#all i know is they make a fake slender series but pose it as a fitness thing???

[number1jaymerrickhater]

Im finally committing to the bit and going in…wish me luck…..

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Portrait of a Dangerous Man🎨4

Warnings: (series) non-consent sex and rape; slow creep; cucking; (this chapter) only plot hehe

This is dark!mob!Clark Kent x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Synopsis: Your dream of having your work hung in an art show comes true but your first buyer is not all he seems to be.

Note: I’m at my tipping point, I swear. I’m dealing with everything in our household, new bed (delayed delivery yay!), cleaning, cooking, dog walking, and working. My only escape are my fics and this weekend I’m telling everyone to fuck off so I can do the writeathon... but sorry for the rant, enjoy more Clark.

Thanks to everyone for reading and thanks in advance for all your feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 As usual, I’d appreciate if you let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Wednesday trickled by like sand in a glass. You could hardly keep your eyes open as you typed away and a double espresso shot was the only thing that saw you through your hours at the gallery. Vanessa was excited for her next event and already asking after some new pieces from you. You promised her some from your storage unit to stave her off as you held in your yawns. 

You collapsed into bed that night beside Marcus. He complained about his day until he drifted off and you followed suit shortly after. You awoke with a decision, the echoes of your boyfriend’s gripes in your head and heart. You hated how miserable his job made him, how dull your own was. It felt like there was nothing else but the almighty dollar.

You called Clark after an email to Jim, your nerves alight in anticipation of the disgruntled reply. It didn’t matter. You were done. You didn’t need to worry about the all caps messages and curt zoom calls.

“Hey,” Clark picked up, he sounded out of breath.

“Oh, hey, sorry, it’s me,” you swiveled in your chair, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Nope, just getting in a work out,” he grunted, “you’re not bugging me if you have good news for me.”

“I think… I do,” you forced out, “I just sent in my resignation.”

“Mmm, you don’t sound… happy,” he hummed.

“I am, I think I’m just processing it,” you replied, “I said I’d let you know today so I’m letting you know.”

“Well, how soon can you be here?” he asked.

“Today?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I guess, I could leave as soon as you want me,” you said.

“I’ll send a car,” he intoned, “I’ll give the driver your number, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah,” your voice almost squeaked, “I can do that.”

“Alright, sweetheart, see ya soon.”

The line cut out and you lowered your phone slowly. You stared at Outlook and the new email icon along the taskbar. You closed the laptop and stood. You could worry about the fallout later, right now, you had to get ready for another day of painting.

🎨

It was starting to feel like deja vu every time you arrived at Clark’s house. You got out and thanked the drive, Jeremy, before he drove off. The doors opened before you got to the top of the steps and your host was already dressed in the same outfit he wore for each session. His hair was neat but his beard was even thicker than before.

“I think you can tell I’m a little antsy to start,” he chuckled, “how are you, sweetheart?”

That pet name caught in your mind again. It might just be a habit of his. Nothing more than an absent-minded word.

“Me too, honestly,” you smiled, “but I have a weird question for you.”

“Ask away,” he said as he walked with you through the foyer.

“The beard… you want that in the portrait or--”

“Oh, ha, yeah,” he ran his fingers along his jawline, “I guess I wasn’t thinking. You’re the artist, what do you think?”

“Well, erm, either way is fine,” you said, “I was just… wondering. I’m not even close to starting on, uh, you yet. I mean, right now I’m just working on the background and basic shapes.”

“I’ll let you make the call when you get there,” he said, “say the word and it’s gone.”

“Alright,” you came to the top of the stairs and he pointed you ahead of him.

He followed you as you entered and you went about filling the jar with water and resituating the set up. He sat as you mixed and chose your brush. You climbed the ladder and peered around the canvas at him. He took on the same pose as usual and you dipped the bristles into the pigment. You could make a happy life of this.

🎨

Clark shifted and cleared his throat. You rolled your wrist and glanced back over at him as you drew your hand back from the canvas. He braced the chair and pushed himself up.

“How about a break?” he asked as he shook out his arms, “back’s a bit stiff.”

“Sure,” you said, “I think I could sit down for a moment.”

You took a step down the rung of the ladder but your toe slipped and suddenly your palette was against your chest. You slid down backwards as Clark rushed over and barely kept you from toppling the entire thing over. You laughed at yourself as he righted you and looked down at your paint-streaked shirt.

“Jesus,” you muttered.

“You okay?” he asked as he kept his hand on your upper arm, “be careful.”

“Yeah, I’m-- clumsy, is all,” you carefully pulled away and set down your brush and palette.

“Come on, sit,” he pulled up the stool and planted it before you, “take a minute.”

As you sat, he stretched his arms over his head and then out to the sides. He paced around the other side of the table, long strides as he worked the cramps from his long legs. He stopped and came up to play with a brush as you leaned an elbow on the table.

“Well, I did have another offer for you,” he said, “I was thinking of waiting but might as well ask now.”

“Oh?” you raised your brows curiously.

He swished a slender brush in the air then lowered it and picked at the tip.

“I’m having a get together on Saturday, some business friends and the like,” he said as he set the brush back with the rest, “it won’t be work. You’ve earned some time off. You can even bring the boyfriend.”

“Saturday?” you pondered, “I’m usually at the gallery on Saturdays.”

“It would be great networking,” he said, “and I already told all my friends about you. They’re excited to see your work. It will almost be like a viewing and it’s only right the artist is there.”

“I could make it work,” you mulled, “Marcus would love to come back.” You snickered, “he loves this place.”

“It’s a nice house,” he said casually, “a bit big for one person… hence, the party.”

“I’ll put it in my calendar,” you stood and slid your palette closer and cleaned it off to remix the mess of paints.

“Great,” he said as he rounded the table and brushed close to you, “it’ll be nice to look at a mug besides mine, huh?”

You laughed as you squeezed out the dark paint and nodded, “ha, sure.”

🎨

The rest of your week was spent much the same. Jeremy drove you to Clark’s and you went up to the studio to continue your work between small talk and silences that grew so thick you had to break them with mindless comments. It wasn’t enough to focus on the path of your brush as the man tugged at your attention.

Marcus was excited when you told him about the party. He raved about how he needed to let loose, about how much expensive alcohol he was going to drink, and the awesome backflip he was gonna do into the pool. You reminded him, he hadn’t done anything like that since college but he swore he could still do it.

You didn’t share the sentiment. You were anxious. You were flattered to be invited but despite what Clark said, it still felt like work. His friends were going to be there and he apparently was trying to sell them on your art. 

You didn’t realise until after you hit send on your email, but you put your livelihood in this man’s hands. A man, you reminded yourself, who was little more than a stranger.

On Friday, a day you were thankfully not called to the mansion to teeter on the ladder and paint, the buzzer rang and drew you off the couch from amid your YouTube binge. The man on the speaker called back that he had a delivery and you let him up. You took the box from him, the thick silver ribbon giving away the sender even before you could read the tag.

Inside you found a black dress with little gemstones set into the fabric like stars in the sky. It was nicer than anything you’d ever owned before and a pair of silver shoes were tucked in beneath the outfit. You took the shoes from the tissue paper and something else shifted in the bottom.

You reached in and revealed a velvet box from the depths of overzealous stuffing. You opened the lid and found a simple chain of diamonds. You gaped in disbelief. They were real. The fake ones didn’t look so nice.

You phone chimed before you could even think to call Clark. It was as if he could see you. You answered and your voice warbled pathetically.

“Hi, I was just gonna call,” you touched your throat as it constricted.

“Yeah? I got the notification that it was delivered,” he said, “you like it?”

“It’s too much,” you gulped out, “really, I can’t--”

“I want you to look nice. I want you to feel good and have a good time,” he said, “I feel like you’ve been working so hard. You need a chance to just let it all go.”

“Look, I…” you were uncertain how to handle it. It was more than generosity but you felt wrong denying it as much as you did accepting it, “I’ve never had a boss buy me diamonds. At least let me give those back.”

“Boss?” he mused on the word, “I suppose, but you gotta dress the part now, sweetheart. You’re gonna rub shoulders with a lot of rich dicks like me. Pardon my language.”

“I didn’t realise it was such an upscale thing,” you put the velvet box down and turned to sit on the couch beside the large box. You played with the silver ribbon and chewed your lip.

“Sweetheart, it’s nothing, you got this,” he said, “trust me, if you can win me over, my friends will be child’s play.”

“Mhmmm,” you stared at the tv mindlessly, “Clark?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you doing all this?”

There was silence and you heard him sigh then a subtle metallic click.

“Because I can. And you’re a talented artist. Didn’t all the big painters used to have patrons back in the day? You know, Da Vinci and all that.”

“Sure, I guess--”

“Look, sweetheart, I’m glad you like the dress, I gotta go.”

He hung up abruptly and you turned your phone to stare at it in confusion. You were starting to get a bad feeling and that little voice in that back of your head, that little sabotaging bitch, whispered in your ear. No, you wouldn’t let your self-doubt get the best of you this time. You either grabbed this chance or you spent the rest of your life doing menial work and painting the world as it passed you by.

🎨

Friday night, Marcus couldn’t stop rambling about the party the next day. You just couldn’t get over the tickle in your chest, the same one you got before job interviews and doctor’s appointments. You were on edge, even as you spent your stress on him, your body writhing against his as you panted and pouted. It had been a while since you fucked. All the work and the stress had just let things slip past you. Maybe with your new gig, you could get back to those early days when it was all you wanted to do.

You slept soundly. You blamed the sex and the momentous week. You got up, had a lazy brunch time meal, and beat Marcus at MarioKart several times over before he convinced you it was time to get ready. 

You pulled on the gifted outfit after fighting with your make-up and hair. You gave a little tada spin to Marcus and he lifted his brow as he tried to figure out his tie.

“Wow, where’d you get that?” he purred, “fuck, let’s be late.”

He ran his hands over your hips as you neared him and fixed his tie for him. You giggled and planted a kiss on his lips.

“Jeremy’s on his way,” you warned, “I don't wanna bite the hand that feeds.”

“Oh, and it feeds you well,” Marcus chirped, “you think he’ll let me have a spin in the McClaren?”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t. I don’t need to scrape you off the side of the road,” you took your phone as the screen lit up, “come on, he’s here.”

“Fuck, babe, really, you’re gonna make me follow you out of here with your ass looking like that?”

“Stop,” you tittered, “you know, there might be more sellers tonight?”

“Oh yeah? I guess you’ll be paying a mortgage soon enough.”

“Me?” you scoffed.

“Sure, I’ll be your sugar baby,” he kidded.

“Well, baby is accurate,” you teased as you stepped onto the elevator, “please, just behave.”

🎨

You were surprised to see Vanessa at the party but reassured to see a familiar face. Clark had been distracted by his other guests and you did your best to mingle, letting Marcus take the lead until he was distracted by another guest’s Rolex and started asking too many questions. If you did start selling art to these kinds, you suspected you’d be paying for a lot of overpriced brands. That was a worry for another time.

You stood with Vanessa and a man she introduced you to. Bruce Wayne was tall and his dark-hair was combed back neatly as he spoke over the glass of wine in his hand. You were bored of the Monet-Manet argument, one you’d heard a million times from the stubborn gallery owner, and you were at your limit of socialisation.

You excused yourself and put down your unfinished drink on a table. You looked around but couldn’t see Marcus anywhere. The last you saw him, he was with Clark but you couldn’t find him either. You frowned and wandered between the pairs and trios gabbing around the room.

