#*stares lovingly in his eyes* /pos

[penncilkid]

Now that I've given @cashandprizes a chance to savor this in dms, time to unveil another DAMN design:

At long last, Lasko has arrived, and I just— *kicks my feet over him (/pos)*. My All-Black DAMN crew agenda continues, I'm especially in love with his hair and his birthmarks. Unsure of when, but will eventually draw Gavin (because of course), so stay tuned!

[vermielian]

Bands of Light - Krbk fantasy fanfic

Summary: CHAPTER 2 The ball finally ended and Bakugou and Kirishima go to their respective rooms. Although Bakugou finds himself still upset at the fact that he was placed in this situation. That is when his mother dearest goes to talk some sense into him. Lovingly :)

CW: !All characters are adults! strong language, arranged marriage, slight angst, violence, mentionsof war, enemies to lovers, slowburn, fantasy au, krbk, character x character, the Kirishimas are Pinoy🇵🇭!!, ocs, focus on Bakugou and his mother’s relationship

May be added onto A03 if I find time

Chapter 2 - Help me, Help you.

But either way, Bakugou was satisfied with how things went for this ball. And little by little the nobels that were close to the monarchy left leaving only the servants, King and Queen Bakugou, and the Queens of Keatha and their seven daughters. The comfortable sounds of footsteps echoing and plates and other cutlery cluttering together as they picked up from tables with the low buzz of conversations between the servants that were assigned to work during the ball hovered around the room.

With this Bakugou and Kirishima both made their way over to the their families as Bakugou’s parents bid them farewell and reminded them of where they were staying. Bakugou’s eyes catching the look of his mother’s, her soft stare she used while talking to the Kirishimas’ changing into a firm, harsh and annoyed look as she met her son’s. She obviously wasn’t happy at how he acted with Eijirou, and he was going to hear a mouthful of it later.

Fun.

“And with that please take care in the mean time.” Masaru finished with a smile as he held hands with his Queen who nodded firmly. Both Kirishima Queens were grateful and surprisingly pleased at how hospitable the Bakugou’s were despite their 2 year long war with each other, but either way they still greatly appreciated it.

“We will be sending over Prince Eijirou’s belonging that he will be needing for his stay here.” Queen Yua addressed to both monarchs and her son as his sisters all went towards him, causing Bakugou to shuffle away slightly. Wondering how a family could have so many kids.

“Of course! We’ll send some servants over to help make the movement easier.” Mitsuki smiled, which had both queens nodding in appreciation before turning to their son who was currently surrounded by his sisters, all saying their ‘goodbye’s and ‘see you soon’s. While some had tears in their eyes as they gave him a quick hug before slowly parting away as their mothers made their way over to him.

“[Alagaan mo ang sarili mo ngayon, okay Eijirou? Ipagmalaki mo kami.] You take care of yourself now, okay Eijirou? Make us proud.” Taeka says in a firm but loving voice as she moves a piece of his red hair out of his face and places a hand on her son’s shoulder with a smile.

“[Opo, ​​ma, ingat po kayo.] Of course, ma, take care.” The beloved prince replied in the same language, a smile gracing his features. Bakugou’s face meanwhile was filled with shock at the sudden language change, not realising that the prince beside him was bilingual. But in his defence he didn’t do that much research about the redhead prince, his heritage or his culture when he was thinking of ways to kill him during the 2 years.

And just by thinking about it makes him look away in embarrassment, thinking to himself he should’ve know that much.

Not long after the sweet exchange he and his family had with each other they all went their separate ways, leaving Kirishima with the Bakugou’s, minus the servants who were still cleaning up the ballroom.

“Right!” Mitsuki says with a satisfied clap, although the way her brows were furrowed told a whole other story which reminded Bakugou of the lecture he’ll receive from her later. “Now that everything is getting cleaned up, how about you bring Prince Eijirou to his room.” The ashy blonde Queen said, turning to look at Bakugou with a frighteningly kind smile.

Bakugou was about to open his mouth in protest, not even knowing where the said prince’s room was even meant to be, before being cut off by his mother, “It’s next to yours.” She continued, leaving Bakugou in shock. Again.

“But mother that’s Katashi’s room.” Bakugou then interjected, this time without being interrupted, a firm look on his face as he said the name. Although his mother didn’t seem to care all that much, the girl’s name not striking that much importance to her.

“Oh well, we’ll just move her room to a guest room, nothing that serious, dear” She waved off as her husband let out a soft, defeated sounding sigh while Kirishima stood between them with a confused look. Was Katashi an unknown sibling or something? A pet maybe? I mean it wouldn’t be that surprising if a prince’s pet has its own room placed next to their owner’s so…

“Tch, Fine…” Bakugou just grunts, trying to mask his annoyance but failing to do so as he turns himself to look at Kirishima. “Follow me.”

He states plainly as he walks towards the stairs and to where his room would be, leaving a confused prince to follow behind him in a frazzled manner. His cape not doing him any good either as Bakugou’s heel boots created soft thuds across the carpet that draped across the staircase.

With a quick slam of the door, Bakugou let out a tired sigh as he combed his hands through his spiky hair. That whole ordeal taking everything out of him as he walked over to his bed and leaned against one of the bedposts, reaching out to move the thing velvet curtains that shielded his bed, but was interrupted with a sudden knock on his door.

A frown quickly grew on his face as he turned his head to look at his door. “Who is it?! Just come in!” He said in a gruff and harsh voice, almost mimicking how he used to sound when he was still a teenager.

But not long after being shouted at the door slowly opened to reveal a man with tanned skin, similar to the Keathan Prince, although his skin was adorned with golden markings that seemed to be carved by angels by how elegant they looked. The Prince’s personal butler slowly walked in, his pale blue hair pulled into a low ponytail as a simple smile graced his face.

“I’m sorry my prince, but you’re mother has informed me that you returned to your quarters and needed me to assist you in cha-“ the butler started, his hands placed sensibly in front of him.

“I don’t need your assistance today, Tamotsu. And isn’t there another one of you?” He says to one of his personal butlers, Tamotsu Guerrero, the last bit being more on the joking side as Tamotsu and his twin brother both worked together for the Prince and we’re always whispering to each other in Spanish while side by side in anything that they did.

“Oh! Miyako was ordered to attend to the prince next door, my prince.” Tamotsu quickly replied as the brought his hand up to his chin as he thought back to the moment and nodded his head, correctly recalling.

“Hm, then why don’t you go help him too, like I said I don’t need your help tonight.” Bakugou then repeated, his crimson eyes staring right into Tamotsu’s. Which caused a slight heat to rise to his butler’s face as he straightened his back more.

“But, my prince! Your mother..”

“I will deal with my mother if she asks, now go.”

And with that the prince’s butler slowly dismissed himself with a deep bow and a quick shut of the door, fast and light footsteps could be heard as he made his way to the room next door where his younger brother, Miyako, was assisting the large prince in red.

Bakugou let out another sigh. Officially deeming himself socially drained for the day as he reached around his shoulders to take off his cape but not before hearing another knock on the door, this one being much louder. Bakugou could feel his brow twitch with annoyance as he snapped his head to the door- unable to say anything though as the person just walked straight in.

Bakugou was livid, ready to give whoever this was a piece of his mind until his mind registering that this person was his mother. Well Shit. And her face wasn’t very pleased from the looks of it, her elegant features shaped into a frown as she looked up at her son, closing the door behind her right after.

“Katsuki….” She started, her voice sounding tired as kept eye contact with her son, their matching red eyes holding the same emotions of annoyance, anger, and tiredness. “You already know what I am going to say to you about the ball…” she then continued as she stepped closer to him, the sound of her voice still holding the firm and harshness it usually did, but also the maternal tone of a mother, as she tried to control her anger. Knowing that the situation she placed him in was unfair but needed him to work with her for the sake of the kingdom.

Bakugou didn’t say anything about what she addressed, already imagining the words she’d say in his head. Mitsuki just lets out a soft sigh as she moved her hands to her face, trying to think of the right words to say.

“Katsuki…just please, please, try make this work. Everyone is depending on it.” She then spoke after a minute of silence, her red gaze softened as she looked at her son again, dropping her hands down to her sides as she did. Still being met with silence as Bakugou looked away, still processing her words. And albeit, their relationship came off as complicated to the people who were close to the royal family, including the servants. But passed all the shouting, arguing, threats and raw emotions everyone knew that Mitsuki would take the world on for her son and Bakugou would do the same.

“I’ve arranged that the both of you have breakfast together tomorrow, and I want you to get to know each other. Properly this time” She said, emphasising the last part like her life depended on it. “I want you to give him a tour of the palace too since he’ll be staying for a while. I have also taken most of your royal duties for the year so you can focus on prince Kirishima.”

Bakugou just sat down on his bed roughly as he huffed out his nose, staring daggers at the ground. Leaving both royals sitting in an uneasy silence as Mitsuki’s posture softened as she took another step towards her son and leaning down in front of him. This being one of the only times the two showed any sort of vulnerability to each other.

Mitsuki looked up at him with a soft expression, slowly reaching her hand towards her son’s face. Caressing his cheek softly like she used to when he was just a child. “Listen kid…I’m sorry things didn’t turn out how you wanted them to…” she says, watching as her son’s eyes looked at the area around her. In all honesty, Bakugou was still a child at heart. And ever since Mitsuki found out she was pregnant with the future king’s child she knew that the child’s life would never be the same. And as much as she tried to let him have the life he should’ve experienced if it wasn’t for her falling in love with the then Prince, Masaru, it still wasn’t enough. This therefore led to Katsuki maturing at a young age and bottling up his emotions and keeping them from public eye.

“Okay..” Bakugou then grunted out, breaking the silence that formed between them, as he slowly leaned into Mitsuki’s touch.

“That’s my boy.” She says with a smile as she stood up and dusted off her dress before giving Bakugou a firm but playful smack on his forehead, making the ashy blonde prince let out a slightly annoyed groan as he closed his eyes at the sudden change in behavior. “You better be good, or else” she then added as she let out a chuckle and made her way to the door, turning around one last time to meet her son’s eyes.

“I will, just go you h-.…just go, mom.” Bakugou says in his usual rough voice, although suddenly becoming softer as he corrected himself. And with that, his mother left with a nod, leaving Bakugou to his own devices.

He soon then got up from his place on his bed and finally took off his fur collared cape and draped it on a cushioned chair near his desk. He then walked over to his closet and laid out his sleep clothes a bit recklessly over his bed, doing a quick stretch as he marched into his private bathing quarters.

Bakugou let out another sigh as he looked himself in the mirror on top of the sink. His eyeliner and eye shadow that the maids put on him before hand were rubbing off, which he didn’t really care that much about. With a quick lean on the cold sink counter he reached for the faucet which quickly released cold fresh water, which Bakugou really needed.

The prince swiftly washed his face and gently rubbed his eyes as he finished, drying his face with the a small towel that was placed on the sink counter. After that Bakugou took the time to bathe and clean himself fully before leaving his bathroom with a towel around his waist, while rubbing another towel on his hair which was still dripping wet.

He made his way over to his bed which still had his sleeping clothes laid upon it and changed soon after. A long yawn leaving him after he was done as it was way past the usual time he would go to sleep. Bakugou then finally threw himself onto his bed. The red silk curtains that were around it, now tie to the bedposts with a golden rope, moving slightly at the sudden breeze that came from him doing so.

It was for the sake of the kingdom he said to himself as he pressed his face into the pillow, repeating it in his mind like a broken record.

———

M.LIST | ← Previous Chapter ══ Next Chapter →

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

okay so Im going insane over the concept of the bps having a silly little spa day and I care them so much so sorry if this gets long

"SO, me and Sarah were thinking about something"

Seth looks up from his woodworking, casting a suspicious look between them. Sarah and Ces exchange glances, trying to suppress their giggles

"I know this look, you two are definitely up to good", he says

"Well,see here-" Ces starts, before being interrupted by Sarah.

"If ur idea of no good is us making you have a self care day with us, then yeah, we are up to no good", she declares, looking at him, challenging him to object. He looks at her in disbelief.

"A self care day? Sarah, I'm 35, and besides I'm perfectly fi-"

"Literally no one's buying that dad, we've all seen how stresses you are lately, and besides, how bad can it be? Don't you wanna spend time with us?", Cesar says, looking at him imploringly.

"Pleaseeeeeee, cmon, its just washing your hair, trying new hairstyles, it's not gonna kill you", Sarah says

Seth sighs in defeat.

"How long have you two been planning this?", he asks, a small smile beginning to form on his face

Sarah hooks one arm though hers, and Ces takes the other side, essentially frog marching him to the living room.

She shrugs, "A month maybe, now let the self care day start!"

They make Seth lie down on the couch and untie his hair, Ces washing it in a basin of warm soapy water while Sarah lectured him about how to take proper care of his hair. While Seth is distracted, Ces starts to subtly tie Seths hair into pigtails, fighting for his life. Sarah fails at hiding her smile, and Seth catches on, jolting upright.

"Cesar Torres. What are you doing with my hair.", he says, turning to face him slowly. Cesar bursts out laughing, tears in his eyes. Seth pats his head, detecting the pigtails.

"PIGTAILS??, really Ces?", he tries to untie them, but Sarah swats his hand.

"Noooo! They're so cute!", she picks up a mirror and shows it to Seth, whose horrified face is now staring back at him with the pigtails in glittery pink scrunchies. Seth buries his head in his hand, before getting an idea.

"Well, if you two can mess with my hair, then I guess it's only fair I do so too right?", Seth picks up one of Sarah's hairstyles catalogues, thumbing it's pages, before grinning evilly, and revealing tye most atrocious hairstyle known to man.

"You first Ces",

They spend the day trying out different hairstyles, to Ces and Sarah amusement and Seths continous shock( "People actaully do these??") and at some point, Sarah even brings her skin care routine, arms full if variously coloured gels and masks( Ces whistles, impressed, "You know she serious when she pulls out the papaya exfoliating mask". "The WHAT??" . "dw about it")

At the end of the day, Sarah brings her nail polish collection, choosing red for herself, black for Ces, and hot pink for Seth. He holds the tiny bottle, looking at her witha mixture of fondness and tiredness.

"Is the hot pink really necessary, I mean, you've already used like 30 different products on me today", he says

Sarah and Ces nod emphatically.

"No self care is complete without nail polish! And I even made Ces learn nail art to make sure it looks good as possible! Cmon, this one last thing okay? I promise", Sarah says, and Seth grumbles but holds out his hands. They cheer and get to work, Sarah with unwavering laser focus, and Ces with the tip of his tongue poking out, attempting to copy Sarah. He looks at them lovingly. These silly children and their care of him. His silly children that he was ready to burn the world down for, if it meant seeing them happy forever as they were now.

"I might have agreed to hot pink Sarah, but I definitely did not agree to the glitter"

"Aw, man"

AWWWWW /pos

They’re a FAMILY your honor

[proteus-no]

Disco Elysium trainer card masterpost

Well. I've made trainer cards for Kim, Harry, and Jean. So here:

(Go ahead and tell me Kim doesn't match Maxie's vibes.)

Yanma: Kim’s first pokemon. He does not like battling with yanma or putting her in danger. He greatly enjoys watching her fly around. His baby. He leaves her with Alice when working on long cases.

Bisharp: For obvious reasons. His ace back when he was serious about being a trainer before he joined the RCM. Everyone calls Bisharp Kim Jr. For how well he imitates his trainer.

Arcanine: Standard issue RCM pokemon. All Lieutenants get one. He tries to keep a working relationship with his arcanine, but off duty she demands cuddles, and who is Kim to deny his arcanine snuggle time? But on the clock they are very, very professional. No funny business or tummy rubs here.

Joltik: Kim thinks they’re cute. He caught a joltik, named him Bob, and it nests in Kim’s hair whenever he’s home. Sometime even when he’s at work, since joltik’s too small for anyone to see in Kim’s hair.

Magneton: A magnemite kept hanging around the Kineema in the 57ths motor pool so he adopted it. He keeps his magneton polished to perfection. His magneton is very stubborn and is probably in love with the Kineema. It keeps trying to woo it.

Cryogonal - A gift from Eyes. Kim has gotten very attached to it, as cryogonal disappears in the summer (vaporizes in the heat), and reappears in the winter. There’s a wives tale that those who die in the winter are reborn as cryogonal. So. Yeah.

Butterfree: Lovingly evolved from a caterpie Harry’s dad caught for him as a kid. The butterfree has been with Harry since the beginning. Despite being a total wreck most his adult life, Harry took good care of butterfree. However, butterfree has been taken away after Harry for his own safety. Judit is taking care of him in the meantime.

Crobat: The first pokemon Harry “caught” by himself. Harry nursed an injured zubat back to health, and it went into a pokeball on its own. Crobat is extremely attached to Harry, and will not allow himself to separated. Crobat is extremely untrusting of other people, as of late many have tried taking crobat away for Harry’s own safety. Crobat likes to nest in Harry’s hair at all times.

Dragonite: Harry also used to be a pretty serious trainer in his youth. He’s completed the gym challenge, though never went on to defeat the elite 4. Dragonite used to be his ace, and later his teaching assistant when he was a gym teacher. She has been known for going on rampages and destroying Harry’s stashes. Dragonite is loyal to Harry, but loves Jean. Maybe because they have a kinship for picking up Harry’s messes.

Gardevoir: Was traded over as a kirlia to Harry while he and Dora were dating. Harry traded her his machamp. Gardevoir rarely listens to Harry, but is still very protective of him. She was there while the whole relationship was falling apart, and became deeply wounded when Dora left without her. Gardevoir does not like being out of her pokeball, because she does not like being around Harry when he’s drunk.

Mabostiff: I know maschiff is cuter, but I think mabostiff looks more like Harry lol. Probably got maschiff when he first started out in the RCM, his partner pokemon. Mabostiff is a resolute professional police mon, especially when Harry can’t be. Lives at the station because it runs away whenever Harry brings him home. He would get along great with Kim.

Shedinja: Jean’s party was full when his nincada evolved, so shedinja just moved into Harry’s party. Harry tried giving it back to Jean but 1.) Jean thought it was creepy, and 2.) It chose Harry has his trainer. Everyone in the station is creeped out by it, but Harry LOVES this thing. Spends hours staring at the hole in shedinja’s back. Though it can’t emote like normal pokemon, shedinja adores Harry. It’s also very affectionate and does float around the station bumping officers to get them to pet it. Shedinja is content to float around following Harry most days.

Houndoom: Jean's first pokemon. He used to be a semi-serious trainer at the fire gym in Revachol. His houndoom looks intimidating, but she's just a silly little girl. Also a whore that got knocked up six times from Jean's neighbor. The sole reason why the 41st's new patrol dogs are houndours. But she's a good girl, and loves Harry bc he feeds her snacks. Jean's pissed about it, because his girl likes Hary more than him, but also because Harry's making her fat (spoiler alert, she got knocked up again, this time by Harry's mabosstiff).

Rapidash: Jean's always loved horses. He originally got her since he worked at the fire gym, but once Jean became a police officer, he chose to use her instead of the mudsdales that were typically used as patrol horses. She doesn't really express herself much, but she'll nuzzle anyone that brings her oats. She desperately pines for Captain Pryce's mudsdale. It's a very torrid love affair the whole station keeps up on.

Mighteyena: Poochyena was Jean's partner pokemon when he first signed up with the force. At first, the poochyena hated Jean. Dug his paws in whenever Jean tried working with her. But through the fire of service, they've bonded. Mighteyena HATES Harry so much. She'll snarl and chomp whenever Harry's near. She'll only tolerate him when he's sober, in that case she sleeps near Harry's feet because she DOES recognize him as a superior detective.

Phantump: Jean found a lone phantump when they were working a case in the Pox. Just a single, lone phantump. They were working a missing child case. Neither Jean or Harry could leave him behind, so Jean took him in. Phantump makes Jean sad, but Jean is determined to give phantump the best life as a pokemon. Phantump is shy around adults, except for Jean and Harry. Likes to be babied and held. It does throw tantrums when it doesn't get what it wants, which as led to many officers figuring out what being hit with phantom force square in the chest feels like.

Ninjask: Nincada was another pokemon Jean picked up while on the force. It was found by an officer on Boogie street. No one knew what to do with him, to Jean took him in. He always thought bug pokemon were cool. Then it evolved while Jean and Harry were on a case, and Harry ended up with shedinja. Ninjask does not like Harry either, and cries until Harry leaves, or Jean puts him away. However annoying ninjask can be, there's no pokemon he trusts more to work with.

Deino: Jean doesn't know how Harry ever got his hands on a deino, but Jean didn't question it. He was a gift from Harry, and at first Jean thought he could handle the deino. But like it's temperamental. Jean's hands are covered in scars from how many times he's been bitten. But he still loves the sucker, and trains really hard with deino to evolve it. They're workout buddies. Jean distracts deino with squeaky toys at work and at home, so everyone at the 41st is accustomed to faint squeaking in the bullpen.

@brainrotdotorg @chewyguts Tagging bc i know you're interested.

[benefits1986]

