#Shuffling an Array
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rocoderes · 2 years ago
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JavaScript Problem: How to Perform Shuffling an Array
In this article, we are going to see about shuffling an array in JavaScript. Shuffling can be a very useful feature while creating some applications like quiz, scramble games etc. or might be useful in many ways. So we will make this thing happens with some simple and basic way. We will take an array of element or numbers, and we will apply some logic on them to shuffle in random order. So let’s…
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unfortunate-development · 1 year ago
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forgot my playlist sucked
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pog-with-a-blog · 1 year ago
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Rules: shuffle your likes or your favorite playlist and post the first ten tracks
Baby bug - Natalie Claro
The World Would Run Better - KONGOS
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - American Murder Song
Grow Back - The Happy fits
Mostly - Vian Izak, Juniper Vale
Geraldine's Routine - Tape Five
Light My Love - Greta Van Fleet
Second Night of Summer - Borns
Novocaine - The Unlikely Candidates
Blood // Water - grandson
Tagged by @gaysadilla
Tagging @the-beef-man@necromancymom@a-quaint-device@hemo-goblin-a1c
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styxnbones · 2 years ago
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Put your playlist on shuffle and post the ten songs that come first!
anotha one (i did one of these just the other day but i like showing off my music taste so)
tagged by @chiss-ticism
1.I Will Be Back One Day - Lord Huron 2. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS 3. Cabinet Man - Lemon Demon 4. world.execute (me) ; - Mili 5. Tzimisce - Liar 6. Digital World - Amaranthe 7. See You In Hell - Suicide Commando 8. Delirium - Epica 9. Ghost Castle - Louie Zong 10. Hurt No One - The Used
i seriously never know who to tag in turn for these so just like if you see this and you want to do it then i tagged you psychically
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creativebrainrot · 2 years ago
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tagged by @sleidog for a lil music game
RULES: You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people. No skipping!
oh boy. using shuffle all cause thats what i listen to
MIC Drop - BTS
Interlude: Wings - BTS
Do You Wanna Ride? - Be More Chill The Musical
Friends - BTS
Toxic - Melanie Martinez (The Voice cover)
Incomparable - MONSTA X
Pain - Three Days Grace
SHAKE THAT BRASS - Amber
In Time - MONSTA X
Go - Super Junior M
and ill taaag uuhhhh @silvesi @little-leaf-man @straywyvern @neptnzz @astralarias and any one who follows me that wants to play a tag game
(goes without saying but no pressure to play if u dont wanna 👍)
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monamipencil · 1 month ago
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── 𝗠𝗥. 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗥𝗦. 𝗬𝗢𝗢𝗡 ft. jeonghan
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⛧synopsis; an intrusion, a couple, a murder and a twist. — second fic of lola's spooktober
⛧ pairings; husband! jeonghan x fem! reader ⛧ genre; smut, gore, horror ⛧ w.c; 4.1k+ ⛧ warnings; hybristophilia, body worship, blood, murder/death, description of corpse, sex on the dining table lmao, HORNY fucking, unprotected sex, oral (f.receiving) creampie, allusions to cults, devil worship, etc etc. mentions of food ⛧ a/n; *clears thorat* *coughs* im so sorry for the delay lmao, i was absolutely not motivated to write. but anyways, enjoy!!
READ AT YOUR OWN CAUTION ⛧ MDNI
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[ 07th October, 2024 ]
Thunder crackles, and lightning strikes. The heavy rain pitter-patters on the windows and roofs. Water flows, flooding the streets, making them inhabitable to unlucky strays. Chaos brews outside, and you observe it from within the safety of your home. 
A ‘meow’ shifts your attention. You smile at the cat you rescued from the storm and rub its head. It meows again and shuffles to the living room, black fur disappearing behind the couch. 
“-And everyone is requested to stay at home or take shelter till further notifications. Police’s investigation into the recent murders have been halted due to the storm. We request everyone to stay sa—”
The television cuts off and comes alive again, buzzing and glitching.  You turn it off with a sigh. Except for the pitter-patter of the rain, your home is silent. The silence lays heavy on the walls and floors. You can’t seem to fill it no matter what. Your hand involuntarily touches the pendant your husband gifted you. Muttering a prayer to Him, you ask for Jeonghan's safe return to you. 
[ ... ]
The gentle sizzle of the vegetables fills your ears, and you pour water into the vessel, turning down the flame. 
Your newly adopted cat nuzzles between your legs, purring with content at the warmth. You smile and coo at it. But before you can adore it further, the doorbell rings.
You wipe your hands, contemplating whether or not to attend it. It couldn't be Jeonghan. You sigh and walk to the door. The black furball stays in the kitchen, observing you with its yellow eyes.
Looking through the peephole, you see someone shivering from the cold and absolutely drenched. Your hands fly to unlock the door, and the person is startled at the force you open it.
“Come in, please!” you move from his way. He nods his head with gratitude and walks in weakly.
Quickly shutting the door, you lock it. The stranger turns to see you secure the array of locks on the door. You greet him with a smile. He smiles back.
“I'm sorry for the inconvenience,” he apologizes, but you assure him and welcome him into your home. “Oh no, It's fine. I don't mind some company.”
He removes his drenched coat and hangs it on the coat hanger. While doing so, he notices another coat on it. “Is it just you at home, miss?”
“Mrs.” You correct him and reply, “Yes, my husband is out of town for business.”
He also removes his shoes and places them near the door, noticing another pair of shoes. “May I ask you why you are out in such a storm?”
“Ah, I turned up for work and my friend who was supposed to pick me didn't turn up.”
You give him an apologetic nod and gesture towards your living room. “Please make yourself at home. I'll quickly put together a warm soup for you.”
He tries to protest, but you reason with him and disappear into the kitchen. He sits on the sofa with a sigh and thanks God for helping him at the right time.
The low purr of a cat catches his attention. A black cat sits in the middle of the living room. It stares at him, and he awkwardly smiles at it and tries to distract himself. It leaves eventually.
The interior of your home mesmerizes him, reminding him of those vintage homes. The teal wallpapers and the antique decors mesh well together and create a homely look. The myriad of pictures on the wall near the kitchen intrigues him.
He walks towards it and observes each photo. He sees you in all of the frames, along with a man whom he deduces to be your husband. He sees all types of pictures, varying from road trips to studio ones.
“Is your husband a celebrity by any chance, Mrs. Yoon?” He inquires after seeing a frame with the writing, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Yoon.’ A vague feeling of familiarity brews in him the more he looks at your husband.
“Ah, no, no. He's devilishly handsome and he could be a great actor but he only does business.” You voice from within the kitchen, but his mind drains you out. He's more fixated on the pictures, unable to shake the feeling.
He doesn't say anything after that, but you don't mind the silence. Quietly humming, you put together the soup. You smile to yourself, thinking of your husband. If he had been here, he'd be behind you, arms wrapped around your waist as he peppers kisses on your neck.
Your daydream feels almost real as you feel a presence behind you. Chuckling, you shake your head and move to grab a bowl. But before you could, a voice shouts behind you.
“Did you kill him?!” The stranger yells, anger surging through his voice. Confusion strikes you, “What do you mean?”
You try to distance yourself from him and grab a knife. His hand catches your wrist harshly, and you cry out. Acting on your instincts, you fling the pot of soup at him. He yelps as the hot liquid makes contact with his skin.
With him muttering a plethora of curses, you run out of the kitchen. The cat observes the chaos, slowly wagging its tail. The stranger blindly moves to the sink and splashes water on his face to wash off the soup.
After gaining composure, he trudges out of the kitchen with a meat knife. He checks every door and room, eyes darting to all corners to find you. His skin stings and burns painfully. He winces but doesn't let it deter him.
The floor creaks beneath his foot, and he doesn't care if it alerts you. He wants you to know where he is, to be afraid of him. He wants to make you feel fear.
A smirk pulls his lips when he notices the basement door open. He stands in front of it, observing the steep set of stairs. As he descends down, a foul stench hits him, and he covers his nose.
He struggles to find the light switch and crashes into a few things. The stench is unbearable, and he cringes. After finally finding the switch, he turns it on.
Light illuminates the room, but some things are better hidden in the dark, like the dead guy tied to the wall. He can't find it in himself to scream or even utter a word. The only noise that escapes him is a gasp.
His horror intensifies when he recognizes it as his friend. “You fucking bitch! You killed him!” 
But it seems that there are far graver things than his dead friend. The red pentagram etched on the ground makes his skin crawl. A turn of his head also reveals a board pinned with a map that has pictures of people pinned on several locations.
His heart stops beating when he finds his own picture on it.
A noise from the cupboard pulls him out of his trance, and he stalks to it. Yanking the door open, he finds you there, cowering in fear. You push him off you and run away from him. But there's no way out with him standing directly in front of the stairs.
He runs to you, pinning you to the wall. “You bitch!” Then, he cackles, “Aww, can't run anywhere now?” His grip tightens, and dread fills your gut. He leans in closer, “You're going to be so sorry for what you did when I gut you.” 
You flinch and shut your eyes. The sound of a stab echoes through the room, but you don't feel any pain.
A heavy thud echoes through the room, followed by the sound of a body falling on the floor. Warm blood dots on your face, and some stain the cotton of your slip. You gasp and shudder, chest heaving as you struggle to breathe. Your eyes land on the injured body. Blood flows from his mouth and his chest. Three holes punctured through his chest.  
You don’t need to look at him to figure out who your savior is. “Jeonghan!” you cry, throwing your arms around him. The garden fork he yields in his hands meets the floor as he hurries to take you in his embrace. 
Your lips are on his instantly, kissing him with ardor. He matches your passion, both his hands on your waist, pulling you flush against him. You curl your arms around his neck, lost in the warmth of his lips. It isn’t long before his tongue prods your lips, and you’re more than happy to oblige. 
His tongue glides over yours like it has countless other times. He shifts his head to gain a better angle and kisses you deeper. One of your hands uncurls to caress his face—his flawless skin, his high cheekbones, the bone of his jaw before it slides down further. You glide your hand over his shoulders, his lean biceps, and finally his crotch. 
Jeonghan pulls away, out of breath and overjoyed. You mirror his grin when you find him rock-hard beneath his slacks. “Oh, how I missed seeing you kill,” you finish with a giggle. 
With a playful roll to his eyes, he retorts, “it’s been barely four days since I did it.” 
“And four days since I’ve seen you.” you pout, making him doe eyes at him. He melts instantly and cradles your face. “Always hungry aren’t you?” 
“For you? Yes.”
“And for blood.” he adds, making you both giggle. 
“Come on now, you gave me something to take care of.” With a pat on his bulge, you pull him up the stairs. Jeonghan happily follows but throws a cautious glance at the presumably dead body. He smiles, catching no sign of life in him, and trails behind you. 
You strut to the dining table that adjoins the kitchen and the living room and sit on it. He grins at your place of choice, and lust taints his visage when you spread your legs, inviting him.
He stands between your thighs, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty in front of him. Little drops of blood decorate your face, but the look in your eyes entrances him. A myriad of emotions swirl beneath your irises, but he recognizes all of them, mainly lust and hunger. 
His eyes dip down to the column of your neck, which he glides his forefinger over. His finger slowly ventures down and undoes the knot of your slip. He tuts, complaining about the blood on them. “That’s fine. It gives me evidence of your love.” 
“I’m right here. The living proof of my love for you,” he pecks your lips and pushes the slip off you. 
He pulls you to the edge of the table. His fingers ghost over the cloth of your underwear, brushing against the wet spot on them. His warm breath wafts down to your breasts when he kisses your neck and chest. “I can prove it now, if you want me to.” 
A breathy moan escapes you, giving him somewhat of a ‘yes.’ With another kiss to your jugular, he pulls away and kneels down. He kisses your heat through the cotton material and smirks, eyeing the wet patch formed by your arousal. In one sly movement, he removes your hipsters.   His lips are on your heat before you can process it. He kisses your little nub and gives kitten licks to your hole. His eyes dart to your eyes, mischief swirling under his dark irises. “Jeonghan! Please!”
“Please what sweetheart? You have to use your words.” You feel his smile on your core, and his warm breath wafts against it. 
“Please, eat me out!” 
He groans and obliges to your wishes right away. He dives right in, licking and kissing your folds. He moves above, wrapping your clit between his soft lips. He sucks on the bundle of nerves, tongue flicking at the bud softly. He makes sure to look at you the entire time he’s buried between your legs. 
You relax and lay back down on the table. He spreads your legs further and licks up stripes on your sopping cunt. His tongue provides you the utmost pleasure, and moans fall from your lips freely. He switches to a slower pace as if he’s making out with your cunt. 
His tongue prods your folds, licking and savoring your taste. His hand moves to spread your lips, and he places a wet, loud kiss on your clit. A gasp escapes you when his tongue slips past your hole. He slowly moves his tongue in and out while he thumbs at your clit, drawing circles. 
He tones up his pace, getting faster and faster. Your legs tremble around his head as the coil in your stomach tightens. You cum the easiest whenever Jeonghan touches you after a “long time”—which is three days at the least. He seems to have some magic hidden up his sleeve to bring you the utmost pleasure possible. And, of course, all your years of marriage add to it.
The pressure on your clit builds up, causing your entire body to shudder and tremble. Your back arches, lifting off the table, but Jeonghan pushes you down, holding you firmly. And now that he has secured a tight grip on your hips, there is no escape from his tongue.
“Jeonghan!” you moan his name, hand shooting to grip his black locks. You push his head further into your cunt and move your hips in sync with his tongue. He smiles lazily between your legs, eyes holding nothing but awe and mirth.
The coil snaps, pushing you over the crescendo of pleasure. Wanton moans fill the room, and you cum on his tongue, giving him all your sweet nectar. Jeonghan licks you dry, caressing your trembling legs before he stands up.
Though you achieved your climax, the sight of your husband undoing his belt warms you up again. You sit up eagerly, hands flying to unbuckle his belt and slacks. He only chuckles, patting your head and muttering a low coo of ‘that's my girl.’
He slips off his shirt along with his slacks and boxers. It prompts you to undo your brassiere, presenting yourself bare to him. With a grin, he approaches you. You fawn at his rock-hard cock and undo your legs unconsciously.
Overwhelmed with the urge to feel him inside you, you pull him to you. He crashes his lips on yours in the process, giving you a searing kiss that sets your body aflame with desire. Your hands don't stay put, eager to roam all over his body. He does the same, hands relearning the route of your body for the nth time.
The heat of his body on yours melts your brain, knocking every thought out of you. The only thing you remember is his name and the way he makes you feel. Not the dire situation at play now or the dead body in your basement.
The brush of his fingers on your nipples, the poke of his cock against your inner thigh, the sensation of your sweltering skin making contact with his, the glide of his tongue on yours—all of it pushes you over the edge, driving you insane. Your arousal drips down your core, and it throbs with desire.
“Hannie,” you whine his name, your desire burning with a rage only he can control. “Fuck me.”
“As you wish, dollface.” 
His cock slips past your entrance with ease, filling you up in an instant. You hook your legs behind him, your foot digging into his back to push him in further. Your gummy walls envelop him in a warm hug that makes him dizzy.
You moan in unison when he bottoms out, in bliss with how perfectly he fills you. Throwing your arms around his neck, you prompt him to move. The first thrust is easy, given how your cunt drips down with arousal. It fills you with a pleasure that makes your body tremble.
He sets his pace, fucking you with eagerness. Each slap of his balls against your ass makes your eyes roll to the back of your head, and you cling to him for dear life. Sinful moans rumble from your throat with each snap of his hips.
His lips find yours again, but this time the kiss is sloppy and messy, with moans passed between your tongues and erratic snap of his hips. You meet his hips with the same vigor. You fuck him with an animalistic desire in your veins, and he gives you back just the same.
“Ah—fuck! God, I love fucking after we kill.” you yelp between your moans. He groans, replying with a “fuck, yes.”
Jeonghan grips your hips firmly, driving his cock in and out of you with a vigorous pace that numbs your nerves. Your nails dig into his back, and you scratch his delicate skin, leaving red marks for him to admire. “Ah, ah, ah, ah!” you moan, unable to control your pleasure. The table squeaks in response to the vigor of his hips. You press your tits against his chest, desperate to feel more of his warmth.
You look down to where your body meets him. The sight of his cock disappearing into your cunt with a wet squelch each time makes you moan. A creamy ring forms at the base of his cock, and some of your arousal drips down to the table.
Jeonghan shifts one of his hands to harshly grip the back of your head, forcing you to look up at him. A grin decorates his face at the hazy look in your eyes. He keeps up his pace while moving his other hand to squeeze your mouth open. You push your tongue out eagerly, waiting for him to spit in your mouth. He does, and you happily taste him before swallowing it.
“Good girl,” he kisses your forehead, sliding his hand down to wrap around your throat. He grips your throat, squeezing it lightly. A chuckle erupts from his chest, watching your eyes roll back. He kisses your forehead again, only for him to deliver light slaps to your cheeks. Warmth pools in his chest when you whine and push yourself closer to him.
“Fuck, I love it when you go dumb on my cock.” He whispers into your ear, tickling you with his breath. His cock kisses your sweet spot, and you feel him twitching inside you.
You clench around him on purpose. He groans a low curse, and his movements turn erratic. You continue to do so till he eventually stops, whining a string of curses. “Stop it. Stop doing that,”
Obliging to his wishes, you observe him as he takes a few seconds to compose himself. His eyelids flutter, and his lips fall apart as he tries to regain control. A knowing smirk graces your lips, knowing the effect you have on him.
“Brat,” you only giggle in response, which is cut short when he thrusts with a force that has you shuddering. His tip kisses your cervix, sending shudders of pleasure through your body. Tears prick your waterline and eventually cascade down your cheek as you cry out his name.
All it takes is one more thrust to push you over the crescendo again. This time, it's more intense and mind-numbing. You moan his name over and over again, like a prayer for salvation. He follows suit and fills his load inside you, shuddering the same as you.
His hands wrap around you tightly and, yours around him. Leaning your head against his shoulders, you catch your breath and try to control the shivers through your body. His warm breath on your back calms you, and so do his feather-light touches.
Your eyelids feel heavy as slumber descends upon you. And, before you know it, you fall asleep in his arms. 
[ … ]
“We have to let the others know about this,” Jeonghan informs, stirring his cup of tea with a spoon. You nod wordlessly, sipping your own cup of tea.
Slumber hasn't left you completely, and the tiredness weighs down on your bones. Your eyes slowly close shut again, and you lean back on the loveseat. Jeonghan sighs to himself, setting his cup down on the coffee table. He takes away yours before you can spill it on yourself.
Your soft groans make his heart flutter, and you stir awake again. The first thing you see is your husband sitting on the floor as he massages your legs.
“Poor thing, you must've had a hard time.” The pout on his lips makes you smile. “Not really,” you chirp, feeling more energetic as the seconds pass.
“Oh really?” he muses, and you hum. He shakes his head, worry marring his features. “What if I didn't get here on time? Why did you even allow him in?”
“I was bored.” To which he glares at you, a tired sigh falling from his lips.
“And, He visited.”
Jeonghan stops massaging your legs and looks up at you, confused. You see the tinge of fear in the clench of his jaw and the hold of his breath. You point to the black cat that has made itself home despite all the chaos that went down a few hours ago.
He visibly calms down and bows his head at the cat meows in return. He looks back at your smiling figure, and it strikes him. “Right, I asked for your safety to Him.”
“He saw our pictures,” your words barely audible as you look at the big wall covered with all your pictures with him. A soft smile graces your lips when your eyes fall on your wedding picture. 14th October, 1949.
Then you cackle, recalling the realization and terror on that guy's face. “Oh, you should've seen his face.” Jeonghan laughs along with you and resumes his ministrations on your legs. You relax on the cushion and let out a blissful sigh.
He sighs and zeroes in on the blood spots on your vintage slip. One of his many gifts to you, and it's something you've treasured for over seven decades.
“Ugh, it's fine. You can always buy me a new one.” You say, and a smirk adorns your lips when your eyes fall on the Johnny Cash vinyl on the shelf. You stand and walk towards it, pulling it out gently.
You flash your husband a grin, and he mirrors your visage. Placing the vinyl on the platter of the vinyl player, you move the tonearms and set it on the vinyl.
The world tunes into a buzzing background as you dance with him. His hands are gentle on you, holding you delicately. The setting is all a little too familiar to him, and before he knows it, he takes a trip down memory lane.
But the only one he can remember is the time when he almost lost you to death. The image of your bed-stricken figure flashes through his mind. He holds you a little closer.
In his life plan, Jeonghan never even imagined that you'd be diagnosed with cancer fifteen years into your marriage. Nothing held out, and it was hard to be optimistic with his wife on the lifeline.
And as he was holding your pained body in his arms, he cried and cried. What kind of god would allow this? Why should you be taken away? He felt life slowly slip out of you, and he couldn’t stop it. 
They say to never pray to the gods that answer at night, but that’s all he could do. Turning his back on religion and righteousness. His love for you blinded all reason, and he yearned to be in your embrace once again. He could never live without you—what he feels is an immortal desire, lust, love. Even if he is to die, the ground around him will flourish and sprout your favorite flowers—an amaranthine yearning. 
So he did it. He prayed and prayed, and when He finally answered, he vowed to do anything and everything that He wished for. Immortality for the curse of bloodied hands. He cringed at the sight of blood staining his skin, but as your bloodied hand intertwined with his, all felt right and in place. 
His hands take purchase on your hips, holding you as you sway to the gentle hum of the music. You smile at him and lean on his shoulders, content in his embrace. He mirrors your smile and kisses your forehead. 
What a blessing it is to be here with you? To gently sway to some music in the living room of your home with your blood-stained slips and his stained soul? 
He kisses you, and you kiss him back. You bite his lips just enough to draw blood. A thousand ways to bleed, but you are his favorite.
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⛧spooktober taglist !
@verogonewild @blancflms @chromequette @junniepookiedookie @kyeomiis
@jeonghnie @scoupsieee @xuminghaes @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @ririesna
@monstacheol @hoshiskimchi @miyx-amour @woozidanisms @choco-scoups
@cookiearmy @shadowyjellyfishfest @wonwoossecret @strxwberry-skiess @iamawkwardandshy
@merakilles @vitaminkyeom @okiedokrie @armycarat2612 @gyuguys
@idubiluranghae @goodforgyu @jungkooknippleanddicksucker @gyubakeries @nonuify
@aaniag @4cheezflatbred
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alltheirdamn · 2 months ago
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Diamond Dolls | Joel x stripper!f!reader
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Chapter I : Diamond Dolls Club
Series Summary: Running from the past led you straight into the arms of club owner, Joel Miller. He’s quiet, respectful, and devastatingly handsome. He’s nothing like any man you’ve come across, and it’s so hard to keep your heart guarded when he’s tearing down the walls. Chapter Summary: After fleeing Miami, you find yourself a spot at Diamond Dolls, and meet Joel Miller. The man who can change everything. Rating: 18+ Word Count: 7.2k Warnings: No-Outbreak AU, Joel is in his early 40s reader is in her mid-20s, mentions of alcohol, strip club setting, nudity, sexual tension, mutual pining, eventual smut, explicit language… more tags will be added as the story goes A/N: Well, a very belated hello to everyone! I've been in the darkest recesses of a writers block, and had to drag myself to the surface to finally finish this one out. It's a slow start, but it's something nonetheless. Anyway, love you all lots and i hope you stick around for this lil story <3 xoxo
Masterlist | Ko-Fi
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One week ago
This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. You were holed up in the bathroom of a shady hotel, listening to the sound of pleasured moans coming from the bedroom. Your friend, Diana, had been going at it with some stranger for the last half hour, and you were scared. Private parties were typical for the dancers. In fact, Richie loved it. He loved being the type of owner who showcased all his dancers in whatever way he pleased. But you knew something was off when you stepped out of the black Escalade and into the hotel lobby. This type of party differed from the rest; you had this nagging feeling it would all go wrong.
And it did.
**
The sound of heels rattling inside your bag drifted through the empty parking lot as you neared your last resort. Diamond Dolls. Your gas tank—and lack of money—only got you as far as Austin, Texas. It wasn’t an ideal place to end up, but beggars can’t be choosers, so it would have to suffice. 
It was early afternoon, no doubt the slowest time of day since only a handful of cars were parked in the lot aside from yours. With the sun still shining, the neon pink lights of the sign above the door were turned off, but it still looked inviting. Diamond Dolls was already far different than your club back in Miami; it was different in a good way. 
At least, you hoped it was.
Cracking open the front door, you shuffled your bag over your shoulder and took a deep breath. This was your only shot at putting your life back on track, and you prayed you’d be given the chance to set things right. You couldn’t go back to Miami. Not now…not ever. The bridges you burnt could never be rebuilt; running away would only take you so far. 
A few patrons turned their heads your way when the sun streamed through the hazy club, no doubt an annoying reminder that the world still existed outside this tiny place. The entire club was drenched in low neon blacklights, the purple and pink hues painting the shadows in a sultry ambiance. Above you, diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling, twinkling lights refracting off the gems that clung to the metal branches curving upward. The black leather couches around the stage were shiny and clean, another sign that this club was far better than where you came from. 
High-top tables scattered the open areas in the club's corner, tiny tea lights flickering on their marbled counters. Everything was meticulously detailed, as if whoever owned it had put all their effort into making this space unique and beautiful. 
Across the back was the bar; the counter stretched from end to end with an array of liquors stacked on glass shelves that hung from the wall. Behind the counter was a lone bartender busying himself with cleaning glasses. 
Perfect, you thought. This was your opportunity. 
“Hey,” you cautioned, walking up to the black countertop. “I was wondering if you guys are taking in any new dancers.”
“Can’t say for sure,” the bartender shrugged. 
He had a snug black top stretched across his chest and dirty blonde hair that stuck back along his scalp with too much gel. A few tattoos marked up his forearms, disappearing under the cuffs of his shirt and reappearing along the column of his neck. Instinctively, you knew he was well paid by any female clients who came into the club late at night. A few drinks and maybe a few flirtatious conversations made him a wealthy man by the end of his shifts. 
“Who should I be asking then?” You questioned, tapping your nails along the edge of the counter.
The bartender glared at your nails as they tapped repeatedly on the counter. You retracted your hand with an apologetic look, letting your arm hang heavy at your side. He bristled at your presence, obviously unamused by your friendly antics. Charm wouldn’t work here…noted. 
“Joel’s up in his office. Why don’t y’go bother him.”
“Joel…” You echoed.
“The owner?” He cocked a brow, almost annoyed that you didn’t know who Joel was. 
Obviously, you didn’t fucking know.
“Gotcha,” you nodded. 
The bartender slung the drying rag over his shoulder, retiring the glass he had been cleaning to the other stack of dishes. He pointed down the hall near the stage toward the black-painted door to the right. 
“You’ll find him in there,” he said.
You muttered a quick thank you before walking down the hall and past wandering eyes. Smoothing down your hair, you inhaled sharply before rapping your knuckles against the door. 
“Come in!” A deep voice called out.
You timidly turned the doorknob, peeking your head around the door with a sheepish smile. An older man, probably no more than forty, leaned back in a leather chair. He had on a simple black button-up, the sleeves rolled up his tan arms, exposing the muscles and veins that spidered from his fingers to his biceps. You lifted your eyes to his face, brown scruff covering his jaw, small patches of gray threading through the wiry hair. His plush lips curved into a slight grin, his bottom one plush and pouty—a very dangerous thing to see when you realized he could potentially be your new boss.
“How can I help you?” He asked, clearing his throat.
Your eyes shot up to his, immediately pulled under the dark brown waves that swam through his irises. You expected the club owner to be less appealing, maybe even a bit sleazy, given your track record of who you’ve met in the business. You didn’t expect him to be this attractive. 
You stepped over the threshold, unsure if you should shut the door behind you. You didn’t know Joel, nor could you trust him to be different from the other men you had encountered over the years. Despite your weariness, he motioned for you to shut the door and extended a hand toward the chair in front of his desk.
“I was, um, wondering if you were taking any new dancers?” 
You didn’t mean to word it like a question, but your uncertainty got the best of you. 
“Might be. Y’from here?” Joel asked, his southern drawl thick with each syllable. 
You slid down into the chair, letting your bag drop to the ground by your feet. Joel tracked your movements, watching you squirm under his heavy stare while he waited for your response. 
“Miami, actually. Just drove in this morning.”
“What brings ya’ to the Lone Star State?” He asked, a grin teasing the corners of his mouth. 
“Family,” you lied a little too quickly. 
Everything about being a dancer was a lie, and you weren’t about to change your ways for some owner you didn’t know. Joel stretched his arms over his head, his biceps flexing as he interlocked his fingers behind his neck. It should be a crime for someone to be this handsome; clearly, he knew what you were thinking because his lips twitched with an amused grin.
“Y’got experience in a club?”
“Yep,” you nodded. “Worked at my last one for three years.”
Joel’s eyes raked over you, lingering on your glossy lips and finally trailing back up to your eyes. Your skin flushed under his stare, your ears burning the longer he drank you in with slow, deliberate passes over your body as you crossed and uncrossed your legs behind the shield of his wooden desk. 
“I’m assuming you’ll want to see me dance,” you said, filling the dead air between you.
“Not necessary.”
You stared at your hands in your lap, crestfallen. This had been your last resort, and you were down on your luck now. You barely had a hundred dollars in cash left in your wallet, and you told yourself it was for emergencies only. You weren’t even sure it was enough to cover more than a night's stay in a motel somewhere in town. There wasn’t anyone you could call. There was nowhere else to go. 
A soft creak of his chair stirred you from your swirling thoughts, and you looked up to see Joel bracing his elbows on the desk. He was so much closer now, his age materializing into something softer as he studied you. Worry lines creased his forehead, smoothing out around his temples where his brown hair curled behind his ears. Even if this meeting was all for nothing, at least you got to enjoy a small glimmer of hope dressed as a beautiful Southern gentleman. You reached for your bag, ready to beeline it out the door and back to your car before you could make any more of a fool of yourself. 
“I don’t need an audition, sweetheart,” he said softly. 
You blinked up at him, both confused and hurt. He didn’t need to kick you while you were already down; he made it very clear you weren’t getting a spot in the club. You lifted your bag into your lap, shoving the chair back hard enough to make the legs scrape against the floor. 
“I appreciate you taking the time to meet me. Have a good day.”
The words tasted bitter as they left your mouth, and they didn’t sound much better either, but you didn’t care. There was nothing for you here, and you needed to search for a place to stay before the day slipped away. Clinging to whatever dignity—and hope—you had left, you turned for the door without another glance over your shoulder. 
“Wait.”
Joel’s voice radiated through the room as your hand hovered over the door handle. You half-considered dismissing him and continuing with your hopeless day, but a nagging voice inside your head told you to stay. Steeling your emotions, you turned to him with your arms folded over your chest. 
“Come back at nine. You’ll be on stage tonight,” he offered, rising from his seat.
“What?” You balked. “You just told me you didn’t want to see me audition.”
Joel shoved his hands in the front pockets of his dress pants, his shoulders lifting slightly with a shrug. You waited for the other shoe to drop, for him to laugh in your face and shove you out the door. But there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his tone nor a look of deception in his soft eyes. 
“I never ask my girls to audition,” he explained. 
“Why? What if I’m bullshitting you?”
“I’ll find out if you are, but I got a feelin’ you won’t let me down.”
“Okay,” you nodded. “Well, thank you. I’ll see you tonight.”
Joel dipped his head toward you, his lips curving at the corners under his thick mustache. You were in deep shit, knowing you’d get to see that warm smile every day. With nothing left to say, you muttered another thank you and opened the door, disappearing into the hallway before he could retract his offer. 
An upbeat tempo thrummed through the air as you passed by the stage, and you took a quick peek at the girl spinning on the pole, her blonde hair falling in a cascade of curls down her bare spine. The handful of patrons you had spotted coming into the club were now crowded around the stage, enthralled in her body as she moved to the rhythm of the music. Crisp dollar bills scattered the glass stage, falling at her feet as she lowered herself onto her knees. Your steps faltered as her eyes connected with yours, a friendly smile ghosting over her face before she returned to her routine. Digging through your bag, you reached for your wallet and dished out a couple of bills to toss onto the stage. It wasn’t much, and you knew better than to lessen your savings, but it was enough to show your respect for her hustle. She understood this life as much as you did. 
