humorous photographic evidence of the shenanigans they had all engaged in at the reception, which was sure to become the butt of many hangover jokes in the near future.

You made your way into the bathroom, turning on the water in the bathtub and hanging your satin and lace bed-slip on the hook for when you were done. "Miles, honey? Can you do me a favor and unbutton my dress?"

Miles nodded, his nimble fingers undoing the silver buttons on the back of your dress. You shivered when you felt the back of his warm fingers brushing against your skin. "Sweetheart, wait," you whispered to him. "Just wait till I'm done? Please?"

Miles snaked his arms around you and kissed your cheek. "Whenever you're ready," he murmured.

He gave you that little moment of privacy as you slipped off your dress, hanging it on the hangar and the hook where your bed-slip was. You sank into the hot water, washing out your hair and taking off every last little bit of makeup you could get at before your face came clean. You thoroughly scrubbed with the pink grapefruit and mint bodywash the hotel staff had left and when you felt you were clean enough, you let the water out, dried off and changed into that white lace and satin slip that Kathy, your mother-in-law, had given you while the boys were all out at their Stag event.

Goosebumps quickly formed on your skin when the air conditioning hit you like a bat outta hell, but more so when you saw Miles lying shirtless underneath the thin white bedsheet, the bright glow of the little tv on the stand illuminating the room as it played "Two Mules For Sister Sara".

You felt his gaze on you, his eyes lighting up and his jaw wobbling a little when he saw you in your bed-slip. "I hope it's not too much but..."

"C'mere," he beckoned gently.

You made your way to the bed, Miles gently taking you by the hand and smiling at you the whole time. You crawled in beside him, the two of you snuggling into each other to keep warm.

"Baby?" Miles whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Can you.....I want you to warm my cock up for me," Miles answered. "M'so cold."

You crooked your finger, beckoning him to roll on top of you. Miles slipped inside you with incredible ease, kissing you deeply as he gently thrust in and out of you, taking careful pains to rub his tip against your sensitive clit.

"So warm," he murmured. "You're so warm Mrs. Miller."

You giggled and smiled against his kiss as he thrust himself back into you, staying still for just a little while longer. "What do you think sweetheart?" he asked, kissing the tip of your nose. "Think we can go a round or two before bedtime?"

"I'd love to," you chuckled. "Just remember though, we need to be up early to catch our flight."

Miles smiled as he kissed you again, rocking his hips against yours. "Whatever you say Mrs. Miller," he cooed.

[alicepao13]

S06E13

I liked it. Not sure why Joe wasn’t there for most of it. Not sure why they went on location for it either.

Another poor person who has the misfortune of being Sarah’s friend.

Charlie saying that he and Sarah enjoy working together. They definitely do. If I consider their sometimes shameless flirting (especially in last seasons), I think they actually get off on it.

“There’s nothing to be jealous of”. Unless you look at a mirror.

Seriously, though, if you can’t trust your man, then he’s not your man.

Rex is offended by the mere presence of a suitcase. Joe is certainly packing light, though. As in, the suitcase seems empty.

“Rex [...] knows the pack’s not going to be together”. I did not see him complaining in the first couple of episodes, Charlie. Where was he then? Also, interesting timing. These episodes had probably not been filmed or had been filming around the time the first couple of episodes were airing. I wonder if they added the pack line after seeing the complaints from the fandom. Regardless of whether someone had planned to make Charlie and Rex seem more separated from the team, when they tell you that the episodes lack team work or team feel, you must do something to remedy the situation, and to be fair, I think they mostly have done that. We’re still majorly missing the scenes outside of work that added to the team as a family feel. Which would also help give more realism to the cases, ironically, as now any kind of testing gets done in record time. Like, take a breather, let the mass spectrometer do its job, have a cold one. Where is that pub/bar/restaurant?

Not sure if Jesse is using props to explain the movements of the elevator cars for Rex’s benefit or the audience’s. I truly believe they think their audience is children, although sometimes people tend to confirm they're watching with their brain turned off.

Am I the only one who finds it weird that Sarah packed a fairly big suitcase for her trip to Toronto? And then carried it to Makenna’s apartment, assuming the woman would tell her to stay there after she accused her of attempted murder of her husband?

If Rex acted the way he did when he saw Joe’s suitcase, I imagine he pitched a fit when he saw Sarah’s.

Charlie and Sarah made a big deal about wanting to see Makenna’s reaction to the news of Andrew's hospitalization and then we never saw it. Kinda seems like they were running out of time again, either they didn’t have the time to film it or the time to show it.

But we apparently have time to see Charlie give the scratch that Sarah requested he give to Rex. Which, I get it, it’s important stuff, but still.

The moving transitions that follow in the next scene are tacky and amateurish. Not to mention, that you usually do this when you need to make more of them, not like two. And you also do them faster, the transition should take about half of the time it actually did. The aim is to make the scene seem fast paced. Once again, I need to talk to editing.

Rex with the sloth plush toy!

I honestly thought that Sarah might have to help deliver a baby at some point in this episode.

“I trust my intuition”. Lady, you’re pregnant and your hormones are wreaking havoc on your body. There couldn’t be a worse time to trust your intuition. Also, you’re jealous of Sarah. So, sorry but screw your intuition.

There is such a thing as employee confidentiality???

lol Rex sitting at the seat of the CEO of the company.

And again, Charlie is in the office and says he’s going to pick up Sarah and Makenna, and then we never see him and he gets back to the office again. They could have cut a scene for time or the filming schedule was too wacky and never shot it. Or it's the known "show and tell" issue this show has. In any case, no one would wonder how Sarah and Makenna went to the hospital from the airport, so there's no need to announce it and then not show the subsequent scene.

We all know that if Jesse steps out of the office, chances aren’t good for him lol

Charlie: *sees a fence* Time for some thrilling heroics.

They need to send Jesse back to the academy for some extra hand to hand combat lessons. Failing to secure a suspect? Plus, Charlie should know by now that you have to have the guy in handcuffs first before checking on the victim of the attack. Because he might escape and kill them all.

Oh, Jesse talked to Lily and got the other guy his money. I’d completely forgotten about that by that point but he remembered. You go, Jesse.

And of course Sarah’s friend will be okay. They don’t actually ever die, they just come very close to death. Oh, show.

Rex woke him up lol

As I said, I liked it. Assuming Kevin Hanchard was unavailable, or maybe even Mayko Nguyen couldn’t be in St. John’s, it makes sense to film like this but only in that case, because they didn’t show anything of the location they were filming at. Charlie was paired with Jesse this time, John Reardon and Justin Kelly also have good chemistry. I mean, they all do with each other, really. It’s annoying that they don’t have better writers. Anyway. 

Was a scene from the promo missing? I'd gotten the impression that Charlie was going to get attacked from behind. Maybe it was included in the tussle with the stalker, I’m not sure. If that’s the case, then it’s also the reason for the odd cut on the second promo.

Promo: I mean, I wanted more house, so there lol. Is that guy interrupting Charlie and Sarah’s post-date? Aka sex? If so, then perish, dude. Also, Rex is having the worst time this season. And putting more white hairs on Charlie’s head. Sidenote, when is Charlie going to scream Sarah’s name in an anguished manner? I’ve been waiting for it since season 2.

[lindszeppelin]

Hi Lindsay! I just popped here to say I'm really glad we can put all that speculation behind us. We have proof of what you and others have been saying, that they don't live together, he has his own place. This also explains why he had a suitcase in the Hollywood Authentic mag photoshoot, and why he was ok being filmed in that house...cause it's not his. It also made me chuckle, cause Kaia def deliberately filmed that video of herself reacting to Ayo's win, and muted the sound so people would speculate if Austin took the vid or not. But this way at least we can 100% confirm she was at her house that night, while he was with Callum. Shippers of course can spin this however they'd like, but proof is in the pudding. Anyways, hope you have a wonderful Friday!

Unfortunately, Callum said this exact same thing himself back in January and we've been saying this for months. But it's alright, there's even more irrefutable proof. The shippers will never relent even if Austin himself screams it to the high heavens so lol. The proof regardless is right there in everyone's faces

Have a nice friday!

[sayosweeti]

Click Read More for the first half of Chapter 1 of Order Up, my Green Eggs and Ham The Second Serving rewrite! It’s long, so be warned lol. Also feel free to check out the full chapter when its inevitably released on Ao3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48472795/chapters/122267893

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Sam looked at the framed photo on his wall of himself, Guy and Mr. Jenkins. He smiled as he put it into his suitcase as gently as possible. His mind began to wander as he collected his items. How was he going to introduce himself? This wasn’t like meeting a stranger, this was his mother; maybe he should practice an introduction. He shoved his luggage into his suitcase, spare red hats and loose bruckles jingled inside before he turned to his mirror.

