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mostlysignssomeportents · 9 months ago

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The Google antitrust remedy should extinguish surveillance, not democratize it

I'm coming to DEFCON! On FRIDAY (Aug 9), I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On SATURDAY (Aug 10), I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

If you are even slightly plugged into the doings and goings on in this tired old world of ours, then you have heard that Google has lost its antitrust case against the DOJ Antitrust Division, and is now an official, no-foolin', convicted monopolist.

This is huge. Epochal. The DOJ, under the leadership of the fire-breathing trustbuster Jonathan Kanter, has done something that was inconceivable four years ago when he was appointed. On Kanter's first day on the job as head of the Antitrust Division, he addressed his gathered prosecutors and asked them to raise their hands if they'd never lost a case.

It was a canny trap. As the proud, victorious DOJ lawyers thrust their arms into the air, Kanter quoted James Comey, who did the same thing on his first day on the job as DA for the Southern District of New York: "You people are the chickenshit club." A federal prosecutor who never loses a case is a prosecutor who only goes after easy targets, and leave the worst offenders (who can mount a serious defense) unscathed.

Under Kanter, the Antitrust Division has been anything but a Chickenshit Club. They've gone after the biggest game, the hardest targets, and with Google, they bagged the hardest target of all.

Again: this is huge:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/boom-judge-rules-google-is-a-monopolist

But also: this is just the start.

Now that Google is convicted, the court needs to decide what to do about it. Courts have lots of leeway when it comes to addressing a finding of lawbreaking. They can impose "conduct remedies" ("don't do that anymore"). These are generally considered weaksauce, because they're hard to administer. When you tell a company like Google to stop doing something, you need to expend a lot of energy to make sure they're following orders. Conduct remedies are as much a punishment for the government (which has to spend millions closely observing the company to ensure compliance) as they are for the firms involved.

But the court could also order Google to stop doing certain things. For example, since the ruling finds that Google illegally maintained its monopoly by paying other entities – Apple, Mozilla, Samsung, AT&T, etc – to be the default search, the court could order them to stop doing that. At the very least, that's a lot easier to monitor.

The big guns, though are the structural remedies. The court could order Google to sell off parts of its business, like its ad-tech stack, through which it represents both buyers and sellers in a marketplace it owns, and with whom it competes as a buyer and a seller. There's already proposed, bipartisan legislation to do this (how bipartisan? Its two main co-sponsors are Ted Cruz and Elizabeth Warren!):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/25/structural-separation/#america-act

All of these things, and more, are on the table:

https://www.wired.com/story/google-search-monopoly-judge-amit-mehta-options/

We'll get a better sense of what the judge is likely to order in the fall, but the case could drag out for quite some time, as Google appeals the verdict, then tries for the Supreme Court, then appeals the remedy, and so on and so on. Dragging things out in the hopes of running out the clock is a time-honored tradition in tech antitrust. IBM dragged out its antitrust appeals for 12 years, from 1970 to 1982 (they called it "Antitrust's Vietnam"). This is an expensive gambit: IBM outspent the entire DOJ Antitrust Division for 12 consecutive years, hiring more lawyers to fight the DOJ than the DOJ employed to run all of its antitrust enforcement, nationwide. But it worked. IBM hung in there until Reagan got elected and ordered his AG to drop the case.

This is the same trick Microsoft pulled in the nineties. The case went to trial in 1998, and Microsoft lost in 1999. They appealed, and dragged out the proceedings until GW Bush stole the presidency in 2000 and dropped the case in 2001.

I am 100% certain that there are lawyers at Google thinking about this: "OK, say we put a few hundred million behind Trump-affiliated PACs, wait until he's president, have a little meeting with Attorney General Andrew Tate, and convince him to drop the case. Worked for IBM, worked for Microsoft, it'll work for us. And it'll be a bargain."

That's one way things could go wrong, but it's hardly the only way. In his ruling, Judge Mehta rejected the DOJ's argument that in illegally creating and maintaining its monopoly, Google harmed its users' privacy by foreclosing on the possibility of a rival that didn't rely on commercial surveillance.

The judge repeats some of the most cherished and absurd canards of the marketing industry, like the idea that people actually like advertisements, provided that they're relevant, so spying on people is actually doing them a favor by making it easier to target the right ads to them.

First of all, this is just obvious self-serving rubbish that the advertising industry has been repeating since the days when it was waging a massive campaign against the TV remote on the grounds that people would "steal" TV by changing the channel when the ads came on. If "relevant" advertising was so great, then no one would reach for the remote – or better still, they'd change the channel when the show came back on, looking for more ads. People don't like advertising. And they hate "relevant" advertising that targets their private behaviors and views. They find it creepy.

Remember when Apple offered users a one-click opt-out from Facebook spying, the most sophisticated commercial surveillance system in human history, whose entire purpose was to deliver "relevant" advertising? More than 96% of Apple's customers opted out of surveillance. Even the most Hayek-pilled economist has to admit that this is a a hell of a "revealed preference." People don't want "relevant" advertising. Period.

The judge's credulous repetition of this obvious nonsense is doubly disturbing in light of the nature of the monopoly charge against Google – that the company had monopolized the advertising market.

Don't get me wrong: Google has monopolized the advertising market. They operate a "full stack" ad-tech shop. By controlling the tools that sellers and buyers use, and the marketplace where they use them, Google steals billions from advertisers and publishers. And that's before you factor in Jedi Blue, the illegal collusive arrangement the company has with Facebook, by which they carved up the market to increase their profits, gouge advertisers, starve publishers, and keep out smaller rivals:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedi_Blue

One effect of Google's monopoly power is a global privacy crisis. In regions with strong privacy laws (like the EU), Google uses flags of convenience (looking at you, Ireland) to break the law with impunity:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town

In the rest of the world, Google works with other members of the surveillance cartel to prevent the passage of privacy laws. That's why the USA hasn't had a new federal privacy law since 1988, when Congress acted to ban video-store clerks from telling newspaper reporters about the VHS cassettes you took home:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Privacy_Protection_Act

The lack of privacy law and privacy enforcement means that Google can inflict untold privacy harms on billions of people around the world. Everything we do, everywhere we go online and offline, every relationship we have, everything we buy and say and do – it's all collected and stored and mined and used against us. The immediate harm here is the haunting sense that you are always under observation, a violation of your fundamental human rights that prevents you from ever being your authentic self:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2013/jun/14/nsa-prism

The harms of surveillance aren't merely spiritual and psychological – they're material and immediate. The commercial surveillance industry provides the raw feedstock for a parade of horribles, from stalkers and bounty hunters turning up on their targets' front doors to cops rounding up demonstrators with location data from their phones to identity thieves tricking their marks by using leaked or purchased private information as convincers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

The problem with Google's monopolization of the surveillance business model is that they're spying on us. But for a certain kind of competition wonk, the problem is that Google is monopolizing the violation of our human rights, and we need to use competition law to "democratize" commercial surveillance.

This is deeply perverse, but it represents a central split in competition theory. Some trustbusters fetishize competition for its own sake, on the theory that it makes companies better and more efficient. But there are some things we don't want companies to be better at, like violating our human rights. We want to ban human rights violations, not improve them.

For other trustbusters – like me – the point of competition enforcement isn't merely to make companies offer better products, it's to make companies small enough to hold account through the enforcement of democratic laws. I want to break – and break up – Google because I want to end its ability to bigfoot privacy law so that we can finally root out the cancer of commercial surveillance. I don't want to make Google smaller so that other surveillance companies can get in on the game.

There is a real danger that this could emerge from this decision, and that's a danger we need to guard against. Last month, Google shocked the technical world by announcing that it would not follow through on its years-long promise to kill third-party cookies, one of the most pernicious and dangerous tools of commercial surveillance. The reason for this volte-face appears to be concern that the EU would view killing third-party cookies as anticompetitive, since Google intended to maintain commercial surveillance using its Orwellian "Privacy Sandbox" technology in Chrome, with the effect that everyone except Google would find it harder to spy on us as we used the internet:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/googles-trail-of-crumbs

It's true! This is anticompetitive. But the answer isn't to preserve the universal power of tech companies large and small to violate our human rights – it's to ban everyone, especially Google, from spying on us!

This current in competition law is still on the fringe, but the Google case – which finds the company illegally dominating surveillance advertising, but rejects the idea that surveillance is itself a harm – offers an opportunity for this bad idea to go from the fringe to the center.

If that happens, look out.

Take "attribution," an obscure bit of ad-tech jargon disguising a jaw-droppingly terrible practice. "Attribution" is when an ad-tech company shows you an ad, and then follows you everywhere you go, monitoring everything you do, to determine whether the ad convinced you to buy something. I mean that literally: they're combining location data generated by your phone and captured by Bluetooth and wifi receivers with data from your credit card to follow you everywhere and log everything, so that they can prove to a merchant that you bought something.

This is unspeakably grotesque. It should be illegal. In many parts of the world, it is illegal, but it is so lucrative that monopolists like Google can buy off the enforcers and get away with it. What's more, only the very largest corporations have the resources to surveil you so closely and invasively that they can perform this "service."

But again, some competition wonks look at this situation and say, "Well, that's not right, we need to make sure that everyone can do attribution." This was a (completely mad) premise in the (otherwise very good) 2020 Competition and Markets Authority market-study on "Online platforms and digital advertising":

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fa557668fa8f5788db46efc/Final_report_Digital_ALT_TEXT.pdf

This (again, otherwise sensible) document veers completely off the rails whenever the subject of attribution comes up. At one point, the authors propose that the law should allow corporations to spy on people who opt out of commercial surveillance, provided that this spying is undertaken for the sole purpose of attribution.

But it gets even worse: by the end of the document, the authors propose a "user ID intervention" to give every Briton a permanent, government-issued advertising identifier to make it easier for smaller companies to do attribution.

Look, I understand why advertisers like attribution and are willing to preferentially take their business to companies that can perform it. But the fact that merchants want to be able to peer into every corner of our lives to figure out how well their ads are performing is no basis for permitting them to do so – much less intervening in the market to make it even easier so more commercial snoops can get their noses in our business!

This is an idea that keeps popping up, like in this editorial by a UK lawyer, where he proposes fixing "Google's dominance of online advertising" by making it possible for everyone to track us using the commercial surveillance identifiers created and monopolized by the ad-tech duopoly and the mobile tech duopoly:

https://www.thesling.org/what-to-do-about-googles-dominance-of-online-advertising/

Those companies are doing something rotten. In dominating ads, they have stolen billions from publishers and advertisers. Then they used those billions to capture our democratic process and ensure that our human rights weren't being defended as they plundered our private data and put us in harm's way.

Advertising will adapt. The marketing bros know this is coming. They're already discussing how to live in a world where you can't measure clicks and you can't attribute actions (e.g. the world from the first advertisements up until the early 2000s):

https://sparktoro.com/blog/attribution-is-dying-clicks-are-dying-marketing-is-going-back-to-the-20th-century/

An equitable solution to Google's monopoly will not run though our right to privacy. We don't solve the Google monopoly by creating competition in surveillance. The reason to get rid of Google's monopoly is to make it easier to end surveillance.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/07/revealed-preferences/#extinguish-v-improve

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #google #antitrust #monopolies #remedies #ad-tech #competition #power #doj v google #attribution

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izcoupshrt · 3 months ago

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Suprise? C.SC

Summary: Seungcheol wants to make breakfast for his S/O but sometimes life doesn't go the way he wants it to.

Wc: 0,3k

Authors note: We all need a pouty Seungcheol in our life.

”The day that I met you I started dreaming~”

Y/N expected her lover to be sound asleep next to her when she woke up. Seungcheol typically slept in since it was his day off and wouldn't wake up until she essentially made him. However, he wasn't in bed today. Her initial reaction was that she had been sleeping for too long, so she looked at the time, which was 9:05 AM. She then assumed he had gone to the restroom, so she remained in bed, but he never returned. She went to the kitchen in an attempt to locate her missing boyfriend.

There, preparing breakfast, was the man himself.

She approached him and whispered, "What are you doing?" He was startled at first, then slowly turned around, a pout on his face.

"Im making breakfast... for you..." he mumbled.

"Im sorry?" Gosh, he was so adorable

"Im making breakfast for you... but it didn't turn out so well" he informed her, still pouting.

"You didn't need to do that!" She exclaimed.

"Well... Here we are so, suprise?" he spoke while showing her the pancakes, blush slowly making its way up his neck.

Well! that sure was some type of pancakes. Or, more like mashed pancakes.

"They didn't want to turn!" he protested seeing his future, but it was too late. Y/N was already laughing like a child. "I cant believe you..." He turned around and crossed his arms. "You're so childish! They don't look that bad!"

"Sure! Whatever makes you happier!" she whiped some tears. "Lets eat! Im starving" she spoke before giving him a peck on the lips.

That seemed to keep him from sulking for now.

Requests are open!

#scoups #choi seungcheol #seungcheol x reader #seventeen drabbles #seventeen #seventeen requests #scoups x reader #seventeen reactions #seventeen masterlist

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gracieabrmslvr · 4 months ago

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INTRODUCING…… videos

influencer!reader takes of talkingstage!chris

psa! this idea comes from @kiemui, so pls check out her blog and all prompts to her!

01. ↳ ❝ [clingy ass] ¡! ❞ - video length : 6 seconds

you placed your camera on the vanity in your room, doing your skin care. in the back of the video chris stares at you with a needy look on his face, knowing what he was gonna to do, you press record trying to hide the camera from him. “ maaaaaa hurry the fuck upp” he whines getting up to stand behind you as you begin to laugh , the camera begins to shake before it ends with a screech from chris “ DUDEEEE” and a hand covering the lens.

