#I knew that it would always make my life much worse. and extend an already beleaguered argument.

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

My roommate and I had a conversation last night and I keep rotating it in my brain and I Don’t Like It

[fallingdownhell]

Heyaaa!

I saw your request is open soo...

Can i request gn reader with Ayato, Kazuha, Diluc, and Kaeya where the reader is pranking them by shouting their full name (since we know their full name) what is going to be their reaction?

Feel free to ignore or decline this request^^

I love this! So much! Thank you for your request<3 Characters Included: Kazuha; Diluc; Ayato; Kaeya Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; pranking the boys by calling their full names; not proofread yet Word count: 2,6k words Have fun with this one<3

Kazuha

This morning was peaceful, Kazuha thought as he layed in bed, the morning rays of the sun shining in through the open window. He let them warm his body as he slowly woke up more and more from his slumber.

When he extended a hand to feel for your sleeping body next to him, he found the space empty. Cold at that, indicating that you've been gone for a while.

A groan left him, Kazuha hated it when he woke up without you next to him. He'd much rather spend his morning cuddling you in bed than doing anything else.

But then the next moment, the smell of something cooking hit him, and he knew that you were already out and about making breakfast for the both of you.

So, with a sigh, Kazuha decided to get up and get himself ready before heading down to join you in the kitchen.

He got up from bed and stretched his body out first, then headed into the adjacent bathroom. Taking a shower first thing in the morning always felt refreshing to him and it most often than not was the last push he needed to fully wake up.

Once that was done and he headed out of the shower again, Kazuha got dressed and combed through some tight knots of his hair. He was still in the middle of doing so, when suddenly, the silence of the house was interrupted by a shout of his name.

"Kaedehara Kazuha! Get down here!", your voice shoutet and instantly, Kazuha's body froze up. There were a million thoughts in his head, and yet also, not a single one except for: he had somehow fucked up.

The tone in which you had shouted his name sounded mad and if that wasn't a clear indication about your mood, the use of his full name certainly was.

To not make your mood any worse, he hurried to put the comb away and throw the last piece of clothing on while he already hurried out of the bathroom and towards you into the kitchen. He was preparing himself internally for whatever it was that he did that pissed you off so much and already had a million apologies on his tongue.

But, to his surprise, when he got to the kitchen, he found you there, utterly calm as you put the food on two plates for each of you. You didn't even notice him coming in.

"(Name), my love..", he carefully spoke, just in case, but in reality, he was so confused.

"Oh, good. Food's ready!", you look up and smile at Kazuha, which then throws him completely out of loop. He just stands there and stares at you.

"Is something the matter, dear?", you ask him, that smile still on your lips as you sit down at the table. That's when the puzzle pieces fall for Kazuha and he visibly relaxes, letting out a drawn out breath.

"Please, don't do that again, love. I was scared for my life."

You laugh at that, apologizing for scaring him that much. He doesn't really care as long as you apologize with a cuddle session afterwards.

Diluc

Since you moved in with Diluc at Dawn Winery, the time you spend together has improved significantly compared to before, but it still wasn't nearly enough as to what both of you would want it to be.

He still had lots of work to do, managing the Winery, the Angel's Share, and all the business he likes to take over as the Dark Night Hero. Even so, the fact that the two of you are now living under the same roof has changed things for the better.

You know get to see him every morning, since Diluc has made it a point to stay in bed until both of you have to get up for work. You always eat dinner together and he makes an effort to spend every other evening with you. He really tries his best for you.

He even moved his office next to your shared bedroom, so that there aren't too many rooms between you and when you want to see the other, you only have to go into the adjacent room and not wander the entire mansion.

Tonight was a night Diluc had dedicated to his work, which he made you aware of and you were okay with, since you told him that you could use the time to continue the book you were currently reading.

Diluc was hunged over stacks of papers, trying to sort them from most to least important before he went into looking over them. He had worked through a good portion of it already, thinking that he was making great progress. When he looked at the clock on the wall, it told him that it was already almost midnight.

But not to worry. In about an hour or so, he would be done and could join you in bed. Or so he thought. But when he wanted to continue his work after a short break, he suddenly heard you yelling from next door.

"Diluc Ragnvindr!", your voice shoutet his name and he immediately picked up on the tone of your voice. You sounded upset..

Instantly, he began thinking back, trying to figure out what could have made you angry at him. You were fine when he last saw you at dinner, smiling and laughing with him. Then he went to his office afterwards. He couldn't possibly have done or said anything to upset you... right?

His body, that had faced towards the door that lead to your shared bedroom, began to act on his own and he got up and walked over there. Diluc gently knocked on the door, opening it a bit and sticking his head through the gap.

You were laying on the bed, comfortably tucked in and reading your book.

"Everything okay, my love?", Diluc softly spoke up, not sure what to do but he definitely didn't want to make you further upset.

At the sound of his voice, you perk up and face him, a smile spreading on your lips. You place the book down on the nightstand before extending an arm towards him.

"I'm cold. Come cuddle with me." you say in a small pout, which confused Diluc even more. You sounded so mad just now when you yelled his name. Not just his name, but his full name! So why.. were you acting like nothing was wrong?

Still, he complied to your request, his work and papers forgotten for now as he joined you in bed. You made yourself comfortable in his arms, your head and part of your upper body resting on his chest as he began to play with some stands of your hair. Everything was peaceful, but Diluc's mind was still running, trying to make sense of everything. In the end, he decided to just ask you about it.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No? Why would I be?", you asked him, but your voice sounded sleepy already

"Because you were yelling earlier. And you used my full name. Not just my name or a petname. So I thought..", he got interrupted by a chuckle coming from you.

"I'm sorry, baby. I was just messing with you a bit. Just wanted you here to cuddle with you."

A joke... that's what it was. He couldn't help the relief that washed over him hearing that, and the tension finally left his body. He's not mad at you, but please, don't do that again if you don't want him to have a heart attack next time..

Ayato

Being the spouse of the head of the Kamisatio Clan was the best thing that could have ever happened to you. Although Ayato was a busy man with much work, he always made sure to make time for you to spend with him, just the two of you.

Every day, he made that effort, even though this sometimes meant even more stress for him with certain work if he put if off too long. But to him, it was worth it when he did it for you. He's a loyal man in that regard.

One of the downsides to this however, is the fact that this man often times overworks himself without even realising it. Before you came around, it was Ayaka's and Thoma's job - but mostly Thoma's - to take care of Ayato and remind him to take frequent breaks in between.

Now, you like to take over that part for Thoma, taking every chance you get to see your boyfriend, even if it's only a few seconds to remind him of a break or to bring him something to drink with some snacks.

Ayato really appreaciates you doing this for him, smiling every time and stealing a quick kiss before you're gone again. He thanks Celestia each and every day for you being so understanding with his work.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't still days where breaks just aren't possible and he has to power through or else it would never get done.

Today was such a day. Ayato leaned back and let out a heavy sigh as he finally finished with work for today. He has been sitting in this room - his office - the entire day, cramped up and not able to take even a single break. Come to think of it, he was so focused on his work that he didn't even know if you've come in here at all today to check on him. He's sure you did, as you did it every day, but he didn't even notice..

Not to worry. He would simply rest here for a few minutes, trying to come down before he would set out to search for you. Being in your presence was exactly what he needed to recharge some of his engery again.

Closing his eyes and listening to the silence around him, Ayato took a deep breath, calming down more and more the longer he continued to do so. Just a bit longer and he'll-!

"Kamisato Ayato!", a voice suddenly called out his name. And not just any voice, but yours.

His eyes immediately snapped open at the use of his full government name. No cute nickname, nor petname, not anything.

At first, he was too stunned to react, trying to figure out if what he heard was actually real or just something his brain made up. For a few seconds, he sat there and listened to the silence that followed. Just as he was about to relax again, he heard your voice calling him again.

"Kamisato Ayato! Get over here, now!", you shouted for him again, this time your voice sounded a bit more aggressive than before. Now he was certain that this was not his brain playing tricks on him...

Not knowing what had happened but also not wanting to upset you even more, Ayato quickly got up and exited the room. He didn't know where you were, but you sounded rather close, so there weren't too many options available. After looking through some rooms, he found you in the dining room, placing down plates full of steaming food on the table.

"Darling? Are you okay?", Ayato asked as he entered the room, wandering over to you and catching you in his arms, holding your face in his hands.

You smile up at him, circling your arms around his neck and pulling him down for a quick kiss. "Everythings fine. But you've been in there the whole day and dinner is ready so I figured I had to get you out of there somehow."

It then clicks in his head, that you weren't actually mad at him and it was just a trick to lure him out.

"Oh, you little devil~", Ayato smiles down at you, gently poking your nose which made you giggle.

"Hey, it was effective, wasn't it?", you defended yourself and he had to agree with you there. After all, no matter what, you'd always be his top priority..

Kaeya

You and Kaeya had a great relationship going. Both of you had busy jobs but you still tried to spend as much time together as possible. As a rule of thumb, you've come to an arrangement that every other day, one of you would spend the night over at the others place, since you're not living together at this point.

It's worked out great for you two and sometimes, even though you're together, you can still do your own things, and just enjoy each others presence.

Like today, for example.

You two were at your place, both on the couch. Kaeya was sitting comfortable at one end of the sofa, studying over some plans and things he had to look over for Jean for the knights, while you were laying down, head placed on Kaeya's lap while reading a book.

There was a comfortable silence as each of you was doing his own thing, though every now and then, Kaeya would reach down to brush through your hair. You knew he liked to do that as it calmed him down. And you enjoyed it, so no reason for you to complain about it.

However, it was getting late already, the fire also slowly dying down, so you decided to end your book for today. You told Kaeya that you'd go to the bathroom first, so he had a bit more time to study through the plans. He smiled at you and nodded while you headed towards the bathroom.

Kaeya sits there for quite some time, but he's not really focusing on the reports all that much anymore. He's getting tired and listening to the water running from the bathroom, he can't wait to get into bed with you.

So, deciding to leave it be for today, he places the papers down on the table and lets his head fall back to relax a bit until you were done in the bathroom. He wouldn't have minded to join you in there, either...

As he sat there, relaxing and thinking, he closed his eyes for a bit. But the longer he had them closed, his eyes grew heavier and heavier..

He was about to fall asleep, when suddenly..

"Kaeya Alberich!", you voice sounded from the bathroom and Kaeya's eyes snapped open at the use of his full name.

You'd never done that before, not even when you were mad at him beyond anything. What could he have done that could possibly bring out such a reaction in you?

Quickly, he got up and headed to the bathroom where he heard you from, but things weren't adding up for him. Everything was fine until a few minutes ago. You'd never done this, so why now, so suddenly?

There hasn't been any arguments the past weeks, everything was going smoothly. Unless he said or did something genuinely horrible..

But he was pretty sure that he didn't..

But if not, then there was only one other possiblity...

Rounding the corner, Kaeya knew immediately what was up when he saw you standing there, smiling brightly at him, looking like you were quite proud with yourself.

"Yes, my dear?", he asked, smirking as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Would you be so kind and help me with my hair?", you ask, your voice ever so sweet again, like you didn't do anything at all.

"Of course.", he leads you to the bed and makes you sit and face away from him before he goes to work on your hair, gently tangling out all the knots that had formed in them.

He won't say anything about it or hold it against you, but if you keep doing this over and over again, he might have to come up with something to teach you a lesson not to scare him like that again..

[superhero--imagines]

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! / This is Part 3! / Part 4 Here!

A/N: I don’t think the poll is over yet, but this one was very clearly going to have the highest percentage, I’ll do the “maybe if we were closer in age” one later though!

If you haven’t already please check out my Batman zine, it’s got so much fanfiction and beautiful art from five different artists! Please check it out, please. I need to find a way to compensate these artists. You can check it out here!

Bruce slumps in his chair, a longing glance spared to the decanter on the bookshelf.

He closes his eyes and wills away the craving. It’s always ten times worse when he wakes up the next day, and he can’t afford feeling worse at this point in his life.

Wasn’t it just yesterday he was twenty years old and he could spend all night playing Bruce Wayne’s party boy image, and be up in three hours feeling none the worse for wear. Now even after nine hours of solid sleep, he wakes up sluggish with an ache in his bones.

I have to be strong.

“Why did you keep her away from us?”

“Who?” he asks absentmindedly, his entire focus still on the brandy.

“(Y/N).” It’s the last name he expected to hear, especially from his oldest son. He looks up, hoping he’s misheard, but the look in Dick’s eyes proves him wrong.

Looks like I’m going to need that drink after all.

He reaches for the decanter, two crystal glasses retrieved from his desk drawer instinctually, glittering on his desk.

“Why are you bringing this up now?” He stalls by taking a sip, feigning casual, like the mention of your name alone didn’t set his heart racing.

“Don’t play this game with me Bruce,” Dick sounds more sad than angry, and it softens him. “Why didn’t you let us see her?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Then start untangling it for me.”

Bruce sighs, taking another sip of his father’s brandy. There’s a million reasons he could tell his son, none of which would be lies entirely, but softer than the truth.

But when he looks up into Dick’s eyes, he can’t bring himself to say any of them. Armed with nothing but liquor at the bottom of his cup, for the first time in four years, after dodging this question from reporters and acclaimed journalists and new paramours, he finally tells the truth.

“Because I didn’t want her to see you.”

A simple, ugly truth. He doesn’t bother looking up to see his sons reaction, he already knows a kind boy like Dick, a boy who’s fully believed his entire life that good prevails, won’t be able to process that his father did something like this. He makes better use of his time by refilling his glass.

Dick slumps in the chair by the time he’s polishing off his second peg, and pouring in his third.

“You did it to punish her?” He can see anger begin to replace shock, and he doesn’t blame him for it, but Bruce is angry enough at himself for the both of them.

“I wanted her to forget we ever existed.” This truth is as kind as it is ugly, and the nuance confuses Bruce even now. But three glasses of brandy affect him in a way that makes his tongue feel lighter and his mind feel free.

“I wanted to give her a potato sack full of money and jewels, and send her far away where no one knew who she was. I wanted her to meet a good partner, someone who would always put her first, and if they decided to extend their family I wanted her to be able to move on without feeling like she left anyone behind.”

“So you wanted her to have a great life, far away from you, and you never wanted to hear anything about it,” Dick’s voice is cold.

Bruce shakes his head. He wanted to hear everything about your new life. What kind of partner you picked. How you spent your days. When you got married. When you had your first child. When you had your second. Everything. And on bad days, he’d close his eyes and let himself imagine it was him standing next to you, that in some alternate universe he made a single different decision that gave him permission to deserve you.

“I was just tired of hurting her,” when you came in to his life, for the first time, he felt like he’s been allowed to have something of his own. Not as Batman, protecting to the city, or Bruce Wayne the mask he carried, but him as a man. But he could never seem to return the reverie you extended to him.

“Do you think she’d ever be able to move on, to live even a semblance of a normal life, if all of you were showing up at her house all bruised and beaten?”

Dick stays quiet now, and Bruce hates himself for having to say it out loud. His son may be an adult in the eyes of the law, but some parts of him are still childlike. After all, Bruce isn’t the only one putting Gotham first.

“I wouldn’t call the way she’s living now normal.” Dick’s been to your penthouse, he’s seen the photo albums full of tabloid clippings and the rare pictures he and his extended family post on social media. He’s seen the journal you keep, hidden on your bookshelf that he mistook for a regular novel during his bi-weekly trips to your place, full of notes on every article and picture and what might be happening behind the scenes to prompt a public appearance like that. Years of deductions and question he could have answered with a single text message a month, but Bruce wouldn’t even allow that.

Dick’s anger grows.

If Bruce had told him he did it to punish you, he’d be angry, but he would understand. Sometimes when you love someone that much, someone who’s too good for you, you grasp at any way to keep them. But this is a million times worse than that.

“If you loved her that much why’d you even let her go?”

Again, another question he wasn’t expecting. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but he doesn’t feel the sharp sting of surprise this time.

“Because sometimes love isn’t enough.”

Dick leaves. Bruce pours another glass, and when he’s sure he’s alone he pulls out his wallet, tugging out the family photo he keeps tucked beneath his black card, turning it over to see your portrait taped on the other side.

The corner of his mouth quirks up.

It was from when you’d both just gotten married, before you were used to upper class etiquette. You complained all morning about having to get ready and wear a bunch of expensive uncomfortable clothes designers had sent in for the article in the Gotham Times, emphasizing how ridiculous opulence like this was when there were so many bigger issues in Gotham.

He’d bought out every copy of the magazine in the city. He still had most of them, tucked away in a box in his closet that became the casket for your relationships. Every now and then he’ll unearth it, just to allow himself to be haunted again by your memory.

But for tonight, just your picture and a glass of brandy is enough.

“You’re so much better at this than I am.”

[lovelyhan]

— starcrossed losers (a teaser) ⟢

at age fifteen, you’re betrothed to a prince named jeonghan. at age twenty-five, you’re set to marry him. so, when your father gives you a chance to find love all on your own, you immediately take it. now if only jeonghan would stop fucking sabotaging every relationship you’re trying to get into.

★ FEATURING; jeonghan x reader

★ WORD COUNT; 1k words

★ TAGS; princess!reader, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, emotional romantic and sexual tension all in one lmao, angst, smut (in the future scenes, this teaser is sfw!)

★ NOTES; so my blog won't die in my absence nd slight inactivity from writing, i decided to leave you guys a snippet of the third n last part of my royalty series <3 as always, content in my teasers are not final and can be subject to change so heads up on that!

this is part of the it’s complicated series.

It’s several hours past midnight when you hear three gentle but firm knocks on the door to your bedchambers. 

Annoyed, you stare at the collection of unopened gifts stacked high on your vanity. From delicacies from the neighboring kingdoms to the most expensive collection of cosmetics in Ancarra, your guests certainly knew how to curry your favor. But not even their lavish presents can dispel the pure vexation that’s been making your blood boil the entire evening. 

Not bothering to answer the door, you whisk yourself into the plush seat tucked underneath the dresser. There’s only one halfwit currently residing in the castle brave enough to disturb you in the dead of night, and with how terribly tonight’s festivities went, you’re in no mood to extend your hospitality to anyone—much less Seraphia’s exasperating, insufferable, scheming—

“Isn’t it a little too late to be testing out swatches, Your Grace?”

You try to ignore him. The way his silken dress shirt dangles half untucked from his trousers. The self-satisfied look on his face when he notices you fumbling with the cherry red rouge you’re applying to your lips. 

But try as you may, you cannot ignore Jeonghan when he reaches a hand in front of you, nimble fingers wiping off the excess color that you accidentally tinted just a few millimeters from your lip line. 

Not when his smoldering stare holds yours captive in the image reflected in your gilded mirror. Not when you can’t even find it in yourself to resist when he gently grabs your chin and forces your gaze to marvel at the man himself.

“Sulking again, Princess?” Jeonghan sneers and you want to hate him for it, but you can’t. “I saved you from a man charged with treason three times in a single decade. Why are you pouting at me like I took away the love of your life?”

“Because you’ve made it your life’s purpose to make mine miserable,” you snarl, putting as much venom into the words as you can. “Minghao isn’t a traitor. If he was, he wouldn’t be sitting on top of the Rènxìng empire. He wouldn’t even be daring enough to show his face here for the sole purpose of courting me.”

He sighs as if meaning to be sympathetic, but you’ve long seen past the ruse. “Poor little thing, still being played like a fool all because you abhor the idea of one day becoming my wife. Tell me, didn’t you find it odd, how persistent he was in pursuing a woman who’s already spoken for?”

“I am not spoken for,” you interject, trying not to crumble from how his thumb lightly dabs at your lower lip. “Not by you. Not by anyone. Father gave me a choice—”

“Yes, of course. Everyone knows the story of the Ancarran Princess who’s chained to a troublesome foreigner. So troublesome that she had to beg on her knees just to get the king to reconsider,” Jeonghan coos, face inching ever-so close to yours.  

