#and it started for both as soon as i started following them

[katsu28]

summer's golden haze - chapter one

pairing: lando norris x reader

summary: a small town somewhere in beautiful greece, early morning coffee runs, and the cute boy that you keep running into. (4.8k)

warnings: sort of shy!reader, a bit of swearing, lando being both smooth and a little awkward

a/n: series masterlist coming soon :)

“That guy is totally checking you out.” 

You reluctantly drag your attention away from the truly addicting pasta you’d ordered to meet your friend’s gaze across the table, slightly suspicious, but also a little curious as to what she’s talking about.

Samira is grinning knowingly at you already, mischievously, like she’s got a tasty bit of information you don’t know about. Probably not tastier than the food in front of you, but your interest is piqued nonetheless. 

“What guy?” You sigh, giving into your curiosity quite easily. She arches a perfectly sculpted brow at you, then tilts her head to the side discreetly, and you follow her gaze towards—

Oh. That guy. 

You saw him on your way to your seat at first, a group of four guys sitting a few tables away in the same patio area of the restaurant, drawing your attention even before you’d sat down. Artfully messy brown curls swept up out of his face, thick dark brows framing bright eyes crinkled with laughter at something his friend had said, you’d felt yourself growing conscious of the man’s existence with just one glance. 

And then his gaze had flicked to your friends passing his table, but more importantly, your own gaze, and you’d nearly stumbled on your own feet.

Your cheeks had grown hot at the intensity of his stare following your path to your seat, not to mention the embarrassment that had flooded your veins at the thought of nearly eating shit in front of this very attractive stranger. 

Had you grown the nerve to look back at him at the time, you would’ve seen his lips quirk into a goofy grin, as well as all the shoving he’d gotten from his friends as they’d caught wind of his unabashed staring. 

Now you’re almost done with your meal, and you could swear you’ve felt him looking at you plenty more times. Not that it mattered at all, because your eyes have been firmly glued to your food and your friends only. 

Okay, so you might’ve hastened a few covert glances over in his direction too, but he’s been chatting away to his friends every time, so maybe you’re just making nothing into something. 

“Don’t even try to hide it, you’ve been making eyes at him too, girl,” Your other friend, Maren, pipes up, elbowing you in the arm playfully. The last of your girls, Camille, nods her agreement, smiling gleefully. “He’s hot.”  

Right, so perhaps not as covert as you’d thought. 

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” You reply, spearing another piece of pasta through your fork. You’re kicked under the table at that moment, hard enough to warrant the whine that escapes your mouth. “What?” Now you're met with three pointed glares your way. “Okay, fine. Yeah, he’s cute.” 

“Go talk to him!” 

“Go flirt with him!” 

“Absolutely not!” You exclaim. Your voice comes out louder than you intend and you duck your head quickly, worried you’d disturbed the peace of the quiet area. “He’s probably got a girlfriend already or something.” 

“If he does, she better dump his ass because he's been giving you fuck me eyes all damn night.” 

“No, he has not,” You hiss, which only gets you yet another look from them. You’re starting to get tired of all these looks, actually. “Has he? I mean—are they? Fuck me eyes?” 

“Oh yeah, he—” 

Camille clears her throat, cutting Samira off. “No, they’re not,” She assures you, placing a hand over yours. “He’s been smiling every time he looks over.”

“Maybe he’s looking at one of you guys?” 

“He’s definitely been looking at you.” 

You bite your lip, nose scrunching skeptically. You haven’t really been the subject of any guy’s attention before, let alone one as handsome as this one. You’ve learned it’s better not to get your hopes up when it comes to certain situations. This seems like one of them. “Are you sure?” 

“If I’m wrong, I’ll give you back your share of the villa rental.” 

“Can I get that in writing, or…?” 

Before any of them can come up with a smart remark, a plate is placed into the center of the table, on which is a large square of baklava, light and flaky with that sweet, sugary filling spilling out the sides of the piece that almost makes your mouth water. You’d seen it in the dessert section of the menu earlier, but had decided against ordering it in favor of trying an appetizer instead. 

“Oh, excuse me? We didn’t order this,” Maren speaks up, looking up at the waiter. 

He does a half turn, sweeping an arm in a vague direction. “It is from the gentleman in the blue shirt.” 

You follow his gaze, and fuck, your heart skips a beat in your chest, because it’s him. It’s the same guy you’ve been drawn to all night, and he’s actually looking right back at you this time. His hand comes up in a wave, then back down to his side almost immediately, like he’s worried about it seeming too eager, before settling with a reserved nod. All the while, he’s still got that smile gracing his face that makes your stomach flip flop. 

“He sent over a dessert?!?! I am so keeping that money, girl,” Camille hums, picking up her fork to dig in while Samira and Maren voice their agreement. 

You, on the other hand, well…you’re not sure what to think. You appreciate the gesture, but you're also confused. Why did he send something over? What did he want? 

It doesn't occur to you that he’s truly taken an interest in you until you're huddled outside with your friends talking next steps of the night. Whether you want to keep exploring this new place, or call it a day and go home. You’re firmly on the latter’s side because you're tired. But you’ll go along with whatever is decided. 

The guy and his friends have coincidentally left the restaurant at the same time as you did, judging by the sudden commotion that erupts behind you. Like a moth drawn to a flame, your gaze lands on him yet again, only this time, you actually lock eyes with him. Something jolts through you, something electric up your spine like a tiny shock. Something you’ve never felt before. You shove the foreign feeling deep down, no matter how much you’d like to explore it. 

He looks away, teeth sunk into his bottom lip to quell the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, and you avert your wandering eyes too, before anyone else notices. Evidently you’re a little too slow, because all three of your friends catch on instantly. 

“Go talk to him already.” Camille says matter-of-factly. 

“No, I—what do I even say?” 

“Maybe hello would be a good start?” 

You press your lips together, unimpressed, and you get a snicker in return, something about how you're not asking for his hand in marriage, you’re just trying to make conversation. It’s not that you don’t want to talk to him, it’s that you’re not exactly sure how to approach it. You’ve already convinced yourself of the worst, but to possibly have it play out in real life is a tangible fear of yours, and always has been. 

One of your girls (you’re willing to bet more money it’s Maren) gives you a not so gentle shove towards him, as does one of his friends over in his group. Now you’ve got no choice. You meet each other in the middle, just looking at each other for a few moments. It’s awkward and you have half a mind to turn and go, but then he speaks. 

“Hey,” He says. 

“Hi,” You reply shyly, shifting on your feet nervously. He shoves both hands into his pockets. He looks a bit nervous too, which does a significant wonder to calm you. “Thank you for the baklava. It was delicious.” 

“Yeah, of course. Glad you guys liked it. Figured you can’t go wrong with a classic.” He bobs his head, shoulders creeping up towards his ears in a shrug before dropping back down. “I’m Lando, by the way.” 

Lando. It’s not a name you’re expecting, but it suits him well. 

He sticks his hand out almost instinctively, like he’s been conditioned to do so. Maybe he has, considering the aura of professionality it gives off when you do shake his hand. 

His palm is smooth and warm against yours, long fingers curling around your hand like the sincere smile that curls his lips as you tell him your name in return. Dimples bracket his mouth on both sides. 

The handshake almost lasts a little too long for two people who’ve just met literally a few moments ago, as does the way his eyes linger upon yours. 

Even in the dark of the night, illuminated only by the warm glow of the lamps above you, you can see him much better up close. His sunkissed skin does little to hide the flushed pink on his cheeks that travels down to his chest, disappearing under the generously unbuttoned blue linen. You feel exposed under his intense gaze, looking back at those mesmerizing eyes. Blue, green, gray—maybe a mix of all three, you’re not sure, but you can’t help but want to figure it out. 

Then you remember that you don’t know this guy at all, and it brings you back to reality. 

“Lando, like…the guy from Star Wars?” You ask. It breaks the invisible tether between the two of you and he smiles, laughs a little bit too. 

He shrugs casually. “Not according to my mum and dad, but I do get that a lot.” 

“You must get tired of hearing it from people then.”

His head tilts to one side, smile going endearingly lopsided. “Depends on the person. Like, I didn’t mind when you said it just now.” You’re not sure how to respond to that, so you just smile, and he takes your reaction in stride, moving on. “Are you guys from around here, or…” 

“No, actually, we’re—um, we’re just here on holiday.”

“Oh, same! Yeah, we’ve been here a few days now, it’s been great. Is this your first time in Greece?” He asks, smile turning warm. You nod. “Have you checked out the local market yet?”

“Can’t say we have yet, no. We just got in the day before last, so…still figuring out our footing first. But I’ll keep it in mind, thank you!” 

Lando inhales sharply, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Hey, y’know, if you want, maybe we could—” 

“Oi, Lando! Let’s go, mate!” 

He glances back over at his friends, one of whom is waving for him to return to his group rather wildly, before turning back to you. Whatever he was about to say is lost now, because he shrugs loosely. “Guess that’s my cue,” He sighs. Then his gaze softens, smile turning a little hopeful. “Will I see you around again? Small town and all.” 

“Uh…I dunno. Maybe, if it’s meant to be.” You have to try with all your might not to take the statement back, even though you really, really want to. 

If it’s meant to be—who the fuck says that? Like fate has anything to do with this miraculous interest Lando seems to have taken in you. If you were him, you’d find your words quite off putting. Instead, he smirks, crooked and cute. 

“Meant to be,” He repeats, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Yeah alright, I’ll take my chances. Have a good night.” 

You bid him a soft goodnight, barely able to stifle the giggle that spills from your mouth when he nearly trips over the cobblestones on his way back to his friends. He’s awkward, you think, but still confident. It’s cute. 

Lando stays rooted in your mind the rest of the night, all the way up until you’re lying in bed, waiting for sleep to take hold of you. It’s weird to think this much about a guy you’ve just met, a guy who you’ve only had one conversation with and have left things up to chance in terms of seeing him again. 

-------

You’re the first one awake this morning, roused from your sleep by bright sunlight pouring through the window, even through the curtains. Contemplation of going back to sleep crosses your mind, but it’s no use. You’re up now, so you might as well make the most of your early morning. 

You love your friends dearly, but some alone time sounds like heaven right about now. There’s a coffee spot not far from where you’re staying that you remember seeing on your way in that seems like a perfect match to your solo walk, so you head there. You’ll be a nice friend and bring coffee home for when they eventually wake up too. 

After dropping them a text letting them know you’ve gone out, you set off. The walk back into town is short but serene, a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of your daily lives, and a reminder of why you’d all decided to vacation in this particular region of Greece in the first place. 

Someone calls out something that sounds like your name before you can step into the shop and you pause, casting a glance around to see if your ears might be playing tricks on you. You’ve only been here a few days, and the only other person who knows you other than your friends is…Lando. 

You squint a little harder to see through the glare of the sun, and lo and behold, there he is, hands linked behind his head. The grin that lifts your face is almost embarrassing, or would’ve been had Lando not been so eager upon seeing you wave at him. 

He’s clad in athletic shorts and a cutoff tee that shows off muscles you’re trying your very hardest not to stare at as he makes his way closer, curls tucked away in a baseball cap pulled low on his head. Headphones dangle from around his neck, and he’s panting, chest rising and falling heavily very clearly once he’s stopped in front of you. 

“Hey, good morning! I thought that was you,” He breathes, attempting to catch his breath. “Early riser too, I take it?” 

“Honestly, not usually! The sun decided I would be today, though, so…here I am.” 

“Here you are. Guess it was meant to be then, huh?” He chuckles, reaching up to flip his cap backwards. If you thought he was tan the night you met, he’s even tanner in the sun, bronze skin stretching over sinewy muscle that flexes as he sweeps a hand through his hair before tugging it back down in one smooth motion. “Doing a coffee run?” 

“Yeah, I’m the only one of us awake at this hour so I figured I’d bring them back a little something.” 

“You’re a saint. I’d let my mates suffer if it were me,” Lando snorts. 

You shrug. “Guess that’s the difference between the two of us.” 

“Yeah?” He hums, looking amused. “What else is different between you and me?” 

“Well, first of all, I would never be on a run at eight in the morning. Is someone punishing you, or is this a self-inflicted torture type thing?” 

That gets another laugh out of him, shoulders shaking with mirth. “Gotta keep in shape or my trainer might try to kill me with workouts instead.” 

“You’re an athlete?” You pry, intrigued. He looks the part, you think. Lean but not skinny, strong but not massively built. A runner, maybe? 

Lando freezes a split second, rocks from foot to foot, scratching at his nose. “Kind of, yeah.” 

“What’s your sport?” 

“Uh…golf. It’s more like a hobby than anything else.” 

“Golf,” You repeat, an amused smile poking at the edges of your mouth. “Can’t say I know a thing about it.” 

“Oh, it’s definitely something else, for sure. Super intense stuff, really grueling.” His words say one thing, but he’s grinning like he’s pulling your leg, lip pulled between his teeth in that same way as last night, nose scrunching adorably as he bobs his head quickly to further sell it. 

“Sure, if you say so. But d’you think your trainer would get mad if you cut your super intense training short to grab a cup of coffee with a friend?” 

You’re almost expecting him to say no, but Lando perks up instead, eyes crinkling happily at the corners. “Not at all. Shall we?” 

Over coffee, you find that Lando is an excellent conversationalist—funny and a good listener, an even better storyteller. He asks about you without seeming pushy or prying, and because of that you feel yourself relaxing a bit in his presence. Opening yourself up to the possibility of a good thing with him, no matter how short or fleeting it may be, whether it’s friendship or something more. 

A few weeks of summer in a place you've never been with a boy you don’t know is the time to be a little bolder. Chances are you’ll never see Lando again after this trip, so why not loosen up just a little bit? 

It’s only when more people start to trickle into the shop and you start to notice Lando’s eyes shifting over your shoulder more that you realize you’ve been here with him for a while now. And judging by the dozens of missed calls and texts from all three of your friends on your phone when you go to check it for the first time since you’d left, you’ve been gone a lot longer than you said you’d be. 

You know them well enough to know that they’re not above calling the local police to send out a search party for you if you don’t find your way back soon. 

“Friends wondering where you are?” 

You nod, sending a quick message that you are indeed alive and not kidnapped like they feared, before tucking your phone away again. “Guess I better get them their coffees for sure now, or else they might not let me back in the house.” 

“Lemme buy it for them,” He offers sincerely, offering you a lopsided grin. You shake your head rapidly at the suggestion, but he continues, “I’m the reason you’ve been gone so long, the least I can do is buy them drinks. Call it an apology for making them worry, yeah?” 

“You really don’t have to, Lando.” 

“I know. I want to,” He insists, looking truly genuine. First dessert last night, now coffee today. You have half a mind to push back a little more, but you get the feeling Lando is as persistent as he is handsome, so you taking a firm stance on something like this seems like a moot point. Giving in, you nod, and he mirrors it, looking proud. 

He lets you take the lead in reciting your friends’ orders once you’ve made your way back over to the front counter, stepping forward with a hand to the small of your back to pay for the drinks before you have any bright ideas to pull one over on him and pay for them yourself. 

The barista smiles politely, pen hovering above a cardboard cup. “And a name for that?” 

Lando casts a furtive glance around the area before leaning in and saying his name quietly, as if he’s worried he’ll run into someone who he doesn’t want to see. You notice, but don’t really pay it any mind. You understand far too well not wanting to talk to someone you're unprepared for. 

Soon enough Lando’s got the drinks in hand and you’re back outside, and he’s smiling again. You’ve noticed he does that a lot when he looks at you. You’re sure you’re the same way with him. 

“My mates and I, we’re planning on having a little barbeque at our villa tomorrow night. You should come,” Lando says encouragingly, tilting his head to the side. When your brows raise in surprise, he hastily adds, “And your friends too, obviously. We’d love the company.” 

“Ah! Um, I dunno. Wouldn’t wanna crash your thing.” 

“You wouldn't be. Seriously, come hang out. We’re fun, I promise!” 

“I just—I forget if we’ve got plans, that’s all.” You’re not lying when you say it, you truly forget if you’re free tomorrow night. Most of it stems from your awful memory, but a small part of it attributes to how your brain kind of stops working properly around Lando. 

“Right, well, you figure that out, and if you find you’ve got a free evening,” He balances the drinks deftly in one hand, the other fishing his phone out of his shorts pocket and swiping at the screen briefly before holding it out to you, “text me, let me know.” 

You’re not sure where you find the boldness to tap your phone number into his contacts, but you do it with confidence, saving it under your name and a smiley face. 

“Cute.” Lando smirks, chuckling as he sends a simple hi so you've got his number too. “Now, I believe these are yours, and…maybe I’ll see you tomorrow? If it’s meant to be.” 

You smile at the mirroring of last night’s words from him as you situate the cardboard tray in your own arms. “Maybe.” 

The smile hasn’t left your face even by the time you arrive back home, because you’ve been thinking about Lando the whole way. For a stranger you’ve met only yesterday, he’s sure been occupying a lot of space in your mind. You aren’t entirely sure how to feel about it. 

You’re already prepared for the berating you’re about to get as you close the front door behind you carefully, making your way to the kitchen.

“Where the hell have you been?” 

You look up to see all three of your friends sitting around the kitchen table, and none of them look particularly happy. You smile innocently, holding up the cardboard tray of drinks up as a peace offering. “Coffee?” 

“It better come with an explanation.” 

Nodding vigorously, you dole out each drink to your friends. “It does, I swear. I didn’t just disappear, I ran into—” 

“Hold the fuck on. Why does this say Lando? Why is that man’s name on my cup—” 

“Oh my god, you did not get coffee with him without telling us!” 

“You bitch!” 

That’s how you end up telling them the whole story—running into him in town, talking for ages, and that brings you to your next point. 

“We don’t have any plans for tomorrow night, do we?” 

“There’s the vineyard tour in the afternoon, but that should end around five. Why?” 

“Lando invited us to a barbecue at his villa,” You say quickly. That gets their attention immediately, all of their eyes widening in the same shocked looks. None of them answer your question though. “Is that…something we’d be interested in?” 

Samira is the first to snap out of it, mouth curving into a playful smirk. “Invited us, or invited you?” 

“Definitely just her.” 

“Whatever! Do we wanna go or not?” You grumble, doing your best to fight the grin threatening to overtake your face. The thought of him wanting to spend time with you brings you a teensy bit of satisfaction. 

“Of course we’re going!” 

After they’re done poking fun at you, you’re able to take a moment to top out a quick message to Lando. That barbecue invite still up for grabs? 

You're not expecting an immediate answer, but your phone dings with a text back before you even set it down. 

Lando: Of course. Plans fell through? 

You: seems like you’ve really made an impression on my friends 

Lando: Not sure whether to be scared or flattered…

You: your guess is as good as mine! we’ll find out tomorrow :)

Lando: Brb gotta go call my lawyer and update my will 

“You’re texting him right now, aren’t you?” 

You look up from your phone to see Camille leaning in the doorway to your room, a soft, knowing smile on her face. “Yeah, he—uh, he says he’s looking forward to meeting you guys again.” She comes to sit beside you, looking like she wants to talk about something. You set it aside, head tilting in a silent question. 

“Do you think you’ll stay in contact with Lando after we leave?” 

“I’m not sure. Haven’t really thought about it all that much, to be honest.”

If you do think about it, you haven’t even known Lando for more than a day. You’ve only just met him yesterday, seen him twice, one of which was completely spur of the moment. So what if that spur of the moment encounter was the most connected you’ve felt to someone in a long time? 

You don’t know him, and chances are, he’s not looking for anything serious. You don’t even know if you’re looking for anything serious. 

“It’s okay if you want to.” 

“I shouldn’t want to,” You say. It feels like you’re trying to convince yourself more than anything. You look to Camille for an answer, but she just pats your hand. “Right? I’m never gonna see him again, so I shouldn’t get attached.” 

“You don’t know that for sure, do you?” 

“I guess not. It feels scary, though. Opening yourself up to something when you don't know what’ll happen.” 

Camille hums, a placating, even comforting sound to soothe your worries. She’s always been pretty good at getting you to see the brighter side in things. “There’s fun in that too. Being spontaneous, surprising yourself. You never know, Lando could be just the thing you need, the one you didn’t know you were looking for. And if not, you don’t have to see him again. A win-win, I’d say.” 

She leaves you alone to your thoughts after that, left to ponder what exactly it is you want. It might be stupid and entirely over-optimistic of you, but Lando has already pulled you in. You’re not sure what it is about him. He makes you want more, want to know more. 

Whatever happens will happen, and if things don’t work out…well, Camille is right. You never have to see Lando again. 

His name flashes across your screen later in the night, right before you’re about to go to sleep. You’ve been texting back and forth all day, but this one is different. He’s video calling you right now. 

You stare at his name for longer than you should, finger hovering over the answer button a few beats before pressing it. His face pops into view once the call connects. Like you, he’s sitting in bed, leaned up against the headboard, cozied up in a soft looking jumper. He looks like he’s moments away from drifting off, but he called you, so he must want to talk. 

“Hi,” You say softly. 

“Hey, you.” He smiles, warm and sleepy and all squinty in a way that makes you want to crawl through the screen and tuck him into bed with a kiss to his forehead. “You must be tired.” 

“Eh, I’m alright. Why?” 

“‘Cause you’ve been running through my mind all day.” 

You let out a wildly unappealing snort of laughter at his poor attempt at a pick up line. “That’s terrible! Oh my god, that was awful, Lando, seriously.” 

“No?” His smile grows giddy, shoulders shaking with his chuckles. “Yeah, it was pretty bad, wasn’t it? Got you laughing though.” 

Conversation falls into the same easy nature as this morning, like you’ve known him for ages. He makes you laugh until your ribs hurt, smile until your cheeks feel the same. It still amazes you just how comfortable you feel around him, as someone who usually takes a while to warm up to people. 

Maybe you should take it as a sign. 

A jumble of muffle voices offscreen some time later makes Lando squint. “Hang on, I’ll be right back. Don’t hang up. ” He lets the phone drop onto the bed, checking once to make sure you’re still there before disappearing from sight. 

You hear his footsteps fade, then more voices you can’t quite make out. Someone laughs off in the distance, and then he’s back, resituating himself with the remnants of an amused grin on his lips. 

“Everything okay?” 

“My mates are yelling at me to turn off the light, so I’d better go,” He sighs goodnaturedly, lips turning down into a frown. Then he yawns widely, and you realize how late it’s gotten since you’ve picked up his call. Losing track of time when you’re talking to Lando seems to be a recurring theme. “I’m glad you’re coming tomorrow.” 

Your breath catches a little in your chest, both at his words and the way he’s looking at you through the screen as he says it, nothing but genuine. “Me too.” 

You’re starting to think this whole try not to get attached thing is going to be much harder than you thought. 

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[reidswhre]

spencer reid x fem!reader

warnings: it’s silly and fluff

a/n: this is the intro of episode 7 from season 3, i founded it so funny so i made this blurb.

“A popular theory among leading astrophysicists estimates that the hypermatter reactor would need about 10 to the 32nd joules of energy to destroy a planet the size of the Earth.” You didn’t exactly know what Reid was trying to explain to Morgan, but he looked cute.

Emily looked at you mockingly.

“Now, Lucas said it took 19 years to build the first Death Star, right?” Spencer looked at you.

“But if you look at The New Essential Chronology, there's a test bed prototype for a super laser that's been—” Morgan got up from his seat and headed toward Rossi’s new office.

“Where are you going?” Spencer asked Morgan, confused.

“Taking back the last five minutes of my life,” Morgan replied, and Reid made a face.

“I was listening to you.” You shrugged.

“I know you were, you always do.” He smiled at you.

“Don’t you want to know about this guy?” Morgan asked as he walked up the stairs.

“I do.” Emily quickly got up from her desk.

“I don’t! Are you kidding? No, no—This is dangerous.” You followed them.

You were starting to panic a little. Not for nothing, but this guy was pretty mysterious, and even though you might sound a bit like a people pleaser, you were dying to make a good impression on Rossi, and if he caught you snooping around his office, you two weren’t going to become friends anytime soon.

“I've got it all memorized. His books, his bio,” Spencer replied to Morgan.

“Yeah, books that sold over a million copies.”

“So?”

“That’s a million reasons not to come back, if you know what I’m saying.” Morgan explained to us.

I mean, of course, he was right. Why would a guy who had already ended his career years ago suddenly come back? He wasn’t going to do it out of kindness. But that wasn’t your problem.

“Huh!” Morgan exclaimed as he entered his office.

“Taupe walls. That’s a negative color.” Emily was analyzing it. “Cold. Distant. You know, emotionally, taupe is linked to loneliness and a desire to escape from the world.”

“I just figured the guy’s walls would be covered with plaques and commendations,” Morgan continued to Emily.

“Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories. It’s a new chapter for him.”

Spencer and you peeked into the office, you clinging to his arm.

“Whatever happened to the moratorium on intra-team profiling, guys?” Spencer asked the group.

“Come on, Reid. Team? I don’t think this guy knows the meaning of the word.”

“Probably not, but—We shouldn’t be here. What if he sees us?” You were quite scared.

“I don’t think he will, don’t worry.” Spencer took your hand, and you both entered the office.

“I found something. Looks like some type of religious art. Original maybe, definitely expensive.” Morgan showed us a painting in a frame.

You wrapped your arm around Spencer’s and leaned on his.

“It’s Renaissance art,” you replied to Morgan, looking at the painting in Spencer’s hand.

“If that’s original…” Spencer followed your lead.

“Is it?” Morgan asked.

“It’s kind of hard to tell, I mean, he’s into the classics,” you continued.

“What else?”

“Italian, strict Catholic upbringing, probably believes in redemption.” Spencer was pondering over the painting.

“I believe in a lot of things.” You heard a voice behind you, and it almost gave you a heart attack.

You lifted your head off Spencer’s arm, stepping away from him entirely. He gave you a puzzled look due to the distance.

“Catholic, yes. Italian American, 52 years old. Strict upbringing? Not so much.”

We shared awkward glances between us. This couldn’t be happening.

“Now the artwork? That’s 15th-century original, it costs more than my first house. And as for the wall color, it’s just a base coat, painters will come in and finish tomorrow.” He gave us an ironic smile.

You felt like you were about to die or something.

“Now, if you’re all finished, I think JJ and Hotch are ready for us,” he informed us. “Isn’t that how a team works?” This time he looked straight at Morgan.

You quickly ran out of there before the embarrassment swallowed you whole. Spencer followed right behind you.

“Hey! Wait for me.” You heard him behind you.

“Are you kidding me? I told you we shouldn’t have gone in! What a disgrace, I can’t believe it.” You turned to look at him. “What’s he going to think of me?”

“I don’t think he cares that much, really.” He took your hands in an attempt to calm you down.

“How could he not!? We snooped through his stuff! We profiled him! Oh, this is bad!”

Spencer laughed a little at you. “What are you laughing at!?” You frowned.

“I really don’t think it’s that deep, don’t worry.” He gave you a sincere look.

If you thought about it, it wasn’t that bad. He probably wouldn’t even mention it again, and it wasn’t like you did anything serious... at least you hoped so.

“You think so?” You looked back at him.

“Of course!” He smiled at you. “Come on, I’ll make you some coffee before we go to JJ and Hotch.” Spencer gave you a small kiss on the forehead, took your hand, and led you to the kitchen.

a/n: so this is how i was picturing Spencer and reader when they we’re watching the artwork.

so cute i’m dying!!

[k-dgn]

Chapter 2: The First Test

13k Words

Time seemed to pass by in a blur. You wanted to make sure you were prepared, so you spent every waking moment trying to come up with as many different ideas and concepts as possible that you wanted to pitch to Mina hoping you would find something she would like. A few days later, you finally got the long awaited text from Sana telling you where and when to meet.

On the day of the meeting you arrived early, wanting to leave a good impression. Sana had chosen a different café than the one at the JYP building you had met her at previously. It was pretty low-key as far as storefronts were concerned, and was two stories tall. The upstairs even had a secluded loft area perfectly suited for your planned get-together. After getting your drink and making your way up, you sat down on the couch and let out an anxious sigh. You then pulled out your phone and messaged Sana.

Y/N: Hey! Just letting you know I'm here already, waiting upstairs.

SN: Ok! We’ll be there soon ✌️

A few minutes passed by but they felt like hours. Eventually, you heard footsteps coming from the stairs, as well as the sound of that signature giggle that could only be coming from none other than Sana. You turned to face the stairs just as they were coming up. Sana was wearing a tight-fitting pink top that exposed her perfectly toned midriff and a pair of equally tight-fitting jeans.

