#and at the end she would never forgive or forget. But she slowly learns to accept it

[therandompagesblog]

SKZ Pack Chapter 1

Trigger Warnings: None

Weeks had gone by and it was nearly December. The wolves had changed in who they were. Jeongin became a tougher alpha and spent many weeks training to his full potential, but he also learned to be a better mate to Y/N. He was still making it up to her. Seungmin was still as cocky as ever and spent more time researching the dark side of werewolf lore in case they ended up in a tragic situation again. Felix was sensitive if not more sensitive after what happened and felt more protective of all the wolves so he offered to take part in more training, unlike Jisung who became glued to the side of Y/N. Jisung was far too in love with Y/N and loved to express that as he helped her around the house. Jisung made sure to always tell her she looked beautiful and made a point to kiss her scar first before her lips. Changbin was now on a course to look after werewolves as his sister Jaehee realised how useless Changbin was at saving his own omega. Changbin wasn't great but he could now stitch a minor cut. Minho on the other hand grew colder, he was hurting the most out of all of them. He still did his usual stuff but stayed out of debates and never gave his opinion. Him and Y/N were still not alright. They never spoke to each other unless it was a 'good morning' or a 'thank you'. Minho lost a lot of trust with Y/N and some of the others, but her words cut deep and he wasn't on the path of forgiveness yet. Hyunjin had gone back to his cold self and spent time in his art room, but still made time for Y/N.Chan had woken up but was bedridden as his ribs were still not healing but he was fine. He was pissed for the first twenty-four hours when he found out about Y/N's mission of death, but he got over it, knowing she was fine. He was happier when she came in to look after him, he appreciated her omegaing him but he knew it was tiring her out because she too was slowly healing.

Then there was Y/N she healed eventually but was still bandaged up. Spiritually she was damaged and Hyunjin's soul was trying to repair hers but it was too exhausting for him so she asked him to stop. Y/N wasn't as active as she had liked to be but still made a point to get up and see her wolves, despite Jisung being stuck to her. Not one of them had asked her about that night and it almost became a taboo subject. It was almost silently forbidden to be discussed. Y/N wanted to bring it up to apologise but when she did they would wave her off and tell her it's fine. Still, she knew Minho and Jeongin were the two she massively owed an apology to, but getting them alone was going to be harder. Minho was going to be her biggest challenge but she was going to start off strong by writing him a letter in case he refused to hear her apology and then giving him the flowers. By flowers, she meant the ones she picked from the garden and put into the vase after she turfed out the others. When Y/N came back into the kitchen she saw Minho prepping dinner. He was aware she walked into the kitchen and usually, he doesn't speak unless she speaks first. Y/N had to admit she felt incredibly nervous speaking to him and it was mainly because she hated hearing what she had done wrong. Y/N knew and understood her actions but hearing them made her slightly uncomfortable and defensive. "Minho?" Y/N called as she stood there awkwardly watching him. "Hmm?" Minho acknowledged her but did not look at her so Y/N decided he was comfortable with whatever she was going to say. "I wanted to say I'm sorry okay? Just hear me out and don't say anything. I only want you to listen." Y/N waited for him but he said nothing, making her roll her eyes. "I am sorry for not being grateful for your efforts. I know you worked hard to help and you did more than what I realised and I appreciate that. I guess I wanted to help and, anyway that's not the point. Forget that part. The main thing I wanted to apologise was for using your insecurity against you. I know it was low and I didn't mean it. I'm not good at apologies so I picked some flowers and wrote a letter of apology which I want you to read."

Y/N almost cursed herself at her botched apology. She completely messed it up but there was nothing she could do now except leave the letter on the table and leave him alone, which she did. Y/N left the kitchen and was about to head up to see Chan when Changbin entered the room in his medical clothes. Y/N greeted the beta with a gentle hug which Changbin was grateful for. Y/N knew Changbin wasn't really enjoying the hospital work and studying with his sister, he would rather be at the gym and then play his x-box. Changbin threw his bag down and kicked on his shoes while holding Y/N as he nuzzled her face against his, before pecking her lips. "Shall we go nurse Channie?" Y/N giggled as she kissed him again. "Let me unwind baby and then I'll come right up," Changbin whispered. Y/N nodded and headed up to see Chan who was idly staring up at the ceiling. It made Y/N laugh at how bored he looked. He was completely fed up with being stuck in the bedroom but his right leg was struggling to heal. "Felix said he might take my stitches out soon," Y/N said as she walked over to him and sat on his bed. Chan smiled up at her as he reached for her hand to hold. He loved it when she came to visit him. Admittedly, Chan sometimes got lonely since he was cooped up in the same four walls. "I want to tell you something and I don't want you to take it the wrong way baby. You know I love you." Chan said softly. "Oh no. Uh. Uh. Whatever it is Mr alpha I ain't doing it." Y/N answered as she bopped his nose like a child. "I'm being serious, baby," Chan said causing Y/N to frown. Why was he being so serious? "I know you are feeling incredibly anxious because you are feeling unclaimed and I know I haven't claimed you fully because I wanted to wait until you could trust me and your body was fully healed, but I know at the moment I'm not going to be in any position to do a while and I don't want you to feel unstable in my pack. We all love you, despite the conflicts we do. Which is why I had a chat with Jeongin and I want him to claim you." Chan stated. "No. Jeongin is fuming with me and besides I am completely fine. I'm not feeling anxious, or disconnected in any way. I want to wait. I want you, besides you could lay there." Y/N hinted with a smirk as she pulled his duvet cover down. Chan rolled his eyes nonchalantly. "Baby. Jeongin is over it, if anything it's Minho that's going to take a while. He accepts what you have said but he doesn't forgive easily. Besides Jeongin wants to ease your anxiety." Chan cooed. "I want you Channie to be the first. I don't care how long we have to wait for your leg to get better. Besides Seungmin can keep up." Y/N stated. "My love. What did I do to deserve you." Chan cooed, his heart swelling with pride. As much as he wanted to be the first his mark was already there and she needed to feel settled. "Ya, let's play doctors and nurses," Changbin shouted as he kicked the door open. "Fuck sake," Chan muttered.

Taglist for the iconic readers

@galaxy4489 @mbioooo0000 @jisungs-iced-americano @maybeimmia @hwangrfrnd@wolfo2027 @kayleefriedchicken @leamueller920 @borahae-reads @jennibahng @cookiesandcreammy @leezanetheofficial @jutdwae-flower @danceonmyheyday @jc003 @hpnsfwaddict @linocz @itzreetal987 @skzdreamer13 @reallychaoticwoo @liv1sworld @upsidedownchaire @jutdwae-flower @danceonmyheyday @jc003 @hpnsfwaddict @skzdreamer13 o @ihttinniee @kingdomofpentagon @pixie0627 @tsunderelino @notevenheretbh1 @catlove83 @h0rnyp0t @hash2013 @hyunmikim @emi-han @iknow-uknow-leeknow @jigglypuff3000 @aalexyuuuhm @reallychaoticwoo @missseoulite @ihrtlix @estella-novella @xxeiraxx

[v-4-mpmistress]

Omg I would love to read Benedict x wife reader angst with a happy ending 😭

I only want you.

Benedict Bridgerton × Fem! Reader

'Till dead do us apart my love, my live, my darling, and i will stab myself i broke my promise'

Warnings/Tags: cheating (LIE, he would never, just a misunderstanding), angst with a happy ending, reader is pregnant.

Benedict Bridgerton had always been a free spirit, untamable, a rebel.

If he had to point the moments he had been happier in his life, he would list four.

So when he fell in love, when he married you, it was a surprise even to himself, yet he learned that he nevel felt more free than when he was with you, you were his muse.

1. The time he went with his dad, Anthony and Colin hunting when they were children

2. When he discovered art

3. When he married you

4. When you told him you were with child, his child

The moment he found out he was going to be a father, he almost passed out. He was terrified and completely and utterly devoted to you and your child. He began to insist on helping you with the most minimal stuff, even taking over some maiden's work to ensure it was done properly. He began kissing your stomach every day and night, whispering to the life growing on your womb.

He was completely and utterly obsessed with you, so when his friends from art school invited him to have some drinks at a gentlemen's club, he even doubted accepting it because he didn't wanted to leave you.

'Benedict Bridgerton, you are going out two hours, not to fight in a war,stop acting like a puppy', you had told him, half scold, half chuckle.

He, reluctantly, accepted the invite, of course not without kissing you sensless first.

Before he could take any step outside he felt hands roaming his back.

The drinks and chatting came quickly once he met up with his mates, and of course, eventually, he got drunk enough not to ask where his friends were taking him, and yet the path seemed familiar even in his foggy mind.

They arrived to a building covered in red fabric in the inside, some chaises, and people around .

The realization punched him in the face when he entered the stablishment that smelled like cheap perfume.

A brothel.

His mind slowly reacted to what his eyes saw, why was he here?, ah, that's right, his friends brought him, but why?.

'Do you wish any service, my lord? ', the woman asked, lips brushing against his neck, a hand on his arm making his skin shiver, yet it didn't felt right, it was not right, this wasn't his wife, but why wasn't he moving?, the alcohol, he was feeling dizzy, sick.

'I-, no, forgive me Miss', he said finally pulling apart looking around trying to locate the exit.

'It's not to worry my lord, nobody will spill a word', the woman spoke moving towards him again, hands roaming his chest.

'I- what?, no,no, I'm married, I'm not here for any service', he said grabbing the womans wrists to pull her hands afar.

'As many of the men here tonight, my lord, there is no shame on wanting someone else one night ', she said, trying to get closer.

'Uh- no, i assure you I'm happily married, this is a misunderstanding', he said slowly, panicking and moving towards the exit, almost knocking over a plant on the way out.

He walked out of there as fast as he could, forgetting about his friends, about absolutely everything except the fact he was suffocating in there, breathing shallow even as the fresh air hit his face.

Looking over his shoulder to the building behind him, he sighed shakily. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as he ran a hand across his hair and began walking home.

He took off his vest, bowtie, and waistcoat on the way home. Was it improper? Absolutely, but there was no one walking the streets at this hour and his skin was burning both from an adrenaline he couldn't identify the source, almost like panic, and from the acohol in his body.

He almost smiled when he saw his house, ran and tripped but didn't fall, he stumbled when he opened the door but finally took a deep breath.

He left his clothes on a chaise nearby, not even worrying about the fact that he left his jacket on the gentleman's club.

'My love?', he asked almost in a whisper, not wanting to wake you up if you were already in bed.

'Ben?, you are back already?', your voice reached his ears with sweetness, he followed your voice almost as an instinct.

You were in the nursery, just a small candle lit as you unpacked a wooden box with stuff for the baby.

'Did you had fun?' You asked softly without looking at him but a small smile on your lips.

'...uh huh, i mean, I've had better, i guess', he said, still a tad disoriented.

'Go to sleep, Ben, you sound like you had more drinks than you should '. You chuckled softly as he approached you and sat next to you, taking a baby blanket in his hands.

But before he could even open his mouth, your brows furrowed.

'Benedict, why do you smell like that?', he froze as the words left your lips confusing even himself, smell like what?.

'What do you mean?', he said in a lower voice than what he meant.

'You smell like perfume, and i haven't gone to any gentleman's club, obviously, but i do not believe they spray 1 shilling perfume all over the place', you said finally looking at him.

'They do not, but it's-' he paused when he saw the look on your face.

'There is lipstick on your shirt', you spoke before he could begin talking again.

His brows furrowed, his hand moving instinctively to his neck.

'What are?-' He began saying, but you interrupted him.

'You went to a brothel ', a whisper escaped your lips, the confusion on your features turning into both horror and a different type of confusion.

He almost flinched at you words, it was true...half of it at least, but god, he felt dirty even if he didn't choose to go there or did something of the sort.

'I did not...i did, but it's what you think my darling i-' he began speaking, to his misfortune he began stuttering, frustrating because it wasn't out of shame of being caught, but out of the brandy in his system.

You two had a fight that night. It didn't last long as your tears began to shed and your throat to close, and Benedict was about to cry too because he was acting like a foolish man, like a culprit when in reality he was so drunk he wanted to puke.

He slept in his study that night, and even if he wasn't going to admit it, he shed tears too at hearing your sobs from the bedroom because, truth be told, he was terrified, he would die for you, kill for you, and he didn't wanted you to hate him because a fate like that would be worse than dead itself, also he was worried, you where supposed to stay calm, to relax, you where making life inside you, his child, your child, and he could never forgive himself if the emotions you where feeling now made you lost the baby.