Studies show that brick and mortar retail stores up the ante of conversion through immersive experience. Cinnabon plants itself in “weird” spots to rise from the cluttered food space. Starbucks Music, ages ago aims to capture a “third place” where you spend time in between work and the home. Nike, inspired by the winged goddess curates stories that make you feel that you just friggin’ do it. Lush lovingly pounces on scents and the tactile game in the hopes of selling a whole line of their goodies alongside the “handmakers” who brought every soap, body scrub, lotion and fragrances to life. All roads lead back to Kotler and marketing is talaga as my mentor-second dad puts it back in college. LOL. Sineryoso po talaga natin i-connect ang dots na parang walan connect for choodaze vidyow.  Sidenote: Dami na Grammarly hits nito, pero ganun talaga. Nagsusulat ako. The bots can edit my thoughts farts later. CHE. Hassle talaga dyslexia, noh? :D  Still numb but hopefully putting my thoughts here will enable me to feel. So, let me enumerate the snippets of the last weekend, my lola’s last Sunday on earth. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to welcome grief because Deft Gravity is still my soundtrack for close to a week. Wicked, I know, but, baka naman, this time around, I’d be to choose to be kinder to myself as people around me are all so supportive about this really life-altering, death-defining chapter. EMS.  MY BROTHER’S A KEEPER (LOL)  My grand plan was to arrive fashionably late Sunday morning style. I wanted to color my hair in a random shade, paint my nails bright red, get a facial and a soothing massage, plus a possible curated white outfit to prep myself for my lola’s final game. Not because I want to look good, but, I was trying to escape troubleshooting again. You see, wakes take so much effort to pull together. Even when you get a decent or above average “burial package,” this “circle of life” chapter goes beyond any A-line casket and ridiculously pricey burial ground. However, my brother egged me that his boss granted him a leave from Thursday to Monday. Sabi ko, sana all. But, in reality, since I shared the news to my boss, I was asked to take whatever time I need. LOL. Ako lang talaga ‘yung walking red flag. Takas po tayo sa emotions, opo. Work po tayo, opo. Of course, since my brother and I are literally the exact opposites, he lambasted me and didn’t stop until I agreed that we are going to Laguna on a Friday. He knew that I am once again deflecting his very valid, heartfelt plea; but, this time, kulang na lang bitbitin niya ako sa car para sumama. I knew he meant well, but, I still tried to be busy. Sabi niya na gusto niya maka-bonding si ina one last time because he has been looking after his panganay and his pregnant wife. Medyo ad hominem ‘yung line of thought niya so, push back pa ako; but syempre, spolied siya so, gesi. I said fine, fine, fine. I grumpily packed my work and personal laptop before packing my stuff. And he stared at me with distate. I shot a series of side-eye emojis IRL back at him. He said, tigilan mo ‘yan ate. 37 ka na. HAHAHAHAHA. I said, wala siyang pake kasi ‘di naman siya nag-effort nung andyan pa si ina. Ako tumangke. He said, e syempre, forte ko ‘yun. Natural. FUCK. He reassured me na he won’t mind na mag-work ako kahit sa SLEX o sa kung saan basta sumama na ako pauwi. Since I wasn’t able to eat and sleep the past days and nights, ginawa na naman niya akong Tamagochi. Sabi baka raw pumayat ako and he patiently dropped by 3 gas stations kaso narealize namin ‘yung Cinnabon pala nasa first station. Honestly, I know where Cinnabon is sa SLEX pa-Tags since matic stopover ko ‘yun pati ng pantog ko. Hahahahaha. When we arrived at Calamba, he parked in Starbucks and said he wanted libre na ham sandwich. I see you, little shit. I see you, clearly. He even said, baka may nakalimutan ako buy sa Watsons, which is right beside Starbucks Calamba going to Pansol. I discovered Amber branch na same building ng Starbs and Watsons. May BDO pa, baka raw gusto ko mag-withdraw. Damngurlll. :D Naisahan ako ng kapatid ko since alam niyang consumerist ako. I forgot my PIN code pa of all days, kaya sabi niya, chill lang. Siya na lang daw muna pero pay ko siya with transaction fee, toll and other stuff. Daig pa 5-6 nito e. I scrambled and almost locked my ATM. He said, tama na raw drama ko. Ending: he got his food coma spread + transaction fee na gas, toll, car wash + interior deep clean (spoiled talaga ‘tong bunsong ‘to. Car ko nga, ‘di ko ginaganito e.) + choco drink with PBJ sandwich and my leftovers because I can barely eat pa rin. He also adjusted the AC many, many times because I forgot my jacket. Lamigin at madali akong mainitan. Nastress din ako kasi adjust siya ng adjust ng AC. Sabi tumigil daw ako. Feeling ko raw. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Pinagsabihan na naman ako na 2 laptops ko tapos akala mo digital nomad starter pack dala pero walang jacket. CHE. We had unli relx stopovers as well and even sa car, sige, relx like there’s no tomorrow. We even passed by his suking vape shop so I could get 10 boxes of Dark Sparkle, pero syempre, ‘di niya libre, like always. LELS.  During the roadtrip to Laguna, confession time siya. He said that he missed me kahit alam niya ‘di ko siya miss. And that he hopes that the day will come na maging proud ako sa kanya. Syempre, una, sabi ko, I don’t have any expectation naman na sa kanya. Suko na ako. LOL. That’s what gets for warshocking my well-built fortress. Pero nung butthurt durog levels na ego niya, syempre bwelo tayo. Told him that he should not be jealous of my “adopted” baby brother and I’s bond. ‘Di sila match. And that, he has been through the shit hole na ‘di naman niya na-create and that he is on his way to being Team Payaman which is not measured lang by monetary gains, but more importantly, how he works his ass off sa pag-make ng well-lived life not only for him, but his growing family. Our 3-year hiatus has been lifted. Gago ko raw na hindi ako nangangamusta. Sabi ko naman, buti pa nga siya naka SUV na, ako wala pang pick up na may bike and Vespa. Sabi niya, gago ko raw. LOLOLLOLL. I truly love my trusty rusty Ecosport talaga kasi pero syempre, in time, ‘pag oks na, dun tayo sa kahit punggok ako at may bangkito mag-drive saka bumaba ng car, cutie pa rin ‘yung car kasi ako hindi. HUHUHUHU. Puro lang seen and typing tapos wala namang replies na matino. LOL. Next time ko na siguro kwento ‘to na deep dive para mas prod levels.  I CAN BUY MYSELF FLOWERS +++ So ayun nga... my grand plan to work while the world is crying itself to sleep failed big time. Managed to swing one very specific task na ako lang kasi may access talaga. LOL. Nag-sorry pa super mga team mates na involved with so much compassion pero syempre. defy gravity po tayo. :D Our Team Panganay GC exploded... we are tasked to do stuff to get my ina’s send off party a memorable one na ayon sa gusto niya. PAK. SHET. KAYO. AKO. TAYONG LAHAT. Since I organize and fine-tune our life events the past years, syempre, mhie, maxxed out po tayo. I have so many things na ‘di ako nasunod kasi nga, late na ako dumating, but andami pang tasks na naiwan. UGH.  One of the very graphic things I handled was the offerings sa church. Syempre, medyo rusty memory na ako since I rarely go to a traditional church lalo sa Laguna, because I vehemently abhor mga rebulto. As in. I wanted all anak, apo and apo sa tuhod plus the mga asawa na magkaroon ng part because, we take shit seriously. First time daw na ang haba ng pila sa offertory pero wala akong paki kasi we are a big family talaga and gusto ko, lahat may part sa kwentong ito ng ina ko. That said, since ginusto ko ito, I had to buy flowers plus a whole lot of things pa to make this happen. The design is very Batang Quiapo kasi sa palengke lang merong isang flower shop since my ina’s town is a relatively sleep one. OCD na naman kasi ang available lang is 2 magkaiba na colors. I even sheepishly with impit asked if the florist could replace the “damaged” leaves. She smiled at me and said, fishtail leaves daw ‘yun. I said, kaya pala I tried choosing one na walang damaged leaves pero I found none. Walking back to the car, I felt the weight of the flowers na as though 30 KG backpack ko nung nag Vietnam ako. :D LOL. Bakit po ganun? Bakit?  Buti na lang I HATE FLOWERS talaga so I have another reason to hate them all the more.  Hassle sa big family is you’ll have a sweet and shitty time sa pag-exhaust ng participation in events na may time constraint. I joked mga sunset na namin malilibing ina ko at the rate we’re going even when we start on time. But, syempre, hindi tayo papayag ng ganun. After an exhausting last hurrah, we’re ready to give my ina the grand send off she dasurvs.  EXTENSION CORDS AND CARE TEAM  Every town has its own tradition in burying their dead. Even when I abhor traditions, syempre, my ina is traditional, kaya tabi ako. The family didn’t have a lot of time to weep and gather kasi here, guests come by as though may BTS event. Hahahaha. Free-flowing food, drinks atbp. but no sugal, inuman and videoke because that’s not my ina’s vibe kahit tradition ‘yan Big 3 na ‘yan. Parang fiesta but a sedated one ‘yung design if I put it bluntly. No bashing. Ganun talaga e. Adjust tayong mga taga-Manila, okay? We were asked to wait outside the house for her. Tears started trickling everywhere but natawa ako talaga since nakakaiyak pala makakita ng extension cords na bitbit ng Burial Team kasi inisa-isang ilipat ‘yung mga stuff around ina’s casket. I whispered this shit to my ka-Team Pangangays and natawa din sila. Nandamay pa ako sa very, very dark humor ko, opo.  But, when I saw Monic, my ina’s first and best in performance caregivers, naiyak ako. Naiyak din siya. We hugged and no words were said. Sabi ko, usap kami later and even ‘pag balik ko sa Manila. Monic is our family and ina’s precious lifeline. She lovingly looked after ina. We even joked na since her hips don’t lie as well, she will be part of our family tree na. You see? Strangers can be family. And Monic is one family we didn’t see coming. Grabe pa nga iyak niya kesa sa amin to be honest. Hiyang-hiya ako e pati emotions kong well-guarded.  LINE UP KAGULO AND PAK BOOMS  Aim is to lessen the blow of ina’s 6 kids who are under maint and pa-senior years na. Even 40-ish tita na menopausal baby ni ina is obviously super down the drain.  Gah. Aging parents are tougher to manage. Attendance checks mean a good time to check if they took their meds, monitored their BP, blood sugar and other aching body parts. Good thing dad’s maint are super basic naman so no further questions, your honor. Tigas lang talaga ng ulo. As in.  The 6 kids lined up and because there’s a procession for ina’s body pa, busy bees sila sa church. Though, my basher dad said na bakit nauna pa sila sa church instead of hatid ina ko with the fam. Sabi ko shut up. Go. :D LOL. Pero tinapik ko muna sa balikat then umiyak. ‘Wag ko raw siyang hawakan. Very Aries x Cancer kagulo but no escalation naman. They walked to the church. AWWW.  THE FINAL BATTLE OFFENSE & DEFENSE  -All male apo and hubs ng pinsans = bitbit casket  -All 6 kids ni ina because pasaway, formation na sa church para wala ng kagulo like a prep student  -All the female pinsans ikot-ikot lungs as logistics + offerers -All wives/hubs of 6 anaks, on standby with water, fan, pang BP. wheelchair, etc. (LOL)  -All the apo and apo sa tuhod = stand by; distract the parents/grandparents + no tantrums for the offertory   -Me: nominated to do the reading (FUCK. FUCK. FUCK.)  -Final words: Tito who is the eldest because in this town, eulogies are not common. 1 lang talaga spokesperson for the mass  The boys in the yard who held ina’s casket shared na pabigat ng pabigat ‘yung weight as they near the burial spot. Wild but sure. True naman na when emotions run high, your rationality is overridden.  Syempre, ako naman na ‘di prepared magbasa, I forgot to take three deep breaths before starting the reading in friggin’ Tagalog so mas graphic. Nagmukha tuloy spokenword sa Sev’s Cafe. HAHAHAHAHA. I did well naman in general kasi naiyak din sila but pigil talaga. Actually, procession pa lang, the bunsong anak who was holding the big cross na lagot talaga tayong lahat kay Papa Jesus ‘yung vibe, ngalngal without a sound na. Kaya na-hit ako. :D LELS. The most heart-wrenching cries are the soundless ones kasi for me. Kakanood ng Eiga Sai. Bwiset.  This bit in the reading hit so hard. I cannot defy gravity for a few seconds. FML. ‘Di ubra rehearsed combo ko ng offense and defense. SHET.  Roma 8:11  Nguni't kung ang Espiritu niyaong bumuhay na maguli kay Jesus ay tumira sa inyo, ang bumuhay na maguli kay Cristo Hesus sa mga patay ay magbibigay buhay naman sa inyong mga katawang may kamatayan, sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang Espiritu na tumitira sa inyo. Bakit kasi Tagalog? Bakit walang practice? Pero trained po tayong mag-read kahit may dyslexia po tayo in front of a big ass crowd kaya, push. All for ina. AHOO. AHOO. AHOO.  Then, the much awaited offertory.  Syempre, we have soooo many kids and tiwala na lang na matawid ‘yung walk nila to the altar ng walang tantrums. I watched them matang-lawin style from afar and checked if complete attendance. Okay naman. Good. Natawid. And seeing an almost complete family sa front ng altar in front of Nazareno is again, very Batang Quiapo. LOLLOLL. While I may not be traditional, I have a soft spot for symbols that go beyond the tradition. A very soft spot to be exact. Seeing the family together with their heads bowed down right beside my ina is just too poetic... it’s graphic and fantastic. Dama mo sa kaibuturan ‘yung blessing na we will HEAL TOGETHER if we stay together. EMS. Clingy? Not me since taga-troubleshoot pa rin ako until she is six feet under the ground.  FAULTY TIMELINE, FUNNY TWISTS And so we go to the final walk. UGH. Had to be with dad even though ayaw niya pa rin pahawak like me to ina’s forever home. Been consoling myself that this is my first dibs on summer x caramel skin x lighter hair season. Ang init e. LOL. But, nadali na naman ako. Moon River played bigla and then poof, iyak. Super fave namin ni dad niyan na a lot of versions nasa Spotify PL namin. Moon River will now have a super different meaning. LORDEEE, WHY? WHY? Sakto talaga e. Buti na lang chorus part lang though super sapul. Though very ina’s vibe ‘yung Moon River ha. Sige na. OK. OK. OK. Seen. Felt. Tagos na felt. ‘Di masasalag.  PS: Did you know that the last sense that sleeps and the first to wake up is our hearing? Very magical mundane sharing pero, gets?  Dad was handed a bunch of white roses that he then passed on to the family and friends of ina. I can’t even bear to put my relx down as I was watching the family’s OG photographer snapping away in this very untimely photo op. Closed casket naman, pero syempre, sige lungs. Traditions. Social fuckin’ constructs. Go lungs. Dito lang ako sa gedli.  Tears stopped flowing because as the mighty men were lowering my ina’s body to the ground, nagka-error sa measurement. The design morphed into Home Along Da Riles rerun real quick po. Ina never fails. Alam niya na we will be crying non-stop kaya siya nag-adjust. The measurements were done and triple checked by an able team so what the heck, right. Natawa na lang talaga kami kasi ready na po ang lampin levels crying ladies and gents late afternoon.  The crowd dispersed na and the white-clad family was able to spend more time with her. relx pa more sa gedli because bakit wala ako nung ni-measure??? Bakit ako nasa harap ng laptop ko when I could have handled this very tiny yet essential detail. Dad sheepishly said na kasalanan niya since nagtiwala siya sa burial team. I said, 15/10 chef’s kiss siya. Very, very good job. But, bawi mode naman ako na si ina talaga nag-adjust because she wanted her finale to be a less painful one for all of us. GAH. My eye is welling pero very dry pa rin. Sahara levels dry cry po tayo as I’m typing this bit IRL. Up until the end, ina made a way to let us see that her days on this part of the universe may have really bad and ugly days, but they are outnumbered by the good, the magical mundane ones.  Before dusk, she was finally put to rest. Magkasama na sila ng ama ko. O ‘di ba? May forever? LUH. Hahahahahahahahha. Next task ko: design their tombstone + one liner to go with it. No rush naman daw. Nubayaaannn. Pero g lang. Copy. Noted with thanks. Ako na. Utusan. As always. Sa isang araw na ako mapressure.  FRENCH EXIT GONE FILIPINO EXIT  I wanted to be LIFO (last in, first out) that Sunday. Wala lang. Gusto ko lang bumalik sa Manila ng maaga to squeeze in time for my supposed “man versus machine” content curation szn. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ganda ng excuse ko pero my tita who is my tag team sa journey with ina told me na she ordered caldereta and fresh lumpia. Sayang naman daw if I let this combo pass and she knows daw na I’ve not been eating well the past weeks.  Syempre, as a Tamagochi baby na ubos na ubos na, na-clickbait IRL na naman ako. No thumbnail needed. :D PAK. SHET. My brother also egged me to shut the fuck up and eat kasi fave ko ‘yung combo na ‘yun. :D May Chooks To Go pa. He even added that I should take a leave dahil ‘di biro ang magtawid sa Other Side and saltik daw talaga ako. Category is: Team Taguan Ng Feelings. I stomped IRL and said, fine. For the love of caldereta and fresh lumpia. Tae. Ambabaw ko talaga noh? Tita smiled the winning smile and hugged me. She thanked me and told me good job ako, kami. Sabi ko naman: dapat lang. Basic. Parang nasa office lang din ako but with DEAD LINES. She still can’t grasp how my daily grind looks like kasi I am the only one in the family na nasa digital/agency route. LOL. Told her na basta, ganun na ‘yun.  I stuffed myself with dasurv caldereta and fresh lumpia na ‘di estetik. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Super love. I took precious bites of Chooks To Go thigh with pwet part. :D YUM. While downing my combo, I looked at how the family was able to power through as I put one hand in my chino’s pocket and prayed that we will be able to slay the HEAL TOGETHER mindset in the next chapter of our crazy family’s story. 

Shet. Sobrang graphic na naman po. In mother dragon’s finale walk kasi, everything was a blur. I felt like a walking numb feet all over. I purposefully shut down all my emotions because I can’t take the burn talaga noon. This time around, perhaps because I’m trying to be an adult eventhough I obviously am a WIP 5evs naman talaga, I allowed my curious critter self to be in the moment. :D HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Even when my emotional cell walls are non-permeable, medyo naging more attuned naman tayo. Bit by bit. Bwelo-bwelo lang.  Thank you, ina and mother dragon. Though I firmly believe that childbirth may be anti-feminist, my friggin’ Achilles’ heel is anything MOM. Luh. Thank you for making the world or the universe rather, to see that no titles, no career gains, no milestones are without the power of moms who slay dragons, demons and dark holes. Thank you for living by example that is not bound by double income household pressures in the hope of raising a family. Syempre, generation niyo ‘yun noh which is another argument that deserves a deep dive. Thank you for planting the seeds of compassion and manipulation done right in me. LOL. You see, moms are the OG budols. They believe in you even when you’re a total wreck. They stand by you even when no one else does. They override their rationality to love you unconditionally and without ROI. Damnnn. To be a mom. So problematic. Mother dragon said several times then when faced with yet another argument about funds and out future with dad: Kung may sweldo maging nanay, ang yaman na niya. Kaso, wala. Worst, unseen pa. LOL. Kabogstra. Sabay sabing: Kaya ikaw, Alvene, ayusin mo pagpili mo. :D Waw. Look, ma. Still patiently waiting. :D Darating din ‘yan but mas ready na akong maging backpacking Noona kasi andami kong alaga to be honest apart from my 3 dogs. Kwento ko lang ulit next time ‘pag nasa mood na ako to show my maternal (EWW) side. LOL. 

Action item for the incoming thought farts: processing in the dark room of the unknown; because sabi nga nila, it is in the dark room where you are able to birth the negatives that turn into frozen moments in time. Make it shine.  I feel better. Dami ko na namang sinabi pero oks lang kasi at the back of my head, ready na tayo makipagbakbakan sa machines baon ang ating dyslexia at mga tiny details in the name of lived micromoments szn. CHZ.  Au revoir! XOXO 

[chronic-claire-universe]

Tokyo Revengers: Without You

It has been in the air till sometime, I tried to resist, but the urge to write about it was unbearable, that’s why my dust bunnies here the first tokrev dads angst.

Don’t worry I’m not so cruel to let their kids suffer, but I felt like this could be a good scenario with a great tenderness. @moon-mars-ikemen huge thanks for providing a good amount of courage and a help for the plot development.

How do our favorite dads manage parenthood after they lost you?

Characthers: Haruchiyo Sanzu, Ran Haitani, Manjiro Sano

Warnings: Angst, Reader’s Death, Tears, Tons of Tears

Listen to the song that inspired these stories

“There there princess, stay calm for a while” Sanzu says while tenderly smiling at his daughter, translucent blue eyes stare at their copy, “A-ayame” the pinkette says in between sobs taking his precious daughter on his chest.

FLASHBACK

“Haru leave her be, she must sleep!” you say while taking your daughter and lull her to sleep, “That song” he says while lovingly looking at the girls of his life, “Yeah what?” you say while humming the tune making your daughter calmly drift to sleep, “Mother used to sing it to me or Senju…” Sanzu says looking at the floor with an unrecognizable expression, “Haru, you know they would be happy to meet her?” you say while crouching in front of him and giving him a smile, “Don’t need that, I have you, it’s enough!” he mutters almost afraid to face your angry expression, “I’ll be with you don’t worry, you will know that you needed this just like you did with us” you say before kissing him and going to your daughter’s bedroom to put her to sleep.

“You promised we were gonna go together” Sanzu says, fighting the urge to cry in front of your lifeless body, “What am I going to do alone? THIS IS NOT RIGHT Y/N!” Sanzu was insane, and for the first time they weren't pills. He was insane with the dead walking man who hit you with his car, he was insane towards his fucked up life, “I CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT YOU!” he shouts, punching the metallic material that was supporting your purpled body. Cries of his daughter were heard outside the morgue room, almost like she understood what was happening, “I’m going to take that fucker and give hi-” Ran puts a hand to alt his steps, “Everything as being taken care of, you’ll have him before they will arrive to him” he says making Sanzu wide his eyes, “Now go take a shower, try to calm down, I’m going to take care of Ayame if you need t-” Ran continues with calm, “No! She comes with me!” he says taking his daughter, calming her almost as it’s the most natural thing to do, “I know baby, cry as much as you need to! We deserve to be angry” he says while finally letting his tears fall down his cheeks.

PRESENT

“Mama said you should have met aunt Senju, think it’s time princess?” he says finally taking the clean diaper and snuggling his nose with his daughter’s one, “Yes, she’s going to love you, seems like we went back to when I was a kid” “PAA PAAA” Ayame says trying to reach Sanzu and she takes her smiling, as he finally found peace.

“Water lily, it's your day finally!” Ran says with tired eyes looking at his daughter who gave him a sleepless night, almost knowing what was happening.

“Now should we get a bath and dress you properly? Or you prefer your gift before?” he says while looking at their reflection in the bathroom mirror, “Bath, you stink!” he says mocking a stink making the blonde baby giggle.

“Ren, it’s mama, guess you’re asking yourself where I finished! I miss you a lot” your voice peaks through the lcd display in the living room, “Happy birthday my precious daughter! Two years old aren’t enough to understand that’s why I’m going to sing the lullaby you and daddy really like” the words echoes in the room, Ran falters and with lucid eyes he looks at his daughter who bounce on his lap and suddenly give him the first proof of the silent battle as a single parent, “Dadda” the toddler says looking at her father with a smile, and pointing towards the tv she says “Mamaa” and giggle almost like you were there and never left them alone a year before in that clinic struggling until your last breath against a monster that not even Ran Haitani could win over: cancer.

“That’s right water lily, that’s our precious mama, do you miss her right?” Ran says while starting to cry, confusing his daughter, “That’s why uncle Rin came with her favorite cake? Happy birthday little rascal!” He says taking his niece and giving his brother a pat on the back he says with a smile, “Go to your bedroom, take your time! We will not disturb” he says with a devoted smile.

“My love, I know you would have peeked through the box. But I said you have to be patient! Next one will be for her first day of kindergarten! Anyway-” you say in the dvd before a sob escape from your livid face, “It’s the first tape I’m recording and I’m still not used to think that I’m not there to witness Ren’s growth, I already miss you -fuck-” Ran stare at your angry expression, even when facing your death sentence you got angry towards yourself, “I miss you, I wanted to get old with you, I wanted to give you more than this, I left you alone. I know you don’t need my advice, you know better than me what to do!-” the video finally stops, to finally present Ran a calmer version of yourself, same clothes but with an orange light towards your face, he recognizes the place to be your studio, “Sorry got a bit emotional, I have still to cope up with this story” and continuing your words you say “Are you having sex? I hope you’re not forcing yourself to stop. I know you can’t live without it for some weeks, I don-” but a stop by the remote control makes the man exhale a breath, letting out endless tears “I can’t even touch one because I think I’m getting dirty myself. Don’t worry my love I don’t need that to be happy, Ren is enough and I know that with time everything will be settled” he chuckles drying his tears and opening the door he goes towards his brother and daughter with a smile, knowing you gave him your benediction as a good father, “Blow the candles water lily!” he says taking her from his brother and smiling towards the camera that snaps towards this little family he will always be blessed for.

A tuffle of blonde hair running around the living room, “Daddy daddy! You’re at home! HOME!” the enthusiastic child says while going towards his father.

Manjiro Sano isn’t a young man to easily get a smile from, but here he finds himself arching his lips welcoming his son after a long absence, “Welcome home!” the kid opens his arms, signaling his father that he wants to be held, “I’m home Daichiro” he says snuggling towards his son cheek giving him a rasp, making his carbon copy smile.

“Cmon let dad go, he needs a shower!” he says putting him on the floor and going towards his bedroom, ignoring his son's question.

“Who’s this?” he finally says, opening the bedroom’s door, seeing his father only with a towel on, “Mmm doesn’t she resemble someone?” Manjiro says taking the kid who intensely stares to the photo portrait, he got the day you were five month pregnant, “Mmm why is her belly like that?” the kid says trying to understand why those eyes resemble his, “Cause you were inside her” he calmly says caressing his son's hair, “That’s my mama?” he says, making Manjiro nodd, “Where is she dad?” he asks innocently, “Let’s go, it’s time to visit her!” he says taking the first pair of clothes and hopping on them.

“Hi y/n, I’m sorry it took me a while” he says burning the incense and clapping his hands towards the grave, “Is mama in the sky?” Daichiro says not seeing anything beside the grave, a strange ideogram he can’t understand, “Yep, she is. When you were inside mom she got hurt by mean people but she gifted me the best I could ask for. That’s why dad wrote in here: Fly and watch us never falling down” he says pointing to the ideograms in the stone, “Then we should pay her more visit since she has a lot of work to do dad”. Manjiro smiles adjusting his pale blond hair and says “You’re right little man, next week we’re going to take her favorite flowers and eat together”, “Yeah! She’ll be happy!” he says with a smile that blessed his mind, making him finally remember the good memories you left for him.

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[ladyartemesia]

All I Want For Christmas is You

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Female Reader

Summary: When Park Jimin is unable to escort his precious sister through the gauntlet of corporate holiday galas, he blackmails his best friend Taehyung into being her chaperone. After all, who better to safeguard his headstrong sibling than a man who would never want her for himself? (She and Tae have spent the better part of a decade mutually disliking each other, and that’s putting it mildly.) Yet, even the best laid plans may go awry at Christmas and Kim Taehyung is about to discover that the girl he never wanted has become a temptation he cannot resist...

Genre: Comedy • Fluff  • Smut

Tropes: Brother’s Best Friend (Reader is Jimin’s Sister) • Enemies-to-Lovers

Collab: This work is part of the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tropes Collab featuring original holiday themed works by @ppersonna • @xjoonchildx  • @underthejoon • @yeojaa​ • @untaemedqueen • and @snackhobi

Word Count: 17K (I know—I am shocked too honestly)

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Warnings: suggestive photographs • mention of accidentally being hit with a baseball • hints of jealousy and possessiveness • light tit slapping • explicit sexual content • m/f oral sex • consensual unprotected sex (shield it before you yield it y’all) • Viola’s mirror kink makes yet another appearance •

Acknowledgements:

To @ppersonna​ (Lindy) @underthejoon​ (Fal) and @xjoonchildx​ (Ana) you guys are my heart. Your support, willingness to read (and re-read) and give honest feedback made this fic special. Your friendship is my daily dose of awesome. Truly, I love you.

To @untaemedqueen​ (D) all of the above applies to you, but I owe you a little something extra for the LITERAL HOURS you spent in the doc with me. This fic would not be here without you. You kept me moving. You inspired me. You were amazing. Thank you so very much. This story is lovingly dedicated to you. 

To @hobi-gif​ for being the most thorough and incredible beta reader and for having all the important girl chats with me. I think you learned more about my past than you wanted... Either way you made this story better and I am profoundly grateful for the hours of time you spent. I have removed all the Hope-No-No words in your honor. 

To @lemonjoonah​ as always, you knew EXACTLY what I needed to tweak to make this story work. (Gotta pass that Lemon Litmus Test or no dice lol.) My lovely soul twin. You’re a bloomin’ rockstar. 

Please Picture This Taehyung:

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Yes. Because you absolutely owe me.”

“Then send me a bill, not your unmanageable harpy of a sister.”

Jimin raised a single unimpressed brow. 

“Kim Taehyung. It was exactly five years ago today that I carried your drunken naked ass two miles in the rain after you set your clothes on fire and sprained your ankle at that Beta Phi party.” He paused dramatically. “Do you remember what you said to me that night? After I deleted several pictures off phones and paid off half the party to keep it out of the papers?”

The man in question shifted uncomfortably.

“That incident is a bit hazy in my memory. I’m not sure I recall—”

“Jiminie—you’re the best and I—I owe… you. I owe you the most, Jiminie. I do—I owe you a favor—one BIG favor—anything you ask… Even though... I actually like being naked. I don’t think we need clothes. We should all be naked. Everyone. Then there would be world peace.”

Taehyung’s jaw dropped. 

“You RECORDED IT?!”

Jimin grinned, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

“Naturally. And I had it all ready to go—just in case you needed extra convincing.” He crossed his arms and fixed his best friend of nearly fifteen years with a triumphant smirk. “I’m calling in that favor today, Taehyung. Now are you a man of your word or not?”

“He did WHAT?!”

Your mother winced. 

“Jimin was... uncomfortable leaving you alone for the holiday season. He normally accompanies you to the galas but this year—”

“This year I was going to go alone and finally build my reputation as an asset to this family!”

Park Soomin sighed as she watched her daughter pace fiercely around the living room of their luxury suite. 

“No one doubts that you’re an asset, but… in light of recent events...”

Rage and embarrassment flared up in your chest before you could stop them. 

“This is about Milo… isn’t it?”

The silence that greeted your statement was confirmation enough. 

“Are you ever going to trust me again?” you whispered. 

“Oh sweetheart... it isn’t you we don’t trust...”

Tears burned at the corner of your eyes, but you ruthlessly blinked them back. 

You would play along with their humiliating schemes. 

For now.

“So which one of Jimin’s Ivy League brat pack did he blackmail into babysitting me? 

For the first time in the entirety of the conversation, your mother looked truly nervous. 

“Kim Taehyung.”

You tripped over your own feet and face-planted into the sofa. 

“Jungkook, I need to look into faking my own death. Nothing too over the top. Just a tasteful disappearance—”

The man in question could barely restrain his grin. 

“You don’t pay me nearly enough to deal with your mother in the event of your tragic demise and miraculous resurrection.”

“I could pay you more.”

“Or,” Jungkook replied with a heavy dose of judgment coloring his tone, “you could put on this ridiculous tie and stop trying to weasel out of it.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I pay you at all,” Taehyung growled, yanking the tie from the younger man’s grasp. “Clearly I’m not the one in charge.”

“Your words, sir, not mine. Now shall we go over the details and itinerary?”

If Jeon Jungkook wasn’t the best executive aide in the city (and one of his closest friends) Tae would have drop-kicked him right then and there.

“Could you at least try to look like you’re not enjoying this?”

“I’m sorry, sir. It was insensitive of me to ignore your suffering in this delicate time. The trauma of escorting a beautiful woman to a series of glorified buffets weighs heavily upon you.”

Taehyung tightened the tie so aggressively, he almost strangled himself.

“Beautiful woman?!” he wheezed. “We’re talking about the girl who showed up to our formal graduation party looking like she just escaped from Azkaban.”

Jungkook bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. 

“Tae… how long has it been since you’ve actually seen Ms. Park?” 

“Seen? Maybe three—four years.”

The heir-apparent of Kim Holdings avoided the public end of corporate culture like the plague, preferring to leave the requisite schmoozing to his personable cousin, Kim Seokjin. 

However, he had crossed paths with his adolescent nemesis in... other ways. 

Taehyung was romancing a lovely young socialite who suddenly ghosted him after someone told her that he wanted at least eight naturally-birthed children. 

Soon after, your favorite charity received an anonymous 30,000 dollar donation requesting that you be featured in the dunk tank for an upcoming benefit carnival and then the same anonymous patron paid for at least fifteen little league teams to attend. 

In retaliation, someone petitioned the National Aviary Society (chaired by a very influential senator’s wife that no one ever refused if they wanted their permits to go through) to make Taehyung the MC at their annual awards ceremony—knowing full well he was allergic to birds (not dangerously allergic—just enough to be miserable).  

