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velarisdusk · 2 months ago

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The One Where Everybody Finds Out

Cassian x Reader

Day 2: Friends / Family @sjmxreaderweek summary: Keeping a secret in a house full of nosy friends was a losing game. You and Cassian thought you were careful—but after one too many slip-ups, it's clear: the jig is up. word count: 3.1k content: [ explicit language, implied sexual content, explicit humor, alcohol ] author's note: a nice cute fun lil fic inspired by the chandler and monica friends episode :) yes, i was in the middle of a series rewatch (showing it to the bf for the first time) when i was writing this one lol

You and Cassian hadn’t meant to keep it a secret. At least, not at first.

What had started as a fleeting moment—one night of unspoken tension, one quiet pull from Cassian, a simple kiss that should’ve meant nothing—soon spiraled into something more. Something that felt like more than a stolen touch or a glance across the training ring. It was sneaking under the table at dinner, brushing your fingers against his when no one was looking, the soft pressure of his knee against yours when you stood side by side. A pattern that was hard to ignore, harder to explain.

And yet, here you were, caught in the throes of it. The truth of it settled in like a weight you couldn’t shift, each day bringing more pressure. This was Cassian. These were your friends—your family. And somehow, the idea of them knowing—of everyone knowing—before you and Cassian even had the chance to understand what this was, felt suffocating.

So, an unspoken pact was formed: keep it quiet. For now.

The problem, of course, was Cassian.

He thought he was subtle. He thought no one noticed when he gravitated toward you at every dinner, even when it meant hauling a chair across the room. He thought the touches were harmless: a hand lingering on your back, fingers brushing yours as he passed you a drink, all innocent enough. And when he tried to play it off with weak excuses, you could hardly keep a straight face.

“I just happened to be heading out, too,” he’d said to Rhys one evening, despite the fact that he’d just ordered another drink. You barely covered your snort.

To your credit, you were trying to keep things under wraps. You didn’t let your gaze linger too long, didn’t let yourself react when his knee pressed against yours under the dining table. But Cassian made it so difficult. He was all big, stupid grins when you walked into a room, and lingering fingers when he handed you anything.

So you kept sneaking around, hoping no one saw through it, pretending to be careful, while you and Cassian—two grown adults—acted like youths trying to hide a crush.

And for a while, at least, you were sure no one knew.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . F . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

At first, it was nothing more than an inkling—a soft, nagging feeling that hovered just under the surface. Maybe it was the way Cassian’s gaze lingered a little longer than necessary on you, or the way your lips barely curved in response to his words. It was subtle, imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t paying attention.

But then, it happened.

Over dinner, Cassian slipped.

“Hey, sweetheart, could you pass the—” He froze mid-sentence.

You froze too.

For a split second, the table fell silent. Just long enough for Feyre’s eyes to flick upward, catching the shift in your expression. The way Cassian hastily shoved a forkful of food into his mouth, as if trying to swallow the evidence of his slip-up.

No one else noticed. Rhys was too caught up in his argument with Amren, and Azriel was lost in Mor’s latest joke.

But Feyre noticed.

And once she did, it was like a door opened.

She noticed the way Cassian always seemed to hover near you, the way you both made excuses to leave at the same time, the way your hands brushed ever so casually—too casually—when you thought no one was looking. You and Cassian were terrible at this.

And Feyre? Feyre was absolutely going to have fun with it.

“You know,” she began one evening, voice light, almost teasing, “I think it’s funny how some people swear they don’t do pet names, but then, out of nowhere, they slip up.”

From across the room, you nearly choked on your wine. Cassian visibly tensed, shifting uncomfortably as he buried his hands in his lap.

“Oh?” Rhys drawled, raising an eyebrow. “And here I thought you liked my pet names for you, Feyre.”

Feyre hummed, her eyes flicking toward you and Cassian. “Oh, I don’t mind them. But some people…” She let the silence stretch, just long enough to make it feel pointed. “Some people can’t help but use them.”

Rhys leaned back in his chair, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Interesting. I had the impression you preferred something more… simple.”

Feyre arched a brow. “Simple?”

His grin widened. “Well, you’ve never complained about darling.”

Feyre rolled her eyes, but her smile was too genuine to be dismissive. “That’s different.”

Rhys laughed. “Is it?”

Feyre shot him a pointed look. “You used up your one pet name already.”

Rhys clutched his chest in mock offense. “And here I was, considering my heart or my star.”

Feyre raised an eyebrow. “Try it.”

Cassian, his face flushed, immediately turned away. You fought to keep your expression neutral, but the heat of Feyre’s eyes on you was impossible to ignore. She knew.

And she was loving every second of it.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . A . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

It started with Azriel’s smirks.

He wasn’t a male known for his smiles, but there were moments—fleeting, almost imperceptible—that his lips would twitch upward, the smallest glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes.

At first, Feyre thought she was imagining it. But then, the comments began.

“You seem well-rested, Cassian,” Azriel remarked one morning, his voice deceptively casual as he sipped his coffee.

Cassian, who hadn’t slept in weeks, nearly knocked over his plate. “What?”

Azriel didn’t even look up from his paper. “Nothing.”

Feyre watched from across the room, barely holding back her laughter.

It kept happening—these little comments that would’ve been brushed off by anyone else, but Feyre knew.

Like the time you and Cassian showed up separately to the River House, late, only to have Azriel quip, “Funny how you two always seem to arrive at the same time after a night out, even though you’re coming from different places.”

Cassian tensed. You shot him a warning look. Feyre couldn’t contain her grin.

Or when Azriel casually mentioned how hard it must be to keep a secret in a house full of curious minds. His voice was slow, deliberate, each word pointed enough to cut.

He never outright confronted you, though. He didn’t need to.

Because Azriel thought he was the only one who knew.

And that—that—was the most entertaining part.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . M . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

It was never supposed to happen like this.

You and Cassian had been so careful—so careful. But now, here you were, backed up against the wall of his room at the House of Wind, his lips hot and demanding against yours, his hands gripping your waist as if he never intended to let go—

And then the door swung open.

“What in the Mother’s name—”

Cassian whipped away from you so fast, he nearly stumbled. You gasped, scrambling to straighten your clothes, but it was far too late. Mor stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open in shock, then delight.

Her hand shot out, pointing accusingly at Cassian. Then at you. Then back at Cassian.

“Are you—BY THE CAULDRON.”

“Mor—”

“Oh, wow!” She clapped a hand over her mouth, her other hand still outstretched like she was physically trying to process what she was seeing. “How long has this been going on?!”

Cassian groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “Can you not yell?”

“Can you not—whatever the hell I just walked in on?!” Mor’s voice climbed an octave.

You buried your face in your hands, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. This is it. This is how I die.

Mor shrieked in delight, practically bouncing in place. “I knew it. I knew something was off with you two lately!” She narrowed her eyes at you. “Wait—does anyone else know?”

You hesitated. “Uh—”

“NO WAY,” Mor gasped, clutching her chest. “I cannot believe I’m the first to find out.” She beamed like she’d just won the lottery. “I won’t tell, I promise. But gods, this is amazing.”

She took one last look at the two of you—still flushed, still breathless—then spun on her heel. With a wink and a whirlwind exit, she left the room, her smile wide enough to break.

Cassian dropped his head onto your shoulder, letting out a long groan. “We’re screwed.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . F.A. . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Feyre smoothed her hand over the map of Velaris spread across the table, her fingers tracing the lines of the Sidra. “We should move the patrols closer to the Sidra in the evenings. There’s been more movement near the docks lately.”

Azriel barely glanced up from the reports he was sifting through. “Already reassigned four to cover it.”

A soft laugh escaped Feyre, her lips curling at the edges. She shook her head, as if to herself. “Of course you did.” Then, as if the thought had only just occurred to her, she added, “You ever notice how Cassian’s been in a suspiciously good mood lately?”

Azriel’s fingers faltered for just a second before he turned the page, his expression a mask of indifference. “Have I?”

Feyre hummed absently, her eyes never leaving the map as she traced the Sidra again. “Mmm. And (y/n)’s been spending an awful lot of late nights at the House of Wind. Odd, don’t you think?”

For the first time, Azriel’s gaze lifted from the papers, his eyes narrowing in the faintest flicker of curiosity. “Odd?”

She shrugged, her tone light and breezy, as if it were nothing more than idle chatter. “Well, unless she’s taken up sparring… but I doubt that’s it.”

Azriel studied her for a beat longer, then turned the page with deliberate slowness, as if the words between them hadn’t lingered at all. His gaze stayed fixed on the report, his voice a touch more clipped. “How did you figure it out?”

Feyre’s lips quirked into a smug smile, her eyes glinting with mischief. “I heard him call her ‘sweetheart.’” She let the word hang between them like a well-aimed dart, watching for any shift in his expression.

Azriel didn’t flinch. Instead, he turned the page as if the word had barely registered, his cool composure unshaken. Only after a long pause did he finally exhale through his nose, his voice dry. “They really let that slip?”

She shrugged, feigning innocence, though the edge in her gaze was anything but. “How did you figure it out?”

Azriel gave a low, quiet chuckle, meeting her eyes with a knowing look. “I’m the spymaster.”

Feyre rolled her eyes, her smirk widening. “Right.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . R . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Rhysand hadn’t been looking for anything in particular that morning—just enjoying the rare silence before the house stirred. But as he rounded a corner, a familiar figure slipped out of a room that wasn’t his own.

Not his usual early-morning “training run.”

Cassian moved too quickly, his steps a fraction too sharp, his eyes darting like he was trying to slip past unnoticed. His hair was a mess, his shirt wrinkled, and there was the faintest flush still clinging to his skin.

Rhys leaned lazily against the wall, one brow lifting as a slow smirk curved his lips. “Is there a reason you’re sneaking out of (y/n)’s room at this hour, Cassian?”

Cassian froze for the briefest second before schooling his face into something passably neutral. “I was just—checking on her.”

Rhys hummed, his smirk widening. “At this hour? Interesting.”

Cassian shrugged, all false nonchalance, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him. “People need to talk in private sometimes.”

Rhys pushed off the wall, taking an easy step forward, letting the silence stretch. The faint scent of you still clung to Cassian’s clothes, subtle but unmistakable. And Rhys could practically hear the frantic calculations going on in his brother’s head, searching for a way out of this.

“Mm,” Rhys mused, tilting his head, “you do realize I can smell both of you on each other, right?”

Cassian’s jaw tightened, his face darkening a shade—not quite embarrassment, not quite irritation, but something in between.

Rhys’s grin turned downright wicked. “Relax. I’m not going to tell anyone. I was just curious.”

Cassian shot him a look that could have melted steel. Silence. A muscle ticked in his jaw. He was clearly at a loss for any more excuses, but Rhys wasn’t finished.

“Though, I have to say…” He tapped a finger against his chin, as if deep in thought. “Mor’s going to find out sooner or later. She’s like a bloodhound with these things.” He let the words settle before adding, “Actually, I’d bet she already knows.”

Cassian exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head. “Don’t even start, Rhys.”

Rhys chuckled, watching as Cassian shot him one last glare before stalking down the hall, shoulders tight, as if trying to shake off the conversation.

Rhys waited until he was gone before shaking his head to himself, still grinning. As if Mor didn’t already know. She always did.

And as if his cousin hadn’t already brought it up over their last bottle of wine.

He’d be sure to bring this up during their next.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . A . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The dining table was crowded, warm with good food and flowing wine. Conversation wove together in overlapping threads, laughter spilling easily between hands of cards. Between you, Cassian, Rhys, and Feyre, a game was already well underway.

It had been going fine—until Cassian leaned over your shoulder to peek at your hand, his fingers settling at your waist, thumb tracing a slow, absentminded path against your side.

Harmless. Thoughtless. Until it wasn’t.

The realization hit him like a slap. His hand jerked away as if he’d touched an open flame. The same thought must have struck you at the same time, because your laugh came too loud, too forced, the kind that begged to smooth over something unspoken.

A pause stretched. Rhys lifted a brow. Feyre set her cards down, watching with quiet amusement.

You cleared your throat. “Wow. Would you look at that.” A vague gesture toward the cards. “Cassian, you can’t just hover over my shoulder like that. That’s cheating.”

He blinked, slower this time. “What?”

Eyes widening a fraction, you willed him to keep up. “You looked at my cards. Totally unfair. We should restart.”

A beat passed before he nodded. “Right. Yeah. My bad. I just—uh—I thought I saw a smudge. Thought maybe it was marked.”

Feyre snorted. “Marked?”

“Yeah!” You latched onto the excuse. “You know how it is—sometimes people scratch the cards on purpose, and that would ruin the integrity of the game, so…he was just checking.”

Rhys hummed, clearly unconvinced. “And that required putting a hand on your waist?”

Your mouth opened. No words came out.

Cassian cleared his throat. “It was, uh…a reflex.”

You nodded, a little too quickly. “Yeah. Reflex.”

Mor, unimpressed, gave a slow blink. “Reflex.”

Cassian exhaled sharply. “It’s a battle thing.”

“A battle thing?” Her brow furrowed.

You doubled down. “Yeah. Instinct. From training. Checking each other’s balance, making sure no one’s about to fall over.”

Rhys smirked. “Because that’s a real problem when sitting down.”

Cassian shot him a glare. “You don’t understand how deep it goes, Rhys.”

He swirled the liquor in his glass, tilting his head. “Oh, I think I do.”

The room stilled, the air thick with something unspoken. Then, unimpressed as ever, Amren set down her glass and deadpanned, “You two can stop pretending. We all know.”

