#...it's like getting stuck in a loop ~ swaying back and forth to brokenness x euphoria x emptiness x wholeness...

[aoitakumi8148]

[Left behind] 𝟙 of 𝟙.

𝓜𝓲𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓵𝓮𝓼 𝓐𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓗𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓐 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓮, 𝓝𝓸 𝓜𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓗𝓸𝔀 𝓒𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓜𝓪𝔂 𝓑𝓮.

Come close, and I will touch you. Talk to me, and I will relax. Bound me to your rules, and I will remain a volunteer. Punish me, and I will accept it. Take the organ along with the flower I give you, and your precious life will be saved. Vanish, and the eternity will make us more hollow than ever. We can't continue together, we can't die together, but perhaps the very power of this unhealable wound will help me to keep my bits of humanity...

[suneatersupportsquad]

means something; dream

summary: dream loses his last canon life and no one has the heart to tell the reader. the reader is in denial, confused as to why their dream isn’t coming home.

dedication: @lemonlime-system​

genre: angst, romance

pairing: c!dream x reader

characters: c!dream, c!fundy, c!nihachu, c!ranboo, c!ph1lza, c!wilbur soot, c!sapnap

word count: 2.8k

warnings: angst, alcohol, character death

a/n: this is obviously not canon so please don’t take this as such. also i’ve never written dream before so i apologize if this is a little ooc. if y’all have any suggestions on how i can improve writing for dream (or anyone else), please let me know because i’ve only recently gotten invested in the SMP. thank you :))

important links: lizzy mcalpine - means something  masterlist

I saw your name on a street sign In the middle of nowhere And that has to mean something

You and Fundy had been messing around on the server all day, this being one of your boyfriend’s busier days. You didn’t want to let yourself miss out on any of the shenanigans on the SMP just because your boyfriend couldn’t be online, so you rang up Fundy and decided to muck around a little. The two of you had been sprinting down one of the paths when you had noticed a new sign at one of the many intersections. You stopped and crouched down to read it, Fundy watching you curiously. Suddenly, you giggled. “Hey, it says Dream Street,” you beamed, turning to face him.

“What?” he laughed, stooping down to inspect it. After a moment, he straightened back up. “Huh, I guess it does.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!!” you gushed, bouncing a little. “Would you mind taking a picture of me with it, Fundy? I wanna show him later.”

After laughing a little at your face-splitting smile, he agreed. You struck a cute pose beside the sign and smiled as the Dutch man crouched a little and took the picture.

I know your zodiac sign Me and Leos get along great And that has to mean something

“Are you on your astrology shit again?” your boyfriend asked as he laid across from you on the bed, an amused smile curling his lips.

“No,” you giggled, dragging it out as you opened an app on your phone. Co-star lit up your screen as you pulled your knees to your chest. “On a completely unrelated note, your birthday’s August 12th, right?”

Dream playfully rolled his eyes, nudging you with his foot. He busied himself with the strings of his hoodie, fake-ignoring you. Looking up at you, you raised your eyebrows. Well? Your partner huffed and cracked a smile. “Yes, my birthday’s August 12th.”

You hummed, nodding a little and typing some stuff into your phone. “Huh.”

Dream looked up at you, eyebrows furrowed. “What?” You looked up from your phone with the smallest, fond smile on your face. When you didn’t answer, he tried again. “What? What are you huh-ing about?”

Your smile grew a little as you started to speak. “It says that me and Leos get along great.”

“Oh my god-”

“You know what that means?” you asked, cheeks dusting pink.

The boy sitting across from you snickered a little, short puffs of air leaving his nose. “No, what does it mean?” he replied, deciding to humor you.

“Our love was written in the stars!” you exclaimed dramatically, flopping over onto his legs. “It was meant to be.” You beamed up at him, clasping your hands together.

Dream sat up, brushing a stray hair behind your ear. The smile that curved his lips was real this time, not playful or mocking or amused. It was warm and fond and home. “It sure was.”

But for some reason You’re not here And I refuse to believe That means something

You’d been there for hours, waiting. He said he’d meet you at the bench - your��bench. He said he’d meet you and you’d go for a walk and watch the sunset like you’d been planning. You had your little picnic blanket and your backpack and your dinner all packed up, probably no longer warm. You’d been ready, giddy all day, excited to watch the sunset with your one love and look at the stars and make up stupid, fake constellations and laugh at each other’s antics. You’d brought the little flower you’d made out of a piece of scrap paper too while wandering around aimlessly earlier, another little paper craft for his collection. You’d been excited. So excited that you couldn’t bring yourself to acknowledge the dark feeling in the pit of your stomach; the feeling that something was wrong.