“I’ve gotta have just the right opening line.” He said pondering his reflection, should he try his default act, goofy and personable? “‘Sup, Mom!” His heart wasn’t really in the words so he let out a chuckle to try and sell it more. “Or do you prefer Mom I-Am? Or Mrs. Mom? Or the Mother Formerly Known As Mom?” Who was he trying to fool, no one was even here. He let out a sigh “No..just be yourself.” For some reason that had become harder to do then putting on this act.

“Hi, Mom I…” he couldn’t stop his voice from cracking, he felt so nervous and he wasn’t even talking to his mother. He took off his hat- he should be polite right? He fixed his fur before looking back at the mirror, why did he feel the need to avoid eye contact with his own reflection? “I…am Sam.” He paused. “No, that's still not right.” He put his hat back on, adjusting the brim back to its proper spot. “Sam…I-am. It’s nice to finally meet you” Sam spoke, outstretching his hand to the mirror. He felt like he was about to start crying. He was so close to meeting her, so close to finally getting to ask why she left him, so close to actually having a real family. The thought almost pushed him to tears, he wasn’t sure if it was from happiness or sadness, regardless he wasn’t ready to break down now. “Put that hand away Samual I-Amual!” He said in a jokey impression of an older woman. “Where I come from Mom’s hug their sons.” His response to emotions has usually been to push them back down with some sort of humor, he didn’t have the time to waste on being sad about past events. He hugged the mirror, trying to get some comfort and imagining his mother hugging him back was at least doing something to keep his emotions from spilling out.

Guy had just come in from grabbing the mail, shuffling through the letters. All bills. He let out a sigh, he was glad that Flerz took over SnerzCo so he and Michellee had at least one source of reliable income until the shop was built. If Michellee lost her job after the Snerz fiasco they’d be in the red for sure, and he’d have to give up inventing for who knows how long. Guy glanced over at Michellee with a soft smile, he was glad that she still found some free time to paint even with her job, she was amazing at it, but he couldn’t help but notice her newest piece was a family portrait. Seeing him, Michelle and E.B. all together like a picture perfect family made his stomach feel weird, he couldn’t tell if it was butterflies or if it was twisting into knots, maybe both? He thought about really settling down with Michellee for a moment, it sounded nice, ideal even, but something about it just seemed scary to jump into. Guy chalked this up to it just being too early to consider. Yeah- that had to be it, it’d only been 5 months, there’s still plenty of time to get used to this.

He made his way to the living room, preparing to settle this new addition to the pile of bills on the coffee table. As he walked over he caught the tail end of a news segment. It seemed like two nations are going further into an ongoing conflict, something about a highly dangerous substance being stolen and they’re just blaming each other. He was never one to be interested in the news, especially segments that could easily get him overthinking and this seemed like one of them. He changed the channel to the next channel over, some basic sitcom, just for some background noise.

“I can’t believe Sam is going all the way to East—“ Michellee said while continuing to paint, before she was quickly interrupted by her daughter E.B. causing Guy to jump in surprise and drop the bill notices he had in his hands.

“I wanna go!” Said the child resting her arms on the larger stack Guy was choosing to ignore for now.

“You don’t even know where he’s going.” He replied, picking up his dropped notices.

“Don't-care-it's-not-here-take-me-there!”

“E.B., look—“

“Oh, come on. Summer vacation is so boring.” E.B. spoke in an overly dramatic manner clearly trying to get her way by prying.

“And, Mom, ever since Meepville, you’ve made huge strides in supporting my life of thrill seeking adventure!” Oh so she was going for Michellee now, man does she know how to play dirty. Guy could see it on her face, it was hard for her to say no to her only child.

“Well, yes, I’ve..uh..definitely made real…progress there.” Michellee was stuttering, she gripped her brush tight from the unexpected stress causing her to mess up Guy’s smile on the portrait and break her brush. She let out a small nervous chuckle before she walked over to her partner for support. “Well, what do you think, Guy?”

“Believe me I’d love to go on another adventure with Sam as much as E.B. would. But look at this stack of bills.” He explained, gesturing to the large pile of papers cluttering the coffee table. “First months rent on the new invention shop, bamboo for the pandog, Sam's subscription for the Egg of the Month Club…Okay I’m canceling that one, he only eats green!” Almost as if he was summoned by speaking his name, Sam burst into the room.

“Ding dong! Doorbells broken!” That overly energetic voice yelled out holding the severed remains of the house's doorbell in one of his paws; Seuss, was he trying to annoy him on purpose? He swore he heard that monotonous laugh track say an excited “Sam!!” With cheering and clapping to boot, Guy quickly turned off the T.V. he had to be serious and gentle right now. No annoying distractions.

“Operation Find My Mom begins…” Sam was doing energetic handsprings, almost seemingly bending gravity to his will as the suitcase was spinning quickly in the air before dropping to the ground upright. “now! Because me and my best bud are on our way to East Flubria. Right, Guy?” It hurt Guy to see Sam this excited when he knew he’d have to shut down his offer; it also hurt to be pulled off the couch by the wrist.

“Actually Sam, I can’t.” Guy spoke in his gentlest voice. Sam gasped. Then he gasped again…and one more time, it was like when Sam spotted the briefcase all over again. “Whew, Sorry, I just realized I forgot our toothbrush. By the way did you say something? I kinda zoned out for a second.” Guy looked down at Sam with a soft expression, he wondered if Sam did hear him but just didn’t want to acknowledge it. Fine. He’d repeat it slower. “I. Can’t. Go. With. You.” Sam's expression fell, he stared at Guy with the most pathetic, sad look on his face. “And I can’t go without you! You’re my best friend Guy. I need you! So, I’m going to go for broke here and give it one last shot. Will you come to East Flubria with me? ” Sam said, holding his paws to his chest and clasping them tight together, he was begging Guy to go.

Yip, that hit Guy in the heartstrings, it felt very…real, as real as when they were in his treehouse back in Stovepipe, and Sam was never really like that. He turned towards Michellee, she looked concerned, she clearly didn’t want him to go. Of course, it has to come between his girlfriend and his best friend, just his luck. Guy let out a soft sigh before giving a gentle yet firm “No.”

Why’d he think he could just say no to Sam I-Am and it’d just be over and done with? He should’ve learned his lesson by now ever since those stupid eggs. Sam was showing up everywhere, in his mailbox, at the construction site of the Inventionarium, the back of his car, you name it. Guy couldn’t say yes, he had a child to help provide for now and this shop would make financial woes a thing of the past. He wondered why Sam didn’t just go without him, he didn’t really need Guy that much did he? After the zillionth no he really needed to explain why, Sam wasn’t going to get the big picture otherwise.

“I’m sorry Sam, but I just can’t go with you. I’m starting a new business. I have new responsibilities. You know what opening up this shop could mean for me and Michellee.” Sam saw that expression on Guy’s face, how gently he was trying to put this. He wasn’t trying to hurt Sam on purpose. Guy just had his own life now, and that meant not being able to see Sam whenever he wanted. Guy seemed so happy with Michellee. Without him, it made his heart ache all the same. He wanted Guy to be there with him when he met his mother since Guy was the closest thing he’s had to a family in his entire life, but who was Sam to pull Guy away from his source of happiness and family? He’d be no better than his own mother for ditching him.

“You’re right. Your family needs you, Guy. Just like mine needs me! So I’m going to find my mom and do for the I-Am’s what you’ve done for the Am-I’s.” Sam swore he saw Guy wince a little when he referred to Michellee and E.B. as his family. He shook the observation away and began walking out of the Inventionarium with Am-I’s. As he walked out he saw that a huge crowd had gathered and it thrilled Sam to see Guy’s shock turn to happiness; he was finally getting the recognition he deserved. “I should’ve known this shop would be your destiny. This place is gonna be huge!” Sam said with a small chuckle seeing Guy sheepishly wave at the excited crowd. “And look! Not one of your inventions has spontaneously exploded!” With a click the sign flipped to zero, the sign reading “0 Days Until Grand Opening”.

Then almost as if Sam had jinxed it, Guy heard a loud ‘BOOM’ behind him and suddenly he and the entire crowd were shoved forward. It was like a nuke went off, a mushroom cloud of smoke came from the shop and Guy could feel the ground quake beneath his feet, cracking the pavement and flipping the nearby cars. He swore you would have felt the ground shake from Meepville. By the time it was over Guy and the crowd could hear ringing in their ears as they peeled themselves from the pavement, a rumbling settling in their bones. Guy turned towards where his shop once stood but now only a pile of rubble and ash was left.