Following closely behind her was Mina, wearing a long-sleeved striped knit top, black leather skirt, and black knee-high socks. Both girls wore hats and face masks in an attempt to hide their identities from the public, but one look into either of their eyes would have given them away in an instant.

You took one last nervous deep breath before waving from your seat to call them over. Sana quickly spotted you and started to make her way over, Mina in tow. As they approached, they removed their masks while you rose from your seat and got up to greet them. You opened your arms, a cue Sana took up almost immediately.

“You're early this time!” Sana exclaimed as she came up to hug you. “...Why weren't you this early when you met me for the first time, huh?” Even now, the girl just loved to mess with you. You rolled your eyes and tried to laugh it off.

“Oh, you know. Just wanted to leave a good impression this time around.” You replied with a cheeky grin. Sana pulled away and stuck her tongue out at you before laughing again. She then stepped back in order to introduce you to the other girl who was just watching everything unfold. Her hands were covered by her long sleeves, and she had brought them up to her face, cutely covering her mouth. 

“Y/N, this is Mina,” Sana said as she nudged Mina’s arm. “Mina, Y/N!”

You extended a hand and put on the best smile you could. Mina’s eyes turned to crescent moons as she reached out a hand to shake yours.

“It's nice to meet you, Mina. Thank you for meeting with me today!” You said confidently. You shake her sleeve covered hand, and couldn't help but to notice that she had the gentlest touch.

“Nice to finally meet you too,” she replied, quickly eyeing you up and down before lowering her hand. She was so soft-spoken you almost had trouble hearing her, so you mentally noted to pay extra attention whenever she spoke. “You know, I've heard a lot about you from Sana.” 

“Ah…good things, I hope?” you say, your eyes darting to Sana for a moment who was smiling while holding up a peace sign. Mina just laughed and nodded as the three of you sat down around the coffee table.

The next bit of time was spent going over the list of ideas you had prepared on your phone. Mina was sitting across from you, legs crossed with her elbows on the table and one hand resting on her chin. Her eyes were locked on you the entire time as you led the conversation. You started by asking her what sort of vibe she wanted to go with for the shoot and went from there, detailing your ideas and seeing what she was receptive to. Though she didn't speak much at all, she would nod cutely and smile whenever she did like something. Whenever she did want to voice an opinion you made sure to listen close, taking down notes throughout the entire process.

Meanwhile, Sana was sitting back in her chair next to Mina. Every now and then Mina would turn to ask Sana for her opinion on something and she’d give it, but for the most part Sana was content in letting the two of you hash out business. She was more curious to ask Mina about some other things later anyway.

30 minutes of discussion later, you felt satisfied with the info you'd gathered from your meeting. You put your phone away and smiled back at the two girls. “Alright, I think I can work with these ideas. I can let you know as soon as I have the final draft proposal ready. It shouldn't take more than a few days if that's alright with you?”

“Yeah, that's ok with me” Mina says, flashing you a glimpse of her gummy smile before she quickly covers it with her hand. You smile back and let out a nervous chuckle. For someone as visually stunning on stage as Mina, getting the chance to see this side of her up close was nothing short of breathtaking for you. Sana notices the way you look back at Mina and knowingly smiles to herself.

“Great! Thanks again for meeting with me today. Unfortunately I have to get back to my studio now to finish up some prints for another client today. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Mina shakes her head then turns to look at Sana. Sana looks at the two of you and satisfied with the way the meeting turned out, clasps her hands together proudly. “Nope! I think you guys covered just about everything. Mina, do you want to give him your number or should I?”

Mina smiles back then reaches into her purse to get her phone. She hands it over to you and you input your info before handing it back to her with a smile of your own. You then collect your things and bow slightly toward the girls before bidding them farewell and heading towards the stairs. Once you were out of earshot, Sana looks back over and playfully nudges Mina’s side jolting her out of her trance. Unbeknownst to you, she'd been looking in your direction the whole time as you left.

“Sooo, what do you think?” Sana asks smugly.

“He's...very nice," Mina shyly says with a soft giggle. "I think working with him will be a lot of fun.”

Sana then starts rocking back and forth in place. “Right…and what about the “other” thing we talked about?” Sana asks with a grin, obviously trying to insinuate something else entirely. 

Mina knowingly tilts her head and turns to face Sana, mirroring her cheeky attitude. She knew exactly where Sana was going with her question. 

“Oh…” Mina sighed. “Yeah. He's hot.”

—

The next day, you were back in your studio putting the last touches on your latest project. You had told yourself that after this job was finished, you'd be free to devote all of your time towards working on the draft proposal for Mina and her shoot. You honestly couldn't wait to get back to working on that, so you rushed to finish what you’d started. After one final look-through, you decided that you were happy with the final product and sent it off. You slumped back in your chair, yawning as you stretched out your arms. You'd just spent the entire day working, so suffice to say you were feeling exhausted. Still, you were content to know that you'd now be able to fully shift your focus over to Mina and her project now. As luck would have it, your phone chimed with a new text. You reached over to see a message from an unknown number.

MN: Hey, it's Mina. You wouldn't happen to be busy right now, would you? I had a couple more ideas I wanted to run by you.

Y/N: Hey! You caught me at a good time actually, I just finished up work for the day. What’d you wanna talk about?

MN: Actually, would you want to meet up then? I think it'd be better to talk about it in person.

You took a brief pause before responding. You were a bit taken back because the timing couldn't have worked out any better for you. After collecting yourself, you start to type again.

Y/N: Sure, just let me know where!

Mina then forwarded you an address and said you were free to come whenever. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, you quickly gathered your things before closing up shop and hopping in your car.

—

Mina was looking at herself in the mirror, trying out various poses and angles. In truth, she had ulterior motives in inviting you over to her place that night, spurred on by a conversation she’d had with Sana earlier in the day over text before she ended up messaging you. She thought back to that as she continued adjusting her outfit.

SN: Stop thinking too hard and just call him! I promise you he’s really fun. Besides, I wouldn't share him with you if I didn't think you'd have a great time.

MN: Ugh, I know it's just…Idk, won't he be weirded out if I come on too strong? It's not like I do stuff like this as often as you do…

SN: Oh, Mina. Trust me, that’ll be the last thing he's thinking about when he sees you. I know how you are and I know he can handle you 😉

Back in the present, she struck one more pose before cringing at herself. At that moment, she decided that she’d put off her original plan and would instead wait and get to know you a little better. Just as she was about to start changing, she heard her doorbell ring. In a panic, she quickly threw a sweater over her outfit before scurrying to answer her door.

—

You were about to reach for the doorbell again when you heard the door unlock and open slightly. From behind the door, Mina’s head shyly popped out, her face a bit flushed.

“Hey! Is this a bad time…?” you ask tentatively. “No, no it's fine! Please, come in,” Mina responded. She disappeared behind the door before opening it to let you in. After entering her apartment, she closed the door behind you and leant her hand on it. You looked down at her to see she was wearing an oversized white sweater covering her whole upper body. Her legs were bare, and you couldn't quite make out whether or not she was wearing any shorts. You decided it’d be best that you try paying no mind to it. You were in her home after all. She briefly caught your eyes wandering however, and adjusted the hem of her sweater downward while you quickly averted your eyes. The both of you let out a nervous chuckle.

There was a brief awkward silence as the two of you stood there, both of you unsure of who would make the next move. Mina snapped out of it first as she shyly made her way past you and  down the hall. You gave her some space and followed behind her. 

The two of you entered her living room. You took a moment to look around and admire the scene. Mina’s place was spacious to say the least, as expected of an idol of her status. It was decorated with a quaint, minimalist aesthetic that suited her. The room was furnished simply. On one side hanging on the wall was a giant flat screen TV and beneath it was an entertainment center. Inside, you could see all the various gaming consoles she owned, and you best believe she owned them all. Across from this was a rather comfortable looking couch. Mina picked up a small cushion to hold on her lap before she took a seat on said couch. She then gestured for you to join her by patting the open spot beside her. You happily made your way over.

“This is a really nice place, Mina.” you said with a warm smile as you took a seat next to her. 

“Oh, thanks haha. It's not much but it's enough for me” she replied coyly.

“No kidding. With a TV like that, I wouldn't blame you for never wanting to go out!” 

“Ugh, finally someone gets it. If only my members felt the same way…”

You got the vibe that she may have been a little nervous being alone with you, so you tried to lighten the mood. You opened with some more small talk, asking about which types of games she liked to play in her free time. It seemed to be working as you started to notice her easing up. She was surprisingly easy to talk to once you got on a subject she was passionate about. After exchanging pleasantries a little while longer, you decided it was time to get down to business.

“So, you wanted to discuss some more shoot ideas?”

Mina paused for a moment, remembering why she really invited you over before suppressing those thoughts. “Oh yeah, right. Shoot ideas. I did have an idea for a concept and I wanted your opinion on it.”

You turned your body to face her, propping an elbow on the back of the couch. “Let's hear it!”

“Well I like all the concepts you've pitched so far but…I was thinking that I wanna do something a little more…bold?” 

You raised an eyebrow, trying to follow along. “I see. So you want to try more of a chic or fierce concept?” you prodded, testing to see if you were on the right track.

Mina quietly huffed to herself before trying to convey her thoughts again. “No, not exactly. I was thinking of trying out something more…sexy.”

You made an “Oh” face as you sat up, straightening your posture back forward. Mina in return shyly hid the lower half of her face behind her hands as she saw you finally connect the dots.

“You know what, yeah! I definitely think you can do something like that,” you say, trying your best to keep your composure. “I've done a few shoots like this before. Let me see if I have any stills saved on my phone.” You whipped out your phone and started scrolling through your gallery. You remembered back to a time last month when you were booked to shoot for a lingerie line, so you quickly scroll until you find some photos from that shoot.

Mina slowly leans closer, peering at your screen from over your shoulder. When you got to the photos in question, you turned your body to face her again and presented her your phone. She gracefully took it from you and began swiping through as you looked over her shoulder this time. The pictures were of various models in different lingerie attire, all shot in black and white. As Mina continued to swipe through, she seemed to be impressed with your work…until she got to the end of said shoot. Both of you froze as your eyes grew wide. On screen now was a photo of yourself, shirtless on that same set.

“OH! Sorry about that one,” you nervously said as you grabbed your phone from her still frozen hands. “I was just uh, testing the lighting on set and uh, yeah…”

Mina took a deep breath and cleared her throat before finally collecting herself. “No, don't be sorry, it was my fault for swiping too far. The shots are really good! That's definitely what I was envisioning so how about we try something along those lines?” She asked.

You nervously placed your phone back in your pocket, hoping to quickly move on. “Oh, ok then sure, if that's what you want…”

Mina turned to face you with a slight conviction in her eyes. “Mhm! In fact, wait here for a second, I have an idea.” With that, Mina jumped up from the couch, tossing the cushion aside as she waddled her way out of the living room towards her bedroom.

—

When she got to her room, Mina closed the door behind her before leaning back and sighing. After seeing that photo of you, she realized that you were everything Sana had described you as and then some. She had already quietly thought you were attractive, but that photo all but solidified her desire for you. At that moment, she decided to go ahead with her original plan. Mina walked over to the standing mirror in the corner of her room and took off her sweater, revealing the black lingerie outfit she had originally intended to surprise you with. She then walked into her closet, picking out a matching pair of thigh high stockings and heels to complete the look. After checking herself one last time in the mirror, she took a deep breath and left her room.

— Back in the living room, you took the little free time you had to organize your pictures in the phone's camera roll. Work can stay in work, but those self-portraits? Let's move those into a private folder. You were thinking hard about other pictures you still had that needed to stay hidden next time a client asks for examples, and a couple came to mind. Some barely safe for work behind the scenes pictures Sana let you keep, mostly because they wouldn't have had any real impact beyond some buzz for a week if they were to be leaked. You thought that it’d be a waste to delete those, so into the private folder they went.

You were just about done wrapping up the most crucial parts of your organizational efforts, when you heard a door opening and closing. You put your phone back down on the table in front of you and looked up to where the sounds were coming from. Standing in the doorframe was Mina, her arms awkwardly to her side, her hands meeting each other in front of her waist, her knees pointing slightly inwards. It was clear from her posture that she must have been feeling either shy or embarrassed. You weren't really sure why, because she looked absolutely stunning. Clad in a black lace bralette, a black pencil skirt, a black blazer and matching lace thigh highs, finished off with black pointed-toe pumps.

"How's this...?" She asked you, her voice soft and quiet, and her eyes unable to meet yours.

You were almost too stunned to speak. Was it really okay for you to see this? Your body couldn't help but react as well, but you had to stay professional. She's just asking your opinion for a shoot, stay calm. You somehow managed to form a reply: "Wow, Mina, this outfit looks amazing on you!"

Your response seemed to have eased her mind a little, as her eyes now finally managed to look into yours. "Really? Do you think I’d look better with it on or off?” Unfortunately you didn’t quite pick up the second half of her sentence due to her soft-spokenness, only picking up the initial “Really?”

You were undeniably nervous yourself, so responded to her supposed questioning for affirmation with "Yeah, absolutely! You really captured the concept!" thinking you absolutely nailed it. Mina let out a small, frustrated sigh in response, but recentered herself and followed up by taking a seat on the couch again next to you.

"How much longer do I have you for, oppa?" Mina asked you calmly, albeit with a hint of hesitation as her voice trailed off. Your heart nearly skipped a beat upon hearing her call you oppa. Surely she calls every older guy oppa, right? This is not flirting, act normal, you kept repeating to yourself.

"Oh, I don't have any other plans left today. I can stay for as long as you'll need me!" You face Mina again, a reassuring smile on your face as you flex your arm in a move attempting to signify your willingness to do whatever work you'd have to. This comforted Mina some more, as her worries that she would be inconveniencing you by asking to meet with her after just finishing a long day at work quickly washed away. She placed a hand in front of her gummy smile and let out an endearing chuckle.

"Maybe we could do some practice shots? If that's okay with you? I'd compensate you for your work, obviously." Mina requests of you, gathering her courage and laying her hand on your thigh, unmistakably communicating how she intended to compensate you. You, unfortunately, had spent too much time in Sana's presence lately, and had learned to relegate almost all casual physical touch to just that. Touching for the sake of touching, nothing more.

"Okay, sure! I didn't bring my camera with me though, so will it be okay if I use my phone?" You shoot up from the couch, already getting yourself into position to capture her beauty as she sits before you. Mina looked a little shocked from your sudden withdrawal of her touch, but relents and nods in agreement to your proposition. You quickly change some settings in your phone camera to get it ready for the shoot. "All set! Are you ready?" you ask her before readying your camera.

"So... how do you want me?" She asks you a little sultriness in her tone, staring at your camera, her cheeks displaying the slightest tint of red. You were so absorbed with your camera, you missed all these bodily queues.

"How about you face me, cross your legs and lean back a little on your arms?" You respond in an earnest answer to her question. Mina's brow furrows, wondering if she's not being straightforward enough or if you're just refusing to go along with her advances. She shakes off the thought and does as you request, her gaze instantly shifting from her usual shy demeanor to that of an industry veteran in the blink of an eye. Her eyes become sharper, her gaze fiercer, her body language more charismatic, and her presence more demanding. It's as if she’s flipped a switch and has become an entirely different person. You take a moment to focus yourself, and begin snapping some test pictures. The scene before you looked undeniably erotic, as her thighs squeezed on top of one another. She held her posture at an angle through which she was leaning with her arms slightly behind her and puffing her chest out slightly, causing her blazer to part slightly. You almost felt yourself waver but you steeled your resolve to remain as professional as possible.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" You propositioned. Mina's gaze softened. She smiled and tapped the couch next to her, indicating to you she'd like to take a look, but that you'd have to come over and show her. You managed to successfully read her body language this time and made your approach, taking a seat next to her. Mina huddled up close to you with her side leaning against your arm as you held your phone out and showed her the myriad of test shots you took of this first pose. "So, what do you think? Is this what you had in mind?" you inquired.

"Hmmmm, I think they're good, but I also think that I want to try something even more bold" she responds pensively, her hand balled into a fist on her chin. You were taken aback because in your mind, her current outfit and pose were already quite bold for your average idol. No matter what reservations you may have had, you weren’t about to deny Mina’s requests however.

"Did you have something in mind?" you inquire. You knew from experience that it was best not to suggest something in such a precarious situation, as you were still in the process of exploring your clients boundaries and did not want to ruffle any feathers. Best to let the client  communicate what they desire in such situations, assumptions can be treacherous, you thought to yourself.

"Can you maybe show me those pictures from earlier again...?" she asks, the fierceness completely eroded from her voice. You looked back at her, thinking you knew exactly what she was asking, and began to open up your “Professional Shoots” album again. She nods as you begin to scroll through, but manages to scrounge up enough courage to raise her voice a little. "No, oppa... not those ones. The picture of you that I saw." This time your cheeks turned red, but not just a little. It was safe to say that this was the last thing you had expected her to say. *That* picture was only shown to her by mistake after all. Nevertheless, you agreed to her demands. You pull up the picture of yourself sitting on a stool, one leg raised up with the other on the floor. You're wearing suit pants and nothing but a blazer adorning your torso.

"Did you bring a tablet or some other device by any chance? Maybe you could set it up on the table over there with that picture and I can look at it while trying to recreate it..." She continues asking, her shyness seemingly dissipating as she grows more comfortable in making demands.

You were a little uncomfortable with the thought of you putting those pictures on display, as a couple of rogue swipes could lead to your illicit relationship with Sana being exposed. Nevertheless, if Mina made the request, you couldn't possibly say no, and luckily for you you had remembered to pack an extra tablet. You set everything up exactly as she had asked before getting back to your position. You couldn’t help but to wonder what about these pictures seemed to serve as inspiration for Mina, but you gave in either way.

"Good to go?" you asked, checking one last time if everything was set up in the way Mina wanted it. She was sitting on the couch, her hands clutching her knees tightly, staring down at her lap. She didn't respond to your question, so you figured she was just mentally preparing herself for the test shots. You decide to address her once more. "Whenever you’re ready". You hold up your phone in position ready to take a picture whenever she strikes a pose. She lifts her face up, takes one last glance at the tablet and shifts her demeanor once more.

"I'm ready." She says, conviction and charisma oozing out of her. She lifts one leg up on the couch, and rests the other on the floor, mimicking your pose. She folds both her arms behind her back, and keeps it straight as she sits on the couch, seemingly fidgeting a bit. You assumed, with the reference picture on display, any changes she made were deliberate, and started shooting pictures. These look good…but they’re not much different from the others we took. What gives? you wonder.

Suddenly, the reason for the fidgeting of her hands behind her back becomes clear as day. Her bralette falls to the ground, which she kicks out of view with her leg that was resting on the floor. Her breasts are now more exposed with the inside of her cleavage fully on display. Her black blazer just barely covered her nipples as you started wondering if it was really okay for you to see her like this. You don't relinquish your professionalism however, and remain focused on taking the best pictures you knew you could. Your body's reaction was another thing entirely though, as you quietly attempted to shift your stance. You were sure that Mina would be able to see the outline of your growing erection through your pants now if she looked towards your bulge, so you did your best to hide it.

Mina holds her position for a little while, the entire time staring straight into the camera for the shot. In a way, it felt like she was staring straight into your soul rather than the camera, and you found yourself incapable of averting your gaze. Before changing positions, her brow furrowed and her expression briefly became quizzical. Slightly frustrated now, she sighed then adapted a seductive look once more. This time, she grabbed the inside seams of her blazer, and threw the piece off of her shoulders. All it was covering now was her back and her forearms, her petite yet elegant breasts now on full display. It took all of the willpower you had but you remained stoic. If this was the kind of shoot Mina wanted, then this was exactly what you would give to her. You kept taking pictures. Her expression was confident, charismatic, and her side profile was showcased immaculately in an elegant, almost ethereal way.

Despite her advances, Mina's failed attempts to goad you into making a move on her were causing her to become more and more frustrated. She was almost embarrassed at how easily you were able to ignore them, not knowing the toll it was taking on your mind to remain professional. You watched as she sat forward and reached out towards the tablet, swiping on it to find more sources of inspiration. You then notice her gain a shocked expression for a split second before she repositions herself. You couldn’t really see what picture she had swiped to, but hoped for the best either way. She then stands up in front of the couch and walks a little closer to the camera, bends forward, uses her arms to push her tits together to form the perfect cleavage amount for the camera, and tilts her head to the side as she shoots a sweet smile directly at the camera. You knew this pose. This was the same EXACT pose that Sana had struck for you in a photo she had sent to you a few weeks ago. You couldn’t mask your shock as you stumbled backwards a bit away from Mina. Her smile quickly transformed into a frown in response to your actions. 

"Oppa. Do you not want to fuck me?" She asked you in a serious, almost scathing tone. "I have been dropping hints for you ever since you got here, and all you've done is brush them off in favor of your job as a photographer." You were flabbergasted. Sure, she was dropping rather obvious hints but you thought you were being respectful by not reading too much into anything. What a fool! you exclaimed in your head. "Oh, ehm, I mean, I didn't mean to, I didn't know-" You stutter and mumble, absolutely clueless on how to proceed.

"Is your career more important to you than getting a chance to fuck me?" She asks you again, clearly upset with how the evening has been going. She takes a step back while still facing you, inching backwards until she feels the couch against her calves, and letting her ass plop down on the couch. She crosses her legs in a matter-of-fact way and then crosses her arms as well, shielding her breasts from view. "I know you're fucking Sana. This is your chance to fuck me. So I will ask you one last time, and clearly so that there is no confusion whatsoever. Do you or do you not want to fuck me?" she asks curtly. Her shy, innocent persona is gone. Something had awoken within her, and it was angry.

You were not only shocked by the sudden shift in her demeanor, but also by how forward she was in confronting you about your trysts with Sana. No matter the case, you decided that this would be something you would have to sort through later, as you did not want to pass up on the opportunity being presented to you now. "Yes, Mina. I absolutely want to fuck you." you responded to her, as you closed your phone and put it away.

"Good”, Mina replied through pursed her lips. “Since you don’t take to hints very well, I guess I have to spell everything out for you tonight. Now come here and take out your cock." she demanded, her eyes sneering as her right arm uncrossed from her chest and stretched out in your direction, her index finger pointing at the ground in front of her. You had disappointed her enough tonight already so there was no more room for error. You immediately did as she asked and dropped your pants and underwear to the floor, stepping out of it. "Start stroking” she commanded. Mina repositioned herself, giving you a full view of her exposed chest. Your mouth began to salivate as your mind began to run rampant at the prospect of ravaging her breasts. Her next command snapped you out of your lust-fueled daze. "Tell me what you like about my body. I want to hear what you want to do to me." "Fuck, Mina, I want to come over and hold you by your tight, sexy waist. I want to kiss your perfectly flat belly, and suck on your delicious looking tits. I want to rip that skirt off of you and bury my head in between your thighs. I want to pick you up and fuck you against the wall with your legs wrapped around me", you rambled, as you wasted no time in spitting into your palm, using your saliva as lubricant to start stroking just as she had commanded. You leaned backwards, giving Mina both a better view of your abs as well as a more vertical viewpoint of your cock. Mina’s lips curled into a seductive smile before she bit her lip. Each depraved act you described prompted Mina to nod in return, biting her lip even harder before she began to fondle her own tits. She was clearly putting on a show for you in an attempt to get you even harder than you already were. "Do you want to come over here and fuck me with that cock?" she asked as she spread her legs, granting you the sight of her black lace underwear. Once again you decided to be more proactive than you had been earlier in the night so you approached her slowly, taking off your shirt as you made your way over. Mina grew an excited smirk on her face as you walked towards her, the intense eye contact between the two of you never breaking. You were almost within range to grab her by her waist when you suddenly felt something sharp dig into your abdomen.

"Ah, ah. I asked what you wanted to do. I never gave you permission to actually come over here and fuck me, toy." Mina told you off in a demeaning tone, a cold glare freezing you in your tracks as her right heel dug into your flesh preventing you from going any further. Your expression was that of a deer in headlights, as you were under the impression that you had finally gotten the read on her. "Now get on your knees if you want to end this night inside me." She commanded once more, like a queen on a throne giving an irrefutable command.

This kind of experience was new for you, but you weren't against it. You couldn't deny her actions were turning you on, and your cock was beyond rock-hard at this point. You did as she asked of you and slowly lowered yourself to your knees. She placed the heel she had on your abs back on the ground before spreading her legs, exposing what was hiding beneath her mini-skirt once more.

"Rip my skirt off of me." Mina commanded as she leaned further back onto the couch while looking down at you. You looked back at her apprehensively, wondering what her game plan was.

"Are you sure...? These clothes look expensive." you responded, which made her sneer as her lip “tsked” towards the upper right corner of her mouth. "Do it." 

At that moment, you decided that you would not question her authority for the rest of the night. You placed your hands on her stomach, slipping your fingers under the fabric of her skirt. You gave Mina one more look as if to ask her if she was sure, but her deadpan stare back at you gave you the greenlight you needed. You took a deep breath, and exerted all the force you had in your arms in divergent directions, ripping the mini skirt cleanly in two before discarding the halves and exposing the full beauty of her hips, thighs and underwear. Mina leaned forward a bit, impressed by your display of physical prowess, and placed one hand atop her underwear, right over her pussy. You only caught a glimpse, but you were pretty sure that there was a damp spot on her underwear before she hid it from view. She didn't keep you guessing for long however, as she slid two fingers under the side of her panties and pulled it aside to expose her dripping desire for you.

"Praise my thighs, but not with words. And don't you dare touch my pussy." Mina ordered. You looked her in her eyes and nodded, acquiescing to her demands for now as you placed your lips against the inside of her right thigh just above the seam of her thigh high stocking. You planted a soft kiss before following it up by your teeth grasping at her stocking and pulling it away from her thigh, only to let it snap back in place. Mina flinched, but she didn't say anything. You wanted to press your luck by teasing her, but you had to be careful. So long as you did what she told you, you believed you could add your own little spin on things.

You moved your head slowly from one thigh to the other, leaving a trail of kisses as you went back and forth intermittently. Each time you shifted, your face inched closer and closer to her pussy. It was clean shaven, clearly communicating that she knew how she wanted this night to go since before inviting you. Her scent was different from Sana's. Though it was less sweet, it had a deeper fragrance to it, but it was equally as intoxicating. You found yourself getting lost in the smell of her pussy, and were so distracted by it that you didn't notice her stocking covered feet escaping her heels next to your knees until they were both pressed against your cock. The soft feeling of her lace covered skin was addicting as her feet wrapped themselves around your member. They then started to move up and down your shaft, eliciting a stifled moan from you directly into her thighs.

Ever since her touch reached you, you had lost your focus and were repeatedly kissing the same spot on her right thigh. Though you noticed your focus slipping, you couldn't resist her warning any longer. You moved your face closer to her pussy and decided to risk it all. Your tongue lapped at her dripping vagina, eager to get a true taste of her juice while you prepared to accept your punishment for disobeying her direct order. Contrary to your expectations, Mina placed the back of her hand against her mouth and let out a soft moan right as your tongue made contact. You took this as your queue and continued. You slowly started moving your tongue up and down covering as wide an area as possible in an attempt to find her clit as fast as possible. As you were picking up your pace, you felt Mina do the same. Her feet had started to match your rhythm, and your competitive instincts took over. When you found her clit, you began to flick it with your tongue. The frequency of her moans increased, while her upper body started to sink deeper and deeper into the back of the couch.

You placed your lips around her clit and started applying some soft suction before examining Mina's reaction. Both her legs and feet tensed up in response before they pushed hard against the base of your cock. Only when you let up on your assault of her clit did her feet relax and go back to slowly stroking you. You could feel her thighs twitching softly against the sides of your head, signaling to you just how sensitive she was to your actions. In all fairness, you weren’t in any better shape either. As her footjob continued you felt yourself getting closer and closer to cumming, but your competitive instincts (the ones finely honed by the countless instances of playing your little game with Sana) had now started firing on all cylinders. You went back to flicking her clit with your tongue, only this time with an increased pace. You did not want to cum before Mina did, so you decided to pull out every trick in the book. You began forming every letter of the alphabet with your tongue, right on her most sensitive spot.

