#(the silhouette in the corner is an OC lol)

[maideninorange]

Warm-up/art style study as I try to figure out how these tiny aliens should be drawn.

Why is he so round...

[cookie-crumblr]

Lucky

Shy M!Reader x F!Yandere OC

Part 1~

Her Info: 🪓

Next Part>>>

!!!MINORS DNI!!!

CW: M! Reader, Reader has a penis, Reader referred to as he/him, psychological horror/trauma, reader is on meds for night terrors, blood, implied sh on FL, oral on M!, explicit language, partial handjob on M!, exhibitionism, non con cumplay, reader voms(not described), overstim, not proofread.

song rec: Personal Pornstar by Bludnymph <3 (lol it’s not the MOST fitting for this part, but i had it on replay for like 5 days and it’s def playing in Lucy’s lil head too)

anything in red reader isn’t aware of.

~

Your room is pitch black in a block wide black out and something… Smells off? There’s a rusty tang in the air. You try to close your eyes anyway. It’s just your imagination. It’s always just your imagination. That’s what they’ve always told you.

Why does your room always smell metallic?

It’s fake.

It’s not real.

Sometimes when you close your eyes your walls are bleeding, and sometimes there’s a woman crying blood above you on your bed… Sometimes, someone’s standing in the corner of the room with an axe, and that’s the one that really makes your heart beat loud, yet you have no idea why.

It’s just your night terrors.

That’s what the meds are for.

You reach around in the dark, fingertips tap against the pressed wood table, and slip down to find the knob. Before you can even pull it out-

*Creak*

You freeze.

A footstep down the hall draws your eyes to your doorway adjacent. You can’t see shit, but you know the door’s there. And wide open.

*Creak*

You’re breathing through your mouth as silently as you can, listening for anything other than-

*Creak*

It’s a night terror.

You’re asleep right now. or hallucinating while half asleep.

That’s all it is.

~

She’s standing just down the hall.

She feels like dancing, she’s really in your appartment!! and you’re in here! She can hardly contain herself!

If you saw who she was, instead of just a dark silhouette, you’d recognize her. She went to the same school as you growing up. She goes to your college now. And she’s always just been, around.

Lucy is really cute! and has a lot of the same interests from what you’ve gathered… She’s just extremely shy, so when you try to actually talk to her she either whispers, or just “eeep’s!” and runs away. She’s a trust fund baby. For one reason or another you never perused her, not that you never thought about what’s under her clothes, or wanted to get to know her more.

And now, she’s in your apartment, like she is most nights since the first day she saw you. Well in the beginning she was going into your parents house. Now that you’re all on your own, she gets free reign of your apartment.

She’s been getting bolder.

You pop a med and close your eyes.

The last time she was in your room she checked your browsing history, and found some porn that must’ve interested you!

She’d look again today, but she got carried away in her fantasies and cut the wires down the road!

~

You have at least one responsibility every day, but your college days only take up about 3 hours. So it isn’t that bad… You sigh.

When you get dressed, and pull a shirt from under your bed, something rolls out with it over the woodgrains…

Is that…

A glass bottle, about the length of your hand, full of blood??

You gag.

How did this get here!?

Maybe, you think, it was just here when you moved in! yeah… That’s probably it…

You end up throwing up into the toilet and throwing the bottle into a trash bag and immediately taking it out.

~

Lucy is already in class, she isn’t looking as giddy as normal. She’s glaring daggers straight ahead, not really looking at anything that you can see.

“Hey Lucy! you alright?” you wave gently.

“Y/N!” She peeps! “H-hey! Um, yup! I’m just a little sleepy today! sall…” She fakes a yawn and stretches, bringing her arms up over her head. Her very full chest bobbles as she does.

You sit next to her and she shakes for a second. “You sure that’s all?”

“Mhm!” She confirms.

“Okay, I won’t press you but i’m here if you need to talk”

“Th-thank you” She says as she shudders.

She’s always a little strange, but she’s nice, and probably means well.

“H-Hey Y-Y/N…” she audibly swallows.

“Hm?” You respond right before she puts her hand on your thigh, and even though the professor isn’t in yet, she’s staring straight at the board. her pale face already as red as a strawberry.

You look down, surprised, and back up, and down again.

Your pants feel tighter it’s unfair. All she had to do was touch you in one little spot so close to where you really need attention, but so agonizingly far.

You were never really friends, so there’s nothing there to ruin… If this is what she wants. She’s probably just messing with you anyway.

Even her ears are red, she has her orange hair over her other shoulder. giving you full view of the couple freckles that spot her neck.

Her hand glides over your lap until her hand has climbed Mt.YourPants and is now pressing down rubbing almost painfully through the fabric against you.

You put the back of your hand to her bare thigh and feel her jump, with a cute “ee!” Slowly you flip it over, caressing her with just the tips of your fingers. She shudders.

You press your palm flat against her skin, she’s soft and warm. Even her thighs have a few freckles. Slowly you slide your hand under the hem of her skirt, you pass over the jagged feeling of a long cut healing, and further up there’s a lot of big bandages.

“A-are you alr—”

“It’s nothing!” She assures you, but it doesn’t settle the feeling in your gut that something is off. She takes your hand shakily and puts it on your desk.

Immediately following, her hand moves back to your thigh and creeps back into place at your center.

You kinda forget about what just happened.

Her nails have little hand painted angel wings over pale pink polish. She’s so cute.

Your still half-hard dick against the fabric is really uncomfortable. She can’t be planning on taking it too far since you’re in class, so you try to relax a little, and you think this is probably the extent of it.

She turns in her seat, placing her other hand in your lap, and is now unzipping and unbuttoning your pants. You jump up a little and shoo her hands away. Your head frantically swivels around the room before turning back to her, “Lucy!” You hiss, “We can’t do that here!” Your face is hot.

“Why not…? I’ve seen people do it before.” She tries to match your volume, still just barely above her usual whisper.

“What!? Here!?” you feel bad that she even had to witness something like that!!

“You know what else i’ve seen…” The words exit her mouth ominously, and her face deepens a shade.

You gulp…. Do you wanna know? “Wh-what?”

She gets up, and scoots her chair back a little…

Then she climbs under the shared desk and gets in front of your legs.

“Wh-What are you doing!! Lucy!!” You try to keep your voice down, but you can’t help but raise it in a slightly higher pitch.

“What?… Do you not—I really want to… Please Y/N?” she looks down, her big brown doe eyes looking away sheepishly.

Your dick twitches. Her cleavage is on display just below you, and presses against your legs. She’s practically begging to play with your cock. But if you get caught… You gulp yet again.

Your brows are hiked up in worry, eyes locked on her chest and how red even they’re getting. “O-kay Lucy… B-but please be careful!” You cannot believe what you’re letting her do.. In class!!! Your dick must be talking for you.

Eyes now alight with pure joy and excitement, she opens your jeans and gets your cock out.

Your tip was really getting irritated in there! It feels instantly better even though it’s a little too cool— “Haaaah!!” She wraps both her hands around the base of you, fingers interlocked. She definitely doesn’t know what she’s doing, but you appreciate her enthusiasm.

Her thumbs massage the underside of your length, it isn’t too bad. They come up under your tip and press teasingly against it. She scooches even closer burrowing her way between your spreading legs. You slouch more in your chair, head resting on your thumb and finger as you try and look nonchalant.

She finally brings her hands up all the way and rubs them over your head. You aren’t looking so when you feel her hot breath on you, you can’t help but jump!

She kitten licks you first, just savoring your flavor, you think you feel her kiss your dick before you feel yourself get swallowed up entirely. She gags on you, so you reach under the table and place your hand on her soft hair. “Please, Lucy… Be quiet…” You start to shudder, her throat contracts around you and she’s sucking you so hard by the time she pulls back.

She’s eagerly licking up your pre and you even hear her slurp, it’s so hot, but someone is definitely gonna hear! “Mmmm!” She moans around you.

You look around and almost everyone has earbuds in. You sigh in relief and your dick starts to pulse and twitch more and more in her warm mouth. You almost let go in that moment, but it feels so good, you don’t want it to end.

Her tongue is flat against you and licks your underside. She keeps running it over your head, and teasing your slit and when she pulls away she sucks even harder, everytime you almost “Ooo” out loud, but you try to hold it in.

You hear her moan again and can’t keep it in this time, “Hnnng!” You shoot your load into her, which she seems to keep in her mouth…

She takes some onto her fingers from her mouth before swallowing the rest.

You feel her wrap her lips tightly around your softening, leaking dick again and knee the table in surprise. “Mm!”

“Okay Lu-Lucy!” You pat her head to tap out, but she keeps going. Your stomach flutters from overstimulation.

Your dick re-hardens without pressure building up, you just feel the excess of pleasure around you.

She presses her fingers against her tight pussy and rubs while she continues to suck all the soul out of your body.

She’s whimpering and shaking now, you imagine she’s fingering herself… You want to look.

You slouch further in your seat so that there’s a slit between the table and your body that you can see your dick completely swallowed up by a shuddering girl.

Her face is hungrily pressed against you, “mm!” her whimpers continue to vibrate around you, when is the last time someone’s been this enthusiastic about your dick?

You see her arm violently moving as she fingers herself with your cum.

She can barely fit two of her little fingers in her tight pussy, it’s such a stretch for her… And she’s imagining your dick inside her! Oh she really can’t stand it! The thought of you stretching her instead of her stupid little fingers.

“Mm!!” You watch her twitch and then settle, but she keeps sucking on you, it’s getting to be too much for you, you don’t understand this sensation, you already came, but you’re still hard and feeling extremely hot.

“Lucy…” you plead. You aren’t even worried about the other people in the room but your getting fatigued.

She pulls off of you with a small *pop* “S-s-sorry… Y/N… Hah… I g-got carried away…” She looks down, filled with guilt.

You find her chin with your hand and pull her face to look up at you. Your dick twitches between you two, and you feel embarrassed for a second as if she wasn’t just sucking the life out of you. “come back up here please,” You smile at her.

As she climbs back up her seat, you fix yourself, and the professor walks in.

From Cookie!

Lemme know how i did! this is my first ever x M! so i hope i can get better and make more!!! 🙈✨

[jojo-schmo]

I’m looking into making my own Kirbysona. I was wondering if you have any tips??

you don’t have to answer! Also I love your art and your AU is awesome :)

Hello! Thank you so much for the kind words! <3 I'd be happy to share some of my thought process behind creating my bubble-blowing baby, Ripple Fairy Kirbysona! I will always cheer on the existence of more Kirbysonas! :D

I had a Kirbysona in childhood that was just a little puffball, like Kirby- and she looked like this :D I loved the Star Rod, the Beam Kirby hat was my favorite, I just finished playing Kirby 64 so I added some Crystal Shards to the hat, and I slapped on my favorite colors. Bam! I'd draw her in the margins of my notebooks, interacting with other Kirby characters in little stories I'd write... Great fun!

But now as an adult posting my work online, I wanted something that felt more like "me," as opposed to an OC that felt like someone else. A direct extension of myself to interact with the characters I love, as well as characters and sonas of other creators in our Kirby corner over here! Like a gaming avatar! But in a series with so many different species and characters, where to start?!

Step 1: THERE ARE NO RULES. BE CRINGE AND BE FREE!!

The important thing is to have fun! You can choose to confine yourself to the rules of the Kirby universe, or just make something up! The important part is that a sona represents you!

These are the thoughts that went through my head, but it's not the only way to make a sona! If you follow what your heart is saying and not what you think others want to see, you'll find a design that feels like you!

Step 2: Ask some basic questions to establish a design direction.

These are the questions I asked myself during the creation process, but your questions can be different! This is just how I set up my rough plan of creation.

Sonas don't need to look like you or be named after you irl if you don't want! But in order to feel like "me," I decided on something that shared a lot of my actual physical traits. For me personally, if the sona didn't look a lot like me, I would always have a disconnect with it. I also settled on the name "Jojo" quickly because that's my actual nickname, part of my username, and I respond quickly to it.

From there, answering the other design questions I had came quickly after that!

Step 3: Settle on a species.

I went with a Ripple Star Fairy in the end because 1) They're adorable and I love their cute wings, hair ribbons/accessories, 2) They're shown as adults, which is perfect because I am one lol, 3) Look human enough for me to relate to while still having a lot of freedom to make up powers, lore, and design traits, and 4) Ripple Fairies deserve some love hahaha

Side note: if you can't decide on a species, throw the rules out the window! Be a shapeshifter. Or have multiple forms for no reason. Be a combination penguin/puffball knight/human/waddle dee born from the cosmos!! Refer to step 1, there are no rules! Hit your sona with a Waddle Dee beam whenever you want!!

Step 4: Design yourself, superstar!!

I brainstormed with a page of sketches and tried a bunch of different variations of a Ripple Fairy with different hairstyles and outfits, (I need to find that sketch page) but I eventually settled on these concepts!

I wear braids almost every day, so I added that. Ripple Fairies in canon all have cute hair accessories, so I made sure to tie off the braid with a little ribbon!

Also my hair in real life does this "devil horn thing" that is one of my favorite things about myself. Like I have these baby hairs on the sides of my head that love to curl upwards on their own, so I kept the "devil horn" silhouette with the braid's bangs :D

ALSO, I LOVE BOW TIES. SO MUCH. I love shirts, dresses, anything with a bow on the collar. So I added that.

I have this black coat with a sailor-like collar IRL that I love. I feel SUPER DUPER AWESOME when I wear it, so I added the collar with the bow tie.

I added buttons, a stripe along the bottom of the dress and sleeves, and gauntlets because a lot of canon Ripple Fairies have them. My college marching band uniform also had big gauntlets that I felt really cool wearing, so I shaped mine like that! And clothes with scalloped hems are my favorites, so I added one as a unique twist to my dress!

Now for the fun magic stuff. I wanted my powers to be connected to bubbles because I just think bubbles are neat!!! Simple as that haha.

So how am I going to blow bubbles, then? I'll need a bubble wand! How about a weapon that can change forms to be pocket-sized and functional, AND a super cool staff? Because I think staffs are SICK. I'd carry one around all the time if I could.

I got a little sentimental with my design too, borrowing some elements from my childhood Kirbysona like the Star Rod, stripes, ribbons, and diamond shapes. It's one of my favorite details because I like paying homage to the baby Jojo I once was as often as I can.

I added a little bit of red to the IRL brown color that my hair and eyes are (added more red to my eyes because I always felt like my brown eyes were boring lol). I finished off the theme with my favorite color blue, a little bit of yellow to complement, and BAM! There I am, Gary! There I am!!

Jojo The Schmo was born! She is me, and I am her, haha. Everything about the design has aspects that mean something special to me. I wanted to keep things unique and fun, but simple enough to draw over and over, while still representing me. And that's why I love my sona so so much!!

Hope this could provide some helpful insight! Go forth and create your unique and wonderful sonas!! When you're done we should all have a picnic together in Dreamland. <3

[biffhofosho]

What's Wrong with Director Ortega? | Part One

Fandom: Monsta X

Genre: Smut, natch

Word Count: uh, 18k this part

Pairing: OT7 x OC

Synopsis: In the tallest tower in the city of Seoul, there is a corporate kingdom whose empire stretches around the world. It is ruled by seven vice chairmen, all of whom lord over their own little departmental fiefdoms. With so many different ruling styles, they don’t have much in common save for the one director they can’t live without. Unfortunately for Director Ortega, heavy is the head who wears that crown. Seven demanding bosses and no time for herself forces her to reconsider what she wants out of life, which may just be the thing to force the self-proclaimed Kings of Seoul to reconsider what they want from her…

The Vibe: Reverse harem, ultra-competitive, CEOs, rich and spoiled men, monstas at odds, professional-to-a-fault and overworked and overextended OC who finally decides it’s time to put herself first, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone, harsh awakenings, noraebang, goldilocks implications, atypical biffhofosho ending :D

A/N: OH MY GOD THE EDITING TOOK ME SOOOO MUCH LONGER THAN I ANTICIPATED. First of all, I realized only on edit that the first part is 808974893759874 times longer than the other parts, but there's just so much that needed to be set up... Also, low key I had so much fun writing it. But it's FINE. I can post on this most holy of days! HAPPY FREEDOM DAY, BABY WONHO. THANK YOU FOR COMING HOME TO US.

Obviously inspired by What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?, but reverse harem and smutty af. Also inspired by the business tycoon playboy Fatal Love photoshoot because holy fuck, did that bring me to my knees. Though I’ve been a mbb since 2016, Fatal Love was the first album I actually bought (because I’d finally figured out how to buy overseas by then lol), and when I opened version 3, this was the FIRST thing that got lodged in my mind. Like a popcorn kernel, it had to be worked out slowly, over time, but after months of watching cheesy, soapy Chinese minidramas, I got the swift kick in the butt to finish my CEO smutfest. Enjoy!

Special thank you shout-out to my love, @starlightfantasy, without whom this chapter wouldn't have been nearly so lively or authentic.

Cvr | 01 |

“As always, Director Ortega, impeccable work. You may go.”

“Very good, sir,” came her customary reply. “Don’t forget that you have dinner with Chairman Matsuda of Aeon tonight at the Phoenix. I have already prepared a gift and left it with Secretary Kwon. Be sure to take it when you leave today.”

“You won’t be joining?”

She lowered her eyes, her breath gathering in her chest. “No, sir. I will leave things in your capable hands.”

“You always join.”

“I know, sir, but not this time.”

“Chairman Matsuda expects it.”

“Don’t worry, sir. I’ve already cleared it with him.”

The vice chairman said nothing, simply twirled his pen between his fingers like a baton.

Finally, she gathered her notepad and stowed her pen behind her ear. She offered a polite bow at his dismissal, but just before she reached the door, she stopped.

She pulled herself up as tall as her petite frame could muster and turned back to the wide mahogany desk in front of the sweeping windows. Beyond the stiff-backed silhouette crowning the complementary stiff-backed desk chair unfurled a smoggy Seoul morning. Dirty clouds filtered the wan light throughout the corner office.

She wet her lips and swallowed. “Excuse me, Vice Chairman Son, but there is one more matter we have left to discuss…”

The corporate auditorium was packed full of employees from every department in the Xtra Mile conglomerate. The thrum of chatter draped overhead like a heavy tarp as coworkers filed into their seats and caught up with people they hadn’t seen since the last company in-service.

As the Purchasing Department filled their rows, they met the Human Resources Department halfway. Normally, the two sides had very little to do with one another, so this gave everyone an excuse to greet each other and gossip.

But just like that, the room fell perfectly silent as a stream of seven very handsome and undeniably powerful men strolled onto the stage at the head of the auditorium. Their figures were projected onto the large screen above their heads so that even those seated in the back could appreciate the clean lines of their expensive haircuts and their even more expensive suits. Each man occupied his own podium across the breadth of the stage, so far apart that it almost looked as though they couldn’t stand breathing the same bubble of air.

At the center of the stage, spotlighted and stone-faced, one of the tallest and broadest men loomed over the employees. Without so much as an attention-grabbing throat clear, he spoke.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for your attendance today as well as everything you do to further the mission of the Xtra Mile Corporation.”

“Without you,” boomed an elegant and lively blonde-haired executive from halfway down the stage, “we wouldn’t be a Fortune 500 Global company.”

The room erupted in polite applause as smiles abounded.

The man in the middle’s jaw flexed slightly, and this time he did clear his throat before regaining control of the room. “Without further delay, let us commence this year’s Xtra Mile Company Vision Showcase. I’ll turn things over to our Chief Financial Officer, Vice Chairman Yoo…”

The man in the center turned to the shorter, black-haired executive on his right whose face, despite its prominent cheekbones, looked like it hadn’t seen a genuine smile in half a decade. Right away, Vice Chairman Yoo began his overview of their mission statements and goals while the audience jotted notes and nodded along, save for one row toward the back of the room.

“Who is that?” whispered a young purchaser with expressive eyebrows over starry pecan eyes. He gazed up at the stage where a woman with perfect posture and her own expensive power suit waited at the edge, looking as much like a high-end mannequin as a real person. The waves in her espresso bob curled sweetly around her small ears and accentuated a round face with dumpling cheeks. Dark fox eyes looked even more alert against her honey skin, and they didn’t miss a single silent cue from any of the vice chairmen as her stiletto heels prowled click-clack-click-clack along the back of the stage, setting up each and every transition without a word.

One of the nearby HR managers, an older man with a five o’clock shadow and a soft face, followed the young fellow’s eyes. “Ah, that one. She’s a sad case. A face that doesn’t age, legs that never stop moving, and eyes that won’t look at you unless you’re paying her.”

The young intern’s ears reddened. “A pro- pro- prostit—”

Another older man, this one a fellow purchaser, clamped a hand over the intern’s mouth and hissed, “Aigoo! Are you daft? Intern Wong, don’t finish that sentence if you don’t want to be tossed out on your ear!”

“Forgive him,” apologized one of the young ladies also on the Purchasing team, “he’s new.”

“And stupid if he thinks a major corporation keeps a company call-girl on payroll,” snapped the older purchaser with a flick to his intern’s ear.

The HR manager stifled a grin. “That is Director Ortega. She is one of the most revered employees at this company. If you ever have the occasion to work with her, you will understand why. She knows absolutely everything that goes on in every department better than any of the vice chairmen. Nothing escapes her notice, which is why she’s so heavily relied upon.”

“Which department is hers?” Intern Wong wondered.

“Which department isn’t,” laughed the HR manager. “Director Ortega has a hand in everything because she has to, especially considering to whom she reports, but her actual title is Director of Facilitation. She oversees all administration here, top to bottom, but more than that, for all intents and purposes, she oversees the vice chairmen.”

“Ah, yes!” said a satisfied voice as its owner swiveled to scope out the sunny panorama through his office window. “It turned out to be another fine day, Director Ortega. We should be out there exploring, not cooped up in here, don’t you agree?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Will you stay for lunch then? We can go out? I remember you liked that barbecue place in Jongno. Call Taeyong and have him bring the car around, and we’ll go somewhere with tables outside.”

“You know that I can’t, sir, even if I wanted to.”

“They’re always overriding my good ideas,” he grumbled.

“I’m sure it feels that way, sir. Still, being that we are on a tight schedule, I wonder if I can borrow a moment of your time,” she said hesitantly. “An urgent issue has come up, and I’m afraid it can’t wait any longer…”

---

“She has been here 14 years, longer than any of the men up on stage, longer than even I have,” continued the older company man. “The old Chairman himself hired her when he was on a business trip to the United States.”

“She’s American?”

“Yes, and half-Korean, actually. She speaks four languages as well, and, over the past couple years, she’s been learning two more.”

“She’s a wonder,” Intern Wong marveled.

“She would have to be to impress Chairman Choi. Director Ortega was the Chairman’s personal secretary for ten years before he retired and handed the company over to his seven grandsons.”

“Fourteen years seems like too long for such a young woman,” the fledgling purchaser mused, eyes still fixed to the director on stage.

The HR manager sniffed a laugh. “I told you she has a face that doesn’t age. She’s older than you think.”

“Much too sophisticated for a freshman like you,” teased Intern Wong’s female coworker. “Keep your head in your station.”

“This will be the only glimpse of her you get, young buck,” added the senior purchaser. “She rarely comes down to Purchasing, maybe a few times a year, and when she does, she speaks only with Director Kim Doyoung. I’ve never seen her in our office for more than five minutes.”

The woman smirked. “What Mr. Moon is trying to say, very politely I might add, is that she’s out of your league.”

“And more importantly,” the HR manager chimed in again, “off limits.”

“Employees date each other here,” the intern protested.

But Mr. Moon shook his head. “Yeah, but they don’t date Director Ortega, understand?”

“Aigoo… This is my least favorite time of day, you know that? All the fun ends and you leave, and I’m left with all the work.”

“You will be fine, sir, as always, but remember to please trust your secretary with any help you may need. Secretary Ahn tells me you haven’t been using her to her full potential these days.”

He sighed and chambered his chin on his hand as his smiled at her. “Why would I? All I ever need is you, Director Ortega.”

She cleared her throat softly. “About that, sir…”

“I didn’t even suggest anything, geez,” the intern pouted.

Mr. Moon stared at the young man knowingly. “I’ve seen that look in a lot of men’s eyes over the past decade. I say this as a friend: if you want to be promoted to purchaser full-time, Intern Wong, I suggest you look only on the Director with admiration.”

“I do,” the young man muttered and immediately steered the conversation somewhere gentler. “Director Ortega must know everything there is to know about this place if she’s been here that long and that high up.”

“Exactly!” agreed Mr. Moon. “She’s so important that all seven vice chairmen share her.”

The intern and a few other nearby newer employees leaned in, both interested and confused.

“Now, how can seven executives share one assistant?” wondered the female purchaser.

Mr. Moon looked on the rapt row of coworkers like a librarian leading a storytelling session. “Director Ortega is the only connection those men have beside a grandfather.”

“They’re really related?” Intern Wong asked.

The older man nodded. “Brothers, half-brothers or cousins, right, Manager Cho?”

The HR manager shrugged his mouth sternly. “No one resents that fact more than they do. Were it not for Director Ortega, they’d have nothing to do with each other. You’d think they live on seven different continents if they didn’t share one atrium on the 28th floor.”

Intern Wong’s brow furrowed. “But how exactly does one woman bridge all those continents daily?”

“Every day,” Mr. Moon explained, “the Director spends one hour with each vice chairman, and when his hour is up, she moves on down the hall.”

“Are you serious?” blurted the female purchaser.

“I am.”

“Don’t they each have their own secretary?” asked the intern. “I’m sure they have way too much work for one hour.”

This time, a middle-aged manager from Employee Relations further down the row answered, “Of course! But Director Ortega is in charge of all of their executive assistants, too. The last hour of her day is spent with them, ensuring the day’s work is properly circulated and delegated. Still, she is the only one the vice chairmen trust with their most important business matters, and she’s the only assistant they will bring with them to important meetings. Needless to say, she’s part orchestra conductor. She must follow this rigorous schedule each day to keep the vice chairmen satisfied, which is even more challenging considering how much each of them likes to demand from her.”

“I thought you were leaving,” he said.

“In a moment,” she replied.

She placed a thermos at the edge of his desk and bowed.

Incisive eyes jolted to the container as he finally looked up from his crowded blotter. “What is it?”

“Coffee, sir. Don’t stay too late tonight though. The merger with Aeon should conclude next week, and I know you’ll want fresh eyes before you final review everything of the numbers.”

A finger of black hair stubbornly broke from his clean-combed hairline and dangled in front of his sharp eyes as he switched from appraising the thermos to appraising the woman on the other side of his desk. “I should say the same to you, Director Ortega.”

She smiled as she lowered her chin. “Ah, well, to that end, I think it’s time to break old habits, sir. Before I do, I have something to confess…”

“Doesn’t leave a lot of time to herself,” mused the older purchaser as he considered the woman’s words.

Intern Wong cocked his head as he considered this new information. “But isn’t it a good thing to be so in demand at your company?”

“Aish,” chimed in an older lady on the other side of the group of busybodies, this one from the Accounting department who wore a thick pair of glasses to match her role, “it would be if you’re not a woman. Director Ortega is 38 and, as far as anybody has heard, never dated.”

“There’s no way a woman like her hasn’t dated!” the intern protested as his eyes returned to the serious beauty on stage.

“Even if she wanted to,” continued the accountant, “she would have to turn down any suitor. The vice chairmen keep her way too busy to even think about dating someone.”

“You don’t know that, Miss Lee,” said the employee relations manager.