He barely slept that night when he finally did it it was because he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

The next day, he woke up with his head trobbing like someone had smashed a chair on top of his head. He didn't know how much time he stayed unmoving, just trying to get the headache to go. When it calmed, he stood up, even if he was still in pain, because no matter how bad he felt nothing was more important than you, and he had to speak with you.

'What do you want', your voice cold and broken receiving him when he entered the bedroom almost made him tear up.

'Can we talk?', he asked, his voice trembling a bit.

'I do not think that's necessary ', you said, not looking at him, but at a painting he did, now hanged in the wall, still he could see thr faint redness in your eyes.

'It is, because it didn't happen what you think it did', he said calmly but still with that imperceptible tremble as he walked to kneel next to the bed.

You scoffed, and you didn't even wanted to reply to him.

'Just hear me please', he whispered softly, moving his hand close to yours but not touching you.

He waited a moment, sighed when you didn't replied and he explained what happened.

He apologized, more than he should. He explained how he had drinked more than he should, how he never questioned his friends, how he realized too late where he was, how the lady touched him, but he moved away, how he felt nauseous when she did, how he ran out of there to return to you.

And there was a part of you that still was weary, yet the tears that began building in his eyes weren't the tears of someone lying and scared of the consequences of his actions, they were honest tears, the ones shed by someone that thought he did something wrong when he was not at fault and of someone that simply felt too much.

'Im sorry, my love, forgive me, i-, i should had noticed where was i going, and i should have stayed here with you, the last thing i want it's to hurt you or the baby, i would prefer a hundred whippings than to hurt you...you are my entire reason of living, my dear, my entire soul is devoted to you, you are my muse, and if i have to spend the rest of my days trying to make it up to you i will, but if i have to live in a world where you hate me or without you i would rather die', he whispered in a trembling voice reaching to grab your hands and kiss your knuckles gently.

'...i trust you Benedict, and i know you enough to know you will never dishonor me like this, but you do have to take a bath because that perfume smells horrid' you whispered after some moments, half about to cry and half chuckle.

He chuckled too but about to cry and moved his head to your lap.

'I love you, i promise i will never make you doubt again', he whispered, trembling.

That day finished with a freshly bathed Benedict that smelled like lavender, resting next to you, and covered in your lipstick kisses.

Because Benedict Bridgerton was a rebel, but he worshiped his wife like she hung the stars, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

room for one more troubled soul

A belated fill for Day 5 of @charles-rowland-week! This is set in the Dead Girl Detectives AU I wrote about in tell them I was loved, featuring ghost!Crystal, ghost!Niko, and psychic!Charles, but it works fine as a standalone. You can either read it below or here on AO3.

Prompt: AU

Rating: M

Warnings: Child abuse, homelessness, David-typical unpleasantness, canon-typical violence

Word count: 7.5K

Relationships: Charles & Crystal & Niko

Summary: After running away from home, Charles ends up captured by a demon who he’s pretty sure is going to kill him. It seems like a fitting end for a short, shitty life until two ghost girls show up and rescue him from David.

Or, how Charles Rowland—psychic medium, unwanted son, and runaway—becomes a part of the Dead Girl Detective Agency.

***

Charles is twelve when he realizes that his father doesn’t love him anymore.

His father has always been a storm cloud of emotions that hangs over the whole house. There’s usually anger, resentment, fear, and a strange sort of grief, but there used to be love too. Charles used to feel it, even as Dad was slapping Mum across the face or taking the belt to Charles’s back. He knew that Dad cared about them in his own way, that he wanted them—especially Charles—to be better. And he could always tell that he was sorry after he hit them, even if Dad never said it.

The love ebbs away so slowly that Charles doesn’t notice until it’s gone, until his father shoves him against the wall hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs and send a framed family photo falling to the ground, where the glass cracks on impact. Charles stares at his father, hands raised to protect his face, and realizes that there’s no love left in Paul Rowland: just rage and the bitter disappointment of a man whose life is nothing like he expected. Dad isn’t even a little bit sorry as he pulls his belt off.

The hatred hurts more than the belt.

***

Charles is fifteen when he realizes that if he doesn’t leave, his father is going to kill him. He touches the coffee table in the middle of the living room and sees it clearly: a fist to the face, Charles reeling backwards, the crack of a skull against wood, blood soaking into the already-stained carpet. He stands there, frozen, until his father barks at him to demand what the fuck is wrong with him and Charles can only babble and excuse before scrambling away from the coffee table so fast that he trips over his own two feet.

That night, he sneaks out after his parents are asleep with nothing but but a backpack full of essentials, his cricket bat in case he runs into trouble, and the money he stole from his father’s wallet. He doesn’t need his powers to know that he’s never going to step foot back inside this house and that he’ll probably never see his parents again. He doesn’t know how he feels about that, so he doesn’t think about it.

For a while, he stays with his cousin, Liz. His uncle is cut from the exact same cloth as his dad, so she knows why Charles would need to run. But after a few weeks, Liz’s boyfriend starts making noise about how bloody inconvenient it is to have a teenager sleeping on their couch and eating all their food. Charles sees the writing on the wall, so he leaves before Liz has to make a choice. She’s his favorite cousin, so he doesn’t want to learn how she’d choose.

After that, he stays with a mate from school, Henry. That’s fine for a while, until Henry’s parents get it in their heads that what he needs to do is sit down with his own parents and tell them how he really feels about his dad beating the shit out of them, as if talking it out will help. He only has one set of parents, they tell Charles, and they won’t be around forever. Wouldn’t it be better to forgive and forget?

Charles leaves in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. He feels a little bad—Henry’s always been a good friend—but it’s only a matter of time before his parents call Charles’s, and that’s the last thing Charles needs.

He goes to London, because it seems like exactly the sort of place you should go when you’re trying to hide. In a city of millions of people, who will notice Charles? Plus, he’s always liked the city. His dad took him to a couple Arsenal games when he was a kid and it’s the only time he ever remembers Dad looking truly happy.

But London is a different place when you have nowhere to go. It’s winter and the shelters are full of other people needing a place to stay for the night. Plus, Charles keeps telling people he’s nineteen, but he knows he doesn’t look it. He’s not sure if he’s been reported missing—his parents probably wouldn’t bother, but Henry’s parents may have—so he’s not sure if anyone will be looking for him. Still, it seems safer not to linger in one place for long, even if that means being cold and hungry.

It’s the ghosts that keep him alive. London is full of them and once he gets to talking to a few of them, they help him find safe places to sleep. Janice, the ghost of an old lady who spends her afterlife knitting a child-sized sweater on a park bench, steals food for him sometimes. Charles doubts he would have made it a week here without them.

He meets David in the park that Janice haunts. He seems like a nice sort of bloke, a uni student who says he goes to school nearby. He buys Charles a sandwich and a cup of tea and listens when Charles talks about the father who didn’t love him and the mother who did love him, but not as much as she loved his father. He seems sympathetic, so much so that Charles gets the feeling that maybe he really understands. Other people, like Henry, have tried, but David seems to really get it. Charles has been so desperately lonely for weeks now, or maybe for the last fifteen years, and it’s such a relief to meet someone who sees him.

“Something’s off about that boy,” Janice says, eyeing David’s back warily as he walks away.

“Nah, he seems an alright sort.” Charles looks into his nearly-empty cup of tea. It’s the first hot drink he’s had in weeks and the warmth still lingers in his chest.

She makes a skeptical noise and he smiles at her fondly.  Janice doesn’t seem to like most people. He’d be pretty sure she didn’t like him either, if she didn’t keep making sure that he doesn’t starve or freeze to death.

“Don’t worry,” he tells her, smiling fondly. “I’m a psychic, yeah? I can tell when people are up to no good.”

He sees David in the park a few more times. David’s always friendly and willing to lend an ear and a few pounds for a sandwich. It’s the fourth or fifth time that they see each other, that David mentions that his roommate just moved out and he has an extra room.

“It’s too fucking cold to be sleeping outside, mate,” he tells Charles. “You can crash for a bit, just until you get your feet under you.”

Charles shakes his head. “Don’t want to be any trouble.”

“You won’t be.” David’s smile is kind.

“I can’t pay rent.”

“Sure, because you don’t have a job. You need a good shower and a shave before you go looking for one. Let’s just get you back on your feet and then we can talk about rent.”

Charles is a psychic. He’s been able to read other people since before he could talk. And all he reads from David is worry and compassion, no hint of malevolence or ulterior motives. A shower and a shave sound bloody brilliant. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to accept a helping hand. Once he gets his life together, he can pay David back. 

“Maybe for a night or two,” Charles says hesitantly and David’s smile widens. It’s only later that Charles will recognize the triumph in his eyes.

***

David does let Charles out to shower and shave occasionally, but that’s only because he smells when he doesn’t. Charles isn’t sure how David can smell anything else over the reek of dead fish that permeates the entire flat. At least the remembers to feed Charles every other day or so and has gotten pretty good about bringing pitchers of water after the time Charles nearly died after not having anything to drink for two and a half days. Mostly, he leaves Charles alone in his little room, the door locked and the windows boarded up.

Charles huddles on the little air mattress in the corner and tries not to think of anything. He tries not to think of David slipping into his mind and using him as a puppet, being locked inside his own mind as his body traveled around the city without his say so. He tries not to think of the venom David spits at him: “sad excuse for a psychic” and “fucking useless” and “should have just left you to starve on a bench.” He tries not to think of how fucking cold he is; if there’s heat here, David never seems to turn it on. It feels like he’s still sleeping outside.

He tries not to think of the vision he had earlier when David grabbed his wrist: himself tied up on the ground while David stands over him, knife in hand.

David is going to kill him.

It’s probably been a month since Charles trailed David back to his flat, trusting as a sacrificial lamb, and realized the moment he stepped inside and saw David’s eyes turn black that he’d made a mistake. Charles has spent most of the last month terrified and furious with himself for being so stupid. He would think the fear would have dulled by now, like it used to when he lived under the constant threat of his father’s belt. But right now, he’s so scared, he thinks he might be sick with it.

Charles doesn’t want to die. He left home because he wanted to live. It seems so fucking unfair that he escaped his dad only to end up captured by a worse monster than Paul Rowland could ever dream of being. And now Charles is going to die here and no one’s ever going to know what happened to him, if anyone even tries to find out what happened to him. Most likely, he’ll just be gone, with not even a missing poster left for people to ignore.

He might be crying a little when the door opens, but he quickly wipes his cheeks on the filthy sleeve of his shirt before David steps inside. Rising to his feet on shaky legs, Charles faces the demon head on. If he’s going to die, he’s not going to do it cowering on the ground.

“Here you go,” David says in his mocking voice, wearing a smile so unlike the one he used to convince Charles to follow him home. Charles can’t believe he ever saw kindness there. He tosses a greasy paper bag on the ground at Charles’s feet. “Eat up.”

Charles doesn’t bend to pick up the bag, even though his stomach is hollow with hunger. He figured out weeks ago that if he acts like he wants something too much, David will take it away just to see him squirm. “What do you want?” He’s asked it before. It was one of the first things he asked when he realized that David wasn’t the harmless uni student he was pretending to be. He hasn’t gotten an answer yet.

David chuckles. “Nothing you can give me.”

“Then you can let me go, yeah?” It’s not begging, Charles tells himself. He already tried that. He tried fighting David. He tried escaping while David thought he was taking a shower. He tried stealing David’s phone to call 999. Nothing’s worked. But maybe he can try negotiating. He’s been told he can be pretty convincing.

Anything that might save him from ending up with a knife in his heart.

“And why would I do that?” David steps closer, still wearing that predatory smile.

“Well, I’m no use to you, am I?” Charles asks desperately. “So why not just let me go? It’ll save you money on burgers and chips.”

David clucks his tongue. “You know, maybe you’re right. Here I am, spending all this time and money on a pathetic excuse for a psychic who’s barely any better than a carnival fortune teller. What a waste of my fucking time.” He tilts his head, regarding Charles coldly. “Maybe I should just cut my losses.”

Charles swallows. He doesn’t need his powers to know he’s made another mistake. “Please.”

“Do you know why I’m here in London, Charles, instead of in hell where I belong, torturing souls for all eternity?” David’s voice drops to a whisper.

Charles shakes his head.

“There was a psychic medium and she was everything you’re not. Strong and fascinating and so, so powerful.”

“And what happened to her?” Charles’s voice comes out a croak.

“She died.” David runs a finger down his cheek in a mockery of tears. “And I took her to Hell, because she was a really bad girl, but then she went and escaped. And you know, Hell really doesn’t like it when you let a soul escape you. So I got banished too and I don’t get to go back until I bring her back too. That’s why I thought I could use you.”

