#I’m not eating now besides snacks I have

[dragabond]

Today is going fucking WONDERFULLY already I see

[hoshigray]

hello, lovely! is it okay to request a short fic wherein gojo’s pregnant wife (y/n) stole his kikufuku? thank u! (missing soft gojo hours 😭)

𝐚. 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: omg stoooop this is so cute and sweet, what!?

⊹ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Gojo x pregnant afab/fem! reader - tooth-rotting fluff - pet names (angel, baby, stars and moon, sweetheart) - Gojo being a big crybaby over sweets - so soft, i was smiling while writing, hehe~.

⊹ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.1k

THUD!

“…!” You jolt, immediately looking to the entrance of the living room to see your husband. “Gojo! You okay?”

The white-haired man stands still with a gawked expression, eyes covered by his black blindfold with his usual Jujutsu Tech attire, and you can assume the noise came from the souvenir bags he dropped to the floor.

“…Y/n, my angelic stars and moon,” he finally speaks after a few seconds of silence, and you can see his lips quiver with trembling hands. “Is…Is that my last kikufuku?” 

If there is one thing Gojo loved more than anything other than you, it would be his undying love for sweets! You could never find him without any at his disposal; he’d have a bunch of lollipops in his pockets, be licking popsicles or soft serves while monitoring his first years during their missions, or typically stop by a café and grab some crepes for dessert to take home and share with you. He’s known to have a childish heart, and sweets are his weakness!

His all-time favorite would be the mochi delicacy he often gets during his mission trips to Sendai, and he’s always sure to buy a whole box worth to make the long trip up North worth it. Kikufuku, the crushed edamame and cream-filled mochi, is Gojo’s favorite sweet to eat — you’re a witness to him happily stuffing his face with them lying on the couch after a hard day’s work. He’s the type to eat one every week until he can return to Sendai and get more. 

This week was the very last one he had saved, secured in the cold fridge for him to eat once he got home. And he wasn’t going to Sendai anytime soon, so he planned on treasuring and savoring it the moment he stepped inside and lay beside his pregnant partner to chill on this blissful spring evening.

He could never get over the sight of you whenever he came home. Gojo loved his partner so much that he swears he would burn the world if you commanded him to, which you knew is an exaggeration, but his love is true. The day he got on one knee and heard you say yes to his proposal was the happiest he’d ever been, sweeping you off your feet, putting you in your dream puffy white dress, and officially becoming the spouse of the strongest sorcerer in the jujutsu world! And now you were swole with his child!? Not even God could strike this man to calm him down of his glee.

You were sitting on the living room couch like you always did, waiting for your husband to return, wearing a black maternity one-piece that comfortably molded around your figure and a blue flannel shirt – his flannel – to keep you warm. Gojo came home with souvenirs to share and impress, a huge smile just from thinking about your reactions. 

However, the sight has him gasp dramatically loud and drop everything to the wooden floor, because he saw something in your hand, something that broke his heart noticing the green and white filling apparent from a bite on an undeniable white rice cake. 

You were eating the very last of his kikufuku…How could you!?

You blinked at him, then turned to the sweet in your hand, and the realization of what you were doing finally hit you. “Oh! I’m sorry, Satoru! I was feeling snacky.”

The tall man teeters to where you’re sitting, whining with every step. “So why didn’t you eat your snacks, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know?” You shrugged, licking bits of the edamame cream off your middle finger. “They didn’t seem like what I was craving for. I wanted something sweet, ya know? And I finished my ice cream two nights ago, so this was all I could find.”

“Yeah, but like,” you can tell his eyebrows were scrunched together even if the black material concealed his upper face. “That was my last one, baby! Plus, you could’ve texted me you’d eat it, or I could’ve stopped somewhere to grab you something sweet!”

“I know! But, you were very busy today; a big mission up in Kyoto and a meeting with Principal Yaga, sooo…” you squished the mochi gently, licking more of the filling coming out. “I didn’t wanna interrupt or bother you…”

“But stilllll~!”God, you were so cute when you cared for him, you almost made him forget the whole thing then and there. But you can’t hate the man for being a little upset, right? Gojo sighs and places his cheek on your belly. “Little booger, you hear what your momma is doing to me? So cruel~.”

You gasped. “Hey! Don’t say that to them!” Your free hand tries to yank him off your tummy by the hair, yet he doesn’t budge as he exclaims painfully. “What, are you saying the pregnant love of your life is some villain because they ate one of your sweets? As if I never caught you taking scoops of my favorite ice cream!? Have you no shame, Gojo Satoru!”

He swats your hand off his snowy hair, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Between you and Principal Yaga, there is a scarce few Gojo would allow to beat him up for his foolishness. He turns his head – still above the baby – to face you and releases a sigh. “I’m sorry, I was just really stoked I’d get to have that kikufuku; it’ll be a long while before I go get more…Ughhh.” Another sigh is exerted, and you can only shake your head with rolled eyes. He’s such a baby.

You bring his blindfold down to his chin to free the azure eyes he’s been hiding since this morning, and his hair falls from its spiky appearance. Then, you separate the mochi into two and push one to his lips, “You happy now?” You say with a grin. “I’m sorry, but I wanted to give these a try. Besides, we’ll have a little one to look after soon; wouldn’t it be nice for them to know what their father likes to snack on from time to time?”

Now, how in the world could Gojo still be upset with that logic? Being a father is a foreign concept he’s accepting with open arms, sharing the experience with the person he values and cherishes the most. To have a child with you is the highest honor of all for him. And imagining his small family happy and eating sweets together under his care makes his cheeks show a subtle shade of pink.

He smiles as he accepts the piece of the rice cake, chuckling when you flick his nose playfully. “You’re so sweet, angel.”

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2024 – reblogs and comments are appreciated wholeheartedly ✩ dividers by @/benkeibear.

[obbystars]

It’s You!

Synopsis: Despite everything, it’s still you.

Notes: Sebastian Solace x GN!Reader / Established relationship, can be interpreted as either married or not / Sebastian and Reader live together / Connected to my previous fic, Drown in the Deep, but this can be read as a standalone / Cigarettes cause it’s canon Sebastian smokes, up to you if reader also smokes / Fluff + Comfort / Reader has read Sebastian’s document, but nothing too specific is mentioned from it

(UNDERTALE REFERENCE RAHHH anyway another fic where I’m playing/experimenting with Sebastian’s character. I’m trying to find something that clicks, y’know? You’ll probably expect me to be writing him for a bit until my fixation decides to latch onto something else.)

Credit: Dividers by @cafekitsune

The moment you felt the empty space beside you, you felt wide awake. You’re not sure how long he’s been gone for, but that part doesn’t really matter. You threw off the blanket and got up, almost immediately feeling a shiver run down your spine. It’s cold.

You began to search through the house, quietly opening doors and listening if you could hear movement. Not in the bathroom, not in the living room, not in the dining room or the kitchen… You grabbed a snack while in there just in case. You checked everywhere inside the house. He’s definitely outside then, probably smoking. You grabbed a sweater and made your way to the back door.

Hearing the door open, Sebastian turns to you with a cigarette still in his hand.

“Oh, hey,”

You tilted your head with a smile, “Hey. You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he nods, turning away as he said that, “I’m fine, just can’t sleep,”

You hum as you walked to him and gently lay your head on his shoulder. He didn’t react at first, but you feel him lean onto you as well. He eventually relaxes.

“Let me guess. Nightmare?”

“You could say that,”

“You wanna tell me about it?”

He shrugged, “Not really,”

Sebastian wasn’t one to talk about certain things much like this, so you didn’t question it any further. You pulled out the snack you grabbed earlier and held it up to him.

“Care for a trade?” You smirked, shaking the bag.

He smiles a little as you held out your other hand for his cigarette. Once you feel him place it in your hand, you let him have the snack. It was mostly quiet once he started eating. Silent moments like this were nice. It makes you feel sleepy sometimes and you could very much fall asleep right here on his shoulder. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and it started to get a bit cold. Both of you shivered.

You gently patted his arm, “You ready to go back inside?”

There was a brief silence between the two of you before he nods, “Yeah,”

Sebastian leans off of you as you do the same. Just as you turned around to head inside, he tugs on the sweater.

“Wanna return my sweater?”

“You’ll get it back in the morning, it’s mine now,” you smile.

He rolled his eyes as he followed you inside. You kept the swearer on when you two got to bed. You crawled in on your side and held out your arms to Sebastian as he got in. He laid his head over yours while you got yourself comfortable on top of him.

“Hey Seb, you know what we should do?”

Sebastian doesn’t take his eyes off the ceiling, “What?”

“We should go to an aquarium some time,”

“Where’s this coming from?”

“Fish are cool. Plus, I figured it’d be a fun and cool little date, y’know?”

He lets out a laugh, “I’m getting the feeling that’s not all,”

You rolled your eyes with a scoff. He wasn’t wrong about that, so you continued.

“Yeah, cause you didn’t want to come with me back in college because of your business major. The same one you switched out of,”

“Okay, now that’s just unfair!” Sebastian abruptly sits up, pushing you off of him, “It’s not my fault the damn class was boring!”

He pinches your cheek and pulls on it, causing you to wince, “You didn’t even end up going anyway because of your own classes!” He adds.

“Oww! Hey!”

He lets go of you and lays back down, facing you. He closed his eyes for a moment before sighing, “Sooo… Where’s this aquarium?”

You smiled and reached for your phone to check the location. Hopefully that window to go is somewhere in your lives as there’s time and money to worry about. It was a bit expensive and a little far. One day, and maybe if there’s another opportunity, you could invite his brother and sister to come along. You don’t see them much anyway so that could be a great opportunity.

Once you were done talking about it, you put your phone back where it was. You were about to close your eyes, but Sebastian still has something to say.

“It’s funny that you brought up the aquarium, actually. My dream had to do with the ocean,”

You looked at him, “Really?”

“Yeah, it was cold, dark… I don’t remember it hurting. I don’t think I was drowning either,”

“Woahh… That’s kinda cool,” you reached your hand over and started playing with his hair, “Kinda makes me want to go diving now,”

“What’s with you and your sudden interest in the ocean?”

“When you think about it, there’s a bunch of stuff down there we haven’t discovered yet because we don’t have what it takes to go further down. It’d be so cool to see and learn about it. Of course, I’d be happy to see a sea turtle and maybe swim with one,”

“Kinda sounds like you love fish more than me,” he scoffs.

“Not true!” You then paused for a moment, totally not thinking about it, “But if you were a fish, I’d still love you,”

“How reassuring,” the sarcasm in his voice is clear.

You pouted, “Shush. It’s because I’ll know it’s you. Now let me braid your hair until I’m too sleepy,”

He lets out a sigh as he moves closer, “Fine,”

Sebastian ended up falling asleep rather quickly as you worked, and you didn’t take too long to fall asleep afterwards.

Your eyes snapped open with a gasp. You feel cold. You’re not sure what it was, but you remember seeing a dark creature with multiple white eyes staring at you through a locker. It was ramming into the door, trying to get you out. It had human teeth and its face looked like it was melting. That was the last thing you remember as the locker doors finally gave out and you couldn’t hold it shut anymore.

Your heart was pounding against your chest. You feel something move underneath you and quickly remember where you were and who you were with. You pushed yourself to sit up and looked at Sebastian who was still asleep. His tail had coiled around you, almost acting like a bed if it weren’t for the scales. You’re reminded of the current situation you’re stuck in and it doesn’t help to calm your heart. You’re still stuck in this abandoned facility with no way out unless you leave his hideout to retrieve the crystal like Urbanshade requested.

You sighed, lying back down and facing him this time. Your hand reached over to move some of his hair away from his face so that his third eye is visible to you. Perhaps playing with his hair to get you to fall asleep was more of a habit now. You nudged yourself a bit closer to him and started to make a small braid.

Sebastian had quickly woken up due to feeling something gently tugging on his hair, but seeing you so focused, he stayed quiet and watched you. Part of him wanted to know just how long it’ll take for you to notice him watching you. You were being careful as you weren’t aware he wasn’t already awake.

He’s become such a light sleeper ever since his stay here. The smallest noise and movement could wake him up, but it was like a lifesaver as the dangers persisted. It didn’t help that Urbanshade is going to kill him without hesitation the moment they see him.

Your hands are shaking and you’re struggling more than usual. It might be because you’re still shaken up by your nightmare of getting killed mixed with the problem you’re currently in, but it did feel a little too real. It felt like you used all of your strength to hold the locker closed. You can’t exactly feel your legs either, like that was the first thing that monster had consumed. The image of it was still in your head. A million eyes staring at you through the locker from inside its mouth, its face seemingly melting away and the scream it let out once it grabbed you.

Your hands stopped, the shaking becoming more evident. A blue scaled hand takes hold of your small hands. You blinked, snapping yourself out of your thoughts and looked at Sebastian.

“O-Oh, uh…” your voice trembled, “How long were you awake?”

“Long enough,” he says, “You’re shaking. What’s wrong?”

You looked down and tried to pull your hands out of his, but he only held tighter, “Just a nightmare…”

“Well, whatever it was certainly frightened you to this extent. What was it about?”

“I was still here, somewhere in this facility. The lights flickered and I heard a distant voice getting louder, and then it suddenly screamed as it saw me entering a locker,” he lets go of your hands at this point, “It kept ramming into it, trying to open it or knock me out of it. When it finally managed to open it, its face looked so… disturbing. There were so many eyes in its mouth, a-and…”

You’re not sure how to describe it, or maybe the memory of the nightmare is fading at this very moment. But you still feel it.

He props himself up on one of his hands, using his extra limb to pull you closer, “Ohhh, you had a dream about that thing? Yeahh, dying to that isn’t really pleasant. Won’t get into the details, you probably get the idea of it anyway considering what you’ve seen,”

You say nothing in response to that. Is that what the last person you were with felt? You can’t imagine just how painful it would’ve been had it spotted you inside the other room. All that was left was the beat up locker and a pool of blood. You don’t remember hearing them scream either, but perhaps it was drowned out by the sound of the monster. You didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Sebastian lays back down so you can continue with what you were doing, but instead, he feels your hands come back to his and gently holds it. He watches you for a bit, trying to figure out what you’re trying to do now. You traced your fingers against the scales, almost fascinated by it. You were being oh so gentle with him.

“Y’know, any sane person would be cautious whenever they see a tall fish with the features of an angler fish and razor sharp teeth,” he suddenly comments, “But you? Didn’t anyone ever tell you curiosity kills the cat?”

“It’s because I know it’s you, Sebastian,” you held his hand tighter, “Just because you look like this now doesn’t change the way I feel about you. Does it make me upset knowing why now? Of course I’m upset…and angry, too. Had it been me instead, I think I would’ve done the same after everything they did. You must’ve been in so much pain too,”

He doesn’t respond to that and only stares at you. You didn’t seem to mind as you eventually move on to compare your hand sizes, and his is significantly larger. When he was still just a human, your hand sizes weren’t all that different. Now, he can hold both of your hands in one of his. He could crush your head if he so wanted to.

You sighed, continuing, “The day they gave you the death penalty, I… I think I gave up. I knew I was going to lose you so maybe in a sense, I died too. There were so many days and nights where I struggled to even get up and struggled to even go back to sleep. Every single morning was just a painful reminder for me that I wouldn’t be seeing you again,”

You gave up. A part of you had already died.

“I guess this “job” was just another way of me not having to wake up anymore. It’s silly, I know… But isn’t it kind of funny? I came here because I thought this could be my chance to see you again in death, and here you are. You’re still alive, and that’s all I cared about,” you smiled, “Maybe a little different, but… Still alive, and still you,”

His eyes widened slightly. That stupid line again. Sebastian looks away with a hiss and you can feel his tail shift beneath you.

“Go back to sleep, [name],” he sighs, “You’re gonna need the rest,”

By the way, I am aware Sebastian isn’t THAT big when you take away the tail part, but look…

Big hand… Also there was this post that I found while making this so

Also not really proud of this one but oh well

[xprakzif]

tell him.

matthew sturniolo

parings: matt x fem!reader

warnings: SMUT, mdni!!, cheating(i do not condone this), oral receiving, p in v, yea you know already..

summary: matt can’t keep his hands off of his friend, knowing she has a boyfriend. he tries to forget her but she keeps making an appearance.

lowkey inspired by tell your girlfriend by lay bankz

{the bf in this has a random name}

the first

being around the triplets since her junior year of high school created a close bond. nick being the one who introduced himself to her, seeing her alone sitting in the cafeteria mindlessly scrolling through nothing wanting to be anywhere but that place.

ever since, they’ve treated her like another sibling from what she thought.

“hi guys!” she exclaimed, walking up the stairs of their home. “this is my boyfriend, kian!”

a boy followed behind her appearing after coming up the stairs.

“y/n! hey, kian, i’ve heard so much about you!” nick came over to greet. she gave him a ‘stfu’ look, remembering all the facetime calls and snaps about her drooling over him.

“yoo! i’m chris, nice to meet you.” the pair joined matt on the couch where he greeted them with a smile.

“this is matt! he’s shy.” she poked introducing him.

“i’m not!”

“yea, even knowing them for years, i could tell them apart from the moment i met them.” she added to the conversation.

they were all sat at a table at top golf, eating and talking about things that made the others around them glare.

“i mean, there’s definitely features that y’all share, but i can tell-“ kian was interrupted by his phone loudly ringing. “my fault, excuse me.” turning away in his seat to not intrude on the side conversations as he answered the call.

the others remained talking about their looks and making inappropriate comments and jokes.

“sorry y/n, i have to go. my brothers car broke down again and he’s stranded.” kian explained gathering his belongings.

“again? he really needs to retire ol’ reliable. but that’s fine, just let me know when you get situated!” she replied receiving a hug and kiss on the forehead.

“it was real cool meeting you guys!” he farewelled, leaving the area after receiving goodbyes.

“wait.. now i have to uber home!”

“girl, you know you’re welcome to stay the night at ours if you want to.” nick reminded his friend as he wiped him mouth with a napkin. she smiled and nodded agreeing to his offer.

“you’re still hungry after all you ate at top golf?” matt teased at chris who was devouring the microwaved popcorn in his lap as the brothers sat around the living room with their friend as a movie lit up the room.

“mind your business!” chris remarked with a full mouth, throwing a handful in his direction accidentally hitting the girl beside matt.

“dude!” she screeched. he covered his mouth and looked away trying to play it off.

she poked matt quietly giggling as she pointed to nick on the loveseat who was fast asleep. chris took notice as well, laughing and decided to throw his snack at him.

nick jumped awake, searching for what just hit him. “chris- i swear! can’t even rest my eyes around you.”

nick stood up with the blanket wrapped around him.

“i’m gonna go lay down, y/n you can come in when you’re ready.” with that disappearing to his bedroom.

eventually, after finishing his snack, chris went to bed after the movie finished. matt glanced at his friend who was indulged in her phone.

“how aren’t you tired yet?” he asked.

“oh trust me i am.” she put her phone down and rubbed her eyes. he smiled, quickly looking away. she got up, making her way to nicks bedroom before quietly shouting, “night, matt!”

reaching nicks door, she softly turned the knob incase he was already asleep. the knob became stiff and wouldn’t turn fully. it was locked.

confused, she assumed nick just wanted to sleep.

the lights in the living room were off. she thought about going to chris but soon remembered he was most definitely knocked out.

matt couldn’t have been asleep that quickly. she tip toed to his door, lightly patting on the door. almost immediately it opened revealing matt in just his underwear. his eyes became wide unexpecting her to be at his door.

“um.. nicks door is locked. can i sleep with you?”

it wasn’t unusual, they all slept in the same bed once when their manager had messed up their hotel booking. this time matt felt different.

“sure, cmon..” he let her in the room. going straight for the bed, she layed down on the left side getting under the covers as he joined her with a slight dip in the bed.

the room was silent. the blowing of the air conditioner and occasional traffic noise cutting the silence. she trembled from the coldness even under the thick comforter.

she didn’t even know her actions were obvious until matt spoke, “you cold?” with a slight chuckle in his voice.

“a little- sorry.” she whispered turning to face him. “i usually cuddle with my plushies at home, don’t judge.”

his breathing picked up suddenly as he thought about his next question.

“do you wanna.. um- cuddle with me?”

she hesitated, but thought it was a good idea so she shifted closer indicating agreement. he wrapped his arms around her gently, taking in the various smells of expensive shampoo and sweet perfume. her head lied under his chin smothered into his chest, hearing his rapid heartbeat.

neither of them knew why their anxiety skyrocketed in the moment.

he couldn’t help but notice the subtle lighting from his window glistening on her face. it was so faint, he didn’t even realize she was staring at his gaze.

thank goodness for the angle, otherwise she would see his pink washed cheeks from embarrassment as he looked away. she tilted her head upwards, grinning as he drew his focus back to her, admiring her distinguished features.

something sprung his confidence strong enough to overpower the racing of his heart as he placed a hand under her chin, bringing her face closer. she didn’t react, assuming she was okay with the actions, he placed his lips onto hers.

the kiss was soft and loving. it almost felt like electricity through their bodies. she didn’t even think she liked him. maybe she just ignored the feeling, knowing his popularity wouldn’t allow them to form a decent relationship. she felt grateful enough to be as close with him and his brothers. forcing herself onto them was never the intention.

matt on the other hand knew from the start. they way she showed no deeper interest made him hesitant. he loved her personality and how she was introverted. it was easy to talk to her. once she announced her new relationship, his heart stung knowing he’d lost his opportunity.

she pulled back first. he thought he’d fucked up.

“i’m- im so sorry, y/n..” she was still in his embrace, not tense but comfortable and safe. he was confused.

“it’s okay. goodnight matt” she smiled and nestled into his chest.

he knew he wasn’t gonna get any ounce of sleep after that.

“chris! go get some napkin, i am not cleaning this up!” nicks voice was loud enough to wake matt up after hazily falling asleep a few hours later.

he had forgotten for not much longer about what had happened when he realized y/n wasn’t in his bed. he checked his phone on his nightstand seeing it was noon.

“where’s y/n?” he made his way to the kitchen where nick sat on his laptop while chris was soaking up an orange liquid off the counter with paper towels, seemingly close to nicks workspace.

“goodmorning to you too, matt!” chris mocked.

“she left early this morning. went to breakfast with kian to make up for yesterday or something. she didn’t tell you?” nick spoke not looking up from his screen.

matt leaned his body over the counter, “no- she slept in my room last night, since you were sleeping.” he felt a hot flash in his body remembering the moment before you fell asleep.

nick finally looked matt in the eye, “i wasn’t sleeping? i waited for her and she never came.”

“what? she said your door was locked!” he grew confused. did she lie? no she couldn’t have, it’s not like she meant to sleep in his room.

nick stood quiet for a few seconds. his face displaying confusion as if he was trying to solve the hardest equation ever. he grew excited once he figured out the answer.

“oh! i must’ve forgot to unlock it after i changed.” he exclaimed as calmly as he could.

“dude!”

matt thought he was angry for a second. this whole situation could’ve been avoided. was it a good thing? did he ruin everything?

the fall

“happy birthday dear y/n, happy birthday to you!”

her friends were gathered around the kitchen island of her cozy apartment. kian planned a small surprise get together for her birthday since she was far from her family and would celebrate with them separately.

she thanked the group and blew out the gold number candles as she cheered for herself gaining giggles from around her.

she went about the room, hugging each of her guest and thanking them for being there. once she got to the triplets she embraced them individually as she got to matt and he stopped her.

“y/n, i got you something- i think you should open it right away” he held a pink box with a white ribbon. it was oddly shaped and seemed fragile so she had him bring it over to her small brown sofa.

he placed it on the seat before sitting opposite to her to watch her reaction. the other brothers followed along standing over her to see what was inside.

she slowly pulled the ribbon until matt spoke, “i really hope it’s not too much, i just know you’ve been wanting one for this longest..”

the flaps lifted on their own as she jumped back, revealing a small gray kitten with green eyes.

her jaw dropped as her eyes began to water with joy. “no- you didn’t!” lifting the kitten free from the box. “matt! you’re unbelievable!” she pushed the container to the rug and moved closer to hug him.

“you’ve been posting a lot about wanting a kitten and i really didn’t know what else to get you- oh, and he’s a boy by the way..” he laughed watching her childlike expression.

“kian! come look what matt got me!” she called for her boyfriend who was chatting with some of their mutual friends. he made his way over as she held the kitten up in the air.

matt’s heart sunk slightly as she shared her happiness with kian instead of him.

no one was paying attention to nick and chris’s shocked reactions.

“aww, how cute.. damn i kinda look like a shitty boyfriend now!” kian joked obviously as she giggled along with him.

“what’s wrong?” she looked to the two brothers who were still confused.

“we had no idea he was getting you that!” chris mentioned as nick agreed.

“honestly, i didn’t want you guys to ruin the surprise with your big mouths!” matt argued playfully.

the night grew old as the guest died down leaving just the triplets and kian in her apartment. it wasn’t long until kian bid farewell explaining his early morning work schedule.

she already changed into plaid pajama pants and a white tank sweatshirt as she curled up on the couch petting her new addition.

“still not over this!” she referred to her present.

matt grinned feeling warm and accomplished knowing he made her happy. he couldn’t help but watch as she stroked the bundle of fur, giggling at each movement he made.

each person in the room jumped as a sudden clap of thunder roared. the rain was unexpected and loud enough to tell it was dangerous driving conditions.

“guys, you can’t drive in that. it’s storming,” her voice was of concern. “just wait until it dies down.”

just as she spoke the room became black as everything went silent. the power went out.

“shit! that scared the hell out of me.” nick yelled from his place on the couch.

“dude it’s freezing in here!” chris complained, although he wore the most layers than anyone preset. she had an idea.

“i’ll go get us blankets.” standing and turning her phones flashlight on.

“i’ll come help you..” a voice behind her spike as she shined the light right into his face making him cover his eyes.

“thanks, matt! chris hold my kitty.” she placed the kitten on his lap with no warning. he giggled at her choice of words as nick scoffed.

“okay, do you think that’s good enough?” matt was holding atleast 10 blankets in various fabrics and materials.

“definitely- why do you even have so many?” matt asked struggling to balance them all.

“i’m just a girl, don’t ask me!” she closed the closet door when her flashlight turned off on its own. she stumbled to find her phone before tripping over it on the floor, falling into matt causing him to drop all the blankets. they both landed on the bed not being too far a distance from the closet.

“i- ow, i’m sorry..” she apologized.

a flash of lighting shined into the bedroom window giving them both a view of each others face.

matt felt the familiar feeling in his chest, as well as a new one in his pants. she was lying right on top of him.

this time it was her who initiated it.

leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his lips to see his reaction.

he was taken back but knew what he wanted. he gripped her waist lifting her off of him and placing her fully on the bed. this time he placed his weight over top of her gently and moved his lips onto hers.

the kiss was different this time.

instead of loving and warm, it was lustful and rough.

it didn’t stop there, she wrapped her legs around him pulling his hips to hers. she felt his crotch solid against hers as he grinded into her.

they were so hungry for eachother they didn’t notice the light pattering of little paws stumble into the room.

continuing to make out, matt tugged on her tank top begging for it to come off. just before she started lifting her arms for him to remove it, larger footsteps entered the dark room along with a hushed voice.

“shadow- come back!”

matt leaped onto his feet after hearing his brothers voice. light beamed into the room as chris walked in flashing his phones light to find the kitten that hopped off his lap to explore his new home.

“there you are! oh- and there you are too” chris aimed the light to his brother and friend who was sitting on her bed. the blankets were scattered on the floor, but it was too dark for chris to realize.

“did- did you just name my cat?” she asked remembering him calling for shadow.

“i mean.. it’s fitting..” he said picking up the small feline.

“i love that! his name is shadow.” she cheered walking over to pet the kitten as if nothing happened. she didn’t want to act suspicious so she quickly changed her demeanor while matt stood frozen in his place unsatisfied.

a buzzing sound took place as the lights began to flicker back on along with the air system.

nick could be heard shouting in relief in the living room. “well.. i guess that’s our cue.” chris joked walking out the bedroom after handing y/n her kitten.

she glanced at matt, a soft expression on her face. he was flushed with red cheeks and puffy lips, his hair messy. she decided to walk out the room, leaving the awkward silence as he followed behind her.

“okay, i’ll see you boys soon- text me when you get home!” she demanded watching them collect themselves ready to head out.

chris and nick were already out the door just when matt was leaving when she called, “matt!” he turned with sudden movement, “hm?” he responded.

“um.. thanks.. for shadow” hesitating at her words.

he nodded. a grin forming on his face as he quickly turned away to leave her apartment.

the following

ding

the chime of her phone was loud and the light lit up the room. she was a light sleeper, but she always made sure her phone ringer was on full volume at night, in case of emergencies.

groaning, she turned on her side. grabbing her phone from her nightstand to check as shadow moved away from her chest to lay down at the foot of the bed, annoyed at the movements she was making.

matty: y/n?

she grew fully conscious seeing a text from him. eyes flickering to the left corner reading 3:15AM.

:yes?

the message bubble popped up almost immediately after being read.

matty: can we talk

she knew this would come eventually. though she wasn’t quite sure what part he wanted to discuss. it’s been 3 days since her birthday. 3 days since the incident in her room. the room she was currently in, on the bed she was currently laying on.

:??

matty: about thursday y/n

she sighed.

: matt it was a mistake

matty: in person

matty: can we talk in person

:it’s 3am

matty: i’ll come get you

matty: please

matty: i can’t sleep

she felt guilty. he couldn’t sleep, too busy having her run through his mind. she was tired, but if she didn’t settle this now, it would ruin everything.

: alright fine

the time flew by quickly. she found herself in an oversized gray hoodie, waiting for his text. it was long enough to cover her down to her knees, so she didn’t bother wearing pants thinking it would be a quick chat in the car.

headlights shined through her window before she received a message telling her matt had arrived.

she grabbed shadow and held him close, his little bell chiming as she bounced with each step down her apartment complex stairs. he was too young to be left alone, and who knows how long this talk would be.

the car door opened as matt nearly broke his neck to see her coming in.