**
You spent the better part of the afternoon driving around the city, familiarizing yourself with the sidestreets and small shops you would come to frequent. There hadn’t been much luck finding a place to stay for the night, but you hoped you’d have enough money after your shift to afford a room, at least for the weekend. You were more than ready to sleep anywhere that wasn’t your car and even more ready to have cash in your pockets again. 
Anxious to start your first shift, you circled back to the club much earlier than Joel had asked. The sun was barely kissing the horizon as you put your car in park, the neon lights above the building flickering to life as the night swallowed the sky. You were two hours too early, but you didn’t want to wait any longer. You wanted to be on the stage now. 
Searching through the bags of your belongings stuffed in the trunk of your car, you found your pile of club outfits and began piecing together different options to wear for the evenings. You laid out a matching pink lingerie set, the bra entirely rhinestoned in refractive colored jewels. It had done numbers on stage, a perfect outfit for making first impressions. You scoured for one more set—a just-in-case outfit—and found a thin, black lace teddy at the bottom of the pile. You could pair it with your taller heels and use it as your outfit for your second dance on stage. If you got that far. Everything else looked unappealing, but you’d have time and money to shop during the weekend for new clothes. New everything, if you were being honest. You were starting from the ground up in Austin. 
As you tucked your clothes in your bag, you heard the sound of car keys jingling behind you. It was instinct to tense up at any noise in a parking lot, and your defenses were always up to foreign noises. Spinning quickly toward the sound, you came face to face with the same blonde you had seen on stage earlier in the day.
“Fuck! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you!” She apologized.
“No, it’s okay,” you assured her, releasing a shaky breath.
She was wearing an oversized shirt and gym shorts, her feet stuffed in a pair of fuzzy blue slippers. With her hair pinned up and most of her makeup wiped off, you knew her shift was over.
“You must be the new girl Joel told us about. I’m Monica.”
She extended a hand toward you, and you quickly introduced yourself.
“Sorry, I probably look like a mess. I just got in today.”
Monica looked over your shoulder into the trunk of your car, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the mess. Everything left of your life was stuffed into only a few bags; it was embarrassing, to say the least. 
“Do you have family in town you’re staying with?” She asked.
“I do,” you lied. “I just haven’t had time to stop by yet and drop my things off.”
Monica looked between you and your car, skepticism crossing over her features. Dancers were great at lying but even better at discovering one. She saw through you in less than a minute.
“Let me give you my number,” she offered, pulling her phone from her purse. “When you’re done for the night, just call me. I’ve got an extra room you can crash in for a couple of nights if you need it.” 
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. That’s, um, that’s way too kind of you,” you stammered.
She bristled at your words, shoving her phone in your hands to exchange numbers. You typed with shaking hands, the numbers mixing up as you deleted and retyped repeatedly. Handing the phone back to her, you waited for a text to ping through the air, and it did. 
You made your first friend in the new town and only hoped things wouldn’t end like they did in Miami.
“There’s plenty of girls still here for the night,” she started. “They’ll set you up in the dressing room and make sure you’re taken care of tonight. If anyone gives you hell, just tell them Monica’s looking out for you, and I’ll set them straight.”
You laughed softly at her gentle threat. You weren’t expecting such hospitality so quickly, but it was refreshing to know someone cared about you. After a few more minutes of casual conversation, she parted ways for the evening, and you were left standing in front of the neon lights beckoning you inside.
Showtime. 
The crowd inside the club had doubled since you had left earlier in the afternoon; the couches and bar tops were littered with groups of men and women all drinking high-priced drinks and shadowed in plumes of smoke. Three bartenders worked behind the counter, their routine flowing together as they worked in tandem, taking orders and making drinks. 
As you walked down the hallway by the stage, you noticed Joel’s door shut to the club. It confused you since the club was ramping up for the night; owners were usually out mingling with customers and dancers. You considered knocking on the door and thanking him again, but the thought passed just as quickly as it came, and you found your way to the dressing room. 
The room's bright lights were stark in contrast to the rest of the club, and you had to squint your eyes to adjust to the sudden change. Only two girls occupied the room, working on their hair in front of the vanity. The second you entered their eyesight, they turned with wide grins.
“You’re the new girl!” One squealed, her brown curls bouncing around her shoulders as she ran up to you.
She quickly pulled you into a tight embrace, her heavy vanilla perfume floating around her body and onto yours. 
“I’m Heather,” she said, pulling away. “And that’s Carolina.”
She gestured back to the other brunette, who gave you a shy wave. She was shorter than Heather, her hair cut into a sharp bob and streaked with caramel highlights. You waved back, introducing yourself to them both. Heather bounced back to the vanity, moving her array of makeup to the side to make room for your things.
“There are open lockers to the side over there, so feel free to stash away anything you need,” she explained. “If you need a curling iron or hairspray, you can always grab mine. And Carolina has extra body glitter, too, but I’m guessing you have your own.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some in my bag, but thank you. You guys are really sweet.”
You sat next to Carolina, dumping your makeup bag on the counter. Carolina worked at fixing her black nipple pasties, both of them on display under her sheer red bra. Her curves filled out her mini-skirt, the red material matching both her bra and Pleaser heels. She was fiery; you liked that.
“Joel said you’re from Miami,” Heather started. “This has got to be way less exciting than your old club, huh?”
You tensed up at her question, deciding on what to divulge. Heather and Carolina were sweet, but they were still strangers, and after last week…your guard was higher than ever. Pulling out your foundation and eyeshadow, you quickly started your makeup routine, dodging any invasive questions they tried to ask.
“How long have you both been working here?” You asked, flipping the focus onto them.
Heather fluffed her hair in the mirror, adjusting her purple halter top over her breasts before turning back to you.
“I’ve been here since Joel opened the club, so almost five years,” she stated.
“And I’ve been here for a little over a year,” Carolina said beside you.
“How is Joel?” You asked. “As an owner.”
Heather and Carolina let out a little giggle, clearly something private between them that went unsaid in response to your question.
“We like to say he’s like a recluse,” Carolina explained. “He hardly ever comes around during business hours. He just stays quiet and tucked away in his office. We pay him house fees at the end of our shift, and he leaves us alone.”
That piqued your interest. How could a club owner be so hands-off? Or maybe this was normal, and everything you had experienced in Miami was incredibly unprofessional. It was unprofessional, but you only assumed parts of it were like having your boss pimp you and other girls out for drugs and money. 
“Isn’t that weird, though? I mean, most club owners don’t do that. They’re usually—.”
“Creepy and a bit unsettling?” Heather offered.
You nodded slowly, focusing on yourself in the mirror as you lined your lips with a pink lip liner. 
“Joel isn’t like that, I promise you. He’s probably the most respectful man I’ve ever met.”
“I don’t even think he’s seen our tits,” Carolina giggled. “I can’t even tell you the last time I saw him outside his office during a shift.”
You shuffled off the vanity chair, returning to your bag to pull out your first outfit. As you peeled your shirt off, you mused over their casual information on Joel. You couldn’t make sense of it; how was Joel real? He must be too good to be true. He had to be.
“But how does he know what’s going on around here?” You pressed.
“His brother, Tommy, comes around, checks in on us, and reports to Joel if there’s anything worth knowing,” Heather shrugged.
“That’s it?”
“Yep!” Both of them said in unison.
Carolina strolled to one of the lockers behind you, retrieving a red garter from her back to tie around her ankle. You eyed her as she tightened the straps of her heels and adjusted her bra one last time. As she flounced to the door, she looked over her shoulder and gave you a slight wink.
“You’ll be just fine here, doll. I promise.”
The moment your heels clicked against the glass floor of the stage, everything in your mind turned off. You gave the DJ— Bradley, call me Brad, doll— your music of choice before stepping onto the stage: a slow, sensual track that made the crowd turn their heads in curiosity. Until then, Heather and Carolina had taken turns onstage doing routines to high-tempo songs, keeping the crowd engaged and rowdy. But that wasn’t your forte. 
You started things slowly, wrapping your hand around the pole and teasing the crowd with meticulous movements of your body that swayed to the beat of the music. Your fingers teased the outline of your breasts, cupping them seductively as you made eye contact with a few men sitting near the edge of the stage. Their undivided attention on your body was exhilarating; the promise of money dropping at your feet was enough to keep you going. Hooking your leg around the pool, you pulled yourself up, spinning in gentle turns as you flowed with the music. Everything you did was unrushed, and you took your time commanding the stage. 
Eventually, the tips started piling up on the stage. More clients drew closer, their eyes hungry and watchful. You slid onto your knees, crawling toward a younger man who hovered by the side of the stage, his button-up shirt disheveled and wrinkled—no doubt from a private dance he paid for only an hour ago. You graced him with an inviting smile, swaying your ass back and forth behind you. 
“Hi, beautiful,” he crooned, his voice barely audible above the thrum of the music. 
“Hey, sweetheart,” you replied. 
You knew how to bait them and make them chase after you. The thrill of it all was intoxicating, like the world was a blur around you, and all that existed was just the stage, the money, and your ability to make men crumble at your feet. Dragging yourself onto your knees, you coasted a hand down your abdomen, grinning as he tracked your fingers as they dipped over your navel. The money roll in his hand caught your attention, but you refrained from staring too long. Eye contact was crucial—if you kept him reeled in, the money would come to you. 
“Are you enjoying yourself?” You asked, breathless.
“More than you know.”
He curled a finger, beckoning you closer. You didn’t like when clients reached for you, but you saw the crisp fifty-dollar bill hiding in his palm. Like a moth to a flame, you drew closer to the edge of the stage, letting his fingers work at the waistband of your thong. He didn’t prod or explore; his touch was respectful and gentle. Blowing him a kiss, you tucked the money under the thin fabric before returning to the center of the stage to finish your set. 
The music drifted to an end, the applause from the crowd around the stage rippling above the sound as the DJ returned to his playlist of choice. You gathered the tips off the stage floor, stuffing them into your moneybag as you left your set. 
For some strange reason, you were disappointed to see Joel’s office door shut off to the club despite Heather and Carolina’s words. You understood he didn’t come out during business hours, but part of you wished he had watched your first routine. Wasn’t he curious? And why did you care to have him watch you perform? It wasn’t like you were trying to impress him…Okay, maybe you were… 
Passing the DJ booth, Brad gave you a proud smile and a small congratulations. You hurried back into the dressing room, frantic to change into your next outfit. Heather lounged along the benches in front of the locker, her nails tapping against her phone screen as she typed furiously.
“Ugh!” She exhaled. “Men suck.”
You giggled as you plopped beside her, enjoying the simple camaraderie of being in another sisterhood with other dancers. You missed your girls in Miami, but that wouldn’t stop you from making new friends. And from what you’d already experienced in your short few hours at Diamond Dolls, these girls were genuine and caring. 
“Who’s the guy?” You asked.
“His name is Michael. We’ve been seeing each other on and off the past year, and he’s just… I don’t know. I feel like I give all my time and energy and get nothing in return. You know what I mean?”
“I do.”
You knew it too well. You had never been lucky in relationships; they were messy, and it was hard to come across a man who truly understood your field of work. Some of them loved the idea of having someone overly sexualized and, in their words, slutty. They considered every stripper to be the stereotypical version of a woman, all glitz and glam and naked on display. You were more than that, but none stuck around long enough to find out. 
“Can I give you some advice?” You offered.
Heather stopped her typing, giving you her full attention. 
“Men don’t deserve shit. If he’s not going to give his time and dedication to you, then he doesn’t deserve an ounce of your respect. You’re worth more than that. You deserve someone who will treat you like a queen.”
“Those types of men don’t exist,” she laughed. “They’re all sleazy and just want their dick wet.”
“I don’t know. I think there could be some good ones out there.”
Unwanted images of Joel flashed through your mind. There was no way you actually were thinking of him in this setting. You knew nothing about him or the type of man he was, so you couldn’t let your mind wander to the thought of him as a love interest, nor did you want that. He was a stranger and your boss.
“Well, if you find one, send him my way.”
“Absolutely,” you smiled.
As you both sat in comfortable silence, you worked at sorting through your wad of cash from your set. Smoothing out the bills and organizing them, you counted out over two hundred dollars. Not the best for your first routine in the club, but it was more than you had walked in with. And it was enough to hopefully find a place to stay over the weekend. However, Monica’s offer still remained in the back of your head. 
It was well past three AM when you decided to call it quits for the night. After two more sets on stage, you collected another four hundred dollars, leaving you satisfied for your first shift. Clients were generous, and the atmosphere inside the club was intoxicating. You wanted more, but you wouldn’t be greedy. Not yet, at least. 
After peeling off your clothes and replacing them with the sweats you had walked in with, you said your goodbyes to the girls and made your way to Joel’s office. A flight of butterflies swarmed in your stomach as your hand wavered over the door. Why did he make you so nervous? You were never nervous around men; you were usually quite the opposite. But Joel…You couldn’t get a read on him. You didn’t know what to expect, which made it so much worse.
“Hi,” you said quietly, softly cracking the door open.
You peered into the office, spotting Joel hunched over the desk, rifling through some papers. He glanced up quickly, his eyes shifting back down to the papers…Then, immediately right back up to you. You didn’t miss how his gaze drifted down your body, the hunger flickering to life behind his irises. You were in nothing more than a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but you might as well have been naked with the way he undressed you with his heavy stare. 
Your name fell softly from his lips, his mouth curving up in that same grin you melted over earlier.
“Heard you were the star of the show tonight,” he smiled.
“I don’t know about that,” you laughed.
Sliding into the office, you shut the door behind you, leaving only a few feet of space between you and Joel’s large frame. Somehow, you could feel the heat radiating from his body, his gravity pulling you forward.
“No need to be modest, sweetheart. Everyone was talkin’ ‘bout you out there.”
“How do you know that? The girls told me you stay in here all night.”
Joel leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. He wore that snug black button-up, and the soft material still deliciously clung to his muscles. His biceps flexed under the shirt, and you trained your eyes on him to keep the temptation of looking at bay. 
“Don’t worry, I hear everythin’ inside this club. Got eyes and ears everywhere.”
“How’d you get into the business?”
“That’s a story for another time, sweetheart. It’s late, and I’m sure y’wanna get home,” he chuckled. 
A mystery. That's what Joel was: an absolute mystery. You couldn’t dig under his walls, and you sure as hell wouldn’t let him dig under yours. If he kept his life close to his chest, then you’d do the same. 
“What’s your price for house fees?” You asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Flat rate of twenty dollars. You can tip out the bartenders and Brad if y’want, but I pay them well enough that y’don’t have to worry ‘bout it.”
“Twenty?” You gaped. 
His brows furrowed together, trying to understand your shock. You pulled a twenty from your money bag and walked toward his desk to slide it to him. 
“They charge you less in Miami?” He questioned, reluctant to take the money.
“No, it’s not that. They charged a lot more…Like over a hundred some nights.” 
It was Joel’s turn to stare at you dumbfounded; his lips parted in confusion. Wasn’t it normal for house fees to be that high? Or had you been lied to all these years? 
“You’re fuckin’ with me, right?” 
“I swear I’m not. That’s what the club owner charged us down there.”
Joel ran a hand down his face, his eyes squeezing shut. You swayed awkwardly, your fingers digging into the material of your money bag. 
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he apologized. “Didn’t mean to cuss at you like that. Just surprised me, that’s all.”
“It’s okay,” you replied quietly. 
“M’gonna take real good care of you here, ‘kay?”
His words shouldn’t have affected you, but heat crawled up your neck as you tossed his words over inside your head. Once again, Joel was proving to be far different than what you were used to back in Miami, but you wouldn’t let yourself overthink it.
“Thank you, Joel. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t gotta thank me none, sweetheart. Y’get home safe. I’m sure your family will be happy to see you.”
You cringed at the statement, another reminder of the web of lies you were already weaving. You’d tell him the truth eventually, or maybe not at all. You wouldn’t jeopardize your chance at a new life here.
Joel’s eyes did one final pass over your body, and your anxiety nearly drove you right into the door when you turned to leave. He needed to stop looking at you like that. You didn’t need any more fuel to the fire burning inside your stomach. 
**
You spent far too long hovering your finger over Monica’s contact information, debating whether or not to take up her offer of a place to stay. You had enough money for a hotel room, but the idea of saving it and tucking it away sounded more appealing. You didn’t know Monica— or any of these girls— but her willingness to help you earlier proved how loyal these dancers were to one another. 
Dialing her number, you tapped your fingers against your steering wheel, watching through your dirty windshield as patrons filed out for the night. You wondered which of these cars belonged to Joel and promptly stopped yourself from wondering about anything else. Why was every thought beginning and ending with him? 
“Hello?” 
“Hi, uh… Monica?” You reintroduced yourself, stumbling over your words like it was your first time speaking.
“Look who made it out alive in her first shift!” She said cheerily. “I’ll shoot you my address, and you can drive over. I’ve already got the guest bedroom set up for you.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t want to intrude on you.”
“Oh, don’t be silly! You’re not intruding at all, honey. I’ve got the house to myself this weekend and could use the company.”
“I really appreciate it, Monica. Thank you.”
The city was nothing like Miami at night; the streets were empty, and the air was silent and calm. You kept the volume low on the radio as you drove to Monica’s house, enjoying the sound of the breeze as it drifted through the crack in your window. You focused on learning the street names as you passed every intersection, replacing the thoughts of Joel’s warm smile with things that would prove to be more important to you. But the memory of his eyes and smile still lurked in your mind, and no matter how many green lights you sped through, you couldn’t escape it. 
Monica’s home was tucked away in a residential neighborhood nearly half an hour outside the city, her tiny home the only one with a porch light still flickering under the dark sky. 
You barely opened your trunk when you heard Monica’s voice trailing down the driveway. 
“Hi!” She squealed. 
You turned to find her bounding down the pavement barefoot, her blonde hair tousled into a high ponytail and her pajamas hugging her curves. Setting your bag on the ground, you emptied your arms to welcome her into a hug, which should have felt awkward given you had hardly known her less than a full day, but with Monica…It felt normal.
“Thank you again,” you exhaled, your body slumping into her tight embrace. 
“Oh, don’t even mention it. My ex has the kids this weekend, so the place is extra lonely.”
“You’ve got kids?” You asked.
It wasn’t an accusatory question; you had danced alongside several women who were single moms supporting their children. Not to mention, Monica looked way too young to have kids, let alone more than one.
“I’ve got two,” she explained with a tired smile. “Twins, actually. Jackson and Luke. They just turned three in June.”
You shuffled your overnight bag over your arm while Monica led the way to the front door. The moment she opened the door, you were welcomed into a very lived-in home. Kid's toys littered the ground, while mismatched socks and shoes lay around in other spots. You smiled to yourself, seeing such a cozy place; you missed being in a home. Living in shady apartments and hotels left you bitter and yearning for somewhere to call home. 
“Sorry it’s such a mess,” she laughed absentmindedly. “The boys tend to destroy any clean area in the house.”
“You don’t have to apologize at all. I love it.”
She glanced back at you, quirking an eyebrow at your statement. It was true; you did love it. And you loved being welcomed into a home without feeling like a total burden. Monica gave you a small tour of the house before guiding you down the hall to the guest room. It was set up with a queen-sized bed and a small vanity in the corner—perfect for a night or two to get you back on your feet. 
Once settled in, you returned to the living room, where Monica was lying on the couch. 
“Thank you so much again,” you said, collapsing into the cushions.
“Of course, girl. I tend to be the motherly one out of the group, so if you ever need anything, you can always come to me. How was the first night?”
You stretched your legs out along the sectional, burrowing further into the pillows as you let your body unwind. Monica mimicked your movements, curling up under the small blanket draped over her body. 
“I didn’t know what to expect,” you admitted. “Being in a new club is always scary, you know? But everyone has been so welcoming, and the customers are great. And Joel is…” You trailed off, biting your lip.
“Joel is what?” Monica pressed, giggling slightly.
“He’s amazing. I’ve never met a club owner like him. He really cares about all of you girls, and it shows. I’m not used to that.”
“You had it bad out there in Miami, huh?”
You shifted slightly, trying to mask your unease with the question. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Monica; she hadn’t given you a reason yet not to, but the question was too fresh to answer. Glimpses of that night suspended themselves in your head, moments you couldn’t shake and only hoped you’d never have to relive. Everything you saw… everything you did… you wanted to forget. 
“Is it alright if we don’t talk about it?” You asked, your gaze dropping to your hands in your lap.
“Of course, honey,” Monica said softly. “Whatever happened out there, just know it’s in the past, and you’re okay now. You’re safe here with me. I’ll take care of you, and so will Joel.”
Joel. 
Everything kept circling back to him. He was an enigma dressed in all black with a warm smile and a country twang. You were used to men being nice; they almost always had an ulterior motive for their kindness, but not Joel. His kindness wasn’t self-fulfilling, as far as you knew, and you could see how serious he was about the safety of everyone in the club. Maybe things would turn out differently here; maybe things would be okay. 
The early morning sunlight slowly began to seep through the living room curtains as you and Monica fell into endless conversation. Eventually, she mumbled something about needing a few hours of sleep before needing to run errands, and you took it as your sign to retire to bed. As you settled under the covers, you forced your mind away from the wandering thoughts of Miami. It was easy to forget everything that had transpired in the hotel room when you kept yourself busy, but in the silence, there was nowhere to run from the memories. 
“Alright, which one of you are we fucking first?” One of the guys asked.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, undoing his belt, as he asked the question. Your stomach rolled with nausea as the realization hit you; Richie had pimped you out. This wasn’t a party; this was a setup. You swayed in the corner of the room, eyeing the door to figure out how to escape without being snatched up by one of the men. But there were too many of them and just the three of you to try and fend for yourselves. What did it matter, though, when your two closest friends were already drugged out of their minds?
You couldn’t have slept more than one or two hours. The sun was too bright inside the bedroom, and your body was coated in a thin sweat as you jolted from the bed. You were safe. You were in Texas. You were at Monica’s house. You repeated those reminders as you rolled out of bed and entered the guest bathroom. The reflection in the mirror felt like a stranger; your eyes puffy and your face pale. 
“You’re okay,” you whispered to yourself. 
Splashing cold water on your face, you took a few minutes to gather your bearings. The days spent on the road running from Miami were catching up to you, and so was the anxiety that you had kept at bay. 
“Hey!” Monica called from somewhere down the hall.
You braced yourself against the bathroom sink, swallowing the startled gasp that threatened to bubble out of your mouth. 
“I’m headin’ out to the grocery, so if you want me to grab anything for you, just shoot me a text! I left breakfast on the kitchen counter for whenever you’re hungry,” she continued. 
“T–Thank you!” You stuttered. 
Dammit, you were okay. 
You waited until you heard the sound of the front door closing before emerging from the bathroom. In your slim hours of sleep, Monica had cleaned up the house from the night before. Toys were piled in small bins beside the couch, and the miscellaneous clothes and shoes had disappeared, most likely to their respective places in the laundry or kids' bedroom. 
The lingering smell of breakfast led you into the kitchen, where a plate of eggs and bacon sat neatly on the counter. Monica was truly a godsend, and knowing you were in good hands settled some nerves. Settling onto the kitchen barstool, you inhaled the aroma of the plate of food and reached for the fork. Your hand wavered as you spotted a piece of paper tucked under the plate's corner, dainty handwriting scribbling across the note. 
In case you need it, here’s Joel’s number. 
You stared at the series of numbers before you, your throat dry. Joel. The man that was giving you a second chance at this life you had decided to live. Joel. The man with a kind heart and even kinder eyes. Joel. 
The one person who could change everything.
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pellucid-constellations · 2 months ago
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Colds and Retold Confessions
Pairing: Line Cook!Azriel x Reader
Summary: Azriel would never be one to not take care of his girl when she's sick. That doesn't mean he won't make her blush.
Word count: 1k
Warnings: Illness
a/n: Some early relationship with these two :) Can be read on its own!! But the rest of this AU can be found in my masterlist right there ⬇ love you <3
Main Masterlist ♡
~~
With a low groan, you drew yourself from the bed, the blanket you’d tangled yourself up in resting along your shoulders and twisting at your back. It took you a moment to recognize that you hadn’t woken up crammed in the small twin bed of your dorm. Azriel’s bed was much larger and much more comfortable, one of the many reasons he had trudged your dreary body off campus and into his house last night. 
Your feet met comfortable, plush carpet as you walked down the hall. Every time you came to Azriel’s house—which was very often, as of late—you were left wondering how in the world he could afford a place like this. When you asked, he always mumbled something about restaurant chains and Rhysand and paycheck bonuses. And then he would change the subject.
Whatever. Your mind was too hazy to ask right now. 
Eventually, plush carpet gave way to cold, unforgiving tile, and the low glow of the kitchen reflected off of tanned skin. Azriel moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, his hair slightly askew revealing the mess he’d been sleeping beside (you) not too long ago. 
An array of vegetables sat spread on a cutting board and a pot simmered on the stove. Azriel had forgone a shirt, but a small towel rested on his shoulder just as it did when he was at work. He was humming a low tone, something else he did at work, and you smiled despite the pounding in your head. 
A small cough gave you away. 
Azriel turned to you, his open expression softening as it landed on you. He gave you an endearing smile and swiped the towel from his shoulder, tossing it on the counter before closing in on you. He gathered you into his arms as soon as you were within reach, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. 
“Why’d you get up?” he asked. 
“I wanted to see where you were.” 
Azriel hummed and shuffled you back until you were close enough to the counter for him to lift you up and sit you on the surface. He nuzzled your nose with his and pressed his hands on either side of your legs. 
“‘M right here,” he mumbled against your cheek, kissing the warm skin. “You should have stayed in bed.” 
“I’m not that sick,” you argued, but the words meant little when your fever was all too apparent. “I can get out of bed and walk around. And you have work today, anyway. I’ll have to learn to fend for myself.” 
Azriel smiled again. He leaned back and looked at you fondly, the expression felt in his hands as he brushed your hair back and tilted his head to the side to observe you. “I called out. No fending for yourself today.” 
“Azriel,” you admonished. “You didn’t need to do that. I’m fine, really.” 
“You were throwing up all night, baby. And your face feels like the surface of the sun.” 
You groaned and leaned your head forward to hide your face in Azriel’s shoulder. “Don’t remind me. That was mortifying.” 
Azriel slotted himself between your legs and pulled you closer to the edge of the counter, his hands coming around your back to rub circles along your spine. He tugged your blanket closer to your legs as it lay spread out and spoke low in your ear. 
“Not mortifying. I love you—I don’t care. I just want you to feel better.” 
You turned your head to the side to peek up at your boyfriend, the heat in your cheeks now a combination of sickness, embarrassment, and subtle surprise. You’d been dating for a little while now, and while Azriel had told you he loved you a few times, the words still felt new and unexpected. Azriel responded by placing a hand on the back of your head and pressing your face into his neck. 
“Don’t look at me like that,” he teased. “I’ve said it before.” 
“I know,” you mumbled into his skin. “Still just catches me off guard.” 
Azriel ran his hand over your hair. “Can’t imagine why.” He kissed the shell of your ear. “‘S too easy to love you.” 
“Az,” you stressed, bashfulness overcoming you. 
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, baby.” Azriel pulled back and framed your face with his hands, pressing his mouth to yours in a chaste kiss. “It’s just too easy right now—with you all sick.” 
“Whatever. You’re so mean sometimes.” 
Azriel laughed, tapping your chin softly before turning around and continuing his prep of the food on the other side of the kitchen. You watched as he stirred the contents of the pot and moved around the space, the muscles in his arms and back flexing with the tattoos on his skin. You leaned back on the counter until your back met the wall, enjoying the view and the soft humming that Azriel had started up again. 
“I love you too, you know,” you croaked out, your voice raspy from a night of terrible sleep. 
Azriel paused his movements. He hung his head for a moment before flashing a smile over his shoulder—one that seemed to light up his entire face. 
“I know, baby,” he grinned.
“And you didn’t need to make soup. I could have eaten like, a sandwich or something.” 
“You think I’m cooking all day for a bunch of strangers and I’m not going to make my own girl a meal?” 
“Well, no, but—” 
Azriel hummed and landed a passing kiss on your forehead as he moved to the fridge. “I just told you I love you. I meant it, baby. Let me make the soup.”
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zorobff · 2 months ago
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dress up. (toji fushiguro x f!reader)
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synopsis: in an attempt to make some memories, you come up with the idea of a family costume for this year’s halloween. toji and megumi might need a little convincing, though…
a/n: first fic in like a year and first time writing for my babygirl toji :3
word count: 1.1k
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toji carelessly lets himself fall next to you, his sheer body weight causing the couch to jolt slightly. he nods at your phone. “whatcha looking at?”
“just some costumes. halloween’s coming up and—”
a smile creeps up on toji’s face before you can get another word out. “you shoulda asked me first, baby. i got a few good ideas. patient and nurse could work, i love a woman in uniform—my woman in uniform. cop and prisoner, too. would give us a good excuse to finally buy some handcuffs.” he winks.
“sounds like you’ve been thinking about this for a while,” you tease. “but unfortunately, none of those are gonna work.”
toji’s face falls ever so slightly and you have to hold back a laugh at seeing a grown man pout.
“had you let me finish, you’d know i want to do a family costume.”
“baby, c’mon,” he groans, rubbing his face. “i never go all out f’ halloween, you know that.”
you arch a brow. “you seemed eager a few seconds ago.”
he huffs. “that was different.”
“mhm, sure,” you reply, sarcastically. “i don’t mind suggestions, just a little more family friendly and less… porn-y.”
“where’s the fun in that?” he deadpans.
you smack his bicep. “save the roleplaying for later. i mean, just look at how cute these are.”
you hand him your phone and he reluctantly takes it. he’s seen this app before; pinterest, he believes it’s called. his eyes roam over the page for a moment, seeing various families of three dressed in an array of costumes. rock, paper and scissors. ketchup, mustard and a hot dog. fork, knife, and spoon.
he hands you back your phone when he decides he’s seen enough. “baby, those are humiliating.”
“no they’re not! they’re fun.” you snatch the device back, furiously scrolling. “besides, we’re making memories for megumi to look back on when he’s older.”
“have you met the little twerp? he’s practically a 70 year old man in the body of a second grader.” toji shakes his head with a smile. “you sure he’d even wanna do this?”
“we should at least ask him. then he can’t say we never tried.”
toji’s eyes soften; you really were giving this your all. your dedication to making megumi’s childhood a happy and healthy one was something that tugged at his heart strings; especially since toji had never received that kind of affection in his youth. and yet, here was a beautiful woman he was privileged to call his wife trying her best to break that generational curse. he truly was a lucky man.
“megumi!” shouts toji, suddenly determined to make this family costume work. “get in here!”
megumi’s little voice comes back muffled from his upstairs bedroom. “wait, i’m almost done with this level!”
“tch, he’s glued to that damn thing. what’s it called? a switch?” toji shakes his head and mumbles, “should’ve never let you buy it f’ him.”
“don’t be jealous,” you tease. “if you’re good, i’ll get you one for christmas too.”
toji smirks. “actually, i wanted to ask for a special gift this year.”
“oh yeah? what’s that?”
“y’know how megumi’s been askin’ for a sibling—”
you shove his shoulder and he laughs.
toji takes that as his cue to leave and talk to megumi, standing from the couch with an exaggerated groan. (you always made fun of him for it, claiming that it was such an old man thing to do. he always refuted that you knew what you were getting into when you married someone his age.)
he heads upstairs, delivering a firm knock when he reaches megumi’s door. “get out here, kiddo. need to talk to ya real quick.”
he hears a groan then the shuffling of feet. the door swings open and there stands his son, eyebrows furrowed and lips downturned. clearly, he wasn’t thrilled about having to pause his game.
“sheesh, kid,” toji huffs. “don’t make that face, starting to look like your old man.”
“what is it, dad?” he sighs in exasperation.
“we’re dressing up for halloween this year. as a family.”
that catches the eight year old off guard. “what? why?”
“for the memories or somethin’.”
“i don’t really wanna…” megumi trails off.
toji scratches the back of his head. “i hear ya. but it’ll make your mom real happy so we’re doin’ it.”
megumi purses his lips. “what’s the costume?”
