#I LOVE NICK IN YOUR STYLE
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lunarharp · 1 year ago
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more phoenix wright situations
#ace attorney tag#maybe i should tag this narumitsu or something. but i dont really care.#gearing up to rereading/illustrating bits of my fic i suppose...i think nick really is too dense to realise he's in love with edgeworth#without some scheming fop trying to intrude. i love villains like kristoph..villains can be fun..witnessing their pathetic folly..#or more like edgeworth would never have mentioned his feelings ever in his life if he wasn't sure phoenix reciprocates.#i want to see it this way because Falling in love during childhood with the person you're going to end up with. is not relatable#there have to be Situations that make you Realise.#as with orufrey i adore the idea of people not working out their romance with that person until their 30s+#but... i mean. even with orufrey i often think how alaira could be qifrey's ex. and oru having been pursued by noble fops through his work#there is that delicate sliver of time before orufrey start living together that such believable situations could have happened.#Then the relief of politely and amicably extricating themselves from those untenable situations#the idea of falling in love age 7 and saving your first kiss for age 35 or something is all very well but more relatable is#people realising how they really feel whilst trying something that ends up feeling wrong.#The comfort and joy of living with your dearest one as if it's platonic - much preferable to trying anything more with anyone else.#But i doubt i will ever portray that or mention it further. it is indeed very delicate to me.#and i really am an OTP FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kind of person who can barely bear to consider this anyway...NOT a polyshipper i'm afraid !#so i wouldn't mind either if they do have their first kiss in their lives age 35 with each other either. I would not mind that at all.#i love bi/gay couples apparently... bi father figures & their grumpy gay men waiting for them to work it all out...#not used to using colour in comic-style drawings..or at all..so this is messy and awkward looking..but colour is refreshing#i imagine i will go back to witch hat art soon btw. my destiny in life.#i still remember writing my nrmt fic expecting to write their first kiss & then partway through twas like Umm No. They have kissed prior.#does that really line up with this comic though... i think i had their early dinner dates/first kiss BEFORE disbarment.#so i guess this comic doesn't line up with my ficverse.... No..... U___U Oh well. sorry kris! <3
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khaoala · 1 year ago
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Don't judge a book by its cover. An essay by Mew Pt. 2
Mew in his revenge era went shopping and thought, "you know what screams I'm gonna fuck you up, maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't? Floral/patterned shirts," and proceeded to buy a bunch of those.
BOOK KASIDET as MEW WITSARUT ( ONLY FRIENDS EPS. 7-12 )
Correction: I missed one outfit in ep. 6 and instead of remaking that set, I'll just post it below because it's actually the hottest Mew has looked, so I'm not even upset.
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cubtales · 4 months ago
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hi hi xixi !!!! its been a while since ive visited your inbox, how are you lately ? :33 i hope the winter (and argenti !!!!) has been treating you well !!!!!
btw !!! my buggest thank you to grey because she singlehandedly helped me pick my next victim >:3
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(p.s idk if the picrew skin color is accurate to yours or not since ive seen your irl pic so i hope you dont mind if i darkened it-- DO TELL ME IF ITS WRONG AND ILL CHANGE IT AJDJSJS)
nick ... i ... nick oh my gosh .... (՞⸝⸝o̴̶̷̥᷅ ⌑ o̴̶̷̥᷅⸝⸝՞) ..... !2!/$/$/&&\<\€£\ someone pinch me bcs . . is this real ? like i still haven't processed this at all ! ? ! ? m' dearest nick ? ? ? gifting me ? ? ? this absolutely endearing art of me and my love ??? through ? ? ? his ? ? ? precious ? ? ? eyes ? ? ? ? ? ? wow. just casually blessing me with this ? ! ! what did i do to deserve ? what world did i save in my past life ? ? ? ?
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you don't know how this is literally just revived me. like i came into my inbox drained and tired ? now i'm filled with nothing but pure happiness ⸝⸝⸝ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ᵕ ก ̀⸝⸝⸝ you made us so incredibly lovely ! ! ( SOBS ) you nailed our dynamic so perfectly ! ! ( WAILS ) him kissing my hand ? ! ( STUFFS FACE WITH A PILLOW ) i have no words but utter appreciation & love for you ! ! ! ( FALLS ONTO KNEES AND BAWLS MY FACE OFF ! ) it's such a pleasure whenever you visit my inbox :( it's always wide open for you ! i just hope that winter has been treating you so extremely well ! ! ! I LOVE YOU SM ! !
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kesoyotes · 1 year ago
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All the points ✅
All the chemistry ✅
All the vibes ✅
the Maccelli-Bjugstad-Crouse line can do it all ✨
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softstarsabove · 2 months ago
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GREY your new url is so cute oh my gosh, i bet sunday would love it too— it’s like you both are gazing up at the stars together 🥺💓 oh my sunrey heart !!!!
THANK YOU VANAAA I did in fact have Sunday in mind for it ehehe ( 〃▽〃)
I saw a shooting star last night while filling the bird feeder nd I think it was the express for sure 🙂‍↕️ Sunday had to come say hello even from a distance
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seriousturd · 1 year ago
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So thank you very much for loving that timeskip nellis piece so much UvU I love that piece too! <3333 your reblogs and exciteable tags have not gone unnoticed, hehe ♥ it makes me so happy every single time. I haven't done it in a while, but I'll see what I can do about making a few prints of that :)
OMG 😭😭😭 you're so kind!! That piece has had a chokehold on me since you posted it!! Ugh you're such an amazing artist in general, I absolutely adore your art style! It's so expressive and beautiful, and your use of colors???? Just perfect, they always add to the mood of the piece SO well!!!!
(I ramble so much in tags I sometimes worry it's annoying, I'm glad you get a kick out of them!)
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nikkilouloony · 7 months ago
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confession: I'm 31 and never felt super confident reading an analog clock. Like I know how, but I'm slow. I always thought I would get faster from my 2nd grade clock reading but analog clocks really took off and I didn't get the practice my mom got.
Anyway in an effort to not be so attached to my phone all the time, I might get a watch. I know I could get a digital watch, but I think I should get an analog watch. Just to practice. Get faster.
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verysium · 1 year ago
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attractive things bllk characters (unintentionally) do?👀
i received this ask and decided to write this entire thing through a caffeine-powered fever dream. may have gone a little overboard. please pray for both your sanity and mine. thank you anon for your strong sense of imagination (or delusion, whichever you prefer.)
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nagi lifts the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, and you accidentally (or not so accidentally) get a good look at the droplets running down his abs and v-line. he also does the doorway lean while waiting for you to get ready. since he's so tall, he puts his one arm up on the top of the door frame while scrolling through his phone. when he feels drained of energy, he clings to you like a koala, face buried into the crook of your neck.
rin pushes his hair back when his bangs get in the way, and it shows off his ridiculously sharp side profile. sometimes you have to pause mid-conversation because the direct eye contact gets too intense. he has the brightest turquoise eyes in existence, and they stare right into your soul. pair that with the height difference and him towering over you. hang onto your ovaries because this man is about to snatch them. if isagi or sae are anywhere remotely close within your vicinity, he will personally drag your chair closer over to him. you know, the whole nick jonas chair pull thing? he also unintentionally clenches his jaw when pissed, the vein popping out and everything.
barou is polite to his elders. he holds the door open for others. he tips extra at restaurants. he is kind to service workers. he's just a gentleman overall even though he likes to act tough. he rolls up his sleeves while cleaning or cutting up vegetables, and you can see the veins bulging in his forearms. wears those form-fitting aprons where you can see the outline of his waist and the muscles in his back. he is not immune to raging pit bull moments, but he will calm down immediately when you ask him to.
kaiser requires physical touch to function. all concept of personal boundaries goes poof in his little ego-driven brain. he holds your chin so you look up at him while he's talking. also has that husky growl when he wakes up in the morning. he speaks german. what else is more attractive than that? if you stroke his ego, he will puff his chest out like an emperor penguin and flash that movie star smile. does not slow down his pace for you, and will laugh at your expense when you trip in heels and fall. but then he feels guilty about it and begrudgingly picks you up and carries you home. however, before that he will make you swear on everything holy to never tell isagi about his moment of weakness. (tbh kaiser is a menace and has some serious self-esteem issues. pls avoid dating a man like him in real life until he is fully mature. i still love him tho.)
reo mansplains but not in the condescending way. he does so in the "omg i'm so excited to finally get to share something with you and you're never going to believe it" sort of way. rambles on and on about his interests and gets that little glint in his eye when he's passionate about something. also not sure if this counts but he gets extremely depressed when you don't message him back within five minutes. what do you mean you were busy? he was out here dying from a literal famine. he needs your affection to survive. last but not least, he is good at styling. he knows what colors work best for you, and he will put together three new looks for you in record time.
hiori dreams that you left him for good and wakes up crying with his arms around you. will refuse to let you leave the bed even if it is just to get a glass of water. his rare moments of emotional vulnerability are what gets to you.
shidou does not condone any of your bad decisions. you want to get shit-faced and party until early morning? no complaints from him. you want to wear sexy outfits to the club? say less because he's about to enjoy the view and knock out the front teeth of every guy who dares to ogle you. i don't know if this qualifies as being attractive, but he would never be the controlling type. you can dress and act however you want. unfortunately for you though, this is also a textbook case of the blind leading the blind. if you get horrendously hungover, so does he. if you get pulled over, he's going to be too blackout drunk to even comprehend the officer's words. you can count on him for a good time, but not anything else. do not take any of his advice at face value.
oliver likes to show you off even if he doesn't notice it himself. any talk with his team, and he will find a way to make the entire conversation about you. at this point, the entire u-20 team is done with him. they placed bets that you two wouldn't last more than a month due to his philandering reputation, but the universe seems to think otherwise because you and oliver hit the six-month mark and are still going strong.
ness guards your drink with an unnecessary amount of protection. while you left to go use the restroom, he was looking left and right, and the hairs on the back of his neck were prickling every time someone even came close to your cup. he also shoos away any person who opens their mouth while standing next to your drink because apparently the condensation from their breath could be dangerous. definitely covers your cup with both hands even if it has a lid. no suspicious shit is happening on his watch.
yukimiya is well-read, and he wears glasses. he has a copy of every single classic out there in existence and will fangirl along with you over your virginia woolf collection. he was written by a woman with two cats and a wine glass. not much else to say.
loki absolutely clears the entire carnival/arcade game. you want that giant teddy bear that costs over three hundred ticket points? say less because he's about to win the whole damn pot. of all characters, i would say he's one of the only green flags. like celery green.
isagi always looks for you when he enters the room. intentionally or not, he always seeks your presence. if someone says a funny joke, he turns to you to see if you're laughing or not. also does that somewhat creepy stare thing where he just looks at you quietly while you do mundane tasks. internally he is screaming cus what do you mean you actually like him?
chigiri gives you that thankful little smile whenever you stand up for him. i feel like people don't understand how goofy he can get as he's canonically good at doing impressions/impersonations. also has the prettiest laugh. if he ever cuts his hair, i think i'm going to get a nosebleed.
noa unconsciously says yes to every question you ask of him. he'd be giving bastard münchen a hard time (and denying isagi's requests) but then immediately once you come over, he's automatically acquiescing to everything you say. the rest of the team is low-key shocked you can win him over so easily. when they confront him about it, he just shrugs and goes "y/n is always right."
kurona's entire existence is attractive. he's just perfect. nothing is ever wrong with him. will let you check out his shark teeth and lightly pokes your finger to leave an imprint. hopefully you'll always remember him that way. he's also quiet so he will listen to everything you say and give ample weight to your words.
sae is my baby girl so he gets a whole section dedicated to himself:
absentmindedly plays with your hair. when you're sleeping in his lap, he'll gently run his fingers along your scalp. sometimes in the morning when you're sitting up on the edge of your bed to do your makeup, he'll come up from behind you and brush back your hair. might also press a kiss to the back of your neck.
helps you put on your face mask. when he's shopping, he will buy you lotion along with his own skincare products. says that it was just a convenient store run but you know he personally made sure to get you the best quality ones.
this is canon because i said so: when he gets out of the shower, he slings the towel over his neck or his shoulder. he also involuntarily flexes his biceps when he bends down to grab something. has the world's most defined deltoids.
when you're stuck in large crowds at the airport, he puts his hand in your back pocket to keep you two from getting separated. if the TSA pat-down is anywhere too personal for his liking, he will openly glare at the officer once you've passed the security checkpoint.
bonus point: when you two brush your teeth early in the morning, he has that little bed head where his shorn-off bangs stick up in cute little tufts here and there. will have a dead look on his face, but his eyes soften when he catches your gaze through the mirror.
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sturns-4-life · 9 months ago
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Cut it: M.S
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Summary: Matt's on live while you're laying on his bed, bored. You decide you want to tease him. And boy is that fun.
Warnings: unprotected sex, bratty!reader, rough dom!Matt, use of y/n, pet names(I think), rough sex, degrading, slight praise, doggy style, missionary, spanking, slapping. Lmk if I missed anything!
Requested? || Yes by @solarsturniolo
Word count: 1,042
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I don't know how this happened but it did. And I'm currently getting eaten out by Matt as if he were a starving man.
𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠…
"Fuck!" I hear Matt yell from dying in his game. I roll my eyes and continue scrolling away on TikTok.
Matt has been playing games with Nate and Chris (Nick's with Madi at the mall) for who knows how long.
"Matt, you know you have a girl in your bed? Most people would love that fact and at least give her five minutes of attention.”
All he says back is. 'in a sec, one more game' for the tenth time. "You said that an hour ago!" I say in a whiny tone.
"It hasn't been an hour, you're being dramatic." I roll my eyes as he says that. His eyes never leave the screen for a second.
Suddenly I get an idea. I walk up to him from behind and hug him; his camera on Discord isn't on, so no one can see what's going on.
I purposely drop my phone under the desk. "Oops, sorry." I say to him as I go under the desk to 'grab my phone'.
As I'm 'picking up my phone', I start to slowly slide my hand up his thigh. "Y/n, stop." I look up at him with the most innocent look ever. "Stop what?”
He looks down at me, I can tell he's pissed. Then looks back at the game. I move my hand to his crotch and start rubbing it. "Y/n." I ignore him.
I slip my hand into his sweatpants and start to slowly pull them down. "Y/n, don't start." I once again ignored him. As I start palming him through his boxers.
"Y/n, 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩." Still ignoring him, I start to slowly pull his boxers down, as I hear him let out a soft moan.
"We moanin' now?" I hear Nate say with a laugh, as Chris laughs with him. "Shut the fuck up." I wrap my hand around his length.
"Y/n, I'm serious. you don't want me to have to teach you a lesson, do you?" I roll my eyes. "You won't do shit." That was it.
He pulls me up onto his lap and mutes his mic. "You wanna be a little whore and pull that shit when I'm talking to my friends, you gonna get fucked like one.”
He sits me on his desk and starts to pull my shorts down. "Mat-" "-Shut up, slut.”
𝙀𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠…
"Matt! Fuck." I move my hand to the back of his head pushing him deeper. “Hands by your sides or I swear I'll tie them up.”
“But I don't wanna!” I say in a whiny tone, again. I watch as he gets up and grabs handcuffs and a rope.
Why does he have that? I don't know. But I do know I'm in deep shit. “Matt, no. I'll stop.”
“Too late.” He grabs my wrists and cuffs them together. ”Matt!” “Stop fucking whining.” Where did it come from? I don't know, but he then puts a blindfold on me.
He picks me up and throws me onto his bed. Everything's quiet for a second, besides the sound of the front door opening and closing.
The sound of Madi and Nick's laughter fills the house. Matt then puts his hand over my mouth. “Don't make a fucking sound.”
Without warning I feel him pound into me, causing me to scream into his hand. “Fucking slut, told you to stay quiet, didn't I?”
Unable to form words at the time, I nod. “And did you stay quiet?” I shake my head ‘no’. The second I do I feel a hard slap to my cheek.
“Use your fucking words” “No! I didn't!” I feel him start to pick up his pace, his hand going down to rub my clit as I let out another moan.
“Fuck! I'm gonna cum.” No response. His pace quickened even more until he finally said. “Hold it.” I wanted to, I really did. But knowing how much it'll piss him off.
I still did it, letting out a loud moan as his movements came to a stop. Another slap landed on my cheek. “Did I say you can cum?”
I shake my head ‘no’, again. *𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗣* “Use your fucking words.” “No! No, you didn't.” *𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗣* “So why did you?” “I don't know–” *𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗣*
“Not an answer.” “I couldn't hold it!” *𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗣* “Fucking whore, turn around, baby.” Not wanting to piss him off more, I turn around. Face down, ass up.
*𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗣* I felt another hard smack again, but this time it wasn't on my face. But on my ass instead, feeling him pound back into me at the same time.
“Matt! Slow down!” With that, he quickened his pace. Causing me to let out a louder moan. “You want me to?” Another slap to my ass. “Yes! Fuck!” “You should have thought about that before you decided to be a whore and touch up on my dick while I'm talking to my friends.”
Another slap. I felt him grab onto my hands from behind as he quickened his pace even more. “Matt! I'm gonna cum!” “Hold it. I'm serious.” I let out a loud whine as he starts to rub my clit again. “I can't! Please.”
“Go ahead. Cum for me, baby.“ I let out a loud moan as I cum on his cock, feeling his pace quicken as he reaches his climax. Hot spurts of his load fills me up as he slowly pulls out.
“You did so good for me, baby” Unable to form words at that point I simply nod. My phone buzzed once, then twice. As I check my phone, I see two text messages.
One from Madi, one from Nick.
Fuck.
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At least Matt's mic was muted. Well, that's what we thought.
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Author's note! I lowkey hate this but it's for my baes 🤭 Chris and Matt anon
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Tags: @immattsslut @tashasmywife @cindylcuwho @nicksgirlfriend
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Dividers: @plutism
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cloudyluun · 1 month ago
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Silver Springs | (famous!harry x famous!reader)
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Summary: Falling for Harry Styles was never part of Y/N’s plan. As the daughter of Stevie Nicks, she’s spent her whole life running from the spotlight, carving out her own identity in the indie rock scene. But when fate keeps pulling her back into his orbit, resisting becomes impossible.
A slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance filled with stolen glances, whispered lyrics, and a love too big to keep secret forever. Featuring: a dramatic rain-soaked love confession, a very public grand gesture, and enough Fleetwood Mac references to make Stevie proud.
Because some love stories are meant to be legendary.
A/N: Okay, but why was this request everything I’ve ever wanted in a fic?? The slow burn?? The secret relationship angst?? The messy, desperate, I-can’t-breathe-without-you love confession?? And let’s not even talk about that post-confession smut scene because I need a moment. To the lovely soul who requested this, thank you for feeding my drama-loving heart. This was so much fun to write, and I definitely got way too emotionally attached. (Also, I need a rockstar AU in real life ASAP.) ALSO I’m sorry, I definitely overdid the scene dividers oops.
Word Count: 8,5k
Warnings: 
Slow-burn tension that hurts (but in a good way)
Secret relationship chaos
One rain-soaked love confession
One hot, messy, emotional SMUT scene (18+)
Paparazzi stress & PR nightmares
A duet so romantic it might ruin your standards
Fleetwood Mac lyrics used as emotional warfare
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
Y/N had been born with the weight of a legacy she never asked for.
From the moment she took her first breath, the world had already decided who she was. The daughter of Stevie Nicks. Rock royalty. A ghost of the past in a modern world. The media had never let her be anything else. They picked apart her features, searching for traces of her mother—the same high cheekbones, the same wild hair. They hunted for echoes of Fleetwood Mac in the songs she wrote, dissecting every lyric, every melody, desperate to find a connection. And when they couldn’t?
They made one up.
Her father’s identity had been a secret from the start, a mystery wrapped in whispered rumors and unanswered questions. Some tabloids swore he had been a rockstar, a fleeting love affair lost in the haze of the ‘70s. Others speculated he had been someone ordinary, someone her mother had chosen to protect from the chaos of her world. Y/N had stopped wondering a long time ago. Her mother had always said, "You don’t need to know where you come from to know where you’re going, baby." And maybe that was true. But sometimes, when she looked at herself in the mirror, she wished she knew which parts of her belonged to Stevie Nicks and which belonged to a stranger.
Still, despite the world’s obsession with her past, Y/N had built something of her own.
Her music was raw, poetic—a fusion of indie rock and dreamlike lyricism that belonged entirely to her. She wasn’t interested in stadiums or radio hits; she wanted songs that lingered in the bones, the kind that made people ache without knowing why.
And yet, no matter what she did, the headlines always found a way to reduce her to a footnote in her mother’s story.
"Stevie Nicks’ Daughter Haunts the Music Scene—Can She Ever Escape Her Mother’s Shadow?" "The Princess of Rock ‘n’ Roll: Y/N Nicks Inherits a Legacy of Magic and Tragedy."
She ignored them. Mostly.
But some nights, when the whiskey burned too much and the music wasn’t enough, she wondered if she’d ever just be herself.
The first time Y/N met Harry Styles, she was fifteen.
It was a warm summer night in Los Angeles, the kind where the air was thick with nostalgia, humming with the remnants of a golden era long gone.
Fleetwood Mac was playing at The Forum, and backstage was a haze of cigarette smoke, laughter, and the scent of aged leather. It was a world Y/N had always known, one that felt like home and yet never quite belonged to her.
She had been curled up on one of the velvet couches, her combat boots propped up on a glass table, flipping through an old notebook of half-written lyrics.
Her mother had walked in then, a force of nature even in her sixties, wrapped in flowing black fabric, rings glinting under the dim lights. And beside her—
Harry.
He had been twenty, freshly cut from the boyband machine but still unmistakably him. Messy curls, dimples carved deep into his cheeks, a floral button-up that hung loose over his chest. There was an ease to him, a confidence that most people his age hadn’t yet earned.
Stevie had smiled, her voice all warmth and amusement as she introduced them.
"Harry, this is my daughter, Y/N. Y/N, sweetheart, this is Harry Styles."
Y/N had barely spared him a glance, disinterested in the way only a fifteen-year-old girl could be.
She had looked him up and down, unimpressed, before muttering, "Oh. You’re the boy with the hair."
There had been a beat of silence. Then—
Harry had grinned, wide and unbothered. "And you’re the girl who hates the spotlight."
That had made her pause.
She had finally looked at him properly then, taking in the twinkle of mischief in his green eyes, the way he had spoken to her like he knew her, like he could already see the edges of her soul.
She had hated that.
So she had rolled her eyes, shutting her notebook with a snap. "Yeah? What gave it away?"
Harry had only chuckled. "Just a feeling."
They hadn’t known it then, but that moment—that first careless exchange in the glow of The Forum’s dressing rooms—had been the beginning of something that would follow them for years.
They had drifted in and out of each other’s lives after that, their paths crossing at industry events, in backstage corridors, in places where music and fame blurred the lines between strangers and something more.
But they had never been close.
Not yet.
That would come later.
And when it did, neither of them would be able to stop it.
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It was a city built on illusions, a place where the past and present blurred under neon lights and whiskey-soaked conversations. People changed here, or they lost themselves trying.
Y/N had spent years learning how to exist in the industry without letting it consume her. She had built walls, wrapped herself in the armor of cigarette smoke and sharp words, refusing to let the world shape her into something she wasn’t.
But some nights—nights like this—she felt the weight of it all pressing against her ribs.
She had been in the music industry long enough to know that these parties weren’t really about music. They were about power. Influence. The quiet, calculated dance of networking, where every glance and every handshake meant something.
Y/N hated it.
And yet, here she was.