“I’m not going to help you,” Charles growls. He doesn’t want to die, but he won’t stoop that low to save his own life. 

“Oh, I know.” David scoffs. “You’re not nearly strong enough to be useful to me. Your powers are…” He kicks the bag at Charles’s feet. “A cheap, greasy burger to her Wagyu beef. You’re hardly worth the time it’d take to break your neck.”

Charles can’t help it; he flinches back.

David laughs. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe I can find something to do with you so you won’t be a complete waste of my time.”

As the door closes behind the demon, Charles sinks down onto the air mattress, hugging his knees to his chest in a vain attempt to stop himself from shaking.

***

Charles’s head is pounding, his thoughts slow and sluggish as he wakes. He doesn’t remember the last time he slept deeply, but he feels like he’s been asleep for a thousand years. His eyes are gritty, the inside of his mouth bone dry, and he aches all over. He tries to stretch, but he can’t move. The fog in his mind clears as fear rushes in and Charles’s eyes snap open to find himself tied up on the ground in the middle of his room. David is nowhere to be seen.

Frantically, Charles wriggles around, but the ropes don’t give. The last thing he remembers is eating the container of soup David brought him for dinner. He knew it tasted funny, but it’d been days since the burger and chips and he’d been starving, so he’d gulped it down anyway. There must have been something in it. How long was he unconscious? And where is David?

He doesn’t have to wonder where David is for long; the door opens and the demon comes in, the knife Charles saw in his vision in hand. Charles goes cold for reasons that have nothing to do with the icy chill in the air. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” He wants to sound defiant. He just sounds terrified.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about our talk the other day.” David moves towards Charles in an unhurried saunter. “And I realized that I really haven’t been thinking outside the box about how I could use you to get back to Hell. I’ve been so focused on Crystal for years and I forgot that just maybe, I don’t need her at all. Maybe you’ll actually be less useless than you look, Charles.”

Charles can’t look away from the knife. “Sorry, not sure I can get you to Hell, mate. Unless you want me to stab you with that. Happy to try.”

“No, I think I have another idea.” David comes to stand by Charles’s head, twirling the knife casually. “You know, when someone dies, either Death comes and sweeps them off to a peaceful, boring afterlife, or Hell comes and snatches them away. Which do you think will happen to you?”

Hands pinned between his back and the ground, Charles tries frantically to loosen the knots around his wrists, but his fingers are clumsy with panic.

“You know, don’t you?” David smiles almost indulgently. “Your own father didn’t love you. You told me when we first met. We both know that there has to be something very, very wrong with you if your own father couldn’t stand the sight of you. You being born destroyed his whole life.”

“Fuck you,” Charles grits out.

“And you get angry sometimes, don’t you? Just like him. You think if I let you out of here, you’ll go on to have a perfect life with a nice wife and a couple of cute kids? How many black eyes will your wife have to cover up with makeup? How long will it take your kids to be terrified of the sound of your footsteps coming down the hall? You can fool yourself all you want, Charles, but I can see right through you. I can see the kind of monster you’ll become if you live.”

Charles closes his eyes. He can feel his heart pounding frantically against his ribs, like it knows it only has so many beats left and wants to get in as many as it can.

“We both know where you belong,” David croons. “And I really hate doing good deeds, but we both know I’m doing one when I put this knife in your heart and stop you from becoming just like dear old dad. And then when Hell comes to collect you, I’ll hitch a ride.”

The floorboards creak next to Charles’s head as David moves closer and Charles braces himself. He doesn’t have to open his eyes to know that David’s raising the knife, ready to plunge it into Charles’s chest, just like in his vision.

Hands grab Charles by the legs and yank. He yelps, eyes flying open in surprise, as he’s dragged across the ground, out of the range of David’s knife, which sinks harmlessly into the ground. When he glances down, he sees hands with pink-painted nails wrapped around his ankles. Behind him, David curses and Charles looks up to see the demon snatching up the knife, face twisted into a snarl. His eyes have gone entirely black.

David’s back is turned to the door, so he doesn’t see when a ghost steps right through it, book in one hand and the other hand outstretched. She’s about Charles’s age, wearing an old-fashioned sort of long light purple skirt and matching jacket, both embroidered with flowers, over a high-necked white blouse and an eye-shaped brooch at her throat. Her eyes are fixed on David, a grim look on her pretty face, as her lips move silently and a flame appears in the palm of her hand.

Charles doesn’t mean for his expression to give anything away, but it must, because David whirls around. When he sees the girl, he laughs. “Well, look who it is. I should have known you’d turn up, Crystal. You never like it when someone else is the center of attention. Still pining after me after all these years?”

“Hi,” a voice whispers in Charles’s ear and he turns his head, swallowing a surprised cry when he finds a girl’s face only inches from his own, her head and neck sticking out of the floor. Smiling, she says, “I’m Niko. And that’s Crystal over there with the fire. We’re the Dead Girl Detectives and we’re here to save you.”

“The Dead Girl…” Charles trails off as one of her arms phases through the floor and she hauls herself upwards like she’s climbing out of a pool. She’s wearing a short, bright pink dress with poofy sleeves and a giant bow tied around her waist. Bizarrely, she’s wearing a Hello Kitty backpack.

“Don’t worry, babe.” David takes a step towards Crystal, not even seeming to notice Niko and Charles, like she’s the only one in the room. “He means nothing to me. You’re the one I really want to drag kicking and screaming to Hell.”

“It’s been thirty-five years, David,” Crystal says. “Are you really not over it? This is getting pathetic.”

“Turn over,” Niko tells Charles and he complies, flipping onto his side so she can untie his wrists. “You’re Charles, right?”

“How did you know?” Charles tenses. The last time he thought someone was doing a good deed for him, he ended up locked in a room for a month.

“Janice hired us to find you. She was worried about you when you didn’t come back to the park.”

“Janice?” Charles nearly forgot about the cranky ghost on the park bench who stole food for him and knew the moment she clapped eyes on David that he was trouble.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to find you.” With a final yank, the ropes around his wrists come loose. “Can you untie your ankles? I need to help Crystal.”

Charles nods, sitting up with a wince to fumble at the ropes around his fingers. Crystal and David are still facing each other, Crystal with the flame in her hand and David wearing that same mocking smile. When Niko stands up, he turns that smile on her. Charles wants to punch it off his smug fucking face.

“Still keeping this one around, Crystal?” David asks. “I keep waiting for you to get bored of the sunshine and rainbows thing. You used to have standards for the company you kept.”

“I still do,” she says. “I’ve just raised them.”

“You know, I’m glad she’s here. Now, when I drag you down to Hell, we can bring your annoying little sidekick too.”

That seems to be enough for Crystal, who says another word in a language Charles doesn’t understand, making the flames leap off her palm and right at David’s face.

“Charles, you should probably run,” Niko says as David and Crystal lunge at each other.

Charles kicks away the last of the ropes and stumbles to his feet. There’s definitely a part of him that wants to bolt for the door. But these girls—the Dead Girl Detectives—came here to save him and leaving them to face a demon alone seems like a shit way to repay them. Not that they seem like they need his help. Crystal is throwing around fire with the skilled ease of someone used to it while Niko pulls a piece of chalk from her backpack and kneels to draw symbols on the ground. Charles may want to help, but he has no idea how.

Then he thinks of his cricket bat. Did David get rid of it, or is it still somewhere in his flat? Charles runs for the door, bursting out into the living area, which is bare of furniture and reeks of fish. He finds his backpack, jacket, and cricket bat by the door, right where he set them down a month ago right before he realized how badly he had fucked up by following David home. He picks up his cricket bat, examines it to make sure it’s undamaged, then rushes back into the bedroom to join the fray.

He finds Crystal fighting against a web of fire that’s surrounded her, pinning her to the wall, while David rounds on Niko, who is still focused on drawing a circle of symbols, her eyes wide as she hurries to finish. Charles crosses the room in two steps and hits David across the face hard enough to make his head snap around. Charles has taken a lot of swings with his cricket bat, but this might be the most satisfying one yet.

“I’m an ancient demon, Charles,” David says. There’s blood on his mouth and a burn on his cheek. “You can’t defeat me with a cricket bat.”

“Maybe not.” Charles shrugs. “But I’m going to try, aren’t I?”

He hits David again, this time in the stomach, and again in the head. A month worth of terror, grief, rage, and hopelessness seems to explode out of him as he just keeps hitting. David laughs and taunts him, but he stumbles with every hit, which is enough to keep Charles swinging. He wants to obliterate that smug, grinning face. He wants David to be half as afraid as Charles has been for the past month.

“Just like Dad, aren’t you, Charles?” David asks in a mocking voice and for an instant, it’s not the demon’s bloody face staring back at him, but Charles’s mum, looking at Charles with scared, betrayed eyes. Even though he knows it’s a trick, Charles’s swing falters.

It’s the opening David needs to reach out and grab the bat, yanking it out of Charles’s hand and breaking it over his knee. Charles stares in dismay as David tosses the broken bits of wood to the ground.

“Oops.” David steps on the remains of the cricket bat as he rounds on Charles. “You know, I think I’ve had enough of—”

A glowing golden string wraps around his wrist and David and Charles both look over to see Niko standing outside the circle of symbols, string in hand.  With a flick of her wrist, David is yanked forward like there’s a hook in his chest. He stumbles into the circle, struggling against the string with all his might. It doesn’t look like much, but he seems as trapped as Charles was earlier. Charles will have to ask Niko how it works later, if they make it out of here.

“Ready, Crystal?” Niko asks.

“You have no idea.” Crystal strides to her side and takes her hand. Burns criss-cross her arms and torso, but they already seem to be healing. “See you in another decade or so, David.”

“Bitch.” David bears his teeth into a snarl. “This time, it won’t take me long to find my way back. And when I do, you and this dumb little cunt—”

Charles is about to pick up the shattered remains of his cricket bat and give beating the fucker to death another go, but then the girls begin to chant. A wind picks up around the room and David howls. He thrashes against the golden string, hurling himself at the edge of the circle, but he can’t escape. As Charles watches, wide-eyed, David begins to flicker in and out of view, like a candle guttering out. With one last scream loud enough that it seems to vibrate through Charles’s bones, the demon vanishes. The string falls to the floor, its golden glow gone.

“What happened to him?” Charles asks into the ringing silence.

“We banished him to another dimension.” Crystal snaps the book in her hand shut and hands it to Niko, who slips it into the Hello Kitty backpack. “Not Hell, because they’re not going to let him back there without me, but somewhere he’ll have trouble finding his way back from. Last time, it took him a decade. This time, I’m hoping for two.”

“Right.” Charles nods, like he sees demons get banished to other dimensions every day. “Brills. So he’s gone?”

She smiles at him tiredly. “As gone as David ever is.”

***

Look, Charles knows he probably shouldn’t follow Crystal and Niko back to their office. This is how he got into trouble in the first place, following someone home just because they were nice to him. But Charles is exhausted and when he steps outside for the first time in a month, he finds that London’s being hit by the bloody blizzard of the century, so he decides that if Crystal and Niko are going to kidnap and murder him, they’ve probably earned it. He just hopes they let him have a nap and a proper wash first.

When they arrive at the abandoned building they call their office, Charles doesn’t even look around for any signs of danger before he collapses onto the sofa and falls asleep. He’s not sure how long he sleeps. A few times, he’s vaguely aware of Crystal and Niko talking, but it’s never loud enough to drag him fully back to consciousness. When he does finally open his eyes, which are gritty and sore from sleep, he finds that it’s dark outside the window. Niko is sitting behind the desk, typing on a laptop, while Crystal stands at the window, looking out at the snow. 

He glances around the office. It’s small and cluttered, every surface covered with trinkets ranging from crystal balls to old-fashioned clocks to a bobblehead Godzilla. The walls are covered in more posters of anime boys than he’d expect from a supernatural detective agency, but who is he to judge? There’s an overflowing bookshelf in the corner that seems to hold a mix of serious-looking, leather-bound tomes, mangas, and paperback mysteries. It seems like a home and Charles has to swallow down the knot of jealousy that rises in his throats.

Both Crystal and Niko look up when he groans and sits up. 

“Good, you’re awake!” Niko smiles at him brightly. “How are you feeling?”

Charles rubs at his sore eyes. “Like shit, really. How long was I out?”

“Fifteen hours,” Niko says. “It’s okay, being kidnapped is tiring. We got you some sandwiches.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” Charles descends on the pile of sandwiches on the little table next to the couch, hardly even noticing what kind they are as he devours them. He’s vaguely aware that he’s in a room with the two fittest girls he’s ever seen in his life and he probably looks a mess—it’s been at least a week since David let him shower and shave the scraggly patch of hair that grows on his chin—but he doesn’t much care. He thinks he might be well and truly safe for the first time in months and he’s almost ready to weep with relief.