Taehyung had sniffled and sneezed through approximately one hundred parrots, parakeets, and other assorted fowl until he was ready to commit murder. 

The last several years had been littered with similar incidents of the two of you taking thinly veiled potshots at one another. 

“I can’t imagine she’s changed very much,” Taehyung bit off absently. His mind was abruptly consumed by how he could get revenge for those demonic birds. 

He didn’t notice the smile creeping over Jungkook’s face. 

“No, sir. I’m sure she hasn’t changed at all.”

Taehyung had only ever had the wind knocked out of him once before. 

He was Dionysia High School’s star pitcher for three seasons and during one particularly tense game against JY Prep, Lim Jaebeom whacked a line drive right into his solar plexus. 

That’s how it felt to look up and see you at the top of the stairs. 

In his head, you were still the mischievous imp from his childhood. Every prank he played was directed at the fierce little fiend with braids and braces who’d knocked him and his date into the university fountain while experimenting with her friend’s skateboard. 

But she was gone… and in her place was something far more dangerous. 

A woman. 

Silken fabric wrapped tightly over curves you definitely didn’t have four years ago. That wild hair had been tamed into shining waves and pinned elegantly at the nape of your neck. The wicked slit that traveled all the way up your thigh teased a smooth shapely leg that all but demanded the viewer fantasize about running their hand up the length of it. 

Suddenly it was very clear why Park Jimin wouldn’t let his sister venture into the corporate cesspool alone. 

Because the sight of you could make a man desperate. 

Betrayal—of all things—slowly crept over Taehyung as you descended toward him like some sort of angel floating down from the heavens. 

His mind went blank. Just watching the seductive shift of your hips as you swayed ever closer felt like a violation of his friendship with Jimin. He could feel the judgmental stares of an imaginary Bro-Code Council boring into him from on high. 

“I see you’ve recovered from your memorable tenure as the Aviary Society’s Master of Ceremonies.”

And just like that the brat was back. 

Taehyung breathed a hefty sigh of relief, secretly thrilled to be in familiar territory with you. 

“Naturally I was delighted to help Senator Mitchell’s wife. In fact, Mitchell’s office just fast tracked all my pending permit requests for the new year.” He tilted forward, coming into your space a bit. “I should really send you a thank you card.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you scowled, breezing past him like an indignant queen. 

Tae could practically see the steam pouring out of your ears. 

“Of course not,” he chuckled.

The first gala of the holiday season was an extravagant annual affair hosted by Min Corp., a Seoul based investment firm that commanded billions in assets. This year, the theme of the event was the Joseon Dynasty and the entire ballroom had been gloriously transformed into a stunning celebration of the Min family’s royal heritage. 

Attendees were gifted their own traditional fan, each uniquely crafted by artisans from Damyang. Taehyung’s was all black with bold silver calligraphy while yours was a beautiful bamboo and silk piece decorated with pomegranate trees. 

You had already whacked three people with it by the time dinner was served. 

“It really is a pity these fell out of fashion,” you lamented. “They’re quite useful.”

“You are deranged,” Taehyung mumbled, massaging his temples in exasperation. 

“Nonsense. I only fanned those who deserved it.”

“Harkins?”

“He was staring at my rack for a solid minute.”

Taehyung could hardly blame the man, it was a battle he himself was losing after all, but Harkins was twice your age and married—therefore his ogling was in especially poor taste. 

“Okay... What about Kang?” 

“He was verbally abusing one of the waitstaff.” 

“Alright, fair enough, but why on earth would you go after sweet old Mrs. O’Malley?”

“She was about to grab your ass.”

Taehyung’s mouth dropped open.

“She’s eighty-five!”

“And still kickin’ apparently.” You shook your head in disgust. “As if I’d whack an eighty-five year-old woman for anything less than non-consensual touching.”

“I- I- mean—surely you must be mistaken,” he coughed. 

“Oh, there’s no mistake. That nasty old crone is a serial offender. She likes to play it off as dementia, but she’s as sharp as a tack. Last year she got a whole handful of Jimin. Honestly, I’d call the police on her, but the commissioner is her grandson so I doubt I’d get very far.”

Taehyung turned to the woman in question just in time to see her totter lecherously toward Jung Hoseok, fingers already twitching in anticipation. 

“Is nothing sacred?” he mused hollowly. 

You shrugged. 

“Many people who accumulate as much as our families have start believing that they are entitled to whatever strikes their fancy.” Your eyes met his with a hint of bemusement. “Surely you should be used to this sort of thing by now?”

“Yes, but I was hardly expecting it from little old ladies!”

The remainder of dinner was a terse affair where you pretended he didn’t exist for the entire meal and he in turn pretended that the spunky young heiress seated to his right was the most darling creature to ever walk the earth. By dessert she was ready to get married and you were ready to vomit. 

Afterward, Taehyung found himself quickly converted to your views on fan usefulness as you began strolling through the crowd intent on strengthening your family’s corporate ties. 

“Kim Taehyung,” you ground out through clenched teeth, “how am I supposed to do business if you keep stabbing everyone I speak to!”

“I don’t know what you’re implying. I’m simply not used to carrying one of these. I may have accidentally grazed a few overzealous individuals—”

“My last three conversations have been rudely disrupted by the blunt end of that accused fan.”

Taehyung crossed his arms smugly. 

“And what of it? Jimin sent me along to keep an eye on you and the gentlemen in question were hardly behaving themselves. No one has to put their hand in my back or lean that close to me when they’re talking business.” 

“That’s because no one wants to get that close to you,” you replied sweetly. “You’re gross.” 

A devastating grin slid slowly over his features as he leaned forward to whisper in your ear. 

“I can think of several women who might disagree.”

He just barely caught the hitch in your breath before- 

“Like who? Miss Blushes-and-Giggles from dinner?”

“Jealous?” Taehyung drawled cockily. 

“Only in your dreams, Kim.” Then, with a deliberate flick of your fan, you turned your back to him. “I’m headed for the ladies room. Do yourself a favor and don’t follow me in.”

It was twenty minutes before Taehyung realized that you slipped out the back entrance of the restroom. 

It took another ten for him to locate you on the balcony flirting outrageously with Min Yoongi. 

The young heir of Min Corp. was just leaning closer to whisper sweet nothings in your ear when a black fan slid right in between the two of you. 

“Lovely weather we’re having,” Taehyung observed cheerfully. His eyes bounced between you and Yoongi with barely concealed fury and you let out a miserable groan. 

“Mr. Kim,” Yoongi cleared his throat significantly. “What an… unexpected surprise.”

Frustration clawed at your chest as your overbearing guardian nodded smugly in response. 

It was time to teach him—and Jimin—a lesson. 

“Yoongi,” you sighed, sliding your hand pointedly through the crook of his arm, “I’m not feeling at all well. Would you perhaps… escort me home?”

Taehyung suddenly looked as if he’d swallowed a live octopus. 

Yoongi grinned, clearly thrilled with the prospect of simultaneously spending more time with you and irritating Taehyung. 

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Jimin is gonna kill me,” Taehyung grumbled as he watched Min Yoongi help you into the passenger seat of his Aston Martin. 

An ugly green feeling he refused to identify twisted sharply in his gut when you smiled coyly at the other man. 

“This is ridiculous,” he snarled to no one in particular before yanking his phone out of his pocket. 

Jungkook picked up on the second ring. 

“Sir?”

“I need you to drive to Ms. Park’s apartment and tell me if she goes in alone or if Min Yoongi goes in with her.”

“You want me to what?!” 

“Just do it!” he snapped, downing an entire glass of champagne before signaling his own driver. 

Fifteen minutes later his phone vibrated from the car seat next to him. 

1 New Message from: Jungkook

Her building has four separate entrances. Which one do I watch? 

Taehyung could practically feel the vein pulsing in his forehead as he scrolled through his contacts. 

You picked up on the fourth ring. 

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Oh it’s you… Wait—how did you get this number?”

“Jimin. Obviously. Now please answer the question.”

“Oh a ‘please.’ Who knew you had manners?”

“Answer the question, Park. I’m tired.”

The distinct sound of a zipper unzipping carried through the speaker. 

“I’m at home, of course. Where else would I be? I just got here like a minute ago.”

He had a sudden vision of Min Yoongi helping you out of your dress. His grip on the phone tightened. 

“Are you alone?”

You snorted. 

“I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

Taehyung saw red. 

“I’m coming over.”

There was a loud crash and several colorful words in at least three different languages. 

“Wha- No! I’m trying to go to bed!”

“With who?!”

“With myself, you idiot!”

“Prove it!”

“Fine! I will!”

The line disconnected and Taehyung swore loudly. He was just about to direct the driver to your building when his phone went off again. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

He almost choked on his tongue. 

You were clearly in the middle of undressing and—in your irritation—probably hadn’t looked too carefully at the picture you sent.  

At first glance it was simply a shot of your empty room (presumably “proof” that you were alone) but you neglected to consider the floor-length mirror hanging in the far corner…

A mirror that showed you angrily holding up your phone with your gown pooled deliciously around your waist and the soft round swells of your breasts strapped into lacy red lingerie. 

You were exquisite. 

A fierce, hot sensation gripped him ruthlessly, and this time there was no mistaking it. 

Desire. 

Your phone lit up on the bed where you tossed it after snapping a photo for your tightly-wound man nanny. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch 

I didn’t know you liked Van Gogh. 

Your head tilted in confusion. 

There was a Van Gogh print in your room, but he couldn’t have seen it because it was behind you when-

Oh NO.

You gasped, scrolling back up to confirm what deep down you already knew to be true. 

… You just sent Kim Taehyung a topless mirror selfie. 

Several miles away, smiling smugly in the backseat of his town car, Taehyung was sure he could almost hear you screaming. 

“Good morning, sir. Which would you like first; the bad news or the worse news?”

Taehyung groaned from underneath his covers. 

“Don’t you ever knock? I could have a woman up here.”

“You’ve never brought a woman up here.”

“Is that the bad news?” Taehyung yawned. 

“No,” Jungkook tossed a small stack of newspapers and printed digital articles into his lap, “this is the bad news.”

Pictures of you, Min Yoongi, and even himself were splashed over the front pages of all of them. 

PARK ANGEL TRADES ONE CORPORATE HEIR FOR ANOTHER AT MIN GALA

WHO WILL WIN THE PARK ANGEL’S HEART? KIM TAEHYUNG OR MIN YOONGI? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS

NEW ROMANCE ALERT? PARK ANGEL LEAVES JOSEON BALL WITH MIN SCION 

“The Park Angel?” 

“That’s what the media calls her... The public is rather fascinated with her actually.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Taehyung mumbled. 

“Of course not, sir. It’s a great mystery.”

As usual, Taehyung chose to ignore his aide’s lethal snark and pressed on to the matter at hand. 

“This is a flaming disaster.”

“Oh I don’t know. I really appreciated the picture of you staring on forlornly while she and Yoongi climbed into the Aston Martin. Takes a real gift to capture all that drama in a single frame.”

“Which one was that?!” 

“It’s right under the MAN DOWN: PARK ANGEL LEAVES KIM TAEHYUNG HEARTBROKEN headline.”

Tae ran his hand down over his face in exasperation. 

“I’m surprised my mother hasn’t called.”

“She has. Twice.”

“I don’t suppose that’s the ‘worse news’ is it?”

“No.”

“Of course it isn’t. I’m never that lucky.” He collapsed backwards into his pillows with a beleaguered huff. “Go ahead then. Tell me.”

“Park Jimin is on the line for you right now.”

After a small eternity on the phone with Jimin (assuring him that NO Min Yoongi had not despoiled his precious sister and YES he would definitely do better next time), Taehyung was forced to attend an impromptu brunch with his mother. It took considerable effort, but he was eventually able to convince her that you were neither breaking his heart nor expecting his child. 

By the time he arrived to collect you for this evening’s event, Taehyung was already sick of hearing your name (he’d spoken it no less than three hundred times since Jungkook woke him this morning).

You were in much the same boat as Taehyung, having spent most of the afternoon pacifying Jimin and clearing up your own mother’s romantic delusions regarding the Min and Kim heirs respectively. 

Tonight’s gala was a Victorian Christmas Ball thrown by the National Literary Fund and the entire venue had been transformed into a Charles Dickens fever dream. 

Unlike the Min Gala (whose theme was guarded like a state secret every year) the Literary Fund’s tribute to A Christmas Carol was tradition and you were dressed accordingly in a custom corset gown with gorgeous detailing. 

Every second of effort it took to lace yourself into the monstrosity was worth the look on Taehyung’s face the moment you slipped off your cape. 

“Something wrong, Mr. Kim?”

Taehyung was desperately trying to look literally anywhere but your chest, where said corset was serving up your breasts like a debauched buffet. 

Jimin. Think of Jimin. Think of what Jimin will do to you. Think of how much trouble she’s caused-

He peeked again.

I would pay a million dollars to suck those tits. 

“Nothing at all,” his voice cracked. 

The itinerary for the evening included performances by a local children’s choir, a traditional waltz, and—of course—dinner.

You both managed to get along without snapping at each other during the choral performance, but as two of the largest donors to the Children’s Literacy Initiative, neither of you could escape being drawn into the waltz. 

The energetic socialite who Taehyung flirted with over dinner the previous night eventually lured him onto the floor while you graciously accepted an invitation from a lovely older gentleman who chaired the Fund’s event committee. 

For the first few movements, you were thoroughly enjoying yourself. Mr. Lee was charming, respectful, and still an excellent dancer despite his advanced age. It wasn’t until a familiar sound caught your attention that the lightness in your chest suddenly felt heavy...

Taehyung was laughing. 

You heard him do so many times over the years, and in each instance, the carefree magic of it never failed to make your heart flutter. 

But now he was smiling down at the pretty little heiress and laughing for her… and the flutter in your chest was accompanied by something else. 

Something that felt an awful lot like longing. 

“Does he know you look at him like that?” Mr. Lee asked quietly. 

Your eyes flew guiltily to his, but it was too late. The old man had caught a glimpse of the secret you buried deeply for more than a decade; so deeply, in fact, there were times you almost forgot it yourself...

Almost. 

“No,” you whispered, “he has no idea.” 

Disaster struck at dinner. 

Taehyung quite liked dancing with the lovely Miss Something-or-Other. She was sweet and funny and (unlike with you) he wasn’t constantly torn between agitation and raging inappropriate lust in her presence. 

The cold shoulder you offered him when he took his seat seemed even more frigid than usual and he spent half the meal wondering what he’d done to earn your amplified disdain when suddenly—

Your hand smacked down on his wrist, seizing it in a vise-like grip. 

Taehyung nearly choked on his steak and was about to give you a searing set-down over your spontaneous grabby-ness when he noticed your expression. 

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, leaning forward in concern. 

“I-I need—” 

It looked as if you were in some sort of physical pain and Taehyung was rapidly becoming worried. 

“I need your help,” you finally managed to whimper and the next thing he knew, you were dragging him away from the table and into one of the secluded alcoves near the main entrance hall. 

“Is there anyone around? Can anyone see us?” The look on your face bordered on unhinged. 

“No. There’s no one. Park, are you okay? What’s going on I—”

“I need you to unlace my dress,” you hissed frantically. 

At that moment, a bomb could have gone off and Taehyung wouldn’t have blinked. 

You, however, were completely preoccupied with your own distress and therefore oblivious to his. 

“My earring broke during dinner and fell down there and now it’s stabbing me—”

Your eyes were beginning to tear. Taehyung remained frozen, still trying to figure out whether or not this was a lucid dream. 

“—it’s definitely pierced the skin and there’s a possibility I’m gonna start bleeding through the fabric—”

The mention of blood snapped him out of his daze somewhat. 

“A-Alright. Just turn around—brace yourself on that wall.”

You quickly did as you were told and Taehyung began to tug fruitlessly at the ties cross-crossing your back.

“Why won’t this—”

His fingers fumbled over the knots, desperately trying to loosen them, but they simply wouldn’t budge. 

“I can’t—I can’t get it. Whoever helped you into this thing made sure you weren’t getting out of it.” 

You whined in frustration and the earring shifted a bit in response. 

There was only one other way to fix this (and you would almost rather be in pain). 

“Taehyung I—” you turned to face him again, forcing your eyes shut before reluctantly doing what had to be done “... I need you to reach down the front of my dress and get it.”

He blinked. Twice. 

“I’m sorry—What did you just—”

“Please, Tae,” you whispered desperately, letting your lip tremble in a way he had never been able to resist, “it hurts…”

He gulped. 

His eyes dropped to the matter at hand.

This is fine. Everything’s fine. She’s in pain, right? You’re basically a doctor right now. You’re just going slide your hand in between the most mouthwatering pair of breasts you’ve ever seen and then—

Taehyung’s manic inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of his own moan. He immediately faked a coughing fit to cover it and prayed you hadn’t noticed. 

(You hadn’t. You were actively being stabbed.) 

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” he muttered, curling his fingers over the scalloped edge of the bodice. 

You bit your lip, desperately trying to hold back any reaction, but when his knuckle brushed the pebbled tip of your nipple, you gasped. 

Oh.

His hand stuttered, lingering a moment too long over the tight little peak as his gaze suddenly shot up to meet yours. Both of you had been studiously avoiding eye contact, yet now it was as if neither of you could look away. 

Taehyung wet his lips reflexively. 

“It’s too tight,” he whispered, “I need more leverage.” 

Then his arm wrapped over the curve of your lower back and he drew you tightly against him, anchoring your hips just enough to fully slip his hand between your body and the corset. 

You were so warm.

So soft...

“I can feel it,” he grunted, “but I can’t get a good grip on it.” 

His mouth pressed into a tight line as he leaned forward, bringing your back up against the wall. You let out a little squeak and his eyes darted briefly down to your mouth before he spoke again. 

“Hold on to me.”  

You nodded and wordlessly slid your arms around his waist.

If you concentrated hard enough, you could almost pretend that this wasn’t one of the most erotic moments of your life. 

You could almost pretend that it meant nothing. 

Your mind was spinning wildly, wondering what he was thinking, wondering if he noticed how strangely you were breathing or how hard your heart was beating...

“I’ve got it,” he murmured. Shivers shot down your spine at the dark timbre of his voice. 

He was so close. You could feel every word he spoke brushing softly against your skin. 

“On ‘three’ I’m going to pull it out… Are you ready?”

You drew in a final steadying breath. 

“Do it.”

He nodded. 

“One… Two… Three—”

Taehyung yanked his hand back and several things happened at once. 

Your breasts bounced almost entirely out of the corset. 

The decorative clasps on the front of your gown tangled with the buttons on his shirt and when he pulled back, three of them went flying off like stray bullets. 

And finally, the corset didn’t relinquish Taehyung’s hand quite quickly enough and, as a result, you toppled forward and crashed down on top of him, smashing your newly bare breasts to his newly bare chest. 

It could have been ten seconds or ten hours that passed by while the two of you lay there, breathing heavily in a pile of confused arousal when—

“... Is… everything alright here?”

You both looked up to find a thoroughly scandalized member of the waitstaff standing over you. 

Taehyung saw his life flash before his eyes—ending (of course) with Jimin murdering him for this. 

He gulped again. 

“I can explain.” 

It was decided—for the sake of appearances—that you would both leave the venue (immediately) in separate vehicles. 

Taehyung dropped a cool three hundred in crisp bills on the unfortunate waiter in order to help him ‘forget’ whatever he may or may not have seen. 

Neither of you spoke another word to each other in the ten minutes it took to bribe all the appropriate parties, gather your coats, and call for two separate town cars. 

Something had happened when he touched you; a subtle shift in the precarious balance of your relationship that you both felt keenly, but could not possibly begin to define. 

Taehyung barely even remembered climbing into the back of a vehicle. His body was firing on auto-pilot after the sensory overload of the last half hour. It wasn’t until he was nearly home that he realized he was still holding onto your earring. 

His mind began to wander as he examined the troublesome bauble in his palm. It was a striking piece; deceptively complex and unexpectedly beautiful. 

Just like you.

He told himself that the heat pooling low in his belly was anger—that the strange anxiousness to be near you was simply a desire for retribution—that it was merely platonic curiosity that left his hands aching to explore the rest of your curves. 

Lies.

… and pitifully transparent ones at that. 

Still, he clung to them desperately out of self-preservation. 

The gentle hum of his phone suddenly disturbed Taehyung’s silent contemplation. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

I made it home safely. 

Taehyung’s fingers were typing a reply before he could properly consider the consequence of his actions. 

To: Park Gremlin

I require proof… like last time. 

He nearly threw the phone the moment he sent it, running his hands down over his face in disbelief. 

You’re playing with fire, Kim Taehyung. 

And he was burning up already. He had no business sending you texts like that. Maybe you wouldn’t catch it. Maybe he could just-

The phone went off again and it was embarrassing how quickly he scrambled to open your response. 

His heart stuttered in his chest. His breathing ceased entirely-

And he knew—he knew—there was no coming back from this.

At first glance the photo was nearly identical to the shot you sent him last night. Same room, same angle… 

same mirror.

Yet this time, the reflection was quite different. 

The temptress in the glass wore nothing but that sinfully delicious corset and a pair of silky lace thigh highs, each accented with a green satin bow. 

He wanted to rip them off with his teeth. 

 “Oh Taehyung,” he whispered, as a dark wave primitive longing tore through him, “you are in so much trouble.”

Across town (buried beneath a pile of blankets) you were still struggling to process the boldness of your own actions when his response lit up your screen. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch

Green is my favorite color. 

“WHERE IS HE—”

Taehyung awoke to a series of crashes and shouts echoing from the floor below him. 

Jungkook was already seated in the corner of the room reading a newspaper. 

“Good morning, sir,” he said without looking up. “Would you like the bad news or the worse news?”

Suddenly the french doors of his bedroom slammed open and one very irate Park Jimin stormed through. 

“I swear I should have seen this coming. The two of you have always been obsessed with each other, but I never imagined—”

Taehyung’s eyes widened guiltily. He quickly schooled his features into a confused glare. 

“Jimin, I’ve only been awake for fifteen seconds. What the hell are you talking about?!”

Another stack of newspapers hit his lap and this time the pictures were mostly of him with his shirt ripped halfway down his chest. 

KIM HEIR AND PARK ANGEL CAUSE AN OLD-FASHIONED SCANDAL AT VICTORIAN BALL

FORGET MISTLETOE: KIM TAEHYUNG DISCOVERED UNDER THE PARK ANGEL AT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

NAUGHTY NOEL? PARK ANGEL’S STEAMY AFFAIR WITH CORPORATE PRINCE 

PARK ANGEL TOPS KIM TAEHYUNG’S CHRISTMAS TREE

He winced a bit at that last one. 

“You have ten seconds to explain before I start throwing things.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to do just that, but he was interrupted when his mother marched into the room waving the same articles that Jimin had just thrown at him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG I raised you better than this! How could you!? That poor girl!”

“Mother!” he squeaked, yanking his blanket up over his chest like a frightened debutante. 

Jungkook began surreptitiously filming the whole debacle from the corner. 

“Indeed,” Jimin added darkly, crossing his arms over his chest, “how could you?”

Taehyung sighed heavily. 

“Is anyone else going to come charging into my bedroom?”

“Just answer me once and for all, is she pregnant?” 

“WHAT?!” 

“NO! Mother! Oh my—”

“Why does your mom think my little sister is pregnant?!”

Taehyung waved his arms wildly in exasperation. 

“My mom thinks everyone is pregnant! You know this!”

Jungkook could no longer contain his hysterical cackling. He very nearly fell off the chair trying to hold it all in. 

“Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung ground out irritably, “if it’s not too much trouble, could you please escort everyone out of my bedroom so I can get dressed!” 

“So you see—I was basically like a doctor,” Taehyung finished emphatically. 

He spent the past twenty minutes explaining to the entire table (which now included both you and your mother) why it was necessary to shove his hand down the front of your dress. 

Park Soomin had shown up at his door looking for answers (and dragging you behind her like a sacrificial lamb) about three minutes after Jimin. 

You had taken one look at Jimin’s murderous expression and insisted that the situation be evaluated over breakfast at the cafe down the street (where there were lots of witnesses). 

Which was how you, Taehyung, Jimin, and both your mothers ended up discussing your cleavage over coffee in a public restaurant. 

Jimin was the first to break. It was a few snorts at first, but he was basically in tears by the end of it, wheezing about how he never doubted Taehyung for a second and holding on to his sides from laughing too hard. 

Taehyung’s gaze met yours for a brief, heated exchange. He conveniently forgot to mention your slightly-less-than-explainable ‘check-in’ texts, but their existence was palpable in the air between you. 

“I think I’ll take a walk,” you muttered, excusing yourself from the complicated atmosphere at the table. 

Taehyung’s eyes lingered on you a tad too long as you wandered away, a fact that wasn’t missed by either of your mothers.

“Just a few more events and you can go back to not seeing her at all,” Jimin chuckled, patting him on the back. 

“Yeah,” Taehyung answered with a tight smile. “That’s… great.”

The cafe had a lovely little balcony area decorated with all sorts of comforting Christmas foliage. It was far more inviting than the awkward conversation and confusing stares you and Taehyung had been trading all morning. 

For the first time in the nearly fifteen years of your relationship (such as it was) you didn’t know where you stood with him… and it bothered you more than you cared to admit. 

Taehyung had always been important to you, whether you wanted him to be or not. He mattered—effortlessly—from the first moment you met him and continued to do so without regard for your sanity. 

Whatever was building between you now would almost certainly bring change… though what kind of change was anyone’s guess. 

It was hard to imagine the years ahead without the strange excitement he always brought to your life, but some things were simply out of your control…

“I never thought I’d see you here.”

A profoundly unpleasant feeling (something similar to falling through the ice on a frozen pond) overtook you. 

“Milo.” Even saying his name felt gross. You sighed. “What is so strange about seeing me here?”

The man in question blushed in a way you once found irresistible. 

“I looked for you everywhere. All your usual places—”

“I avoided them.”

I avoided you. 

Milo nodded. 

“I—I figured.” 

He took a step closer and you instinctively moved back. The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable, but you had long since become immune. 

“What are you doing?” you hissed angrily. “I thought I made myself clear the last time we spoke.”

“Yes, but—” his hand reached out to curl over your forearm and you recoiled, “you didn’t give me a chance to explain—”

“Excuse me.” 

You both turned to see Kim Taehyung with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Milo like he was a roach that crawled across his dinner plate. 

“Your mother sent me to come find you. She wants to leave.” 

You nodded and moved to pull away, but Milo’s grip tightened on your arm. 

“No—please if you just give me a minute—”

“That is enough,” Taehyung snarled, seizing the other man’s hand and forcibly removing it from your person. He angled his body between the two of you protectively. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

Milo’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re Kim Taehyung. I read all about you in the papers this morning.” His lips twisted into an ugly sneer as he addressed you. “You really think you’re better off with him if that’s the way he treats you?”

Taehyung tensed menacingly beside you, but you laid a gentle hand on his arm to calm him. 

“None of that is any of your concern.” Your gaze rose to meet his defiantly. “Nothing about me is your concern anymore.”