Just past the bar, you looked back and still no sign of either man. You huffed and your heels clicked into the foyer and to the stairs. You’d go to the studio and sit for a moment and collect yourself. You just needed to take a breath.

You climbed the stairs slowly, the din of the party floating up behind you. You came to the top but stopped as your eyes were drawn to a pair of open doors opposite the studio. You neared and stayed against the wall as you peeked inside. Marcus admired an old-six shooter and spun the barrel.

“You got everything, man, I swear,” you hid behind the door frame and listened.

“Eh, it’s all just things,” Clark replied, “I bought that from an auctioneer down in Texas. A verified antique but it just hangs here. Not good for much but looking at it.”

“Dude, what I wouldn’t do to live here? Have cool guns and even cooler cars? Shit, you know how fucked it is that my lady is making bank and I’m over here with my dick in my hands? I mean, I’m proud of her but… I mean, if I could get paid thousands for drawing, I would’ve tried to learn.”

“She’s good. Dedicated,” Clark remarked, “she’s special. Worth more than money.”

Marcus hummed and you heard the barrel click back into the place. Neither of the men spoke as you heard something shift and Clark cleared his throat. Subtle footsteps moved around the room and you pressed yourself to the wall. You should leave and let them talk but you couldn’t help but be curious.

“Isn’t she?” Clark prodded.

“Y-yeah, but… I don’t know. I just wish I had more,” Marcus said, “I probably sound like a chump, huh?”

“You can’t have it all,” Clark replied.

“Says the guy who can buy anything and everything,” Marcus moped.

“Oh?” Clark intoned, “so… how about it then? Fifty thousand.”

“For what?” Marcus chuckled nervously.

“Her,” Clark answered.

“Her-- I… my girlfriend?” he sputtered.

“If money can buy me anything, that’s what I want,” Clark said firmly, “it’s a one time offer… whether or not you agree to it, I’m gonna fuck her.”

You skin crawled at his words and you covered your mouth in disgust and shock. You inched closer to the door to hear better as you waited for the response.

“One hundred,” Marcus said.

“Seventy-five,” Clark countered.

“That’s my girlfriend, dude,” Marcus hissed.

“And yet you’re haggling with me over her. Eighty.”

You tore yourself from the wall before you could hear anymore. You felt hollow and heavy all at once. Your eyes were glossy as you scurried over to the studio doors and pushed the left one open. You unhooked the diamond necklace and tossed it onto the paint-stained palette and rolled up your brushes.

You stormed over blindly to the easel and pushed it over. It clattered to the floor loudly but you were already out the door and halfway down the stairs. You gripped your clutch and the bundle of paintbrushes tightly as you continued on outside and the blurred outlines of luxury cars passed you by. 

You stomped up the long drive in your heels as you flicked away tears and pulled out your phone. You knew it was too good to be true. Any of it; your art, Clark, Marcus. You weren’t good for anyone unless they could get something out of you.

[xxxrubytuesdayxxx]

Tease

Hongjoong x Reader

Genre: Teasing and then a little smut

Word Count: 2,441

Concept: It’s your birthday and Hong-Joong wants to make sure it’s a night to remember. Eumak-juseyo [Cue the music please]

Masterlist

“Why?” you demand of Yeosang. “It’s Halloween. It’s my birthday even. We gotta go out. Why do I have to wait here?” Yeosang thinks it over.

“You gotta,” he informs you gravely. “Hong-Joong-hyung said don’t let you leave.”

“Um, okay…” you agree cautiously, curious as to what that little minx has been planning. “Yeosang…” you call after him, as he turns to leave.

“Mwo, noona?” he asks, face carefully impassive.

“He’s not...gonna do anything silly is he? He knows we’re not meant to be...you know…” you clarify, avoiding eye-contact with the younger man. You still see him smirk out of the corner of your eye, although neither of you mention the ‘situationship’ between yourself and Ateez’s leader. 

“He knows,” Yeosang reassures you. You note that he doesn’t actually answer the question.

“Right,” you grin, choosing to let it be. “I’ll just wait here then, shall I?” Yeosang nods politely and then heads out of the room, leaving you frustrated and alone in your costume.

Turns out it doesn’t take long before the boys all arrive, mysteriously sans Hong-Joong, but carrying all manner of sparklers, decorations, loud party favours and an extravagant cake. You welcome them all in happily and clear the table for them to deposit their treasures. Everything is suitably festive and you spend a while comparing costumes and working out who everyone is meant to be, before the lack of your paramour becomes too evident to escape comment.

“Um, where’s…” you start, confused, but Seonghwa shushes you and San guides you over to a seat to feed you some cake.

“Mm...you got mint chocolate?” you ask him, sharing his excitement. “How did you get away with that one?” San laughs.

“It’s your birthday, noona and I know you’re on team mint choco after all, so I insisted.” You’re enjoying the whole vibe, even if Joong’s absence plays on the back of your mind, when Wooyoung advises you eat something else after finishing your slice of cake ‘just in case’.

“Mm-hm...so he is here then,” you guess, following his advice hurriedly as you hear ‘Havana’, as covered by Kim Hong-Joong, start up over the sound system. Yet not even you could have predicted the next move. One by one the boys dance around into the middle of the room, making you laugh with their antics, but then, just as Yunho is completing his routine, the music stops, scratches and begins again, louder this time prompting Yunho to beckon with his hand across the room to the door that leads further into the building.

And through that door stalks your illicit lover, barefoot, avoiding all eye contact and dressed, he claims, as a tiger. Yet his costume consists only of a cute headband with fluffy tiger ears attached and what might, at a stretch be called a collar - the black choker, studded with silver that circles his slender throat. The rest of his outfit entails a pair of ripped and torn black skinny jeans, a studded belt, black denim jacket and a silky black button-up shirt with the top three buttons teasingly undone. He laughs and swats Yunho jokingly away as the younger man tries to dance with him, then continues into the middle of the room as the other boys loiter behind him. Then, once he knows he has your undivided attention, he flicks his bangs out of his eyes, juts his chin towards the ceiling, letting his eyes follow, and then flips his jacket off one shoulder, dropping into a hip roll. Yunho darts back towards him, but he turns away, rolls his hips again and then keeps going while lifting the back of his hand to his forehead to cover his eyes, with a cheeky smirk. The others play along, pulling his jacket almost off as he continues to wiggle his hips and fake-stumbles forwards to stop right in front of where you’re sitting.

Looking at the ceiling again, he flips the jacket the rest of the way back off his shoulder letting it fall to the ground, grabs his belt buckle and works those hips hard, throwing you suggestive looks in between his staged-indifferent glances at the ceiling. Finally he turns his head away so that you can see his jawline and the shape of his pretty mouth as he drags his hand back through his hair and away from his face. When he turns back to face you, he fake-coyly covers his face with his hand again, drags it slowly down, as his hips swivel and then bites at the air once, then again, before breaking character and giggling at himself. The others are in fits of laughter as well, but you’re still staring at him in wonder and not a little turned on by his performance. You shake your head at his giggles with a little smile and he laughs loudly and claps his hand over his mouth, embarrassed, but when he tries to sit in your lap, you wave him off teasingly.

“Ani, ani…” you reprimand him lightly. “Finish your dance, go on. I was enjoying it...maybe a little too much,” you purr, giving him a meaningful look. His big, dark eyes sparkle with mischief and he gets to his feet again and stalks away from you, deliberately using his hips, then turns back to face you, runs his hand down the opening of his shirt, as he rolls his hips like a pro, then pulls it away and quickly back, flashing you his collarbones. The other boys are not quiet during this risque floorshow, of course. Hong-Joong is followed by whoops, cheers and clapping as he grabs his belt buckle again and performs a series of flawless body rolls, with an adorably cheeky smile. That is until he gets it into his head to fling himself onto the ground and grind his hips like he’s humping the air upon which Mingi swiftly intervenes, marching over to pull his pocket-sized hyung to his feet with a warning yell: “Ahhhhh! Stop that! Too far!” 

Hong-Joong giggles with wide-eyed protests of his innocence, then prances out of Mingi’s reach before flinging himself back at the ground and humping the floor this time.

“Right, good, good, enough!” Mingi objects, pulling his hyung to his feet again. Hong-Joong feigns innocence again and then winks at you, before smacking his hand against his own thigh and grinding his hips.

“Mingi!” You gesture for him to move aside. “Let Joong finish his dance, okay?” you object. “Who knows, he might be transmitting vital information to me about what order he likes it in bed, and now you’re ruining the narrative,” you joke. Mingi and San make fake-retching gestures while the others laugh gleefully, except for Seonghwa, who looks like he’d rather just unsee everything he’s seen in the last five minutes.

“Hong-ssi!” you call over to him. Having been somewhat sulkily watching the others tease him, he now cocks his head on the side and gives you an aegyo pose. You laugh and shake your head at him. “Stop that and finish your dance. You've obviously spent a lot of time preparing it," you acknowledge, earning yourself another of his bright, pretty smiles. He spins once, recentres himself with a cute little pout, and then sashays over to you and kicks his legs over your thighs to lower himself onto your lap, with one hand supporting him from behind so he can thrust his hips forward. 

Head lowered Hong-Joong gives you a smoking-hot look, up through his eyelashes, somehow managing not to break his character as your heart thumps in your chest, sending you giddy with desire for him. Seonghwa grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut. Mingi yells in protest, Wooyoung woops in encouragement and the others are still giggling but noticeably more nervously than they were before. You ignore everyone but your pretty tiger-boy, who is now writhing in your lap, as he slowly and sensuously unbuttons and then divests himself of his shirt. You dart a glance at Seonghwa and mouth ‘am I allowed to?’, gesturing at Hong-Joong’s now-naked torso. Seonghwa looks aggrieved, but shrugs, indicating he has no idea nor opinion on the subject, so you resist the temptation and keep your hands by your sides as Hong-Joong climbs off you, pirouettes so that he’s facing the rest of the room, and then sits back in your lap, facing away from you, arching his back like a cat and reaching behind himself to grab your neck and pull you, finally, into a messy kiss.

You wrap your arms around his waist to pull him closer and he makes a cute, pleased noise, but then pulls himself away and stands up, turning to face you, with his hands at his belt buckle. You hold your breath as his fingers work the buckle undone and he flips the top button of his jeans undone, but at this point even Seonghwa shuts him down, dashing over to bend his leader’s arms behind his back.

“Alright, Hong-Joong-ssi! That’s quite enough of that - none of the rest of us want to know what colour your panties are, thank you.

“Mwo?! Hajima!” Hong-Joong yelps, as he twists about, trying to free his trapped wrists from Seonghwa’s grip.

“Wait, wait, wait…” you object, trying to pacify Seonghwa without upsetting his pretty captive. “Why don’t you guys take five...ten even and go investigate the event situation downstairs? I’ll stay here with this little tiger and let him finish his performance, okay?” Hong-Joong’s pout quickly transforms into one of his devilish smirks, knowing his hyung can’t see his face from his vantage point. Seonghwa’s shoulders drop as he sighs his agreement to the proposal.

“Fine,” he allows with another exasperated sigh. “I know he’s been working on this all week, but I thought he was just going to do a muck-around kind of sexy dance and then let it go. I didn’t know he had a full striptease planned,” he defends himself. You give him an incredulous look and shake your head, amused.

“Seriously, Hwa? Does Joong ever do anything by halves?” you point out. Seonghwa shrugs in acknowledgement. “I mean you know him better than I do, so I don’t know what you were expecting, in all honesty,” you laugh. Seonghwa calls to the others that they’re all going to go set up downstairs and they readily agree, chasing each other out the door and leaving Seonghwa to release Hong-Joong’s wrists and follow them out, shaking his head at you both. 

