#I could fucking dry swallow pills by 5 or 6

[dmcoffee]

Had to reup my emergency inhaler today and I got to thinking about my history of Asthma. (Surprise, it's a life-long thing!) I don't really know when they first started giving me these little things, Probably since I was six or seven? (My recall is fuzzy on stuff like this.) But I had one for a few years before the doctors worried I didn't know how to use it properly. So they gave us a thing called a spacer. It was just a five inch clear tube with a mouth hole on one end and a little spot to insert the inhaler's aerosol end. The idea was to inhale slowly when I could see the medicine being sprayed. And to make sure I wasn't breathing it in too hard (Therefore negating it's medicinal purpose) the tube had a little plastic harmonica. If the harmonica sounded, I was sucking down the albuterol too fast. If you think for one moment my wheezing ass was going to skip out on the weird little thrill of hearing a harmonic sound as I huffed the ever-living hell out of that stupid tube, you are fucking wrong. I tried not to use the damn thing, knowing full well my little brain would not resist the siren temptation to make a thing make sound while I am actively coughing my lungs out like a fish on land. But my mother wanted me to use it because "I paid money for it" and "I have to hand wash that medical device", and thus we all suffered from a doctor's foolish mixture of underestimating a child's ability to take her own fucking meds, and overestimating the dopamine hit of a stupid mini harmonica.

[penny00dreadful]

Somebody To Love - Part 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 AO3

Here we have it everyone! I hope you enjoy. This part includes Eddie's addict brain trying to trip him up, so if that might be a trigger for you, keep yourself safe.

Eddie was six months clean by the time Wayne flew back to Indiana. He would have flown back sooner, around the four month mark but temptation had reared its ugly head and Eddie broke the lock on his bathroom door, intentionally trapping himself inside and away when he’d found one stray pill under the rug in his studio space. 

He was alone.

No one was home. 

No one would be home for hours. 

Wayne was halfway across the city, Steve was at his own home, Chrissy was at a modelling gig, the boys were with their families.

It was a terrible, opportunistic coincidence.

The pill was tiny and white, covered in floor dirt and bits of hair, but it would go down easy enough. He’d be able to dry swallow it in less than a second. It was small enough. He could just take it and he’d probably pass for sober by the time they came back.

He had it in his hand. 

No one would know.

No one would ever know.

His hand was completely frozen, almost on another plane of existence. He couldn’t move. A part of him was banging against the cage doors telling him to just take it. He’d taken worse things before, this would be nothing. He was strong enough now to not spiral again. This was just one, not nearly the worst thing he’d ever done.

He’d promised to be good and he had been good. So why couldn’t he have this one thing?

Another part of him was firmly trying to keep the cage locked.

Think of Wayne.

Think of the boys.

Think of Chrissy.

Think of Steve.

Why should they get to judge him for making decisions about his own body, the beast cried out. He was his own person, this was his own life, who the fuck were they to try and make him do these things, take it!

They didn’t make him do anything. He made that decision on his own. They were supporting him through his own decision. Not forcing him to do anything. They were supporting him. He said he’d change. He promised.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Eds.

The beast repeated Steve’s words back to him, twisting and poisoning them. Steve didn’t think he could do this anyway so why was he bothering?

No.

No!

No!

Eddie bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood and the pain shocked him into action.

He threw the pill across the room. 

He didn’t know where it landed, he didn’t want to know. 

He’d run up the stairs as fast as he could, putting as much physical distance in between himself and that fucking pill as it was possible to do.

And he’d called Wayne, who’d called Steve.

It was maybe an hour later when the bathroom door was finally broken down and Wayne crawled into the empty tub with him and just held him while he wept quietly into his chest.

Steve appeared in the doorway some time later, letting him know it was gone and that Eddie would be spending a few nights with him and Robin while professionals came in to clear the house top to bottom, just in case.

Because there was a service for that apparently.

This was LA after all. 

Of course there was a service dedicated to quietly, covertly and methodically going through luxury houses to remove every last trace of temptation.

Of course there was.

It was another thing entirely to fully realise just where he’d be staying. 

Staying with Steve wasn’t an issue, they practically lived together whenever they went on tour anyway. They knew all of each other's habits, their quirks, their weird rituals. And he’d been to Steve’s house plenty of times so it wasn’t that either.

It was having to live in the space of one Robin Buckley. 

Steve’s Chrissy. 

He hadn’t met her very often, they just never tended to cross paths but whenever they did, Eddie got the distinct impression that she really, really didn’t like him. 

Though if he was in Robin’s position, watching everything he’d ever put Steve through… He probably wouldn’t like himself much either.

Steve had been running interference on them for two whole days, trying to stop Robin’s glares and snappy comments and trying to stop Eddie from retaliating too dramatically. Because if it’s one thing Eddie was terrible at, one major, major character flaw he had, it was holding his tongue around someone who did not like him.

But Steve had to leave them alone eventually. 

He was half way out the front door, begging the two of them not to murder each other while he was gone.

Robin crossed her arms and shot daggers in Eddie’s direction. “Non prometto niente.”

“Ti imploro.” Steve checked his watch again before raising his eyes back to Robin.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Now you two are just being rude.”

“Cazzo.” She spat at him.

“Robin!” Steve rubbed at his temples before pointing at her. “Play. Nice.” Without another word he slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing around them as they stood on opposite sides of the open plan house, like it was high noon in one of Wayne’s old westerns.

“Okay. Let's get it all out, Buckley now that the parent is gone." Eddie spread his arms out in front of him. "What precisely is your fucking issue with me?”

“My fucking issue is that I don’t like you,” Robin snapped, “that’s my fucking issue.”

"I'm gonna need you to be more specific than that,” Eddie snapped right back, “plenty of people don't like me."

"Shocking." She widened her eyes in mock surprise.

He gave her the middle finger. "Is it just the Steve thing or are there other reasons?"

She scoffed. "There's no 'just' with what you did to him."

"You can't be stupid enough to think that I meant it like that."

"Jesus you're a real charmer aren't you?"

“I get it, I was a shitty person, to Steve especially, but-”

“No!” She shouted, cutting her hand through the air. “You don’t fucking get it. You really don’t fucking get it, Munson, because you weren’t there. You have no idea what all kinds of hell you put that man through for years, but I do. I was there for it all.”

“Of course I have no idea!” He threw his hands up. “How could I possibly have known?!”

“How could you possibly not have known?! Everyone knew how he felt and all you ever did was rub it in his face-”

“I didn’t rub anything! I wouldn’t have if I’d known but I didn’t! How the hell was I supposed to know?!”

“Are you blind?!” They had taken a few steps closer but the couch was still between them. Eddie guessed it was the only thing stopping her from tearing into him with her teeth. “You need something like that spelled out to you?!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is that not a reasonable request? To be told what someone’s feeling with grown-up words and not have to navigate a minefield of guessing what’s going on in their head?” His legs bumping against the couch was the only indicator to him that he’d moved closer. “How was I supposed to know I needed to look deeper? Am I supposed to go around examining everyone’s motivations for a deeper meaning now? Try to see into their heads rather than trust the things they tell me? That makes no sense! I’m not fucking psychic, why am I expected to be? You know as well as I do that he hid this from me. He never told me!”

“Don’t you put this on him. Don’t you dare-!” She was leaning over the back of the couch now to jab him in the chest.

“I’m not!” He had his hands gripping in his hair by the scalp and he could feel the lump in his throat but he refused to cry in front of her. “But tell me I’m wrong, Buckley. Go on! Tell me I’m not making sense right now!”

Robin huffed. “You’re wrong and you’re not making sense right now.” There wasn’t much conviction behind it. She pulled her finger back from his chest and crossed her arms with a scowl. “Maybe if you weren’t so fucked up on everything all the time-”

“Oh, spare me. Don’t start on the puritan talk just because you know I’m right-”

“I am not-!”

“Okay, fine!” 

He ripped his hands out of his hair and felt like everything inside him was crumbling before he could stop it. He’d done everything he could, he’d kicked the drugs, he kicked the drink, he hadn’t had any sex since the ‘Sucker’ video, he was letting Steve decide how fast they moved, even when they moved and where to… what else was he supposed to do? He was at the end of his fucking rope. 

“Let’s examine that then, shall we? Do you think that if I knew that I had someone in my corner in that way, that I had someone I could come home to or- or be there with me in my lowest moments, that could help take the pressure off, that I felt safe with… do you think I wouldn’t have delighted in having a steady fucking thing for the hardest years of my life? People don’t do the amount of shit that I’ve done because they’re fucking happy, Robin!”

He turned his back on her to collapse down on the couch with his head in his hands, trying to force his tears to retreat. His whole body felt weak, like he’d been wrung out and he really hoped she didn’t take the opportunity to crack him over the back of the head with something.

The only thing that could be heard in the ringing silence of the house was his own heavy breathing as he tried to keep his emotions under control.

A weight settled down next to him and he thanked his lucky stars he was able to stop from flinching. He didn’t want to look up, the tears clinging to his waterline that he hadn’t managed to fight back would be undeniable, but as the quiet continued to extend around them he couldn’t ignore it.

Robin wasn’t looking at him, thank god. She was curled up as far away from him as she could get with her back to the couch arm, her knees pulled up against her and she was scowling in the direction of the tv.

It must have been nearly a full minute later when she spoke. In that time Eddie had to pull the bottom of his t-shirt up to wipe at his eyes and sniffle everything back and he was fully prepared to execute a frosty retreat to the guest room he’d been using.

“Fine.” Robin bit out. When Eddie looked over, she cut her eyes in his direction but quickly averted them again.

“Fine, what?” He cringed at the thickness in his own voice. He didn’t even have the energy to bite back, he just sounded petulant.

“Fine, you’re a miserable fuck.”

He scoffed. “Great. Thanks for your input.”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

“You didn’t want to finish, you left a dramatic pause in there on purpose.”

Her frown only got deeper. “Fine, you’re a miserable fuck but you’re not wrong.” She raised her hand to her mouth and started to pick at some dry skin on her lip. “It’s not on you to read minds.”

Eddie nodded. 

The tv wasn’t even on but she was still staring at it like it was. After another few moments of silence he turned, mirroring her position. “I am trying, Robin. Ever since it properly hit me I’ve been trying.”

“I know.” She sighed heavily, exasperated and slumped lower into the couch. “So he’s been telling me. And to be honest, I can see it.” She glanced back at him again. “Last time I saw you before this you looked like some strung out, coked up skeleton. Now you look,” she waved her hand around in his direction, “like you’ve got actual blood in your veins and not just Xanax and vodka. I just wish Steve didn’t need to get stepped on for you to get there.”

“I wasn’t stepping on him on purpose. If I’d have known… all of this would have happened a lot sooner.”

“Yeah.” She heaved herself up from the couch and grabbed the remote. “Put on a movie. I’d like to keep this little stalemate of ours going at least until Steve gets back. Might help him relax a little bit. Maybe not get a coronary. But pick well,” she threw herself back down and stared him dead in the eye, “don’t make me hate you again.”

Eddie didn’t end up picking a movie, he ended up picking a tv show but either way it ended up being a winner because Sense8 was always a winner. At least that was until it actually started because…

“This show is so fucking horny, man.”

Eddie just shrugged. “It’s a good show.”

“And what are you gonna do if Steve walks in while you’re watching two men fucking on tv?”

Eddie's heart stopped and his face flooded. It wasn’t that he thought Steve would judge him or it would set their progress back or whatever. It was that Steve would be standing there while very, very, super-duper, gay, gay, gay shit was happening in front of his eyes.

Robin snickered next to him just as the key sounded in the lock and a shout of “No one better be dead!” preceded Steve’s entrance.

The phone nearly flew out of Eddie’s hand as he made a frantic scramble to skipskipskip.

Steve stopped dead at the sight of the two of them sitting on the couch, not touching but also not hissing at each other like feral cats. Eddie with what was probably a red face and his phone clutched tight in his hand while Robin tried her best to hide her smile.

“What’s going on here?” Steve asked, wary eyes bouncing between them.

“Nothing!” They both answered at the same time with vastly different inflections. Robin sounded light and jovial while Eddie squeaked, trying to conceal his panic.

“Right…” Steve gave them both a final look before he turned towards the kitchen. “Whatever happened here, I don’t want to know. I’m just glad the two of you haven’t ripped each other's hair out.”

Once he had completely disappeared around the corner Eddie turned his glaring eyes to Robin who had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face.

“You were no help.”

“Yeah? Get used to it.”

That fucking song wouldn’t leave his head and he didn’t know why.

Well that was a fucking lie.

Eddie knew exactly why this fucking song wouldn’t leave him alone. 

Freddie fucking Mercury was haunting him from beyond the grave. 

He could almost hear him, see him out of the corner of his eye. Sitting cross legged, an arm across the back of the couch as Eddie strummed on his guitar. That grin on his face. Drawling out “You’ll get it soon, darling.” 

It wasn’t even like it was a hard song to cover. 

On guitar anyway. 

Vocally was a whole different story. If anyone even thought of singing Freddie Mercury's pieces, figures would materialise out of the woodwork advising it was a bad idea. People just didn’t cover Queen. It was too difficult to do.

Freddie had a vocal range almost unmatched. He could switch keys effortlessly and often. He was iconic. Still is iconic. And almost everyone who had tried wasn't able to match up to the legend.

God, why was he doing this to himself?

A weight dipped the couch cushion next to him and Eddie nearly jumped out of his skin, almost firing his guitar across the room, convinced for half a second that Freddie Fucking Mercury had actually manifested next to him.

But the arm that was now across the back of the couch wasn't Freddie's.

"Jesus, Steve." Eddie clutched at his chest. "Warn a guy."

"You seemed very far away." Steve leaned his head against his hand with a small smile on his face. He was so pretty.

"Not that far.” Eddie shrugged. “Just a dimension or two."

“Seems pretty far.”

“Freddie’s just haunting me is all.” He said as he got up to place his guitar back in her stand along the wall with her sisters, throwing himself back down on the couch with an oof.

“Oh, tell him hi from me then.” Steve reached down, grasping Eddie under the knees and pulling his legs into his lap, causing Eddie to slip down the arm of the couch as his body was pulled forward, leaving only his head propped up at what must have been an incredibly unflattering angle.

“You could’ve just asked.” Eddie wrenched himself up to a sitting position, planting his arms behind him and refusing to think about the fact that if he wiggled his way forward just a little more he’d be pressed right up against Steve, fully in his lap. 

As it was, the backs of Eddie’s thighs were pressed against Steve’s and that was enough to kick his heart up a few notches.

Steve looked down at his legs, plucking at an old cigarette burn in the knee of Eddie’s sweatpants. They were good pants despite the hole. Soft and comfy and he did really mean to stitch it up but he kept getting distracted and then suddenly it was five years later and that same burn kept looking at him.

“You’re doing really well, you know.” Steve said in a quiet voice, staring at Eddie’s knees like they contained the answers to the universe.

Eddie tipped his head back until it hung between his shoulders and he groaned at the ceiling. “The guitar part is easy. It’s the vocals that are-”

“No,” Steve squeezed his knee, “no I don’t mean that, I mean your… your self improvement. Your getting healthy. Your-”

“Oh my god.” Eddie snapped his head back up, staring at Steve with wide hopeful eyes while his breathing got shallower. Steve had a light blush across his cheeks and was continuing to keep eye contact with the knees in front of him. “Is it happening, like is it really happening? Are you giving me a chance, are you-”

“Eddie.” Steve admonished, trying to pull his mouth into a scowl but his face was getting redder and the corner of his lips were lifting up of their own volition. “How are you such a pain in the ass? I had a whole speech planned about all the hard work you’ve put in and how dedicated you’ve been and how rough it’s all been for you but you’ve still persevered-”

“Right, sorry!” Eddie wanted to wave his hands in front of him but they were the only thing keeping him upright so he just nodded like a lunatic. “Sorry! Go ahead.”

Steve rolled his eyes and scoffed but was smiling now. “I can’t just go ahead. Especially now. I was gonna come down here and act all calm and cool and suave and deliver this great speech about how much it’s meant that you did all of this for me. For me?” Steve huffed and pinched his nose, his voice coming out a little shakier than before. “People don’t do things like this for me. And you stuck it out. You’ve kept going even during the hard days and there’ve been some really hard days. I know. I’ve seen them but you kept going and I’m so proud of you. Eddie, I’m so fucking proud. So yeah. I had a whole plan.”

Steve finally looked at him, his eyes were shining and his cheeks were still red but he was managing to pull himself back into his vaguely bitchy and disapproving façade that they both knew was fake but if Steve needed it to give him some strength Eddie would give it to him. 

Eddie would give him everything.

“I had to call Robin twice to hype me up and it still took me a half an hour to get down the stairs. Then I do come down the stairs and you’re sitting there, looking like that." Eddie glanced down at himself. 

Like what? He was in ratty tatty sweatpants and an old dark henley that might have originally belonged to Steve but he honestly couldn’t remember. He was in fuzzy socks and his hair looked like a bird's nest because he just wanted it washed and couldn’t be bothered to go though the whole curly girl thing Chrissy and Robin were trying to push him into. 

He just looked like Eddie.

“And you’re playing that song, trying to sing that song, my song and I couldn’t-” Steve clenched his eyes closed again, reaching his hand out blindly and Eddie shot forward, snatching Steve’s hand up in his own, leaning towards Steve so his centre of gravity was no longer behind him and holding Steve’s hand tight to his chest.

Steve would be able to feel Eddie’s runaway heart under his ribs but he didn’t care. In fact he hoped he could. He hoped it would let Steve know he wasn’t the only one who was scared out of his mind right now.

“Do you-” Steve gulped, opening his eyes again. “Do you still-”

“Yes, I still. I very still.” Eddie squeezed his hand tighter, pulled it harder into his chest, like he wanted Steve to touch his raw and bloody heart with his bare hands.

“Really? Even now? Even though… even after…?”

“Stevie.” Eddie whispered, heart breaking. “Do you think now that I’m sober I wouldn’t want you anymore?”

When Steve just shrugged Eddie couldn’t help himself. He reached a hand out, brushing his knuckles against Steve’s cheek before thumbing a tear away.

“All of this. Everything has been for you.” Eddie kept his voice low, trying to inject as much love as he could into the tone of his voice while he kept stroking Steve’s cheek. “It’ll continue to be for you as long as I live. Now that I know what I know, I don’t think there’s any going back for me. There hasn’t been for a while. I’ve been miserable for so long, hiding underneath substances and sex and denial that I forgot what it was like to even feel… neutral. I didn't know my own heart and you… you allowed me to be able to feel it again."

“Eddie… d’you- can I- can-”

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“Yes.” Steve almost sighed, relaxing like the weight of the world had just been gently lifted from his shoulders. 

“C’mere.” 

Eddie moved his hand from Steve’s cheek, curling his fingers around the back of his neck.

He pulled Steve forward and despite the thundering of his heart in his chest he had only intended it to be a short press of lips, an assurance, a comfort.

As soon as he kissed Steve, Eddie knew for certain that this was it for him. He was done for. He never wanted to kiss anyone else as long as he lived.

He’d never been kissed with so much emotion, with so much feeling. It enveloped his entire body. Any emotions that had previously been attached to kissing, he realised with sudden clarity, were just a general feeling of wild hornyness, crushing on someone, liking someone, being attracted to someone. 

All those were there when kissing Steve but there was so much more.

There was so much love and compassion and it was just so easy. They could have been doing this for years and Eddie found himself already mourning all the time that had previously been lost. He mourned who he used to be, the previous Eddie who had just been kissed out of existence despite his slow death over the last few months. The previous Eddie who’d thought that that life was the best it could ever get.

The poor bastard.

The kiss was wet and not exactly in a sexy way, Steve’s tears mingling between their mouths. Despite how it started, chaste and innocent and assuring, it didn’t stay that way even though Eddie had the best of intentions. 

Steve’s hand was at the back of his head, holding him close, trapping him in the best way as he leaned over him. Eddie felt his knee get batted out of the way and his legs pushed open as Steve settled between them, laying Eddie back on the couch and pressing him down as his tongue bullied its way into his mouth. Steve was well and truly steering this ship and Eddie was just happy to be along for the ride.

If Eddie’s eyes had been open they’d have rolled back in his head.

“Stevie,” Eddie croaked as his neck was being attacked by little nips and sucks that were making it very hard to think, “are you in the right headspace for this?”

Steve paused for a moment before pulling back to shoot him an incredulous look, hovering over him on those strong arms. “You’re asking me if I’m in the right headspace for something maybe sexual? How often have you been in the right headspace when you’ve done sexual things in the past?”

Eddie frowned. “Not very often, which is why I’m asking now.”

The line over Steve’s brow softened and he leaned down to place a kiss against Eddie’s forehead and damn there were those butterflies again.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Eddie shook his head, a little more emphatically than he needed to. “No.”

“Do you want me?”

“I- yes. God, baby, I don’t want anyone else ever again.”

“Okay, good.” Steve leaned down again until he was a breadth away. "Can I continue then?"

So, like…

Eddie hadn't done anything in the last six months besides use his own hand. 

And maybe some toys. 

But he hadn't had a good fuck, hadn't had a good suck in six months after having multiple of each every week for years. In hindsight it had all been frighteningly close to some kind of sex addiction.

But still, six months.

That was to say when Eddie nodded and Steve leaned back down with that smirk of his, it was like he knew. 

Knew that when he rolled his hips down like that Eddie was at risk of blowing his load in less than ten seconds.

“Don’t care,” Steve moaned into his mouth, “don’t care if it’s quick. Don’t care. I wanna see.”

And as embarrassing as it was, that’s what did it. 

Steve telling him he wanted to see him. 

Eddie came with a cry, only barely able to coherently get half the man’s name out of his mouth. It took him longer than usual to float back into his body and even then he was still a little fucked out. Six months. He scrambled to stick his hand down Steve’s pants. This he knew. This he could practically do with his eyes closed. It only took a few minutes for Steve to follow with his mouth hanging open and a beautiful little scrunch in his brow.

“Oh shit.” Eddie sunk back into the cushions. “Don’t think I’ve come in my pants since I was sixteen.”

“I’m flattered.” Steve smiled, peppering kiss over his cheeks, his nose, his forehead.

“You should be.” Eddie smiled back, leaning into the easy affection he was being showered with with so much joy.

“Um,” Steve hesitated, still pressing Eddie into the couch with his body weight but up on his elbows, fiddling nervously with his hair, “just so we’re clear on-”

“I’m with you. If you want.” He slung his arms around Steve’s neck. “We can be a thing. In a relationship. Boyfriends. Partners. All of the above. I’m yours for as long as you want me.”

“Hmm.” Steve tried to give a nonchalant shrug. “That could be a very long time.”

“I’m okay with that.” Eddie leaned up, making sure to seal it with a kiss.

Six Months Later

“So… here’s the thing.” Steve wedged himself in behind Eddie, legs on either side and pulling him back against his chest while Eddie tapped away on his game controller, swinging from building to building.

Eddie settled back, allowing his body to relax but keeping his eyes on the screen. “Mhm?”

“You remember the Sucker music video?” Steve nuzzled his nose into Eddie’s hair.

“Ugh.” Eddie couldn’t watch it. It had come out while Steve was on vacation the first time and Eddie hadn’t wanted to look at the guy who’d potentially destroyed one of the most important relationships in his life. 

Nowadays he was almost tempted to send the bitch a fruit basket. Sex with you helped me find love with someone else. Something like that.

“Right, well you know how there wasn’t enough footage for that gory online exclusive cut?”

“A tragedy, really.”

“Yeah. But the label is looking to release something small before you all start writing again, keep interest up and I was talking to the boys-”

“You were plotting with the boys.”

Steve nodded, tightening his arms for just a moment. “I was plotting with the boys and we were thinking why don’t we do some reshoots to get enough footage together and release it?”

Eddie had to pause the game and twist around. “Sweetheart, tell me you are not suggesting we contact whatever the fuck his name was and I go film with him again?”

Steve looked scandalised. “No! Jesus, no. That’s not what I’m suggesting. I’m… well we were thinking that maybe you could film it with… me.”

Eddie turned completely, planting himself over Steve’s lap and grinning down at him. “Oh yeah?” He leaned in, ghosting his lips over Steve’s cheek, coming to a stop right by his ear. “You wanna be my victim, baby?”

“I get bitten by you enough, I might as well-” Steve gasped as Eddie sunk his teeth into his neck, sucking at the skin. “-might as well get paid for it.” He rolled his hips up and any logistical talk of the video shoot completely flew out the window.

Three weeks later and the video had been released. It was filthy, it was disgusting, it was downright sexy even if that fake blood still tasted like shit. 

Though Steve didn’t really have a problem with his face being in the video, he was mostly kept anonymous. 

Quick close up flashes of his open panting mouth before a hand was clapped over it then his neck gushing blood while Eddie practically bathed in the spray. A shot of Steve’s chest as the clothes were ripped from him, a hand tugging harshly at the hair. Then red dripping handprints over his stomach and black tipped fingers pushing his knees apart and Eddie’s hand running through his hair, leaving blood streaked in its wake, were all that was seen of him.

People went fucking wild for it. It broke through to mainstream news, which Corroded Coffin hadn’t managed to do for a while. 

Christian moms were scandalised. 

Conservative men were outraged. 

Social media was thirsty.

And Steve was starting to get offers. 

Even though he wasn’t really identifiable, people in the industry who’s job it was to know these things started sending him offers for modelling jobs or acting jobs. Though Steve had originally not given them a second look, now he was starting to look.

They’d both agreed that ethically Steve couldn’t really continue on as his P.A. anymore. The thought had once scared the everloving shit out of Eddie but now… now it was okay, because Steve was Eddie’s and Eddie was Steve’s.

Two Years Later

God, he loved being on stage. It was such a rush. How had he been doing it in an altered state for so long? 

It was their first tour since all of everything with Steve had happened. 

Nearly a year and a half since he’d had to get a new personal assistant.

Nancy was like some weird mix in between Steve and the other two, Dustin and Max.  Like Steve, she knew how to handle executives and businessmen like she was speaking a second language. She was loyal to a fault. She was small and sweet looking. People didn’t keep their guard up around her. That would be their first mistake. 

There was one very memorable instance where an overly eager and quite frankly stupid paparazzo had managed to sneak onto Eddie’s property. 

It was rumoured that the new up and coming heartthrob of indie rom-coms was allegedly the live-in boyfriend of a controversial metal singer and this idiot was sure he could get the scoop.

What he hadn’t been expecting was Nancy Wheeler in her white frilly blouse and baby blue dress pants popping him on the nose and swinging her sensible heeled foot in between his legs.

It had all been caught on security footage. 

Eddie had the screenshots framed and Nancy now had them hung behind her desk in the office she had in his house. 

Like Dustin and Max, she’d worked with Steve in the past. She was an absolute wizard when it came to organisation, she didn’t treat him like a mythical entity and she could see past the big bad image to the soft squishy human underneath.

She had a bit more trouble articulating things when it came to emotion but her intentions were never bad. 

Though Eddie and Steve didn’t have an employer/employee relationship anymore, the relationship they did have had only blossomed.

Apparently they were sickening to be around, but Eddie couldn’t really find it within himself to care. He loved his boy so why would he hide it when they were amongst friends?

Robin was forced to eat her words soon enough, which Eddie found great satisfaction in, and reminded her of it often, when he’d introduced her to Chrissy.

Those two were just as bad as he and Steve.