“But as it turns out, all the other men you’re trying your damnedest to replace me with are even worse fiends than I.” 

Your lungs burn as if they’ve been set aflame and Jeonghan is merely adding more fuel to the blaze. “You’re despicable.”

“And you, Your Grace, are much too gullible,” he chuckles, each breath fanning hotly against your skin. “I’d say just give it up and surrender, but you’ve been fighting against me since we were children. Putting an end to our very interesting relationship in such a boring way wouldn’t make good for the history books, no?”

All of a sudden, you remember something that Soonyoung told you in passing. How Jeonghan is someone who cherishes his loved ones deeper than one would otherwise expect. He loves his homeland. He loves his family. Above all, he loves his people.

With how he keeps reeling you back from all your attempts to escape your engagement, any other person would assume that he loves you just as much.

But how are you supposed to believe that someone like him is capable of love when all he does is thrive off your misery?

“This new rouge you’re testing out,” he murmurs, as if it’s remotely acceptable to just shift the conversation after what he just told you. “It’s the kind that takes days to remove once it dries, no?”

“In what way does it concern you?” you grit. 

The despicable prince simply hums. “Oh, nothing. It’s just that I’m quite curious about its actual longevity.” 

You can practically hear your heart stutter to a stop when he closes the distance even more—only a hair’s breadth separating your mouth from his. You’re clueless as to how it happened, but you suddenly find your fingers coiled around the front of his shirt. Looking for purchase. For solid ground.

But you should know better than to anchor yourself to someone as unpredictable as Jeonghan.

“If someone were to ruin it in the next ten seconds, would you even be more furious than you are now?” he whispers and you can feel the ghost of a smirk against your lips. “Or would it garner the opposite effect? Would you finally melt into their arms? Would you let them tear all your defenses asunder?”

Your pulse is roaring in your ears and all of a sudden, you can’t remember how to breathe. His intense stare is pinning you in place no matter how badly you want to escape. The scent of expensive champagne lingers on his lips and you find yourself craving for a taste. 

But you can’t. You can’t want that. You can’t want him. 

This is the man who’s made your life a living hell for as long as you can remember. The man you’ll be cursed to sit beside in a throne room forever if you don’t do anything about it fast. 

You know these facts perfectly well, and yet…

Your eyes flutter closed as you hook your wrists across the back of his neck, letting your arch-nemesis fall deep into you.

this is part of the it’s complicated series.

want to be added to the taglist? leave a reply <3

[kaiseinx]

warning (for some people) : pregnancy, mention of de@th, mention of child birth, mention of child abandonment.

tag : @sousydive

(this is not canon, and only based on my imagination about his personality since it wasn't really being mentioned in the manhwa or novel. please read the warning before reading, if there's anything not fitting him then i apologize but i haven't read the novel yet. if there's any mistake of pronouncing a word, feel free to correct me and i will correct it as quickly as i can)

this is not some kind of life you actually wanted, you never really want to get married so fast. it's not even a year after you met him and suddenly you're supposed to be married to him? it just doesn't make sense to you. but it's not really that you can reject the marriage, since the two family already decided it. all you can do is just doing what they wanted from you, like you always do.

you admit, since you never really talked much to him, you never really know his personality. but to you, he's not really that bad. you mean.. he's nice..? well for you, he's a bit sweet and caring. it's just the fact that you and him are still blood related even if you're from a extended family. it's not something you really imagine will be, but you just know there's a high potential that you won't even get married because of the bloodline you have.

the marriage wasn't really bad nor good for you, so the fact you just found out you're pregnant. and the fact you just couldn't imagine that he was.. happy? about it.. you don't really know how to explain it. but you're don't really know how to react about it, so you just smile like you always did in times like this.

the fact that his seizure got worst was something you didn't expected, at this time you aren't able to even keep a straight face anymore, and the fact that you're worried wasn't helping either. and no one seemed to want you see him yet, they always assure you that he's fine, but sometimes you knew that he's not due to the fact that the maid often get send home for a long period of time.

you just couldn't shake off the feeling of worried for him, and it's been a long time since you haven't seen him. everytime you asked about him the family would always says that you shouldn't be worried about him. they're trying to not included you in the problem, and that just makes you feel worse. and the fact that you're pregnant wasn't really helping either.

and for some reason you couldn't hold it anymore and just sneak into his room. and what you saw was worse than what you're expected. so you just quickly sneak out before anyone can find out about it. you try to shake off the feeling of worried since phineas was telling you that you're stressing yourself too much.

and the fact that he's dead wasn't helping you with anything at all. and only making you stressed more. and you knew indeed that all of them are worried because you're pregnant. you can see them often try to talk to you and calmed you down, but for some reason you just couldn't handle it.

the stress you have was mixed with the stress of giving birth, and of course you couldn't handle it all. and you knew you only had one choice, is that you left him and run away. you didn't think you're fit to raise him with all the mental problem you had. so you ran away and left him. knowing if you bought him with you he would not have a good life. you didn't bought anything the family give you, you only bought the jewelry you own and some clothes before running away.

but you often try and see all the newspaper about him and all you could do is cry. you sometimes stalk him when he's in school, and it's from afar of course. you're speechless when you heard him called pereshati his mom. but you know you're the one who bought this to yourself. and it's all your fault, but you of course happy to see him smile. the fact that you changed your identity and became an adopted daughter from a noble is how you stalk his life. after all you didn't lose anything by doing it, you get to see your son at some ball and the noble get a replacement for their beloved de@d daughter.

you're just glad that he's happy, and you would do your best to keep that smile on his face. and stay away from his life, even if that means that he wouldn't even know what you looked like at all. and you even "accidentally" became friends with pereshati, you often see your son around her and smiled or even laugh. ah. isn't your son is the cutest? but that thought is only something you keep to yourself. all you can do is just imagine if his dad didn't died and you wasn't having a lot of pressure and you never ran away, how would things be?

[skzhua]

a price i'm willing to pay | part 20 - doughnuts.

MASTERLIST

pairing: ceo!bang chan x entrepreneur!reader

genre: social media!au, arranged marriage, fake relationship, fluff, angst.

warnings: swearing, might have suggestive bits.

summary: following a scandal threatening the survival of your business, you have no choice but to associate yourself with a competitive company.

What happened last night? The events could be told in a short summary or in a thirty pages story.

It started after you had texted Chan to come and when you had just arrived at Wonhee's apartment. You still weren't sure why you asked him in such a desperate way for him to come but something in you wanted him around. Maybe it was because of the way he managed to get your mind off things in those silly dates every week. A part of it might also be how calm you had become to each other with time. As much as you hated to admit it, you were quite grateful to have him in your life. Especially considering the circumstances.

To no surprise, you were the first one to be greeted by the messy living room that had clothes and junk scattered around. Your sister was never one to clean a lot. As long as she found what she needed, it was not a necessity. That always came in contrast with Minho's tidiness of things.

"Long day?" you asked when she yawned loudly.

"Tell me about it... I like my job but my boss is always giving me these documents to send off when he can do it himself. I'm not his assistant, I shouldn't be doing this technically."

The job was temporary supposedly. Nonetheless, she was starting her fourth year as an assistant manager in a quaint clothing store.

"I've been telling you to work for me instead."

"I love you, sweetie, but you can barely provide for yourself if you don't marry Chris Bang."

"Alright, I'll take that," you laughed out.

Nearly twenty minutes passed until Jeongin and Minho arrived. Wonhee being Wonhee, she had already passed out on the couch in the comfort of her warm blankets. You let the men get settled and stayed by your sister's side for a while before Jeongin extended a white plastic bag to you. The two men had brought snacks of all sort to eat for the night. There were ramen bowls, candies, chips, soda bottles, even fruits that Minho had kindly cut beforehand. As you and him began to clear the coffee table to make space for the food, Jeongin looked around the room with a puzzled face.

"Do you really think Changbin went to his childhood home?" he questioned, obviously doubting what his friend said about his whereabouts.

The room became silent as you stared at one another. This was the fourth time Changbin didn't come to one of your hangouts. As much as you didn't want to doubt him, he had been behaving oddly since you announced you were marrying Chan. You knew this had nothing to do with jealousy as there was no way you were remotely interested in him. However, the more time passed, the more you began to believe it.

"His loss," Minho shrugged and then continued with placing the food items in front of him.

"Did he tell you anything, Y/N?"

You shook your head much to his disappointment. Before the ambiance could get any sadder than this, you began to look for a film to put on the screen. A historical drama was Jeongin's choice and he settled comfortably as he opened a bag of pretzel chips. Quite frankly, you paid little to no attention to what was going on between the two characters in the film. Instead, you kept looking at your cellphone every passing second. You swore Chan confirmed he would be there already. Thoughts began to flood your mind and you spiraled into thinking the absolute worse. While Minho was too immersed in the proximity he was sharing with Wonhee, Jeongin noticed immediately your shaking figure.

"Are you cold or something?"

You stared at him, uncertain if you should answer truthfully. You were about to speak when the buzzing sound of the doorbell interrupted you. You put the blanket that laid on your legs aside and were quick to answer.

"Yes?" you spoke in the speaker.

"Y/N?" Chan said.

You didn't need any more information and you pushed the button to let him in. As much as it felt like an action you did on the regular basis, it resulted to a frantic Jeongin rushing to your sides.

"Don't tell me you invited Bang here?"

"What?" Minho whispered to not wake Wonhee up. "Why would you do that? Voluntarily?"

"Yes," you answered sheepishly.

"Since when?" Jeongin asked, his voice much louder to which Minho answered with a glare.

"I don't know, we get along now. Is it that much of a surprise?"

Minho smirked. "No. He's welcomed here anytime."

"Who are you to say this? You don't live here."

"I might soon if Wonhee finally lets me be your brother-in-law."

Just when Jeongin was starting to run to Minho with an annoyed grunt, a soft knock was heard throughout the whole flat. Your two friends looked at you with encouraging smiles while you stood there, frozen. The knock came again. Finally, you opened the door slowly, only peeking your head out at first. When you saw Chan in sweats and a hoodie that was clearly too large for him, you felt your face heat up the slightest. He has never looked so casual in front of you and you honestly loved it.

"Am I late to the party?" his voice broke you away from your staring.

"Not at all, the film only began."

When you let him inside, a frown appeared on his face. "Your sister is sleeping already?"

"Don't question it," Minho said as he rubbed her arm. "She had a long day."

Chan chuckled — which somehow sounded like the most beautiful thing you had heard in your entire life — and went on to put what he brought on the counter. "I didn't think you'd have so many snacks already but I have pastries."

"What kind?"

"Mochi doughnuts."

You quirked an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?'

His eyes widened. "I knew you had no cultural knowledge but to that extent?"

"Alright, I'm sorry I don't know my doughnuts," you huffed.

"You have to give it a go."

"Maybe later. Come, join us."

Jeongin gladly scooched over the edge of the sofa to leave you two enough space. As much as he tried, it was still not enough to let you have room for yourself without having half of your body on top of Chan's. Upon noticing your poor attempt at finding a comfortable position, he sighed heavily in discouragement.

"Just come here," he motioned to himself, opening his arms out as to invite you to cuddle up.

"In your dreams," you scoffed.

"I swear I'm comfortable."

You glanced over at Jeongin and he was no help when he answered with a shrug. He was visibly more focused on the gummy bears he was consuming. With a shy nod, you allowed yourself to fall onto his body as you got wrapped around by his strong but somewhat soft arms. You moved around for a while to find the right way to sit but he sighed again.

"You're stiff, just relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Y/N."

His hands moved from the side of your arm to your cheek. Gently, he made you look at him and you swore you felt your stomach flip upside down. In an instant, your limbs relaxed and you fell perfectly into Chan's embrace. He detached his hand from your face — much to both your relief and your dismay — and laid the blanket on both of your bodies.

"What did I miss?" he asked to Jeongin as if nothing.

You were baffled at how at ease he was conversing with your friend while you couldn't help but wonder if he could feel your heart pound like crazy.

Almost two hours later, you were still as flustered and still in Chan's arms. You didn't dare to move, afraid the slightest movement would bother him. The two other men were deep asleep and, at that point, neither of you were interested in the movie.

"Doughnuts?" he suddenly said as he paused the film.

The credits stayed still on the television but you kept your eyes on it. His face was dangerously close to yours, you were well aware of it. Before you could make a wrong move, you got off him carefully to not bother your sleepy friends. As for him, he stared at you expectedly for an answer. You finally nodded and he cracked a smile before walking up to the white box laying still on the counter. Your gaze followed his actions and accidentally moved down to his forearms and he had just rolled his sleeves up. Again, you had to snap yourself out of it and focus back on the pastries he was now taking out of their package.

"Macha?" he offered and you gladly took the doughnut from him.

"What's yours?" you asked, pointing to the blue-coloured one he had in hands.

"Blueberry."

You said nothing. But your eyes remained on the food. A little too intensely. And Chan saw it.

"We can switch, here."

You grinned successfully and lost no time in biting into the soft baked good. It was sweet and soft, melting perfectly into your mouth. You barely could restrain yourself from letting out a surprised gasp from the taste.

"I really can't believe you never ate one of these," Chan commented while chewing.

"Well, you've created a monster now — this is delicious!"

He chuckled lightly at the sight of you taking more bites, messily wiping the corner of your mouth in the process. The remainder of the box was eaten in silence other than a few more gasps from your part. You offered yourself to get rid of the trash as part of the "thank you" you indirectly wanted to tell him. In the meantime, he pulled more boxes from the plastic bag he had brought originally which made you widen your eyes.

"More doughnuts?"

"Sadly, no," he responded in a disappointed tone. "Do you want bagels, though? I have this sudden craving."

Because of having been over at Wonhee's place so often, it was easy for you to locate the toaster while Chan cut the bagels in two. It was strange how cozy this was. It was almost like it was just one of those days where you'd stay late at night with your partner, doing silly things to get yourselves to sleep. As much as it made you grin, there was an inevitable voice in your mind telling you to not fall for this. Your relationship is based on business. Your upcoming marriage is based on business. There would be a day where Chris would come up to you with the news he has found someone to share his life with.

These thoughts were dangerous.

"How many do you want?"

You hadn't realized you had been spacing out while standing in front of the toaster, looking at nothing in particular. Chan still looked at you expectedly for an answer after a few seconds passed with your body staying still.

"One, I guess," you managed to speak.

Chan nodded lightly but a doubtful frown made its way on his face. He set the bagels in place, turned the toaster on, and then grabbed you gently by the arms.

"There's something bugging you."

Duh, you wanted to say. "No," was what you answered instead.

He exhaled as he gave you a look telling you he wasn't believing you. "I know we are not so close to each other in terms of talking about our problems and all but, believe me, you can trust me."

You scoffed. "I hated you for nearly 10 years."

"Fair point," he hummed. "I am a good listener if you need one, though."

You bit the inside of your cheek. Until then, you still hadn't looked at him in the eye. When your gaze met his, the was a glint in his pupils — one so comforting that it told you he was being sincere. You had missed on noticing how kind his eyes were when he smiled. You had also never quite checked how much taller than you he stood besides the fact you had been close to his body on many instances. And it was the first time you felt somehow aware of your looks in front of him.

"You don't have to say a thing, obviously," he reiterated in fear you might have interpreted it as too insistent.

He let go of your arms but you quickly grabbed his yourself to keep him near you. "Our marriage."

This took him by surprise and he opened his mouth slightly, unsure on what to say at first. He hadn't even thought you would open up to him, even less about whatever you had going in your mind towards your marriage.

"Yes?" he encouraged you to continue.

"Don't sleep around while we're married."

You wouldn't be able to explain why you felt this way or why you had the need to request this from him. It was a miracle you even gathered the strength to let it out — though not a lot of strength was required as it had mostly slipped out of your mouth.

"I wasn't planning on it either," he assured with a small chuckle. "It would be stupid to put ourselves in a situation where cheating allegations can-"

"Not for that," you stopped him which confused him. "I just don't want you to."

His breath hitched. "I won't."

Your body moved on its own and you pulled him closer. His eyes stayed on your lips for a few seconds before he gulped. Both of your breaths suddenly quickened from how close your faces were to one another.

"Can I request the same?" he said lowly.

"Yes."

"If you're my wife, you should know it means you are mine, no?" he almost said in a growl.

Your brain short-circuited for a moment. In all of the things he could have said, this was not on the list. It was almost offending you how he said it, but it also made him all the more attractive. Especially when he spoke with like this.

"You want me to be yours?" you whispered.

"Do you really think I've actually hated you all these years?"

What he insinuated with this was painfully obvious. So much, you denied to believe it. In no existing world was Christopher Bang Chan ever interested in you. If he didn't hate you, it was no liking for sure.

And you were right, he did dislike you as much as you. Maybe not hate, but there was no interest of getting along with you. What changed was the hours on end you spent with each other either working or on fake dates. Hours of watching you in your natural element being the most authentic person he knew. And how you began to let your guards down and let him catch a glimpse of your actual person — not the one who hated his guts — made you seem so much more attractive. For that, he did hate you.

He hated how accustomed he grew of your presence. He hated how your smile became the thing he looked forward to see every Tuesdays. He absolutely despised how jealous of Changbin he was for getting to take care of you as if you were the purest soul on Earth. He hated it so much, he had to call the fake relationship off. And without thinking, the moment he knew he could come to your rescue, he lost no time in doing so. Hence the marriage. Hence why it was taking everything in him to not attack your lips with his.

"Chan," was all you could find to say.

"Believe whatever, I don't care, but I really want to kiss you right now."

The need in his voice was desperate. You found yourself enchanted by the way he had smoothly moved his hands to your hips — suddenly aware of his touch — and mesmerized by how pretty he was besides the fact it was almost pitch black in the apartment. Without answering his request, you grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into what was intended to be a gentle kiss. However, this was not enough on his part and he hungrily kissed back, so roughly that you could barely keep up with his pace.

His lips were moving so naturally, you could tell he had experience. It made the whole thing more thrilling which made you yearn for him a lot more. Your grasp around the back of his neck grew firmer while his hands were roaming all over your body. They moved down from your hips to your ass and began to massage them in a way that both hurt and made you gasp. Naturally, you jumped to wrap your legs around him and he held onto your thighs for support. He carefully put you on top of the counter where you heights met.

"I still hate you," you said breathlessly between kisses. "So fucking much."

You bit his lips when you felt the grin form on his mouth. He gasped in his turn and clutched onto your waist so hard, you squirm under his touch.

You would have done something as a payback if it wasn't for the horrid smell of burnt reaching your nostrils. All of the sudden, you remembered of putting bagels in the toaster for far too long.

"Shit," you mumbled, pushing Chan aside to get to the black burnt pieces of food.

You rushed to get one of your sister's perfumed candles and lit it up for them to get rid of the scent. You were lucky it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"Y/N," Chan finally said once you were done with taking care of the problem.

The realization hit you hard upon noticing the red-ish marks you had left on his neck. The swell on his lips was another proof of the makeout session that occurred only minutes ago. Who knows what would have happened if the bagels didn't burn...

"It's getting late, you can take the last spot on the couch."

Visibly disappointed by your dismissal of the situation, he still nodded in agreement. "Where will you sleep?"

"Wonhee has a guest room."

You stayed in the kitchen for a couple more minutes, not saying a word. Chan was the first to leave while muttering a short "good night".

But you did not have a good night.

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[shadowynn]

| the paradigm complex | three |

pairing: ot8 ateez x fem! reader

genre: yandere!vampire!cult!poly!ateez au

warnings: yandere behavior, some cursing, negative thoughts, cheating, toxic relationships, (like, um, things aren't really healthy here in anyone's relationship except for reader and felix. sorry.)

summary:

They'll do whatever you ask. Anything you need. Anything you want. It's yours. They'll fulfill your every desire and whim. Give you the life you had always dreamed about.

And in exchange, you wouldn't just give them your soul. Oh, no, They weren't demons. What good was your soul when your purpose was better served alive and well? Your soul was nice, sure, but it wasn't all they wanted. It wasn't all they needed. They needed your body, your mind. Your blood. You entirely. Every single fiber of your being would soon be theirs and theirs alone.

