#I didn’t get everyone in here I’m sorry
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chaosartic · 20 hours ago
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Throw away the caution! | LN4
word count: roughly 2k
warnings: overprotective brother Max Fewtrell, mutual pinning (a bit), Oscar is confused most of the time, bad writing (yes it requires a warning)
summary: Lando (annoyingly) has a crush on non other than his best friends younger sister, Y/n Fewtrell. It was his well kept secret. Why? Because he knows how overprotective Max is of you. What happens when Carlos and Oscar find out about it? Will a drunken night out celebrating a race weekend change their relationship?
a/n: Originally this was supposed to be a one shot but I’m turning this into a mini series. They’re probably going to be three parts. Please note that english is not my first language, I’m sorry for any mistakes in advance.
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Lando and Max have been through a lot together as long as both of them can remember. And for just as long Lando has known y/n, Max slightly younger sister. What started as a harmless friendship slowly turned into something more, at least in Landos eyes.
It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he admitted his feelings to himself. He kept them hidden and a secret from everyone. At first he thought that they’re just temporary. The girl he used to climb trees with and joke around for hours grew into a beautiful young lady after all. But the feelings only grew stronger.
Lando was well into his twenties when he talked to someone about his crush, it was no other than his friend and ex teammate, Carlos Sainz. At first he tried to talk Lando into admitting his feelings to you but that was without success. Carlos tried to figure out if the feelings are both sided but he simply didn’t see the Fewtrell siblings enough for that.
He was the silent emotional support through everything after that, trying to get them together alone as much as possible without Max noticing. After all, Carlos didn't know how he would react to the news of his childhood friend loving his younger sister. There were a few close calls in the past but as far as anyone was concerned neither Max nor y/n knew about Landos feelings.
If anyone would ask him why he doesn’t confess his answer would probably be along the lines of wanting to concentrate on his career first. In truth he was scared of your rejection and your brother's disappointment. He and Max are friends after all and it might feel like some sort of betrayal to the older Brit.
Lando was currently in London since he had to be back at the MTC for his pre-season training and meetings. He loved being in his home country even if that meant that winter break was over. It means that he gets to spend time with his friends. Like this evening for example.
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You hate being late. It wasn't even your fault that a meeting with your boss ran over the scheduled time or that traffic today was worse than the past few days. You were meeting up with your brother, childhood friend and his teammate. And while Max assured you that your late arrival wouldn’t be a problem, anxiety and guilt still washed over you. You navigate your car without a problem down the familiar street to your brother's appartement. The night was cold but with a clear sky, a rare occurrence.
“You know you don’t have to get me anything when you come around.” Max greets you at the door as soon as he sees the flowers clutched in your hand. “Yeah yeah” you wave him off. The apartment was quiet, too quiet for the normal chaos that erupts when Lando and Max are together.
Max notices your confusion. “They got caught up with work stuff too. That’s why I told you not to worry.” He grabs the flowers ready to put them into an improvised vase while adding, “they should be here any minute though.”
“You could’ve added that little detail in your sentence,” you sternly joke with him. He pulls you into his arms mumbling something about next time he will. You missed this, the familiar feeling of being in your brother's arms. Work has been hell for you recently and you didn't get to spend much time with your family or friends. That’s why you didn't think twice about coming around tonight to spend a relaxing evening with your brother and an old friend of yours, Lando.
Before you could do anything else the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the McLaren drivers. “I’ve got it,” you said to Max before walking towards the door. When you opened it, you were a bit surprised when you saw only Oscar standing there. “Hey Oscar. Where is Lando?” you ask him after you let him into the flat. “Oh, he’s still parking the car or something,” Oscar said, “he’ll be here shortly.” You nodded your head at his explanation, softly closing the door behind him. You didn’t lock it though so Lando could get in easier.
Max came out of the kitchen to greet Oscar. While the two aren’t that close they still get along well, spending their evenings occasionally in bigger groups together. The Aussi was quickly accepted into the little group of you three after he joined Lando as his new teammate two years ago. You went back into the kitchen grabbing drinks for everyone while the boys already chatted about racing. The table was set, the ordered food waiting on the counter. There is only one thing missing now.
You still had a slightly anxious feeling that you couldn't shake off. Maybe it was because you would spend the evening in such close proximity to Lando. You haven’t said it to anyone out loud but you knew what the butterflies in your stomach meant. While you didn’t want to admit it to yourself just yet, you couldn’t hide it anymore. You were crushing hard and of course that person has to be your brother’s best friend.
“Hey mate”, Landos voice rans out through the apartment. He came into the kitchen with a wide smile, dimples showing on full display. He quickly pulled each of you into his arms as a greeting. His arms lingered around you for a bit longer, both of you silently enjoying the feeling. “Come on guys, the food is still warm.” Max called out while putting the boxes in the middle of the table. His voice was a bit rougher than usual, almost like he was hiding his emotions. You didn't notice it nor did Lando. Oscar however did notice it and for a millisecond a confused look crossed his face. It was gone before anyone could really notice it.
The four of you sat down at the table, a comfortable silence washing over the room. You sit next to your brother across from Lando. You noticed him looking at you a few times out of the corner of your eye. The butterflies in your stomach were running wild, but you hoped that it didn’t show. As much as you like the idea of being together with the Brit, you knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea. Not only because of his career but also because of your brother. You and Max were close and you know his overprotective sides when it comes to the topic of boys being around you. He was always a bit worried about them, maybe given the fact that he raced professionally. It didn't help that you know most of the formula one grid. He was scared of someone using you for your connections, he would not mention this fear though.
You aren't sure how Max would react to the news of you crushing on his best friend nor did you want to find out anytime soon. You talked about everything over dinner; racing, the upcoming season, video games and just what everybody did during the break. You remembered about a year ago when you were all sitting at the same table. Oscar was still new to the group and quite shy, but he opened up which was good to see.
“All right, how about we talk about something different than just racing,” you said. “Not everybody’s life depends on it.” You jokingly added, knowing that the boys love nothing more than to talk about it, especially when they were off for a few weeks. At some point the conversation shifts, now the talk was all about. testing and the upcoming season. “I have a question guys,” Lando suddenly said. His cheeks are a bit pink, unusually so. Your eyes looked over to Oscar slightly, he looked just as confused as you felt. It almost seems like Lando was shy about something perhaps not knowing what to do with the situation. “Do you have anything planned during the weekend when the season starts?” He finally blurted out after a longer pause.
“Not that I could think of,” you replied, looking at your brother. He also shook his head no. “Why do you ask?” “How about you come to watch it?” It was actually Oscar who voiced the question, his eyes always flickering up to you. It was almost like he was saving Lando from something, maybe embarrassment. “For sure,” Max answered quickly, not having to really think about it. The three men turn their heads to you waiting for your answer. “I’m not sure if I can get time off,” you said. “And also don’t exactly have the money for this trip.” You said shyly.
“Sweetheart, do you really think you have to pay?” Lando asked. You look at him shocked, did he really just say that? “I got it covered. Don’t worry about that.” He added quickly. Maybe it was your imagination, but he looked a bit embarrassed about saying it. Max looked at his best friend, confusion all over his features, shaking his head as if he was having a silent conversation with himself.
“Please y/n, it would mean the world for both of us,” Lando added, pointing at him and Oscar. He was almost begging at this point. You didn’t know why it was so important for him to have you there. A small part if you wanted to believe that it is because he also had a crush on you. But honestly those were unrealistic expectations. No, Lando could never have a crush on you. That’s for sure.
“Okay okay,” you gave in with a small smile. “I’ll see if I can get a few days off so I can join you in Australia,”you said. You see from the corner of your eyes that your brother has a sour look on his face again. An uneasy feeling settles in your stomach. ”Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m done.“ You try to ignore the look on Maxs face by changing the topic.You took both plates and put them into the dishwasher. You miss the way Oscar looks at both Max and Lando. Ever since this conversation started he has had a slightly confused look on his face, not that you noticed.
It was only a few days after that night when your request for the time off was accepted. That night you spend an hour or maybe two on FaceTime with Lando. He was back in Monaco preparing for the testing in Bahrain. It may have been a few days since that call but you can still see the way he smiled when you shared the news. It was one of the best things ever.
You already talked with Max about when you were leaving to Down Under. While you were more than excited to be in the paddock, see the race and talk to some of the drivers that you know, you couldn’t shake off this weird feeling in the pit of your stomach. It felt like this little trip would change everything but you weren’t sure why. Maybe it was because recently you and Lando have talked almost every night, intensifying your crush on the curly haired man. And even though you were nervous you couldn’t wait to see him in person again in Australia.
part 2 (coming soon)
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I hope you enjoy it! Any feedback is appreciated!
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ak4e7a · 2 days ago
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𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦 (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞) - 𝐩𝐬𝐡
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𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 / '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲'𝐬 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦
synopsis: you were never one to take the high road... until you met someone who made your body burn like rubber on asphalt.
street racer! hoon x street racer!maneater! reader
wc: 16.9k holy fuck honestly this hoe might be a 3-parter lowk
a/n: hi sorry i disappeared... but enjoy LOL and happy one year to my blog! i met so many cool people over this past year. reblogs are appreciated and i will astral project into your room and hug you ≽ܫ≼
banner by @karinasbaby i love you this one's for you big dawg. year in the making, let's go
“Didn’t think you were going to grace us with your presence tonight, Miss Probation,” Jaeyun smirks as you get out of your car, swinging both of your legs out closed like a lady so as to not flash anyone with the black miniskirt you’re wearing. He greets you with an air-kiss to your cheek, to which you roll your eyes—although you bask in the way the other girls stare at the two of you. If only they knew how annoying your best friend actually was.
“It’s Jungwonie’s turn to race for us, so who am I to deprive my brother and the team of our good luck charm? We need all the luck we can get tonight,” you reply, taking a seat on the hood of your baby pink Supra. “We’re on a good win streak. Might even take this season’s cup without me.”
The other racers from different teams have started to arrive, many of them making their way over to say hello to you. You give your girls—Jimin, who races for Razor; Aeri, the beloved race girl; and Soyeon, a member of the AZ team—air-kisses from across the parking lot. You aren’t feeling like walking over to the groups they’re mingling with. (And because you don’t feel like being near Hwang Hyunjin right now.)
“Fair enough,” he acquiesces, sitting beside you when you pat the spot next to him. “But you know, Wonie is better than you think—”
“Hey, you never let me sit on your car,” Wonbin says, striding over to you with a smirk. You glance up at him, and he looks like he’s expecting you to either push Jaeyun off or scoot over yourself—either way, he wants a turn.
Basically everyone in your little racing scene does, but you think it’s more fun to work them like dogs than to give in to anyone. Especially not after what happened with— “You’re not even in Enigma, Wonbin. Privilege is for teammates only, get lost,” Jaeyun says condescendingly.
He looks at you again, like an expectant puppy—which only works if it’s Jaeyun doing it to you— waiting for you to reach into your purse. You sigh and reach in and feel around for a particular wrapper. “Here. Go away.”
The Australian snickers as Wonbin walks away dejectedly. “The grandma coffee candy, huh?”
“He was too cocky, that's all he deserves tonight. Even if he’s cute. He’s lucky I gave him anything at all.”
“What about me? I’m cuter,” Jaeyun asks, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear with his signature cheeky grin, batting his eyelashes at you the way you do to him. You’re used to flirting with him; it’s more of a way to keep both your skills and his sharp than anything romantic or suggestive. After all, you grew up with Jaeyun, and you know all his embarrassing secrets just like he knows yours. One time in high school, the two of you fake-dated for a week to get some girl too obsessed with him for her own good to leave him alone. It’s safe to say she didn’t buy it, not one bit. You and him bickered too much for it to be believable, and you accidentally screamed when he kissed you on the forehead. 
“Hmm…” Playfully, you pretend to be deep in thought, hand digging in your purse again. “Here.”
His face lights up in innocent delight, a huge contrast to his outfit of baggy cargo pants, oversized hoodie, and sneakers, complete with a thick, iced-out Cuban-link chain around his neck. “Ooh, yum! Grape Hi-Chew!”
You roll your eyes. “I only carry that for you, loser. Everyone knows the mango one is the best.”
“You just say that because grape was—”
“Hey, Y/N! Nice wrap,” Riki says, waving his long arms at you like he’s drowning. The tall, newly-turned 21-year-old bounds towards you before tackling you in a hug that sends you almost crashing into the ground, your hands flying to tug the hem of your skirt down lest your protective younger brother scold you about not dressing for the weather. It’s a cold spring night, as proven by Riki who’s in a loose, knitted navy blue sweater and destroyed light wash jeans.
“Jeez, Riki, I just saw you yesterday, no need to suffocate me,” you grumble affectionately, reaching up to muss his black-and-silver hair before sitting back down on the hood of your car. You’ve been fond of the boy since Jungwon brought him over one day, his first new friend since losing his best friend (and one of yours, honestly) in a betrayal that still hurts to speak of to this day. Riki clings onto you like you’re his older sister, too, and you reckon it probably has something to do with missing his own sister back home. “You saw me finish the wrap on the car, too, remember? Jimin and Soyeon were there.”
“Yeah, yeah, but it looks good even at night! Very professional. Maybe you can wrap the GTR next?” he says, to which you side-eye him, and he adds, “I can pay you.”
“You can pay for my meals every time we go out to eat for the next three months and I’ll call it even.”
He laughs. “Okay, deal. You eat less than Jungwon hyung, anyways.”
“Why are you talking shit about me to my sister again, freak?” your younger brother demands, making his way up to the small crowd that’s starting to form around you, Riki, and Jaeyun. He looks taller today, you think to yourself, and when he comes into full view, you see that he’s riding on the back of an unfamiliar person, a tall man with a sharp jawline and a pretty nose, whose bangs droop over his eyes. He’s wearing a white tank top and jeans, with a black and blue leather racing jacket covering his torso from the chilly Seoul air. 
“Well, did I fucking lie?” Riki snaps back, arms crossed. You hide your laugh in the crook of your arm, eyes locking with the man who’s got your brother draped over his broad shoulders like a backpack. He looks at you intensely, in a way that makes you feel like he’s got x-ray vision or something. You feel like your insides are turning into lava. What’s his deal?
“Whatever, cricket legs.” Jungwon jumps off the man’s back, shaking his hair out of his eyes. You notice that he’s yet again stolen one of your oversized hoodies. “Oh, hyung! This is my sister, by the way. Noona, this is Sunghoon hyung. He’s joining Enigma.”
He’s cute, pretty, even, and you like that. You’ve always preferred pretty boys. And up until about five seconds ago, you would have said that—even though your ex-boyfriend is a cheating bastard who deserves nothing but suffering—he was still the prettiest man you’ve come across. 
But this one, this one in front of you right now, this one takes the cake. He’s got full, thick brows that frame dark almond eyes, and his cheekbones flow into his jawline in a way that makes you think his face has probably stopped traffic at least once in his life. Before you stare at him for way too long, you reach into your purse and pull out one of your mango-flavored Hi-Chews (from your personal stash) to give him. 
“Hi, Sunghoon. Nice to meet you. Welcome to Enigma.”
He repeats his own version of your greeting a bit too curtly for your liking, but you don’t care either way, he’ll be under your thumb in no time, just like everyone else, just the way you like. Rolling the wrapped cube in his hand, he asks, “What’s this for?”
To which you reply, “Oh, nothing. I just like candy.”
“I feel like ‘like’ is an understatement,” Riki snorts, sticking his hand in your purse for something he can snack on. You sigh and hand him your purse for him to rummage around more freely. 
Sunghoon raises an eyebrow at that, but turns to you anyways. “Do you race, too? I don’t want to assume or anything.”
You give him a coy smile, translucent bubblegum-pink-manicured fingernails clicking against the hood of your car as you drum your fingers against it. “Yeah, I do. I’m banned from racing right now, though, until the end of the season at least.”
He cocks his head like a curious puppy, blinking slowly at you. Oh, no. He’s cute and probably doesn’t know it, but he’s definitely dressed like he knows he’s hot. “Why’s that?”
Your smile turns into a smug smirk as you answer, “Because I go too fast.”
“Fourth-gen Supra,” he muses, glancing between your bare legs at the titanium Toyota emblem on the hood that you’d had imported from Japan. For some reason, you have to resist the urge to squeeze your thighs together. “Cute.”
“Oh? And what’s your ride?”
“Beamer M8 Comp,” Sunghoon says, an air of nonchalance about the answer like it’s nothing special. It kind of pisses you off. You’re pretty certain he didn’t win that car by racing for the pink slip like you did with your Supra. Before you got that car, Jungwon’s 350Z was yours, and you’d only had it because you salvaged it from a junkyard and rebuilt the whole damn thing yourself when you weren’t working or sleeping.
If there’s one thing you might hate more in this life than cheaters, it’s people who come from money, people who didn’t understand or couldn’t comprehend that they were playing life on easy mode. People who never had to suffer, because, to you, they never learned anything.
Sure, you had a hard life. Sure, your parents kicked you and Jungwon to the curb when the both of you refused to take over the family business. Sure, you worked hundreds or, more likely, thousands of hours just to make ends meet and take care of your brother while the two of you finished school. Sure, you wished you could have enjoyed your youth more instead of having to worry about money.
But instead, you had to pay the price for your freedom. Part of you still wonders if it was all worth it. If you should have stayed in your hometown. If you should have just went along with the arranged marriage your parents were proposing with someone you didn’t even know instead of running away with your ex and dragging Jungwon to hell with you.
Okay, maybe it really pisses you off. 
“Ooh, rich boy,” you deadpan, your long nails preventing you from balling your hands into fists. You deny him the pleasure of seeing you roll your eyes back into your head. “Daddy must have spent a lot on you.”
“That’s not very welcoming to say,” he shoots back, although his voice is just as flat, his eyes narrowed at you.
You pout mockingly at him. “I’m just teasing our newest member—don’t worry, silver spoon. It’ll be over for you sooner if you decide to quit while you’re ahead.”
“You scared you won’t be the best racer on the team anymore or something, princess?”
“Just wait for me to get off probation and I’ll make you eat my brake dust, Daddy’s Money.”
“You’re already calling me daddy, even though we just met? Because it was my money that bought the car, for the record.”
You’re a little embarrassed and also slightly turned on, neither of which you would ever admit to even Jaeyun, and he knows you just about as well as he knows every single Fortnite map. “Tell someone who cares.”
The back-and-forth between the two of you is thankfully cut short as everyone hears the roar of a particular engine, marking the arrival of Enigma’s leader. You could just kiss him for his impeccable timing—if it weren’t for the fact that neither of you saw each other that way. You reckon both of you would rather eat a jean jacket than get more intimate than the platonic skinship that marks your friendship with him and the other Enigma boys.
People move aside as he puts the metallic, slime green Lamborghini Huracan in reverse and backs up into the parking spot next to you. The ostentatious exotic car belonging to Jay was gifted to him by one of his first clients, a filthy rich businessman who respected and admired Jay’s hard work and dedication to his job despite Jay being a corporate grunt in those days. During this period in your lives, Jay never once showed up late to a meeting with Mr. Big—even when his old Mitsubishi Lancer finally gave up on him after years of being pushed to its limit, even if it meant he had to wake up at three in the morning to start walking from his old apartment in Ahyeon-dong to Gangnam to make the scheduled 6 AM meetings—since the subways unfortunately didn’t operate until 5:30.
After Old Moneybags found out about Jay’s struggle, it was safe to say your best friend wasn’t on hard times for very long after that.
“Jay!” you call out, playing up your role as the only girl in Enigma just to assert dominance over the racer groupies in attendance tonight. You haven’t seen him since the last race, on account of the both of you being too busy with your work schedules to hang out properly. You immediately nudge past everyone—including Sunghoon, who you intentionally brush up against, your ass against his leg—to be the first to greet him.
“Hey, sweets, missed you,” he says, pulling you into a hug. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, been just fine. You know me, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself,” you assure him with a smile. He pinches your cheek. “What about you?”
“Oh, same shit, different day. Hoping I finally clutch this huge promotion at work. Head of an entire department,” he answers, protective hand on your waist as he guides you back to the rest of the Enigma boys. Along the way, he daps up some of the other racers who say hi to him, before giving Sunghoon, Jungwon, and Riki a dap and that weird side hug that guys who are close friends do. “Have you met Sunghoon yet?”
“Yeah, I have.” Your lips form into a slight pout, even though you know everyone but Riki is immune to your occasional petulance. “No one told me we were getting a new member. I thought we agreed to vote if it ever happened again? And… I thought it was never going to happen again?”
“You weren’t answering your phone when we voted, so Riki and Wonie took your vote,” Jaeyun snickers, shaking Jay’s hand and giving him the one-armed, “definitely not gay, bro” hug. “Think you had the group chat muted again.”
“Well, that was for good reason,” you argue crossly. While you loved your boys, that didn’t stop them from getting on your nerves at least once a day. “I was mad at you guys for not wanting to go get milk tea with me. And then you got it without me, clearly.”
“Didn’t we bring you some that night, though?” Jay retorts, ever the level-headed one when his temper wasn’t getting the best of him.
“Yeah… but I wanted to come! We live in the same building, for fuck’s sake!”
“It was a boys’ night, silly. Are you a boy?” Jaeyun pats your head and you swat his hand away, grumbling under your breath at him to not to touch you and to fuck off. 
Your attention veers to Jungwon as he turns to Sunghoon, who’s standing with his arms crossed, watching you bicker with the boys from a distance. “Don’t mind her, she’s always like this. You ready to race?”
“Always like what, Yang Jungwon?” you ask mirthlessly, hands on your hips.
“A brat!” Jaeyun and Jay answer on his behalf, tugging you away so as to allow the racers on tonight’s card to drive up to the starting line, and everyone else can get behind them.
That’s how your scene’s races have worked since you were tasked with changing the rules two years ago; two drivers from each team participating would race, while the others would drive behind them as pace cars. They would also be ready to distract the police at a moment’s notice and keep the roads clear of civillians. It was as ethical as you could make it, and, honestly, it worked and kept everyone safe.
On this night, you’ve been roped into Jaeyun’s metallic blue Mustang Shelby GT500, with glimmering white racing stripes you added on yourself, huffing and muttering to yourself about how the boys were being “mean” to you in front of Sunghoon to try and impress him. Jay has gone ahead to wait at the finish line. He’d refused—again—to not “put the Huracan anywhere near any of these morons with driver’s licenses,” and so he’s there to note down the order in which the racers arrive, armed with several precisely-calibrated stopwatches. 
You yourself have refused to ride with any other driver even though many of them offered to bring you along as their “passenger princess”. You will only ever ride with one of your boys. Riki is in his blacked out R35 Nissan GT-R, the other seats occupied with the life-sized plastic skeletons that he “borrowed” from his school’s anatomy lab. He’s cruising beside Jungwon, and behind you and Jaeyun; Sunghoon is in his own car beside you two.
“How’d you even meet that guy, anyways?” you groan to your best friend, trying to shield your eyes with the way Riki’s obnoxiously bright, blue underglow on his car is blinding you in your side mirror. Your hand dangles out of the open window, fingertips tapping idly on the outside of the door. “He’s so unfriendly.”
“Actually, he’s pretty cool when you get to know him. Riki and I met him at the gym a few weeks ago. He asked if one of us could spot him on the bench press—for three plates, that’s fucking sick! But, uh, yeah. We started working out together after that.”
You scoff. “Oh, great. Another meathead like you two.”
“Y/N, that’s not nice,” Jaeyun chides, glancing at you with the same affection of an older brother, even though you’re both 24 years old. “You’re not being very nice tonight.”
“Well, neither is he. He’s just some spoiled little rich boy who thinks he’s better than everyone.”