Eddie gave his thanks to the crowd and jogged off to the wings where Steve was waiting with a bottle of water that he nearly drowned himself with, trying to swallow it all down in one go.

Steve just rolled his eyes, making sure to stay out of sight of the crowd as he did it. Neither of them really cared if they got caught red handed with each other but if they could avoid the media circus, they would.

Steve wanted to make a name for himself on his own.

“You don’t have to do this, Eds.”

Eddie nodded. “I know.”

“It’s a big risk.” Steve continued with his hands on his hips.

“I know.” He handed the bottle back to Steve. “But I said I'd do it, didn't I?”

“You did, but you can always pull out.”

“Baby, I never pull out.”

“That's a fucking lie.”

It was Eddie’s turn to roll his eyes now. “Just sit back and enjoy the show, sweetheart.”

Steve gave his ass a squeeze. “Always do.”

Eddie pinched his cheek before turning and jogging back out to centre stage amongst the cries of encore from the crowd.

“Alright, alright.” He spoke into the mic. “One more song for you all. Um,” the nerves were coming in hard and fast now as he glanced behind him towards the other members who gave him encouraging nods. 

Well of course they didn’t need to be nervous. 

They weren’t singing the damn thing. 

Eddie turned back to the crowd as a stage hand came out and handed him his guitar. “I gotta be honest with you all, I’m scared shitless of performing this song. You might be wondering what that’s been doing here all this time.”

He pointed over at the piano that had been sitting quietly in a corner, unused for the whole show.

The audience ooohed and cheered.

“Unfortunately I can’t play, but Jeff here is multi-talented.” Jeff handed his guitar off and took his seat at the piano, tapping on a few keys before giving Eddie the thumbs up.

“People get crucified for covering this band. It’s just not done.” There was chattering starting up in the crowd as they started to speculate. “No one can get close to what this man had, but god damn it, there’s someone special out there who I want to do this for. They’re his favourite band and this is his favourite song and based on your reaction I think some of you already know what I’m about to fucking do. Shit.” He sighed into the mic. “This is Her Majesty. Queen.”

Eddie had no hope of being able to improvise or vamp like Freddie once had and he would never even attempt to try. So as the first piano notes played out over the speakers he opened his mouth and started to sing.

They'd practised this song to death. The whole band was adamant that if they were going to do this they were going to do it right. They guys had practised their high backing vocals for weeks. Eddie had rehearsed the song for months.

There was no way he was going to do Freddie dirty.

By the time he’d gotten to Brian May’s guitar solo he was able to move around a little and get a good look at the crowd.

His eyes landed on a mess of long dirty blond hair and he felt his mouth drop open. 

“Holy shit.” He muttered to himself.

Julian beamed up at him, his arms wrapped around a little twink of a man with a shock of black hair wearing a battle vest that if memory served, had definitely belonged to Julian last they’d met.

“Danny?” Eddie mouthed at him.

Julian’s responding nod was elated as he squeezed Danny against him tighter. Danny himself looked completely shell shocked while something was whisper-shouted into his ear over the music.

Eddie wanted to fucking jump for joy.

With a glance back into the wings, he saw Steve muttering to Nancy, gesturing out towards them. When he looked up and caught Eddie’s eye he tilted his head in question.

You wanna bring them back?

Eddie nodded, just barely catching sight of Nancy disappearing off somewhere before he turned back to finish out the song with a bang, sending one last wink Julian’s way before the lights went down.

When he opened the door to his green room, it was to the sight of Robin trying to adjust her top and Chrissy pulling her skirt back down, both red faced and breathing heavily.

“Can’t you two go find a bathroom or a maintenance closet or something? This is my room! I’m supposed to be the one doing sexy things back here.”

“We lost track of time!” Robin said with crossed arms.

Eddie stuck his hands on his hips. “Surely the sudden lack of loud music should have tipped you off that the concert was over?”

“We were distracted.” Chrissy shrugged, looking completely unapologetic.

“Well go be distracted somewhere else, I’ve got guests coming back.”

“Who?” They asked at the same time.

“An old friend.”

Just then the door behind him was opened. 

Nancy gestured Julian through, who had a huge smile on his face, pulling Danny along by the hand who looked like he was about to faint.

Eddie surged forward, catching Julian up in a crushing hug while he laughed.

“You got your man!” He cried, practically bouncing the two of them.

“I got my man!” Julian squeezed back before extricating himself from Eddie’s arms, pulling Danny forward and tucking him in under his arm. “Eddie, this is Danny Aguilar. Danny this-”

“Hi! I- uh… yeah, I um. I know you. I mean I don’t know you. I mean I know who you are…” Danny stuttered out and before Eddie could even say anything, Nancy was at his side with a small smile and a bottle of water that he took with shaking hands.

“It’s really cool to meet you, man. I’ve heard great things.” Eddie smiled at him but that only seemed to freak him out more so he decided to give the guy a break, turning his attention back to Julian who was rubbing small circles on Danny’s back.

“So tell me, how did this happen?” Eddie asked, pointing between the two of them.

“Well,” Julian gave Danny a squeeze while he took a large drink. “It was the rumours about you actually.”

Eddie snorted. “Which ones?”

“The ones about you shacking up with some guy named Steve who may or may not be the same Steve who’s been making a name for himself.” Julian raised a brow at him. “I figured that even if they weren’t true, I’d seen you get your shit together, get sober, get healthy and it made me think I could do that too. Only one life to live, you know?”

“That’s amazing.” Eddie smiled. “I’m so happy for you, man.”

Julian blushed. “Thanks. What about you?” He asked. “If you tell me that it didn’t work out after I said all of that I’m gonna feel like a giant asshole.”

“No, I-” He felt an arm slide over his shoulders.

“I think it worked out okay.” Steve grinned at him and Eddie felt like he was falling in love all over again. “I hear you were the only one to actually say it out loud to him, so I guess I have you to thank for this.” Steve tugged on one of his curls and Eddie batted his hand away, only to grab it again and hold on tight.

“Oh shit. Really?” Julian looked between them with wide eyes. 

Danny was looking at him like he’d hung the moon.

“Yeah, really. Listen, I was thinking. We have a private space booked at a restaurant for the band and the crew and the lesbians,” Steve waved his hand in Robin and Chrissy’s direction who’d fallen into quiet conversation but now just shot him matching middle fingers, “we’d love it if you wanted to come along. Let us treat you two? As a proper thank you for helping this idiot get his shit together.”

Steve pulled him in tight and Eddie just melted.

Julian was nodding enthusiastically.

And poor Danny.

Poor Danny could only squeak in agreement.

Thank you for coming with me on this journey and I hope you've loved it as much as I have. 🖤

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 AO3

@lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring, @child-of-cthulhu, @sweetwaterangel, @anaibis, @katytheinspiredworkaholic, @littlewildflowerkitten, @hallucinatedjosten, @estrellami-1, @gregre369, @stxrcrossed186, @novelnovella, @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme, @hellowhatthehellisgoingonhere, @thesuninyaface, @messrs-weasley

[mymoonagedaydream]

Part 6

Pairing: Bucky x y/n

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Language

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

---

Your eyelids peeled open. You were home. 

If it hadn’t been for the throbbing pain that started radiating from your neck the moment you became conscious, you might’ve fooled yourself into thinking that the incident outside the bar had been a dream, that there was no way you’d ever actually be stupid enough to try something like that for real. You attempted to swallow but it felt like there was a dry golf ball blocking the back of your throat.

Closing your eyes again, you held your breath and listened intently, trying to tune out the sounds of the road outside. You were desperate to know if he was still here. There was no way in hell you’d have ended up back in your apartment unless he’d brought you, any random bystander would have either packed you into an ambulance or left you unconscious in the gutter. You wouldn’t have blamed him for doing either.

Easing yourself into a sitting position, you reached for the glass of water on your nightstand and took a couple of tiny sips, wincing as the muscles in your throat contracted. Fuck, did it hurt. Given the choice you might even have considered taking another alien gunshot to the stomach over this.

You swallowed your last sip, looked up and saw Bucky standing in the doorway. He must’ve heard you stirring. He looked pissed.

“Hey.” You jolted at the sound of your own voice, it sounded like glass crunching underneath a heavy boot.

“How’s the pain?”

“Bad. Do you have anything I could take for it?”

“You really think you could swallow painkillers right now?”

Your head collapsed forwards and you rubbed your eyes harshly, the agony causing a thick cloud of fog to start forming in your mind. You had no idea what you were going to do. Bucky briefly disappeared from the doorway, returning after a second and moving over to the bed with something cupped in his palm. He took your glass of water and emptied his hand into it. Crushed up pills.

He held it out to you. “Drink.”

“Thanks.” You started taking tiny, rapid sips again but paused when he stood up and began heading for the door. “Wait, can we talk?”

“You need to rest.” 

“I need to explain.”

“We’ll talk later,” he nodded towards the glass, “after they’ve kicked in.”

You just nodded and let him go. You weren’t willing to push him any further, not while he was being this stern. You didn’t want to risk pushing him away again. 

It took you a good ten minutes to finish off the glass, but the throbbing didn’t begin to subside until about half an hour after that. As soon as you could think straight, however, you were on your feet. You figured Bucky had probably intended for you to rest a little longer than that but you were absolutely bursting for a wee, so you pulled on a sweater and shuffled through to the front room. 

He was sitting on the couch in silence. He didn’t look over as you walked into the bathroom, his fingers tapping against the upholstered arm, a brooding expression on his face.

He still hadn’t moved when you came back out.

“Can we talk now?” The tapping stopped abruptly but he stayed silent. “Please, Buck.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Anything. Jesus, scream at me if you want to. Tell me I’m an idiot, call me an asshole, just give me any hint of what you’re thinking.”

You noticed his eye twitch slightly every time your voice broke or faltered, his gaze staying fixed to the floor. He flexed his jaw as he considered his next words. They came out barely louder than a whisper.

“If you hate being spoken to like a child then why the fuck do you act like one so often?”

“I know, I’m sorry, it was unbelievably fucking stupid. I just really needed to see you.”

“So you start a bar fight?”

“Well I couldn’t exactly put up a bat signal, could I?”

“Put up a what?”

“Nevermind.” You placed yourself down beside him, lifting one leg up onto the couch so you could face him directly. “I needed to apologise and I couldn’t think of any other way to get to you.”

“Apologise?”

“Yeah, for how I acted when you were here before.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I should never have let you leave, Buck. I didn’t want you to go I was just... spiteful. I’m sorry.”

He finally looked at you. You could see in his face that he was desperately trying to figure out how to feel about that, how to react. His eyes narrowed slightly and darted from you, to the wall behind you, to the floor and then back to you. He was almost starting to look pleased. His lips parted slightly but he stopped himself before he spoke, face falling into disapproval once again.

“You almost got yourself killed so you could apologise to me?”

“Yes,” you felt like picking him up and shaking him, “because you’re worth the risk, alright? You think I would’ve had the balls to do that for anyone else? You think I didn’t shit myself and want to run away when that guy was coming at me?”

“I think you’ve got a deathwish.”

“Maybe I do.”

“Well I wish you’d stop.”

A hoarse chuckle escaped through your lips. ”Make me.”

The corner of his mouth curled upwards. Your head was beginning to feel heavy so you let it collapse sideways onto the couch cushion. Bucky hesitantly reached a hand towards you, brushing his fingertips over the mottled bruising on your neck, his tough so light that you barely felt it. 

“How’s it feeling?”

“Like I got kicked by a horse with really good aim.”

“S’what happens when you go picking fights with guys twice your size.” He shrugged, pulling his hand away and leaning his head back so it was sitting at the same angle as yours. “Y’know, I almost stopped checking up on you a couple days ago.”

“You what?”

“Well, I figured I couldn’t just keep following you around forever. I wanted to step back and finally give you a chance to move on but, I don’t know, I guess I just couldn’t stay away.”

“Jesus, I’m fucking glad you didn’t.”

“Me too.”

You shuffled forwards, placing your hand over the top of his and squeezing it tightly. You knew it was now or never for your relationship, either you figured out how to make it work right now or you walked away for good, because this high stakes on and off affair was clearly taking its toll on both of you. He interlaced his fingers with yours. 

“You really think I’m worth it?”

“I promise you are, Buck.”

—

Your eyes shot open. What the fuck was that noise? It sounded like metal clattering against tile but it was too loud to be coming from a neighbouring apartment. 

You ran a hand down the length of your side and past your hip, searching desperately for the heavy, metal arm that lay in the same place every single night. He’d initially insisted on only staying at your apartment a couple of nights a week, not wanting to be a burden on you, but he’d been there for almost three weeks straight now and you weren’t planning on kicking him out anytime soon.

The arm wasn’t there. You rolled onto your back, reaching a hand towards the lamp on your nightstand but freezing when you heard a gruff whisper.

“Don’t.”

“Buck?”

You tried to stay hushed too but you were beginning to freak out a bit. Your eyes started to adjust to the darkness and you saw him sitting bolt upright beside you, staring intently at the slightly cracked bedroom door, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Stay here.”

He threw the sheet off and sprung to his feet, moving across the room completely silently and peering into the front room with laser focus. It would’ve been an incredibly impressive exhibition of his stealth and prowess if he hadn’t been only in his underwear.

He looked back at you, lifted a finger to his lips and then held up a flat hand, which you translated as him telling you to shut the fuck up and stay put. You shook your head frantically. The baseball bat that you kept under your side of the bed was overdue some action, so you grabbed it and followed your defeated boyfriend through the door.

The living room was clear. He tried once more to make you stay behind as he moved to the kitchen but, once more, you refused. No amount of frenzied arm gestures would convince you that any spot in this apartment was safer than being right next to him.

He turned the corner and swiftly turned on the light in the kitchen, illuminating a metal saucepan in the middle of the floor and the cupboard you kept it in hanging open an inch. You frowned slightly, wondering why a highly-trained Hydra assassin would be rifling through your crockery collection.

Another sound came from inside the cupboard. You almost jumped to the other side of the room but Bucky rushed straight towards it, flinging open the door and breathing a sigh of relief when a small rat jumped out and scurried away across the counter. He turned back towards you with an unimpressed glare.

You chuckled. “You think he was sent to scout us out?”

“I think we need to find a new apartment.”

“Nah, the wildlife just adds to the character and charm of th-” Your tongue stuttered as you realised what he’d just said. “Wait, we?”

“Yeah. Well, unless you don’t want to.”

“I want to.”

“Me too.”

“Good.”

He smiled, stepping over the stray saucepan as he moved over, circling his arms around your waist and pulling you into his chest. You rested the side of your head against his collarbone and chuckled as you watched the rat squeeze into the gap beside the oven. 

Yeah, fair enough, this place was a shithole.

“So,” you smiled to yourself, “were you really gonna fight off an intruder in just your underwear?”

“I’d fight a whole army naked for you, sweetheart.”

“Aw. That’s so weird.”

“It sounded better in my head.”

“Sure it did.”

—

[edenfalling]

I need more detail on all of these options.

1. Eat Worms: Do I get a new fresh worm each day, or do I get the whole year's supply at once? If the former, I'm not sure how much can be done to mitigate the general ick factor, but if the latter, I could dry them, powder them, and probably compress the powder into some kind of easily swallowable pill, which would be fine. MAYBE

2. Deserted Island: How much support do I get on this deserted island? Like, are we talking a full on Robinson Crusoe survival horror thing? Or do I get to bring six months of supplies plus some writing materials? The answers to these questions dramatically change my opinion. MAYBE

3. Live With Your Ex: Do I have to move in with my ex, or does he move in with me, or do we both move into a new house halfway between our current homes, or what? (Disclaimer: I only ever dated one person, and that was in high school, so I haven't seen him in over 20 years and I have no fucking clue where he lives these days or what kind of person he has become because I never log into Facebook.) Also I prefer cash. NOPE

4. Eat Only Canned Food: Canned meats are okay, but canned carbohydrates are pretty dire and canned vegetables/fruits range from absolutely disgusting to just kind of meh. I think the best compromise is to just eat a lot of soup. So much soup. I don't think I could manage a year of nothing but soup and the occasional corned beef hash or refried beans, which is a pity because that's not a half bad prize. Also canned food tends to be very salty and I already have high blood pressure. NOPE

5. Screaming Wake-Up: Is this an actual live person coming into my actual apartment to physically scream in my face? Or is it just a recording? Or maybe a Zoom call? Also, can I choose the person? And do I get to choose what time they arrive, or be informed of their planned arrival time the night before so I can adjust my sleep schedule accordingly? If I have some control over or knowledge of the time of screaming, and if it's a virtual screaming experience or I can choose the in-person screamer, I think I'd be okay with this. Otherwise, any stranger looming over my bed and screaming at me while I'm asleep is getting a railroad spike to the face. (Not a figure of speech. I keep a railroad spike on my nightstand since the time a burglar came in through my bedroom window at 3am back in 2009.) MAYBE

6. Go To The Club: "The club" is unforgiveable vague -- please clarify. Also, do I have to do anything specific at this club? How long do I have to stay there each night? Regardless, the cash prize here is not worth the bother compared to the other options. NOPE

In conclusion, I think the screaming wake-up call is probably my best bet. If the screamer is not someone already known to me, and assuming they survive assault via railroad spike, I suspect we could come to some kind of arrangement where they stand in my driveway and scream through my window, which I could handle for 4 months.

My neighbors might object, but I think I could buy them off with $10,000 each, or something along those lines. :)

[bangtangalicious]

death valley (m) | part 7

summary: welcome to death valley. once you’re in, there’s no telling whether you’ll make it out alive. a summer internship turns wild with blurry nights of dangerous men, dirty money, and extremely hot sex. you soon get caught in a savage game of greed, power and obsession, only to find out that you are the grand prize

pairing: ot7 x f.reader smut ft: yoongi x reader, seokjin x reader, hoseok x reader

genre: smut. yandere. mystery. thriller. gang!au rockstar!au fightclub!au

wordcount: 9.3k 

warnings: reader discretion advised. multiple & explicit smut scenes, rough sex (smacking, manhandling, etc), very obsessive & possessive themes, manipulation, use of restraints (mouth), bondage (collar, leash), slight sadism kink, physical roughness, guns, heavy drug use/reference, breast play, mentions of addiction/addiction prone behaviors, unrealistic sex endurance levels (readers really out here banging), dubcon/coersive sex, reader uses humor as a coping mechanism, degradation, toxic relationships, yelling, crying, character death (or is it), oral sex, shower sex, technically cheating depending on how you look at it, daddy kink, praise, implied stalking, yoongi loves spoiling his baby girl, impreg kink if you squint, dom!yoongi (duh), dom!hoseok, dom!seokjin 

part 0 | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11 | series navi | masterlist |

a/n: i spent way too long on this HAHAHA 

F L A S H B A C K--

The crowd roared as the fight came to a close. Jin stepped out of the ring reluctantly, someone handed him water while another man wrapped a towel around his shoulders. A soft ringing noise resonated through his ears, blood teasing the edges of his vision. He pushed everyone away to find his prep room. Sighing deeply, he looked down at his trembling hands. His body was on overdrive, he was getting desperate. 

He placed his hands against the wall, unable to think straight with the way his heart was pounding out of his chest. He could hear the footsteps of someone stop in his doorway, not having to look to know exactly who it was.

“Do you have any coke on you?” Jin wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel, panting heavily, “Seriously Jimin. I’m gonna fucking lose my mind” 

Jin had always been extremely unstable. It was in his personality to get aggressively addicted to things. Whenever Jin went too long without it, it was like he surrendered himself to a beast. Jimin liked to call it his maniac side.

“Can you stop thinking about getting high for one fucking second? We have a problem here” Jin hears a soft thud causing him to finally turn and look. Jimin had just dropped your unconscious body onto the hard floor.

“Well well. Who is this?” Jin crouched down and slid his fingers over your parted lips, digging his nail into the soft flesh until it began to bleed slightly. As you eyes slowly began to flutter open, a carnal desire coiled in Jin’s chest. He had never seen anyone quite like you before.

"Hi there cutie” Jin grinned, “What’s your name?” Your eyes were quivering with fear, something about your vulnerable state was so delicious to him. You glanced towards Jimin, only beginning to tremble even more.

“P..park Jimin” You gasped, “Oh my goodness! I...I love you. Wait no. I...sorry...I’m a huge fan” You rubbed your eyes. Jin’s heart trembled at your dazed expression. “Where am I? What’s going on?” He wanted to eat you alive. 

Jimin joined Jin on the floor besides you “Well thank you pretty girl. It’s nice to meet you...?”

“Y/n” You introduced yourself, shaking his hand before turning to Jin, looking at him with your tempting, lustful eyes. Y/n. Jin’s head was pounding as the withdrawal began taking over him. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his life. 

Jin had never found anyone else even close to catching his eye before. He would sit mindlessly on his phone while girls would be on their knees, gagging on his cock, waiting for the mind-numbing minutes until he could finally cum and leave. The prospect of a relationship, of love, it seemed otherworldly. Perhaps it wasn’t for him. He had drugs and that kept him happy. But you. You were a high he had yet to fully taste. Looking at you alone had him feeling a glow unlike any other.

“Hey” You said to him. Jin felt dizzy as you spoke, getting lost in your gaze, “You’re the fighter guy right? Jin?”

Hearing you say his name had him bucking forward, trying to hide his growing erection from the famous star who was by his side. “Yeah. Hi. Great to meet you”

Jimin got up, brushing the dust off of his pants, “I’m getting out of here” He grabbed his jacket from your arms, “Jin, please search her address and get Y/n home.” Jimin reached into his back pocket “These should make her forget” He slid a pill into your mouth and you swallowed obediently. 

Jin began to break a sweat, watching the way your lips sucked in the small capsule and gulped it down it so nicely. Jimin left without another beat, leaving you in Jin’s arms, your eyes getting heavy with each passing second.

You blinked, eyes wide with uncertainty as Jin held you close. “You can take me home?”

Jin nodded, “I need to do something really quick first” He slid his hand down his pants to begin palming his erection. His vision was turning blue as his headache began to spread. “God you’re so pretty” He grabbed your jaw, ensuring that you couldn’t look anywhere but his face. 

Jin felt like his mind was running miles a minute. You looked so cute and helpless. He wanted to tear you to pieces, he wanted to see you bruised and battered, splayed out for him to ravish you as he pleased. 

Was it wrong? Was it wrong that he wanted to shove his cock in your mouth while you slowly lost consciousness? In the moment, nothing made more sense to him. 

Your pretty lips, your sweet eyes, how could he not? Your lips trembled, eyes half lidded, rolling back slightly as you fought to stay awake.

“Oh fuck oh fuck. Don’tttt...don’t fucking look at me like that Y/n. If you look at me like that I’m gonna--gonna--ohhhh baby, fuck what are you doing to me” Jin gasped loudly as cum spilled all over his palm. 

P R E S E N T   D A Y--

Amongst the sweet bliss of your dreams, a current washed over you and reality had your eyes opening. Your heart felt heavy as your vision focused in on the dry walls that continued to encage you. Your body pulsed with soreness, reminding you of the previous nights events.

To say you were upset would be an understatement, but you were shocked more than anything. You had never seen Jin act so unhinged before. It was almost as though he quite literally couldn’t control himself, the thought alone bringing a bitter taste to your mouth.

Before you could decide on whether to give him a piece of your mind and reprimand his behavior, you hear him wincing with pain across the room. He lay leaned against the wall, sweat trickling down his muscles from the heat. His head tilted back in a soft groan, dark hair now extremely tangled and messy.

“Are you okay?” You got up with a start. Jin exhaled before shaking his head in defeat. 

“No, my leg still really fucking hurts. I feel like absolute shit right now” He punched the side of his fist into the ground in frustration. “I feel like I’m going insane” 

You couldn’t even begin to imagine his pain. At least you got to leave the cell for some time, he had been here all along. Alone. Wounded. It was just awful. Yoongi should have had the courtesy to take him to the hospital, but then again did Yoongi even have a courteous bone in his body? You were no longer sure. 

“It just sucks too because I’m trapped here, helpless, and all I can fucking do is feel this pain” Jin's jaw clenched. "And I’m sorry for last night I just...you were just there, so close. I just couldn’t help it. I could finally forget the pain even if it was just for a moment”

“It’s okay, I understand” You knew that feeling far too well. Jin reached his arms out to you, pulling you to sit next to him. His hands trailed down your thighs as he looked at you intently. “You know, I don’t mind...if it helps distract you from the pain. We can” You cleared your throat nervously, heat rising to your cheeks, “I mean, just tell me what you need”

Jin’s eyes widened with surprise. “Really?” He asks, gulping, “You don’t have to”

“I want to Jin. Let me help. I’m half the reason you’re in this mess” You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about it. Jin was extremely handsome, you had noticed that from the moment you saw him in the arena. With a body like that, your heart skipped a beat at what all he might have in store for you.

His fingers slid between your legs, making you gasp softly. He tickled your clothed cunt softly. He flattened his fingers, teasing your entrance before moving to your clit. Licking his lips, he sucked lightly on your ear. Your hips bucked up as a ticklish sensation shot through your body. You felt wet. 

And you knew he could feel it too, as he drew his fingers away. “Can I?” He mumbled into your neck. You nodded, flustered and warm all over as he pushed your panties aside and began drawing light circles on your clit. You twitch at the sensations hitting your nerves. His other hand cupped your jaw tightly, turning your face towards him.

“Oh fuckk, Jin that feels so good” You didn’t know why you felt so horny, whether it was the morning or the temporary relief from reality. Jin carefully slid one finger into your cunt, just barely, his delicate movements sending shocks of pleasure through your tired body.

Your pussy clenched down on his finger, and he growled. Pulling out, he popped the finger into his mouth before sighing, “Can I tell you what I want?” You could hear a slight tremble in his voice, “Will you do anything for me?”

You choked on your own breath, nodding dumbly as Jin’s gaze flashed with desire. “Get on all fours over me. Wanna spank that pretty ass”

Jin was taken aback at your willingness. You obeyed so well, his hands kneaded your tender flesh, enjoying the view of your ass sticking out for him. You winced as you felt his palm smack against you hard, making your knees tremble with pain and pleasure. 

That’s for sleeping with Jungkook. He smacked again, with full force. He knew it stung. He could hear the pain in your pathetic whimpers and he loved it. And Hobi. Smack. And Jimin. Smack. You cried out as the impact caused you to fall forward onto your chest. And Yoongi. 

Your ass was flushed, as he tenderly rubbed over the bruises he had so generously given you. He leaned forward, letting his tongue glide over the soreness before playfully biting down.

“Jin...that hurts” He ignored you, proceeded to slide down his pants, his turgid length already incredibly hard. He tugged at his cock quickly, the sounds of his slippery pre-cum barely noticeable under your soft moans. 

“Sit on my cock. Nice and easy, lean back on me” His cock twitched as you turned your head to look back at him briefly, your eyes glossy from the pain, but full of curiosity nevertheless. You crawled back over him to line his cock with your soaking cunt. Jin grabbed your hips, helping ease you down onto his length. 

“Ah...ah...” His size stretched you out, pussy swallowing him in. You cursed, eyes rolling back. He wanted to see your face, see how fucked out you would look as he gave it to you so good. 

“Quiet, he might hear us.” He carefully tugged off his shirt from your body with your help, then used it to cover your mouth. He pulled the knot tight,  the fabric tugging at the sides of your mouth uncomfortably. 