The moment you signed that contract, everything would change. For them and for you.

And there was nothing you could do about it.

word count: 8.3k

a/n: i'm sorry it took this long, but i think i finally got this where i want it to be. i'm also laughing at my past self for saying this wasn't going to be serious and not really a novel and more of a series of one-shots, and yet, here i am, writing a novel because apparently i can't write anything else. oops. but, seriously, i hope you all enjoy. and let me know if i missed anyone on the tags or if you want to be added/removed.

| two | three | four |

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You stared at the open trunk of your car, wondering just how the hell you were going to get either box up to your new apartment by yourself. When you had ordered the new mattress and bedframe for your new place, you had been counting on Felix to help you move things in, but then he had called earlier stating he was sick and leaving you by yourself for the day.

You couldn’t blame him. Not when you knew he had been looking forward to this day almost as much as you had, eager for an inside look at The Paradigm and a possible peek at your future coworkers. But the timing of it all couldn’t have been worse for you, having already picked up your new furniture from the store by the time he had called you to let you know. If your situation had been normal, you could have just left them in your car until the following weekend, but you knew that would only put you in a worse situation. One where you might be forced to kiss your new life goodbye before it had ever even started. 

Knowing there was an elevator did give you a slight boost in confidence, and you thought you could very possibly get the box that contained your bed frame up to your place. The mattress, however, was a different story. Perhaps you might have been able to do it if you dragged it, but even then, you risked making a commotion and you didn’t want to accidentally damage anything in the endeavor either. The last thing you needed was to make a worse impression than you already had; the fact you had been late to your lease signing still haunted your mind despite Seonghwa’s insistence it was fine.

The only other option you could think of was to ask one of your future coworkers for help. Since you had signed the lease last Monday, you had been added to a group chat with the eight of them, each who had been nothing short of sweet and welcoming to you. And though there had been multiple offers of help extended your way, you hadn’t actually expected to take any of them up on it. You didn’t want to bother them on a Saturday afternoon, especially with such a late notice, but your fear of keeping the boxes in your car for another week only to risk your boyfriend seeing them far outweighed your fear of asking for help.

Running a hand through your hair and doing your best to ignore the anxieties that popped up from the thought, you pulled your phone out of your back pocket and opened up the group chat. Your eyes briefly skimmed over the previous  messages, unable to keep your cheeks from tinting pink at their content, especially knowing the face behind each name.

They chatted often. Not enough to where your phone was always blowing up, but enough for you to see the clear bond between them, leading to many occasions of you feeling like you were an intruder, not quite familiar with many of their jokes or references. But just when you would begin to wonder if they had forgotten you were there, someone would direct the conversation your way, directly asking your opinion on the matter or apologizing on the behalf of someone else in the chat.

You scrolled past the messages that had come through on your drive over  as you hesitated - someone had borrowed one of Hongjoong’s jackets a few weeks ago and had yet to return it - fingers hovering over the screen for a few seconds as you wondered just how to word the message without sounding too needy. By the time you had come up with something and typed it out, you quickly deleted it before retyping something else before deleting and repeating the process all over a second time. This time however, you hit send before you could even think about talking yourself out of it and attempting to move in by yourself to avoid the anxiety asking for help always brought.

Your regret was immediate, and you quickly locked your phone up and slid it in your pocket to avoid seeing any responses the request might pull and wondering just what you were thinking. Your phone buzzed almost immediately, and you froze, wanting to pull it out, and yet, terrified all the same. When it buzzed once again a few seconds later, you slowly pulled it out, preparing yourself for the worst, but finding two acceptances instead. Jongho had been the first to respond with a short, but enthusiastic Me! while Mingi had followed a few seconds later, stating he was also free if an extra set of hands was needed.

There was relief in knowing you would be able to unpack your car this weekend, but the solution had come with its own set of problems. Not only did you still feel like an inconvenience for bothering them on the weekend, but you really didn’t know any of them at this point, and had yet to even meet either of the two who had offered to help you today face-to-face. From your previous experiences with each of them, you were confident you could get along well enough, but it would still be a while before you became comfortable enough around them that you didn’t always feel slightly on edge.

You sifted through a few of the other boxes and bags in your car as you waited for Jongho and Mingi to come, briefly checking your own appearance in your car’s rear view mirror. Now that you no longer needed your savings to rent a place of your own, you had been free to spend some of it on furnishing your new apartment and had spent the majority of the morning out shopping. Besides your clothing, books, and a few other belongings you couldn’t bear to part with, there was little you would be actually taking from your current place and you wanted this place to be as move-in ready as it could be by this time next week. And while you hadn’t gotten everything you needed, not quite having enough on hand to buy any other major furniture pieces besides a bed, you were able to snag some new towels, bedsheets, and enough dishware to get you started for the time being.

Your eyes glanced behind you every so often as you waited, looking out for the two who had stated they were on their way down once you had given them your location. You weren’t sure exactly what either boy looked like, but you did have a sneaking suspicion you would be able to spot them nonetheless. All you had to do was likely wait for the next two attractive strangers to leave the apartment building and you were sure to find them.

And though you did your best to not let your mind dwell there, you found yourself growing self-conscious of your own appearance, checking and straightening your hair up once more in the mirror. You had dressed simply for the occasion, putting your own comfort first, and merely pulling on a pair of joggers, cropped tee, and a jacket that you had since wrapped around your waist from the lingering summer heat. Before, you had at least tried to fit in with the higher class of the complex, but one brief look at the tenants who had just walked inside, and you were swiftly reminded of how much you stuck out here.

You didn’t have to wait too much longer. Just a few minutes later and you found you had been right in your earlier assessment. At the sound of the door opening behind you, you glanced back to find two men walking out, both equally as attractive as the others. The one on the left was tall, just as tall if not taller than Yunho had been, while the other was just a few inches taller than yourself. Something that had been said must have annoyed the shorter one, as he shoved the other as they made their way outside, but a smile was planted on each of their faces and the earlier action done playfully.

Upon seeing you standing by your car, both of their faces instantly lit up and the taller one was quick to wave. His smile was infectious, leaving you to follow suit with your own before returning his wave as well.

“You must be y/n.” It was the taller one who addressed you first as they drew close, holding out his hand for you to shake. “I’m Mingi.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mingi.” Now that you were close, you could see his hair was not black like you had originally thought, but a dark blue. that shone through in the fluorescent lights of the parking garage.

His smile nearly had you melting up close, instantly setting your nerves to rest as you took his hand. So, this was the other doctor who served at the complex, seemingly just as sweet and gentle as Yunho had been. And with his appearance just as young as the former, you wondered if the two had met in medical school. They definitely appeared around the same age as each other.

“I’m Jongho.” The other swiftly stole your attention, his smile just as endearing as the one before. All it took was one quick look and you were struck with the sudden urge to know just what it felt like to be hugged by him, all but craving to be wrapped up in his warm embrace.

“So, you needed some help moving things in?” Mingi asked, snapping the strange spell that had grabbed hold of you in that moment, a slight edge to his tone that surprised you. You turned your gaze back to him just in time to see the look he had given Jongho, not quite angry, nor was it quite frustrated either, but almost reprimanding. But a smile was quick to replace it when his gaze met yours once more, leaving you wondering if it hadn’t just been a trick of the light. 

“Yes,  sorry.” Your smile became bashful, once again embarrassed by having to ask for their help. “My friend was supposed to be here with me today to help, but then he came down with something and wasn’t able to make it, so thank you, truly, for your help. I really appreciate it.”

You ran your hand through your hair, wondering if you would ever feel completely at ease around any of them. You had no want for any sort of romantic relationship once you finally broke things off with your boyfriend the following week, but the strange attraction you felt towards each of them was enough to keep you on edge, leaving you flustered more often than not, all but craving to get in closer. 

“It shouldn’t take too long. I just needed some help with these two boxes,” you motioned to the two larger ones, inwardly cursing yourself. You had never had this problem before, not even with Haneul, who you had been silently crushing on since he had started working with you. “So, maybe just five or so minutes of your time and then you can return back to whatever it was you were doing beforehand.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re both more than happy to help.” Jongho waved your concern away, moving past you to grab the heavier of the two boxes. “Neither of us were up to anything important. We were just hiding out at Wooyoung’s place while he started prepping for dinner tonight, which he said you are more than welcome to come to as well, by the way.”

“Careful, that’s-” You barely registered the invitation to dinner, more concerned about helping Jongho with the box he was pulling out, but he lifted it with ease, “...heavy.”

You found it impossible not to stare, watching it awe as he shifted the box onto his right shoulder to help support the weight, and unable to keep your eyes from wandering over the muscles on his arms. You had struggled to lift the box into your car earlier, and yet, he had made it look like it was nothing.

Just how much did this guy workout?

“Careful, Jongho,” Mingi’s voice held a similar tone from earlier, breaking you out from your thoughts once more. You were acutely aware you had been staring at Jongho in that moment, and shifted your gaze away, but not before Jongho had caught your wandering eyes out of the corner of his own.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” He waved both of your concerns away, an innocent, yet almost smug smile on his face. 

Mingi didn’t seem nearly as amused, but his expression lightened when he turned to address you. “Don’t worry, I can get the other one if you don’t mind getting the doors.”

You nodded, watching in a similar awe as Mingi grabbed the box that contained your new bed frame with just as much ease as Jongho before. You knew you weren’t that strong, but you didn’t think you were that weak either. Sure, you didn’t go to the gym every day, or even every other day for that matter, but you liked to think you had some muscles from casually working out with Felix over the past few years when you had the time. 

It took you several seconds to comprehend Mingi’s request, body and mind not quite catching up to what was currently happening until Jongho called for you from further ahead. You shook your head, snapping yourself out of the daze and grabbing a few bags from your trunk before running up to grab the door for Jongho before he reached it.

You didn’t have to direct either of them to your unit. Upon reaching the elevator, Mingi had pressed the button for the sixth floor before you could even think to say something and guided you effortlessly down the hall to where the door to your apartment lay.

“Where would you like us to put them?” Mingi asked as he slid past the door you held open and into the main room. “Upstairs?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, that would be great.”

It felt strange coming back here, once again in complete awe of the space around you. It was more than you could ever dream of, and completely yours. A fact you didn’t think would ever settle completely in your head.

“Hey, y/n, this is your bed, right?” Jongho pulled you from your thoughts, leaning over the banister of the lofted area to address you. “You want us to put it together for you while we’re here?”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I can get it myself later.” You shook your head, waving his offer away. “I’ve taken enough of your Saturday as it is.”

“Trust me, neither one of us minds. And if I’m being honest, you’re really doing us a favor. Hongjoong was trying to rope us into running a few errands for him since we were free and I did not feel like driving around town all afternoon.” Propping his elbows up against the edge, he rested his chin down into his hands. “So, we are now your humble servants for the rest of the afternoon, ready and willing to do whatever you need of us.”

He winked, and you hoped he couldn’t see the blush that tinted your cheeks as you turned your head away and used all your current brainpower to come up with a proper response.

“C’mon, while Jongho starts putting the bed frame together, why don’t you and I get the rest of the stuff from your car?” Mingi didn’t seem to have any reservations about Jongho’s former statement as he came back down the stairs, motioning with his head for the two of you to head back out. “And then we can help him finish when we’re done.”

He didn’t wait for you to agree, leaving you no choice but to follow after him and accept their offer of help.

“So, how long have you lived here?” You asked once the two of you had made it back down to your car, shuffling around some of the boxes to have a better grip.

“I’ve been here since The Paradigm opened,” Mingi replied, taking the heavier boxes from your hands and leaving you with just the new bedsheets and towels to carry. “Hongjoong and I have known each other for a long time, so when he introduced a new business venture he was interested in, I signed right up. The rent was free and it certainly beat the long shifts at the hospital.” He shrugged, closing your trunk for you now that it was empty. “What about you? Have you always lived in the city?”

You shook your head, readjusting the bags in your hands to open the door for the two of you. “I grew up in a pretty rural area up north, but moved down here for college, so I’ve only been in the city for about… three years now, I think.”

“And what do you think about it?”

“City life definitely has its pros and cons, and for the most part, I really do love living here, but I don’t know,” you shrugged, “sometimes it’s just a little overwhelming being in such a big place all on your own.”

“You’re by yourself?” Mingi’s head tilted, surprised by your words. “I’m sorry, I just assumed you had been living with someone else.”

“Well, you’d be right about that. I pretty much moved in with my boyfriend as soon as I arrived, but,” you paused, unsure how exactly to word your current situation, “I guess I've always felt like I was still all by myself.”

“Is that why you’re getting a new place?” 

You shook your head. “We’re actually breaking up, so I was in need of a new place to stay.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but it’s really for the best.” It was hard to meet Mingi’s eyes as you waited for the elevator, fingers nervously fidgeting with the bags in your hands. “The two of us might have been fighting the inevitable for a while, but it’s really something that’s been coming for a long time now, and honestly, as terrified as it makes me being out on my own again, I’m also relieved to finally be able to get away.”

“And why’s that?” It was hard to place Mingi’s expression. He was empathetic towards your situation, that was obvious, but there was something else there. Something more than the vague curiosity he presented alongside it. 

You could feel your body freezing up on you, wondering if it was appropriate to dump all your past trauma on someone you had just met, but Mingi felt nothing but genuine next to you. His gentle nature all but encouraging you to tell him what was on your mind.

“Well, let’s just say the guy has never learned how to keep it in his pants.” The words rolled out with ease, prompting you to continue. “And I know, I’m an idiot for staying with him through it all this time, but each time I talked to him about it, he truly seemed sorry and willing to change, and it’s not like I had anywhere else to go.” 

Your words trailed off, feeling self-conscious over your past attempts. It was so easy to see how foolish you were now. To see how you should have left. To see how anyone in their right mind would have left, and yet, you hadn’t. You had allowed him to convince you to stay each and every time, fully believing everything would work out. 

You tugged the bags you were holding closer to your chest, suddenly feeling very small and insignificant in that moment. As much as you knew the problem lay with him and not yourself, you still fought against the lies that told you it was your fault, that if you had only been better, none of this would have ever happened. He would have never cheated on you; you would have never gotten yourself hurt.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump that all on you.”

“I don’t mind. After all, it’s not good to keep feelings all bottled up inside and if it makes you feel better, I can listen to you rant about him as long as you need.” Mingi’s shoulder bumped against your own as the elevator came to a stop, and you could see his smile reflecting in the doors as they opened, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes this time around. “But I can’t help but feel a little concerned over the fact you’re still living with him over this next week. Are you sure that’s safe?”

“It’s not ideal, sure, but it’s not like I have any other choice. I would have loved to move in as soon as I had signed the lease, but he knows where I work and he would have just come in one day and convinced me to change my mind. He can be very persuasive when he wants to be.” You could feel your body tensing, not quite comfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. It was uncomfortable to talk about this side of your past, embarrassing to see just how easily you had allowed him to manipulate you. “But it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been with him for the past three  years, so I can do one more week as long as he doesn’t catch on that I’m leaving. And despite his cheating ways, he’s never done anything to hurt me. Well,” you frowned, instantly taking note of the lie you had just spoken, “not physically, at least.”

You drove the conversation to its end as you made it back to your apartment, motioning for Mingi to set his boxes on the kitchen counter for now. And while you made your way upstairs to check on Jongho and leave the conversation completely, Mingi excused himself out into the hallway to make a quick phone call once he remembered he had forgotten to list a few of the supplies he had needed Hongjoong to pick up during his time out.

“You want some help?” 

Jongho had made some progress in your absence, the majority of the pieces scattered around him in the relative shape of a bed, and you couldn’t help but feel partially guilty for leaving him to do the task for you when it was your bed frame. 

He nodded, motioning for you to come over. “If you could hold this together for me real quick, that would be great.”

“Of course.” 

You matched his smile as you settled down on the ground beside him to take hold of the pieces he was talking about, and it didn’t take long for you to become aware of how close the two of you were in that moment. Especially, when he leaned in closer to screw together the two pieces you were holding for him.

“Once again, thank you.” You spoke after a few minutes, hoping to alleviate some of the tension you felt from being so close to him, and hating how on edge he made you. It was the same way with the others, and yet, it was distinctly worse around some than others. Jongho’s presence fell towards the latter, and you had a much harder time keeping a grip on your thoughts and emotions around him than you had with Mingi, and yet, one look at both of them was enough for all your solid reasoning to leave your body. “I really appreciate your help.” 

“It’s no problem at all,” Jongho replied, arm brushing up against yours. “Like I said earlier, you’re really doing us a favor in return. We were looking for an excuse to be busy until dinner tonight.” 

“Oh, yeah, you mentioned Wooyoung was making dinner for you. That’s very sweet of him.” You thought Jongho might have mentioned Wooyoung had also extended an invitation towards you, but didn’t want to make any assumptions in case you had heard him wrong, distracted by the show of strength of the boy next to you.

“He’s just about the only one of us who’s actually any good at cooking. Well, Seonghwa’s pretty decent as well, but he doesn’t enjoy it the way Wooyoung does, nor is he as willing to share with the rest of us. Woo usually hosts a dinner once or twice a week, but you’ll definitely have to watch out for him,” Jongho continued. “Baking is pretty much that man’s love language and he’ll load you with more goods and sweets then you’ll know what to do with.”

“Oh, well, if that’s how he is, I guess it’s a good thing I have a sweet tooth.”

The words were out before you could stop them, and it took you a few seconds to realize just what you had said and how it might have sounded, especially the chuckle it had pulled out of Jongho. You hadn’t meant anything by it, but as you quickly ran through the words in your head once more, you began to question what exactly Jongho had meant by his statement and if it hadn’t been as innocent as you had first believed. Especially when he was quick to quip back, “You’re not the only one.” 

And was it your imagination, or had he shifted closer to you than necessary? Leaning forward into you as he reached around your body to tighten the piece he had you holding. 

Thankfully, you were saved from responding when Mingi came up the stairs behind you, though the way he cleared his voice to announce his presence didn’t make you feel any better from the position Jongho had taken around you.

“Fucking hell, Mingi.” Jongho’s string of curses was almost too low to hear, leaving you once again wondering what exactly was going on around you as Jongho straightened back up. His eyes rolled, agitation once again lining his features, or at least you thought it had. One blink and the look was gone, replaced with another innocent expression as he motioned to his left hand. “Sorry, cut myself.” His hand rose to his mouth, briefly sucking on the end of his middle finger to get rid of the blood that had begun pooling on the tip.

You averted your eyes, shaking your head in an attempt to clear it and wondering just what was up with you today. Perhaps you were simply coming down with whatever illness Felix had. You had seen him the day before, after all, so you very well could have caught it from him then; the beginning of a fever clouding your mind and judgment. And yet, your forehead felt cool to the touch when you brushed the back of your hand against it despite the heat that flooded you.

Things calmed down once Mingi joined the two of you, helping you finish putting the bed frame together. Once it was completed, you directed them to where you wanted it to lie before unboxing your mattress and allowing it time to air out before tugging on the set of sheets you had bought. 

By the time you were all done, it was nearly five and you were far more exhausted than you expected to be, especially knowing you had the opening shift tomorrow morning. You were supposed to be working it with Felix, but now you weren’t so sure since he had come down with something. You didn’t really have any qualms with the rest of your coworkers, nor with your managers, but working with Felix was always a lot less exhausting than working a shift with anyone else.

“Thank you again for helping me out,” you said as you made your way back downstairs, rolling out the kinks in your back. “I really appreciate all your help and I don’t mean to seem rude, but I should probably get ready to head back to my place soon.” 

“You’re not going to stay for dinner?” Jongho asked, seemingly disappointed as he reminded you of the offer he had extended towards you earlier in the day. 

“Oh, right.”