Silence.

You went still. Cassian barely breathed beside you.

Then Rhys started laughing.

Forcing a smile, you gave one last feeble attempt. “I…don’t know what you mean.”

Cassian nodded, too fast. “Yeah. No clue.”

Amren gave a flat look. “Oh, please.”

Mor, who had been watching with mild amusement, suddenly stiffened. “…Wait.” Her head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing at Amren. “What do you mean we all know?”

A slow, put-upon sigh. “Exactly what it sounds like.”

Mor blinked. “You knew?”

“Obviously.” Amren took another sip from her goblet, utterly unimpressed.

A moment of stillness. Then Mor’s expression twisted in pure offense. “But—I was the first to know!”

A quiet sound from Azriel—might’ve been a laugh. “Were you?”

“Of course I was!” Mor huffed, arms crossing. “I walked in on them, for fuck’s sake! That should’ve given me first place!”

Cassian groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Can we not bring that up?”

You muttered, “Please, let’s not.”

Rhys, grinning like this was the best entertainment he’d had in years, leaned in. “I don’t know, Cass. I think it’s an important detail. Adds to the drama.”

Cassian shot him a murderous look. “Shut up, Rhys.”

But Mor was still reeling, eyes darting between Amren, Feyre, and Az. “…So, how did you all find out?”

Feyre smirked. “Az figured it out first. I caught on about two months ago.”

Calm as ever, Azriel shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly subtle.”

Mor turned on Cassian, scandalized. “I thought you two were being sneaky.”

“We were!” Cassian threw up his hands. “Apparently, just not sneaky enough!”

Rhys chuckled. “Well, to be fair, Cass, you do have a habit of sneaking out of rooms at dawn. It’s not exactly inconspicuous.��

Cassian muttered something under his breath about everyone minding their own damn business.

Mor, still trying to process the betrayal, shook her head. “Let me get this straight—I had the deep misfortune of walking in while he was balls-deep, and yet somehow everyone else figured it out before me?”

Rhys smirked. “Not everyone. I only found out because you told me.”

Cassian’s head whipped toward Rhys just as yours snapped toward his.

Utter betrayal. “You said he caught you sneaking out, not that she told him!”

Rhys stretched back in his seat, his grin widening. “This is even better than I expected.”

Feyre turned on him, brows raised. “Wait—you knew? And you didn’t tell me?”

Rhys’s smirk didn’t waver. “You didn’t tell me either, Feyre darling.”

A scoff. “Because I thought I was the only one who knew!”

Amren, officially done, rose from her seat. “Are we going to spend the next hour debating who the reigning authority on court gossip is?”

Mor scowled. “I am.”

Feyre raised a brow. “Are you?”

Azriel took another sip of his drink, offering nothing.

Cassian leaned in close, voice low. “Maybe if we just sit here quietly, they’ll forget we exist.”

You sighed. “Unlikely.”

#sjmxreaderweek #sjmxreaderweek2025 #acotar #cassian acotar #cassian x reader #acotar fic #acotar fanfic

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theplotmage · 8 months ago

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Murder Mystery, Occult, Paranormal & Fantasy Prompt Ideas for Writers

1. The Cursed Amulet - A wealthy collector is found dead after acquiring a cursed amulet. The protagonist must uncover the artifact’s dark history to solve the murder.

2. Blood Moon Ritual - During a blood moon, a prominent figure is sacrificed in a forbidden ritual. The investigator discovers a cult trying to summon an ancient deity.

3. Witch’s Grimoire - A renowned witch is murdered, and her grimoire is stolen. The book contains spells powerful enough to alter reality.

4. Haunted Manor - Guests at a secluded manor start dying mysteriously. It’s said the house is haunted by vengeful spirits from a tragic past.

5. Necromancer’s Revenge - A necromancer brings people back from the dead to seek revenge on those who wronged him, resulting in a string of murders.

6. Sorcerer’s Apprentice - An apprentice sorcerer is killed during a magical experiment gone wrong. The protagonist must navigate a web of magical deceit to find the killer.

7. Alchemical Poison - A series of deaths caused by an untraceable poison leads to an alchemist who’s using forbidden knowledge.

8. The Phantom Assassin - A shadowy figure with supernatural abilities is killing off members of a secret society.

9. Demon Pact - A series of murders mimic those described in an ancient text about summoning a demon. The protagonist suspects a pact with dark forces.

10. Arcane Library - A librarian is found dead in a magical library where books can come to life. The books themselves hold clues to the murder.

11. Midnight Masquerade - At a masquerade ball, a guest is killed, and the murder is linked to an ancient ritual involving the masks.

12. Sacred Relic - A sacred relic is stolen, and those connected to its theft are being murdered by a guardian spirit.

13. Time-Worn Curse - An old curse reawakens, killing the descendants of the original cursed family. The investigator must break the curse to stop the murders.

14. Vampire’s Thrall - Murders in a town coincide with the arrival of a charismatic stranger who may be a vampire seeking revenge.

15. Elemental Fury - A mage controlling elemental forces is killing people who wronged him in the past. Each murder is committed using a different element.

16. Runic Inscription - Victims are found with runic inscriptions burned into their skin, leading the protagonist to an ancient prophecy.

17. Ghost Ship - A ship thought lost at sea reappears, its crew murdered. The investigator discovers the ship’s cursed history.

18. Puppet Master - An enchanted puppet is killing those who mistreated its creator, a deceased toymaker.

19. Celestial Alignment - Murders align with celestial events, suggesting a ritualistic pattern. The protagonist races against time to prevent the next murder.

20. Shadow Realm - Victims are being dragged into a parallel shadow realm, their bodies found drained of life.

21. Enchanted Forest - People who enter a forbidden forest are found dead, their bodies entwined with enchanted vines.

22. Murderous Djinn - A djinn, bound to an artifact, is killing people who come into possession of it.

23. Spellbound Love - A love potion gone wrong leads to obsessive love and murder.

24. Seer’s Vision - A seer predicts their own murder and enlists the protagonist to prevent it, but the future seems immutable.

25. Ritual Dagger - A dagger used in ancient sacrifices is rediscovered, and each person who touches it is killed.

26. Charmed Life - A person with a charm for eternal life starts aging rapidly and dies under mysterious circumstances.

27. Mystic Tattoo - A tattoo artist’s clients are being murdered, their tattoos turning into deadly curses.

28. Dragon’s Curse - A dragon’s curse starts killing those who stole from its hoard.

29. Mirror of Truth - An enchanted mirror reveals the darkest secrets of those who look into it, leading to a series of murders.

30. Ghostly Whisperer - A medium is killed by a spirit they summoned, who continues to haunt and kill.

31. Warding Sigil - A town’s protective sigil is broken, unleashing vengeful spirits on the townspeople.

32. Sorcerer’s Duel - A duel between powerful sorcerers results in one’s death, but the victor’s life is now in danger.

33. Forbidden Love - Star-crossed lovers from rival magical factions lead to a series of revenge killings.

34. Haunted Heirloom - An heirloom brings death to the family that inherits it, linked to an ancestor’s dark pact.

35. Shapeshifter’s Hunt - A shapeshifter is targeting a specific group, blending in seamlessly until the protagonist uncovers their true nature.

36. Arcane Academy - A student at a magical academy is killed during a spell-casting exam, and the murder is linked to a dark secret of the school.

37. Spectral Assassin - An assassin’s ghost seeks revenge on those who betrayed him in life.

38. Illusionist’s Game - An illusionist’s final trick results in real deaths, with magic and deception intertwining.

39. Golem Rampage - A golem goes on a killing spree, and the investigator must find its creator to stop it.

40. Philosopher’s Stone - A hunt for the philosopher’s stone leads to deadly competition and betrayal.

41. Mystic Caravan - A traveling caravan brings death wherever it goes, linked to an ancient curse.

42. Sealed Tomb - An ancient tomb is opened, releasing a vengeful spirit that begins killing those responsible.

43. Moonlit Beast - A werewolf’s attacks coincide with the full moon, but this werewolf is being controlled by someone with dark intentions.

44. Soul Harvest - Victims are found with their souls extracted, leading to a dark sorcerer seeking immortality.

45. Witch Hunt - A series of witch trials results in the wrongful deaths of innocents, whose spirits now seek vengeance.

46. Crystal Prophecy - A prophecy within a crystal ball foretells murders, but the seer is manipulating events to fulfill it.

47. Enchanted Theater - Actors in a theater troupe start dying in ways that mimic their cursed roles.

48. Dark Covenant - A secret society’s members are being killed off one by one, linked to a broken blood pact.

49. Doppelganger’s Curse - Victims are replaced by malevolent doppelgangers who are committing murders in their place.

50. Forgotten Sanctuary - An ancient sanctuary is disturbed, releasing an entity that begins killing those who desecrated it.

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deadite-central · 4 months ago

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SPOILERS FOR WANO ACT THREE!

Yeah I got nothing to say this time let’s get started

Like I said in the previous post, I adore everything about Yamato’s and Kaido’s fight. The idea of how much Yamato was inspired by Oden, and how his father did everything to take that away from him is displayed here fully. Kaido treated him with nothing but cruelty for most of his life, and for what? Because his child admired someone he himself believed to be incredibly strong and honourable? Yamato rightfully calls out his father on everything he’s done to ruin his life, and it feels so earned, and even if he knows he can’t win, he’ll make sure Luffy has the chance to defeat him

Okay I don’t know if this is a well known fact but I adore Hawkins. He’s genuinely one of my favorite characters in the entire series, and his fight with Killer gives him so much time to shine. He’s incredibly smart, not allowing himself to be attacked head on due to using Kidd’s life as one of his straw dolls, and he seems to be in control of the fight up until Killer also decides to pull a trick and slashes his arm off, the one arm Kidd didn’t have. The true icing on the cake for this fight is when Hawkins pulls out the Tower card, which if you know anything about Tarot is the last negative aspect you’d want to pull out in a situation like this

Continuing the pattern from before, about the fact everyone gets their time to shine, I lean FINALLY talk about Sanji’s struggle that stemmed from his relying on the Germa raid suit, he worries he’s turning into someone like his family, as he can feel the changes he’s going through. He wonders what Luffy would want from him, which ultimately leads to the death pact between him and Zoro. He defeats Queen, and goes back to being his usual kind self (with a neat callback to his flashback in whole cake with the mouse), but the looming threat of the death pact still lingers. Zoro himself goes through my favorite fight of his against King, with the two paralleling each other, displaying utter dedication to their respective captains. It’s thematically important for Zoro, especially since he pushes himself to save his friends so much he MEETS DEATH after the fight, which leads to a bunch of stuff in the later arcs (at least from what I’ve seen so far). Lastly, I hate when people say Usopp didn’t do anything in Wano, as if this scene of his doesn’t exist. He shows the samurai that a honourable death in battle is stupid, because at the end of the day, it’s living another day that allows us to grow, to experience new things and to keep fighting, it takes a part of his character that would usually be seen as a flaw and flips it on its head, showing that sometimes you run, so you can keep fighting

I haven’t really talked about CP0 during Onigashima, but once they decide to put their plans into motion to make Wano WG territory, we get one of the coolest panels in Wano, along with the reveal that maybe, Luffy’s fruit isn’t what we thought, which I’ll get more into later

Kidd and Law vs Big Mom is a masterclass in using the abilities of everyone involved to their full extent, with the ending of the fight not only letting Law make a homage to the man who saved him, but also giving Big Mom a moment to think as she falls to her doom, on what Roger wanted to achieve. It’s profound, and I truly hope she’s coming back in Elbaph, as she’s such a good character and I miss her so much. I’m not the only one to miss her, as getting to see the version of Linlin that Kaido knew during his time with the Rocks pirates but their relationship into a new perspective, as sure they butt heads, fight, and both want the title of pirate king, but she was the one to take him under her wing, and the two clearly cared about each other, I genuinely felt for them here, despite the evils they’ve done, and that just shows to me how complex both of them are

Before we get to a thing I’ve been meaning to talk about this whole goddamn arc, when Kaido gives the news of Luffy’s defeat, Nami once again shows unwavering faith in her captain. Luffy has defeated foes thought to be undefeatable, and this scene in particular brings me back into Alabasta, with everyone proclaiming that Luffy would never die

And oh boy were they right about that

#one piece #op reading corner #wano #yamato one piece #basil hawkins #black leg sanji #roronoa zoro #usopp one piece #charlotte linlin #kaido one piece #nami one piece #man I am SO excited for the next post

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silvertear1108 · 2 months ago

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WITCHY world:

- terms and definitions, examples and information in general; "beginner friendly"

- Witches are human beings whom practice witchcraft. It takes a lot more than simply doing spells, it takes a lot of studying and learning about yourself before you can cast a spell as well as call yourself a witch. It is about your connections and place in the universe as well as about learning how to work with natural cycles and the flow of the universe. Here are some types of witches: sea, crystal, moon, green, grey, lunar, elemental, technology, astrology, kitchen, electic etc.

There are many things to be mentioned, explained and all, but we won't get too deep into it this, time. You can follow my blog and stay tuned for me.

Add me on instagram as well if you want to be up to date for my free tarot readings as well as astro consultations. From time to time I will be live on IG doing free one question read, both astro and tarot.

IG: (click on it to follow)

reina.priestess

Tools used by witches:

The Athame - tool of the element fire or air

The Bell - tool for invocation

Cauldron - tool of the element water

Censer - tool of the element air

Chalice - tool of the element water

Pentacle - tool of the element Earth

Wand - tool of the element Fire or Air

Familiars:

spirit beings that witches make a pact with.