“The hell I don’t, Manager Kwon,” the accountant scoffed, causing a few other uninterested coworkers to pivot toward them before everyone whispered apologies except the accountant. At least, she bothered to lower her voice enough that the rest of the row leaned in. “I process Director Ortega’s overtime. I’m telling you, there’s no way that woman has a life outside of this company or those seven men. It’s downright outrageous. They should be ashamed.”

“I told you,” said Manager Cho, “she’s a sad case. I heard Director Ortega had to fly back from her sister’s wedding in Mexico because Vice Chairman Chae needed a translator, and she’s the only one he trusts to give him an unbiased translation.”

“That’s too harsh,” objected Intern Wong.

Miss Lee hung her head. “Director Ortega will never find a match. Ah! It’s too sad to see a woman of her caliber give up her whole life like that.”

“I’ll leave the initial scouting reports in your inbox for your review, sir. After you’ve made your notes, please trust Secretary Lee with their transcription.”

“Could you stay a few extra minutes to finish that? Only you know how I like things organized.”

“Secretary Lee is more than capable if you just explain your preferences to him, sir. Forgive me, but he should know that after a full year.”

The vice chairman huffed, his broad shoulders slumping, too. “Yes, of course, but he isn’t— Of course, Director Ortega. You are correct.”

“I will sit with him tomorrow and show him personally, sir, so there is no confusion.”

“That’s not necessary!” He reached toward the director across the desk but pulled his hand back quickly. “I should handle it myself.”

“I am happy to hear it, sir. On that note…”

“But isn’t there something admirable about that?” Intern Wong mused as he looked up at the dark-haired director waiting at the edge of the stage, hands folded in front of her hips. “To be so loyal and dedicated to your company that you are trusted by everyone?”

A big-eyed girl in front of them whirled around in her seat and clamped her hands over the back of it to stare at the group. With wide eyes full of shock instead of innocence, she said, “I can’t believe none of you know.”

“Know?”

“Know what!”

“Tell us instantly, Secretary Heo!” urged Manager Kwon, and the whole row shifted forward.

The secretary puckered her thin lips and lowered her voice to a whisper just loud enough to catch over the drone through the sound system of Vice Chairman Im’s speech on streamlining database growth.

“Director Ortega handed in her resignation yesterday.”

“Sir, please don’t make that face,” she said.

Yet the vice chairman sat there with his cheeks in his hands, his bottom lip jutting out. “What do you expect me to do? I hate knowing where you’re headed next.”

“I do this every day, sir,” she reminded.

“And I hate it every day. He always gets more of your time than we do.”

“You know that isn’t true, sir.”

“It is!” he complained. “Wouldn’t it be so nice to have one desk in one office and report to only one person?”

She closed her eyes and steadied her breath. “I think I may have a solution to this problem. If I may have one more moment please…”

“Impossible,” Mr. Moon scoffed. “She’s been here fourteen years!”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” scolded the female purchaser.

“I’m not,” insisted Secretary Heo. “Secretary Ahn told me yesterday at lunch. She’s Vice Chairman Lee Minhyuk’s personal secretary. If anybody would know, it would be her. She’s not a gossip.”

“Like you,” retorted the accountant.

“Game recognizes game, Miss Lee, but in this case, it’s just fact. We all need to be prepared for the trickle-down. Even if we don’t work personally with the vice chairmen, without Director Ortega as our shield, we’re sure to feel the brunt of things.”

“Now that you mention it, look how dull the vice chairmen look,” said the other young woman as she stared sadly at the stage where the tallest vice chairman now spoke. Her eyes darted down to the straw-haired executive at the far end, and she shook her head. “Even Vice Chairman Lee Jooheon looks flat. He never looks so flat! Oh, this is terrible. I love his smiles.”

Intern Wong elbowed his coworker and retorted, “Keep your head in your station, Miss Kim.”

She rolled her eyes though the bespectacled accountant nodded. “And Vice Chairman Lee Hoseok looks much smaller than usual, don’t you think? Normally, you can see his shoulders from space.”

“I’m telling you,” reiterated Secretary Heo, “Director Ortega put in a month’s notice. She’s definitely leaving.”

“Have you heard this?” asked Mr. Moon to Miss Lee. “You process her overtime, you said.”

The older woman shook her head. “I’m not in HR. Isn’t that your department, Manager Cho?”

Everyone glanced down the row to the HR manager who had grown progressively quieter. “It is, but I don’t work in Executive Resources. But…”

Everyone leaned toward him like plants straining for sunlight.

“It is possible,” Manager Cho said guardedly. “I can’t outright refute it.”

Jaws dropped right and left, and a few hands fell over hearts.

“Why would she resign now?” asked Intern Wong when no one picked up the conversation.

“Is she not being compensated well enough?” asked Miss Kim.

“I have worked here through Chairman Choi’s reign, and I can tell you for a fact that her salary would make you blush, especially when she works for holiday pay. Plus, I have heard from Director Jeong that Director Ortega receives a bonus from each Vice Chairman at Seollal,” Miss Lee said vehemently. “No, no. But money matters less when you have no time to spend it and no one to spend it on. I told you. Director Ortega is 38. Aish, she must have realized that if she wants to marry and have a family, she has a very small window left.”

“Hwaiting, sunbaenim!” Miss Kim said a little too loudly, and a few more rows turned back toward them.

“No, that’s not it,” persisted Secretary Heo. “Secretary Ahn said Director Ortega already has a man, and she’s quitting to marry him.”

“Is there anything else, sir?” she said, head cocked to the side.

“There is not.”

The usual silence filled the space between them. After several years, at least it was no longer startling.

“If you’re sure, sir.”

She bowed, and also as usual, he blurted, “One final thing, Director Ortega.”

“Yes, sir. Of course.”

“I need five extra minutes of your time today.”

“I’m sorry, but not today, sir.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You never say that.”

“I know,” she agreed. “It turns out that’s because I need a minute of your time instead…”

The older employees broke into quiet laughter.

“There is zero chance of that,” Miss Lee assured.

“If you knew her workload…” agreed Mr. Moon.

Secretary Heo scowled and jabbed a finger at the seniors. “Secretary Ahn was sure.”

“I don’t buy it,” asserted Miss Lee. “Look, there’s no ring!”

All eyes turned to the jumbo screen, to the bare, slender fingers of the director.

One of the other purchasers whisper-shouted from farther down the row, “Do you think they’ll post for her position internally first?”

“How can you be so insensitive, Assistant Lee Yubin!” chastised Miss Kim. “The vice chairmen look miserable. They’d never fill her role with such a vulture.”

The assistant rolled her sleepy-looking eyes as she informed, “You don’t get to that position without being an opportunist.”

“No one’s asking the most important question,” interjected Intern Wong, his bright puppy eyes still fixed on the glowing silhouette of the director. “If she’s no longer going to be an employee—and she’s not engaged—do you think she’s on the market?”

Both Manager Cho and Mr. Moon sighed and exchanged hopeless glances, but now, a few more men down the line swiveled from the intern up toward the stage. The whole group grew silent as Vice Chairman Lee Minhyuk took over on the mic, but nobody was really listening to his outline of new product roll-outs for the upcoming quarter. They were mounting strategies of their very own.

“Why are we meeting here?” a surly Jooheon griped as he plopped down onto a couch in the center of the round atrium that connected all seven vice chairmen's offices. “Shouldn't we go somewhere more private?”

“This is easier,” Jackson replied as he took a seat into an armchair across from his friend. The president was known for looking as cool as his voice sounded, so when he cocked his head and crossed his legs, he looked more a boss than the vice chairman. “How are you doing?”

Jooheon hissed and launched forward, though he managed to stay seated. “How am I doing? I’m upside down, man! I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“I don’t—” The vice chairman ran his hands through his hair and rolled his neck. After a steadying breath, he said, “I don’t understand why she’d leave?”

“Director Ortega?”

“Of course, Director Ortega. Who the hell else did you think I brought you here to talk about?”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t know what you want me to do about it. You guys wouldn’t let me near her.”

“You can’t be trusted.”

“A fine thing to say to your President of Operations,” Jackson laughed, and it was clear he didn’t take an ounce of the vice chairman’s insults seriously.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

The president kept laughing and nodded. “I do.”

“But I have always trusted your vision. You see bigger pictures than I do. Since we were teenagers, you’ve always been a barometer of the people, and at least I trust your insights,” Jooheon began as professionally as he could sitting in front of one of his best friends. “Plus, you’re a busybody.”

“I’ve been accused of worse,” the president said with a grin.

“I know. I was the one who accused you.”

Jackson shrugged. “So, what do you need?”

“What have you heard about Director Ortega’s threat of quitting?”

“Is it a threat?” the president asked with a brow raise. “Because it sounded pretty damn certain to this busybody’s ears.”

“Don’t get coy, Jackson. I’m not in the mood.”

The grin dropped from the president’s face, and he leaned across the coffee table. “Everyone’s talking about it, of course. Rumors abound. Some say she’s getting married.”

Jooheon scowled and shook his head.

“Some say she’s pregnant.”

This time, the vice chairman gasped, unable to feign his usual confidence.

“But most people are saying she’s dating or wants to date, so she wants to make more time to do those other things.”

“That’s stupid,” Jooheon fired off. “Director Ortega has plenty of time to do that now. She could be married already if she wanted to be, but she’s not.”

Jackson just glowered at his friend.

“Fine,” Jooheon conceded, “we keep her pretty busy, but it’s never bothered her before.”

“Are you sure? Did you ever ask?”

“Why would I ask that!” the vice chairman shouted indignantly. “It’s not workplace appropriate.”

“Then it sounds to me like you’re talking out of your ass,” and a beat later, Jackson added cheekily, “sir.”

Jooheon studied his fingernails as he asked carefully, “So… which one did she say it is?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone does for sure. Director Ortega is the most professional person in this whole damn company. You lot should know best. What did she say when she resigned?”

“She didn’t resign,” Jooheon said tersely. “She just threatened to.”

“Oh, is that what ‘Please accept my letter of resignation’ means?”

The vice chairman sighed. “Why the hell did I put any faith in you.”

“C’mon, man, I’m ribbing you. The truth is I think you know everything, but you just don’t want to acknowledge it. What did she say exactly? Not what did Vice Chairman Lee Jooheon hear?”

The straw-haired man sank back into the couch, his hands spread across the cushions as he stared up through the glass ceiling to the obnoxiously blue sky above. “She said, ‘After fourteen wonderful years at Xtra Mile, I have decided I need to step back from my position as Director of Facilitation and spend some time on myself. I know this may be rather surprising, but it's something I’ve been considering for a while. It has been an absolute pleasure working for you…’

“From there, pretty much all I heard was static. I was too in shock.”

Jackson hummed. “Doesn’t give me a ton to work with. What did her resignation letter say?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t read it yet.”

At this, Jackson let out a groan. “You didn’t read it? What the hell kind of boss are you?”

“A blindsided one! What do you expect me to do after the rug was pulled out from under me?”

“Man up and fix it. I figured Xtra Mile’s Chief Marketing Officer would already be mounting a campaign to court back his most valuable employee. Instead, you’re whining in your ivory tower.”

“How am I supposed to do that when I don’t even understand why she’s leaving me?”

“Read the damn letter, man,” Jackson scolded. “Maybe it’s as simple as she took another job.”

“You think?” the dimpled vice chairman asked eagerly.

“No, unless she sparing your feelings.”

“This is all their fault,” Jooheon griped, only too happy to shift the blame. He waved his arm around the atrium at the six other mahogany office doors. “They're driving her away. She's always happy when she's with me.”

“Is that what you really think?”

The vice chairman narrowed his eyes at his president. “Obviously.”

“Just remember I've known you long before you were a head honcho…” Jackson said ominously. He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned across the coffee table. His hand rose, middle finger tucked beneath his thumb, and swiftly and unexpectedly, he flicked the forehead of his friend.

Jooheon yelped and cursed as he bounced in his seat. When he dropped a hand to point angrily at the man across from him, a big red mark lingered like a bullseye in the center of his forehead. “You're fired!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll clean out my desk tomorrow,” the president said without an ounce of concern. “But did I knock some sense into you?”

“You pissed me off is what you did.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “I think you’re better off worrying about that mammoth bruise to your ego than a little welt on your forehead. The second Aeon gets wind of her leaving, they’re going to wonder about the merger.”

Though he was still babying the bump on his head, Jooheon shook it. “Director Ortega said she’d build in more than the month in case things run long with Aeon. She doesn’t want to jeopardize the project.”

“Leave it to a woman of her caliber to be acutely aware of that. She’s been in all of the merger meetings, hasn’t she?”

“She personally brought Chaiman Matsuda on board. Yeah, the Aeon merger is probably more her baby than any of ours.”

“Good. That’s good then.”

“Why?” Jooheon asked.

Jackson shrugged a shoulder. “It means she’s not running off to elope at least.”

“Elope!” At this, the vice chairman finally leapt back up.

“Calm down. I said she’s not eloping. Probably also means there’s no fiancé either yet.”

“Yet?” Jooheon deflated completely back down to the couch.

Again, the president shrugged. “I’m just puzzling out the fifty different rumors I heard today. Seems like those are the least likely now that I know more.”

“Terrific…”

“But now that I know what she said when she resigned, I think the most likely theory is that you all have zapped her personal life completely. Sucked her dry like a swarm of mosquitos.”

Jooheon sighed. “You really like to rub salt in a wound, man.”

“Hey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em. Unless she’s already married? Maybe she’s leaving to spend more time with her husband. Work on building a family.”

“She doesn’t have a husband,” the vice chairman snapped.

Jackson let out a chuckle. “I imagine you seven have seen to that, huh? Thought you were all the men she needed, I’ll bet. Guess today was your wake-up.”

“Is she dating?” Jooheon’s voice creeped up uncomfortably high, and he cleared his throat to correct it.

“How should I know? You barely let me talk to the woman. You keep her locked up like Rapunzel with you and your dysfunctional family.”

The vice chairman narrowed his already narrow eyes. “That smacks of bitterness.”

“Maybe it is. She’s a beautiful woman, and I’m a good-looking guy.”

Jooehon unleashed a wicked snarl at the corner of his lips. “You’re not just a busybody but a playboy, Jackson. I was right to keep her away from you.”

It was Jackson’s turn to narrow his eyes. “I knew it.”

Jooheon waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t need you distracting my executive team.”

“I didn’t hear you balk when I asked out Secretary Guk, and she’s at your full disposal all day, every day.”

At this, the vice chairman grumbled, “Well, you just said it. I can call on her whenever I need her. I only get an hour with Director Ortega. I can’t have her distracted for a minute of it.”

“Don’t you think that’s part of her reasoning, Honey?” Jackson said, testing the boundaries of their decades-long friendship. “Every second of her day is monopolized by a tycoon. How do you expect her to just be a woman?”

“If you’re saying this just to make a window for yourself to her, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Look, man, it doesn’t even matter at this point. Her dance card is already so long, I’d need to take a number.”

“What do you mean?”

Jackson pursed his lips. “Exactly what I said. As soon as news of her resignation trickled down all 28 floors, guys were brushing up their marriageable resumes and dating profiles.”

“She’s not a sweepstakes,” Jooheon barked. “You don’t just try your chance to get lucky.”

“Hey, I agree with you, but you don’t speak for the vast majority of guys. Everyone has always assumed she’s unmarried, but no one’s risked courting her for fear of their careers. But if she doesn’t work for you anymore—”

Jooheon growled. “That doesn’t matter. They’re still risking their careers.”

Jackson leaned back in his chair, mouth screwed up to one side and eyebrow popped.

“For your own good, Honey, I really think you should ask yourself why that is.” A little louder, he proclaimed, “You all should.”

Almost as if scripted, six silhouettes stepped out of the shadows of six separate doorways.

Jackson swept his hand in a circle and smiled smugly at his friend. “See? Told you this was easier. Now I don't have to repeat myself six more times.”

“Jackson,” said a burly platinum blonde in a three-piece suit so tightly tailored that it looked more like an American football uniform, “do you really think Director Ortega will be that much of a target?”

Jackson scoffed that faded into a wry smile. “She's gorgeous, driven, charming, whip-smart, and well-off. A woman like Director Ortega is in a class of her own. Yes, Hoseok, she’s a catch. The only people who are going to care she's 38 are the ones she would have never entertained anyway. Hell, just between the horn dogs and the sugar babies, she's going to have her plate full, never mind her long-term secret admirers. You'll see. You won't even have to wait a day, I promise.”

“I don’t love that,” Minhyuk said as he took a chair beside the president.

“Yeah, but what are any of you going to do about it?”

The seven vice chairmen traded appraisals, but none spoke.

Jackson chuckled. “Can’t see the forest for the trees… Director Ortega really has been carrying all of you.”

“Watch it,” Jooheon growled, yet his subordinate waved him off.

“Since you’re all in one room for a change, let me pose a question that’s been eating at the back of my mind for years. I may never get another chance to ask it in case one of you actually decides to fire me after half a decade of playful threats, but why do each of you insist on sharing one assistant when you can have as many as you want?”

This time, none of the vice chairmen risked a glance at each other. Instead, they thumbed their ten-thousand-dollar watches or fiddled with the cuffs of their bespoke suits.

Sharp-jawed and sharp-tongued, Kihyun jutted his chin out as his neck twitched. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as he answered evenly, “Director Ortega is an invaluable—”

“Director Ortega is indeed invaluable,” Jackson interrupted. “No one would dare challenge that for fear of their life. But that doesn’t really answer my question, and you know it. As formidable an assistant as she is, you’re each only capable of utilizing her skill set for a maximum of an eighth of her day. Now, imagine, if you will, how much work you could accomplish if you each trusted one other person as much as you trust her. Don’t all of you have your own secretaries as it is? You can’t rely on them to mastermind your days? Or…”

The way the president said the word had seven sets of eyes snapping to him. Jackson’s handsome face hovered just on the professional side of a smirk.

“…is it that you just don’t want to?”

“Get to the point, President Wang,” snapped the most restless of the chairmen, Minhyuk.

Jackson’s palms turned up. “That is the point. This company is full of fresh young upstarts looking to make a name for themselves. They’re all more than eager to work overtime and make an impression, yet you all continuously come back to your Director.”

“Exactly,” Jooheon said as if it proved some other point, but judging from the smile creeping onto the president’s face, it may not have worked as intended.

“Exactly.” Jackson hummed as he tapped his smart watch screen and checked the time. “You know, I’ve been accused of playing with words before—”

“You’re a regular Loki,” Kihyun corrected.

“Mm, maybe. Or maybe it’s to provoke a thought. It’s served me well closing deals for you all these years. Word choice is everything. Say the right word, and you plant a seed, and the next thing you know? Boom! We’ve got a seven-figure sale. The customer thinks it’s all their idea—always has been. They leave feeling clever, and I leave knowing I’ve orchestrated one hell of a victory for the company.”

“Just say it, Jackson,” mumbled the feline-eyed youngest chairman, Changkyun, from his lean in his door frame.

The president waggled his fingers like the conductor he described, and a chill descended upon the room.

“I just did. Consider my words carefully. I don’t use them lightly.”

Jooheon rolled his eyes. “Yes, you do.”

With a sigh, Jackson raised both brows. “Fine. I’ll be blunter then. If there ever was a thing to unite the seven kingdoms under one banner, I think the whole of Xtra Mile would place their bets on the same banner. Maybe losing Director Ortega is the kick in the pants you all need.”

“Watch it,” Kihyun warned.

Jackson shrugged. “You asked what I thought—”

“We didn’t,” said the tallest, Hyungwon.

“He did,” finished Minhyuk with a glance at Jooheon.

“What a family you are,” Jackson laughed. “I honestly can't tell who among you is delusional, who's in denial, and who's been harboring secrets they've been way too afraid to voice.”

The seven other men exchanged wary scrutiny while the president rose and knocked the wrinkles from his slacks. “Well, look, you've got a month to figure it out, probably way less if I'm honest. The way I see it? You better speak now or forever hold your peace. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I've got a brush up my dating profile.”

With that, Jackson bowed to his bosses and walked out of the chairman’s wing with one insufferable hand in his pocket and one even more insufferable hand waving over his shoulder.

“Remind me to fire him,” huffed Minhyuk.

“Not before I clobber him,” growled Jooheon.

But without Jackson there to stir the pot, it left the seven vice chairmen staring at their feet or the wall. For all the silence, it felt very loud, and it was no surprise to anyone that the first to speak again was Minhyuk.

“What are we going to do?”

Hoseok laughed bitterly. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard us use the word ‘we’.”

A few of the men hummed as the truth of that statement hit.

“Do you think Jackson’s right?” said Changkyun hesitantly. “Do you think she’s leaving because of us?”

Hyunwoo stacked his arms across his thick chest and nodded, eyes fixed on a scuff on the marble floors. “I read her resignation letter. I don’t see how it could be anything else.”

“I read it, too,” interjected Hoseok, “but she said it was about her, right?”

This time, it was Hyungwon who sighed. “Isn’t that the thing you say to spare the other’s feelings during a breakup? ‘It’s not you, it’s me’?”

More silence, this one infinitely darker and deeper.

“So it is us…” conceded Minhyuk.

“Looks that way,” said Hyunwoo.

“I still don’t get it,” Jooheon said. “I’m a great boss. I’m not the one who made her miss her sister’s wedding.”

Hyungwon narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t make her do that. She chose to come back.”

Kihyun tilted his head as he squared off with his half-brother. "Everybody here knows that you’re passive aggressive if you don’t get your way. ‘Kihyun, are you sure you want to use the gochujang? The recipe calls for doenjang. Don’t mind me, I’m just getting a pitcher of water for the table.’”

“What are you talking about? Passive aggression is your MO,” Hyungwon retorted. “And being hyper-critical.”

“You both are,” Changkyun groaned.

“Yeah, well, I’m not,” swore Jooheon. “I praise her work every day. I ask her about her day.”

Minhyuk let out a puff of air. “Yeah, to see if you can steal some of her time from the rest of us. No one’s more of a gatekeeper than you, Jooheon."

"Am not."

“Are too. You throw a fit if anyone asks for five more minutes of her time, and if they do, you demand a makeup the next day.”

“Enough,” Hyunwoo said brusquely.

“We can’t let her resign,” Hoseok agreed.

“Obviously,” Jooheon snapped.

“Can we just refuse her resignation?” asked Minhyuk.

Changkyun shook his head. “I would never test Director Ortega’s commitment. She’ll just quit on the spot, and then where will we be.”

As brains churned, tensions mounted. It was always tense when the seven men gathered together, but for once, desperation was something all seven shared, and instead of retreating to their offices, they remained at their posts—far enough away to still make boundaries clear yet approachable.

“We should apologize,” Hyungwon volunteered.

“If apologies made a difference, would we be where we are?” challenged Kihyun.

“Well, they can’t fucking hurt.”

“It’s a starting point,” Hyunwoo asserted, “which is more than we had a minute ago.”

“What if we switch up her schedule?” Changkyun suggested. “Routine can be crushing.”

Hoseok nodded. “And she could use more vacation.”

“We can throw more money at her,” Kihyun added.

A moment passed. Hyunwoo typed something into his phone. In the gathering silence, Minhyuk and Jooheon rattled the vase in the center of the coffee table with their opposing jackhammering legs.

“What, no snide remarks? No backhanded critiques from any of you?” Kihyun said with a pointed gaze finally landing on Hyungwon.

But the tall man simply scoffed as he pushed up from his lean against the wall and moved toward his office door. “Who has time for that? You heard what Jackson said. We don’t even have a month to undo our screw-up.”

“We run a sixty-billion-dollar company,” said Minhyuk. “There’s no reason we can’t strategize a way to undo our biggest ever loss.”

“Let’s just throw everything at her tomorrow and see what sticks,” Hyungwon suggested.

“Not much of a strategy,” Minhyuk observed.

“I don’t care as long as it keeps her here with us.”

“What do you say, Hyunwoo?” asked Changkyun.

The resident senior raised both eyebrows when he discovered six sets of eyes looking at him simultaneously. “You’re asking for my opinion?”

“Yeah,” Jooheon agreed.

“I’ll get some breakfast tomorrow and think on it.”

The other six sets of eyes switched between rolls and furrows, between disheartened and annoyed, but the vice chairmen settled on meeting again in the morning—after their COO had a full belly.

Just before Hoseok could enter the cafeteria, something caught the corner of his eye, and when he turned, he found his cousin, Hyunwoo, lurking like a houseplant behind a banner announcing the upcoming Xtra Mile company picnic.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked the Chief Security Officer.

“Eating,” answered Hyunwoo.

Hoseok popped an eyebrow. “In a corner? Behind a sign?”

“Evidently, our employees are very surprised to see me. It was too much attention eating at a table.”

“You’re the COO. Attention comes with the title.”

“I don’t need it right now,” the older man replied evenly.

Hoseok had both brows raised now as he took in the rigid figure of the COO who was usually considered the face of the company, yet here Hyunwoo was, literally lurking, eyes staring blankly across the early morning company cafeteria.

Slowly, the COO shifted his attention to his cousin. His face remained as placid as ever, though his tone deepened as he asked, “What are you doing here, Hoseok?”

“I protein up here every day after my workout.”

“You’re later than usual,” Hyunwoo observed.

“How would you know? I’ve never seen you here.” At this, his cousin turned to look at him and Hoseok sniffed. “What? I can't keep track of your schedule too?”

“Hey! I was here first!”

The vice chairmen looked at each other before they realized neither of them had said it. Instead, there were three suited men clustered at the other side of the dining hall with scowls and furrowed brows. They jostled shoulder-to-shoulder as a few other employees tightened around the action.

It was clear there was a line forming, and evidently, somebody had cut it, but it wasn’t for the register.

Director Ortega sat at a table clotted with flowers and gifts and cards as men and women alike waited for their turn to speak with a figure more mythical than a phoenix.

Hoseok soured, first at the sight of the long line but further when he looked back at the burly man hovering behind the signage. “You're not here to eat. You're here to observe the Director.”

The COO presented a sandwich and took a bite, and through a mouthful, he said, “I can do both.”

With a sigh, Hoseok shoved the other vice chairman over and hunkered beside him, eyes peeking around the banner.

Director Ortega greeted each of her admirers warmly but professionally, with the same gentle but sincere office smile they’d seen every day for four years. She accepted all the cards, rejected most of the presents, and divvied up the flowers with the other ladies hovering nearby. One overzealous fellow waited in her orbit, phone out, hoping to get her Kakaotalk information, though she was steadfast that she’d had enough networking to last her a lifetime.

Hoseok puckered his lips, but just before the CSO could escort the insistent prick from the building, Hyunwoo clamped a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the meaty paw and then to its owner and back again.

“She’s got it,” Hyunwoo assured.

Hoseok shrugged his shoulder and the hand fell away. “How did you know she would be here?”

“Director Ortega often brings me a sandwich from here in the morning.”

“You make her bring you breakfast?” Hoseok said sternly.

“I don't make her do anything. She just does it.”

“She doesn't bring me anything,” his cousin pouted.

Hyunwoo didn't respond. He just took another massive bite and kept his eyes on the director.

“Seems like everyone is excited for her to leave,” observed the platinum blonde, but Hyunwoo shook his head.

“Before it got so noisy, I could hear better. I think it’s more that they’re proud of her.”

“For leaving us?” Hoseok exclaimed, and his cousin silenced him with a grave scowl. Quieter now, the CSO continued, “We need to tell the others. I’m not sure our plan of attack will be effective if she’s being showered with gifts to quit.”