“i dunno. we can’t seem t’ decide. got any ideas?”
“hmmm… i kinda wanted to be michael meyers this year.”
“it’s a group costume, megumi, ya can’t just— hang on, michael meyers? how the hell do you know about him?”
megumi shrugs as if he doesn’t see the issue. “i saw the movie at uncle shiu’s house once.”
toji makes a mental note to never shiu babysit megumi again. or at the very least, go over what movies a second grader is allowed to watch.
toji clears his throat. “well, forget you ever saw it. and don’t tell your mother, got it?”
megumi nods.
“good. erm… any other ideas?”
there’s a silence between the two.
“c’mon, kid, think of something. if not, your mom’s gonna make us dress up as condiments or silverware or somethin’ stupid.”
megumi groans, clearly fed up with the conversation. “can i just go back to playing super mario bros?”
it’s as if a lightbulb goes off in toji’s mind. “you like those guys?”
megumi nods slowly. “yeah… why?”
“you wanna be one of ‘em for halloween?”
megumi’s face lights up. “really? can i be luigi?”
toji grins, satisfied with his reaction. “don’t see why not.”
“cool! does that mean you’ll be mario?”
his dad chuckles. “guess so.”
“ooh and mom could be princess peach!”
“that’s the, uh… pink one, right?”
megumi giggles at his father’s obliviousness, nodding.
“works out then. i’ll go tell your mama.” he ruffles his son’s tar black hair. “thanks, megs. gonna make her day.”
megumi flashes a toothy grin then retreats back into his room.
when toji returns to the living room with a smug smile and pep in his step, you take notice.
“what’s with you?” you inquire.
“oh, nothin’. just got megumi to agree on a family costume, that’s all.”
you eye your husband with interest. “oh really?”
“you’re welcome, princess. speaking of which, you’re gonna need a pink dress and crown.”
“well, now i’m really curious.”
“you know that little game he likes? the one with the plumber brothers—” before he can even finish, you shoot up from your comfortable position.
“how didn’t i think of that sooner? it’s perfect!”
“megs seemed pretty excited about it too. knew exactly which character he wanted to be and everythin’.”
you nearly melt. “that’s all what i wanted. i’ll order the costumes right away.” you lean over to pepper his face in kisses. “thank you so much, toji.”
he grunts, though he’s smiling so hard his scar tilts upwards. “yeah, yeah. how about you thank me with that christmas present i was talkin’ about earlier?”
you pull away from him and grin. “nice try.”
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ikinremu · 5 months ago
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I don’t know if your still doing story rqs or not but I would love a possessive!tommy shelby x innocent!reader.
idea: thomas saw a guy flirting with reader but was to innocent to know it, or notice it—reader does know about sex and other shit, just didn’t really understand it.
Hi anon! Tysm for requesting, hope you enjoy! Also, just to let everyone know that if you have requested, I will be working on it I’m just working through a lot of requests atm so bear with me!! <3
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My Property
Tommy Shelby x Fem!Reader
! Smut Warning !
Tags: Innocence, Virgin!reader, Fingering, Unprotected sex, P in V, Multiple orgasms, Praise, Possessive/jealousy, Praise, Cream Pie
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"What can I getcha, miss?" Came the low, hoarse voice of the bartender, burnt cigarette faltering in his mouth.
"An Old Fashioned, please." You smiled politely, shuffling a little atop the rickety old stood, resting your hands upon the bar's scuffed surface.
The man returned the smile, accompanied by a nod of understanding. His gaze seemed to linger on your face for a moment, fingers swiping the cigarette from between his lips. His eyes never once faltered from your own as his mouth puffed out a cloud of foggy smoke, and he stubbed it out on a nearby ashtray accordingly.
"Rough day?" He inquired, the broad span of his back facing you as he reached over the bar's vast array of contents, seizing whichever components he needed.
"Not particularly, no." You smiled.
"Just figured somethin' had to bring a beautiful woman like you 'ere." He spun to face you once more, laying all intent to the way he studied your expression. He leant forward quite the distance, pouring out your requested drink, gaze never leaving yours.
His words caught you rather off guard, making you stumble over your own slightly, "Oh- um, just fancied a drink, I suppose."
At that, he slid the glass into your open hands, "Here you are."
"Thank you." You gave a honey-like smile, raising the glass to your lips.
As you did so, the man turned once more, slotting the previously retrieved bottles back into their correct places. Glass clinked together, and one particularly large bottle slipped from the shelf, just barely saved from smashing by his splayed hands.
He let out an exhale of relief as he seized the bottle, assuring it remained firmly in place this time.
"That's not like me." He chuckled to himself, pivoting back round in your direction, "I'm usually good with my hands."
He followed the sentence with an obnoxiously bold wink, which you unknowingly ignored, allowing it to fly right by.
There was a moment of drawn out silence as you nodded politely in response, "Well I'd hope so in a job like this."
His brows creased ever so slightly, and he cleared his throat once more.
"Guess I must've been.. distracted." He accentuated the very last word, wetting his lips. You felt his eyes roam over your entirety, lingering over your chest specifically.
With a small nod, you indulged in another sip from your drink, brows furrowed slightly. You could feel his gaze trained upon your mouth as your lips met the top of the glass.
It only then became apparent that you ought to return to your table - you'd become entirely too caught up with polite conversation.
"I best get back." You smiled, hand cupping your beverage as you shuffled atop your barstool. 
His disappointment was blatant, "Leavin' so soon?"
Your gaze spun back to the table you'd been at until only recently. John and Arthur were cackling about God knows what, and Tommy sat beside, smirking, although it appeared he was a little more focused on yourself than the accompaniment of his chortling brothers.
"Ah, I see." He observed, voice a low rumble as your swivelled back toward him, "They seem like they're coping." He chuckled, "Maybe I can convince you to ditch them for the night, hm?"
"No need for that." Tommy's voice cut through like a blade from behind you, making you jump out of your skin for a brief moment. He stepped close beside you, the scrutiny of his stare channelled upon nothing but the bartender.
An obvious, frustrated exhale escaped the man, "I think the lady can make up her own mind, don't you?"
From the very corner of your eye, you observed the tight tick of his jaw.
"Listen, darlin, if you want a good time you know where to find me."  He bargained on.
Irritation painted Tommy's face - although you couldn't quite resolve the puzzle as to why he was so agitated by the man offering you company; he seemed nice enough.
He was practically glaring at the bartender by now, his eyes struggling to leave as he nodded in the loose direction away from the counter, signalling the pair of you should make your way back.
As you hopped off the rickety, wooden stool, your eyes travelled back and forth between the two men, "Uh, thank you for the company." You offered a sweet - more so polite - smile, followed shortly by yourself and Tommy heading back.
"I think we should leave." He spoke, monotone as ever, "Arthur and John will be fine."
It was as though he knew you'd ask of them.
It wasn't particularly late, however you didn't fancy bargaining and in all honesty, you had no problem with leaving early.
Tommy's hand planted suddenly upon the small of your back, guiding the pair of you to exit out into the cool evening air.
A chill whisked over your face as you walked, "I don't understand why you're so upset."
"I'm not upset." He exhaled as the both of you ambled into the familiar, locked door of the betting office.
"Well, judging by the way you're jamming that poor key into the lock, I'd say otherwise." You mumbled, stood uncomfortably beside him, watching as he forced the key over until the lock finally clicked, turning it and shoving the door open, "You looked like you wanted to throttle that bartender."
He let out a scoff,  raising a brow a little as he turned to face you specifically, shutting the door the very moment you strode inside.
"I thought he seemed nice.." You uttered, accompanied by a genuine sense of confusion, "Friendly."
Tommy's eyes flickered across your face, from feature to feature; practically drinking you in, "You weren't gonna entertain the bastard, were you?"
You simply furrowed a brow, "What do you mean?"
He wet his lips, another blatant sigh escaping him, "Clearly thinks he was in with a chance, I don't want you doin' something you'll come to regret, eh?"
Somehow, his words were rather sudden to your ears, and it was a secret to no one that you were confused.
"He was gonna use you to get off, we both know you deserve more than that, don't you?" He leaned in a little as the words floated from his lips, the heat of his breath caressing your skin.
Your breath caught in your throat, hitching at the utter proximity of it all, and his hand found your waist suddenly. You were stunned, losing a single, soft gasp upon the feeling of the possessive squeeze he offered.
"Tell me you want this." His mouth mumbled, a mere inch from your ear.
An ambush of butterflies fluttered through your stomach, and you just couldn't deny his words, "..I want this."
"That's right, my fuckin' girl." Tommy grumbled, snaking a callous hand beneath your skirt, sliding slowly up your thigh, "Mine to touch, eh?"
A shiver coursed down your spine; intoxicated by the way he looked at you with such possession. Greedily, his fingers splayed over your thigh, inching nearer and nearer to the place you were most sensitive.
Your teeth sunk into the pillow of your bottom lip as one single, gentle finger brushed over your silken underwear.
"Acting so innocent, but you're fucking soaked." Tommy chuckled, beginning to trace subtle circles around your clit through the material, "Needy, eh?"
The way his fingers moved felt unbelievable, like nothing you'd ever experienced before. It was entirely new, and you didn't want it to end.
As though reacting to the unfamiliar sensations, your back hollowed an arch from the door, drenched cunt pressing against the motions of his hand, drawing a chuckle from his lips.
"Feels good, hm?" He taunted, lips curving into a prideful smirk as his digits crept beneath your underwear, hooking the silk hand and tugging it aside quickly.
A loud, breathy sound left your mouth as his fingertips came in contact with your bare, sensitive pussy.
"You want more, love?" He raised a brow, aware and deliberate of the question he knew the answer to, the strain of his own arousal increasing as he watched the way your face twisted in pleasure.
You nodded, "Mhm."
Tommy trailed his touch down your soaked cunt, pulling yet another gasp from your lips as he slipped one finger between your folds. You cursed under your breath, unable to resist as he slid a single, skilful finger inside you.
He watched your eyes flutter shut, overwhelmed and pouring heavy breaths. Your cunt twitched around him as he so slowly slipped another finger beside the first.
"That's it, fucking feel it, eh?" He whispered, voice low and raspy.
Easing in, Tommy began to move his grouped digits inside you, reaching a spot so sensitive it was made simply impossible to restrain your whine.
"Oh fuck.."
"Look at that sweet little cunt squeezing my fingers.." He breathed, "Mine."
Your arousal further soaked his hand as his fingers thrust at a tortuous pace, finally beginning to quicken, gaze focused solely on yours; the way in which you reacted.
The warm, though rough, pad of his thumb pressed itself to the swell of your clit, toying with the pressure as his digits moved faster, curling and pumping in and out in a way that had your chest heaving.
"Please.." You murmured. You weren't at all accustomed to this new feeling, rather like a knot building in your stomach.
"I know, love," Tommy encouraged, "You like the way my fingers fuck that tight little cunt, hm?" He smiled, only further fuelled by the sight of you losing composure at his touch, "Come for me."
His words snapped the tightly-wound knot in your stomach, and a wave of intense pleasure stormed  your entirety - no trace of mercy.
Tommy's hand didn't halt, maintaining his pace as you came undone, guiding you through the release.
Your thighs trembled desperately around him, the feeling dying down, an air of euphoria about you.
Slipping his fingers from the heat of your pussy, he pressed his forehead against your own, eyes flickering and locking onto yours. Finally, his mouth connected with yours, lips soft and warm - enticing your body to the feel of his as he deepened the kiss. His hands gripped at your waist, stumbling back without shattering the embrace, the pair of you shuffling into the centre of the betting office.
The kiss grew hungrier by the second, his tongue gliding between your lips, he assisted you in perching atop his - usefully - wellkept desk. His hand snaked a path between your weakened thighs, parting them.
As you moved your mouth desperately against his, you felt the movements of his dark, certainly costly trousers being unclasped, followed immediately by the sound of fabric crumpling. He tore back from the kiss, breathing ever so heavily as he wrapped his fist tightly around his cock, throbbing against his palm.
"Going to let me ruin that sweet fucking cunt, aren't you?" He grumbled, to which you gave a delicate nod.  "Ready?"
The subject of your gaze switched, roaming downward to the sight. Tommy's large, veiny hand grasping his erection. To say you couldn't quite process it would be a vast understatement.
"Yes." You nodded, fingertips digging firmly into the desk as he stood before you. He lined up the thick, pulsing head of his cock with your sopping entrance, one hand planted loosely to the small of your back.
With a low, hoarse sounding groan, he slid inside the warmth of your cunt. At a volume you hadn't yet reached, you gasped, adjusting to the feel of him inside you, a sharp moan rolling off your tongue.
"Fucking hell," He exhaled, "You feel incredible."
His cock twitched within you, your hands instinctively flying to the broad of his back for support. Tommy pulled his hips back, then forward, thrusting so very slowly into you as floods of soft whimpers fled your throat.
"You're mine, eh?" He groaned, controlling his hips at a divine pace, "And I take care of what belongs to me."
Clutching helplessly onto his waist-coat clad shoulders, your breaths grew shallower and far more frantic as he picked up the pace. The desk wavered beneath your bodies, suffering from the impact of the pair of you working with one and other.
"My property." He whispered, bare hips bucking hungrily against yours, as though a craving overcame him. "No one touches my property."
A shiver shot down your spine, pussy squeezing greedily at his length, his cock reaching perfectly deep.
"Fuck.." You practically heaved out, unable to prevent your whimpers as his tip struck repeatedly against your g-spot.
"That's it." Tommy praised, bright eyes rolling back for the span of one brief moment as he slammed his hips against yours, "You take my cock so well.."
Your cunt soaked his cock further as it stroked back and forth at a fulfilling pace, room swarmed with the sound of skin colliding and frantic breathing.
The thick, pulsing head of his cock struck repeatedly against your g-spot as his pace fell sloppier, clearly losing composure as you squeezed him.
"Fuck.." He grumbled, "So good."
Fingertips digging into his lower back, you felt Tommy tremor beneath your touch, his hips bucking with far less control. Once more, his fingers crept toward the heat of your pussy, pressing the perfect level of pressure to your clit.
A newly familiar sensation began to build in your stomach, bringing your teeth to bite down on your lower lip; overwhelmed by the combined feelings of Tommy’s thrusts working with his fingers to bring you closer to a second release.
“Shit,” He groaned, “Gonna fill up that sweet fuckin’ cunt, hm?”
“So good.. Please..” You practically babbled out, mouth falling open with a breathy moan.
Abruptly, the very same tidal wave of pleasure washed over your body, although far more intense this time. Your soaked, overstimulated cunt twitched around his deep, pulsing cock.
“That’s it.” He encouraged, jolting his hips at a divine pace as he fucked you through the release, feeling your nails push down against his waist-coat.
Eyelids fluttering over his eyes, Tommy slipped a raspy, broken groan. A spurt of warmth filled you suddenly, pooling within your drenched pussy as he breathed heavily. The pair of you struggled to catch your breath.
He stroked one warm, callous palm over your cheek ever so softly, though contrasted with possession, “Mine to ruin, eh?”
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Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed! As I said, I’m working through a lot of requests so thank you for your patience if you’ve sent one in <3
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752 notes · View notes
babygorewhore · 4 months ago
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*Bambi’s Covenant*
Spencer takes you home after work only to discover that the FBI’s sweet young good girl intern has a collection of…naughty romance novels in your bedroom. W.C. 1.3k something
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Requested by anonymous but I added my own spin! I hope you enjoy! Thank you to my love @xxbimbobunnyxx for hyping me up and helping me!
Warnings! Preachers daughter! Spitting! Praise! Choking! Oral! Fem receiving! Unprotected sex!
“Thank you for bringing me home, Spencer. You’re the sweetest.” You tell him as you step through the house. Spencer nodded and shrugged.
“Yeah!! No problem. Is your dad home?” He questions and you shake your head.
“No. Dad is at church preparing for the sermon tomorrow. My car is still at the shop.” You smile gently and gesture to the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
Spencer checked his watch. “Oh, well I-i probably shouldn’t intrude.” You click your tongue and remove your pink converse. Ribbon laces neatly untied as you extend a pink painted finger nail.
“I insist. Even if you don’t stay, let me get you something for the road.” Spencer followed you to another room, taking in the family photos and glitter decorations of stickers.
“Does your dad ever…lecture you about working for the FBI? Given that he’s a preacher and you’re his only child. I’d imagine he didn’t take well to that.” Spencer mentally flinched at his own blunt questions. Sometimes he spoke without thinking but you sat down at the barstool. Your white skirt pooling around your thighs.
“Dad still worries. But I still go to church and I read my Bible every night before bed.” You bat your lashes at Spencer and he blushes.
“Just a little angel.”
That was your nickname by the team. You were so sweet, gentle and everyone wanted to protect you. You were the youngest member but it was a proud accomplishment. You were an intern and under the careful instruction of JJ. Spencer also took a liking to your quiet, meek nature. Sometimes he saw you praying or on the phone with your dad.
“You guys are the only ones who call me that.” You snap your fingers as you remember something, “Oh! Spencer, your copy of the book you loaned me is in my bedroom. I would go get it but I need to water the plants. It’s the first door on the right.” He stutters as you rush off outside but he slowly steps in the hallway and moves to your door.
Your room was as he expected. White and pink with soft pillows. Stuffed animals. A desk with a bible, notebooks and your clothes neatly hung. Spencer’s eyes focused on your bookshelf and surprise took him as he saw the titles of several…
Dark romance books.
He didn’t just read nonfiction novels. Spencer also had a secret collection of fantasies he read about in the comfort of his own home. He bit his full lower lip when he traced his gaze to a particular book that was known for its kinky content.
A sweet girl like you was into that sort of thing?
Spencer always viewed you as sort of innocent despite the horrors on the job. You never even cursed. You were as cute and gentle as…Bambi.
Yet Spencer felt his dick twitch as he thought about you lying in your pretty bed reading naughty books. Maybe even touching yourself afterwards.
He stepped closer to your dresser, peeking over his shoulder as he opened it and he groaned. Spencer saw an array of toys. Small vibrators, plugs, Lacey panties and bras with a bow in the middle.
“Spencer?” He spun around at the sound of your voice and shuffled guiltily as you stared at him. Your drawer was wide open and you rushed over to shut it.
“Why were you looking in there?”
“I-I-“ He blinked rapidly as you squeezed in between him and the dresser.
“Well? Spencer?”
“I didn’t know you were into those kinds of books.” Spencer admitted and tried to change the subject. His attraction to you grew as you stood taller.
“Yeah I am. You think I’m just a Bible thumping prude?” Spencer glanced at the cross above your chest.
“I didn’t think the preacher's daughter even knew what these things were…” He reached down and gently pulled you closer with a finger, using the necklace to tug you. His lips hovered above yours.
“I didn’t think a nerd who liked to play chess in his spare time knew anything about fucking.” You whispered back and glanced at his parted mouth.
You part your own lips and stick out your tongue. Spencer knew immediately what you were asking for. He spit inside, the drool coating your gloss and you moaned. Spencer crushed his mouth to yours in a heated kiss. You buried your hands in his hair as he walked you backwards to bed. Spencer crawled on top of you without breaking the kiss.
“Wrap your hand around my neck,” You whine as he latches his lips to your jaw and his hand drifts up your torso. He obliges and squeezes your throat.
“Doesn’t surprise me you like that scene. Where he chokes her, spits in her mouth. Not such an angel are you?” Spencer rasps and uses his other palm to hike up your skirt. Exposing your white thong.
“Mmm, I’m your angel.” You plead with big eyes and he nods. He kisses down your neck, chest and works his way down to hover above your pelvis.
“Yeah? You want me to worship you like you worship God? You want me to eat your pussy?” You claw the blankets and nod.
“Yes, please! Please!” You beg and Spencer yanks off your panties, taking in your glistening cunt and he inhales sharply.
“I knew it would be pretty. I need to taste it…” He mumbles and presses his head against it. Spencer flattens his tongue against your clit, savoring the precum leaking from your hole as he laps at it like a dog. He moans and grinds down on the bed as your sweet sounds. “That feel good, Angel?” He asks.
“Uh huh!” You squeak as he buries his whole face in. Your fingers gather his hair tightly as Spencer messily sucks your center between his lips and laps at it with his tongue.
“Jesus! Fuck!” You sputter and Spencer pulls back and spits on your cunt.
“You’re such a good girl, princess. You’re so fucking sweet. I knew you’d be.” He worked his way back up, pulling down his pants and boxers. Spencer’s impressive sized cock slapped against his thigh and your mouth watered.
“Fuck me. Please, please, please!” You whined and panted.
Spencer nodded, wrapping his hand around your throat again.”Gonna recreate all those filthy scenes, Angel.” He pushed inside your pussy, his dick filling you to the brim and you mewled, wrapping your legs around his waist.
“Fuck, Spencer, you feel so good. Keep going, keep going, I needed it so bad. Don’t stop!” You whined and threw your head back as he gave you a hard thrust. Spencer tightened his hold.
“Yeah? You want me to keep going? Your pussy is so tight, been wanting to do this forever.” He feels his release coming as the headboard hits the wall.
“Cum in me. Please, cum in me. Don’t want you to pull out! Stuff me full.” Your eyes water as your stomach tightens, a familiar feeling rising from nights with your vibrator as it explodes.
You cream all over his dick, a pornographic sound escaping you as Spencer’s own cum mixes with yours. Ropes of fluid coat your insides and push out from your entrance. He pulls out, admiring his dripping cock and fucks it back in.
Your eyes roll back as you’re overstimulated.
“That’s my girl, you’re being such a good Bambi taking it. You wanna keep being a good girl?” Spencer prods as he continues moving inside you. You nod rapidly as your arms wrap around his shoulders.
“I’m gonna cum in you over and over again, plug it up then make you go to church like that tomorrow. Then you can pray to me instead.” Spencer buried his face in your neck and pulled your skin between his teeth.
Thank god he discovered your secret.
@oceandriveab @oceanblvd111 @starkeysprincess @littlexdeaths @xxbimbobunnyxx
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stillmonsterz · 7 months ago
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birds of a feather
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this is part two to brave it together.
pairing: jay x reader, jake x reader genre: smut, angst, slight humor summary: after your eventful week, you assumed that life would go back to normal. instead, things only become even more complicated and tangled. your feelings for jay continue morphing, and his treatment of you only make you feel even more confused. as you attempt to balance your newfound social life, your complex intrapersonal relationships, and the mystery surrounding mina's suicide, you begin to wonder if there's anyone in the school you could trust. contains: unprotected sex, dubcon, drug usage, alcohol usage, manipulation, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder, infidelity, exhibitionism, name calling word count: 28.9k taglist: @moon7jay @ui11iane @bambangan @belowbun @sseobonggs
You were lying in Jay’s arms, and you were scared to make a sound. If you did, you felt as though he would remember you were there and tell you to leave. But right now, as his cheek rested on your bare shoulder, you didn’t want to go.
After you had gone to his room, you had drunk exactly one shot of the whiskey he had promised you before he was all over you again. You’d had sex twice more in his bedroom after your time on the roof. It was a blur to you, a hazy deluge of memories: being spanked, thrown around in whatever position he wanted you in, hands gripping you tight enough to leave an array of bruises more vibrant than the last set, kisses full of venom.
Jay clung to you after he came the third time, your back flush against his chest so that you were spooning. You basked in his attention, in the scent of Jay’s sweat mixed with his cologne.
You didn’t want to move your head, so you had a limited view of his room. In the dark, you could see his nightstand, whereupon a half-empty package of cigarettes, a box of condoms, some scattered books, and assorted jewelry lay. The condoms surprised you, because Jay hadn’t used any with you.The floor was messy, with clothes strewn haphazardly on the plush carpet. Some of those were yours. You could see band posters stuck all over, some you recognized and some you didn’t. The room was gradually becoming brighter, and you dimly realized that the sun was rising. Already? It was November, meaning that it had to be approaching morning-time. 
“Jay,” you muttered. He made a muffled noise and shifted, pressing his cheek against you. “Jay, it’s morning.”
“Mm…”
“I should go.”
Some part of you wanted him to tell you to stay, but instead Jay whispered, “One more round?” HIs hands started to caress your waist again.
You sighed. “No.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Jay groaned and released you, sitting up in his bed. His hair was messy, and by the light filtering in through his curtains, you could see that you had left scratches on his back and shoulders. The cigarette mark you had made last night still lingered on his arm. “You’re still such a prude,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
“What if someone catches us?” You sat up as well, mustering the urge to stand. Your legs were terribly sore, and when you tried to stand up they shook like a fawn’s. 
Jay watched you as you collected your clothes from the ground and put them on mechanically.  “You’re right,” he said in a strange voice. “It’s 7, so I doubt anyone in Stoker will be up anyways. If you take the back exit…down the back set of stairs…take a right…you should be fine.” 
“Thanks,” you mumbled, fumbling with the buttons of your jacket. All you’d had to eat yesterday was a samosa and three cigarettes, with scant sleep in between, and it was starting to take a toll on your body. The cold that had been brewing was starting to rear its ugly head, and you made a note to get your hands on some cough syrup. You were glad that you wore shoes you could slip into, because you doubted that you could be trusted to tie shoelaces.
Jay sighed and beckoned for you. “C’mere,” he said. “You’re so helpless. You’re like a newborn or something.”
You shuffled over to the bed, sitting on the edge. “You have sex with newborns often?” 
“Shut the fuck up.” Jay fixed your buttons for you, one by one. “Don’t get cute with me.” 
“Sorry.”
“And don’t be sarcastic, either. It doesn’t look good on you.” Jay squeezed your cheeks between his thumb and middle finger, pulling it this way and that as though to inspect your features. “You look like shit.”
“It’s been a long weekend,” you say dryly. 
“Hm.” Jay looked into your eyes for a few seconds too long before releasing you. “Well, get out of here. Don’t need Jake having a stroke because I’ve defiled his new white whale.” Jay chuckled, his usual smug expression returning. “On second thought, maybe you should stay. I could call Jakey, he could come over here, and I could show him just how good you are at taking my-,”
“Goodbye,” you said, pulling away from him and standing upright. Just the sound of Jake’s name made you feel odd. Not guilt, not shame, but another emotion you couldn’t place. Something nasty, something that felt like tar trickling down your throat. 
“Bye, little prude,” Jay said. “Oh, where are my manners?” He got out of bed, shivered at the cold, and opened the door for you. His eyes glittered with their usual spark of malice, and it made you wonder what he was going to do. You didn’t want to stick around to find out, so you nodded your head and took a step from his room. 
There was a tug at your jacket’s collar, and Jay whispered your name. You turned your head to meet his gaze once more. “Probably don’t have to tell you this,” he began, eyes trained on you,  “but don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
“Who would I tell?” you replied quietly. 
Jay smiled, his dimple adding an uncharacteristic boyishness to his otherwise chiseled face. “Good answer,” he said, “but that’s not a yes. Don’t tell anyone we fucked, alright?”
You looked down at the ground. For some reason, it still hadn’t sunk in that you had voluntarily slept with Jay. Several times, at that. 
“Look at me,” he said, and you lifted your head. “You won’t tell a soul?”
“I won’t,” you said softly. 
Jay nodded and let go of your jacket. “You’re so obedient,” he muttered. “You’ll make an excellent housewife someday.”
“Housewife? I don’t know if I want to get married.”
“Please. Nice, meek girls like you always end up barefoot and pregnant to some hulking idiot,” Jay said dismissively. “It’s a matter of when, not if.”
“What about you?” you asked.
Jay frowned. “What about me?” 
“Will you get married, have kids?”
A brief flash of hurt crossed Jay’s features, the first time you had ever seen it on his face. “Can’t have kids,” he said. “I shoot blanks.”
“Oh.”
“I had hypospadias as a baby. Got the surgery young, everything is fine, I’m just completely sterile. So I’ll never bear my parents an heir.” Jay said the last sentence in someone else’s voice, as though he were mimicking words another had said. 
“I’m sorry,” you said.
Jay snorted and scratched his arm. “Don’t be,” he said. “I can fuck like an animal and never get a bitch pregnant. It’s the best. So you don’t have to worry about having my kid…although I feel like you would look good pregnant.”
“Jay.”
“You’d gain weight in all the right places…yeah, I wouldn’t let you abort my kid,” Jay continued. “You’d be forced to bear little Jay junior, and like a good father I would pay child support and take the little shit to Disneyland once in a while. And he’d be like, ‘Daddy, daddy, I just got a b minus in math class!’ And I’d say, ‘Son, you’re going to learn that math matters little in the real world. Come, let me take you to Hooters, so that you can swim in the ocean with men, instead of wallowing in the kiddy pool of arithmetic.’”
“Little Jay junior wouldn’t be happy,” you said, smiling slightly. “How could he be happy when Daddy hates Mommy?”
Jay laughed, quietly enough so the sound didn’t resonate down the hallway. He leaned against the doorframe, holding his arm above his head. “Please. Daddies hate mommies all the time. It’s normal.”
You hesitated before whispering, “And do mommies hate daddies?”
Jay paused as well. One of his hands reached out slowly and gently rubbed at the corner of your lips. ”They should,” he murmured, flicking something away. “They should hate daddies. Mommies aren’t very smart sometimes.” Jay cleared his throat, pulling his hand away from you. “Now run along or I really will split you open in front of Jake.” 
Without another word, you took off down the hallway. The wide hallway alone reeked of decadence and dripped with pretension. There was no reason why a college dorm should have delicate china vases balancing on hardwood nightstands that lined the hallways, nor why the walls should have crown molding. What asshole had spent this much money on a college dorm?
As you crept towards the back staircase, you noticed that one of the dorm rooms had a sock on the doorknob. That seemed much more appropriate for a building populated largely by idiotic young men. You continued down the steps, to the right, and exited the building safely. 
Just before you left to head to Fawcett, you turned around. The lights were off in all of the rooms except for one, and if you shielded your eyes, you could see a dark figure inside. You wondered if it wasn’t Jay watching you. You thought about waving, but that would seem far too playful. You continued walking through the cold, back to your own dorm. 
After a weary shower in the communal bathroom and a long, long nap in your room, you decided that it might be time to actually get some schoolwork done. You had a group project that you hadn’t started, assignments in all of your classes, and you had to be at the library by four to start your shift there. 
You were ravenous, though. Damned if you saw Isa, or Riki, or whoever else. You were going to go to Fawcett and get yourself something to eat. You put some decent clothes on, pocketed some of the money Jay had given you, and went to the caf. Amazingly, no one was there. No one you knew, anyways. You got yourself a breakfast meal and tore into it. As you ate, you decided to text Isa. Yesterday had been too busy, too overwhelming to even think about talking to another soul. 
You: Sorry for the late message. I’m doing all right. Hope you’re okay.
Isa texted back so quickly, your head spun.
Isa: im doing great omg
Isa: no need to apologize!
Isa: are u okay though? :(((
Isa: jake told me jay was bothering you again :/ 
Isa: i talked to jay about it and he says he’ll stop
Isa: im so glad we’re talking again i missed him badddd
What?
You: You and Jay?
Isa: yupp 
Isa: he says hi btw
Isa: he’s with me rn
Isa: oh him and jake fought 
Isa: jake looks fuckedddd lol 
Isa: shouldn’t have fought w jay
Isa: he’s a psycho fr
Isa: i’ve always liked them a little crazy lmao
A chill ran through you, and the bite of food you had been chewing turned into ash. You swallowed it, nearly choking. Already? He had gone to Isa already? Mere hours after you two had fucked? And what did she mean by “my man”, when Jay had explicitly told you that they weren’t dating?
You recollected yourself and typed out a quick “see you at work” message to Isa. Why did you care so much? Things were going back to the way they had always been. Jay teased you, Isa was gorgeous, and they would make tender, sweet love while you twiddled your fucking thumbs and knitted sweaters. This was the way things had been for weeks, months, years. Why should they change now? It was obvious to you now. Jay had merely used you to get his rocks off, just another ploy in his juvenile game. In just a few days, he had erased months of harassment by showing you the barest modicum of kindness. Jay was right. You were pathetic. 
You forced yourself to eat the rest of your food, lest you faint from hunger. If Jay was going to return to his old self, so would you. You would withdraw into yourself once more and pretend like the past week had never happened.