Milo’s eyes fell to where your palm rested on the other man’s sleeve, noticing the way you both unconsciously leaned toward one another. 

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, storming off. 

After he was gone, you let out a breath you hadn’t known you were holding. 

“Thank you,” you whispered (though you couldn’t resist adding), “I could have handled it myself of course…”

Taehyung laughed. 

“Oh I know. I was at that party where you knocked out Tyler Jung for grabbing your ass.” 

You grinned. 

“I’d forgotten about that.”

“Well I’m sure Tyler hasn’t.” 

(He neglected to mention that he split Tyler’s lip behind the library the next day, just to make sure it was extra memorable for him.) 

“I wish I could forget about Milo.”

“... Are you still in love with him?” 

The words tasted like ash in his mouth. 

“No.” You smiled softly. “I’m not sure I was ever in love with him actually. It’s more—” you sighed, “—embarrassment… wounded pride.”

Taehyung tilted his head curiously and you found yourself continuing. 

“In the beginning, he was very playful and charming—and obviously handsome. He reminded me so much of—”

you. 

You cleared your throat. 

“Anyway… I was quite taken with him at first. I didn’t suspect any ulterior motives.” You shrugged, trying to hold back the unpleasant emotions that always threatened to overrun you in moments like this. “I just thought he liked me.”

Taehyung’s eyes filled with sympathy and understanding as you spoke. It felt oddly natural to open up to him this way. 

“Jimin is very protective of me—with good reason it turns out. He was suspicious of Milo and hired people to do some discreet digging.”

Your hands wrapped around your body for both warmth and comfort. 

“Milo’s family owns several companies, just like ours, but they’re all struggling. His father sent him to me hoping that he would eventually get compromising information… a sex tape or photographs—something of that nature. They intended to blackmail Jimin into doing business with them.”

Taehyung felt his jaw clench painfully. Fury, hot and profound, rolled through him. 

“I should kill him.”

You shook your head, amused in spite of yourself. 

“That’s exactly what Jimin said.”

“He has good instincts.”

“Scum like Milo aren’t worth it,” you chuckled. “He never got what he wanted… but I was still mortified. I felt like such a fool for believing him.”

“No,” Taehyung’s hands slid up to cup your shoulders, “it’s not foolish to believe that someone cared for you.”

It would be so easy to care for you. 

“Besides…” his eyes fell briefly to your lips as he searched for the right words, “I saw the way he looked at you and—even though he’s clearly a terrible person—I believe his feelings may have been genuine.”

You nodded. 

“That’s what he keeps trying to tell me—that he did have bad intentions, but ended up falling for me anyway.” You shook your head. “As If I could believe a word he says.”

The silence between you stretched comfortably. Taehyung sensed you had more to say, so he waited until you were ready to voice it. 

“I think that’s why I’m so sensitive about handling things on my own lately… and just now even. I want to prove to everyone—to myself—that I’m not a liability.”

“Hey,” he whispered, tipping your chin up till your gazes met, “no one thinks you’re a liability. And even if you are capable, no one should have to fight their own battles all the time—especially when they’re emotionally compromised…” His thumb gently brushed away the small tear that escaped down the curve of your cheek. “That’s the benefit of having people who care about you.”

“... Like you?” 

The words left you so softly, you could almost imagine they were still in your head where they likely should have stayed. 

Taehyung’s eyes widened in surprise. His gaze became even more intent and you ceased breathing altogether. After a moment his lips parted as if he was about to speak- 

“What’s going on, guys?”

You both jerked back at the sound of your brother’s voice. He was standing in the entrance to the balcony, gaze darting suspiciously between the two of you. 

Taehyung was a bit dazed, but you were always quicker on your feet. 

“I ran into Milo… Tae was calming me down.”

Jimin’s eyes hardened immediately. 

“Where is he?”

“Long gone,” you mumbled, ambling over to the familiar warmth of his arms. “I just want to go home.” 

The Black and White Ball was one of the most coveted invitations of the holiday season. 

The dress code was quite strict (all black or all white—no exceptions) and it was one of the few events where people actually arrived in limousines. 

Taehyung loathed limousines. He felt absurdly pretentious pulling up to your building in such a gauche ride, but traditions and appearances meant too much in his world to simply disregard them. 

His ensemble for the evening was a beautifully tailored black suit with hand-stitched baroque detailing. Oddly, he found himself wondering what you would think of it... 

“You look like a vampire.”

Taehyung turned at the sound of your voice and was struck, yet again, by how incredibly beautiful you were. 

You had chosen to wear white, donning an exquisite gown with delicate pearl beading and a daring sweetheart neckline that molded perfectly to your frame. 

If he looked like a vampire, you were surely an angel. 

Still…

Angel or not, he couldn’t let that comment pass. 

“I think I’m offended.”

“I can’t imagine why. After all, loads of women are attracted to Nosferatu.”

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed. 

“There are so many sexy vampires in popular culture, but you just had to lump me in with the creepy bald one...”

You shrugged playfully. 

“I wouldn’t want you to think I was going soft.”

A wicked grin danced over your lips as you strolled past him regally—just as you had many times before... 

This time, however, he let his eyes linger a little longer on the view. 

Lord have mercy. 

“Of course not,” he coughed. 

“You’re what?!”

You rolled your eyes.

Tonight had been going rather well. 

The two of you formed a mutual unspoken agreement to pretend that your last encounter on the balcony (and on the phone) had never happened and (despite the heated glances you occasionally traded) the bickering and playful banter characteristic of your relationship had all but returned to normal...

Until Taehyung learned of your participation in the evening’s main event. 

“I told you, I’m part of the date auction this year.”

“Does your brother know about this?!”

“I didn’t see any reason to bother him with it.” You were suddenly preoccupied with your nails. 

“Woman,” Taehyung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “are you trying to make my life difficult?”

“No, I’m just naturally gifted in that respect.”

You turned and began making your way to the front, but Taehyung was hot on your heels and clearly not ready to let the matter rest. 

“I cannot believe you’re actually going through with this! It’s not 1810, you know. We shouldn’t just auction off women for dates—”

“You’re absolutely right, Tae Tae.” You brushed a condescending pat over his cheek. “Nowadays we auction off the men too.”

Then you sauntered off to join the rest of the participating women—and men—backstage, leaving Taehyung to stew about the entire situation from the crowd. 

“As you know, all proceeds from tonight’s auction go to fight childhood hunger right here in our city. For legal purposes, I must advise all bidders that you are only bidding on the company of the individual in question.”

Taehyung shook his head. “Jimin is probably going to kill me for this.”

“If you place the winning bid, then you and your date will receive two VIP tickets to the Governor's Winter Wonderland Gala which comes with a variety of amenities including; a luxury limousine service, one of the private and famously romantic Winter Wonderland dinner experiences—”

His eyes fluttered shut. “Jimin is definitely gonna kill me for this.” 

“—unlimited free drinks, ten complimentary tickets for each of the grand prize raffles, photos with the Governor and his family, along with many more surprises!”

Taehyung grabbed a champagne flute from a nearby waiter and downed it in one go. 

“And now for our first date of the evening! Mr. Jackson Wang!” 

Jackson went for a cool six grand because no one was brave enough to outbid his girlfriend. 

After him, the beautiful Manoban heiress and her handsome cousin Kim Namjoon went for twelve grand each.

Jung Hoseok started a frenzied bidding war between two young socialites and Mrs. O’Malley. He ended up going to the lovely Ms. Ana Fallon for a staggering twenty thousand dollars. 

Taehyung’s own cousin, Kim Seokjin, paid a jaw-dropping twenty-one thousand dollars for Lin Yuna, the young CEO of Lin Cosmetics. (Taehyung made a mental note to ask him about that later.) 

Then it was your turn. 

“The next lady on our list needs no introduction. The lovely Park Angel has graciously agreed to a date with one lucky bidder tonight! Who will it be? Do I hear ten thousand?”

“Ten thousand.”

Taehyung swung his head toward the first bidder and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Tam Martin, one of your best friends and very gay. 

“Eleven thousand.”

“Twelve thousand.”

“Fifteen.”

“Sixteen thousand dollars.”

“Seventeen thousand.”

“Eighteen.”

Taehyung was having trouble keeping up with all the bidders. His ears were starting to ring again and a strange unpleasant nausea was building in his stomach. 

“Twenty thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

“Thirty thousand!”

At the sound of the last bidder’s voice, you noticeably paled. Your eyes flew to Taehyung’s and immediately he knew exactly who it was. 

Milo.

Before he could even react to the new information, another voice joined the fray. 

“Forty thousand.”

Min Yoongi smiled smugly from the other side of the room and even had the audacity to throw you a wink. 

You smiled shyly at the young heir’s boldness and Taehyung felt something downright unholy rise up in his chest. 

No. 

Milo was still bidding. 

“Fifty thousand dollars.”

Not her. 

“Sixty,” Yoongi countered.

She’s mine. 

Suddenly Taehyung was on his feet. 

“One hundred thousand dollars!” 

The silence in the backseat of your limousine was deafening. 

Tension charged the air like an electric current as the significance of the last hour weighed heavily between you. 

The spacious luxury vehicle allowed you to sit facing one another. Taehyung’s eyes were focused on his hands, but you were looking at him—letting your mind run wild with speculation. 

And hope. 

Part of you was still there, on the stage, watching him stand up and bid a fortune for the pleasure of your company. 

His gaze was so fierce when he spoke, like an ancient emperor calling out his decree for the people to obey. 

You dreamed about him bidding on you when you signed up for the auction (even before Jimin bullied him into accompanying you). You let yourself imagine him speaking out again and again till the others stepped back—

Yet you never dared hope for it. 

However, the last several days marked an unexpected turning point in your relationship. 

For years, you and he were like magnets with a too-similar charge, but something had shifted irrevocably between you, and somehow your stubborn similarities became opposites that could not resist their attraction. 

Kim Taehyung was one of the wealthiest men in the city…

But he didn’t need to buy your heart. 

It had always been his, even if you didn’t want to admit it. 

He had claimed you tonight—and every single soul in that ballroom knew it. 

The next move was yours and you intended to make it. 

“Mmm,” you hissed a bit, bringing your hand to rest just below your breasts. 

Taehyung’s gaze flew up in concern. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s just that scratch from the earring,” your fingers rubbed gingerly at the spot, drawing his focus to it, “it still stings.”

“Oh… I—” he shook his head, “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Do you want to see?” 

Taehyung’s eyes rose slowly to yours. 

You watched the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he considered your words. Anticipation vibrated through your blood like notes struck on a piano—

Then he nodded...

And you both were lost. 

Trembling fingers slid the zipper down the side of your gown. The dress itself was a marvel of physics designed to support you without the need for a bra. 

Taehyung drew in an impossibly deep breath as the fabric drifted to your waist, baring the perfect mounds of your breasts to him entirely. 

“Here,” you whispered, pointing to a small red mark just under the curve of your left one. 

He bit back a moan. 

“I—I see. That looks… painful.” His fingers dug into the seat beside him. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

You nodded. 

“Kiss it better.”

Taehyung felt the air knock out of his lungs like a sucker punch. 

This must have been how Adam felt when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit all those millennia ago. 

He knew he shouldn’t—

but he could never deny you. 

“Of course.”

You watched as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He looked like a man possessed and you reveled in the power of it. 

It was for you. 

He wanted you. 

Your back arched up the slightest bit, beckoning to him—offering him a taste of what he was so desperately craving. 

Touch me… please. 

Large palms landed on either side of your thighs, bracing him on the seat beneath you. The tip of his nose teased the delicate line of your collar bone and he swore violently under his breath. 

Then his lips were on your skin and your mind went blank. 

“Taehyung—“ you moaned. 

Hot open-mouthed kisses spread over the soft swell of your breast and you gasped— shuddering helplessly as a fierce wave of pleasure tore through you.

Sweet merciful heavens. 

Over the years you imagined a moment like this thousands of times in your head—only to discover now that you had pitifully underestimated both his passion and his skill. 

You had dreamed of a quiet fire—but he had unleashed an inferno. 

The lewd sounds of his mouth nipping and sucking at your tender flesh filled the small space around you as he poured himself into each obscene contact—stopping briefly to flick his tongue over the taunt peak of your nipple. You trembled breathlessly at the sharp snap of sensation, letting your head fall back against the seat as you buried your fingers in his soft curls. 

“T-Tae—”

Finally his mouth fastened over the tiny scratch, and the kiss deepened. You knew what he was doing, what the result of his efforts would be—

He was marking you. 

And you wanted it. 

Oh how you wanted it. 

Suddenly the car took a sharp turn, causing Taehyung to lose his grip on the seat. His arms wrapped around your torso for balance, dragging you fully against him.

“Does it feel better, Angel?” he growled. 

You nodded frantically and he nipped at the underside of your breast. 

“Speak up.”  

“Yes, Taehyung,” you whimpered, “it feels so much better.” 

“Mmmm,” he hummed, brushing his mouth along the sensitive column of your neck. “Who knew you could be such a good girl?”

Then his hand came up to grip your chin, turning it so your lips were almost against his—

“Madame. We’ve arrived.”

The driver’s voice cut over your senses like a shard of ice. 

Taehyung jerked backward and immediately buried his face in his hands. 

Your fingers hastily yanked your dress up and you stumbled out of the car in a daze, letting your feet carry you forward until you collapsed on top of your bed. 

Did we just...

You hadn’t even begun to collect your thoughts when your phone buzzed from inside your purse. 

1 New Message from: Taehyung 🙄🥴🙈

I need to know you made it safely to your room. 

You grinned. 

Greedy boy. 

Back in the limousine, the boy in question was nervously tapping the corner of his phone against his chin as he waited for your reply. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Oh? But you saw me walk in… and I’m already in bed.

Taehyung growled in frustration. 

She would be a tease. 

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

I tend to worry. Put my mind at ease. 

He shook his head. 

I have officially gone insane. 

The phone buzzed again. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Well… We can’t have that can we… 

Taehyung literally felt the whine tear out of him as he opened the picture. 

Your gorgeous body (the body he’d had his hands and mouth on for one glorious minute) was nestled decadently atop a pile of fluffy blue blankets and wrapped in nothing but a tiny silk robe. 

The neck gaped open just enough to show off the pretty red marks he left on the delectable curve of your breast. 

He groaned, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

That's all I get after I made the pain go away? Good girls send real proof, Angel

The screen lit up again almost immediately. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Guess I’m not such a good girl after all...

Jimin came tearing through the Kim Manor front gate at precisely 7 AM—only to find Jungkook camped out at the entrance with several outdoor space heaters and a giant mug of hot chocolate.

“He told you not to let me in, didn’t he?”

Jungkook took a long satisfying sip of his cocoa. 

“I hope you don’t feel singled out, sir. I’m not allowed to let his mother in either.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Of course, Mr. Park, let me just pull up his schedule—”

“I need to talk to him now.”

“I’m afraid Mr. Kim is booked solid for the morning.”

Jimin stomped his foot like a petulant child. 

“I know he’s up there.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“You’re welcome to climb the trellis and check. I promise not to stop you if you make it all the way up.”

“COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!” Jimin shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Jungkook took another long pull of his drink. 

“Might I inquire as to the reason for your visit today, sir?”

“The reason for my visit,” Jimin yanked out his phone and angrily began typing into the search bar, “is that your boss paid ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for my sister at a date auction last night and I want to know what the hell is going on between them!”

The article Jimin pulled up (DEVILISH KIM TAEHYUNG BUYS HIMSELF A $100,000 ANGEL) featured an image of the two of you entering the Black and White Ball. Your head was thrown back in laughter and Taehyung was grinning down at you as if you’d personally hung all the stars in the sky for him. 

A genuine smile crept over Jungkook’s face as he studied the photograph. 

“That’s quite a headline.” He handed Jimin’s phone back. “Have you asked your sister about it?”

“No, I swung by earlier, but she wasn’t home so—” His eyes widened. “Oh my—is she—”

Jimin suddenly took off running for the trellis, and Jungkook scrambled out of his chair to chase him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG IF MY SISTER IS IN THAT ROOM—”

He was already three feet off the ground when Jungkook yanked him back. 

“I thought you said I could climb the trellis!”

“Yes,” Jungkook wheezed, “but I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” That trellis is a hundred years old! A few more feet and I’d be scraping you off the antique brickwork!”

Jimin scowled and crossed his arms. 

“Are you by any chance open to bribes?”

“Normally yes, but Tae promised to double my Christmas bonus if I didn’t accept them today.”

Jimin continued to eye the trellis speculatively, clearly willing to take his chances. Jungkook sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“Mr. Park, I promise you… He came home alone last night. In fact, they both returned earlier than usual because your sister had a 7 AM finance meeting.” He paused significantly to glance at his watch. “Which is probably where she is right now.”

“Oh… Well.”

Jungkook bit his lip to hold back a snort and Jimin’s eyes narrowed. 

“He has to come down eventually.”

“One would think.”

The young Park heir glanced toward Taehyung’s window again just in time to see the man in question dart back behind the curtains. 

"I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE, KIM TAEHYUNG, YOU PHILANDERING SLEAZE BAG!" 

Jimin made another jump for the trellis and this time Jungkook caught him in mid-air. 

“Sir, I’m sure it was just the maid!”

“It’s not the maid! I’d know that raggedy mop of his anywhere!”

Jungkook was out of breath at this point. Park Jimin might be small, but he was fierce. 

“Perhaps it’s best if you took a moment to collect yourself,” he grunted. “There’s a lovely new spa down the street and they sent Taehyung two free deluxe packages.”

Jimin stopped struggling. 

“Oh?”

Five minutes later, Jungkook sighed deeply and fished his phone out of his back pocket. 

“He’s gone, sir.”

“Excellent work, Jungkook. I never doubted you for a second.”

“However…”

“... However?”

“I had to give him your spa passes.”

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

“Are you headed for a gala or the guillotine?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t pay extra for commentary.”

“It’s complimentary, sir.”

The Kim heir tugged absently at the material of his absurdly expensive evening wear. 

Why do these events always have to be so uncomfortable? 

“Seriously, Tae… you seem,” the young aide searched for the right words, “unusually tense.”

Taehyung’s mind flashed back to three nights ago when he had his mouth wrapped around your breast. 

“Not at all,” he coughed, loosening the collar of his shirt. 

Jungkook bit his lip.

“Is this about Ms. Park, sir?”

The cufflinks Taehyung was attempting to fasten suddenly went flying across the room and hit a lamp. 

Both men winced. 

“I think that was your grandmother’s.”

Taehyung sighed. 

“I admit there have been… some developments.”

Jungkook nodded nonchalantly, trying to disguise the fact that he was internally frothing at the mouth for details. 

“... Such as?”

Taehyung gulped. 

“It started out rather innocently I suppose…” he cleared his throat, “but there may have been some suggestive photographs.”

“There may have been? Are you not sure?”

Taehyung colored guiltily. 

“Well—”

“Do you need me to check for you, sir? I have an art history degree.”

“Absolutely not.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“That’s what I thought.”

Taehyung yanked his tie out of the younger man’s hand. 

“Things have… escalated a bit.”

“Escalated how?”

I licked her tit in the back of a limo.

“Physically.”

It was everything Jungkook could do to maintain a straight face. 

“That’s… shocking.”

“Then why don’t you seem shocked?” Taehyung grumbled. 

A small smile played across Jungkook’s lips as he pointedly ignored the elder man’s observation.

“So what are you going to do, sir?”

Taehyung was silent for a long moment. 

“I honestly have no idea.”

Watching you walk toward him was an experience.  

Taehyung wondered absently if this was how it would be from now on; if for the rest of his life just the sight of you would be enough to scatter his mind and his pulse and even the way he breathed. 

Your dress tonight was deadly. 

It was a decadent red satin halter that clung to every curve. The truly wicked detail, however, was a daring slit that ran the entire length of your leg. 

Taehyung was certain he was going to trip over his own tongue at some point if he looked directly at you for too long. 

Oh help. 

Memories of your previous encounter flooded his senses. Every second you were getting closer and he didn’t know what to do—what to say. 

So he didn’t say anything at all. 

Not a word when you reached the bottom of the stairs. Nothing but silence as he opened the door of the limo for you. More silence and no eye contact as he settled into the seat across from yours—

And you tolerated that for about three minutes. 

“I never thought I’d see the day when Kim Taehyung didn’t have a comment about something. Perhaps I should mark this down on my calendar.”

The words were lightly spoken, but you were shaking on the inside. The last time the two of you were alone together he had your dress around your waist and you were moaning his name. Now he wasn’t talking and you were torn between panic and irritation. 

Taehyung, however, latched onto your passive barb like a lifeline. 

“Is that a hint of sarcasm I hear from the benevolent Park Angel?” He grinned. “Surely not.”

“Red is not a particularly angelic color. Perhaps I’m feeling feisty today.”

Taehyung leaned back in his seat and indulged himself in a thorough examination of your outfit. The urge to run his hands over the satin-covered lines of your body was nearly unbearable. He curled his fingers into fists to keep them from doing just that. 

She is definitely trying to kill me. 

“Should I be worried?”

Now it was your turn to grin. 

“I guess we’ll find out.”

The Governor’s Winter Wonderland Gala was by far the most extravagant event of the holiday season. Tickets cost a small fortune and sold out almost immediately. 

But it was well worth the price of admission.

Thousands of lights sparkled overhead as you made your way through the great hall of Governor Kim’s mansion. 

It was like stepping into a fairytale. 

Taehyung couldn’t take his eyes off you. The sheer wonder in your expression was breathtaking. 

You were breathtaking.  

“Governor Kim, it is such an honor to finally meet you.”

The Governor was a handsome man in his early fifties with a smile that was every bit as lethal as it had been twenty-five years ago. 

“The honor is all mine, Ms. Park. I trust my nephew is treating you well.”

Your eyes widened. 

“N-nephew?”

Taehyung shrugged. 

“I don’t really talk about it much.” 

The Governor chuckled and you cleared your throat to cover your nervousness. 

“Yes, he’s been a very capable escort.”

“Is that so?” Governor Kim smiled charmingly. “Well if it doesn’t work out, my son Seokjin is still single—”

“Thank you, Uncle. It was lovely to see you as always.”

You squeaked as Taehyung placed his hand firmly on the curve of your back and practically dragged you away. 

The Governor just shook his head and laughed. 

“Oh kid, you’ve got it bad.”

Everywhere you looked there was beauty. 

Whoever planned the gala this year had truly gone above and beyond. Surrounded on all sides by glittering trees and snowy vignettes, it was easy to be swept away in the festive magic of the evening. 

All in all (despite some initial awkwardness), you were having a fantastic time...

Until she showed up. 

“Kim Taehyung! Is that you?”

Every single hair on your body stood on end, but before you could determine the source of the shrill squealing, you found yourself being nudged aside by a blinding golden gown and some very high heels. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung grunted as five-and-half feet of gorgeous wrapped herself around him like a clinging vine. “Long time no see.”

“Not since that vacation in Aspen,” she giggled. “We had quite a time, didn’t we Tae Tae!”

Suddenly you had the most unholy urge to slap the spray tan right off this woman. 

Instead, you plastered on a vibrant smile and placed your hand on Taehyung’s sleeve.

“Um. Excuse me, Tae Tae, perhaps you could introduce us?”

Taehyung looked as if he’d just been served raw fire ants for dinner. 

“Yes. Of course. This is—”

“Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine,” she interrupted with a smug little smirk. “Taehyung and I go way back.” Her expression grew just the slightest bit tighter. “And you are?”

“His date,” you deadpanned. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung cleared his throat, “I’d like you to meet Ms. Park she’s—”

“Oh my goodness! You’re Jimin’s little sister aren't you!” Aubrey slapped her hand over his chest and he winced. “That is so precious of you to take her around like this!”

Your eyebrows raised right up into your hairline and Taehyung groaned. 

“Yes, he was kind enough to sign me out of the nursery for the evening.” You offered them both a painfully vacant nod. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I see one of my play-dates near the buffet.”

Then you turned on your heel and sauntered off without another word. 

Taehyung moved to follow you, but Aubrey curled her fingers into the crook of his arm and pulled him back. 

“Oh let her go, Tae. You and I have so much catching up to do.”

Taehyung pointedly removed her hand from his elbow. 

“Some other time perhaps.” 

Aubrey pouted prettily. 

“You’re not running off after her are you? She’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

Taehyung crossed his arms and fixed her with a knowing look. 

“Funny... that’s not what you were implying a moment ago.”

“A moment ago I didn’t have you all to myself. Now I do.” She had the decency to blush. “Perhaps I got a bit jealous.”

“You don’t say.” His eyes continued to search the crowd for any sign of you. 

“It seems I had good reason to be,” she murmured quietly. 

“Aubrey... Listen I—”

She cut him off with a finger to his lips.

“Don’t bother Tae Tae. I’m petty, but I’ve never been pathetic.”

He grinned. 

“Never.”

The lady sighed and gave him a heated once over.

“What a shame.”

Then she strolled off with a rueful smile. 

“You know what I don’t understand?”

You turn to find Min Yoongi leaning casually against a nearby column. He looked absurdly handsome as always, but his grin was just the slightest bit mischievous. 

“What don’t you understand, Mr. Min?”

The question was clearly a bait, but you were still fuming from your earlier encounter with Ms. St. Valentine and therefore desperately in need of a distraction. 

Yoongi pushed off the column and lazily made his way toward you.

“I don’t understand how a man pays a hundred thousand dollars for an evening with the most beautiful woman in the city, and then leaves her all by herself.” He leaned forward with a playful grin. “Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

Oh he’s good. 

You made a show of tapping your chin thoughtfully. 

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that one.”

Yoongi sighed and shook his head. 

“Couldn’t be me.”

You laughed then. He really was a delightful man. In fact, if you still had your heart, you might have considered letting him take a shot at it. 

Alas. 

You tilted your head speculatively. 

Surely there was no need to brush away good company...

After all, no one else is interested in spending time with me. 

“Since my escort is otherwise occupied, perhaps you could join me for dinner?”

Yoongi held out his hand. 

“I’d be delighted.”

Taehyung wandered around the mansion for nearly forty-five minutes looking for his date.  

Panic was just starting to build in his chest when he finally spotted you

—at his private dining table with Min Yoongi. 

It was everything he could do not to storm over and yank the other man out of his seat by the lapels. 

Alright, Angel. If this is the game you want to play… then let’s play. 

Taehyung felt his anger rise with every step, but he ruthlessly suppressed any sign of it and instead adopted a charming smile. 

“Min, I didn’t expect to find you here. What a… delightful surprise.”

Yoongi’s expression was just a shade too satisfied. Taehyung could already feel his blood pressure beginning to skyrocket. 

“Yes, Ms. Park believed that you were otherwise occupied and invited me to share the meal with her.”

“I see,” Taehyung practically snarled. “However,” his gaze landed heavily on you, “since I paid for this table, I hope you won’t mind if I join you as well?”

You avoided looking at him up to this point, but now you were choking on your wine

“Easy there, Angel,” Taehyung murmured as he pulled up a seat extremely close to yours—so close that your thighs were nearly touching. 

Oh boy. 

Over the next several minutes Yoongi continued to flirt openly and you continued to smile prettily and pretend Taehyung wasn’t there (which naturally infuriated him). 