“hey.. it’s cool if we go to my place?” he suggested, reaching over to pet shadow who was on her lap.

she wasn’t expecting a trip. nor did she dress for one. but it was a better idea than staying out in a car at 3AM. she nodded.

the drive was silent besides the radio playing lowly.

he let her in. “let’s go to my room- nick and chris are asleep,” whispering as he placed a hand on her back making her shudder.

matt and y/n were sat in the red sheets of his bed. shadow never left her lap, afraid of being in a new house.

“y/n.. i r-”

“it was a mistake, matt.” she assured him sternly. why did she feel like crying? she loved kian. though she was forcing herself to think about him in that moment.

“i don’t think it was.. i don’t think it was a mistake” matt pleaded. his voice was low but his tone made her swallow a her feelings down.

it was quiet.

“i love him-“ she chocked.

he shifted closer to her causing shadow to scurry off the bed.

“i.. i know.. but i can’t help it y/n, i want you.. crave you.” his tone softened as he cupped her face.

her eyes were glossy staring into his as he brushed his nose against hers wanting more.

she did it again.

it was her who pushed her lips to his. moving slowly with rhythm. now it was different again. this time they both felt careless. kian was far back in her mind, ignoring any thoughts of him.

matt was in a rush. he moved in front of her making her lay back. it was like her birthday all over again. he hovered over her between her legs, not asking this time and pulling her hoodie over her body.

he pulled back a little shocked as he scanned her figure in just a bra and panties. pupils enlarged with lust as he felt himself stiffen in his sweatpants.

she was flustered feeling so exposed to him. tugging at his clothing now, begging for his exposure so she wasn’t the only one.

he leaned back and undressed fully.

she was going crazy. he looked down her figure to her clothed heat, glancing back at her glistening eyes as he moved down on the bed. he was positioned between her legs, face above her area.

“can i..?” he asked, warm breath against her thighs as he gripped them.

“mhmm” she hummed eagerly.

he buried his head in her legs leaving kisses and bite marks all over. he slid his finger over her panties feeling her folds through the thin material.

he felt his nerves in his stomach, unsure if he really wanted this. he knew he did, but the thought of her ghosting him for kian raced his mind as he sat there hesitantly.

shadows bell snapped him out of his thoughts as he realized where he was. he knew he had to fall through, this was his only chance.

he hooked his fingers onto the waistband of her underwear, sliding it down her legs painfully slow.

placing them next to her, he moved her legs up spreading them wide.

she was sweating from the anticipation when he used two fingers to spread her folds, dragging his tongue from her entrance to her clit.

he sucked on the sensitive spot gaining a moan from the back of her throat.

“shhh, nick and chris are asleep..” he hushed. “you don’t want me to stop, do you?”

her head shook vigorously as she covered her mouth. he dove back in, continuing his previous actions. she whined behind her hand.

he removed a hand from her leg and sucked on his middle and ring finger before sliding them into her hole. he groaned at how tight she felt just on his fingers.

pushing them in, he licked her clit in circles quickly making her arch her back and roll her eyes. helpless to the whimpers that escaped her vocal cords muffled from her hand.

“‘s so good, baby- fuck” he grumbled against her setting her on edge.

her legs trembled and squeezed his head near suffocating him. she grasped the bed sheets tightly and her mouth flew open with no sound coming out.

he shook his head in a fast motion in between her legs helping her ride out her orgasm.

panting and trying to catch her breath when he came back up to hover over her body and kissed her with her own juices all over his face.

she pushed him away, forcing him to lay on his back and climbing over to straddle him. taking hold of his dick and aligning it with her entrance as he watched with his bottom lip between his teeth.

she sunk down with a whine. his eye brows furrowed at the tightness around his member and groaned.

“holy sh-” he could barley get out as she bounced herself on him.

they tried so hard to be quiet during the whole experience but couldn’t help letting out a few moans here and there. the bed was creaking with her movements. he felt his core heat up while his dick started to tingle with sensation as he lifted his hips harder into her.

he knew it wouldn’t be right to cum inside of her when she was with someone. she wasn’t his after all.

but the way he was feeling he couldn’t stop.

he threw his head back on his pillows letting out shaky breaths and grunts as he emptied his load into her feeling her clench around him.

she slowed her movements after realizing what he’d done. finally climbing off of him and laying down next to him.

it felt.. weird.

not awkward, but not wrong either. matt slowly got up from the bed and into the connected bathroom. she watched as the light flicked on and the sink ran.

he came back out with a white rag in his hand, “open,” he demanded getting closer to her legs as she bent her knees to spread them. he cleaned her up as well as himself.

when he went to toss the rag in his sink, he came back out to see her covered in his sheets fast asleep, shadow already curled up by her chest.

he admired how she looked so peaceful even after the unholy events that just took place.

he joined her carefully in bed, exhaustively forcing himself to fall asleep before he regretted what happened.

“yo, matt have you-” the door to matt’s room busted open as the pair in bed jumped out of their sleep snapping to the commotion. sunlight took over as they realized it was the next day. “y/n?”

chris was stood in the door frame. luckily she was fully covered by the blanket for him to see she was only in her under garments and gain suspicion.

“bro- what! what do you need?!” matt’s voice was mixed with annoyance and fear, a little embarrassed that chris came in the room.

“i was looking for my blue hoodie, but what’s up, y/n?” he seemed concerned at the fact she stayed the night, something she would do with nick when she was going through something.

“yea- i, um-”

“it’s behind the door man- her air wasn’t working in her apartment so i brought her over last night without waking you or nick” matt made up a story shooing chris away.

“ohhh- shadow!” he spotted the gray kitten who was now on the floor after hiding when chris scared them.

“dude- go!” matt shouted, still tired in his voice.

chris scoffed leaving the room when he took his hoodie from the rack behind the door, slamming it shut. he was definitely going to nicks room to tell him y/n was there.

the pair looked to eachother. she looked away to find her phone on the nightstand checking to see the time was past noon.

“shit! i have to go..” she almost tripped over her own feet trying to find her clothes not remembering she showed up in just a hoodie.

“wait- let me give you a ride,” matt insisted.

“it’s fine, um.. kians picking me up..” she tried to whisper but it was loud and clear.

matt’s heart sunk. he didn’t know why, he should’ve expected her to go back to him after this but he wanted so badly for her to just forget him and stay.

he didn’t say anything while she gathered shadow and gave matt a quick hug, something she always did before she left their home, and walked out.

it’s been 6 days. no texts. no calls. not even a post on social media.

he hadn’t heard from her at all. he didn’t wanna intrude either. his heart kept telling him to call her, call her and tell her to just love him, not kian.

but he knew better.

or did he? because he found himself driving to her apartment.

the whole ride he wanted to throw up. he was so nervous and didn’t know why. he pulled up to her complex, seeing the parking spaces in front of her building were empty besides her car that he recognized. it was still early afternoon and people were at work. but there was on car. he payed no mind to it, pulling into the spot next to hers.

he sat in the car a few minutes to collect himself.

mentally hyping himself up and making his way to the door, he pressed the buzzer.

nothing.

he tried again, sure he had the right one.

finally hearing the clicks of the lock, the door slowly creaked open revealing her face.

“oh.. what’s wrong?” her voice was a bit hoarse yet filled with confusion.

“i-i missed you..”

she leaned against the wall, her body came into frame enough for him to see she was wrapped in a blanket. clear that nothing was underneath.

“matt, i’m a little busy-“

“who is it, babe?” a voice echoed in her apartment.

matt wanted to break down when he recognized the voice. it made sense now. the other car was kians.

“you should go..” she whispered. he peered over her head seeing shadow stop in his tracks while walking through the living room and stare at him.

matt nodded. he felt crushed and defeated.

maybe he should just let go.

the finale

“hello?” matt answered a facetime call from his brother.

“heyyy, you good?” chris asked.

him and nick went to a party while matt stayed home.

“yeah i’m fine” he had a little attitude in his voice.

he had a rough week. after he left y/ns apartment, he cried in his room. he couldn’t hold it in anymore. he hated how she loved kian and not him. he wished he wasn’t too late. he wished he told her how he felt before she got with him. then fucking her just made him more attached.

“matt?” nick said through the phone, music blared loudly in the background. he snapped out of it.

“what?”

“i asked if you wanted us to bring you fo- oh look who it is!” nick was interrupted, seen hugging someone in frame. a small girl. oh great it was her.

he wanted to just hang up until chris pointed the phone at her. she turned to see matt on the screen.

she almost punched chris in the arm. she felt disgusting. she knew what she did and she knew it was wrong. she couldn’t stand to see him and it wasn’t his fault.

“hi, matt..” she tried to sound as polite at she could but it came out a bit shallow.

all he did was nod his head in return. seeing she went off with nick, he told chris he was going to sleep and to not bother him before hanging up.

“girl- be quiet, i think matt is sleeping,” nick whisper-yelled. matt could hear him from his room. he ignored it knowing he would probably bring a friend home from the party. he went to back to sleep.

he woke up again. this time feeling hungry.

he didn’t bother checking the time, it was still dark out. he made his way down the hall until he bumped into something hard, jumping when he realized it was a person.

“ow- sorry,” he heard a girly voice from the darkness. a sudden light beamed as she turned on her phone flashlight. it was y/n.

he almost gasped in her face. her eyes went wide.

“i’m sorry, i was just going to pee..” she explained. still standing in front of him.

neither of them moved, just staring at eachother.

he couldn’t take it anymore. he grabbed her waist and pressed her against the wall of the hallway, kissing her passionately.

her arms wrapped around his neck.

why did she keep doing this..

matt dragged her by her hips to his room, pushing her to the bed as he shut the door. she tossed her phone somewhere on the bed, he was already in just his underwear from when he went to sleep so he forcefully removed the shirt she had on that belonged to nick.

he was on top of her now, sucking on her neck sure to leave marks. he was fed up with the games she would play.

this time he didn’t care, he was rough and demanding. “turn around, ass up”

she waited as she contemplated her movements. not for long when he raised his voice, “now!”

she jumped, getting into the position where her bare chest was squished into the mattress. she could feel his fingers roam her area until he pushed two digits into her hole making her gasp.

he smacked her ass while he fingered her, the slippery sounds as she clenched around them. he pulled his hand away and used her juices to coat his dick as a lubricant. he pumped a few times grunting at the wet feeling.

she sat in anticipation until feeling his tip finding its way to her entrance, he slowly pushed in once found.

“matt- please!” she moaned into the sheets.

he smirked and slammed fully into her gaining a moan from both their mouths. the feeling of him in her lower abdomen had her nearly screaming, if it wasn’t for nick and chris being home.

the sound of wet skin slapping against eachother filled the room as matt thrusted into her from the back at a fast pace.

suddenly the sounds of a electric tune caused them both to flinch while her phone lit up indicating a call. she wanted to just ignore it. matt leaned over her body to see who it was as his breath hitched in his throat nearly making him choke on his own saliva.

he seen a photo of y/n and kian cuddled up on the screen along with his name flashing with a heart emoji next to it.

“pick it up.” he demanded. was he insane? maybe just a little. feeling euphoric in the moment he didn’t care if kian found out, he kinda wanted him to.

she ignored him and pushed her hips backward trying to get him to continue but he pulled out fully.

she reached for her phone sliding the call button over.

“hello..” she whispered.

kians voice could be heard over the silent room. “hey- you alright? why do you sound like that?”

matt didn’t know if he was pissed or jealous. probably both as he decided to push back into her while she was on the phone.

she held her breath, “i- i’m just tired-“ she let out while matt was pounding into her. she clicked the mute button on the call.

“oh, how was the party? you’re at the triplets house i see” kian noted as he checked her shared location before calling. he just wanted to check on her and make sure everything was good. nothing was wrong about that but what was wrong is she was being unfaithful on the other line. even worse, she enjoyed it.

clicking to unmute, “mm- it was good- it was good i had fun and yea- i’m here,” she drew out trying not to sound too wasted in matt.

she felt her core growing tighter with each blow knowing she was close. she hit mute before his next line.

matt grew impatient, gripping her ass intensely digging his nails in making her whimper, “tell him, y/n”

something about his words made her feral, her eyes rolling back.

“that’s good. i’m glad you have such good friends that’ll take care of you,” kian spoke. oh they took care of her that’s for sure.

“tell him” matt repeated in a more demanding tone, “tell him how good i make you feel”

still thrusting into her, she couldn’t take it much longer feeling the knot about to snap inside of her.

“you there?” kian asked with a yawn.

she unmuted finally, “yes! yes- i’m sorry- i’m so- so tired” stuttering while holding back moans.

“alright i’ll let you go, i love you”

she almost didn’t make her words out in time, “i love you too” hanging up immediately as her orgasm washed over, making her moan loudly and tremble beneath his touch.

he did the same, pulling out right before his load spurted out on her back and ass, dripping down her legs. they both were panting and sweating.

neither of them moved.

“i’m sorry..” her voice cracked with each syllable, “but i can’t..”

this took me way too long to write bc i kept putting it off LMAO

to be continued..

sequel

[xxchaosjojoxx]

OP Men got hit by the truth-truth fruit

A/N: first time writing for Zoro and Killer and i hope you like it. Maybe they are a little ooc but why not owo. Enjoy. I added Zoro for @penkura and Killer for @sheerxfiction to cheer them up. (They always cheer me up with their writing <3)

Sure you could do better than this. You could enjoy the nice weather with your crewmates. Eating some delicious dishes, chilling on deck or even exploring a town when you get a chance to dock on an island. But no, you have to fight this random pirate crew who decides to try to rob you. They were no match for you or the rest of your crew. Every single one was capable enough to defend themself.

As you kicked the weapon away, the big man who sneaked up on you, was retreating. He yelled towards his crew to retreat as well. They jumped on their ship and departed. You could only let out a sigh. Finally you have peace again. As you were about to go back inside to grab a snack you heard some of your crewmates screaming out. You turned around just to see a giant shining orb flying towards you. You couldn’t even try to evade anymore, but that wasn’t necessary at all. As your teammate and long-time crush was standing in front of you, blocking the attack. The orb touched him and he fell on his knees, trying to catch some breath. You couldn’t help but scream his name.

Zoro

“Oh no, Zoro.” As you were about to stand beside him he stood up and looked at you. “Why do I have to fall for a clumsy idiot like you?” He huffed and you couldn’t help but blink. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

You shocked your head and as Zoro heard the laughter of his crew he looked at them with an angry expression. “What’s so funny?”

Lysop and Luffy couldn’t help but laugh louder. Even the rest were smiling. “You just confessed your feelings towards y/n.”

Zoro's face went bright red. “No way…”

You were shyly looking at the ground. “Did you lie back there? And why did you even say it in the first place?”

He looked at you and was shouting. “Why should I lie? Is it so hard to believe that I am capable of loving someone?” He quickly covered his mouth and was sweating by now.

You couldn’t help but look at him with wide eyes. “I didn’t even mean to say it. Chopper help.” Your crewmates were basically rolling over the floor while laughing out loud, except Robin and Chopper. Even Sanji couldn’t help it. “Seems like a devil fruit power…”

Chopper hummed. “I’m not sure if I can do anything about it.”

Robin was still smiling. “Seems like you have to wait til the effect wears off. In the meantime we can ask you some questions, just for fun.”

The day went on as your crewmates asked Zoro all the questions they could think of. Zoro on the other hand tried to hide and fight them off. He wanted to sleep and be alone, especially after he confessed his feelings for you like this. But there was no escape. This crew is way too persistent. “What do you think about Sanji’s Dishes?” - “They are the best things I’ve ever eaten.”

“Do you really hate Sanji?” - “I’m not so sure. But I admit that he is loyal and capable.”

“What color are your underwear?” -” They are mostly black. But I’ve found one with a cute puppy on the backside.”

They just had way too much fun and later on he could retreat towards the crows nest, resting and being alone for once. This was until you climbed up and were sitting beside him.

You smiled at him as you decided to sit down. Zoro broke the silence by looking at you while speaking. “I’m wondering, why don’t you ask me anything? I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

You looked at him, fiddling with your hands. “I have but, I don’t wanna hear them like that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“If you wait until the effect wears off, there might be a chance that I will lie to you.”

You nodded. “You will tell me the things when the time is right. I’m sure of it. Plus I’m pretty sure, telling me like that wasn't the best way, right?”

Zoro smiled at you, and your face felt warm. “You’re right. That’s why I like you, I suppose.”

Law

“Law, NO!” You kneeled beside him and tried to support him. “Why didn’t you use your shambles?”

He locked at you with an annoying look on his face.

“Because I was stupid. I can’t think straight when it comes to you.” He blurted out and covered his mouth with his tattooed hands. You tilted your head in confusion, like the rest of your crewmates. “W-Wha...What? Why do you say something like this?”

He tried to shut his mouth, but it was no use. “Isn’t it obvious? It means I like you.”

Again he tried to cover his mouth. He stood up and ran inside the Polar Tang, leaving your crewmates and especially you speechless. Did he just confess his feelings towards you?

“What just happened?” Penguin asked and you could hear them mumbling and rambling, until you heard Jean Bart talking. “I heard of it. This might be the power of the truth-truth-fruit. Everyone who got hit by it, needs to be absolutely honest for the next 48 hours.”

“So we just need to wait 48 hours? Doesn’t seem like a useful ability, I mean that even won’t harm people.” Shachi said with a grin but Hakugan shook his head. “I wouldn’t say it like that. Being absolutely honest, could harm people. Captain is not in the right mind to lie but he can’t stop himself from speaking as well.”

Ikkaku nodded. “Hearing the truth is not always the best. It might be pretty hurtful to hear some things. Plus it can create chaos, as you can see.” She said and was looking towards you.

As time passed, Penguin, Shachi and Bepo tried talking to Captain. But he was shutting himself inside his room. Telling them to “shut up for once, you guys annoy me sometimes” even so he didn’t mean it that way. He knew what was wrong, they told him. And he also knew that they tried to comfort him. “Please just leave me alone. I can’t control myself right now. I don’t wanna say things that might hurt you. Please leave me be at least til the effect wears off.”

“Especially Y/N?” Penguin asks and he could hear law groaning on the other side of the room. “I’d love to see her.”

“So that’s a ‘Yes, Y/N shouldn’t be near me for the next 2 days’, got it captain.”

Shachi said with a little laugh.

Of course you knew it would be better to leave him alone, but you wanted to know if he really was honest with you back there. Did he really like you? Like more than a friend perhaps? You need to know and you were sneaking towards his room. With a gentle knock on his door, you got his attention. “If that’s food, you can leave it here. I’m not that hungry right now.”

“It’s me, captain.” - “Y/N I am happy to hear your voice, but I thought we said, no visits.”

You gulped. “Yeah but I need to confirm something.”

“And what is it?”

“Do you really like me?”

It was silent for a second. “To be honest, I love you.”

You felt a blush on your cheeks. “W-Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“Because I’m afraid that I might lose you, if I show you how I really feel. No matter if you reciprocate my feelings or not. I already lost way too many people I love.”

“Would it change anything If I would say that I love you too?”

“Y/N, leave please otherwise I can’t control myself.”

“You don’t have to be afraid. I will stand by your side and protect you no matter what.”

“That’s not the problem.”

Before you could ask him what he means by that, he shambled you right in his arms. Hugging you tightly. “If you really love me as well, how can I ever let you go?”

“L-Law” you said while stuttering. “You don’t mean it like that…right?”

He looked at me with his golden eyes and smiled softly. “I could never lie to you. Especially not now. And I really wanna kiss you right now.”

Penguin

“Penguin, hey. Why did you do something stupid like that?”

You shaked his shoulders. Suddenly Penguin was looking at you and smiled. “Because I am stupidly in love with you.”

“There’s no time for jokes. You could’ve died.”

“I will die without your love.” You blinked a few times.

“Are you nuts or did you hit your head?”

“I’m completely honest there. I can’t stop it.”

While you two were arguing back and forth, Law was scanning him. “Seems like he is right. Hey Penguin, did you steal Shachi’s sandwich last night?”

Law knew Penguin did it, and this was the fastest way to confirm that he got hit by a devil fruit ability.

Shachi asked him this morning and he denied it.

“Yeah and it was the best sandwich he ever made.”

Shachi went over to him and punched him on the head. “I KNEW IT!”

“What’s going on here, Law?” You asked and Law smirked. “Seems like Penguin can’t help but tell the truth. I could try to remove this effect, but I am sure it will only last for a few hours anyways. Plus I might be interested in hearing some truthful answers. Like what happened a few months ago in the surgery room.”

He glared at Shachi and Penguin. “Like we said, captain. Nothing.” Penguin tried to speak but Shachi covered his mouth. They fought for a few minutes, til Penguin could speak freely. “We played hide & seek. And we bribed Bepo with ice cream so he wouldn’t tell you.”

Let’s say the following minutes were pretty interesting, while Shachi and Penguin got enough lectures for a whole month.

When dinner was ready you were looking at Penguin. “Say Penguin… are you really in love with me?” You had a blush on your face and even Penguin couldn’t help but blush.

“Of course I am. It’s so hard not to fall in love with you. You are so pretty and funny and I wanna shower you with all the love and praise that I could ever get you, but I want someone to punch me so hard, so I could be knocked out. I feel pretty embarrassed now to be honest. If you keep looking at me like that, I have to jump on the desk and kiss you.”

You couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief. Your face felt hot and you couldn't comprehend everything he said. “Cringe, dude.” Shachi said and smacked him.

“Thanks Shach.” Penguin sighed while the rest of your crew snickered.

He was looking at him directly and you could see his eyes clearly. “Is it ok for you, if I jump on the desk to kiss you?” He asked and waited for an answer. The moment you nodded and he was about to jump, Law was kicking him mid air. “First of all, we want to eat in peace and not seeing you two lovebirds. Second, don’t jump and stand on a desk.” You rushed over to him and gently touched his head. “I guess you knocked him out for good, captain.” You said and were glad that he returns your feelings. And maybe you can ask him on a date whenever he wakes up again.

Killer

“Killer. Is everything ok?” He turned his head towards you and nodded while standing up. “Yeah, despite the fact I need to shit.”

It was silent for a while. “What?” you asked in disbelief. “I ate too much of this chili and now I need to shit. I wanted to go earlier but then these idiots attacked us.”

You blinked. Your captain Kid was the one who broke this weird atmosphere. “Haha Killer. Did you finally realize saying everything out loud is the best way?”

Killer looked at him. “It’s not, but I was just answering y/n question.”

Kid groaned at him. “You’re not fun at all.”

You touched his arms. “Are you really ok? You seem different right now?”

He gently held your hand and you couldn’t help but blush.

“I’m glad that I was able to protect you.”

You gulped. You were pretty sure that something was different so you decided to ask him once more.

“Why did you protect me in the first place?”

Killer tilted his head, while caressing your hand with his thumb.

“Why shouldn’t I protect the person I adore?”

“YOu … adore me?”

He nodded. "Yeah, of course." I tried many times to approach you, but I guess I was too afraid.”

Kid was yelling. “The fuck is wrong with you? Can you stop this lovey-dovey shit? That’s disturbing.”

“The only thing that’s disturbing is the way you speak Eustass.” Killer said calmly and your crew was busy enough to hold back your captain, who was about to rage.

You couldn’t help but stare at your raging captain. The only things you could hear were words, you didn’t even know til now.

“I can’t stop answering with the truth it seems.”

Killer said with a calm tone as you looked at him again.

“While I’m in this state I should probably do it now. Say, y/n, would you be interested in going on a date with me the next time we dock on an island? I would love to treat you to a nice dinner and a walk afterwards.”

While Kid screamed and yelled things like “Are you fucking kidding me? I thought your name is ‘Killer’ not ‘Vanilla Boy’ you asshole” you nodded and smiled lightly at him. “I would love to, to be honest with you.”

“I’m glad.” He said and released your hand. “If you excuse me. I really need to use the bathroom and maybe let Kid punch me after this for once.”

[wardenparker]

Woo hoo! Way to go on the 2.5k followers! You deserve it

I would like to request Joel Miller w/ “put me down”

Pre-outbreak Joel Miller 1,642 words. "Put me down." Co-written with @absurdthirst

Reader has been drinking. Established relationship. Jealousy.

Joel rolls his eyes, wondering again what the hell is in the air tonight. He’s glad Sarah has already gone to bed, although she would probably be snickering at the scene. “Babe, maybe you should slow down.” He grunts swiping the beer bottle that he had been nursing and tossing it into the trash.

“Baby, it’s game day,” you protest with a giggle, even though you know he’s probably right. You made your sangria much stronger than usual and you’ve had more than a few cups while hanging out with his friends.

“Yeah it is.” You’re having fun, which is something that he would normally never deny you. Although it seems like you’ve gotten a little….boisterous in the last half hour. “How about we get a sandwich?” He suggests, thinking the bread would be good to help counteract the wine sloshing around in your stomach.

"But we have so many snacks!" The remnants of a chip and veggies and dip plate, the garnishes from a pile of wings, and the last two cookies from the batch Tommy baked are all out on the counter around you, but none of it constitutes actual eating.

He snorts, shaking his head at your wild flailing as you gesture around the counter and miss when you go to grab a chip. “Yep, sandwich.” He grunts to himself, turning around to grab the loaf of bread off the counter. “Or a wrap?”

"Can you be my wrap?" Alright, so you might be a bit tipsy. If the intense giggling from your silly joke is any indication. That doesn't mean you don't want to take advantage of the fact that you're the only two people in the kitchen right now to snuggle up with your boyfriend.

That makes him laugh, rolling his eyes at your antics and he turns to press his lips to your forehead. “You’re drunk.” He accuses fondly.

"Not totally," you protest, pouting at him as deeply as possible.

“Totally.” Joel laughs, leaning in and squashing your lips between his fingers playfully until you pull back. “Eat a wrap then you can have a glass of water.”

"And a kiss." Tacking that onto the end with a grin, you pull your arms around him so he can't pull away to do anything – let alone make a wrap or get a glass of water.

“And a kiss.” If you hadn’t almost started a fight, your possessiveness might be cute. Amusing even. But you had almost been ready to throw hands and he didn’t need the cops showing up here tonight.

"Oh-kay." The pleasant buzzing in your head and the fact that that bitch Larry Anderson had brought with him isn't in here to eye fuck Joel, combine to put you in a very amenable mood.

“Good.” He pecks your lips and reaches behind you to open the fridge. “Ham, or…ham?” He asks, the fridge slightly bare, but in his defense, he had been buying for the party and not wraps.

You hum, pretending to think really really hard, and realize you've forgotten the question while you were screwing up your face into comical expressions. "Ummm...wine?"

“Jesus.” Joel rolls his eyes and moves to the cabinet beside the fridge. “Water now.” He orders, tone a little sharper than before. He doesn’t want you with a bitch of a hangover tomorrow.

"Don't be mad." A pout overtakes your face immediately, but you lean against the kitchen counter and prepare to take whatever Joel dishes out. Even tipsy you know you probably overdid it earlier. It's not your fault that girl wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

“I’m not.” He grabs a plastic cup, not even trusting you with a glass one at this point. “I just want you to be well hydrated.”

"Well..." The best you can do is shrug, but you're still pouting. "You sound mad."

“And I always look like an asshole.” Joel reminds you with a small chuckle. “So….?”

"I had to be mean to her." He pulls one of Sarah's plastic cups out of the cupboard and moves back to the fridge to fill it with cold, filtered water. "She was looking at you like you were a piece of meat, baby."

“Doesn’t matter.” He reminds with, turning around to hand the cup to you with a smirk. “I’m yours.”

Joel always takes care of you, and you know that even after two too many glasses of sangria, so you take the water cup dutifully. "I knowww. You're my piece of meat. But she wasn't respecting that and that's not okay."

“You don’t need to worry.” He promises softly, moving back to the fridge. “She doesn’t have anything on you.”

"I trust you," you clarify, dutifully sipping the water that he's gotten for you. Joel's loyalty has never been in question. Not when you were friends, not when you crossed the line into dating, and not now that you're living with him and Sarah. But the sangria had made you feisty and that was that.

“Good.” He chuckles as he slaps together some ham and a thick slice of that Muenster cheese you insist is better than Kraft. “Because you are the one sleeping in my bed, hogging the covers.”

"I keep telling youuuu." The singsong in your voice is interrupted by another drink of water. "We need a king-sized blanket. A big blanket. For us two hogs."

“I just will shiver every night.” He teases, folding the wrap up like a letter and handing it to you to eat. It wasn’t pretty, but he never claimed to be a good cook.

"But we could be warm snuggly burritos!" You insist, which is always the argument you give for why you should get an extra-large blanket for the queen sized bed you share, but this time you take a dramatic bite of the wrap he's made for you to punctuate your point.

“You would just steal all of those covers too.” He reminds you, leaning back against the counter as he eat watches you eat.

Giggling, you hold up one finger, crushing your wrap into an accordioned lump in the process. "One snuggly burrito."

“You might be a little cute when you’re this drunk.” Joel huffs, folding his arms over his chest.

"Baby..." Trying very hard to make your face serious fails spectacularly, and you end up giggling again. "I'm always cute. You said so."

“I did, didn’t I?” He huffs. “Finish eating and we’ll go back out to the party.” He bribes.

“Okayyyyyy.” It doesn’t stop you from leaning into his side though, and Joel lets you snuggle him without protest or question.

You eat the wrap quickly, making Joel think that one of your problems might be that you haven’t eaten today. When you reach for the veggies and dip, he encourages you to eat some of it too, not wanting you to have just the wrap on your stomach. Not having realized you were hungry in the first place, you’ve now eaten an entire meal standing in the kitchen and the pout you give Joel afterward intensifies. “Now I’m sleepy…” you huff, indignant at yourself for daring to be tired during a house party. Even a small one.

He chuckles quietly and pushes off the counter to walk over to where you had drifted away from him. Grazing off the table. Smirking, he bends down and scoops you up, about to carry you upstairs.

The squawk you let out could raise the dead, but he laughs so it ends up in half-hearted huffing and puffing as he carries you up the backstairs. “Put me doooowwwn! I can walk!” Not that you actually want him to, of course. Being manhandled by Joel is a privilege.

He smacks your ass, laughing again when you squeal. “No.” He tells you, continuing to climb the stairs. “You’ll go back out into the living room and fight that girl.”

“She put her tits in your face!” You groan, not bothering to fight as more stairs pass under Joel’s feet. He’s far stronger than you anyway. “Only my tits go in your face.”