You refused to leave the bench, even as the breeze picked up and the sun neared the horizon. Sure, it wasn’t like Dream to be so late without giving you some sort of heads up, but maybe he was just this one time. Maybe he got caught up doing business with someone and he’d forgotten to shoot you a message. Maybe he forgot something and he had to run back home and grab it. Maybe he got stuck setting up one of his Classic Dream Surprises and had lost track of time. Maybe-

Many of your friends passed you on the path near your bench, gazing at you sympathetically but not stopping to talk. No one had the heart to break the news to you. Niki and Ranboo had lingered on the path for a little bit, whispering back and forth, debating whether or not they should check up on you. They eventually decided against it and went to go get Phil.

You bounced your leg and clutched the blanket a little tighter. It’ll be fine, he’s just running late.

I felt the way that you hugged me When I was broken inside And that has to mean something

He was gone. Wilbur was dead.

Your ears were ringing. The news had been on loop in your head since you’d received it. He’s gone, Y/N. He’s gone.

You and Wilbur had been relatively close - one could even go as far as to say that he was one of your best friends. Although you loved him dearly, you couldn’t say that you didn’t see it coming. Unfortunately, that didn’t dull that shock that came with the news. Dream had been out on business when you’d heard, and you’d been laid up in bed ever since. You refused to look in the mirror, already well aware of how rough you probably looked. Your eyes were swollen and red from crying, and you’d been wearing the same big hoodie all day. For the past two hours you’d been doing nothing but staring up at the ceiling, replaying every little moment you could remember from your friendship in your head. It hurt. Everything hurt.

You hadn’t heard when the front door opened. Or when Dream called out into the eerily quiet house, announcing that he was home. Or even the steps of your boyfriend approaching from down the hall. He opened the door, confused to see you in bed, puffy-eyed and motionless. You sat up in bed when you noticed a blur of green standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

The two of you stared at one another for a moment, the tension nearly palpable. Dream’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as he stared at you in a vain effort to assess the situation, neither of you breathing. He blinked and your bottom lip began to quiver. Concerned, he look forward and you let out a wail, tears spilling down your cheeks.

He caught you, kneeling awkwardly over you on the bed to hold you tight against his chest. “What’s wrong, baby? What happened?”

“He’s - gone,” you managed out between sobs.

“Who’s gone, honey?”

“Wil-” You hiccupped. “Wilbur’s dead.”

I felt the way that you kissed me When we got too drunk that night And that had to mean something

It was a good night; you and your boyfriend were sat around your candlelit coffee table having a celebratory drink. Celebrating what, you may ask? Well, no other occasion than Dream successful negotiating with a business partner. You couldn’t quite put your finger on why this negotiation was more important that your partner’s other successful business ventures, but his excitement was enough for you to give in.

You’d started drinking and talking around sunset. It was now nearing midnight and the two of you found yourselves dancing, slowly swaying to the tune of Dream’s humming. He lifted his chin from the top of your head, and you looked up to meet his gaze, curious. Leaning down, he rested his forehead against yours. “Can I kiss you?”

His breath fanned across your face, warming your already pink cheeks. Your lips curled in a lazy smile. He smelled like red wine and something smoky. You loved him like this, all close and vulnerable and yours.

Scrunching up your nose, you scoffed. “Can you kiss me?” you mocked playfully, leaning into him a little more. “Of course you can kiss me; we’re dating, love.”

“I just wanted to make sure,” he replied breathily, leaning down to lock your lips. Your noses brushed together, your eyelashes fluttering against his cheek. You clasped your hands behind his neck, leaning up the slightest bit on your tiptoes, and he held your elbows. The kiss was timid, but it warm and him and love and home. It was soft and sweet and comfortable. He kissed you like he was promising you the future, that everything would be okay. Like he was telling you he would always be there to take care of you.

When you pulled away, he moved to cup your cheeks, keeping your foreheads pressed together. For a good, long while, the two of you stayed standing like that, just swaying and smiling at each other.