You should have known he wouldn’t let you get away with such behavior so easily. 

This was Kim Taehyung, after all, and if there was anything that could be counted on when it came to your shared history, it was that one (or both) of you was always ready to escalate. 

You had just offered the young Min heir yet another flowery compliment when you felt Taehyung make his move. 

Two warm fingers slid under the silken slit of your dress, coming to rest possessively over the soft flesh of your inner thigh. 

You squeaked and nearly spat up your drink. 

Taehyung leaned forward in fake concern, wrapping his arm around you as if to offer aid. 

“Are you alright?”

His hand continued to move significantly beneath your gown, but his face was the picture of innocence. 

You glared. 

“Just fine, thank you.”

A slow grin crept across his features as he began to trace soft intimate patterns over your skin.  

On the other side of the table, Yoongi tilted his head in genuine solicitude. “Are you sure?”

You nodded sharply. 

Satisfied, he resumed speaking about whatever it was he’d been saying—though you couldn’t understand a word of it at this point because the torturous strokes Taehyung was leisurely drawing over your thighs were moving closer to your center with each passing second. 

Yet you made no move to stop him. 

You should have. 

You should have slapped his touch away—rebuked him for his boldness—

But you didn’t. 

So he just kept nodding and smiling while Yoongi spoke, even as his fingers teased you with the maddening persistence of a man who knew very well what he was doing. 

You gasped aloud when he finally brushed the pad of his thumb over the thin cotton of your panties. 

“T-Taehyung—” 

“Hmm?” he turned to you, seemingly surprised by your attention (it was—after all—the first time you’d addressed him since the beginning of the meal).

“Could you pass me the salt,” you sputtered (hoping to cover the fact that you moaned his name involuntarily). Unfortunately, Taehyung seemed wholly aware of your ruse, offering you the salt shaker with a superior smirk.

You seriously considered stabbing him with a fork. 

However, before you could carry out any bloodthirsty plans, he pressed his fingers directly over your clit and your eyes rolled back in your head

“Oh my g—” you bit your lip stubbornly, “this lamb is just so good.” 

Sweet mother of macaroons, he is too skilled at this. 

You shoveled another bite into your mouth to cover your whine as Taehyung began to rub tight little circles over your sweet spot. 

Across the table, Yoongi nodded in blissful unawareness. 

“Yes, I agree, the lamb is excellent—very tender.”

Taehyung took advantage of the momentary distraction to slip beneath the fabric of your undergarment. 

Your fork clattered to your plate and your hand came up to cover your mouth as he began running his fingers up and down your soaked slit.

It was everything you could do to hold back your depraved whimpering. 

“I can’t wait to taste it,” Taehyung replied, flicking your clit in a way that guaranteed he wasn’t referring to the lamb. 

At this point Yoongi seemed to notice you were in some sort of distress. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned forward. 

“Ms. Park, are you well?”

Taehyung chose that moment to sink his finger into the welcoming heat of your pussy. 

“Yes,” you almost sobbed, “I’m-I’m very well—thank you.”

“Excellent,” Yoongi smiled as he rose to his feet. “If you’re feeling up to it, perhaps you could favor me with a dance?”

Several attendees were already making their way to the center of the floor and the orchestra was beginning to play.

Your entire body, however, was vibrating like a plucked harp string and Taehyung was still brushing back and forth against your clit, driving you toward a release that promised to be explosive. 

There was no way—simply no way—that you would be capable of hiding it. 

“Yes! I would love to dance with you,” you squeaked, grabbing hold of Taehyung’s wrist frantically. The feel of him pulling out of your sopping core was nearly enough to have you coming right there. 

Thankfully, Yoongi remained utterly oblivious to the debauchery unfolding beneath the table. He took your hand and helped you to your feet with an eager smile (and it was a good thing too because your legs were still shaking). 

When the two of you reached the dance floor, you turned back for the briefest instant—

just long enough to meet Taehyung’s heated gaze as his lips closed over the finger he buried in your cunt. 

Emotions were a funny thing. 

They impacted your judgement, affected your body, altered your behavior… 

And occasionally eroded your common sense. 

Sitting alone in the corner of the Governor’s ballroom, Kim Taehyung found himself experiencing a full spectrum of emotional side-effects. 

His hands clenched as he watched Min Yoongi spin you around the floor. 

His heart pounded every time he caught a flash of your shapely leg peeking through the slit in your gown. 

His blood boiled when you threw your head back and laughed at something the other man said. 

It was difficult to pinpoint which emotion was to blame for each of these reactions. There were certainly a number of them boiling over in his subconscious. 

Frustration—

I didn’t even want to talk to Aubrey! How are you acting like anything she said was my fault?!

Rage—  

Why is challenging people to duels illegal? I would fight Min Yoongi at dawn. I would fight Min Yoongi now. 

Jealousy—

You asked her to dance while my fingers were in her pussy. We are not the same. 

But perhaps the most persistent—the most overwhelming— emotion twisting through him was longing. 

You and Taehyung spent nearly four years apart, and he was so desperate to be near you—even then—that he resorted to childish pranks in order to remain a part of your life. 

He hadn’t recognized his actions or desires for what they were. He hadn’t realized what you meant to him...

But now, after spending the last several days with your hand on his arm and your laughter in his ear, he could no longer imagine spending another moment without you. 

Everything seemed to crystallize as he watched you laughing and dancing in the arms of another man. 

Uncertainty became clear. Complications became simple. 

And when he saw Min Yoongi’s hand slide dangerously close to the perfect swell of your backside—

Emotion became action.

“Mind if I cut in?”

It wasn’t a question really. Taehyung was already shouldering his rival out of the way and pulling you into his arms. 

“Taehyung,” you hissed, shooting the bewildered Yoongi an apologetic look over his shoulder, “what are you doing? This is so rude—”

“You’re absolutely right,” he agreed, sweeping you through the couples on the floor with practiced ease. “It is unpardonably rude to steal someone else’s date. He’s lucky all I did was steal you back.”

Your mouth dropped open. 

“Oh? So you finally remembered that I was your date?”

Taehyung’s grip on the curve of your waist became a shade rougher as he pulled you through the next turn. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means—” you stepped forward vigorously, nearly smashing your body into his, “—that you spent forty-five minutes with Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine when you were supposed to be having dinner with me!”

Taehyung growled and yanked you flush against him. 

“I spent forty-five minutes looking for you while you were giving away my table to Min Yoongi!”

The two of you sailed through the next several movements glaring at one another before you snapped again. 

“None of this would have happened if you had just told Aubrey St. Spray Tan that you were with me—”

“I did!”

“Instead, you let her call me a baby!”

“What let? Aubrey is a grown woman!”

“But—”

“And—you stormed off before I could say anything, so how would you know what I let?”

“You didn’t come after me!”

“Yes actually I did—but she grabbed my arm!”

“Really? Well what else did she grab?”

Taehyung abruptly realized how silent everything around you had become. 

People were staring—and not even discreetly— just full on staring with their mouths hanging open. 

Well that’s great. 

Taehyung’s hand closed around yours and you suddenly found yourself being marched across the dance floor at a breakneck pace.

“What are you doing?”

“Continuing this discussion in private.”

“We can’t just go somewhere private in the Governor’s mansion!” you sputtered, struggling to keep up with his larger strides. 

“You mean in my uncle’s house? Yes—actually we can—and we will.”

Taehyung proved to be a man of his word, dragging you past two security guards and into the roped off section of the manor with nothing more than a nod. 

The residential wing of the Governor’s home was beautifully decorated with traditional Korean artistic touches—all of which you were unable to appreciate while Taehyung was speed walking you through the halls. 

After a surprising amount of turns and archways, he yanked open an ornate wooden door with the words Reflection Suite written on a plaque above it in beautiful calligraphy. 

You almost giggled when you got a look inside. 

On the surface it was a tastefully furnished guest room with a simple cherry wood desk and a cozy double bed set in an elegant matching frame.

However—

The ceiling and one full wall were nothing but massive mirrors. 

Reflection suite indeed. 

The door slammed shut and Taehyung rounded on you with a stormy expression—though you weren’t waiting on him to fire the first volley.

“This is definitely going to get us in trouble.”

“I told you, I can go wherever I want in this house. It’s fine.”

“Then why did you take us here?”

“Because you were shouting—”

“I was shouting?! You were shouting I just—”

Suddenly your back was against the wall and Taehyung’s mouth was on yours. 

He hadn’t brought you here for this. When he grabbed your hand, he was only trying to get away from the crowds. He told himself that he needed privacy so you could talk—so he could clarify things. 

But the minute the door closed and you flared up again in all your magnificent rage, he was lost. 

He had to kiss you then. 

You were so lovely. So fierce. So wildly irresistible and he was too utterly smitten to fight the need to be near you—to be with you in every way that he could—for a single second more. 

The shock of Kim Taehyung pressing his lips to yours lasted about two full seconds—and then there was nothing but ravenous insatiable need. 

Finally. 

Everything was him. 

Everything was this—this sweet indescribable ignition of a desire that spanned years. You moaned eagerly against his mouth in wanton delight. After a decade of sparks, you were more than ready to burn. 

“Taehyung—”

His name poured out of you like a prayer. You needed him everywhere and miraculously he seemed to understand—

Not that he was prepared to be polite about it. 

“Where’s that smart mouth now, Angel?” he growled, tangling his hands in your hair to expose the tender column of your throat. “Nothing to say?”

Your only answer was a desperate whine as he spread hot-open mouthed kisses down the soft skin of your neck all the way to your collarbone.

Now was not the time for patience. He would be tender with you later. You absolutely deserved soft sweet caresses and slow leisurely love making and he was absolutely going to give them to you—every day if you’d let him. 

But not today. 

The minute his mouth encountered the barrier of your dress, he gripped onto the sides and yanked it down to your waist.

“You knew just what you were doing in the back of that limo, you little brat,” he hissed, taking one swollen nipple into his mouth and tormenting it with his tongue.

“Tae-ahhh!” Your back arched involuntarily in ruthless pleasure. 

“I spent hours—days even—wanting to get my hands on these perfect tits.” He licked the other nipple obscenely, squeezing the soft mound till it bulged through his fingers. “And you offered me the barest taste with that coy little grin, knowing it wouldn’t be enough—” 

He reared back and landed a firm slap on both breasts and you screamed.

It was so so good. 

“Look at them now,” he murmured, “so swollen and needy and mine.”

If any other man had said those words, you would have cut his heart out with a butter knife. 

But you had always belonged to this man body and soul, and to hear him acknowledge it so primitively felt like the sweetest vindication. 

“Yes!” you sobbed.

The affirmation only inflamed him further. He teased and fondled the tender flesh till you were shaking.

Your fingers curled into the soft waves of his hair as he indulged himself. He looked so ridiculously good sucking your nipple, moaning lewdly with his eyes pressed shut in cathartic bliss. 

“This is all your fault, Angel,” he groaned. “You just don’t know how to behave.”

His hands gripped the curve of your backside, lifting you right off the floor and into his arms. Your mouths fused together heatedly as he carried you to the bed, and you giggled against him when his words finally processed. 

“You’ve been saying that for years.” 

“It’s been true for years,” he muttered, pulling one of your legs up around him so he could grind against your cunt while you kissed. 

Your fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt, tearing them off when they didn’t unhook fast enough. You waited too long to be with him like this to care about anything other than the feel of his skin against your own.

“Impatient, are we?” he chuckled, bringing his lips around to nip at your ear. 

“You’re one to talk,” you shot back, yanking the ruined garment right off his shoulder just so you could sink your teeth into it. 

Taehyung moaned loudly, snapping his hips against yours with an involuntary jerk.

“You really are such a brat,” he hissed, fisting his hands in the satin length of your skirt. “Let’s see how fierce you are with my tongue in your pussy—”

His words were so filthy and raw, yet they stoked a frenzied need in your belly like nothing you had ever encountered. 

“This dress is evil,” he snarled, fumbling with the zipper for a moment before switching to a more destructive tactic. “It has tormented me all night and now it’s in my way.”

The stitching proved no match for his resolve, and—after a few vigorous tugs—he ripped it apart from the slit on up, leaving you covered in nothing but the thin cotton underwear he had breached earlier that evening. 

After disposing of your shredded gown, Taehyung paused for a moment just to take in the sight of you. 

“What a perfect little angel,” he taunted playfully, snapping the band of your lingerie against your hips with a cocky grin. 

Then he brushed his nose right up against the sopping fabric and inhaled deeply. “You smell just like heaven,” he growled before licking you right through the cloth, “and you taste even better.”

The sensations twisting through your body were merciless. You needed more or you were going to shake apart. 

“Taehyung please,” you whined, pressing against him shamelessly.

“Oh a please?” he chuckled, throwing your own words from the first night back at you. “Who knew you had manners?”

You would have screamed in frustration, but he cut you off with an open mouthed kiss right over the wettest part of your panties.

“Perhaps I can make a good girl of you yet,” he chuckled, as you opened yourself wider to encourage him. 

You nodded frantically, letting out another moan when he yanked the flimsy little scrap of lace down your legs—smearing a line of arousal over your thighs.

“So messy,” he tsked, tapping his finger right above your knee where the naughty little streak ended. “What am I going to do with you?” 

Then he pressed his tongue over the shiny trail of slick and licked it right off. 

You gasped loudly and his lascivious smirk was almost beautiful enough to make up for all of the shameless teasing. 

Almost. 

"You want my mouth, pretty Angel?” he whispered, letting the words brush maddeningly against your folds. “You want me to feed on this sweet little cunt?”

Every cell in your body cried out for release. He already edged you under the table at dinner and now he was determined to unravel you entirely. You would say anything—do anything. 

"Please—" you whispered.

"Please who?" 

Normally you met his arrogance with a cutting riposte, but an entire evening of methodical torment had left you beyond desperate. 

"Please Taehyung,” you begged needily. 

He grinned. 

“That’s right, Angel. Kim Taehyung. Not Min Yoongi or any other pathetic trust fund prick that’s panting for a taste of this pussy.” His eyes fastened on yours significantly. “You belong to me.”

Then his tongue licked a flat stripe over your glistening slit and you sagged onto the bed in relief—only to be thrown back into oblivion when his lips closed over your clit. 

Your body arched involuntarily as a ruthless wave of pleasure tore through you. Your eyes and mouth flew open in a silent scream and it was in that moment you remembered exactly where you were. 

Underneath a giant mirror. 

The passionate woman staring down at you was nearly unrecognizable. Her body was littered with her lover’s marks. Her hands gripped feverishly into the sheets beneath her—-

And Kim Taehyung was kneeling between her thighs, suckling on her weeping cunt with obscene satisfaction. 

It was the sexiest thing you had ever seen in your life. 

Your hands reached down to tangle in his hair, using it for leverage as you ground against his face. 

Then suddenly his grip on your legs tightened and his tongue plunged roughly into your trembling core. 

“Tae—ahh oh my—I can’t—”

The sensation was so intense that your hips bucked violently. You could not keep still. You were charging towards an explosion and your body was shaking itself apart. 

The noises tearing from you were incoherent. Everything around you focused in on the juncture of your thighs where Taehyung was licking inside of you again and again until—

You shattered. 

And the force of it nearly bent your back in half. 

Delirious sobs poured from your lips as he worked you through it, letting the obscene flood of your cum soak his face. 

The sight of him slowly lapping at the release between your folds, was unspeakably erotic. He ran his hands in soothing circles over your skin while you twitched and fluttered back down from your high. 

Then he was kissing you again. 

It was softer this time, but you felt truly depraved—and instantly obsessed—with the taste of yourself in his mouth—on his skin.

You could barely understand this ravenous hunger. You’d just found relief, yet you were already reaching for more. 

Your hands snaked down and wrapped around his still covered cock and he hissed in ragged pleasure. 

“So eager,” he gasped, as you pushed him back against the headboard—but you didn’t have time to bother with his teasing.

You were gonna blow Kim Taehyung into space. 

He bit his lip when you yanked down his pants and boxers together, freeing his arousal with stunning efficiency. 

It was almost unfair to discover that his cock was every bit as beautiful as he was.

“Of course,” you muttered. 

The sultry smirk he shot you in return had your cunt flooding all over again.

“You think Min Yoongi has a cock like mine?”

“I don’t think about Min Yoongi’s cock,” you retorted, wrapping your hand around his length, “you’ve always been the biggest dick I’ve ever met.” 

“I knew you thought about my dick,” he groaned as you began to work up and down the swollen shaft. 

After a moment, his hand slid over your chin to grip your hair, drawing you forward till your lips were almost touching. 

“I wonder what this pretty mouth can do,” he whispered. 

You gasped against him and he smiled. 

“Do you know how often I pictured your lips around my cock, Angel?”

You mewled shamelessly and he growled, cupping your cheek as your hands continued to service him. 

“Do you know how often I imagined this perfect throat stuffed full of my cum?” 

His palm slid down to lightly grip the soft flesh of your neck and you shuddered against him with a needy whimper. 

“I know you could suck me so good, Angel. I’ve wanted it for so so long...”

Your mouth actually watered with anticipation. 

The desire to be good for him—to give him whatever he asked for—consumed you. 

Taehyung let his head fall back against the headboard with a groan at the first brush of your lips along his shaft. His hips rutted involuntarily as your tongue wrapped around the tip and you hummed with pleasure at his enthusiastic response. 

After a moment you slid him into the welcoming heat of your mouth, taking him in as far as you could in one stroke. His jaw dropped open and his entire body jerked forward. 

“Yes, that’s it, Angel—feels so good.”

His praise was addictive. 

You loved that you could bring him to this. You loved to see the haughty Kim Taehyung coming apart as you sucked him. 

It made you feel beautiful—powerful even—and you reveled in every second of it. 

Your eyes were starting to tear. His length began to throb and pulse against your tongue and you knew he was close—so close you could almost taste him—

Yet suddenly he was pulling you back and you whined pitifully at the loss. 

Taehyung chuckled, dragging you toward him till your dripping core slid across his cock.

“I’m not coming before I get inside that pretty little pussy,” he swore, working your hips over his sex till it was drenched in arousal. 

The crass words filled you with the fiercest, most incredible want and you clenched reflexively against him in response. 

“Is that what you want?” Taehyung whispered as he bore you back into the mattress, pinning both your wrists above your head. “You want me to fill your empty little cunt?”

You did. 

You wanted it so so bad. 

“Please.”

Taehyung gently lowered himself closer to you, resting his forehead intimately against yours as he lined up his cock at your entrance. 

“Are you sure, Angel? Because there’s no going back after this... If you give yourself to me, then you’re mine—and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you.”

“Taehyung, you idiot,”—a tender smile spread over your face as you wrapped your arms around his neck—“... I’ve always been yours.”

He swore violently—letting the slight tremble in his voice betray just how deeply your words affected him. 

Then his fingers tightened on the soft flesh of your hip and he filled you to the hilt with one delicious thrust. 

There was a moment—the smallest space in time—where your eyes locked together and everything seemed to suspend; a strange perfect calm before a monumental storm. 

Then your world caught fire. 

Taehyung drove himself into you with passionate fury, letting years of denial fuel the insatiable rhythm of his strokes. 

Every time he told himself no. Every time he held himself back—

Every bit of it burned away as you screamed his name. 

The feel of him was indescribable. 

You imagined it too many times to count, yet your dreams fell pitifully short of the visceral reality. 

He was bloomin’ magnificent. 

Your fingers clawed up and down his back, desperate to hold on to something while he pounded into your g-spot like an animal. 

“This tiny cunt is the tightest thing I’ve ever had around my cock,” he gasped and you whined needily at his praise. “Like it was made for me—” his hand came up to grip your breast, “like you were made for me.”

“Yes—”

Taehyung’s need seemed to amplify with every whimper and moan that fell from your lips. The feelings you sparked in him were fierce and unapologetically primitive.

He would go to war for you—build a fortress for you—fight a dragon if one dared come close. 

You were his. 

And he felt like a savage every time you cried out for more. 

Suddenly an unexpected movement in his periphery caught his attention.

He’d been so consumed with the extraordinary rush of claiming you that he’d forgotten—

This guest room was thirty-five percent mirrors. 

And now… he couldn’t look away. 

The sight of your bodies tangling together in headless bliss played out before him like a scene from his most debauched and forbidden fantasies. His reflection grinned back at him in fascinated ecstasy while his beloved nemesis lost herself in the pleasure of his cock.

Something dark and wild began to burn in his chest as he studied the lovers in the glass. 

“Look at you, Angel,” he whispered softly, “you really are perfect.”

Then he pulled out of your core and you whined bitterly in protest, chasing his body to rid yourself of the sudden unacceptable emptiness. 

“Still so needy,” he taunted, gripping your hips and flipping you on your stomach before you could even think to protest.

“I want you to watch that pretty angel in the mirror come on my cock,” he groaned, plunging back into you from behind. 

The new angle was somehow impossibly deeper and your body shook as another wave of pleasure overtook it. 

Your fingers clawed into the mattress for purchase as he pistoned into your trembling mound. 

Only Kim Taehyung could rail you like a whore while he worshiped you like a queen. 

He gave you a moment to adjust before drawing your body back against his chest. His arm wrapped over your stomach as he slowly eased your legs apart, unfolding the lewd tableau of your bodies joined together for the voyeuristic gaze of the glass.   

“Look at yourself, Angel,” he growled, mesmerized by the way your breasts bounced with every thrust. “Look at how well you're taking me.” 

Then his fingers slid down to rub your clit and you screamed. 

“Tae! Ah-ahh!”

The pleasure building within you now was violent. You were coiling too tightly, too fast—

“That’s right Angel. Take it all.”

Your eyes locked with his in the mirror for the briefest instant.

And then you flew apart. 

Taehyung threw his head back with a carnal moan as you clamped down around him. His body was hurtling toward its own release with reckless speed. 

“I’m close,” he panted, “where can I come?”

“Come inside me please,” you begged, and Taehyung’s eyes widened in frenzied lust. 

“That’s what you want? Huh?” his thrusts became rougher as he chased his relief, “You want me to fill this puffy little pussy with my cum?”

“Yes, I want it so bad—“ you sobbed. 

“Sweet Angel,” he groaned, gripping at your breasts as he pulled you tighter against him. 

Then he met your gaze in the mirror again. 

“I want everything with you; a home—a family—your body in my arms every morning when I wake up—” his voice trembled, “I want it all.” 

The raw vulnerability in his eyes nearly broke you.

“Tae,” you gasped softly, too overcome with joy to manage anything else. 

His mouth pressed hungrily against the curve of your shoulder. You could feel his cock throbbing in your core as he bent you forward, pounding into your sex with exquisite precision. 

"Stay with me, Angel,” he whispered. His thrusts became erratic as he neared his high. “I don’t want to live without you anymore.”

The glorious thrill of his words tore over your senses with euphoric brutality. Your walls tightened greedily around his cock and the taunt cord of pleasure finally snapped. 

He came with a broken groan, flooding the welcoming heat of your womb with his release. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG!”

The sound of his name being shouted by the absolute last person in the world whose voice he wanted to hear woke Taehyung from a dead sleep.  

His eyes widened in panic as he began yanking pillows and covers from all over the bed in a frenzied attempt to hide—

The doors to his bedroom flew open with a resounding crash. 

“Jimin,” he squeaked, trying to look as casual as possible next to a giant pile of bedding. “What uh—what brings you here at—” his eyes darted to the clock on the wall, “—7:30 in the morning?”

Then he frowned. 

“And how the hell did you get past Jungkook?”

Jimin’s murderous expression broke momentarily to allow for a smug grin. 

“Kendra.”

Kendra Jackson was Jimin’s executive aide. She was fierce, capable, intelligent—

And insanely gorgeous. 

Taehyung groaned. 

Poor Jungkookie never stood a chance. 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, yet another newspaper landed on Taehyung’s lap.

KIM HEIR BRINGS NAUGHTY ANGEL HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Underneath the headline was a picture of you and Taehyung (dressed in clothes you stole from Jin’s childhood bedroom) kissing passionately against the side entrance of the Governor’s mansion. 

One of your legs was wrapped around his waist and he was clearly grabbing your ass. 

“Ah… well you see the camera distorts everything from this angle—and-and the lighting is bad so it’s not really what it looks like—”

“Is that so? Cause it looks like you’ve got your tongue down my baby sister’s throat!”

“Okay—okay,” Taehyung massaged his forehead nervously, “so maybe it’s sort of what it looks like but—”

“I’ll kill you.”

“No wait—” he held up his hands to delay an already advancing Jimin. 

“Why should I wait?!”

“Because—”

“—I trusted you with the most important person in the world to me—”

“The situation is just not that simple.” 

“—and you grabbed her ass in public!”

“Admittedly not my finest hour.”

“So you tell me right now—”

“But you don’t understand it’s—”

“—Why the hell would I wait?!”

“BECAUSE I’M IN LOVE WITH HER!”

For a moment there was absolute silence. 

Then your head popped out from the massive pile of bedding. 

“Really?”

Jimin’s mouth fell open. 

Taehyung groaned again. 

“As usual, your timing is impeccable.”

You rolled your eyes, ignoring his comment.

“Are you really in love with me?”

“Of course I’m in love with you! What part of I want you to have my children did you not understand?!” 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jimin choked. 

“That’s not the same thing!”

“It is for me!”

A radiant smile lit up your face. 

“I’m in love with you too.”

Taehyung’s expression softened. 

“Angel I—”

Then you were kissing and Jimin swung around with a horrified shout.

“Oh! No no no—Come on!”

He stumbled out of the room, hands firmly clamped over his eyes. 

“This is not over, Kim Taehyung!” the scandalized young Park heir howled in exasperation… but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

Back in the bedroom, Taehyung shook his head at Jimin’s ridiculous caterwauling. 

“No, it’s not over,” he laughed, pulling you deeper into the comfort of his arms. “It’s only just begun.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. 

This baby took FOR-EVER to write. I started it in November and literally worked on it a little every day. 

If you enjoyed it— even just a tiny bit—please consider taking a moment to leave me some feedback. It is so incredibly uplifting and rewarding to hear reader thoughts and reactions to my work.

I promise to treasure every word like gold. It took a lot to bring this story to life. Your kind words would mean the world to me.

[ramp-it-up]

Fine

Pairing: Rafel Casal x Reader

Word count: 2Kish.

Warnings: SMUT, 18+, MINORS DNI, CURATE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE! Dark Dom!Rafa, Daveed dancing, drinking, cursing, angst, possessiveness, ex sex, face slapping, bathroom sex, fingering, oral (f receiving) clit slapping, orgasm denial, bdsm, binding, lashing, gagging oral (m receiving).

Summary: You didn’t need Rafa anymore. You were just fine without him.

A/N: This is a little dark. I think I’ve used this pic of Rafa before, but it’s perfect for this fic. And btw, I’m on my Rafael Santiago Casal Bullshit. Watch out.

-----------

It had been 84 days and you were perfectly fine.

Out with your girls, you were wearing your freakum dress, getting plenty of attention and drinks.

You were fine.

So fine, that you were debating on which fine man to go home with. You surveyed the room for your pick. They’d all bought you a drink. You were polite, drank with them and told them you’d get back with them. You were trying to decide.

The chocolate one with the light eyes and the razor sharp fade?

The light skin with the gap teeth and hella swag?