You’re possessive when you’re drunk and it’s kind of hot. “I like your tits in my face.” He hums, grabbing your ass this time instead of slapping it. “That’s why I stood up. So she couldn’t do that.”

“And I like your little pancake ass,” you giggle, smacking his ass as he goes. Slinging you over his shoulder was a tactical error on Joel’s part.

“Hey.” Joel’s step falters and he snorts as you start to giggle. “Payback, huh?”

“Yep!” Another bright giggle breaks through as he hits the top step.

“You need to go to bed.” He huffs, shaking his head.

He carries you into the bedroom, only setting you down again when it can be directly on the bed. Before he can step away, though, you reach up to snag the edge of Joel's t-shirt and give him a soft smile. "I love you, baby."

“I love you too.” He promises, leaning back down to kiss you softly. “Lay down, I’ll get you some aspirin and water.”

"Then cuddles?" When you're tipsy – or drunk – it's not hard to turn almost any expression into wide, pleading eyes. In this case, it's the wide and pleading eyes that you know Joel just can't resist.

Joel sighs softly, knowing you are feeling a little vulnerable and he nods. “Fuck ‘em.” He decides. “Tommy can keep their asses in line.” He tells you as he brings the bottle of Advil and the cup of water from the bathroom.

“Cuddles!” Maybe it’s simple of you, but ending any night in Joel’s arms is all you want. All you’ve wanted for years now. The day you went from friends to lovers was a gift, and that gift is just as precious to you now as it was then.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04 @weho2kcmo @madnessofadaydreamer

My Masterlist!

[unluckiestmember]

ARCANE WOMEN (or just vi!!) BEING FED STRAWBERRIES BY HAND BY THE READER?

Coming right up!

Arcane Women X Reader: Eating Strawberries

Characters: Powder/Jinx, Violet "Vi", Caitlyn Kiramman, Sevika and Mel Medarda.

Warning: Suggestive Themes, but overall SFW.

A/N: Who sent me this request? I'm gonna kiss you, because this is too adorable. Who sent it?!

Powder/Jinx

“Mmm, that’s delicious, toots! Give me some more- Ooo, wait, wait, wait! Throw it! I’m sure I can catch it in my mouth- Watch!”

Jinx hasn’t really ever eaten fruit due to the environment of Zaun and because she doesn’t go out of her way to experience delicacies like strawberries. But when you had her try some, especially by you feeding her some, she got giddy at the taste and the sweet gesture. She loves you feeding her anything, so strawberries are just a welcomed addition to the moment you two share of you babying her.

She loves you feeding her, but also loves making a game out of it, wanting you to throw the fruit into her mouth to catch or even pulling you down to her height to kiss you so you can taste the fruit on her lips. Moments like these are what Jinx cherishes with her favorite person in the world. Just be careful because sometimes it can get messy.

Violet “Vi”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve a lovely snack like yourself to feed me a snack, but please don’t stop. Mmm.”

Violet only had prison food for a good chunk of her life, so she’s open to eating anything and everything. You noticed she was big on sweets so one day after work, you fed her some strawberries and she instantly fell in love with them. Whenever she’s tired from a long day, she doesn’t expect much from you, so when you surprise her with a feeding sesh, she gets the biggest smile on her face and is so quick to lay her head on your lap or sit you on her lap and feed her.

Sometimes she’ll leave the strawberry on her teeth and pull you in to eat it yourself or if she’s feeling playful, she’ll toss some your way, leading to a night full of giggles. Because of you, she’s lived for being fed by you, even requesting you feed her some desserts or feeding you herself. At this point, you guys are pretty sure it’s your love language.

Caitlyn Kiramman

“Is it me or do these strawberries taste sweeter than usual? Do you want one?... They’re delicious, right? Here, have another.”

Caitlyn is used to the delicacies that fruit has to offer. She wouldn’t say strawberries are her favorite fruit or even type of berry, but she does like them from time to time. Especially if you feed them to her to start her morning or end her day. Externally, she’ll hum at the sweetness of the strawberry and at you, her beloved. But internally, she is melting like an ice cream.

It really relaxes her when you feed her strawberries or any fruit, and she isn’t afraid to feed you as well, either taking turns eating strawberries or slipping some in your mouth and humming at your delight. Eating strawberries makes her happy, especially when you are happy as well because your happiness means so much to her. Oh, and don’t expect to feed her without her ending your bonding moment with a sweet induced kiss to your cheek or your lips.

Sevika

“Now this is the life. You’re gonna make me become addicted to these things, you know that? Especially if I get to have a view like this to match.”

Sevika has had her fair share of strawberries before from some being smuggled into Zaun or someone in the marketplace selling some. And she enjoys them, even if they’re not his favorite fruit or berry. That being said, she lives for you, feeding her like a baby while she lays beside you or sits next to you while taking in the lovely scenery of her significant other keeping her company.

Sometimes she can’t help herself getting a bit experimental with strawberries and their usage, but regardless of the nights you share turning sweet in more ways than one, Sevika enjoys the feeding session as much as she enjoys a good battle, a job well done or even a happy ending. She’s also not afraid to feed you too, just expect her to tease you the entire time before she kisses you. She can’t help it, but you’re kinda cute when you pout.

Mel Medarda

“You know what will really set this off? Some cheese. Maybe some grapes too- Can we please get a platter over here with all the fixings? Thank you.”

Mel loves fruit platters and assortment trays, so strawberries are always a yes for her. She is fine with feeding you strawberries or you feeding her strawberries while you both relax together from a day of hard work in the council or away from one another. Don’t expect her to stop at strawberries though. No, this is Mel Medarda we’re talking about!

Before you know it, she’s feeding you every fruit under the sun, tasting some with you even and indulging whenever you feed her. Even if it gets a bit out of hand sometimes with the both of you taking a tour of fruit, it always ends with the both of you enjoying each other’s company, getting physically affectionate with kisses on the cheek or nuzzles against one another. It’s always nice eating with her, excess and all.

If you have requests for Arcane, X-Men '97 or Blue Eye Samurai, send them my way!

Likes and retweets are always appreciated! I love you all, stay safe, stay hydrated and have a good day!

[sorryimananti-romantic]

Cyberpunk

housewifekeeper droid!jongho x programmer!reader

futuristic/apocalyptic droid au

genres and warnings: fluff, angst, established relationship, a bit tragic but no tears i hope :) yunho, woo and san cameos, violence warnings, hostage situation, near-death experiences, etc.

word count: 23.7k

synopsis: when you find jongho assigned to be a droid you need to 'fix', it takes everything in your power to pretend that you don't know him, that he isn't the boyfriend you left behind to keep safe. with no idea where you are and being under constant surveillance while trying to find a way to turn jongho back to human, you manage to run away with him only to learn a shocking and sinister truth that makes you regret ever being part of the eden droid project. you must put an end to your mistakes once and for all, and it may cost you a lot.

manager-nim: @eightmakesonebraincell (we call it cryberpunk bc it became the bane of our existence)

“You really think I’m incapable of taking care of myself?” you asked, making a face as you grabbed your bag and slung it over your shoulder. “I’ve been doing just fine so far, Sir.”

“You’ve lost a lot of weight ever since we woke up, so yes, you definitely haven’t been eating well. You can’t keep surviving on instant noodles,” your supervisor, Mr. Han said. “Besides, this is a good chance to test if the droids we’ve programmed can actually perform household tasks.”

“I did not programme droids to make food for us,” you muttered under your breath but you supposed that was the least of your worries right now. “I’m pretty sure you need a housekeeper more than me. A housewife, perhaps. You must miss your wife.”

Mr. Han only smiled in response and you felt annoyed by that. It was as if an unspoken rule had been passed- that no one could talk about their life before they ‘woke up’. You reckoned everyone was just keeping silent until one of them would complain out loud. It hadn’t been that long since that little episode so you figured no one was that desperate right now. 

“It’s the Team Leader’s orders. Nothing I can do about it. Maybe I’ll get a droid next to drive me around- if they’ll allow it. It would be nice to have a look around this empty town and see if we’re the only ones awake while the rest of the world is asleep.”

“I don’t like this,” you pursed your lips, scratching your wrists. Something about all of this was making you anxious. “Just between you and me, are they really sus-”

Mr. Han shushed you with a finger on his lips, his eyes flickering in the direction of the CCTV in the corner of your office. “They’re testing out your droids, miss. You know what they say- a perfect droid should be as good in battle as it is in the kitchen.”

“Wasn’t that supposed to be a joke?” You muttered, deciding to leave it there. “It feels like a big joke. It’s like my droids are being insulted by being placed in the kitchen.”

“You thank the deities there isn’t a war right now,” Mr. Han almost whispered. “When everyone wakes up… there might be. And if there is a war in the future when every nation will possess their own set of droids, when you have to run for your life and are injured… who do you think will take care of you? Not a human, I’ll bet.”

Those words stuck with you during your ride back home. They kept looming over your head while you took a shower and changed into a comfortable set of light blue pyjamas. With a towel hat, you sauntered into the kitchen to make yourself coffee, looking in the fridge for something to snack on and finding nothing.

Perhaps you really did need a housekeeper. A droid- one that wouldn’t complain and would do as told.

And as the doorbell rang after a few minutes, you took your words back when you opened the door to a familiar face. The anxious feeling in your gut finally settled in resignation.

This was what you had been dreading. 

A million thoughts processed in your head in a matter of seconds- maybe you could give the droids a run for your quick decision-making. Because you needed to make a big decision, right now. 

It had to be some sick, twisted joke that Dr. Jin, Head of the Eden Droid Project, was playing with you. There was no way that this wasn’t intentional. Of all the 7 billion people in this world, they chose the one person you had been wishing would never appear in front of you- at least not until you were done wrapping up what you had begun.

Choi Jongho. Your best friend, the person you loved and had to leave for good.

The one person you had done everything in your power to hide from these people, from everyone. Hell, you didn’t even dare think of him ever since everything went downhill lest someone spy on your own thoughts. 

And now he was here, and worse, a droid. A lab rat. His left pupil flickered blue to confirm that.

“I’m CJ, the droid assigned to take care of your personal needs.”

“CJ,” his codename rolled like a foreign language on your tongue, your voice coming out as almost a whimper but you cleared your throat. “CJ. The housewife, eh?”

The droid appeared confused and you, for the first time, loathed programming the droid’s facial expressions to sync with the human emotions. “I’m not quite sure…”

“The assistant,” you let out a short laugh. “I presume you have your identification files and code?”

Jongho said your team’s code out loud before handing you the files and you quickly looked over them. Assigned by your own team- how fucking convenient. You nodded and handed the files back, peeking behind him- looked like he had his personal belongings. “Please, enter and make yourself at home… I guess?”

“There’s another document you need to look at before I enter,” Jongho said almost mechanically, digging out a letter from the inside pocket of his jacket and your brows rose in surprise when you saw that it was from Dr. Jin himself. Begrudgingly, you unsealed the letter and read the contents, the smile falling from your face when you were done.

“Alright,” you breathed. “I see how it is. You can enter now… CJ-”

You caught Jongho staring at you almost like he was fully human. Fear gripped your heart in that moment and when he only bowed in response, you stifled the sigh of relief. He stepped inside your apartment, looking around. He was probably scanning every nook and cranny for potential threats. When he was satisfied, he turned to you.

“Is there anything you would like me to do?”

“Tonight… nothing,” you nodded slowly as you thought. “I’ll show you your room and you can uh… rest? You should wake up at 7 tomorrow and prepare a light breakfast for the both of us before accompanying me to the office. That should be your first task.”

“Understood,” he said and you showed him the spare room and he assured you he had his basic personal necessities. You went to your room, the coffee long forgotten at the kitchen counter and you shut the door. 

Make no mistakes.

You turned off the lights and went under the blankets, covering your face like you usually did- and that’s when you let out a shaky exhale and let your emotions take the better of you.

There could only be two reasons why Jongho was here as the droid assigned to you. The first one was pure coincidence- maybe he was just one of the other humans randomly selected by your team. Maybe this was all just bad luck. Maybe this was a slap on your face from the force above, since you dared to play god yourself. 

But another possibility… the one that made more sense, was that they knew. They knew Jongho was someone important from your ‘previous’ life. From before you entered Phase I of the Eden Droid Project- . They must have known and were using that to their advantage, but either way…

Either way, Jongho wasn’t sent to assist you and play housewife. That was all bullshit. He had one purpose, and that was to have you under surveillance. That probably meant that the New Government was aware that you weren’t as loyal as you appeared to be. Perhaps, this was a test of your loyalty, and they were going to confirm it with the task that was detailed in that letter.

Fix CJ.

Two words, yet you understood the message. You were to live with the droid for a certain period of time and fix the only glitch your droids had- that they were too human. All the while, you would definitely be under surveillance by him. Perhaps, the Team Leader thought that giving you the space you needed with your own personal test subject was what you needed to finish debugging the droid. Perhaps, they knew you had been delaying fixing the droids on purpose. Whatever it was, you had no choice now. 

You would have to fix Jongho or else you would be exterminated along with him.

—---------------------

It was almost unsettling waking up to the smell of eggs, butter and bread. For the few seconds that you lay in the bed, you almost thought you were back in your parent’s home and your mom’s voice would call you for breakfast or your sister Cookie would tickle you until you yell at her, but the bed was too soft and the blanket did not smell like the sun. The alarm rang only a few seconds later and on cue, two solid knocks sounded at the door.

“Miss Jeon? Breakfast is ready.”

God, you thought. This was going to be difficult.

You said you’d be out in 10 minutes and forced yourself to walk to the bathroom like every other day. Somehow, your steps felt heavier than the first day you woke up here. The feelings of disorientation and panic then were nothing compared to the anxiety that dissolved in your bones the moment you heard Jongho’s voice.

Whatever you did, you could not slip. You would have to keep on pretending that Jongho was just a stranger, a droid to you. Just a bug that needed fixing, you told yourself as you exited the room and walked towards the kitchen-

“I told you, the pan needs to be tapped in the middle of baking so the top of the brownies crinkle!” Jongho said as he took out the said pan, now with fully baked fudge brownies with a perfect crinkly top and you gasped at how good it looked. “Would you believe me if I say this really is my first try?”

“Looks too good to be a first try,” you admitted. “I’ll give my verdict after I taste these. Who knows? Might find an eggshell in there.”

“Hey, what do you take me for?!” Jongho looked offended and you grinned. He shook his head as he cut a piece for you and put it on your plate. You spotted a faint smile on his face and you dug your fork in the brownie, about to take that bite when he tsk-ed and held your wrist.

“You’ll burn your mouth,” he took the fork from your hand and you pouted. You watched him wait a few seconds, blow on that little bite before feeding it to you himself. Your eyes went wide as soon as you realised how rich the brownies tasted.

“Oh, my god,” you breathed. “Jongho. You’ve just won my entire heart all over again.”

Jongho burst into laughter, looking down and you leaned across the counter to cup his face and make him look at you. “You look at me when you laugh like that, okay?”

“Stop it,” he wriggled away from you, a flustered mess. “Let me taste them.”

“Here,” you took your fork and blew on the new bite before handing it to him. He nodded in satisfaction. “Normally, I wouldn’t contribute to anything that would give you an ego-boost, but this one deserves it. Cookie won’t believe it when she hears about this.”

Jongho smiled once again, continuing to cut the rest of the brownies for later. “What did you mean when you said… that I won your heart again?”

You stifled your smile. “You want to hear it?”

Jongho looked expectantly at you in response. You scanned his figure- his hair messily swept back, flour on his cheeks, rolled sleeves baring his strong arms, and to top it all, your apron on him. Your smile grew wider.

“I fell in love with you all over again.”

“Miss Jeon?” Jongho called, frowning at the way you stood in the middle of the living room, your eyes stuck on the apron that wasn’t yours on the person who wasn’t yours. He wasn’t even the same person anymore.

“Sorry,” you gulped, shaking your head. “Needed a moment to process uh… what I’m seeing right now.”

Jongho didn’t respond and that finally made you move and sit at the table where he set down a mug of coffee. He would have retorted if things were normal and you smiled sadly to yourself at the thought. You heard the clink of the mug and when you saw Jongho pick up his own tray of breakfast and move, you cleared your throat.

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

“To eat my breakfast and give you privacy while you eat yours?”

This was the time to make things clear- better yet if you were being watched. You put one leg over the other before you said, “Look, I assume you know what you’re here for, CJ. Who are you?”

“A droid that needs a little fixing.”

“And how would I figure out what needs to be fixed if I don’t watch your every move?” You cocked your head. “Does that make you feel unsettled?”

“I do not feel, for I am a droid,” Jongho responded mechanically and you shook your head, urging him to join you. You detected reluctance in his movements and your heart sank a little.

“That’s the thing with you droids,” you almost whispered as if letting him in on a secret. “You forget that you are humans programmed to be droids. Until you possess human nature, you cannot be fixed… that’s what I believe. The superiors think otherwise. What do you think… droid?”

“I…” Jongho frowned again. “I’m just following orders.”

“I know,” you told him and he relaxed a bit. “We’ll need to interact and talk more for me to figure out what exactly needs to be fixed, okay?”

“Okay,” he said. You took a bite of the bread and he mirrored your actions. You ate the rest of your breakfast in silence, finishing together. 

“I will examine your code when we go to the office,” you told Jongho. “You will need to guide me a little. I may have created the blueprint for you droids but I haven’t programmed every single one of you.”

“You can access my code only at the office, by the way,” Jongho said and you set your cup down, almost clenching your jaw as you looked at him. “I’ve been programmed to reveal my code files only in the office.”

“Have you now?” You scoffed internally. “Well, I’ve been programmed to be a lazy bum who works best in the comfort of her home and I’m human, so let’s see how we deal with this… predicament.”

Jongho almost looked curiously at you. You checked the time and told him to meet you outside in 10 minutes. Just before he took your car keys from you and opened the door, you sighed.

“Do you know how to make brownies, CJ?”

—--------------------------

“Don’t you think it’s ironic?” You said, sparing a glance at your supervisor who was examining the code on the shared screen right across from you. “We’re trying to find an error in a human. Being human is the error. How do we override the nature of who the droid really is- completely and irrevocably?”

Mr. Han had heard that quite a lot, and not just from you. Every programmer and developer in this project had asked him this question at least once, and he often found himself wondering the same too. “I’m highlighting this line of code, see what you can do about it.”

You looked back at your screen and clicked your tongue. “Not this one. That’s Dr. Seo.”

“Oh, then I won’t tweak it,” he said, scrolling further. You glanced at Jongho who lay on his front on a stretcher with a cord attached to his back to access the chip and its data inside. He was unconscious which you thought was convenient but every time he came back to consciousness, you were afraid he was going to recognise you, make a mistake and destroy everything you had worked for so far.

How could you tell Jongho to pretend he didn’t know you without telling him?

“You look spent. Shall we call it a day?” Mr. Han caught you staring at the droid’s body.

“Please, yes,” you stretched dramatically, producing cracks and he chuckled at that. “The amount of times I have zoned out today… I think I need a chip inside me that would override my mental stamina at least.”

“Says you,” Mr. Han scoffed. “The child prodigy. The kid that built the foundation of this project.”

Oh, how you regretted that. “Please, you flatter me way too much. I was only one coder with a few hundred others.”

“But you were the youngest and your work is our blueprint. I have every right to flatter you,” he said, his conclusion leaving a sour taste in your mouth. “Dinner at the cafeteria?”

“Why would I? I have my own personal chef now,” you grinned.

“I thought you were against droids doing housework or something.”

“Yeah, well,” you finished shutting down the programme and unplugged Jongho. “This one is quite good at it.”

Jongho was, and it was making you realise a few things- muscle memory. Something you nor any coder so far had considered to be a factor worthy of attention. You noticed that when he made the brownies for you a few days ago and exactly at half-time, he opened the oven to tap the pan against the counter once. 

It took everything in your power to not react to that. To not let your emotions take the better of you and maintain your composure. However, you did ask him if he had accessed some recipes recently before making the brownies and when he denied, you knew then. You knew that this was not only from memory but muscle memory.  

Could this be the reason droids were not perfect? That their muscle memory was ingrained in them to the extent that no programme, no code so far had overridden it? 

Whatever it was, you knew you had to keep this observation to yourself.

As Jongho started to regain consciousness, you maintained a certain distance between you two, glancing around- most of your colleagues had signed off for the day. There were only a few at the far end of the room and then there was Mr. Han who was just leaving for the cafeteria. You locked eyes with the droid and found your hands getting clammy when he started blinking rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the light. As soon as he looked at you, you started tapping on the desk lightly, waiting for something while praying for the opposite.

Waiting for him to look at what your fingers were tapping and praying that he wouldn’t recognise it, even if you were doing this to rock his human memory.

However, your prayers were actually answered this time and Jongho straightened as the confusion in his eyes disappeared. “CJ of Team 8.”

“That’s right, welcome back,” you sighed, tossing him his t-shirt and he wore it. It irked you a lot, how the droid was not reacting to having woken up from unconsciousness without clothes on his upper body. Jongho would have been a flustered mess.

This was not Jongho. He looked as different as he felt different.

“We’re done for the day,” you told him when he got up. “Are you feeling okay? Any haziness? Something off?”

“Perfectly fine, Miss,” he confirmed and you nodded. 

“Let’s go, then,” you said. 

Over the past few days, you had made no progress whatsoever with the droid assigned to you. You weren’t sure if people were expecting quick results from you- Mr. Han was monitoring each and every move you made in the office as if you weren’t already being surveilled by the droid itself. You were half certain that Mr. Han was also ordered to keep an eye on you but you’ve always had doubts about that man. His ‘fatherly’ nature was a little too overbearing and demanding at times.

You had no idea how long you were going to keep working on Jongho until he would be deemed ‘unfit’ like the other droids you had failed to save. Failed to fix, actually, but resultantly, they lost their lives. You could not do that to Jongho- perhaps, fixing him as a droid was the only way you could save him, but…

How could you do that to him?

How could you do that to him, you wondered as he set the table and settled down on the chair in front of you, saying his usual ‘enjoy your meal’ before digging in himself. You almost expected him to put a piece of meat in your bowl like he used to do before everything went wrong. You almost expected him to ask you what was wrong when you would zone out just like you were now-

“You’re not eating,” the droid said.

A simple statement, void of emotion, but…

Muscle memory.

Could this be what could really change everything?

“I… I’m just tired,” you said. The truth, but you wished you could tell him what exactly was going on. You put a spoonful in your mouth anyway. 

“You worked overtime today,” Jongho said and you nodded. This droid had a knack for sounding way too human, or maybe you were over analysing everything because it was someone you were familiar with. “Would you like me to make you some tea after dinner?”

“No, thanks. I’ll make my own tea,” you scoffed to yourself. If his muscle memory was really still intact, he would get your tea just right and you were not prepared for that. “Isn’t it ironic, though?”

“What is ironic?”

“Humans have made so many machines for the sole purpose of serving them,” you ate another spoon as you watched Jongho, noticing that he needed a haircut now. “All these machines, and yet they would prefer a human to work in the kitchen.”

“A droid is not a human.”

“A droid is a human,” you corrected, locking eyes with him in challenge. “A machine is something like… that coffee-maker. That microwave,” you pointed. “Something like that, yeah? As long as you have a functioning heart, you are human.”

“Whatever you say, Miss,” Jongho said almost dismissively and you rolled your eyes at his automatic response. 

“I wonder if humans need someone to work in the kitchen for them- for a specific taste that only humans can construct or to keep company or for whatever reason… why would they not send these heartless machines to fight for them? Why would they send humans?”

“A machine can only make so many decisions,” the droid said.

“Yeah, well, they want me to fully turn you into a machine,” you scoffed loudly. Damned be the consequences- if they were watching you, they should pay heed to your words. “What’s the point of you being a human-turned-droid then? We could have built a human shaped machine designed for war from scratch. We could install whatever thinking ability it needs.”

“But it would not think or make decisions like a human does.”

“Well, are you human right now, then?” You wondered and that finally got the droid to shut up. “Because you sure sound like one right now despite insisting that you are a droid.”

“Can’t a droid be both?” Jongho frowned and your eyes twitched in response- you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You searched his face for any signs of recognition but found none.

“I guess that’s why it has to be a human that gets turned into a machine,” you concluded. “A machine wouldn’t have asked me that question.”

Jongho didn’t react to that. He simply finished his meal and waited for you to finish before he cleared the table. You made yourself that cup of tea and looked over your code from today, wondering how you were going to proceed from here. If you were really being watched right now, you somehow needed to let Jongho know that he should not react when he recognises you. How were you going to pull that? 

It was near impossible. And with that thought, you went to your room to prepare for the worst.

You were trapped in a town that wasn’t yours. Just like everyone else here, you had magically woken up in your new house, in your new room and had simply been instructed to follow the orders if you wanted to live- no further explanation. What you had gathered so far though was this whole thing had been planned since decades. The New Government- the group of people from all over the world who were the masterminds behind the Eden Droid Project aimed to create an army of droids and then distribute them among the powerful nations so they could have the ultimate leverage over the less powerful nations and make them submit to them. 

It was evil, it was twisted, and when you first began programming for robots instead of droids that were actually humans, you never would have thought that this was what it was going to come to. You worked with your friends Yunho and Wooyoung- an inseparable trio. As soon as your team sensed something darker, you all decided to leave and you cut ties with your family and friends, moving away without any explanation to attempt to make things right again. Your sister was the only one who had an inkling of what was going on and she had kept your parents calm but Jongho…

He didn’t deserve what you did to him, and now he was here. You were probably going to die by his hands. And maybe… maybe you deserved that.

You prayed your family was unconscious just like the common people who weren’t a part of this. Sometimes, you wondered if you had been fed a lie- sure, the world had progressed a lot but how could 99.9 percent of the world’s population be in a state of unconsciousness as they claimed? How was the world functioning? Machines could only handle so much especially if autorun, and droids couldn’t replace humans even if the world had progressed a lot in the past few decades. You were sure you had been brought to another piece of land and fed this lie so you would cooperate with them. 

Whatever it was, you had no choice but to obey. You were not allowed to question anything. And if you gave up on this project and they killed you, it wouldn’t make a difference because someone else would eventually figure out how to fix the droids. 

As you finished showering and sat down in front of the vanity, wrapped in your bathrobe to dry your hair, you wondered if this environment was created for the coders and programmers specifically so they could produce quick results. You felt like a lab rat and the fact that this might be true was making you nauseous. Just when you were about to settle down in bed, you heard the sound of a dull crash and you went to inspect- it looked like the sound came from the direction of Jongho’s room.

Sure enough, Jongho was picking himself up from the floor, brushing his clothes and when he looked at you, he flinched-

In pain.

You started tapping a single word on your thigh repeatedly, hoping he would understand it- just a simple ‘no’. No to whatever he was thinking, no to whatever he was about to do if he managed to get a few moments of clarity as a human. Jongho’s gaze fixed on your thigh and you asked him if everything was okay, continuing to tap that word.

“I heard a crash- did you trip or something? Are you having motor problems?”

“I…I don’t think so, I…” Jongho exhaled loudly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as if that could rid him of the ache in his head. “Sorry for disturbing you.”

“Will you let me check if everything is good with you?”

“You can’t access my code here-”

“I actually can, I just haven’t been allowed to,” you told him. He must have known since he didn’t react much. Good, you thought. He was still CJ. “I’ll just have to override the security files… or we could head to the office. It’s going to take the same amount of time.”

“I think I’m fine,” he straightened. “You can check my code in the office in the morning, or right now- whatever you prefer, Miss.”

“Morning it is,” you shrugged, feeling defeated. “Goodnight-”

To your disbelief, Jongho was tapping something on his thigh as well. You did your best to appear nonchalant when he finished tapping a single command. 

“Goodnight, Miss,” he said in his usual flat tone before turning to go back to his room. You took a deep breath before going back to your room and sitting at the edge of the bed as you translated his message.

Help.

—------------------------

You were more suspicious of everyone around you including Jongho now- now more than ever, especially since you just came back to your office after presenting your monthly progress-

Which was little to none, if you had to admit. You did try talking in circles but it never worked in front of the panel.

“You’ve been here for 3 months now, Miss Jeon,” Dr. Seo closed your files detailing your progress and winced as if the lack of your progress physically hurt him. “I can’t tell if you’re being stubborn or if you no longer want to be a part of this. Because there’s no way you haven’t figured it out already.”

“I… I appreciate that you believe in me so much, I really do,” you met eyes with all of your seniors who had seen through every step of your journey especially in the beginning, when things were normal. “But I’m sorry to admit that I really don’t see a future with what we’re trying to achieve. You simply cannot turn a human into a droid and not expect some drawbacks- it’s humans we’re dealing with, not machines.”

“But it has worked brilliantly so far with your help and everyone else’s who has been a part of this team,” Dr. Jin, one of the masterminds behind the Eden Droid Project said. “And I’m sorry but I expected more from you.”

“Has anyone else figured it out yet?” You asked.

“It’s not that we’re comparing you,” his smirk was almost devilish as if he knew exactly what you were hiding. “It’s because we believe you’re the only one who will figure this out. What is the one thing keeping humans from becoming almost the perfect version of droids?”

“Their human nature,” you said.

“What part of it?” He shifted in his chair and you wiped your sweaty hands on your trousers. “Emotions? But you synced them. Is there a fault there, or is it something we haven’t even considered yet?”

You fell silent. They were definitely on to something. 

“Should we have a meeting with the other brilliant coders of this project?” Dr. Seo attempted to break the tension in the air. “Maybe what all our coders need is to interact with each other and exchange ideas.”

You suddenly felt hope- you did consider the possibility that Yunho and Wooyoung were also here, forced to work just like you. If you could just meet them, if you could just see them-

“You know why we haven’t allowed them to meet,” Dr. Jin reprimanded. “I can only allow healthy discussions within the designated teams. Miss Jeon, if you need some help, we will accommodate you as best as we can, but I will have to ask you to be quicker with this. We do not have much time and if we do not come up with a solution first, if another nation beats us to it, we will lose our advantage. Don’t you want to go back home and be with your family?”

And that was it. The last straw. 