Pacts include: exchange for offerings, lending of power, protection and companionship.

Familiars are not permanently bound to their witch. You may have many familiars in your lifetime. They can also shapeshift and appear differently during their time, with their witch.

Task they perform: spying, companionship, protection, knowledge, aid, travel between worlds, assisting a witch develop their abilities.

Offerings: energy, a foothold in our realm, spirit, milk, honey, incense, various food items.

You should of course research whom you are working with, be it an animal familiar, deity or whomever.

SOME TERMS:

CONJURATIONS = in traditional and most contemporary usage refers to a magical act of invoking a spirit, or using incantations or charms to cast a magical spell ( it is used as a term of casting spells in some magical traditions, such as Hoodoo. )

INCANTATION = series of words said as a magic spell or charm.

GROUNDING = an ancient custom and essential to successful spellwork.

In many Pagan traditions, grounding, centering and shielding are techniques that form a basis of energy work and eventually, of magic itself.

ASTRAL PROJECTION = also known as " astral travel" is term used in esotericism to describe an intentional out of body experience, that assumes the existence of a soul or consciousness called an "astral body" that is separated from physical body and capable of traveling outside of it throughout the universe.

GRIMOIRE = (book of spells) is a textbook of magic, typically, including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells charms and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as: angels, spirits, deities and demons.

TASSEOGRAPHY = divination method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds or wine sediments.

THEOSOPHY = (" Divine Wisdom") an occult religious movement established in United States in late 19th century. They teach about God and the world based on mystical insight. They promote unity.

AKASHIC RECORDS = compendium of all universal events, showing people who access it, their past, present and future selves (all which ever existed or are about to exist).

ANCIENT THEBAN = witches alphabet (has less letters than an english one, so some symbols are repeated.)

COVEN = gathering of at least three witches who come together to practice witchcraft.

BALEFIRE = An open fire, usually used in a ritual or spell and they are lit during pagan festivals.

Be careful and research a lot before you do any kind of spell work or anything. I am writing my own shadow book since 2020 and I am researching even to this day and I have never tried doing any kind of spell.

Of course If you want, feel confident or generally feel the need to do them, do the protection spell first and start from a more simple ones.

Good luck and take care, I hope you found my blog interesting and that you will follow me for more.

I am posting interesting things and you can even give me an idea on what you want next.

Add me here as well;

IG: reina.priestess

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emby-m · 1 year ago

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Soul Catcher and Sacred Heart

Part one of a series giving Alice skins in Norton's skin lines....

“Mi querida,” the sorcerer, Soul Catcher, laughs, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” the witch, Sacred Heart, smiles, adjusting her shawl around her. Her golden hair looks pretty with the cempaxochitl tucked into her braids.

“Should I take that as you finally agreeing to our pact?”

“Hmm,” she hums, lips splitting the black paint on her face. “Mictēcacihuātl’s attendant, and Miclāntēcutli’s advisor, colluding… what will they all think?”

“Smart advisor, snapping up that pretty girl.”

Sacred Heart laughs, looping her arm with his.

Design notes under the cut:

Norton's design-

Decided to make the outfit more like a trajo de charro, since that's a real good look.

Pared down some aspects (patterns mostly) and edited the hat slightly.

Added pheasant feathers for that good good Tejano mestizo/Nahua rep

Alice's Design-

Largely designed after Folklorico dancers' outfits (their multiple-circle skirts with wide flounces especially)

Also took inspiration from turn-of-the-century era Caterina Calavera prints

Name came from the Sacred Heart of Christian reckoning, being a symbol of the Virgin Mary - the sacred heart also appears on her dress/shawl

#nortalice #idv fanart #idv #identity v #norton campbell #idv prospector #alice deross #idv journalist #em art #nortalice series

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kaleldobrev · 2 years ago

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To the Rescue (3) — Take Me Back Series

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Fem!Reader

Series Summary: After making a deal to bring you back, Sam doesn't see you until years later when your paths cross during a case

Original Prompt: Requested by anonymous | Hi, I just joined Tumblr and came across your blog, it's wonderful! I'd like to make a request, something between Sam and reader. The reader dies and Sam makes a pact to bring her back, but she comes back without remembering him and the hunting life. He thinks it's best to stay away from her. Years later they meet and she falls in love with him all over again, and when they kiss she regains her memory. Do you like it?

Chapter Word Count: 2.7k

Chapter Warnings: Cursing (8x), Minor Character Death

Authors Note: When I originally wrote this it was 1.2k. With editing it turned into 2.7k | One more part after this folks! Sorry for the cliffhanger in advance | Flashbacks are in italics | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

Pulling up to your house, Sam felt as though his stomach was in knots. It wasn’t like it was the first time he had seen your house, but this time it was different. It wasn’t just a normal driveway he was used to doing to make sure that you were safe every once in a while.

“You okay?” Dean asked, snapping Sam out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m…I’m fine,” Sam lied.

“Alright,” Dean began, opening up his glove compartment and taking out his gun. “Let’s go boy wonder,” he grinned.

Walking up to your front door, the biggest sense of dread starting washing over him as he started to think that maybe something was wrong. “You know, I don’t think she’s home. She usually parks her car in the driveway.”

“Maybe she actually parks inside her garage?” Dean suggested.

Sam looked at him, full well knowing that you wouldn’t be able to park inside your garage — it had too much stuff in it to park your car. It was more of a storage unit than anything. “Trust me on this one.”

“Wow, you really do stalk her uh?” Dean grinned.

“Not stalk, just concerned,” Sam corrected.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night,” Dean said, patting his brother on the shoulder. Y/N would help me sleep better at night, Sam thought.

Taking a small deep breath, Sam knocked on your door, hoping that you somehow broke your pattern of parking in the driveway. It had been a couple of weeks since he’s done a drive by, so maybe you did have enough room in your garage now; but knowing you, you hadn’t cleaned it out.

“She’s not here,” Sam said quickly, and he turned on his heels about to leave your front porch. But Dean stopped him, grabbing onto the back of his jacket to bring him back. “What?”

“You don’t wanna check if she’s inside the house?” Dean asked. “What if she’s —”

“She’s not here Dean. Trust me,” Sam said, his voice a little stern. “The more time we’re here, the less time we actually have to go and find her. Now let’s go and check the shelter. I’ll try and call her on the way there.”

Dean went to open up his mouth to protest, but he knew that his brother was right. “Alright,” he agreed. As much as he wanted to check if you were inside the house, Dean trusted Sam when it came to his gut feeling; especially since this was concerning you.

You didn’t know how long you’ve been tied to this chair, but it felt like hours at this point. Mel or whatever her name actually was just talking your ear off; and it wasn’t even remotely about the deal, but just random little stories about her time here on Earth. If you weren’t currently tied to a chair, there was a part of you that would have actually found her stories to be quite interesting. “I don’t know, I love being a crossroads demon but at the same time, I feel like I could really bring some value to the team if Crowley trusted me more. What do you think?” Mel asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” you admitted. “I mean, I’d love to commend you on your work ethic but uh, I’m a little bitter right now,” you said.

Mel laughed. “Fair enough,” she grinned. “But, if you had to give me like a recommendation, would you say I had a good work ethic? I mean, I was your right hand for almost four years here.”

“Again, don’t really wanna commend you when you currently have me tied to a chair in my own shelter,” you stated, your voice radiating annoyance.

“You know, these past four years have honestly so eye opening,” Mel begin. “I can really see why Sammy wanted to marry you.”

“I’m sorry?” You questioned.

Mel went to open her mouth to answer your question, but there were two doors slamming in the distance. And her smile turned into a slightly mischievous one. “Looks like lover boy and big bro are here to rescue you!” She exclaimed and looked at her watch briefly. “About damn time too. I was starting to get bored.”

Mel got up from her seat, and removed a piece of fabric from her pocket as she walked toward you. “Just gonna place this in your mouth so you can’t warn my favorite boys, okay?” She giggled, before putting the fabric in your mouth, almost gagging you.

As the pair walked into the gym, it was mostly pitch black except for the small amount of moonlight that was currently streaming in from the windows. "Y/N?" Sam called out.

Muffled screaming could be heard, and that's when they noticed you sitting in the middle of the auditorium tied to a chair and with some kind of gag in your mouth. "Just like old times," Dean said, pulling out his gun.

"Except we're saving her, not the other way around," Sam stated, he too pulling out his gun.

"Whatever," Dean mumbled. "Just get Y/N out of here."

"And where are you going to go?" Sam asked, slightly confused as he raised a brow.

"Gonna go see if I can find that Mel bitch," Dean said, slightly waving his gun and grinning.

"No need to find me! I'm right here boys!" Mel called out, her voice singsong like; the large auditorium lights turning on in a matter of seconds. "And there's really no need to have those silly little guns out, so you might as well put them away," she said, appearing behind you now. "I just wanna talk. You know, have a little catch up. It's been such a long four years, and I've been so interested in what my Winchester boys have been up to. Especially Sammy here."

"Nothing really for us to talk about. Considering you've killed five teenagers for really no good reason," Sam said.

“But it was for a good reason,” Mel stated. Both boys looked at her with a slightly confused expression on both their faces. “I needed a way to get you two here. You wouldn’t have came any other way. Well, that’s not entirely true now is it Sammy?”

Sam looked at you, and he could see your expression changing. You were no longer relatively calm, but more confused than anything else. “Either you tell her or I will,” Mel stated, her voice no longer sing song like. “Tell her what you’ve been up to.”

Sam and Dean exchanged looks, and Sam didn’t want to tell you what Mel was insinuating. “5…4….3….” Mel began counting.

“Alright, alright!” Sam yelled out in frustration. “I’ve been watching her for the past four years to make sure she was okay.” He sighed. “Happy?”

“Now, let’s see what Y/N thinks about that mmm?” Mel asked, her hands on either side of your shoulders. “Wanna talk?” She asked you, and you eyed her. If looks could kill, Mel would have been dead.

“Fuck you,” you said, muffled.

“Oh my!” Mel laughed. “The mouth on her! No wonder you were so heartbroken Sammy,” she winked.

As Mel, Sam and Dean were talking, you were carefully trying to untie yourself from the chair, making sure that none of them had seen you doing it; as you were pretty sure that if Mel had caught you, she had the ability to kill you in an instant. Then again, you weren’t quite sure how strong demons were.

“Now, I’d really like to hear what Y/N think —” before Mel could continue her sentence, you broke free from the rope that she had tied your hands with, and managed to tackle Mel to the ground.

“A little help here would be nice boys!” You yelled out, trying your best to keep Mel to the ground; but her demon strength was starting to show, as she knocked you to the ground.

Before she could do anything to you, Dean had his arms around her, holding her back as Sam held out his hand in order to help you up. “Thanks,” you said, taking his hand — a simple movement, but felt so natural.

Mel bucked her head back, the back of her head hutting Dean in the nose; the movement caused him to let her go and he stumbled back. “Fuck,” Dean said; some blood running down from his nose.

“You little bitch,” Mel said through gritted teeth. She went to lunge at you, but was stopped when Sam had shot her. She laughed. “You know bullets can’t kill me,” she smirked.

“No, but they can distract you,” Dean said from behind her. She turned around, and within an instant, Dean plunged the Demon Knife into her.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, the three of you walking out of the shelter.

“Yeah I’m fine just…confused,” you confessed.

“I’m sure. I’m sorry Mel wasn’t who you thought she was,” Sam said.

“That’s not entirely it,” you began, the two men raised a brow. “Mel…Mel said that I knew you guys,” you looked at Sam now. “She said you wanted to marry me.” Sam and Dean exchanged looks, neither one of them really knew what to say

“What else did she tell you?” Sam asked, not denying your claim; as he was in fact planning on asking you to marry him as soon as the three of you had gotten back from the hunt. It was something that he spent months planning.

“She said that you made a deal in order to bring me back to life. And part of that deal was basically having me forget you and hunting,” you said, your voice having no hesitancy to it. “I know how ridiculous it sounds but…I believe her.”

“Dean, can you give us a second?” Sam asked, looking over at his brother. Dean and Sam exchanged looks, and Dean looked at you only briefly before nodding.

“Yeah I’ll uh…I’ll be in Baby,” he said, scratching the back of his head as he started making his way toward his impala.

“Is what she said the truth?” You asked. “And don’t give me a it’s complicated answer. It’s a simple yes or no.” Sam couldn’t help but let out a half chuckle, as this was a like you had said to him far too many times.

“Yes. It’s the truth,” he admitted. “Four years ago, the three of us were on a vampire hunt in Malibu. You and me agreed to go take out the nest because it was only supposed to be three vamps. But…it turned out to be six instead, too many for just the two of us to handle. That’s when you…”

“Died,” you said, finishing his sentence. “How did I…die?”

“One of the vamps…ripped your throat out…” he mumbled, his voice trailing. “It was my fault I…”

“Hey, hey,” you said, taking his hand in yours. “I may not remember, but it wasn’t your fault okay? I may not remember you, but, knowing you literally barely a few hours, I know you aren’t that type of person. You just…I get a good vibe from you.”

“You shouldn’t,” he stated. “I’ve done a lot of…fucked up things. Things that…”

“Whatever fucked up things you’ve done, I’m sure it was for a good reason Sam,” you reassured him. “You aren’t someone that’s just going to get someone killed.”

Sam just looked at your hand in his; enjoying the feeling. It’s been so long since he had held your hand. “After, why didn’t you try and ask me out?” You asked.