02. ↳ ❝ [ #needthat ] ¡! ❞ - video length : 10 seconds

chris recently gotten his license which for you meant you got to be passenger princess. the camera was held at his chest as your giggles were heard from behind the camera. suddenly your manicured hands started to graze his chest in a flirtatious manner, “ sexy ass” you mumble laughing. you smirked tilting the camera to his face. an evident smirk was placed on his face as you continued your manner, now flipped the camera towards you, “ pull over” you wink suggesting as chris eyes widen, the both of you burst into laughter. the video ends with chris pretending to pull over as you scream

03. ↳ ❝ [ 😑] ¡! ❞ - video length : 13 seconds

you were shakily placing you phone on the bathroom counter, fixing your lip liner in the camera mirror. already in the bathroom with you, chris wraps his arms around you, holding your waist as he puts his face in your neck leaving slight kisses along your jawline. you smile to look at him turning back to the camera to fix your hair. chris being the boy he is, smirks at your figure as he chuckles thinking of something very inappropriate. he removes his hands from around you, placing them on your hips as he thrusting his hips into you suggesting a sex postition. your eyes widen as you pull away from him grabbing you phone to glare at the immature boy, slapping his chest. you could hear a faint laugh from chris near the end of the video

04. ↳ ❝ [ he’s alright ig] ¡! ❞ - video length : 9 seconds

“ chris! act cute!” your irritated voice could be heard in the beginning of the video. the front camera were placed on you and chris with the scenery of the beach sunset in the back. chris could be seen making silly faces at the camera when all your wanted was one smiling photo. “ chilllll baby” chris laughs turning to the sunset before to you, looking at the pout that was placed on your face. the wind has seemed to mess up a bit of you hair and before you could reach to tuck it back, chris did it for you. smiling as he cupped your check, “ you’re pretty” he mumbled as the video ended with a harsh kiss on the lips.

05. ↳ ❝ [ suspect ] ¡! ❞ - video length : 25 seconds

you and chris wanted to both do the suspects challenge on each other. you also made chris promise he won’t be mean but you were too sure he wasn’t going to keep that promise. you wanted to start off and you started off simple, running along the grass in your backyard “ suspect was too shy to make the first move” you spit out laughing as he glares at you stopping his running, snatching the phone. you begin to laugh already, “ suspect gets upset when other girls talk to me” you stop your running, glaring at him snatching your phone back with a mumble “ okay let’s play that game”. chris just laughs as it is his turn, “ suspect calls me baby, hangs out with me everyday, been talking for months and STILL won’t ask me to be his girlfriend” chris stops in his tracks pouting as you begin to laugh. ofc you knew about chris’s commitment issues but it was just fun to joke about it. “babyyy” chris suddenly latches onto you, whining as he sticks his head in your neck as you flip the camera laughing , ending the video.

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miorrtae · 2 months ago

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✧･ﾟ: * MINES PT.2

GAY and SECRETIVE BEST-FRIENDS ⁉

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ ❪ 𝑦𝑡 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜. ❫ ｡ lee hyeri x f!r ⌗ . fluff ── disclaimers: bestfriends au, hyeri being a in love puppy, pining, secret relationship .ᐟ.ᐟ inspired by @sillymommy6969

HYERI AND Y/N BEING BESTFRIENDS? PT. 2

928k likes | 1.2M views | 12th Mar, 2025

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 8 : [YT VIDEO] Just Get Married Already (05:33)

The clip opens with the soft ambient noise of the set in the background, the sound of quiet chatter and rustling as cameras take a break from rolling. Y/N and Hyeri are seated together on a couch, the moment feeling casual, yet undeniably intimate. Y/N leans back, her body relaxed, an arm draped lazily over the back of the couch, fingers tracing the fabric with a quiet sense of ease. Hyeri, sitting next to her, is close enough that their legs are pressed together, the warmth of their proximity creating a subtle but undeniable connection.

Hyeri's fingers absentmindedly trace the hem of Y/N's sleeve, her gaze focused elsewhere. The movement is soft, almost imperceptible at first, as if she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it. But Y/N notices, her eyes flickering down to Hyeri’s hand before returning to her face, a small, amused grin tugging at her lips.

Y/N leans in slightly, her voice playful and soft. “You good?”

Hyeri doesn’t respond immediately, her fingers still tracing delicate patterns on the sleeve, the fabric moving under her touch. She simply hums in acknowledgment, her eyes never quite meeting Y/N’s.

Hyeri murmurs, distracted. “Mmhm.”

Y/N’s grin widens, her voice laced with teasing curiosity.

“You’re just playing with my sleeve for no reason?”

Hyeri’s shoulders shift in a casual shrug, still not breaking her focus on the soft fabric beneath her fingers. Her voice is gentle, almost thoughtful, as if the question isn’t something that needs answering.

“It’s soft,” she says quietly, a slight smile on her lips.

Y/N chuckles softly, the sound quiet but genuine. Her eyes stay on Hyeri’s fingers for a moment longer before she lets out a small sigh, her hand moving to gently brush against Hyeri’s in return. The contact is subtle, but it’s enough to make the air around them feel just a little heavier, the quiet tension beginning to settle between them.

Finally, Hyeri looks up at Y/N, her gaze soft and full of something unspoken. A small, knowing smile curls at the edges of her lips, her eyes glimmering with a hint of mischief, but also something deeper—something that neither of them fully acknowledges, but both can feel.

The camera holds on this brief moment, capturing the way they look at each other, a small flicker of something sparking between them. The stillness is almost tangible, the weight of the moment undeniable.

“THE TENSION IS PALPABLE.”

The music fades, leaving only the sound of their breathing and the hum of the set, as the camera slowly pulls back, leaving their quiet exchange hanging in the air. It's an intimate silence, full of promise, anticipation, and a thousand unspoken words.

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 9: [YT VIDEO] Their Own Little World (04:47)

The clip starts at a restaurant with the cast gathered around a table, chatting and eating. The camera zooms in on Y/N and Hyeri, who are completely tuned out of the conversation, focused only on each other.

Hyeri is playing with Y/N’s fingers, absentmindedly tracing circles on her palm. Y/N watches her for a moment before smirking.

Y/N leans in slightly, amusement in her voice. “Are you trying to read my fortune?”

Hyeri grins. “Maybe.”

Y/N raises an eyebrow. “What do you see?”

Hyeri pretends to be serious, running a finger over Y/N’s palm. “Hmm… I see someone who teases me too much.”

Y/N scoffs. “That doesn’t sound right.”

Hyeri tilts her head playfully. “It also says they care about me a lot.”

Y/N scoffs again, but there’s a small smile tugging at her lips. She doesn't pull her hand away, just lets Hyeri keep tracing patterns as their castmates talk around them.

“THEY’RE NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ANYONE ELSE.”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 10: [YT VIDEO] Love Language: Holding Hands (05:10)

The video opens with Hyeri and Y/N walking side by side outside, dressed in casual outfits. The camera follows them as Y/N suddenly reaches out and grabs Hyeri's hand, lacing their fingers together like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Hyeri blinks, looking down at their hands, then up at Y/N with a raised eyebrow.

Hyeri gives her a questioning look. “What’s this?”

Y/N answers casually. “It’s cold.”

Hyeri deadpans. “We’re indoors.”

Y/N shrugs, squeezing her hand lightly. “Still cold.”

Hyeri rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. She doesn't let go-if anything, she shifts their hands so they’re locked together even more comfortably.

“SHE JUST WANTED TO HOLD HER HAND LMAOO.”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 11: [YT VIDEO] Can They Get Any Softer? (05:28)

The clip starts on set on their new series late at night. Y/N and Hyeri are sitting on a bench, both looking tired but relaxed. Y/N stretches with a yawn, and as soon as she lowers her arms, Hyeri scoots closer and rests her head against Y/N’s shoulder.

Y/N stiffens slightly, like she wasn’t expecting it, before relaxing and tilting her head slightly to rest against Hyeri’s in return.

Y/N glances down at her. “Comfy?”

Hyeri mumbles. “Mhm.”

Y/N chuckles softly. “You’re gonna fall asleep on me.”

Hyeri smiles against her shoulder. “Maybe.”

Y/N huffs a quiet laugh, reaching over and lightly squeezing Hyeri's knee. The camera zooms in on the small movement before panning up to Hyeri’s peaceful expression.

“THEY’RE SO —ASGDLHFLOSJKHNFONLJKADNF”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 12: [YT VIDEO] Just Date Already (05:36)

The clip opens with Y/N and Hyeri sitting side by side on the set couch between takes. Hyeri has her arms crossed, pouting slightly, while Y/N leans in, eyes shining with amusement.

Y/N tilts her head, teasing. “What’s wrong with you?”

Hyeri lets out a dramatic sigh. “Nothing.”

Y/N raises an eyebrow. “Liar.”

Hyeri keeps pouting, deliberately looking away. Y/N watches her for a second before reaching over and gently poking her cheek, voice laced with fondness.

“What’s with the attitude, huh?”

Hyeri finally glances at her, eyes soft but playful, hesitation lingering before she mutters under her breath.

“You ignored me for like five minutes.”

Y/N blinks, caught off guard, before bursting into laughter. Hyeri tries to hold her pout, but her resolve crumbles when Y/N grabs her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, thumb brushing against her knuckles.

Y/N grins. “That’s what this is about?”

Hyeri looks down at their hands, her voice quieter now, a little sheepish.

“Maybe.”

“IS SHE FOR REAL RIGHT NOW???”

The camera lingers on their intertwined hands for a second before cutting away, the moment leaving behind a warmth that doesn’t quite fade.

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 13: [YT VIDEO] Flirting or Acting? (05:12)

The camera captures a blooper moment on set. Hyeri and another actor are in the middle of a scene when Y/N walks past in the background. Almost instantly, Hyeri's eyes flick toward her, and she stutters over her next line, completely losing focus.

The director’s voice rings out from off-screen. “Cut!”

Laughter erupts around them as Hyeri groans, covering her face in embarrassment. Y/N smirks, arms crossing over her chest as she watches her with amusement.

Y/N tilts her head, teasing. “Distracted?”

Hyeri quickly shakes her head, grinning but visibly flustered.

“No!”

Y/N raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Hyeri huffs, cheeks still slightly pink, before suddenly turning to the crew, dramatically pointing a finger at Y/N.

“She’s doing it on purpose!”

Y/N feigns innocence, holding up her hands as if she has no idea what Hyeri's talking about. But the camera catches the tiny smirk she tries—and fails—to hide.

“SHE CAN’T EVEN FOCUS WHEN Y/N IS AROUND.”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 14: [YT VIDEO] Do They Know We Can See Them? (04:55)

The clip starts with the cast in a dressing room, waiting for their next scene. The atmosphere is relaxed, filled with quiet chatter and the occasional laugh. Hyeri and Y/N are sitting close, their hands resting between them on the couch. Without even looking, Hyeri slowly reaches over, her fingers naturally finding Y/N’s and intertwining them with ease.

Y/N glances down at their joined hands, then up at Hyeri with a smirk, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“Again?”

Hyeri smiles, fingers tightening slightly but making no move to pull away.

“It’s comfortable.”

Y/N doesn’t argue, just squeezes her hand in return, thumb absentmindedly brushing against Hyeri’s in a quiet, familiar rhythm. Neither of them acknowledges it out loud, but the ease between them speaks for itself.

The camera zooms in slightly, capturing the soft, lingering movement of their thumbs, the effortless intimacy between them as if this is just second nature.

“WHY ARE THEY SO CASUAL ABOUT THIS???”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 15: [YT VIDEO] ‘Best Friends’ Holding Hands AGAIN (05:29)

The clip shows Hyeri and Y/N walking back to set after lunch, their pace unhurried, lost in quiet conversation. Without hesitation, Hyeri reaches for Y/N's hand, linking their fingers naturally, like it’s something they’ve done a hundred times before.

A crew member filming them clears their throat loudly, the sound exaggerated and pointed.

“Still cold, Y/N?”

Y/N, who had used that excuse last time, stops mid-step and just deadpans at them, completely unamused.

“Mind your business.”

Hyeri giggles at Y/N’s reaction, leaning into her playfully as they keep walking, still hand in hand. The camera lingers on the way their fingers stay comfortably intertwined, neither of them making any move to pull away.

“THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND (pun intended).”

✧･ﾟ: * Clip 16: [YT VIDEO] They’re Just Soft (05:20)

The clip opens with Y/N and Hyeri sitting together during a break, the atmosphere quiet and relaxed. Y/N is scrolling on her phone, eyes focused on the screen, while Hyeri leans against her, resting her head on Y/N’s shoulder like it’s second nature.

A sleepy sigh escapes Hyeri as she shifts even closer, her body instinctively seeking warmth. Y/N glances down at her, a small, fond smile tugging at her lips.

“You tired?” Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper.

Hyeri hums in response, mumbling, “Mmhm.”

Y/N shifts slightly, adjusting so that Hyeri can rest more comfortably against her. Without hesitation, she tilts her head just a little, the movement subtle but protective.

“Go ahead, I got you.”

Hyeri hums again, this time in contentment. Her fingers absentmindedly grip the fabric of Y/N's sleeve, a quiet reassurance as she settles in. The camera lingers on them for a moment, capturing the stillness, the unspoken comfort, before the screen fades to black.

“WHY DOES THIS FEEL LIKE A ROMANCE DRAMA???”

PT.3

#kpop gg #kpop girls #lee hyeri x f!reader #hyer!yn #lee hyeri imagines #hyeri imagines #hyeri girls day #lee hyeri #friendly rivalry #hyeri #wlw post #wlw yearning #gxg imagine #gxg #gxg fluff

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aliwritex · 6 months ago

Text

WITH THE RED DRESS ON mv1

summary: Max finally has a free time, all for his girlfriend after working for so long and he wants to make a night that they’d remember.

warnings/contents: max being a sweetheart, brief mention of reader being petite, garter and stockings, slight size kink and stomach bulge mention. oral (f) and pinv

an: inspired by Red Dress by MAGIC! ENJOY!! (this was so not the dress i was envisioning)

Max had been waiting in your room for what felt like ten thousand lifetimes.

He told you about two hours ago that he had made a reservation at your favorite restaurant. He watched you through the open closet door. Your makeup was done, your hair was ready and you even had a pair of shoes set aside but Max had already seen you try on five different dresses.

He looked at the time on his watch – 09:01 P.M. If you don’t make it to the restaurant before nine thirty his reservation will be discarded and you’ll probably be seated at a terrible table, not the one he picked at the outside area of the place.

At this point, all Max wanted to do was walk into the closet and make you fall apart on his tongue and his cock until you regret making him wait so long. He couldn’t take any more of you wearing only see through panties and those fucking pantyhose as you looked for the next dress.

As he walked over to you, Max debated on skipping dinner and just having you to himself but he remembered why he was doing this anyway. You mentioned how you’ve been working over time and wanted to make a night that you’d remember.

“It’s nine, darling” his hand snaked around your waist, head resting on your shoulder.

“I know, Maxie, just haven’t found anything to wear”

He stared down at the arm wrapped around your waist – 9:05 P.M.