You were aware that this was some sort of a race now. Whoever would figure out what was wrong with the droids would have the advantage- they could keep it from other nations. They could use that as a leverage because they would be the ones with an army of droids at their disposal. Droids that could make excellent spies, fighters, doctors, and whatnot. Droids that would be weapons for all the powerful and selfish leaders of this world, to use at their disposal when they terrorise the weaker nations into submission. Sure, this was nothing new- the world was always at war with each other but with droids in the question, it could go very wrong. 

And the fact that they were using your family to bait you? The fact that most of the people here had something to lose if they refused to cooperate? How could you undo all of this? Every day, you cursed yourself for ever being a part of this project, for ever giving them the idea that led to this day, yet beating yourself over it would achieve nothing. You had to take action, soon. You couldn’t let them know that you had the answer already. 

You had to wake Jongho up.

“Everything alright?” Mr. Han asked, having spotted you zoning out in the corner of the office next to the window, glancing at Jongho’s unconscious figure attached to the cords- you hadn’t paid much attention to him today. He approached you and opened a box, revealing an assortment of donuts. You smiled despite yourself, picking a glazed donut.

“I just came back from the monthly report presentation,” you told him and he hummed in understanding. “How did yours go?”

“They reminded me why we’re doing this,” he rolled his eyes and you scoffed. “As if I’ve forgotten.”

“Do you think we can figure it out before someone else does?” You asked casually and he looked at you for a few moments.

“It’s not that I have an insurmountable amount of belief in you,” he began and you relaxed. “You’re only human too, and it’s been tough to be away from what was normal, right?” You nodded and he continued. “But I really do think that you can do this. You just need some time. Should I ask them to allow you to work from home too?”

“I don’t think they will agree, but I appreciate it,” you smiled. “They’re doubtful for the right reasons too, after all.”

Mr. Han shrugged and gave you the box, asking you to share it with CJ when he woke up. “He must be having a hard time.”

“Don’t let the superiors hear that you’re empathising with a droid,” you whispered and he winked at you before he went to his station. You went to yours, hoping the office hours could quickly come to an end before you could unplug Jongho. But…

You needed to access all his code files. “Mr. Han?” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I could be granted access to all the code files of this droid? Even if it’s just a preview? I think I should check if some other code is interfering with my code files.”

“Should I make a call?”

“If you can?” You asked and he nodded. You went back to pretending you were actually working and Mr. Han told you that you would know your answer in the morning. 

You hoped they would agree, especially after today’s meeting. If they really thought that you’re the one who should debug the droids, maybe they needed to start trusting you more and stop hiding things.

And when you gain their trust and figure out how to save Jongho…

That’s when you would have to make a decision.

—-------------------------

You were not sure exactly what part of you sitting casually in the living room, watching TV with the smell of your favourite tea filling the room, a donut in your hand, rocked Jongho’s human memory but you watched him faint in front of your eyes and your jaw fell open in shock. You remained still as your own memory flashed in front of your eyes-

“Oh, what a sight,” Jongho shook his head as he entered his living room, finding you already having made home on his couch- a towel on your head and donut in your hand as you watched the TV while you waited for him to come back from the convenience store. Jongho put the groceries on the kitchen counter. “I found your teabags.”

“Oh my god, thank you so much,” you gave him a look of gratitude before turning your attention to the drama. “I would have gone myself but you know how tired I feel after showering- it’s like a sign that my day is over and I should just relax.”

“Yeah, and how convenient for you that your boyfriend is willing to do anything for you, huh?”

“Of course,” you muttered absently, eyes widening at the turn of events playing in the drama. Jongho turned on the kettle and sneaked behind you, planting a kiss on your cheek that caught you by surprise and you looked at him as a smile made its way on your lips. 

“What was that for?”

“For being cute?” He booped your nose before going back to the kitchen and pouring the hot water in the cup. You weren’t interested in the drama anymore- you turned your full attention to him. He hummed an unfamiliar song before bringing the cups to you. 

“Did you leave some donuts for me or are they already long gone?”

“Of course I did,” you pouted. “Kept your favourite ones.”

“Good,” he slung his arm around your shoulders and you snuggled into him, making him laugh when your towel bumped with his face. You spent the next few minutes wrestling him as he tried to get the towel out of the way while you argued that on one condition- that he dry your hair for you. Jongho pouted in response, nothing going his way and you pecked his lips to make amends, handing him his favourite donut and he could only smile in defeat. 

You poked the droid’s thigh with your bare feet- he really was unconscious. You sucked in an annoyed breath- how you wished there were no surveillance cameras in your living room. You moved Jongho’s limbs so he was in a more comfortable position and went back to what you were doing.

Sure, you couldn't do anything about this right now but you sure hoped that whoever was going to give you the pass for accessing Jongho’s code files in your home would see this moment and make his decision afterwards. For now, you finished your donut and tea and as soon as Jongho moved, you sat down on the floor next to him and began tapping on his thigh.

Don’t.

One single word, but perhaps Jongho’s mind was too hazy- his eyes widened in recognition and you subtly shook your head no but it wasn’t enough-

“What are you-”

“Ah, good thing you’re back,” you attempted to sound normal but perhaps your unusually high pitch betrayed you. “What do you think? I should be allowed to access your code files at home now, no?”

It wasn’t CJ- it was Jongho looking at you in confusion, and you were so glad your legs blocked the sight of Jongho linking his hand with yours and squeezing it in confusion, in desperation. You squeezed them back to assure him that you knew, that you could hear him even when he couldn’t speak. That you understood him even when he was not himself. 

“Do you recall what you felt right before fainting?” You asked.

“Uh… confusion. Haziness.”

“All normal- are you feeling alright now? We can call for permission to access your code if you think it’s necessary right now, CJ.” 

“I wouldn’t know,” he muttered and he shut his eyes as if in pain. You immediately unlinked your hands and when he opened his eyes, the blue lens in his left eye flickered-

CJ was back.

The droid immediately started getting up and you followed, straightening your clothes awkwardly. “Sorry for the inconvenience, Miss.”

“Oh, that’s alright. Would you like a donut?”

His brows furrowed in confusion and you went back to your seat, sliding the box towards him. When he opened it they were all half eaten- neatly cut in the middle.

“Sorry. I really had to taste all of the flavours. Kept a whole one for you, though. You might like it.”

You pointed at the chocolate-dipped donut and internally cursed yourself for asking him to join you for donuts. You had kept them to rock his memory but considering the events of today, you didn’t need to do that anyway. He stared at that donut for a long time before he finally picked it up to eat.

And you knew then- whatever happened tonight was enough. Whatever went through Jongho’s head tonight was enough- you didn’t have much time. You needed to save him before the human in him gets lost forever. With that thought, you went to your room.

To prepare for the battle ahead. One that might cost a lot of lives. One that was necessary to fight, to undo the damage you had done to this world.

—--------------------------

“Miss Jeon, I would advise you to drop your gun and talk it out,” Mr. Han’s fatherly tone almost made you put the gun you had been aiming at his direction down on the nearest surface and follow his orders- talk it out.

Except there was nothing to talk about anymore. Everything had gone so very wrong, so very quickly.

“And risk an arrest? Or worse? I’d rather not,” you attempted to scoff but it came out more like a whimper.

“Come on- what did you hear?” Mr. Han never moved the gun aimed for your head- good thing you were both stationed at opposite ends of the room. 

“Oh? Should I have heard something then?” You cocked your head. “What I saw was enough.”

What you saw was the file on his desk regarding the self-destruct code installed in the droids that were assigned to different coders- including Jongho. You weren’t sure if it was a careless mistake or if he left it out on purpose for you to see- maybe it was a mistake since you rarely ever went to his part of the office. But your suspicions were confirmed- they had indeed installed some self-destruct files in Jongho in case someone tried to meddle with his code. So with that anger- with that boiling, seething anger, when you went to find Mr. Han and confront him, you spotted him in the next building through the window talking to none other than Dr. Jin.

You couldn’t help but wonder how much of this was planned. Anger consumed you and within minutes, you were back in your office overriding Jongho’s code files and putting him to sleep and then hacking your building’s system to turn off the CCTVs- just like you had practised so many times in the past few days. They may have the best coders and programmers in this building and you probably had seconds, but…

They had forgotten that you were the pioneer of this damned project. You were what they were against, and you had to surprise them again, just like the first time you did when you were still a stupid teen who thought they did something smart. You attached a USB in the main PC with an auto-run file to keep the system glitching while you unplugged Jongho and hastily put his shirt back on his unconscious body. 

You had a couple of minutes at most- you went to Mr. Han’s desk and grabbed all the files you could and stuffed them in your briefcase, taking out the gun you had slipped past the detectors a few days ago during a system crash episode- pure luck. The gun had been in your car for a while but as soon as you saw the chance, you slipped it into your office, not knowing you’d need it this soon. You weren’t surprised to see that Mr. Han kept a gun of his own- you were simply disappointed.

The lights flickered on and off and you figured the technicians must be having a tough time figuring out exactly what was wrong. You could hear your shallow breaths as you shifted your grip on the gun, the sweat from your palms making it feel slippery. 

“If you think you know what’s happening here, you’re wrong, sweetheart,” Mr. Han shook his head. “I’ve been following orders just like you. I can’t believe you’re being this reckless when you too must have a family waiting for you. Someone they use as leverage against you.”

“Almost everyone is here against their will,” you corrected him. “You’re no different than the rest of them. So go ahead. Go ahead and shoot me, but if you do, you’ll lose everything and everyone you love. Eden cannot debug droids without me- I’m sure of it.”

“I never intended to shoot you,” he sighed, lowering his gun and you frowned. “If we’re not being watched right now… we don’t need to do this.”

“Aim your gun at me either way,” you told him and he obeyed. “Did you know that CJ was going to be assigned to me?”

“I knew a droid was going to be assigned to you, but not the specifics. Is there a problem with CJ?”

“A problem?” You scoffed. “Imagine you were in my shoes and it was your wife that was assigned to you as the droid you needed to fix. How would you feel?”

When Mr. Han paled visibly, you realised he may not have known CJ’s identity after all. “CJ… is he someone you know?”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know everything, y/n,” he pleaded. “I’m only following orders and supervising you- though you hardly need that.”

“He’s the person I tried to protect all these years,” you bit your lips as you looked at Jongho’s limp figure on the stretcher. “Can you imagine how I’ve been feeling all along? I have to turn him into a droid or else he’ll be killed.”

“I’m sorry, I really am, y/n,” Mr. Han lowered his gun. “Damned be the consequences. What do you plan to do?”

“I’m going to run away,” you told him, lowering your own gun. “With CJ. He won’t self-destruct for now, I’ve taken care of it.”

“They’ll find you,” Mr. Han said. “There’s no way you can be on the road and not be found. The car must have a tracking device.”

“I took care of that too- all it will take is a click. As for them spotting me… I think I know how to take care of that as well…”

“Of course you do,” Mr. Han laughed in disbelief. “Tell me… you know how to fix the droids, don’t you?”

When you didn’t respond, he nodded. “Tell you what- you can do whatever you want from here, but never, ever fix the droids, okay? You hear me?”

You passed a weak smile in response and he finally approached you, emptying his gun and handing you the extra bullets. “I won’t need them.”

“They’ll punish you for letting me go.”

“You can knock me out- I’ll play dumb for as long as I can,” he grinned. “Besides, I don’t think the cameras caught me entering the office.”

“Can you help me get Jongho in the car first?”

Which was how a few minutes later, you found yourself on the road, a jamming device fixed on the dashboard to make the surveillance cameras glitch whenever you would pass. You sped through the unfamiliar roads but you knew you would need to ditch your car soon- there was no way you could blend in when this was a black SUV with the office plate. You looked around the billboards and the street signs for any clue of your location but they were all blank or painted over. The only guide you had was the map in the car but that turned off as soon as you strayed away from your usual path.

You considered waking Jongho up and asking for help but there was no guarantee he wasn’t going to try something that would cost you both a lot. You decided to keep going forward and look for an abandoned building- it was getting dark and you needed to sort this mess out before you could proceed forward. Sure, you had prepared beforehand- you had everything you needed in the trunk of your car, discreetly putting necessities in the bag day after day since the beginning. From tools to clothes to food, you had everything.

Now you just needed to take care of Jongho- currently sprawled across the backseat, his hands fastened with a cable tie. You had no doubts he could still overpower you but for now, you had to make do with what you had. So when you spotted an empty area of the town with a few warehouses, you decided to take a chance and make home in one of them. You parked your car in the narrow space between two warehouses, deciding to hide it later with the empty tubs lined next to the walls. You searched the car for a physical tracking device and when you found it, you crushed it under your feet- you needed to take the jamming device inside with you so this was necessary. Then you turned off the infotainment system for good and finally sighed in relief.

You had done it- you finally ran away.

Just like you had run away from home two years ago.

You looked at Jongho from the front mirror and recalled the last day you had spent with him and your family- a memory you had kept in your heart as the days following got lonelier and regretful-

“Wonder what’s gotten into her,” your sister, Cookie, whispered to Jongho. “Did you propose to her? Is she showing off her housewife skills? Which are little to none, by the way…”

“Please,” Jongho scoffed. “I think she’s just collectively going to poison us all. She’s still sour about how we ditched her to go hiking last weekend, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, well that would make more sense,” Cookie said. “But it was her fault- I asked but she was too busy with her little codes to process what I said and told me to get out. That’s a no, right?”

“Definitely-”

“I can hear you both, you know,” you said, looking at the two. While at other times, you would have chucked something at them and ensued chaos, this time, you simply smiled at the sigh of your little sister and your boyfriend standing shoulder to shoulder as they watched you arrange everything you had cooked (or bought- they didn’t need to know that) on the trays. When you were finally pleased with the presentation, you asked them to help you take the trays out to the backyard where you were going to have a little party- all of you.

The two obeyed and marched outside singing another song that you didn’t know- Jongho and your sister got along way too well and were usually partnering against you. He probably adored her more than you but your sister was smart and knew she had to be on good terms with him so he could spoil her- and spoil he did. 

Your heart ached at the sight of the two and you prayed they would stay like this forever- happy. Even without you. You hoped they could fill your absence in the house and make your parents feel better.

Jongho’s parents cheered for you when you came out. “This is something your sister usually plans but we’re glad you’re not holed up in your room for once.”

“Thanks, uncle,” you laughed. “Just wanted a little breather.”

“You should have joined us last weekend!” His mom sighed in happiness. “The view was so good and the air so fresh. I think I feel younger ever since I came back.”

“I thought you felt older- you were complaining about your kneecaps- ow!” Jongho earned a smack on the back of his head from you and everyone laughed at that. Your mom patted the space next to her and you took the seat, urging her to try the sandwiches you made. The air filled with the sound of their laughs and you felt warm all over as you looked at each one of them, not saying much but committing this memory to your heart. 

You went to take a walk with Jongho later that night to share a beer and go to the park to sit on the swings and relax. Jongho asked you if everything was okay- he never missed anything.

“Perfectly fine,” you assured him. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget today.”

“Me neither,” he smiled and you clicked your cans before drinking. “You’re a bit different today, y/n. If something is bothering you… you can tell me, you know that, right?”

“I know. I trust you, Jongho,” you looked at him. “You know that you’re the one person I trust the most in this world, right?”

Jongho frowned at the sudden confession but nodded. You continued. “And you know that I love you, right?”

Jongho would have gotten flustered and teased you but tonight, he noticed the sadness in your voice. “What is up with you? What are you planning?”

“Nothing,” you laughed. “Just wanted to tell you this before the night is over.”

Jongho narrowed his eyes but when you didn’t give in, he sighed. 

“I don’t know what the matter is, but I hope you know that I trust you too. And I love you too. You’re not alone. You know that, right?”

“I know,” your smile was genuine. “I know.”

And the fact that you were not alone was what needed to change. In the middle of the night, you packed your necessities and left the note for your sister in her room by her bedside which said that you ran away to protect them and you would return soon, but no one could know. You told her to stay strong for you and help the rest cope. You apologised for the burden you gave her but she knew- she had seen you cry in your room for so many nights. She knew you had done something and the guilt was eating you up. She knew it was related to your job.

You prayed Jongho would remember the conversation you had with him and not blame himself.

Perhaps, he did blame himself. Perhaps he never gave up trying to find you, which was how they found him. Maybe running away wasn’t the best choice since they found Jongho anyway- your eyes welled up with tears at the thought of all the lost time, the years you could have spent with your family. Maybe you would never see them again now. With tears rolling down your cheeks and a blurry vision, you surveyed the area and deciding that it looked safe enough for now, you dragged Jongho inside and propped him on a bench, coughing due to the dust. You took off his shirt again and plugged him to your laptop- there were some things you needed to get done immediately- check if you were being tracked, check if Jongho’s trackers were all blocked now, see if there were any signals nearby- droids or not, and finally-

Find out your coordinates.

—-----------------------------

“We are not in the office.”

“Clearly,” you muttered, hugging yourself tighter with your folded arms as you looked at the droid seated in front of you, unbound this time. The droid scanned the new environment, his eyes lingering at the odd things in front of him- especially at the cord and your laptop, your bags and the packets of snacks sprawled on the table between you.

“This is unauthorised,” Jongho stated. 

“Yes,” you admitted. “What are you programmed to do in case you find yourself in a situation like this?”

“Find my way back. If I cannot, I will have to activate the self-destruct code.”

“Going to be quite an explosion, huh?” You sighed.

“It will be very dangerous for you, yes,” he looked down at his limbs. Was he surprised that he was untied for once? “Why are we here?”

“Are you programmed to find out the reason for your unauthorised absence before you make a decision?”

He wasn’t. You got that from the red flicker in his usually blue lens in the left eye. This was the humane curiosity in him questioning things a droid shouldn’t have cared about. You shifted in your position- you hadn’t really planned this conversation so you would have to tread carefully from here on.

“Jongho,” you locked eyes with him. “What is the next step that you are going to take?”

“I can’t access the server,” Jongho frowned. “My code has been altered.”

“You didn’t ask how I know your name,” you whispered. “Choi Jongho. Don’t you remember me?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” an unrelenting answer from a droid.

“Are you programmed to self-destruct if your identity is found out?” You asked. He shook his head no. “Interesting. That can only mean they sent you to me knowing we had history. Do you remember the last time you saw me?”

“In the office-”

“No, you, Choi Jongho. Not CJ. You,” you insisted and he finally frowned- it was working. “How did you feel to learn that I ran away?”

“I… don’t know.”

“You know,” you told him. “Your memories are just locked away. Deep inside, here,” you tapped your temple. “All you gotta do is dig in and think. Remember when you, CJ, saw me with the donuts? Did it rock a memory of yours?”

When he didn’t respond and continued to stare at you, his lens flickering, you leaned forward. “How did you know how I like my tea?”

That was another odd thing that took place a few days ago. No one could make your tea the way you liked it. Only Jongho knew, and only he could make it perfectly every time. Sometimes you wondered if you simply liked the drink he made because he was the one who made it. 

“I don’t know. I just made it how I learned to-”

“Learned from where?” You asked. “From me. We learned to make it together, Jongho. Two dips, let it sit, add exactly 1/4th spoon of honey and dip thrice. Don’t mix it, let it sit for exactly two minutes before you take the teabag out and mix the honey. How did you know? It’s your muscle memory, Jongho. It’s what makes you human.”

Jongho’s eyes widened just a fraction and you relaxed. You had him now. “We’ve been so close to home all this time, Jongho. I found out where we are- only a few hundred miles away from home, an abandoned town. I thought we were someplace else entirely. I thought only we were the ones awake and the rest of the world was asleep- surely they would have searched for you if not for me, right?” 

He shook his head as if in disbelief of what he was hearing. You sighed. “How did they find you, Jongho? Did they find you… or did you find them?”

“Y/n.”

Even though your name was called in warning, your lips parted in surprise because this wasn’t CJ- this was Jongho who called your name. And goodness, how long had it been since the last time you heard your name roll from his lips? How long had you waited for this moment?

You shifted to get up but he raised a hand in the air, muttering ‘don’t’ and you sat right back down. His eyes twitched in pain and he groaned deeply. “You need to get out of here- leave me here and run.”

“Jongho-”

“You haven’t deactivated any trackers- they know you’re here, they meant for this to happen-”

“What are you talking about?” You whispered, blood rushing to your head and making your vision darken for a moment. 

“They even know what we’re talking about right now,” Jongho cried out and you put a hand on your mouth in sheer horror, sweat taking root in every pore of your body. 

Muscle memory, Jongho. It’s what makes you human.

Oh, how absolutely foolish you had been. Jongho got up and whispered, “They’re near.”

You mirrored his actions but almost fell on the floor due to the dizziness- everything was too much. This is not happening. Nothing made sense anymore- you had deactivated every tracker- how could they have found you-

There was a tracker on you.

How could you have been so incredibly stupid?

Jongho reached you in a hurry, the lens no longer a blue or red but simply transparent, revealing his brown orbs as he grabbed you by the arms and shook you a little. “Come to your senses, y/n. You have to get out of here- I don’t know what they’ll do with us. I’ll stay back and distract them-”

“No,” you cried, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. “I’ve run away once. I won’t run away again.”

“This is not running away,” he smiled a little as if it finally dawned on him that he was here so close to you, he was human and he had you in his arms. His hands were steady as they found your face, tucking your hair behind so lovingly, eyes travelling on every inch of your face.

“Don’t you look at me like it’s the last time,” you whispered. “Don’t you dare leave me, Jongho.”

But perhaps, it wasn’t meant to be. Not this time. You heard the unmistakable sound of vehicles- not one but too many vehicles circling the warehouse. Jongho sighed in defeat yet from the look in his eyes and the smile on his lips, it seemed like he wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here. He cupped your face and leaned in, locking his lips with yours and the tears that had been threatening to spill finally found a reason to. He kissed you surely and soundly, breaking apart to wrap his arms around you, his fingers on your back tapping rhythmically-

Morse code.

“What-”

“Shh,” he urged, tapping again. “Everything will be okay. Don’t forget this moment, alright?”

You nodded and buried your face in his chest- your safe space. “Have you forgiven me for running away?” You asked as the sound of the door being slammed open echoed in the warehouse- so loud yet the sound of his dull heartbeat was louder.

“Oh, we will talk about that. One day,” he assured you. “But for now… I love you, y/n. I hope you remember that.”

“I hope you remember that I love you,” you countered, breaking away just to get a good look at his face, at his messy curls falling on his forehead, at the absolute adoration in his eyes replaced by devastation when the soldiers who came barging in pulled you from him harshly and the last thing you saw was him screaming your name before you felt something slam against your head and the roaring in your ears finally came to a silence. You welcomed the darkness this time.

—-------------------------

“Y/n! Will you please wake up? I need to go to the convenience store and I need some company!”

“Go alone, Cookie” you groaned, “Let me sleep some more.”

“I’ll treat you to fried chicken.”

Now that was something worth opening an eye to take a good look at your little sister. Was she bribing you? Clearly. Was it working?

“Give me 15 minutes,” you said, getting up with a groan and she grinned. “I need to get ready.”

“It’s almost evening so take a jacket, you’ve been out cold for far too long. Thought I’d let you know the day has ended!” Cookie called as she left your room. 

Perhaps, getting up immediately was a mistake- it seemed like all the blood rushed down from your head and you fell back on your bed unceremoniously. You groaned in pain- why were you having the worst headache of your life?

When you felt stable enough to move, you made your way to the toilet and washed your face, noticing a fading bruise on your left temple. Now how did you get that? You reached for your toothbrush-

It was not there. Odd. You did not remember throwing it away- if you did, where was the replacement? Groggily, you made your way back to your room to check the cupboard where you kept your supplies and found no signs of a toothbrush.

“Cookie, what prank are you playing with me now?”

“What do you mean?” She called from her room.

“Where did you hide my toothbrush?”

“Why would I hide your toothbrush?”

“To prank me?” You yelled in frustration. “I won’t go to the store with you if you keep this up.”

You heard the angry pads of her footsteps. “Look, that prank was one time. You were so mad I wouldn’t try it again.”

You narrowed your eyes in suspicion. “The smirk on your lips says otherwise.”

“That’s just me finding this funny,” she flipped her hair dramatically as she went back to her room and you sighed deeply, the voice of your mom calling your names in warning stirring something deep inside you.

I will not cry over a missing toothbrush, you told yourself and got ready, wearing a denim jacket over a casual outfit. You went into the living room to drink some water and when you turned-

You almost dropped your glass.

“Can you pour me a little too?” Your mom asked and you found your mouth going dry, nodding subconsciously as you reached for another glass. You watched her drink- why did it look like she had aged a whole lot since you last saw her? Didn’t you just see her last night? Didn’t you spot the grey in her hair, the wrinkles around her eyes ever before?

Or maybe you always saw her but never cared to look. Your mom made a face at you, making you laugh a little as you broke out of your trance. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” you shook your head. “I was just counting your grey hairs.”

“Y/n,” she laughed loudly. “I think this is my sign to book a salon appointment.”

“Yes, mother!” Cookie came in, squeezing her shoulders. “You should get your grey strands dyed a fun colour- like pink.”

“Oh, come on, what will your dad think?”

“I think he’ll like it,” she winked. “We’re going out- be back before curfew!” Cookie grabbed your hand and dragged you out before your mom could say her usual chant- stay safe, don’t do stupid things, don’t fight, and so on. It seemed like forever since you had heard that and a part of you wished you had stayed to hear it.

Before you knew it, you were deep in a heated discussion about school being fun versus school being a bad memory. Of course, for Cookie, everything was fun. It was kind of endearing how she always saw the positive in everything and made sure to enjoy every moment. You, however, were the pessimistic of the two, though you preferred the term ‘realist’. School did have fun moments, yes, but you didn’t have a normal school experience at all- you were always working with the teachers and seniors who could code. While that was the beginning of your career, you didn’t get to interact with people much and they didn’t make an effort when you had some normal moments.

It was a relief then that Jongho was in your class and never made you feel alone, you wondered as you finished the argument with your sister and the food. She was paying the bill- a rare occurrence because ever since you started working at a very young age, you made sure to spoil her (a mistake- the brat learned that she could convince you to get her anything). Cookie turned to smirk in some sense of superiority she felt for having treated you and you let her have that moment, chuckling as you exited.

“Ah, the weather’s nice,” you looked up at the sky- it was too cloudy to see any stars. “I’m craving beer. When will you get old enough for beer?”

“Just a few more months, sis. We’ll see who’s the better drinker out of us.”

“Yeah, I might be bad, but you can’t beat Jong-”

“Oh, would you look at that,” Cookie pointed at a cafe at the end of the street. “I heard they’ve added cookies to their menu. Let’s get some to take home.”

You rolled your eyes. There was a reason you called her Cookie. Before you could protest, she was already speed-walking, her short hair flowing behind her and you struggled to catch up, looking at your surroundings. 

“Yo, wasn’t there a barbeque place here?”

Cookie paused to look at you. “That was like what- two? Three years ago? You should really leave the house more. Being cooped up in your room all day is doing something to your memory, I swear-”

“It’s not that,” you, for once, didn’t argue, telling her to get some for dad too while you decided to wait outside. 

Why did everything feel so… new? Tangible? You looked at your hand, moving it- were you dissociating? Was it that strange realisation that you were real? But it didn’t explain the ache in your heart since the moment you opened your eyes today. And you were glad Cookie was lost in her own thoughts on the short walk back home, giving you time to think. Just like always, you made a tray with cookies and milk and knocked on your parents’ room, entering when they gave the signal.

“Oh, dear,” your dad sighed in happiness. “Just what I wanted.”

“Long day?” You asked, grinning when they took the tray and placed it on the bed.

“Not really, but was just craving something sweet,” he smiled and you scanned his face- again, the sadness in his eyes was something unfamiliar to you.

“Well, enjoy your cookies. My Cookie is waiting for me outside.”

“Always attached at the hip,” your mom shook her head. “I don’t know how they do that when she’s home all day and the little one is rarely ever home.”

You scoffed when they continued that discussion, exiting the room to see Cookie smiling cheekily with the box of cookies open and one glass of milk-

“Cookie.”

“I don’t like milk!” She protested. “You drink milk. I only dip- why do I need a new glass?”

“I don’t like to dip cookies in the milk!” You argued, sitting across from her. “I don’t like the crumbs you leave!”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” She pouted. “You won’t drink the leftover milk if I get my own glass?”

“Nope,” you shook your head sternly. “Want me to call Jongho over? He can share with you.”

“And who’s Jongho?” Cookie frowned.

“Oh, please,” you took a bite of the chocolatey goodness. “As if this prank is gonna work on me.”

“No, but seriously, who’s Jongho?” Cookie wriggled her brows. “New imaginary boyfriend?”

“Imaginary?”

“Yes, imaginary. How would you find a boyfriend when you’re home alone- oh, is Jongho a bot?”

You rolled your eyes so hard that you felt an ache. You unlocked your phone to dial his number but found no contact saved. Frowning, you typed his number- did you accidentally delete his contact info? 

“This number does not exist.”

“Strange,” you muttered. “Did Jongho change his number? Did you know about this and decided to prank me because of this?”

“Aren’t you the one pranking me right now?” Cookie actually paused to stare at you. “Who’s Jongho?”

“Choi Jongho? The neighbour kid? Your best friend? Your big brother? My boyfriend? Do I need to say more?” You laughed in disbelief. “Don’t push my buttons by taking it too far.”

“Y/n, are you… are you okay? We don’t know anyone named Jongho. And what do you mean the neighbour’s kid? They never had one- they moved two years ago, don’t you remember?”

Two years. You were hearing this number a lot today. You went to your room to grab a photo of Jongho and slam it on your sister’s face but the grid on your desk only had polaroids of you and your family- no signs of Jongho. Feeling the hair on your neck rise, you unlocked your phone again to find some photos but again, no signs of him. You started sprawling through your drawers, checking your laptops, the pockets of your clothes, your eyes a blurry mess and when you heard the small voice of your sister calling your name, you looked at her.

“Where did you hide the photos? Please tell me, I need to look at him-”

“Y/n, come to your senses,” she sank down on her knees in front of you. “Who are you talking about?”

You glared at her before snatching your hands and marching to her room- you examined the grid on her desk- again, no signs of Jongho. You went through the things on her desk, opening the drawers-

“What are you doing?” Cookie whimpered and you turned to see her crying as well. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with you, tell me.”