His hands stroked over your bare chest quietly, humming in approval, “That’s a good girl...gonna be all quiet for me now right?” His cock twitched inside of you as he heard your muffled voice. His fingers weaved through your hair before he clenched his fist, making you wince. He pulled your head back as he thrusted up into your soaking cunt “Hear that? You’re loving this aren’t you, you fucking whore”

He grabbed your neck, holding it in a tight grip as he pounded up into you. He no longer cared if he was being too loud, he moaned at the top of his lungs. You felt so good. Your pussy welcomed his cock like it was meant to be there, so slippery and warm for him to just fuck over and over and over again.

He couldn’t hear you softly plead for him to let you breathe over the sounds of his own cursing. He didn’t care. If you passed out, you deserved to. Your body was his for the taking, it had to learn. You said yourself you would do what he wanted. He needed this. It was the least you could do for all the trouble he’d been through for you.

He let your neck go, and as you gasped for a saving breath, he felt your walls leak all over him. Your muffled cries sounding like music to his ears. Your whole body was shaking from pleasure. 

His gaze fell onto your back, sinking his teeth onto your scars. You winced loudly as he marked you, his knife wound from the previous night still stinging and tender with pain.

Grabbing your head again, he pushed your face down onto the ground. You thrusted your hips helplessly, feeling your orgasm approaching as the cold floor pressed painfully against your nose. 

“Wait..wait...I’m so close” Your words were intangible through the cloth. You were humping down on him so desperately he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. There, in front of him with your ass bouncing from how feverishly you wanted to cum all over his cock, he was in heaven. 

Jin felt your heat melt as you came, screaming in ecstasy against the restraint. You limply relaxed onto the floor as Jin continued to thrust up into you, holding your hips down tightly to dig deeper and deeper into your messy, dripping cunt.

Jin felt like his whole body would explode in pleasure. This was the peak. His life couldn’t get any better than this moment where he had you just like he dreamed. He wondered if it would always feel this good. Of course it would. It was you after all. 

Your core clenched as the stimulation became too much. He looked into your eyes and could see the streams of tears staining your cute cheeks. It was that look. That pleading look that was begging him to stop. Jin came with a loud cry, tilting his head back as he smacked your locker back one final time. 

Breathing heavily, he lifted you off of him, watching his seed leak out of you. You laid down onto your side, absolutely spent. He slid down to lay behind you, hugging you to him as he undid the mouth wrap with his teeth. He stroked your body tenderly, hands finding your breasts. 

“Holy shit” You coughed, finally able to breathe air directly. “Officer Kim Seokjin, that was...wow”

Jin didn’t respond, he simply smiled, pinching your nipples causing you to squirm. That was nothing baby. 

-

Taehyung hated being wrong. He hated not knowing and not having control of any situation. So when Yoongi was shaking his head, denying that he had caused all the recent chaos that had been keeping Taehyung up at night, he felt like he was going to tear the entire bar apart, floorboard by floorboard. 

“Y/n had mentioned she was kidnapped. I didn’t hear about it from you so I figured it must have been Jimin, and that you made sure she didn’t really get hurt. It ended up with her opening up to me, so I wasn’t really too mad about it” Yoongi said calmly, sipping his drink.

“From the footage it looked like Namjoon and Y/n took the pills and blacked out. Hobi was drunk too, but when he sobered up he had gotten a call to take them to the warehouse. I figured you had told him to do that.” 

Yoongi raised his eyebrows, “Why the fuck would I want to kidnap and beat up Namjoon? I need him healthy to fight. Don’t be such an idiot Kim"

“It wasn’t just that though. Jimin’s accident happened right after I sent you the video. I figured you were jealous”

Setting his glass down, Yoongi swiveled in his stool to light a cigar before leaning back casually “The video of Y/n and Jimin fucking? Please, I don’t give a shit”

“Well, then I told you that Jungkook showed her the lab and gave her literal heroin so I imagine you weren’t happy about that”

The smoke dissipated slowly from his lips. Taehyung frowned at the scent. “I wasn’t. But still, I didn’t stab him. I was with Y/n, taking care of her because I love her.”

Taehyung clenched his fists. He did not want to hear Yoongi go on and on about how much he loved you, he did not care. He wanted to know who was messing with his plans. Taehyung had things to do. He had operations in play. He couldn’t afford any mistakes.  

“Is that all? Jimin’s album is coming out tomorrow so I need to get some rest” Yoongi scoffed suddenly, “Especially now that Jimin’s gone ahead and brought Y/n into the media’s eye. What a fucking idiot”

“How are you planning on dealing with him? Are you gonna kill him?”

Yoongi laughed. “Taehyung. Seriously. What is up with you these days? If I wanted Jimin dead he would be dead dumbass.” Yoongi clicked his tongue, “Like I said before, I’m not worried about her and Jimin. She hates him. I know she does.”

Taehyung was not expecting that at all. Not from Yoongi. He had seen Yoongi wrench out people’s teeth if they didn’t pay him. He had seen Yoongi shoot innocent people, not even noticing when Taehyung had to turn around and puke his guts out because of it. But looking at the powerful man besides him now, he could barely recognize him.

“Just find out who was giving Hobi those orders and kill them. I don’t care who it is, just kill them. I don’t even want to know. I don’t have time for this”

Taehyung pursed his lips, “Yoongi, you know that Jimin does really like Y/n too, right? Like, he might be falling in love with her.” Yoongi gave him a look indicating that he was not taking him seriously, “I’m serious! I’ve never seen him like this and I’m surprised you aren’t more worried”

“Taehyung. Do you think I’m dumb?” Yoongi’s expression shifted to one of annoyance, “I knew what I was doing when I offered her an internship. I knew what I was doing when I signed Jimin on, knowing full well how much of a fan she is. Of course I knew she would pursue him. I needed her to see for herself, what a bratty piece of shit that man is. I knew she would hate him Taehyung, killing him would mean she might still care. She might still have feelings for him. That’s not what I need. She can only love me. I have to show her I’m better than him”

Yoongi took another puff of his cigar before continuing, “Now, I’ll admit things got fucked up when fucking Namjoon kept on bringing her to Death Valley. Idiot doesn’t take a fucking hint.”

Taehyung gulped down the rest of his drink before slamming the glass on the bar top. “Another please” He waved to the bartender. “I can take Jin off your hands now. He’s seen your face, but he might know stuff so it could be good to keep him alive” Yoongi simply shrugged, setting his cigar aside.

“I don’t care what you do with him. I want her alone tomorrow. I’m coming clean”

-

The next morning, Yoongi brought Taehyung back to the apartment. Taehyung lifted Jin out of the cell and claimed to be taking him to a clinic. After they left, it was just you and Yoongi.

Yoongi crouched down and extended a hand to you, not wanting to come too close. He knew you were upset with him. He could feel it. 

“Morning my love” His voice was songlike, eyes pleading as he looked at you, an absolute mess on the floor, like you were his whole world. “Come on, let me run you a bath. I’m sorry”

You knew if you looked at him for too long you wouldn’t be able to resist. But after everything you had just heard, you wanted to just be alone.

“I’ll explain everything. I promise, I don’t want any lies between us” Reluctantly, you took his hand and he pulled you up into a hug. You teared up at his embrace. You could feel the simple adoration through his touch. You could have just melted into his arms.

Leading you out of the cell, he sat you down in the kitchen while he went to draw a hot bath for you. “Will you be joining me?” You asked him dryly, attempting to put up some attitude in whatever way you could. 

To your surprise he shook his head, “No. I’ll wait till you’re done. Enjoy yourself” You frowned slightly, knowing a part of you didn’t want to hear the answer. “If you need anything just call for me okay?” He took your hands in his, kissing them gently. “After, I want to give you something. I’ve put some clothes for you on the dresser inside”

“Wait” You gasped, taking in his presence fully. “I’m sorry a...about Jimin and the media”

Yoongi shook his head, “It’s not your fault. It’s like you said, he’s just a typical rockstar” The two of your shared a small laugh. You realized then how rarely you had ever seen Yoongi smile. It was a beautiful smile, and you hoped to see it again.

You stepped into Yoongi’s bathroom. It wasn’t very large, but it was very high tech. A modern tub lay with soft white suds dancing over it. You grinned inwardly as you saw how he had laid out a blunt and a lighter for you. The water smelt of lavender, and was just the right temperature as you stripped down and slid in. You closed your eyes, inhaling deeply while appreciating the moment of peace. The eye of the storm. Inside you knew that this might be the only break you would get. Jimin’s album was coming out tomorrow. You had no idea what to expect. 

“Yoongi” You called out, tilting your head back and sinking into the tub deeper. 

He appeared rapidly, not really reacting to your undressed state as he knelt down by the tub, “Everything okay?”

“Stay here” You moved your arm out of the water, soap dripping onto the tiled floor as you tilted Yoongi’s cheek towards you and kissed him deeply. “Join me” You gasped into his mouth, “Please”

Yoongi kept his lips on yours, pushing his tongue into your mouth. He missed kissing you so much. Not having you the past night had been incredibly hard for him. “No love. I need you to relax. I’m about to tell you some things today and...you might be scared.”

You whined against him, pulling him closer to you while he did little to resist, “But I want you” You pouted.

Yoongi rolled his eyes with a soft smirk, “I want you too love. Don’t stay in there too long okay. Then get dressed and I’ll be in the kitchen” With one final kiss on your lips, he backed away from you, and you slid back into the warm water.

Yoongi had set out a cute little sundress for you, one that was scandalously sheer, but nevertheless cute. The dress felt blissfully light on your body, a slight breeze fluttering up your skirt as you spun around in front of a large mirror. 

You felt sexy, but most of all you felt free. You sighed heavily as you made your way to the kitchen, twirling around playfully before falling back into Yoongi’s embrace. 

“Hey” You got on your tippy toes to allow Yoongi to plant a kiss on your lips from behind you, smiling into one another. There was that smile again. It made your heart melt like butter. 

He wrapped his arms around you, nuzzling into your neck, “Fuck love you smell so good. You look so good.” You giggled as you felt his erection press up on your ass “How can I control myself...” His words were breathless as his hands trailed down to the hem of your dress, lifting it lightly to reveal the frilly lingerie he had bought for you. He cursed under his breath, pulling your ass back against him.

“Ah ah! You said you were gonna give me something” You teased, getting your payback for earlier. Yoongi nodded, reaching into the drawer to bring out a box. He slid it onto the kitchen counter “Is this for me?” He nods as you excitedly open the box. In it is a pistol, with gold accents and your initials engraved onto the side with what looked like diamonds. Beneath the device was a magazine of matching color. You looked at Yoongi with shock.

“I had it made just for you. Do you like it?” His hands covered yours as he guided you to take the gun into your hands and load the magazine into it. “I hope you never have to use it. But I needed you to have something to protect yourself” He turned and pulled your wrists to aim the barrel against his heart. “You could even kill me if you wanted to”

You were at a loss for words, but Yoongi continued, keeping the gun in your hand aimed at himself “I’m not a good guy Y/n. I’m dangerous. That’s why I had Taehyung take you out of Death Valley that night and had to throw you into that cell.” He gave you so space backing away. You felt bad, knowing that he must be feeling anxious to reveal himself to you, despite you knowing exactly what he was going to say.

You tried to give him a comforting look, unable to move your hands from his steady grip, “I’m a gangster.”

He waited for you to react. You weren’t sure what to do, so you just parted your lips in feigned shock. Wow! No way! Really! You felt like laughing, but his gaze was so serious you stopped yourself.

"I have a drug syndicate. At Death Valley. The money I make from that I use to gamble. That’s why we have the fights. I have boys trained and bet money on them. We make millions through that but really it’s just power plays” He looks away from you momentarily, “Anyways, no one knows that I, Min Yoongi, am the one running things there, but still I have a lot of enemies. A lot of people would love to see me dead. To see me lose.”

“Since you’re my partner, you are a liability. I need you to be safe. Normally I’ll have someone from the gang accompany you wherever you go. You won’t know who it is so don’t worry about it, it’s just in case anything happens” 

Partner? Since when? You frowned slightly at the label. Then again, this guy did carve his name into your skin. Maybe that was how big scary gangsters asked girls out these days, who were you to judge. 

“I don’t want you to be scared of me okay” Yoongi finally took the gun from you and set it aside, “Me giving you this means I trust you. With my secret and my life.”

You began to feel flustered. You hadn’t even thought about what it would mean to actually date or be associated with a gang member, let alone a kingpin. Now the media thought you were dating Jimin, who was also conveniently high up in all this. 

“I know it’s a lot” Yoongi said. “You can always ask me if you have questions. Now let’s get to work okay. Big day coming, I need my your expert opinion by my side”

-

The low growl of the engine was the only sound to be heard as Taehyung drove Jin to his own home. The world came still as he parked the car. Sighing heavily, he checked his radar before exiting the car, lifting Jin.

“You think you can stand buddy?” Jin nodded, and Taehyung slowly helped him find steady ground. He held Jin up, assisting him as they walked in through the back entrance to his basement. 

A single lightbulb illuminated just enough for Taehyung and Jin to see each other’’s faces. Nothing more, nothing less. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he placed Jin into a chair. 

“So it’s this Yoongi guy huh” Jin remarked. “And surprise surprise...you’re his little bitch too. Do your lips hurt from all the ass you have to kiss?”

“Oh please, Yoongi can go to hell for all I care.” Taehyung chuckled, surveying an array of knives that were displayed on the wall before his eyes settled on a small blade, curved ever so slightly. “I do need you to keep your mouth shut about me to Jimin though. If it weren’t for me, Yoongi would have let you rot in there”

Jin tilted his head, a small smile growing on his face as he understood the implications of Taehyung’s words, “I see. You’re plotting against both of them huh?”

“What’s I’m plotting is none of your goddamn business, Officer. So tell me, what’s it gonna take to keep you quiet hm? Money? More coke?”

“You know, I might be able to help you. You’re playing a dangerous game Taehyung. I know what you’re doing and I know how you plan on doing it. You’re using Y/n as bait. You’re using her to pin Jimin against Yoongi so you can sweep in and take over.”

Taehyung froze. First he smiled, then burst out into giggles before full on laughing. “It’s that obvious huh? Fine, hypothetically let’s say we work together. What’s in it for you?”

Jin licked his lips, “All I ask, is that when the dust settles, Y/n is mine. I know things Taehyung. I’m a cop after all”

Taehyung rolled his eyes and sighed, “Is that it?”

“And I get to kill them. My way”

Taehyung took a moment to think. “Okay Officer. You might just have yourself a deal.”

-

The clicking of the keyboard resonated through Yoongi’s office that was all but quiet as the chaos of an upcoming release had taken the whole building by storm. 

He had you sitting on his thigh, hands around his neck as he would run final details by you. But with the way he would occasionally tap his foot, causing his leg to vibrate underneath you, you couldn’t help craving him more and more with each passing minute.

He wouldn’t react as you nibbled his ear, placed kisses on his neck. You sighed loudly, sexual frustration building up within you. Finally you slid down a strap of your dress, letting it, along with your bra, glide down your breast. You tried to pull his chin towards you but he was too caught up in reading the emails he had gotten.

You really did respect the guy. For whatever he is, he took his work...of all kinds...very seriously. That itself turned you on. “Yoongi” You cooed at him, causing him to hum slightly.

“Yes love?” He muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. 

“Look” He finally surrendered to you, allowing you to turn his chin to see your perky breast in his line of vision. He was surprised, looking at you briefly before placing his mouth over you and suckling you roughly. 

You bit your lip, his tongue felt hot as he rolled it around your nipples. He took his time, lapping away at you, digging his teeth and gliding his wet lips over the perked bud. 

You buried your face into his soft black hair, his musky scent overwhelming you. Stuttering his name from your lips as he continued to suck your tit harshly, his hands trailed up your bare legs under the skirt of your dress to tug at the waistline of your panties. He let his fingers glide beneath the soft lace, teasing you.

Yoongi gave your breast a final sloppy kiss, before he let go with a pop, looking up at your fucked out face. He chuckled, bringing one hand to slide down your other strap and then tenderly squeezing your other breast. He rolled the tip between his fingers before placing his mouth of it.

Heat was coiling in your chest, soft whines leaving your parted lips. You moved from his thigh to straddle his waist, rolling your hips against his growing bulge. The friction shot pleasure through your core, making you leak with desire. 

You were sure Yoongi could feel how wet you were. Nevertheless his focus remained on ravishing your breast. He left chaste kisses on your eager nub, nipping away as his mouth tenderly sucked, making sure to give it as much attention as the other. 

His kisses then trailed between your breasts, traveling up to your neck where they became rougher. His movements tickled you, making you squirm as he kissed beneath your jaw, tilting your face back. 

“Mmm that’s enough love, we can’t here” He mumbled. You groaned in complaint, panting with frustration as Yoongi’s lips left your skin and his hands pulled your straps back onto your shoulders. “I booked us a room somewhere special for a few days because our bedroom is still fucked up from the other night. We can have each other there, I promise, okay love?”

-

Yoongi was a man of taste. Being in the rock industry, he was used to things being grunge and edgy, but personally he always had a soft spot for excellence. That’s why, while maintaining the all black getup, he would dress in silk shirts, pure silver jewelry and diamond studded jackets. 

He had picked a hotel not too far from the label, but one of the finest places in miles around. It was the same venue that would be the site of Jimin’s album release event the following night. Yoongi had booked out the largest suite in the building, wanting to show you the best night of your life. 

And you had a feeling it would be, as you walked in to the large room, lit with purple LED undertones that complemented the fading sunset that was gleaming in through the expansive glass wall. On the bed was a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.

“Holy shit” You mumbled, wandering around as Yoongi directed the bellboys to bring in the luggage. Yoongi insisted he would take care of all your needs when packing. He claimed to have someone go back to your apartment and grab some of your essential items, but also insisted in buying you new things. You had to admit, gangster or not, Yoongi really knew how to spoil a girl.

You leaned against the glass, peering out at the skyline, a bright coral pink even still. Yoongi came up besides you, tilting your face towards him to kiss you fondly. 

“Can I pour you a drink love?” He sighed into your mouth. You nodded, watching as Yoongi pulled the champagne out of the bucket, popping the cork and pouring two glasses with ease. He hands you one, clinking his own against yours. You took a few sips, savoring the slightly sour bubbly liquid before setting your glass aside. Yoongi pulled you towards him by the waist. 

“This is all amazing Yoongi” You wrapped your arms around his neck. He caressed your hips, swaying you against him almost as though you were slow dancing. After a quick peck to the lips he spoke again,

“I’ve been thinking about the future. How would you like to work for me full time? As a junior producer?”

Your eyes widened in surprise, “I...wow, I would love that, that would be the dream” Yoongi smiled, gliding his lips over your cheek, behind your ear where he began to leave small wet kisses. His hands trailed up your sides and he hooked his fingers under the strap of your dress, tugging it so the garment slid seamlessly off your body and onto a pile on the floor.

“Shit” Yoongi bit his lip, eying you up and down in your angelic lingerie. “Just missing one thing” You pouted as he stepped away from you, walking over to a cabinet to pull a studded black collar and leash from the drawer. 

He wrapped the collar around your neck carefully, adjusting the strap so that it was nice and tight. He admired the way it looked against your skin, tracing and tugging on it with his fingers.

“Beautiful.” Taking the leash in his hand, he gently pushed you down onto your knees, stroking your cheek as you looked up at him eagerly. “You know what to do” He blew a kiss at you teasingly.

You began to unbutton his pants, sliding them down along with his boxers. Licking you lips, you took his length into your hands, stroking him slowly, looking up for his validation. 

He groaned at your touch “Look at you hm?” His fingers harshly ran along your jaw, pulling playfully at your bottom lip “So fucking pretty”

He tugged your lip forward, prompting you to get your mouth on his cock, his other hand holding himself steady against the wall. You wrapped your lips around the tip, letting you tongue circle around.

Your breath hitched as Yoongi suddenly tugged at your leash, forcing his cock down your throat. You gagged immediately, but he kept your face pulled forward.

You flattened your tongue, allowing Yoongi to thrust himself against the slippery sensation. His cock filled your throat, making it impossible for you to breathe. You could taste the sour pre-cum against the rigid veins all over his girthy length. 

He loved the way you took him, so messy. You slobbered all over his cock, the sounds of you choking and coughing like music to his ears. Your lips were swollen and fucked out, eyes bulging as you desperately tried to maintain yourself. Tears built at the corned of your eyes making him buck his hips. You were his. Like he had always wanted. He finally owned you.

You felt his cum shoot straight down your throat, causing you to gasp in desperation, cheeks hollowing enough to allow him to push even further down your throat. Once you surrendered to swallow, Yoongi pulled out, a mixture of cum and saliva dripping all over your face. 

“Bend over, hands on the wall” He ordered through gritted teeth. He lined himself up behind you, sneaking a finger deep into your heat, relishing in the wet pool of your arousal and how you leaked out all over his palm. He pushed another finger in, pumping you furiously before his eyes narrowed in on your back.

You felt his fingers fall out, causing you to whine. A sudden tug of the leash pulled you back into his chest. 

“What is this?” He growled, a finger gliding over the knife scar through his name on your back. You stuttered, the collar knocking the breath out of you. “Who did this?”  He dug his nails into you making you wince. 

“W..what are you talking about?” Yoongi turned you around and slapped you hard.

“You know what I’m talking about. Who marked you? Who fucking dared?” He was yelling loudly despite being so close to your face. You tried to turn away but he wouldn’t let you.

“I...” You gulp. If you told Yoongi it was Jin, he would definitely go kill him. You needed Jin to be alive, in fact you were hardly even sure if he was anymore. A part of you knew Taehyung wouldn’t actually kill him. He didn’t deserve to die, not for something like this. “I don’t know”

Yoongi glared at you, the fire in his eyes evident. He dragged you relentlessly to the bed, taking the leash and using it to tie your arms to your chest. 

“You wanna play fucking games huh?” Yoongi screamed. You trembled, his demeanor beginning to scare you, “I’ll show you. I’ll fucking show you what happens when you hide something from me. You’re staying like this, locked in here until you decide to tell me the truth you got that?”

Tears were already streaking down your face as you nodded. Yoongi scowled at you before climbing in the other side of the bed and turning off the lights. 

-

Hobi arrived at the banquet hall. Preparations were already being made. The hustle of his coworkers preparing for the album release press conference and the subsequent celebration. 

A few people greeted him, but looking around he noticed an absence of a certain energy. Jimin was sitting on the stage, reading over his answer sheets while his make-up artists poked at his face.

Hobi didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about what he had done to Jimin. He never liked the guy, despite having to put up a cordial face around him. It was tough for him to help Jimin put songs together when he just wanted to wrench his guts out and put a bullet through his head. 

He tried avoiding the star when he could, but Jimin sought him out “Hey Hobi c’mere” Jimin snapped his fingers, pushing away the people surrounding him. Hobi took a deep breath before approaching him.

“Have you seen Y/n?”

Hobi raised his eyebrows. He at first had not been sure if you would have actually been killed or not after Jin’s little stunt the other night. It was a relief to him when he saw you appear in the news at Jimin’s side, but he was confused. 

“I figured she was here already. Maybe she’s with Yoongi” Jimin rolled his eyes, “That motherfucker, honestly. Did you know those two were hanging out because I fucking didn’t” Jimin hissed. “He branded her. Apparently they got really high, she said it was an accident but I dunno that’s a bit much even for Yoongi. You should have seen how pissed off he was”

“Hanging out?” Hobi asked curiously, “Y/n and Yoongi?” He felt his stomach flip uncomfortably. “Yoongi never hangs out with employees, let alone interns”

Jimin shrugged, “Can’t blame him honestly. She’s a temptress. I’ve slept with her a bunch of times and it just keeps getting better and better”

Hobi did everything in his power not to slug Jimin in his face, out of respect to the make up artists who had spent so long trying to make this bastard look presentable. “I know” 

“You do?” Jimin grinned, “Right...you who almost dated for half a second there. Then Yoongi and his fucking rules came and blew it all up” Jimin playfully pushed Hobi’s shoulder, “Man. You gotta just claim what’s yours and say fuck em. Next time. She’s mine now though, sorry”

Hobi rolled his eyes, knowing full well that you loathed Jimin. Nevertheless, the spoilt brat had a point. When the fuck did Yoongi hang out with Y/n? It didn’t make sense. 

Turning to one of the overseeing secretaries, Hobi questioned which room Yoongi was staying, intending to pay him a quick visit. The secretary gave him the room number, warning him that Yoongi had mentioned he might be unavailable in the morning as he had a few errands to run. 

Hobi wandered through the hotel, heading to the elevator to arrive at the top floor with all the suites. When he arrived at the door, he noticed the sign on the handle with raised eyebrows. Nevertheless he knocked “Yoongi! It’s me? Can we chat for a bit?”

“Hobi! Oh my God Hobi help me! Get me out of here!” Goosebumps appeared all over him as your shrill voice leaked through the door, “I can’t move please”

His hands were trembling. What the hell was going on? He budged at the door but it was locked. Cursing under his breath, he pulled out his gun, taking the handle and using it to knock of the handle. He pushed through the door, swallowing thickly as he saw you, leash hooked up to the bed frame, hands tied, in such a sexy little lingerie set his heart felt like exploding then and there.

“What the fuck?” Hobi rushed over to you, untying you from your restraints and clicking off the collar. Your hands went to your neck, soothing the red marks that had appeared due to the tight hold. “Yoongi did this?”

You nodded “He was punishing me. He was gonna keep me locked in here” You wanted to cry but you couldn’t even find it within yourself. Hobi noticed how defeated you looked. He hated seeing you like this.

“Why?”

You looked into his eyes, sighing at the true ignorance. Hobi knew so little about everything you had been through, you didn’t have the heart to place the burden onto him.

“Can we just get out of here? Please? I need a fucking drink” He nodded, rubbing the pads of his fingers softly over the imprints of the tight bands on your arms. “Let me get changed. That motherfucker was gonna make me miss my first album release party,” You scoffed, laughing bitterly as you stood up, “I’ll fucking show him. I’m gonna look hot as fuck and I’m gonna be all over Jimin tonight”

Hobi blinked at you in amusement but said nothing as you marched off into the bathroom.

“Come on” You called back to him, curling your finger to motion him towards you teasingly “Are you really gonna pass up the chance to fuck me in the shower?”

“Damn, you’re really something” Hobi mumbled, unable to hide the blush that grew on his cheeks. 

You didn’t bother taking off your underwear, you could see how turned on Hobi was from seeing you just by the gleam in his eye. You playfully bounced into the shower, turning the water cold.  The white lace on your body dampened, making the coverage practically negligible. 

Hobi almost choked seeing you. You tilted your head back and let the water fall directly on your breasts. You could hear the click of his buckled as he undressed himself quickly to join you.

“Shit this is cold” Hobi touched the water before sliding into the glass cube behind you. You turned around to face him, smiling mischievously. “Can daddy clean me up?” You pouted at him, winking. Hobi rolled his eyes.

“Jesus Y/n” Hobi pulled your hips forward before lifting you into his arms, “You’re such a slut for me aren’t you? All you fucking want is daddy’s big cock is that it?”

You nodded rapidly. “Yeah. Want your cock” You slid your hand down his chest, biting your lip.

“Of course you do baby” He pressed your back against the glass, the ice cold water hitting his back as he rolled his hips into you. His hand snaked around beneath you to push aside your soaked panties and touch your throbbing clit. “Look at me baby. Does that feel good?” He began to rub small circles, watching the way your body responded to him.

“Y...yes” You groaned, burying your face into his wet hair, nails digging into his back as you held on tight. Hobi grunted, gliding his finger back to trace along your folds.