This time, at least, his cousin nodded. Hyunwoo stuffed his mouth with another bite.

They lingered until the clock neared the company start time, when the last person in line finally made it to the director’s table. She was standing now, mulling over how to cart a table full of unexpected gifts elsewhere, as the young, black-haired prince with a white smile offered to help.

“Why is she smiling so much?” Hoseok said. “Is she—is she laughing?”

Hyunwoo narrowed his already thin eyes.

“Did she just give him her business card?” the younger chairman gawked.

Director Ortega bowed and thanked the young man as he helped gather her offerings into a box he’d somehow manufactured out of thin air.

Hyunwoo chucked the last bite of his sandwich in the garbage, and it made Hoseok jump.

The blonde started, “You never waste—”

“Time to go, Hoseok,” said the COO, and his cousin jumped again. “We need to talk to the others immediately.”

No sooner had the pair made it up the chairmen’s elevator to their floor than they caught some of their secretaries gabbing in the atrium.

“—vowed to get Maria plastered tonight—oh my god, sirs!”

Secretary Ahn spluttered the instant she saw the two chairmen enter the atrium. Immediately, her mouth shut, and she bowed her head. Secretary Guk was less respectful and more deer-in-headlights, with her round eyes fully white and her small mouth popped open round as a bottle cap.

“Hello, sirs,” Secretary Ahn added and then elbowed her coworker until the other woman managed the same greeting. Neither of the men said anything, so she asked, “Is everything all right, Vice Chairman Son?”

“Why wouldn't it be?” he returned flatly.

Secretary Ahn’s eyes darted to the other vice chairman and then back to him and then back to the other vice chairman again as though he should understand the singularity of the moment of the two men side-by-side.

“Is there a meeting we don't know about, sirs?” she said gingerly.

“I should ask you the same.”

Both women paled until they were nearly transparent. They looked at each other again, but this time, Secretary Ahn couldn’t seem to find her polite words, which left Secretary Guk scrambling to pick up the slack.

“Oh, not at all! We were just discussing Director Ortega's going away party tonight.”

Secretary Ahn elbowed her coworker again, this time nearly hard enough to knock the other woman out of her kitten heels.

“Her going away party?” repeated Hyunwoo. “I was unaware that she’s going anywhere.”

Secretary Guk outright shivered, and when she spoke again, her voice was shaking, too. “The secretaries organized it, but… But it would mean so much if all of the vice chairmen could join us.”

The other secretary looked frantically at her, but there was nothing to be done.

“It’s just dinner, drinks, and noraebang after work, but the more, the merrier.”

Hoseok glanced up at his cousin with urgent eyes and whispered, “President Wang said we should show sincerity. This is the perfect way.”

Again, the secretaries exchanged looks, which only amplified when Vice Chairman Son said, “Secretary Guk, please email the time and place to all the vice chairmen as soon as you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretaries bowed to the vice chairmen as they headed toward their respective offices, and when Secretary Ahn rose, she scowled and slapped her friend on the arm. “Maria is going to kill you!”

“Please,” said Secretary Guk as she sat down in front of her keyboard and began to type. “The vice chairmen will never show up. When have they ever showed up for anything, let alone together? Maria’s ready to leave Xtra Mile, but I’m not. What was I supposed to do?”

“Just keep your mouth shut,” her coworker hissed.

“It’s fine. You’ll see. Maria will agree with me.”

“Aigoo, Aera!” Secretary Ahn growled as she tapped her coworker on her arm again. “Have you learned nothing? Keep your mouth shut.”

“No way. You think I want Maria grinding me to a pulp?”

“Look, you said yourself they’ll never show anyway, so why say anything? We’ve worked so hard to organize this thing. I’m not going to be the one to tell everyone it’s off when she invariably cancels it. You are.”

“I didn’t think about that…”

Secretary Ahn rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t. You’re not the one who’d clean up the mess.”

“Okay, but if something does go wrong—”

But Secretary Guk didn’t get to finish that thought before the work day officially started and the phones began to ring.

“Oh my god, I didn’t know Maria was capable of getting tipsy, but wow,” laughed Secretary Kwon. “She is gone.”

“Yeah,” agreed Secretary Guk, “color me shocked. I always figured her for the straight life.”

Secretary Kim rolled her eyes. “All these years at seven typhoons’ beck and call will force sobriety on you. I have a hard enough time convincing myself I can have a drink on the weekend. Can’t imagine what Maria’s dry spell’s been like. She must be making up for lost time.”

The women traded laughs and then another round of shots as Director Ortega scream-shouted her noraebang lines into the microphone and they had to hurry to cover their ears.

"Holy. Shit."

It wasn’t just the sudden appearance of the English curse or that it came from the Secretary Lee in his overly dramatic alto that made all the other secretaries pivot sharply. It was the way everything else fell silent except a drunken Maria caterwauling to George Michael’s “Freedom” on stage.

“They actually showed up,” Secretary Ahn gasped.

“Who?” said Secretary Kim.

“Who do you think?”

“What!” exclaimed Secretary Guk. “Which ones?”

“Uh…” Vice Chairman Yoo’s secretary, Song Jiyoo, squinted into the foggy shadows at the entryway as more silhouettes parted the club haze. “Oh my god, it looks like all of them.”

“No way,” said Secretary Kwon. “You're plastered, One. You have to be.”

“I am not. Turn around, Haeun!” Secretary Song grabbed her pocket-sized coworker by the shoulders and swiveled her like the rest of their mob of meerkats.

“I don’t believe it...”

“We’re dead,” said the second Secretary Song Jiyoo, Vice Chairman Im’s assistant, whom the entire department simply called Two.

Secretaries Ahn and Guk looked at each other with crinkled brows. Together, they murmured, “Maria is going to kill us.”

Bumbling through the speakers, they could make out their director wailing louder than she had all night.

“All we have to see is that I don’t belong to you and you don’t belong to me. Freedom! Freedom!”

Secretary Lee looked at the two wide-eyed women, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek. “So. What do you two want on your urns?”

“Secretary Guk!” came the dreaded call no one had expected to hear from her boss, Vice Chairman Lee Jooheon, tonight.

“Sir,” she stammered as she stepped forward, her hands rushing to her cheeks to hide the alcohol coloring them. She looked frantically at her superior before she realized he was flanked by his seven fellow vice chairmen, every last one in their requisite three piece suits and ties, every hand stuffed in their pockets. She may as well have been coming face-to-face with a firing squad. “Sirs, you came?”

“We said we would,” he replied.

"Yes. Yes, you did…”

Vice Chairman Lee Jooheon took a look around, his bottom lip protruding. “We’re late?”

“No, sir,” Secretary Guk was quick to jump in. “You are right on time, of course. A bunch of us simply got here early to pre-game.”

“Is that what kids call dinner these days?” said Kihyun with a popped eyebrow.

“Ah…”

“You didn’t include the dinner in the invitation?” Secretary Ahn hissed into her colleague’s ear.

Secretary Guk simply stood there with her mouth open.

Secretary Ahn elbowed her friend, but the other secretary just looked at her helplessly. Jooheon narrowed his already thin eyes as he assessed his assistant like a lie detector, but he didn’t say anything further.

“There are a lot of people here,” mused Hoseok to Hyungwon.

Men and women clustered around tables—and soju—many with their drinks stilled in hand as they spied their bosses’ bosses. There were faces the vice chairmen recognized from their various departments, but there were just as many they didn’t, lower level managers and assistants too far down the totem pole for them to have met. No doubt Director Ortega knew them all by name.

Past the honeycomb of booths, at the head of the room, there was a packed dance floor, though once again, the revelry seemed frozen as though by a curse. Everyone watched the seven overlords.

As distracting as it all was, it couldn’t distract from the party’s crown jewel.

Dressed in an oversized buttondown and a denim skirt, Director Ortega bounced from toe to toe in a pair of blindingly white sneakers. Her waves were full-blown curls tonight, bouncing with the beat pulsing through the speakers. Mic in hand, she belted out her third encore, a booze-saturated, warbling rendition of the chorus of Cher’s “I Got You, Babe.”

And she wasn’t alone.

On the mic next to her was a young, effervescent man who seemed to be the only one in the room who didn’t have eyes fixed anywhere other than the woman next to him on stage.

Hyunwoo hummed as he glared. “I know him…”

“Hey,” interjected Hoseok with a nudge to his elder cousin’s shoulder, “isn’t that the guy from breakfast? Mr. Helpshimself.”

The COO’s eye twitched.

“Secretary Lee!” barked Hyungwon to his assistant. “Who’s that with the Director?”

“Uh, on stage?” echoed the younger man. “Mm, I don’t know.”

“Secretary Guk,” Jooheon pressed, “do you know that man?”

She shook her head. “Sorry, sir, I don’t. Maria invited him.”

The vice chairman glowered, and the secretary crumbled.

“Er, Director Ortega invited him, but I can find out?”

“Immediately,” he insisted.

Secretary Guk scampered away toward one of the HR managers who hadn’t moved so much as a muscle since the vice chairmen had strolled in, but if the paralyzed look in his eyes was any indication, he wanted nothing to do with her.

Meanwhile, Kihyun huffed. “A man nobody seems to know is dueting with Director Ortega?”

The secretaries shifted uncomfortably even as two voices, one rich in bass and the other ripe with alcohol, stampeded through the silence like a pair of frolicking elephants. Secretaries One and Two cast worried glances back at their director, who was beaming lopsidedly at the handsome fellow who was hamming it up on his knees now, hand reaching up toward Maria.

“Now, Secretary Guk!” Jooheon called back.

His assistant scurried back with her head bowed and said, “Manager Cho believes his name is Intern Wong Kunhang.”

Secretary One hummed. “Oh, that’s Intern Wong? I think I heard he was brought on to the Purchasing Department from our Macau division a month or two ago.”

“Hm,” hummed Changkyun. “What’s an intern doing at a senior level director’s going-away party?”

Secretary Guk’s head dipped a little lower. “Apparently, I had heard correctly. The Director invited him personally. He wasn’t on our executives list, sir.”

As the vice chairmen stared green-eyed at the stage, the director and her partner finished the last lines of the song with breathless laughs.

Maria bent back into a light stretch as she caught her breath, and when she straightened, she squinted out into the eerily calm party room. Gone was the soju-greased dance party, noisy conversation and uproarious laughter, replaced instead by an ambient background soundtrack and muffled parties in nearby rooms.

“Why is nobody dancing?” Maria complained as she looked around the crowded club of stricken guests.

“Hey, no worries. I can fix that. I have a song that will get them going,” assured Kunhang. He shuffled through the playlist for a minute as he added over his shoulder, “What do you think about—”

Just then though, the young man was yanked by his wrist toward the edge of the stage where his direct supervisor, Supervisor Qian glared at him with imploring eyes. “No more encores, Intern Wong.”

“Ah, come on! It's the Director's big day. If she wants another song—”

But the supervisor shook his head vehemently. “I'm doing this for your own good, Intern Wong. Hurry up off the stage now, come on. I’ll give you money for a cab. Go home early and safely.”

“Are you nuts? I’m not leaving yet. Maria invited me personally.”

Supervisor Qian slapped his hand over the intern’s mouth and hissed, “Do you want to lose your job the same month you got it? Stop talking for once, Intern Wong, and go!”

The supervisor yanked his subordinate down the steps, leaving Maria squinting alone into the haze ahead of her.

“Hyeongseo!” she shouted into the hushed crowd. “Hyeongseoie! Where are you?”

Secretary Kim, Vice Chairman Lee Hoseok’s personal assistant and Maria's best friend in the company, turned to Secretary Ahn and hissed, “Fix this, Minha!”

She raced to her friend’s aid on stage, leaving Vice Chairman Lee Minhyuk’s assistant gasping like a fish in front of the heads of the whole company.

“Uh,” Secretary Ahn began hesitantly, “sirs, maybe you would like to meet us later for some barbecue across the street? Everyone will be more presentable in a half hour, especially with some food in their bellies.”

“Why?” asked Hoseok. “We’re already here.”

Minhyuk cocked his head to the side, his warm blonde hair feathering across his forehead as he did. “It seems Secretary Ahn is trying to get rid of us.”

“Not at all, sir!” she squealed as she waved her hands. “It’s just that maybe noraebang is a little noisy and chaotic for leaders of your caliber who are used to quiet offices and boardrooms.”

“She means you’re bringing down the vibe,” came a voice from behind Jooheon followed by a pair of hands clapping on his shoulders.

“Jackson!” said the startled vice chairman. “What are you doing here?”

“Maria invited me,” he said with a cheeky smile that got even cheekier the more flustered the rest of vice chairmen grew. “I’m surprise she invited you.”

Kihyun sucked his teeth as assessed the president, who downed the shot in his hand with a grin on his face. “Having a good time I take it, President Wang?”

“It was a party, so I was.”

“Was a party?” questioned Hoseok.

“Until seven wet blankets dampened the mood.”

Kihyun pursed his lips now. “The soju seems to have loosened your lips.”

With a nod to the stage, Jackson replied, “It does have that reputation, yeah. If I were you, I’d by worried about the number one consumer of soju here tonight. When she sees you, you’re done…”

“How the hell did they find me!”

Though there was no mistaking the clear outrage, the seven vice chairmen had a hard time believing the voice was that of their esteemed, reliable, punctual, efficient, unwavering Director Ortega.

And yet one glance to the stage, where the director stood, arms flung wide and eyes blasted open as she challenged Secretary Kim, left no doubt it was the legend herself.

“Hm,” said Jackson, “I’m going to need a beer and a front row seat for this. Good luck, sirs.”

With that, the President of Operations disappeared into the crowd of fish faces all watching and waiting for what came next.

They didn’t have to wait long.

The director took the stairs remarkably well considering the booze counteracting her anger, but then purpose had always driven every move Maria Ortega had ever made. She headed straight for her seven moving targets. Several of the vice chairmen took a step back, huddling ever so slightly behind the wall of Hyunwoo and Hoseok.

They barely recognized the woman they’d seen nearly every day for years. Though her fine spray of freckles still dusted her face and neck, it was harder to make out under her heavy rose flush. Her ever-alert eyes were hard and narrow, and even though she was swaying as she planted her feet wide, her hands found a brand new home on her hips, giving her small stature the hulk of a professional wrestler.

“Director—” began Hyunwoo, but she waved him off instantly.

“Apologies, your highnesses, I know I’ve given you four years of contradictory evidence, but this is my night off,” she declared briskly. “Your offices are two streets down and around the corner.”

“Director Ortega—” tried Hoseok now, but she cut him off, too, with a shake of her head.

There was no sign of their perennial diplomatic as she ordered, “You should go. All of you.”

“But why?” said Jooheon in a blatant whine.

“We just got here,” insisted Hyungwon.

Maria scoffed. “Oh, I know. You’ve flatlined the mood.”

“I’ve never been accused of such a thing,” Minhyuk swore.

“Look!” she said and swung her arm toward the door, where a pair of coworkers were slinking out until her voice immobilized them in the doorway. “People are already leaving because they don’t want seven spoiled brats lording over their good time.”

“Brats?” said Hyungwon.

“Spoiled?” Kihyun balked, too. “We’re not spoiled.”

Another scoff. Maria scowled as she said, “I’ve never seen silver spoons lodged farther down throats. And now no one is going to want to have a good time with me because they don’t want you brats to fire them.”

“Somehow President Wang still has his job,” Jooheon shouted to Jackson, who was sitting cross-legged at one of the nearby booths, beer in hand.

With a sigh this time, Maria said resignedly, “What are you even doing here?”

“We’re here to celebrate you,” said Changkyun.

“Because we care about you,” Hyungwon added.

Maria’s eyes shifted to the Chief Sustainability Officer. Her face fixed on an expression too foreign for her face.

A beat passed. Then another.

Her lips parted. Before she could respond though, the puppy-eyed intern appeared at the director’s side, a tail practically wagging behind him. He rested his fingertips on her forearm, and her attention shifted to the young man.

 “Sorry about that, Maria. Supervisor Qian thought I was too drunk to stay or something, but considering he's already six shots in, I figured he wasn't one to judge. Oh, hey!” The intern pivoted on his foot and smiled at the seven stone-faced men across from him. “You must be the vice chairmen. It's nice to meet you, Your Excellencies.”

Kunhang bowed and rose with two high eyebrows and a toothy grin.

“Your Excellencies?” Hyungwon said flatly.

The intern nodded. “I hear you're the seven princes of Xtra Mile, at least, that’s what everyone in the office says.”

“And we hear that you’re from our Macau office,” said Hoseok.

“Yes, sir.”

Hyunwoo’s jaw flexed. “Do you miss Macau, Intern Wong?”

Maria narrowed her eyes, but Kunhang simply shrugged his shoulders and his mouth. “I did at first, but I’ve gotten pretty used to things here now. I really love Seoul so far.”

“That’s no reason to stay,” Jooheon added quickly.

“Internships run their course,” agreed Hyungwon.

With a tilt of his head, the intern smiled brightly. “I’ve got a good feeling about this one.”

“You shouldn’t. Maybe you should head out before your job—” grumbled Kihyun before Maria stepped between the factions, her back to the vice chairmen.

“Kunhang, Secretary Lee needs a drink. Why don’t you two have one together for now?” she suggested as she spun the younger man back toward the stage.

“Okay, but we’re still doing another song to wake up these zombies, right?”

Maria nodded and sent him off, and when she swiveled back to her bosses, albeit teetering slightly, gone was her gentle smile.

“I invited Kunhang,” she asserted, “and I want him to stay. You have no authority to order my guests to leave.”

“Actually, we own 51 percent of this—”

Hyunwoo gave a discreet punch to Minhyuk’s side to shut him up, but it had about as much impact as a car accident. While the blonde cradled his gut, Maria glared.

“You're not the bosses of my party! In fact, you're not even my bosses anymore.”

“We are for the next month,” Kihyun reminded.

“Hey, Two!” the director shouted over her shoulder. “Clear that back booth for me please. I’m putting these seven children in time-out until they can learn to play well with others.”

An audible gasp circulated through the room along with one very inebriated giggle somewhere in the back that was quickly silenced. The vice chairmen stood there dumbfounded as their secretaries nervously followed their director’s instructions and shooed away partygoers from the back corner where a C-shaped booth lurked in the neon shadows. The table cleared, and Maria thrust her arm forward and instructed, “Sit.”

They did.

Another pair of guests seized the distraction and made a break for the exit, but the director trumpeted, “Nobody leaves until everyone’s had a good time!”

“Woohoo!” Kunhang cheered from halfway across the room. He was the only respondent though the escapees did retreat back to their tables.

“Can’t we talk about this?” Hyunwoo said in his usual steady tone.

Maria shook her head. “Your lordships talk to much as it is. Sit here and be quiet for once.”

Kihyun hummed. “Director Ortega, I think you’ve had a bit to drink. Maybe—”

“Psh, I’m not nearly drunk enough for this conversation.”

Jooheon let out a resentful sigh as he scrunched his nose and challenged, “We really did come to support you.”

But Maria swept her pointer finger from end to end of the rainbow of vice chairmen and barked, “Pinches egoístas! Todo lo que hacen en tomar y tomar! ¿Y que obtengo a cambio? ¡Solo molestias! Y ni siquiera me pueden dejar en paz. Hijos de puta.”

“That didn’t sound great,” Hoseok said with a grimace at Minhyuk.

Hyunwoo cleared his throat and started, “Director—”

“Nn-nn, no. No, no. I'm so sick of that name. That's the only name I've heard for the last 762 years.” Kihyun and Hyungwon exchanged looks at her embellishment, but the woman didn’t notice as she continued, “I have a real name, a person name not a job name. Okay?”

“Okay,” said Minhyuk with a lopsided smile.

“It's Maria. It's a pretty name. It was my mother’s name and my great-grandmother's name. Isn't it pretty? Maria. Say it.”

“Maria,” said Hyungwon slowly, testing it out.

But she surprised him when she launched across the table, both of her hands clamping over his thick lips. “Shh! Not you! Shh!”

“Why not me?” he grumbled behind her fingers, but she shook her head vehemently.

“Why are you so loud?”

“Loud?” Kihyun chuckled with a furrowed brow as he turned toward his half-brother. “You’re not loud. I can barely decipher half the mumblings that come out of your mouth. Maria, do you mean the music’s loud?”

“Not loud enough!” she shouted.

“Maria,” repeated Hyungwon, softer this time, but she plugged her ears then and shook her head.

“I said it's too loud. Shh! You call me Director Ortega.”

The silver-haired vice chairman scowled at his half-brother as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “Why can’t I say it… He just did.”

The director narrowed her eyes at the vice chairmen and said, “I’m going back to get drunk like I deserve for the first time in ages, and you are not ruining that yet again, got it? Hopefully I’ll forget you were even here.”

“How long do we have to sit here?” Jooheon griped.

Maria folded her arms. “You act like children, I treat you like children. You stay here until you learn your lesson.”

Changkyun laid a hand on his dimpled cousin’s shoulder before took the lead and said, “We came here to talk to you, Maria.”

“Well, I came here to party because it’s my party, and I’m not talking. I’m partying.”

She turned around, but before she could take three steps, Hoseok blurted, “What are we supposed to do?”

Over her shoulder, she answered, “You’re in timeout. You don’t do anything… unless you decide to leave. You want to reconsider?”

None of the men moved, save Kihyun and Hyungwon crossing their arms in unison in an unexpected reminder that they shared some genes.

Maria huffed. “Fine. The only way you’re getting up from this table is if you leave or you join in.”

“What does that mean?” asked Minhyuk.

“Seriously? You drink and you sing duets or you get out. There's no way I'm letting you stone sober tyrants hold anything over my secretaries after I'm gone. ¿Te quedó claro? Drink and sing or get out.”

“Is that all? I can do that,” the Chief Product Officer said with a smile and presented his hand. “Will you do me the honors of singing with me?”

Maria cackled, and all seven men froze at the unfamiliar sound. “With you, Mr. Lee Minhyuk? Oh, no way.”

“You’ll sing with an intern but not with us?” Hyungwon pointed out tightly.

“That’s the easy way out,” she countered, “and I've spent way too much of my life by each of your sides already. No, you have to sing with each other.”

“With each other?” they exclaimed as a united front for once.

Maria cocked an eyebrow and a hip and stared them down. “If you've got the guts. If not, there’s the door.”

With that, Maria returned to her party, stole a snack from a nearby table, and bellowed out a war cry for the party to continue. With the help of Intern Wong’s impromptu DJing and the out-of-sight, out-of-mind vice chairmen, most guests were swaying and drinking again, this time with much more moderation.

That is until everyone got the surprise of their lives.

Just as Manager Gong of the marketing department finished her off-key solo performance of XG’s “New Dance,” two sharp silhouettes climbed the stairs to the stage, and once they’d selected their song, they turned around and stepped into the lights.

Minhyuk and Kihyun each grabbed a mic and waited to catch up to the beat of TVXQ’s “Spellbound”. At the first notes out of their mouths, a couple shot glasses fell to the floor, but it was nothing to the number of jaws that followed.

“My god,” murmured Secretary One, “they could be idols. How did I not know Vice Chairmen Yoo could sing like this? I see him all day every day!”

“I didn’t know they could sing either!” said Secretary Kwon. “Did you, Maria?”

A rice cake now sagging in her hand, the director couldn’t even find the strength to shake her head as her two bosses prowled the stage looking like they’d always belonged up there. They’d shed their suit jackets in favor of their dress shirts, each having rolled their sleeves up to their forearms, which was more skin than Maria had ever seen them show in all their years together. As they glided across the floor, their buttons winked in the spotlights, taunting the woman who’d been so confident up to that very moment that she’d known everything about them.

“This feels like a concert!” one of the managers screamed over the music.

“I can’t believe we get to see this for free!” shouted another.

“Why do they have to be good at everything they do?” bemoaned yet another.

“Feels like they’re singing to you, Maria,” whispered Hyeongseo into her friend’s ear.

“Hush,” the director said because it was all she could manage.

She was too caught up in the two men, ever at odds with one another, harmonizing so effortlessly over the effervescent melody. Minhyuk was definitely the bigger ham of the two, swaying back and forth like a jazz cat with equal cool. Kihyun, on the other hand, had a way of stroking the mic that was so dizzying, it left Maria wondering how much of the room’s spinning was just the alcohol coursing through her now-racing blood.

“They’re even dancing in sync? They have moves?” Secretary Lee exclaimed at their little dance break, eyes bugging out of his skull.

Their performance ended all too quickly, and once again, the club room was silent. The two vice chairmen stood on stage, chests heaving, sweat beading on their brows, expressions tight.

Nobody bothered to hit the artificial applause since the real thing erupted from every corner, including whoops and hollers and chants for an encore. Their bosses merely bowed and made their escape from the limelight toward their mandated timeout, but not before taking a very particular route past their dumbstruck director.

As he blew past her, Kihyun lifted both brows in a challenge, and then the pair was gone… only to be replaced on stage by Hyunwoo and Hoseok.

“There’s more?” said one guest.

“Are they all going to perform? Oh my god,” exclaimed another.

The two largest members of Xtra Mile’s boardroom hiked the stairs to the stage as the applause finally dwindled for the last performance. Maria barely had time enough to process what had just happened in when the first percussive notes of Shinee’s “1 of 1” began.

Hoseok took the lead in the song, his voice sweet and melodic and his lisp clinging to the lyrics, before his cousin picked up the retro beats and flavored them with his own surprisingly lustrous RnB tone.

“These song choices, oh my god,” gasped Secretary Ahn.

“How am I going to go back to work on Monday?” Secretary Kwon lamented as she watched her boss reach his hand out toward them, his voice straining with a high note. Dreamily, she reached back, and Secretary Kim swatted her arm down.

“You’re embarrassing yourself, Haeun!”

“Probably,” Secretary Kwon whimpered, entranced.

“Is it just me,” said Secretary Lee, “or are all these about Maria?”

“I told you,” Hyeongseo sing-songed.

Abruptly, each of the secretaries turned toward the director, who waved them off. “You gossip just as much as ever, Yujun, which always adds fuel to Hyeongseo’s fire. Cut it out, both of you. They’re just showing off. When do they not? Pack of jerks, trying to make me feel bad about having a good time.”

Only then, as the weight of her bosses’ gazes bore down on her from the stage, did Maria realize she hadn’t had a drink since the vice chairmen had stormed in, and, resentfully, she grabbed for a shot glass. But the second she brought it to her lips, it stilled, and nothing she could do could tip it back.

“Damn them,” she cursed under her breath as she slammed the glass back down. “Can’t even get drunk anymore even though I don’t work here anymore.”

But with every cell she sobered up, Maria was more and more aware of how smooth her bosses were on stage, how natural and comfortable they looked under a spotlight, and how enticingly they sang into a mic. It wasn’t fair, and it just amplified her resentment.

“Hey, girl, you all right?” Hyeongseo asked her friend.

“Pack of jerks,” Maria muttered even as Hoseok stared straight into her soul with sparkling eyes.

Finally, the duo finished their serenade, bowed to the crowd and again to their director, and then hurried off stage to make way for Hyungwon, Jooheon, and Changkyun.

“Not again,” the director groaned and Hyeongseo rubbed her back.

“Worried they’re going to be as impressive as the first two duets?”

“I thought they’d leave. I didn’t expect them to take me up on it. Why didn’t I make them leave?”

Vice Chairman Yoo’s secretary quirked a finely plucked brow. “Seems like they’re figuring out what it means to lose you. I wonder what they’d say if they knew the real reason you’re leaving.”