But for some reason You’re not here And I refuse to believe That means something

You’d curled up on the bench by now, knees pulled up to your chest and wrapped in your picnic blanket. He’s coming, you assured yourself, chin tucked into your hoodie. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon and you’d resorted to tapping your foot against the wood of the bench in the awkward position. You didn’t bother checking your clock; you didn’t want to know how long you’d been waiting anymore. You just wanted to sit there and wait until your boyfriend showed up.

The paper flower you’d so carefully made for him had been cupped between your palms for hours now, probably sweaty and wilted. You’d thought about setting it down - but what if it blew away? What if you accidentally lost it?

You lost yourself a little staring out into the distance, trying to make out some kind of constellation in the inky darkness of the night. Sighing you slumped a little, trying not to let your paranoia get the best of you. At least you were both under the same sky. It was admittedly getting pretty chilly, but you didn’t care. You’d wait at your bench until Dream got here.

A hand gently met your shoulder, and you jumped. You smiled excitedly, relaxing. “Finally-” you started, turning to face him. Your smile dropped when, instead, you turned to be met with Phil’s sad smile. Confused and somewhat disappointed, you cocked your head. “Hi.”

“Hi, Y/N,” the older man greeted softly, moving around the bench. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Your brows furrowed once again, concerned. He seemed really serious. Scooting to one side, you patted the space beside you. “Yeah, of course. Whatever you need.”

He sighed sadly at that, taking a seat next to you on the bench. “I have some news,” he started carefully.

“News?” you echoed, sounding a little empty.

Phil inhaled deeply, sensing that you already knew that something was wrong. “Yeah, I have some news for you.”

You blinked slowly, turning to face him better. “Okay, what is it?”

“Let me start by saying however you react to this is totally okay, alright?” he began softly, watching as you nodded numbly.  “So, uhm.” He paused, wringing his hands. “Dream’s gone.”

“Yeah,” you said as if it were obvious. “He’s on his way here.”

“No, Y/N-” He paused again, trying to figure out how to word it delicately. “He’s not with us anymore.”

You scoffed in disbelief at Phil’s stubbornness. “Yes, Phil, I know. He’s away on business.”

“Y/N.” A sigh escaped his lips as he covered his mouth with his hand, now genuinely afraid of how you were processing things. “Y/N, he’s dead.” He waited for you to respond but, instead, you just blinked at him. “There was a disagreement during their meeting and things got out of hand-” Another pause. “He’s gone. I’m so sorry.”

Every time I think too much It ends up crazy I don’t know how to not think about you Every time I trust my gut I think I’m crazy ‘Cause I don’t know how to put my trust in you

It had been a few hours since you’d gotten the news, and the denial has slowly faded away. He would’ve texted you if he’d been running late. He wouldn’t have left you there for hours and hours, waiting for him on a little bench.

After the initial shock had worn off, you’d gone home to process things, and to say that things didn’t turn out pretty would be an understatement. Once you had gotten home, you went straight to your shared bedroom and made a mountain out of his clothes. Grabbing a case of beer from the fridge, you sat on the floor and stared at his stuff for a long while. You only had two bottles, knowing that drinking yourself out of feeling probably wouldn’t be the best solution right now, but you still sat there nursing your drink as the tears silently rolled down your cheeks. You couldn’t help but feel like you’d been here before.

By the time you’d heard the knock at your front door, the house was a mess. Picture frames were shattered, anything that belonged to Dream or reminded you of him was scattered about, his snacks were piled up on the kitchen counters, his shoes were stacked up behind the bedroom door - the entire house was in a state of complete chaos. And there you were, wailing and dragging yourself through the mess towards the front door. You swung open the door, which bounced off of an overflowing box of trinkets Dream had collected from you, and there was Sapnap standing awkwardly on your front porch.

You were suddenly aware of how rough you looked, red nose and puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks in all of your grieving glory. You’d put on a pair of his sweats and a random hoodie he’d gifted you for one of your anniversaries, both of which were obviously too big for you. You sniffled, looking up at the man sadly.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Sapnap asked softly, wondering what exactly was and wasn’t okay to ask someone who’d just heard that their partner had passed away.

