#But now it's done and I'm back on the track :)))

[therainbowgorilla]

I speak as someone who covid has greatly affected - the severity of my asthma practically doubled after I had covid (this was a little before the vaccines were readily available). And I'm trying to tell you that Biden is horrible, irredeemable, nothing he ever does can make up for what he's done. But the fact is that right now, Trump is in power, and what is he doing? Is he putting back in place the protections? Do you think he'd allow for a mask/vaccine mandate whatsoever? Do you think he's gonna give everyone free vaccines and enough at-home tests or coverage for tests?

Cause I've got news for you. He's not.

He's actively trying to strip away Healthcare and employment for the people who covid affect most - immunocompromosed/disabled folk. He literally hates us. I can't even track my period any more because HIS judges made that dangerous for me to do because of the roe v wade repeal. There are so, so many signs that he hates us and if it were up to him, me and my fellow disabled folk would get ill and die right this second.

We can use history to predict certain things about the future. I wonder... How would historical fascists in power handle a world pandemic? Because I promise you, they'd strip away any chance for disabled people to survive it that they could.

As for prison abolitionism, generally I would agree, the entire prison system sucks. You know what? Fine. Give him and Trump studio apartments and a minimum wage and subject them to the same Healthcare bullshit they've subjected us all to. Let them live feeling their soul being stripped from them day by day as they work customer service or food or retail. Honestly, that could be better torture for them than prison anyway. Stripping away all their money and forcing them to live the way we do

[esote-rika]

on the stroke of midnight | Spencer Reid

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Category: angst Summary: A pregnancy scare with your boyfriend leads to a serious conversation about the future Content: one mention of a foot fetish, pregnancy scare, talk of pregnancy and kids, established relationship, mentions of schizophrenia and mental illness, Cinderella and time as an extended metaphor and motif??? (Idk I was writing this while simultaneously writing my thesis on fairy tales oops), open ended ending  Word count: 2.2k A/N: I don't want kids and this fictional man does, so I'm making it everyone's problem. This is my first time writing pure angst, so uh, please let me know if I should continue with this genre or just go back to smut and fluff lol. Also shoutout to @notlongtolove and @darkmatilda who let me yap abt this ily girlies.

Ever since you started dating, Spencer Reid has been trying to figure out why you love Cinderella so much. He’s read through different academic papers, come up with his own silly interpretations that either make you gasp, or cry from laughing, and often leaves you marveling at his wonderful brain and all the ways it twists and turns. He likes games, you’d established that from the beginning when he ended your first date with a friendly game of chess. He had let you win twice before you’d caught on, and called him out on it.

It was on the second date when you brought up your love for fairytales, expecting an amused laugh at best, and an oh so you're one of those Disney adults at worst. However, you got neither. Instead, Spencer Reid had launched into an explanation of the cultural significance of these stories, asked you about your favorite, and then proceeded to tell you about the different versions of it across history and continents. Somewhere between the Americas, he'd cut himself off, blushing furiously, before asking you why you loved Cinderella so much. 

By then you had already decided he's perfect.

You didn’t tell him the reason that night; you thought it was too pathetic to share on a second date.

“I’ll tell you if you stick around.” you had said cheekily, hoping that maybe the temptation of a secret will allow you to keep him longer. 

He had laughed, “So you’re baiting me into another date?”

“Is it working?”

“I would’ve asked you out again regardless.”

That had been the night you got your first taste of his lips, and you’ve found yourself hoping time would stretch on forever. If moments could be bottled up, you would have done so at that moment, kept it in your pocket for the rest of eternity.  

Five months of bliss have passed since. Your theory of his perfection just kept being proven correct throughout the entire time, the way he’s trying so hard to communicate with you and make up for plans that get shelved due to the demanding nature of his job. He’d come up with different explanations for why you love Cinderella, until it became a game of its own; him searching through the contours of the fairy tale and you denying everything he comes up with. 

At one point, he’d asked if it was simply because you had a feet fetish and you had to start wearing socks everywhere because the sight of your own feet would make you giggle.

You don’t mind it, the games, the way he insists on learning this about you. Spencer Reid's mind desires to understand how everything works, to turn over and mull and analyze, and the first step to that is by keeping track of the variables. You have always found this endearing. He knows how fast you can read — it depends on the genre according to him, but it’s somewhere around 350-400 words per minute. He knows your favorite stories and music, has found connecting themes between them, and now he’s trying to see where your love for Cinderella fits in all of it. Hell, he even keeps track of your cycle for you, resulting in perfectly timed moments shared in bed where you’re ravished, and he’s chanting your name, and the two of you are gasping for a god that neither of you really believe in.

When you miss your period, he notices before you even do, quietly offering two boxes of pregnancy tests. He kept track of how long it took before the results finally appeared — one test took three minutes and eight seconds, the other one three minutes and twenty one seconds. It had felt simultaneously like three seconds and three decades. 

That was nearly six days ago. Nearly a whole week has passed, and what you had assumed to be an insignificant fissure seems to have widened into a crack. It’s a rare night off for him, a moment of domesticity that should be relished, but instead, you wonder if the cracks have somehow turned into something else. A fracture. You move around the kitchen together like magnets with similar poles, close but never quite touching. It feels like a chasm between you. 

Dinner in the oven. Only the slow tick of the oven timer disrupts the silence, though it doesn’t really disrupt as much as it joins. Background noise, a lull that seems to melt with the silence to highlight the stifling atmosphere. He’s tossing a salad, facing away from you. You both know it is ready to be served.

His name is whispered into the tense air, your voice croaking at the last syllable, “We need to talk about this.” You watch as he tenses, back uncharacteristically straight, and your heart sinks to your stomach. 

“I guess we do.” He never guesses. Spencer Reid uses words that are accurate, god knows he has the vocabulary for it. So this, to guess, the hint of skepticism makes your skin crawl. “What is this, again?” 

You scoff. He can be so deliberately obtuse sometimes, “I don’t know, Spence, you tell me. You’ve been acting weird since I took that pregnancy test.”

He doesn’t look at you, but he does answer, “I just— I don’t understand why you were so relieved about the results.”

You’ve had an inkling this whole issue is about that moment. Both of you hunched on his couch while you waited with bated breath. He’d timed it, one stick taking three minutes and eight seconds, the other three minutes and twenty one; both had contained negative results. 

You still remember it, the utter relief that washed over your body, the way you threw yourself into his arms at the confirmation that he hadn’t accidentally gotten you pregnant. You’d said thank god so quickly, face buried at the crook of his shoulder, so relieved that you hadn’t really noticed his reaction.

“Spencer,” it comes out a sigh, patient and quiet, “We’ve been dating for five months. Of course I was relieved. Don’t get me wrong, I love you, but it’s a little too soon to add a baby to the mix.” Love. That abstract concept you’ve almost given up on, before he’d come into your life. You love him, you’re sure of it. It’s burrowed deep into your bones now, which is why you’re trying to get past this. Communication is the key to making a relationship work. You remind yourself you don’t need a fairy godmother to keep this going. You have agency of your own.

His head shifts, turning over his shoulder slowly, and those beautiful amber eyes meet your own. “Is that all?”

It feels like an accusation, even though you know he’s just trying to understand. You gulp, trying not to get defensive, “I suppose not. If I’m being honest, I was relieved because I don’t really want children.” 

There it is. A cardinal sin, a sickness of modern women. You wait for his words to turn bitter, the familiar accusations of selfishness, the condescension. 

Instead, he looks at you with wounded eyes, “You don’t want children with me?”

“What? That’s not what I said.”

He pauses, Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulps. The oven continues to hum softly in the background, its built-in timer clicking at equal intervals. In a different context, it might have given you a sense of peace, but right now it feels mocking. Your time is almost up.

“Spencer, that’s not what I said, honey.”

“Yeah, I heard you.” he turns back to the salad.

You watch him helplessly, searching for any way to bring him back to you.

“You kept asking about my mom,” he murmurs, “It’s not that I didn’t want you to meet her, it’s that, it’s—well, she’s in a home. A– a mental facility. She’s schizophrenic.”

This is not how you expected this conversation to go. “Spencer.”

“I guess, you know, that’s genetically passed down, and it’s no secret that my teammates suspect I’m on the spectrum, so my genetic makeup isn’t exactly the most desirable in terms of a partner with whom you would want to—to procreate.”

God, you wish he had been like most people and accused you of being a selfish bitch instead. 

“No,” you gasp, crossing the space between you. His hand is cold when you wrap your fingers around it. Unfortunately, you don’t think you have any warmth to give. Your own hands are clammy, but you try anyway, tugging it away from the tongs he’s using to mindlessly swirl at the contents of the salad. “It’s not like that at all.”

“It’s not?”

“No. And I’m sorry about your mom, I–I’m sure this isn’t how you wanted to tell me about her.” the words feel futile, worthless. You’re entirely unprepared for something like this. He hasn’t told you much about Diana Reid, and you’d given him space, and now… now you understand why.

A beat as he considers. His body angles towards you now, his stance hunching forward into that familiar slouch you’ve come to love. You can’t tell if he’s relaxed or defeated, and that uncertainty burns in the back of your throat. “So you just don’t—”

“I don’t want kids, plain and simple. It’s got nothing to do with your genes, or your suspected autism, I just…” You falter, hands tightening over his own. You wish you could be more eloquent, but there’s so much uncertainty, so many truths being dropped in the span of minutes. You wait for more questions, for the inevitable but aren’t you worried about your legacy? Wouldn’t you get lonely? Motherhood is fulfilling for women. Sentiments you always get when you share this particular choice. 

You prepare your arsenal of responses, defenses you’ve practiced and perfected throughout the years, ready for any attempts to make you change your mind.

Somehow, he manages to choose the most devastating response instead. Muttering so quietly you almost don’t catch it, Spencer says, “But I do.”

You wonder how you got this long without ever talking about this? How had you gone five months with him, allowed yourself to let your walls down and fall in love, memorized the scars and calluses all over his body without ever discussing the topic of children? It seems silly, most people talk about that stuff from the get go, don’t they? To see if they would be compatible in the long run? 

But you’ve never had that before, the luxury of future plans. You’ve come to accept that the floor will inevitably collapse beneath your feet, that your time with someone will run out. When you’re used to having an expiry date, you don’t bother to make plans. The only way to survive is to live in the moment. Cinderella and her midnight curfew. 

“Oh.” It’s a filler word, but the silence is beginning to get to you. You stare at your entwined hands. His thumb is running back and forth across your knuckles, the action familiar and soothing, and allow yourself a moment to believe, to hope, that there’s time left for this. That time would never run out.

His next words break your heart even more, “I know it’s silly, especially with how much risk is involved. With my job, my—”

“It’s not silly at all, Spence.” you gulp, trying to push past the lump in your throat as you remember how he acts around his godson Henry in those rare times he’s had to babysit, “You’d make a great dad.”

“You’d make a great mom too.”

“Spencer.”

“I’ve seen you with your own nephews. You’re great with kids.”

“Don’t—”

“I’m not trying to change your mind,” he finally pulls you in, lips finding the top of your head, “I respect your choice, I do. I’m sorry that I seem like I’m pressuring you.”

“You’re not,” it’s even harder to catch your breath when your face is pressed against him, but you don’t make a move. Losing air seems like a fair compromise if it means you get to feel his touch. The way this conversation went has you reeling, confused. You’d been prepared to defend yourself, to explain your choices and make him understand, potentially to argue. His respect and acceptance is an entirely different battlefield, but no less vicious. 

With all the courage you can muster, you speak the words into existence even though you dread the answer. “Is this a deal breaker? Having children?”

He’s quiet. You wonder if this is even still a battlefield. You wonder if this is surrender, quiet and unassuming, a white flag raised before the fighting even began. If it is, then it stings, his soft acceptance. You almost find yourself wishing he’d try to convince you instead if it means he’ll fight for you more.

Your mind wanders back to Cinderella, the little game you’ve been playing, the way you’ve been holding out on the answer because it amuses you to hear the variety of interpretations and musings he’ll come up with. You promised yourself you’d tell him when the time is right, but now you’re afraid he’ll never get the answer. It feels useless, the cat and mouse you’ve developed, not when you’re faced with a real, human issue. A difference in life goals. Something communication potentially couldn’t fix.

His heart is drumming relentlessly against your cheek. It brings you some sick sense of comfort, knowing that he’s just as terrified as you are. 

“Spencer?” Is this the end? Please don’t let this be the end, please don’t be another good thing I lose.

The timer on the oven dings, piercing in the tense silence. Your midnight curfew has come. Dinner is ready.

Happy Valentines <3 thank you for reading, here's the rest of my masterlist

Also tagging @olderwomenenthusiast ty for the interest it is here

[heeluvv]

the crowd YEARNS for brat-tamer enha x bratty reader

very late to this request but i did it so i hope you like this, also note, it's pretty long and i kind of rushed it at the end..but still i hope you like it either way :)

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 ۫ ꣑ৎ

pairing ￬ brat-tamer! enha x brat! reader

genre ￬ smut

warnings ￬ overstimulation, p in v, unprotected sex, oral (f receiving), etc.

natty's notes ￬ mdni, hate comments will be deleted.

you've always been a brat—a spoiled, insufferable tease who thrives on defiance. pushing buttons, breaking rules, testing limits—it's all second nature to you. but tonight? tonight, they've had enough.

dinner time is a disaster. you push your plate away with a dramatic sigh, rolling your eyes when heeseung tells you to eat. "i'm not a kid," you scoff, stabbing at your food with your fork. "you can’t make me."

jungwon exhales sharply, placing his utensils down with deliberate patience. "don’t test us. eat."

but you don’t. instead, you slouch back in your chair, swirling your drink lazily, watching their growing irritation with amusement. jake’s jaw tightens. sunghoon leans back, arms crossed. sunoo shares a glance with ni-ki, who only smirks, waiting to see how far you’ll push them.

"oh, is little princess pouting again?" jay taunts, raising an eyebrow. "acting like a brat because she’s not the center of attention?"

you roll your eyes. "maybe i wouldn’t act out if you weren’t all so boring."

that’s the final straw.

chairs scrape against the floor as they stand, movements slow and deliberate. the atmosphere shifts, the air thick with something far more menacing than their usual patience. suddenly, you don’t feel as bold.

jungwon is the first to speak, voice eerily calm. "we warned you."

sunghoon steps closer, tilting his head. "you wanted attention? you’ve got it."

the realization of what’s coming settles in, your confidence faltering as they corner you. hands grip your wrists, pushing you down, making it clear that this time, there’s no escaping.

"let’s see if you’re still so mouthy after we’re done with you," heeseung murmurs, dark amusement in his tone.

niki acts first, his hands gripping you firmly as he lifts you onto the table, the wood cold and unyielding against your back. his fingers, calloused and eager, work swiftly to remove your clothes, the fabric whispering against your skin as it falls away. "this’ll teach you something.." he growls, his voice a low rumble like distant thunder. he kneels before you, his mouth finding your warm, damp center with a hunger that steals your breath. his tongue, hot and insistent, explores your most intimate places, sending waves of sensation crashing through you.

you gasp aloud, the feeling of his tongue working through you like liquid fire. "is this what you wanted, baby?" jake taunts, his voice a velvety purr as he steps closer. his hands, strong and sure, rest on your full breasts, kneading and massaging, occasionally rolling your nipples between his thumb and forefinger, sending sharp jolts of pleasure and pain mixed together. "ki—! please.." you plead, your thighs trembling violently against the side of niki's head, your body taut as a bowstring.