The beefy blonde with the buzz cut?

You downed your fifth drink and moved towards those pretty gap teeth and swag.

Someone tall stepped in front of your 5” 6” frame in heels. You zigged and they zagged, blocking you from your goal.

You sighed and looked up at them, ready to politely ask that they move or cuss them out. It just depended on how their face made you feel.

You looked up to see Daveed and you squealed.

“DIGGS! HOLY FUCK IS THAT YOUUUU????”

He smiled and laughed at you.

“The one and only. What’s crackin’ girl?” He leaned back and surveyed your form in the dress.

“Damn! You’re still fine as hell!” He was shaking his head.

You threw yourself at him, your short body almost knocking his big lanky ass over with your over zealous buzzness. He laughed and hugged you more, leading you away from the bar.

“Where’s my girl?” You looked around for Daveed’s other half.

“She’s across country at a gig. I miss my Lady.” Daveed’s pout was adorable.

“Awwww, po baby. I’m gonna have to tell her to give you some electronic lovin.’” You started to pull out your phone.

“Oh, don’t bother. She already knows what’s up. Come dance with me.”

Daveed had turned into Mr. Smiley, and as usual, you couldn’t resist him. But you loved to tease.

“Boy, you know you can’t dance.”

���Fuck you mean????” Daveed started doing a very ugly robot.

“Fine! Let’s dance, ugh!”

You groaned and grabbed his hand to pull him out on the floor before he could embarrass himself, and you, any further.

Y’all had a ball, laughing and trying to talk to each other over the loud music, Daveed white girl dancing and you trying to teach him some moves.

After about four songs, the music turned slow and you two stood there awkwardly.

“Well, I guess I’ll go….”

You looked around to see if High Yella was still around.

Daveed’s eyes were above your head and the hair on the back of your neck stood up.

“May I have this dance?”

FUCK fuck fuck fuck fuck.

You turned around, and came face to face with Rafael Casal. Damn he was so fine.

You cocked your hip and crossed your arms, and glared up at him, mad because you felt like this was a trap.

Rafa stared at your pushed up breasts in the dress and your nipples pebbled as he licked his lips wolfishly.

You avoided the memories of Rafael’s excellent nipple play looked back at Daveed for rescue to see that Rafa’s wingman had suddenly disappeared.

You turned your head back to Rafa, the swivel in your neck obvious.

“I should have known that you would be lurking around here somewhere.”

You rolled your eyes, super annoyed and full of attitude.

And that’s why Rafa’s dick was on hard. He needed to give you some act right.

He’d watched you promise your body to every dude in the place with that fucking dress and lead them on. He needed to remind you whose it was.

Fuck that he’d given you the ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ months ago.

You belonged to him.

“I don’t lurk, Sweet Pea, I flow. And yeah, you know Diggs is the Yin to my Yang, and vice versa.”

Rafa was speaking low enough that you had to lean in, and you caught his scent. Fuck if you weren’t thrown back 83 days to the last time you’d let him take you apart and literally screw you back together.

That dick was an artistic masterpiece, just like everything about Rafael Casal.

But you were fine.

“You have some nerve, calling me Sweet Pea. Fuck you, Santiago.”

You were heated, and maybe it’s because you wanted some act right. You cursed your pussy’s muscle memory and the five drinks you had that were making you weak for him. Because other than that, you’d be fine.

“Maybe later.” He smirked at you, so damn cocky.

“So, are you gonna stand in the middle of the dance floor and cuss me out, or are you gonna move to the music with me?”

Rafa held out his arms and you looked around, pretending that you didn’t want to be encircled by them again. But you couldn’t be rude, right?

You stepped to him and he put his hands around your waist and crossed them behind you, pulling you flush to him. You stared at his lips as you felt him look down at you.

You didn’t dare look into his eyes, but this view was making you remember what that mouth do.

Shit.

Rafa cleared his throat.

“So, how have you been?”

You looked over his shoulder to the speakers on the stage.

“These past three months have been fine, just fine, Rafael. My life is so zen now. I’m happy.”

“Not quite three months, Sweet Pea. 83 days and 14 hours. And I’ve missed you like crazy.”

You looked up into his eyes when he said that. Oh, hell.

“Oh. Did you now?” You were hot.

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you broke up with me the morning after you fucked me goodbye, you self centered narcissist asshole.”

You tried to leave his embrace, but Rafa slid his hands around to hold you fast, thumbs digging into your hip bones, hurting you. At the same time, his grip caused you to feel his desire pressed against your stomach.

You gasped and slapped his face. Hard.

You two stared at each other on the dance floor for a full ten seconds which seemed like forever.

The next thing you knew, you were being pushed up against the stall in the bathroom, the act of Rafa pulling you in there a total blur.

It always started like this, rough, fast, and hot.

Rafa’s hands were under the hem of your dress, dragging it up so that he could grab your panties and pull them down.

“You seem to have forgotten lesson number one. Whose pussy is this, Sweet Pea?”

You refused to answer and closed your eyes, memories of him seducing you just by teaching your fucking Poetry 201 course years ago flooding your brain.

He shook his head and knelt on the filthy floor as he removed and pocketed your thong.

“You prolonging your submission just prolongs the punishment, Sweet Pea. Is that what you need tonight?”

He licked a stripe up your leg and slung it on his shoulder, rutting into your pussy with his mouth.

Your protest at him stealing your clothing died on your lips and was replaced by a moan as Rafael’s skillful tongue started to swirl around your clit, while his fingers came up to roughly finger fuck your cunt.

“Damn, Rafa.”

You moaned and pulled his hair as his other hand came up to try and still your squirming on his face.

“Shut up and stay still, damnit.”

He spoke to you through your pussy, and your eyes rolled back in your head as the vibrations drove you crazy.

You tugged harder on his hair, which made him graze your clit with his teeth. Then, he laved it with his tongue and leaned back to look at it adoringly and then up at you.

You stared down at him, and watched his face glisten with your arousal. Then you caught his look. He sighed at your insolence.

“Fine. You know the drill. This is going to be payback.”

Before you could move, Rafa reached up and lovingly swirled three fingers around and around your clit, then slapped it three times.

You screamed, thankful that the club music was back to a loud cacophony.

He looked at you again, smiling that fucking smile.

“You wanna cum all over my face, Sweet Pea? Want me to make you unravel right here?”

You refused to answer him, but you both knew what was up. Rafa just chuckled at you, and leaned back in to devastate you with his mouth.

He flattened his tongue and took wide, languid strokes against your clitoris, keeping eye contact with you.

You were on fire, all nerves alive and reacting to what he was doing. He inserted two fingers inside you and curled them so precisely to that spot that always made you wonder if he was present at the engineering of your pussy.

You quivered, eyes squeezed shut and tears eaking out, so close to doing what he’d asked you about and bracing for it. Your muscles were taught, your feet were on tiptoe, even further than your 5 inch heels required, and you were holding your breath.

As soon as you felt you were about to gush into his mouth, suddenly, his warm tongue was replaced with cool air, and his fingers withdrew from your cunt.

“Arrghhhh! Cash! Fucking hell????”

He stood up, licking his fingers as he turned away from you, washed his hands and face, and used the water on them for his hair.

You were quivering with rage and desire. As you fixed your mouth to cuss him out, he spoke, calmly.

“You better not fucking move until I’m done.”

Rafa’s ice blue/green eyes in the mirror, and the tone, made you stand stock still, your dress still around your waist. Your pussy throbbed with excitement.

He finished the swoop, then turned back around to you, straightened your panties and pulled your dress down.

Then, he grabbed your face, pushing you against the stall again. His voice was menacing and cold.

“That’s just the beginning of your punishment for slapping me out there.”

You were dripping on the floor now. You wanted to hear what was next, despite yourself. No one could destroy and put you back together as eloquently as Rafael could.

Fuck, how you’d missed it. You were so wound up.

“If you want me to finish it, you know what to do. If you’re done…”

His eyes took in your face. So fucking beautiful.

“Well, goodbye Sweet Pea.”

He leaned in, and gave you a kiss, releasing your face and his hold on you. You moaned a little and put your arms around his neck, reveling in the tenderness while wanting the pain.

You whimpered as he pulled away, backed toward the door and walked out.

You went to the sink and put a cold paper towel on your neck, fixing your makeup and hair and getting your mind right.

You looked in the mirror. You were fine. You didn’t need what Rafael Casal had to offer.

You made a decision, straightened up and walked out of the bathroom.

----

An hour and a half later, you were in Rafael’s bedroom, naked on your knees, hands tied around your back, the lashes on your ass throbbing, gagging around his cock and praying that he’d let you breathe before you passed out.

You didn’t need Rafa.

But you wanted him.

And that was more than fine.

———

I hope it was fine for you! 😜

Tagging:

@sillyteecup @ohsoverykeri  @theselilwonders @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @imatyoursurrvicesurr @riiyy @ivycomet @lonelydance @jbrizzywrites @biafbunny @summerofsnowflakes @anh1020 @honeysucklechocolatedrippin @delaber @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs @janthonybitch @einfachniemand @elocinnicole @mysearchforgratification

[talkfastromance4]

A Luke&Lily Christmas oneshot

Hey ya’ll, I’m sorry it’s been so long that I’ve written for our favorite girls. I haven’t had much inspiration and when I do get an idea and start to write, I just think it’s horrible. Anyway, this is some holiday fun.

word count: 3.2k

warnings: mentions of difficulty in conceiving, family fluff and some uncle love

donate to my ko-fi here :)

Masterlist

Luke&Lily Masterlist

Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated :)

• • • •

 Christmas at the Hemmings’ household is always full of joy, music, and a little chaos. With Lily being in first grade she was in the Christmas concert at school where the children sang songs. She practiced around the house with Luke who would sing along with her and help her with the motions that the music teacher instructed. 

With the holiday cheer also came some holiday downs. You and Luke had been trying for another baby ever since Posy turned two in May but you’ve had no luck so far. You and Luke both had tests done and everything came back normal, the doctor said stress can prevent a pregnancy and you have had a stressful time at work lately. You’ve had to take on filing for more cases which resulted in less time at home. 

Luke tried to ease your stress away with his touches and kisses but it was your mind that was all wound up. You had a million thoughts racing through your mind on what needed to be filed, when court dates were, when deadlines were coming up and now to add on Christmas? 

Thankfully, Luke was more than happy to help you decorate the house. He even bought three sets of gingerbread kits. 

“We can have the guys come over and make them with the girls,” he smiled proudly. 

Lily and Posy loved decorating the tree and placing their handmade ornaments on the branches. Posy was still too small yet so Lily was lifted in Luke’s arms to place the angel on top of the tree. When the decorating was done, you all made hot cocoa and snuggled up on the couch to watch the old claymations of Christmas shows on the tv. Lily loved the Jack Frost story and Posy loved watching Rudolph. 

It’s the night of Lily’s concert and you have just fastened on her black shoe with the bright silver buckle. She has on a pretty red velvet dress and a green headband to tame her curls from her face. You gaze at her for a long moment, tears pooling in your eyes at how big your baby girl is already. 

“Why are you crying mama?” Lily asks, touching your cheek.

“You’re just so big, sweetheart, mama forgets sometimes,” you smile through your tears. “I’m okay, don’t worry.” You give her a kiss on the cheek then take her hand walking out of her room to Luke and Posy who are in the living room. 

He’s dressed Posy in a cute green dress with red tights. She looks like the cutest little elf. 

“There’s the star of the night!” Luke exclaims upon seeing Lily. she smiles bashfully at her stepfather then runs to his arms. “You look like our angel on the tree, my sweet.”

“Dadaa!” she giggles squeezing his shoulders the best she can. 

“What do you think, Pose? Should sissy be on the tree, hm?”

“Yeth!” Posy claps her hands together with a big smile on her face.

“No one is going on top of the tree,” you scold with a smile. “We need to get going, babe so we aren’t late.”

“Can you go get yours and Posy’s coats?” Luke asks Lily who nods and skips away to the mudroom. Her black shoes clicking on the floor. 

“You look pretty enough to put on the tree,” Luke hints, rising from his knees to stand in front of you. He skims his finger over the swooping neckline of your white sweater that shows off your shoulders. He traces the snowflake pendant perched perfectly between your collarbones. 

“I don’t think so, mister,” you poke his nose playfully and he pulls you against him. He has on your favorite green silk shirt of his, you can never take your eyes off him when he wears it. 

“Can I put you on me instead?” he asks, pressing his lips to the shell of your ear. “Later tonight in bed?” 

You sigh at his touch, the vibration of his voice makes goosebumps rise on your skin. 

“Maybe...if you’re nice,” you preen tilting your head so he can attach his lips to your skin. 

“I’m always nice. You’re the naughty one, lovie,” he chuckles.

“We’re ready!” Lily announces proudly. 

You and Luke break apart then laugh at the mismatched gloves and lopsided hats on your girls. You praise them for their efforts but put the proper articles on each girl before heading into the car. When you arrive at the school, you walk Lily to her classroom where Mr. Glass (her teacher) is settling the kids down.

“Okay, we’ll be in the third row with your uncles,” you tell Lily. “Make sure to smile and have fun, okay?”

“Okay, mama,” she nods. You stare into her eyes, your eyes, knowing she’s nervous but trying not to let it show. 

“You’re going to do such a good job, my sweet. Sing loud like we do at home, yeah?” Luke hugs her and kisses the top of her head. 

You stroke her cheek lovingly one more time, say a quick hello to Mr. Glass and walk towards the auditorium where Ashton, Calum, and Michael are already sitting in their seats. 

“Is she nervous?” Calum asks watching you shuffle past him to your seat.

“She’s not nervous,” Ashton shakes his head then takes Posy from Luke’s arms. “Hi little one, you look like the cutest ornament.”

“Is she nervous?” Michael asks peering around Ashton.

“She is, but she’ll be fine,” you smile. Luke grabs your hand and kisses it.

“Will she see us from here? We should be in the front,” Calum shakes his head eyeing a family of five in the first row. His eyes follow their movements as if he’s plotting a plan to switch. 

“It’s assigned by grade, Cal,” Luke laughs. “She’ll be able to see us and she’s going to do great. Don’t worry.”

The lights dim and the audience claps as there’s movement behind the red curtain. The ages are from kindergarten to fifth grade. The curtains open as the kids file up on the stands, you spot Lily right away walking behind her friend Roman. She and Roman have been best friends since kindergarten and they have many play dates. His parents, Trina and Sophie, are wonderful people who you’ve also become closer to. 

You and Luke spot them across the aisle, each of you waving happily. 

When everyone is in their place onstage, the music teacher comes in front of them and introduces herself and explains how hard everyone has worked on this performance. She turns around and the music starts and Luke sets up his camera on the small tripod that fits perfectly on his knee. A promise he made to Cory and Ella to record the performance because they were out of town on a trip they couldn’t refund. 

The songs they sing are the usual ones you’d expect at an elementary concert. The younger kids had bells for Jingle Bells, and the young ones did their hand motions to Away in a Manger. A favorite that had all of the kids excitement was Rudolph’s song. You kept your eyes on Lily the whole time who sang and smiled anytime she caught your eye or Luke’s or one of her uncles. 

When the performance was over, they all took a bow and you screamed as loud as you could for Lily. She was beaming. 

Lily found you in the crowd easily, hugging your legs then running into Calum’s arms who was already telling her how she was the best one up there. Trina and Sophie stopped by to say hello before they took Roman out for ice cream. 

“Are we going for ice cream?” Michael asks and Lily laughs.

“Noo, uncle Mikey. We’re having hot cocoa bars!” Lily exclaims. 

“We have a hot chocolate spread at home,” you correct with a smile. 

Back at the house, the guys help Lily and Posy make their hot chocolate. Michael lets them put whipped cream on his nose and Ashton has Posy in his lap helping her drink her own cup. He blows on each spoonful before placing it in front of her. 

“Sophie told me she and Trina were looking at donors again,” you tell Luke quietly near the stove. You put in the sugar cookies with Christmas trees on them for everyone to eat while drinking hot cocoa. 

“Really? That’s great for them, Roman’s going to make a great big brother,” Luke smiles then notices your demeanor.

He knows it��s been tolling on you not being able to conceive. It’s been hard for him, too but he’s eased up a little after finding out there wasn’t anything physically wrong with either of you that prevented it. He’s happy that you’re on an eight day vacation over Christmas and New Year’s. It will be a time to relax and be with family. 

“Hey,” he cups his hand on your shoulder, turning you to face him. “It’ll happen for us. We’ve been going a little crazy over it, but we can breathe and let it happen when it’s meant to.”

“I know, you’re right. I just can’t believe stress is making it this hard,” you huff tossing the oven mitts on the counter. 

“I’ve got some ideas to help get you out of your head,” he grins leaning in to kiss you. He tastes like sugar cookies and chocolate. 

Suffice it to say, he definitely found a way to make your head spin later when the girls were put to sleep. 

**

“Okay, we’re going to be on teams and post on social media who wins the best gingerbread house,” Luke explains.

Calum and Lily are on one team, each of them wearing a Santa hat while Ashton and Posy are a team wearing reindeer antlers. Michael couldn’t make it tonight, he and Crystal were on a last minute trip before Christmas arrived. You and Luke were on a team together. 

“Is this timed?” Ashton asks, already calculating his house with Posy. 

“No,” Luke laughs, “the girls are only six and two, we can take our time.”

“You’re going down, Ash,” Calum says, filling up his bag of frosting. Lily is kneeling on her knees on the chair watching him. 

The gingerbread house making is filled with lots of laughs and stealing of treats from Posy. 

“No, Po, we have to have a chimney on our house!” Ashton giggles snatching the chimney pieces form her small fingers. 

“Eat, Ashy!” she laughs reaching for it again.

“We can do it after we’re finished, little one, I promise,” he rubs her belly. 

Calum and Lily planned together quietly on their end of the table. You love watching the girls interact with their uncles. The guys are so patient with them and love spending time with them. You’re really looking forward to your eight days off of being with your family and friends for the holidays. 

When you were all finished you took plenty of photos of the houses and the creators of them. Luke posted the houses to his instagram story with polls on who was the best. Christmas movies were part of the agenda as well.

**

A week before Christmas, Posy had a high fever that lasted for three days. You desperately wanted to stay home with her but it was crunchtime at work so you made sure to cuddle her as soon as you were home. Her small body was so hot to the touch but you held her in hopes she would sweat it out. 

“We should take her to the doctor,” Luke tells you quietly as you feed her more liquid tylenol for children. 

“If it’s not down by tomorrow, we will,” you nod touching her forehead. It’s clammy but not as hot. “I’m hoping it’s going down.”

Luke sighs in exasperation watching you rock Posy in your arms. You’re humming to her and tracing the features of her face, a tactic that always soothes her. 

“I used to get sick around this time, too,” you tell him when her eyes close. 

“I hate seeing her so miserable.”

“Me too. We’ll watch her fever...her glands don’t feel that swollen. She hasn’t thrown up, right?”

“Only that time I tried to give her medicine,” he blinks slowly and you see the circles under his eyes. 

“Get some sleep, honey,” you tell him. “I’ve got her.”

The next day, her fever did break and you and Luke were so happy. Lily made sure to bring home a picture she drew at school in hopes it would make Posy feel better. Posy got over her fever just in time for your Christmas Eve party. 

Friends and family were gathered in your house with lots of food and music to bring in the holiday cheer. Cory and Ella watched Lily’s concert beforehand with Lily sitting on Cory’s lap. As more guests arrived, Cory was acting a little strange. He kept glancing at you and Luke while he held Posy in his arms.

“Are you okay?” you ask him finally taking Posy from him. She was starting to get fussy and hungry. 

“Yeah, um… do you mind if I say something to everyone?”

“No, go ahead…” you say giving him a look. 

He pulls Ella to the center of the living room, Luke sidles up next to you checking on Posy then nods to Cory.

“What’s going on?” 

“I don’t know but we’re about to find out.”

“Everyone? Sorry, this will be quick,” Cory begins. He takes a deep breath then turns to Ella. “On our trip, I asked Ella to marry me.”

There’s gasps and cheers from everyone, yourself included as you look to Ella’s hand. Cory has just slipped on her ring, was he hiding it until this moment? 

“And right after I asked her…”

“I told him I was pregnant!” Ella smiles pulling an ultrasound photo from behind her back. 

There’s more cheers and congratulations. You’re the first one to give them a hug and to welcome her officially to the family. Others are swarming the happy couple with questions about how he asked and when she’s due. You handed Posy off to Ashton then disappeared out by the pool to get some fresh air, Luke wasn’t far behind. 

“Hey, hey, c’mere,” he says, pulling you against his chest. You breathe him in deeply, letting his scent calm you down. “It’s okay…”

“I’m happy for them, I really am,” you sniff. “I love Ella, she’s wonderful and they’re going to be great parents but I--”

“I know, it’s hard,” Luke sighs, kissing your head. “We won’t give up, okay? I know it’ll happen, I can feel it.”

**

On Christmas morning you’re woken to Lily and Posy jumping on your bed screaming about Santa and presents. You and Luke give them hugs and kisses as you wake up trying to get the sleep from your eyes. 

“How about some cocoa while we open presents?” you ask.

You make the cocoa with the help of the girls while Luke brews a pot of coffee for you and him. It’s six in the morning and it’s going to be a long day of driving and opening presents at other houses. Luke snaps photos while Lily and Posy open their presents. Lily claims to love each one and that it’s exactly what she wanted. 

Luke loves the gifts you gave him and you couldn’t wait to wear the dress he bought you for the day. After breakfast, you all went over to Cory and Ella’s to open presents and you discussed her pregnancy a bit more. After the initial shock, you were excited to see her through this journey. She asked tons of questions about morning sickness and headaches. 

“Are you planning on finding out what you’re going to have?” you ask. 

“I don’t think so. We want to be surprised. You’re sure you’re okay with this, Y/N?” Ella asks, her eyes full of worry. 

“I’m more than happy,” you assure her, “you’re a part of the family. And, I might be biased, but Lily will be the best big sister to your baby.”

“Posy will too,” Ella smiles, “I don’t want her to feel left out, in my mind, they’re both big sisters.”

“You’re right.” 

After Cory and Ella’s you went to Michael and Crystal’s house for more presents and a big fancy dinner of ham and all the fixings. You started to feel a little dizzy towards the end of the meal and went to sit down on the couch. Luke came by rubbing your temples in concern but you told him it was probably just the rush of the day.

Later that night while Lily and Posy placed their new stuffed animals in their beds to sleep with, you were piling their presents in order when another wave of dizziness struck you. You sat down and held your head until it was time to say goodnight to the girls. 

“You sure you’re all right?” Luke asks as you crawl into bed. 

“I’m fine. Just a busy day,” you sigh collapsing onto your pillow. “Speaking of...are you doing anything right now?”

“Going to bed?” he laughs.

You swing your leg over his waist so you’re straddling him. 

“How about doing me?” 

Luke is eager to get you out of your pajamas and under him. Lips and hands explore familiar territory as he rocks his hips into yours. You have to fight to keep your moans quiet as he makes your head dizzy in a completely different way. 

The rest of your vacation was full of lots of relaxation and spending well deserved time with Luke and the girls. You played games with Lily and even took the girls ice skating. By New Year’s Eve, you were feeling a little drained and the thought of alcohol made your stomach turn. There was a babysitter watching Lily and Posy while you went to a rooftop bar for the countdown of the new year. 

You had a blast but in the back of your mind, something was nagging at you to get a pregnancy test. You shared a kiss with Luke at midnight, giggling when his hands squeezed your ass. On the way home, you asked to stop at the drugstore making an excuse you needed more aspirin. 

Once home, you charged for the bathroom and took the three pregnancy tests in the box while Luke talked with the babysitter and paid her. You wait anxiously for the three minutes to be up. When your phone’s alarm sounded, you looked at each one. Each one had the word ‘pregnant’ on the stick and you stared stunned. 

“Lovie? Are you sick?” Luke asks, knocking on the door. 

Too excited to wait, you whip the door open and exclaim “I’m pregnant!”

“You’re--what?” he asks, jumping at the loud burst of the door opening.

“Look!” You drag him in the bathroom pointing to the tests. “I’ve been dizzy lately and feeling queasy...this is why!”

He stares at each test individually, his lips forming the word ‘pregnant’ three times. He lets out a whoop and kisses you. 

“I love you so much. See, I told you it would happen when it’s meant to. What a way to ring in the New Year.”

“Happy New Year, baby,” you smile up at him cupping his cheek.

“Happy New year,” he smiles then places his hand on your belly, “baby.”

Taglist: @calpalirwin​  @thecurlsofgod​ @myloverboyash​ @rotten-kandy​ @tea4sykes​ @jannimoeller3​ @loveroflrh​ @iovehemmings​ @cxddlyash​ @princesslrh​  @katiaw2​ @g-l-pierce​ @fairyintheglass​ @gosh-im-short​ @lukeisbaby @spicycal​ @mysticalhood​ @notinthesameguey​ @wastedheartcth​ @itjustkindahappenedreally​ @calumance​ @babylon-corgis​ @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt​ @lanternlover2​ @istaywithmyjonas​ @calteahood​ @sarcastically-defensive17​ @another-lonely-heart​ @devilatmydoor​ @frontmanash​ @philthepegacorn​ @mantlereid @lukedorkyhemmings​ @addietagglikesbands​ @kikixfandoms @sanrioluke​ @mayve-hems​ @morguelth @haikucal​ @thatscooibaby​ @meghanrose05​ @idontneedanyone​ @dinosaursandsocks @haveufoundwhaturlooking4 @suchalonelysunflower​ @burstintocolor​ @zhangyixingxing1​ @dead-and-golden​ @mymindwide​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @stardust-galaxies​ @blackbutterfliescal​ @redrattlers​ @lovelybonesetc​ @karajaynetoday​ @quasighost​ @i-like-5sos​ @creampiecashton​ @calpops​ @superbloomed-c​ @ophelia-enthusiast​ @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof​ @flaneurcth​ @dariangarcia​

[sanriosratz]

I posted 264 times in 2021

63 posts created (24%)

201 posts reblogged (76%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 3.2 posts.

I added 308 tags in 2021

#reblog - 89 posts

#creepypasta - 76 posts

#eldritch-hall-asylum - 37 posts

#sanriosratz mumbles - 27 posts

#ben drowned - 16 posts

#childoftermina - 15 posts

#nina the killer - 13 posts

#jeff the killer - 12 posts

#creepypasta au - 12 posts

#eldritch hall asylum - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 112 characters

#my poor baby brain and heart love your kind words and keep them stored in the ‘important drawer’ of memories <33

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I agree with Toby being ND mostly because of the way the fandom will write him . Like waffles could be his safe food . Also also of people will write him stimming a bit to

:0 yay!

we stan ND Toby here! ^w^

31 notes • Posted 2021-05-28 21:35:45 GMT

#4

Slenderman: Ladies-

Nina, an enby: i’m actually an un-lady, thank you v much

34 notes • Posted 2021-03-27 14:10:13 GMT

#3

Ticci toby headcannons? hell yeah he's back babey!!!! >:D

✞❦ YEAH! KASTOWAY STIMKY! >:D ❦✞

❥ He’s from a completely German descent! His family only ever really spoke German (deutsch) in the house, so his English isn’t great.