“So fucking needy baby. No one fucks you as good as I do huh?” Hobi’s hot breath tickled your ear. “You missed me didn’t you, you slut. Only I know how you really like it” He pushed one finger in “Isn’t that right?”

You nodded, a sobbing mess of moans muffling into his neck as he rapidly pumped his finger into you, “Yes” You exhaled, “Want Daddy. Only want Daddy”

“I know. Oh, you poor little thing” He shoved another finger in, making you mewl as he stretched you out, “Do you think about me huh? When Jimin’s ramming his cock into do you think about me?” Your pussy clenched down at his words, “Did you fuck Yoongi too? Our boss, god you are such a little whore aren’t you?”

He slid in a third finger and you began to scream out in pleasure, “Oh fuck Hobi yes, right there right there” You panted heavily, “More...please” The mention of Yoongi’s name had you leaking all over. 

The thought that he could just come back in at any moment had you falling apart. He would look so fucking angry. He would probably kill Hobi on the spot. 

Why did that turn you on so much?

Heat pulsed through your body. Hobi slid his fingers out, spanking your pussy before sliding you down onto your feet.

“I missed you” Hobi said weakly. Your eyes softened. You knew you were taking advantage of him. You knew your heart was really elsewhere, as much as you wished it wasn’t. 

“Kiss me” You didn’t want to think, you cupped his face bringing it to yours and pressing your lips against his. You poured yourself into the kiss, the roll of your hips matching the way your lips wrestled one another. 

Hobi deepened the kiss, pining your wrists above your head. He gasped as he pulled away, staring darkly into your eyes, “Do you want Daddy’s big cock?” You nodded, his lips barely inched from yours “Yeah? Want Daddy to fuck you good? Fill you up with his cum? Fuck his babies into you huh? You want that?”

He turned you around, hand gripping under your thigh to prop your leg up onto the sliding shower door handle. You winced at the stretch but Hobi didn’t react. You feel him slap his hot cockhead against your ass. Holding your hips steady, he slid his cock into you easily. Your slick inviting him in deep into your throbbing heat. You whimpered as his dick pushed through your walls, filling you to the brim. 

“Good girl” He growled, “Such a good warm little pussy for daddy, such a good fucking girl oh goddd” He slowly pulled out before thrusting back in. His pace was excruciatingly slow, but the burn of him pumping you in and out felt so good. 

“Fuck I’m close Daddy” You were practically drooling, lips parted in pure bliss as Hobi fucked you deeper and deeper, your head slamming against the glass. “Want you to fill me up daddy. Want your cum” You whined.

“You feel so fucking good baby. Go ahead and cum,” Hobi kissed you again “Cum for Daddy, come on” He quickened his pace as he felt your tight walls begin to twitch around his cock. He could hear your wetness as he pistons into you under your breathless screams. 

“I’m gonna cum Daddy..I..I..” Your eyes were clenched close as you let out a high pitched scream, your hot arousal dripping all over Hobi’s cock as your walls squeezed him tight. He bucked his hips as you came, groaning as he tried to fuck you through it. 

“Shit.” Hobi cursed under his breath as he felt himself come undone immediately after, his sticky cum shooting deep inside of you. “God that was so good” He sighed, landing a lazy kiss on your lips.

You sighed, savoring the small aftershocks of arousal that had you trembling in his embrace. Enjoying the final momentary pleasure before the wild night ahead of you.

-

Jimin stood outside the banquet hall and tightened his tie. There were only a few more minutes until his album officially came out. Fixing loose strands of his hair, he sighed. He wanted you by his side but you were no where to be seen. 

“Jiminnnn” The pitch of your voice gave you away easily. Jimin glowed in anticipation of you. His heart stopped as you arose from the hallway. You looked absolutely stunning in a classy sleeveless pantsuit. 

“Baby” You giggled. Jimin frowned slightly, noticing how you stumbled into his arms before giving you a peck on the lips. “Are you excitedddd?” You slurred your words. “Everyone’s gonna loveeeee your music”

He inhaled your scent, scrunching his nose as he recognized the stench of whiskey on your breath. “Baby. You’re drunk”

“Come onnnnn, everyone is waiting for you at the party” You tugged at his tie. Jimin sighed, he couldn’t help but surrender to your cuteness despite his gut telling him not to bring you there. 

“Jimin...this is my dream.” You giggled, almost losing your balance before Jimin caught you into his arms. “I’m Park Jimin’s girlfriendddd” Jimin dragged you outside slowly, sheepishly bowing to the other people who began giving the pair of you dirty looks. “Hey!” You yelled suddenly, “I’m Park Jimin’s girlfriend! I love him!”

Jimin’s heart skipped a beat. “You...what?” He began trembling, an overwhelming flush of emotions seizing him. “Really?”

You nodded, a big teethy smile on your face. Jimin blushed. “I...” She’s just drunk. He sighed. “Come on baby” He wrapped his arm around your waist, leading you down to the banquet hall. 

The venue was gorgeous. It had a red and black theme that matched Jimin’s album cover. Champagne was being served at every nook and corner. The room broke out into applause as Jimin walked in, you glued to his side.

Jimin’s eyes scanned the room looking for Yoongi. He was no where to be seen.

Jimin waved to his guests, thanking them for the cheer before he turned to you. He stroked your face, gazing into your glittering eyes with nothing but adoration. He felt his eyes tear up as the thought occured to him that maybe it really was you.

He had written so many baseless love songs, songs about yearning, song about searching for someone to make his life worth it again. Maybe it was you. Were you his happy ending?

His mind wandered to what could be. What might be if he marries you, you go on tour together, making love in every city over the world. You would be his biggest fan, his lifeline, and he would love you endlessly. He wanted that. So bad. Did you?

He twirled you around before dipping you down princess style and kissing you passionately. The room burst into cheers as you smiled into one another.

“Sir” One of the staff members tapped on Jimin’s shoulder urgently, “Sorry to interrupt, there’s something you should know” The staff member leaned in to whisper something into Jimin’s ear. You watched as his eyes went wide with shock. 

“I...I need to go. Excuse me” Jimin pardoned himself from the crowd, rushing out of the banquet hall. You followed him.

“Jimin! What is it? What happened?” You held onto his arm.

“He’s dead” Jimin muttered, “Fuck. SHIT. He’s dead” 

Your heart dropped. “Who...?”

“Taehyung. Taehyung is dead”

ᐊ——[ previous ] series navi | masterlist | [ next ]——ᐅ

a/n: i hope this makes up for how shitty part 6 was ahahaha. gosh i must have rewritten this like 4 times. but yeah drop those theories in my asks bbs <3 who killed tae? where’s yoongi? what’s jin up to? joon and kook will be back in action in part 8, next week dw ;) 

also that detail abt jin not listing you fucking taehyung when he’s spanking you is intentional

taglist: @imluckybitches @gee-nee @missseoulite @hcneybees @kooookie​ @queenmasterxx @crustycaitlin @virgo-and-libra @un2-verse @winter-melontea @equivocacies​ @infernal-alpaca @shrimpmsg @meowmeowyoongles @rjsmochii @liltangerined @littlrmills14-blog @issysor @arandomblackgirl @adoringinsanity @giadalin @jeontier @kaithezaftig @jinssexytoe @nonnis97@minyoongiboongi @happygirl62304 @just-me-and-myselfs @purplepebbles @channiespup @lilacdreams-00 @kianam @thmrdrs @kpoppin-mel @namjooningelsewhere @lolzerss @planetsope @ohmykim @xyahrinx

[btsmosphere]

Crossfire | KTH

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

~summary: The night your life blew up sent you on a collision course with the campus bad boy, Kim Taehyung. Though you were well aware of his reputation, it was his doorstep you ran to when you were bleeding with nowhere to go.

~word count: 5.4k

~gang!au, mafia!au, college!au, angst, fluff, action, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers

Warnings: violence, swearing, drugs, guns, blood, injury (warnings apply to each part individually, please read them)

~a/n: Thanks everyone for the reception of part 1!! I couldn’t have asked for more! I don’t have much more to add except an apology if you are a medical professional because I am definitely not and I am sure there are mistakes so I hope you can excuse that hehe

You stared at the empty glass beside you.

Once again, you swallowed. The light from the window was the only slight indication of the time, though you still had little clue. Possibly midday, possibly later… or possibly earlier. A sigh escaped you. At least you knew it was daytime.

But that gave you no more idea of how long you would be waiting for Taehyung to come back. Presumably, he was at college, since you were pretty sure it was a Monday, but he really could be anywhere.

And you were thirsty.

So far, the pain that remained in your side had kept you in the bed since you had woken up alone, once again with daylight streaming in. Some snacks and a glass of water had been left on the stand.

Your hope of going back to sleep was pretty much non-existent since it was your thirst that had woken you up just a minute ago, and it still hadn’t been resolved. Licking your dry lips once more, you finally braced yourself and heaved your body from the mattress with a groan.

Glass in hand, you padded down the stairs, pain in your side still constant but not overwhelming. All you needed was a drink, then you could collapse again for more rest.

Your soft footsteps down the hall were the only sound in the house. Lazily, your eyes trailed along the rug that led to the kitchen doorway, and soon your bare feet met the cool tiles. As you turned left slightly to move around the island, your head lifted.

Then your heart stopped.

A man stood in the living room. Facing you.

And he was wearing all black.

Below you, your feet acted of their own accord, ungluing themselves from the floor to stumble back, but the man moved faster. Without hesitation, his hands had found your collar and your head slammed against the wall, cutting off the cry in your throat.

“Who are you?” he growled, but the pain erupting in your side as he pressed against you drowned everything out.

How did they find me?

Desperately, you blinked away the sparks in your vision, the hands getting tighter on your neck. Then you felt the glass in your hand.

Just like last time, your hand lifted, preparing to strike, but it was intercepted easily by a strong arm and pressed back against the wall above your head, glass slipping from your fingers. The man’s one remaining hand on your neck pushed as the glass shattered by your feet, but you still struggled to gasp for air, your body squirming pointlessly.

“Nice try,” he grunted, face now closer to yours as he fought your thrashing, “now what the fuck-“

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared as your knee came up, hitting him hard between the legs, leaving you both reeling. You felt so light now, shaking as you pushed at him, taking your chance to dart from his hold.

But you barely made two steps before the grip on your wrist was back. Fighting with all your might against him, you resisted as he tried to pull you back. Suddenly, you were thrown off balance as he stopped, using the force you were pulling with to topple you both to the floor with a grunt. His large frame fell on top of yours while your shoulder collided harshly with the corner of the coffee table, tipping the whole thing over with your combined weight. You cried out in pain, eyes screwing shut.

This was it. You could only fight someone off so many times.

Though the man was breathing heavily, he pinned you down effortlessly, forearm pressed over your neck. All you could do was choke and splutter, a tidal wave of pain engulfing you from the jostling to your wound and the way your attacker was constricting it, all mingling with the burning of your lungs-

A crash came from the doorway.

“Yoongi!”

Loud footsteps pounded towards you and then you were free, chest suddenly expanding with a rush of air that felt like knives down your throat. Gasping and hacking, you rolled over, hand clutching at your side automatically.

In front of you, Taehyung had his arms wrapped around the man in black, constricting him as the two struggled together.

“Hey, man, chill out!” he was yelling, “What the fuck!”

“Who the hell is-“

“Fuck- shit- stop it, what have you-“

“She was in your house!”

“I know her!”

Taehyung finally succeeded in shutting the man up, and now he was shoving him roughly behind him as he stumbled forwards and fell to his knees where you were still trying to breathe.

“Y/N?” his voice was urgent as his hands helped you sit up, eyes scanning your face and neck, then your side. You let him remove your hand where it covered the wound.

“Yoongi, what were you thinking?” Taehyung spat, not turning around as he took in the bloodied bandages.

Warily, you looked up at your attacker, Yoongi, who was now frozen behind Taehyung. He looked back at you, eyes wide.

“Dude, I just came by with those pills you wanted so bad, you didn’t tell me anyone was gonna be in your house…”

“But you don’t choke someone first and ask questions later,” Taehyung’s eyes were trained on his hand resting on the carpet, though he tilted his face half towards Yoongi, his jaw clenched tight, “she’s who those fucking pills are for.”

Tae looked back up at your face, his eyebrows pulled together, watching as you breathed deeper and slower, still coughing a bit. Other than that it was silent for a moment.

“I-I’m sorry man,” Yoongi stuttered, “do you want them then?“

“You can get some fucking water and bandages, okay? And then the pills.”

Once Yoongi had retreated, you stood on shaking legs with Taehyung’s help, depositing yourself on the sofa. Until Taehyung drew the curtains with a snap, you hadn’t even noticed they were still open.

“You shouldn’t have been up, I told you to rest,” he grumbled as he walked back over to you, stopping to right the coffee table on the way.

“I was just coming to get some water,” you said, voice a little raspy, “I’ve stayed upstairs all day.”

Sighing, he opened his mouth, but then his eyes slid to the side and he shut it again. Following his gaze, you watched Yoongi emerge from the kitchen, bandages and a first aid bag tucked under one arm and a glass of water in the other hand.

For a moment, he paused, but under Taehyung’s glare he moved, lowering his head sheepishly. He handed you the water with the air of a child forced to say sorry and shake hands, not meeting your eyes, before dumping the rest on the coffee table and slinking over to the chair by the window. In the corner of your eye as you took a gulp of water, you saw him push his hood down to reveal dyed grey hair.

Ignoring him, Taehyung grabbed a bandage and began carefully unwrapping the one already around your abdomen. Yoongi’s eyes widened. With the bandage off, you could see blood leaking from the wound, though the sticky strips Taehyung had used to close it had held up.

Pursing his lips, Tae balled up the old bandage so the clean parts were outside, and pressed it into your side. The hiss of pain you released made him falter.

“Yoongi, pills,” he tossed over his shoulder.

Yoongi, who had been keeping his eyes well averted, started and began to dig in his pockets. Eventually, he threw two bags over to Tae.

You eyed them suspiciously as Tae placed one down and fished inside the other with his fingers. The clear plastic bags were the kind you had only seen discarded in hedges or alleyways, where you would expect to see white powder clinging to the corners. These were a little bigger and only contained pills, but you were still hesitant as Tae placed one in your hand and told you to take it.

“It’s a painkiller,” he told you when you still didn’t move, “I didn’t have any strong enough here which is why I got Yoongi to bring some in.”

Biting your lip, you opened your fingers to see the seemingly harmless white pill resting there. Probably on purpose, Taehyung’s hand shifted, making you wince as the bandage dug into your wound.

Lips curling, you took a deep breath and put your palm over your mouth, tipping your head back to swallow it.

Satisfied, Tae let you take over putting pressure on the bandage, pushing his hands on his knees to stand up. Yoongi stayed hunched in his chair as Taehyung picked up some things that lay by the door, shoving them roughly into the grocery bag they must have spilled from.

“Is this why you asked us to meet, then?” a mumble came from Yoongi as soon as the shopping bag’s rustling died away.

“Yeah,” was all he got in reply as Taehyung stood up without facing him.

“Dude!” he called, springing from his chair and causing Taehyung to stop in the middle of the room. “aren’t you gonna explain?”

Yoongi threw an arm towards you, followed by a glare.

“You can wait to hear it with the others.”

As Yoongi was opening his mouth again, a phone buzzed, making the two boys pause. The buzzing didn’t stop, so Yoongi pulled his phone from his hoodie, turning himself away from Taehyung. That was when a second ringtone started up. Yoongi glanced back at Taehyung as he raised his phone to his ear, while the other boy hurriedly put down his bag and reached for his too.

Both of them wore identical faces of concentration as they listened to voices on the other line. Taehyung hung up first, still watching Yoongi who was talking in a low, serious voice to the other person, before glancing at you.

Eyes connecting with yours, he started forwards, grasping your elbow and leading you with him. He scooped up the grocery bag, then marched quickly through the kitchen, not slowing as he collected a knife, then led you to the foot of the stairs.

Yoongi appeared in the living room doorway, and again him and Taehyung shared a look.

“We have to go,” Taehyung said, voice urgent and eyes flicking between yours and the door, “take these and stay upstairs. I’ll be back later.”

And with that, he thrust both the bag of food and the knife into your arms, waiting only for your perplexed nod before him and Yoongi walked out, door falling shut heavily behind them.

‘Later.’ What were you supposed to infer by ‘later?’

When Taehyung had said that, you certainly hadn’t imagined waiting around for him until rain started to fall and the light was fading outside the window.

Despite having no water, you had dutifully stayed upstairs ever since Taehyung and Yoongi’s abrupt departure, even though that had been the reason for you venturing downstairs in the first place. At least there was some soda among his shopping. But you had learned from your ordeal: if it happened again, you might not be lucky enough for it to be another false alarm.

Honestly, it hadn’t felt much like a false alarm, you thought as you checked your side again. Since the boys had left, you had simply sat on Taehyung’s bed, applying pressure with the wad of bandages from earlier. Now though, the pain had subsided as promised and the bleeding had stopped. It hadn’t been severe at all, but there was still some blood to clean up.

Gingerly standing up, fingers wrapping around the kitchen knife, you padded across to the door and cracked it open, peering around the darkened house cautiously. Though you weren’t going downstairs, if anyone were there you would be on full view from the landing. For a second you just listened.

Silence.

As quietly as you could, you tiptoed the short distance to the bathroom.

Once you set the knife down, you turned on the tap, doing your best to keep it down, not even turning the water up enough to drown out the rain pattering against the windows. Not wanting to get blood on more of Taehyung’s belongings, you scrubbed at it using just water and your hands.

A click came from downstairs.

Jumping, you turned towards the door. Barely daring to breathe, you shut the tap off using your elbow, given that your hands were still covered in your own diluted blood.

Pressing your ear up to the door confirmed you weren’t imagining the sound; instead, you were greeted with multiple sets of footsteps, making your blood run cold. Not caring any more about the blood, your fingers turned the lock. From your spot by the door, your eyes rested where the knife lay.

Whoever was in the house wasn’t shouting, though. The voices seemed agitated, but it was not the same as when Shinhyuk’s gang had stormed your apartment a couple of days ago. Either way, you stayed put, not wanting to risk anything.

But then someone came up the stairs.

You held your breath beside the door, stubbornly ignoring your instinct to run. If you stayed here, you would be able to hear where the intruder was headed.

The steps stopped close by and you heard the bedroom door’s soft creak.

“Y/N?”

You pressed your head closer to the door. Someone had spoken, but it was quiet, muffled by the two doors between you.

“Y/N!”

This time, it was a shout and there was no mistaking it. Taehyung.

Letting out a breath, you released the lock again and stepped out from the bathroom, coming face to face with a very panicked Taehyung dashing out of the empty bedroom. Seeing you, he stopped in his tracks.

And so did you.

His eyes widened as he heaved a sigh, shoulders relaxing.

You, on the other hand, froze, eyes growing for a different reason.

“Taehyung, what the- what happened to you?!” you finally moved towards him.

Blood was streaked down his face, covering one side from his forehead to his chin. Horrified, you brought a hand to his cheek, but hesitated at his slight flinch.

“It’s just a scratch,” he murmured, eyes fixed on your hand as you lowered it, embarrassed.

Staring at him incredulously, you searched for the source of the blood and found a gash on his forehead. Admittedly, it didn’t look huge or life-threatening, but you grabbed Taehyung by the hand anyway and dragged him to the bathroom.

Below you, the other voices continued, but between you and Taehyung it was silent as you stopped in front of the sink.

“Um… can I use one of your towels please?”

Given the amount of blood on Tae’s face, you weren’t sure if you would be able to clean him up without one.

“Of course,” he nodded, frowning at the blood on your hands, “you can use whatever you need, you know that, right?”

“Thanks,” you chuckled nervously as you picked up a towel and turned on the water, “I’ve already had some soda from your groceries, so that’s a relief.”

“Just soda?” he asked.

Distractedly, you nodded, though you were now focussing on wiping his face. He watched you as you held his head steady with one hand, the other gentle as possible while you scrubbed away the sticky substance.

“Um, the boys are here,” he waved his hand at the door behind him, “and we still need to eat, so… would you like to join us?”

Although you had only cleaned about half, you paused your efforts to stare at him.

“The boys? Do you mean…”

“Uh, yeah,” he scratched the back of his head, “I mean, Jungkook isn’t here yet but I could introduce you…”

“Sure,” was the only response you could muster, ducking your head as your rinsed the towel in your hands.

“Hey, I know it might be weird,” Taehyung spoke, “and, well, it’s already weird, but we have some things to talk about that you might wanna hear.”

As you approached the cut on his head, you slowed your hand, chewing your lip in concentration and only affording him an absent nod. Another moment of silence passed as you carefully pushed aside his damp hair and cleaned his forehead around the cut.

Taehyung’s eyes didn’t leave your face as you finished up, even as you lowered the bloodied towel and stepped back. Slowly, your eyes traced down his face from his wound to meet his gaze. In your hand, your fingers twisted the fabric of the towel, but you didn’t look away.

“Thanks,” Taehyung’s voice barely touched the silence.

A yelp from below you did, however.

Dipping his head, Taehyung grabbed the towel from your hand and rubbed it vigorously over his hair before turning to chuck it in the bathtub.

“Jin can patch this up downstairs,” he waved a hand towards his forehead as he opened the door.

Following him out and through the house, the voices downstairs grew clearer. Peering in through the living room door, you spotted Yoongi curled into the same chair he was in earlier. Just as his eyes snapped up to meet yours, you saw another figure move around the coffee table, but Taehyung led you down the corridor to the kitchen before you could make out more than a silhouette.

The smell of takeout drifting from the end of the hall barely made you relax. Rubbing your palms over the borrowed clothes you had on, you had no more time to panic before you were through the door. Sure enough, the kitchen island was packed with takeaway containers, as yet unopened.

“Taehyung-ah,” the approaching voice at least belonged to someone you could identify, Jung Hoseok, who was walking to the sink, “these were lying around.”

He gestured to something on the counter as he stuck his hands under a stream of water, but your eyes never followed his gesture. By now, you would have thought the sight of bloodstained hands would become normal for you. Apparently not.

Swallowing, you averted your eyes. And then regretted it.

Two guns sat on another part of the counter. You had never actually laid eyes on one before, and you couldn’t help but stare.

Then something was in front of your face, being shaken. Blinking, you found Taehyung holding out a bag, red pills jostling inside.

“Take one, I forgot to ask you earlier,” he passed them over, “they’re for anaemia. You lost a lot of blood the other day.”

Figuring that the last pill he offered you had worked, you didn’t bother debating, taking the bag off him and swallowing one as you rounded the corner after him. The splash of the tap continued behind you as you took in the four bedraggled boys in the living room.

Yoongi was there as before, but three others were on the sofa: Jimin you recognised in the middle from his orange hair, though he wasn’t facing you. Instead he leaned towards the man on his left, who was bent over, blocking your view of his face. The man nearest you had his hand resting on Jimin’s back, watching with a grave expression.

Another yelp escaped Jimin.

Peering around Taehyung, your eyes widened. At his thigh Jimin’s trousers were torn and darkened, wet not just with rain. The man tending to him reached out a hand to the coffee table, strewn with bandages, gauzes and pills, but as he glanced around his eyes finally rested on you.

There they lingered, his hand static, still hovering in mid-air.

Uncomfortable, you stared back at the wide eyes underneath his dark brows, ignoring his dripping hair and watched as his mouth opened, eyes sliding to Taehyung in front of you.

“How is he?” Taehyung ignored the tension completely, instead nodding to Jimin.

“F-fine. He’ll live,” the man stuttered, head swivelling back to his patient.

“Good,” Taehyung nodded. By this time all eyes were on him. Or you.

“Y/N, this is Jin, Jimin, Namjoon and Hoseok,” Taehyung nodded to each man in turn, starting from Jin nearest the window back to Hoseok coming through from the kitchen, “you already know Yoongi. Food?”

Namjoon stood from his spot, nodding succinctly at you before heading to collect the meals. Taehyung swept his arm to the vacated seat, urging you to sit down.

Before long, all the boys bar Taehyung were seated and cradling food containers, as well as you. Until now you hadn’t realised how hungry you were, but with all eyes on you, you found you couldn’t start. Beside you, Taehyung was leaning against the arm of the sofa. His hands fidgeted together as he cleared his throat.

“This is Y/N,” he said, “and she’s why I wanted to meet up… I don’t want to mention this on our phones since there’s always a security risk, but she came here on Saturday night because Shinhyuk raided her place. We’re pretty sure her dad was working for him, but she escaped and they might be looking for her.”

Working for him.

It sure sounded real now, but you were adjusting to that. Chancing a look up from the food in your lap showed you that you were still the subject of everyone’s attention. Across from you, Namjoon was the first to move, shifting his gaze to Tae.

“How long is she staying?”

Taehyung glanced at you, his brow furrowed.

“As long as she needs to… Shinhyuk won’t just give up.”

“And you think they won’t find her here?”

“If they look for her, they’ll check her friends’ places, not here. We don’t know each other that well,” Namjoon opened his mouth again, but Taehyung pressed on, “I’m still going to college, no one will notice anything to make them suspicious.”

“I’m just saying, he knows who we are,” Namjoon gestured around the room, “so…”

“Where else would you suggest?” Taehyung bit back, eliciting a sigh from the blond who raked his hand through his still damp hair, slicking it back. The others, though still listening, had begun quietly to eat.

After a beat, Taehyung angled his body towards you.

“Today, Shinhyuk attacked one of our deals…” a quick glance at the rest of the boys, “we associate with people he wants to push out of the city, but he’s never attacked so far inside our territory before.”

You blinked.

“Why are you telling her this?” Yoongi had straightened in his chair, leaning forward with a glare.

“This happened just after her place got raided. Shinhyuk’s trying to make a point.”

“What does she have to do with what happened today?”

“Yoongi,” the stern voice belonged to Jin, who leaned forward, placing his food down on the table. Then he glanced at Namjoon, “I think Shinhyuk is stepping things up. Tonight felt like something… serious.”

Namjoon slumped back in his seat.

“It was a declaration of war.”

Even you felt the gravity of his statement.

“I don’t get what gave him the confidence,” Jimin piped up beside you, “like, we thought it was coming, but never this soon.”

Keeping your eyes down, you slowly took a mouthful of food. You frowned down at your takeaway container. This was a lot to take in, and the infamous Shinhyuk was beginning to scare you more and more. As much as you tried, your thoughts wouldn’t stop drifting to how your dad was right now, especially if he was with Shinhyuk.

If he was still alive.

The food in your mouth turned to cardboard, and you swallowed hurriedly, abandoning the container beside Jin’s.

Around you, their conversation carried on.

“I was right on top of him when we chased them off,” you only payed half a mind to Hoseok’s frustration, “and then he just… disappeared.”

“Maybe Jungkook will find out where he went…”

The carpet you stared at was out of focus, the words swimming through your mind. A sudden attack, an effortless escape, a war…

A cold droplet hit your cheekbone, your eye twitching in reflex. Startled from your stupor, your head jerked around to find Tae’s dark eyes trained on you, despite the conversation happening around you two.

Just as he reached up to push back the offending dripping hair, a knock sounded through the drumming of raindrops.

Taehyung’s eyes darted away for the briefest of moments, freeing you to turn your body towards the sound. Jin was already leaving the room.

Yoongi had got to his feet, and now a force pulled at your shoulder, lifting you from the couch and launching you into the momentary blur of headrush. As the spots danced away, you felt your back pressed against Taehyung, who too was standing, hand gripping your shoulder.