The party was in the Hollywood Hills, tucked away in a mansion that reeked of old money and new fame. The kind of place where people got too drunk on tequila and promises they wouldn’t remember in the morning.
She had come because she had to—because being seen mattered, even when she wished it didn’t.
She was twenty-five now, no longer the sharp-tongued teenager who had met Harry Styles in the glow of The Forum’s dressing rooms.
She had grown into herself.
And so had he.
She saw him before he saw her.
Harry was in the center of the room, as he always was, laughter spilling from his lips as he leaned against a marble bar, his rings catching in the dim light.
He looked different now—older, surer, carved out of something stronger.
The curls were shorter, but still wild. The tattoos more visible, inked stories along his skin. He wore a suit, something sleek and expensive, but the top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a silver cross against his collarbones.
Even here, surrounded by actors and musicians and people who pretended they belonged, he was the only one who looked like he truly did.
Y/N had spent years pretending she was immune to the charm of men like him.
But as she stood there, watching the way he moved, the way people gravitated toward him, she felt something stir in her chest.
Something she didn’t want to name.
She turned away, heading toward the bar, but it was already too late.
She heard his voice before she felt his presence.
“Well, if it isn’t rock royalty.”
Y/N exhaled, bracing herself, before turning to face him.
Harry was smiling, that slow, lazy grin that had made girls weak in the knees for over a decade.
“Pop star,” she greeted, raising an eyebrow.
His dimples deepened. “Didn’t think this was your scene.”
Y/N shrugged, lifting her whiskey glass. “It isn’t.”
Harry’s gaze flickered over her, assessing. “Then why are you here?”
“Same reason you are,” she said, taking a slow sip. “To remind people we still exist.”
Harry chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t have to remind anyone, love. They never forget a Nicks.”
There was something in the way he said it—something almost… knowing.
She tilted her head, watching him. “And they never forget a Styles.”
His smirk deepened. “Touché.”
The conversation between them felt effortless, the kind of back-and-forth that came with years of shared history, even if most of it had been from a distance.
She had always liked that about him.
That he could meet her wit for wit. That he never backed down.
That night, they danced around the past without ever acknowledging it, teasing each other between sips of whiskey and stolen glances.
He called her "rock princess" like it was a private joke.
She called him "pop star" with just enough mockery to make him laugh.
The undercurrent of something more was there—tangible, electric, waiting to be acknowledged.
But neither of them touched it.
Not yet.
Later, when the party had thinned and the air inside had grown heavy with heat and smoke, Y/N slipped outside.
She kicked off her heels, stepping onto the cool stone of the balcony, and lit a cigarette with steady fingers.
The view of the city stretched before her, a glittering sea of headlights and broken dreams.
She inhaled deeply, letting the nicotine settle in her lungs, humming a familiar melody under her breath—one of her mother’s, an old Fleetwood Mac song that had been stitched into her bones long before she was born.
She didn’t hear him approach.
Didn’t realize he was there until he spoke.
“Still hate the spotlight?”
His voice was softer now, missing the teasing edge from before.
She exhaled, watching the smoke curl into the night. “I hate what it does to people.”
Harry leaned against the railing beside her, silent for a moment, as if turning over her words in his head.
Then, he huffed a quiet laugh. “Still the girl who hates everything?”
Y/N smirked, side-eyeing him. “Still the boy with the hair?”
Harry grinned, running a hand through his curls. “I like to think there’s more to me than that.”
Something unspoken passed between them then.
A shift. A breath.
A moment on the edge of something inevitable.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them said a word.
But in the silence, they both felt it.
A crack in the walls they had spent years building.
A spark that had always been there, waiting for the right time to catch fire.
Harry called her three weeks after the party.
It was late—too late for anything that wasn’t trouble.
She had been sprawled across her bed, an open notebook balanced on her stomach, trying to piece together a song that didn’t want to be written, when her phone buzzed against the nightstand.
She didn’t need to check the name.
There was only one person who would call her at this hour, as if he knew she’d still be awake.
She let the phone ring twice before answering. “You lost, pop star?”
Harry chuckled, his voice low and lazy. “Not lost, no. Just… thought of you.”
Y/N rolled onto her side, tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear. “Oh? Should I be flattered?”
“Dunno.” He paused. “Wanna come to the studio tomorrow?”
That made her sit up.
She knew Harry was working on a new album. The industry had been buzzing about it for months, but he had been careful—secretive, even—about who he let in.
And now, he was inviting her.
Y/N hesitated for only a second before saying, “What time?”
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She arrived at the studio the next evening, her guitar slung over her back, dressed in a well-worn Fleetwood Mac t-shirt just to mess with him.
Harry was already there, sitting on the edge of a couch with a notebook in his lap, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the cover.
He looked up when she walked in, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Didn’t think you’d actually show.”
Y/N dropped onto the couch beside him, stretching out like she owned the place. “Didn’t think you actually had a studio. Thought you just wrote love songs in expensive hotel rooms.”
Harry chuckled, flipping the notebook shut. “Maybe I do both.”
The night unfolded in quiet moments and half-sung melodies.
She watched as he disappeared into the recording booth, slipping the headphones over his ears, eyes fluttering shut as the music took over.
And for the first time, she let herself really listen to him.
Harry had always been a good singer. That much was obvious. But there was something about watching him like this—seeing the way he poured himself into every lyric, the way his voice carried a rawness that no amount of polish could hide—that made her breath catch.
He was singing something new, something unfinished.
And as his voice curled around the notes, thick with longing and something unspoken, he looked up—straight at her.
Y/N’s grip tightened around her whiskey glass.
The booth’s glass separated them, but the way he stared at her—intense, knowing, like he could see straight through her—made her feel like there was nothing between them at all.
She swallowed hard, looking away first.
Harry smirked.
One studio session turned into two. Two turned into three.
And then, before she knew it, she was on a plane with him, tucked into first-class seats as his tour swept across the country.
She told herself she was just tagging along for inspiration, a creative escape.
She told herself it didn’t mean anything.
But the late nights in hotel rooms told a different story.
They fell into a rhythm—drinking whiskey on balconies, trading lyrics like secrets, letting conversations slip into the kind of honesty that only existed between two people who didn’t want to admit what they were to each other.
Some nights, they wrote.
Some nights, they just existed—stretched out on hotel carpets, hands brushing when they passed the bottle back and forth, staring at ceilings like they held the answers to questions neither of them wanted to ask.
She hadn’t expected this.
Hadn’t expected the way he looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention.
Hadn’t expected the way she wanted to memorize the shape of his laughter.
Hadn’t expected the way she craved him, in the quiet, in the spaces between words, in the way his voice curled around her name like it was something sacred.
One night, she fell asleep in his hotel room.
They had been listening to records, the vinyl crackling in the background, the bottle of whiskey between them half-empty.
She had kicked off her boots at some point, curling up on the couch, his hoodie draped over her shoulders like she belonged in it.
Harry had been mid-sentence when he noticed she wasn’t answering.
He turned, finding her tucked into the cushions, her breathing soft, her hair spilling across her face.
Something in his chest tightened.
He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw, telling himself to let it go.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he leaned in, brushing her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering a second too long.
She stirred slightly but didn’t wake.
And for the briefest moment, Harry let himself want it—let himself imagine what it would feel like to close the space between them, to taste the whiskey on her lips, to see if she’d kiss him back or push him away.
He hovered there, so close, so fucking close—
And then he pulled back.
Shoving a hand through his curls, he let out a quiet curse, grabbing the nearest blanket and draping it over her instead.
Not now, he told himself.
Not yet.
He sat back, forcing himself to look away.
But even in the dark, even in the silence, he knew.
He was already in too deep.
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London was cold, the kind of damp chill that clung to bones and made her wish she was still waking up in different hotel rooms, still stealing sips of his morning coffee, still pretending she didn’t care when he hummed her songs under his breath.
The withdrawal was annoying.
But not unexpected.
She had just finished scribbling notes for a new song when her phone rang.
“You still in town?”
She smirked, setting her pen down. “Didn’t know you missed me so much, pop star.”
Harry chuckled, that deep, lazy sound that made something twist in her stomach. “Not even denying it, are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Styles?”
“Dinner.”
That made her pause.
Sure, they had spent weeks living in each other’s pockets—whiskey-soaked late nights, studio sessions stretched into dawn, long looks across dimly lit dressing rooms—but this felt… different.
Intentional.
Like he was asking for something neither of them were ready to name.
Still, she played it cool. “Where?”
“I’ll text you.” A pause. “Wear something nice.”
She showed up to the restaurant in a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and her mother’s old silver rings.
Let him try and tell her what to wear.
Harry was already there, tucked into a quiet corner, a half-full glass of red wine in front of him. His curls were messier than usual, his sweater hanging loose on his frame, and the moment he saw her, his dimples deepened.
“Very fancy,” he teased, flicking the collar of her jacket as she slid into the seat across from him.
Y/N smirked. “If you wanted a date, you should’ve said so.”
Harry’s lips twitched. “Didn’t say I didn’t.”
The air shifted.
She ignored the way her pulse quickened, instead reaching for the menu. “So. What’s good here?”
They fell into easy conversation, talking about the tour, the highs and lows, the stupid inside jokes they’d collected along the way.
But somewhere between the laughter and the second glass of wine, the mood softened.
“Do you ever get tired of it?” she asked, twirling the stem of her glass between her fingers.
Harry tilted his head. “Of what?”
“Being… this.” She gestured vaguely at him, at the world outside the restaurant doors, at the weight of fame that followed them both. “The cameras, the expectations, the pressure. Do you ever just wanna disappear?”
Harry studied her, running his thumb along the rim of his glass.
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “But then I remember why I started. And it’s not about all the noise. It’s about the music. About…” He exhaled, shaking his head with a small smile. “About moments like this.”
Y/N felt her heart lurch before she could stop it.
She cleared her throat, forcing a smirk. “Sappy.”
Harry grinned, leaning back in his chair. “You love it.”
She did.
That was the problem.
They should have known better.
A quiet dinner in London? No such thing.
The next morning, the headlines were everywhere.
Harry Styles and Rock Royalty: A New Power Couple?
The Fleetwood Mac Connection—Is Y/N Following Her Mother’s Footsteps in Love, Too?
Spotted: Harry & Y/N, Cozy London Date Night or Just Old Friends?
Y/N groaned, tossing her phone onto the kitchen counter. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Harry’s name lit up her screen.
She answered without greeting. “Tell me this will blow over.”
Harry chuckled. “It’ll blow over.”
“You’re lying.”
“I am.” Another laugh. “We could deny it.”
“Obviously.”
“Or…”
Y/N narrowed her eyes. “Or?”
Harry’s grin was practically audible. “Could always lean into it.”
She snorted. “You wish, Styles.”
He hummed. “Yeah, maybe I do.”
Her stomach flipped.
Before she could respond, there was a knock on her door.
“Gotta go.” She hung up quickly, shaking off the warmth curling in her chest.
Then she opened the door.
And found her mother standing there, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.
Y/N barely had a chance to step aside before Stevie breezed past her, silk scarves trailing, the scent of patchouli and incense filling the space.
She made a beeline for the kitchen, plucked Y/N’s phone off the counter, and squinted at the headlines.
Y/N sighed. “Good morning to you, too.”
Stevie hummed, tapping a red-lacquered fingernail against the screen. “So… you and Harry Styles.”
Y/N groaned. “For fuck’s sake, it’s nothing.”
Stevie arched a delicate brow, taking a slow sip of her tea. “Sure, baby. Keep telling yourself that.”
Y/N scowled. “It’s not love.”
Stevie’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
“Love is messy in this business, honey.”
Y/N rolled her eyes, snatching her phone back. “I wouldn’t know.”
Stevie just laughed, something soft and far too smug in her gaze.
Because she knew.
Long before Y/N was willing to admit it to herself.
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She spotted him immediately.
Harry.
Leaning against the marble bar, whiskey in hand, dimples out in full force as he laughed at something Lizzo said. He looked too good, annoyingly good, all effortless charm and understated power in his black suit, his sheer shirt open just enough to tease golden skin and the sharp edge of his collarbone.
Y/N swallowed hard.
It had been weeks since the headlines. Since her mother’s knowing smile. Since she had convinced herself she wasn’t thinking about him like that.
But now, with the golden glow of the chandeliers casting shadows over his cheekbones, his green eyes flicking up to meet hers across the room—she felt it.
The pull. The inevitable, undeniable pull.
She found herself at his side before she could think better of it, sliding onto the barstool beside him.
Harry glanced at her, eyes flicking over her outfit—a silk slip dress in deep navy, barely-there straps, silver chains glinting against her collarbone. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his fingers tightening around his whiskey glass.
Interesting.
Y/N smirked, plucking an olive from the garnish tray and popping it into her mouth. “Enjoying yourself, pop star?”
Harry exhaled a laugh, tilting his glass towards her. “Was just about to ask you the same thing, rock princess.”
She arched a brow. “You clean up well.”
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping. “So do you.”
Her breath hitched, but she masked it with a slow sip of her drink.
They fell into easy conversation, but the teasing was sharper tonight, laced with something dangerous. He was closer than usual, his knee brushing against hers, his fingers grazing the inside of her wrist when he reached for his drink.
And every time she laughed, his eyes flickered to her lips.
Sometime after midnight, when the party was loudest and the drinks were strongest, Y/N felt the walls closing in.
She had spent the last hour with his hand on the small of her back, his voice low in her ear, his eyes dark and unreadable whenever she so much as looked at someone else.
She couldn’t take it anymore.
So she grabbed his wrist.
“Come with me.”
Harry blinked, surprised, but let her lead him through the crowd, up a grand staircase, and through a side door that led to the rooftop.
The city stretched out below them, glittering in the darkness. The muffled bass of the party throbbed beneath their feet, but up here, the air was crisp, cool against flushed skin.
Harry ran a hand through his curls, exhaling. “Y’finally had enough of all that?”
Y/N scoffed. “I just needed to breathe.”
A beat of silence. Then—
“You think about it too, don’t you?”
Her stomach clenched.
She turned to him, arms crossed. “Think about what?”
Harry took a step closer. “This.”
Her heart hammered. “Harry—”
“I think about you too much,” he admitted, voice quiet but firm, like he had been holding it in for years.
The air crackled between them.
Y/N’s nails bit into her palms. Her voice was steady when she said, “Then do something about it.”
Harry moved before she could take it back.
His hand found her jaw, fingers tilting her face up to his. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his breath fanning against her lips—giving her a chance to stop it, to pull away.
She didn’t.
So he kissed her.
Slow at first, teasing, like he wanted to savor the moment. His lips were soft but firm, tasting like whiskey and warmth, like something she hadn’t realized she had been starving for.
And when she kissed him back, something inside him snapped.
A groan rumbled in his throat as he deepened it, his other hand sliding around her waist, pulling her flush against him. The cold rooftop wall pressed against her back, his body against her front, caging her in.
She melted.
Her fingers tangled in his curls, tugging just enough to make him growl into her mouth. She felt his smirk against her lips before he kissed her harder, licking into her mouth like he wanted to learn every single inch of her.
The city blurred around them.
There was only this.
Only him.
Only the moment they had spent years pretending they didn’t want.
When they finally broke apart, Y/N was breathless, lips tingling, her hands still fisted in his hair.
Harry smirked, eyes dark and hazy.
“Was wondering when you’d let me do that.”
Y/N let out a breathless laugh, her fingers tracing his jaw.
“Shut up and do it again.”
And so he did.
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They didn’t talk about it, not really.
They just acted.
And once that line had been crossed, there was no going back.
The secrecy of it all was intoxicating.
It turned the smallest moments into something electric—her fingers grazing his when she passed him a drink, the press of his palm against her lower back as he guided her through a crowd.
They stole kisses behind dressing room doors, in dimly lit hallways, in the backseat of a blacked-out SUV. It was a game neither of them acknowledged but both played with fervor.
It was thrilling.
It was dangerous.
It was them.
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Harry had sent her nothing but a single text:
Room 1107. Door’s open.
So she went.
The moment she stepped inside, he was already reaching for her.
His hands were warm as they slid around her waist, pulling her in. His lips found hers before she could even make a remark about his audacity, and suddenly she was backed up against the wall, gasping softly into his mouth as his fingers gripped the hem of her hoodie—the one she had stolen from his suitcase weeks ago.
It smelled like him.
It felt like home.
“Missed you,” he muttered against her lips, his voice rough with exhaustion but laced with something softer, something sweeter.
She smirked, her fingers curling into his T-shirt. “You saw me three hours ago.”
Harry hummed, dragging his lips down the column of her throat. “Still too long.”
She rolled her eyes, but the shiver down her spine betrayed her.
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But sleep had other plans.
Y/N woke up tangled in crisp white sheets, her limbs a lazy sprawl across the mattress. The scent of Harry—cologne, whiskey, and something distinctly him—wrapped around her like a second skin.
And then—
A knock at the door.
Her eyes flew open.
Harry groaned into the pillow beside her. “Fuck’s sake.”
“Harry? You up?”
His assistant.
Shit.
Y/N scrambled upright, heart racing. She barely had time to throw on his hoodie before Harry was tugging her off the bed, dragging her toward the closet.
“Oh, you have to be kidding me,” she hissed.
He just grinned, pushing the door open. “Get in.”
“Harry—”
“In, love.”
She barely had time to flip him off before he shut the door behind her, sealing her in darkness.
Y/N pressed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, crouched between his suitcases, her bare legs chilled by the cool air inside.
She could hear everything.
The door creaking open.
Harry’s voice, rough from sleep. “Morning.”
The assistant’s knowing tone. “You sound like shit.”
A pause.
Y/N could feel the smirk in Harry’s response. “Yeah, well. Long night.”
Her glare could have burned through the door.
From the other side, she heard rustling—probably his assistant rifling through a bag.
Then—
“Oh, and by the way? If you’re gonna sneak someone in, maybe don’t leave two pairs of shoes by the door next time.”
Silence.
Y/N’s stomach dropped.
Harry, to his credit, barely missed a beat.
“Right. Yeah. Noted.”
The door shut a moment later.
She barely had time to breathe before the closet door swung open, revealing Harry’s smug, dimpled grin.
“Next time,” he murmured, offering his hand to pull her up, “you’re hiding under the bed.”
Y/N smacked his chest.
And then kissed him.
It was meant to be quick—just a press of lips in playful retaliation—but Harry wasn’t one to let a moment slip away. His fingers curled around her waist, holding her there, deepening the kiss. It was languid, familiar, the kind of kiss that tasted like late nights and secrets, like comfort and hunger all at once.
She sighed against his mouth. “I should go.”
“I know.”
Neither of them moved.
It was only when the morning light began creeping through the curtains, spilling over their tangled limbs, that she forced herself to untangle from him. Harry stayed in bed, arm draped over his forehead, watching as she slipped into her jeans and pulled on his hoodie—her own top lost somewhere in the haze of the night before.
His voice was hoarse from sleep. “At least let me get you a car.”
“I’ll call one,” she assured him, raking her fingers through her messy hair.
Harry sat up then, brows knitting together. “Y/N—”
“I’ll be fine,” she interrupted, flashing him a small smile. She pressed a last kiss to his cheek, inhaled the warmth of his skin, and slipped out of the room.
And right into a camera flash.
The second she stepped onto the pavement, she knew.
The street wasn’t exactly swarming, but one paparazzo was enough. He was already snapping rapid shots, the sound of the shutter slicing through the dawn stillness like a guillotine. She didn’t run—that would make it worse. Instead, she pulled up the hood of Harry’s sweatshirt, kept her chin down, and slid into the waiting car.
Her phone buzzed before she even reached her apartment.
Maddie: Shit. Have you seen TMZ??
Y/N’s stomach twisted. She hadn’t even shut the door behind her before she was pulling up the link.
The headline screamed at her in bold print:
Y/N Nicks Spotted Leaving Harry Styles’ Home—Rock Royalty & Pop Prince?
Her pulse pounded as she scrolled. Dozens of pictures. Some from last night when they arrived separately at his house. Some from this morning, catching her in the same outfit.
And then the comments.
Not surprised. The tension in that interview was insane. She’s not even that famous wtf. Fleetwood Mac and One Direction crossover??? Didn’t she date that bassist last year? She’s literally wearing his hoodie. IT’S HAPPENING. Harry can do better tbh.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
She should have known.
By noon, it was everywhere. Entertainment news, gossip sites, even actual journalists weighing in on the implications of her and Harry. She ignored the notifications, silenced her phone, but then came the email from her publicist.
And worse—Harry’s PR team.
We need to get ahead of this. No comment is best for now. We’re drafting a statement.
It was bullshit.
By mid-afternoon, she was at his house.
Harry was pacing the living room, phone in one hand, stress written all over his face. He looked up when she walked in, exhaling heavily. “They want me to deny it.”
Y/N’s breath caught. “What?”
“They think—” He dragged a hand through his curls. “They think we can ride it out, wait for something else to distract them. If we say nothing, it dies faster.”
Something bitter lodged itself in her throat. “Say nothing? Or lie?”
He hesitated. And that was enough.
“You said we were in this together,” she said, voice sharp.
“We are,” he insisted. “But you know how this works, Y/N. It’s different for me. The fans.”
Her laugh was hollow. “Oh, the fans.”
“That’s not—” He sighed, shaking his head. “You know what I mean.”
“No, Harry. I don’t.” She crossed her arms. “Because last I checked, I’m in this industry too. I’ve had my entire existence scrutinized since birth. Do you think I don’t know what it’s like to have people picking apart my every move?”
His jaw clenched.
She pressed on. “But I’m not ashamed of you. And I sure as hell don’t want to pretend this isn’t real just because some PR team is scared of a few bad headlines.”
“I’m not ashamed of you,” he said, voice low.
“Then why are you acting like you are?”
Silence.
Her heart hammered.
Finally, she exhaled shakily, voice barely above a whisper. “I want us to stop hiding. Please.”
He didn’t say anything.
And maybe that was her answer.
Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat, nodded once, and turned for the door.
The quiet thud of the door closing behind her felt heavier than it should have.
It wasn’t dramatic—no slamming, no storming out. Just the quiet finality of leaving.
And yet, it echoed.
She didn’t cry in the car. Didn’t cry when she got home. Didn’t even cry when she scrolled through Twitter and saw her name still trending, the discourse evolving by the hour.
What does Harry see in her anyway? She’s just another nepotism baby. She’s so private—does she think she’s better than his other exes? She’s clearly using him for clout. She’s lucky to have him, but he deserves someone who actually appreciates him.
Her fingers hovered over the screen before she locked her phone and tossed it onto the couch.
Let them talk. Let them spin their stories. It wasn’t like the truth mattered.
She went silent.
No Instagram stories, no late-night tweets, no cryptic lyrics. The press called it a calculated move, the fans called it suspicious, but in reality?
She just didn’t have the energy.
She slept too little and drank too much coffee. She ignored calls from her publicist. Ignored texts from mutual friends who wanted to check in but were probably just fishing for an inside scoop.
And Harry?
Harry didn’t reach out.
Not once.
Which, of all the things, hurt the most.
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It had been three days.
She was at her mother’s house when it happened.
Stevie had always been able to tell when something was wrong, no matter how good Y/N thought she was at masking it. She hadn’t pried, though. Not yet. Instead, she let Y/N exist in the space, offering quiet company rather than questions.
But Y/N knew she wouldn’t escape forever.
That night, the house was quiet except for the hum of the wind outside. Stevie had gone to bed hours ago, leaving Y/N alone in the dimly lit living room, the grand piano standing in the corner like it was waiting for her.
She didn’t even realize she was walking toward it until her fingers brushed against the keys.
She sat down.
And she played.