“Um… so am I, honestly… and so is Riki, honestly, but you don’t say anything about that, do you?”
You begin to reply, but you frown as Sunghoon speeds past the two of you in his pearly black BMW M8 Competition, the exhaust pipes screaming bloody murder, heading for the starting line just a hundred feet ahead. “Did he hear me say that about him?”
“Most likely.”
“Fuck.”
Part of you wants to apologize; maybe you’re being a little harsh on him, maybe you’re projecting your feelings towards this guy just because he reminds you of a certain someone, maybe you need to finally come to terms with what you’ve been denying for all these years.
Jaeyun pulls up to his spot behind the racers, right between Riki’s GT-R and Jungwon’s 350Z. You signal to the Nissan Boys, as you affectionately call your little brothers, to put their seatbelts on. They both pretend to sigh begrudgingly as they buckle themselves in.
The race girl is your good friend, Aeri, who every guy in your racing division is also obsessed with. Between the two of you, you think that she’s the truly adored one, because she is still as sweet as the day you met her—and you have an inclination to terrorize anyone of the opposite sex who rubs you the wrong way (due to your past). You can’t help it though, and, surprisingly, none of the boys who fall at your feet fault you for it.
But no one ever seemed to feel the need to prove you wrong, either, and that was your problem with them.
Aeri stands in between the middle two drivers, reaching under her top to unclip her bra. You take this as your cue to pull out the megaphone from where it sits waiting at your feet. Leaning out of the window, you announce, “First one to the base of Namsan Mountain wins! I expect a clean race, no funny business. Take no shit, but do no harm!”
“Isn’t that backwards?” Jaeyun whispers to you. You wave him off. He’s right, but you’re trying to emphasize your point about not dragging any innocent people into the racers’ mess.
You continue.“Tonight’s winner will receive the cash prize from me, personally, at a later time. Are we clear?”
A chorus of revved engines gives you your answer. “Alright. Aeri, count us down?”
She nods, pulling out her bra from her top and holding it up in the air. “‘Kay! You guys will go on 1! Ready? 3… 2… 1!” At the final number, she lets the hot pink satin garment drop to the ground, and everyone guns it, driving off in a flurry of exhaust smoke and burnt rubber.
“How much was the buy-in tonight, sweetie?” Jaeyun asks, using his own form of the sugar-derived nickname for you.
“Five million won apiece,” you answer. You scroll through Yun’s phone and play a song on his obnoxiously overpriced sound system. You’ve been joking to your friends that you’re in your “girl Future” era, citing your borderline toxic behavior towards the other racers who constantly slide in your DMs as proof that you’re literally the female version of the rapper. It doesn’t help that your coworker, Minjeong (who is also your self-appointed “work wife”), encourages you to torment men.
“‘I Serve the Base’? Really?” he snorts, leaning back in his seat. “You’re in a mood tonight, huh?”
“I dunno, it just fits the vibe,” you shrug. “Just quit yapping and drive, please.”
“Like I said, a mood.”
You sigh and physically turn away from him like a petulant girlfriend would—knees pointing towards the door and all—and stare out of the passenger window at the cars in front of you. You watch as Wonbin and Hyunjin duke it out on the road, trying to put each other in last place. The way they’re maneuvering their cars makes you a little uncomfortable, but also annoyed that they clearly didn’t listen to a word you said not two minutes ago. “Yunie, flash your high beams at them.”
“Say please.”
You look at him in confusion. Where’d he learn to say that?
“Sorry, Sunghoon does that to Riki and Jungwonie all the time.”
Yikes. Part of you hopes he doesn’t do it to girls, too… but you wouldn’t mind it if he were to do it to you. It’s high time someone really makes an effort to put you in your place, honestly. You reach behind you, to the back seat and grab the laptop you took from Riki, opening it up and typing furiously.
“What are you doing?”
“Accessing the street cameras,” you answer like it’s obvious. Being nefariously good at using the Internet was a perk that came with hanging out with your brother way too much. “I want to see what’s going on.”
“Well? Give me the rundown, then.”
“Jungwonie is in third place, it looks like. He’s gapped Hyunjin in front of us by at least a kilometer… and he’s approaching San and Wooyoung real quick. But—fuck, wait.” You click through a bunch of tabs, scanning the screen faster than when you’re reading twenty-six text message screenshots that Aeri sent you to dissect. “I can’t find Sunghoon anywhere.”
“What? What do you mean you can’t find him? Did he get pulled over or something?” he asks, lowering the volume of his speakers using the button on his steering wheel, eyes still trained on the road in front of him. He flashes his lights again, this time at just Wonbin to pick up the pace, urging him to pass Riki—who now has his underglow set to a stealthy dark red—up ahead.
“No… just… wait, give me a sec… oh, holy fuck.” You click through the camera footage, rewinding it and slowing down the playback. “Oh, my God.”
“Jesus Christ, what is it? You can’t just cliffhanger me like that!”
“I can’t see him because his lights are off.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think he has a mod on his car—you literally can’t see him unless he drives under a streetlight.”
“Wait, that’s what Riki imported for him?!”
“What the—oh shut the fuck up, it was me who imported that light system! That fucker said it was for a friend when I asked him why he was buying new bulbs, ‘cause I knew he just got those halo LEDs!” You take a deep breath before sticking your hand in the pocket of Jaeyun’s pants.
“Yo! I thought we agreed not to fuck in the car! And especially not while I’m driving—but I guess I shouldn’t turn down some road head…”
“God, shut up, you perv! I need to get your phone and call Sunghoon!” you cry out. “He needs to turn his lights on, what if he gets hit by someone?!”
Jaeyun laughs. He laughs. At your misery, or your panic, or at you. “So you do like him.”
“Shut the fuck up, seriously, Yun, I just don’t want anyone getting hurt. We’re already on thin ice with the cops as it is!”
“Shoutout San, though,” he chuckles, shifting gears so he can close the gap between him and Wonbin, who is starting to approach Hyunjin again. 
Your friend Choi San, also a racer on the AZ team, is from a family of high-ranking Seoul Police Department officials; he’d gotten pretty much everyone off the hook more than once for various traffic violations. You keep a stash of mint chocolates in your purse for whenever he’s around—even if they remind you of your ex-best friend—as your way of thanking him for keeping everyone’s records clean. It also helps that he absolutely loves your attention. 
“You’re so annoying, Sim Jaeyun. Let me call Sunghoon, seriously.”
“Dude, chill, look at the cams again. The gap between everyone is getting smaller.”
You check the laptop screen again, and he’s right. You see Jungwon overtake both San and Wooyoung, and while you’re still holding your breath in worry over your baby brother, another part of your heart soars with pride at how good he’s gotten. You’d like to think that he got his driving skills from you, even though it was your stupid prick of an ex-boyfriend who first put him behind the wheel of a car.
But when you look up, you notice that Jaeyun is distracted trying to change the song playing on his phone. And there’s a sharp turn coming up ahead. You feel sick, adrenaline immediately rushing through your bloodstream.
Instead of screaming nonsense, you slam the laptop shut, tossing it on the floor and practically crawling across the center console to grab the wheel with one hand and the e-brake with the other. You drive your knee into Jaeyun’s leg to floor the accelerator, and at the same time, you deploy the e-brake and turn the steering wheel hard. The car drifts around the turn with ease, thanks to him immediately springing into action, tossing his phone somewhere in the cupholders and countersteering as he shifts gears.
“Pay attention next time,” you mutter in annoyance, as if the two of you almost crashing was a slight inconvenience and nothing more.
“Sorry, Mommy,” he snorts, downshifting back to his cruising speed. You give him the middle finger as you watch the cars change formation in front of you. Hyunjin cuts off Wooyoung at the junction between two roads, and Wooyoung swerves in the opposite direction to avoid hitting San to his left. Wonbin approaches from behind San, flashing his lights, trying to get one of them to move over, but they both downshift, forcing Wonbin to brake, fall back, and move over to try and find another opening.
And then it happens.
You hear a distinct 8-liter engine roaring furiously somewhere in the vicinity, but you see nothing. You think for a second that it could be the sound of a police helicopter overhead, but you doubt it, not if San tipped off his family that there would be a race tonight, and he always does, because you remind him to do it. You think that he pretends to forget just so you’re forced to text him and he’ll have an excuse to talk to you, but you don’t really care because he’s sweet and always earns himself the best of your candy stash—although you’ll reluctantly admit that Sunghoon has been the first to get the candy that you carry for yourself. 
Because you’re not allowed to smoke inside Jaeyun’s car, you unwrap another mango Hi-Chew and wonder if Sunghoon would taste like you if you kissed him. Sure, you don’t like him all that much so far, but he’s hot, so maybe you could just hook up with him and dip—
Oh, who are you kidding? You haven’t slept with anyone since your ex, even though everyone thinks otherwise. You’ve made out with San and Hyunjin a few times, much to the amusement of Jaeyun and Jay, but you never let it get past that. You just go home and use your vibrator to finish the job. Sex is too intimate, feels too much like baring your soul to someone else and you don’t want anyone to get too close like that any time soon.
Too close, too close, too close just like the sound of that engine, and it snaps you out of your thoughts. Sunghoon finally turns his lights on, and reveals his location for everyone to see. He’s at the front, way ahead of even Jungwon, who is currently trying to keep Hyunjin off his tail.
No one but Sunghoon ever had a chance to win.
The race ends before you can truly even register this fact, and everyone parks at the base of Namsan Mountain to congratulate the winner, who seems insanely put-off by all the attention.
“Jay,” you say, approaching the Huracan driver quietly, your shoes crunching the gravel beneath you.
He looks up from his phone at you, jawline illuminated by the screen. The way he slightly tilts his phone away from you signals that he’s texting Aeri. You laugh inwardly; he doesn’t know that you know about them secretly hooking up. “Mm?”
“What was Sunghoon’s time?” you ask. Your bottom lip is tucked under your teeth, and you don’t even realize how hard you’re biting down.
“Eight minutes, twenty three seconds.”
You gulp. Like actually, visibly gulp, as if you’re swallowing a hard-boiled egg whole like some cartoon character. “Oh. That’s—”
“Almost a whole minute faster than your record. He told me he took a detour somewhere at the halfway point.”
“He’s good,” you admit. “Just like—”
Jay interrupts you again, pocketing his phone. “Don’t say his name, sweets. They’re nothing alike.”
You turn to him, eyes searching for answers. He simply puts a hand on your shoulder before pulling you into the hug he knows you need right now. “It’s been two years,” you mutter into the fibers of his cashmere sweater, hoping that the knit is dense enough that it drowns out the sound of your voice. “Why do I still bring him up?”
“He was a big part of your life. And ours, too. It’s okay. You’re going to have to accept that none of it was your fault eventually.”
“And stop taking it out on anyone else that comes after him, huh?”
Jay pats you on the back. “Bingo.”
“Wait, no one ever gave me a real answer, but why do Jaeyun and Riki live together? And Jay and Jungwonie?” Sunghoon asks. He’s sitting across from you in the former pair’s living room, letting your younger brother lean against him as the alcohol takes over Jungwon’s weak tolerance.
You raise your glass like it’s an extension of your hand, leaning against the bottom of Jay’s leather couch where you sit beside him. “That was my idea, when I was moving out of my old apartment. I lived there with my ex, until I kicked him out. When my lease was ending, all of us decided to move to a new building—this one—and I figured that each of the two young ones should have a hyung to look after them. But also, I didn’t want anyone living with me.”
The last part leaves everyone silent, and you laugh, adding, “Why do you guys look surprised? I told you that when we were signing our leases.”
Sunghoon looks at Riki to his right, who is trying to make a soju bomb with more soju and less beer, and then across from Riki at Jaeyun, who is egging him on to just drink straight from the soju bottle, and back at Riki, who listens to the Australian intently, like he’s some sort of genius. “Are you sure that was a good idea?”
You wave him off. “Oh, yeah. They’re just off the clock right now. You know, can’t be serious all the time.” Oops, another dig at him.
Your phone chimes with notification after notification, and it’s not just updates from Candy Crush. It’s text messages, and not the good kind from Aeri or Soyeon telling you which racer they’ve gone home with tonight.
Before you can silence your phone, though, Jaeyun, who’s on your other side, picks up your phone, laughing exaggeratedly as he waves your glowing screen in the air. “Guys, look! I told you it was gonna happen!”
“What?” Sunghoon asks, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. You shake your head at him and mouth the words “don’t listen to him”.
But then Jay starts cackling, catching your phone over your head when Jaeyun throws it to him in order to read the messages out loud. You don’t even bother fighting their teasing anymore; in fact, you’re a little excited, because you know your boys are about to go in on whoever’s hitting you up. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here! From Wonbin: ‘it was nice seeing you tonight, do you want to hang out this week?’”
“Ewww, gross,” Jaeyun groans with a mouthful of fries. “He was literally trying to sit on the Supra when Y/N pulled up!”
His revelation is met with a chorus of laughs and jeers as your boys mock Wonbin for his transgression, for being so stupid and arrogant to think that you would have just given him a free pass. After all, that car is your baby. You suffered a lot for it, and not just anyone could come up and touch it. In fact, one time, Jungwon was banned from riding in your car for a month because he got his fingerprints on your side mirrors.
“Did San-hyung text noona?” Riki’s nosy ass asks, running up behind the couch and diving onto it to look over Jay’s shoulder. Jay pushes his head away. “Oh, shit, he did!”
Jungwon sighs, slumping further even against Sunghoon. “God, just read it and put me out of my misery. He’s so down bad for her, it’s disgusting.”
Jaeyun giggles, and kicks his sock-covered feet like a schoolgirl. “He’s probably gonna ask her on another date and make her bike along the Han River again.”
This makes you choke on your drink, and it almost comes out of your nose. “Hey, I thought we we agreed not to bring that up.”
“It’s not every day I open my Instagram and see your stupid ass fighting for your life getting hard-launched on his story,” he snorts. “Watching you trying to ride that bike gave me second-hand embarrassment.”
“Yeah, it’s like he didn’t even care that you looked stupid, he was really trying to let everyone know that he was out with you,” Jay adds. “Way to keep it lowkey, or whatever.” Your face burns hot with embarrassment as you realize that Yunie has taken out his own phone to pull up the screen recording of San’s Instagram story to show Sunghoon. Now you actually want to smack the phone out of his hand, but you figure it’s fine, you don’t care if he sees you like that. It shouldn’t matter, he’s just one of the guys now. He could join in the teasing for all you care.
Right?
“Yo, hold the fuck up, Y/N, I thought you and Hyunjin were done?” Jay says, scrolling through your notifications.
Your eyes flick up to Sunghoon, who is currently trying to busy himself with separating the perilla leaves—that no one has so much as breathed in the direction of tonight—as he seems to not pay attention to the video, or to what Jay is saying. Either that, or he really doesn’t find it funny. “Put it away, Yunie,” he says quietly, one hand gently pushing back Jaeyun’s phone towards him. “That’s too much. You’re embarrassing her.”
“I thought so, too,” you sigh at Jay, trying not to acknowledge the fact that Sunghoon may or may not have just stood up for you against your best friend. “He ignored my texts for, like, four days, and you guys know how much I absolutely hate that. I know I lag, too, but never that long. At least I’d tell you that I’m busy or whatever. Fuck’s sake.”
“What did Hyunjin hyung say?” Jungwon mumbles. He’s now using Sunghoon’s lap as a pillow, and the sight makes you feel a little soft. You love your younger brother to bits and pieces, and seeing him like this reminds you of the times he’d come home really tired from school and fall asleep at your dining table while you prepared dinner for the two of you. You often yearn for that period in your life, when things were much simpler and the only thing you were sad about was missing your family.
Now you have a new family, but another part of your heart is broken, and time hasn’t healed it—at least, not completely.
“He’s asking if she’s busy this week,” Riki answers. Part of you wants to drag him by the hair and put him on a one-way flight back to Japan. “Oh, Jay hyung is checking her calendar. Yikes, hyung… You’re still pushing that agenda?”
“What agenda?” Sunghoon pipes up after gulping down the last of his beer, his lips glossy from the liquor.
“Oh, he just thinks they’d be cute together,” the freakishly tall boy rambles, making a gesture out of Jay’s line of sight that signals to Sunghoon that Jay is crazy. The alcohol has made you basically nonverbal at this point, and you just let Riki explain your lore to the hot new member of your racing crew. Hopefully Sunghoon doesn’t remember any of it in the morning.“It’s kind of about time that noona gets a new boyfriend. Personally, though, me and Yunie-hyung are on Team San.”
“Isn’t that up to her though?” Sunghoon muses. “Like, why does it matter if she’s single or dating around?”
“Because she’s not that type of person who actually can do anything casual,” Jaeyun interjects, putting a hand over Riki’s mouth, only to pull away in disgust when Riki licks his palm. He wipes the drool off on Jay’s arm. “She just does it because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone who isn’t us. So it’s a vicious cycle. She says she’s healing, but she can’t fully heal the part of her that was wounded because she needs to be in a relationship with someone who will be patient with her and prove her wrong. Someone who will help her finally get over… him.”
“I figured, from what you told me before,” Sunghoon says quietly to your supposed best friend. He’s not really being much of a best friend now, you think, even though everything he’s said is both correct and true.
This piques your interest. Your index finger circles around the rim of the open bottle of soju that you’d confiscated from Riki. “What do you know?”
“Ey, Hoon, watch what you say, I don’t want her throwing her drink at me!”
You roll your eyes and look back at Sunghoon. “Don’t listen to him. Tell me what Jaeyunie told you, and I’ll decide if I throw it at him or not.”
“Well—”
“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” Jay says, setting down his now-empty glass of beer with a smug, victorious grin. “Well, actually, I’m not, but I texted Hyunjin back and said you’d meet him at that new fancy Italian restaurant in Gangnam on Wednesday at 7. And before you say anything, yes, you’re free that day. I checked your calendar and your emails.”
You flaked on your date with Hyunjin. To teach him a lesson, of course.
But you do start seeing more and more of Park Sunghoon as the weeks pass, what with him being a full-fledged, initiated member of Enigma now. And you hate to admit it, but he’s starting to grow on you, even though you still think he’s kind of stoic—mostly towards you. You can tell he’s softening a bit, though.
Because, truth be told, you’ve also observed him to be honest and kind and genuine, the latter the rarest thing you see amongst the racers involved in your second life who throw themselves at you like moths to a flame. He’s sincere, but he also doesn’t mince his words, so you have no choice but to take them at face value. You like watching him get along with the other boys in your life, the only ones you truly love, the ones who have done nothing but love you like a family could and couldn’t.
Riki, for one, loves to pester Sunghoon when he’s around and makes you sit and keep score for them while they play table tennis in the game room of your apartment complex. They’re both extremely competitive, and you think to yourself that Sunghoon is such a good sport even when Riki’s elaborate, well-choreographed victory dance gets too annoying even for you to tolerate. You’re pretty sure he adds a new move every single time he does it.
They go to the gym on days where Riki’s done with class early enough to beat rush-hour, and they bring you along for dinner afterwards if you feel like coming. Riki’s now got a debt to pay to you, on account of you wrapping his GT-R in a metallic oil-slick color. You and Sunghoon chose it together, because no one else was replying to you in the group chat. Sunghoon even helped you install it, if helping you meant feeding you dumplings from a takeout container because your hands were full with the heat gun in one and a felt-edge squeegee in the other. 
For an entire weekend, he sat in your garage with you quietly, making idle conversation when the white noise would get too much for even him. He asked you about yourself, and you told him about how you met Jake in third grade, when his family moved to your hometown all the way from Australia, and how you became friends with him only because you were the only one in your class who knew how to speak decent English. (You watched a lot of American TV shows on illegal streaming sites.) In turn, you asked him if he likes his job as an investment banker, and he tells you that he wanted to be an automotive engineer when he was younger, but every man in his family works in finance and expected him to do the same.
This admission prompts you to share that you were supposed to step up and run your family’s successful chain of restaurants, but you refused to do so, choosing instead to run away with your boyfriend at the time and follow him to Seoul for the two of you to go to college. Jungwon even came with you, and you let him. Sunghoon asks you if you regret it. You say no, because, really, you don’t. But you do still have trouble sometimes trying to understand why some of the people you loved the most in this life—your mother, your father, and later on, your boyfriend—did not care if you were happy. 
They only really cared that you did as you were told.
And Jay, much to your amusement, happens to be at the butt of most of Sunghoon’s teasing—whenever he’s in his extroverted mood, that is. They bicker much like Tom and Jerry, but you can tell that they get along just fine deep down. After all, Sunghoon’s been helping Jay decorate his and Jungwon’s apartment, listening (more like tolerating, if anyone were to ask you) to Jay ramble on and on about Herman Miller chairs and Noguchi lamps, and no one else can be in the same room as him when he gets like that, and that’s saying something because your apartment is also decorated in the mid-century modern style. 
Jungwon sometimes tags along with them to furniture showrooms, strictly on the condition that they treat him to a meal afterwards. Sunghoon, not so surprisingly, is always the one who invites you along with them as well, ever since that first night when you complained about the boys getting milk tea without you. You wonder if it’s a pity invite, but you don’t really care much if it is, because he doesn’t seem like the type who does things he doesn’t want to do.
There was this one time two weeks ago that you came along with them to go pick out a new rug—first mistake. Your second mistake was forgetting to eat before leaving your apartment. You sat on a chair clutching your stomach with one hand, scrolling through your phone looking at the drink menus of nearby cafes with the other. Little did you know that Sunghoon, who was standing right beside you, was nosily peeking over your shoulder while also on his phone, typing in the names of whatever menu item you would pause on.
He disappeared for a few minutes after telling you he forgot something in his car. This left you to decompose in your (very cushy) chair while you listened to Jay and Jungwon argue about low-pile versus high-pile rugs. You contemplated how long it would take for them to notice that you’d passed out from hypoglycemia. But then Sunghoon returned, holding a bag from the food delivery app you all like to use. He’d nonchalantly and wordlessly taken out a peach iced tea and a sandwich to hand to you, but you looked up at him like he was God coming down to earth to save you. You thanked him profusely and he actually smiled at you, eyes crinkling up at the corners and turning into pretty crescent moon shapes. 
If you didn’t already know that Jaeyun loves women, you’d think that he has a crush on Sunghoon. You seem to have lost your pet best friend to his new pet rich boy. Jaeyun loves to spend time with Sunghoon, even though he’s not at all very talkative. Regardless, every single time you come over to Yun’s apartment, Sunghoon is either already there or five or ten minutes away, depending on the day of the week and the time at which your best friend invites you over to his and Riki’s apartment. 
Then the three of you, with the occasional addition of any or all of the three other Enigma boys, will inevitably order some takeout delivery and watch a film—”Not a movie,” you insist—until you inevitably start crying at the plot and say you have to go home before the boys really start making fun of you. Sunghoon always walks you to your door, even though you live just down the hall. You always tell him he doesn’t have to, but he always brushes you off and tells you to get your things so you can leave. 
And one time, about a week ago, you heard him scold the other guys for being mean to you, reminding them that even though you’re technically one of the boys, you’re still a girl at heart, and they should make some effort to be nicer to you. You heard him really dig in to Jungwon in particular, and while you kind of felt the urge to come back into the room and defend him, Sunghoon told your brother to show some respect and think about all the things you’d done for him in the past seven years. So you stayed back, still in shock that Sunghoon had spoken up for you so vehemently.
Speaking of your younger brother, your precious baby all grown up, the only family you have left: Jungwon adores Sunghoon, viewing him as the older brother you wished you could have been for him. Yes, Jay and Jaeyun are literally right there, but you can tell that the connection between Jungwon and Sunghoon is different. Jaeyun is good for keeping both Jungwon and Riki out of your hair when you’re busy, and Jay indulges your brother, spoiling him every chance he can get, having no siblings of his own. 