You had forgotten about the invitation until now, and quickly debated over what you should do. On one hand, you were exhausted and craved an evening to yourself, but on the other hand, you didn’t want to seem rude and turn down the offer either. It would be good to get to know them and the others a bit better, and if you wanted everything here to go smoothly as possible, it would be best to get on good terms with each of them.

“If you’re sure I wouldn’t be interrupting anything, I’d love to join you, but I probably can’t stay too long. I have work tomorrow morning and a fairly long drive back to my place.”

And with reassurances your presence was more than welcomed, you followed them out of your apartment and down to the floor beneath yours where Wooyoung’s own unit lay. The door was unlocked, and neither boy even bothered knocking and made their way inside as though it was their own apartment. You followed behind a bit more hesitantly, slipping off your shoes at the doorway and pushing them to the side. 

The layout to Wooyoung’s place was vastly different from yours, having actual bedrooms towards the back instead of a lofted studio like your own. A large kitchen was directly to your right, which then flowed directly into a small dining room with a view of the city behind it, while the living area was to your left. 

Wooyoung was busy in the kitchen upon your arrival, and you could faintly make out two figures sprawled out on the couch playing what looked to be Super Smash Bros. 

“Oh, y/n, you came!” 

Wooyoung was the first to notice your presence, but one mention of your name was all it took for the game on your left to pause and the two seated there to give you their attention as well. Now that their heads were turned towards you, you were able to see it was Yeosang and San seated there.

“Thanks for having me over, and for dinner too.” You returned his smile, shuffling awkwardly at everyone’s attention. “I’ve heard a lot about your cooking and can’t wait to try it.” And if it was anything like the cookies you had earlier in the week or the smell wafting from the kitchen, you knew it probably matched up to the hype.

“Well, unfortunately you’ll have to wait another hour or so before it’s ready and everyone else gets here,” Wooyoung turned as the timer on the oven went off, “but feel free to make yourself at home in the meantime and just let me know if you need anything.”

“Hey, y/n, we have plenty of controllers if you want to join.” Before you could thank Wooyoung, you were being waved over by San and Yeosang, the former waving a controller your way.

“Sure, I’d love to,” you politely excused yourself from Wooyoung as you were guided over to the living room by Mingi, “though I must warn you, I’m not very good. I never really got any of the combos down, so I’m usually just button mashing and hoping for the best.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be the only one,” San replied, motioning to the spot between him and Yeosang on the couch and handing you a controller when you had sat down. “Even the bots can beat Yeosang.”

“May I remind you that we only switched to this game because you got tired of me kicking your ass in Mario Kart.”

“Don’t feel too bad, I’m even worse at that game.” You giggled as Yeosang ended the game he and San had been playing, loading up a new preset for the rest of you to join. “Thankfully, though, I can always do pretty decent in Mario Party. Which is kind of sad, but I’ll take what I can get.” 

“Well, we have that too if you want to switch.” Yeosang replied, but you shook your head, not wanting to ruin their fun. 

“No, this is perfectly fine with me. I might be terrible at it, but I still enjoy playing.” You contemplated which character you were going to pick as you spoke. You had thought about starting with Link, but upon seeing Mingi get to him before you, you decided to just go with your other go-to for the first round.

“Sephiroth, huh?” Yeosang was the first to remark as you solidified your character.

“Mmhmm.” You shifted in your seat, pulling your legs up to your chest as you nodded. “Final Fantasy and Zelda were pretty much my childhood growing up, so I usually tend to orient towards those characters. Well, them and Joker. I never really got into the Persona games like my friend Felix, but I do love his aesthetic.”

It took you a few rounds to get back into the swing of things, having been several months since the last time you had played. You rotated between characters as you went, going from Shiek to Joker and then back to Sephiroth, but it was clear you were nowhere near the level of the others. Occasionally you would beat Yeosang, and even once managed to outlast Mingi, but on most occasions you would be the first one dead, proving your lack of skills for the game.

After a few more games, you decided to take a break, excusing yourself to go check on Wooyoung and feeling a little guilty from all the work he was doing by himself while you played. You weren’t much of a cook yourself, at least not on the level he was, but surely there was something you could do, even if it was just keeping him company for the time being.

He lounged against one of the counters, head buried into the phone he held. As his eyes scanned the small screen, a frown worked its way across his features and his fingers danced across the screen to form a reply to whatever had upset him.

“Can I help with anything?”

His head whipped up at your soft approach, and whatever had upset him was quickly replaced with a smile. With one last glance at his phone, he pocketed it and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Everything’s pretty much ready , so we’re really just waiting for the others to make it back. Hongjoong had some errands to run and it seems they had to make a few detours on their way back, so they’re running later than expected. Can I get you anything to drink in the meantime, though?”

“Water if you don’t mind.”

You took a seat at the island counter as Wooyoung fetched your drink, wondering if you would ever get used to living like this. If you would ever get used to living here at The Paradigm. Despite knowing you now had your very own place one level above, you couldn’t help but feel like it was all some hazy dream. That you would finally wake up and realize nothing had changed because you knew how crazy this whole situation was. It was just too good to be true, and yet, here you still were, seemingly still wide awake.

You chatted idly with Wooyoung as you waited, munching on a small snack he had given you when you had accidentally let it slip that you hadn’t eaten anything all day. You hadn’t meant to skip lunch, but it had just slipped your mind with everything else going on. Yeosang joined the two of you shortly after, giving video games a rest for the night after being severely beaten once more.

The others arrived shortly after, just as the sun was starting to set. You couldn’t help but grow slightly more on edge at their appearance, fully aware of Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s position above you in your new job, but it didn’t take long to ease back into a more relaxed state. Well, as relaxed as you could be around them.

Yeosang and Wooyoung kept their positions beside you, while Hongjoong took up the empty bar stool beside you. As you ate, you spoke of your childhood, your family, as well as your interests and how you had ended up in the city. You were aware of the way the attention seemed to be directed towards you, but any time you attempted to direct the conversation elsewhere and ask them about themselves, it didn’t take long for the conversation to drift its way back to you once more. You didn’t mind, not really, having nothing to hide about your past, but you couldn’t help but feel a little bad and hoped they didn’t think badly of the fact you were doing the majority of talking.

It didn’t take long for you to lose track of time, your phone laying forgotten beside you on the counter. It wasn’t until you looked outside and saw the sun had long set that you were suddenly reminded of the fact you still had a long drive back to your apartment. You grabbed your phone to check the time, barely recognizing it was much later than you had anticipated when you noticed several missed calls and a few texts from Felix alongside a message from your manager.

“Is everything alright?” Hongjoong was the first to take note of the confusion that crossed your features as you scanned over the text from your manager, the source of Felix’s concern.

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s good. It’s just…” Your words trailed off, trying to make sense of what she had sent you and understanding why Felix had now been trying to get a hold of you. “Do you mind if I go make a call real quick?” You excused yourself from the bar, making your way out of the apartment and out into the hallway for some privacy as you returned Felix’s call.

“Jesus, y/n, do you know how badly you just scared me?” Felix didn’t even bother with a greeting, leaving you cringing as you realized exactly what sort of state he was in. “Don’t tell me that fucking bastard found out you were moving.”

“No, no, nothing like that.” You frowned, understanding how it must have looked from his side, and yet just as lost as he was over the whole situation. “I’m sorry for scaring you, Lix, I really didn’t mean to, but to be honest, I’m just as confused as you are. For some reason Hana texted me an hour ago saying not to bother showing up to work for my last few shifts. I texted her back asking why or if I had done something, but all she’s said is that she just got someone else to cover me.” 

“Wait, so she just took you off the schedule and said not to bother finishing up?” 

“That’s what it looks like.” You took a screenshot of the conversation with your manager, sending it over to Felix to show him exactly what had been said. “I mean, I guess I don’t really mind. It’s not like I need the money now, but I just don’t understand why she did it without asking me first. You don’t think I did something do you? Something that might have made her mad?” 

You had never had any problems with Hana before. Sure, you had your shared frustrations towards the way she managed the store occasionally, but the two of you had always gotten along, at least you thought you had. She had always seemed to appreciate your work ethic and she had never expressed any concern towards you before. But what if something had happened? What if she had overheard one of your conversations with Felix about you wishing you could just finish up this job and move on with your life and had gotten upset over it?

“No way, you were Hana’s favorite, so maybe she just wanted to give you a break.” Felix replied, pushing back any anxieties that had popped up from it. “You’ve covered a lot of shifts for her in the past, so maybe she just wanted to repay the favor here in the end, especially knowing how excited you are.”

“I don’t know.” You leaned back against the wall behind you, still trying to run the situation over in your head. Because of the delicate position you were in, you had only simply told her and your other coworkers you were moving. The only one who knew exactly where was Felix. “Maybe.” 

“Well, regardless of what or how it happened, it looks like you now have the week off, so what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know.” In all your confusion over what had happened with your schedule, you had yet to even think about what that meant for you or what you might be able to do with it. “I guess I could move in early now, but…” You paused, the weight of the situation hitting you. You had known all along what was happening, and yet, it had never quite hit you like it did now. 

“But, what? Don’t tell me you're getting second thoughts about it all again, because if you are, I will drive over to your place right now and drag your ass out of there whether you want me to or not.”

“No, no, it’s not that.” At least you didn’t think it was. You wanted to leave, you did, but why did it suddenly scare you so much? “And I’m not even there right now, so your drive would be wasted.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still unpacking, are you?” You could hear the pity in Felix’s voice, fully aware he still felt terrible for having to bail on you earlier in the day.

“Oh, no. I got some help from Mingi and Jongho and we finished up hours ago.” You quickly waved his concern away. “It’s just that I got invited to dinner and lost track of time.”

“Dinner?” You didn’t have to see Felix to know what expression had crossed his face, and you did your best to hide your blush  regardless of the fact you couldn’t see each other.

“No, it’s not like that at all. I guess Wooyoung hosts dinners occasionally, so I just got roped into going as well.” Your body shifted, growing uncomfortable by the inclination his voice had held and lowering your voice. “There’s absolutely nothing going on and they’re just being friendly, Lix. Just friends hanging out with friends, nothing more.” 

“Well, at least for now.”

“Oh, come on Felix, it’ll never come to that and you know it.” And despite the teasing tone his voice had taken, you could feel yourself beginning to sink into yourself, realizing how stupid it would be to ever think otherwise. “I don’t doubt that most of them are already in a relationship, and even if they’re not, they wouldn’t be interested in me. I mean, why the hell would they?” 

“Well, if you ask me, they’d be dumb not to be.” Felix’s voice softened. “I mean, if I swung that way, I’d snag you right up before anyone else could have a chance to steal you. You’re the ultimate package, n/n. You’re sweet, kind, smart-”

“You’re only saying that because you’re required to as my best friend.”

And he had to be, didn’t he? After all, how could you believe something like that when everything in life had told you otherwise? The only person to ever express an interest in you before had swiftly shown you weren’t worth it and continued to tell you so for years. He had proved  that there was something wrong with you, because otherwise, he would have cared enough about you to not break you completely.

“I know it might be hard to believe it at times, but you are worth it, y/n, truly. And one of these days you’ll finally meet someone who will help to teach you that, but for now, you’ll just have to take it from me. And I promise you, I’m not saying any of this because I’m required to, but rather because I believe it.”  

“Oh, Felix.” You wiped your eyes, brushing away the tears that had fallen and biting back the apology that fell at the tip of your tongue. You had had this conversation or similar ones enough in the past to know Felix would only immediately refute it, saying there was absolutely no need to apologize. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” You repeated the words you had said to him so often, truly wondering why he had ever decided to become your friend with all the baggage that came with you. In all the time you had known him, he had been a bright light in your life and a steady force that had gotten you through some of the roughest times in your life.

You talked for a minute longer to help lift your spirits back up, confirming with Felix that you were in a fit state to drive and would head back to your boyfriend’s place for the night and start packing up so that you were ready and gone before he came home tomorrow night. You strayed in the hallway for a bit longer once the call was over, attempting to get your emotions under control once more and prayed that your eyes weren’t red from crying. 

Taking one last breath and doing your best to compose yourself, you made your way back into Wooyoung’s apartment to thank him, Mingi, and Jongho one last time before heading back for the night. 

“Everything alright?” Hongjoong was the first to address you at your return, but you shook off his concern as best you could, fully hoping the smile you wore met your eyes.

“Yeah, it was just some stuff that came up with work.” Your hands fiddled with the end of your jacket’s sleeves, shuffling awkwardly at the eyes that watched you. “Apparently my manager found someone to take the rest of my shifts for the week and was just letting me know.”

“So, you’re now done?” Mingi asked, turning from his conversation at the table with Yunho to address you.

You nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I’ll still need to drop a few things off sometime this week, but I’ll probably do that sometime tomorrow after I’m done packing.” You paused for a moment before continuing, hoping you wouldn’t make things awkward by leaving directly after the phone call. “Which I have quite a bit to do now in a short amount of time, so I should probably go ahead and leave for the night-”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hongjoong asked, stopping you from heading back to the door when he took hold of your wrist. “You did have quite a bit of wine earlier, and I don’t think it would be safe for you to drive.” 

“What are you talking…?” Your head tilted, confused as to what he was talking about. You hadn’t drank anything tonight because you had known you would be driving back home. You had made sure of it.

And yet, now that you thought about it, you weren’t so sure. You didn’t think you had drank anything, but then why was there an empty wine glass next to your plate alongside the faintest memories beginning to pop up of you drinking it. Hadn’t Wooyoung offered you a glass before dinner had begun, and you had accepted thinking it would be fine if you drank it early enough?

God, how could you have forgotten you had been drinking? Were you really that drunk that you had completely forgotten what you had been doing? And how could you, when you could so clearly feel the effects of the alcohol in your system now, leaving you unsteady on your feet. What had you been thinking earlier? You were in no state to be driving. Not when you were now struggling to stand on your own two feet.

“Right, um…” You struggled  to get your thoughts together, suddenly aware of how hot it was in there. 

“Woah, you okay there, pretty?” It was Yeosang behind you who spoke, grabbing hold of your shoulder to help steady you when you attempted to take your jacket back off, the action leaving you stumbling forward.

He, alongside Hongjoong, who still had a hold on your wrist, used their grip on you to guide you back down to your seat, leaving your vision racing momentarily. When your eyes managed to focus once more, you saw Hongjoong leaning over you, his close presence doing little to calm your racing thoughts, and only serving to scramble them more than ever. And as you looked up into his eyes, all your mind could focus on was how breathtakingly beautiful he was alongside the deep yearning to feel his lips pressed against your own.

“Why don’t I take you back to your room?” His hand brushed the hair out of your eyes, expression painstakingly sweet. “And then maybe we can go over and help you pack the rest of your stuff in the morning when you’re in a better mindset, yeah?” 

You didn’t hear exactly what he had said, your brain too scrambled to comprehend what exactly was going on, but you nodded your head in agreement anyways, ready and more than willing to do whatever it was he asked of you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

taglists in reblogs :)

[sukunasdirtylaugh]

Behind Closed Doors

tags: ex!convict geto x f!reader x nanami, mentions of broken relationships, mentions of firearm usage,

a/n: inspired by my last post. might mess around and make a part three but this was fun to make. also unedited. reblogs are always welcome but please do not repost my work on other platforms (Instagram, TikTok etc...) here’s part 2

“You’re still as beautiful as the day I married you,” was not a phrase you’d expect to hear your ex, dead presumed, ex-husband mutter nearly 4 years past your wedding date. suguru stands still, and you itch as you nervously look at him and at the door. Kento’s bodyguards should be here any minute now, and it terrified you what they would think if they found you here with him.

Suguru still held his signature features, his earlobe piercings, semi-long black hair, defined eyebrows, and smooth skin. except those from under his eyes that gave the impression he hasn’t slept much these past few days. he’s been neglecting drinking his teas as usual, something he learned to love from you.

He was your first everything, as you recalled it. first boyfriend, first love, first time, everything. every love song you once heard reminded you of him, and every wedding ceremony reminded you of the elopement you traveled to in Vegas. the taste of vanilla raspberry ice cream and champagne from that night would never leave your senses. this you learned once you saw him again, standing, begging for a chance to have you hear him.

“y-you should go,” shit. why were you stuttering? “the main guards always enter from the eastern wing, there’s a door down the hall, second to your left and straight until you reach a door that’s metallic-“

“come with me.” he extends his hand, “baby, come with me.” the room suddenly feels too hot, tight, and you can’t breathe. looking at him makes this even worse, and the clock ticking right above the door feels like a time bomb that’s about to go off any second now.

you blink at him, heart painfully throbbing and feet that now matter how much you try, will not move.

“I can’t. you left, remember?”

Your words only serve as a reminder of his failures and he sighs as his eyes are averted to the dark teal blue carpet. he knew there was something you weren’t saying, and you hoped he wouldn’t stay or ask any more of what you wished to keep. It was better this way. he lost a piece of you, he has no right of knowing what you’re doing with your life.

“I saw you sing today,” he breathes, ragged and raw, “you were beautiful. I knew you could always do it.”

“You need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving until you hear me.”

“You need to leave.”

“What’s the worry?”

“There are guards everywhere.”

“I have a gun. I can shoot them.”

“Don’t.” your heart breaks, the image of any of Kento’s men like ino being wounded, makes you feel sick. “That’ll draw attention.”

“Then come with me,” he insists and you hate him for this. Why like this, why now after 4 years? “Who knows me better, or the system without you?”

Who knows me better? Says the man who leaves you as a fugitive on your honeymoon. he needs to leave, is all your mind races on about. with a dry throat and clammy hands, you don’t know what to do.

“Just leave, please. I... I’m already here, I can’t leave...”

“That’s why I came back,” he says to you, “I returned. I have money. We can open up our own bar, have you be the star singer for every show, buy that Spanish home you’ve always wanted and have a fam-“ your head snaps to a loud knock at your door, and you have to react to pull suguru back as he reaches for his gun. how can you do the right thing if the man you once loved is in the same room as you and the man with whom would create a future with you is on the other side of the door?

[romanarose]

To the Rescue

Pre-Outbreak!Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Summary: Sarah gets her period, and Joel is a bit lost.

Warnings: So much period talk. so much. Thats about it.

EDIT Gotdamn two requests for part two already and it’s been up a few hours 😂 part two it is! Maybe with smut 👀

Let’s see. Comment if you’d like to be tagged!

************

You didn’t wanna assume anything… maybe he knew what he was doing. Maybe he was just trying to find a particular kind. 

Or maybe the 30-something-year-old man was wandering lost around the feminine hygiene aisle overwhelmed because his wife, daughter, or sister sent him to buy some, and he had no idea what he was doing.

“Excuse me, sir?” You gently approach the nervous man. When he turns to you, wide-eyed and red faced, you can’t help but notice how handsome he is, soft brown curls framing a strong jaw and curved nose.

“Oh, ‘scuse me, ma’am.” He nods his head to you, and steps back, presumably to get out of your way.

You smile softly at him, trying to put him at ease. “No, no, you’re alright, I was just gonna ask if you needed any help?”

The man blushes harder at that, dodging your attempts to catch his eyes. He looks like he’s about to refuse, but reconsiders. Looking at the floor and shoving his hands in his pockets, he answers. “My daughter, she started… um… yeah. For the first time today… the nice cashier boy is an older brother of her friend so he let her in the employee bathroom, since apparently, they don’t have a public one.” The annoyance laced his voice, and it’s obvious it had taken a moment to get the poor young girl to privacy. He finally looks at you, not so much embarrassed, but more ashamed. “I should’a been prepared for this, but I thought… I thought I had more time, you know? She’s still a little girl to me, I guess I didn’t see it coming. So. Here we are.”

You nod, listening. “Are you able to contact her mom?”

Shaking his head, he looks away again. “She left when Sarah- uh, my daughter- when Sarah was two, I gave up tryna involve her in Sarah's life by Kindergarden- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping all this shit-I Mean, crap- on you.”

He was a southern gentleman, it seemed, not keen on swearing around women. You felt for him, you did. A single dad in this position wasn’t ease. 