It started as muscle memory, the chords slipping out in a familiar pattern, soft and haunting. The kind of song that lingered in the bones, that carried the weight of something unfinished.
"You could be my silver spring..."
The words came out quieter than she intended, but they were there.
"Blue-green colors flashing..."
Her voice wavered.
"I would be your only dream..."
Her fingers trembled over the keys, the melody filling the empty room.
"You will never be my lover..."
The tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them.
God.
She hadn’t cried. Not when the pictures leaked, not when the headlines turned ugly, not even when she walked away.
But here, under the weight of this song—her mother’s song—she broke.
She barely heard the footsteps approaching behind her.
But she felt the presence.
A hand, warm and familiar, rested gently on her shoulder.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t stop playing.
Stevie sat down beside her on the bench, saying nothing.
She just listened.
And when Y/N’s hands finally fell away from the keys, when her head dropped forward and her shoulders shook with silent sobs, her mother reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh, baby," she murmured softly.
And that was all it took for Y/N to shatter completely.
She turned into her mother’s arms, hiding her face against her shoulder as the heartbreak spilled out in ways she hadn’t allowed before.
Stevie just held her.
She didn’t say I told you so, didn’t say you knew this would happen, didn’t say I warned you, love is messy in this business.
She just let her cry.
Because what was there to say?
Y/N had been willing to fight for this. She had been willing to face the noise, the scrutiny, the world dissecting her every move—for him.
And he hadn’t even reached for her when she walked away.
She had loved him. Had let herself believe, even just for a moment, that they could exist beyond the secrets, beyond the fear.
But maybe she had been wrong.
Maybe he was never hers to begin with.
Meanwhile...
Harry hadn’t slept.
He had spent the last three days running on autopilot, going through the motions of studio sessions and meetings, pretending like everything was fine when it wasn’t.
He had tried to tell himself that this was the right move. That letting the story die on its own was the best way to protect them both.
But nothing about this felt right.
He had checked his phone a hundred times, fingers hovering over her contact, but he never typed anything. What could he say? Sorry I didn’t fight for us? Sorry I let the fear win?
He wasn’t sure what finally pushed him over the edge. Maybe it was the lack of her name in his messages, the absence of her voice. Maybe it was the fact that he had spent years wanting her and only had days before she slipped away completely.
Or maybe it was the video.
It wasn’t even a full clip, just a fifteen-second snippet someone had posted online.
Y/N, at a piano. Playing Silver Springs.
It was grainy, the lighting dim, but he knew her silhouette anywhere.
And he knew what that song meant.
His stomach dropped.
Because suddenly, it wasn’t just the weight of the media or the PR teams or the fans that mattered.
It was her.
It had always been her.
And if he didn’t move now, if he didn’t do something, he was going to lose her for good.
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The rain was relentless.
It hit the pavement in steady sheets, washing the city in silver streaks and the glow of streetlights. It soaked through Harry’s clothes, plastering his shirt to his skin, curling his hair against his forehead, dripping down his jaw like the storm itself was trying to pull him under.
But he didn’t care.
His heart was hammering, his chest tight with something wild and desperate as he stood in front of her door, fist poised to knock.
This was it.
No more hiding. No more silence. No more pretending like he could live without her.
His knuckles hit the wood. Once. Twice.
Nothing.
He swallowed hard, knocking again, harder this time, rainwater slipping down his wrist.
Still nothing.
His stomach clenched. What if she wasn’t here? What if she didn’t want to be here—what if she had already left, had already moved on—
The door swung open.
And there she was.
She stood barefoot in the doorway, an oversized sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder, her hair damp, like she’d just stepped out of the shower.
She hadn’t been expecting him. That much was obvious.
Her eyes widened, lips parting slightly as she took him in—the way his shirt clung to his chest, the way water dripped from his curls, the way his breath came ragged and uneven.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then—
“Fuck the PR,” he blurted, voice raw. “Fuck the headlines.”
She blinked.
“I love you.”
The words hit the air like a lightning strike, sharp and electric.
A breath. A pause. A crack in the silence.
The rain hadn’t let up.
It streaked down the windowpanes, tapping a steady rhythm against the glass, pooling in the crevices of the street outside. The air smelled like wet pavement and something electric, something on the verge of breaking.
He stood there in her doorway, dripping onto the hardwood floors, soaked to the bone. His shirt clung to him, darkened by the rain, molded to the sharp lines of his chest and the ridges of his stomach. Water curled at his jaw, trailing down the hollow of his throat. His breaths were heavy, ragged, like he’d run here in the downpour, like nothing in the world had mattered more than making it to this moment.
And she—
She just stared.
Chest rising and falling, lips slightly parted, fingers trembling at her sides.
Silence stretched between them, thick and weighted, every unspoken word, every unshed tear, every almost hanging in the space between their bodies.
Her fingers fisted in the damp collar of his shirt.
She yanked him inside.
The door slammed behind them, but neither of them noticed.
His back hit the wood, a sharp inhale punched from his lungs as she pressed against him. Their bodies were a tangle of heat and desperation, a collision of limbs and longing, the storm outside nothing compared to the one building between them.
Her hands slid up, skimming over his shoulders, gripping the nape of his neck, pulling.
Their mouths crashed together.
It was rough. Messy. Clumsy in the way only something utterly inevitable could be.
Her nails scraped against his scalp, and he groaned into her mouth, his fingers threading into her damp hair, tugging just enough to tip her head back. His lips slanted over hers, deepening the kiss, tasting her like he was starved for it.
She gasped when his mouth trailed lower, down the curve of her jaw, the column of her throat. He bit down, just enough to leave a mark, just enough to make her shudder against him.
Her hands fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, but the fabric was stuck to him, refusing to give. Frustration twisted her features.
“Off,” she demanded, voice breathless, thick with need.
He barely pulled back long enough to shove the wet fabric off his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor with a damp slap.
She pressed her palms against his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the erratic beat of his heart beneath her touch.
Then, she leaned in, running her tongue over the rain-slicked skin at his throat.
His whole body tensed.
“Jesus Christ,” he rasped.
Losing Control
They didn’t make it far.
They stumbled through the flat, hands desperate, mouths never parting, breathing each other in like oxygen.
Her sweatshirt was the next casualty, pulled up and over her head, landing somewhere behind them. His hands were on her skin instantly, fingers tracing the delicate lines of her spine, dragging down, down—gripping the back of her thighs and hoisting her up.
She gasped against his lips, legs wrapping around his waist.
He walked them backward, moving blindly, guided only by instinct and the sound of her breathing, the little whimpers she made when he kissed the hollow of her throat, the way her hips shifted against him.
They hit the couch.
She was weightless for a moment, air rushing from her lungs as he dropped her onto the cushions, hovering above her, chest heaving.
His hands spread over her bare thighs, sliding up, up, until his fingers hooked into the waistband of her shorts. He glanced up, meeting her gaze.
“I’ve wanted you since that first night,” he murmured, voice rough, wrecked.
Her breath caught.
A single heartbeat. A moment suspended in time.
Then she was tugging him down, capturing his mouth with hers.
Heat.
That was all she could feel.
The press of his body, the weight of him between her thighs, the scratch of his stubble against her skin as he kissed a path down her stomach.
Her nails raked down his back, catching at the waistband of his jeans, tugging. He groaned, the sound vibrating against her skin, his grip tightening on her hips as he pushed himself lower.
His lips ghosted over her navel, down further, until—
Her back arched, a sharp inhale punched from her lungs, a curse whispered into the air.
And then everything blurred.
A tangle of limbs, clothes stripped away piece by piece, moans swallowed in kisses, bodies moving together, frantic, unrestrained, the storm raging both outside and between them.
He pressed inside her with a shuddering breath, forehead dropping against hers, their hands gripping, clutching, desperate.
“Look at me,” he murmured, voice hoarse, raw with something deeper than lust.
She did.
And in that moment, it wasn’t just sex.
It was everything.
They collapsed against each other, breathless, bodies tangled.
Her cheek rested against his chest, his fingers tracing lazy circles over her bare spine.
The rain pattered softly against the window, but all she could hear was the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, quietly—
“You didn’t stop me from walking away.”
He exhaled, his lips brushing over her temple. “I wanted to.”
She glanced up at him. “Then why didn’t you?”
His throat bobbed. “Because you deserved more than that.”
Her heart ached.
She shifted, fingers trailing over his jaw, over the curve of his mouth. “And now?”
His hand tightened on her waist.
“I’m done running.”
She stared at him for a beat.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
And when she kissed him, soft and lingering, he knew—
So was she.
The world could burn. The headlines could scream. The fans could theorize. The PR teams could scramble.
None of it mattered anymore.
Because they were done hiding.
They chose the timing.
They chose the words.
They chose each other.
The cameras were set up in a cozy, softly lit studio, with plush chairs and warm lighting that made everything feel a little less staged, a little more intimate. She sat beside him, their hands resting on the space between them—not quite touching, but close.
The interviewer, an older woman with kind eyes, smiled at them both.
“So,” she began, “I think it’s safe to say the world has been dying to know. What’s the truth?”
Harry exhaled a soft laugh, shaking his head. He glanced at Y/N, his dimples peeking out as he grinned, then looked back at the camera.
“The truth?” he repeated, voice playful, teasing.
She nudged him, a silent Behave.
He ignored it.
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging like it was the easiest thing in the world. “I’m in love with her. Always have been.”
The interviewer made a sound of delight. The world outside exploded.
She turned to Y/N, who was smiling so wide her cheeks ached.
“And you?” the interviewer asked gently.
Y/N looked at Harry.
He was already looking at her.
“I’m in love with him too,” she murmured. “Obviously.”
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The arena was packed.
The energy in the air was electric, a chorus of cheers and music and flashing lights. The setlist was nearly done, the concert winding toward its final moments. But before the last song, Harry paused.
“Alright,” he murmured into the mic, stepping back from the center of the stage. “I’ve got something special for you all tonight.”
The crowd roared.
His eyes found her, standing just offstage, watching him with an amused smile.
And then—he extended his hand.
She hesitated.
Not because she didn’t want to. But because, for the first time, this wasn’t just between them. This was in front of thousands.
He must have seen it in her eyes, because he smiled—soft, reassuring, knowing. He wiggled his fingers, beckoning her.
“C’mon, love,” he said. “Duet?”
The audience screamed.
She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous,” she mouthed.
But she took his hand.
The moment she stepped onto the stage, the noise doubled, an eruption of cheers and chants and camera flashes.
But none of it mattered.
Not when he was looking at her like that.
The first chords of the song played, slow and sweet, the melody wrapping around them like something sacred.
And then—
He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
Soft.
Lingering.
Devoted.
The crowd melted.
But in that moment, as the lights bathed them in gold, as their voices wove together, as their fingers stayed entwined—
It wasn’t about the world watching.
It was about them.
Because for once, it didn’t matter who was looking.
They had each other.
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
Thank you so much for reading, you’re a total angel! Don’t forget to like, comment, and reblog if you enjoyed! It means everything to me! 💖
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nerdygirlramblings · 2 months ago
Note
There's always the filthiest, unholiest, shit-wreakiest smut about Simon, John, Kyle and/or Jonny. Especially with poly!141
So what if they have the filthiest, unholiest, shity- wreakìest sex, maybe even a punishment, but reader is overwhelmed and uses the safe word or move.
Are the boys immediately stoppung or are they so cock and pussy drunk that reader needs to say it twice?
How are they treating reader? After care?
I just need a little comfort because the last few days were shitty as fuck 💗
Hi nony! So in my head, despite how pussy-drunk the guys (👀ghoap👀) are, they will listen to their partner. They may be big tough war machines, but they are still marshmallows for their beloved. Hope this makes the shitty days a little better.
cw: oral (m! and f! receiving), mutual masturbation, light bondage, mild dom/sub dynamics, overstimulation, poorly executed accents an: active consent is sexy, define your limits before engaging in sexual activity
You have no idea what the current count is. Somewhere after four mind-blowing orgasms, one from each of your lovers in quick succession, your brain short-circuited. You didn't black out, but the moments, the minutes that tick by as you float, are fuzzy. Clothes are shucked off, limbs manipulated into position, supplies gathered.
You're aware of the rough scrap of beard between your thighs, John feasting on you like a buffet to a starving man. The smooth chest propping you up is Kyle's, as are the hands keeping your knees open for his Captain's pleasure. There are wet smacking sounds behind you, and from the rumble rippling through him, Kyle's receiving a different kind of mouth-to-mouth. That's three of your four lovers accounted for, but what happens next depends on missing member of your polycule.
If it's Johnny unaccounted for, he's probably going for more toys, for John to use on you or for him to use on one of the others. If it's Simon not in the room - Simon whose sole focus is always on how much pleasure he can push on his partners before they break - if Simon's the one not here, then you may very well be in the best kind of danger.
As if summoned, Simon is in the doorway with a plain brown bag in hand. "Found us somethin' new," he says quietly, "if yer up fer it." The kissing behind you stops, and John pulls back from your pussy, slick coating the coarse hair of his beard.
"Wha' da' ye got, lt?" Johnny asks breathlessly.
Simon pulls out several pair of fuzzy handcuffs: black, pink, leopard print. His gaze darts between you and the bed's headboard and footboard. You all immediately know what he's suggesting. You've played with bondage before. For his last birthday, all John wanted was to wrapped you in ribbon, shibari style, for them all to unwrap and enjoy later. The memory of it, being on display and played with, unable to respond with anything more than your voice, makes you wet. The handcuffs in Simon's hand promise just as much pleasure.
Simon and John look at you, and behind you, Kyle whispers, "Color, love?"
You glance over your shoulder to his dark eyes, Johnny just behind him practically salivating. You meet Simon's eyes and whisper, huskily, "Green."
"Good girl," Simon purrs. He cocks his head and the bed shifts behind you. You're lowered onto your back, and John helps push you up the bed. You can't watch them all, so you settle for watching John and Kyle each gently grab an ankle and click a set of handcuff on. Simon passes each man a tea towel, "Fer around the post so's we don't nick the wood." A pair of rough hands carefully takes yours and slides the fuzzy material around them.
When you're all trussed up between the bedposts, your lovers loom over you. John looks ready to worship at the altar of your body. Johnny grips his cock, red tip peeking over the top of his fist. Kyle has hearts in his eyes. And Simon. Simon's gaze is dark and dangerous. It sends heat racing through you. He smirks at you. "Simon says look at me, love," and you comply without question. "Yer gonna lie back and let us take our pleasure, yeah?"
You nod quickly, mind already in the hazy space where you know they'll take care of you.
"Ya know we need words, sweet girl," John reminds you.
"Yes!" you practically shout, the word erupting from you. Kyle's smile grows wider, predatory, and Johnny lets out a bark of laughter. "Yes, please, take your pleasure," you continue.
"Good fuckin' girl," Simon says. And like a switch is flipped, all four descend on you. John is right back between your thighs, mouthing your clit. Kyle's down there with him, both men's broad shoulders fitting easily between where you're splayed against the bed. You feel a probing finger at your ass; Kyle's long digit lubed up and working its way in as you fall apart on John's tongue. You can't twist away thanks to the handcuffs.
Meanwhile Johnny has propped a pillow under your head as he brackets your head with his knees, leaning over to feed his dick into your mouth. The angle allows you to take him deep, and you suck with the same speed and desperation John's using on you. With your field of view blocked by Johnny's balls, you can't see Simon until you feel teeth graze your side, right where you're ticklish.
"Och! Watch it, lt! Dinnae want 'er to take a bite 'a mah cock jus' cuz ye teased 'er," Johnny scolds, panting. You tell yourself you wouldn't, but when Simon's teeth graze the same spot, you see stars and aren't sure Johnny's wrong.
Simon chuckles darkly, telling them, "Fine. 'll find somethin' else ta do wit' my mouth." Lips skim over your side and upper belly before kissing their way up between the valley of your breasts. A hand lands heavily on your right breast, tugging on the nipple, as the left is enveloped in wet heat.
Suddenly you're coming again. You shout, and the sound is lost around Johnny's cock. "Beautiful," Kyle whispers, two fingers deep in your ass as John's mouth keeps working. Your spasms bow your back and take Johnny deeper, burying your nose in the curls at Johnny's base. You watch as his balls pull up before he's coming too, cum hot, salty, and thick on your tongue. Through it all, Simon keeps sucking on your nipples.
The handcuffs don't give you any room to move away, to stop the unceasing stimulation. You can't move your hand to tap Johnny and can't say anything with his dick still down your throat.
John's moved his face away, and you think for a moment the stimulation that now borders on painful will stop. Until you feel several fingers swipe through your folds before they bury themselves in your cunt. Kyle still has his fingers in your ass, and fingers are in your pussy, and Simon's mouth is still on you, and some of Johnny's cum leaks out the side of your mouth around his dick.
Tears start to gather at the corner of your eyes. It's all too much.
Johnny finally pulls back, and as his softening cock slips past your lips, you shout "Red light!", so overwhelmed you do it three more times despite once being more than enough for them to all stop their movements and pull back to check on you. You feel bereft without their hands on you, but this is what you asked for.
Simon's the first to break the silence, calling your name. "What do you need?"
You can't stop the tears as they slip down the side of your face. Kyle moves before checking himself. You know he wants to wipe the tears away, but he won't put his hands on you - none of them will - until you say it's okay for them do to so.
"I- It's...too much," you stutter. "It was all too much." Your breath hitches, but you don't start crying. Your body doesn't know which signals to listen to, but you're holding off the tears for now. Though you know it isn't necessary, and in fact will be ignored, you apologize.
"Dinnae be sorry, lass," Johnny says. "We didnae, Aye didnae, give ye the chance to stop before it got to be too much." As he talks, the others undo the cuffs from around the bed, leaving them attached to you until you give them permission to touch you again.
"It's okay, Johnny," you say, voice wobbling. "It was perfect until it wasn't, and you stopped the moment I asked." You give them all a watery smile. "Can you please take the cuffs off?" and four pairs of hands divest you of the restraints in record time.
You pull your limbs back to you, curling in on yourself a little. "I'm okay now," you reassure them, but no one makes a move towards you. "Really," you insist, "I'm okay." To prove it, you reach out and put a hand on Simon's wrist. "Really," you say as you tug gently on him. "I don't want to be here alone." Your smile is their absolution, and soon all four are back in bed with you, running their hands over your hair and down your arms, soothing you with their touch.
You murmur words of love and receive them in return as you slowly drift to sleep.
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luvs4matt · 11 months ago
Text
𝐀 𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 ✿ 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐖 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐎
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“mm so i turned you on? got you all hot and bothered? maybe a little needy”
𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 - dom!bestfriend!matt x sub!bratty!reader
𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - in which reader gets an attitude 4 different times that day, 1 time matt does something about it.
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - use of y/n, implied aftercare, slight fluff at the end, SMUT, rough sex, doggy style, cowgirl, missionary, orgasm denial, degradation, praise, begging, bratty reader, angst?, sir kink, spanking (ass and tits), fingering, punishment, nicknames (baby, baby girl, doll, sweetheart, good girl, my girl, whore), dirty talk, oral (m receiving), kissing/makeout, dacryphilia, unprotected sex, cream pie
with love and stems, cherry ღღ
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𝟏𝟎:𝟐𝟑 𝐀𝐌
“𝐇𝐄𝐘“ 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 the couch to sit down next to you
you heard him but didn’t reply, you simply left your eyes on the tv “you okay kid?”
“oh my god, i’m fucking fine i just don’t want to talk!”
matt decided to not respond leaving you alone
he steals glances at you making sure you’re actually okay and not lying to him
“the fuck are you looking at” you had noticed his glances as soon as they started, you tried to not say anything but you couldn’t anymore
“sorry” he mumbles
𝟏:𝟓𝟔 𝐏𝐌
“i’m going to the store, do you need me to grab anything there for you?” he asks while walking into your bedroom
same thing as earlier, you didn’t respond
“y/nnn hello” you look up at him through your eyelashes giving “what.”
“i asked you if you needed anything from the store while i’m there” you roll your eyes as he repeats his question “and i didn’t answer you. that means no.”
“okay, my bad”
𝟔:𝟑𝟒 𝐏𝐌
“FUCK OFF” you yell from behind the door
matt had knocked on your door to ask you if you wanted to come with him, nick, chris, and a few friends to dinner
instead of listening to you he asks his question from the other side of the door
you open your door looking at him saying “i said fuck. off.” before shutting the door right in his face
matt rolls his eyes getting sick of your attitude
𝟏𝟏:𝟑𝟔 𝐏𝐌
you’re curled up in a ball on the triplets couch; nick went to sleep around an hour ago, chris joined him about half an hour later. now only leaving you and matt in the living room “wanna watch a movie” matt asks
you glare at him before going back to your phone “are you sure you’re okay?” this time you keep your eyes on your phone “yes? why wouldn’t i be?” your attitude still there “you have had a attitude all day with me, what happened?” you immediately get out of your position now sitting normally
“i haven’t had a fucking attitude matt! i just want you to leave me the hell alone, is it that hard? it is so easy to hate you sometimes”
matt is done with your attitude
he stands up walking over to you “what the fuck are y-“ you cut yourself off when he bends down gripping your jaw with his hand
“no, absolutely not, that is not what were gonna do, you will not disrespect me” he whispers “if you don’t like it then do something about it” you spit
he moves his hand down to your waist turning you over so you are now face down ass up
you’re about say something but instead gasping as a hard slap lands on your ass “fuck!” your hands grip onto the cushions “so tell me doll, why have you been bratty all day” another hard slap landing on your ass
“i- i don’t know” you stutter, another slap “nope. try again”
“i’m sorry” another slap “that’s not a reason”
“i- i was just i- in a bad mood” another slap “not good enough”
“y- you” another slap “yeah? hows that”
“um, y-your hands, the- the rings, the placement” his hands aren’t slapping your ass anymore, they are now massaging it
“and, your arms” matt wishes he could see the look on your face “what about my arms, what did you like”
jesus what is there not to like “they looked good.. really good, the shirt you were wearing accentuated them”
“mm so i turned you on? got you all hot and bothered? maybe a little needy” he chuckles as you nod your head “you want me to help with that sweetheart?”
you try and push your hips back to meet his front but fail when he uses the grip on your waist to keep you in place “please”
“y’know whats funny? just a few minutes ago you were telling me you hate me, now you’re sitting here in front of me practically begging me to touch you”
you whine at his words knowing he was right
his hands travel from your waist to the waistband of your shorts silently asking for permission “please matt” he pulls your shorts down in one swift motion
he chuckles at the sight in front of him “no panties?” his fingers making contact with your hole rubbing back and forth at a teasingly slow pace “your fucking soaked, is this all from my hands? my arms? what’s it from doll”
“everything, y- you, your arms, hands, words, e- everything, just everything” you whimper at the small movements on your core “you like how i talk too you? thats so cute” when he says his last words he plunges his two fingers inside of you
you moan at the feeling of his fingers slowly gliding in and out of you “faster” you try pushing your hips towards him but once again failed “be patient.”