This couldn’t be happening. “It’s Jongho, don’t you remember? The one who taught you how to ride a bike? The one who protected you when you were being picked on in elementary school?” Tears rolled down in succession on both your faces- one trying to pick all the pieces that were threatening to disappear and the other trying to make sense of them. “Jongho, the one you called big brother? The milk to your cookie? The jelly to your peanut butter? Don’t you remember?”

“I- I don’t,” Cookie cried harder, sinking to the floor and breathing as if something was consuming her from the inside. 

“My Jongho, Cookie,” you whispered, gripping her desk. “The love of my life. You had a whole document on your computer about all your plans for our wedding- you made that when you were ten,” you laughed and Cookie chuckled as well, crying harder. “How can you forget?”

“I don’t know!” Cookie’s voice was loud in denial. “I don’t know him!” 

“Don’t you remember when I made food for all of you and you teased us about marriage and how I was preparing to be a housewife?” You laughed at the memory, Cookie’s ‘you made food?!’ indicating she was somehow more surprised to hear that. “We had that little party in the garden, his family and ours, remember?”

“That was-” Cookie paused, frowning. “I remember a party in the garden but… there were our neighbours there, yes, but not someone named Jongho- that was two years ago, right?”

Two years.

“Why did we have that party? Why did you make food?” Cookie looked at you, partly horrified as the dreadful realisation made its way to your mind.

“I… we had that party because I was going to run away. I… I ran away- how am I here?” You looked at your hands and then at Cookie. “How am I here?”

“Uh… this is your home?”

Home. You hadn’t stepped inside your home in two years.

It all started coming back to you in a series of chronological events- from that party to you running away from home and living in a studio apartment that Jeong Yunho had arranged for you. The two of you working to undo everything about that damned project that you could-

That damned project.

Droids.

“Oh… oh goodness-” you rushed to the toilet as a wave of nausea overtook you and threw up, groaning as you clutched your hair- Cookie was quick enough to help take care of your hair while you threw up some more, sobbing along. Your sister was also wise enough to shut the door and let you sob a little before urging you to get up and wash your face, helping you clean up. Once you were done and you had downed a glass of water, Cookie took you to her room and made you wrap a blanket around yourself- necessary at this point since you were shivering.

“You need to start making sense now. What’s happening?” 

You looked at your little sister. You hadn't seen her in two whole years, and she had grown so much in that time. She was also an inch taller than you now, you had noticed while walking. “Do you remember what we did yesterday?”

“Of course,” Cookie folded her arms. “You were in your room all day-”

“And the day before?” You asked. “And the day before that?”

Cookie’s brows finally unfurrowed in realisation. “I… I don’t remember.”

“Do you remember the note I gave you two years ago?” You asked. “The one that told you I was running away?” 

When it looked like she was still lost, you sighed deeply, looking around. “If I gave you a note that told you that I was going to run away but you could tell no one that I’m running away for a reason… that I’ll be back and you have to take care of everyone… where would you hide it, knowing you have to pretend you know nothing as well?”

“I don’t know,” Cookie sighed in frustration. “Why don’t I remember?”

“You’ll get your answers,” you got up, running your fingers along her bookshelf. “Where would you hide something like a secret note? Think, Cookie. They couldn’t have searched that deep, they couldn’t have found that.”

Cookie got up, looking around, and almost mechanically, she went for her underwear drawer and despite everything, you laughed. Of course. No one would dare rummage through her private things- but it got better. She had it taped on the inside of a bra.

“I don’t wear this one, so,” Cookie admitted and you shook your head, watching her open the note and read it again and again. “Make it make sense.”

“Where do I start?”

“From the beginning. Tell me everything.”

—------------------------------

Seeing a familiar face after riding a train all day was what finally gave you some strength to believe that things would be alright, and what finally put a smile on your face as you walked to your mentor, partner-in-crime (quite literally) and old friend, Jeong Yunho. When he spread his arms with a sad smile on his face, you didn’t hesitate to hug him, muttering how sorry you were to learn that he went through something quite similar to what you did.

“I’m just glad you’re safe, little one,” he broke the hug to look at you. “Are we sure there’s no tracker on you?”

“None- they put one on here,” you turned your arm to tap your shoulder blade. “Almost like a needle, Yunho. I would have missed it.”

“What did you do with it? If it’s stationary, they would know-”

“I put it on my sister,” you grinned. “And told her to act like me until I’m back.”

“Hoho, look at you,” he scoffed in amusement. “Finally told her everything?”

“Had to,” you sighed. “And this was the one step that I did not want to take, but she suggested that she could hold the tracker for me,” you handed one of your bags to Yunho who opened his car trunk and tossed it inside. When you were seated on his passenger seat, you asked, “How’s your brother?”

“Oh, all good. He forbade me to come back to the office after he saw the state I was in- broken limbs and everything. I don’t know how I managed to run away. Only a few months later and when I tell him you need me? He lends me his car with a threat that I better bring it back unscratched.”

“Damn,” you whistled. “Better keep that promise.”

“What about you, y/n?” He asked. 

“Do you remember how they took me? That part is still a bit blurry.”

“I thought they tailed me and found your apartment, but turns out you were just unlucky and they spotted you when you were going to Wooyoung’s place. They tailed you- I tailed them- it was a mess. Wooyoung and I barely managed to escape and when we opened our eyes, we were tied to chairs.”

“You were tied? Alone? Is he okay?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “They should have tied my legs better- I walked around with the chair tied to me until I found someone and they helped us.”

“I can’t believe I missed that sight,” you exhaled in disappointment and he shook his head. 

“You should have seen yourself. I thought they killed you or something. What happened after?”

“Well… I woke up in a new world, Yunho. All futuristic with savvy tech and whatnot. It didn’t look like home. I was alone in a luxurious apartment that wasn’t mine, with a set of instructions to follow. Once I got to the office, I learned that all of us who were present had something to do with the Eden Droid Project- or something to contribute. There were coders, engineers, doctors, literally everyone they could find. We couldn’t ask questions, we weren’t allowed to talk other than for work, and we were watched like hawks. We were made to believe that only we were the ones awake while the rest of the world was on pause. Honestly, if there weren’t people like us there, it would have been so much more difficult.”

“Was there someone you knew there?”

“Dr. Seo. Dr. Jin. The big brains behind the Eden Droid Project- you remember them, right?”

“By faces, yes,” he asked you to hand his water bottle and drank a few sips while he drove on the highway. “So… what next?”

“My team- we were all tasked to work together to fix the droids. The droids that I programmed and the codes that Dr. Jin took forcefully from me when we were his interns.”

“He should have waited until we had perfected them,” Yunho scoffed and you mirrored that. 

“So it’s all starting to feel normal, a month passes. I realise I need to somehow run away and expose what they’re doing, but I have literally no idea what my location is and there’s no one to trust. And to make things worse, they have this brilliant idea to assign Jongho to me. They turned him into a droid, Yunho.”

“Oh… crap,” Yunho glanced at you. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” you pursed your lips. “They decided that I needed to monitor a droid closely and figure out what was interfering with his droid mechanisms. They knew who he was and what he meant to me. They must have had a good laugh seeing me pretend I didn’t know him.

“Anyways, he’s not functioning properly as a droid- seeing me triggers him into remembering whatever memories they’ve locked away inside his brain. I can see that he’s suffering, yet I can do nothing about it, even when he tells me to help. I trust the first person who acted like he cared- Mr. Han, my team’s supervisor. He does help me escape but…”

“But it’s all a part of their plan.”

“Bingo,” you sighed. “I run away with his help, take Jongho far away from all of this, block every tracker and finally get Jongho to feel human long enough to speak- and he tells me what this- all of this was a part of their plan. This was like a simulation for me- I was a player in their game and they waited until I won- or thought so. That’s when they got their answer to the question- what was making droids not act like humans?”

“What?”

“The link between their subconscious brain and muscle memory, Yunho. That’s been the key this whole time.”

“Oh. Oh!” Yunho almost stopped his car in excitement. “How did we miss that?”

“There’s a reason they got Jongho to be a player too,” you shook your head. “Did you find any signs of him?”

“Not yet, but I will continue my search tonight,” Yunho said. “Why did they let you go, though?”

“I don’t know,” you sank down in your seat, hugging yourself. “I woke up back in my house and they made it look like I had been there all this time. But… strangely, only I remembered Jongho. They locked away everyone’s memories, wiped any physical signs of him- whatever they could find. Cookie forgot who Jongho was too- she still doesn’t remember but she believes me thanks to the note I gave her before I ran away two years ago.”

“If they knew where you lived during that span of two years, they would have made it look like you were there all along. That might have been more believable for you, and could have worked- but maybe not. Wooyoung and I would have found you anyway.”

“Does he still blame me for what happened two years ago?”

You, Wooyoung and Yunho were teammates in the initial days of the Eden Droid Project. You were their supervisor and leading the project, and Wooyoung always had qualms about what you all did- rightfully so. When everything went wrong, you had an argument and a falling out with him. Yunho tried for a long time to get you two to talk to each other but without success so he let you two be. You and Wooyoung did often share your files as you all were working to expose the project but that was it. 

“He’s forgiven you. He forgave you long ago- he was just being stubborn,” Yunho chuckled. “When he learned you were taken, he’s the one who tried the hardest to find you. Harder than me too.”

“God, he’s so dramatic,” you chuckled. “Do I get to meet him now?”

“Oh, yes,” Yunho grinned. “He’s waiting for you- party hat and all.”

“No way.”

He was. Party hat and all. You couldn’t believe how much he changed- his hair was longer, he looked more mature, but he still had those fierce eyes and lovely smile. He greeted you with a glare but as soon as your smile fell, he laughed and you finally joined, smacking the hat on his head before hugging him.

“I’m just glad to see you’re unscratched- oh, that looks painful.”

“Glad to see you’re in good spirits too,” you touched your temple- the bruise didn’t hurt anymore but it was an ugly shade of green now. “What did I miss?”

“What did we miss?” Wooyoung turned to get the tofu lying on the table.

“Yep- that certainly was no less than a prison,” you laughed, your stomach growling at the sight of the variety of food on the table. “Can we talk while we eat?”

And so, you briefed them of your ‘prison time’ again, connecting the dots with their help- they intended only to get you from the beginning because only you could have solved that mystery of why the droids acted so much like humans- the link between their subconscious memories and muscle memory was too strong. You could lock away a person’s memory, sure, but the subconscious was something you hadn’t messed with yet, and never intended to either. The reason the people of that project could manipulate memories was because of your team too.

When the three of you were interns in the Droid Project, they had told you to code for machines, not humans. That was how you began. Artificial intelligence was nothing new, you were just aiming to take it to the next level. When they told you that you needed to start coding to make droids, they talked about a better world- a world where soldiers could be able to fight better to defend their land. A world where a doctor could hold an insurmountable amount of knowledge and skills. A world where a patient wouldn’t have to feel all of the pain he would be in. A world where, they mused, you could cook anything you like for yourself without having to go through the trouble of thinking if you were capable. It wasn’t such a bad idea to code for that world.

But it was Wooyoung who accidentally heard what the real deal was. And when he told you both, you hacked into several databases to find out what they really intended to do with droids- and oh, the revelation was startling enough to make you all cry. You couldn’t believe that they used teens to make the blueprint for a world where the Elites- the people of power- would be controlling the droids to make the rest of the world submit to them. This world wasn’t their playground, and they shouldn’t play gods- with that message, the three of you ran away.

And now you were here with the consequences of your actions, with no idea if Jongho was okay. You couldn’t sleep for the past two days and when Wooyoung saw you zoning out in front of the fire in the backyard instead of being in bed, he decided to share a beer with you.

“You look like you have an idea but you’re worried how it will play out,” he observed.

“I mean…” you wrapped your shawl tighter around you. “It can’t get any worse, can it?”

“If they still think you’re back at your home, you might have a chance. They’ll be unsuspecting- we just need to hack into their system and get the Panel to listen.”

The Panel being a group of coders and developers who were, at one point, part of the Droid Project but left just like you. Yunho told you that ever since you were taken, they had been quick with contacting world leaders and giving them a sign that something dark was unravelling right under their noses. He didn’t tell you the identity of those people and you didn’t ask- you trusted him enough to take the right steps. He also told you that they were trying to find a way to get Eden’s military to side with them, but there was no guarantee that the military and the government weren’t already working together so if you made a mistake, you’d be doomed.

“We can’t simply sit and try to hack into their system, Wooyoung, while they have Jongho and several other people suffering with chips inside of them. I’ve seen their experimentations fail and lives lost. I cried myself to sleep everyday and the only reason I’m still sane is because I need to put an end to this as soon as possible-”

“Well, you’re not alone,” Wooyoung told you and you took a deep breath. “We’re here. We’re helping you. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”

“I do have one idea, but I’m not sure you will agree.”

“If it’s something stupid and you think we won’t agree? You’re probably right and I won’t hear a word about it-”

“About what?” Yunho came outside with his own can of beer. “Was gaming and going to sleep but I heard the chatter.”

“You really should touch the grass once in a while,” you teased. “You can’t spend all your free time in front of screens too.”

“Whatever,” he plopped down on a chair. “Continue, please. Don’t stop on my account.”

“Okay, listen,” you leaned forward, the orange hues of the fire illuminating your face as you spoke. “I need to go and get Jongho back- you both know I can’t simply sit and wait for our hacking attempts to be successful. If they could be hacked, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Right,” Yunho agreed.

“When they found Jongho and me, when we ran away, Jongho gave me a short message- two words. ‘Yunho’ and ‘Strictland’. Strictland must be the name of the town they’ve made home at. What do you know about Strictland?”

“Did he… did he tell you to find me and say Strictland?” Yunho frowned. “Are you sure?”

Wooyoung looked as lost as you and you told him you were sure. You watched Yunho’s expressions change from confusion to realisation. “Do you remember when we first found out about the Droid Project, I talked about how this couldn’t have been the first time that humans have tried to create droids?”

“Maybe?” You shrugged.

“I don’t remember, I don’t think so,” Wooyoung admitted.

“Well, the term ‘droid’ only originated recently. There have been other terms used to define the concept of a human machine- and since, at first, the only reason for such a creation would be to fight wars. So they were called super assassins, X-fighters, and a bunch of other stupid terms. Whenever I tried finding more about their history, I got blocked. I even got a few warnings. I thought it must be some confidential information- it would make sense if the general public doesn’t know that such attempts have been made. But… I did find something that suggested that they did succeed once.”

“They did?” Wooyoung looked at you in disbelief. “Wasn’t this supposed to be the first time?”

“I wouldn’t know? They sure make me feel like I’m the one who came up with this. I know I’m not, but I didn’t think that far back into the past?”

“The current droids, you came up with that,” Yunho corrected. “But whatever version- or versions- existed before… there have been occurrences. One that began in Strictland a few decades ago but there’s no evidence. It is said that everything related to that project was burned, all the evidence erased. It was quite a disaster and they covered it up with a few bombs thrown to call it a ‘terrorist’ attack- the military got involved and there was a major clean-up or something. But the facts never matched, and those who dug enough know that the government has been hiding the real incident.”

“And how did Jongho know?”

“Maybe he heard things? He definitely did. And if he heard my name too… they might be coming after me next,” Yunho concluded.

“Well, that just means I have to proceed with my plan.”

“What plan exactly is that?”

You told them what you were thinking. There was a series of ‘no’ from Wooyoung, ‘absolutely not’ from Yunho, but you made them consider every other option and when the sun started to shine its first rays on the trees, you all agreed that this might be risky, yes, but this was probably the only way you could win.

Fight fire with fire.

—---------------------------------

“You must have finally gone insane.”

You lightly shrugged when you heard that- it was rich coming from Dr. Jin when he was the one who pushed you to this point.

“I mean… it’s been a while…” your finger circled the dramatic red button, itching to press it- Wooyoung’s idea. You told him it was stupid but when he insisted that nothing riles people up than seeing big red warnings, you let him craft this goodness. 

“What do you want, y/n? Why are you here?”

“I thought you’d know,” you finally stood up, brushing your clothes. “You still have something I can’t go back without.”

“Oh, that stupid droid? You came back for that?”

“That is a human very close to me, which you must have known when you decided to turn him into a droid,” you glared at him. “Don’t test my limits, Dr. Jin. You know how short a temper I have.”

And you had proven that in the span of the last few hours. Your genius plan had been to walk to their office in Strictland, which was relatively easy because all the soldiers recognised you and whenever they tried to move from their places, you told them the purpose of the device in your hand. Not a bomb, but better, you told them. You had one of the soldiers drive you to the office and then you sat down on the ground, waiting for Dr. Jin to show up.

In the meantime, you had a messy confrontation with Mr. Han. You told him you had not expected him to cooperate with any of this but he insisted that he was still following orders to keep his family safe. Though you despised him for making a fool out of you, not even giving you a hint of what was happening, you could understand his reasons. Your reasons were the same after all.

“He’s my family, and I would have you bring him to me right this instant.”

“Or what?”

“Or else I press this,” you raised the remote in your hand. “And it sets off a chain reaction. A droid self-destructs– for real this time, no games,” you looked pointedly at Mr. Han. “and if there’s a droid within a 2 mile radius of that droid, it self-destructs, and so on.”

“All we need to do is snatch it from you,” Dr. Jin scoffed.

“Well, unluckily for you, I’m the droid that will be setting off that chain reaction.”

A chorus of gasps sounded and your seniors- the one who had once been your mentors- all gaped at you. Dumbfounded. Confused.

“You wouldn’t,” it was Dr. Seo that spoke. Your first mentor.

“I would, and you know that,” you extended your wrist showing a small opening where the chip was installed. “Do you remember this version of the droids, where you would still be more human than a machine? The one Dr. Jin was so quick to reject? Turns out it’s the better version- doesn’t require all the surgeries and whatnot.”

“That’s a bluff, isn’t it?” Dr. Jin scoffed. “You wouldn’t kill yourself over some droid.”

“Again, that droid is my family, and yes, I would kill myself if that means everyone here in Strictland dies and this cursed project comes to an end,” you glared at him. “To save humanity, a few lives sacrificed won’t be in vain- oh, and if you try to snatch this?” You waved the device in your hand. “This was just for the dramatics. It doesn’t work- I don’t need it to activate self-destruction.”

Dr. Jin’s nostrils flared in anger, the wrinkles on his face deepening as he tried to make a decision. “Any chance for negotiations? Because I won’t simply hand over Jongho to you- you couldn’t hack into him and deactivate his droid functions. We clearly have the upper hand.”

“You do,” you admitted. “And you can continue with whatever the fuck you’re doing in here, but I can do something for you and you can do something for me in return, right?”

“What do you suggest?” Dr. Seo spoke this time. “What can you give us?”

“What you clearly want. I know you haven’t found a way to solve that muscle memory problem yet.”

“But given more time, we could definitely do it,” Dr. Seo shifted on one leg, pushing his glasses up. “Why would we need you for that?”

“Because I’m pretty sure you can’t do this without me- I’m the only programmer in Eden who can accomplish this,” your smirk was devilish. “You needed me when you began this project, and you clearly need me now. It’s a shame I didn’t cooperate, right? Maybe if you hadn’t used Jongho to rile me up, I would have actually solved the problem.”

“But you didn’t know what the problem was in the first place,” Dr. Seo said.

“I didn’t, but come on. I would have found out with any droid had I observed it as closely as I did Jongho. Now… I code to make the link between muscle memory and the subconscious dormant, and you uninstall the chip in Jongho and let me leave in peace. Do we have a deal?”

“What’s the guarantee you won’t try anything once you have Jongho?”

“None,” you admitted. “But if you trust me, I’ll trust you. For old time’s sake? And you know where my family lives anyway- I wouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything.”

Dr. Jin and Dr. Seo looked at each other, whispering. Mr. Han looked like he wished he was beside you at that moment fighting with you, not fighting against you. You gulped down the anxiety bubbling in your throat- you had bluffed a whole lot just now but you needed them to buy it. Yes, you could self-destruct but there was no way you would simply just go back.

“Alright, I think we can work with that,” Dr. Seo came closer, extending his hand. “For old time’s sake.”

“You should apologise for playing dirty,” you shook his hand but he only scoffed in response. 

“You’ll have to follow some rules here. Protocol,” Dr. Seo explained and you cooperated this time, letting them scan your body for potential threats and then asking for access to your code. You let them see it- Dr. Seo had made this version with you so when he seemed satisfied save for the self-destruct file that you didn’t allow him to access, he decided to let it be for the moment.

“I have a condition too,” you told him. “I’ll work on uninstalling Jongho’s chip first. Once he’s human, I’ll play my part.”

“Okay- I’ll have a programmer work with you.”

Thus initiated the second part of your plan. You had successfully gained access inside their building and so far, their actions had been very predictable. Wooyoung was right about them asking to read your code too. The self-destruct wasn’t a bluff but you had hidden the real code elsewhere because you just knew Dr. Seo would attempt to replicate it if he got one look at it. You were pretty sure he had gone to note down what little he saw.

What he missed, though, while worrying about the new code was that you did not have one but two chips, side by side, inside your wrist. The other, a tiny thing, attached to the main chip. You finally pressed on your wrist to turn it on.

Surveillance through your eyes. The simplest, most basic droid function, installed in each droid as well as you. But you were reporting back to your server- to Yunho and Wooyoung, who were right at the outskirts of the town, who must have detected your signal by now and would be transmitting the live coverage to the Panel. The Panel, where different world leaders, scientists, human rights workers and other brilliant people were present, the group bigger than ever, waiting to see what you would show them.

And the first sight they saw- oh goodness. Rows and rows of humans strapped on to the stretchers lit by a light so bright that they looked blue. One of them was being brought to you- you were pretty sure your whimper was heard by everyone in the Panel.

Jongho did not look good. The signs of his struggle were quite visible on his bare upper body- a big, ugly bruise on the left side of his stomach, a long slash running down his right arm, a twin bruise like yours on his temple. You were never going to forgive these people. 

With newfound fierce determination, you nodded to the person you were to work with- a woman who looked to be in her late thirties with her stern face and slicked back hair. Without saying a word, Jongho was plugged to the screen and his code files secured with multiple passwords were accessed. Then the two of you started working side by side to end every running code in his chip. It must have taken only an hour and then you were done.

“We’ll take him to surgery. You can access whatever you need here while we take the chip out of him.”

“No thanks, I’ll take whatever laptop you have and work from there. He needs to be in front of my eyes.”

“I’ll get back to you,” she said and moved to a corner to convey your message. After getting confirmation, she allowed you to follow her to the medical section of the office. The lights started to dim the further you walked down the hallway, almost to the extent that you thought they were going to surprise you with something unexpected, but a turn to the right and you were suddenly in a familiar setting of a hospital. You were glad it looked normal- all the neon lights used in the offices had rooted some trauma in you for sure.

Unsurprisingly, the waiting room was equipped with all sorts of necessities you would need. The woman simply turned on the systems and plugged in the USBs before instructing you to wait for Dr. Seo. You rolled your eyes- nothing you could do about that, so you resorted to monitoring Jongho, trying to quell the seed of hope in your heart. 

Jongho would be okay. You would make sure of that.

The process of installing the chips in humans was something you had seen a lot- however, uninstalling the chip was rare. You tried not to recall the time when you first tried to save a person- it had backfired and induced a seizure. While you had worked with a lot of programmers to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen again, the people here kept insisting they didn’t need you to work on this because they thought there wouldn’t be a time when they would have to turn droids back into humans. But you were grateful that you and your team had been stubborn enough to at least make it a little better. 

Now it was up to Jongho and his willpower to make it out of there with full health. You weren’t sure what you would do if something happened to him.

While monitoring Jongho, you started working on the one problem that had doomed your life- the link between subconscious and muscle memory. You had Dr. Seo working with you from his office- it was no surprise that he was monitoring your progress and making contributions considering he was one of the brains behind this project and had a lot of medical knowledge to contribute from the years he worked as a neurosurgeon before he started learning programming. 

But since he was watching, that meant you had to do this properly- and you would. You understood that coming here to save Jongho meant you would have to share the knowledge that could change the power dynamics of this world. You could only pray that the Panel would make sure that these people would never get to put your theory into practice, because you couldn’t imagine a world where humans would be programmed to lose the very essence that made them human to fight for people that could only be called monsters. And you prayed your wildcard- getting the military involved- would work.

It had to be the longest three hours of your life. By the time Jongho was out of surgery, his vitals normal, you were almost done but your hands were trembling uncontrollably, your sniffs were getting louder as you tried to control the sobs that threatened to leave your body, because-

You did it. Jongho was okay, Jongho was okay. 

And you may have just doomed all of humanity with your code. You were pretty sure Dr. Seo might be testing your code on some unfortunate human right now. You should have gone with him- but you couldn’t leave Jongho. He needed to be in front of your eyes. You wished you had some means of contacting Yunho and Wooyoung right now- all they needed to do was tell you that you did well and you would be fine. But you didn’t have the means to hear their reassurance so you had to settle for the hope that the Panel was proceeding with the final part of the plan.

A military raid. Eden’s military against the New Government’s soldiers. Eden had never been so divided. 

A notification popped up on your laptop and Dr. Seo confirmed the validity of the code so far and asked you to wrap it up. You took a deep breath.

The last step. The final step you had to take in order to destroy the foundations of the Eden Droid Project, once and for all. 

You told him to give you a minute- you needed to check if Jongho was okay. With that excuse, you got up and went inside the ward to check on your unconscious friend. The surgery wasn’t anything big, no. It was just like removing a piece of shrapnel from your body, the chip relying on signals to send to the neurons. You just had to make sure that Jongho’s body hadn’t adapted to the chip’s presence so much that it couldn’t function without it anymore.

You wiped your face with your sleeves before clutching Jongho’s hand- you needed his strength, every bit of it. With your other hand, you combed his hair so it wouldn’t fall on his eyes. Jongho stirred in his sleep and you whispered his name. He subconsciously squeezed your hand before his eyes fluttered open. He wasn’t surprised- seeing you wake him up was nothing new, though it had been quite a while. He looked around to get his bearings-

“Oh, goodness, what are you doing here?”

“Good to see you too,” you laughed, wiping your eyes again. “How are you feeling? Can you move? Is your vision okay?”

“Never been better,” Jongho groaned as he sat up, exhaling. “I feel tired. That’s new.”

“That means you’re human,” you smiled.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re no longer a droid, Jongho,” you told him, for once pleased with your work. “You’re okay now.”

“But where are we?”

“Still there,” you let go of his hand to squeeze his shoulder, letting it trail down his bicep which was when you started tapping. “You’ll go home soon, I promise.”

“And you?” He asked, “Won’t you come too?”

“I’ll be right behind,” you kissed his forehead, having finished tapping your message on his skin. Jongho squeezed your hand in warning but you shook your head. “I have to wrap things up here, but I promise I’ll be home soon.”

“We go together, or we don’t go at all.”

“Jongho-”

“I won’t leave you behind, not this time,” he shook his head fiercely. “I know you’re strong. But we’ve always worked better together, haven’t we?”

“You’re still recovering though.”

Jongho called your name in warning and you caved in. You told him to make sure to follow your instructions and you made a request to Dr. Seo that you wanted to be there to witness the end of this. Dr. Seo sent an escort who accompanied the two of you to a lab where he was indeed working on an unfortunate young man just like you had suspected. Dr. Seo cast a wary look at Jongho before turning to you.

“You’ve worked brilliantly so far, Miss Jeon. Shall we begin?”

You nodded and asked Jongho to take a seat. You first went to check the man’s vitals, taking note of his label - CS, 005. “He’s one of the first few, isn’t he?”

“He is,” Dr. Seo confirmed, setting up your station. “A volunteer, though he didn’t quite know what he was getting into at that time.”

“Right,” you muttered, swallowing the distaste his words brought. “I’ll start now.”

Feeling sorry for the man who was about to lose the last shreds of humanity in him, perhaps forever, you started typing the codes, Dr. Seo watching from his screen across you. There were just a few lines of command left to type and you cast a quick glance at Jongho who passed a subtle nod. 

He was ready. And so were you. 

You had tapped a message to Jongho- Cookie’s play. A joke that ran in both your families of how Cookie would pretend to be sick whenever she wanted to have her way or skip school. And he was going to do just that. 

Jongho groaned loudly in pain, clutching his head, causing Dr. Seo to stop what he was doing and frown at him in confusion while you asked Jongho if everything was okay, your fingers typing a series of codes that were going to be your salvation now. Jongho fell on his knees and you, feigning panic, got up along with Dr. Seo who was genuinely worried for Jongho’s wellbeing since you had made sure that you weren’t going to give them anything if he wouldn’t make it out alive. You started walking across the room to where Jongho was, the droid CS on your way and you paused just a fraction of a second to slip your chip- the small chip they had missed during inspection- in the port on his back from where he was plugged to the system. 

You rushed to Jongho and asked him if he was okay- he continued to act like his head was going to burst open with pain and just when Dr. Seo took out his phone to call someone, Jongho pounced on him, tackling him to the ground and placing a hand over his mouth. You didn’t wait to see who would win as they started clawing at each other- you ran back to your station to your laptop, glancing once at Dr. Seo’s panicked face before pressing enter and enabling the ‘run’ function.

The guards outside must have heard some commotion and one of them peeked in to check but it was too late- thanks to Dr. Seo being impatient and sceptical, testing your code after every few minutes, it only took a handful of seconds for the code to stop running itself which was when the droid opened its eyes. Dr. Seo finally managed to land a punch on Jongho and get him to let go of him. He rushed towards you but before he could stop the guards, one of them yelled ‘freeze!’ and you raised your hands-

Unplugging the droid in the process.

“What have you done-” Dr. Seo reached for his screen to read the code, consumed by confusion and panic as he read the last lines which must be making no sense to him now-

Because the original code was also in that mini chip you had sneaked in. If this went well, you would owe Yunho your life- and Jongho’s.

“CS, 005, what’s your status?” You whispered just so the droid could hear. 

“Okay,” he confirmed.

“Then get up and protect us from the threat.”

You thought you saw the slightest hint of a smirk on the droid’s face and before you could ponder over it, he rose to full glory, straightening and cracking his neck before asking you to take cover. 