Mina's moans kept increasing in pitch and frequency, until suddenly both of her thighs started to squeeze tightly against your head. Her hips began to buck violently. I win, you thought to yourself, a feeling of smugness overwhelming you. Mina’s chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm herself, her feet slipping off of your cock before she propped herself up on her elbows to get a good look at you. While you thought you had softened her up and convinced her with your skills, you couldn't have been more wrong. You slowly backed away and sat back on your heels, trying to read her expression. 

"I warned you not to touch my pussy." She looked down at you, her eyebrows coming together in an angry scowl. If it wasn't for the seductive smirk that crept up on her face a moment later, you would have thought you had wasted any chance of continuing this night any further. "I'm going to have to punish you for that, toy." You feel the heel of her foot on your left shoulder. Before you can protest, she shoves you back as you fall back onto your ass. You look back to her with wide eyes, shocked at her sudden forcefulness, but are met with a devilish grin from Mina. She was excited for whatever she had planned next, and tonight you just so happened to be caught in her sights. Mina quickly got up and walked over to one of the side tables by her couch. She opened its drawer and pulled out a small black object, smiling at it before turning to face you once more. Her expression then turned back to that of a calm, almost menacing look.

“You. Sit back on that chair across from the couch. I'll only say this once. You are not to touch yourself. Do you understand?” 

You look up to her like a deer caught in headlights. You were always the one who took the lead in your sex life, and had never been commanded like this before. This situation was an all new sensation for you. You were at a loss trying to make sense of how the normally calm and demure Mina could have such a fiery side to her, but a small part of you was growing excited to find out what else she had in her. The corners of your mouth curled into a slick grin as you brought a hand up to wipe the remnants of her juices from your lips. You looked Mina in her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Good boy.” Mina commended as she retook her place in the center of the couch. You got up and walked backwards until you felt the chair behind you, letting yourself fall back into it. You placed your arms on the armrests and looked back towards Mina intently, spreading your legs so that she could get a good look at your still-fully erect cock.

Everything Mina did, she did at an excruciating slow pace. No matter how simple the movement, her smoothness combined with her intense gaze to ooze raw sex appeal. First, she sank backwards into the couch, getting herself into a more comfortable position. She kept her knees close together as she brought them up, all the while maintaining her vixen stare on you. Mina then fully extended her legs upward, pointing them towards the ceiling as she hooked her fingers around the waistband of her panties. In one smooth motion she removed them, trailing the fabric up her marble-like legs before bunching it up around one of her feet. She then slowly began parting her legs into splits, her gaze never once leaving yours.

Your eyes widened and your mouth instantly watered as she exposed herself to you. Your cock was already standing at full attention from her earlier teasing. It twitched ever so slightly in excitement, a movement Mina caught onto and grinned at. You gulped as you gripped down hard onto the armrest to stop yourself from violating her only rule.

Mina then slid one of her hands down her torso, stopping between her legs and cupping her pussy. She kept her fingers close together and started rubbing her lips, cooing soft yet barely audible moans as her eyes remained glued on your throbbing member. In her other hand, she held a small black object no bigger than the size of her thumb. She brought it to her face and ran it across her lips. She then held it slightly in front of her face as she shifted her lidded gaze to meet your eyes.

In yet another agonizingly slow motion, Mina stuck her tongue out and ran it from the base of the object to its tip before giving it a soft peck. Though you were separated across the room from each other, you could almost feel whatever she was doing to the thing she was worshiping in her hands. A bead of sweat rolled down your brow as you fought against the urge to get up and pounce on her with every fiber of your being. You had a death grip on the armrest, your veins popping out of your toned forearms. Seeing how much you were struggling only motivated Mina to keep pushing the envelope. She decided to kick it up a notch. After bringing the it’s tip to her lips, she then closed her eyes and opened her mouth just enough to engulf the object.

“Mmmmmm…..” Mina moaned out, sucking down hard as she withdrew the object from her lips. You bit down on your own lip, trying hard to stifle your reaction to her obvious ploy. You didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing the effects she was having on you, but suffice to say your body language was betraying you.

She kept up her act, each time exaggerating her moans more and more while also squirming her body trying to get a rouse out of you. You sat up in your chair and sighed, wanting so badly to look away and distract yourself. You tilted your head downward averting her gaze, but your eyes kept stealing glances at her wanton figure. 

Mina had you in the palm of her hands and was not about to let up any time soon. Satisfied with the lubrication of the object, she pressed a small button on its underside. It sprang to life in her hand, vibrating in short pulses as Mina grinned. She knew that the next thing she had planned was sure to make you break.

She trailed the object down her torso, holding it just above her skin so that it barely grazed her with the slightest touch. When she got to her pussy, she spread her lips with her fingers from one hand while she teased herself with the vibrator in the other, before lining it up to her entrance. She hummed out her pleasure, prompting you to look once more. When she caught your eyes and saw the pain hiding behind them, she smirked to herself and decided to go for the kill. 

“Oppa~!” Mina cried out. You could only watch in anguish as she pushed the vibrator into her dripping pussy. Her legs tensed up rhythmically as each vibration sent shivers coursing throughout her body. To her, masturbating with a vibrator had always felt good, but doing so now while also putting on a show only served to further intensify her pleasure. You could feel the pressure building up to an all-time high in your cock now and subconsciously your hand was just about to try and relieve some of it; however, by the grace of some divine entity you found the strength to hold back. You sank back into your seat and groaned out in frustration.

As you shifted uncomfortably in your seat, Mina took your groans of longing as music to her ears. Though she was frustrated earlier in the night when you weren’t picking up on her hints, having your full attention now was exhilarating. She kept playing up her moans, leaving you no choice but to force yourself to look away. The melodic tones of her cries paired with the sounds the vibrator made as she methodically pistoned it in and out of her were killing you. At this moment, you wished for nothing more than to be the reason she was experiencing all of that pleasure. If she was being honest with herself, a large part of her wished for that as well. Sana had spared no details when she would talk about you to her, and she was looking forward to seeing what the hype was all about. When she finally got a chance to see what you were working with, she almost decided to throw all of her plans out the window and pounce on you but she refrained. She needed to first establish who would be in control when it was time. She needed to know if you’d be strong enough to handle her needs, or if you’d break like all the other toys she’s played with prior to this night.

Mina held out for as long as she could. She did not want to push herself over the edge, instead deciding that she wanted to let you do the honors as a fitting reward. With one last drawn out breath, she slowly pulled out the vibrator.

“Mmm…this has been fun oppa, but I’m afraid it won't do. Why don’t you come over here and help me out?” She offered. Her tone was a stark contrast of both playful and conniving. You looked over to see she had sat up from the couch with her hands at her side and her legs crossed. She was looking back at you while pouting cutely, but you knew hidden beneath that facade was a succubus eyeing her prey. What sort of game is she playing now, you thought to yourself. Wary as you were, before you even realized it you had gotten up and started making your way to her. Mina’s pout slowly transformed to a delighted grin as she repositioned herself to lay fully on the couch, tilting her head and letting her hair fall to the side as she licked her lips.

When you got to her, she motioned for you to bend down and take a knee. You were now up close to her, taking in the sight. Only a pair of lingerie stockings adorning her legs prevented her from being completely nude. Your head turned as you took in every detail of her goddess-like body. Her pussy looked even more delicious now as it glistened in the dim lighting. Mina took one of her soaked fingertips and brought it up to your face, running it across your lips once before pausing and pressing lightly against them. You took the cue and opened your mouth slightly, closing your eyes as you focused all of your senses into fully savoring her taste. Mina grinned at this before withdrawing her finger and lightly holding your chin turning it to face her.

“As a reward for not touching yourself, I’ll let you touch me. Go ahead, oppa. Make me cum.” Like a light switch being flipped, you instantly got excited once again. She let go of your face and laid back, running her hand through her hair as she awaited your next move. You placed your left hand by her head to support yourself as you leaned to the right, reaching your right hand to one of her knees. Slowly you trailed it up her thigh, lightly tracing her skin with the most gentle touch you could muster. You repeated this motion on her other leg and back again, each time getting closer and closer to her mound. When you finally did reach it, you decided to prolong it a little bit. She’s had her fun, it’s time I gave her a taste of her own medicine, you thought to yourself. You then proceeded to graze your fingertips around her pussy, never once actually penetrating her. You’d rub circles massaging her on the outside, but you didn’t want to give her that satisfaction just yet. After a couple of passes, you were stopped abruptly in your tracks by a sudden sensation. You looked down to see that Mina had snaked her hand up your leg without you noticing, and now was gripping your shaft, albeit with a little too much force for comfort. You froze and winced a bit as you looked down. 

“Oppa.” Mina said. You slowly looked to your left to find that she was staring back at you with an almost blank expression. A bead of sweat rolled down your temple as her grip tightened. “I don’t like being teased.” In that moment, you came to the conclusion that the girl lying before you was not one to be trifled with. For someone known for being so quiet, reserved, almost timid even, seeing this side of Mina was throwing your whole perception of her out of order. You thought you had her all figured out, and that you���d know how to please her even better than she knew herself; however, you’d now come to learn that she was actually quite the confident woman who knew exactly what she wanted. That confidence caused you to become even more attracted to her than you already were. Alright, Mina. Enough games, you thought to yourself. Without saying a word, you simply nodded slyly before turning your attention back towards your hand. You ran your fingertips along her slit one more time to lubricate them before deftly positioning your middle finger at her entrance. In one quick motion, you pushed inside while curling your finger back upwards. Mina gasped at the sudden penetration, but her surprise was quickly washed away as she adjusted, closing her eyes and sighing with a big smile. You felt her let go of your cock and place her hand on your forearm by her head which saddened you a little, but you kept your focus on the task at hand.

You slowly started to pump your finger in and out of her, moving it around to truly feel her walls. You took your thumb and started massaging her on the outside. Mina’s breaths began to pick up, signaling to you that she was getting into it. Her body did its part to lube your finger up nicely as your job became easier and easier. When you opted to have your ring finger join in on the fun, she let out a sharp hiss of approval. “Just like that, oppa, yes, right there~” she cooed. While the hand she had on your forearm gripped it tightly, her other hand made its way to her head as she writhed in pleasure. She kept her eyes shut and eyebrows furled as her lips parted letting out sharp tsks. She arched her lower back, bucking her hips up to meet your hands while you started finger-fucking her in earnest. Her petite chest jiggled ever so slightly. They looked far too tempting to be left unattended, so you leaned down and kissed around one of her nipples before locking your lips around it and sucking hard. She was loving all of the attention, and finally moaned out loud right by your ear. You could tell she was getting close when her chest started moving erratically. You leaned back, wanting to get a good look at the girl below you getting absolutely lost in lust. 

“Cum for me, Mina!” you roared with your hand moving at a furious pace. 

She couldn’t hold on any longer. “AHHH~~~!” she shrieked out. She was like a woman possessed the way she let go of herself. Her left hand gripped the back of the couch while her other hand’s nails began to dig into your skin. Her entire body seized up as her orgasm took control over her. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body as her eyes rolled back. Her chest heaved frantically as she tried to hold on to her sanity. Juices freely squirted from her pussy, utterly soaking the spot on the couch she lay on. You did your part by slowing your pace to help her ride it out. Once she had calmed down, you retracted your fingers from inside of her, gently massaging her ravaged pussy before leaning back to catch your own breath.

The two of you stayed as you were in silence for a bit collecting yourselves. When she finally turned her head to look at you on the floor, she shyly flashed you a smile before covering it with her hands. You chuckled at her cuteness. She slowly sat upright and reached out a hand towards you to help you stand before her. She brought up her other hand so that now she was holding both of yours. 

“Thank you for that. It’s been…a while since I’ve had someone do that for me.” Mina said quietly.

“Hah, please. The pleasure’s all mine. That reward was more than worth it.” you replied with a deep satisfied sigh. Mina tilted her head to the side and gave you a quizzical look when she heard this.

“...You think that was your reward? Oh, Y/N. We're just getting started.” It was your turn to look at her confused. In an instant, you saw a fire light in Mina’s eyes as her lips curled into another mischievous grin. Before you could say anything, she pushed you back down to take her seat on the couch and quickly straddled you. She pinned your shoulders to the back of the couch with her hands while she adjusted her lower half. Your hands found themselves on each of her thighs, holding on tight as she got herself more comfortable. Mina brought her face close to yours, so close that you thought she was going in for a kiss. Her scent was so intoxicating that you couldn’t help but lose yourself in her all over again. You closed your eyes and pucker your lips waiting for her to make the next move, but what she did next was not what you were expecting at all.

From the corner of her eyes, Mina saw you readying yourself for what you thought would be a wonderful kiss, but she had other plans in mind. She brought her lips close to yours, but at the last second she swerved her head to the side and dove towards your ear, causing you to kiss her cheek instead. Your eyes opened in confusion. Suddenly, you felt one of her hands grab a fistful of your hair. She yanked it back hard to the opposite side, making you wince in pain. She leaned back in your lap  to get a better look at you. When you got a chance to reciprocate, you found yourself trapped in her grasp as she gazed back down, licking her lips like a hungry predator ready to devour her prey. 

Devour you she did. She quickly dove her head back down beside yours, kissing it wildly as she trailed hickies up the side of your neck. When she got to your ear, she nibbled it softly while giggling, sending goosebumps down your spine. All you could do was sit there holding on to her waist and thighs as she completely had her way with you. While her left hand held your head firmly in place, her other hand freely explored the rest of your body giving soft squeezes everywhere each time she moaned into your neck.

Her upper half wasn’t the only part of her body putting in work either. She had adjusted herself in a way that the folds of her labia were hugging the underside of your shaft. As she worked your neck with her mouth, she slowly grinded her hips into yours, running her folds along your shaft. She was still very much wet from your pleasuring prior, so it was easy for her to glide along your length. Mina would grind her pussy up your cock slowly, stopping just before her entrance would reach your tip before crashing back down. It was almost too much sensory overload for you no matter where you looked and felt, but you weren’t about to tell her to stop.

Mina continued worshiping your body until she felt like she needed you to do it again to her. She pulled back from your neck until she was sitting deep in your lap. She yanked your head back again, this time facing the ceiling. With her free hand, she grasped onto both sides of your cheeks prompting you to open your mouth. She then leaned forward and positioned herself above you, gathering some spit in her mouth before letting it dribble out right into yours. 

“God, Mina…” you groaned as you swallowed it down. You couldn’t get enough, and she was more than happy to deliver.

She did this a couple of times, smiling wickedly as she watched your throat bulge out with every gulp you made. Satisfied, she used the hand holding your head and pulled you in close to her chest, wanting you to ravage her chest much in the same way she had your neck. You wasted no time and began suckling her breasts, nibbling on her nip before moving quickly over to the other making sure they each got the same love and affection. Mina threw her head back as you did this, all the while never stopping the grinding of her hips.

As Mina reveled in your assault of her chest, your urges for more started stirring up again. Slowly, you wrapped one hand around her lower back while your other crept its way up the side of her body. When she threw her head back again, you took your chance and acted quickly. The hand moving up her body moved to grab her by the neck, squeezing down not enough to suffocate her, but enough to cause her to freeze in place. Mina’s eyes shot open as she looked back down at you, only this time it was clear who was in the driver’s seat. She placed her hands on your chest to support herself while you pulled her in close with your hands. 

“I think I’ve indulged you quite enough for tonight, Mina…” you sneered. Mina looked on helplessly, frightened as she thought to herself whether or not she had pushed you too far. You brought her to mere inches from your face and smiled back at her evilly, now finally in a position to assert some level of control. You could tell she was starting to get actually frightened, so you chose your next actions carefully. 

“You said you don’t like to be teased? I don’t either.” you say solemnly with a smirk. Before Mina has a chance to protest, she sees you wink an eye at her. She breathes out a sigh of relief before returning your knowing grin. That was all she needed to see to know your true intentions. You loosen your grip on her neck and trail your hand back down her side. Meanwhile, Mina adjusts herself up to give you space to reach under her while also placing her hands on your shoulders. You both look down as you grip the base of your shaft holding it steady while Mina moves to line you up with her entrance. The two of you join foreheads and with everything in position, she breathes out and nods before lowering herself onto you.

The moment you entered her, you were enveloped in such warmth and tightness that you threatened to bust right on the spot. You could feel her releasing short puffs of air as she took you in inch after inch, both of you moaning in unison. When you had fully slotted in, you held each other close for a moment to let each other grow accustomed to the new feeling of being one. Mina was still sensitive from earlier and you had yet to find a release of your own, so even the slightest movement from either of you was magnified to new heights. After you felt comfortable enough to keep going, you lifted your head and brought a hand to Mina’s face to clear the hair behind her ear. Her head was still down and her eyes shut tight.

“You ok?” you asked tentatively. Mina took a deep breath before she finally lifted her head. She replied with a satisfied smirk, wiping away any doubt or worry you may have had.

“Mhm, why? Is that all you’ve got?”

You couldn’t help but grin back, admiring her confidence once again. “No shot. We’re just getting started, right?”

Then it was off to the races. Mina initiated the pace as she started bouncing in your lap, but it didn’t take long for you to meet her. She whipped her head back and moaned loudly, not giving a damn about her neighbors hearing her. “Ahhh fuck! Yes!” she exclaimed. With one hand you gripped her waist to support her ass while the other found its home on one of her boobs. Mina kept both of her hands on your shoulders as she continued to grind wildly into you. Every once in a while when she’d come down, she would squeeze her thighs and core on the rebound back up, ensuring you felt the maximum amount of tightness her body could give you. 

As the two of you continued to go at each other, Mina’s skin began to glisten from the work she was putting in. You didn’t want to miss your opportunity so you decided to mirror what she had done to you earlier. You caught her off guard by grabbing some of her hair and yanked her head back to expose her neck. It hurt her a bit, but the immense amount of pleasure she was feeling far outweighed the pain. You then leaned forward with your tongue out and gave her a long lick from her chest to her jawline. Mina cooed out her enjoyment before she came back to her senses. Feeling that her control of the situation was beginning to slip away, she decided to remind you of your place in the only way she saw fit. When you pulled back, she surprised you with a sharp slap across your cheek. The suddenness of it all shocked you, but she then immediately caressed your face before bringing you closer and surprising you yet again, only this time with a kiss.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the two of you sank into that kiss. Your hands trailed up her back softly, wanting to pull her in as close as possible. She kept both of hers close together cradling your face. As good as the rest of her body tasted tonight, nothing compared to the taste of her lips. They were sweet, tender, and moved with such a burning passion that you couldn’t quite describe. You pushed your face into hers not wanting it to end, but deep down you knew that this would be the first of many, many to come. Mina broke away first, pulling back while still holding your face as she longingly looked in your eyes straight into your soul. You just gazed back, lost in the moment. 

Mina smiled before she placed her hands back on your shoulders. She lifted herself up and resumed fucking you, but this time it was different. She purposefully moved much slower this time around. Much more deliberately. Instead of riding you wildly and treating you like her plaything, she was making it a point to really grind into you. With every bounce she rolled her body up while gyrating her hips to give you the most pleasurable experience imaginable. For the first time tonight, she was not out to seek her own pleasure. She was seeking yours.

Your hands were laid on her ass as she settled into a nice, slow pace. The change-up in her tactics would soon prove to be your downfall as you felt your climax quickly approaching. 

“Ughh…M-Mina…I-I’m close…” you panted as you clutched onto her.

“Ok…let me know, oppa. Don’t finish inside me” she whispered back.

You nodded as you shut your eyes, trying desperately to hold out for as long as possible. Mina turned up the intensity of her grinding, digging into you even deeper than she had before. She once again cradled your face wanting you to look at her. When your eyelids finally opened, you were met with one of the most beautiful sights you’d ever laid your eyes on. Mina's eyes were lidded, and the corners of her lips had curled into the slightest of smiles. In that moment, you felt the last of your strength being sapped away, but you no longer cared.

“Mina…” you moaned out. 

Mina knew what was coming and was fast to act. She quickly hopped up from your lap and got to her knees between your legs. Before you realized what was happening, she had your shaft in both of her hands and was stroking vigorously. When she sensed you were about to pop, she instantly wrapped her lips around your cock and started swirling her tongue around your tip as she continued stroking with her hands. If all that wasn’t enough to send you over the edge, the eye contact she made with you next did the trick. With a gasp, you began unloaded burst after burst of cum straight into her mouth. All of the pent up energy from her earlier teasing only served to make this climax all the more intense. Your hand subconsciously moved to the back of her head to hold her in place, not that she would have tried to leave anyway. Even though she thought she was ready for it, the first shot caught her off guard and she hummed out in surprise, but she quickly swallowed what she could to make room in her mouth for more. Eventually your orgasm subsided as you lost all feeling in your lower body. Mina did her due diligence and sucked hard to get as much of her hard earned cum as she could before releasing you from her mouth with a pop. She then closed her eyes and dropped her head to your thigh, sighing as she still held on to your cock.

You leaned your head back in exhaustion staring up at the ceiling, haven given everything you had inside of you. You took a couple of deep breaths while feeling Mina's head rest on your thigh and her hand still gripping onto your cock as if to stabilize herself. Mina looked as exhausted as you were, but she met your gaze with a warm smile. She then started moving again and pushed herself up on your thigh, bringing her face moving closer to yours. Her face stopped right in front of you, just close enough that you could feel her warm breaths exhaling onto your skin. You were gazing into each other's eyes, and you couldn't help but expect another decisive kiss from her. But it never came. She kept her distance as if couldn't seem to move any closer to you, regardless of how much she tried. After a couple of seconds of looking at you, Mina averted her gaze from you again and her cheeks, flushed as they already were from exhaustion, seemed to have grown an even rosier shade of  red. It seemed to you as though her proactive demeanor had faded, so you decided to give her what you thought she wanted.

You moved your face closer to hers and planted your lips onto hers. She pulled back at first from shock, but quickly sank deeply into the kiss, her entire body relaxing in the process. You both parted your lips to make way for your tongues to meet each one another. You took the initiative to explore her mouth, sensually prodding and gliding over her tongue.A slightly sour, yet salty taste permeated her tongue which you presumed to be yours. You didn't mind however, as the orgasm she gave you to produce that flavor made anything worth it. She pulled back from the kiss first, her tongue lingering slightly outside her mouth and a trail of spit connecting her tongue to your lips as she backed away.

"That was amazing, oppa... I hope you liked it too." Mina quietly spoke, her confidence clearly wavering, almost a guilty look on her face.

"I loved it. We should do this again sometime." you replied, comforting the shy girl. Her face lit up with the hope that she had finally found someone willing enough to submit to her, but strong enough to put up a fight, something she had always desired.

Mina's tight grip on your cock had softened, turning into a sensual light touch. Her wrist started moving up and down, and her hand followed the motion limply.

"It's still hard...Usually they've flatlined by now?" Mina muttered underneath her breath, her eyes fixated on your cock which was still standing resiliently. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off of you, and was unable to resist letting her hand give you an incredibly slow and weak-gripped handjob.

"Yeah, I guess this is as good a time as any to let you know that I basically have no refractory period. I'm not sure why, but... yeah." you explained to her, the occasional moan slipping out through your answer.

"So you could cum again right now if you wanted to?" Mina asks, as you perceive a spark light up in her eyes. Her hand picked up its pace ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose I could," you answered with a hint of pride in your undertone, almost goading Mina into finishing what she was starting.

"Should I go slow or fast?" She asked, her gaze finally shifting away from your cock and towards your face. It seemed like she was genuinely curious as to what method would send you over the edge the fastest.

"Hmmmm...Kind of fast, but with a loose grip? And lots of spit. Use your other hand to put pressure on the base of my cock with a tight grip too, maybe?" you earnestly directed. She looked at you with her right eyebrow slightly raised, giving you a look as if to teasingly let you know she thought you had a lot of demands. Nevertheless, she complied, hanging her head above your cock's tip while using her free left hand to hold her hair back behind her ear. She  opened her mouth and slowly let a dribble of spit coat your member. Afterwards, she used her left hand to grip the base of your cock firmly and applied some downward pressure, just as she was told. The grip of her right hand didn't change but her tempo certainly did. With a rapid pace, she jerked you off with pure intent.

After about a minute of this, Mina tilted her head up to face you. "Can we kiss?" Mina asked, her eyes unable to meet yours and staring downwards shyly. You nodded your head yes as you let out a soft approving hum in between your moans. You leaned forward a little and Mina met you halfway, your lips and tongues meeting each other once more.

You almost got lost in the feeling of her soft hands engaged with your dick and her even softer lips wrestling against yours for control, that is until a wave of electricity surged through your body yet again. You wanted to pause so you could tell Mina that you were close to cumming, but she had no intention of stopping. All that came out of your mouth were muffled moans directly into hers. You started cumming again, half of your load landing on your own exposed chest, the other dripping down both of Mina's hands. The feeling of the warm liquid running down her fingers finally got Mina to stop, and she let go of the kiss.

"Could you hold my hair up in a ponytail for me?" Mina asked, pleading with her eyebrows scrunching upwards. How could you ever deny her request? You did as she asked, holding her hair together in a bundle behind her head. "Thank you." she whispered before shooting a half smile at you. She then brought her hands up to her face, licking all of the cum off of her hands whilst never once breaking eye contact with you. Next, her head moved down toward your chest as she stuck her tongue out. She slid the tip of her tongue across the crevices of your abs, slowly licking up every last drop of cum your second load had to offer. Once she was satisfied, she sat back and wiped her lips with the back of one of her hands and let out a satisfied hum.

"Huh, so it really is true. Sana mentioned you had stamina, but this is absurd." Mina commented, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, about that. What exactly did Sana tell you about?" you responded curtly, finally addressing the annoyance you felt with your casual relationship being outed.

"That you were really good at fucking, and really good at fucking for a long time..." Mina timidly replied, clearly having picked up on your frustration.

"So just so we’re clear, you know that it's just a casual thing, right?" You asked.

"Well, yeah... That's what she told me you were into anyway, and also why she kept reiterating that she thought I'd like spending some ‘quality’ time with you. I did by the way, in case you were wondering",  Mina continued to explain apologetically. 

"So you knew about all of that and still set this thing up tonight? Do I take it that you also want something casual with me…?" you asked, the annoyance in your voice now replaced by that of intrigue.

"Pretty much? It's like you said. We should do this again sometime!" She responded with a hint of glee in her tone, a gummy smile starting to form as the tone of the conversation shifted.

"Hmmm, well, as long as you're okay with it. Besides, the sex was fucking amazing." You relented.

"As long as you still put up somewhat of a fight when I tell you what to do, oppa! It’s no fun when they just mindlessly follow my orders" She responded cheerfully, throwing a cute wink your way before letting out a giggle with both her eyes closed in crescent moons. —

The sexual tension between the two of you settled down as the two of you grew more relaxed with the reality of the situation. You ended up talking a little more about the shoot that was actually still set to happen after she explained that it was not just some ruse to get the both of you out of your clothes.The end concept would feature a little less nudity however, but you completely understood why. As the night ran late, you packed your stuff and prepared to go home. You had said your goodbyes to each other already and were heading for her door, but you were suddenly stopped by Mina chasing after you. She grabbed a hold of your arm.

"Before you leave! Would it be okay to send me some of those pictures you took?" Mina asked, grasping for breath, somehow still showing hints of timidness despite your time spent together that night.

"Oh, the test shots? If you want, I can edit them tomorrow and send them to you after?" you replied with an assuring smile, trying to ease her worries.

"No, not those. The photos of you..." she replied, her cheeks going beet red once more as she sought something else in the room to look at. You couldn't deny you were also feeling a little flushed, but you were flattered nonetheless.

"Oh. Oh!" you responded before scratching the back of your head. "Right! Sure, let me do that real quick." You chuckled nervously as you quickly grabbed your phone, debated which pictures you felt were your best shots, then sent them over to your new lover.

"Thanks, oppa. Have a good night and get home safe!" she answered back, still too shy to face you head on, but mustering enough courage to add some volume to her farewell. "Yeah, have a great night too, Mina!" you responded with a big smile on your face. You then turned away and finally took your leave for the night.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone for all of the overwhelming support of our first chapter! When we first started writing, we quite literally could have never imagined the buzz it would have created if we ever decided to post it for others to read, so once again, THANK YOU! We told you before that the last chapter was only the start, and we can’t wait to let you all fall a little deeper into our world!

[shytastemakerthing]

Ooooo I think I’ve noticed this being being a thing across some other fics & HCs and stuff, but would you be willing to do headcanons for Vil with a yuu (where he somehow found out about their feelings) who wouldn’t confess to him about their feelings & tried to get over him because they were worried he’d brush them off as typical paparazzi/fan behavior because he’s so used to it?