Maria hissed, “I’ll throw you out, too, One!”

“Aera! Hey, Aera!” whispered Secretary Lee to Secretary Guk, who could barely tear her eyes from her boss, Jooheon, as the dimpled man centered himself behind a mic. “Aera, other than a boardroom, have you ever seen the three of them together?”

“Vice Chairman Lee looks so handsome…” she murmured with dimples that matched her superior’s. Her colleague swatted his hand in front of her face, and she blinked and snapped, “What do you want, Yujun?”

“I asked you a question!”

“Shh!” she said, ignoring him. “We’re witnessing history, and I’m not missing a second of it.”

Secretary Lee rolled his eyes, but his fellow assistant was right. The whole room could feel it, even the transfixed director.

“They can't possibly be a skilled as the other vice chairmen, can they?” asked Secretary Two.

A familiar throwback beat bumped out of the speakers, and Hyeongseo’s eyes glided to the director as Shinhwa’s “Perfect Man” emphatically kickstarted.

“Don’t,” Maria warned her friend.

Hyeongseo grinned as cartoonishly as an emoji.

Hyungwon took control of the opening lines with his raspy vocals, which melted right into Changkyun’s chocolate murmuring and, finally, Jooheon’s power serenading. Before anyone knew it, the latter two were trading some of the fastest, smoothest rap lines anyone in the company had ever heard.

“They can rap?” squealed Secretary Ahn as she pressed harder against the edge of the stage. “I take back what I said. Thank god your big mouth invited them, Aera.”

If Secretary Guk heard the praise, it took a backseat to the tidal wave of senses bearing down on them from the stage as the three men harmonized in ways not a soul in Xtra Mile could have ever anticipated. They shared lines just as easily as they shared the spotlight, and when they joined voices in the chorus, hearts stopped.

“They're not treating this like noraebang,” marveled Hyeongseo. “They're acting like they're on Music Bank.”

“What a pity they hate each other,” shouted Secretary Kwon over the music. “Imagine if they cut a record together.”

Secretary Lee wrapped one arm around the director and another around Hyeongseo as he muscled in between for a better look of his boss on stage. “I am never letting Vice Chairman Chae live this done. Never. And here I always thought Maria would be the one to bring them together. Who knew it would be music?”

“Who said it isn’t Maria?” said Jackson, who appeared at the director’s other shoulder. His mouth hovered by her ear as he added, “You did tell them to perform after all.”

“‘Cause you are the one!” came the line from the three performers, this time borderline shouted down on the crowd—maybe, more specifically, one President of Operations.

Maria looked up and away from Jackson, though not with stars in her eyes as the rest of the crowd did, but rather with crossed arms and a hard expression.

Hyeongseo shook her friend’s bicep. “Not even a smile? They’re singing right to you, babe. Damn, Maria, I really underestimated how pissed you are at them.”

But the director wasn't pissed. She was in shock.

She looked around at her colleagues, now flush with the stage, hands reaching up, cheering and squealing, all hoping for a crumb of attention from men Maria had only ever seen drink coffee, read reports, and micromanage every second of her day.

Now they were commanding a stage like they owned that, too.

So maybe she was more than a little angry after all.

They had it in them all along to get along, so why the hell had she been stretched thinner than watercolor on an oversized canvas all these years?

The trio’s performance wound down, and the men left the stage the same as the others—abruptly and with little attention for the fanfare that was being ladled on them from the audience. They retreated to their timeout and sat in the same order that they’d been assigned when Maria had sent them there.

“How am I going to go back to the office on Monday knowing what I know...” Secretary Guk said as she stared back heart-eyed at her boss.

“You’d better stay in your lane, Guk Aera,” admonished Secretary Two. “Remember what happened to Secretary Lee Gahyun? She asked out Vice Chairman Im one time, and she was gone the next day. You have to stay as professional as Director Ortega or you’ll be on the job market in no time.”

“I know! I’m just saying it’s going to be so hard. A girl could get lost in Vice Chairman Lee’s dimples…”

“Great,” said Secretary One, “we’re going to be filling two positions this week.”

“A lot to think about, Director Ortega,” Jackson began with a playful look to the woman beside him. “Seems our esteemed Vice Chairmen set out to make an impression. I wonder if it worked.”

Maria gritted her teeth, shook off the two men’s arms around her, and stormed toward the back of the club, every guest’s attention once again pressing down on them. She threw her hands back on her hips and thundered, “Are you happy?”

“Are you?” asked Kihyun.

“We did it for you,” added Hoseok.

“Did you like our performances?” Jooheon wondered. “How did I do specifically?”

Maria sighed. “What was the point of all that, huh? Did you think it would make me stay?”

“No,” said Hyunwoo.

“Yes,” said Minhyuk.

All at once, the director stood there, her shoulders unusually slumped and her round face fallen. “Thank you for coming to my going away party, sirs. You’ve certainly made it unforgettable.”

“Maria!” Kihyun said. “Wait.”

But Minhyuk shook his head. “She’s right, guys.”

With that, the CPO clambered over his relatives’ laps to get out of the booth, breezed past the director, and hurried to the stage which was still empty since they’d had yet to find anyone brave enough to follow the vice chairmen’s acts.

“All right, everyone,” declared Minhyuk into the mic. “Did you enjoy the performances?”

“Yes, sir!” came the universal cheer.

“Great, and did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

“Wonderful, wonderful. Should we add noraebang to our company picnic this year?” he asked.

The cheers were even more forceful now. “Yes, yes!”

“Ah, perfect. That’s great news. Now for the bad news.” Minhyuk smiled down at his employees, bowing and nodding and making his typical spectacle of himself.

Boos that could only come with the conviction of alcohol bubbled up around the room as every last guest waited for the other shoe to drop.

“That’s a wrap on this incredible party, I’m afraid,” said the vice chairman, “but don’t worry. Your vice chairmen will work hard to ensure more things like this in the future. For now, thank you all for supporting our dear Director and making her night unforgettable.”

“Hey, wait, no—” Maria protested, but when she swiveled about the room to address her guests, she found Hoseok and Changkyun holding open the doors to the hallway and waiting like bouncers.

“As you are all still representing Xtra Mile right now, we want to ensure your night ends well,” boomed Vice Chairman Son now from the back of the room. “To that end, we have a fleet of drivers waiting at the ready out there who will take you all home safely.”

“All of us?” shouted someone in the crowd.

“All of you,” Kihyun promised.

“Except you,” Hyungwon said solemnly.

Everyone followed his hard gaze back to Intern Wong, who looked at his boss’s boss’s boss with wide eyes over the lip of his shot glass.

“You walk home,” Jooheon agreed.

“Ah, ah,” corrected Minhyuk from the stage. “My brother is joking. There’s a seat for you in my car. Have a safe trip home, Intern Wong.”

“Why would you—” Jooheon barked before Minhyuk cut him off with a smile and a knowing look.

“As we all know, Maria wants us to see all her guests home well, especially the ones she personally invited…”

Their attention slid over to the director, who was watching her superior just as carefully.

Jooheon looked back at the bewildered intern and said begrudgingly, “Get home safely, Intern Wong.”

“Aw, is the party really over?” asked Manager Cho.

“It is if the Vice Chairmen say it is,” Supervisor Qian answered and picked up his intern by the collar.

“Hey, wait!” Kunghang objected, feet skidding beneath him as he was compelled forward. “I wanted to say goodnight to the Director!”

“I’m sure you did. Come on, our free ride is waiting, Intern Wong.”

Kunhang’s puppy eyes pleaded forgiveness of Maria as he waved and shouted goodnights even as his supervisor dragged him bodily out of the room. Over his shoulder, he shouted, “Don’t forget to text me when you get home so I know you got there safely!”

Hyungwon and Jooheon rolled their eyes as the rest of the guests began to leave while the secretaries started reining in the wake of chaos in the room. For her part, Maria cleaned up one of the bottles of soju by downing it straight from the mouth. No booze had ever tasted more satisfying.

“I can’t believe you threw out all my guests,” she said bitterly.

Minhyuk shrugged. “I just followed your lead, Maria. You were the one who said the night was over.”

The director grunted and thumped the empty bottle back on the table. “I was throwing you out, not them.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time we misunderstood something.”

Maria narrowed her eyes. “Yes, but I get the feeling that was intentional rather than accidental.”

“Feelings are not enough for a court of law,” Kihyun interjected with a hooked grin, and she sighed.

“There are forty-some people here. How are you going to get them all home?”

Jooheon beamed at her. “Limos seat eight. It’ll be fine.”

“You brought seven limos to a noraebang?” she exclaimed.

“Well, we weren’t going to ride together,” Hyungwon informed matter-of-factly.

The director sighed and collapsed onto a couch, her head lolling back as she closed her eyes. “You have no idea how much I miss your grandfather. He was mature. He was respectful. He was grateful.”

“We’re not grateful?” Hoseok said with a protruding bottom lip.

“No! You’re none of those things.”

“I resent that,” said Kihyun.

“I don’t care. What else am I supposed to think? You’re the same people made me leave family events half a world away to wait on you.”

“That was Hyungwon!”

The silver-haired vice chairman went to bite back, but the director did it for him. She squared up to Kihyun and, tongue loosened by alcohol, blurted, “You’re better? Really? I was seconds away from getting laid for the first time since the Ice Age when you texted me, what was it, 17 times? The guy thought I was married and bolted.”

A bottle clattered to the floor, and everyone turned to find President Wang standing there sheepishly with eyes big as marbles just as the rest of the secretaries were.

“Jackson? I thought we kicked you out, too,” growled Jooheon. “You are definitely walking home.”

“Aw, come on, man. You owe me for—”

“Out!” the CMO snapped.

The president hurried out with all seven secretaries in tow, each one giving Maria their own version of an embarrassed grimace, and once the procession of mortification was gone, she was left to stew in the horror of her last admission. She had to divert attention immediately.

“There’s no point in asking me to stay, sirs,” she said as assertively and professionally as her tipsy state would allow.

“You already took another job?” Hoseok said, the disappointment in his voice clear as glass.

Maria shook her head. “No. No, I need time away from an office. I need somewhere to clear my head.”

Hyunwoo raised both eyebrows. “You're taking a vacation?”

The director remained silent.

Kihyun pressed his sharply bowed lips together as he narrowed his eyes. “You're moving back home?”

More silence.

“To America!” The other six shouted in unison.

“You can’t,” Hoseok insisted.

“Of course I can. You don’t own me, contrary to what you seven seem to believe.”

“That’s not it!” protested Jooheon. “Give us a chance to prove it to you. We’ll lighten your workload. We’ll give you more time off. We won’t spring meetings on you. Just don’t leave, please.”

“Dios mío, dame fuerzas! Listen, sirs, it’s nice of you to come and show your sincerity, I mean it, and I appreciate your generosity, I really do, but my resignation is about so much more than that.” Maria took a deep breath then said, “Working for your family, I’ve accomplished more than most in my life, and I’m proud of that, but there’s one thing that my career has kept me from accomplishing, and that’s become absurdly clear since my sister’s wedding.”

“The wedding Hyungwon kept you from enjoying?” Kihyun needled, but before Hyungwon could volley back, Maria slapped her hands down on the booth as effectively as across their faces.

“Why can’t you boys just get along? It would have made my job so much easier if I didn’t have to spend as much time translating foreign languages for you as I did translating messages between you. Some days, it’s more like running a daycare than it is a multibillion-dollar company.”

“Ouch,” mumbled Hoseok.

“On that trip… What did you learn, Maria?” Hyunwoo redirected gently.

Her head lolled to the side. “What’s the point of explaining? You’re all just going to argue and lob blame at one another. I’d rather we just end it here, sirs, and you can all blame each other without me having to embarrass myself.”

“We can’t fix things if we don’t know what the problem is,” the COO insisted.

“You can’t fix them even if you do.”

“You don’t know that,” said Changkyun softly.

The director shook her head. “I do, sir. This isn’t something that can be fixed by seven executives.”

“We have resources,” Minhyuk insisted, his finger stabbing a table with every word. “We have a whole company at your disposal. There’s nothing that we can’t get you.”

“You can’t get me a husband, and you sure as hell can’t get me laid.”

Maria covered her mouth, but it was too late. The damage was done, and this time, there was no one there to distract from it.

“So it’s true…” murmured Hyungwon.

“No! Oh no… See! I knew it!” she bellowed and covered her face with her hands. “Everyone in the company knows the sad fate of poor, pathetic Maria Ortega. How humiliating. Over a decade of professionalism, and I’ve cannonballed it in a few days.”

“That's not true,” Kihyun reassured.

“Obviously it is. No wonder everyone was so eager to congratulate me on quitting. Maria Ortega, the cautionary tale for career driven women. She thought success was enough, but the moment she finds out she has no one to share it with, she realizes that the world now cruelly thinks she’s too old for love.”

“Horseshit,” Hyunwoo bit with uncharacteristic ferocity.

The director slumped over, forearms on her knees. “It doesn’t matter if it is or it isn’t. Spinster is still a word in people’s vocabulary. I’ve aged out of most of my prospects. Men aren’t looking to start a life with a woman at 38.”

“I saw that line of admirers this morning,” the honey-haired COO reminded. “You were turning down offers right and left.”

“It’s not at all what you think, sir.”

“It was,” Hoseok asserted. “Those hopeful, lovestruck looks are unmistakable.”

She closed her eyes and grimaced as she flashed back through the last couple years of disasters. “You all should know better than anyone that a salesman knows just what to do to close a deal before he moves to the next more profitable town.”

“That can’t be true,” insisted Minhyuk. “No one could say no to you.”

Maria belted out a bitter laugh, then another, until it suddenly became a strand of ironic giggles over the persistent hum of the speaker static. “Are you kidding me? It’s your favorite word for me and my personal life. You are the seven kings of the word. It’s the only other thing you have in common.”

“Impossible,” asserted Kihyun.

“When have I ever told you no?” Minhyuk challenged.

“That’s not—” began Hyungwon, but he was cut off by Maria.

“‘Vice Chairman Yoo, please keep me off the schedule Friday evening.’” In a gravelly voice, she continued, “‘Director Ortega, you know I need you to assist me with all acquisitions. It’s expected. We’re finalizing the Usagi Electronics deal. This is the most vital time. It can’t be completed without you.’”

“Hey—” said Kihyun, but again, she cut him off.

“‘Vice Chairman Im, I have important plans this Saturday, so please—'

“‘Director Ortega, please take this job more seriously. You know this morning we were invited to dine with President Park. You don’t say no to President Park.’

In a deeper mimic, she continued, “‘See you on Sunday, Director Ortega.’

“‘But, Vice Chairman Son, I told you I have—'

“‘See you Sunday.’” She closed her little play with Hyunwoo’s trademark tight-lipped, cheeky bear smile before she returned to herself with an exhausted sigh. “You have no idea how difficult it is to live a real life when you have seven superiors who demand your full attention all the time. In all the years I’ve served you, I’ve never seen Gyeongbokgung Palace, I haven’t visited the top of N Seoul Tower, I haven’t hiked Inwangsan. Hell, I haven’t seen a movie since your grandfather retired! Do you know how much I love movies? Now, I can’t even watch them at home because I pass out before they reach the halfway point. You tell me if that’s fair, sirs.”

“We didn’t think of it like that,” mumbled Hyungwon.

“I know. You didn’t think of me at all. It’s always the job first—the title first—and that goes for me, too. My career was the most important thing to me for the longest time. Now that I’ve gotten everything I’ve ever wanted for myself, I found I’m missing more than I realized. And I can’t even make it to one measly blind date.”

“What’s so great about a blind date anyway?” Hoseok challenged. “They’re all out-of-shape bald guys who make you pay for your own coffee.”

Despite herself, Maria couldn’t stifle her chuckle. “What’s wrong with bald guys? You keep bleaching your hair platinum, and you might be bald soon, too, sir.”

The Chief Security Officer groped his own head as he floundered, “Back me up, guys.”

Though he’d been quiet most of the evening, save for his devastating performance on stage, Changkyun propped both elbows on the table, leaned forward, his sly eyes hiding innumerable secrets, and said, “Maybe it’s time to consider alternative avenues.”

“What do you mean…” she asked warily.

“The shortest distance between two points. Have you ever considered that, while you may not know what you’re walking into on a blind date, you do know each of us… Better than anyone, I imagine..”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, so this is how you pitch me to keep my job?”

Changkyun shook his head. “Not at all. My suggestion is simple. Why don’t you date us instead?”

Everyone’s heads whipped toward the youngest vice chairman along with a chorus of “What!”

It didn’t seem to faze him.

“Forgive my brother, Maria,” Jooheon bumbled as he nudged the chocolate-haired vice chairman hard in the ribs. “He uses his status as youngest too liberally.”

“That’s not it,” Changkyun insisted. “I’m serious.”

The director’s hands raced through her rapidly frizzing bob as her eyes searched the shadows for spot to steady her mental tailspin. “Okay. Okay, so it’s just Vice Chairman Im who’s clearly wasted then.”

“Well…” Hyunwoo said slowly. “Maybe my youngest cousin has a point.”

Maria threw her hands up. “Vice Chairman Son, too?”

“Ugh,” groused Jooheon, “you’ve asked us to drop the honorifics but you won’t? Since we’re not coworkers anymore, it’s not necessary.”

“It feels weird not to,” she said.

“Just because it feels weird doesn’t mean it is,” Changkyun countered.

Something in the youngest’s tone warned her not to trust the dark cast in his eyes.

Hyungwon caught her gaze next, and Maria froze, feeling every bit the startled rabbit she imagined she looked to be. The man always had the unique ability to stun her despite how often he managed to look like a person five minutes shy of a cozy nap. He dipped his head down, his lips jutting with his chin, as he asked, “You've never once thought about what it would be like to be with us?”

Maria scrambled to find her bearings, but it was pointless, especially with all the liquor still burning holes in her defenses. As assertively as she could, she said, “It wouldn't matter even if I had.”

“Does that mean you have?” Jooheon said, shooting forward.

The director frantically waved him back. She longed for another shot, but like so much else in her life, it seemed out of reach. She mumbled, “Did you all plan this blindside?”

“I swear to you this is the first we’re hearing it,” said Kihyun with his hand up, “but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been thinking it for a long time.”

The director shook her head. “Not possible. You have to have an angle. You’re businessmen; you always do. You think I'm so desperate and hopeless that I need to date my bosses?”

“Yes?” wondered Minhyuk.

“No!” interjected Changkyun while he glared at his cousin as his other cousin, Hoseok, whacked the blonde on the back of the head. “I’m not suggesting you stay and work for us. I’m suggesting you give us each a chance to prove to you that we’re all like you. We’re all struggling to catch up to our feelings.”

“Feelings?” she said incredulously. “You can’t have feelings for a hammer or a wrench.”

Suddenly, Hyungwon reached across the table and grasped her fingers. Her eyes shot to the often solemn man and found his just as steady and serious as she found them in a boardroom. His thick lips were pressed together into a hard line as his brow furrowed. “You’ve never once—not ever—been a tool in our eyes, Maria, and I’m sorry if we’ve made you feel that way.”

The director yanked her hand away and stared at her skin as though it were burning. All these years, and she’d never touched them save for a jolt in a shared limo or straightening a tie. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt so momentous if they hadn’t all just proposed to date her.

She cradled her hand as she said, “There's not enough soju in this world to make me accept pity dates as severance from my company.”

“You've got it all wrong,” said Hoseok. “You would be the one taking pity on us.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve filled our lives with so many distractions that it’s distracted us from something we've known all along.”

“And what's that?” she asked, and she realized she was holding her breath.

Now it was Hyunwoo who studied the director with an intensity she’d never seen from him. Normally, he gave the appearance of constant wonder or surprise, almost like he wasn’t taking things seriously, but usually that was a ruse to throw his professional opponent off-balance. But here, Maria was practically on the floor from tonight’s whiplash, yet there were no hints of that trickery. He was looking at her with everything he had.

His eyes hooded. His voice dropped another octave. “You don't find it odd that seven men who haven't been able to agree on anything in thirty years can all agree that we can't be without you?”

“I do! Exactly,” Maria agreed wholeheartedly. “I do find that odd. But I think the conclusion I've drawn is a lot different than the one you have. Honestly, sirs, I really think you're confusing two separate issues. You don't want the person who's been doing everything for you—short of actually spoon-feeding you—to leave, but need doesn't equal love.”

Hyunwoo’s intensity didn’t let up, even at the barb. Voice as even as ever, he continued, “And I think you're afraid of the possibility that your future has always been with us.”

“Or maybe,” she said, keenly aware of how much her own voice was now shaking, “I'm afraid of the far more likely possibility that this is all some game you seven have concocted to trick me into staying. For a bunch of guys who said they didn’t plan this, with all these pretty things to say, you sure sound rehearsed.”

Kihyun, who’d been sitting closest to her, leaned in, his voice unusually deep. “Maybe that’s because we’ve each been rehearsing this for longer than you think.”

To fight the shiver racing down her spine, Maria chewed her lip aggressively.

“At least let us have the chance to prove we’re serious,” said Jooheon.

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“For starters,” Changkyun answered, “we respect your resignation. We won't pressure you to stay on as our director anymore. We’ll start interviewing candidates as soon as you find them.”

Maria popped an eyebrow. “What if I want to recommend Secretary Kim for the position?”

They all looked to Hoseok. Worry flashed across the CSO’s face for a second before he nodded slowly. “She’s an excellent assistant. I’m sure she’d be up to it.”

“She would,” Maria agreed, a relieved smile brightening her face for the first time since they’d arrived. “If she says yes, I can start training her on Monday.”

The vice chairmen couldn’t hide their shock and hesitation, but nobody dared argue it.

Again, the director found her lip between her teeth, this time coupling it with a worrying of her top button. “So, um, how would this all work? I mean, if I believed you for one second…”

“Well,” Jooheon said as she scooted a little closer on her other side, “if you believed us, we’d each like a chance to take you out.”

“There won't be any work involved,” Hoseok promised. “We're talking about dates, so we’ll keep everything out of the office.”

“You, I’m not worried about,” Maria admitted. “I can barely keep you at your desk as it is. But a few of you…”

She glared at Minhyuk, Kihyun, and Changkyun before the first butted in, “Not this time. And you won't have to plan a thing. We'll be responsible for you for a change.”

“Despite what you may think, we’ve managed to pick up a few things over the years,” Hyungwon said.

She glared sternly at them. “I’m 38. I don’t have time for boys.”

“Director Ortega—Maria,” Kihyun corrected, “we run a multibillion-dollar company. We’re not children anymore.”

“Didn’t I just put you all in time-out?” she recapped. They pouted across the board, seven undeniably handsome faces as defeated as the director had ever seen, and Maria let out a sigh. “Ugh, this conversation is making me feel uncomfortably sober. How serious are you all planning to take this charade?”

“At least as serious as you do,” said Minhyuk.

“As serious as we’ve ever taken anything,” amended Changkyun.

Maria groaned and said, “There’s no way you can play nicely with each other. How am I supposed to come out alive from this?”

“If there’s one thing to convince us to get along, it’s you, Maria,” said Hyungwon. She clutched her temples at this sound of her name in his gravelly rumble and winced.

“This is such a bad idea. What happens when it doesn’t work out with any of you? Or worse, it does work? What happens if it works really well with one of you? You can’t get along as is. Something like this… it could makes things irreconcilable.”

Minhyuk shrugged. “If you’re leaving anyway, at least you won’t have to stay for the fallout.”

“I still care,” she insisted, hands gripping the table edge. “I love Xtra Mile. I don’t want to be the reason something happens to it. You can’t promise that you’ll be okay with this.”

“You’re right,” said Hyunwoo, “we can’t, but if it isn’t already clear, we’ll do just about anything for you.”

“Even act like family,” Jooheon said with a clap on his little brother’s back beside him.

Maria glanced between her bosses, finding a thousand different reasons why this was a stupid, terrible idea, yet she found herself resisting all of those. Time stretched between the group. One minute morphed into two and then five, but it didn’t make a difference. It wasn’t changing her fate or her answer.

She chewed her lip again, but finally, she said, “I don’t know…”

“Jackson said we needed to show you our sincerity,” said Kihyun. “Please, Maria, let us.”

“You spoke to President Wang about this?” she shouted, her whole body darkening a shade. “Oh god, I can’t show my face back at the office ever again.”

“We didn’t talk to him about this!” Jooheon was quick to swear. “No one knows about this but us.”

“Hell,” said Minhyuk, “we didn’t even know before right now.”

Maria whimpered. “You better pray no one finds out or I won’t be putting you in timeout. I’ll be putting you in prison.”

The vice chairmen shared a laugh and a nod, which was more than they’d really ever shared, and the director relented to them as she had for years. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do considering where that bad habit had led her, but curiosity—and so much more—had gotten the better of her.

Come Monday, with the booze burned out of her system and her power suit back on, maybe her misgivings would get the better of her, but as Hyunwoo’s limo driver returned from dropping off the last of her guests and offered to take them all home, she didn’t refuse.

And she didn’t refuse when they insisted on piling out on her sidewalk to see her safely into her building.

She didn’t refuse when they promised to make the next month all about her.

With one final look through the glass entryway at the seven troublesome men who’d strategically commandeered her whole life for the past five years, she muttered to herself once more, “Dios mío, dame fuerzas…”

[iravaid]

Art tips I beg of you share your wisdom

Oh god oh fuck I'll try, a lot of my art process is vibes only, i kind of just zone out and Draw and a picture appears

I have to stress that practice is the most important part of art, even if said art looks shit and you feel like the world is ending because you're not doing well/making tangible process/it's not turning out how you want. Gotta push through that by accepting that hey, sometimes your art turns out looking Janky, so what? You still took the time and effort to make art, and you're more of an artist than you were before starting the piece. You can sit back and figure out how to constructively criticise yourself without destroying your own self confidence for the sake of a viewer who isn't there. Practice being neutral about noting the parts you dislike - 'this anatomy is awful and I'm shit at it, why do i bother' isn't going to help as much as sitting back, going 'damn that looks weird, lol' and then looking up reference photos similar to what you'd been hoping to draw and figuring out where things went wrong.

When starting with a drawing, person or animal, I find myself focusing on the silhouette initially. Sometimes i might play around with a solid colour, or focus on the outline with a thin-ish pen. It helps to be aware of certain curves on a form and how it relates to other features of the body proportionally. Look at the empty spaces on the piece and look back to those in the reference, or your own intuition, flip the canvas etc, and see if it looks 'right'. Get funky with it when in the draft stage

Tracing for practice and reference also helps - but don't trace blindly, instead use it as a chance to figure out how the lines of a person/animal/construct move, and how can you replicate that in art. Make guidelines and notes on how things are proportionate to each other, isolate singular lines and practice them over and over to build up the muscle memory.

kind of like the above, where I used photos of an oc's faceclaim (Andy Lau) and traced over them, isolated certain features, made guidelines, and so on

When figuring out how to draw faces, I use a couple little anatomy tricks to keep things in line before tweaking some of the features to make things more unique:

Corners of the mouth tend to align with the top of the jaw. The corners of the mouth also align with the pupils if a front-facing figure is looking straight on. The inner corners of both eyes align with the outer nostrils. Top of the ears align with the top of the eyelid and earlobes align with the bottom of the nose.

This can change depending on feature size etc, some people have bigger or smaller eye or theyre close together or further apart, or they have large earlobes or none at all, or their nose is small or big. I just use it as a guideline to make sure features are in order because. Uh. I keep forgetting to draw in the guides during the draft stage.