Somehow Sunghoon has gotten through to your brother in terms of his life and his career; after all, he’s close to finishing college soon and doesn’t know what he wants to do just yet. You would kill for a chance to help Jungwon, but you reckon he hasn’t come to you because he doesn't want to add to your stress and you could cry at how considerate he can be when he isn’t teasing you. You promise yourself that one of these days you’ll thank Sunghoon for his help, maybe some time after you finally admit to yourself that you were wrong about him being a prick. And maybe you’ll apologize for making assumptions about him in the first place.
Yes, you’ve been observing the way Sunghoon gets along with everyone, and you’re happy, you really are, but something is gnawing at you. While the arrival of new racers in your scene is nothing new, Enigma itself hasn’t been disrupted since Jungwon met Riki and all of that other shit went down. 
More importantly, you haven't been disrupted for so long. Two years, to be exact. It’s been two years since you got your heart broken twice, and you’ve spent so long holding everyone at arm’s length away from you because you’re not too keen on ever experiencing that again. Sure, you date around, but like Jaeyun said, they don’t mean anything to you. You know what they want and it’s what you refuse to give them. And then this guy, this fucking guy with pretty brown eyes who is soft-spoken and quiet and has the most beautiful face you’ve ever seen in real life… this fucking guy comes in with the audacity to make you feel like he simultaneously likes you and wants nothing to do with you.
Although you think the latter is just a defense mechanism on your part. You’d tried to convince yourself that he only cares about you so that the boys don’t kick him out of Enigma, because if the two of you didn’t get along, there would be no way he could stay on the team. After all, you’re still their best racer, and more importantly, their best friend. But that can’t be all true, because you fight with the boys sometimes, sometimes real petty fights that end in everyone crying, and you’re still an Enigma member through and through. So telling yourself that Sunghoon secretly hates you because of your ways is a lie on your part.
Because right now, about three months after you’ve first met, when you’re at the club with the boys, there’s no way Sunghoon truly doesn’t like you. The rational part of your brain can recognize that; after all, you’ve watched him countless times coldly brush off the advances of random girls in public who see his credit card and try to take advantage of his generosity. 
And you saw with your own two eyes the way he looked at you when you’d asked him if what you were wearing (a white mesh mini dress with baby pink kitten heels) was actually “too much,” and if you should go change like the others had said. You heard with your own two ears when he told you, “It is a bit much, but you look good. If there’s any trouble, don’t worry, I got you.”
It’s a good thing your face was already pink from the makeup you’d dolled yourself up with.
You never have to pay for drinks when you go out. The boys know this. You always tell them to not waste their hard-earned money—or in Jungwon’s case, your hard-earned money—on you when you can get some rich loser to buy you a bottle of Clase Azul if you bat your eyelashes at them and say you want to ring the bell.
Tonight is different, though. Usually you can score some of the top shelf shit without so much as lifting a finger, but because Sunghoon went with you to the bar, you can sense that the men in the club are not willing to put your dirty Shirley Temple on their tab. He doesn’t even have his hand around your waist, but you assume it’s the malevolent energy radiating off him in waves of expensive cologne that have people socially distancing from you like you’ve got the plague.
“Something wrong, Hoon?” you ask him innocently, swapping cocktails with him as you’ve often found yourself doing whenever the two of you are out together. It’s been a running occurrence since you’ve started joining him and the boys on their hangouts. He’ll order whatever you want to try, be it pasta or a coffee, and you can order something else you like. You sip on his Jack and Coke before making a face and taking your tequila sunrise from him.
“Do you want to wear my jacket?” he says, leaning in close so that you can hear him over the thrum of the bass-boosted music. “These creeps are staring at you too hard. It’s freaking me out. Pissing me off, really.”
You shrug. The buzz is starting to really hit you, thanks to your pregaming session at Jaeyun’s before you left for the club. “Doesn’t bother me, I’m used to it. It’s not like any of them have a chance.” You reach over and brush off invisible lint off Sunghoon’s shoulder, lingering a little longer just to feel the hard muscles underneath his clothes. “You do, though.”
He looks at you with his lips pursed in a flat line, a look he often gives Jay when Jay won’t stop pestering him. Then he takes his jacket off and drapes it over you. “Just put this on. I’ll be right back, I have to take a call.” He shows you the glowing screen of his phone, and you can read the contact name. It’s one of his bosses, and you only know this from the time he invited you to have dinner with them (and they’d pestered Sunghoon into bringing a date, since all of them are married).
You nod in understanding and nestle yourself snugly in his leather jacket, the same black-blue-white combination that he’d worn the night you first met. Idly, you sip on your drink, watching the crowd of swaying bodies underneath the colored strobe lights. In the distance, you can spot Jaeyun’s freshly bleached head of wavy hair next to Jay and Wonie, and that’s only thanks to Riki’s freakishly tall frame standing out like a cell phone tower beside them. They’re dancing with a group of girls, and you try not to gag when you see your younger brother let a girl grind up against him.
“Hey, why don’t you take this off? It’s hot enough in here because of you,” someone yells out right beside you, trying to make himself heard over the music. You turn to him, already pissed off because who the fuck says that?
“No thanks,” you say flatly. “I’m good.”
Even if you are feeling a bit hot inside the packed club, there’s something in you that wants to respect Sunghoon’s wishes while he’s gone, because you know behind his cold exterior he means well and it’s his own roundabout way of looking out for you. Either that, or he’s possessive, your delusional brain thinks, catching a whiff of his cologne in the lining of it.
“Well—”
You’re not paying attention to the douchebag beside you. You look back to the crowd and your boys have disappeared, no giant, Oreo-haired Riki to mark where they are. Suddenly, your tequila sunrise threatens to show itself in your throat. You’ve been hit on before, of course, but not like this, not this insistently. You keep your poker face on, trying to figure out how to get away from him but also avoid getting sucked in and trampled on in the giant crowd that just seems to keep doubling in size.
“Is he bothering you, sweetheart?” another voice asks.
You look to your side and he’s there, he’s back, stone-faced and radiating what you would call actual bloodlust. You nod, giving him a look that you hope Sunghoon interprets as get him the fuck away from me.
“You heard her. You’re bothering the lady,” Sunghoon says flatly to the man beside you, in such a manner that leaves no room for argument. “And not just any lady, either. That’s my girl you’re bothering. Get lost.”
You yourself shiver at his tone. You’ve gotten used to seeing the icy but gentle side of him, so this shift startles you, making goosebumps raise on your back in fear and your core clench in need. You decide not to correct Sunghoon, either. The sooner you get out of this bust of a club, the better.
An hour later, you find yourself at one of your favorite restaurants, a little barbecue spot near your apartment building that serves the best marinated galbi you’ve ever had. You’ve taken the boys there countless times, enough for them to make a joke out of it. The place is supposed to be closed right now, on account of it being one-thirty in the morning but when you were in the taxi with Jay and Sunghoon, you overheard the latter on the phone, telling the other person on the line that he’d pay triple to have the place opened for three hours past closing time of midnight.
While Jungwon talks animatedly about the girl in his class who was at the club and how he somehow managed to get her number, Sunghoon serves you before everyone else, putting the strips of grilled meat on your plate. The other boys groan at him, telling him not to indulge you too much or you’ll get used to it and always expect it, just like you’ve done to them. They don’t really mean it, because you know them well enough that they—just like Sunghoon—don’t ever really do things they don’t want to do, but deep down you still hope he doesn’t take their words seriously.
“What’s so bad about that? Ladies first,” is all he replies to them, and you feel warm inside and it’s not just the double shot of peach soju making its way through your body.
“Okay, me next,” Jaeyun says. He’s still got sweat dripping down his forehead from chasing  tequila-drunk Riki and Jungwon down and dragging them both by the collars of their shirts into another taxi. 
Sunghoon looks at him before passing the tongs to him. “Do it yourself.”
“Jackass.”
This makes your smile widen, giggling to yourself uncontrollably. You take delight in messing with Jaeyun, and seeing the always-stone-faced Sunghoon take part in it brings a certain joy to you that’s both unfamiliar and welcomed. You catch his eye and he sends you a wink, so fast you wouldn’t have caught it if you didn’t have the habit of staring at him when you think he isn’t paying attention to you.
“Dickhead,” Sunghoon shoots back, bushy brows furrowed so cutely that you have the tipsy urge to kiss the peachy skin between them.
“Oh, well, at least if I liked a girl, I’d tell her, so I think that makes you the dickhead and not me.” Jaeyun rolls his eyes and takes a piece of meat out of your bowl, popping it into his mouth and seemingly swallowing it whole.
You frown. “What? Sunghoon likes someone? Is it Jimin? It’s Jimin, isn’t it?”
Jungwon and Riki groan. “Great, another idiot.”
Jay points his chopsticks at your younger brothers. “Shut up and eat your food already.”
“Yes, mother,” they say in unison, digging into their bowls of kimchi fried rice. You look down at your own plate, suddenly losing your appetite. You even consider going outside for a smoke break, but that’s how the boys disappeared at the club a while ago, and it’s too late for you to be going outside alone—at least, that’s what you’re very well aware that they’d argue. Your stomach hurts at the thought of Sunghoon liking another girl, and because you’re you, because you’re almost so self-aware to the point that it could put your therapist out of a job, you know it’s because you want him to like you, and only you.
And it’s not even because you want the same control over him that you have over the likes of San and Hyunjin and Wonbin and whoever else claims to be on your sad excuse of a “roster”. It’s because you like him, and it’s to the point that the only other being who knows this for a fact is your pet cat, because only she wouldn’t accidentally tell him the truth. She’s a cat, for fuck’s sake, a cat you unfortunately named after the girl you think Sunghoon might like.
Maybe the boys have noticed. But you doubt it, because if they did, they would have teased you so mercilessly about it that it would be considered bullying that could be punishable under law. It would be so severe that you’d have no choice but to leave the country if they knew.
What they actually do though, that you’ve picked up on in recent weeks, is their new nasty habit of dropping hints about how you should be with a guy who’s cold to everyone but you. Someone who’s both pragmatic yet thoughtful, someone who always tells the truth but can do so in a way that will spare your feelings because he makes an honest effort to not sound so harsh. Someone who can both protect you and yet also be able to get you to stop when you become… “irrational” was how they put it. Someone you’re attracted to, not just physically, but emotionally, as well.
You’re not stupid, no matter how often you think you are. You know they’re talking about Sunghoon. You know Jungwon and Riki will make plans with you and him and then flake at the last minute so that you two are forced to go out together, alone. They’ve done it enough times that you know it’s bullshit that they have a school assignment due at some random time in the evening. You know Jaeyun will loudly ask Sunghoon what he thinks of a certain girl when he knows you’re within earshot. It pleases you every time Sunghoon flatly replies “What about her? I don’t know her like that.” 
And you most definitely know Jay let Sunghoon take you on out to the racetrack to drive his Lamborghini for a few laps, under the guise that you’ve always wanted to go and Jay finally managed to get a slot booked on a day that he “isn’t able to make it” because of a “meeting”. Who the fuck even works on a Sunday? 
You fixate on this memory for a while. You can truthfully say it was one of the happiest days of your life.
“You’re telling me you’ve never used paddle shifters before?” Sunghoon asked with a lopsided grin, pulling into the paddock of the race track. Your leg bounces in your seat, not out of anxiety like usual, but out of impatience and excitement.
“I drive stick, why the hell would I use paddle shifters? Sorry not all of us drive M Comps,” you retort, rolling your eyes. “V8 bi-turbo headass. Can’t believe you run an automatic transmission.”
“I’m ignoring that. I’ll track it first.”
“What? No way, I’ve known Jay longer!”
“You’re going to drive it like it’s a city bus. I’m going to drive it like I stole it. You can sit there and look pretty first, then you can have a turn.”
“Sunghoon, if you’re just going to stare at me, you’re going to crash us into a wall.”
“Nah, my peripheral vision’s pretty good. Why, you don’t trust me?”
You sighed. You do trust him, that’s what bothers you.
Ultimately, the idea of Sunghoon liking another girl makes you a little… irritated. That’s actually a gross understatement, if you’re being honest. You can feel the dragon’s head of your jealous streak rise up from the ashes where it had once laid dormant, asleep. It wants to breathe fire. It wants to get a rise out of him. It wants to see his reaction.
Luckily, or unluckily, depending on whose side you’re on, your best friend knows you too well.
“Y/N, can you pass the salt?” Jaeyun, who is sitting to your left, asks. The salt pot is right next to Riki, who is sitting to your right.
Taking this as your opportunity, you look at him, tilting your head before you say the exact line that, by now, everyone knows that Sunghoon likes to use. “Say please.”
Jaeyun is too intoxicated to fight back, but he knows you well enough even in his inebriated state that he knows exactly what you’re doing. “Please?”
“Okay,” you answer, reaching across Riki’s plate to grab the salt. When you hand it to Jaeyun, his fingers linger on yours way too long to be respectable. There’s nothing there, of course. It just feels normal, no spark, no giddy, lovesick warmth. He’s just being outright obvious.
Picking up on your scheme, Jay chimes in, a malicious glint in his eye that only comes out after you can smell the alcohol on his breath. You see him elbow Jungwon at the end of the table—quite subtly, to his credit. “Ew, what are you two doing? That’s gross, get a room.”
Jaeyun rolls his eyes, giving Jay the middle finger. Oh, he’s playing up the dramatics of your ploy to see if Sunghoon cares or not. This is what being friends with him for pretty much your entire life is all about. “Can’t a guy and a girl be best friends? Chill, bro.”
“Guys and girls can’t just be best friends,” Jungwon adds, his mouth full of rice and barbecue. “That’s such a lie. You don’t see me with a girl best friend, because if I had one, I’d be fu—”
Sunghoon’s knee hits the bottom of the table, causing everyone to jump back in surprise. “Sorry, guys.” He looks at you, staring at him wide-eyed. “And lady. Leg cramp.” He gets up from the table and excuses himself to go pay the bill, talking with the older woman who runs the restaurant and who you know is madly in love with him (much to everyone’s amusement).
“Alright, what’s going on here?” Jay asks in a hushed tone, dropping his smirk and leaning forward. “What are we doing to him?”
“Forcing Sunghoon to confess,” Jaeyun answers back, switching to English so only the three of you can understand. 
You look at him quizzically, but you speak to him and Jay in English anyways. “Wait, what? I just wanted to make him jealous, what are you talking about—”
“Alright!” Sunghoon says loudly from behind you. “Time to go.”
Exchanging looks with your best friends, you collect your things from where they rest on the worn leather seats of the booth. “I’m gonna take a walk first,” you say. “Anyone wanna join?”
“Nah,” Jaeyun answers. “I’m beat. Gonna take the little ones home.”
“Whoooo the fuck are y-you… callin’ little,” Riki slurs, slumped over a sleepy Jungwon’s shoulder. You know your brother is in a food-and-alcohol-induced coma, since he says nothing about the drool Riki’s getting all over his unbuttoned shirt. “Fuckin’ Oompa Loompa.”
“Riks,” you sigh, getting up on your tip-toes to push his sweat-soaked hair from his face. “Be nice to your Yunie hyung.”
“S-sorry noona,” he hiccups, putting more of his weight on Jungwon, who yelps. “I’ll be nice.”
You shoot Jaeyun a warning look, telling him not to egg on the poor boy who looks like he might throw up in his sleep later. “You guys gonna be okay going home?”
“Yeah, bro, it’s only like a block away,” Jay interjects, prying Riki off of Jungwon and hoisting him onto his own back. Jaeyun takes your brother in his hold, grimacing at the skin-to-skin contact of Jungwon’s bare chest on his fingers. “Go take your little walk. Text us when you’re back.”
“Yes, mother, I promise.” You can feel Sunghoon looming over you like a skyscraper. Without turning to him, you ask, “Are you coming with me?”
“Well,” he answers, his huffed breath blowing over your head in cigarette smoke. “Obviously. I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Okay, I guess,” you mutter with the same tone, shivering to yourself. The air is surprisingly cold for the beginning of June, and you’re dejectedly starting to regret your outfit.
And of course, like clockwork, Park Sunghoon notices your discomfort and quietly puts his jacket over you for the second time that night.
“Thank you.” Your voice comes out in a whisper. He acknowledges you with a soft hum, matching your stride as you cross the empty road to the little park nestled behind the flowering trees.
You continue to walk, trying to think, but it’s difficult to burn off the rest of the alcohol and gain some clarity when the man you’re thinking about is right beside you. You would kill to read his mind. You could just ask him, straight up. It shouldn’t be too hard, right? What’s the worst thing he could say? That he doesn’t have feelings for you? That he sees you as a sister? That he actually does like Jimin like that?
Fuck.
You finally admit to yourself that you do like him. You do like him, you do want him, you do feel those things genuinely and not out of greed, not out of wanting to make him one of your trained dogs, not out of wanting to punish your ex through him. 
You… you fucking like him, and it pisses you off. Him, of all people. Liking Jaeyun seems less complicated than this. You know for a fact that Sunghoon is quite possibly the king of hard-to-get. Kazuha and Yunjin, the race girls from AZ, both made a move on him and ended up fighting over him for nothing (which your own girlfriends clowned on them mercilessly for, while you sat back and watched rather smugly). He didn’t even give them the time of day, let alone his phone number. 
Minjeong, your beloved work wife, wanted to test that theory and when you’d left them during dinner one time to go use the restroom, she tried to flirt with him. She ended up meeting you in the restroom with a smirk, telling you that he’s impossible to break. She’d even asked you if you considered the fact that maybe he likes men.
Intrigued, you’d “innocently” asked Jaeyun and Riki, of all people, to get you the answer. Eager to please, and glad that they had some new bullshit to do, they came back to you after three hours of pestering Sunghoon at the gym during their workout. They’d reported that they annoyed him so bad he left them at the gym, forcing them to take the train back home.
That night, he texted the group chat “Not gay. Waiting for my wife” and nothing else.
A big shock to the rest of you, to say the least. The boys were busy laughing at the first sentence, while you were fixated on the latter half of his text. His wife. What a strong choice of words, you’d thought. But it was a good thing, too, that he knows what he wants. At least one of you does. A wife. That’s more definite than just wishing to feel safe and secure around other people.
“Did you eat well?” Sunghoon pipes up, finally breaking the chilly silence between the two of you.
“I did,” you reply curtly, now doing your best to match his pace. It’s hard. His legs are so long, with equally long strides, but you push yourself in your heels anyways. “Did you?”
“Yeah. Why do you always flirt back?” Sunghoon asks. He sounds like he’s been holding that in for a while.
“What? Are you talking about Jaeyunie?”
He grimaces. “No. I know that was just him being him. I’m talking about the others. That Wonbin guy. San hyung. Hyunjin hyung. Whoever the fuck. Them.”
You stop walking, and so does he. He turns around to face you as you incredulously ask, “So suddenly? Why? Does it matter?”
Sunghoon rolls his eyes at you. That’s the first time you’ve ever elicited that reaction from him, and it hurts a little. “Yeah, it does. You’re making them think they have a chance with you.”
“Okay, so what?” you say harshly. Really, why does it matter to him? He likes Jimin, doesn’t he? Why is what you do any of his business?
“Well, do they?”
“No!” you snap, hands on your hips. The sound of your voice, echoing through the deserted metal playground, startles the both of you. “None of it is ever serious with them! Men are dogs, anyways!”
“Meow.”
You look at the tall man in disbelief. Under the glow of the lampposts, he looks both sinful and heavenly. Even if he’s pissing you off like never before. Blinking—too shocked to laugh—you ask, “Did you just meow at me, Park Sunghoon?”
“Yeah. Because I’m not a dog, and I’ll prove it to you,” he answers, thick arms crossed over his broad, sturdy chest.
“Why bother doing that? Why does my opinion of you matter to you? It’s none of your business what I think. So why?”
He scoffs. But he can’t seem to meet your eyes. “You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out.”
Oh, you’re so annoyed. Why now, of all times, can he not be direct with you? Or is this how he actually is? Has he been pretending to be genuine this whole time? No, that can’t be. People usually can’t keep a facade up for that long without slipping up in between, unless they're sociopaths, serial killers, or both. “No, tell me why. I want to hear it from you. You and your stupid… your stupid… stupid, pretty mouth.”
“Did you just call my mouth pretty?”
“Answer the question, Park Sunghoon!”
He glares at you, but it’s not menacing. After what seems like hours, he sighs, turning away. Then he quietly says, “I love the way you love.”
You realize now that the entire time you’ve been watching Sunghoon, he’s been watching you, too.
“What… what do you mean?”
“The way you care about them. The others… The way you look out for them. For Jungwonie and Riki, always making sure they’ve eaten and they rest enough for school, and that they’re on top of their studies. Jay, you always scold him for working too much. And Jaeyunie, you get worried when he’s not home by a certain time… I realize now that you might not have space in your heart for me. And I should accept that no matter what I do, I’ll always just be another one of your dogs.”
“Sunghoon, what—”
He shakes his head, which hangs low in something you think must be shame. His bangs cover his eyes, so you can’t get a read on him unless you brush them out of his face. And with what he’s just said, you don’t think that now is the best time to touch him. “No. We’re not going to talk about this tonight. Or ever again. I can promise you that. Now come on. I’ll walk you home and we can pretend like this never happened.”
Back in your apartment, you lay in bed, wishing that there was still enough alcohol in your system to put your restless mind to sleep. But there isn’t, not after you walked it all off with an awkwardly silent Sunghoon escorting you back to your apartment. You’d offered your couch for him to sleep on—not out of pity, you’d told him. Out of worry. The trains had stopped running and there were no taxis coming to your side of town anytime soon.
He looked like he really wanted to stay. But for whatever reason, he shook his head at you again, told you it was okay, and said he’d walk home.
You’d texted him to keep you updated on where he was. He didn’t reply. You just got a single notification that “Park Sunghoon has started sharing locations with you,” and that was that. No actual message from him. You share yours right back, telling yourself that it’s fine, all the other Enigma boys had your location, too. But you know the truth.
Sitting up, you reach for your phone and your purse, fishing out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, both of which you’d stolen from Jaeyun. He would steal them back from you very soon, anyways, what with him sharing one singular, pitiful peach blueberry ice-flavored vape between himself, Jungwon, and Riki.
Your cat follows you curiously as you walk into the living room and slide the glass door to the balcony open. She curls up in your lap when you sit down on the rocking chair, just as she always does when you come out to smoke.
“You know this is bad for you, right?” you joke quietly, scratching her head with the hand not holding a cigarette. “You should be inside, breathing the purified air I pay good money for.”
Mrrow.
“Yeah, yeah, I know I should stop. But you should be proud of me. I don’t even do it that often.” That’s actually the truth. You and the boys all say that drunk cigarettes don’t count, and you can’t call yourself a smoker if you only go through one pack every two weeks at the very least. By Seoul nightlife standards, your lungs are healthy. “You can hiss about it to your Jaeyunie-oppa.”
Meow.
“Okay, Jiji. Whatever you say.” You take a long drag before pulling away, flicking the ash onto the ceramic tray that Riki brought back for you as a souvenir the last time he went home to Japan. “Fuck, I really do like him. Sunghoon. Not Yunie, ew.”
Mah?
“Because… because… I just do. He’s so… he’s so not like… you know. Heeseung.”
Your cat stiffens on your lap at the mention of your ex’s name. You laugh to yourself, knowing that there’s no one in this world she despises more than him.
“He’s not… he actually cares about me. He doesn’t have to tell me; I don’t even have to ask him if he does. I see it now. And it’s different from how he cares about the boys. I know it’s not just because I’m the only girl. I’ve seen the way he treats other girls. So… he probably doesn’t like Jimin, huh?”