"look at you now, so helpless.." sunghoon sneers, his voice a slow, lazy drawl. his hands, deliberate and teasing, rub against the growing bulge in his pants, the friction creating a rustling sound that seems to fill the room.

your release is a freight train barreling down the track, the way niki works his tongue on you sends electric shivers cascading over your body like a waterfall. jake's hands roughly massage your breasts, his calloused fingers grazing against your soft skin, sending a wave of heat coursing through your veins. and then, there's a new sensation—heeseung's soft lips pressing firmly on your neck, his hot breath on your skin.

it sends you spiraling over the edge, a supernova exploding behind your eyelids. your legs shake violently, like a leaf in a storm, as you cry out your release. niki laps you up like a cat with a bowl of milk, his soft tongue gliding along your sensitive skin. your respite is short-lived, as you feel sunghoon's mouth on you, his hungry touch more demanding than niki's gentle caress. the overstimulation is a live wire, raw and electric, coursing through your body. "ngh! hoonie—s-stop!" you moan, your back arching off the dining table, your body taut like a bowstring. you hear sunoo's chuckle, low and throaty, from a few feet away. jungwon's taunting echo fills the room like a dark melody, "already begging to stop when we haven't even started, baby?"

sunoo steps closer, his fingertip tracing a delicate line over your stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps and fluttering sensations in its wake. "you look so cute, baby…" he murmurs, his voice a low, velvety purr. his fingers drift languidly downwards, grazing your aching clit with feather-light touches. meanwhile, sunghoon detaches himself from you, only to replace the feeling of emptiness with the thick, solid length of his cock. he slams down on you roughly, a guttural grunt escaping his lips as his head tilts back in ecstasy. "oh fuck… shit," he growls, his pace quickening, sunoo's fingers matching the rhythm perfectly. "please! i c-can't!" you gasp, your eyes welling up with tears as your second orgasm threatens to overwhelm you, the sensation of their dual attentions pushing you swiftly towards the brink. your body trembles, the room filling with the symphony of your combined pleasures, the air thick with the scent of desire and the electricity of passion.

the air is thick with a charged atmosphere, as the dim lighting casts long, dancing shadows across the room. "you're going to take it, all of it," jungwon murmurs, his voice a low, velvety growl that seems to resonate within your very core. he positions himself on your left, his lips tracing a delicate, meandering path down your wet cheek, each touch a spark igniting your skin. suddenly, you're overwhelmed by a tidal wave of sensation, your second orgasm of the night ripping through you like a storm. the feeling is almost unbearable, a loud sob erupting from your throat as intense pleasure courses through your veins like liquid fire.

sunghoon withdraws quickly, a loud groan escaping his lips as he discharges himself onto your stomach, the warmth spreading across your skin. sunoo swiftly takes his place, not giving your body a moment to relax. he enters you in one fluid motion, your breath hitching at the sudden intrusion. your body is still trembling from the aftershocks of your previous orgasm, the sensations heightening every touch, every movement. sunoo pushes you higher up onto the dining table, your head tilting back for mere seconds before you feel a pulsating hardness against your lips. it slips past your lips and into your mouth, the salty taste and smooth skin filling your senses. the loud whine and grunt confirm it's jungwon, his slow thrusts allowing your warm mouth to envelop him completely.

"this is what you get for being such a brat…" heeseung taunts, his lips never ceasing their relentless assault on your neck. you can feel the pressure building, the pleasure and pain intertwining as you're sure your neck is adorned with dark, purple hickeys—each one a testament to the night's intense passion.

you're aching from the intensity. the room is filled with the thick scent of sweat and sex, and a chorus of grunts and moans. the pleasure is overwhelming. you're losing count of the waves crashing through you. your body convulses, and vision blurs as the orgasm rips through you. you feel the sudden gush of release as you squirt all over sunoo. he had fallen to his knees after his own climax. you can feel the heat of him on your thighs. you can practically taste the salt of him in the air.

you can't catch your breath. you can barely form a thought. jake is behind you, his cock stuffing you, stretching you, filling you. each thrust is hard and impatient. he is wild and hungry. you feel yourself shaking, building again. heeseung is in your mouth, his fingers gripping your hair. you can feel the veins of him against your tongue. he is aggressive. he is close.

your neck is strained, your throat constricting around him, and the lack of air makes you lightheaded. you can feel the vibrations of heeseung's groans, his body trembling as he hits the back of your throat. you can't speak, only whine softly, the sound vibrating through heeseung, sending goosebumps rippling across his skin. the pleasure is too much. It's a mess.

you're shaking again, the fourth orgasm tearing through you like a storm. jake doesn't pull away. he roars, a guttural sound from deep within his chest. he comes hard, his body jerking against yours. his cum shoots through you with such force, and he moans loudly, a chorus of "fuck! fuck!" filling the air, his cock pulsing inside you.

you try gasping for breath when jake pulls away, but there's no respite, heeseung cock prevents it from happening. jay is there, pushing inside you. his hand is on your throat, his fingers tightening and loosening, pulsing with his thrusts. heeseung groans, feeling your throat constrict around him. his cock is slick and hot in your mouth.

jay leans down, his breath hot on your ear. "fuck baby..i’m not going to last long," he whispers, his voice strained. his brows are furrowed, sweat dripping from his temples. he comes with a chorus of grunts, filling you, his body shaking against yours.

heeseung follows right after, a low grunt escaping his lips. he fills your mouth completely, his body trembling as he rides out his orgasm. the room is thick with the smell of sex, a heavy musk that clings to your skin.

niki chuckles softly, his voice a low rumble. "think you learned your lesson, sweetheart?" he asks, a smirk playing on his lips. you try to nod your head, your body limp with exhaustion. you know better now. you won't mess with them again. your body aches, your mind is blurred, but the lesson is branded into your skin. you're theirs, completely and utterly.

natty's notes ￬ i hope you enjoyed!

[cherriegyuu]

whispers of desire | c.sc | part one

pairing: incubus seungcheol x f!reader  genre: smut, angst, fluff - minors do not interact word count: 7.3k summary: when you cut a deal with the demon king, the man who shows up to help is nothing like you imagined warnings: mentions of god, demons and religion, infertility, infidelity, knives, breeding kink, masturbation, creampie, dirty talking ish, begging, multiple orgarms, unprotected sex, piv, forced orgasm. jeonghan (idk, he deserves a warning too)

a/n: and finally after i don't even know how many months, i finished part one. i really want to thank @ssinboo who not only helped me brainstorm this, but who motivated me into picking it up again. @joonsytip and @nothoughtsjustfic who read it over and promised me that it was good. thank you so much to all three of you, this one would have never left my wips if not for you. i truly hope you enjoy this and if you do please leave comment, i would love to know you thoughts about it! it's 17 minutes past midnight, but i'm going to count this as a valentine's day special

You looked once again at the waiting room—the light gray walls, the black furniture, the small splashes of color here and there. It was mostly modern and imponent but dark. You felt out of place in your bright yellow sweater and almost white pants. You looked like an egg, but when you realized what you had done, it was too late. You were already in the Uber, getting the most incredulous look from the driver. 

The watch on your wrist seemed to mock you. You arrived too early for your appointment, too nervous to stay any longer in your apartment, too queasy to go to the nearby cafe and waste some time. 

You had been sitting on that extremely comfortable couch for 10 minutes, the pretty receptionist giving you suspicious looks followed by insincere smiles. You were so close to just getting up and walking out the door.

It had been a stupid idea. A desperate attempt at one last resort to reaching your dream. The one thing you wanted in life since you were sixteen. But it was, indeed, stupid. How was it possible that a man without a last name, who obviously wasn’t a doctor, could help you get pregnant? Even if he happened to have a magic dick, which you doubted, there was still no chance of you getting pregnant. The problem wasn’t on the sperm donor, it was in you. 

For years, you tried getting pregnant. During the first year you and your husband, now ex-husband, tried in the most natural way: fucked every chance you got, at the most random places, tracking your cycles every month. You knew that for some people getting pregnant took a little more time, so at first, you didn’t think much of it. You managed to convince yourself that the reason why you weren’t getting pregnant was because you had just gotten off birth control and sometimes — most times — the hormones messed up a little too much with the body.

After a year, something felt strange, and little red signs started to go off in your head. It wasn’t natural to take that long, at least according to everyone you knew, so you set a meeting with the doctor and did all the tests in the book. When the results came back and showed that you were infertile it was like the world came crashing down.

In life, many of your plans failed and many of your dreams were taken from you, however being a mother was one that you always carried with you. It was a dream that was yours, truly yours and you didn’t need anyone to make it happen for you. Of course, you couldn’t make a baby on your own, but in the end, it was always your choice. If you didn’t have a husband, you could go to a sperm bank and just choose someone.

Along with your dream, your marriage was also one that didn’t last long. After the initial shock of not being able to have a baby slowly started to pass and the fog that clouded your mind started to lift, you started to think of other ways you could become a mother.  Adoption seemed like a natural path. Your husband, however, didn’t agree with the idea, which led to many fights and eventually a divorce.

The idea of adoption didn't leave you, so you sought out ways to adopt on your own. While the adoption process in itself was excruciatingly difficult as a married person, by yourself was nearly impossible. You went to many people and asked for advice on how to proceed, how to present yourself, what to say and do in front of the social workers. All of them said the same thing “the chances of you getting approved for adoption are very low”.

Every day that went by, with each breath you took, you felt as if the dream of being a mother escaped you, like sand slipping through your fingers.

One day, like many others, you were searching for ways to adopt as a single parent when you came across a forum post talking about an unnamed man who could get anyone to do anything, even things that seemed impossible. You had snorted at the post and almost closed the tap when the word pregnancy seemed to flash in front of your eyes, like a moth drawn to a flame. After you saw it, there was no way you could have closed the tab and moved on to something different. 

You read post after post, comment, after comment, about all of these women who had gotten pregnant after losing all hope. All of them mentioned the same name, Jeonghan. There was no last name. On the very last post was a phone number.

There wasn't enough time to question yourself or your actions, the next thing you knew you had the phone pressed to your ear, setting up a meeting for later that day.

The fact that you were able to set an appointment on such short notice should have made alarms ring in your head. But the alarms only went off while you sat in the waiting room. 

You suddenly stood up and walked to the pretty secretary who was hiding behind the computer.

“Sorry, hi” you waited until she looked at you, and the same polite smile greeted you “Something came up, I need to leave… I'm really sorry”

As the words left your lips the door on the other side of the waiting room opened. A man with a kind smile and hair long enough to cover his forehead greeted you. Despite his smile being inviting, his eyes told an entirely different story. 

“Please, come in”

The little alarms inside your mind suddenly turned silent and the need to flee turned into the desire to follow him inside that office. 

You turned to look at the receptionist, who in return offered you an encouraging nod and smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I had some files that needed attention”

The man, who you could assume was Jeonghan, pulled a chair for you to sit on. He only let go of the chair once you were seated.

“It's okay”

His office was very similar in style to the waiting room, except for the leather chair and the industrial-looking desk. There was no computer, no bookshelf, no degree attached to the wall, just some creepy paintings that looked maybe a little too dark and tenebrous to an office. His desk was also empty of any files, phones, and pens. It was hard to believe that he was going over some files when there was nothing to look at.

“How can I help you today?”

For a second his eyes turned dark, entirely black, before going back to the dark brown color. Eyes of a snake, the words flashed in front of you. Your hold on the straps of your purse tightened until your knuckles turned to white.

It was a mistake going there.

It took an enormous amount of strength to push your body into a standing position.

“I'm sorry, I can't stay” you managed to force the words out, doing your best to smile and sound apologetic “Something came up”

Jeonghan leaned forward, his chin resting on his hand.

“Now, we know that's a lie” there was humor in his voice “You came here for a baby, so do us both a favor and sit down”

It was like your will to leave the room was suppressed by a hand pushing you down back on the chair. That same hand seemed to be holding you in place.

“See? That wasn't so hard”

The back of your neck started to grow cold, your hands sweaty. Your heartbeat with the force of a horse. His eyes turned into snake eyes once again. You felt your entire body grow cold. This time he flashed his eyes for a little more than a second.

“If you promise to be good, I'll stop holding you down” he raised his eyebrows at you, his tone almost bored now “Okay?”

It was a strange sight, a man who was around your age — or at least you thought so –, with soft features to have such eyes. Strange didn't even start to describe it, terrifying was a more precise word, and yet, you weren't scared. 

Perhaps you were at first, after all your initial reaction had been to escape, but while sitting there looking at him you were just curious.

“If you can stop with the eyes,” you used your index and middle finger to point at your own eyes “sure, we'll talk”

Jeonghan pouted but complied. In a millisecond the snake eyes were gone at the same time the pressure on your shoulders subsided. 

“You don't know how to have fun, do you?”

You didn’t bother to answer, you knew that no matter what you said those words wouldn’t make any difference to him and you were sure that your definition of fun was entirely different from his.

“So, a child. That's what you want, your deepest desire?” Jeonghan raised a hand to stop you from talking as if he changed his mind “Of course it is, you don’t have to say it”

It was the way he said it that made a shiver run through your spine. You shouldn’t have gone there. You should have asked someone else to go with you, though who could have been that person was unknown to you.

“Did you bait me into coming here?”

“Well, yeah” he laughed “I'm sure you saved that forum but if you go back there won't be much to see. Let's be realistic here and say that what you want, can be done”

You rolled your eyes and sighed. It wasn't a reaction to what he had said, it was to what you had believed. 

“You were so pathetically desperate that it was so easy getting to you” Jeonghan taunted you “Just one word, one post on a random website was enough to get you here and so fast too! Was it a couple of hours ago?”

Biting your bottom lip was the only possible way to keep your mouth shut, to keep the very much not polite fuck you in the silence of your mind. You tried to get up again, not really willing to sit there and be mocked, but as soon as you made the slightest movement you felt that hand again on your shoulder holding you down, this time much more forceful than the previous one.

“You said that we were going to talk, so, let’s talk”

“I want to go,” you said between your teeth “now”

Jeonghan tilted his head to the side, his snake eyes making an appearance again.

“Silly girl, you should have listed to your grandma when she warned you about what your wishes could bring” a sickening smile made its way to his face, paired with his eyes made your stomach drop all the way down to your toes “Now you can only leave when I saw so”

A sudden memory crossed your mind, one from your childhood. Of you sitting in your grandma’s lap when you couldn’t be older than seven. She said don’t wish for impossible things, you never know who or what could be listening. Your grandma was catholic, always with her rosary in her hand, or wrapper around her wrist or on her neck.

It became painfully obvious who Jeonghan was. From the snake eyes, the smile, how graceful he looked.

“Shit” the curse was almost silent.

He smiled once again, his eyes back to normal. It was all the confirmation you needed from him.

Nights had become a lonely part of the day, not that they were eventful before the divorce but at least you weren't always by yourself. 

Somehow you had allowed yourself to become one of those people who are only friends with their husband's friends so when the divorce happened it was obvious that most Of them — in this case, all of them — stayed with your ex-husband. You also hadn't really helped the situation when you closed yourself off. It had become too much, finding out that you were infertile, a possible affair from your husband, and the inevitable divorce. It was only natural for you to isolate yourself.

It seemed though that not many people seemed to understand it. Your so-called friends, who you cried with when the results came back, seemed to think that crying over was ridiculous, that one week was more than enough to move on from the entire thing, it's not like you don't have a life outside of this dream. 