You didn’t know why you still bothered making dramatic ultimatums like that. After your classes on Monday, which were such an unbearable slog that you almost wished Jay had pushed you off the roof, you trudged to your job at the library. 
When you got to the main desk, Jay and Isa were already there. It was revolting, seeing Jay lean in to give Isa a gentle kiss on the lips, far sweeter than any he had given you. Your face burned with indignation, but you swallowed it down. If there was anything you were good at, it was pretending not to have emotions. Sometimes you almost believed it.
Isa was wearing a baggy T-shirt, which you recognized as Jay’s Jane’s Addiction t-shirt, over a red-and-black plaid skirt with combat boots. It was a cute, punk look. 
“Isa,” you said with a slight wave. She turned to you and squealed, and any irritation you held towards her washed away. 
“I was so worried about you,” Isa wailed, rushing forward to give you a hug. You hugged her back stiffly, patting her back. “How are you feeling?”
“A little sick,” you said quietly. “The weather.” She smelled like Jay’s cologne. 
“Stupid Jake and his golf cart,” Isa mumbled. 
“Golf cart? He had my golf cart?” Jay’s voice was incredulous, and you tried not to focus on the way his thumb was hooked through the belt loops on Isa’s skirt. 
“Yeah, he drove us to Yeonjun’s in it,” Isa said, turning to look at Jay with shimmering eyes. 
“What the fuck? That was mine,” Jay said. “I was wondering why it was missing. What the fuck is his problem?” 
“I didn’t know you played golf.”
“I do a lot of things you don’t know about.”
Isa danced her fingers up Jay’s chest. “Maybe you could show me some of those things.”
Jesus. You walked past Isa and stood behind the main desk, picking up the list of tasks. The words swam in front of your eyes, and you blinked several times to clear up the dizziness. “I’m going to contact the clubs,” you said weakly. The library regularly booked spaces for different clubs, and you were in charge of corresponding with them. Sometimes you wondered exactly what the morning library staff did. 
Isa nodded at you. “Jay’s gonna help me shelve the books,” she said, gripping the front of his shirt. “Aren’t you?” She pouted at him. 
“Whatever,” Jay said. You kept your head bowed as you settled into the swivel chair, booting up the computer. Their footsteps faded, and you snuck one look at their retreating figures. Just like last week, you observed that they did look good together. 
The minutes passed by without you realizing it. You were grateful for the routine: help people with stupid questions, check out books, place holds. Sometimes you would hear Isa’s giggle and your heart would clench. As you worked at the desk, a shadow covered your workspace. Assuming that it was a student, you said, “Can I help you?” before you looked up.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to get someone a smoothie, but she doesn’t stop working,” a familiar voice said. Jake stood in front of you, both hands drumming on the desk. His eye was still swollen, his eyelids painted a harsh, glossy purple. His smile only served to showcase his split lip, and his hair fell into his eyes as usual. 
“Jake,” you said. “I don’t get off for another ten minutes.” 
“I figured,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “But I wanted to see you before then. You aren’t busy, are you?”
“Incredibly busy. Can’t you see I’m being swarmed by people?”
Jake laughed, so you let out a soft chuckle too. If only he didn’t have feelings for you. If only he wasn’t in the Karma Club. If only he hadn’t potentially driven a girl to suicide, or worse. 
“Anything I can help with?” he asked, resting his arms on the desk and propping his chin on his sleeves. Now that he was eye-level with you, you could study his features closely. Despite his injuries, Jake was still really cute. 
“Don’t think so,” you said. “Hardest thing to do is reshelving, and Isa and Jay are doing that.”
Jake furrowed his eyebrows at the sound of Jay’s name. “So they’re back together?”
“I guess.”
“That’s a surprise, considering how much Jay bitches about Isa. Then again, what doesn’t Jay bitch about? He’d whine about a fountain of gold if he could. And he’s helping her do something? Seriously? Isa’s amazing.”
You must have looked pretty bad, because Jake’s face grew worried. “You all right?”
“Yeah,” you said. “Just a little sick. Hurricane and all.”
“The smoothie will be full of Vitamin C,” Jake said thoughtfully. “So that should help rejuvenate your system, boost your immune system. Oh, speaking of that, you mind if Sunghoon comes? He’s chill.”
Sunghoon? He was the one who had been there on that first fateful day of school, the one who had looked at you with such scorn. “Sure,” you said. “Hey, by the w-,”
Jake cut you off by plucking something off of your sweater; a little piece of yarn. “Sorry,” he said, flicking it away, “it was bothering me.”
“No problem,” you mumbled. It had been so natural, the way he had done that. You couldn’t imagine what it was like to just live without second-guessing your actions, your words. In that moment, you deeply envied Jake. 
His soft eyes met with yours again. “How come you always wear those big sweaters, anyways?”
“They’re comfortable,” you said.
“Seems a little hot,” Jake said. “I mean, you’re even wearing a turtleneck under there.”
You couldn’t exactly tell him that you were trying to hide the hickeys Jay had given you, so you muttered, “It’s winter soon.”
“I guess,” Jake said. He didn’t sound entirely convinced, but he dropped it. 
“I’ll meet you at Stopkewich,” you said, adjusting the collar of your sweater. “Just have to finish up here.”
“Sure, sure,” Jake said, grinning widely. “See you.”
For some reason, you wanted to feel normal, like everyone else. You reached out and grabbed the cuff of his flannel’s sleeve. Jake looked at you expectantly. “What is it, Wednesday?”
You grasped for words before finally mustering up a quiet, “Thanks for coming to see me.”
To your surprise, and slight confusion, Jake grew bashful, looking down at the ground. “Aw, it was no big deal. It’s fun seeing you…seeing you in the zone, y’know?” 
You let go of his sleeve, pleased at your success. It was really that easy? “Thank you anyways,” you said. 
Jake waved at you, licking his busted lip as he walked backwards. “See you in five,” he said before accidentally knocking into a display of pamphlets. He glanced around him before walking away quickly, heading out the doors. Cute. 
“Ooh,” Isa said. You hadn’t even realized that she had returned, but when you looked away from the exit you saw Isa and Jay standing around the desk. “You and Jake, huh?”
“I didn’t realize Jake liked her,” Jay said, his eyes fixed on Isa. You had resented his cold gaze for a long time, but you disliked his indifference more. 
“Oh, they were so close at Yeonjun’s,” Isa said, clasping her hands together. “They were dancing together, and when she went to lie down, Jake went in after her. He didn’t come out for a while…” 
“Is that so?” Jay asked coolly. 
“Yeah,” you said, looking directly at Isa. “We just talked, though.”
Isa looked disappointed. “That’s it?”
You shrugged. “That’s all.” 
“Well, I support it,” Isa said, regaining steam. “Maybe we could go on double dates.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Jay said quickly. “Jake’s a pussy. He’d never ask her out.”
“I mean…” Isa’s voice turned sly, and she playfully poked your arm. “They’re already going out for smoothies today, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why Jake came here,” you said, “he wanted to see me before we went…”
Isa clapped her hands together and pushed Jay. “Oh, so cute. If you guys got together, wouldn’t he be your first boyfriend?”
Scary how Isa already knew you had no experience, but you figured it was glaringly apparent. “He would be.”
“So cute,” she repeated. “You can go ahead and leave early. I’ll finish up around here.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Isa said fiercely. “You go get your man.”
You smiled at Isa, getting to your feet. “You’re so sweet,” you said.
“Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding,” she said with a laugh. You walked out of the library without casting another glance in Jay’s direction. You didn’t know what his game was, but you didn’t care. If your life wouldn’t return to normal, then you would at least try to get a smoothie out of the deal. 
Jake and Sunghoon were lingering just outside of Stopkewich. It was fascinating, seeing the effect that they had on people; swathes of students and even some members of the faculty gave them such a wide berth that one could think there was a bubble surrounding them. 
You waved at Jake when you got closer, and Jake smiled and trotted up to you. Sunghoon followed, pale hands in his pockets. 
“Hey,” Jake said. “Jay didn’t bother you today, right?”
You shook your head. 
“Great. Great, good. Probably doesn’t want another fight,” Jake said, looking away. 
“Yeah, he doesn’t,” Sunghoon said, nudging Jake’s arm. He gave you an appraising look. It seemed that all members of the Karma Club had a way of analyzing people, breaking them into their basest components. 
“Fuck off, Hoon,” Jake mumbled. 
Sunghoon laughed and stuck out his hand. “Sunghoon Park.”
You took his hand and shook it. You introduced yourself, including your major. 
“Nice to meet you,” Sunghoon said, adjusting the cuffs of his blazer. “God, Heeseung hates you.”
“What?”
Jake shook his hands, glancing between you and Sunghoon. He laughed nervously. “Well, he doesn’t hate y-,”
“Two members in a fight,” Sunghoon continued, “our newest recruit living in Fawcett because he picked a fight with Jay about you, Sunoo poisoning the lacrosse team…”
You squinted. “That last one…”
“At this point, Heeseung’s sort of just blaming you for everything,” Sunghoon said with a shrug. “But the first two are your fault.”
“Hey,” Jake said, stepping in between the two of you. You hadn’t sensed any real malice coming from Sunghoon, so you weren’t sure why Jake was acting so skittish. “None of that is her fault. It’s not her fault Jay has a hate boner for her.”
Sunghoon put his hands up, relenting. “Hey, hey, I’m not blaming her. I’m just saying that Heeseung wants her head on a pike.”
“Then he should say so,” you said. 
Jake and Sunghoon both looked at you, with Sunghoon snorting as he attempted to stifle a laugh. “Pardon?” Sunghoon asked, pushing his glasses up. 
“Yeah,” you said. “Maybe we could talk. If I’m doing something wrong, I should fix it, right?”
Sunghoon let out a full laugh. “She’s got balls, huh, Jake?”
Jake groaned. “Let’s just go get a smoothie. Everything is always a federal fucking issue with the Karmas, I swear…” Jake started stalking over to the entrance of Stopkewich, with you and Sunghoon following behind.
“I hope that bitch isn’t there,” Sunghoon said, screwing up his nose. “I wanted a simple smoothie and she wouldn’t make it. She was all, ‘Um, I don’t do remixes on drinks!’ Uppity whore. Who calls a drink a remix? Cringe. I should fucking have this place demolished and turned into a Carl’s Jr. See how those vegans like it then.”
“Don’t pick a fight with the barista, Hoon.”
“I won’t if she makes my smoothie order the way I asked.”
“And what was that smoothie order, again?” Jake asked lightly. He looked back and gave you a small smile. You liked it. It made you feel like you were in on something.
“It was simple. Chia seeds, organic almond milk because regular milk fucks with my skin’s barrier, camu camu powder - from the Amazon, it’s the best there - red algae for my complexion, goji berries, spinach, and maca powder. Like it wasn’t a very tall order but this uppity- oh fuck, there she is.” Sunghoon jerked his thumb at Lily and groaned. “God fucking dammit.”
“You’d better go ahead first,” Jake said. “Sunghoon here has to decompress.”
“‘Uh, we don’t have any red algae,’” Sunghoon mocked. “‘Why would you want algae in a smoothie?’” 
You headed over to the counter, where Lily was currently using a pitter on the cherries. Her gloved hands were stained red. She glanced up at you briefly and smiled. “Hey,” she said brightly. “I thought you would have abandoned me.”
“No way. How could I do that?” You settled into a booth and scoured the menu. You figured you’d just have whatever she gave you.
Lily tossed another cherry pit into a bowl. “Well, I saw that you were partying with the KC…”
You blinked. “How did you see that?”
“Oh, I follow what’s-her-name on Instagram…Isa? She posted a picture of you guys on her story. I didn’t know you were so popular.”
“Neither did I,” you mumbled. “What’s on the menu today?”
Lily smiled and held up the cherries. “Funny you should ask. I’ve just gotten the last ingredient for my newest idea. So it’s going to be cherries, banana, chia seeds, almond butter, almond milk…”
“So far so good.”
“Stinging nettle.”
“Lily…”
Lily procured a baggie from her apron’s pocket and shook it. “What? It’s perfectly safe! It’s not like it-,”
“Well, well, well,” a voice behind you said. Sunghoon snatched the stinging nettle from Lily’s hands and examined its contents.
“You,” she said, glaring at Sunghoon. “This is the guy who got mad at me because I don’t do remixes.”
“And here’s the girl who doesn’t do remixes.” He tapped the baggie with his index finger. “But, you know, I can’t help but notice that this…herb…isn’t on the menu. Yet here you are, about to put it into a drink that isn’t on the menu. Isn’t that crazy? Isn’t that crazy, Jake?”
“Leave me out of this,” Jake said. “Can I get the watermelon mint smoothie?”
“Coming right up,” Lily said through gritted teeth. “For your information, I was testing a recipe out, that’s why I have that.”
“Sure,” Sunghoon said, “sure. Or the more obvious answer, which is that you’re prejudiced against members of the KC.”
Lily gasped. “Not true!”  She peeled her old gloves off, got new ones, and started putting chunks of watermelon in the blender. 
Sunghoon shook the baggie even though Lily couldn’t see it. “Oh, it’s very true.”
“I’m making Jake a smoothie right now, he’s KC.”
“Jake is Australian, so you two probably have some sort of secret bond. He doesn’t count.”
“What the fuck,” Jake mumbled.
Lily scoffed. “And also for your information, I didn’t have the ingredients!”
Sunghoon shook the baggie again. “And why wasn’t your kitchen stocked with the basics?”
“Normally,” Lily said, tossing things into the blender, “people don’t ask for camu camu powder. Never gotten that request before.”
“You should buy more ingredients then,” Sunghoon said, putting the baggie on the counter. “You could offer a wider selection of drinks that have added health benefits.”
“And where am I supposed to get the extra money?” Lily turned the blender on. “No one knows we’re here, anyways. They’re considering replacing us with a Jamba Juice.”
“I’ll give you the ingredients,” Sunghoon yelled over the harsh noise.
“You want your weird smoothie that bad?” Lily asked, holding onto the top of the blender. 
“Yeah, I do.” 
“You know what?” Lily pointed at Sunghoon. “I can respect a guy who wants a weird smoothie.”
Sunghoon smiled. “Thank you! Thank you! That pauper over there doesn’t get it.”
“What the fuck,” Jake whispered to himself. 
“Sorry for being so rude,” Sunghoon said, projecting his voice. “I really did think you were being a bitch for no reason.”
Lily turned the blender off and poured Jake’s smoothie into a glass jar, carefully affixing a little red gingham bow around its neck. “Thanks for the apology,” she said, pushing the smoothie over to Jake. She looked at you next. “Did you want the stinging nettle and cherry smoothie?”
“Yeah, sure,” you said. 
Jake sipped on his smoothie through the straw. “Oh, this is good,” he said, holding the jar out to you. “Try a sip.”
You’d had this flavour before, but you took a sip anyway. “Lily is great,” you said, “that’s why I always come here.”
Sunghoon remained quiet, pressing his hands on the counter, before saying, “Could I get one too, a stinging nettle and cherry smoothie?”
Lily smiled. “Of course!”
Sunghoon offered her a soft smile, his lips pressed tightly together. He watched her closely as she went about preparing the smoothies. Jake looked at you, and you looked at Jake. He mimed shooting himself in the head and you grinned.
After Lily finished making you and Sunghoon your drinks, you looked at her expectantly. “Could I get your phone number?” 
She looked at you in mild surprise. “Really? Yeah, sure. Pass your phone.”
You opened the phone up to your contacts and held it out to her. As she typed her number in, she smiled. “We should hang sometime.”
“Yeah,” you said. You had no intention of hanging out with her. You did plan to wheedle information out of her regarding Mina. Despite Riki telling you that no one knew about her suicide attempt in the bathroom, Lily had mentioned an attempted murder performed by the KC  in the school bathroom. Who could the victim have been, if not Mina? 
Lily handed you your phone back and grinned. Jake tapped his card on the reader, paying for your orders. “Thanks,” you said.
“No problem,” he said. “I said I would.”
“I was just kidding about it at the party, you know.”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to buy you smoothies,” Jake said. “Just let me try yours when it’s ready.”
Lily got to work preparing her newest mix, and you noticed that Sunghoon was staring at her with curious eyes. When he saw you looking at him, he cleared his throat and focused his attention on his wristwatch.  Strange, strange things were happening.
You got to your dorm room and started on your work. You were a scholarship student, so it was imperative that you kept your grades up. Which meant that you ended up ignoring the incessant knocking on your dorm door. Eventually, you heard the doorknob rattling violently. You pulled your headphones off and knocked on the door. “Who is it?”
“Open up,” Jay grumbled. “Don’t you answer your phone? I’ve been out here for like five minutes.” Sighing, you unlocked your door. Jay strided in, closing the door behind himself. He leaned against the door with his arms crossed and glanced around your room. “What were you doing, homework?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course you are,” he said. 
“You don’t study?”
“Why would I do that?”
You let out a frustrated huff of breath. “What do you want, Jay?”
“‘What do you want, Jay?’” he mocked. A familiar scene was stretching out in front of you. “I want more of what I got yesterday, but you were busy hanging around dickless.”
You leaned against the wall. “Dickless? Who, Jake?”
“Yeah.”
“I won’t stop,” you said. “You don’t own me, and we’re not dating.”
Jay barked out a laugh. “Oh, wow. Since when do you talk back?”
“Around when you threatened to kill me.”
Jay’s eyes were chunks of obsidian glinting in the afternoon sun. “You know I was just playing around, right? I wasn’t actually going to kill you. I’m not a psycho. I just wanted…”
Suddenly, the room seemed stiflingly warm. Your voice was even quieter than usual. “Wanted what?”
“I wanted…” Jay pushed his hair out of his face and licked his lips, looking around your room. “I wanted to see you do something besides stand around looking at me like you’re…like there’s nothing inside of you. Just an automaton pretending to be a human, just taking everything, passive, nothing, boring.”
“Well,” you said flatly, “am I acting like a human now?”
Jay cracked a grin. “A little. You’re blossoming under my tutelage. With a little more training…” Jay reached his hand out towards you.
You smacked his hand away lightly. “Training?”
“Yeah,” he said, taking your hand in his, “you could end up becoming a real human.”
“Like you?”
His smile grew wider. “Nah, you could never be like me.”
“Thank God.”
Jay laughed, and you had to admit that you didn’t hate the sound. “See what I mean? You’re coming along nicely.”
“You’re not responsible for my personality,” you said.
“Who, if not me? Jake?”
“No, no one is. What is with you and Jake?”
“I could ask you the same question, you and your filthy fixation with him.”
“There is no fixation,” you said, frustration nipping at your voice. “He’s just nice to me.”
Jay pulled you towards him with the hand holding yours. “I’m nice to you, aren’t I?” His other hand came to grab your chin, forcing your head up. “I’m so nice to you,” he murmured. “You don’t even appreciate it.” He leaned in and kissed you in that same smothering manner as before, his mouth hot and wet. As though you were being controlled by outside forces, you kissed him back. Your arms still hung limply against your side. 
Jay pulled away and tugged your turtleneck’s collar down, exposing the hickeys he had given you. “Wish you didn’t dress like a nun,” he said. “You could show these off.”
You turned your head, staring down at your floor. “What about Isa, Jay? You two are together.”
Jay groaned. “Don’t worry about her. Fuck, you always bring her up.”
You looked back at him. “Why shouldn’t I? She really likes you.”
“Her mistake,” Jay replied, a sneer on his face. His hand reached out to caress the back of your head. “I told you she doesn’t matter to me.”
“And who does?”
Jay didn’t answer at first. Instead, he spun you around so that you were pressed against the door. He kissed you with the same ferocity, hands clutching your shoulders. “Don’t talk about Isa,” he said hoarsely.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” you said, a weak appeal. 
Jay groaned. “Fine. Let’s play a game, then. It’s really simple. You wanna hear the rules?”
“Fine.”
His hand hiked your skirt up, all the way to your waist. The other hand rested on your thigh, dangerously close to your underwear. “If I check and you’re wet, I get to fuck you. If you’re not wet, I’ll leave you alone and go weave baskets and pick daisies with Isa. Deal?”
You nodded. “Sure,” you said, as though he wouldn’t be able to feel the moisture pooling between your legs. Maybe he wouldn’t feel anything through a stroke of sheer luck. Jay slipped two of his fingers inside of your panties, and you winced as you heard a squelching noise.
“Look at that. You’re wet,” Jay said in an accusatory voice. Jay dragged his fingers along your labial lips, smearing your arousal. He didn’t plunge his fingers into your desperate pussy, nor did he touch your clitoris. Judging by his smile, he relished in withholding pleasure from you. “You’re soaking wet just from a few kisses. You couldn’t be more pathetic if you tried.”
The constant teasing at relief was driving you mad. “Just fuck me.”
Jay let out a breathy laugh. “Look at you, getting so bold. Just listen to yourself.” He didn’t allow you any time to reflect on his statement, working on tugging your panties and skirt all the way down. You stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. 
“You haven’t changed me,” you said, eyebrows glowering in defiance. 
“You’ll see,” Jay replied. You closed your eyes so you could hear the rattle of his belt buckle as it clicked, the sound of his jeans sliding to the floor, his soft grunts.  
Jay lifted your leg up and pounded you, your back pressed against the door. It creaked loudly enough that you figured that someone would hear, but Fawcett was a loud dorm. “Pussy’s so good,” Jay whispered through gritted teeth, leaning his head back. “Fuck, you’re so tight. Thought I would have fucked you loose by now.” 
It was almost more than you could handle, considering only a mere 12 hours had passed since the last time. But you were already growing to love how Jay felt inside of you, the aggressive way he snapped his hips, the shapes of the bruises he left on your arms. You clamped your hand over your mouth so your moans would be muffled. Jay had a similar idea, biting his lip and only letting out faint grunts. He lifted your other leg up, utilizing strength you didn’t know he had to fuck into you while he was standing. Your arms hung around his neck.
You wrapped your legs around him, and he carried you away from the door and onto the bed. By now, you had noticed that Jay liked to alternate between fucking into you rapidly and employing hard, somewhat slower strokes. The shift was dizzying; your nails dug into his shirt, leaving miniscule holes behind in the fabric. 
After Jay came, he remained on top of you, his limp cock lying on your thigh. He pushed himself off and crawled to the side of the bed facing the window. 
You rolled away from Jay, reaching into your nightstand’s drawer. You pulled out your pack of cigarettes and took one out.
“Give me one,” he called from behind you.
“Sure. Open the window for me.” Jay lifted the window upwards, and chilly air wafted into the room. You tucked yourself under your blanket, scooted towards the window, and lit your cigarettes. You handed one to Jay and placed your own between your lips. Your dorm room faced the woods, so you generally didn’t see people come around. On nights when the weather was bad and you couldn’t go up to the roof, you liked to open the window and smoke, listening to the rain. 
Jay sat upright, smoking his own cigarette. His eyebrows were knit in concentration. 
Your phone buzzed on your desk, so you clambered to your feet. You opened the text as you headed to your bed.
Riki: help
Riki: my girlfriend is trying out her makeup on me :/ 
Riki: *sent 1 picture*
Riki: i kinda fw it tbqh
You: You look very pretty.
Riki: thank u
You: You have a girlfriend?
Riki: o yeah
Riki: don’t tell anyone lmao 
Riki: it’s a secret like not even jake knows
Riki: i don’t want her getting mina’d
Riki: or you’d
Riki: no offense 
You: None taken.
Riki: 👍
Riki: lowk i’m considering using some bb cream now
Riki: could be a good look for me
You: Go talk to your girlfriend or something. I’m busy.
Riki: busy my ass
Riki: and my gf is on her phone looking at tiktok pranks to torture me with
You: You deserve the misery.
Riki: fuck u 🖕
Riki: betrayal can never come from your opps ig
“Who are you texting?” Jay asked. “I didn’t know you had friends.”
“Riki,” you said, turning your phone off. 
“Riki? You’re friends with Riki?” Jay looked incredulous, his cigarette hanging from his lips. 
You shrugged, holding your cigarette between your lips as you laid back down on your bed. It was a no-smoking building, but a part of you just couldn’t be bothered anymore. “Well, ‘friends’ is a strong word. We’ve known each other for a few days. He just texts a lot.” 
Jay took another long drag, blowing it out of the window. “You guys are around the same age, right?”
“Yeah, same year.”
“Hm.” Jay turned to look at you. “Have you met any other Karmas?”
“Sunghoon, Jungwon briefly…that’s it.” You breathed out more smoke. “Heeseung hates me, apparently.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jay said, “Ha. Yeah, he doesn’t like you. Thinks you’re tearing us apart.”
“But I’m not.”
“Yeah, I know that, and you know that, and even Heeseung knows that. I think it’s because he can’t exhume Mina’s dead body and yell at her for corrupting poor little Jakey, so you’re the next best thing.”
Your eyes were focused on Jay now, on his hunched back, on his serious brows. “You think Mina’s dead?”
“Dropped out of school, disappeared off the face of the earth, her friends all left her behind…she’s probably dead, yeah.” After a moment, he said, “Do I sound terrible?”
You shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
Jay smiled again. “I guess so.” He waved his cigarette, now only a smouldering nub. “Where can I put this out? On you again?” 
You reached under your bed and pulled out a small ceramic dish, already scattered with cigarette butts. “Use this.”
He stubbed his cigarette out. “Thanks. See you tomorrow.”
You gave him a quick little nod and watched him zip his pants up, put his belt back on, smooth out his hair. Without another word, he left your room. 
You decided to call Lily rather than texting her. You had found, through texting with Riki, that you largely preferred talking out loud. Pacing around the room, you waited for her to pick up. 
“Hey,” she said, her voice sounding lighter than usual. 
“Hi. I had to ask you a question.”
“Sure, anything.”
You tried to invoke the same nonchalant tone you normally used, but you found that it was strangely difficult. “Last week, you told me that the Karma Club nearly killed a girl in the bathroom…”
“Oh,” she said. “That was just a silly rumour…groundless…” Lily’s voice faded as she spoke, almost sheepishly.
“Do you know who told you?”
“Why do you ask?”
You already had a lie for this. “You know how Jake brought me that smoothie?” 
Lily’s voice immediately took on interest, and you marveled at how similar she was to Isa. “Yeah…?”
“Well, the thing is, he told me he likes me…”
Lily shrieked. “Aw, that is so cute. Jake is like the nicest - well, you know, there are a few nice ones in the KC, but he’s really nice. That is just adorable, oh my god.”
“Don’t tell anyone I told you,” you added.
 “Not a word out of me. So do you guys have, like, a thing?”
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t want to pursue anything before I know he’s good,” you lied, scratching your head. “You know how cautious I am.”
“Oh, I get it, I get it,” Lily said. “Sure. I think I heard that from this girl named Nina? She’s a year below me. She’s Aussie, which is how I know her…She’s nice. If you have any questions about him, you should ask her. She runs the girl’s gaming club. You know where that is?”
“No.”
“Oh. It’s held in Nakashima’s common room. You can probably find out when they meet from the school website.”
“Thanks, Lily.” You paused, figuring that you had to ask her something. So you didn’t seem suspicious. “So…stinging nettle. Why?”
“Fun fact, actually. Stinging nettle is a galactagogue!”
“What’s a galactagogue?”
“Uh, increases breast milk production.”
“I’m going to hang up on you now, Lily.”
Lily laughed, and you did too. “Hey, you wanna hang out sometime? Like, for real?”
Out of anyone in the school, you would prefer to hang out with Lily the most. You desperately hoped that she didn’t get involved in the Karma Club. “What would we do?”
“I haven’t gone to see a movie in a while. You?”
“I pirate everything, so no.”
“Sooo…” You could practically hear Lily creeping towards you with a silly smile pasted on her face. “We should see one together. Something scary.”
“Sounds good. Text me when you’re free.”
“Great! Have a good night.”
“You too, Lily.” You hung up on her and your smile fell. The true reason for your call dawned on you once more, and now you had to do some research. First, you Googled the word you had been dreading: naloxone. Jay had mentioned watching the paramedics administer it to Mina when she had overdosed. When you searched it up, you found that it was an opioid antagonist. In the case of anti-psychotic overdose, particularly Seroquel, activated charcoal was used as treatment. So either Jay had misremembered, Jay had lied, or Jay didn’t know.
Why would Jay lie about that? But then, it was Jay. Nothing he did made sense. You couldn’t go to Riki for help, either, because he didn’t know what Mina had overdosed on. Jake hadn’t even mentioned Mina’s suicide, so he definitely couldn’t help you. None of the three had mentioned opioids. It was a dead end. 
You moved on to finding out when the gaming club met next: That Friday at 6 pm. Anyone could come, apparently. Perfect. You wondered if Jay liked gaming. 
At any rate, you had exhausted your meager resources. All you could do now was wait for Friday. 
– 
The week passed by largely the same way. You would wake up to a barrage of texts from Riki and Lily, tiredly answer them, and trudge to class. Then you would go to the library, watch Isa coo over Jay while he ignored you, and get picked up by Jake to get a smoothie from Stopkewich. Sunghoon notably only showed up when Lily had a shift there and did nothing but stare at her adoringly. You and Jake would make eye contact every time Sunghoon smiled at her, mimicking his lovesick expression. Jake’s eye healed well, and his face became less painful to look at for more than one reason. The more time you spent with Jake, trying each other’s drinks, the more you realized that you didn’t mind him. 
After talking to Jake, you would go to your room, try to do homework, and answer the knock at the door. Jay would come in, you would protest for the sake of doing so, and then you’d fuck. He stayed for longer and longer every time, his scent beginning to permeate your bed already, down to the mattress. You wouldn’t talk very much, which suited you just fine. You’d just stare at the ceiling. Occasionally, he would complain about something Riki or Jungwon did. He never brought up Jake or Isa, so neither did you.
On Thursday, you were both lying in your bed, naked. You were draped in your quilt while he blew cigarette smoke to the ceiling. 
“You’re not cold?” you asked, forgoing smoking your own cigarette for today. You didn’t feel like it, for some reason. When you smacked your lips together, you could taste the strawberry banana smoothie one of the other barista’s had made on your lips. Jay had commented on it when he kissed you, saying that you tasted sweet. 
“I don’t get cold that easily,” Jay said. 
“Oh.”
“If you want me to join you under there, just say so.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Jay shrugged. “Closed mouths don’t get fed.” 
“Implying that you’re a necessity?”
“Some could say that, yeah.” 
“Some could be mentally ill.”
“Like you’re so sane,” Jay said, jabbing his cigarette in your direction. “Sunoo could fix your ass up nicely. He might end up giving you diarrhea, though. It’s a mixed bag with him. Still worth a shot, though.”
Sunoo…why hadn’t you considered him?
You pulled your phone from the nightstand and opened it up. 
You: Riki.
Riki: hey
Riki: you finally changed your mind about cliffside laser tag?
You: No.
Riki: then there’s no reason for you to text me
You: I need to know which room Sunoo is in.
Riki: why lol
You: Decided to develop a drug dependency
Riki: nooooo you have so much life to live
Riki: noooooooooo don’t do it
Riki: well
Riki: that covers my ass 
Riki: you can’t get mad at me when your life falls apart
Riki: he’s in room 24
Riki: i’m in 22 by the way
Riki: in case you ever change your mind about the slap jenga tournament
You: I won’t.
Riki: i never liked you
You: Thanks for the help.
Riki: 🖕
Riki: seriously though be careful
You: I’ll be okay.
Riki: you’d better
“Texting Riki again?” Jay asked. His gaze danced suspiciously between your phone and your face. 
“Yeah.” You put your phone back on your nightstand. 
“About?”
You shrugged and leaned against the headboard, bringing your heavy quilt around your shoulders. “He wants to try cliffside laser tag in the dark.”
“And?”
“And what?”
Jay groaned. “Are you going to go?”
“Do I look stupid to you?”
“Well, I mean…”
“No.” You tried to ignore Jay’s snickers. “No, I didn’t even consider it.”
Jay leaned back as well, seeming somewhat mollified. “That kid is going to get himself killed doing something stupid one day. Or someone else, honestly.”
“Then he’d be a true member of the Karma Club,” you said jokingly. Jay’s jaw tightened, and the hairs on your arms raised. You hadn’t seen that angry look in his eyes in nearly a week. 