Guy was speechless, what cruel creator would allow him such joy for just a brief moment, thinking he’d finally done it, he’d finally done something with his life, before pulling the rug from underneath him and leaving him lower then where he started. He wanted to fall to his knees and scream, to pound the ground and ask why? But all he could let out was a shaky and defeated, “My shop…my inventions..”

Guy could hear tires squealing towards the wreckage. This was it. He was going to jail for life. He just destroyed the entire yipping town so it made sense. As he raised his paws in preparation to be shackled, he saw Gluntz step out of the vehicle and jump over the hood. “Guy! I heard about what happened and I want you to know, I will find the person who did this to you.” Of course, Gluntz wasn’t really the type who would catch on that this was just the latest failure of Guy Am-I. “Thanks Gluntz…but it was me.” Gluntz just kept on looking around making binoculars with her hands. Seuss she’s worse than Sam, how was that even possible? “I swear on my life the wretched monster responsible for this atrocity will pay! Oh, that cow looks suspicious. I’m gonna go and interrogate it.” Then off she went laughing, reverse hood flipping and speeding off to a lone hill with a single cow just…munching on grass.

This ridiculous series of events did nothing to even slightly raise his mood, if anything it just dampered it more. “Guy, I’m so sorry. I know what this meant to you.” Michellee walked over to him and gently grabbed his paws, he could barely bring himself to look into her eyes he kept glancing up at her with his shoulders slumped, he felt so embarrassed. Why’d he think that he’d ever be able to do something like this? Of course he’d mess it up; just like he always did.

Michellee glanced over at Sam, his face had a subtle hint of shock and sadness on it as he stared at Guy, not a single trace of his usual over exaggerated facial expressions. She turned her gaze back towards her partner with a gentle stare and gave one of his paws a soft squeeze. “Guy…you should go with Sam.”

Guy looked up at his girlfriend with a perplexed expression, Sam doing the same. “What? No. I can’t. I have to rebuild the shop.” He pulled away from Michelle and turned to the now ruined building, balling his paw into a fist in frustration and anger as he looked at it. “Besides, I’m responsible for every smashed window and tipped over car in town right now.” He let out a harsh sigh as he rested his face in his palm. “I must have a stack of U.Owe.Me’s a zillometer tall.”

“Guy..” Michellee spoke in the softest tone she could, she hated seeing him like this. It only showed every now and then but it’d never been this extreme before. The only time he ever seemed remotely happy was around his best friend. “I mean it…you need rest. It’d be good for you to get away…have some fun.” She said as she looked up at her partner's sulky expression, gently grabbing his free hand. Guy seemed to be considering her request, he’d been extremely stressed out lately, money was short and the shop was eating up so much of their finances. Maybe it’d be good to just…relax. Yeah…that sounded nice. Sam perked up a little as he saw a small tired smile grow on Guy’s face.

“You’re sure Michellee? I hate to think this will just be another responsibility to push on you when I leave. Wouldn’t you at least like to come with us?” Michellee waved this notion off. “Nonsense, it’ll take them at least a week to clear all of this wreckage. We’ll deal with this together when you get back. Plus I’ve still got work silly, and your job is uh…” she looked back at the rubble “currently a pile of rocks- we’ll need the money to fix all this up, so I’ll stay behind. You just need to focus on recharging.” Michellee smiled as she gave another soft squeeze to Guy’s hand.

Guy turned his head to Sam, his smile growing a little seeing how excited he seemed to be. He really wore his heart on his face. Just as Guy was about to open his mouth, E.B. cut him to the chase, although her voice was muffled. “I can come too!” Guy looked down and saw Sam's briefcase wobbling a little bit. Sam quickly caught on and opened it, causing E.B. to roll out from the luggage.

“Alright, it’s not what it looks like!”

“Really? Cus it looks like you were stowing away in my suitcase.” Sam said as he looked at E.B.

“Alright, it is what it looks like, but the point is; I’m coming with you guys!” She exclaimed, raising her arms up as she approached her mother and Guy.

Michellee let out an exasperated sigh, this girl just never gave up. “Young lady, we've discussed this.” She said in the sternest voice she could muster. She hadn’t pulled it out for awhile. “And we’ve discussed you being more fun.” Yeowch, E.B.’s tone was sweet but it cut deep. Guy could see on Michellee’s face the hurt from that comment, he felt tempted to butt in, to say that she had really learned to let loose a little and that E.B. was taking this too far just for her own gain.

E.B. looked up at her mother with an excited smile, her eyes filled with a lust for adventure and the unknown. Michellee took a soft sigh, it reminded her so much of herself at E.B.’s age. Always wanting to try something new and do the next best thing. Her torn expression shifted into a smile as she crouched down to her daughter's level. “You know what…I trust you. You can go, just…just be sure you stay safe, try not to do anything that’d make me too worried.” she said to the youngster with a playful pinch to her pudgy cheeks resulting in a slightly annoyed “mooom” but ended it with a giggle and a tight hug with her mother.

Guy smiled back towards Sam who was practically seething with excitement. “Alright Sam, we’re in.” Guy could see Sam jumping with enthusiasm. “Sklergagenatpak! That’s East Flubrian for ‘I do not speak East Flubrian but I’ll do my best to respect and acclimate to their local customs and culture.’” Guy chuckled at this, Seuss he’s such a dork. This thought screeched to a halt as he felt Sam grab his hand and start pulling him along, E.B. catching up behind them. “C’mon! You guys gotta go pack, don’t worry about the tickets, it's on me!” Guy pulled his hand away but kept walking. “Sam I know where my house is, you don’t need to pull me there.” This just made Sam flash him a big smile. “I know, just wanted to hold your hand for a sec.” He then gave a mischievous finger gun and a wink, clicking his tongue against his teeth. Even though it seemed to just be a joke, it didn’t stop Guy's face suddenly feeling all flushed and hot.

It took Sam almost 3 days to find a cold air blimp to East-Flubria on such short notice, but it at least gave the Am-I’s time to pack all their essentials. Before he even knew it he was standing in front of the ramp to get onto the blimp. It felt like he got some sort of mental whiplash just standing there, frozen in his own mind and body. This was really it. No more imagining what could be, he was going to experience it. He was snapped out of this train of thought as he heard Guy talking to Michellee.

“Be careful with my baby.” She said, sounding strained.

“I promise.” As Guy said this, he rested his hands on Michellee’s shoulders for a moment before suddenly being pulled into a tight and unexpected hug. Guy froze for a moment before slowly hugging back, not squeezing nearly as tight as Michellee was. “Guy, c’mon! The blimp’s going to leave soon!” E.B. shouted from the platform, causing Sam to realize he’d just been staring at the couple.

Guy and E.B. waved goodbye to Michellee, her smile wide as she waved back. Sam took the liberty of finding their seats across from a yellow, well dressed man who was reading from a newspaper. Sam put his luggage on top of the seat, seeing E.B. and Guy walk up the aisle and plop their suitcases next to his.

“Sam you hungry? We’re going to get something to eat farther up the blimp.” Guy spoke, staring back at him. To be honest Sam wasn’t feeling hungry (for once in his life.) His stomach felt like it was tied in a zillion knots. “Nah, I’m good…Air travel upsets the ol’ tum.” Sam joked, patting his belly and Guy nodded in acknowledgement. “Oh, well take it easy. These things can go pretty fast.” Sam nodded as he sat down. Now that he really thought about it hadn’t really thought about the last time he had a good sleep. Guess he’d been so worried about booking the flight he just wasn’t able to.

Sam rested his head against the back of the seat, man they were comfy. He felt like he was sinking into the cushions, almost as if he was being pulled into a land of clouds and chickaraffee down. Sam could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, his mouth slacking open as he plunged into a deep sleep, the seat seemingly surrounding him inside a cocoon of bliss and warmth.

Then he heard an alarm clock. Son of a yip, of course he’s suddenly pulled out of the most wonderful sleep for a stupid alarm clock. As he pried his eyes open he noticed he wasn’t on the blimp anymore. Sam was lying in a bed covered in a bright green blanket. He frantically sat up, turning his head from side to side to figure out where he was. It looked like a childs bedroom. Crude colored pictures adorned the walls and plushies and toys were either strewn across the floor or half-hassardly shoved into a toy chest in the corner. The room was illuminated by an emerald green light spilling out from a nearby window and there was an unnerving lack of straight lines and symmetry. He turned towards the still ringing alarm clock, resisting the urge to hold his hands against the side of his head. The clock then began bounding, and walking out of the room, still letting out a shrill ringing that gave Sam a headache.