“Put on whatever, you’ll look good regardless” he kissed your neck and walked back out.

Max left the bedroom to refresh, he paced around the kitchen before pouring two glasses of water. He finished his water and even put the cup back before walking back to the room with yours. When he walked into the closet you had already taken off another dress.

“I didn’t even get to see that one on” he handed you the glass.

“It looked terrible, need to get rid of that one.”

“‘kay, you have fifteen more minutes. We need at least five to get there.”

He grabbed your empty glass and made his way back out. Max decided to stay outside to ease his anxiety away so he threw himself on the couch with a sigh before pulling out his phone to scroll mindlessly. As much as he tried keeping his mind on his phone it started to wander back to you. You in your pantyhose, you in his shirt last night, you in nothing this morning.

He was starting to lose it but with exactly ten minutes left on the clock he heard the bedroom door close. His head snapped back, chin settled on the couch’s backrest as he looked at you, smiley eyes twinkling in the dim light.

“‘M ready. Can you take my phone in your pocket?”

“Wow”

“Do you like it?”

He walked over to you, taking your hand in his and making you spin around for him. You chuckled at his actions, finally feeling pretty and comfortable in your outfit. He pushed you up against the closest wall and kissed you with need but you stopped him almost instantly, making him groan.

“Thought we were late” you teased “now you have lipgloss on your mustache”

He looked down at you as you wiped his mouth with your thumb. The small red dress fits you perfectly, hugging your chest and snatching your waist before flowing more freely around your hips. Maybe a little too freely, Max thought, as a quick wind could make it flow higher than you’d wish. But you felt good and it was perfect for a summer night.

On the way to the restaurant all he could think about was how he would take that dress off the second you got home.

As you sat down at your table you started telling him how much you appreciated that he used his time off for a simple night like this with you. He wasn’t really paying attention and if you were being honest, you could tell. His eyes were shifting from your lips to your chest to your hair to your eyes but never hearing a word you were saying.

“Max!” you called, pulling him away from his daydreaming “I want the same as always, do you need the menu?”

“Huh? No, sorry”

He ordered for you both, including a red wine and turned back to you, face red with embarrassment.

“Shiraz?”

“What? It’s what you always have with this dish, no?”

“It’s probably the most aphrodisiac wine ever”

“Well, I didn’t know that. But I guess we’ll have a fun night then”

You would’ve teased him about you finally knowing more about something but Max was distracting you too. His beard was more present than normal and you had done his hair yourself, just the way you liked it. But what you stared the longest at were the rolled up sleeves of his shirt, and how his chest filled it.

You eventually caught each other starring and chuckled, quickly falling into daily banter. He had you feeling like a teenager with every small flirty comment about you. When the plates came you were both about to lose your minds. You were feeling hot all over, your feet running up and down his calves under the table.

“Stop teasing me”

“Finish up, we can skip dessert tonight”

Max ate as fast as he possibly could, almost choking from not chewing enough.

Max probably drove over the speed limit all the way back to his apartment but you were inside in less than ten minutes.

“Baby, slow down” you chuckled as he completely attacked your neck and jaw.

He had pressed you against the wall right next to the front door, his hands fisting your wrists above your head as his hips pressed against yours.

“Can’t” he muttered, “you made me wait so long. Just wanted to bend you over in your closet and fuck you so good”

“Maxie” you whined at his proposal.

“I know, love, c’mon, lemme make you feel good.” his hands traveled down to your thighs, pulling them up so he could pick you up and walk you to your room.

You giggled on your way in, his soft hair tickling you as he kissed down the straps of your dress. He placed you on the bed, legs dangling off the edge and kneeled down in front of you. Max reached for your shoes and started unbuckling them slowly.

“Max! Just pull them off.” you told him in a groan.

“You told me to slow down” he kissed your knee.

You rolled your eyes and waited as he pulled them off and smiled when he finally started kissing up your calf. You lifted your torso onto your elbows to look at him as his lips brushed against your skin through your stockings making you shiver. He kissed all the way up to your naked thighs, placing his head between them as he went under your skirt.

You chuckled again and bunched up your skirt around your waist to find his face buried between your legs, kissing closer and closer to your middle. Your hands ran through his sandy hair, messing it up before you tugged on it to make him look up.

“C'mon, Max”

He dragged his lips past your underwear and started leaving kisses up your stomach, biting the skin that covered your hip bones.

“Take this off” he told you and got up from his knees.

Max watched you unzip and take off your dress as he unbuttoned his own shirt and took off his shoes. His eyes caught how your tits were almost spilling out of the thin lace bra and how you shivered as the cold air hit your skin, your hairs going up and your nipples getting hard. He walked back over to you, standing between your knees as he looked down at you.

“Aren’t you just the prettiest?” he ran his big palm up your stomach right to your tits, folding the bra under them. “And look at these, fuck!”

He took one of your tits in his hand and bent over you to mouth at the other. He took everything he could into his mouth, making sure to swirl his tongue around your nipple. You arched your chest into him, running your fingers through the short hair on the back of his head.

“Maxie,” you whined, bucking your hips up to feel him growing against you, “please, need you so bad”

He listened to your pleas and popped your breast out of his mouth, starting to kiss down your sides and leaving a mark right on your ribs. His fingers hooked on the straps that connected the stockings to the garter around your waist and unsnapped them, freeing him to tug your underwear down your legs.

“You know what? I like the straps”

“Thought so” you teased as he snapped them back together and pulled away from you to see them.

Max got down on his knees again, this time throwing your legs over his shoulders to bring your cunt as close as possible to his face. The kisses he left to your thighs were loud and wet, making you squirm in anticipation. When he finally got to your cunt all he did was gently lick at your clit, slowly and barely applying any pressure. He felt you shiver under him as his tongue slowly worked harder against your core, applying more pressure with every small lick.

You pulled his head closer to your cunt, forcing him to dive in properly and push his tongue to your hole. You moaned when he circled it around the opening and took it right back to your clit. Max did love to drive you insane but he was done teasing so he finally took your clit between his lips and sucked on it. You pushed your hips to his face and he smiled, happy with the state he had gotten you to. He took his fingers up to your cunt and spread your wetness around before pushing them in, you clenched around them, feeling them pump in and out of you.

“Max, baby” you whined

“What is it, love?” he asked between kisses to the sides of your thighs “Tell me what you need”

“Just- don’t stop please, feels so good”

Your boyfriend took the encouragement and dived back into you, his lips and tongue working your clit relentlessly as his fingers started curling up inside you. It had been way too long since he last took care of you like this, you were way too sensitive as you felt it build up, a warm and agonizing feeling down your belly. It was too soon and it felt too strong but you couldn’t hold yourself back, the alcohol making you lose all control of your own body. You felt your orgasm take over you like a strong wave, your mind going completely blank as Max groaned onto your core, his fingers still working you all the way through it.

Moans left your mouth freely as you clenched and spasmed around him, your hips rocking back and forth onto his face and hand till they came to a stop. You finally looked down at Max, lifting yourself on your elbows to catch his face completely soaked in your squirt as he looked at you with a smile on his face.

“I missed this” he kissed anything he could reach, stomach, thighs, cunt, “you made a bit of a mess, though, think we’re gonna have to sleep in the guest room.” he chuckled.

“C’mere,” you reached for his arms and guided him to hold himself above you, “please, fuck me.”

“Anything you want, love”

He stood up and undid his belt and pants as you climbed up on the bed so your legs weren’t dangling anymore. Besides everything, the look Max had on his face translated into – mostly – tenderness, he was so in love with you, you were the only thing on his mind and all he wanted was to be close to you. He climbed on the bed, fully bare and positioned himself between your knees, his hard cock brushing against your wet folds made you moan.

“So sensitive, huh?”

You just nodded, taking your bottom lip between your teeth to try to contain any other sound that threatened to spill from your throat. He rested his cock on your stomach for a second, loving to see the comparison of size, before lowering himself to kiss the skin behind your ear. It was one of your biggest soft spots and Max knew it well, making you let out a suppressed moan past your lips. He then went down to mouth at your clavicles as he drove himself into you. Then you couldn’t even try to suppress the moan, it came from deep in your chest, loud, desperate, even. Your eyes screw shut and your nails dug into the skin of his arms and back.

“Look at me,” he asked, “so beautiful, schat. I love you so much, fuck. Gripping me so good”

You just threw your head back, completely lost in pleasure as he slowly dragged in and out of you. His hips moved as slow as he possibly could, watching the way your face curled in pleasure and desperation. It wasn’t like he could go faster, really, you were still adjusting to his girth and he could barely pull out from how tightly you clenched around him.

But when you finally molded around him, allowing space for him to move, he started going at it, thrusting so deep you could see your uterus move on your lower stomach. Despite the ‘roughness’ of his thrusts, Max kissed you soft and gently, a hand caressing your hair as the other lifted your leg up to give you a better angle of his cock, it was all about balance.

“Baby,” you called “let me ride you”

You heard a slow sigh of ‘fuck’ leave his lips before he pulled out to sit against the headboard. You threw your leg over his to straddle him and lifted yourself up only to sink onto his cock again. You both groaned as he filled you up and you reached for his face, his beard scratching your palms as you pulled him closer for a kiss.

“Missed you, missed your cock”

“I missed you too, darling, everyday”

You kissed him again as you started to move back and forth, slowly dragging your clit on his lower stomach. Max’s hands were on your hips guiding your movements as he took a tit into his mouth, licking and sucking at it, at that point your chest was covered in his spit. You felt so much closer to him like that, feeling his chest press to your stomach as you hugged his face to your breasts.

Max started guiding you faster, his own hips moving slightly to match yours. His lips left your boob to kiss at your neck and one of his hands moved down between your bodies, circling your clit with the pad of his fingers. And there it was again, your stomach tightening as you clenched around him.

“Close, schat?” he whispered

You could only whine and hum a positive sound as he rocked you harder on him. You grabbed his face with both hands, bringing him into another kiss. Your tongues were sliding against each other’s as you came around him. Max shot his cum inside you immediately, bringing your hips to a smaller movement so you could ride out both of your orgasms.

“If you don’t stop i’m gonna need another one” you told him after resting your head on his shoulder, his hands finally stopped moving your hips.

“Sorry, darling.”

He left a trail of kisses from your shoulder to the spot below your ear, small pecks that made you shiver. Max rested back against the pillows with you on top of him, taking a somewhat comfortable sleeping position without disconnecting you.

“I love you so much, darling”

#max verstapen imagine #max vertsappen smut #max verstappen x reader #mv1 smut #mv1 imagine #mv1 x reader #mv33 x reader #a writes #fave

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snowysosturn · 1 month ago

Text

Fire & Desire - Matt Sturniolo Part 26

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Finale

Pairing: Y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary: Y/n has always clashed with Matt. Despite working for Chris’s clothing brand and being close with Nick, her relationship with Matt has always been tense at best. While being forced to be around each other more, their animosity turns into something deeper. Can they overcome their differences, or will their fiery emotions tear them apart?

Warnings: Angst, tension, arguments, mention of loss of appetite

Y/n’s POV

I sit on the edge of the bed, my suitcase beside me, my hands shaking slightly as I unlock my phone. The sinking feeling in my chest hasn’t lifted since I stepped back into this house, and I know now, it’s not going to. I can’t stay here. Every corner of this place reminds me of him, and I need to be somewhere else before I break all over again.

My phone vibrates in my hand, pulling me back to reality.

“Of course.”

I exhale, relieved. At least one thing is working out. I type back quickly, my thumbs moving without hesitation.

“Can you sort me out a hotel?”

A response comes almost instantly.

“Yeah, I’ll sort it now. I’ll send you the booking details in a bit.”

"Thank you, can we keep this to ourselves please?"

I stare at the screen, a part of me feeling guilty for asking, for needing help. But there’s no other choice. I can’t go home because I don’t have one. And I can’t go back to how things were before this trip.

A notification pops up on my phone, the hotel address and booking confirmation.

The Four Seasons.

My stomach twists as I open the message, scanning the details. A two week stay, completely paid for.

Two weeks.

It’s generous, more than I expected, but I already know I can’t stay that long. Hopefully, I’ll find somewhere permanent before then.

I let out a breath and open the Uber app, booking a ride to take me straight there. The sooner I leave, the better.

Grabbing my suitcase, I carry it down the stairs and roll it toward the front door, pausing for just a second.

This is it.

The last time I’ll walk out of this house.

Maybe forever.

I shake the thought off and pull the door open, stepping outside. The complex is quiet, the only sound coming from the occasional car passing in the distance. I pull my phone from my pocket, my screen lighting up.

8:05 pm.

I swallow hard and tighten my grip on my suitcase.

Time to go.

The Uber ride is silent and when we finally pull up in front of the Four Seasons, my stomach is in knots. This is real now.

I check in at the front desk, avoiding eye contact as the concierge hands me the key. The elevator ride feels endless, but when I finally step into the room, I can breathe for what feels like the first time all night.

It’s huge, bigger than I anticipated. A large bed sits in the center, crisp white sheets untouched. Large windows that show off the LA skyline, but I don’t even take it in. I drop my suitcase near the closet and immediately crawl onto the bed, exhaustion wiping me out.

I don’t leave the room for three days.

I don’t order room service. I don’t even turn on the TV. My days blur together, waking up, checking my phone, ignoring texts from Matt and only replying to the ones that aret from Nick.

Nick checks in every day. He doesn’t push, just asks if I’m eating, if I’m okay, if I need anything. It’s the bare minimum, but it’s more than what I can do for myself right now.

Tomorrow, we’re meeting for brunch. It’ll be nice to catch up, to hear how the rest of Hawaii went for him. Wondering if anything more happened with George.

Then, as if the universe is reminding me I can’t just hide forever, my phone pings again.

Calendar reminder: Work meeting – Tuesday 3pm. RE: Surprise Party Tour

I blink at it, realizing what that means. I’ll also be seeing Chris face to face sooner than I thought.

The next morning, I take my time getting ready. It’s the first time I’m stepping out of the hotel since I arrived, and even though it’s just brunch with Nick, it feels like something bigger. Like I’m crossing some invisible line between hiding and facing reality.

I stare at myself in the mirror, adjusting my jumper, trying to look like I have everything together. But the dark circles under my eyes and the dullness in my expression tell another story.

The Uber ride to the restaurant is short, but it feels longer with how much I’m overthinking everything. I scroll through my phone aimlessly, trying to distract myself, but my thoughts keep circling back to the same place.