Your eyebrows knit together and something inside of you broke. You tried to choke back a sob, but it came out as a sputtering cough as a waterfall of tears poured down your face. “No,” you wailed, slumping in on yourself and grabbing fistfuls of the extra fabric of the hoodie you were wearing. Losing a little bit of your self-control, you lurked forward and threw your arms around the other, who didn’t hesitate to pull you into himself. Rubbing circles into your back, he walked you back into the house. Navigating the mess of you trying to sort out all of Dream’s things was no easy task but, eventually, he led you to your living room. 

The both of you sat down on the couch, you still hugging him and him still rubbing circles into your back. He would hold you for as long as you needed, humming a little in a vain attempt to try and make you feel better. “I know it’s hard that he’s gone now,” he started, trying not to start crying himself. “But it’ll be okay, Y/N. I’ve got you.”

Do you think it means something That I wrote another song about you?

You sang softly, kicking your legs from where you sat at the edge of the cliff you’d found. It was some coping and recovery exercise Bad had recommended - writing songs or poems or stories or whatever about things you were struggling to come to terms with. You had to admit that it had helped some. When you’d first started with the writing, you’d chosen to start writing songs because you’d seen how happy Dream had been when he used to write music. You wanted a part of that. You wanted to understand what had made him so happy.

So you gave it a shot and here you were, singing a song you’d written for him, sitting on your picnic blanket and watching as the sun set, painting the sky with oranges and pinks. It almost felt as though he were right beside you, swaying along to the tune no matter how good or bad it was. You could feel him smiling down at you from wherever the hell he was. You were okay now. You were safe and recovering and taking care of yourself. Wherever he was, you’d make sure that he knew. He means something to you.

[get-your-fics]

Violent Delights - Chapter Two

Something Rotten

Summary: Bruce Wayne is addicted to a lot of things to distract from his dark urges, but his addiction to you might only increase them.

Pairing: dark!Bruce Wayne x reader

Series warnings: Violence, language, smut, rape/non-con, stalking, kidnapping, underage drinking, drug use, torture, abuse

CHAPTER ONE

Usually when I woke up, I rarely had any clear memories of the night before. I could remember going to the Towers, downing drink after drink, dancing under bright lights, and then waking up in my bed. There was a start and an end, but everything in between was hazy and blurred together, like a movie on fast forward.

But when I woke up this morning, I could remember every last detail of my interaction with you.

In fact, my imagination was running rampant all night because of you. Normally, what little hours of sleep I got a night were dreamless, and when I did dream, my mind was plagued with nightmares. But last night, my dreams were haunted by the sweet scent of your perfume and the feel of your soft, warm skin against mine. Sometimes, it was snippets of the conversation we had in the club, and other times, it was you laying bare on my bed beneath me, your legs spread and your skin flushed and shiny from sweat. Your hair fanned out around your head like a halo, and you stared straight up at me as breathy moans escaped from your parted, scarlet-painted lips. I guessed it had been pretty convincing, because my black, silk boxers were stained with cum when I woke up. Shame; they had been my favorite pair.

Another strange thing I noticed when I woke up: I was alone. I had collapsed onto my made bed last night with all my clothes on. I couldn’t remember the last time I had returned from the club on my own. I usually always took a girl home with me, whether I was particularly interested in her or not. Even if I had to chase her away in the morning, it beat trying to fall asleep alone only for the night terrors to come, tossing and turning as fearsome shadows terrorized my thoughts and jolting awake, dripping with sweat and my throat hoarse from screaming.

Alfred was out all day running errands so he couldn’t lecture me, and since I woke up in the afternoon, it wasn’t long before Tommy’s limousine pulled up in front of Wayne Manor. I lazily dressed in something similar to what I was wearing last night - blazer, tank, jeans, and dress shoes - and climbed into the back. I crawled past some girls I didn’t know and fell into a seat between Tommy and Grace.

“There he is!” Tommy clapped a hand on my shoulder and flashed me his bleached white teeth.

“Late as usual,” Grace hissed with a roll of her brown eyes.

“I’m surprised you were able to get out of bed at all today,” he teased me. “You were pretty messed up last night.”

“When am I not?” I laughed.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” Grace looped her arm through mine and snuggled up to my side. “I don’t think I could handle being around these idiots without you.”

I suppressed any sarcastic remarks that threatened to slip out and gave her a forced smile instead. She liked to think she was better than the rest of them but indulged in all the same bad behaviors. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I looked over at Tommy. His gaze shifted from Grace up to me, and he quirked an eyebrow. I merely shrugged my shoulder not occupied by Grace’s head in response.