Sam chuckled. “Thought you’d be better off without me and plus, kinda thought something like this was going to happen.”

“Ask her out already please! I miss her baking!” The two of you heard Dean call out. You and Sam turned, and saw Dean with the drivers side window rolled down; Zeppelin playing loud enough for him to have probably been able to hear the entirety of the conversation.

Sam and you chuckled a little, and you looked at each other similar to that of two people in love with each other. “You wouldn’t want to go out sometime again would you?” You asked, softly smiling.

“I don’t know I…” Sam wanted to say yes; he wanted you back in his life, wanted so much to be in your life again. But he didn’t want to risk anything bad happening to you again. “I’m sorry.”

Disappointment washed over you as you looked at Sam. You had wanted to be with him, even though you barely knew him. But according to Mel, at some point, he had wanted to marry you. You had hoped that maybe with her gone, then you two could get to know each other again and have a bond like you apparently did years ago. You had felt something for him; some kind of connection, a kind of familiarity, even before you knew who he was. But, you understood where he was coming from. “Can I at least give you a thank you kiss?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, almost afraid to say yes.

Sam leaned down, and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. He stared into your eyes, mentally cursing himself for saying no, but he knew that saying no was for the best. You were safer, and you were free. “I’ll always love you,” he told you. “Even if you don’t remember loving me.”

Your lips and his were centimeters apart now, and you didn’t want this moment to end between the two of you. Because you knew, that the second the kiss was over, you’d probably never see him again.

“Take care of yourself,” you said, before the two of you pressed your lips against each other.

The kiss felt natural, a little needy, but gentle. It wasn’t a kiss you would give to someone you would see again, it was a kiss that you gave someone that you would never see again. It was a goodbye.

"Sam, I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should wait for Dean to come and help us," you said; as the two of you started walking up to an abandoned log cabin in the middle of the woods; something that you didn't even know Malibu had.

"There's only supposed to be three vamps, I think we'll be fine," Sam reassured you. "We've taken out more than three vamps just the two of us before."

"Yeah but...I don't know, it just feels different this time, I can't explain it," you said, your voice hesitant. For some strange reason, you just had a horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen, but you had no proof. It wasn't like you had premonitions.

"Fuck," you said, a sharp sensation entering your head, as if you just got hit in the head.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Sam asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah just..." the pain got more intense, and you felt yourself start to lose balance; Sam's hands instantly finding your arms in order to keep you from falling. "My head really fucking hurts," you said, almost strained.

"Let's sit down uh?" Sam suggested, as he started leading you toward the curb in front of the shelter.

"Sammy, she okay?" You heard Dean say, the sound of the impala's door opening and closing. You heard barely hear the sound of his running toward you and Sam, as everything started to sound so muffled due to the intense pain and pounding in your head.

"You know, I don't know what I'd ever do without you," Sam said, caressing your cheek.

"I'm sure you'd be fine. You did just fine before you met me," you said, gently smiling at him.

"But my life is a lot better with you in it," he admitted.

"So is mine," you confessed.

"I love you," he replied.

"I love you too," you smiled.

You didn't really know how you had gotten to sitting on the curb but you now where, Sam and Dean on either side of you. The intense pain was starting to subside, and the pounding was starting to cease. You couldn't tell what either man was saying, as they still sounded muffled.

"Y/N?" Sam asked, his hands resting on your shoulders.

You turned to look at him, and all of a sudden you felt the urge to cry. Your hand reached out and touched his cheek. "Sam..." your voice was low, almost inaudible.

"Yeah?" He replied, his voice as low as yours.

"Take me home," you said.

"Sure," he nodded.

"To the Bunker," you clarified.

Sam looked at you; confusion clear across his face. "The Bunker?"

In the next and final chapter...

He scratched the back of his head before pointing to your side table. “Open up the drawer there,” he said, slight hesitation in his voice. When you didn’t move, he sighed. “Trust me,” he said.

Tag List: @roseblue373 @beansproutmafia @queenie32 @deanwanddamons @missy420-0 @octoberclidan @kidwhofixates @syrma-sensei @k-slla @justletmereadfanfic @deans-daydream @crystal555 @hannahisthebanana @seamlessepiphany @madzzz0797 @livingordeadwhoknows @writinginfear @roskar16 @rachiem4-blog @coldspoons @fuiabarcelos @foxyjwls007 @midorimachisenpaii @sammysnaughtygirl @missscarlettangel @frozenhuntress67 @snakebxtez @crystalandphoebewifey @spnandpj @androah @taraswifes If you'd like to be added to a tag list please follow this link If I forgot to tag you and you wanted to be tagged, my apologies!

#Sam Winchester x reader #Sam Winchester x you #spn #supernatural #spn imagine #supernatural imagine #spn one shot #supernatural one shot #Sam x reader #Sam x you #reader insert #female reader

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thequeerbouquiniste · 1 year ago

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queer books coming out this week (July 1-7)

Earth to Alis, by Lex Carlow. contemporary romance coming out July 1st

"Alistair Woodson is a loner by choice. Since the traumatic night that ended his only friendship, he’s isolated himself by letting his classmates believe he’s a criminal and an arsonist, best to be avoided at all costs.

But on his graduation trip across Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, Alis discovers that isolation isn’t so easy to maintain in hostel rooms and cross-country trains. Soon he finds himself growing closer to classmates who were once strangers to him—namely the class clown, Craig Miltenberg, whose frustratingly good hair and cheerful disposition don’t irritate Alis nearly as much as they should.

Yet, as his deepening connections stir up painful reminders of his last doomed friendship, Alis continues to cope the only way he knows how: drowning out the pain on the inside by hurting himself on the outside. When his self-destructive behaviours intensify and put him and his new relationships in jeopardy, Alis must find the courage to confront his spiralling mental health—even if it means letting someone in."

You Had Me at Happy Hour, by Timothy Janovsky. contemporary romance coming out July 1st

"O’ little town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—it may be charming, but Julien Boire can’t wait to get out of there. Soon he’ll be leaving to take an advanced wine course that will put him on track to become a master sommelier. Meantime, his OCD demands he keep clear of distractions, especially the hot new hire at his aunt and uncle’s restaurant, Martin’s Place.

Which should be easy, because Greg Harlow is as ill-suited to Julien as a bold cabernet is to a delicate salmon entrée. As charismatic and confident as Julien is tightly wound, Greg is a TikTok mixologist who could charm a paper bag. One thing they do have in common: neither wants a relationship.

Greg’s history with dating is…complicated. Yet working together isn’t. First, they’re teaming up to launch a series of happy hour events at Martin’s Place. Then they’re agreeing to a no-strings sex pact that involves new worlds of experimentation. Nothing is off-limits. Except a future.

It’s exactly how Julien wants it. Except for the little part of him that wonders if maybe he’s about to lose the kind of happy that could last much longer than an hour…"

Hiding Him, by Adam Hattan. contemporary romance coming out July 2nd

"Let's get one thing straight: Cameron Hawkins isn't. What he is, is hopelessly single and longing to escape his village in the arse-end-of-nowhere. That is until a newcomer arrives: Finn. He's tall, dark, obscenely handsome and somewhat of an enigma...

Is Finn the answer to Cam's happily ever after? Or will shadows of the past stand in the way of their palpable chemistry?"

Misrecognition, by Madison Newbound. literary fiction coming out July 2nd

"Elsa is struggling. Her formative, exhilarating relationship—with a couple—has abruptly ended, leaving her depressed and directionless in her childhood bedroom. The man and the woman were her bosses, lovers, and cultural guideposts. In the relationship’s wake, Elsa scrolls aimlessly through the internet in search of meaning.

Faithfully, her screen provides a new obsession: a charismatic young actor whose latest feature is a gay love story that illuminates Elsa’s crisis. And then, as if she had conjured him, Elsa sees the actor in the flesh; he and an entourage of actors, writers, and directors have descended upon her hometown for the annual theater festival. When she is hired as a hostess at the one upscale restaurant in town, Elsa finds herself in frequent contact with the actor and his collaborators. But her obsession shifts from the actor to his frequent dinner companion—an alluring, androgynous person called Sam. As this confusing connection develops, Elsa is forced to grapple with her sexuality, the uncomfortable truths about the dramatic end of her last relationship, and the patterns that may be playing out once again."

Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream, by Tehlor Kay Mejia. contemporary romance coming out July 2nd

"Cash Delgado has a good life in the quaint town of Ridley Falls. She has Joyce’s Bar, where she manages a familiar group of regulars and emcees the ever-popular Karaoke Thursday. She has her six-year-old daughter, Parker, whose spunky attitude always keeps life interesting. And she has her best friend, Inez O’Conner, who improves Cash’s sometimes overly responsible outlook with one full of joy and potential.

But change is on the horizon when Chase Stanton, the former bar manager at Joyce’s (not to mention Cash’s last hookup), returns to town with business prospects that could threaten the local institution and all of Cash’s plans to someday bring new life to the place. And if that isn’t enough, Cash starts having very intimate dreams of Inez. Dreams that could threaten the foundation of her well-ordered life.

As Cash embarks on a reluctant journey of self-discovery, she’s forced to confront all the ways she’s been hiding in her own life. But will she choose to remain the same, or will the desire for love (even a love that looks different than she ever imagined) prove worth the risk?"

A Darker Mischief, by Derek Milman, horror and mysery, dark academia novel coming out July 2nd

"When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus -- the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier -- and increasingly nefarious -- Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex -- not even Cal's first love -- is quite what it seems."

Lover Birds, by Leanne Egan. contemporary romance coming out July 4th

"When Isabel Williams moves to Liverpool, she criticises seemingly everything in Eloise Byrne’s life – her city, her accent, her trademark boldness – so if, when she catches Isabel staring, Eloise feels her pulse race, it must be because they hate each other. It surely couldn’t be for any other reason, could it? Eloise needs to get her ADHD under control in time for A-Levels, but when she meets Isabel, school becomes the least of her concerns. What begins as outright contempt turns into an oddly satisfactory rivalry, but for their rivalry to shift further into romance, their relationship must withstand Isabel's classism, Eloise’s distrust, and whatever secrets their friends are hiding from them."

#book releases #book recs #queer books #queer romance #romance books #queer horror #horror books #queer literature #literary fiction #reading #books #book list #bookblr #out of the forest out of the brain #out of the queue i come

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sunghanne · 2 years ago

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STAR RACER － ENHYPEN GREASE AU SERIES | PART 4 🚦

racer!enhypen & flaggirl!reader

PARTS: PROLOGUE, PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 5, coming soon...

TITLE: ST★R-RACER : PART 4. THE RUMBLE.

feat. ENHYPEN, TXT, STRAY KIDS?!

PLOT: in a small town during the 1950s, seems the only thing keeping careless teenagers entertained are drag races where only the elite participate. and those elite are known as star racers.

WARNINGS: ooc idols, sexual innuendos, light sexual content, strong language, violence, mild slutshaming, illegal acts, cat calling, sleezy teenagers, tba...

TAGLIST: @lalalalawon , @strvlveera , @kjrcrz comment your @/user to be added!

WORD-COUNT: 10.0k

NOTE: im so sorry this part took so long to write. i burn out easily and ideas were not filling my head. this is my first big series so it is a bit difficult to amount to the number of words each chapter has. but thank you for waiting and i hope you enjoy this long special! i apologise for any typos, its hard to proof read at the moment. likes, reposts and comments are all heavily appreciated, thank you.

your attention has placed the road ahead of you, memorising the familiar landscape as the one you drove past in the evening with yeonjun. from the asphalt road to the street lamps and to the traffic lights, everything was much brighter and clearer this time around. likely due to your vision not being clouded by the raven night sky, or perhaps the regret and guilt tainting your perception of your surroundings that unforgettable night.

"well, i'm not worried. he can have a cow, won't change the fact his turf's in a rut too," you calmly replied while adjusting the collar of your white short-sleeved blouse. a light grin on jake's face humoured your determined attitude, bright eyes laying on your reflection from the rearview mirror.

"you kill me sometimes," your male counterpart complimented before refocusing his attention on the next corner he swerved past. you beamed at his sweet comment, gulping your real intentions down your dry throat. in reality, you were worried. about yeonjun, about going to an unfamiliar school, about heeseung.

definition:'kill'. > to impress.

to even consider the plan of attempting to pact with the clique from the other side of the town meant you were desperate. you yearned to snatch jake's steering wheel and go back the way you came from because an uneasy bundle in your stomach untangled and started to reach every vessel in your body. you thought the pressure of the rumble would ease overnight but instead, it got worse.

someone could end up in the hospital, even inadequately considering the possibility of ending up outnumbered due to the uncertain chance of recruiting yeonjun's crew. so even though you hated it, you had to get the boy on your side, for your friends' sake.

last night's image of riki's untamed berating and thrashing out of sunghoon and jake's grasp was hard to shake off he had never gotten so worked up about another person before. you didn't want to see him in that state again.

the number of stores on the street gradually decreased, replaced by dense trees and bramble bushes, a sign you were nearing the school. "what a load of nerds," jake poked fun at herds of students clad in blazers, jerseys, plaid patterned pants and skirts and the tall rhubarb brick building fenced by tall black metal fencing. it was like some impenetrable fortress with a long moat surrounding it, except it wasn't. it was simply unlike your school. your school was the complete opposite with nothing more but a twisty metal fence surrounding it. students would occasionally hop over the fences just to go get better lunch food or skip unwanted classes, you included.

your eyebrows gradually lifted at the realisation that you hadn't even tackled the first crisis yet, the overbearing fence, "crap," your curse placed under your breath while jake steered into the disbursed car park and came to a gentle halt, not eager to bring unsolicited attention to your arrival. he made sure to park behind a wide tree that's long branches with lax leaves that almost reached the roots on his head.

he quietly wolf-whistled at the amusing sight, taking in the complication you already situated yourself with. you reluctantly revolved your head towards the male beside you in slow motion to find his gaze. and with a suspecting smirk on his face, he inquired you about his nifty scheme.

his hurried hands grasped his elbows as he held his folded forearms in front of him, crouching in an uncomfortable position with knees pressed into the hard pavement.

the corners of your mouth spread outwards as your molars clamped down on one another, too focused on aiming the sole of your shoe on jake's makeshift stepping stool to notice the strain on your jaw.

he huffed out upon your weight's arrival, his arms wavering for a split second before he jolted the platform made with his arms up into the air. you took the sudden elevation as a chance to hold on to the cold metal railings of the fence, concentrating as your wide skirt bunched in the air. with a rigid rattle, you regulated your balance as jake's arms steadied you on top of him.

a gasp of relief vacated your chest as your clenched jaw could relax as your successful stepping stool plan worked. "s'nice view," jake's crude comment blasted below your lengthy skirt and your wide eyes bolted to the male whose head was tilted upwards for anything but the sky. there was only one place his eyes landed upon.