“Look. You might think,” he began, his voice as venomous as it had always been. You realized that you hadn’t even noticed that his voice had softened until now. “You might think that because we fuck that we’re close or something. We’re not. Joke about shit like that again and I swear to God, I’ll-,”
“You’ll what?”
Jay grabbed your shoulder, jostling the quilt covering you. His grip was tight, and his eyes sparked with anger. “I’ll make sure you end up just like Mina. How’s that?”
You swallowed, unable to speak. Your eyes were trained on his other hand, and you realized just how stupid you had been, allowing yourself to be lulled into this stupor by him. Jay still hated you. 
Jay let go of you and made a frustrated noise. “Fuck, fuck. Fuck, I hate it when you do that. Play mute.”
“I don’t have anything to say right now,” you replied. 
“I thought we made progress,” Jay said, putting his cigarette behind his ear. “You were really growing a spine there, making jokes, fighting back. You were starting to be a lot of fun.”
You stared at Jay, and the unfamiliar sensation of anger broiled in your stomach. “For someone who doesn’t believe that people can change,” you said slowly, “you sure are trying to change me.”
“That’s different,” Jay insisted, crawling out of your bed. He pulled his boxers up and fixed his shirt. “There’s a very interesting girl in you begging to be let out, and all you have to do is give in.”
Your eyes locked with his, the anger in his a mirror of your own. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know enough,” Jay said slowly, tilting his head even closer. 
“No,” you whispered, “you don’t.”
Jay’s lips brushed yours, ever-so-slightly, his eyes never straying away from yours. “It’s like I said. It’s already inside you, and all you have to do is just…let her out.” His breath ghosted your lips once more before he briefly closed the gap.
Jay didn’t come to the library on Friday. 
“He got busy,” Isa said sadly, flicking away some lint off of her ripped sweater. “Family stuff.” The two of you were pasting barcodes on the backs of books, spreading the thin paper carefully to avoid ripples. You put a thin piece of plastic over top to protect the code. Easy, monotonous work.
“Oh.” Quickly, you added. “That sucks.”
“Yeah…he’s been so distant recently,” she continued, idly flipping through a new YA romance novel. “Ever since the party, or a little before then…can I be a little TMI?”
“Go for it,” you said. 
Isa put the book down carefully, and you could see her bottom lip tremble. Her eyes fell to the floor and her voice was a mere whisper. “He doesn’t touch me. Like, we’ve done some…stuff. And, you know, it was nice. But that was it. Nothing serious, you know? I mean, we’ve been talking on and off for a month, but he hasn’t initiated anything.”
Guilt filled your mouth with the bitter edge of bile. Isa reached for the sheet of codes before laying her hands flat on the table. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” she said. “I’m trying to be patient with him, but he doesn’t even open up to me.” 
You should come clean, admit that Jay had been fucking you, but you remembered that he told you not to utter a word to anyone. Isa might run behind your back and confront him, which would be disastrous for you. And, worst of all, a part of you felt a certain thrill at being the one he chose. In some capacity, he was picking you. 
Reality struck you once more. He wasn’t picking you. Isa was the one he had chosen to be his girlfriend, or at least the woman with whom he could be seen. You were the one he slept with, like a secret rotting away in a dusty attic. He hated you, no matter how he felt about Isa. 
Isa glanced at you, biting her lip, and you realized that you hadn’t said anything. “I’m sorry,” you said finally. 
She mustered up a small smile and shook her head, her red curls flicking back and forth like a flame. “It’s okay,” she replied. “Thanks for listening. I’d tell my friends but I’d feel pathetic telling them.” Her eyes widened. “Not that I don’t see you as a friend or anything…”
You smiled back at her, resting your hand on her shoulder. “I know what you meant.”
Isa patted your hand. “Thanks, pookie. You’re a good listener. We should hang out again soon. It was so fun when we watched Oldboy and Lady Vengeance.”
“Actually,” you said slowly, “Lily wanted to watch a movie with me. Do you know her?”
Isa brightened, seeming to regain some of her buoyancy. “Yeah, we were in second year philosophy together. Yeah, I know her. Oh, that’s great. I’ll make a group chat for us!” Then she bit her lip. “I wonder if she’ll want to hang with me, though?”
“Don’t worry,” you said. “Everyone does.”
Nakashima’s dorm was unlike the others. It was the newest, a tall, sleek, bauhaus white building with a gray stone path leading inside. To the left, obscured by a hill, was the school’s greenhouse. You would have liked to explore the inside, but it was normally staffed by at least 3 bleary-eyed, surly students, so you didn’t bother. 
As you walked inside, you marveled at the change in atmosphere. Your own dorm seemed carefree, Stopkewich had an airiness, and Stoker managed to avoid feeling stiflingly opulent with its small markers of humanity. Nakashima students all bustled around with their heads tucked low. The common room was on the second floor, so you took the translucent glass steps carefully. It was down a hallway lined with achievements garnered from previous Nakashima students. Self-fellatio was a skill honed into an art at Sadame University, it seemed. 
You never went inside of Fawcett’s common room, so you weren’t sure how it looked. Nakashima’s was lined with computers, expensive gaming chairs, and a vending machine in the corner. The main lights were turned off, so the glow from their keyboards and the purple LED strips lining the walls was what illuminated the space. 
The Nakashima girls in the common room dressed in the ubiquitous STEM student uniform of a hoodie and sweatpants or jeans. You had arrived early, but they were already logging onto the computers. A woman wearing a white Sadame sweatshirt who, based on your surveyal of the gaming club’s page, was Nina, hunched over a monitor as another woman sat in the chair. You waited for Nina to finish helping the other student before you approached her. 
“Are you Nina?” you asked quietly. 
Nina smiled at you. “That’s me! Are you here to join the gaming club?” 
“Ah…no, sorry,” you said, watching the smile falter on her face. “No, I’m here because of something else.”
She frowned. “Something else?” 
You nodded. 
“You wanna talk outside?” With another nod of your head, she ushered you out into the hallway and looked at you expectantly. 
“It’s just…a friend of mine told me that…you knew about what happened with that girl, Mina,” you said slowly. “And, I was wondering how you knew, because, um…”
“Because the Karma Club cover everything up,” Nina finished. 
“Right, that.”
“Because they’re a bunch of fucking assholes who treat everyone, especially women, like shit.”
“Yeah…”
Nina placed her hand on your shoulder. “Did they…hurt you?”
Now that was a question for the ages. “Yeah.”
Nina pursed her lips together and sighed. “Another one. Those bastards…look, there’s a group chat I know of. If you give me your Instagram-,”
“I don’t have one.”
“Really? How?”
You shrugged. 
“Well, go ahead and make one. I’ll give you mine…” Nina pulled a blue pen from her pocket, took the palm of your hand, and scribbled her Instagram’s handle on it. “So once you’ve made an account, DM me, and I’ll have you added.”
You stared at your palm. “What’s the group chat for?”
Nina capped the pen and tucked it behind her ear. “For victims of the Karma Creeps. It started shortly after Mina disappeared. Just make sure to keep it DL, okay? Those weirdos have eyes everywhere in this school, but I’m sure you already know that.”
Did you ever? “Thank you, Nina.”
“Also,” she added hastily, “don’t screenshot anything. We don’t need anything leaking, you know? It might seem really stringent, but we can’t let anything get back to them.”
“Makes sense,” you said softly. 
“I heard that they’re planning on compiling all the information, maybe trying to bring it to the local news,” she continued. “Again, don’t bring that up.”
“I won’t.”
Nina smiled at you. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get you some help.” 
When you walked away from her, you realized that she had never asked you for your name.
As you were walking back to the Fawcett campus, holding your palm face down, you got a call. It was Jay. For a second, you felt stricken by guilt, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. You answered the call. 
“Open the door,” Jay said, exasperated. “Seriously, I’m starting to feel stupid standing out here.”
“I’m not in my room.”
“Are you avoiding me?”
“No,” you said. “I had to talk to someone about a project.”
“You can do that literally any other time,” Jay said. He lowered his voice; from the background chatter, you could tell that people were walking in the hallway. “I need you right now. I had the shittiest day and Isa wants me to watch some braindead movie with her.” 
“Just have sex with Isa,” you said, your voice equally as quiet. 
Jay shifted. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Then she’ll think I’m serious.”
“So why won’t you break up with her?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Jay said. 
“Right,” you replied dryly. “I could never hope to understand the complexities of your mind.”
“First of all, that wasn’t as cutting as you thought it was. Second of all, I think that was the longest sentence I’ve heard you say. So touching. Like seeing a dog learn how to use its legs again after a car accident. I could cry.”
“Then cry.”
“Just shut up and get over here,” Jay said. “I hate being in Fawcett too long.” 
You stopped, halting near a warehouse. Belatedly, you realized that it was the same building where you had seen Jay for the first time. The wall was plain, but for some reason you had expected to see a garish, red bloodstain. 
“Hello? You still there?”
“Jay?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry,” you said. 
“Yeah, you’re a goody-two-shoes who thinks she’ll go to heaven if she gets good grades, it’s fine.”
“Not that. I’m sorry I said that yesterday. You know…” 
“Don’t worry about it,” he said gruffly. “You know me. The tiniest thing annoys me. Didn’t think about it after you said it.”
“Sorry anyways.”
Jay fell silent as well. Just as you had assumed that he had forgotten to hang up, he said, “Yeah, well. Me too. Now come here and show me how sorry you are.”
You smiled, just slightly. “Be there in 5.”
“Make it three.” 
“Not possible.”
“Well, come as soon as you can, then.” He hung up on you, and you walked just the slightest bit faster. Just enough that you could convince yourself that you hadn’t. 
Just before you got to your room, you wrote Nina’s username into your notes app. Then you licked your hand, smearing the letters until they were an incomprehensible blur.
After he fucked you, Jay sprawled onto your bed, as if attempting to take up as much room as possible. You were lying on top of his arm on his right side, too lazy to even get the quilt to cover yourself up. 
“God,” he breathed out. “I almost forgot about how shit today was.”
You stared up at the popcorn ceiling. “What happened?”
Jay scoffed. “You don’t give a shit.”
“You’re right, I don’t.”
Neither of you spoke for a full minute.
“Just…it’s Jake,” Jay said finally. “Can I get a smoke?”
You reached over to your cigarette package, realizing that you only had two left. You handed one to him and took one for yourself. “Need to get more.”
“Remind me to get some,” Jay said, gesturing for the lighter. He lit yours, then his, then handed the lighter back to you. “It’s Jake. He’s doing his ‘wahh, wahh, everyone wants me to be the nice one’ routine. Saying that the pressure of having boyish good looks, good grades, and being rich is just too much for him.”
You reached below your bed to get your makeshift ashtray. “He seems normal to me.”
“Yeah, because if he knows if you saw him for the spineless dick he was, you wouldn’t want to fuck him anymore,” Jay said. 
“I don’t want to fuck him.”
“What? You don’t want Jakey in you?” Jay asked with a snicker.
You laughed quietly. “Not when you’ve already had him.”
“Fuck off,” Jay said, lightly pushing you. ”Even if Jake were the only hole left in the world, I’d never touch him.”
“A very convincing vindication of your heterosexuality.”
Rolling his eyes, Jay took a long drag. “I just don’t know. Everyone worships Jake, anyways. Even if people think he’s a dick, he’s still not as bad as the rest of us.”
“So what, do you wish people liked you?”
“No, God no,” Jay said. “I just wish I didn’t have to see Jake have a meltdown every month because he hates that everyone loves him. Or that he loves that everyone loves him, I can’t keep up with his shit.”
You blew smoke out of your mouth, closing your eyes. “This doesn’t seem like enough to constitute being a shitty day.”
“Oh, trust me,” Jay said. “It is. Heeseung shuts everything down to take care of Jake. Got a lecture from Heeseung…and then my parents called, nagging and shit…I have to go redo my statistics test…and then Isa wants to watch White Girls or Mean Chicks, something like that…and my dog wasn’t there when I needed her.”
“You have a dog?”
Jay smirked at you. “I do. She’s quiet, isn’t very well-trained yet, but I’m working on it. She’s very good at coming when I call for her, though.”
You turned away from him and took an annoyed little drag. “I’m not a dog.”
“What was that? All I heard was ‘woof woof woof’,” Jay said, reaching out and turning your head towards his. 
“Jay, y-,”
“Bark, bark, bark.”
“Jay.”
“Grrr.” 
“Shut up.” 
Pulling his cigarette out of his mouth, Jay blew smoke into your face gently. “Make me shut up.”
You had a feeling you knew where this was going. You reached over, placed your cigarette on the nightstand, and lowered your lips onto his. 
Jay broke the kiss, the tip of his nose still rubbing against yours. “Good doggy,” Jay whispered before leaning in to kiss you again.
– 
On Saturday, you had already steeled your nerves and decided to head into Stoker early in the morning. Jay had offhandedly mentioned that he hated getting out of bed before noon, and you could only pray that Jake wasn’t around. 
As you walked to Stoker, bundled in your coat, you noticed that something was different. A niggling feeling in the back of your neck. Trudging along the path, you heard a voice telling you slow down. You turned and saw a girl you had never once seen before, with bouncy brown curls. A group of people, presumably her friends, lingered a few meters away.
“Hey,” she said, voice bright and chirpy, “that skirt is so cute, oh my god. Where did you get it?”
You’d gone through this song and dance before. When you were younger, sometimes people would ask you where you had bought your shabby clothes, knowing fully well that you were too poor to buy them at full price. “Thrifted,” you said brusquely. 
“That is so cool,” she said. “Thrifting is so much fun. I can never find anything good, though.”
What were you supposed to say? “Oh.”
“Where do you go thrifting?”
“My hometown,” you said. 
“Yeah, I wouldn’t go thrifting here, either,” she said. “Nothing good.”
You said that already, you thought. Instead, you said, “I guess.” 
“I’ve always loved your style,” she continued. “Whenever I see you, I’m like, oh, that is so grungecore.” 
“Thanks, but I have to meet someone,” you said, jerking your thumb at Stoker. 
“Oh, of course. Have a good one,” she said before waving and walking back towards her friends. What an earnest attempt at bullying. 
You walked into Stoker, wiping your shoes off on the plush welcome mat. To the right was the restaurant and dining area, so you glanced over. You could see Riki standing in line, checking his phone. 
You: Look at the doors. 
Riki lifted his head, saw you, and grinned. He waved you over, so you entered the dining area. The few people who were eating looked at you as you walked in, and you forced yourself to look straight at Riki. 
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“Sunoo,” you said. “Is he awake?”
Riki nodded. “Sunoo always gets up early.”
“How come you’re up?”
“I’m going to go to the gym early,” he explained. “My girlfriend wants to watch that new horror movie.”
“The one with the ghosts that can possess you if you’re the same zodiac sign as them?”
Riki grinned. “Fuck yeah.”
“Lily, Isa, and I are seeing that tonight,” you said. Isa had very neatly arranged it in the new group chat she had created. It was the first group chat you had ever been in, and even though you barely spoke while the pair planned the outing, it still felt nice to be included. 
Riki had been checking on his order, but his eyes widened in surprise. “What showing?”
“8:30 pm.”
He visibly relaxed, putting a hand over his heart. “Good. We’re going at 6.” You didn’t say that you had vetoed a potential 6 pm showing because that was when Jay would knock on your door. 
“No spoilers,” you said.
“Swear on my heart,” Riki said. 
“Good.” You stuffed your hands into your coat pocket. “By the way, I got bullied today.”
“Jay again?”
“No, some girl. She asked me where I got my skirt,” you explained. 
Riki stared at you, dumbfounded. “So she liked your skirt.”
“No,” you said. “Haven’t you ever had someone ask where you got your clothes, but it was meant in a…demeaning way?”
“No, generally guys will just say, ‘Your shirt is ugly and you get no hoes’,” Riki said, shaking his head. “Girls complicate things too much. She probably really did just like your skirt. It’s nice.”
You looked down. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “I like your fashion sense.” 
“Thanks,” you said. “I’ll see you around, okay? You enjoy your…”
“Breakfast burrito,” Riki said. “I’m going to tear this shit up, hit the gym, pass out, beg Sunoo for an edible so I can watch that movie zooted, pass out again…”
“Good plan.” 
“The best,” Riki said. “See you later.”
You knocked on Sunoo’s door falteringly. You had never actually seen the guy, but the descriptions of him you had been given thus far were scary. You wondered if he were as tall as Riki, or imposing and muscular? 
The door opened, and a gentle face with plush cheeks and soft lips peered at you. Sunoo was wearing a baby-blue baseball tee with black accents. “Oh, hi.”
“Hi,” you said, caught off-guard. You introduced yourself. 
“Nice to meet you,” Sunoo said, sticking his hand out. You shook it, bewildered by his smile. “I’m Sunoo. Riki’s been talking about you.”
“Has he?”
“Mhm! He says he’s happy to have a friend his own age.”
“Well,” you said. “He’s a nice friend to have.” 
Sunoo beamed at you. “How sweet! Did you need something?”
“I was wondering if you had, uh…drugs?” You cursed yourself for sounding so amateurish.
If you had seemed inexperienced, Sunoo didn’t seem to mind. “I do,” he said. “What did you have in mind?”
“Uh, do you sell, uh, opioids?” 
Sunoo’s face fell. “No,” he said gravely. “I don’t. I haven’t carried opioids for a long time. No, only fun stuff here.”
“Fun stuff?”
“Yes,” Sunoo said with a giggle. “You want to try a little speed?”
“No…no Xanax?”
Sunoo shook his head. “Nope. No opioids and no benzodiazepines. I could give you a little K.”
Your head was starting to hurt. “What?”
“You know, put you in a K-hole. Experience ego death. It could be very enlightening,” Sunoo said earnestly. “Want some?”
“I’ll pass,” you said weakly. 
“You don’t have to be afraid,” Sunoo said. “You shouldn’t be afraid of ascension.”
Your parka was starting to feel too hot and Sunoo was starting to creep you out. “Sorry,” you said. “Not today. Have a nice day.”
As you walked away, you heard him call, “Don’t be afraid…”
You shivered as you re-entered the Stoker dining hall. You spotted Riki sitting down alone and headed towards him, sitting on the long bench in front of him. “How was it?” he asked through a muffled bite of breakfast burrito.
“He’s scary,” you said. 
Riki laughed, choking on his burrito. He covered his mouth as he caught his breath. “Yeah, that’s Sunoo for you. Did you get anything?”
You shook your head. “No. Got too spooked. I’m straight edge now.”
“Good,” Riki said. “It’s nothing to play around with.” 
You gestured for him to bring his burrito towards you, remembering the playful way he had taken a bite of your samosa last week. He reminded you of Lily, vaguely. You felt like you could try out being human around him. It was nice that he didn’t have any strong feelings for you. Riki held his food towards you and you took a bite. 
You swallowed. “I’ll be safe,” you said. 
“You better,” Riki said. “Listen, I know we’ve been friends for like, five minutes, but, well, you know... So I just wanted to let you know that if you, you know…ever need someone to… ah, this is so corny.”
“It is corny.” 
“Shut up,” Riki mumbled. 
“The same to you,” you said, a bit awkwardly. “If you ever, uh…”
“Thanks.” 
“Whatever.”
Riki held up his breakfast burrito; a lone bean toppled to the table. “Want another bite?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
There was a bus stop a few blocks away from the school. Isa, Lily, and you  all lived on-campus, and all of them were from out of town, so you took the bus to the movie theatre. Sitting on the cramped bench, squeezed in-between Lily and Isa, was enough to make your palms sweat. 
You had never had friends, save for ones in middle school who would guise their ridicule as teasing. They’d tell you that you had thin skin, that they teased you because it was so easy to get a reaction out of you. So you stopped giving them a reaction. Now, inexplicably, you waited for the shoe to drop.
Isa was dressed in an oversized sweater with tweed pants, her padded coat tossed over top. It was much more like the outfits you were used to seeing her wearing. Lily wore a baggy hoodie with a long skirt, an outfit similar to yours. Isa touched up her lip gloss while she waited for the bus to arrive. 
“This movie is going to be so ass,” she said, puckering her lips. “Can’t wait.”
“It has like a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes,” Lily replied. 
“That’s not too bad,” Isa said. “That’s like a ‘so bad it’s good’ rating.”
“I just hope it’s entertaining at least,” Lily said with a sigh. “If it won’t scare me, I want to at least laugh.”
“If it’s not funny, I’ll find the director myself,” you said dryly.
Lily laughed. “What would you do?”
“Can’t say,” you said. Isa snorted and nudged you with her elbow.
“Little vigilante,” Isa said. 
The bus arrived, you shakily dropped a few coins into the machine, and you were on. Then there was the matter of sitting. The scratchy, navy blue bus seats were arranged by twos. So Lily and Isa would sit together, and you would sit in the back. Or should you sit in the front while they sat in the back together? 
Isa sat down first, patting the seat next to her. “Come sit,” she said, beckoning you. You sat down beside her, folding your hands in your lap. So it was that easy. You caught a whiff of her perfume. 
“You smell good,” you said quietly. Was that creepy?
“Oh, thank you,” Isa said. “This is actually a sample I got from Marc Jacobs, Daisy Fresh.”
“Let me smell,” Lily said. Isa held her wrist behind her and Lily took a dramatic inhale. “That is really good. I wonder if I could put daisies in the smoothies…”
Isa wrinkled her nose. “Are daisies edible?”
“Chamomile is edible,” you said, “and those are daisies.”
“They are?”
“Not all daisies are chamomiles, but all chamomiles are daisies.”
Lily snapped her fingers. “Perfect. Chamomile smoothie next.”
“It could be like a sleepytime smoothie,” Isa suggested. “Lily’s Night Night Potion.”
“I like that,” Lily said approvingly. “I think chamomile is also a galactagogue.” 
“A what?”
“Increases milk flow,” Lily said.
Isa turned and gave you a little conspiratorial look. She swirled her finger around her head as if to say, “She’s crazy.” It made you feel special, the same way you did when Jake treated you like a friend. Like you were normal.
It dawned on you then, as you rode the bus with two people you could consider your friends, that this could all end. If Lily found out that the Mina thing had actually happened, she would be disgusted by Jake, Sunghoon, and your association with them. You could hardly imagine what Isa would do if she found out that Jay had been breaking your back every single day for a week. It was so fragile. The basis of your friendship with them was contingent on secrets.
You started to wonder if it was worth it to figure out the full truth about what happened to Mina. You were starting to wonder why you cared. 
As you watched the unsurprisingly mediocre film, sharing a full tub of popcorn between Lily and Isa, the phone containing Nina’s Instagram name burnt in your back pocket. Just a little longer. You would wait just a little longer to keep digging. 
On Sunday, as you sat on your bed getting some studying in, you heard knocking at your door. It was a bit later, around eight. Jay hadn’t come by that evening, so you figured that he wasn’t interested. A part of you felt sad, but a part of you wished that he would come by.
To both your glee and chagrin, it was Jay. You sat down on your bed in anticipation for whatever was to come. Jay locked the door behind himself and grinned at you. “How was the movie?”
“Bad.”
“Isa said it was really shit.” 
“She wasn’t lying.”
“Do you ever feel weird, working with her and talking to her while I’m…” Jay made an OK-sign and violently shoved his finger into it. 
Every day. “No, do you?”
“No. Anyways, Sunoo was talking and mentioned that you wanted to try getting high,” he said, sitting on your bed. He pulled a dime bag decorated with Hello Kitty stickers out of his pocket and dangled it in front of your face. “But you got scared. So I brought you a little gift.” He threw one leg over yours and rested against the headboard.
You looked at the baggie warily. “Is that…”
Jay smiled at you. “It is.”
“Isn’t cocaine…not a, uh, beginner drug? Isn’t it normally weed?”
Jay opened the bag and touched his pinky to the powder. He tasted it and nodded. “Please. You’ll be fine. I mean, middle schoolers do coke.”
“Do they?”
“Sure they do. C’mere.”
Reluctantly, you scooted closer to Jay, who promptly wrapped one arm around you. He held your chin with one hand, his arm hooked around your neck. 
“Now open wide,” he said. “I’ll rub it on your gums, the way you see in movies. You ever watch Scarface?”
“No?”
“Seriously? Well, it’ll be like that.”
You opened your mouth, just enough to accommodate a finger. He gently inserted his other pinky into your mouth and rubbed the cocaine directly onto your gums. You thought it would taste like talcum powder, but instead it was more like crushed up multivitamins. The taste was almost enough to make you gag. You were expecting to feel heart palpitations, nausea, and maybe a sneak peek at death at any second. You had bought some weed back in high school, dabbled with Xanax at your lowest, but nothing that felt this dangerous.
“You’ll be fine,” Jay said, as though he could read your mind. He continued rubbing the bitter powder over your gums. “It’ll feel really good. Promise.” 
Your lips grew cold and numb, and you clamped your mouth around Jay’s finger to test if you could feel something. No dice. Jay smiled and pulled his pinky away, sucking the tip of it. “Feels numb?”
You nodded and Jay laughed. “You can talk,” he said in an almost gentle tone. 
“It’s numb,” you said, pressing your fingers to your lips. “My gums are numb too.”
“Is it freaky?”
“A little,” you admitted. “Don’t like it.”
“You will,” Jay said. “Trust me. You sit tight over there, I’m gonna get myself started.” You watched as Jay used one of your textbook and a razor to cut neat little lines of cocaine. You wondered if the razor marks would be embedded into the hardcover. 
He snorted the lines, holding the bridge of his nose once he was done. “Fuck,” he said. “Always hurts...” Jay sat next to you again, wrapped his arm around you, and held you closely. His other hand rubbed your thigh in a languid motion. 
“I fucked a girl on ecstasy once,” Jay said, brushing his fingers against you gently. “We fucked for like three hours, and she loved every second.”
“Was it that good?” you asked. Normally, you figured you would feel that strange burning sensation in your chest at the mention of another woman, but it was absent this time. You tried to scoot the slightest bit closer to him without drawing his attention.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Rolling sex is different from coke sex. Rolling sex is like…I hate to sound pretentious or corny, but it really does feel spiritual sometimes. You feel so connected to the other person, like there’s something deeper at work. To me, sex on coke is more…raw.” As he said that last word, his hand slipped under your skirt. 
“It sounds fun,” you said. “Sex on ecstasy.” His subtle touch felt wonderful. It made you want to be bold again, so you ran your fingers along his jaw. It was so sharp, so perfectly sculpted. 
Jay laughed. “What, you wanna try it?” His hand was now caressing your bare upper thigh with long, slow strokes, his thumb just barely teasing the edge of your panties.
“We’d have to see if I like this first,” you whispered, dragging your index finger along his Adam’s apple. You felt the way it bobbed when he swallowed, the stiffness of the cartilage of his trachea. 
“Like what? Fucking me on coke?” Jay looked into your eyes and smiled in a lackadaisical manner you weren’t used to. 
“Yeah,” you said. You placed your thumb and middle finger against the sides of his throat, lightly pressing down. Its rigidity juxtaposed with its fragility fascinated you. It felt like you held his life in your hands. 
“Squeeze a little harder,” Jay said, heaviness sinking into his voice. 
You gripped his throat a little harder, and he let out a labored breath. “Fuck,” he whispered. “More.” 
You shifted yourself that you were straddling his lap. Your skirt had ridden up, bunched around your waist. Just the slight brush of his crotch against your clothed pussy was enough to make you gasp. both of your hands encircled his neck and you squeezed again. Jay let out a surprisingly loud moan, shivering underneath you. Normally, he muffled any sounds he made or merely gritted his teeth together.
“More,” Jay said, closing his eyes. “Harder, harder, harder.” 
Additional pressure on his neck made Jay cry out again. He rutted his crotch against yours, sending waves of pleasure throughout your body. “More,” he said, sweat starting to form beads on his forehead. His lips were parted. “Harder.” 
You were starting to actually strangle him, but you didn’t care. Another squeeze and Jay groaned, involuntarily canting his hips into you again. “Fuck, fuck, stop.” He grabbed your hands and pulled them off of his neck. His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was heavy. “Almost came…I almost came. Shit.” 
You remained straddling his lap, your mind hazed over by lust. You pulled your sweater off, tossing it to the side. Jay shook his head and laughed as he threw his shirt off. “God, we should fuck on E after all,” he said. “Get off real quick?”
You pulled yourself off of his body, struggling to take your dress off. Once you had disrobed, your underwear included, you turned back to Jay. He was undressed as well, tugging his Calvin Klein boxers down; his cock sprang free, reddened and hard, the tip already wet with precum.
“I can’t do foreplay today,” Jay said, his voice strained. “Need to fuck you now. You wet enough?” 
“Find out,” you said, as eager as him. 
Jay laughed breathlessly, holding his arms out. You crawled back onto his lap, sitting on his thigh, and his hands settled on your hips. “I can feel it,” he whispered. “You’re dripping all over me. Can’t wait to get inside you, shit. You ever ride dick?”
You squinted at him.
“Stupid question,” Jay said. “Okay, I’ll teach you how to ride dick.” He lifted you up, giving you just enough support. “Put your hands on my shoulders. Knees on either side of me.” He wriggled backwards so that he was leaning against the headboard again, and you followed his instructions.
“Good,” he said. “Now, you just…lower yourself down on it.” You bit your lip, marveling at the lack of sensation, and lifted your hips up with Jay’s help. Sinking down on his cock made you moan, deeper than you had ever done before. Jay hissed, your name slipping from his lips. You felt your walls expanding to envelop Jay’s cock, and you felt like screaming already.
Jay guided your hips up slowly before bringing you down on his length again. “That’s all,” he said. “Up and down.” With his hands loosely holding your hips, you tried it yourself, lowering yourself on his cock again. He let out a pornographic groan which only spurred you on. Once again, you took his dick. It felt like it was filling you, all the way to your guts. 
You developed a rhythm, working his cock the best you could. “That’s it,” Jay grunted, his nails digging into your flesh as he gripped your hips tighter. “Bounce on it, bounce on this dick. Like you’re my… little pornstar.” Normally, when Jay fucked you, you let him do whatever he want. It felt fine no matter what. But you liked this, being adventurous, like you were taking the lead. Testing a move you had seen in a porno a while ago, you tentatively swirled your pussy around his cock. Jay groaned and ground you down onto his lap, his balls slapping your ass. “Do that again,” he said. When you raised yourself up again, you performed the same motion. “Jesus.”
After a while, your thighs started to burn. “Hurts,” you said, slowing down. You felt disappointed that you couldn’t keep going, but apparently coke didn’t give you superpowers. 
With a speed you didn’t know he possessed, Jay pulled out of you and pushed you down onto the sheets. Rolling you over onto your stomach, he lifted your hips up. His hand cracked against your ass, and you yelped. “Gonna fuck you into the mattress,” he hissed. 
This wasn’t the first time he had taken you from behind, nor was it the first time he had been rough, but it still felt amazing. He pushed your head down, his hand lightly settling on your throat. With your face planted firmly inside your sheets, you rocked back onto his cock, trying to match his pace. Another hard slap landed on your ass. “Good bitch,” Jay said. 
As he slid his dick in and out of you, the wetness making obscene noises, Jay nibbled and sucked harshly on a small spot on your shoulder. He loved marking you, even though you never wore anything that would reveal the traces he left behind.
Jay pounded into you from behind, his hands crawling to your tummy. He moaned erratically, and when you looked behind you, you saw that his eyes were screwed shut. You collected the arousal dripping from your pussy and played with your clit. “Gonna cum,” Jay said, panting. “Cum for me.” 
You felt your orgasm building, hot and palpitating, and you moaned his name. You’d never done it before, and it made you feel self-conscious. Until Jay chanted your own name like a mantra, intermingled with loud curses. Just as your orgasm ripped through you, leaving you screaming and shaking, you felt Jay pull out of you. A cool substance splattered over your back, probably his cum. Exhausted, you dropped your hips onto the bed and groaned. Your pussy contracted while you tried to ride out your orgasm, your fingers still gently making circles on your tired clit before you felt calm enough to stop.
As you laid there, you realized that you hadn’t thought about Isa once. Normally, even when he was inside you, you wondered if he had done this with Isa, and if so, how many times, and who had made him cum more, and on and on. But you hadn’t compared yourself with her once. You had just enjoyed yourself. But now the reality crept on you, that you were fucking someone else’s man. You were a homewrecker, a cheater. If the old you could see you now, she would hate you.