And while all of that was true, it was much easier saying it than doing it. You felt as if you were spiraling down with nothing to hold onto, without anyone by your side. 

So, nights by yourself, with a bottle of wine and some takeout had become your new normal.

You were in the kitchen when you heard a faint knock on the door. Since visitors were few and you weren't expecting anyone, you assumed that it was on your neighbor. Someone probably knocking with a little more strength than necessary. It wasn't unusual. Your neighbor had loud and often drunk friends you had gotten used to their shenanigans during the three years you lived there.

All you did was keep doing the dishes, swaying your body from side to side with the music you had been playing in the background as you tried your best to forget that entire week and how you had willingly walked into a pile of shit but had no idea of how to get out of it.

The sound of the door opening made you close the faucet. A look at the clock above the door told you that there was no way for your neighbors to be back yet, not when you had heard them leave less than an hour before. You didn’t know why you thought that it could have been them. There was no doubt that the opened door was in your apartment.

You took a knife from the holder, wrapping your hand tightly around the handle. Your hand was still wet from doing the dishes so you held onto the knife as strongly as you could, until your knuckles turned white.

The one good thing about old apartments is that there were certain places that cracked and you knew exactly where those were, so you also knew how to avoid them. Whoever was in your apartment didn’t.

A small part of your brain hoped that it was your ex-husband. If it was, the worst thing that would happen was for you to look like an idiot in front of him, for the millionth time since you met him. Looking stupid was much much better than having to deal with an intruder or a murderer.

You took one last breath before pushing your bedroom door fully open.

“Don’t you dare throw that knife at me”

A man in a purple suit stood in the center of your room. His hair was bright red, pushed back. He looked like he had come out of one of those comic books your brother read as a child. He had your wedding album in his hand. He went through the pages, a pout in his lips and he scanned all the pictures, assessing what he was seeing.

“It’s not polite to hold a knife at your guest,” he said matter of factly.

“Who the fuck are you?” your grip on the handle tightened as if such a thing was even possible to begin with.

He turned the photo album to you, showing you a picture of yourself alone, smiling after throwing the bouquet at your wedding. It was a spontaneous picture, a true smile. That woman in the picture was an entirely different person. Looking at her it was hard to believe that you had been her at some point in time.

“You looked happier here” he pointed out, turning the album back to himself, still pouting “I don’t think she’d hold a knife at a guest”

“Who are you?” you demanded again, your voice louder, desperate.

The man rolled his eyes at you, finally closing the book and throwing it on your bed.

“Think about it, we both know you’re smart” he lightly raised his eyebrows at you “A little over a week ago you had a weird… dream? That’s what you made yourself think, wasn’t it?”

For a moment it was hard to pull air inside your lungs.

You thought that you had gone crazy. You clearly remembered getting out of the apartment, of going downtown in an Uber, of the waiting room, of talking to Jeonghan. But you didn’t remember walking out of the building or how you got home. You just… somehow found yourself back in your bed, in your pajamas in the middle of the night. The clock marked 3:33 AM.

“That was Jeonghan’s fault so I won’t hold it over your head too much. He likes to play tricks like that”

He sat on your bed, arms stretched back, thighs parted. A cocky smile on his lips and you could swear that your legs melted a little when you noticed that he had nothing under the suit jacket.

“Who are you?” you asked again, this time your voice wasn’t as loud or as demanding.

The man raised his eyebrows again and you could swear that it did something to you, tickling a place you didn’t know it needed to be tickled. He moved his chin lightly as if pointing to the knife. You sighed and put the knife down, holding it closer to your body. But that wasn't enough for the man, he pointed at the dresser. You rolled your eyes but did as asked. You didn't dare to get closer to him though. You simply crossed your arms over your chest and leaned against it. 

"I'm Seungcheol," the man said, only when he was sure that there was no chance of you stabbing him "Choi Seungcheol"

"I didn't know demons had last names"

His pout was still in place, as he seemed to be thinking of what to say next.

"We're civil enough, though me coming in without your permission might not be the best proof of character" he was quick to add when you opened your mouth to object. 

It didn't matter how much you tried, nothing came to mind when you thought about your conversation with Jeonghan. All of it was a big blank. You remembered getting there, him scaring you, the realization of who he was but nothing after that.

“The word you’re looking for is demon king,” he said. 

His eyes seemed to assess you, each and every movement you made. Seungcheol’s eyes never left you, not even for a second. When you moved to the chair on the opposite side of the room he followed you, adjusting his own body he would be seated directly in front of you. 

If your memory served you right, which at that point you had no idea, Jeonghan seemed to know what you were thinking. You were inclined to think that he couldn’t actually read your thoughts because according to Seungcheol, again if you could take his words for anything, demons too were civil and would just be way too invasive, but he was awfully good at knowing exactly what you were thinking. But then again, Jeonghan seemed to know way too much in the first meeting. Were the files he was looking at something like your life’s history? Where you were born, about your parents, your first boyfriend, your college crush, your husband, and everything that happened after?

You did your best not to focus too much on the demon king thing. If you did, your mind would take you somewhere else entirely and you weren’t sure if you could go there at that moment. Actually, you were sure you shouldn’t, especially because if you did the man in front of you, or a demon, would probably laugh. And being laughed at wasn’t something you were ready for at the moment.

“Okay,” you said slowly, exhaling all the air in your lungs all at once “Jeonghan is the demon king”

Seungcheol nodded, a small smile on his lips as he was proud of a child who had just given a correct answer. 

“That makes you…?”

“An incubus”

You closed your eyes for a second, folding your legs in front of you. Incubus… the demon who would sleep with women in their sleep and get them pregnant, and these women birthed demon-like children. 

Fantastic.

“So, magic dick,” you said, half not believing what you were saying, on how easily it seemed for you to understand it all “Great” 

That seemed to pull out an honest laugh out of Seungcheol, to the point a dimple made its way into his cheek. You couldn't help but smile along with him. 

“Something along those lines, yes”

He stood up, his eyes no longer filled with laughter and amusement. They had turned darker, hungry even. At that very second you felt like a prey under his eyes. You bit your bottom lip and he got closer to you, his eyes focused on your lips as he moved deliberately slowly to get to you. It seemed that your room was much, much, bigger than it actually was, almost like there was an entire runaway between him and you. 

You stood up as well, though that was probably a bad idea, considering how wobbly your legs felt. 

Seungcheol smiled, not in the cute and almost condescending way of before, but in a way that was much darker and held so many promises at the same time. He took your hand, pulled you towards the center of the room, walking backward.

“So, this is it? No flirting, no nice words, no dinner. Just straight-up sex” 

You hoped that your tone was light, teasing. Though there was nothing light about the way you were feeling. The few inches of your skin that were under his touch felt like were on fire. 

It had been a long time since you were with anyone, your husband was the last one a year and a half before. That wasn't to say that you hadn't found any sort of pleasure, but it had always been by yourself.

You couldn't help but wonder if part of the heat on your skin came from the lack of contact or if it was because of him. Something told you that it was a mix of both. 

“Well, you had dinner before I even got here and I thought you holding a knife was flirting”

Seungcheol circled you. The hand that held Yours suddenly pressed on your stomach, holding you against his firm chest. He pressed his nose to the crook of your neck. Giving him more access to your skin felt almost natural.

You felt his lips on the back of your neck. It started as a chaste kiss, followed by the burn of his teeth sinking into your skin and then soothed by his tongue flat over the space he had just bitten. 

“Are you a vampire?” you hoped your voice sounded steady but even to your ears it was breathy, close to a moan. The thing… the man… had barely touched you and you were ready to just melt under him. 

Seungcheol’s chest vibrated against your back and he leaned into your neck once again, now biting the other side. 

“Never met one of those, but if you want, I can become one for the night”

It suddenly crossed your mind “would he do anything I ask?” but you didn’t have it in you to ask. More than that, you didn’t know what to ask. You wanted too much but at the same time, you weren't sure where to begin. 

Slowly, Seungcheol ran his hand down your body. You felt your core tighten at the proximity, wetness slowly damping your panties. You were in a haze, one you didn’t want to come out of. 

“Tell me what you want. Whatever you want, however, you want it. It’s all yours”

It was like he had somehow heard your thoughts. Was that also part of his abilities? Magic dick and mind reading? Seemed like good powers to have. 

He nuzzled your neck again, this time placing kisses all over your skin as he slid down the strap of your shirt and continued his discovery of your skin. But your shoulder was not the place you wanted to feel him the most, it was not the spot that was craving for attention. 

Seungcheol ran his nose over your shoulder, the curve of your neck, up to your ear. 

“Ah, not so sweet and innocent after all” the hot breath over your skin made your entire body flame up. 

Finally, he lowered his hand, going under the elastic band of your shorts. He roughly rubbed his palm over your covered clit as his other hand went up to your breast, tugging at the hard nipple.

“You’re this wet and we barely even started?” he nibbled on your ear “You were all brave with that knife but all you can think about now is my magic dick filling you over and over and over again. Right, sweetheart?”

He pushed your panties to the side, his finger finally rubbing over your sensitive clit. A whimper left your lips as he was exactly where you needed, but it was far from enough. 

“Oh, I’m going to have so much fun with you��

He circulated your slit with two fingers. Once, twice, three times. 

“Please” you whispered. 

You felt his smile at the same time he pushed his fingers into you, your arousal more than enough to suck him in. You sucked in a moan as he picked up speed with his fingers, then another when his palm pressed over your clit adding another layer of pleasure. 

“Make that pretty noise for me again, sweetheart,” he asked, his voice low, though commanding “Let me hear you”

You tried your best to stay quiet, to not make any sound, and let the only sound in the room be the almost obnoxious noise of his fingers slipping in and out of you. But when Seungcheol found that one spot, that tiny piece of skin that made your mind almost go blank it was impossible to be silent. 

The sound coming out of you was pathetic, each new moan getting louder as you felt your abdomen cramp. The louder you got, the faster he moved his fingers. He didn’t stop pumping his fingers, didn’t stop pressing his palm on your clit, until the tide finally broke loose. 

You tried to shut your legs, suddenly the stimulation was too much at once, but Seungcheol was willing to let that happen. He kicked your feet apart, using his own knees to keep yours proudly open. 

Your orgasm hit you harder than ever before, your body convulsing in his grip, shaking as each new wave of pleasure hit you, somehow stronger than before. Seungcheol held you together until your body calmed down. A moan that could have been easily mistaken for a sob, came out of your lips, a light tremor in your legs, though you were certain that it was no longer visible. 

Seungcheol slowly guided your body towards the bed, both of his hands on your hips, steadying you. He sat you down on the bed and took a couple of steps back. He didn’t say anything as he opened the button on his suit and pulled it off his shoulder, tossing it aside on the chair to his left. 

He was teasing you, that much was obvious. Under normal circumstances you’d have looked away but as he unbuttoned his pants you couldn’t force yourself to look away. Your mind was in a trance by him, he had your undivided attention and he loved it. 

His movements were deliberately slow, a cocky grin making its way to his face as he noticed your eyes following the movements of his hands. 

The only piece of clothing covering Seungcheol was his underwear, though it did very little to disguise his erection. Your mouth watered at the sight, a nagging feeling on the back of your mind telling you to get down on your knees in front of him and take all of him into your mouth - or at least as much as it could fit anyway. 

Seungcheol laughed as he finally pushed the last piece of cotton off. You bit your lip to stop yourself from moaning at the sight of him on full display. Every inch of his devilish body, in full glory, was mesmerizing. You felt you pussy clench around nothing as Seungcheol started to pump his dick. 

“We’ll have enough time to play later tonight,” he moved closer to you, standing in between your legs, his cock was close to you face that you simply inch forward and have him like you wanted, he had different ideas though “but right now I want to know what it feels like to be buried deep inside that sweet, sweet, pussy”

You reached down to the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head. It was only when you reached for the elastic band of your shorts that you felt the embarrassment creeping up every inch of your body. 

“Come on, sweetheart, don’t hide yourself from me”

He lightly pushed you onto the bed, his knee pressing against your center and he scooped you up on the bed. He grabbed you by the hips and flipped you so that your face was pressed into the mattress. 

He pushed your shorts down, though not boring to take them off all the way down. Seungcheol straddled your legs and he teased your pussy with the tip of his cock. Running it over the slick entrance but never fully pushing it inside. 

You tried to change the position in a way to force him to just sink in but he was having none of that. He gripped your head by your hair, pulling it back until your ass up in the air, your back arched in a way that should be painful but somehow all it did was heighten your pleasure. 

“Beg” he whispered against your ear, his voice deliciously low.

“What?” you breathed out as he continued to tease you, your body moving along with his, a new whimper escaping every time he almost pushed inside. 

“I’m not going to make it that easy for you” he laughed “You wanna be fucked? I’ll fuck in ways you can’t even imagine. But you’re going to have to beg”

In any other situation, in any other moment of your life, you’d have felt embarrassed by his demand, to some extent would even have felt angry towards it. But right in that second, with the promise of what was to come, saying a few words sounded like a fair price to pray. 

“Please, please, Seungcheol” you begged, voice dripping with need and honey as you moved your hips wanting nothing more than to just be filled “just fuck me, fill me up. All of me is yours…” for the night.

He didn’t let you finish, pushing his cock into your throbbing pussy. There was no time to adjust. Seungcheol drove his dick into you again and again, each thrust harder than the previous one. He pulled your arms back, holding them against his chest with his own. 

Each sound that left your mouth was increasingly louder but you didn’t care in the slightest. Seungcheol’s grunts behind you, the slapping of his skin against yours every time he drove into you was intoxicating.

“Oh my god” you chanted over and over again

“No, no, not god” he laughed, biting the soft skin of your shoulder “He can't help you now”

He snaked a hand around your waist directly to your clit, massaging it in slow circles, in high contrast to his dick. The pressure was just perfect, his pace never faulting. 

An orgasm hit you yet again, without notice, this time not as hard as the first one, but still enough to have you shaking to the core. Seungcheol held you even tighter, his pace relentless as he searched for his own high. 

You felt his warm cum splurged into you, too much of it. 

Your body felt limp on the bed, all energy drained out of you, not a single drop left. You turned, looking at the ceiling, trying to steady your breathing, waiting for the tremors to pass when you felt Seungcheol his hand over your thigh. 

He pushed your shorts and panties all the way down, tossing them on the floor with a mute sound. He spread your legs and smiled proudly, seemingly happy with his work. It only lasted a second though, as a frown took over his features. 

“You’re wasting it, sweetheart” he tsked “We can’t have that, now can we?”

You felt his hand on your sensitive cunt and tried to flinch away but he didn't bulge. His finger grazed over your clit before he pushed them into you. You held his wrist, trying to push his hand away. 

“No, it’s too much” you shook your head, pleading “Please, I can’t, please”

He laughed at your words, pinning the hand that held his wrist over your head. Seungcheol kissed your breast, taking the nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, and blowing on it a second later, all while he pumped his fingers in your pussy, pushing back inside all the cum that had dripped out. 

“You can” you bit your lower lip and tugged at it “and, most importantly, we both know you want it”

You could only shake your head as the pleasure became too much, almost unbearable. Almost. You felt yet another orgasm build up again, like your entire body was throbbing, closing itself tightly before it finally broke free.

Seungcheol swallowed your scream, kissing your lips, neck, and shoulders as your body spasmed. Your quiet whimpers were the only sound in the room. He only pulled his fingers out of you when you calmed down completely.