So were Hoseok and Namjoon.

Who were they expecting?

Only one name came to mind. The disappearing gang lord, come to disappear with you. Holding your breath, you saw yourself fighting again, losing, and where would he take you then?

“It’s just Jungkook,” Jin’s voice called from the door.

Taehyung’s hand released its pressure as the latch clunked open in the hall.

Then it hit you.

“Tae, what if…” you turned, looking up at him as Jungkook’s footsteps entered behind you, “what if Shinhyuk’s using my place? I mean, I don’t know what ‘territory’ it would be in, but…”

Still just inches from you, Tae tilted his head, mouth falling slack in realisation.

“Who’s this?”

The new voice startled you both, and Tae hurriedly took a step back and hauled a smile onto his face for Jungkook. Turning just as fast, you came face to face with another dark haired man, dressed in black with his matching hair dripping onto his shoulders and the carpet. Quickly, you flashed a smile and bobbed your head at him.

Then you saw it.

“Y/N, this is Jungkook,” Tae sauntered to his side, clapping him on the shoulder in spite of its wetness, and turning to grin at you.

But you were frozen.

Jungkook wore a loose t shirt which hung off him, and most importantly, off his collarbone, revealing to all the world a symbol inked there. A star-like symbol. One you remembered very well.

“Y/N?”

You dragged your eyes from Jungkook’s tattoo, finding both him and Taehyung looking back at you expectantly, Tae’s arm still draped around the younger boy’s shoulders.

“Sorry…” you breathed.

“Come on, the boy needs to eat!” the exclamation came from Jin, who ruffled Jungkook’s hair as he walked past to the kitchen, sending drops of water flying out and causing Taehyung to duck, laughing while cursing after Jin.

Grinning, Jungkook walked past you to lean on the counter and chat with Jin. You inhaled as he was close to you, shoulders tensing.

“What is it?” you gasped at Taehyung’s voice at your ear.

Though you angled your body back towards him, you couldn’t quite take your eyes off Jungkook, as if he was a spider you were trying to walk around in the shower. You took a second to scan the room, finding the others were back to sitting and eating.

“That… that tattoo…” you whispered, making Taehyung lean down to hear you, “that’s the same one the man in my house had…”

“Shit,” your full attention returned to Tae then; was Jungkook really a threat? “I definitely should have warned you.”

Wait.

“Warned me?”

“Yeah, he, uh,” Taehyung’s hand scratched his head above his ear, glancing over your shoulder at the subject of your conversation, “he’s our double agent. Tips our associates off about big shipments and that kind of stuff since he’s managed to get amongst Shinhyuk’s lot. Gets us money, territory and pisses the dickhead off when he loses his deals.”

“Oh,” was all you could say. Inside your chest, your heart slowed and you sat down with a breath out.

“So,” Namjoon spoke up. Jungkook’s smile stayed on his face as he left Jin to take his place on the sofa, already shoving food in his mouth.

Namjoon said no more, making the boy pause.

“…so?” he said thickly, already preparing for the next bite before he had finished the first.

“How did tonight happen?”

“Ah,” Jungkook tipped his head and lowered his food, swallowing hard, “he has a new place.”

Both you and Taehyung were instantly on alert from this statement.

“That wouldn’t happen to be at Central Hill apartment building, would it?” Taehyung said.

“How do you know?” Jungkook frowned.

“Floor fourteen, number 5?”

Jungkook nodded, “Why?”

“That’s my place,” you spoke quietly, but in the silence of the room you were heard loud and clear. You bit your lip against the unexpected sting in your eyes.

A hand that must be Taehyung’s landed softly on your back.

Across the room, Namjoon cleared his throat and you were glad for him becoming the magnet for the boys’ eyes again.

“That’s way inside our patch, no wonder he disappeared so easily. At least we know about it for next time, but-“

“Wait, listen Namjoon-hyung,” Jungkook interrupted, “I don’t think we can do anything about this…”

“What do you-?” Namjoon stared at him in disbelief, “he’s getting out of hand, we need any advantage we can get.”

“But I’m worried about my cover being blown. Don’t you think I would have told you if I knew he was going to attack so suddenly? He didn’t tell me. He might be questioning whether he can trust me, so I’m gonna have to lay low for a bit. If it becomes clear you guys know where his new base is, it’s gonna be obvious he’s got a leak.”

All eyes rested on Namjoon, who was digesting the information with his tongue stuck into his cheek.

“Fine. If that’s best for the long run.”

You were sure you had whiplash from how fast the bangtan boys could dissolve from serious discussion about their frankly terrifying business into raucous laughter and casual jokes. It was still dark outside when you found yourself surrounded by empty food tubs and exhausted men, squashed up on the couch between Jimin and Taehyung with a faint smile at the corners of your mouth.

Beside you, Taehyung’s low laughter seemed to rumble through you due to your proximity.

This was strange.

The strangest thing about it, however, was how… not strange it felt. Anyone that had heard of the bangtan boys, yourself included, would have assumed a night with them would entail illegal substances at the very least or perhaps some fighting, but the only reminder of their reputation was the bloodstain on Jimin’s trousers and the guns that were out of sight in the kitchen.

Although you had barely said a word, being the outsider, they had made you smile.

You had learned that Hoseok had infectious laugher and was training as a dancer. Jungkook loved animal crossing and Namjoon was clumsy as hell, but loved reading. Jin could bake, Jimin had a ridiculously sweet personality and even Yoongi had shown to have a sense of humour.

The fun-loving Taehyung he was around these boys, though, was the one you knew first. In fact, it was stranger for you to see him so serious earlier on, despite the fact you couldn’t exactly have claimed to know him well from your previous encounters.

Eventually, they began to trickle out.

When Jimin finally stood up, relieving the pressure from your left-hand side, Jin and Hoseok went with him – Hoseok to drive and Jin with medical instructions – only two were left in the room.

“Well, I should go home too,” Jungkook stood from the sofa as you shifted yourself into Jimin’s vacated spot to give Taehyung more space, “it was, er, good to meet you Y/N.”

You smiled in response.

“Wait, Kookie,” Taehyung stood too, pulling Jungkook aside as the voices faded and left the hallway, “could you do one thing? It won’t blow your cover or anything, just…”

Hesitant though he looked, Jungkook gave a slow nod.

“Y/N? What’s your father’s name?”

“Y/d/N,” you told him, startled, “Y/d/N Y/L/N.”

Taehyung had been watching you, but now turned back.

“Can you find him, Jungkook? So Y/N can know how he’s doing?”

“Sure,” Jungkook agreed quickly when he heard Taehyung’s idea.

Hope that had been dying bloomed again inside you as Jungkook bid you both goodnight again, this time leaving afterwards. Everything may have fallen apart, but that didn’t mean nothing was left.

Stretching an arm out, other hand massaging his shoulder, Taehyung returned his attention to you with a smile.

“You alright?”

Nodding at him, you returned the expression.

“Thank you, Taehyung.”

Please reblog if you got this far! Comment or message me to be added to the taglist!

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[squeeneyart]

Breathe in the Salt - Chapter 5

AO3

Beta reader was @thesnadger!

Some thoughts on where to go next.

Martin is as helpful as he can be.

Their business finished, Jon and Martin exchanged a friendly “See you tomorrow” and went their separate ways. Jon turned on his heel and took the first turn out of sight. Martin, still holding his groceries, pressed his head against a nearby building and said under his breath, “God, you’re predictable. Smiles at you once and you’re done for. Must be a record.”

It had been a nice smile, though. Maybe at some point he would get to see a non-nervous one, the kind where the person’s face seems to open up like- No, he was not going to fall into poetic daydreaming, not this soon. Good lord.

He stood up straight, fixing his hair and checking for any witnesses. With the coast clear, he started the long walk home. It was fine. Martin wasn’t a complete idiot. He would accept the good news that Jon didn’t despise him and would roll with it, trying his best not to muck it up with more stupid mistakes. Then, with either their time used up or the investigation completed, all three of them would be gone.

The thought struck him hard, and Martin almost stumbled from the emotional whiplash. It had been, what, a day and a half? Surely not long enough to miss them that much, especially the person who had only just started being nice to him ten minutes ago. But Martin knew himself better than that.

Jon had been nice, just as Tim and Sasha had been nice, and he was going to miss the company when they had to leave. It was natural to feel sad about it, he told himself, but eventually their leaving would be a relief. The one-sided affection would have no room for hoping or growing otherwise. At the same time, he might as well enjoy the company of interesting people. Interesting people who wanted to help him, even! Jon had said he’d wanted to work together to figure things out, so that’s what Martin would try to do.

As long as it didn’t get him fired. As long as nothing they did fucked over any chance of employment. As long as his place of work didn’t eat him out of a hunger for vengeance.

Pushing those sour thoughts deep into the back of his consciousness, Martin focused on the morning’s events the rest of the way home. Plans of action formed in his mind, most of them related to the task at hand, a few needing to be waved away as wishful thinking. There was work to be done.

It took quite a bit of digging through crumpled and disorganized paperwork he’d saved from many unsuccessful attempts at employment, but after lunch, Martin sat on his bed with his original work contract. At the bottom was the signature of Peter Lukas, and in the bottom left corner was the stamped Lukas family crest, which Martin had seen every day on a small plaque adorning the lighthouse interior, right over his desk.

It was a simple and rather generic image of a black and white shield, framed by an albatross and a laughably inaccurate seal that Martin couldn’t help but gawk at years after he’d first seen it. He wondered if the artist responsible had had to work with someone telling them what a seal looked like from memory or if the family just hadn’t cared too much for accuracy. Based on the strange ideas Peter would spout at times of how the ocean worked, Martin would bet on the latter. Maybe the whole family was just like that?

Either way, it was equal parts ridiculous and unnerving as it lurked over Martin’s shoulder during the work day but didn’t have much use to him otherwise. He was no expert on symbolism and there was nothing he could see that would relate the crest to the task at hand.

Martin leafed through the work contract, glazing over benefits and salary before stopping on the section labeled “Employee Assignments and Other Expected Duties”.

“Sec. III. The employee agrees to the following non-exhaustive list of duties:

-Be present at the premises between the hours of 6 am and 4 pm, Monday through Friday, including lunch break. -Complete bookkeeping for the employer, Mr. Peter Lukas, using materials delivered to the premises on Monday morning. Delivery will always be completed by the employee's set arrival time at 6am. If nothing is delivered, contact the main house for further instruction to procure materials. -Clean the interior of the premises at regular intervals, including the main entrance, bathroom, kitchen, and upper floors. -Between the hours of 6 am and 4 pm, complete the maintenance list of the top floor (see Sec. IV). This must be completed once every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday, between the hours of 6 am and 4 pm. There is a zero-tolerance policy for lack of completion. -Inform unexpected visitors of the proper procedure for scheduling a paid tour of the premises (See Sec. V) -Accept packages and sign for if necessary.

Martin looked over the list, biting his cheek. He’d grown lax on staying until 4pm, but with Peter’s general lack of awareness, it had never come up. Otherwise, the duties seemed in line with what he remembered. He looked down to Section IV.

“As referred to in Sec. III, the employee will complete the following tasks during the hours of 6 am and 4 pm every day, including Saturday and Sunday:”

Following this was the list he had long ago written down and taped to his desk. There were no details relating to the purpose of each task, just procedure. He’d kept to the instructions consistently, every switch flipped and seemingly-pointless button pressed, though he’d been very close to missing the 4pm mark on several occasions because of the dreaded walk to the top. This list, again, wasn’t much help. He went over the document a few times then set it aside and flopped onto his back, scattering some loose papers to the floor.

He’d need to find some other angle. Research was a non-starter for him without experience, and as far as his town knowledge was concerned, it wasn’t wrong to call him forgetful in that area as well. It was likely he’d have to accept his part as an amateur tour guide. It didn’t feel like enough, but starting Monday, he’d be back to working and have no time to help anyway, unless their work somehow kept them late into the night.

Jon had been nice with all the working-together talk, but Martin knew he wouldn’t be of much use at all. If he wanted to be helpful, he should begin prepping for dinner.

-

As evening turned to night, Martin and his mother sat at the dining room table in silence, interrupted only by the light clinking of plates and utensils as they finished the pan-fried chicken and vegetables in front of them. Weekends were always better meal days, always leaving Martin feeling more satisfied with his cooking with all the time he had to focus on it. His mother showed no greater signs of enjoyment than eating without complaint.

“Mum, can I ask you something?” Martin ran his thumb against the smooth metal of his fork. “It’s about work.”

Martin’s mother paused from eating another bite of her meal. “What is it?” she asked, frowning.

Swallowing hard, Martin said, “How much have you had to deal with the Lukas family? There’s this research project being completed and it’s involving a lot of history, so I thought since you’ve lived here so long-”

“Long enough, yes.” Martin could see her nostril twitch. “They came in long before I did and will most likely stay until the fish run out. Otherwise, I kept to my business and they kept to theirs. No reason to get involved with people who wouldn’t bother walking down the hills on foot.”

“Right, it’s just-”

“I don’t feel like talking, Martin,” she said, her voice cracking slightly at his name. “My throat is too sore.”

“Right. Okay, I’ll get you some more water.” He picked up her glass to refill and bit back any other questions. Next to the sink was his mother’s pill case with the current day’s compartment still full. “We’ll get your meds done now, then. Should help a bit.” His mother didn’t respond, having already returned to her dinner.

Afterwards, she requested to step outside. “The night air is good for my lungs,” she argued as a matter of fact, and with no way to dissuade her, Martin completed their little ritual of walking out the door and standing in the fog-filled night in silence, his own face covered in an old scarf. His eyes watered in the dry, salty gale, and he wondered how much time it had taken for his mother to withstand the sting without any tears.

-

By mid-morning the next day, Martin had finished his duties upstairs. Sitting at the table, he listened to the group’s progress from after he had left them the day before. Spread across the table were photocopies of what looked like legal documents, some of the bare spots between them filled with used mugs of varying sizes.

“We weren’t able to stay there for long before it closed, but we were able to look up some records at the library yesterday,” Sasha explained, sifting through the papers. “Not a terrible archive, all things considered. We’re going to head there again tomorrow morning for a more in-depth look. We didn’t even get to looking for details on the construction of this place.”

“But!” Tim waved one of the copies above his head. “We did get some info on the Lukases themselves. Current residents in town, major stakeholders, that kind of stuff. And-” He pressed the sheet close to Martin’s face. It was a copy (of a copy) of a newspaper article featuring the lighthouse, with some figures standing at the entrance, including one Peter Lukas. “Martin, d’you know anything about the person who worked here before you? He’s one of the younger ones in the family, standing on the left.”

Martin scratched the back of his neck, squinting at the photo. “A bit? Evan Lukas, he was really nice from what I’d heard.”

Tim frowned, lowering his arm. “‘Was’?”

“Yeah, he passed away before I started working here. Peter said it was some heart thing. Runs in the family.” Tim slumped. “Sorry! I’m surprised the records didn’t say so. It was a pretty big deal, really shook people. It made the front page, though I never read the details.”

“Did you ever meet him?” Jon asked, tapping on the rim of his empty mug.

“Sort of? We went to school around the same time and were only a few years apart, which was weird since you wouldn’t expect him to go to a state school with a family like that? Anyway, that was years ago, but even after that you’d hear about him. He was gone for a while, actually, but somehow he ended up in this old place a few years back and, well, y’know.” Martin rubbed his hands.

“Hmmm.” Tim leaned back in his chair, flipping a pencil between his fingers. “Okay, well, that’s one person we probably can’t talk to outside of spookier means. Is there anyone who knew him well?”

Pausing for a moment, Martin said, “I think… no, yeah, he was engaged, but his fiancée left town pretty soon after he died. Don’t know anything about her except she wasn’t a local.” Silence stretched over them as Tim sat in his disappointment

“Well, shit,” Tim let out in an overblown sigh. Sasha patted Tim’s shoulder in sympathy. He grinned at her. “That’s all I’ve got, then. Time to call it a day?” he asked, earning himself a pinch on the ear.

“We’ll just have to go over the items we have until tomorrow,” Jon said, his sigh brimming with exhaustion. “Who knows, we might’ve missed something the first time. Before that, Martin, who was the person we missed yesterday? Would they be worth talking to?”

Hesitating, Martin responded, “Maybe? But if you’ve already got a way to look up historical stuff, it might be better to skip this one.” Jon raised an eyebrow at him and his stomach dropped at the attention.

“It’s just, he’s an eccentric person, difficult to track down, and while he knows the Lukas family pretty well, it’s only because their families do business. His family, the Fairchilds, they’re not a huge family in this town, but this guy, Simon, he’s, well. He’s this small, old man, right?” Martin tapped his foot, looking for something to say to end his babbling. “And you know the cliff behind the lighthouse? It’s got at least 150 meters straight down to sea?” The three nodded, and Martin smiled, his brows furrowed.

“Years ago, he dove right off the damned thing.”

-

Tim gaped over the railing, his breath floating over the edge. Sasha and Jon gaped slightly less, and from a safer distance, though that didn’t seem to save Jon from the effects of the harsh, cold wind that sent him shivering through a nothing of a windbreaker. Far below the cliff’s edge, down past the wind-worn rock and smattering of trees, through a thin layer of fog that cradled the seaside, there waited an incredibly harsh landing of sea and stone.

“But there’s a fuckload of rocks down there?” Tim sputtered.

Martin kept his gaze straight forward. “Yeah.”

“And even if he just hit water, I mean-”

“Made it out just fine.”

“And you were thinking of just skipping this guy? I don’t care if he’s unhelpful, I want to see if he can fly or something.” Tim stepped from the safety rails, giving one a good pat.

Sasha crossed her arms, eyeing the drop. “Do you know where we can find him?”

Martin scratched his face. “Most of the time he comes here to see Peter for business. Peter absolutely hates it since it’s usually out of nowhere, and Simon always claims he does it because he likes surprises, but I think he just likes to be irritating. Otherwise…” Turning to look at the lighthouse, Martin said, “I do know where Simon lives, and while I can’t guarantee he’ll want to speak to you about anything specific, he definitely loves to talk.”

“Is there anything he’s said to you about the Lukas family? Or the building?” Jon looked at Martin intently, clearly doing his best to not shiver.. “Anything that might’ve seemed like nothing more than gossip or reminiscing?”

With Jon staring at him, Martin’s brain sputtered to a stop. “I-I don’t think so? Like I said, he’s eccentric, so it’s hard to pick apart anything he says as being sincere or as a joke. He told me he was once a firebreather, and I still don’t know if I believe him. Sorry, I know that’s not super helpful.” Martin rubbed the back of his neck.

Jon relaxed his gaze, his corner of his mouth quirking down just a little. “It’s all right. If we can get a hold of him, we’ll ask him some simple questions and hopefully sift through any confusion. Right now, we can all stop giving ourselves vertigo and get back inside. It’s freezing out here.” Jon made a show of shoving his hands under his arms and walked back to the lighthouse.

“Poor guy’s circulation is shot, honestly. Could get hypothermia walking into a basement,” Tim teased behind his hand, not bothering to lower his voice as he leaned toward Sasha and Martin.

“Ha. Very funny.” Jon sent a withering glare over his shoulder and slipped indoors. They followed him back inside, and while the other three sat to discuss possible interview questions, Martin got another round of tea going. He had to have some of those to-go paper coffee cups somewhere in these cupboards, but no amount of looking revealed them. Instead, he managed to find one lonely travel mug and contemplated his options.

Would it be too obvious? Would Jon consider it him joining in on the teasing? At the thought of Jon stubbornly standing outside in a too-thin jacket, Martin resigned himself to whatever reaction he would receive. Either way, he'd get something warm in Jon’s hands so the little pang in his chest would go away.

When Martin brought him the mug, Jon looked suspicious but didn’t complain.

[doobler]

Sensory

Everything hurt.

Light.

Sound.

Fabric

Air.

Pain, pain, pain.

Everywhere. Non-stop. All-consuming.

The squeak of the door opening.

Fuck.

The.

Pain.

Then oh. Oh? Oh!

Relief.

Cold. Soft. Wet. 

A shaky sigh. Twitching fingers. Fluttering eyelids.

The whiskery kiss hurts a little less, skin numbed by the cold soft wetness.

Footsteps.

The door.

Darkness.

Tony crept his way into the bedroom three hours later. Before Stephen became unresponsive, he was able to communicate just how bad the impending migraine would be. A solid 10 out of 10. Tony wanted to call up a hospital or at least have a nurse on standby but Stephen waved him off. With trembling fingers and a stony scowl, he typed up a list and sent it to the mechanic's phone:

1. Lights off. Total darkness. Candles only if necessary

2. No sound. At all. No ambience, no music, no talking

3. Painkillers always on hand. Three capsules at the beginning, followed by two at every request

4. Room temperature water. Cold will hurt, hot will hurt

5. Minimal blankets. At most, a thin bedsheet

6. Cold washcloths to be primed and ready

7. ???

Tony spent a solid ten minutes staring at that last bulletpoint. Stephen had typed the number, paralyzed by pain before he could finish the note. The migraine had started. Quickly but with great caution, the pair skittered to their shared bedroom. The lights were shut off, the blankets pulled back, painkillers located, and sound-proof curtains descended. At the last second, using what little cognisance he had left, Stephen ripped off his shirt and pants, collapsing on the mattress in nothing but his briefs. 

The fractional bounce that came from his landing sent him into a spasm of agony. He pressed the heels of his palms against his temples, grinding his teeth and clenching his eyes shut. It'd been horrible to witness and Tony found himself frozen in fear. He'd seen Stephen's body battered and beaten, bones crushed, limbs broken, dripping blood and detritus. That'd been on the battle field though. Now, they'd been enjoying a nice quiet dinner, twin bowls of pasta, legs tangled together, sprawled on the couch eagerly watching the World Cup.

Domestic bliss, shattered entirely.

"FRIDAY?" Tony whispered, idling by the door. "How's he doing in there?"

"Dr.Strange has barely moved since your last check-up. He's vocalized more in the past 10 minutes but hasn't said any actual words. I believe he's trying to get a drink of water at the moment."

Tony sighed through his nose. He eased the door open, peering inside. Long limbs were spread haphazardly across the mattress. Bedsheets twisted around one leg, eeking up the curve of his rear and the dip of his spine. Almost every pillow was somewhere on the floor, save the one sat on Stephen's head. His face wasn't entirely visible, though his lips and jaw could be seen. His mouth was agape, drawing in shallow wheezing breaths.

Tony inched his way across the floor, slow, slower, slowly. He reached the bedside table, gingerly picking up the glass, and lowered it to Stephen's awaiting mouth. The poor sorcerer tried his best to drink through the straw, only letting out a soft moan in protest. The pain left him weak, terribly so. Peeling back the pillow, Tony tipped the glass slightly, trickling a mouthful at a time past Stephen's dry lips. It seemed to work, his throat flexing as he swallowed.

For a moment, Tony admired his lover's form. He was paler than usual, easily forgotten in a blanket of snow. He'd been working hard recently, having thrown himself into another binge of sorcerer errands. His body suffered for it, skin pulled taut across ribs and joints. Tony thought he looked beautiful no matter what but wished the bastard would practice better self-care. When he recovered, they'd feast and sleep for a week straight if need be.

"Angel? Baby? Sweetheart?" Tony's voice was like a sigh, quiet enough it could be lost on a gentle breeze. "Do you need more meds?"

Stephen groaned. His usually bassy timbre was hoarse and crackling like a dying fire. His fingers twitched. He managed to half clench one of his fists, shaking it up and down. 

Yes.

Tony nodded, plucking up the pill bottle. He tucked it into the fold of his shirt, trying his best to muffle the plastic clicking as he opened it. He counted out two candy shelled capsules, cupping them in his palm. Stephen didn't move. Instead, Tony brushed a fingertip against his lips, waiting for them to part. He tucked both pills into his mouth, trickling in another few drops of water. Stephen swallowed, puncturing the stillness with a hiss. The pain was wearing off but progress was slow. It'd be at least another hour before the medicine kicked in, having to work with an empty stomach.

"If you need anything else," Tony whispered, fidgeting slightly. "Just uh. Give FRIDAY a sign. I'll have her keep an eye out for you."

Tony stood there for a moment, unsure of how to exit. He wanted to drop a tender kiss upon his lover's brow but they were still in the thick of it. Contact like that would only hurt more. He settled on a single pat against Stephen's hair, light enough to not even reach his scalp. The sorcerer huffed in reply, soothed by the gesture. His breathing evened out as he relaxed.

Tony left, feeling more at ease than he had before.

[callieshipman]

the 100 tag game!

i was (sort of) tagged by @easilydistractedbyfanfic! thanks <3

1. What Station on the Ark would you be from?

I like to think Farm, I love plants! But also maybe Polaris, because getting caught up in someone else’s drama and then dying offscreen is probably about how my TV life would go. 

2. What would you get arrested for on the Ark?

...making an inappropriate joke about treason? this is based off the fact that I once made a joke about overthrowing the government whilst touring Parliament and did NOT notice the policeman behind me.

3. Would you take off your wristband when you landed on the ground?

 my mum thinks I’m dead if she sees I don’t reply to her texts within five minutes so i’m gonna say no because i hate worrying people lmao

4 What would the necklace Finn would make for you look like? (Clarke: deer/Raven: a raven duh..)

i have so much dragonfly stuff, so probably that! i don’t even know where that came from, but it seems fitting.

5. If you could resurrect any MINOR character who would it be?

100% maya vie, the revolution queen always and forever! though she is not minor in my Heart

6. Create a squad of 5 characters to go on missions with. Who are they?

Bellamy, Monty, Raven, Abby, Indra! Between them they cover our bases of leadership, plants, machines, medicine, and general badassery

7. What Grounder Clan would you belong to you?

Shallow Valley looked like exactly the kind of place I’d like :)

8. What would your name be in Trigedasleng? (example: Octavia=Okteivia…just make it up!)

This is hard for Tabby! I guess Tabi?

9. Thoughts on Finn? Some people hate him, and others love him, so I’m curious

i’m not gonna sing his praises, but i think he’s more complex than some people give him credit for.  he did terrible things, but i’m never gonna get behind the grounder agenda of spending hours torturing a child to death. i recognise that this is entirely bonkers to say in the universe of the 100, but that dude should have had a fair trial

10. Be honest. How willing would you have been to take the chip without knowing all the horrible things it does?

i wouldn’t do it! also i have trouble with pills, there’s no way i’m dry swallowing that massive hunk of plastic

11. What character do you relate to most?

monty!! i have also watched people i love deeply fall apart, and his struggles in season 4 really resonate with me. but on a lighter note, i also relate to his sense of humour and his deep seated need to snark at people. and eating leaves.

12. What character do you like the least?

i’m gonna go with Cage Wallace, because fuck that guy. he’s just smarmy, it annoys me lmao

13. Describe your delinquent outfit. (Would you wear something like Murphy’s jacket with the spikey red shoulder patch or have a trademark like Jasper’s goggles? Be creative, yet practical)

i would probably have a pretty normal shirt and a thick jumper. i like yellow, but that probably wouldn’t fare so well with hiding in the woods and such so i’m gonna go with a dark green. that + trousers + my trusty walking boots.

14. Favourite type of mutant animal?

the glowing butterflies are pretty great!