“Better?” Crystal asks after he eats three sandwiches and downs one and a half bottles of water.

Charles smiles sheepishly. “Better. Thanks for getting me out of there, yeah? Pretty sure I was well and truly fucked before you came along.”

“We know how to handle David by now,” Crystal says, like banishing a powerful demon is nothing. Charles guesses that for them, it might be.

“Well, thanks.” It occurs to Charles that he’s been crashing on their couch, probably getting in the way of them working their cases, for fifteen hours. One thing he’s learned from relying on the charity of strangers for months now is that it’s best to get out before they get tired of him. “Do you have somewhere I can have a quick wash before I go?”

“Go?” Niko’s forehead creases in a frown. 

“Where are you going to go?” Crystal asks.

Charles shrugs, trying for a smile, though it seems stiff and false on his face. “Probably back to the park, yeah? Janice will be worried about me.”

Crystal doesn’t seem to be buying it. “I went to see Janice while you were asleep. She knows you’re fine.”

“Brills.” Charles bobs his head in a nod. “But I don’t want to overstay my welcome, do I? Sure you don’t need me underfoot.”

“We’re ghosts,” Crystal says. “If you’re in the way, we can pass right through you.”

“Not that you’re in the way,” Niko adds quickly. “You can stay here as long as you need.”

Liz said that to him when he first showed up at her flat. So did Henry and his parents. None of them meant it. 

Niko presses on, smiling. “We don’t get a lot of guests. It’ll be like a sleepover! Except, we’re ghosts, so we can’t sleep. Or eat junk food. But we can stay up late with you watching movies.”

Charles looks away, unaccountably embarrassed. It’s nice of Niko to offer, but he can tell from the look on her face that she just feels bad for him. He reaches down to trace a finger over the swirls in the wooden table and a vision hits him.

An angry, shouting ghost, his face screwed up in a snarl. The table flying through the air, right at Crystal’s head. Niko shrieking in surprise as the table passes right through Crystal and splinters against the wall.

He blinks and the vision is gone. Crystal and Niko are right where they were an instant ago, both staring at him. “You should move that table,” he tells them. “Someone’s going to throw it at you and it’ll get smashed up.”

“You can see the future?” Crystal asks, like she’s surprised.

“Well, yeah,” Charles says. “I’m a psychic, aren’t I? Like you.”

“I’ve never been very good at seeing the future.” She shoots Niko a loaded glance. “More the present and the past.”

He shrugs sheepishly. “Only see a few seconds at a time. Not very useful.”

“You saved my favorite table.” Niko crosses the room to pick up the table, moving it behind the desk. “I think that’s useful.”

“Can you read people?” Crystal asks, watching Charles curiously.

“Yeah.” Charles grimaces. “Whether I want to or not.”

She nods. “I remember that. It was a ton of fun sitting in a classroom full of girls in 1916 and knowing how much they all hated me.”

“Been there, mate.” Charles remembers the last time he kissed a girl and realized she was thinking about his best friend. Or the time his favorite teacher handed him back a paper he thought he’d done okay on and Charles felt the utter contempt the man held him in. “Some days, I get why so many of us go become hermits in the woods. I would, but I’d miss spaghetti.”

Her lips twitch. “These days, I can only read the dead. They’re less noisy.”

“Sounds aces,” Charles says, then wonders if he’s put his foot in it. “I mean, not having to read everyone sounds aces. Not being dead. Sorry, that sounds rough.”

“I’ve been dead since 1916,” Crystal says. “You get used to it.”

“Did David…” He trails off, wondering if that’s a rude question. He doesn’t know the ins and outs of ghost etiquette.

Luckily, she doesn’t seem offended. “He didn’t kill me, exactly. The exorcism the school chaplain performed to try to get him out of me did.”

“And dandelion sprites exploded out of my brain,” Niko adds. “But that’s how I met Crystal, so it’s okay.”

Charles jumps as muffled shouting comes from one of the desk drawers. “What brains?” a squeaky voice yells. “We didn’t see any in there.”

Crystal pounds on the desk drawer. “Shut the fuck up in there, or I will drown you.”

“You always fucking say that.”

“Yeah, bitch. Maybe you should shut the fuck up, or we’ll drown you.”

Niko giggles. “They’re not so bad. They grow on you.”

“They really don’t.” Crystal looks at the drawer in disgust.

Charles stares. “The things that killed you are in that drawer?”

“Dandelion sprites,” Niko says.“They’re not so bad. They don’t really mean to kill people. That’s just what happens when they exit their host.”

Crystal rolls her eyes at the ceiling. “They’re toxic little shits, Niko.”

“They feed on attention,” Niko tells Charles, ignoring Crystal. “We keep them in the drawer most of the time, but we take them out sometimes so they can eat.”

“And they eat... attention?” Charles asks, bewildered.

“They seem to prefer negative attention,” Crystal says. “Otherwise, maybe they wouldn’t be such little assholes.”

“See?” Niko slides the drawer open, eliciting shrieks and protests from within, and pulls out a jar. Inside, two tiny figures, each no taller than Charles’s thumb, shield their eyes from the light. “These are Litty and her… well, we actually don’t know what they are to each other. This is Litty and Kingham.”

Litty catches sight of Charles and wrinkles her nose. “Oh, ew.”

“Really?” Kingham puts his hands on his hips. “You won’t let us out of this jar, but you’ll just let anyone walk into the office? Where has he been, snorkeling in a pile of fish guts?”

Charles should probably be offended, but he just grins. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Guys, don’t be mean to Charles,” Niko tells the sprites. “He’s our new friend.”

“Figures, the only friend you’d be able to make is one that smells like fish.”

“Okay, that’s enough sprite time.” Crystal plucks the jar out of Niko’s hand and shuts it back in the desk drawer.

Something like hope is kindling in Charles’s chest. He likes Crystal and Niko and they don’t seem to be in a huge rush to show him the door. Niko even called him a friend.  “Look, you two saved my life. I owe you, don’t I? Maybe I could stick around for a bit? Use my powers to help out on cases where I can? I can read the living, which might come in handy sometimes, and I can see the future. And…” His mind races, trying to come up with a reason to let him stay. He remembers Niko saying, “being kidnapped is tiring,” like she knows from experience.

“I helped with David, didn’t I?” he adds. “Kept him busy with my cricket bat so Niko could draw that circle.”

“He did,” Niko says, glancing at Crystal. “I wouldn’t have been able to finish the banishing circle if he hadn’t distracted David.”

Charles has a feeling he has Niko convinced, so he turns to Crystal. “I’m pretty aces at defending myself. I can get another cricket bat and if you’ve got clients who want to throw tables at you or who won’t pay, I can sort ‘em out. I’ll have your back. And I won’t be any trouble. Promise.”

Niko leans down to whisper something in Crystal’s ear. Crystal nods and murmurs something back, then they look at each other for a loaded moment. There’s history in that look, two people who have known each other for many years and don’t have to say anything to communicate. Charles feels another twinge of jealousy. He’s never had anyone to exchange looks like that with. He’s never had anyone who cared to know him that well.

“We have a room we let living clients stay in sometimes, when they have nowhere else to go,” Crystal says after a long moment. “It’s not much and everyone tells us the hot water heater is worthless, but there’s a bed we can make up. It might be nice to have another psychic around.”

“And someone who can hit demons with a cricket bat,” Niko adds.

“You two deal with lots of demons?” He doesn’t see either of them taking on the forces of Hell, but they handled David and Crystal escaped Hell, so maybe he shouldn’t assume anything.

“Not as many as you’d think,” Crystal says. “Mostly, we help ghosts with any unfinished business that’s stopping them from moving on. It doesn’t involve many demons.”

“Except for David.” Niko wrinkles her nose with distaste.

Crystal mirrors the look. “David will be a problem for the rest of eternity. At least until we find a way to trap or banish him for good.”

“Well, next time he shows up, I’m happy to hit him with a cricket bat,” Charles tells her. “Just need to find a new one.”

“Ooh, hold on.” Niko picks up the Hello Kitty backpack and reaches into it. And keeps reaching. Charles stares in astonishment as her arm vanishes up to her shoulder. “I think I have something in here. I told you our payment from the Case of the Floating Lockers would come in handy, Crystal.”

“You let people get away with paying us anything,” Crystal says with a huff. “He promised us a cursed diamond and he paid us with—”

“A cricket bat!” Niko pulls the bat out of the bag and hands it to Charles. “Maybe we can enchant it so it won’t break so easily.”

Charles weighs the bat in his hands. It’s a bit battered, but so is he. It’ll do. “Thank you,” he says, swallowing hard. “Wait, how did this fit in that little bag?”

Smiling slyly, Niko opens the bag and shows him the inside, which is nothing but blackness. “It’s a magical void. I can fit anything in here. There’s a bicycle floating around in here somewhere. And at least one severed hand.”

Charles decides not to ask.

“I can show you how to use it later, if you’d like,” Niko says. “Crystal never got the hang of it.”

Crystal eyes the bag warily. “It doesn't like me.”

“But maybe you will,” Niko says.

Charles finds himself unable to do anything but smile at her. “That’d be brills, Niko.” He looks between them hopefully. “Does that mean I can stay?”

Crystal and Niko exchange another look. “Yeah, you can stay,” Crystal says. “It never hurts to have an extra set of hands around. And we’re not going to kick you out in the middle of a snowstorm.”

Niko claps her hands and to Charles’s surprise, pulls him into a hug. It’s a bit odd, hugging a ghost. She doesn’t feel so much like a warm, living body, but more like the memory of one. He can almost feel the silkiness of her dress under his hands, but not quite. “Welcome to the Dead Girl Detective Agency!”

***

One year later

“And that’s a wrap on the Case of the Creepy Monk,” Charles says as he steps into the office, soaking wet, hurting all over, and exhausted, but warm with the success of a successful case.

“We’re not calling it that,” Crystal says, closing the door behind her. Unlike Charles, she doesn’t have a drop of water on her. The perks of being a ghost, he supposes.

“You got a better name for it, do you?”

“Yeah, the Case of Charles Almost Getting Eaten by a Hellhound Because He Wouldn’t Fucking Listen To Me.”

“That doesn’t really roll off the tongue,” Niko says.

Charles’s mouth drops open in offense. “I didn’t nearly get eaten by a hellhound!”

“So it wasn’t about to rip your throat out when Niko banished it?” Crystal raises an eyebrow.

Charles considers. “Right, maybe a little, but better me than you, right? I’m the brawn. It’s my job to take the hits.”

“Because what we need is an extra ghost on the run from Death.” Shrugging off her coat, she settles down behind the desk.

“But you did a great job getting the monk out of the way,” Niko says brightly.

Charles smiles at her. “Thanks, Niko. Nice to be appreciated.”

“I appreciate you,” Crystal says. “Alive.”

Charles’s smile widens. “Love you too, Crystal.”

She rolls her eyes, but it’s her fond eye roll. Charles knows all Crystal’s eye rolls by now. “Just try not to get mauled by a hellhound.”

“Sure thing.” Charles spots a pile of mail on the desk. “Looks like the postman came, yeah? Maybe our next case is in here.”

“Hopefully one with no hellhounds,” Niko says. “Or creepy monks.”

“I preferred the hellhound,” Crystal grumbles and Niko giggles.

Grinning to himself, Charles picks up the pile of mail and starts sorting through. It’s pretty standard stuff: a love letter from a ghost from Brighton who’s in love with Crystal—that one goes straight in the bin—a flier from the local apothecary, a death threat from a ghost who blames them for his wife moving on without him—that one’s funny, since two-thirds of their agency is already dead. Charles tosses the death threat out, then picks up the flier under it and finds himself plunged into a vision.

A house on a quiet, tree-lined street.

Darkness.

A little girl with her back turned to Charles, standing in the middle of a room filled with bones. An enormous snake circling her, drawing back to strike.

Charles blinks and he’s back at the office, Niko and Crystal both watching him.

“What did you see?” Crystal asks.

Charles looks at the flier and finds a little girl smiling up at him. “Missing,” it reads. “Have you seen this girl? Becky Aspen, 10.”

“Charles, what is it?” Niko takes the flier from his hand.

Charles shakes his head, trying to clear the memory of darkness. He can practically feel Becky Aspen’s terror hanging in the air. “You two fancy a trip to the States?”

***

If you read and enjoyed, please consider leaving kudos and/or comments here on AO3!