As the clock walked out he saw two feet walk into the door frame. He looked up and saw a figure standing in front of him wearing an apron and holding a tray of green eggs and ham, seemingly offering them to Sam. Its face was obscured by a space themed mobile in front of the figure, but deep down in his gut he could tell who it was. “…Mom?…” he breathed out apprehensively, suddenly feeling gravity shift as he began to float into the air. He tried to peek around the mobile, trying to just get the smallest idea of what his mother looked like but she turned and began running, laughing joyously but it seemed more mocking in this context. Sam moved any limb he could, trying to get closer to his mother but was always kept so tantalizingly close yet so far away. He couldn’t touch her, he couldn’t hug her to make sure she was real, he couldn't see her face. No, there was absolutely nothing for him to do but to yell for his mother, praying she could hear him and just turn around, please for the love of Seuss just turn around. No matter how hard he screamed she just kept laughing, taunting him with how happy she was without him, ignoring how tormented he felt alone.

As he kept screaming the hallway shifted, the walls seeming to melt away like wax, the wallpaper peeling away to reveal a musty abandoned smell. His mother went into the green void at the end of the hallway, fading away almost as if she went into fog. Suddenly gravity switched on again causing him to fall down into the mist, sliding down a railing of an unseen staircase so fast his hat almost flew away. All that surrounded him was that green misty vacuum that muffled his screams to the point he couldn’t tell if he was even making audible noise. Without warning the railing stopped causing him to fall beneath the fog, flailing as tears streamed down his face with broken sobs. He thought he could smell fire, smoke…ham.

The fall became less harsh, almost like a parachute was causing resistance as he was dropped into a highchair. When he blinked he could see a green egg on a spatula, hanging dangerously off the edge. He wondered for a moment how it didn’t fall. He could see his mother holding the spatula towards him, offering the egg that was once again keeping him from seeing her face.

“Here Sam, try them.”

“Sam?”

“Sam.”

“Sam!”

He could feel nudging on his shoulder as he heard Guy yell to wake him up. Sam's eyes shot open, he was breathing heavily and his fur was slightly damp with sweat and tears. “Sam are you alright?” Guy said, sitting awfully close to him, his face caked with worry. Sam continued to catch his breath for a moment before he responded. “Y..yeah yeah…just uh…just a nightmare.” He said with an awkward cough before turning towards the window. “Do you…get those often?” Guy inquired, hovering his hand in the air above Sam's shoulder as if he was deciding if he should comfort him or not. Sam shrugged. “Enough to where they’re not that big of a deal anymore.” He replied, staring deep into the glass. Guy decided against touching Sam, laying his hand in his lap. “Well…we’re almost there. Are you feeling well enough to eat?” Sam turned to Guy who had a small smile on his wrinkled face. “I hear that green eggs and ham are really good on a blimp.”

Sam chuckled and gave a small nod. “Yeah…I guess I could eat.”

Sam followed Guy towards the front of the blimp, wiping the edges of his eyes to get all the crust out. Guy glanced back at Sam everyonce and awhile before they sat down at a booth, the waiter putting a booster seat down for Sam. Sam considered the menu for a moment before ordering what you’d expect. “You're not hungry, Guy?”

“No, me and E.B. ate breakfast a while ago.” Sam nodded and glanced down at the table.

“Do you know how far we are from East Flubria?” Sam questioned, drumming the table quietly to occupy his hands.

“Can’t be long now. These things can move around a million zillometers an hour, it's really impressive actually. The fact this blimp is so large yet can move so fast is a technological marvel!”

Sam smiled seeing Guy geek out over machines, it was a clear passion of his.

“Oh please, I bet you could build something way better than this in no time. Your mind is a marvel within itself.” Sam spoke without really thinking, maybe he should’ve asked for some tea with his breakfast; his mind was still a little foggy.

Guys cheeks seemed a slightly brighter orange then they usually were, maybe it was his sleepy brain pulling tricks on him. Guy cleared his throat a little before responding.

“Uhm..well uh…thank you, Sam.”

“It's nothing. I’m sure you get that all the time from Michellee.” Sam gave a cheeky wink and a slight wiggle of his brows.

Guy shifted his gaze away from Sam as he let out a soft ‘yeah’ though he didn’t seem particularly excited about it.

“She does compliment your skills right? Cus they’re undeniable.” Guy scoffed at this notion.

“The skill to make everything blow up?”

“Guy. Not everything you make blows up.”

“Really? Name one of my inventions that hasn’t exploded.”

“The tree house.” Sam said without hesitation.

“…that doesn’t count.” Guy grumbled.

“C’mon Guy you got to be kidding me! That thing is incredible! What do you mean it doesn’t count?”

“It…just doesn’t.”

“You’re just finding ways to ignore the success’ so you can focus on the mistakes Guy.”

“I can’t keep riding on highs from my pre-teen years Sam. I’ve been inventing my whole life and the only thing I have to show for it now is a pile of ash, mountains of bills and wrinkles before 30.”

Sam was catching the drift that this was stressing Guy out, which wasn’t his intention in the slightest. Time to change the subject. “Right…how’ve things been going around the house? You and E.B. getting on well?” Guy shrugged in response, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought.

“I suppose. I don’t really know what she thinks of me. I mean I’m not sure how I’d feel if my mom’s new boyfriend moved in.”

“What about you and Michellee?” Guy froze for a moment.

“We’re…fine.”

“Just fine?”

“I mean not just fine, it’s…it’s weird. She’s a great woman but sometimes…” Guy sighed and slouched slightly in his chair. “Sometimes I feel like I’m just holding her back…”

“Guy…” Sam leaned forward and gently rested his hand on Guy’s, though he needed to crawl almost entirely onto the table to reach him. “You’re not holding anyone back. You’re not a burden on anyone.” He said trying to be as genuine as he could but the held back snickers from Guy was keeping him distracted.

“Sorry, sorry.” He said while holding his free hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. “You just look so ridiculous on the table like that.”

“Wow, Guy. I’m trying to be nice and you’re laughing at my poor stature. So cruel.” Sam said while tutting and shaking his head. He was unconsciously smiling hearing Guy laugh, it was such a rare sound to hear from the knox.

[asterjennifer]

© @bloodvanessa on Tumblr

Flawed

Fandom: Mystic Messenger

Pairing: SE Saeran x Reader

Category: Angst

Warnings: Arguing, Codependency

Word count: 2891

Author's Note: The Mystictober really drained me out lol. Guys I got your stuff saved up! But at this point idk what I'm doing for the time being shshs I'm just braindead-

Summary: As messy as it can be; there are moments bringing clarity to the surface.

It's just that it takes some communication for that to happen successfully.

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“So..” She put her hands on her hips, the probable plan more than obvious. “You thought I don't know what's going on?”

He dodged her large-scale assessment, especially when taking hold at his body. Shame crept secretly between the door and the room as if he's forced to ask for it leave despite the stubbornness of standing its ground at the most unpleasant time.

Her jaw tense, she decided to first wait for his explanation before busting through the roof unjustified like it happened before. She's willing to understand the circumstances that caused habitual changes in the first place. Her wrinkle free stare glooming through the room must've been imitating like nothing else managed.

He let his head drop down into the palm of his burning, pale hand. Red strands of hair trapped in between reminding him how she started nagging at him to use the conditioner for the love of its texture. She touched it more often when feeling soft, therefore he tried remembering making use of the product he found unnecessary.

They didn't know where they stood; what the place was called they lived in. If it's home or just a hypocritical temptation of pretending it to be their place to spend their time in. He suffocated casually ableit regularly at a daily basis. She didn't seem to share the thin oxygen cut short whenever the slightest shift took place.

It's so familiar to her, he thought bitter. Like she couldn't afford even acknowledging the rather unpleasant atmosphere given the ridiculous amount of fear controlling her heart. Too many times and by now she's able to sense when he just pulls that cursed suitcase from the wardrobe.

He already knew the magnitude he had evoked once again, although he tried to avoid or at least reduce it. Regardless how much conflict filled the hours, it appeared to be an endless circle neither of them had the strength of leaving behind. With the difference he at least held the truth in front of his eyes by reminding himself of the flaws in between while she refused violently.

“It's the same as always,” He muttered back at her. “I want to leave and I'm gonna do it this time.” They stayed silent for way too long, his fingertips freezed down in the meantime. He'd knew she would throw the door shut when claiming to leave.

He closed his eyes to avoid the echo giving him an headache and instead grabbed one of the prepared shirts and stuffed it into the suitcase. Not the very first time for that to happen, yet every single occasion left the same anxious scars behind. He should've known she'd catch his wrist when continuing to pack up.

He sighed to himself as her nails slightly scratched his senstive skin. “Really?” She sounded almost shocked. “Again..? What have I done this time? Or what thought told you to fuck off..” As if she's seeing the depths of his mind, probably due to him spilling way too many secrets kept inside to prevent them from spilling over.