"cut the gas, sim!" you screeched loudly and intentionally kicked the white tip of your sneaker in the male's susceptible nose. he yelped out in pain, eyes squeezing shut while his arms awfully loosened. a mean laugh left your lips in satisfaction while taking the distorted balance as an opportunity to release your foot off of his platform and onto the top of the horizontal railing slab. then, you applied all your weight on the singular foot and extended the rest of your body upwards and over the fence. yet, your landing wasn't as straightforward as the journey over it and you ended up with one of your knees shoved into the damp grass of the school campus.

your partner in crime was rubbing his throbbing red nose after your hostile jab at it, despite him knowingly deserving it. one of his brown eyes opened to peek at your safe drop on the other side of the fence, "sorry. 45 minutes, y/n. js'call out for me if you need," he called out while the hem of your skirt returned around your knees after the velocity of the drop concluded. you were hunched over, a hand dusting your dirt-stamped kneecap that had follicles of grass glued to it.

"i know. don't think i'll need the help of a little boy who can't keep his eyes out of the gutter," you mocked his ogling and spun on your heel away from the car park and the familiar individual with it. jake, the boy who couldn't stand being crowded by girls, confidently announcing the esteem of seeing up your skirt was a bold move. little does he know the minor injury to his nose would be met tenfold by the time you bust out of this unfamiliar school.

45 minutes. all the time you had at your disposal. 45 minutes was the duration of lunch and you needed to be in and out of yeonjun's school as quickly as you could. of course, some constraints were weighing you down other than the time frame. and that was yeonjun's compliance.

it was safe to assume the male you threw a drink at two weeks ago would most likely refuse your proposition. neither did you know the layout of the school and whether the teachers on guard would kick you out upon your arrival. so you had to be equally alert.

you strode forward towards the towering building with the large cross logo built in the middle, a slight increase in heartbeat by the countless pairs of eyes locked onto your unknown self. you could only pray that no tattle tail would report on the girl who just leapt over the fences, breaking precisely why they were implemented. it was lunchtime at this school as well and cliques separated from one another sitting on the field or at lunch tables made you realise just how difficult carrying out this secretive mission of yours would be.

by secretive, only you and jake knew of it. hence the reason he was chauffeuring you to the other side of town and missing out on whatever lunch menu was on at your cafeteria. quite the feat, you thought.

after passing a few outdoor pillars by the side of the main building, you found the lunch block that remained outdoors. girls with rolled-up plaid skirts sat on the collection of bleachers by the soccer pitch in the distance to your right side, indulging in minuscule amounts of cafeteria lunches and the meals running across the soccer field. a mixed handful of preps sat along benches and or on the concrete-covered floors under the shade of the freshly painted veranda to your left. yet, from both ears you could hear the endless pour of gossip about your appearance surface. "that's the chick that went home with choi a couple'a nights back."

your focus on the defaming vocal of opinions suddenly terminated when a large, warm hand on your shoulder cuffed itself around you. your shaken eyes found themselves settled on a face you could put to a name. soobin. "aren't you lost, choi?" his deep voice questioned and a small curl of his lip caught your attention, face inches apart from yours. the hunch in his back signalled he was leaning over your head to meet your eyes from behind. you were speechless, not expecting a target to reveal themselves so easily.

the tall male raised an eyebrow in curiosity at your brief quiet demeanour, standing upright. only at that moment did you realise how much the male towered over you and it caused you to blink profusely out of intimidation. he wore a grey blazer with his school's emblem on it in contrast to the heavy dark jacket he was wearing at the race tracks. you licked your dry pink lips and swiped his hand off your shoulder discretely, "reason you callin' me choi?" you questioned lowly while he towed his hand to his side, shaking it off like it were wet.

"well, you are yeonjun's missus. ain'tcha?" he chirped while his lips protruded outwards and his cheeks huffed meanwhile. your eyebrows dipped low and a side of your lips lifted in a sneer like you'd stepped in rubbish. to even think of the said male as a spouse sounded like a nightmare. yeonjun must have been spreading misinformation around his turf, and a side task was unexpectedly placed upon you.

to prove him wrong.

"that's not true. i think i'd much rather be called my name," you seethed tediously with squinted eyes directly align with the male. he cocked his head to the side in wonder, trying to piece together whether you were joking or not.

"it's not? he was tellin' people you're round heels," he began to chuckle lightly and your hands balled tightly into fists. your yeonjun accusation stood correct. a flare of embarrassment sparked on your face in a blaze at such wording used on you. you groaned in irritation at such cunning stirs and trudged forward, bumping into soobin deliberately to tilt him backwards.

definition:'round heels'. > an easy girl, heels rounded for easy tipping onto a bed.

he staggered for a brief moment before regaining his balance and following behind your careless actions, half amused and half confused. "oh, choi is dead meat," you grumbled while stomping your feet into the lavish grass and heading towards the veranda. meeting numerous gazes of students who sat underneath it, you pondered why they were so judgemental. at first, you thought it was because of yeonjun's rumours, but when your head craned behind, you realised it was because of soobin trailing inches apart from you. it was so unsettling the shift in appearances of the boy who was once chasing after you and sunghoon on a friday night.

soobin was a renowned racer and the students either loved him or hated him, no in between. it wasn't hard to miss the only individual sporting black leather threads and tight blue denim amongst a crowd that didn't. it made you wonder how he even got into such a school in the first place. maybe his parents were filthy rich and threw him into such a populace with the intent to 'right his wrongs'. then they probably explained to the headmaster that 'he's just a boy, he doesn't know any better' when he set the science lab on fire, or something.

nonetheless, his reoccurrence made a palm slap against your face in annoyance, dragging your hand down in disarray, "if you're here to court me, hit the road," you complained while turning around for a brief moment and he shone a crooked smile at your notice of his presence.

"why, but you're a firecracker to tease," he jabbed while quickening the pace of his long legs and catching up to you, now side by side. your angry hands pressed onto the male's chest, trying to shove him away only for the male to lean all of his weight atop of you. the heavy force had your steps reversing and reluctantly, you backed against a hard brick wall. you grit your teeth anxiously, eyes glaring into his as the top of his head was against the vacant wall space above yours. "settle, doll face. if you wanted to get your hands on me so bad y'could've just asked."

his shower of flirts repulsed you and your head turned away at such compact contact, hands still driven against his chest as his torso didn't budge even when you started to hook your nails into it.

by the intimate distance, his cologne almost suffocated you, whisked with the scent of tobacco. his bold actions made your head spin and worst of all, everyone's eyes were on you. your hot face combusted with his warm breath, like waving a fan in front of flames.

"get off of me, rag!" you argued with an increase of pressure you placed on him. the corner of his lips cocked upwards and you eventually broke through his overbearing cave. you staggered forward drunkenly, feet pivoting away from the male as he toppled backwards for a split second. you briskly padded away, slapping two of your palms over your soiled burning cheeks.

"he was lyin', clearly," soobin chuckled breathlessly while resuming his follow on your whereabouts. honestly, if he pulled that trick on any other girl you were certain he'd be rejected just the same.

"lay off. if you're not going to help me find choi then you can waste someone elses," you retaliated and pressed the crease out of your white skirt. you hated that his cologne was now rubbed off of you and the scent didn't leave even after you shook out every article of your clothing like you were dusting them off.

"whats the occasion?" he questioned and licked his lips out of habit, loud footsteps echoing yours and acting all innocent like he wasn't pulling that stunt a minute ago, "i can."

"get on with it," you ordered through an eye-roll and endured the painful trip towards yeonjun's whereabouts. the sunlight appeared and disappeared on soobin's face as pillars blocked fragments of light each time you passed one, "i'll tell you when we find the guy."

"if it's another necking, i'd be more than happy to offer my services," he teased and swayed his body closer to yours, almost causing you to crash right into him. you cursed under your breath and pushed the boy away aggressively. you were starting to reconsider whether the problem with your plan was soobin's irritating antics or yeonjun.

definition:'necking'. > make out.

"another? we never did. in fact, he hadn't even laid a hand on me before he was pullin' out," you lied thickly but you didn't care. if it were an opportunity to humiliate the male, you didn't need to be asked twice. soobin's head was thrown back as a chain of laughs sprouted out of him at the correction.

"no snow job," the male teased while shaking his head after his high of laughter disbursed. the edge of the concrete veranda was nearing and soobin took the initiative to pass a corner, leading you towards an area that was much more secluded with taller brick walls. you were a little proud of your fake tales, even more at the reaction of the other male who didn't doubt it one bit. to be honest, you were over the whole situation. the bad date, the manipulative language used on you and the oil spill on heeseung.

well, partly over that last part. but with other concerns shadowing it, it was forced to the back of your cluttered mind. similar to the oversized blazer thrown around your sides and forced over your arms a moment ago. your arms weighed heavily at the large article of clothing and you cluelessly stared at soobin as he held your shoulders gently, only the tips of his fingers against you.

"lid on," he shushed you carefully and lead you in the correct direction, his head only focused on the individual walking past. an old lady, likely in her late 50s, wore sleek red glasses pressed to her face and a tight, knee-length pencil skirt that made her strut look funny. a teacher, a very intimidating looking one at that. she had a returning stern gaze over soobin and her wrinkly lipstick-chapped lips pursed in dismay. your shoulders were hunched like a box, from the tension in the air, or perhaps the heavy jacket over the top of you.

you weren't looking at the teacher, but when her echoing footsteps lowered in volume, you let out a sigh of relief from your chest, shoulders relaxing. the male took his hands off the top of your shoulder blades and left his warm blazer around you, only looking down at you with his dark irises.

"what was that for?" you questioned with a low whisper as if the teacher had super hearing and would've heard you if your voice was amplified another decimal. while adjusting his lengthy grey blazer around you comfortably, soobin shone a quick grin and rubbed an index finger along his smooth philtrum.

"disguise. that broad is the principal. if you weren't in uniform she'dve rocked you," he answered while playing with the hem of the white t-shirt he now resided in. your head tilted at his quick wits and perhaps you'd taken him lesser than he first ought to be.

"well, gentleman," you chirped and the boy licked his lips at the nickname, eyes shaped like crescents merrily. the walk resumed without anymore hindrance, only small talk between you and the tall boy who happened to let down his guard. finally, you came in contact with two large wooden doors at the end of the hallway. you bit on your lip, head checking up to soobin's for a split moment for confirmation. and by the light nod of his head, you padded forward and pushed the pair of doors open with two spread arms.

bright white headlights flashed in the dark ambience and heeseung's hand propped in front of his eyes to shield them from the blinding clash. he was sitting on the alleyway ground, forearms draped over his knees and his fond jacket across his spacious lap.

the bright light illuminated the entire alleyway and heeseung could see from his peripherals just how easily his position was given away by the brick walls of the alleyway lighted. alerted, he peeked through the gaps of his long fingers and cursed out at the reckless decision the other boy made to keep the headlights of his ride turned on. although, that angered fire in him snuffed out when his gaze landed on the longing face of his friend, jay.

the appearance of the younger boy was like a flashback to heeseung. it had been so long with zero contact with one another, it could've easily been another one of his daydreams. but, jay heeded to his call like the loyal service he was.

heeseung stood up straight as the engine of the car halted and the light vibration of the vehicle froze, headlights clicking off like a tv pulled at the plug. he dusted himself off, carefully padding towards the suspecting vehicle and walking along the exterior to the passenger's seat, taking light steps on the coarse rubble foundation.

the silence in the air grew as he opened the passenger seat and inclined his slim frame inside, settling on the vacant seat. no words were exchanged between him and the other male, only the turn of jay's head and the tilt of his sunglasses while he scanned heeseung's appearance like some judge.

"jay," heeseung greeted, nodding his head and keeping a straight face with a raspy voice. the male in question tilted his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, a smug grin on his face.

"heeseung," he responded cooly, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as if it were a normal interaction between the two. nonchalant before the aggressive tug on his shoulders yanked him forward into heeseung's warm embrace. jay's sunglasses tilted crookedly as his face smashed against heeseung's ear, returning the tight hug tenderly.