Hello and thank you so much for your request! I am sorry that this took so long to get out, school and work have been rather crazy right now XD, I hope you enjoy!

Tw: None

A/N: Reader is stated to be Yuu

It was safe to say that you were not the first person to ever have a crush on the Vil Schoenheit, but you were certainly one who was in his presence more than some of the others

It was only a matter of time before such feelings would develop, especially with how often you two crossed paths, and how often you found yourself in his dorm

But there was absolutely no way that you could tell him such a fact

After all.... who were you compared to him?

He was a world famous celebrity, top-class model, a highly skilled actor

You were just.....nobody

A magic-less nobody from another world who didn't even belong to this world, especially the one that he lived in

If you told him, the chances were high that he would simply see this as some joke, or the typical fan behavior that he is quite used too, and there was no way that you would ruin the friendship that the both of you had just because of how you felt

Perhaps that is why you started to put a distance between the both of you

Last minute cancellations of study plans, doing your skincare at Ramshackle, stops at his club becoming less and less frequent, the works. Anything that would work a gradual decline in your time around him

In hopes that these feelings would soon diminish, no matter how it hurt

Oh, but a follow you were to not think that Vil would certainly take notice

At first, he didn't think much of it. He knew that Crowley, the worthless and lazy headmaster that he was, kept you rather busy. Not to mention that gremlin cat of yours followed by your first-year friends

But then more suspicions arose... as if you were actually actively avoiding him

Now he really didn't know how to feel about that

It wasn't until several key points were stated by Rook (stalker), when Vil began to piece it all together

Especially noticing how empty his heart had been feeling, how lonely, he felt when you weren't at his side

Why wouldn't you have just come to him about such feelings? How could he turn you down? Did you think so little of yourself? Perhaps you did, and he would certainly need to correct that

Which is probably what led him to the steps of Ramshackle, actually compiling each and every ounce of strength that he had to actually dome to the rundown dorm to see you, standing straight and knocking on the door.... honestly hoping that he didn't sound as desperate as he felt

"You should never hide your feelings from me, Leibling. Especially if you do not know if they are reciprocated or not. Hm? Well, it would seem that this is my confession to you. Will you accept?"

Have a wonderful day/night!

[dalekofchaos]

There was never a rat in the Van Der Linde Gang

I'm gonna be honest. Micah is a conniving snake. But there was never a rat.

Why did Blackwater fail? Dutch killed a mother in cold blood and then a massacre happened. The money was a set up and Dutch took the bait. Pinkertons swarmed the area and even Landon Rickets was there.

How did they find them at Horseshoe? By chance the Pinkertons found Arthur and Jack fishing, but was it really by chance? What happens in chapter 2?

A bar fight where fucking everyone in town is there, which afterwords Dutch is there

You sprang Sean free and there are bounty hunters who flee, you seriously don't think they talked??

Oh yeah, ARTHUR AND MICAH SHOOT UP A FUCKING TOWN

John killing Micah led to Ross and Fordham finding him. Any of the missions I mentioned practically led Milton and Ross to finding Arthur near Horseshoe.

How did the Gray/Braithewaite scheme fail?

The Grays knew what they were doing and so did the Braithewaites. They played both families instead of just one and instead of LYING LOW. Dutch's vanity, ego and sense of wanting petty revenge against Confederate white trash caused Sean to be killed and Jack to be abducted.

How did Saint Denis fail?

Dutch played Bronte in his own city, refused a favor(you do NOT refuse the Mob asking a favor) which caused the set up, then Bronte's murder and finally the Bank Robbery which they knew they were there.

The common theory is someone from the gang snitched and talked to the Pinkertons. Who exactly ? Micah ? Well, Agent Milton said they picked up Micah AFTER they came back from Guarma, so it could not have been him. Molly ? Again, Milton said they did pick her up (not mentioned when), but she did not say anything. I have also read theories that it might have been Agibail who snitched to which my response is - pure BS.

The truth is, nobody snitched, nobody talked. Yes. Yet the reaction of the Pinkertons was insanely fast, as if they knew the robbery was going to go down. How you wonder ? Well, it's simple. It's a long one, but have a read.

From the very beginning of the game, Dutch has been claiming that they are a few steps ahead of everyone else, but his arrogance proved to be the downfall. You see, the Pinkertons are not as dull and foolish as Dutch claim them to be, they are extremely efficient as a detective agency proven by the fact that they tracked down Arthur in Valentine. Now, when the gang moved to Clemens Point near Rhodes, the Pinkertons lost their trail for a while. However the gang contradicted their own plan of staying low by creating a huge chaos in Rhodes after killing both the Gray's and the Braithwaite's (best mission in the game btw). As soon as the word spread of the massacre of both the families in Rhodes all over the place, the Pinkertons connected the dots and knew that it could be the Van Der Lind gang who created the fuss and if so, they must be camping somewhere near Rhodes. Nonetheless, they found the gang hideout after sniffing around, a day or two after the Braithwaite massacre. At this point Agent Milton knew these bunch of people would not be too hard to find as all you need to do is to sniff around an area where there has been murder and madness.

Now to Saint Denis, Dutch dismissed Hosea's idea and went after Angelo Bronte just after the failed trolley station robbery. If he listened to Hosea, hit the bank at once, then vanished, the Pinkertons would have never caught on and they would be harvesting mango's in Tahiti. But a failed trolley station robbery followed by a huge shootout in the city killing dozens of cops then followed by a kidnapping and murder of the most powerful man in the city was enough chaos for the Pinkertons to realize it's the Van Der Lind gang. So they knew the gang is around this city and increased security in Saint Denis hoping that the next time they attempt a robbery, it would be the endgame. That is why as soon as the bank robbery started, the Pinkertons were all over the place.

It is also easy to explain why Hosea was captured and Abigail escaped. While causing the distraction, both of them did not realise how fast the response is going to be. The Pinkertons caught Hosea as his face along with other male members of the gang was known to them, specially Hosea, Dutch and Arthur as they have been the oldest members of the gang. But Abigail at this point was unknown to them so it was easy for her to walk right past them without them realizing.

Why did the gang fell?

Micah got into Dutch's ear, Hosea died and Arthur got sick.

Micah promised him riches and the glorious scores that appealed to Dutch's ego and vanity. But he wasn't the rat.

If he did rat, he was playing Dutch and the Pinkertons to get the Blackwater money and the money for turning in Dutch.

However.

It was all Dutch.

Dutch. killed Cornwall in broad fucking daylight. Arthur sprung John out of prison, they blew up a fucking bridge, Dutch led the Natives to their doom, Colm's execution turned into a bloodbath, an attack on the Oil Refinery which led to the deaths of Colonel Favors and Eagle Flies and to top it all with robbing the military. It's no fucking wonder the Pinkertons found them.

There was no rat. The Pinkerton’s were actually just good at their jobs. Micah being a rat makes no sense if you actually think about it. There’s NO WAY the pinkertons would have been ok with the death of Leviticus Cornwall as he was paying their wages. Micah and Dutch planned to kill him together. There’s also the fact that Micah straight up killed Pinkertons in the firefight that ensued cornwall’s death. Micah was an asshole but not a rat. Watch that scene with Milton and Arthur again…Milton would have most likely let Arthur go with that false information but Arthur decided to attack him. There was never a rat, they got played.

It's a combination of things on why they all failed.

Reason 1. Dutch's vanity and ego. Dutch desperately needed to be seen as this great American hero. He cares more of the thrill of “one last score” it’s all about his ego and how he has to be seen as this Evelyn Millerian figure. This great American Literature hero when he’s really as bad as the greed that he says poisons America. He never cared about the people in the gang. It was the prestige of the name "The VAN DER LINDE Gang" HIM. He wanted to be seen as this infamous outlaw and righteous leader. He didn't care about the people in the gang. Arthur? He was dying and he didn't care. John? He wanted him to hang. Abigail? He left her behind the first chance he got. Micah killed Susan RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM and Dutch didn't care. He considerd Mary-Beth, Pearson and Uncle leaving as a betrayal. Dutch never cared for the people within the VDL Gang. He cared what they could do for him and the glory they could bring him. It was never of settling down to become farmers, it was always about the thrill of being an outlaw the that great big score.

There are a lot of people who think if Hosea never died, then Dutch never would've lost it. He was always bad. He just had good ways of masking it. Hosea failed at every venture to talk out of getting Dutch to see sense and avoid bloodshed. If Hosea lived, there is a very good chance that Dutch would've lost it and had Hosea killed. Either it would've been an accidental death like he tried by leaving Arthur behind, he would've went into full paranoid mode "You're trying to undermine me and take the group from me" and order Hosea to draw his gun and then shoot him. Like Hosea said "You'll damn us all" and he did.

Reason 2. Loyalty to a fault.

Loyalty held the gang together. Loyalty was what Dutch valued - blind, obedient loyalty. “He had a plan,” after all.

Doubt broke the gang apart. Dutch became suspicious, uncertain of the faith of even his most dedicated friends. This undermined the entire operation and caused its eventual downfall.

“You’ll betray me, Arthur,” Dutch says, “You’re the type.” Dutch couldn’t be more wrong on that account.

Micah is named by the Pinkertons as a rat, but according to them, he wasn’t approached until after they’d returned from Guarma. So, by that timeline, the Pinkerton’s hadn’t needed a rat to foil their plans in Blackwater, or to find Arthur fishing by the side of a stream, or for the bank robbery in Saint Denis.

The Pinkertons always knew where Dutch was and what he was up to. They didn’t need a rat, especially not after their return from Guarma. So, why drop Micah’s name?

Well, the Pinkertons knew the gang was scrambling, that they were on the run, and that it was damn near impossible to arrest one of them at a time without a successful rescue of said gang member, ie Micah, John, Abigail and Sean. They are not the local sheriff’s office, after all. They are the federals and they want Dutch Vander Linde done in for good.

Staring down the barrel of a gun, why would a Pinkerton agent spill their collateral to the enemy? Arthur wasn’t even asking for any information at the time. Why would this agent, in his dying moments, tell Arthur that Micah was the rat?

Unless the agent knew the gang was on thin ice, and that loyalty was all that was keeping it together. He introduced what he hoped would be a final blow to the gang, accomplishing post-huminously what had been his career goal in life.

Also, why would Micah become an informant after Guarma? What were the promising him? After all, he stuck with Dutch and formed a new gang after Arthur died. He never took a big cut from the government and ran. He was a brown-noser and an asshole, but stood nothing to gain from becoming a rat.

Arthur hated Micah, so he took the bait. He wanted a reason to hate him, to have him kicked out of the gang. Micah was pragmatic and greedy and he hardened Dutch’s humanitarian side - the side that Arthur valued. But, Micah being a rat wasn’t the truth.

After all, we know who became a rat - John Marston.

Arthur’s readiness to believe a Pinkerton’s dying words proved the point of the narrative - the gang fell apart because they lost faith in Dutch, and because Dutch grew jealous and fearful as their doubts became apparent.

Loyalty kept the gang together, and its absence tore the gang apart.

Reason 3. "We didn't need a rat. We got sloppier than the town drunk."

The gang was careless. It got sloppy and their overconfidence and ego was their downfall.

Micah wasn’t the cause of their downfall he simply hastened it. The game tells you from the opening titles how it’s going to end and why. It mentions that the remaining gangs are being hunted down and destroyed with the word underlined for emphasis. It was always going to end in their demise, it just happened quicker than it would have because they got sloppy, careless, conceited, and arrogant.

[steddie-island]

Champagne kisses

@softsteddieseptember week 3: Anniversary Rating: G | WC: 1,406 | Tags: Getting together, first kiss, Eddie Munson lives Find full list of tags on ao3 | Divider credit

Eddie woke to the sound of pebbles hitting his window. He looked around for his watch to check the time, then carefully climbed out of bed.

He'd expected to see Dustin, or Mike, or even Max, one of the shitheads. He hadn't expected Steve on the other side, with a palmful of gravel— a piece of which narrowly missed hitting Eddie as he opened the window.

"Steve, what the fuck?" Eddie's nose wrinkled and he looked at the other boy with one eye cracked open. "You have a key, you couldn't just let yourself in?"

"I was hoping you'd come out, actually." Steve bounced his hand, letting the rocks drop back to the ground around his feet. "I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise, huh? And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Eddie heaved a put-upon sigh, his head tipping back and his gaze catching the swirls of paint on his ceiling. "All right. Let me grab my shoes."

Steve grinned and watched as Eddie disappeared back into the darkness of his bedroom.

Eddie climbed out the window and dropped carefully to his feet. It pulled his scars, made his joints complain, made Steve curse and step forward to help him. He held his hands out with both thumbs up to show he was okay before tugging his leather jacket on. "This better be good, Harrington."

Steve just grinned and jogged to his car to grab a black totebag. "It will be. I hope you brought your keys, Munson."

Eddie was dying to know what was in the bag, what couldn't have waited, but found that he was willing to be a little patient if Steve kept smiling the way he was. He followed after Steve to unlock the van, and a few moments later they were bumping their way down the road in Eddie's new used van.

The quarry stretched out before them. Eddie smoked a cigarette while he watched the place where the stars and the ground met. Even if he hadn't been threatened with loss of life and limb if he'd tried to watch what Steve was doing with the black bag behind him, the horizon was where his eyes would've strayed to anyway.

There were a million possibilities in that horizon. He could point the van and just drive until he ran out of gas, start over as whoever and whatever he wanted to be. It made him feel small, insignificant, but not in a way that made him feel bad. It was comforting, knowing that there were stil places he could go where people wouldn't think of dead teenagers as soon as they heard his name. He just had to get up and do it.

And he would. Someday. Eventually.

Still, as beautiful and comforting as the horizon was, the sound of paper, of a tape dispenser, the crinkling of plastic, it was definitely harder than usual to keep his eyes locked there and not behind him.

"C'mon, Harrington. How much longer is this gonna take?"

"I'm almost finished— Eddie I told you, do not turn around!" Steve said. "I tried to do this before I woke you up but your van was locked. Now just— be patient."

Eddie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stubbed it out with the toe of his sneaker.

There was the flicking of a lighter that washed the van in Eddie's peripheral vision a soft orange color. "Okay, look."

Eddie turned around with a smartass remark ready, but it died on his tongue.

There were streamers taped to the walls of the van, and there were plastic champagne flutes sitting next to a cake that had something nearly illeligable written on it. And there was Steve, smiling almost shyly as he picked the cake up, showing the candles he'd lit around one edge of the cake. Candlelight flickered over his face, danced in his eyes, and Eddie felt his breath catch in his chest.

"Happy… what?" he asked, when he managed to talk again.

"Anniversary," Steve said, flushing. "Sorry, it said happy birthday and I had to wipe that off, but then I had a hard time trying to write over it. But— you should blow the candles out before your cake gets coated in wax."

Eddie leaned in and blew the candles out, turning the van dark again. "Hold on." He dug in the crate he'd learned to keep full of shit that would come in handy in an emergency and came away with an "A-ha!" before turning the little lantern on. It filled the van with gentle orange light again. It didn't dance the way the candlelight had, but Eddie was still struck once more by how beautiful Steve was.

It didn't last for long, because it occurred to him that he wasn't sure what exactly they were celebrating.

"So… what… anniversary is this?" he asked.

Steve huffed out a laugh and passed over a plastic fork. "You don't remember?"

"Shit, no. I'm not good with— any of those things." Eddie ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, man, it's— I'll try to remember next time."

"Eddie, it's okay. It's… it's your anniversary." Steve picked wax drips off of the cake, avoiding Eddie's eyes. "You woke up a year ago today."

Eddie was quiet for a long moment. He could only watch Steve, until he noticed more pink flood into Steve's cheeks as the other boy looked up at him again. "I did?" he asked finally. "You… you remember?"

"They thought you might never wake up," Steve said, shaking his head. "Jesus, man. I spent so long at your bedside. We— we all did, just… begging you to wake up. Then… you did." He flicked a piece of wax onto the store bag he'd pulled the cake out of. "Of course I remember." He shrugged one shoulder, and Eddie all but heard the, "how could I not?" that he didn't say out loud.

Of course Steve had remembered. Steve, who had spent so many hours, so many days sitting beside Eddie's bed. Eddie didn't remember any of it, but he did remember the first face he saw when he woke up. He remembered Steve, slumped down in the uncomfortable hospital chair, his legs hanging over the arm of it. He'd been dozing lightly, at at the smallest movement from Eddie he'd been up and beside Eddie's bed, grabbing his hand and ringing for the nurses.

Steve's relief had been palpable. He'd looked the way Eddie had felt. He still looked that way sometimes, when Eddie caught him not watching whatever movie they had on. It was like Steve could hardly believe that Eddie was there, like he might've been lost if Eddie hadn't survived.

Eddie watched the way the lamplight played on Steve's face, casting part of it in shadow. Somehow he hadn't just survived, but he'd found this beautiful boy who liked spending time with him, who listened to him talk about D&D and music. Steve remembered, too— or tried to. After all of the thumps to the head, some of the details slipped away sometimes. But Eddie could see how hard he tried.

Steve made Eddie want to try, too. Made Eddie want to learn about sports even after all the shit he'd said about them in high school, just so he could chime in when Steve and Wayne were watching the game together. He liked the way Steve smiled when he noticed Eddie listening to him, too. He wanted Steve to always smile like that.

He wanted to be the one to make Steve smile like that.

Not for the first time, Eddie found himself wanting to kiss Steve Harrington.

Only this time, for the first time, he actually did.

Their first kiss tasted like chocolate cake and champagne and Eddie never wanted it to end. Even so, it didn't last long.

When Steve pulled back he looked surprised, but he was smiling. "What was that for?"

"Something else for us to remember when this rolls around again next year," Eddie said.

Steve's smile softened, and Eddie felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. "I like the sound of that," he said. "Maybe we should keep practicing, to have something even better to remember next year."

Eddie laughed, but when Steve leaned in again, he was happy to meet in the middle.

[whereforarthur]

So Much Restraint

Request: george (dom) smut where we have been on a group holiday and stopping ourselves from having sex cos of the other ppl (staying in the same villa/b&b) but once we get home its like practically clawing at each others clothes

Pairing: George Clarkey x Gf!Reader

Category: Smut

Word Count: 3.2k

*****

Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained. - William Blake

George leaned against the railing of the villa balcony, his gaze following the boundary between the sea, which was as blue as the ocean, and the sky above. After daybreak, the warm hue of the blazing sun engulfed the clouds, displacing the surging sea below that had looked so blue at the break of dawn. The warm wind blew through a coconut palm, and one could detect the smell of the sea and tropical cream. He sighed and glanced at the heavens, taking in the final moments of solitude before the party commenced.

The past week was a rollercoaster of enjoyment and annoyance. He and his girlfriend, y/n, had to restrain themselves from giving in to each other so as not to disturb their mates on vacation, just nodding and winking at each other as they walked around the living spaces with their friends—Chris, Arthur Hill, and Arthur TV. The villa was very nice, but with people constantly around them, there was no way of giving in to the passion that had been threatening to ignite ever since they set foot in the villa.

As the sun set that evening, George was weak, wanting to give in to his desires. It was a standoff, a power struggle that had been going on all week, one that was palpable yet wordless. As he got up, he saw Y/N standing at the door as she looked straight at him, suggesting that she was fighting the same battle as him. She wore a light summer dress that hugged her curves perfectly.

“It's time for dinner,” Y/N whispered, her words resonating melodiously. ”They are waiting for us downstairs.”

George nodded, yet neither of them looked away from the other. “I know,” he said quietly, the roughness in his tone giving her goosebumps. "I can only imagine what we are going to get up to once we get home."

Silence filled the space between them when he moved closer, and despite the heat in the villa, he only wanted her closer. As if in response, Y/N’s hand slowly extended, touching his chest lightly and causing his spine to tingle.

George saw her looking back at him, and for what felt like hours but could only be a few seconds, an incredible sensation engulfed his entire body and mind. He pulled her closer, the touch of his lips on hers hard and passionate. This was the kiss of love, of desire, the kiss that had been waiting to happen and which was ready to unleash after being pent up for this long.

But as soon as they started, they stopped. Hearing the boy's laughter from the pool below pulled them back into reality. They separated hesitantly, both attempting to calm themselves down. “We can’t,” Y/N whispered, her cheeks burning red.

“I know,” he said, calming her down as he took her hand. “When we get home, I will show you exactly how much I’ve missed you.” It was in his voice that she found the assurance she needed, and with that, she pulled him closer, her arms around his neck as they kissed.

They disappeared from each other for a while; the sound of their pulse echoed with the thump of the sea waves. They were able to keep it to themselves, and the anticipation of the arrangement made it seem like a couple’s promise.

At dinner, they had to wade through desire, circle it like a choreographed dance, sit across from each other at the table with friends, laugh, and chat about the delicious meal and wonderful company. But every time George cast his gaze at Y/N, he could see the same desire in her eyes.

After the meal, they made their excuses, claiming jet lag and the need for an early night. The boys raised their eyebrows in amusement but said nothing.

In their room, George and Y/N took turns in the shower, the sound of water a tantalizing backdrop to their stolen kisses and gentle touches.

Once Y/N emerged, her skin dewy and smelling faintly of coconut, George found his resolve slipping once more. They were both sitting on the edge of the bed; their legs were entangled; they felt the insatiable desire to strip each other. “We can do this,” George whispered, his fingers rubbing through her wet hair. "We can wait; we’ve made it this far."

Y/N breathed in deeply and exhaled, nodding her head slightly. “We have to,” she repeated, her voice a little weary as desperation began to creep in. "If we start now, I don't know if we would ever be able to stop."

They stretched out on the bed, their naked bodies rigid with the agitation of unsatisfied desire. The villa was silent apart from the faint sound of the sea in the distance and laughter from the party in the streets. They could feel the adrenaline pumping through their veins and could virtually hear the sound of their hearts beating.

George’s fingers lightly touched Y/N’s inner thigh, lazing dangerously close to the line of her shorts. "The boys are already complaining about the noises we make at home," he said, though he couldn’t fully hide his amusement. “What would they say if they only knew we have been holding ourselves back?”

Y/N blushed at the thought, gripping the sheets beneath her tightly. “We’ve got to be so much louder at home,” she said, though there was obvious affront in her words. "It will make them think that we have gone mad.”

They smiled at each other, and the tension reduced for a while. But the underlying current persisted; it was an active, waiting-to-detonate-at-any-moment kind of omnipresent tension. George looked down at her and then placed his hand softly over her thighs, delicately tracing lines on her skin. He immediately stopped his movements and faced her as he whispered, “It doesn’t matter what they say.” He smirks at her, “As long as you’re screaming my name.”

Y/N’s eyes sparkled with delight, and she couldn’t help but gasp at what he said. It was a familiar move, a classic sign of affection, but she went further to touch his face, specifically the line of his jaw, a touch that seemed to power through him like volts of electricity. ‘And what about when we get home?’ she whispered. For many, a dangerous question is the provocative “What do you want to do to me?”

George squeezed her thigh gently and looked at her with lustful eyes. “Everything,” he said, his voice turning into a growl. ”I wish to devour every part of you, have you quiver in my embrace, and hear you scream out my name until your throat gets sore.”

Y/N felt her heart racing just at the thought of it, her pulse rate rising through the roof as high as it could go. "Won't the boys still be home?” she asked, her fingers tracing over his hand.

George chuckled darkly. “Oh, they will hear us alright,” he responded, his eyes alternating between naughtiness and amusement. “But it’s ‘our’ house and ‘our’ rules.” The words slither through the air like a sultry whisper before he continues: “And if I remember correctly, you enjoyed 'screaming’ my name without a care in the world before.”

The atmosphere in the room became oppressively heavy, and the tension was palpable. Y/N moved her hand up his chest; she ran her nails along the surface and felt him shiver under her touch. ‘I have missed you, she murmured lustfully.

But just when George was about to surrender to this desire to strip her naked and finally feel her, a sound from the next room brought them to a halt. It was the Arthurs' unmistakable, slurred laughter as the duo clumsily barged into the room.

“Maybe we should try to get some sleep,” Y/N said quietly, waking up with concern in her eyes. ‘I don't know what I would do if they ever walked in on us.’

George let out a long-suffering sigh, his limbs trembling in protestation for not giving in. “Alright,” he agreed, even though he felt an overpowering urge to demand more. They kissed one more time and then lay gently beside each other, their limbs touching in the darkness of the bed where they slept.

The night was full of insomnious, restless whispers and secrets of lips pretending not to ache for each other. They found themselves lying side by side, and the distance that separated them seemed enormous.

Each time George moved in the bed, it made a squeaky sound, and this made them realize the importance of keeping quiet. They would go to bed and only wake up in the wee hours of the morning with the air between them pregnant with desire.

The next day, like all the previous days, the vacation by the tropical sun had arrived with no special warning, different from the fact that it was the last of the vacation, and the day felt weighty with the expectation of what was to come.

They packed their bags, the mundane task feeling almost erotic as their eyes kept darting toward each other, silently acknowledging the unspoken tension.

On their way to the airport, George’s hand lightly touched Y/N’s thigh in the back of the taxi, which sent a spark between them. She gripped his hand tightly, her knuckles white, and he knew she felt the same desperation. The flight home was torture; each minute seated in the plane was a silent plea for satisfaction.

The feeling only grew more intense once they got to their flat in London that they shared with Chris and Arthur Hill.

As soon as they both stepped inside and the door shut, George pushed Y/N against the wall and went in for it, kissing her fiercely as he had been wanting to for the past two days. She moaned, overly aroused, the suppressed passion of their vacation reacting.

”I need you,” George repeated softly in her ear, his teeth lightly touching her tender skin.

Y/N immediately grabbed his chest and shoved him backward with such force that it made him stumble. “No, not here!” she replied with a passion that radiated throughout her body.

George stared at her, his expression feral and filled with desire. “Let them hear,” he whispered, the possessiveness clear in his voice. “Make sure they understand that they belong to me.”

Y/N’s breath caught at the blatant demand in his voice. She realized he was correct; they had to give in now; they couldn't wait anymore. They fumbled down the hall, their clothes torn off in a frenzy as they moved. The door to their room banged shut, making the flat resound with the sound.

Their kisses became more passionate as they collapsed onto the bed, desperate to make contact and to take possession of each other. George’s hands traveled all over her, familiarizing themselves with every bump and hollow, every plane and line. It walked its long fingers up her dress, past her hips, his eyes locked with her the whole time.

In his mind, George was already preparing a symphony of sensation for them to get erotically lost in. He wanted to feel her completely, hear the moans of passion, as he thrusts in her. The idea of giving into their desires, giving in to their perverse passion was like a drug to his mind; he became dizzy with all the feelings that stirred his inner conscience.

Y/N’s legs tightened around his waist as he placed her on the bed; the springs of the mattress squeaked gently. He did not mind if the whole house heard them; what mattered to him the most was the present, the touch of her body. Their lips met once more; this time he reached down near her hips and touched the softness of her thighs through the delicate material of her underwear.

“You are stunning, so, so beautiful,” he murmured huskily, running his eyes over the curves of her figure. " I dreamt about this every night."

Too excited to breathe properly, Y/N stared at him, her breasts rising and falling rapidly. "I wanna know what you’ve been dreaming about." She whispered seductively into his ear.

George tried to hide the darkness in his eyes as he whispered against her ear, leaning closer to her. ”I’ve dreamt of you open and spread for me, begging me to take you,” he said as his hand traveled higher up her thigh. “I have dreamt of your sweet cries echoing in the room as I continue to fuck you until you cum all over my cock.“

Y/N’s core tightened at the sound of his voice, a thrill of desire pulsating through her. She reached out her fingers around his hard erection, the warmth of it pulsating with his carnal need. “And what do you want now?” she whispered, her lips quivering with lust.

Obsession blazed in George’s gaze, his eyes fixed fiercely on hers as if he desired nothing else in this world. “Now,” he growled, the desire saturating his voice, “it is time to turn these dreams into reality.” Placing himself at her pussy, the head of his cock lightly pressing against her moist lips. “Are you ready for me?”

Again, Y/N’s eyes rolled back, and she let out a small moan. “Oh, much more than ready,” she exclaimed, burying her fingers into his muscles as he thrust deep into her. The feel of him inside of her was something she was yearning for. She moaned as she felt the fullness in her stomach.