15. What would your job be on the Ark?

probably counselling or something? i can’t imagine i’d be very high up, but probably with people a lot, i’m no good with machines

16. Would you have willingly pumped Ontari’s heart if Abby asked?

yeah but my face would be like D: the whole time

17. If Lexa wasn’t Heda, but she was still alive then who would have made the best commander?

Indra’s my go-to! she has experience, she’s level-headed, she’s respected, and clearly a strong fighter. i would follow her into war is what i’m saying here

18. How would you act if you ate the hallucinogenic nuts like Jasper and Monty?

i’d probably get loud and just start talking over people and offering opinions that no one asked for then fall asleep

19. How would you have dealt with Charlotte’s crime? A more John Murphy approach or Bellamy Blake approach?

i’d never have turned her away from the camp, but she definitely wouldn’t get away with it scot-free and i’d probably keep her away from the others to keep her and everyone else safe

20. Who should have been the Chancellor, if anyone?

jake griffin :’) he has a strong code of ethics, he’s smart, and he’s kind

21. Would you have been on Pike’s side like Bellamy or on Kane’s side? Or Clarke in Polis?

Kane’s, but probably somewhat removed from the drama

22. Mount Weather had a lot of modern commodities. (example: Maya’s Ipod) What is the one thing you would snatch while there?

i feel like i should say their advanced medical supplies, but i’d probably just take the iPod tbh! love me some music and i know maya had good taste

23. What would your Grounder tattoos look like? Hairstyle? War paint?

i looooove those winding tattoos that go all around arms and legs like vines, so maybe something like that? and my hair is pretty short so i’d probably wear it as it is, but maybe add tiny braids. as for war paint, i can’t be bothered to do regular makeup so i don’t know if i’d even do it. minimal if anything.

24. Favorite quote?

“My mom was the revolutionary. I’m just trying to make things right.” It’s Maya lovin’ hours! i don’t know why, i just really like this one. i’m not sure it’s my favourite, but i can’t think of anything else right now

25. If all of the characters were in the Hunger Games, who would have the best shot at winning?

Octavia, but only if someone else killed Bellamy, she’d never do it

26. Least favorite ship? Favorite canon ship? Favorite non canon ship? NOT INCLUDING CL OR BC OR BE

Least: uhh i don’t really dislike any ships that much but i guess i never really got the cl.exa hype

Favorite canon: up until s5, i really loved kabby! afterwards, i have no idea tbh a lot of the ships didn’t quite do it for me in s5 but i enjoy becho

Favorite non-canon: i’m hoping for the rise of niytavia this season ;)

27. A song that should be included in the next season? If there had to be another guest star like Shawn Mendes on the show, who would you want to make a cameo?

john mulaney. next question please.

28. What would you do if you were stuck in the bunker with Murphy for all that time?

well hopefully we become friendly but i would probably also go a bit nuts

29. You’re an extra that gets killed off. How do you die?

i choke on berries in the background of a massive fight scene

30. A character you’d like to learn more about and get flashbacks of?

Indra :0

31. A character you’d bang?

raven but preferably not just bc she’s sad again. also i would like to not perish immediately afterwards.

32. Would you stay in the Bunker? Go up to Space? Or live on your own in Eden?

spacekru! i would not survive either of the other environments at all

33. In the Bunker, would you follow Octavia? What would you do to pass the time underground?

i like to think i’d be the leader of some cool underground revolution, but publicly i’d follow her because she’s terrifying. i think i’d read and write and sleep a lot

34. What crime would you commit in the Bunker that lands you in the fighting pits?

underground revolution as mentioned above! alternatively, i am the blanket thief

35. Up in Space, who would you bond with first? Who would be the most difficult for you to get along with?

the100!tabby is gonna follow monty everywhere, let’s be real. i like to think we’d get on. as for most difficult...i’m not good at reaching out to people, so it would probably be a while before i ended up close with echo purely by virtue of neither of us ever starting a conversation

36. How long do you think you would last on Earth by yourself?

oh god, not long at all. i have zero survival skills, i’d starve. madi would have to parent ME

37. When the Eligius ship lands what do you do?

probably reveal myself and make it very clear i am in no way a threat- i’m not clarke griffin, i’m 5′4, unarmed, and i look like i’m made of noodles

38. Favourite Eligius character? Least favorite?

favourite: diyoza no competition (except sassy rewind guy)

least favourite - mccreary but in a fun way

39. Would you Spacewalk?

absolutely not you couldn’t pay me to do that

40. Would you prefer to eat Windshield Bugs, Space Algae, or Bunker Meat?

algae...for monty :)

41. Would you start a war for the last spot of green on earth? What would your solution be to avoid it?

i would try the negotiations! i’m sure they could have gotten somewhere in peace talks

42. Would you rather dig out flesh-eating worms or stick thumb drives into bullet holes?

thumb drives in bullet holes- the worms are much worse

43. Are you willing to poison your sister for the Traitor Who You Love? What would you do to stop Octavia?

yeah i’d do it, but i’d hate it. i’d try to avoid killing her, but if she needs to be incapacitated, then i’d do it for the safety of everyone else

44. Would you go to sleep in cryo or stay awake like Marper?

probably sleep, i’m not sure i could handle that life in isolation

45. Who are you waking up first to explore the new planet?

more or less the same lot. i’d actually wake Gaia too, she’s the Flamekeeper and might know some helpful hints about flame culture and stuff. she certainly knows the history. 

i’m tagging: @commanderclarke @paintingbellarke @sarka-stically and anyone else who wants to do it!

[awhitehead17]

Whumptober 2018: Day twenty one - Harsh Climate

Summary: After pissing off an magician Jason and Tim are sent to the desert.

Enjoy! :)

Groaning Tim blinks his eyes open and immediately shuts them again when he’s hit with blinding light. Sitting up from where he had been lying down he brings up a hand and covers his eyes and tries again. Soon enough his eyes adjust to the light and he looks around. 

The sight that greets him is not a pleasant one. He’s in a desert. A golden sand desert. There’s nothing within his sight range that tells him exactly what desert they’re in because he sees nothing but sand for absolute miles. 

Some groaning gets his attention and he looks to find Jason sprawled out beside him. He gives his brother a moment to get his senses together before speaking, “We’re in a dessert.” 

Jason also sits up and looks around, he’s then looking at Tim, Tim can’t tell what expression the man is wearing because of his helmet but Tim figures he’s glaring, “Wow, good deduction sherlock.” 

Tim shrugs and gets to his feet. He has no idea how long they’d been there, but he can already feel his throat going dry and he can feel his mouth burning slightly from where it’s exposed from his cowl.

Next to him Jason does the same, “I can’t believe that bitch teleported us to the fucking desert.” 

Right that’s what happened. He and Jason were fighting a magic user and Jason pissed her off and now they’re in a desert instead of the back streets of Gotham. Fun times. Trying to ignore the sand that’s already invaded his boots Tim gets out his communicator. Pressing a few buttons he lets out a defeated sigh, “Brilliant, just brilliant, no signal.” 

“What?” He sees Jason getting his own out and checking it. A few seconds later he’s growling in frustration, “That’s bullshit. What happened to these being satellite communicators or whatever.” 

Tim frowns, “Probably malfunctioned with the magic or something.” 

Jason puts his communicator away before looking at him, “What do you wanna do? We stand here, we’re toast, we start walking we’re toast, seems like we’re fucked either way.” 

Tim takes a moment to think about their situation. Glancing up at the sky he guesses for it to be about 3’oclock from where the sun is currently positioned, give or take he gives it about 5 or 6 hours before it gets dark and gets below freezing temperatures. They need to find some form of shelter before that happens, then there the complications of getting hit with a potential sand storm, them getting dehydrated, or starving and getting heat stroke or sun stroke is another potential danger. 

Tim sighs and tugs off his cowl. Having to bring up a hand to cover his eyes, he squints at Jason who has also taken off his helmet, “I’m not sure. There’s a lot of dangers right now, I think our best bet is just walk in a direction and hope for the best,” he pauses to look around before looking back at Jason, “You got anything to drink on you?” 

Jason glares at him, “Yeah cause I just happen to carry around bottled water with me when I go to beat up magicians. No I don’t.” 

Tim rolls his eyes at the man’s answer before going through his belt. After a moment he lets out a joyful sound at finding some water pills. However he deflates when he notices that he only has 3. “I have 3 hydration pills with me, since we’re not sure on how long we’ll be out here we should save them until we’re really desperate.” 

Jason looks at his hand and nods. “Yeah sure.” 

Tim hates it, the dryness already in his throat is irritating and uncomfortable but they need to make them last as long as possible. 

“Let’s go.”

It took them in what Tim is guessing is an hour before they gave into the temptation of having the hydration pills. The fresh water was soothing to their dry throats and gave them both a small burst of energy. 

Despite the pill Tim’s pretty sure he’s sweated out all the water in his body. His suit was clinging to him uncomfortably and his belts felt like they weighed a ton, he wont let go of them though, he couldn’t. His face and hair were dripping wet with sweat and he’s pretty sure his face is sunburned. 

Next to him Jason seemed to be in a similar condition. 

About half a mile later Tim collapses on the ground, his legs giving out on him. The heat was unbearable and he was feeling light headed. He’s kind of aware Jason collapsing next to him with a groan. 

“I don’t think I can take much more of this...” He gets out breathlessly. 

Tim doesn’t bother to answer but he totally agrees. Looking around nothing has changed, no other sight than the clear blue sky above them and golden sand surrounding them for miles. 

He misses Gotham. He never realised how much he likes the dark and gloomy atmosphere the city generates until that moment. God he hates the sun, well he disliked it a lot before this fun adventure but now he absolutely despises it. 

The next time Conner tries to get him to go Hawaii or someplace warm and sunny simply because he needs ‘natural nutrients as he’s pale as a ghost’ he’s going to shove kryptonite so far up his ass that he’ll be tasting it in his throat. 

Tim’s eyes widen at the end of his threat to his best friend. Kon. Why didn’t he think about that before! God he’s so stupid! From where he was on the ground Tim wills up enough energy to scream out his best friend’s name, “CONNER!” 

Next to him Jason jumps at the sudden noise, “What the fuck Tim?” 

Tim of course ignores him and shouts again. He tries to ignore how dry and raw his throat has gone. After the third shout Jason slaps him. 

“You’re a fucking moron why didn’t you think about that before.” 

Tim glares at him, “Well excuse me asshole, but if you hadn’t of noticed but we’re not in exactly good conditions for my mind to be thinking straight. Anyway you could have thought about it as well, you’re as much to blame as I am.” 

After a forth shout Tim gives up and slumps back down onto the sand. His throat was killing him to the point where he didn’t think he could talk anymore. 

Next to him Jason hits him again, “Take the last pill.” 

Tim shakes his head. 

“Why the hell not? You need it.” 

Tim shakes his head again. Of course he would be more than happy to take the hydration pill but it wouldn’t be fair to Jason. If there were two pills left then Tim wouldn’t bat an eye lid but since there’s only one he’s not going to. 

Jason mutters curses under his breath and the next thing Tim knows is that he’s being pinned to the ground with Jason on top of him. Tim makes a sound and tries to buck Jason off him but the other man has a huge weight advantage over him so Tim doesn’t really have the chance. The bright burning sun isn’t doing anything to help him either. 

While holding Tim to the floor Jason digs around his belt, obviously looking for that pill. Tim struggles against him but he couldn’t prevent Jason finding it. Tim struggles against his brother even more when his hand covers Tim’s mouth and forces the pill inside. 

Taking the defeat Tim swallows the pill and can’t help but feel better after feeling the water the run down his throat, soothing it from where it had gone raw. Of course it hasn’t sorted the problem out fully but it’s helped a little.  

“Tim!” 

Tim looks up past Jason to find Conner floating next to them. Tim has to blink multiple times to try and make sure that he’s just not imagining it. 

Jason gets off him muttering a “fucking finally” as Conner lands next to them. He bends down and peers at Tim with a questioning look, Why are you guys in the middle of a desert. It’s like 100 degrees out here jeez.” 

Jason glares at him, “It’s not like we choose to be here you moron. Now get us out of here before we die of heat stroke or something.”

Kon eyes Jason up before glancing at Tim. He’s then standing up and turning his back to Jason, “If you get on my back then I’ll carry Tim in my arms.” 

Jason doesn’t argue and does exactly that. Once he was settled Kon bends over and picks Tim up off the floor and starts to fly away. Tim curls up in his best friends arms, “Thanks Kon.” 

“No problem dude, though when you’re better you will definitely be telling me how the fuck you guys ended up over in Africa from Gotham.” 

[dreamwritesimagines]

Bad Habit 12- Snap Out Of It [Billy Russo x Reader]

A.N: Your feedback is amazing, thank you so so much! 

Tags are at the end! 

Characters: Billy Russo x Reader, Karen Page x Frank Castle

Summary: Double dates never go as planned. 

Click here for: Bad Habit 1, Bad Habit 2, Bad Habit 3  Bad Habit 4 Bad Habit 5 Bad Habit 6 Bad Habit 7 Bad Habit 8 Bad Habit 9 Bad Habit 10 Bad Habit 11 

Click here to see the playlist for the first 4 parts!

Click here to see the playlist for 5-8 made by the amazing itsjustmylifeconfessions

Click here to see the beautiful moodboard by itsjustmylifeconfessions

Click here to see the beautiful moodboard by whoareumancek

Warning: Explicit language, cussing.

Word Count: 3461

Please tell me what you think

Gif’s not mine!

“Oh fuck.”  You opened your eyes as the pain in your head pounded against your skull in-

Not your bed.

You sat up straight and looked around, now realizing it was Billy’s room and there was a note for you along with two pills on the nightstand. You grabbed the note and tried to see through the headache.

Not bailing, something came up at Anvil. Call me when you wake up.

Billy.

Ps: You’re romantic when you’re drunk.

Your jaw dropped as you skimmed the lines once again.

“What did I do?” You whispered before reaching out to get your phone and found his name from the contacts, then hit call.

He answered in two seconds.

“Morning sunshine.”

“The hell you mean romantic?” You croaked out, making him chuckle.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Hit me, Russo.”

“Well, you…” Billy cleared his throat, “You got wasted with Foggy and Karen…”

“I remember that.”

“Then I drove you to my place. You…serenaded me.”

“Oh God…”

“You started with that Britney Spears song…”

“Which one?”

“You’re toxic I’m slipping under?”

“Jesus Christ…” You fell back to the bed, hoping it would swallow you.

“Yeah and that was while I was opening the door. Woke up all my neighbors, then at the house you started singing I wanna hold your hand-“

“Beatles?! I skipped from Britney to Beatles?!”

“I wouldn’t call it Beatles because towards the end of it you turned the song into a rap.”

You groaned, “This is a joke, right? You’re messing with me.”

“No, I have a video.”

“Which you will delete?”

“Nah, not a chance.” He stated and you ran a hand over your burning face.

“And that was the end of the night, right?”

“Nope.”

“No.” You nodded to yourself, “Of course it wasn’t.”

“You’re very creative when you’re drunk, did anyone tell you that?”

“Did I fucking paint your portrait or something?” You whined and he made a noise of disagreement.

“More romantic.”

“Fuck no.”

“If anything it was a good poem.” He said, “I’m sure you came up with it because I’m not sure there are many poems about someone’s facial hair.”

“Please stop.”

“I told you the same thing last night. Didn’t seem to work.”

“I’m never drinking again…”

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, but then-“

“There’s more!?”

“You wanted to go out to find your brother, then proceeded to shout out of my window, something along the lines Come and get me, dickhead.”

You massaged your eyes. “Billy?”

“Hm?”

“We need to stop seeing each other.”

He snorted, “Does it mean you take your proposal back?”

You could swear you felt the blood freeze in your veins.

“Please don’t tell me I actually proposed, because my heart can’t take it.”

“I wouldn’t call it a proposal really. You just said “Sex is good, wanna do it until I’m dry and you have erectile dysfunction problems in old age?”

“We’re definitely breaking up.” You groaned as you popped the pills in your mouth “It was nice knowing you Russo. Thanks for the orgasms.”

“My pleasure. So are you free tonight?”

“Yeah. We can drink holy water and talk about anything that’s not romantic. Guns and wrestling?”

“Guns are romantic.”

You made a face, “No they’re not. So I’ll steal all your valuable things and run away then. Since you left me alone in your place…” You paused, “Dude, it’d be like a roleplay! We never talked about our kinks!”

“Y/N-“

“Cops and robbers, come on, a classic!”

“Why do your all interesting ideas have to come to you when I’m about to go into a meeting?” If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was whining. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah, and text me your fantasies, bye!”

You hung up and pushed the covers off your body, still holding onto your head with a groan and slowly, very slowly walked to the front door and opened it. As you expected, Isaac and Simon were already there, waiting for you.

“Morning ma’am.”

You tried to focus, then nodded,

“Morning guys. Isaac, before I forget, are you single?”

Isaac’s eyes widened as he looked at you, and opened his mouth to stammer.

“I- ma’am-what?”

“Are you single? Are you seeing anyone?”

“Ma’am, I’m flattered but…um-“

“Not for me, idiot!” You said, “My friend! She thinks you’re cute, do you think she’s cute?”

“What-what friend?”

“Vicky. From the coffee shop.”

“She thinks I’m cute?” Isaac’s head shot up as hope shone in his eyes, making you smile despite the headache.

“Jesus, you two are hopeless. Drive me to work please, and I’ll introduce you, properly.”

As soon as you walked in, you grabbed Isaac’s wrist and pulled him towards the counter behind which Vicky was preparing coffee with Liz.

“Vicky!” You said, making her turn her head to you and her eyes wandered to Isaac, who shot her a shy smile and looked elsewhere. You tried not to aww at them, and cleared your throat.

“I’m taking over the coffee stuff for a while, you go take a break. Preferably with Isaac, who thinks you’re cute.”

Vicky raised her brows as Isaac cleared his throat, still not looking her in the eye while Liz let out a laugh.

“Right Isaac?”

“I’d- It’d make me very happy if you would drink a cup of coffee with me.”

“She’d be delighted!” You answered on behalf of Vicky and she bit on her lip, trying to hide her smile before nodded.

“You wild kids go and sit there, me and Liz got this covered.” You said and Vicky put the cup in her hands down, then she made her way to a table with Isaac following her. Liz giggled.

“Match maker skills over the top.”

“Come on, they’d be cute together. If you ever get bored of that boyfriend of yours, I can hook you up with people too.” You wiggled your brows and she picked up the cup Vicky had left behind.

“I take it things are good between you and Mr Fancy.”

You bit on your lip, then nodded, trying to ignore the blush creeping up on your cheeks as what Billy had said flashed in your eyes.

“I’m gonna take out the pies, you got this?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, and Liz walked to the kitchen while you made yourself busy with changing the roll of receipt paper, oblivious to customer who approached the counter before he cleared his throat.

“Oh sorry, how can I-“ You raised your head but as soon as you did, you felt like someone just sucker punched you square in the face. He looked exactly like how he looked all these years ago, as if he didn’t change one bit. He shot you a small smile as you gawked at him.

“Hi.”

You tried to pull yourself together as you gritted your teeth, forcing yourself to stand your ground “What the fuck are you doing here, Ethan?”

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Well then don’t.” You averted your eyes as you walked to the coffee machine, “We broke up-“

“You dumped me. With a letter.”

“Yeah so…get the clue.”

“Y/N-“

“And tell my brother it is way below the belt, even for him.” You said coldly as you turned to look at him, in hopes to catch something, anything, but all you could see on his face was the confusion.

“Your brother? He left the city after he…” He gulped, “Beat the fuck out of me. I thought you knew. I-I thought you left the city together.”

“Cool story, came up with it by yourself?”

“Y/N.” he insisted, “I- I tried to find you. I still have the letter-“ he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and you shook your head fervently.

“I don’t wanna see it.” You said, digging your fingernails into your palms “You should leave.”

“Y/N-“

“Ethan.” You cut him off, “Trust me. You need to leave. I left the city for a reason-“

“Not to hurt me anymore. I know, I’ve read it.” He held up the folded paper “I’ve memorized it by now. Can’t we just talk? Please?”

You knew it was gonna hurt him, but if it would also make him leave, you figured you would manage it once more. Just like you had before.

“I’m seeing someone.”

The expression on his face was so painful that it broke your heart for a second, before he tried to smile again, then nodded.

“I don’t expect anything,” he said quietly, “I just want to talk.”

“I’m not coming anywhere with you.”

“We could talk here? Tomorrow?” his voice was way too hopeful and you couldn’t find it in your heart to hurt him again. So, even if you knew this was a mistake, you nodded, making him smile.

He wrote his number to the back of the paper, then put it on the counter.

“Just in case you deleted it.” He said “See you tomorrow.”

He walked out of the café the same time Liz walked out of the kitchen with pies.

“Hey, you okay?”

You shut your eyes tightly, and took a deep breath before opening them again, scrunching up the letter in your hand.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, “Yeah, I am.”

For the whole day, you felt like the letter in your pocket would burn a hole through it. You were on the edge the whole day, not being able to focus on anything, and many customers had to repeat their order for you to get it right, even if you tried your hardest to concentrate. Before you knew it, the darkness of the evening fell over New York City, and customers started to leave one by one, slowly. Before you knew it, it was time for you all to go home and Billy walked into the café, busy with his phone.

“Hey.”

“Hi there.” You pecked him on the lips and his long fingers went to the back of your head, massaging there gently.

“How’s the hangover?”

“It’s better, thanks for the meds.” You pursed your lips, “And sorry about the… well whole last night.”

That seemed to make him chuckle as Isaac made his way to him.

“Mr Russo?”

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering if I could be excused for the night.”

Your eyes found Vicky over his shoulder before you turned to him, with a huge smile on your face,

“Yes you can!”

“Can he, Mr Russo?” Billy asked you, his brows raised and you elbowed him,

“Come on, you’re here! No need for bodyguards, or wouldn’t you protect me if something happened? Hm? Ex Special Forces?”

Billy shot you a look, then turned to Isaac, “Sure. Tell Simon he can leave as well.”

“Thank you Mr Russo. Ma’am.”

“Stop calling me ma’am!” You called out after him as he and Vicky walked out of the café and Simon followed them suit.

“Y/N, do you mind if you locked it tonight?” Liz asked you, holding up her phone, “I got this thing-“

“Oh no problem.” You told her, and she grabbed her coat and bag before she walked out as well. You turned to Billy,

“I’m taking that proposal back.”

“Play with my heart, why don’t you?” Billy said “Hey, could I get some coffee while we’re here?”

You nodded and quickly prepared his black coffee with no sugar, then handed him the foam cup before the small paper sticking out of your pocket caught your attention. You pressed a hand over your pocket, then took a deep breath.

“We need to talk.”

“That’s never good.” Billy said, pulling his brows together slightly, “Everything okay?”

“Um… no, I wouldn’t call it okay…” You mumbled and cleared your throat, “Okay, so you remember I said I trusted you?”

“Yeah?”

“This is me at the top of my trust.” You muttered and pulled the paper out of your pocket before you placed it on the counter.

“What is this?”

“This is the letter I wrote to Ethan before I left Chicago. Before I left him.” You tried to smile, “I… um, he dropped by today.”

This seemed to be one of the many moments you had no idea what Billy was thinking, as usual. His façade was calm, but his dark eyes narrowed a little as his eyes fell on the letter.

“You don’t wanna read it?”

Billy paused only for a second before he shook his head and pushed the letter in your direction “You can tell me, I’m sure.”

“It’s very dramatic.” You tried to laugh, “Anyway, um… Since we’re- well…. Since we’re seeing each other, I figured I could be honest with you. I’m gonna see him tomorrow.”

Billy fell into silence for a couple of seconds before he cleared his throat.

“Didn’t you say your brother was behind it? The whole thing?”

“I still have that doubt. I just…” You let out a shaky breath, “It’s all fucked up, but…” You shrugged, “What do you think?”

“Since when you care about what I think?”

“Oh come on,” You shot him a look, “Don’t be like that. My mind is all fucked up, I wanna hear what you think. Do you think I should see him?”

“Well, I think…it depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you still love him or not.”

You let out a small, bitter laugh, “Billy…”

“No, really. Do you?”

“If I still loved him, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you.” You stated, “I feel… I feel guilty. It’s not love, it’s guilt.”

“Over what?” Billy asked, and you shrugged,

“I left him. With a letter. I never answered his calls, mails, nothing. And he deserved more than that.”

“Who cares what he deserves?”

“I care!” You snapped, “Anyone would.”

“You don’t owe him shit.”

“So you don’t think I should talk to him.”

He shrugged, “Like I said. You don’t care what I think, but for what it’s worth I think it’s a bad idea. What if you’re right and your brother is behind this whole thing? It makes it way easier for him to get to you, while you’re all vulnerable-“

“I’m not vulnerable!”

“Y/N…”

“I’m not!” You insisted, “I’m not this love-struck girl you think I am, okay? I’m just… he’s someone from my past that I hurt. That’s it.” You ran your hand through your hair “Like I said… I want to be honest with you. I’m being honest with you, so believe me when I say there’s no love going on anymore.”

Billy nodded slowly, looking deep into your eyes “Okay.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Simon and Isaac will still be with you.”

“Yeah, I told him I’d meet him here. I’m not that naïve, you know?” You smiled softly before wrapping your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes, “Now, Russo, let me just fix this place and we can go to my place.”

That seemed to make him smile and he nodded before he smacked your butt, “Go on then. Hurry up.”

“I’m just gonna take out the trash, do you mind coming with me?” You asked him and he nodded,

“I could carry that.”

“Nope, I got it. Just open the door?” You asked as you walked to the backdoor and he rushed to open the door, then both of you walked outside but as soon as the two figures caught your eye in the dark, you gasped and stopped dead on your tracks.

“Karen?” You whispered, way too low for the kissing couple to hear you. Billy frowned.

“Is that Frank?” he whispered and you narrowed your eyes to see them better under the streetlight,

“That’s Pete.” You were confused now and Billy shook his head,

“Nope, I’m pretty sure that’s Frank.”

Suddenly it dawned on you and your jaw dropped, now realizing why Pete had seem so familiar to you back then.

“Motherfucker…” You mumbled, shaking your head, “That fuckhead gave me his fake name.” You leaned on your hip, “Well, it was about time.”

“How come I didn’t know about this?” Billy nodded at the couple and you scoffed.

“I did see it coming, to be honest.” You said and bumped your shoulder with his, “Hey, wanna ruin it for them?”

“Oh yeah.” Billy grinned “On three?”

“You got it.”

“One, two- There you go, Frankie!”

“Karen! Karen do you need condoms Karen?!”

“Nice one brother!”

“So much for no special other isn’t it?!” You both shouted, making them separate from each other’s embrace and Karen covered her face while Frank raised his brows, flipping Billy. You grinned as they walked towards you and Billy and Frank clapped each other on the shoulder as they hugged each other.

“I’m shocked.” You grinned at Karen who tried to purse her lips to hide her smile.

“You two are horrible.”

“Jesus, what happened to you two?” Billy asked and now you could notice Karen’s messed up hair along with Frank’s bruised face. Frank waved a hand in the air.

“Not important.”

“Like fuck it’s not important, you look like you’re about to drop dead from exhaustion.” You frowned, “Let me get you some coffee, huh?”

“That actually doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Come on.” You said after you threw the trash in the dumpster and all four of you walked into the café. Billy and Frank went to sit to two of the chairs around a table and Karen hugged you from behind.

“Hey.”

“Hey there, pretty. You okay?” You turned your head to kiss her on the cheek. “What happened to you? Bloody date?”

“Something like that.” Karen heaved a sigh, “How about you? How is everything going on with you two?”