Variability of the human face lends well to avoiding same face syndrome as you can stretch the features quite a bit. It may feel weird or wrong drawing a face with different features to how you're used to, but that's the point of practice and progress.

For rendering I found using the colour zones of the face (shown below) adds a lot of oomph and depth after finding my own rendering attempts falling a bit flat.

(above, from Gurney Journey describing the colour zones of the face)

(below, by ArtofYorugami on twitter)

I make the three colour bands, blend them to the contours of the face, then set the layer to multiply and lower the opacity to around 10-20%, and make further tweaks there to where it best suits the face being drawn.

Other little things

Eyes aren't totally white, make them a touch grayer and also add a little bit of blue to give it some depth. Same with teeth but I've yet to figure those freaks out

Hands are the devil but draw them enough times and you can flub your way through them until they feel normal. Would recommend having at least one finger in a different position to the rest, as our hands naturally rest with the index finger away from the rest. Again, use a reference, trace for research and building muscle memory, be cognizant of the muscles and bones at play in the hand and wrist. There are reference compilations on pinterest I've found in the past that have been helpful, and taking a photo of your own hand is an option as well.

A hand's palm width across is also the height of your lower face. That sentence doesn't make a lot of sense - but if you put your hand over your mouth, the top will be touching the bottom of your nose, and the bottom of your hand will align with your chin, more or less. Again, this can change from person to person but is helpful when eyeballing proportions.

Reference sites like x6ud is very helpful for angles of people and animals. Apps like Handy are helpful with figuring out how certain angles of light interact with the face. Videos like this one and this one are also good lighting references. Just looking up 'face under different light angles' on a search engine or pinterest will also be fruitful. Books like Michel Lauricella 's Morpho - Fat and Skin Folds is also very useful and you can find free pdfs online with enough safe digging. And there are a number of tutorials by tumblr artists on a number of desired topics

For expressions, it can be difficult to word the search right to find the specific look and angle you want as a reference. If you're willing, I'd recommend taking a photo of yourself making the expression at the intended angle. No one but you has to see the photo lmao

Uhhh. Multiply, overlay, add (glow) are your friends if you use CSP, play around with pens and layer effects until you get ones you like. I'm partial to the CSP textured pen for lineart and the watercolour pen for rendering

I think that's all i have ahjfjdks 😭 sorry, hope this helped a little bit!

[the-bugsnax-journalists]

Alright, little sneak peak!

Although I wanted to finish the piece today, a few things happened that got in the way (hence why I'm posting this, well, this late) That being said though, I have finished the line art of the Journalists as I had promised, and since I wanted to at least post something, I'll post this! Some silhouettes of the characters in question!

Although the first is, well, pretty obvious who it is, I still wanted to make more than just one, and I thought to base them off the colors you can choose yourself while in-game! (Which is why I'm sticking for a reasoning of why the blue is blue and pink lol)

That being said though, under the cut I will write a few things for each of them ahead of time! Thought to make it a week thing where each day I expand a little more on them but that's too long lol, so instead I decided to write little summaries for each of them! Relationships and such will play into them at a later time when I post each one by one with more expanded upon details!

"Buddy" ~~~~ The Main Journalist (They/Them)

The first oc I made for the game, who I've decided to keep nameless since I can't quite stick to one single name lol. That being said, there is so much I haven't been able to really say about them, despite my brain thinking up SO many ways to tell them to you all! Sadly though, life got in the way so I guess we're sticking with text instead!

First and foremost, Buddy is mute. The reason for this is because they speak through signs and recorders. (Think of it like cartoons, were silent characters speak through signs and what have you.) The reason for this is actually because of a movie I saw in my childhood. Idk if any of y'all know about "Tadeo Jones", but one of their movies was the one I had watched through and the bird in it spoke through signs soooo yeah!

Of course, I made it so they naturally defy the laws of gravity as much as they can, to the dismay of the others- but there's more to it and such, I will post the relationship charts and such when the full pictures get released! For details regarding their backstory, I'll focus on those when we get there, but I will say this: Their family is aware of the Triplicate.

"Cleomie Worncloth" ~~~~ The Barista with a part time job (He/Him)

The second OC is part of a duo (the second half being the 4th Journalist) that I made after I had been here for quite a few. Most of you folks may or may not actually have seen their old designs! But I decided to revamp them a little bit, for the sake of my eyes and my MUCH NEEDED redesign era lmao. That being said though, I guess I should go about their usual thing.

Originally they weren't a Journalist OC, but I decided to go ahead and slap them here since in the end they would have ended up in this predicament. But basically, his schtick is rather simple. He likes to blend Bugsnax and turn them into Syrups and use them to make new drinks. Mostly as an experiment effort, of course. They want to expand their horizons of cuisine for the family cafe owned by their folks, and to get a quicker method of going around the world, he took up Journalism! That being said though, he isn't exactly the most social outside of their work, so when they aren't taking interviews and such, they usually spend time in their little corner, awaiting Bugsnax to be sent to them by their friend."

"Cottontail Tinkerlot" ~~~~ The Engineer with a dream (She/Her)

Now this one, THIS one I never really got to draw proper myself. Mostly duo to lack of motivation and such. BUT now that I finally have the time to do so, I get to properly give her a design! Mostly made for a roleplay between friends, she finally comes out of the shadows and into her own spotlight!

Cottontail as an engineer wants to create robots that can assist and support people across the globe with her energetic attitude and outgoing vigor, enough to either revitalize those that see her, or get a migraine. That being said though, why WOULD she be a journalist? Why, to document the discoveries of the scientific world of course! With her reports being mostly on the fields of robotics and such, Cottontail got inspired to take up the wrench herself, and is now on the island to see if any material can be used to create her dreams into reality!

"Ridamin Northshiver" ~~~~ The Geologist who probably broke something again- (Trans FtM - They/Them)

Alright, THIS one was the second duo to the 2nd Journalist. The reason for their design was rather simple actually. Much like how Floofty is missing a leg, I thought it interesting to go about designing a character with a prosthetic leg. (Hence the difference on the leg on the silhouette). Of course, I wanted him to be unique from Floofty, so I decided to go with a unique route with him:

Much like Cleomie, they weren't originally going to be a Journalist, but my mind decided to say "Screw it!" and go with it anyway! That being said though, Ridamin was going to originally be a Geologist. And while Cleomie still kept their previous title technically, with Ridamin it's a bit difficult to mix them together, right? WRONG! ..Probably-

The way I'm going to go about it is rather simple, Ridamin's family (much like Triffany) was full with people who worked in the historic field, but rather than being an Archeologist, they were Geologists! (I know, REAL smart way to differentiate them) That being said though, given a certain incident that caused them to lose their leg, Ridamin was told to not force themselves given their injury, but that only felt like they were being underestimated by their peers because of a single disability. Ridamin wanted to prove them wrong of course, despite their disability they can still shine much like anyone else! And if nobody is shining the light on them, then they'll get their own light another way. So that's why they took Journalism! Sure it isn't the same job, but in a way it kinda fits either way! To get interviews on how places were born, created, along with the rich history to back it up! It may not be picking dirt and... I don't know, eating it with a spoon to tell how old it is via the crunch or whatever their family does. But soon enough they'll transition to Geology, they just have to plant the base to jump high up to their goal!

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

Farewell to Hollywood U #4 : Being Together

Art by the always lovely and talented @vantaray

Characters: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!MC / OC) Book: Hollywood U (Hunt Date #05) Word Count: ~250 Rating/Warnings: General (all the fluff) Prompts: @choicesmonthlychallenge HWU ; @choicesaugustchallenge "You wear ___ well." ; @choicesficwriterscreations "I feel safe with you"

Synopsis: Hunt and Alex are taking the ferry to Catalina Island for their first official date.

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [HollywoodU]

"I can't believe we're here." Alex marveled, gazing across the open ocean, taking in the glowing fiery sunset painting the sky before them. 

"It is quite stunning." 

"It is," she nodded in agreement, turning into his arms. "But I meant this—us—you and me."  

He tucked the loose strands of her hair fluttering in the breeze behind her ear. "This is the beginning of many more." 

"I like the sound of that!" She sighed contentedly before continuing. "Even though so much is at stake, I feel safe with you. Right now, here in your arms, I feel safe, like nothing can harm us." Her smile widened as she met his gaze. 

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

His right brow arched inquisitively. "With you, it's always something."

She pressed a kiss to the corner of his jaw. "I was just thinking, you wear that smile well." 

Despite his best efforts to school his expression, the corner of his eyes wrinkled in reply as his lips remained turned upward. He wrapped his arms more snuggly around her. "I have this terrible feeling I'll have to get used to it."

"Is it really that bad?" She teased, resting her head on his shoulder as her arms snaked around him.

"Quite the contrary." He brushed a kiss on her temple, holding her close. 

The gentle waves lapped against the side of the ferry. The distant silhouette of the island crested on the horizon.

A comfortable silence fell between them. There would be time for talking later. Right now, this—just being together—was all they needed.

Can I just say how much I adore this art?! The way he looks at her. The way her hair is blowing in the breeze. The colors of the sunset. All of it are so so gorgeous! @vantaray is the most talented and lovely. I can't thank them enough.

And just because I adore this art so much, I want to share the sketches for this art too because even though I chose this pose, the other two the artist came up with for my idea are too beautiful not to share. I would have commissioned them all if I could lol! But I'm so in love with the one I chose.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed the drabble and the gorgeous art. Thank you for all the support. It means so much to me!

[choccy-zefirka]

For the Ruins prompt of the @tes-summer-fest , I would like to present this artwork of my Maormer OC Nurindil, exploring the wreck of his pirate crew’s ship (even if it’s not to evident lol).

Image ID.

An artwork showing the silhouette of an elf wading ankle-deep through water. The elf’s figure is colored in solid black, and the silhouette outlines show that he is wearing only a pair of pants rolled up above the knee. He has a lean, muscular built and several earrings in each of his pointed ears. His hair is gathered into many braids that reach below his waist. He is standing in a ray of pale blue light, which is reflected in the water. The background is very hazy, light-blue and fading into black. Some lines and textures in the background are shaped vaguely like boards in a ship’s broken hull. There is text in the upper right corner of the image: a line from the Les Miserables musical, saying "Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me that I live and you are gone". The word “gone" is repeated several times, blending into the hazy blue light and eventually fading to nothing.

End ID.

[obwjam]

the tiniest jedi

okay folks, here we go... i’d like to introduce you all to my oc, Jedi Knight Jayla Nor’al! she is five inches tall, 22 years old and the former padawan of good ol’ yoda. she was knighted so she could fight in the clone wars, and now she’s off to help command her first-ever battalion! 

when i rewatched clone wars recently i basically took note of episodes where a tiny could fit into the plot (spoiler: there’s a lot lol) so this is part 1 of the first installment of me recreating the filoniverse into the obwjamverse

i hope y’all enjoy <3 love you all sm

the hidden enemy, part 1

>> part two

To say Jedi Knight Jayla Nor’al was nervous would be a tremendous understatement.

It had taken a lot of convincing that bordered on begging to get the council to agree to this. Having Anakin vouch for her seemed like a good idea in theory, but in practice it usually ended with Obi-Wan rubbing his eyes while the council fiercely debated the merits of Anakin’s argument. 

Anakin was always sticking up for her. She was a few years older than he was, but more than anyone, he understood what it was like to have a tough life. They first met one day when he was a padawan, no more than 13 years old. Obi-Wan was sent off on a mission by himself to retrieve a holocron and a disgruntled Anakin went to Yoda to continue his training. He was far more advanced than the group of younglings he was with, but before he could complain too much, something -- no, someone -- caught his eye.

She was standing on a table at all of five inches tall, arms crossed in a dim corner of the room. The other younglings were practicing basic combat stances. She looked rather bored with it all. Anakin would have probably glossed right over her if it wasn’t for the tunic she was wearing.

“Master Yoda, who is that?” Anakin asked while the group was taking a break. She had now sat down, cross-legged, with her eyes closed and her shoulders relaxed. He marveled at how her tiny silhouette almost blended in with the scenery entirely.

“My padawan, she is,” Yoda stated. 

“Padawan?” Anakin was shocked. Obi-Wan never told him Yoda had a padawan.

Yoda hummed. “Surprised, you are, hmm?”

Anakin could only nod as Yoda trotted over to her. “Well, it’s… she’s…”

“Padawan Nor’al, ready, you are?” he asked quietly. Anakin gasped at how Yoda practically towered over this tiny person. She calmly opened her eyes and gave a single nod.

“Younglings, gather here,” Yoda called out to the group. He nodded to Anakin, who curiously followed. He heard a couple of the other younglings snicker in disbelief. “Demonstrate Form III, my padawan will. Close attention to footwork, you must pay.”

Anakin’s eyes widened as a training remote whirred to life. To a normal-sized person, practicing with a remote could sting if you didn’t know know what you were doing. But she was not a normal-sized person. That remote must look like a tank to her!

“Master Yoda--” Anakin started, but Yoda held his hand up.

“You may begin.”

What Anakin witnessed next may or may not have changed his life. 

It was like she knew where the blasts were going before they were even fired. She was so quick that Anakin’s eyes could barely adjust to the blinding speed she seemed to be moving at. She firmly stood her ground as she deflected blast after blast, her eyes moving wildly as she deciphered the shooting pattern of the remote. She found her opening, charged forward, leaped up and sunk her lightsaber straight through the metal. The droid sputtered and sparked before falling to the table, lifeless. She hopped down and gave Yoda a small bow as if nothing had even happened.

“Thank you, padawan. Continue to practice, younglings. Much work to do, you have.”

Still in shock, the younglings picked up their sabers and began to practice, some yelping in surprise when the blasts stung at their legs. She had made it look so easy.

She was taking note of the younglings’ form when she paused to raise her eyebrow. Anakin was still standing there.

“Staring is rude,” she said shortly. Looking at her up close, Anakin could clearly see how she was nervously eyeing him.

“That was really cool,” he said, crouching down a bit so he didn’t loom too large. 

She gave a small smirk. “Master Yoda is a good teacher.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Jayla... Jayla Nor’al,” she said, giving Anakin heavy side-eye. What does he want?

“My name’s Anakin. I’m Master Kenobi’s padawan.”

“Anakin Skywalker?” she asked incredulously. “What -- what are you doing here?”

“My master is on a mission and didn’t want to take me.” 

She scoffed. “That’s silly. Padawans should always be with their masters to learn.”

“Tell that to Obi-Wan,” Anakin sighed. “Does Master Yoda take you on missions with him?”

Anakin’s lips pursed into a frown as she sat down, looking dejected. “Mostly, yeah. But sometimes I think he thinks I’m too… well… you know.”

“Too small.”

She gave him a surprised look. “Yeah.”

“A little ironic, coming from him.”

Jayla laughed. “You can’t say that!”

Anakin laughed back. “Sure I can.”

It was hard for Jayla to really grow close to anyone, no matter how hard she tried to befriend the others. Anakin knew exactly how that felt. The two were lonely, and they found each other. Their friendship only grew stronger as they got older -- Jayla helped Anakin learn to trust in the Force more and Anakin helped Jayla grow her confidence. Obi-Wan admired how well they complimented each other.

Yoda eventually began to take Jayla on more dangerous missions. Spending time with Anakin and Obi-Wan had diversified her skill set more than most padawans and, as the Jedi Council sensed the growing discourse between the light and the dark, Jayla and Anakin were both knighted so they could fight in the Clone War.

But everyone had underestimated the fierceness and enormity of the conflict.

It was evident from the beginning of her training that Jayla was fearless -- that she would not let her size stop her from doing anything. She was a fierce negotiator; a skilled fighter; she had a deep and powerful connection to the Force. And yet, her size was the very thing stopping the council from giving her any responsibilities outside of putting together training recordings, teaching younglings and spearheading negotiations.

“I can’t believe this,” Jayla groaned to Obi-Wan one rare quiet day on Coruscant. Anakin was off on a recon mission. Obi-Wan had duties to attend to, but he would always take a pause to talk with Jayla.

“If Master Yoda and the council feel this is for the best, then you need to listen.”

“I didn’t become a Jedi to play it safe. I just… I don’t understand why Yoda keeps babying me.”

“You’ve only recently become a Jedi knight,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “You need to be patient.”

“Yeah, the council did that so I could fight in the war.” Jayla got up, pacing around the windowsill. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense! I’m trained in combat. I have useful skills. I’ve been out there before, Obi-Wan! Why spend my entire life telling me ‘size matters not, hmm’, then use it as a reason to hold me back?”

Obi-Wan frowned. He hated how her frame seemed to get swallowed up by the bustling backdrop of the Republic captial outside.

“Can I be honest?” Obi-Wan asked slowly. Jayla’s expression softened as she plopped down, resting her elbows on her knees and meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze a few feet from her. 

“Always.” 

“Well, I shouldn’t really tell you this, but I think it’s important that you know. The council has its reservations, but they mostly agree that you are more than capable of being a general. It’s… it’s the Chancellor who has persuaded them into keeping you here.”

“The Chancellor? Why would he care?”

“It’s my understanding that many in the senate feel it would be a sign of weakness if you were to command a battalion.”

“That’s ridiculous! It’s not even the senate’s decision to make!” she cried.

“On military matters, it is. And until Chancellor Palpatine changes his mind, then I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done.”

Jayla tried to forget about that conversation every time she got upset. But as the conflict raged on and Republic forces took beating after beating on the Outer Rim worlds, Obi-Wan felt the situation was becoming dire. It was less about who had strength and more about who had the tactical advantage. The better strategy. The better intelligence. 

Yoda too felt desperate. He was engulfed in the war and convinced that winning it was the only way to save the galaxy from certain doom. He heard the plight of his former padawan day after day, to the point where he began to question if his gut feeling was really right. He hadn’t been meditating as much lately. The Force always gave him the guidance he needed. Between Anakin, Obi-Wan and her own former master, the council was able to convince Palpatine that allowing her to lead stealth and recon missions was a perfectly reasonable starting point.

Since it was nearly impossible to plant a conventional spy into the droid army, Jalya and Anakin had conspired and came up with the idea of using her as a spy. Mace Windu was concerned about her being captured. Anakin argued that her life sign registered so faintly on scanners that capture wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Ki-Adi-Mundi feared she would get lost in the blur of so much violence. Obi-Wan said that all she needed was a wrist comm and someone to use as transportation and protection.

So after months of debating, planning, talking to Yoda and gear-building, the perfect situation had arisen. Today, it was finally going to happen.

And she… didn’t know how to feel.

She was accompanying Anakin and Obi-Wan on the Resolute to Christophsis, where the GAR was getting whalloped day after day. Most recently, a secret plan was thwarted before it had even gotten underway. It was obvious that the Separatists were somehow accessing Republic intelligence. And it was Jayla’s job to find out how.

“You’re not nervous, are you?”

From the comfort and privacy of sleeping quarters, she was perched pensively on Anakin’s shoulder; which, in retrospect, was probably a bad place to be with the way she was fiddling with her hands and bouncing her leg. 

“Don’t ask me that when you already know the answer,” Jayla mumbled. 

“I didn’t, actually, but thanks for confirming it for me.”

Jayla groaned. “I’m not nervous about going into the field.”

“Good. You shouldn’t be.”

“It’s…” she started, but couldn’t bring herself to admit. She was hoping Anakin could connect the dots.

“It’s… what? It’s the ship?” Anakin knew how much she hated flying.

“This isn’t my first Star Destroyer. It’s the starfighters that make me sick.”

“Okay, so it’s not the ship. Is it Obi-Wan?”

Jayla sniffed a laugh. “Why would it be Obi-Wan?”

“Well, it took a little bit of convincing to get him to agree to this.”

“You mean a lot of convincing,” she sighed. “I can personally guarantee you that Obi-Wan is not making me nervous.”

“Well, Tiny, I’m at a loss--” 

Anakin was cut off at the sound of his wrist comm beeping. She quickly grabbed onto a stray piece of his hair for support as he moved his arm up.

“Anakin, Jayla, come meet me at the bridge. Captain Rex will be arriving here shortly.”

“Copy that.” Anakin turned his head slightly to meet Jayla’s gaze, and the Force flashed in a brief moment of worry. Anakin furrowed his brows.

“You’re nervous about Rex?”

Jayla sucked in a deep breath. “No -- not particularly -- no. No, I’m not nervous about Rex.”

Anakin knew she was lying, but he wasn’t about to push it. After all, he didn’t want Obi-Wan lecturing him for being late. Again.

Jayla clung to Anakin’s robe as they made their way through the gray halls of the ship. Even from her perspective, the walls seemed suffocating, so Jayla kept her eyes trained on the ground, avoiding the gaze of every trooper that passed. The rigidness of clone armor was… off-putting.

As they approached the bridge doors, Jayla cautiously took a seat and closed her eyes. When all else failed, the Force was always there for her, guiding her and bringing her to a place where she felt at ease. Going into this mission with any apprehension would be fatal, and she knew it. The Force was pulling her toward the battlefield -- to Anakin, to Obi-Wan, to the citizens of the worlds they were helping to protect. The Jedi Order was her life, and that meant she was forever in service to the people of the galaxy that needed her. She was chosen by the will of the Force; bestowed this great power that so many lusted after. In the galaxy’s biggest conflict, she could finally start making a difference. She could finally be worthy of the gift she was given.

“There’s gonna be a lot of clones in there, you know.” Anakin’s tongue-in-cheek remark broke her from her meditation. “You could always turn back and let me and Obi-Wan handle this.”

Jayla sniffed a laugh. “And let you have all the fun? I’m alright, Anakin, I promise.” She paused, took one glance up at her giant friend, and stood up. “I’m ready for this.”

Anakin smirked. “Well then, here we go.”

The vastness and buzzing energy of the bridge brought about a sensation that Jayla would never get tired of. There were clones on the lower levels punching buttons and pulling levers; there were clones standing around tables, going over strategy and making sure they were ready for the fight. Then there was Obi-Wan, standing in front of a star map and pretending to read it. His mind was occupied with other things.

Anakin nodded his head to Obi-Wan. “Master.”

“Ah, Anakin. And here I thought you’d show up late.”

“For Tiny’s first mission as a general? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Is now really the best time to bring up nicknames?” Jayla groaned. It was times like these she was glad she was small; nobody could see her blush.

“I thought it’d help loosen the tension.”

“Sure you did.” She wasn’t going to admit it, but in his weird Skywalker way, it did help bring her back down to earth. This was her first mission as a military general. She outranked nearly everyone in the room. To the clones, that meant everything. Even if they didn’t want to listen to her… they had to.

It was then she noticed a tiny brown bag on the holotable below. Just poking out of the side was something that looked like armor. 

Armor fit for a tiny.

She slid off Anakin’s shoulder and flipped down to the holotable. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but grin as she pulled out two shoulder pads, two wrist guards, a pair of black gloves and a torso pad. They fit perfectly.

“We couldn’t have you going out in the field unprepared,” Obi-Wan said as she practiced some stances in her new armor.

“Huh. You look like a tiny Obi-Wan,” Anakin smiled.

“I thought we were done with the degrading comments,” you said smugly.

“Oh, very funny, you two. It’s a wonder the council took this long to allow you both to work together.”

Jayla was prepared for another quip when the main door slid open. Her eyes first fell on the wide shoulder wing, then to the Jaig eyes painted on his helmet. She had never seen clone armor quite like what Rex was wearing. She blinked and straightened her posture.

“Captain Rex. Nice of you to finally join us,” Anakin joked.

“Sorry sir. Needed to help Fives find his other blaster.”

“He lost it again?”

“...more like misplaced,” Rex clarified.

“Good to see your troops are on top of things, Anakin,” Obi-Wan quipped.

“Sorry sir,” Rex repeated. Jayla could sense… unease. “So, where’s the new general?”

Anakin’s lips curled into a smile. He had told Rex that the 501st was to be accompanied on this mission by a Jedi knight who was a master of stealth. When Rex asked who it was, Anakin refused to say. He wanted it to be a surprise.

“Rex, I’d like you to meet Jedi General Jayla Nor’al.”

Rex was glad he had kept his helmet on, because the look of confusion on his face would not have done him any more favors. 

“Uh… sir?” Rex asked cautiously, trying his best not to sound too lost. Is this some kind of joke?

“You know, I think it’s helpful to scan the entire room before saying something.”

Rex’s stomach dropped. That voice… that voice was coming from the holotable. Ever so slowly, he tilted his head down. He tried to keep his body language as neutral as possible, but he had a sinking feeling that all three Jedi in the room could sense his surprise.

“Oh,” was all Rex could utter for a moment. It was like this Jedi had stepped right out of a holoprojector and onto the table in front of him. This has to be some kind of test. She’s only a few inches tall! She won’t survive five seconds out on the battlefield. 

Anakin cleared his throat. Rex snapped back to attention.

“Right. Uh, sorry about that, sir,” Rex fumbled, giving this General Nor’al a nod of acknowledgment. “Nice… nice to meet you.”

Rex tensed up when Jayla ever so slightly rolled her eyes. He was surprised he could even see her do that.

“Likewise, Captain. General Skywalker has told me all about you.” She smiled softly when she sensed Rex’s heartbeat escalating. “All good things, of course.” 

She turned to Obi-Wan and, without either of them saying a word, Obi-Wan placed his hand next to Jayla and she casually stepped on, using his thumb for support as she was lifted up from the holotable.

“You’re going to be offering General Nor’al support in the field,” Obi-Wan said, tapping the holotable to life. “We’ve drawn up a plan to get her to the chief tactical droid stationed here to extract information and battle strategy.”

“I think we can finally turn the tide if we can get ahead of the Seps like they seem to keep getting ahead of us,” Jayla added. “Once I get the information, I’ll need an extraction team to get me out of there quickly.” Without warning, her tone shifted from stern to somber. “The last thing I need is to be caught by those stupid battle droids.”

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged a brief glance.

“I’ve got to finish some mission prep,” she said quickly. “When are we getting to Christophsis?”

“Should be there within the hour, sir,” Rex replied immediately. 

“Great.” She tried to peer through Rex’s helmet, but unsurprisingly, she only had the downturned expression plastered on the front to work with. Rex was not expecting to see a five-inch-tall Jedi -- that much was obvious. Her worry lied more in the possibility that she was embarrassing him just by being here. 

“I’m sure Anakin will become bored and come join us in, oh, five minutes or so,” Obi-Wan cut into her thoughts with a smug smile, throwing a glance to his friend as he walked out.

“For mission prep? You know me so well,” Anakin shot back with a smirk, turning back to the window. 

Before Obi-Wan left the room, he turned to Rex, who was all but frozen to his spot.

“Do come and join us when you’re done here,” he said shortly. Rex could only nod.

Once the doors finally closed behind him, he stiffly made his way to Anakin’s side and took off his helmet.

“Rex…” Anakin sighed, already prepared for the conversation they were about to have.

“Sir, you know I mean no disrespect…” Rex paused to see if Anakin would say something witty to that. He didn’t. “...but I’m not sure how well my men are going to respond to taking orders from someone who can fit in the palm of their hand. Especially someone who hasn’t done this before.”

“Rex, she’s a Jedi knight, just like me. She wouldn’t have achieved that rank if she wasn’t fully capable.”

“I--I believe you, General. It’s just… well, they’re used to the way things work. We’re used to a Jedi leading us through battle.”

“And she can’t do that?”

“Well, it’s not like she can cut through clankers like you or General Kenobi.”