The room was filled with their lovemaking: the sound of skin against skin, the creak of the mattress, the ragged panting. It was sweet music that only the two of them heard—an opera that unfolded within the confines of the room they both occupied. The zeal of their love deepened with every touch, with every kiss and every murmured endearment they exchanged.

”Scream for me,” George encouraged, his words heavy with passion as he thrust into her. His large palms were covetous, grasping her, possessing her, as if he had to stake out his claim on her.

Y/N closed her eyes, surrendering to his dominance effortlessly. She threw back her head, her nipples rubbing against his bare skin, and cried out as he hit the spot within her that seemed to make her shudder with delight. It was a sound that rang through the silence of the flat, a proclamation of happiness that appeared to shiver the pillars of their existence.

At the sound of her moans George began to rotate his hips even more exaggerated. He could sense it constricting around him, her thighs clamping around his middle as she clung to him. The pressure was intense, the tension that had accumulated on their trip was finally being set free, and George felt that he was close. He stretched one hand towards her, and his fingers quickly located her clit, pressing on it firmly but lightly.

"You are so wet," he whispered with a throaty growl that revealed how much he desired me. "So fucking wet for me."

Y/N blinked slowly, and her eyes were wide with desire as she gazed up at him. “More,” she pleaded, sulky and breathy, her tone sending a bolt of pleasure straight to his cock. "Tell me what you want to do to me, George."

Panting heavily, George followed the demand to release, his voice turning into a deep and monstrous growl. “I want to fuck you until you cannot walk straight,” he whispered, his hips thrusting into her with renewed vigor as the bed frame creaked. “I want to tear you apart and hear you scream my name as if it is the most important thing in the whole wide world.”

Y/N’s eyes rolled back in her head, her body reacting to his every word. "Harder," she begged, digging her nails into his back. "I want it all, George. Every inch of you."

George felt his stroke become more strained, his words dirty to the rhythm of their bodies. "You take it all in," he told her, his voice a whisper. "Every fucking inch." She felt him stiffen against her, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. "You'll come so hard, you'll see fucking stars."

Y/N’s moans grew louder, filling the room with the sweet sound of her pleasure. "I'm so close," she admitted, her voice shaky and hoarse. "I'm going to cum all over your cock."

George's eyes darkened with desire at her words. "Do it," he demanded, his voice a rough command. "Cum for me, baby. Show me how much you need it."

Y/N’s body reacted to his command, her orgasm crashing over her like a wave. She screamed his name, her walls clamped together, her nails driving into his back. The feeling was too much, too perfect, and he knew this was just the beginning of their reunion.

"Yeah," George sighed, letting his release run out. "That's it, baby. Take it all." He leaned over and captured her lips in a crushing kiss, drowning out her screams as their bodies moved in perfect unison. The words that left his lips were a mixture of love and lust, a promise of all the dirty things he wanted to do to her.

"I'm going to fill you up," he whispered, his teeth brushing against her earlobe. “I want to hear you beg for more. Tell me to never stop fucking you.”

Y/N gasped, the words sending shivers down her spine. “Yes,” she gasped. Her voice was barely audible over the sound of their bodies clashing. “I need you, George.”

He moaned, and his voice echoed in her chest. “You are so fuckable,” he muttered, his hips thrusting deeper into her with every thrust. “I love how you feel this way, so wet, so hot, so perfect.”

Y/N's eyes rolled back into her head as she felt the pressure increase again. With her core tightening around him, "Come on, darling," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of their bodies slapping together. “I want to feel you fill me completely.”

Those words were like a catalyst for George. His body responded to the primal urge to fill her up. To mark her as his own, he thrusted one last time. His cock throbbed as he released his seed deep inside her. The feeling was almost overwhelming. A sense of ownership that sent shock waves through his body.

Y/N felt it too. Her body trembled with pleasure as he poured into her. It was a time of pure connection. Moments that seem to last forever.

"Fuck," George said to himself, planting his head on her shoulder. "That was…"

"Perfect," Y/N told him precisely. Her body was still trembling with the shivers of pleasure. Together, they lolled there for a moment, their hearts beating as one, their breathing the only sound in the room.

The following days raced by in a haze of lust and gratification; every opportunity they got, George and Y/N would find a remote spot to give in to their insatiable lust for each other. It could be a quickie in the kitchen or a marathon in their locked-door bedroom listening to music. Whatever it was, they made the most out of it.

*****

Taglist~

@gvf23 @xxkatxgracexx @kneelforloki

[apollogeticx]

✧˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ LABOUR ♡·˚

— [♡] ; souls tied by fate will inevitably cross paths again. ｡°. gojo satoru

tags: endgame gojo satoru, afab!reader, slow burn, pregnancy, regret, hurt/comfort, angst, co-parenting, vulnerable gojo satoru, past suguru geto x reader, past rejection, longing, bittersweet, I'm dramatic so I write dramatic shit, chapter one of ten

wc. 2.7K

prologue | part 2 [soon!]

The decision settled in your heart like a stone—cold, hard, and undeniable. You couldn’t stay at Jujutsu High anymore, not after everything that had happened. There was nothing left for you here but the constant reminder of Gojo’s rejection, and the emptiness it left inside you. Suguru Geto had offered a new path, one that resonated with the bitter anger building in your chest. It was risky, dangerous even, but at this point, you didn’t care. What did you have to lose?

The world outside Jujutsu High seemed vast and unforgiving, but it was nothing compared to the loneliness you felt within its walls. Geto’s name was whispered among the students with fear and disdain, but you saw something different now. He had the strength to break away, to challenge the system that had let him down, and if anyone could understand the pain of rejection, it was him.

The first step was to find him, which was easier said than done. Geto was no longer a visible presence in the sorcerer world. He had gone underground, building his own network of cursed users and spirits. The whispers about his whereabouts were few and far between, but you clung to the faintest rumors like lifelines, searching for any clue that would lead you to him.

Your chance finally came one evening, as you overheard two upperclassmen talking in hushed tones about a recent sighting of Geto. They mentioned a remote area where cursed energy had been felt, a place known for being a hideout for rogue sorcerers. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

You left that night, your heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. You knew the consequences of what you were about to do—if anyone found out, you’d be labeled a traitor, just like Geto. But that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was getting away from the pain that had consumed you and finding a new purpose.

The journey was long and arduous, taking you through unfamiliar streets and rural roads. With each step, the doubt in your mind grew louder. What if he didn’t want you? What if he turned you away, just like Gojo had? The thought of facing yet another rejection made your stomach twist in knots, but you pushed forward. You had to know. You had to try.

Finally, after what felt like na eternity, you arrived at the rumored hideout—a dilapidated building on the outskirts of na abandoned village. The air around the area was thick with cursed energy, almost suffocating. You hesitated at the threshold, fear creeping up your spine, but you steeled yourself and stepped inside.

The interior was dark, lit only by the faint glow of cursed energy radiating from various objects strewn about. You could sense the presence of others, though you couldn’t see them. Shadows moved in the corners of the room, watching you, but you kept your focus straight ahead.

And then, you saw him.

Suguru Geto stood at the far end of the room, his back turned to you as he spoke quietly with one of his followers. Even from this distance, his presence was commanding, the air around him heavy with power. There was something about him that felt both intimidating and strangely familiar, as if you were looking at the reflection of everything you had been feeling—the bitterness, the anger, the sense of abandonment.

He turned around slowly, his gaze landing on you with a piercing intensity that made your breath catch in your throat. His dark eyes seemed to see right through you, reading every thought and emotion as if they were laid bare before him. For a moment, you wondered if you had made a mistake—if this had been a foolish, reckless decision.

But you had come too far to turn back now.

“What do we have here?” Geto’s voice was smooth and calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it. He studied you, his expression unreadable. “You’re not one of mine.”

You swallowed, your throat dry, and forced yourself to speak. “I came to find you,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “I—I’ve been studying at Jujutsu High, but I can’t stay there anymore. I’ve seen… I’ve read about what you believe in. And I… I want to join you.”

There was a flicker of amusement in Geto’s eyes as he raised na eyebrow. “You want to join me?” he repeated, his tone laced with skepticism. “And what exactly do you think you have to offer?”

Your heart sank at his words. You knew you were nothing compared to the powerful sorcerers that surrounded him. You were just a student, someone who had been cast aside by the very person you had admired most. But you also knew that your desire to serve his cause, to belong somewhere, burned stronger than anything else.

“I don’t have much,” you admitted, your voice trembling. “I’m not the strongest sorcerer, and I don’t have any followers. But I understand how it feels to be abandoned, to be rejected by the world. I’m ready to serve your purpose, whatever it takes.”

For a long moment, Geto said nothing, his eyes never leaving yours. The silence was suffocating, each second stretching into eternity. You stood there, exposed and vulnerable, waiting for his judgment. In that moment, it felt as if your entire life hung in the balance. If he accepted you, you would have a new purpose, a new place to belong. But if he rejected you…

Finally, after what felt like na eternity, Geto’s expression softened, and a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“You’re eager,” he said quietly. “That much is clear. But eagerness alone isn’t enough. My cause isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s dangerous, and it requires a level of conviction that few possess.”

You nodded quickly, desperation creeping into your voice. “I understand. I’ll prove myself, if you give me the chance.”

Geto regarded you for another long moment, as if weighing his options. Then, with a slight nod, he turned away from you, signaling the conversation was over. “Very well,” he said. “If you want to join me, go back to Jujutsu High. Pack your things. Leave everything behind. Once you’ve done that, come back. If you’re serious, I’ll know.”

Your heart leapt in your chest at his words—he was giving you a chance. It wasn’t a full acceptance, not yet, but it was something. You bowed your head quickly in gratitude before turning to leave.

As you stepped out of the hideout and into the cool night air, your mind raced with a mixture of excitement and fear. You had taken the first step toward a new life, toward leaving behind everything that had hurt you.

Now all that was left was to return to Jujutsu High, pack your things, and leave for good. There was no turning back now.

The night was unnervingly quiet as you made your way back to Jujutsu High, the soft rustling of leaves the only sound accompanying you. The moon hung low in the sky, its pale light casting long shadows across the ground. Your mind buzzed with the events that had just unfolded—Geto had accepted you, even if it was only tentative. The prospect of belonging to something, of having a purpose again, gave you a strange sense of comfort, but it was wrapped in na unsettling realization.

To fully embrace this new path, you had to leave everything behind.

As you approached the school grounds, a wave of nostalgia hit you. The familiar hallways, the training grounds, even the library where you had spent so many hours—all of it felt like a distant memory, as if you were already na outsider looking in. These places had once held significance, but now they were nothing more than relics of a past life. You had made up your mind; you would abandon all of it for a chance at something more—something that could give meaning to the ache you carried inside.

The dormitory was dark and still when you returned to your room. Your belongings were strewn about, a quiet reminder of the life you had lived here. You hesitated for a moment, standing in the doorway and letting your gaze drift over the small space that had been your home for so long. It was strange how quickly it all felt irrelevant.

With a deep breath, you began packing your things. You moved with mechanical precision, folding clothes and stuffing them into your bag, taking only what you absolutely needed. As your hands grazed over small personal items, you realized how little they meant now. There was no point in holding onto these things—mementos of a life you no longer wanted to be part of. A gift from a classmate, a framed photo of your team during a mission, a charm you had once carried for protection—they all seemed to mock you now.

Your hand hovered over the chocolates you had made for Gojo, the same ones he had so casually rejected weeks ago. They had been sitting untouched for so long, the once carefully crafted gift now rotting and forgotten. A bitter taste filled your mouth as you stared at the box, the last remnant of your foolish hopes - now laying in your trashcan.

As you zipped up your bag, you felt a strange sense of liberation. You were finally doing it—leaving behind the person you had been, the person who had been too afraid to act, too afraid to take control of her own fate. You were stepping into a new future, one where you could be strong, where your pain had a purpose. Suguru Geto had shown you that.

You slung the bag over your shoulder, taking one last look at the room. It felt distant already, like a ghost of a life you once knew. Without hesitation, you turned and left, walking silently through the darkened halls of Jujutsu High. Every step away from the dorms felt like shedding na old skin, leaving behind the memories and emotions that had weighed you down for so long.

Your feet moved automatically, each step taking you further from Jujutsu High and further from Gojo, you didn’t dare look back, afraid that if you did, you might falter, might hesitate. You had made your choice. You had committed to this path, and there was no turning back now.

The night air was cold against your skin, and with every step, the familiar halls and grounds of Jujutsu High faded into the distance. There was na ache in your chest, a deep, gnawing pain that threatened to overwhelm you, but you forced it down, telling yourself that this was the right choice. That Geto would understand, that his ideals would give you the strength you needed to find purpose.

By the time you reached the outskirts of the town, the sky had started to lighten, a soft glow spreading across the horizon as dawn approached. You kept your head down, avoiding the few early risers who were beginning their day. No one paid you any attention. To them, you were just another traveler, just another person passing through.

Your destination was clear—the same dilapidated building you had found before, where Geto’s presence had been strongest. The cursed energy in the area was unmistakable, and the faint pulse of it called to you like a beacon, guiding you back to him.

As you walked, the reality of what you were about to do began to settle in. You were leaving everything—your friends, your teachers, your life as a jujutsu sorcerer behind. The people you had trained with, the ones who had fought alongside you, they would all consider you a traitor. But for some reason, that didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. You were tired of being invisible, of feeling like na outsider in your own life. With Geto, maybe you would finally belong somewhere.

After hours of walking, you finally reached the hideout once again. The building loomed before you, dark and foreboding, just as it had before. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there the first time, as if the entire area was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

You hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside.

This time, the space felt different. The shadows seemed heavier, and the cursed energy more oppressive. You could sense other presences here—Geto’s followers, cursed spirits lurking just out of sight, their eyes on you, watching, waiting. But you didn’t waver. You had already made your decision.

As you ventured deeper into the building, you found him in the same spot as before, standing with his back to you, his long dark hair spilling over his shoulders. He was speaking with one of his followers in a low voice, but the moment you entered the room, his attention shifted. Without turning around, he acknowledged your presence with a quiet, “You came back.”

His voice sent a shiver down your spine—not out of fear, but because of the power it carried, the certainty in his words. It was so unlike the doubt you had felt at Jujutsu High. Here, in Geto’s world, there was no room for second-guessing. Everything he said, everything he believed, had a purpose. You wanted to be part of that.

“I did,” you replied, your voice steady despite the nervousness you felt. “I left everything behind, just like you said.”

Geto finally turned to face you, his eyes sharp and assessing. He looked you over, taking in the sight of you with your bag slung over your shoulder, your expression determined despite the fear you tried to hide. A slow, almost approving smile curled at the corner of his lips.

“And why, exactly, should I take you in?” he asked, his tone calm but laced with a challenge. “What can you offer me that my other followers can’t?”

You had expected this question, but it didn’t make answering it any easier. You had thought about this moment the entire way back, rehearsing what you would say, but now that you stood in front of him, words failed you. What could you offer? You weren’t the strongest sorcerer, you weren’t experienced in battle. All you had was your conviction, your desire to follow him.

“I—I’m not the strongest,” you admitted, your voice faltering for just a moment before you regained your composure. “But I’m ready to dedicate myself to your cause. I’ve seen how the world works, how it doesn’t care about people like us. I want to change that, to be part of something greater.”

Geto’s eyes remained fixed on you, his expression unreadable. He studied you for what felt like na eternity, and you could feel the weight of his judgment pressing down on you. Then, finally, he spoke again, his voice softer, but no less commanding.

“Conviction is important,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “But dedication without strength is a liability.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could say anything, Geto raised a hand to silence you. “Still, you’ve come this far, and I can see that you’re serious. I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself.”

Relief flooded through you, though it was quickly tempered by the realization of what that might entail. Geto wasn’t someone who handed out second chances easily. Whatever he asked of you, it wouldn’t be simple.

“You’ll stay here, for now,” he continued, gesturing to the room around you. “Train with my followers, learn from them. When the time comes, we’ll see if you’re truly ready to stand by my side.”

You nodded, your heart pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement. This was what you had wanted—a chance, a purpose, something to fight for. And now, Geto had given it to you.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, bowing your head in gratitude.

Before you could fully process it, a voice rang out from the entrance of the hideout, sharp and commanding.

“So, this is where you ran off to.”

Your heart froze in your chest.

Satoru Gojo stood at the threshold, his blindfold gone, revealing his piercing blue eyes that glowed with a mixture of anger and something else—something deeper, more intense.

He had found you.

notes: thank you for reading the first chapter! if you wanna be tagged just let me know!

taglist: @username23345 @arminswifee @tomiokasecretlover @ffyona1214 @tojirin @eggrollforyou @ironicsss

©apollogeticx ⋆ all rights reserved.

[girliism]

a continuation of this

you and patrick orbited around each other that following week. you refused to speak to him. you felt humiliated, having to see her, interact with her, and with your new found realization you wondered how had you not seen it before? the less than platonic touches that lingered too long, how patrick seemed to hang onto her every word. the tension between the two of you was suffocating and impossible to ignore. “practice might run late tonight.” your friend eyed the both you. “ok.” you answered dryly. patrick placed a hesitant and awkward kiss on your head before leaving. your friend cleared her throat. “so, what’s going on with you two.” you looked at her. “what do you mean.” you knew what she meant. “nothing just you guys seem weird.” she shrugged. but you couldn’t avoid him forever, i mean you guys lived in the same house. “couldn’t sleep?” you were standing at the counter when patrick walked into the kitchen. you shook your head. “never realized how big our bed is.” patrick has sleeping in the guest bed. the tall brunette came to stand next to you. “don’t you think we should talk.” you sighed and looked up at him. “i’m tired, patrick.” you grabbed the tea you were brewing, going to make your way back upstairs before his voice stopped you. “are you gonna leave me?” his question rattled around in your head. would you? over something he said ment nothing. except sex always ment something.

“that depends entirely on you.” you mumble. “what?” turn to face him. “i see the you look at her patrick.” he huffed. “and don’t tell me it doesn’t mean anything because it does.” patrick ran his hand through his hair. “when can we let this go? it was mistake that i am forever sorry about, but you can’t keep punishing me.” he defended himself. you let out a breathy laugh. “you went out of your way to have sex with her patrick, that doesn’t sound like a “mistake” to me.” patrick rubbed his hands over his face, throwing his head back. “well it was.” his words muffled by his hands over his face. why couldn’t you just believe him. “are you in love with her?” patrick just looked at you. was he? or was this merely a crush, some sort of fleeting infatuation for his past lover. “you are my wife.” you closed your eyes ignoring how he ignored the question. “am i? because it’s like i have to beg for your attention, while she could call you and you’re out the door.” you said, tears building up, patrick walked up to you placing his hands on your shoulders. “i wanna make this work, i wanna put this behind us. please.”

so you guys made it work. patrick gave himself boundaries when it came to tashi, no more late night practices or business dinners alone. he spent more time with you, taking you on dates more which felt awkward at first having to start over. there was even a redo on family pizza night which the kids loved, though it brought back bittersweet memories for you. “dad, look i made a tennis ball pizza.” your son laughed. with patrick’s final season starting soon he was gonna be on the road, alone, with tashi. “patrick?” you whispered. it was the middle of the night but you couldn’t sleep, you kept rolling around your wedding ring, the piece of jewelry that once felt like a second skin now sometimes felt heavy. “hm.” he hummed. “will i be able to trust you on tour?” patrick rolled to lie on his back, placing his hand in yours. “of course.” you let out a deep sigh, squeezing lightly at his hand

patrick ended winning the us opening he had previously lost, announcing his retirement from tennis thanking both you and tashi for getting him here.

( i think reader staying with patrick and them working it out was the more realistic approach.)

[madhatterbri]

Opportunity | D.P.

Summary: Reader and Damian are friends and are basically in love, but they don't know it. Damian sees Reader getting harassed by an ex or a fan or whatever and tries to defuse the situation, but ends up beating the guy up lol smut and confessions of love follow soon after?

Author's Note: Happy Monday Night RAW, babes. 🫶

Damian Priest Masterlist

Requested by @eringobragh420

Taglist: @theworldofotps @mrsarcherofinfamy @brideofinfamy @miss-kuki-nz @terrortwinunicorn @magicalbuttertarts @new-zealand-chic @smallestsnarkestgirl

"I don't know, man. We just always have something going on and never seem to take us to the next step," Damian sighed. He was out drinking with some friends. It was true. Now that he and Y/N were single, he thought they would finally take their friendship to the next level. She seemed scared when he asked her about it. The wrestler never dreamed about the reasoning behind her rejecting him.

The archer of infamy was worried when she didn't answer his calls. He could count all the times she didn't answer on one hand. Y/N had told him days ago that she was still dealing with the mess. Once she didn't answer his text or call again, he went outside.

Y/N backed into her car. Her ex stood in front of her. His arms on both sides of her trapped her between himself and the car. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked away. The smell of alcohol lingered on his breath. He wouldn't leave her alone. She thought of Damian. Her beacon of light in a world full of darkness.

"You're never going to get rid of me," he threatened. "I will always be watching you,"

Her ex-boyfriend was suddenly pulled off of her. She watched in awe as her best friend, Damian, beat the crap out of him. When her ex started to lose consciousness, Y/N pulled him off of her. The angered man rubbed his black hair.

"How long has he been harassing you, huh? Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. His heart broke when he saw her shrink back. The look of hurt and betrayal in her eyes burned in his skull. Damian took a deep breath and apologized.

"I'm sorry. Let me take you to my place. We will get your car in the morning,"

The drive was painfully quiet. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She was embarrassed. Y/N never wanted him to know what he did to her. She didn't want anyone to know.

When they made it back to his place, he comforted her. They talked about what was really going on in the past few months. The guy was a major asshole. One that she should have never linked up with.

"I just didn't want to feel alone," she admitted.

Damian placed a hand on hers. His thumb rubbed her soft skin. "You had me. You know I would never do anything like that to you,"

"I don't want to lose you, D. What if we don't work? I can't lose you," Y/N confessed. A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped them away and pulled her close.

"Don't think of it like that. I love you, Y/N. I don't ever want to lose you either,"

"I love you too," she admitted. Her voice cracked.

The rest of the night was spent talking. She started to feel better and apologized for keeping it from him. By the time they went to bed, she had a permanent smile on her face. They confessed they loved each other. Something she thought would never happen.

Y/N woke up bright and early the next morning. She started to make them breakfast in the kitchen. He must have smelled the food because he appeared behind her a few minutes later. She still wore one of his shirts that he lent her.

"Wow, a beautiful girl making me breakfast? How did I get so lucky?"

She smiled and turned around. "Just a thank you for last night. You are the absolute best, D,"

"That's not the only thing that happened last night. Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"When you told me you loved me," he answered.

"I've never been more sure about anything else in my life,"

A smile broke on his handsome face. "I feel the same way. Can I kiss you?"

Y/N leaned in and kissed him. She waited for those words for so long. There was no way that she was going to let a single second pass. His hands explored her body. They rested on the small of her back. He wanted to keep her close. She was never running away from him again.

Finally, the pair pulled away for some air.

"I want to show you how much I love you, Y/N. What can I do to show-"

Damian was cut off the moment her lips found his once more. Her hand rested against his cheek. She grabbed his hand and led him to his bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind him.

His hands reached under her shirt. He slid his hands up. The shirt was removed from her body, exposing her to him. He sucked in his breath. Brown eyes scanned her body from head to toe. She was perfect. Now left in only her underwear, she took a step back. The back of her knees hit against the bed.

She propped herself on her elbows. He removed his own shirt and threw it to the side. Damian leaned down to kiss her. His teeth pulled her bottom lip.

Y/N's body was worshipped by him. Her neck kissed as he praised her. His lips traveled south. Her nipples licked and teased. She squirmed under him. Her moans filled the room. Soft pants and calls for his name filled his ears.

His fingers snuck inside her panties. Her skin felt him smirk when he felt the damp fabric. She called his name when he applied pressure to her clit. His finger circled around her bundle of nerves.

The build-up in Y/N's lower stomach grew. She tried to close her legs, but he held her thigh. His dark eyes watched her facial expressions. She was in cloud nine, and this was all from his actions.

Damian pulled away from her. Fingers hooked her underwear and pulled them down. He tossed them to the side. He stood up. "Are you sure about this?"

"I want you, Damian," she promised. "More than I've ever wanted anyone before,"

Damian stripped. Y/N's eyes took all of him in. He kissed her lips softly and thrusted inside of her with ease. He groaned in her lips. His thrusts were slow at first. Once her pleasured sounds filled his ears, his thrusts picked up the pace. Her calls for his name turned him on more.

The pressure in her stomach grew. It felt like a rubber band about to snap. She wanted to wait until he finished. All this was for her. She resolved to finish last, but other plans were in the way.

His hand found her clit again. She begged him to stop. That he should finish first. He laughed and told her nonsense.

"Be a good girl for me,"

Her whole body tensed around him. Toes curled and sheets from underneath were gripped tightly. Damian tried to fuck her through it, but the pleasure was too intense. He stilled inside of her, his seed painting her walls.

When he caught his breath, he placed his forehead to hers. His breath tickled her.

"I love you, Y/N, and I will never waste this opportunity with you,"

[sassypossumm]

Thriller

Incubus!SatoSugu x Reader • Supernatural

Inspired by the beautiful @mrsoharaa 😘😘😘

"Another!" You called cheerfully to the bartender. Three glasses of Chardonnay in, you were glowing with confidence, beaming at and flirty with everyone in your vicinity.

Your friends groaned as you took a sip of your fourth glass with a giggle. Unbeknownst to you, there were more eyes on you than simply those of your friends.

You'd always loved girls night out. It was your excuse to cut loose and live a little. Afterall, as you constantly reminded your more reserved friends, you only live once. Of course, they would lovingly retort with 'you also only die once.'

"It's getting late." You sobered a little at your friends tone. Grumbling something about 'party poopers', you grabbed your bag and tattered after your friends. Pulling out your phone you started to order an Uber.

"Come on, babes, I'll drive you home." The most sober of the group waived her keys in the air. Huffing, you stuffed your phone back I to your purse.

"Already called a ride." You muttered stubbornly, folding your arms. They tried to reason with you.

It's too late.

We can hardly leave you alone.

True enough their words seemed sensible, but whether it was the alcohol that had your head swimming or your penny pinching tendencies, you weren't budging. Begrudgingly they left you with a hug and promise to call them both as soon as you got home.

The events that were to follow are still a bit of a blur, but to the best of your recollection, the last thing you clearly recalled was standing under the flickering neon lights of the bar.

The next thing you remembered, a strong wind and a pair of hands grabbing your arms in a vice like grip and the next thing you knew, you were slammed against a brick wall. A searing pain blinded you as your back hit the wall, and then...white hot pain from the pit of hell.

Your assailant was busy sucking the very life from your veins when two shadowy figures descended on him. The taller of the two, a brooding man with dark hair made quick work of dragging the disgusting creature off of you while his companion caught you just as you were sliding down the wall.

Still woozy, you could vaguely make out his white hair... and were you loosing your mind, or did he have a tail???

Tail or no tail, he handled you with gentle hands, disregarding the sickening sounds of bones crunching coming from deeper within the alley.

Turning his attention to your neck, he tilted your head tenderly, and hissed at the sight. You vaguely registered his hasty apology before you felt first his breath, then his teeth on your neck.

The previous set of lips on your neck had felt like molten lava from the pits of hell, this stranger's, however, felt different. Less like lava and more like tides, like warm ocean tides lulling you gently towards the shores of unconsciousness.

A cashmere voice came along your side, breathing softly into your ear, beckoning you sweetly into the bliss of sleep.

A similarly soft voice beckoned you back from the depths of slumber, coaxing you with an intoxicating rich voice.

Rousing, you were slow to open your eyes, thr world around you still spinning. Your tongue felt foreign in your mouth, bumping against something sharp and strange. As your head cleared, your eyes widened to notice the ceiling above you was mirrored. It wasn't for the mirror that your eyes widened though, no, it was rather for the fact that your eyes... your eyes were red...

"Hey." You startled again at the sound, head turning to see two concerned faces.

"Welcome back, pretty girl... you've been out for a while..."

[winchesterwild78]

A New Sheriff in Town pt 4

Master List

Characters: Beau Arlen x Reader, Reader’s daughter Lily, other Big Sky characters

Warnings: Fluff, angst, slight smut, surprises

A/N: This was an idea given to me by @cheekygirl2309. Just a short series featuring our favorite green eyes Sheriff. Reader is a single mom and Beau moves into town. Things start to develop and the reader's daughter finds it hard to pull herself away from Beau. 