you groan in annoyance “i swear to god matt if you don’t fucking-“ suddenly his movements are much faster than before
so many lewd sounds coming from behind you “shit!” you could feel the cold metal of his rings brushing against you “what were you saying baby? i didn’t hear you” he taunts
“y- you were going too slow” his fingers speed up more “yeah? this good enough for you? or you want more?” before you could respond his fingers some how went faster
you moan in response
the pad of his thumb connects with your clit, you start to let out a loud moan but he covers your mouth “shut the fuck up” he growls
his fingers glide in and out of you at a fast pace, you could feel every movement he made, every curl he made of his fingers, every vein, every inch
you were going fucking insane, but in a good way
the tips of his fingers kissed your cervix with every thrust, he would pull his fingers almost completely out of you before shoving them as deep as they could inside of you
your moans and whimpers muffled by his hand, you take his hand off of your mouth “or what? your gonna punish me?” you whine when his fingers pull completely out of you with no return
you hear the small sound of matt talking off his clothes “cat got your tongue matty?” you laugh, your laugh comes to a quick stop when his palm makes contact with your ass
“turn the hell around” you compile turn around sitting on your knees, you stare at his dick in awe taking in how big he is “what? cat got your tongue?” he mocks before shoving himself inside of your now open mouth
he doesn’t take his time with you either, he is immediately shoving your face down, your nose hitting his pubic bone
he loved the sight of you gagging around him, you never pull back from him, taking his whole 8 inches in your throat “atta girl, putting that pretty mouth to good use”
he uses his free hand to feel on your throat to find where he is, once he finds where he sits he puts slight pressure on the area “you feel me right here babygirl? feel me so deep in your throat?” you nod your head considering you weren’t able to talk
he pulls out letting you get air for a quick second before shoving himself back in your throat
your makeup is ruined, wet mascara stains all over your cheeks, spit bubbles forming around your mouth, your hair held in a makeshift ponytail
hell YOU were ruined, after a couple more minutes he pulls out again
“lay down. now.” you lay your back down onto the couch allowing matt to crawl on top of you capturing your lips in a heated kiss
he trails his lips down to your neck, sucking, and biting, giving you a few more marks before moving back up to your lips “i need you” you mumble against his lips “yeah? want my cock inside of your wet little pussy” he lines his tip up with your entrance “yes.. please” he makes one swift movement bottoming out inside you
he pulls your tank over your head before starting his fast, hard thrust, he repeatedly hits a spot inside of you that you didn’t even know existed “s- so good” you moan
he wraps his hand around your throat adding slight pressure
“you feel good?” he taunts you are barely able to even speak “yes.. so so good” he continues pounding into you at a ruthless pace, watching how your face contorts in pleasure
your tits were bouncing with every thrust, just so fucking pretty
“god i could live inside of this pretty little pussy forever” the pleasure you were receiving was a embarrassing amount
you could feel everything, he is the first and only person who can fuck you raw, because now that you know how he feels inside of you, you don’t know if you will be able to stop
“i love this pussy so fucking much.” you clench around him at his erotic words, you start to lift your hips up in attempt to flip you over so your on top
but matt put a quick stop to it by placing both of his hands down on your lower stomach, putting most of his weight on the bulge of his dick inside of you speeding up his thrust “you better stop movin girl”
“i wanna ride it” you whine “yeah? how bad you wanna ride my cock?” it took a minute for you to respond due to all of the moans leaving your mouth “so bad matt, so so bad” your words were barely even spoken, it was practically all moans coming out of your mouth
matt knew what you were saying, but why not tease you more right? “what was that sweetheart? couldn’t hear you” you were fighting to get your words out but it was so hard “i- i wanna- oh my god!”
not only does matt speed up his thrust even more but he also starts to play with your clit, removing one of the hands that was on your stomach
“i’m sorry baby, i didn’t hear you that time either, one more time” matt is very amused with the sight under him “i wanna ri- oh fuck, wanna ride your cock so so bad, matty please!”
he quickly flipped you both over so you were now on top while his back was against the back cushions, you waste no time lining him back up to your hole before sinking down on him
you immediately start bouncing on him “why couldn’t you have been a good girl like this all day, didn’t even have to help you bounce on my cock”
your mouth was in a o shape. your eyes clenched shut “you gonna be good and do whatever i tell you to babygirl?” you could feel your orgasm creeping up on you already
“y- yes sir” the lewd sounds of skin slapping mixed with your moans and matts groans are the only thing to be heard throughout the whole house “mm good, good girl”
he could feel you were close, your noises were getting higher in pitch and closer together, you were clenching him hard “don’t cum” you open your eyes in surprise from being caught off guard
“w-what” you never took matt to be the kind of guy to deny orgasms, but you also more took him to be a soft dom kind of guy “i didn’t stutter sweetheart, you know what i said”
he grips your hips harder than before now controlling your hips, pushing your hips down to meet his as be thrust up into you “my sweet.. dirty.. little whore” he whispers in your ear
you start to squeeze him harder “you wanna cum sweet girl?” his voice laced with faux sympathy and mischief “yes..” he moves his lips to suck right under your ear while whispering “well too fucking bad”
you don’t know how he was able to but he quickened his thrust once again
tears of pleasure and frustration run down your cheeks as your orgasm is dangerously close “please! ill do anything! please just let me cum please!” he could tell you were on the edge of not being able to wait so he pulls out of you completely
“no! no! no!” matt brushes his fingers through your hair as you cry harder “shh it’s okay, you said you’ll let me do whatever i want to you correct?” you mumble a ‘mhm’ into his shoulder
a harsh slap landing on your ass causing you to yelp “correct?” you had never seen any side of matt remotely close to how he is right now, you should probably be scared but you weren’t, you loved it
“yes sir!” he presses a soft sweet kiss on your neck “well i want you to turn around, face down, ass up, and do not cum until i tell you otherwise, understand?” you don’t think you had ever been turned on more in your life
“yes sir” you un-straddle him getting into the position he wanted, now facing the kitchen “you listen so well” he praises as bottoms out, towering over you with his arm wrapped around your neck
he stays still inside of you, waiting for you to get worked up and annoyed “please fuck me matty please” and he succeeded “you need it baby?” hot tears run down your face in frustration “yes..”
“then beg for it” he feels you clench around him at his demand “please.. i need it, i need you to make me cum matt, please” matt was very satisfied with your begging
“aw you do? need me to make you cum, hm?” he teases “yes, please i need it so bad” he pulls out of you almost completely before slamming back into you, a loud, broken moan erupts from your throat
he thrust into a few more times before stopping his movements “i didn’t hear a thank you” instead of matt slapping you on your ass he slapped your tits “t- thank you! please, don’t stop! ill be a good girl i promise!” he restarts his thrust in and out of you, finding the perfect rhythm
“i expect you to keep that promise” your noises continue to get louder and louder to the point nick and chris could wake up at any moment now “shut that fucking mouth”
you whine as he starts to thrust harder “i- I’m sorry, j- just feels s-so good” you stutter “yeah? as much as i love those pretty little noises of yours, we can’t have chris knowing how pretty my girl sounds”
your orgasm starts to re-appear in your stomach “m’gonna cum! please! please let me cum!” your hands grip onto the arm he had wrapped around your throat “have you been a good girl?” your tear droplets have turned into sobs at this point
“yes! i’ve been such a good girl for you! only you!” you were using all your strength to hold off your orgasm “go ahead babygirl, make this cock yours” the band in your stomach snaps, releasing all over him “thank you! thank you! thank you!”
“there you go, thats my good girl” his pace stayed the same over stimulating you
you surge forward from the over stimulation but was quickly pulled back “don’t fucking run from me” he groans “t- too much!” you were sore but you really didn’t want him to stop
he slows his movements to tease you “you want me to stop?” you shake your head vigorously “see, i knew you could take it”
you could hear every moan and groan he let out into your ear
“so tight around me, fuck” matt places his hand down on the bulge in your stomach from his cock “oh my god! matt! too much! too much!” you squeal “i’ll stop when you cum”
your sobs and moans only spur him on “i’m close matt! so so close!”
“you gonna cum with me sweetheart?” you let out a faint ‘mhm’ “come on babygirl, cum” his words quite literally send you over the edge, his orgasm follows right after you stilling his hips with a loud groan
he stays inside of you for a minute before pulling out
you plop down on your back, legs still shaking “so i’m your girl?” you ask “well do you want to be my girl” you pretend to think about it before responding “yeah, i think so”
he places a soft kiss to your lips while he picks you up off the couch “lets go get my pretty girl cleaned up”
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© luvs4matt
a/n - i don’t know if i love this or hate it, but i hope all of you love it 🩷
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lulu-fic · 4 months ago
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𝚂𝚄𝙻𝚃𝚁𝚈 𝚂𝙴𝙳𝚄𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽
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Synopsis: Your boyfriend just cheated on you. But you can't just let him get away with that, can you?
Warnings: Cheating ( not by y/n), swearing, sfw, mdni
Wc: 2.1k
An: My first published work. Genuinely nothing too crazy just dipping my toes in water but dw next chapter will be something 👀 also the ending is a bit rushed because I was sleepy 😛
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Aggressive typing sound echoed through the walls of a dingy restroom, accompanied by someone's sobbing hiccups. That certain someone was you. Who would have thought your so-called lovely evening would end up with you crying in a stall of a dirty restroom? When you thought your life was finally rainbows and sunshine, god had to give you a reality check.
Flashback
"Here's your order, sir! That'll be $6.80." You said with your fake polite voice to the customer. The said customer took his coffee and fished in his pocket for cash. He finally handed you the required amount and exited the cafe. "Huff god today is draining me." You say. You check the cafe's clock and see it's 2:00 pm. "*Sigh* Still couple of hours to go." You think. But you did not let that bother you.
You are in your most optimistic energy today. Well, today is your most awaited date with Nick, your boyfriend of one year. Your experience with dating him has been nothing but nice. And you believe he's the one. You're finally going to propose him today.
"Y/n! Give me a hand here!" You're pulled out of your day dreaming when your co-worker calls for you. "Yeah, coming right away." You yell back. "*Sigh* life is good." You thought and smiled, resuming with your day.
Time skip
It's 5:13 pm. Your shift is almost over. God, was it a busy day today? You never had such a hectic shift. "Well, my shift is finally finished." You think. You were about to start packing up for the day when the bell jingles, indicating someone had entered the cafe. It was a man.
He was intimidatingly tall and it kind of scared you. His jet black styled hair fell on his face, covering some of his features. He wore a overcoat over a three-piece suit. Perfect attire for the chilly weather. Even though he looked like a gangster. When he finally looked up, it seemed like the time has stopped.
He looked enthernal. He had sharp features- somewhat neck-to-shoulder length hair, strong jawline, siren eyes straight nose, high cheekbones- everything about him was breathtaking. He also had light eyebags, giving signs of late night work. And his lips, god his lips. He had thin, soft looking lips, like rose petals. As if the Adonis himself craved his face. If you weren't so much of a loyal partner, you would have definitely shoot your shot. But he seemed oddly familiar to you.
"What would you like to order, sir?" You ask with your most professional voice, making sure there is no tinge of emotion. "A black coffee and a chocolate muffin, please." He said. And god if you already didn't thought he was attractive, now you definitely do. His voice sounded mature, rich and gravelly. His voice was a little rough too, it felt like he spent years smoking through his stressed moments.
"Y-yeah, right away, sir." You nervously replied. Yep, now you're definitely cursing your whole existence for stumbling in words just because you thought a guy's voice was hot. Seriously, what's wrong with you?
You turned around to make his order, which wasn't some rocket science. It's just a plain black coffee. But it actually felt like that. The man just kept watching you, observing your every move. How you ground the roasted coffee beans, how you brew the coffee, how you pour the coffee into the cup. No matter how much you tried to ignore the staring, it felt like he was boring into your soul. God damn, you didn't feel this nervous even on your first day of work. Ugh!
But you forgot to ask him a crucial question, will he takeaway the coffee or drink the coffee in here? You turned around to see him...still staring at you. "Will you takeaway or drink it here, sir?" You ask. He didn't reply at first. He just kept looking at you. Okay, now you're creeped out. "Sir?" You call out again. This time he's finally out of his whatever dreamland he was in.
"Will you takeaway or drink it here?" You ask again. "Um, takeaway." He replied. You nod your head and kneel down to take out the chocolate muffin from the freezer. Genuinely, he didn't seem like a guy who would like sweets. But oh well who are you to judge someone's taste bud? You take out a white cupcake box and put the sugary treat in it. When you're finally ready with his order, you extend it to him on the counter.
"That'll will $9 dollars. Also I'll be needing your name for the bill." You say. He still just kept looking at you. Okay, now he's starting to annoy you. Why he's looking at you like you're some kind of piece of meat? "Sir?" You call out again. He still didn't reply. "Hello, Earth to sir?" You wave your hand in front of him to grab his attention, which you finally did.
"Oh, yes?" He politely ask, while blinking twice. "Your name?" You ask back with a irritated voice. He chuckles at something.
"Colter Hunt."
God, Even his name was hot. You quickly write down his name, to make it seem like you weren't just fangirling on his name. Suddenly a black card comes in front of your vision. You look up to see him holding it out with his index and middle fingers. Your attention averts to his wrist which is adorned with a silver Cartier bracelet and Rolex watch. "Damn," you think, "so he's rich rich." You add after.
You take his card and inserting it quickly in the card swip machine, telling him to punch in his passcode. He type in his passcode and takes out his card after the transaction was completed.
"Have a good day, sir!" You say, back with your professional voice. He takes his order and was just about to exit the shop when he turned around to look one last time at you, and then finally leaves.
Huff, a hectic day it was.
At the Restaurant...
You are finally at your most awaited destination for the night. You open the gate to the restaurant and are greeted by the receptionist. "Good evening, sir. How can I help you?" She asked. "Uh I have a table reserved for two under my name. Hong it is." She checks her computer real quick and give you your table number with a polite smile. You thank her and go inside.
You see Nick already seated and waiting for you. You quickly take your seat. "Sorry for being late. I had a customer last minute who was taking some time." You quickly apologize for being late. "So, what should we order, huh?" You ask while picking up the menu. "Well I wanted to try the main course of here for long time. I saw the review online and they said it's very good, even the customer service. Oh and the dessert choices are also-" You stop with your rambling in the midway when you notice Nate not responding to any of your babble. He seemed to zone out. "Hey, Nick? What happened baby?" You ask. He breaks out of whatever dreamland and finally looks at. "Huh? What did you say?" Ugh why's everyone seemed to zone out today?
"I asked did something happened. You seemed lost." You repeat. "Oh um no- I mean yes- uh I don't know." He babbles. You make a puzzled face. "What do you mean?" You ask. "Did something happened at work?" You ask again. "Uh yes- I mean no but it was someone from so technically yes but no." He again keeps puzzling his word. "Nick what are you even talking about? I don't get it." You say in a baffled voice.
"Ugh, y/n I don't know how to say this but I have been wanting to say this, but it's just I never got a chance." He explains a bit. "It's okay. You can say now." You say. "Maybe he will be the one who's going to propose me." You think with a happy voice.
"I-I...I sleptwithsomeoneonemonthagoatHalloweenparty."
"What? What did you say?" You ask not understanding his "explanation".
"I-I...y/n I slept with someone. A month ago. And I-I just feel more attracted to her." He finally says it.
"What." You depanned. "Y/n, I'm sorry! I tried to tell you this multiple time but never got a chance and-" he tries to explain but you raise a hand to make him stop. "When was it?" You ask trying to keep your temper at bay.
"At halloween party of my office." He nervously admits. "So someone from office then, huh?" You interjected. "Yes." He confirms, not trying to make eye contact with you. "Who is it?" You finally ask. "Huh?" He looks up at you baffled. "Who. Is. It." You grit your teeth.
"Rachel." He breathes out. You exhale a breath of air you didn't know you were holding. The chair makes a screeching sound as you slowly get up. "Y/n I-" He tries to utter something but you beat him to it by splashing a glass water on his face.
"Do. Not. Tell. Me. Your. Filthy. Excuses!" You yell grabbing the attention of other customer. You finally leave that place, ignoring the calls of your name from behind. You stop at your pace and take a turn and make your way towards the the restroom door that had "Staff Only" written with bold letters.
End of flashback
Tears are flowing down your face as you type out the message to your bestfriend, basically explaining the situation. You're not hurt about the fact he cheated, you're just angry on the fact that he cheated on you? Hong Y/N. You remember thinking how guys used beg for a chance to even let them take you on a date. And when you finally decide to settle down, this happens?
No, you cannot let a man control your emotions like this. Nope. You reject the fact that you are crying over a man.
You get up from the toilet seat and go outside to quickly wash your hands. You make a quick text to your bestfriend saying that you'll be late and call for a uber.
You go outside the restaurant and breath in the cold air of the chilly weather, finally feeling at peace a little. Your uber quickly arrives at your destination. "Square Town Club, please." You quickly inform the driver as you take a seat. Tonight it'll be all about you. Not someone cheating asshole.
The uber driver reaches at your said address after 10 minutes and you pay him the amount required as you get out of the taxi.
When you enter the club, it seemed like you stepped into another world. Neon red and green lights blinding your sights, party music booming through speakers, people making out or even having sex in the middle of the dance floor. "Ew, disgusting." You think. But that's main goal of tonight, only stuff like these can take your mind off that bitch.
You go over to the bar counter. You knew the bartender , Ricky, through social media. Also the reason how you got to know about this place. He looks over at you and asks, "The usual?" "No." You answer back. "Give me anything. But 10x stronger." You add. He raises his eyebrows but says nothing. As he was preparing your drink, you felt a little uncomfortable. It felt like someone was boring their eyes into you. Yes it's a club, of course you will grab attention.
But this one seemed a little off. A little familiar.
As you looked around to catch the supposed person, you attention is caught by a person sitting at the most secluded place of the club. It was a very dark corner. You try your best to ignore him. Keyword: Try.
Because the moment you look away a scary looking bodygaurd comes up to you with a drink and says, "Sir, this drink is offered by our master with the small note." Turns out the said master is none other than the guy you tried to take a good look at before.
This time you trun around and squint your eyes to take a good look at him. And this time, by some miracle, you're finally able to get a good look of him. But Oh. My. God.
It's the cafe guy.
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© lulu-fic, 2024. All rights reserved. Don't copy, translate or modify my work. And Do not post my work on any other platform.
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wcters · 1 year ago
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CHRIS WITH A GIRLFRIEND WHO NAPS ALL THE TIME
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pairing: christopher sturniolo x fem!reader
summary: chris with a girlfriend who is obsessed with naps/naps all the time
warnings/contents: none
author’s note: i love naps, my favourite thing !!!!!
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- you love naps, you’re obsessed
- always down for one
- you can nap anytime, anywhere
- cars, planes, beds, couches, you name it
- you probably have an iron deficiency
- #hot girl shit
- you can and will fall asleep in the most uncomfortable positions and in any positions really: crisscross, curled up, head leaning on your knees, on your back, starfish, etc
- you could call yourself an expert 💅💅
- you look two ways when you’re sleeping: peaceful . . . or a victorian child dying on the plague
- that tiktok trend? that’s you, and you own it
- and chris had definitely posted you to that
- if not him, either nick or matt
- you also look like that polar bear waking from hibernation when you wake up
- or you went through a tornado
- dorothy from the wizard of oz who?
- so many pictures and clips of you alseep in the background of a video, tiktok, livestream, etc
- the triplets were filming a walk though of the tour bus and you’re just fast asleep in chris’s bunk wrapped in your blanket
- a lot of your friends bereals are you sleeping
- have a humidifier in your room at your house/apartment
- sleep with rain sounds on
- a shit ton of stuffed animals
- and that will be the same for chris’s bed
- they’ll take up most of the space on the bed and he will have a leg hanging off
- you refuse to take them off unless he begs
- you feel bad 😭😭 they’re you kids, you have to care for them
- spend a lot of money on stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets
- comfy fit 24/7
- uggs, sweatshirts, sweatpants, like a living and breathing fresh love ad
- everyone’s jealous
- chris loves you for it, but also dislikes it sometimes because it’s his clothes and he’ll want to wear them
- slippers 24/7
- naps with him!
- most cuddle sessions will end up as nap sessions
- or you alseep on top of him while chris is stuck sessions
- he says he hates it (he secretly loves it)
- a lot of the time even watching movies or hanging out will end up with you alseep in his lap because he likes to run his fingers through your hair (if it won’t mess it up and it’s not styled, scalp if he can) and your skin
- will carry you to bed
- you always wake up disoriented and covered in marks from the bedsheets pressing into you (signs of a good nap)
- you react to the word nap like a dog does to the word treat
- always excited for bed
- definition of snug as a bug in a rug
- you were an avid after school napper
- one of the only consistent things in your life
- you’re fighting a literal WAR between two and five pm to stay awake
- you fully expect (and deserve) a medal for staying awake 🏅🏅
- and you’re grumpy if you don’t have one. you were rude? you were acting like a bitch? didn’t have your nap.
- someone comments on how you sleep to much? immediately dislike
- like sis . . . what’s it to you?
- unless it’s a health concern, and even then, mouth. shut.
- if you’re sick, you’re napping/sleeping even more than you already do
- you’re the first one asleep at all nighters
- nick jokes that you might love sleeping more than you love chris
- . . . don’t tell him that.
- just kidding! . . .
- some of your favourite tiktoks are the ones where you get to choose where you’re sleeping
- you sleep talk sometimes (mostly gibberish) but not a lot, maybe like once or twice a month
- but you absolutely have had full on conversations with people and your answers make sense, and you will not remember them at all
- “hey, do you remember when i told you about that idea i had?” “no, when was this?” “last night.” “oh.”
- NAPS WITH TREVOR
- that dog lovesss you
- and loves taking naps with you
- will also nap with you in the car if you’re going on a road trip with chris and his family
- you love the feeling of his weight in your lap
- you’re a MENACE to wake up
- there have been times where chris just gives up and let’s you sleep if it’s not important because it’s taken him too long (he also gets lazy)
- a lot of the time it’s on their couch because you love their couch
- it’s so comfy, you’re favourite thing
- PISSED if you’re woken up by something stupid
- like one of the boys will make a loud noise and then they’ll all stand there like ‘oh shit’
- if you wake up and chris isn’t with you but he’s in the house, you’ll make a beeline to him and just hug him
- probably fall asleep in his arms standing up
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rambling-at-midnight · 9 months ago
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Second Chances
Summary: It’s not common knowledge that you have a superpower: regeneration. You didn’t think that would be a problem... Jason and Damian think otherwise.
Relationships: Jason Todd x Vigilante!Reader, Damian Wayne & Jason Todd & Reader (platonic because they’re brothers duh)
DAMIAN WAYNE IS MY SON I LOVE HIM SO MUCH (I just watched the Supersons movie he makes me smile so hard)
Word Count: 4.8k
Content warning for temporary character death. Reader’s vigilante name is Ghoul, BTW.
Jason is in the shower when he hears someone break into his apartment.
He groans, makes sure all the shampoo is rinsed out of his hair, then grabs the knife mounted to his curtain rod. It’s not the first time someone has attacked him in the shower, and it probably won’t be the last. Still, Jason wishes they would at least give him time to grab a towel. It’s just as uncomfortable for him as it is for them.
This time, they actually do. Maybe they’re going to be polite enough to wait for him to finish cleaning all of Gotham’s sludge off his body. Jason would appreciate the sentiment more if the upcoming fight wouldn’t immediately dirty his body again with their blood.
He doesn’t turn off the shower when he steps out, dries his feet on the bath mat. He’s reaching for his towel when he hears one of the intruders say something.
He recognizes that voice.
Jason sticks his head out of the bathroom and glowers. “What are you doing here, brat?”
Damian Wayne, one of Bruce Wayne’s many children and the current Robin, scowls right back. “Why is your shower still running, Todd? Do you not care for conservation efforts? There are people in Michigan who would—”
“Okay, Dami,” interrupts another voice.
Jason’s whole body flushes. He makes sure every part of him except his face is hidden behind the door when a second person comes into view.
Your vigilante costume is zipped halfway, the top pulled down and sleeves tied around your waist, exposing the compression shirt with kevlar-like weave you wore beneath it. A large bandage is wrapped around your upper arm, growing redder by the second.