Jay slapped your ass again, snapping you out of your reverie. “You good?”
Lifting your head up, you turned to face Jay. Sweat dripped down his face, and his torso was trembling. You nodded, but your face must have been unconvincing. 
“It’s the comedown,” Jay said. “It’s brutal the first time. You feel like shit now, right?”
“Sure, yeah,” you said shakily. “I do.”
“It’ll pass,” he said. “Come on, sit up.”
You crawled over to your headboard, feeling cold all of a sudden. Cold and empty. You thought Jay would put his arm around you, but all he did was rummage through your nightstand’s drawer for your smokes and lighter. He lit two and put one in between your lips. “It’ll help,” he murmured.
You took a long drag, shakily exhaling the smoke. 
“You should take a shower after this,” Jay said. “It’ll help you clear your head.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not nearly so bad,” Jay said. Then he chuckled. “I hope you enjoyed that. That’s the best high you’ll get.” His eyes were reflective, and he took a short, angry drag. 
“After this?”
“The old cliche. Now you’ll just try to chase this feeling,” he said. Clearing his throat, Jay reached for his boxers. “I gotta go. Gotta meet Sunghoon. You’ll be fine.” 
You blearily watched him get dressed. He hadn’t kissed you once. 
He left. You took a shower. 
It didn’t help. 
When you opened the door to your room, the scent of sex was so heady that you took a step back. Every time he fucked you, you felt full, until you felt hopelessly empty. Tears welled in your eyes, and you wiped them away angrily. It had been so long since you had cried properly. Now, you felt like a broken piece of china, nothing but sharp, jagged edges. 
You didn’t want to be alone right now, so you picked up your cell phone. Riki had said that you were friends, and friends helped each other, right?
“Riki?” you said, your throat hoarse. 
“Yeah?” he asked. “You good?”
“No,” you said quietly. “My, uh, my dog died.”
Riki fell silent. “Really?” 
“Yeah.”
“Shit,” he said, his voice growing somber. “I’m sorry.”
“He was my best friend,” you said. “I’m just…sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you, but…” 
“No, no, no,” Riki said. “No, Jesus, your dog died. It’s fine. You wanna meet up?” 
“Yes,” you said, almost too eagerly. “Sure.”
“Your room?”
“No, no…”
“Mine?” And potentially run into Jay? You’d pass. Just as you were about to decline, Riki said, “Jay’s out with Sunghoon right now, and Jake is studying, so you won’t run into them.”
Huh. So he wasn’t lying. “Sure, yeah. I’ll come over.”
“You sure you don’t want me to come to yours? You sound really messed up.”
“I’m positive,” you said, trying to sound neutral. You knew you were failing. 
Riki’s room was different than Jay’s in a good way. Movie posters lined his walls, and he had stuck random fast-food receipts to the walls. Clothes were thrown around haphazardly, even tossed onto his lamp. Riki was lying in bed, watching something on his laptop, but when he saw you he closed the screen and walked towards you. Without waiting for a word, he enveloped you in a hug.
It felt so good to touch someone who wasn’t involved in the stupid Jay-Isa-Jake conundrum. When you felt his arms wrap around you, you broke down into tears. It was embarrassing, falling apart in the embrace of someone you had effectively known for a few weeks. Still, Riki rubbed your back.
“I know how it is,” Riki murmured, patting your head. “If I lost bisco, I’d lose my mind. You guys were close?”
“Yeah,” you lied, allowing yourself to hug Riki back. “He was my only friend when I was younger.”
“Sorry,” he whispered. “You really must have loved him.” 
“Yeah,” you said. You squeezed your eyes shut and let out a shuddering sob. “I think I did. And I feel stupid for it.”
Riki pulled away slightly, just so he could look at your face. “Why?”
“He’s…” you swallowed. “He was just a dog. I know that they have shorter lifespans than humans, and-and I knew that…it wouldn’t last. So why am I so upset?”
Riki pressed your head into his shoulder. “Because you’re human,” he said with a soft, not unkind, laugh. “You’re a human. It’s normal to love dogs, even if they have short lifespans. You can’t choose how you react to situations. It’d be great if you could, but you can’t.”
“I wish I could,” you said helplessly. “I wish I didn’t feel a thing.”
“Don’t say that,” Riki said. “You don’t mean that. You felt good when you were with your dog, right?”
“Yeah,” you said, tears still spilling onto Riki’s sweater. “Yeah, I did.”
“You wouldn’t get to feel that if you had no feelings. You can’t experience the highs without the lows and all that.”
You laughed despite yourself. “So wise.”
“I’m a fount of knowledge,” Riki said, patting your head again. “I keep telling you.”
You sniffled and a realization overtook you. You pulled away from Riki and he stepped back, surprised. “What is it?”
“You’re dating someone,” you said quietly. “Sorry, I forgot. I forgot you were…sorry.”
Riki grabbed your wrist, preventing you from leaving. “Hey. My girlfriend doesn’t own me, first of all. If anyone I date gets mad because I’m comforting a friend with a dead dog, then I wouldn’t date them. That’s fucked. Second of all…” Riki hesitated, pressing his thumb against your veins. “I think we’re done soon, anyways.”
“Really?”
Riki nodded, letting go of you. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I’m not….the best person, you know. So it’s sort of inevitable.”
“You don’t seem so bad to me,” you protested. “You aren’t as bad as Jay.”
Riki covered his mouth as he snickered. “If you have to use Jay as a benchmark…”
“Fair enough.”
Riki shrugged, kicking a stray sock around on his floor. 
“Well, you’re nice to me,” you said. 
That made Riki scoff. “Quit it. You sound like an orphan again. It’s not that hard to be nice to you, you know. I’m not a good person just because I don’t treat you like shit.”
You bit your lip, feeling admonished. Riki looked up at you and winced. “Look at me, being a dick to a girl with a dead dog. I told you I’m not nice.”
It was your turn to scoff, lightly hitting his arm. “Shut up.”
Riki chuckled. “What was his name?”
“Whose?”
“Your dog’s, dummy.”
Shit. Shit, shit, what was a name? “Mr. Wigglesworth,” you offered.
“Mr.? Did he have a first name?”
“Mr. was his first name.”
“That’s a really stupid name for a dog.”
“Well,” you said flatly. “He’s dead, so at least he doesn’t have it anymore.”
“All right, Wednesday, I was just joking.”
“So was I.”
With a shake of his head, Riki flopped back onto his bed. “You’re so difficult,” he said with a smile. “And very annoying.”
“You’re rubbing off on me,” you retorted. 
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s my birthday month. Be nice to me. Oh, shit, I didn’t invite you to the party yet.”
“Party?”
“Sunghoon’s birthday is on the 8th, and mine is on the 9th, so we’re going to have a joint party. It’ll start at 11 on the 8th and end…whenever it ends. It’ll be really fun. You should come. Well, no, you have to come. It’s an order from the birthday boy.”
You didn’t relish the thought of another party, but how could you refuse Riki after he had been so kind to you? “Yeah, of course. Where is it?”
“Heh. I won’t tell you. You’ll have to drive there with me,” Riki said.
“Oh. So I won’t need a password?”
“Nah,” Riki said. “If you want it, it’s ‘foreshadow’.”
“How cryptic,” you said. 
Riki smiled. “I try. Anyways, you want to watch Jujutsu Kaisen with me?”
“Never seen it.”
“Oh, you’re missing out,” he said, turning his tablet back on. 
“I bet.”
Jake texted you on Sunday night, asking you to meet up at Stoker’s cafeteria. You were starting to spend far too much time there for your liking. As you diligently walked over there, you felt the same feeling, like something was off. The clusters of people still dotting the fields glanced at you - that was it. People were looking at you. They never used to pay attention to you before, but now their eyes burnt holes into you. You were starting to become associated with the Karma Club, and you realized that that association would make joining the group chat even more difficult. You’d have to use a burner account, if you did join it. If.
Jake was sitting on one of the oak benches, two bagels in his hands. His black eye had faded into a yellow-green smear, and his lip had scarred over. “Hey,” he said, smiling at you. “I hope you like bagels.”
You took one of the bagels and sat down across from him. “Bagels at night?”
Jake shrugged. “Why not?”
“Why not, indeed?” You took a bite of it and wiped the crumbs from your lips. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” he said slowly. “It’s just that I’m going away for my birthday. I’ll be gone for two weeks.”
“Two weeks for your birthday?”
“My parents are extra,” Jake said, tearing off a chunk of his bagel. “I’ll be back in time for Sunghoon and Riki’s birthday party, though. You going?”
“Riki forced my hand,” you said.
Jake grinned. “Attaboy. So, you know, if Jay does anything, just let me know. I hate that I’m leaving you alone with him for two weeks.”
“He hasn’t done anything to me in a while,” you said, your eyes drifting away from Jake’s face. 
“That’s good,” Jake said. “It’s just…you can never know with him. He’s so unpredictable. We had an argument a few days ago…” Jake popped another bite of bagel into his mouth.
“Argument?”
“I haven’t been doing very well,” Jake said quietly. Now it was his turn to avert his gaze; he picked at a thread on his large grey hoodie. “I’ve been doing shit recently. Nothing to do with you, just life. I, you know, I’ve always had problems, and sometimes I can deal with them. Control them, be the person my friends want me to be. But sometimes they get the best of me.”
“What do your friends want you to be?”
“Nice guy Jake.” Jake’s voice was bitter. “Everyone wants me to be that way. Can’t make a mistake. Can’t slip up. When someone else fucks up, it’s fine. It’s normal. But when I fuck up, it’s the end of the world. I’m the worst person alive.”
You nodded slowly, comparing his words with what Jay had told you. “I don’t think you’re the worst person alive.”
Jake chuckled, examining his bagel. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“You’ve been nice to me,” you continued. “So thank you. I know it must be weird…”
“It’s not weird at all,” Jake said. “It’s not weird for me, I swear. I fell for you really fast, I know. I don’t expect anything and I still don’t.” 
You didn’t know what else to say, and Jake fell silent too. “I love the Karma Club,” he said after a while, “but sometimes I feel like I’m losing myself, hanging around them all the time, always doing risky shit.”
“Maybe this will be good for you,” you said. “Your vacation, I mean.”
“Vacation,” Jake said vaguely. “Maybe it will. Thanks for letting me talk, Wednesday.”
“No problem,” you said. “Thanks for the bagel.”
“No problem.”
You smiled at Jake, and Jake smiled at you, and for a moment you wished that you could just like Jake. You could have a million nights like this, eating bagels together, talking, baring your souls. If you thought about it, it nearly sounded appealing.
“Happy early birthday,” you said after a while. 
“Thank you,” Jake said. 
The two of you ate your bagels in silence.
You spent the next three weeks as usual. This time, after your library shift, you, Isa, Sunghoon, and Riki would go to the smoothie shop. When Lily wasn’t working there, she would go as well, sitting next to Sunghoon and discussing different flavour pairings. You, Isa, and Riki would sit at a table, sipping your smoothie and talking. Isa treated Riki like a little brother, and it was fun to see them argue about nothing in particular. 
Jay still came into your room every evening. At some point, you could tell that he had started to derive some sort of pleasure in ignoring you at the library only to be intimate with you in private. When Isa wasn’t looking, he would give you a quick once-over, mouth obscenities at you, or even wink at you. 
He was staying for longer, now. Jay would laze in your room for an entire hour afterwards. You wondered where he told his friends he was going every evening, if he told them anything at all. You didn’t want to ask, though. The “relationship” between the two of you seemed so tenuous, so fragile, that if you pulled at any of the threads it could unravel. The emptiness after he left was becoming worse, too. What was once an indefinite, hazy feeling turned into a wound that began to fester. You constantly had to gauge how much you could reveal, holding back on kissing him passionately lest Jay find out that you didn’t hate him. That you were starting to want more. 
It was a Tuesday. Sunghoon’s birthday fell on Wednesday, and Riki’s fell on Thursday, so everyone who was going to the party was planning on skipping school. You had never skipped a day of college before, so you felt a delicious little thrill at the thought of it. Jay was lying in your bed, his hand on your stomach, lightly squeezing it. His hair was stuck to his forehead, and he was only now starting to catch his breath. He had gotten a new gash on his arm, probably from a stupid fight. He would always summarize those skirmishes as, “dumbass bullshit.” You never pried too deeply into what he did when he was being a Karma Club member. “I was thinking,” he said, “you know that motel, Colborne Motel?”
“No.”
“The one where that guy killed that hooker?”
“Never heard of it.”
“Huh. Well, a guy killed a hooker in one of those rooms, Room 115 or 116 or something.”
“Where are you going with this?”
Jay smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the darkening light filtering in from outside. “I think we should go there, drop E, and fuck.”
You squinted. “You want to hook up where someone got murdered?”
“I thought that that would appeal to you,” Jay said, continuing to squeeze and stroke your stomach. “Given your…personality.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” You flicked his forehead, something you had seen Isa do to Riki.
Jay lightly flicked you back with his free hand. “You know exactly what that’s supposed to mean.” 
You reached out to flick him again, but Jay grabbed your wrist and rolled on top of you, pinning you to the bed. “Say it anyways.”
“Well, you certainly don’t seem scared of death,” he said, “and your Emily the Strange vibe doesn’t help.”
“You know who Emily the Strange is?”
“She was my first crush,” Jay said.
“Explains a lot about your psyche,” you deadpanned. “It’s very Freudian, your first love-object.”
“Oh, don’t start talking pseudoscience,” Jay said, pulling both of your wrists over your head. “It makes me want to do nasty things to you.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah, but you’re lucky I’m too tired.” Jay leaned down and kissed you, holding your wrists in one hand. The other slipped to your cheek. When he pulled away, he gave you an odd look. “Have you bought anything for Riki’s birthday?”
“No,” you said. “I don’t really know what to get him.”
Jay let go of your wrists and fell down beside you once more. “Neither do I,” Jay said. “That kid already has everything. Sunghoon was easy to shop for.”
“What’d you get him?”
“A novelty toaster oven.”
“Where’s the novelty?”
“It can toast a picture of a penguin on the bread,” Jay said. “It’s pretty cool.”
“I see.”
Jay sighed, running his fingers through his damp hair. “What do I get that kid?”
“Maybe I’ll get him a cologne,” you said thoughtfully. “He doesn’t seem like he has a lot. I guess I can take the bus to the mall”
“I’ll just drive you,” Jay said. You stared at him, befuddled. “What? It makes sense. I can find something for Riki, you can get him something so he knows that you’re not a shit friend who didn’t buy him a birthday gift, you give me head in a change room…”
“Jay.”
“The perfect plan,” he continued. “Go shower. Meet me on the corner of Decelis Street and blossom avenue.” Jay rolled out of your bed and started to put his clothes back on.
You could hardly move, but you got up anyway and started going through your closet for something to wear. You laid your clothes out on your bed.
“See you in 20,” Jay said once he was fully dressed. When he left, you shoved the wad of bills he had given you last month into your purse. Thanks to Jay, you could afford to buy Riki something nice.
Jay pulled up in his all-black Mazda. It didn’t have a single scuff, or any visible use of wear, which surprised you. You had figured that he would be a risky driver. Jay opened the door for you, yelling, “Get in.” 
You sank your head into the soft leather seat, trying not to make it apparent that you were admiring his car. No such luck. Jay looked at you and smirked.
“You’ve never even seen a car this nice, right?” he asked. 
“It serves its purpose as compensation for your manhood quite well,” you said. 
Jay scoffed, buckling his seatbelt. “That little joke would work better if you hadn’t seen how big my dick is. And you can’t say it’s not, either.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fine. You have a huge dick, a nice car, and you’re rich. You win.”
“Thank you,” Jay said. “That’s all I’ve been wanting to hear.”
“Can you put some sunglasses on, too?” you asked, putting your own seatbelt on over your bulky sweater. “So you can be as douchey as possible?”
Jay opened the glove compartment, fumbled around, and took out a small glasses case embossed with the word PRADA in gold lettering. He took out a sleek pair of sunglasses and put them on. “Are you ready for the most pretentious car ride of your goddamn life?”
“Ready,” you said, fighting a grin. 
Jay peeled off of the curb and drove towards the mall. You stared out of the window, trying to absorb everything about the surrounding city. Having no reason to venture off campus, this was practically new territory for you. The leaves were already red, shifting into a decaying brown. The houses you passed were somewhat smaller than Yeonjun’s place, yet still just as lavish. Jay turned onto the highway. 
“Gonna play some rock music,” he said, fidding with the Spotify app on the dashboard panel. “I know it’s not Alanis Morisette, but…”
“I like rock,” you said. “As most people do.”
“You’d be surprised,” Jay said. “Isa listens to the most mainstream shit ever. Frank Ocean, SZA, Taylor Swift…” Jay wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“They’re popular artists,” you said. 
“Popular shartists,” he said. Jay put on Highway to Hell by AC/DC, and you rolled your eyes.
“Asserting your musical dominance by playing one of the most well-known rock songs of all time, are we?”
“You don’t deserve to hear my selection of deep cuts,” Jay retorted. “Bitch.” 
You laughed. “Deep cuts such as American Idiot by Green Day and Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana?” 
“Oh, fuck you,” Jay said, but he was fighting a grin. “Pretentious slut.”
“Hypocritical manwhore.”
“Gloomy bitch.”
“Unfunny asshole.”
“Humourless cunt.”
“You copied mine,” you said. 
“That wasn’t copying,” Jay replied. “That was me improving upon your work.”
“Improving used subjectively here?”
“I’ll use you subjectively,” Jay said.
“What?”
“My dick is like half-mast right now,” he said. “Can I pull over so we can…”
“No.”
Jay laughed so loudly he nearly swerved into a semi-truck. You yelled, which only made him laugh more. Eventually, you joined in as well. 
You had never been to an outlet mall before, let alone one so upscale. You only recognized some of the names displayed on the map just outside the entrance - Prada, Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Versace. It was a dizzying list, one that harkened back the years of thrift store clothes and exclusion. 
“You see anywhere you want to go?” Jay asked, coming up behind you. He had been busy trying to tuck his sunglasses into his loose baggy T-shirt, eventually settling with wearing them around the back of his head. 
“Uh,” you said. “Don’t know.”
“There’s a Tom Ford store,” Jay said, pointing towards the north of the map. They make good fragrances. I have a few, actually. We could go there first, then I’ll get my gift for him.”
“Sounds good,” you said weakly. Even though he was dressed casually, Jay still seemed like he meshed better with the platoon of patrons wandering around, hauling shopping bags as big as suitcases around. You felt like someone’s raggedy little sister. 
“What are you waiting for?” Jay asked. “Shoo.”
You sighed, walking towards Tom Ford. As you walked, you passed by stores with avant-garde clothes pasted on mannequins in different poses, makeup boutiques, and lingerie stores. 
“Should we stop here?” Jay asked innocently, pointing at La Perla.
“What, for you? Sure,” you said. 
“Maybe I will,” Jay said. “I’d look cute in a thong, wouldn’t you agree.”
You clamped your mouth shut and he snorted. “This mall is nice because no one from our school comes here,” he said. “They just shop online, or if they shop in person, they go to the one over in Riverfield.”
“Why?”
“There’s boba,” he explained. “And there’s trendier stores there, but I like classic stores better. You know what I mean?”
“No.”
“I guess you wouldn’t,” he said. “Like Cinderella without the talking rats.”
“There’s one right next to me,” you said. 
Jay snorted. “That was good, actually.”
You smiled and continued taking in your surroundings. The sky was dark, but the cobblestone paths of the outlet mall were lined with old-fashioned street lamps that illuminated the area well. Eventually, you made your way to Tom Ford. Jay opened the door for you, impatiently ushering you inside. The store was hopelessly luxurious. Two sumptuous grey couches faced each other, settled on swirled marble floors. The shelves were glass, and the items were one of each. You supposed that you had to request the item you wanted. 
You wandered towards the fragrance section, where an overly-effusive worker hounded you. Jay nodded at him once and then he went away somewhere else. You marveled at how Jay’s aura, if you could call it that, extended outside of school. You spritzed a random bottle of cologne onto a strip of paper, waved it in the air, and took a sniff. 
“Costa Azzura,” Jay said, watching you closely. “That’s a good one.” 
“I don’t know if it’ll suit Riki,” you mumbled. Jay snatched the piece of paper from you and inhaled. 
“You’re right,” he said. “Too mature for him.” 
You took a lighter-coloured bottle and sampled that next. It was citrusy, with a hint of spice. “This is better,” you said. Grey Vetiver.
Jay frowned at you. “Don’t you want to try more?”
“Why? This one smells fine.” 
“Maybe there’s one that’ll be better,” Jay said. 
You groaned and put the bottle back on the shelf. Azure Lime was next, then Tuscan Leather, then Fucking Fabulous. “There’s too many,” you grumbled. “I’m getting Grey Vetiver.”
“You’re rushing the process,” Jay said. “Here, try Electric Cherry.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do it,” he growled. You reluctantly took a sniff of the strip of paper Jay had thrust under your nose. 
“It’s fine,” you said weakly. “It’s very feminine, though. Not sure if Riki would like it.”
“Riki,” Jay said. “Riki. Yeah, you’re right. Get the Grey Vetiver.” Jay beckoned a store attendant to come over, requesting a box of the cologne. While they were gone, you opened your purse and took out a few of the $100 bills Jay had given you.
Jay stared at you, dumbfounded. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m going to pay for th-,”
“No,” Jay said sternly. “No, no paying with fucking cash at a luxury store. Were you raised in a barn?”
“But-,”
“So useless,” Jay said. “I’ll just pay for it. It’s my money you were going to use anyways.” He walked over to the cash register and paid for the cologne, a scowl on his face the entire time. When he was done, he thrusted the bag into your hands. “You’re welcome,” he said.
You stumbled out of the store after him. “Where will you go to get your gift for Riki?” you asked. 
“I don’t know, prude,” Jay snapped. “Unlike you, I know how to enjoy a shopping experience.” 
Enjoy was a very generous word to use. Jay dragged you to virtually every single store in the mall that sold men’s clothing. He hemmed and hawed over the cut of pants, asked the store attendants to bring out clothes that he examined with the scrutiny of a surgeon, and fingered the fabric of every piece he liked. 
He made you try on the clothes over your own outfit, forcing you to put on bombers, puffs, leather jackets, and assorted hats. 
“This Moncler raincoat suits you,” Jay murmured. It had been two hours, and your feet were aching. 
“It doesn’t matter if it suits me,” you said, your voice coming out in a whine. “It’s for Riki.”
Jay waved his hand. “All you younger people are the same anyways. Come on, put this short down jacket on.” 
You stripped the raincoat off and handed it over to an attendant before trying on the jacket. 
“Very nice,” Jay said, a hand over his mouth. “Very nice…”
“How come you’re getting him a jacket, anyways? Doesn’t he already have one? Or several?”
“Every year, the KC goes on a trip over winter break,” Jay explained, fondling the hem of the jacket. “We all pick straws to see who gets to pick the location. Jungwon drew the longest, so we’re going to the Swiss Alps.”
“The Alps?”
“Don’t bother asking,” Jay muttered. “I don’t know either. Arms up.”
You stuck your arms out so Jay could examine the “movement” of the jacket, whatever that meant. He wasn’t even getting them in Riki’s size anymore. 
“Yes….good…Now take it off.” Once you peeled off the warm coat, Jay gestured for a store attendant. “One in this size,” he said. 
“Riki won’t fit in that,” you said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jay said. “That’s for something else.”
Or someone else. You bit your lip in frustration. He was probably buying that stupid jacket for Isa, and you were just the model. 
“I’m tired,” you said. 
“One last store,” Jay said, his voice dropping slightly. “Wanted to go back to Armani, get him a nice suit.”
“Whatever.”
“Poor doggy,” Jay said, scratching your chin. “All tired out?”
You pulled your head away from his hand. “I’m not a dog.”
“Woof.”
“I hope you get stranded in the Swiss Alps,” you grumbled. 
“You’d get stranded there too,” Jay said.
“Why would I be there?”
Jay smiled, once again brandishing his credit card as he walked to the cash register. “Trip rules state that we can take one person as a date,” he said. “And dickless is probably going to ask you to go with him.”
“And you’ll ask Isa?”
If you hadn’t been so attuned to his actions, you probably wouldn’t have noticed the way his fingers tightened on his bank card. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll take Isa.”
When you got back to your dorm room, clutching the Tom Ford back, you let out a shaky sigh. You considered tossing the cologne onto your bed, but Riki didn’t deserve to suffer just because you were upset. Instead, you pulled out your phone and downloaded the Instagram app.
You needed a good name, something anonymous, something that no one could ever associate with you. Just in case things went tits-up. You decided on the moniker “jumblesack82.” Then you went to your Notes app, found Nina’s Instagram handle, and typed it in. She wasn’t private, so you could scroll through her photos. 
Nina was pretty, sociable, smart, and outgoing. Her feed was plastered with pictures of her with friends, wearing cute outfits, and enjoying life. Just before you followed her, you decided to see if you couldn’t find Lily.
Scrolling through her followers list, you eventually found her. lily2morrow. Her entire page appeared to be pictures of her holding various drinks and smiling, one of which you recognized as the maca root smoothie she had given you last month. Lily had posted something on her Instagram story, so you clicked on it. It was a picture of someone with their face cut off, holding the straw of a smoothie and playfully trying to cover the photo with the other. To your horror and dismay, you recognized those pale, pale hands. Sunghoon and Lily…? The Karma Club truly left no stones unturned.
You went through her following to find Isa’s page next. It just made you feel like throwing up. Seeing her selfies, her vibrant red hair, her stupid fucking captions like, “I’d marry you with paper rings~” it made you feel insane. What turned your stomach the most recent photo she had taken, one of her and Jay. His hand settled on her waist, and she was cupping his chin in her hand. He was actually smiling into the camera. 
From what you had ascertained from his comments about her, you had assumed that Jay disliked Isa. You couldn’t understand why he was still with her, but you could at least revel in the fact that he disliked her in some way. But this picture of them, undeniable proof that people knew they were together, that they existed beyond four walls, it made your skin crawl. People probably mentioned them in tandem: there’s Jay and Isa, are Isa and Jay going to the party, Jay likes Isa, Isa likes Jay, Isa loves Jay, Isa wants to fuck Jay. Seemingly to protect your sensibilities, Isa rarely talked about Jay in the group chat you had with her and Lily. Mainly, you coordinated when you were going to meet up, shared funny pictures. Occasionally, she would allude to “her man”, but you could take that in stride. You realized that she probably spoke to Lily about Jay, behind your back. 
You didn’t bother trying to find the Karma Club members on Instagram. You felt like your world was already imploding. Through blurred vision, you DMed Nina. You thought it would be wise to disguise your typing style. 
You: hi im the girl you met earlier >_<
Nina: Hi! You’re the one who had trouble with the Karma Club
You: yes ._.
Nina: I’ll tell one of them to invite you right now, girlie!
You: thank you girlie >3<
Soon, you were inside of the group chat, conveniently and aptly titled “Anti KC”. Immediately, several people started texting at once, relaying a variety of greetings. They asked you what your name was, and you said you were hiding your identity for protection. “So smart,” one of them typed. You frowned. None of them had used alternate accounts? 
You scrolled through the members of the group chat. You didn’t know most of them. Jisun, Somi, Rachel, Sieun, Irene, Chaeyoung, Minji, Dia. All very beautiful girls.
One of them asked what the Karma Club had done to you, and the others concurred. They wanted to know everything. So they could help you, they said. You briefly considered lying, but then you remembered that picture, that damned picture of Jay and Isa. 
So you typed out everything leading up to Jay’s rape of you. After some hesitation, you included that. You read your message back over before you sent it. It looked so garish, awful, and inhumane looking at it. The facts were cold and conveyed none of the nuance. None of the emotions you had felt. You sent it anyways.
You received a sympathetic wave of asspats, which did nothing to lessen your internal anguish. Oh, well. They believed you, and they trusted you. That was something. You didn’t exactly join the group chat to kumbaya anyways. You were here for answers, to figure out what had happened to Mina once and for all. Nina had mentioned that the group chat was made shortly after the Mina incident, so you started by backscrolling. You didn’t care that it would take a while.
You were surprised by the sheer inanity of half of the conversations in the group chat. You had assumed that it would be more like a group of women attempting to take down the Karma Club, but instead it was partially being used for idle gossip. Still, some of the things you saw were interesting. For example, that Heeseung was a serial cheater, and had slept with nearly every single girl in the group besides Sieun and Minji, who were your age. 
One year, the Karma Club had allegedly destroyed thousands of dollars worth of alcohol when they went to a bar. Sunoo had given the rugby team, the volleyball team, the cheerleading squad, several teachers, and a few of the girls in the chat the shits. Sunghoon extorted people for money, Jungwon supposedly had blackmail on half of the school, and Riki was “cute but evil.” They didn’t say anything about the things he had done, oddly enough.
None of this seemed as bad as what Jay had done to you, although Jay was a most reviled figure in the chat. Strangely enough, they seemed to slobber over him in equal measure to their lambasement of him. “He’s so hot but so fucked up,” one of them said. “He’s like irl Takumi from Nana frrrr” another person said. Ridiculous. All they could say about him was that he got into fights, had a nasty temper, and couldn’t hold a girlfriend down. “Good luck to Isa,” one person said. You had to bite your fist to stop yourself from screaming. 
Eventually, after what felt like a month of nonstop scrolling, you got into the earlier years of the chat. Dia, Chaeyoung, and Rachel had started the group chat because they had gotten cheated on by Heeseung. They commented on the Mina incident, initially condemning her.
“she makes the rest of us look bad,” Rachel had typed. “lying about rape is crazyyy”
“fr,” Chaeyoung had sent. “amber heard ass”
Then someone named Jisun had been introduced into the chat. She had been diligent in cataloging what the Karma Club had done. Jisun had apparently been friends with Mina and defended her friend.
“jake is so evil and im sick of people acting like he’s not as equally as big of a piece of shit as the rest of them lmao,” Jisun had said. “jake ruined her life. hes the one that got her hooked on oxy. shes prbly in rehab rn. i dont even know if she lied her not. even if she did, he deserved it”
“fuck fake” Dia had typed. “*jake”
Oxy? Oxycontin? You already knew, but you Googled it just to be sure. Your heart was pounding inside of your ears. Oxycontin, a known opioid. On one hand, you should be wary of any information you got from people who hated the Karma Club members. On the other hand, it was a coincidence you couldn’t ignore. 
Mina had to be administered naloxone, something used during an opioid overdose. Jake had introduced Mina to opioids. 
And tomorrow night, you would be partying with him.
(continued in next part)
726 notes · View notes
somanyratsinthewalls · 5 months ago
Note
Congrats on 700!! 🎊 May I request green with hummingbird? I would love some feral zoro omg 😫.
(I didn’t know what else to say I hope this is enough for the request 😭)
Thank you in advance and I understand if you can’t get to my request!! ☺️
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Hi friend! Thank you for requesting this because I haven't written Zoro in a billion years and this was fun!
Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Female Reader
Trope/Prompt: Sex Pollen/Aphrodisiac
Summary: Zoro steals a very secret bottle from Sanji’s stash… much to his dismay it has unwanted affects. Fortunately for you, you're up looking for a midnight snack when you encounter a very feral Zoro in the kitchen.
WC: 2000
TWs: alcohol consuption, aphrodisiac, unprotected sex (dont!) cream pies, p in v sex, a smidge of oral to get things going, doggy style bent over the counter, breeding!!!! MINORS NDI
Just This Once (+18)
— — 
Night watch was boring. Zoro would much rather be focusing on his training or napping than having to sit and stare out at the black of night for hours. He found the silence peaceful, so used to having the cacophony of his crew mates and captain resounding all around him during the day, Zoro didn’t mind the quiet of night watch. 
Tonight however, sitting against the mast of the Sunny, Zoro found his sake bottle feeling quite light. He cranes his head back and shakes the last droplets of alcohol onto his waiting tongue. It was barely anything, the bottle was bone dry now. 
“Well shit.” Zoro remarks to himself. He sighs and sets the empty bottle on the wooden deck beside him. He hoists himself up to his feet and begins to walk towards the galley, hoping that the shitty cook had hauled his lanky ass off to bed by now so he wouldn’t have to see his ugly mug. 