"you idiot! what's this get up? forgettin' your honorifics and wearin' sunglasses in the middle of the night?" a long, gleeful laugh left heeseung's throat. he hadn't laughed like this in ages. the strong hug came to an end as heeseung disengaged and scanned jay's awfully misplaced glasses. jay bit back a hearty smile, pleased his little gag with sunglasses made the other laugh. he ran his long fingers through his black locks and whisked his head back as though he were in a photo shoot.

"well, y'know. work," he replied, still piling onto the joke. heeseung shook his head, sweaty bangs glued to his forehead after his eventful night of running from the fuzz. jay flicked his sunglasses above his hairline, not being able to see anything in the dark with them on anyway. now able to see clearly, he didn't miss the mass amounts of cash splayed all over heeseung's dirty coveralls, "dude?"

heeseung's orbs traced jay's gaze and peered down at his own body, realising the male was flabbergasted at more than just his arrival. he bit back a proud grin and dug a dirty hand into his side pockets only to return with a handful of papers between his clutches, "dude," he replied and jay's raised eyebrows lowered to a normal slate, realising heeseung's act was true.

"the fuck did i miss?" his counterpart questioned as me of his palms pressed against his sweaty forehead, colliding with his tilted sunglasses unintentionally.

the older male returned the cash to it's rightful place in his pocket and kept that same smile splayed across his cheeks, "robbed this old man's register when he wasn't lookin'. don't worry, i kicked the bucket right after," his remark held no remorse for his criminal act and instead acted as if he were bragging.

a half scoff half laugh left jay's lips and he looked off the to side like heeseung had spoken a terrible joke, "y'crazy, hyung," he remarked whilst a hand kept itself on his leather steering wheel. the elder began to undo the upper clasped buttons of his coveralls and slid the thick navy material off his shoulders, typing the sleeves across his waist in a bulbous knot. he returned his beloved race jacket around him and leaned forward with a finger playing with the sweaty black strands of his hair whilst scanning himself in the rear view mirror.

jay was watching silently, amused by the sudden interest of appearances, "gonna need more than a pampering, y'stinkin' up my chariot. who y'trying to impress anyway?" he questioned next.

"...nobody in particular, park," heeseung cheesed with a flashy reply, adding the finishing touches to his hair and sitting back in his car seat with a satisfied nod.

"not fallin' for that snow job," the other retorted whilst continuing to view heeseung's conflicting mannerisms, "'ts y/n, ain't it?"

there was a cascade of silence that laid the car, only the sound of cars driving meters from the alleyway entrance roaring past. until jay opened his mouth once more, "she'd been down in the dumps since you left," his dark eyes faced forward, tracing the terracotta brick wall heeseung once leaned upon previously, "everybody. jungwon, sunoo, hoon, jake, riki 'nd y/n. we all been bugged. just constant losses-i mean did you know that kid sunoo dropped outta school 'cause he lost a bet on your last race?"

jay's calm tangent caused heeseung's eyebrows to raise slightly. he knew there would be consequences to his careless disappearance, but nothing of this calibre. heeseung wasn't a dickhead like the other greasers you'd categorise him with. he was the eldest of the clique and brought a sense of meaning to that label with reason. and, he definitely knew when he should be held accountable for up and leaving as though that selected group meant nothing to him but a mere memory.

jay's vent furthered, "guess that saying that goes 'you never know what y'got 'til its gone' is true," his vision returned to his eldest and the black haired disheveled individual had his brows real upturned this time, mouth parted slightly in surprise at the sincerity of his pride smitten companion. the boy in question was flustered at the non-responsive behaviour of heeseung and cleared his throat while looking off to the side.

lee simply shook his head, placing a hand on the awkward male and nodded in acknowledgment, "yeah, man. guess i got a few apologies to make," he answered whilst lifting a palm off his friend and instead returning them to his jacket to fully zip it up as the cold night breeze bristled the hairs on his head.

jay tilted his head slightly forward in response, taking the cold wind as a sign that solidified that heeseung wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. now, there was only the future to look forward to-and a group of assholes to prove himself to. the car engine started once more and the automobile began to reverse from the dark alleyway.

a cold curious hand dug into the front pockets of his jacket, only to brush past a crisp wad of paper. heeseung brimmed with confusion for a brief moment as he lifted the paper out of his pocket and held it in front of his eyes. with a squint, he realised it was a collection of numbers written with pencil. heeseung's eyes narrowed further in suspicion, only one person had access to his clothing and he drew a straight line to the culprit.

"y'good?" jay asked to break the sudden silence and the other male immediately crumpled the paper between his fingers and flicked it behind him.

"yeah, keeno," lee nonchalantly responded while jay had fully backed out of the dim alleyway, only now waiting for several cars to pass so he had a clear entrance.

"i got a plan to get you outta juvi," the other appeased with an anticipating grin on his face. the loud screech of tires burned against the asphalt ground as jay forced himself to break a brigade of cars, earning a few ear-piercing honks from other drivers.

heeseung's head was turned towards the rear end of the car, an astonished smile on his face, "surprised y'haven't lost your license yet. shoot," he encouraged the other's question.

jay clicked his tongue at hee's snarky comment and drove towards the direction of a gas station that's bright neon sign was spotted miles away, "dyeing ya 'do," the dark haired male explained while his eyes flicked towards heeseung's raven locks.

the male in question reluctantly lifted a hand to palm the side of his hair, lips pursing in uncertainty, "fracture me, will you? there ain't no way in hell you're touching my hair," heeseung refused almost immediately.

definition:' fracture'. > amuse me.

"'ts either you sportin' a new color, or spending the rest'a senior year with the fuzz," jay reasoned while shaking his head in disapproval. personally, he thought his plan was well thought out and a good cover for his criminal of a friend.

"ain't that a bite, park. think they got ciggies in jail?" the other sighed out while repositioning himself in jay's vehicle, long legs outspread lazily whilst his torso pushed upwards so his head could stay upright.

"get with it, hyung! y'know how hard it's boutta be when you return to school with a felon on y'head?" jay continued while heeseung closed his eyes stubbornly.

"you watch too many damn flicks," he laughed out while jay hadn't changed direction towards the servo at all. it'd take a lot of convincing for heeseung to agree, but jay just couldn't let go of his marvellous idea. and yes, he'd suppose he watched too many movies.

right in front of you were none other but the pack of greasers leaning on bleachers with their thumbs flipped over of their pockets while their other four digits tucked into their skinny jeans. one individual, in particular with their back turned from you had a long hand pressed on the wall that a shorter girl leaned against. the familiar curls of his brunette hair were hard to discard from your memory, so much so that you hesitated to step any closer.

if it weren't for taehyun's quick tap of yeonjun's shoulder, the male would've never turned his head to notice your presence. at first, his foxy eyes were pried in surprise before they relaxed and a cocky smirk replaced his ajar mouth, "i knew you'd be back for more, cherry," he cooed and unhooked his hand from the wall pressed beside his female companion and stood up straight, smug look unwavering.

soobin left your side and travelled up the bleachers to meet his clique, long legs used to skip past two bleachers at a time. he exchanged a hand shake with yeonjun briefly, tugging in the male and dabbing his shoulder before pulling away and settling on the cold spot beside beomgyu. now, only you resided alone as a group of five looked down at you like a feeble insect.

"back for more? more of what?" you spat with raised eyebrows, almost holding back a fake laugh at his outpour if confidence like the night between you two had gone well.

"why, don't act coy. i know you miss me," yeonjun tutted while digging his hands into his pockets, shoulders relaxing as your expression crumbled in agony.

"oh get bent, choi. i'm not here to relive the terrors of friday night," you answered in determination, hands fisting the heavy blazer over your shoulder's you'd almost forgotten soobin left on you. the four other men murmured between each other, one of them patting yeonjun on the shoulder and causing him to stumble forwards slightly.

his calloused hand brushed off the previous spot the hand had touched him and he glared towards the boy in annoyance, "well then, clue me," yeonjun responded while his legs began to extend forward and step down each bleacher seat with a hop in his steps.

you inhaled sharply, watching as yeonjun proceeded to step unwarrantedly close to you with the tip of his shoes nearly budding into yours, "your turf's being threatened by those... stray animals from the next town over, y'know those ones?" you answered with a hesitation as you described the male group in question. yeonjun's lips pouted, an eyebrow crossing in confusion from your unreliable outpour.

"name 'em. i don't know who they are," he demanded while turning his head left so his ear protruded towards you closest. your teeth grit in irritation at his actions potentially mocking you and the sliver of power your position gave away. a girl, left alone in a school full of random people, in front of her sworn enemy.

"felix, hyunjin, chan, those lookers," your eyes decimated off to the side as you recalled a few of their aliases. the boy in front of you rubbed his chin in thought, still missing a few details.

"yeah, them freamers," yeonjun parroted before throwing his head back to repeat the message to his lackeys up on the bleachers. a couple of their faces screwed, a little complacent with their cooperation. you bit down on the insides of your mouth, kneading the soft flesh as a way to pass time as no straight answer was given from the other party.

"listen, uh, we lost star racer to them and since riki struck at them first, they wanna rumble with us," your anecdote retained uncertainty yet you wanted to persevere confidently.

two front teeth bit down on the right side of the boy's bottom lip, biting back an unconvinced smile, "that ankle-biter ought to have at it. well, what exactly would we get out of it?" yeonjun asked with a deliberate whining tone towards the end of his sentence.

"you kiddin'? we're stuck in the mud for your turf and you want something out of it?" you scoffed with narrowed eyes.

"do you's really need us?" his hands outstretched in front of him as his shoulders shrugged, faking unconvinced, "sounds like we should just let em' bash ya' and clean up the mess after."

your eyebrows creased for a split second, eyes strictly trained on your counterpart's imposing face, "your turf won't be lost, you get a good swing on those douchebags and..." your volume lowered while thinking of your next proposition. until yeonjun finished your suggestions for you.

"—how 'bout a proper date. a good one that might end with something else gettin' damp, i'd rather," his condescending voice stifled a laugh at his dirty innuendo. the pack on the bleachers seemed to mirror his reaction, yet they were encouraging.

"another fake out?" your face screwed while weighing the odds. did you really need these guys as backup? the chances of succeeding did increase if they were to defend their own turf. for pete's sake, was defending their own side of the town mean nothing if they didn't get a piece of you out of it? you knew bets never ended well, you knew very well.

but there was an undiscovered surge of eagerness that anticipated you.

yeonjun's head lifted and lowered slowly, nodding for you to continue. your tart fingers bore creases in the oversized jacket slung over your shoulders as you finally responded, "no. see, i don't usually settle for sloppy seconds," you replied while your eyes peered behind his broad shoulder. specifically at the girl leaning against the brick wall with her arms crossed, burning holes into your frame by her stare.

the male whipped his around for a split second before turning back to you with a hand plastered on the back of his warm neck, "that broad's jus'ta rebound. we get comfy, don't we?" he attempted to convince yet this time with a softer voice, most likely lowered so the men behind him couldn't hear his pompous attempt to sway you.

"i am anything but comfy 'round you. y'know, its fine. we should just back outta this rumble and allow them to take your turf. you've already won, haven't you?" your eyes scaled upwards to the ceiling, checking off an imaginary list in your head, "you've got heeseung's car, you've got star racer, you've got my friends leaving one after another," an uninterested frown grew on your face as your hands outspread outwards in pretend surrender, "i don't see why we should hold onto our pride if someone's already fucked us over, really."

yeonjun's eyebrows raised while he listened to your lost hope, quite unsure of how to appear. his eyes travelled from your long skirt, to your tucked in blouse and even to the stilled palms on display, "so you finally wanna admit we're better than you's?"

"sure, choi," you replied unenthusiastically.

he swiped his tongue on his bottom lip in thought, knowing there were only two ways your encounter could go, "you pushin' the right buttons if thats your goal. but, what do y'mean your goons are leaving one after another?"

his question brought your eyebrows to skyrocket that he was even concerned with the status of your group. one of your palms pressed against your wrist, rubbing it uncomfortably as if there were a stain lingering against it, "...yea. heeseung's gone, jay's on a vacay, sunoo's dropped out. i know you don't care but i guess that's why we need your clique," your voice softened as you opened up to the boy for the first time.

yeonjun's head rotated around to face his group to view if they heard the same thing and there was a sinister smile plastered to his face as he faced you once again, "was wonderin' why i hadn't heard of lee in a while. i'd say too bad, but if that greaser was here you wouldn't be pleadin' to me."

the boy's apparition earned a tilt of your head, slightly confused by his wording, "you lay off. i wasn't pleading, just playing messenger," you argued back. suddenly you remembered the time frame you should have cohered to and flicked down to the boy's cuff of his jacket to see if he was wearing a watch, "what's the time?"

choi blinked a number of times before he brought his hand to run through his hair while bringing his wrist into view. he flicked his sleeve's cuff back while squinting his eyes, actually confining to your request without a fuss for the first time, "it's 1:20, dolly."

you mentally cursed while your feet paced back and forth for a second, only 10 minutes left of lunchtime and to be back at your side of town. there wasn't anymore time to talk so you grasped onto the oversized jacket around your shoulders before quickly spurting out, "it's tonight, same time and place as the races. if you don't show up, tell soobin to kiss his sweet jacket goodbye!" you skimmed through the details with a gleeful laugh leaving your lips.

ignoring the calls and requests behind you, you pivoted back towards the gymnasium doors and hurriedly shoved them apart to make way for your triumphant exit.

you had a clue that yeonjun's clique wouldn't back out of such a contest, especially after you had practically kissed their asses for participation. but regardless of how it occurred,

'snob high' was officially on your side.

the ruptured footsteps of heeseung's converses padded against the white floor of the gas station while his dark eyes analysed the shelving surrounding him. jay was leading him through the limited beauty section of the store, an anticipating smirk of mischief coating one side of his face to the other.