Jiji perks up at the mention of her full government name, but then looks at you as if to say, are you fucking stupid?
“Yeah, I am, haven’t you noticed? I talk to you all the fucking time.”
Aaow.
“No, I don’t just like him because I get preferential treatment. I just—he never does anything to stress me out. I know he considers my feelings, I mean, fuck, he always tells Jaeyunie and Jungwonie to stop making fun of me when we’re hanging out, and, like, he’s always doing shit for me without me having to ask him or even hint at it. He just… he does it because he wants to? And being around him makes me calm. And he’s strong. And he’s kind, and he doesn’t brag about all the nice fucking things he does for everyone, for me… And… and…”
You lose your momentum as your face begins to sting, tears welling up in your eyes. You can hear the pain in Sunghoon’s voice when he said he’d “always just be one of your dogs” echoing in your head. 
“And he doesn’t lie.”
Lying is something you’ve always had a hard time stomaching. As a child, you were taught that it was better to tell the truth and be punished once than to get caught in a lie and get punished twice. You don’t feel good when you lie. Not even when they’re little white lies, like the one you told Hyunjin about Jungwon being sick when you’d flaked on your date with him.
So when you’d found out that Kim Sunoo, Jungwon’s best friend since literal birth, had been helping Heeseung hide his secret relationship with Sunoo’s own cousin, Chaewon—and had been accepting money from Heeseung to help him keep that secret—you lost your fucking mind.
You’d been through everything with your boyfriend. You abandoned your family for him. You moved to a new city with him. You slept on the floor of a shitty apartment for months with him, while Jungwon was stuck in the dorms of his university with three other roommates. You took home leftovers from the restaurant you worked at all throughout college to feed yourself and your brother.
All of that which you endured, just to find out that everything was a lie.
Heeseung didn’t love you as much as he said he did. Because if he did, he would never have gone behind your back with someone else for months and had the nerve to kiss you with the same mouth he used to lie to you.
Sunghoon doesn’t lie, you tell yourself.
He’s not him, he’s not him, he’s not him.
And it’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing.
Sunghoon, for as long as you’ve known him, always keeps his promises. But you also hope that he breaks that last promise he made to you.
You don’t make any appearance at the next race, which is a week later. You purposefully ignore the group chat when they ask you where you are, if you’re coming to watch Riki beat Shotaro and get his revenge for the last time they’d raced against each other.
They get the message—or lack thereof—loud and clear, and leave you alone. You’re grateful that they don’t pry, although Jaeyun texts you separately to scold you about “making Hoonie sad”. You reply to him with the middle finger emoji, even though you know he’s right. For once, at least.
You get texts from Jimin, Soyeon, and Aeri in the racer girls’ group chat, all of them pouting about how you’re not going to see Jimin and Soyeon race against each other in their newly-modified cars. You apologize and wire Aeri a million Won, telling her to place a bet on your behalf for Riki to win in his race. You stop replying when Jimin and Soyeon get on your ass for not being able to choose between who between the two of them would win.
Minjeong had said something to you at work a couple days ago that made your stomach not be able to stop hurting since. Because she’s the most neutral-territory friend you have, you told her exactly what happened between you and Sunghoon, not sparing any detail—not even the thing he’d said to you that made you feel like a monster.
“You can’t build a new house with the bricks from the last one and expect it to be different.”
She’d said it so casually, like she’d read it off the subject line off the first email in her inbox, but it struck you so hard, hammering in what Jay told you the first night you met Sunghoon. To stop taking out your pain on every man that tried to come your way after Heeseung.
In your defense, again, it wasn’t like they were truly serious about you, anyways. Except Sunghoon, who refused to play your games and refused to flirt back with you whenever you’d try to make a pass at him.
It was your automatic distrust of him that brought you here, sulking at home, feeling helpless beyond your control. What made it worse was that Sunghoon definitely knew why you are the way you are, what with Jaeyun’s big fat ginormous mouth being unable to stop itself from spilling all the gory details of your past to him before you two had even met.
There’s a knock at your door. You find that odd; everyone should be out on the road right about now. You check your friends’ locations on your phone to see who could possibly be in your building right now.
You see Sunghoon’s contact photo right above the glowing blue dot that signifies where you are.
“Fuck,” you mutter.
“Y/N?” he calls out, muffled by the thick wood of your front door. You turn to Jji, who is looking at you curiously.
“Go, bedroom.”
Obediently, your cat runs to your room, and you can tell she uses her back legs to kick it shut behind her by the way it closes softly. It’s a trick that Jungwon and Riki spent an entire week of their summer vacation last year teaching her to do, and this is the first time it’s ever been useful.
You check yourself in the mirror in the entryway to make sure you look at least somewhat presentable. You’re wearing Aeri’s light pink sweatpants and a massive white t-shirt you’re pretty sure Riki left in your car once and completely forgot about. You shrug. It’ll have to do.
You open the door. Your voice comes out harsher than you intend it to. “What are you doing here, Sunghoon?”
The man flinches almost imperceptably, but the glimpse of it still has your heart twisting in your chest. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry I hurt you. It’s not a question of if I hurt you or not with what I said, because I know I did.”
You purse your lips, trying to process the fact that he’s apologizing to you without you having to prompt him for it. “Oh…”
He continues shakily. “I realized that I didn’t tell you the truth. The full truth. I like you, I really do. Like, not just as a friend, you know. I like you like… that. Fuck, sorry, I’ve never had to do this before.”
You smile at him softly, looking up at him. The light in the hallway illuminates the crown of his head like a halo, making him look more ethereal than he usually is. “Never?”
“Yeah, never. It’s usually the other way around, but I caved this time.” He sighs. “You’re a special girl. You don’t know what you’ve done to me.”
You shrug. “Oh, I think I have some idea.”
“Meaning?”
“I thawed you out, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you really did. So—”
“Just come in,” you say, stepping aside to make room for him. “Sorry, I don’t have anything to offer you besides water or strawberry milk, but we can go raid Jay’s fridge. I have a key.”
He laughs. “That’s okay. I can order takeout for us.”
“What’s behind your back?”
He holds up a bundle wrapped in clean white paper. “I brought these for you. They’re not, um… they’re not really ‘I’m sorry’ flowers so much as they are ‘will you go out on a date with me?’ flowers.”
“Roses,” you muse, taking the bouquet from him. The arrangement is simple yet stunning, with various shades of muted pink that you realize are quite similar to the color of your Supra. “How original.” You pause, your voice softening. “But thank you, though, really. They’re beautiful.”
Sunghoon chuckles. “I wanted to get you lilies, but I learned that they’re toxic to cats.”
You stare at him for a moment, dumbfounded. He’s so considerate, he even thought of that. Is there anything that he doesn’t think about? Is this what he does when he zones out? “Who told you that I have a cat?”
“You mentioned it a few times,” he answers softly, like he’s reminding you to breathe. “Like that one time Riki made us take him to the arcade and spent too much money trying to win the stuffed… whatever that was from the claw machine.”
“Hm. I did, huh?”
“Yeah... So can I see it?”
“My cat? That’s a little forward, don’t you think? Aren’t we moving too fast?”
“Your pet cat, you brat.” His grin is wide, though, as he looks down at you adoringly. 
“Oh! Oh, yeah, duh.” You take your phone out and swipe through your camera roll until you come across a picture of your white ragdoll cat, her pretty blue eyes staring at you much in the same manner that Sunghoon is right now. “This is her. Her name’s Jimin… erm, yeah, like the one we know… but I call her Jiji.”
“She’s cute… she kinda looks like you, hm? Is she not here right now?” he asks, scanning your living room. “Is she okay?”
“Oh, I sent her to my room before I answered the door—she doesn’t really like guys except for Wonie and Riki but I think it’s because she thinks they’re her servants. And, uh, also, I don't know if you're okay with cats.”
“Ah. I like cats, don’t worry. I’d love to meet her if that’s okay with you.”
“She might scratch you, though. Just a warning.”
“Yeah, that’s okay. You’d bandage me up, though, right?” When he smiles at you reassuringly, your heart thrums. You don't hear any innuendo in his voice, nothing that suggests that he expects something more from you. Turning away to hide your blushing face, you mumble a “yes” and make a beeline to your room to retrieve Jiji.
You get to the door and open it. She’s standing right in front of you, looking at you expectantly, as if she's asking you where Sunghoon is. 
“In the living room,” you answer. You’re talking to your fucking cat. What’s new? Jiji struts right past you, her tail flicking against your ankles, and trots to the living room. 
You follow her from a distance and watch as she pauses in front of Sunghoon, who extends a hand down for her to sniff at. 
“Hello, Jiji,” he says softly. “Nice to meet you.”
The cat chirps at him, and your eyes widen. Usually, she greets males (mostly your ex and his friend) other than your boys with something akin to a hiss that sounds like slicing someone’s tires open. Sometimes she swats at them, claws out and everything. But she hesitates for a second before butting her little head into Sunghoon’s palm, eyes closed and purring up a storm much like the way she does when she wants you to give her a treat. 
“Wow,” you remark. “She likes you. A lot.”
Sunghoon hums in agreement before saying, “Yeah. Wonder what her mommy thinks of me, though. And if she’ll go on a date with me.”
You blush yet again. He’s certainly dialing up the charm tonight. Mustering up the courage to flirt back, you reply, “I think… yeah, her mommy likes you too. And I think she will go out with you.”
“Mm.” He pets Jiji’s head, scratching between her ears which prompts your cat to roll over and expose her soft belly to him for him to rub. Whore, you think to yourself, as if you wouldn’t have done the same thing. “That’s good. I’m glad. Actually—scratch that. I’m relieved.”
By now you’re very well-acquainted to the way he speaks, straight to the point without very much embellishing in his sentences. At least it’s not hard to guess what he’s thinking. He doesn’t talk with the intent to deceive or play games, and, quite frankly, you adore that about him.
“I don’t just want you to care about me. I want you to let me care about you,” he says suddenly, looking up at you with round, sparkling eyes. He’s being forthcoming and earnest. Enthusiasm suits him well, you think. It makes his face look younger, softer, happier. “I want to earn your trust. I want you to feel safe with me.”
“I already do, though,” you reply, voice quiet as if you don’t want to jinx it somehow.
He gives you a nod of acknowledgement. “I know. But I want to be the one you come to for everything. For anything at all.”
“But—”
“You’d never be a burden to me,” he adds. “You couldn’t, even if you tried.”
There’s still enough time for you to go watch the final event of tonight’s race, the showdown between Riki and Shotaro. You hurriedly fix your hair and throw on a jacket, not caring about how your outfit looks because, frankly, you’re not interested in showing off tonight. You know for certain now that the only person whose attention you’ve wanted has been yours all along.
When you arrive, you can see that the Enigma boys are all circled around what you assume is Riki’s GT-R, only because you can see the underglow bouncing off everyone’s shoes. Leave it to your youngest to be annoying as usual.
You get out of Sunghoon’s car and head over to them, him following closely behind you. You pinch Jaeyun’s forearm and he immediately steps to the side to let you through so you can see what’s going on.
The engine hood is up, and you can see someone’s legs sticking out from under the car.
“What’s going on?” you ask no one in particular.
“Well… Riki fucking forgot to change his oil today, and the jack broke halfway, so none of us can fit under there… except Ning,” Jungwon answers.
“Ning?” you repeat.
“Yeah. The girl I’ve been seeing…” he mumbles. “You know, the one from school.”
Your heart drops at the idea that you’ve been so caught up in your own angst that you haven’t bothered to keep up with anyone else’s life, especially your own brother’s. “Oh. I see. She knows cars, huh?”
“Well,” Riki shrugs. “I guess. Jungwonie-hyung gave her the worst instructions on how to change this shitbox’s oil, and she’s doing it just fine, so she must be smart.”
Before Jungwon can even reach Riki, Sunghoon grabs him by the collar of his shirt, holding him back. “Chill out, bro.”
Jungwon glares at the taller man. “Hey, just because my sister thinks you’re hot doesn’t mean—”
“Good lord,” Jay groans. “Can we please have five minutes of peace so I can start this race? I want to go home already. I can feel my bed calling me.”
“Yeah,” Sunghoon snickers. “It’s calling you to wash the damn sheets, you slob.”
You bite your lip to keep yourself from laughing. Shaking your head, you approach Ning, who’s just rolled out from underneath the GT-R.
“Surprised you didn’t go blind in there,” you say, helping her up. “Riki’s lights are no joke.”
She smiles at you, shaking her head. “Actually, it helped, I could barely see anything down there, it was all covered in brake dust.”
This makes everyone burst out into laughter, mocking Riki for poorly maintaining his car. You roll your eyes, taking the wrench from Ning. You turn to Sunghoon.
“Hoon, can you help me with this? I think we’re gonna need more than an oil change to win tonight.”
“Hey!” Riki exclaims. “The fuck’s that supposed to mean?”
“Language, young man,” you snap back at him before looking at Sunghoon. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Headlight air intake?” he asks, a smile forming on his plush lips.
You grin. “Headlight air intake.”
“Oh, you guys are officially fucking crazy,” Jay whistles, admiring your handiwork when you’re done. With Sunghoon’s help, you’d removed one of Riki’s precious LED headlights to allow more airflow into the engine, enabling him to push the car harder without fear of overheating. “Poor Taro isn’t gonna know what hit him.”
“This is legitimately worse than the time Y/N Viper-swapped her Supra,” Jaeyun giggles, clapping his hands together in glee. “Ooh, everyone’s so fucked. They’re lucky she doesn’t drive with a missing headlight, too.”
“Don’t give her any ideas,” Sunghoon jokes. “She can barely see at night as it is.”
“Oh,” you flirt back, “Is that why I think you’re more handsome in the daytime?”
Riki and Jungwon fake gagging noises behind you, but you smile.
“We’re making it out of the hood tonight, boys!” Riki hollers from his position at the finish line. Jungwon is beside him, at the wheel of his 350z. To Jungwon’s other side is Shotaro, looking annoyed. You can see him glare a hole into the back of Riki’s head as he walks behind your brother and his friend.
“Since when was Itaewon considered the hood?” you call back at him. Everyone laughs.
You see Jaeyun whisper something into Jimin’s ear, and she giggles. Meanwhile, Jay, awkward as he can be sometimes, plants a kiss on Aeri’s forehead. “Is it fucking cuffing season or something?” you mutter under your breath, thinking it was low enough that no one hears your annoyance.
“Us next,” Sunghoon responds cooly from behind you, draping an arm over your shoulder. “How’s that sound?”
“Holy shit,” Riki gasps, dramatically putting a hand over his mouth. “Sunghoon-hyung’s—”
“Got some serious rizz,” Jungwon finishes. “And if it weren’t directed towards noona, I’d cheer him on.”
Jay rolls his eyes. “Shut up, Won, you act like you haven’t wanted them together since you first met him.”
Jungwon pouts cutely and shrugs. “Yeah, yeah. It’s more fun to pretend to be an opp, though.”
You glare at your brother. “Wanna see a real opp? I’ll tell Ning that you like to—”
“Don’t you fucking dare.” He turns to Sunghoon. “Hyung, did you know that noona sometimes drools in her sleep?”
“I do.”
“WHAT?” the boys chorus like they’re in a cartoon.
Sunghoon looks at them with pure curiosity. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I know? She fell asleep and drooled all over my arm when we watched Interstellar for the fifth time.”
“Sunghoon!” you squeal. “You’re not supposed to tell them that happened!”
“Wait, fifth?” Jaeyun asks, hands sassily placed on his hips. “We’ve only watched it four times.”
You and Sunghoon exchange a look, your face heating up. “Well, uh…”
“Nevermind that,” Jay interrupts, his arm around Aeri’s waist. “We know you two hang out without us. Jaeyunie’s just fucking with you.”
“Yeah,” Riki agrees. “In fact, we want you guys to hang out without us.”
You look at Ning, rolling your eyes. “See what you’re getting into?”
She gives you a warm smile. “I don’t mind.”
park sunghoon: We’re still on for our date tonight, yes?
you: yeah! what are we doing?? i can pick a spot if you don’t have anything in mind
park sunghoon: None of that from you, princess. Just be ready by 7, I’ll pick you up. Our reservation is at 7:30. I already made sure you’d like the restaurant and you can wear that black dress you bought last week.
… Princess?
you: how…?
park sunghoon: Well, I know what food you like because we’ve gone out to eat so many times. And also, I saw you post the dress on your story when you tried it on in the fitting room, so I figured you got it. 
park sunghoon: Before you get upset thinking I’m controlling what you wear, I’m not. I know you have a hard time choosing your outfits (even though they’re all very nice) and the dress looked lovely on you.
He’s trying to make your life easier. You smile to yourself, face going hot. You bite your knuckles to keep yourself from screaming at your desk.
you: oh… okay!
you: i’ll see you later hoon :)
park sunghoon: Can’t wait. Have a great day at work, beautiful.
God, you want to throw your phone across the office with how giddy you are. You finish work early by skipping your lunch break, and you go home at 2:30 in the afternoon, thanks to Minjeong excitedly whisper-yelling at you that she’ll cover for you and to “Go get some dick, girl!” and smacking your ass as you scurried to the elevator. When you arrive home, you immediately run to your bathroom and turn on the shower. You’ve got music blasting from your speaker while you wash your hair and shave and scrub down your entire body. You’re smiling at yourself in the mirror while you dry your hair and do your skincare routine, and you’ve still got a good four hours to get all dressed up for your first real, official date in years.
taglist: @enha-stars @karinasbaby @venomhee @lilifiedeans @sngleehee @hoonfr @seuomo @en-verse @starfallia @eloelooo @lhspeachie @idkdykilr @seochannnn @moon368 @capri-cuntz @p-d1ddy @xxbluestrifexx @p4ranormaluv @laurradoesloveu
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one-green-frog · 3 days ago
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Hi! I was so happy when I saw that your requests were open for your platonic yandere batfam series, also I’m sorry if I send in too many, just do the ones that interest you bc I can’t wait to see them!!
Can I please request them dragging you to a family movie night and sleepover (if you want) together
Snuggled in
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By now, it felt like you had lived at the manor since the very beginning. The grand halls, the endless corridors, and the hidden nooks and crannies—all of it was as familiar to you as the back of your hand.
Your life had settled into a new normal. Or at least, as normal as it could be when surrounded by the Wayne family and their complete and utter devotion to you. They were obsessed, and you knew it. Their attention was intense, overwhelming at times, but you had grown to accept it. Maybe even crave it. The way they cared for you, how they anticipated your needs before you even voiced them—it was comforting, intoxicating even.
Earlier today, Dick had texted you.
"Movie night. I'll come get you later."
There was no room for declination, not that you wanted to refuse. Movie nights were one of the best things about living at the manor, especially when everyone was present. It wasn’t just about the films—it was about them, about the closeness, the warmth of being surrounded by people who made you feel safe. Sure, you loved spending time with them individually, but when they were together, it felt like a real family, a family you never wanted to leave.
So, all that was left to do now was wait, to enjoy the "calm before the storm."
It didn’t take long before Dick appeared in your doorway, his signature grin in place as he grabbed your hand and practically dragged you toward the theater room. His grip was firm—just a bit tighter than necessary, as if he feared you might pull away. As if he was still afraid you might reject them.
You knew they had doubts. That paranoia whispered to them constantly, telling them that your love for them wasn’t real, that one day, if they let their guard down, you’d disappear. It hurt knowing they feared that, but at the same time, you understood. They knew what they were doing wasn’t exactly right. The way they needed you, the way they clung to you—it was too much, even by their own standards. And yet, they couldn’t stop.
And you? You didn’t fight it. Maybe you should have, but deep down, you liked the way they cared for you. How they made you feel wanted.
When you arrived, everyone was already there, and unsurprisingly, a spot had been saved just for you. Judging by the tension in the air, there must have been a fight before you got here. The privilege of sitting next to you wasn’t something any of them would just give up. It seemed that this time, Damian and Dick had won, both looking entirely too pleased with themselves while the others shot them varying degrees of annoyance.
But now that you were here, no one dared to argue.
Time with you was precious, something none of them wanted to risk ruining. You were the one thing that held them together, that kept them from spiraling apart. They all knew it.
“Jason, why don't you pick the movie?” you said as you settled into your seat.
Jason raised a brow, looking mildly surprised but pleased. He was always good at picking movies, always knowing exactly what suited your mood. Sometimes, he chose thrillers, knowing you enjoyed the adrenaline rush. Other times, he picked romances, sweet and indulgent. No matter what he chose, you knew it would be perfect.
But in the end, the movie never really mattered.
Because the real highlight was always the closeness, the warmth of your family surrounding you.
Dick wasted no time wrapping himself around you, his body practically molding to yours. He had always been the most physically affectionate, taking any excuse to hold you. On your other side, Damian leaned against you, quiet but solid, his presence grounding. He never admitted it, but during movie nights, he always ended up snuggled against you like a cat seeking warmth.
Time passed in a comfortable blur. The others rotated around you, each finding a way to be close. Jason would ruffle your hair as he got up to grab snacks, Tim would drape himself lazily against your side when exhaustion took over, and even Bruce—ever the stoic—would rest a steady hand on your shoulder, a silent reassurance that he was there.
It was getting late, the movie long ended and the comforting presence of everyone slowly lulled you to sleep. You tried to fight it, wanting to enjoy the moment more, but at some point you lost the fight with sleep.
Your head grew heavier, your body sinking into the warmth around you. The others noticed almost immediately. Their voices quieted, movements slowed, as if afraid to wake you.
Bruce was the first to move. Carefully, he lifted you into his arms, his grip firm yet gentle, while Dick untangled Damian from your lap. He fell asleep first and somehow always ending up in your lap, snuggling into you as if seeking your warmth. The transition was smooth, practiced. They had done this before.
Your room was dark and quiet when Bruce laid you down, pulling the blankets over you with practiced ease. He lingered, brushing a hand through your hair, his eyes never leaving your face.
You had saved him. Saved all of them.
Bruce had long believed that some wounds would never heal, that his family would remain fractured, bound together only by shared tragedy. But then you came along—his son, his light, the one thing that brought them back together.
There were many things he regretted. Things he would never be able to fix.
But with you here, it felt like he had a second chance.
That was enough.
And as he sat beside you, watching over you as you slept, he let himself believe—just for tonight—that everything was exactly as it should be.
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Taglist: @lilyalone
This was so much fun writing!
Thank you so much for requesting, I'll get to your other ask as soon as possible!
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fear-is-truth · 15 hours ago
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﹙weekend mornings with rafe ᶻ𝘇𐰁. ﹚
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you’re pulled into consciousness by something soft and warm tickling against your cheek. a wonderful, familiar sensation to wake up to. blinking through the haze of sleep, you find your boyfriend next to you propped up on one elbow. “morning, sleeping beauty.” “but it’s the weekend,” you whine, rubbing the sleep grit out of your eyes. “why the hell are you up so early?”
“could ask you the same thing.” he replies evenly. “you woke me up.” “yeah, well. sorry.” he doesn’t sound remotely sorry, fingers tracing your arm idly. “i missed you.”
“rafe,” you sigh, but already melting. “i’m literally right here.” “it’s not the same if you’re asleep.” another kiss—this time to your temple. “i didn’t even get my good morning kiss.” he sounds almost petulant now. you tilt your chin up, and he meets you halfway, lips pressing eagerly against yours. “you’re being cute,” you mumble between kisses. “i’m always cute,” he murmurs, stealing another. this makes you snort. “that’s up to debate.” he pulls back, scandalised. “wow. slandering me before breakfast?”