Anakin was prepared for this, but it still didn’t change the awkwardness of the conversation. He knew how fierce of a Jedi she was. Rex didn’t. He was hoping this mission could change things. He knew as well as anyone else that a warrior of her size would wreak havoc against the Separatists if used properly. Plus, he knew how painfully boring it was to be stuck inside the temple all the time. He wanted this to work for her.

“Her strengths lie in other areas. She doesn’t need to cut through droids like me and Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, putting his hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Given the world she’s grown up in… the things she’s had to overcome… I’d say she’s the bravest out of all of us.”

Rex hummed and turned his gaze to the front of the ship. He never really grew tired of the swirling brilliant blue of hyperspace. He found himself wondering if it looked any different five inches off the ground.

“...I should go brief the men,” Rex said finally. 

“Yeah,” Anakin said, pursing his lips. “You probably should.”

[lyranova]

A Good Night for Eavesdropping

Hi guys~! So I did it, I actually wrote something lol its a short story for my OC Neva. I thought this would maybe be a good test run before I tried writing canon characters or fanfiction stories. Hopefully its good, I haven’t written in five years so I apologize if it isn’t very good. Also, this came out more angsty than I intended. So for some context this takes place before the Magic knights entrance exam, I hope you guys enjoy~! 😊

Genre: Maybe angst

Word Count: 1,206

Warnings; Language, Some self doubt, also slight angst

It was hot. Too hot. Neva could never sleep when it was this hot, it almost felt like the weather was trying to suffocate her or something. ‘What time is it?’ She wondered as she looked out the window next to her bed, it was likely around midnight if she were to guess. Neva had been tossing and turning ever since she had gone to her room and tried to sleep; but she knew what some of her problem was. She was restless. The Captain hadn’t sent her out on a mission for nearly two weeks and she was beginning to develop cabin fever. Neva at first thought maybe the Captain was giving her a well deserved rest; but after three days of not being sent anywhere she began to grow concerned. ‘Have I done something wrong? Did I screw up the last mission somehow?’ Were the first thoughts that ran through her mind.

Growing tired of letting her mind race, Neva threw her blankets off and opened her window. She sighed in relief as a cool breeze swept through and she already began to feel a lot better. Neva rested her arms against the window sill and just stared out over the grounds of their headquarters, she had felt very lucky to have made it into what was considered the strongest squad in the Clover Kingdom. Most people would kill to be where she was, and yet she didn’t feel satisfied with her place in the squad. Neva didn’t just want to be a member of the Golden Dawn she wanted to lead the Golden Dawn. Eventually. That was her goal; to become the Captain and lead the squad just like their current Captain has. But first she had to work her way up through the ranks and in order for that to happen, she needed to be sent out on missions and do well.

Neva was startled out of her thoughts as she saw a flicker of orange out of the corner of her eye. It was a lantern. She sat up straight as she looked down, there wasn’t only just one lantern but two. ‘What are they doing out so late?’ She wondered as she leaned forward slightly, all she could make out was two mens silhouettes before the light of the lanterns illuminated their faces. It was Exto and Lumis, ‘Oh that’s right; they went out on a mission this afternoon.’ She sighed in relief as she suddenly remembered that fact, she had been so consumed by her thoughts she had nearly failed to notice anyone from the squad was missing. Neva made a mental note to never let that happen again.

“ Geez that mission was a pain in the ass.” Lumis’ voice traveled up to Neva’s window, she wasn’t one to eavesdrop but she was genuinely curious about their conversation.

“ I agree. But someone had to do it and the Captain seemed to think you and I were more than capable to handle it.” Exto’s deep voice boomed, even if her window was closed Neva was sure she could still hear Exto speak. Neva swore she could almost see Lumis’s eyes roll at his answer.

“ Yeah but it would’ve been a lot easier if we had someone like Neva with us.” Lumis looked over at Exto. “ Why hasn’t the Captain sent her out on any missions recently anyway?”

“ I don’t know. But I’m sure the Captain has his reasons.” Was Exto’s short reply, Neva huffed in annoyance. Of course he wouldn’t know, the only person that would possibly know were the Captain and the Vice Captain. Suddenly the lanterns stopped moving, she could see what appeared to be Lumis turn toward Exto.

“ What’s her deal anyway?” Exto hummed at the question, almost like he was confused. “ I mean, she’s cold. She’ll only go out on solo missions, she doesn’t hardly speak to anyone, does anyone even know anything about her other than what type of magic she wields?” Lumis finished exasperated. Neva watched him visibly relax, as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. It was a long minute before Exto replied.

“ So?” Was his curt reply, both Neva and Lumis were shocked at Exto’s bluntness. “ She’s a private person. Just because someone doesn’t want to share their entire life’s story, like you, doesn’t make them a bad person. If Neva wants you to know about her life, than she’ll tell you.” Exto began to walk again after finishing his sentence while Lumis gaped at him like a fish out of water.

“ I-I don’t share my entire life’s story with everyone!” Lumis shouted, and a snort was his reply. He huffed indignantly before continuing, “ I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t like her, I don’t trust her, and apparently I’m not the only one. How could I trust someone who doesn’t even want to get to know anyones names?” Neva’s heart sank at this, ‘But, I do know your name Lumis. I know everyone's name.’ If anything that was one thing she made sure she did, she made sure to commit every single persons name to memory.

Exto stopped to look at Lumis, a thoughtful look on his face, as though he were weighing his words. “ You don’t have to like her. But I would recommend trusting her-“ He held up his hand as Lumis began to interrupt. “ Neva is one of the strongest in this squad, which you have admitted. I would rather have her fight alongside me than against me. Besides, if the Captain trusts her than so do I.” Exto began walking again and Lumis slowly followed. Neva decided it would be best if she closed her windows and stopped eavesdropping.

Neva sat with her back against her head-board and began to think. ‘So, that's what everyone thinks of me? That I’m cold?’ A part of her felt disheartened at the thought that some of her squad mates felt like she didn’t care about them, that she couldn’t be trusted to watch their backs. But at the same time that's what she wanted; she wanted them to stay at a distance. There was a reason Neva didn’t let anyone get close, she refused to lose anyone she was close to ever again. Her heart couldn’t take that kind of pain again. So it was best for everyone if she kept herself closed off, or at least in her mind it was. ‘It’s better this way.’ She concluded with a nod of her head, ‘It’s the only way to keep myself and everyone safe! But-‘ a small voice in her head spoke. ‘Is it really keeping anyone else safe? I mean, from what I can tell, the only one it’s keeping safe is you.’ Neva shook her head forcefully, she knew it was her conscience speaking but right now she really didn’t feel like listening to it.

With a quiet sigh, Neva laid back down in her bed and closed her eyes, deciding it would be in her best interest to get some sleep. After all, the magic knights entrance exam was tomorrow, she silently wondered if they would receive any new recruits.

Again I apologize if its not that good, but thanks for taking the time to read it and I hope you have a good day 💕~!

[stainandscribble]

Revenant (Part 6)

Pairing: Baekhyun X OC (Original Female Character)

Genre: Baekhyun Witch AU; fluff; fantasy; angst

Summary: To witches, names hold power, and Eleonora happens to have a very dangerous gift, one that can be deadly when misused- she has the ability to read names, true names that the witches and warlocks share only with people of utmost trust. It is a secret she hopes to take to her grave. Baekhyun had left his coven, and joined one with Suho’s. They too, possess unspeakable gifts. When Junmyeon warns him of his marriage, Baekhyun begins preparing, but so does Eleonora. With the veil thinning, and the darker half approaching, will their secrets stay safe? Or will the world burn?

A/N: this chapter ended up quite long, so I enjoy the extra content lol. Tagging @lovebuginlove @bbyunz   . Yayun is transcribed from characters elegant (ya 雅 ) cloud (yun 云). 

PART 1   PART 2   PART 3   PART 4   PART 5   PART 6   PART 7

Word Count: 5173

Lu Han sat at the breakfast table with his brothers. Charms of protection twinkled with magic beside windows and doors, the smell of sage was fragrant as it hung in the air. He could tell his brothers were speaking, he watched with kind eyes as their lips moved, but Lu Han could not hear them. 

“She is the sacred thirteen.”

The words rang through his head, the voice was unfamiliar, conjured by his mind during sleep to fill the ringing silence of his dream. He sat with his brothers at the table, but Lu Han might as well have been a million miles away. The dream that was not a dream replayed in his head, and he recognised it. He had spent his education honing the craft of clairvoyance, and if his families coven taught him anything, it was how to recognise a prophecy. 

In his dream, he had seen hi brothers; bared witness to the coming together of the twelve. In the chaos of his dream, he found Yixing, or maybe Yixing had found him. His eyes, dark and distrusting burned into Lu Han, and the man could do nothing but send a small smile his way, watching the distrust morph into an expression of pain, bubbling just under the surface, but never daring to leave his eyes. Lu Han saw tears that refused to spill, and he knew that what had transpired at that moment between them was heartbreak. Nestled into the tender warmth of his chest, kept in the bone confinement of his ribs by his pericardium was heartbreak, making a home of him. 

Two brothers stood opposite each other, both in pain, both restless. 

Unable to speak, Lu Han watched, feeling love fighting for survival among the broken pieces of his heart in an attempt to stick them back together. Unable to scream, he felt his heart snap back into place, right before Yixing disappeared, and with him went the rest of his brothers. In the darkness, he was left alone, but only for a moment.

In their place, the only human figure in the darkness, stood a woman. 

Lu Han did not know her. She was not death, not life nor one of the three fates. She was mortal, just like him. 

She knew his name.

Rather, she would learn to know his name. He watched her lips move around the syllables, no sound passing through them. The silence was ringing in his ears, the echo of the power of his name had made him heavy, but to his surprise, it had not made him uneasy. Lu Han felt no discomfort at the thought that she knew his true name. She was not the adversary.

The darkness dissolved into light, and the prophecy that had come to him in his dream settled over him like a weighted blanket, heavy but not uncomfortable. 

And as he sat at breakfast, it weighed on him still.

“Yixing called.” Yifan’s voice brought him back to the present. The deep rumble of his voice was comforting, familiar.

“He is coming.” Yifan told them, and Tao had let go of his coffee, letting the cup spill brown liquid over the wooden table. He could see the shock in the younger’s eyes, his dark circles deepening with the revelation. It was as if rest had left him. Yifan too, looked aged, if even for a second. He worried, brows furrowed and lips pulled in a tight line as is fingers combed through his black hair. 

Lu Han recognised the darkness swirling behind their irises, he was familiar with the glassy sheen of tears in their eyes. Lu Han knew heartbreak when he saw it. It was the same broken look Yixing had given him in his dream.

“Good.” Lu Han answered, his voice soft and reassuring. His almond-shaped brown eyes became smaller when he smiled, his full lips turned upwards into a small smile, the same one he had given Yixing in his dream. 

He was the only one of his brothers who didn’t look heartbroken. He had already put his heart back together, or at least he knew he would eventually do so. That knowledge allowed him to smile, and Tao smiled back. It was a broken rueful smile, but a smile nonetheless. 

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

Hours later, Yixing had finally landed, comforted by the steady unyielding ground beneath his feet. He had travelled across the country, to his brothers. Back to his brothers, and yet away from them. It was a strange feeling, he thought, to be two halves of a Circle, never whole. 

At the airport, it had been Lu Han who came to greet him. The lean man looked as if he had not aged a day. He had grown out his hair longer, the curtains of his fringe parting in the middle, a serene expression painted over his features. No worry creased his brows, not tension pursed his lips together. Just like in his dream, Yixing watched him a little breathless, the memory of the prophecy fresh in his mind mixing with the heartbreak in Junmyeon’s eyes. His brothers were reluctant to let him go. they loved him enough to let him anyway, and now he was standing in front of his brother as if in a dream.

“I saw you.” Lu Han told him, eyes wide with happiness as he stood in front of Yixing, taking in the tired silhouette of his brother, his eyes falling onto the golden band on his ring finger. He smiled then, happy for his brother’s happiness as they finally stood together.

“I saw you too.”  Yixing told him, his voice barely a whisper when he spoke, scared of the consequences of their dreams. It was those dangerous dreams, however, that brought him here, to his family, it was those dangerous dreams stitching his family back together, and despite the heartbreak swimming in their eyes, both Yixing and Lu Han saw the buds of love, ready to weave their broken hearts back together.

“Did you see the woman?” Lu Han asked suddenly, and it was then that Yixing was forced to remember that he was a clairvoyant, that he was always a step ahead.

“The woman?”  Yixing asked, mind empty for answers. He had not seen a woman in his dreams, nor did Chanyeol or Minseok. Neither did Junmyeon.

“She had blue eyes, vivid and sparkling like sapphires and caramel brown hair.” Lu Han clarified, remembering the way her pink lips spoke his same without making a sound, and the way she made him feel like he would know her, not now, but in the future.

“Do you know her?” Yixing asked and he shook his head, hoping that his brother would have answers. He could see the brief shadow of recognition pass through Yixing’s eyes. He was hopeful he knew.

“I felt like she knew me, or like she would know me one day.” Lu Han continued, a small smile playing on his lips.

“A premonition?” Yixing asked, thinking back to Eleonora’s familiar face, the electric blue eyes, piercing into Junmyeon when they first met, the way she had scrutinised Baekhyun, and how she was starting to fall in love. If she was the one Lu Han had seen, he had no doubt the two would meet. He worried it might be soon.

“I think so.”  The slender man nodded, walking Yixing towards his car to take him home.

The drive wasn’t particularly long, it had lasted an hour as they moved to the outskirts of the city, living on the border of another coven. They lived together in a large house with tall windows and a white façade. The garden out front was well-groomed, with no stray flowers or long grass. They had no porch either.

“We are here.” Lu Han had parked his car in the driveway, letting Yixing get out first, before walking him to the door.

“Welcome home.” He spoke when they stepped inside, the warm air kissing their cheeks as they took off their shoes and hung up their coats. Looking out from the living room, Yifan had made his way to his guest, crossing the wide corridor to greet his brother.

“Yixing.” He spoke, and although there was little emotion in his voice, and the hand that reached out to him was done out of politeness, Yixing didn’t mind.

“Yifan.” He greeted the tall man, completely ignorant of the deep stare he was getting. Yifan’s dark eyes looked even darker when they looked over his brother. 

“Zitao.” Yixing had called out, watching as the youngest made his way down the central stairs, his eyes light with optimism and his lips curved upwards in a smile. Without missing a beat, and without regard for his elders, Zitao had flung himself at Yixing, embracing the man. Without thinking, Yixing hugged him back, feeling the grief and the heartbreak slip away from Zitao’s tall frame. 

Lu Han watched, standing now beside Yifan as he looked over the exchange, eyes softening at the sight. His brothers were embracing, and he watched as the heartbreak in Zitao’s eyes turned into something softer, a tender fire burning behind his eyes. Yifan’s gaze fell onto Yixing’s hands, a golden band glimmering in the artificial light of the lamps. He wondered what he had missed, and he wondered what they have missed too. For a short, tender moment their hearts pulled themselves back together, hope planted a seed inside the tender caverns of their chests. 

Eventually, Zitao let go, opting for steering his brothers into the warm kitchen. 

“What do you need to tell us?” Yifan had asked as they passed the threshold, and Yixing looked around at the three of them, before looking over at the table shoved into the corner by the window.

“Let’s sit.” 

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

Minseok and his wife, Demi, decided to host dinner the day after Yixing left, trying their hardest to distract themselves from feeling the tug of increasing distance between them and their brother. Their table was long enough to host their coven, including Yixing’s wife, Yayun, who was staying with them while her husband was away. It was well known that during the Thinning one should not be in the house alone, and so as there were only two other married warlocks, she decided to stay with one of them. Minseok happened to be closest since he was right next door. Their living room was pristine, monochromatic in white and black with not a single speck of dust or stray object lying around. Their house, unlike the rest, was very minimalist and modern. However, even they could not go without the charms hanging by their windows and front door. Yellow paper with red writing and red tassels hung by them, and on the windowsill, a small bouquet of dry sage stood in a clear glass, ready for burning. Baekhyun had decided to skip this one out in favour of finally taking his wife to be on a proper date, and Demi and Yayun had supported his decision. They had gone as far as to tell him which flowers to get her, and they had settled on a bouquet of blue dahlias to symbolise a new beginning.

“Have you heard from Yixing yet?” Junmyeon asked when everyone was seated, his hand draped casually over the back of Winnie’s chair.  The rest of the coven grew tense, knowing that resentment took time to mellow out, and forgiveness was hard to give. Their deep brown eyes looked at Yayun, who was looking at them through a curtain of short black hair, her eyes equally as dark as their own. 

“He called to say he arrived. Lu Han was happy to see him.” Yayun spoke, sipping on her tea as she sat in between Demi and Winnie. Her melodic voice rang through the still air, but her words had put everyone at ease. Their brother was safe and Lu Han had come to greet him, and that was more than they expected. Minseok and Jongdae relaxed in their chair’s returning to their meal if soup and rice.

“We should ask Alethea’s coven about the prophecy.” Yayun turned to look at Junmyeon, a knowing look in her eyes as she regarded the leader with a serious expression. Her pink lips were pressed together in a straight line as she waited for him to say something.

“Why?” Junmyeon asked, leaning over the table to look directly at the small woman.

“Lu Han saw her too.” She spoke, and her voice cut through their peace like a knife. A shiver run down Junmyeon’s spine at the mention of Alethea. His dream was pulled fresh into the front of his mind, the memory of his name was threatening, and the image of water turning to blood was terrifying.

“What did he say?” Junmyeon whispered, half apprehensive of the answer, and half curious as to what the clairvoyant had to say about his dream.

“Thirteen. The sacred number is thirteen.” Yayun spoke, and this time even Jongdae and Minseok put their spoons back down.

“Not twelve?” Jongdae asked.

“Why her?” Jongin had asked, and the rest of his coven had turned to look at him, their eyes falling at the younger member with equal confusion. Why her, was a good question indeed, but they also knew things happen for a reason, and the reasons are not always obvious at first.

“Call her here.” Junmyeon commanded, and even Winnie could not help the look of shock at his decision. If he had seen her as the adversary, but both Baekhyun and Lu Han had seen her in a positive way there had to be more to this than he thought. It was clear now; when three of six had already seen Alethea, that she was significant.

Chanyeol had pulled out his phone, and after calling Baekhyun, he announced that they would be here soon. The coven waited, the severity of their situation weighing down on them, enveloping them in a blanket of silence as they ate the remainder of their dinner.

Baekhyun’s and Alethea’s entrance was announced by the chiming of the bell by the door, and the faint smell of burning sage as they cleansed themselves after walking in.

“You wanted to see me.” Alethea had announced as she walked into the room, her head held high as she looked over to the table.

“Do you know anything about receiving prophecies?” Minseok had asked, his voice was high and soft and as nonintimidating as he could manage. His large eyes gazed up at her in curiosity, waiting for an answer.

“My crone received one in her youth. I don’t know much else.” Her answer was unsatisfactory but expected. There was no reason for her to know much about receiving prophecies. Witches were told about prophecies fulfilling themselves, about prophets who had already been given their prophecies and interpreted them. Prophecies were rare, and prophets even rarer. Sometimes, a single prophet or oracle would receive multiple prophecies in their life. That was their purpose. Those with no clairvoyance were not chosen often.

“We think we are receiving a prophecy.” Jongdae had supplied, and beside Alethea, Baekhyun froze, his eyes turning frantically between Junmyeon and Minseok. The two remained serious and stoic as they watched Alethea’s reaction.

“All of you?” Alethea asked, looking at them with wide electric eyes. After surveying each face, she turned to look over at Baekhyun. He was standing still, his warm palm pressed against the small of her back. He was wearing a dress shirt and black slacks since they had come straight here from their date at the Thai restaurant. Baekhyun met her eyes, his plump lips pressed between his teeth as he bit down on his lower lip and nodded. His eyes darkened, remembering the dream of her being ripped away, and the distress he felt once he woke up, followed by Junmyeon opening the doors to his bedroom with Chanyeol at his feet, both as distressed as him.

“Bit by bit.” Chanyeol spoke, his deep baritone piercing through the still air.

“Why are you telling me this?” Alethea could taste their distress, a sour thing mixed with the metallic aftertaste of fear and adrenalin on her tongue. They were distressed for different reasons, she could taste the subtle differences in Baekhyun and Junmyeon. She didn’t need to taste feelings to know that Junmyeon was worried, his brows creased and wrinkles lined his forehead. She had never seen his eyes so dark, not even during their meeting with her coven. The severity of the situation clung onto her taste buds thick like treacle.

“It involves you.” Junmyeon told her, his voice ringing in the silence, and she didn’t know what to say back.

She could tell it wasn’t good, knowing names had never caused her much trouble, but she had a feeling it would become a problem now. Her power, her best-kept secret, was a weapon of mass destruction if misused, and she hoped she would never break to unleash it.

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

Yifan’s kitchen was warm, curtsey to them moving to the warmer part of the country. The sun beamed through the windows in golden rays, and Yixing could not help but think about Baekhyun, and whether his coven was doing alright. His eyes fell onto the three men looking at him now. Their expressions were stoic, lips pressed together and their faces void of any other emotion. Yifan’s eyes told Yixing he apprehensive. His brows were furrowed as he looked on, and his jaw clenched.

“We think it is a prophecy. It comes in threes. Lu Han already received a part of the prophecy.” Yixing wasted no time in telling his brothers what had been happening. There was no reason for sugar-coating and no reason for delay either. None of them knew who the next prophet would be, and no one knew what would happen once they were able to piece the puzzle together.

“It came in a dream last night.” Lu Han confessed when Yifan and Zitao turned to look at him, their wide eyes filled with worry. Yifan’s jaw had gone slack at the revelation, his lips parting, and he looked as if he was about to say something, but no words came out. Instead, the silence filled the air and tension settled over their shoulders.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Zitao asked.

“Nothing makes sense. Besides,” Lu Han looked away from the youngest to the newcomer, sitting silently in his chair and observing their exchange with deathly scrutiny. “I saw Yixing, and I just knew. I knew I had to wait.” He tried explaining eyes wide with a knowledge the others did not possess.

“What does Junmyeon know that we don’t?” Yifan asked, hands balling as they rested on the table.

“We have other parts. At least some of them.” The gravity in Yixing’s voice was final, settling over them the same way it had settled over Junmyeon and the others when he first revealed that the strange nightmares were a prophecy.

“How many so far?”

“Five.” Yixing answered, not paying any attention to who was asking, all that he focused on was the memory of his dream and the weight of what he had seen.

“I’m the sixth.” Lu Han told them, looking over to Yixing. The clairvoyant watched as his dream passed behind his eyes, an echo of hope that came in a nightmare.

“When will we know the next parts?” Zitao asked, worry creasing his brows. For all he knew, he could be next. Plagued by a nightmare with the possibility of coming true.

“In two nights.” Yixing whispered, looked down at the table, eyes following the grains of the wood as if it was scripture. But just as in holy texts, there was no answer here.

“The woman I saw,” Lu Han began, a feeling of familiarity washing over him when her face passed through his memory, but he never got to finish his question.

“Is Baekhyun’s wife to be.” Yixing cut him off, with the answer.

“She can taste feelings.” Yixing added, thinking that the empathetic ability would make Lu Han excited.

“Cool.” Zitao exclaimed instead, but Yixing could see the appreciation swimming in Lu Han’s dark irises, tender and warm.

“We will go to you.” Yifan’s deep voice brought their attention to the tall man. His dark eyes gleamed in the light of the setting sun.

“It's better to be a whole coven, rather than a bit of it.” He reasoned, and his brothers agreed, waiting for Yixing’s approval. The calm man smiled, and Lu Han mirrored the action, their dreams passing in unison behind their eyes.

“Let’s go home.”

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

Eleonora woke up in the middle of the night, the fire alarm blaring and the smell of smoke thick in the air as she breathed in. In the darkness, she made her way to the door, checking if the fire was outside her room by touching the door.

Once her hand met the cool wood, she decided to open it, wondering what could be burning.

When she opened the door, the faint light of the moon illuminated the smoke coming from underneath Baekhyun’s door. She couldn’t hear any movement, and before she knew it, she was reaching for the fire extinguisher at the end of the hallway, quickly making her way into the room.

Behind Baekhyun’s bed, fire blazed, lighting the carpet, the dresser and the curtain of the window beside it.

“Baek?” She tried calling, but when he did not respond, she made her way over to his bed, ripping the covers off of his body and checking for his breathing. Just as she was pulling him out of bed, trying to get them both out of the room, Yeol and Suho burst into the room, both with fire extinguishers.

“Baek?��� Loey practically screamed when he saw his brother slumped in Eleonora’s arms.

Suho spared no time as he passed them using the fire extinguisher to quench the fire.

“Take him out.” He had called over his shoulder, and Eleonora watched helplessly as the tall man carried Baekhyun in his arms almost effortlessly.

Once they were outside the building, they watched as the rest of the coven gathered out in front of Baekhyun’s house, Winnie watched as the fire inside receded, wrapped tightly in a shawl as she waited for her husband. Yayun was the first to come over to Eleonora. She watched as the younger girl looked on with wide blow eyes, her hands trembling at her sides as Yeol and Xiumin tried to resuscitate her husband to be. She gave her a shawl to cover herself with and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Once Baekhyun had opened his eyes, Xiumin opened a potion vial and slid the liquid down his throat. He coughed, allowing the smoke to escape his lungs in the form of black phlegm.

“What was that?” Chen asked, looking over at Baekhyun, face covered in soot as he knelt on the grass coughing up black phlegm and wiping his watery eyes.

“I think Baekhyun had a nightmare.” Loey told them, crouching beside his friend, patting his back to help the phlegm loose.

“Why would a nightmare set his room on fire?” Eleonora had been distraught, watching as the room burned, and Baekhyun remained unconscious despite the loud squeals of the fire alarm. She had felt scared, terrified at the prospect of losing him, and terrified of the flames eating at the room, orange and hot and deadly. Now, after all of that Loey was telling her he had a nightmare. Witches did not conjure fire in their sleep, there had never been such an accident, and there was no possibility of it happening. Conjuring that could be potentially destructive had to be done through concentration and strict ritual. Neither could be accomplished whilst asleep.

“It doesn’t matter.” Winnie quickly butted in, stopping the answer of Loey’s tongue before it happened.

“It doesn’t matter? He set fire to his house in his sleep!” Eleonora pointed at the smoke still coming out the stained glass window in Baekhyun’s bedroom.

“Don’t concern yourself.” Suho spoke up, his voice carried by the wind as he walked over to the group, empty fire extinguisher at hand. He descended the steps of the front porch, face covered in soot and sweat falling down the sides of his face in clear streams.

“It might have escaped your notice Suho, but we are getting married.” Eleonora spat, watching as Baekhyun caught his breath and sat in the grass, allowing the autumn night to cool down his body.

“Whether you like me or not, doesn’t matter. He is going to be my husband, his affairs concern me.” She told him helping Baekhyun to his feet when he outstretched his hand in her direction. She held him up by the waist, allowing the slim man to lean against her.

“You’re not his wife yet.” Suho told her, not sparing her a glance as he handed the extinguisher over to Soo.

The chill in his voice sent a shiver down Eleonora’s spine. She could taste his hostility and his irritation on her tongue, putrid tastes that accompanied poisonous feelings.

He had made it clear to her then; she was not part of his coven, and she doubted she would ever be one in his mind.

“Come in for some tea.” Demi and Yayun suggested, pulling Eleonora away from Baekhyun, who was passed over to Loey.