"tellin' ya, give it a chance," jay persuaded whilst one of his hands extended forward to pick up a box of hair dye, an extremely vibrant blue. the eldest boy's eyebrows furrowed, one side of his face hit by the cold toned lighting of the shop. his calloused hands dug into the blue coverall bottom pockets he retained in that's sleeves were still tied around his waist.

"freakin' blue? you tickle me, ha-ha-ha..." the pompous fake laughs excavated heeseung's lips like a robot, not swayed at all.

jay scoffed comically, pursing his lips together to puff the black tuffs of his fringe upwards and out of his eyes. the spikes lay flat back against his tan forehead while he returned the blue box dye and picked up a new one. this one having another vibrant colour and a hair model with the phoniest white smile hee had ever seen.

he slowly craned his head to heeseung who returned the dramatic head turn back before breaking out into an immediate head shake of refusal.

"it was me who picked y'up. do this as a reward to pay me back?" jay bargained with a low snicker.

heeseung didn't want to, of course. not with such a bizarre colour as that. if anything, he wanted to reach out and slam jay's idiotic face into the shelves and collapse every other hair dye box on display with him. but instead he sighed, eyes training on the front design as one of his hands slid down his chest and to a pocket of cash he'd tucked away.

"beat feet, 'fore i change my mind."

tonight was the night. the rumble. the dawning wind blew in your hair as sunghoon steered his roofless car in the direction of the race track. the breeze contorted your hair in all sorts of swiped arrays yet your face stayed stone-still. your eyebrows creased with a firm line shaping your lips. not even the loud roar of music from hoon's aux crossed your mind besides worry.

what if yeonjun and his squad were tellin' fibs just to get a rouse outta you. and if they did show up, theres no telling if all the other boy's would react kindly to their arrival either. you didn't exactly tell them your plan of inviting snob high affiliated other than jake.

it was the six of you, riki, jungwon, sunoo, sunghoon and jake all crammed inside sunghoon's five seater leading to riki being the one on the carpet flooring by your feet. he leaned his tall back against a car door, his neck hindered by the bottom cup holders on the door's inside.

he fought against it at first, of course, but sunghoon told him to suck it up or be left behind because he was clearly still in a bad mood from yesterday. you sat between jungwon and sunoo who were oddly silent while facing the nighttime scenery bleakly whipping past. the entire car ride was silent, all of you knowing the uprising tension to unfold moments ahead.

there it was. the loud bass of music coming from the dried dam's surface that the sloped concrete walls hid from eye view. sunghoon's dark eyes flicked to his rear view mirror for a split second before he veered forward on his pedal and down a slope to meet with the very source of sound. the enemies.

as the group of brute men unfolded in view as your ride came to a screeching halt that was overshadowed by the loud cooing and hoots of bangchan's clique.

"lookie 'ere!" one of their brash voices called out, earning a curdle of your nose in return.

your vision focused on felix who was leaning against the bright blue automobile with a cigarette between two fingers, only snapping out of your unintentional selected vision by the aggravated slams of car doors.

"c'mon y/n, hop out so i can get out too," riki ushered, the first time he'd spoken from the entire car ride. one of his hands placed itself on the driver seat's head, nails digging into the beige leather. you bit down on your bottom lip, clicking open the car door on your left and hopping out of the automobile.

riki followed suit, not leaving through the car door but instead manoeuvring himself in the air and jumping over the other closed side. everyone was already standing around hoon's car, glaring off the mugs across from them.

the tall blonde stood inches from sunghoon who was the closest to the 'stray boys'. clearly he wanted to display no fret the other side exuded since it was basically his fault this rumble was occurring in the first place. jeongin could tell immediately and silently stepped forward as well, his braces shining as his lips parted.

"if it isn't rik-dog, the candy ass," the brunette of the other side taunted, eyes shooting straight to riki who clenched his teeth immediately at the name call.

"and cookin', ain't i? train-tracks," riki ridiculed back, earning a quiet coo from sunoo who couldn't contain his satire encouragement and resulted in an elbow in his ribs by jungwon who knew it wasn't the time for such antics. your white sneakers tapped against the pavement as you situated yourself beside jake who was positioned behind the gap sunghoon and riki had between them.

definition:'cook' or 'cookin''. > doing it/well.

jeongin sputtered, brown eyes glancing towards your appearing figure instead. his gaze flicked up and down your frame before turning back at riki, "i see your classy chassis can still only clothe in her mother's clothes. she ain't been popped yet by you's, has she?" his uncalled insult targeted at you instantly drew a frown on riki's face.

his sick innuendo mixed with the unnecessary comment at your clad attire brought irritation in your veins. but honestly, you had only worn long skirts and blouses since heeseung went missing as well as refusing to be flag girl at race events simply because you weren't comfortable anymore. yet before he could respond, you did, "if we talking mother's i'd assume the only thing popped is your mother loaded before she had you."

definition:'loaded'. > drunk.

jeongin's braces disappeared after that, hiding behind a dropped smile as his lips curved downwards in an outraged pause. jake's giggle rumbled from his throat, unable to stifle it in time and attracted everyone's attention.

"something real funny, huh, sim?" one of the boy's you wouldn't be able to recognise questioned and jake lifted a hand to quickly cover his unserious smile that had arose.

"you lay off now. how 'bout we stop throwing insults and get started in the race," jake began while his hand collapsed from his face and revealed his still toothy smile.

"get on with it," hyunjin gruffly hasted and suddenly began to walk around to the driver's seat of the blue car.

"finally, some fuckin' action," sunghoon boldly responded in the second hyunjin entered his vehicle, mirroring his actions whilst everyone around the car migrated off the side.

"countdown!" one of the slack hooligan's hooted as a countdown of three began. your head was buzzing. events were happening too quickly and yeonjun hadn't even arrived yet. you didn't want him. you just needed him. eyes screwing shut, all you could do was pray for a moment that god was on your side.

but the roaring of engines filled your ears instead.

perhaps things could never go according to plan. you were already quite familiar with that concept. as your eyes pried open as the chatter in the air heightened, you didn't meet with the rear of sunghoon's car. his vehicle was still in place, along with hyunjin's.

it wasn't their revving cars taking off. your brows lifted gently at the realisation it was heeseung's car. except, he wasn't in it, of course. it was yeonjun. the chestnut haired male attracted the attention of everyone, his face contorting into a smug grin.

"what the hell are they doing here...?" you heard jungwon whisper beneath his breath while watching the boy in question kick open his car door. yeonjun's dark derby's trod out from his vehicle while his hands swiped against one another-almost as if he were wiping dust from them.

"well, ain't this a lumpy time to make the scene," familiar foxy eyes danced across the array of people in front of him, all standing in an imperfect line behind the two cars anticipating a race.

definition:'lumpy'. > mediocre.

definition: 'make the scene'. > attend an event/activity.

there was an uproar of confusion and questions creating scores in the air, people from you and bangchan's clique all turning to one another. your white soles collided with the pavement as you stepped forward, "didn't haul ass to get here, did you's?" a stifled laugh erupted in your throat while you eyed the group of five standing around choi's car.

"be grateful we's even showed up, cherry," yeonjun replied with a lower in his tone yet his grin retained on his face. you rolled your eyes in mock annoyance, placing them back on the group beside yours.

"is this every freamer you've kissed together, y/n?" one of the oppositions mocked, a reaction of laughter leeching off of his words. you frowned, hands balling into fists as you stared the boy down.

"y'keepin' count of the amount of boys being kissed wouldn'tya, han?" yeonjun butt in, the sound of a lighter flicking coming from his direction. oddly enough, the boys standing near you stifled laughs at yeonjun's remark. sunghoon's silver hair resembled the moonlight as he whipped his behind around to face us, his dark browns stern.

"explain what these germs are doin' here?" he rasped out, his neck in an uncomfortable twist from his position. jake's head immediately turned to you as you ushered out a curse at the oblivious male's action.

soobin's eyes trained on you with a squint, one side of his lips lifting into an intrigued smile. an uneasy lump in your throat swallowed down, "i invited them. like you said, we were outnumbered," you explained to the puzzled boy.

"yeah well, what'll ya do?" sunghoon raised another question, taking his smoke from his pink lips and tapping it on the edge of his car door, ashes falling to the ground by the gentle force, "i sure don't see any bottles of car oil in y'boot."

the obvious jab towards the oppositions group's wrongdoings towards heeseung altercated the tension in the air. yeonjun extended a leg forward, head cocking towards the side in amusement as he stepped towards sunghoon's idle position.

"you wanna find out, park?" the brunette rhetorically asked, approaching the right door of sunghoon's ride.

"bite-me," sunghoon grit through the fangs of his teeth, lifting his cigarette between two flexed fingers. then, he flicked the lit stick right between yeonjun's eyes, causing the male to abruptly duck forward and grab him by the collar with screwed eyes.

jake and riki were already jumping forward to engage in whatever hand's on experience they could get. soobin, beomgyu, hueningkai and taehyun followed suit, getting into an unnecessary scuffle.

you wanted to face palm at the failure to cooperate between both sides that were originally supposed to bind together.

"we're not supposed to fight you duds, we're on the same side! gods sake, they're like animals," sunoo attempted to persuade, his yells falling flat along with both his palms that he placed on both sides of his mouth.

one of your ears filled with howls of laughter from the sleazy guys you were originally supposed to fight. bangchan was hunched over, slapping his knee while jeongin was pointing and laughing. along with a scrunch in hyunjin's face from the embarrassing display.

you wished jay were here right now. if it were him, he wouldn't let some petty distraction disrupt the goal at hand. you knew that no matter who won between sunghoon and yeonjun, the hooligans would just clean up afterwards and win the turf.

"sunoo, you actually got those salt shakers?" you asked, turning towards the frantic boy with no fret on your face.

he gasped like he had memorised an answer for a test as he reached into one of his jeans pocket's and pulled out a small glass salt shaker, just like he said he would. you licked one corner of your mouth as a lightbulb lit in your mind, "watch this."

you ran towards sunghoon's side of his car and bent down behind the cover of the vehicle. from within you could see sunghoon's toned arm tightly head-locking yeonjun as the said make grunted and tapped his biceps in any way to be loosened. riki had hueningkai's converses roughly planted on the side of his face and jake was letting out girlish squeals from beomgyu and taehyun grasping onto his white shirt to lift him over the bumper of the car.

the most atrocious scuffle you'd seen. but instead of focusing so much on the circus act in front of you, you poured your attention onto your wrist bent at a 90° angle. you were aiming the salt shaker towards bangchan's group and you needed just enough power to throw it over the vehicle beside you.

luckily, salt shakers aren't relatively heavy. with a singular motion, the glass ornament went flying into the air and crashed into jeongin's eyes. the sudden collision staggered the young boy and his feet once keeping his balance toppled one over the other.

the brown haired boy fell backwards onto his tailbone, hands cupping around his eyelids and he let out a groan of pain. you heard a loud cascade of sinister laughter from the group of boys gang fighting in sunghoon's car. it was obviously riki getting the biggest kick outta jeongin being victim to throw.

"haha! was that you sunoo hyung?!" riki laughed abnormally with a wide smile, hands gripping onto the converse sole roughly kicking against him. with his stubborn hold, he bent the shoes back towards hueningkai who groaned at the agonising stretch, "good throw!"

hearing riki's loud banter, jeongin wiped his eyes with the back of his forearm, immediately targeting sunoo across from him, "you askin' for it, fucker," the youngest cursed with a sudden shift of gravity as he stood up and bolted towards sunoo's oblivious self. changbin, han, and a few others followed suit.

your friend squeaked out at the scare, stepping backwards and beginning to run the opposite direction from the newborn crowd, "you just had to say somethin' riki!"

although your plan had sort of backfired, it sparked the interest of jungwon who was standing behind you with his fingers buried tightly in his locks. he had just observed your impressive throw of precision, yet he was still debating on how to include himself in the rumble. his blue coveralls hang loosely around his fit frame, his head turning towards sunoo's quickly paced frame running across the width of the race track.

it wasn't like jungwon offered to fight in rumbles often. he rather be in jay's garage, tweaking any automobile he could get his hands on. with such brute handy work, you'd assume he would pack a somewhat hard punch, kick, or something like that.

"jungwon-if y'don't do somethin' i'll-" sunghoon grunted while scampering his torso up with one of his feet extending himself high on his car seat. using the newfound angle, he slammed one side of yeonjun's head into his steering wheel and sounded an ear-piercing beep of his car.

a few of yeonjun's lackeys who were beating up jake and riki loosened their hold on them to cover their ears at the sudden crack of sound. jungwon's dark round eyes shifted to your crouched position next to sunghoon's car door and bit down on his lip in uncertainty.

just as you were open your lips to say something, a bright flash behind you distracted your train of thought. everyone's heads collectively fwipped around like there was a magnet placed behind an external magnetic field. a flat hand placed itself against your brow bones in hopes to shield your poor eyes from the bright gleam.

the high-beams of the car switched off.

"that couldn't be..."

your eyelids immediately raised at the appearance of jay park behind the steering wheel, "you think a rumble s'gonna happen without me?!" the familiar boy roared over the loud engines of his car. beside him was a figure with reddish-pink tuffs belonging to someone with a flashy smile. you didn't recognise him at first. hell, you wouldn't believe anyone could with the new colour he was sporting.

it was heeseung.