“That’s it” he kissed your cheek, letting go of your hands and using them to hold his head so he could look down at you “See, I told you you could it”

Out of the possible outcomes of the previous night waking up to a mop of red hair on the other side of the bed wasn’t one of them. You were certain that when you woke up you’d realize that the night had been a dream — the most real one you had ever had in your life but that was beside the point. 

Just for good measure, you pressed your index finger to the shoulder of the man. Warm and soft skin was under your finger.

Okay, not a dream then.

You turned on your back, facing the ceiling of your bedroom. The night played vividly in your mind. The way Seungcheol pressed the first kiss to the back of your neck and how that alone was enough to make you go crazy under his touch. Not only that, how you were so willing to completely let yourself go to him, how every time he whispered in your ear, chills ran down your entire body and you could feel him everywhere.

You couldn’t help but wonder if all of your emotions had been heightened because he was…. him. A demon. Or if you were just so touch-starved that the smallest caress was enough to drive you over the edge.

Most of all, you couldn’t look past all how you had been so incredibly reckless. A random man who looked like he had gotten out of some comic book suddenly showed up in your room — mind you without using the door — and you somehow, for whatever reason, thought that it was a good idea to have sex with him. And then, as if all of that wasn’t enough, you still fell asleep by his side like it was the most normal thing in the world like he was someone you could trust entirely.

You covered your eyes with your arm, a groan leaving your lips.

There was still the whole “deal with the demon king” part that you were yet to think about.

It seemed unfair that you couldn’t remember what you agreed on. You should have the chance to prepare for whatever was to come, didn’t you? The demon king, or Jeonghan, you weren’t sure how you should address him, was well… unfair.

“Are you usually this loud so early in the morning?”

Your entire body jumped on the bed and a scream died in your throat. For a couple of minutes, you had been so lost in your mind that you forgot that Seungcheol was by your side at all.

His voice in the early morning, just after waking up, was almost made out of honey, velvety, tingling in your ears. By your side, Seungcheol had turned to you, his eyes barely open, his full lips pulled almost in a pout, a few strands of hair covering his face. You had to grip the sheets closer to your body just so you could suppress the desire to move them aside.

Your eyes moved slightly down, to his half-exposed chest. Another flash of the night before crossed your mind, of him over you, the way the chain around his neck hung just over your nose, how you used it to pull him to you again.

“You look cute when you blush,” he said with a lazy smile on his lips. You felt your cheeks warm but didn’t think it was enough to cause any visible change. 

Seungcheol folded his arm, holding his head up. The sleepy smile he gave you was the most delicious thing you had ever seen, it was enough to take your breath away all over again. You were happy that you were still in bed, otherwise there was a chance that your legs might have given in under you.

“I didn’t think you’d stay” was all you said as you swung your feet out of the bed, looking for the pajamas that were lost somewhere on the floor.

It was on the other side of the room, how it had ended up there was beyond you. You gripped the sheet closer around your body but you were only able to move one step away from the bed before you felt it being pulled back.

“You know, I already saw everything there’s under those sheets” you didn’t turn to him but you could hear the smile in his voice “In fact, I did a lot more than just look at it”

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You were certain that if you forced the sheets out of his grip, Seungcheol would have let go of it but if he did such a thing then he would be the one exposed, and while you were sure that he had no problem with the idea, everything you screamed that if you saw him naked again there was no way that you would just have a redo of the night before.

Letting go of the sheets, you walked to the other side of the room, opening the dresser drawer and pulling out a clean pair of panties and bra.

“I’m going to shower and by the time I finish it I want you gone”

Seungcheol’s laughter still echoed through the apartment when you closed the bathroom door.

You had managed to keep yourself busy enough during the weekend that you had almost forgotten about Friday night. The keyword being almost. Usually, you would have come up with an excuse to not help your sister during the weekend. She was a wedding planner, a very good one at that — she had been the one to plan your wedding — and highly sought out so it was easier to find her working than being at home.

The reason why you always declined was that weddings, while they could be wildly different from one another, there were things that were the same, didn’t who was at the isle. Two people were promising each other eternal love.

When you saw those people, standing in front of each other, eyes filled with love and hope, you couldn’t help but think about Joshua. How you had once been in that exact spot, saying similar words, how you had been happy with him for so many years until all of it came crashing down on you. The only thing that love left behind were scars that were still all too fresh but hidden enough that no one would ever see them.

Still, working during the weekend with your sister was better than staying at home and thinking about all the stupid decisions you made and how much you’d love to make at least one of them once again. She was also kind enough to let you work on the setup and then later back in the kitchen. Maybe she had some sort of sixth sense that said that you need to get out of your mind. Her call was at the right moment.

Even so, there were moments when you were on your own, in the darkness of your bedroom, when Seungcheol’s perfume somehow still lingered in the air. There was no escape then. It was like a replay of that night played in your head again and again, and everytime it it did there was a new detail that you had somehow forgotten.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

You ran your hand over your face and hair, urging your mind to just stop and let yourself fall asleep. You had a meeting early in the morning and you needed your sleep, just so you could function like a semi-normal human being.

You were in the kitchen when you heard a sound in your bedroom. Your heart skipped a beat, hoping that maybe… just maybe… You shook your head in an attempt to come back to reality. The chance of seeing Seungcheol once again was below zero. You heard the sound again and this time your heart wasn’t the only thing doing a weird flip inside your chest, you also felt chills run down your skin.

The third time the sound came you felt as if you were under a cold shower when it was followed by the sound of laughter in the hallway that belonged to your neighbor. 

It was hard swallowing the expectation that had somehow found its way into you. You weren’t even sure why you were expecting something in the first place. After that night it was clear that there wasn’t going to be a second one. Not that there was any conversation on the matter, it just seemed like the most natural option. 

If things had gone according to plan, and if your mind was worthy of any trust, apparently it did, there was no real reason why you should ever see Seungcheol again. And yet, there you were wishing that he’d just show up again, and for what? 

You set the glass of water down, wishing you could have something strong – God knew that if you wanted to sleep you’d need some help – but not wanting to risk anything. Shutting down the lights in the kitchen and living room.

Before you even opened the door to your room you felt this shift in the air. You pushed it open, hard enough that it smashed against the wall. 

“You must really love your kitchen, the second time I show up here and the second time you're in the kitchen”

You closed your eyes for a second, basking in the sound of his voice, how it made chills erupt in your skin. 

“Second time you don’t use the door”

“I’ll be sure to remember that”

Seungcheol smiled, hands in his pocket. 

“You better”

Before you gave yourself a chance to think about it, you crossed the room in two strides and pulled him to you. Seungcheol smiled against your lips before he finally kissed you. 

if you enjoyed reading, please reblog and leave a comment, it really does mean the world to me and i would love to know your thoughts. thank you! 💕

you can read my other fics here ➝ masterlist

[pushspacetocontinue]

"Great!" Travis said, grinning. Once the Twins were gone, he could recommend Russell's actual channel.

Russell was already wondering if this was the best idea. Yes, he had given them payment. Yes, he had offered them the perk of free, and yes, he had said as long as he had employed them, Antonio wouldn't lay a mental hand on them. But that still didn't mean they couldn't decide they preferred Five's employment.

"I think it's better if none of us think about it too much," Leofric said, with a subtle look of disgust, "Gloves would be suitable in this matter."

"Yeah, you're right," Bill said, before he looked down at his own gloved hands, "It'll save me burning this pair when I'm done with them at the very least."

"That's a good positive way to see it," Simon said, "It's a little extra strength training."

While Antonio quickly regained his composure, he couldn't resist taking a subtle glance over at Ratchet, just to see what kind of effect that might have had on him.

He missed the smile on Willow's face, having been too busy watching Erica and Ratchet, but it seemed that it had been a quick easy task for the elf too.

"I'll have to be ready next time," was all Antonio said then, "Now where were we?"

"We're, we're not, not expecting it," Russell said. He wasn't about to tell them it was their own money they were spending. But nonetheless, he took out an extra thirty dollars from his own wallet and held it out, "Just, just come, just come back safe, all, all right? And, and get yourselves some-something nice while, while you're at it."

Bill gave a nod then. He almost wanted to make a snarky comment about how smithing the tools into something better would be harder if they didn't come back safe without them, but he could see that Russell was trying to offer some kindness despite everything.

Who knows, maybe that would help the Twins see things their way just that bit more?

"Look forward to seeing you back here, boys," Bill said, giving them a fanged grin and a cheerful wave as they left. Then he looked at Leofric when he was certain they were out of earshot, "Did you get their scent?"

"Yes," Leofric said, "If I do need to find them, I'll be able to smell them."

"Willow and I can also keep track of them with their phones," Simon said, "So we'll know what they're doing."

"I will!" Or at least she would look up the channel. It was a little difficult to keep up with videos while living in a different universe.

Though it wasn't the time to bring that up either. They were about to send the Twins out on their own, not knowing if they were going to come back. There was no need to give them more information that they could potentially share with Five while left unsupervised.

"I'm not sure I want to know what else he's been doing with these." Rook muttered. It wasn't hard to do so, but thinking about the implications only made her wish she had a way to clean her magic. "Add some gloves to the list."

"And we get a free workout, right?"

"-right?"

It felt like petty punishment, especially with how long that list was. Tommy held it up so his brother could read it as well, then watched Erica disappear in the dark pit on the floor. Somebody was about to get a good scare.

That person couldn't be Willow, though. She was already reaching into her coat before Erica had even made her entrance. Hopefully, neither Lucien or Antonio were going to notice her own smile at her double's shenanigans.

The cyborg handed over a neatly folded roll of cash, "This should suffice."

"Thanks!" Erica grabbed the money and leaped back into her portal, "I'll be louder next time!"

"Like that's going to help." Lucien grumbled.

The money was slapped onto Timmy's palm as soon as Erica's feet touched the ground. "There! Now you can go buy us stuff."

The brothers consulted each other through a brief look after the money was counted.

"This will take a while."

"And don't expect any change back."

They could barely do anything with that budget. The Twins didn't wait around to say their farewells and headed for the exit. It wasn't very interesting work, but at least they weren't looking for sage again.

[omorithedreamermod]

FEBRUARY DEVLOG - 1

The third DEVLOG has arrived...this time spelled correctly! Lots of progress has been made since the last update!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

So, about saves! I don't know if people noticed the edited DEVLOG from last time, but...it seems that you WILL be able to use your demo saves for the prelude! Testing looks good so far, so hoping it stays this way. Thank goodness, because now all those watermelons you collected in HEADSPACE won't be for nothing! Why is that...? Well! Hehe...

PROGRESS:

Remember how last time I said majority of maps were completed? That was incorrect. NOW the majority are done and only a couple are left. I've made so many maps this week. Thumbs up (fades into dust)

NPCs got cooked up. Basically all are complete, unless a couple more are needed, but for now, basically a done task. Some character sprite art needs to be made still, but not a lot!

All battle art is complete, including enemies, and portraits. They have also been programmed in, so they are fully functional, and battles are a done task! Wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, thankfully! Battlebacks still need to be made, but those are relatively quick.

OST...I said last time it was near complete. I was wrong. NOW it's near complete. At the moment, there are currently 44 tracks for the full dreamer prelude (including the demo tracks!). There's still a couple more to be made, but definitely mostly done ^^ It's going to be a LONG compilation video!

Writing was on the back-burner while I was focusing on creating assets. That doesn't mean there wasn't progress! Still, from this point on, writing and programming will be a main focus now that majority of assets are complete.

Portraits are not all complete. SUNNY needs more hospital portraits, and BASIL also needs new real world portraits! Those will take a bit...

Currently, all the mirror locations still need to be done, which means completing the battle-backs first. There is also a new title screen art that needs to be done. Along with that...a major, drawn cutscene, and another rougher cutscene...and maybe another short one, as well as art for the credits. A lot of art to do...

NOTES:

March is looking bright! Very bright! One part of the panic now comes from hoping I can program and write everything in a speedy manner, including NPC dialogue and miscellaneous stuff. Once again, a ton of the content is optional. But, like the DEMO, you are rewarded for you investment ^^ There's also a lot of secrets, so, good luck! Badges will be even more fun this time around!

Everyone really stepped up with the NPCs and I am very thankful for the sprite teams help! The OST is also coming along so well thanks to everyone. I've also appreciated the people who have taken the time to answer questions about programming and such that I have!

Still, the biggest point of stress is that I'm doing all the art, and I don't know how quickly I can do these cutscenes. One of them is very important to look clean and beautiful, and I have to do my best to stay very on style, which isn't as easy in cutscenes as it is with portraits. Along with that, real world portraits take longer than, say, STRANGER, who is monochrome. DREAMER was pretty time consuming, but I'm not as solid on real world portrait style yet. I'll figure it out, hopefully...

I'm also concerned once again about the trailer, and making art ahead of time for it for future events. I think it'll be okay, though? I usually pull through! And if need be, I can simplify the trailer a little.

CONCLUSION:

Currently, (along with completing the remaining assets) the goal is for me to complete all the writing/programming to start playtesting before March 1st, which means the PRELUDE will be completed and playable before March. This will NOT include the final art, such as cutscenes, and trailer art that aren't required for progression. So, while playtesting is happening, I will hopefully step back and really get all that art done so the mid-March release is possible!

There's still so much to do, but so much has been done, and I'm very proud of how things are going-to the point I even find the DEMO very lacking compared to the full PRELUDE! Please look forward to the coming release, and the next DEVLOG!

[bunnliix]

When Eight Becomes Nine - Chapter Eighteen

I didn't think I'd go this long without posting for this, or at all, but life kinda killed me ngl, and so did school. But I'm alive and here's another chapter of our favorite boys, plus y/n!

Pairing: Ateez x 9th member!reader Summary: We get down to business, and y/n starts her first day as an official member of Ateez! wc: 1.6k AU: a/b/o Genre: Fluff/Angst warnings: pet names, fireman carrying, scenting, mentions of being anxious and embarrassed, I think that's it! masterlist

 Y/n was woken up by the sounds of footsteps in the dorms, opening her eyes to find that she was still embraced by San.

“Good morning baby, did you sleep well?” The beta asked her, already awake. A bit too disoriented still by the cacophony of noise, and still a bit overwhelmed from the last time she was awake, she just nodded. San chuckled before explaining the chaos, “It’s a bit loud, isn’t it? This is what mornings are like when we forget that we have to be up at a decent hour. You should go ahead and get up too, we have to go into the company today, for you, to start preparing for our next comeback.”

Y/n slowly sat up, watching as the others ran around the dorms, a couple of them running around from one part of the dorm to another, too busy to notice that she was awake. She groaned as she sat up further, feeling her body protest, but she sat up fully, as San’s hand came up to support her back. She smiles gratefully at the beta, before pushing herself off the couch, and reaching back to pull the bulkier man up as well.

“We should get dressed ourselves, shouldn’t we?” She asked him, to which he nodded in response.

The two of them walked down to her room, the beta leaving her there as he walked further down the hallway to his own room. She entered her room, finding that one of the others must have unpacked a few of her things, and from the organization of it all, it was Seonghwa who did so. She found that her clothes were still packed away, which she was grateful for the elder omega respecting her privacy.  She quickly picked out an outfit, finding one that was comfy yet also not too casual looking, and that was also easy to move in. She quickly packed up a bag with everything she needed, including another change of clothes, just to be on the safe side. Emerging from her room, she heard voices from the main room of the dorm, and once she got there, she found that everyone but Jongho was there.