His attempt to pull away from her grip ended in vain; not because he's physically weaker than her. Simply because he's having no heart to actually hurt her that way. “We aren't good and you know it.”

His knees hurt from kneeling in the same position for ages, yet he kept his body still. Her hand loosened up occasionally, letting him know how torn she must've felt herself. “After all this work.. You keep thinking that we can't be together. Seriously..?” She's offended and it's her right.

At least in his eyes. He shook his head, turing his body to the side to find her standing taller than him. She just had taken a shower; hair still wet and curly at the ends. The water drops running down her neck, over her collarbone to let the evening sun reflect the orange light outside. She shivered when only covered in her towel and her lower lip colored blueish given the wamrth of the room's gone.

She's so very pretty, he found himself admiring her full being even though her eyes shot stares possessed with venom. He could've wondered how she heard him sneaking out of the living room into the bedroom to get his suitcase packed up yet again. However, knowing his lover, it's no surprise she's used to picking up signals.

He swallowed the thick lump blocking his throat. “It's useless.” She noticed him avoiding her after letting his eyes wander to the other side of the room. “Don't start the whining again, I'm leaving.”

She inhaled sharp, the same impact like she's smacked his face with the flat hand. Funny enough that she has never been once violent with him before. The pain he caused her despite his best efforts preventing her heart from aching let him feel guilty to the bone, every time a little bit more. She stood there at odds, stunned, even if it wasn't the first time the two had had such a conversation.

The grip around his arm suddenly disappeared, leaving him to cool off against his will even further. She pulled the hand to the towel covering her body, digging the same nails now into the wet fabric. “Is that so?” She asked, hissed if anything.

“Well… if even my words don't mean anything anymore then I guess I can't stop you.” That's new.

His head shot up by the words he'd never received before. Normally it's expected for her to either throw a tantrum and point out just how much shit they went through together; that it's wasted potential if they broke up now. And if she didn't use that argument, she would declare her love and need for his presence until it make his knees weak. That one ended mostly in a sleepless night for the both of them.

She met his confusion, eyes narrowing at his reaction. “What?!” Her defensive made her snap out, hair falling gently over her shoulder in contrast. “You wanna leave? Then go already. It's not like my words will change anything.”

The way she rolled her eyes had his body paralyzed. That's nothing he'd dealt with in the entire relationship, neither in theirs nor in any he shared before. It's overwhelming to hear the person you hold deep meaning and love for agree to your idea to abandon everything. It caught him so off guard he couldn't think for a slow motion moment.

Her bare feet on the floor caused the spot to stay wet, the longer she stood in the door frame the more water hit the ground. Although she'd been telling him to leave, her actions were contradicting exactly that. Was it a sign? He almost begged for it in the back of his head. His hand lifted in hesitation, should he truly complete packing his stuff?

After crossing her arms, her left index finger tapped in rhythm against her soft skin. Like a counter of some sort; showing the long seconds he's referring from doing what he's supposed to finish. He looked up to her, seeking any answer in her facial expression. That's when she raised an eyebrow at him. Motherly behavior, or at least what he imagined would it be like. She gritted her teeth at his slow pace.

“What are you waiting for!?” It should've been a question, however, it ended as an accusation. “Go, put everything in that fucking suitcase so I can lock the door once you're out.” She waved her hand at him in a «be gone already» manner.

Resembling a kicked puppy after chewing the sofa, he just gazed at her with wide, blue eyes. Was she that done? Finally had enough of his bullshit and the hurt that never died down thanks to his absurd personality? Was her pain so unbearable by now she's not able to carry on this messed up routine anymore? Did her love for him faded out due to his unreasonable actions?

Endless questions and as it seemed no answers in the near future. His heart contracted dangerously quick, taking away the ability to breathe correctly. His lips parted in panic, not a single noise fell out though. Awkward, he pressed them shut as he's scared of the next move being the one crossing the line once and for all.

Her shoulders tensed harder, helping him tear from the trance. “You— You are fine with that now?” The words left before he's aware what he's saying to her.

Her left eye twitched. With uncertainty? With anger? Out of frustration? Now when he needed it most he couldn't read her body language. “Does it matter..?” To the edge filled with poison. “Don't be a scaredy-cat and finally pull through with your shit!”

It would've offended him when speaking to him in such a tone of voice. Right now all he could think about's his heart that's about to bust out his chest. She didn't say she's fine with it; what imprecation held that statement? Countless thoughts made it difficult, almost impossible soothing out his situation to find the best solution. In the end his body reacted first to stand back up.

She followed his motion with her head, not a single change to find in her face. His chest tightened since he's unsure what it meant. “Are you…” He searched for the right words inside the room. “Do you not want me around anymore..?” She huffed immediately.

“Does that really matter?” Same question asked twice that evening. She took a step back to point with her hand to the entrance door of her apartment. “This is what you want; you get it. Where's the issue now!?”

His brows frowned some more. “No,” He refused to take that as an answer and shook his head. “I mean if you are sick of me now.” He's taken aback by the loud, desperate growl killing the silence of the air. She raised her hand and pressed it to her eyes in what looked like annoyance.

He noticed the unobtrusive, fading blue color on her neck he'd left not too long ago. Another strike of guilt. “Why is that important now…” The way she looked at him then sent a cold shower down his spine in weariness. “Get your ass out of my place if you're fed up with me! It shouldn't be of interest to you what I feel!”

“It matters to me..!” He yelled back, hand held with desperation over his heart unconsciously. “Of course it's of interest to me, you think I could take it if you want me gone!?” Another wave of nothingness crashed over their tangled heads.

She blinked surpsied by the sudden outburst on his part; no denying as he had shocked himself a little as well. Her body crouched forward as if to shield herself and it urged him to just grab her for another close embrace. “If you can't take it… why do you do this over and over.”

A justified statement which he couldn't defend. She lowered her head forward; wet hair still tingling against her now dry skin as she let the gears over her mind ratter. “Is it like.. a passtime? Some weird need for you to make me go nuts and plead you don't go!?” Her next questions won on volume.

“What the fuck is this for, then?!” She yelped, walking into his direction until she could push him by the chest. “Do you really enjoy making me scared all the time, to feel better about yourself or something?”

He lost on balance by the pressure, stumbling over the suitcase still spread out on the floor before hitting the wall with the back. “Your fucking ego needs the fragile, paranoid (N) to feel worth of shit!? I'm not a damn doll, Saeran—” He cut her by being the one grabbing her wrist next.

“You know me, don't you?” He pulled her face to face, keeping the eye contact intense as his own burned from getting called out. “Then you should know how fucked up I am! And how I— I can't help but feel insecure!”

She felt a shudder of fear rush through her veins for a brief moment. He reduced his strength a little; enough for her to pull away in case she desired so. However, she let him hold onto her. His strict eyes softened as his voice fell into a whisper. “You are too good for me.” He said what he usually were only brave enough to think.

“Can you guess how much I need that confirmation you feel anything for me that's not repulsion..?” She stiffened in his hand, he could feel it. It made him sigh the heavy breath he'd been holding.

He pressed his teeth together; fire of self-hatred flaming up and bubbling underneath his skin all over again. It made the vision of his become blurry, head falling down as much as possible to hide the shame consuming his emotions. He wasn't good enough for her. It showed by the current position they were in. He wasn't and he couldn't blame anyone beside himself for destroying the one thing he wanted to cherish rightfully.

“But… You're right,” He husked the words in a raw tone, letting loose of her some more. “I should finally fuck off for real.” He admitted the thing he'd been scared of ever since kissing her for the first time at the charity party.

Against all bones in his body screaming at him to do otherwise, he turned around to kneel and keep panicking his suitcase. It has been foreseeable that one day it would fail, yet he wanted to draw out that moment. It seemed hopeless from the very beginning and there he was again; wondering why he let himself get involved with her in the first place instead of walking away.

The weight of the towel being thrown over his head forced a gasp out of his lunges, now he couldn't see anything. “You're so damn lucky I love you.” She grumbled at his ear, closer than suspected.

His heart pulsed in the tips of his ears while she came around to push him back to his butt. Although his vision's gone, the feeling of her body curling up into his let his imagination do the work alone. She placed both hands to his shoulders, forehead touching his neck as she came as close as physically possible. She's even more cold than normally; it made him raise his arms around her out of reflex.

Keeping her warm was one of his everyday jobs for her wellbeing. She'd been the one pulling the damn towel from his head, hitting the floor next to them. She rubbed her cheek to his collar, telling him to also put his legs around her in a cross legged position. Her, completely naked in his hug killed more worries than he wanted to admit.

She was hypothermic, his hands running over her back and spine trembled by her low temperature. “You will get a cold…” Was everything he could offer.