"jay-heeseung!" the masculine voices near you loudly exclaimed in an imperfect harmony. you sputtered on your own breath while watching as jay diagonally parked in front of sunghoon. his ridiculous sunglasses rested atop of his nose bridge as he exited the car, not even waiting another beat before getting his claws onto yeonjun.

"y'gonna miss this," jay laughed out, rough hands digging into yeonjun's shoulders as he dragged the unsuspecting male out of sunghoon's reach. yeonjun landed onto the course pavement, grunting out with a sore cheek from the brutal number sunghoon did on him.

"those shades look ridiculous," were the first words sunghoon exchanged with the make he hadn't seen for a couple of nights. the reunited duo clasped hands, pulling each other into a half handhake-half embrace position.

your pupils dilated, ears cancelling the noise of your surroundings as you watched heeseung leave the car next. his pink hairdo highlighted him in the moonlight and it only made it harder for your eyes to peel off of him.

he wasn't drenched in car oil, or sums of feet away from you on the race track. he was right there. he was wearing his beloved race jacket and navy jeans thats pocket's occupied his thumbs. his remaining fingers rested on his thighs as he skimmed the scenery. seeing him after countless weeks didn't feel real. but another daydream.

"do-something!" sunoo's heightened scream broke your tunnel vision of lee. he ran right towards jay and sunghoon, on the path past jay before the taller man simply reached a finger out to hook onto the back of sunoo's collar. the forceful halt of his marathon had jeongin and the other couple of boys suddenly freeze in confusion of where sunoo had vanished to.

jeongin huffed with a puffed chest rising and falling like a hyperventilation bag, a mean look on his fatigued face.

"and you's would be?" jay questioned, unhooking his finger from sunoo's collar in which the boy collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion. jeongin balled his fists staring off jay, never having met him before.

"put a lid on it. y'wearin' sunglasses in the middle of the night," jeongin responded with a foul tongue. jay raised an eyebrow, mouth pursing as a smoulder crept onto his face whilst he pushed his sunglasses upwards smugly.

the display of mock confidence was less than appetising, to say the least, "ts' a handicap for you goons. y'gonna need it," jay remarked, his beady eyes analysing the crowd and positions of everyone surrounding. jake, taehyun, beomgyu, hueningkai, riki, sunghoon and even yeonjun had paused their actions, curious to watch what the exchange of banter would entail in the centre of the floor.

"rattle your cage, y'not that important," jeongin spat, turning back to the numbers behind him to whisper something. bangchan, felix and hyunjin were the only three not engaging in the festivities but the appearance of heeseung and jay ushered them towards the centre with everyone else in curiosity.

"well ain't this a kick! thats lee, but with pink hair, ey!" felix's deep voice announced as if heeseung wasn't standing there for minutes already.

"either i get my revenge on your crew for what y'did to lee over there, or you get up and take down these mobs here," jay briskly offered towards yeonjun, extending a hand towards the chestnut haired boy. yeonju had a hand holding his stomach, wheezing out at the collision his back suffered against the concrete ground.

yet, he returned the gesture. he'd know exactly where a battle with jay would end up, and he didn't exactly appreciate the steaming smoke of a cigarette fry his eyeballs again. jay grinned with one side of his mouth as yeonjun beckoned something towards the rest of his group, causing them to release jake and riki from their thresholds.

you were unsure of how to react. on one hand you wanted to run to heeseung, vent to him how much you were dying to see him, see a sliver of his presence to calm the storm in your heart. on the other hand, you wanted to avoid him out of all possible chances he loathed your being for what you did.

his head gradually turned towards you, doe eyes following suit as he noticed your hiding figure. as someone called out his name, he straightened his posture and held out a hand while curling his fingers for a split second to gesture you to follow. your shoulders stiffened as your breath hitched for a split second, hesitantly raising in your stature.

you quickly jogged to heeseung as he held out his forearm, your waist being the perfect place to rest it as he walked with you towards the others. there was no 'hello', no 'how are you?', not even a 'where were you?'. you simply craned your head upwards to lock eyes and admit,

"i missed you so much, hot stuff."

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sashaisready · 1 year ago

Text

The Blood Pact: Chapter 11 - We aren’t them

Bucky Barnes Vampire AU x Female Reader

Reeling from a bad break-up, you're desperately trying to find a new place to live but the Brooklyn rental market is a complete nightmare. You take a chance on an intriguing newspaper ad and enquire about a room in a shared house, where you'd be living with two mysterious men. The catch is that they want something other than your money for you to pay the rent...the one thing they don't have

Series Masterlist

Chapter 12

There's some smut and angst (☹️) in this one as insecurities come to ahead and Bucky/reader fail to communicate properly (sooo unlike them, I know!)

“Bucky…I can’t…” you panted.

He pulled away and looked up at you, smiling wickedly and taking a moment to drink in your dishevelled appearance.

“Just one more. You can do that for me, right Doll? Just give me one more. A tiny, little one” he smirked.

You wailed as he resumed his position between your legs, diving back in and teasing your clit with his tongue and working you over with his fingers. He’d been at this for some time, you were perched on the edge of your bedroom desk with him on his knees - making you come over and over again until the sensitivity made everything feel like it was on fire. You’d slowly unravelled, your body feeling heavy as your speech became slurred and your brain melted out of your ears. He seemed to relish breaking you like this, delighting in reducing you to a quivering mess at his hands (and tongue).

Your climax arrived mercifully quickly and you yanked his head away from you as you rode through it, unable to cope with the feeling of his tongue on you any longer. He surprised you by leaping up and sinking his fangs into your neck as you came, almost passing out at the dual sensation of your orgasm and the feed euphoria. He moaned heavily as he fed from you, holding you tenderly as you jerked and spasmed and sighed against his cold cheek. As you came down from your high he carried you to the bed, gently laying you on the sheets as he pulled you to his chest. You both laid there for a few moments as your breathing settled back down.

He watched you smugly and you sighed at his arrogance, but still gave him a gentle kiss on his nose as a thank-you for his dedicated hard work.

He had been insatiable in the weeks since Steve had discovered the truth, constantly all over you and apparently unable to get enough. It was rare that you were both in a room without him touching you in some way. Now you didn’t need to sneak around, Bucky seemed to be wanting to make the most of it. He liked to incorporate feeds with your bedroom activities, knowing it enhanced the feeling for both of you. Most evenings you’d be endlessly high from the relentless endorphins, sometimes unable to sleep for hours because the adrenaline would be coursing through your veins.

You would sometimes go out in the evenings, to a late movie or to a nice bar (not that he drank, but would order a small, untouched beer to keep up appearances). Restaurants were out as you felt weird eating while he sat and watched, so you would do late night art shows or go to the theatre. Sometimes you just walked around the city, taking in the sights and sounds as he draped an arm around you and kept you close.

It all felt very easy, silences were comfortable and time seemed to slip away when you were with him. Adjusting to a slightly more nocturnal pattern was tricky at first, but fortunately your job didn’t require you to start at the crack of dawn as long as you met deadlines and got the work done throughout the day. And Bucky was very strict about you retiring to bed before it got too late so you didn’t mess with your sleep pattern too much.

You’d told your friends about him who were delighted with this development. They didn’t know who he really was of course, but were charmed by him when you’d brought him along to the bar one night and he’d bought everyone a drink, making an effort to talk to them all. Nat had given you an approving thumbs up as he passed her the martini he’d paid for. Wanda was thrilled you’d finally put Peter behind you, mouthing ‘he’s so hot’ when Bucky’s back was turned.

You were enjoying his company just as much as he yours, infatuated with him and his attention. The sex was like nothing else you’d experienced. Sometimes you could scarcely believe this gorgeous creature wanted to spend time with you, it often felt like he was widely out of your league. And it wasn’t just the physical aspect, you enjoyed spending time with him. You still had your playful back and forth and still ribbed each other. On weekends you would stay up until the early hours just talking, occasionally about his past but not always as he found it tough to re-live. You could feel yourself falling in love with him, and sometimes it felt like he might love you too.

But on other days your doubts and insecurities consumed you like a dark cloud. Was all this only happening because you were under his roof? Were you something fun for a vampire to pass the hours with (eternity was a long time, after all), a warm body to supply him with all the sustenance and sex he could ever want? You were self-aware enough to know your insecurities were probably in part due to how Peter had done a number on you, fracturing your trust and causing you to always be on the lookout for red flags so that you were never blindsided by a betrayal again.

But you had ‘the bond’ with Bucky, right? That meant you had a connection, something deeper. So maybe it wasn’t just food and sex for him, maybe he did feel what you felt? You knew it was a strange idea for a vampire and a human to be together, but your perception of ‘strange’ had shifted drastically since you’d moved in here…

Then your mind would wander to Steve and Peggy. They thought they could make it work but they couldn’t. Was that the inevitable path of all human and vampire pairings? Even if you did have strong feelings for one another, were you and Bucky destined to go down the same route? Were you just wasting time as the inevitable loomed? Maybe Bucky already knew all of this, and was just happy to have fun in the mean time?

You sometimes wondered if the only way you could really be together was if he turned you. But did he really want that? Did you really want that? Both he and Steve had made the most of what they were and how they had to live, but it was clear they would've made different choices if they had their time again. You weren't sure Bucky would oblige even if it's what you wanted. And did you want it? Sometimes you thought you did. But what about your life? Could you really give it all up for him? Would you really be happy if you never saw the sun again? If you lived forever in the shadows, never growing old, never having kids...

“What’s going on in there?” Bucky asked, derailing your train of thought. He tapped a curious finger on the side of your head and you rolled your eyes, swatting him away.

“Nothing” you sighed. “Just tired I guess”.

He rolled his eyes and prodded you in the ribs. “Oh you think I’m dumb, huh? I know you’re working something through. You always get that same look on your face when you are. C’mon, you know you can tell me anything”.

You shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m fine”.

Unconvinced, he raised an eyebrow. “Something is going on in there. You might as well tell me as I’ll figure it out eventually”.

You scowled at him, irritated by his astute perception. It was always hard to hide anything from him. “Fine! I’m just thinking about…this…us…stuff”.

He peered over at you, resting his head on the pillow. “What about it? Are you not into it?”

“No, no it’s not that” you said softly. “I’m having a great time. I suppose I’m just aware of our differences, you know, you being what you are…and me not…and-”

“That’s not important to me” he interrupted briskly, sounding almost offended. “Why, is it an issue for you?” His face tightened and you could see he was getting annoyed.

“No…no of course not” you spluttered, suddenly struggling to find the right words. “I guess I just worry that I’m, well, convenient for you – and that’s a big part of the reason you spend time with me”.

He glared at you. “What does that mean?”

You weren’t sure how this had steered into a potential fight, desperately wishing you hadn’t said anything but also knowing you couldn’t turn back now. Maybe it was a good thing to get it all out there.

“Uh well…I live here. I was your food source and now I’m your sex source, too. I dunno sometimes I just worry that it’s all I am to you…you know, like Steve said. A toy to suck and fuck…”

You regretted your words the second they left your lips. Bucky’s face twisted into a frown and he sat up.

“Wow. Well, it’s nice to know how you really see me” he grunted angrily.

“Look…I’m sorry, you kept asking me what I was thinking and I’ve been worrying about it. Was I supposed to lie…?” you asked, your tone panicked and shrill.

Bucky shook his head, shrugging his t-shirt over his head and reaching for his discarded underwear as he began to furiously dress.

“You really think so little of me, Doll? You really think I’d be doing all this if that’s how I saw you?”

He was angry. Really angry. You found yourself getting angry too. After all he was the one who pushed you to talk, who said you could tell him anything. You were hoping for reassurance, not a shouting match.

“I’m sorry but that’s how I feel sometimes! Don’t yell at me…” you shot back.

He scoffed. “Honey, trust me – this isn’t me yelling, you’d know if I was yelling”.

He scowled at you and you felt a chill run through your bones at the concentrated rage in his eyes.

“Is it because you found out about my past?” he asked, his voice now more wounded than angry. “You can’t deal and you’re trying to push me away? Because I gave you an out…”

“No! Not at all. I’m just grateful you shared it with me. None of it affects how I feel about you” you stood from the bed, his hurt expression striking your heart.

“Bucky…c’mon. Can you blame me? This is all new to me, and you’re not exactly open with your feelings. And what about Steve and Peggy? It didn’t work out for them and they're my only frame of reference, so you can see how I would-”

“We aren’t them though, are we?” he spat back at you, his anger returning. “Fuck, I knew that story spooked you, and I get it. But it doesn’t matter as clearly you think very little of me if you think I’m only here for food and sex”.

“Bucky no, I just-”

“I don’t need anything from you, Doll” he fired venomously. “If I wanted a feed or sex, or a ‘suck and fuck’ as you so eloquently expressed, I’d go out and get it. I’ve never had any problems in that department. I don’t need you for that. You’re fun and all, but never my only option”.

You glared at him, wounded by his harsh words. “I see”.

You both stood in silence for a moment glaring daggers at one another, the tension between you thick and suffocating. You thought you may have seen a brief softening in his face but it vanished too quickly for you to be sure. Your anger rose once more as the full implication of what he’d said had sunk in. How dare he speak to you like that?

“Maybe you should, then” you finally said.

He flinched briefly, his eyes widening at the aggression in your voice. But just as quickly, he found his resolve.

“Maybe I will”.

With that he left the room, slamming the door behind him. You waited until you heard his footsteps fully retreat down the stairs before you started to cry.

#Vampire bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #the blood pact fic #james bucky barnes #Vampire bucky au #Vampire bucky x you #Vampire bucky x reader

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