Hong-Joong rubs his wrists experimentally, resets his music and then returns to his theme, stalking back and forth in front of you like the tiger as which he’s ostensibly dressed. He gives you a showcase of some of his sexier moves while he waits for a suitable section of the music and then picks up where he left off, swivelling his hips where he stands directly in front of you, and then slowly unbuckling his belt before unbuttoning and unzipping his skinny jeans with his crotch at your eye-level. You swallow hard, trying not to give in to the temptation, as he bends down to your face level, locking his gorgeous dark eyes with yours and then starts to slowly ease his jeans down over his hips and off his legs, never once breaking your intense, smouldering eye-contact until he’s left in only his tiger-ears, the silver jewellery he never seems to be without...and scarlet-red boxer-briefs.

You try not to stare, though you can quite clearly see the outline of his evident erection through the cotton of his knickers and it’s becoming almost impossible not to touch his naked chest with his dark nipples standing up perkily and his gorgeous clavicles just begging to be kissed. He doesn’t help matters by stalking across the room, dropping to his knees and literally crawling across the floor to end his performance with his head resting on your lap. You raise your hand to stroke his hair gently away from his eyes and he sits back on his knees, cute, with his hands neatly on the front of his naked thighs.

“Can you do the last part, noona?” he asks you softly. “I’m shy.”

“Now you’re shy?!” you dispute him incredulously, with a disbelieving giggle. He nods, unabashed, adjusts his eyelashes with his pointer finger and then looks at you expectantly. You shake your head, trying to stop a smirk from sneaking across your lips, and stand up to lead him over to one of the futons that management leave out for the members to nap on, once they’re no longer trainees.

“C’mon, doll. Let’s take care of this little problem of yours then,” you tease him, deliberately brushing his erection with the tips of your fingers and making him gasp, then moan softly. You pull him down on top of you, kissing him as you get your fingers into the waistband of his briefs and slip them down his legs. He, in turn, pulls the short skirt of your costume out of his way, tweaks your knickers aside with his one unpainted fingernail and then thrusts himself into you with a loud groan of relief, rocking his hips back and forth as you wrap him in your legs and pull him against you.

“Oh my God, ne! Fuck me, Hong-ssi! Harder! Harder-oh-GOD!” you moan, encouraging him. “Oh my...shibal...you were so hot, teasing me with that dance, you know that?” you tell him, between kisses. “I wanted to touch you so much!” He giggles, obviously happy with himself, and keeps kissing your neck and down onto your chest as you praise him. It doesn’t take long before you feel yourself clench around him and then the release of your orgasm floods you, making your whole body tingle with pleasure. You cling onto Hong-Joong, wanting to make sure he finishes as well, wanting to reward him for all his efforts. You can feel his breath hot on your neck as his moans get louder and his hips pump faster and faster until all at once his body shudders and you feel him fill you up, before he collapses next to you, panting for breath.

“I guess we should go downstairs so I can see what other fun and games have been planned,” you tell him with a little smile. He winks and sticks his tongue out teasingly.

“My present was definitely the best though, right?” he checks. You kiss him softly on the lips, throwing your arms around his neck.

“Definitely,” you reassure him, making him beam as he follows you over to collect his discarded clothing and dress himself.

[non-nu]

you’re my answer [prol.] | wonwoo

↠ pairing: actor!wonwoo x manager!reader

↠ genre: secret relationship, this chapter is kinda fluffy

↠ word count: 1.2k

↠ warnings: none

↠ synopsis: y/n is living out a peaceful existence as the manager of top actor seo jisoo. but all of that changes when jisoo is forced into a fake relationship with her costar jeon wonwoo. thrown together in this bizarre situation, y/n quickly discovers wonwoo isn’t what he portrays himself to be. things get even more complicated when y/n starts to fall for wonwoo.

↠ character profiles ↞

↠ masterlist ↞

They looked perfect together.

Seo Jisoo and Jeon Wonwoo walked side by side down the red carpet. Jisoo’s long gown flowed behind her as she took elegant strides. Beside her, Wonwoo was dressed in a simple black suit that was tailored to perfection. He kept pace with her steps until they stood before the sea of flashing cameras.

It was the premiere of their highly anticipated movie. Directed by the visionary Kim Leekyung and with a heart-wrenching story, it was already in the discussion for several big awards. But that wasn’t the only reason the reporters clamored to get the perfect shot of the two actors.

The costars had been confirmed to be dating several months ago during filming and their relationship had since become the fixation of many fans. The public was desperate to see more of them together, and the press was hungry for their next headline.

The couple stood a short distance apart as they faced the barrage of blinding lights and cries from disembodied voices. They wore identical smiles perfected after years of being in front of the camera. As they posed facing one side and then the other, they were conscious of every detail down to the slightest movement of their shoulders.

Jisoo raised a delicate hand in a wave and tilted her head just-so. At that moment, Wonwoo leaned down slightly to whisper into her ear. Her face lit up at his words and her lips lifted in uncontrollable delight. The action prompted a clattering of shutters as the crowd rushed to capture every second of the interaction.

After a few seconds, the frenzy died down and a staff member guided the pair into the next area where a group stood waiting. A young woman broke away from the others and hurried to Jisoo’s side before directing her towards a waiting camera crew. Meanwhile, Wonwoo’s manager led him in the opposite direction for his own round of interviews.

Half listening as his manager reminded him which topics to bring up and which to avoid, Wonwoo sent a lingering glance in the direction of Jisoo’s companion. His eyes called for her to look his way, but her focus remained forward. Wonwoo pursed his lips slightly as he lost sight of her in the crowd, but he returned to smiling a second later as he was met by a reporter.

On the other side of the red carpet, the focus of Wonwoo’s attention was speaking to Jisoo rapidly as they walked.

“We promised PLS, Chestnut TV, and KWM interviews. We can give them three minutes each. Watch out for Baek Jeongah from Chestnut, she will ask you leading questions to make a non-sense story,” she explained.

“Let her try. At least I’ll get a break from answering the same old boring questions.”

“If you want out, give me the signal.”

Jisoo nodded while scanning the area with her eyes. Satisfied no one was close enough to overhear, she lowered her voice and spoke close to her manager’s ear.

“Theater four in 30 minutes.”

“What?” The girl’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“A message from your boyfriend.” Jisoo threw a teasing look behind her before greeting the interviewer from PLS with a friendly hug.

A complicated expression that was both amused and troubled was etched on the girl’s face as she looked on from the side. Seeing Jisoo smoothly navigate her talking points, she snuck a glance down at her watch. 28 minutes to go.

She knew no one would be on the floor but couldn’t help glancing down the empty hall anyway as she pushed against the heavy door. She had barely made it into the dimly lit entryway when long fingers wrapped around her wrist to pull her back against his solid chest. She relaxed into him as he rested his arms around her shoulders.

“Asking your fake girlfriend to tell your real girlfriend to meet you in a dark corner of a movie theater. Very romantic,” she said jokingly as she started to step out of the embrace to face him.

“Just a little longer,” Wonwoo clung to her tightly, giving her no choice but to comply.

He held her in the same pose as the seconds ticked by, and she let herself settle into the quiet moment away from the hectic activity of the night. But it wasn’t long before her responsibilities returned to the forefront of her mind.

“You better get back. Sangwon will murder me if you miss the cast introduction.”

He sighed deeply.

“He cares too much about that stuff.”

“As a manager, I think I have to take his side on this one.”

“Will you stay over tonight?” he asked as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”

“Please…” he added a cuteness to his voice that he knew she had a soft spot for. She let him pout for a bit before breaking free of his grip and turning to look up at the tall boy. He felt the smile on her lips as she stood on her toes to give him a quick peck.

“You know I can’t say no to that face.”

In his happiness at her admission of defeat, he leaned down for another kiss, but she placed her hand up between them as a barrier. Her eyes grew wide when she checked the time on her watch.

“They’re starting in five minutes. They must be going crazy looking for you right now. You need to get down there. I’ll meet you at your place later, ok?”

She pushed his slender frame out the door while she spoke, making sure her body remained obscured in the shadows.

“Yes, ma’am.” He spoke the words but seemed in no hurry to leave her vicinity.

She stared at him expectantly as she waved her hands in a gesture to hurry him along. He stood still and observed her mounting agitation with a lop-sided grin. As she opened her mouth to chide him, Wonwoo dipped his head down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

Her eyes fluttered shut despite herself and as she began to lean into him, he pulled away slowly. She felt his presence moving away from her and distantly registered the sound of muffled footsteps retreating down the hallway.

It was several beats later that her mind had cleared enough for her to open heavy eyelids. Heart still clenched, she stared at the now-empty space before her and managed to whisper, “That’s not fair.”

As she sank into her designated seat, she was relieved to see Wonwoo standing at the front of the theater. He had made it in time, but the stern look she received from the actor’s manger told her it must have been a close call. She made an apologetic gesture in his direction before focusing her attention forward.

Wonwoo had regained his poised demeanor as he and the rest of the cast fielded yet more questions from reporters and critics. He had easily slipped back into his role and, standing at his side, Jisoo played the perfect counterpart.

When Wonwoo was given the mic, Jisoo looked on with fondness as he recounted an anecdote that elicited laughs from both his fellow actors and the audience. When Jisoo stumbled slightly as they left the stage, Wonwoo supported her elbow with a firm grip. As they took their seats next to one another, they were the image of a happy couple.

They looked perfect together.

But it was all fake.

Behind the well-crafted veneer, their relationship was built on nothing more than a series of coincidences and the opportunism of two PR directors. And the flimsy house of cards was about to fall.

[k-fiction-therapy]

Into The Night (Version 7 - Changkyun)

Moodboard by Admin Scar

Starring: Im Changkyun & Reader

Includes: Vampire!AU, Library Sex & Dirty Talk

Rating: 18+

~*.*..*“Are you really a vampire like they all say?”*..*.*~

A/N: Hello, all! This is the seventh installment of “Into the Night”, a series that highlights seven very different Vampire!AU stories, each involving a different member of Monsta X as the main male lead. <3 I hope you enjoy them. I have been obsessed with Vampires since I was a child, and my attraction to them only grows the older I get~ I do hope that my take on these different vampire tropes tickles your fancy as it has mine.

Version 1 - Shownu

Version 2 - Wonho

Version 3 - Minhyuk

Version 4 - Kihyun

Version 5 - Hyungwon

Version 6 - Jooheon

Version 7 - Changkyun

Asks Open for Feedback, Comments, Kudos and Thoughts. <3

            The air outside was perfectly cool, and you felt the seasons changing as if it was happening in your bones. Your feet met the sidewalk outside of your school, and you stared up at it, its visage a blanket of opportunity to most, and a prison to some. Although you were still a new student, you generally thought of yourself in the neutral mindset between those absolute poles, but today you’d rather be at home in your bed, curled up and comfortable–though, your bed didn’t have quite this many handsome faces, and bright smiles. Serenaded by the male section of the student body even now, you swayed a bit, the bell shocking you out of your daydreaming, making you go a bit rigid, uniform ruffling slightly. Glancing up the front of the school, your eyes settled on flags and the like, sighing at how displays of school spirit made you feel even less proud.

            Newton High flew its banners with confidence, the bright yellow lettering of the school motto “Shine Forever” vibrant as ever as it stretched the length of the banner; which billowed outside the tall doors. The closer you got to the doors, the sweeter the air smelled, and you felt as if the cherry blossoms had been in bloom since you transferred there, framing the fairytale world you had always imagined the school to be. You had been there a few months by this point, but it was still a bit of a culture shock—and you were sure you’d never seen this many handsome boys in your life. God, you had heart palpitations every day over it—and as you dropped into your assigned seat in History class, you wondered how you’d ever force yourself to pay more attention to the lectures; even the teachers here were sexy.