Thankfully the kitchen was empty and Zoro strolled straight towards the liquor cabinet. He pulls the double doors to the small wooden pantry open and surveys the array of bottles. Looking for his trusty sake, he clinks the other bottles together as he shuffles the booze around. He sees a bottle towards the back of the shelf with a note on it. 
“What’s this?” Zoro cocks his head and squints his eyes (eye?). He sees a slender, purple bottle, a bit taller and slimmer than a normal wine bottle, with a pink label wrapping around the width of it. His attention goes back to the note stuck to it. Zoro grabs the bottle and brings it out from the back of the shelf and raises it to meet his gaze. 
‘SANJI’S ONLY!!! DO NOT TOUCH!!’ is what the note read. 
“Pfffttt yeah right.” Zoro huffs and rips the note off the bottle. He notices something is written on the back of the paper. He flips it over completely. 
‘ESPECIALLY IDIOT MOSS HEAD!!!’ Is on the back of the note in bold handwriting. 
Zoro rolls his eyes. 
“Oh fuck you.” Zoro crumples the note and tosses it over his shoulder. He noticed the bottle was a bit feminine, with the pink label and ‘XXX’ being written in swirly letters across it. “Makes sense for that fucking weirdo.” Zoro chuckles as he opens his jaw, fits the cork between his molars and pulls it off the bottle with a loud *pop*. He spits the cork to the floor. 
Zoro takes a big swig from the bottle. It was bubbly and fruity, the type of shit Nami was usually into. Zoro hums. It wasn’t what he was used to drinking by any means, but at this point he just wanted to piss off Sanji so he chose to bring the bottle out with him to the deck to continue his watch. He was determined to finish it and leave the empty bottle on the kitchen counter for the stupid pervert to find in the morning. Maybe he would write his own scathing note to go with it. Zoro chuckled to himself… he had time to think about what to write. 
Zoro settled himself against the mast again, legs spread out in front of him, bottle clutched in his left hand while he rested his right on his swords. He lets out a long sigh and gazed up at the  cloudless, starry night as he chugs more from the bottle of forbidden booze. 
Over 30 minutes go by and half the bottle before Zoro notices a strange tingling in his thighs. He runs his callused hands over his strong quads, trying to massage away the feeling. He chalked it up to the booze and the rigorous weight lifting session he participated in earlier. 
“Damn this shit’s strong…” Zoro remarks as he pulls the bottle back from his mouth to look at the label again, searching for any indication of an alcohol percentage. He sees nothing but the three red X’s adorning the pink paper label. “Weird… whatever.” Zoro throws back another few gulps. 
Soon the bottle was empty. Zoro casts it aside with his empty sake bottle from earlier in the night. His head was sufficiently fuzzy and the warm prickling in his thighs had spread from his legs up through his groin and into his chest. 
“The fuck is in this shit…” Zoro wipes sweat that formed on his brow with the long sleeve of his robe. He felt hot all over, and not the usual warmth he felt from his average daily drinking… this was different. His muscles felt tight and so did his pants.
He runs his hand over his crotch to find himself painfully hard. He was a grown man for fucks sake, he thought he had his fill of random erections. This one was particularly turgid, aching against his pants begging to be freed. 
Annoyed with his body betraying him, Zoro peeks behind him over each shoulder on each side of the mast, making sure the coast was clear before unbuttoning his pants and fishing out his throbbing cock. He gently knocks his head back against the mast and closes his eyes before stroking himself quickly. He wanted to rid himself of this feeling and return to his quiet evening. 
“Shit…” 
It seemed to be more easily said than done. He couldn’t finish. He spat in his palm and sped up his pace but it was worthless, there was no familiar signs of impending release. His skin was burning hotter and his cock leaking pre all down his thick shaft. 
“Fuck…” Zoro, flustered, shoved his dick back in his pants and stood up, not bothering to button his pants back up all the way. He made his way to the kitchen, panting a bit, feeling the need to splash some water on his face to try and snap out of it. He whips the galley door open…
“Ah!” You yelp, jumping a bit and turning towards the kitchen door. 
“Y/n!” Zoro shouts at you, startled as well. “What the hell are you doing here, woman?!” 
“I-I couldn’t sleep! I wanted some peanut butter!” You hold up the jar in one hand and spoon in the other as you stand against the sink. You notice Zoro’s unbuttoned pants and heavy breathing. “You okay, big guy?” You furrow your brow in concern. 
“I’m fine…” Zoro huffs out as he approaches you at the sink. “You need to get out of here.”
“Okay rude?” You cock your head and turn back towards the sink to wash off your spoon, not wanting to leave any dishes for Sanji. 
Zoro is behind you in an instant. You feel his pelvis press against your ass, covered in just some boy short panties since you had been trying to go to bed. 
Zoro ruts his crotch against you, massive hands gripping your hips to pull you closer to him. 
“W-woah! Zoro what the hell has gotten into you?” You gasp out and try to straighten your body back out. 
Zoro doesn’t let you move your ass away from him, though, he just grips your hips harder and grinds his noticeable hard-on into the soft flesh of your butt. He pushes his face through your messy hair and starts to sink his teeth into your neck. You jolt in his hold.
“I-I don’t know… I drank that stupid fucking cook’s wine and now I-…” Zoro bites you again and you yelp. “Now I need to get my dick wet or I’ll explode… you gonna help?” Zoro slides one of his hands up your baggy t-shirt and harshly twists your nipple. 
“Shit!” You gasp out as Zoro dry humps your backside and teases your breasts. “Fine! Just this once, and you owe me!” 
Zoro growls like an animal and rips your panties down your legs and then pushes his robe off his shoulders. You lift your shirt over your head and toss it to the floor. Zoro pulls his aching cock out of his pants with ease since his pants were already undone. 
Zoro immediately drops into a squat and pushes one of your legs up to rest on the edge of the sink so your glistening sex was exposed to him. 
Zoro smirks to himself before dragging his tongue from your clit all the way back up to your asshole. 
“Fuck-“ Supporting yourself on one leg made your knee buckle, but Zoro’s strong hands kept you upright leaning forward onto the kitchen counter. Zoro hummed in bliss at the sweet taste of your pussy, laving his tongue all over your folds with drool pooling at the corners of his mouth, making you extra messy.  
“Can’t wait any longer, need to be inside you…” Zoro says hungrily as he stands up and positions his dripping cock at your wet hole. He pushes himself in you quickly and lets out a loud groan. You arch your back and cry out at the sudden stretch, one elbow holding you up on the counter and you reach the other hand back to claw at your green haired lover. 
“You’re gonna have to take it for me, okay doll? I know you can do it…” Zoro tries to sound sweet but the bruising grip on your hips give away his urgency. He begins to thrust hard against your backside, creating lewd wet slaps that echoed around the dimly lit kitchen. “Such a tight little pussy, shit…” Zoro slams into you at a breakneck pace. 
“Oh- my- god-! Zo-ro!” Your body is being pulled and rammed with each unforgiving thrust, you hardly even notice yourself approaching an orgasm embarrassingly quickly. You hadn’t laid with anyone in so long and the way Zoro was abusing your body turned you on immensely. He pulled your hair with one fist and it was over for you. “Zoro! Fuck! Cumming!” You shout and you collapse against the counter, cool tile harsh against your nipples.
You shake all over and your knees fully give out, luckily Zoro’s strong body was propping you up against the counter as he took you. 
“There it is, cream my cock, doll.” Zoro picks up his pace, which at this point you thought was impossible. “I’m gonna breed this little cunt, and you’re gonna take it… gonna take my fucking kids...” 
“Z-zoro what the fuck?” You were fucked-out but you didn’t know Zoro as the kind of man to talk like that. 
“Gonna fill you so fucking good… make you mine…” Zoro pulls your hips completely flush to his as his chest collapses on top of your back. You feel his hot breath on your shoulder blade and his strong, powerful ropes of cum coat your insides. 
Zoro groans and nuzzles his nose into your spine before pulling his softening cock out of your leaking hole. He admires his handiwork and smirks. 
“Uh… sorry about that… you’re…?” Zoro scratches his neck and hands you your shirt from the floor. 
“On birth control? Yes, you animal. Warn me next time you decide to drink Sanji’s weird wine, okay?” You say as you pull your shirt over your head. You shoot Zoro a glare.
“I don’t know, that might have been worth it.” Zoro gives you a sly smile and ties his robe back on. 
You roll your eyes and playfully push Zoro’s shoulder as you walk past him to head back to bed. You should have no problem falling asleep now that you’ve been freshly fucked in the kitchen by your crew mate. 
“You coming to bed, swordsman?” You holler on your way out of the galley door. 
“Yeah, meet you in your room.” Zoro calls after you. He finds the discarded empty wine bottle and places it right in the middle of the kitchen island next to Sanji’s cigarettes and ash tray. Zoro looks to the floor and sees your panties. He grabs them and places them next to the bottle on the counter. He then picks up a piece of paper and pen. Zoro scribbles out a short note to stick on the bottle. 
‘Thanks, Curly ;)’
— — 
423 notes · View notes
foreingersgod · 6 months ago
Note
hi bb!! im glad you’re backkk
could you do reader coloring in emilys tattooos??🥰🥰
Coloring Book . EE
pairing: emily engstler x reader
A/N: this was such a cute idea! i hope i did it justice :)
my masterlist → here
༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶
soft music hummed in the background from your phone. a random playlist shuffling songs as you and your girlfriend, emily, sat atop your shared bed. the sheets were tucked neatly, pillows haphazardly pushed back as emily laid against them. she wasn’t wearing a top, just her sports bra paired with her shorts to display her array of tattoos. you were sat on her lap, your legs straddling her waist.
there was a variety of different markers scattered across the bed. the scent of xylene wafted throughout the room, filling your nose. you had one marker in your hand, its cap lost somewhere beside you as you got to work.
after quite some convincing, emily was finally letting you color in her tattoos. you had seen the trend on social media a while ago and thought it was so cute. for days you begged her, eager to pull out the markers that had been forgotten in your desk, to let you do it. she wasn’t amused by the idea at first, she thought it was silly if she were to be honest. but when you gave her that look, pouted lips and bright beautiful eyes, she knew she couldn’t resist you. so here you were, on a sunday afternoon, finally getting your wish.
the sun poured in through the window with a calming 5 o’clock glow. it illuminated her skin perfectly, allowing the thick lines of ink on her body to stand out. you were leaning forward slightly, neck craning downwards to get a better view of the tattoos on emily’s arm. she propped her arm up for you to give you better access.
“ok ok, i’m done with the blue, what color should i do next?” you asked, blowing away the strand of hair that had fallen in front of your face. you put the cap back on the royal blue marker and placed it neatly back in the box.
“whatever you want, baby” emily smiled at you. she had to admit she was actually enjoying this, seeing you so enthusiastic made her heart flutter “you’re the artist here”
“well in that case” you rummaged through the markers for a moment, trying to find the color you were looking for. as you leaned across the bed, emily’s hands found their way to your hips, gripping them to hold you in place “i think i’m gonna go with red”
“perfect choice”
you grinned, glancing up at her briefly before turning your attention back to her arm. you began to color in the lines with the bright shade of red. emily watched as you colored her skin. she couldn’t seem to get enough of the sight. how your hair kept falling in front of your face, and how you would brush it back behind your ear. how you stuck your tongue out ever so slightly as you tried to concentrate on coloring. even how the ends of your lips pulled into the cutest smile when you were pleased with the work you’d done. she could stare at you all day if she could.
although she loved looking a your gorgeous face, she couldn’t help but feel inclined to take a look at your progress. with one of your hands wrapped around her bicep, the other clutching the marker that ran across her skin, she managed to take a peek. you had already filled in parts of her tattoos with pinks and blues and the occasional yellow. in some spots, you had colored outside the lines, but to emily that just gave it more personality. as she admired the bursts of color you let out a satisfied laugh, catching her attention and causing her to look back up at you.
“all done!” you clasped your hands together “what do you think?”
you seemed so proud of your artwork, biting down on your lip in excitement as you awaited her response.
“it looks so good, babe” she looked at the scribbles on her arm once more “you did such a good job! i love it”
“thank you for letting me do this,” you had now completely disregarded the markers, leaving them as a mess for future you. you had adjusted yourself on emily’s lap and scooted closer to her, placing your hands on either side of her face “you’re such a softie”
she shook her head and chuckled under her breath. god you were gonna be the death of her “only for you”
you let your body lean into her, face inching closer to hers as you pulled her into you. with eyes gently closing, you pressed your lips to hers ever so sweetly. you felt her relax into the kiss as she sighed into you. her lip’s curling into a smile as she kissed you once more.
“this isn’t going to wash off easily, will it?” she murmured against your lips.
“nope”
you both burst into laughter, imagining how long it was going to take for her to scrub the vivid colors off her arm. emily could already see it, her teammates teasing her, reminding her just how whipped she was for you. but she didn’t mind, not one bit, just as long as she got to she her girl happy.
634 notes · View notes
buckysgrace · 10 months ago
Text
Red Roses and Chocolate Kisses
It's wrong to date your student's parent. Right? Is it really?
In which Steve Harrington makes you question everything.
CW: Includes oral sex and unprotected sex!! Also, this is probably too long, I'm sorry. Dad!Steve Harrington x teacher!reader <3
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Your class was usually loud, full of pattering feet and outrageous giggles from your tiny students. Today was twice as loud, your class refusing to do even the simplest tasks as the day loomed closer and closer to your class Valentine’s party.
“Now, boys and girls,” You spoke up over all the loud voices, desperately trying to get their attention back to you, “What do we tell all of the parents when they arrive?” You asked them as you adjusted your headband with springy hearts back over your head. You were sure by now your makeup was smeared and your hair frizzy and unruly from the long hours that had passed. 
Paisley’s hand was the first in the air, her expression full of excitement as she held it as high as it would go. You raised your eyebrow, surprised at her sudden outburst. She was new in your class, her family had only moved here within the past month. She was shy, still struggling to make friends with the other students in the class. Most of the time at recess she stood behind you, your little shadow as she tried to show you different tumbling tricks she could do. 
“Paisley?” You asked her then quickly shushed your two ornery boys so the whole class could hear her speak. She dropped her hand, her cheeks turned rosy as she leaned back in her chair and tugged a bashful smile to her lips. 
“We tell them thank you,” She said shyly, “My daddy’s coming.” She said a second later, giggling as the rest of the class began to shout out which parent would be joining them. You grinned, trying to calm them back down as the minutes to their parents' arrival grew closer.
“Okay, okay everyone stay in their seats,” You responded as you ushered them back into their assigned area, “Did everyone get their boxes out?” You asked as you walked around, noticing the vast array of different boxes that were on desks. You could usually tell which students did them on their own and which had their parents quickly throw something together. 
“Miss?” Paisley looked up at you with huge brown eyes and thick eyelashes, “My daddy is bringing mine.” She brought one of her tiny fingers against your pink skirt, tracing one of the red hearts. You’d met her mother, but this had been the first time you’d heard of her father. 
“That’s fine,” You reassured her as you rubbed the back of her shoulders, “Do you have your valentines cards and candy?” She nodded her head, “Good. We can wait for your daddy before we start.” You responded as she skipped back to her seat, a fresh pep in her step.
You greeted parents as they came, helping them unload the various snacks that they brought onto your large reading table. You could no longer hear your radio as parents joined their students, starting up a conversation as you tried to get everyone comfortable.
You were growing worried that Paisley’s father wasn’t going to show and wondered if you needed to sneak out to make a quick call to her mother. Then again, her mother struggled to sign Paisley’s papers and sounded anything but interested in the one meeting you’d had with her. 
“That’s him!” Paisley shouted, speaking louder than you’d ever heard her, “That’s my daddy!” She proclaimed loudly, almost sitting up in her chair as she pointed towards him. 
Your eyes widened as you quickly rushed over, holding your hands out for support as he shuffled into the classroom with his hands full. He had stacks and stacks of cookies, cupcakes and chocolate covered fruit. Around one of his wrists he had multiple plastic bags with bottles of sodas and juice. Under his other arm he had a pink box underneath.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” You looked at him surprised, trying to help him balance the treats in his arms before they went everywhere, “Mr. Harrington, this is a lot of sugar.” You ended up taking the box from him, fearing that he might end up crushing it. You didn’t like thinking about Paisley’s mortified face if that happened. 
“Steve, uh,” He paused as he handed you a package of cookies next, “My name is Steve. You can call me Steve.” He stammered out as you took the package from him. You froze for a moment, taking him in for the first time.
He was handsome. Really handsome. His skin was warm with moles decorating across his features. His lips were pretty pink, his teeth white and straight. He had a strong nose, dark eyebrows and dark hazel eyes. You stared at them for a moment, trying to decide if they were more brown or green. 
“Okay,” You drew out slowly as you tugged your lips into an amused grin, “Well, Steve, I think you’re about to give a bunch of first graders a sugar high.” You told him honestly as you began to wiggle things around on your table so he could fit his snacks on there. 
“They deserve it every once in a while,” He smiled as he looked at you, “Plus, my ex gets Paisley tonight. She can deal with it.” He had a tad bit of bitterness in his tone, but you ignored it. It wasn’t your place to pry. 
You looked at him again, his hair was slightly disheveled as he let out a loud groan as he freed his hands. He had a mark around his wrist from how heavy the soda bottles had been in the bag. You suddenly felt nervous under his gaze. 
“I see,” You said as you handed the decorated box back to him, “Well I think they’ll appreciate all of this.” You gestured towards him as an awkward laugh fell from your lips. You quickly shook your head, reminding yourself that he was your student's parent. 
“It’s kind of last minute,” He rambled for a moment, “I had her this week and she didn’t tell me there was a party until last night. I bought a little of everything, you know, what was left.” He breathed out as he took a step back, his eyes knitting together as he took in the vast amount of sweets that he’d brought in. 
“You’re fine,” You reassured him, sure that he had bought enough food to feed all of the first grade classrooms, “She’s been very excited.” You told him honestly, glad that she seemed to be coming out of her shell. His face lit up at your words. 
“Good,” He grinned as he balanced the box in his hands, “Is she adjusting okay?” He looked a little worried as he turned towards you once again, like he was expecting you to say otherwise. You’d briefly heard that Paisley hadn’t done well in her last school. She struggled to focus on her work at times, but you found that if you gave her plenty of breaks and avoided taking away recess time that she got her work done. 
“She’s timid,” You told him gently, “She’ll get adjusted soon enough though.” You told him honestly, sure that she would make friends soon enough. The other kids were willing, she just didn’t seem interested in any of them yet. 
“I hope so,” He paused as he glanced towards you, “She talks about you a lot. She says you’re her favorite teacher.” He pressed his fingers against the corners of the box, almost looking like he was hesitant to say that. You felt your body warm, grateful for the little compliments. It always made you feel like you were doing your job well. 
“Daddy,” Paisley appeared, all smiles as she tugged on his free hand, “Come on.” She whined as she dragged him towards her seat. Steve stumbled backwards, looking like he had more to say as he shot you an apologetic smile. You suddenly felt like giggling, like you were a highschooler again. 
You made your rounds through the classroom, taking turns speaking to parents and making sure that your students passed out an equal amount of valentines to their peers. You passed out your own valentines to each of them that contained their own special letter along with a sour sucker.
“Did you see my box?” Paisley asked you in excitement as you approached, smiling proudly as she gestured towards it. The base of it was pink, with silver Christmas bows on each corner of the box. You could tell where they’d taken a coloring book and printed out different animals, then colored those before gluing it onto the box. 
“It looks very nice,” You told her, smiling at the way she crawled over Steve’s lap, “I bet you worked so hard on it.” You told her honestly as you slipped your valentine into her box. She squealed, wearing a proud expression before she dug her face into Steve’s chest.
“She means thank you,” He told you softly, smiling as he rubbed a large hand along her back, “She really likes Lisa Frank at the moment.” He explained as he dipped her back down, earning a giggle from her before he began to pepper her face in kisses. You felt your heart flutter, sure that something in you had broken as you nodded your head in agreement and moved on.
You thought he looked a little silly sitting in your classroom, sticking out like a sore thumb. His legs were far too long for the tiny desk he was sitting at, his attitude too peppy for the other mother’s that were sitting in your class with their noses raised high. You didn’t miss how they kept looking at him. You were sure they’d be talking about him for the next few weeks. 
“What do you mean you don’t want it?” Steve teased Paisley, her giggles filling the room as you walked back over, “Celery is so good for you. It gives you hair on your chest, just like daddy.” He said dramatically, pulling at the top of his shirt just enough to show his dark hair on his chest. 
“Daddy no!” She giggled, her face flushed as she shook her head, “I don’t want that.” She shook her head quickly, her dark hair bouncing about as she wrinkled her nose up in disgust. You felt a smile pull onto your lips, noticing the frosting that remained at the corner of her lips. 
“You don’t?” He grinned as he kissed the side of her head, “Why not?” He noticed you then, grinning as he continued to rock her back and forth. You sent him a shy wave, hoping that he didn’t think you were odd. He was about the only person your age that was friendly enough to approach. 
“Teacher!” Paisley shouted to gain your attention, “Tell my daddy he’s silly.” She demanded, wrinkling her features up cutely as she balanced herself on Steve’s knee. He pulled her close again. 
“Hey, what’s your teacher's name?” He teased her as he tickled at her sides, “You remember.” He reminded her, giving her a slight nudge as she turned up to you shyly. She nodded her head, repeating your name before she buried her face in his chest again.
“She’s very sweet,” You told him honestly, smiling at how easily she fit herself into his arms, “Are you having fun?” You bent to her level, hoping to make her more comfortable. 
“Yeah,” She answered as she wiggled her face away from Steve’s chest, “I like sugar.” She said honestly, reaching for her plate again to pick up a cupcake, ignoring the celery stick that Steve was still trying to put in her hand. 
“Oh, I bet you do,” You grinned as you answered her, “Sugar is very yummy.” You nodded your head in agreement, meeting Steve’s eye as you slowly rose. You gulped, your throat feeling dry suddenly. You were sure, without a doubt, that he was the most handsome man you’d ever seen. 
You busied yourself at your desk after, fanning through the various cards and pieces of candy that you’d received as you tried to distract yourself from glancing over at Steve. You weren’t sure why he had such an effect on you, why you felt such a dire need to be noticed by him.
You were fairly sure that dating him would be against the rules and then reminded yourself that it didn’t matter. He didn’t seem interested in you anyways. There was nothing to worry about, but that didn’t stop your imagination from running. 
Steve was currently making the other kids giggle and clap, watching in amazement as he popped Hershey’s kisses into his mouth from high distances. You were distracted yourself, having a hard time tearing your gaze away from how charismatic he was. 
It took you a moment to collect yourself, to wipe the dreamy expression from your features and scold yourself for practically drooling over him. You didn’t need to add to any of the gossip that the other mother’s may come up with if they saw you.
The party slowly died down as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Many parents ushered their kids out right away, ignoring how you were clearly trying to offer them some of the leftover snacks. You did not want to take them home with you as you feared you may spend the rest of the night snacking on them on your own. 
“Do you need help?” 
“Oh,” You jolted in surprise, sure that everyone had left, “Where did Paisley go?” You asked Steve breathlessly, twisting slowly in the chair that you were standing on to pull free the pink streamers. You figured it was better to take it all down now, then to come back next week and do it before your students arrived. 
“Her mom met us at the front,” He smiled as he placed his hands in his pockets, “I feel bad for bringing all of this stuff and it didn’t get used.” He replied as he gestured towards some of the full trays of cookies and cupcakes that were left. You began to step down, your chair wobbling from your motions.
He reached out quickly, making you jolt as he took a hold of your free hand. His left palm reached for your waist, holding onto you gently as he lowered your feet to the floor. Your insides flushed, your legs trembling as you turned to look at him. From this proximity you could see the green in his eyes, the freckles along his nose. 
“I’m sure we can find something for it,” You reasoned softly, feeling shy at the feeling of his palm against your own, “I’m sure it won’t go to waste.” You told him quickly as you removed his hand, ignoring the sparks that traveled up your arm. 
You turned away, clenching your fingertips together as you desperately tried to rid of the way you could feel your heartbeat in the tips of your fingers. You shook your head, reminding yourself that you had just met this man. You walked to your board, beginning to remove the strings that were decorated there as well. 
“So,” He drew out slowly as he helped you remove the stringers from the top of the board, “What are you doing after this?” He asked you curiously, his features inquisitive as he held the decorations between his long fingers. You noted that his fingers still had remnants of bright markers and glitter glue stuck to his wrist from his decorating with Paisley. 
“I have grand plans.” You said teasingly, trying to hide your grin as you began to erase your board. Usually your students would fight over who got to do it, but they had forgotten with all of the festivities. 
“You do?” He looked towards you quickly, almost dropping the decorations that he had gathered. You fought to keep your laughter at bay, a little amused at how affected he seemed to be. 
“Oh yeah,” You nodded your head as you turned to look at him, “Me, my cat and a frozen pizza. All for myself.” You drew out playfully, finally letting your lips crack into a grin at the way his expression relaxed. He chuckled softly as he moved his hand to the back of his neck and began to gently press down on his messy hair. 
“Do you like Pappo’s?” He asked suddenly, furrowing his eyebrows together in a wince as he turned towards you. He quickly looked away, his brown eyes finding interest in the glitter on the floor like he was afraid of what you were going to say. 
“I’ve heard it’s good,” You told him as you placed the leftover cookies into a plastic bag, “But I’ve never had it before.” You admitted as you thought about the new pizza place that was in town. You had made a few plans with your friends, only for them to not work out in the end. 
“Do you want to try it?” He asked you as he rolled his tongue around inside of his mouth, “With me?” He asked again, looking like he was trying to be suave as he awkwardly rested his palm on your table. You trailed your eyes up the length of his arm, meeting his eyes as you wondered how he used to ask girls out. You had a feeling it wasn’t this way. 
“A date?” You spit out quickly, your eyes widening at your own words, “Like a friendly date?” You quickly corrected yourself, hoping you didn’t seem desperate. You held a paper heart up to your face, lightly fanning yourself as the warmth settled in. 
“Yeah,” He said quickly as he leaned his arm against one of your bookshelves, “Unless your cat will be waiting for you.” He teased softly, looking just as interested in what you had to do later. You felt a flutter in your heart, suddenly feeling like this dreaded holiday wasn’t that bad. 
“He probably will,” You giggled softly as you nodded your head, “Sure. Do you want to leave now or?” You asked him curiously. It was still fairly early in the afternoon, but you couldn’t be sure if it would happen if you ended up waiting. You’d rather go now, then wait by the phone and face rejection later. You were sure that he had plenty of other options waiting for him. 
“Now is good,” He told you quickly, “Do you need a ride?” He looked at you curiously, watching the way you replaced your decoration in a box and stood on your tippy toes to push it back onto the top shelf with the rest of your decorations. Steve moved next to you, placing his fingertips next to yours as he pushed the box back with ease. 
“I walked,” You told him honestly as you steadied yourself on your feet again, “I don’t live far.” You told him for some odd reason. You stared at him, feeling a warmth traveling between the two of you. You could feel something tugging you in his direction, something invisible binding the two of you. 
“Walked?” He looked at you in disbelief, “It’s freezing out.” He noted. You nodded your head, suddenly interested in the way his lips moved. You wondered how they were so pink, how they looked so smooth. You wondered if they tasted as sweet as they looked. 
“It was a little chilly,” You agreed as you twisted the lace along one of the paper hearts your students had gifted you, “But it gives me time to think.” You shrugged your shoulders as you looked back down at the ground, mentally punching yourself for being so easily affected by him. He was just being nice and he was off limits. 
“I figured it’d take someone with a big imagination to teach a bunch of wild kids.” He chuckled as he shrugged his own jacket on. You grabbed your coat, then slid on your hat and gloves. It was too cold to not bundle up. 
“They’re not always wild,” You said playfully, “But parties always seem to make them a little more hyper.” You told him seriously as you began to grab your gifts and some of the leftover snacks. You’d have a whole weekend to try and not eat them yourself. 
“I really wouldn’t make her more hyper for her mom to deal with,” He said suddenly as he helped you carry the leftover desserts outside, “I hope you know that.” He replied, looking like he was genuinely worried about what you thought. In all honesty, you’d heard moms say much worse about their husbands. It didn’t phase you one bit. 
“I figured,” You nodded your head in agreement, thinking that he was too kind to do something like that, “Do you get her every other week?” You asked him curiously, hoping he wouldn’t think you were prying. He took the desserts from your hands as he slid them into the trunk. You held onto your own gift bag, not wanting to risk losing the work from your students. 
“Yeah,” He nodded his head as he opened the door for you, “I’d like her more, but that’s the best agreement we could come to.” He explained briefly. You paused as he shut the door for you, then stayed silent until he reappeared into the driver’s seat. 
“I’m sorry.” You told him honestly, knowing that divorces could be hard. Very hard. 
“It sucks,” He agreed, “But things are better than what they used to be. Are you seeing anyone?” He asked as he started his car, giving it a minute to warm up before he took off. You rubbed your clothed palms together as you waited for the air to turn warm. 
“Not currently,” You replied as you played with the seatbelt over your waist, “I guess I’m still stuck on waiting for the right person.” You told him honestly, still wondering if you kept your nose buried deep into too many romance books. 
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” He replied, “Well, I hope not. I’m doing the same thing, I guess.” He mumbled for a moment. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure that no one was coming as he slowly reversed out of his parking spot. 
“It’s very romantic.” You grinned as you turned towards him, thinking that he looked more handsome with wind blown hair and a red nose. You were sure that this was inappropriate, that your coworkers would have a hay day if they ever caught wind of what you were doing. 
“It feels weird,” He admitted, “I’d been with my ex for the longest time, I’m not really sure if I know how to be with anyone else.”  He replied for a moment, looking like he had desperately needed to get that off of his chest. You nodded your head, feeling like you could understand in a similar way. You weren’t sure if you would ever have anyone. 
“I think you’ll learn to adjust to the change,” You told him softly, “But I don’t have much experience in that area.” You told him truthfully, feeling like all of your relationships had ended in broken hearts and tears. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d had a romantic Valentine’s date. 
“Either do I,” He sighed as he pulled over, “I really hope you’re hungry after all of those sweets.” He grinned from ear to ear, his eyes tracing over your features as he gazed at your reaction. You felt a smile tugging onto your lips, swooning a little at the attention that he was giving you. 
“I think there’s always room for pizza,” You teased him, “Thank you.” You told him truthfully, feeling a little less lonely on this holiday as you slid out of the car.
Steve was a gentleman. He held doors open for you, pulled your seat out for you, constantly asked for your insight and just seemed genuinely glad to be near you. You thought that he must be a little lonely too as you were sure you couldn’t be that interesting. 
“What do you like?” He asked you as he glanced at the menu again. He held it a little too close to his face, squinting as he peered at the words. You slightly wondered if he needed glasses, or if it was just a habit he had fallen into. 
“Pepperoni is fine with me,” You answered, “Or just cheese. Whatever you feel like sharing.” You told him truthfully, fully planning on eating whatever he got. You could feel a twitch in your fingertips as the warm feeling continued to spread through your chest, down to your legs and to the tips of your toes. 
“Is Paisley your only child?” You continued to make small conversation with him once the food arrived. You had learned that he was funny, really funny. You liked how lighthearted he was, how he was slightly dorky but still had a certain charm to him. 
“Yeah,” Steve nodded his head, “I want more one day.” He added as he peeled a piece of pepperoni off of half of the pizza and popped it into his mouth. You watched as he poked his tongue out, then licked away the grease that had collected in the corner of his mouth. 
“Kids are fun,” You told him in agreement, “How many do you want?” You asked out of curiosity as you enjoyed the bubbles from your Coke. 
“Like six,” He grinned in amusement as he took in your surprised expression, “I’m an only child, I want something else for Paisley. I know how lonely it can get.” He explained with a shrug of his shoulders. You nodded your head in agreement, thinking that his reasoning was strong. 
He questioned you about your life, the questions small and vague but you were far more eager to tell him than you had been with your previous dates. He seemed to be actually interested, like he wanted more than just to bring you home to his bed. 
“What is it?” You asked as you reached for your purse, “We can split it.” You told him seriously as he looked over the bill. He shrugged his shoulders, looking like it was no big deal. 