“Good morning y/n-ah, how are you?” Seonghwa asked, coming over to her when she was noticed. “Good morning Seonghwa-oppa,” she said, “I’m doing well, I’m a bit nervous though.” She admitted, feeling able to share her feelings with her fellow omega.

“It will be okay. Today is mostly a show you the ropes day, and also for Hongjoong to try and insert you on the track as well, even if it might be a bit too late to get you in for any of the album material. But with an upcoming tour next year, it’s easier to get things done now, than to wait.” Seonghwa explained, trying to ease her nerves.

Hongjoong caught everyone’s attention as he stood up. “The vans are here,” he announced, “Everyone grab your things and head downstairs.” That spurred everyone into moving, as everyone shuffled to grab their bag or bags and leave the apartment. Y/n slung her own bag onto her shoulder, and with Seonghwa’s guidance, left the apartment. Yunho followed behind the two of them, and when they reached the first floor, headed into the second of two vans. When y/n climbed in, she found that San was the only one inside. He beckoned here to sit next to him, and she did.

“Did Seonghwa-hyung tell you what we’re doing today?” He asked, turning to look at her. Y/n nodded, replying, “He told me that today was getting me used to what will happen now, and also for Hongjoong to play around with where I’ll fit in for your songs.” “For our songs,” Yunho interjected, before going back to scenting Seonghwa in the row ahead of where y/n and San sat.

And with Yunho’s words, the car fell silent for a little while, everyone focusing on their phones or the view outside, since they would likely be locked away in the company building for the rest of the day.

Seonghwa leaned his head on Yunho’s shoulder as the alpha’s arm wrapped itself around the pack omega’s shoulders, while San silently showed y/n his social media, while also explaining the likelihood that she would be getting access to her own accounts and the like over the next few days, once the company had created them. Yunho glanced back at the two behind them, before looking down at Seonghwa. “You’re worried for her, aren’t you?” “Of course I am. Just like I worry for the rest of you,” Seonghwa replied, “She’s one of us now, so one of mine to take care of and worry over.” “I know. But you have us to help, so please don’t try and take it on all by yourself, hyung.” Yunho reminded him, and before Seonghwa could reply, the van was pulling in front of KQ.

The other van had already arrived and the other members had already headed inside, so the four quickly climbed out of the van and made their way inside. The others thankfully hadn’t gone far, finding them standing around the elevator, seeming waiting for them to arrive. Hongjoong came up to Seonghwa first, scenting the omega like Yunho had in the car, and once he was satisfied, moved onto scenting Yunho, the other alpha melting under his pack alpha’s actions.

Hongjoong moved to stand in front of y/n, smiling at her. “Would you like me to scent you as well?” He asked, slightly unsure. Y/n thought about it for a moment. They did say last night that she could have it if she wanted, and she really did. His scent was so nice and the thought of having him scent her sounded so good right now. She found herself eagerly nodding in reply to his question, her face heating up when he chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Come here then,” he said, beckoning for her to come a bit closer and she did.

His hands reached out, scenting her wrists with his, smiling and relaxing as both of their scents bloomed, before he slowly leaned in, scenting her neck as well. Y/n could feel herself becoming putty in the alpha’s hands, reaching out and gripping his hoodie for some stability. Hongjoong pulled away once he noticed her grip on him, as the omega in front of him whined at the distance between them now, enjoying the closeness. By the time y/n had gotten her wits back, the other members were standing behind Hongjoong, smiling at her, though there were a few chuckles at her reaction. She looked away, a bit embarrassed by how quickly she melted.

“Awww, it’s okay,” San comforted her, “We all had the same reaction when hyung scented us for the first time.” Still flustered, she looked down, until Wooyoung came up next to her and grabbed her hand.

“It’s okay, baby omega. We find it cute how you melted into hyung.” He told her, tugging her into a hug.

“Well, now we should get down to business, yes?” Yunho said, stepping in and pulling the attention away from y/n.

“Yes, and we’ll be stealing y/n to go over choreography,” San said, with Yeosang and Wooyoung nodding in agreement, with the latter moving to stand behind her, his hands moving to rest on her hips. “Wait, we need to take y/n to go over her lines for the upcoming comeback.” Hongjoong cut in, to which the three whined in protest.

“That can be done later, hyung. We should get y/nnie up to speed with the choreography, since she likely can’t be added into the official tracks right now.” San said. In an almost seemingly planned out move, Mingi appeared in front of y/n, swooping the omega off of her feet and up over his shoulder. As the tall rapper moved into the elevator that had just opened up, she could see Hongjoong follow them, telling the others, “We’ll see you later!” before joining Mingi and her in the empty elevator car. Once the door was shut, Mingi set her gently back down on her feet.

“Sorry for that, firecracker, but they would have done the same thing if we had let them.” Mingi apologized, reaching out and ruffling her hair, to which y/n batted his hands away. This made the man chuckle, though before the omega could say anything in retort, the doors opened and Hongjoong reached for her hand, pulling the younger one out of the car and down a familiar hallway. She recognized where they were, and realized that she was back in the same hallway that they had been guided down to see the two idols that first day at the company.

However this time, she was led past the other studio, to a door a little farther down. “This is my studio, and where we’ll be working today,” Hongjoong explained. “My studio is two doors down,” Mingi cut in, as they all ushered themselves into the studio.

Hongjoong sat down in his chair, as Mingi took the one next to him, while y/n stood, unsure of where to go or sit. The leader turned around in his chair, smiling at her to try and ease her nerves. “Sit down on the couch, yeah?” And after she had done so, he spoke once again, “Now, let’s figure out where exactly you fit in our songs.”

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if your name is in pink, I can't tag you!

[trevorsgodmother]

𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼 𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽 (M.S 🌪)

☞ Masterlist

A/N: Inspo from a random ass line in this fic by @muwapsturniolo. Inspiration comes from the randomest things lmao. ALSO HAPPY VALENTINE'S HOESSS (lil late but whatever)

Warnings: SmUt, MATT THE MUNCH, oral (fem receiving), fingering, swearing, overstimulation, PAIN KINK MATT POV: Reader Summary: Matt wants a little valentine's day treat...

He ate her out until his jaw was sore...

My fingers ached from gripping his hair so hard.

Matt had been eating me out for... I don't even know how long. All that I know is that he'd been starving for his, quote un-quote, "Valentine's treat."

"C'mon baby, pleassee? Consider it your valentine's treat to me."

He had started off slow, with gentle licks and small kisses that relaxed me and my core instantly. Small shivers ran down my spine, goosebumps rising on my skin as I felt his locks slide across my hand. His hands joined soon after, holding my thighs apart with a slightly bruising grip for more of his my satisfaction.

But the small licks turned into drawn-out ones, and the kisses turned into sucking. As soon as his tongue made contact with my slick entrance with enough force to make me jump, I knew I was done for.

Matt had made sure to keep track of the amount of times I came, and he did this by pushing another finger in every time I did. Now we're up to three.

"Fuck- can't-" A small glance downwards shows me his proud smirk. Fucker loved his overstimulation. Whether it was giving or receiving, he'd take it anyday over 'normal' finishing. And I thought he'd be 100% vanilla.

One particular curl of his fingers caused me to cry out his name, tears beginning to gather in the corner of my eyes. My hands are completely tangled in his hair, pulling so hard he almost made me stop. Except he didn't want me to.

No, Matt liked the pain.

He liked how it showed him how good I felt. He liked how the vibrations from his moans caused mine to triple in volume (TRIPLET REFERENCE????). He liked feeling his strands get tugged, the tiny pricks on his scalp heightening the whole experience.

But then there's the other pain he's starting feel.

A dull ache in his jaw.

The repeated motions of his mouth working against me caused the muscle to strain a little. (dude it's 3am plz dont judge the truthfulness of this statement thank yew)

He'd thought about stopping, managing the soreness before it got too much, but he also didn't want to.

This man's pain kink was crazy.

So all of this together, my moans, taste, fingers grabbing at his hair, and his jaw hurting, was making him see stars.

His face burrows deeper in between my thighs, worshipping and drinking like I was the fountain of youth.

I'm crying out, back arching against the bed while simultaneously pushing him away and pulling him closer.

He keeps moving his fingers in and out, lapping at my cunt like he's been thirsty for decades. His tongue is working wonders, enveloping me like a warm hug. A warm, wet, and sticky hug.

And, for the 4th time, I come.

He swallows it all, not wasting a single drop. His red lips and chin are glistening with my essence as he pants. My moans die down to whimpers, relishing in the post-orgasmic bliss.

I sigh in relief, just starting to relax. But then my eyes snap fully open and a shriek is ripped from my throat when he adds all 4 fingers together.

He grins, watching my face contort in a mix of pleasure and slight pain. This man and pain...

"You didn't think we were done yet, did you baby?"

TL: @hearts4werka @stvrnzcherries @spaghettislut1 @pvssychicken @snowysosturn @sllutty-sturniolo @sturnmeovr @courta13 @shadowthesim237 @scorpio1205 @chrepsi dividers by @bernardsbendystraws <3 -Ropitipop 👁👅👁

[maretinelli]

SPILLED COFFEE

Lewis Hamilton X Journalist!fem!reader

Summary: On her first day covering F1, Y/n meets Lewis Hamilton in an unexpected way—by spilling coffee on him before a press conference. What starts with laughter and meeting at the Paddock soon turns into a friendship that can go beyond feelings.

Words: 5.8K+

Warnings: Nothing(??) just cute and romantic.

Author: English is not my first language, so apologies for any spelling, grammar and slang mistakes that may be in the story.

MASTERLIST

It was the Spanish Grand Prix. The paddock was buzzing with the typical morning activity of a race weekend. The sky was clear, and the heat was starting to intensify, even at that hour.

Team members hurried past, engineers chatted in groups analyzing data, and journalists strategically positioned themselves to capture the best moments of the day.

Y/n, however, didn't have time to appreciate the scenery.

She walked quickly across the paddock, slinging her bag over her shoulder, which held a microphone, question sheets, and other essential equipment. In her other hand, she held a large cup of iced coffee, still untouched.

She knew exactly why she was late. Talking too much. It was an innate talent—or maybe a flaw, depending on the situation.

The friendly waitress at the coffee shop had been a great listener, and between one conversation and another, Y/n had simply lost track of time. Now, she should be in the press room, getting everything ready and waiting for the pilots who could arrive at any moment.

"Microphone, chips, recorder... It's all here, isn't it? Oh, what the hell, Y/n, why do you do this every time?"

The problem was, she wasn't really looking in front of her. The impact was unexpected.

In her haste and distraction, Y/n felt her shoulder bump against something solid - or rather, someone. The impact caused her iced coffee to fly out of her hand and splash directly onto the person's chest, staining the white fabric. The liquid ran down her impeccable shirt, creating a large brownish stain.

She quickly stepped back, trying to keep her balance so she wouldn't fall to the ground. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't see you, I was looking at my bag and-"

The words came out in a rush, one excuse after another, as she finally looked up at the victim of her morning disaster.

Lewis Hamilton.

His sweet smile contrasted with the large coffee stain on his white Mercedes shirt. The fact that he had spilled coffee on someone was bad enough. But that someone was Lewis Hamilton, and that made it a thousand times worse.

And, as if that weren't enough, he was one of the drivers who should have been at the press conference, which was probably already starting.

"Oh no... I made you late too! I'm a mess!" She exclaimed, feeling even more guilty. "What do I do? How do I get this stain out? Is there anything in the Mercedes that can help? Or maybe-"

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Lewis laughed, interrupting her barrage of apologies. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, really. It happens. I also wasn't looking where I was going because... well, I'm late too."

Relief washed over Y/n at hearing this, though the guilt was still there. She let out a small sigh and smiled, more at ease.

"Still, I'm sorry."

Lewis looked down at his shirt and shrugged, still smiling. "Don't worry, I've learned some techniques for removing stains from white shirts from my mom."

Y/n chuckled, shaking her head. "So you're a pilot and a laundry expert? Impressive."

"Something like that." He joked, laughing.

His gaze then slid to her arm, where a large, colorful tattoo stood out. He pointed curiously.

"That's very beautiful. Tribute?"

Surprised by the comment, Y/n stretched out her arm, allowing him to see better. Lewis smiled as he noticed the details of the drawing.

She nodded, a nostalgic glint in her eyes. "Yeah... my dad and I did it together for my birthday. He always said we'd do something special when I turned 18. That was our special thing and..." Lewis smiled, clearly enjoying the story, but before Y/n could say anything else, reality hit. "Oh, forget it...!" She shook her head, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I have to go, I'm really late for a meeting."

Lewis laughed at her sudden change of mood. "And I need to change clothes and go to the interview, so I guess we're even."

She took a few steps back, pointing at his shirt, grimacing guiltily. "Sorry again about that..."

Lewis just laughed, loud and genuine. "Okay, really."

They exchanged one last friendly smile before each of them went their separate ways. When Y/n turned around, she let out a sigh and smiled to herself.

She quickened her pace, now focused on finding the TV crew's photographer. The walk to him was quick, and when she arrived, she stopped in front of him, a little out of breath.

The teammate crossed his arms, his expression unimpressed. “You’re 20 minutes late.”

She smiled guiltyly, still catching her breath. "I know, I know..."

He sighed, pointing to his watch. "The interview should have started by now."

Y/n sighed, still trying to catch her breath, and quickly handed the bag to the photographer. "Sorry, really. But I'm here now, let's go."

Without wasting any more time, she began to help him prepare the camera, quickly adjusting the equipment. Once everything was ready, the two entered the large room where the press conference would take place.

Luckily for Y/n, the interview hadn’t started yet. The pilots were finishing adjusting their microphones, and the journalists were taking their places, reviewing notes and testing their equipment. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Moving quickly between other reporters and excusing herself here and there, Y/n positioned herself in the spot reserved for her team. Her name tag and company name marked her space.

Sitting down, she took her cards out of her bag and began to organize them, checking her questions. She adjusted her microphone and looked around, making sure she was ready.

The interview began with one of the journalists directing the first question to Verstappen.

"Max, you've performed well in free practice so far, but you mentioned that you were struggling a bit with the balance of the car. What have you adjusted for qualifying and how do you expect that to affect your race?"

Max leaned forward a little to answer. "Yeah, we worked really hard on it..." He began, but the buzz in the room suddenly increased.

Lewis had just arrived.

He weaved his way past the other pilots, moving with the natural confidence he always carried. "Sorry I'm late, guys," he said with a smile as he settled into his seat and adjusted his microphone.

Now he was wearing a clean, impeccable black Mercedes blouse.

As Max continued his response, Lewis looked around the room, observing the journalists who filled the first rows. It was then that his eyes found Y/n.

For a brief moment, he looked surprised. His eyes widened a little, but soon a smile formed on his face.

Y/n, who was already watching him, smiled back and discreetly pointed to her own blouse. A subtle gesture, saying: There was time to change, huh?

Lewis held back his laughter and nodded slightly, as if in confirmation.

Satisfied, Y/n looked down at her lap, where her chips were and the microphone was still turned off, waiting for the right moment to use it. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure, but a part of her couldn't help but find the coincidence of that morning meeting with Lewis amusing.

Once Max finished answering his questions, the moderator gave the floor to the next journalist. Y/n picked up her own microphone, turning it on with a soft click.

"Good morning Lewis, my question for you is about the progress of Mercedes this weekend. In free practice we saw you trying out different aerodynamic setups and, despite some balance issues, the race pace looked promising. Based on the data you gathered, what are your expectations for qualifying and the race? Do you feel you can challenge Red Bull and Ferrari here in Spain?"