            Your professor entered moments after you found yourself seated, and you watched him walk across the room, your eyes focused on how good he looked in those slacks. He smiled and faced the board a moment, writing the date and lecture title on the board before turning to face the class, “Good morning, students.” He smiled wide, opening the history textbook on his desk, fingers pushing up the nose of his glasses to situate them perfectly, “I know you are all eager to get to today’s lesson, but let’s begin class today by going over the homework from last night—oh, don’t groan, it’s only five questions, please.” He seemed annoyed, and though you found yourself unable to focus on anything but him at the moment, you hoped he wasn’t made enough to assign even more work, “Start with number one under multiple choice, at the end of chapter 12—Y/N—” He gestured to you, and you could have fallen out of your seat, clamoring to sit up straight. He nodded, eyes focused on you, “Can you answer it for me, please?”

            “Wha—um…well, it’s…Um…” You were panicking, staring down at a page of notes and nothing else. You had completely forgotten that you had had homework in the first place. Sinking a bit, you lifted your shoulders, wishing you could curl up in a ball, or at least hide in plain sight. Cringe. You wrinkled your brows, you hadn’t expected to be called, “I—didn’t do it. I’m sorry, Yoo Senpai.”

            Yoo Senpai turned to look at a girl in your class, a bit of a bratty troublemaker that sat closer to the front, but off to the side. He raised a brow at her, the corners of his lips twitching in what could almost be called a smile,“That makes both of you.” He said evenly, “Maybe I should keep you both after class.” He drug teeth across his bottom lip, before realizing what he was insinuating. Stammering, he swallowed, pushing his glasses back into place again, a nervous habit, “Ahem, anyone want to help Y/N out?”

            A voice, from your right, deeper than the other boys in class, was the first to answer, “It’s C. The Berlin wall came down in 1989.” They said, the sound causing you to turn your head and focus on its source. Im Changkyun, the resident bookworm and all-around odd ball, had answered the question for you. Rumors had always flooded the air around the male, but you had never actually spoken to him yourself—and now that you found your position directly next to him, you observed him, and found him to be quite handsome.

            So, this was the boy everyone talked about all the time? That jaw, those plump lips, pretty eyes, and slender frame—this was the weirdo? You could hardly believe it—but, you would be lying if you said it didn’t make you curious about him. You crossed your arms slowly, and regarded him for a moment, just looking over him, your eyes watching his elegant fingers open the book he had been reading, his focus leaving the lecture to focus on the words before him—he probably wouldn’t be called on again, anyways. You inhaled slowly, something about him speaking to you, making you feel the need to talk to him, to get closer.

            Yoo Senpai carried on as if you hadn’t just blatantly checked out, and Changkyun wasn’t reading something unrelated to class entirely. Eyes set on another part of the class, he waved a hand, “Very good, now. Let’s move on. Question 2—"

            Not wanting to call too much attention to yourself, you would pull a piece of scratch paper from your notebook and scrawl a quick “Thanks” on it, clumsily passing it to him with one finger, sliding it onto his desk. Yoo Senpai didn’t, and wouldn’t notice, seemingly done with the two of you for the day.

            Changkyun unfolded the piece of paper and smiled lightly as he stared at the word. Shifting his head to the side, his gorgeous hair undisturbed, though he tweaked a pierced eyebrow, dark makeup around his eyes making them look all the more piercing. Writing back in fairly good script, Changkyun sent back, “Don’t mention it”, tossing it onto your desk, the paper sliding close to your resting hand.

            It didn’t take you long to answer, figuring you might as well take the plunge. No time like the present, right? You wrote quickly, ‘Can I ask you a question? Are you really a vampire like they all say?’. You felt as if you had no tact, but you couldn’t just not ask him, and you couldn’t figure out a gentile way of posing such a question to someone. Better blunt than silent, you thought.

            Raising a brow, Changkyun scribbled, ‘Why?’

            ‘You’re always reading those books, and your teeth really look like fangs.’ You offered it back, your fingers brushing his, but you shrugged off the feeling.

            ‘Do you really want to know?’ He returned, tipping his head toward you, book sat down for the moment, his eyes focusing on you through slight periphery. He ran fingers down the slender column of his neck as he waited, curious what you might say.

            ‘Yes. Please.’ Was all you could manage to get back to him, both eager and a bit freaked out.

            When he offered the note back, you held it up, staring at the words for a long time. ‘Meet me in the library after school. Three-twenty, after she locks the front doors. The entrance by the back is left open for safety.’ What should you do? You swallowed the lump in your throat and looked back at him, slowly nodding your head, hesitation only making you look more innocent.

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

            Sneaking into the library was easy using the door that Changkyun had suggested. You pretty much just walked right in as you would have if it were open during the day. The place was nearly dark, and in its dimness, you navigated your way around tables, looking around for the outcast, sure he was there somewhere. Standing in the center of the room, you wrinkled your brows, whispering rather loudly, “Changkyun…?”

            “Under here—” was all you heard from a nearby table, so you bent down, looking until you met the inhuman eyes of the other. Slipping down under the desk, you crawled to him, sitting with crisscrossed legs across from him.

            Settling, you laughed gently into the back of your hand, thinking it was very immature that you had just snuck into the library, of all places, in order to hide under a table with a guy—though, a small part of you felt a tiny thrill, “Why are you under the desk?”

            “Hey, we may be seniors, but we will still get in deep shit if we are caught breaking into the library after hours—” He said with a light shrug, looking more than at home right where he sat. You could tell this wasn’t the first time he’d snuck in here, “—so, I’m just trying to stay hidden so we can talk and no one will see us through the windows over there.” He pointed to a line of transparent glass windows, and you made an understanding sound, nodding.

            “Good call…” You said slowly, rolling your gaze back to him, focusing even in the dark, “So, back to my question. Are you a vampire? Or are you just faking everyone out?”

            He laughed as if he was about to call you cute for being so adamant, his body language rather controlled, yet relaxed, “Well, you do see my fangs, don’t you?” He asked, opening his lips slowly and licking over the vampiric shape of his canines.

            You blushed at the way he licked his teeth, but the dark hid it for the most part, “Yeah, but—”

            “You don’t believe they are real. I’m telling you, I am what I am.” He shrugged before leaning forward slightly, with confident intent, his hand lifting to point towards his teeth, “Here. Touch them.”

            “I—” Something compelled you to act, like an invisible force, and you couldn’t help yourself. Normally, you wouldn’t go anywhere near someone else’s teeth, but now you found yourself reaching forward, touching a fang slowly. Moving down and over the tip, you felt it prick your finger, almost sharp enough to cut without pain, “Ouch—Nn—”

            Blood pooled in a small sphere at the prick where the fang had met the tip of your finger, and you stared at him, his reaction sealing your suspicions. Pupils swallowing the color of his eyes, he growled low, the scent of your blood striking him, making his lust flare. Taking your hand by the wrist, he pushed your finger into his lips, sucking the blood from it, making you whimper hard. That handsome face twisted a bit in pleasure, and he moaned around your digit before pulling back, showing you the length of his tongue, a gentle smear of red against the center of it.

            You took your hand back and stared at the finger that he had been sucking on, blinking as you found it no longer bleeding, a tiny prick point still visible. Before you could say a word, or fully react to what he had just done, he was in your space, his nose brushing yours. Palms bracing on either side of you, he came over you until you fell to your back, legs spreading to allow him closer, mesmerized by the primal look in his eyes, that nearly glowed in the dim light of the unattended library. Settling his hips against your core, you swallowed hard, finding yourself intensely aroused at just the way he pressed himself to you. If you were honest, you’d never thought of him this way. He was just the odd outcast in class that spent more time reading books than he did socializing with the rest of the student body—and now he was on top of you, and you thirsted for him as much as his eyes reflected the same need.

            It wasn’t that you were against this happening in that moment, completely enchanted and transfixed by the vampire that had all but pinned you to the ground. Blushing, you breathed deeply, words betraying your throbbing core, “Changkyun, we shouldn’t—” You gestured between them and to the table you were beneath, “Like this…”

            Changkyun smirked deviantly and wiggled his brows, “You’re right…I know a better way.” He said, moving back just enough to gain leverage, hands coming upon you to turn you gently, forcing you dominantly onto your stomach, your face against the dense carpet of the library floor. You whimpered, and he ran hands down the curve of your spine, growling softly as his digits met the waistline of your bottoms, slipping beneath them slightly so that he could easily pull them down, revealing the supple shape of your backside and the tops of your thighs—lowering them just enough to give himself a bit of space.

            Nails at carpet, you breathed heavily, the feeling of being exposed arousing you even further, your muscles fluttering with need. You snuffled out a soft moan, and you could almost sense him smirk, driven forward by your obvious arousal. You would hear his belt, and zipper, and then feel the press of his body against yours, the length of his cock slipping perfectly between supple flesh, the hooked shape of his cock perfect for the angle he’d chosen. Groaning, he pushed the thick head into your needy muscles, and you gasped loudly, arching your back to aid, your pants causing a bit of restraint, though you didn’t mind.

            Hands braced on either side of your head, fingers overlapping yours almost affectionately, he would gently slide himself in deeper, inch after inch taken until he was fully hilted inside of you, “Ah, fuck…you’re already so tight…” He whispered, voice infinitely deeper than before, the tone shaking you to your core. He paused for only a moment before he began to thrust, his pace set as steady as the ticking clock, fucking you gorgeously into the floor, the carpet harsh on your skin, but your focus was on how that cock struck you deep, making you writhe.

            Changkyun’s hips picked up their pace and he arched over you, his fingers shifting so that his hands were over yours, entwining your digits, his muscles working to pull him from your depths before forcing back inside of you deeply, filling you beautifully with each movement that he made. He breathed ragged, skin heating as he worked himself in and out of you, aiming to hit every sensitive nerve, making you crazed with pleasure. Your lips peeled open against the floor and you moaned sweetly, shaking, “Ch-Changkyun—y-yes!”

            After a while, Changkyun was shaking a bit himself, the strength of his arms wavering just a bit, “Shh, baby. Keep quiet…Mm…fucking take this cock…” He groaned, his head tipping down, allowing you to feel the bangs of his hair against your shoulder-blades, “…ah, you like my dick so deep inside of you, don’t you? Mmm…You’re going to cum for me quickly, aren’t you?” His voice was the sexiest thing that had ever met your ears, and you found yourself shaking as he spoke, muscles undulating around his cock, showing how close you were.

            “O-oh, you’re going to make me—oh, fuck…c-cum!” You grit your teeth as you took thrust after thrust, the pace of those hips intoxicating, driving you to the edge and then over, your fingernails digging into the carpet for purchase that would not be found, your entire body quaking as your eyes shut tight. You couldn’t stop yourself from moaning loudly into the floor, and your orgasmic sounds filled the empty library. You swore you were seeing stars in the dark, the hard pulsing of your muscles as they milked him causing your hips to jerk and muscles to jump a bit.

            He could hardly take how your body worked him, your spasming core taking him for all he had. Eyebrow wrinkling and hair falling out of place, Changkyun rolled his hips in circles, the friction and change of movement causing his demise quickly. Throwing his head back, he howled in bliss, nails mirroring your own as they flexed, his body trembling, cock pumping hot cum into you, filling you to the brim. Changkyun exhaled harshly, trying to calm himself, but it would take several moments.