[lastnightonthecyclone]

me making a Ivan the terrible drawing with Amanda and Lindsey Perez but with a twist

“not every single character in saw needs to have an AU where they’re an apprentice it doesn’t even make sense for so many of them it adds nothing and is annoying and i hate fun” okay but

[bloogers-boogers]

A au of single dad Adam and divorced Lucifer. Lucifer a man in his late thirties (a flirt) that hasn't grown up since high-school. An engineer, Ceo of the most popular amusement park of their country. A rich lad since he was in diapers. His marriage broke when Lilith (his ex wife) refused to take this relationship any further and left him for a better life that didn’t revolve in picking up Lucifer’s messes. The only thing that links them together is their edgy emo daughter Charlie, who hates both her parents for separating and holds a bigger resent on her father for not letting her live with her mother (however unaware that was Lilith’s decision).

Then there's Adam. A single dad in his early thirties who was married early at the age of sixteen after his (‘deceased’) wife Eve got pregnant and they were force to marry by their parents. A highschool drop out.

The baby did not make it and Eve was so close to dying from their first and second child, however with the years they were far more careful and informed. Then at the age of twenty Cain (their first baby was born). It was a struggle, financially because he was unexpected (but a blessing!). Fights, stress and fears started to bottle up in their marriage and it didn't take long for Adam to caught Eve cheating on him. He forgave her, but years after, she was caught again. Then old truths started to come to light when a old friend of him from high-school (Azrael; brother of Lucifer) revealed to him that Eve had cheated at prom night with the Morningstar and that the child she had first carried could've possibly not be his afterall, hence he wouldn't have never married that woman in the first place if he had knew!

He started drinking trying to forget all the open wounds that he couldn't recover from. Eventually their marriage crumbled and Adam grew resentful towards his wife, in one heated argument Adam had mess around with a coworker at his previous job and Eve caught on, immediately breaking up with him. Leaving him one note and three children to care for (Cain, Abel and Seth), disappearing outta existence, leaving him all alone with all of their financial struggles.

It was a hard time for Adam, but he got his shit together for his children and found a good job as a tenis coach and babysitter (he babysat Lute for years until her adolescence, her parents practically neglectful and absent most of her life, she basically sees Adam as a father/and her coach), at that same period he had also encountered Vaggie who was interested in learning tennis (asking him to coach her) and soon figured out how much those two girls did not get along.

Not long after, one usual and normal day taking his children to school he stumbles across the man he despised for so many years after that awful revelation linked to his ex wife.

Lucifer recognizes him and immediately tries making conversation with him as if nothing happened (actually dumbly oblivious), Adam furiously ignores the guy but it becomes their daily routine where one (Lucifer) would try interacting with him and the other (Adam) would bluntly ignore him.

As if the universe hated Adam, since their first encounter after high-school, they're always be put in situations that revolves in them teaming up together and solving problems.

Throughout all this Adam learns to forgive and Lucifer learns to be more responsible (acting his age) from seeing the other.

It kinda just develops from all that and in the long run they end up having a "one-not-so much car fucking time thing". Basically Lucifer starts fucking Adam at the back of his trunk every time Adam finishes coaching.

Lucifer was the first to go through the crisis of accepting his feelings for Adam being far more serious than just hookups (which he has feared to happen for years after Lilith), then, he starts slowly accepting them and starts pursuing Adam. Doing small things, thoughtful, touchy, clingy and being careful which Cain immediately took notice of, having some silent beef with Lucifer for Adam’s affection. He also tries to be some sorta figure that Adam's kids could look up to or to be that person they look for if they couldn't resort to their father but Cain didn’t like/trusted him, Abel had not interested in getting to know him and Seth was basically still a baby to give his own little opinion. He basically becomes Adam’s personal babysitter when he's busy or out of town so regardless they deal with Lucifer even if they don't want to (this is what taught him how to take responsibilities seriously).

Adam gets along with Charlie pretty easily because he shares the same interests when it comes to bands and singing. Considering Charlie was in her emo more agnst phase, she was more inclined to rock, metal music which Adam loved. So to Lucifer’s shock Charlie enjoyed Adam’s company more over his.

Adam also taught her how to played the electric guitar.

And that's pretty much I got for this au!

[suzuran777]

Review: Akaya Akashiya Ayakashi No

A while ago the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions of Akaya Akashiya Ayakashi No were released, so I had to finally replay this game! It was originally released on PC in 2011 by Haccaworks, who are also known for their previous work Hanakisou. This game isn't technically a BL game, but I think BL fans would still like it! This time the game's also available in English and Chinese.

The story focuses on protagonist Yue, a human who lives together with a group of Ayakashi. He was born and raised there and never left the shrine grounds, but one night, his childhood friend Kurogitsune takes him to the nearby festival. During his very first trip to the outside world, Yue meets two boys who he grows interested in and wants to learn more about. After returning to the shrine, the shrine's goddess Mikoto informs him that preparations for Yue's "meal" have started.

This game has 4 different routes and quite a lot of different endings. I used this guide which helped me a lot! It's in Japanese but even if you Google Translate it I think it should be clear what choices to choose. Other than the usual choices, you also get to choose the location you want to explore, so I often got bad endings when I wasn't checking the guide. The recommended route order is Akiyoshi > Tsubaki > Sagano > Kurogitsune, as some endings are locked.

In this game, the Ayakashi usually live far away from humans in the mountains, but they took a liking to the local shrine which was originally created by worshippers of goddess Mikoto-no-Nushi. Yue doesn't remember most of his past and has been living at the shrine together with the Ayakashi for as long as he can remember. He knows he's different than the Ayakashi, but he also doesn't fully remember why he's living with them. His best friend, Kurogitsune, is a black fox who's always together with him. He does have a humanoid form too but usually he takes the shape of a small fox sitting on Yue's shoulder.

During Yue's trip to the festival, he meets two of the characters who have their own routes in this game, a boy who always wears a mask called Akiyoshi, and a blond haired boy called Tsubaki. Tsubaki doesn't really understand what Yue's deal is, and Akiyoshi is immediately suspicious of him. Regardless, Yue wants to learn more about them.

After returning home, Yue and Kurogitsune get scolded by the individual who owns the shrine (Sato). He's hoping that Mikoto, the shrine goddess, will punish both of them for secretly going to the festival, but she always forgives Yue no matter what he does lol. Yue doesn't really understand it when Mikoto tells him it's time for his "meal" and why he should choose between one of the boys he just met. Ayakashi eat humans and when a human is caught by them, other people lose memories of this person (being spirited away). But Yue is no Ayakashi, which is why he's confused.

During the next days in the game, Yue meets Akiyoshi and Tsubaki again and slowly becomes friends with them, even though both are still suspicious of him. Kurogitsune is also quite bad at hiding that he can in fact talk, so the others immediately know he's an Ayakashi too lol. The dialogue suggests regular people can't see him when he's in his human form, but both Akiyoshi and Tsubaki are exceptions because of their bloodlines and are able to see ghosts and Ayakashi.

The town where the characters live in, Utsuwa, is permanently stuck in a night cycle, though it seems like the residents don't think it's anything unusual. At some point some strange things happen in town and slowly more and more people go missing. Additionally, monsters called Akujiki appear more frequently, who similar to Ayakashi, also eat humans. Because their abilities aren't as strong as Ayakashi, usually when they eat someone other people don't completely lose their memories of this person. As a result of this, Yue and the others run into people walking around town mindlessly, forgetting what they were doing outside in the first place. While investigating these incidents, Yue is approached by stranger called Sagano who tells Yue he's taking his body back. After trying to fight Yue though, he retreats because I guess it wasn't the right time yet. Sagano is kind of funny because he always looks ready to attack Yue but there's always some kind of excuse why he doesn't do it.

Even though it's an old game I still love the character designs, CGs and backgrounds. It creates an atmosphere which really suits the setting of the game. The music in this game is also very good and quite nostalgic to me, I think many people who aren't familiar with the game at least know the opening song by Shikata Akiko! It's also really convenient that the Switch version lets you skip backwards so if you do make a wrong choice, you can easily go back and fix it. The game also has a button to skip to the next important event or choice, which is faster than just pressing the skip read dialogue option.

Final impressions

I was really curious what I would think about this game because the first time I played this was over 10 years ago. The original PC version is also unvoiced, and since I never had a PSP this is my first time playing the voiced version. I still really like the plot and characters, there's a lot of side characters but they all have their own charm. Many of the endings are quite bittersweet because the conflicts between the characters aren't something that can easily be solved. What I really like is that every main character in this game is relevant to the plot, even outside of their own route. The Tsubaki family has been targeted by the foxes from the shrine for a long time, while the Tochika family (Akiyoshi's family) is the complete opposite and the foxes would rather stay away from them. Sagano also has his connections to the Ayakashi of the shrine, but I won't spoil the endings!

Something I did notice is that even though the game's translated into English, there's a few typos in this version, sometimes in the game dialogue, but also in some of the menus. During one of the earlier scenes the dialogue randomly turned into the original Japanese text too, for about three lines I think? I'm not sure if this got patched and it probably won't ruin your playthrough, but maybe it's good to know. Overall I think the translation is pretty straight-forward and it doesn't change most of the Japanese terms

[love-iathan]

Sweet Boy

Masterlist | Seelie Key

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Character(s): Wanderer, Ei (brief)

Reader: Gender Neutral, Creator

Warning(s): Does not follow cannon

Word Count: 1681

Note(s): I wrote this on and off while I was sick, like 2 weeks ago, so it might be garbage and all over the place :)

You peacefully watched the rain storm, the downpour watering your crops. Suddenly pulled from your daydream by a knock at the door, you walked over and opened it, preparing to reprimand whomever disturbed you. Stopping in your tracks when you realised it was Ei, who was holding a much smaller boy in her arms.

"Your Grace, I've made a mistake." Hearing Ei admit to such a thing was unheard of.

Allowing her into your home, you sat at the table. "Who's the child?" You asked, gesturing to the seat across from you.

With a bit of hesitation, Ei sat down, the boy cradled in her lap. "Do you remember when I asked your permission to make a puppet?"

"I do," you replied, growing a bit concerned where this was going.

Ei's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. After a few seconds of silence, she finally got the words out. "I can't force him to be my puppet."

Cocking an eyebrow, you reached over to your teapot, pouring both of you a cup. "Care to elaborate?"

Once again, she looked like a fish out of water, trying to organise her thoughts. "Last night, he shed tears. I'd never forgive myself if I forced him to be my puppet."

Slowly gathering the main issue, you chuckled. "All of you have always had such complex emotions, whether you'd like to admit it or not." You joked, referring to her and the rest of the Archons. "You think of him as your son, don't you?"

Ei's silence said it all. "Your Grace, what should I do?" She seemed to grow more distressed as time went on.

"Well, you have a few options. 1, you can keep him, raise him, not as a puppet, but as your son. Create a new puppet using what you've learned making him. 2, let fate decide what should happen to him."

"Do you mean abandon him?" She asked, almost panicked, forgetting her manners. With a gasp, she whispered, "my apologies."

"Or, 3, let him be your puppet, as originally planned, and let him prove his worth."

Ei sighed, looking down at her puppet. "It's not that he isn't worthy, Your Grace." She trailed off, uncomfortable with needing to make this choice, wishing you'd just do it for her.

"Ei, I know this is a difficult decision for you to make, but I cannot make it for you. I also can't take him," you sipped on your tea. "Me taking him would be equivalent to creating another Archon, which could potentially lead to a 2nd Archon War. I'm sorry dear Ei, but I cannot risk that."

Ei sighed, knowing you were right, asking you to take on the boy would be disrespectful.

Walking around the table to stand next to her, you placed your hand on her shoulder. "Drink your tea and give it some thought. You both may stay here tonight, I hope you have your decision by tomorrow."

The next day, you saw Ei in the same spot you left her last night, although the boy was sleeping on the futon in the living area. Despite her not needing sleep, she had dark bags under her eyes, as if she'd been up for days. "Ei, are you alright?"

Startled by your question, she jumped, "yes, my apologies, Your Grace. I've just been thinking about what I should do."

"Well, it's still quite early, how about we eat something and then we'll discuss your options more in depth."

With a quick nod, you began making something simple. Dishing out 3 portions, you set Ei's in front of her, one in your spot and the last at the end of the table. You walked into the living area, slowly approaching the still sleeping boy.

Kneeling down, you gently shook him awake. "Sweetheart? Wake up, you should eat something." Being this close to him for the first time, you really noticed the resemblance between him and Ei.

The boy slowly opened his eyes, the same purple as his mother. "Hello." He said meekly.