What happens after this? How long can I avoid everything before it catches up with me?

When I step into the restaurant, I spot Nick immediately. He’s already seated at a small table by the window, scrolling through his phone. As soon as he sees me, he puts it down and stands up, a relieved smile crossing his face. He pulls me into a hug, holding on just a second longer than usual, like he’s trying to check if I’m really okay without asking outright.

We sit down, and the waiter comes by to take our order. I go for an iced coffee and some avocado toast, mostly out of habit, not because I actually have much of an appetite. The first few minutes of our conversation are light, Nick fills me in on random things, making jokes, telling me about the rest of their time in Hawaii, how hes planning to meet with George when he's back. He talks like he’s trying to keep things normal, but I can tell he’s holding something back.

After taking a sip of his coffee, he leans back in his chair and looks at me with a more serious expression. "So.. how are you actually doing?"

I stir my iced coffee with my straw, watching the ice swirl in the glass. "I'm.. managing." It’s not a complete lie, but it’s not the whole truth either.

Nick nods slowly, like he’s debating something. Then he exhales and says, "And Matt.."

I freeze for a second before shaking my head. "What about him?"

"He’s not doing great.." Nick sighs, setting his cup down. "Hasn’t left his room since he got back. Barely talks to anyone. It’s like he’s just.. shut down. I’ve never seen him like this before."

I press my lips together, looking out the window instead of at him. I don’t know how to respond to that, because I don’t even know how I feel about it. I exhale slowly, fingers tightening around my glass.

Nick watches me for a moment, then leans forward slightly. "Do you want to talk to him?"

The question lingers between us, heavier than I expected. I feel my heart start to race, but I force myself to stay composed.

"I don’t know.." I admit, and it’s the truth. Because I really don’t. “Maybe not at the minute..”

Nick nods in understanding, not pushing me for an answer I’m not ready to give. Instead, he offers a small smile, his voice softer when he speaks again. "I miss you in the house, you know. It’s different without you there."

I glance up at him, and for a second, I see the sincerity in his expression. "I liked living there too" I admit. Because even though I left, there were parts of it that felt like home.

Nick leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table. "Where are you staying now?"

I hesitate for a second, but I know I can trust him. "Four Seasons.." I say, keeping my voice low. "But please, don’t tell Matt."

Nick raises his hands in surrender. "I won’t" he promises. "You don’t have to worry about that."

I nod, letting out a small breath of relief. At least I have that.

We wrap up brunch, settling the bill before stepping outside. Nick shoves his hands into his pockets as he looks at me. "You know" he starts, "when you’re ready, you should come over to the house.."

I swallow, shifting my weight. The idea of going back feels impossible right now, like reopening a wound that hasn't even started to heal. But I nod anyway, because I know he means well. "Yeah.." I say, even though I don’t know if I mean it.

He nods at my reply, understanding that everything is still fresh. We make plans to meet up during the week and go our separate ways.

As I step into my hotel room, I try to shake off the conversation with Nick. It’s not that I don’t miss the house, I do. But going back feels like stepping onto unsteady ground, like I might fall through if I’m not careful.

I plop myself onto the bed, running a hand through my hair as I try to mentally prepare myself for work tomorrow. Avoiding Matt has been hard enough, but now I have to face Chris.

Our conversations have been brief since everything went down. Just the bare minimum. I do miss my friendship with him. He hasn’t pushed for details, hasn’t asked me to explain, but I know he wants to. I know he’s holding back.

And I don’t know what I’ll do if tomorrow is the day he finally decides to ask.

I Uber to the warehouse the next day, my stomach twisting with nerves the entire ride. I stare out the window, trying to convince myself that this is just another work meeting, like all the others I’ve had before.

But it’s not.

Because before, I wasn’t avoiding Matt. Before, I didn’t have to worry about Chris asking questions I don’t want to answer.

As the car pulls up outside the warehouse, I take a deep breath, gathering myself. The last thing I need is to look like a mess walking in. I grab my bag, thank the driver, and step out onto the pavement. I adjust my jacket and head inside, hoping that Chris has some sense and didn’t bring Matt along.

The second I step through the doors, I scan the space. A few of the guys are already here, setting up for the meeting, but there’s no sign of Matt.

Thank god.

I walk further in, acting as if nothing is wrong, as if my whole life hasn’t just been flipped upside down.

Chris is standing near the table, flipping through a folder, but when he sees me, he straightens up. His expression is unreadable, but I catch the way his eyes scan over me, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m okay.

I ignore it. I’m here for work. Nothing else.

Everyone gathers into the meeting room and we get straight into business. No small talk, no lingering stares, just work.

Chris pulls out a schedule, laying it flat on the table as I take a seat across from him. The boys are heading on tour in two weeks, and we need to figure out how much Fresh Love stock we need to be available at each location. Logistics, shipment schedules, venue capacities, it all needs to be finalised before they hit the road.

I flip open my notebook, running through the numbers I calculated last night. “Based on the last tour’s sales and the fact we’ve larger venues this time, we’re estimating a 30% increase in demand, especially in Boston and LA. With the new drop, we might see a spike in other locations like Toronto. so we need to get ahead of that.”

Chris nods, tapping his pen against the table. “I was thinking the same thing. We’re adding pop ups along the way this time too, so we’ll need extra stock for those.” He glances at the list in front of him, then looks back up. “We’re not overproducing, though. Last thing we need is leftover inventory sitting in storage.”

“Exactly.” I jot down a few adjustments. “I’ll check with the manufacturers to see how quickly they can push out additional units if we need to restock mid tour.”

He leans back slightly, watching me for a second. “You sure you’re good handling this?” His tone is casual, but there’s an underlying concern to his words.

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” I say, giving him a smirk.

There’s a pause, but he doesn’t push it. Instead, he nods and keeps going, moving onto the next city on the list. Business as usual.

As the meeting wraps up, everyone starts gathering their things, chairs scraping against the floor as people head for the door. I organise my notes, trying to keep my focus on work rather than the tension that’s been hanging over me since I walked in.

I hear Chris’s voice over the low murmurs of conversation. “Hey, Y/n, can you stay back for a sec?”

I pause, gripping my pen a little tighter before nodding. “Yeah, sure.”

The last few people file out, leaving just the two of us in the now empty warehouse office. The silence settles between us, heavier than it should be. I don’t look at him right away, instead pretending to double check my notes, but I can feel his eyes on me.

"You okay?" I ask, breaking the silence.

Chris exhales, running a hand through his hair. "I just wanted to talk.." he says. "I-I’m sorry for everything that happened."

I shake my head immediately. "Chris, you don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault-"

But he cuts me off. "Nah, it is. Or at least, I feel like it is." His voice is lower now, tinted with tones of regret. "If I had any idea what kind of mess this would turn into, I never would’ve brought them out” he says again, like he needs to convince himself. "I thought it was gonna be a good time, just us all hanging out. I didn’t think-" He stops himself, exhaling sharply. "I didn’t think it’d end with you leaving."

I swallow, suddenly feeling the reality of it all again. He’s not wrong. If things had gone differently that night, maybe I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, or living in a hotel, avoiding everyone. Maybe I’d be at home. Maybe Matt and I would still be a thing.

But that’s not what happened.

"It’s not on you, Chris" I say, finally. "You couldn’t have known."

"But I should have, I should’ve been more aware of what was going on around me." His eyes meet mine, and there’s something raw there, something that makes my chest tighten.

"For what it’s worth" he continues, "I broke things off with Rachel that night after dinner. I didn’t invite either of them there..they just showed up. And honestly? It felt intentional, like they were trying to get to you. I don’t know if Rachel was in on it, but Christina.. she knew what she was doing."

I stare at him, trying to process it.

He ended things with Rachel?

Because of me?

I had assumed Chris didn’t care, that he had just let it slide, but he actually broke things off with Rachel over it. And not only that, he saw through Christina’s act too.

"I would never want to be with someone who tries to hurt my close friends" he adds, his voice firm.

Something about hearing him say that hits home. I had always thought Chris gave people too many chances, but this? This was different.

"You really ended it with her?" I ask, still trying to wrap my head around it.

Chris nods. "Yeah. That night. I wasn’t gonna be with someone who plays games like that. It was all way too intentional"

I look away, exhaling slowly. "Yeah it seems like everything Christina does is intentional. Chris, if you could’ve heard the things she was saying that night in the club.."

He frowns, his brows furrowing. "What did she say?"

I sigh, shaking my head as I recall Christina’s smug expression that night.

"She was saying that connections like theirs never really go away, and that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. So.. you know what she was insinuating."

Chris narrows his eyes slightly, confused. "What is she insinuating?"

I hesitate, not sure if I really want to say it out loud. But there’s no point in hiding it now.

"That her and Matt slept together in Vegas, just before Hawaii." I finally say, watching his reaction carefully.

Chris’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and then his expression shifts, part confusion, part irritation. "No they didn’t?" he says immediately, shaking his head. "That’s bullshit."

I stare at him, waiting for him to say more, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Matt slept on the couch when she stayed in the room" Chris continues. "I might have been drunk, but I remember that well."

I search his face for any sign of dishonesty, but there’s nothing, just certainty. And suddenly, everything makes even more sense.

Christina had been lying.

Trying to get under my skin.

Trying to twist the situation into something worse than it already was.

Chris watches me, his expression softer now. "You really thought they did that?"

I exhale, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. "I didn’t know what to think, Chris. She made it sound like..like it was obvious."

His jaw tightens, and I can tell he’s pissed now, but not at me. "I should’ve known she’d pull something like this."

I exhale slowly, letting Chris’s words sink in. It’s a relief, at least I know now that nothing happened between them in Vegas. That part of the situation isn't as messy as I thought. But it doesn’t make the rest of it any better. It doesn’t erase the fact that Matt still brought her back, still entertained her, still let her linger around long enough to stir everything up. If anything, it just confuses me more.

Because now, I’m left wondering why Matt did it.

Did he really not see what she was doing? Did he not care? Or was there some part of him that still wanted her around?

Chris watches me carefully, probably noticing the way my thoughts are spiraling. "I know this doesn’t fix everything" he says. "But you should at least know that information, can’t have you believing something that wasn’t true."

I nod, but I don’t say anything right away. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about this one lie. It’s about everything that’s happened since. The trust that’s been shaken. The way I left without saying another word to Matt.

"Thank you for telling me" I finally say, even though my mind is still a mess.

Chris sighs. "Yeah. I just..I feel like I should’ve done more. Should’ve realized what she was trying to do before it got this bad."

I shake my head. "It’s not on you, Chris. Honestly."

We sit in silence for a moment, I know Chris means it, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is the situation we’re in now. And I still don’t know what I’m supposed to do next.

Chris breaks his silence to apologise again, "Anything else I can do to help, just say the word."

I nod, appreciating the sentiment, but before I can respond, he steps forward and pulls me into a hug. It catches me off guard at first, but I don’t hesitate to hug him back. After everything, it feels good to know that at least this, our friendship, hasn’t changed.

"You want a ride?" he asks as he pulls away.

I hesitate for a second but then nod. "Yeah, that’d be great."

We head out to his car, and as soon as we slide in, Chris gestures toward the screen. "Put the address in the GPS."

I type in the address, and as we pull onto the road, I glance over at him. "Thanks, Chris. For everything."

He shrugs, eyes focused on the road ahead. "That’s what friends are for, right?"

I nod, a small smile pulling at my lips. Despite everything that’s happened, at least I know my friendship with Chris hasn’t been ruined. That means more than I realized.

Matt’s POV

I never got a chance to talk to Nick after he met up with Y/n yesterday, and with Chris in a meeting right now, one that Y/n is also in, I figure now is as good a time as any.

I hear movement in the kitchen, the sound of a cabinet closing, followed by the faint clink of a glass. I assume it’s Nick, so I head out, finding him leaning against the counter.

"Hey" I say, stepping in.

He looks up. "Whats up?"

I waste no time getting to the point. "How was yesterday?"

Nick nods, setting his glass down on the counter. "It was good. It was nice to spend time with Y/n."

I hesitate for a second before asking, "How’s she doing?"

He exhales lightly, crossing his arms. "She’s holding it together pretty well."

I nod slowly, absorbing that information, before asking the real question that’s been nagging at me. "Did you find out where she’s staying?"

Nick pauses, just for a second, then, he shakes his head. "No."

I study him for a moment, trying to gauge if he’s telling the truth. I don’t push it, though. Instead, I just nod again, glancing down at the floor before looking back up at him.

"Alright.." I say, even though it’s not alright.

I wish Chris was home. I could really do with a drive right now to clear my head.

He took the car earlier to drop Nate off at the airport, then went straight to his meeting. I don’t know why, but something about driving aimlessly around, music playing, and just watching life pass by always helps me think. Clears out the noise in my head, even if only for a little while.

Nick and I are still standing in the kitchen, making small talk, but my mind isn’t really in it. My thoughts are circling back to Y/n, to what Nick said, or maybe more to what he didn’t say.

Before I can dwell on it any further, we both hear the garage door open. A moment later, the sound of footsteps echoes up the stairs.

Chris.

I glance toward the stairway as he comes into view, looking slightly worn out but otherwise the same as always. He pulls his keys from his pocket and tosses them onto the counter, running a hand through his hair.

"Yo" he greets us, voice a little rough from the long day.

"Hey, how was your meeting?" Nick says, and I just nod in acknowledgement.

Chris glances between the two of us. "Yeah it was good, just finalised a few things. What’s up with you?" He says in my direction.

I exhale, shaking my head slightly. "Nothing. Just.. thinking."

Chris raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn’t say anything more. And for a second, I wonder if now’s the time to bring up Y/n.

Nick mutters something about grabbing something from his room and heads upstairs, leaving just me and Chris in the kitchen. The room feels quieter now, like there’s something hanging in the air that neither of us are addressing.

I lean against the counter, watching as Chris pulls a can of Pepsi from the fridge and takes a sip. "What was your meeting about?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

He nods, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just figuring out how much Fresh Love stock we need for each location on tour."

Tour.

The word lingers in my head longer than it should. I can’t believe we’re leaving in two weeks. It crept in so fast, and now, everything feels unfinished.

I really hope I get the opportunity to speak to Y/n before then.

Chris doesn’t say anything else, just leans back against the counter, drinking his soda. I want to ask him if he spoke to her, if she stayed behind after the meeting, anything..but I hesitate.