“uh huh. speaking of….” you perk up. “make me pancakes.” rafe’s expression falters, like you just asked him to perform open-heart surgery. “pancakes…from scratch?” you stare at him suspiciously. “do you even know how to make them?” his silence says everything. “rafe.”
“okay, first of all—who the fuck just knows how to make waffles?” “…everyone?” he scoffs. “alright, gordon ramsay. what else do you want? a soufflé? eggs benedict?” despite the sass, he looks so genuinely conflicted that you almost take pity on him. almost. “just waffles. there’s mix in the pantry, by the way.”
his shoulders sag in relief, and you wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “thank you in advance for my delicious breakfast.” he groans, but you feel the smile against your cheek. “okay. if i burn them, you’re still eating them.” rafe rolls out of bed, stretching as he goes. “back in ten—no, fifteen.” before leaving, he bends down, placing a kiss to your forehead, then one more to the tip of your nose. “try not to miss me too much.” “okay.” you flop back against the pillows, smiling to yourself. impossible.
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monstera-modd · 2 days ago
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Mother
DPxDC #5
____________
There were stories and legends shared from one kid to another, saying that if you were ever lost, abandoned, or unloved there was someone out there. A being that would find you and take you in. A presence to pour endless amounts of love into your care and upbringing, claiming you as their own.
Everyone only knew them as Mother. With his bright, calming green eyes and cool hands that also felt warm when he cradled your face, you just knew that you were loved, that you were safe, and had someone to call your parent- call a Mother.
Tim had heard the rumors and read about them online during those lonely nights when his parents would be who knows where, but he never let himself believe in it, in them. Why get all worked up about some deity that only has whispers and stories? 
There were no pictures or concrete descriptions- just green eyes and cold-warm hands. 
And even if he did let himself believe, if he let himself hope… what then? What happens when they never come?
His parents sang promises all the time, but every time, he would be dismissed- treated as if he were merely part of the groundskeeping staff, not their only kid, their son.
And yet here he was.
Alone on his seventh birthday.
A card on his table, telling him his parents were in Guatemala for an exhibit. Or something.
Tears blurred his vision as he flicked the lighter on and off, the small flame dancing in the dark. With a shaky breath, he closed his eyes and wished—God, he wished—that the being from the stories would come. Would save him and hear a gentle voice say, It’s all right now. I’m here.
That they would cradle his face like those stories, press a kiss on his forehead with other words of affection, hold him tight, and take him away.
Anywhere but here.
Away from a cold, empty manor.
Away from distant, unloving staff.
Away from parents who were never here.
_________
When Tim dreams, it’s of dazzling stars streaking across the sky. Walking on belts of moons and planets, and a being with bright green eyes and flowing white hair.
They pulled him close, cupping his cheek with a kind, loving look.
“My poor boy,” they murmured, voice laced with sorrow. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner, baby. But I’m here now—Mother’s here.”
A gentle thumb wipes away tears, and Tim dives into that loving embrace, loud sobs seem to echo and not in the strange, star-lit space. 
He doesn't know how long they stay there. But the warmth around him never faded, and those loving hands cooled his heated cheeks and puffy eyes. Arms wound closer around him as he's hoisted into the air and cradled close.
Mother rocks him gently back and forth, fingers carding through his hair.
“I can’t take you with me, baby,” they whispered. “It’s not safe right now. But I’ll always come visit—to tuck you in every night, to hold you close when nightmares cloud your starry sky.”
They pressed a kiss to his hair. 
“I have someone that I trust to look after my sweet boy. Sleep, baby. You'll be safe when you wake up.”
_____
That night, Alfred got a call.
He made promises to look after his new baby brother. Mother was fighting so hard to keep them all safe, and he could see the exhaustion in his eyes as he left that night.
But just as he promised, every night, Tim’s Mother appeared through glowing green portals.
With kisses and soft words, he tucked him in and told him stories of ancient pharaohs and great green witches. And every time nightmares gripped him, he felt gentle fingers threading through his hair and heard the soothing hum of a familiar voice.
Because Mother was there.
Mother never left.
And Mother never broke a promise.
_______
I love my baby Tim ❤️🥹🫶🏼
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i-dared-myself · 2 days ago
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Both of Theirs, but Not Allowed
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Seonghwa x reader x Hongjoong
In which Seonghwa and Hongjoong like the friend they’re not supposed to.
18+
“So my friend is coming over,” Yeosang casually says. He stretches out on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. “And absolutely no one is allowed to fuck her.”
Seonghwa clicks his tongue and motions to Yeosang’s legs. “Feet off the furniture.”
“And why are you so sure we’d sleep with her?” San asks, raising an eyebrow. He shifts and crosses his legs at the ankles, splayed out on the floor. 
“She’s just…” Yeosang trails off, eyes flicking to Mingi. “Don’t have sex with her, okay? I don’t want any of you to break her heart.”
Mingi scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Firstly, you seem very sure that we’re all going to want her. Secondly, it’s just sex. It doesn’t have to be more.”
Yeosang huffs in frustration. “You’ll see when you meet her. Just… Off limits, okay?”
Seonghwa smiles softly, sitting on the armrest of the couch. “Don’t worry, Yeosang. I’m certain we can resist the temptation that is your friend.” His words are tinged with a mocking tone, and his eyes glint. 
Hongjoong chuckles, looking up from his phone to finally join the conversation. “We get it, Yeosang. You love your friend and don’t want any of us to scar her.”
Yeosang doesn’t seem so convinced, narrowing his eyes at the group. “No, I mean it. Be nice, don’t fuck her, and oh my gosh, don’t have a crush on her.”
Jongho stands up, walking to the kitchen. He turns the stove on and pulls out a set of pots. “It’ll be fine. Just have her over and we’ll be normal.”
Yunho winces. “Right. Normal.”
So when you come over, they all go weak at the knees. Yeosang warned them, but it wasn’t good enough.
The doors opens, and you’re standing there. Yeosang drags you inside, and you stumble in behind him. Everyone greets you cheerily, confused by what Yeosang meant about you being hot.
You’re good-looking, but they’re not drooling like he had made it sound. You have wide-eyes as you survey the group and the dorms, matching adorably with the way your lips part at every word Yeosang says.
It’s like you’re entranced, hooked by every thought he has.
But again, not particularly risk-your-friendship-for fuckable. 
Then you blink up at Hongjoong, smiling shyly. You duck your head, murmuring out, “Hi, Hoongjong. I- Yeosang didn’t say you’d be so, um, nice to the eyes?”
“It’s Hongjoong,” Hongjoong gently corrects. “And thank you.”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” You face Yeosang, frowning at him. “Why didn’t you quiz me on their names to prepare?”
Yeosang sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “I did, remember?”
Your eyes widen. “Oh! Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Want to play Minecraft?” Yeosang points his chin to the living room, where a couple of game controllers sit. When you nod eagerly, he leads you to the couch and hands you one.
“So which button makes me destroy stuff?” you question once the game starts. You glance at Seonghwa, who’s settled next to you. “Help? Please?”
Seonghwa hums and reaches over, pressing the right button. Your character breaks the block in front of them, and you grin.
“Thank you!” you gush, flipping the controller peer at which one he pressed. “You have nice hands.”
Seonghwa swallows, watching as you play your game. You’re oblivious to the fact that you just complimented him- and he likes compliments. “Thanks.”
Wooyoung flicks the back of Yeosang’s head. “Sit on the floor. There’s not enough room on the couch for all of us. You brought your friend, so you sit on the floor.”
“No, I’ll do it!” You slide off the furniture and sit cross-legged on the ground. Yunho takes your spot on the couch, now next to Seonghwa. He misses the dirty look the older man sends him.
“That doesn’t look very comfortable,” Hongjoong remarks, gazing down at you. He pulls a pillow out from behind him and offers it to you. “Here.”
You shuffle up to your knees, crawling between  his legs to take the pillow. You tip your head up, looking between your lashes. “Thank you, Hongjoong.”
Hongjoong chokes for a moment, the sight of you kneeling between his legs too much. Too much and not enough. “You’re welcome.”
“Did I get your name right?” you excitedly ask. You move a bit closer, touching the insides of his thighs with your shoulders.
“Back to the game!” Yeosang snaps. “There’s zombies!”
You gasp, mouth parting in an ‘O’ with your glossy lips. Hongjoong barely stops a groan from slipping from him. 
“Wait, it’s sheep that make beds, right?” You frown at Yeosang, adjusting the pillow from beneath you. “We still need some in our house.”
“Yeah. Sheep drop wool and then you use it to make beds,” Yeosang tells you, eyebrows pulling together when you just place wool on the ground. “No, that’s not…”
“I’m hungry,” Mingi complains. “Anyone want to go out for dinner?”
Yeosang pauses Minecraft, looking at you. “Hungry?”
“Yeah, but not for dinner.” You sigh heavily, tipping your head backwards and making eye contact with Hongjoong.
He swallows and leans down. “What are you hungry for, baby?”
Yeosang’s eyes lock on Hongjoong, lips tilting downwards.
“Dessert,” you answer Hongjoong, eyebrows pulling together. “What were you thinking?”
“Yeah.” Yeosang gets to his feet and takes your controller from you. He returns it to its spot on the shelf and glares at Hongjoong. “What were you thinking?”
“Let’s just have a nice dinner,” Yunho says, rolling his eyes. He knows where this evening is going, and he knows Yeosang won’t like it.
“Let me just go fix my face,” you say before jumping up. You run down the hallway before Jongho yells that the bathroom is in the other direction. You squeak before turning the right way.
Seonghwa stands and declares, “I’m going to go change.”
The others all sigh before following his lead, wandering off to put on formal clothes, or at least not sweatpants. Seonghwa waits for them to be gone before he trails after you.
You’re pouting at your reflection, trying to make the perfect winged eyeliner. But the sides aren’t matching and you’re growing frustrated.
Seonghwa wordlessly plucks it from your grasp, wiping away the still-wet lines. He applies enough pressure that it all comes off with one swipe, and he redoes it.
Seonghwa draws the perfect wings and smiles down at you, at adorable you. “Better, little one?”
You glance in the mirror again before jumping and wrapping your arms around him. “It’s so good!”
Seonghwa pats your cheek once you pull away. “Run along now, pretty thing. Yeosang’s probably searching for you.”
You grin before racing off to find your friend, and Seonghwa knows. He knows that he has to ruin you, and he knows who will gladly assist him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This is a nice restaurant,” you comment as the group enters. The tables have fancy silk draped over them, and you know you won’t be able to afford this. “Yeosang…”
“Yeah?” Your friend pops up from behind Wooyoung, having gotten lost in the crowd. 
“This place looks expensive,” you whisper once he’s at your side. You wring your hands nervously, bringing your thumb up to your mouth to chew nervously.
Yeosang rubs your shoulder assuringly. “I’ve got you covered.”
Hongjoong reaches over and drags your hand away from your mouth. “It’s on me, actually. I’m treating.”
Yunho grins ear to ear. “Sounds good to me.”
Seonghwa brings a napkin out from his pocket, which he just has for some reason, and wipes your hand. “Let’s grab our seats, yes?”
Somehow you end up between Seonghwa and Hongjoong, while Yeosang pouts. Apparently he had tripped and Hongjoong had swooped in to steal what would’ve been his spot. You just read your menu, oblivious to it all.
You sip at your water as you debate what to order. There’s a pasta dish that looks good, but you don’t know how to say the name of it. You really don’t want to have to say it to the waiter.
“Something catch your eye?” Seonghwa murmurs into your ear. His fingers trail down to your menu, pushing it down so he can read over it.
“Uh.” You point to the pasta dish, biting your lip anxiously. “I just- It’s hard to say.”
Seonghwa hums lowly, folding up your menu. When the waiter walks by, he flawlessly tells them what you want. 
“Thank you,” you brightly say, bouncing your leg excitedly. “You’re so sweet, Seonghwa.”
His cheeks are a dusty pink as he lets the rest of the table order before saying what he wants. You look around the restaurant, leg continuing its nervous movements.
“Baby.” Hongjoong’s hand rests on your knee, applying a steady pressure. “Is something wrong?”
“What?” You whip around to face him before ducking your head shyly. “Uh, yeah. I just- There’s just, um, there’s a lot of new people here.”
“Ah.” Hongjoong’s thumb starts to move in soothing circles on your bare skin, right below your skirt. “It’s okay, little one. I can bring you home anytime you want.”
You squirm and shake your head. “I want dessert.”
He chuckles and looks around you to Seonghwa. “So do I. What do you think, Seonghwa?”
The man in question rakes his hand through his hair, humming lowly. “I can’t wait.”
You squint at them. “You must really like chocolate cake.”
Hongjoong’s hand slides further up your thigh. “No, baby.”
Seonghwa sighs, smiling fondly at you. “You’re not the brightest, are you?”
You fidget, thighs squeezing together. “I- I-“
Hongjoong retracts his hand and leans back in his chair. “Aw, it’s okay. You’d look so pretty cockdumb.”
“Like she’s not dumb already.” Seonghwa laughs under his breath, swirling the wine in his glass. His lips curl up at you. “Are you seeing anyone?”
You blink at him, squirming in your seat. “Uh, you? You’re right in front of me.”
“No, he meant if you’re dating anyone.” Hongjoong picks up his wine glass by the stem. He peers into his drink before his eyes flick back up to your face. “Answer him, little one.”
“I- No.” You shake your head and grip the fabric of your skirt. “Not right now.”
Seonghwa reaches down and smoothes his own hand over the material, getting rid of any wrinkles you may have caused. “Yeosang watches after you so carefully, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah.” You glance over at your friend, who’s deep in conversation with Mingi. “He’s so nice.”
“It’s because you’re so cute.” Hongjoong cups your cheek. “You know that, right?”
You duck your head again, but Seonghwa tilts your head back up with two fingers. He smiles, lips slanting into a seductive expression. 
“Have you had sex before?” he murmurs. He looks past you to Hongjoong before returning his attention to you.
“Y-Yeah,” you stutter out. You bite at the tip of your index finger, stomach twisting in a way that’s not unpleasant. 
Hongjoong draws your finger away from your mouth. “Baby-“
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”Yeosang’s voice cuts through the little bubble the three of you have created. His expression is furious as he gets to his feet, chair screeching behind him.
You blink at him, eyebrows pulling together. “They were just asking me if I’ve had sex before.”
“Nuh-uh!” Yeosang marches over, glaring at the two of them. They don’t even look sheepish. “You know the rules!”
“What rules?” You frown at him, not understanding what he’s talking about. 
“Sorry,” Hongjoong says. He tucks his hands neatly in his lap, expression neutral as he gazes at your friend. “We were just trying to get to know her.”
Seonghwa nods along and under the table his fingers press against your clothed pussy. “It won’t happen again. We wouldn’t want to break her heart, after all.”
Your stomach flutters at the sensations Seonghwa is creating. “I- I’m sorry, Yeosang.”
His expression softens. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you, just these two assholes.”
Dinner arrives, and you eagerly dig into your pasta. It’s delicious and you finish it quickly.
“Do you want dessert, or do you want to come back with us?” Seonghwa mutters lowly into your ear.
You shiver as his breath ghosts the shell of your ear. “I wanna go with you.”
Hongjoong pays the cheque before everyone files out the door and you call a cab.
“Where are you going?” Yeosang asks you as you step away from the group. 
“Home.” You hug him goodbye, waiting until he’s out of sight to face Hongjoong and Seonghwa. “So, uh-“
Seonghwa dips his head down to kiss you. It’s soft and sweet. His lashes flutter as he pulls away. 
Before you regain your breath, Hongjoong is grabbing you by the back of your neck and kissing you fiercely.
“The cab is here,” Seonghwa says, breaking you and Hongjoong out of your trance. The three of you pile into it and you give the driver directions to your apartment, impatient for the night to come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hongjoong drapes himself across your armchair, propping an elbow up on an armrest. He uses it to rest his chin on his fist as he gazes at you with hooded eyes.
Seonghwa perches himself on the other armrest, crossing his legs. He reaches over to squeeze Hongjoong’s shoulder. “How are we doing this, hmm?”
You stand at the edge of the carpet that goes under the furniture. You’re unsure of where they want you, or how this is going to work.
“Ah.” Hongjoong runs his tongue along his upper row of teeth. “Baby, bend over the couch.”
You do as he says and walk over to the couch. You can feel their eyes on you as you tip over so your weight is on your hips, supported by the armrest. You’re on the tips of your toes like this, head tilted to the side to see them.
“Good,” Hongjoong praises. He nudges Seonghwa, giving you a pointed look. “Go prep her.”
Seonghwa glides over to you, leaning over you so your bodies are pressed together. “Do you think you’ll go cockdumb, little one? When you’re stuffed full of us, mind going blank?”
You whimper, feeing him grind up against you.
“I said to prep her,” Hongjoong sharply interrupts, “not to rub your dick on her.”
Seonghwa sighs and rocks back on his heels to give you space. “Very well, then. Pussy and ass?”
“Have you ever had something up your ass?” Hongjoong inquires. When you don’t immediately reply, his lips quirk up in amusement. “Aw, don’t go shy on us now.”
You swallow and look over your shoulder at Seonghwa. He’s as gorgeous as ever, hair falling around his face to frame it perfectly.
“Have you ever played with your other hole?” Seonghwa gently asks, understanding that your brain isn’t the fastest. He grips your chin to redirect your attention to Hongjoong.
“Oh.” You blink. “No.”
“Then we won’t today.” Hongjoong smiles at Seonghwa. “Just pussy.”
Seonghwa hums, releasing your chin. His fingers trail over your face and he strokes your cheek. “Ready?”
You nod. “Uh-huh.”
Seonghwa kicks your feet apart harshly, widening the space between your legs. He flips up your skirt and yanks your underwear down your legs.
“Look at that cunt.” He grins and kneads at your asscheeks. “I can’t wait for my cum to drip out of you, staining your thighs white. If you’re lucky, I’ll plug you up to keep you full with me.”
Hongjoong clicks his tongue in annoyance. “We both know I’ll fuck it out of her. Now hurry this up. You haven’t even touched her yet.”
“He touched me.” You scowl at Hongjoong. You lick your lips, swiping your tongue over them. “He’s touching me right now.”
“Not what he meant, little one,” Seonghwa gently tells you. He kisses the base of your neck as an apology for his words before sinking to his knees.
His tongue delves into you suddenly, and with no warning you try and squirm away. Seonghwa’s hand’s come to your hips and he pulls you back to his mouth. He flattens his tongue as he drags it over your clit, making you whine and try to get away again.
“Stay- Stay still!” Seonghwa grunts before his hands tighten their grip on your hips. He gets frustrated and lifts his head up to Hongjoong. “Can you keep her still?”
Hongjoong nods and approaches. His hands wrap around your wrists and he tugs you off the couch, laying you across the floor. Seonghwa finds his place between your thighs again, as Hongjoong straddles your chest.
“Want something in your mouth, baby?” 
You nod and open your mouth obediently, eager to please. Your eyes widen in surprise as he plunges two of his fingers in, choking on him.
“I’m surprise you have a gag reflex,” Hongjoong comments, flexing his hand to hit the back of your throat. “You’re just too stupid to do much, so I figured this might be the one trick you know.”
Seonghwa hums against you, the vibrations from his voice making you shudder. Hongjoong presses harder against you, using his body weight to keep you down as your hips try to buck up.
You moan around Hongjoong’s digits, eyes watering. You wiggle around as Seonghwa presses a finger into you, causing Hongjoong to apply more pressure to keep your head down as well. You gurgle around him as Seonghwa pushes another finger into you.
It’s two much, two quick, and your eyes roll back with a powerful orgasm. Hongjoong gives you air, and you gasp it in. Then he’s thrusting his fingers back into your mouth and muffling your sounds of pleasure.
Seonghwa scissors his two fingers in you, stretching you out in a way that makes you give Hongjoong a look of desperation. He chuckles and uses his thumb to stroke your upper lip.
“So pretty,” he remarks. “Are you going to cry? I think you’d be pretty if you cried. Seonghwa, make her cry.”
Seonghwa removes his digits with a hum of acknowledgment, shuffling out of his clothes. He shoos Hongjoong away, who crouches by your head instead of straddling your chest. Seonghwa places his hands on either side of your head, smiling down at you as he lays his body over yours.
“Usually I’d prep a bit more, but Hongjoong wants to see you cry,” he murmurs. He seems to relish in the moment of anticipation, with you waiting for him to split you in half. Seonghwa’s head dips so his lips graze your throat as he pushes into you.
It’s definitely a stretch, and he doesn’t ease himself in. All of his cock enters you at once, effectively making tears burn at the corners of your eyes.
But what makes them spill out is when his teeth bury themselves where your neck meets your shoulder. He bites hard, making you clench around him, back arching.
“Oh, she does look pretty when she cries.” Hongjoong sounds pleased, craning his neck to study your face and the tears that roll down it. “Is your head empty yet? Are you too full of cock to actually have thoughts?”
Seonghwa snaps his hips into yours, twirling some of your hair around his finger. “Yeosang told us not to do this. But you like it, don’t you?”
You nod stupidly, not even sure who you’re responding to. Hongjoong? Seonghwa? You don’t know anymore.
Seonghwa coos at you. “Oh, I think she went cockdumb. Look at her, Hongjoong.”
“I won’t even get a turn since she’ll be like this.” Hongjoong sighs heavily and waves a hand at you. He settles back on the couch, legs parting so he can touch himself through his pants. “Do you think she’d be a good cocksleeve?”
“Yes,” Seonghwa answers, rolling his hips into yours. You moan, only faintly aware of the conversation they’re having over your head. “She grips me so perfectly. Are you having fun, little one?”
Your head lolls to the side so you can make eye contact with Hongjoong, who’s smirking. Your walls flutter, which makes Seonghwa groan and his thrusts stutter.
“He asked you a question,” Hongjoong tells you, undressing himself. “Did you hear Seonghwa?”
You whimper and glance up at the man fucking you, biting your bottom lip as you try to remember what he had asked. Was it something about work? 
“I- I-“ You squeeze your eyes shut. “I’m a waitress.”
Seonghwa sighs in disappointment, tsking at you. He pinches your nipples between his fingers, causing you to whine. “Here’s what’s going to happen, pretty thing. I’m going to cum inside you, and then Hongjoong is going to fuck you.”
“Y-Yeah,” you murmur under your breath, trying to crawl away for some reason. It just feels too good. You can’t take more of this for much longer.
“Baby.” Hongjoong rolls his eyes. “Is it okay to cum inside you?”
You lift your glassy eyes up to his face. “Uh, yeah. Do it.”
Seonghwa pounds into you for a few more times before groaning with an orgasm. You watch his face as his eyes roll back and his lips part. Your legs tremble as Hongjoong scoops you up to deposit you on his lap- and cock.
“Oh, don’t mind him.” Hongjoong whispers to you as Seonghwa shuffles closer on his knees. He rests his chin on Hongjoong’s thigh, watching as you’re lowered down onto Hongjoong’s dick. “He gets a bit clingy after he cums.”
You look up at Hongjoong’s face, at the way his bottom lip rolls into his mouth as he rocks his hips into your experimentally. Seonghwa crawls up onto the couch, kissing you as Hongjoong fucks you.
His tongue slips into your mouth, muffling your cries. Seonghwa seems to drink up your noises, smiling against your lips. His hands go down to your clit to make tiny circles.
Hongjoong reaches to stroke Seonghwa’s cock, grinning when the other man hisses. “Aw, too much?”
Seonghwa finally gives you room to breathe, scowling at Hongjoong. His eyebrows furrow in frustration. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Hongjoong’s thumb rolls over Seonghwa’s slit. “Fucking our little girlfriend.”