❥ ^ He has a very strong German accent! 

❥ His favourite nickname is “Toe Bean”, accidentally given by Nina

❥ He’s autistic, because I said so. 

❥ ^ He stims mainly by chewing (he has chewelry) and deep pressure.

❥ He has mainly motor tics than vocal tics. His most prominent motor tic(s) is throwing his head back or cracking his neck, and his most prominent vocal tic is shouting [nonsense].

❥ He likes some animes ^__^

❥ He’s trans FTM! 

40 notes • Posted 2021-04-24 16:31:11 GMT

#2

“sex is honestly overrated”

- a quote from my biology class (we’re learning about contraception n stuff)

47 notes • Posted 2021-11-12 19:31:16 GMT

#1

🌜✨Jeff x Reader headcanons✨🌛

cuz y’all are simps-

(You guys can request stuff like this btw!! I also do character x character :3)

format inspired by @/intimidating-fettuccine

❥ he saw u and audibly gasped- how tf can someone be So Hot??? why he be,, Emotion??

❥ He suppressed his emotions for a long time. He didn’t want people to know that he’d gone mushy for some person he’d seen for a few seconds, it’d completely ruin his rep. and ego!

❥ For every moment that wasn’t spent with you, he was spent on knowing everything there was to know about you. Your favourite colour, your favourite film, your favourite piece of clothing or outfit, he was prepared to know it all!

❥ He didn't want to scare you, so he kept the stalking down to a minimum. He was so deeply afraid of the thought of you hating him or being scared of him, so he kept every aspect of life down to nothing but "I was a burn victim". Which admittedly made you a little skeptical of him.

(litol drabble under cut,, :))

He took his hand in yours as your eyes were trained on the TV that displayed a film that neither of you were really paying attention to, it was just background noise so you wouldn’t be left in the awkward silence that always occured in your shared conversations. But after a while, they became the silences in which you’d both lovingly study eachother, or stare into eachother’s eyes.

You always liked his eyes, the cobalt colour held but a strong fire, one that held power and warmth to those that dared to get closer to him. He cared for his close friends, and even more so for the people he’d get romantically mixed with. You included. Jeff was absolutely head over heels for you, downright obsessed, every waking hour was spent thinking about you, or gushing about you and your personality, your eyes, your sickeningly sweet voice that he just couldn’t get enough of. He’d recall times where he’d just beg you to talk for hours on end as he’d lay his head in your lap, listening tentatively as you’d ramble about anything and everything. 

“I think... I think I’m in love with you,” Jeff confessed, his cheeks a light shade of red.

You giggled, “I love you too, dork.”

MILKING THE TAGS :P

93 notes • Posted 2021-02-23 13:56:10 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[poeticandors]

I watched Triple Frontier and Kami, tell me why I cried when Yovanna asked,”How can I contact you?” And Po[p]e cups the sides of his head, staring lovingly in her teary eyes and says,”You can’t.” I WEEPED AND GOT EMOTIONAL. - Rose (I don’t have tumblr on my phone lmao).

YO but like same!!!! He did that and I was like

But also I was a bit sad 😢

[tipo-fan-4-life]

That Special Someone

Hey guys here's a fanfic that I already published on my page on fanfiction.net but I figured I would share it here. Here's a oneshot, its a Valentine's day themed, may be a little cheesy but it's an idea I came up with hope y'all like it.

*Valentine's day in the valley of peace*

It was Valentine's day in the Valley of Peace and everyone was festive. The furious five, Po, and even Shifu were getting cards and gift from secret admirers their crushes and fans. Crane got a card from Mei Ling and he was very happy. Viper got a card and flowers from a male snake from a village far away and she was also happy. Po himself got a lot of cards from fans and the like claiming they loved him. But they really didn't love him they were only interested in him because of his title, and what they could get from him. He simplily threw the cards away.

Meanwhile, Tigress didn't get any cards, she sat against a wall hugging her legs with her head resting on her knees; she thought no one loved her. She thought the one she did love didn't feel the same way and only saw her as just a friend. A depressed look grew on her face as she was deep in her thoughts.

Po noticed Tigress' depressed state and that she didn't receive any cards, he felt bad for her and decided now was the time to confess his feelings that he had for her since he was a cub. Po ran to his room and grabbed a card addressed to Tigress and a bouquet of her favorite flowers and put them behind his back and ran back to the depressed Tigress.

"Hey Ti, didn't you get anything?" Po asked softly looking at the tiger he secretly loved.

She raised her head a looked up at him sadly "No, Po. I don't think anyone loves me." Tigress said with a sigh. "I didn't even get a card or anything; people think I'm a monster and everyone is afraid of me." Tigress said sadly feeling a few tears in her eyes and then batted them away.

"That is not true Ti. Someone does love you. And I don't think you're a monster and I'm not afraid of you." Po said softly stepping closer to her.

"How is it not who can possibly love me? And you're... not?" Tigress asked nervously wondering if he loved her.

"No Ti, I'm not afraid of you. You're my best friend. You're kind, caring, strong, and an amazing warrior. Besides I have something for you." Po said with a smile.

Tigress smiled at what he said and then looked at him curiously. "What is it, Po?" She asked curiously.

Po then pulled out a bouquet of her favorite flowers and a card with her name on it. She gasped and her cheeks blushed bright red as she took the card and flowers and gave them a sniff.

"Po? Thank you, this is very sweet. I-I don't know what to say..." Tigress said nervously as her cheeks burned bright scarlet.

Po simpily smiled and gave her a nod signaling her to open the card. She smiled, set the flowers down, then unsheathed a single claw and sliced open the envelope pulling out the card and opening it. What she read made her gasp and blush a deep scarlet. It was a confession of love and it went like this:

Dear Tigress:

You are my best friend and the most amazing and gorgeous girl I have ever met. I love everything about you from the way your amber eyes glow, the way you do kung fu, the way you smile so beautifully, and your undying spirit and strength that makes you so awesome and beautiful. I love you Tigress, I always have and I always will. I've been in love with you since I was a cub, figured now was the time to tell you.

Love,

Po

After reading the confession in the card tears came to Tigress' eyes she was touched and she turned to Po who had a nervous expression on his face.

"Po, do you really mean all this?" She asked softly as her cheeks warmed up and her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

"Of course Ti. Every word." Po said softly with a blush rubbing the back of his head. "I understand if you don't feel the same way and I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship." Po said nervously expecting to loose his best friend.

"No, no it's not that. I actually do feel the same way, Po have for a long time but I was too scared to tell you for the same reason you gave." Tigress said with a smile and rosy cheeks as she stood up and turned to face him.

"Really Ti?" Po asked excitedly.

Tigress smiled warmly at him and nodded. All of a sudden Po engulfed her in a warm hug. She was surprised at first but then relaxed in his soft fuzzy arms hugging him back.

"You're so awesome Tigress!" Po said as he buried his face into her neck fur. She sighed and began to purr softly. Soon he broke the hug and then feeling brave he decided to ask:

"Uh, Ti?" Po asked nervously at what he was about to ask.

"Yes, Po?" Tigress said looking in his jade eyes with the beautiful smile that Po loved.

"Have you... ya know... had your first kiss yet?" Po asked softly staring into her amber eyes.

"*sigh* No, not yet. I was saving it for that special someone." Tigress said with a blush and then walked up to Po and put her arms around his neck.

"Who would that be?" Po asked curiously not knowing she was talking about him and she giggled at his obliviousness thinking it was cute.

"You silly!" Tigress said laughing as she he brought his paws down to her waist

"Oh! Right." Po said with a chuckle and a blush.

Tigress then smiled and they both leaned in at the same time until they captured each others lips in a warm passionate kiss. Both of them blushed scarlet and Po pulled her closer deepening the kiss. As they kissed both of them felt extreme warmth and happiness and moaned softly into each others mouths enjoying the taste of the others lips. After a few minutes they both broke for air but still held the other close. The two lovers looked into each others eyes with smiles on their faces both breathless from the kiss.

"Wow Ti, that was.... awesome." Po said in a whisper and a blush burned brightly in his cheeks. Tigress giggled and curled and uncurled her fingers in his neck fur.

"Yeah. It was. I love you, Po and will you be my boyfriend?" Tigress asked nervously not sure if this was too sudden or not.

"I love you too, Tigress and yes I will!" Po said lovingly as he rubbed her back causing her to purr softly.

Both warriors smiled and then leaned in for another warm passionate kiss on the lips. Soon after they broke the Valentine's day fireworks began to go off in the distance.

"Would you like to go see the fireworks, Ti?" Po asked like a gentleman extending a paw for her to take.

Tigress giggled and blushed at this and she took his paw in hers and they walked down to a good spot, sat down, and watched the fireworks light up the sky. Tigress then leaned her back against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as they both were happy to finally be with that special someone who was now theirs forever.

[adudelol-reblogs]

I posted 2,509 times in 2021

9 posts created (0%)

2500 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 277.8 posts.

I added 331 tags in 2021

#reblogs - 109 posts

#last life spoilers - 65 posts

#art reblogs - 41 posts

#adudelol talks - 32 posts

#reblog - 31 posts

#dsmp spoilers - 20 posts

#art reblog - 14 posts

#stimboard reblog - 8 posts

#stimboard reblogs - 7 posts

#/pos - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#should i make seperate posts on me and scookys intros that also lists some like boundries as well so it takes less space on pinned post?

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

son

parental unit

1 notes • Posted 2021-08-30 12:42:45 GMT

#4

Hello sir

Good day my dear friend

2 notes • Posted 2021-06-16 16:58:16 GMT

#3

anyone have some hermitcraft prompts? scblr? @paytonspam owo?

5 notes • Posted 2021-05-07 13:16:46 GMT

#2

Red Lives (Mumbo x Grian) [LAST LIFE]

Characters: Mumbo and Grian TW: Death n murder lol Words: 814 Spoilers for Last Life Session Four (Oct. 12th)

Grian and Mumbo laughed as one told the other a joke. This world was a hellscape, and jokes were the best way to pass time in this world. When Mumbo had woken up at spawn for the very first time, with everyone surrounding him, he never would have expected this was the world he would be in.

They sat down, taking a break, and leaned on each other’s shoulder. Mumbo touched foreheads with the shorter, causing him to laugh. He responded by kissing the redstoner on the cheek, causing the man to blush and stutter over his words. Grian laughed at the reaction of the enderman hybrid, before closing his eyes and lovingly leaned his head against Mumbo’s shoulder again. The taller rested his head on Grian’s fluffy, brown hair. He could stay like this forever, but he wished they weren’t in this ‘game’, as Grian called it. 

Mumbo didn’t bother to ask as a sad look passed over the other’s face when he said it.

A couple of minutes later, the two got back to work. Slab after slab, the platform grew. He used the sleeve of the white undershirt of the suit he normally wore and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He stretched, and he locked eyes with the only red name of the server - Joel.

He took a step back, eyes wide, unable to look away from the piecing red and black eyes of the man in front of him, climbing up the ladder of the ghast farm. “Grian- Grian, Joel’s here!” Mumbo shouted after a moment, but it was too late.

The bow had been loaded, an arrow aimed and released as it flew into the air, into the shorter hermit’s back. Grian let out a cry of pain as the force pushed the red-sweater-wearing man off the edge, Mumbo ran and held out his hand, fingers just brushing too late as he watched Grian plummeted into the bedrock below. His body stayed for a moment before it poofed away leaving all of his items.

Tears formed in Mumbo’s eyes, the tears burning his skin as they trailed down his face. He couldn’t care less - he could barely even hear Joel’s giggling in the background. His vision blurred, unable to look away from the bedrock floor.

He didn’t know how long he stayed there, staring down from two hundred blocks up in the air, but eventually, he heard the sound of someone climbing up the ladder. He looked up, and saw red eyes. Red eyes with light brown hair, a sad smile, a red jumper. 

“Grian. . .” Mumbo said quietly. He rushed to the other, embracing him in a hug. The redlifer seemed in shock - he was red, after all. Grian felt tears of his own start to roll down his cheeks, and gripped the white shirt Mumbo wore tighter. The taller sobbed into the shoulder of the red jumper Grian wore. 

“Hey - Mumbo, hey, look at me,” Grian spoke quietly, and Mumbo did so. Tears burned down the enderman hybrid’s face, and Grian gently used the sleeve of his jumper to swipe the tears away. “That looks like it’s gonna scar. . .”

“I should have protected you, I’m sorry, I should have given you more of a warning about Joel-” Mumbo started before Grian shushed him. They fell into another hug, and Grian held onto this feeling for as long as he could. He knew, within the next couple minutes, he would loose his emotions and attachments. Tears stopped dripping down the parrot hybrid’s face as he got an idea. God, it was such a bad idea, but. . . 

“Mumbo. . . we can still be together,” Grian said, trying to force his voice not to break. The enderman hybrid glanced up to face Grian, confusion on his face as Grian carefully pulled out his pickaxe.

“Wh. . . what do you mean by that? You’re red, and I’m yellow, and-” Mumbo stopped, purple and yellow eyes widening. He pushed himself back a block, still on his bottom from hugging Grian. “No- you can’t be serious, Grian. I don’t-” 

A swing of a pickaxe, and the block Mumbo was just on went falling to the floor. The fall was so far down, Mumbo’s eyes shot from the block that was just broken and back to Grian. A sad smile was on his face again, tears falling from his face for another time. “We can still be together and happy.”

Mumbo continued to back up as another slab was broken, and then another. “Grian, I can’t- I quite like being a yellow life! I don’t- I don’t want to die again-”

There wasn’t a floor below him.

Mumbo didn’t even realize he was falling for a second. Two hundred blocks was a big distance, way too long as he watched Grian over the edge as he got smaller and smaller.

MumboJumbo fell from a high place.

12 notes • Posted 2021-10-13 15:49:15 GMT

#1

Crime Family (Tubbo, Ranboo, Sneeg) [ORIGINS SMP]

TWs;  none! Pretty much me testing out end/ender/enderself pronouns by projecting onto Ranboo lmao also everything is /p ofc

Ranboo sat on the edge of ender’s bed, running a hand through ender’s hair. End gently picked up ender’s crown, seeing ender’s reflection in it. The crown itself was made of reflective gold material, with a single purple gem embedded into the surface of the crown. 

 The enderman hybrid couldn’t remember how end got the thing, but it held sentimental value to something so silly. Somehow, through everything Ranboo has gone through, it has stayed with ender.

 Soft footsteps interrupted Ranboo’s thoughts as end looked up, and saw that Tubbo was coming down the spiral staircase of the home they named ‘the hive’. End smiled up to ender’s friend, watching as Tubbo’s bee wings laid flat as they rested on his back.

 “Hey, Boo,” Tubbo smiled to his (platonic) crime lord partner. End smiled back to ender’s husband, a smile on ender’s face as end watched Tubbo run a hand through his hair.

 “Hey, Bee,” Ranboo replied. “How was the crime?” End asked, as the two heard scuttling in the walls. Tubbo laughed at the inside joke, his curly brown hair falling over his eyes. 

 “Crime was crime, y’know. The ‘Crowfather’ tried to stop me, but I simply stung him with my poison and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t sent to the hospital this time,” the bee hybrid smiled to Ranboo, who smiled back. “How was your day?” he asked.

 Ranboo hummed for a moment, before shrugging. “Nothing much happened. I’ve mostly been crafting tools and armor. I’ve gotten one set of diamond armor completed so far, and I just need to add a few more enchantment runes in them for them to be complete,” end spoke, a smile on ender’s face.

 “What could I ever do without my sweet, sweet boo?” he asked, acting dramatic as he leaned backwards and threw his hand over his forehead. “What would I be, besides a simple pile of bones?” he laughed, causing Ranboo to laugh as well. 

 Suddenly, from the vent near the roof, a small blue creature popped out, a blue hood shielding most of his white face. “Hey, Sneeg!” Tubbo said crouching down to get lower to the inchling. Sneeg was about a foot tall, and climbed into Tubbo’s arms. “How’s our favorite henchman doing?”

 “I just stole from Philza,” he said, a bright smile on his face. “Look what I got!” He double-tapped the small beaded bracelet he had, taking out 57 diamonds. He handed them to Ranboo, before taking out a freshly made axe, pickaxe, and sword. 

“Good work!” Tubbo ruffled the two feathers between the little guys head, as one would a small child. Ranboo realized that Tubbo treats both Sneeg and Slimecicle like this (even if Slime is his full, adult size). End smiled, ender’s heart warm by everyone on this server. He didn’t know why, but it felt like he was finally allowed to be free. To be happy.

22 notes • Posted 2021-05-05 14:09:25 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[willoryn]

~A rose could not compare~

Prince!KaramatsuXmaid!Reader

Ever since you were assigned to the Matsuno family as a maid, you couldn’t have been happier. Compared to all the other nobility you had worked for, they were by far the kindest. This surprised you considering their tendency to be very unkind towards each other. But what do you expect from a king and queen who have to put up with sextuplet brothers who can be quite rowdy and who have a nasty habit of not listen to their parents? Oh, you couldn’t count the times where a pleasant dinner had turned into an argument or finding out a vacation to foreign lands had been cut short due to one of the brothers acting rather uncouth in front of other nobility. Even though it caused nothing but hell for the poor king and queen, the boys really were just a group of lovable fools and their antics aggravated and entertained you to no end.

However, there was one that always managed to put a smile on your face no matter what and made your heart flutter every time he was near.

Karamatsu. The second oldest of the brothers. And by far the most charming.

In their gab sessions, it always confused you how the maids would talk so unkindly about Karamatsu. Saying he could never rule a kingdom with a fashion sense that was nothing short of appalling and that he’d have a better chance at becoming a jester for another king. You never joined in their taunts. Karamatsu was nothing like anything they said. His fashion sense was a little strange at times, but you admired his confidence. He was outrageously charming. Whenever he would take a lady by the hand and shower her with all kinds of praise and admiration, she would always yank her hand away in a huff and storm off. Throwing his affections in the dirt. Much to your surprise. It always broke your heart to see this. If only you could be so lucky to receive such a greeting from him. If only you could hear Karamatsu say all those kind words to you with that deep, silky voice as he looked deep into your eyes. Your heart fluttered at the thought. Instead, you’d lay in bed at night and just dream of him taking your hand. Whispering all kinds of sweet nothings into your ear at he pressed his body into yours. And so many other forbidden desires that you longed for from Karamatsu. But it would never happen.

Eventually, your secret desires would become noticed by the other maids when they started witnessing how you would stare at Karamatsu like a besotted schoolgirl. They teased you relentlessly for it. But you didn’t care. Let them talk. Karamatsu was wonderful and you pitied them that they couldn’t see the side of him you saw.

You gave a sigh as you walked through the castle garden. You were able to take a break for now since the family was currently busying themselves with guests. You loved to stroll through here in your down time. It was a quiet break from all the gossiping of your co-workers you had to hear all day. You stopped in front of the rose bushes and ran a hand over the soft petals. These were Karamatsu’s favorite. He always seemed to have one within arms reach. You smiled to yourself as you remembered how you would pick some of them and leave them in his room occasionally whenever you were assigned to make his bed. You would snip all the thorns off and leave it laying right on his pillow. However, once your headmistress found out about this, she was absolutely livid. You snickered to yourself over your smitten attitude towards the prince and all the trouble it got you into at times.

“Beautiful, aren’t they~?”

Startled, you whirled around to see prince Karamatsu himself standing just inches away from your side. His eyes were locked on the rose bush in front of him. You sputtered out incoherent words in an attempt at a reply but you just bit your tongue. You peeled your eyes away from him and just gave a meek nod in agreement. You were practically shaking in your shoes. You kept your head down but peeked at him out of the corner of your eye.

Karamatsu lifted one rose from the bush and twirled it around in his fingers idly as if lost in thought. His eyes turned to you and you felt a chill zip up your spine.

“But, even the most dazzling roses in all the gardens of the world pale in comparison to your beauty, my dear.” He said without breaking his gaze on you.

Before you even had a chance to register his words, he took your hand in his gloved one and placed a chaste kiss on your knuckles, still looking into your eyes. You stared down at him in complete shock.

“I’ve noticed a lack of roses in my room as of late…” he said, his hot breath dancing across your hand. He dropped his gaze to your soft skin and lovingly ran his thumb over your knuckles. “I’ve begun to fear that perhaps I’ve lost some of your favor, my dear…”

Your face exploded with red and you shook your head. Just how did he know it was you!? Perhaps you really weren’t as sneaky as you thought you were. You’ve somehow managed to find your voice again. “Ah! N-No! It’s just… the headmistress of the house has forbidden me to t-take anymore roses…”

He cocked his head and stood straight up to meet your gaze evenly. He raised a hand to cup your cheek with a smile. “Heh, I suppose that’s fine then. Besides, I have the most beautiful rose of all right here…”

Before you realized what he was doing, he buried his head into your neck and inhaled your sweet scent. Your entire body called out to him in ways you dared not mention. Instead you stood there dumbly and felt his hands fall to either side of your arms as his lips ghosted over the sensitive flesh on your neck.

You couldn’t move, much less breathe, with him so close to you. Touching you! Should you push him away? You didn’t want to… but if someone should walk by and see the two of you necking like a couple of young horny lovers…

“Forgive my boldness, angel~ I find you simply enchanting…” he whispered, causing your legs to start shaking.

“Y-Your highness…” you uttered out breathlessly.

“Please, call me Karamatsu.” He said, giving you a smile as he toyed with a bit of lace on the front of your dress. Your face reddened. Just one little tug and your dress would-

Your thoughts and hormones were completely squashed when you heard the queen yell for her son from the other side of the garden, closer to the castle. You heard Karamatsu give a disappointed sigh and released you. He pulled away from you and offered you a sad smile.

“Forgive me, (y/n). But it seems I have to leave you now…” sadness and longing filled your heart as he started to turn away but something seemed to come to him and he turned back to you. “Will you come see me tonight? I can meet you right here.” He asked, hopeful. A light blush came to his cheeks.

Your heart swelled. He wanted to see you again!? He don’t have to twist your arm to say yes! Once he left you, it took every ounce of strength in your body not to collapse right there. Practically everything you’d dreamt of was happening. The rest of the day you could hardly concentrate on your tasks. And whenever you had to enter the same room as him, you could feel his eyes on you. Watching you intensely. It was enough to make your virgin heart burst. The day was unkind with how slowly it drug along. But once it grew dark and all the other maids had started to retire for the night, you willed yourself to push back all hesitations and sneak out into the garden. Doing your best not to get caught in the act. You didn’t know if you were going to get another chance like this and like hell you were going to miss out on it.

You were overjoyed to see Karamatsu waiting in the same place as earlier just as he said he would, admiring his roses and waiting patiently. Once he noticed your arrival, a charming smile dawned his handsome features and he took your hand in his.

Leading you into the night…

The other maidens of the castle had told you about the needs and wants of men. About the way they planted themselves inside a woman and took possession of her. But none of them knew of the gentleman that was Karamatsu.

None of them knew of the man who leaned over you in the tall grass beside a quiet lake in the moonlight, showering you with soft, gentle kisses as you ran your hands over his back.

You had completely forgotten how to breathe when Karamatsu unlaced your dress, revealing your breasts to him. Your breath hitched when he ran his hands over the sensitive flesh, reveling in your form with awe. “You truly are an angel, (y/n)…” he whispered lowly as he dipped his head down to sample you. You arched your back and pressed your hips up into his, earning a pleasured groan from him as you buried a hand in his black hair. A small whimper escaped your throat at the foreign sensation of his tongue flicking across your sensitive nipple. You had never let a man see you like this. Never let a man touch you like this. And after this, you couldn’t imagine letting anyone but Karamatsu lay eyes on your body again.

Karamatsu lifted the hem of your dress to your hips and your first instinct was to slam your legs shut. But you couldn’t deny him or yourself this. The way he was making you feel simultaneously horrified and delighted you. Despite how embarrassed you were feeling right now, you knew only Karamatsu could quell that burning need within you. That fire that sparked whenever he was near.

Ever so slowly, he ran a hand up your thigh, making you burn with need and a tingle of fear at the knowledge that he was about to touch the most private part of your body. You closed her eyes and moaned as his questing fingers finally touched the throbbing virgin flesh between your legs.

You bit your lip in embarrassment as you opened your legs wider for him, feeling all sorts of dirty for such a move. And when you heard him chuckle, you buried your face into your hands.

“Eager, aren’t we~?” He asked as he slipped a finger into you.

Your head swam as he simultaneously teased and stroked you into rapture. Your whole body quivered beneath him and his name poured from your lips like a prayer.

“K-Kara..!” You gasped when he inserted yet another finger. You felt like your head was going to explode.

Karamatsu watched you with a burning intensity as you squirmed around his toying fingers. You looked practically drunk off your desire, your gaze half-lidded and your lip caught between your teeth to keep yourself from crying out. You were quite the spectacle and he loved it. He slowly kissed his way up your thighs before stopping just inches away from your womanhood.

“I love hearing my name on your lips, (y/n)…” he whispered raggedly, his voice dripping with need. And then he took you into his mouth.

A strained moan escaped you as you pawed at the grass desperately. The sensation of Karamatsu’s tongue sweeping over you was far too much for you to handle. You swore you were going to die right there from sensory overload. He moaned into your skin as if he were tasting heaven and it caused your entire body to scream for release. But you didn’t want to cum just yet. You wanted to feel him inside you. Filling you. You needed him now.

“K-Karamatsu, please… I-I need you…” you panted.

He gave a chuckle and one last lick to your tender flesh. “As you wish, my rose~”

Your breath hitched when he moved his hands away from you and sat up, placing himself between your legs. You could feel his throbbing shaft against your inner thigh and you grew nervous. Here you were, a whimpering virgin who had never known the touch of a man… and you had no doubt in your mind that he was no stranger to the touch of a woman. How else could he be pleasing you so skillfully and make your body react in such a way? You hoped in your foolish heart that this wouldn’t just end up being a one-off encounter. You didn’t just want him physically. You wanted so much more… you wanted him. But did he feel the same? Would he hold you after this and utter all those words you had only dreamed of him saying to you? Or would he just get up and and walk away, satisfied? That sad thought planted itself in your head and ate away at your heart. A single question rested on your tongue.

“H-How many other women have you had in your bed, Karamatsu…?” You bit your tongue but it was too late. You wanted to know just where you stood so you could prepare yourself for the hurt later. However, all that shame melted away when he turned your head and caught your lips. He pulled away and seemed to dawn a sheepish smile.

“Heh… I’m just as virgin as you are, my flower~” he said as he positioned himself at your entrance. “Besides, you were the only one I dreamt of having like this…”

Your heart soared at his words. This all had to be a dream. It was too good to be true.

But here he was, ready to take away your virginity and unite the two of you as one. However, once he positioned himself, you saw his own blush intensify and his brow furrowed with concern as he met your eyes.

“D-Do you still want to…? Just say no and I’ll leave with no damage done…” he said as he lovingly rubbed your thighs.

You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand. You practically scorched him with the love in your eyes. “I want you, Karamatsu… only you.”

Karamatsu turned his head to place a tender kiss into your hand, then started sliding himself into you. You tensed in pain as he tore through your maidenhead and filled you to capacity. You squeezed your eyes shut as your body struggled to adjust to his throbbing member. You heard him shudder a moan at the warm feel of you. Karamatsu reached up to touch your cheek and you willed yourself to open an eye to see him breathing heavily and staring at you with adoration. His eyebrows furrowed with intensity.