“I see, well, I’m happy to help, if that’s alright.”

An audible sigh of relief escapes him. “That would be great, thank you. I don’t wanna… well she’s already very embarrassed. The cashier was nice, but he definitely saw the blood on her shorts, and she’s pretty humiliated. You know, teenage boy she knows and all that… I don’t wanna make it worse.” He shuffles his feet. “I don’t wanna make her feel like this is something to be ashamed of, or that I’m grossed out. I’m not.” He glances at you before sighing again but keeping eye contact. “I just feel out of my depth that’s all.”

“I understand. This sort of thing can be confusing for adult women do. We learn new things all the time, what works better and what doesn’t. I don’t think anyone expects you to be an expert.”

With a shy smile, the young man extends his hand. “Joel Miller, pleasure to meet yuh, miss.”

You tell him your name, and get to work, not wanting to leave that poor girl waiting. “Any known allergies, Mr. Miller?”

“Please, you can call me Joel. And yeah, she’s allergic to latex.”

Nodding again, you move to a particular section. “Okay, good think I asked because some have latex. Here.” You give him a box of basic Kotex pads and a box of tampons. “This brand is latex free, and they are a good brand. Just make sure you check any new products if you get 'em. She probably won’t want to use tampons for a few years yet, but let’s get 'em just in case” You grab a box of larger ones. “And these are overnight pads, but the first day or two are always the heaviest each month, and if I’m being honest, I just use these the first day, even with a tampon.” Your face suddenly matches Joel’s blush. “Sorry, that’s probably TMI”

“No!” He reassures, wide-eyed. “I don’t mind, any information is helpful- uh- if you’re comfortable, of course.”

You can’t seem to stop smiling at him. “Yeah. I’m pretty open. Well, for me, my first two days are insanely heavy, and the tampons bleed through really quick, so if I’m at work it's better just to have a big pad on to prevent leaks. I think it’s safe to say she’s gonna like these while she is figuring things out.”

Joel nods, and you can tell he’s trying very hard to take in this information. He grabs another box of the over night pads, then looks at you. “Just in case”

“Okay, now, you said she bleed through her clothes right?”

Joel scrubbed his face. “Oh god, yeah, and they don’t sell clothes here, huh.” He sighs, before coming up with a plan. “That's okay” I’ll just wrap my jacket around her.”

“Here.” You toss him some baby wipes. “You go check out, I got some sweats in my car, I’ll grab them and meet you at the employee bathroom.”

His eyes go wide at that. “Oh! Oh no, miss, thank you but you don't have to-”

But you hold out a hand to quiet the handsome single dad. “I want to. And they are just shitty sweats, don’t worry for one minute.” Before he could argue, you leave him, and soon you return to the front where Joel is trying to get his daughter to open the door… but she’s refusing.

“Sarah, honey, it’s okay, it’s okay I’m just gonna hand you what you need-”

“No!” You can hear her yell from the bathroom, and you can’t imagine she’s older than 10.

You step up to the door. “Hey, Sarah? I’m a friend of your dads. I got some clean clothes for you, if you crack open the door I have a towel you can cover yourself with, and I can help you, or if they you think got it-”

The door unlocked, and Joel looked visibly relieved as you handed her the beach towel through the cracked door. 

“Is this alright? I’ll keep the door unlocked and be in and out.” You assure him, and he agrees.

“I really appreciate all your help; I can’t say thank you enough.” 

Sarah calls that you can come in, and with a towel covering her you show her the products and explain how to use them. You slip out again and lean against the wall looking at an anxious Joel.

“She okay? She good?” He asks you, the worry evident on his face.

You were quick to reassure him. “She’s alright, just embarrassed, but I managed to slip in that you were absolutely not weirded out and not nervous at all.”

“Already lying for me, huh darl’n?”  He chuckles a bit, finally seeming to relax. “You really came to my rescue.”

You could stare at his soft brown eyes all day… “It’s alright. No one really prepares you for this as a dad.”

The smile on his face falls. “But I should’ve prepared myself, you know?” his large hand goes to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t want you to think I didn’t try, really. When her mom left I really tried to… you know… learn how to do both, the mom stuff and dad stuff.” Joel chuckled a bit. “I can throw a mean tea party.”

Smiling softly, you hope your face doesn’t show one of judgment. "I bet you can."

“But then she just got older so fast… ”

“How old is she?”

“10”

“Well, in your defense, that is a little earlier than expected.” You can see his eyes widen, so you’re quick to assure him. “Not too early! Any time between 9 and 16 I think is normal and healthy. 12-13 is the average though.”

He wouldn’t stop beating himself up about it. “I should’ve been prepared, but my ma died before Sarah was born and I work with all men so I just… didn’t have anyone to ask, and then I know I could probably look it up but I didn’t even know what I’m looking for, plus it’s the internet so I wasn’t really sure what I’d see-”

“Joel!” You stop him, laughing and putting a hand on him, hoping to cool his anxious over-explaining… he relaxes into your touch. “I have been getting mine for ages, and I still find myself getting caught off guard without products. You’re a good dad, okay? You’re trying your best, and from what I’ve seen, you’ve raised a lovely, polite young lady. You’re not gonna traumatize her because you didn’t have pads.”

When he smiles at you, you can’t help but fall into those puppy-dog eyes just a little bit more.

Sarah emerges from the bathroom, looking at the floor but trying to put on a brave face. You decide to leave them be, let them go home so the poor girl could rest and Joel could calm down.

“I’m going to finish my shopping, any more questions before I go, sweetie?”

She gives a light smile. “No ma’am, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Joel?” You ask the girls dad, and he laughs as he shakes his head.

“Got about a thousand, but I’ll figure it out.”

“Dad” Sarah urges him to stop talking, so Joel does. 

“Thank you, miss. I appreciate it.”

You say goodbye to both, and go to retrieve your shopping cart. 

Meanwhile, Joel watches you leave, before Sarah speaks up.

“Who was that? She said she was a friend of yours, but you don’t have friends other than Uncle Tommy.”

“Hey now, little lady.” Joel looks down at her, but Sarah just gives him a look. “Fine, you got me. Just a nice lady helping a hopeless old man.”

“Well, she was nice. Can we go home? I think I deserve some of that candy you keep hidden away.”

“How do you know about that?”

“You fall asleep watching TV with your mouth full of chocolate.” Sarah then flops her head back, mouth open, imitating a loud snore. 

Joel gently bonks her head, making the pre-teen giggle. “Alright I get your point, fine. Let’s go home.” Joel put his arm around his daughter, walking her outside as he carried the back of products and her dirty shorts.

When Sarah stuffed her hands into your large sweatpants, she felt something in the pocket. “Oh I hope he doesn’t need this.”

“What is it?” Joel hoped it was important so he had an excuse to find you and talk to you again. 

Sarah handed him a business card. It had your name, and business and cellphone number printed on it, but it was the back that caught his attention. Written in blue ink, it said: “Call me, cowboy <3”

******************

First Joel with no smut XD

I was debating writing this or a dark!joel one shot, but christ, my dark joel series is *dark* so i needed to lighten myself up a bit.

@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

IDK who else is reading none smutty joel so i guess im just tagging fen bc they read all my nonsense XD

[obsessedwithpedritoofc]

Oɴᴇ Mᴏʀᴇ Pᴀʀᴛʏ (Jᴀᴠɪ Gᴜᴛɪᴇʀʀᴇᴢ)

ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: Javi Gutierrez × Male/GN Reader.

𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 7 k.

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: He was an angel. First, he saved you from being robbed, then he invited you to his party, then... You were sure no one had ever treated you like he did. And you were falling so bad for him.

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: teeth rotting fluff, awkwardness, playful flirting, mentions of alcohol, reader is sick and tired of work, javi being a sweetheart as always, allusion to smut, slightly suggestive, allusion to reader being top and javi bottom, swearing, no physical descriptions of reader, no use of Y/N. (lmk if i missed any).

𝔸/ℕ: (gddmn never written something this long) this sht got me giggling my feet into the bed somebody stop me bc next one is gonna be pretty angsty HAHAHAHA IM SO SORRY IM SO EVIL. ahem, anyway, enjoy the fluffiness while you can ehehe. hope you like it <3

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

It had been a terrible idea. And you knew it since the beginning but you decided it didn't matter, since you just wanted to vent a little.

You'd had the worst week ever. You just didn't know how to deal with all your shit anymore, and hell, you needed a rest. From your surroundings, from your life, from the world, from everything.

So you decided to be away from home for a while at night, go back a little later than usual to clean your mind and take some fresh air. You turned your phone off, got lost outside the city, walked through the beach for a couple hours, had a drink or two... 

Man, you needed it.

Ready to go back home a while after midnight, you took a different path instead of the one you use to go home. Your feet hurt and your head was spinning but you hadn't had so much fun in a long time. You found yourself walking alone in a road you didn't know, with not one single building. Just trees, grass and walls not too far away from the coast. You didn't even think you'd been there before, but honestly, you didn't care. You just kept walking, hoping to find a cutshort that would take you home sooner or later.

You weren't that lucky, though.

You had been walking for a while when you started feeling weird, as if someone was watching you, or following you. Then you heard steps behind you. Slow, careful, almost silent steps, and luckily a little far from you. That gave you some time to think, not stopping walking, and then go faster. The steps caught up speed almost immediately. You thought of running, but you refrained, thinking it would only make things worse for you. And you weren't going to die on your day off.

For the first time in all the while you had been walking, you saw a building. It looked like a house —a really big one—, and there were lights of all colors and music bustling out of it. Your heart almost jumped out of your chest at the relief. You just hoped that whoever was inside would hear you having trouble outside.

Right before you could reach the door, the guy behind you ran up to you and kept you from going any farther. He had a knife in one hand, and the other one was extended out to you.

"You know how this goes", he talked. "Money, watch, everything of value you have", his moved his fingers as a sign to give him what you had.

"Look, man, it's been a long day, I don't have anything on me", you tried to convince him.

"Bullshit", he approached you, grabbing his knife more firmly. "I don't wanna kill you, but I will if you don't give me any other choice".

You shook your head no and put your hands up.

"I don't—".

"I said fucking—!".

"Hey, dude!".

Another man approached you and put an arm around you shoulders. You saw the robber put his knife down and into his pocket.

"Where were you? The party started long ago!", the other man pushed you towards the door of the building. Then, for a moment, he turned to the guy that was trying to rob you. "Are you with him? Maybe you want to come inside and enjoy the party with us".

"No, I was going already", he started walking away.

Meanwhile, the man with you stayed at your side and kept pulling you with him into the house. He didn't take his eyes off the robber until he was out of sight.

"Phew, that was close", he turned to you. "Are you hurt?".

For the first time in the while he had been with you, you could see all his features with the light at his door. He had nice, short —though longer than the average— golden hair. The curls at his forehead and the nape of his neck were sticking to his skin because of the sweat. His clothes were stretching his body in all the right places and were just as fine as the rest of him.

Man, God had seen you in trouble and sent you a very angel.

"Yeah", you breathed out. "I mean, no. No, I'm not hurt".

"Good", he scanned your body anyway, seeming to look for any wounds. Then he smiled at you. "I'm glad you're okay. There are many of those around here in the coast rich area, but most of them are more bark than bite", he put a hand on your shoulder. "So, long day?".

Fuck, he had heard you.

"Yeah", you tried to shrug it off with a nervous chuckle. "Just a little too much work, I'm fine".

He chuckled back.

"Maybe you can stay for a while, actually enjoy the party and take a break from what's bothering you".

Damn, he was an angel.

"You really mean it?", you gave him another nervous laugh. "I don't wanna crush it down or something. I don't know anyone in there".

"Well, you know me", he grabbed your shoulder. "Come on, don't be shy. If you feel uncomfortable you just stay with me, but take a break", he looked at you. "Do we have a deal?".

You thought for a minute. His offer was indeed generous. And to be honest, you hadn't had enough with those drinks before. Maybe you needed that party as well. Why reject a little more of your day off when you had it served it on a silver platter?

"You know what? You're right. I do need the break".

The man smiled.

"Great!", he extended his hand out to you. "I'm Javi, by the way".

Damn, that accent got in your nerves.

"It's nice meeting you, Javi", you shook his hand.

"Come on in, I will get you into the party", not letting go of your hand, he guided you inside the house.

That place was fucking huge.

Most of the people were inside the pool, having a drink and chatting. They all looked like bigwigs, people with great wealth and too full of themselves. You couldn't really complain, you expected it from someone like Javi —he already gave off that vibe with the clothes he was wearing and the house he was in, but you didn't want to judge too soon. You tried not to, since this was not Javi, but his guests. Maybe he wasn't like that. No, you were sure, certain, that he wasn't like that. He'd been too nice to you to be an asshole.

"And this is Gabriela", Javi introduced you to a woman at last. She looked nice as well. "She runs the agricultural operations here".

"Nice to meet you, sir", she smiled at you and shook your hand.

"Sure", you smiled back, then approached her discretely. "You take care of him, eh? He's like a little fish in a shark tank", you whispered.

"Don't I know well", she rolled her eyes. She laughed an put a hand on your shoulder. "You're a good man. Thanks for worrying about him".

"Yeah, he kinda saved my life. It's the least I can do".

"What are you two gossiping about?", Javi laughed this time. "Gabriella, can you go check on the pool? I think I saw someone having trouble with the waiters".

"Damn it", she muttered. "It was nice to meet you", she turned to you one last time before running to the pool.

Javi approached you once more. He had a wide smile on his face and he looked beautiful with the colorful lights dancing on his skin. You took your time looking at him. He almost seemed younger than he did when he went to help you against the robber.

"So, enjoying yourself?", he looked at you this time.

"Yeah, it's a nice party", you grabbed your beer and leaned back on the counter, crossing your arms. "You usually do this stuff? Party all the time?", you took a sip.

"No, not really", Javi laughed. "I don't usually throw parties without a reason".

"And what's the reason of this one?". 

He took a moment to answer.

"I don't know if you've seen those olive trees over there", he gesture towards the backyard of his house with his head. "I own more of them olive groves a couple miles from here. I run a little business and we found a new client", he smiled in excitement. That made you smile as well.

"That's nice", you tried to show him you were glad. "I'm proud of you", you stopped to think for a moment. "Did that sound weird?".

Javi laughed again.

"No, not at all", he bumped your shoulder. "Thank you".

"It's nothing", you leaned on your side to be closer to him. "Between you and me", you spoke softly so no one else could hear you; "I thought you were one of those rich assholes with a big shit ego".

"And I'm not?", he said sarcastically.

"Well, it's a bit soon to judge", you answered with sarcasm as well. "But nah, I don't think you are. I've been here for half an hour and no one's been half as nice as you were to me. Except Gabriela. She's also good", you winked at him. "Good thing you've kept her around, huh?", you looked at him with a mischievous smile.

"Oh no, don't do that", he chuckled nervously. "She and I are just friends".

That somehow gave you some sort of relief.

"You say whatever you want", you insisted nonetheless. "But I can see it in her eyes".

Javi shook his head no, but he laughed once more and didn't say anything else.

You stayed by his side for the rest of the night, enjoying the party and getting drunk with people that would probably forget you in a couple hours, but you didn't care. At this point, you let go of your prejudices since you just wanted to enjoy the night while you could and forget about your problems for as long as it lasted.

You woke up with no upper clothes and wrapped in satin sheets. It took you a couple minutes to realize where you were. You tried to get up, but the pulsing headache that appeared at the sudden movement sent you back to the bed.

"Oh, you're awake", Javi walked inside the room with a mug in his hands. He offered it to you. "I figured hangover would hit you hard so I made you some tea. It will help reduce the pain".

You grabbed the mug and immediately started drinking. Hell, he was even nicer than you had seen last night. He really was an angel.

"Thanks", your voice sounded deeper than usual, even after having just woken up. Javi was right —headache had hit you hard. "What happened last night?", you took another sip from the tea. "I reckon I drank too much, but...", you looked at him waiting for an answer.

"You're okay, don't worry", he smiled at you and sat on the bed beside you. "You're right, you drank too much. You fell asleep on the couch when people started leaving and I took you to this bed. I thought you would be more comfortable".

Fuck, he's so cute.

"Thanks, really. You didn't have to", you bumped his shoulder with your own, leaning on his side for a second too long.

"Of course I did, what kind of host would I be if I hadn't done it?".

Shit, you were liking this man way too much for your own good.

"You know, you've just proved I was right all along", you smirked. Javi looked at you in slight confusion. "You're not like all those rich assholes with big shit ego from yesterday night".

"Oh, right", he laughed when he remembered. "Fine, I'll give you that one", he got up from the bed. "If you want breakfast, the table is served for three".

Oh, right, Gabriela.

"Don't worry, I'll eat at my place", you smiled at him and got up as well, hanging the empty mug out for him. "I gotta go to work and we barely know each other, it wouldn't be right if I—".

"Nonsense", he grabbed both of your shoulders and started pushing you downstairs. "You're going to shut the fuck up, and you're going to accept my breakfast, and then I will drive you home".

"What? No no no, no way. You're bothering too mu—".

"What did I say about shutting...?", he waited for you to complete his sentence.

"I'm gonna shut the fuck up", you tried to hide your giggle, unsuccessfully.

"That's right", he snapped his fingers and pointed his index at you. You laughed again.

Just like Javi intended, you ate his breakfast without complaint. Gabriela ate with you as well, until she had to go and do her labor as head of agricultural operations, like Javi had said last night. He stayed with you until you were done, then gave you some clean clothes and offered his shower to you. You refused like you could, having a little trouble with Javi's stubbornness, but nothing you couldn't handle. Still, you accepted the clothes and got changed before he drove you home.

"Thanks for everything, Javi. Really", you got off the car. 

"My pleasure", he smiled at you. "By the way", he took his phone and handed it to you. "I'm going to need your number", he looked at you with a light smirk. "You know, for the troubles you caused me", he joked. "And in case I throw another party soon", he gave you a sincere smile now. "It was nice having you around. It wouldn't have been the same without you".

You smiled back and typed your number on his phone, then have it back to him. 

"Alright. I'll be waiting for you to text me. Do tell me if you throw more parties, though. I had fun last night", you winked at him. "I'll see you soon. And thanks again".

"It was nothing", he started the car again. "See you".

You watched as he drove away from you. As soon as you lost sight of him, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in. A smile crept onto your lips involuntarily as you walked into your house. You didn't know what he had done to you, but you really couldn't wait to see Javi again, as soon as possible.

You weren't expecting him to text you then. Not in the middle of a work meeting, not too weeks after seeing each other for the first time. You took a look at the phone from the corner of your eye, but left it on the side. When the meeting was finally over, you opened his message.

'Hey, I'm having a party at my place tomorrow night, do you want to come?'.

You laughed at what he had texted. You had already been talking the past weeks, and he had invited you over to his house, but you had been too full of work to even go somewhere that wasn't from home to work and from work to home. Maybe a little more time resting wouldn't be that bad after all.

I deserve it, you thought.

So, you warned your coworkers you wouldn't be available on weekend and got ready to spend a hellish slow couple of days before going to Javi's party. 

When Saturday night finally arrived, you hurried to his house with as much elegance as you could. You were aware that Javi's parties —or at least the last and first one you had gone to— weren't as formal as your clothes that night, but you wanted to cause a good impression on the rest of those rich fuckers, unlike last time.

You warned Javi you were at his door a couple minutes before you actually arrived. You wanted to make sure you'd make it there safe and without encountering any other robber like that last time.

"Hey!", he gave you a wide smile as soon as he saw you. He pulled you in for a hug, which surprised you —in a good way. Still, you returned it without wasting a second.

"Hey", you squeezed him tight, like he was doing, then pulled away and smiled back at him. 

"What are you wearing?", he grabbed your shoulders and took a good look at you, scanning you upside down. "Wow, that is what I call a party outfit!", he laughed.

Well, you did cause a good impression on him.

"Thanks", you posed dramatically. "Wanted to impress these motherfuckers".