“It’s fine,” He brushed you off, “I got it.” He told you truthfully as he began to scribble down his signature on the little receipt. 
“No really,” You said, feeling a little guilty. You didn’t know if this counted as bribery, “I don’t mind.” You responded quickly, feeling your heart hammering roughly at the way his eyes met yours. 
“We didn’t get you a Valentine’s card,” He said quickly, “This way it’s fair.” His grin was a little lopsided, a little dorky although his eyes seemed to be apologetic. 
“Dinner in exchange for a card?” You asked him, shaking your head at the goofy grin that formed on his lips, “Alright then.” You rested your chin on fingertips, feeling a little enamored by the way he moved. 
“Easy trade,” He insisted as he pulled free the cash, “I can give you a lift back home.” He offered you, raising an eyebrow as if you would protest. This place was definitely too far to walk back to your apartment. 
“I’d appreciate that,” You told him softly, “Are you sure I’m not keeping you from something?” You asked him seriously, hoping that you wouldn’t be bothering him. 
“No,” He said as he shook his head, “I really enjoyed this. It’s better than being home alone.” He told you, speaking what had been on your mind earlier. 
“I can agree with that,” You smiled, “Although my cat is probably wondering where I’m at right now.” You said with a soft laugh, hoping that your cat wouldn’t be too offended. 
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“Do you want to come in?” You asked him, feeling your heart flutter, “Just for a drink?” You tried to brush it off as no big deal, although you really didn’t want to lose his company so soon. It was silly to become so attached to someone that you had only just met. 
“My throat is dry,” He grinned as he looked at you, “I’d love that.” He replied as he dragged himself out of the car. He walked quickly, almost slipping in the leftover slush from the previous snow just so he could open your door first. You grinned as he helped you out, then offered you his hand as you walked through the parking lot. 
“Um,” You stumbled a little bit as you led him up the stairs to your apartment, “I wanted the top floor. I liked the balcony, I like sitting out there in the early mornings.” You explained to him, although you hadn’t been able to do that recently. 
“Yeah?” He looked at you with interest, watching as you slid the key inside of the lock and turned it for him, “It’s not a bad place.” He told you quickly, interest flooding his features as he inspected your various pictures and paintings. 
“Tiny,” You responded as you glanced over your shoulder to peer at him, “But it’s fine for just me. It doesn’t make me feel as lonely.” You admitted, feeling a little less embarrassed to admit how lonely you could be since he’d spoken up about it. 
“How could you be lonely with this guy?” Steve grinned as he ran his hands through your cat's fur, “What’s his name?” He watched as your cat rubbed his face up against his palm, soaking in the cuddles from someone new. 
“Spooky,” You responded, watching in enjoyment, “He’s a big softie.” You told him honestly, knowing that Spooky enjoyed sleeping and eating more than anything else. 
You made a glass of hot chocolate for the both of you, which then turned into two as the conversation kept going. You didn’t want it to stop, didn’t want to pretend that you weren’t allowed to be with him. Even if it was wrong, you figured a few more minutes wouldn’t be that big of a deal. 
At some point you found yourself scooted closer to him, his arm resting across the back of your sofa as his fingertips brushed against your exposed shoulder. Your body nearly felt too hot, your heart beating too fast as his voice moved through your ears like the sweetest symphony. 
Your conversation had suddenly trailed off, drifting into silence as you both faced one another. You traced your eyes over his features again letting out a dreamy sigh at the sudden rush you felt, as if you were on a rollercoaster.
He moved closer, his nose pressing against yours as your lips parted in anticipation. His lips did the same before he closed them again, then tilted his head down further so you could smell the rich chocolate coming off of his tongue. 
You felt your eyes close as you clenched one fist together tightly, trying to wake yourself up as you felt his lips drag against yours in hesitance. You tilted your head up, repeating his motions as his large hand fell to the back of your neck.
Your heart was hammering wildly against your bones, creating a new rhythm inside of your body as Steve teasingly pressed his lips against yours again. It was soft, sweet. Just enough to wake you up from your dream. 
“Steve,” You gasped, your lips still lightly brushing against his own. His hot breath fanned your face, “We can’t do this.” You told him as you pressed your hands against his chest, admiring the way his heart was thumping against your palm.
“Why?” He asked hotly, his eyes warm and dark as he looked at you. He was still close, close enough that you could make out the slight green in his eyes.
“I’m Paisley’s teacher,” You reminded him, “This could put her in a bad spot.” You told him softly, knowing that a hookup with your student's parents was a very bad thing.
“Or a good one.” He chuckled softly, slowly rubbing his thumb against your neck. You felt your mind spinning, like you were falling into a haze as his lips grazed against the corner of your mouth. He kissed there slowly, then licked in a tantalizing manner.
“I don’t want this to be a one time thing.” You told him quickly as you placed your hand against his, grabbing it so you could grip yourself back into place. You wanted this, you wanted him. Desperately. 
“Who said that I did?” He chuckled as he rubbed his fingertips along the curve of your hips, “It’s just kissing.” He mumbled, nearly making you swoon from how raspy his voice was.
“I really want to,” You told him truthfully, hating that you had to reject him, “But I can’t. Not while she’s in my class.” You explained softly, feeling like you had no more air to breathe as he brought his hands against yours.
“I understand,” He replied, looking at you sincerely as he traced his thumb across the side of your hand, “I’m patient.” He grinned a second later before he settled back into his spot, going back to explaining what he thought about the TV show that was playing in the background. 
A few days passed since you’d last seen Steve, which to some part, you were grateful for. You needed the strict reminder that he was off limits. You’d known of coworkers who’d gotten involved with parents before, only for it to end in heartache.
You did your best not to remind yourself that most of those parents had been in relationships, meanwhile Steve was single. In all technicality, there was no actual rule about you dating him. You could, but you knew it would make things awkward.
You’d have to get around the issue with Paisley, as you were sure she would accidentally slip up and announce to the class that you were dating her daddy. You didn’t want that to spread around to the school, to the parents. It would look bad on your part, you were sure of it.
Your parent teacher conferences seemed to be longer than usual. Most parents weren’t concerned and you guessed that they seemed to feel that this was more of a waste of time than anything. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth to try to get through to some of the parents. 
Paisley’s appointment had been last and it took everything in you to keep from secretly wishing that Steve would show up. You figured it would be her mom again, which was fine. You shouldn’t be looking forward to seeing a parent. 
But Steve had shown. He was a few minutes late, all apologetic as Paisley wrapped herself tightly into his arms again. Your heart still fluttered in the same manner, your body warming as he smiled oh so sweetly at you. You wondered if he could still feel your lips against his. You couldn’t stop thinking about his lips. 
“What are you doing later?” He asked you curiously, once you had run through all of your main points about Paisley. He seemed to take her grades quite seriously, which you were happy with. He made you feel like you were doing something right. 
“You’re my last meeting for the day,” You admitted as you slid the papers away, “After that, I’m not sure.” You shrugged your shoulders, sure that it would have something to do with feeding Spooky. That would perhaps be the highlight of your night. 
“Come over.” He said finally, looking a little more confident than the last time you’d seen him. You raised your eyebrows in surprise, not expecting him to ask again. You thought about how badly you wanted to go, but you knew you weren’t supposed to. 
“Steve,” You sighed softly, “You know-,”
“It’s not a date,” He reassured you, “Just for dinner. And a movie. Paisley and I rented The Little Mermaid again. She loves it.” He replied as he gestured towards her. Paisley took interest, moving over so she could grip onto his knee and pull herself up onto his lap. 
“It’s my favorite!” She added gleefully, smiling as she balanced on her knees. He took a hold of her waist to lift her with ease, before he settled her better onto his lap. You watched, debating what was the right thing to do. 
“It would be wrong.” You said at last, wrinkling your face up as you clearly didn’t want to bring that answer down upon him. You really, really wanted to go with him. It was pathetic just how badly you wanted to.
“Think of it as a home visit,” Steve grinned as he watched her, “And I have a bunch of discounted candy that’s just going to end up rotting away if someone doesn’t eat it.” He pointed out, wiggling his eyebrows a bit to earn a laugh from you. You tilted your head, watching him in amusement. He bore the same grin, looking just as excited at the prospect. 
“I’ll eat it.” Paisley spoke up quickly as she snapped her head up towards her father. He looked down at her, his lips curling into a knowing grin. 
“You’ll get cavities,” He teased her as he moved her hair from her forehead and gave her a soft kiss, “What would the tooth fairy say about that?” He asked her playfully, giving her another kiss on the side of the head before he turned towards you again. You could feel your heart hammering as an invisible string seemed to yank you closer and closer to him. 
“I don’t know,” She giggled as she held onto him, “Please come.” She turned towards you next, shooting you the same large brown eyes that Steve held. You knew that if you were to say no that he would understand, that he wouldn’t pressure you into anything. 
“Okay,” You smiled, “But just for a little bit.” You told them in a playful manner, doing your best to sound stern as you playfully pointed at the two of them. 
Steve dropped you off at your apartment first, saying he had no issue with you checking up on Spooky before you went with them. Paisley was eager, almost pouty because she desperately wanted to see where you lived. 
“Roses?” You looked at him, one eyebrow raised in accusation as you walked into his house. It was fairly large and you could see why he’d get so lonely when Paisley was gone. Still, it looked like it was lived in. He had many pictures of her, of them and of people you assumed must be his friends.
He framed some of her artwork too, which you were sure she really enjoyed. His living room was slightly messy, filled with discarded toys and stray crayons. His pillows were a little frumpy, his blankets scattered about in such a manner that it made you wonder if he had napped on the couch beforehand. 
“They were on sale,” He grinned as he bit down on his bottom lip, “I couldn’t just let them go to waste.” He said simply as he pulled a rose free from the vase. He offered it to you, watching with interest as you pulled it up towards your nose and took a slow inhale. 
“They were too pretty,” Paisley added as she moved to grip your hand, “I’ll show you my room!” She told you in excitement, bouncing up and down as she waited for your energy to match her own. 
“Sure,” You smiled, letting her drag you up the stairs and down the hallway, “Oh my. I love it.”  You said dramatically as you peered at the room. She squealed, giving herself a little hug before she bounded inside.
You carefully twisted the rose in your fingers as you looked around at the many princess posters, along with the very pink sheets and mass amount of toys that were neatly stacked up in the corner of her room. Her bed was made nicely, but not neat enough to make you think that Steve had done it. 
“She really likes Disney princesses right now,” Steve explained, gaining your attention as you turned to see where he was leaning against the doorway, “I’m sure you’ve heard all about it.” He smiled in amusement, watching the way Paisley continued to run about. 
“Not princesses, no,” You told him softly, “But I do know that she likes ponies.” You teased her, noticing the various Barbie dolls that were surrounded by horses. She grinned from ear to ear, her face brightening as she looked back towards Steve as if to confirm that he had heard you.
“Lots of ponies,” He chuckled, his eyes sparkling as he watched his daughter pull her collection down, “I can order something for dinner, what sounds good?” He asked you, but you really didn’t mind what you had.
You turned towards Paisley, waiting for her response as she gave you a knowing look. She giggled as she bounced on her feet in excitement. 
“Pizza rolls, daddy!” She said at last, surprising the both of you. You didn’t mind pizza rolls at all, it had actually been some time before you had eaten any. That sounded good enough for you. 
“Pizza rolls?” He looked at her incredulously, “You don’t want like, an actual pizza?” He asked as he pushed the hair off of her forehead again. She leaned against his touch before she smiled up towards him. 
“No,” She said quickly, “I like those better.” She gave him an excited grin, giggling softly as she held onto the material of his pants. You felt your own eyes lingering against his hips as you took in how thick his thighs were. You quickly turned away. 
“What about spaghetti?” He asked instead, swaying her back and forth as he presented the option. You watched in humor, impressed at how well he always interacted with her.
“Hm,” She paused dramatically as she held her hands on her hips, mirroring how Steve was standing at the moment, “I think that’s good.”
“Alright,” He paused before he headed out of the door, “But you’re eating all of your broccoli this time.” He gave her a firm, but playful look. 
You played with Paisley for a while, enjoying the time with her although you wished you were speaking more to Steve. You reminded yourself that this is what you wanted. You wanted that distance. 
You were sure Steve was the definition of your perfect guy. On top of being funny and sweet, he really knew how to cook a mean meal. Even if it was something as simple as spaghetti and meatballs. 
“You’re messy,” He teased Paisley as he used a wet rag to wipe her face clean, “I think you need a bath when we get back.” He turned away from her, his lips pulled into a warm smile as he looked towards you.
It felt like the whole Earth had stopped, like time had slowed and it was just you and him. Your fingers felt like they were numb, petrified from the sudden jolt that erupted in your heart. It made your whole body shake, quiver as his eyes slowly drank in every tiny detail on your features. 
You could no longer hide the way you felt, the way he made your pulse quicken and your nerves spark with electricity. It traveled down your arms, down your legs and to your toes. You could feel it in your chest and clear up to your head.
Steve turned away first, his cheeks slightly flushed as he turned his attention back down to his plate. He listened to how Paisley rambled for a moment, his lips still twisted into a smile as you came to your own decision. 
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After that, you couldn’t allow yourself to be distant from Steve. You spent the majority of your free time at his place, or he spent time at your place. Neither of you had made a move from the first night, but every second spent with him had you wondering when it would happen again. You were craving each little interaction, hoping that it may lead to something more. 
“I’ve honestly never understood these movies,” He told you one night as you were both snuggled up into the corner of the couch. Your feet were crossed and linked as you shared the footrest, “What are they doing again?” He asked, turning towards you curiously as he knitted his features up in an adorable way.
You’d rented The Ewok Adventure, already knowing that he had never seen it before. You’d watched it a few times, but mainly got it because of how excited he’d been when he had told you that his favorite Star Wars movie had been the one with the teddy bears.
“The Ewoks,” You paused as you pointed to the screen, “The teddy bears, they’re trying to help those kids find their parents.” You explained, gesturing towards the kids as they came on the screen again. Steve nodded his head, his lips parted in understanding before he knitted his eyebrows tightly together. 
“What happened to their parents?” He turned towards you again, his features still plastered into uncertainty. You watched the TV for another moment, deciding on the best way to explain it all over again. 
“Steve,” You turned towards him in amusement, “Did you watch the first part of the movie?” You teased him as you gently pressed your fingertips against his sides. He nudged you back, pushing your fingers away before you could fully tickle him. 
“Well, yes,” He said, looking a little flushed, “And no. I was a little distracted.” He admitted a second later, his gaze softening as he watched you softly. You could feel your heart fluttering deep inside of your chest as the butterflies inside of your stomach burst to life. 
“With?” You asked him softly, fluttering your eyelashes at the way he moved his large palm over your thigh. The sparks inside of your skin grew, spreading through your veins as desire pooled between your legs. He gently spread his fingers across your pants, rolling them softly against your inner thigh. You felt your breath hitch as your clit began to throb. 
“Just admiring how you’re pretty enough to be in a movie,” He told you, giving you a cheesy smile as you snorted, “What? It’s true.” He squeezed your flesh this time, almost making a soft moan leave your lips. 
“You’re very sweet.” You told him truthfully this time, wishing you had the courage to tell him just how handsome he was. You saw him everywhere. In your dreams, your fantasies. You even pictured him in the books you’d read. It was pathetic really. 
“When are you going to let me kiss you again?” He asked you suddenly, his voice soft and sultry as he continued to hold your gaze. You felt your heart stop for a moment before you remembered how to make it work again. 
“This is the first time you’ve asked.” You reminded him, suddenly aware of how close the two of you were. You fought the urge to squirm, to push his large hand further between your thighs. You wanted him to touch you there, to feel his fingers spreading your folds apart as his tongue lapped against your clit. 
“Are you going to reject me again?” He asked you playfully, his eyes sparkling with interest as they glanced down towards your lips. Your eyes moved in the same manner, staring at the way his lips curved and moved as he spoke. 
“There’s only a few weeks left of school,” You mused softly, “I suppose there’s not an issue if we keep this, you know, a secret for right now.” You shrugged your shoulders, hoping that you didn’t sound too desperate. You felt like you were being reeled in, that there was no real reason keeping the two of you apart. 
“Paisley does have a loud mouth.” Steve grinned, chuckling softly like he was thinking the situation over. You grinned, but felt like you needed to defend her. 
“Don’t be mean,” You giggled softly, “All kids her age are the same.” You told him truthfully, briefly thinking of the amount of tattle tale slips you’d had recently. 
Steve watched you for a moment, almost making you shy away with the intensity that he held. You gulped, turning your attention away for just a moment before you met his unreadable gaze. He was almost intense, far more than what you had been expecting. 
“I really want to kiss you.” Steve told you truthfully, his voice warm and thick like honey. You felt your heart begin to quicken at the thought. You wanted that. You wanted that very desperately. 
“I won’t stop you,” You breathed out softly, “I want to kiss you too.” You admitted, feeling like there was no longer a barrier between you two. You slinked yourself forward, moving slowly as he scooted himself a little closer. 
It was slow. Almost too slow. His nose brushed against yours, your mouth opening as you awaited for the feeling of your lips against his own. He parted his lips in the same manner, inhaling sharply before he gave you what you’d been waiting for. 
His lips were warm, smooth and sweet all at the same time as you pressed your lips desperately against his. He slid his large hand against your neck, holding you still as he dragged his lips against your own. His tongue prodded at your bottom lip, licking away the sugar from the ice cream that you had shared earlier. 
You gasped as you turned your body closer to him, sliding onto your knees as he raised in his seat as well. Your body felt like it was on fire, the flames spreading through the open mouth kisses that he dragged across your cheeks and chin.
You tilted your head, spreading your fingers through his hair as he began to pepper his lips against the crook of your neck. His kisses were soft and sensual, then deep and passionate as he dragged his tongue against your skin. 
His mouth brought moans from your lips, leaving your eyes tilted as he gripped your thighs and pulled you closer to him. You began to rut your hips against his thigh, gasping at how your clit jolted from the feeling of his rough jeans.
He brought his lips up to yours again, moving his mouth against yours harshly as you savored the sensation of your saliva mixing with his. He flicked his tongue against your bottom lip, spreading warmth down through your tummy as he dug his fingers into your flesh. 
“I want you,” He mumbled, his lips dragging against your own as he spoke, “I want you so badly.” He breathed out, his nose brushing against your skin as he peppered a kiss against the corners of your lips. 
“Then take me,” You whispered out as you took a hold of his hands. You moved them onto your hips, then began to drag them up the curve of your body. His eyes were dark, his mouth parted as he followed your motions. A surge of confidence filled your body as you placed his palms over your boobs, gasping at the way he began to squeeze them, “I want you too.”
His mouth fell onto yours again, fiery and passionate as he blindly worked on stripping you out of your clothes. You closed your eyes in bliss, licking at his bottom lip as he roughly tugged your shirt off of your shoulders. He moved to your bra next, reaching behind your back to snap it off.
He licked at the crook of your neck, his teeth lightly grazing your skin before he began to decorate your skin in love bites. You raised your hips as you held onto his shoulders, sighing as you raised your hips and he pulled your pants down the curve of your legs.
He pulled back for a moment, his eyes filled with the same fire you felt as he slowly curved his palms against your knees. He squeezed softly, keeping his eyes trailed onto your body as he slowly moved his fingers closer and closer to the band of your panties.
“You’re so beautiful,” He mumbled as he looked at you, causing your breath to hitch as he slowly fell to his knees in front of you. He linked his fingers through the band of your panties, tugging them down slowly as he drank in the image of you, “I’ve wanted this for so long.” 
You didn’t have time to answer, unable to fully comprehend the warm feelings that had filled your chest. His touch was so soft, so sensual. You’d never felt more desirable than you did right now. It made your heart throb, your body twitch in anticipation as he brought his lips against your inner thighs.
He kissed at your flesh slowly, dragging his tongue against every dip and curve as he made the slow trail towards your wet cunt. He gripped the back of your thighs as he pushed your feet up onto the cushions, spreading your legs wide as he inhaled your sweet scent. His lips curled into a soft smile, his eyes fluttering shut for just a moment before he pressed a gentle kiss against your clit. 
Your whole body lurched, dragging back against the couch as sharp sparks spread through your body. You gaped, parting your lips in awe as you glanced down to the sight between your legs. Steve’s eyes were blown wide, staring at you intensely as he flicked his tongue through your wet folds.
Fire. Everything felt like it was on fire. You were burning from outside in, his tongue flicking through each crevice as he lapped at your folds. Your thighs squirmed at the sensation, your body shaking as he purposely avoided brushing his tongue against your clit. 
Soft moans fell free from your lips as you brought your thumb to your mouth, biting down softly to keep the dirty words from pouring off of your tongue. Your cunt was aching, soaking in the pleasure of Steve’s mouth as you slowly began to rock your hips forward.
He gripped your hips, spreading your legs wider so he could get better access to your cunt. He groaned as he dragged his tongue through your fluttering hole, his strong nose brushing against your clit as he continued to devour the taste of you.
“Steve,” You whined, your fingers falling through his hair again as you gripped the back of his head. You tangled your hands through his thick locks, your hips jerking at the whine that left his lips. Vibrations traveled through your cunt as he continued to groan, sounding as if he was a starving man, “Oh my God.” You breathed out hoarsely, feeling as if you were praying to Steve instead. 
He drew his tongue back towards your folds in a tantalizing manner. He moved slowly, steady as he curled his tongue against your clit. You squirmed again, your nipples hard from the cool air as your body continued to burn hotter and hotter. You were red hot, close to melting as he began to flick his tongue rapidly against your neglected clit.
You cried out, clinging to his hair as he slowly increased the movements of his tongue. He moved more rapidly, more intensely as you almost felt the need to wiggle away from him. It felt good, too good as your breathing became more labored.
You could feel your stomach muscles clenching tightly, your toes curling as the pleasure raced up your spine. It tickled every nerve, every muscle as you felt yourself coming undone underneath him. His large hands squeezed at your thighs, holding them tightly as he kept your legs far apart. 
“Fuck!” You cried out, the profanities rolling off of your tongue before you could help yourself. He kept you still, squeezing his fingertips deep into your flesh as you rode out your orgasm. He licked away your slick just as eagerly, diving into you like he was having a fresh new taste, “Steve.” You whined again, feeling like you were unable to form full sentences from how blissful you felt at the moment. 
He groaned as he pressed his lips against your folds again, flicking his tongue through your crevices one last time as he licked the last of your sweetness away. He looked up at you after, eyes flooded with lust and lips coated in your cum as you suddenly felt more needy than ever before.
You wiggled from his grasp with haste, setting your own urgency as you quickly pressed your lips to his. You licked away the taste of yourself, your stomach twisting in pleasure at the way he moaned against your lips. 
You tugged his shirt over his head, pausing for just a second to admire his mole kissed skin. Your eyes drifted over his thick chest hair, watching as the trail went clear down to his jeans. You moved your hands over his shoulders, touching him gently to reassure yourself that he was real. 
You fell onto your back, giggling as you fell onto the cushions while he moved back onto the couch. He roughly tugged his own jeans and briefs down, barely leaving you a chance to admire him as he positioned himself between your knees.
You quickly sat up on your elbows, determined to get a good look at him as he began to drag his fingertips against your inner thighs. You felt slightly numb, hiding back a moan as you took in how long and thick his cock was. It was pretty too. He was slightly curved and his tip was fat and pink. You knew it wouldn’t leave your mind for the next few weeks. Months. Years. You were smitten by him entirely. 
“I wanted this for a long time,” You finally repeated back, almost shyly as he gave himself a slow jerk with his palm. You watched his features in interest, hoping he’d bear the same expression when he was inside of you, “Please, Steve.” You begged softly, knowing that it was far too late to turn around.
He pulled his lips into the softest grin as he leaned forward, his breath warm and heavy as he barely grazed your mouth. His eyes fluttered close, his features relaxed as he slid his fat tip inside of your wet pussy. You moaned, your mouth falling open wider as your lips dragged against his own. 
The stretch of him was a bit much at first, almost painful. He moved slowly, giving you time to adjust as if he already knew. You held onto his biceps, squeezing softly as he pushed deeper and deeper inside of you. You looked down, slightly in awe at the way your bodies met.
It took only a minute for the pain to erase and for the pleasure to take over. You gasped as your nails dug into his skin, silently begging for more of him as your cunt stretched around him perfectly. You had never felt so filled before, so satisfied. 
Your mind already felt blank, foggy with pleasure as Steve pressed his forehead down upon yours. He groaned in the same manner, making your insides twitch with want as his cool nose touched your cheek. 
He slowly pulled his hips backwards, dragging his slick cock through your fluttering walls before he slammed deep inside of you again. You cried out, feeling the walls with your sounds of pleasure as his breath fanned over your face.
He moved one of your hands from his bicep, gripping your fingers with his instead as he built up a steady rhythm. He brought his lips upon yours slowly, kissing you sensually as he used his other hand to grip your hip and guide you along the length of his long cock.
He rutted into you, rocking his hips as he filled and stretched you in ways you hadn’t been able to imagine. Your kiss became messy, your lips unable to keep up with his as he stole the air from your lungs. The fire only spread, burning from your body onto his as he silenced his own groans with your lips.
The sounds he made were enough to drive you crazy, regardless of how deep his cock was inside of you. He grunted, groaned, whined and whimpered as he pressed his cock in and out of you. You gaped, licking at the corner of his mouth as a bright light of pleasure hit you harshly.
“God!” You cried out, clenching your fingers against his tightly as the tip of his cock nudged against your bundle of nerves, “Oh fuck, right there. Right there, Stevie.” You begged him, pleaded with him as you turned your attention back towards him. 
His features were knitted tightly in pleasure, his pink lips parted in awe as he stared down at you. His expression was filled with lust, but also with something softer. Like he cared. You used your free hand to claw at his back, digging your fingertips into his sweaty skin as you urged him to continue moving in the same manner. 
You were desperate to feel more of him as you savored the way his cock moved inside of your pussy. You gaped at the feeling of his cock curving deep inside of you, pressing against your most desired spots as your slick leaked down between your thighs. The sound of his skin hitting yours rolled off the walls like a symphony. 
“Jesus,” He breathed out harshly, his voice raspy as he let out another guttural whine, “You feel good. Oh fuck.” He spit out just as roughly, his words just as rushed as what yours were. You could feel the connecting strings between the two of you as the waves grew deeper and deeper inside. 
Your body shook as his cock continued to hit against your bundle of nerves. The pleasure washed over you roughly, as the sounds of flesh meeting mixed with the melodies that left your lips. You felt your cunt clamp down around him, squeezing him tightly as you came undone once again.
You continued to shake, your body still twisting in pleasure as his movements became more rapid. He pushed into you harder, his groans becoming louder as you felt his cock throbbing inside of your sensitive walls. 
“Fuck, fuck,” He cursed again, his nose pressing against your cheek as he furrowed his eyebrows tightly, “Oh!” He grunted, mouth falling wide open as he pressed himself as close to you as he could go. You could feel his balls against your skin, warm and wet from the mixture of your arousal. 
You breathed out harshly, still squeezing at his fingers as you felt his cum sinking in against your walls. You took it gladly, savoring the feeling of him as he panted against the side of your face. You turned, looking up at him in bliss.
He was pretty, far too handsome than what he should be. You admired the curve in his face, the lines in his expression as he slowly relaxed against you. You watched the way his lips curved into a smile, how he let out a shaky chuckle before he turned to face you.
He brought his thumb against your cheek, brushing it softly as he looked at you in the same manner. There was something, something forming deep inside of your chest that you didn’t understand. Perhaps your situation wasn’t right, but you couldn’t see how being with someone who made you feel so good could be wrong.
“Can we do that again?” You blurted out, feeling a little silly over your first choice of words after the intense moment you’d just had. He chuckled, looking at you in amusement as his messy hair fell onto his forehead.
“I’d like that,” He mumbled as he dragged his lips against yours again, kissing you sweetly for what still felt like the first time, “How about a date first?” 
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leighsartworks216 · 2 months ago
Text
Kitty Cards
Sylus x gn!Reader
I will never ever win a game against this man istg
Warnings: losing, frustration
Word Count: 925
Main Masterlist
Love and Deepspace Masterlist
AO3
Tag List Form
You swear he’s cheating. He has to be. There’s no way he just happened to draw three 6-point kitty cards to start with.
You look down at your own hand. Ah, yes, what a fine selection of ones and twos. None of the colors even match the cups!
“Sweetie, if you glare any harder, the kitties will jump out of the cards and run away.”
You turn your glare on Sylus. He’s sitting casually in the cafe chair, as relaxed as if he were back home. And that stupid smug smile! Ugh, it infuriated you to no end.
“Honestly, why do I keep inviting you to play if I’m just gonna keep losing,” you groan. You draw another card. Wow. A three. With no color matching cup. Fantastic. You sigh.
He chuckles and plays a card, doubling his 5 points to 10. At this point, it’s just sad. You’ve got 3 points to your name and he has 30-something at least. Maybe playing with him wouldn’t be so bad if you were anywhere close in scores, if he had 23 and you had 22. Enough to feel like it’s anyone’s game and not decided before you’ve even shuffled the deck.
Or maybe that would make it worse.
You play your 3-point card to keep him from getting the last cup. He lays his cards on the table, face down.
“Relax, sweetie. I’ve had plenty of practice in games with much higher stakes.”
“How many 6-point cards do you have right now?” you demand.
He smirks as he lifts up the edges to check. You know he remembers. The salt is ground ever deeper into your wounds. “None.”
“Mhm. And 5-point cards?”
“None.”
You frown, seemingly even more frustrated now that you know he just got lucky. “Well, what do you have?”
He fans the cards out for you to see, long fingers holding them apart.
All ones.
He chuckles again as you huff and snatch them from his hand to pile on the deck. You don’t look up at him as you shuffle repeatedly. He flags down a waiter who replaces the cups with new ones with staggering efficiency. You cut the deck no less than 3 times, to ensure complete randomness, and place them back in the center. He goes to draw a card, but you’re setting it in front of him before he can.
“You really don’t trust me, do you?” he muses, picking up his two cards.
You ignore him, looking from your hand to the cups. You have an advantage by starting with three cards, but he could have the better hand regardless. The game really begins when he makes his move.
It’s not even 5 minutes later that your head is down on the table.
“I’m never gonna beat you, am I?” you mutter, not even caring if he does or doesn’t hear you.
He hums, quietly gathering your cards and organizing the deck. He sets it back in the center of the array without shuffling. “Don’t worry, you can practice with the twins.”
You laugh dryly. “They cheat like it’s the objective of the game.”
“All the better to practice against them.”
You don’t answer. Sylus drains the last dredges of his coffee. Your drink hasn’t been touched since the first round, two games ago.
As amusing as your pity-party is normally, he knows the failure runs a little deeper today. Usually, you sigh and moan and whine, but it only spurs you on to try harder next time. He’d never thought he’d see the day you succumb to defeat.
He sighs and stands up. “Wait here, kitten.”
You lift your head up. There’s a red mark on your forehead from where it rested on the table. “Why? Where are you going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He smiles as he hands you his card. “Get a new drink and something sweet, kitten. I won’t be long.”
You glower at the card in his hand, but take it anyway. You don’t watch him as he leaves.
-
When he comes back, the table has been cleared of cards and empty cups. A half-eaten slice of cake has been pushed to his side of the table. He wonders if you wanted to share with him, or if you feel too bad to indulge.
You’re taking a sip of your drink when something is set on the table in front of you. Sylus sits back down and picks up the fork on the plate.
You blink, because surely you’ve fallen asleep in the cafe and this is just a dream. But the big, full eyes of the crow plushie continue to stare back at you. You look up at Sylus for answers.
“I’m not heartless, kitten. Even I can only bear to see you sad for so long.” He cuts a bite off the cake with the side of the fork. “It loses its fun if you’re really upset.”
You flush, from embarrassment or from watching him eat off the same fork you’d used when a clean one sat next to him on a napkin. Maybe both. You set your drink down and grab the plushie.
Its ruffle is a bit uneven, so you idly adjust it so it sits better. The fabric of its body is soft. You boop its little beak.
You look back up at Sylus. He still has his eyes on you, like he’s still not sure if you like his little gift. You smile and hug it to your chest. “Thank you.”
He grins in return. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”
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