You smiled, taking his hand. "Come over here, eat with us." He followed you, visibly relaxing when he saw Ei, a familiar face. Gesturing to the table, you sat down, waiting for him to sit as well. Ei sat in silence, staring at her plate. "You may eat, now."

Ei picked up her cutlery, eating in silence. The boy looked between you and Ei in confusion; as far as he knew, Ei was the most powerful being alive. So why did she only begin eating after you allowed it? Who exactly were you, and why did Ei seem on edge around you? Almost scared of you.

"All of your questions will be answered in due time." You affirmed, seemingly reading his mind.

The three of you ate in silence, although questions raced through his head. Would it be rude to ask them? If you were so powerful, surely you'd punish him for speaking out of turn. Deciding to keep his questions to himself for now, he finished his food, opting to look around himself.

Taking in his surrounding, he was startled to hear Ei's voice. "Your Grace," although her voice was barely above a whisper, you looked up from your plate. "I believe I've made my decision." She trailed off, quickly grabbing a cup, which he assumed was water and downing it.

You smiled at her. "Wonderful. We will speak about it later."

The boy, now known as Scaramouche, was abandoned by his mother, his creator. His last "happy" memory with her was the night he ate with you both. Scaramouche grew to despise you as well. He believed you'd been the one to convinced Ei to leave him, abandon him.

If you created Teyvat, knew everything that was going to happen, and had the power to change the course of history, why didn't you change his destiny? Why did you knowing allow Ei to abandoned him? It didn't make since to him. While still the innocent and curious kabukimono, he'd hoped that you'd come looking for him and take him to your home.

As the days past him by, he'd realised he wasn't wanted, so he gave up, the last of his innocence leaving him when the young boy betrayed him. His heart grew cold, leaving Inazuma, and the pain it cause him, behind.

Centuries later, you heard news from Sumeru that the Akademiya's Sages were attempting to create an Archon, using none other than Scaramouche. Having rarely left your home since his creation, you didn't know that Sumeru didn't have an active Archon, so when you arrived to aid the blonde traveler, you didn't recognise the small God.

After Scaramouche's defeat, you spoke to the Archon and traveler, learning their names. The traveler told you everything they knew up to this point, about Scaramouche, his life as the Balladeer, and the Sage's plans. "Neither of you need to worry about him, he'll be fine. Nahida, would you mind keeping an eye on him? He's going to be quite weak when he wakes up. I'll come collect him once he's awake."

The Dendro Archon agrees, with a bit of hesitation, understandably so; the puppet had just tried to overtake her position as Archon. When Scaramouche finally woke up, Nahida called for you to collect him. While he was still delirious, he recognised you immediately, trying to get away from you.

Seeing him, you sauntered right up to him, taking his face into your hands gently. "Ah, you've grown so much. I just wish your life hadn't gone down such a dark path."

Irritated, Scaramouche slapped your hands away. "If you're so sorry, why didn't you stop it from happening?" He shouted, turning his back to you.

"It was too dangerous. I wouldn't have been able to ensure Teyvat's, or even your, safety." You turned him back around, one hand on his shoulder. "I remember the night Ei brought you to my home; you were so innocent."

The words felt degrading, yet somehow warm. "Why did you let her abandon me?" His aggressive tone shifted to a vaguely vulnerable one, his voice wavering ever-so slightly.

With a deep breath, you pulled him into your chest, listening as he struggled to hold back tears. "Ei was very attached to you, even though it only been a few days. She didn't want you to be forced into a life of servitude, but she didn't want you to feel as though you'd been replaced."

"I don't... I don't understand," he mumbled.

Running your fingers through his hair, you pulled him tighter against you. "I'm sure you know you were created to be Ei's puppet, but the night before she brought you to me, you cried in your sleep." You rested your chin on his head. "She was worried that, that if she went through with her plan to make you her puppet, you'd be unhappy."

Scaramouche continued to try and push you away for a few minutes before giving in and crying into your chest. "Why was I not good enough?"

"Oh, sweet boy, you are more than enough. That night," you pressed a kiss to the top of his head, "Ei and I wanted you to decide your own fate, let you forge your own path through life. Had I known she'd leave you alone without talking to you about our decision, I would have intervened."

"What?" Confused, the ex-Harbinger pulled away from you.

Wiping the stray tears from his cheeks, "I didn't learn what happened to you until after Ei made the Raiden Shogun, even then, I had to ask. She was still upset about her sister's death, it's not a excuse and she was punished justly."

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

You smiled, "for what, darling? You didn't nothing wrong."

"I've hurt so many people. Killed so many people. I'm sorry."

"Sweetheart, look at me," you lifted his chin. "You were hurting. While it is no more an excuse than Ei's, it is an explanation. You just need to be prepared for the consequences, sweet boy."

Using "x male reader" tags to summon the audience I want 🙏

[bluegekk0]

In Terms of Memory-Loss, what's with the Rumor, that you lose your Memory, when you leave Hallownest? Quirrel lost his memories when he left and had to re-explore the place. Same with Ghost

Yeah that's one of the things I didn't include in my AU. I have a feeling it's something that might get slightly retconned with Silksong, since it's a completely new kingdom that, at least from what we've seen, shows that there are still other places that are or were at some point thriving, outside of Hallownest's influence. And because travel is such a big part of my AU, I decided that I wanted to maintain my vision without complicating it too much, so the complete memory loss that's suggested in the game isn't a thing here.

That being said, Hallownest is still surrounded by wilderness that is notoriously difficult to survive in. Straying from the road is a bad idea, the cold is unforgiving, and many beasts adapted to the environment and are just waiting for a careless traveler to walk right into their trap. If you want to survive, you must adapt, and perhaps that comes with forgetting what civilization is like. So in a way, the concept in the game is still somewhat there, just a lot less literal. Your memories don't get erased, but you can slowly forget yourself if you're forced to face the endless dangers and pain you'll experience in the wilderness. Cold wastes surround the mountains that create the Hallownest borders, with many frozen corpses of unfortunate beasts and travelers, but as you get further and further away, the region becomes more forgiving.

So perhaps the rumor has started as advice, to not travel outside of the borders as it's far too dangerous. Of course, as more travelers risked it, the main road became safer, and the beasts moved back into the wilderness out of fear of the light and large groups of travelers (such as merchant groups and the Troupe, who traveled the road frequently as Grimm was visiting FPK in the White Palace).

As for Quirrel... He was given temporary immortality by Monomon so that he could protect her mask (how exactly she did that, I have no idea, let's just pretend it was FPK's soul spell or something like that), perhaps the memory loss was connected to it. Similarly to how the immortality given by Grimm can result in memory issues after leaving the Troupe, maybe Quirrel also suffered from memory problems due to the unstable nature of his condition. He stopped aging, yes, but perhaps it wasn't a perfect solution and his memories would become too confusing to keep track of. Just another sign that immortality, while tempting, can have its own drawbacks if given to a mortal.

Not necessarily connected to immortality but still a similar idea, this also reminds me of FPK and his over-reliance on soul to avoid eating. Gods can use their powers to skip on those basic biological needs, but he was never one. Sure, he naturally didn't age, but he still needed to eat, he was a creature of bones and blood, not some otherworldly being. Soul, as it turned out, was only a temporary solution, and it eventually became clear that someone like him couldn't rely on it forever and if he didn't eat, he would ultimately starve and die. I like that little theme, that little reminder that not everyone can handle such state or powers, and that the gods are gods for a reason. You can try to imitate them, but you can't change reality.

When it comes to Ghost, I imagine they simply just left Hallownest as soon as they climbed out of the Abyss. So they didn't experience memory loss, instead they simply didn't know anything and had to learn it after they were called back by their sibling. I like to think they spent all those years in distant towns and cities, either hiding away or helping out the folk in small tasks. Would be a nice explanation for why they're eager to do it despite their no-nonsense personality, and maybe why they ended up forgetting things about their birthplace. It's been years since they left, and if they had a job to focus on, it makes sense that they wouldn't think much about it.

So yeah, the concept does still have some connection to the AU, but it's much more vague that straight up erased memories.

[archoniic]

@yuelun // you have nobody but yourself to blame for this actually. the rite of parting. final goodbyes, letting go & forgiveness. inspired by : this version of lovers oath.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄; while many in Liyue were saying goodbye to their Archon and wondering what the future would hold for them without Rex Lapis. Zhongli was saying goodbye to his past. While sad for many of the residents, perhaps some were even a little fearful. For him, it was bittersweet. A chapter in his story finally coming to a close. Perhaps it had been long overdue, for how long had he held on to his past, clutched tightly within the palms of his hand. So tightly, he barely lived in the present. The people had long since proven to him that they were fine on their own; they no longer needed him to hold their hand or guide them. But what of him? Holding on the way he had done; living within a memory -- he missed so many things in the here and now. It was time to truly let go. While the thought had his heart ache in ways he could not even begin to put into words, it felt right. As though now was the time he'd been waiting for all those thousands of years.

Perhaps this was where it was all supposed to end. There was a smile upon his face, Goodbyes are never truly forever, after all. It simply marks the end of one journey; making way for the beginning of another. Had she not once said that to him? Many years ago? Her voice still as fresh in his memory now, as it was back then. Her laughter echoing in his ears as he allowed himself to recall memories he usually pushed further back in his mind. Remembering a time he knew little of mortal emotions; a laugh escaped him. Causing one of the residents of Liyue to glance to him almost scornfully. "Apologies." Eyes drawn to the glaze lilies, amazed they lingered; though now scattered across the land and far more sparse than they had been.

Memories of banquets held, laughter shared; debates had. A time where things had been both much simpler, and yet entirely more complicated. Morax had to learn to navigate the ways of the mortals to truly understand them, to become the Archon they needed and the one they deserved. With her help and guidance, he had done just that. Leading their people into a prosperous future, never once forgetting any of the things that she had taught him. And neither will they. Though our names may fade from their memories in the future; this land has become what it is, in part; thanks to you, Guizhong. I hope that you would be happy with all they have achieved.

A final look to where the lilies lay, the smell of the incense in the air; not known to many, but so hauntingly familiar to him. He was at peace with his decision, more than. Zhongli had no regrets in laying his past to rest, no regrets on finally ending the chapter that had prevailed for much too long. She could rest now, as could he.

Movement caught his eye from atop a cliff; her figure there, looking down over Liyue, over them, over him. Another smile would tug at his lips, how perfectly I recall you, even now. He thought, simply a memory; one he'd had many times over the years. How befitting that she should appear to him like that on this day of all days. Thank you, Guizhong. He would remain looking at that cliff edge for a while, not daring to look away in case she would disappear. But in the goodbye, in forgiving himself, he knew he had to.

One day our paths will cross once more... until then...

And he turned away, walking slowly through the crowd and making his way out of the harbour. He would not look back, after all; that was not the point of a goodbye. No, instead; he would simply look ahead. For he had all the time in the world now to see new things, new places; experience things he had yet to experience.

And when that time came that they would be reunited; oh, how many new stories would he have to share?

I will live this life for us both.

[yigahye]

&&. announcing her royal highness, ( yi “camilla” gahye ), the ( 31 ) year old ( princess ) of ( south korea ). she is often confused with ( lim ji yeon ). some say that she is ( tenuous & conniving ), but she is actually ( disciplined & polished ). ( ooc: ashley )

her early life can be described with one word: unnoteworthy. the second daughter was brushed under the rug in hopes the next would be a son.

because of this she finds her independence easily. growing up there always seemed to be something more important than her occurring at all times. at a young age, she knew how to handle her own matters. permission slips from school went to woong, her mother’s assistant, when she was hungry, she’d find mi-hi to send word to the kitchen. unless she was dying, bothering her parents was out of the question. in comparison to dahye, her disposition is seen as temperate.

she thrives socially, mostly because it is the only place people care about her, and really care. her quietness dissipates almost as soon as she steps foot outside the imperial palace, the urge to blend into the shadows doesn’t follow her. she makes a good group of friends and follows their path to university.

her friends from university were always so brilliant. by surrounding herself with great minded company, she hoped even just a little of their passion would rub on to her. though not royalty, she saw her friends become powerful business women, ground breaking scientists, talented artists ... she envied people with a dream, a talent, a calling. but despite her best efforts, nothing ever came. it was then her parents began throwing names of suitors at her, none ever particularly satiating. she struggled through her fine arts degree. she let jealousy eat away at her slowly, until the perfect proposition fell onto her lap. the emperor of china.

once the idea of empress started to become real, it became evidently clear this was her calling. she felt she had to do very little to be impressive. and not to mention, her mother has never smiled at her so largely! it had started to feel like she had been waiting all her life for this, unbeknownst to her, the deep rooted feeling of inferiority began to dwindle, and it had never occurred to her this was something she wanted in the first place. 

that’s not to say jianguo didn’t have a part in her fate. his kindness and cleverness made it impossible to say no to. it was her third visit to the palace that made her future all too clear in her mind. she loved the life, she loved the people, she loved him.

then came the whirlwind. the white dresses, the florists, the never ending list of guests. her life became consumed by duty. and finally, the coronation. she’d never forget how tightly her father hugged her that day. and for a few years, things flowed smoothly, her life worked perfectly. wenli’s birth was the natural order of events. she had impressive feats to display next to her name, shiny achievements to show her friends and family. 

the most difficult part was learning how to navigate the chinese imperial family. she had experience a coldness in her family, but not to the jin’s extent. after extended kindnesses, she was quick to learn they operated better in their own bubbles. jianguo’s side of the story was the only story she knows, or knew.

for years, gahye has tried her best. she has trusted her husband and his disposition, willing to stand beside his decisions. writing off lixue’s disdain was easier than inserting herself. she allowed the infighting because of the sureness she felt in her position. everything felt like taunts, until the escalations made her world come crashing down.

a year of captivity in the palace does not exactly breed understanding. no, a year in captivity breeds resentment. a year without contact with her husband, only to find out about his death through palace staff ? no, this does not bode for forgiveness. it bodes for revenge.

tl;dr

processing lots of grief atm

here for wenli’s sake

pinterest !