"You want to impress them?", he gave you a sarcastically surprised and hurt expression. "I thought you wanted to impress me!", he couldn't hold his laughter in this time.

Man, had you missed his laughs.

"Well, that too", you laughed as well. Your eyes shifted to the lights inside the mansion for a moment. "Am I too late?".

"Not too much. I call this being fashionably late".

"Oh, you got a name for everything?", you mocked at him.

"Not really, I just came up with that one", he chuckled again. "Come on, let's get inside".

Like the last time, you enjoyed the party staying by Javi's side most of the time. You weren't used to being between all the rich bigwigs yet, at least not the mean ones. So you stayed with the nicest of them, drinking a bit, sitting by the pool or the counter inside the mansion.

You made sure not to drink in excess this time so you get home on your own. You were still embarrassed by the fact that you had slept on one of Javi's bed and he'd had to take you home. So you tried to end the night as sober as possible.

When everyone started leaving, you waited with your friend inside one of the rooms. He claimed to be hiding from everyone's goodbyes and the crowd walking outside, and he liked to keep good company in the meantime.

"I think I should get going", you said after everything stayed silent. You got up, offering Javi your hand. "It was nice coming to your party again", you smiled at him.

"Why don't you stay for the night?", he grabbed your hand and got up as well, his touch lingering for a moment too long. "It's a bit late, it could be dangerous".

"Don't worry, I'll be fine", you started walking towards the door. "Call me when you're having another party, these are pretty fun".

Javi forced a smile.

"Of course!", he walked with you. "Let me accompany you to the door".

You let him, and he gave you one last hug before you left.

"Text me when you're home. I want to make sure you get there safe, not encounter any more robbers", he gave you a sincere smile.

Turns out he was even cuter than you thought.

"Sure", you couldn't help the blush that crept up your neck and to your cheeks and the stupid smile that came with it.

You walked to the nearest bus stop and got home safe and sound. You immediately texted Javi to let him know. He replied almost immediately as well.

'That's good! Thanks for coming tonight, you lit up the party'.

You blushed again. Damn, how the hell could he get in your nerves so easily with a smile message?

'My pleasure, I'll come over any time ;)', you replied.

Maybe the wink was a bit too much, you thought, though you didn't give it much more importance when he answered back.

'Maybe you can come one day that I'm not having a party. Those people are a little too noisy. I'm free next Friday, are you in?'.

Your heart skipped a beat.

Was he inviting you —not to a party, but to just spend time? With him? In his house? Just the two of you?

'You sure? I don't wanna be a burden, you should enjoy your day off'.

He took a while to reply, and he got you on the maddening verge of a happiness attack.

'That's right! I'm sure I will enjoy my day off better with you. You should come over!'.

You took in a deep breath and told you to get your shit together. It was happening, alright, but you only knew this man from one party. Well, two. How come that was happening to you?

I knew he was too cute, you thought.

You wanted to say yes so badly that you barely thought about it. You gave yourself an excuse, and of course you'd tell your work coworkers later. Little did you care about what they would say about you being too calm and not working much in the last weeks.

'Alright, I'm in. But don't you dare say I fucked up your day off', was your reply to his invitation.

'I won't', he promised. You swore you could feel his laugh through his text. 'See you next week'.

You smiled.

'See ya'.

Damn.

One week.

You had one week to mentally prepare yourself for what was to come.

You were going to be in Javi's house, alone with him, no party, and no one else around to bother you —well, except for Gabriela, but you didn't really worry much about her.

You hadn't wanted something that much in a long time.

There you were again. At his door, looking up at the front of his mansion, admiring the vines that climbed along the walls, breathing in the salty air blowing from the beach nearby, trying to spot him through one of the many windows.

Was this place so imposing before?

The door opened right in your face. You fell to the ground after the person behind it accidentally hit you.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!", Gabriela offered you her hand, which you took so she could help you stand up. "I thought you hadn't arrived yet and—!".

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't text Javi, it was my fault", you smiled at her. "It didn't hurt that much either. You can rest, soldier".

She laughed.

"Fine. I'm sorry anyway", she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I was going already, Javi is waiting for you".

"You're going? I thought you lived here".

"I do, but Javi told me he wanted the house clear tonight", she gave you a knowing smirk. "But I'm not going to clean it up when I come back, so try to leave the sheets clean when you're done".

"Oh my god!", you stuck out your tongue in faked disgust. You did want it to happen. "What's wrong with you?", you laughed. She did, too.

"Nothing. By now", she squinted her eyes, as if trying to warn you. "You break his heart and I'll tear yours out off your chest".

"What?!".

"I'm just kidding! Or not, who knows", she gave you a soft pat on the shoulder. "I hope I see you soon. Have fun!", she smiled at you one last time before walking away.

"Yeah... Thanks...", you said, more to yourself than to her.

You turned to look at the mansion again. There was one lit window. You smiled, figuring Javi would be preparing things —or himself— for when you arrived. You took out your phone and took a picture of it before sending it to him with a text.

'Already down here. Gabriela left the door open. Do I come in, or you gonna come receive like a gentleman?'.

'I'm sorry but I'm no gentleman, I'm just a rich asshole with a big shit ego', was his reply.

'Didn't I tell you I had changed my mind about it?'.

'You're right hahaha'.

You visualized his smile and laughter when you read that. It made you smile as well.

'Seriously, though. Can you be your own gentleman this time? I'm still preparing things. I have something planned for us'.

Your heart skipped a beat when dirty thoughts came to your mind. You scolded yourself for thinking about your friend like that, but you shook it off quickly with an excuse to blame him for it.

'Fine, rich asshole with a big shit ego', you smirked at your own message. 'Coming in right now'.

'Second floor, third door to the left'.

You walked into the mansion with a smile plastered on your lips. You couldn't hide your excitement for whatever it was he had planned for you. In a way, you did hope it was related to what Gabriela had referred to before. But deep, very deep inside you, buried by the thought that he was just your friend and you had met him a couple weeks before. 

You climbed upstairs with your heart going as fast as a Ferrari. You didn't know what to expect from Javi —or the room itself— the moment you opened the door. To your pleasant surprise, you just found him setting plates and bowls with food on a small table in front of a big, comfortable-looking couch. Behind him, there was a huge TV with a peculiar selection of movies.

"Oh hi", he smiled wide at you when he saw you. He immediately walked up at you and hugged you like he had when you came to his second party —well, the second one for you. You involuntarily breathed in his essence. It had a little smell to those olive trees of his, and a bit of coffee and sea salt as well. Your eyes rolled back into your skull, also involuntarily. "How are you doing?".

"Better now. I hate working on Fridays. And now my coworkers hate me for not working this Friday", you pulled away. "But fuck them, Javi wants his fun on his day off".

"Sorry", his face scrunched in regret.

"No, don't worry. I need more of those days off anyway", you grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the couch with you. "And I got a feeling that you do, too".

"Yes, you're right", he yawned dramatically. "Owning olive groves is a terribly tiring job".

"You shut the fuck up!", you punched his shoulder. He let out a soft "ouch" as you gave him a disbelief wide-open mouth. "You could literally take every day off and you would still be doing millions!".

Javi shrugged with a smile and laughed at you.

"I guess I am a rich asshole with a big shit ego after all".

Your lips pressed into a straight line and you hit his arm again, then laughed with him.

"Anyway", you cleared your throat. "What did you say you had planned for us?", you looked at the screen in front of you. "Wait, aren't all those Nicolas Cage's movies?".

"Oh no, you caught me", he pretended to be disappointed, then he laughed again. "I'm his biggest fan".

"Oh cool! The guy I thought was a rich big mama's boy fucker is actually a freak!", you put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smirk. "I'm proud of you".

"I don't know if I should feel good or weird", he leaned back on the couch, his face holding a worried expression.

"Coming from me, it's a compliment".

"Fine", he grabbed the remote. "Which of these do you want to watch?".

"We really have to watch Nicolas Cage?", you gave him an exasperated look. For a moment, his expression shifted and he looked like he had seen a ghost. Then you laughed. "Just kidding, I don't mind", you patted his back once. "It's your day off, you choose".

Javi smiled and immediately proceed to play the first Cage movie he saw.

You didn't say a word during it all, just eating the food Javi had set on the table and shifting positions on the couch every now and then. He was decent enough to pause the movie when you had to use the bathroom, and he treated you as nice as he had the previous times.

When the movie was finally over, you got up to stretch your legs. Javi stayed seated, looking at you with expectant eyes as you cracked your back and legs.

"Well...", he started talking. "I know it was a bit boring, I apologize".

"What? It wasn't! I had fun", you smiled back at him. "I needed an afternoon like this, just chilling".

"Really?", he looked amazed for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "Sure, I needed it, too", he chuckled. You also did. "I just... I know you just know me from a couple of parties, and that you think I'm the rich asshole with big shit ego to you", he laughed again. "But I didn't want you to only know that me. It's not the real me, and I don't want you to think it is. That is just the facade I show to all the real rich fuckers", he was looking at you with a serious expression. "I wanted you to know Javi for who he really is, not what he does for all the people around him".

Your stomach dropped.

That was the most stupid, cheesy, and the cutest thing anyone had ever said to you.

Wait, did that mean...? No, it couldn't have meant that.

Or maybe it did?

He wanted you, out of all the people —even with Gabriela living with him—, to know him how he really was, and not the version he showed to everyone else. He didn't want you, out of all the people, to think he was someone he wasn't —the him everyone else thought he was.

"I'm...", you started talking, even though you were almost speechless. "I'm glad you didn't want me to see you how others do", you finally said when you found the words. He smiled at you almost stupidly wide. "Thank you for letting me see you, and not the rich asshole with big shit ego everyone else sees".

Javi chuckled again.

"Fuck, you really hate the bigwigs, don't you?", he laughed along with you.

"I don't hate them", you shrugged. "I just don't like them at all".

You laughed for a while, filling the silence of the room, until it returned again. Javi looked at you with sparkling eyes, something you hadn't seen in him before in the time you'd known him. It made your heart jump and your stomach flutter with butterflies. You returned the smile with the exact same stupid wideness.

"Do you...", he started talking again, then cleared his throat again. "Do you want to stay for another movie?".

You almost couldn't hide your smile.

"It's getting a bit late", you looked through the window behind you. "Maybe I should go home. And I don't wanna be a burden—".

"Stay for the night", he got up and took a step closer to you. "You won't be a burden", he looked at you with pleading eyes. "You're not a burden to me".

For a moment, you pretended to fight your troubled thoughts. Then you couldn't help the smirk that played on your lips.

"Don't you dare give me shit tomorrow morning because I snore too loud", you dropped weight back on the couch.

"I won't, I promise", he gave you the widest, sweetest smile you had seen on him and sat beside you.

"You better keep that promise".

He pulled you in for a kiss as soon as he saw you were done talking. His hands, big and soft, grabbed your face as cautious as you had been touched, ever. His fingertips danced on your skin as a consequence of his nervousness —he tried to hide the way he was shaking, but he couldn't. His lips felt soft on yours, barely applying any pressure on you, barely gracing your skin. He didn't want you to feel violated, he was worried that you wouldn't want that and that you would react in a violent way.

All the overthinking made him pull away quickly after giving you a small peck. He kept his hands on your face for a moment too long as he stared into your eyes. When he paused to scan your features, he realized and pulled away immediately once again.

"Sorry", he whispered, his eyes shifting to your lips for a split second before going back to your eyes.

"For what?", you smiled.

He took a moment to process it all. Then he smiled back.

His hands went back to the sides of your face and he kissed you again, this time deeper, longer, more filled with passion. This time he showed you how he felt, told you the way his heart was beating faster because of you. But he didn't do it with words, he made it clear with the force yet softness of his kiss.

"I'm going to Italy", he pulled a bit away from you so he could speak.

"What?", you got on your knees on the couch and moved farther from him, looking into his eyes and all his face. Javi looked at you as if asking for forgiveness.

"Next week. Wednesday".

You huffed.

"For how long?", you leaned your side on the couch backrest.

"Two weeks".

You bit your tongue as you thought how were you supposed to react. You wanted to be mad at him, for waiting until now to tell you that. But then again, it wasn't like you were in a relationship or anything —or even that good friends.

"You. Are. Such. A fucker", you approached him and got on his lap, straddling him.

"What? Why?", he barely got the words out of his mouth, too focused on how you were moving over him.

"You invite me to your parties", you undid the first buttons of his shirt. "You act all cute and pretty, sticking to me like a little puppy and making me stick to you like one", you leaned down and started pressing soft kisses to his neck and clavicle. Javi sighed in pleasure. "And then you go to another fucking country and have me two weeks waiting for you", you pulled away. "It's not fair".

"It's a business thing", he managed to say. "I didn't even know it until yesterday".

"Oh, yesterday?", you leaned down, keeping short inches between his face and yours. "And still you waited until now to tell me", you bit his downer lip. "You're a bad boy...".

He gulped. Of course he knew what would happen next. Hell, he had been awaiting for that moment for weeks but he didn't even know how to react with you on top of him like that!

"It's not my fault", he gathered enough bravery to sit up and speak. "I didn't know. And I didn't have to tell you. You have only come to two of my parties, and I have to tell you that I'm going to Italy for work?", he smiled at you half sarcastically, half mockingly.

"Hm", you shrugged. "Touché", you pushed him back down onto the couch. "But you still owe me one thing".

Javi smirked.

"What is it?", he looked down at your lips. You fisted the neck of his shirt.

"A decent kiss".

"Was that last one not decent?".

You chuckled.

"Shut up", you pulled him in your direction and dived your tongue into his mouth.

You woke up with no clothes and wrapped in satin sheets. It took you a moment to remember everything that had happened the night before and where you were. You looked to your side, finding Javi with just as many clothes as you and snoring peacefully. Sleeping like that, he looked even cuter than he already was.

You wrapped your arms around him and kissed the back of his neck. You pulled him as close to you as possible, nuzzling his neck and breathing in his morning smell as your legs tangled with his. Javi groaned.

"Wha...?", he looked back with sleepy eyes. A hoarse giggle left his lips as soon as he saw you. "Good morning...", he pushed his butt back onto you. You hugged him by the hips and pulled him even closer.

"Good morning", you left a soft kiss on his jaw. He turned around to face you. "You look so cute when you sleep", your thumb swiped over his cheekbone.

"Well, you snore too loud".

"You!", you hit his shoulder softly. "You promised you wouldn't be mad at me for that!".

"Did I?", he opened one of his eyes, then shut it again. "I don't remember that conversation...".

"Oh, right", you left a small bite on the crook of his neck, next to the many he already had. Javi gasped quietly. "You interrupted me when I was telling you to keep your promise".

"Mmh... Did I?", he insisted. He laughed at your expression, filled with dissatisfaction. "Wait, I think I'm remembering something now...".

"You're such an idiot", you slapped his shoulder once again. He kept chuckling.

Your phone vibrating from the floor put you both out of your blissful state. You groaned, knowing what it meant.

You got up from the bed and bent down to grab your phone. Just as you thought, it was your alarm telling you to wake up.

"Shit", you threw your head back with a disappointed whine. "Gotta go to work".

"Don't worry. I will make you breakfast", he pulled the bedsheets off. As he was trying to get up, he had to grab the headboard to not fall. You immediately went to him and put an arm under his shoulders to help him steady himself.

"You okay?", you stared into his eyes, concerned.

"Yes", he smiled up at you. "My legs hurt a bit, that's all".

"Huh", you smirked. "Too rough for you, Mister Gutierrez?", you mocked him.

"Shut up. It was you who wasn't satisfied after three rounds", he tried to get back up on his own, but fell back into your arms.

"Oh, come on. Did you like it or not?", you looked at him with the same mischievous smirk. He didn't answer. "That's what I thought", you put him to sit back on the bed and grabbed his clothes from the floor, handing them to him. "I'll help you with breakfast. And I'm driving myself to work, don't you dare even think of you doing it".

Javi chuckled, taking his clothes and starting to put them on.

"Fine", he watched as you put on your own pants. "On one condition".

You helped him stand back again. Your eyes stayed glued to his, your lips inches away from the other's.

"What?", you whispered, your breath hot on Javi's face. He gave your lips a quick peck.

"You have to come back on Tuesday night", he smiled at you. "One more party before I go. Just the two of us".

You thought about it, moving your face from side to side.

"I guess I can pull a few strings", you giggled and kissed him back. "I'll be here".

"Good", he hugged you, almost tripping on his own feet. You grabbed his arms to help him back up. "Thank you".

You helped him with breakfast and everything he needed that morning —made him coffee, cooked some eggs and took care of him and his leg pain. You made sure to clean up your mess before Gabriela killed you for it, and you also cleaned the room Javi and you had used the previous evening to eat and watch that terrible Nicolas Cage movie he had chosen. You may or may have not stolen some clean clothes from him so you could change on your way to work, too —though he didn't seem to mind.

When it was time for you to say goodbye, you were the one to pull Javi in for the tightest hug you could give him, and the sweetest kiss any of you had ever given to someone else. He made you promise you'd be back there on Tuesday, and so you did.

Why does he look cuter every time I'm with him?, you thought as you looked into his eyes in the last goodbye.

Just like you had promised him, you were back in his house on Tuesday afternoon. You had fought with teeth and nails to be free from work that day —or the afternoon at the very least. You didn't come across Gabriela that time. Javi told you she was already gone when you arrived into his mansion. 

He made sure you enjoyed each second of your time together that evening. You also had many endless "No, you choose" fights, but you managed to survive and spend one of the best afternoons you'd ever had. You both knew how much you would miss each other while Javi was away so you made the most of your time.

Fuck, it's gonna be just two weeks and I'm gonna be so miserable, you cursed yourself many times for being too attached to a man you had only seen four times in the last month. Part of you wished to stay this attached to him, hoping and praying that it wouldn't be just the emotion of the first times and then it would be just as boring as one of those arranged marriages.

Damn, had you fallen hard for this man.

You said your last goodbye on Wednesday early morning. This time, you let Javi drive you home before he headed to the airport. You went back to bed for a couple more hours before you had to go back to work. You knew Javi wouldn't be in touch for at least four hours until he got to Italy. Of course, you had told him to warn you when he arrived, and so he did.

You kept in touch with him all the time he was away. You called him every night and texted him when he wasn't working, wishing him luck on it all and telling him to stay safe. Both of you made clear how much you were waiting to see each other again when he got back to Majorca, many times.

And you really couldn't wait for him to come back.

[scummy-writes]

Types of Gilbert & Various Hcs

I enjoy thinking about my favorite characters on a daily basis, if my brain allows for it. This generally leads to different versions of my favorite characters forming in order to explore AUs and other 'what if' scenarios. For Gilbert specifically, it's a scale of Normal Gilbert, More Obsessed Gilbert, and Fucked Up Gilbert. I said months ago I'd like to make a list compiling some different versions of Gilbert I think about, and share some Hcs with each type. People seemed interested, so I've decided to make a post for each version and just periodically update over time. This is all just for fun, so leave me alone if you dislike/disagree with stuff on this list. Otherwise, I'm happy to chat about them!

This post will focus on:

╰❧ Normal/default/'canon' Gilbert

This list will dive into spoilers, as well as some minor NSFW topics and topics of self harm.This is the type of Gilbert I write in The Beast's Torment, Gilbert in the Bath, This Is Love, Dousing Pervasion, and similar works. In my mind, this is what we see in canon content, but interspersed with personal hcs that I enjoy. I also use some versions of this Gilbert for when I discuss Gilbert/mc/Silvio, Gilbert/Silvio, Chevbert, Gilbert/Roderic.

➺ Some contamination ocd. I don't think its a fully blown thing, however in one eng event, where him and Mc go to that bar, and he ends up kicking a table away to show a hidden door, he has an odd moment where he goes to grab Mc and then jerks his hand back due to it being dirty from when he fought with a dude there.