            Leaning down, body still jerking a bit with aftershock, his cock still perfectly buried inside of you, he would press his lips to your spine, allowing you to feel his fangs graze your skin a moment. You shivered, your heart beginning to calm, though you still shuddered from leftover spikes of pleasure. As your eyes fluttered open, you smiled, keeping your fingers entwined with his, flexing them so that you made it more of a hand-hold than a primal urge.

            “I just had sex with a vampire…” You blurted, hating yourself the moment it came out of your mouth. He chuckled and kept his lips against your skin, just kissing around the areas of flesh that he could reach, giving his girth enough time to settle before gently pulling out of you. You made a disappointed noise once he was gone from you; though you would swear it was involuntary.

            “Come on, I’ll help you get cleaned up. We should get out of here.” He said softly before moving to his knees, practically sitting on the backs of your thighs, admiring the cum that dripped down your core. He licked his lips in appreciation before backing up, offering you a hand before winking, “…I won’t bite you this time.”

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

            Cleaned and returned to the hallway, Changkyun would see you out the door. It was oddly sweet that he wanted to stay close to you for the time being, but you could take it from here. Smiling, you waved to him, and he nodded, “I’ll see you around. I have to return a book, then I’ll be on the road as well.” You could have called him a nerd for being so concerned about book returns after he’d just fucked you into oblivion, but you figured you’d let him have this one considering how mind blowing the orgasm he’d just given you was. So, you settled for a quick goodbye before prancing off down the hall and toward the doors, sneaking back out and down the road toward your house.

            Back in the library, Changkyun returned to his backpack and pulled out the book he had been reading prior in the classroom. Moving through the stacks, he found the proper section, glancing at all the books before hooking his copy beneath his arm for the time being. Dropping a hand, he pulled a small medicine bottle from his pocket and opened it, his free hand working off the fangs he’d been wearing with a dense pop, revealing fairly normal canines beneath. Smiling, he dropped both faux fangs into the bottle before pocketing it again. Thank God for dental glue.

            Looking back to the books, his eyes glowed, his own supernatural element dancing behind them. Pulling the seventh volume from under his arm, he would put it gently back into its place on the shelf, a smile covering his face as he looked at the line of books. How he loved them—but, if the alpha found out he was reading about vamps, he’d be the laughing stock of the pack. Ears wiggling, he reached a hand up, almost as if he were saying goodbye to the series, fingers trailing over gold gilded words—

            “Into the Night.” 

  Admin Death

[n3rdlif343va]

Chasing Gold Zine Promo Ficlet #1

Below is the first in a series of ficlets leading up to my story in the amazing @yoichasinggoldzine!! I am honored to be a part of this zine with so many incredible writers!

My story is an AU where Yuuri and Victor are retired Olympic athletes, who now coach Paralympic athletes. Our story starts here and will continue with other ficlets, the conclusion of the story will be my piece for the zine! I am very excited to hear what everyone thinks of this story! (You can also follow the series on Ao3: Every Ending Brings a Beginning )

Chatter filled the studio, half-bathed in the bright light while the other half was cloaked in dimness. The back drop was blinding in its pale blue hue interrupted only by fake tree stumps and piles of fake snow. People mulled around setting cameras and discussing angles as Victor stood next to the makeshift dressing rooms, arms crossed watching the familiar chaos unfold. Years of photoshoots had made this experience boring and repetitive, but there was more of a reason to be excited now. A person he was patiently waiting to gain a glimpse of from across the room.

As if waiting on a cue, Chris stepped to Victor’s side. They had become best friends as teens and had been sharing the woes of coaching over the last four years. Victor made a name for himself as a gold-medaling triathlete, retiring to coach a single paratriathlon athlete, while Chris collected his golds as an Olympic athlete turned coach in Paralympic archery and also in the delicate art of torturing his best friend. “These outfits leave very little to the imagination.” Chris’s quip came with a nudge to Victor’s side and a knowing smirk as another man stepped into view on the other side of the outlandish back dropout. “Very little…” Chris snickered, wiggling his eyebrows despite Victor’s inability to look anywhere else.

The red velvet shorts trimmed in white puffs of fluffy cotton looked obscene even on Victor’s slender hips. On Yuuri Katsuki, however, the same red shorts were a sight crafted by the gods. Biting his tongue to hold back a whistle, Victor glanced pitifully in Chris’s direction. Before he could begin another round of worshipping the heavenly ass of Coach Katsuki, his words were cut off by a series of angry curses escaping from behind the curtain of the popup dressing room. Trying to hide his amusement, Victor looked over his shoulder. “Are you okay in there, Yuri?” Another stream of Russian accented curse words made Victor chuckle, turning to step toward his athlete.

Shoving the curtain back, Yuri glared at his coach. “Are you kidding me? What sadist decided these outfits make any kind of sense?” Continuing to yank at the lower hem of his shorts, Yuri glowered across the room toward the photographers. “Don’t even get me started on the stupid hat!” Yuri threw his hat at Victor’s chest, looking ready for a fight when Victor shook his head, stepping into Yuri’s space and fixing the hat over his blond locks. “Why is this Christmas themed?” Yuri spat, shoving Victor away from him, “Christmas isn’t for months!” He stumbled slightly, hand flying to his prosthetic leg as he swatted out at Victor. He didn’t need pity or help, and he conveyed this sentiment through a sharp grind of his teeth and an even sharper growl.

“The calendars are to raise money for the Paralympics, Yuri,” Victor stepped back, watching Yuri adjust his prosthetic with the ever-present scowl that his athlete always wore. Even before the accident, Yuri Plisetsky was borderline terrifying in his intensity. Following the loss of his leg, that intensity had swollen to levels that most refused to tolerate. Except for Victor, who had offered his services as Yuri’s coach and had never backed down through the worst of Yuri’s tantrums and the most devastating of his breakdowns. They were a team, despite how many times Yuri tried to pretend they weren’t. “This is important, you know it is. So grin and bear it, will you?”

With a resigned roll of his eyes, Yuri straightened his back. He shoved his hat further on his head, expression changing back to aggressive as he spotted Minami approaching his own coach. “They’re here?!” Yuri demanded, spit flying from his mouth as he yelled into the side of Victor’s face. “Why am I here with that idiot?”

Taking a patient breath, Victor tore his eyes away from the beautiful face of his longest crush. “Minami is your rival. The photoshoot today is rivals. You and I will pose with Yuuri and Minami. Coach versus coach, athlete versus athlete. And you’ll do it with a smile, or you will be doing laps as soon as we get home.” Flicking the back of Yuri’s ear, Victor pointed toward the closest makeup chair, shoving Yuri toward the anxious looking young woman doomed to apply makeup to the angry kitten’s face.

Once they were alone, Christophe looped an arm over Victor’s shoulders. “Amazing strategy by the way,” Chris unabashedly smirked at the flush taking over Victor’s cheeks. “Pitting Yuri against Minami in the media. A sure-fire way to get your name and your face printed next to Yuuri’s for the world to see.”

“That’s not… I mean… that’s not why… it’s a… happy coincidence?” Victor shrugged as he avoided Chris’s eyes, feeling himself being shaken from side-to-side. If he had somehow, magically, managed to build a rivalry between his athlete and Yuuri’s through a series of well-orchestrated social media interactions, it was definitely in the name of healthy competition and gathering attention to support the Paralympics. It definitely had nothing to do with decade-long crush on the elusive Yuuri Katsuki. Definitely nothing at all.

“Come on, lover boy,” Chris dropped his arm, opting to link his elbow with Victor’s instead. “Let’s go say hi to the competition and your future husband.” Chris’s rich laughter filled the studio as he dragged Victor forward, determinedly ignoring Victor’s embarrassed protests as he attempted to finally throw his best friend into the arms of his future.

“He’s doing it again,” Phichit hissed, pressing his finger into Yuuri’s side and nodding over his own bare shoulder. The excited wiggle of Phichit’s eyebrows made Yuuri seriously consider smacking his friend. Phichit Chulanont was the youngest archery coach in Paralympic history, but he was also the best and worst friend who anyone could ever want. Placing his hands on Yuuri’s elbows, Phichit tried to turn Yuuri’s body to face in the opposite direction, huffing his frustration when Yuuri refused to turn around.

Yuuri’s body was covered in goosebumps where his skin was left bare, only a small portion of his lower half covered by the ridiculously required velvet shorts. Yuuri hated the costume choices, loved the cause, and currently wanted to do nothing more than to murder his best friend.

“Who’s doing what?” Minami inquired, bouncing up to Yuuri’s side with the natural-born enthusiasm that Minami always possessed. Grinning, he modeled his own short shorts for Phichit’s camera, posing with his prosthetic leg extended in a dramatic stretch toward the ceiling. He held the pose while Phichit adjusted the phone angles, humming to reiterate his question.

“Victor is staring at Yuuri again,” Phichit stated, barely getting the last word out before he and Minami burst into giggles as Yuuri buried his head in his hands, a whispered “oh my god” escaping from his covered mouth.

Yuuri knew for a fact that Victor Nikiforov, his longest rival, biggest inspiration, and now fellow coach, was not staring at him. He had competed against Victor for years, never having more than a simple “congratulations” exchanged between them. Still, his menace of a best friend and easily influenced athlete kept the joke alive, pursuing it beyond the brink of Yuuri’s sanity. When the whispered choruses of “Victor loves Yuuri” began, Yuuri attempted to ignore them by staring at the ceiling. His nerves were already shot with the very small amount of clothing covering his body and he didn’t need the added stress of the continued teasing. Finally snapping when Minami trailed into a Japanese version of sitting in a tree, Yuuri smacked his hand against Minami’s shoulder. “We’re not sitting in a tree, we’re not k-i-s-s-i-n-g…” he didn’t finish his argument, the words dying on his tongue as an arm dropped over his bare shoulders.

“Who’s not kissing?” Victor asked. His voice shook as his brain registered the skin to skin contact, resisting the urge to kick Chris in the shins as his best friend winked in his direction. Subtle was not Chris’s forte, and Victor wanted to kill him for it.

“You two,” Phichit said easily, aiming his camera in the direction of Yuuri’s and Victor’s faces. He snapped a picture, flashing it toward Chris with a shared conspirator’s smile.

“Chulanont,” Chris’s eyes lingered over Phichit’s barely-there outfit, tearing his gaze away when Minami cleared his throat. “Where’s your archer?” The question was a poor recovery, Chris still unable to pull his heated look away from Phichit for more than a few seconds. When Phichit nodded over his shoulder, Chris followed the gesture, noting Guang Hong and Leo sitting next to each other in closely pulled together makeup chairs.

“It seems our athletes have a bit of a thing for each other,” Phichit laughed, seeing his young archer giggling into his hands over whatever Leo had said. To the world Guang Hong and Leo were friendly rivals, but their coaches knew better. Shaking his head, Phichit retuned his gaze to Victor and Yuuri. The sly grin pulled at his lips as he reached forward to rob Yuuri of his glasses. “It’ll look better on camera without them, right Victor?”

The brown eyes had blinked in Victor’s direction and he had momentarily forgotten his own name. The problem persisted when his name was called by someone else, demanding his presence along with Yuri, Minami, and Yuuri. Reality came back to him as Yuuri waved a hand in front of his face and Chris’s laughter once again fueled Victor’s embarrassment. “What now?” Victor glanced around, noticing Minami already walking away from their group and Phichit joining in on Chris’s laughter.