Instead, I just exhale and run a hand through my hair. "Two weeks.." I mumble, more to myself than to him.

Chris glances at me. "Yeah. Gonna be a long one."

I nod, but my mind isn’t on the tour. It’s on Y/n. On whether or not she’ll even want to speak to me before we go. I need to ask him about Y/n now before I explode.

“How was Y/n?”

“She seemed fine, but I think she’s just on autopilot. You know how she is, she can handle anything.”

I nod, but that doesn’t sit right with me. Y/n might be strong, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay. She shuts down when she’s hurt, and if she’s really just going through the motions, it means she’s not dealing with it, just burying it. And that’s worse.

Chris rubs the back of his neck, then looks at me. “You heard from her at all?”

I shake my head, exhaling sharply. “No.”

The silence stretches between us, thick with the weight of everything that’s happened. I hesitate before asking, “Do you know where she’s staying?”

Chris exhales, shaking his head. “Nah, man.”

I let out a frustrated sigh, gripping the edge of the counter. It’s been days, and I still have no idea where she is. Both of my brothers have seen her, talked to her, spent time with her, and neither of them has managed to find out a single fucking thing about where she’s staying. Not an address, not a neighborhood, not even a hint.

“She really doesn’t want to be found” I mutter under my breath.

Chris doesn’t say anything for a moment, just studies me. Then, with a sigh, he claps a hand on my shoulder. “Give her time, man.”

I don’t want to give her time. I want to fix this. I want to see her, to explain, to do whatever it takes to make this right. But if she doesn’t want to be found, what the hell am I supposed to do?

Now that the car is back, I can finally clear my head. I grab my set of keys and make my way down to the garage, slipping into the driver’s seat and turning on the engine.

As the screen on the dash lights up, a notification pops up from the GPS - "Suggesting Last Route."

I glance at it, expecting it to be Nate’s airport drop off or something random. But then, my eyes lock onto the text.

"Last Route: The Four Seasons."

My chest tightens.

The Four Seasons?

I stare at the screen, my grip tightening around the steering wheel. That’s not where Nate was staying, he wasn’t even staying in a hotel. That’s not a place any of us usually go. There’s only one person it could be.

Y/n.

She’s staying there.

That has to be it.

Wait? Last GPS location?

Chris drove her there.

The realization slams into me like a bus. I feel it in my chest, heavy and suffocating.

He knew.

The whole damn time, he knew where she was. He drove her there, watched her walk away, and didn’t say a single fucking word to me. Not even a hint. Not even when I was practically begging for answers.

I grip the wheel so tight my fingers ache. My pulse is pounding in my ears, drowning out every other thought except one.

Chris fucking knew.

I turn off the car and bolt into the house, barging my way into Chris' room, where he's laying on the bed.

"The Four Seasons?!" I yell at him. He sits up,looking shocked, but he doesn’t say anything.

"That’s where she’s staying? You just brought her there?" I demand, my voice sharp.

"Look, man, I didn’t-" Chris starts, but I cut him off before he can even try to explain.

"You knew and didn’t tell me?" I’m furious, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

Chris exhales, rubbing his face like he’s frustrated when I’m the one who should be pissed. "Look.. She text me and asked me if I could do her a favour as soon as she landed back from Hawaii.. I felt guilty for how everything went down, like I was the cause of it all and felt like I owed her one, so I booked her the hotel. Plus she is an employee, I had to help." He meets my eyes, his voice steady but firm. "But Matt, she didn’t want you to know, and I had to respect that.

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “You had to respect that?” My voice is laced with disbelief. “What about me, Chris? What about the fact that I’ve been losing my fucking mind, not knowing where she is, not knowing if she’s okay? You let me sit here, tearing myself apart, and you knew this whole fucking time?”

Chris sighs, swinging his legs off the bed so he’s sitting up straighter, his hands clasped together like he’s preparing for a fight. "Matt, I get that you’re pissed-"

I cut him off again. "Pissed? Pissed doesn’t even cover it, man! I asked you! Multiple times! And you stood there and lied to my face."

He exhales through his nose, shaking his head. "It wasn’t my place to tell you."

I step forward, pointing at him. "Bullshit. You just didn’t wanna feel like the bad guy again. You didn’t wanna deal with me being mad, so you kept your mouth shut and let me go crazy over this while you and Nick played the good guys."

Chris finally pushes himself off the bed, standing up to face me. "I was trying to help her, Matt. She needed space. What the hell was I supposed to do? Force her to talk to you?"

"Yes!" I snap. "Because I deserve that! I deserved a fucking conversation, Chris!"

His jaw tightens, and for a second, we just stand there, staring each other down, breathing heavily. The air between us is filled with tension, neither of us backing down.

Chris runs a hand down his face, muttering under his breath before looking back at me. "She wasn’t ready, man."

I shake my head. "Yeah? And what about when she is? You just gonna keep lying for her until then?"

Chris doesn’t answer. He finally looks guilty, like my words actually hit him. But I don’t wait for a response. I turn and walk out, slamming the door behind me.

a/n : we're coming to the end of the series im gonna cryyyyy

taglist : @mattybearnard @sturn-33 @ncm9696 @yourfavsturniologirl @crazy4jewel @sodakid1234 @stupendoustreewinner @lovealwayssturniolos @matthewsturniolosss @m4ttsmunch @loveexxx @ilusa @starkeyszn @wonnieeluvvr @dylnblue @valxrieq @maggot3647 @cigarettecemetary @ribread03 @chrisstvrns @bandasaruswrx @noplaceissafeanymore @amexiass @witchofthehour @mattssgf @jetaimevous @v33angel @ivysturnss @urmom69lol @ashlishes @watercolorskyy @sturnioloshottiekay @amelia-sturniolo3 @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @pvssychicken @alizestvrnss @chrisstxrnsaxe @sophand4n4 @vickytaa @marrykisskilled @bxtchboy69 @yourfavsturniologirl @julisturn @sydneyylainn @sophia-77n @trevorsgodmother @sturnslutz @yourmother29 @girl24cherry @astronea @pinkdyit

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iannmin · 8 months ago

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morning 9:05 — s.hwa | 박성화

pairing: seonghwa x reader wordcount: 0.4k

summary: both of you had a stupid fight, but all it took was the next morning to solve everything <3

a/n: just some realistic seonghwa drabble <3 feel free to leave a comment hehe, enjoy!

୨୧ ‘ masterlist ‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹

The morning sun peeked through the curtains, casting warm stripes of light across his figurine-filled room. I stirred, blinking groggily as the events of last night came rushing back to my mind—Seonghwa and I had been in the middle of a heated argument over something ridiculous, like who left the empty milk carton in the fridge.

I raised my head to see Seonghwa still asleep, his usually perfect hair sticking out in all directions, lips pressed into a thin line. He looked like a grumpy hedgehog (like the Able Sisters in animal crossing) and I couldn’t help but suppress a laugh, which somehow ended up as a snort. His grey pillow was half on the floor, back faced towards me with his black tee half ridden up, exposing his waistline.

I gingerly reached out and poked him in the side, tugging his shirt down in the process. “Hey, grumpy,” I said softly, trying to sound light-hearted. “You awake?”

He groaned, turning towards me, his eyes squinting open. “I’ve been awake for the last ten minutes, trying to figure out how to apologize without sounding like a complete idiot. I just didn’t bother moving.”

I chuckled, stretching my arms above my head. “Well, you’ve already got a good start. Your bedhead is pretty impressive.”

Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. “Ah, great. I’m turning into a human mop. Just what I needed.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I’m sorry about last night. I know it was silly.”

He looked at me with a mix of sheepishness and affection, that irresistible eye smile of his peeking right above the sheets. “I’m sorry too. We really let a milk carton ruin our evening, didn’t we? We were about to have a Lego date…” I nodded sheepishly. In that moment, I didn’t have any reason to be angry anymore.

He grinned, pulling me closer. “yeah, and you know, I really missed our cuddles this morning.”

Before I could respond, he wrapped his arms around my waist with an exaggerated sigh of relief. I tried to wiggle free, but he pulled me into a tight, playful hug, snuggling deeper into me. “No escape,” he said with a mock-serious tone. “I’m making up for all the snuggles I missed.” I laughed as he tucked me under his chin, my head resting against the crook of his neck. His hands slipped underneath the back of my pajamas, gently tracing circles on my bare back, his touch both soothing and affectionate.

Seonghwa let out a contented sigh, his breath warm against my hair. “I missed this. Just being close to you, without all the drama…..forgive me please?”

I couldn’t help but snuggle into him. “Alright, alright. I suppose I can forgive you, especially if you promise not to leave any more milk cartons lying around.”

“Deal,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “But if I do, you’ll have to deal with my bedhead.”

I looked up at him, smiling. “I think I can manage that. After all, I kind of like your bedhead. It makes you look stupidly adorable.”

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just-a-creep-babe · 1 month ago

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What Makes You Tick - Chapter 9

(Ticci Toby x Reader)

Commissions are open!

Check out my ko-fi if you'd like to support me!

Masterlist: x

What Makes You Tick Masterlist

Taglist: @nyx-daughterofchaos98 @kindadolly @guineveresghost @cedarwood-05

Divider by @plum98

You wake with a start.

You gasp—choking and coughing with the taste of ashes on your tongue. Your lungs are burning.

Everything aches. Your coughs are dry and scratchy, your throat raw like you’ve been screaming all night. You’re so stiff and sore that it takes you longer than you would’ve liked to sit upright in bed—a bed that isn’t yours.

You try to ignore your searing thirst as you look at your surroundings.

You’ve no idea where you are.

It looks like you’re in the small room of an old, somewhat dilapidated cabin.

The walls are wooden, with various kinds of marks and imperfections etched into it. Dark stains are splattered about, with the occasional cobweb clinging to the nooks and crannies of the room.

The place is small, with just barely enough space for the double bed you’ve woken up in. There’s a nightstand flush between the bed and the wall, and a single square window above it. The only other pieces of furniture are a wooden drawer and a coat rack.

None of it looks familiar.

You try to recall how you ended up here. The last thing you remember is walking through the woods with the masked men. And then you remember being afraid, and feeling that now-unfortunately-familiar knot of dread at the pit of your stomach like you were about to die. You remember heat like you’ve never felt before.

Vague memories of a giant spider resurface, its legs long and spindly like the twisted branches of old trees coiling together. But you’re not certain if you’re remembering the remnants of an old dream, or if it actually has anything to do with reality.

You flinch, cradling your head as a migraine threatens to split your head open.

Everything hurts. You’re sore and thirsty and hungry, and you just feel wrong.

You plant your feet on the floor, only for a wave of dizziness and nausea to wash over you. When you try to breathe through it, another fit of coughs wrack through your diaphragm.

The taste of blood tickles the back of your throat.

You swallow it down.

When the coughing subsides, you stand.

Another wave of dizziness overtakes you, black dots blotting your vision, but after a few slow and steady breaths, it eventually dissipates.

You tread over the frayed rustic carpet. Every step hurts. When you look down, you realize why.

You look like you’ve been through hell and back.

Your clothes are torn. The pants you’d been given have holes at the knees, with the ends filthy with something dark and crusted that you hope is only dirt and nothing else. Your skin is scraped and bruised with dirt caked into the wounds. There’s dried blood beneath your fingernails.

What happened?

You look down at your hands, filthy and scabbed over with fresh wounds, and for a brief moment, you get the strange feeling that this isn’t your body. You don’t feel like yourself.

You shake your head, as if it could clear the feeling away.

Deep breaths; it’ll pass.

You know that you probably should wait for the unease to fade, but you really don’t want to. You want to leave this place—wherever you are—as soon as possible. So even though you’re as dazed as you are, you still make it to the door, open it wide and leave.

And you immediately collide with something hard and warm—another person.

In your already unstable state, the collision is more than enough to knock you off-balance. You fall and tumble over—until a pair of hands reach out to gently steady you.

“Woah—e-easy, easy.”

You don’t know whether you should be relieved or apprehensive as you recognize who you bumped into.

He’s warm.

You don’t know why that—of all things—is the first thought that comes to mind.

You’ve been away from normal people—normal civilization—for too long, you think. And it’s messing with your head—because there’s no way in hell you’d otherwise find comfort in the arms of a killer.

And yet, here you are, trying to resist the urge to lean into him, and have him wrap his hands around you and hold you tightly and tell you that it’s going to be ok. That he won’t let anything happen to you.

As soon as the idea comes to mind, you shove away from him. Something hot and sticky like guilt and humiliation churns in your gut.

“Where are we?”

Your question comes out snappy and irritated to compensate for how you'd previously gravitated towards him. And, without waiting for his answer, you push past him to stumble out of the room.

But you move too quickly and too suddenly, and those black dots return before you can even make it through the doorframe.

“W-woah, easy—“

His hands are on you again, and you open your mouth to tell him to stop, but your legs buckle beneath you. Darkness overtakes your vision for what feels like a fraction of a second, and when you snap out of it, you’re suddenly sitting on the bed, and he’s holding your hands and kneeling before you.

And he’s flipped one of the lenses of his goggles up.

Just like the first time, seeing part of his face unobstructed has your breath catching in your throat.

A thin ray of sunlight pierces through the dirty window and catches in his eye. It reflects the warmest, most honeyed tone of golden brown you’ve ever seen, and when he shifts just a certain way, you notice the flecks of green amongst the golden colour framing his dark irises.

It’s like you forget how to breathe.

His eye crinkles slightly, like he’s smiling beneath his mouthguard, and you realize that neither of you have said anything for the past few seconds, and you’ve just been staring into his eyes and holding your breath like you’re expecting something.

“Stop touching me,” you order with a shaky exhale as soon as you realize what’s happening.

“I—oh.”

His smile falls, and, much to your relief, so do his hands.

“Where are we?”

Every word hurts to pronounce as you repeat the question. Your throat aches. When you swallow, you taste blood again.

“You—you’re home. It’s—it’s ok, you don’t need to be—be—scared. You’re safe here.”

There’s this sweet, earnest kind of look in his eye. Like he wants nothing more than to reassure you, and make sure you’re ok.

You’re anything but ok.

“Listen, I—I just want to go home. I swear I—I don’t have anything to do with this. I’m not who you’re looking for—I don’t know anything about what you’re after.”

He’s quiet for a moment longer than you’d like. And then he stands, extends a hand out to help you up, and nods to the door.