“Hi, Y/N,” Jason says. Does he sound too excited? Does he not sound excited enough?
You just smile. “Hey, Jace. Sorry, we came by for first aid supplies. We’ll be out of your hair in just a sec.”
“No, don’t rush on my account,” Jason says. Does he sound too desperate? “Just give me a—”
He ducks back into the bathroom to turn off the shower after making sure he’s clean and one hundred percent soap-free. Not expecting company, he’d only brought a pair of boxers and military-style shorts in with him. Rushing, hoping you don’t leave before he gets out (Damian can leave, though) he pulls both on and slams the door open.
It hits the wall so hard it rebounds back into Jason’s hand. You jump at the sound, nearly poking Damian with the needle in your hand.
“Watch it, idiot!” Damian snaps. To Jason, he says, “You just dented your wall. Moron.”
“Don’t talk to them like that,” Jason says sternly. God, he knows why the brat is so prickly, but he still got on Jason’s last nerves. He checks the wall, hoping the brat exaggerated, but nope. Another dent to match the nicks, scrapes, and bullet holes that already littered his apartment.
He is never getting back his security deposit.
You’re about to stitch up a cut on Damian’s arm when Jason clucks his tongue. “That doesn’t look good.” The bandage around your arm is sodden with blood.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” you say dismissively. “Ready, Dami?”
Interestingly enough, the brat doesn’t tell you off for giving him a nickname. It seems to be a privilege reserved exclusively for you and Dick; every time Jason tries, he’s vehemently told off.
Then again, his nicknames are usually derogatory. That might contribute to it a little bit.
Damian sets his jaw and you stitch him up quickly, murmuring, “I’m sorry,” every time his fingers twitch—the only indication of pain he’ll show. Jason eyes the bandage around your arm with worry, but the blood stain doesn’t grow any more in the interim.
As soon as you tie off the thread, Damian hops to his feet and scurries for the bathroom. You start to get up, brow pinched with worry, but Jason says, “Let me look at your arm.”
Your eyes take a while to slide from the shut bathroom door to Jason’s face, but then you say, “Yeah, okay,” and sink back into your chair.
To distract you as he unpeels the sticky bandage from your arm, Jason asks, “So you’re on babysitting duty now, huh?”
“Oh, no, Damian and I patrol together every Friday night.” You use finger quotes with the other hand and say, “B think it ‘promotes more accountability’ when someone gets injured during patrol if they have a partner.”
Jason frowns at the sight of the cut. It’s obviously from a knife, and not pretty, exactly, but also not big enough to let out as much blood as soaked through the bandage. “Who did this to you?”
“Just a typical goon. It’s really not a big deal.” Your eyes follow Jason’s gaze. “I guess it bled a lot, huh? Like a head wound. You know, disproportionate.” You tug your sleeve over the wound.
“Y/N is not as weak as the rest of you,” Damian sneers, having vacated the bathroom on silent feet. You jump, and so does Jason, even though he has Batman-honed instincts.
There’s just something intoxicating about your presence. You’re… distracting.
It was manageable back before Jason was Robin and you were one of his classmates. You were obsessed with Batman and crimefighting, and Jason was a bookworm, so your friendship shouldn’t have worked, but it did.
Then, ironically, Bruce Wayne adopted him and Jason became the crimefighter. He never told you about his identity to protect Bruce’s, but you figured it out when he died.
Then he came back to Gotham, hellbent on revenge, and burned every bridge he’d ever built. Including the one with you.
Jason still could barely believe you give him the time of day after all the awful things he’d said and done. But you’re just as obsessed with redemption and forgiveness as Bruce, and he will never take that for granted.
His fascination with you was manageable before Jason died, but it’s downright consuming now.
Jason can’t believe how you’d grown up to be so… so flat-out amazing. Graceful, and maybe not as skilled at hand-to-hand as the rest of Gotham’s vigilantes, but you adapt with a long-range fighting style. You’re strong, and self-assured, and really, seriously gorgeous.
Jason realizes his hand is still on your arm, touching the soft skin, and he yanks it away as if burnt. He doesn’t understand how you remain so scar-free despite years of crimefighting, and he’s abruptly self-conscious about the marks that litter his torso, arms, and legs. Your eyes roam over them, lingering on his chest and stomach
He’s most self-conscious about the jagged ‘J’ carved into his cheek, and Jason tries to cover it with his hand without drawing attention. That doesn’t work—he looks like a weirdo waving his hands around—so he tilts his cheek away so you don’t have to see it anymore.
You clear your throat and look away, as if embarrassed for some reason.
Damian’s gaze pingpongs between the two of you before he rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically. “Are you two finished?”
You push away from the table and make a grabby hand. Damian rolls his eyes again, but he sidles closer, and you check his stitched cut. Your thumb rubs over the raised line of stitches like you’re trying to wipe his pain away.
Jason realizes he’s staring at the bottom lip you’re jutting out in sympathy. He flushes again.
After everything he did, he can’t expect anything more than friendship from you. If that’s what you’re willing to give, he’ll never push for more.
“I am fine, Y/N,” Damian said, pushing your hand away, albeit gently. A hint of whine entered his voice and Jason blinked. It wasn’t often that he heard Damian sound like an actual kid. “Can we resume patrol now?”
“Wait,” Jason hears someone say, and it’s—him, he’s the one saying it. “Are you hungry? I have a casserole in the oven.”
Damian snorts. “My apologies. I did not know you had adopted the personality of a middle-aged white wom—”
You cover Damian’s mouth with your hand and say, “That sounds great, Jay. Thanks.”
Jason’s greedy. He’ll take whatever scraps he can get from you.
The three of you eat, the conversation pleasant whenever Damian isn’t threatening Jason because Jason taunted him. You laugh as they bicker, used to the antics of Gotham’s vigilantes by now.
Once everyone is done, it’s just about time for the Red Hood to start his patrol, so with a little cajoling from you, Damian agrees to let Jason tag along until your patrol ends. Jason suits up, and you lead the charge out of his apartment window, followed by Damian. Jason is last out, stopping briefly to make sure the window latches before stepping off the fire escape.
The sensation of his stomach rising is familiar from so many years of grappling through the city, but no less exhilarating. He follows your and Robin’s flipping shapes as the two of you tear through the city. The bright primary color accents on Robin’s suit and the pale gray color of your own shouldn’t blend in so well with Gotham’s shadows, but you and Damian manage pretty well. It turns into kind of a game of tag, and whenever he gets close enough, you grin and twist away, muffling laughter behind one hand.
He could definitely catch you, but he thinks you’re enjoying the game of cat-and-mouse just as much as he, if not more.
Jason’s just thinking to himself that there’s not much crime tonight when the Batsignal lights up the sky.
“Way to ruin the mood,” he grumbles. The game is over. The three of you grapple toward the giant light without any more flipping or laughter.
Jim Gordon obviously isn’t expecting them when they land. After all, it’s common knowledge that Ghoul is a Bat-affiliate, but Red Hood’s alliance with the Batclan is still relatively new. Shaky.
And a lot of people still think the Red Hood hates Ghoul. Admittedly, the way Jason tried to kill you when he returned hadn’t helped the rumors.
It made sense at the time. He’d also tried to kill Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, so it’s not like it was entirely personal. You don’t hold a grudge.
“Where’s Batman?” is his first question.
You shrug. “Running late.”
Jason’s not sure if that’s true. With you and Robin patrolling Newtown and Otisburg, Spoiler and Red Robin handling everything from the Coventry to the Upper East Side, and Black Bat and Batwing watching over everything else but the Tricorner, the city is in pretty good hands for the night.
And yes, Jason’s knowledge about patrol schedules is from his days as a crime lord, but it still comes in handy as a reformed vigilante.
“Why did you summon us here, Commissioner?” Robin asks.
“Bane escaped Arkham earlier tonight,” says the Commissioner. “We have reason to believe he’s hiding out in Amusement Mile. The Joker’s not out, for one, and we have a… witness… that claims to have seen Bane in the park.”
“Where is this witness?” Robin demands.
“In our holding cell, sobering up,” Gordon says with a long-suffering sigh.
“Oh, great,” Jason says. “So it might have been Bane, or it might have been one of those giant stuffed bears at every amusement park.”
You elbow him in the side and promise Gordon, “We’ll check it out, Commish. Let you know when he’s handled again!”
You and Robin balance on the edge of the roof. Jason asks in a low tone, “Batman’s not coming tonight, is he?” He would have already been here.
You and Robin share a guilty look.
Jason sighs. Bane is a tough opponent, possibly their strongest rogue. It’ll take a lot of force to bring him down… force he’s not sure you and Robin can muster. You’re good vigilantes, don’t get him wrong, but Robin is a prepubescent boy and has the height and muscle mass to show for it. You’re strong and graceful and should be fine as long as you keep your distance, but Jason’s the only one that comes close to Bane in terms of muscle mass.
It’ll be up to him to keep the two of you safe.
“I think I parked my bike somewhere around here,” you say. “It’ll get us there faster than grappling.”
Jason thinks something is stuck in his throat. He croaks, “You have a motorcycle?”
You nod. He can’t see your face beneath the mask, but he’s pretty sure you’re smiling. “Got it just a couple weeks ago, but I needed Earl to paint it over.”
“It is parked in that alley.” Robin points.
“Okay,” Jason says. “You two drive to my apartment. I’ll follow above, then we’ll head to Amusement Mile.”
“Aye-aye,” you joke. “Come on, bud.”
You and Robin swing away, the younger boy loudly complaining about the myriad nicknames you think up for him. Jason swings away to get a headstart. A minute later, the sound of a bike engine revving hits Jason’s ears, and it isn’t long after that he looks down to see you and Robin on a pale bike painted in the same colors as your suit.
You look up and wave.
Jason almost misses his next swing. He swallows and has to look away. Seeing you on a motorcycle…
As soon as he puts the key in his bike’s ignition, you speed away, tires squealing against the asphalt. Jason grins and twists the throttle. He shoots onto the street and hunches low to decrease wind resistance, pushing the bike hard to catch up to you.
You wear no helmet, but you’d forced Robin to wear one. He sits behind you on the bike, arms locked around your waist. At the sight of Jason, he makes a rude gesture, but Jason just huffs out a laugh. The brat likes to aggravate him on purpose, but it’s hard to feel annoyed when he drives next to you, racing side-by-side.
It doesn’t take long to reach Amusement Mile. You and Jason shift gears, rolling to a stop.
“You and Robin go high,” Jason instructs. “I’ll go low.”
“Roger.” You kick the stand for your bike, then you and Robin shoot your grapples for the nearest roof.
In seconds, the two of you are out of sight.
Jason swallows. He hates this strip of clown-themed land. The Joker isn’t in it currently, but it still reminds him of that madman.
Come on. He shakes himself. Jason can’t afford to get distracted. Bane is dangerous.
Jason makes no effort to muffle the sounds of his footsteps as he strolls through the park. A plastic bag drifts along the path with a gust of wind, and a couple bowling pins on the ground roll. But apart from that, the park is empty and quiet.
Too quiet.
Jason turns just in time to avoid a crushing blow to his head.
He hits the ground rolling and comes up with guns blazing. Bullets deflect off Bane’s armor, and he doesn’t seem to feel the ones that burrow into his skin.
“You will not stop me, Red Hood,” says the mechanized voice. “No one will stop me in my pursuit to break Batman, even though he sent you in his place.”
“He didn’t send me,” says Jason.
Help comes from above. A steel bola—one of your weapons of choice—whips through the air and wraps around Bane’s throat. He chokes and reaches up to untangle it. At the same time, a Batarang slices through the air and cuts straight through one of the hoses pumping super-steroid into his body.
He groans. Drops to one knee.
Jason spares a glance to the rooftops, but he only sees Robin.
That moment of distraction costs him. Bane surges back to his feet and tackles him. Jason hits the ground, the back of his head colliding against the pavement so hard his vision blacks out for a moment.
He blinks away the darkness in time to see a punishing fist aimed right for his head. There’s not enough time to dodge. Jason can only brace for an impact… that never comes.
The hook of a grapple is embedded into Bane’s wrist. Its line is taught. On the roof of a decrepit popcorn stand, Robin yanks back with all his might.
Jason knees Bane in the crotch, then elbows him in the face.
Bane grunts and yanks his arm forward, pulling Robin right to the ground in a flutter of cape, but Jason slips out from beneath him and rolls to his feet. Bane may be strong, and his hits may hurt, but that’s only if they connect. And Bane isn’t very fast.
The engine of a bike roars, and your voice shouts, “Hood, out of the way!”
Jason obeys without thinking. It’s a good thing he doesn’t hesitate, because he barely dodges your motorcycle before you ram it full-speed into Bane.
Not even the giant can resist a motorcycle going full-throttle. He topples back, and you keep driving, treating his body like a ramp.
Jason laughs despite himself. “I can see tire tracks on your face, ugly!” He and Robin throw knives at the same time. Robin’s slices off another steroid line. Jason’s lodges in Bane’s shoulder. It should have severed his deltoid, leaving his arms useless, but the man doesn’t react to the pain at all.
Getting run over pisses Bane off. You turn in a sharp circle on the bike and rev your engine, obviously ready to try the same trick twice.
But Jason sees the tension in Bane’s legs, and he’s shouting for you to stop after you start.
You don’t listen. You just drive.
Bane sidesteps your bike at the last possible second, and his arm shoots out. His hand is large enough to wrap around your entire throat, and it yanks you off your bike, which skids away with a screech of tire and metal. You choke, scrabbling at the iron fingers around your throat.
Jason has his gun out in a second, but Bane holds your body in front of his. So Jason shoots his foot. It doesn't have an effect.
“Ghoul!” Robin shouts. He unsheathes his katana.
“I tire of this,” Bane says through his modulator.
He snaps your neck.
“NO!”
It’s like the world slows down. Jason can only watch as Bane carelessly drops your lifeless body.
He sees Robin lunge with his sword. He sees Bane casually backhand him so hard he drops his katana. Robin flies backward, hits the popcorn stand, and slumps to the ground, motionless.
Bane steps on you—your body—and something in your spine cracks. Something in Jason’s chest cracks, too, and he sees green.
The Pit surges.
After it recedes, Robin’s katana is lodged firmly in a moaning Bane’s side. Every one of his steroid pumps is severed, and his mask is cracked. He’s weak enough without his Venom that three Bat-restraints and a set of handcuffs can hold him.
Huh. Jason’s surprised he didn’t kill him.
His knuckles are bleeding; they’re slick inside his gloves. When he flexes his fingers, pain screams up his nerves, through his arm all the way to his heart. At least two are broken, and another knuckle might be dislocated. His jaw hurts, his brain is pounding—concussion, probably—and his knee feels swollen. But he can put pressure on it, at least, and he limps to a stirring Robin.
“Hey,” Jason says. His voice is rough. He doesn’t remember yelling. He tries to crouch, but can’t with the stiff knee, so he just kind of collapses in front of the kid. “Robin. Status report.”
The kid looks at him, wobbling even though he’s sitting down. One hand goes up to touch the back of his head, and the tips of his gloves gleam with dark blood when he pulls it back. “Possible concussion,” he says with a wavering voice. “Ribs—”
Robin gasps and stumbles to his feet.
“Don’t—”
Jason tries to grab him, but Robin wobbles out of his reach. He walks hunched over in a zigzag, limping to your—
Jason grunts and stands back up. “Hey, hey, Robin.” He gets between the kid and you. “Don’t. Don’t—don’t look.”
“Do not stop me, Todd,” hisses the kid, and wow, he must be seriously out of it to use Jason’s civilian name. “Let me see them.”
“You don’t want to,” Jason says grimly. He’s seen snapped necks before, and they’re… Well, they’re as unnatural-looking as they sound.
He hears a rushing in his ears. A wave of grief is cresting, ready to sweep him away, but Jason has to keep it together for Robin. He barely hears his own voice when he says, “Ghoul’s gone.” He can’t say the ‘D’ word. Not when he feels like puking.
“Unhand me, you blackguard,” Robin hissed. “You do not understand. They might be—”
“They’re not.”
“Todd!” the kid says, voice rising into a shrill.
Something clicks behind them.
Jason whirls around to make sure Bane hasn’t broken out of his restraints.
He hasn’t.
So what made the noise?
He and Robin are looking right at the body when some invisible force takes your head and—and wrenches it.
Robin lets out a low cry.
Jason feels frozen. He doesn’t stop the kid when he stumbles forward and collapses next to the body. His shoulders shake, head bowed with grief.
Jason is still watching when he sees your chest rise and fall with a breath.
“Oh, what the fuck,” he whispers, stumbling back. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the—”
Your head raises, and you reach to your neck with a wince.
Robin freezes.
“Ow,” you grumble, pushing up to your elbows. “That sucked.”
“What the fuck?” Jason exclaims.
“What is going on?” Robin demands.
You look between the two vigilantes. “Sorry to freak you out, guys.” Which is a completely underwhelming thing to say when you just died and then unsnapped your own neck.
Robin makes a low, wounded sound, then throws himself at you, wrapping his arms around your neck and squeezing hard. You hug him back just as tight, murmuring low things that Jason tries not to hear. It’s a personal moment, and he feels like an intruder, but he can’t move. His feet are planted to the ground.
Seconds ago, you’d been dead. No doubt about it. Bane had snapped your neck and you had crumbled like paper.
Now you’re breathing and alive.
It doesn’t compute. It doesn’t make any sense.
Robin comes to the same conclusion, because he pulls away and pinches your arm. “How is this possible?”
“Bud, do you remember when… you remember when Pyg got me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I don’t,” says Jason. Professor Pyg kidnapped you? What the fuck? When did that happen?
You look up at him, still holding Robin close. “We weren’t exactly on speaking terms when it happened, Hood.”
Oh.
“But Father ran his tests and said his experimentation just gave you advanced healing,” says Robin.
“Which is technically true—”
“Resurrection is quite different from healing!” the kid says.
“Wait, you knew they had powers?” Jason asks Robin.
The kid sneers at him. “Of course. I was the one that found Ghoul, and I patrol with them at least once a week. It would take an unobservant fool to miss their obvious healing abilities."
Jason bristles with indignation.
Robin's head turns on a swivel to glare at you. "It was less obvious that you have nothing to fear from physical injuries. Informing me of this fact would have greatly reduced the chances of experiencing emotional distress at the sight of your dead, mangled body."
"I know," you say, cupping his chin in your hand. "I'm really, really sorry, Dami."
"Do not address me as such," he says, "we are in costume." Robin huffs and scrambles out of your lap, brushing debris off his suit. Then he wobbles and nearly falls over, and you lunge to catch him.
"Woah, bud, you okay?"
"He's concussed," Jason says.
"Too concussed to ride on the back of my bike?"
"Of course not," says Robin. Then he leans over and pukes.
"Oh, Batman's gonna kill me," you mutter.
It's a much tamer drive to the Batcave, in case Robin rolls off the bike accidentally. He doesn't, but you do have to stop a couple of times so he can lean over the side and retch.
When all is said and done and you're back at the Cave and Alfred and Bruce are fussing over Damian, you and Jason hang back a bit. He can't stop sneaking glances at you. Your Ghoul mask is off, and there's a little dried blood around your nostrils, and your hair is a little sweaty, but you're the most beautiful thing Jason's ever seen.
You're alive. He can hardly believe it.
You suddenly sigh and mutter, "I guess you're mad at me, too?"
"What?" Jason startles.
"For not telling you about my abilities."
"Y/N—"
"I just didn't want you guys to think of me differently. Duke has his powers, yeah, but he was born with them. I got mine from Pyg. I didn't want everyone to start treating me like a victim."
All things considered, you're remarkably well-adjusted for someone that survived Professor Pyg's experimentation. "You're the strongest person I've ever met, Y/N," says Jason. "Your powers don't change that. They make me feel a little better about you patrolling at night, anyway. They're basically like... a second chance."
You snort. "I think I'm on my fifth chance by this point."
Jason shakes his head. "How did you keep your powers a secret, again?"
"Well, the first time, Pyg shut off my heart, but that didn't shut down my body. When I actually noticed that I couldn't die, though, was that time one of Cobblepot's goons stabbed me in the neck and I woke up in the middle of a shootout. Now that wasn't fun." You grimace. "A bullet caught me in the head and I died as soon as I sat up. The Bats were too preoccupied to notice me, luckily. Then there was that time with the poison dart that I kept a secret, and now this time." You smirk, cross your arms, and bump Jason's hip with your own. "I'm beating you in the resurrection department, aren't I?"
Jason huffs, pretending to be offended, and your eyes widen. "Oh, my God. That was in such poor taste. I'm so sorry."
"No," he says, trying to hide the twist of his lips. If it was anyone else saying it, Jason would probably kill them. "No, it's okay. I'm just glad you're all right. It would have been awful if you'd died and I never took the chance to..."
"Chance to what?" You look up at him through your eyelashes.
Jason's breath catches in his throat. He's never done this before, dammit, but seeing you die today made him remember just how limited their time is as vigilantes.
Well, maybe not yours, but he walks a thin line.
"Doyouwanttogetcoffeewithme?"
You blink. "What?"
"Do you," Jason says slowly, feeling sweat prickle on his hairline, "want to... Um. Get coffee? With me. As in, like—"
"A date?"
"Only if you want to."
You nod, eyes sparkling. "Hell yeah I want to!"
Damian, Bruce, and Alfred look over at your raised voice. Their disapproving smiles are all eerily similar.
"Sorry," you whisper. You look back at Jason and say, "Yeah, I'd like that. I've been waiting ages for you to ask."
Yes. You said yes. Adrenaline rushes through Jason's veins, and he only barely resists the urge to pump his fist in the air like a moron. He's brave enough to tease, "Well, why didn't you ask me?"
Your face flushes and you look away.
It's at that moment that Damian calls, "Y/N. Stop twittering with Todd and come here. Your presence is required."
"Seriously," Jason said under his breath, "the way he talks like a Victorian child doesn't bother you at all?"
You're smiling. "I think he's adorable." You walk backwards to the brat, making a phone gesture with your hand and mouthing to Jason, Call me.
He definitely will.
"Master Jason," comes Alfred's disapproving voice when he turns back to his bike. "Don't think I didn't notice that you have your own injuries to tend to."
Of course, that sets off Bruce's worry alert even more.
Jason groans. He won't be able to sneak out for coffee with you for an entire week after this whole debacle.
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inkedtae · 7 months ago
Text
the underground ⇾ bgc. [M] | PART I
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⎡ In a city fuelled by greed and ambition, secrets are a currency. Yet here you are, gambling yours away on a captivating smile.⎤
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PART II ➡︎
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⌁ pairing; boxer!chan x curvy!reader (f.)
⌁ genre; boxing au, s2l, angst, smut, 18+
⌁ word count; 14.4k
⌁ summary; You’re just a runner. So why the hell are you straddling the lap of an undefeated boxer, massaging his chest and whispering secrets you have no right knowing? Oh, yeah— ‘cause he’s hot.
⌁ warnings; dark themes: mentions and depictions of graphic gang activity, abduction, possession and distribution of drugs, addictions, use of deadly weapons, violence, blood, gore, and death threats, explicit sex: dom!chan, sub!reader, daddy kink, size kink, multiple orgasms, ruined orgasm, oral (f. receiving), unprotected sex, rough sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, overstimulation, degradation, dirty talk, handjob, thigh riding, spanking, face slapping (m. receiving), rimming, fingering, edging, manhandling, gun play, anal play, cum play, spit play
⌁ 🎧 now playing... ✩
❥ prefer ao3? keep reading here
❥ i want to give special thanks to jen ( @anobodyslove ) for being so patient with me and reading this monster of a fic over! 💕 and @awrkives for the most amazing banner! 💗
❥ and happy birthday to my channie! here's to another year of unhinged love letters. 🐺🖤
❥ okay so i'm moving this fully to tumblr as well as it being available on ao3 HOWEVER the entire fic is over the character limit for tumblr post so this one-shot has been divided into two parts. both parts are uploaded.