The limousine started with a jerk and teared out of the long driveway leading to the manor. Pregame shots, as Tommy liked to call them, were passed around, and by the time we pulled up in front of the club, some of the girls were already tipsy. We piled out onto the sidewalk, smoke and the smell of cannabis wafting out of the limo behind us, and strutted past the long line of people waiting to get into the club. Most of them recognized me and tried to get my attention by frantically waving their hands in the air or hollering at me, but I ignored them. The bouncer gave me a firm nod and lifted the rope sealing off the entrance, allowing us to pass through.

The lights were a highly saturated magenta when we walked in. It was the same, usual environment: deafening music that made it impossible to hear one another without shouting, overwhelming heat that hit you like a wave and made it hard to breathe, the smell of perspiration and alcohol and cheap perfume mingling in the air. I could see how someone could despise it. I would have if I didn’t depend on it the way Grace depended on her mother’s Xanax prescription and Tommy depended on his bags of fine, white powder.

We made a beeline towards the booth I always had reserved for me. We sat down, Tommy’s arms slung around two of the girls tagging along with us, and not even a second later, two bartenders came over to us bearing drinks. Fruity cocktails for the girls, straight whiskey for Tommy, a vodka soda for Grace, and of course, a martini for me. Some of the girls muttered thank yous as the bartenders walked away, and I stood up, drawing the beaded curtains back so I could see out onto the dance floor. My mind couldn’t help but turn onto thoughts of you and whether or not you would heed my advice to come back.

“Hey, Bruce.” My head snapped behind me to see Tommy addressing me. “The girls want to dance.”

I looked down to see several empty glasses on the table in front of the group of girls. They were drinking fast, much to Tommy’s pleasure, I was sure. “Let’s go, then.” I gestured with a tilt of my head in the direction of the dance floor.

With my permission, the girls rose from the booth and headed towards the dance floor, Tommy in the middle of them. Grace got up and grabbed my hand, dragging me along with them. We merged with the crowd until I couldn’t tell the girls in our group apart from the regular clubbers. They all had forgettable faces, but not you. I could still remember the way the lights hit your features and every single freckle and mole dotting your skin.

Grace draped her arms around my neck and pulled her body close to mine until her breasts were pressed against my chest. She swayed her hips to the rhythm, her crotch rubbing against mine in the process, and stared up at me with half-lidded eyes. I absentmindedly rocked to the beat, my shoulders bumping into the people around me as I did so. I looked over her head at the crowd surrounding me, which was easy to do considering Grace was a good amount shorter than me even in heels.

A girl with bleached blonde hair and spray tanned skin approached me. She grabbed my arm hanging limp at my side and slung it around her shoulders. She batted her lashes clumpy with mascara at me as she moved seductively to the music. Grace noticed the girl and narrowed her eyes at her until they were mere slits. She started to grind up on me more aggressively like a dog trying to mark its territory.

I was too busy scouring the crowd for you to acknowledge their pointless feud. I wasn’t really interested in either one of them anyway. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of you and seeing you again. I tried to search the sea of inebriated clubbers for your face, but I could barely see beyond the immediate cluster of dancers around me since I was stuck in between Grace and Miss Fake Tits.

Finally, Grace got sick of her shenanigans. She grabbed the girl by her bony shoulders and gave her a firm shove. “Back off, will you?”

The girl stumbled back, and if it weren’t for the bodies behind her that she crashed into, she would’ve fallen in her platform heels. “What’s your problem?” she sneered in a high-pitched, whiny voice.

The two started to bicker back and forth, but I tuned them out. Perhaps a gentleman would’ve broken up the catfight and tried to sort things out in a calm and levelheaded manner, but I was self aware enough to know I wasn’t a gentleman. I seized the opportunity to duck out of the little cluster and put several bodies between me and them before they could realize I was gone. I let out a sigh of relief when I could no longer see their heads, but my satisfaction was short lived. I still had a girl to find.