Lewis listened attentively, tilting his head slightly as he processed the question. Then, he took the microphone and smiled before answering.

"Great question. I think this weekend has been interesting for us indeed. We are constantly trying to understand the car better and make improvements. Here in Spain, a traditionally technical circuit, we have been able to collect good data, especially on tyre wear and performance in long runs. We know that Red Bull and Ferrari still have an advantage, but we believe we can put ourselves in a strong position to fight on Sunday. The key will be a good qualifying, so we need to maximise every detail."

He ended his answer with a warm smile in Y/n's direction. She returned the smile and took the opportunity to ask her second question.

"Thinking about the race, the Spanish circuit has been challenging in recent years in terms of overtaking. Do you believe that the updates that Mercedes has brought can help in this aspect, giving you more confidence to attack if you start behind?"

Lewis nodded, appreciating the question.

"Yes, this has always been a tricky circuit for overtaking, so strategy and tyre management will be crucial. But yes, the updates we've brought in are very much focused on the stability of the car at high speeds and traction out of corners, so I believe that if we need to make up positions we'll have good pace to do so."

Y/n smiled, satisfied with the answers. "Thank you, Lewis." She turned off the microphone and sat in her designated chair, letting the other journalists take over the next questions.

However, without her noticing, Lewis kept his gaze on her for a few more seconds, until another question directed at him caught her attention.

The next journalist, excited, asked bluntly: "Lewis, everyone noticed you were a little late. What happened?"

He chuckled a little, lowering his head before answering. “Ah… well, there was a little mishap in the paddock on my way here.” He smiled and paused dramatically. “Apparently, coffee was spilled on my white blouse. But in the end, I was the one who apologized… because the woman who did it was definitely the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The answer took everyone by surprise. Laughter echoed around the room, some drivers teased Lewis with humorous comments, and journalists murmured among themselves.

Y/n, in turn, raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised by the statement. But soon her expression was replaced by a surprised smile and then by an amused giggle. She shook her head slightly, trying to disguise the way her face heated up at the unexpected joke.

Lewis, on the other hand, just smirked and cast a discreet glance in her direction, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

The press conference continued with a dynamic flow of questions and answers. In addition to Max and Lewis, the other two drivers present were Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

Y/n did a good job of directing questions to both of them, showing that she had done a thorough research job. For Lando, she asked about the improvements that McLaren had brought for that weekend and how he saw the team's evolution in the midfield battle. For Carlos, she focused on the pressure of racing at home and how that influenced his mental performance during the weekend.

They both responded sympathetically, and she managed to keep the interview going at a good pace, which was essential for someone who was running the job alone that weekend.

When the press conference finally ended, Y/n took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility lift off her shoulders.

"You did really well today," his fellow photographer said as he dismantled his equipment and put his camera back in his bag.

Y/n laughed, thanking me. "Thank you. But if you knew what I did before I found you, you'd definitely be on edge."

He arched an eyebrow, curious. "What did you do?"

She held back a laugh before replying. "I spilled coffee on Lewis Hamilton."

"SO IT WAS YOU?" The photographer paused for a second before letting out a loud laugh. "You're kidding!"

"I wish." Y/n replied, laughing along. "I literally bumped into him in the paddock, spilled my entire coffee on his white shirt, kept apologizing like crazy, and he... well, he was incredibly cool about it."

Her colleague was still laughing at the scene he imagined in his head. "And he even got a compliment on the world wide web, because apparently you're the most beautiful woman he's ever seen in his life."

Y/n shook her head, feeling her face heat up slightly. "It was just a joke, he doesn't even know me."

The photographer crossed his arms, laughing. "Joke or not, you became the highlight of the press conference."

She shrugged, still amused by it all. Then, as if speaking more to herself than to him, she commented, "But he really is very handsome... especially up close."

The colleague laughed and agreed. "Oh, that's true. The guy has an absurd presence."

With that, they finished organizing everything and moved on to other tasks for the day.

The afternoon settled in the paddock, and the characteristic buzz of the environment continued. Y/n was now sitting in the same coffee shop where, earlier, she had bought the coffee that ended up causing all the confusion.

This time, however, her attention was fully focused on her work. Her laptop was open on her desk, and sheets of notes were scattered around her. Her gaze flicked between the papers and the screen, typing quickly as she organized the press conference material and adjusted the main points for the story she needed to submit.

Even while concentrating, every now and then a small smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the scene from that morning. It was definitely not every day that someone spilled coffee on Lewis Hamilton and, on the same day, heard such praise from him.

Y/n was so focused on the computer screen, trying to organize the information and write what she would need for the article, that she didn't notice when someone approached her desk.

She was so startled that she nearly dropped everything when a large glass of iced coffee was placed next to her. She frowned in confusion, because she hadn't ordered anything since she sat down there.

She looked down at the glass, then quickly looked up, and that was when her eyes met Lewis's. He had an easy smile on his face, clearly enjoying the scare she had gotten.

"I think you need some coffee to calm down." He commented, chuckling softly.

Y/n sighed in relief and laughed. "You scared me."

Lewis shrugged, as if it wasn’t his fault. “I’m a pretty good scarer, apparently.” He pointed to the cup. “I brought you a coffee, as an apology. After all, I ended up making you lose your coffee, so I figured you deserved one on me.”

Y/n smiled, a little shyly, before shaking her head. "I'm the one who got into a fight with you. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I was late and ended up making a mess."

Lewis laughed softly, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter who was at fault.” He chuckled and leaned forward a little. “What matters is that I wanted to bring you some coffee and see you one more time.”

Those words, spoken so casually, made Y/n's cheeks flush. She looked away for a moment, trying to compose herself, before looking at him again.

Lewis then looked at the empty chair in front of him and asked with a smile, "Can I sit here?"

She smiled, feeling her heart race a little. "Sure, you can sit down."

Lewis settled into his chair, and Y/n began to gather the papers on the table, organizing them into a folder as he watched closely. He noticed that she was clearly busy with something important, so he hesitated for a moment.

"Sorry, I didn't see you were working. If you want, I can come back later." He said, his tone softer and more respectful.

Y/n shook her head, smiling softly. "It's okay. I needed a break anyway, and now is a perfect time."

Lewis smiled, watching as she closed the laptop, gathered the remaining sheets, and carefully placed them inside the folder before setting it aside.

After that, she placed the coffee cup in the center of the table, as if that was the official sign that she was, in fact, taking a break from work.

"It's brave of you to want to spend time talking to a journalist."

Lewis laughed, shaking his head. "I guess I've been through enough interviews that I don't get scared that easily."

Y/n smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

A small silence settled between them. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it carried with it that slight tension of two people who didn't yet know each other very well.

Lewis shifted his gaze to her arm, where the colorful tattoo caught his attention once again. He pointed discreetly with his finger.

"Are you a Senna fan too?"

Y/n automatically followed his gaze to her arm and smiled, almost instinctively. "Yes, very much. My father is Brazilian, so I grew up watching races with him. Senna has always been our idol. On my 18th birthday, I decided to get this tattoo in honor of him. My father was so touched that he wanted to get one too, so we ended up going together. It was one of the most special moments of my life." She smiled. "And well, that was a loooooong time ago."

As she spoke, her eyes shone with genuine affection, and her smile had a hint of nostalgia.

Lewis felt something electrifying in his chest. Talking about Ayrton Senna always brought out something intense in him, but knowing that Y/n also admired him deeply created an instant connection between them.

"He was my childhood hero," Lewis said, his eyes taking on a special light. "I always say he was the reason I started racing. I would watch his races and be fascinated by the way he drove, the passion he put into everything... Senna was different."

Y/n nodded, smiling. "Yes... my father always said that Senna was more than a driver, he was a symbol."

"And he was right." Lewis agreed, relaxing further in his chair.

From then on, the conversation flowed naturally. They began to exchange stories about their memories related to the Brazilian idol, about iconic moments from his races and even about how Ayrton had inspired so many generations on and off the track.

The awkward atmosphere that existed before gradually dissipated, giving way to an unexpected lightness.

As they talked, Y/n raised her coffee cup to her lips from time to time, slowly sipping Lewis's unexpected gift. And for the first time that day, she didn't feel rushed at all.

••••••••••••••••••••••

It was qualifying day, and the tension in the air was palpable. The roar of engines echoed in the background as engineers ran back and forth in the pits, ensuring everything was perfect for the drivers. Fans crowded into the stands, eager to see who would secure pole position for the next day's race.

Y/n was positioned in an area near the track where journalists gathered to interview the drivers right after qualifying. Next to her, her colleague held the camera, while she adjusted the microphone. They were live for the TV crew they worked for, and she had already interviewed two drivers.

She was finishing interviewing the third, a driver who was still slightly out of breath from the effort on the track.

"Thank you for your participation, Piastri!" Y/n smiled, holding the microphone as the pilot nodded.

"Thank you." Oscar replied with a smile before quickly placing a hand on her shoulder in a brief gesture of thanks and leaving the press area.

Y/n then turned to interview the last pilot assigned to her team. As soon as she looked up, she found Lewis standing behind her, with his usual easy smile.

Before she could say anything, he placed both hands on her shoulders and gave her a brief, relaxed massage, as if he were playing to ease the tension.

"Working hard, huh?" He teased, an amused glint in his eye.

Y/n smiled, feeling her shoulders relax for a moment before shaking her head and straightening her posture. Because they were still live. "Someone has to do the hard work."

He replied, laughing before adjusting the microphone and looking at him more seriously. "Congratulations on qualifying today, Lewis. You've put yourself in a great position for the race. How did the car perform on track today?"

"Thanks! The car handled really well, I think we managed to find a good balance over the weekend. There are still a few details to fine-tune, but overall I'm pretty happy with the lap we did today."

Y/n nodded and continued: "Considering the performance of your opponents and the position you will start in tomorrow, what will be the main challenge for the race?"

Lewis smiled, clearly enjoying the interview. "I think the start will be crucial, as always. It's important to hold the position and, if possible, gain some. Tyre management will also be essential, as wear seems high at this circuit. But we are prepared to fight for the best possible result."

Y/n smiled, satisfied with the answer. "It looks like it's going to be an exciting race! Thanks for the interview, Hamilton."

He held her gaze for a moment before smiling warmly. "The pleasure was all mine. Always great to be interviewed by you."

Y/n tried to hide it, but an involuntary smile escaped her lips. Lewis noticed and his own smile widened a little more. Before walking away, he patted her affectionately on the shoulder, as if to say 'Good job.'

She watched him walk away for a moment before turning her attention back to her teammate, who was filming the whole thing with a mischievous grin on his face.

Y/n smiled at the camera, returning to her professional tone. "And that concludes our coverage of today's qualifying! Tomorrow, the drivers will be back on track for what promises to be an exciting race. Stay tuned to follow everything with us. See you then!"

Her teammate gave her a discreet nod, indicating that he had stopped recording. Once the camera was turned off, Y/n sighed in relief and let out a nervous giggle.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this alone," she confessed, turning off the microphone.

His friend just smiled. "You studied hard for this, Y/n. Now's your chance to enjoy the view from this side." He made a wide gesture with his hand, as if showing the entire paddock in front of them.

She laughed, shaking her head, but she knew he was right. She was here, covering an event by herself, and she was doing well.

Together they began to pack up their equipment and walked around the paddock, chatting casually. That's when Y/n felt a hand land lightly on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Lewis smiling at her.

"Hey," he said, relaxed.

"Hey," she replied with an automatic smile.

His colleague looked from Lewis to Y/n, arching his eyebrows with a mischievous smile before taking a step back.

"Well, I'm going. I need to get back to the hotel and prepare myself emotionally for a date later."

Y/n laughed. "It'll be okay. See you tomorrow morning here at the paddock."

He winked at her and left, leaving Y/n and Lewis alone.

When she turned back to the pilot, she noticed that he looked a little nervous. His smile didn't have the same confidence it usually had.

"Can I play journalist now and ask you a question?"

Y/n laughed at the comment. "Sure."

Lewis hesitated for a second before asking, "Do you... have a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband?"

Y/n frowned for a moment, holding back a laugh at the direct way he asked.

Lewis noticed and laughed a little too, shaking his head. "I mean... do you have someone? Any plans?"

"No, I don't have anyone." She tilted her head, crossing her arms. "Why?"

Lewis smiled, running his hand over the back of his neck, looking a little less confident than usual. "Because I wanted to ask you out to dinner sometime."

She blinked in surprise, and then a smile grew on her face. Her heart raced a little, but in a good way.

"Ah..." She chuckled softly, feeling a wave of heat rise in her chest. "Yes, I would love to."

Lewis smiled broadly and with relief. "Great! Great..."

Y/n laughed when she noticed his slight hesitation. It was funny to see the seven (eight) times world champion like that.

"But I know you're busy right now." He continued, lightly gesturing to the notepad in her hand. "And I also need to get back to the garage to talk to the engineers. We'll talk then!"

"Yeah, I have some stuff to finish." She agreed, still smiling.

They shared one last look before Y/n took a step back, walking away. But before she could get too far, she heard Lewis call her name.

“Y/n!”

She turned, seeing him take a few quick steps towards her.

"Your phone number!"

"You almost forgot the most important part." She laughed.

"Yeah, I almost let it go." He joked, taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

Y/n started to say the numbers while Lewis typed them into his phone, saving the contact with a satisfied smile.

"I'll send you a message. And then we'll arrange a day."

"Ok."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

They exchanged one last smile before saying goodbye for good. Y/n continued on her way through the paddock, but this time she couldn't keep the smile off her face. They acted like two silly teenagers in love in high school.

The weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and the relationship between Y/n and Lewis became something natural, part of their routine. If they didn't see each other in person, they were exchanging messages, sending funny photos or calling to tell each other the news of the day. Even the silliest things became a reason for long conversations.

Y/n🩷: Lewis, I need a serious opinion.

Lew❤️: Send it.

Y/n🩷: If I buy these pants, do you think I'll look like an 80-year-old lady going to buy bread?

The message Y/n sent was accompanied by a photo of her in the mirror, trying on the item of clothing.

Lew❤️: It depends. Are you going to buy bread?

Y/n🩷: LEWIS!

What about connections? They became frequent. If Lewis was in a different time zone, he would still find a way to at least send an audio message or wait for Y/n to wake up to call.

"What do you think of this cookie? Is it good?" Y/n was at the market, shopping while Lewis was on a break from one of his workouts and on the phone with her.

"I don't like it very much. But my mom and nephews love it!! Take it and try it." He smiles from the other side of the phone screen. Y/n smiles and puts the food package in the shopping cart.

And for weeks, with messages, phone calls and random photos exchanged, they still tried to find a free day so they could both go out to the pilot's promised dinner. Their schedules never managed to synchronize with each other, but for now they were content with the friend zone they were in.

But not for long.

Another race weekend had begun and, before everyone went about their business, Lewis arranged to meet Y/n at a café inside the paddock.

Sitting at a table on the porch, he wore sunglasses and looked at his cell phone, seemingly focused. The atmosphere was pleasant, and he was enjoying the moment of calm before the chaos of the day began.

And then he was caught off guard when a loud crash echoed across the table.

He almost dropped his cell phone in shock, and when he looked at the table he saw a pile of papers spread across the top, accompanied by a glass full of milky tea.

He pushed up his glasses, frowning. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed, blinking at the panting figure in front of him.

Y/n threw herself into the chair, letting out a long sigh before blurting out, "I'm going to be a teacher!"