[hotdogshipping-miwa-enthusiast]

Now I think it is apparent I am a shipper, it is literally in my name

And I feel the need to speak of Vanguard ships I have been fixating that are very obscure

Now I have discussed my beloved TetsuRen and I still have a lot to say on that, but I shall spare you (mainly because I want to gather photos)….ngl this is just me babbling about ships that I cannot stop thinking sbout

Morikawa/Korin

I am personally am not the biggest fan of Morikawa (for many reasons but I shall never be able to forgive the heart swimshorts) and I don't really have an opinion on Korin one way or the other but this is...once you get past how Morikawa Morikawa can be...is very cute.

He genuinely loves Korin and while he is overly passionate in showing it and can definitely be overly rude to others in the course of that affection

He supports her in everything she does and never looses faith in her. His actions in the high school tournament shows that he can take things seriously and is willing to put his feelings aside if something is important, also takes her seriously as a fighter, he respects her.

Now yes he does have the weird fan of an idol thing I don't believe you should constantly be declaring you are definitely going to marry an idol or call them your darling in full seriousness, but I like how supportive he is of Korin.

I like to think that maybe after the events of legion mates he can find her again and fall in love with her, that with a little training in self control and maybe manners he could be a nice supportive boyfriend. She deserved to be loved after all she's been through especially with the constant uprooting of her life and how often those around her forget who she is.

(Please anyone for the love of god give her a hug)

(I've also seen Korin/Noaki which is another very cute ship for her)

Jun/Masaki (Naoki's brother)

I will not lie I saw a piece of fanart of these two and this ship just popped to me

They don't even exist in the same versions of the show, that is how far removed this is: Jun is solely in the original Vanguard and Noaki's brother only appears in the reboot. This ship has no business existing and I know that, but the intrigue of the dynamic gets me.

This man is an uptight, no nonsense, "stop being childish and learn to do something useful like a proper adult" type of guy. He sees Naoki enjoying himself and his first response is to tell Naoki to stop before he inevitably gets bored.

Jun is 'the king of underground cardfighters,' he walks around with a chain and in his second appears he ties Miwa up. He enjoys vanguard and the lawlessness of underground fights.

Stark opposites; would never reasonably interact.

But an idea came to mind; Masaki sees how much fun and how invest in Vanguard Noaki is, something the boy has never been with any of the other hobbies he picked up. Wanting to know more about what made such a dramatic change in his brother he stumbles upon the underground. Of course it is very sketchy but Noaki's blond friend who seems somewhat reasonable is here so it's probably fine (like Miwajun in both romantic and platonic and semi believe Jun smokes and definitely got Miwa into smoking).

Noting Masaki knows Miwa from seeing him interact with Naoki but doesn't actually know him and both of them ended up at Jun's entirely unrelated

"maybe not the best guy to introduce you to vanguard" - A Gaillard fan upon hearing about this ship

I think Masaki would be suspicious at first but slowly end up pulled into Jun's rythm. Jun would find this clear newbie to vanguards presence amusing and interesting him, pushing him to interact more with him.

He handcuffed Miwa to a poll after their first conversation, you cannot convince me he would pass up the chance to question why someone with zero vanguard knowledge showed up at his hideout.

(Miwa also sees Jun's newest toy and asks Noaki if he has a brother, immediately wishing the man good luck when Noaki says yes)

And finally...for now

Ibuki/Gouki

Ibuki will always be Suiko's malewife yes, it is his calling

But If also gave us this beautiful duo

They have their whole training sequence and god is Gouki a shojo protagonist in this ep.

I feel this needs no explanations, they're just great

He just immediately steps up to encourage this forelourned man, their whole conversation is the rejected heroine and the loner 2nd male lead who never admits his feelings but constantly encourages them, a couple you want to root for, is it all for his Jammer misson? Yes. Does that change anything? No.

BECAUSE HE IMMA GOES INTO TRAINER MODE TO MAKE GOUKI STRONGER AND HELP HIM FULFILL HIS WISH

The ending AND CONFESSION

THE FRUSTRATION OVER ALL THEIR TIME AND FEELINGS BEING EREASED AS HE IS FORCED TO ACCEPT THEY CAN NEVER BE

And of course

Gouki still dears of their time together, longing for memories he will never get back

This is such a weird ship but I just love it

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk (I have more screenshots for all of these but tumblr is limiting me)

[irises-and-daffodils]

I read and cling to letters and books hoping they give me the comfort I need. I breakdown freely knowing that all things don’t have to end. I gave up on myself long ago and I dug a hole thinking that I didn’t want to get out of it. I thought everything and everyone would eventually give up on me as I have felt for the entirety of my life. I have motivation now even as I’m tired. I find myself clawing my way out. I am not so much of a difficult person as I thought I was. I thought I was unlovable, unworthy of love, but mostly a burden. It’s hard to live everyday because no amount of books or people can convince you when you’re blind sighted by every bad thing that happened to you. I’ve been called a pig, a bitch, arrogant all because I didn’t focus on everyone else. I realize I’m happy creating my playlists and routines. I’m happy reading as many books as I can. I’m happy learning and constantly growing. I thought I could thrive at home but honestly I can’t. I am not me. I’m breaking out of a paralyzing state. I have made mistakes and slowly I’m forgiving myself for them. I’ll admit there are moments where I don’t see the purpose of living because all I’ve seen myself as is a person that takes care of everything. I haven’t seen myself as someone worthy of it every good thing in life. When I started going out to concerts and feeling the ocean breeze in the Bay Area and Central Coast beaches I knew I loved life but I never knew how I could cope with it. Beauty torments you in ways that puzzle you. It would torment me I guess because one good taste and that’s all you could ever want for the entirety of life but also knowing it’s not always going to be there. It’s not knowing how to cope with the the fact that the meaning of my existence is not to just to serve, but truly live and love as well. I witness my parents argue. I witness everyone’s life and at one point I thought I was doomed to repeat it all. Maybe I’ll repeat one or two mistakes but I won’t make them all. I have to remind myself that all the doom and gloom comes from learning about my parents and their life and always forgetting that I have one of my own. I’m writing this because I’m really stressed. I see the ways things go down and I feel true and utter discomfort. I fear screaming, I fear my mothers anger as she always threatens to hurt me or abandon me. I fear my step dads reckless behavior as he always pushes and becomes reckless and blinded with anger and passive aggressive behavior. I fear not communicating properly with my significant other. I fear not communicating with friends. I fear not doing the right things and I’m not expecting perfection because that’s the the thing that destroyed me in the first place, but I’m expecting to push through and put myself in a better place. I will admit sometimes I do think that I am a burden and that no one wants anything to do with me. It all boils down to my parents not wanting to have to do much with me. I parented them, and knew every single problem, pity, and ounce of negative emotion. I found myself crying heavily this morning and I’m still tearing up here and there. I am really tired of feeling every negative emotion from everyone. I am still very grateful for everything and everyone but now I need to take care of myself. I need to be better for myself. I have an increasing number of nightmares as of lately. I have a bit of anxiety. I’m still growing. I’m not in a permanent position. I’m going to be a better person. I am a better person. At least I think I am.

[darlenicy]

OKAY.

Tbh at first I wanted Icy to be the one who shot an attack at Riven 'cause I kinda wanted Darcy to be pierced by an ice spear. But that wouldn't work with the event before, like when Darcy pushes Riven away and the rocks fall down Icy would not be able to see Riven behind all the dust and stuff. So yes it's Timmy who shoots in panic because he thinks the rocks might have crushed Riven yada yada yada.

Okay now to the situation itself. Yes, Riven is in a relationship with Musa (which doesn't mean it's going good with them) and seeing her boyfriend lying over the dead body of the witch who still haunts her dreams breaks her heart. It's over for them. Musa could forgive him his "betrayal" but now she knows for sure, that he never truly loved her. That she was his distraction. And that fkn hurts. She's so happy that Darcy is dead now and hates herself for being so spiteful. But even though Darcy is gone now, she knows, that they will never have a chance again. She cries a lot for weeks. But eventually gets over it and searches for distraction in music and therefore comes a lot further with her career, it heals her and she can come to terms with it (aka like Taylor Swift, with her songs she can overcome the trauma as she can tell the story that way).

And yes, it's hard to separate Riven from the dead body. He can't believe what just happened. The fact that he now knows, that there had always been something between them, something real, and the thought that Darcy really did love him until the end breaks him. Strangely, it is Bloom who goes to him, puts a hand on his shoulder and says: "she's gone." Bloom and Riven never had the best beginning. But I can imagine them to become very good friends because they are always honest with each other. And today Bloom's honesty breaks Riven but also gets him back to reality. He realizes that Darcy is gone forever and he decides to leave the specialists.

He stays in touch with Bloom, but they never meet again as a group. As for Timmy, he can't blame him and he doesn't but he also can't pretend that everything is fine. In the end it's Timmy who accidentally destroyed his future.

The contact with Bloom becomes less and less over time. So Bloom is not surprised that they lost contact. That is why it takes some time for the Winx to learn, that Riven has taken his life. Strangled himself because he could not stop thinking of his robbed future. The more he thinks of it the more he realizes that there is nothing left to live for. He dies alone, probably drunken.

Icy will get totally insane over Darcy's death. Her coven broke apart and so did her sanity. It was Darcy and Stormy who kept her balance. The reason she fought in the end. It's a fact that Darcy and Stormy were Icy's whole world. She dies in the next big fight between Winx and Trix while Stormy gets captured and is once again brought to Light Rock. There are two options for her:

Option one—the nice one: She stays at Light Rock for several years and slowly overcomes her pain little by little. When she gets out, she will build a simple and silent life. What builds her up is Musa's music, who also used music to overcome everything. Sooner or later, they accidentally meet again and slowly become friends. Later on she's on good terms with all of the Winx and is able to forget the shadows of her past.

Option two - the not so nice one: Some years after she was brought to Light Rock she dies of a broken heart. It goes slowly, she gets thinner and thinner, later refuses to eat and dies one cold night, hoping she'll see her sisters again once her last breath is done.

a possible death of darcy

inspired by @redfountainpostin I couldn't help but think of a dramatic and horrible death for Darcy. Almost crying rn but I'm happy with the outcome: As Ronald Weasley wisely said: you'll suffer but you'll be happy about it:

Darcy dies in battle with Riven. It’s hard for them to face each other even after all those years and their attacks are all faltering. It takes place somewhere near the mountains where Darkar’s lair was. By an attack, either Darcy's or another from a Winx further away, a cliff crushes down right over them. Out of instinct, Darcy manages to get Riven out of the way with an attack. Deep inside she knows why she did it and Riven realizes at this very moment, that she still cares for him. That she always cared for him in secret. She is hurt by the rocks, lying on the ground, once she manages to stand up she is shot in the back. It was probably Timmy from far away. He saw them fighting and was worried after rocks fell down. He didn’t see that Darcy saved Riven. The shot pierced her body and the bullet came out the front with a splash of blood. Darcy collapses immediately. Riven rushes to her, holding her, shouting her name. She knows that it’s over, that nothing can save her anymore. And panic rises in her that she can no longer make it right. That she can no longer make anything right. That she and Riven have no chance, ever again. Tears flow as mercilessly as the blood from her wound. The tears ruin her make-up and the blood soaks her clothes. And she mumbles in vain how sorry she is for everything. That everything is her fault. Everything. It flashes through her mind that if she had been stronger that day they summoned the Army of Decay, if she had spoken up for him...if she had never left him... If she had been content with what she had instead of striving for more and more power...then everything would have been different. These thoughts break her heart and she dies in Riven's arms, who holds her desperately. The same thoughts come to his mind, the mental bond lets him see Darcy's complete despair. The despair that is also his. It abruptly breaks off. The mental bond no longer exists. Because Darcy is dead.