Once they sat down in Yayun’s kitchen, the girls began to make tea, handing Eleonora the first mug of steaming amber liquid and sliding an open packet of biscuits across the table. In the living room, Winnie sat beside her husband, wiping black suit off his face. The others sat around the room, eyes darting to check on Baekhyun every once in a while.

“What did you dream?” Minseok asked first, cutting straight to the chase as he looked over at his brother, the panic of the night still swimming in his glassy eyes.

“It faded the moment I woke up, but I know how it made me feel.” Baekhyun shivered, eyes darting to the doorway, looking over at where the light of the kitchen fell onto the floorboards in the corridor, searching for Alethea.

“I cannot shake the feeling there is darkness lurking, just beyond my reach, and my light can’t reach it.” He whispered, his voice small and broken, and Junmyeon thought he had the same broken look Chanyeol had the night of the prophecy. He was afraid, but no one could even begin to guess what was so frightening.

“You can’t tell her about your powers.” Junmyeon chose to warn him, eyeing him sternly as he pouted.

“You told Winnie when she moved in.” The younger accused.

“Listen to your leader.” Junmyeon told him, and the rest of the coven watched the tension build between them, confusion swirling in their eyes. They didn’t see a reason why Alethea should not be told about their powers.

“Why can’t I tell her?” Baekhyun asked, challenging his leader's authority. He stood up, legs still shaky from the lack of oxygen, but his eyes were dark when they looked down at Junmyeon.

“I saw her in my dream too.” He confessed, looking deep into Baekhyun’s eyes, fear and anger swimming in his own.

“In mine, she was the adversary.”

The coven stilled, the revelation stunning them into silence. He had kept it a secret since the beginning, hoping he was wrong, but still wary of the stranger. He had watched as his coven let her in, and he had been conflicted. It was good she had fit in with them, but he wondered if push came to shove, and the time was right, what would be left of his family. He had no idea.

“Junmyeon,” Baekhyun began, his voice weak, but he was cut off.

“Get back to your house. Sleep downstairs if you have to.” Junmyeon told him, standing up and putting a firm reassuring hand on his shoulder, before he left, leaving his brother to their musings and speculations.

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

Yixing had returned the day after he arrived. Yifan and the others wanted to waste no time in getting to the bottom of this. It was better to be wary. the Veil was Thinning and Samhain was almost around the corner. They had only two weeks before the 31st, and the Veil was paper thin now, and all kinds of creatures could pass through now. That is why they were now standing in front of Junmyeon’s house, which was currently also serving as the coven house. 

“This is where we live now.” Yixing gestured vaguely to the neighbourhood, now coloured in browns and oranges and yellows as the trees lost their leaves and the cold settled in. 

“You brought your own homes?” Zitao asked, looking around at the other houses. He could tell which house was Baekhyun’s just by looking. The stained glass windows gave it away.

“Junmyeon and Minseok got married. So did I.” Yixing explained, gesturing to two other houses, side by side with each other. 

“Yifan is getting married.” Zitao told him, gesturing to the man who was currently glaring at the house in front of them.

“When?”

“When I figure out what is going on.” Yifan butted in, agitated at the idea that he would have to stay with Junmyeon as they figure out the prophecy. 

 As if by some great providence, Junmyeon had walked out of his front door, Winnie and Minseok following closely behind him. 

“Junmyeon.” Yifan greeted, shaking the other man’s hand, and despite the anger he felt mere seconds ago, he could not bring himself to loath him.

“Yifan. Welcome home.” Junmyeon spoke, letting the lot into his home.

“Is it home?” Yifan asked, and Junmyeon tried to find anger and resentment. When he found none of that, and instead was greeted by his genuine question, he smiled. It was weak and small, but it was real. As if by magic, he felt the pieces of his heart pull together, for a brief moment e remembered what it was like to be whole, and when the feeling faded, he tried chasing it, wanting to feel the same love and content, even if for just a few more seconds.

“We are one coven and one Circle. Your home is my home.” Junmyeon told them, leading them into the living room, where the rest of his coven waited, patiently anticipating their brother’s return. Even if it was just temporary.

“It’s good to be home.” Lu Han was the first to speak, his eyes falling on Sehun and Minseok, side by side as they looked on with hope at their arrival.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Sehun spoke, voice thick when he spoke, and the two didn’t wait any longer before they fell into each other’s arms. Their coven was whole, and although their hearts needed time, Lu Han could tell they would mend. It was their destiny. 

[perozoso]

Cherries ~ [18+]  Part 1

Pairing: Bakugou x OC (female character) x Kirishima (part 2)  

Genre/warnings: Smut, Fluff (if you squint), Pro hero GZ at work

A/N: this my first time posting a smut please lemme know how you liked it (or not lol)

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She scurried through the narrow, winding alleys, clutching her purse close to her body. She glanced back and saw the man fast approaching her. She suspected him following her ever since she got off the train. Her suspicions were confirmed as he kept following her even when she took a few sudden turns. And that is how she ended up in this alley, far from the main street, which turned out to be a dead end.

She pressed herself against the wall trying her best to blend into the dark shadows. 

“You can’t hide from me now sweetheart”, he licked his lips at the sight of the woman backed up into the corner. 

She crouched down covering her eyes and prayed with bated breath for someone to rescue her.

She felt her heart thump in her ears as she heard his footsteps approach her. She felt her consciousness slipping away but before she hit the ground she saw a bright light followed by an explosion. 

She felt strong arms wrap around her as she was lifted off the ground. Her eyes fluttered open and saw a pair of crimson eyes staring back at her. Nuzzling closer to the warmth, she gave in to her exhaustion and she fell back asleep. 

She opened her eyes and stared into the darkness. Adjusting to the lack of light she looked around and observed that it was some sort of office. Stepping tenderly on the cold floor, she made her way to the desk near the floor-length window. She looked at the contents on the desk in an attempt to learn about the owner as her eyes caught on the nameplate. Lifting the glass slab in her hands she traced the name engraved with her fingertips, ‘ground zero’ 

                                                               ...

Katsuki was on his usual patrol when he spotted a woman running on the other side of the street and a man following her. Knowing the situation a little too well, he rushed to follow them and thankfully made it in time before anything could happen. 

He secured the low rate villain and handed him over to the local police. He turned his attention to the unconscious woman and tried to wake her up. Even if he was on duty, he was still a man and couldn’t help but be aware of her curves underneath her soft dress. He felt his heart tug as she nuzzled into his chest and decided that he had to take her to his office instead of the police station. 

                                                             ...

She swiftly turned around hearing the door lock click. She held her breath as she watched the blond saunter towards her. Nervous, she clenched the glass slab so hard her knuckles turned white. 

He reached out and rubbed her fingers, easing the object out of her grasp. 

“I am so sorry … I promise did not touch anything on your desk”, the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could think otherwise. 

He chuckled softly as he put the object back, “its okay don’t worry about it.”

He shuffled across the room, unlocking his gauntlets.

“It was you who saved me?”

He smirked as he removed the rest of his support gear, “what do you think?”

She giggled softly. “I can’t thank you enough for tonight… I have no idea what would have happened..” she stared at the floor shuddering at the thought of that.

He moved to his coffee machine. “Take a seat miss-”

“Amara”

“Amara …” she shivered as her name rolled off his tongue. “Would you like some coffee, Amara?”

She took a seat on the couch and shook her head and hands furiously. “No no no I couldn’t impose on you like that.”

“It won’t be an imposition... I am making one for myself anyway”

He handed her a warm coffee mug and took a seat next to her, his observant eyes raking over her nervous form, inspecting her for any possible injuries. 

“My little brother is a huge fan of yours you know” she laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Mhm”

“Yea!!! he is obsessed with collecting all of your merch and posters” 

“What about you? Do you not like me?”

She bit her lip, pondering over the question. “I do ! … I do like you as well”, she answered blushing, avoiding his eyes.

He drummed his fingers on the coffee mug as he observed her erratic breathing, the rise, and fall of her chest, the way her skirt rode up to expose just enough of her thighs without giving away anything more precious. 

She raised the cup to her lips to take a sip, instantly recoiling away from it, hissing in pain as the liquid burnt her taste buds. 

She jumped as she felt some of the coffee fall on her bosom leaving behind a deep stain. 

He sprung up and took away her coffee, “are you alright? … did you burn yourself?” 

He rubbed her back in circles as she coughed and sputtered trying to nod back to him. 

He held her against his body and guided her to the bathroom in the back of his office. 

As a pro, he found having a shower in his office very convenient given how dirty he gets in some of the battles. 

“It is alright...take a shower here if you like.”

She accepted his offer, bowing and apologizing to him frantically. 

He shut the door as she stepped into the shower and went to fetch her his spare shirt and towel.

As he raised his hand to knock he heard some bottles knocking down. 

Without realizing it, he opened the door and stepped in. “Amara?” 

“NO !!!! please don’t come inside.” 

He saw her silhouette behind the shower curtain, hugging herself. 

“A little clumsy aren’t you?” 

She chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry… but umm... may I use your shampoo?” 

“Oh, yea sure go ahead. I brought you a towel and one of my spare shirts.”

“Thank you so much could you please leave those on the counter.”

“Sure” he smirked as he placed the fabrics on the sink and proceeded to seat himself on it as well. 

He sat back unable to take his eyes off her silhouette knowing she’s bare naked... In his shower…

He felt his pants tighten as more lewd thoughts filled his head. He stroked his clothed erection looking at her perky breasts… even if it was just a shadow…unable to contain his groan.

“...ground zero ..?”

“Bakugou Katsuki”

She peeks out from behind the curtain “you’re not leaving?”

He flashes her a crooked smile and shakes his head.

Gasping at his reply, she put her hand out, “fine… at least give me the towel?”

He again replies by shaking his head, his scarlet orbs full of playfulness. 

“Hey come on!!! Please give me the towel… I’m getting cold”

“Say my name”

“Ground zero please?”

“Not that one”

“Bakugou?”

“Nope?”

“Ka...katsuki-kun please !!!”

“Drop the honorifics sweetheart” he climbs down the counter and approaches her.

She trembles, part due to cold and part due to the male approaching her with a smirk glued on his face.

“Katsuki please would you give me the towel???” 

He holds out the towel nearly within her reach. 

“stop toying with me please” she whines as she stands on her tiptoes to grab it.

“Come and get it, sweetheart, it’s right here”

As she finally manages to secure her hand on it, he tugs at it causing her to stumble flush into his chest.

She struggles to get away from him and cover her decency with her hands. He wraps the towel around her body, pulling her into his arms. 

He pokes his nose on her cheek and places a kiss on her jaw, drawing out a strangled moan from her. 

She places her hands on his shoulders to support herself while she tries to stabilize herself.

But she’s denied any time for that as Bakugou scoops her in his arms and exits the bathroom. 

He places her gently on the couch and wanders back to the coffee machine. Amara pulls the towel closer in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the cold.

He returns back with a mug in his hands and crouched down to her level. She presses her thighs closer together to conceal her exposed core. Her brief action caught by his vigilant eyes.

“Be careful this time. This should warm you up.”

He digs his elbow on the couch, resting his chin in his hand and watches her cautiously sip the liquid.

“I’m sorry...Katsuki”

“For ?” 

“All the trouble I caused”

She fidgeted under his intense stare and tried flattening the towel to cover her exposed thighs. He grabbed her wrist, snapping her attention back to him. He took the empty mug from her hands, placing it on the nearby console. 

“Then maybe you should make up for it yes?”

She felt his warm breath caress her skin before he pressed a kiss on the inside of her wrist. 

“Wha..what do you mean?” 

He pressed his body between her legs, forcing them to spread to accommodate him. He placed his hands on either of her sides, caging her between the couch and his body. 

He caught her surprised whimper in his kiss, his tongue demanding her to open up. His chest rumbled as he groaned at her for pulling back. Placing his hands on the small of her back, he pressed her closer to him.

As if to punish her, He bit on her lower lip, eliciting a breathless moan from her. He traced kisses from her jaw to the base of her neck, halting just before her cleavage. 

She looked down at him with anticipation and instinctively arching her back towards him. 

He pressed his lips on her chest and murmured, “you’ll be a good girl for me tonight… yes?”

The vibrations sent tingles all over her body. 

She wrapped her hands around his neck, one hand tugging at his hair; she nodded silently. 

Growling at her nonverbal reply, he nipped at her collar bone leaving a deep red bruise, “answer me kitten.” 

“Yes”

“Yes?”, he squeezed her thigh with a bruising grip.

“ yes I will be a good girl for you tonight”

He grabs the towel with his teeth and yanks it open. He pulls away from her to savor the sight of her wet naked figure. He watches the water droplets fall from her hair, trailing down her chest and resting on her rosy nipples.

 “Cherries...,” he murmured as his thumb and forefinger gently pinched the sensitive tip, earning shy whimpers from her. Her nipples felt like ripe berries rolling between his fingers, and suddenly he was overwhelmed by the need to taste her, to draw her nipple deep into his mouth.

He sucked the lithe skin of her breasts, making sure to leave his marks on her. He showered her body with kisses as he slid a finger between her pussy lips. 

He holds her chin making her look at him as he presses the finger at her entrance. Dipping it in slightly, he strokes her slit and scoops her juices on his finger. He plunges the finger in her mouth before grabbing her in a deeper kiss, reveling in her sweet-salty flavor. 

He lifted her leg above his shoulder as he settled between her legs. He pressed painful kisses on her inner thighs knowing they would be visible whenever she would wear skirts. 

She mewled under his ministrations and curled her hand around the nape of his neck, drawing him closer. She squirmed trying to get him to touch her where she needed it the most. 

She felt his warm breath caress her leaking slit when he said, “you are an impatient little slut aren’t you? Beg for it kitten”

“Katsuki please…”, her words slurring in the frenzied state as he pressed his fingers on her clit. 

He increased the assault on her sensitive spot and demanded, “please what sweetheart?”

“Katsuki please suck me… I need -”

She whined as he buried his head between her legs, lapping at her juices. He plunged his tongue in her heat, relishing the feeling of her walls clamping down on him. She threw her head back on the couch, her hands grabbing his hair as he ate her out hungrily.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the door being slammed shut.

“Well well well…. What do we have here?”

[alj4890]

Love/Lust Prompt

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) in repentance of yesterday's angst prompt 😂

(Thomas x Amanda) and poor (Maxwell x Nadia) short taken from And Then I Met You storyline .

A/N Dear Anonymous, your last angst request got me into hot water, LOL. I take full responsibility for it since I came up with the words. In order to get out of said hot water, I must revert back to steamy fluff. 😏

@lxaah11 @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment  @krsnlove   @annekebbphotography  @cora-nova  @hopelessromantic1352. @sunflowergirl05 @desiree-0816 @greywitchyshots @lilyofchoices @emceesynonymroll @dr-nancy-house @aworldoffandoms @ab1901 @pixieferry  @lolablackwrites @moodyvalentinestories @flyawayboo @i-bloody-love-drake-walker. @trappedinfandoms 

Masterlist

The Uninvited

The night had been relived for the most part in memory of the first award's show Thomas and Amanda attended together. The only thing different was that they were a married couple now. They decided to follow through with all they had been tempted to do during that special night a year earlier. After all, they knew they had begun falling in love on that particular night.

He had started to succumb to temptation the moment she came downstairs. Though the dress she had on was not red like the previous year’s, she had kept it sleeveless as he requested. Once he saw her in the black dress, he pulled her close for a kiss. They almost didn't make it out the door in time.

The back of the limo became a place for each to whisper, kiss, and touch to their heart's content or at least until they arrived at their destination.

They smiled for pictures and answered questions as they walked the red carpet. Thomas had kept his arm firmly around her waist, while whispering all he wanted to do to her.

Her eyes dropped while a smile formed. She decided that two could play that game and managed to whisper quite a few suggestions during the show. He squirmed in his seat while occasionally lifting her hand to his lips.

Thomas continued the heated touches and brush of lips in a dark corner of one of the after parties.

"We need to dance." Amanda murmered in a breathless voice.

His lips grazed her ear when he spoke. "And why is that?"

She turned around and pressed her body against his. "Because you never danced with me that night." Her eyes dropped down to his lips. "I had hoped you would ask me but you were too busy talking to others."

His breath caught when she caressed him. "One dance." He stated. "Then we go home to continue this."

"Agreed." She captured his lips in a tender kiss. He held her close as the kiss spiraled out of control. She pulled back and looked up at him. "Perhaps we should go home." Her lips curved in a flirty smile. "We can find out what else we wanted to do that night."

He took her hand and quickly led her to the waiting limo. She began to try and push his jacket off once they were hidden from everyone.

"No." He shook his head. "Let's take it slow." He gently laid her down on the seat.

Her eyes widened. "You want to take it slow?"

He nodded before dipping down to kiss her neck. "I want you near to losing your mind with desire for me."

Her hand shook as she brushed her hair out of her face. "And you?"

His lips crashed down on hers. "I went insane wanting you since we first decided to do this."

"And yet you want to continue to tease each other?" She bit down on her lip as his hands drifted down her body.

"Yes." He managed to say.

And so she did and was now driving him even more to his breaking point on their sofa.

Thomas slowly moved his hands up and down Amanda's back as she slid into his lap. Her lips trailed down his throat once she removed his bowtie. The shirt he wore was in the process of being unbuttoned one button at a time.

The agonizingly slow speed had been his idea on the way home. He now regretted teasing her in this same manner in the back of the limo.

He had to have her. He tried to crush her to his body. Thomas dropped his head back against the couch cushions when she grabbed his wrists.

She shook her head no then ever so softly kissed him. "Isn't this exactly what you said you wanted?"

He audibly swallowed when she traced his ear with her tongue. "Yes." He replied in a raspy voice. "But I--"

They looked up in suprirse when the front door to their home was unlocked and opened.

"Who the--" Thomas moved her behind him when he saw the silhouette of a man. He stood ready to defend her against this intruder.

"Hey." Maxwell mumbled. He tossed a bag down and slumped into a chair beside the sofa.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked.

"A more important question is how did you get in here?!" Thomas snapped.

"I tried calling earlier. I guess you weren't home. First off, Nadia and I had a fight and she kicked me out of the hotel room we checked in earlier today. Second, Addison let me borrow her key." He held it up. "You guys don't mind if I stay here for the night, do you?"

"No. Of course not." Amanda replied.

"Were there no other rooms for you in that hotel? No other hotels you passed along the way?" Thomas asked. He grunted when Amanda elbowed him.

Maxwell rubbed his face with his hands. "I guess I wasn't thinking. I knew I needed to get out of there fast."

Amanda walked over and patted his back. "I'll make one of the guest rooms ready for you. Is there anything else I can get you?"

"I wouldn't mind a drink." He replied.

Thomas waved his hand toward the wet bar. "Help yourself," He watched his wife begin to climb the stairs. "While I go help her with the room."

"Thanks." Maxwell muttered, walking toward the wet bar. "I just want to go straight to bed."

"I know the feeling." Thomas said under his breath. He hurried upstairs and encountered Amanda loaded down with sheets and blankets.

"Here." She handed some over and walked toward a room near their bedroom.

"Not that one." Thomas stopped her.

Her eyebrow lifted in question. "Why not?"

He stared at her until realization hit. A dark blush formed in the midst of a proud smile. "I see." She lowered her eyes, smiling even more. "Then which room do you suggest?"

"One across town." He whispered. "But since you offered to let him stay here, then we are putting him in this one." He opened the door to the room furthest away from theirs.

They each took a side and began to put fresh linens on the bed. Thomas snorted softly at doing so.

"What is it?" Amanda asked as she fluffed pillows.

"This was not the action that I had planned when we finally got into a bedroom." He grunted when a pillow hit him in the face.

She started laughing at his deadpan expression. "Now Thomas," she skirted out of reach as he began to advance. "I was just playing." She ran out of the room and collided with Maxwell.

"Sorry!" She patted at the spilt cocktail all over his shirt.

"S'alright." He slurred with a big grin. "I'm going to change anyway."

"Where's your bag?" She asked.

"Hmm?" He wobbled a bit. "Dunno."

"Thomas?" She saw the resigned look in his eyes as he went back downstairs to get the bag.

"Come on." Amanda led Maxwell to the bedroom. “Let’s get you in bed.”

"Why am I so far away?" He mumbled, head dropping forward.

"Er..." Amanda blushed. "No reason."

"You're great, you." He hugged her close.

"You're great too." She gently untangled herself, only to trip over his feet and fall on the bed with Maxwell crashing down on top of her.

"Ow." He mumbled in her hair. He then started snoring in her ear.

"Get off!" She gasped. "Maxwell! I can't breathe--" her eyes widened at Thomas lifting him off.

He shook his head in mock frustration. "I leave you alone for two minutes and you already have men trying to get you in their beds."

She laughed and went to Maxwell's bag. She dug through until she found a clean t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. "Here's something comfortable he can wear."

Thomas looked down at Maxwell snoring even louder than before. "This is not remotely close to who I thought I would be undressing tonight."

Amanda covered her mouth as tears built at her suppressed laughter. "I...I will make it up to you."

"Yes, you will." He pushed her outside the room and up against the wall in the hallway. She pulled his head down for a kiss, moaning at the intensity he added to it. His tongue tangled with hers while she curved a leg around his hip. 

She pressed her lips to his ear when he released them. “I love you so much.” She whispered.

He pressed closer to her and gently kissed her. “Nowhere near as much as I love you.” He groaned when she passionately responded to his words with a kiss.

He reluctantly lifted his lips from hers. "Let me finish this task and meet you in the bedroom."

She nodded and kissed him again. "Hurry." She urged against his lips.

Thomas softly cursed. "Forget it." He shut Maxwell's door. "He won't die from a damp shirt." He lifted Amanda over his shoulder, ignoring her muffled demands to be put down until he reached their room.

He let her slide down against him slowly, letting them feel every part of the other. His name came out in a gasp. "Thomas."

Their doorbell began to ring followed with intermittent banging.

"If that is who I think it is--" Thomas followed Amanda downstairs. He let out a curse word he normally didn't use when he saw the wife of their uninvited guest.

Nadia looked at them with tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry. I know it's late but I can't find Maxwell. He isn't answering his phone and I'm so worried he's in a ditch dead somewhere."

Amanda rushed to assure her he was upstairs.

Nadia's tears continued to fall. "He doesn't want to see me does he?"

"He does or did." Thomas added. "He was so disheartened over your fight that he drank quite a bit and passed out."

"Oh." She seemed torn at what to do. "I should go back to the hotel."

"You should stay here." Amanda ignored Thomas emphatically shaking his head no behind Nadia.

"I don't want to put you to any trouble." She mumbled.

"It's no trouble at all." Amanda tried to keep a straight face as Thomas mouthed just how much trouble it was.

"We'll take you to Maxwell's room." She said.

"May I--I can't ask that of you." Nadia gripped her purse.

"What?" Amanda asked.

Thomas covered his face with his hands and slowly let them fall in frustration. He was now convinced that his wife was out to torture him.

"Would it be too much trouble if I had my own room?" Nadia asked.

Thomas quickly spoke up. "Why don't you come upstairs and check on him? He might be awake and want to talk."

"If he's drunk, I don't--" Nadia's eyes widened when Thomas took her by the arm and led her up to Maxwell's room.

"He spilled his drink and I was about to help him into clean clothes." Thomas lied. "I think though he would prefer you doing it."

Nadia placed her hands on her hips as she looked down at her husband with narrowed eyes. Thomas pushed Amanda out and they shut the door.

"Shouldn't we--" Amanda's whisper was cut off by his lips.

"We've done all we can." He mumbled, cupping her rear. "It is up to them now." He turned her facing their room and nudged her forward.

"Maxwell!" Nadia screamed. "Don't you dare!"

Thomas and Amanda jumped and stared at the closed door.

"I'm so sorry." Maxwell said. "But when that guy on the plane hit on you--"

"You had that stewardess fawning all over you!" Nadia yelled. "How was I supposed to--"

Silence fell.

Thomas practically sprinted with Amanda to their room.

"Do you think we should--" Amanda narrowed her eyes at Thomas when he placed his hand over her mouth.

"If your next words involve anything to do with us helping that couple down the hall, I suggest you remain silent." He lowered his hand and waited.

"I was going to ask," she blew a frustrated breath at the lock of hair falling over her eye. "If you think we should lock our bedroom door."

A smile formed on his lips. "I like the way you think, Mrs. Hunt." He clicked the lock in place then returned to the bed.

She gently pushed him back against the pillows. "If you like that," her lips brushed his with each word. "Then you will love this, Mr. Hunt."

And Thomas found that she was right. He loved every single moment after she said those words.

[starl1ght-child]

Enthralled

Rezyl Azzir x F!Non-Guardian OC

Chapter 9 : Six Fronts [ WC 2.7K (bro wtf lol) ]

masterlist  (also to understand a bit of this chapter, please read the lil headcanon I have for the battle of six fronts.)

Rezyl woke early the next morning to a distant rumble that gently shook their apartment.  The Titan was instantly on alert and sliding out of bed.  He immediately started to dress and put on his armor when the second rumble came and shook the small collection of his partner’s books off their shelves, which sent her into a startled awakening.

“Rezyl,” his Ghost chirped urgently,  “there’s been a message issued out by the Vanguard, the Fallen are mounting an attack on the Wall.”

“How many fronts?” Rezyl asked as he secured the straps of his chest plate.  

“So far, four, but they say there’s more coming on the horizon.”

“Rilea, get up,”  Rezyl urged as he came around to her side of the bed and pulled her up by her arms.  Maker, she was trembling.  “C’mon, get up, we’ve gotta move.”

“Rezyl, what’s going on?”

“The Fallen are attacking the Walls.”  He slipped his hands into his gauntlets and fastened the armor plating on his forearms.  “Your sensor grid may have given us an upper hand and alerted us, but I need you to get to the safety bunkers, find any citizens along the way, and stay there.”

“Rezyl, I can help—”  She started to protest as she got herself moving and dressed.

“No, paramour,”  he said firmly as he grabbed his Inferno and strapped it to his back.  He grabbed his ever reliable Rose and slid the cannon into the holster on his hip.  “Get to the bunker and take as many as you can with you.  I’ll come find you.”  His hand gently held her jaw and lifted her face to him.  There was no fear in her eyes as the initial wave of shock had already come and gone.  Only that fierce bravery he saw when they first met.  “But you do not leave that bunker until I come and get you.  These fights are way too much for you to handle now.  Please, don’t try to be a hero today, you’ve already nearly died once.  Understood?”

She reached up and placed her hand on the back of his, and gently leaned her face into his palm.  Coming from him now, it was an order.  Not a request.  “Understood, Rezyl,” she murmured with a resigned sigh, just as a third temor, this time much closer, shook the Last City.  His hands caught her waist as she stumbled and grabbed onto his shoulders for support.  “Go.  Just promise me you’ll come get me.”

“I promise.”  

He leaned down and kissed her before he left, hard and fervid, because every time he left her he feared it was for the last time.  He had seen many Guardians die at the hands of pirates.  But he was a Titan.  He was always stronger than the scavengers that threatened their borders.  Always.

“This is Commander Rezyl Azzir reporting in, I’ve received your transmission,”  he said over comms, Ghost open in his palm, as he left their house.  “I’m going to join up with the rest of the Order, Commander Zavala.  Where are they positioned?”

He was out of her earshot before she could hear where he was going.  Rilea didn’t hesitate to arm herself.  She slid her sidearm into it’s holster on her thigh and slid the gauntlet that held her compact shield onto her forearm.  She left her rifle on the shelf as another tremor shook the apartment.  She grabbed onto a chair to keep from falling.