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!! the following story contains mature themes, including mentions and graphic depictions of racketeering, gang activity, weapons, drugs, violence, blood, gore, and death threats. please do not read nor interact if these themes cause you discomfort !!
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Dusk is a medley of tangerine and indigo. Peachy rays of the sun shine between drifting clouds. A quartered shadow of the moon makes a premature appearance. You breathe in the early October air, eyes fluttering shut with the exhale. Clutching onto the balcony’s rickety railing, the rusted metal so cold on your bare hands, you fill your lungs again, taking deep, slow breaths.
The world stops spinning. The muffled music, once pounding against your temples, fades away. Body steady, you sip on the fresh air and swallow away your nausea.
I can do this, you tell yourself. Just one last drop off. I hand it over and leave.
They probably won’t even recognise you. You let your hair grow past your shoulders and dyed it strawberry blonde. You changed your style, trading your baby pink and blue matching sets for muted mixtures of red and black. Fishnets, little gym shorts, a graphic KISS babydoll tee and an oversized, knock-off fur coat you nicked from a local bodega weeks ago, you transformed yourself into someone new.
You turn back to the glass doors now. Catching your reflection, you cringe at the smudged eyeliner and runny nose. You wipe your hands under your eyes and above your lip, sniffling your worries away. You fix your jacket, reapply your dark red lipstick, and frame your hair around your face.
“I can do this,” you mutter as you slide open the door and step back into the party.
You spot Vince by the DJ, Danni and Andrea lingering nearby. Your heart drops to your stomach. They once told you they hated Day-1 parties, yet here they are, taking shots of gin and robbing the entertainment of their equipment. They once told you they loved you too, that they would never leave you behind. All at once, the three of them turned their backs on you, forever haunting your every waking moment.
You push between bodies. Tonight is not about ghosts. You have a debt to settle.
“Name?”
“Don’t be an asshole, Vik.”
Viktor crosses his arms over his chest. “Think this a joke?”
You fight off a smirk. “Nah, that’s not what I think a joke looks like.”
He grits his teeth, tossing you a vulgar gesture before moving aside. “Bitch,” he hisses in your ear as you walk into the master bedroom.
Red lights, smoke, needles. Two topless women dance to the muffled music, bottles in hand. Three Day-1s watch, one with his hand on his crotch. The bed shakes by them, two junkies bouncing on it like children as another Day-1 makes out with their friend.
By the window, two more members stare out to the street.
Exit compromised.
Gagging erupts from the en-suite, coaxing your curiosity. Another topless woman hunches over the toilet. Horny Day-1 members crowd around the entrance, trousers around their ankles as they watch.
You redirect your attention to the table on the far right. Reggie, point-man of tonight’s drop off, sits facing the door. He flashes a toothy grin, racking his gaze over your curves.
Hands remaining by your side, you fight against the instinct to wrap your coat tighter around yourself.
Reggie calls you over with the curl of two fingers, puffing his cigarette smoke out through his nostrils. 
“Name?”
“Vinny sent me.”
The three men sitting around him exchange glances.
Taking a drag of his cigarette, Reggie, dressed in a blood speckled undershirt and baggy cargos, sits up in his seat. “Is that what I asked?” He looks around his fellow members, drily chuckling with them before repeating, “Name!”
The rules for runners are very simple; there’s only one— Never state your name. It creates a trail and binds you to an affliction. Rival gangs won’t work with a spy, and your name will be the first they spill if caught. You’re simply a messenger, no different than the guy that delivers the same-day Amazon order, distributing grams of coke and meth instead of a Roomba.
Honour gangs, like Day-1, are tricky, however. They have a second rule:
“Never lie,” Vinny warned.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do then?”
“Figure it out.”
You shift your weight. His insistence on your name, knowing you will risk your safety, is simply a test of will and grit. You purse your lips, flirting your eyes over his all too arrogant, lanky frame, and reply, “Bitch.”
Reggie raises a brow. He stands, reaching a hand behind him.
“That’s what everyone calls me,” you quickly add, then you shoot him a wink. “Fat bitch, if you’re nasty.”
The room stiffens. Even the gags from the bathroom cease. You keep your attention tunnelled on Reggie. You watch as he fixes his shirt over his gun, holding your breath when he rounds the table.
Nearly an arms length away, a smile finally settles on his old face. “Where the hell did Vinny find you?”
You force yourself to return that same easy grin and peel back the lining of your coat. “Be sure to ask him that the next time you see him. I’m on a tight schedule.”
Reggie gestures for his members. You pull out the wrapped bags of crystal and pass them out, ignoring the way his eyes devour your frame.
“Are you handling the cash too, princess?”
You try not to cringe at the pet name. Licking your lips, you keep your features soft and peer at him from your lashes. “Not tonight. Vinny said you know where the drop point is.”
He hums. 
You pull your coat back around your body, resisting the urge to recoil under his glutinous gaze. He looks no younger than forty-five, the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes not doing him any favours. Vinny warned you Reggie might get handsy. Under any other circumstance, you would have kicked him in the balls and spat on his face by now. But you’re in Day-1 territory and don’t have a gang of your own for support.
Reggie reaches his hand out. You take a step back.
Before the thrill of your resistance can poison his stare, you flash him a coy smile and playfully whine, “I’m working tonight.”
He nods towards the door, laughing to himself. “Go on then, princess.”
You turn your back to him, unable to force down a gag. Though you’re eager to escape, you keep your steps steady and even. You stride towards the door, knock thrice and shift your weight to make a show of your boredom while waiting for Viktor to respond.
A relieved breath topples out of you once the door shuts. You lean on your knees, shakily trying to catch your breath.
Viktor carefully scans your hunched frame. “You good?” He whispers, voice is strained, carefully void of emotion.
You nod, standing back to your full height.
Hazel eyes lock on you from the bottom of the stairs. Vince furrows his brows. Danni follows his gaze, Andrea already staring, lips moving.
Shit.
They can’t know it’s you, right? From the way Vince merely narrows his eyes, he must simply suspect something.
You turn to face Viktor.
He tosses you a cautious look, muttering, “I can’t help you.”
You know this, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. “Just tell me if they’re still looking.”
“Yes.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Viktor keeps his features neutral, posture stiff with his hands clasped before him. “They still got a hit on you, yeah?”
You nod.
“You packing?”
“You know I’m not,” you snap.
Non-members are not permitted entrance if carrying a firearm. You left yours with Vinny before running. Shoving your hands in your pockets, all you feel is your phone, lipstick, and switchblade.
“On the move,” he warns.
“Give me your gun.”
Viktor casts you a sidelong glare. “I can’t.”
You sneak a peek over your shoulder to find Vince halfway up the stairs. You see Danni reaching into her pocket, catching the glare of the lights against a blade. They’re in no rush, but if they make it to the landing before you can secure a proper weapon, you’ll be out of options.
“Do you have a knife?” you ask, taking a step back.
Viktor stiffens.
Shit, are they close?
“Last room down the hall,” Viktor mumbles.
You know you shouldn’t have, but fear triggers adrenaline and soon overwhelms your nerves. Panic binds to your bones, snapping tense muscles into action. You bolt— alone, alarmed. Pushing between drunks, jumping over junkies, you hurry to the farthest room and slam the door. It doesn’t have a lock so you tuck a chair under the handle. Rummaging through drawers, digging through the closet, lifting the mattress, you look for a knife, a gun, anything other than a three-inch switchblade to defend yourself.
The door trembles from the pounding of their fists.
“Come on out!” Vince shouts.
“It must be her! She’s always fucking hiding!” Andrea adds. “Get the fuck out here! Have the balls to face what you did, bitch!”
You find yourself warped in a memory—
“No one wants your boyfriend, Danni,” you shouted. “He came onto me.”
Her open palm landed on your cheek.
Tears gathered in your eyes, face stinging. You stumbled back.
“You’re a lying bitch,” she spat. “At least have the decency to face what you did.”
You blink out of your thoughts, dropping the mattress.
Dresser, closet , bed— Where else could a weapon be? You scan the room, heart hammering with every forceful knock of the door.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Reggie asks, voice muffled.
Your attention settles on the window in front of you. You hurry towards it to find the fire escape.
“Viktor, you sneaky fuck,” you whisper through a relieved chuckle. He wasn’t directing you to a weapon but rather an exit.
You quickly push it up, catching rumblings of orders to blow the door open. Up and out, you jump, sparing a second to shut the window behind you. It might be counter-productive to waste precious time on a window but you know that concealing your exits always gives you a head start.
Rushing down the stairs, you don’t look back upon hearing the loud blast of metal on wood. You just catch their commotion over the heavy bass of the music.
Jumping the final steps, you run.
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The Underground sits on the corner of Bank and Third Avenue, tucked under a row of red-bricked townhouses. You lean against the wall, stowing yourself away in the alley to catch your breath. Sirens whirl down the street, casting red and blue lights over your sweaty face. A man of very little wealth stumbles by, clothes torn and stained, waving a sign that reads, JESUS LOVES YOU.
You roll your eyes, wondering where the fuck Jesus was when your parents failed you, when the bank repossessed all you had and when the system passed you from house to house.
The thick stench of sewage and rotten trash suddenly sets in, blighting your next inhale. Leaning over, you succumb to a gagging fit. Thankfully, only bile and saliva gather. You cough and spit it out, then wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. An annoyed sigh escapes you at the realisation that you fucked up your lipstick yet again.
“Just some drunken slut.”
You carefully redirect your attention to the far end of the alley. Two men stand a couple of inches apart. One of them wears a grey tracksuit, glaring at you under the light of the backdoor. He has a towel resting around his neck, just over a thin gold chain. Perhaps in his mid-twenties, his relatively handsome twists with contempt. The other one wears an oversized jersey and low-riding jeans. Though dressed like a boxing fan, you can tell by his rigid posture he’s anything but. No one who gambles their mortgage away on Underground matches stands that straight.
And then you catch it, in the glimpse of the light, the flash of his badge nearly slipping out of his pocket. You wish you were surprised, but you know all too well that it’s dirty cops like this legitimising gang activity.
He pulls his pants up, and continues to pace. “Is he gonna throw it or not?”
“He won’t,” Tracksuit replies, looking over his shoulder.
The dirty cop curses.
“You know how Bahng is,” Tracksuit explains. “He’s too prideful. He won’t ruin an undefeated streak for a few thousand.”
“It’s five hundred thousand, Mickey. Did you tell him that? Does he know?”
Mickey nods, readjusting the towel behind his neck. “And I’m telling you he doesn’t think it’s worth it.”
A shiver dances along your spine at the way the cop’s face hardens. Sinister desperation gleams in his gaze and he pulls out a long knife. In a single motion, he shoves Mickey against the wall and presses the blade against his throat.
Mickey chokes back a scream, throwing his hands up in surrender. “W-whoa, Andy! C-Come on, man.”
Andy bears his teeth, quietly laughing to himself. “Do you think this is a fucking joke? Do you know how fucked I am if he wins this match? Day-1s, Ravens, Siphons— they’re all after me, Mick. I have a family— a fucking career.”
“That’s not my pr—”
“Problem?” Andy finishes, his laughter becoming more manic. “You think it’s not your problem? What do you think I told them when I promised that Bahng would lose?”
Mickey’s face drains of colour.
“I told’em Mick with the little dick can fix it for us.”
Tears gather in Mickey’s eyes. He swallows thickly before shakily asking, “Wh-Why would you s-s-say th-at?”
“Come on, everyone knows you have a small—”
“You know what I mean!” He shouts.
Andy applies pressure with his knife. You catch a trail of blood running down Mickey’s throat.
“L-Look,” Mickey starts, screwing his eyes shut, lips quivering. “He’s hard-headed. The only way he’s not w-winning this ma-tch is if s-someone gets to h-him bef-ore he makes it to the r-ring.”
Andy smiles.
“He takes the long way ‘round. He likes the attention, c-can’t resist it, you know?” Mickey continues. “He goes thr-ough the back h-hall to circle the a-arena and enters the c-crowd from the fr-ont.” He takes a second to swallow before continuing, “It-It would be a real sh-shame if someone g-g-got to him before he can m-make it.”
You watch Andy nod.
“What did you do?”
You jump, hand already grappling for your switchblade as you turn to face your assailant.
Vinny glares back at you.
Giving him a shove, you clench your jaw and hiss, “Don’t do that!”
He corrects his stance, hands in his pockets, then spares a look over his shoulder. “Day-1s are blowing my phone up about some blonde bitch. Did you lock yourself in Tatiana’s room?”
You look back to the other end of the alley. Only flies circle under the backdoor’s light.
“Hey!” Vinny hisses, forcing your attention back to him. “Are you listening?”
“It wasn’t me,” you lie.
He deadpans. “You’re the only bitch I know who has a score to settle with Vince.”
You avert your gaze.
“What happened?” He repeats. This time his voice is less accusatory.
You’ve known Alvin “Vinny” Tucker since you were sixteen. He lived in the apartment above yours and later became your foster brother. You dropped out of high school together a couple months later to sell bootleg Marvel movies on Sixth Street. He really wanted to see Madonna in concert and promised you a front row seat with him if you helped. He was recruited by the Sixers around the time your foster mom came to collect you off the street and force you back to school. He told her where you were, you later found out, to spare you the violence the Sixers had in store for you. He never said it was a debt, though you did feel like you owed him something.
Things changed when Vince set a hit on you. Your description and name were on the radar of every gang, the reward being the acquisition of new territory. The left port is the most sought after piece of land, currently managed by Vince’s father, Vincent Jones Senior. Anyone able to deliver you back to your ex-friends alive suddenly has access to the docks and a monopoly on shipments.
With nowhere else to go, you turned to Vinny. He called Viktor, cashing in a favour, and got to work. The dyed hair, new wardrobe, change of address, it was all done in a matter of hours. And all you had to do was run, hand over the rocks and not attract attention— the goal was simple.
“So how the fuck did you manage to screw that up too?”
“I told you that it wasn’t me!”
“Say that again and I will lose my shit.”
“They can’t prove it was me, okay? Tell Day-1 Vince is paranoid. Run them my old description. Tell them he’s desperate. Let him clean that mess up himself,” you reply, rubbing your temples. “It’s not that fucking hard, Vin.”
You could use a hot bath right now. All you want to do is scrub off the stench of the alley and chaos of the night. For someone who swears he doesn’t want you, Vince took one look in your eyes and knew it was you. He always acted strange but you just thought he was being friendly. It wasn’t until he was rubbing your thigh between shots and rounds of cards that you realised he wanted more than friendship.
You cringe at the memory, pulling your coat tighter around your body, and push past Vinny.
He grabs your arm, yanking you back to face him. “Not that hard? Jesus, you’d think there isn’t a bounty on your head,” he hisses. “You need to be more careful, alright? This is my life too!”
Guilt gathers bile at the base of your throat. You let out a shaky breath, redirecting your gaze to the floor. “I-I know,” you mumble. “I’m sorry, okay? I just—”
Vinny grasps onto your biceps, lowering himself to meet your remorseful gaze. “You can’t panic like that,” he reminds, cutting you off. “The guilty don’t run. You know this.”
“I’m sorry.”
You hate the shakiness of your voice, the admittance of guilt. It’s fucking Vince and Danni and Andrea, the same fucking people that swore they were there for you. It’s their fault everything is falling apart. You’ve known Danni for five years, Andrea for three and both of them just believed Vince when he told them that you were hitting on him, even going as far as kissing him. Had they always suspected you to be a conniving whore, the type of malicious bitch that would risk five years of friendship, of real connection over some guy?
And you were too nice to him— a mistake that now could cost your life.
Vinny releases you with a defeated sigh, pulling you out of your thoughts.
“Let me walk you home,” he offers, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
You nod and hug your coat tighter against your body.
He nods towards the entrance of The Underground. “After the match,” he promises. “Sixers have a bet to place.”
Bracing yourself, you follow him down the steps. “Against Bahng?”
“Boxing fan?” he half-jokingly asks, tossing you a confused look over his shoulder.
You shrug your reply.
The main hall smells of sweat and beer. One side holds five queues for refreshments and ticketing, while the other fosters chaos. Men clutching cash and shouting names crowd around the betting stands. Security struggles to keep them in line. Loud rap music plays over the looped announcement of tonight’s opponents — AIDEN MATTHEWS VERSUS CHRISTOPHER BAHNG. You watch their names flash over the screens, pictures of both boxers on either side of the doors. While Aiden is actively fit, muscles and abs on display, Christopher is the embodiment of perfect physique. Muscles defined, shoulders broad, chest puffed out, abs tight and chiselled, he stands with the grace of Adonis himself. Tall, confident, he leers over spectators through the screen with a cold-cutting glare.
Your knees almost buckle.
“It is the clash of titans! Reigning champion, Aiden Matthews, against the undefeated, the unstoppable, the undeniable, Christopher Bahng,” the announcer enthuses over the intercom before urging the audience to lock in their bets.
The only titan you see is Christopher, trailing your gaze up and down his televised body.
“You’re drooling,” Vinny teases.
You turn to cast him a sidelong glare to find he’s no longer by your side. His red beanie bobs in the crowd, through the doors and further into the arena.
“Vinny!” you call, trying to push your way through.
The crowd pushes back, almost throwing you against the wall. You curse under your breath, realising you might have to wait until the match starts to navigate through the arena.
Isn’t there a back hall that circles around, though? You recall Mickey’s words, scanning the crowd for that red beanie again. It still sits atop Vinny’s head by the ring on the other side of the arena. You look for a nearby door or access-point, finding a guarded door to his far left. If you can find the entrance on your end, you can skip through the large crowd and get to him easily.
You survey your surroundings. Another security guard stands before a door to your right. Pushing through the gamblers again and again, you force your way towards him.
“Authorised personnel only,” he gruffly informs.
“I-um—”
“You need to move, miss.” he cuts you off with a pointed look.
“I’m here to see Bahng,” you lie, letting your jacket drop off one of your shoulders.
He raises a brow. “Who commissioned you?”
“Mickey,” you reply before you can stop yourself.
There is much honour among gangs, this Vinny always makes sure you know. He always warns you against dishonesty, especially to certain gang members, since you have no affiliation of your own. But it’s just so easy when you have the right information and you like the way lies just happen to roll off your tongue, effortless and oh-so convincing.
The guard nods, much to your concealed surprise. “Just his type,” you swear you hear him grumble as he opens the door for you.
Hiding a smile, you make your way in without another word.
The back hall is dimly lit. The click of the door echos. Medleys of muffled bass and roaring fans only just seep through and bounce off the brick walls. You adjust your jacket on your shoulders and follow the turns of the hall.
DING!
You jolt, cinching a yelp at the base of your throat. Hastily, you dig into your pocket for your phone.
Vinny: where r u?
You: be there soon
“Lost?”
You look up at the sound of an Australian accent. To your left is an open door of a dressing room, casting a bright spotlight on you amidst the dark hallway. You put your phone away and take quick note of the bodies around the room. Mickey stands by some weights in the corner, eyes narrowing. A handful of medical professionals assess their equipment, rummaging through their kits and looking over clipboards just across from him. By the punching bag, right in front of a wall of mirrors, a couple of men, one with long, icy blonde hair and the other a short midnight black, evaluate your presence.
And there, in the centre of it all, stands Christopher Bahng. Jawline sharp, nose large and lips plush, those big brown eyes soften. You recall the way they were once glaring at his opponent on the screen, wondering what the hell it is about you that makes him opt for a gentler approach. Wrapping boxing tape around his hand, he approaches you.
“Can I help you find something, darling?”
The pet name sounds so casual, so natural, you wouldn’t have guessed that you just met. Your posture relaxes, coat falling off your frame, held up only by your arms. There is a softness in his deep voice that nurtures something forgotten deep within your soul. You feel it- whatever it is- sprout roots in your gut.
Searching his eyes, the cursed word escapes within a breath— “You.”
He smirks.
Does this happen often? Does everyone simply fawn over him?
He smells of leather and vanilla, towering over you. His minty breath fans your face. He rubs his thumb under your lip, cleaning up the smudged lipstick from your chin.
You lean into his touch.
“You’re early!” Mickey shouts from his place in the back. “Sister Maria knows you’re needed after the match.”
Sister Maria can fuck herself, you think. She has tried and failed to recruit you one too many times. Though, if you had known that her clientele was anything like Bahng, you might have reconsidered.
Looking at him now, you can confirm that those screens barely did him any justice. He’s big. It’s no wonder he’s undefeated, the sheer size of him dominating enough. He barely even has a scratch on him, just a couple of cuts on his perfect cheekbones and a bruise that is well on its way to being fully healed, along his jaw. You resist the urge to trace the length of his shoulders, or the ridges of his abs all while leaning in to kiss his wounds away.
Instead, you swallow thickly and nod, “Yes, I-I just got confused.”
Bahng curls a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “It’s okay, darling,” he smiles.
You bite back a moan. God, when did you get this pathetic? So what if he’s hot, and sweet, and beautiful, and huge, and—
“You can wait in here for me,” he nods back into his dressing room. “I won’t be too long.”
Blood rushes to your cheeks. He flashes a cocky grin, knowingly gazing down at you. He really is prideful, a bit arrogant too, but you’re not quite sure it’s misplaced. Undefeated in the ring, the only chance anyone has at beating him is by planning an ambush before a match .
Shit.
Your eyes flicker to Mickey. He’s going to kill him. In a matter of minutes, Bahng and his team will circle the arena to enter the ring and get intercepted. And for what? A fucking paycheque?
You shift your weight.
“No!” you shout, starling the room.
All eyes snap to you.
What? You mentally scold. I can’t just shout ‘No’ and expect the entire fucking shit-show to be called off.
Bahng raises his brows. A smile plays on his lips and he lets a chuckle slip. “That needy?” he teases.
Fuck, he’s insufferable… You need to ride him.
Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you force yourself to concede, “Mhm.” You grasp the waistband of his crimson silk shorts and tug him closer. He lets you, pressing himself against your stomach.
A trembling breath slips.
He holds back a chuckle.
Say something, your mind shouts.
“Fuck me.”
Not that!
He cups your face. The way you instantly melt into his hands is truly pitiful, your chest raging with humiliation. But then his lips meet yours and those roots that grew deep in your gut begin to blossom up through your rib cage and around your lungs. Absolute serenity blinds whatever contempt took purchase in your chest. You try to grapple onto that anger, that disdain, finding this sudden light feeling much too foreign.
But just as his lips cradle yours, this incomparable feeling of pure contentment soothes your panicked instincts. And it’s as though those roots, those branches that sprouted around your lungs, bloom petals of… Acceptance? Approval?
The feeling of his hands trailing down your spine ground you back to him. You wrap your arms around his neck. Cheek by cheek, he cups your rear and squeezes, pushing your hips up into his.
You moan, the muffled sound so frail. His tongue slips through and, for a boxer, he doesn’t put up much of a fight. He lets you take the lead, following your tongue round and round until you release another fraught groan.
And then he’s torn away.
Mickey stands between the two of you. He shoots you a nasty look before pushing Bahng back into the room. You can tell Bahng allows the meek force of his coach to overtake him, lazily stepping back.
The ease of his movements is not what arrests your thoughts, however. It’s the mess of red lipstick around his mouth, of which he makes no effort to remove.