“Come, you must be hungry.”

You look at his hand. He isn’t wearing his gloves, and you can see hints of his freckled skin peaking out from the sleeve of his hoody.

You don’t take his offer.

Instead, you stand, wrap your arms around yourself, and wait expectantly for him to show you the way.

He clears his throat, jerks his head to the side, his eye twitching, and then he says something beneath his breath, turns, and heads out the room.

The door opens to a hallway, which is devoid of any kind of material comfort or decoration, and you can’t help but wonder how long this guy has been living here.

You wonder if this place is also abandoned—like that hotel—and if this is just how he lives; killing people and hopping around from one abandoned place to the next to avoid the police.

You shudder, carefully keeping an eye on him as you follow behind.

Everything about this man, you realize, is a mystery.

Besides his name, you don’t know much else about him. You know that you’re treading dangerous territory; the more you get involved, the harder it’ll be to return to your normal life. But, at the same time, knowing the base minimum might be the only thing that ultimately saves your skin.

The hallway eventually opens up to a living room, and you nearly stop dead in your tracks when you see it; Masky’s there.

His mask is pushed halfway to the side so that it’s still covering most of his face, but his mouth is exposed. He has sideburns and a stubble, and you’re not certain if the facial hair is because he hasn’t had time to shave, or if he’s just too lazy to maintain himself.

He’s holding a can of beer in one hand, and a lit cigarette in the other. Something about him looks casual, almost relaxed. And it feels… off.

Like the lions have let a lamb walk freely through their den.

He doesn’t acknowledge you or Toby as you walk by, and Toby doesn’t acknowledge him, either.

You wonder if they live together, and how long they’ve been living together, and, most of all, why. From what you can tell, they can’t stand one another’s guts; you can’t imagine they make good roommates.

When you walk past the living room, you catch a glimpse of what’s playing on the tv. And a hard pit of dread solidifies in your stomach—like this place just isn’t right—when you notice he’s just watching static.

Past the living room, another door leads to the kitchen. It’s furnished with the bare minimum to make it liveable; a small wooden table, a few chairs haphazardly scattered around it, a trash can and a few basic appliances sitting on the counters.

The fridge, yellowed with age, buzzes with electricity as Toby opens it.

“Fuck,” he murmurs.

He pulls out a bag of sliced bread with obvious green and blue patches of mold eating through it. You peek over his shoulder at the other contents of the fridge, but there’s nothing else inside besides a few dozen beers, some plastic water bottles, and some condiments.

He looks at you looking inside the fridge. And he almost seems… embarrassed as he gestures at the bag of moldy bread.

“There—there might be a few good slices left, if you want…”

You don’t know whether you should feel bad for him or for yourself, or both.

You eye the bread, and your stomach tightens with hunger.

How long has it been?

It feels like it’s been days since your last meal. And, considering the way things have been going recently—with your getting jostled from one location to the next—the threat of starvation seems more real than ever.

Maybe you could check if there’s a good piece left…

You’re considering whether or not you’re ready to sink to that level, when something’s thrown onto the table.

You jump at the sudden noise, spinning around to find none other than Hoodie leaning against the doorframe.

He isn’t wearing his hoody, which, again, makes this whole thing seem much more casual than it feels. Instead, a simple black tee compresses rather flatteringly around his chest and biceps, and you’re, admittedly, relieved that he’s still wearing his mask.

“Quality nutrition.”

He snickers the words out—the same words you’d snapped at Masky, and embarrassment floods your face.

“Yes!” Toby celebrates, and you hear the distinct crinkling of a takeout bag being opened. “You get me the all-day breakfast?”

When you turn your attention back to him, you find him tearing through a greasy brown bag with a big yellow “M” printed on it.

Your mouth waters. You don’t think you’ve ever been more excited to eat takeout in your life.

Hoodie doesn’t indulge him with an answer. Instead, all he says as he walks away is, “You owe me 40.”

“40 bucks?” Toby repeats incredulously. “What do you mean 40 bucks??” he exclaims after him, “It’s just McDonalds!”

From the other room over, you hear Hoodie’s muffled reply of “inflation,” and then Toby’s shaking his head and muttering about the prices of things these days, all while splitting the food between the two of you.

You waste no time digging in.

Toby unwraps his burger, and he’s about to pull his mouthguard down to take a bite.

You pause mid-chew.

And, at the sound of your silence, he looks up at you. He notices you watching him, and then it seems to click that he was about to reveal his face.

He flushes—you see it in the way the top part of his cheeks redden. And then he puts the food down, flicks the lens of his goggles so that you can no longer see part of his face, and tosses his half-wrapped burger to you.

“Eat.”

You can’t tell if he’s faking the bite of frustration in his voice, or if he’s actually angry at you.

As if it’s your fault he almost revealed his identity to you.

Even if he is mad at you, you’re too hungry to care.

The first few times you swallow, no matter how much you chew, feels like nails scraping down your throat. The only thing that alleviates the pain is when Toby tosses you a water bottle from the fridge—and you nearly chug it all at once.

You’re making your way through the fries when the brain fog is starting to lift. With every bit of food hitting your empty stomach, you feel increasingly lucid, until you’re just clear-minded enough to try to figure things out.

"What is this place?" you ask, "Where are we?"

“…Home.”

He doesn’t elaborate on his answer as he sits down in front of you.

He leans back, fingers toying with the sides of his seat, and then he’s pushing off to balance on the two hind legs of the chair. You wonder how many times his teachers had to tell him to stop doing that as a kid.

You don’t think he ever listened.

"Where?” you press the question, “What city—what country?"

"...Does it really matter?"

You pause, then realize there’s no point in answering that question. You take another sip of water.

"When can you bring me back?”

"Bring you—bring you back where?"

"Home."

"This is home."

You're not getting anywhere.

You take a breath.

“This isn’t my home, this is your home. When can you bring me back to my place?”

You should be scared.

You’ve woken up in a strange place with strange men, and your body is bruised and beaten, and definitely in some kind of survival mode, at this point. You’re hungry and tired, and the last few days of your life have felt like nothing short of a nightmare.

But you’re too wrecked to even be scared anymore. It feels like a bitter seed of anger has been planted within you, and it’s slowly spreading its roots through the dirt of your agony.

“This is your home,” he reiterates, and then before you can keep arguing with him, he suddenly snaps his chair forwards. “Listen, whether you like it or not, this is—this is it, right now. Th—the best—the best thing you can do is j—is j—is just trust me right now, ok?”

You open your mouth.

Trust him?

Trust a murderer, a kidnapper—a criminal who’s done God-knows what else to innocent people? Trust the person who’s responsible for dragging you into this whole mess in the first place?

You close your mouth before you can keep arguing. Before you can upset him any further.

And when he sees you silently going back to eating, he sighs, deflating a little.

“I know…” he quietly hesitates, his voice low, “I know this seems… like a bit of a mess right now. I know… I know you don’t—don’t really understand anything. And—and I know it must be—must be pretty jarring t—to wake up in a house with—with people who won’t even show you their—their—show you their face.”

You, again, don’t indulge him with an answer. You don’t even lift your eyes up to look at him.

“But… but you have to trust me. Please… please trust me.”

He’s begging.

It finally has you lifting your gaze to look at him, but you still can’t read him through the mask.

He might as well be sneering at you right now, and you’d have no way of knowing.

How could you ever trust him?

“Toby…” you reluctantly start, “I dont... I'm not whatever you're looking for,” you reiterate. “I—" you shake your head, searching for the right way to phrase your thoughts. “You have the wrong person…”

He’s quiet for a moment.

His shoulder jerks and twitches, and he whistles that one note you'd previously heard him whistle, but he otherwise stays silent.

You wish you knew what he was thinking. You wish you knew what the hell was going on.

“I know you don’t understand,” he starts, spelling out every syllable like he’s choosing his words very carefully. “But you’re… you’re exactly what I—what we've been looking for."

You feel sick.

You push the food away.

“I—I’m not—“ you shake your head again, pursing your lips. “I—I don’t know anything. I lied about knowing the neighbour—I don’t know anything about her, or about the secrets she kept, or—or anything at all. I was just trying to save my skin, I—“

You shake your head again, at a complete loss for words.

And then eventually, all you say is, “I promise I won’t say a word about any of this if you just bring me back.”

He hesitates.

And then, finally, he answers, his voice strained, just barely above a whisper.

“There’s... there's no going back anymore.”

#creepypasta #creepypasta x reader #ticci toby #ticci toby x reader #crp

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mattsrod · 1 year ago

Text

- ; MATTHEW STURNIOLO ; - ' MORNINGS '

✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

- ; warnings - smut, sub!matt, a little plot, masturbation, boners, interrupted sex.

- ; 9:05 am

your eyes were still glued shut with sleep as you rolled over in bed, throwing your arm to the right which hit your boyfriend in the stomach, of course.

matt shot awake, clutching his stomach instantaneously. after a few seconds of sputtering out swear words under his breath the said, "new way to wake me up, huh?"

you groaned in response, much too tired to give him a proper answer. the only thing on your mind was going back to sleep, but your boyfriend poking you in your side made that pretty difficult .

"matt, stop." you said curtly, grabbing his hand.

"your the one who woke me up, shouldnt i be mad?" he turned you over so you were facing him, taking a moment to look at all of your features.

"matt i can feel you staring at me." you spoke before opening your eyes. he was already staring into them. fuck. you wanted to be mad at him for not letting you sleep, but you couldn't.

he laughed before sliding his hand under your head, separating you and your soft pillow . you leaned closer to him and he kissed your lips softly.

he pulled away for a moment and you smiled. "come here." you said grabbing his face and brining it to yours, smashing your lips together.

you bit his upper lip and he licked your lower, and soon after his tongue pried your lips apart. he sat you up against the headboard, not separating his lips from yours for a second. he unclasped your bra, taking a tit in his hand.

every second that passed just made the kiss more heated.

your hands slid up and down his body as his tongue explored your mouth. just as your hands made it to his waistband you received a call, to which you ignored.

and then another call came.

and finally a text.

he pulled away, recognizing whoever was trying to reach you probably really needed you, considering the amount of times they had called you.

matt got off of you, letting you recollect and grab your phone.

"fuck." you mumbled

"what?"

"its my best friend. her dog ran away. she wants me to come over and grieve with her. probaly eat ice cream for three hours? i dont know.." you rambled on, shocked at the messages you had just received

"oh shit. you gotta get going then?" he yawned. handing you a previously discarded bra from the night before.

"i guess so." you slipped the bra over your head. "want breakfast before i leave?" you asked him, grabbing a pair of his pajama pants off of the floor and swiftly putting them on.

"i mean, why not?" he got out of the bed slowly ruffling his hair and then standing up.

you walked over to him, giving him a peck on the lips before walking out of the room "meet you downstairs yeah?"

"yeah." he paused, "your not putting a shirt on?" he said loudly, knowing you were far down the hallway by now.

"i mean its just us at home, right?!" you called back.

hearing that he smiled to himself. rushing out of the room and following you down the steps.

- ; time skip - 9:32 am

"matt, im gonna burn the fuckin' eggs if you keep staring at me like that." you shuffled the eggs around in the pan once more before turning around to look at matt, leaning your hands into the counter.

"what am i distracting you?"

"just let me cook your eggs in peace." you smiled.

saying that you turned around, you knew matt wouldn't let you do that.

you felt matts gaze burning into you as you walked over to the fridge to grab orange juice which you set on the counter next to you.

why not take advantage of this?

you opened the freezer and bent down to grab the mini pancakes you knew matt loved.

you arched your back as you stood up and turned around. "you want some of these, babe?" you held up the box of pancakes, waving them in the air.

your boyfriend traced your curves with his eyes. how his pants hung low on your hips, how your bra held your perfect tits.he was getting harder by the second. who gave you permission to do these things to him?

and then, looked up from the floor where he was pretending to stare, blinking and shaking his head before speaking "oh shit- sorry babe what'd ya say?"

"hm." you crossed your arms and leaned against the counter once again, sighing this time. "what am I distracting you now?"

"i gotta use the bathroom, be right back." he said coldly.

you pursed your lips and then shook your head. "you want the pancakes or not?!"

"yeah!" his voice cracked as he ran to the bathroom.

you giggled and turned off the stove. you knew exactly what he was up to.

matt bee-lined for the bed and threw himself on it, tossing most of the pillows to the floor and stuffing the remaining behind his back, before yanking his sweatpants down to his knees. there was no need to drag this out. he had enough foreplay just watching you downstairs, and not to mention the interrupted scene that morning that had been playing through his head for the rest of the time after that.

he grasped his cock firmly from the spot on his stomach where it had lay hard and wet-tipped against his stomach.

he gasped at the contact and let his head fall back, his mouth falling open as he squeezed himself, before letting his cock fall with a slap against heated skin.

with a flat hand, he pulled the moisture from the tip, smearing it down his length, before curling his fingers over his balls, just grazing his fingertips below them.matt ran his tongue over his dry lips, picturing you in the kitchen, remembering how you'd looked with your pajama pants hanging so low that just the slightest tug would pull them off.

he groaned and brought his hand around his dick again, tugging jerkily, frantically, and bent his knees, planting his feet on the bed.He could see you between his legs, one hand on his thigh, the other pleasuring yourself right along with him.

matt screwed his eyes closed and clamped his other hand over his own thigh, breathing hard and fast and stroking even faster.He imagined fucking you over the counter. both of you whimpering as he thrusted roughly into you, one hand gripping your hips roughly, leaving small marks. his other roped around to the front of your body, rubbing your clit.

the muscles in matts’s arms began to burn as he stroked himself but that barely registered, the only thing he could think of, the only thing he could see, was you beneath him.

him plunging into you and hearing your pretty noises.

your face as it twisted with pleasure.

He stroked himself long and hard, inside and out, his breath ragged and heavy and he knew it wouldn’t be long before his releass. he moaned loudy, picturing you against the counter once again. This sent him right over the edge.

with a loud cry of your name, his knees hit his shoulders as his belly strained and his hips thrust up onto his plunging fingers, his body pulsing around them, and quick lines of milky liquid squirted over his hand and the quivering skin of his stomach.

you opened the bedroom door and matts head snapped at the creaking sound it had made.