Its a small odd moment, which showcased an issue with getting her 'dirty' in more than the physical sense. I believe that he has issues with this even further into their relationship, where if hes had to dispose of some troubling nobles, he will refuse to touch her until he's in clean clothes/bathed. I don't know if this would extend to him sometimes avoiding her in general, due to his own issues with being a monster. I think his love for her would trump over that.

It's an odd thing because, going through his route loosely, this isn't present but there doesn't seem to be many moments where it Could be present. He's more focused on trying to deduce how corrupted she may already be, as well as deducing other factors for his 'final judgement' wish.

➺ I like to think that writing was an escape for him with life in general as a child, but it kickstarted heavily the more he learned about Mc. Then, the writing became centered around wanting to leave a series behind for her, whether she knew he wrote it or not, with the hopes that she would find courage in how the protaganist sticks to her ideals and never seems to give up hope. (I believe thats what it's loosely about, anyway)

It would be a final comforting thought he would mock himself for, if he had chosen to die without meeting her.

➺ has trouble sleeping the first few nights theyre officially a couple and sharing a bed. Occasionally does later on too but not as bad. Sinks into touch more, leans against mc more. He's not used to relying on someone such as her, and trust is a fickle thing in Obsidian. It wouldn't really be a concious action, either, and he would have to ease himself into it even when he wants to do this.

➺ When first intimate, he has bouts of getting very quiet and focusing more on Mc's reactions to xyz scenario. Not always in sexually intimate settings, but would be more noticeable during them. He'd want to etch everything he could in his mind, stemming from the mild obsession and idolization with her. (i will call it 'mild' since he still seems to control himself regarding it, it could be so much worse in comparison to other obessed otome characters)

➺ selfharms. In particular, I don't believe it's typically with a weapon of sorts, but I believe that he has had random moments of fits regarding him becoming more and kore of a beast. It lessens over time, especially when he gets into a relationship, but I believe it still happens for years. It's tied to his trauma, tied to thinking how his mother and albert would be disappointed in him or disgusted, and tied to his own feelings trying to come out.

Specifically, I think he will sometimes starve himself, or physically hurt himself by scratching himself up with his nails. He doesn't like anyone to see it or address it if they see it, but unfortunately Mc would see it and it would prompt a few discussions, which would be... difficult... because he hates addressing it.

➺ in terms of nsfw, vaguely (since this is a smth that is consistently always being added onto, its harder to have a firm and solid set list for me). Switch & bi. I feel like he loves topping mc for various reasons, and he has a penchant for wanting to try out anything she may want to do even if he's not 100% fully into it, and trying out various things in general, because of his obsession skewing a bit towards wanting to be her first in multiple, multiple, ways that in return make him feel that they are more intertwined. (That is not specific just to sex).

He makes comments about not liking just passive submissive women, and I believe this may be tied to personal preferences but also just due to the role he plays as a villain. He *wants* the willing nature of the participant. He wants it clear that they want him back. Otherwise I feel that it could lead to him having a nagging suspicion that they feel coerced into it, when that's....not what he wants. I think this is also why he makes comments about wanting mc to dom at times (even though cybird will never have her do so...), because the very blatant and clear display of want turns him on and makes him feel, well, wanted for Him and not an object to be feared by someone he loves. (I think this is why he also seems to fluster a bit when mc does things like bite him or teases a sensitive spot). Yet due to trust issues he has trouble relinquishing control fully.

He would be a powerbottom fyi

It's been proved he is just also a little gross. Trying to drink from her glass where her lips were, even outside of a relationship. Licking his thumb to taste her saliva/crumbs left on her lips. Smaller moments like that where you realize he's a lil gross (appreciative). I do believe this still ties into obsession, at the end, however.

Last updated: 07202024

[mothybean]

Average

Jinx x Fem!Reader

a/n: A buddy of mine recommended me to post my fics here sooo...

This is a MA story!

Explicit Sexual Themes

Minors DNI

Both characters are 18 years old.

(Y/N is depicted as 5"1 with mid length hair.)

---

Chapter 1. Ordinary

There’s nothing worse than being average. Being average never won anyone an award. It never allowed one to be picked first for sports to join their team. Most of all, being average almost always drove my thoughts to make me feel as if I wasn’t important; as if I didn't deserve to exist with the rest of the society. Not quite a nobody, but not quite somebody: a depressing limbo.

Average. 

The way the word rolled off my tongue made me want to rip it out, tainting my mouth with such a despicable word. I’ve been average pretty much all of my life. I would rather be super nerdy if that allowed attention from someone other than my small knit group of friends. I yearned to be something other than what most would consider an NPC. It was a curse. 

I huffed silently as I let the negative thoughts thunder inside my head, each pessimistic worry bouncing back and forth against my skull like a rabid squirrel trying to escape animal control. I slumped in my chair, my arms dangling off the sides with my cheek squished against my notes staring off into a bookshelf across from me. I really should be studying, but I just couldn’t bring myself to pick my head up. I was too busy drowning in my dismal self-reflection.  As I stared at a random thick leather book spine, another intrusive thought appeared. Did studying in the school’s library during my free period make me even more average? Should I study underneath a busy overpass? Or maybe in the middle of the street?

“You look lively.” I heard a familial voice say behind me. 

Still too upset to move, I lazily lifted my arm to give them a half-assed wave before letting my arm go limp again. I heard Calista snort before she stood in front of me, blocking my intense staring contest between the leather book and me. She placed her hands on her hips, giving me her infamous look of disbelief.

“Goin’ through it again, huh?” Her displeased look softened into one of empathy, taking the seat in front of her.

I nodded softly, my cheek slightly sliding the paper beneath it. “Oh, Y/n. There, there.” She sighed, giving my head a couple of pats. “Is it the usual Y/n thought special a la carte?” She chuckled, leaning on the table with their head supported by her hands.

“Yeah…” I trailed off, flashing her a pair of somber eyes. “When is it not?”

She dropped her pastel pink satchel onto the table, the thud resonating between the table and my head. Calista started to dig through her bag, various sounds emitting from it as she blindly searched for something. A few more seconds of noisy clutter clashing around echoed before she exclaimed, “Aha!” She triumphantly pulled out the item, hiding it within her closed fist and extended it out towards me.  “Give me your hand.” Calista demanded.

I pinched my brows together with curiosity as I held my palm under her fist. She opened her hand and a small blue wrapped candy fell into my palm. A Blue Raspberry Warhead. I should have known. Were they my favorite? Yes. Did she only ever give them to me when I was being “sour”? Also yes. I felt a smile tug at my lips as I unwrapped the citric acid coated shell, my mouth already salivating from thinking about it. I finally separated my cheek from the table, sitting up straight in my chair as I popped the vibrant blue candy in my mouth.

“Better?” She beamed, closing her bag before dropping it at her feet.

I rolled my eyes, trying to regulate the amount of saliva I was producing and nodded slightly. She knew me better than anyone else. I was grateful for her.

“Yeah. Thank you.” I replied, moving the candy to my opposite cheek.

She watched as I enjoyed my little sour delight, her face visibly concerned before giving a forced shutter.

“I don’t know how you can just eat those with a straight face. Any normal person would be puckering until their whole face was sucked in.” She stuck her tongue out and let out a low, guttural sound of disgust.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her comment, sticking out my blue stained tongue at her. I guess I wasn’t completely “normal” after all. Even if it was over something trivial as being sour resistant. I’ll take it.

“Our free period is almost over. Wanna walk to class with me?” She asked, glancing at her matching pink smart watch while simultaneously reaching for her bag.

“Mhm.” I mumbled, gathering my loose notes sprawled in front of me. 

As I gathered my belongings, the raucous laughter of a group of girls reverberated through the library, their footsteps echoing loudly as they made their way towards the exit. Not wanting to look like a weirdo, I discreetly stole glances at them, envying their perfect hair and bodies swaying with each step. They were the epitome of popularity in our school, often referred to as the It Girls given by yours truly. I felt jealousy surge through my veins. They looked like fucking models while I’m over here looking like Plain Jane’s sister, Basic Betty.

There was one girl in particular out of the bunch that stood out to me, Jinx. Not only was her name super edgy, but she was the most gorgeous girl to me. Her strikingly long blue hair was typically meticulously woven into two flawless braids, cascading gracefully down to her ankles. Her complexion? Flawless. Her outfits were always so trendy, constantly wearing a mixture of alternative, yet stylish comfy clothes. And, probably one of my favorite attributes about her, she had a sleeve of baby blue cloud tattoos going down her right arm that were almost always visible. That girl was just effortlessly oozing perfection. She was so lucky. 

“Ready?” I asked Calista, tearing my eyes away from the girls, hoisting a single backpack strap on my shoulder. She replied with a smile and started towards the exit.

As I tailed a few steps behind her, my mind once again started to plummet into a tumultuous sea of self-deprecating thoughts, each wave crashing against the shores of my consciousness with a relentless force, dragging me deeper into the abyss of despair. God, I wanted to be her.

[moonmoon-ren]

REUNION

PART 2: The Map Room

Late is the hour when a Warrior of Light finds his way to my study.

Good evening Ren, G'raha said while placing down his books on the desk already wondering what the WoL might be up to.

Evenin' G'raha. Quite late for studying ?

Could say the same about you, a cheeky laugh escaped G'raha's mouth. I ran into Erenville on my way here. He mentioned he saw you at Thaliak's Arcade all alone and was worried about you. So I will ask: are you alright? Lately you have been a bit absent and reserved.

Deep sigh

Ren let out a deep sigh when he heard G'raha say this. As if these words were just the drop that were needed to crack and shatter into pieces.

No G'raha, I'm not okay. But I'm going to change that.

By staring at the world map ?

Hahaha, cheeky catboy, Ren could not help grinning.

Come on, you know you can tell me Ren. What is suddenly so interesting about this map ?

Dalmasca.

Dalmasca?

But, but ... Thats so far away from here and not really easy to reach. Not to mention that it might or might not be a war ravaged land. If I recall correct then The Garlean Empire also invaded the Kingdom of Dalmasca and by extend also your homeland, the Skatay Range.

While G'raha meant well, and only mentioned this in scholarly excitement, it made Ren's stomach turn upside down. All he kept thinking was: "I should never have left, Sequoia, Mom, Dad ... my sisters, the Treehouse Club, are they safe?"

I once travelled from the Range to Kugane - no - I only travelled from the Range to Kugane. By boat. The journey across the seas is not so difficult, if the Navigator allows us safe passage. Apart from that, I know that The Range borders to the Fringes in the West, be it a small border. Travelling trough the Fringes is not a problem, I have been there not long ago. The Range might be much trickier. My other option would be sailing to Othard and going via Golmore. But that would also mean i have to cross Rava territory. Our peoples never had any trouble with each other, but I also know that neither Rava nor Veena likes intruderers in their respective lands.

So this is what you are brooding about? Going home ?

Yes.

Why ? Why now ?

Oh Raha ... (silence)

Ren tried finding his composure and trying not to burst out in tears, maybe he could tell Raha his story?

I grew up like any other Viera, in a tribe, in the vast woods of the Skatay Range. My father however bears a foreign family name: Kimura. A family from Hingashi.

Wait. That's why you have so much affinity with Hingan Culture? How ? I tought that Viera tribes are generally averse against outsiders?

Yes, but according to my father we Kimuras are explorers, so being an "adventurer" is kind of in my blood. The first Kimuras wanted to leave the Range and explore more of the world outside. Tough, they did not bear that family name in those days. It is the people of Hingashi who gave these curious "rabbit people" the name Kimura. It means "from the tree village" I guess that was the best way to describe our home.

Fascinating, please continue Ren.

Yes. My father has always been a merchant working for the Kugane Markets and trade networks there. He often travelled from Kugane to Dalmasca. One day he got an offer where he had to travel to the Skatay Range for rare goods that are only made by the Greenleaf Tribe. My father succeeded in finding the tribe and ran into a woman whom he later married. My mom. She captured him and brought him back to the tribe. Our chief back in that day was relentless and ordered my father to be executed. The chief was of the opinion that my father was a traitor and spy. My mom however found this a harsh verdict. She pleaded the Council of Elders to spare his life but force my father to stay among the tribe. Her influence as the tribe healer proved useful and they decided that he could stay, on one condition. He had to keep the Kimura name, which was a punishment worse then death because with this everyone knew he was an outsider making it difficult to interact with out members of the tribe, let alone get food. But yes, long story short; they got closer to each other, married (surprsingly !) and they got three kits: Natsumi, Yumi and me.

As kits we often got bullied by the others, my sisters not so much. They were quite fierce and sort of earned the respect.

Me on the other hand ... I, always was a little bit a strange duck. At my 13th, like other kits i turned out to be boy* and was sent to live and train with the other boys. I was a failure at most things but i survived. most days i spent alone, hiding, exploring on my own, and spending time with my sister Yumi who tried to help me with archery. Our chief had lack of respecting the tradition of keeping boys and girls apart and we often trained together.

Its also at this time that i met Sequoia.

(*Viera kits have till their 13th no visible gender. )

(flashback to that day)

Hey, you're Ren right ?

Go away.

Hmm, what ? you think i'm one of those bullies? Yeah, i saw them. I saw you. No one deserves that, and you look really kind and sweet Ren.

I said, go away, leave me alone ...

Sorry Ren, but can't do. You look like you could use a friend. Why don't you stand up and walk a bit with me?

Feeling that this Viera might not give up, Ren slowly gave in to his questions.

I'm Sequoia by the way.

I know. You ... a-are the chief s-

Son ... yes but please, don't remind me too much of that. I rather am just Sequoia.

From this day you will come with me, okay ? I see you way too often being alone, and sad and that how a Viera should live.

That day, I did not realise I just met the most wonderful person ever in my life so far.

The blink in your eyes when you tell about him, betrays your feelings for him, Ren. (G'raha could not help but giggle)

I ... how ?

Just a wild guess, but that blink in your eyes thats something; alright.

This is why I am here G'raha. I want to go home and try find my tribe, my family, my friends, Sequoia. Him most of all. There is something i must tell him.

I think your best bet would be going via The Fringes.

As G'raha said this, Ren smiled and they stared a little moment at the map again.

I'm running home to you...

Will continue in Part 3: The Fringes.

[forgedroyalseal]

My Reputation’s Never Been Worse

Chapter 14:

Will snuck quietly into Crowley’s office and waited by the door for the older man to acknowledge him.

“You know,” Crowley said casually without lookin up from the paperwork in front of him, “when you first came back, I thought there was something vaguely familiar about your rings. I shrugged it off, figuring it was nothing. That they were the typical type of rings you’d collect after time on a pirate ship. It wasn’t until I was passing by the infirmary and saw a young knight being carried in that I realized where I recognized that insignia from.” Crowley finally looks up and nods to one of the rings on Will right hand.

Will rubbed at the ring, then crossed his arms. “And where would that be?”

“Lord Emmers dead body. Particularly, his battered in face.”

“You said it yourself, these are pretty standard rings for a rouge.”

“Except for one. Captain Nero gifts every crewman who sails under his flag for over a year with a custom made silver ring. The letter of their first name pierced through with a dagger. Lord Emmers face was embossed with a D.”

“I suppose that settles it then. My name is Will, and unless Nero is extremely illiterate, there’d be no reason for me to have a ring like that.”

Crowley shrugs, “That’s true. But you didn’t use your name with Captain Nero did you? You used your father’s. Daniel. Which why your ring was made with the letter D.” His tone left little room for disagreement and Will knew that he was backed into a corner. Because despite his faults, Crowley wasn’t the Ranger Commandant for nothing. He was whip smart, and once he started putting the pieces together, he’d always find the answers he was looking for.

Will rolls he jaw and steps closer to Crowley’s desk. “So what’s your play here Crowley? Blackmail? Another trial with insufficient evidence? You can’t hang a man for having the same fashion taste as a murder. You can’t connect Emmers death to my hands.”

“No, I can’t. Especially once I take that ring and have the blacksmith melt it down and recast it. And the physician has already started treatment on the young knight who happened to bare very similar bruises as the late Lord. In fact, by this point, his face is no doubt heavily bandaged. And those bandages won’t be coming off until the marks are long gone.”

“Why are you doing this? Why let this go?”

“Because I’ve failed you once before Will, and it is the biggest regret of my life. I won’t betray you again.”

Will pursed his lips. “Well. I suppose only time will tell if you mean what you say.”

Crowley nodded in acceptance, understanding that this was as much as he was going to get from Will at the moment. He extended his hand out and Will dropped the ring into Crowley’s open palm. As he slipped the incriminating ring into his pocket, he said, “This wasn’t the only reason I sent Gilan out looking for you. I received word from Eisel.”

“Already?” Will asked in surprise.

“Marie and Hannah didn’t delay. They sent a carrier pigeon the moment they arrived.” Crowley frowned. “They found the knights the king sent in… compromising positions.”

“I told you, Eisel has a corrupting power over men.”

“Marie will do the best she can, but I fear that without clear, physical force to back her up, there won’t be much she can do.”

“Understood. I’ll leave immediately.”

“I’m sending Horace and Gilan with you. Halt too, if you’ll have him.”

“I don’t need their help.” Will said indignantly.

“Perhaps not. But you’ll have it regardless.”

“Crowley-“

He rose his hand to interrupt whatever argument Will was about to make. “My mind is made up Will. You will have backup with you. Anyway, I doubt I could stop them from going with you. Those two would follow you into the Underworld if they could.

“That’s a good thing I suppose. Because that’s exactly where we are going.”

_____________________________________

Will left Crowley’s office and went off in search of Horace and Gilan. His plan was to leave for Eisel as quickly as possible. And without running into Halt. As he rounded the corner, he collided with a solid mass. Looking up, he could hardly believe his eyes.

“Baron Arald.” The name was a ghost on his lips.

“I think we are well past titles son.” The warmth in his words pulled Will in, like a moth to a flame. “It’s been far too long Will.” Arald smiled tenderly at him.

“I know. I’ve been,” Will huffed out an empty laugh, “I’ve been living like wild beast I suppose. Running thought out the countryside like a monster. But it’s not like I had many other options.”

Arald eyes filled with a sadness Will couldn’t understand. “You could have come home my boy. Redmont would have welcomed you back with open arms. You could have found refuge within our walls.” He paused then, “You still can.”

“But, they all must have hated me. They must have taken my alleged betrayal hatred than anyone.” Will said vehemently.

Arald gave Will the most pitying look he had ever seen. “Will, from what I have heard and seen, not a single resident of Redmont thought for even a fleeting moment that you were guilty of treason. Your people stood by you. They still speak of you with such reverence. You are still the pride and joy of Redmont.”

Will felt his stomach drop. His blood chill. His heart stop. “You mean, I could have just, gone home? All these years on the run, living in pain and terror. It was all for nothing? I could have found sanctuary at home?” He took in a shuttering breath. “Oh god, I’m going to be sick.” His knees buckled, but he didn’t crash onto the cold stone floor. Instead, from somewhere beyond the haze of regret and remorse, Will felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his shaking frame. He leaned in instinctively and inhaled the familiar scent of sandalwood and wine. The embrace transported him back to his childhood. Back to scraped knees, and fights with Horace, and nightmares of monsters under the bed. Baron Arald had always been there to hold Will, to wipe away his tears, to comfort him. It had taken years for Will to realize how much of a fatherly role the Baron had served in his life. And now, as Will comes undone in the middle of Castle Araluen, the weight of the past years crashing down onto his shoulders, Arald was there to hold him together once more.

“You always did give the best hugs.” Will murmured against Arlad’s chest once he could finally catch his breath.

“We all have our skills. You can sneak about in silence, I can give magically healing hugs.” He chuckled as he rubbed circles between Will’s shoulders.

Will pulled back and Arald wiped Will’s face dry with the sleeve of his soft, but somewhat garish tunic. “There, no need for anymore tears my boy. Now, why don’t you join Sandra and me in our suites and we can all catch up. I’ll even see if I can’t have some hot chocolate sent up.

And god, had Will ever had such a tempting offer? All he wanted was to let Arald and Sandra coddle him. For them to tell him that it would all be alright, that they still cared for him. But he had people to protect, to avenge, and to defend.