“… and I’ll say it again!” Mickey shouts, his voice finally registering. “No sex before a match!”
You blink your attention off Bahng as Mickey moves to shut the door in your face.
“Let her in,” Bahng orders.
Mickey turns to give him a look. “She’s a distraction.”
You catch Bahng walking towards the weights along the back brick-exposed wall, effectively ignoring Mickey’s protests. “Don’t make me come over there, Mick,” he playfully warns, taking a seat on an inclined workout bench, “Let my girl in.”
You’re in the midst of wondering whether he’s merely his coach, a friend, or both when his final words set in. You hold onto the door frame to keep from falling over. His girl? You’d turn yourself in, confronting Vince, just to hear those words in that Australian accent again.
“You commissioned her for me, didn’t you?”
Right, you think to yourself as you will strength back to your legs. You’re his sex worker. This is nothing personal.
You roll your shoulders back and adjust your stance, channelling bored seduction, as Mickey begrudgingly opens the door.
Bahng calls you over with a nod. He has heavy weights in each hand, curling slow reps.
You lick your lips and force one foot before the other. But his biceps are flushed, flexing with every lift. You can’t help gawking, bouncing your attention from arm to arm, and almost run into one of his men.
“Jacket,” Midnight-hair says, positioning himself between you and Bahng with an outstretched hand.
While there isn’t anything of value left in your jacket, you know that if they find the lining is removable, your cover will be blown. You cannot deny them it either, especially if you want to get close enough to warn Bahng.
So you slowly peel the jacket off, sticking out your chest in hopes of distracting Midnight-hair. He keeps his eyes trained on you, gaze hardening as if he is struggling to commit to his choice. From the corner of your eye, you see Icy-hair push himself off the wall to carefully watch. If they refuse to get lost in your show, you’ll have to switch gears. In one swift motion, you whip the jacket off and roll it to a ball.
Midnight-hair glares. He unfolds the jacket as soon as he takes it– a detail you should have anticipated. Rummaging through your pockets, he announces, “Switchblade, lipstick, phon—”
You freeze.
Though it is quick, occurring in a blink of an eye, you know he sees it, cutting himself off at the realisation.
The lining flaps open.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shi—
“Hang it by the door, Seungmin,” Bahng orders.
You meet his gaze. That easy playfulness that once danced within it, now dims into calculated intrigue. You spare a quick glance at Mickey. A relieved breath escapes at the sight of him muttering into his phone, alone in the corner.
Looking back at Bahng, you finally see it. There, sprayed on the back wall in black and silver paint, is a three pointed crown. In the middle, drawn with jagged, lazy lines, are three letters— SKZ.
Of all the fucking gangs.
Stray Kids, speculated to have immigrated from Australia or Korea, have slashed their way to the top of the city’s food chain. The chambering of a round— chk chk boom — shoot first and ask questions later. It’s how they’re known. Notorious for money laundering, drug trafficking, vandalism, extortion, arson, street racing, they’ve swept the city up from the coast to the police department. You’ve witnessed gangs fall silent at their mention, caught the way they would take hold of their weapon.
While there have been whispers about the members, the leader remains faceless. Vinny once informed you that no organisation can become this connected without someone calling the shots. At the time, you wondered if that was the most terrifying thing about them— how unknown they really are.
Staring at Bahng now, white canines on display behind a wicked grin, you realise that his leader’s anonymity is futile compared to the intimidation of their members. It’s their silent power, the ease in which they can rattle bones with a single look, perhaps even crack them with a single blow. You are not sure who Christopher Bahng is to Stray Kids— the muscle, the brains, some money pawn as they infiltrate the underground boxing scene, but you know he is dangerous.
Arousal dampens your shorts.
“Take a seat, darling,” he purrs.
He’s lethal, and your lies are unravelling. If you are going to make it out of here alive, you must reassess your information. You inhale deeply, filling your lungs with wavering courage, and move towards Bahng.
Step.
Mickey is a rat.
Step.
This is Stray Kids territory.
Step.
Bahng knows you are not a sex worker.
Step.
Exits are compromised, Icy-hair now standing at the door.
Step.
Your life is now in the hands of an unrivalled boxer.
Bahng nods down to his lap. You carefully straddle it when it dawns on you— His life is in your hands too.
Half-hard, his cock pokes at the clothed apex of your thighs. Your lips quiver as you try to fight back a pathetic whine.
“My pecs tend to ache after working out,” Bahng sighs, continuing his reps. “Won’t you be a doll and massage them for me?”
You don’t need to be told twice, shifting yourself closer.
His jaw sets at the gesture.
Pecs of pure muscle, big and tight, you take a moment to gawk. They extend beyond the span of your palms, pale skin flushed under your touch. He’s sweaty but cold, nipples hard. You hold his gaze and kneed the heel of your hands into his chest. Again and again, you apply gentle pressure, watching as his brows furrow, large nose scrunches and full lips curl into a pleased sneer.
He hisses between breathless gasps. You resist the urge to catch another kiss at the sound.
“How does that feel?” you ask in a whisper.
Bahng sets his weights down. You notice Seungmin straightening his stance in the corner of your eye. Though your hands start to tremble, you continue massaging, knowing sudden movements might trigger a bullet.
Hands on your waist, he pulls you closer into him. “Have you done this before?”
You shake your head.
“Don’t do much massaging in your… line of work?”
You mentally curse. He knows you’re a runner.
“This is not the body part most people want massaged.” You try but cannot keep your lip from slightly curving, the thought of servicing him on your knees all too captivating.
He presses his fingers into your skin and parts his lips. You can tell from the force of his grip and shape of his mouth what he’s about to ask.
Sparing a quick glance at Mickey, you find he is still tied to his phone, muttering quietly into the receiver.
But then he catches your eye.
“Who—”
You throw your body over Bahng’s, exaggerating the force with a whip of your hair and a loud, erotic yelp to cut him off. You wrap your arms around his neck, press your lips to his ears and whisper, “Mickey is a traitor.”
While he originally hugged your waist to keep you from falling, Bahng now stiffens.
“Alright, whore,” Mickey shouts. “Get the fuck out!”
You spot him stomping towards you through the mirror. The collided image of your body intertwined with Bahng’s then overwhelms your attention. You have never felt small a single moment in your life, yet in his arms, you are minuscule. Your body relaxes into his, despite the chaos that ensues around you.
“…a fucking distraction, Chris,” Mickey argues. “You can fuck her after the fight.”
Chris. You like the sound of that, can see yourself moaning it as you bounce on his cock. You clench at the thought.
“Go back to your little corner, Mick,” Chris nods. “Don’t interrupt us again.”
“You want to win, don’t you?”
You can’t hold back your scoff. You can see the room stiffen at the sound through the mirrors. Peeling yourself from Chris’s strong frame, you fake a string staggered cough. The physicians ignore you, Mickey dismisses you, but Chris and his other friends remain observing, analysing.
“I’ve fucked plenty o’bitches before a match,” Chris confesses, flashing a smile so dazzling you almost abandon the jealousy that plagues your chest. “I always win.”
Mickey looks between your tangled bodies. His jaw sets, throat bobs. He wipes his face with the towel around his neck and forces a smile. It doesn’t meet his eyes, but it’s the thin scab on his neck that leaves you queasy.
Chris’s legs bounce beneath you, beckoning your attention. You grip onto his shoulder to maintain your balance as you meet his gaze. Wetness pools at the sight of his mischievous eyes. He peers at you under his brows, quirking one at your enamoured silence.
“Did I tell you to stop?”
What if you just kissed him again? How would he let it go? Knowing you lied and now leveraging information, would he be outraged if you closed the distance between you and played with his tongue? You know he enjoyed himself from the grip he had on your ass alone, not to mention the bulge pressing against your stomach.
You lean forward, leaving one of your hands rested on his shoulder, and brush your nose against his. He remains still, letting his gaze fall to watch your lips. While oh-so tempting, you don’t press them to his. Instead, you knead into his pectoral muscles deeper with your other hand, pushing into his skin with the heel of your palm. You’ve made sure to angle your head towards the mirror to gauge the distance of the other bodies in the room— particularly Mickey’s. Back in his “little corner,” he resumes his phone call.
Chris’s soft groan redirects your gaze to his features, contorted in relieved pleasure. Is he really tense or is it simply your touch?
Seungmin clears his throat from his place in front of the mirrors.
Chris shoots him a warning stare before offering you a softer version of one too. “Tell me what you know, runner,” he orders, voice quiet but full of command.
“I know he came to you with an offer to fix the fight,” you reply, keeping an eye on Mickey’s pacing frame. “I know you declined.”
His hands find a comfortable place on your thighs, and begin to glide up and down, soft and slow. Calloused, bandaged in boxer’s tape, they somehow provide tender care. You relax into him once again, resting your forehead against his.
“I know Mickey sold you out. I know he cut a deal to save himself and they’re coming for you.”
“Who?”
You nudge his nose with a shake of your head.
A ghost of a smile hovers over his plump lips at the gesture. He breathes half a chuckle and presses his fingers into the fat of your thighs, between the diamonds of your fishnets.
“You don’t know?” he practically coos. “Did you happen to catch a name, little one?”
Your attempts at pressing your legs together are pathetic. Instead of subtly easing your clenching desire, you squeeze his sides with your knees. Blood rushes to your face, heating your cheeks.
Chris lets that smug smile settle on his lips, tonguing his cheek. “Yeah,” he chuckles, “You like it when I call you that?”
“I like it when you talk to me like that,” you stupidly confess. You switch sides before he can reply, turning away from the mirrors to face Mickey’s corner, and kneed his other pec with just as much pressure, perhaps adding a bit more to combat your embarrassment.
He allows you, leaning back and watching.
He’s so patient, you fondly think, avoiding his gaze. Won’t he let you suck him before his fight? Even allowing you a little taste would suffice. Swallowing, you cannot stop thinking how empty your throat is, how wonderfully agonising it would be to try to accommodate him.
You spare a sidelong glance at Mickey, snapping yourself out your lustful yearning long enough to ensure you aren’t being overheard. When you find he is tapping away on his phone, you press your lips to Chris’s ear and whisper, “Andy.”
Chris continues rubbing your legs, asking, “What do you know about him?”
“I think he’s a cop.”
“You think?”
“He never said it.”
“So how do you know?”
You force your hips to remain still even as goosebumps rise in the wake of his risky touch, inching closer and closer to the apex of your thighs.
“His posture, he said something about his career being on the line, and I think I saw a badge. I just–” you pause to swallow the excess saliva gathering in your mouth. He’s barely even touched you and you’re already drooling. “I just connected the dots.”
Chris hums.
You lean back to get a better look at his face. His features are compressed in thought, brows knitted and eyes uncertain. Your hand has a mind of its own, abandoning its task on his chest to comb your fingers through his dark hair. Leisurely, he meets your gaze, even leans into your touch. You graze his scalp with your long nails, soft and slow.
You have had sexual partners. You have allowed your lust to cloud your judgement, tossed back drinks and spread your legs quite a few times between parties and side-jobs. But you have never been able to hold someone down, however. You have never been able to consistently see the same person over and over or even call them yours.
Here is Christopher Bahng— undefeated boxing champion, the best The Underground has seen. Sitting beneath you, erection pushing against your clothed crotch, he contently sighs. His hands move up to your hips, rubbing, soothing, adoring the shape of your curves and rolls. And his gaze gleams with admiration, bouncing around your features as if looking for a flaw.
You allow yourself to forget the world, the distant chants of fans and gamblers alike eager for the show to start. You forget the bounty on your head, your ex-friends, Vinny, Viktor, Seungmin lingering around the door with Icy-hair, Mickey texting in his sad little corner. You forget who’s territory this is and the title of the man sitting under you. You allow yourself to isolate this tender moment and pretend that Christopher Bahng is yours.
Your man, your protector, your love. He’d crush skulls between his fist and snap spines over his knee. He’d make sure you’d never have to run again. He’d make sure you’d never have to fear for your life. He’d hold you when you’re tired, and carry you to bed when you’re too lazy to make the trip yourself.
You wonder what that’s like— Love. You remember your mother once said something about it when you asked about your father.
“Love is a lie men created to seduce women,” she said while heating the bottom of her spoon. “Any man telling you otherwise is just desperate to fuck you.”
You mentally roll your eyes. You also remember instantly regretting your mention of it. You were about eight years old when she shared that nugget of knowledge. She then wrapped the conversation up by telling you the heroin she was preparing was her “special medicine” and you shouldn’t, under any circumstance, touch it when she passes out.
If that’s not motherly instincts, you’re not sure what is.
“How can I trust you?” Chris asks, lulling you out of your thoughts.
You make sure Mickey is still preoccupied with his phone before joking, “The word of a whore isn’t worth much anymore, is it?”
He cracks half a smile before leaning his head away from your touch. You take the hint, retracting your hand from his hair.
“You’re not a whore,” he states, voice gruff but quiet.
You swallow thickly. “I could be.”
“Yeah?” He quirks a brow. “Tell me what you’d do right now if you could.”
You wonder how honest you should be. Vinny always said that lying would get you killed, but you have an audience. Looking over your shoulder, you find Seungmin alone by the door. Icy-hair must have left when you let your delusions engulf you earlier. The physicians are desperately trying to look busy, sneaking glances at your proximity with their client. Everyone, save for Mickey who seems the most peeved by your presence, is already uncomfortable by your position on his lap.
How dangerous could the truth really be?
Meeting Chris’s playful stare again, you rest your hands on his tight abs and let a shy smile tug on your lips. “I would ride your thigh,” you confess. When he raises his brows, a surprised smirk gracing his lips, you explain, “They’re just so big and strong. I’m just curious to know what it would feel like on my clit.”
The transparent vulgarity of your confession dries your throat. Your chest heats, humiliation trembling your fingers. You part your lips, wishing you can take it back. But your voice fails you, as if standing firm with your statements.
“Interesting,” he muses. “Do it.”
You clear your throat, furrowing your brows. “What?”
“You want me to trust your word?” he asks.
He lets his hands fall to his sides. Your legs suddenly feel so cold.
“In—” you cut yourself off, taking another quick look around the room. “In front of everyone?”
He shrugs. “You told me you would do it.”
You projected two outcomes the moment they discovered you’re a runner and you decided to exchange information for your life.
One — You get laughed at and kicked out of the establishment.
Two — Chk chk boom.
You might have hoped that Chris considered fucking you before discarding you to the streets, wishful for a good orgasm or two. But you did not expect him to order you to grind on his leg in front of his team.
“Match starts in five,” Mickey announces.
While you turn to acknowledge the warning, Chris keeps his attention on you.
“It starts when I say so,” he replies.
Mickey grumbles profanities under his breath before turning back to his phone. You start to wonder what the fuck has held his focus all night when Chris cups your chin, forcing your gaze back on him.
“I’m beginning to lose my patience, darling,” he warns. “You’re either telling the truth or you’re not.”
You lick your lips. Of all the things you thought your life would depend on, you did not think it would be an orgasm.
Inhaling deeply, you adjust your stance and straddle his thigh. Your lips tremble at the sheer strength of his leg, so tense and taut under your wet shorts. You couldn’t have been more thankful for laundry day and the lack of clean panties available. With nothing but your tiny gym shorts between your crotch and his leg, you can feel every mighty muscle.
You notice movement in the mirror from the corner of your eye. One glance and you find Seungmin has turned to face the door. How often has Chris played with a whore in front of his friends? You clench your jaw as envy pesters your heart. What the fuck did those other girls have that you don’t? Why did he pick them? Why—
“Look at me.”
You obey, meeting his pacifying gaze. He curls your hair behind your ears, the gesture gentle and genuine.
You suck in your bottom lip, eyes wide as jealousy transforms into wonder. He may have picked others before you, but he chose to let you in now. He had a chance to turn you away and he fought to have you in this specific position, all to himself. And maybe he wants others to know that. Or maybe he really does have a fucked up way of verifying his sources. What matters is this time, it is you. And you’ll be damned if you don’t take advantage of that.
Hands on his stomach, fingers sliding between the ridges of his abs, you thrust. The first jut of friction is tentative. Hiccups of pleasure spark from your bundle of nerves and you wobble over his leg. Chris grabs your waist simply to steady you, and retracts once you regain your balance.
You continue, jaw dropping at the constant surge of satisfaction. Wetness gathers and stains your shorts, making the glide of your hips all the more effortless. One look in his eyes, and you know Chris feels it too. However, that wicked smile of his does not overwhelm his features until you moan.
Strained, frail, the sound cuts over the ruckus of the physicians. The room falls silent as you ground yourself hard against his thigh and release another fraught moan of pure enjoyment. Your hands travel higher on his chest, and you lean forward into him, keen to gain more leverage to arch your back.
Chris catches onto your intentions, his attention all too consumed by the curves of your rear. He grabs your waistband and pulls on it, tightening the fabric to sharpen the friction of the thrusts.
“Fuck!” Your voice breaks from bliss, orgasm already festering in the base of your gut.
It’s all too hot. Face, arms, legs, your skin burns, blood racing, nerves jittering. You need everything off. You need his skin on yours, his body engulfing you with more pleasure, more attention.
Lips quivering, breaths shaky, you sit back. You continue to chase your high while grabbing the hem of your shirt and pulling it off. Your hips don’t miss a beat as you reach back to unclasp your lace bra in a few simple manoeuvres and toss it aside as well.
Chris lowly groans. His eyes flicker between each bouncing breast, hands finally finding their rightful place on your backside. He digs his fingers into the fat of your cheeks and helps you with your final few thrusts.
“Can you go a little faster for me?”
You enthusiastically oblige.
A powerful smack, landing on your left cheek, triggers your most erotic moan, voice laden with submission. He issues another on your right and you whine this time, squeaky and breathless.
Chris leans forward so your breasts bounce against his face. He doesn’t bury his face between them however, eager to watch your face eventually contort in ecstasy.
“Good girl,” he praises. “That’s right, keep looking at me.”
Twisting and turning, your arousal gathers.
“You’re doing so well, riding my thigh just like you promised, yeah?”
His voice is condescending, almost making a mockery of your whimpering. He even momentarily mirrors your rounded eyes and slightly pouty lips, looking up at you tauntingly. So why does it fuel your desire, motivate your hips?
You nod, despite your humiliation, voice whiny as you confess, “I’d do it again too.”
A growl of approval resonates from his chest and into yours. He kneads your cheeks, letting a deep groan of his own escape and collide with yours.
“That’s my good girl,” he affirms. “Don’t stop, darling. You’re almost there.”
Your toes curl, tight in your platform boots. Your eyes roll back, twitching when you throw your head back. Your jaw drops, a loud, shattered moan escaping. You cum between sporadically clenching, pathetically gyrating on his firm thigh.
Chris holds you still, mumbling quiet affirmations between your breasts. He presses wet kisses on each one, pulling you back into him. Draping your arms around his shoulders, you fall limp against him. He moans from his smothered place in the valley of your breasts and rubs soothing circles around your backside.
Head foggy, chest heaving, you let your eyes flutter shut. You know you won’t be staying here for long, either meeting the barrel of his gun or the side of the street. There’s no harm in soaking in this moment then, is there? You pretend he is your boyfriend, issuing tender aftercare as you attempt to collect your sanity. You don’t have to try so hard to keep up the delusion with the way he delicately wraps you in a warm hug and comforts your hammering heart with his lips. He peppers kisses up your collarbone, neck, then jaw before meeting the shell of your ear.
“You know you’re really pretty when you’re cumming,” he teases. “Does your right eye always twitch like that? Or was that just for me?”
You open your eyes, squinting against the brightness of the room. Nuzzling the bridge of your nose under his jawline, you whisper, “Do you really need more convincing, Chris?”
You like the way his name rolls off your tongue.
The widening grin on his face tells you he likes it too. “I might,” he replies.
You tell yourself that it just slips, but you’re only lying again. You just want him to know. You want him to imagine you when he jerks off later, when he pounds that traitor to a bloody pulp, when he’s standing in the ring and winning his fight. You want him to be thankful for your presence tonight. You want him to repeat it over and over, to tell his friends about you.
So, shifting back enough to whisper in his ear, you offer your name.
Chris moves back to meet your gaze. He scans your features, his own a blanket of neutrality.
The weight of your action does not settle upon your shoulders until his eyes meet yours again, and you realise you cannot decipher them. Swallowing thickly, you blink back tears. How could you say that? Vinny just warned you against being this reckless. Your new image is tied to him too. You’ve been running around town, disturbing drugs on his behalf or Viktor’s. And you just offer your name, for what? A second of appreciation from a pretty face?
It’s my life too, Vinny’s voice quietly returns. He reminded you of that not even half an hour ago. Why the fuck would you tell some Stray Kids member your darkest secret? Why would you gamble the lives of your only remaining friends?
“I’m—”
Chris cuts you off with a shake of his head. So, you swallow your words.
He reaches for your shirt and helps you put it on. You don’t have the courage to tell him he forgot your bra. He then gestures for you to stand, and fixes your ruined shorts so they’re not riding up anymore. You watch as he studies the damp spot and clenches his jaw to force back a smile.
“Seungmin,” he calls, standing up and towering over you again.
You wonder how tall he is but know better than to ask now.
Seungmin reports to Chris’s side. Chris nods to your fur coat, “Grab it and escort her to the stands.”
“You’r—”
“Now,” he reaffirms, cutting you off again.
Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you accept your coat and follow Seungmin out. You shouldn’t have, but you sneak a glance at the mirror eager to catch his reflection one last time.
Chris’s features harden as he faces Mickey. His fists clench.
Mickey stiffens, all previous irritation dissolving into fear.
The door shuts.
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Waves of painted faces and torsos, endless banners, and flashing lights— the arena succumbs to insanity. Roars of chants echo upon the ring announcer’s behest. The thick stench of sweat and spilled beer is what overwhelms you, however. Scrunching your nose in disgust, you try to swallow your nausea.
You wonder how anyone here can stand it, turning back to take a final look at Seungmin. He stands at the doorway, arms crossed, gaze lingering around your rear. His ears flame a hot pink at the realisation he’d been caught.
A lazy smirk plays on your lips. He didn’t get a good enough look before?
Seungmin mutters something to the security guard stationed at the door then hurries back into the hall. You wonder if the guard is a Stray Kids member too. Is the ring announcer? What about the employees behind the stands? Or do they simply work for the gang?
“Runner!” Vinny’s voice cuts through the crowd. You turn at the call of your position, finding him standing on his seat and waving you over.
A relieved smile spreads across your lips. He meets you halfway as you push between rowdy spectators. He takes your hand firmly in his and leads you back to your seats.
“Where the hell were you?” He asks over the commotion.
“It’s complicated.”
Vinny’s face darkens with scepticism. “What the fuck did—”
“Who did you bet on?”
He clenches his jaw. “Matthews,” he practically screams.
So the Sixers are in on it too. You wonder if the gangs are onto Chris, knowing he might be affiliated with Stray Kids, and are working together to bring them down.
“Change it.”
“The bell rings in less than a minute,” Vinny shouts before looking over his shoulder to the front doors. He meets your gaze, uncertainty flooding those cerulean eyes, and mouths, It’s fixed.
You shake your head.
Vinny rolls his eyes shut, teeth grinding. He swallows his anger, knowing he cannot hurl insults right now with such an audience. Unlike you, he knows better than to call attention to himself. Exhaling sharply, he harshly holds your gaze and parts his lips.
Profanities? Threats? You expect both, bracing yourself with a clench of your fists.
But Vinny merely shakes his head in disappointment. He pulls out his phone and begins dialling. While waiting for someone to pick up, he yells, “If I die, I’m going to kill you!”