“Um, they called us.” Waving a hand toward the piles of fake snow, Yuuri struggled to get the words out. He had barely heard anything that had been said from the moment Victor’s arm had taken its place on his shoulders. Shifting, he felt his hat slide awkwardly on his head, regrettably stepping away from the warmth of Victor’s side to peer in the mirror. The squeak that escaped him when Victor pressed against his shoulder to peer in the same mirror was undignified and left Yuuri blushing as he adjusted the hat in his blurry reflection.

Victor was almost too distracted by Yuuri’s beauty to ignore the way his forehead was exposed in his own Santa hat. Concentrating, he rearranged his hat, muttering under his breath about the size of his own forehead.

“Your forehead isn’t big,” Yuuri mumbled, “you look good. All of you does.” Eyes growing the size of saucers, Yuuri clamped his hand over his mouth, turning on his heel to rush toward the impatient photographer.

A piece of Victor’s heart went with him, as Victor groaned in Chris’s direction. The compliment reminded Victor too closely of a night in the very last athlete’s village that he had ever shared with Yuuri Katsuki. A night that had changed Victor’s life and broken his heart, all at the same time. Sighing, he punched Chris’s shoulder before making his way to the location of his torture for the next hour.

Heat was building across the back of Yuri’s neck as he was repositioned over an artificial tree stump. In competition he wanted to be the focus of everyone’s attention, but under the unnatural heat of the stilted lights and the judgmental stares of his fellow athletes, Yuri felt a sickness curling into his stomach and the scowl slowly creeping back onto his face. The roll of a single bead of sweat down his spine made him shiver, his hands subconsciously flicking down to his leg with a desperate need to tuck it out of sight.

In contrast, Minami’s smile was still bright as he companionably chatted with the woman showing him how to pose. Although his leg and hand had changed in equipment over the years, he was used to their existence and embraced the power they gave him. Signing up for the calendar had been his idea, a chance to support the games he loved so much while showing pride in his body. Once he had given Yuuri his heartfelt speech, his coach had caved. For every ounce of shy in his coach, Minami had an equal amount of boldness, and the combination never ceased to garnish success.

“Alright crew, last set!” Backing away, the photographer once again lifted her camera, lights flashing in time with her directions.

Smile, look at the camera, look imposing, look at each other, stand up, sit down, be a marionette; all of the instructions of the last hour were burning Yuri’s nerve endings and he could feel his patience beginning to splinter. He didn’t want to be on display. He didn’t want his image plastered all over as if he should be someone’s inspiration. He wanted to compete and he wanted to claim the gold medal that was rightfully his, even if it was in a competition he never expected to be a part of. A small growl escaped him as the photographer declared them finished and he immediately dropped his leg behind the tree stump and out of view. Running his hand over his head to pull off the ridiculous hat, Yuri glared as a hand fell on his shoulder.

“Ready to throw down?” Minami joked, shaking Yuri’s shoulder in friendly fashion. “We only have two months left before we head to the games. I’m pumped, how about you?” An offended look flashed over Minami’s face as Yuri whacked his hand away.

“Why are you talking to me? We’re rivals,” Yuri snarled, rolling his shoulders back as he stood. He watched Minami slowly stand, continuing to glare in his rival’s direction.

Minami placed his hands on his hips, cocking his head to peer at Yuri. “Rivals doesn’t mean enemies, Yuri. At least it doesn’t have to.” Nodding in the direction of Leo and Guang Hong, Minami waited until Yuri faced him again. “We can be friends and competitors, there is no rule against that.”

“I have rules against that,” Yuri snapped, taking a step back when he realized that Victor was no longer next to him. “I don’t need friends. I need to win. Even if I have to compete in your games.”

Sucking in a harsh breath, Minami opened and closed his left hand. The metal fingers moved with fluidity and Minami raised his hand slightly into the air. “My games?” he questioned, lowering a quick glance to Yuri’s leg. “True, I grew up different, I could never compete in the same games that Yuuri or Victor did or that you could’ve. But what I do? What we all do…” Minami waved his hand toward the other athletes in the room. “It takes a strength that most people can’t understand. And we inspire those younger than us to have the same strength. As much as you might hate it, you are one of us now. You can continue this us versus them stuff you have in your brain, or you can realize we are all in this together. Rivals or not.” Shaking his head, Minami turned his back on Yuri, walking toward the dressing room with a disappointed droop in his shoulders.

Standing alone, Yuri steeled himself against the emotions rising in his chest. He wasn’t meant to be here, fate had been cruel to him in a way that was unfair. No matter what Minami claimed, Yuri was different, and he refused to let the chip fall from his shoulder because of some bright-haired moron’s quasi-inspirational speech. Clamping his jaw shut, Yuri turned on his heel, stomping toward the dressing him without looking at anyone around him. He would show them. He would show them all.

The wonderful art for this piece was created by @katsukifatale​ who is one of the busiest, sweetest, most supportive, and most talented people I know. Mac, you’re a blessing for this and for everything else you do for me and for this fandom.

[gocchisama]

A playful cat : Story of Shida manaka (志田愛佳）

The Idol genre has been evolving in many ways through japanese entertainment history, reaching new style like metal, rock and electro. Not only styles, but personalities have increased as well, from dark/gloomy (Yamaguchi Momoe,70′) to cute/innocent (Seiko matsuda,80′) or even group/family like (Morning Musume,90′). These days, it’s hard to bring an accurate definition of idol, because of this newfound diversity. But what if being an idol, is actually just being yourself? If that’s the case, then Shida Manaka is the greatest of all.

Shida “mona” manaka is what we can call an “exotic” beauty from her atypic facial feature. The kind that draws attention.

Standing out is the key to become popular in such groups like 48group and Sakamichi series. Manaka has this particular features like big ears and cat-shaped eyes that makes her easily to notice. Not only that, but all japanese female yearn for a slender face and cute nose. Manaka also have those. Adding her “model” height ( for a japanese girl that is) of 165 cm, you can say Manaka answers to Sakamachi standard of a tall, elegant idol member. My personal opinion would also be the haircut factor. Dying her hair to light brown helped her build this handsome/boyish aura, very popular among female fanbase. Was it a coincidence or not, the results were outstanding especially in “Kataru nara mirai wo” MV where she shone.

It delivered. Manaka is among the most sought Keyakizaka member regarding modeling and photoshoot. To have outside work despite being in a rookie group is of great help for keyakizaka to promote themselves indirectly. It’s important to point it out because modeling is known for being what differentiate Sakamichi series with the 48group. While gravure, which feature 48group top member frequently, target middle aged man with sexy pose in swimsuit, modeling in fashion magazine like Popteen or Seventeen focus more on “oshare” (fancy) clothing, and targeting young japanese girls.

It’s important for a member to find her place within the group. Hirate is center, Suzumoto is the best dancer, Akanen is the serious member of Keyakizaka, and Uemura is the loli. Shida manaka bright move was to develop her tomboy look. She became Keyakizaka visual along with her partner Watanabe Risa. But it would be nothing if she hadn’t developed a coherent personality with her looks. What does that mean exactly?

Shida manaka is in charge of Keyakizaka visual, but she’s surprisingly also a moodmaker.

Something that goes along with inexperience, is being oblivious at how to react during variety shows. In Keyakizaka early days, the girls were fresh but shy, and MC Host (Tsuchida and Sawabe) had the difficult task to take the girls out of their shell. Somehow, Manaka was exempted from this trend thanks to her easy going character. Oda nana is a moodmaker thanks to her sense of humor, creating funny moments ( this is what you call a “boke” in japan), and Shida manaka is another kind of mood-maker by laughing out loud. This is Mona particularity, she’s the complete opposite of aloofness; she will laugh at you for being ridicule. Not making fun of you (or yes, maybe) but laughing at the situation. It’s not mean per se, to laugh is Shida’s way to enjoy life.

Manaka’s existence in Keyakizaka is indisputable not only in visual, but also in the group essence; They are mostly introduced as Cool and inspired girls that oppose with the overall cute vibe of the 48group. But to reach national level, Keyakizaka need to embrace not only the cool side, but everything else. Shida Manaka, for being the outgoing, light-hearted fuel of Keyakizaka, helps the group grows in Variety. She’s the primary shield to awkward situation, laughing at all ridicule misstep (For example, Sawabe fail jokes) and inevitably making them fun in the end.

Manaka’s existence is crucial to take us back to what’s the most important thing in life : Enjoy our life. Well it’s not obvious as it seems; you take Hirate Yurina’s case and her absolutely horrendous schedule, you can’t help but feel worried and concerned about the pressure she handles and her health condition. Manaka’s pattern come as sincere; you can tell she doesn’t really have this ambition to be number one, but rather to spend good time with new companion (nakama) along the way. Manaka is the Worry-Slayer,and ensure that Keyakizaka is a place were we have a good time, along as high level of performance.

Despite laughing at everything, Manaka keep her feminine side, being embarrassed at showing her fashion sense or being afraid in haunted house.

Idols are often seen as playing a character in order to appeal their fanbase. Even if you are not that good looking, an idol will tell you that you’re very handsome to make you feel better. To make you feel special, they will surely tell you they remember you for coming to their handshakes lanes. It can’t be blamable. Idol encompass “work” as well. But it’s also understandable that non-fans see that as “fake” or “marketed product”.

Thanks to this outgoing&cheerful personality, Manaka is kind of exempted of the “work” aspect of an idol, simply because it’s not what’s important to her. She just like to be herself, bluntly telling you she doesn’t remember you in handshake, or rating you 50/100 in looks. (according to HS reports). This sincerity blends well with her outgoing character, and most of fans prefer something “honest” rather than something “acted”. In extreme situation, you can compare it to legendary “shio taiou” (salty reaction) from Paruru, as it is seen as “honest” reaction from her fans and “absolutely unprofessional” to others. To each is own.

Between members, Manaka has been a turning point in the group unity. Breaking the ice making silly games backstage, members got closer thanks to this “let’s get ridiculous” policy manaka introduced. It’s not awkward anymore when you laugh about it, right? Another thing that looks obvious, but when you think about it, the 48group has suffered from this lack of unity nowadays, making way to individuality (Jurina, Sayanee) rather than team bond (team 4, ori team K). Manaka, by embodying the playful cat, helped to strengthen the group cohesion .

“Laugh & jokes are the molding ground to social interaction and the gateway to smile & happiness”

I didn’t know what to expect from Shida Manaka, and i’m the first surprised at how well her cool visual mix so well with an easy-going personality. It will be partly thanks to her that probably, newcomers will call Keyakizaka cool but also fun. She’s not the type to be center of the attention, more like the one that cheer you on. And it is as much important. Do you remember DJ’s during party, who are in charge of keeping the tension high the whole time? Well Shida has this power. To make everyone look fun. (especially Oda Nana)

To conclude, it is clear that Shida Manaka is and will be a great asset to Keyakizaka potential, binding the present (enjoy your life) and the future (increasing outside modeling activities) to push everyone to the big league, like Nogizaka. When it comes to identity, Manaka has plenty contributed, and be sure to expect more of her as Keyakizaka biggest field to improve is still Variety.

If you make Manaka laugh in handshake, don’t take it personally, see it as an achievement!

[prodigal-sunlight]

Opal’s Day Off — A Gem Tale

Opal’s Day Off

Part of the “Gem Tales” series, a collection of fan–fictions written as “episodes” of Steven Universe. Gem Tales is entirely non–canon and based on interactions and events to explore the characters and world of the show. Requests can be made for characters and/or events you would like to see in Gem Tales. We will try our best to not diverge canon and keep each story in the style of an episode of the show. I hope you enjoy!