What you saw next was something you were sure you would never forget. There was no way this person wasn’t a skilled fighter before he became a droid because he dodged each bullet with expertise and kicked the gun out of the guard’s hand, catching it mid-air and pointing it at Dr. Seo, creeping towards him and holding him at gunpoint.

“Down on your knees, now,” he commanded and the guard obeyed instantly, backup arriving too late. Nothing they could do now- the Head Coder of this project could lose his life if someone made a wrong move.

“How,” Dr. Seo muttered when he spotted you from the corner of his eye. “I saw the code- there was nothing.”

“It’s just like what you did with Jongho and the other droids,” you finally let out the laugh you had been holding. “I am the master now, and my wish is his command. Isn’t that right, CS?”

He nodded in response and Jongho whistled, thoroughly impressed by you. You took out Dr. Seo’s phone from his pocket, unlocked it and called Dr. Jin.

“Is it done?”

“Uh, you might want to come here, Dr. Jin,” you said innocently. “We may have an emergency.”

You hung up before he could respond and Mr. Han came bursting into the room, freezing when he saw just what was going on.

“Uh, I was going to inform you that there’s been a military raid but it looks like it was planned…”

“Maybe,” you shrugged but you couldn’t keep in the sigh of relief- all hope was not lost after all. The military was on with you in this one- looks like the Panel had played their part well.

Mr. Han, to your surprise, was smiling in satisfaction. “Is it going to be over soon?”

“For you lot, yes,” you narrowed your eyes. “You don’t look too mad about it.”

“I’m not,” he smiled and you tried to figure out just what he was thinking but Dr. Jin appeared, fuming. The old man looked like he was going to have a stroke any second.

“Stand. Down.” He commanded. “Or you’ll face the worst consequences, Miss Jeon.”

“Like what?” You cocked your head. “I could have this droid blow your favourite coder’s brains out, right here. I don’t think it can get worse than that-”

Dr. Jin’s phone rang and when he frowned at his screen, you finally let the little ray of hope you had been harbouring in your heart consume you. Dr. Jin picked up the call and you watched all the blood drain from his face. 

“Ah… It can get worse,” you finally grinned, looking at Jongho who appeared a little lost but squeezed your hand in assurance anyway. “CS, you will continue to hold Dr. Seo as leverage until I give you the signal. Dr. Jin… I think it’s time you sit down and accept your defeat.”

Dr. Jin scoffed and attempted to leave the room but you shared one look with the droid and he knew what to do- with impeccable aim, he fired the gun in his direction, hitting right in the middle of his calf. His painful yell echoed throughout the vicinity and some of the guards pointed the gun in your direction instinctively while some rushed to help the man. You ignored Dr. Seo’s series of curses aimed at you amidst the chaos. Soon, a man in Eden’s staple blue military uniform walked in followed by a group of soldiers, ordering them to start arresting everyone in the building- and to your surprise, he nodded at you. CS finally let go of Dr. Seo only for him to be handcuffed and escorted outside.

“Thank you for coming,” you said as a greeting to Eden’s Military Commander- everyone in the room must have recognised him seeing how they were so willingly cooperating now. “I wasn’t expecting you to.”

“It took me quite some convincing to come, but seeing what’s going on here,” the tall man looked around, “I think it was necessary. If you could be so kind as to guide me through the appropriate measures to be taken regarding the droids?”

“Yes- can you make sure Mr. Choi is escorted safely outside first? He might require some medical attention-”

“Y/n-”

“It’s okay, Jongho,” you assured with a smile. “It’s going to take me a while here, but I’ll be with Yunho and Wooyoung. I’ll be okay.”

Jongho looked at the Commander for permission and he nodded, letting him take you to a side for a little privacy. “I’m anxious, y/n. I don’t want to leave you here-”

“I’m not alone, trust me,” you took both his hands in yours. “I need you to get out of here and get to Cookie, okay? She’s going to be worried sick- she knows everything now.”

“Really?” Jongho shook his head. “What about your parents? My parents- are they okay?”

“They’re all fine,” you told him. “They had a memory blocker but Yunho was going to take care of that before he came here. Everything will be normal when you go back.”

“Not normal. Not if you’re not there,” he said and you laughed at that.

“Jongho, I’m so thankful to you for a number of things. I’ll tell you all about it once we’re back, okay?” You promised. “But I need to take care of all the droids first. You know they can’t keep on living like this anymore. You know that better than anyone.”

Jongho nodded reluctantly and you continued. “You saved me today, Jongho. I’ll thank you for that now. And you need to be safe, at home with our families, so I can work peacefully here, okay? We’ll be in contact- here,” you went to grab a paper and pen to scribble your contact number. “You can call me whenever.”

“Alright,” he finally gave in, bringing you in for a hug and you gladly soaked in every bit of it. You needed that for what was next.

—--------------------------

“You’re burning the toasts, Wooyoung.”

“They need to be just the right amount of brown for this dish to come together,” Wooyoung tsk-ed at your ignorance and you scoffed, looking for someone to back you but apparently everyone’s new favourite sport was to gang up on you now.

“We get that you’ve not been in the kitchen for a while,” Jongho began. “But how did you survive living alone in Strictland?”

“Let me guess. Instant noodles and microwave food,” Cookie shook her head in disappointment when you pursed your lips guiltily. “Mom’s gonna have a stroke if she hears.”

“Shut up,” you muttered though your heart ached at the mention of your mother- two years of not knowing where her daughter was had really aged her. “And you’re laughing, Yunho. As if you’re one to say.”

“Still better than you,” he stuck out his tongue at you and before you could retort, you heard the door open.

“I’ve set everything, what’s taking so long?” San said, going to check on Wooyoung. “Now that looks good.”

“See?” Wooyoung turned to look at you. “Man’s got taste.”

“I think I was better off coding in my room, what say you, Cookie?” You turned to leave but Yunho grabbed your arm and swung you back to your spot, laughing along with Jongho. You noticed Cookie was too busy staring at San who was helping Wooyoung plate the last of the dishes now. You met Jongho’s eyes and you shook your heads- her crush on San was way too obvious. Yunho shook his head, amused, and you all decided to let her have her moment.

It had been about 3 months since the raid in Strictland and since then, you were working on wiping clean any signs of the Droid Project in the land. You, Yunho and Wooyoung had worked day and night for a whole month to turn the hundreds of droids back to normal and then it was the military’s job to get them back to where they belonged. Everyone had unanimously agreed that since you guys were the brains behind this, it was your decision if you wanted to keep the data or delete everything permanently. One look at Yunho and it was decided- you were going to burn everything related to the project. It had almost caused the world to lose its humanity. There should be no signs of it anymore.

Everyone who was a part of the Eden Droid Project was tried in court and imprisoned with heavy sentences of treason, especially those who had collaborated with people from other nations and risked their homeland’s security. These included everyone who willingly cooperated- testimonies were heard, yes, but they didn’t prove to be much valuable. All the military needed was a background check of their activities which attested to their willingness- people like you who had left the project in its early stages and suddenly found themselves back were let go of with non-disclosure agreements. Some were put on probation but it turned out good.

What surprised you was when you were called as a witness for Mr. Han’s testimony. He revealed that he had purposely not blocked your memories of Jongho so you would quickly realise what was going on and do something about this project. Since he had always been a part of this project, it was hard to believe that he had contributed to the downfall of this project but you had to agree- if it weren’t for him, things would have been much, much different. He got the lightest sentence among those who willingly participated in this project and he was grateful that you came on his behalf. You figured you couldn’t be mad at him for too long- he probably did what he did for his family too.

The Panel was sure to not let a whisper of this project out- everything was hushed and treaties were signed. You met with a few of the members who commended your efforts but you didn’t take any credit. You did what you had to. You only asked for one favour- to let you and your friends be. You were never going to play with the idea of droids again- this was enough. You were simply going to work on the last droid- CS- from ‘the headquarters’ which was Yunho and Wooyoung’s home. The Panel agreed- they knew better than to get on your wrong side. If the world came to hear about what happened in Strictland, the establishments would collapse. 

As for San, your new friend… he was CS- the droid. The person you felt the most sorry for. The person you had apologised to at least a hundred times in a span of the past few months because it took you the longest to get his droid functions to hibernate, and once he became somewhat human?

You recalled the look in his eyes that absolutely shattered you- the look of guilt and horror. It was very messy at first, countless arguments as you tried to convince him that you were not a monster (but weren’t you? You created the droids, after all) and that you were so sorry for using him as a weapon and as a shield, and you were sorry for what he had to go through all this time. Sometimes, it looked like you two were getting along but then one night, you had your worst argument- screaming and yelling, tears and anger. Yunho and Wooyoung had been out and they chose the worst (arguable) timing to come back home- with Cookie and Jongho. 

And how Cookie defended you. When she heard the yells, she stormed inside and hugged you and you sobbed into her chest while she sent daggers in the stranger’s direction. And then what she said afterwards was how you got here- to being a group of tightly knit friends.

“My sister has been used, manipulated, held hostage in a simulation and made to code you droids with the threat of her family hanging on her head. She went back to sacrifice herself and everyone including you if that meant the world could be a safer place for the rest of us, so don’t you dare call her a monster. If it weren’t for her, you would have been their first killing machine, do you understand? You should be thanking her for trying to save you- she’s still a fucking droid and refuses to feel tired or sleep until you can!”

“Cookie!” You scolded. “Language!”

“I’m almost 18 now, I’m not a kid anymore,” she glared at you and you felt that stab, having missed two of the most important years of her life. She went back to glaring at San who looked… starstruck? “She didn’t see her family and her boyfriend in 2 years because she was afraid she’d hurt us. Don’t you call her a monster ever again.”

Now? Now you smiled proudly whenever you thought of that night. After Cookie’s outburst, everyone was too surprised to say anything and it was Wooyoung who tried to cut the tension in the air by asking Cookie to take you to his room. Jongho stood gaping at the little kid he had practically raised, muttering, “I did not raise her like this but damn.” And he was right. The boys had a good laugh and San slept over it and realised he may have been acting like an idiot. 

And that idiot was clearly very curious about Cookie, you realised when he opened his birthday present for her to reveal a lilac cardigan- Cookie had very casually pointed at someone’s cardigan in the street calling it cute. You did not expect San to be so observant. 

“Oh, this is lovely,” Cookie ran a hand over the cardigan’s soft fabric. “The colour- I love it, San.”

“Stop shooting daggers at San,” Jongho, who was sitting next to you, whispered, poking your stomach and you swatted his hand away.

“I can’t help it,” you whispered back, eyes still locked in San’s direction. “He’s getting way too chummy with her lately. I don’t approve.”

“You literally told San you love him like, two days ago,” Jongho pointed out and you glared at him.

“That’s because he got me my favourite brownie when I had been working all night long,” you said as if that warranted your admission of love for him. “As a polite servant should. His master is losing sleep trying to get his droidy senses back to human.”

“This droid still possesses his super hearing,” San whispered just for you to hear- you possessed that too. “So maybe shut up.”

“Stop looking at Cookie like that and I’ll shut up,” you countered and Jongho laughed out loud, having put two and two together from what he heard you whisper to San. “Don’t make me activate the master-servant dynamics back.”

“Oh, stop that,” Cookie glared at the two of you and you both immediately pretended to be normal, smiling at her. “Please get along for once. It’s my birthday. Where’s your gift, sis?”

“Uhh,” you looked around, digging in your pocket, “Here.”

A finger-heart. Cookie groaned loudly and everyone laughed as you ran for your life when she got up from her chair. “It’s on the way!” You yelled. “I forgot to order it on time!”

“It better be good or else I’ll have San droid-handle you!”

You stopped running, coincidentally finding yourself behind San’s chair. “You wouldn’t. She wouldn’t, right?”

“Your wish is not my command but her wish,” San pointed at Cookie before looking at you with that smirk you wished to wipe off his face, “very well might be.”

“Oh, I’m going back to code,” you started and San laughed, grabbing your hand before you could go inside and apologising like a true gentleman (he was actually a gentleman, you found). Wooyoung complained that the food was going to get cold if you all kept joking around and you finally gave in, settling between San and Jongho and digging into the feast.

It was heartwarming to have all of them together like this, after everything that you went through. You had never felt more content in your life, and it showed, even though you hadn’t reached the finish line yet. You still had to turn San and yourself back to normal- you had been far too busy erasing all evidence of the Droid Project to worry about yourself. As for San, it was a sensitive line to tread on. You did not want to hasten it and he understood- he was just glad that his droid functions could be controlled at his will. He was content too, having reunited with his family and found another here.

Jongho noticed you smiling to yourself as you walked back home from the convenience store- you had gone to get more drinks but you also volunteered because you wanted to take Jongho along with you. You barely had alone time with him ever since you came back so you made most of the stolen moments. 

“What’s going on in your head?” Jongho teased, elbowing you lightly.

“Nothing. I’m just happy,” you grinned. The simple truth- you were happy. “Wanna take a little break?” You pointed at the empty park with swings and Jongho led you inside, the two of you settling on the swings.

“How are your parents?” You asked Jongho. “Are they still confused about your disappearance?”

“They are, I mean… I told them I went to find you but you’re not back home yet. They wonder why sometimes.”

“When did you guys move?” You asked. “It’s a shame that we won’t be neighbours anymore.”

“I know,” Jongho sighed. “My grandmother was sick two years ago- they wanted to move closer so they could take better care of her. We still own that house so we haven’t ‘fully’ moved away’.”

“Oh, does that mean you can come by sometimes?” You asked but then you remembered. “You have college, though.”

“I could come stay there on the weekends if that means we can spend some time together,” he shrugged and you poked his thigh.

“Just like when your parents went on a trip and I would sneak out in the middle of the night so we could have sleepovers?”

“Good old times,” Jongho laughed. Now that you were getting a good look at him, you noticed how much he had changed in the years you had been gone. He was much broader now, the muscles peeking through his half-sleeve shirt more defined, and-

“You’re staring.”

“You got a haircut,” you said. “I like your hair a bit longer, I think.”

“I’m going to shave my head,” Jongho declared and you laughed loudly. Just like the old times. “This reminds me of the last time we were at a park. On the swings, just like this.”

While you had thanked Jongho for a lot of things ever since you came back- for taking care of Cookie while you were gone, for believing in you and not going out and beyond trying to find you, for making sure your parents knew you were safe wherever you were and this was something you needed to do, for not giving up when he got taken and turned into a droid, and for keeping you safe there… you were still struggling with words needed for an apology. Jongho told you time and time again that he didn’t need your apology, but that didn’t mean you felt less sorry.

“Do you consider it a bad memory?” You asked and Jongho shook his head.

“Never. I was a bit out of it when I learned that you were gone, but one night I came back to the park and recalled our conversation. I told you that you could trust me and you told me that you did. You assured me that you loved me and you knew that you weren’t alone-”

“Jongho-”

“Let me finish,” he smiled gently at you. “If you hadn’t told me all of that… I don’t know what I would have done. I was grateful that you had told me that. It meant that whatever you did was necessary.”

“God, how did I get so lucky?” You looked up at the sky, laughing to keep the sting in your eyes from getting worse. “I think I’ve used maximum luck. It can’t get any better than this.”

“Please,” Jongho smacked your arm, his ears going red and you giggled. Even after all these years, simple confessions like these made him fluster and it was the cutest thing. “I’m just telling you this so you can stop looking at me like you owe me a big fat apology. Not a good look at you, y/n. I like it better when you act like you’re the boss and can do whatever you want.”

“But I am sorry,” you told him and he looked pointedly at you but decided to accept it. Perhaps that would take the weight off your shoulders. “I should have told you more. That’s the only regret I had.”

“Oh, we’re fine anyway, aren’t we?” Jongho said. “We’re all back. Our gang has grown, Cookie is finally sharing drinks with you, we got a new friend-”

“Choi San,” you muttered. “I don’t know how you two get along so well. How all of you do. I think we’re still moments away from going full warrior-mode droid on each other.”

“Oh, that’s because you don’t like how chummy he and Cookie are,” Jongho laughed heartily. “Don’t let her find out. She’s gonna start rebelling.”

“Like, I know they can do whatever they want, I’m not against it at all. I’m probably wary because, well, I’m her sister. Of course I’m going to be. It’s just that… he looks at her the way you look at me. It’s unsettling.”

Jongho raised a brow. “Oh? And how do I look at you?”

“With those big eyes,” you grinned, and when his gaze got softer, you smacked his arm. “Stop!”

“Why?” Jongho pulled you closer, making you rock dangerously on the swing but he was quick to cage your legs between his so you wouldn’t fall over. “How do I look at you? Like I’m in love? Like you’re my everything?”

“You need a drink,” you told him, about to bend to pull one out of the grocery bag but Jongho grabbed your arm instead, making you look at him. “Stop, you’re making me shy!”

Jongho must have been in a dire need of drink because he wasn’t all for such romantic moments- but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a romantic. When he was in the mood, you often found it overwhelming simply because you couldn’t believe he could love you so much. He intertwined his hands with yours, caressing the scar on your wrist below which the chip was embedded. When he looked at you, your gaze was already stuck on his parted lips and he didn’t waste time drawing you in and meeting your lips in a heartfelt kiss. You let your arms travel around his neck mostly for support because you were still worried you would fall off the swing but Jongho had you secure, one hand on your waist and the other on your neck as he deepened the kiss.

It was perfect. It was quiet with only the sound of cicadas carried by the cool breeze, the faint sound of traffic almost dismissable. It was nostalgic and contained longing from all the time you spent apart, the time you lost and wished you could get back. But what made your heart content was that it was still the same. He was still the same, just like you had left him. He still kissed you like he couldn’t have been elsewhere. He still held you like he did the first time- with caution and care, making sure you felt safe. As you continued to kiss, he let go of that caution and let himself get comfortable too, the kiss turning passionate. It was only when you heard the sound of passersby- children- that you broke apart with a little laugh.

“Can we ditch going back to give them the drinks and continue?” You asked and Jongho laughed, kissing you for a few moments more before he let go with a sigh.

“You owe me two years worth of kisses,” Jongho said, getting up and helping you get up next. “You better make up for it.”

“Really?” You took him by surprise as you pulled him for another short kiss. “That’s one less for you now.”

“I’ll take another then,” Jongho kissed you back and when he drew apart, you two burst into a fit of giggles. “Let’s go back.”

The short walk back to the headquarters cut a few more kisses from what you owed him and when you set the drinks on the table, you found everyone looking pointedly at the two of you. “What?”

“What took you so long?” Yunho shook his head, opening the drinks and then pausing mid-air. “Actually… don’t answer that.”

“Oh?” San unintentionally quipped in, looking confused for a moment before he looked around and connected the dots. “Oh.”

“Ew,” Cookie said and everyone burst into laughter, making Jongho hide his face in a corner and you threw a packet of chips at Wooyoung who was laughing the loudest, who proved you wrong instantly by laughing even louder. You couldn’t help but join despite everyone ganging up to tease the two of you. You subconsciously touched your wrist, remembering that you were part droid right now but San caught that, sharing the sentiment-

That even though you were part droid, you had never felt more human. You had never felt more emotional, and perhaps, these moments that became a part of your subconscious had ultimately saved all of you. You made a silent prayer wishing everyone’s subconscious would be filled with such wholesome and happy moments. As long as you had this, you would be okay.

Elsewhere, at the outskirts of Strictland, a man dressed in all-black with a cap was standing anxiously waiting for someone. As soon as he saw a car approach, he clutched his briefcase tighter, worried his attempt at a negotiation would go wrong. The car halted a few feet away and a man in a suit accompanied by another of a much bigger stature drew closer.

“What have you got?”

“A few documents and one chip that I managed to hide before they found me,” the man adjusted his cap. “I have a trial scheduled this week so I thought I’d get this done.”

“And everything is here, in this briefcase?” the man in the suit asked and got a nod. He signalled . “Thank you. Your job here is done.”

Before the man could ask what was next, the one standing in the shadows pulled out a gun and shot that man in the forehead before he could blink. The man in the suit wiped his suit mockingly.

“Get rid of him, and make it quick. We’ve got work to do.”

[circeyoru]

Collection of Overlords _ Part 4 = Requested

[Alastor x Soul Owner of All Overlords!Reader]

The (somewhat) Request (it's more of an ask of when this is gonna be out)

Part 1 — Part 1.5 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 (here) — Part 5 — Part 6 — Part 7 — Part 8 — Part 9  — Part 10 — Part 11 — Part 12 — Part 13

The reunion and meeting of the century, or perhaps even longer, was on the way. With you seated at the head and your hand-picked souls to the side of the table. To your left starting with the closest was Zestial and Carmilla, to your right should be Alastor but he remained standing by your side behind you so not counting his empty seat, you have Rosie then Zeezi

Now, opposite to you, on the other side of the table were the three Vees, with Vox at the center and the other two, Velvette and Valentino, on either sides

With a soft hum, you decided to change the setting a bit. You snapped your fingers and the long rectangular table changed to a circular one, everyone seated in more sophisticated armchairs catered to their unique forms. There were equal spacing between each of them as well, allowing you to see them individually. The room altered thanks for your spatial ability, making it bigger than what it was

You told Carmilla that she could keep your little table and the chairs once everything was over since you changed things without her knowledge. She was move than happy to accept your gift

Another snap of your fingers and everyone’s preferred drink appeared in front of them and some snacks were placed around the table. You welcomed them to drink and eat to their hearts’ content since it has been a while you had been with them all

“Before we begin… I hope it’s expected that you keep the knowledge I shared during this meeting to yourself, and not attempt to use it to your advantage for future purposes.” You warned with a heavily aura around you. 

All your Overlords bowed their heads deeply as a sign of submission to your command and warning. 

“Now, I’d like to start the meeting with the latest event I’m sure you all are aware of.” You announced, a hologram of the former Hazbin Hotel building appeared at the center of the table, “There wasn’t any request or orders from me, so I believe some rewards are in order.”

While your Overlords nodded in agreement to your plans, you placed your elbows over the surface of the table, plopping your chin on top of your intertwined fingers. You gave them a moment to recall their actions before you revealed your awardees.

“Carmilla Carmine.” You named your first. 

“Yes!” Carmilla strengthened up even more as she put down her cup, folding her hands over her lap while her body was turned in your direction. “My Liege.”

“For your assistance in providing angelic weapons to the soldiers who bravely brought for the Princess’ cause without asking for compensation,” The hologram of the hotel shifted to the side to a territorial map of the Pride Ring, a particular land beside Carmilla’s current domain blinked, “You will be rewarded with an additional land. What do you want it to be for? Name it.”

Carmilla bowed her head as she requested, “If you’ll allow it…” At your silence and smile, she continued, “If I can have a research lab with a testing ground, and another storage unit.”

Your smile widened as your head tilted to the side, “Consider it done.”

Your knuckles knocked on the table. The hologram of that particular domain enlarged and two buildings formed on that land with streets and roads to connect it with Carmilla’s owning domains. Not even a second later, the building shook like an earthquake. Though on the outside, it was merely shaping into what the hologram projected

Things like these were not hard to do, at least, if they were you. You do things like these to reshape Hell into what the human population done in their advancement, that’s how the Pride Ring has been since human souls that are marked to go to Hell was the only Ring they are stay or go to. You do what you could to make the Ring more fitting for them

However, as none realized it was your doing, most would believe Hell’s landscape changes as natural as breathing. Something similar to the ‘mother nature’ concept. It’s enough to give you a good laugh, so you leave it be

Your souls were quick to realize the power they were dealing with. A being capable of shaping Hell without effort and mere thought, it was terrifying yet applaudable. Who would think they have such power? Not even Lucifer can do something of this level 

Just think. What if you were to fight for real with your powers? Right now, you have been behind the scenes lurking. You have your Overlords to reign over certain domains and groups of demons. But what if you were to go to war?

Those under you were aware that you were powerful, yet they can’t measure how much so. They aim to please you not merely for the possibility of being rewarded, but to maintain what freedom you’ve given them and your favour

While they don’t outspokenly discuss it, they are aware of their standing within your Elites

“Next, Rosie.” You turned to the other side.

“Yes, Darling Liege?” Rosie smiled back with a wave, enjoying her cup.

“You’re very brave and noble to allow your Cannibals to go to war against the angels without worrying over the lack of training, you’re not even aware that there’d be angelic weapons provided for them to fight with.” You retold to everyone else of Rosie’s feat, “Very commendable.”

Rosie chuckled, covering her mouth with a shy schoolgirl with their crush, “Aww, you’re giving me too much credit. I didn’t even join the battle!”

You nodded in understanding, “Yes, I’m aware, so in addition to your town expansion, I’ll be paying a visit to Cannibal Town in the near future.” Your smile widened as you spoke, “I’ll provide your people a feast, you can bring everyone around.”

Rosie gasped with joy, unable to hold it up, she got up and came over to hug you tight. “Oh! My Liege! That’s wonderful!” She let you go while ranting on and holding onto you, “Everyone will be so excited to see you again!”

You’ve been wanting to deal with your screaming, pleading, and whining insects for some time. You only require the insects’ soul, their bodies worth nothing to you. Yet the large variety would make for a good feast for the Cannibals that oh so loved to devour the flesh of the demons like a pack of wolves

Your knuckles once again knocked on the surface of the table, Rosie’s town expanded and new buildings were built in an instant, mirroring the hologram on the table. A wave of weaker shakes came to them, though it was because Rosie’s place was farther away

Like your relationship with Carmilla’s daughters, you formed special bonds with the citizens of Cannibal Town. Though you had a good laugh when you realized they first tried to eat you out of fear from your mere unannounced presence. They were immediately immobilized and nearly wiped off the map if not for Rosie’s quick interference

It was understandable for you, since at the time, they barely had enough land to live in and it wasn’t like they were particularly strong demons. Think of a colony of ants, they were only the workers and there were no other demons apart from Rosie that they rely on for their continued survival in Hell

So when you came along with that dangerous aura around you, they had to act. Even if they die trying, at least Rosie could lead the other cannibals away. They were such interesting demons that you came back to greet them again

The quickest way to a cannibal’s heart was food and you had more than enough. Adding to the fact that you gave them homes to live in and a town as their own territory, you were more than reverended by Rosie’s people

“Last.” Your head turned over to Alastor, everyone looked over in suit. “Alastor, My Bloody Doe.”

“My Liege.” Alastor stepped forward and kneeled down to your side, staying below your eye level so you weren’t looking up at him. “And Saviour.”

“Not only have you been helping the Princess with her passion project, but you also battled against Adam, the first man and the extermination’s leader, bravely. For that, let’s fix something precious of yours.” You opened your hand for him to place his broken microphone crane in. 

Alastor presented the two pieces to you and you took it near where it was cut in half. You pushed them together and sparks flew, in a blink of an eye, the crane was as good as new. The eye in the microphone opened and looked around. “Finally! I’m back!”

“Fixed and I added a bit of life to it.” You passed Alastor his reward, “You’ll find that it’ll be near impossible to break it now. Even if it’s broken, it will amend itself to be even stronger.”

Alastor bowed, his head even lower than before, “I’m undeserving of such a gift.”

“Yes, now sit down in your seat, would you?”

Everyone else watched in envy. It was no secret that Alastor was your favourite. They could tell by the title you allow him to address you by and the little nickname you have for him. They also understand why too

Alastor unknowingly cleared a number of weaker Overlords that refused to submit to you, not only removing them from your domain, but he also shared your interest in torturing those souls. Trapping them in his everlasting broadcast. He was the only one who kept the title the sinners gave him; The Radio Demon

While he didn’t start off with complete obedience and submission, his dedication and loyalty to you proved his worth later on. While others waited for your order in fear of appearing arrogant, he seized the opportunity to impress. It was after Alastor’s actions did the others became more active

Without a doubt, Alastor was the quickest you took a liking to. The quickest to gain an interest in and the quickest to raise up your favourability chart

When he disappeared for that long, as did your presence, the other Overlords wondered if there was something amiss. So they silently waited for Alastor to return to get in touch with you once more. As they waited, they got sloppy

A loud slam on the table made everyone turn their heads to the source. Vox, with a shaking fist, was standing up with a scowl on his screen, “Oh for f**k’s sake! He didn’t even win! He lost and retreated! He was a complete showoff and ignorant of his powers! He doesn’t deserve the Master’s praise and reward!”

Zeezi scoffed, folding her arms over her chest, “Like you’ve done f**k!”

Vox growled, turning to the giant Overlord, “You’re in the same boat!”

Zeezi smirked back, “Yeah, but unlike you f**k**, I’m fine with My Sovereign’s decision.” She gasped sarcastically, “Wait! You interrupted!”

“T wouldst doth thee both valorous if ‘t be true thee quiet down. (It would do you both good if you quiet down.)” Zestial warned the two before Vox could continue to embarrass himself.

Velvette got up as well, “You know when to talk when it suits you, don’t you, fossil?!”

Carmilla glared, “It was a word of advice!”

“Please! Like you’re any better.” Valentino taunted back with a grin, “You’re nothing without your little weapons.”

Rosie chuckled condescendingly, “Oh, dear, you’re one to talk. You can’t do much!”

Electricity sparked, Vox’s eye twitched, “You all shut the f**k up! You’re all ganging up on us just because you got numbers now!”

Velvette laughed along, “I bet you’re all a bunch of pussy cats! Can’t fight without guaranteed success.”

Valentino added, “I bet my soul I can take you all on and knock you down a few pegs.”

Crack!

Note: And that's when Velvette knew... she [redacted] Hahahhahaha! This meeting is getting way too long I feel. But it's gonna end somewhere in the next part. Lucifer's gonna appear~ Any theories? Before that, how you think of this part???

Circe Y.

My Works: MASTERLIST

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[saetoshi]

itoshi sae spends most of his free time in your apartment than in his.

it’s gotten to the point you’ve actually given him your spare key.

it’s also gotten to the point you have to write your name all over your snacks to keep sae from eating them.

so, it doesn’t come as a surprise when you come back home to find him sitting in your couch watching a movie. what does surprise you is the object with your name written all over it in his hands.

“why are you eating my chips?”

“you’re back earlier than usual.” he hums before eating another chip.

you walk closer to him. “why are you eating my chips?”

he turns to look at you, “i got hungry.”