I elbowed my way through the crowd, shimmying between gyrating clubbers and shoving past girls whooping like a clutch of hens. There were already too many faces to count, but when the lights started to strobe, it made it even harder to see if yours was among them. “(Y/N)!” I shouted over the blaring music, the vibrations shaking me to the core. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N)!” The heat was starting to get to me, and the thin material of my tank clung to my back and my dark curls stuck to my forehead.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder, and my stomach fluttered with hope that you had heard me calling your name. But then the hand whirled me around to reveal that it belonged to Tommy. “Bruce, you vanished on us again! What are you up to?”

“I’m...” I began, but my words trailed off and melted into a frustrated groan. “I’m looking for the girl I was talking to last night. I was hoping I would see her here again.”

His dilated eyes got so large I thought they would pop out of his skull. “No way! You’re still not over her? She must really be something if you still can’t get her off your mind.”

“It’s not that, it’s just...” I bit the inside of my cheek as I thought of an excuse. “Once I set my sights on a girl, I can’t let her get away. Somehow, this one slipped through my fingers.”

“Right.” He winked one bloodshot eye at me. “It has nothing to do with how bad you’ve got it for her.” Suddenly, his expression changed, and he furrowed his brows. “What did you say her name was?”

“I didn’t.” I clenched my jaw. I had been trying to keep him and Grace as far away from you as possible, but that was pretty useless now seeing that I couldn’t even find you. “Her name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

His jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Wait, are you serious? (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?” he repeated.

I looked at him quizzically. “Yeah, that’s her name.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief, and a chuckle fell from his lips. “Bruce, she went to school with us!”

I raised my brows. “Really?” My eyes lit up with renewed hope. “Was she in our grade?”

“Yeah, but I can’t blame you for not remembering her. She was pretty quiet back then.” His lips curled into a smirk and he elbowed me in the side. “Who knew she would turn into such a fox, right?”

I would’ve chewed him out if I wasn’t so relieved. If Tommy knew you, that means other people had to know you too. Maybe I could start asking around to see if anyone knew where to find you. “Do you know where she lives? Anywhere she visits often?”

Tommy pursed his lips, and after a second, shook his head. “No, man, sorry. I don’t really know what she’s up to these days.”

I cursed under my breath. “Did you need something, Tommy?” I asked, the exasperation evident in my voice.

His face went blank before his eyes flickered with realization. “Oh, right. Some of the girls wanted to leave early, and I just wanted to make sure you could get a ride home.”

I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just call my town car.”

“Are you sure? You could come with us.” He leaned in close so only I could hear. “There’s enough girls for the both of us. I don’t mind sharing.”

Suddenly, Tommy was yanked back. Two girls appeared at his side, tugging on his arms. “Come on, Tommy! What’s taking so long?” one of them said, slurring her words. I could tell by their droopy eyes and the way they wavered on their feet that they were completely wasted. No doubt they had enough alcohol in their systems to let Tommy do whatever he wanted to them.

I stared at them with disgust. “That’s all right. You guys have fun without me.”

He shrugged. “Your loss.” He snaked his arms around the two girls. “Come on, ladies. Let’s go.”

He led them towards the exit and melded in with the crowd. I got fed up with all the noise and the heat and retreated back to the booth, desperate for an escape. When I got there, the curtains were down again. I parted them with my hands to reveal Grace on the other side.

“There you are, Bruce.” She was laying sideways on the booth with her head propped up by her hand. “I was wondering where you went off to. I thought I would wait here until you came back.”

Shit. Now, part of me was regretting not leaving with Tommy when I had the chance. At least they wouldn’t notice if I snuck away. “Sorry. I stepped outside for some fresh air.”

“That’s all right.” She swung her legs over so she was sitting upright. “Why don’t you sit down?” She patted the seat next to her, her intentions written all over her face.

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go get a drink.” I started to turn away.

“I got one for you right here.” She picked up a martini off of the glass table and held it out to me.

I stared down at the green olive bobbing up and down in the clear liquid with disdain and contempt for stealing my way out. “Oh. Thanks.” I faked a smile. “That was very considerate of you.”

She smiled proudly up at me. “Anything for you, Bruce.” She patted the seat next to her again excitedly. “Sit, I insist.”

I frowned. I didn’t like being told what to do, but I hated looking like a buzzkill more. I snatched the martini out of her hands and sunk into the booth beside her. If I had to talk to her, at least I could get drunk while I was doing it. Maybe even gather some more information on you.

“Grace, can I ask you a weird question?” I began tentatively.

Her round, doe eyes widened slightly. “Yeah, of course.”