This does not follow the Big Sky timeline and is not in any way associated with the show. All work is my own, please don’t take it. 

Minors DNI 18+

*Time Jump 7 months*

“Lily, come on, we have to get ready. Mommy has a doctor’s appointment, we can’t be late.” You yelled from the bedroom. “Coming mommy.” Your daughter yelled from her room. “Daddy Beau and Em will be here soon to go with us.”

In the past few months a lot has changed between you and Beau. About 6 months ago Beau moved in and Emily would bounce between her mom’s house and your house. Lily loved having both of them there. She told people Emily was her sister and Beau was her new daddy. 

About 7 months ago Beau had a particularly intense case, one that caused him to be injured, and you almost lost him. The pain of possibly losing another person who you had fallen in love with was too much. The day he was released from the hospital your emotions overwhelmed you, and the two of you got into a huge fight. 

*Flashback*

“Beau, I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared the hell out of me. You can’t do that. We can’t lose you.” Tears streamed down your face. Beau stood in your living room, face filled with concern and frustration, “It’s not like I went to work that day asking to be shot, Y/N. Jeez. Do you honestly think I wanted this?!” “No, but you chose to be a cop, so you know the risks. Damn Beau, you’ve got people who love you and need you!” 

“You don’t think I know that! You, Em and Lily are my life! “What do you want me to do, quit!?” You just looked at Beau, unable to speak. “I’m not going to do that, Y/N. I love my job, I won’t quit.” Your heart ached in your chest, you couldn’t lose him. “Beau, I can’t lose another man I love. I lost Aaron while he was doing his job, I can’t go through that again.”

“What are you saying, Y/N?” You took a shaky breath in, “I love you Beau, but I can’t lose you too. Not like that. If you won’t quit, then I can’t be with you anymore. I can’t lose you.” Beau’s eyes went wide and he gasped, “What? Y/N, please don’t do this.” He reached for your hand but you pulled away, “Please leave, Beau. I’m sorry, this (you motioned between the two of you) is over.” 

Beau tried to protest, but you stood firm. He stepped closer to you, placed a soft kiss on your forehead, “I love you, Y/N. Good bye.”

When Beau left you collapsed on the floor sobbing. Your heart shattered. You had fallen in love with Beau and had seen a future with him, children with him. The fear of losing him in the line of duty was just too overwhelming. 

You pulled out your phone and dialed Sarah’s number. “Hey girl, how’s it going?” You heard her cheerful voice on the other end. You sobbed. “I’m on my way honey.” She hung up and a few minutes later she was by your side. 

Sarah helped you up and walked you over to the couch, “Come on sweetie, tell me what happened. Where is Beau?” You finally calmed down enough to talk to her. You told her everything and how you made Beau leave.

“Oh Y/N, you have every right to be scared, but honey you can’t let the fear cost you the beautiful life you deserve. Aaron wouldn’t have wanted that for you or Lily. Beau is an incredible man, and he’s so good with Lily. No matter what job someone has there is always a chance they won’t come home from work. Sure Beau’s job has a high risk, but honey that man loves you and Lily so much. Don’t throw that away for fear.” 

You knew she was right. “Look, I’ll get Lily from school and take her to my house for a sleepover, you call Beau and the two of you work this out. I’m not going to let you throw away happiness. I love you, Y/N, now call Beau.” You nodded and pulled out your phone.

Beau’s voice was soft when he answered, “Hey darlin’.” “Hey Beau, I’m so sorry, can you come back so we can talk?” “I’m already here baby.” There was a knock on your door. 

You opened the door and saw Beau standing there with red, wet eyes. He’d been crying. Your heart sank, knowing you caused him the pain you saw reflected in his eyes. Sarah came out from Lily’s room with her bag. She hugged you and whispered ‘good luck.’ As she walked past Beau, she touched his shoulder and they nodded at each other. 

When Sarah left Beau stepped in the house. The two of you started to talk at the same time, Beau told you to go first. “Beau, I’m so sorry. I let the fear of losing you take over. I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want you to go either. If you’ll have me I want to be yours again. I was a fool telling you to leave. I love you, Beau. I love our life together and I see a future with you.” Beau stepped closer, pulled you flush to his chest and placed a soft kiss on your lips. 

No more words were needed. You knew he had forgiven you. The kiss quickly turned into a deep need to be together. As Beau walked you to your bedroom your clothes started to come off, leaving a trail from the living room to the bedroom door. 

Once in the confines of your bedroom, you and Beau made love off and on all night long. The connection between the two of you deepened and was becoming stronger. As Beau held you that night you asked him to move in. “Beau, I want you and Em to move in here. I love you both and I want you two to be here with Lily and I.” “Really sweetheart? I’d love that.” You smiled and laid your head on his chest. 

*Present*

As you were grabbing your shoes Beau and Emily walked in the house. “Daddy! You’re back. Emmy I missed you.” Emily smiled and picked up Lily, “I missed you too, kiddo. Are you ready to go?” “Yep, mama said I get to know first.” Emily smiled and nodded.

You stood at the doorway looking at your little family and smiled. Beau walked up to you and placed a soft kiss on your lips, “Hey baby, you ready?” You smiled, “I can’t get my shoes on.” 

Beau laughed and helped you walk over to the couch. As you sat down your hand touched your growing belly. The night Beau came back you ended up getting pregnant. Today the four of you were going to find out the gender. 

When you found out you were pregnant you were shocked. The two of you had been having unprotected sex for a few months and you hadn’t ended up pregnant, then you were. You were excited and scared too. The idea of having another baby was a rollercoaster of emotions. Beau was an incredible father, but the fear of losing him kept creeping into your mind. Aaron died when Lily was so young, you were afraid it might happen again, and this time you’d have two children to care for, well three to love because you would never push Emily away. 

Beau helped you get your shoes on and the four of you got in the car. In the waiting room Lily was telling everyone she gets to know first, and they offered her a soft smile. When your name was called, Beau helped you up and Emily took Lily’s hand. The nurse smiled, “Looks like the whole family is here today. Lily, are you excited to find out if you’re going to have a little sister or a little brother?” Lily giggled and said yes. 

A few minutes later the doctor was in the room and did the exam. Everything was on target and looking good. Your iron was a little low, but not too bad. You cried a little when they took your weight. Beau assured you that you were stunning.

After the exam, the doctor wheeled in the ultrasound machine. “Okay everyone, are we ready to look at the little one?” Lily’s eyes lit up and she enthusiastically answered yes for everyone. The room filled with laughter. Lily told the doctor she got to know first. The doctor nodded. All eyes were glued to the screen as the baby appeared. You could hear their steady, strong heartbeat and your heart soared. 

“Okay, big sister Lily, come here and I’ll tell you.” She climbed out of Emily’s lap and walked over to the doctor. The doctor leaned down and whispered in Lily’s ear and her eyes went wide and sparkled. She giggled and climbed back in Emily’s lap. 

The three of you waited with baited breath to find out, but Lily was tight lipped. “Lily honey, are you going to tell us?” She shook her head no and giggled. “Lily, why don’t you want to tell us?” “Cause it’s a secret. Aunt Sarah told me I couldn’t tell anyone until I told her.” 

You and Beau exchanged a look and a smirk. “Oh I’m going to get her.” You said and laughed. The doctor laughed, “Well Mom, I want to see you back in about a week to check your iron again. I’ll get the pictures printed and you’ll be good to go.” You nodded and thanked her.

Emily told you and Beau she was going to take Lily out so you could get dressed. Beau thanked her and helped you up. 

Once you were dressed and had the pictures the four of you walked to the car. Lily was giggling the whole way. You kept shaking your head and smirking. Once in the car, Beau turned and looked at Lily, “Hey baby girl, should we go to the store and pick out some clothes for the baby? What do you think, some pink or some blue?” You laughed, “Beau, you’re terrible.” “I just want to know.” He laughed. 

You pulled out your phone and called Sarah, “Hey Sarah we are done. Um, and why is my child not telling us what the baby is?” She laughed hysterically, “I can’t believe she’s actually keeping it a secret.” “Well she is, she told us you told her she had to tell you first. What in the world do you have planned?” “You let me worry about that, and don’t try to spoil it. I’ll be over in a little bit to get her and Emily. Us girls have something planned.”

You looked over at Emily and smirked. She realized you knew she was in on it. She chuckled. When you hung up you looked at Beau, “Looks like both our girls were in on this little coup.” Beau’s eyes flicked up into the mirror, “Em, really? I thought we were closer than that.” He laughed. “Sorry dad, I couldn’t resist helping with this. Trust me, you’re going to love it.” 

A few hours later you and Beau were sitting in the living room together. The girls were still with Sarah and it was quiet in the house. The soft hum of the television played in the background. Beau had his hand placed on your belly feeling your baby kick and move. Your hand was placed on his. 

“I can’t believe we are going to welcome this little one in a few months. Regardless of what they are, they are already so loved.” You smiled and nodded at Beau, “I know, I have to ask though, what are you hoping for Beau?” “Honestly, a boy. We already have two incredible girls, we need a boy now.” You smiled, “Yeah, I am too.” Beau kissed your lips, “As long as they are healthy I know I will be happy either way. Even though I’m hoping for a boy, if they are a girl, they will be loved just as much.” 

You smiled and nodded. “I love you Beau. Thank you for this incredible life we have.” “I love you too, Y/N. Thank you for this incredible life, and for having my baby.” He kissed your lips again. This time the kiss was full of need. 

Beau pulled you on his lap. You tried to protest, “Beau, no, I’m too heavy.” “No you’re not, you’re perfect.” Things started to heat up between you and Beau. He helped you remove your shirt, and your engorged breasts were poking over the top of your bra. Beau bit his lip, “God you’re beautiful, pregnant with my baby.” You blushed. 

His fingers went behind your back and unhooked your bra, letting your breasts spring free. He growled, cupping your breasts and kissing them. Your head leaned back as a moan escaped your lips. “Mmm yes Beau, please baby.” You could feel your arousal soaking your panties. 

“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” Beau’s voice dripped with desire. “You, Beau, I want you. Take me please.”

Beau laid you back on the couch and stood up. He slid your pants and panties down. He smirked when he saw how wet you were. He started to unbuckle his pants, ready to take you right there. The shrill sound of your phone ringing stopped him. “Shit!” He murmured. He grabbed your phone and showed you the screen, it was Sarah. “Impeccable timing, Sarah.” Beau said as he answered. “Beau, wait, were you two, oh jeez. Can’t keep your hands off each other?” Beau smirked, “Nope, what’s up?” “Can you two head to the park please?” Beau sighed, “Yeah, give us a few minutes.” “Beau, you don’t have time to finish.” “I know, but helping a very pregnant woman get ready to leave the house takes a little longer. We will be there soon.” Sarah laughed and hung up.

“Looks like our presence is being requested at the park.” Beau said as he buckled his pants back. You poked your lip out, pouting, “So we don’t have time to finish?” Beau leaned down and kissed your lips, “Well, I can take care of you and later we can finish.” You bit your lip and gasped as Beau’s fingers pushed into your dripping core. He worked you closer to your release. It was coming faster since you were already so worked up. You grabbed the couch and bucked your hips into his fingers. “Oh god, Beau I’m going to cum.” He leaned over and kissed your lips, “Cum for me baby, cum on my hand.” You pushed into his hand one more time and you came hard. Moaning and panting.

Once you were done, Beau kissed you and helped you get cleaned up. “Beau, what about you?” “I told you, we will finish this later. I don’t need Sarah kicking my ass.” He laughed. You nodded. Once dressed the two of you headed towards the park.  

Getting out of the car at the park you noticed several people, your girls, Sarah and some of Beau’s colleagues. Sarah and Emily had decorated the shelter with pink and blue balloons. They had planned a gender reveal party. 

Sarah walked over and hugged you, “I know you’d always said if you got pregnant again you wanted a gender reveal where you didn’t know what the baby was. I’m sorry I had to be sneaky, but I hope this is a good surprise.” Tears pricked your eyes and you hugged her tight, “It’s perfect, thank you.”

The afternoon was perfect. Family and friends were gathered, enjoying food and laughter. Celebrating your growing family. The time came to reveal the gender. Sarah had cupcakes made for everyone. The two she handed you and Beau had the gender hidden inside. The frosting in the middle would either be blue or pink. 

You and Beau took a deep breath and bit your cupcakes. As the two of you pulled the cupcakes back from your mouth, tears fell from your eyes and Beau smiled. He pulled you in for a quick kiss. As he pulled away you both showed your cupcakes and revealed to your gathered family and friends blue frosting. You were having a boy.

Lily jumped up and down, “I’m having a brother!” She squealed. You smiled and bent down to hug your daughter, “Yes you are baby girl.” You placed your hand on your belly and felt him kick. Looking over at Beau, “We’re having a boy.” He pulled you into his embrace, “Thank you, Y/N.” Leaning down he placed a kiss on your belly, “I can’t wait to meet you little guy. You are already so loved.” 

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[in1-nutshell]

Hi! I was wondering if we could please have a continuation of TFE Silver Aid? Where Silver just got her memories back and is leading Starscream to where Skyfire is. Maybe while that is happening, Robbie and Mo are explaining to the others the memories that they saw, and the reactions from Megatron, Optimus and Elita?

I did this one more on the rescue than the bots reaction, they will come in another post.

Hope you enjoy!

Silver Aid rescues Skyfire

SFW, Platonic, Slight Angsts, Cybertronian (Techno organic) reader

TFE

It wasn’t everyday an Autobot truly left Starscream speechless.

And it wasn’t every day that Starscream suddenly found himself with the answer to an incident predating the war.

Now thinking about all his interactions with Silver Aid, he feels a bit embarrassed that he never put her and E-2 together.

While Silver Aid was retelling a short version of what happened on the day of the incident, Starscream couldn’t help but notice some of the similarities she had before the war.

Minus some blank spaces, the obvious alt mode change and some quirks she picked up on Earth, it was practically the same bot.

Starscream: “Does Megatron know about… this?” Silver Aid shook her helm, almost sadly. Silver Aid: “As soon as I remembered most of my past, I couldn’t stop myself from running. And anyways I don’t quite know how I’m going to break it to them.” Starscream: “Yes, quite a predicament.” Silver Aid looks down. Starscream clears his throat. Starscream: “And Skyfire? You claim to know where he is.” Silver Aid: “About 99.98% sure.” Starscream: “And if you’re lying?” Silver Aid: “Starscream, I just found out who I really am; what happened to my sister, my best friends, and my former life. My former life is gone. What do I have to lose?” Starscream: “… Do you have the location?” Silver Aid: “I should have the general area.” Starscream hums: “And what will you do for the Decepticon cause in return?” Silver Aid thinks for a second, before turning to the Seeker. Silver Aid: “We both know getting back Sky is more than enough… but I could offer you and the others professional medical treatment. I know for a fact you do not have a medic and field kits are only going to serve you for so long.” Starscream waits a minute before holding out his servo. Starscream: “Deal?” Silver Aid wastes no time in clasping her servo in his. Silver Aid: “Deal.”

So now here he was.

Flying straight forwards one of Earth’s coldest regions; a spider bot clinging to his wings; and some aerial Decepticon’s to accompany them.

Starscream originally wanted to bring just Nova Storm and Skywarp, but Soundwave found out about this ‘rescue mission’ and wanted to come.

Soon enough Silver tapped his wing.

The signal to stop.

As the four cons landed, Silver Aid, still in her spider form, began tapping the thick ice beneath them.

After a couple more taps, she made an X marking where the Seekers were to melt the ice.

It took a matter of minutes before a decent hole was formed.

The water was frigid and dark.

Nova Storm: “Why melt here? There’s nothing but water here.” Silver Aid starts taking out some webbing: “Exactly. To make a long story short, Skyfire is right under our optics.” Skywarp: “I’m not following. You said we were going to get some bot but there’s nothing here.” Silver Aid begins to braid several bands of webbing, making them thicker. Silver Aid: “He’s here all right. Maybe not in this exact spot, but he’s close enough.” Skywarp: “Where?” Soundwave tilted the Seekers face to the hole. Soundwave: “Down there.” Skywarp quickly gets away from the hole. Skywarp: “There is no way I’m going in there!” Silver Aid begins to pass the thick webbing to the Cons. Silver Aid: “Of course not. I am.” The Cons look at her shocked. Silver Aid: “I can find Skyfire easier than you four combined in the dark. Plus, we’re going to need you as dry and warm as possible if we’re going to get him airborne.” Silver Aid firmly ties the ending of the webbing to her midsection. Silver Aid: “Remember to pull as hard as you can when I tug twice.” Starscream: “Tug wha—” SPLASH! Silver Aid’s frame quickly disappeared into the dark waters beneath them. Skywarp: “SWEET PRIMUS SHE JUMPED!” Nova Storm: “I didn’t—how—can bots really survive that? Bots like her?” Soundwave and Starscream still hadn’t looked away from the hole. Starscream: “Only one way to find out…”

Starscream wasn’t going to admit it, but those couple of minutes were some of the most suspenseful minutes of his life.

Everyone was waiting for any sign of a tug or pull from the webbing.

The sharp tugs nearly caught them off guard, but they were ready and flew up.

The former second in command swears he pulled something while pulling at the webbing.

Finally, the ice broke.

The Cons could not believe their optics.

Silver Aid was right.

In a carefully weaved netting was a large white bot and a familiar spider clinging on.

It was mutually agreed that they would not touch the ice again.

If the ice could swallow a mech that size, there was no telling what it could do to them.

Silver Aid just clung to Skyfire’s armor shivering and slightly crying.

Skywarp thankfully had enough energy to warp them all back to the base.

Skywarp sits down when they get to the base. Skywarp: “I need to lay down…” Nova Storm helps Skywarp up. Nova Storm: “I’ll take ‘Warp to the habsuite.” Soundwave helps Silver Aid off Skyfire. The spider tries to transform into her bipede self but is swiftly stopped by Soundwave and Starscream. Soundwave: “Rest. No use if your T-cog malfunctions.” Silver Aid just nods tiredly. Soundwave leads Silver Aid into one of the warmer habsuites in the base. Starscream stares at Skyfire, almost studying him. He looks around before gently taking his larger servo in his. There was a gentle hum near his chassis. His spark was still running. Starscream: “Welcome back… old friend…”

[acute-scary]

Between the Ropes… a Jey Uso x Rhea Ripley fanfic.

Chapter 16: … or Don’t Wait A Damn Hour?

After Jon, Trinity, and Damian left for the bar, the house settled into a comfortable quiet. The sound of the front door clicking shut signaled that they were alone now, and Jey stretched out on the couch, glancing over at Rhea with a teasing grin. “How about a horror movie?” he suggested, his tone playful but with an undertone of genuine interest.

Rhea raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking up in amusement. “You always want horror,” she teased. “Fine, but I need to change first. These clothes have got to go.”

Jey smirked, his eyes briefly following her as she stood up from the couch. “Go ahead, I’ll let the dogs and cat out for a bit. Meet you downstairs?”

She gave him a nod, already heading toward the stairs. Jey lingered for a moment before heading to the back door, opening it for their pets to get some fresh air and evening exercise. The cool breeze that swept into the house carried a bit of peace with it, but his thoughts stayed on Rhea. Everything they’d been through—the highs and the devastating lows—lingered in the back of his mind. The future they were trying to build now seemed more fragile, and yet, moments like this felt like a step in the right direction.

After a few minutes, Jey headed upstairs to check on Rhea. He pushed open the bedroom door quietly, not expecting to find her still undressed. But there she was, rifling through her bag in nothing but her bra and panties, her expression focused as she searched for something. The sight of her was enough to make his breath catch for a moment, but his eyes soon fell to the stitches on her stomach—she no longer covered them with a bandage. His heart clenched seeing them, a harsh reminder of the trauma she had endured.

Rhea sensed him watching and looked up, her brows furrowing slightly at his pained expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice gentle but laced with concern.

Jey swallowed, forcing the ache in his chest to loosen. He gave her a small smile, stepping closer. “Nothing... You’re just beautiful. Very beautiful Rhea…”

Rhea blinked in surprise, then a soft, genuine smile spread across her face, easing the tension in the air. The compliment touched her, especially coming from him in a moment like this. Finally finding the oversized t-shirt she’d been searching for, she quickly threw it over her head, letting the long fabric drape over her body. It was big enough that she didn’t even bother putting on shorts. “Okay,” she said, giving a playful spin. “Is this better?”

Jey’s eyes twinkled with affection. “Perfect.”

Together, they headed back downstairs, the warmth between them lingering in the silence. When they reached the living room, Jey grabbed the remote and handed it to Rhea. “Your turn to pick,” he said.

Rhea took the remote, scrolling through options while Jey headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, rummaging for something to drink. His hand landed on a bottle of cranberry juice, and then his gaze shifted to the Sprite next to it. With a smirk, he pulled both out, grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, and started mixing the drinks. The sound of the fizzy Sprite bubbling into the cranberry juice echoed softly as he stirred the concoction.

Returning to the living room, Jey handed Rhea a glass with a proud grin on his face. “Here you go,” he said.

Rhea eyed the drink with a suspicious look. “Jey... you know I’m not having alcohol right now.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Relax, it’s just cranberry juice and Sprite. No alcohol.”

Rhea’s face softened, a smile tugging at her lips as she took the glass from him. “You’re good,” she admitted, taking a sip. “I don’t know how you put up with me sometimes.”

Jey sat down next to her, his arm casually draping over the back of the couch as he settled in. “I put up with you because I love you,” he said simply, as if that answered everything.

Rhea leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling the weight of those words. She didn’t always know how to respond to his unshakable loyalty and love. After everything, he was still here, beside her, ready to take on whatever came next. “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice soft.

The movie Ghost Ship began playing on the screen, its eerie opening sequence casting shadows around the room. But for a while, neither of them paid much attention to it. The warmth of their quiet moment together was enough. Jey took a sip of his drink, his fingers lightly brushing against Rhea’s leg as they sat there. The soft glow from the TV flickered across their faces, but all Jey could focus on was how natural it felt being with her like this.

Rhea, still resting her head on his shoulder, felt the calm in his presence. The earlier chaos and tension had faded away, leaving only this—two people sharing a quiet moment, wrapped in each other’s comfort.

After the first movie, Jey had adjusted himself on the couch, shifting Rhea comfortably between his legs, as they watched their second movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer. The tension in the movie kept them hooked, leaning into each other as the suspense built. They were just thirty minutes in when the door swung open with a loud bang, startling them both.

Jon burst through the door, a wide grin plastered across his face. “IT’S MAIN EVENT JEY USO IN THE HOUSEEEEEE!” he shouted, stumbling a little. It didn’t take much to realize—Jon was hammered.

Jey groaned, tightening his arms around Rhea protectively as if that could ward off the chaos. “Bro, for real?” he muttered.

Jon swayed his way into the room, still grinning like a fool. “What, Uce? I came home early just ‘cause I wanted to see my brother!” he explained, with a wave of his hand. “Left Trinity and Damian at the bar—don’t worry about them.”

Rhea raised an eyebrow, whispering up to Jey, “You believe that?”

“Not a chance,” Jey muttered, shaking his head.

And right on cue, the door swung open again, and Damian stumbled in after Jon, equally hammered. He threw his arms wide, his entrance as dramatic as ever. “ALL RISE FOR THE BISEXUAL UNDERTAKER!” Damian declared, nearly tripping over his own feet as he stumbled into the living room, laughing like a madman.

Jon blinked, looking genuinely confused as Damian entered. “Yo, when did they get here?” he asked, glancing between Damian and Trinity, who followed them inside with an exasperated look on her face.

“I had to babysit these two all night,” Trinity sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration. “It’s like wrangling toddlers at this point.”

Jey smirked, pulling Rhea even closer, as if he could shield her from the drunken antics about to unfold. “Sounds like you had a fun night.”

Trinity rolled her eyes. “Fun isn’t the word I’d use.”

Meanwhile, Damian was fumbling with his wallet, slurring his words as he staggered over to Jey and Rhea. “Yo… Jey, listen… I bet you,” he started, struggling to get his wallet out of his pocket, “I can lift you and Rhea at the same time. Bet!”

Rhea snickered, burying her face in Jey’s chest. Jey just sighed, amused but shaking his head. “Damian, no one needs you lifting anyone right now.”

Before Damian could argue, Trinity stepped in, teasing him in her best sing-song voice. “Come on, Damian… I’ve got a honeybun in the pantry with your name on it…”

Instantly, Damian’s attention shifted. “A honeybun?” he asked, eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. He staggered in the direction of the kitchen, but Jon wasn’t about to let that slide.

“Hey, that’s MY honeybun!” Jon declared, suddenly full of energy as he raced toward the kitchen after Damian.

In a wild scramble, both Jon and Damian rushed toward the pantry, tripping over each other in their drunken state. Trinity watched the whole spectacle unfold with her arms crossed, a deep sigh escaping her lips. “I swear, I’m living in a frat house.”

Jey and Rhea could barely contain their laughter as they watched the two of them fumble and fight for the prized honeybun. “Your brother’s a mess,” Rhea whispered, still giggling.

“Yeah,” Jey said with a grin. “But at least it’s never boring.”

---

After helping Trinity put Jon and Damian into bed, Jey made his way back to the guest room he shared with Rhea. The air was warm and inviting, but a sense of intimacy enveloped the space as he stepped inside. Rhea sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with her phone, a soft glow illuminating her face.

“Hey,” Jey said, undressing quickly and sliding under the covers. Rhea turned to him, her eyes brightening as she nestled close.

“Hey yourself,” she replied, wrapping her arms around him, seeking warmth.

Jey smiled, feeling the comfort of her presence. “So, can you touch up my eyebrows tomorrow?” he asked, half-joking, half-serious.

“Of course,” Rhea replied, a teasing smile playing on her lips. She studied him for a moment before adding, “You really love me, don’t you?”

With a dramatic sigh, Jey feigned exasperation. “What do you want now?”

Rhea couldn’t suppress her laughter. “Trinity stashed a chocolate bar in the fridge. Can you bring it to me?”

“Fine!” Jey said, rolling his eyes playfully as he threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, putting on an exaggerated display of reluctance. “I’ll retrieve the precious chocolate!”

With a theatrical exit, Jey left the room, grinning at Rhea's amused expression. She loved these moments of lightheartedness, a brief escape from their reality. As he rummaged through the fridge, he couldn’t help but feel grateful for the warmth they shared, even amidst the chaos.

Returning with the chocolate bar, he presented it to Rhea like a trophy. “Your royal chocolate, my lady,” he declared, bowing slightly.

Rhea took it with a smile, her eyes sparkling. “You really know how to treat a girl right.”

“Just another day in the life of Jey Uso,” he replied, climbing back into bed beside her. They settled in together, the weight of the world momentarily forgotten as they enjoyed the simple joy of each other’s company.

Rhea took a bite of the chocolate bar, savoring the rich flavor, and offered Jey a piece. He accepted, grinning as he chewed. As she looked down at her feet, a frown creased her brow. She hated to admit it, but she really needed a pedicure.

Turning to Jey, she tilted her head with a curious look. “Do you ever get pedicures?”

To her surprise, Jey nodded confidently. “Yeah, I usually get one a month. Keeps my feet looking good for myself.”

Rhea felt a wave of happiness wash over her. “Really? That’s awesome! Matt always thought they were too feminine and stupid. I could never get him to go.”

Jey raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well, he clearly doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

“Could we maybe get a pedicure tomorrow?” Rhea asked, her eyes brightening at the thought of sharing the experience with him.

“Absolutely,” Jey replied, nodding enthusiastically. “I’ll even let you pick the colors.”

“Deal!” Rhea exclaimed, feeling a lightness in her heart. It was the little things like this that made her feel more at ease. As they settled back into their cozy spot, Rhea realized just how much she appreciated Jey’s company. It was right…

—

**Flashback: February 19, 2024**

Jey Uso stood in the locker room, tightening his laces as the clock approached 4:22 PM. He was on a mission: snagging one of the last freshly baked brownies from catering. The cook had let him in on a little secret—catering started at 2:00 PM and wrapped up by 6:00 PM, but the last batch of brownies was always served right at 4:30 PM.

With determination, he grabbed his phone and made his way out of the locker room, eager to beat the rush. As he entered the catering area, a wave of disappointment hit him. The table was lined with an array of treats, but there, in the center, was suppose to be the plate piled high with brownies—but only one lonely brownie was sitting in the corner.