“i bought you a bag of chips last time i went shopping,” you cross your arms, “why didn’t you grab that one?”

“i finished it already.” he shrugs. “besides, you went out for groceries a week ago.”

“is there no food in your apartment?” you try to snatch the bag from his hands. he moves it out of your reach.

“why would there be?” he gives you a look, “i practically live here.”

“could you not go out to buy yourself more chips?” you glare at him, crossing your arms.

“i’m tired from practice.” he pouts. “you’re not gonna make someone tired walk all the way to the convenience store, are you?”

“it’s literally a two minute walk from here,” you deadpan.

sae blinks. he reaches out to grab another chip before you smack his hand away.

“stop trying to eat my chips!” you cry.

“i’m hungry!”

“order some food then.” you scoff, “order some for me too while you’re at it.”

he clicks his tongue in annoyance, “so bossy.”

(he still takes out his phone and asks you what you want, though.)

“have you eaten any of the other stuff with my name on it?” you plop down next to him on the couch.

“it’s got your name?” he laughs when you punch his arm.

“i grabbed an apple from your fridge.”

“those don’t have my name on them,” you bite down a smile.

“i know,” he sticks his tongue out at you, “i did grab the chocolate bar you hid behind the orange juice, though.”

he heartily laughs when you gape at him.

“you thief!” you smile, tackling him, “i’m gonna run out of food because of you!”

he smiles at you, “just go grocery shopping more often then.”

you tsk, shaking your head, “it seems you know nothing of the world, my dear sae.”

you snicker when he grabs your face and presses a kiss against your cheek.

“i know more than you.” he pecks your other cheek.

“i’m afraid you don’t.” you shake your head again, clicking your tongue, “i can’t just go out and buy more than necessary because my asshole boyfriend wants more snacks.”

he pinches your cheek, “all the snacks in the kitchen have your name written on them.”

“it’s only fair,” you stick your tongue out at him, “this is my apartment, you’re just freeloading here.”

he scoffs, “rude.”

“not any ruder than you,” you pout.

“maybe i should just move in with you so you can stop calling me a freeloader.”

you hum, “maybe you should.”

“will you buy me snacks if i move in with you?”

you poke his cheek with a grin, “maybe.”

he hums, “good enough.”

you wrap your arms around him, “was this your plan? eating my snacks so i would let you move into my apartment?”

he wraps an arm around you in return, reaching out for a chip with the other one, “totally.”

sae laughs when you slap his hand away. “let me eat them!”

“they’re still mine,” you frown.

“they’re practically mine by extension, seeing how i live here now too.” he rolls his eyes.

you rest your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes. “fine. i suppose i can let you have them as a welcoming gift.”

you smile against his shoulder when you hear the bag of chips crinkle as sae moves it closer to him. your smile widens when his arm tightens around you.

you suppose sacrificing a bag of chips in exchange for having sae move in with you is not a bad deal, after all.

[navybrat817]

Where Did the Time Go?

Pairing: Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: You decide not to drink during game night, which leads to an interesting conversation with Bucky. Word Count: 1.6k Warnings: Light angst, tension, friends reconnecting, unrequited feelings (or so you think), slight feels (it's me), Bucky Barnes (yep, he's a warning) Previous Part of AU: We'll Always be Friends A/N: More Dreamboat and Butterfly from my Reconnect AU! ❤️ Beta read by @whisperlullaby, but any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You weren’t sure what exactly happened between dinner and now, but you decided that the fun game night wouldn’t include drinking. You hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since your meal. Even then, you were pretty sure you didn’t have much. Sharon brought out a bottle of wine before everyone finished eating and you took a sip of your glass out of obligation. If she noticed you didn’t finish your glass, she didn’t say anything, which you appreciated.

But you should’ve known that Bucky would catch on.

“Not drinking tonight, huh?” He asked as he took a seat beside you on the couch. Steve and Sam set up a game table and were already a couple of drinks in. So were Sharon and Natasha. You weren’t worried about them though. They could hold their liquor.

But can I hold my tongue if I drink? Or am I using that as an excuse?

“Not tonight,” you replied, holding up your cup of water. “Sticking with water.”

“You’re acting like we need a designated driver when we’re not going anywhere,” he joked, throwing his arm around behind the cushion, the same way he had at the dinner table. “Afraid I’ll kick your ass in Mario Kart if you get a little tipsy?” He asked, grinning when you smiled. “We can have a tournament? Just the two of us?”

“Hey, one of us might need to go on a liquor or snack run. You never know,” you said, setting your water on the table before you sank into the couch. “And it isn’t exactly a tournament if only two people are playing, is it?”

“It can be. We make our own rules,” he smiled as he moved a little closer. “Remember the time we had a tournament? We went to that shady looking liquor store after Sam spilled the last bottle of rum. The guy behind the counter had a bunch of clown masks.”

You laughed a little. How could you forget? “Yes! We had to open the living room window so we could breathe. And the cashier was actually a sweet guy, but you glued yourself to my side before that because you were certain the guy had bad intentions,” you said. Bucky and his protective streak made you feel important.

Until you weren’t.

Bucky must’ve noticed the change in your demeanor since he stopped chuckling. “Seriously though. Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?”

“I feel fine. I just don’t need to drink tonight,” you said, touched that he showed concern for you before a weird expression crossed his face. “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”

“No. You’re, um,” he tapped a finger on his knee as he tried to find the words. “There isn’t a specific reason you aren’t, is there? You're not…” he trailed off, but his eyes drifted long enough to your torso to fill in the blank.

You never understood the expression about eyes widening to the size of saucers until you experienced it just then. “Are you asking if I’m pregnant?” You whispered, careful not to speak any louder than that. The last thing you needed was the group questioning why Bucky asked such a question. “If so, the answer is NO.”

The sigh of relief Bucky let out, you weren’t sure what to make of it. “Sorry. I'm sorry. You don’t owe me an explanation for why you aren’t drinking. I just. I don't know why my mind went there.”

You couldn’t exactly tell him you're worried about getting plastered and revealing how you felt about him. Drunk confessions worked for some, but you didn’t think the odds were in your favor. “I still can’t believe you asked that,” you half teased, pointing at your stomach. “Not to mention, I haven’t been laid in ages. So, unless it happens via immaculate conception, that’s never going to be the case.”

The odd expression was back on Bucky’s face. What was his deal? “When was the last time you went on a date?” He asked with more interest than you expected.

“Months ago. Minimum,” you said, looking up at the ceiling as you tried to recall the exact day. “His name was Nick. We went on a few dates and he was nice enough, but he ended up getting serious with someone else. Haven’t gone on another date since.”

The clench in Bucky’s jaw almost made you smile. He had no reason to look so upset on your behalf. “I’m sorry. It’s his loss.”

“Don’t be. I’m kind of used to it,” you said with a nonchalant shrug.

“What the hell does that mean?” He asked, facing you on the couch and blocking the view of your friends at the table. “What exactly are you used to?”

Why does he sound upset? It's not like I’m not his girl.

“It means I’m used to guys not picking me,” you said honestly. As much as it hurt to think that way, saying it didn’t hurt as badly. “Think about it, Bucky. In all the time you’ve known me, when have guys ever flocked to me? When have you ever seen a guy take a chance on me when Natasha and Sharon were there? They haven’t and that’s just the way it is.”

“That’s bullshit. You’re perfect. And maybe people do see you, but you don’t see them,” he argued, quickly closing his mouth when he saw your expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“No, I think that’s exactly what you meant,” you said, sitting up to put some distance between the two of you as hurt filled his eyes. “I see just fine, thanks, but please enlighten me. Who saw me? Who did I overlook? I’d love an example.”

There was no reason to get so defensive, but did he understand how you felt? People gravitated toward Bucky and your friends. They always had. You, on the other hand, were on the outside of the house looking in. It was tiring to be the one knocking on the door.

“What about your old friend, TJ? You’re telling me he didn’t see you?” He asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice. It wasn’t a tone you heard from him before. It didn't suit him.

“TJ?” You asked, confusion written all over your face that you couldn’t fake if you tried. “TJ Hammond? My old family friend? Um, no, he definitely doesn’t see me.”

Not even close.

“He stayed at your place after Steve’s party,” he said, running a hand through his hair as he avoided your gaze. “Bet he couldn’t wait to see you. Probably went over the second you got back from the trip.”

Wait, is he jealous? What the hell?

You laughed a little, unable to help yourself when he raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, he did stay at my place for a bit after Steve’s birthday bash a couple of years ago. He had an issue with his boyfriend.”

Bucky did a double take, which would’ve been humorous if not for the stricken look on his face. “Boyfriend?”

“Yeah. The guy he dated at the time was a HUGE asshole and they had a falling out. His parents refused to let him go back home, so he stayed with me. And I couldn’t kick him out. He needed a friend,” you said, your brows pinching when you recalled how TJ cried on your sofa. It was a heartbreaking sight. “He has a new boyfriend now who treats him well and he couldn’t be happier. And I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Bucky blinked a few times. “So, you two. You never…?”

“TJ and I? No. Never dated, hooked up, anything,” you smiled with a shake of your head. “We adore each other, but in a brother and sister kind of way. I mean, we’ve known each other since we were in diapers. Even if I did find him attractive, nothing ever would’ve happened. You, Steve, Sam, you guys are much more his type.”

Bucky didn’t say anything, his face a bit pale. You worried for a second that he was going to get sick. “I thought you two hooked up,” he said more to himself than to you.

Where the hell did he get that impression?

“No, we didn't and we never will,” you said again before something he said dawned on you. “Wait, how did you know he stayed at my place? He asked me not to tell anyone where he was and I respected his wishes.”

Going through the dates again in your head, it wasn’t long after TJ stayed with you that Bucky brought Dot around as his new girlfriend. You knew you lost your chance to admit your feelings because he had someone by his side. Someone who wasn’t you.

“Come with me,” Bucky said, taking your hand and pulling you up from the couch before you had a chance to argue. It was hard to keep up with his long strides and he didn’t look back when Steve called after the two of you.

“What’s going on?” You asked as he pulled you outside and slammed the door. You watched as he took a few breaths, like he was trying to steady himself. “Talk to me, please.”

“I wasted two years,” he whispered, tilting his head to look at the sky. “Two fucking years.”

What is he talking about?

“I don’t understand,” you said.

“I made a huge mistake and I regret it,” he said, squeezing your hand as he faced you. “And I can't go the rest of this week without telling you. I wasted enough time.”

“Tell me what? Bucky, what did you do?”

And can we come back from it?

That literary edging. I'm sorry! Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

the cool mom's countdown

pairing: pre-re2!leon s kennedy/milf!reader

content: age gap, older woman/younger man, edging, sub!leon, excessive use of the word 'ma'am' (by leon)

word count: 2.6k

summary: your son's friend, leon, comes over for nye and you play a 'game' (edging) during the countdown to midnight

a/n: should've posted this on new years, but i didn't really intend on posting it at all

You’re the neighborhood ‘cool mom’ - moms hate you, their daughters envy you, dads try not to stare for too long, and their sons, they love you. Your son’s friends have been flirting with you since they were middle schoolers, and their actions only intensified once they learned the word ‘milf’. They'd probably watched every video on pornhub with the word in the title based on the way they stared at you. Almost creaming their jeans, drooling like babies, it was pitiful. 

You became an empty nester young, young enough that you still had the body of a Victoria's Secret model. When your son came home after his first semester of college for winter break, his high school buddies came around almost daily. You were the cool mom, so you let them drink and smoke a little bit, you’d rather have it under your roof where you could control it. 

Your favorite young man came over on New Year’s Eve for a little get together your son planned. You tried to stay out of the boys’ way for the majority of the night, only coming down from your room to offer snacks and drinks. Later in the night, your son asked if they could go out for a bit – another kid from school was having a party. You said, yes, of course, and off they went. You assumed you were alone, so naturally, you walked downstairs in your nightgown, not expecting to see a handsome young man in your living room. 

“Leon?” you said. 

“Sorry, ma’am, I-I wasn’t sure if I should leave or not, and I can just - I’ll get going now,” he said. 

“You’re welcome to stay, honey, you know that.” You flashed him a smile. 

“I don’t want to- to keep you up.”

“It’s only 10:30, Leon. How old do you think I am?” you said, playing coy. 

He blushed, “I-I didn’t mean that I think you’re old, um, you’re not, or - or you’re very pretty, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Honey, I was just playing with you. No need to get nervous around me.” You placed your hand on his shoulder, and surprise washed over his face, but his muscles relaxed. 

“Why didn’t you want to go with the other boys?”

“They, uh, well I was worried that they might be drinking alcohol or smoking,” he said, reluctant to meet your eyes.

“I forgot - you’re in the police academy now, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“All grown up now, but you’re still a good boy.”

His ears flushed pink and he began to fidget in his seat, hearing the words good boy. 

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“How ‘bout I turn on the New Year’s broadcast?”

“That sounds good.”

You sat down beside Leon, grabbing a blanket from the other side of the couch to cover yourself a bit, not wanting to show too much skin yet, especially when he looked so nervous already. 

“Do you want anything to drink or eat, hun?”

“No thank you, ma’am.”

You watched out of the corner of your eye as Leon tried to be subtle when he snuck glances at you. You noted them, but decided not to comment, knowing he’d die from embarrassment if he knew you’d caught him.

Eventually, you decided to strike up a conversation, getting tired of watching TV. 

“So, how are things going with you?” you asked.

“Pretty good. The academy is good. I like it.”

“That’s nice. Got any friends there? A girlfriend?” You made sure he heard the last question. 

“I’ve made a few friends, but I’m still working on fitting in with the guys… and no girlfriend.”

“No one’s snatched you up yet? Such a handsome young man.”

“Th-thank you, ma’am.”

“Always my pleasure, Leon.”

You pretended not to notice the way Leon shifted in his seat. You’d always paid attention to the way his jeans fit - tight enough to show off his pert ass, but still loose enough that there wasn’t an ever-present bulge on display. The fact that you could see a tent in his pants forming meant he was unmistakably aroused. Poor baby, you thought, too much friction to get it to go down, but not enough to get off. 

“Have you ever had a New Year’s kiss?” Leon asked all of a sudden. 

“Yes, I have. Why do you ask?” You tried to downplay your interest.

“They were just talking about something related to kissing at midnight… I’ve already forgotten what exactly it was…” He gestured to the C-list celebrities on TV who were droning on and on about the ball that was about to drop in Times Square.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying much attention. Got lost in my thoughts back there,” you said.

“S’okay. It wasn’t that interesting.”

“It’s the same old thing every year, isn’t it? Well, I guess when I was your age it was more fun. Going to parties and such, you know how it is. You are more well-behaved than I was at your age. Unfortunately, it means that you’ve ended up at a boring old lady’s house on New Years.” 

You laughed off the last part, but you were only half-joking. You did feel like a boring old lady sometimes. 

“You’re not boring,” he said, vehement in his assertion, “or old.”

So as not to allow yourself to get flustered, you changed the subject, “I didn’t get a chance to ask you, have you ever had a New Year’s kiss?”

You assumed his answer would be 'yes'.

“No,” he started, thinking hard about the question, “well, maybe when I was a lot younger, but I don’t think it counts when you’re both in elementary school. I’d like to think that someday it’ll happen again.”

You turned to him, eyes alight with mischief. Of course this was morally dubious, but it wasn’t illegal. You could surely be doing worse, right? At least you were keeping him from drugs and alcohol.

When you looked into Leon’s eyes, they were glossy, drunk on lust.

“Do you want-” you began, but were cut off by Leon’s lips against yours. 

He was quick, but not forceful. His lips were pillowy soft, so easy to mold yours to them. 

“Sorry,” he pulled back, “I got carried away.”

He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“It’s okay,” you said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, coaxing his gaze back towards yours. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, it was sweet.”

“Does that mean you want to do it again?”

The hope in his eyes was so pure, it made you want to melt. 

“If that’s what you’d like, then, yes.”

His bashfulness made you giddy, too. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

You cupped his chin and brought him closer, so that his mouth could meet yours again. Your tongue met his, tentatively gliding over the tip of it, and he reciprocated the gesture. The kiss gained fervor as he became eager for more. You scooted closer to him until your knees were touching. 

“It’s not even midnight yet,” you joked, breathing the words into his mouth. 

“It is somewhere in the world,” he said, with an adorable grin that had you smiling like a little girl. 

You intended to reach for his thigh, but landed a bit further up. Feeling his hard-on, you pulled your hand back, slowly, so as not to embarrass him. 

“Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to. It does that on its own.”

You laughed. “It’s okay. I know how those things work.”

“Oh o-of course, you do. I forgot…”

“Forgot what? That I have a kid? Which means I’ve done much more than kissing.”

“Yeah. You probably have a lot more experience than me.”

“Maybe, but I’m older than you, so that’s natural.”

“Well, most guys my age have had… you know, sex, before, and, uh, I haven’t really done that much, yet.”

“It’s not a big deal to be a virgin. I think it was probably not my wisest decision to have sex in high school and get pregnant. Of course, I love my son, though.” 

Your son was the one to thank for Leon ending up in your living room, so really, you couldn’t be mad that he’d cockblocked you more times than you could count, just by virtue of his existence. Turns out, most men your age who don’t already have kids, don’t want ‘em. Guess robbing the cradle really is your only choice. 

“Yeah, yeah, definitely don’t want to get pregnant - not that I would get pregnant, but I don’t want to get anyone else pregnant, I mean.”

You laughed lightly. “I’m glad you know how it works, at least.”

“Sort of, yeah, the general stuff. We learned it all in health class, so…”

“Have you ever done anything? Besides sex, I mean. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, of course.”

“Just kissing.”

“Please tell me I wasn’t your first kiss.”

“No, no.” This time he was the one laughing. “I’ve made out with girls before.”

“Just making out, though?”

“Yeah. Well, one girl let me see her boobs… and touch them.”

“What is that considered these days? Second base?”

“Not sure.”

“Have you ever wanted to do more?”

“Yeah, oh yeah, definitely, but I always get nervous.”

“You shouldn’t be nervous, but you should wait until you’re ready.”

“I’m definitely ready.” he said, looking down towards his obvious erection. 

“Yeah,” you held back a laugh, “I noticed.”

“It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“It shouldn’t be. I’m flattered, really. I’m not as young and pretty as I used to be.”

“You’re really pretty. Really, really beautiful. And I think everyone thinks that.”

“You’re very cute. I’m sure not everyone thinks that, but thank you.”

You noticed he was fidgeting, debating probably. 

“I should probably go,” he said.

“Have somewhere else to be?” you asked.

“No, well, I just, I mean, I have something to take care of," he stumbled over his words as he put his hands in his pockets, pretending as if you hadn't already acknowledged the obvious.

“Leon, are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?” You asked with an eyebrow raised. The signature, knowing look that all mothers have.

“It’s possible," he shrugged, trying to play it cool, though his breath was quickening.

“Do you want some help taking care of that?”

“Really?” his head perked up, surprised, delighted.

“Yes, really.”

“Oh, thank you, ma’am. That would be- I’d really like that.”

He was so precious you could cry. 

“Sit back for me, then,” you whispered. 

He relaxed into the couch as best he could, but it was obvious that he was tense. You couldn’t blame him. All you could do was help him. 

“Is this okay?” you asked, when your hands reached his zipper.

He nodded repeatedly, gulping back excitement. 

You made quick work of his jeans and his boxers with his eager assistance. Taking in the view, you thought, pretty cock for a pretty boy. It made sense, really. You almost pitied all the girls his age who’d missed out on the chance to see it before you got your hands on him. When you spit directly onto his dick - for lubrication, not degradation (you’d never do that to a poor virgin like Leon) - he gazed at you, slack-jawed and hands twitching, unsure of where to place them. It only took a few pumps of your hand down his length to make him whimper. 

You stopped - much to his dismay - and looked at the clock. It was getting pretty close to midnight. The two of you had already shared your New Year’s kiss - the novelty had already been savored, so you needed something else, a new game to play.

“Leon?” you asked.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Do you want to play a little game with me?”

“Sure. What kind of game?”

“How about this,” you started, running your hands up his thighs, beginning your teasing routine, “I start touching you again, and then when you think you’re really close to cumming, you tell me and I’ll stop… and then start again.”

It sounded as torturous for him as it would be, but you flashed him a sweet smile, one that promised you’d take good care of him. 

“You mean like edging?”

Well, when you put it like that, yeah, Leon. He must not be as innocent as you'd assumed.

“Yes.”

“But do I get to cum at all, like ever?”

He was already giving you a pouty face, fearing the worst. 

“Yes, at midnight.”

Leon looked at the clock, preparing himself for the amount of teasing he’d have to endure.

“All right,” he agreed to your proposal. 

“Good boy,” you said, not intending much by it, but it was well-received by Leon - the sharp intake of breath was so distinct. 

Your hand made its way back to his dick, beginning with languid strokes. He was quick to stop you after what felt like only a few seconds. It could've been a minute, maybe, but no one was counting yet.

“‘M getting close,” he mumbled, grabbing your wrist.

“Really close?” you asked, not wanting to stop pre-emptively.

“Yeah,” he said, looking away in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, but you could see the redness rising to his ears. 

“Are you always this sensitive?” you asked, a little bit self-indulgent, but genuine, still. Not too teasing.

“No,” he said quietly.

“Is it me?” 

“I think so.”

You considered kissing him to keep him entertained, but you’d forgotten what it was like to be with such a young man. All the men in their 40s needed help keeping their dicks hard, you couldn’t play like this or they’d go soft.

You gave him a minute to relax before you went back to touching him. The cycle continued until the countdown. You watched the TV flash the numbers counting down the final minute. 60, 59, 58…

“Think you can make it?” you asked, your faith in him was quickly waning as he was clearly on edge.

49, 48, 47…

“I hope so,” he said through shaky breaths.

39, 38, 37…

“Do I have to stop?” you took your hand away briefly.

“N-no, no, no.” His tone wasn’t terribly reassuring, voice cracking when he spoke. 

29, 28, 27…

You slowed down but didn’t stop fully. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t get it out. 

19, 18, 17…

Labored breaths turned into moans, so focused on not cumming early that he couldn’t find the space in his thoughts to hold any shame.

“You’re doing so well, honey,” you cooed.

9, 8, 7…

“Thank you,” he said - or at least, tried to, though his lower lip trembled, making it difficult. 

You looked up into his teary eyes. 

6, 5, 4…

He leaned his head back, like his muscles were giving out, all the blood having rushed between his legs. His eyes were closed, but his lips were parted to let out a stream of ‘ah’s’ and ‘oh’s’. 

3, 2, 1…

With a strangled sob, thick ropes of white ran down your hand. You leaned in to kiss him just like all the people in Times Square. You felt the pulsing sensation continue, almost more intense when your lips met his. His lips were pliant, as was his whole body after the release of tension. 

“Happy New Year,” you said as you pulled back.

For a moment, all you received in response was his heavy breathing - if it weren’t for that, with the way he was splayed out before you, his body completely limp, you’d think he was dead.

“I’m not sure whether to say ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m sorry for making a mess,” Leon said finally, still looking blissed-out. 

You laughed. “Neither. The correct response is ‘Happy New Year’.”

“Oh,” he said, as if he’d lost all sense of time and space, “Happy New Year”. 

[hoshigray]

hey!! I love you works=) Can I request a fem!chubby(optional)reader x gojo,where gojo is her mean roommate and after a night when he had fun with a random girl and reader couldn't sleep because of it she confront him and he shows her how much he loves-hates her (NSWF if you can,when I say love-hate I mean he loves her,but she is not afraid to attack his ego so he finds this quite annoying) I truly understand if you don't want to write and I respect your decision =) I just say to try my luck and see if you like the idea

lol well, I'm lucky to have time to indulge in this idea, so why not? hope i did this right...

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Gojo x roommate! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - the reader can be read as chubby or not - implied mutual feelings/pining - kissing/making out - teasing - fingering (f! receiving) - oral (f! receiving) - clitoral play (swiping and licking) - doggy style + missionary position - unprotected sex (psa: wrap it up or get tf up) - Gojo being a bit whipped for you - pet names (angel, baby, princess, sweetie) - implied usage of alcohol - mention of saliva/drool. 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3.1k

“God, you can be such a fucking dumbass…Who told you to drink so much?”

“Listen–hic–I was just being the life of the party. Plus, gotta impress the ladies~”

“Oh, for God’s sake, just eat your damn mocha bread.”

Lying on the living room couch with you sitting on your knees on the carpet, tending to his drunken state, was not something Satoru Gojo had planned. It was supposed to be a chill night at the club with the guys – Geto, Nanami, and Haibara – yet he somehow found his way to the dance floor and danced like a rock star, drinking like a fish from taking up all the shots bought by all the women infatuated by him. What can he say; he could never refuse the ladies, even if he doesn’t like alcohol.

However, he’ll admit he might have overdone it and puked in the club bathroom for a solid 20 minutes before his friends decided it was time to go. You opened your apartment door to your roommate being carried by Haibara and Geto, the dark-haired men apologizing for the inconvenience at the late hour after dropping their friend on the couch and leaving you to deal with the tipsy fool. 

Although, with him dealing with the raging headache and horrid acid from the vomit earlier ruining his tastebuds, Gojo would say this wasn’t all too bad. Why? Well, now he has his cute roommate to look after him like they always do.

Although he feels a bit bad that you were up to see him at this ungodly hour, watching you sitting beside him and feeding him his favorite snack to ease his subsiding intoxication made him feel warm. The little pout on your face as you break apart pieces of the mocha bread to feed into his mouth, your gorgeous eyes examining him to see if he’s okay, and your cute pajamas comprised of an oversized shirt and some shorts. If it meant being treated by you like this, the snow-haired man figured he ought to get drunk more often.

The only problem was you nagging at him like he was a child, grabbing for his hand to hold the glass of water on his own. “Drink; I don’t want you puking on my carpet.” Yup, you were his roommate, all right.

He rolled his eyes while taking a sip. “You’re supposed to be talking all sweet and slow to me here because my head’s going at sixty miles an hour. Aren’t you supposed to be sympathetic to the weak?”

You scoffed. “Oh please, you are not weak; you’re just dumb enough to drink whatever thing some pretty girl gives you.” 

“Hmph,” He puffs at you, evoking your eye to twitch. “Well, maybe I should just go back to the venue and find that pretty lady who was dancing with me all night!” He takes a bite of some more mocha bread. “I’m sure she’d be nice enough to minister to my drunk self.”

That was a lie. There was a lady he was dancing with, the same lady who hung out with the guys at the club and had a good time with them. The woman was a wild and entertaining girl, Gojo will admit. But in all aspects, she was just there; she was nothing. If anything, Gojo wished that you were there instead of her. You were busy with work, opting to sit this out and maybe go with the guys the next time. 

And although he didn’t try to argue (outside of pestering you in giving in and coming along), he couldn’t get his mind off you while he was away. You were all he could think about, wondering if you were okay or if you remembered to eat dinner. Or just imagining you being with him, wearing something nice and letting loose around his friends – around him. Fuck, just visioning him and you dancing together would’ve been such a treat and probably saved his poor liver and stomach from all the alcohol. 

Instead, he’s spending the last moments of his late-night high with you, who should be sleeping. You say to him, “Would you?”

He draws his brows upwards. “Hmm?”

“Would you go back?” he now notices the look on your face, as if you’re going back and forth with something internally. “I mean, probably not because I’m sure whoever has to deal with you can’t feed you your favorite bread.” 

He hums, taking note of your expression and your fingers playing with the edge of his plate. “Why do you ask?”

“Because Nanami called me earlier when you were getting a little too wild, like, five shots in,” The number throws the man in a whirlwind; damn, I had more than five? “And he told me you were so tipsy and touchy that you couldn’t stop asking about me. Like, ‘Where’s Y/n’ or ‘Man, I wish Y/n was here; they love this song.’” 

Did I say that? “I said that?” A curt nod is given to Gojo, and he presses his lips to a thin line. Ah, shit. 

“All I’m saying is,” you continue with a pout. “It would be pretty scummy of you to say you’d wanna hang with another woman and then turn around and worry about me, for whatever reason.” 

Sky-blue eyes observe yours downcasted to the plate with the sweet bread. He couldn’t ignore how cute you avoided his gaze — it’s what prompted him to say this: “…There is a reason.”

“Hmm?”

“I didn’t worry about you for nothing,” you watch the white-haired man bring his upper body up from the couch with his elbows. His face is now a foot away from yours, close enough for you to see the earnest glint in his eyes under the soft, warm glow of the ceiling lighting. “Nothing is for ‘whatever’ reason if it’s with you.”

Your brows furrowed together, eyes avoiding Gojo’s gaze. “What could that reason be, I wonder. You’re just saying that so I can stop being up taking care of—“You couldn’t finish that sentence; how could you when Gojo brought a hand to your chin and prompted you to look back at him? Azure eyes pierced right into yours; it made your heart skip, and your body dare not to move.

“You want me to prove you wrong?” He asks with a neutral expression, hard for you to gauge what’s on his mind. You know him; he likes to poke fun or try to get you riled up. So, this shouldn’t be any different (aside from him holding your chin).

You huff, “Go ahead.”

And it was there where you should’ve chosen your words carefully.

“Khaaa! Ohhh! G–Gojo, stop…! Y’r fingerss—Ahhaaa!”

“Aht, aht, don’t do that, angel. Open those legs up for me…Fuck, you’re so cute…Mmm”

It took you aback when Gojo stood up from the couch, took your hand, and walked you from the living room to his room. Confusion on your part turned into immediate shock when he brought you into a kiss. With wide eyes and thoughts going at a million miles per hour, you instinctively tried to brush him off you. But one kiss turned into two, and two kisses turned into three. And before you know it, you sink into the feel of his pillowy lips, a leg situating between yours while your hands come around his neck.

And the surprises don’t stop there; Gojo then hoists you up — yes, picks you up! — and brings you to his bed to continue laying his lips on you. Your shaky moans resulted from his kisses trailing from your chin to your collarbone, the humps of his lower half chafing the groin of your shorts. The twitch of your chasm happens involuntarily — how embarrassing! Especially when he distracts you by claiming your lips again so he can pull down your bottoms and panties.