I took a sip from the glass in my hand, the sting as the gin slid down my throat followed by a warm sensation pleasing to me. “Do you remember (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

She tilted her head to the side and took her bottom lip between her teeth. “The name sounds familiar. Maybe she went to Anders Prep with us?” She squinted at me. “Why?”

My mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water for a moment before an excuse popped into my head. “Apparently she’s one of Wayne Enterprises’ newest partners. Alfred was nagging me about getting to know her earlier.” I tried to keep my tone as casual and nonchalant as possible. “Do you know anything about her? Maybe like where she lives?”

She started to shake her head, but then her already large eyes grew to the size of saucers, if that was even possible. “Wait, she was that girl you were talking to last night, wasn’t she?” Her forehead creased with worry as the question I had asked set in. “Are you looking for her?”

I blinked rapidly and stuck my tongue in my cheek. “She lost an earring last night, and I found it. I was trying to give it back to her.” The lie came surprisingly easy to me.

However, it wasn’t enough to get rid of her suspicious gaze. “I’d be happy to return it for you.”

I dismissed her with a wave of my hand. “That’s all right.” I took a long sip of my martini. “Maybe I won’t worry about it.”

The loud music blasting from the DJ booth filled the lapse in our conversation, and I avoided the skeptical looks she was giving me. “I don’t know where she lives,” she answered after a while, “but I do remember she was kind of a nerd. She kept to herself, didn’t really have any friends. I saw her eating lunch in the library by herself one time.” She stuck her nose in the air. “She was sort of weird, and I guess now she’s a sleaze.”

I clenched my jaw, and my knuckles turned white from gripping the stem of my martini glass so hard. I resisted the urge to throw the contents of my drink on her. “Good to know.” I loosened my hold before I could crush the glass with my hand. “I definitely won’t worry about it now.”

A pleasant smile came over her features. “Good.” She leaned forward until her face was inches from mine and ran her hand down my chest. “I don’t know what I would do if you left me to chase some random girl.”

Left you? We’re not even together! I caught her hand with mine at my hip before it could move any lower. “Tommy took the girls back to his place.”

She twisted her wrist in my grasp so she could interlace her fingers with mine. “Finally, now I have you all to myself.”

I gulped the rest of my martini. “Maybe we should leave too.”

She draped her leg across my lap. “Your place or mine?” She pressed her lips to my cheek.

“How about neither?” I put a hand on her shoulder in case I needed to push her away.

“Good thinking.” She slid into my lap. “Why bother going anywhere when we can do whatever we want right here?”

She crashed her lips against mine. My whole body tensed at first, but I forced myself to relax and enjoy the way her lips moved against mine. At least she would be a good distraction, maybe even make me forget all about you and what happened last night. I mean, according to you, I did it once before. Why not do it again?

My eyes fluttered closed, and I ran my tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth, quickly gaining dominance. I could taste the vodka soda she had been drinking. She moaned and shifted so she was straddling my hips. Her hands cupped my face and pulled me closer to her. She started rolling her hips into mine, and my hands drifted down to her hips. She buried her fingers in my hair and nipped at my bottom lip.

I tried to lose myself in her and the way she was kissing me, but everything just felt so wrong. Her lips moved clumsily and sloppy against mine. The vodka on her tongue tasted bitter and sour. She tugged on my dark locks too harshly, and she dry humped me like a dog in heat. Nothing about her turned me on in the slightest, but you? You would know what to do with those plump, cherry lips of yours, and you wouldn’t even have to touch me to get me hard. Whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t get you off my mind, and I had to do something about it rather than waste my time on girls obviously inferior to you.

I separated from her and shoved her off of me. She fell back onto her elbows next to me and stared up at me. Her red, swollen lips were parted in shock, and drops of sweat ran down her face, leaving streaks through her orange-tinted foundation. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, her voice laced with venom and embarrassment.

My hands curled into fists at my side, my nails digging into my palms. “It’s not what’s wrong with me,” I seethed through gritted teeth. “It’s what’s wrong with you.”

I shot up abruptly, and her brown eyes flashed with fear. Her skin turned a few shades paler, and she scooted away from me on the booth almost like she was scared to move under my intense gaze. Seeing the frightened expression on her face was the closest she had gotten to making me excited all night.

I stormed off before I could do anything I would regret.

CHAPTER THREE