You suppress a smile and stifle the urge to respond with a joke. You fear you might have reached his limit. You’ve dragged him into your dark vortex of despair, endangering his life again and again. You should reach out to him now, pull him into a tight hug and offer endless apologies. You should have taken the chance he gave you when he called your foster mom, and stayed off the streets. You should have finished high school, applied for colleges outside of the wretched city of Crimson Heights, and never looked back. Instead, you continue to test his patience. 
Side-jobs were simply more lucrative. You have a talent for blending in too, a permanent look of indifference plastered on your face. No one ever suspects some girl, twirling a joint between her fingers, to be running or organising hits on corner stores and local diners.
The first time you held a gun, power ignited through your veins. You carried the weight of life within a bullet, finger teasing the trigger. The first time you pointed it at some store clerk, black ski mask over your face and tongue swirling around a pink lollipop, you felt that stone cold power of metal and powder snake along your spine and caress the nape of your neck.
You rolled your shoulders back, angled your head and smirked.
The clerk soiled himself, hands up in surrender.
You pressed the barrel to his head anyway, boring your wild eyes into his fearful ones.
“Well, this is awkward for you, isn’t it?” you giggled before cocking your gun.
The memory lures a smile. While you didn’t shoot him, provided he was very cooperative, it was fun toying with him.
The lights begin to whirl around the arena, snapping you out of your thoughts. Vinny hangs up the phone, and though the crowd is deafening, you can still hear his heavy, nervous breaths beside you.
All lights converge in the centre of the boxing ring. The cheers increase, crowd buzzing with anticipation. A tall, slender man dressed in a clean, glittering suit enters and takes his place in the middle of the ring. He holds a hand up and waves, encouraging excitement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to The Underground!” He shouts into the microphone. Cameras capture his perfect white smile, projecting the image on the large screens hanging over the ring.
“My name is Jackson Wylder and I will be your ring master this evening. Now, I have an important question for you tonight.” He scans the audience, displays a look of curiosity and asks, “Are you ready to rumble?”
The cheers surge.
“I said,” he starts before darting around the ring, “ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?”
You clap your hands over your ears at the thundering roars of the fans. A group of manic men jump behind you, almost pushing you off your seat and onto the spectators in front of you.
Vinny links his arm with yours and pulls you into his side. You turn to give him a thankful look, but he avoids your gaze.
“Tonight, we have a clash of titans!” Jackson continues, turning to point to his left. “In this corner, weighing in at 210 pounds and hailing from our very own, Crimson Heights, give it up for the man who’s always up for a fight— the skilled and tenacious, Aiden Matthews!”
Aiden emerges from a dark hall closest to his corner. He wears a blue silk robe and white gloves, bouncing on his toes as he makes his way through the unruly crowd. They holler at him, either tossing praises or insults, and bump their hands against his fists. He waves his arms up to encourage their hectic energy then finally enters the ring. His coach unfolds a chair and then helps him out of his robe.
Jackson shakes Aiden’s hand. He mutters a few words before returning to the centre of the ring.
“And in the opposite corner, we have a fighter who needs no introduction—” Jackson starts again. A childish smile plays on his lips, like he’s a fan, himself. “A crowd favourite, a sensation, and the undefeated champion who makes every match feel like a blockbuster!” He’s giddy, practically giggling his words. “Standing tall at a staggering 6 feet 9 inches and weighing in at an impressive 215 pounds, please put your hands together for the man who’s taken the boxing world by storm, Christopher ‘The Phantom’ Bahng!”
The roars bellow deep from the crowd as they cheer and chant, “Bahng! Bahng! Bahng!”
Everyone, even Jackson, turns to the front door, waiting for Chris to emerge.
You swallow thickly.
The lights then shift to the other end of the arena.
Your heart already falters at his height. He’s still almost a foot taller than you in your thick platforms. You stand to see him, legs almost giving out when you spot his large figure appear through the back door. But it’s the mess of red lipstick still smeared on his lips, the blood speckled like freckles on his cheeks, and the dark patch on the leg of his shorts that wrings your soul. He didn’t even give you a chance to be grateful that he trusted you, slaughtering your sanity with such a dishevelled look.
Decorated in you, he enters the ring and shakes the hand of a bashful Jackson. No one seems fazed by his appearance. Jealousy pangs your chest at the thought of him being drenched in his past whores, the admittance of his pre-match rituals returning to you.
One look from Vinny might indicate otherwise. He glares at your smudged lipstick.
You roll your eyes and lean into him, too breathless and trembling to fight off his wrath.
“Tonight,” Jackson smiles, raising his hand to redirect the crowd’s attention. “Tonight, we’re in for a spectacular display of skill, heart, and,” he shoots the fans a little wink, “perhaps a bit of humour—because let’s face it, if you can’t have fun while throwing punches, what’s the point?!”
He takes a moment to laugh at his own joke.
You keep your eyes on Chris. Mickey does not unfold his chair and take his robe. Instead a shorter, just as muscled, man does. He gives Chris a weary look, of which Chris ignores, and squirts some water in his mouth.
You force yourself not to focus on the droplets that drip from his pouted, stained lips.
“This is not just a fight, folks,” Jackson informs with a raise of his brows. “No, no! This is a showdown!”
He lets the crowd go crazy before continuing, “Aiden Matthews is ready to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with, but Christopher Bahng,” he turns to his favourite star and grins, “has captured the hearts of fans everywhere. Can Aiden dethrone the giant, or will Bahng continue his reign of dominance?”
You suck in a shaky breath and blow it out. You fill your lungs of tainted sweat-slick air, fighting the urge to gag, and release it once more. Looking around the arena, you swallow the growing lump in your throat. All these fans have come to watch Chris win, and have no idea that he almost died.
“So, buckle up, ladies and gents! Keep your drinks close, your snacks handy, and your eyes glued to the ring! It’s time to witness boxing history unfold right before our eyes!” Jackson’s eyes twinkle with astonishment and wonder. He holds his arms out and turns in a slow circle. “Are you ready for this showdown?” He asks as if truly probing for a personal answer.
“Let’s get ready to rumble!”
Mouth guards in, both fighters stand.
Aiden, while built and tall in his own right, looks like an ant compared to Chris. He pounds his fists together and grunts to assert his dominance. He bounces on his toes and shoots Chris his most menacing glare.
Chris flashes a lazy smile. He rolls his shoulders back and holds his fists up. He peers over his gloves at Aiden like a predator stalking its prey.
The bell rings.
“And here we go, folks! Round 1 is officially underway! Aiden Matthews is looking to prove himself against the undefeated giant, Christopher Bahng!” Jackson comments ringside.
Aiden cautiously circles the ring with Chris. He maintains a safe distance, the heat of his gaze wavering under Chris’s relaxed stance. Testing the waters, he tries his luck with a quick jab.
Chris has the height advantage, however, effortlessly leaning back to dodge. The punch barely grazes the air before him.
Aiden narrows his eyes.
“Ooo,” Jackson hisses. “So close!”
The crowd laughs, almost as one, before splitting between chants for each boxer.
Aiden, eager to recover, steps in quickly, unleashing a flurry of body shots aimed at Chris’s midsection.
You hold your breath and tighten your grip on Vinny’s arm.
But, Chris doesn't flinch. His arms, long and strong, keep Aiden at bay with precise blocks. The controlled ease of Chris’s movements highlight Aiden’s childish, tantrum-like fighting style. You can’t help wondering how the fuck Aiden made it this far. Perhaps other boxers can’t track the chaotic jabs as well as Chris does. Maybe they didn’t even try.
“Matthews is coming in hot, throwing quick combos, but Bahng is as cool as ice—deflecting every shot with ease!”
Chris, ever patient, waits for an opening. He keeps his elbows tucked in, movements minimal, letting Aiden expend energy. He evades each punch with swift swerves of his head, taking small steps back. Even hunched, crouched inwards, his frame still looms large over Aiden.
The majority of the crowd now chants Chris’s name, flooding the arena with jittery admiration.
Like a trigger, fast and smooth, Chris snaps forward with a sharp jab. The blow lands against Aiden’s guard, but the sheer strength of it forces him back.
“Bahng with the first real strike of the night!” Jackson shouts.
Aiden’s eyes widen. He finally feels the power, you realise, and his gaze floods with fear.
Jackson tosses the crowd a giddy look and gushes,“That jab was like a freight train!”
The crowd clamours with laughter in agreement.
You catch a ghost of a smile hovering over Chris’s lips. Is it insane that you find him even more attractive when he’s menacingly playful? An image of his face inches from yours, that same impression of a smile unable to settle on his lips, surfaces. Those feline eyes, teasing, daring, coaxing you to ride him.
You bite your lip and refocus your attention on the match.
Aiden resets and presses on. He bobs and weaves to avoid Chris’s long reach. Ducking low, he slips inside Chris’s defence to unleash a rapid combination of punches to the torso and a hook aimed at the chin.
Chris blocks the body blows then, all too calmly for someone being beat up, rolls with the hook, avoiding the brunt of it. That sinister smirk settles, oh so cunningly, curving the corners of his lips. Without delay, Chris counters with an uppercut from the right, the snap of his arms swift and steady.
Aiden only just manages to block it in time, but the impact leaves him rattled. He stumbles back with a loud grunt. Wheezing and regaining his footing, his eyes betray him, glowing with newfound respect for his towering opponent.
In awe, Jackson remarks, “Bahng is a mountain of patience—waiting for just the right moment to strike! Matthews is going to have to dig deep if he’s going to find a way in!”
You glance at the final seconds of the first round, glowing red above the ring. Less than thirty seconds remain.
Aiden, perhaps knowing he has to make a statement, launches a last-ditch effort. He levels a heavy left hook aimed at Chris’s side, almost mirroring the speed Chris recently displayed.
But Chris, as if seeing it in slow motion, smoothly side steps.
You gasp with the crowd.
He counters with a punishing fist aimed at Aiden’s temple. The punch connects cleanly, the crowd choking on their cheers. The thick sound echoes between the staggered shouts, twisting your stomach with unease.
Aiden stumbles towards the ropes, using their stability to keep himself standing.
The bell rings before Chris can issue another attack.
Jackson steps back into the ring. He eyes Aiden with wide eyes before sharing a look with the audience. “What a way to end the first round!” He laughs. “Bahng’s precision is something to behold, and Aiden Matthews has already felt the sting of that power! Can I get…”
The rest of his words fade as you fixate your attention on the boxers. Aiden returns to his corner with a shuffle of his feet. He’s drenched in sweat, face red and eyes tired. His coach wipes his face then squeezes some water into his mouth.
Chris leisurely walks to his seat. He wipes nose with his arm as he sits. Composed, unbothered, he stares his opponent down.
Aiden shifts in place.
You can’t help but do the same.
You’ve been wanting to leave since the fourth round.
You thought it was over when Chris landed an uppercut so sharp, you swear you heard Aiden’s jaw shatter. You watched as his eyes rolled back and he met the floor with a loud, echoing thump. Aiden’s team flinched, leering over the ropes only to be scolded by the referee.
Chris’s eyes gleamed with something ominous, standing over Aiden’s limp body. He tilted his head and tongued his cheek, lips heavy with the impression of a smirk. He doesn’t merely look proud, but gratified. You wondered at the time if he loves the splitting sound of a bone breaking just as much as you love the chambering click of a loaded gun.
But the crowd remained in the arena. Vinny gave you a reassuring look as if silently telling you it won’t be much longer, and the fifth round commenced.
Jackson returns ringside now, two more rounds later, announcing after the signal of the bell, “Round seven, folks, and this has been an all-out war! Aiden Matthews has been relentless, but Christopher Bahng’s defence is like a fortress!”
The crowd roars as Aiden and Chris step toward the centre of the ring again. Aiden, slick with sweat, jabs at the air, his face tense and determined. Chris, towering over him with his eyes ever so calm and calculating, bounces lightly on his feet.
As the audience resumes their chants for Chris, Aiden charges forward. He jabs with considerable speed and aggression. His punches are fast but painstakingly desperate. It’s almost embarrassing to witness, and you’re not even a fighter.
One glance at Chris and you catch his mask of cool flicker with hushed notions of pity, as if feeling sorry for his opponent. You scan his fighting stance, devouring his toned body with your eyes. His skin gleams with sweat and blotches of forming bruises. His left cheek holds a patch of purple; right brow split.
You swallow thickly, watching his muscles twist as he effortlessly weaves. He slips left, right, then ducks under an all too wide hook.
“Stay still, you fucker!” Aiden orders through gritted teeth, the microphones hovering over the ring catching every spit-splattered syllable.
Chris faintly smiles, eyes locking on Aiden's. He moves just enough to miss another jab by mere inches, dancing around the ring like he has all the time in the world. He then jumps high, resembling a kangaroo, once, twice, only to circle the ring again.
The buzzing energy of the crowd grows, their cheers building as if Chris’s little gesture is any indication of a shift in the round.
The screens cut to Jackson. He swallows thickly as his eyes track Chris’s movements then comments,“Matthews is giving it everything he’s got, but Bahng…” he takes a moment to let out a whistle, “Bahng is like a ghost out there! Just out of reach!”
Aiden presses harder, frustration creeping in as he tries to close the distance. He throws heavy hooks and uppercuts.
You almost scoff, wondering why he hasn’t learned yet. His efforts are useless against someone as skilled as Chris. Truly a phantom in the ring, Chris’s footwork is flawless, always just a step ahead, and he barely reacts.
He then ever so slightly adjusts his stance, leaving an opening wide for Aiden to pounce.
You furrow your brows.
Jackson voices his concern too, narrowing his eyes. “Is Bahng showing weakness?” He asks as if he cannot believe it himself. Then his eyes widen. “Matthews sees it—he’s going for it!”
Aiden lunges forward, hurling all his power into a swift right hook toward the exposed side.
However, as steady as his opponent commits to the punch, Chris sidesteps with speed that rivals lightning, and counters with a sharp left jab that snaps Aiden’s head back.
You stand again with Vinny, both gasping with the crowd. A hand flies to your mouth as you watch Aiden stagger back.
“OH!” Jackson beams, “Bahng saw that coming from a mile away!”
Chris is relentless. He moves in smoothly, landing a quick, precise combination—jab, cross, uppercut—that sends Aiden stumbling backward.
Aiden’s guard falters.
Chris steps forward. He drives a thunderous right hook straight into Aiden’s gut.
Aiden gasps for air, the force buckling.
Chris, collected and focused, steps back, allowing Aiden a moment to gather himself.
Your eyes widen at the pacifying gesture, wondering what he has to gain by giving his opponent a chance to strike again.
All thoughts cease within seconds as Chris feints an attack. It draws Aiden’s guard up high only for Chris to slip low and deliver a devastating body blow, placed perfectly under the ribs.
Aiden groans, dropping to a knee. The air is completely knocked out of him.
The referee stands over his kneeling frame, counting, “One!”
The crowd erupts with excitement, some jumping as they cheer for Chris, while others remain shackled in disbelief as Aiden tries to regain his strength.
“Two.”
Jackson is rocking in place, jittery with joy as he enthuses,“Bahng is not just beating Matthews—he’s outthinking him! Every move is a step ahead, like he’s reading Aiden’s mind!”
“Three.”
Aiden is wobbly, but pulls himself back to his feet. He shakes his head, attempting to refocus. You suppose that Jackson’s comment must have struck a cord because Aiden looks as though he is done thinking. He lunges again, impulsive and messy.
Chris is undeterred by the chaos Aiden becomes, this time feinting a right cross.
Aiden’s guard flies to the right. Then, Chris pivots and delivers a clean left hook to his temple.
“What a move!”Jackson praises. “Bahng’s precision is surgical!”
Aiden collapses against the ropes.
Chris steps back, watching, waiting.
The stillness of Aiden’s muscular frame worries the referee. He steps in, leaning by Aiden’s side to get a better look.
The camera pans over his swollen, bloody face. You cringe.
The referee stands back to his full height to wave his arms, calling, “It’s over! It’s over!”
The crowd explodes into catastrophic cheers upon the referee’s decree.
Chris raises his gloves in triumph and pride. While he is well within his right to gloat, and perhaps has done so before based on the fact that you know he likes to show off, he remains composed. The only emotion hinting towards elation is in the lightness of his gaze as he looks around the arena at his fans. He nods to them, lips finally curving into a smile.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was shy.
Jackson returns to the centre of the ring. He gestures his hands towards Chris, encouraging the howls of the crowd. “Christopher Bahng has done it again!” He says, smiling fondly at Chris. “Not just with power, not just with speed, but with pure brilliance in this ring. He’s shown everyone why he’s the undefeated champion!”
You don’t get a chance to revel at the sight of Chris stiffening as Jackson holds his arms out wide for a hug. Vinny tugs on your arm instead, nodding his head towards the exit. You keep your arms linked and stay close as he pushes between the manic crowd for you.
“Explain yourself,” Vinny orders the moment you’re back on the street.
You look over your shoulder at the entrance of the arena, then whisper, “Not here.”
Vinny rolls his eyes but starts walking towards your apartment. After three blocks of silence, he says, “Talk.”
“I was looking for yo—”
“Don’t bullshit me,” he seethes, cutting you off. “How the fuck did you know Matthews would lose? It’s been fixed for the last week.”
“Just listen to me,” you plead, raising your voice. “When I was waiting for you in the alley, I heard some things.”
Vinny shoots you a nervous look.
You continue, “One of those things was that there were back halls that go around the entire arena. I really was looking for you in there, Vinny. You left me to fend for myself and those people were hard to squeeze through. So, I found one of the doors. And— listen, I know you’re gonna be mad at me, but I really thought it would be easier this way.”
His face falls into disappointment. “You lied.”
“I lied,” you confess, avoiding his gaze as you continue down the street. “I told the guy at the door that Chris—”
“You call him Chris?” Vinny interrupts, voice heavy with astonishment.
“Well—”
Vinny cuts you off with your name and a shake of his head. “No, no, you don’t understand,” he humorlessly chuckles. “No one but his inner circle calls him Chris. What the fuck did you do?”
“I told the guy at the door that I was his prostitute. It was only supposed to get me in so I could find you.”
“You didn’t,” Vinny says. Upon the guilty look in your eyes, he closes his own and sighs, “You fucked him?”
“Not exactly,” you hesitantly correct. “He’s really hot, okay? And he was really nice to me, and I don’t know if you know this,” you sarcastically start. “But not many people have been lately.”
Vinny offers you a vulgar gesture.
You roll your eyes. “I just told him what I heard and he needed convincing.”
“You fucked him,” Vinny concludes.
“Do you think I would be able to walk right now if I did?”
You try not to laugh as Vinny’s features coil in disgust. Parting your lips, you’re about to tell him that it doesn’t matter now. Chris is fine, the Sixers didn’t lose a dime and you can finally get that bath you have been craving earlier this evening.
However, the shriek of tires pierce through the silent night instead.
Vinny reaches for his gun, pushing you behind him. You go to grab your own only to remember you don’t have one. The switchblade will have to do if running is not an option.
A black van speeds down the street, darting past you to swerve onto the sidewalk and block your path. Seungmin jumps out of the passenger seat. Icy-hair and another tall, dark haired man, whose features remarkably resemble that of a fox, emerge from the back.
Vinny cocks his gun.
“Wait,” you shout, stepping between them. You hold your hands up, giving Vinny your most reassuring look. “I know them,” you explain.
Looking amongst the intruders, Vinny furrows his brows and asks, “How?”
“They’re Chris’s friends,” you reply, quietly adding, “I think.”
Vinny glares. “You think?”
“Walk away,” a deep voice orders.
Icy-hair steps forward with a gun of his own. However, he is not aiming it at Vinny.
You deadpan. “Did he tell you to do this? God, is he always this dramatic?”
“Tell me about it,” Seungmin mutters, then nods towards the van. “Get in.”
Turning to Vinny, you offer him a small, assuring smile. “I’m fine, Vin. Just go.”
Vinny scoffs, narrowing his eyes in disbelief at you. “He has a gun to your head.”
“Chris is an egoistic, attention-seeker,” you dismiss. “If they wanted to shoot me, they would have done so already.”
“How can you be sure?” Vinny shouts.
Chk chk boom, you think. Your brains would have already been splattered on the sidewalk.
Nodding behind him, you repeat, “Go. I’ll call you later.”
Vinny shakes his head, clenching his jaw and directing his frustrated gaze to the ground. As if wrestling his intuition, he resentfully lowers and uncocks his gun. He takes another look around at the men, swallowing thickly.
You wonder if they know he’s trying to memorise their faces. You wonder if they care.
“If you die,” Vinny says, voice wavering. “I will kill you.”
You suppress a laugh, tightening your lips. “Good.”
He breaths a baffled chuckle, gives you one final look, then forces himself to walk away
You turn to face the others, or at least you’re in the process of turning.
A black bag slips over your head. Arms pulled back, hands bound, you attempt to struggle against their grip. Too slow, your squirming does not distract them. Someone hooks their arms under your shoulders, another scoops up your legs. Heart pounding, you release a searing scream, attempting to wrangle your way out of their grasp. You kick and try to flail your arms, grunting as you fight against their hold. The three men look strong, but they are nothing compared to Chris. You doubt only two of them can maintain their grip this well when you feel another set of hands, then another.
Vinny shouts your name.
Your body is tossed into the back. You land with a loud groan, cursing at the impact of the pain.
He shouts your name again, the hard stomp of his feet echoing in the street.
A bullet sounds.
No, no, no—
“No!” You desperately scream. “Vinny!”
Tears gather in your eyes. This is all your fault. It goes beyond sticking your nose in business you had no right knowing. Since that day he found you back on the streets, hustling scammers out of their well-stolen money, you have dragged Vinny into your hole of reckless misfortune. You asked him to bail you out of one too many fuck-ups, forcing him to further implicate himself in your thoughtless schemes, often against the advice and support of his gang. He has risked his reputation, relationships, money, his good fucking sense, all in the name of childhood friendship.
And how do you repay him?
With a bullet.
Lip quivering, you ask between sobs, “Did you shoot him?”
You never deserved kindness. You never deserved freedom. You never even deserved compassion.
You are a tornado of vile anguish, a chaotic force of impulse and betrayal. You are a waste of space, your very existence is a curse set upon your parents. You should have known as much when the universe tore them away. You are not worthy of connections— all your friends withering in the wake of your misfortune.
What compelled you to believe that Chris would be any different? He might have been devastatingly beautiful and the look in his eyes might have continuously hinted at something tragically scarred. His kisses might have breathed new life into your soul, hands might have cradled every nightmare to rest. But he is still a victim of your calamity. You should have known a good feeling never lasts.
The back door slides shut. The engine revs, jolting the van into motion.
“Did you fucking shoot him?” You cry, voice breaking as a sob overwhelms you. “Vinny!”
Please forgive me, you want to scream.
“Shut up!” Someone shouts over you. You move to kick the speaker only for someone to grab hold of your ankles and bind them together too.
“He shot at us.” The same speaker clarifies. “And he has terrible aim for a self-appointed hero.”
Relief washes over you, ice-cold upon your trembling bones. You lean back, embracing the pain of the awkward position of your hands under you.
“He told us to knock her out,” Seungmin says, voice slightly distant. He must have returned to his place in the front seat.
“He did?” Icy-hair’s deep voice replies.
“I don’t think so,” someone else adds.
You lay limp amongst the shuffling of movements, ignoring their argument, too lost in thought to care. Though Vinny is alive, it does not alter the epiphany that has just dawned upon you— You inevitably ruin anyone foolish enough to come too close.
The edge of the bag lifts and a damp cloth presses against your mouth.
You embrace the darkness.
PART II ➡︎
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