You make a small sound of confusion, putting your hands on Hongjoong’s shoulders. “What?”
“Don’t you want to be our girlfriend?” Seonghwa presses his forehead to yours. “We’d hug you, and date you, and fill you up like this as much as you want.”
Hongjoong continues to thrust into you, waiting until you orgasm to have his own. He lays you down on the couch before Seonghwa wanders off for a glass of water.
“Well?” Hongjoong prompts. 
“Yeah.” You lace your fingers together with his. “I’ll be your girlfriend. Both of yours.”
Seonghwa returns with a drink for you, helping you sit up to take it. “Let’s wait a little while to tell Yeosang. I have a feeling he won’t like this development.”
Taglist:
@velvetmoonlght @jinnie-ret @hansmic @imeverycliche
@iwuberic @strawberryscentedd @lezleeferguson-120 @life-is-a-game-of-thrones
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cuteandhughesy · 2 days ago
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30 and sid pleaseeeeee
prompt no. 30: "you got me flowers?" "yeah? is that like..not a normal thing with guys your age?"
a/n: but if a time jump! sid is retired and coaching kids :)
you slide the silver dainty hoop into your ear, clasping it closed once it’s fully through. you repeat the process on the other side, smiling triumphantly as they glimmer in the light above your bathroom mirror.
you smooth down the front of your summer dress, feeling the soft material between your manicured fingers—it’s like buttermilk. you twirl around, checking over your look once more time.
it’s your third date with sidney crosby. you meet him at your little brothers hockey game, one that you had to take him too because both of your parents had to work. you didn’t even mean to run into him—sure, having the sidney crosby coach your brothers little league team was really cool, but you were never really into hockey, and you honestly didn’t care to meet him.
you were running a little bit behind that day, practically pushing your brother along so he’d stop with the damn sloth pace like he always does, when you ran right into him.
his jaw had ticked, starting down at you while your younger brother blinked between the two do you helplessly. the team is already on the ice, skating around to start their warmups. which means sidney was coming to look for your brother.
“i’m sorry,” you said, ushering your brother along to the direction of the change room. “we’re late. I didn’t even know what time the game started, and my parents didn’t tell me they needed james dropped off until 20 minutes before-“
your babbling was amusing to sidney, and if anything it made him feel a bit fond. yeah, he’d been angry that one of his players was so late that they were missing warm ups, and he was on his way to raise some havoc, but then you walked in. silky looking hair and puffer coat that reminded him of a baby penguin, ushering your brother along like you were both apart of a secret mission.
sidney found it endearing. “it’s okay,” he tells you, a half smile on his face. he tucks his clipboard under his arm and then extends his hand in your direction, “i’m sidney.”
you let out a sigh of relief, the smallest grin pulling at your face. you were fully prepared for the retired nhl phenomenon to team you out in front of everyone, so his softness, for lack of a better word, caught you by surprise. you take his hand delicately, “i’m y/n.”
you started taking your brother to james more often than not after meeting sidney, which your parents didn’t mind—work was keeping them busy enough without driving james around. your crush your on your brothers coach was pathetic, you knew that. he was older than you, too busy paying attention to a bunch of kids to even notice you staring at him helplessly in the stands.
but then he asked you for coffee.
and then after getting coffee together he asked if you were free for dinner that following friday.
and now you’re here, in your shitty apartment bathroom getting ready for an afternoon lunch with sidney crosby.
you decide that you don’t need anymore jewelry or extra makeup—what you’ve already got on will do. you flick off your bathroom light, rounding down the hallway to your bedroom. you cringe—it looks like a tornado blew through your room. multiple different clothing pieces strewn across the floor from only 20 minutes ago when you were frantically trying to find something to wear.
you just wanted to look appropriate and pretty and mature for your date.
god, sidney crosby has turned you into a melty mess and you haven’t even kissed the guy yet.
as you’re slipping on your shoes there’s a firm knock at your door—two to be exact. your body goes hot and a smile lights up your entire face. you practically skip out of your room and back down the hall, “coming!” you call softly.
when you open the front door sidney is wearing a lopsided grin, dressed in a light blue linen button up and khaki shorts. he looks like a yacht dilf. his salt and pepper hair glimmers in the sunshine, and the cologne he’s wearing makes your head feel dizzy. “hey,” sidney says, walking up the last step of your stoop.
“hey yourself,” you smile nervously, accepting the warm hug he offers you. it’s only then that you notice the bouquet of spring coloured flowers— daffodils, baby breath, and a few others you don’t recognize but are still stunning. you eye him shyly, reaching out to stroke along one of the petals, “you got me flowers?”
the way you ask him, so unsure but still filled with hope makes sidney falter. just for a moment. he passes you the bouquet, to which you raise to your face and smell them instantly. “yeah? is that like…not a normal thing for guys your age?”
you grin, a small bubble of laughter following. “no,” you say, rounding into your small kitchen and pulling an empty vase down from the top of your fridge. sidney watches as you move effortlessly, your dress swinging and hugging you in all the right places. he almost wants to shake his head in disbelief. you’re so stunning.
you fill up the glass vase with tap water and then place the flowers in, setting the arrangement on your counter with a soft smile. “I love them,” you say, skipping back over to where sidney is standing—which is now inside your entryway, leaning causally against the wall beside a picture frame. “thank you.”
your hands rest on his stomach, thumb stroking the linen top absentmindedly as you look up at him. sidney’s smile turns more soft, raising his hand to push your loose hair behind your ear. “of course.”
he doesn’t move his hand like you expect him too. sidney stays cradling the side of your head, and before you can react, he’s leaning down, pressing a firm closed mouth kiss to your lips. he pulls away after 5 seconds, and then leans back in for a quicker peck before completely pulling off you.
you blink in surprise, “we’ve never done that before.” you say dumbly.
“no,” sidney says, “we haven’t. is that okay?”
“definitely okay,” you mumble, pushing up to your toes and kissing him again.
(unedited)
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raiffeldrakon123 · 2 days ago
Text
DP X DC | Short Story 1
The following story is based on a prompt I've made. The idea is the same, but the execution is different.
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— Alright Steph, we are all here now, how about you start explaining now? -Barbara said softly, her gaze kind. The rest of the Batfamily watched Steph with a mix of curiosity and subtle concern from their seats around the room.
Stephanie lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the floor as her mind raced. She had always known this day would come —it was almost a miracle she’d managed to keep the secret for as long as she had. But now that the moment was here, she had no idea how to begin explaining it all to them. She stayed silent for a few more seconds, letting out a slow breath before raising her head and running a hand through her hair. Her eyes met the faces of the people around her —not her family by blood, but at this point, they might as well have been.
— Alright, but just for the record, I swear I didn’t mean to keep this a secret from you guys, -She said, her voice tinged with guilt. She lifted a hand to scratch the back of her neck, glancing away.- For this long, anyway.
— So, you did mean to keep this a secret from us, -Damian said, narrowing his eyes at her, his frown deepening
Stephanie flinched at Damian’s words but pushed through.
— Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys about this sooner, -She said, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders.- But in my defense, it wasn’t any of your business. It was mine, and I had it under control. -She swept her gaze across the room, meeting each of their eyes in turn —Though her gaze lingered on Tim, Bruce, Barbara, and Dick a bit more than the others.- And be honest — if I’d told you all about it at the very start of my vigilante career, can any of you really say you wouldn’t have meddled?
Bruce, Barbara, Dick, and Tim exchanged uncomfortable glances, their silence louder than any admission. Alfred shook his head in exasperation while Selena shook her head with fondness, and Steph couldn’t help but let a small smile tug at her lips. If she had told them and they’d decided to meddle, she knew he would have quietly taken her side —even if both had wanted to meddle themselves; They were one of the rare voices of reason in the house, both were consumed by paranoia and actually knew when to step in and when to let things be.
— Anyway... how about we get back to your explanation? -Barbara said, gently steering the conversation back on track. She unlocked her phone and opened the gallery, turning the screen toward Stephanie.- When did this happen?
The image on the screen was one Barbara had found during her routine security check, making sure nothing dangerous had slipped into their devices. It showed a grinning Danny holding a baby girl —Ellie— who was beaming as she reached for the phone. The caption read: "Look how much fun I’m having, Mommy!"
— It... it happened back when I first started going out to stop my father, -Stephanie said, thinking back about those times.- I met Danny right after I found out the guy I was sort of dating at school was only with me because I was one of the few girls he hadn’t screwed yet.
The room fell into silence like a guillotine blade. The shift in atmosphere was immediate —muscles tensed, jaws clenched, and eyes darkened with barely restrained fury. Even Alfred, the eternal wellspring of calm of the family, had a cold, dangerous glint in his gaze that reminded everyone that he used to work for the secret services back in England.
— And who, -Dick started, his voice dripping with a sweetness so artificial it was venomous.- would this ‘guy’ be? -His smile was so painfully fake it might as well have been carved into his face.- I think I speak for everyone when I say we just want to... talk.
Around the room, heads nodded in grim unison. Damian, Duke, Bruce, Lucius, Alfred, Barbara, Cassandra, Kate, Harper, Selina, and Jason —each one radiating their own brand of barely contained rage in her steed.
— I’m not telling you his name, -Steph said, rolling her eyes, though the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her.- As much as I don’t like him, I don’t want him mysteriously ending up in the hospital over something that happened years ago. Besides, -she added with a smirk,- I kicked him so hard in the nuts he probably still wakes up screaming, so you guys don’t need to get even for me.
— You went too easy on him, Brown, -Damian growled, voice low and brimming with malice.- Scum like that needs to suffer more. Pain is the only language they understand.
— Have to agree with the demon spawn, -Kate muttered, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.- He clearly needs a better lesson in how to treat women like human beings.
— Preach, -Cassandra, Selena, and Harper said in perfect, almost chilling synchronicity.
Their protectiveness genuinely touched Stephanie, but she had a story to finish.
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yanderecrazysie · 2 days ago
Text
Bad Choices (Yandere Sakusa)
Requested on Quotev
Title: Bad Choices
Pairings: Sakusa Kiyoomi x F!Reader
WARNINGS: yandere themes, bullying, college AU
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You were finally going to get away.
Away from your family, that old cramped house, your crappy school, and, best of all, him.
Sakusa was somewhat popular at your old school, at least to those who cared about sports. He was a germaphobe but, ironically, couldn’t have been more nasty of a person in your eyes. 
He had never been nice to you- outright ignoring you in your first year, even when you tried to be friendly. The second year, he started to make snide remarks and bump into you on purpose. Third year? He made your life hell.
Snide comments turned to outright insults, little bumps turned to full-out pushing you down... He stuffed you into a locker and left you there overnight. He took an upskirt photo of you without your knowledge and placed printed out copies all over the school walls. He dumped a full cafeteria trash can over your head.
He made your life miserable with his cruelty… but now, he wouldn’t be able to. You were going to a small university in a far-away city. There was no way he’d run into you there.
Or so you thought.
—---------------------------------
You were in a rush to get to your next class, head down as you ran with your books in hand. Unsurprisingly, not paying attention to where you were going was a bad idea, and you ran face first into someone, spilling books everywhere.
“I’m so sorry!” you gasped, picking the books up, “I wasn’t looking-”
You stopped when you caught sight of the person you had run into. Of course, out of everyone in the world, you had crashed into Sakusa.
“Why are you here?” you demanded to know. 
“I go to this university,” Sakusa replied. Not in a mean way, but matter-of-factly with a hint of an eagerness that left you confused and more than a little concerned.
He was undeniably Sakusa- the face mask, curly black hair, and tell-tale beauty marks- but he had a softer expression on his face, one you’d never seen before. Usually, he had a cruel look in his eyes before he started to torment you, but that expression didn’t seem to be there today.
Still, that didn’t mean you trusted him. You scrambled to pick up the last book and tried to run past, cutting the conversation short, but Sakusa grabbed ahold of your sleeve, stopping you from running off.
“What do you want?” you snapped.
“I was wondering,” Sakusa brought up a hand to rub at the back of his neck, as though he was embarrassed, “Do you want to go on a date?”
You stared blankly at him for a moment before you started to laugh. Not an amused laugh, but a hysterical “are-you-kidding-me” laugh. You couldn’t believe the words had come out of his mouth.
Surely, this was some kind of terrible joke he was trying to pull. Otherwise, he had to be insane to suggest such a thing.
“What’s the trick to that?” you snarled, “I show up and you dump a bucket of trash over my head?”
“Huh?” Sakusa had the audacity to look surprised, “No, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Uh, yeah, you would,” you snapped, “In fact, you did. Twice.”
Sakusa raised his arms in a sort of shrug, “Why don’t we put the past behind us?”
Fury surged through you, “What? You want me to forget that you were a garbage excuse for a human being and go on a date with you?”
“Listen,” Sakusa said bashfully, “I’ve liked you since our first year of high school. I just didn’t know how to show it.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” you said sharply, “Well, you dug your own grave, so lie in it. I’d rather die than go on a date with you.”
Sakusa let go of your sleeve, “You don’t mean that.”
“I meant every single word,” you told him truthfully, “Now, I have to go to class. Don’t ever talk to me again.”
You stormed off to your apartment. You were already too late to go to class on time and you didn’t feel like learning about molecules anymore.
You didn’t notice Sakusa following you.
—-----------------------------
CRASH
A sudden shattering sound woke you up. You sat up straight in bed and immediately started groping for your phone. It wasn’t on the nightstand, you realized with a sinking feeling, which meant you had accidentally left it in your purse on the dresser.
You carefully got up and tried to run across your bedroom to the dresser, but you were blinded by the light from a flashlight. You grabbed your purse and swung it at the intruder, knowing it would do nothing to actually protect you. But if you could only distract them for a moment…
“Ow!” came a familiar voice after your purse connected with their face. The light flicked on and you were horrified by what you saw.
Sakusa held up a pistol, trained on your heart. His normally-perfect hair was plastered to his forehead and he looked somewhat crazed. A drop of sweat rolled down his temple, merging with the white medical mask still on his face.
“Sakusa?” your voice shook as hard as your body, “What are you doing?”
“You said you’d rather die than go on a date with me,” Sakusa replied calmly, “I want to know if that’s true…”
Sakusa took the safety off.
“Now, make your choice.”
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solarismoons · 2 days ago
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SPOILERS FOR S2 EP7 OF SCHOOL SPIRITS
Mr. Martin rowing away with Janet is so ominous…
His acting is SO great. His mannerisms and the way he speaks is so perfect. “We deserve this.”
“It makes me sad.. That we couldn’t have gone to any of these places together.” NO one can tell me Maddie doesn’t like Wally as much as he likes her. That girl is in love.
I genuinely didn’t expect everyone to be right about Yuri and Charley! They recreated that pottery making scene!! I did not expect them to get freaky, but i’m NOT complaining.
IM GONNA SCREAM. The way Wally hooked his finger in her bra strap??? My heart is actually beating so fast..I know i’ve said this before, but the tongue is INSANE.
I love how the ghosts are having sex with each other while the living kids are literally crashing out.
I really wish we saw Quinn going into her scar for the first time… I really wonder what it would’ve looked like.
IM ACTUALLY CRYING. I did NOT expect to see Milo’s bare ass today, but DAMN… My jaw dropped to the FLOOR.
“It’s kind of hard not to think about everything that’s waiting for me here.” Ugh, don’t make me cry today PLEASE.
I’m a little surprised there was no talk of Maddie begin a virgin, since that seemed fairly important to her in the first season. I’m not complaining at all though, because WOW..
“Oh, god! I’m gonna need to guys to peel yourselves off each other and come down to the library stat.” The way Maddie nor Wally didn’t even TRY to cover up is killing me. They genuinely don’t GAF.
They were planning on torturing the other ghosts?? This just keeps getting worse and worse the more we learn.
“I’m glad it was you, too.” Please don’t make me like these two together…
‘Notice of suspension’??? God, i feel so awful for Simon. I never even thought of how this affected him. He’s missed so many classes countless times.. What about his future? He flunked that one college admission interview, too. If anything bad happens to Simon, i’m throwing a tantrum.
Oh my god… Poor Rhonda. I love her so much. Knowing she was alone with Janet and Mr. Martin for so long is just so horrifying.
I didn’t expect Dawn to be so involved! I love how she’s really not stupid or airheaded. She’s just a little eccentric. I’m so glad we got another scene with her.
This show is honestly a horror movie at this point… ‘Mr. Anderson’ being soaking wet, covered in mud with his head gushing blood walking around with a fireplace poker is terrifying. My heart is beating so fast.
Mr. Martins manipulating Janet is infuriating. I don’t even have the words to express how much I hate him.
Poor Quinn! I feel so bad. “I died knowing that everyone was mad at me.” My baby 😞💔💔.
“You can’t just leave me now.” STOP. I love them so much it hurts so bad.
I really didn’t expect Simon and Maddie to argue but it was bound to happen.
“Is this because of Wally?” I called it. I fucking called it. I KNEW this was going to come up. Kristian’s acting always gets me. I love Simon so much.
Patrick Gilmores acting is amazing. He somehow even sounds like Mr. Martin and it’s terrifying. Also, he’s lowkey hot and i’m not sorry for saying that.
Mr. Martin forcing Janet into the hellscape made me sick to my stomach.
This fandom is so smart it blows my mind. Everyone said Mr. South must know more about the scars than we had thought. I kind of thought he was just being melodramatic, but the more we saw the scars I changed my mind.
Everyone was right about the scar being Mr. Martin’s. This makes a whole lot more sense. The woman could’ve been his finance, considering the fact that we haven’t seen her before.
This episode was genuinely insane. I still haven’t even fully processed anything.
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yailtsv · 2 days ago
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Basketball Practice - Pazzi’s daughter
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💌 Syn: Paige watches Saylor’s first basketball practice back after being grounded from basketball for two weeks
»»— warnings: curse words
»»— notes: finally posting for saylor again after so many requests to start writing for her again 🙌
»»— word count: 576 (it’s a short one i’m sorry)
»»— pair: Paige x daughter!oc || Saylor Bueckers
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todays the day that saylor can go back to practice again and she was extremely excited about that, before she found out that paige is going to be going to supervise. she knows she’s about to be made fun of bad, so she tried to get paige to change her mind - with no luck
which tells you where they are now - the high school gym
the whole team was doing drills with paige just sitting on the bleachers watching. the coach soon after blew the whistle for a start of a scrimmage game, and when everyone was walking towards the coach so he could pick who’s doing the scrimmage, jasmine walked up to saylor
“what the actual fuck is wrong with you?” jasmine said seething “what are you talking about?” saylor said already knowing what she’s talking about but trying to steer the conversation elsewhere
“you brought your mom?! wnba champion and wnba legend mom?! to MY practice without telling ME?! does that ring a bell stupid?”
“i didn’t bring her, she decided to come. i tried to get her to not come.” saylor says trying to defend herself and get back on jasmines good side
“well that doesn’t really matter does it?! she’s here and you didn’t tell me, so i didn’t prepare my game. i’ve probably been out here playing stupid because YOU didn’t warn me that she was gonna be here. this is YOUR fault. everything always leads back to you”
saylor and jasmine made it to where the coach was before saylor could respond - and of course he just had to put those two girls on the same scrimmage team.
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during the scrimmage jasmine kept giving saylor stink eyes and was ultimately playing dirty with saylor even though they were on the same team. plus even after the scrimmage was over and they were back to normal practice drills, jasmine was still playing dirty - she always found a way no matter the drill or the distance in between the two girls
after practice and in the locker room away from the coaches and paige, jasmine pushed saylor into the lockers hard, before giving her a side eye and walking away towards her locker
saylor sighed and stood up, wincing in pain as she does before also walking towards her locker to get clean and dressed as fast as she can
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walking out of the locker room before anyone else, saylor quickly went to the lobby to meet up with paige before jasmine or one of her minions could find her first
“hey, you did good at practice” paige said looking up from her phone when she heard footsteps walking towards her
“thank you, can we go now?” saylor says nervously - which doesn’t go unnoticed by paige, but she doesn’t say anything and just stands up “yeah, let’s go, moms making lasagna for dinner”
saylor just nods and the both of them exit the school and get to the car. when they are pulling out of the parking lot, saylor looks out the window and sees jasmine standing outside glaring at her
saylor just quickly turns her head to look away from the window - already knowing tomorrow is gonna be hell.
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🏷️ @melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @authentic-girl03 @ldapper @taylynbueckers44
requested on wattpad
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sweetgummyclusters · 1 day ago
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OLD FRIENDS
satoru gojo x mtf reader
18+ ONLY! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!
A/N There Will Be A Part ii To This. Most Likely Next Week.
tags/cw: besties to friends to lovers trope, drunk sex, blowjob, almost caught (?), nipple play, (SLIGHTEST bit of angst)
word count: 6.7k
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December was always cold; It always held too many memories. You hated to be alone during the month, and you weren't the only one. Suguru Geto was a man adored by several, but that group was never one to let themselves grieve so openly. So instead of having those who'd understand you best over at your apartment tonight, a week before the anniversary, you've invited a few people who are fun to drink with. Fun to talk to. Fun distractions.
“That's actually insane. You're insane.” The sound of her laughter brings feeling to the desolation in your chest. You turn to your friend who is giggling through her sentences. The littlest pieces of her brown hair dance from the breeze of the fan she’s hogged. You have to let your head fall back on the couch, as she sits on a cushion and you sit on the floor.
“Are you hearing this?” She asks you, her head tilted down.
“No, sorry. I missed it, I think.” You apologize, smiling sweetly at her. She scoffs and shakes her head. It's an exaggerated show of her taking offense to that, but you know she's too drunk to remember what she even finds offensive.
“This man just said he's stolen a cop car. This man.” She repeats. “A cop car!”
You furrow your eyebrows and tilt your head at the liar with a cocky grin on his face. He sits at the other side of the carpet, his hoodie on the floor next to him. “As cool as that sounds, that cannot be true.”
You watch as he sluggishly shakes his head at you, keeping the same proud expression. “Tis true.” He declares.
Your friend of higher ground and your friend of fictional hijinks choose to spend the next five minutes arguing about this. You've chosen to spend it on your phone.
There's a bit of guilt on your mind, inviting half a dozen people over to your apartment only to leave them to their own devices. But you also know that if there was any group to do that to, it would be this one. This bunch is perfect for when you want to be the quiet girl in the back who follows along on everyone else's ridiculous adventures. When the whole idea of a social life is too much to bear, but you still want the comfort of some company.
You had a few people who used to be that for you, not in this way, but in a more comfortable sense. Here, you seemed less like a part of the group and more like an accessory. With them, they made you feel like everything you said or did clicked perfectly. You used to think it was too good to be true, too good to last, if only you knew how right you were.
“Hey, do you have any more chasers somewhere? There’s nothing in the fridge.” You look over to your friend in the kitchen. Jeremy’s hair doesn’t dance at all, but instead, sits blonde, beautiful, and still at the top of his head. He wears a black turtleneck with a beige jacket tied around his waist. He didn’t show up like that, but after a few times of drinking with him, you’ve realized he gets very hot, very quickly when drunk. He saunters over from the kitchen to where you are.
“I’m probably out, then.” Your head falls back against the cushion again, as you have to look up at him when he stands above you. His eyes stay on you as his long, slender arms reach for the table right by the armrest. You hear his keys jingle in his hands as you tilt your head and furrow your eyebrows. “Where you going?”
He stares at you for a moment and doesn’t answer. He can’t help it. The way you look up at him, and the way your whole pretty face is so entirely visible, it makes him smile. Everyone else shares a knowing glance between themselves. Jeremy likes you. He has for a while. And everyone but you knew it. Well, you’ve had your moments. Moments where you felt like he was doing a bit much as a friend, putting in a lot of effort, saying too many right things, but you didn’t want to think too much into it.