Her hair smelled of the shampoo she used since years; familiar in the most calming sense. Feeling worse for having no selfcontrol, he reached up to play with the curly stands of her hair between his fingertips. “I don't care.” Was all she said.

“But—” Her nails tore on his sweater as a warning. Therefore he shut up. Not wanting to anger her any further. He looked over her shoulder, seeing the little bit of her shape by how near she'd been to him.

She then exhaled low. “If it's damn confirmation you need then ask me..” Her seriousness worried him. “Touch me, yell at me, fight me, fuck me, I don't care what it is. Just don't pretend to leave me..”

Her words chased blush over his cheeks. Too embarrassed to speak he decided to nod at her, luckily that's enough for her to relax in his arms. “Stupid boy.. You're really a pain in the ass sometimes. But I know I'm too so I can't judge.” That made him smirk.

He buried his nose into her hair, wanting to take in more of her sweet scent. “Hmh..” He hummed softly, running his hands up and down in order to heat her somewhat. “Thank you, (N).” Her turn to smile.

She pulled away an inch, hand to his red cheek with a bright look of genuine sympathy in her otherwise grounded eyes which had his knees wobble. “Now be a dear and carry me to the bathroom. I didn't finish showering yet.”

Doing as ordered he picked her up alongside his own body, still a little heavy after what they just went through. The redhead made sure to not stumble over the suitcase a second time and helped her back into the bathroom. Feeling both relived she stopped him from packing; yet ashamed for the blame he carried when it came to her never ending paranoia.

At the end of the day he guessed it's their nature. Or whatever that stopped them from parting ways and find a better path without each other. He's clueless what it could be, but he wasn't in need to find out anyway. Given she'd never leave without him the way he couldn't get by if not having her closure for himself.

[rye-views]

The Bachelor. Season 28. 7.5/10

I would recommend this season to my friends. I wouldn't rewatch this season.

Joey is so respectful, I like him. I liked Maria consoling Lauren about her dad. Nice seeing Demi again. The paint battle seems fun. I enjoyed Jenn's one on one surfing. & the light show was really lovely. Madina is beautiful. I love Rachel's love for dance. I like how Katelyn articulates her empathy. I'm more interested in this old school white limo in Canada than modern limos. Yes, let's get that Filipino representation for hometowns. Tinikling represent! The golden bach ladies are just so lovely, especially Sandra. I truly do love the final two Joey ended up with. I love all the bach alumni at the finale audience. I like Gabby and Rachel being together. I'm actually really glad for Kelsey and Daisy's camaraderie on the last day. I respect Daisy's exit so much. We've truly never seen anything like it. I do love Kelsey's reaction to the proposal. She makes me smile. Let's get it first AA bachelorette.

For intros, how do you tell the producers like I want to enter on a boat? I want to enter like this? Like what's the convo like? When that girl was like I think she has the power to send someone home about Lea's first card, I was like what is this. Squid game: the challenge? Lmaoo. What is up with this KFC branding lol?

I don't love the sippy-poo, smoochy-poo business. Lauren's attitude with this cake is trash and disgusting. Sydney, you liar. You're so dramatic for no reason. We're really making drama out of nothing. I understand Lea about the Madina situation, but I feel like she's being too dramatic about friendship. Like, we all just met recently. We aren't besties. I also don't know if it's the editing, but why is Lea so against Maria? It's like too much.

I don't want anyone hurting Evalin. I feel for Lexi's experience with not being able to have kids. Joey responded so well. It sucks to have you question your worth because of a health issue. Poor Daisy on the engagement day. She's going through the wringer.

Rachel is being too passive about her injury when she's a nurse herself.

I understand Lea's struggle with that steal a date card. I would probably get rid of it too and be like if he's for me, he will be with me regardless of this one date. I would've done the same as Joey when ending things with Jess. The timing wasn't great but it was right. Rachel's family seems to be more heartbroken about her previous breakup than she shows.

The Joey and Chandler name combo does amuse me. Evalin's musical chairs jump is wild. Lmaoo at Edwina's reaction to Sydney in the mrs. right pageant. LOLL at the edit of Sydney thinking she got the rose and is actually going home. Lol at the people at home seeing Sydney's suitcase being taken away. I thought it was amusing when Joey said it feels like he's gonna be executed. The cirque du soleil intro was crazy to me. Jenn's random comments about underwear and getting naked, and so on, what is going on lool? Lol what is this Godfather music for Maria's dad. Like, I get it, but still.

[xphanuel]

So I dropped my phone and haven't had that working for a while for context:

but me, my boyfriend, and our roomates went to a weed festival/ Chris Webby concert in Massachusetts right? I got high as shit in the first hour from some dope samples, spoke to a lot of local growers, and then we found someone who had acid!!! We took it like an hour and a half before the show and when webby started playing we were coming up HARD I only took one tab, I usually take three, but this shit was fucking wild I'm glad we didn't get more lol

This goes down as one of my best trips, rivaling driving to Ohio tripping balls on mushrooms from NY in 2021

Fuck tho his music is so fucking UGH he made a nod to us tripping in one of his songs he gestured to us when mentioning acid, the wind blew differently and the sky cleared up when he played, I fucking love music with psychadelics. The stars were FUCKING AMAZING since we were in the middle of bumble fuck no where in Massachusetts on a mountain in the woods??? Broooo we saw so many shooting stars while tripping. and if you know me, you know I get sentimental about shit burning up in the atmosphere since it happens every fucking time I'm on the right path and am questioning if I am. It answers, everytime I look to the sky, as gay as that sounds. Our buddy ended up not making it that night with the tents so we dead ass slept on the ground in sleeping bags we didn't give a single fuck lol

The concert was seriously amazing tho and I'm so glad I was tripping for my first Webby concert. He played drugs in a suitcase and my little acid brain went APE SHIT swaying side to side, dancing, and cheesing hard. I wish I had my phone to take video but I'm also super fucking glad I didn't have my phone at all. I was in the moment.

It was a good trip, now to look forward to camping in the middle of bumble fuck no where Ohio instead for a week inside a cave. I can't wait to shoot the AK again. I miss shooting. Fuck NJ and their tyrannical gun laws.

Also why are Massachusetts people either the nicest people you've ever met or the biggest jerk offs you've ever met, there's no in between? Like damn y'all are at a weed festival and y'all are still uptight LOL

Regardless shits going okay

Now it's time to drop my sentimental acid jokes without any context.

[mydreamsarejanked]

i love that chise has the energy of a child who secretly brought home a pet and is testing her "parent" to see if they'd be willing to have said pet

[zombimilk]

Otis Driftwood x Reader HC’s

Love this big dirty boy.

CW: Otis is gross; unhealthy relationship, nsfw further into it

Otis usually had no problem with dealing with victims- cute cheerleader or not, he could kill anyone that he needed. So what was different about you?

Maybe it was that when Baby brought you home, you were wearing skimpier clothing than her. Maybe it was the way you sweetly introduced yourself to the family, not any kind of discomfort showing visually on your face. It could have been the way you were so you. But another entirely possible explanation to his interest in you was that you listened to him. You didn’t scream and cry obnoxiously for help- whether it was out of fear, or maybe even out of interest, you listened to his rambling and heard what he had to say.

So he decided to keep you around for a while. 

But if you try to leave he most definitely chained you up somewhere. Most likely his bed. Perhaps with handcuffs or maybe even a collar and leash- if you’re into that. ;)

Soon enough, your small suitcase of clothing is guaranteed to run out of fresh clothing. If he trusts you enough, he’ll let you do your own laundry- if not, he will do it for you (but not without complaining). While waiting for clean clothes, Baby would be more than willing to let you wear some of her cute stuff! 

I think Otis would be very controlling on what he likes you to wear. He picks out the smallest clothing he can find for you to put on. A cropped tank top and little fuzzy shorts that barely fit- he won’t admit it but he loves the way the soft fabric feels against his skin. It doesn’t matter if you have small or big breasts, Otis is definitely a boob guy and probably pretends to forget to bring you a bra to wear. You’re lucky if he even brings you panties. 

He can definitely be an overwhelmingly heartless and aggressive person. He has a habit of bossing you around, ignoring you for hours, and snapping at you. But regardless of his extremely deep rooted flaws, you still find ways that he expresses his feelings for you. Otis will talk to you for hours about his ideologies and thoughts, and even asks you for opinions. He takes inspiration and constructive criticism from you for his ...art.... and sometimes he can’t hold back a smile when your personality shows.