“What the fuck?” Jey exclaimed, frustration bubbling up as he approached a figure dressed all in black, their hoodie pulled low over their face. “Hey, man! What the fuck? Save some for everyone!”

The figure turned, and Jey’s irritation faded instantly. It was Rhea Ripley, the formidable powerhouse of the women's division. He hadn’t expected to see her in the midst of dessert negotiations. She had practically the whole plate of brownies.

She met his gaze with an amused expression. “What? You think just because I can lift weights, I don’t have a sweet tooth?”

Jey chuckled, shaking his head. “I guess I underestimated you. But seriously, there’s only one left!”

“How about you share the plate with me?” Rhea suggested.

Jey shrugged, intrigued. “Why not? I never thought I’d be sharing brownies with Rhea Ripley.”

They settled at a table, Rhea placing her plate in front of them. As they dug into the brownies, the atmosphere shifted from casual to something warmer. Jey took a bite, savoring the rich chocolate. “These are amazing. I can see why you wanted to stock up.”

“Right? Nothing beats a good brownie,” Rhea replied, her eyes twinkling. “So, I’ve been watching your work with the whole ‘Main Event’ gimmick. You’re really killing it out there.”

“Thanks! That means a lot coming from you,” Jey said, genuinely impressed. “You’ve been a force in the ring.”

Rhea leaned back against the table, her demeanor relaxed. “I’ve seen you a few times in Florida Championship Wrestling. Always thought you were a badass.”

“Appreciate it! But what made you want to wrestle?” Jey asked, genuinely curious. “It’s a tough business.”

Rhea’s expression turned serious as she considered his question. “Honestly? I grew up watching wrestling, and I wanted to break barriers. I wanted to show that women can be just as tough as the guys. I love being in control of my own story and helping others find their voice, too.”

“That's inspiring,” Jey replied, nodding. “It takes guts to step into this world and demand respect.”

Their conversation flowed naturally, delving into their dreams, challenges, and the sacrifices they’d both made to get where they were. Jey felt an unexpected connection forming, one that felt deeper than mere camaraderie.

“Hey,” Jey said, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “I’m actually staying in Anaheim for another two days for PR stuff. Maybe you could come by my room tomorrow night? We can talk more, eat more brownies.”

Rhea’s face lit up with a genuine smile. “I’d like that. I’m doing PR too, so it works out perfectly.”

As they shared the brownies, laughter and stories filled the air, their initial banter giving way to something more meaningful. Jey never imagined he’d find such a unique connection with Rhea, but as they exchanged thoughts and dreams, he felt like this was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship—and possibly more.

—

February 20th, 2024

The next night, Rhea stood in front of her bed, staring at the array of clothes, feeling a flutter of nerves in her stomach. She couldn’t quite understand why she was freaking out; it was just a hangout with Jey. After several minutes of deliberation, she finally settled on a simple outfit: one of her best friend Damian Priest’s oversized shirts, paired with shorts and black Vans. Comfortable yet stylish.

Taking a deep breath, Rhea ordered an Uber to Jey’s hotel, her heart racing as she made the short trip. What if it was awkward? What if it was perfect? She felt a mix of excitement and anxiety as she arrived, stepping into the lobby and making her way to the elevator.

When she reached his floor, she hesitated outside the door, her pulse quickening. She gulped and knocked, trying to steady her breathing. Moments later, the door swung open, and Jey stood there with a warm smile, his hair slightly tousled and a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“Hey, look who decided to show up!” he said, glancing around the messy room. “Sorry about the state of things. I didn’t have time to tidy up.”

Rhea stepped inside and surveyed the room, which was littered with clothes and snacks. She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re telling me.. Dominik’s a horrible roommate. That place looks like a tornado hit it!”

Jey chuckled, a twinkle in his eye. “Right? I swear, he leaves his stuff everywhere. You’d think he’d have a little more pride.”

“Guess it runs in the family,” Rhea teased, plopping down onto the edge of the bed, her initial nerves beginning to fade. Jey closed the door behind her and leaned against it, crossing his arms with a playful grin.

“Make yourself at home,” he said, motioning to the mess. “I promise it’s usually worse.”

“Yeah, right,” Rhea replied, rolling her eyes but smiling. “I can only imagine. So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?”

“Well, I thought we could order some food and maybe watch a movie. Got a couple of horror flicks I think you’ll like,” Jey suggested, moving over to the mini-fridge.

“Perfect,” Rhea said, feeling more at ease. “As long as you’re not planning to scare me too much.”

“Me? Never,” Jey replied, feigning innocence as he pulled out a couple of sodas. “Just a few jump scares here and there.”

With the tension easing, Rhea felt a sense of comfort wash over her. Maybe this would be more than just a casual hangout. Maybe it was the start of something special.

The night had gone from lighthearted to something more intimate as the conversation flowed. As Jey poured them each a glass of Whiskey, the two soon found each other buzzed after the fourth drink, laughing uncontrollably at the conversation they were having.

“Wait, so it was your idea to be flirty with me at Fastlane?” Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow as she sipped from her glass.

Jey grinned, leaning back against the headboard. “Yeah, I thought it’d be good for business. You know, stir up a little intrigue, get the fans talking.”

Rhea shook her head, chuckling in disbelief. “You know people make edits on TikTok about us all the time because of those moments you suggested?”

“Oh yeah! I repost them sometimes,” Jey said, his grin widening. “They’re hilarious. Plus, the fans love the tension.”

Rhea burst into laughter, nearly spilling her drink. “You’re too much.”

Their laughter echoed through the room, the whiskey adding warmth and ease to their conversation. They were in sync, the barriers between them slowly breaking down. Jey, still chuckling, watched Rhea closely as she talked, her guard down, her smile genuine. There was something about the way she looked tonight—comfortable, raw, and real—that made Jey’s heart race a little faster.

As the laughter died down, a silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Jey's gaze lingered on Rhea longer than it should have. He couldn’t shake this feeling—the magnetic pull that had been growing stronger all night. His mind raced for a second, considering the weight of what he was about to do, but before he could overthink it, he leaned in and kissed her.

It was soft at first, almost tentative, testing the waters.

Rhea froze, her eyes wide with surprise. She hadn’t expected this. Her heart thudded in her chest, and for a moment, she pulled back, looking at Jey with a mixture of shock and confusion. “Jey…” she whispered, unsure of what to say.

His face immediately flushed with guilt, and he began to stammer. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

But before he could finish, Rhea leaned in and kissed him back. This time, it wasn’t tentative or soft. It was firm, filled with all the unspoken tension and curiosity that had been simmering between them. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as the kiss deepened, both of them forgetting, if only for a moment, about everything else.

Jey was taken aback but didn’t pull away. He kissed her back just as fiercely, his hand gently cupping the back of her neck as they lost themselves in the moment. Time seemed to stop, the buzz from the whiskey mixing with the electric energy that now crackled between them.

When they finally pulled apart, breathless, neither of them spoke right away. Rhea’s lips tingled from the kiss, and she stared at Jey, her mind racing.

“I didn’t…” Jey began again, his voice softer now, searching her face for any sign of regret. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just…”

Rhea shook her head, cutting him off. “Don’t apologize,” she whispered, still catching her breath. “I didn’t hate it.”

The tension in the room hung thick in the air. Jey didn't hesitate this time. He leaned in and kissed her again, more confidently, with a spark that had been waiting to ignite for far too long.

Rhea responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened.

What started as a slow, exploring kiss quickly became something more. The two of them got lost in the heat of the moment, their movements becoming feistier and more intense. Jey's hands roamed down her back, pulling her closer as their breathing grew heavier. Rhea's fingers tangled in his hair, tugging gently as she shifted, pushing herself closer to him.

Jey kissed her with a passion he hadn't realized he was holding back, and Rhea matched it, pushing him back against the headboard as she climbed onto his lap. The room felt electric, their connection undeniable.

Between heated kisses, Jey murmured, "Do you want to stop?"

Rhea smirked against his lips, biting his bottom one playfully before kissing him again. "Good," he whispered, his voice low and teasing.

Their lips crashed together again, the intensity building as their hands explored each other, tugging at clothes, gripping tighter, needing more. Every touch seemed to spark a new wave of desire, each kiss more heated than the last.

They were lost in the moment, the rest of the world fading away as their connection deepened with every second. Neither of them cared what this meant, or where it would go-they were living in the now, giving into the pull that had been drawing them together for so long.

Jey pulled back for a moment, his chest heaving as he looked at her. "You're incredible," he whispered, his voice filled with awe and something deeper. Rhea only smiled before pulling him back into another fiery kiss, not ready to let go of the moment just yet.

—

Present Time.

Jey glanced down at his phone, confirming the flight details as the nail technician continued to work on his feet. He grimaced slightly when the technician scrubbed a bit too hard but quickly refocused on the task at hand. The two had managed to get a private session due to Trinity and Jon being the owner’s favorite wrestling couple duo. Rhea, seated next to him, was deep in conversation with her own technician about what shade of polish to choose.

"I’m thinking a deep red," Rhea said, turning to Jey for a moment. "What do you think?"

Jey barely looked up from his phone. "Yeah, sure, deep red sounds good," he replied absently, focused on securing their seats for the early flight.

Rhea rolled her eyes, clearly not satisfied with his half-hearted response. “You didn’t even look.”

Before Jey could defend himself, he received a confirmation email. "Got it," he announced, putting his phone down for the first time in the session. “Our flight’s at four a.m.”

Rhea's eyes widened in disbelief. “Four in the morning? You can’t be serious, Jey.”

He sighed, knowing her reaction was inevitable. “It’s the only time that works. The other flights are so late, we’d miss roll call.”

“That’s brutal,” she groaned, leaning back in her chair. “You know I hate mornings.”

Jey smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, but you’ll hate missing roll call even more.”

Rhea huffed but knew he was right. She looked back at her nail technician. “Guess I’ll need a coffee as dark as this polish.”

The technician laughed lightly, while Jey leaned over to glance at the color she’d chosen. “Deep red, huh? Good choice.”

Rhea shot him a playful glare. “Now you notice.”

As the nail technician finished with Jey, he stood up, flexing his toes slightly to shake off the stiffness. He pulled out some cash, handing it over with a polite smile. “Thanks, appreciate it,” he said, before turning to Rhea. “Do you want your lashes done too babe?” Rhea flashed a grin and nodded.

“Here,” Jey said, handing her more money. “For your lashes, for my toes and yours—and a tip for your tech.”

Rhea grinned, accepting the cash. “Always taking care of me,” she teased.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, his hand briefly resting on her shoulder. “I’ll be back soon. I saw a Footlocker, but first, I’m grabbing a smoothie.”

Rhea nodded, settling back into her chair as Jey made his way out of the salon. The afternoon sun greeted him as he stepped outside, the warm breeze feeling good against his skin. He scanned the plaza, spotting the Footlocker Rhea had mentioned, but his eyes were drawn to a nearby smoothie shop first.

“I could use something to drink,” he muttered to himself, walking toward the shop. The door chimed as he entered, the cool air and fresh scent of fruit instantly hitting him.

The place wasn’t too busy, just a few customers scattered around. Jey stepped up to the counter, browsing the menu for a second before deciding on a strawberry banana smoothie.

As he waited for his drink, he checked his phone, glancing at the time. Rhea still had a while to go with her lashes. Smirking to himself, he thought about how easy it was for her to get him to agree to these long beauty sessions. Then again, she always knew how to work him, especially with those pleading eyes.

When his smoothie arrived, he took a sip, savoring the refreshing taste. Now it was time to hit Footlocker.

Jey was halfway to Footlocker, sipping his smoothie, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, frowning at the unfamiliar Orlando number. His first thought was that it might be one of his cousins—maybe Jon or someone else checking in. But as he swiped to answer, he quickly realized he was wrong.

The automated voice rang in his ear: “This is a collect call from the Orange County Jail. The inmate attempting to reach you is Matthew Adams.”

Jey’s grip on the phone tightened, his jaw clenching. Matt. His blood boiled at the sound of the name. Without hesitation, he accepted the call, his voice dripping with venom as he answered, “What the hell do you want?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Matt’s voice came through, low and bitter. “I want to talk to Rhea.”

Jey’s anger flared. “You think after everything you did, you got the right to talk to her? You’re outta your damn mind.”

Matt’s voice raised in frustration. “She’s my wife, Jey!”

“She was,” Jey corrected, his voice steady but seething. “You don’t get to call her after you laid hands on her. You lost that right the moment you put her in that hospital bed.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt spat, his tone desperate. “You got her twisted in some shit thinking she yours when in reality she will never be yours for as long as I live.”

Jey’s nostrils flared. “Oh, I know more than enough. You’re lucky you’re behind bars, because if I ever saw you on the outside, you wouldn’t be standing long enough to explain anything.”

The tension crackled between them, but Jey wasn’t about to let Matt have any more control. He took a deep breath, calming his voice just enough. “You’re done. Stay out of her life, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. Jey ended the call, shoving the phone back into his pocket, his entire body humming with rage. He took a deep breath, trying to shake it off before heading into Footlocker, but the call lingered in his mind like a dark cloud.

Jey wandered through Footlocker, his eyes scanning the rows of shoes, but his mind was far from focused. The call with Matt had left him simmering. He pulled out his phone, quickly typing up a message to Jon.

Yo, I just got a call from Matt. Dude's trying to get in touch with Rhea.

He hesitated for a second before adding the next part.

Think I should talk to her about getting the divorce process started?

Jey sent the message and continued to browse, waiting for Jon’s reply. He wasn’t sure how to approach Rhea about it—especially with everything she’d been through. Bringing up Matt, especially after that call, could push her over the edge. But he also knew that Matt lurking in the background wasn’t helping anyone.

A few minutes later, his phone buzzed with Jon’s response.

Damn, for real? That dude just doesn’t quit. You should definitely talk to her. But tread lightly, man. She’s been through hell. Maybe wait until she’s in a good headspace before bringing it up.

Jey nodded to himself, texting back.

Yeah, I hear you. I don’t want to push her, but she needs to get that chapter closed.

Jon replied quickly.

Exactly. Just remind her you’ve got her back, whatever she decides. But yeah, don’t rush it. Last thing she needs is more pressure.

Jey sighed, his thumb hovering over the keyboard. He hated that Rhea had to deal with this, but Jon was right. The timing had to be perfect, and Jey would make sure he approached it carefully.

Alright, I’ll wait for the right moment. Thx.

With the conversation with Jon wrapped up, Jey shoved his phone back into his pocket. He tried to focus on picking out some shoes, but his thoughts were already on how and when he’d bring it up to Rhea. He’d protect her, no matter what it took—he just needed to make sure she was ready.

After sending the text to Jon, Jey continued to browse through Footlocker, his mind still on the conversation. He picked out a pair of sleek black sneakers that caught his eye and decided they’d be a perfect addition to his wardrobe.

Once he had what he wanted, he made his way to the checkout, feeling satisfied. After paying, he stepped outside and headed to explore a few more stores. As he strolled through the shopping center, he stopped at Zumiez, Nike, and Tilly’s and a couple of more shops, finally arriving at Polo Ralph Lauren.

Just as he was about to head inside, he spotted a store called Linked. A big ad in the window read, Jewelry. You. Personalized. Forever!, Intrigued, Jey leaned in to look, but the lights were off, and a "Closed" sign hung on the door.

Just as he turned to leave, a bubbly woman approached with a warm smile. “Hey there! Were you interested in something from Linked?”

Jey turned back, curious. “Yeah, I was just checking it out.”

The woman’s smile widened. “We do permanent jewelry—bracelets that you can personalize. Interested?”

“Definitely,” he replied, feeling a spark of excitement.

“Come on in!” she said, unlocking the door. “I’ll keep the sign on ‘Closed’ to respect your privacy. I know who you are, but I promise I won’t bother you with that.”

Inside, the store had a cozy, inviting atmosphere. She guided him to a display showcasing an array of bracelets. “So, what’s the special occasion?”

Jey glanced at the elegant designs, thinking about Rhea. “I’m looking for matching couples' bracelets.”

“That’s so sweet!” she exclaimed. “We have some great options that can be personalized with initials or special dates.”

“How long does the process take?” he asked, intrigued.

“It’s all done in-store,” she explained. “We’ll size the bracelets and make any custom adjustments right here. It usually takes about 20 minutes.”

Jey nodded, impressed. “Sounds easy. I’d love to get something special for my girlfriend.”

As the store clerk explained that Rhea would need to be there for the sizing, Jey felt a flutter of excitement mixed with a touch of nervousness. “She’ll need to be here so we can get the right fit and laser the clasp,” the clerk said with a smile, clearly accustomed to couples wanting something special.

Jey nodded, realizing that this was more than just picking out a piece of jewelry. It was about creating something meaningful together—a symbol of their bond amid the chaos they had faced.

“Got it. Excuse me for a second, my girlfriend should be finishing up her lashes.” Jey said, stepping aside to pull out his phone. It felt like time had dragged on since he last saw Rhea. Just as he was about to call her, his phone buzzed with an incoming call from her.

“Where are you?” Rhea asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and concern.

Jey glanced outside and spotted her walking out of the salon across the shopping center. “I’m right here! Just outside,” he replied, waving her down.

When she saw him, her face lit up, and she walked over, radiating warmth and excitement. Jey took her hand, feeling an electric connection as he led her into the store.

“We’re getting matching permanent bracelets,” he announced, his heart racing at the thought.

Her eyes widened with joy. “I’m so down!”

Jey smiled, feeling the weight of the moment. This wasn’t just about the bracelets; it was a way to celebrate their journey together. Rhea leaned in and kissed him, her happiness palpable.

The clerk chuckled, watching their interaction. “This is why I love my job,” she said with a grin. “Seeing couples so happy together is the best part.”

As they browsed the display of elegant bracelets, Jey felt a surge of emotion. He knew how important this was for Rhea, especially after everything she had endured. This small act represented more than a fashion choice; it was a promise, a commitment to stand by each other through thick and thin.

When Rhea reached for a bracelet adorned with simplicity, her fingers lingered, and Jey couldn’t help but admire her. “This one feels right,” she said, her voice filled with certainty.

“Yeah, it really does,” he replied, envisioning their names engraved side by side. This moment felt monumental—a healing experience, a way to reclaim joy after so much pain.

As the clerk prepared to size the bracelets, Jey took Rhea’s hand, their fingers intertwining naturally. “This is just the beginning,” he said, his voice steady. “No matter what happens, we’re in this together.”

Rhea smiled up at him, her heart full. “I know. This means so much to me.”

With each passing moment, as they discussed designs and personalization, the emotional weight of their journey hung in the air, but so did the promise of new beginnings. This simple act of getting matching bracelets was not just about jewelry; it was a tangible reminder of their love—a bond that would help them navigate whatever challenges lay ahead.

Jey and Rhea had settled on a thin 14k rope-style chain with a gold name bar, feeling it perfectly encapsulated their bond. When the store clerk asked what they wanted engraved, Jey confidently said, “Demi Fatu,” while Rhea added, “Joshua Samuel Fatu,” her voice filled with warmth.

The clerk smiled, clearly pleased with their choices, and began the engraving process on Rhea’s bracelet first. Rhea watched intently, her excitement contagious. When the clerk held up the finished piece before lasering the clasp, Rhea’s eyes lit up. “I love it!” she exclaimed, tracing the letters with her fingers, as Jey leaned in to kiss her cheek, feeling grateful for this moment.

Jey looked at his while it was being done on his wrist and as he felt the weight of the future represented in that small piece of jewelry, he couldn’t help but smile at Rhea.

“Are you both satisfied?” the clerk asked after finishing Jey’s bracelet.

“Absolutely,” they both replied in unison, smiles plastered on their faces.

Jey paid for the bracelets and the clerk informed them about coming back, “If you have any issues or need cleaning, just call or head back over here, okay?”

With the bracelets securely on their wrists, Jey and Rhea climbed into Jon’s car. “I’m exhausted,” Jey admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Me too. I just want to go home,” Rhea replied, her fatigue evident. Jey checked in, “Do you need anything last minute?”

“No, I’m good,” Rhea said, leaning back in her seat, feeling content but ready for a quiet evening.

Once they arrived at Jon and Trinity’s house, Jey led Rhea inside. The sight that greeted them was cozy; Damian was sleeping on the couch, while Jon and Trinity were cuddled up on the other side, both peacefully slumbering. Jey glanced at the clock—it read 3:53.

“Looks like we’re the last ones up,” he whispered to Rhea with a smile. They quietly made their way upstairs to the guest bedroom, closing the door slightly behind them.

Jey set his bags down on the bed, feeling a mix of relief and satisfaction. The day had been long, but it had also been filled with love and new beginnings. He turned to Rhea, who was looking at him, a soft smile on her face. “I’m glad we did this,” he said, feeling the weight of the bracelets on his wrist.

“Me too,” Rhea replied, her lips giving him a quick kiss. In that moment, everything felt right.

Jey laid back on the bed, letting out a relaxed sigh as Rhea rummaged through the bags of clothes Trinity had managed to retrieve from the police station. She pulled out some of her gear, taking comfort in familiar items. “Hey, are we coming back to Jon and Trinity’s after RAW on Monday, or do you think we’ll go somewhere else?” she asked, glancing over at him.

Jey propped himself up on his elbows, considering the week ahead. “I want us to go to Pensacola to meet with the realtor about the rental on Friday,” he explained. “But I’d like to see my kids first after RAW.”

Rhea nodded, and Jey continued, “What if we drive to San Francisco right after RAW? We can get a room there for the night, then spend time with the kids on Tuesday and Wednesday. After that, we could head to Pensacola together on Thursday and stay at Jon and Trinity’s for the weekend.”

Rhea frowned slightly, contemplating his plan. “That’s a lot of traveling, Jey. Are you sure we can manage all of that?”

Seeing her hesitation, Jey quickly added, “It’s okay if you’re not mentally prepared for the kids yet. If it feels overwhelming, you could stay with Damian and Kayden while I spend time with them. I’ll come back for you on Thursday for our flight to Florida.”

Rhea shook her head. “But Damian and Kayden are heading to Indiana right after RAW. I don’t want to be alone.”

Jey furrowed his brow, trying to come up with alternatives. “Okay, what if we push the meeting about the rental off until next week? You could come back here after the show, and I’ll meet you on Friday.”

Rhea considered this, the idea sounding more manageable. “That could work,” she replied, her expression softening.

“See? We can make this work,” Jey said with a smile, relieved to find a solution that felt right for both of them. “Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

With a renewed sense of hope, Rhea nodded, grateful for his understanding. They both knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.

—

Trinity woke up from her nap, a sleepy smile on her face until she felt Jon's hand firmly squeezing her butt. "Really?" she muttered, still groggy, and lightly swatted his hand away before stretching. Jon let out a lazy chuckle but didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Pasta for dinner, maybe?" Jon mumbled, barely awake, his voice heavy with sleep.

Trinity rubbed her eyes and yawned, already thinking about her favorite creamy pasta recipe. "Yeah, I'll get on it after my shower."

She headed to the bathroom, hoping a quick shower would wake her up. As the warm water cascaded down, she felt herself shake off the sleep. Dinner was on her mind-something hearty and comforting. Jon loved her pasta dishes, and she was more than happy to make something simple and delicious.

Fresh out of the shower and feeling a bit more energized, Trinity threw on some comfortable lounge clothes and made her way into the kitchen. She pulled out all the ingredients for the creamy pasta sauce, but when she unscrewed the cap from the heavy cream and took a quick sniff, she gagged. "Ugh, this is sour," she muttered, holding the carton at arm's length.

"Jon!" she called, stepping out of the kitchen. "I need you to go grab some heavy cream from the store. This one's gone bad."

From the couch, Jon groaned loudly, stretching out as if the idea of leaving the couch was the worst thing in the world. "Babe, I really don't wanna go. Ask Jey and Rhea. They're right upstairs."

Trinity rolled her eyes, throwing a dish towel over her shoulder. "Typical," she muttered under her breath. She wasn't really in the mood to argue with him, so she sighed and made her way up the stairs.

As she approached the guest room where Jey and Rhea were staying, Trinity noticed the door was slightly ajar. Not hearing a any sounds that would reflect otherwise, she leaned closer and pushed open the door. "Hey, Jey, could you maybe run to the store for me?" she called out while nudging the door open a bit more.

The words caught in her throat as the door swung open wider. Her eyes widened in complete shock. There, on the bed, was Rhea on top of Jey, her bra flung to the side, and Jey's face practically buried in her chest. The sight hit her like a freight train, and before she could even process what she was looking at, a scream tore out of her throat. The couple had embarrassment over their faces as Rhea tried to get off Jey to go for the comforter while covering her chest.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" she shrieked, the door swinging wildly as she scrambled to close it. She slammed it shut so hard it echoed through the hallway.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stumbled backward, her face burning bright red. "Oh my God. Oh my God. What did I just see?!"

She stood there frozen for a moment, her mind reeling with embarrassment. "Did I just... walk in on that?" she muttered to herself in disbelief, her hands covering her burning face. Her heart raced, and her stomach twisted in knots, trying to block out the image that was now seared into her brain.

Jon, hearing her scream from downstairs, immediately sat up, confused. "Trin? What happened?"

Trinity hurried down the stairs, her face flushed with horror. "Don't ask! You really don't wanna know!"

Jon frowned, his curiosity piqued. "What did you see?"

"I'm not even gonna explain it," Trinity said, still breathless, waving her hands in front of her as if she could somehow erase the memory. "Just know I'm never going up there again!"

Jon's brow furrowed as he glanced at the stairs, then back at his wife. "Wait... what did YOU-"

Trinity threw her hands in the air, exasperated.

"I walked in on them! And let's just say, Jey's face was not where it's supposed to be!"

Jon blinked, then snorted as the realization hit him. He tried to stifle his laughter, but it burst out uncontrollably. "Wait, you walked in on Jey and Rhea-"

"Don't laugh!" Trinity cut him off, mortified. "I'll never unsee that, Jon! I'll never unsee it!"

But Jon couldn't help himself. Damian even joined in, laughing his ass. He was practically doubled over, his laughter echoing through the house. "I told you to ask them!"

Trinity glared at him, flustered beyond words.

“At least you didn’t see them doing the deed..” Damian snickered.

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to walk into... that!" She shuddered, throwing the dish towel at Jon as he continued laughing. "You're going to the store! I'm not asking anyone for anything ever again!"

Upstairs, Rhea frantically tried to put her bra back on, her face burning with embarrassment. Her hands fumbled with the straps as she muttered, “Oh my God, that was so humiliating.” She finally managed to snap the bra into place, turning to Jey, who was stifling a laugh but failing miserably.

"Don’t you dare laugh!" she warned, swatting him on the shoulder. "This is your fault too, you know!"

Jey couldn’t help it anymore; a chuckle escaped him as he rubbed his shoulder where Rhea had hit him. "C’mon, babe, you know Trinity’s probably laughing about it right now." He leaned back, still grinning. "I mean, how many people can say they’ve been walked in on like that?"

Rhea groaned, covering her face. "I blame you.”

Jey stood up, adjusting his shirt with a smirk. "I better go check on the situation. She probably sent Jon to the store already." He winked at Rhea, who just shook her head, still mortified.

As Jey made his way downstairs, he could hear the sounds of muffled laughter. He rounded the corner and caught sight of Trinity animatedly telling Jon what had just happened, her face still red but her lips twitching as if she were fighting off laughter. Jon, on the other hand, wasn’t even trying to hold it in—he was practically doubled over in laughter.

Damian was sitting on the arm of the couch, his arms crossed, but the amused grin on his face was unmistakable. The second Jey entered the room, all eyes turned to him.

Damian was the first to crack, letting out a loud laugh as he pointed at Jey. "Bro, you seriously can’t keep your hands to yourself for five minutes, can you?"

Jon caught his breath long enough to chime in, his voice thick with laughter. "You owe Trinity big time, man! She’s traumatized!"

Jey’s smirk only grew as he looked around at his friends, though his eyes landed on Trinity, who was still looking away, clearly trying her best not to meet his gaze.

"You alright, Trin?" Jey teased, raising an eyebrow. "Didn’t mean to scar you for life."

Trinity’s face turned redder, and she muttered under her breath, "I’m never looking you in the eye again." She folded her arms, still refusing to face him, her lips tightly pressed together to suppress the smile threatening to break through.

Jey leaned against the doorframe, shaking his head. "Hey, you didn’t even knock..."