“Please, look at me, (y/n)…” he whispered desperately. “I want to see your eyes when I take you…”

He began rocking against you gently to help your body accommodate to him. Karamatsu had prepared your body well. And you were already so wet and ready for him… Your pained grunts turned into soft moans before long. And then full-on cries of pleasure as Karamatsu stroked you deep and hard. You locked your ankles around his back and clutched his shoulders as he quickened his pace and deepened his thrusts, groaning into your neck. He gripped your thighs tightly as he pumped himself into you over and over again until you couldn’t see straight. In your dreams he felt great. But in reality, he was incredible. You arched your back and met karamatsu stroke for stroke.

“A-ah! K-Karamatsu!” You cried out as you dug your nails into his shoulders. He continued to pound himself into you roughly as he sought out your orgasm. Before long, you felt waves of unbridled ecstasy start to ripple through you. You clung to Karamatsu as he drove you into paradise. “P-Please… I-I-I’m gonna…!” Your body shook upon release. Your toes curled and you clung to him as you cried out his name in pure satisfied bliss.

Karamatsu panted hard against your neck, occasionally planting kisses there. “T-that’s it, (y/n)… cum for me, my love~” he moaned into your shoulder before pounding into you harder, intensifying your orgasm and seeking his own. His head practically spun at the sensation of your body spasming around his cock. “God, you feel so good…”

You saw stars as he spurred your orgasm on until he too found that moment of rapture. Karamatsu’s body shuddered above you as he released into you. His grip on your hips loosened and he pulled back to meet your eyes. He stared down at your quivering body, practically dizzy from cumming.

You were a panting, sweaty mess beneath him. Your bare breasts rose and fell with each deep breath you took and your skin shone in the moonlight… you looked positively divine. Karamatsu groaned as he slid out of you and gathered you into his arms. He sat up and set you in his lap as he started re-lacing the front of your dress. You watched him in silence as he did his best to get you back into a presentable form. Touching you gently as if you were a fragile doll.

“My precious jewel… you are magnificent.” He said breathlessly as he looked you over. “I couldn’t have asked for a lovelier bride…”

You froze at his words. “B-Bride!?”

He looked off to the side in thought. “Hmmm… perhaps we are moving a little too fast, huh? I suppose I could give you some more time to think about-”

“N-No! I mean, Y-yes, I want…” you bit your lip as a blush settled on your face. “I love you, Karamatsu… I’d love to marry you.”

A handsome smile graced his features as he looked deep into your eyes. “Truly, I am the luckiest man in the world~” Karamatsu pulled you into a passionate kiss as he ran a hand through your hair lovingly. You pulled away and rested your head against his chest. You started to feel the warm embrace of sleep start to take you as you listened to his heart beating in your ear. However, Karamatsu stirred you when he nuzzled his face into your neck with a content sigh.

“Since I can no longer receive anymore roses from you, Would you accompany me in my bed tonight, (y/n)?” He asked.

You nodded happily. Karamatsu picked you up in his arms bridal style and carried you to the castle. The last thing you remember seeing before finally drifting off into a blissful sleep was Karamatsu curling up behind you, holding you close to him…

And a bouquet of roses sitting on the table beside his bed.

———————–

It’s been a while since I’ve written. And this is my very first reader insert so constructive criticism is very much appreciated :)

[trig-loves-clowning-around]

To the clowns! One day their mate wake up with a sudden amnesia, they get scared and scream about a stranger having them in a strange place, what would the clowns do? (Srry feel like being a bit angsty today 😅😅)

Okay okay okay okay! IGTO REALLY EXCITED with some of them. as for Trig, Joyce and Tizzy they don’t know cause they’ve never had a mate or any connection like that.so enjoy these short drabbles)

SNOOZY

I woke up to my body being flung across the room. I had woken from a peaceful sleep with Spades, my body was already sore from the night prior but the shock from being thrown at the wall made my body shake. “who ARE YOU” my lover roared “Where is ELLIE?!” i flinched at her name. I started to cry “B-baby d-don’t you r..remember me?” I choked out cowered by the wall as he stalked up to me. I didn’t want to fight back…I didn’t want to hurt him. So I made no room to stop him. I collected our blanket around me as a weak barrier while he stood their in his bare glory. “If you don’t tell me right now I WILL tear you to shreds.” he growled his clawed hand which I knew only to caress me lovingly coming down to strike me before a pink body flew through the air a long tail strangling Spadius as Joyce struggled to move him. When Tizzy joined in he was moved and restrained…

All I could do was cry.

PO

she’s not responding the way she normally does. Obviously something was wrong, I mean her screaming made it a bit obvious that my mate didn’t remember anything. Shaking lightly as I hear our child crying from the commotion. It seemed that the crying clicked into Dolly’s head and she rushed out of the room. I was worried she was going to get hurt so i followed into the nursery.Where I saw Dolly holding our child in her arm whispering quietly to them. She turned facing me demanding to know who i was and what was going on. I felt like I was going to cry. Slowly approaching her I put my hand on her shoulder.“It’s me love. Po your mate. and this is our baby” I whispered starting to cry. I couldn’t lose her.So I swooped her into my arms back to our room, much to her protest and our child’s whines. Once we got there I made the door disappear laying them on our bed wrapping around them  protectively praying that she would remember.

SPADIUS

I awoke to the sound of whimpering in the early hours of the morning. a hand shoving me off the bed. Sitting up I turned to observe my mate backing away slowly, he was sweating as he looked at the door as it he were prepared to make a dash for it. “Wh-who are you…” Snoozy stuttered trying to hold himself in a confident manner. “Spadius… Your mate?” I questioned staring at him hoping for any kind of recognition to spark in his eyes but… nothing. “I-I don’t h-h-have a mate” he growled backing until he was backed up against the wall, not wanting to startle him I stood slowly. “Then why do you have one of my deadlights and I have one of yours?> I mumbled letting my ‘true mouth’ open to show the cluster of green lights with one bright magenta light brightly humming through my body. He paused his panic before staring at his hand opening his true mouth to show the opposite effect in him. he looked up at me confused before letting his mouth close.“I-I don’t remember you?” he questioned approaching my much larger frame. “I know… but I don’t want to lose you Snooze… So how about I tell you about myself.” I grunted as I prayed that it would jog his memories or… if necessaryBuild our relationship again.

BOZO

When she screamed I thought she was dying but no…She was scared of me… Maddie was… was screaming because of me… I thought she said she loved me? I could only cry desperate to try and calm her down calling Muffin in. She loves cats so maybe Muffin will help. I thought as she bolted toward our bedroom door. faster then her I picked her up apologizing over and over as i moved her back to our bed wrapping myself around her hoping Muffin would come in soon and help me calm her down…

[providentially-demonic]

The Devil and the Dead: Chapter Seven

Based on @ectoimp‘s absorbing AU sketches (Most of which can be found here!).  

I’m giving credit and kudos to @arthur-tristan-kingsmen, @phantoms-lair, @answrs and of course, the illustrious @ectoimp for some of the discourse which guided the idea from vague AU to the story that does not want to stop running through my head. And for constantly adding new cute headcanons that are promising to make this longer.

Summary:  At first all he knew was darkness— rage, pain and the ultimate sting of betrayal.  And then Lewis opened his eyes…

Back to Chapter Six

Chapter Seven: Re’living’ History

It took a while for sleep to finally overwhelm Arthur’s efforts to fight it off, but he finally sank into a restless slumber. Lewis carefully draped a sheet over him, and looked down at his heart locket still caged in Arthur’s fingers. He thought about removing it, since he really wanted to show Vivi the photo inside of it, but thought it might be better to leave it with Arthur for the moment. He needed it more.

Lewis rose to his feet and with a thought, set two of his deadbeats to watch, one inside to keep an eye on Arthur and warn him if he woke or had a nightmare and the other to stand guard outside the door. He didn’t trust Mystery not to try something. Right now he couldn’t afford to trust Mystery all all.

Speaking of... Lewis turned his attention back to the deadbeat he’d left stationed with Vivi and Mystery, though honestly, he wasn’t expecting much but stony silence. When Vivi declared she wasn’t talking to someone, she meant it. But instead of the anticipated quiet, he heard Mystery still whining softly. “Vivi— please. You’re not safe here. They— this place is dangerous. Please, listen to me!”

The doubled-vision showed Mystery dancing impatiently around Vivi’s legs, having reverted to his smaller, more familiar form.

Vivi, standing by one of the windows, was ignoring him completely. She was idly fingering a fold of one of the curtains, her creased brow and distant look indicating she was deep in thought. Lewis wanted to just stare at her through the deadbeat’s eyes, drinking in the sight of her like water in the desert. He’d missed her so much.

Mystery, however, wasn’t giving up his efforts to make her leave them again. “Vivi, you’re in danger here. We can come back later, better prepared for— for what we might encounter.”

That got a reaction from her, but obviously not the one Mystery was going for. “I’m not leaving.”

Mystery shook his head in angry frustration. “Vivi, you know I could just carry you off—”

“I’d love to see you try.” Her tone was icy and now she turned a glare on Mystery.

“ —But then you would never listen to me again, and I need you to listen now. You can’t trust anything they say.” Mystery’s ears were flat to his skull.”I know you don’t want to believe me, but that’s not him. It can’t be! That was holy water I threw on it! You saw what happened yourself. No demon can bear the touch of holy water! It burns them. If it were Arthur, he wouldn’t have been harmed!” Mystery snapped air again in frustration. “You have to listen to me. You can’t trust that creature, no matter whose face it wears; and I don’t know what kind of hold it has over Lew—”

Vivi whirled around, her face alight with fierce glee. “So we do know him! How? Was he the other person that I can’t remember?” She latched onto the ruff on either side of Mystery’s cheeks. “Tell me the truth!”

Mystery tried to shake his head free of her grasp, but failed. Vivi yanked his furry face closer to hers. “Talk, mutt, or I swear I’ll let Grandma have a go at getting it out of you!”

“Yes,” Mystery said at last with a defeated sigh. “He’s the one you can’t remember. His name is Lewis— Lewis Pepper.”

“Pepper?” Vivi’s brow creased. “Pepper, as in the nice family that kept visiting me in the hospital?” She released Mystery, thinking hard. “Is he related to them?”

Mystery sighed and nodded slowly, “Yes. He— he’s the eldest son.”

“Is he important to us?”

“He was—” Lewis got the impression Mystery was choosing his words carefully. “A member of the team. He and Arthur were best friends... since forever, it seems.” He seemed to be thinking hard on what to say next, and as Lewis didn’t trust him to not tell Vivi more lies about Arthur; he hurried his pace. “He—”

“Don’t you think I should be the one telling her more about myself?” Lewis interrupted, entering the room.

Vivi looked up, relief brightening her eyes. “Mr. Pepper! Please, how is Arthur?”

Lewis leveled a flat stare at Mystery. “Resting for the moment. He’s... not well.” Considering that he could sense Arthur’s troubled sleep through both the deadbeat and the proximity of his locket, ‘not well’ was understating the case.

“Could I see him later, please, Mr. Pepper?” Vivi pled.

“Of course you may.” Lewis couldn’t help but smile lovingly at her. So very worried for Arthur. Without amnesia, she would never have abandoned them in the cave. “He’ll be very glad to see you. He’s missed you too. And please, call me Lewis. Mr. Pepper is my father.”

Mystery made a strange sound deep in his chest and Lewis transferred his gaze to him warningly. “You are not welcome to visit him. I think you’ve done quite enough harm.” He bared his teeth at the dog in something that wasn’t a smile.

Mystery ducked his head, a whining growl building in his throat. “I don’t know what hold that creature has over you—”

Lewis’s temper frayed a little. “It’s called friendship. You might try it sometime.”

Mystery ducked his head, ears canting backwards. “That’s not you talking.” He actually sounded hurt. “Lewis wouldn’t be so—”

“What? Justifiably angry?” Lewis wasn’t going to fall for his act. He.folded his arms and stared down at Mystery. “Wrong. He would be, because he is. Maybe you think you're protecting Vivi, but...” He shook his head heavily. “I’m not going to argue right now. I’m too angry to think straight. But I will warn you right now, if you ever try to hurt Arthur again, I will—”

“That isn’t Ar—”

“I dare you to spout that lie one more time,” Lewis simmered with barely controlled anger. “I’ve been with him since— well, since! Do you think I wouldn’t know my best friend?!”

“I think you are seeing what you want to see!” Mystery raged, teeth bared in a snarl. “I tried, but I was too late to save either of you.” That odd, mournful sound came from his mouth again. “I had to save Vivi, don’t you see?!”

Lewis saw purple out of the corner of one eye and realized flames were licking around his clenched fists. Struggling to extinguish them cooled his temper just enough to answer calmly. “I do. But I also see that you couldn’t be bothered to check back once she was safe. Were we just not that important to you? Even though you knew what it would do to Vivi?”

“As much as I’d love to know what’s going on, stop talking around me. I’m right here.” Vivi glared at both of them, small fists propped on her hips

“Vivi—” Mystery began.

“Don’t you Vivi me, bucko. I want an explanation and I want it now.” She leaned down into Mystery’s face. “Start talking.”

Mystery growled, ears flicking nervously. “There were four of us,” he said at last. “You and I, Arthur and Lewis—”

Vivi made a little triumphant sound and glanced sideways at Lewis. He smiled to see it.

“We were searching the cave because of reports of strange occurrences and po— happenings there.” Mystery continued reluctantly. “There— the cave, it made me nervous, but I could not get a... a bead on what I was sensing. Arthur, he— because of his sensitivity, was even more frightened of the cave than his normal— wariness... about supernatural situations. Perhaps we all would have done well to listen to him.”

“And—?” Vivi prompted when he hesitated too long.

“I— failed to sense it in time to prevent something terrible from befalling us.” Mystery looked down at his paws.

Lewis was too angry to buy into the ‘poor me’ posture. “You certainly seemed to know something was wrong enough to leave Vivi and follow us.”

“Because that is where I sensed the most danger!” Mystery snapped, head coming up to fix Lewis with a scathing glare. “I didn’t know what we were walking into.”

“What did we walk into?” Vivi narrowed her eyes at Mystery. “I want the truth.”

Mystery clacked his teeth together with a frustrated sound. “There was— something in the cave. Old, and malicious. I sensed what it was planning just a little too late. I tried, but I couldn’t save anyone.” An eerie, mournful sound began in his throat. “I failed, and all I could do was get you out of there before it got you too.”

“What happened? What did you do?” Vivi was leaning down into Mystery’s face.

“I got you away and sealed the cave.” Mystery looked away, his entire posture one long line of sorrow.

Lewis huffed, glaring down at Mystery. “Why don’t you tell her the truth?”

Vivi’s bright blue eyes peered up at him suspiciously. “What truth?”

Lewis hated seeing that look directed at him, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t remember him. He doubted she would give his words more credence than Mystery’s, but he had to try. “It... I suppose the best thing to call it was a demon. Arthur, he was vulnerable to it. It got into him, stole control of his body from him. It used his body to— to—” Lewis couldn’t force the words out of his mouth. He’d come to terms with it, really he had, but it was still too painful to say. As much as he’d wanted to reunite with Vivi, this was not at all how he’d imagined it.

“To—” Vivi stepped up to him, laying a gentle hand on his wrist. “To kill you, right? That’s what it did? It killed you.”

Lewis could only stare at her slender fingers on his arm. They were warm and solid and he wanted so much to take them in his own. “I— how?”

Vivi glanced down at the floor. “You don’t have a shadow.”

The afternoon sunlight through the curtains had painted long shadows on the wood floor under her and Mystery, but not of him. Lewis had never even realized...

“The demon took over Arthur and used him to kill you. Then what happened?” Vivi’s tone was soft and sympathetic.

Lewis tore his eyes away from her hand on his wrist with difficulty and stared sourly at Mystery, who was looking oddly at Vivi, his head cocked so far to one side it looked like his neck was broken. “You going to tell her?”

Mystery snapped his head upright and stared back at Lewis. Behind his tiny glasses, his eyes were damp.”I— she couldn’t remember. I couldn’t tell her that! I—” He threw back his head with an agonized howl. “I didn’t want her to know. How could I tarnish her memory of Arthur by telling her a demon stole his body to murder the per— someone?!” He bought his head back down to stare at Lewis with tormented eyes. “How could I let that ruin her memory of him?! Arthur wouldn’t have wanted that for her!”

Vivi’s hand dropped from Lewis’s arm as she whirled to glare at the remorseful mutt. “Are you seriously that special? Do you really think I would let what some asshole demon did color my perceptions so badly?”

“Errr... yes?” Mystery’s tone made it sound like a question, confusion filling his face and his ears canted out to the sides.

Vivi rolled her eyes. “Jee-zeus banana-fish, Mystery. Nice to know what you think of my mental facilities.” She stomped over to grab his muzzle and pull his head up. “Listen here, butt-sniffer extraordinaire. Did you honestly think I would hold the actions he did under possession against him?”

Mystery yipped indignantly and pulled his muzzle free. “I didn’t sense the possession until too late! How would you have known any better? You would have thought Arthur—!”

“No, I wouldn’t have.” Vivi said with complete confidence. “I know Arthur. He wouldn’t have hurt anyone, unless it was to protect someone else. And if—” she waved one hand in Lewis’s direction. “Lewis here— was also one of his best friends, Arthur would have never done a fucking thing to hurt him!”

“Vivi—” Mystery tried.

“I’m through. I’m tired of half-answers and evaded questions. I want some real answers. They better start being provided.” Vivi folded her arms and glared down over the rim of the glasses. “And I guess my senses are better than yours, because that was Arthur, not some demon you attacked. So I’d like an answer for that attack as well.”

“No!” Mystery barked. “Vivi, no! That wasn’t Arthur. It couldn’t be! Arthur died in that cave!”

Too late, it seemed, Mystery realized that was the entirely wrong thing to say. He flinched backwards from the storm of rage brewing on Vivi’s face.

“Funny thing about that,” Vivi’s voice was sharp enough to cut glass. “I told you I believed Arthur was still alive, even after the evidence the police brought us. I was certain. You...” She poked Mystery’s nose hard with one outstretched finger. “You didn’t even try to convince me otherwise. You said that you couldn’t remember what happened in the cave, so there was a chance he was still alive. And yet, here he is, very much alive, and now you’re trying to tell me he’s dead. Which is the lie and which is the truth? Because right now, I’m inclined to believe everything you’ve ever told me is a lie!”

Lewis wisely decided not to say anything. He didn’t want her ire turning on him. She was magnificent in her controlled rage and Mystery was obviously enough cowed by it.

Mystery went belly-down on the floor, stub of a tail tucked and ears pressed flat to his neck. “Vivi—”

“I’d better start hearing some truth outta you.” Viv wasn’t giving an inch.

Neither, it seemed was Mystery, who only whined and tried to press himself even further into the wooden floor.

Lewis sighed and ventured carefully, “Maybe I can start and he can fill in some of the blanks—?” It seemed a wiser course of action than letting Mystery fill the silence with more accusations to fling at Arthur.

Vivi turned to face him a smile as bright as the dawn breaking on her face. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea— Lewis, wasn’t it?”

Those three words caused a sick feeling to ripple through Lewis’s entire being, but he covered it with a pleasant smile. “It is. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll fill in what I can for you.”

Mystery’s head came up and he whimpered softly, but said nothing, too wary of invoking another display of Vivi’s temper.

Vivi sat on the couch, sunlight from the window behind her haloing her blue hair. Her smile was eager, like a child promised a treat and Lewis’s stomach sank at the thought of making that expression fade with the truth of what had happened in the cave. But she deserved to know the truth and she would thank none of them for trying to hide it from her.

Lewis took a seat opposite her on one of the purple-velvet wingback chairs. “So, like Mystery told you, the four of us were going to explore a cave. You... I don’t know how much you remember, but you had researched a lot of the paranormal tales about the area, and the cave seemed to be the focal point of all of them. Just inside the entrance, Arthur— He got even more spooked than usual. He said the place had a really bad vibe to it. He tried to get us to leave, but didn’t try again after you reminded him that that’s what we were there for, to deal with the problem before someone else got hurt— or worse.”

Lewis closed his eyes, seeing the dank, green-tinted walls of the place in his mind again. “Just inside the entrance, the tunnel split into two, one leading up and the other going down. Arthur and I took the high road and you and Mystery were supposed to head down. But Mystery followed us instead.”

“I told you, I sensed more danger the way you two were going!” Mystery protested.

“Didn’t do us a whole lot of good, now did it?” Lewis didn’t open his eyes to look at the dog, instead reliving the night in the cave. “Our path took us up a narrow tunnel, that widened out into a cliff overlooking... what looked to be a sea of stalagmites in an eerie greenish mist that almost seemed to glow. Arthur was even more nervous, but I— I went right up to the edge, trying to see if there was a source for the luminescence. He warned me to stay away from the edge, but—”

Lewis swallowed hard, even though he no longer had a gorge to rise. “Artie— he made this s-strangled sound, and when I turned to see, there was— a hand against my chest, shoving me backwards and over the l-lip.” Lewis shivered, trying hard not to remember the feeling of falling, or the sudden bright shock of pain that brought it all to an abrupt end.

“I didn’t remember it til I c-came back, but I saw his face. Half of it was terrified and crying and the other half... it was tinted green, and laughing. I think I heard you scream and I know I saw or imagined you... spattered with blood, but for a time, there was nothing.” Lewis trembled again, knotting his fingers together in his lap.

Warm fingers brushed over his and surprised, Lewis opened his eyes. Vivi had scooted forward to the edge of her seat and leaned forward, her arm outstretched to touch him. “I don’t remember any of this, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for dragging up such things.”

Lewis manage a shaky smile and patted her fingers. “No. While I’m glad you can’t remember— that part, at least— you need to know what happened.”

Vivi smiled at him, and even though he knew she couldn’t remember him, it was comforting. Lewis gave her another wobbly smile and tried to compose himself to remember his own personal hell. “W-when I— woke up, I guess? I was angry, because all I could remember was— was Arthur pushing me. But that’s when I saw—” God, it hurt to remember, and he didn’t want to describe Arthur’s horrific injuries to her. “Arthur had fallen too. I— I— it was bad. All of the anger went out and all I could think was that— the cave had killed him too.”

Lewis thought idly if he could still breathe, he’d be close to hyperventilating now. The memory of Arthur impaled like that lurked in the back of his brain and made his whole being feel sick. “I thought he was dead too, until I was holding him and he gasped. He— he was bleeding all over the place and— and hurt so bad, but he was aware of the thing in his head and was trying to get away— to keep it from— h-hurting me.” The next part was even harder to put into words. “He c-convulsed and then for a minute it wasn’t him, but the thing that— that killed me. But it reached for me and then Arthur was back, fighting t-to keep it away from me.” Lewis had to fight to keep himself from shaking. It still felt as fresh as when it happened. The strange echoing voice emerging from Arthur’s bloody lips and the acid green eye staring back at him... he’d never forget that horrifying moment. And then, Arthur had been back, in horrible pain from his injuries, but still fighting with the monster in his mind to protect Lewis.

“Arthur would do that,” Vivi said with a watery smile, reaching out to squeeze his hands again. “He always thinks of others first.”

Lewis gave her a grateful smile. “Yes. He really does.”

Mystery made a disgruntled sound, but said nothing. Vivi side-eyed him, but when he remained silent, turned her attention back to Lewis. “And...?”

“He spent most of the time unconscious or delirious, fighting with the thing in his mind. He was healing, but at the same time, his body was changing into what you saw.” Lewis said carefully, turning his eyes onto Mystery who was squirming in place, like he wanted to say something, but he kept his muzzle shut. “He was— hurt— for a long time. But eventually he came to his senses...” Lewis intensified his glare on Mystery. “He remembered you attacking him, there on the cliff.”

“I was trying to save him!” Mystery burst out. “I was too late to save you, but I could have saved him if I could have taken the point of infection! But—” He whined mournfully and shook his head. “The creature pulled him free of my grasp and stepped backwards, off the edge. It killed him! I saw the awareness in Arthur’s eyes as he fell. The monster left him to die!”

Rage bubbled up in Lewis’s chest again. “You left him to die! You sealed us into that damned cave. You never came back, even though you knew there was a chance at least our spirits lingered! You could have come back!”

“I had to protect Vivi! If I had let that demon out of the cave, it might have come after her!”

“I can protect myself, Mystery, or did you forget that?” Vivi’s tone was cold.

“You weren’t yourself! You were dazed and almost catatonic! I had to herd you out of there like a child!” Mystery scowled, ruff bristling.

Lewis might have said something else in his rage at the dog, but a frantic bid for attention from the deadbeat he had left with Arthur cooled his temper. A moment later, a panicked scream rang from the hallway.

With a curse, Lewis took off down the hall. Vivi was hot on his heels but he didn’t have the attention to spare her. Through his locket, he could sense Arthur’s panic and confusion, woken from a nightmare and in pain.

Lewis bolted past the deadbeat he’d left to guard the room, hurrying to Arthur’s bedside, where Arthur was trying to thrash free of the sheets and pillows. The bandages on his wings seemed to be adding to his panic, because his wings kept flexing against the binding of the gauze.

“Arthur!” Lewis rushed to untangle Arthur, helping him sit upright and catching his chin to turn Arthur’s wild-eyed gaze his way. “Shh— Arthur... I’m right here. You’re okay. It was a nightmare.”

“Lew...?” Arthur’s voice was soft, almost childlike in its sleepy confusion. “I t-think I had a nightmare, but I was dreaming about Vivi before that...” He hesitated, licking chapped lips. “Hurts...”

“Shh—” Lewis soothed, smoothing back Arthur’s damp hair.

“Artie—?” Vivi’s voice trembled a little. She stepped up beside Lewis and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch Arthur’s cheek. “Hey, there.”

Arthur’s breath caught in his throat and he lifted one hand from the locket to touch hers on his face. “Vi? Am I still dreaming?” His voice was still soft and thick with sleep.

Vivi’s voice caught on a sob. “No. I’m here. I finally found you.” Tears welling in her eyes, she leaned forward to press a tender kiss on his forehead, right between his horns. “I’m right here.”

“Vivi—” Arthur hiccupped a sob and hauled Vivi into a hug with desperate strength. “I thought we’d never see you again!” He buried his face in her shoulder, his breath hitching.

Vivi went willingly into the hug, tears spilling down her cheeks and a huge grin stretching her lips. “I’d’ve kept searching til I found you. You can’t get rid of me that easily!”

Lewis couldn’t help the huge grin on his face. Maybe they were still a little battered and broken around the edges, but they were all together again.

A white streak darted from the doorway, shaking off the deadbeat trying to restrain it. Mystery dodged past Lewis and sprang for the bed, snatching the forgotten locket from Arthur’s lap in his teeth. He kicked off the bed, forcing a frightened wail from Arthur, who recoiled violently, and bolted for the doorway, shedding his smaller form as he went.

“I’m sorry!” His voice trailed in his wake. “You’ll forgive me later when I’ve freed you from the demon’s influence!” 

Then he was gone in a flare of reddish flames.