"huh. well this isnt the bathroom." you teased, making your way towards the bed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

#matt sturniolo #matt sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo smut #sub matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo x reader #nick sturniolo smut #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo smut #chris sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #lets trip tour #sturniolo smut #christopher sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo

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sugarushwriting · 14 days ago

Text

red flag jay

very angsty or somewhat

could’ve went into more detail but didn’t really want multiple parts

adult content!!! read at own discretion!!!!

wrote this months ago!! like early last year alongside heeseungs!! was supposed to write red flag enhypen for all 7 but only got to two of them.

don’t want this sitting in my drafts so here yall go for entertainment! not proof read or updated since i first wrote this months ago!!!

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

you sighed in exhaustion as you looked to the clock on the nightstand. 11:47 pm.

just once you wished your fiancé would come home to you before 9 pm.

before you agreed to marry him, the latest he’d had ever gotten home to you after work was 7 pm. after the engagement it became later and later.

he wasn’t cheating. you’d already went that route and followed him after 5 months of being sick and tired of him coming home late, wondering if he was already being unfaithful.

turns out, he was just a workaholic.

you were in a nice sleep when you finally heard the turn of the doorknob, and soft steps. jay was trying hard to get ready for bed without waking you.

too bad although you’ve given up on waiting for him every night, you still naturally woke up when jay came home. most nights you just didn’t let it show.

he kissed your forehead before he got into the bed behind you, wrapping his arms around you. he inhaled your scent, smiling against the back of your neck with a kiss.

“love you baby.” he whispered before he quickly got into a deep sleep himself.

you’ve known jay for about 2 years. dating him for 1, then getting engaged soon after. it’s just been a little under 6 months since saying yes to jay. 2 months since you both were intimate.

you lied awake, sighing in frustration. you knew jay had long work hours as he was partners in a travel company. that’s how you two met. you were on vacation, and his company happened to be the one you used. his team was conducting customer service surveys.

you didn’t mind you and jay weren’t intimate every night. because on the nights you both finally let out pent up frustration, you all would be intertwined with each other at all hours of the night.

the sun began to rise through the sheer curtains in your bedroom. jay would be up soon.

you got up and went into the kitchen to start the coffee pot and make sure jay had a lunch to take even though you knew he most likely would eat out.

you wondered why you even try anymore.

a kiss to your cheek startled you, followed by his morning voice, “morning my love.”

you mumbled, “morning.” a sassy undertone clearly present in your voice. for some reason you woke up extra pissed and petty. for good reasons.

jay chuckled, “what’s with the attitude?” he leaned against the opposite counter of you, crossing his arms.

you quickly whirled around, a frown etched on your face. “i don’t know jay.” you snapped with a shrug. “maybe i’m just missing my fiancé?”

“i’m right here.” he said confused, uncrossed his arms, gripping the counter.

“well you might as well not be! you seem more interested in your job than your own fiancé!”

jay sighed, “love, you know my job is very demanding, especially right now with holiday season coming up.”

“i know that jay, but it’s not fair!” you started to tear up. “i miss welcoming you home, and eating dinners together and watching tv before falling asleep in your arms.” a tear slipped down your cheek and jay immediately came to you to wipe away your tears and comfort you.

he kissed your forehead. “i’m so sorry love. i promise i’ll try to be home before 7 tonight.”

you smiled and nodded.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

6:55 pm you sat at the dinner table shaking your leg anxiously, checking the time every 3 seconds.

7:05 pm you thought he was probably stuck in late night city traffic.

7:35 pm you made the excuse that he was probably held up by a bad accident.

so you texted him.

you: jay is everything ok? is traffic bad?

8:15 pm you started cleaning up and getting worried he was maybe hurt

you: jay love are you ok? please let me know you are okay!

8:45 pm you were tempted to call around to different hospitals

9:25 pm you were furiously throwing items in a suitcase, wanting to commit murder yourself

future hubby!: love i am so so sorry…

you didn’t even finish the text before you threw your phone on the bed and grabbed a small suitcase.

tears streaming down your face, sobs coming out your mouth, you had to stop a few times to take deep breaths.

your mind and vision was so cloudy, full of hate, resentment, frustration, hurt, anger, and disappointment.

you were so focused, when you came out the bathroom carrying needed supplies, you hadn’t heard jay come in.

he looked at the suitcase with a confused expression and concern, then he looked at you. seeing your tears almost broke him.

“baby i am so sorry!” he began to say. you ignored him and kept packing some of your things. “baby, please listen!” he tried to grab at you but you pulled away and yelled at him to not touch you.

he said your name as sternly as he could. “this was a big meeting ok! i forgot it was with investors overseas, and this is very important for the company!”

you didn’t want to hear it. “you made a promise, jay.” you said softly not once looking at him.

“im sure i made a promise to try and make it home.” he pointed out and you stopped dead in your tracks. staring at him with cold and dead eyes.

“fuck. you.” you spat and went to zip the suitcase but jay stopped you by pulling you away.

you both nearly tussled over the suitcase until he grabbed your hands in his. “don’t be like that.” he said making sure to look you in your eyes.

“what am i supposed to be like then, huh?” you said angrily. “just be a good little house fiancé and soon to be housewife then soon to be stay at house mom? and be ok with my husband being at work at all hours of the day? while i stay home with our children who barely knows their dad?”

you were thinking of the future. your heart breaks thinking about raising the children and you jay were excited for all by yourself. if he stayed at work, his children would never know their dad.

“i’m doing this for you! for us! our future family!” jay shot back. “to make sure you get the best wedding, and have the best life! so that our kids have everything they want!”

“and if that means sacrificing time with you im sure our future kids don’t care about flashy things! i sure don’t! i don’t need or even want a big wedding jay!”

“and what? be ridiculed by my peers because my wife had a shotgun wedding?”

you gasped then scoffed. “are you doing this for me or for your peers to prove something, jay?”

jay stayed tight lipped. you shook your head in disbelief, the tension still high in the air.

you slipped by past jay grabbing the suitcase. he put his hand on it, stopping it from wheeling. “where are you going?”

“somewhere not here.”

“how you gonna do that, love?” jay narrowed his eyes, seeing red that you would dare leave him like this. “you have no family, no friends, no job, no money, no car. what you have is because of me. clothes, shoes, money, that car you drive, your phone. hell my friends are your friends.”

before you could react you slapped him. your engagement ring slightly cutting his cheek. he reached up to his cheek in shock not only because of the slap but because of what he said.

tears swelled up once again. this time anger tears. “fuck you jay! just fuck you! it’s all because of you!” you spat knowing you gave up your comfy life across the globe to take a chance with this man.

jays phone suddenly rang. he looked at the caller id with a sigh and his eyes looked at you apologetically. you knew it had to do with work.

“you answer that jay, and im gone.”

“if you leave, you leave with nothing.” he challenged.

he turned his back to you answering the call. what you wanted to do was throw the lamp at him. instead you grabbed your wallet with the only things that were truly yours, taking out his credit card and taking off your his engagement ring.

you saw your phone on the bed then remembered his words. so as quickly as possible with your wallet, you put your sneakers on in the living room hearing jays voice call your name.

“can you hold for just a second?” he said into the phone, coming into the living room watching as you put on your last shoe. “love, what are you doing!”

you ignored him as he alternated between yelling your name and talking to whoever on the phone.

without looking back you ran out the door of your shared apartment, opting to take the stairs as adrenaline ran its course.

jay was shocked, but his mind convinced him that you were standing outside the door waiting for him. how could you leave without a phone or keys?

he bid goodbye to the investors on the phone, his heart beating loud in his chest.

“haha, very funny baby.” he chuckled opening the front door hoping to see your smiling face.

instead he got an empty hallway.

that’s term panic finally settled in. running down the halls trying to find you, looking in the stairwell.

how could you just leave without your phone or keys? it was pouring outside! you could get sick! or hurt!

jay grabbed at his hair, muttering profanities to himself as he paced in the living room. again convincing himself that maybe you just went to the lobby to calm down, that you’d be back up in no time.

so he sat and waited the couch.

10:30 pm, 11:45 pm, 12:50 am, 1:30 am, time all went past, as jay alternated between the door, the clock, and his phone in hopes you’d find a phone to contact him.

at 6:30 am his phone startled him, a smile reaching his face thinking it was you. it was his alarm.

“baby,” he muttered to himself, a tear threatening its way down.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

park sunghoon, jays step brother, least expected to wake up to at 10 at night due to scattered knocks from you.

seeing you drenched in rain, sunghoon sighed, opened the door for you and let you cry on his couch.

little did jay know was that you had picked up shifts at the ice skating rink sunghoon owned by working front desk. you were bored and sunghoon needed the help in between when the college students couldn’t make it.

the next morning you looked a mess compared to sunghoon’s polished look.

“you look like trash.”

you rolled your eyes drinking your hot beverage. “jeez, thanks a ton sunghoon.”

sunghoon chuckled, hoping just the slightest teasing could cheer you up. he knew about his step-brother’s workaholic tendencies and even warned him once he made it official with you to not jinx it.

you stared into nothing, last night over playing in your head. you told sunghoon everything that happened, hence why you came empty handed and without a ring.

“he’ll come to his senses.” sunghoon offered.

“even if he apologizes, it’s going to take more than that.”

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

days passed, and jay felt so lost not having you in his space. not having your body present. your kisses. smiles. laughs.

he realized he was neglecting you.

he met up with his friends heeseung and jake, and his step brother, sunghoon.

jay nearly started a bar fight when he smelt your scent on sunghoon. mind immediately thinking the worst he started throwing insults, sunghoon sitting quietly until jay spat an insult about you.

sunghoon punched jay.

heeseung and jake immediately interrupted.

“your drunk brother. watch yourself before you lose her for good.”

“how dare you steal my happiness from me!”

“i stole your fiancé not your business.” sunghoon smirked.

jay went to lunge at sunghoon but his friends stopped.

sunghoon didn’t want to reveal you were staying with him out of respect for you. “jay, she works for me. she came to me bored, wanting to busy herself so i offered her occasionally shifts when my handy college students couldn’t make it.”

“is she safe?” jay was on the verge of sobbing as he grabbed sunghoon by the collar.

sunghoon hates to lie. “from what i know, yes. i don’t know much other than she came to work not looking like herself.”

“can—can i see her?”

“you come on my business property and i’ll knock your teeth out.” sunghoon removed jays grip. “she’s upset, just let her work through this.”

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

and that you did. occasionally receiving flowers from jay at sunghoon’s business. different letters and notes with each bouquet.

baby, sunghoon threatened to knock my teeth out and i believe him. he said not to come to the property but that doesn’t mean i can’t send you flowers

baby i miss you so much. i miss your cuddles and hugs

love, i hope you’re doing ok?

and many others. he even sent his credit card with one of the notes, which you gave to sunghoon to give back to his brother.

jay was hoping you’d use it so he would know which hotel you were staying at.

he sent you your phone, which you turned on only to contact family back home, then turning it back off.

he sent you your favorite shirt of his you like to wear at night. you kept it.

jay was still losing his mind and decided a week was enough and he went to sunghoon’s rink, consequences be damned.

he stood in the shadows by his car, smiling when he saw you come out the door to throw away garbage. his smiled faded when he saw a younger man approaching you to help you lift it into the dumpster, his hand on your lower back to close to comfort.

“i thought i told you i’d knock your teeth in.” sunghoon threatened.

jay turned around pointing to the young man. “who’s that?”

“sunoo. don’t worry, he’s one of the college students and already in a relationship he has no thoughts of jeopardizing, unlike you asshat.” sunghoon gripped the back of jays neck walking him towards the drivers side. “i’ll see you at the bar.”

by the time heeseung, jake and sunghoon got to their regular bar, jay was 4 drinks in, cheeks flushed and, crying?

“i miss her so much man!” jay sobbed.

“dude, you started without us?” jake asked disappointed.

“i couldn’t handle the thoughts of missing her man, but the alcohol made it worse!” jay cried. “i haven’t been able to focus at work! embarrassing myself in front of my partners and investors!”

“yeah, we know.” heeseung and jake said in unison taking a sip of their respective drinks.

they were jays partners for the company, and never have they saw him such a mess at work. suits, socks not matching. sometimes shoes not matching. hair barely brushed. ties always crooked. he was making more mistakes than usual.

“about that, we need to talk.” heeseung cleared his throat.

“jay, we are not asking but demanding that you take some time off.” jake began.

“we can’t ruin this opportunity with important holidays coming up and the opportunity to making nearly triple what we did in the past year.”

jay sighed, emptying his cup asking the bartender for another. “how do you guys always get home before 6?”

“we have boundaries, jay.” heeseung stated. “we understand this business is important to you because of your father, but is it more important than losing your future life with someone you love?”

“jay, you have heeseung and i as partners. we share the business responsibilities and burdens. we also agree it’s time we talk with our employees and other partners to let them know we are setting boundaries for everyone’s health.”

jay listened as he continued to cry. sunghoon had begged you through text to come and get his brother before he ends up on the curb.

sunghoon-in-law: please come get jay. heeseung jake and i are about to kick him to the curb if he continues to sob like a toddler about wanting and missing you

in no time you made your way to their favorite bar knowing they really would put him to the curb.

when you said jays name, he swore he was dreaming. “it’s me jay.”

“please make sure he doesn’t vomit himself to death.” heeseung said.

when jay turned to meet your eyes, he almost cried again until sunghoon groaned. “please get him out before we get kicked out!”

you laughed, helping jay to his car, taking his keys from his pocket. thankfully jay was sorta able to walk.

the drive home was quiet other than jay ranting to himself about random things and how much of an idiot he is.

when you pulled into the apartment garage you softly shook him, he looked your way with a smile. “my angel, you’re still here.”

you smiled and nodded. “let’s get you home.”

“don’t leave me, please.” jay pouted.

“i won’t jay.”

you helped him out of the car and to the apartment. “here jay, we’re at your apartment.”

jay shook his head correcting you, “our apartment.”

you ignored his comment, walking in the home the familiar scent of jay greeting your nose. although he was a mess lately, thankfully the apartment wasn’t.

you got to the bedroom with jay noting he hadn’t made the bed.

“i didn’t make the bed—hiccup—because i know you like it done a certain way.”

you helped him into the bed. as you went to walk away to grab some water he held on tight to your hand. “you said you wouldn’t leave me.”

“i’m not jay, i’m going to get you some water.” you replied and moved his hair from his forehead.

that night you helped him take medication and get ready for bed, helping him out of his outside clothes. him giggling like a schoolboy making jokes about you getting him naked.

“sleep with me, love.”