“Thanks for letting me borrow your game Steven!” Connie said brightly, tucking the colorful Golf Quest Mini case into her duffle bag with her free hand. Taking Rose’s sword, she handed it to Steven. He took it, turning to Lion, who lay fast asleep on the kitchen floor. He slid it carefully into the pink beast’s mane, doing his best not to wake him. Connie continued, smiling. “I’ll see you for training this weekend, right?”

“Right!” Steven said eagerly, opening the screen door for her. “Bye Connie! Oh, and tell me if you like the game’s twist ending when—”

“Steven!” she interrupted, poking him in the chest playfully. “You know it’s not a surprise if you tell me!”

He flushed a gentle shade of rose pink, laughing awkwardly. “Oops! Right, haha, sorry Connie. See you this weekend!”

Smiling, she gave him a quick hug before slipping out the door. Waving as she went, she ran lightly down the stairs. As she reached the beach, she turned back, waving to him again as she yelled back. “See you then!” Watching until she disappeared inside her parents car, Steven smiled, shutting the screen door as they puttered back up the uneven sand, back towards Beach City.

“Ugh. Why are you guys always training so hard?” Amethyst asked, sprawled out on the stairs up to Steven’s bed. She puffed her cheeks up, frowning. “It’s like, super lame.”

Steven sat next to her, folding his legs under himself, holding his ankles lightly as he offered her a smile. “Well, I like fusing with Connie. It’s fun! She’s really cool, and smart, and when we fuse, Stevonnie’s tall enough to ride everything in Funland by themselves!”

Amethyst shrugged at that, propping herself up on her elbows. “Eh. But it’s not like you have to train. Can’t you just, I don’t know, fuse for fun or something?”

“I... I dunno,” Steven said, swallowing slightly. He put a hand to his stomach, feeling the solid surface of his gem beneath his shirt, smooth and hard. “I guess, with everything that’s been happening lately with the Rubies and Jasper and—it just feels like a good idea to practice, right?”

Amethyst softened slightly at his nervousness, grinning in what she hoped was a comforting manner. “Aw, geez dude,” she said, elbowing him lightly. “I was just...” With a soft violet glow, she shape–shifted, taking the form of a small fluffy cat, the same color as her pale purple hair. “...kitten around. Just kitten around?”

“Well, I for one am proud of all their hard work,” Pearl said, walking over with a soft dancer–like stride, hands set lightly on her hips. Behind her, Amethyst shifted back into her normal form, rolling her eyes as Pearl continued. “Oh, did Connie leave already? I wanted to give her one last tip on her footwork first.”

“Yeah,” Steven said, visibly relieved by the change of topic. “She already left. We’re both super excited for fusion training this weekend. And, uh, speaking of fusion... how’s Opal doing?” he said, breaking into a cheeky smile. “I haven’t seen her in a while. Huh, huh?” he added on hopefully, raising his eyebrows.

Pearl sighed, folding her arms. “That’s because the problems we’ve had to deal with lately are either too simple to bother, or important enough to form Alexandrite. Fusion isn’t a toy, Steven,” she admonished calmly.

Even as she continued speaking, the warp pad lit up, and Garnet appeared in a burst of brilliant blue light. In her hands she held a corrupted gem that looked like some colorful jellyfish, a deep green with faded gray stripes cutting across it’s body. Jagged teeth and claws seemed to protrude from any open surface. “Fusion isn’t a weapon either,” she said, stepping off the warp pad calmly. “Fusion is about connection. Emotion. Amethyst, can you hold this?” She handed the gem to Amethyst. It began to screech like an angry cat, lashing at her irritably with it’s spined tentacles. With a slight shout, Amethyst fell to the ground, trying to keep it under control.

Turning her attention to Pearl and Steven, Garnet continued. “I need to go check something at one of the abandoned spires this weekend. I may not be back for a few days.” She paused for a moment, raising one hand to adjust her visor. “Steven, you’re in charge.”

Pearl reared back. “What!?”

Managing to pin the corrupted gem against the hardwood floor, a bedraggled Amethyst let out a cheerful whooping. “Yeah, way to go Ste–Man!”

Steven looked up to Garnet, his eyes bright and starry. “In charge?” he whispered, smiling hugely, his hands steepled together in front of his mouth as if to try and hide his excitement.

“Ha ha ha, you’re so funny Garnet!” Pearl said, the words fake and forced. She straightened up, concern clear in her eyes at this new idea. “I mean, Steven has grown a lot, but—”

“But he’s in charge until I get back,” she cut in, her gauntlets disappearing in a flash of light as she rested her hands on her thick, round hips. “Think you can handle that Steven?”

“Woohoohoo! Yeah!” Steven grinned, looking like a fizzling firework trying it’s best not to explode in a burst of happy color. “First, we’re all gonna go down to the Big Donut, and get three donuts each, except for Pearl, since she doesn’t like food, and then we’ll go to the barn to visit Lapis and Peridot, and then—”

“Heh.” Garnet smiled slightly, with a small nod of her head. “Looks like I’ll be missing out on all the fun. I’ll be back in two days,” she added, forming a small heart with her hands. “I promise.”

Steven dropped a slice of bread in each of the toaster slots, humming to himself as he pushed down the lever. He started singing under his breath, bouncing as he waited for the toast to pop. “Gonna have so much fun! Now that Steven’s number one. His first mornin’ on the job, Boss Steven’s gonna, uh, um. Hey Pearl, what rhymes with job?” he asked brightly.

Pearl stretched her arms out over her head, one leg up on the kitchen bar as she twisted and reached, like a ballerina warming up for a show. “Of course, Steven,” she said with a patient smile. “There are plenty of human words that rhyme with job. Why there’s cob, mob, lob, hob—”

“Shish–ka–bob!” interrupted Amethyst, flipping lazily through the pages of a local wrestling magazine, a bowl of snacks at her side. Pearl huffed irritably as she stood up straight, drumming her slender fingers on the counter. “He asked me, Amethyst,” she said pointedly.

Amethyst didn’t so much as bother glancing up for her magazine, popping a frozen microwave burrito in her mouth. “So?” she asked, mouth full. Steven paused nervously, speaking out to try and make some quick peace before things could start to spiral out of hand. “Uh, a–actually, I was just looking for any answer, I didn’t really care who—”

“So let me answer!” Pearl cut in icily, all her focus on the newly stirred argument as she turned to face Amethyst.

Huffing, Amethyst set down her magazine. “Oh, because you know so much better?” she snapped. She shapeshifted into a purple replica of Pearl, kicking her leg up on top of the television in a mock ballerina pose. “I’m Pearl,” she drawled in a mocking snobbish voice. “I’m so smart, and intelligent, and so heroic!”

“Guys, I thought you didn’t fight anymore!” Steven cried out, but it was clear he’d lost any vague semblance of control over the situation.

Pearl grimaced, putting a hand to her forehead. “Amethyst please—”

“I should be the one in charge, Garnet,” continued Amethyst, putting her hands to her chest with an overdramatic whine. “Garnet, put me in charge!”

“Really now! Just—

“I’m so perfect!” spat Amethyst, not even bothering with the mocking tone anymore. “So absolutely perfect! Everybody loves me! Why won’t Rose love me? I deserve her—”

“I said stop!” Pearl screamed, teeth clenched. Amethyst froze, instantly disappearing back into her old form, staring with eyes full of concern, looking worried, and maybe even a bit scared.

Pearl took a shaky deep breath, wiping away a small bloom of a tear in the corner of her eye. “Y–you,” she said unevenly, hands curled in tight fists. “You should behave yourself.”

Amethyst took a hesitant step forward, raising a hand as if to comfort the other gem, all the way across the room. “Hey, come on Pearlgi, you... you know I didn’t mean—”

She was cut off by a horrible ear grating screech, an echoing crash shaking the house. Steven, Pearl, and Amethyst ran out onto the house’s balcony, watching as a massive corrupted gem stood from where it crashed on the beach, lightly shaking off sand.

It looked like a massive dragonfly, smooth black horns curving lightly down the back of it’s serpentine neck. It had no eyes, and instead a smooth rounded gem was embedded above it’s jaw, canvasing most it’s face. As it moved, it’s very skin seemed to shift in the light like a child’s marble, mixtures of blues and grayish reds, separated by curls of near black. It’s thousands of patchwork wings glittered like stained glass as it moved, snarling as it struggled to get it’s footing in the hard sand.

“I don’t think it’s—” before Amethyst so much as finish her sentence, the corrupted gem turned towards the sound of her voice, screeching, spit flying from it’s sharp maw. Wings flapping, it weaved through the air like a snake through water, looking ready to strike.

Pearl summoned her spear, leaping lightly off the balcony. She managed to catch herself on one of the monster’s paper thin wings, driving her spear through to try and help her keep her grasp.

“Aw crap!” Amethyst pulled her whip from her gem, throwing herself into the fight. She shape shifted into the Purple Puma, holding on tight to the gem’s snake–like skin, hitting it fiercely. When it became evident that was doing nothing but enrage it further, she swung her whip around, pulling tightly, hoping to maybe poof the gem like that.

Pearl pulled her spear free, swinging herself up onto the monster’s back. She wobbled slightly, trying her best to keep her balance. She dragged herself across, pulling herself slowly towards the monsters head. Locking her legs around it’s neck, she raised her spear, trying to jab it beneath the gemstone and pry it free, but the corrupted gem only screamed. It hurled itself at the beach, smashing itself into the sand again and again until Pearl lost her grip. It raised itself again for another smashing blow.

Just before it dropped, Steven leaped over, wrapping his arms around Pearl as a pink bubble rose around them, just barely managing to hold back the beast’s immense weight.

Hissing in anger at it’s failed attack, the beast leaped back into the sky, circling overhead, Amethyst still clinging on as she fought.

“My spear didn’t even hurt it! It only got angrier!” Pearl said in frustrated disbelief, grimacing.

“You can do it,” Steven encouraged. “We’ve fought stronger gems before, right?” he said, dropping the bubble as Pearl bent her knees looking for some way back up to the corrupted gem.

She winced slightly. “Not without Garnet.” Spinning her spear, she ran back beneath the creature’s shadow, wondering if there were some way to get it to hit the beach hard enough to poof itself.

Overhead, Amethyst clung to one of it’s wings, pulling at it’s leg with shapeshifted muscles. “Come on,” she grunted. “Just—poof already!” Gritting her teeth, she instead swung her whip, trying to find some kind of weak spot.

The corrupted gem let out a freakish cry as the whip slashed against it’s throat, writhing fiercely. It dropped nearly a hundred feet before catching itself. Suddenly, it shot straight up at a speed that had to be somewhere near it’s limit, flailing. It flipped quickly, sharply, and before she could so much as realize it, Amethyst lost her grip.

“Amethyst!” Steven yelled. “Pearl, she’ll be fine, right? She falls a lot, a–and even if she cracks, I can fix cracks, right?”

Pearl watched, frozen. Her eyes were wide. Afraid.

Only a heartbeat passed before she was running. She leapt into the air, higher than any human could ever manage, slamming into Amethyst midair as she wrapped her arms around the smaller gem. A bright glow enveloped them both, followed by a flash.

Opal rolled as she hit the ground. Standing, she seemed less at ease than usual, her chest heaving, hands shaking. Steven watched for a moment, hesitant as she summoned her bow, drawing it back carefully. Without so much as a glance in the corrupted gem’s direction, Opal let loose an arrow of light into the creature’s neck. It’s gem, as big as Steven’s hand, landed in the shallow of the water with a loud splash.

“That was amazing! You were amazing!” shouted Steven, running over to grab her by the legs in a tight hug. “You poofed it with just one arrow! And when Pearl saved Amethyst—wow! Giant woman!”