You shrugged slightly, “Ethan dropped by today.”

Karen pulled back, “Again?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna…talk tomorrow.”

“You think it’s a good idea?”

“Do you think it’s a bad idea?” You asked back and Karen bit on her lip, deep in thought.

“Well you know him pretty well. It could help you to understand if he’s hiding something.” She stated, “It could help you to gain upper hand on your brother.”

“You’re a genius.”

“I know.” Karen laughed as you filled the cups and she grabbed two cups, then walked towards the table the same time Frank stood up to walk towards the counter.

“Could I get a pie too? I’m starving and those things look good.” He took out his wallet and you waved a hand in the air.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous,” You went to take out one of the pies and sliced it, your eyes finding Billy’s momentarily as he turned his head to look at you. You winked at him, making him smile before he turned to say something to Karen.

“So, Pete not Pete.” You said as you put the pie to the microwave and set the time, “Just so you know, Punisher or not, I’ll kill you in a really painful way if you ever hurt her.”

That seemed to make him chuckle and he nodded, running a hand over his buzz cut hair,

“Fair enough.” He said, “You and my boy Billy, huh?”

You bit inside your cheek to keep a straight face, then leaned towards to counter,

“Yep. Have any warning that could come handy?”

“Oh man… I’d say run for the hills if it was before,” he shrugged, “But didn’t he give you a gun?”

Your head shot up as you remembered the talk you had with him before “Wait, yeah! The gun!” You lowered your voice “He doesn’t tell me shit, what does the gun mean?”

Frank smiled slightly, “I uh… There was this one time I was going away, so I gave Maria- my…wife- I gave her a gun, just in case. I wanted her and the children to be safe. And I told Billy about it later on when we were away, and man, he…” he chuckled, “I never heard the end of it, and soon it became an inside joke with the others, every time we had to go away, we’d ask each other “Did you give a gun to your old lady?” and every time Billy made fun of us, nonstop. But now….” He trailed off and you gawked at him, your stomach doing happy flips in your body. “Good to know he’s choosing quality over quantity now.”

“I’m not… quality.” You managed to say, “I’m the farthest thing away from quality.”

Frank scoffed, “Even so,” he shrugged, “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen him with anyone like this.”

You smiled slightly, but then Frank’s eyes widened as they fell on your chest. You slowly followed his gaze to see a red dot blinking there.

Sniper.

“Get down!” You heard Billy’s voice and Frank jumped over the counter to push you down to the ground.

Then the shooting started.

Part 13 is up! 

[surveysonfleek]

1108.

1. What is something you like to think about while you fall asleep? if my mind is still awake i think about what i’m doing for the rest of the week until my mind wanders. usually i’m just too tired and clonk out though.

2. What was the overall tone of your last phone conversation? chill i guess.

3. Is there anyone that you are drifting away from? When was the last time you talked to that person? not really. sorta drifting with bek but we always make the effort to see each other.

4. Can you describe what love feels like, physically? just wanting to show affection to someone because they mean so much to you. haha idk i’m not good with describing feelings.

5. What is something that survey-takers do that gets on your nerves? nothing that i can think of. opposing opinions but hey, what can you do.

6. Have you ever asked anyone what they really think of you? What was their response? not as general as that. i’ll always direct it to something in particular.

7. Is there anything or anyone that you have an obsession with? If yes, when/how did it start? no.

8. How often do you use ketchup? How about other condiments? i don’t really like ketchup, i prefer bbq sauce with everything. i also love aioli and kewpie :)

9. If you are afraid of the dark, what makes it scary to you? i used to be as a kid, overcame it.

10. Have you ever had anyone make fun of your for a fear you have? yes.

11. What is the worst trouble you have ever been in? eh, nothing crazy. as a kid when i got in trouble with my parents they’d get over it easily. with the law, nothing more than a speeding fine.

12. How long do you spend brushing your teeth? Does it bother you when other people don’t brush their teeth? a couple minutes. haha yeah, i hate talking to someone and i can see their tooth butter hahaha.

13. Who do you trust more: your parents or your friends? parents for sure.

14. If you woke up to discover that you were 9 years old again (back in your same 9-year-old life, but with your current mental abilities), how would you react, and how would you spend your time? i’d freak the fuck out. i’d spend my time figuring out how i got there.

15. How long do you think you could tolerate going without showering? omg. maybe two days. if i could wipe myself down with like baby wipes and had dry shampoo possibly more but i’d just feel gross.

16. If you had the power to control minds, what would you do with it? i’d find a way to get more money surely lol.

17. What is so great about your favorite place? it’s comfortable and cosy.

18. How long did you spend cuddling with the last person you cuddled with? about an hour.

19. What is a question that you have a hard time answering? what i wna do with my life.

20. You are completely alone with your favorite celebrity/person/whoever. What do you do? try some small talk and see if they’re comfortable enough to open up to me.

21. Do you consider anyone you know to be a slut? What do you think makes someone a slut? i never use that word tbh.

22. If you had the power to instantly transform someone’s life (for the better), who would you choose to use this on? maybe my dad. 

23. You wake up to a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. Your family is safe, but most of your city is zombified. You need weapons and various other supplies. What is your first general course of action? i really hate zombie questions and the whole zombie ideal.

24. If a family member (or boyfriend/girlfriend, if you have one) happened to be infected by one of these undead creatures, how would you go about dealing with that situation? no thanks.

25. Would you rather spend time with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, or Edward Cullen and Jacob Black? What would you do while with them? harry potter and draco duhhh. idk what i’d do, i’d just rather be with them than the twilight guys.

26. What is something that you do that others might think that you are weird for doing? i clean my ears a lot lol.

27. If you could relive a part of your life in exactly the way it happened, what part would it be? What importance does this event have to you? disney world back in 2001. some of my best childhood memories.

28. What is something that you wish you could remember? my entire childhood.

29. Does it bother you when surveys ask about political or cultural topics that could possibly be controversial? i’m not fussed. i’m not heavily informed in some of the topics so sometimes i’m not sure how to answer them.

30. Does someone’s view on homosexuality effect how you feel about them in any way? yes.

31. How about someone’s view on religion? i’m not about hating on religion. everyone’s entitled to their own beliefs as long as they’re not preaching it and trying to convert others.

32. What is something you do (if anything) that you could get in trouble for if you were caught? speeding.

33. When you cry or laugh uncontrollably, does it sound strange/funny? yes. even my normal laugh is weird.

34. If you were paralyzed from the neck down, would you still want to continue living? Why or why not? it’d be a hard pill to swallow but i think i would. as long as i could talk i guess.

35. What are your general thoughts on suicide? it’s sad. but at the end of the day no one really knows what someone is going through and their thought processes.

36. Have you ever known anyone with an eating disorder? yes.

37. Has any medication you’ve taken ever made you sick? How so? not that i know of.

38. What is something you wear that others might consider unfashionable? my pjs are pretty daggy.

39. Do you tend to make rude comments about the way people look/dress, or about what stereotype they might belong to? haha no.

40. Do you think the type of shoes you wear says anything about your personality? not really.

[shleezaemour]

“The barn” excerpt from one of my multi chap stories involving most of the PJO family!

This is a mature/explicit smut with plotish fic I wrote. In this fic Piper, Percy, Jason, and Annabeth become a poly pod with sidenotes of Solangelo where Will is a proud transman (promise real smut fic without fetishizing Will, I don’t like fetishizing people I just feel representation is important ) if you want to read it where to go is down below, enjoy the teaser.

Nico.

"Why are you still here? I just got back from Texas with Will and all hell is breaking loose outside!"

"Dude it's just a storm what's the big deal!?"

"A storm in a climate controlled camp, think Jason. What could be causing it."

"Oh fuck! Percy!"

"Yeah Percy! I couldn't wake him up, I'm going to travel you to him."

Taking my hand I felt that ice cold, being squeezed through a tube, cold water spray feeling that came with shadow travel. We landed in Percy's cabin and he was thrashing terribly in his bed. Crying and shouting and obviously fight off something.

"It's Tartarus, I cant be here... I'm... im sorry."

Nico vanished quickly, obviously this was triggering him. I don't blame him. I had never experience the hell Nico, Annabeth, and Percy had.

Jumping on top of him I took his face and started shouting for him to wake up. Trying to fight me off I had to wrestle him off the bed. Pinning him in a head lock I dragged him over to the water fountain and dunked his head in and held him under knowing he wouldn't drown. Feeling his body calm and go slightly limp I let him go. Hands reached for the sides of the fountain and pulled his head out. With two shakes of his black hair he was dry. I was sprawled next to him knees up and hands on the floor behind me breathing hard from the intense "fight."

Green eyes locked on my blue as he realized what was happening. The storm outside started to calm down, the wind at least. The hurricane rain was still coming down in sheets. Percy's breathing picked up and his chest heaved. Grabbing his knees he began to rock and tears streamed down his face. Damnit he was going into a panic attack. Getting up off the floor I ran for the bathroom and looked around the medicine cabinet.

Xanax.

Annabeth told me it was for emergencies and I think causing a hurricane and rocking back and forth constitutes an emergency. Taking the pill out of the bottle I raced back to my boyfriend and took ahold of his face. Drooling a mumbling nonsense, I by some miracle got him to open his mouth and take the pill.

"Swallow baby, I need you to swallow!"

Gulping down he cried out loudly, as if it had hurt.

Sitting on the floor with him I wrapped my arms around him and rocked with him.

"Percy we are going to breathe ok? I want you to breathe in for 5 hold for 6 breathe out for 7. Ok breathe in 1,2,3,4,5.. Ok now hold 1,2,3,4,5,6 ok exhale 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Good so good now again!"

I had him do that three or four times.

"Ok percy I need you to answer me ok baby? Tell me 5 things you can see."

His forehead was pressed hard against my shoulder. Looking up he looked around. Still all the while rocking in my arms.

"I see your hair, uh the water fountain, your eyes, my pj pants, the bed."

"Good, good job now 4 things you can hear." Gripping my skin harshly I could feel his nails break skin on my back. My poor baby, my poor Percy.

"I hear, you. Ummmmm ugh uh the rain, the fountain, the floor creaking.

"Now three things you can feel."

"Your skin, my heart beating quickly, and uhhh ummm uh fuck! Uhhhh the floor.

"Shhh good good, now two things you can smell."

"Your shampoo, sweat."

"One thing you can taste."

"Blood, I taste blood. I think I bit my lip. Blood I taste blood."

"You did so good percy. I love you so much percy I'm so proud of you. It's going to be ok. I'm here it's going to be alright."

"Can we move to the bed, the floor hurts."

"Yes baby of course."

To be continued......

To read this story and others go to fanfic.net or archive of our own under the pen name AAThanatos.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12602480/chapters/28706168

[d0gdaze]

1.

Also on AO3

Chapters: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . (ongoing)

Reddie / Stenbrough

Word Count: 2599

Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak is set up on a date with a friend of a friend, and this Tozier guy is a hot mess. || Stan has feelings. Bill is confused.  Long and angsty and may or may not contain a roadtrip. AU - no IT. Characters are 17/18. Set in early nineties. More film based but contains elements from the miniseries and the book.

Content Warnings: strong language | underage drinking / drug use | smoking | mildly sexual implications (no smut) | internalised homophobia | era-typical homophobia | implied child abuse / neglect 

-Chapter 1-

Eddie Kaspbrak stood in front of his bathroom mirror, studying his reflection with a nervous and rather intense look plastered on his face. His hair was carefully parted and styled, not a single hair out of place.

He was wearing a light grey button-up shirt that had been pristinely ironed, sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows and the end tucked into black dress-pants, with a leather belt tying it all together. His shoes were polished to the point where you could see your reflection in them. You would think they were brand new if you saw them, he only ever wore them during special occasions, such as weddings or the sparse few times a year he went to church. There was an undone bow-tie hanging over the edge of the sink, and he had been debating with himself whether or not to wear it. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard, and seeing as the rest of his attire had probably crossed that line already, he finally decided against it.

His watch beeped, snapping him out of a trance that he wasn't aware he was in. He looked down at his wrist and realised he had been standing in the bathroom, distracted by his own reflection, for over an hour. Lucky for him, he had decided to get ready two hours before he had to leave the house, and he still had about half an hour left to prepare.

He swung the mirror open revealing a meticulously organised cabinet, shelves stocked with an entire pharmacy's worth of pill bottles, tubes, and boxes, all labelled with complicated medical jargon. Even Eddie wasn't entirely sure what some of them did, but he knew that he needed them, or at least would need them at some point. He grabbed a rectangular blue container from the lowest shelf. It had seven small compartments, each printed with a letter corresponding with a day of the week. S M T W T F S. Through the plastic you could see each compartment was filled with six or seven pills of varying shaped and colours. He flipped open the lid labelled with an 'F', for Friday, and threw them, two at a time, into his mouth. He dry-swallowed them all with ease.

He put the container back in it's rightful place on the shelf and shut the cabinet. He took a deep breath in, looking at his reflection with his chest puffed out and shoulders tall. He almost admired how he looked in this position, trying to re-imagining himself as taller, buffer, like some of the guys he saw in the locker rooms at school. But that admiration disappeared, as quickly as it arrived, as he exhaled and his shoulders dropped, back into a slight slouch. He huffed and shook his head a little, deciding that envying other men's body types wouldn't do him much good, and turned to the door, making sure to grab his inhaler from the side of the sink before he left the bathroom and shuffled down the hallway to his bedroom.

4.59 pm.

Eddie stood at his front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob, staring at his watch, counting the seconds down until it would read 5.00 pm, when he would leave his house and walk to Bill Denbrough's house, and he would get there by 5.10 pm, which gave him plenty of time to talk to Bill before 5.30 pm, when Bill's 'friend', who was a complete stranger to Eddie, would supposedly come and pick him up and take him on this 'date', that had been set up, much to Eddie's dismay.

Apparently, at some point during the last couple of months, the members of his friend group had decided that Eddie needed to loosen up and meet new people. They had attempted to get him a date several times before, but Eddie had absolutely refused, freaked out, or cancelled, each time without fail. It took a hell of a lot of persuasion but they finally got him to agree to something, a movie date with one of Bill's old friends that he had never met before – as long as 1. someone else came with them and 2. this person wasn't too rowdy. Bill assured him that he had nothing to worry about.

So the plan was made that they would go to the Aladdin, and Eddie and this stranger would sit together, and Bill, Stan, and Beverly would sit two rows behind them. Eddie figured that he wouldn't have to talk to this person too much if they were in a cinema, as long as they had decent manners, and that he could lean back on the other's for support if he got too nervous. He also figured he could easily say he was going to the bathroom and leave if he needed too.

When he saw his watch flash 5.00pm, he opened to door and stepped out, shouting out a cheerful 'Goodbye!' to his mother, who he assumed had probably fallen asleep in front of the tv. Shutting the door behind him he set off, turning left on the footpath and heading towards Bill's house. He had known Bill since they were 7, and Eddie reckoned he could have navigate his way to Bill's house with his eyes closed (although he would never actually try).

He arrived exactly when he planned that he would, 5.10pm. His heart started racing faster as he walked up the driveway. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped his inhaler, not taking it out, but just reassuring himself that it was there. He knocked on the front door 3 times. It swung open within a few seconds, and Beverly beamed when she saw him.

“You look so good!” she exclaimed, and Eddie frowned, and dropped his gaze.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, pushing past her as she giggled. He made his way to the living room, where Bill and Stan were on the couch, Bill laying with his feet over Stan's lap. Their heads shot up as he entered the room with his arms crossed over his chest, Beverly in tow. Stan smiled almost as wide as Beverly did, and Bill wolf-whistled, receiving a very annoyed look from Eddie.

“You clean up real nice,” Stan said, pushing Bill's legs off of his lap and walking over. “He's gonna be blown away for sure!”

“Yeah, for sh-sure,” Bill perked up, nodding his head enthusiastically.

“Whatever, I just want to get it over with.” Eddie's face started to turn red, already regretting that he agreed to do this. He wasn't made for this kind of thing! He was too paranoid, too awkward. He always had been. There was a reason he had never been on an actual date before his friends started setting him up. He hadn't even kissed anyone, for gods sake. He just didn't have the charm that people who go on dates and have relationships seemed to have. All his friends had had boyfriends and girlfriends and made out with people at parties and been flirted with by kids at school, but he never had. Everyone just, overlooked him. And if he was honest with himself, he didn't really mind it. Being alone. It meant that he could focus on things that were more important.

They heard a vehicle with a very loud and assumably very old engine pull up at the front of the house. When the engine stopped, it was replaced by hard rock music, playing just as loud. Eddie's stomach dropped, and he prayed to god that it didn't belong to his date, that he would not have to get in whatever car sounded like that.

“No way, is R-richie actually early f-for once?” Bill jumped up and ran to the front door, and Stan followed.

Beverly looked over at Eddie, her smile quickly fading as she saw his face. He had gone white as a ghost, and she could see his hands visibly shaking.

“I'm gonna be sick,” Eddie whispered, and sprinted around the corner to the bathroom. Beverly went after him, seeing him slam the bathroom door and lock it. She waited a moment, then gently knocked on the door.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, genuinely worried. She knew he would be nervous, but not like this. He didn't reply, instead she heard the telltale hiss of his inhaler. “Just, stay there Eddie, I'll go talk to the boys.” She heard a very faint “okay”, and headed back out to the front of the house where the others were having a cheerful reunion.

“Beverly Marsh, you fucking beautiful creature.”

Leaning up against a rusted, beaten, maroon coloured pick-up truck, and much taller and rougher than she remembered, was Richie Tozier, wearing ripped jeans, combat boots, white t-shirt, and a black denim jacket littered with patches that had been haphazardly sewn on. His hair was almost down to his shoulders, sticking out wildly in all directions. She might not have even recognised him if it weren't for the thick frame glasses, being held together by several pieces of tape, the lenses magnifying his eyes just as they always did.

“Richie,” she laughed, and ran towards him, enveloping him in a hug. He picked her up and swung her around with ease. “It's been far too long.” He really towered over her, she had to actually crane her neck to look at his face. Probably a whole head taller than Stan and Bill.

“Sure has gorgeous,” Richie replied, looking at her face with absolute awe. “so anyway, where's my future husband?” He winked at Bill, who looked back towards the house.

“Where'd he go, Bev?” he asked.

“He's, uh, having a panic attack in the bathroom.” Bev said, suddenly sounding quite serious. Richie looked concerned.

“Don't worry, he's just nervous, He'll calm down soon.” Stan reassured.

SHIT SHIT SHIT FUCK SHIT SHIT

Eddie was pacing back and forth in the bathroom, gripping his inhaler tightly in his hand, sure he would either break it or it would leave a bruise. His shirt had become untucked and his hair was messed up from him running his hands through it several times. He really didn't want to do this. He wanted to go home, have a shower, go to bed, forget about this whole thing. Surely they would let him go home. They would have to, if they saw him like this.

He heard knocking on the door again.

“Hey Eddie, can you let me in?”

Beverly.

There was a moment of silence as he debated whether or not to answer.

“It's just me, the others are still out front.”

Eddie hesitated at the door, running his fingers over the lock. After about a minute he unlocked it, and opened the door to face Beverly, who looked relieved when she saw him, but still worried.

She stepped in and closed the door behind her, and then wrapped her arms around him. She leant her face into his hair. “Sorry,” his voice was muffled against her shoulder.

“Don't be, it's alright. He'll understand if you don't want to go.”

Eddie's breathing settled down, as well as his heartbeat. He stepped away from Beverly, starting to feel a lot better.

“No, I-” he kicked himself for what he was saying. “I'll go. I promised I would.”

Beverly's face lit up. “Let's fix you up a bit first, though.” He nodded, and flashed her a small smile.

Beverly helped him get his hair looking neat again, and he fidgeted with his clothes in front of the mirror until he thought he looked presentable enough.

“All good?” she asked him before she opened the door. He took a deep breath and then nodded at her, and she turned and walked out into the hallway.

Eddie allowed himself one last glance in the mirror before he followed her out.

Bill, Stan, and Richie were standing in the kitchen when Beverly emerged from the hallway.

“Just be nice,” she said quietly as she leaned against the bench next to Richie.

“No worries,” he replied with a smirk.

Eddie slowly stepped out of the hallway and into view, and stood with his arms folded, his eyes immediately locking onto Beverly, who nodded slightly at him, assuring him it was okay. He looked at Bill and Stan, both of whom still looked quite worried. He put off looking at the fourth person there for as long as he could. He could see through peripheral vision that they were wearing mostly black and that they probably hadn't had a haircut in years. When he did look up at Richie's face, he saw him staring, bewildered, with a crooked, goofy smile on his face. He was also 6 foot fucking tall. Eddie felt queasy in his stomach. Half of him wanted to run straight back into the bathroom and lock the door and never come out. The other half wanted to do that as well but was trying not to want that. Trying to be brave.

“Hi,” Richie finally perked up after a few long moments of silence. “Richie Tozier.” He took a step forward and reached his hand towards Eddie, who noticed that his fingernails had been coloured black, but not like his mother's nail polish. More like he had done it with a permanent marker.

Now that he was closer, the height difference between the two was much more amusing. Eddie was only five foot four. He barely came up to Richie's shoulders.

Eddie shook Richie's hand, feeling pretty intimidated by this person looming over him like a grungy skyscraper.

“Eddie,” he said, although it came out in more of a whisper. Richie smirked at this.

“Eddie,” he repeated, to himself mostly, “it's cute.”

Eddie felt his face go hot, flustered, still staring at Richie with a kind of awe-struck horror.

The three in the kitchen noticed this and Bill decided to interrupt.

“W-we should leave or w-we'll miss the m-m-movie.”

Richie swung around. “Right you are, my man! Off we go!” He turned his head to Eddie and offered his arm. “M'lord?”

Eddie looked at his arm, up to his face, and then back at his arm, looking alarmed and confused. He hesitantly linked his arm through, and Richie beamed. They walked out the front to his truck, Bill, Stan, and Beverly in tow, and Richie opened the passenger side door, bowing exaggeratively, motioning for Eddie to get in.

Eddie looked at the vehicle, disgusted. No way he was getting in that thing.

Richie stood up, obviously a little confused. “You okay?” he asked. “Don't worry, I cleaned the inside of it, Bill said you don't like much mess so,”

“It's fine.” Eddie said, coming out more harshly than he intended. He took a deep breath, and got in. Richie carefully closed the door, smiling through the window. Eddie flashed him a smile back.

The other three piled into the back, basically having to sit on top of each other, and Richie walked around to the drivers side and got in.

Beverly leaned forward and put her hand on Eddie's shoulder, and he reached up and squeezed her hand for a second, the they both dropped their hands in their laps. “Ready to go guys?” Richie asked enthusiastically. The three in the back replied with an excited 'yes!'. Richie turned to Eddie, who nodded at him, smiling properly for the first time. Richie's heart melted a little, then turned the keys in the ignition, the engine roaring to life, music blasting out the radio, and off they went down the road.

[lubdubsworld]

Make it hurt. ( Then kiss it better).

Main pairing : Min Yoongi / OC 

Rated for language and explicit sexual content.

Genre : A/B/O Au .

Rating : 19+ ( excessive swearing and extremely explicit sexual situations)

Please refer to this : A/B/O Dynamics.

Status : Complete.

Summary : Min Jung fights her biology, her genetic make up , her body. But she can’t fight her heart. Especially when said heart keeps calling for a handsome Alpha with warm brown eyes and a breathtaking smile.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6

Chapter 6 ( Cont---d) / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 ( Final)

Chapter 1.

If I could be anything but an omega, I would be happy , I thought miserably, puking out the remnants of last night’s dinner, gripping the edge of the ceramic toilet before stumbling back up on unsteady legs. I stumbled a little, moving to the basin in the corner and staring at myself in the huge ornate mirror. 

I grimaced. 

I looked like i’d been fucked by the entire football team. 

Glaring at my own face, I turned on the faucet, cupping my palms to collect enough water and splashing it on my face. I never wore make-up ( i got enough unwanted attention without it ) , and the water slid down my smooth skin easily. I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and soaked up the rest of the moisture before dumping the rest in the trash. 

It took me another few minutes to find the pills in my bag, dry swallowing the three huge tablets till my throat hurt . I stayed propped against the wall, waiting for the unwelcome fire in my belly to calm down. I felt uncomfortable, the slick still dripping out of me in an annoyingly distracting way. 

It was the third time this year. Third time that the supplements hadn’t done their job right. I’d gone into heat despite the suppressants and I was just really  really  lucky that there had been no Alphas around.

 i hung out with betas ( hang out being a very loose definition of me just breathing the same air as them ) and i also stayed the hell away from the  Alphas in my school. 

I pressed my palms into my flushed cheeks. 

There was an explanation of course. 

The doctor had warned me about it a long time back. 

 If you need to live surrounded by Alphas then you’re going to need stronger doses and your scholarship does not cover the cost of pills. You need to make a decision soon. There are plenty of omega Schools in Busal and Ilsan. Pick one and transfer out of Seulong High. 

 i bit my lips in consternation. 

Seulong High was the best School in the country and I’d worked my ass off to get the scholarship. The best part about the school was that it didn’t have a ‘ No omegas Allowed’ clause like the rest of the schools in the country. It wasn’t because they supported omegas or something : it was just that there were just five Scholarship seats and it was fiercely competetitive. Omegas did not get into the program . they never did. 

The school was reserved especially for Alphas and betas . Alpha m,en who belonged to super rich , powerul families. Chaebols, son’s of politicians , stuff like that. The girls were mostly taken , each one with an alpha or beta of her own. it was a precaution mostly, because Alphas could be unpredictable. 

there were no omegas here. 

Omegas were so incredibly rare that parents never actually considered letting them out into society. They were usually locked up at home, home schooled and mated off to an Alpha the moment they came of age. 

And maybe i could have been that way if my parents were still alive. But they weren’t. The only family i had was my step brother and it helped that he was a top surgeon in one of the biggest Hospitals in the country. But he was an Alpha and we didn’t hang out as often as I would have liked. 

Nonetheless , once every month I did check up with him .

I wanted to be a doctor. And that meant that I had to fight the system tooth and nail. So far , I’d done well. I was the top of my year. 

Everyone knew that I was a recluse.

Boys stayed away ( after three or four broken noses, umpteen kicks to the crotch and a very memorable broken rib ) , girls hated me ( like i gave a damn) and most importantly : Everyone thought i was a beta. 

I was one of the only three omegas on the Seulong High campus. And the other two were teachers ( who were the main reason i had manged to pass of as a beta the past year ) . They were both mated. This meant that they had no scent at all. 

Now me , on the other hand.... 

The suppressants were the only thing keeping me from turning into some sort of Alpha Kryptonite. If they ever lost strength in front of an Alpha, I would likely lose everything I’d worked for. 

 Everything. 

I felt nauseous just thinking about it. 

I could never actually leave Seulong High. I wouldn’t. And even if the suppressants were losing strength, I would just have to find a way to convince Seokjin oppa to get the stronger ones for me.

I couldn’t transfer out of this place. Just another year and i would become a medical student. I knew that. The dream was real, the endless nights of worry would soon be over. I would be free . 

All i had to do was hold on. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, What’s the verdict?” I slipped my blouse back on, peering over the makshift partition and smiling brightly at my step brother. 

Seokjin gave me a glare. 

“I can’t believe you’re joking about this Min Jung . I told you to get off those pills and register in the program. You’re almost nineteen... How long are you going to go around unmated? Find an Alpha , get mated and go pursue your dreams or whatever.... Suppressants are dangerous and just look at your bloodwork! There’s an increase in every bloody toxin...!!! I want you to cut back on the dosage...”