Jon looked at Trinity and laughed even more, “Remember our failed quickie in the bus…. Now you know how it feels..” Jon said trying to breathe.

Damian slapped Jey on the back, still laughing. "Clearly Trinity you need some etiquette… clearly!" He then raised a hand, mimicking the moment. "I can’t believe she caught you guys like that. Should’ve locked the door, man!"

“We didn’t think anyone would just walk in!” Jey defended himself.

Jon chimed in, grinning, "Yeah, dude, at least give the rest of us a warning next time. Not everyone needs to see that side of you!"

Jey shrugged, unbothered, but shot a playful glance at Trinity. "I think you’ll survive, Trin. No lasting trauma, right?"

Trinity finally let out a small giggle despite herself but quickly cleared her throat, pretending to be serious. "You owe me for that one, Jey. Big time. And next time, lock the door!"

Jey winked, still grinning. "Noted."

—

Trinity finished serving the pasta, taking her seat next to Jon at the head of the table. Everyone gathered around—Jey, Rhea, Damian, and of course, Jon—reaching out to join hands. As they did, the mood in the room shifted slightly from playful to heartfelt, the warmth of family and friendship filling the air.

"Alright, Jon, lead us in prayer," Trinity said softly, squeezing his hand.

Jon nodded and closed his eyes, his deep voice resonating through the room. "Heavenly Father, we come to you with grateful hearts tonight. Thank you for giving me the strength to face my fears, especially when it came to donating blood for Rhea. You helped me realize what family really means, and I’m thankful for the path you’ve led me on. Thank you for bringing Rhea into our lives and showing me that family isn’t just blood but the people we choose to stand by."

Rhea’s eyes softened at Jon’s words, feeling a surge of emotion wash over her. The acceptance from Jon meant more than she could express, especially after everything.

"And Lord," Jon continued, with a small smirk on his face, "I also want to thank you for reminding my wife to knock on doors from now on—just to avoid any more awkward situations."

Everyone at the table, except Rhea, burst out into quiet giggles. Jey chuckled beside her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, while Damian struggled to keep his composure.

Rhea, however, turned beet red, looking down at her plate, trying her best to hide her embarrassment. Jon glanced at her with a wink, clearly enjoying the light-hearted teasing. "In your name, we pray, Amen."

"Amen," everyone echoed in unison, and with that, the sound of forks and plates filled the room as everyone dug into the meal.

Rhea, still blushing slightly, glanced over at Jey, who gave her a reassuring smile. "You alright?" he whispered, nudging her.

She nodded, grateful for the moment of normalcy after everything they’d been through. "Yeah," she whispered back, smiling softly. "I’m good."

As the conversation picked up around the table, it felt as though the tension from the day had melted away, replaced by laughter, jokes, and the feeling of family. Even with the teasing, Rhea knew she was surrounded by people who cared deeply for her—and that was all that mattered.

After they finished their meal, with the warmth of family conversations lingering in the air, Trinity stood up to refill everyone’s glasses with wine, except for Rhea who opted for a sparkling apple juice. The sound of laughter still echoed around the room, the gentle clinking of glasses adding to the comforting atmosphere. Jey sat back, his arm draped around Rhea, feeling the weight of the past week begin to lift. He glanced at her, then at the table, deciding it was the right moment.

“So, I’ve been thinkin’ about new beginnings,” Jey started, lifting his wrist and showing off his bracelet. Rhea smiled shyly, doing the same, their matching gold bracelets glimmering in the soft light. “Me and Rhea decided to make things a little more official.” His voice was filled with pride and certainty, the weight of his words sinking in as the room fell silent.

Trinity and Jon shared a knowing smile, and Damian clapped Jey on the back, a playful grin on his face. “About time,” Damian teased, though there was a real warmth in his voice.

Jey chuckled, “Yeah, yeah. And I wanna let y’all know I’ve been looking at places for us in Pensacola. Found a rental that’ll put us close to Jon and the family.”

Jon nodded, clearly pleased, while Trinity beamed at the idea of having Rhea and Jey nearby. Damian, never missing an opportunity to lighten the mood, leaned back and grinned. “Looks like I’m gonna have to find a place out there too. Kayden’s been talkin’ about it for a minute, so I’ll just blame y’all when I start moving boxes.”

The room burst into laughter, but the humor couldn’t mask the deeper emotion behind the moment. It wasn’t just about moving to Pensacola or finding a place to live—it was about something much more meaningful. Jey was making it clear that he was committed, not just to Rhea, but to building a future together. And more than that, he wanted his family to be a part of it.

Jey’s tone grew more serious as he looked around the table, his expression softening. “I wanna thank you all for being so understanding,” he said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “For accepting me and Rhea, for supporting us. I know things have been crazy, and this isn’t how I expected my week to end, but... I’m glad it did.”

Rhea’s heart swelled as she listened to Jey speak. His words meant everything to her. Despite the turmoil, the ups and downs, the unexpected twists—there was something solid between them now. Something unbreakable. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she could breathe, like she wasn’t carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders alone.

For Jey, this was more than just a declaration of love—it was an affirmation. He had spent so much time feeling torn between duty, love, and guilt. But now, surrounded by the people he loved, he felt free. Free to love Rhea openly. Free to plan a future without secrets. Free to embrace this new chapter of his life without fear or hesitation. And knowing that his family not only supported but accepted them both made it all the more real.

Jon, sensing the depth of Jey’s words, raised his glass. “Uce’,” he said with a gentle smile, “you don’t have to thank us for accepting Rhea. She’s family. Always.” He turned to Rhea and nodded, his voice filled with warmth. “You’re one of us now. You don’t need anyone else’s approval. You got ours.”

Rhea blinked back tears, deeply moved by Jon’s words. This was the first time in months that she truly felt like she belonged somewhere, like she wasn’t an outsider looking in. And hearing that from Jon—the man who had stood by his brother through everything—meant the world to her.

Trinity, ever the emotional one, squeezed Rhea’s hand. “We love you, Rhea. You’ve been through hell, and you’re still here, still standing strong. That says everything we need to know.”

Rhea’s heart thudded in her chest as she looked around the table at the faces of those who had become her family. It wasn’t just about her and Jey anymore. It was about something bigger. She had found a place where she was loved and accepted—not for what she had been through, but for who she was.

Taking a deep breath, Rhea knew it was time to share her news. She glanced at Jey, her fingers tightening around his, and then she spoke, her voice steady but filled with emotion. “While I was getting my lashes done today,” she began, her gaze locked with Jey’s, “I made a call.”

The room went silent as everyone waited, sensing that something important was about to be said.

“I called the lawyer WWE put on retainer for me... and I started the divorce proceedings with Matt.”

Jey’s eyes widened, the shock quickly giving way to overwhelming joy. His entire face lit up as the reality of her words sunk in. “You serious?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he needed to hear her say it again just to believe it.

Rhea nodded, a small, relieved smile playing on her lips. “Yeah, Jey. It’s done. I’m starting fresh—with you.”

The emotion that flashed across Jey’s face was raw and unguarded. He felt like his heart was about to burst. In one swift movement, he pulled Rhea into his arms, hugging her tightly as if he never wanted to let go. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered against her ear, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m so happy. You don’t know what this means to me.”

Everyone around the table began to cheer, raising their glasses in celebration. Damian grinned, lifting his glass. “To fresh starts and new beginnings,” he toasted, his voice filled with genuine happiness for the couple.

Jon clinked his glass against Jey’s. “This is it, bruh. This is your moment. I’m proud of you.”

Trinity, tearing up, reached across the table to grab Rhea’s hand again. “We’re so happy for you, Rhea. This is your time.”

As the laughter and joy filled the room, Rhea couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. The weight of the past few months was finally lifting, and in its place was something she had longed for—hope. She had made the call, ended her marriage, and now she was free to build a future with Jey. And more importantly, they were doing it together, with the love and support of a family who truly cared.

For Jey, it was more than just a fresh start. It was the beginning of the life he had always wanted. One filled with love, with the woman he adored, and the unwavering support of his family. In that moment, surrounded by the people who mattered most, Jey knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. Stronger than ever.

There was a knock at the door, and Damian, eager to stretch his legs, volunteered to answer it as Trinity and Jon leaned closer, wanting to admire their new bracelets. When Damian swung the door open, his face fell in surprise. Standing there was Takecia, flanked by Jey's two sons: the younger, Jeyce, and the older, Jaciyah.

“Jey!” Damian shouted, urgency creeping into his voice.

Jey's heart sank as he stood up, he didn’t like the way Damian sounded, Jey walked to the living room and stopped in his tracks, dread settling in his stomach at the sight of Takecia with their children. Jeyce rushed forward, throwing his arms around Jey’s waist, a warm embrace that momentarily softened the sting of the unexpected visit. But Jaciyah lingered back, his face twisted in an expression of disappointment and anger.

As Jon, Trinity and Rhea emerged from the dining room, surprised by the sudden appearance, Takecia wasted no time. “I needed some time alone,” she said flatly, her eyes darting between Jey and Rhea. “And since you’re playing house, the kids can stay with their dad and his new much younger girlfriend.”

The comment pierced Rhea, a reminder of the age gap that loomed between her and Jey. He was 39, while she had barely crossed into her late twenties. It stung, and she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.

“Please, don’t be harsh,” Jey implored, but Takecia raised her hand to silence him.

Looking past Jey, she addressed Trinity directly, “I’ll be back on Saturday to pick up both of them, Naomi.” Using Trinity’s stage name felt like a calculated move, a sign that she was distancing herself from the Fatu family entirely.

Jey tried to reason with her. “Is there any way we can make this easier?”

Takecia shook her head. “Just sign your name after the six-month waiting period,” she replied, her tone clipped and final. Without another word, she kiss her boys goodbye, her demeanor resolute as she turned to leave.

Jey felt the weight of her words settle in his chest as she walked away. The atmosphere in the house shifted, leaving a palpable silence. Rhea stood frozen, emotions swirling inside her and finally tears welling up in her eyes. She turned on her heel and went upstairs, seeking refuge from this moment.

“Rhea, wait!” Trinity called after her, but Rhea didn’t look back. “I’ll go check on her..” Trinity said and Damian followed her upstairs as well.

Once she was gone, Jey faced his children, uncertainty etched on his features. Jon, ever the fun uncle, stepped in, trying to lighten the mood. “Hey, how about we play some WWE 2K24?” he suggested with a grin.

Jaciyah glared at his father, the resentment simmering just below the surface. “No,” he said curtly, avoiding Jey's gaze as he stormed toward Jon’s son’s room and slammed the door behind him.

The sound echoed in the hallway, leaving Jey standing there, feeling more isolated than ever. Jeyce looked up at Jon, a mixture of confusion and longing in his eyes. “Can we play?” he asked softly, breaking the heavy silence.

“Yeah, buddy,” Jon replied, forcing a smile. He knelt down to meet his nephew’s gaze. “Let’s have some fun, just us two for now.”

As they moved toward the gaming console, Jey couldn’t shake the feeling that this moment was just the beginning of a complicated new chapter, one filled with challenges he never expected to face. And as the sounds of the game filled the room, he could only hope that they would find their way through it together.

—

Rhea sat on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face as Trinity and Damian hovered nearby, their expressions filled with concern. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on her chest, and she felt as if everything she had been dreading was finally crashing down.

“I just… I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough for his kids,” Rhea sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “What if they don’t accept me? What if they see me as just the ‘new girlfriend’?”

Trinity moved closer, gently rubbing Rhea’s back. “You have to understand, it takes time. I’m a stepmom too, and it’s not easy, but you’re not just some outsider. You’re someone who loves their dad.”

“But the age difference,” Rhea whispered, shaking her head. “Jey’s nearly 40, and I’m barely going to be 28. What if they think I’m too young to be taken seriously?”

“Rhea,” Damian interjected softly, “Jey isn’t with you because of your age. He loves you for who you are, not just as his partner but as a person. You bring something special to his life.”

Trinity nodded vigorously. “Exactly. Love doesn’t have an age limit. You two share a connection that goes beyond that. And believe me, kids can see when someone genuinely cares for their parent.”

Rhea wiped her eyes, taking a shaky breath. “But what if I mess it up? What if I can’t be the person they need?”

“You won’t know unless you try,” Damian replied, his voice steady. “Kids are resilient. They’ll adjust, especially if they see how much Jey loves you. That’s what matters most.”

Trinity chimed in, “And you’re not alone in this. Jey will be there to guide you. It’s a journey for both of you, and as long as you communicate and support each other, you’ll find your way.”

Rhea looked between them, the warmth of their encouragement slowly calming her racing thoughts. “Do you really think he loves me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Without a doubt,” Trinity assured her. “He lights up when he talks about you. You’ve made a profound impact on his life.”

As Rhea pondered their words, a flicker of hope ignited within her. “I want to be there for him and the kids. I just need to believe I can do this.”

“You can,” Damian said firmly. “It won’t be easy, but love is worth fighting for. Just remember, Jey chose you, and that’s a huge testament to how he feels.”

Rhea nodded slowly, her heart beginning to mend. “Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Anytime,” Trinity said, offering a reassuring smile. “We’re here for you, every step of the way.” Trinity hugged her newly found friend and Rhea hugged her back.

-

As Jey tucked his youngest son, Jeyce, into bed, he felt a familiar warmth wash over him, the kind that only comes from being a father. He leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on Jeyce's forehead, whispering a soft "goodnight." But when he turned to Jaciyah, his heart sank a little.

"Goodnight, Jaciyah," he said, but his son didn’t respond. Instead, Jaciyah simply put on his AirPods and turned his back to Jey, engrossed in his own world.

Jey sighed as he closed the door behind him, a mixture of frustration and sadness lingering in the air. He walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom, hoping to find some solace. As he entered, he saw Rhea lying on the bed, the soft glow of her phone illuminating her face as The Great Gatsby played quietly in the background.

She paused the movie, looking up at him. Jey's breath caught in his throat; she looked so peaceful yet so distant. "Hey," he said awkwardly, "I’m going to shower."

Rhea nodded without a word, her gaze drifting back to the screen. Jey felt the weight of unspoken words hang between them. He grabbed his clothes, the fabric feeling heavy in his hands as he made his way to the bathroom.

The shower felt like both a blessing and a curse. The warm water cascaded over him, washing away the stress of the day, but his mind remained restless. Thoughts of Jaciyah’s coldness swirled with the earlier tension of the night—the confrontation with his soon to be ex wife, the unacceptable weight creeping in, and the undeniable connection he felt with Rhea.

As he lathered shampoo into his hair, Jey couldn’t shake the feeling that his family was teetering on a precipice. He thought about how Jaciyah was shutting him out and how much he wished he could bridge that gap. Then there was Rhea—her strength, her vulnerability, the way she made him feel seen in a world where he often felt lost.

After a few moments of contemplation, he rinsed off and stepped out of the shower, the steam fogging up the mirror. He wiped it clear and looked at his reflection, trying to gather the courage to face Rhea again. He wrapped a towel around his waist, took a deep breath, and made his way back into the bedroom.

Rhea had resumed the movie, but the atmosphere was charged with unspoken tension. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of the silence. “You okay?” he asked, breaking the stillness.

Rhea paused the movie again and turned to him, her expression unreadable. “Just tired,” she replied softly, but Jey could sense there was more beneath the surface.

“Want to talk about it?” he offered, hoping to peel back the layers.

She hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. “What’s there to say? Things are complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Jey pressed gently, wanting to understand but afraid of what he might hear.

Rhea sighed, looking away. “You know how it is, Jey. We have our pasts, our families… it’s not just us.”

Jey felt his chest tighten. “I get that. But I want to figure this out. I want to be here for you and for Jaciyah and Jeyce.”

Rhea turned to him, her gaze intense. She couldn’t say anything.

“I’m trying,” he said, his voice low and earnest. “But I can’t do it alone.”

For a moment, they were caught in each other's eyes, the weight of their unspoken fears hanging heavily in the air. Jey reached out, brushing his fingers against hers. “Let’s not give up on each other, okay?”

Rhea looked down at their hands, her expression softening slightly. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Jey felt a flicker of hope as they sat together in the dim light, the movie forgotten. Maybe they could find their way back, piece by piece, despite the complications that surrounded them.

—

As Jey and Rhea settled into bed, Jey found himself wide awake, thoughts swirling around his head like leaves caught in a gust of wind. He envisioned the perfect wedding, with his sons standing beside him, a picture of unity and love. He held onto the hope that Jaciyah would eventually come around, bridging the gap that had formed between them.

Before he knew it, the shrill sound of his alarm shattered the quiet, signaling 2:25 AM. Rhea groaned softly, and Jey closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He knew he would have to catch up on sleep during the flight. Leaning over, he planted a gentle kiss on Rhea's forehead, coaxing her awake.

She yawned, stretching slightly before sitting up. Jey smiled, his heart lifting at the sight of her. They shuffled to the bathroom together, brushing their teeth in companionable silence. Jey quickly splashed some water in his hair, while Rhea combed through her short locks, both preparing for the long day ahead.

Once they finished, they grabbed their last toiletries and headed back to the bedroom to pack them in their bags. Rhea threw on some sweatpants and a hoodie, and Jey did the same, feeling comforted by the cozy attire.

“I’m going to wake up Jon to drive us to the airport,” Jey said, glancing at Rhea.

She nodded, still half-asleep, and slipped on her black crocs. Jey left the guest bedroom to check on Damian.

As he descended the stairs, he found Damian already awake, scrolling through his phone, packed and ready. “You’re all set?” Jey asked.

“Yeah, just waiting on you guys,” Damian replied, looking up with a grin.

“Good. I’m going to get Jon,” Jey said before heading back upstairs. He approached Jon and Trinity’s door, knocking softly. After a moment, he knocked again, then nudged the door open. Jon was sprawled across the bed, deeply asleep.

“Jon, wake up,” Jey said, nudging him again.

Jon turned over, groaning. “What time is it?”

“Time to take us to the airport,” Jey replied, his tone light but firm.

Jon sighed but managed to sit up, rubbing his eyes. “Fine, give me a minute.”

He quickly threw on a jacket and some slide sandals, looking like he was still in a daze. Jey chuckled to himself, feeling the camaraderie of their morning routine.

Once Jon was ready, Jey opened the guest bedroom door again, calling to Rhea. “Come on, let’s go!”

Rhea soon joined them, and together they made their way downstairs. Jon climbed into Trinity’s Escalade, and soon Rhea, Damian, and Jon were all settled in the car, heading towards the airport.

As the city lights faded behind them, Jey felt a sense of determination settle in his chest. No matter what challenges lay ahead, he was ready to face them, one step at a time. With Rhea by his side and the hope of a future together, he knew they would find their way.

Jon pulled up to the airport drop-off lane, Jey noticed the early morning quietness—only a few other travelers milling about. The low hum of the airport echoed around them, creating a peaceful ambiance. Damian hopped out of the car, grabbing their bags from the trunk, while Jey turned to Jon.

“Hey, just a heads up, Rhea and I will be back tomorrow around 4 AM. Can you pick us up?” Jey asked, knowing it would be an early morning for Jon.

“Sure thing, man. Safe travels!” Jon replied, offering a reassuring smile.

Jey glanced at the time on his phone: 3:16 AM. The urgency of their schedule set in, and he quickly ushered Rhea and Damian toward their gate. They moved through the terminal, the adrenaline from their early start pushing them forward.

Once they reached the gate, Jey felt a wave of relief. They boarded the plane, and he was thrilled to see they had first-class tickets again. The luxury of being able to recline and relax felt like a gift after the whirlwind of the past few days.

As the plane began its descent and the safety announcements played, Jey turned to Rhea, who had already settled into her seat, her eyes heavy with sleep. He leaned in and kissed her goodnight, feeling a sense of warmth and connection that eased his mind.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, watching her drift off.

He then reclined his own seat, feeling the tension of the day slip away as he closed his eyes. The gentle hum of the engines and the soft vibrations of the plane lulled him into a comfortable sleep. For the first time in a while, Jey felt hopeful about what lay ahead. The day would bring new challenges, but for now, he surrendered to the soothing embrace of slumber, knowing that together, they would face whatever came their way.

[satureja13]

While Vlad and Ji Ho and Sai and Jeb enjoy their couple time together, good mates Jack and Kiyoshi are having a picknick. Even though they are supposed to meet for dinner soon. Jack is always hungry. And Kiyoshi wonders why they are not having pizza again, Jack's favourite.

Kiyoshi doesn't realize he's walking on the water again. Or he forgot they are back in the Muggle World and he shouldn't reveal his divine nature here... Let's just hope no one notices him ö.Ö'

And while Jack is happily riding around with a Jet Ski he rented, Kiyoshi is happily browsing his phone. He'd even been longer without reception than the others. 60+ years! A lot to keep up with.

When Jack finally left the ocean and joined Kiyoshi on his blanket, it already got dark and they have to leave soon to meet the others. But Jack wanted to talk to Kiyoshi. He needs to make sure this mateship of theirs is not going to drag them back down to the hell they've been in during their relationship. Jack is not sure how to start and how Kiyoshi would take it so he waited until they were almost due to leave... Jack: "Kiyoshi..." Kiyoshi: "Hm?" Jack took a deep breath in and then he let it all out: "You know, after I - uhm... left you, I had to have a talk with Greg. And as much as I hate him, I think I have to admit that he was right - in some points at least. He said a relationship is hard work. And he didn't hesitate to point out that I also played my part in ruining - eh, us. So I want to make sure we talk about things that make us feel uncomfortable. And things we need - and want." Kiyoshi laughed: "Ah, he gave me that talk too. Even twice. To make sure it seeps through, I guess." Jack: "What? When?" Kiyoshi: "When we were here together, at Beltane. I was still a bit out but he managed to reach me, he is very powerful. And wise."

Jack: "So, what do you think?" Kiyoshi: "I think we should follow his advice and work hard. I cherish ... our mateship too much to let it go to waste again. I promise you, I won't keep anything from you and talk to you if I feel uncomfortable. And about my wants and needs. I will share it all with you. No more hiding - no more secrets." He wanted to say '...you' instead of '...our mateship', but it's not the right time for this when Jack wants to discuss their mateship. And he's still so anxious and vulnerable. It's just the beginning. And they have all the time in the worlds to sort it out. And so they agreed to the new terms and conditions of their mateship.

But Jack was so anxious of being hurt again, he couldn't help it and asked: "Do you think it will work?" Kiyoshi: "Let's just do our best, hm? We both changed, a lot." Jack pondered about it for a while and came to the conclusion Kiyoshi was right. Kiyoshi had spent 6 decades in that tree to reflect and Jack went through the hell of pain for leaving him, his Alpha. And the therapy game chased him through an almost relationship with Lou and even killed him so he could make a brandnew start. They now both know what they have lost. And what they have been missing. A chill wind blew over the ocean to the beach and Jack, who was still wet, shivered. Kiyoshi noticed it: "Don't tell me you are cold!" Jack: "What? No! I'm the Super Soldier, after all!" Kiyoshi laughed: "Hey, no more secrets! You promised!" Jack: "Fine! I'm cold. But it's just a reaction. Because my skin is still wet!" Kiyoshi: "Aouwww. Come here." And he pulled Jack close.

And Jack leaned in. He felt warm in an instant. Kiyoshi smelled so good. Like sun and ocean and food - and Kiyoshi's very own, incomparable scent. Jack: "Do you think this is a weird thing to do for mates?" Kiyoshi: "It's only weird when we make it weird. If it feels good for both of us and we agree on something, nothing should be weird between us. Right?" Jack moved even closer to Kiyoshi's warm body: "Right. We can't compare our mateship with what others have and do, I guess. Not even our woohoo felt weird for me. It felt good, great even. Even though we didn't both agree beforehand. I only felt so bad because I thought it was - eh ... inapproprate, you know. Since you're a diety now." Kiyoshi: "And I was horrified because I knew what you went through and I - eh ... felt I kind of exploited the situation. Though, I had no choice, like you. But it felt good for me too." Jack sighed as he remembered: "So good." Kiyoshi pulled Jack a bit tighter and put a soft kiss on Jack's wet, sandy hair.

They sat there, cuddling, until Jack's phone made weird zombie sounds (that's his ringtone for Sai...) Message from Sai: 'Where are you? We're waiting at the restaurant!' Seems it's really about time to leave. Kiyoshi was already dressed while Jack was still shaking the water - and sand - out of his hair. Kiyoshi endured it - and smiled. It might sound strange, but this quirky side of Jack played a big part helping Kiyoshi get out of the tree. And he wouldn't want to miss it.

Eventually they put the blanket in Jack's inventory and ran over to the restaurant boat in the harbor of Porto Azzurro. Jack knew they would have pizza for dinner, so he was fine with eating something else at their picknick ;)

Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen them so happy together. One of the best days I've ever had with them <3

'It's merely human situations The moments between us both The distance, the passions Finding a reason. Today...Like always, I am thinking of you.

Yes, you see. It's merely human conditions Feeling well or not If it's by day, or if it's by night If it's nostalgia or post-love. Today...Like always, I am thinking of you

Like our time hasn't yet passed. Tell me, where are we? What could happen? Hearts bound by an arrow, but, To each other that's the barrier that must be demolished I am thinking of you. I am thinking of me' Cosas della Vida - Tina Turner & Eros Ramazotti

Outtakes

Ah, I so wanted them both on the Jet Ski, like on their date over a year ago here at Tartosa! But Kiyoshi refused to stay in the water because he developed thalassophobia (fear of water). Who knows when -.- And I only realized hours later: I should have given him that fear-be-gone potion or already turn off that stupid fear option (but it would also remove the wants, I guess?) but I don't use them anyway either. Little Goat: 'That's boring!' Little Goat: 'Let's go over and watch Ji Ho and Vlad again, then!'

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Who killed Jack?' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-28

[theloganator101]

The Great BNHA Review: The Finale

So in the end... where does this leave us?

A society that really hasn't changed that much, Izuku was alone once again because his hero friends are too busy, and it ends with Izuku being handed a suit to fight alongside them... Reinforcing the fact that Izuku couldn't be a hero on his own without someone handing him something to make him a hero.

What a lackluster and rather bleak ending when you think about it. Because they still have the ranking system so it's once again enticing heroes to compete in a popularity contest to be known, which is why Bakugou is doing poorly and Aizawa admitting that he didn't do shit to curve this behavior.

(Points at Aizawa) Teacher of the Year everyone 🙄

So with the story now completed, what I hope to eventually happen in a few years is for people to truly see the series for what it is. A poorly written story where the main character never grows, the worst anime character hogging all the attention away from things that should be important, and contains harmful messages for preteens-teens if we were to take this at face value.

So let me ask this: Was this story worth telling?

I'm only asking because since it's known that Hori just got tired and wanted to be done and over BNHA as soon as he could. Which I know WOULDN'T have happened if he just pulled a Yana Toboso and just put the manga on hold to truly figure out what he wants to do instead of working on it continuously with only a handful of one week breaks.

His story couldn't explore the themes it established, and what it DID covered, was handled poorly.

And if you want a piece of media that explores what BNHA tried to do, here're some of my recommendations .

The main character being the odd one out? The Owl House.

Family Issues? Gravity Falls.

Discussions on justice and the grey area of good and evil? Death Note.

Hell, Glitch Productions does a better job at developing the romances of their characters than this anime series did in it's entirety!

And trauma being handled in a tasteful manner?

But back to the topic!

The thing is why couldn't we explore these themes and topics that was promised to us? Was anyone REALLY asking for Endeavor to make amends with his family? Did anyone RELLY think that Endeavor's redemption was worth screwing over the Todoroki family members?

This series just wants to have it's cake and eat it too! We want to have cool fight scenes and root for the heroes to win, but we would also want to explore the world they live in and how it functions. And since considering the badly handled topics of the story and the characters themselves are as interesting as caricatures of the tropes they embody to where there's no depth or complexity.

Then you just have a story that GOES NOWHERE!

How much of Hero Society has really changed at the end? It only beckons for the same events that happened throughout the series to happen again! And the people who were horrible, I.E Bakugou and Endeavor, get they want without consequences! None of the major characters go through significant development so it makes it hard to see that they've grown at the end!

So overall, BNHA is an Anime Series that crashed and burned. Something that I hope more people will start to recognize and call it out for both the mistakes of the series and Kohei Horikoshi.

And with that, my career of criticizing BNHA has come to an end. Thank you all for liking my rants and posts, and I truly do hope you'll keep following me for whatever's in store.

So now that's done, I can finally move on to something actually good...