And that’s how we end up here, you crying out for him as he kisses and nibbles on your ear while his fingers play with your wet folds. “—Ahahhnn!! G–Gojo, no..! Not there…Hnnfff…!”

“You say that, but you’re not letting my fingers go, huh.” He chortles before kissing your cheek, stuffing his middle finger to aid his forefinger in scraping your inner walls. The wails that escaped your lips were so unlike the stern persona he’d usually deal with; they provoked him into wanting to hear more. “Damn, didn’t know my little cute roomie could make such cute sounds. Let me hear more, ‘kay?” 

Cute!? The adjective had your cheeks increase in heat with the twitch of your southern walls clamping onto Gojo’s digits. “Hoooh! Q–Quit playing with me, Gojo; just stop going so fa—Aaahhhh!!” 

From your protest, his fingers go even faster. And worse, he sneaks his thumb to your clitoris, where he shocks your body with swipes and grinds to the delicate pearl. Too fast for you to chew on your lip to shield the creams, “Hey now, I said call me by my name.” He looks at you with flushed cheeks and soft, hooded eyes — way too late to blame the alcohol for such effects. But you can see the passion that’s burning inside those blue orbs of his. “Don’t be stubborn on me, pretty girl. What’s my name, Y/n?”

God, first cutie, now pretty girl; how many names was he gonna call you to drag you deep into your pool of embarrassment? “Haahhh, Satoru, please,” your body jerks to the jabs of his fingers hitting inside you. 

“Heh, good girl. My little angel…” Gojo kisses you again, sucking on your tongue with a teasing vigor before lifting your shirt to display your body to him in its whole form. Your breasts spill open for him to claim a nipple into his mouth for a quick suck. He then travels down your abdomen, playfully nibbling on your soft skin and flesh for you to jerk. His hands massage your inner thighs after spreading them further. 

His face then comes down to your bare cunt, blowing on it to make you squirm. “Fuck, I’ve been wanting to look at you for so long. You made such a gorgeous mess for me.” 

“Go fuck yourself, Gojo,” you peer down at him, only for him to beam with a mischievous smile. Damn, you cursed his dimples for making him look like a childish bastard!

“No thanks, I’m more interested in fucking this cute thing.” He snickers to himself before descending further in between your legs and having you gasp sharply at the feel of his lips on your slit. His tongue swishes between your folds and sucks in your leaking substances for him to savor, the wet muscle teasing its entrance of your vagina before inserting inside.

You almost choke on your spit, crying out for him to stop and trying to close your legs. But that proves worthless, Gojo’s hands holding them to your chest for him to feast on you properly. You’re forced to accept the laps of his tongue, and it has your ears ringing with the obscene sounds coming from the commotion.

“—Ohoo!! Satoru, stop!!” You bring a hand to his head to grab a tuff of his snow-white hair. It does nothing, only making him eat you out even more unsteadily.  His nose occasionally bumps into your clit, your other hand gripping the sheets. “Stooop it, I’m gonna cummm, if you keep….!”

“Go ahead, baby,” he withdraws his mouth, slipping his fingers back inside you to massage euphorically. Your eyes roll up when he licks on your clitoris. “Let’s see my pretty angel be messy for me.” 

You couldn’t prevent yourself from following his command even if you wanted to, the fingers and his wet muscle all doing their part in making sure you give in. And so you do, releasing the reins to let your orgasm overcome you, clamping onto his fingers as it pass through your body through the shocks and your erotic howls. 

And Gojo eats you up through your sensitive nerves and all, his hands not letting you writhe out of this as he stuffs his face into your cunt. Your body jolts with every passing shock until it relaxes. And even then, Gojo still carries a naughty grin when lifting his face and licking his digits. “Look at that, princess. Making my fingers all pretty.”

The display made your ears hot. “Don’t play with it like that!”

“Why, I’m gonna play with you a whole lot more, anyway,” he says while kissing your thighs. He surprises you with a bite, making you huff in surprise. “Gonna play and mark you all mine all night long.”

And he was not lying. Everything happened so fast; one moment, you’re lying on Gojo’s bed with him, eating you out until you come from his mouth two times. The next moment, your pajamas are stripped off you and thrown to the floor along with his. 

“—Noohhh!! Ohhh, fuuuck, ahh, ‘Toruuu, yer goin’ too fast…! Slow down!!”

“Hnngh! Ahhhh, easy for you to say with you gripping on me like crazy…Holy shiiiit, you feel so good…”

Now, you two in the nude are fucking like animals. The hour is way past late for noises to disrupt your neighbors, yet here you are on Gojo’s bed with your face down to the sheets and your ass propped up for him to drill his length deep inside you. He’s caged you beneath him, his strong arms on either side of you while his hips thrust into your plump ass and thighs. The sounds of the action were so raunchy to the ears, something straight from a porno.

The two of you have been going at it for about two previous rounds; your body is already sensitive and sweaty from this. You want to be tired – your mind is trying to tell you you’re exhausted. However, it’s impossible to think of anything else with Gojo hammering his dick into you like no tomorrow. Excessive come leaks from your cunt down your thighs, a white ring forming around the base of his shaft — evidence of your sexes union. 

“Ohhh Jesus, this ’s too much…Nnnphh!” The clap of your ass smacking onto Gojo’s pelvis made you sheepish, sinking your face further into the sheets to try and conceal your cries. But that’s not working when the tip of his cock grazes your velvety walls in such a precise motion that you almost choke on a sob, drool coming down your mouth. “Oh God, right there, ‘Toruuu…”

The white-haired man observes from above, examining your round ass and body jerk from his movements. Fuck, you looked so fucking sexy like this under him, wailing out from him being able to make you feel so good. It strokes his ego so badly, but that’s what happens when he’s finally proving to you how much he’s wanted your body like this. Your erotic body, your adorable mewls, and your amazingly tight cunt clenching on him as if you don’t want to let him go — it all makes his head pound, and his strokes smack on your harsher.

“Shiiiit, I’m so close…” He moans with a cold sweat that rolls down to his chin and hits the skin of your trapezius. Gojo then decides to switch things up before his evident release comes knocking. “Hey, sweetie. Let me see that pretty face of yours.”

You were already maneuvered to face him before he could finish that sentence, your front forced to be seen in his gaze. Your half-lidded orbs locked in with Gojo’s as he bucks his hips to you during missionary. Oh, what an intimate position! 

“Hic—Don’t look!” You say while putting your hands up to his face – accidentally hitting the bottom of his chin, taking him by surprise – not wanting him to see your disheveled and messy self under his observant eyes. 

But that didn’t fly by with him, immediately grabbing your wrists and pinning them down. “Oh, none of that, princess,” his face descends to brush his nose against yours. “I told you I’d prove you wrong. So, how am I supposed to do that with you hiding from me like that?”

You gulp to give him a snarky answer, “Mmmph—You’ve proven that enough!”

“I don’t think so,” he chuckles lightly; fuck, he sounds so hot. “With you, there’s never enough.” He takes your lips with him before you can say more, grinding his hips onto your squelching chasm to scrape your sensitive spots to evoke your screams to be taken from his mouth. 

Gojo then snaps his hips into you at an unsteady tempo, the rhythm too fast to comprehend and catch yourself. The rough hits of his dick so harsh and sporadic, and your mewls are muffled by his kisses. Your hands go to his back, preparing yourself for the climax that rushes back to you for the fifth time that night. 

Oh, fuck, oh my fucking God! And it hits you like a slap to the face; your exhausted body trembles for yet another crescendo to crash over you. Your legs come around to Gojo’s waist to hold on. And Gojo’s not too far from orgasming on his own; the fluttering contractions of your cunt force him to give in and spill into you once again, groaning into your wet and puffy lips. 

The two of you embrace the jolts of your bodies in union, your lips glued to his as he kisses you through it all. And he drops his sweaty body on yours, the heat between you two sticking to your skins from the contact. A hand comes to the top of your head, caressing and massaging your scalp to further your relaxed state.

Gojo breaks the kiss with a soft sound, and a string of saliva sticks to you two until it’s broken apart from his ascent. He chortles, using a thumb to wipe your mouth from spit. “Well, did I make my point?”

You send him a tired glare, sighing heavily while your finger traces his back. “More than enough, Satoru.”

He beams, the dimples returning to blind you. “Good! Because I was thinking of going for another round—“

Your lips quiver with dread at the words, grabbing for a pillow and instantly hitting him in the head with it, not caring about him exclaiming in pain from the impact.

“Hurry up and get off me, you drunk, horny bastard!!”

But one thing was definite; it wasn’t the alcohol that Gojo was drunk on — it was you.

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2024 – dividers from @/benkeibear.

[talktonytome]

“Honey, I’m home!” Buck shouts, as he walks through Tommy’s door. He tries to inject the energy he’s definitely not feeling. He and Tommy had planned a night out, since they both finally had a free night for the first time in weeks. Buck was looking forward to it all week, and of course his leg had to act up today, of all days. Bobby even sent him home early, giving him a knowing look and telling him to rest. Stupid weather changes.

“In here!” Tommy replies from the living room. Buck drops his duffel by the stairs and toes off his shoes before walking over. When he gets there, Tommy’s sitting in a nest of blankets and pillows on the floor. The lights are down low and there are snacks and drinks on the coffee table.

“W-what’s all this?” Buck was expecting to find Tommy getting ready for their date. Instead, he looks incredibly cozy in sweats and a worn t-shirt. He holds out his arms, beckoning Buck to join him. “C’mere, sweetheart.”

Buck walks the rest of the way there, stopping in front of Tommy, trying to figure out the best way to kneel down without wincing in pain. “Here,” Tommy sits up on his knees, wraps his arms around Buck’s torso and under his legs, before scooping him up and settling him on his lap in one fell swoop. “Welcome home,” he smiles, dropping a soft kiss to Buck’s birthmark.

“Hi,” Buck whispers back, nudging his nose agains Tommy’s. “Not that I’m complaining, but I figured you’d be in a suit by now?”

“Hm,” Tommy hums, “but the atmospheric pressure change today told me otherwise,” he shrugs, nosing along Buck’s jaw.

“Huh?” Buck doesn’t know how that explains the lack of suit. Tommy huffs fondly, shaking his head. “Tell me your leg’s not killing you?”

Buck ducks his head, definitely caught out. “Uh..”

“That’s what I thought,” Tommy says, tilting his head. “And I know how stubborn you are, baby. You were going to try to power through our date and knowing you’d be in pain kills me. So, here’s what we’re gonna do,” he gently sets Buck beside him on their blanket fort. “You’re gonna choose a movie,” he hands Buck the remote, “while I make some popcorn.”

Buck’s eyes follow Tommy, as he walks to the kitchen and he swallows back the sob threatening to escape his throat, busying himself with choosing a movie.

Soon enough, the smell of popcorn fills the air. Tommy’s back with a big bowl in one hand, and a small bottle and something that looks like a towel in the other. He hands Buck the bowl. “Eat,” he orders gently. He reaches for the remote and starts the movie Buck picked- When Harry Met Sally. “Great choice,” Tommy grins.

“What about you, aren’t you having some?” Buck shakes the bowl of popcorn at him.

“In a minute,” Tommy reaches for his bad leg and props it on top of his own lap. He rolls Buck’s pantleg up to just above his knee and uncaps the bottle he’d brought over. “Picked this ointment up earlier,” he explains. “It’s supposed to help relieve this kinda pain.” He squirts some in his hands, rubbing his palms together to warm it up, then starts massaging the smooth gel all over his leg, only using enough pressure to soothe and rub the ointment into his skin and around the aching joints.

Buck pauses the movie. Tears finally fall from lashes, both from the pain relief and Tommy’s depth of love and care. Tommy immediately stops what he’s doing, looking up at him with concern.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong? Am I hurting you?”

You’re actually putting me back together, mending all my broken, jagged pieces, he wants to say.

“Just the opposite,” he shakes his head instead. “You’re perfect, you know that?”

“Now that’s just not true,” Tommy says, with a small laugh. “Taking care of you is no hardship,” Evan.

“You’re perfect for me,” Buck counters, “and I have been, a hardship,” he swallows. “My parents-”

“- Were so, so wrong! Oh, let me count the ways,” Tommy interjects, frowning. “Seriously, Evan, I love you and I love taking care of you. It means so much to me that I get to be the person you feel safe with,” he says so earnestly. Buck believes him.

“Thank you for being so good to me,” he says softly.

“Of course.” Tommy sets the ointment down and unrolls what Buck now realizes is a heating pad. He watches Tommy plug it in and set the temperature just right, before covering Buck’s knee and shin with it. Oh, that feels amazing. He breathes a deep sigh and sags against Tommy, burrowing his head on his shoulder. “Perfect, I tell you,” he breathes contentedly.

“Yes you are,” Tommy tells him, eyes crinkling at the corners with Buck’s favorite smile. He reaches for one of the thicker blankets and covers them with it, then, restarts the movie.

“Best date ever,” he whispers against Buck’s hair, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“Mhm,” Buck agrees wholeheartedly. “I love you, Tommy.”

“I love you, too.”

[loveanton]

memories | lee anton

ꕤ DESCRIPTION:  the weather is finally starting to warm up and so to kick off the start of your summer vacation, your boyfriend plans a cute picnic date only for his friends to crash it…

❥ 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: boyfriend!anton x f!reader

❥ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 2.6k

⟶ 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: kisses, and light teasing not much i think but pls let me know if i missed anything

⏤ 𝑎/n: another self indulgent piece hehe ^-^

“It's so freaking hot, oh my gosh,” you complain, wiping the sweat from your brow. Anton looks up from where he’s spreading out the picnic blanket, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

“You’re cute when you pout like that,” he teases, his eyes twinkling. You stick your tongue out at him, but can’t help the blush that creeps up your cheeks.

“Am not,” you mutter, though your expression softens as you watch him work.

Anton chuckles and reaches up, grabbing your hand to pull you down onto the blanket beside him. “Come on, sit with me,” he says, wrapping an arm around your waist as you settle down. He reaches for the picnic basket and begins to unpack it, revealing an array of your favorite snacks.

Your eyes widen in surprise. “You remembered all my favorites,” you say, your voice filled with awe. “Even the chocolate-covered strawberries?”

“Of course,” Anton replies, his smile growing. “I know how picky you are, so I wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”

You feel a warm rush of affection for him, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “You’re the best, you know that?”

“I try,” he says with a wink. “Besides, I love seeing you happy.”

You begin to munch on the snacks, chatting about your plans for the summer. “I can’t wait to plan more cute dates like this,” you say, popping a grape into your mouth. “Maybe we could go hiking, or have a movie night under the stars.”

Anton’s expression falters for a moment, and you notice the brief flicker of worry in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” you ask, your voice tinged with concern.

He sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I’m going on tour for most of the summer,” he admits. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Your heart sinks at his words, and you feel a lump form in your throat. “Oh,” you say softly, looking down at the half-eaten strawberry in your hand. “I didn’t realize it was going to be that long.”

He reaches out, gently lifting your chin so you meet his gaze. “Hey, don’t be upset,” he says, his voice soothing. “I promise I’ll always make time for you. We’ll have video calls, and I’ll send you pictures from every city. It’ll be like you’re with me.”

You nod, blinking back the tears that threaten to spill over. “I know. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all.”

“I’ll miss you too,” he says, pulling you into a tight hug. “But think of all the stories we’ll have to share when I get back. And in the meantime, we’ll make the most of every moment we have together.”

You smile against his shoulder, feeling a sense of comfort in his words. “Okay,” you say, pulling back slightly to look at him. “But you better not forget to call me every day.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he promises, kissing your forehead. “Now, let’s enjoy this picnic. We’ve got the whole day ahead of us.”

You lie back on the blanket with Anton, his arm wrapped securely around you as you both gaze up at the sky. The clouds drift lazily, forming and reforming into various shapes. You reach into the basket, pulling out a handful of cherries, and begin to feed them to Anton one by one.

“Look at that one,” you say, pointing to a fluffy cloud above. “It looks like a bunny.”

Anton chuckles, chewing thoughtfully on a cherry. “I see it! And that one over there looks like a dinosaur.”

You squint, trying to see the dinosaur shape he’s pointing out. “Hmm, more like a lopsided giraffe, if you ask me.”

He laughs, the sound warm and familiar. “You’re blind.”

You smile, feeling completely at ease in his arms. You pop another cherry into his mouth, then take one for yourself. As you’re about to eat it, you notice Anton looking at you intently.

“What?” you ask, the cherry hovering just before your lips. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

He doesn’t respond immediately, just smiles softly. Then, he leans in and pecks your lips, his kiss sweet and tender.

“You’re just so beautiful,” he murmurs against your lips. “I can’t help it.”

A blush creeps up your cheeks, and you feel a rush of affection for him. “You’re pretty amazing yourself,” you whisper back, feeling the cherry's sweetness mixing with the warmth of his kiss.

He pulls you closer, his arm tightening around you. “I could stay like this forever,” he says, his voice filled with contentment.

You snuggle into his side, feeling the same. “Me too. Let’s not think about anything else, just this moment.”

As you both continue to point out silly shapes in the clouds, the world around you seems to fade away, leaving only the two of you in your perfect little bubble.

You turn your gaze back to Anton, meeting his eyes. There's a moment of shared understanding, a deep connection that doesn't need words. He leans in again, this time more slowly, giving you the chance to close the distance. His lips capture yours in a kiss that's both gentle and insistent, drawing you into him. You can taste the cherries, their sweetness mingling with the warmth of his breath. The world seems to melt away as you focus on the sensation of his lips moving against yours, his hand gently cradling the back of your head.

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless, your foreheads resting against each other. “Wow,” you whisper, a shy smile tugging at your lips.

“Wow,” he echoes, his eyes sparkling. He kisses your forehead, then turns his attention to the people around you. “Look at that,” he says, pointing to a little girl wobbling on her bike while her dad steadies her. The mom stands a few feet away, recording the whole scene on her phone.

You watch the family, a warm feeling blooming in your chest. “It’s so sweet,” you say softly. “She’s doing so well.”

Anton nods, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I can’t wait to start a family with you one day,” he says, his voice full of quiet conviction.

Your heart skips a beat, and you turn to look at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. “I feel the same way,” you say, squeezing his hand. “I can’t wait to share all of that with you.”

As you both get lost in thoughts of the future, a small figure approaches. A little boy, no older than five, stands before you, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I can’t find my mommy,” he sobs, clutching a small toy in his hand. “I was playing hide and seek with my sister, and now I’m lost.”

Your heart goes out to the boy, and you immediately reach out to him. “Hey there, it’s okay,” you say softly, lifting him into your arms. “We’ll help you find your mommy. What’s your name?”

“Ethan,” he sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

“Hi, Ethan. I’m ____, and this is Anton,” you introduce, giving him a reassuring smile. “We’re going to find your mom, okay?”

Anton stands and takes your hand, the three of you forming a little chain. As you walk through the park, you can’t help but feel a pang of something as you hold the boy on your hip, Anton’s hand warm and steady in yours. For a moment, you almost feel like a family, but neither of you says it out loud.

It doesn’t take long to spot a frantic woman scanning the park, her eyes wide with worry. “Ethan!” she cries out as soon as she sees him, rushing over.

“Mommy!” Ethan wiggles out of your arms and runs to her, burying his face in her neck.

The relief on her face is palpable as she hugs him tightly. “Thank you so much,” she says to you and Anton, her voice shaking. “I turned around for one second, and he was gone.”

“It’s no problem,” Anton replies, his tone gentle. “We’re just glad he’s safe.”

As you watch Ethan and his mom walk away, Anton turns to you, his expression thoughtful. “You were great with him,” he says softly. “I think you’re going to be an amazing mom one day.”

Your heart swells at his words, and you smile up at him. “And you’re going to be an incredible dad,” you reply. “How many kids do you think we should have?”

Anton laughs, pulling you back down onto the blanket. “I don’t know, three or four maybe? Enough to keep things interesting.”

You laugh along with him, resting your head on his shoulder. “I like the sound of that. I always imagined having a big family.”

He presses a kiss to your temple. “Me too. I can’t wait to make all those memories with you.”

Just as you lean in to kiss him again, a soccer ball rolls to a stop in front of your blanket. You both look up to find the boys approaching. All six of them. You make eye contact with Seunghan who's smirking, leaving you to believe the ball belongs to him.

Anton groans as he recognizes the culprit. “Oh no,” he mutters, burying his face in your neck, his ears turning red out of embarrassment.

Seunghan arrives first, grinning broadly. “Well, well, what do we have here?” he teases. “Our baby is all grown up and on a romantic picnic. How adorable.”

Before you know it, the rest of the group—Sohee, Wonbin, Eunseok, Sungchan, and Shotaro—are descending upon your blanket, each with varying degrees of amused grins.

“Look at him, all lovey-dovey,” Sohee says, making exaggerated kissy sounds.

Anton groans louder, his face buried deeper in your neck. “Can you guys just go away?” he mutters, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

“Not a chance,” Eunseok laughs, grabbing a handful of your snacks. “These are ours now.”

Anton shoves Eunseok’s hand away. “Hyung! I bought those for ____, not for you.”

Wonbin plops down on the blanket, making himself comfortable. “Aww, how sweet,” he mocks. “Protecting her snacks. What a gentleman.”

You can't help but laugh at the antics, even though you feel a little sorry for Anton. “It’s fine,” you say, patting Anton’s back. “They can stay.”

Anton lifts his head, his face flushed. “But this was supposed to be our time,” he protests, though there’s no real heat in his words.

“Come on, Anton,” Sungchan says, nudging him. “We’ll be good. Promise.”

“Yeah, we won’t bite,” Shotaro adds with a grin.

Anton sighs, clearly resigned. “Fine, but if you touch the strawberries, you’re dead to me.”

The group laughs and settles down, making themselves at home on your blanket. They start chatting and joking, making the atmosphere lively and fun. Despite the intrusion, you find yourself enjoying their company. They tease Anton mercilessly, but it's all in good fun, and you can see how much they care about him.

“So,” Seunghan says, turning to you. “How are things with this guy?”

You smile, squeezing Anton’s hand. “He’s perfect,” you say simply.

“Aww,” Sungchan coos, making more kissy sounds before scowling. “Look at them, so in love. Makes me sick.”

Anton rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling too. “Yeah, yeah, keep it up, guys. See if I invite you to our wedding.”

The group erupts into laughter, and Anton pulls you closer, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Sorry about them,” he murmurs. “They’re like this all the time.”

You smile, leaning into him. “It’s okay. I like seeing this side of you.”

The teasing continues, but eventually, the conversation shifts to more casual topics. You find yourself talking about your summer plans, their upcoming tour, and reminiscing about past adventures. It’s clear how close they all are, and you feel a warm sense of belonging just being around them.

After a while, Shotaro stands up, stretching. “Alright, lovebirds, we’ll leave you to your date. We’ve got a game to finish.”

The others groan but follow his lead, slowly getting up and saying their goodbyes. “See you later, Anton,” Sohee says with a wink. “Take good care of ____.”

“I always do,” Anton replies, his eyes soft as he looks at you.

Once they’re gone, you and Anton lie back down on the blanket, the park seeming much quieter without the boisterous presence of his bandmates. “Well, that was something,” you say with a laugh.

Anton sighs in relief. “Finally, some peace and quiet.”

You cuddle closer to him, your head resting on his chest. “You know, they’re really great. I can see why you love them.”

“They’re a handful,” he admits, “but yeah, they’re great. It’s just... sometimes I want to keep things just between us.”

“I get that,” you say, tilting your head to look up at him. “But they’re part of who you are, and I love every part of you.”

He smiles down at you, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “I love you,” he says softly, his eyes full of emotion.

“I love you too,” you reply, feeling the sincerity of those words deep in your heart.

You both lie there, content in each other’s arms. 

After a few moments, you sit up, looking around at the park. “You know what? I kind of miss their presence. How about we join them and play a bit of soccer?”

Anton smiles, appreciating your positive attitude. “Are you sure? I don’t mind just laying here with you.”

You hum, “I’m sure. It’ll be fun, let’s do it.”

You both get up and make your way over to where the guys are kicking the ball around. When they see you approaching, they cheer.

“Look who decided to join us!” Sungchan calls out.

“Ready to get your butt kicked, Anton?” Wonbin taunts, laughing.

Anton smirks, grabbing the ball. “We’ll see about that. ____ and I are a team. You guys don’t stand a chance.”

The impromptu soccer match is filled with laughter, playful banter, and a few competitive moments. You find yourself having a great time, running around and kicking the ball with Anton and his friends. Despite their teasing, you can see how much they respect and care for each other.

As the game winds down, you all collapse onto the grass, breathless and happy. Anton lies beside you, his hand finding yours. “Thanks for going along with this,” he says softly. “I know it wasn’t what we planned.”

You squeeze his hand, smiling up at him. “It’s perfect. I love seeing this side of you, and I love spending time with you and your friends.”

He leans in and kisses you, a sweet, lingering kiss that makes your heart flutter. When you pull away, you see the warmth and gratitude in his eyes. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you too,” you reply, feeling the sincerity of those words deep in your heart.

As you all lie there on the grass, chatting and laughing, you realize that these are the moments that make life special—the unexpected, the unplanned, the times spent with the people you love. You wouldn’t trade these memories for anything.

[sukiipjs]

✿ LET ME HELP

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↳ matt sturniolo x fem reader

↳ words - 1105

↳ summary - you had a stressful day but matt’s always here to help in one way or another<3

↳ contains - smut, maybe some fluff?, fingering, oral (f receiving), orgasm, praise, swearing, pet names (baby), idk

↳ song - just for me by pinkpantheress

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°:. *₊ ° . ☆

i had a rough day today, too many things going wrong. but after a loooong day at work and people being bitchy all around me, i finally get home, i reach for the doorknob and i walk inside.

i look over and see matt at the table having a snack and scrolling on his phone. his head turns to me immediately and a smile clear on his face, “hi baby!” he sets down his phone and starts walking toward me as i take off my shoes and put my bag down, “hi matt”

i sigh as he wraps his arms around me from behind, kissing my cheek, “you okay baby?” i step away from his hug and roll my eyes not in his view, “yeah i’m fine” he’s not convinced.

i walk into our room and flop down on the bed and pulling out my phone to check my instagram, matt follows me and stops in the doorway, “it doesn’t seem like that, cmon talk to me” he speaks as he walks toward the bed, kneeling down on the floor beside the bed where my heads at, using his hands to prop up his head as he just smiles as me, “matt just leave me alone right now okay?” i scoff, my eyes not leaving my phone and i aimlessly scroll on whatever.

he chuckles and gets up, laying himself beside me on the bed, still with the soft smile on his face, “baby. cmon let’s talk or at least.. let me help?” his hand moves to my phone as he takes it out my hand and puts it on the nightstand next to the bed, i scoff again and turn my head to actually look at him, “help how? just please let me be and give me back my phone,”

he moves his head a little closer to me, his breath on my ear, “cmon.. i can help,” his smile right on me as he moves to kiss at my neck. oh, he means.. that help.

his hand moves to the side of my face pulling me in for a demanding kiss then pulling apart, “well?” i look at his eyes, our mouths inches apart. i start to smile a little, “go ahead,” i say softly, my smile still growing.

oh he can definitely help. matt is pussy CRAZY he would eat me out for hours if i could handle it, and fuck does he do it good, every. single. time.

matt starts to move to the edge of the bed by my legs, gently placing his hands on them, moving up and down my thighs. i sit up a little to start pulling down my pants, impatient already, but matt moves one of his hands to my shoulder gently pushing me back down, “no no baby, just lay back and relax. let me do it all okay?” i bite my lower lip gently as i look at him between my legs and i nod, “good girl.” his breath on my legs as he smirks up at me.

his hands make their way to my waistband, his finger pulling it and letting it snap back making me yelp a little, and making him chuckle. he slowly pulls down my sweatpants leaving my panties on as i kick my pants off my ankles, “mm.. baby you’re so pretty” his lips lean down, starting to kiss around my thighs, his complements making me blush. “so.. so.. sooo pretty,”

his hands grip onto my thighs and he starts to slowly bend my legs, parting them as he kisses my thighs more, and one of his kisses landing on the wet spot on my panties, my back arching a little, “oh fuck..” i mutter under my breath as his fingers make their way to the top of my panties, his eyes looking at my face as he pulls them down. my head lays on my pillows, my eyes relaxing, ready for matt.

he throws my panties to the ground, his hands then coming back to my thighs, squeezing slightly, “you ready baby?” i nod, my pussy aching for the touch of his mouth. “please matt” he smirks and his tongue gets closer, and he finally plants it on my clit, moving and licking over every spot, muffled moans coming out of me as i bite my lip harder now.

“fuck! matt,” i moan his name more and more, louder and louder as he eats me out even more, so. fucking. good. my teeth clench as my hands grip onto the sheets pulling them up and my eyes either rolling back into my head or closing shut.

one of his hands move up to my mouth, two fingers sticking out, “mph- spit baby” i force my eyes to open as i see his fingers in front of me, i lean my head up a little, putting them in my mouth, getting them wet then spitting them out, my head flopping back onto the pillows. i’m back to biting my lip but eyes open now, trying to lean my head to look down at him.

“good girl,” he smiles and moves his fingers back down then pushes them inside the heat between my legs. “fuck!” now my eyes shut again, he starts to move his fingers in and out, pumping them inside me faster and faster. “matt! fuck!” i get louder as his fingers and tongue focuses on every part of me, my walls clenching around his fingers as i pull at the sheets, god this is so perfect.

“mph.. baby i feel you, let it out yeah?” he always knows when i’m close, and when he feels it, he goes even more. “fuck, fuck.. matt please..” my feet curl as i push my head into the pillows further, teeth grinding as i moan louder, making noises i never thought i could. finally i let out a last moan as i release on his fingers, he pulls them out and moves his head up, “fuck. you’re so hot baby..”

i catch my breath, relaxing my hands and face as he moves up and flops down beside me on the bed, “you feeling better now?” he moves his head on my chest and his arms around me, hugging me tight. i smile and i put my hand on his back and the other playing with his hair, “yes matt… i love you much, i’m sorry i was a jerk… just was annoyed” i feel his smile on me as he nuzzles his head, getting more comfortable, “baby i love you too, it’s all okay i promise. you wanna talk about it now?”

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