I groaned.

“Seokjin...i can’t get mated now. I refuse to give an Alpha that kind of power over me! What if the creep decides he wants to stop me from becoming a doctor. i won’t even be able to say no!” I shuddered. 

Seokjin’s gaze softened mariginally. 

“Min, would i honestly let you marry a guy like that? i know so many Alphas myself.... You could meet a few of them.. date them for a while if you like... “ He said gently. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“And what if he imprints on me?” I glowered at Seokjin. “ Seriously you need to stop pimping me out to your friends! “ 

Seokjin glared back, affronted. 

“I’m not.. Jesus you’re the single most exasperating creature on the planet! I’m trying to stop you from dying a premature death! You’re eighteen already. Your heats are going to get stronger. your scent is already tangible. I can actually smell you ! And if I can.. so can other Alphas...“ He snapped. “ Are you telling me you’d rather get raped in some alleyway by some horny Alpha then meet a decent and legit one through me?!!” 

I sighed.

“the school nurse just thinks I need stronger suppressants.. you could just prescribe them for me...” i sulked. 

Seokjin snorted. 

“Like hell i will. I’m not an angel of death. Listen,. this is me being perfectly serious. There’s a Charity Ball for Autism on Friday. i’ll pick you up. Most of the Alphas there are young.. your age.... Quite a few of them aren’t even paired off with betas. I’ll introduce you to a few of them... They’ll love you... You can at least give it a chance.” 

“And if they all turn out to be jerks...?” I challenged, grabbing my school bag. 

“then I’ll prescribe the damn suppressants. But be warned.. i need legit reasons for you rejecting them...” He warned. 

“Fine!” I growled, “ Fuck, why do you have to be so reasonable...it makes me want to tear my hair out.” 

Seokjin grinned. 

“Be safe, bunny. I love you. You know that right?” 

“I love you too.. you big sap.” I muttered, bending down to kiss him on the lips. 

Seokjin growled low.

“i told you to stop doing that....You’re not eight anymore...” He sighed. 

I grinned and patted his crotch, making him yelp.

“Come on, we both know you only get it up for Jimin these days..” I winked. 

Seokjin’s eyes went wide as saucers..

“How did you-?”

“Have a great day,  Seokjinnie Hyung...”  i faux-moaned.. “ Check your voicemail message you idiot. Jimin’s recorded himself moaning your name! I’m traumatized for life. And so is anyone else calling you!!  ” 

Seokjin let out a whimper and dived for his phone and i laughed as i walked out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe your brother bought you this.” My roommate , Jieun whispered, fingers fluttering over the silky fabric of the gown with awed reverence.I rolled my eyes, concentrating on smoothing the lipstick across my plump lips, grimacing at the blood red tint it left behind. I hated dressing up. 

But I had promised Seokjin . And he had gone out of his way to send me a dress, make-up, stiletto heels and even a Cartier Watch and jewelry. 

 Dear Bunny, Look good tonight or i’m signing you up for the program myself, Love Seokjin xoxox.

 As far as threats went, it was pretty effective. I grabbed the curling iron on the dresser, carefully threading my sable brown locks around the heating elemnet, letting it curl my hair into bouncy curves that fell right over my chest. It was painstaking work but I manged to get it done by six. 

Slipping into the dress was easier, because Jieun helped. Still, the bare shoulders made me flinch. I wasn’t particularly pale and the suppresants helped curb the natural ‘ omega glow’ that people fawned over. But my skin still looked ivory white against the dark maroon of the dress. I slipped on the necklace, a simple ruby pendant, watching the locked rest right in the center of my cleavage. 

I stared at the finished result . Kim Seokjin had taken full advantage of having an International Designer for a boyfriend and Park Jimin had out done himself . 

Jieun let out a strangled moan next to me.

“Jesus fucking Christ , it should be illegal to look this good , Min Jung ... What the hell! You look like a fucking dream.... !” She whispered. 

I groaned a little.

 I had no use for my beauty. 

So far it had done nothing good for me :  unwelcome advances, groping hands, catcalls and lewd remarks. Speculation if perhaps my good grades had less to do with my brains and more to do with my ability to deep throat the professors. 

I wanted to peel off my clothes , chop off my hair and go sink into a bath , hopefully empty a bottle of wine and never see another Alpha again in my entire life. 

And the evening hadn’t even started. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Stop looking like you’re sucking on a lemon. And enough with the death glares ” Seokjin gritted out as I stared down  yet another Alpha who was making his way over with a very dopey look on his face. He was tall, dressed like every other man in the room and the half empty glass of whiskey told me he wasn’t entirely sober. He wasn’t bad looking (alphas seldom were ) but there was a hint of cigarette smoke and stale air , wafting from his direction and...no. 

Just no. 

 My glare seemed to work. He hesitated a bit. 

I stuck my thumb out, drawing it scross my neck in a slitting motion.

The young man stuttered in his footsteps, looked vaguely horrified and then turned on his heel and walked away.

Twelve down... countless more to go. 

“what the fuck are you doing?!” Seokjin hissed. 

“They smell like shit.” I deadpanned. “ every one of them makes me nauseous.” 

“You’re being so unfair... “ Seokjin sighed. 

“You expect me to spend the rest of my life with a guy who makes me nauseous?” I glared. 

“i think that you should..” Seokjin stopped abruptly, head tilting as he glanced over my shoulder. His gaze went wide and he gripped my forearm. “ oh, shit.” 

“what?” i whirled around but Seokjin grabbed my chin, firmly pulling me back to face him.

“Ow...oppa what the fuck..” i hissed, rubbing my chin petulantly and Seokjin hissed.

“That’s Mr. Min! One of the main investors in my hospital! He’s here with his son and his fiancee.... We’re going to have to go greet them. Please act like a human being ...” He begged. 

I rolled my eyes.

“you say that like I’m going to pick my nose in front of him or something.” I grumbled.

“i’m serious. Min Jae Hyun is a scary git and so is his son Yoongi.”

I froze.

“Min.. are you..? You mean Min Yoongi?” I stuttered.

“You know him.?”

 Holy shit.

 “Uh.. not exactly... He’s one of the seniors in my School” I managed. 

“Wait, he’s in  your  school?” Seokjin looked stunned. “ Does he know you’re a-”

“No! Oppa..he thinks I’m a beta ...  he can’t know... you can’t tell..”

“Shh... it’s okay bunny... You’re on the suppressants right? He needn’t know. “ Seokjin said reassuringly and I tried not to tremble. Sweat collected along my hairline and i already felt jittery. 

“Dr. Kim!!” A Rough voice called out and Seokjin gripped my wrist. 

“Come on bunny...”

I turned slowly and of course, my eyes immediately clashed with Min Yoongi. Lean and built like a dream, he stood dressed in a Valentino suit, shoulders framed perfectly in the smooth black fabric. He had ash blond hair, eyes a dark obsidian black and thin attractive lips,subtly smiling as he look the hand that Seokjin offered.

Next to him stood Jung Yuju, Yoongi’s fiancee and long time girlfriend. She gave me the annoyed look that beta females always reserved for omegas. 

The ‘ something dirty like you doesn’t deserve to look so pretty ‘ look. 

“Hello, Yoongi. Hello Yuju..” Seokjin greeted amiably.

“Hello hyung.” Yoongi drawled easily and his gaze shifted to me in a question.

“you look familar...” He said briskly. 

“This is my sister, Lee Min Jung... Bunny , this is Mr. Min and his son Yoongi. His soon to be daughter in law Yuju.” Seokjin smiled brigthly and i felt my ears burn as Yoongi smirked. 

He gave me a vaguely curious glance and his nostrils flared briefly. I felt his eyes change color briefly, tinted red for just a second and my heart skipped a beat. 

He’d scented me. He looked confused for a second, no doubt why he was smelling omega. 

But then he looked amused again.

“Bunny huh?” He drawled.

I couldn’t even unglue my tongue enough to glare at him. 

See, here’s the thing :

 Min Yoongi was exquisitely hot. 

Not just the physically attractive , oh he’s handsome kind of hot. 

I mean he is that. He has one of those naturally aesthetic faces, meant to be on billboards across the country. 

But more than that he .. smelled  good. 

But i also  know that the betas in our school, all the girls who pined after him , even his long term girlfirned did not know the effect Yoongi’s Alpha scent had on an Omega. 

The effect it had on me. 

the only time i’d been exposed to it was nearly eight months ago, when I’d watched him beat up some kid for bullying one of the freshmen. The exertion from the fight had made him sweaty and panting and his scent had been even stronger than usual. 

Strong enough to dig into my brain and take firm root there. And now, i could smell it again. not as strong as usual, probabaly because he’d sprayed on scent maskers for the event. But it was there nonetheless : pine trees and sunshine, rainstorms and black satin sheets. i felt the heat begin to lick it’s way up my spine, warmth pooling at the pit of my stomach, and then the tell-tale wetness threatening to drip. 

“You’re a junior, aren’t you?” Yoongi said casually and his voice was yet another nail in my coffin. He sounded raspy and drunk, half asleep and scratchy. The deep bass of his tone and the masculine voice rang through my body like a vibrato. 

And i knew on a practical level that it was my biology. Alphas have a differently evolved voice box. it gives them that dominant tone and omegas have the sensitive nerve endings that react to that particular voice. 

So, honestly , It wasn’t anything personal, the way his voice made me want to drop to my knees and wrap my lips around his cock, right there in front of everyone. 

it was biology. 

I choked on my own lust ridden thoughts and Seokjin gave me a curious glance. 

“Why don’t you join us at our table, Doc... We can talk a bit more about that proposal for another laboratory.” Mr. Min said briskly and Seokjin looked like he’d just received an invitation to dine with the pope.

“Yes.. Yes sir..” He breathed happily and i flinched as he let go of me. 

“Bun-” He stopped when i glowered at him.” I mean.. Min Jung, why don’t you stay with yoongi and Yuju...We’ll just..”

He was already moving away and i stood still, aware of Yuju’s stare boring holes into my skull.

“Please.. carry on , I’ll be fine by myself.” I said automatically and Yoongi didn’t protest, merely bowing slightly.

“Pleasure meeting you, Min Jung.” 

“Are you an omega?” Yuju said suddenly , eyes narrowed dangerously and i froze. 

I held her gaze calmly. 

“That is none of your business” I said loftily. 

Yuju scoffed.

“Oh please... Coming to a formal event dressed like a fucking whore. Only your kind could be that shameless.” 

 Your kind... 

I hated the way she said it, like i wasn’t even human. 

“Yuju.. you shouldn’t talk like that to- ” Yoongi began, moving as though to touch me and i knocked his hand away. 

“You don’t have to defend me..I can do it myself.” I snapped . 

i rounded on the bitch next to him. 

 “ It’s such a pity your father’s money could buy you those boobs but not a better personality.” I glared at her before turning to move away. 

Stupid fucking alphas and Betas!! they could all go die in a fire!! 

I’d barely taken a step before I felt a torrent of wetness on my cheek , all over my shoulders and down my chest. i stood still stunned as everyone turned around to stare at us. 

it took me a second to realize that she had chucked her entire glass of wine on me. 

“Apologize now, you filthy little  omega!”  She screamed , so loud that my ears rang. 

“Fuck , Yuju... Stop.. What the hell is wrong with you?” Yoongi grabbed his fiancees wrist and yanked her away while i stood there humiliated. 

Seokjin was at my side a second later.

“it wasn’t my fault... “ i started, voice wobbling but Seokjin merely sushed me , shrugging off his coat and tossing it over my shoulders before bowing stiffly. 

“Please excuse us...” He growled at Yoongi, eyes flaring red as he stared him down before pulling me away from both of them .

 i let him lead me out of the room and into the nearest rest room.

“I’m so sorry..” He said apologetically. “ I shouldn’t have brought you here...” 

“I didn’t even provoke her...” I felt my voice wobble. “ This is why i hate alphas!” I gritted out. 

“Come on , bunny you’re being unfair... Yoongi didn’t..”

“He’s engaged to her...” i sneered. “ No doubt he agrees with everything she believes. Probably thinks omegas are dirt.” I felt tears sting. 

It was unbelievable because I was actually wet, my underwear soaked because of that fucker’s goddamn scent ...and it didn’t even matter because he was a bastard and his fiancee was a class A demon. 

Min Yoongi could go to hell and he could take his bitchy girlfriend with him. 

“i know bunny... it’s alright. Come on.. you can stay with me tonight.” Seokjin cooed and i relaxed a little. Seokjin had a bomb apartment in one of the best localities in the city. i could at least drink some wine and relax in a nice warm bath and hopefully dream of a dead or dying Yuju. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seokjin’s guest room had the softest, plushiest mattress in the world. After a nice hour long bath and a glass of wine, i was relaxed enough to drift into a nice , warm sleep. So , when i woke up to jimin screaming, I almost screamed myself., 

“WHAT DO MEAN THEY’RE SUSPENDING YOU!!!”

“Jiminie... keep it down.. Min Jung’s sleeping...”

“THEY CAN’T JUST SUSPEND YOU BECAUSE A SPOILED LITTLE BITCH WENT AND TATTLED TO HER FATHER...!!” Jimin was screaming. 

I froze, sitting up so fast that my spine almost snapped.

What the...

I crawled out of the bed so fast my legs got caught in the blankets, my body landing on the carpeted flooor with a thud. i kicked away the annoying fabric and scrambled to my feet, grabbing the door and throwing myself out into the living space in disbelief.

“they suspended you?!” I choked in disbelief. 

Jin looked stunned to see me . And a little guilty. 

“Bunny.. wait..it’s not..” he began holding a hand up as though to calm me but i snarled in anger. 

“Why?” I felt my voice shake in misery. 

“It’s nothing. The Director thinks that just for two weeks, i should take a break because of what Mr. Min.. umm.. said..”

“Two weeks?!! They suspended you for two weeks because his bitchy daughter in law couldn’t act like a civilized human?” I said stunned. 

“Min jung... it’s not that serious.. i was thinking of taking time off anyway and...”

“I’m going to kill him.” I said, my entire body shaking in disbelief. 

“Oh, God. It isn’t  Yoongi’s fault. Min jung Please don’t make the whole thing worse..” 

“Worse?! They suspended you hyung.. You’re the most brilliant surgeon in the damn country and they suspended you over that little  spat ?! Who does he think he is?!  God?! “ I was shaking so bad that my teeth chattered. 

I turned on my heel and rushed back into the room, grabbing my clothes and stalking into the bath room. Every ounce of attraction i’d felt for the idiot had vanished, in it’s place seething anger and fury filled my heart. I could  put up with being bullied when it was me. 

But Seokjin was innocent . He breathed and lived for his job. to think that anyone would actually try to take that away from him... was unacceptable. 

Min Yoongi was going to get his ass whooped. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found Yoongi in the Music room. 

it took me more than an hour, hunting through every possible Alpha hangout to find the guy and now that i realized he was actually in the music room, playing the piano of all things, i felt so completely thrown that i just stood there gaping for a few seconds. 

“Min Jung?” He looked surprised to see me, pushing away from the piano to stand up and i came to my senses, trying to ignore the way his scent just  washed over me  like a bloody hurricane. 

“Who do you think you are?!” I hissed angrily. 

“What the-”

“You think you’re so great, just because you’re rich?! it’s not even your money! You were just lucky to be born his son. You’re just lucky you were born an Alpha.. Do you think you earned the respect people give you?” i spat out , fury coursing through my veins. 

“Min Jung, what are you-”

“You got my brother suspended?!! Because your evil girlfriend couldn’t act civil?!” I laughed without mirth. 

“it was a misunderstanding, i already-”

“I mean... honestly... what makes you better than omegas? huh? Are you smarter? yeah.. probably...but guess what...i’m smart too. I outranked hundreds of thousands of kids to be here.... I’m not an idiot... ! ” I was dangerously close to tears but i barelled on. 

“ Are you richer than me? Yes... but guess what.. some day i’ll be rich too. And unlike you, it will be  my  money.. money that i earned... I’ll be rich and powerful and unlike you, i’ll use that for good. I won’t bully people into stuff or fire perfectly hardworking doctors from their jobs just because my girlfriend can’t act like a decent human being!” 

Yoongi didn’t reply. . He just stood there staring at me . 

i wasn’t done. 

“ And guess what?? someday i’m going to be a doctor. And you know what i’m going to do? I’m going to find an end to this Alpha omega nonsense. I’m going to prove...once and for all that you alphas  aren’t in anyway better than..” i almost said me... catching myself at the last second..” omegas. i’m going to do it. Then you can all stop treating omegas like crap!! ” I growled. 

I panted, breathless from all the yelling and for a few seconds we just stood still staring at each other. 

And then his phone rang.

He casually pulled it out and glanced at it. 

And then he took the call, transferring it to the speakers. 

“Yoongi...?” It was Seokjin.

i startled.

“Yes, hyung...” 

“Yoongi,... your father called. He told me what happened .. Thank you so much buddy...” 

“Don’t mention it hyung..” Yoongi kept his gaze on me and i felt foreboding rise inside me. That didn’t sound good. 

“Listen.. Min Jung misunderstood what happened. She’s probabaly on the way there ...”

“She’s here.” yoongi said casually and i choked. 

“Seokjin oppa?” i said nervously.

“Bunny?! Oh God.. tell me you didn’t hit him or something!! “ Seokjin sounded nauseuous. 

Yoongi laughed softly. 

“No hyung.. She didn’t do anything. Just got here infact..”

“Oh thank God.. Min jung...I’m reinstated. Yoongi told his dad that it was all a misunderstanding and Mr. Min personally called and spologized for it. Everything’s fine so please spare Yoongi your fists of fury...” 

I felt my face flame red enough to catch fire. 

 oh, God, where was a lightning bolt when you needed one? 

“Hyung, i’ll call you back.” Yoongi hung up. 

I straed at him and then took a step back. i knew i should apologize. But i couldn’;t bring myself to say it. 

“I should.. um... just leave..” I turned on my heel , ready to bolt . 

i almost reached the door when his voice came out, low rumbling and an outright growl. 

“ Stop right there..” 

I froze, stunned when the syllables felt like bullets against my spine, pain hitting my nerves and making my entire body ache. 

I couldn’t move. 

 Oh, God no.

 He was using his Alpha voice. If there was even an ounce of doubt about the kind of guy Min Yoongi was, it evaporated. 

 He’s just like the rest of them. 

 I trembled a bit, willing myself to not move. To act like I was merely waiting for him to continue. Not like i couldn’t move. 

His voice rumbled over me again and it really did feel like little pricks of a needle up and down my spine. 

“Are you an omega? Tell me the truth...”  He was using the same voice, the one I couldn’t fight. 

But I was still on the suppressants and not  completely  helpless and although it took every single ounce of my energy, I took a deep breath, aware of the painful ache inside my skull.

“No, i’m not.” I whispered. It felt like Someone had taken a knife to my gut, the pain visceral and unbearable. It wasn’t in my gene to lie to an Alpha. 

Silence. My entire body felt taught, stretched like a rubber band. 

And then.

“If you’re so proud of omegas... why are you ashamed to admit it yourself.” He sneered. I shut my eyes. 

  “I’m leaving.” I said firmly. 

He chuckled softly.

“Leave. I’m not stopping you.” 

But he was. 

‘We both knew he was. 

I opened my mouth, ready to argue but the door slammed open suddenly, breaking the spell. i sagged a bit as Yuju stalked in. She took one look at me and launched herself at me. 

i was still weak from what yoongi had done and i went down like a rock, head hitting the floor with a painful crack. Stunned , I shoved her away and dragged myself up. Yoongi was reaching for me again.

“Are you okay Min Jung..?” He looked genuinely worried but i glared at him. 

“You’re a bastard. every single one of you.!! You just deserve eacth other !” I snarled, dragging myself up and getting the hell away from him. 

I didn’t stop running till i’d locked myself in my room.

And it was only then did I let the tears fall. 

 Author’s Note : Whew... tiring. Did you guys like it? i would love to have some feedback. 

[v4viola]

AHS: CULT Season 7, Episode 1 Election Night [unpublished review]

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017, just days before Stephen King’s IT hit theatres worldwide, the anticipated clown-centred new season of Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk’s anthology series, American Horror Story, premiered its seventh season, Cult, on FX.

The past six seasons of American Horror Story (AHS) have catapulted viewers into the depths of the horror genre; every season tells a different story at a different time with different characters and themes. The popular show features returning and seasoned actors like Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson and Kathy Bates, as well as guest stars like Gabourey Sidibe, Lady Gaga and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Countless characters have left lasting impressions on AHS and every fan has their favourite: Lana Winters of Asylum (Season 2), Fiona Goode of Coven (Season 3), Elsa Mars or Twisty the Clown of Freakshow (Season 4), The Countess of Hotel (Season 5), or The Butcher of Roanoke (Season 6). The sinister list goes on and on.

American Horror Story may stand alone but it is no stranger to acclaim as it’s been nominated for an impressive 300+ awards. Jessica Lange and Lady Gaga both won Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television at the 2012 and 2016 Golden Globe Awards for Murder House and Hotel. The Primetime Emmy’s have awarded the show as well.

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have managed to garner a cult following. Pun intended. Together, they’ve created “Teen TV” juggernauts like Glee and Scream Queens, and are the executive producers of the critically acclaimed first season of American Crime Story: The People VS. O.J. Simpson, starring AHS alumni, Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. The series sweeped award shows and the second season (The Assassination of Gianni Versace, starring Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin) is slated to air in the early months of 2018. Last but not least, who can forget the return of Jessica Lange (alongside Susan Sarandon) earlier this year in Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Bette & Joan. The debut season of another anthology series (also produced by Brad Pitt) reimagines the tensions between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the set of the movie What Ever Happened to Mary Jane? in 1962. Murphy and Falchuk are clear forces to be reckoned with when it comes genre television. When they hit, they hit big.

So when the countdown to Season 7’s premiere was over, fans erupted. Some loved it, some hated it, and some threatened to boycott it because of an irrational fear of tiny holes. Yes, tiny holes. The unique fear is called trypophobia: an intense fear, distress or anxiety caused by irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. The term is believed to have been coined in 2005 on an online forum and AHS has decided to showcase its abilities to make your skin crawl in a way we’ve never seen before. Hence the trigger warnings. Seriously, people are freaking out!

The title of this premiere episode is Election Night and the opening scene takes viewers back to the night of November 8, 2016, flashing some of the most viral and ludicrous presidential campaign snippets of Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump, one after the other.

“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters,” an actual clip of Donald Trump flashes, reminding viewers how screwed the United States is with this clown in office. It’s clear that AHS is using the real-life 2016 election as the focus for this year’s horror tale, set in Michigan.

“FUCK YOU WORLD! USA! USA! USA!”

Kai Anderson (played by AHS heavy-weight, Evan Peters) shouts this as the 45th president of the United States of America is announced. Kai is a blue-haired loner celebrating Trump’s win in a dingy basement, dry-humping his big screen TV like a fanatic. “Freedom!” he yells, and his glee for Trump’s victory is a tough pill to swallow.

Evan Peters is a returning AHS all-star and his acting chops shine brighter from season to season. In the opening of this new season, Cult, Peters grips us from the get-go, and throughout the hour-long first episode, we begin to see why his character is so happy with Donald Trump’s victory.

Kai emulates the far-right narrative with precision. Scenes throughout the premiere (where he blatantly disrespects women and Mexicans) reveal a very real and twisted perception that men are superior to women and that “white is right.” Kai is indicative of what Trump spews to the public, and what makes it so uncomfortable to watch is that this series is a lot more than a just a scary TV show now. It’s about our social and political climate, today. This is art is imitating life, in real time.

Kai is maniacal from the opening scene where - in celebration of Trump’s victory - Kai makes a cheeto smoothie, rubbing the orange paste all over his face, mirroring Trump’s infamously orange glow. His mannerisms are reminiscent of the legendary comic villain, The Joker, with his creepy stare and smudged cheeto “face paint”. Perhaps the sub-theme of coulrophobia (fear of clowns) influenced a nod to the king of crime. After all, The Joker is one of the ultimate clown villains of the last century. It is rumoured that DC Comics is looking to solidify Leonardo DiCaprio as The Joker in an upcoming origin story set in the 1980’s. If that doesn't work out, Evan Peters would be perfect!

Across town, we see Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson), and her wife, Ivy (Alison Pill), in what reads as a parody of a wealthy, white, lesbian couple. They’re hosting a viewing party with their neighbours, a liberal heterosexual couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Marylin Chang (Tim Kang and Nanrissa Lee). When Trump is announced president, Ally has the complete opposite reaction from Kai Anderson, and that familiar AHS Sarah Paulson shriek fans grew to love in Asylum and Roanoke tears through her living room, directed at the flatscreen television. She’s absolutely mortified, as many of us were that night, but the results trigger Ally in a way that leaves her out of breath and panicked. Soon afterwards, we understand why.

Ally suffers from multiple phobias, high anxiety, and hallucinations. “Ever since the election, it’s been getting worse,” she says to her therapist, Dr. Rudy Vincent (Cheyenne Jackson).

“The coulrophobia?” He asks.

“Yes. The clowns...” she trails off, “but also,” she continues, “confined spaces, and blood... Particles in the air, the dark, that coral thing that's been staring at me since I came in here!” Ally appears to be dizzy. Nauseas even.

“You have a fear of coral?” Dr. Vincent asks.

“No. I-I… Its the holes,” she takes a deep breath, “it’s repulsive!”

Ally tells Dr. Vincent that coping with the election results has triggered all of her old phobias. It’s almost as if AHS is mocking the right-winged notion that those on the left are automatically fragile and plagued with political correctness, but by bringing these unconventional yet very real phobias to the table, we see that this season’s theme isn’t just about the current events in American politics, clowns, or tiny holes. No, this season is about the fear in politics and what it can do to people on both ends of the political pendulum. Ally Mayfair-Richards’ character shows us how these conditions and phobias can provoke mental health breakdowns with a raw and in-your-face delivery.

The premiere also marks the return of Freakshow’s Twisty the Clown, but only as an imagined character in “The Twisty Chronicles” comic book. Oz Mayfair-Richards (Cooper Dodson), Ally and Ivy’s son, secretly admires the clown’s comics and he is nothing more than a fictional character in Cult. So far, anyway. The gruesome Twisty scene unfolds, reminiscent of the clown’s murderous debut in Season 4, and we think we’ve seen the actual return of Twisty until Ally interrupts and it’s realized that this was just a scene in Oz’s comic book. Since Ally has an irrational fear of clowns, the cover illustration of the savage Twisty prompts her to have a full-on panic attack. If you have any inclination of what Twisty looks like, it's understandable for a coulrophobe to freak out. Twisty is what nightmares are made of and fans are patiently awaiting the mayhem Twisty might be getting up to this season. Another character that’s sparking intrigue is Winter Anderson (Billie Lourd), Kai Anderson’s younger sister. In the beginning of the episode, when Kai covers his face in the cheeto mask, he storms into his younger sister’s room and jumps on her bed, staring her down as CNN announces that Hillary Clinton will not be speaking after conceding to Donald Trump. She looks up from her laptop into her brother’s eyes, his orange face smudged with tension, and begins yelling at him to get out, hitting him repeatedly. He starts laughing at her screaming, uncovered by the blows. She's lost some sort of bet and now she has to follow through with some elaborate scheme after admitting that children are her worst fear. [Unfinished first rough draft]