“Well, someone’s out of chasers. So I’m gonna go grab some.” He has a playful tone in the way he talks to you. It makes your friends almost wanna gag.
“What? You’re not gonna drive. You drank.” In times like these, the slightest attraction you had for him wavered. He sighs.
“Yeah, okay.” He shoves his keys into his jean pocket and shifts his smile from teasing to somewhat sincere. “You worry too much about me, though.”
He continues as he walks away. “You don’t have to be pretty and sweet.” With that, he walks out the front door and shuts it behind him. Your friends all give their own unique disgusted expressions as a sort of silence befalls you all. You hate it. What were they here for if they weren’t gonna talk so much that they annoy your neighbors? You start praying to anything out there that someone speaks up, someone starts talking again, saying something. Anything.
“He’s likes you so much, it’s gross.”
You raise your head with wide eyes, turning your head and staring at the loud-mouthed woman. Not what you expected, but she certainly gave you what you asked for. Everyone else is instantly turning up the volume again, bickering and arguing over what the brunette said and why it should or should not have been said aloud. You sigh, deciding to bother with this later. You didn’t have the energy to open up that box. Instead, you get up and make your way to the bathroom. You excuse yourself, but nobody noticed anyway. They weren’t always good at that.
The way you look in the mirror captures your attention. It’s like there’s something there, something in front of your face that looks just like an exact replica. This happens sometimes, when you’ve blown past your social battery. You press your fingers against it before placing your palms on the cheeks. You shift your hands to cover the bottom-half of the face, blocking everything from view but the forehead, eyebrows, and eyes. Suguru always liked that part of your face. You assumed it’s because you wore a mask a lot in public so he saw it a lot more than your other features, but he was always good at making you feel proud of it. He made you feel feminine and beautiful, without making things feel weird or awkward at any point. You always appreciated it as one of his many talents. It’s stuff like that that you miss in times like these.
You’re pulled from your thoughts when your phone vibrates. You don’t even remember bringing it with you, and you start to question how many you had to drink out there. You take it out of your back pocket and look at the screen. Your eyes widen slightly at the name before you start to squint at the message underneath.
hey where r u rn?
You blink. It wasn’t unusual for Satoru Gojo to text you. It would be more so strange if he went a week where he didn’t, interrupting your routine to send you a meme that only he finds funny. Especially at an ungodly hour like this. After Suguru, he sort of seemed like he forgot what sleep was. But there's an off feeling in your gut when you read the text.
Tapping on your screen, you open up your chat log with the man. Ultimately, you figure that the odd feeling inside you is just the alcohol in your system. Just as you’re about to write something back, your phone vibrates again for one long second before his name and contact photo shines brightly over your display. Now, this was unusual.
Your heart beats just a little faster, and you hesitate to answer. You bite your lip and look towards the door, the faint voices in your living room make you think twice about taking a call in the bathroom.
Without wasting another second, you quickly open the door and make your way towards your bedroom. When you step inside, you turn the lock and press the green button on your phone, holding it up to your ear. You hear the chatter of loud conversation and abrasive laughter in the background. “Gojo?” You ask, your voice almost as quiet as a whisper.
This contrasts with the way he answers. “Hello?” He shouts over the noise.
“Hey dude, what’s up?”
He doesn’t answer. You hear him sigh, almost groan, as he tries to think of one. “J'st a second.” He tells you. You listen, but your confusion has almost hit its peak. After a minute or two, the sounds of people around him are replaced with the quiet hum of car engines and the occasional wind blowing.
“Gojo?” You call for him again. This time, he responds.
“Hey, yeah. Hi.” The sound of his voice is a little.. weird, you think that maybe it’s just his mic. Or maybe it’s your speaker, knowing him he probably has the best mobile device on the market, being the richest guy you personally know and all.
“Hi, are you okay?” You move over to sit at your desk, the comfort of the back pillow bringing you the smallest bit of relief.
“Yeah.” He laughs. “Yeah, nah, yeah. I’m good. So good. Always, uh.. always good.”
After finally hearing a somewhat full sentence from the blue-eyed man, you figure out the reason for the call as quickly as it arose in your mind. “Are you drunk, Gojo?”
As your question hangs in the air, you feel as if even the world around you struggles to answer back. Suddenly, it feels quiet again. You fucking hate it.
“Gojo?” You ask as if he’s disappeared, but it actually sounds more like a stern repeat of his name. Your irritation is audibly noticeable, and it almost makes him smile.
“Yeah, uhm. I mean, no. I mean, yeah. Fuck, uhm..” He sighs. “I’m not usually a drinker, so my tolerance is pretty low. I didn’t drink a lot tonight, but I prob’ly am.”
You tilt your head in confusion, as if he can see. “Drunk, I mean.” He finishes. This side of your old friend is a peculiar one. He’s usually so cool with his words, everything that flows out of him seems to be so natural. But this? This is almost awkward, somewhat gauche, he sounds.. a little adorable.
“Yeah, I’ve realized that by now.” You laugh slightly. You wonder if you should tell him how drunk you are too, but then it strikes you that he mentioned the fact that he’s not usually a drinker, and that uneasy feeling is back in your stomach.
“What gave it away?” He asks. “I thought I was being slick.”
You shake your head and sigh. “Yeah, no. That was probably the ‘unslickest’ cover-up I’ve ever heard in my life.” You joke. You think to yourself for a moment as you listen to the soft sounds of traffic on the other line before you go on.
“I’ve been drinking too.” You confess. “With some friends.”
Gojo feels a tug at his chest as you clarify. He immediately assumes that that must be why Shoko turned down his invite to the bar that evening. She was with you. His next assumption is that you must’ve actually hated him or something, because you invited her to drink at your apartment but not him. It didn’t make logical sense, and he knew that. Throughout the years, even after the split of the group, you were both always kind to each other. Always warm. Always, at the very least, friends. But Gojo couldn’t find it in himself to be logical, not when he felt so strange. Like there was a spinning rotor in his brain.
“Wow. Could’ve softened that blow.” He comments. He thanks whoever out there in the universe that he still has his sarcasm intact, even when drunk.
“What do you mean?” You ask him.
“Whad’you mean? Is she not the ‘friend’ with you?” He makes a voice at the word friend and scoffs, lifting the bottle he’s been carrying in his other hand this whole time and taking a swig. He cringes at the taste and then again at the burn down his throat. He can’t believe that you’d invite Shoko for a drink and not him. He, in his own head, is much more fun than Shoko is. He knows that you’ve never really seen him drunk before, and he’s hardly really experienced it himself, but geez! It would’ve been nice to experience it together. With you. Shoko at home. The both of you in your apartment. Alone, tipsy, and curious.
“No, she’s not here. I invited some other friends, you wouldn’t know them.”
Oh.
He feels stupid. Stupid and drunk. He thinks to himself that he should just hang up now. He should just apologize for interrupting and tell you to have a good night. That would be smart and sane of him, but then he thinks again, and he throws away any remnant of sense he had in his brain with another swig of the bottle.
“Are you still drinking?” You ask, hearing him gulp. He lets out a soft ‘blegh’ and you deadpan.
“Can you tell them to go home?” He slurs, his tone is low and almost comical. Your eyebrows furrow and you shake your head, thinking to yourself that you must’ve heard him wrong.
“Huh?”
He giggles. “Ah, you sound cute. I said.. Can. You. Tell. Them. To. Go. Home.” You don’t respond. You bring your hand up to your forehead and rest your elbow on your desk. A million questions flood your mind at once, but you can only get one out.
“Are you okay, Gojo?” You pause before asking another. “What’s wrong?”
You realize that you don’t really need him to answer the first one. You know something’s up. And you already sort of know the answer to the second one, but you hope that he’ll respond anyway. You give him about twenty seconds before feeling the irritation rise through you at the sudden silence again.
“Do you want to come over?” It’s a simple question, but the realization that you’ve just said it to Satoru Gojo makes you want to throw your pillow to the wall. Plus the fact that both of you are drunk, and he just called you cute, doesn’t help.
“Yes, I do. But get them to leave, will you?” He doesn’t say please, but he himself feels that he sounds sorta like he’s begging. You roll your eyes.
“I heard you. I will.” You respond. “Do you need the pin?”
He shakes his head slowly, as if you can see. “No. I remember where you live.”
Ah.
You say your goodbyes, although it’s more like see you soons, and hang up. You unlock your bedroom door and head out to the living area, four of the drunks are conversing amongst themselves while one of them is passed out on your couch. The conscious ones turn to look at you and cheer at your arrival. You give them a sorrowful look as you lie, explaining that something’s come up with your siblings and they have to leave. They buy it at first, waking up their sleeping friend and grabbing as much stuff as they can remember. It’s not until much later when they start to question if you’d ever mentioned having siblings before at all. But then at that point, they’re already in their uber on their way to the most sober one’s home.
—-
You sit on your couch, trying to finish the rest of the bottle your friends had left behind. Being lost in your own thoughts, the beverage doesn’t help that. You hadn’t seen Satoru Gojo in a few months, and even then, it was only because the two of you crossed paths at a bar. You think about the tension the both of you had the last time you were drunk. The brave little acts of flirtation, the carefully clumsy words of suggestion. All of that was reciprocated and he wasn’t even drinking. There’s a sudden knock on your door that makes your heart skip a beat. You look over, unsure of whether or not you’re relieved that the virgin of alcohol has arrived. On one hand, you were starting to think that if you sat in another second of this silence, you'd throw your table out the window. On the other hand, you didn’t know if a drunk Satoru Gojo was better or worse for your peace of mind.
Another knock sounds before you get up from your seat. Making your way towards the entrance, you take a couple deep breaths, trying your best to calm your nerves. Your fingers carelessly swipe at the locks and you open the door. The white-haired man stumbles forward a little bit and you slightly brace for his fall. “You, did you even.. check the peephole?” His words drag as his feet do the same, inviting himself inside.
“I knew it was you. You said you were coming, duh.” You explain, shaking your head and giving him a slow up and down glance. His black long sleeve shirt barely holds above his shoulders. His snow white pants make him look a little ridiculous, only in the sense where he kinda looks like he’s trying too hard to not look like he’s trying hard. The glasses don’t help either, but you know how sensitive his eyes are, so you never bother to question it when he puts on a pair that clashes atrociously with his outfit. Besides, he’s the most sensible when it comes to style out of any rich person in the world, you think. They always make weird fashion choices, and you’ve always been glad he’s not like them.
“That’s not safe. What if I was a murder?”
You scoff out a laugh. Gojo smiles slightly without even realizing. “Whatever.” The both of you settle on the sofa.
He takes a minute to look around your apartment, taking in his surroundings. He then looks at you, taking you in. The frame of your body in your outfit was one he missed being able to stare at. He recalls the times the six of you would be out, going to see a movie or taking the unnecessary long way to get to a store, and he would have the same unshakeable stare. You clear your throat, noticing now. You never did back then. You sort of did at the bar, but you just assumed you were imagining things.
“So, what’s up? Whatchu want?”
“Whose jacket is that?” He points to the jacket on the floor by the TV, across from the both of you. He continues, less like he’s talking to you but instead more to himself. “That isn’t yours, right? That’s not your style.”
You grimace. “No, yeah. That’s not my style at all.” You laugh, he stares even more intently.
“It’s my friend’s. He probably forgot it.” Gojo comes up with a theory that upsets him in a way he finds humorous. He’s done that before as well: Left a jacket behind at a pretty girl’s house after a party, coming back to retrieve it after everyone’s gone home and ending up spending the night at her place. His expression falls and he frowns just a little.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Gojo, I invited you over because you sounded worrisome over the phone. Don’t avoid my question.” Your impatience was clear in your voice, your tone. He hadn’t heard you sound so irritated in so long, not since the days before everything went down. It almost warmed his heart. He missed when the two of you had that kind of relationship. One where you could both be as playfully mean as you wanted, as painfully direct as you needed, and you could smile and laugh about it in an instant. Now, you seemed to dance around everything. The both of you did. Conversations that once would’ve been filled with banter and snide comments, now just empty words of politeness.
“Yeah, no. I know.” He admits, running a hand through his hair. He leans back and sighs, manspreading in his seat next to you. His knee touches yours, you think you should move, but you don’t. He notices. “I know. I just.. I don’t know. Can we not talk?”
“What do you wanna do then?”
He shrugs. “Let’s just chill. Where’s your speaker?”
You laugh a bit through your words. “It’s literally two feet away from you. How drunk are you?” You gesture to where the side table is, underneath is your speaker with a couple detachable mics. Once he reaches over, it’s clear to him that your apartment is the resident drinking location for your friends. Either that, or you’re just well-prepared with a karaoke machine in your living room.
“Okay, sec.” He takes his phone out, you glare enviously at how big his pockets are. The face he makes as he tries his hardest to connect his phone is cute, you think. Lips pursed and pushed up, forcing him to make almost a kissy face. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes squint at his screen. “Okay, okay. What song you want?”
“I dunno, play anything.” Immediately, Been Away by Brent Faiyaz plays, an odd choice for someone who’s barely had a real conversation with you in a couple of years. Someone who’s now drunk on your couch, staring at you when he’s not staring at his blank phone screen.
“What, no like?”
You shake your head. “No, I’m good with it.” He turns up the volume a bit and sets it by his foot. After a moment passes, you feel a pressure on your arm. Looking over, you find the sluggish man leaning against you comfortably. His glasses are off, but his eyes are closed. “Y’know I didn’t expect you to listen to R&B music. I’ve only ever heard you play like, alt-rock. Or something like that.”
“I’ve traveled the world. I can’t listen to only Asian Kung-Fu Generation for the rest of my life.” He explains. “I heard of Brent Faiyaz when I went to a place called Maryland, in America.”
Your head tilts. “For business?”
He shakes his head, it feels almost as if he’s snuggling closer to you when he does. His eyes are still closed, and you wonder if you should turn off the overhead light.
“I took a girl there and we heard it at a party.” He laughs, thinking about the look on her face when he gave her the ticket, telling her that she could cancel if she wanted to. Either way, it wouldn’t really put a dent in his bank account. “She didn’t believe me when I said I was loaded so I booked us a flight and we spent the weekend.”
You frown a bit and don’t respond. You surely weren’t salty about him booking a weekend getaway with some girl he maybe didn’t know well. That wasn’t it at all, probably. But why didn’t he tell you? When did this happen? That seems crazy. Did he always just do crazy stuff like that now? Was it normal for him at this point in his life? Is that why he never thought to bring it up? He can almost feel the clunks and bangs of turning cogs in your brain. His eyes open. “It was.. I was in a weird spot. She was nice, but it was just that. We were both cool about it.” He clarifies. You think it’s weird how he does. It’s not like you need to know that. You don’t care for that confirmation, to be reassured that it was no big deal. You don’t care.
“Whatevs.”
—-
Time passes with both of you like this. Eventually, you start to have full conversations again. Giggles, laughter, agreements, disagreements as his playlist shuffles through similar sounding tracks. It begins to feel natural, almost like old times. Except, old times wouldn’t have granted you this space for just the two of you. Old times would mean two brunette’s and a blonde on one side, and a long-haired man on the other. Rarely did you ever get opportunities like this with him. Moments where you could get more personal and connected.
At some point, you don’t even think about the hand on your lap or the breath on your neck. You just think of it as bonding, as making up for lost time, or maybe you only think of it that way because you’ve been drinking as the half-hour goes on. You’ve managed to catch up to Gojo, in terms of tipsy buzzes, for better or worse. His face is buried in your neck as you both stifle your laughter, trying not to let a chuckle turn to a cackle and disturb the neighbors.
There’s a heat between you. There’s a heat inside you. There’s so much more space on the couch, you think. The both of you are almost huddled into one spot. Any outsider looking in would think your heater had broken and you ran out of blankets. You don’t even remember how he got here. God, he’s awfully close. Doesn’t he know that?
“You smell so good.” He whispers in your ear, you don’t think it’s intentional but it makes you shiver.
“What?” You laugh, albeit a bit awkwardly. Your shoulder moves just enough where he’s forced to raise his head and look at you. You raise your eyes to meet his own and the short distance between your faces make it difficult to choose your next words carefully. “Gojo?”
His eyes travel down your features until he gets to your lips. “Can you just..” He hesitates, his breathing is deep. Yours is almost in sync.
“Just Satoru, please?”
Your eyebrows knit together. You want to look away, but you can’t. You can feel the littlest bit of reason, just in the back of your brain, and it’s screaming at you to put an end to this. This is dangerous and reckless. The both of you are drunk, being led by temptation. And if there ever was a bad time to be exploring this aspect of your relationship with Satoru Gojo, it’d be today, this week, this month. You could be making the biggest mistake of your life, just for the temporary promise of comfort and pleasure. For distraction.
And though your doubts and concerns are all completely shared sentiments by the temptation himself, it only takes one string of justification for him to close the gap.
This was a long day for you. For both of you. December is always cold; It always holds too many memories. You hate to be alone during the month, and you aren’t the only one.
You kiss back.
Like every moment in your life where it feels like you’ve randomly decided to jump off a cliff into the raging ocean, your nerves shake as your body tingles. Your breathing is quick and your head feels like it’s swirling from a windstorm. The kiss quickly shifts from curious and nerve wracking to desperate and insatiable. Satoru has his arms wrapped around you in an instant when he scoops you up and places you on his lap.
You gasp at the feeling of being manhandled and feel a pull at your stomach when he deepens the kiss, his arms roaming your torso. A sigh escapes your lips when he moves, leaving a rough string of pecks on your neck. He groans and starts grinding his crotch against you, you feel cocky at first until you realize it was you who started moving your hips before he did. The feeling of someone pressed against you like this, especially when it’s him, makes the slight bulge in your shorts twitch. The pressure of his own bulge moving against your ass makes grinding so much harder to stop, but he has to. “Wait, please.” He clumsily asks, holding your waist and resting his forehead on your shoulder.
“Need my pants off. Don’t..” He hesitates. His voice drops before he continues. “Don’t wanna cum in them.”
He almost sounds embarrassed. “Gojo-”
“Satoru.” He reminds you. “Please.”
You pause before just nodding and taking his face in your hands. You force him to look at you, and while you struggle, you successfully hold eye contact with the man. “Satoru.” His name sounds almost beautiful in your voice. Almost the way it did when he said it, when Suguru made it sound sweet. But there was an elegance to your tone, one he hadn’t heard before. It made his heart race.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?”
He breathes in deeply before closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against your hand. The proximity of your bodies make it easy to inhale your scent with every breath. His hands are still holding onto your waist, but slowly coming to wrap themselves around you. Treating the position almost like a hug. It’s one that he doesn’t realize he needs so desperately until he gets it. That warmth of feeling you in his grasp. “I just need to feel good.” He finally answers.
Suddenly his hands slip under your top, gliding up from your lower back. You feel goosebumps form as his cold hands move on your skin. He continues. “I know you need it too.” He almost mutters. The music in the background and the way he grips onto your body creates an undeniably heated tension in the room. You struggle to answer back, until he moves his lips again. This time, back on your neck as he mumbles into your skin.
“Please, baby.”
You almost whine. Your head drops against him as his fingers stroke softly up and down your spine. You feel your own tug at his shirt; His heart pounds in his chest. He thinks back to the times before where you’d tug on his shirt, his sleeve, his bag, or his jacket. It was your quiet way of getting him to notice you and he adored it every time, getting to look at you with a smile as you slightly matched his own. Happy that you were getting the attention you craved, the eyes you wanted. “You want me?” You ask in response.
He moves his head to look at you, again with a small measure of space between you. He nods. “I do, really bad.” He can’t stop looking at your lips, he grows hungry.
You answer his prayers for him and lean in. Your kiss is soft, gentle. It contrasts with him again, but much more in the sense of nervousness. Almost fear. Fear that you might push too far, might break him. Might hurt yourself. You want to be cautious, but it gets harder and harder as you feel him rock his hips again, grinding against you. Subtle moans and whines escape the desperate man as you feel each one in your mouth, already having his tongue inside and moving against your own. His hands travel to your chest as yours find their way down to his crotch. You get started on unbuttoning his pants as he starts to knead and massage. You sigh in content, the light brushes against your nipples with his long slender fingers makes you want to lay down and let him have you.
After a moment, you get his zipper down. Your fingers push underneath the opening you’ve created and you place your palm over the long bulge in his underwear. He moans. Pulling away from the kiss, he tugs on the hem of your shirt, lifting it up to expose your chest. He leans down a bit to blow on your nipples and they take a more hardened shape at the feeling of the cold air hitting them. The feeling of his gaze locked onto your tits makes you wanna grind against him to interrupt. You choose not to, and instead begin stroking him through the fabric of his underwear. “Fuck, baby..” He moans again as his gaze shoots down to where your hand is. He’s panting as he uses one hand to shove his pants further down his thighs, you’re still on top of him as he lifts his hips up to make the adjustment easier. His other hand moves to grip and settle on the back of your neck. He licks his lips hungrily as you continue to stroke him before he has the idea to latch on to your nipples.
Sucking and lapping at your chest forces you to take a sharp breath through your teeth, a small whine escaping through the sigh you exhale. His tongue glides around your areola before his lips close around them and he starts sucking, still using his tongue as he does. His other hand finds its way to your other nipple, making sure it’s being shown proper attention. He twists and tugs, earning a guttural moan from your throat. Your hips grind more feverishly as you chase the pleasure you're craving for.
You continue to fondle his clothed cock until he can’t bear it anymore. He shoots up from his spot on the couch, bringing you up with him as he holds your ass in his hands. You gasp as your legs instinctively wrap around him. He kisses you again as he pushes you against the wall, right by the front door. You knew he was strong, you always did, but feeling him hold you tight and walk with you as he held you up with ease made your heart pulse between your legs. Eventually he gets back to your neck, before letting your legs drop back down to the floor. Your feet settle as you carry your own weight again. He moves to slip off your shirt and you raise your arms to make it easier for him. He licks, sucks, and kisses down your body until he gets to your belly. His fingers dig into where the hem of your shorts are.
Satoru looks up at you with a burning desire in his eyes, but also a needy sort of plea. The look on his face makes you all the more sure of your reckless behavior as you guide his hands to pull your bottoms down. Just enough to expose your needy, pretty penis. His eyelids droop as he bites his lip. His hands caress your thighs as they push upward, he licks the bite marks left behind on his bottom lip. Impatiently, your hands find their way onto the slutty man beneath you. One in his hair, and one under his chin. Your hand under his chin moves to make a sort of cup form in front of his lips. He eyes your palm before spitting on it, you rub it on yourself, making it easier for a hand to glide over.
As you twist and rub, Satoru leans in closer, his own impatience finally beginning to show. He licks his lips more sloppily, to coat his own mouth in just a bit of saliva, before settling on the tip of your penis. He treats your knob as he’s treated your nipples, sucking and licking. His tongue swirls around until the hand in his hair tugs his head further down your length.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
You freeze. Satoru doesn’t, only slowing his work on your body with an angry look at whoever’s taken your attention away from him. You stare at the door, realizing you forgot to lock it. You hope and pray, repeating the words over and over again in your head, ‘do not fucking open it.’ It becomes a little hard to focus though, as a tongue licks at the vein on the underside of your shaft. Your hand shoots over your mouth.
A voice begins to speak behind the closed door. “Hey, uhh just wanted to drop the chasers. I’m.. sorry to hear that something came up and uhh I hope your siblings are okay.” You recognize the voice to be Jeremy, the one you never formally told that tonight was canceled. The one who left and almost got behind the wheel after drinking enough to make his now muffled words slow and deliberate. Slightly slurring through each syllable.