Opal offered a small patient smile, one of her lower arms patting his curly hair gently. “Want to help me bubble it?” she asked in her calm throaty voice, a light in her eyes.

Steven grinned. “Yeah! It fell down over this way.” They waded into the shallows, Steven’s small hand in Opal’s large slender ones as they looked for the gem. After finding a few pretty shells, Steven tripped over the gem, and Opal bubbled it, sending it back into the temple.

“It was nice to see you again Steven,” Opal said gently, looking out across the ocean.

Steven paused, eyes widened. “Wait, you say that like you’re leaving!” he accused, folding his arms and pouting.

“Well,” she said shrugging slightly. “Pearl and Amethyst probably won’t want to keep together much longer either way. Might as well unfuse now.”

She started to glow, but before she could split, Steven suddenly grabbed her by the waist. “Waaaaait!” he said, squeezing tightly, as if he could hold together. “I wanna spend time with you! I get to spend lots of time with Garnet, and I’ve spent time with Sardonyx and even Alexandrite—but I feel like I barely know you!” he insisted. To his surprise, she actually ceased to glow, looking down at him with surprise in her pale blue eyes. He continued, smiling. “As gem–in–charge for the weekend, I order you to stay fused and spend the day with me! Please?” he asked, using his biggest best puppy dog eyes.

Opal sighed, but a tiny smile escaped onto her lips. “I’ll stay fused for as long as Pearl and Amethyst can manage it, okay?” she said. She lightly picked him up in all four arms before tucking him under one. “Where to?”

Steven grinned. “We’re gonna do everything! Opal, away!”

He showed her all his favorite spots around town; at the Big Donut, she tried to decide whether or not she wanted to eat. In the end she decided just to have a juice box—but she couldn’t bring herself to drink it.

They visited the T-Shirt Shop and bought matching shirts; Steven chose a bright orange shirt with the flashy words printed across his stomach spelling out, “WILD ONE”. After finding a shirt big enough for four arms to fit through the sleeves, he found a turquoise shirt written in careful cursive, “Mild One”.

As the sun started setting over the ocean, Opal carried Steven up the cliff to the lighthouse. While the light slowly stained the sky a sweet pink and orange, they folded paper airplanes and dropped them over the edge, watching them spiral down to the beach below—that was Steven’s idea too.

“Look!” he said, laughing as he leaned over the fence, pointing. “That one landed on the balcony of the house!”

“That’s nice Steven,” Opal said softly, watching the sunset with an absent expression, resting her chin in one pair of arms, the other pair resting on the fence.

Steven looked up at her, pausing. “Hey, Opal. Is... is everything okay?” he asked hesitantly.

She straightened, her cheeks flushing violet. “Sorry. Everything’s... fine,” she said, picking up a piece of paper and folding it quietly. They were quiet for a while, the only sound the call of the seagulls and the folding of paper. “Please tell me,” Steven said, putting a hand on her arm, looking up at her with worry in his eyes.

Opal sighed, turning the paper airplane over in her hands. “We’ve... I’ve barely been keeping together today. They’re still upset with each other. I just...” she lifted her head, the wind playing with her hair lightly. “I want them to get along. Garnet is happy and at peace and loves herself... but I constantly feel on the edge of falling apart. They care about each other, I can feel it, but sometimes it feels like…”

There was a pause, and Steven tipped his head slightly to the side. “Feels like what?”

“Feels like maybe I shouldn’t even exist.” Looking away, she gently let the airplane. It swooped lightly downward, floating through the air. It slid down onto the banister of the house’s porch—and lightly nudged the other airplane off the edge, and into the sand below.

“I just want to love myself,” Opal said softly. “Like Garnet does. ...Garnet.” Eyes widening, there was a sudden pulse of light as she fell apart, Pearl and Amethyst falling onto the ground. Opal’s t–shirt dropped to the ground between them, forgotten.

Amethyst sat up quickly, hair flopping in her eyes. “Steven! Garnet said she’d be back by yesterday!” she said, looking like she was trying to hide her nervousness. But for once, she couldn’t hide it under a casual uncaring facade.

“What?” Steven yelped, taking a step back. “I was having so much fun with Opal I forgot! She promised to be back by now!”

“Calm down Steven,” Pearl said, a slight coldness in her voice. “I’m sure Garnet’s fine. She’s a very capable gem.”

“Seriously!” yelled Amethyst. “Some of those corrupted gems are super tough P! Don’t you even want to check in on her?”

Pearl looked away, folding her arms. “She’s stronger than all of us, she’s probably just a little held up.”

“G–guys, please don’t fight—”

“Would it shatter you to care?” Amethyst snapped angrily, tightening her hands into fists. “I know she’s strong, but she said she’d be back by now!” Pearl turned to look at Amethyst, leaning over her. “And if she was in danger, you think I’d be any help? I’m just some high and might Pearl who thinks she deserves everything, right? That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

Amethyst glared up at her, teeth grit. “Fine! I’ll go find Garnet without you!” Pushing away, she ran off, headed back for the temple.

Steven paused, scared and upset. Hesitantly, he reached out to hold her hand. “Pearl? Are you okay?”

She pulled her hand away, not looking him in the eyes. “It’s getting late, Steven. Humans need to sleep,” she said quietly, wiping at her eyes as she started walking away.

“Pssst. Pssst! Steven!”

Steven blinked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up with a yawn. “Amethyst?” he asked, sitting up. “It’s the middle of the night—whoaa!”

She grabbed him by the hand, pulling him out of bed. “Come on, we’ve got to go find Garnet!”

“I thought you’d already left?” he asked cocking his head to the side as he straightened his jammies.

She shook her head. “No way. If whatever it was is stopping Garnet from getting back, I can’t beat it on my own. That’s why you’ve gotta come with me!”

Steven hesitated, pausing. “I dunno Amethyst. It’s really late, and Pearl said I needed to go to bed.”

Amethyst stepped back, folding her arms. “Come on, who did Garnet say was in charge? You, or Pearl?”

Moments later, the warp pad lit in a beam of light, and they were off, floating to who knows where. “Um, where exactly are we going?” Steven asked as he floated in the light.

Casually grabbing Steven by the ankle so he wouldn’t float away, Amethyst explained. “She said something was attacking the Geode, and that it shouldn’t be a problem. I figure we can just pop in, probably see Ruby and Sapphire being embarrassing, and then head back, easy as that.”

“Alright,” Steven said cautiously as the light flashed out. No longer floating through the air, he flopped flat on the ground. Not bothering to get up, he stared up at the starry sky. “Is she fine? Can we go home now?” he asked, yawning.

“This... might take a little longer than I thought,” Amethyst said, pulling Steven to his feet.

A massive creature clawed at the geode, lashing at it with massive spined tentacles. It looked like some horrible massive jellyfish, a dark shade of green with faded gray stripes. It’s huge toothy maw screamed as it grabbed a distant figure standing on top of the geode, whacking them into the ground again and again.

It was just like the gem Garnet had brought home only days before, but countless times more massive.

“I think it has Garnet!” Steven said, eyes going wide. “We have to go get Pearl!”

Amethyst reached into her gem, drawing out her whip in a flash of light. “I can do this without her help!” Leaping forward, she started rolling in a blur of right, shooting off towards the gem like a ball being rolled down a gutter.

“Amethyst, wait!” he yelled, reaching out after. She didn’t look back, leaping at the giant gem in a blur of light and energy.

The gem monster swung one of it’s tentacles at her, sending her flying in the air. Before she got far, she threw her whip. It wrapped around the base of the tentacle, and when she pulled hard, it pulled her back onto the creature’s stoney body. A second tentacle swung down, and this one made heavy contact, smashing her against the creature’s back.

Grimacing, she forced herself to roll out of the way as it swung back for a second attack. She ran across it’s back to where it held Garnet in it’s tentacle, high and out of reach. Before she was so much as halfway there, the monster screamed and shook it’s entire body, throwing Amethyst to the ground so hard the earth beneath her cracked.

Breathing heavily, she forced herself to stand. She’d only barely made it to her feet when a tentacle smashed into her side, sending her flying back into the ground. It brought another spiney arm down on her, then another, and another, a relentless attack.

She could feel the light of her body pulsing, struggling, fighting to hold together. She panted, her weapon disappearing as she lost the energy to sustain it. It was obvious she couldn’t stand another hit like that. Shapeshifting into the Purple Puma, she managed to catch the next tentacle as it swung down, barely holding it high enough to keep from being crushed. Closing her eyes, she grunted, trying her best to hold it in place. She couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Get off!” She managed to lift her head just in time to see a spiral spear flying through the air, lodging itself in the skin of the tentacle. The creature pulled back in pain,  and Amethyst found herself back in her last form, breathing heavily.

“Amethyst!” she couldn’t even stand before a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling close, tears falling on her shoulder. “Are you alright? Did it crack you?”

She lifted her head, looking up into a familiar pair of eyes. “Pearl?” she asked, blinking with a forced smile. “What are you doing here? I thought you hated me?”

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t feel that way?” Pearl said, holding Amethyst in a close embrace.

“Did it hurt you?” Amethyst asked, wiping tears from her eyes, leaning closer into the hug.

“No, I’m fine. Did it hurt you?”

Amethyst grinned, eyes welling up. “Who even cares?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“I do!” Pearl said, wiping at her eyes with the palm of her hand.

“Uh, guys!” yelled a muffled voice. They both looked up to see a bright pink bubble in one of the creature’s tentacles, Steven standing inside. “I think it’s mad!”

Pearl moved to stand, but Amethyst grabbed her hand. “Wait,” she said, looking cautious as she spoke. “This thing is mega tough. I couldn’t even scratch it.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Pearl said. She stretched out her hand, offering a slight smile. Amethyst looked up at her with wide eyes, blinking back tears. Grinning, she lunged forward, ignoring Pearl’s outstretched hand and grabbing her around the waist.

As they embraced, they were enveloped in a pure warm light, their gems shifting as a massive woman straightened from where they stood. Clear blue eyes opened as she gently brushed the hair from her eyes. Lifting her head, she rested her hands on each of her gems, drew out each of her weapons, and formed her bow. With a small grin, she pulled back on the string, a bolt of light forming as she lined up her sights. With a deep breath, Opal whispered, “We got this.”

She let loose one arrow into the arm that held Steven, and when that had no effect, she unleashed another three into the one holding back Garnet. The corrupted gem scream as it dropped it’s captives. Steven dropped his bubble shield and managed to scramble back to safety, and Garnet leapt over, landing lightly next to Opal. Grinning, the magenta gem adjusted her visor. “Good to see you again.”

Drawing back her bow again, Opal glanced at the other gem with a small nod. “You too.” Releasing an arrow, Garnet took off at top speed. Jumping, she kicked off the arrow, and leapt into the air. Right as Garnet dropped towards the massive gem monster, Opal unleashed another barrage of arrows. After a pause, the monster rippled, then exploded in a flash of light, unable to hold up under both fusions attacks.

Garnet and Opal walked back, and Steven ran over, grabbing them in an excited hug. “You did it! You both did it!”

Opal flushed slightly, still unused to all the attention, but she seemed to relax when Garnet set a hand on her shoulder. “You did some great work, Opal. I guess you’ll be leaving soon?” she asked, cocking her head to the side, almost as if she already knew the answer.

Pausing, Opal bent down and picked Steven up, setting him lightly on the shoulders. “So long as I’m here, I think I can stay around for, say, one episode of Crying Breakfast Friends?”

Steven gasped, eyes bright as he wrapped his arms around her head in a tight excited hug. “Thanks Opal!”