[verwebb]

Harmony in Chaos

“Remember, pupil Webb, remaining calm in the height of chaos is the key to Mistweaving. One can not maintain control if their Chi is distracted.” 

The words rang in her ears, a never ending mantra that she has been forced to remember in this wartime. The young monk’s mind floated away, allowing herself the momentarily peace to mediate, quickly recentering herself. Just outside the tent’s “doors” the battle for Amirdrassil raged on, creating a sickly sweet scent of flame and foliage. 

Just as soon as that peace was found, it would be shattered. Rushed voices shouting in Darnassian quickly approached the tent. Her Darnassian was weak, at best, but one word she would never forget “Shadowflame”. “Shadowflame. Shadowflame. Shadowflame” the Elvish voices screamed out, preparing the medics for the worst. As the tent flew open, a quick catch in Veronica’s throat nearly made her collapse. Every patient that was rushed into the tent looked like her beloved Aeraelynn to her, as her worry of not being beside her on the battlefield ate at her, but this woman actually looked like her wife. Long black hair, olive skin, but no mechanical leg. The Monk inhaled, striding forward. 

“My cot.” She’d say, in her most passable Darnassian. As the Kaldorei placed the woman down. “My name is Veronica, do you prefer Common or Thalassian?” 

“Thalassian.” The woman spoke up, her voice hoarse. Her body was badly burned, blisters popped and pussed over the majority of the left side of her body. Cinders and sparks of Void crackled and snaked over her skin, as the Shadowflame ate away at her body and soul.

“You are badly burned. The treatment will not be pleasant, but I am confident I can keep you stable.” Veronica said, her voice calm and flat. Her glowing eyes, running over the Sin’dorei’s body, seeking for clues beneath the surface to prevent the Void from creeping too far into the woman.

“Your bedside… Is terrible.” The Elf said, a cracked laugh coming from her.

“I apologize.” Veronica replied, once again flat. Not the best at understanding humor. “This is going to hurt for just a moment, please forgive me.” A few gentle finger pokes along the Elf’s body, pressing into the burned flesh. Her Chi pulsing through her, shutting off the pathways the Shadowflame was creeping along. Working on borrowed time, the corruption seeped dangerously close to her patient’s heart. 

The Elf grit her teeth, even the gentle sensation was painful along her burned skin. Slowly, however, a decent amount of pain would subside. The monk’s careful work shut down parts of the woman’s nervous system; a magical pain killer, of sorts. Her breathing labored, she’d stare at the Monk, silently.

Veronica waved her hands about the patient, as a glittering, jaded mist began to take form within her hands. It swirled and danced in the sky above them both, creating a pleasant dewy smell to combat the harsh rot and flame that radiated off of the elven woman. With precision and focus, Veronica found her center. No longer did she stand in the med-tent, she floated above a spring at the Temple of the White Tiger, her movements graceful, every sway and step was with purpose.

“You are getting it, Pupil Webb.” Her Mistweaving mentor said. “Your work to focus in that bustling city is paying off. Remember, Yu’lon is gentle, graceful, like the water. You are a master at the style of our Xuen, now you must learn to adapt. Reposition yourself, loosen your stance, and find your center.” 

“Adapt.”

“Graceful.”

“Find your center.”

Veronica would open her eyes as a surge of Mist erupted around her. Her white glowing eyes seemed to shift, taking on a gentle Jaded undertone. As her hands danced over the Elf, the mist would wrap itself around Veronica, taking the form of a Jade Serpent. 

“I will work to cleanse her corruption, Mistweaver. You focus on her bodily injuries.” A voice echoed in her head.

The Elven patient, clenched her eyes shut. The cooling sensation of the mist over her wounds creating an unbearable pain.

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. Not like this.” She’d beg, nearly silently, as the monk worked vigorously at her bedside. Her right hand reached out to grip onto Veronica’s robes.

As the mist enveloped over the Elf, slowly her burns would start to dry and repair. An hour passed before Veronica would be able to stop. Sweat beaded over her forehead and face, her bangs clinging to her skin. She’d try to catch her breath, smiling down at her patient. 

“You are going to be alright. You will have scars, but… You will be alright.” She’d watch the Elf’s face, forced to accept her new future.

“Thank you, doctor…” She’d say, defeated, but alive. As the nurses moved her to the rehabilitation area of the tent, V would lean onto the bed for balance. Proficient as she was, she was still learning. Such extended use was draining for her and she was thankful for the moment of zen.

“Shadowflame! Shadowflame!” Those voices echoed once more outside the tent. The monk would inhale, brushing her bangs back. Exhausted, mentally in turmoil, but she’d rush to meet the emissaries at the tent’s entrance. 

“My cot.” She’d say, once again, as the smell of burning flesh assailed her nose yet again. 

[sunnytarg]

Hi Sunny!

I was wondering can you write something with Aegon and female reader. Aegon wants the reader to sit on his face but the reader is shy and nervous. But Aegon just continues to reassure her that it’s gonna be okay and both of them end up enjoying it. I’m sorry I really don’t know how to write a request🧍‍♀️

yay! It's my first request! I know I wrote this in a weird format so pls forgive me.

Aegon isn’t sure what being a good husband actually looks like but he was determined to try and be a decent husband (and not just because Aemond bet that he couldn’t do it.) for his new Lady wife. He knew that everyone was expecting failure from him. His own mother hadn’t even let him meet his future bride until the wedding was to take place because she was so sure that he would do something to dishonor her.

He wasn’t sure what to expect of his new wife. All he was told was that she was raised to be the perfect image of a lady. Of course, after meeting her he began to learn more about her for himself. For one, she enjoyed the libraries in the red keep and hated the stench of Kings Landing.

She was sensible in front of everyone but once she began to start to feel comfortable in front of him he could see some of the tension in her melt away.

Aegon still wasn’t sure about how he felt about marriage overall but he knew that he had started to care deeply for his wife. In fact, it was only three moons after their wedding that they had their first stumble.

The best way to describe his new Lady wife in a word was ‘innocent’. She had clearly been taught about the more sensual parts of marriage from septas. Aegon of course wasn’t complaining. He got to introduce her to new things, things that she wouldn’t have even dreamt of. What was even better was that he got to introduce such things to her which meant he got to hear her moans and feel her nails dig into his skin.

He never would quite forget the night, a moon after their wedding, when he suggested that she ride him. The look on her face and the feel of her hips in his hands as he helped push her up and down on his cock. When he lent up to lick and suck on her tits he swore that the guards that guarded their door heard her moaning.

It was this thought and several goblets of wine that led him to bringing up something he’d been thinking of since he first saw her naked.

He didn’t just want to spread her legs and shove his face between and devour her within an inch of her life like he had taken to doing at least once a day. He wanted to lay back as she propped herself over his face and took her pleasure from him.

He knew it would be met with immediate resistance. She would say no before actually knowing what he was asking.

“If you want to taste me so badly why can’t we just do what we’ve been doing?” She asked with a slight flush in her cheeks. Aegon couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or from the wine they consumed together.

“Because I want to lay back and have my wife be in control?” He murmured as he licked a strip from her shoulder to her ear. Eventually whispering huskily in her ear, “I only want to give you pleasure, my wife. Make you see the stars as I make you cum with my tongue.”

She was quiet for a moment before saying, “what if I suffocate you?”

He turned her face towards him with two fingers on her chin and smirked. He truly was blessed with such a delicious woman. “Then I would die a happy man.”

Aegon shimmied down their bed so that his head was on one of their many pillows. His beautiful and oh so innocent wife looked and him hesitantly before she turned to straddle him. Looking at her he was glad that they had already had some fun earlier because he knew he had no patience to strip her of her clothing now.

He chuckled lowly he she didn’t move any further than his torso. “As much as I love when you ride my cock, I want you up here.” He said before gripping her hips and pulling her towards his face.

She was already breathing heavily as she slowly positioned herself over his face. He nipped at her inner thigh causing her to squeal before he stuck his tongue to swipe at her wet slit. She shuddered and it was just the cue that Aegon was waiting for to pull her down further so that she was properly on his face.

He couldn’t pay attention to her moaning and mewling and he drove his tongue through her folds and brought it up to swirl around her clit.

It didn’t take long before her hesitancy was lost and she was grinding against his tongue and pulling at his silver hair. As much as he loved the taste of wine he was sure that the juices coming from the woman above him were addictive.

He moved his hands from her hips to grip her plump ass as she cried out in pleasure. He tasted it as she came on his tongue. He moaned at the salty flavor and the sounds she was making. He tried to hold her against his face for a bit longer before she finally fell away and lay next to him.

He waited for her to catch her breath before he leaned in and kissed her, making sure she tasted herself on his tongue. When he pulled away he smiled greedily at her, “just wait for what else I can show you.”

[sillytaetime]

idol au fanfic where jeonghan and his stylist/makeup artist fall in love? slow burn, sexual tension typa thang ;) <3 !

Alright, im sorry this has taken so long, I had to get a plot going and that involved me writing, deleting, and rewriting over and over again, I made this like a short little drabble since I'm currently working on a fanfic.

Requests are open! And I welcome them, I could use some more ideas!

Warnings:// angst; Suggestive smut; not proofread

WC: approx. 590

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Jeonghan walks in to rehearsals late. Again.

"Yooo Jeonghan, what happened to you?"

"The stupid doors never open for me."

"Well, Stylist noona is over there waiting for you. She doesn't seem very happy."

Jeonghan comes in late all the time. It's nothing new, it's not the reason that the Stylist is upset. Last night, Jeonghan was supposed to go on a date with her and he ended up staying late at practice, forgetting to text her that he had to cancel.

Jeonghan walks over to where she is waiting for him.

"I'm so so sorry, yeobo."

"Right now, I don't need an apology. I need you to sit down and not speak."

Yeah, that was a little awkward. Her doing his makeup and no talking. She is definitely not happy with him.

--------♤

Stylist POV

I hate being mad at Jeonghan. His smile can light up a room. The truth is, I'm not really mad about him missing the date, I get it. He's busy. I was just hoping to get some alone time so I can relieve some of the stress I'm feeling. I've been so horny lately that my fingers aren't enough.

"I really am sorry"

"Jeonghan-"

"Please, let me make it up to you. I'll take you to a really expensive dinner."

"Jeonghan-"

"Please baby I miss when we would get to cuddle all day, I just want you to forgive me-"

"JEONGHAN!"

He pauses and gets real quiet, finally letting me speak.

*speaking really fast* "I'm not mad at you for missing the date, I've just been really lonely lately and I've been missing you and your touch, I guess I'm just more upset about not seeing you because you always look so good and we haven't done it in a while. It'd actually been so long since we have... that my fingers aren't enough anymore and-"

Suddenly I feel his lips on mine.

--------♡

Jeonghan POV

She was going on and om but after I heard what she really wants that's all I could focus on. I just took action and smashed my lips on hers.

I've wanted her more than she wants me. As soon as she said those words, I felt the blood rush to my cock.

I laid her down on the couch making quick work on her neck.

"Ahh~ hannie~"

"Feel good baby?"

"Mmm fuck, yess~"

My hand travels up to her breast, groping at it. Quickly, I get impatient, ripping her shirt off her body. I pull my sheet over my head and I catch her staring.

"Like what you see baby?"

"Mmhmm"

I smashed my lips on hers as I work on the button of her jeans and throw those somewhere across the room.

"Ugh baby your so hot, it's so hard to believe your body belongs to me."

"Mmm all yours hannie."

I pulls her panties off and quickly unhooked her bra, throwing those with the other discarded clothes. As I'm taking my boxers off, S/N says...

"How did you learn to unhook bras that quickly?"

"It's a special talent."

I run my fingers along her folds.

"God your so wet. Your all ready for my cock aren't you baby"

"Mmm yes God just fuck me."

I started to push my cock into her, slowly, just to make sure I didn't hurt her. I think I could cum just from feeling her raw.

"Ahh ommmy godd~ hannie~ right there!"

"Hey, Jeonghan do you- OH OH"

I hear Mingyu slam the door shut running out to the guys.

"Fuck, ill never hear the end of this."