Otis is extremely dominant in bed. He likes you to submit to him. He likes to grip your hair and make you look him in the eyes, so he can see the tears that threaten to spill over (from pleasure of course!... or maybe pain). He likes when you cry out his name, and shake from stimulation. Seeing the effect he has on you is a huge ego boost for him, it brings a big, proud, cocky grin to his face. Although he is rough with you, and he’s most definitely a dirty talker- he also gives you much needed praise during intimate times. He tells you that you’re his, and that you look beautiful underneath him. He compliments your pretty face, and says how he loves when your mascara runs down your cheeks. He also makes it known that he loves your “child-baring hips”- as he would say. 

Possible unpopular opinion: Otis has a breeding kink. LOLS

[darling-i-read-it]

May Queen

Pelle x reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: being indoctored into a cult, murder, suicide, basically the plot of midsommar

Author’s Note: This can be seen as a sequel to ‘Hug’ or it can be read on it’s own!

yeah i was a little excited that you guys wanted this one lol I don’t know if you can tell. I’ve seen this movie enough, it was about time I did something within the events of the film. I also referred to the script so some of the lines will be familiar! I hope you all enjoy!

Requested: by anon, omg your pelle fic wow; would you consider doing a sequel to it that either takes place during the events of the film or just before they arrive at Pelle's commune?

Requested: by anon, I would LOVEEE to see a sequel with pelle cause that was a pretty good fix and I think he deserves a bit more attention, I personally would like to see something happen during the events of the movie just because I think it would be interesting to see but that's just me

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

“You think that Pelle asked you to go just because I’m going?” Dani asked, messing with her fingers. You were standing beside your bed, packing your suitcase slowly. Dani had already packed; she didn’t like to be unprepared.

“I don’t know...maybe he thought you would enjoy yourself more.”

“You’re acting like I’m the one who’s been dating him for these couple of months,” she told you. She was sitting on the bed, looking up at you. You nodded a bit, putting another pile of clothes inside.

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous. Meeting his whole group, going to where he grew up. I mean. I really like him. What if I fuck it up?” She shook her head and reached over to grab your arm. You looked her in the eyes.

“He really likes you. I can’t remember the last time Christian looked at me the way that Pelle looks at you.” Her eyes were honest. It made you feel bad. You should have gotten her to break up with Christian when you got the chance. But it was too late now; you were all going to Sweden.

“I suppose you’re right. Per usual.” She smiled weakly.

“Finish packing.”

=======

Pelle almost wanted to tell you about the whole thing. When he was on the plane, it crossed his mind to let you in on the whole scheme of things. The May Queen, the festival, all of it.

But he bit his tongue. That was tradition.

You arrived in Sweden well and took the trek up to where the first stop was. It was beautiful. Truly, it was stunning.

Pelle held your hand the whole way until you arrived at the first spot. There were people around the grassy hills, scattered around. Pelle got out of the car.

“These are other people from America that my friends have brought!” he exclaimed. He gestured to the many people around. You looked around, gazing at the nice afternoon. He grabbed your arm and started to drag you along.

“Hey, don’t rip it off!” you joked and he eased up.

“Sorry, I’m quite excited!” You smiled sweetly at his happiness.

“Me too!” He approached some people and started to introduce them when a man behind you started to yell. You turned around quickly, surprised at the loud noise. Pelle turned around too and his smile only grew.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said and then ran over to the approaching man. They embraced each other, hugging tightly.

“Everyone, this is my brother Ingemar. Ingemar this is Christian, Dani, Mark, Josh and my girlfriend, Y/N,” Pelle said. Ingemar followed where Pelle pointed, shaking hands with everyone. He paid special attention to you, his smile getting wider. You could tell that he and Pelle were related.

“Nice to meet you all. This is Simon and Connie from London,” he said, gesturing to the others behind him. “Simon and Connie this is Pelle and...all the names I just remembered two seconds ago,” Ingemar said laughing. Simon and Connie said hello. “Perfect timing by the way.”

Ingemar pulled out a bag of mushrooms from his pocket. Your eyes went wide.

“We just took these five minutes ago. Haven’t even started feeling the effects yet,” he explained.

“Oh shit!” Mark said, happily.

“Do you all want to take it now or should we get settled in?” Pelle asked.

“Fuck it, let’s take it now!” Mark said. You weren’t too sure about that. You trusted Pelle and everyone of course but in the new environment...it rubbed you the wrong way. Thankfully, Dani turned to speak to Christian about it.

“I think I want to get settled in first.” Christian was about to speak but you cut him off.

“Me too. You guys go and have fun, we’ll keep each other company,” you said. Pelle turned to you.

“Are you sure? I assure you it’s safe,” he said in a soft voice. You smiled kindly and put a gentle hand on his arm.

“I know! I just wanna get settled. Dani and I can handle ourselves, I promise.” He gave you a longer look, just to check that you were alright and then nodded. You turned back to Dani who grabbed your arm desperately.

“Thank you,” she whispered. You nodded.

“No thank you.”

=====

It wasn’t until the next day, Dani’s birthday, that you were able to get on further. You and Dani played some card games that you had brought with you while you waited for the effects to wear off for everyone else.

Christian came over to sleep beside Dani, still high. Pelle came over to you and braided your hair and then unbraided your hair, making very long sentences that didn’t make sense to whisper in your ear.

But when you arrived at the commune it was bright and sunny. Pelle rushed around, hugging people and introducing you and the group to everyone. You were able to get some blankets to sit on the grass, while everyone got their things together.

There was a group of girls dancing around in circles, wearing all white.

“You should go join,” Pelle suggested, gesturing to you and Dani. She shook her head a bit.

“Oh no, I’m too scared,” Dani said sheepishly. You nodded in agreement.

“Maybe another time.” Christian stood up.

“Hey can I join…” he started turning to Pelle.

“You’re American. Just jam yourself in,” he said. Christian nodded and walked away. “I think I’ll join him,” Simon said and was quickly followed by the rest of the group except you, Pelle and Dani. There was a moment of silence as you watched them go.

“Hey, just real quick,” Pelle said, digging for something in his pocket. He took out two pieces of paper and handed them to you and Dani. You both opened them to reveal gorgeously drawn pictures of yourselves wearing flower crowns. “For you Dani, think of it as a birthday present. For you Y/N, I imagine it’s a thank you present.”

“Oh Pelle,” Dani said. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Thank you for what?” you asked, brushing your finger over it. He smiled and shrugged.

“Just a thank you.”

“Well thank you for it,” you said. “I got Dani a new sweater. Christian forgot.” Pelle raised his eyebrow and you shared a look.

“I forgot to tell him...it’s my fault,” Dani explained. You shook your head.

“I tend to disagree,” you muttered. You folded the picture back up and put it in your pocket. You put your head on Pelle’s shoulders “But I think Christian is rude.”

“Perhaps you are too judgemental,” Pelle mused. “But I tend to agree with you regardless.” You and Dani laughed a bit. “We should probably go and catch up with them in case they get lost.”

=====

You got settled in in one of the large buildings, plenty of beds against the walls. Pelle was on the bed to your right while Dani slept on the one to your left.

“All right, beauty rest! Tomorrow’s a big day!” Pelle announced. You had one of the books you had brought open on your lap but you looked up at him.

“What’s tomorrow?” you asked.

“First of the big cerinomines,” he said mysteriously.

“So you’re just going to be weird and cryptic?” Josh asked, laughing a bit. Pelle pauses and then took Josh's notebook, writing something inside. You made an attempt to look but it was not a word that you recognized.

“What’s that?” Christian questioned. Pelle shrugged and laid down in his bed. You faced him, on the bed beside him.

“What is it?” you whispered to him. He gave you a teasing smile.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“I will come over there and tickle it out of you,” you threatened. He chuckled and turned around so he wasn’t facing you. But he put his arm back behind him, reaching across the space between your two beds.

You grabbed it and rubbed his knuckles anxiously.

=====

There was a very odd breakfast the next day but you tried not to judge. You wanted to really appreciate Pelle’s culture and understand it. He had admired you for your understanding and he knew you would make an effort.

That’s why he chose to love you.

You were the obvious choice.

After that you walked out to a cliffside where most of the people were already out and lined up. You were curious to find complete silence. Everyone was silent as it happened and you were able to do nothing but watch as these two elderly people stood up on top of the cliff.

When the first person, a woman, jumped, you grabbed Pelle, putting your hand in front of your mouth. He grabbed you and wrapped his arms around you but it didn’t change the look of serenity on his face.

Simon was standing next to Ingemar yelling as the man approached the cliffside.

You had your face in Pelle’s arms. You were shaking.

“It is the way of life,” he whispered to you. Simon was still screaming. Another elder was talking to him and you could feel Pelle want to move toward them but he stayed beside you. “It is our way of recycling them and their gifts.”