“I can’t. I have to find Horace and Gilan. We need to leave for Eisel immediately.”

“Yes, of course, Halt mentioned the situation there when he summoned me. Absolutely dreadful. If there’s anything I can do to assist-“

“Halt summoned you here?” Will hadn’t even realized he was interrupting, brain stuck on what Arald meant by that.

“Oh, yes. I thought he would have told you.”

“We haven’t exactly talked much.”

“Ah.” And there was more understanding in that single syllable than Will thought fair. “He wrote to me once you returned. He asked me to come and check in on you. I’ve only just arrived, though, there was a terribly boring but important meeting I had to see to.”

“Why did he send for you? Not that I’m complaining, I just, why?”

Baron Arlad’s face soften. “He didn’t say much, you know how stingy he is with explanations, but I believe that he hoped you could find some semblance of comfort in my company.” He looked somewhat bashful, “A reminder of home.”

“He was right.” Will admitted quietly. A reminder of home. More like a reminder of safety. Of peace. Two things Will hadn’t felt for a very long time. But having Arald’s larger than life presence besides him, he felt himself relax into the trust he had always put in the Baron. It also occurred to him that Halt knew exactly what Will needed, even if Will would never have realized it on his own. Because even with five horrible years between them, Halt knew him, better than he knew himself it would appear.

[lilylovessev]

playing games || snamione

“No.”

“Oh, come on! You know you want to play...”

Hermione glanced at them over the top of her book, rolling her eyes, “There are impressionable ears around here.” She then pointedly glanced across the common room at the small group of second or third years whom should have been in bed by then. “I’m not going to partake in your immature games. I’m enjoying reading.” She turned her attention back to her book; which was, admittedly, a collection of extended essays on feminism. 

A few moments later, the book was snatched from her hand. She groaned, looking up at Ginny before slowly shaking her head. 

Why did they always have to drag her into these things? 

Honestly, she just wanted to be left alone. This was precisely why she hadn’t thought that it was the best idea for certain people, who were already immature enough, to return to Hogwarts. It wasn’t doing them any favours in that respect. Although admittedly, they were all doing surprisingly well, despite the trauma that they’d so intensely suffered there. They all understood the importance of doing themselves justice, earning what they’d not had the chance to achieve before given they hadbeen in the midst of a war.

She slipped down from the sofa, muttering under her breath as she did so, entirely displeased by feeling as if she had to join in. She merely scoffed as Ginny then suggested that they play ‘spin the bottle’. Her immediate reaction was to say, “Are you actually kidding me?” She then sighed as they called her a spoilsport, but she knew them far better than to think that this wasn’t just a way of probing one another for information. Particularly, her. 

That or they’d try and make her bloody kiss Ron or something. She’d already done that, and it had quite possibly been one of the biggest let downs of her life thus far. They didn’t talk about it though, for very obvious reasons, given that they were still friends. 

She looked around their small group, waiting for someone to make the first move. She watched closely as Harry set down an empty firewhiskey bottle, spinning it rather forcefully so. She almost willed for it not to stop on her, they were magical, surely that would work. Nope. It was safe to say that everyone laughed when the bottle did, in fact, slowly come to a stop pointing at her. She smirked, shaking her head before holding up her hands, “I am not kissing anyone here.”

“Oh, come on! Not even Ron? It’s not as if that’s unfamiliar territory.”

“It’s a territory that I am definitely quite happy not to visit again,” she responded firmly, widening her eyes at Ginny in an almost threatening manner. “Sorry, Ron.” She glanced over at him, smiling slightly as he shrugged nonchalently. “I’m simply not interested in any of you. You’re not to my... taste.” She teased, trying to at least appear a tad more laidback than she had done during that evening. As much as she had her hackles up, these were her friends, and she wanted to have fun with them.

“Really? What is your taste, ‘Mione? Who is your type then?”

The question clearly came forth a tad more bluntly than Ron had expected for it to, and so Ginny swiftly interjected, “Do you like younger men? Or, older men?”

What on earth was going on? 

The colour rose in her cheeks and she immediately became flustered, refusing to allow herself to get stuck in this particular corner. “This is ridiculous.” She moved to stand up, grabbing her book off of the table, “So what if I do like older men? And? It’s not as if there are many around here that I’d go for. You all need to stop with this stupidity.” She knew that she was getting wound up over nothing, and that they weren’t really being serious, but it was enough to get under her skin. She had always been highly-strung, but it had been worse since everything had happened. You’d think that she’d be more relaxed, that wasn’t the case.

“What about Snape?”

The room fell silent, even the literal children in the corner turned to look at them at the mention of that name.

“Excuse me? Are you out of your mind, Ginny?” At this point, she moved to sit back down on the sofa, shaking her head. “You’re mad.” She laughed, because it really was so ludicrous. “What? Do you think I should waltz up and plant one on him?” Of course, everyone started laughing at that. “Hmm?” 

“I dare you.”

“Pardon?”

“No, I don’t dare you. Let’s put a bet on it. Who’s in? Who wants to place a bet that our lovely Hermione will find love here in this very castle with a certain older man?” 

She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, and quite frankly, it was particularly amusing. For a moment, she had wondered if Ginny was joking, but she could soon tell that she wasn’t in fact joking. 

However, like hell was she going to take this serously. For the sake of a laugh perhaps, and because she knew fine well that it would only rile up trouble if she didn’t appear t partake, she merely shrugged and nodded. “Okay.” 

They were all mad. They were truly mad. As if any of this was going to happen.

What on earth were they expecting? That she actively pursued Severus Snape, of all people? Please. Of course, deep down, a small part of her wondered if she should... No, that was barking. It was crazy. However, why not? They knew that he wasn’t a terrible person, even if he still made out to be to an extent. That and it wasn’t as if anything was actually going to come of this. She would never have behaved like this before, not in a million years, but everything was different now. 

[kaizoku-musume]

Tipsy Temptations

Entry #3 in @xxsycamore’s Visions of Temptation kinktober event. I have a brief summary of my OC here for anyone interested. Also, I'm extending my personal deadline to the end of December-Kinktober is now Kinktember lol.

Fandom: Ikepri

Pairing: Silvio x OC

Word Count: 2.8k

Prompts: Angry sex | Vanilla sex

“So,” Aurelia said as she poured wine into three glasses, “Spill. We need all the details. How’s life as the king’s consort been? And how is that ruffian treating you?”

Rene covered his face with his hands. “No, I knew you were going to do this to me,” he peeked at his sisters from between his fingers, “You know I’m not the consort yet. We’re not even engaged! And I don’t even really want to be called that when I am one. I’m still not used to the idea, and you know how I feel about titles.”

“Don’t worry, when the time comes, we’ll be sure to only think of you as Silvio’s husband instead,” Lisette teased.

“You two have gotten worse since getting engaged, I hope you know that,” Rene accused as he sulkily took a sip of the rosé.

“So will you,” Lisette shot back, “Now stop stalling and tell us how your dating life has been.”

Rene groaned, blushing fiercely. “I hate you both. I don’t remember grilling you this hard when you guys started dating.” Aurelia and Lisette shared a disbelieving look, which-fair. If he absolutely had to admit it to himself, Rene did his fair share of egging them on. But that was only because he truly didn’t think he’d ever be in a relationship himself. If he could turn back time, he would have definitely gone easier on them. “You guys know he’s actually super nice to me now that we’re together, but it’s way more than that. He’s so doting, you have no idea. I never expected him to pamper me as much as he does. He’s even more overprotective than you guys!”

“I’m not surprised,” Aurelia said, “We wouldn’t have let him whisk you away if we thought he wouldn’t treat you the way you deserve to be.” She leaned forward conspiratorially, “But surely that’s not all you have to say, is it? We’re here for the juicy gossip, not to hear what we already knew about. Tell us all about what an adorable, dedicated partner you’ve got wrapped around your finger.”

Rene bit his lip around a smile, ready to give stories that were just vague enough on the details that he could keep all the important bits a secret.

* * *

Rene hummed as he tipsily strode down the hallway to the room he was sharing with Silvio, skirt fluttering as he swayed along to music he played in his head. The Benitoitian castle was more to Rene’s tastes in terms of colours-bright blues, creamy whites, shiny golds, all bright and well balanced to mirror the glitter of the ocean-but there was something homey about Rhodolite’s that made him feel nostalgic. It was always nice to be back for a visit, not just to see his sisters. He’d always remember the time spent in this castle, making friends with the princes, exploring the giant library, the spot where he first met Silvio.

Speaking of Silvio, Rene opened the door to find him already in the room, shrugging out of his coat as if he got there moments before Rene himself. Silvio immediately noticed him standing there in the doorway. “That was quick,” he said as he tossed his cloak over the back of a chair, “I wasn’t expecting you to come back so-oof!” Silvio, winded, caught Rene as the smaller man launched himself at him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Hi,” Rene smiled up at Silvio, near vibrating with joy when Silvio flushed and adjusted his hold on Rene’s waist, arms coming around to hug him back.

“Hi yourself,” Silvio raised an eyebrow, “I see your sisters succeeded in getting you drunk. Shouldn’t you still be with them? Don’t tell me they sent you back here early-I know those harpies wouldn’t tear their claws out of their precious brother that easily.”

“I’m buzzed, not drunk,” Rene protested, “and we decided to end early for the night. I think they could tell I missed you when I was talking about you, because they did suggest we end early, for your information.”

Silvio narrowed his eyes and gently squeezed Rene, bringing one hand up ruffle soft pink hair, “And what exactly were you talking about that made you miss me, huh? Am I going to have to punish you for spreading secrets?”

Rene, unsurprisingly to Silvio by this point, giggled in response to the threat. “I just told them about how sweet you are to me,” he nuzzled into Silvio’s chest, “A few simple stories without any of the big details. I didn’t want to tell them a lot of specifics because those are just for me to have.”

“You-!” Silvio flushed harder. He wouldn’t have put it past Rene to tell his sisters everything; he may not have a good relationship with his siblings but even he knew that those who did were comfortable enough to share relationship stories, and Rene and his sisters were very close. He’d been worried about that all night, in fact: that Lisette and Aurelia would ambush him tomorrow with jokes about how whipped he was. But to hear that Rene wanted to hoard their moments between them like a dragon protecting its treasure? “So, what, they tried to ply you with alcohol to get you to spill? You need some water to help sober up?” Silvio asked, refusing to address the adorable thing Rene just said.

“You know what I’m like when I’m actually drunk,” Rene peered up at Silvio shyly, squirming as he admitted, “I knew if I got drunk, you’d put me to bed instead of . . .” Rene broke off in an unintelligible mumble.

“Sorry, what was that?” Silvio teased, having a very good idea of what Rene was getting at, “I couldn’t hear ya. What did you want me to do to you?”

The tips of his ears bright red, Rene buried his face in Silvio’s chest as he said just loud enough to be heard, “I wanted you to make love to me.”

Silvio tipped Rene’s head back with hands cupped to his cheeks and surged forward to kiss him, partly to hide his own blush and partly because Rene openly admitting his desire for Silvio always gave him an overwhelming need to touch his boyfriend in some way. Rene met him eagerly, kissing back with fervor. Silvio walked Rene back toward the bed, shimmying Rene’s dress off him along the way, helping Rene not fall over when he nearly tripped while slipping his shoes and underwear off. When Rene was down to nothing, they worked on Silvio, tugging off all his clothes and jewelry as best they could while not breaking off their eager kisses. Once they were both naked, Silvio lifted Rene onto the bed, climbing in after him.

Silvio gave Rene one last deep kiss before pulling back. “I’d ask if you’re sure you’re only tipsy, but I forgot you’re a maudlin drunk,” he brushed a thumb across the corner of Rene’s eye, “and there aren’t nearly enough tears for that.”

“That was one time!” Rene argued. “And it was totally your fault, you tyrant!”

“Really?” Silvio rummaged through the nightstand and retrieved the lube, “Because I remember you working yourself up all on your own. Remind me what you were blubbering on about and we’ll see who’s to blame.”

Rene tilted his head up against the pillow haughtily, “Big words from someone who totally freaked out trying to calm me down that night. How many times did you apologize, again? I don’t think someone who's blameless would do that.” 

“Is that how you want to play it?” Silvio challenged. The playful, happy look in Rene’s eyes belied his impish smirk, and far be it from Silvio not to play along and give his lover exactly what he wanted. “I’ll show you blameless, you cheeky brat,” he said as he bent down to nibble on Rene’s earlobe, his hands sweeping up and down Rene’s torso.

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Rene giggled, wrapping his arms around Silvio’s shoulders. His laughter turned to sighs and hums of pleasure as Silvio kissed and nipped at his jaw and neck, his mouth slowly trailing down Rene’s body.

“Better be careful at Benitiotian parties,” Silvio warned, lapping at Rene’s nipple while he pinched the other one, “If you’re not careful, you can easily drink yourself into a stupor. Merchants especially  will try to ply you with liquor, and knowing you, it’ll be all too easy to wind up weeping on the ballroom floor.”

“I cry in front of you once and now I’m a crybaby who can’t handle his liquor?” Rene pouted, voice shaky under Silvio’s onslaught.

“You’re welcome to prove me wrong,” Silvio dipped his tongue into Rene’s naval before trailing down to his hips, “When we’re back home, we’ll see who has a higher tolerance.”

“You better watch yourself, I’ll drink you under the table. That’ll show you to underestimate-oh!” Rene jerked when Silvio licked a stripe up his cock. 

“You wanna try that again?” Silvio goaded before taking to the task of sucking Rene off with aplomb, wrapping spit-slick lips around his dick without hesitation, his hand wrapped around the base. Rene whined, legs twitching against Silvio’s weight pinning them to the bed. Silvio pulled off briefly to crow, “That’s what I thought,” before going back to dragging his mouth up and down Rene’s cock.

Rene brought one hand down and buried his fingers in Silvio’s hair, trying not to yank at the strands as he held on for dear life; his other hand was used to stuff the knuckle of his index finger in his mouth to stifle his moans. Silvio, the jerk, seemed to be doing everything he could to get Rene to lose control: in between rhythmic glides along Rene’s cock, he’d slide up until only the head was in his mouth, lips suckling at the sensitive glans and tongue teasing at the slit, then take all of Rene in at once and swallow tightly around him. Occasionally, he popped off to gently lick at Rene’s balls, thumb smoothing over the gradually tightening sack, spreading drool and precome.

“Silvio, Silvio, I’m-I’m close,” Rene warned, tugging on the sheets by his head as he spiraled toward the cliff’s edge. Silvio took that as his cue to double down, deepthroating Rene and sucking even harder, tongue tracing the veins along Rene’s shaft in an effort to throw Rene over the edge faster. And boy did it work: the heat, the wetness, the suction of Silvio’s mouth drove him higher and higher until the sensation of Silvio humming around him finally sent him over. Rene cried out as he came, his orgasm drawn out as Silvio swallowed around him. Rene whimpered when Silvio finally pulled off him, dragging his lips across his softening cock just to be an asshole. He made a show of swiping across his mouth the way one might if they were wiping away crumbs. “That was quick,” he said arrogantly, smug in how quick he got Rene to come.

Rene groaned and flung an arm over his eyes. “You can’t keep saying that every time,” he complained.

“Maybe don’t come on a hair trigger every time then,” Silvio shot back playfully, like he hadn’t just purposefully pulled out all the tricks solely to have Rene coming as fast as possible. Silvio tugged Rene’s arm away from his face as he snapped the lube open and poured a generous amount onto his fingers (he always took care to use too much rather than too little). He brought his hand to Rene’s hole and circled it teasingly before pressing one finger in, mouth returning to Rene’s nipples.

“Maybe don’t be so good at blowing me,” Rene said around a moan as Silvio steadily fingered him open, nipping at his left nipple while his free hand tweaked the other one. He liked stoking Silvio’s ego every so often because-

“Oh yeah?” Silvio smirked, the expression undeniably sexy as he hurriedly pressed another finger in and worked quicker at getting Rene ready for him, tugging almost meanly at his nipple, “You want to see what else I’m good at?”

-that would happen. Shy Silvio was adorable and precious, but confident Silvio sent heat through Rene. “Please,” Rene begged, rocking into Silvio’s fingers. He tipped his head up imploringly, clutching at Silvio’s arms.

Silvio, reading into his request, bent down and kissed Rene, who made a pleased noise. He eagerly opened his mouth for Silvio’s tongue to slip in, not caring that he could taste himself. His whine was muffled when Silvio pulled his fingers free, but the soon-to-be-king quickly replaced it with his cock, gently feeding it inch by inch inside until he was fully seated, where he sat still for a moment so Rene could adjust.

A moment that was not appreciated by Rene himself, who wrapped his legs around Silvio’s waist and squeezed. He tore away from Silvio’s mouth enough to implore him to move, hips jerking up to hopefully add more encouragement. Silvio huffed, amused and exasperated, but he followed it up with a few short thrusts that soon became a deep, even rhythm when Rene didn’t show any signs of pain or displeasure. “Like that, like that, more,” Rene said breathily, hands coming up to clutch at Silvio’s back, hips rocking to meet Silvio’s.

“You’re pretty damn needy, you know that?” Silvio said, speeding up to appease Rene. He brushed kisses along Rene’s cheek, his jaw, his ear, unable to pull back too far because of Rene’s grip on him but unwilling to, anyway. He pressed close to Rene, pinning their bodies together while being careful not to crush him into the bed too much (even though Rene wouldn’t have any complaints if he did).

“Yeah, but you like it, right?” Rene hated how his voice wavered with uncertainty. The fact that he was here with Silvio now was a testament to how much the seafaring merchant wanted him, but Rene was worried there’d always be a little voice in his ear, sounding remarkably like his biological parents, telling him he would ruin this somehow. He was needy, terribly so, despite trying so hard not to be, and he wouldn’t be able to bear it if Silvio ever became off-put by it.

Thankfully, Silvio seemed to sense exactly what Rene was thinking. “Course I like it,” he assured, wrapping an arm underneath Rene’s waist, pressing them even closer, using his other hand for leverage and stability where it was pressed against the bed. “It’s how you show your charm. Keep showing me how much you need me and I’ll give you what you want,” Silvio punctuated his statement with a couple sharp, hard thrusts right against his prostate.

“Yes, I need it, I need you,” Rene buried his face in Silvio’s neck, an all-too familiar stinging sensation behind his eyes. He held on tight as Silvio’s powerful thrusts rocked him like a ship in stormy weather, voice going high around moans and whimpers as he repeated desperate pleas and Silvio’s name. “Silvio, Silvio, more, please, give it, I need it, Silvio, please!”

Silvio growled and fucked into Rene even harder, wanting to make him come first. He used the arm around Rene’s waist to press their hips together tightly, Rene’s cock grinding against his stomach as Silvio repeatedly struck his sweet spot. His pleas turned to wordless cries as he drew closer to climax, limbs clamping down around Silvio. A few more thrusts exactly like that and he was tumbling over the edge, Silvio following right after him.

Silvio collapsed next to Rene, the two of them still clinging to each other, heedless of the mess between them. In fact, Rene was trying to scooch even closer, like the black hole of affection that he was. Luckily, SIlvio was the same, and he obliged Rene’s wriggling, tucking Rene further against his side.

“I really do love you a lot,” Rene admitted softly, “Lisette and Aurelia made fun of how I always brag about you in all my letters-” as if they didn’t do the exact same about their partners, in their own ways-”but it’s true. I was really happy for them when they found their true loves, but part of me was always jealous even though I told myself I’d given up. And then you showed up, and I know you love me a lot too, even after everything, and that’s . . . I didn’t think I’d ever get this lucky, is all.”

Silvio brought his hand up and cradled Rene’s head, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Damn right you’re lucky,” he muttered, voice tight with emotion he refused to name. Rene held back a laugh; Silvio was still far better at showing his love through actions instead of words, but Rene was great at translating what he really meant. He rested comfortably in the knowledge that Silvio felt the same as him.