You whimper and whine with the lowest volume you can possibly muster. Satoru bobs his head up and down, the tiniest drops of precum running down his throat. He looks up at you with half-lidded eyes, a mischievous glint in them as he does. It isn’t until your friend knocks on the door for a second time that you notice Satoru is excited by this. Funnily enough, it’s not his somewhat smiling lips that give it away. Not the curved ends or the air being blown from his nose in a more quick, laughing manner than just normal breathing. It’s the way he speeds up, getting sloppy with each passing moment that your friend makes his presence known.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Hey, princess. You okay?” Satoru’s eyebrows furrow. He mouths a muffled ‘princess?’ repeating the pet name from Jeremy outside. The vibration on the skin of your girl cock sends a shiver down your spine and a shaky moan out your lips. “I can hear the music, I know you’re in there.”
Gojo just feels lucky that he decided to turn the music up at some point while you two were making out. Wave after wave of pleasure hits you as the quickly sobering older man brings you in and out of his hot mouth. You struggle to keep your composure, half of the reason you’re still able to stand up is the fact that Satoru has such a tight grip on your thighs. It makes you feel held in place as his thumb rubs circles into the meat of your leg. His large, cold hands send a different kind of sensation throughout your body. One that you’ve felt before, whenever he’d look at you with a certain type of admiration in his eyes while you spoke to him about something you didn’t think others would understand as well as him and Suguru could. Your heart would race.
“Princess?” You hear Jeremy call for you again. At this point, Satoru takes you out of his mouth with a pop. His hands move to stroke you, keeping you stimulated as he continues to look up at you.
“Want you to cum.” He sticks his tongue out to lick all the way down to your balls. He sucks and pulls at you with his lips as his hands stay on your length, using his saliva and your precum as lube. “Can you cum for me, pretty girl?”
You nod, frantically. Like you’ve been holding yourself back until the very moment he told you to release. “Mhm, mm. Haah..”
“You might be asleep.” Jeremy almost sounds like he meant to mutter, but his drunkenness makes his understanding of volume so wrong that he can be heard over the music. “I’m just gonna uhh, I’ll call you later.”
He lightly taps at the door as you hear his slow footsteps begin and then fade. Just when he’s out of earshot, Gojo sinks down onto you again, until his nose pushes against your pubic area. “Ah! Fuck, fuck, fuck. Satoru.. fuck, don’t stop. P-please..” The sudden burst of whines and pleading makes a wet spot on his underwear. He almost joins you in your orgasm when he feels ropes of warm viscous fluid shoot down his throat, that paired with the sound of you crying his name out as you tug on his hair, it’s like heaven for the man. He swallows it all.
Settling down, slowing your breathing, and lightening up on the grip you have on Satoru’s hair, you tear your gaze away from the ceiling and bring it down to the smiling face beneath you. You watch him lick his lips as he leaves a trail of light kisses down your shaft. This only brings up the idea of it being his turn. That alone brings another pull to your stomach, as you feel your dick twitch again.
“Bedroom?” You ask, breathless with a soft expression. He nods fervently, scooping his arms around your legs and back before whisking you away again. Your arms rest on his shoulders. Kisses and sweet whispered nothings fill the noise not already filled by a slow jam as he makes his way to your room, holding you like a princess.
"I missed you."
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A/N I've Never Really Written For Trans Women Specifically When It Comes To Reader Fics, So I Apologize If The Words Used Or Chosen Language To Describe Some Body Parts Was Not To Your Liking. Although, I Always Appreciate Criticism And Helpful Tips On What Works Best For Y'all. That Goes For All Of My Fics.
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water-to-drink · 11 hours ago
Text
Be a Gladiolus in a Field of Belladonnas pt19
Aftermath
(Summary): You’ve successfully escaped the Fortress of Meropide and now everyone is scrambling to find you
Part 1 Last Part Next Part
✧ Masterlist ✧
(Characters): Wriothesley, Clorinde, Neuvillette, Ganyu, Ayato, Jean, Sara, Al haitham, Jean, Ganyu, Huixin, & Nahida
(Tags/Warnings): gn!reader, strangulation, (if I missed anything lmk)
(Word Count): 1.3k
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“Stop!” Wriothesley yelled at you
You picked up the pace towards the ocean but it seemed that Wriothesley was a lot faster than you anticipated. Wriothesley extended his hand to grab onto you, but you jumped into the water before he could
Just inches, if he was just a bit closer he could have grabbed your hood and drag you back to your cell
Starring at the spot you jumped in, Wriothesley turned towards the other guards. “Get divers and the spotlights to search the area, they couldn’t have gone too far.”
Back in the underworld Wriothesley and the guards inspect the damage done to the facility and to make sure that none of the other prisoners escaped during the altercation. After the power came back on the damage was fully understood
“You know this reflects badly on Fontaine, and mainly your abilities as a warden, Wriothesley.” A woman with dark purple hair stated
“I know that, Clorinde.” Wriothesley said pushing his bangs out of his face. “What are you even doing here?”
“I was instructed to ensure that the imposter didn’t escape from your grasp if they tried by the Iudex. But it seems that I was too late.”
“I was just fine, this is just a little hiccup. The imposter will be back in our custody soon enough.”
“I do hope you’re correct on that point, I’m going to call Neuvillette and inform him on the situation.” Clorinde walked away from the taller man who sucks his teeth in annoyance
“What’s that glittery stuff on your side, your Mercy.” A random guard asked Wriothesley
The warden looked down and spotted the sparkly specks of gold on the side of his torso. He tried to recall when that got on him until he remembered that was the side where you kicked him with your cut up leg, a horrifying realization fills the duke
“I-I have to go!” Wriothesley said as he rushes into his office
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“Uhh, Mr. Neuvillette. You have a call for you, apparently it’s not good news…” Ninggaung’s assistant, Huixin said nervously as she handed the envoy the phone
The Iudex takes the device and puts his ear against it. After a short back and forth the man puts the phone back in the switchhook
“What is it, Mr. Neuvillette?” Ayato asked
“The imposter escaped.” Neuvillette stated
“How did that happen?” Ganyu asked
“Apparently there was a power outage in the facility and they used the confusion to make an escape. However they couldn’t have gotten that far, the guards are currently searching the area near the facility.” Neuvillette explained
“I’m sorry to intrude but I overheard that the imposter was using both cryo and anemo.” Huixin interjected
“They must have stunk a delusion into the prison, but that’s impossible due to them being searched before they entered…” Jean thought out loud
“Or perhaps there could have been someone on the inside who gave them the delusions when they were inside the prison.” Al haitham added
This caused everyone to look at the former scribe in shock, all thinking who could aid the bringer of disaster, helping them bring devastation to Teyvat much sooner
“We can theorize later, the more pressing issue is who is going to be the one who tells their Grace the news?” Sara asked concern showing on her usually stoic features
“I will.” Neuvillette said drawing everyone’s attention towards him. “It was a failure on Fontaine and I will be the one to tell their holiness about this incident.”
Neuvillette walked in the direction where your imposter’s floating palace is. The walk for the Iudex was painfully long and quiet, the only sound to accompany him were his own footsteps against the stone and then the marble flooring that had intricate designs in floating palace
Once Neuvillette reached the door leading to the imposter’s throne room, he knocked waiting for permission to enter
“Come in.”
With that Neuvillette entered the elaborate room and saw the person that has claimed your face as their own sitting on a golden throne
“Neuvillette, what brings you here?”
“I came to inform you that the imposter has escaped.”
“How?”
The silver haired man explained what was reported to him in the detail that it was told to him by Clorinde
Your imposter stands up from their throne and walked towards Neuvillette, his body involuntary stiffened upon their approach
“Don’t get so stiff with me.” Your imposter said as they poked his cheek
“I apologize.”
“You know that I could have your head on a spike, but you’re more useful to me alive, don’t make me regret that.” They said as they continued to poke the man’s cheek
“Understood, your holiness.”
“You’re dismissed.” Your imposter said as they turned away from the Iudex
Neuvillette makes haste and exits the room shaking
Once alone your imposter holds onto their orange pendant
“They’re getting more powerful each day, being able to against that warden and using two different elements in their escape. They definitely have help.” Your doppelgänger said to seemingly no one
“We’re good they haven’t connected with Irminsul yet, until then they are not at their full potential.” A disembodied voice echoed throughout your imposter’s ears
“What about the brooch?”
“That brooch and the stones has been lost for over 4000 years, they won’t have an easy time getting their hands on either of them.”
“Okay, I trust you. However we need to keep an eye on those trees, if they don’t connect to all of them Irminsul might reject them. And I know just where to start.”
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In the nation of wisdom, deep within Dharma forest there hides a village of little plant-like spirits. The little dendro archon is there singing and playing with the Aranara. All is peaceful until the Aranara stop their singing and dancing, they all begin to back away from Nahida trembling in fear
“What’s wrong-” Nahida asked but was cut off by your voice
“Nahida, Nahida.” The disembodied voice sang out, your imposter
“Your Grace!” Nahida quickly bowed in the presence of the imposter
“I need you to do something for me, can you check the records of Irminsul to see where that filthy imposter is.”
“Yes, your grace.”
With haste Nahida entered the underground cavern where Teyvat’s world tree is located, there Nahida couldn’t feel the overwhelming presence your imposter gave off whenever she was near or they communicated with her telepathically. Nahida looked through the information the tree has gathered, mainly the information that involved Fontaine. There she only to found that a being that is normally stationary has moved to towards the Fortress of Meropide, upon closer inspection she found that the being is one connected to Teyvat and has a deeper understanding of its history. Could this mean that you’re in good hands and far away from the imposter that is hellbent on killing you
Whatever it is Nahida is not telling them where you are
Leaving the underground cavern to only be overwhelmed by the imposter’s presence
“Well?” Their voice, echoed throughout her ears
“I couldn’t find anything on them in Irminsul.”
Suddenly a force wrapped itself around the little god’s throat, cutting off her air supply
“You’re not lying to me.”
“N-no, your Grace!” Nahida struggled to get out
The tightness around her neck ceased making the little archon take a deep breath in
“I do hope you’re telling the truth.”
With that the presence is gone just as fast as it appeared, finally realizing what happened tears begin to fall down Nahida’s face. She hugged herself before falling on to her knees and curling up into a ball like the many times she would when she was imprisoned
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Taglist:
@chuuya-brainrot @creation-magician @tartarsaucechi1de @vvyeislazzy @aludicpoet @undecidingfate @annoying-mary @randomnatics @bore2808 @esthelily @yurivision @angelamelamela @chocolatekuns @mmmhyperfixation @legendaryexperthideout @lapinaenmicoche @sinsdumbdrabble @ghost-mint @rebeccawinters @imyme20 @nymphsdomain @sun7lowxr @blackcoffex @itz-luna @flowerpesky @land-of-eternity @deathcvltcivilofficial @d4y-dr3amer @yuriclouds @artwitch @mercy-not-merci @xyaxyn @starxvs @dreamoffirefiles06 @desirabletravel @bidisasterforever @dxprived4-starboys @angstylittleb1tch @lhaol @sjgem @annexblogs @tatsuri-zomushiki
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httpvomitello · 2 days ago
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george weasely x y/n
y/n talks to draco by helping him with the assignment but George thought they were getting too close so he got jealous and made sure y/n is his by kissing her in front of him
Helloooooo, i hope you like it! ~ ♡
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A Lesson in Jealousy *⁠.⁠✧
Summary: When George finds you helping Draco Malfoy with an assignment in the library, he doesn’t care that you’re just being nice. All he sees is Malfoy sitting too close, looking too smug, and you smiling at him. Fueled by jealousy, George decides to remind everyone exactly who you belong to—by kissing you, right in front of Malfoy, and making sure the entire library knows it.
george weasley x f!reader
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George Weasley wasn’t in his usual carefree mood. No, today he was grumpy. And it was all because of Draco bloody Malfoy.
George stood at the far end of the library, arms crossed as he glared at the sight in front of him.
You. Sitting beside Malfoy. Smiling at him.
George clenched his jaw.
Sure, he knew you were just helping Malfoy with his Potions assignment. You had mentioned it at breakfast, something about “being nice” and “not letting him fail miserably.”
George hated that you were nice. Okay, not really, but right now? Yeah, he kind of did.
Because Malfoy was leaning in too close.
And you were laughing at something he said.
Malfoy had a smug look on his stupid, pointy face, and George could already hear his arrogant little voice in his head: Oh, look at me, I’m Malfoy, I’ve got my expensive quill and my perfect hair and I think I’m charming when I’m actually insufferable—
“Oi, George, you alright?”
Fred’s voice snapped him out of his internal rant.
George turned to his twin, who was watching him with an amused expression.
“Fine,” George muttered.
Fred raised an eyebrow, following his gaze. When he spotted you and Malfoy, a slow smirk spread across his face. “Oh. Ohhh.”
“What?”
Fred chuckled. “You’re jealous.”
George scoffed. “I am not jealous.”
Fred hummed. “Right. That’s why you’re staring at them like you’re about to set Malfoy on fire with your mind.”
“I could, you know,” George muttered darkly.
Fred clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Look, mate, you’ve got two options. One, you can keep standing here, sulking like a tragic romance novel hero.”
George glared at him.
“Or two,” Fred continued, “you can go over there and make sure Malfoy knows she’s yours.”
George hesitated, eyes flickering back to you.
Malfoy had leaned even closer.
That was it. He was done.
With a determined look, George marched across the library. Fred stayed back, watching in delight.
You looked up just as George stopped beside your table. “Oh, hey, George! What are you doing here?”
George didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed your hand, pulling you up from your seat. Before you could question him, he cupped your face and kissed you.
Right there. In front of the entire library.
And—most importantly—in front of Malfoy.
Your brain short-circuited. One second, you were explaining a potion ingredient to Draco, and the next? You were being thoroughly kissed by George Weasley.
The library went silent.
When George finally pulled back, he turned his head slightly—just enough to see Malfoy’s stunned expression.
George smirked. “Oh, sorry, Malfoy, were you saying something?”
Malfoy scoffed, rolling his eyes as he grabbed his books. “Unbelievable,” he muttered before storming off.
George turned back to you, still smirking. “What?”
You blinked at him, trying to collect your thoughts. “You just—you—you kissed me.”
“Yep,” George said proudly.
“In the library.”
“Yep.”
“In front of everyone.”
“Uh-huh.”
You narrowed your eyes. “You were jealous.”
George shrugged, grinning. “Maybe. But now everyone—including Malfoy—knows you’re mine.”
You stared at him for a moment before shaking your head, a smile creeping onto your lips. “You absolute idiot.”
George leaned in, pressing another quick kiss to your lips. “Yeah, but I’m your idiot.”
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pretty-blkgirl · 2 days ago
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W.E.A.Y [Ch. 3]
-Masterlist-
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It’s embarrassing.
Walking into a *very important* meeting late, having ten men watch you as you come in, and your manager greet you with relief.
“She’s here! We can get this meeting started”
“Where are the girls?” You ask, looking around the room. Your members weren’t there, for whatever reason. You notice the only person you really know is your manager, Moni, who nervously fiddled with the bottom of her blazer.
“The girls are rehearsing. This meeting is just for you and the guys”
“I feel outnumbered” You joke, walking over to the only empty chair that sat around the huge, rectangular table. Bang Chan sat across from you, and you could feel his disapproval washing over you.
You knew Chan had the most beef with you because you were always getting into it with his members. Those seven men were his family, and he was wildly overprotective of them.
But, though he didn’t like you, he could never bring himself to be disrespectful. So, he greeted you.
“Hi Y/n, thank you for coming” 
“No problem” You answer, awkwardly.
In all reality, you wanted to ask him why he was thanking you. You all were at your company, shouldn’t you be thanking him-
“I’d like to tell you that the kids and I are excited about this collab,” He said, his voice as monotone as ever, “The fans seem to be looking forward to it too”
“I thank you all for agreeing to even work on this album with me and the girls,” You say, not meeting his eyes, “We um, were big fans of your music, so we’re sure the album will be amazing”
Your manager smiled proudly. As much as you wanted to be snarky, you knew it wasn’t the time. It was early, there was a fraud detection on your bank account, and you just wanted to get the day over with.
“And we’re big fans too” Felix spoke up
“Can we talk about the incident that happened the other day?” Changbin asked, “I appreciate that we’re trying to be polite, but I don’t think it’s wise to ignore it”
You cleared your throat, your ears got hot, and you could feel everyone staring at you.
“What I said on stage wasn’t the most mature, my bad” You started
Moni claps her hands, smiling at you and looking over at the group, “Okay! So we’re good now?”
“But” You interrupt, holding a perfectly manicured hand up, “I only did that because Hyunjin tripped me”
“That was an accident” He nearly yelled, “I apologized as soon as it happened. And does that even matter? Didn’t you spill purple stuff all over Changbin?”
“Oh please, it was GRAPE JUICE. It’ll wash right out”
“No, it’s going to stain a WHITE suit” I.N defended 
Moni stands, the irritation evident on her face, “Okay, let’s all calm down”
“No!” You say, standing with her, “Maybe I wanted to get a tiny, itsy bit of juice on his suit. I didn’t mean for all of that to happen”
It’s Han’s turn to stand, “Why would you want to fuck up his suit in the first place? We had to be on the red carpet like 10 minutes before that”
You point at him, eyes narrowing, “Because YOU decided to start screaming outside my GOTDAMN dressing room”
“I was SINGING. So sorry I like to warm up my voice before shows”
“Why didn’t you sing in your dressing room?”
“Han smirks, “Oh my members were sleeping, didn’t wanna wake them”
You roll your eyes, and that seems to piss Han off because he walks around the table to stand right in front of you
“I only did that because you decided to be rude towards Felix.”
“I didn’t do anything to him!”
“You ignored him! He was trying to say hello and you ignored him, that wasn’t cool”
You didn’t have a comeback, because you knew he was right. So, you looked away and spotted a pink-faced Felix.
“Felix, I’m so sorry I didn’t greet you. It was immature, it was rude, and I shouldn’t have done it”
His blush deepened, but he accepted your apology with a gentle nod and polite smile. 
“Okay! I apologized, are we done now?”
“What did we do to you?” Lee Know questioned.
He and Seungmin had not said a word since everything started. They preferred to be quiet, people watched before they hopped in any situation.
“I mean, what started all of this? Really”
You knew what started it, but you didn’t want to say. Because in all honesty, it wasn’t them. It was the comparisons.
“Female Stray Kids”
“Wannabe Stray Kids”
You hated comparisons. It was petty, but when a radio host compared you all to the group in your face, live on air, you decided you never wanted to be associated with them again.
You started to resent them, then you all met backstage, and their manager made a joke about the comparisons.
They laughed, and your members laughed, you didn’t though. You always figured they looked down on you, so you made it up in your mind to hate them.
Childish? Yeah, maybe. But it had messed with your head so much to where you were doubting if you were Y/n or just a copy of an already successful group. 
To thrive in an industry, you have to be authentic. And they were the one thing standing in the way of that.
Did you want to tell them that? No. They’d probably laugh at you.
So you shrugged, crossed your arms, and sat back down.
“There’s some tension” Moni sighed, “But this album is happening. You all will be seeing a lot of each other for the foreseeable future. Might as well get used to it”
“And how are we supposed to get used to it?” Seungmin asked. Not in a rude way, as if he was confused.
Then a smirk appeared on your manager’s face, one that meant you wouldn’t like what she had up her sleeve. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taglist: @chuuyaobsessed @h0rnyp0t @prttyxbby @yukichan67 @hanniemylovelyquokka @xxeiraxx @loveforlee444 @whatdoyouwanttocallmefor @cunninglibrarian @holly-here @galaxy4489 @hyunmikim @yougottobekittenme @hyeon-yi @katsukis1wife @multi-fandom-nightmare @staybabblingbaby @kozumesphone @fuck-you-im-gae @thatonedarkskinnedsiren @just-a-blackthorn-cookie @champagneconfetti @juju-227592 @borahae-reads @reallychaoticwoo @hwangfrnd @fiest4plum @tsukiesimp @minniesverse @kpopnonous @estella-novella @fakeraccount @lezleeferguson-120
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lunajay33 · 3 days ago
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Target
•🩵🪽•
Summary: You’ve always been the quiet girl of the friend group between you Bonnie, Caroline and Elena, they convince you to go to the ball but when things go wrong Jeremy becomes your night in shinning armour
Pairing: Jeremy Gilbert x f!reader
Warning: Bullying
•Masterlist•
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I grew up with my best friends, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie, they were all so outgoing and had no problem getting guys I mean Elena has two brothers in love with her and Matt still love her
But I was always the quiet one that no body seemed to take a second look at
“Come on y/n you have to go to the ball” Caroline whined as they all came and sat with me around the lunch table
“Oh I don’t know I don’t have a date”
“Who cares you can still have fun with us” Bonnie smiled
I shrugged with a little smile and they knew that was my way of saying yes
“Great you better be there tonight or we’re dragging you out of the house” Elena said as she ran off to Stefan
I tied up the back of my dress and did the final touches to my hair and makeup, breathing out a sigh of anxiety I got in my car and headed to the town ball, my dress a pale shimmer blue with a corset left over from my family as I was part of a founding family of this town
Parking my car I got out and walked towards the entranced where music was already started and people dancing around or sipping on champagne
Before I got inside I was stopped by a hand on my waist
“Well don’t you look beautiful” my heart skips a beat and I turn to see Jeremy Gilbert, the guy I’ve loved since we were kids but I know Caroline and Elena would judge me
“You look quite dashing yourself Jeremy” he smiles as he hooks his arm with mine leading me inside
“And where is your date tonight?” I ask surprised the hottest guys I town doesn’t have one
“Don’t have one, the girl I want to ask is forbidden” he says as he gives me a longing look as he leads me onto the dance floor taking my waist in one hand and my hand in the other and swaying to the music
“Do I know this mystery girl?”
“Oh you know her very well, she’s gorgeous, quiet, shy, oh and my sisters friend”
“Bonnie I assume” I sigh a bit upset
“No not Bonnie, she’s here tonight wearing a blue dress that makes me want to drool” my cheeks flush and I’m at a loss for words
As I open to say something back I’m interrupted
“Y/n what are you doing dancing with Jeremy, don’t tell me you were desperate enough for a date you ask your best friends little brother” Caroline mocks
“I….he was being nice he wanted to dance Caroline” I stutter, she could be really harsh sometimes
“That’s kind of pathetic using my brother” Elena chimes in, I look back up at Jeremy and he looks angry, he was always sweet to me that’s why I love him
“I’m sorry I just wanted to have fun” I said as I felt Jeremy’s warm hand on my lower back rubbing up and down
They took their glasses of champagne and doused me in it getting everyone’s attention completely embarrassing me
I turn and run outside as I hear them laughing, letting the tears fall when I get to the bench that over looks the lake
What did I do to make them hate me I thought we were best friends, would it be so wrong for me to love someone as nice as Jeremy
“Hey are you okay?” Jeremy asks as he sits next to me
“I guess, probably my fault anyways I know they like to pick on anything I do” his hand comes to pull me close to his chest
“It’s not your fault they’re just cruel and they’re not your friends if they treat you like that, you deserve someone who treats you like the princess you are”
“You’re just saying that because I’m soaked in champagne and my makeup is ruined”
“No im saying this because I love you” he says tipping my head up so I look at him
“You do?”
“Of course I do I’ve loved you from the moment Elena brought you over when we were young”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to make you chose”
“I love you too Jeremy, and after what just happened I don’t think I have to chose anymore” he leans down as he pulls me into a kiss deep and passionate, having been craving this forever
“I’ve wanted that for so long Angel”
“Me too now how about we get out of here and get some food and milkshakes”
“It would be my pleasure”
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