When she broke out into the streets, people were filling them, terrified cries and anxious murmurs leaving all of their lips.  For a moment, Rilea was frozen among them.  They lived close enough to the Wall to see faint silhouettes of Titans taking up their posts.  And for a brief moment, she looked at the Traveler above them.

She was never the religious type—her only belief was in fate—but for the first time, she prayed.  She prayed the Rezyl would be alright.  She prayed that they would hold their position and not falter.  She prayed that their Traveler would watch over them.

Rilea climbed up onto a crate and cupped her hands around her mouth.  “Everyone!” She shouted, grabbing the attention of the horrified people.  “We need to get to the bunkers!  Quickly!”

People started to snap out of their trances and started to move closer towards the center of the city.  But as usual, terrified people tend to lose sight of reason, and there was shouting and screaming as people tried to push through to get their first.  There were plenty of bunkers scattered through each sector, but Maker, fear is a terrifying beast.  Rilea stayed towards the back of the crowd to help and stragglers and anyone who had fallen down in the commotion.  There were some Guardians among them, mostly warlocks, that tried to keep people calm and reassured that everything would be alright.  They helped funnel people to different bunkers and control the spread of panic.  

Rilea was about to go down into the bunker when she heard crying.  Her head shot up and she looked around, coming back up a couple of stairs she had gone down.  The warlock by her side must have heard it too.

“Where’s that coming from?”  The Warlock asked.

“I-I don’t know,”  Rilea said as she started to look around.  “It sounds like a child.”

“I’ll go high and you go low?”

Rilea looked at the Warlock in surprise.  Usually in times of crisis, the Guardians told her to hide with the rest of the civilians.  This one was different.  The woman nodded and the two of them immediately did a sweep of the block.  

“I found him!”  Rilea shouted as she saw the kid hiding underneath the porch stairs of one of the buildings, tiny hands covering his ears.  “Hey, kiddo,”  she soothed as she outstretched her arms.  “My name’s Rilea.”  Slowly the child crawled out from under the porch and into her arms.  “Where’s your mum?”  

“Something’s wrong with mama,” he cried as he clung onto the woman.  “She won’t move.”

The warlock jumped down to her.  “What’s wrong?”

“His mother… Where is she, kiddo?  Where’s mama?” He pointed a shaking hand to a woman who was knocked unconscious a couple of houses down; hidden by a banner that had fallen from it’s strings.  Just as warning sirens started to blare.  

The Fallen were on the Wall.

Rilea placed a hand on the back of the boy’s head and hid his gaze.  The Warlock rushed over to the woman and pressed two fingers to her neck.  “She’s alive,” he said as he started to pick her up.  “She needs medical treatment and fast.”  

The two of them ran towards the sector’s hospital, the entire time Rilea kept the boy’s face hidden in her shoulder so he couldn’t see the Wall.  The Warlock took the boy from her when the mother was taken away for treatment.  “Get back to the bunkers,” they told her.  “I’ve got it here.”

“Thank you.”  Rilea nodded to them and left the hospital in a hurry.  Rezyl told her to stay at the bunkers because it was safer.  He said he would come find her.  And she promised him she wouldn’t try to be a hero today.  She saved a kid and his mother, that was enough heroism for her without risking getting hurt.

— — — — — 

The battle waged for hours.  Rezyl was fighting alongside an Iron Lord, a fellow commander, and the rest of the Firebreak Order.  Magazines were running dry faster than they could be replaced, the Titans alongside him were a wall of metal that never moved, not even when Fallen managed to get up to the top of the Wall.  They would die within seconds: ether masks crushed by fists, necks snapped and broken, or by bullets straight through their chests; then their corpses were thrown right back down to the rest.  But they never lost ground.  

It must have been close to six or seven hours before they heard a deafening battle cry and the Fallen started to pull back.  They had called a retreat, their ranks broken from the amount of bloodshed.  All six fronts pulled away from the wall and back into the wilderness where they came from.

There was an order to pull back.  The Fallen had retreated.  The day was theirs.  The City was safe.  But what about the ground the pirates had gained?  There was hesitance among the Firebreak Order.  They were waiting for orders from their commanders.

How “safe” was safe?

“Azzir!”  Rezyl looked up at the Iron Lord that approached him, his fellow commander, Lord Radegast.  “Gather your men.  We’re not pulling back now.”

Rezyl Azzir grinned beneath his helm and nodded.  He turned back to the Titans by his side, all reloading empty magazines, pauldrons splattered with blood, but fierce resolve on their shoulders.  He loaded more lead into his Rose and snapped the chamber shut with a flick of his wrist.  He and the Iron Lord met up again at the edge of the wall, staring down at the scorched land below.

“Firebreak!”  Radegast’s voice boomed over their command and everyone was at attention.  “Into formation!”

“How far do you think we can get before sundown?”  Rezyl asked.  “We’ve got about four hours.”

“A few miles, maybe.  We’ll reclaim as much as we can.”

The Striker chuckled.  “Let’s aim for five.”

“Well, then,”  The Iron Lord and Rezyl Azzir raised an arm.  “Let’s get moving.”  They simultaneously dropped their arms and pointed forward, shouting the orders to march forward and reclaim the land the Fallen had stolen from them.  As their fellow Titans started to descend down the Wall, the two Commanders exchanged a look, nodded, and followed them down.

— — — — — 

When citizens started to rejoice that the battle was over, Rilea was frozen.  The battle was over.  It was over.  So where was he?

Every hour, every minute that passed where he didn’t turn up, was a reason for fear.  She asked any Titan she saw returning if they knew where he was.  No one ever had any answers.

The sky burned red and violet as the sun began to set and the air was getting chilly with the autumn wind.  Winter was just around the corner.  She was still sitting on a crate outside the bunker, freezing and shivering, but refusing to move.  The warlock she had run into that morning had heard she was still there, so he brought her a blanket and draped it around her shoulders.

“Do you know what order he was with?”  the man asked her quietly.

“No… he never told me.”  She didn’t even look up at him.  She had chosen to focus on small detailed repairs on her shield.  It didn’t need to be fixed, but ever since the first attack on the City where it was broken, it wasn’t as responsive to her hand’s movements.  

“Well… the Firebreak Order never returned after everyone was told to pull back when the Fallen retreated.  There’s a chance—”

“Look, I don’t mean any offense, but…”  She finished screwing on the cover panel on her forearm.  “Please just… leave me be.”

The Warlock didn’t say another word, but he heeded her request and left her alone where she sat.  Daylight was slipping away every minute.  Hope was slipping through her fingers like sand in an hourglass.

She didn’t even look up when a pair of greaves appeared in front of her.  She had listened to enough people today telling her to have faith.  When she did look over at them, she recognized the etchings that embroidered them with gold.  Her hands were shaking at this point, a combination from the cold, the relief, and the slight bit of anger she felt that he didn’t tell her he was going to be gone for so long after the battle had ended.  

Rezyl sighed softly and knelt down on one knee in front of her.  He took the small screwdriver out of her hands and replaced it with his own.  He gently kissed the back of her hand and tilted his head a bit to the side, trying to catch her gaze.  “I’m sorry I’m late,” he apologized quietly, tilting his head again when he saw her lashes flick upwards a bit.  “We were ordered to fall back after they retreated, yes, but we decided to push them back as far as we could.”

“How far did you get?”  Rilea asked, her voice small and choked.

“Five miles.”

He watched her shoulders sink as a sigh left her lips.  He felt relief when she finally met his gaze.  A shaking hand reached up and touched his face as if to make sure he was real.   “I thought you were dead,” she whispered quietly.

“I would never leave you like that,” he assured.  “It takes a lot more than some scavengers to kill me.”

She let out a small laugh, a beautiful sound that filled his heart.  “Yes, I suppose that’s true.  You’re too stubborn to die.”

Now he was laughing.  “I thought you were the stubborn one.”  He reached up and brushed the hair off her face.  Her hair was getting longer, but it gave him more reason to touch her and brush her hair out of her eyes.  “Let’s go home, paramour.”

As she stood by his side and they walked home, Rezyl’s Ghost appeared on his shoulder.  “Lord Radegast is dealing with the Consensus for you two disobeying orders.  He said to let him worry about it.”  His Ghost swirled around Rilea’s head and she laughed.

“Why?  Does he know?  About us?”

“I think he suspects,”  Rezyl admitted.  “But he’s not the kind of man to ask too many questions.”  He noticed that his love’s eyes were on his Ghost, mystified and marveling at the small AI.  He gently reached down and grabbed the back of her hand, and flipped it palm up.  His Ghost settled in her palm and she froze, eyes wide as she looked up at him.  He tilted his head a bit with a smile.  “I trust you,” he murmured.  “I call him Amit.  I always just call him Ghost around other people, but you can be trusted with his name.”

Rilea held the Ghost in her hands carefully, like if she held too tight he would crumble.  “Amit…” she mumbled softly, her eyes softening as her lips curled in a gentle smile.  He floated up to her eye level with a twirl.  Her smile grew brighter and she gently kissed the top of his shell.  Rezyl laughed as Amit made a series of beeps and chirps in embarrassment, seeming to forget about his words.  

When they stood on their doorstep, night had fallen and covered the City in darkness, the only light coming from street lamps and from lit windows.  Rilea walked inside without hesitation, but Rezyl lingered for a beat, his eyes on Luna, his hand a tight grip around the railing.

“Rezyl?”  Rilea’s voice cut through his train of thought and he immediately relaxed his posture as he looked over at her.  Her face was written with concern as she stepped back out onto the steps.  She gently placed a hand on his arm.  “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…”  He hummed with a small tilt of his head as he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.  “Everything’s fine.  Now get you pretty little butt inside, it’s getting cold at night and you—” he reached over and gently pulled on the collar of her thin shirt “—are not dressed for it.”

Her cheeks flushed and she looked at him with raised brows, softly biting on her bottom lip through a grin.  Fuck, he cursed to himself as his thoughts started to turn darker, greedier.  She’s doing it again. 

“Fine,” she purred.  “I’ll go back inside...”  She reached over and brushed her hand over the fur in his collar “...but only if you come with me and get all this armor off.”

Now Rezyl was giving her an eager smile as he quickly picked her up by her waist and pulled her against his chest.  Her legs swung around his hips as a gleeful laugh left her lips.  He pushed the door open with his foot and chuckled as he pressed his face into her neck.

“Is that supposed to be a threat, paramour?”  He asked as he shut the door behind them.

Tag List : @mail-me-a-snail 

a/n:  Not gonna lie, I had a little too much fun writing this one 

[robinrunsfiction]

The Fantastic Adventures of Glitter Ghost and Killer Lux - Chapter 1

Co-Written with @mariawritesfanfic

Rating: Teen (for violence)

Requested By: None

Author’s Note: Set in the Danger Days universe, please enjoy this story featuring both the Fabulous Killjoys, the Youngbloods, and a couple of two badass babes who are looking to tear down BLI. 

I’m gonna take advantage of the fact that I am the one posting this to give a MASSIVE thank you to Maria for writing this with me. It wouldn’t be half of what you see here if it wasn’t for her help, and I really appreciate her patience with me and my tendency to get a bit too wrapped up in stuff sometimes and probably got kinda annoying with all my inane questions lol

I know I don’t write many OCs, but I really have come to love these two and I hope you do too.

Song recommendations for this chapter: Bad Girls by MIA and I Did Something Bad by Taylor Swift

"Lux, get up. Lux, come on, get up," Glitter Ghost shook Killer Lux's shoulder as she lay on the ground. Suddenly a shot went right over her head. Looking up, she spotted a Drac as it rounded the corner of the burning building. Glitter grumbled as she grabbed her gun and dropped the Drac right where he stood.

"Fastest 'joy in the Zones my ass," Glitter muttered pulling Lux to her feet and hauled her to their car. 

She pushed Lux into the passenger seat and climbed into the driver's side. It wouldn't be long before the area was crawling with S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Units and Dracs. The mission went well; she secured the perimeter while Lux got inside and set her explosive that was rigged to a timer. Lux had assured Glitter over and over that she was fast enough on her feet to get out before it blew. But either Lux was wrong, or something happened because she had barely gotten out before the building went up, tossing her body across the ground. Now she was finally coming to, groaning in the passenger seat. 

"Lux, you ok? Come on, get it together," Glitter urged worriedly, glancing across the car. Lux just groaned again in response.

The rest of the drive was silent as Glitter sped along the back route until the car started to make a noise she hadn't heard before.

"No, no, no, no!" She said banging on the steering wheel as the vehicle began to slow. She steered it to the side of the road and popped the hood although it was dark and she didn't know what to even start looking for to solve the problem of them being a couple of sitting ducks waiting for Dracs on patrol to come ghost her and Lux. Slamming the hood back down resulted in a wide-eyed and terrified looking Lux staring back at her from the passenger seat. 

Glitter sighed and looked up the road. Under the moonlight, she thought she could make out the silhouette of a building not far in the distance.

"Stay down," she said to Lux through the cracked window.

"Huh?" 

"Stay down," she shouted, motioning downward. She wasn't sure if Lux was complying or losing consciousness again, but she slid down in the seat.

Glitter jogged toward the silhouette, and as she got closer, she saw that it was an old burned outbuilding of some sort. Enough of the walls were standing that it would offer them shelter until she could puzzle out what was wrong with the car or find someone to help.

She hurried back to the car and opened the back door, pulling out their bags and hauling them over her shoulder, then she opened the passenger side door, causing Lux to jump.

"Shit, you can't hear a thing, can you?" Glitter muttered. She motioned for Lux to get out of the car. 

Lux moved slowly, groaning as she stood. "Feel like I got blown up," she mumbled.

"You did," Glitter said close to her friend's ear, as she pulled Lux's left arm over her right shoulder to help her down to the shelter. She just hoped their next move would be clear in the morning. 

~

It was a few days before Killer Lux finally began to get back to her version of normal. Glitter's assumption that her hearing was blown out was correct, but as it slowly came back, it didn't appear to be a permanent injury. 

"I'm just glad that my jacket didn't get wrecked," Lux commented as she examined the back of her wine-colored leather motorcycle jacket.

"Yea, because you could've gotten yourself dusted, but what really matters is that your jacket is ok," Glitter scoffed from under the hood of the car.

"But I got out, didn't I?" Lux sassed back.

"Barely."

"I tripped, ok? If I hadn't, I would have made it out no problem. And we'd still be stuck on the side of the road. Can we just walk? There's gotta be someone nearby that can at least help with the car."

Glitter sighed before slamming the hood shut. "Fine, we'll leave when the sun starts to set, so we don't roast alive."

Satisfied with her friend's concession, Lux grinned and started to wander back towards the shelter. The morning sun felt good against her bare shoulders after the frigid desert night. She tugged down the hem of her navy top over her faded black moto jeans and stifled a yawn. When she was back in the shade of their shelter, she pushed her black sunglasses up into her dark brown hair, unstrapped her black blaster and holster from around her thigh and laid down with her back against the wall, using her jacket as a pillow.

Lux really didn't try to worry about much in life. In the Zones, with BLI running things, she knew she wasn't long for this world, no Killjoy was. All she really cared about was having a little fun when she could, helping her partner in crime, Glitter Ghost, take down as many Dracs as possible, and running free in the desert without drawing too much attention to herself.

Not like Glitter, who was made to stand out. With her hot pink hair, a black polka-dotted shirt that strategically revealed just enough of her lace bra, baby pink moto jacket and an ever-present sheen of glitter that defied all logic, she grabbed attention no matter where they went. She was also obviously a total badass with her knee-high combat boots, pink blaster at her side, and at least half a dozen knives on her at any time.

But Lux knew Glitter was also a big softie at heart. They'd roamed a long way together, and she had seen the way Glitter took care of her. She would never leave another 'joy in need stranded.

"Gonna try to rest before tonight?" Lux asked without opening her eyes when she heard Glitter walk in.

"It's my turn to keep watch."

"I'll split it with you," Lux offered. "Who knows how far we'll have to go."

"I'll wake you in the afternoon," Glitter offered.

"Deal," Lux muttered, even though she knew she wouldn't be asleep at any point that day.

The sun had been setting earlier as the end of the year neared, affording them an earlier start up the road. Lux secured her black, and gold leopard print bandana over her face and Glitter pulled up her silver glitter facemask as the duo set out from their shelter. Glitter was on alert to anyone coming up behind them, and Lux watched up ahead.

"Glitter, look," Lux called over her shoulder after what felt like many miles. "Is that the diner?"

"A diner?"

"No, the diner! The one we heard about that one time, remember? Let's go check it out," she replied, leading the way.

~

News doesn't travel fast in the Zones, especially when Dr. Death Defying's broadcasting equipment was damaged in a clap with the Dracs like it had been recently. But now word of the BLI lab that no one else had been able to infiltrate getting destroyed had reached the diner hideout of the infamous Fabulous Killjoys. Party Poison, his brother Kobra Kid, and friends Jet Star and Fun Ghoul were huddled around with the Youngbloods, discussing who could have been bold enough to attempt, and get away with, blowing up that lab.

"They had to be fast to get in and out without getting themselves blown up," Party theorized.

"Sounds like the bomb was way bigger than it needed to be," Ghoul commented. His expertise with bomb-making left him impressed by the details he had heard.

"But to get away like that, what was it? Destroya? A ghost?" Soul Punk asked, thoroughly confused by the whole thing.

"Someone looking for a Ghost?" Glitter asked with a smirk behind her mask.

The eight men all turned, caught completely off guard by the two women that had walked into their hideaway. They were also surprised to find that women were totally undeterred by the eight brightly colored blasters now aimed at their faces.

"Relax boys, we just wanna know what the dinner special is tonight," Lux said, tugging down her bandana with a cocky grin.

"Who the hell are you?" Ghoul snapped.

"The only two Killjoys that could do what you couldn't," Lux replied smugly.

"You took out the lab?" Sandman replied, sounding skeptical.

"What, like it's hard?"

"But who are you?" Ghoul asked again, more irritation in his voice.

"I'm Killer Lux."

"And I'm Glitter Ghost," Glitter said as she jumped up and sat on the counter, facing the gangs.

The other Killjoys looked amongst themselves, each searching the others' face for a look of recognition. Kobra lowered his weapon first. "Why are you here?"

"Our ride broke down the night we took out the lab, not sure if it's related, but I can't figure out what's wrong. We're looking for a safe haven until we can get back to running," Glitter replied, pulling down her mask.

Party followed his brother's lead, lowering his weapon as well. "Sure, but you tell us how you got in there. Every detail."

"You only think it was impossible to get in there because there's one thing you haven't tried yet," Glitter laughed.

"What's that?" Sandman asked her suspiciously, his eyes trailing up and down her slowly. 

"Being a poor, helpless girl in need of a big, brave corporation, obviously," Lux replied, rolling her eyes. She glanced over at Glitter with a smirk, only to find her entirely distracted by the other Killjoy's attention. She stifled a laugh and turned her attention back to the others.

"So, what, you flirted your way in?" Ghoul asked.

"Not exactly," Lux shrugged. "Glitter secured the perimeter, I had the bomb in my bag and went to the gate, sobbing my eyes out, begging to be let in. I had been kidnapped and dragged out into the desert against my will by some Killjoy scum. They let me in without checking me over because they're fucking mindless idiots, and I took the two guards out. I got inside, took out the Dracs as I encountered them, there weren't many there that late though. Got as far inside as I thought I could risk it and dropped the bomb. I did trip on my way out, and almost didn't clear out in time, but here I am."

"Damn," Kobra said, looking impressed, and Lux grinned at him. The others murmured their approval as well.

"She couldn't hear for a day," Glitter piped up suddenly with a giggle. "I thought she was dusted!"

"Glitter, come on," Lux replied through gritted teeth, annoyed that her moment of glory was slightly undermined.

"No, that's awesome. I'm Party Poison," he said, introducing himself. "We'll take any allies we can get against BLI."

"I gotta know more about that bomb," Ghoul said. 

Lux pointed at Glitter. "That's all her." Glitter gave Ghoul a little smirk and patted the top of the counter next to her, indicating that Ghoul could sit next to her; the rest of the Killjoys proceeded to introduce themselves to the newcomers.

Glitter and Ghoul discussed the bomb that she had built, but she could still feel eyes on her, and when she looked up, she noticed Sandman was watching her. She gave him a small smile and went back to talking to Ghoul. "And that's how I set up the bomb to not only explode but also shoot off the glitter. Everyone needs a little glitter in their life," she laughed.

Ghoul sat there in awe. "So, you basically glitter bomb people? That's amazing," Ghoul clapped his hands.

"Yeah," Glitter laughed. "It's pretty awesome to watch Dracs get a face full of glitter, then realize there's a timer under it, or hear a ticking noise. Depending on how I'm feeling, the glitter will either go off before or after the explosion. This time it was after."

After finishing her explanation, Glitter sighed and looked around. She wasn't really sure about much lately, but now sitting here in this dinner with other people fighting against BLI, she was sure of two things: the first being Sandman was adorable, and she very much enjoyed looking at him. The second was that she was almost positive that Lux had eyes for the one called Kobra Kid. Spending as much time as they had together, Glitter had a feeling she knew Lux better than Lux probably knew herself.

Glitter also couldn't help but notice the difference in aesthetics between the two gangs - The Killjoys were more flashy, like she was, however, the Youngbloods had more of a muted color scheme going on. Glitter noticed that Phoenix and Novocaine seem to stand out among the four of them. Phoenix due to the brightly colored tattoos that covered every inch of exposed skin from the neck down, and he didn't seem to like to wear a shirt, and Novocaine because he had a large mop of dark curly hair that seemed to have a mind of its own.

"So, I really hate to be that person, but Lux and I haven't eaten in, what? A day, day, and a half?" Glitter looked at Lux, who was sitting next to Kobra.

"Yeah, about a day and a half," Lux answered.

"We don't want to put anyone out, but if we could eat that would be amazing." 

"I suppose we could spare a couple cans of Power Pup for the heroes of the day," Jet announced before going back into the kitchen and returning with two cans, a spoon in each and they started to dig in.

"Why haven't we seen you two around before?" Phoenix asked.

Glitter shrugged "We've always tried to keep a low profile and avoid BLI and their associates as much as possible."

"A low profile? Looking like that, you are literally wearing a crown made of flowers?" Novocaine scoffed.

"You wanna fight? Because I will drop you right now" Glitter jumped off the counter and was caught by Ghoul and Sandman as she tried to lunge at Novocaine.

"Whoa, whoa, there will be no fighting each other," Party stepped in between Glitter and Novocaine.

Glitter threw up her hands "Fine, whatever" she sat on one of the stools in front of the counter.

"We've always tried to stay on the edges and away from others, until now," Lux stated. "That lab we blew up? We discovered it by accident one day, and we knew we had to do something about it."

Glitter sighed, "The things that they were doing had to be stopped. It was horrible."

A deafening silence fell over everyone.

Glitter shook her head, "But it's done. That lab....is destroyed. Time to move on and think of other, less depressing, things." Glitter grabbed her can of Power Pup and started eating. "So now that we've introduced ourselves, explained how we blew up the lab, and got to know each other a bit," Glitter shot Lux a look, "would you guys be ok with us crashing here for the night?"

Lux looked around the room, batting her eyelashes at the men and pouting slightly, hoping to guilt them into letting them stay, much the same way she got into the BLI lab.

"As long as you don't start any fights, your welcome here as long as you need to be," Party replied.

[toast-tit]

Noir (Chapter One)

Mob!Tom Holland x OC

Author’s Note: Lol so it’s been a minute since I’ve posted something on here, but ah well. If you want to be on the tag list for this story or my permanent tag list just DM me. ALSO I’m still doing one shots even though I’m inactive, so if you have a request I’m all ears :)

Warnings: Language, violence

Summary: Andi has no idea what she’s doing in life, but what she does know is that she just witnessed a brutal murder that had connections to the Holland mafia and now she’s practically fucked

The only reason I ever became a kindergarten teacher was because I have yet to find what I’m actually good at. I knew I was good with kids since I practically raised my brother from ages eight to now, so I figured why not specialize in that. It was unfortunate that in my first year of teaching I realized I hate taking care of kids and my brother was some well behaved mutant in his younger years.

However, teaching the little tikes do have perks. When they nap, I nap, and when they snack I snack. And though I hate their snot bubbles, ungodly tantrums, and lack of potty training, it warms my heart to know that I can make a difference in their lives by letting them express themselves right now. Even if they’re a little bit weird.

The sun wasn’t rising yet when I left my apartment to go on my morning run, but then again it never is. Though dangerous at night and early morning, the city is so silent and serene that I tend to let my curiosity run loose and see what the city truly looks like without all the people. I looked down at my smart watch and set it on my distance app, hoping to get four miles in before the rest of the city wakes up.

As I ran I thought of Lilah, one of my students. She was in kindergarten the year previous, but her parents held her back because she wasn’t socially ready for the first grade. This year she had opened up to her peers more, but it was me she confided in. She loved old movies, she could even speak in the TransAtlantic accent that Old Hollywood actors had. Every other week she would come to me and tell me to watch a movie so we could discuss it and have our own inside jokes. This week she wanted me to watch Meet Me in St. Louis.

I started to not focus on the distance but rather focused on what I would tell Lilah. I had watched the film over the weekend and loved it. I thought of Judy Garland and how wonderful of a singer she was and I thought of how cute Tom Drake was. If it weren’t for the screaming that came from the alley to my left, I probably wouldn’t have noticed that I already ran three miles.

Jumping from the abrupt sound, I stopped and checked my surroundings. Nobody roamed the streets, nor was there anybody that was concerned by the scream. The sun was just beginning to rise, making the sky a mix of orange and yellow, reminding me of the Trop50 sitting in my fridge.

I wanted to shake my nerves away and keep running, but my mind was roaming to dangerous places. What if that person needed help? What if I was their only savior in these ungodly hours? What if this was some trap to kidnap and traffic me? The possibilities were endless and none of them were safe, but yet I inhaled deeply and walked into the alley.

Because of the buildings, the narrow street was dark and I could only see the silhouettes of two men. One was short and stout, pinned to the wall while the taller one held a gun to the other’s head. Seeing the gun petrified me. By now I wanted to run back home and go to work, continuing on with my life, but my feet were melted into the eroded asphalt, betraying my only wish.

“You know Tom doesn’t like to be deceived, Clark,” the tall one said, “He takes it particularly hard, and when he takes it hard, I take it hard.” The short man started to stammer, not able to get his first words out. The tall man pressed the gun deeper in the man’s head, causing him to cry out more. “Spit your fucking words out. You’re not an infant,” he growled. Finally the short man spoke. “Harrison, please, tell him to give me two more days. I’ll have the money by then, I swear! I-” The tall man pulled the trigger and the short man crumpled to the ground.

Considering I’m not an expert in the “people getting shot” field, I didn’t realize that me gasping would call to the other man’s attention. He faced me and I caught a look at him, brown hair, almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones, bushy eyebrows. “Shit,” he muttered and strode towards me, gun still in his hand. Fortunately, my feet took this as an invitation to start moving again and I started to sprint away from the alley. He chased after me, causing me to hyperventilate. I couldn’t die today. I had to see Lilah and tell her about Meet Me in St. Louis. I had to see my brother on Saturday, and I had to see my students.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a taxi cruise down the road. Jumping in front of it, I didn’t wait for it to brake before I yanked open the door and shouted at the driver to drive. As he sped away, I looked out the window and made eye contact with the man, my heart pounding as I watched him pull out his phone and make a call.