"What exactly does that mean?" Lewis frowned, puzzled.

Y/n rested both elbows on the table, looking directly at him. "Apparently, a professor from the University of London is going on maternity leave. She teaches journalism..." She began, picking up one of the papers and rolling it between her fingers. "And so, the director of the course asked me to replace her for at least a year."

"Really?" Lewis's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Yes. I studied at the same university and, according to him, I have a great resume, both as a student and now as a professional." She laughed a little, shaking her head. "Little does he know that I slept through every sociology class."

"You? Sleeping in class?" Lewis chuckled.

"I would always sit in the back and pretend to write something down." He admitted with a shrug.

"And you accepted the offer?"

"I accept!!" He replied with a small smile. "I like a challenge. I love my job here, especially now as the station's main journalist. But I think it will be fun to teach a bunch of annoying teenagers."

Lewis laughed, shaking his head. "They won't be THAT boring. And honestly, you're going to be an amazing teacher."

Y/n smiled at his words, but soon saw Lewis's curious expression as he looked at the glass next to her.

"Wait a... What's wrong today?" He narrowed his eyes. "You're drinking tea, not coffee."

She laughed, picking up the cup and taking another sip. "I'm nervous about this whole teaching thing. Coffee would just make me more anxious, so I ordered tea." Y/n paused, wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "But it's horrible. Milk tea is the worst thing ever invented."

Lewis rolled his eyes, laughing, before taking the cup of tea from Y/n. "Just because I'm a gentleman, we can trade." He said, handing her the cappuccino that was sitting next to him.

Y/n smiled and accepted the cup, taking a sip before sighing contentedly. "Now that's life. For a moment there, I thought I was going to have to sue this coffee shop for emotional damages."

"You're very dramatic." Lewis laughed, shaking his head.

Silence hung between the two for a moment. Y/n turned her head, looking at the track in the distance, the wind subtly messing up her hair. Lewis, without realizing it, began to admire her, his eyes focused on her serene expression.

Without taking his eyes off her, he rested his face in his hands.

"Well... since you're leaving and we won't see each other around here for a few months... do you want to go out with me today?"

Y/n turned to face him, an amused expression appearing on her face. "Um, I don't know, I have to check my schedule..." She said, pretending to be thoughtful. "But maybe I have a little space for you."

Lewis let out a laugh.

"Look, I'm honored to have been considered," he replied, joining in the fun.

She laughed, shaking her head, before finally saying, "Yeah, I'll go out with you."

Lewis smiled broadly, and then began talking about his plans for the evening. Y/n just listened to him, smiling, watching the excitement with which he described everything.

The previous weeks of texts, phone calls and quick meetings in the paddocks had brought them closer than they could have imagined. It was in the small details that they realized they were in love.

The way Lewis smiled when he saw Y/n's name appear on his phone screen. The way she laughed at his jokes, even the bad ones. The comfort they found in each other, without needing much effort.

And that night, everything seemed to fall into place.

Night fell, and Lewis picked her up from her hotel. He took her to a private restaurant tucked away among the charming streets of the Austrian city. The atmosphere was sophisticated yet welcoming.

They ate, talked, laughed. Every detail seemed perfect, and neither of them wanted the night to end.

Lewis walked her back to the hotel, walking beside her through the hallways. When they stopped in front of Y/n's room door, for a moment, they just looked at each other the connection between the two was palpable, something that already existed before that meeting, but which now seemed even more intense.

The pilot approached slowly, his eyes fixed on hers, waiting for any sign of hesitation. But Y/n just smiled softly, her heart racing.

It was then that he kissed her.

The touch was soft at first, a delicate brush of lips, as if testing something they already knew would be right. But soon the kiss deepened, hot and enveloping, loaded with all the weeks of pent-up feelings. Lewis's hands slid to Y/n's waist, while she grabbed the collar of his coat, pulling him closer. And when they separated, they both smiled, as if they understood that this was just the beginning.

And the days passed, and the meetings between them became frequent.

When Y/n started teaching, her routine became even busier, but she always found time to call Lewis, telling him about every detail of her day.

"My students called me 'Miss Y/n' today. I'm feeling old."

"Welcome to the club."

She laughed out loud, throwing her head back a little. "And how was training?"

Lewis smiled as he heard her voice on the other end of the line, leaning against the headboard of the bed. "Not bad. But now I can only think of your voice calling me 'Mr. Hamilton' to see what it's like."

"It won't happen."

The two laughed, and the conversation went on until late.

Whenever he could, Lewis would go to London to spend a few days with her. They would explore the city together, go out for dinner, stay home and watch movies, and simply enjoy each other's company.

Until, one night, something unexpected happened.

Y/n was in the kitchen, preparing dinner while talking non-stop about some student who had asked a completely absurd question in class. Lewis listened to her with a smile on his face, leaning against the counter.

In the middle of a sentence, she noticed he was unusually quiet.

"You're not even listening, are you?" He teased, turning to face him.

And then she saw it. Lewis was standing there, holding a small velvet box open, and inside it, an engagement ring glinted in the kitchen light. And in that moment, she knew the answer without even having to think. Yes.

[gtwscratch]

I'm back again! Honestly, sorta surprised that so many of my others ones were canon. Anyway...

Xisuma made special patient gowns for Pearl and Joel so their wings can be free

Lizzie is the only one who remembers BigB; Gem doesn't know who this tree guy is in the other room and Martyn wonders who is talking to himself

Zedaph is the main scientist for Impulse and Tango because they feel more comfortable around him (ZITS minus Skizz)

Scar is unceremoniously dragged to and from testing

Bdubs can tell the time and knows how long they've been in the facility

Joel has learned to not react to Lizzie's power so he can assure her that she is not scary

Jimmy was first to be done with the power manifesting and was lonely as he waited

Gem sometimes spies on Ex

Ren uses sign language to talk to Martyn because he knows that speaking is too loud

Grian can't summon a mace when he copies Etho's power

Hopefully I have an original thought, lol. Have a wonderful day/night! <3

Hello! Typing out this part before I read over everything. Let’s see what else you’ve managed to get right, haha!

1.) That would be sweet, but I don’t think it would’ve been his idea. I honestly don’t know if any of the scientists that are named would have thought of that.

2.) Awww, that’s so sad. :(

3.) I can’t believe I never thought about ZITS! As sweet at that would’ve been, Zed has no idea who the subjects are and is under the impression that everyone is a willing participant (can’t remember if I said this or not before). And he only deals with data collection and observation; so, he’s never interacted with the current subjects.

4.) I feel like that’s a given. Yeah, he’s got a mobility aid and braces, but at least some of the scientists get impatient with him.

5.) Ooooh maybe. Even if he doesn’t know through his powers, he’s been keeping track. How does he remember? I have no idea. Bdubs can be an enigma.

6.) You know what? That’s canon now. Boom. Bro gets a little bit startled, but he knows it’s just Lizzie, so he calms down pretty quickly.

7.) I actually haven’t thought about the order in which everyone’s powers manifested. He was probably one of the first, though. I’ve thought that the subjects that are more mutated took longer to manifest their powers, and the ones who look the most normal got theirs earlier on.

8.) Oh, no, absolutely she does. She looks for any kind of weaknesses she can, just in case. She hasn’t been successful yet.

9.) STOOOOP I LOVE THAT.

10.) I think maybe he could, but it’s much smaller and much less durable. It’ll shatter/dematerialize upon hitting something. Etho can at least get a couple of hits in before his does the same.

Not as many this time around, but I love having some food for thought.

[lsunstreakerl]

more scrapbook paper max. be gentle with him please, he doesn't get enough hugs.

"Max. Maaaaaaax."

Someone is nudging their toe into Max's thigh.

He cracks an eye open, disoriented. There's something thudding against the warm wall behind his back, and he's sitting on cool tile. The room has a greenish hue.

"You better not be dead, I need to interview you for my assignment."

He's in the laundry room. Why is he in the laundry room?

"-We're supposed to interview an upperclassman and ask about their school life balance, and the internship work, and the battleworks stuff-"

Max is in the laundry room because his suit was stained. His suit was stained because he bled all over it. He bled all over it...?

"-So I was like, yeah, I'll just ask Max, that'll be fine. And then I spent half my morning trying to track you down, and everyone said you skipped class, which like- fair, but then you weren't upstairs in our dorm- we should really get a better lock on that door dude-"

Right. Big lizard thing. Mean big lizard thing. Casual evening assignment for him and Daniel that very rapidly turned not casual. Max is forgetting something.

"-And I have been looking everywhere. And now we're here, and I'm pretty sure you might be dead? Also I don't think your right side was purple last time I saw you. Unless it was, in which case I'm very sorry if I've offended you. But it doesn't look natural, cause like- it's just your arm and also your chest a little bit- what is your workout routine- so I'm thinking it's maybe bad."

Oh right. Poisonous big lizard thing.

Max blinks, staring up at Liam.

"Oh! You're not dead!"

Surely Max was not this stupid as a freshman.

"Obviously."

Liam looks from Max's face to his arm.

"...do you need the nurse?"

Max also looks down at his arm. It's definitely not supposed to be that color. He's not sure he could move it if he wanted to.

"Yup."

------

"Are we lost?"

Max feels his teeth grinding, squinting as he looks across the landscape in front of him. They're supposed to have a senior with them, but Kyvat had disappeared almost half an hour ago when he heard a noise- which breaks basically the first rule any of them are taught for Fog trips, to never go alone- and now Max is stuck with a freshman clinging to him.

"No."

He's lying. Sort of.

Max has made a few solo Fog trips, but that's because he's perfectly content to go apeshit and destroy everything around him to find a way out- it's how Daniel had met him the first time, before Max got enrolled.

He can't exactly do that with Bearman at his back though- the kid would die. Max can feel him stepping closer, practically pasted alongside Max's back, even though he's nearly as tall as Max is by now.

It's embarrassing, honestly. Max has two years on him- the least Bearman can do is let Max catch up to Daniel before he outgrows them both.

He might be able to try-

"Ollie."

The kid perks up behind him.

"Yeah?"

Max chews at his bottom lip for a moment. He's never tried this before- a tuned down version of what he's done in the past. He's not sure if it might still hurt Bearman, depending on how long they do it. He's not sure if they're going to get Kyvat back.

But they don't all need to die out here.

"Keep holding onto me. I'm going to try and feel a way out- I need you to tell me if you think there's a threat."

"Okay."

Credit where it's due, Ollie is brave. They weren't even supposed to go into the Fog today, not with a freshman- but things had gotten messy up top, and it had been safer to drop into the complete unknown without supplies rather than stay.

Which kind of sums up the year Max has been having.

That it's only January is irrelevant.

He closes his eyes, tries to carefully build up the charge in the area around him, feeling out for where it stops.

It's much easier to just have a full spark and follow that path, but again- tiny freshman. Max does not want to have to explain to the board why he's brought back a barbecued Bearman.

And Ollie's dorm mates would be sad.

Also, begrudgingly, Max kind of likes Bearman.

He sets off tiny little sparks, soft snaps of electricity, and then he's walking.

The Fog is difficult because it's not real. It causes hallucinations, makes you question what you see, what you hear. It obscures your sight, leads you wandering in circles until you die. Or until one of its natural predators comes to eat you.

Max is not interested in either of those things happening today, so he keeps walking, pulling Bearman behind him as he keeps setting off small snaps, carving out his own path.

He's not trying to get to a specific outlet- there's no way, not with the tiny amount of charge he's generating- just needs to get to one.

"Max-"

Oliver sounds nervous, and Max opens his eyes. There's nothing around them.

"You're hallucinating."

"Okay."

The benefit to traveling in groups through Fog is that it can't show the same thing to two people at once- which is why traveling alone is borderline suicide.

Max isn't going to feel bad for Kyvat- it's his own fault.

He closes his eyes again, feels Bearman jolt softly next to him when he accidentally sets a charge too hard, shocking him.

He's not going to feel bad about that either- he's got empathy in limited amounts.

Otherwise Bearman is good about sticking close, doesn't complain about the numerous static shocks he must be experiencing.

Max can feel a headache building at the base of his skull- he's not used to using this much precision for this long. He's been working on it with Lambiase, but it's still difficult.

His fingertips have a slight tingle- they're not numb or charred the way they get when he's really pushing it, just an uncomfortable pinprick sensation.

One of his sparks flares at the edge of his senses- it's snapping in regular oxygen, not Fog.

He doesn't open his eyes, because they're not out yet, but he must be smirking, because Bearman sighs in relief.

"Please tell me you found it."

Max hums, keeps guiding them.

"Maybe."

He can feel it when they hit the cool air- Fog is dry and stale, constantly. He blinks his eyes open, and sure enough- they've just stepped out of a dilapidated doorway, into the middle of nowhere.

"How the fuck-"

Bearman is looking at him, and Max shrugs. He's not going to explain it- he'll sound like a maniac anyways, and he has enough of a reputation as is.

He leans forward and hits the emergency button on Bearman's suit, sending off signals back to the academy and their supervisors.

"Stay here."

Oliver's eyes widen, darting between Max and the doorway.

"You're not actually going to- mate."

Max frowns at him. He's not taking judgment from a freshman- Liam is bad enough, and they have to bunk together.

"Stay. Put."

Bearman swallows and nods, and Max turns back around and steps into the Fog.

Stupid senior.

[staranghae]

baby you drive me crazy

summary. seokmin and reader meet at a young changemakers convention because that's how filthy rich people have meet-cutes. :)

pairing. nepo kid ceo! l.sm x self-made ceo! fem! reader genre. fluff, crack., meet-cute warnings. profanity, mentions of alchohol w/c. 1.4k a/n. ah yes. finely marinated fanfiction, delicious. ( i mean this in all seriousness, this has been in my drafts since august of last year so...) song recc. unlock it (lock it) by charli xcx and jay park

seokmin really needed to start finding better ways to get out of these events. his age old excuse of "there's a really important project for the quarter due in a few weeks and i'm utterly clueless about it" was starting to wear thin considering the fact that half of these parties happen towards the end of the year when his company has already wrapped up their projects.

but then, this particular convention didn't seem like the rest. it was the annual "young changemakers" convention, his first one since he took over the company. he'd talked to a grand total of six people his age in the few hours he'd been there, and all of them had done nothing but brag about their money and wealth! not one of them seemed actually interested in the business aspect of the well, you know, running a business. to seokmin, this was better than being surrounded by a bunch of middle-aged people asking very invasive questions about his private life.

as he kept wandering about the convention, making small talk here and there with a few familiar faces, he spots you, sitting on one of the corner tables nursing a glass of chardonnay. he quickly calls over his secretary,

"minghao, come here. i need you to do something for me."

xu minghao, seokmin's secretary of the past seven years, was quite accustomed to his boss' peculiar requests. despite being the same age, minghao was far more perceptive and mature as compared to seokmin. he finishes off his glass of wine and walks over, exasperated.

"yes sir, what is it?"

"do you happen to have any idea of who that is?" he says, pointing to you.

minghao looks over at you and back at seokmin.

"are you seriously telling me you have no idea who she is?" questions minghao, annoyed by his boss' lack of ability to remember crucial information during networking events such as this one.

seokmin looks over at him, completely clueless about your identity.

minghao answers with a sigh,

"that's y/n, the ceo of l/n enterprises. i specifically mentioned her to you because she's the only person here without a family business. her company was completely built by her and her alone. also, her achievements are exemplary, she made the dean's list at harvard and is one of our major shareholders so technically speaking, she's kinda like your boss."

seokmin blinks at him. "in commoner words, please?"