You pulled away from him and shook your head a bit. You met Dani’s eyes. She wasn’t showing much emotion other than shock. You didn’t blame her.

“They’re dead,” you whispered. He nodded and put his hands on your upper arms.

“And it is an honor to have died that way.” You weren’t sure how to feel. You wanted to be understanding, to try and understand him and his ways. You would want that from him. But he should have prepared you more for that.

You walked over to Dani and walked beside her on the way back to the houses.

=====

“I’m leaving,” Dani said.

“I don’t blame you.” She was already packing a bag. You sat down on your bed, head in your hands. You took a deep breath and leaned back on the bed.

“Are you coming with me?” she asked. Her voice was shaking. She was clearly shaken up by all of this.

“No,” you muttered. “I’m not leaving Pelle yet.”

“Not even after that?” Her voice was quiet but it was urgent. You shook your head a bit.

“I just have to talk to him. He should have warned us more, of course but....it’s what he’s been raised to believe is normal. I don’t think I should think of it as a bad thing.”

“We just watched people die!” You stood up off the bed and put your hands on your upper arms, steading her.

“You can go home and I will not blame you. In the slightest. I just think I should stay longer,” you told her. She nodded solemnly. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils and nodded again.

=====

Before bed that night Pelle approached you. You were standing outside of the bed house, leaning against it to try and clear your thoughts. You almost completely ignored him but in the end you locked eyes with him as he approached.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you adequate warning,” he said sympathetically. He grabbed your hand and held it. “I thought you would understand but I know now that it was wrong of me to assume.” You shook your head quickly.

“I understand it was just...a shock,” you muttered. He nodded and kissed your forehead softly.

“You are completely safe here. I want you to know that.” He looked you in the eyes when he said it. You believed him. You nodded back and gestured to the house.

“Let’s get some shut eye huh? And maybe warn me if we see another person...you know.” You made a slicing gesture across your neck. He laughed gently and nodded, placing a hand on the small of your back and leading you inside.

=====

Dani walked up to you, still distraught but less so. You were standing beside Pelle the next day as he kneeled in front of the ground picking some vegetables. You turned to her as she walked up, ready to handle whatever she was about to throw at you.

“Hey,” you said, taking the step away from Pelle and toward her.

“Hi. Did you see Simon left without Connie?” she asked. You raised an eyebrow and shook your head.

“Seriously? What a dick.” She clearly felt a little bit off put by it so you lowered your voice. “You think it’s weird?” Dani nodded a bit.

“I don’t know...it’s a little weird. They seemed so close.” You nodded. They did seem close.

“I don’t know...something to keep in mind I suppose.” She nodded quickly in agreement.

======

Dinner that night was simple pastries. You were pleased. The last food they had given you wasn’t your kind of taste. You sat between Pelle and Dani again.

“Have you seen Connie?” Dani asked you quietly. You shook your head.

“Excuse me but I know what happened,” a man sitting beside Mark said. “Her boyfriend called the landline from the train station. She begged us to drive her so we took her down to the station.” You nodded slowly, glancing at Pelle. He shrugged, seemingly in agreement.

“Why would Simon leave without her?” you asked quietly.

“I can see you doing that,” Dani muttered at Christian. You wanted to laugh so you turned to Pelle, sneaking a smile. He shrugged with a smile on his face also.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Christian asked.

“Nevermind.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Pelle said quietly, so only you could hear. You ate a bite of the pastry proudly.

“You’re damn right.”

======

One of the important books was stolen that night. They announced it at breakfast.

“Where is your friend Josh?” one of the elders asked, after breakfast. You, Christian, Dani and Pelle all stood in front of the two elders, caught like a deer in headlights.

“I know. We have no idea,” Christian said.

“He and your other friend disappear in the same day. You understand how that looks.”

“Yes obviously, but we swear to you we are not a part of this,” Christian said. Dani shuffled a bit.

“We did see Mark go off with one of the girls last night,” she said.

“Which girl?”

“Inga,” Pelle said.

“But Mark wouldn’t have done this. Josh, though, he came to bed with us, and when we woke up, he was gone. And if he did take that book, I just pray you understand we do not identify as friends of his, or collaborators, or anything. I certainly don't vouch for him and we'd be so embarrassed to be connected to this in any way,” Christian explained.

“I feel responsible,” Pelle said. The elders nodded a bit.

“Well you and Odd can go looking. Perhaps you can redeem them,” one of the elders said. You didn’t want Pelle to leave. You didn’t like it when you were separated here. You believed him when he said you were safe but...it was still a little odd. “You two will be going with the women for the day’s activity,” he said to you and Dani. “And Siv asks to see you in her house,” she said to Christian.

You glanced at Pelle as he left. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, almost saying ‘do well!’.

=====

You and Dani got dressed in white shirts with flower crowns. It made you a tad bit nervous but at least you had her.

She gestured to the drink they were handing out. Cups had been given to both of you to drink it.

“Can I ask what’s in this?” Dani asked one of the girls.

“It’s...tea for the dancing competition.” You raised an eyebrow but took a glass anyway. Dani looked back at you and you shrugged.

“I’ll beat you,” you muttered.

“Try me.”

You both took drinks of the tea.

Your head became fuzzy the second it hit your throat. You hadn’t taken those drugs before hand and you almost didn’t want to do it now but it was already done. Your feet were moving along with the girls, tossing bodies left and right it felt like.

You lost sight of Dani very quickly.

You were running and jumping and laughing until the elder lady yelled to stop then you kept dancing.

Dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing.

Dancing.

It seemed to go on forever. Your mind was hazed, your head hurt, your glances were so quick they gave you whiplash. You were smiling brightly when they announced they were down to the final eight. You finally saw Dani again, in the eight with you.

All of the fallen dancers had sat off on the side. You saw Christian, looking hilariously out of place. And Pelle.

Your heart swelled with love for Pelle. You could barely know anything else for a moment as you stared at him.

You couldn’t see it but in that moment, Dani believed she learned how much she hated Christian.

Then more dancing.

People were speaking and then it was just you and Dani, holding hands, dancing around in a circle, tired and out of breath. She stared at you and a smile went over her face as she held your hand.

And then she tripped. You stopped dancing and someone ran up to you, putting their hands on your shoulder.

“It’s over?” you asked.

“You are our May Queen!” they yelled. You were still hazzed. Each face looked the same. The people running up to you were strangers but you felt nothing but warmth for them. They placed a different flower crown atop your head.

Pelle ran up to you smiling brightly.

“Wow! May Queen, my love!” he said, giving you a strong kiss, both his hands resting on your cheeks. You were smiling brightly and then he was gone. You didn’t want him to go.

They carried you on a platform to a dinner table where you sat at the head, Dani beside you and Pelle on the other side as usual.

One of the elders stood at the end of the dinner.

“Now it is traditional for the May Queen to bless our crops and livestock. And after the luck you just inherited from that salt herring, we should all be doubly encouraged.” You looked around nervously.

“Can Pelle come with me?”

“No. The Queen must ride alone.”

You were starting to come to your own and realize how crazy this all was. How did you get here? How would you get out of here? You found yourself hoping you didn’t get out of here though. This felt like home. Some form of home. As you walked to the carriage you saw a glimpse of the pride on Pelle’s face.

It made you immensely happy.

======

They made you do a ritual in Swedish and you did your best with the limited knowledge of the language you knew. You went to Siv’s house, where she blessed you. You wondered where Dani was. You hoped she was alright. You should have let her become the May Queen. You should have let her win, just so you knew she was alright.

The women left you alone for only a moment where they ushered Pelle into the house with all of the beds where you were. He was still smiling that bright smile as he rushed up to you, hugging you tightly to him.

“You have no idea the amount of honor and pride you have brought to me. I am so very proud of you,” he said, cupping your cheeks. You tried not to get too flustered with your smile in return.

“So I get my picture up on that wall?” you questioned. He nodded pleasantly.

“Yes you will!” He kissed you passionately and you let him, allowing him to dip you a bit. “And you will be allowed to stay here, with the family.”

You didn’t even react. You didn’t feel the need to.

“With you?”

“Yes of course. You will be mine and I will be yours.”

You nodded happily.

“Where is Dani?” you asked.

“She is alright, she’s with the other women preparing. She is also going to stay.” You wanted to laugh of joy with that. “It is time for the final of the ceremonies,” he told you. “You will finally be able to give Christian what you think he deserves, if you wish it.”

He placed an even larger flower crown atop your head.

“And a dress as well, to fit a Queen.”

He gestured to the large flower dress in the room you hadn’t even noticed. He kissed you once more.

“It is time for the final ceremony. I’ll help you put on the dress. Are you ready?” he asked. He looked at you patiently. You nodded.

“Yes, I am.”