“jay—,”

“please.” he grabbed your hand, rubbing his finger where the engagement ring should be. the scar on his cheek still healing and a reminder how he treated you.

you had no energy to argue, so you nodded and reassured you were going to change into one of his shirts and come back.

jay stayed awake until you came back to him, the ring in his hand. he slipped it back on, begging you not to take it off. you both laid side by side facing one another.

“i know i have a lot of apologizing to do, and we need to talk. but just know i care about you and our future children more than the business.” jay sighed against your lips. “for the rest of my life i’ll be making up how i treated you. my mother did not raise me that way. she would disown me if she knew the way i treated you.” jay kissed your forehead.

“go to sleep now jay, we can talk about it in the morning.”

“can we also start making babies tomorrow?”

you laughed, hitting jays shoulder. “sure jay.”’

“i love you.”

“and i love you.”

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

#enhypen drabbles #fanfiction #reader x jay #jay au #jay angst #engene #enhypen x reader #enhypen fanfiction #park jongseong #park sunghoon #sim jaeyun #jake sim #lee heeseung

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imperator-kahlo · 5 months ago

Text

OK what even is happening with the Crows

I’ve just been trawling through the wiki and World of Thedas for a few hours trying to figure out what we (a) know, (b) can guess, (c) can speculate wildly about the inner workings of the Crows during the Dragon age.

(I am by no means an expert on the lore so please let me know where I have wildly missed the mark).

I'm definitely not trying to propose any kind of fanon consensus, where's the fun in that?! Just trying to figure out a timeline that makes sense to me. Possibly also toying around with a pre-canon Rookanis fic.

Loooong and probably insanely disorganised text post under the cut. I should have been in bed hours ago but I am hyperfixating on this and will not sleep until I hit post.

Spoilers, so many spoilers below: Veilguard, Tevinter Nights, The Silent Grove, Origins, Awakenings, the entire franchise basically.

So, a speculative timeline. Events in black are fairly or very well supported by the lore; events in blue are inconsistent/uncertain in the lore; events in purple are guesses that I can sort of back up; events in red are me throwing a dartboard at the wall.

Note: The wiki puts the events of "Eight Little Talons" in 9:44 Dragon, but I can't find any source for that. I would have guessed a little later, but let's roll with 9:44.

Also, I'm pretty unclear on the guildmaster/grandmaster distinction. I'm just going to say 'head of house' for whoever is in charge of a Crow house, or Talon if they're head of one of the eight Talon Houses.

Blessed Age

8:70 Blessed - Caterina born (she's described as well into her 70s during Eight Little Talons and as around 80 in the data-mined character descriptions for Veilguard, so give or take a couple years this seems right).

9:00 to 9:29 Dragon: House Arainai Shenanigans

9:00 Dragon - Antivan civil war, beginning of the "much maligned" Three Queens era (Codex, History of Kirkwall - Chapter 4). Unclear exactly what happens or over what period of time, but seems like the Crows would be in the thick of things.

9:05 - 9:10 - Caterina maybe reaches Talon status (not First, though). Around 8:98 Blessed would be the absolute earliest she could get there given Teia's holds the record (youngest Talon at 28). But I think Teia was at least three or four years younger than any previous Talon so I'd put it somewhere around here, if not a few years later.

9:12 Dragon - Zevran, aged 7, is purchased from a Rialto brothel by House Arainai. The House is led by First Talon Talav Arainai and described as rolling in coin after the "Three Brides" contract - they purchase 17 other slaves that year, including Taliesen (World of Thedas, vol 2, p. 96). I think based purely on vibes that House Arainai is fairly secure in First Talon position and has been there at least a couple years, probably longer.

9:15ish Dragon - Teia born (she's described as 28 in the data-mined descriptions, but she's already a Talon in 'Eight Little Talons', which says she was the youngest ever to reach the rank at age 28. I'm assuming she got there a year or two before the events of the story. See 9:17.

9:16 Dragon - whoops, sometime over the last four years it all went to shit for Talav Arainai! The House dropped to Second Talon, and he was executed in 9:16 after trying to take back the seat of First. Isadora Arainai takes over, and the House hangs on as Second Talon... for now. Rinna joins House Arainai and immediately works well with Zevran and Taliesen under the mentorship of Eoman Arainai (World of Thedas, vol 2, p. 96). This would be the earliest that Caterina could reach First Talon, but I'm not sure I'd put it this early. I think the latest she could possible reach First would be 9:25ish based on my guesses about House Velardo (see below).

9:17 Dragon - Lucanis born (described as 36 in the data-mined character descriptions. I know I threw out those descriptions for Teia, but I think we can be pretty certain Lucanis is mid thirties).

9:17 Dragon - Teia born. I was going back through Eight Little Talons and my initial read was wrong. Teia is 28 during the events of the story.

9:24 Dragon - House Arainai, having the sort of shitty luck they absolutely deserve, falls entirely out of the rank of Talons when Second Talon Isadora dies. They wallow amongst the cuchillos (minor houses) for a few years (World of Thedas, vol 2, p. 96).

9:22 - 9:27 - House Velardo attempts to usurp First Talon from House Dellamorte? The resulting war kills all of Caterina's children and grandchildren, save Lucanis and Illario. My reasoning here is this: Lucanis says he and Illario would have ended up with Caterina to train, but being orphaned sent them to her younger than anticipated. Zevran was purchased at age 7, so we know Crow training, at least for House Arainai slaves, begins very young. Perhaps the non-slave children of influential house leaders start later, but I would guess not much. So I'm assuming they end up with Caterina sometime between ages 5 and 10?

9:25 Dragon - King Maric is thought lost at sea, but is in reality being held by Third Talon Claudio Valisti in a Crow prison on behalf of a Tevinter Magister, Aurielion Titus.

Side note: I had the same reaction to finding out the Crows have a super-fun torture prison as I did to finding out Weisshaupt has dungeons. Just... why? That feels like mission creep? Does the assassin skill set at all overlap with the prison guard skill set?

9:26 - 9:28 - Eoman takes over as head of House Arainai. He eliminates House Ferragani, which was Eighth Talon, thus clearing the way for Arainai to claw its way back into power. Unfortunately, he needs the support of Third Talon Claudio Valisti to take over the position. Valisti wants Rinna Arainai dead (cult / royal bastard reasons) and Eoman tricks Zevran and Taliesen, her lovers, into doing it. This was a very stupid decision (WoT vol 2, p. 96).

9:30 to 9:43 Dragon: Zevran's Revenge

9:30 Dragon - Zevran, depressed and angry about Rinna's death, bids for the contract on the Warden's life. House Arainai is said to have accepted this contract because they believed Loghain to be the best person to defeat the blight (WoT vol 2, p. 96).

Side note: This sort of, if you squint, reconciles the contract on the Warden's life in 9:30 with the memento found in Veilguard that says the Crows had treaties with the Wardens to fight the "next blight". But also they tried to kill the Warden-Commander in Awakenings, too. I guess one could argue a new blight was unlikely so soon but like. Come on, guys. Is your word to the Wardens worth anything or not?

9:31 - 9:34 - If Zevran survived, he comes back from Ferelden with a spring in his step and murder in his heart (and possibly a Warden on his arm) and wreaks absolute havoc on House Arainai. Eoman is first to go, then like half a dozen more of their top people. The House loses Eighth Talon and falls once more into obscurity. The Crows call Zevran (or an unnamed assassin if Zevran is dead) the "Black Shadow" and speculate that he has allies among the cuchillos (WoT vol 2, p. 96).

9:34 - 9:43 - Where the fuck is Zevran?

9:37 Dragon - Corypheus is freed (Legacy DLC). The Venatori will start to be a thing in the next few years, so Lucanis is going to pick up his nickname between now and, say 9:50 Dragon. I'd put it between 9:45 and 9:49 because of vibes (and because he talks about not immediately specialising in mages. Crows get started very young, but I dunno. I see him starting on mages in his mid twenties because, again, vibes.)

9:38 - 9:40 - Events of The Silent Grove (comic - I haven't read it in a while but I'm throwing it in here for complete-ish-ness). Alistair, Varric and Isabela break into the Crow archive and Velabanchel prison (which side note is a totally heinous operation). Isabela kills Claudio Valisti (Third Talon passes to Ezio Valisti). This, for me, raises the question again: Where the fuck is Zevran (sob). Valisti was implicated in Rinna's death, so either Zevran never found out or he couldn't get to Valisti while he was cleaning house.

9:44 Dragon - Ongoing: We're Entering Our Freedom-Fighter Era

9:44 Dragon - The events of 'Eight Little Talons'. Briefly: Caterina calls all the Talons together to plan for the imminent invasion of the Antaam, but a whole bunch of murder happens. Turns out that Fourth Talon Emil Kortez made deal with the Antaam and was trying to wipe out the Crows' leadership. He was killed by the survivors and Viago suggests--correctly, I think--that Caterina will wipe out the whole house.

The following Talons are killed but it seems like their houses will probably retain their status, with somebody else taking over as Talon:

Dante Balazar, Second

Lera Valisti, Third

Giuli Arainai, Eighth (having only just managed to lift that fucking house back up to Talonship, shame lol)

In addition to Caterina, Viago, and Teia, Sixth Talon Nero Bolivar survives, but he um, isn't much help. I would guess that Caterina, in a pretty strong alliance with Viago and Teia and with all the other Talons being new, might fuck his shit up and try to get someone more solid in before the Antaam invade?

9:44 - ongoing - WHERE THE FUCK IS ZEVRAN???? He can't have taken control of any of the eight Talon houses, because he's not at the summit in 'Eight Little Talons'-- and however much he damaged House Arainai, they've clawed back some power by 9:44. Is there a breakaway faction of cuchillo houses that Caterina won't even dignify with an acknowledgment? Is he not interested in any kind of Crow power and is just fucking shit up for them - we can assume House Valisti has had a lock on Third Talon since at least 9:28 (Claudio or Ezio Valisti pop up periodically in this position), and my guess is House de Riva have held Fifth a decent period of time, but as far as I can tell we know nothing about Second, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Talon Houses in this period. So maybe Zev is toppling houses left, right and centre? Seems like that sort of instability might have changed Caterina's approach in 'Eight Little Talons', though...

9:51 - Lucanis imprisoned in the Ossuary.

9:51 - Antaam invasion of Antiva, starting with Treviso. The Antaam rebellion begins in 9:44 and is ongoing; the failure of Kortez in 9:44 delayed the invasion somewhat. I wouldn't have thought it would delay it this much, but I'm pretty sure that it happened while Lucanis was imprisoned, right? So since we free him in 9:52 after a year in the Ossuary, the invasion must have been delayed until 9:51? Maybe very late 9:50?

"Conclusions"

(I haven't read the comics in a bit and I know there's some Crow stuff that goes down in there beyond the Silent Grove... but as best I recall its just Teia and Viago running into Varric and Harding, and some stuff setting up Solas and the Antaam. Please let me know if I'm mistaken!)

I think it's safe to say the Crows are in chaos for pretty much the entire first half of the Dragon age: Arainai are causing chaos from 9:16 to 9:25, then they pass the torch to Velardo, whose war against House Dellamorte must have lasted a few years if it wiped out almost all of Caterina's family. Zevran is on a murder spree at least between 9:31 and 9:34, and possibly (much) longer depending on your headcanon.

After, at very best, a decade's peace, 9:44 sees the plot to wipe out the Crow leadership, which fails but does kill half the Talons and lead to the elimination of at least one, maybe two of the Talon Houses. Half a decade after that the Antaam invades.

I've been completely on board with the critiques of Veilguard's portrayal of the Crows, but I think writing it all out like this has helped me reconcile things a little bit? This is a deeply chaotic network of feuding families, and no single Talon is going to have the secure political power to make sweeping changes. Which isn't to say the child abuse that was definitely still occuring in Houses Dellamorte and de Riva during Rook and Lucanis' childhoods is just fine. But it makes more sense to me now that Houses Dellamorte, de Riva and Cantori could have wildly different ideas about slavery and torture prisons than, say Houses Arainai and Valisti--and have extremely limited power to shift the culture of competing Houses. Even the First Talon's position is deeply precarious.

Whew. Good night!

(Just realised as I was tagging that I haven't slotted The Wigmaker Job in anywhere. I thiiiiink Viago mentions in 'Eight Little Talons' that Lucanis is currently in Tevinter for a job, maybe a sly reference to Wigmaker? But I cannot possibly get sucked in any deeper, my dog is losing her entire mind at me STILL being at the computer.)

***

Waking up and editing to add: At some point in her time as a Talon (probably First but I guess maybe not?), Caterina wiped out another house so completely that Teia doesn't even recognise the name, Gaspari, when Viago mentions it in 'Eight Little Talons'. Given House Velardo was the one that made a play for First Talon, this is a whole 'nother big intra-Crows conflict that slots in somewhere on this timeline. Caterina is ruthless, y'all.

***

Editing again a few days later to report that I was flicking through WoT and spotted a WHOLE-ASS ENTRY on Claudio Valisti that I’d managed to miss. I was… not happy. I’m begging you BioWare, no more information. I cannot reconcile it.

Anyway. World of Thedas, vol 2, p 44, has Claudio Valisti taking over from his father as Eighth Talon in 9:34, quickly getting the house to Sixth Talon and appearing to be going places. This appears to contradict p. 96 of the same, which has a Third Talon Claudio Valisti helping House Arainai in 9:28, as described above.

I thought very carefully about tearing the page out, burning it, and forgetting I ever knew this particular piece of lore.

Instead I have decided fuck it, we have a father-son pair here. Senior helped out Arainai in 9:28. His house later fell to Eighth (in my incredibly unwieldy and underdeveloped headcanon this is partly because helping Arainai really pissed off Caterina). Claudio Senior dies in 9:34, Claudio Junior inherits. By the time Junior dies to Isabela in 9:38-40 he’s got the house properly back on track, so the loss of a leader doesn’t destabilise them too badly.

Ezio Valisti is Third Talon in 9:41, according to the Winter Palace announcer in Inquisition, and the house still holds the third seat in 9:44.

(Also edited Teia’s birth year from 9:15 to 9:17; I misread Eight Little Talons. She’s 28 during the events of the story.)

#dragon age veilguard #dragon age #lucanis dellamorte #caterina dellamorte #antivan crows #zevran arainai #dav spoilers #veilguard critical #just a smidge and mostly I'm talking myself out of the negativity #dragon age lore

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