"basically, she's the only one here who isn't a damn nepo baby and happens to own a good chunk of our company."

"ah! got it."

"so if i'm done here, i will take my leave."

minghao turns on his heel and leaves before seokmin has the chance to say anything. he just chuckles to himself and starts walking towards you when he hears minghao call after him,

"also, i didn't tell you this but your father has been trying to set up a blind date with her for you. something about you being incapable of making her fall for you on your own or something."

now, more determined than ever, he walks over to you and sits down across you.

"hi, i'm seokmin, ceo of lee enterprises, and you are?"

"y/n, your blind date for tomorrow evening. although i'm guessing your father hasn't told you about it yet."

he looks away, flustered. you laugh and he might as well have gotten whiplash with how fast he turned his head to look at you.

"he might've. i get quite a few of those, so i tend to lose track."

you stare at him incredulously. you knew about him from your uni days, the only nepo kid in oxford business that gave a fuck about his academics enough to make it onto the dean's list. now, here he was, sitting in front of you, looking and acting every bit the cocky brat you didn't expect him to be. you voice this thought out loud,

"i didn't expect someone who ended up on the dean's list at oxford to act like this but apparently, appearences can be deceiving after all"

seokmin visibly lights up at the mention of the dean's list. you see, only a handful of people actually bothered to find out about him as a person rather than as just an extension of his father and lee enterprises. so, when someone generally tried finding out about him, the dean's list was one of the first things that would pop up.

"you know about the dean's list at oxford business?"

you roll your eyes, "well yeah, obviously! we were required to know who we would be competing against in the industry so we had to find out about the dean's list of most ivy league b-schools"

seokmin has never admired someone as much as he admires you in that exact moment.

"so, about that date..."

you look at him over the rim of your wine glass, "what about it?"

seokmin can't believe it. he's about to ask someone out on a date. like a normal person.

"um, well, instead of, y'know, letting my dad decide the time and place and everything, i was wondering if i could take you out. as lee seokmin, business nerd, not as lee seokmin, ceo."

you chuckle at his description of himself.

"business nerd?" that's an interesting nickname to give yourself."

"i didn't give it to myself, my best friend did. we weren't in the same university but that didn't stop us from being absolute headaches to each other from opposite ends of the world."

"best friend? is it someone in the industry or..?"

"oh, he's the heir to jeon and kim associates."

you've heard the name before. jeon & kim.

"wait, is your friend mingyu?"

seokmin is surprised at the mention. he nods excitedly, looking like an eager poodle.

"d'you know him?"

"know him?! i studied with him! the two of us always partnered up for group projects because we meshed so well together," as you're rattling off about your memories with mingyu to seokmin, you remember it.

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! YOU'RE MINNIE?!"

seokmin snorts his soda at your sudden outburst. he's still coughing and sputtering as you apologise to the people who had turned around to stare at you while passing him tissues to clean himself up. once everything is back into the lull it was in previously, you elaborate,

"you're minnie, right?"

seokmin recalls his friend constantly calling him that when on call with him so he nods, a wave of nostalgia washing over him at the fond memories. he really needs to catch up with gyu soon. maybe he could get minghao to set up a meeti-

"i always thought he was talking about his girlfriend whenever he talked about 'minnie'. turns out it was you, huh? funny."

seokmin pauses mid-sip to give you a look that says 'are you kidding me?'

"okay, first of all, he already had a girlfriend when he was in college to whom he got married to last month. secondly, if the two of you are so close, then how come i didn't see you at the wedding, huh?"

"probably because i was the maid of honour and busy making sure it was perfect, but y'know, who cares."

seokmin vividly remembers the maid of honour at mingyu's wedding. and it was not you.

"okay, i remember that day really well and know for a fact that the maid of honour had red hair, and you don't."

"ever heard of hair dye, seokmin?" you reply dryly.

seokmin lets out a laugh at that and you become mesmerised for a moment because wow! how is a person so pretty and handsome and smart at the same time?

finally out of things to talk about, you and seokmin look around the room, trying to find something to keep the conversation going. seokmin gives up first, finally asking the million dollar question,

"d'you wanna get out of here? i'm honestly just bored at this point."

you look back at him with a mischievous twinkle in your eyes,

"you wanna go on that blind date right now? the food here isn't all that great and i know a really good seafood place nearby."

seokmin could really go for some seafood right about now. he nods and gets up from the table, and you follow suit. the two of you manage to make it out undetected, much to the disappointment of your secretaries, who only find out about your escapade through the headline of the dispatch article released the next day.

"Mated for life or just another fish in the sea? CEOs of L/N Enterprises and Lee Enterprises spotted on a romantic date at seafood restaurant."

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[melodyartist]

Do u have an opinion on Hades 2 Odysseus ^_^?

*Crack knuckles*

Oh oh oh! I do indeed have an opinion on this bastard, it's an unreasonable love and hate relationship with this guy. I played the game for just like 20 hours till now and I still don't know If I like him or want to strangle him.

It's also funny that 4 or more characters in the game are directly linked to his misadventures, "what do you mean they hate me more because you had beef with them" Polyphemus my boy need some justice honestly 😭 (but the funniest line he had untill now was about Poseiodon)

Design wise? He is cool like everybody else in the game,definitely not the best and not the worse, nothing really bad to say. I would even like to admit that he has a refreshing design with all his maps and trinkets, plus the dagger on his finger is so unnecessary, I love it for a show off like him.

Side note: I've tried to draw him from memory a while ago it was almost 4 A.M when I still didn't buy the game at the time... It didn't go that well, the only thing that I remember vividly was his grin, eyes and weird mantle with crosses, he ended up looking like Peter B parker 😭

"We got Odysseus at home" looking ahh drawing

Going back on track! Personality wise? That's where I want to throw hands with him.

Is he funny? Yes sometimes, do I skip his dialogue? Of course not, I don't skip anyone's dialogue, I didn't even skip Theseus dialogue in the first game so Odysseus is no exception (Mainly because I love the voice acting of all the characters, is so well done)

But do I want to wrap my hands around his neck in a so not loving way every time he says "my goddess" and tries to be flirty in a subtle way? Absolutely!

This version of him is clearly a womanizer and I'm ok with that! He is weak to women, that's fine, give me a man with flaws! But who wouldn't be? Have you seen the women in this game? chef kiss, stunning, gorgeous...but that's not what's throwing me off... There is something in him that just make me wants to kick him, idk I can't pin point it...

Maybe it's because I've missed it but not even once he mentioned his wife and kid, or any type of deep remorse for his past life, while Achilles was kind of the opposite. I don't really see him like an Achilles counterpart but more like a Hypnos counterpart.

Catch my drift, his role (at least right now) is to bring back reports and update Melinoe on the situation, adding funny anecdotes and comments. His dialogues feels less like a mentor/father figure watching over you, like Achilles was to Zagreus, and more like a friendly companion who is there to keep track of your progress just like Hypnos

So that's it.

[marymary-diva17]

Hi i know its been a while, and i have a request for ya. A valentine's day gift, with human F!reader with ronal and tonowari.

The humans holidays had become a new example for the navi, and soon enough they had started celebrating the holidays from the sky people. It had become mostly important to celebrate these holidays after the sky people, had become very close to the navi and the clans. Seeing it as a far exchange as the humans have embraced the great mother why don't they do the same for humans as well.

y/n " ......." you are sitting down carving some gifts for your mates, as valentines day will be here soon. There had been many holidays that you shared with your mates, after they had asked about your old life as a sky person. As there had been many holidays that you have shared with them.

ronal " hello ma y/n"

y/n " oh ronal you are home"

ronal " well I have gotten done with some my duties and came home, to see who was home right now and it seems like I found you"

y/n " oh yes I'm working on a gift for tonowari"

ronal " oh yes valentines day is coming up once again

y/n " yes it and have made special gifts for you and tonowari, along with the kids as well"

ronal " you re carving a very beautiful necklace for tonowari"

y/n " yes I have been working on this for days and I can't wait to show you and everyone their special gifts"

ronal " you always make special gifs ma y/n"

y/n " thank you" ronal had give you a kiss on the check as you looked at her, and smile at her.

ronal " ever since you told us abut this holiday I have really enjoyed, celebrating it and life has become amazing"

y/n " well I do enjoy celebrating it with everyone as well" you had kissed ronal making her smile back at you, soon enough tonowari had come into the home but stopped dead in his tracks. As he soon saw you and ronal as it seems like he was bringing something home.

tonowari " oh hello ma ronal and ma y/n" the two women chuckled at tonowari reaction, as the man soon relax as his mates looked at him.

Y/n “ tonowari honey is everything okay”

tonowari “ yes everything is fine I didn’t accept to have you both home right now, not that I’m upset about it”

ronal “ so ma tonowari what do you bring home with you”

tonowari “ well seeing that Valentine’s Day will be here soon, I have brought gifts that I shall not show either one of you until the day comes”

ronal “ well it seems like we all have the same idea”

y/n “ you know when i told you all about the holidays, from the humans I never thought everyone to take them up so easily”

ronal “ well you have become our mate and we have made a life here with you, as you have accepted our ways and we shall do the same for you”

tonowari “ even due we had been confused at first, we soon had realized that these holidays see important and special to you and we wish to keep that for you”

Y/n “ thank you”tonowari had kissed your forehead as well, as your mates had sat with you, as they had made their own gifts for you at the moment. Being with your mates had made you very happy during the holidays, even due you are on a new planet life still went on for everyone.

Valentines day

ronal " this gift is for you ma y/n"

tonowari " yes I and ronal had worked on it together" ronal had placed you a gift wrapped in some leather, as you soon removed the leather to see a necklace.

y/n " is so beautiful"

tonowari " we are happy to hear that the pearls and shell on the necklace have a very important meeting"

y/n " oh really"

ronal " yes the meaning is that you are our mate to anyone who see it, and that you are a important to us as well symbol our love forever"

y/n " I love to so much thank you so much"

tonowari " we also love the gifts you have given us as well"

y/n " no matter what happens I shall always love the both of you"

ronal " thank you ma y/n and I shall love you and tonowari as well"

tonowari " I think I'm lucky enough to be blessed by the great mother, with two wonderful mates" The tiro had a wonderful relationship with each other, even due they could be very different from each other they still had something that contacted them together. Soon their household of three will change, as they welcome a new lives into their home and lives. As their love will grow stronger and stronger as the years come and go.

[strawberryflavoredvenum]

Ticcijack Valentine's fanfic

This is really late lol. Sorry about that, I had school and work!

Here you go!

Jack had never been a fan of Valentine's day. It's not that he was bitter, but more so indifferent. He was not too excited about holidays in general. He saw them as just another day. His love life was doa and he was never a romantic person to begin with. This year was different though. This year he had someone. Someone who loved holidays.

Toby was always the one putting in the most effort during holidays. Him and Lyra used to decorate the house and use leds to match whichever holiday was soon at the time. Now that he was a proxy, he still clung on to his traditions. The other proxies appreciated the sentiment during the holidays

Valentine's Day was different though. Toby has never been with anyone before Jack so he's never fully celebrated. He also knew that Jack didn't care for holidays so he didn't try.

That's what led to Jack's current situation. Frustrated and struggling to get the LEDs to stick to the wall. There was a table with a TV dinner and a Tupperware of kidney. The dinner was nothing special, the table cloth was dusty, the damn LEDs just won't cooperate. Jack signed when he looked at his poor excuse for a romantic scene. It looked nothing like the effort Toby usually put into holidays. Toby was away on mission but would be back soon.

Jack was about to tear the whole thing down and pretend he never tried when the front door jiggled and a tired and bloody figure walked in. He stopped in his tracks when he reached the living room and saw the scene. No reaction at all. Jack prepared for the worst.

Toby was in shock. No one has ever done something like this for him before. Jack even remembered the leds in red and pink. He didn't even know how to react.

He was bloody and gross, yet he sat down at the table. Jack did the same as he studied Toby's expression. Toby looked down at the TV dinner and smiled. "How long did this take you?" Toby asked. Jack shrugged. " Longer than I'd like to admit." Toby smiled as he removed his muzzle. "It's nice". Jack sighed. "You don't have to lie. It looks like a child made this." Toby frowned and looked around the room. Toby didn't see it that way. To him, it was charming and made him feel important to someone.

Toby grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed it. "You're the only person to ever do something like this for me." Jack squeezed his hand back and nodded. "You always put your heart and soul into holidays. I wanted to give you the same effort."

Toby was flushed and absolutely flattered. Getting Jack to be romantic or vulnerable was like pulling teeth. Toby didn't even have to try today. Toby dug into his dinner and Jack followed after.

After dinner, Jack picked up the plates and washed them. Toby got up and stretched. "Man I'm filthy". He said. He was still in the same clothes he went to his mission in. Jack couldn't help but feel sad that toby was going to shower. It marked the end of their date.

Toby made it to the hallway before stopping and turning around. "What are you waiting for?" Those words nearly killed Jack. This was a new step in their relationship. He guessed that it was HIS Valentine's gift. Jack quickly followed after. He already couldn't wait for next Valentine's day.

[gayofthefae]

Thinking about this post I just made about how though their feelings are mutual and have been, they only ever mutually flirt in a single two line exchange - "I didn't say it" "you didn't have to" - with completely logical following reactions of "shit, I didn't think I'd get this far" and going awkwardly silent for a second before moving on with the original conversation topic. And that post dives into that moment and motivation for the painting from Will's side...

But now I'm thinking about it from Mike's side. Now I'm thinking, as I periodically do, about the timing of Mike's behavior and the shift in it after El leaves.

Not just after she is physically absent, because he was not this way when they broke up in season 3, but much more akin to season 2 - a time where he also did not expect her to come back to him. "A fight we can't come back from" seals the deal on this perception being the motivation.

Mike becomes more romantically-coded with Will following his belief that they'll break up, we know this already, but I had never before tracked that that wasn't something he'd done before in this way. He had not flirted with Will before, not really.

Their past encounters were 'if we're both having trauma hallucinations, at least we're together <3' 'i'll protect you and make sure you're safe' 'you're the best thing i've ever done' 'you won't replace me, right?' and immediately following this 'i deeply miss you in my life and the unknown is less scary with you'

But they've never had just a little banter-y exchange in this tone like this. What happens every time is Mike gives a borderline love confession and Will says "yeah" or "cool", Will delivers a line a little flirty and Mike just beams, but never responds.

But this time Mike responded. That is yet another sign of what point he's gotten to in giving up on his relationship. It plays as a repetition - not in a bad way - of his past behaviors and heartfelt speeches towards Will. But it isn't. It's a step further. And the timing of it being a step-further is not to be overlooked, because they didn't step them forward one step every season consistently. They didn't do so in season 3. But they did it here.

Here, they had Mike say he did not believe his relationship with El would survive then not only immediately flirt with Will, but in a way he never had before. That changes it from coping or escapism to action. It could have been passive. It could have been entertainment. It could have been fantasy...if he had ever done it before. Because if it were fictive to him, there would have been no consequences to doing it before either

But the withholding of it makes it new and makes it a choice. Mike picked up what Will was putting down in this capacity for the first time. Love may be strong but it's ambiguous and flirting is a hell of a lot more direct. Mike shifted tactics here when given the opportunity.

Whether he knew it consciously or not, he gave up on El enough to pursue Will. By very definition, pursue means to advance. And he advanced into something he had not done before. He responded.